The Silent History is one of the first applications to expand the unchartered boundaries of e-book storytelling. It's not merely a digitised book, but a serialised novel split across hundreds of short stories released daily. It starts in the present and stretches into a future where a generation of children are hit by a baffling epidemic: the inability to speak or process language. Instead of words, these "silents" hear pure sound and nobody knows why. What is the predicament of a people with no ability to communicate or comprehend, cut adrift from their families and their society? In the tradition of the best dystopian science fiction, the guts of The Silent History is in society's reactions rather than the story's catalyst: some respond with fear and propose dumping the silents on an apartheid island, parents try in vain to get through to their impenetrable children, doctors are more concerned with how to categorise the kids then actually figuring out what to do with them and how to help them. The story is split into 1500-word first person narratives from these parents, doctors, teachers, siblings and citizens, some of whom reappear as the story continues to unfold. There are also site-specific "field reports" that expand on the central narrative in a non-linear fashion and can only be accessed when the reader travels to the physical location where the report is set. There are three such field reports in Sydney across Tempe and Marrickville, and more to be released soon (anyone can contribute one). Sitting on a bench in Wicks Park in Marrickville, reading a field report by The Lifted Brow's Sam Cooney, I madly looked around for a caramel door described in the text. There it was! As if the writer had put the doorway there himself! Of course, I knew he hadn't, but it was perfect - the exact kind of dark magic that all good writers and artists and musicians perform when their work seems to lift up walls behind walls behind walls and reveal something new and unexpected with great clarity. This is what digital literature can do and be! It's a revelation - experiential and immersive and immediate. Sometimes Sydney's Inner West seems to stretch on forever, all grey terraces and identical intersections and howling flightpaths. The Silent History field reports take ordinary, everyday patches of suburbs and turns them into places, connecting them with something bigger. The exact nature of that bigger something isn't quite clear yet. It's easy to describe The Silent History's plot and its innovative format, but its actual themes are more elusive. I can really only say what it makes me think about: the nature of language, the inability of almost everyone (mute or not) to communicate what they want and need, the necessity and difficulty of intimacy and vulnerability, the loneliness of childhood, the mysteries of deja vu and dreams and things felt instinctively rather than experienced consciously. These themes recur like birthmarks throughout the short stories, sometimes faint and sometimes darker. In this way, The Silent History, with its fragmentary narrative, is reminiscent of the works of Louise Hearman and Bill Henson, the lyrics of Talking Headsand Radiohead, and other artists more interested in questions than answers. Do not waste another minute - download this app/book/enigma and start exploring the stories and field reports now. Volume 2 of The Silent History is available now for iPads and iPhones at the iTunes Store for $1.99 per volume.
When 2018 comes to a close, the National Gallery of Australia will be home to both a permanent Yayoi Kusama infinity room and a short-term showcase of pre-Raphaelite masterpieces from London's Tate Britain — but 2019 looks set to be even bigger for the Canberra venue. The gallery has revealed its full program for next year and it's filled with huge names from the art world, with exhibitions showcasing the work of Monet, Matisse and Picasso coming to the nation's capital. Hitting the NGA between June and August, Monet: Impression Sunrise, will be focused around the artwork that gives the exhibition its title. Painted back in 1872, Impression, Soleil levant is credited as the source of the term 'impressionism' and rarely travels outside of the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris. In fact, it has never visited the southern hemisphere before. In collaboration with the French institution, the NGA will display other world-famous paintings by the artist — as well as works by other impressionist talents inspired by Monet, such as JMW Turner. From December 2019 to April 2020, the NGA will then play host to to Matisse / Picasso, which will give art fans to see iconic creations by two major artists in the same space. Drawing pieces from more than 40 collections around the world, the exhibition will highlight the great rivalry between the two figures, and how they responded to each other in their work. The NGA's fondness for Picasso shouldn't come as a surprise — the gallery is already home to a rare set of 100 of the artist's pieces, called The Vollard Suite, which has been touring the country with stops in both Brisbane and Victoria. Among its other highlights for 2019, the NGA will also become home to a new four-metre high wax 'candle' sculpture by Swiss artist Urs Fischer from March, and will unveil a major new work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in October. Monet: Impression Sunrise will display at the National Gallery of Australia between June 7 and August 18, 2019, while Matisse / Picasso will display between December 13, 2019 and April 13, 2020. For further details, visit the NGA website. Image: Claude Monet. Impression, Soleil Levant. 1872. Paris, Musée Marmottan Monet.
Thought bingo was for your nan? Think again. It's also for you — or perhaps, if she's a groovy gran, for the both of you. Hijacking the traditional format of bingo with raves, conga lines and lip sync battles, Bingo Loco is 50 percent one of those strange dreams you get after eating too much cheese and 50 percent just a walloping good time. Comedian Andrew Stanley plays MC, while confetti showers and smoke cannons go off throughout the night (perhaps wear your glasses). Bingo ravers will compete for ultimate glory (and prizes) over the course of three rounds. In between the traditional bingo games, you'll be expected to groove to classic 90s rave bangers, partake in dance-offs, battle others for lip sync queen titles. Basically, be prepared for many high-octane, energetic activities — gone are the days of simply raising your hand when you've got a full sheet of numbers. Doing your stretches and vocal warm-ups first are advised. You'll vie for prizes, which in the past have included Coachella tickets, mobility scooters (nan, listen up), boats and lawnmowers (maybe for your dad), among other goldmines. Bingo Loco has been running across the globe for a few years and now will trumpet its way around Australia once more, with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation Australia. Bingo Loco will hit The Met on Saturday, June 1. Tickets cost $40 per person and can be purchased here.
In the future we'll surely be able to buy things off the internet (or Google Glass, or whatever) and they'll materialise in our teleportation box as soon as the transaction is approved. But until then we still have to deal with the traversing of physical space (such a drag), which unfortunately takes time, money and human resources. But delivery companies have done pretty well with coming up with new ways of getting us our stuff so far — just last week 7-Eleven delivered their first Slurpee by drone, and Japanese postal service Yamato Transport have just announced that they'll start driverless delivery as of next year. Yamato have partnered with Tokyo-based tech company DeNA to develop and launch the delivery by self-driving car service. In what might be the only name that a Japanese tech delivery service could possibly be called, it's been dubbed the RoboNeko Yamato, which translates to "robo cat". RoboNeko has been described as an "on-demand delivery service" because customers will place an order in way that's similar to requesting an Uber. It's of course designed to be used as an e-commerce platform, but customers can also use the app to request a car to deliver bulky things like luggage or a bulk IKEA haul. Customers will be able to track the car, and when it arrives, they'll simply unload their delivery and the car will drive off into the sunset. The service will be trialled for one year, starting March 2017. During that time drivers will accompany some cars to make sure nothing goes wrong, but they hope for the service to be fully autonomous by the end of the trial. Self-driving cars are something that are being tested extensively for human transport — Uber has started testing them, as has US ridesharing service Lyft and Washington D.C. has an adorable self-driving bus — but this is the first time they'll be used for delivery purposes. Via PSFK.
First, the bad news: as announced at the end of February by creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong in an interview with The New Yorker, HBO's award-winning version of Family Feud — aka Succession — is coming to an end. Now, the good news: in the show's just-dropped full trailer for season four, the squabbles are as sharp as ever, the insults are flying thick and fast, and no one among the Roy family can trust each other. So, it's fiery business as usual for the series' farewell lap. Arriving on Monday, March 27 in Australia and New Zealand — airing week to week — Succession's fourth season will be its last, and will see business titan Logan Roy (Brian Cox, Remember Me) leave his children Shiv (Sarah Snook, Pieces of a Woman), Kendall (Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time), Connor (Alan Ruck, The Dropout) and Roman (Kieran Culkin, No Sudden Move) with everything, nothing or something in-between. Getting to that conclusion is going to be one helluva ride, as every season of Succession always is. The latest sneak peek includes everything from double-crossing to angry confrontations, plus Shiv's husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen, Operation Mincemeat) and Roy-family cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun, Zola) trying to stay relevant — and gossiping to each other, as they always do. It's Greg who utters the trailer's best line, in fact: "it's like if Santa Claus was a hitman," he says of Logan. The more things change for the Roys, the more that volatile underlying dynamic stays the same. No one is happy, the future of the company is in chaos and everyone wants the top job. In season four, that involves Logan's children teaming up with the family's foes, loyal in-house legal counsel Gerri (J Smith-Cameron, Fleishman Is in Trouble) threatening lawsuits, Logan starting rounds of chanting in the office and Roman getting in the face of Lukas Matsson, the tech visionary played by Alexander Skarsgård (The Northman) who Logan wants to sell Waystar Royco to. This is the fourth glimpse at what's in store in Succession season four, following on from an initial sneak peek in a broader HBO trailer in mid-October last year, another in late 2022 when the show's autumn return was confirmed, and one in January that locked in the exact March comeback date. If you need a refresher from season three, Shiv, Kendall, Roman and Connor have banded together to form a rebel alliance against Logan over his move to offload the company — and therefore the jobs, power, and cultural and political influence they always thought they'd inherit — to Lukas. It was back in 2021 when HBO announced that Succession would return for a fourth run, after its Emmy-winning third season proved that exceptional — and popular. Viewers are clearly in for more power struggles and more savaging of the one percent, aka more of what Succession has always done best. This time, however, it's the last go-around, so truly anything can happen. "We're pirates," shouts Logan in the new trailer, after all. Check out the full trailer for Succession season four below: Succession season four starts streaming from Monday, March 27 Down Under, including via Foxtel, Binge and Foxtel On Demand in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Check out our review of season three. Images: Claudette Barius/Macall B Polay, HBO.
It's mind-boggling to think this idea hasn't been done earlier. Merging two of the greatest things imaginable, soon-to-be-opened Brisbane bar Cowch will officially be the first dessert cocktail venue in the entire state. Much better than the time you tried to make a Beer Spider (trademark pending), Cowch will be a sophisticated and versatile addition to Brisbane's foodie scene — a haven of sugar and bliss from 7am till late. Launching on Friday May 23, the most eye-catching thing about Cowch is its diverse menu. No longer is dessert relegated to a gluttonous afterthought, it's now front and centre. It's glaring at your while you grab a coffee on the way to work. Cowch's breakfast menu will in fact include churros, crepes, fruit parfait and bircher muesli with fruit — though why anyone would go to a dessert bar for muesli and fruit is truly beyond us. Cowch will also boast a whopping 22 flavours of yoghurt. But hey, we know you didn't click on this story to hear about yoghurt. Cowch's evening menu will let the sugar freak flag fly high with the inclusion of honey and rum grilled bananas served with vanilla bean ice cream, marshmallow martinis, strawberry margarita jello shots and toasted marshmallow served with a Baileys-infused chocolate shot. Cowch also boasts a customisable popsicle stand. Known as 'naked pops', diners can dress their plain ice cream sticks with different chocolate coatings and drench them in whatever they see fit — from berries to shredded coconut to almond tuile. Usually eating ice cream in winter is a big no no, but Cowch even has you covered for the weather. Designed by Michael McCann of Dreamtime Australia Design, the space features a big cosy lounge kept warm by a central fire pit, with low lighting so no one can see how quickly you demolished that marshmallow margarita. Basically, dessert is now acceptable all day and sometimes features alcohol. We're in. Cowch is located at 179 Grey Street, Brisbane. It will be open from 7am till late Monday-Thursday and 7am till 12am Friday-Sunday.
In a world brimming with concrete jungles, it's time to escape the urban hustle and immerse yourself in the wonders of the wild. Together with Intrepid Travel, we've curated a list of unparalleled wildlife experiences, from heart-pounding encounters with orangutans to seeing gorillas, sea turtles and much more. All Intrepid Travel adventures are built with local communities, businesses and NGOs to support the conservation of wildlife and the people protecting the wild. So, you can rest assured knowing that the money you spend is reinvested into the protection of the wildlife you see and the communities you visit. Plus, every wildlife trip includes at least one local wildlife expert – either a local park ranger or Indigenous person with a special connection to the land. So, buckle up, fellow adventurers, and welcome to the wild side. See Rhinos at Dusk Did you know rhinos are most active at dusk? Black rhinos have made a huge comeback from their staggering low numbers of only 2500 to more than 6000 today, largely thanks to the massive conservation efforts across Africa. They are still registered as critically endangered, but there is hope. Their close cousins, the white rhinos, are near threatened. You can support their comeback from the brink of extinction by visiting the Khama Rhino Sanctuary on the edge of the Kalahari Desert — the only place left in Botswana where both black and white rhinos reside. Other wildlife that resides in this sanctuary include zebras, giraffes, leopards, ostriches and wildebeest, all of which can be seen grazing the many waterholes. Take a trip to the Okavango Delta region and visit the sanctuary and the Delta's lush waterways, where you can witness hippos and elephants going about their day. Swim with Sea Lions and Sea Turtles What wildlife experience could be better than island hopping through the Galapagos Islands? This archipelago is swarming with unique animals, from ancient giant tortoises and nesting blue-footed boobies to marine iguanas. La Lobería, located on the southwest coast of San Cristobal Island, is known for its white-sand beach and crystal-clear waters speckled with volcanic rocks that are sometimes teeming with sea lions. Don your snorkel set and swim with the locals; you might even spot a sea turtle or two. The wildlife doesn't just reside in the waters. As you take a break on land, you'll spot sea lions lounging around town. See the Big Five on Safari What's the Big Five, we hear you ask? The inhabitants of the expansive African bush: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo. Be immersed in the animal kingdom as you veer off the beaten track to seek out these local legends shelter under the flat-topped acacias in the epic setting of the Great Rift Valley and Lake Naivasha. Here, hippos spend their days floating among the floating islands of papyrus reeds. Monkey-Around with Orangutans Explore a mystical land of natural beauty and rare wildlife on an adventure to Sabah in Borneo. See where sea and green turtles lay their eggs; macaques, orangutans and proboscis monkeys hanging off branches; and, if you're lucky, pygmy elephants. The red-headed locals of the region are a huge draw. Orangutans are the largest arboreal mammal (tree-dwelling). They are highly intelligent, super strong, and, unfortunately, critically endangered. The world's first orangutan rehabilitation centre was set up in Sabah to support the red-headed giant. Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre opened in 1964 and now covers 43 square kilometres of the rainforest as well as a clinic, treatment ward and nurseries for orphaned orangutans. If you visit, you will see its protected orangutans in their wild habitat, as they can roam as they please. Seek Out Mountain Gorillas Follow local expert rangers through the steamy forests of Uganda to seek out and witness the rare and gentle mountain gorillas of the mountainous Bwindi National Park. These gentle giants have been pushed further and further up the mountains as their habitats are destroyed. But they are resilient, and their numbers have been bolstered over recent years thanks to conservation efforts. The silverback gorillas are calm creatures who spend their days eating, sleeping, grooming and playing. Visits to the gorillas are strictly controlled to minimise disturbance. For an unforgettable hour, watch the adult gorillas keep an eye on the scene and the smaller ones as they play or hang out in the trees. Get out, explore, dive into adventure and find your WOW with Intrepid Travel. Find out more on the website.
Normal life can wait, there's movies to watch: in Sydney each June, that's the mantra. 2024's Sydney Film Festival has been unveiling its packed lineup since early April, including a Midnight Oil documentary to open this year's fest, a Bondi Icebergs doco, Hellraiser with a new live score and a retrospective that pays tribute to Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène. Now arrives the full program, from Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things follow-up Kinds of Kindness playing straight from Cannes in SFF's official competition — and yes, it stars Emma Stone (The Curse) — through to the usual latest and greatest in Australian and world cinema. "Usual" is never quite the word for a major film fest like Sydney's winter showcase, of course. As SFF will demonstrate from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16, every year's festival looks and feels different because variety is at the heart of its choices. And with a couple of hundred flicks always on the bill — 197 films is 2024's tally, hailing from 69 countries, with 92 narrative features and 54 documentaries, and also 28 world premieres and 133 Australian premieres — Sydney Film Festival's titles can boast a heap of well-known talents and still never resemble past fests. As he has every year that he's been at the helm since 2012, Festival Director Nashen Moodley has stuffed the event's 71st iteration with everything from Hunter Schafer (Euphoria)-starring thriller Cuckoo and Sundance hit I Saw the TV Glow from We're All Going to the World's Fair's Jane Schoenbrun — which is about two teens grappling with their favourite television show getting cancelled — through to Indigenous Aussie horror via The Moogai, which makes the leap from SFF-winning short to feature vying for the new $35,000 First Nations Award. Or, there's also Dahomey, which won this year's Berlinale Golden Bear; The Bikeriders, starring Jodie Comer (Killing Eve), Austin Butler (Dune: Part Two), Tom Hardy (Venom: Let There Be Carnage) and Mike Faist (Challengers); and Grand Tour, as directed by 2015 Sydney Film Prize-winner Miguel Gomes (Arabian Nights). Kinds of Kindness, an anthology effort from Lanthimos, is joined in SFF's official competition by not only Grand Tour and opening night's Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line, but also by titles from India, Germany, Ireland, France, Argentina, Mexico, Italy and Vietnam. They include All We Imagine as Light, the first Indian film playing in Cannes' competition in three decades; three IRL Belfast rappers starring as themselves — and co-starring with Michael Fassbender (Next Goal Wins) — in comedy Kneecap; a tribute to Italian acting great Marcello Mastroianni; Sujo, the cartel drama that won 2024's Sundance Grand Jury Prize; and September Says, the directorial debut of actor Ariane Labed (which means that she's competing against her Alps and The Lobster director Lanthimos). The highlights keep coming across the rest of the program. Aussie boxing drama Kid Snow with Phoebe Tonkin (Boy Swallows Universe), the Kate Winslet (The Regime)- and Alexander Skarsgård (Mr & Mrs Smith)-led Lee about WWII reporter Lee Miller, Armand starring The Worst Person in the World's Renate Reinsve, Saoirse Ronan (Foe) as a recovering addict in page-to-screen adaptation The Outrun, Australian surfing culture documentary You Should Have Been Here Yesterday: they're all on the list. Or, get excited about Aubrey Plaza's (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off) new comedy My Old Ass, which Margot Robbie (Barbie) produced; The Convert, which features Guy Pearce (The Clearing) and is directed by Once Were Warriors' Lee Tamahori; and Japan's My Sunshine, which follows a boy who learns to figure skate solely to get his crush's attention. Problemista, directed by and starring Los Espookys' Julio Torres opposite Tilda Swinton (The Killer), is one of the standout indies on the bill. So is Stress Positions, as led by John Early (The Afterparty) and set in New York City during lockdown. Also boasting familiar faces, The Dead Don't Hurt is a feminist western helmed by and starring Viggo Mortensen (Crimes of the Future), and also featuring Vicky Krieps (Corsage) — and A Different Man features Sebastian Stan (Dumb Money), Ghostlight has Triangle of Sadness' Dolly De Leon, and Peter Sarsgaard (The Batman) and Jessica Chastain (George & Tammy) are in Memory. Sasquatch Sunset, directed by the Zellner brothers (Damsel), also sees Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & the Six) and Jesse Eisenberg (Fleishman Is in Trouble) in front of the camera, but playing a sasquatch family. From acclaimed filmmakers, Radu Jude follows up Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn with Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, Lav Diaz (When the Waves Are Gone) is in police-procedural mode with Essential Truths of the Lake (which clocks in at almost four hours, which is short for the Filipino director), and About Dry Grasses is the newest drama from Winter Sleep and The Wild Pear Tree's Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Fancy two films from Korean action great Choi Dong-hoon (Assassination)? There's an Alienoid and Alienoid: The Return of the Future double. For feline fans, doco The Cats of Gokogu Shrine is about Japanese street cats. Still on documentaries, Untitled Blur Documentary goes to the British band's 2023 Wembley Stadium shows, Federer: Last Twelve Days hails from Asif Kapadia (Senna, Amy and Diego Maradona), Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story pays tribute to its namesake and Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger steps through the titular pair's films with Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon). The Bones digs into the fossil trade, while Occupied City marks the return of Steve McQueen's (Small Axe) work to SFF after he won the first-ever Sydney Film Prize with Hunger. Also, if you're keen for Skywalkers: A Love Story, catch it in IMAX — it's about a couple of daredevils climbing the planet's tallest structures. And in the Box Set box seat — aka the part of the fest that serves up a TV binge — is six episodes of mystery series Exposure, as led by Alice Englert (Bad Behaviour) and executive produced by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Nitram). Screening at The State Theatre, Event Cinemas George Street, Dendy Newtown, Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Cremorne, Palace Central, Palace Norton Street, Ritz Cinemas Randwick, IMAX Sydney, the Art Gallery of NSW and the State Library of NSW, SFF's 2024 must-sees keep going — because if you've got enough holiday leave for it, dedicating the full 12 days to movies, movies and more movies is one of the ultimate cinephile experiences. "The 71st Sydney Film Festival unfurls a canvas of bold narratives and remarkable visions, mirroring the evolving dynamics of our world," said Moodley about the 2024 lineup. "This year, we are proud to present films that challenge, entertain, and provoke dialogue, from the sweeping landscapes of Australian dramas to the complex human stories from global cinema. The 2024 selection reinforces our commitment to fostering a diverse cinematic experience, spotlighting works that engage with pressing social issues, personal stories and transformative historical moments." "These films invite the audience to journey through myriad cultures and experiences, reflecting the rich complexity of the human condition." [caption id="attachment_954171" align="alignnone" width="1920"] David Dare Parker[/caption] Sydney Film Festival 2024 takes place from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16 at various cinemas and venues around Sydney. For more information — and for tickets from Wednesday, May 8, 2024 — head to the festival's website.
In any normal situation the attending of a conference would be a compulsory means to keeping your boss happy or impressing a client. It’s a chore that is neither enjoyable nor worth the hours spent cooped up in the little snap back chairs that are quite possibly the beginning of many back problems. The Semi Permanent creative conference is far and beyond this definition. In fact, if you did happen to get your hands on a ticket, you’re probably giddy in anticipation. If not and your saddened by the reminder that you’re going to miss out, today may be your lucky day. Semi Permanent brings together the cream of our creative crop. It groups together the best in the industry and fits them, along side a few thousand excited on lookers in a large, well equipped room giving speakers 45 minutes to discuss the tricks of their trade. If you're a student hoping to crack the creative industry Semi Permanent is the place to be. You can text in questions to the speakers and get a first hand account of the professional’s industry secrets on how they made the big time. In sync with its great reputation, this years Semi Permanent line up features an amazing bunch of inspiring professionals. I’m talking about Gemma O’Brien, We Buy Your Kids, Toby Dixon, T-World, Sam Leach, Reg Mombassa, and Kelly Thompson. That’s right. Get excited! And just in case all this over whelming greatness is not enough, thanks to Semi-Permanent, we have two passes to the Brisbane conference on August 5 to give away! Email brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au with the subject line 'mostly temporary' to be in the running to win! You gotta’ be in it to win it!
With the threat of increasing noise complaints hanging over Melbourne’s live music scene, campaigners, venue owners, musicians and councils have been taking action. In early September, the implementation of Agent of Change laws put the responsibility for soundproofing firmly on the shoulders of residential developers. And now, the City of Yarra is offering financial assistance to venues, to help them with acoustic-related works. All in all, the Council has plans to serve up $25,000 worth of funding under the banner ‘Live Music Venues Grants’. Each successful venue will receive an independent grant of $2,000 or a matching grant of $5,000. Of the 500 licensed premises in the City of Yarra, about 50 host live music regularly. “Of concern to all has been the increasing tension between residents living in dense housing close to major activity centres, and licensed venues disturbing the peace with loud music and noisy patron behaviour,” states the Council’s website. “There is also a growing appreciation of the Live Music Industry and the contributions it makes to the economy and to the cultural fabric of the community.” To be eligible for grants, venues must be situated in the City of Yarra and must adopt the Best Practice Guidelines for Live Music Venues, which were created by the Live Music Roundtable in collaboration with the Victorian Government. Applications are open now. Via Music Feeds.
Editors fictional and real may disagree — The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun's Arthur Howitzer Jr (Bill Murray, On the Rocks) among them — but it's easy to use Wes Anderson's name as both an adjective and a verb. In a sentence that'd never get printed in his latest film's titular tome (and mightn't in The New Yorker, its inspiration, either), The French Dispatch is the most Wes Anderson movie Wes Anderson has ever Wes Andersoned. The immaculate symmetry that makes each frame a piece of art is present, naturally, as are gloriously offbeat performances. The equally dreamy and precise pastel- and jewel-hued colour palette, the who's who of a familiar cast list, the miniatures and animated interludes and split screens, the knack for physical comedy, and the mix of high artifice, heartfelt nostalgia and dripping whimsy, too. The writer/director knows what he loves, and also what he loves to splash across his films, and it's all accounted for in his tenth release. In The French Dispatch, he also adores stories that say as much about their authors as the world, the places that gift them to the masses, and the space needed to let creativity and insight breathe. He loves celebrating all of this, and heartily, using his usual bag of tricks. It's disingenuous to say that Anderson just wheels out the same flourishes in any movie he helms, though, despite each one — from The Royal Tenenbaums onwards, especially — looking like part of a set. As he's spent his career showing but conveys with extra gusto here, Anderson adores the craftsmanship of filmmaking. He likes pictures that look as if someone has doted on them and fashioned them with their hands, and is just as infatuated with the emotional possibilities that spring from such loving and meticulous work. Indeed, each of his features expresses that pivotal personality detail so clearly that it may as well be cross-stitched into the centre of the frame using Anderson's hair. It's still accurate to call The French Dispatch an ode to magazines, their heyday and their rockstar writers; the film draws four of its five chapters from its eponymous publication, even badging them with page numbers. But this is also a tribute to everything Anderson holds The New Yorker to stand for, and holds dear — to everything he's obsessed over, internalised and absorbed into the signature filmmaking style that's given such an exuberant workout once again. One scene, in the first of its three longer segments, crystallises this so magnificently that it's among the best things Anderson has ever put on-screen. It involves two versions of murderer-turned-artist Moses Rosenthaler, both sharing the boxed-in frame. The young (Tony Revolori, The Grand Budapest Hotel) greets the old (Benicio Del Toro, No Sudden Move), the pair swapping places and handing over lanyards, and it feels as if Anderson is doing the same with his long-held passions. Before Moses' instalment, entitled The Concrete Masterpiece, the picture's bookending story steps into Howitzer's offices in the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé. Since 1925, he's called it home, as well as the base for a sophisticated literary periodical that started as a travel insert in his father's paper back in Kansas. Because Anderson loves melancholy, too, news of Howitzer's death begins the film courtesy of an obituary. What follows via travelogue The Cycling Reporter, the aforementioned incarcerated art lark, student revolution report Revisions to a Manifesto and police cuisine-turned-kidnapping story The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner is The French Dispatch's final issue turned into a movie — and an outlet for both Howitzer's and the director's abundant Francophilia. Watching travel correspondent Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson, Loki) wheel around Ennui — a place that isn't quite Paris, just as The French Dispatch isn't quite The New Yorker — comes complete with choirboy gangs rumbling seniors, rat-filled tunnels and bodies fished out of rivers. Anderson's love of quaint and quirky details initially shimmers before that, in Howitzer's workspace beneath his comical "no crying" sign, but doesn't stop gleaming for a second. It's there in Moses' success, as aided by his muse/prison guard Simone (Léa Seydoux, No Time to Die), fellow inmate/art dealer Cadazio (Adrien Brody, Succession), and journalist JKL Berensen (Tilda Swinton, Memoria), who relays the specifics. And, it's clear in the chronicle by political writer Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand, Nomadland) about a student uprising led by the suitably moody Zeffirelli (Timothée Chalamet, Dune) over accessing girls' dormitory rooms. Regardless of their amusingly monikered setting, there's nary a trace of boredom or indifference in any of these chapters, all of which ape real New Yorker stories and scribes. So too does Howitzer, as well as Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright, No Time to Die), author of the film's third major segment. The French Dispatch layers in themes and ideas as potently and deeply as its visual gems, tortured genius myths and "the touching narcissism of the young" (as the movie itself describes it) all included; however, its Roebuck-focused thread is exquisitely intelligent and affecting. On a TV set, the journalist relays his attempt to write about Nescaffier (Steve Park, Warrior), chef to the local police commissaire (Mathieu Amalric, Sound of Metal), which was derailed by a hostage situation involving the latter's son — and his piece also becomes an outsider's lament. Whether going monochrome in homage to the French New Wave, pulling off a bravura late-film long shot, or finding roles for Elisabeth Moss (The Invisible Man), Saoirse Ronan (Ammonite), Edward Norton (Motherless Brooklyn) and Willem Dafoe (The Card Counter) — plus Jason Schwartzman (Fargo), who also nabs a story credit with the director, Roman Coppola (Isle of Dogs) and Hugo Guinness (The Grand Budapest Hotel) — Anderson does his utmost at every turn. While aided by sublime work by his eight-time cinematographer Robert D Yeoman, regular production designer Adam Stockhausen and frequent composer Alexandre Desplat, the result feels like slipping not only into Anderson's head but his heart, and more so than any other feature he's made. The French Dispatch is a treasure chest for Anderson, his devotees, and lovers of words, France and inventive cinema alike, although it holds zero chance of converting his naysayers. "Just try to make it sound like you wrote it that way on purpose," is Howitzer's wise advice to his writers, but there's no doubting that every minuscule choice made in this remarkable delight is utterly and marvellously intentional.
When each year comes to an end, celebrating ace movies and TV shows from the past 12 months has become a tradition, especially if you worship screens big and small. Another ritual: looking forward to a new calendar filled with standout things to watch. Based on Disney+'s just dropped trailer for the year ahead, for example, Mouse House fans have plenty to get excited about. Chief among them is the second season of Loki, following on from its first back in 2021.When that initial run of episodes came to an end, the credits for its final instalment included a stamp that said "Loki will return in season two" — and that follow-up will hit sometime in 2023. The God of Mischief — well, Tom Hiddleston (The Essex Serpent) — narrates the brief Disney+ 2023 trailer, which includes multiple glimpses at his Marvel Cinematic Universe alter-ego. Viewers not only looking forward to Loki's return, but also eager to see Owen Wilson (Marry Me) back as Mobius M Mobius, can catch a look at both. Banter results, naturally, and clone trickery. Loki's second season will hit in another busy year for the MCU, which is also set to include the Nick Fury-focused Secret Invasion; Hawkeye spinoff Echo; Ironheart, which Black Panther: Wakanda Forever helped set up; and maybe even WandaVision spinoff Agatha: Coven of Chaos — all on streaming. In cinemas, the sprawling comic book-inspired realm will also welcome Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels. Exactly what Loki's season two plot will follow is yet to be revealed, just like when it'll arrive; however, it isn't the only Disney+ series highlighted in the 2023 glimpse. Also included: that aforementioned Secret Invasion, the third season of The Mandalorian, fellow Star Wars series Ahsoka, Pixar's Win or Lose and Up-related Dug Days: Carl's Date, and the live-action Peter Pan & Wendy. If you're a fan of all, some or any of the Mouse House's big brands, prepare to spend plenty of time on your couch in 2023. Check out Disney+'s 2023 trailer below: The first season of Loki is available to stream via Disney+ now. Exactly when in 2023 the second season will arrive is yet to be announced — we'll update you with more details when they come to hand. To keep an eye on Disney+ catalogue, head to the streaming service's website. Top image: ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Do you like Italian food? Then let us introduce you to the happiest place on earth. Your stomach has probably been craving pasta, pizza and gelato since news of Eataly World first started circulating — and those rumbles are only going to get louder now that the world's first Italian food theme park has opened. Located in Bologna, Italy, and calling itself an agro-food park, the site takse patrons on a trip from the field to the fork. That involves six interactive experiences, more than 40 places to eat, over 100 stalls and shops, and a dedicated parmesan cheese bar. In fact, over nearly 20 acres, Eataly World features restaurants, kitchens, grocery stores, classrooms, farms, laboratories and more, showcasing everything from livestock, dairy products and the cereals that become pasta, to preserves, Italian desserts and the best in both boozy and non-alcoholic beverages. As well as boasting free entry — aka making a good thing even better — Eataly World offers ticketed daily classes on pizza, pasta, gelato sorbet, truffles, wine, olive oil and more as part of its schedule, ensuring visitors don't just wander through this Italian food-focused realm, but can pick up a few new skills as well. To get around the massive area, bikes are also available. Eating, drinking and cycling in Italy: it sounds like a culinary holiday dream. The park is the latest venture from Oscar Farinetti, the founder of Italian food and grocery chain Eataly, which has locations in New York, Boston and Dubai. And while it has taken some time to come to fruition — it was first announced a few years back, and then set for a 2015 opening that didn't happen — it looks like it has been worth the wait. Speaking to Eater last year, Eataly vice-president and Eataly World CEO Tiziana Primori said the park would mix entertainment with education. "We call it from the farm to the fork because you can see all the steps of the chain, from the animals to the raw materials and workshops and restaurants." The hope is that the park will attract as many as 10 million visitors each year, providing a boost to Bologna tourism in the process. The city already boasts a number of gastronomic attractions, including a medieval marketplace and the world's only gelato university. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou5uPuVBub4 Via Eater. Images: Eataly World By Tom Clift and Sarah Ward.
The weekend is so close we can taste it. But nothing puts a dampener on a camping getaway quite like forgetting the airbed pump. So, whether you're a seasoned pro or you're a total newbie to the outdoors, spend less time planning and more time making memories this weekend with our guide on what to pack for a nature-soaked trip with your friends. With no shortage of incredible Aussie destinations at your fingertips, all you need are the essentials: some sustenance, the location of your closest The Bottle-O store, and a few comforts of home. We've got you covered for all of the above. [caption id="attachment_892912" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tsvibrav via iStock[/caption] THE ESSENTIALS It goes without saying that you're going to require a tent, an air mattress, a sleeping bag, an esky, a picnic rug, a good-quality torch with spare batteries, a portable stove, some warm clothes and your fully stocked first aid kit. We know you know all this but we've listed them anyway because it helps to be reminded, just in case. In the camp kitchen department, stay organised by including one of each of the following items per person: a plate, a bowl, cutlery, a thermal mug, a plastic tumbler for their beverage of choice, and an insulated water bottle. Most utensils can be bought in handy plastic sets that fit together in a bag. If you're partial to tinnies, you'll thank yourself (and us) for remembering to pack stubby coolers but if you're a bottled brew kind of person, taking a Swiss Army knife (or any portable bottle opener) is crucial if they aren't twist-tops. Having a can opener, utensils for cooking, a sharp knife, a chopping board, bin bags, tea towels, and a saucepan will also come in handy. Depending on where you're staying, amenities for personal hygiene can vary; if you're at a campground with public showers then lucky for you. Even better if they're heated. Otherwise, for an easy rinse-off at the end of the day, you could utilise a portable solar shower bag to keep yourself clean. Just remember to put the bag out early enough in the day to have the sun heat the water or else it might be a quicker (and cooler) refresh than you'd hoped for. As far as other wash commodities go, pack a laundry bag, towels, and any personal items you might need. This is one weekend where you'd be advised to cull the ten-step skincare routine down to just three products. Don't worry, it's only for a few days. And if you don't fancy getting bitten or burnt, be sure to pack your hat, reef-friendly sunscreen, mosquito net, and odourless bug spray, because 'Straya! [caption id="attachment_892909" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Daria Nipot via iStock[/caption] THE SUSTENANCE They say it's not the destination that matters but the journey, so it's imperative to find your nearest The Bottle-O store en route. Stop in to stock up on the good value booze and the bags of ice every camping trip wouldn't be complete without. Before you set off on the final leg of your roadie, crank up the aircon to keep that booze chilled. Chances are you're going to deserve a cold one after the arduous task of pitching the tent with your mate who swore they'd camped before but evidently hasn't. Trust us. Now camp-friendly food is where many tend to get stuck. Most foods you know and love exist in camping-compatible forms. If you can't go without a bowl of cereal, stock up on variety packets of your favourites with milk poppers to pair. For the rest of the day, we have some suggestions that will last you even a long weekend. Get a hearty breakfast or lunch in with bacon or sausages (campfire-cooked or with campsite grills) but use them early — esky ice won't last forever. If there's no ice in sight, dehydrated meal packets are actually quite tasty, don't need to be kept cold and only need boiling water to cook. If you'd rather keep it DIY, don't sleep on tinned or non-perishable food to construct a meal worthy of any campsite king or queen. And since the weekend calls for sweets, self-saucing puddings with a serving of custard make for a banging camp dessert after being immersed in a boiling pot of water. [caption id="attachment_892910" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Disobeyart via iStock[/caption] THE EXTRAS Ask any camping fanatic what their must-haves are and they're guaranteed to list at least one thing that's more of an extra than an essential but as long as you don't pack the car right to the brim, you'll be right. For the active relaxers, a frisbee and a ball are always winners and Finska is a great game for the whole group to partake in. For the passive relaxers, you can't go past a good book. If you're wondering: yes, beach reads are the perfect literary genre for camping holidays, too. Taylor Jenkins Reid, eat your heart out. It's also worth bringing a portable speaker to keep the vibes high (without disturbing your campground neighbours, of course) a packet of marshmallows to roast on the fire (provided fires are allowed), and a deck of cards to play a respectable game or two of rummy. For good value booze for the weekend head to your local The Bottle-O store by using the store finder on the website. Header image: Disobey Art.
Thanks to the Biennale, Sydney is about to get a brand new public art work. It's Agatha Gothe-Snape's Here, an Echo — aka the latest piece from the newly minted Archibald Prize-winning subject — and the Biennale has commissioned it for the City Art Collection. If you made it to the 20th Biennale, which explored the theme "The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed", you might have encountered the piece before. Gothe-Snape worked on it with choreographer Brooke Stamp, with the two walking through the city — along a specific route from Speaker's Corner in The Domain to Wemyss Lane, Surry Hills — 60 times. Along the way, they looked for stories and engaged in conversations. Their ideas and research were then transformed into a series of performances and artworks. For its permanent incarnation from August 10, Here, an Echo will be concentrated in one area, manifesting as a series of 14 phrases sprawled across Wemyss Lane. All can be linked to specific origins, yet remain open to interpretation. "Here, an Echo will cast a new light on this inner-city location, using language to question our relationships to one another, to art, and to the contexts and histories in which all these are situated," Stephanie Rosenthal, the Biennale's artistic director, told The Sydney Morning Herald.
Summer is still two months away, but it seems that the sizzling weather has hit Brisbane early in 2021. Yes, Brissie doesn't ever get particularly cold. Yes, it starts warming up here again after winter rather quickly once spring arrives. But a 36.6-degree day in early October is still unusual. That's where the mercury climbed to on Monday, October 4, as the city took a day off for the Labour Day public holiday. So yes, if you were feeling particularly toasty yesterday, there's a reason for that. The Bureau of Meteorology has advised that Monday's maximum temperature was actually Brisbane's highest in October for almost two decades — since 2004 in fact. Back then, the mercury got up to 38.7 degrees. If you're wondering how high the mercury has gone in October as far back as records have been collected, it hit 40.7 degrees back in 1958. Yep - it's warm 🌡️out there today! Noted in #SEQ that the sea breeze didn't beat the westerly and the temperature in Brisbane was 36.6°C at 2pm. That's the warmest Oct day since 2004 (38.7°C). Cooler temperatures in the south tomorrow, warm in the north. https://t.co/wb7o8hSbC5 pic.twitter.com/Qfagkh2WW1 — Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) October 4, 2021 If you're still feeling a little warm while you're reading this, that's because the weather is set to hover around the 30-degree mark all week. It'll reach a maximum of 30 degrees today, Tuesday, October 5, then sit at around 27–28 degrees until Sunday, October 10, which is when it'll hit 32 degrees again. Brisbane's average temperature in October is 26.1 degrees. So while it's currently a bit toastier than that, the week won't exceed the norm too much. For more information about Brisbane's weather, head to the Bureau of Meteorology website.
The Rusty Datsuns are ready to party. Fresh out of the recording studio with a swag full of new songs, the trio are playing Black Bear Lodge for what is sure to be a great mid-week hoedown. Be especially prepared to dance, the weather is getting cooler and this might be just the thing to keep you warm for a while. The Rusty Datsuns formed in 2011, during the Brisbane floods. Brought together over ‘kitchen sink harmonics’ and taking solace in the power of song, the trio formed and have gone from strength to strength ever since. Each member of the band comes from different musical backgrounds – vaudeville roots, punk/folk and dancehall reggae. It is a testament to their ability that The Rusty Datsuns can operate with all of those influences vying for supremacy. Breaking Heart Benton and Turkey and Goose will be opening on the night, make sure you get in early to get yourself amped for some great music. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Put down your So Fresh CD. Crack open your teenage piggy bank. Keep practicing your Usher slide glide. It's time to bust out your R&B love — not only at mammoth shows around the country, but at jam-packed after party. A full-blown R&B frenzy is set to sweep the nation this November thanks to RnB Fridays, which will descend on stadiums in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide between November 9 and 17 (not all on Fridays, mind you). The event has managed to pull a pretty serious lineup of international music legends straight from the 90s and early 2000s. And, because you can't get too much of a good thing, plenty of them will be keeping the fun going after the main show. The official RnB Fridays after parties won't boast tour headliner Usher; however it's not short on names otherwise. Lil Jon, Estelle, Fatman Scoop and Ginuwine will all do double duty, as will DJ Spinderella and Pepa from Salt-N-Pepa, plus DJ Kay Gee and Vin Rock from Naughty By Nature. Joining them in Sydney and Melbourne is singer and rapper Trey Songz, while YO! MAFIA and Aussie R&B DJ Horizon will also be hitting the decks. You'll need a separate ticket for the after parties, which are held in separate venues — with tickets costing $49.90 for Melbourne's shindig on Level 3 of the Crown Casino on Saturday, November 10, the same amount at The Tivoli in Brisbane on Friday, November 16 and $96.30 to hit up The Marquee at The Star Sydney on Saturday, November 17. RnB Fridays Live at will hit Melbourne's Marvel Stadium on November 10, Brisbane Showgrounds on November 16 and Spotless Stadium in Sydney on November 17 — with the after parties taking place on the same dates at Level 3 of the Crown Casino, The Tivoli and The Marquee at The Star Sydney. Tickets for the after parties are now on sale. Image: Mushroom Creative House.
In a wonderful flashback for stoners and film fanatics, Matthew McConaughey has reclaimed his trademark role as Wooderson from the cult film Dazed and Confused. In the music video for Butch Walker and the Black Widows' Synthesizers, McConaughey returns to the trademark Bob Marley shirt and pink pants that kickstarted his career and made the film one of the all-time greats. Walker is a huge fan of the film and summarised McConaughey's role beautifully when he stated that "when it comes to classic characters, Matthew McConaughey's Wooderson took the cake… and the high school girls with him." In the film clip, McConaughey's slow-motion strut and deep gaze are further evidence that he will forever be a definitive, if infinitely cheesy, ladies man. https://youtube.com/watch?v=94b3gMZGorc
What a difference two years can make. For all the reasons we all know and have lived through, that's been the theme during since March 2020. Jump back to January that year and no one would've even dreamed that Australia's international borders would close for almost two years, for instance — or that getting swabbed for a respiratory virus would become a requirement for entering the country. The nation reopened its international borders to double-vaccinated travellers back in February 2022, so that's one step back to normality. Come Sunday, April 17, the COVID-19 testing requirement will be scrapped, too. At a press conference today, Friday, March 25, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced that the Commonwealth Government would no longer be renewing its biosecurity emergency determination — aka the legal implement that allows a number of our recent pandemic rules and restrictions to be put in place — which means that pre-departure testing for international travellers will cease. "The country is ready to move on from the emergency declaration made two years and one month ago. I will not be renewing the biosecurity emergency determination," said Hunt. "That's on strong advice from Professor Kelly [Professor Paul Kelly, Australia's Chief Medical Officer] and our other medical advisers; the unanimous advice that was given to me and discussed with the national security committee of cabinet," he advised. So, whether you're jetting off on an overseas getaway — perhaps to a spot like Bali that no longer has quarantine requirements for holidaying Aussies — or you've got friends and family who've been putting off visiting, it's all about to get easier. At the very least, it won't involved getting swabbed before you hop on a flight Down Under. Also, the prohibition on cruise lines operating out of Australia will lift as well — if that's the kind of trip you've been dreaming of. That said, testing requirements for other countries are obviously still up to them. As a result, wherever you're heading to — if international vacations now look much more enticing — may still have its own testing requirements. Proof of double-vaccination will still be required to enter Australia, and masks will remain mandatory on domestic and international flights. Australia will drop its pre-departure testing requirement for entering the country from overseas on Sunday, April 17. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
A play called Moth sounds like a scientific study in entomology rather than a psychological study of the human mind. Moth tells the stories of Sebastian and Claryssa, two teenage outsiders, each the other’s only friend. That is, until they spend a normal Saturday night at the local park drinking together and wake up altered. Claryssa is missing, Sebastian is changed, and their friendship in ruins. Sebastian finds himself struck with the feeling of agape love, a desire to save and help all of humankind, and a burning desire to find Claryssa. This passion is all consuming, and his fervour can only lead to pain. Moth was written by Melbourne playwright Declan Greene, who was commissioned to write the piece by Arena Theatre Company, and The Malthouse. Greene is an emerging playwright who has won a plethora of prizes and is building a reputation for his cutting-edge confronting works. Moth is presented by Melbourne’s Arena Theatre Company, one of Australia’s longest running producers of theatre for young people, focusing on issues relevant to their lives. Image credit: Jeff Busby
It has been more than 60 years since Godzilla first rampaged through the streets of Tokyo, with the city enduring nearly 30 repeat visits in the decades since — across the giant monster's many on-screen excursions, that is. Until the end of January, he's not the only pop culture commodity striking the Japanese capital. Space Invaders, the game, is descending upon the city in the best possible way: in giant form, 52 stories above the ground, on the windows of the Tokyo City View observatory. As part of the Roppongi Hills spot's current interactive games exhibit, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the popular arcade title, visitors can participate in a ten-person sky-high game while looking out over the city. Called Space Invaders Gigamax, it really does follow through on all of those elements. The game is projected onto the observatory's seven-metre by 15-metre window surface, which means those pesky attackers look like they're raining down on the buildings below. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd5NGpXHmJc/?taken-by=tokyocityview One of the best spots in Tokyo to gaze out over its sprawling sights — and see its glistening lights — Tokyo City View is no stranger to adding pop culture fun to its scenic views, having hosted a Studio Ghibli exhibition that included an illuminated airship from Laputa: Castle in the Sky, as well as as a Gamera-focused showcase that served up burgers shaped like the famous kaiju and Godzilla competitor. Space Invaders Gigamax is accompanied by Bahamut Disco featuring Space Invaders, where participants shoot down invaders attacking to a beat, and NOBORINVADERS, which involves climbing up a wall to whack the attackers. For more information, visit the Tokyo City View website.
Every year, Japan comes to Australia — or, as far as movies are concerned, it does the next best thing. Since starting with three free film screenings back in 1997, the Japanese Film Festival has kept bringing the nation's many cinematic delights down under. Of course, they're going to do so again for their 20th birthday. Travelling around the country with a hefty lineup of movies so new, many are coming straight from the Tokyo International Film Festival this month, JFF embraces the vast array of big screen treats Japan's filmmakers have to offer. Sometimes, that means a poignant drama about a family banding together as a typhoon bears down. Sometimes, live-action adaptations of popular manga series are part of the equation. In fact, the 2016 lineup has both — and so does our list of the five must-see movies in the program. AFTER THE STORM Get the tissues out, Hirokazu Koreeda's new film is here. As previous efforts such as I Wish and Like Father, Like Son have proven, his dramas are tear-jerkers in the best kind of way, unpacking the ties that bind (or sometimes break) families, and understanding that the notions of love, loss, loyalty, sacrifice and struggling he depicts are absolutely universal. After the Storm promises all of the above as a separated husband and wife are thrown together during a typhoon. And yes, the filmmaker proves gifted at directing kids once again. Quite simply, he's in his own classic territory. CREEPY Everyone thinks of themselves as a good neighbour, however given the number of horror and thriller flicks that pop up on the subject, perhaps that's not quite accurate. There's something about exploring the very relatable scenario of trouble with the folks next door that keeps fascinating filmmakers and audiences alike, with Creepy the latest effort on the topic. Here, a just-quit detective moves to a new area after a traumatic incident, only to face a different kind of tension. As well as demonstrating society's collective obsession with neighbours, the film also plays with another staple: sometimes the quietest things can be the most unnerving. THE MAGNIFICENT NINE Not to one-up a certain iconic western that was only literally just remade with Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt, but a magnificent posse of nine folks is better than one with two fewer. Don't worry, there's not really already another take on the tale that actually first started with Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Instead, The Magnificent Nine goes comedic in feudal samurai times as a group of merchants hatch a secret plan to outwit their lord's harsh tax regime, as based on historical accounts. KAMPAI! FOR THE LOVE OF SAKE Sit down for a meal in almost any restaurant in Japan, and you'll find sake on the menu. The traditional rice wine is the nation's favourite alcoholic beverage, and Kampai! For the Love of Sake attempts to explain why. No, the documentary doesn't just throw a title card saying "Hey, it's just really, really tasty," onto the screen and then roll the credits. Rather, it takes the personal approach by focusing on three specific people and their link to the drink. It's guaranteed to make you want to sip the stuff while you're watching. TERRAFORMARS You've gotta love Takashi Miike, who ranks as possibly the most prolific and eclectic of contemporary Japanese filmmakers. First, consider a few of his most recent directorial credits: a violent, unhinged yakuza vampire flick, a drama about a doctor volunteering to help child soldiers, a high school-set, game-playing horror/thriller, and an adaptation of a manga about cockroaches evolving on Mars later this century. It's the latter that's his latest, and like almost everything Miike makes, it's probably destined for cult status. Talk about not making the same thing twice, even when you've got 100 directorial credits on your resume across less than three decades. The Japanese Film Festival tours the country, screening at Brisbane's Event Cinemas Myer Centre from October 26 to 30, Sydney's Event Cinemas George Street Sydney and Art Gallery of New South Wales from November 17 to 27, and Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image and Hoyts Melbourne Central from November 24 to December4. For more information, visit the festival website.
When Disney isn't turning its beloved movie franchises into new theme park zones, as it's currently doing with both Star Wars and Marvel, the enormous entertainment company has been known to take the opposite approach. Plenty of its rides and attractions have inspired films, such as the entire Pirates of the Caribbean series, as well as Tomorrowland, The Haunted Mansion, The Country Bears and Mission to Mars. Now — and after a pandemic-inspired year-long delay — Jungle Cruise is the latest to join the fold. As the Mouse House did with Pirates, it has enlisted some serious star power, with Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place Part II) and Dwayne Johnson (Jumanji: The Next Level) taking the watery journey in the first movie based on Disney's popular river boat ride. She plays an explorer and scientist on a mission, while he captains the vessel she hires to transport her along the Amazon River. From there, as seen in both the original trailer back in 2019 — yes, that long ago — and the just-dropped new trailer, it seems that typical action-adventure hijinks ensue. The film's two sneak peeks so far set up a vibe that's part The Mummy, part Indiana Jones, part every other flick about someone scrambling through vast landscapes searching for something precious — in this case, a tree in the Amazon that possesses unparalleled healing powers. And that's not the only way that the flick will be following in other footsteps. Adjusting to the times, Disney has started releasing its big titles in cinemas and on its Disney+ streaming platform simultaneously, with Jungle Cruise set to follow Raya and the Last Dragon, Cruella and the upcoming Black Widow in giving viewers the option of either hitting up the silver screen or settling in to watch it at home. When Jungle Cruise both floats into cinemas and heads online this July — the latter via Disney+'s Premier Access, which involves an extra pay-per-view fee — it'll also feature Edgar Ramirez (The Undoing), Jack Whitehall (Good Omens), Jesse Plemons (Judas and the Black Messiah) and Paul Giamatti (Billions). Behind the camera, Jaume Collet-Serra is in the director's chair, marking a change of pace after the Liam Neeson-starring Unknown, Non-Stop, Run All Night and The Commuter (and Blake Lively shark flick The Shallows, too). Script-wise, the film is penned by Bad Santa writers (and Crazy, Stupid, Love filmmakers) Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, as well as Logan, Alien: Covenant, Blade Runner 2049 and Murder on the Orient Express' Michael Green. Check out the trailer latest below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SphvQORjXjQ After being delayed from its original release date of July 23, 2020, Jungle Cruise will now open in Australian cinemas on July 29, 2021 — and be available to stream via Disney+ with Premier Access from Friday, July 30. Top image: © 2020 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
In the grand tradition of doing whimsical things to raise awareness about conservation and sustainability, New York City is set to be transformed next year as a part of The Water Tank Project. Carefully selected rooftop water tanks across New York will be wrapped in temporary artworks which all address the subject of water, as part of a public awareness campaign being organised by Word Above The Street. Working under the assumption that there's no art quite so powerful and affecting as public art, The Water Tank Project aims to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation. You may recall before the country started flooding that most of Australia was in drought for some time, remembered by most city folk for the dreary water restrictions put in place. And we had to do that because water, one of the things people take most for granted, can so easily and disastrously run out. The issue of simply finding water safe enough to drink is a global problem, with just 1% of the world's fresh water adequate for human consumption. Those who can't witness in person the changing New York city skyline will be able to keep tabs on the project through apps and web-based media. However, after the project's stint in New York, Word Above The Street plans to move the project to cities like Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City...and Sydney. In the meantime, supporters can donate to the project online. [Via Cool Hunting]
Consider yourself a budding sleuth? Here are three questions for you to solve. What's the world's longest-running play? Who wrote it? Where's it heading this year? The answers: The Mousetrap, the one and only Agatha Christie, and Australia — Sydney to be exact. Initially premiering in London's West End in 1952, it's been treading the boards in the UK ever since, only pausing during to pandemic venue closures. When theatres reopened in Britain, so did the show. Indeed, when it makes its way to Sydney's Theatre Royal from October, with the exact premiere date yet to be revealed, The Mousetrap will do so 70 years to the month that it first debuted. Unsurprisingly, that hefty run means that the show has enjoyed the longest stint for any West End production, and for any play anywhere in the world. So far, there's been more than 28,500 London performances. To answer the obvious question, yes, it's a whodunnit. The murder-mystery starts with news of a killing in London — and with seven people snowed in at a guest house in the country. They're strangers, which is classic Christie. When a police sergeant arrives on skis, they're told that the murderer is among them (which, again, is vintage Christie). They all have wild pasts, too, and all those details are spilled as they're interrogated, and also try to work out who among them is the killer. Those guests at Monkswell Manor include a pair of newlyweds who run the house, a spinster, an architect who is handy in the kitchen, a retired Army major, a man who says his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist. Naturally, there's another death as they'e all puzzling it over — and a twist conclusion, which audiences have been requested not to reveal after leaving the theatre for seven decades now. Again, it's all Christie all over, which'll be evident if you've seen the recent film versions of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile — or the original cinema adaptations, or read the books, or devoured anything else that Christie ever wrote. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Mousetrap Australia (@themousetrapau) The Mousetrap originated as a short radio play, which was written as a birthday present for Queen Mary. It aired in 1947 under the name Three Blind Mice, after which Christie rewrote it as a short story, then adapted it again for the stage as The Mousetrap. And no, there isn't a movie of it — because Christie stipulated that it can't leap to the screen until at least six months after the West End production closes. Clearly, that hasn't happened yet. In Australia, the play will hit the stage with Robyn Nevin directing and John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia producing. Whether it'll head to other cities as well hasn't yet been revealed — but cross your fingers. Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap will play Sydney's Theatre Royal from October, with tickets on-sale from Monday, June 27. For further details or to sign up for the wait list, head to the play's website. Top image: Matt Crockett.
When Australian wine festival Pinot Palooza does the rounds each year, it's heaven for fans of the type of vino that's in its name. When dairy fest Mould pops up, cheese dreams are indeed made of this. The two initially ran as separate events, but that's been changing in some Australian cities in recent years. In 2025, Brisbane is on that list, getting the Mould x Pinot Palooza experience. It's a wine fest. It's a cheese fest, too. It's a celebration of an iconic pairing, clearly. Come late autumn, across Friday, May 23–Sunday, May 25, Brisbane gets a three-day stint at the John Reid Pavilion, RNA Showgrounds. Sessions run from 5–9pm on the Friday, from 11am–3pm and 4–8pm on the Saturday, and from 11–3pm on the Sunday. On the vino side, being spoilt for choice can be overrated. Sometimes, like when deciding which wine varieties you feel like at any given moment, it's easier to have someone else do the picking for you. With that in mind, Pinot Palooza goes all in on pinot noir — and here, the sound of a light- to medium-bodied red wine sloshing around a glass is the standard soundtrack. For cheese fiends, imagine a place where cheese reigns supreme, other than in your own kitchen. Imagine a wide array of different varieties on offer for the tasting. Imagine being able to sample whatever you liked from this dairy feast, too. And, picture just buying one ticket to devour all the cheddar, brie, camembert, raclette and whichever other cheeses take your fancy. Is this the real life? Yes — it isn't just a cheesy fantasy. Bringing Pinot Palooza and Mould together is both a stroke of genius and the result of the two events both being organised by the same company. Revel first starting clinking glasses filled with pinot noir in 2012, then turned its attention to cheese, cheese and more cheese in 2017. The full lineup of folks that'll be letting you sample their wares hasn't yet been revealed, but it will include Innocent Bystander, Vinteloper, Yering Station, Meadowbank Wines, Charteris Wines and Howard Vineyards on the wine front, plus Milawa Cheese and Bruny Island among the cheesemongers — and Bee One Third honey and Women's Work relishes, too. And yes, your $59 ticket still includes unlimited tastings at the fest's featured stalls. You'll also get a free cooler bag, wine glass and tote.
Add the Mardi Gras Film Festival to the list of cinema events that have been making a big leap over the past year — and making cinephiles around the country very happy in the process. In 2021, the Sydney-based fest is forging ahead as a physical event to mark its 28th year. But, whether you're a Sydneysider who is unable to head along to everything you'd like to see or you're a fan of LGBTIQ+ movies located elsewhere in Australia, you'll also be able to enjoy MGFF online as well. Different flicks will play in cinemas and online, with the festival running between Thursday, February 18–Thursday, March 4. In person, socially distanced screenings are slated for Event Cinemas George Street and Hurstville, Ritz Cinemas in Randwick, the Hayden Orpheum in Cremorne and Moonlight Cinema, and will span more than 60 sessions — with the entire program including 94 features, documentaries, shorts and episodes from 30 different countries. On the bill: opening night's Dating Amber, which'll see the fest launch at Moonlight Cinema for the first time; closing night's Rūrangi, which was made by members of New Zealand's queer, Māori, and gender-diverse communities; and the Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci-starring Supernova, a moving drama about a couple facing considerable health woes and big decisions. Other highlights include British feature Make Up, which is set in a Cornwall caravan park; German standout No Hard Feelings; a showcase of films by Israeli director Eytan Fox; the Vanessa Kirby-starring The World to Come; and the latest film from the inimitable Bruce LaBruce, with Saint-Narcisse following a man who discovers that he has a secret twin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mxx76RnyVIo
Continuing their love affair with all things German, Adidas' latest limited-edition sneaker pays tribute to a part of Berlin life every local and tourist is familiar with. After making beer-proof shoes for Oktoberfest, the next cab off the rank is a pair of trainers inspired by the city's subway system — or next train out of the station, if you prefer. The newest release in the brand's Originals series, the BVG x adidas EQT Support 93 / Berlin footwear have been created in conjunction with Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), Berlin's public transport network. Available until sold out from January 16 from the Adidas flagship store and retailer Overkill, the shoes take their fabric from the subway's seat pattern, while also styling their shoelaces after its bright yellow external appearance. It's all in celebration of the BVG's 90th birthday. Donning kicks that match one of Berlin's iconic features is one thing. Walking around in shoes that also double as your train fare for a year — now that's even better. All 500 pairs include a season ticket made of fabric and attached to the tongue. And yes, you really can use it to hop onboard, with anyone wearing the sneakers entitled to free BVG use until December 31, 2018. Sure, anyone lucky enough to nab themselves a pair will pay €180 (approximately AU$280), but that's not bad for new shoes and a year's worth of travel. Via i-D. Image: Overkill.
The fashion industry is known for being notoriously tricky to break into. Hard work, long hours and personal connections are just some of the prerequisites needed to gain a foot in the door. Despite these unglamorous traits, more people than ever are signing up to join one of the world’s largest industries. Current dwellers of Brisbane are no different, but luckily for them they are following a generation of locals who have already “made it” and are have lived to tell the tale. Initiated by student group I.S, Alhambra Lounge will host a panel comprised of five successful fashion industry insiders willing to share their own experiences and discuss how to make a living in fashion. The night will feature speakers from various fields of expertise within the industry, providing an opportunity to hear a range of perspectives on the fashion world. Speakers will include designers Joshua Schaeri of Subfusco and Jono Cottee of Vanguard, Drobe boutique owner Lydia Woolcott, Andy Wilson of Bad Art Agencies, City Beach buyer Blake Jennings and public relations practitioner Jessie Larcombe from Jesselle PR. The night will also include a question and answer session, drinks and music by John St John and Pipes. Those wanting to ask questions should email them to ask@illiteratesociety.com in advance.
Heads up Australia, Aldous Harding is one of those Kiwi musical talents we'll casually be calling our own in a few years. You may not have heard much from her yet, but this Christchurch folk queen is just about to drop her debut album and head out on her first tour of Australia. Be sure to check her out — by all accounts, she's killin' it across the Tasman. Starting her career from the ground up, Harding has dominated the pub scene of Lyttelton — a port town just south of the Christchurch CBD. Full of rural charm and enchanting melodies, her acoustic folk is definitely telling of her roots. Like New Zealand's answer to Julia Stone, her music is rich in character and story. Her self-titled debut so far has just the one single, 'Hunter', with the rest to be released on July 25. And she's making her way to our shores just one week later, so you better get acquainted with it quickly. Touring Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne alongside fellow Kiwis Tiny Ruins the shows are sure to be a very chilled affair — perfect for red wine, big jumpers and melodious swaying. Better yet, she's throwing in a couple of free gigs for punters in Sydney and Melbourne. Staying true to her pub roots, Harding will be hitting up Midnight Special and Public Bar on her lonesome. Cruise by, pick up a pint and take a chance on the new girl. It'll pay off in a few months when she's the next Lorde. Tour dates: Tuesday, July 1 – Black Bear, Brisbane Wednesday, July 2 – Newtown Social Club, Sydney Thursday, July 3 – Midnight Special, Sydney Sunday, July 6 – Public Bar, Melbourne Tuesday, July 8 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Walking and Facebooking saves you time but severely angers fellow strutters you've meandered into with your nose in your status update. In a bold attempt to make the city's infrastructure suit the times (and save some pedestrian lives), the Chinese city of Chongqing has opened a dedicated lane for smartphone walkers, separate from their regular walking path. Inspired by Washington D.C. — the smartphone-heavy capital worked with National Geographic's Mind Over Masses show to open the first version of the footpath in July — the design sees with one lane for smartphone using pedestrians (or 'phubbers', the technical term made for 'phone snubbers') and the other for people actually paying attention on their walk. Installed as another safety experiment for NatGeo, the 'Foreigner Street' lane is drawing attention to the high risk texting pedestrians pose to themselves and their fellow commuters. Australian cities could benefit from this not-so-ridiculous-sounding idea, with smartphones and tablets increasingly discovered as causing a significant number of pedestrian injuries and deaths around the country. After the Pedestrian Council of Australia conducted spot tests in specific Sydney areas, they found one in ten pedestrians were using their mobile while wandering — sometimes not even looking up. You've done it. We've done it. This woman did it. Via Gizmodo and Tencent. Images: Tencent.
People dream of finding someone who looks at them they way that Michael Fassbender looks at Alicia Vikander in The Light Between Oceans. A World War I soldier turned lighthouse keeper, Tom Sherbourne (Fassbender) has swapped the horrors of combat for the routine and simplicity of his new life — and he never glances anything less than adoringly at Isabel Graysmark (Vikander), the woman who'll become his wife. In a film that is unashamedly a weepie, his stare tells a sometimes heart-swelling, sometimes heartbreaking story, and silently speaks of the ups and downs of life that everyone wants to weather with someone by their side. An intimate tale working with big, sweeping feelings as well as notions of guilt and forgiveness, The Light Between Oceans is a melodrama through and through. Not that that's a bad thing, necessarily. This adaptation of Australian author M. L. Stedman's 2012 novel is not what might derisively be labelled merely a chick flick. Yes, it may tug at the heartstrings, and focus its plot around marital life and motherhood, but the sentiments this period-set romantic drama stirs up remain unflinchingly real. The aforementioned couple meet, wed and forge a life together in and around Janus Rock off the coast of Western Australia. They're the only inhabitants living off the mainland, though it seems they'll be joined by the pitter-patter of tiny feet until tragedy strikes on multiple occasions. Then, a lifeboat — or a rowboat, to be exact — brings them a lost baby girl. Keeping her will help them become a family. But unbeknownst to them, it will also tear the child's real mother (Rachel Weisz) apart. After exploring the complications of romance in the raw and resonant Blue Valentine, and pondering the ties between parents and children in The Place Beyond the Pines, writer-director Derek Cianfrance combines the two in The Light Between Oceans, as though he's been building up to this all along. It may not be the strongest of the three features, but it's as astute in matters of the heart as it is picturesque. Indeed, as far as the latter is concerned, Australian cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, who gave the recent version of Macbeth such an icy, compelling gleam, will have you gazing at the soft, glowing, frequently pink-lit images in the same way that the film's characters gaze at each other. Cianfrance provides ample space for Fassbender and Vikander to flesh out their loving but troubled characters. There's no mistaking the actors' chemistry, or the hard-earned range of emotions they cultivate, often in no more than their expressions. He conveys Tom's doting affection as well as the war-inspired melancholy he can't quite hide, while she paints Isabel as vibrant and determined, both in happiness and in pain. Even when the film's efforts to evoke tears are a little too evident, Fassbender and Vikander ensure that everything feels, and looks, utterly genuine. [competition]598626[/competition]
When an actor adds new movies to their resume quickly — popping up in new flicks every couple of months or so — there's a chance they might run out of worthy on-screen opportunities. The one actor that'll never apply to: Nicolas Cage. He's prolific, he stars in far too many terrible films, and yet he always has something interesting around the corner. Across his now four-decade on-screen career, the inimitable actor has made many a must-see. Sometimes his films are simply excellent all round, or he's flat-out fantastic in them. Sometimes his movies are pure cinematic chaos, and his performances as well, but they nonetheless demand to be seen. But one of the next flicks on his slate really does promise to plunge him into new territory — because he'll be playing and parodying himself. By now, we've seen Cage break out of Alcatraz, sing Elvis songs, run around the streets convinced that he's a vampire and let his long hair flap in the wind. We've watched him voice a version of Spider-Man, drive fast cars, swap faces, fight space ninjas steal babies, too. In just the past six months, he's shouted expletives from Netflix, battled demonic animatronics and teamed up with one of Japan's most out-there filmmakers. Sometime in the near future, viewers will learn what happens when he dons Joe Exotic's blonde mullet. Staying in his own shoes stands out, though. The film in question: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Due to hit the cinemas in America on April 22, 2022 — with release details Down Under yet to be confirmed — the movie will follow the on-screen, fictionalised Cage as he accepts an offer to attend a super fan's birthday. He needs the money, but he's also recruited by the CIA along the way. Yep, that sounds about right. As well as Cage playing Cage — not to be confused with his work in Adaptation, where he played two characters — The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent will feature Pedro Pascal (Wonder Woman 1984) as the aforementioned Cage devotee, Tiffany Haddish (Like a Boss) as the CIA operative, and also Sharon Horgan (This Way Up) and Neil Patrick Harris (It's a Sin). Are We Officially Dating? filmmaker Tom Gormican sits in the director's chair, because if there's anything this story needs, it's the director of a Zac Efron and Michael B Jordan-starring rom-com pivoting to total Cage worship. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent doesn't have a trailer as yet but, in the interim, here's the Adaptation trailer if you'd like to see twice as much Cage as usual in one frame: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is set to release in the US on April 22, 2022. Australian release details haven't yet been revealed — we'll update you when they are. Via: Deadline. Top image: Wild At Heart
There’s nothing quite like an old-fashioned panto (pantomime). They seem to have faded out of favour in the last ten to twenty years, goodness knows why - pantos have something to suit the full gamut of theatre tastes: dress ups, melodrama, audience participation, music and more. Two classic Australian stars of the stage, Reg Livermore and Nancy Hayes, are bringing back the traditional panto to Brisbane, combined with twists of cabaret, film noir, vaudeville and slapstick comedy. Turns explores the lives of Marjory Joy and her son, Alistair, as they come to terms with their lives; their emotions attempting to understand who they are. Sounds intense, but their highs and lows are shared with the audience in a variety of ways, taking the audience on a journey of laughter and tears with the characters. Reg Livermore created Turns specifically with the intention for Nancy to appear in it. Together they bring almost a century of skills, experience and talent to the stage, both having performed in literally hundreds of productions from musicals, to plays, and television series, they are grand stars of the Australian theatre scene.
To quote David Suzuki, "Some of the ingredients in beauty products ain't that pretty". In fact, of the 82,000 or so ingredients commonly used, about one in eight is nasty. As in, a proven pesticide, carcinogen, reproductive toxin or hormone disruptor — or a combo of the above. It's not uncommon to toss a surfactant, degreaser or plasticiser into the mix. Consequently, more and more consumers are opting for organic and chemical-free products. DIY's on the rise, too, but doing anything more complex than sticking cucumber slices over your eyes and kicking back can get pretty messy pretty quickly. The good news is, a Milan-based company has come up with a system to make the process much smoother — more like the science lesson you wish you'd had at school than a cooking class gone horribly wrong. The Teardrop DIY kit is a "phytocosmetic lab" made up of beakers, burners, measurers and jars. Fundamentally, it's a distillation system via which you can extract the beneficial qualities of plants and create a 100 percent natural herbal water, which can be transformed into safe cosmetics. The kit comes with a bunch of recipes and info regarding the properties of various herbs and flowers. So you can work it successfully without a PhD in chemistry. Via PSFK.
Australia's border rules are changing, allowing Aussies to embark upon international travel again. So, you've probably stopped dreaming about all the overseas destinations you'd like to visit — because you've already started planning your next global getaway. But there's one destination closer to home you still might want to consider, with the Scenic Rim region in southeast Queensland just named one of the best places to visit in 2022 by travel publication Lonely Planet. The only Aussie spot to make the list — which is broken down into the countries, regions and cities — the Scenic Rim placed eighth among the top ten areas to head to in the Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2022 guide. Back in 2020, Lord Howe Island ranked fifth on the same list, but this time it's an Australian destination without beaches that caught the publication's eye. The Scenic Rim was named for its "diversity of attractions" — with the guide pointing out its rainforest adventures, "the misty slopes of Mount Tamborine town packed with cafes, cellar doors and galleries" and "hatted restaurant Homage, which specialises in creative paddock-to-plate fare". It also called attention to Kooroomba Vineyard and Lavender Farm, Summer Land Camels, and the area's "epic landscapes and charming country towns offering a tasty slice of rural life, with cracking Queensland hospitality in plentiful supply too". [caption id="attachment_830275" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] On the top regions list, the southeast Queensland spot is in impressive company. Westfjords in Iceland took out first place, West Virginia in the US came second and China's Xishuangbanna placed third. Next came Kent's Heritage Coast in the UK, Puerto Rico, Shikoku in Japan and Chile's Atacama Desert — while Canada's Vancouver Island and Burgundy in France closed out the rundown. While the Scenic Rim is the only Australian location to make the 2022 guide, Auckland in New Zealand topped the list of the ten best cities for 2022 — with Lonely Planet noting that [NZ's] "biggest and most diverse city has always been beautiful, but one unpredicted consequence of COVID-19 has been the blossoming of Auckland's cultural scene, putting a fresh spotlight on exciting local creativity". Other cities named include Taipei in Taiwan, Freiburg in Germany, Atlanta in the US and Lagos in Nigeria — as well as Nicosia/Lefkosia in Cyprus, Dublin in Ireland, Merida in Mexico, Florence in Italy and Gyeongju in South Korea. On the list of best countries, Cook Islands took out the number one spot, followed by Norway, Mauritius, Belize, Slovenia, Anguilla, Oman, Nepal, Malawi and Egypt. So, there's 30 places all up to add to your must-visit list. For more information about Lonely Planet's full Best in Travel 2022 lists, visit its website.
There's the naturalism you know, and then there's the immersive, mythic, sensorial and heady naturalism of Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue Is the Warmest Colour (known in its native France as Adele: Chapters 1 & 2). The director boldly sticks his camera in the face of actor Adele Exarchopoulos and lets it linger there for three hours, watching intensely as the ingenue lives and loses her first love, while several years roll by. It's an extreme viewing experience that garnered high praise in Europe and won the most prestigious independent film award on the planet, the Palme d'Or. Since winning, the film has encountered controversy, but nothing can dampen the phenomenal performances of leads Exarchopoulos as Adele and Lea Seydoux as her worldlier girlfriend, Emma. Adele is from a plain, working-class household, and her world opens up when she meets art student Emma, who floors her from across the street with her blue-streaked hair and white-hot insouciance. Their love is explosive, total and immensely physical. But first loves don't often last, and that's probably a good thing. Captured in extreme close-up, Blue Is the Warmest Colour lets you feel the beauty and the pain of it, really feel it, for a few blessed minutes. Blue Is the Warmest Colour is in cinemas on February 13, and thanks to Transmission Films, we have five double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au. Read our full review of Blue Is the Warmest Colour here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y2OLRrocn3s
Everyone has at least one piece of IKEA furniture in their house. Let's be honest: we all have more than that. And, when deciding which items to buy from the giant Swedish retailer, we've all consulted its thick printed catalogues that come out every year and give us all a big list of things that we suddenly want — and convince ourselves that we need — to purchase. From 2021, however, flicking through the weighty tome will no longer be a part of browsing through and buying the company's flatpack wares. After a whopping 70 years in circulation, the publication is being retired. The reason? IKEA says that both customer behaviour and media consumption have changed, its online sales increased by 45 percent worldwide in 2020 and its website received more than four billion visits over the same period. Given that the world spent more time at home last year — likely browsing the chain's website to look for ways to liven up our homes in the process — that's hardly surprising. Seven decades is a hefty run, and that only captures part of the IKEA catalogue's history. When it was first printed in 1951, there were 285,000 copies — all made available only in the southern part of Sweden — and the publication had just 68 pages. Jump to 2016, the biggest year in the tome's lifespan, and 200 million copies of the much thicker text were distributed — in 69 different versions, 32 languages and to more than 50 markets. The company will still be releasing a book in-stores in 2021 that'll allow customers to get ideas for furniture purchases and interior decoration choices — and to celebrate the old catalogue's history, too — but it won't be the printed guide that everyone currently knows. If you're not quite ready to farewell the publication, the chain's US branch has actually released its 2021 catalogue as a podcast, which you can listen to below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foNEPnmUAdU&list=PLk5L7f7HqQ7HAvWFx_Zd-h-iIkwc9p7QM IKEA will stop printing and distributing its catalogues from 2021. For more information, head to the Swedish retailer's website.
Brisbane's skyline might boast a Skyneedle from Expo '88, a building that looks like it belongs in Gotham City, and a few rooftop doughnuts around the place (thanks, Doughnut Time), however, the city doesn't have a leaning tower... yet. Forget Pisa — slightly askew structures can pop up in Kangaroo Point, too. Well, they can if a new residential block with a striking design gets the go ahead. If approved, The Jardino would take over the space at 12 Hamilton Street, bringing 19 storeys of not-quite-straight apartments to the riverside patch of land. Of course, unlike the tourist attraction that people flock to Italy to see — and take mindblowing, perspective-bending, incredibly original faux hold-up photos — that tilt will be by design. And, while the multi-layered monolith will feature a distinctive curve, that's not the only striking feature. Given that its name means garden in French, it's hardly surprising that external greenery will play a large part in The Jardino. The tiered construction will facilitate a vertical garden that'll change with the seasons, and brighten up the sky with LED lighting at night. Plus, The Jardino won't just be nice to gaze at — it'll also give folks with fat stacks of spare cash a fancy new place to live. On the 17 floors that will be dedicated to living space, each one will only house one apartment. We're not quite sure why it needs to lean, but we're not ones to quash ambitious, blue-sky design ideas. Lean on. Via Domain. Images: Supplied.
Not that you need any extra incentive to do your bit for the environment, but here's a fun one anyway: your mates at Victoria Bitter have just started a new program that lets Aussies swap their excess solar energy for beer. Under the VB Solar Exchange initiative, locals can turn the power bill credit earned by their home's solar panels into a few icy cold brews, rather than simply selling it back to the grid. Specifically, VB is offering participants in its program a slab of beer for every $30 worth of energy credits they rack up. And, those brews will be delivered straight to your door, too. Of course, not just any old beer lover can get involved — and there are a few tight eligibility requirements to meet. First, you'll need to already have solar panels and be connected to the grid as a residential customer in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria or South Australia. You'll also have to switch over to VB's chosen energy retailer, Diamond Energy. And you'll obviously need to be over the age of 18, so you can properly enjoy the spoils of your solar swapping. If you do tick all the boxes, you can register your interest over at the website and then sit back and wait to hear if you've been accepted into the program. Once in, you'll earn yourself a VB for every $1.25 of credit generated — and a slab once you've clocked up enough for 24 beers. Participants can track their progress as they go, with beers delivered to your door quarterly. That said, VB's producer CUB is only accepting 500 people into the program. It's also only handing out a maximum of 30 slabs per person each year, with debit cards sent out to cover the remaining credits. So if you're keen, don't wait too long to sign up. CUB is set to reinvest the solar credits back into the Solar Exchange program, as well as using a portion to hit the company's broader sustainability targets. The program is the latest in a suite of initiatives by CUB's parent company Asahi Beverages, as part of an ambitious sustainability program. It's committed to being powered by 100 percent renewable electricity by 2025. Registrations for the VB Solar Exchange are open now. Head to the website to check if you're eligible and to sign up.
Melbourne's avocado aficionados are either in for a serious treat, or are the butt of an elaborate breakfast joke (or both), with this week's revelation that a smashed avo and music 'festival' is coming to town. The event, announced via Facebook, looks set to take over a secret location in Docklands on Saturday, May 19. Apparently, festival-goers will get to revel in a bunch of 'amazing avocado-based activities' — like avocado and spoon races, and smashed avo masterclasses — while enjoying 'avocado and activated almond cocktails', and the unique works of some 'brunch-based' performance artists. Those last two points had us thinking this was an elaborate brunch-based hoax, but organisers have confirmed the legitimacy of the event and tickets are very much on sale. If you fancy heading along to indulge your smooshy green desires, the first round of tickets can be bought for for $20. Sales for 'ripe' tickets begin on April 23. And it's not just about the green stuff, either. To help you dance it all off, there'll be a locally focused music program headed up by Melbourne DJ legend Spacey Space — a diehard avo fan himself, they say. Smashed Avo will take place at a yet-to-be-disclosed location in Docklands from 2pm on Saturday, May 19. You can buy tickets here.
It's the kind of coastal getaway everyone dreams of: ocean views as far as the eye can see, decadent suites climbing 48 storeys into the sky, and five on-site restaurants manned by world-class chefs. Throw in an Asian street-style food market, a rooftop open-air cinema, more than a couple of bars and even karaoke, and it's shaping up to become Australia's new must-visit place to stay. Meet the Gold Coast's next drawcard, and Australia's first six-star beachfront hotel. The as-yet-unnamed site is slated to join the Queensland tourist spot's abundance of accommodation options, with Aquis Australia lodging a development application with the local council for the $440 million project. If approved, construction is slated to start in 2018. Taking over the space at 3464 to 3466 Main Beach Parade, Surfers Paradise, and designed by architects Woods Bagot, the new hotel will also include 580 rooms, an atrium lobby spread over three levels, and a $2.5 million custom art installation. And, if swimming somewhere other than the adjacent seaside takes your fancy, it'll boast a glass bottom pool that can be viewed from within the hotel. Plus, it's the only new, large-scale south-east Queensland hotel that isn't linked to an integrated resort or casino. And yes, we know what you're wondering — just what makes a six-star hotel so special? It's a fair question, particularly given that anything above five isn't officially recognised; however the key is the level of indulgence on offer. "Our goal was to create a hotel that would become a destination in itself, something that is instantly recognisable and synonymous with luxury," says Aquis Australia chairman Tony Fung. "We will be targeting travellers that want to experience the best restaurants, the best beaches, the best accommodation away from the hustle and bustle".
One of the most strenuous undertakings of summer is deciding how best to allocate your funds to Sydney's music festival calendar. This year doing so has proved especially draining to both brain and bank balance what with all the excellent new boutique festivals cropping up alongside the mainstays, but hopefully you've remembered that the best lineup is often painstakingly kept on the d-low until well into spring. After weeks of teasing Twitter followers with inscrutable clues St Jerome's Laneway Festival has finally released its lineup and, duh, it's an indie-dense doozy. Headliners Bat for Lashes, Yeasayer and Nicolas Jaar help comprise the exciting international contingent, alongside plenty of budding artists you'll be hearing a lot more of before 2013. In alphabetical order, the St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2013 Lineup: ALPINE ALT-J# BAT FOR LASHES CHET FAKER CLOUD NOTHINGS DIVINE FITS EL-P FLUME HENRY WAGONS & THE UNWELCOME COMPANY HIGH HIGHS* HOLY OTHER JAPANDROIDS# JESSIE WARE JULIA HOLTER KINGS OF CONVENIENCE THE MEN MS MR THE NEIGHBOURHOOD NICOLAS JAAR## NITE JEWEL* OF MONSTERS AND MEN* PERFUME GENIUS POLICA POND REAL ESTATE# THE RUBENS SHLOHMO SNAKADAKTAL TWERPS YEASAYER St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2013 dates: Brisbane RNA Showgrounds Friday 1st February Sydney Sydney College of the Arts (Subject to Council approval) Saturday 2nd February Melbourne Footscray Community Arts Centre (Subject to Council approval) Sunday 3rd February Adelaide Fowler's Live and UniSA West Courtyards Friday 8th February Perth Perth Cultural Centre Saturday 9th February 2013 Presale tickets start 9AM, Wednesday 3 October. See full details on the Laneway website. https://youtube.com/watch?v=iqkLWlZx7A4
Think that Uber has completely transformed the idea of getting a ride from A to B? Actually, that's just the beginning. Airbus has just announced plans to start building a new kind of short-distance transportation that'll really make catching a cab completely different. Given that the company specialises in building aircraft, the fact that they're taking taxis into the sky shouldn't be that surprising. Yep, where their proposed helicopter-like vehicles are going they don't need roads — or, in a turn of events that might thrill or frighten you depending on how adventurous you are, they don't need drivers either. Their battery-powered CityAirbus will be designed to ferry about both passengers and small parcels without anyone at the helm, and will be booked and ordered via smartphone apps. The project is aimed towards easing urban congestion, particularly in some of the world's largest, most crowded cities. Of course, given that everyone is just getting used to concepts such as driverless cabs on the ground and slurpees delivered by drone, Airbus will have plenty of hurdles to scale before their futuristic technology becomes available to the masses, legal issues included. That hasn't deterred the industrious company, however, who continue to look onwards and upwards. Work started in February this year, test flights of the first protoype are slated to take place in 2017, and Airbus has stated the end product might be zooming about in as little as ten years, so watch this space — or the skies, more accurately. It seems that the world of flying cars that science fiction efforts like Back to the Future, The Fifth Element and even The Jetsons have been promising us for years might soon be a reality. Image: via Airbus.
Yes, it's Christmas. Already. But before you start to freak out about the Christmas presents you're yet to buy or start shutting down from the anxiety of another year passing by, take a second to enjoy it. This fine city loves an excuse for a party — and whether you celebrate the holiday or not, there's plenty o' Christmas festivity to get involved in. From markets to film screenings to gigs and Costanza-style Festivus celebrations, there's something for everyone to get at least a little excited about.
Giving music lovers Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival, Spilt Milk and Harvest Rock is a massive task and achievement, but that's not all that's on Secret Sounds' festival calendar. This summer, the team is also bringing a lineup led by Flume, Foals and The Avalanches to three Australian cities as part of the returning Heaps Good. To get 2023 started in style, Adelaide scored a brand-new music fest in January, with Heaps Good starting as a one-day, one-city event with Arctic Monkeys headlining. It clearly went well, because Secret Sounds announced back in August that the festival will triple its footprint to see out this year and begin 2024. Now, it has unveiled who'll be taking to the stage in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane. [caption id="attachment_918622" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zac Bayly[/caption] Having Flume and The Avalanches on the same bill is quite the homegrown feat, with Britain's Foals joining the two at all three stops. Also playing every city: Griff, Holly Humberstone, MAY-A, Sycco and Logan. Melbourne will score a Basement Jaxx DJ set as well, while SBTRKT is playing everywhere but Adelaide — and Declan McKenna will hit Adelaide and Brisbane but skip Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_918623" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rashidi Noah[/caption] Adelaide Showground is still hosting Heaps Good's SA stop, this time on Saturday, January 6, 2024 — but the fest will first hit up Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, then Sandstone Point in Brisbane. Need something to do for New Year's Eve, Melburnians? That's now sorted, because that's when the event is coming to town. Sandstone Point in Brisbane gets the nod to usher in 2024, taking place on Tuesday, January 2. Yes, that's all the reason you need to extend your Christmas and New Year break. [caption id="attachment_912808" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dylan Minchenberg[/caption] HEAPS GOOD 2023–24 DATES: Sunday, December 31, 2023 — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Tuesday, January 2, 2024 — Sandstone Point, Brisbane Saturday, January 6, 2024 — Adelaide Showground, Adelaide HEAPS GOOD 2023–24 LINEUP: Flume Foals The Avalanches Griff Holly Humberstone MAY-A Sycco Logan MELBOURNE ONLY: Basement Jaxx MELBOURNE AND BRISBANE ONLY: SBTRKT ADELAIDE AND BRISBANE ONLY: Declan McKenna ADELAIDE SOUND ARCHIVE: Mall Grab KETTAMA salute Logic1000 RONA. Denim Heaps Good will hit Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide across December 2023–January 2024, with ticket pre sales from 4pm AEST on Tuesday, September 19 and general sales from 4pm on Wednesday, September 20 — head to the festival's website for further information. Top image: Ian Laidlaw.
Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby was, as we all knew it would be, better as a trailer than a movie. It's hard to forget the first time I saw that beautifully designed gold art deco logo in the first ad, the dark beat of Jay-Z and Kanye's 'No Church in the Wild' and the shimmying of African-American flappers drinking champagne in a convertible. Gatsby's mansion looks every bit like the epic party hub described in the book, and though the film fails on the level of emotional depth and pace, visually it's spectacular. As becomes clear in this before-and-after video, by Gatsby's VFX supervisor Chris Godfrey, that mansion, in fact, never existed: green screen computer-generated effects make up even more of the set than you might expect. Let Lana Del Rey's irresistibly transfixing 'Young and Beautiful' take you through the digital construction of Gatsby's opulent world.
This year has taught us many things, but one of the best lessons has been how to find joy in the little things. With big moments that normally punctuate our lives — like overseas holidays, massive parties and gigs — stripped away, we've had to look elsewhere for those dopamine kicks that improve our day-to-day. But it wasn't as hard as we thought. Even in this altered state of 'normal', our city is brimming with quick pick-me-ups — if you know where to look. To give you some inspiration, we've teamed up with Oporto to bring you a 'small win' for each day of the working week. Give these a go and the weekend will be here before you know it. MONDAY: CATCH THE LATEST BLOCKBUSTER (FOR LESS) Thanks to streaming services, going to the cinema has increasingly felt like a novelty over the last few years, but never more so than now. Rather than turning straight to your Netflix queue after work, take advantage of Palace Cinemas' Cheap Monday deal and see the latest blockbuster for less. Not that keen on any of the big-name new releases? That's okay. The cinema also screens more obscure titles, film festival favourites — the Italian Film Festival is coming up — and screenings of classics flicks, so you're sure to find something that piques your interest. [caption id="attachment_780751" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gerwyn Davies[/caption] TUESDAY: EXPLORE AN OUTDOOR ART EXHIBITION If last night's film didn't quite fill your cultural quota for the week, we suggest spending your lunch break immersed in art. First up, check out Japanese-Australian artist Hiromi Tango's new kaleidoscopic light installation, Brainbow Magic, in West End. It's part of Brisbane Festival, and will be there until September 27. If you'd like to combine your art hunting with some outdoor time, track down some (or all) of the artworks that have been dispersed across the city as part of the three-month outdoor exhibition Razzle Dazzle. Curated by Amy-Clare McCarthy and Kieran Swann, the project features pieces by 11 artists affixed to or projected onto the walls of laneways, buildings and car parks from Fish Lane to Howard Smith Wharves. [caption id="attachment_666219" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brisbane City Botanic Garden, Flickr[/caption] WEDNESDAY: EAT LUNCH IN A PARK When the endless emails, looming deadlines or impolite customer interactions have you feeling a little jaded, take a proper midday break. Remind yourself that there's beauty in the world by having an impromptu picnic in the park. When you want to combine your al fresco dining with some stellar water views, the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens is the obvious choice, and Roma Street Parkland is another worthy central spot. A bit further out of the city, we recommend Newstead Park or Rocks Riverside Park, both also based right on the river, or Meadowlands Picnic Ground, which has a bunch of picnic tables available if you don't want to totally rough it. All of these spots are close to an Oporto, so make your to-go lunch the new Halloumi and Chicken Rappa, packed with fresh, flavourful ingredients including grilled halloumi and chicken, creamy mayo, mixed lettuce, avocado and tomato capsicum relish. [caption id="attachment_711839" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland, Paul Giggle[/caption] THURSDAY: TAKE A CYCLING TOUR When life gets in the way, you can forget how brilliant a city Brisbane actually is. Today, track down the city's top sights and fall in love with them again through tourist's eyes — it's not like you can do that in many other places right now anyway (sob). If you don't own a bike, jump on one of the CityCycle hires for just two bucks for the first 60 minutes. Start by pedalling along South Bank, then cross over Goodwill Bridge and explore Brisbane City Botanic Garden. Then, make your through the city to King George Square. Park your bike here and, if you have time to spare, venture into the Museum of Brisbane to check out the free exhibition, The Storytellers. It features stories about Brisbane's history told by the likes of Benjamin Law, Trent Dalton and Victoria Carless. You'll remember why you've chosen to call this beautiful place home in no time. FRIDAY: SHOUT YOUR COLLEAGUES AN AFTERNOON SWEET TREAT It's safe to say that it's been a rough few months on the job front for everyone, whether you've lost work or you're working harder than ever. Either way, getting to the end of the traditional workweek feels like a bigger feat than ever at the moment. And what better way to acknowledge that than Friday arvo gelato? Take some time with your colleagues to enjoy an icy treat in the glorious Brissie sun from Happy Pops in South Brisbane or Goodtimes Gelateria in the Howard Smith Wharves precinct. Still working from home? Check out our list of Brisbane's best gelato joints to find the one closest to you — a few also have delivery available, too. Check out Oporto's full Rappa Range here, then make tracks to your closest store — or order online. Top image: Goodtimes Gelateria
Whatever holiday plans you had for 2023, they're changing. Apologies to whichever island trips or European jaunts you'd been dreaming about — you're now going to Japan. That's the only way to react to Jetstar's latest flight sale, which is solely focused on visits to two cities and two cities only: Tokyo and Osaka. Even better — whichever you decide to fly into, the Australian carrier's new special will bring you home without bothering your bank balance. Yes, Jetstar is doing one of its big 'return for free' sales. In fact, it's the first time in four years that the airline has launched a Japan edition of this popular excuse to buy airfares and lock in getaways, and you've got just three days to snap up tickets. Running for 72 hours from 12am AEDT on Tuesday, February 28–11.59pm AEDT on Friday, March 3 — or until sold out — it really is as straightforward as it sounds. Whatever flights you opt for as part of the sale, covering direct flights from Cairns or Gold Coast, plus connecting flights out of Sydney, Melbourne (Tullamarine) and Brisbane, you'll get the return fare for nothing. You do need to nab one of Jetstar's starter fares, and you'll then get a free return starter fare for zilch. Also, you'll have to fly in and out of the same arrival and departure port — either Narita in Tokyo or Kansai in Osaka. Plus, as is usually the case with Jetstar, checked baggage is not included. Still, expect the flights to get snapped up quickly when they go on sale. If you're a Club Jetstar member, you'll get the jump on the special via access from 12pm AEDT on Tuesday, February 28 until midnight. Wondering when you'll be travelling? Dates vary per route, but there are a few windows, including from late April through to late June, and again from early October to mid-December — all in 2023. Jetstar's Japan 'return for free' sale runs from 12am AEDT on Tuesday, February 28–11.59pm AEDT on Friday, March 3 — or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
