"Damn fine," is what a certain Twin Peaks' FBI agent would no doubt say about Coffee Supreme's Woolloongabba flagship. Yes, that means you'll get a cup of caffeinated goodness. And yes, it also means that locally baked treats are on offer. With the cafe, formerly called Day Made, the Brisbane base for Coffee Supreme, you'd expect the former in abundance — and you won't be disappointed. Here, you'll find a rotating lineup of single origins and the brand's famed Naughty Milk: cold brew served with a splash of sweetened condensed milk. Alphabet Cafe supplies the sweets; however, prepare to pair them with a tasty array of toasts topped with the likes of cinnamon sugar, crunchy peanut butter, aged cheddar and pickles or avocado, labneh and chives. Good beverages, good food, good vibes: that's what the international coffee brand's Gibbon Street store is all about. And you can take those positive vibes home with you, too, in the form of Coffee Supreme beans, peanut butter and bright red merch.
In the realm of franchise filmmaking, "to infinity and beyond" isn't just a catchphrase exclaimed by an animated plaything — it's how far and long Hollywood hopes every hit big-screen saga will extend. With that in mind, has a Pixar movie ever felt as inevitable as Lightyear? Given the main Toy Story plot wrapped up in 2019's Toy Story 4, and did so charmingly, keeping this series going by jumping backwards was always bound to happen. So it is that space ranger figurine Buzz Lightyear gets an origin story. That said, the trinket's history is covered immediately and quickly in this film's opening splash of text on-screen. Back in the OG Toy Story, Andy was excited to receive a new Buzz Lightyear action figure because — as this feature tells us — he'd just seen and loved a sci-fi movie featuring fictional character Buzz Lightyear. In this franchise's world, Lightyear is that picture. It's hard not to see Lightyear as a new cash cow — the Toy Story series' cash calf, perhaps. It's also difficult not to notice that the Disney-owned Pixar has made a movie that renders a famed character a piece of film-promoting merchandise, all while also releasing a new range of Lightyear-promoting merch so that IRL kids can have their own Buzz Lightyear toy again, too. In 2049, will audiences be watching a flick about someone who saw this as a child, nagged their parents for a Buzz and developed their own love of animation, space, franchises or all of the above? It wouldn't be surprising. Of course, there's form for making Buzz a movie tie-in toy; the overarching series' other main figure, pull-string cowboy Woody, stemmed from a fictional western TV show called Woody's Roundup. Maybe that's what Pixar will now make next. Or, perhaps it'll release a film or show based on one of Lightyear's new characters, feline robot companion SOX. Yes, you can now buy toy versions of it in reality as well, because of course you can. Buzz Lightyear and a cute cat that talks? The head of Disney merchandising must've seen potential piles of cash stacked to infinity and beyond purely at the thought of it, and director Angus MacLane (Finding Dory) along with him. Thankfully, as calculated as Lightyear's existence clearly is — and it's as blatantly engineered by bean counters as any movie can be — it's still likeable enough. It only slightly feels like a flick that might've actually come out around 1995, though, even if Apollo 13 sat second at the global box office that year (behind Toy Story, fittingly). And, after sending the wonderful Soul and Turning Red straight to streaming during the pandemic, plus Luca, it's also a standard pick for Pixar's return to the big screen. Buzz the live-action film hero — flesh and blood to in-franchise viewers like Andy, that is, but animated to us — also goes on an all-too-familiar journey in Lightyear. Voiced by Chris Evans (Knives Out) to distinguish the movie Buzz from toy Buzz (where he's voiced by Last Man Standing's Tim Allen), the Star Command space ranger is so convinced that he's the biggest hero there is, and him alone, that teamwork isn't anywhere near his strength. Then, as happens to the figurine version in Toy Story, that illusion gets a reality check. To survive being marooned on T'Kani Prime, a planet 4.2 million light-years from earth filled with attacking vines and giant flying insects, the egotistical and stubborn Buzz needs to learn to play nice with others. For someone who hates rookies, as well as using autopilot, realising he can only succeed with help takes time. Time is a slippery concept for Buzz, however, courtesy of his new predicament. To zoom back home, the Star Command mission team must make the right fuel, and test it — and on each attempt, as Buzz zips into hyper-speed in scenes reminiscent of Top Gun: Maverick, time dilates. His flights pass in minutes, but four years go by for his crew while he's in the air. Still, he keeps soaring and trying, and his best friend Commander Alisha Hawthorne (Uzo Aduba, Mrs America) keeps greeting him upon his return. But her life continues, including marrying the girlfriend she falls for among their colleagues, and having a family. She gets older, too. In contrast, Buzz barely ages, or moves on, until he's also trying to fight an alien spaceship piloted by giant robot Zurg (James Brolin, Sisters) with Alisha's granddaughter Izzy (Keke Palmer, Hustlers), plus her fellow junior rangers Mo (Taika Waititi, Our Flag Means Death) and Darby (Dale Soules, Orange Is the New Black). There's a lot that's average about Lightyear, including the pieces it cobbles together from Top Gun and Star Wars, and everything from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, Starship Troopers, Gravity and Interstellar to Pixar's own Wall-E and Up. There are meta twists that make zero sense in the broader Toy Story narrative, too. There's also a jettisoning of early 2000s TV series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and its take on Buzz's backstory, and a lingering question: what if Andy had just loved a different movie and wanted a different toy for his birthday instead? And, there's a toy chest filled with Pixar's usual go-to themes, including not being afraid to make mistakes. Obviously, in that same vein — and because the animation studio is owned by the same entity behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars, two forever-sprawling sagas — there's room left for a sequel. Great voice casting makes an impact, luckily. While it can't push Lightyear past its limits as an inessential Toy Story spinoff that doesn't add anything crucial to the series, there's liveliness, emotion and plenty of heart in the film's engaging vocal work. Evans doesn't try to shake Buzz's rampant sense of self-importance, but to unpack it, and finds tenderness and vulnerability in the process. And, he gives the character texture even amid such slick and gleaming animation. Aduba and Palmer also shine in their supporting parts, while Waititi perfects his comedic sidekick gig. Peter Sohn — director of The Good Dinosaur, and also a regular-enough Pixar voice actor — goes one better with SOX, however. Friendly, funny, adorable, and able solve scientific problems while meowing and cough up handy tools alike, that robo-cat is a scene-stealer. Still, finding him entertaining and thinking he could fuel an entire future film himself aren't the same thing, although, as Lightyear shows, no one learned that lesson about Buzz.
Already home to Gelato Messina's original Brisbane store and Lune's only local croissanterie so far, South Brisbane just welcomed another tastebud-tempting spot: Lisboa Caffe, purveyors of flaky, tasty, widely beloved Portuguese custard tarts. Setting up shop on Hope Street, the bakery's new bricks-and-mortar home is now serving up pasteis de nata — those coveted egg custard pastries — and pairing them with Padre coffee, all at a cute, white-tiled, hole-in-the-wall joint. On the menu at Lisboa Caffe in Brisbane: custard tarts, obviously, as well as Nutella, goat's cheese, chicken and herb, and walnut and honey tart varieties. So, you can go for both sweet and savoury options. And, if you're keen for a bite-sized snack, the custard tarts also come in miniature versions — and Portuguese almond tarts are also on offer. The tiny venue has been in the works since 2021, but Covid delayed it's coming out. Now, it has finally become a reality. Lisboa Caffe's permanent shopfront comes after its signature treats proved big hits at markets around southeast Queensland, and among the pastry range at plenty of local cafes. In other words, if you're a fan of custard tarts, you've probably already tried them. 2023 marks eight years since owner Joe Rocha first started Lisboa Caffe back in 2015 to share his Portuguese culture with Brisbane, focusing on custard tarts as an anchor. And as the name makes plain, Rocha always had dreams of setting up a cafe. Joining South Brisbane's growing lineup of sweet treats is clearly just a welcome bonus. Images: Markus Ravik.
Yes, 2020 has felt like the longest year ever. But October and November are almost here, which means that it's almost Halloween and Dias de los Muertos time. So, at El Camino Cantina's Queensland locations, it's marking the occasion with a Day of the Dead and Halloween Fiesta. From Tuesday, October 20–Saturday, November 7, El Camino's Bowen Hills, Chermside, Sunshine Coast and Robina eateries will be getting in the celebratory mood in a number of ways. The tastiest: a two-hour food and drink package, which'll see you eat your way through tortilla chips and salsa, buffalo wings with blue cheese mayo and guacamole, chargrilled chicken fajitas, and churros with chocolate and caramel sauce. Costing $89 per person, it also includes margaritas both frozen and on the rocks, plus house beer and wine, and soft drinks. And, you'll get a gift bag, too. If you're more interested in inventive margarita flavours, a heap of new varieties will be on offer — in 15-ounce glasses for $20 and in 24-ounce glasses for $24. Sip your way through Devil Chilli (watermelon, chilli and chilli salt), Walking Dead (passionfruit), Ghost Drop (blueberry) and Poison Apple (sour apple) types at all stores, or grab a tasting paddle of four for $30. Also, depending on the day of the week, there'll be something else on the bill as well — new taco flavours on Tuesdays, super-spicy buffalo wings with limited-edition habanero and teriyaki sauces on Wednesdays, and $20 fajita and marg combos on Thursdays, for instance. On Saturdays at Bowen Hills and Sunshine Plaza, DJs will also spin tunes — including on Saturday, October 31, when you're encouraged to dress up, obviously. [caption id="attachment_784643" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Michael Gribbin[/caption] El Camino Cantina's Day of the Dead and Halloween Fiesta takes place from Tuesday, October 20–Saturday, November 7 at its Bowen Hills, Chermside, Sunshine Coast and Robina stores. Images: Michael Gribbin.
When The Dry became a massive Australian box-office hit in 2021, it did so with a twisty mystery, a determined detective, stunning Aussie scenery, a spectacular cast and a proven success on the page. Throw that formula together again and you have Force of Nature: The Dry 2, the big-screen sequel that was always going to happen, once again based on a beloved novel by author Jane Harper. Hitting cinemas in Australia and New Zealand on August 24, and just dropping its first teaser trailer now, Force of Nature sees the core duo of writer/director Robert Connolly (Blueback) and actor Eric Bana (Dirty John) return, with the latter once again playing Detective Aaron Falk. This time, he's investigating the disappearance of a hiker from a corporate retreat attended by five women. Alongside fellow federal agent Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie, Ruby's Choice), Falk heads deep into Victoria's mountain ranges to try to find the missing traveller — who also happens to be a whistle-blowing informant — alive. Touting its connection to The Dry right there in its name, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 comes after its predecessor did massive ticket-selling business. Not only did it notch up more than $20 million in Australian ticket sales, but it sat in sixth at the annual Aussie box office two years back after Hollywood franchise titles Spider-Man: No Way Home, No Time to Die, Godzilla vs Kong, Peter Rabbit 2 and Fast and Furious 9. Yes, greenlighting this sequel must've been the easiest decision ever. Yes, you can probably expect Harper's Exiles to get the movie treatment next. Also featuring in Force of Nature, which has a powerhouse list of Aussie talent just like its predecessor: Anna Torv (The Last of Us) as missing hiker Alice Russell, plus Deborra-Lee Furness (Jindabyne), Robin McLeavy (Homeland), Sisi Stringer (Mortal Kombat) and Lucy Ansell (Utopia). Richard Roxburgh (Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe), Tony Briggs (Preppers) and Kenneth Radley (The Power of the Dog) pop up, too, while Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor (Heartbreak High) is back in the role of Erik Falk. Reteaming not just after The Dry, but also fellow 2023 release Blueback, Connolly and Bana make quite the pair when it comes to Aussie crime cinema — with Connolly the producer of one of the best local crime movies ever made, aka 1998's unnerving The Boys, and Bana famously the star of the similarly excellent Chopper. Can't wait till late August to check out the duo's latest collaboration? Given the timing of that release date, seeing Force of Nature: The Dry 2 pop up as an opening- or closing-night pick at this year's Melbourne International Film Festival wouldn't be a surprise. Check out the first trailer for Force of Nature: The Dry 2 below: Force of Nature: The Dry 2 releases in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on August 24, 2023. Read our full review of The Dry. Images: Narelle Portanier.
Jurassic Park and Jurassic World films typically have a moment — more than one, sometimes — where an ominous sound gets the franchise's characters looking upwards. The source of that noise tends to be a towering dinosaur, which also becomes everyone's next sight, the movie-watching audience included. In those seconds, folks on- and off-screen tend to share a look. Viewers of 1993's OG picture in the saga, and of 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park, 2001's Jurassic Park III, 2015's Jurassic World, 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, 2022's Jurassic World Dominion and now 2025's Jurassic World Rebirth, have all spied it. Awe, wonder, surprise, shock, amazement, reverence, a touch of fear: that's the Jurassic expression when the kind of critter that lived more than 66-million years ago looms large over modern-day humans. Audiences do indeed sport the same reaction. Jurassic World Rebirth star Rupert Friend (The Phoenician Scheme) has witnessed it. At the film's premiere, "occasionally we turned around in our seats to look at the faces watching it," he tells Concrete Playground, "and you saw a thousand people with that look on their face". If you're thinking that perhaps that is just the innate, instinctual response to dinosaurs, then, you're not alone. "So maybe it's just a natural thing when you're experiencing this stuff, to have that — somewhere between awe, wonder and terror, maybe — I would say," Friend continues. Friend's character is the entire reason that the new narrative, which is set five years post-Jurassic World Dominion, kicks into gear. In the seventh instalment in the big-screen series, and in a movie directed by Gareth Edwards (The Creator) — adding a Jurassic Park franchise film to a resume that's already seen him tackle sizeable creatures in 2010's Monsters and 2014's Godzilla, and jump into huge sagas courtesy of the latter and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — Martin Krebs is the man with the plan. Working for pharmaceutical company ParkerGenix, he recruits ex-special forces operative Zora Bennett (Friend's The Phoenician Scheme co-star Scarlett Johansson), her seasoned associate Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali, Leave the World Behind) and palaeontologist Dr Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey, Wicked) on a mission to collect dino DNA. The idea is to use the specimens in medical research to create new treatments. Making money is as much of a goal. Venturing to an island that's one of the last places on the planet with a climate and ecology still suitable for ancient beasts — and to a location that's forbidden to people as a result — Zora, Duncan and Henry are Jurassic World Rebirth's core trio. Fans know that the saga has enjoyed putting that dynamic front and centre since Sam Neill (The Twelve), Laura Dern (Lonely Planet) and Jeff Goldblum (Wicked) were at the heart of 1993's franchise-starter. Unsurprisingly given his employers, and befitting the series' fondness for a human villain, too, Krebs and the latest film's three leads don't always agree. Experiencing the wonders of living dinosaurs right now equally harks back to the original flick. That's where Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer) comes in as Reuben Delgado, a father holidaying at sea with his daughters, 11-year-old Isabella (Audrina Miranda, Criminal Minds) and 18-year-old Teresa (Luna Blaise, Manifest), plus Teresa's boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono, Fear Street: Prom Queen). Their sailing getaway crosses paths with giant prehistoric critters of the deep, and with Zora and her crew's clandestine trip. Garcia-Rulfo partly credits Jurassic Park for him even being an actor. "The first one, the Spielberg one, it was such a big part of me. For me, films are like my second mother, my second school. I thought since I was a kid, I was a terrible student, and all I did was watch movies — and a big one was Jurassic Park. So now to be part of that, it's just very, very big for me." Also filled with affection, his Rebirth director admits that many of his features before now have all been secret attempts to make a Jurassic entry. "Well, it's just not so secret anymore, I think," Edwards advises. [caption id="attachment_1012234" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment[/caption] Those throwback-style leanings to Jurassic World Rebirth's story aren't just a case of a filmmaker getting a chance to pay tribute to something that he's long loved within its own realm, and doing so entertainingly, however. After respectively directing and adapting Jurassic Park and The Lost World, Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) and David Koepp (Black Bag) are back among the movie's team — one as an executive producer, the other penning the script. Accordingly, Edwards is working with the two figures who initially made movie magic from Michael Crichton's novel. Koepp's script delivers him the job of not only crafting a dinosaur action-adventure, though, but also a heist film with Krebs' mission, an anti-big pharma movie there as well, a family drama with Reuben and his children, an ocean creature feature at times, and a leap into sci-fi horror territory with a Frankenstein angle thanks to its new to genetically engineered dinosaurs, such as the Mutadon and the Distortus rex. With Edwards, Garcia-Rulfo and Friend, we chatted more about what it means to be part of this now 32-year-old franchise, working with Spielberg and Koepp, dreaming up new dinos, always grounding the tale in humans first and other topics — including its multiple-movies-in-one narrative, plus how nature's persistence remains pivotal. Yes, life keeps finding a way, just as it does in bringing all things Jurassic Park and Jurassic World back to cinemas. On Edwards Taking the Helm on a Franchise That He Grew Up with — and Has Said He's Been Trying to Secretly Make in All of His Other Films So Far Gareth: "I think it's like a coming out party where I can finally declare that Jurassic Park, it was just such an inspiration as a kid. I ended up buying a computer and learning how to do computer animation, and doing dinosaurs in my bedroom-type stuff — thinking 'oh, this is going to be the way you make films and if you learn how to do this, you'll be able to make a movie from home' kind of thing. Cut to 15 years later, I'm still doing visual effects, thinking I've wasted my life, I made a terrible mistake — but it actually turned out okay in the end, I think. I don't really understand how it led to this, but I feel like I'm in a simulation or something. I don't really know how it happened is the honest truth." On What Being Part of the Jurassic Park Franchise Means to Its Cast Manuel: "It's huge. For me, it's so big. So honestly, it's kind of overwhelming. I don't know if that's the word, but Jurassic Park really changed me — and, I guess, marked a generation — but it really changed me as a person. Meaning, when I saw it, I really wanted to be part of the films, of this industry, of that world. So now to be part of that franchise, which is one of the biggest franchises in cinema, I'm just really, really happy and grateful — and very happy with the result. I've seen it two times, the film, and it's so good — it's such a fun film." Rupert: "Yeah, likewise. Of any of the sort of super blockbuster franchises, I was always my favourite. I think the idea of exotic foreign locales plus that weird thing which is not science fiction, but it's not totally known to us — the world of dinosaurs. If you think about things that are set in space, that's sort of complete science fiction, and this always felt like the most-perfect hybrid. Aside from being made by Spielberg, who I've loved all my life, and Crichton, who I read when I was a child and continue to adore his writing. So to do it as a kind of brand-new venture within a familiar universe with this incredible new cast, new dinosaurs, Gareth Edwards at the helm, it was just the perfect melting pot." On How Working with Steven Spielberg and David Koepp, Who Started the Film Franchise Three Decades Ago, Assists When You're Directing the Saga's Sixth Sequel Gareth: "It was the key to everything. Essentially, Steven had kind of come up with the whole premise with David Koepp, figured out the storyline. And then David, I think, wrote a first draft and that got greenlit. It was a really fast process. I think it existed in December and by March I was going to meetings at Universal. And then we did this movie in a year and a quarter. Normally on a giant film like this, you have two-and-a-half years — and this is half the amount of time. My editor, he put a sign up on the edit suite, a quote — I think it's from Leonard Bernstein — and it said something like "art is when you have a plan and not quite enough time". It's like having a gun at your head. It's really interesting, because it makes — you can't second guess yourself. Everyone who worked on the movie had to just go with their first instincts first time. And there was no messing around. If anyone got in the way of anything, the film wouldn't make the release date. And weirdly, looking back now, I kind of feel like 'okay, my next contract, if I ever make another film, I'm going to tell them to take the schedule and halve it' — because I think it leads to a more interesting result. It's like you just have to go with your gut." On the Importance of Jurassic World Rebirth Grounding Its Dinosaur Adventure in Its Human Characters Manuel: "I think that's the most important for me. That's what really drew me to the story. And I really believe that Gareth was the perfect one. I recently, before being cast, I watched his latest film, which was The Creator, and it really made me want to see all his films. And he's a perfect director that works with science fiction, even though this is different. But he never loses the element of humanity in his stories. And I think this is for me, it's just the heart of the film. Otherwise you don't care for the characters. And again, I think this movie has not just very scary moments, but a lot of heart because of the characters." On Whether It's a Dream Come True Getting to Create New Dinosaurs — Creatures Literally Whipped Up in a Lab — for a Jurassic Movie Gareth: "I love monsters. And I love, obviously, when you get given the task of designing a monster for some reason — it's also one of the hardest things you can do, because there's so many great monsters that have already been done. There was a concept artist I worked with who did the Joker's mask in The Dark Knight and stuff like that, and he said it's like trying to find the last carpark space in the Disney World carpark or something — where you're going around, you know it's there somewhere, there is a new monster that's not been done, but everywhere you go, you go 'well, that's been done, that's been done, that's been done'. And so what you end up in a situation is, sometimes, like real animals, like breeding things. So it was a bit like the rancor monster from Star Wars had a sexual relationship with the HR Giger's alien, and had a little kid that was like a T. rex. And then what's interesting is, then the animators have to animate that stuff, and one of the questions they ask you is 'if this was a real character from a real film, who would it be?' — so we just get the personality across. And it was a tricky question. For the D. rex, the big, massive dinosaur you see on the posters, it was like 'well, go rewatch The Elephant Man'. Because I felt like that was kind of where I was imagining it in my head — is that something where you had a little bit of empathy for them as well. It wasn't just a monster. And it makes the audience feel a little bit more uncomfortable because they can't just want to kill this thing." On the Idea of Nature's Persistence Being So Pivotal to the Film Rupert: "Life finds a way. Certainly all the characters in this film have a temerity and a tenacity to survive — and in the case of the family, to survive as a team; and in the case of the more bounty-hunter gang, to complete the mission as well as survive. And in terms of the dinosaurs as well, we see the laboratory now ruined from which they escaped, and that's a perfect visual metaphor for life finding a way. Even if it's locked up in some laboratory on a remote island, eventually evolution will have its day." On What Excites Edwards About Getting the Chance to Add His Voice and Vision to Big Beloved Franchises, Including Godzilla and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in the Past Gareth: "It's funny because it does feel a bit like — when I grew up, the films that were being made were all very original movies. Every single one of them. What we call a franchise now was at one point original. And so there's half of me that's like 'what's the matter? What's going on? Why is it all franchises and IPs?'. And then you start to realise that what's probably going on is it's a little bit like a mythical story. Like, for hundreds of thousands of years, you'd be a little kid around the campfire, and some elder would tell you this tale about how they went off over the hill and fought some animal and came back with all the things for the village. And you would hear that story and go 'oh wow, that's amazing'. And then one day as you got older, you would then want to tell that story to the little kids around the campfire. I feel like that's what a franchise is, a good one — it's like a modern myth. And what you're doing is you're getting the chance to retell that thematic mythology. I'm basically being allowed to take one of these things that I grew up around the campfire loving and made me want to tell stories, and now I get to tell it, but put your own spin on it and add a few things and all that sort of stuff. And so I just think it's a modern version of that. For instance, when we were shooting or editing the film, Jonathan Bailey was in Richard II, the Shakespeare play in London. And I was sitting in the audience, because I went to see it with him, and thinking 'this is like a franchise, really'. Like Shakespeare, everyone comes along and they do their version of it, and retell it and make a new film or make a new play, and no one thinks twice about it. Everyone's very happy. And they're really like franchises or IPs. And when you get the right idea and the right ingredients and everyone's excited about it like Jurassic Park, then it sort of catches fire, and then it's something that — it's like there's this thing, and you can remake it and retell it, and there's offshoot ideas and storylines or different takes on it. And dinosaurs, I think, are very embedded genetically in being human. To have that reaction to an animal that might come and kill someone we love at any moment, I think it's very hardwired in us. And so it's not going anywhere. I think dinosaur stories and films are so primal, they'll keep happening as long as there are people in the world." On What Interested Garcia-Rulfo About His Character's Ocean Survival Thriller-Meets-Family Drama Journey Manuel: "Personally, everything. I mean, being part of the franchise, knowing that Gareth was going to direct, knowing that all these amazing actors — Scarlett, Rupert and Mahershala — were going to be in it, knowing that David wrote the script again. So it was all those elements. But also, I really, when I read it, it really fell in love with the story of the family — because, for me, it's like the heart of the film, especially because there's a little kid. So that becomes very vulnerable. It's like the most-vulnerable character of the film. So everybody's going to want to care for her or want her to be okay. And so I fell in love with it. I fell in love with this guy, with this father, knowing nothing about survival or dinosaurs and all this, and having just to protect the loved ones and being this journey. And I think that was fascinating, and I loved it." On Friend's Task Playing a Big Pharma Representative Chasing Something That'll Both Change Human Existence and Bring in a Huge Profit Rupert: "I think it's a balancing act for Krebs, and the film is definitely interested in exploring that. At the head of the film, Scarlett's character, Mahershala's character and my character are all in it for pretty much the same reason — it's just that there is an overarching validation of that reason. It's not just 'get money to sock it away under your bed'. It's to do something that is altruistic. And I think that that motivation evolves and changes for the characters as it goes along. But yeah, it's a fascinating dichotomy, for sure." On Jurassic World Rebirth Playing Like a Few Different Movies in One, From Creature Feature and Frankenstein-Esque Sci-Fi Horror to Family Drama, Heist Flick and Anti-Big Pharma Film Gareth: "It was like having a bunch of kids, in that one kid grows up really well and becomes really strong and you go 'oh, this is really working, this section of the film' — and so then it was my job to then look at another section and go 'okay, let's make this better, let's help this one and refine it and try to add ideas' until that was now competing with the other one. And so you're basically moving around the whole movie, trying to take each sequence and elevate it, and just make it as strong as the others. And so yeah, that was my job mainly on the film, because there were some really strong ideas in there. Like visually, when I read the script, the section where there's a T. rex chasing a family in a raft, I was like 'well, that's worth directing the movie just for this sequence'. It's a kind of killer visual that's going to definitely work. And so then it's like 'okay, well, my job is now to make sure all these other sequences around it are as good as that'. And so it was really tricky, because it's the highest of high bars to compete with Jurassic Park. It's a masterpiece of filmmaking. And ultimately, you can't compete with it. It's a moment in cinema that you're never going to get again, where the world got to see dinosaurs for the very first time. But so what we did do is go 'well, let's imagine that we made this movie back then' — like we shot this in the early 90s. It has all that flavour of the original. And for whatever reason, Universal went 'okay, well, we've got this big dinosaur [movie] this summer, this Jurassic Park film, so we're going to put this in the vault, on the shelf, for a second', and then they forgot they'd done that. And then suddenly, in like 2025, they go 'oh my god, we completely forgot we made this movie' and they decided to release it. We wanted it to feel like a throwback to something of that kind of movie we grew up loving as kids." Jurassic World Rebirth released in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
Some venues feel like they've always been there, even if you haven't ever stepped inside. Perched in a prime location on Lutwyche Road in Brisbane's inner north, the Crown Hotel is one such spot. It's been part of Lutwyche since 1881, in fact — and if you need a reason to finally drop in, it's just had a $2.4 million makeover and reopened its doors. Earlier in 2021, hospitality giant Australian Venue Co announced that it was giving the 140-year-old pub a revamp, and temporarily closing the heritage-listed venue's bistro and bar during those renovations. Only the site's gaming room has been open over the past few months, even though it's getting a spruce up as well. From Wednesday, November 3, however, the entire site is back up and running. Brisbanites can now check out the Crown's new beer garden and heritage pavilion — which seats 140 people — as well as its revamped main sports bar. Overall, the renovations are designed to keep the pub's heritage character, while completely overhauling the interiors. So, design-wise, that means a sleek, warm and airy look and feel, especially if you're sat underneath the strung-up lighting in the beer garden or on the deck overlooking the outside space. The Crown's new colour scheme skews neutral with splashes of black, white and colour, too — as seen in the blue backdrop behind its towering outdoor mural. In the sports bar, there's screens that'll play a range of different sports, brews on tap (obviously) and a counter menu that includes karaage chicken, mushroom burgers, fried haloumi, chicken parmigiana and three steak choices. You'll find most of those dishes on the bistro lineup as well; however, Executive Chef Dylan Kemp and Head Chef Jamie Blake are also serving up everything from prawn rolls and confit duck leg to half a Moreton Bay Bug, Tasmanian salmon, and both beef and beetroot tartare. For something sweet, the dessert selection includes whipped baked cheesecake with strawberry and salted shortbread, vanilla bean crème brûlée, and a chocolate brownie with hokey pokey gelato and espresso caramel. And whether you're looking to drop by for a bite or a beverage, the pub is also set to host weekly bistro specials, plus themed trivia nights, drag bingo, jazz and blues, and live comedy. Crown Hotel's revamp marks Australian Venue Co's first big pub renovation in Brisbane, although the company has recently renovated both Kings Beach Tavern at Caloundra and Wallaby Hotel in Mudgeeraba. If you were lucky enough to score one of AVC's 'secret sipper' positions earlier this year — with the hospo group paying folks to eat in and review its venues — then perhaps Crown Hotel the once over might be on your list when it reopens. In Brisbane, AVC also owns a lengthy list of places, including Darling & Co, Riverland, Friday's, The Regatta, Waterloo Hotel and The Wickham. Crown Hotel's bistro and bar reopens at 446 Lutwyche Road, Lutwyche on Wednesday, November 3. Images: Markus Ravik.
What does a race car driver do when they move away from life behind the wheel? If they're Dan Pappas, they go from the buzz that comes with vehicles zipping around a track to trading in caffeinated jolts. It was back in 2010 that he founded Fonzie Abbott, the coffee roastery that uses a lightning bolt as its logo — and while it isn't hard to find the brand's cuppas around town, it has also expanded to a Newstead location to make that task even easier. Fonzie Abbott's espresso bar and roastery on Ross Street joins its existing Brisbane venues in Albion, New Farm and Lutwyche in slinging coffee to River City residents. Open since mid-April 2024, the Newstead outpost isn't just about pouring coffees, but about letting folks see what goes into the chain's beans. Patrons can add wraps, toasties, bagels and pastries to their visit, too, with the spot strictly a daytime operation, opening from 6am–1pm Monday–Saturday. With Fonzie Abbott's latest venue situated near a Bunnings, a Petbarn and a gym, it has a few particular niches cornered: pre- and -post hardware store visits, pet supply runs and working up a sweat. Arrive early enough and you might also see running club members fuelling up. Behind its white brick exterior — with the brand's name and logo taking pride of place — the espresso bar and roastery takes the monochrome tones and airy vibes inside, with greenery scattered around the joint to help.
From boats filled with luminous inflatable sculptures to Vincent van Gogh-inspired sunflower rooms — and including digital recreations of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel artworks and extremely photogenic dessert-themed pop-ups, too — it's been a huge year for immersive art installations in Brisbane. One of the big highlights: multi-sensory playground Imaginaria, which brought its light-filled mazes, inflatable spaces, electronic hall of mirrors and more to town in September 2021 for Brisbane Festival. Unsurprisingly proving popular, the otherworldly event is now sticking around until 2023. Imaginaria has extended its Brisbane stay multiple times since initially popping up, and now it's committing in a big way, with tickets on sale until Sunday, January 29, 2023. If you haven't already bounced by, that gives you almost a year to make a date. If you've been, seen and loved it, you have that amount of time to revisit. Set up underneath the Goodwill Bridge next to Queensland Maritime Museum at South Bank, the installation is made up of different structures, each filled with lights, sounds and smells. First, you take your shoes off — and then you wander through a space filled with artificial intelligence projections, sensor-triggered LED waves and giant silk parachute canopies. Also included: cosmic gardens, an anti-gravity sunset, an electronic hall of mirrors and a digital wishing well that whispers your greatest desires. Entering a serene white bubble, touching a digital eclipse, engaging with an interactive constellation — they're all featured, in an event that was always going to prove popular in Brisbane. When Imaginaria first set up in Melbourne before making its way north, more than 100,000 people went along. Open for patrons to wander through at their own pace, and filled with chairs and lounges so you can stop wherever you want to linger, Imaginaria spans ten rooms in total — and the choose-your-own-adventure setup means you can spend 15 minutes skipping through or take your time. An all-ages-friendly event, it still has capacity limits and strict hygiene measures — and tickets start at $29.95 a pop for adults. Imaginaria will remain underneath the Goodwill Bridge, next to Queensland Maritime Museum at South Bank, until Sunday, January 29, 2023 — with tickets on sale now for all dates until then. Top images: Annette Dew / William Hamilton-Coates
Brisbane is home to plenty of glorious cinemas, new and old, in former skating rinks and in art galleries alike, but sometimes you just want to see a movie somewhere other than an indoor picture palace. Cue outdoor cinemas, which the River City has its fair share of, too, including the permanent year-round setup at Dendy Powerhouse. Here's another that'll get you catching flicks under the stars: Queen's Wharf's new Skyline Cinema. A place to watch films was long promised as part of Queen's Wharf, over the years that the precinct was in the works before it finally opened in 2024. Skyline Cinema sits on the site's Leisure Deck on level seven, and pairs its range of movies with Brisbane by twilight as a backdrop. The one catch: it's only operating once a week, getting the projector whirring on most Wednesday evenings. From 6pm, you won't be catching brand-new releases, but rather settling in to watch recent-ish and retro fare while also peering out over the city. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Hunger Games, Wonder Woman, The Maze Runner, Cool Runnings: they're on the bill in July and August. Tickets start at $5, which gets you entry only, so you'll need to bring your own picnic rug to get comfortable on. For $10, you can sit on a chair at a cafe table, and also sip a soft drink. For $20, a beanbag, plus popcorn and a soft drink are all included. Luke Nguyen's Fat Noodle is also delivering dishes such as chicken salad, seafood laksa, wok-tossed pad thai and caramelised honey pork bowls to your seat, although that'll cost you extra. Updated: Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
We thought we'd hit peak Harry Potter fandom when a store dedicated to the wizarding world opened last year. Nope. With the latest Fantastic Beasts film just in cinemas and JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child theatre production now playing, the magical realm's touch on reality shows no sign of fading anytime soon. Now, grandiose Melbourne institution The Hotel Windsor is continuing the craze by transforming one of its 180 heritage rooms into a wizarding wonderland — complete with rare collectibles from the Harry Potter franchise. Think wands, prints from the film's original illustrators and tonnes of official merchandise, along with many magical limited-edition items. Guests of the suites — which have also been decked out with Hogwarts-appropriate vintage trunks, leather furniture and plush rugs — have exclusive access to all of it. And can even buy the magical merch, if they so please. The suite's launch corresponds with the start of the Cursed Child performances at the Princess Theatre — located just down the block from the Windsor — and it will remain open for bookings through till December 31, 2019. This means that the magical world of Harry Potter doesn't have to end post-show, but will just keep on going back at your hotel room. Of course, the suite will cost a pretty penny, starting at $699 for mid-week bookings and $899 on weekends. But, if you're a 'live, breathe and (literally) sleep' kind of fan, it just might be worth it. The Wizards Suite at The Windsor is available to book from January 15–December 21, 2019. To secure your night's stay, head to The Hotel Windsor website.
Local ceramic shop Elph Ceramics is currently putting on fun workshops so you can make your own little ceramic houses at home. The Australian brand of handcrafted homewares is run by sisters Sophie and Eloise, offering virtual classes guiding you through creating adorable ceramic houses. Originally, the tiny houses were created to test glazes and clay colours, but soon became a hit with customers. The duo hosts in-person tiny house workshops in their NSW Southern Highlands studio, but with Sydney in lockdown, have taken the classes online. The classes run every Thursday until Thursday, October 14, but you'll want to reserve your spot as they've been filling up fast. When you book yourself in for a class, you're sent everything you need to make four to six tiny houses (enough for one to two people to join in) including air-dry clay and a wooden clean-up tool. All you need to bring yourself is a bowl of water, a plastic mat and your drink of choice. You then log onto the zoom call and the Elph team will guide you through making your cute new decorations. The class will set you back $85 plus $15 to ship the items. While you're booking your session, take a look at what else Elph has on offer at its online store.
First, a confession: Eagles Nest isn't strictly next to a body of water. Stick with us though, because if there's a next best thing — or a potentially even better thing — then it's this. This bar is only a block or so away from two Kangaroo Point stretches of the Brisbane river, and it's 12 storeys up on The Point's rooftop. That means a bird's-eye vantage of everything from the CBD to New Farm, including the windy waterway in the middle. It might only be open two days a week — every Friday and Sunday from 3pm — but we'll take our sweeping, high-rise river vistas whenever we can get them. Particularly at sunset. Updated August 13, 2020.
Nothing says "goodbye work week, hello weekend" like a shot of tequila — or a whole evening sipping the agave spirit. And while dedicating an entire night to the beverage doesn't always sound like a great idea, it's paired with tastings and food at the Pig 'n' Whistle's Tequila and Tacos shindig. From 6.30pm on Friday, June 6, trying different types and eating the appropriate cuisine is on the menu at the pub's Brunswick Street venue. Yep, it's a classy tequila night — the kind that won't leave you feeling seedy all weekend. Tickets cost $35, which includes a drink on arrival, food, samples and another drink before you head out into the evening. There'll also be live music, but we're guessing the band won't play the song you're now thinking about — and will likely have stuck in your head for the next few days. Still, it wouldn't be a night drinking tequila without someone loudly exclaiming the beverage's name.
"The people who come here, they come to heal," says Nicole Kidman in the latest trailer for Nine Perfect Strangers. There's a disconcerting tone to her words, however. She plays Masha Dmitrichenko, the wellness guru in charge of a high-priced retreat in a super-scenic spot, and she definitely isn't making anyone feel relaxed with her presence. Whether you're checking into a nearby spa for the day or heading further afield for a lengthier stint of bliss, visiting these kinds of venues is supposed to be calming. But that really doesn't seem to be the case in this upcoming miniseries. The star-studded Nine Perfect Strangers was shot in Byron Bay, which is why it looks the striking part — but the nine guests who turn up in search of a new lease on life all appear set to get much more than they've bargained for. That's how the show's trailers have been unfolding, at least, with the latest sneak peek offering the biggest glimpse at the series yet. Given the cast involved — including not just Kidman (The Undoing), but also Melissa McCarthy (Thunder Force), Michael Shannon (Knives Out), Luke Evans (Crisis) and Asher Keddie (Rams) — Nine Perfect Strangers is easily one of the big streaming releases of the year, and that long list of famous faces will be navigating quite the eerie and creepy situation. Also part of the show: Bobby Cannavale (Superintelligence), Regina Hall (Little), Samara Weaving (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Melvin Gregg (The United States vs Billie Holiday), Asher Keddie (Rams), Grace Van Patten (Under the Silver Lake), Tiffany Boone (The Midnight Sky) and Manny Jacinto (The Good Place), who'll all navigate a ten-day retreat overseen by Kidman's Masha throughout the drama's eight episodes. The latter oversees the resort that promises to transform nine stressed city-dwellers — but, clearly, things aren't going to turn out as planned for the show's titular figures. As with Kidman's last two miniseries — Big Little Lies, which like Nine Perfect Strangers, was also based on a book by Liane Moriarty; and The Undoing — David E Kelley (LA Law, Ally McBeal, Mr Mercedes) is leading the charge behind the scenes. He's the show's co-writer and co-showrunner, with Long Shot's Jonathan Levine directing every episode. And if you're wondering where and when you'll be able to see the results, Nine Perfect Strangers will stream Down Under via Amazon Prime Video, with the series set to debut on Friday, August 20. Check out the full trailer below: Nine Perfect Strangers will start streaming in Australia and New Zealand on Friday, August 20 via Amazon Prime Video — starting with its first three episodes, with new episodes then dropping weekly afterwards. Top image: Vince Valitutti/Hulu.
You'd be hard-pressed to find an Aussie fashionista who doesn't know Sass & Bide. Founded by Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton in 1999, the Brisbane-born label captured the early 2000s by storm with its gilded embellishments and bold prints. Sass & Bide's designs have strutted down runways in Australia, London and New York — and remains one of the country's most recognisable names in fashion. After Sass & Bide kicked off, Middleton spent 25 years straddling Sydney and Paris as she pursued art and design alongside her role as Creative Director. Now, the designer has returned to Queensland with an exciting new project in tow — ARTCLUB, a retail, gallery and studio space displaying her multidisciplinary designs and artwork. Housed in a former Sass & Bide boutique on James Street, ARTCLUB reimagines Middleton's world into a retail experience. On the first floor, a six-metre gallery wall is lined with Middleton's original artworks. Abstract floor-to-ceiling sculptures and sculptural brass clothes railings fill the room. Paintings hang alongside clothing made from natural fabrics and offcuts — both are available for purchase. Upstairs, the mezzanine has been converted into a working atelier that perches above the shop. Visitors can watch Middleton hand-cutting and sewing her designs, or even have something made to order. There are no smoke and mirrors here, just slow and sustainable production that yields limited runs. Like any beautiful home, the space will evolve. Soon, collaborations with artists, designers and other kindred creatives will take shape within the sunlit walls. In 2026, Middleton plans to weave in an Objet Trouvé edit — a curation of found objects from her travels — plus a collection of limited-edition furniture and sculptural design pieces. Images: Supplied
A high-profile cast. An acclaimed local director. A thorough traipse through the country's colonial past. While that description applies to a growing number of Aussie films (Sweet Country and The Nightingale, just to name two recent examples), it'll never get old — as new frontier western High Ground demonstrates. Indeed, while Stephen Maxwell Johnson's film feels like a natural addition to this growing genre, it also makes its own imprint. The setup: on what's supposed to be a routine expedition in Arnhem Land, almost the entirety of an Indigenous tribe is wiped out by northern Australian police. Their leader Travis (Simon Baker) isn't responsible for the carnage, but it weighs heavily on him in the aftermath. In this gorgeously shot, deeply contemplative drama, Travis is still haunted by the incident 12 years later, in the 1930s, which is when the bulk of the feature takes place. The ex-World War I sniper is enlisted by his superior (Jack Thompson) and his former partner (Callan Mulvey) to track down one of the massacre's revenge-seeking survivors — all while accompanied by boy-turned-tracker Gutjuk (Jacob Junior Nayinggul), who also lived through the slaughter. When High Ground premiered at this year's Berlinale, it deservedly wowed crowds. Since then, it opened the Brisbane International Film Festival and screened at the Adelaide Film Festival — and it has stints planned at Sydney Film Festival's My Cinema My Film Festival touring event in November and December, and during its summer weekend program in January. It'll hit Aussie cinemas in general release come January 28, and it has just revealed its tension-dripping full trailer. As well as Baker, Thompson and Mulvey — and phenomenal first-timer Jacob Junior Nayinggul — High Ground also stars Aaron Pedersen, Ryan Corr and Caren Pistorius (Unhinged), plus debutants Esmerelda Marimowa and Witiyana Marika. It's the second film from Johnson, who previously directed 2001's Yolngu Boy. The filmmaker grew up living in the Northern Territory, and also directed music videos for Yothu Yindi — including for 1991 track 'Treaty'. Check out the High Ground trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL-G4oCoDF0&feature=youtu.be High Ground opens in Australian cinemas on January 28, 2021.
Just when you thought we'd eaten the country dry of Nutella with our Tella Ball milkshakes and Nutella doughnuts (not to mention just plain eating it out of the jar with a spoon), comes the pinnacle of our obsession with the magical hazelnut spread: a whole festival dedicated to Nutella. Dubbed Nutella-Palooza, the one-day festival will celebrate all things 'Tella, and will most probably see people smearing the stuff over their bodies and pa-losing their shit in the process. So you better get those spoons poised and clear some room in your stomach and schedule for Saturday, April 9. The one-day free event will be held Adelaide's Bonython Park (sorry, east coasters), and will feature bakery stall with all the Nutella-stuffed pastries you can image, cooking demonstrations so you can make the magic happen at home, and, of course, a buttload of Nutella. If you're wondering how you're going to handle all this hazelnut sugary goodness, there will be non-Nutella food trucks on-site too — so you can cleanse your palate with some savoury snacks before heading back for round two. The festival has been put together by "a group of Adelaide Nutella fans" who, aside from being deadset legends, are total geniuses. Last September saw Melbourne host a Nutella pop-up, but this just takes things to the next level. It looks like 2016 will be the year of the niche specialty food festival. We just home peanut butter is next. Nutella-Palooza is a free event and will take place at Bonython Park, Adelaide on Saturday, April 9 from 11am - 5pm. For more information, visit nutella-palooza.com.
This is not your average boat cruise. Chefs on the Harbour: The Vivid Edition is altogether more unique and luxe than anything else out there. For this year's Vivid Sydney festival, a series of famous chefs will take turns running an opulent superyacht's kitchen, serving up unique culinary creations as they cruise around the iconic Sydney Harbour. Local food lovers are all invited to join the five-course degustation dinners aboard The Jackson. The events are each on a Saturday night. Take to the waters on May 27, June 3, June 10 or June 17 to try one of these totally unique dining experiences. Each evening sees a different chef run the pass, with Nelly Robinson, Khanh Ong and Mark Olive already locked in. The final chef to round out this star-studded lineup will be announced soon, too. Keep an eye on The Jackson website for announcements. Nelly Robinson is known for his avant-garde and often kooky degustation menus — prepare for unbridled creativity on his night. Khanh Ong is loved for his infectiously upbeat personality and contemporary Asian cooking. Ong's menu will celebrate family feels and vibrant Vietnamese flavours. And Mark Olive — also known as the Black Olive — is a famous Aboriginal Australian chef who champions native ingredients. Olive will excite tastebuds and educate diners with his own five-course degustation, explaining the nutritional and medicinal properties found in many of these culturally significant native Australian ingredients. Tickets cost $399 per person and include a 3.5-hour beverage package featuring a Belvedere cocktail upon arrival, Tyrell's wines, Young Henrys beer and a heap of non-alcoholic options. But Chefs on the Harbour: The Vivid Edition isn't only about spectacular food, drinks and views. As it is a part of Vivid Sydney, The Jackson crew has joint forces with Fernando Barraza, the Creative Director of Cirkus Bizurkus, to take it all to the next level. Prepare for light shows, art installations, roaming entertainers, red carpet violinists and so much more. If you love fine food, experiential art experiences and fabulous views, you best consider adding Chefs on the Harbour: The Vivid Edition to your list of must-book Vivid Sydney events. Head to The Jackson's website to purchase tickets to Chefs on the Harbour: The Vivid Edition before they sell out.
If you like sipping Four Pillars' bloody gin, the distillery doubled your drinking options when winter 2023 rolled around. Last year, it didn't just make its bloody excellent Bloody Shiraz Gin, as it has annually since 2015. In addition, it also debuted a brand-new Bloody Pinot Noir Gin. Yes, the drop gives another grape variety the bloody treatment. Yes, it was popular. When winter 2024 started approaching, Four Pillars announced the return of its shiraz option; however, there was no sign of its other bloody tasty limited-edition wine-infused concoction for another vintage. Until now, that is, with the brand waiting until the thick of the cold weather to reveal that this too is a Bloody Pinot Noir Gin year. How much of a hit was the first vintage? It sold out in less than a week. So, if you're keen to add 2024's to your gin shrine, you'd best mark a few dates in your diary. It goes on sale around the country on Tuesday, August 13 — via the Four Pillars website, plus Four Pillars Distillery at Healesville in Victoria and the Four Pillars Lab in Surry Hills in Sydney — but you can get your hands on some from Wednesday, August 7 if you're a Four Pillars subscriber. 2024's tipple wasn't always a certainty. "When we had some early rain in the season, we weren't quite sure we'd be able to pull it off," explains Four Pillars Co-founder and Head Distiller Cameron Mackenzie. "But lo and behold, 2024 is pretty bloody good pinot. It also helps we don't just get grapes from one place. We source from a couple of vineyards and use multiple clones to get a more complex gin at the end. The only downside is we can only get so much of it." Like its shiraz sibling, the Bloody Pinot Noir Gin sources its fruit from Yarra Valley again, from Yarra Station and Upper Ngumby. The end result is lighter, brighter in colour, and with rhubarb, strawberry and rose petal notes. This vintage underwent a new process, soaking entire pinot bunches in Four Pillars' high-proof Rare Dry Gin for seven weeks, then pressing them and blending in more Rare Dry Gin. The best way to drink it? Four Pillars recommends using it in gin and soda, with just a squeeze of lemon and a lemon slice as a garnish. Head to the distillery's website for a few other cocktail ideas, too, including the Pinot Colada and the Pinot Blush. The 2024 Four Pillars Bloody Pinot Noir Gin will go on sale around the country on Tuesday, August 13, or on Wednesday, August 7 if you're a Four Pillars subscriber. Head to the Four Pillars website to make a purchase — or hit up the Four Pillars Distillery at Healesville, Victoria and the Four Pillars Lab in Surry Hills, Sydney.
Every pub needs an underground supper club, but only one New Farm venue is lucky enough to have one. Not content with two levels of fun above ground, the Queens Arms Hotel have looked downwards for their newest addition. Welcome to Farrier. Those big on horses might recognise the term the bar takes its name from; however, there's a reason for the equine theme. The space the place calls home was once used as stables, many, many years ago. In its decor, Farrier has kept many of the original details and then mixed in vintage furniture. The subterranean setting and the interesting history inspire quite the vibe — but it's the boutique beverage options and up-late menu that will inspire a race through the bar's doors. Craft beers, an extensive wine list, plus an array of specialty cocktails take care of the former, while street food options such as peking duck bao and Chinese doughnuts have the latter covered. Here, you can lead a horse to a cool supper club, and you probably could make it drink something other than water.
Crispy, sweet, stuffed with a creamy filling and made in a variety of flavours, there's only one thing wrong with cannoli. No matter how many that you happen to devour in a single sitting (admit it — no one just eats one), it never feels like you've ever had enough. If you know that sensation all too well, then you might want to tempt your tastebuds down to Locale on Saturday, May 9. For one day, the Newstead cafe is hosting another pop-up — and while this one isn't solely dedicated to cannoli, they are on the street food-filled menu. Feeling hungry? There'll be both ricotta ($5) and vanilla ($4) flavours available, plus dulce de leche and caramelised pear maritozzi, as well as a strawberry and cream variety too ($5.50 each). Or, tuck into a caprese focaccia ($5.50) or one of four different types of arancini ($5.50 each), such as beef ragu, pistachio and ham, prawn and seafood bisque, and spinach and mushroom. Reflecting the current socially distant situation, it's strictly a pre-order-only affair — so head online, place an order and then wait for your allocated collection time (which'll be between 11am–1pm or 5–7pm). If you're choosing to go out and support local businesses, have a look at the latest COVID-19 advice and social-distancing guidelines from the Department of Health. Images: Locale.
Whether beloved bands are reuniting, old lineups are reforming or still-touring groups who hit the charts decades ago are simply heading our way again, we're living in a golden age of musical blasts from the past. On a stage near you at any given time, one of your old-school favourites is likely taking to the microphone, spanning across a huge range of genres. Another joining the trend: Sugababes. The British girl group is hitting up Australia's east coast this summer, including a show at Brisbane's Fortitude Music Hall on Monday, February 27. If you're a fan, you likely now have 'Push the Button' or 'Overload' stuck in your head — or a medley that includes 'Freak Like Me', 'Round Round', 'Hole in the Head', 'Walk This Way' and 'About You Now' as well. This isn't just any old throwback tour, however. It also sees Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy — aka Sugababes' OG members — bust out the group's hits. Each of the trio left individually in the 00s, with Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen taking their places, but they've been back together with the initial lineup since 2012. This is the first time in more than two decades that Buena, Buchanan and Donaghy have hit Australia together, which is massive news for fans. And, given that Sugababes were one of the British girl groups of the early 21st century — and are one of the biggest-selling British girl groups of all time — there's plenty of those around.
Your latest reason to eat breakfast, brunch and lunch riverside in Brisbane's inner north has opened its doors at Northshore in Hamilton: Riva Kitchen & Events. Table of Four, which is already behind The Garden Room at Roma Street Parklands, has spread its culinary footprint to another of the River City's green spaces — this time by the water. The format for the company's two eateries is noticeably the same, pairing ace Brissie locations with bites to eat. But when you're peering out over the river at Riva Kitchen & Events, you'll know that you're in a different venue to Table of Four's first spot for a meal. There's still plenty of greenery surrounding the Hamilton restaurant, but your tiramisu overnight oats, truffled scrambled eggs and angus rib-eyes come with quite the backdrop. Officially launching in May 2024, and operating seven days for daytime meals, the eatery's menu also spans house-cured salmon with a potato cake, soft-boiled egg and dill crème fraiche for brekkie — and also citrus whipped ricotta and avocado on toasted sourdough with poached eggs; french toast with homemade lemon curd, mascarpone and vanilla ice cream; and sweetcorn and zucchini fritters. For lunch, heirloom tomato and chargrilled garlic bruschetta will get you started, before caesar salad, Balter beer-battered fish and chips, beef burgers and chicken schnitzel are among your options. Catering for coffee dates, long lunches and weekend brunches, too, the culinary spread's focus is modern Australian dishes, but taking cues from the Mediterranean. Local and seasonal ingredients are in the spotlight. The crew behind the restaurant have also designed the light and airy Riva Kitchen & Events to become Brisbane's next go-to to celebrate occasions, as the eatery's name makes plain. Whether it's for an intimate dinner or a party, or a wedding or corporate event, the site doubles as a venue for shindigs — with its openair features and backdrop definite drawcards.
If Sad Affleck didn't already exist, Live By Night might've made the meme happen anyway. The actor rarely appears particularly engaged in the prohibition-era gangster flick — and given that he's not just the star, but the writer-director too, that's a little bit of a problem. Sure, the plot throws up plenty of reasons for his sorrowful expression, and yes, brooding over what it means to be a man living a life of crime requires an absence of smiles. Still, Affleck largely just looks lost and glum rather than convincingly conflicted or troubled. To make matters even more trying for audiences, he also can't seem to tear the camera away from his own face. Live By Night isn't the first time Affleck has directed himself, with The Town and Oscar-winner Argo both listed on his resume. Thanks to the former, it's not the first time he has pondered masculinity and violence, or the difficulties of trying to do the right thing by the wrong means. Staying in well-worn territory, his latest flick is also his second adaptation of a novel by Dennis Lehane, with the author penning the book that Affleck's excellent helming debut, Gone Baby Gone, was based on. They say that familiarity breeds contempt, but what it really inspires here is a movie that matches his on-screen look: poised and polished, but bland from top to bottom. When the film first introduces Affleck's character, World War I veteran Joe Coughlin, it's with an anti-authoritarian attitude; "I left a soldier, I came home an outlaw" his voiceover bluntly offers. Discovering just how far down that path the Boston crook will go is one of the aims of the game, along with probing the darker side of the American dream. At first, Coughlin just wants little more than to break the rules and bed a hotshot mobster's mistress (Sienna Miller). But when his romantic bliss ends, he switches to revenge and bootlegging booze in Tampa. An alliance with the local Cuban population, including his new girlfriend Graciela (Zoe Saldana), earns the ire of the Ku Klux Klan, while trying to build a casino draws opposition from a wannabe actress turned born-again preacher (Elle Fanning). There's no shortage of plot driving Live By Night as it meanders through its 129-minute running time. As forces of good and evil clash in a variety of ways, Coughlin wears a number of hats (literally and figuratively), firmly establishing that a well-meaning gangster's existence is painted in shades of grey. Of course, if you've seen The Godfather, Goodfellas or any other American effort in the genre, you've already toyed with these themes more than once. Other than following in their footsteps, there's not much more this movie has to offer. That's not to say that the project is entirely without merit. Though he keeps frowning in front of the camera, Affleck finds some much-needed directorial spark in the film's late shootouts — so much so that you'll wish that he'd done so much earlier. Set in the 1920s, Live By Night also looks the sumptuous part, but sadly that attention to detail doesn't extend to the supporting characters. The less said not only about Saldana's thankless, throwaway role, but Chris Messina's exaggerated performance as a supposedly comic offsider, the better. Although even then, they still seem less miserable than Affleck.
Sydney's CBD has landed a major dose of the Tokyo-esque practical and compact, with the former Bar Century space reopening in May as The Capsule Hotel, a three-storey, luxury boutique stay. The George Street cheap drinks den, which closed in 2016, was taken over by developer Walter Guo, who invested a massive $5 million on a full interior refurb, carried out by interior design consultants Giant Design. The heritage building has somewhat retained its vintage fit-out but with more of a nod to the futuristic space-like capsules of The Fifth Element. The bar and hotel are running as separate entities, with the first two levels acting as The Century Bar, while the top three floors of the building are dedicated to the capsules. Each of the 70 capsules contains a large flatscreen TV and entertainment system, Wi-Fi, and a climate control panel. Guests can choose from single or deluxe beds with entry from either the side or the end of the capsule. The communal facilities include a kitchen space, breakfast bar, lounge area, rooftop terrace and individual bathrooms. If you're worried about security, don't be — each capsule is fitted with a secure lock and the security desk runs 24-hours. But let's set the record straight — The Century is not a hostel, and it's not aimed at overindulgent locals that can't seem to make it back home. "The accommodation, which is not quite hotel nor hostel, is aimed at solo travellers looking for something more private than a typical backpackers and those who want the designer hotel experience on a budget," says Christopher Wilks, an associate at Giant Design. It's set to sit well within your budget, with prices ranging from $50-90 a night. Which, depending on how far from the CBD you live, could be a lot cheaper than a cab home at 1am. Find The Capsule Hotel at Level 3, 640 George Street, Sydney. For bookings, head to the website or call (02) 8957 7763.
Ladies and gentleman, now the moment you've all been waiting for — and yes, it includes the world famous Jack Rabbit Slims twist contest. When Chuck Berry's 'You Never Can Tell' starts pumping through The Triffid, you know what kind of dance moves you're going to bust out. 2019 marks 25 years since Pulp Fiction first hit the big screen, and just as long since fans first caught its stellar soundtrack, which includes everything from surf rock to Dusty Springfield's 'Son of a Preacher Man'. If the record has been one of your go-to listening staples over the past quarter-century, then you'll want to celebrate its anniversary with Cheap Fakes. Even better — the band will be performing the entire album live with as an eight-piece (while you dance like Uma Thurman to 'Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon', obviously). The smooth sounds of Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together', the funk of Kool & the Gang's 'Jungle Boogie' and the upbeat country twang of The Statler Brothers' 'Flowers on the Wall' will all get a whirl, too. To complete the experience, a big screen will be set up, playing themed visuals. It all goes down like a $5 shake on Saturday, June 15, with tickets costing $29.10.
Orange juice is a tried and tested breakfast staple. Orange juice mixed with champagne? Well, that's a brunch classic. It still makes you feel like you're eating brekkie and getting a big dose of vitamins — while delivering an extra boozy kick. Yes, we're talking about mimosas. Yes, they're on the menu at Block House's brunch offering, which is particularly great news for northside residents. Head to the Nundah spot and you can spend 90 minutes sipping bottomless drinks, including brews as well. Food-wise, you'll eat your way through four or five share courses, again within that hour-and-a-half window. The $79 deal is a regular part of the cafe's menu, so it is available daily. You'll need to take a least one mate with you, because there's a two-person minimum. And if you rock up with a group, everyone at your table must partake in the boozy brunch special (not that they should need much convincing).
We all know someone who thinks they're French. You know the type, they offer up French words in normal conversation (complete with faux accent), drink espressos at night and waffle on about their ‘recent’ trip without prompting. Sure, who doesn’t secretly want to be French (ok maybe the English), but there is only one time of the year when this kind of behaviour is acceptable. That time is now upon us. It’s time for the Alliance Française French Film Festival! Every year we are presented with over 40 of the best films to come out of France and this year’s line up looks superb. A few highlighted picks include Declaration of War (which received a 15-minute standing ovation at Cannes last year), Jane Birkin’s documentary Souvenirs of Serge, two new Audrey Tautou films Against The Wind and Delicacy and the enchanting Romantics Anonymous. Tickets do tend to sell out fast, so make sure you secure a seat in advance. With so many outstanding films in a wide array of genres, there is sure to be something to suit your highly cultivated tastes. It’s hard not to get caught up in all the excitement, so enjoy this chance to be a fully-fledged Francophile. Je suis trés heurex! …Ahem.
Since the first Iron Man film in 2008, Marvel has trained superhero fans well. Notching up 33 movies in its enormous cinematic universe with 2023's The Marvels and showing zero signs of stopping, the comic book company has basically taken over the big screen, with this year delivering Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, too — and, as always, there's plenty more flicks on the way. Marvel hasn't just taken over picture palaces. Via Disney+, the small screen is also home to many a MCU story, including Secret Invasion and season two of Loki in 2023. Keen to see your favourite spandex-clad crime-fighters try to save the world in person as well? Along with splashing Marvel's heroes and villains across every screen it can find, that's also coming — and soon. Marvel Universe LIVE! is exactly what it seems — and if it sounds familiar, that's because it was meant to head Down Under in 2020, but then the pandemic hit. So, when it makes the trip to Australia in April 2024, it'll be unveiling its show to Aussie audiences for the first time. The production takes more than 20 characters such as Spider-Man, The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, teaming them up on stage and letting audiences marvel (pun intended) at their exploits. Featuring everyone from Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther and the Hulk to Captain America, Doctor Strange and Black Widow, it tasks the beloved superheroes with facing off against some of Marvel's infamous villains, including Nebula, Loki and Green Goblin. And, it packages their antics with video projections, special effects, pyrotechnics, martial arts, and both aerial and motorcycle stunts. The performance is aimed at all ages and, in news that's about as unsurprising as most wisecracks that Tony Stark ever uttered, the show has proven a massive success in the United States, Latin America and Europe. As a result, it was only a matter of time until it hit Australia after its pandemic delay. Obviously, attendees won't be watching Robert Downey Jr (Oppenheimer), Chris Hemsworth (Extraction II), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar), Scarlett Johansson (Asteroid City) and Tom Hiddleston (The Essex Serpent) — or any of the many, many other high-profile stars who feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, because that list truly seems endless. But, if you're happy to get your Marvel fix however you can, then you can do just that in arenas and stadiums around the country in 2024. Marvel Universe LIVE! will premiere its Aussie run in Brisbane, before heading to Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. "Our tremendously talented creative team and a nearly superhuman cast have created a show that brings the grandeur of Marvel to life," said Marvel Universe LIVE! producer Juliette Feld Grossman. "This production creates an experience that immerses families in non-stop action, creating movie-style thrills and jaw-dropping stunts that showcase the powers of your favourite superheroes right before your eyes." MARVEL UNIVERSE LIVE! 2024 DATES: Thursday, April 4–Sunday, April 7 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Friday, April 12–Monday, April 15 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Friday, April 19–Monday, April 22 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Friday, April 26–Sunday, April 28 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Marvel Universe LIVE! is touring Australia in April 2024 — head to the event's website for more information, and pre-sale tickets, with general tickets available from 10am on Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Before craft and microbreweries popped up on every corner of the city, the combination of Brisbane and beer meant one thing: XXXX. The company's Milton brewery loomed large over the inner west, with tours providing a taste of their tipples, and the Alehouse combining yeasty beverages with tasty food. Of course, the building hasn't moved (and taking a tour still features high on local booze-lovers' to-do lists), however the bar and restaurant at the end of the beer-coloured rainbow has recently had a facelift. Prepare to find a completely different Alehouse next time you want to sit back, relax and enjoy the freshest XXXX on tap. Fans of drinking outdoors — i.e. everyone — can flock to the all-new beer garden, while anyone seeking something a little more intimate can hole up in the inside dining room. Thanks to Brisbane-based design firm Elm Interiors, the whole place has been decked out with a rustic meets industrial feel. Think classic feature pieces, plenty of greenery and a vibe that knows how to make you feel welcome. Extended trading hours from Monday to Saturday means that there's now more chances to enjoy the all-day Alehouse experience — and their new menu, too. With pub staples such as beer-battered fish with hand-cut chips, grain-fed beef burgers, sirloin with bearnaise sauce and roasted salmon, perhaps beer won't be the only thing luring patrons to this iconic, 135-year-old brewery. XXXX Brewery tours are $32 for adults and $18 children. Tours run Monday to Thursday (11am, 12:30pm, 3pm, 5pm), Friday (11am, 12:30pm, 3pm, 5pm) and Saturday (11am every ½ hour until 2pm, 3pm and 5pm). To book, head over here.
If there's one thing that a film about Adam Driver fighting dinosaurs shouldn't be, it's average. Only ridiculously entertaining or ridiculously terrible will do, and those two outcomes needn't be mutually exclusive. The appeal of 65 is right there in that four-word premise, as it was always going to be, because getting the intense White Noise, House of Gucci, Annette and Star Wars actor (and BlacKkKlansman and Marriage Story Oscar-nominee) battling prehistoric creatures is that roaringly ace an idea. He should brood, and his dino foes should stalk, snap and snarl. That is indeed what happens thanks to writer/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who penned the first A Quiet Place, plus have horror movies Nightlight and Haunt on their past helming resumes. But for a flick that isn't required to offer anything else and knows it — well, other than laser guns to shoot at said dinosaurs, because not even the man who plays Kylo Ren can confront a Tyrannosaurus rex or pack of raptors barehanded — 65 doesn't possess enough B-movie energy. Beck and Woods have taken the very B-movie path story-wise, though. As 65's trailer made plain, this is a Frankenstein's monster of a film mashup, stitching together limbs from a stacked pile of other sources to fuel its narrative. The Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchise, the Predator series, the Alien and Prometheus saga, Logan, The Last of Us, The Man Who Fell to Earth and, yes, A Quiet Place: they each earn more than a few nods, and never with subtlety. So too does Planet of the Apes, but the fact that 65 is set on earth all along isn't a late-picture twist. What else would the title refer to? That said, Beck and Woods begin their movie elsewhere, taking time-travel 65 million years backward out of the equation. Instead, Driver's pilot Mills ends up on our pale blue dot from a civilisation out there in space, and one more advanced during earth's Cretaceous period than humankind is today. Again, these aren't surprises. Text on-screen points all of this out from the get-go or close enough. When the title card arrives bearing the number-slash-moniker 65, that the film takes place all those years ago, and that Mills is now on the third rock from the Milky Way's sun, is written out on-screen as well. Kudos to the filmmakers for not focusing their movie on the tease; a lesser flick, and not in the so-bad-it's-good way, would've been fine with wholesale ripping off Planet of the Apes but just journeying in the opposite temporal direction. Rather, even with the Rod Serling-esque concept — The Twilight Zone creator and presenter also penned the OG Apes' screenplay, as loosely adapted from the page — 65 is about what happens next with full knowledge of where it's set. The narrative from there is obvious, with or without any other context. Whatever you think will happen in 65 sight unseen, or from the trailer, does. Mills tries three things: to survive, to fend off those pesky dinosaurs and to get home. But, he isn't alone. He's transporting others as part of a long-range mission when his ship crashes on what's to him an unknown planet, and young Koa (Ariana Greenblatt, In the Heights) also lives post-impact — after their vessel is hit by an undocumented asteroid, sending them plummeting in the first place, and then after it smashes into earth, tearing apart and scattering its two halves 12 kilometres apart. The piece that Mills and Koa are in can't blast off, of course, and the planet's most frightening-ever residents are keen on a meal as the duo of interlopers attempt to use their wits and weaponry while walking from one section to the other. If you know earth's basic history and how things turned out for the dinosaurs, as we all do, there's no prizes for guessing what else occurs in 65. With startling its audience off the cards, ample pressure falls on the film's ability to engage through character, chaos or both — too much pressure, it proves. Everything is passable. Everything is firmly by the numbers. Nothing is wild, weird or wonderful. That applies to the family thread that runs through the film, after Beck and Woods showed their fondness for the ties of blood, monsters and the end of the world with A Quiet Place. Mills' well-paying gigs have long spirited him away from his wife (Nika King, Euphoria) and daughter (Chloe Coleman, Avatar: The Way of Water), the latter of whom has serious health conditions, making 65's protagonist a Star Wars-esque absent dad. So, when he's tasked with caring for Koa out of proximity and necessity, that job sparks an emotional reaction and connection. Movies about crashing somewhere strange and scary, being ushered into new worlds filled with threats and endeavouring to adapt all work as birth metaphors — we've all been there — an idea that lingers in 65's quiet moments. What does it mean to be thrust into an unfamiliar realm, learn of its ever-present perils and try to endure? How do we learn resilience, resourcefulness, who we are and what's truly important? These questions aren't unrelated, and they're also at the core of this feature. 65 doesn't dig fossil-level deep, however. It's always a dinos-versus-people sci-fi thriller. Actually, make that dinos-versus-humanoid aliens, given that Mills and Koa hark from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (no, not the George Lucas-started ones) as they're grappling with beasts brought to the screen with standard-at-best (and never Prehistoric Planet-standard) CGI. 65 would be a far worse film without Driver; switching out its star wouldn't make it an extinction-level event, but the whole 'Adam Driver fights dinosaurs' concept is alluring for a reason. Since singing "please don't shoot me into outer space" in Inside Llewyn Davis, he keeps being shot there, or from there, on-screen — and approaches each instance, as he has everything from Girls and Frances Ha to Paterson and The Last Duel, with blistering commitment. If this was a grander, gorier or sillier movie with Driver's performance at its centre, it might've been something special. There's glimmers here, glistening like a dinosaur's teeth. The version that treads forth is watchable, but also the most basic version of what it is, what viewers want and why it exists: yes, Adam Driver fighting dinosaurs.
Australia's famed collection of oversized attractions has just gained a new addition, with the much-hyped arrival of The Big Melon in Chinchilla, Queensland. This latest 'Big Thing' takes the form of one very juicy looking watermelon, very much at home in the town long known as the 'Melon Capital of Australia'. Chinchilla's biennial Melon Festival helped rocket the town to victory in a recent nationwide competition by travel site Wotif, in the hunt to find the location and giant-sized star of the country's next 'Big Thing'. Following thousands of submissions from the public and a pretty fierce voting process, the Big Melon claimed victory over fellow sizeable finalists, Glen Innes' Big Kilt (NSW), Mittagong's Big Tulip (NSW) and the Big Peanut in the Queensland town of Kingaroy. Chinchilla's fruity new arrival clocks in at over three metres tall and almost nine metres wide, taking pride of place at the town's Visitor Centre. It joins a group of over 150 towering landmarks dotted throughout the country, from longstanding icons like the Big Pineapple (QLD) and Big Banana (NSW), to more recent additions including the Big Olive (SA) and the Big Ant (SA). The Chinchilla Melon Festival regularly pulls over 15,000 visitors from all corners of the globe, with the 25th anniversary edition happening from February 14 to 17, 2019. The event features a jam-packed program of melon-inspired revelry, from melon 'skiing' and a melon race, to a melon-eating competition and a melon bungee fling. There's even a festival weigh-in to find the area's heftiest melon — a title which looks to be a shoo-in for the town's new oversized landmark.
UPDATE, November 13, 2020: Bohemian Rhapsody is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. To see Freddie Mercury take to the stage is to see a giant, one who leaps, slinks, prowls, thrusts and struts above the masses. Mercury wasn't a tall man, but he couldn't have had a bigger presence when he was performing. It's evident in every clip of Queen's gigs, and each of the British band's music videos too, but it's never more apparent than in the group's Live Aid show. For 20 minutes at Wembley Stadium on July 13, 1985, in a set played to 72,000 London concert-goers and beamed via television to a global audience of 1.9 billion, Mercury was the towering champion of the world. Unsurprisingly, Queen's Live Aid performance forms a crucial part of Bohemian Rhapsody. Mercury's walk to the stage gives the film its opening moments, via glimpses of his moustache, sunglasses, crotch and singlet-adorned back, while the actual set itself provides the movie's climax. Filmed on the first day of the picture's production, it's an electrifying sequence made all the more so by Rami Malek's spot-on performance as Mercury. But the fact that the blistering show was a greatest hits set really couldn't be more appropriate for the film endeavouring to recreate its glory. The Live Aid gig featured 'Bohemian Rhapsody', naturally, as well as 'Radio Ga Ga', 'We Will Rock You', 'We Are the Champions' and more, and it gave everyone watching exactly what they'd hoped for. Bohemian Rhapsody is a greatest hits movie. It's the neat, easily digestible version of Queen's career, and of Mercury's professional and personal ups and downs along with them. It's also highly sanitised, and even factually altered where it's more dramatically convenient. Here, the Zanzibar-born Parsi man originally known as Farrokh Bulsara chats to Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) at a pub gig on the night their lead singer quits, talks them into giving him a shot as their new vocalist, and unleashes his now-iconic four-octave range to change music history. Chart success, tours, fame and raucous parties all follow, even after the band's first record label exec insists that the six-minute 'Bohemian Rhapsody' will never be played on radio. Meanwhile, when he's not brandishing his flamboyant stage persona, Freddie struggles with the expectations of his stern father (Ace Bhatti), his complicated feelings for his girlfriend Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton), his sexuality, plenty of drugs and his eventual diagnosis with HIV. Like the best-of releases that fill record stores and try to condense a musician or band's finest work to a single disc, a greatest hits film is never going to cut as deep as a proper album. That doesn't instantly make Bohemian Rhapsody a bad movie, or make best-of records bad records either. You know what you're getting when you listen to a greatest hits album, and it's exactly what's on offer with this formulaic biopic — but it's still largely enjoyable. This isn't exactly real life, and in many parts, it's purely fantasy. And yet, it's an engaging, albeit highly superficial interpretation of Queen and Mercury's heyday as painted with the broadest of strokes and featuring all of the expected tracks. As with many rock biopics before it, Bohemian Rhapsody is all about the gloss, sheen and popular hits that reinforce the existing image of Queen and Mercury, rather than daring to delve beneath the surface. Covering a 15-year time span, this is the band-approved version of the story, not the reportedly darker affair that was originally set to star Sacha Baron Cohen. Still, Bohemian Rhapsody energetically takes to its chosen task. Director Bryan Singer — as well as the uncredited Dexter Fletcher, who took over when Singer was fired two-thirds of the way through shooting — bounces through a template that strings simplistic drama between songs, often using the former to give weight to the latter. The filmmakers also capitalise on a fact that has made the Mamma Mia flicks such a huge success with fans: a killer soundtrack can do plenty of heavy lifting. Great songs don't make for a great movie by themselves, and Bohemian Rhapsody never reaches greatness, or even approaches it. It's entertaining as it hits its intended marks, although it remains noticeable (and even insulting to Mercury's legacy as a queer icon) that the picture skims over certain details. But, regardless of its handling of reality, the film delivers a supersonic turn by Malek. Far, far away from the reserved tension of Mr Robot, he walks, talks, belts out a tune, wears the tightest of pants and juts out his noticeable teeth just like the charismatic Mercury. Malek also gives texture to the movie's slight dives into deeper territory that isn't necessarily in the script — in particular, when Mercury grapples with the loneliness behind his life of excess, fights to retain his connection with Austin and learns of his illness. Both splashed loudly across big and small stages, and giving soulful, lonely stares in quiet moments, it's a performance that's a kind of magic. He will rock you, even if Bohemian Rhapsody itself favours making a big noise over taking on the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27zlBpzdOZg
Coffin Flop fans, rejoice — we don't yet know if world's wildest supremely fictional TV series will make a new appearance when I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson returns for season three, but something else just as absurd and wonderful will either way. Will Corncob TV earn another mention? How awkward will this Netflix sketch comedy's namesake get? Which examples of the absolute worst behaviour will it satirise? Do you need to slop up some steaks while watching? How slicked-back is your hair right now? Expect to answer all of this and more on Tuesday, May 30. Baby, baby, baby, that's when one of the best comedies currently being made will return with six new episodes, as led by Detroiters star Tim Robinson. His surreal comic stylings have already gifted viewers hot dog suits, Garfield houses, tense plane encounters and babies who know you used to be a piece shit, and he has plenty more in store as the just-dropped trailer for the third season teases. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson first arrived in 2019 when, on one otherwise normal day, folks sat down on the couch, switched on their televisions, started scrolling through Netflix and came across an instant cult-hit comedy. The best sketch comedy of that year, and one of the best TV shows in general, too, the series' first season was ridiculously easily to binge — and flat-out ridiculous. You don't even need two hours to get through all six episodes but, once you're done, you'll wish that it went for at least twice as long. When season two arrived in 2021, it was just as phenomenal. OTT, hilarious, finding gags about a secret excuse to help men explain away pee stains on their pants, plus quite the loud and lurid shirt, and then a daggy hat — that's this series. Absolutely no one excavates, explores and satirises social discomfort with the gusto, commitment and left-of-centre viewpoint of Robinson, with his skits diving headfirst into excruciating situations, dwelling there and letting them fester. It's no wonder that the former Saturday Night Live comic has a hit on his hands. Just try looking away from his flexible facial expressions alone. That proves the case in the sneak peek, which is filled with multiple fake game shows, adult babies, fedoras, crying and Robinson at his silliest, and will already get you cringing as it's 100-percent designed to do. In season three, Robinson will again be joined by Will Forte (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), plus everyone from Jason Schwartzman (I Love That for You) and Fred Armisen (Barry) to Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) and Tim Meadows (Poker Face). Sam Richardson (The Afterparty) is also back, once again giving Detroiters devotees a glorious reunion. The series also boasts some big names off-screen, with The Lonely Island (aka Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Andy Samberg and his regular comedy partners Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone) its executive producers. Check out the trailer for I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson season three below: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's third season will be available to stream via Netflix from Tuesday, May 30. Images: Terence Patrick, Netflix.
Come Friday, July 13, you probably won't wake up in someone else's shoes. Still, once 8pm hits, you can party like you have. With a heavy case of 2000s nostalgia going around Brisbane recently, The Flying Cock's Freaky Friday shindig is the latest event that'll have you remembering the good old days — when Lindsay Lohan starred in teen body-swapping comedies, for example. Drinking, dancing, getting angry that your mum won't let you go to your band's big audition, eating enchanted fortune cookies... okay, so two of those won't be on the menu, but if watching and rewatching the 2003 film was part of your routine 15 years ago, then you get the picture. And while the whole event will be celebrating that version of the movie, no one will stop you if you want to remember the 1976 or 1995 flicks as well. Soundtrack-wise, expect a thoroughly 00s vibe, with the help of some So Fresh CDs. And expect 'What I Like About You' to get a spin, obviously.
The world is undeniably sick. But why? The Sydney Film Festival introduces Green Screen, a suite of four films tackling today's environmental issues with different and undeniably fresh perspectives. Cool It, follows Bjorn Lomborg, leading but controversial environmentalist, as he explores the world's response to climate change. Windfall analyses the complex issues behind clean energy and it's effect on communities. Letters from the Big Man, by director Christopher Munch, tracks a young woman's infatuation with Big Foot as she searches the great green wild of southwestern Oregon. Finally, If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front chronicles a radical environmental group that has been dubbed by the FBI as 'domestic terrorists'. How To Enter If you wish to learn more about the challenges the environment is facing, looking for fresh perspectives on climate change or just want to watch an interesting film, Concrete Playground has a double pass to each of the 4 films. To go in the running, simply subscribe to our newsletter and tell us which one of the four films you'd like to see by email at hello@concreteplayground.com.au. Entries close on Wednesday, June 1 at 5pm. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qRGYc2_4s3U
When you think of Phillip Island, you probably think of penguins (not that we blame you — they're adorable). But this remarkable setting offers so much more than just our furry friends. Whether it's the outstanding dining possibilities — think fresh seafood, seasonal produce, top-notch wines and killer views — or the coastline that features some fascinating rock formations and the opportunity to spot some migrating sea life, at less than two hours' drive from Melbourne's CBD, Phillip Island is an awesome place to spend a cooler weather getaway. We've found the best spots to eat, play and stay on a weekend away if you want to escape our big island to find a smaller, cosier one. [caption id="attachment_724044" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Phillip Island Winery, Jackson Grant[/caption] EAT AND DRINK Although surrounded by water, Phillip Island isn't a tropical isle where you sip on coconuts. It's wild, rugged and full of cosy eateries and bars to stop at and escape the cold. And, just because you're leaving behind Melbourne for the weekend doesn't mean you have to give up the coffee that you know and love. Start your Phillip Island getaway at The Store, which is where you'll find the best cup of java to kickstart your trip. There's also a selection of flaky pies and steaming hot toasties that'll help rid you of the daybreak chills. Now that you've had your morning pick-me-up, what better way to dive into the pleasures of Phillip Island than by taking a quick drive south through the picturesque plains to the Phillip Island Winery? From here, you'll experience stellar panoramic views from the winery's vantage point — make the most of them by sitting outside next to the roaring fire pit and sipping a shiraz alongside a cheese platter. Once you've sampled enough of the island's top wines, you'd be remiss if you didn't give the beer the same opportunity. Fortunately, Ocean Reach Brewing's mellow brewpub is only ten minutes away. Start with a tasting paddle, which will give you four flavourful offerings from the core range. [caption id="attachment_722687" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Cape Kitchen[/caption] By now, the morning is probably done and dusted and it's time to figure out your lunchtime plans. Serving up everything from breakfast bagels to birria queso tacos, Kelp is a popular pit stop for lunch a brunch seekers on Phillip Island. Located right by the bridge connecting Newhaven and San Remo, the charming venue features an interior inspired by the surrounding seaside with a rustic fit out. Another option is Saltwater, a laidback eatery situated on the most eastern tip of the island. Here, you'll be tucking into woodfired pizzas, charcuterie and, unsurprisingly, plenty of seafood while overlooking the wild sea. When the sun goes down, we recommend getting cosy with another glass of red at Grenache Wine Bar. Alongside an extensive wine list, featuring both local and international drops, it also has a great reputation for beautiful meals that wouldn't be out of place at a trendy inner city spot. The relaxed, intimate atmosphere pairs perfectly with a belly-warming feast that could entail grilled chorizo oysters with balsamic glaze or snapper with pepperberry hollandaise. These options not enough for you? Check out our food and drink guide to Phillip Island to find more local wineries, breweries, cafes, bars and restaurants. [caption id="attachment_704319" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] DO Phillip Island undoubtedly offers some incredible gastronomic options, but the scenery is just as good. From striking clifftop hikes to astounding whale watching spots, there are plenty of things to see and do to keep your weekend away lively. One of the island's most popular adventures is the Cape Woolamai Circuit. Starting from the island's southern point and travelling up to its highest peak, this trek combines three separate walks that range in length from four to almost seven kilometres long. Each section is a rather easygoing walk with no prior hiking experience required. You'll probably want to rug up — you'll be battling the elements, after all. But you'll be rewarded with moody ocean vistas and stunning rock formations, including the Pinnacles Lookout and the Old Granite Quarry, which highlights a bit of local history — much of Melbourne's building materials came from here in the late 19th century. [caption id="attachment_724590" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] Any weekend escape to Phillip Island needs to include a visit to Kitty Miller Bay — the 500-metre long stretch of sandy dunes is one of the prettiest in the region. There's also the remains of the SS Speke, which ran aground in 1906, and is now a popular spot for surfers and snorkellers in warmer months. In cooler months, stay dry (and warm) while whale watching. If you head to Pyramid Rock, you'll find yourself at one of the best places to catch a glimpse of the humpback whales and orcas that cruise by heading to warmer waters. Take a stroll down the boardwalk and experience the rugged coastline from the excellent viewing platform. [caption id="attachment_724589" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] To up your chances of seeing whales, the self-guided Bass Coast Whale Discovery Trail is your insiders' map on where you need to go and it advises you on the bays, headlands and beaches you have to hit. Even if you don't witness the majestic creatures this time around, these incredible sights are still worth a visit. If you'd prefer someone to lead the way for you, Wildlife Coast Cruises offers a variety of tours. Consider the Winter Whale Cruise, which takes a tour of four whale watching hotspots or go in search of the island's resident fur seals with this two-hour cruise. For more exciting things to do on Phillip Island, read our full outdoor adventure guide or hit up Concrete Playground Trips — where you can book two-day cruises, day trips from Melbourne and tours to the penguin parade. [caption id="attachment_724571" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cape Cabin, Hilary Walker[/caption] STAY After a day of exploring this charming island in all its windswept glory, you're going to want somewhere cosy to retreat to and thaw out — preferably in front of a fireplace with a glass of red. We do have a specific guide to the best places to stay on. Philip Island but here are some of our faves. Our first pick is Cape Cabin, a mud-brick and timber home that boasts direct beach access and sweeping views across Bass Strait and Cape Woolamai. Hidden among native plant life, it's ideal for big groups as it sleeps up to nine guests across five large bedrooms. There's loads of space to spread out, with fully equipped indoor and outdoor kitchens, plus massive entertainment and living areas. [caption id="attachment_723598" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Five Acres[/caption] For those looking for a more rural retreat, the Five Acres farm stay offers just that, while remaining easily within reach of Cowes. From here, your deck showcases sprawling views across Western Port Bay, while a fireplace makes for snug evening warming back up. Or, you could opt for an even more rustic approach with a stay in one of The Sheltered Glamping Co's luxury glamping tents. The largest, Emperor Safari, even comes with an outdoor tub to soak in. Meanwhile, if style is the name of the game, then the Anglers Shack likely wins. Owned and decorated by prominent stylist Simone Haag, this chic beach cabin on Sunderland Bay shows off some of her best work. Enjoy the ocean views and the skate ramp — if that's your kind of thing. Down the road in the lush community of Smiths Beach, the five-bedroom Beachwood Luxury Villa will have you within close proximity to a wealth of restaurants and parks. The balcony is great for celebrating, plus you can get a glimpse of Pyramid Rock and the nearby beach, all from the comfort of your weekend home. But if you travelling on a budget, think about some laidback holiday parks by the beach. There's Comfort Resort Kaloha and NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park just outside of Cowes, Ramada Resort by Wyndham Phillip Island in the countryside and BIG4 Phillip Island Caravan Park by Newhaven. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world.
Gracie's Wine Room is one of Melbourne's latest hospitality success stories. In an industry full of shuttered venues, price hikes, and quiet nights, at Gracie's Wine Room in South Yarra you can find bottles being popped, a bustling golden hour courtyard, and bread always being broken with friends. For owner Kelsie Gaffey, whose TikTok videos showing her process of opening a venue from scratch amassed hundreds of thousands of views, the current climate of people spending less and staying in more was one her concerned family warned her of. [caption id="attachment_1036436" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Gracie's Wine Room[/caption] "Before opening Gracie's, our more conservative relatives warned us that people are spending less. [Gracie's] hasn't experienced this." According to Kelsie, Gracie's Wine Room's main demographic of 23–33 year old women are actually spending more on nights out with their girlfriends than anyone else. New data from Visa backs Kelsie's observation up. Melbourne is Australia's Number One Night-Time Hot Spot The Visa Australia Night-time Economy Index 2025 is a new in-depth analysis that measures data such as spending, vibrancy, and venues open in cities across the country. According to the index, Melbourne has been crowned the number one night-time hot spot. This doesn't come as a surprise to Kelsie. "Melburnians really know how to have a good time," Kelsie tells Concrete Playground. "The city has such a vibrant culture around wine, food, and spending quality time with mates, and we're genuinely spoilt for choice. There's always something happening, and that energy makes working in hospitality here incredibly dynamic and inspiring." [caption id="attachment_1028074" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Gracie's Wine Room[/caption] The Visa Vibe Economy report, also commissioned by Visa and conducted by McCrindle, found that venues like Gracie's Wine Room have hit the sweet spot when it comes to the reasons Australians love to go out. The main motivation for getting off our couches post-work is to enjoy a meal, catch up with friends and unwind from our busy schedules. Gen Z in particular are factoring night-time activities into their budgets with over half of them considering this type of social spending "essential". In fact, Kelsie has already seen an increase in patrons on weeknights as the weather has begun to warm up as well as a jump in their average spend per head. Kelsie recognised this cultural sweet spot within her demographic and created a curated menu of share plates for friends to split over a bottle of wine. Customers can enjoy freshly shucked oysters, focaccia, and a snack plate of cured meats, cheese, and lavosh. [caption id="attachment_1036434" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Gracie's Wine Room[/caption] "I wanted Gracie's to be known as a place where you connect with mates, drink some good wine and eat some good bread. I didn't want the frills and price tags that come with fine dining, and I really do believe that staying true to this is what has kept people coming back," says Kelsie. With 73 percent of Gen Z's going out once or more a week, tapping into her own peers has helped to increase revenue and patrons through the door — even on weeknights. How to Spend A Night Out in Melbourne What does a dream night out in Melbourne look like for the 25-year-old founder? Kelsie shares that it always starts with a sunny afternoon. "I'm definitely starting at Gracie's and then making my way down to Republic Economica before ending the night at HER Rooftop in the CBD." Data from the Visa Vibe Economy Report found that of all the generations, Gen Z is the most adventurous, choosing to stray away from their local haunts and try new things, and just under half plan two activities in the one night to make the most of their city after dark. Half of Gen Z also believe that nights offer more new experiences than the daytime. Kelsie agrees. "I love being able to experience something new every single time I leave the house for a night out. It's so exciting, and has unlocked some of my greatest memories with friends." Gracie's Wine Room hasn't yet operated for a full calendar year, but Kelsie is feeling optimistic about the state of hospitality and business projection. At the heart of her success lies the Gen Z community that she built through TikTok. "I never imagined it would grow into what it is today, but the community that's formed around Gracie's has been the most rewarding and unexpected part of it all." Discover the vibe near you. Lead image: Gracie's Wine Room
Whether you're keen for a staycation or descending on town from distant lands, The Westin Brisbane has a two-day relaxation experience designed to promote a powerful reset. Held from Friday, June 20–Sunday, June 22, the Wellness Weekend is a thoughtfully programmed escape filled with expert-led movement and wholesome food. As part of The Westin Brisbane's new wellness guest experience, you can expect yoga, tai chi, and a Run Concierge to be on hand every weekend at the hotel, starting Saturday, July 5. Created to help guests recharge, calm their overstimulated minds and reconnect with how they want to feel, this weekend-long itinerary appropriately falls between Global Wellness Day and International Yoga Day, giving you the perfect way to get involved. Following your arrival, Friday begins with a personalised wellness welcome, where guests attend a private dinner in the exclusive Chairman's Lounge with a feel-good menu curated by Executive Chef Shannon Batten. Day two begins with gentle sunrise yoga on Westin's Pier before a nourishing breakfast at Settimo by Guy Grossi. As the weekend progresses, guests will attend a hands-on superfood masterclass led by dietitian Kiah Paetz, then glide through a Tibetan sound healing and breathwork session. Additionally, fitness personality Phoebe Parsons will present a pilates-inspired workout, complemented by a live set from DJ Simona. There's no need to rush as this experience draws to a close — your stay comes with complimentary late check-out. While this is the first Wellness Weekend presented by The Westin Brisbane, there are plenty more in the works. In September, the hotel promises new experts, fresh programming, and an equally immersive relaxation experience, giving you the chance to feel refreshed time and time again.
Nostalgia alert: The Wiggles are coming to your streaming queue and you won't need to tune into children's programming to watch along. As announced in 2022, the famous Australian entertainers, skivvy fans, Hottest 100 winners, Big Red Car drivers, and Mardi Gras and Falls Festival performers are getting the documentary treatment. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles arrives on Prime Video in October — and it now has a trailer. This behind-the-scenes look at the globally famous group will tell exactly the tale you think it will, following The Wiggles' career over more than three decades, including the new levels of fame and popularity that 2022 sent their way. Sure, Dorothy the Dinosaur mightn't need an origin story, but OG Wiggles Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt are getting one, with Sally Aitken (Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks, David Stratton: A Cinematic Life) directing. How did four friends become one of the biggest names in Aussie music and TV? This is the tale that Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles tells. First, they met while studying early childhood teaching. Then, they turned their learnings there into a one-off album in the early 90s. After that, they made blue-, red-, yellow- and purple-wearing history, but not without getting rejections aplenty first. Also covered, including via lively to-camera chats as teased in the film's sneak peeks: the decisions and the reactions when four of the original group decided that it was time to wear clothing with looser-fitting necks and step away from being Wiggles. And, the doco covers Page's onstage cardiac arrest — with a crowd of adult fans watching — as well as The Wiggles' evolution over the decades, including now delighting both the young and the young at heart. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles will arrive on Prime Video on Tuesday, October 24; however, that isn't the film's first stop. Before that, it'll enjoy its world premiere at the first-ever SXSW Sydney, showing as part of the event's Screen Festival. At the fest, The Wiggles in attendance for this trip down memory lane — their own, and everyone in Australia's as well — including for Q&As and performances. Check out the trailer for Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles below. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles will stream via Prime Video from Tuesday, October 24.
Have you ever loved a movie so much that you just had to create an entire art exhibition dedicated to it? Nordacious has. In fact, the Brisbane artist (aka James Hiller) is clearly more than a little fond of the 1994 Aussie gem that is Muriel's Wedding, its soundtrack overflowing with ABBA hits, and its underlying message about the importance of self-acceptance. That would explain why the titular character that brought Toni Collette to fame — and her on-screen collection of friends, family members and enemies, too — are at the centre of Nordacious' month-long showcase at This Must Be the Place. Yep, it's goodbye Porpoise Spit and hello Fortitude Valley as far his distinctive prints are concerned. Each artwork uses fine liner ink pointillism (a technique in which distinct dots are applied to form an image) to commemorate pivotal scenes from the film, which are then framed with digitally generated kitsch motifs and stylised typography. And if you needed any more convincing about Nordacious' obsession, each portrait takes 100 hours to create. If you want to spend that much time staring at one and saying "you're terrible, Muriel", they're also available to purchase.
If simply hearing about a particular type of food instantly makes you want to eat it, consider yourself warned: we see a hefty array of baked goods in your future. Albion has just welcomed a new haven for bread, pasta and pastries in the form of newcomer Doughcraft that heroes European-style bites. If hearing about Albion's latest additions instantly makes you think about Craft'd Grounds, too, you're on the right track here. Open since June 2022, Doughcraft has settled into the new inner-north dining precinct, which is also home to everything from coffee roastery Seven Miles and brewery Brewtide through to French fine-diner Herve's. On the bakery's menu: bread and butter pudding, Basque cheesecake and lemon tarts round out the sweet side of things, while the loaves include multigrain, sourdough and a range of traditional baguettes. Sweet, savoury, hot, cold, eating in, taking away: they're all covered at Doughcraft in Brisbane. Visitors to the Albion spot will notice the open, airy look and feel, too — amid everything tempting their tastebuds — including a glass-enclosed preparation area where you can watch pasta being made. Repurposed timbers and materials feature heavily, and Doughcraft skews as European as possible with its hanging shelves filled with baskets of bread. Sustainability is also a huge focus, with the bakery favouring local ingredients and aiming to create zero food wastage. The latter means turning leftover croissants into puddings, as well as donating excess bread to farmers to feed livestock — and finding as many other ways to tick that box as possible.
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]
Crowdsourced, Twitter-written TV drama; it's the newest collaborative project from the BBC and Aussie writer/director Gracie Otto, who've teamed up to invite the public to tweet their own television drama. Using the hashtag #whatsnext over the next five days (August 25 – 29, kicking off 6pm AEST Monday night), Twitter users are invited to contribute their own wild and wacky ideas to the evolving plot for BBC First. Otto will guest tweet from @BBCFirstAus to fuel the narrative, introducing props and themes to steer wily tweeters in an actual direction, while responding to their suggestions. "#Whatsnext is completely out of my comfort zone of writing, which is what makes this such a thrilling project to work on," said Otto. "By using Twitter to harness Australia's collective imagination, I'm looking forward to creating something really unexpected and powerfully entertaining." Each day, the latest collaborative chapter will be published on BBC Australia's website, so you can see if your genius brainwave plot twist made it into the narrative. To help you along, Otto has developed a narrative framework with some Agatha Christie-worthy characters to play with: The Heiress: mid 20s, blonde, naïve. Recently inherited an international chain of hotels after the mysterious death of her father. The Politician: mid 40s, conservative, good-looking, ambitious but with a tragic flaw. The Actress: late 30s, glamorous brunette. Alluring, seductive and motivated by greed. The Russian Oligarch: Early 50s, mega wealthy, questionable morals. Seemingly respected in society but hides a dark secret. The Concierge: 60s, has taken on a father-figure role to The Heiress. Friend and confidante to The Actress and The Politician. Tragic flaws! Mysterious deaths! Questionable morals! Go nuts. When all's wrapped up and written, the BBC First Twitter drama will be released in its entirety online next week. Follow @BBCFirstAUS to get Otto's tweets and and use the hashtag #whatsnext when you throw your straight-up genius ideas into the ring. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2biEKhRQ9Dg
First gracing the stage 169 years ago, La Traviata spins a tragic story about Parisian courtesan Violetta Valèry, who falls in love with young nobleman Alfredo Germont. If everything turned out smoothly, the show mightn't have become the world's most-performed opera — but Opera Queensland's new version isn't just telling the tale that audiences have known and loved since 1853. In this reimagining from director Sarah Giles, Violetta and Alfredo's romance still struggles under the weight of 19th-century French society's expectations, but exploring both sides of its fated heroine's life is firmly in the spotlight here. This take on La Traviata peers beyond the parties and supposed glamour to truly see the imbalances of power that define Violetta's existence — between men and women, in France's social structure, and in her line of work. The end result plays QPAC's Lyric Theatre between Thursday, July 14–Saturday, July 23, and promises a spin on a classic like you've never seen it before — still with sumptuous staging and costuming, though, of course. In this production, which comes via State Opera South Australia and West Australian Opera, Lorina Gore takes on the role of Violetta, while Kang Wang plays Alfredo — and José Carbó steps into his father Giorgio Germont's shoes. Opera Queensland's chorus is on backing duties, alongside the Queensland Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dane Lam. If you're keen to find out more about this iteration of Verdi's hit, Opera Queensland is also hosting free pre-performance talks — included in the ticket price — with shows on July 16, 19, 21 and 23.
Another year in beer has come and gone and, with it, has left us with some damn impressive brews. 2016 was a massive year for the Aussie craft beer scene, with many new brewers coming to the fore around the country, making it an especially tough job narrowing down our favourite beers to a mere ten — but, after a year of beering and one massive end-of-year tasting (necessary research, we assure you), we can truly say these ten proved to be ace beers from first taste to last drop, across weeks and months, in group tastings, out at bars and solo sessions. Here, we've scored brews for their colour, aroma, balance, consistency and overall style, with a tasting panel that included CP's senior craft beer writers, experienced bartenders, craft beer fiends and even the coveted palate of Cicerone Johnathan Hepner of Marrickville's new boutique craft bottle shop Bucket Boys. Prime your palates, Playgrounders. Here you have it — CP's picks for the most notable beers of 2016. PIRATE LIFE'S, IIPA While American hop bombs known as the Imperial IPA can taste something like licking a pine cone, Pirate Life's IIPA sets itself apart from the pack. This monster in a can is everything they've been achieving in the States and we're proud to see it done so well on our side of the pond. It takes much to balance such copious amounts of hops, but the malt rides through the hop storm and holds steady, striking the ever-present need for balance between high-strength alcohol and delicate but vigorous hop flavours. It's been a massive year for the brewery, and we're looking forward to seeing what else they have in store for us in 2017. BOATROCKER BREWING CO.'S MITTE BERLINER WEISSE Boatrocker Brewing Co.'s Mitte is true to the refreshing Berliner Weisse style through and through. Aged in Chardonnay barrels, the straw yellow, cloudy sour is bright on the nose, giving way to a fresh tartness on the palate. The barrel-aged effect makes for a complex, mature beer that hits all of the senses and the Brettanomyces (a genus of yeast) is nicely blended, giving a strong backbone without the over-the-top funk that so many Brett beers develop. This brew only comes in in 750ml bottles, but, even so, you won't be sharing. HOPE BREWHOUSE'S,BLACK IPA Hope Brewhouse came out guns blazing this year. There's something about their new line of industrial black and white tinnies that just begs for drinking. Their style is backed up with an impressive range of brews, most notably the Black IPA, which is just fantastic. The full hop flavour in this beer does not detract from the malt backbone — a hard act to pull off. It may be Head Brewer Matt Hogan's winemaker approach to beer, but this brew is impeccibly balanced and a trip to their Nelson's Bay brewhouse should be on your next road trip list. MORRISON BREWERY'S JACK BARREL-AGED DOPPELBOCK Morrison Brewery is at the forefront of how bang-on Tasmanian brews are. Jack presents a cluster of flavours that somehow manage to balance one another rather than present a competing mishmash on the palate. Notes of cherry, vanilla, oak and apricot all stand hand-in-hand in this brew, and the sherry barrels it's aged in gives lingering warmth without being overpoweringly alcoholic. The beer is ideal to serve with rich foods, gamey meats or dessert, but we thoroughly enjoyed it on its own as well. Overall, it's a hard brew to get right — but get it right, they have. LA SIRÈNE'S PARADOXE La Sirène turns out some of the best farmhouse-style and wild fermented beers in the game, and Paradoxe is no different. A true saison in colour and aroma, the tropical, tangy fruits on the palate give way to a light, dry finish. The brew is reminiscent of a white wine, with notes of elderflower and melon. The local hops give the beer that all-important punch and stops it from falling flat, while a slight creaminess at the finish balances the entire brew out. This is a beer for wine lovers, beer lovers, cider lovers — you name it. A top notch beer from an ace brewery. SHENANIGANS BREWING'S DEATH BY HIBISCUS Shenanigans Brewing, though still humble gypsies, are able to continuously wow us with their brewing style. Their annual Sydney Craft Beer Week limited release was our favourite yet. Death By Hibiscus was made using a ridiculous amount of fresh hibiscus flower — we're talking one kilo per keg — and the result is a saison that is truly magenta in colour. The beer is sour without being overly so, and, despite all of the hibiscus, is only slightly floral, with a more overt, citrusy flavour on the palate from added mandarin zest. The overall complexity and creativity of this one gave it a well deserved spot on this list. LAST RITES BREWING COMPANY'S LOVE COUNTRY TASMANIAN IPA Last Rites Brewing Company's Love Country is yet another great brew from Tassie. Described as 'piña colada-inspired', the overt notes of summer fruits — like peach and pineapple — give way to rich toasted coconut from the late addition of roasted barley. This illusion of creaminess gives the beer a sense of body without any sweetness, and the intoxicating aroma will make you wish you were drinking it from a coconut shell on a beach somewhere. Whether you like piña coladas or not, this beer is hard not to love. SOUTHERN BAY BREWING CO.'S LUCIFER'S GOLD GOLDEN STRONG ALE Lucifer's Gold is, by far, the biggest offering from the Southern Bay Brewing Co. — it took us completely by surprise. The combination of Belgian yeast and European hops gives a tight nose of bubblegum, clove, and esters redolent of Beligan strains, which clamour together without once stepping out of line. It has picture perfect clarity, is beautifully carbonated and the backbone offers a malt sweetness that doesn't cloy or distract from sip to sip — a combination that is extremely rare. We imagine the brewers sitting around on a case of Belgian classics before jumping atop their own brew kit to try their hand at creating their own — and they nailed the style. Spot on. MISMATCH BREWING CO.'S NEGRONI IPA Negronis are having their time in the limelight — and while we've seen plenty of ridiculously great twists on the cockail this year, the Negroni IPA from Mismatch Brewing Co. takes the cake. A collaboration with sister company Adelaide Hills Distillery, this beer nails the taste of the cocktail in aroma, flavour and balance, and somehow manages to perfectly mimic that unmistakable Campari component. Orange on the nose gives way to a strong alcoholic flavour and the perfect bitter finish, fully accomplished by blending the beer with homemade bitters post-fermentation. This beer touches all of the elements of a true Negroni, while still being a clean, well balanced beer. BOATROCKER BREWING CO.'S RAMJET WHISKY BARREL-AGED IMPERIAL STOUT Boatrocker Brewing Co. is so nice, we couldn't help but name them twice — despite actively trying not to do so. This English-style imperial stout was aged in whisky barrels from Melbourne's Starward Whisky for six months, giving it big, bold top notes of whisky, oak and a hint of fresh toast. Pungently vinous with stewed fruits, marzipan and tobacco, the beer is then served through flavours of a port wine and coffee. At an 11.4 percent ABV, this beer is surely not a substitute for breakfast, but you want a primed palate for it. This was the last drop in a long day of tasting and it was, rightfully so, the prize. HONOURABLE MENTIONS At the risk of making this list too long, we left out some seriously impressive brews from incredible breweries, all of which are well worth seeking out and would have made a top 15. Two Metre Tall's 2016 vintage of their original and plum sours Feral Brewing Company's 2016 Tusk imperial IPA (Part II) New England Brewing Company's Hop Cannon series Bridge Road Brewers' Mayday Hill Series Akasha's Korben D If you're on the hunt for the goodies mentioned above, we recommend calling into Bucket Boys if you live in Sydney, or check out our best bottle shops for craft beer in Melbourne and Brisbane. Co-written by Marissa Ciampi and Mikey Lowe.
When Baz Luhrmann (Elvis) decided to bring The Great Gatsby to the screen, he enlisted 2010s Sydney to double for 1920s Long Island and New York. Then, a decade after the Australian director's Oscar-winning movie hit cinemas, a The Great Gatsby-themed club popped up in the Harbour City to host a The Great Gatsby-inspired cabaret variety show. Cut to 2025 and that event, aka GATSBY at The Green Light, now has a different Aussie city in its sights: Brisbane as part of this year's Brisbane Festival. This time, the River City's Twelfth Night Theatre in Bowen Hills is following in Luhrmann's footsteps, with GATSBY at The Green Light making its Brisbane debut between between Tuesday, September 2–Sunday, September 28. The production will take over the Bowen Hills venue with an array of excuses to pretend that it's a century ago — and that you're on the other side of the globe. The GATSBY part of the big spring event's moniker refers to the entertainment, while The Green Light is the temporarily rebadged venue where this party-esque experience will occur. First, the show: taking its cues from F Scott Fitzgerald's book, which is marking its 100th anniversary in 2025, GATSBY gives the classic text the aerial, burlesque, dance and circus treatment. As performers show off their skills, live contemporary music accompanies their efforts. Then, the club: The Green Light gleans inspiration from prohibition-era speakeasies. Yes, drinks are involved. Indeed, while you watch, you'll be able to say cheers to the entertainment with a martini in hand. When it initially hit the stage at the Sydney Opera House — which hosted a sellout season — GATSBY at The Green Light hailed from director Craig Ilott, who added the event to his resume alongside Smoke & Mirrors, La Clique Royale at Edinburgh Festival's The Famous Spiegeltent, and also American Idiot, Amadeus and Velvet Rewired. With GATSBY co-producer Stuart Couzens, he was also involved in L'Hôtel, the dinner theatre experience which turned the exact same Sydney space into a French hotel with cabaret, circus and burlesque. "Our treatment of GATSBY has been akin to that of a concept album; riffing on the essence of a familiar text through a new form to create an evocative experience," said Ilott of GATSBY at The Green Light back when its Sydney run was announced. "We've taken elements entrenched in the 1920s — the vaudeville, the fashion, the hospitality — and remixed them with a bold 2020s beat, with the aim of creating an evening that feels both contemporary and captivating." GATSBY at The Green Light will take over Twelfth Night Theatre, 4 Cintra Road, Bowen Hills, between Tuesday, September 2–Sunday, September 28, 2025 during Brisbane Festival. Head to the fest's website for more details and tickets. Brisbane Festival 2025 runs from Friday, September 5–Saturday, September 27 at various venues around Brisbane. Head to the fest's website for tickets and further details. Images: Daniel Boud / Prudence Upton.
