You’re on the bus alone, you forgot your headphones and you have no other choice but to hear the chatter of those around you. Well, hear might not be the best word. You’re not just letting the sounds of their voices hit your ears, you’re actively listening. Admit it. So was Anne Edmonds, and now she’s turned the act of eavesdropping strangers’ tidbits into her latest comedy show. While you’ve been watching her on Backseat Driver, It’s A Date and Wednesday Night Fever, she could’ve been overhearing your public transport gossip — and her observations about your conversations are no doubt funnier than anything you’ve ever uttered.
You’ve probably woken up to his voice for the last year, so now it’s time to see him in person. No, we’re not being creepy. We just think you should take your fondness for Triple J’s breakfast show co-host Matt Okine to the next level by checking out his stand-up. Okine certainly has plenty to talk about, and we know he’s not afraid to make jokes about just about everything, too. Everything from professional success to personal pain gets a mention in this new show by this Brisbane local made good. That’s right, he grew up in Indro — and he calls it Indro, so you know it is true.
There’s just something about celebrating the end of the year by stepping back in time: next stop, the 1990s. You lived through it, so you know what you’re in for: everything from neon and leggings to flannelette shirts and Doc Martens to cargo pants and backwards caps. You’re also in for the biggest club hits and dance anthems from the decade that gave us boy bands galore, rap and R&B racing up the charts, and everything in between. DJs from some of Brisbane’s biggest clubs at the time help bring a slice of authenticity to this blast from the past. You see? You really can still party like it’s 1999.
Who says cosplay is just for conventions? Not Brisbane Powerhouse and Supanova, that’s for sure. For everyone who has wanted to break out their favourite pop culture costume on the biggest night of the year, the city’s coolest riverside venue and the country’s number one fan event combine to throw a different kind of New Year’s Eve party. A cosplay prom is the clear centerpiece, swapping fancy frocks for fun outfits inspired by TV, film, game, anime and comics. There’s plenty more to the geek celebration, however. Expect live music, DJs, trivia, retro arcade games, and film screenings in what everyone can only hope is the first of many such end-of-year gatherings.
We live in an increasingly digital environment, staring at phone screens, interacting through social media feeds and getting our news, music, movies and more in electronic rather than tangible forms. So do artists, their endeavours also adapting. Many are able to make their works more efficiently. Most can now access a much wider audience. Indeed, everything from costs to curation is changing. Formless to Form explores this transition, and the renaissance that has blossomed in its wake. The show isn’t just about a move towards pixels and away from paper, but contemplates the new technologies, processes and philosophies revolutionising the art world. Hailing from around the globe, renowned artists Ed Granger, Matt Sheridan, Greg MacLaughlin, Keren Paz and Jenny Sharaf help demonstrate the intersection between creating work digitally and exhibiting it physically. The gallery itself also plays a part beyond hosting the show, in the way the pieces are both displayed and made available for sale.
There’s nothing the Oscars love more than an inspiring true story. Every year in the lead-up to Hollywood’s most self-congratulatory night, our theatres with filled with biographical dramas: handsome, well-acted and totally inoffensive. This year’s crop includes The Imitation Game, American Sniper and The Theory of Everything, all of which attempt to rouse us with their stories of courage in the face of adversity. And yes, sure, their protagonists are all white guys. But hey, at least Alan Turing was gay. Also on the list of this year’s would-be contenders is Unbroken, the sophomore directorial effort from one Angelina Jolie. The film is a wartime biopic (of course) about Olympic marathon runner and WWII bombardier Louie Zamperini, whose B-24 aircraft crashed down in the North Pacific and who spent the last two years of the conflict as a prisoner of war in Japan. The film is based on Laura Hillenbrand’s book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption. With a title like that, it’s hardly surprising that the story leans towards hero worship. As depicted by Jolie and actor Jack O’Connell, Zamperini is less a man as he is a pillar of bravery and virtue; a genetically engineered combination of Jesse Owens and Captain America. Flashbacks to before the war come complete with stock-standard motivational quotes. “A moment of pain,” we’re told, “is worth a lifetime of glory.” I’m not trying to diminish Zamperini’s sacrifice. But while he may have been a hero, he’s not an interesting protagonist. Tales of wartime valour have been done to death, and frankly Unbroken brings nothing new to the table. Jolie portrays America’s enemies with about as much dimension as the Nazis in Hogan’s Heroes, although admittedly they’re not nearly as funny. The only Japanese character they bother naming is the sadistic Corporal Watanabe (played by musician Miyavi), whose cartoonish villainy prevents any exploration of the psychology behind wartime abuse. And yes, atrocities were committed in POW camps, and it’s important that we continue to remember that. At the same time, this story has already been covered. Instead, why not make a movie about the 100,000 Japanese Americans forced into prison camps by President Roosevelt? Where’s the film about the moral quandary behind dropping the atomic bomb? Hell, what about telling the story of Zamperini’s life after the war, when post-traumatic stress disorder drove him to alcoholism until he became a born-again motivation speaker? Those would be interesting stories. But I guess they’re not to Oscar’s tastes. Unbroken is by no means a terrible film. Jolie is a solid director, her cast does good work and the narrative – shallow and conventional as it is – isn’t necessarily unengaging. It is, however, disappointingly safe; the sort of adequate time killer you won’t necessarily regret seeing, assuming you remember seeing it at all.
We’ve all been there: in a nightclub bathroom in the darkest hours of the evening, and suddenly privy to the innermost secrets uttered by those in neighbouring stalls, or scrawled on filthy walls. Slurred words turn into whispered confessions, just as scribbled notes turn into offbeat reading. In this cheeky show, they also turn into song. Public Toilets, Private Worlds turns the drunken rants, earnest musings and crude invitations from graffiti into hilarious stories and surprisingly catchy tunes. Who knows, your own experiences might even form a part of this journey into the hidden recesses of human behaviour, coming to Wonderland fresh from its hit season at the 2014 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Public Toilets, Private Worlds is part of Wonderland at the Powerhouse. Check out our top five picks of the festival.
Fresh from Falls and ready to spring into an East Coast tour is Brisbane five-piece Art Of Sleeping. After recently releasing first single ‘Crazy’ from their forthcoming LP (expected to land sometime mid-2015), the band are keen to test out their new material. For those who have been a fan of the band for a while, or really into previous single ‘Empty Hands’, do not despair, they’ll also be playing tracks off their 2012 EP, Like A Thief. Art Of Sleeping have been lauded by some pretty reputable music folks as quite the spectacle to be seen live, and really, who are we to argue? Their engaging brand of indie rock, and strong vocals from lead singer Caleb Hodges, is perhaps why the band has managed to make such a name for themselves despite their enigmatic nature. Either way, we’re pumped.
Biopics remain very much the projects of choice for studios in 2015, subject to one clear, discernible shift. Rather than centring on the individual’s most notable achievement or moment of infamy, this current crop of films shines the light on the protagonist’s lesser known, more intimate details: the formative years or the family unit. Their subject’s fame is taken as read, serving largely as a mere precursor to, or consequence of, the film’s actual content. In this vein, Selma is a Martin Luther King story that eschews the ‘I have a dream’ speech and begins instead with his acceptance of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize that resulted, at least in part, because of it. The film’s name, Selma, refers to a town in Alabama from which Dr King organised a series of marches to protest the denial of constitutionally protected voting rights for African-Americans. Segregation was, by 1965, illegal, yet in practice still found ample avenues of application in the southern states, as well as many willing supporters to maintain it — most notably the politicians, police and government officials. With a compassionate yet unenthusiastic White House refusing to back new voting rights legislation, King and his supporters drew a line in the sand and selected Selma as the staging ground for protest. What followed were beatings, shootings and even murders perpetrated by whites — both civilian and official — who seldom faced arrest and never once saw conviction. It all makes for very uncomfortable yet necessary viewing. Selma fills you with an anger borne not only of the injustices depicted but of the knowledge that more than half a century later they remain far from resolved. It’s impossible not to draw comparisons with Ferguson, and in that sense Selma is as timely as it is challenging. The standout is, of course, David Oyelowo in the lead role. His recent run of films — including The Butler, Lincoln and Red Tails — have all explored racial discrimination, yet it’s in Selma where the intolerance feels most raw, the inequity most glaring. With a near-flawless accent and remarkable physical similarity, Oyelowo magnificently captures King's extraordinary patience, discipline and eloquence. The civil rights leader's command of the language that in turn facilitated command over the thousands who flocked to hear him speak flows beautifully from this accomplished actor’s lips — each line a glowing tribute to the rhetoric that galvanised supporters and tormented presidents. Supporting Oyelowo is an impressive cast that boasts Oprah Winfrey (who also executive produced the picture), Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth and Carmen Ejogo as King’s stoic wife Coretta. It's an accomplished and confronting film with division at its heart, though not just between races. Internal squabbling among competing civil rights groups, political differences between state and federal leaders, the struggles within King’s family and even his own personal doubts all receive attention — a myriad of complexities and obstacles reminding us that sometimes ‘black and white issues’ are in fact the most ambiguous and impenetrable of all.
Can building a garden win the affection of a royal landscape architect, as well as the respect of the king? That may be the plot of A Little Chaos, but it isn't the point. There are more fascinating things afoot in this period romance. Kate Winslet stars as Sabine De Barra, gifted with a green thumb and fingers to match, as well as the gall to want to use them. She flouts the conventions of 17-century France in other ways, too: in voicing her opinions and in shunning the tradition of manicured lawns that has seen Andre Le Notre (Matthias Schoenaerts) design the outdoor areas of King Louis XIV (Alan Rickman). Yet, something about Sabine intrigues Andre, inspiring him to hire her to assist with a new project. Her vision of an alfresco addition to the Versailles palace, complete with a complex water feature, doesn't conform to expectation — just like Sabine herself. Together, the trio treads a tentative path to a more modern way of thinking, and not just in terms of gardening. This is Sabine and Andre's tale — including the threat to their blooming bond from his promiscuous yet possessive wife (Helen McCrory) — but the king's acceptance of a landscaper outside the norm is key to the story's gentle breaking down of gender stereotypes. Of course, in keeping with the time it depicts, the steps made are small in size, though they remain considerable in their fictionalised impact. Seeing Sabine strive and hopefully succeed always feels like the film's main goal, as paired nicely with a peek into what life was really like for women in the royal court. Indeed, as handsomely acted as the entire affair is, and as swept up in the period details, the slow-burning love story is actually the least interesting aspect of A Little Chaos. It's not that Winslet and Schoenaerts don't sell the romance. Their performances — her sorrowful but spirited efforts especially — are among the highlights of the film. It's just that the script rightfully cares more for the characters' professional rather than personal endeavours, and so does the audience. That would be the doing of Rickman, who co-wrote the screenplay and directed the feature in addition to acting as the monarch in the middle. In his second stint as a filmmaker after 1997's The Winter Guest, the man best known to many as Harry Potter's Severus Snape is delicate and determined, two traits the movie champions. Rickman also takes the obvious route more than once, whether lingering on the sumptuous scenery or letting Stanley Tucci turn up as yet another comic cad, once again stealing all his scenes. The formula behind the finesse is hardly surprising; the feature is called A Little Chaos, after all. The movie's title is clearly designed to reflect its heroine's wild ways within a system of order, and it does so. That it also captures the film's willingness to test boundaries within the tale itself, but not in its treatment, couldn't be more fitting.
With its natural decor and lashings of lush foliage, Elixir Rooftop Bar might very well be the kind of place a rabbit would like to call home. This Easter, there'll be a few hoppers doing just that — though they'll be of the Lindt chocolate type, of course. To usher in the occasion, the panoramic Brisbane venue is once again hosting their famous midnight bunny hunt. There'll be more than just sweet cocoa-based treats, with tapas and cocktails also on the menu. Arriving early is recommended — how else are you going to scope out all those sneaky chocolate rabbit hiding spots?
Roll up, roll up: the circus is in town. Not just any circus — this is the world's favourite circus, with the kind of choreography that will make your jaw drop. Quebec-based Cirque du Soleil makes their latest pilgrimage to our shores with Totem, their take on the evolution of humankind. That might seem like a rather lofty aim for two and a half hours of high-flying feats, but if any circus troupe can pull it off, it's this one. Under their trademark blue-and-yellow big top, 45 performers from 16 countries will spring from an amphibious state, bound through both the myths and the science of our species, and look to make the leap to the skies. As the talent soars, so will your heart. You'll watch, you'll wonder, and you'll be in good company — apparently close to 15 million people saw a Cirque du Soleil show in 2014. Image: OSA Images via Cirque du Soleil.
As part of a media artists' exchange program, Christoph Wachter and Mathias Jud arrived in Australia in March for a nine-week residency at the Queensland University of Technology's Creative Industries precinct. They received the requisite visas, and are certain to have enjoyed a warm welcome; however, not everyone is so lucky. Wachter and Jud are well aware of this fact, and of the tricky terrain of international immigration. Indeed, they're spending their time in Brisbane tackling the topic of refugee and asylum seeker policies, creating an exhibition about this complex humanitarian issue. In Landung in Australien, the duo shine a light on the vast discrepancy between those fortunate enough to enjoy the rights and freedoms of borderless travel, and those marginalised for seeking a brighter future on different shores. Diving into the reality of detention centres, they aim to broaden the conversation to include the often-overlooked perspectives of the detainees themselves. This isn't just art; this is a showcase that makes a statement.
Who isn't going to see Avengers: Age of Ultron? Since 2008, almost everyone has watched at least one movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this being the 11th. It's the TV approach to film, with an episode or two released each year. By now, we've all consumed enough to get hooked on superhero shenanigans. Such a history might seem like a blessing, sending audiences to cinemas; however, it can also be a curse. Viewers know what Marvel excellence looks like; they've seen it, and they've laughed and cried along. They also know when a comic book adaptation doesn't make the grade. And, in good but not great efforts, they can spot the formula at work, see when a film is stuffed with a few too many characters, and recognise when it feels like it's going through the motions. That's where Avengers: Age of Ultron lands, a by-the-numbers outing not without its issues, but still enjoyable. Everyone's favourite gang of better-than-average folks is back, and this time they're responsible for their new worst enemy. That'd be the titular addition to the fold, a program with artificial intelligence created by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) in the name of world peace. Alas, after taking robotic form, Ultron (voiced by James Spader) has different ideas about how to protect the planet. Basically, it's the Frankenstein narrative, as the creation turns against its creator and the uncaring masses. It's not an original story, but it remains intriguing, exploring Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) coming to terms with the reality of their powers, roles and ability to play god — and Thor (Chris Hemsworth), too, even though he genuinely is one. Joss Whedon being Joss Whedon, the returning writer/director dresses it all up with more than a few complications — think ideological clashes and romantic subplots — plus comic touches. He's simply doing what he does, as fans of his television shows like Buffy and Firefly will recognise. He crafts scenes of spectacular chaos and continent-hopping carnage thankfully given time to play out, and wraps up the standard set-pieces and fight sequences in pithy quips. Yes, you've seen and heard much of it before, and yes, the film can never quite shake that feeling. Instead, flitting from one drama to the next and giving everyone their moment, it relies upon the fact that you already know and love the characters, the actors and their camaraderie. While spending time with the bulk of the bunch and spotting other familiar faces is hardly a chore, veering off in different directions is certainly welcome, particularly when twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen) — aka Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch — join the fold. That's where the entertaining yet never game-changing effort shines brightest, actually: in setting up the next offerings in a long list of Marvel movies, including two Avengers sequels already slated for 2018 and 2019 respectively. Age of Ultron may not be the best instalment so far, and you'll walk out well aware that what you just watched was only the latest chapter, but you're still enthused for things to come. Next stop: Ant-Man.
Going out on a Saturday evening, dancing the night away and creating happy memories is its own reward. Sometimes, though, you want something more than the usual. Sometimes, you want a party that showers you with excitement from the moment you walk in the door. This weekend, you'll find that at Oh Hello, starting with treats upon entry. Once you're inside, you can eat your fill of fairy floss and popcorn, drink your favourite beverages and show off your smooth moves to the sounds of Jazzy Jaff, Greaves, Thomas Prime and Gurps. But wait, there's more. You can also high-five a stranger, get a welcoming wave from across the room and just generally be merry in a nightclub filled with like-minded folks. That's what the Saturday Social is all about, after all – hanging out, having fun, loving life. Bring your friends, and be prepared to make some new ones as well. Image: Oh Hello.
If you could travel back in time via a Delorean, phone booth, hot tub or some other nifty gadget, what would you do? Making the world a better place, rewriting dark chapters in history and solving global problems are great responses, but they’re also the replies people think they should give. Be honest: if you thought no one was watching or judging you, what would you really do? Many films about temporal trickery actually answer this question accurately, understanding that we’re all just pursuing our own happiness. That excellent adventure Bill and Ted took was a by-product of trying not to fail their history class, after all. The slackers wanted to hang out, chase girls and dream of rock 'n' roll stardom — without worrying about Ted being sent to a military academy. Project Almanac might start with science wiz David (Jonny Weston) attempting to impress his way into a college scholarship, but that doesn’t last. After building a time machine from a blueprint found in his basement, David, his friends (Sam Lerner and Allen Evangelista) and younger sister (Virginia Gardner) chase fun, success, popularity, money, revenge and romance. Sure, David would like to reunite with his father, who passed away a decade ago and shares links to his new toy, but he’s more interested in ensuring his schoolyard crush, Jessie (Sofia Black-D'Elia), falls in love with him. So far, so standard, including the butterfly-effect-style realisation that actions in the past have consequences in the present, and that selfish deeds always have repercussions. Also standard is the approach chosen, and not just in affectionate name-checking of — and offering homages to — all the other time travel films you know and love. Sci-fi meets party movie wasn’t enough in the familiar stakes, so Project Almanac throws found footage into the mix as well. Think Chronicle crossed with Project X, without the surprise of the former and with the excess of the latter. It’s a gimmick plastered over a gimmick, seemingly justified because everyone everywhere apparently films everything these days — or so the movies tell us. For the first-time filmmaking team, it’s an excuse to cover up obvious plot points and generic teen tropes with a frenetic, frenzied style. Sometimes it works, the handheld, hurried camerawork matching the energy of the characters, copying their largely carefree point of view, showcasing the likeable cast and allowing the feature to rush through numerous fun situations such as winning the lottery and going to Lollapalooza. There’s a hollowness that lingers in the selfie-esque imagery, though, like putting on a fake smile and pretending that you’re enjoying yourself. Michael Bay’s name has featured heavily in Project Almanac’s marketing, not because of any giant, intergalactic, transforming robots or a semi-clad Megan Fox, but because of his involvement as a producer. Perhaps it is fitting that his brand of always shiny, sometimes entertaining emptiness is being used to draw people in. Like the believable motivations of the teens within the film in jumping into the past to seek pleasure and act in self-interest, that’s certainly honest.
For anyone with even the slightest claustrophobic tendencies, submarines probably don't sound too appealing. Nor will 12 men headed for wet depths, fighting over a pile of Russian gold and trapped in a secondhand vessel barely fit to sail. In fact, it sounds quite torturous. That's the predicament at the heart of Black Sea, an underwater heist film bursting with pressure of both the deep-sea and crammed-together varieties. When veteran salvage captain Robinson (Jude Law) is given his marching orders after more than a decade of service, he cottons on to a guaranteed get-rich-quick scheme. Rounding up a crew of other discarded workers, he heads to the ocean floor to trawl for a treasure trove once meant for the Nazis. Everything that can go wrong does, to paraphrase Murphy's law. Tensions rise between the half English, half Russian shipmates, with loud-mouthed diver Fraser (Ben Mendelsohn) particularly unhappy about splitting the loot with his comrades. The presence of the American representative (Scoot McNairy) of the mission's wealthy backers only makes everyone anxious. And the rusty, submerged boat springs more than its fair share of breaks and leaks on its voyage. There's a formula at work, filled with dire circumstances, desperate deeds and double-crossing, but there's also the involvement of director Kevin Macdonald, whose skills can't be underestimated. Few filmmakers make terse tales like the man behind Touching the Void and The Last King of Scotland, with Black Sea a worthy, if workmanlike addition to his growing resume. Macdonald styles the movie not as a gold-snatching drama or a watery adventure, but as a horror movie steeped in greed. His film lays bare humanity's most self-serving motivations in an every-man-for-himself display of selfishness and survival, while heightening the oppression of the enclosed space. With its sustained atmosphere of unease and kill-or-be-killed progression, Black Sea is surprisingly more than a little reminiscent of that other great trapped-in-close-quarters effort: Alien. Yes, really. The end result makes you sweat, even though guessing where the story is heading isn't difficult. And in a feature that really is about the journey rather than the destination, top marks must also go to cinematographer Christopher Ross (Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll), who contrasts the many jumps and slides through cramped hallways with an unsettling awareness of the dark depths that surround the submarine. Then there's the excellent cast, led by Law continuing his recent hot streak of good performances in things that aren't called Sherlock Holmes. He ensures Robinson avoids coming across as stir-crazy; with a weathered face and a furrowed brow, he's simply willing to do whatever it takes to turn every losing hand he is dealt into a win. While McNairy plays to type, as does Australia's latest great acting export, Mendelsohn, watching both doing what they do the best is never unwelcome. Claustrophobia, be damned: these are fine folks and a finessed film that you'll want to sink to the bottom of the ocean with.
Peace, love and homegrown goodness will be in full swing when The Babe Rainbow take to the stage of Black Bear Lodge. They are a salute to the 60's with golden surf guitars and catchy lines full of warmth, connecting itself to the universe from within. They might do things a little left of centre, but The Babe Rainbow will take you on a journey upwards and outwards towards the full spectrum of greater musical understanding and appreciation. They find inspiration to everything around them, and are connected to the earth. Take this snippet for example: “I was daydreaming while planting purple sprouted broccoli in Johnny’s garden, and spirit dog was howling at the moon. You know the only thing that being in love and howling at the moon have in common is everything.” They are joined by Brisbane honeys The Furrs and The Family Jordan. Be sure to get in early and indulge tasty bargains in Black Bear Lodge’s infamous Hunting Hour, and see through the night with the house DJs to keep the good vibes going.
The story behind Melbourne folk foursome Husky's new song, 'I'm Not Coming Back', sounds pretty damn cute. It's something to do with looking up at the stars in the night sky, seeing the lights of airplanes gliding under them and the universal need to leave parts of ourselves behind. Swoon. This whimsically starry-eyed vision fits perfectly with the soaring sounds of the track itself. But contrary to the song's title, Husky are indeed coming back — with a show at Black Bear Lodge on August 1 as part of their first headline tour since 2012. The folk-fuelled whiz kids stole hearts back in 2011 with their debut LP Forever So. Husky became the first Aussie band to be signed to Seattle label and arbiters of cool Sub Pop, then toured pretty much non-stop around Australia, the USA and Europe for a couple of years. It's a good thing they stopped and took a break, because now we're privvy to a whole lot of new Husky — as well as promising to play much-loved tracks from Forever So, they've been working on a whole lot of new folky goodness to tour with.
History meets artistry at Megan Cope’s latest exhibition at the Spiro Grace Art Rooms. Twice Removed is the closer look at the history of Australia’s first settlers, indigenous Aboriginals and their constant battles for survival. By examining Military and Parish maps of South-East Queensland, such integral and irreplaceable records are brought to the creative spheres, to be seen in a new light by fresh eyes. These records display the way in which these Aborigines were displaced, moved around by natural forces, and, as a result, the lengths they went to to protect themselves and ensure their futures. This is not the first of Megan’s works to identify with native colonisation; her practices often investigate identity, environment and mapping techniques. Come along to see a rare collection of works and the stories they so finely illustrate. The history of our nation, particularly its original inhabitants, makes for a wondrous adventure, let alone an ideal showcase of art.
Australia and New Zealand often engage in light-hearted rivalry. Who has the prettiest scenery? Who has the best music? But when it all boils down, we love our New Zealand neighbours who have given the world a fabulous backdrop for the Lord of the Rings films, Lorde and much more. Boxcopy has joined forces with new Zealand public art gallery, Enjoy, to create a special exhibition to celebrate wonderful art born from this long-distance relationship. The theme of Correspondences is communication and exchange. Both Australian and New Zealand based artists will be working collaboratively for the first time and will be creating a view of the other, separated by the ditch. The art on show at Boxcopy will focus on social interactions and collaborative processes. Outward expressions of inner dialogues will be explored, as will reflections on working with others and forming long-standing connections. Correspondences will be held from 5 – 26 July.
Brisbane music bloggers, Sonic Masala, have rounded up some quality acts to keep you entertained this Friday evening. The blog was brought to life in 2009 through a shared love of curry and good music. The team have their fingers on the pulse and make it their mission to bring you the freshest, tastiest tunes. The evening will include sets from Brisbane bands Scraps and Curlew, both of which are releasing new albums soon. Julia R Anderson & The Johnny's will also be playing, get in the mood with their electronic indie tunes. Brisbane is bursting at the seams with creative musical talent. So why not venture to West End and soak up the goodness at one of Brisbane's quaintest music venues. Oh, and did I mention it's BYO? This will be the last Sonic Masala evening for a while so bring along $10, some friends and beers (it's BYO).
A good mojito finds the perfect blend of white rum, lime juice, soda water, mint and sugar. An inventive mojito tinkers with the recipe, because even the best drinks can use some spicing up. Maybe you're an original cocktail kind of person, or maybe you like getting creative — there's no right or wrong answer. But whichever category fits, prepare to get drinking at Riverland's National Mojito Day festivities. Just one of the Eagle Street venue's array of boozy activities of late — including a pop-up hot-buttered rum bar and an espresso martini festival — this one-day celebration will sling 18 different types of the beverage in question. They'll all feature Balinese white rum; however fresh fruit and French liqueurs will get a run as well. Head on down and start sipping on Friday, July 12, with the drinks pouring from 11am and live music kicking in at 5pm. Sure, National Mojito Day is actually officially the day before — but Riverland knows these kinds of shindigs are always better at the end of the week.
No one likes it when a party comes to an end. Sea Legs Brewing's solution? Keep the merriment going. While most folks only spend 24 hours celebrating the Fourth of July, the Kangaroo Point bar is extending the fun across four days of American-themed festivities. On the menu: US-inspired beers, which actually comprises half of the brewery's usual menu; a culinary spread that includes hot dogs, Philly cheesesteaks, chicken wings and ribs and a popcorn machine; plenty of classic American tunes; and, if you're keen for something other than brews, US-themed cocktails as well. All of the above is on offer from Thursday, July 4 through until Sunday, July 7; however if you stop by on the main date, you can nab a stamp card, start tracking your hot dog consumption, and even win a prize if you consume the most. If you're particularly fond of meat in bread, you can also head along on at 2pm on Sunday for the hot dog-eating contest (with registrations from 1pm).
UPDATE: June 5, 2020: Judy & Punch is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. Sometimes, a film lives and thrives thanks to its casting, benefiting from stellar actors who melt into their roles. That's the case with Judy & Punch, with Mia Wasikowska and Damon Herriman breathing life, depth and a roguish attitude into characters best known as wood, string and fabric. As the title makes plain, they're playing Punch and Judy, the puppet-show figures that date back more than three centuries. Still, while writer/director Mirrah Foulkes tasks her stars with fleshing out the marionettes' wholly fictional origin story, she doesn't rely on the duo to do all of the movie's heavy lifting. Her interpretation of the tale — the bold, subversive directions she takes it in, and the feisty, cheeky vibe the film adopts in the process — makes as much of an impact. Jumping behind the camera after acting in Animal Kingdom, Top of the Lake, The Crown and Harrow, Foulkes ensures that her filmmaking debut isn't the kind of feature that lights up screens often. The movie starts with two versions of Punch and his other half: one cavorting on stage, the other pulling the strings behind the curtain. The crowd roars as the perpetually drunken Punch (Herriman) and the long-suffering Judy (Wasikowska) manoeuvre and manipulate their inanimate counterparts, with the pair packing in shows in Judy's insular (and curiously inland) hometown of Seaside. Judy is actually the more dexterous and talented of the two, but Punch gets all the fame and acclaim — partly, reflecting his brutish personality, by making their puppet show literally "punchier". He makes their daily life punchier as well, and thinks nothing of treating Judy and their infant daughter with contempt, whether he's seeing another woman, complaining whenever Judy says a word or showing that he's the world's worst father. With the real-life Punch and Judy famously based on the former's slapstick violence towards the latter, you can be forgiven for feeling cautious about how a live-action version will play out. It sounds strange and inappropriate, but Foulkes is keenly aware of the material she's working with. In her hands, Judy & Punch takes puppet-show savagery and lets it loose in live-action, then rightfully questions why it's considered entertainment. And to really hammer home her point, she needs to unleash a flurry of physical and metaphorical blows. The filmmaker isn't subtle, but neither is a guy bashing his wife and child, which has happened in P&J since the 1600s. So, when Judy is the only person in the town to speak out against the communal stoning of women deemed witches — and, later, when a tragic turn of fate sees her seek solace among the local female outcasts, then plot her revenge — it's thoroughly designed to make a statement. Kudos to Foulkes for not only reclaiming P&J's problematic narrative for Judy, calling out Punch's boorishness and asking why women have so often been treated so poorly — by their partners, by complicit communities and by mobbish societies as a whole — but for clearly having fun while she's doing so. Where this year's thematically comparable and similarly excellent fellow Australian film, The Nightingale, leaned into bleakness and pain, Judy & Punch veers the other way. The movie is styled like a gothic fairytale, with its crumbling castle, sprawling woods and Elizabethan-era costuming, and it takes that look and feel to heart. Dark, fanciful, perceptive, often comic — this mix of elements mightn't sound like a natural fit on paper, but it works. Judy & Punch's tone definitely wavers, although that's on purpose too. And when François Tétaz's percussion-heavy score keeps echoing, it constantly reminds viewers of the thuds, shoves and worse that have long been baked into Judy and Punch's abusive romance, while also proving audibly playful. Given all of the above, you can excuse Judy & Punch for including a big speech at its climax; again, Foulkes isn't doing anything by halves. Nor is her cast, including the likes of Benedict Hardie (Upgrade), Tom Budge (Bloom) and Gillian Jones (Mad Max: Fury Road), who all help populate Seaside's chaotic masses. Wasikowska and Herriman are dream leads, though. She draws upon an ever-growing resume filled with fascinating and formidable women (Jane Eyre, Stoker, Tracks, Madame Bovary, Piercing… the list goes on), while he's having quite the malevolence-dripping year after stepping into Charles Manson's shoes in both Mindhunter and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Judy & Punch firmly tells Judy's story, so this is Wasikowska's film, but it highlights both of its main characters for a good reason. This thoroughly feminist hero doesn't just give a historic narrative a much-needed update and champion a timely cause — with their dynamic back-and-forth, she endeavours to cut Herriman's misogynistic weasel down to size, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63NAagrKOcc
Among the English language's best phrases, 'all you can eat' ranks up there with the best of them. It'd sound great in any language, of course, and you might hear it in German on Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30 — aka 'so viel du essen kannst'. Specifically, you might hear either version at Munich Brauhaus, The Bavarian and the Bavarian Beerhaus, which are all offering an appropriate stuff-your-face deal. For a two-hour sitting, you can tuck into as many schnitzels as you can stomach. Served on a platter, there are three varieties on offer: the uber schnitzel, which is decked out with rocket, semi-dried tomato and parmesan; the jager schnitzel, as topped with wild mushroom ragu; and the good ol' parmigiana, which obviously comes with melted mozzarella, tomato sauce and ham. Talk about good schnitt. The special costs $39 per person, also includes unlimited mashed potato and potato salad — yep, both hot and cold spuds — and is available for bookings of at least two people. You do need to book, however, so gather the gang, get planning, and make a date with a German beer house in Bowen Hills, South Bank, Chermside or on Eagle Street.
Clear your Saturdays, gather the gang, and get ready to eat, drink and enjoy brunch like it's meant to be enjoyed. Prepare to hop down the coast, too, for a mid-morning meal by the beach with bottomless booze. Whether you're weekending at Burleigh, find yourself in the area often or love brunch so much that you'll make the trek via public transport, you'll want to pop The Tropic's new weekend event on your calendar. Kicking off on Saturday, July 6 and running weekly from 11am–1pm afterwards, this excuse for a feast will pair executive chef Guillaume Zika's menu will your choice of beverage options. Driving? Not feeling like hitting the sauce? That's okay, too. Whichever you pick, you'll munch your way through freshly shucked oysters, a truffle and mortadella toasted sandwich, prawn cocktail rolls and wood-fired pork bun. Then, because every good brunch involves dessert, you'll tuck chocolate and strawberry cupcakes, plus lemon meringue tarts. The food-only package costs $55, while you can down bottomless NV Chandon and NV Chandon Rosé for $99 in total (including your meal), or opt for Veuve Clicquot and Veuve Clicquot Rosé for $129 (again, including food). From 11am, DJs will be spinning tunes, should you want to make a beachy day of it. Reserve your spot via email by contacting reservations@burleighpavilion.com.
Come Friday, July 19, it's time for a night at the museum — but you won't find Ben Stiller roaming the halls here. Rather, given what'll be on display at Queensland Museum at the time, the revelry will feel a little out of this world. Given the date, it'll also feel positively lunar. Walking, talking, drinking and partying like you're on the moon is on the agenda at QM's latest After Dark shindig, which is all about soaring beyond the earth as part of the museum's NASA — A Human Adventure showcase. With the party happening just a day before the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, it'll be a real blast from the past, complete with 60s tunes and makeovers. Overall, there'll be music, drinks and demonstrations — plus attendees will get free reign, peering not only at the a whole host of exhibits about space featuring more than 250 items, including pieces that have actually been to space, but also feasting your eyes on the rest of the joint's displays. The Camp Hill Antique Centre will help QM recreate a 60s-era living room, so you can truly experience watching the moon landing like it's five decades ago. You'll be knocking back beverages; examining rocket engines, space food, space suits, lunar cameras and moon boots; and just generally pondering life beyond our pale blue dot. A word of warning: these shindigs often sell out so you'll want to nab a ticket quickly.
For a brief period this winter, Naïm is switching its Middle Eastern focus for Mexican cuisine — and it's inviting a top Mexican chef along to showcase his modern-style fare. You'd usually find Julio Aguilera cooking up a storm in both South and North America, including a previous stint at San Francisco's two-Michelin-star restaurant Saison; however between July 3–6 and again from 10–13 he'll be doing his best in Paddington. On the menu at this pop-up is a five-course Mexican degustation, all made from locally-sourced ingredients. Joining forces with Naïm's Vince Estacio, Aguilera will retain the tastes, textures and spices he knows and loves, while working in Aussie seafood, wagyu and the like. "It's an exciting challenge to build the flavour profiles of Mexican cuisine with ingredients from the other side of the world," the chef explains. Hospitality professional Matt Goodman will be working on the wine and spirits pairings, with the sit-down affair costing $80 per person. It's available for vegan diners as well. After serving up dinners for the bulk of their visit, Aguilera and Goodman will also turn Naïm into a Mexican block party on Sunday, July 14. Image: Naïm.
When the Nazis seized Germany during the 1930s, the party cemented its presence in many ways, however two stand out in Never Look Away. Firstly, Hitler's underlings began ruthlessly eradicating anyone deemed undesirable. Secondly, the growing facist regime deployed propaganda to condemn so-called degeneracy, including via art showcases about socially unacceptable pieces. Witness to both was a boy, Kurt Barnert (Cai Cohrs). He attended an exhibition with his beloved aunt Elisabeth (Saskia Rosendahl), was encouraged by her to explore his own creative streak and think for himself, and then watched on as she was taken away due to her mental health. Kurt is a stand-in for real-life artist Gerhard Richter, in a cinematic dance between fiction and history. But Never Look Away's message is clear: that some of Germany's greatest art masterworks are a product of living through the country's worst days, grappling with them and committing that conflict to canvas. If only Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's film took this idea to its core, instead of merely depicting it. If only it too was a work of great conflict and texture, rather than a curiously straightforward fictionalised biopic. The filmmaker's return to Germany after winning an Oscar for 2006's The Lives of Others, then heading to Hollywood for dismal Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp vehicle The Tourist, Never Look Away is a handsome, engrossing picture. It tells a compelling tale with impressive performances to match, never drags across its lengthy 189-minute running time, and earned Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film and Best Cinematography for its efforts. That said, it's also as standard a version of the story as there is — and if our collective traumas have taught the world anything, it's that complexity remains even in the most clear-cut cases of good versus evil. As a young man forever shaped by childhood experiences both rewarding and tragic, Kurt (now played by Tom Schilling) emerges in post-World War II Germany as an aspiring artist. First, he paints signs. Then, he attends an East German art school, where he is taught to practise his chosen field with a communist mindset, and to specifically apply his skills to social-realist murals. Rallying against such strict confines, Kurt searches for creative freedom and challenges, which he finds in West Germany's Düsseldorf Art Academy under the tutelage of Joseph Beuys-surrogate Antonius Van Verten (Oliver Masucci). But he can't escape the past, not even in the arms of fellow student Elisabeth 'Ellie' Seeband (Paula Beer), whose gynaecology professor father Carl (Sebastian Koch) was responsible for sending Kurt's aunt to her death. Writer-director von Donnersmarck may have based his script on conversations with Richter, copious research and facts about the artist's father-in-law, and yet there's a prevailing feeling that colours Never Look Away's warm-hued frames. While its real-life details prove anything but, this is a neat movie. There are many ways to convey and explore the truth, with the German filmmaker choosing to easily join the dots. That his picture devotes so much time to showing how Kurt endeavours to interrogate the past, how that influences his work, and the thoughtful ways in which he brings his anguish and agony to his canvases, only shines a brighter light on Never Look Away's narrative and thematic tidiness. As Richter's pieces have screamed for decades across everything from photo-realistic images to abstract designs, there's little that's orderly about the way he's been sifting through his life via his art. Indeed, many of the film's best moments, focusing on Kurt in his art school studio as he struggles with making the paintings he's driven to create, show exactly how this is the case. As a result, Never Look Away does actually prove conflicted, albeit not in the way that a movie about an artist who sees the Nazis' horrors then falls in love with the daughter of an ex-SS officer should be. Rather, the film is conflicted about retaining its links to Richter and smoothing out his story for easy dramatic effect. It's also conflicted about sitting half-way between fact and fiction, not only filtering one man's tale through a simplified lens, but reflecting history through that same perspective as well. And viewers should feel conflicted watching it, too. Many of the picture's components are stellar, with the excellent Schilling, Rosendahl and Beer all turning in moving, nuanced performances, and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel giving the film a simultaneously classical yet probing look as well. Alas, as involving and visually striking as Never Look Away is, there's no mistaking that this is the glossy, not thorny, version of an inherently tricky slice of life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUrYfrTEYOU
If you're a Brisbanite with a healthy appetite, there's only one place to be between Thursday, July 25 and Sunday, July 28. Take your rumbling stomach and its yearning for something scrumptious down to James Street — and fill it with tasty treats. Over a massive four-day period — two days longer than usual — the New Farm precinct becomes a foodie wonderland for the eighth year running, once again highlighting the gastronomic delights of the area. That includes devouring delicious dishes and drinks, of course, regardless of what kind of food, beverage or event takes your fancy. And, it also boasts a whole day of market activity. On Thursday–Saturday, which have been dubbed 'trail days', attendees can follow the roadway to a feast of dishes and drinks — think Greek wine and eats at Hellenika, a feast of duck at Chow House and a five-course dinner at King Arthur Cafe. Then, come Sunday, more than 20 businesses will unleash their wares, with the lineup spanning everything from crayfish brioche to wine to lamb salad to ragu. Because Gelato Messina now calls the neighbourhood home, you'll be able to tuck into two special dessert concoctions, too, with a baklava slider (featuring fior di latte gelato between lemon- and honey-soaked layers of filo pastry, then topped with toasted pistachios, walnuts and almonds) and a loukoumades sundae (honey gelato paired with honey-soaked fresh loukoumades, honey caramel, and candied pistachios and walnuts) on the menu for the day. Also on the agenda at the picnic-style event: cooking demos, multiple stages of live music and craft classes. No wonder the road will be closed between McLachlan and Roberston Streets, with the trail's zone expanding over to Pottery Barn and St Barts as well.
Forget worms — the early bird gets gourmet bites to eat, farm-fresh produce to line the cupboards, and an enjoyable morning of browsing and shopping at Milton Markets. Every Sunday morning from 7am in winter, more than 80 stalls descend upon the corner of Cribb and Little Cribb streets in the inner western suburb to sell tasty wares. From whenever you feel like waking up until 1pm, you can wander through massive fig trees to join them. Once a season, the Milton Markets also celebrates the change of weather — and all of the food that goes with it. On Sunday, June 16, it's doing so with Milton Markets: Winter Seasonal Flavours, which'll showcase the tastes that make everyone think of frosty weather. If fresh seasonal fruit gets your stomach grumbling, you can stock up here. If a hot chocolates, warm comfort food and artisanal snacks do as well, you're in luck again. Expect themed gourmet food stalls, decorations to suit the occasion, and live entertainment and music are on the agenda too.
From Seinfeld to Friends to Kevin Smith's Mallrats, 90s pop culture was jam-packed with characters staring at pictures and trying to spot optical illusions. It was a time of Magic Eye books, after all — but peering at pieces of art, soaking in colours and arrangements, and endeavouring to see more than the obvious wasn't invented then. And, it has never gone out of fashion. In fact, doing just that is on the agenda at Queensland Art Gallery's new Geometries exhibition, which is on display until Sunday, February 2, 2020. The free showcase rounds up a heap of works that look simple, but prove otherwise the more that you look at them. There's no such thing as a plain old abstract painting of lines and shapes here. Whether they're playing with scale, sequencing, scope or proportion, these are pieces you'll want to spend some time with — so prepare to get cosy in QAG's Watermall. Image: Wilma Tabacco. Australia b.1953. Hellza poppin. 2004. Oil on linen / 183 x 244cm. Gift of William Nuttall and Annette Reeves through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation 2008. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program. Collection: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art.
If there was ever an event tailor-made for those with limited attention spans, it's Short + Sweet Festival. You know that feeling you get when you're 15 minutes into something that you're not all that into? Well, you won't find that here. In the fest's 2019 Brisbane run over June 5–22, a heap of new works will take to the Brisbane Powerhouse stage across multiple strands of theatre and cabaret. Yes, that sounds like a lot, but there's a twist. Each and every different performance spans a maximum of 10 minutes. There's no idea that probably hasn't featured among this heaving program of bite-sized theatre delights over the years, with southeast Queensland's best and brightest always eager to showcase their condensed skills. Of course, they're not just offering up a sample of their talents for the fun of it; they're also hoping you'll vote to send them through to the Short + Sweet gala final in September, too.
When it comes to Australia's best food and drink regions, the Sunshine Coast punches well above its weight. It boasts rainforests, farms and the ocean all within extremely close proximity to one another, making for a unique ecosystem — and an interesting culinary landscape. And you can celebrate all of the goodness that this coastal pocket has to offer when The Curated Plate kicks off its inaugural season in August. Across four days, the region's best chefs and producers will be joined by Australian and international heavy-hitters for a series of long lunches, degustations, food markets, tours and much more. Events will take place in venues across the region's hinterlands, rainforests and beaches with a beachside pop-up restaurant acting as the festival hub. The Sunshine Coast's organic and sustainable produce, grown in the hinterland's rich volcanic soil, will be on display. The program includes long lunches and degustations that'll highlight the latest trends in fine dining. Top chefs from around the country, including Peter Gilmore (Quay, Bennelong), Clayton Wells (Automata, A1 Canteen) and Alejandro Cancino (ex-Urbane), will be taking over some of the region's best eateries alongside international heavy-hitters like Japanese chef Zaiyu Hasegawa. Hasegawa runs Den, a two-Michelin starred restaurant in Tokyo that was awarded the number two spot on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2018, and is celebrated for his creative spin on kaiseki (Japanese multi-course haute cuisine). He will be teaming up with head chef of Spicers Tamarind Retreat for Spicers Den — a special five-course degustation dinner on Saturday, August 10. Meanwhile, Black Swan Park in Maroochydore will host a three-day food fair, featuring a bunch of local eateries, stalls and live entertainment, and Caloundra's Moffat Beach will be running a beach cinema, with burgers, beers and limited-edition treats supplied by Gelato Messina. So, if you're looking for an excuse for a weekend jaunt or just a day trip up north, this may just be it. The Curated Place will take place across the Sunshine Coast from Thursday, August 8 to Sunday, August 11. You can check out the full program, including festival accommodation packages, here.
The 90s were great. That shouldn't be a controversial opinion. Whether you lived through them or have spent the last couple of decades wishing you did — aka binging on 90s pop culture — this late-night shindig at The Foundry will indulge your retro urges. Drinks, tunes, fashion: expect all of the above at the No Scrubs: 90s and Early 00s party from 11.30pm on Saturday, June 15. Of course, it's up to you to make sure the clothing side of thing is covered, and to get into the spirit of the party. If you want to use Mariah Carey as a style icon, it'd be fitting. Expect to unleash your inner Spice Girl and Backstreet Boy too. TLC, Destiny's Child, Savage Garden, Usher, Blink-182, No Doubt — we'd keep listing artists, but you all know what you're getting yourselves into. Tickets are $12.25 online, with the fun running through until 3am
If the words 'sharing feast' usually send you running, we bet we know why: you don't eat meat, animal products, gluten or wheat, and trying to make sure you can actually enjoy the food is frequently harder than it should be. Once a month, vegans can put those fears aside at Covent Garden, with the West End gin joint serving up a vegan feasting evening. In June, however, it'll also be doubling as a gluten-free, coeliac-friendly meal as well. Spread over two sessions — 6–7.30pm and 7–8.30pm — the plant and floral wallpaper-filled hangout's Garden of Vegan will dish up four courses of vegetable-heavy dishes. It all starts with sweet potato fondant in an orange glaze, before moving on to stacked mezze platters. Next, there's roasted tomato stuffed with mushrooms and basil, jacket potatoes with truffle olive, sautéed brussel sprouts and braised. As for dessert, that's when the apple crumble with coconut gel arrives. That's just a sample of the food on offer on Thursday, June 6, so arrive hungry. Bookings are open for tables of two at $74 per couple — and the event regularly sells out, so reserving early is recommended. There'll also be Garden of Vegan cocktails available, though they'll cost you extra.
It mightn't be anywhere near the season for trimming trees, singing carols and exchanging gifts just yet, but July is the time to pretend otherwise. And New Farm Cinemas has an event that's tailor-made for getting jolly mid-year — even if you usually avoid or ignore not-quite-Christmas shenanigans. At 7pm on Friday, July 5, the venue is giving seasonal classic Love Actually a whirl. That means there'll be plenty of jovial tales of romance starring seemingly every actor who was famous in Britain in 2003. Colin Firth broods, Hugh Grant dances, Alan Rickman charms and Liam Neeson shows his softer side. Keira Knightley is wooed and Emma Thompson proves a calm force to be reckoned with. To accompany the session, the cinema is also serving up some very fitting refreshments. There'll be mince pies, which'll keep your stomach warm, plus mulled wine, which will warm your insides thoroughly. Given that the movie will warm your heart — because if you're going along, you're definitely already a fan — prepare to feel mighty toasty as you revisit Richard Curtis' rom-com classic.
Because there's nothing quite like watching a movie under the stars, Openair Cinema is back for 2019. There are two differences this year, however. Firstly, the annual outdoor film season is returning early. Secondly, it's moving to a new home. From Friday, July 19 until Sunday, August 18, Brisbane City Botanic Gardens is your destination for catching flicks in a leafy setting — and while this isn't the first time that a pop-up cinema has graced the Gardens Point spot (Moonlight Cinema once called it home, years ago), it's a definite change of scenery for Openair. Just head to Soundshell Hill and look out for the big screen. Then, get ready to get cosy in front of it. The full program is packed with highlights. If you like music and movies, then Rocketman will keep you tapping your toes — as will Yesterday, Danny Boyle's 'what if'-style flick about a world where The Beatles don't exist. Or, go web-slinging with Spider-Man: Far From Home, hit the magic carpet with the new live-action version of Aladdin and watch Keanu Reeves unleash his lethal skills in John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum. Long Shot and Top End Wedding bring some rom-com fun, and Clueless and The Wizard of Oz will take you back with a couple of classics. Plus, you can also indulge your inner kidult with The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Toy Story 4. There's more where they came from — plus food and drink from Qld Pizza Bros and the onsite bar, comfy lounges and live entertainment. If you'd prefer to bring your own picnic and blanket, that's an option as well. And, you can bring your doggo to all screenings. Updated June 26.
On Tuesdays, Brisbanites can gorge themselves on all-you-can-eat dumplings. On Wednesdays between May 15 and June 12, another Asian entrée gets the bottomless treatment. This time, you'll need to mosey on over to Phat Elephant in Post Office Square, with the deal available for both lunch and dinner. As always, we hope you're hungry. The details are simple: head along, buy a drink, hand over $15 and get munching. Your beverage isn't included in that price, but you'll still be able to feast on as many spring rolls as you like — with whatever liquid refreshment you choose to go with it — by only parting with a lobster and change. Even better — Phat Elephant's spring rolls are vegetarian, so you won't find any meat here. If you're eager for a lunch free-for-all, drop by between 11.30am–3pm (with the kitchen closing at 2.30pm). For dinner, make a date from 5.30–10pm (with the kitchen closing at 9pm).
If you've ever come up with a bright idea after a few beverages, here's an event you'll be able to relate to: Pint of Science. From Monday, May 20 to Wednesday, May 22, a selection of Brisbane pubs will welcome some of the country's cleverest minds to chat about their current scientific research. You'll learn all about new discoveries, technologies and advancements — and maybe even discover what's in your pint. Yes, 'The Good, the Bad and the Yeasty?' is the name of one session — including a chat about wild yeast as a flavour enhancer — with the rest of the Brissie schedule touching upon a range of topics. Finding cures from deadly animals, the way light travels through the stars, the importance of coral and the versatility of bacteria are just some of the subjects up for discussion by an array of scientists. Another (and a rather relevant one when you're sitting in a bar): the need to disconnect from technology. Sessions run at 7pm each night, with doors opening at 6.30pm — and each will only set you back $6. To boost your brain over a few brews, head to Brewhouse Brisbane, either of Newstead Brewing's watering holes, Sea Legs, The Burrow, The Charming Squire, The Fox, The Norman, The Waterloo, The Redbrick Hotel or Catchment Brewing, but get in quick as some are already selling out.
Savvy sartorial shoppers, rejoice — Metre Market is doubling its fun. If you went along to any of its previous events over the years, dropped by its Christmas get-together or moseyed along to its Coorparoo market, you'll know the drill. Fashion is this outfit's main domain, but you'll also find music, food, arts, homewares, bespoke jewellery and other design pieces among their stalls. In fact, with giving Brisbanites an opportunity to sell their pre-loved clothes the main reason that the market originally came to fruition, you can even get in on the action by applying for a metre or two of space. And if all you want to do is browse and buy, there's plenty of that on offer too. Now making a regular thing of it at a second location at Carindale PCYC on every third Sunday of the month, the next market will take place from 10am–2pm on Sunday, May 19. Not only is Carindale Markets by Metre Market free to attend, but it features the best things money can buy from local up-and-coming designers, artists and makers. As always, there'll also be a rack sale — aka folks selling their own old outfits. Image: Metre Market.
How many cats can you pat in 20 minutes? Don't know? Would you like to find out? Of course you would. From 5.30pm on Friday, May 31, Lutwyche's Cat Cuddle Cafe is hosting speed-patting sessions. You bring your feline-stroking hands, they'll provide the kitties — and it'll cost you just $5. Getting up close and cosy to the cutest of cats is just one part of the evening's festivities. The other is a twilight market in the cafe's car park, to help sort out its shelves after making the move from Red Hill. With the venue run by a rescue organisation, all your money will go to a good cause, too. Plus, there'll be stalls from other rescue groups so you can share the support around. If you fancy something to eat or a hot beverage, the cafe will also be serving up food and drinks — because all that browsing is hungry and thirsty work. And if it all sounds familiar, that's because the Cat Cuddle Cafe held the same shindig last month. Unsurprisingly, it was a hit, so it's bringing it back for more.
Trivia nights mean gathering your mates around, enjoying a few beverages and trying to convert your respective stores of knowledge into glory. At this particular trivia night, you'll do all that, but there'll be a particular emphasis on your pals. Given that the topic of the evening is a certain sitcom about a band of best buddies, celebrating your chums is the thing to do. Yes, Friends is in the spotlight at Fritzenberger's next battle of pop culture tidbits. If you think you know everything there is to know about the show that caused viewers to agonise over whether Ross and Rachel would get together, wish that Joey and Chandler lived next door and get their hair cut like Jennifer Aniston, here's your chance to prove it. Remember, it has been 15 years since Friends was on TV, making the contest not just a test of trivia, but a workout for everyone's memories. No one told you that watching endless television reruns could turn out this way. Friends FritzenTrivia takes place from 6pm on Wednesday, June 12. Registration is required in advance by contacting the venue.
Sit down for a meal in China, and it won't come with a fortune cookie. The sweet treats might be a regular part of the Chinese restaurant experience elsewhere, but cracking open a crisp, sugary biscuit and reading a tiny missive of wisdom is a thoroughly western invention. It's for this reason that Shelley Cheng has put them at the centre of her new art installation, Where Are You From?. One culture inventing traditions for another is hardly acceptable, and with Harmony Day upon us, the Brisbane artist is exploring this idea. To delve into the topic of racism experienced by East Asians — especially in a micro-aggressive fashion, and involving positive stereotyping — Cheng is inviting attendees to sit down at yum cha tables and pick up a fortune cookie. Inside, however, you won't find the usual proverbs. Instead, prepare to get thinking. A brief pop-up installation, Where Are You From? displays on the lawn near the entrance to the Goodwill Bridge and Riverstage at QUT Gardens Point. Pop up on Thursday, March 21 from 4–7pm, or across Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23 from 10am–6pm each day. Image: Jade Millman.
UPDATE, November 18, 2020: Destroyer is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Directed towards Jack Nicholson's hard-boiled Los Angeles private eye, "forget it Jake, it's Chinatown" is one of cinema history's most iconic lines. But Chinatown could've been a little less specific with its famous quote and still conveyed the same sentiment (although "forget it Jake, it's LA" just doesn't have the same ring to it). Los Angeles may be America's city of angels, but it's also a destroyer of dreams. It's where starry-eyed hopefuls flock with their sights set on fame and fortune, where so few secure that wish, and where plenty of unpleasantness lurks beyond the glitz. It's also a place where rise-and-fall tales like La La Land and A Star Is Born can sit beside slacker noir flicks like Inherent Vice and Under the Silver Lake, neo-noir comedies such as The Nice Guys and grim noir dramas like Destroyer. Indeed, noir, the stylised crime genre so often populated by detectives dredging through society's ills, seems particularly drawn to Los Angeles. Where else can gloss and grime reside in such close proximity, one shining and the other tarnishing? There's little that glistens in Destroyer, though. While set in a city almost perpetually bleached from above, this bleak thriller shares little of LA's stereotypically sunny appearance. Instead, the film dwells in the shadows and styles itself after its exhausted protagonist, as portrayed by a far-from-glamorous Nicole Kidman. Proving increasingly chameleonic as her career progresses, the Australian actor plays detective Erin Bell — the usual noir cop with a chequered past; a flawed anti-hero desperate to correct past wrongs. Nearly two decades earlier, Bell went undercover with her partner Chris (Sebastian Stan) to try to sniff out a California gang. All this time later, she still can't shake the difficult gig or the failed bank robbery that brought it to an unhappy end. When ink-stained notes from the heist arrive in the mail, Bell attempts to hunt down the criminal crew's shifty leader Silas (Toby Kebbell). She has other worries, including a teenage daughter (Jade Pettyjohn) who wants little to do with her, but she won't stop until she has put her old case to rest. Bell could walk alongside any of noir's dogged investigators and hold her own. Kidman could do the same among any of the genre's best stars. Destroyer lives and breathes through its complicated protagonist and phenomenal lead performance, with each putting on a stunning show. Baked into both, and into every element of the movie, is the feeling of determination in the face of near-certain defeat. It's the same undying pluck amidst inevitable peril that made a line like "forget it Jake, it's Chinatown" such an emblem of the genre. Noir's most compelling figures know that little is going to turn out well, but they also know that soldiering on anyway is the only option. What an experience it is to see Bell do just that, and to witness Kidman bring her to life (as aided by the appropriate wigs and makeup). The Aussie talent's recent roles in Boy Erased, Aquaman, Big Little Lies and The Beguiled couldn't seem further away from her work here, and yet she couldn't seem more perfect for the part. While the film's title applies to many aspects of its story, Destroyer completely ravages the idea that these dark, hard-luck tales are the domain of men. It's easy to say that gender doesn't matter to a character like Bell, who couldn't be less feminine — but the way the world has worn this woman down, and the way she's worn herself down to cope and survive, never escapes notice. With its incredible bank heist scenes — some of the most riveting since the original Point Break — Destroyer's versatility doesn't evade attention either. As directed by Karyn Kusama, it's a sunlit noir, a scorching character study, a subversion of typical gender roles and an impressive action movie. Working with her regular screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, the filmmaker already has a diverse and notable record, including Girlfight, Jennifer's Body and The Invitation. With Destroyer, however, both the director and her star sear themselves into viewers' memories. Their film might reside in a world and genre that tells everyone to forget, wipe their minds and move on, but everything about this heavy-hitter lingers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcKinfILGDk
Film festivals usually follow a pretty standard formula with movies, events, panels and parties making up the bulk of the program. But the Gold Coast Film Festival, now in its 17th year, does things a little differently. Of course, it has films — 107 of them (to be precise). But nestled among the screenings and workshops are plenty of outdoor activities too, including several chances to watch flicks on the beach — aka exactly what everyone wants from a film fest on the coast, especially Brisbanites road tripping down south. With three world premieres, ten Australian premieres and four Queensland premieres on its lineup, GCFF has plenty to keep cinephiles busy. The list of what movie buffs will be viewing is a long one. Opening night kicks off with the Aussie premiere of eco-conscious documentary 2040 from That Sugar Film's Damon Gameau, closing night brings Gold Coast-made war film Escape and Evasion — and everything from local highlights to star-studded standouts feature in-between. Look out for Northern Territory rom-com Top End Wedding, Colombian drug drama Birds of Passage, or the truly distinctive thrills of Cannes winner Border. On the star-studded front, Robert Pattinson journeys into space in weird and wonderful sci-fi High Life, Tessa Thompson dallies with crime in Little Woods and Andrew Garfield plays detective in mesmerising noir mystery Under the Silver Lake. Sprawling beyond the festival hub at HOTA (the Home of the Arts), there are outdoor pop-up cinemas by the shore at Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta, an evening of Jackie Chan-starring kung fu flicks in a laneway, a 50 First Dates movie night on a boat and Boogie Nights in a brewery. You can also head into the hinterland for a bit of horror, watching Cabin in the Woods and new homegrown thriller The Furies in the best possible location. The Gold Coast Film Festival takes place between Wednesday, April 3 to Sunday, April 14. To view the full program and purchase tickets, head this way.
It doesn't take much to turn a day at the Regatta into a party — but when the iconic Brissie pub really wants to throw a shindig, it knows how to go about it. Enter Regatta Fair, the fifth annual occasion dedicated to three days of riverside food, booze and hanging out. Taking place between Friday, April 5 and Sunday, April 7, it's an excuse to eat, drink and be merry at one of the city's favourite haunts — and you won't hear us complaining about that. Who doesn't want to wander beneath the fairy lights in the venue's laneway, peruse stalls selling all your favourite stomach fillers and thirst quenchers, and listen to DJ sets and live music in the process? Anyone keen on truffle and porcini mushroom arancini, smokehouse pork tacos, Belgian-style waffles and strawberry cheesecake won't be disappointed, so arrive hungry. And neither will those after an a range of wines, beers, ciders, sparkling, whisky or pina coladas, so arrive with a hankering for a beverage or several — and for a fun afternoon. Entry is free — and you can either pay as you eat and drink, or fork out $45 for four beverage tokens and one food token.
The soundtrack to the last couple of decades has come with a thumping beat, and The End and Jet Black Cat are here to celebrate it. From 7pm on Saturday, March 23, the latter will be heading across the road to the former to spin some tracks and turn the volume up loud, in a night that'll take attendees through recent electronic music history. Say hey boy hey girl to the Chemical Brothers, wonder where your head's at thanks to Basement Jaxx and go around the world with Daft Funk — and, as always, that's just the beginning of the evening's playlist. At Electric Dreams: An Electronic Music Retrospective, everything from Massive Attack and Air to Depeche Mode and The Avalanches will get a whirl, and folks will be filling the dancefloor in response. If you've been missing the Big Day Out's Boiler Room, here's the next best thing. Entry is free, and the electronica runs until midnight.
The working day is done. You're hankering for a tipple and something in your stomach, but you're not yet ready for dinner. It's the familiar feeling that rolls around come quittin' time — well, that and the joy of being done with another day — and it's a dilemma that Victoria Park's bistro has a solution to. Every Wednesday to Friday from 5–6pm, the Herston venue is serving up $5 beverages with $5 wood-fired garlic breads. But if you're feeling like a cheap sip and snack on a weekend, too, you're in luck. This time around, the special also extends to Saturdays and Sundays. When it comes to the food and booze, you have to get one of both, so it'll cost you a minimum of $10. And, it's limited to two drinks per bread, to keep with responsible alcohol service rules. But, as far as a cheap bev and bite goes, it's a mighty fine and affordable option. Drinks on offer include sparkling rose, Taltarni sauvignon blanc, Newstead Brewing Co's Victoria Park Pale Ale, Lumber Yak Mountain Cider, Great Northern Super Crisp, Stella Artois and basic spirits.
