Perhaps the most active, on-the-ground way to explore the islands is via a kayak. Salty Dog Sea Kayaking runs six-day tours to explore Whitsunday, Haselwood and Hook Islands for $1850 per person. But if a six-day kayaking tour sounds like way, way too much arm-work — and your idea of a holiday is less laborious — you might like to try your hand at kayaking in shorter stints. Salty Dog also offers half and full-day tours for $90 and $145 respectively. If you want to go it alone (and are an experienced paddler), you can hire a single or double kayak, too, with rates starting from $60.
UPDATE, November 3, 2021: The Harder The Fall is available to stream via Netflix from Wednesday, November 3. Idris Elba. A piercing gaze. One helluva red velvet suit. A film can't coast by on such a combination alone, and The Harder They Fall doesn't try to — but when it splashes that vivid vision across the screen, it's nothing short of magnificent. The moment arrives well into Jeymes Samuel's revisionist western, so plenty of stylishness has already graced its frames before then. Think: Old West saloons in brilliant yellows, greens and blues; the collective strut of a cast that includes Da 5 Bloods' Delroy Lindo and Jonathan Majors, Atlanta's Zazie Beetz and LaKeith Stanfield, and If Beale Street Could Talk Oscar-winner Regina King; and an aesthetic approach that blasts together the cool, the slick and the operatic. Still, Elba and his crimson attire — and the black vest and hat that tops it off — is the exclamation mark capping one flamboyant and vibrant movie. Imaginative is another appropriate word to describe The Harder They Fall, especially its loose and creative take on American history. Where some features based on the past take a faithful but massaged route — fellow recent release The Last Duel, for example — this one happily recognises what's fact and what's fantasy. Its main players all existed centuries ago, but Samuel and co-screenwriter Boaz Yakin (Now You See Me) meld them into the same narrative. That's an act of complete fiction, as is virtually everything except their names. The feature freely admits this on-screen before proceedings begin, though, and wouldn't dream of hiding from it. Team-up movies aren't rare, whether corralling superheroes or movie monsters, but there's a particular thrill and power to bringing together these fictionalised Black figures in such an ambitious and memorable, smart and suave, and all-round swaggering film. After proving such a commanding lead in HBO series Lovecraft Country, Majors takes centre stage here, too, as gunslinger Nat Love. First, however, the character is initially introduced as a child (Anthony Naylor Jr, The Mindy Project), watching his parents get murdered by the infamous Rufus Buck (Elba, The Suicide Squad). A quest for revenge ensues — and yes, Nat shares an origin story with Batman. Samuel definitely isn't afraid to get stylised and cartoonish, or melodramatic, or playful for that matter. One of the keys to The Harder They Fall is that it's so many things all at once, and rarely is it any one thing for too long. This is a brash and bold western from its first vividly shot frame till its last, of course, and yet it's also a film about the tragedies that infect families, the violence that infects societies, and the hate, abuse, prejudice, discrimination and bloodshed that can flow from both. It's a romance, too, and it nails its action scenes like it's part of a big blockbuster franchise. As an adult, Nat still has Rufus in his sights. It'll take a few twists of fate — including a great train robbery to free Rufus en route from one prison to the next — to bring them face to face again. The sequence where the outlaw's righthand woman Trudy (King) and quick-drawing fellow gang member Cherokee Bill (Stanfield) take on the law is sleek heist delight, and the saloon clash with marshal Bass Reeves (Lindo) that gets Nat back on Rufus' trail is just as dextrously handled. Nat also has bar proprietor and his on-again, off-again ex Stagecoach Mary (Beetz) on his side, plus the boastful Beckwourth (RJ Cyler, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), sharp-shooting Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi, Briarpatch) and diminutive Cuffee (Danielle Deadwyler, P-Valley). Everyone gets their moments, and every one of those moments sashays towards a blood-spattered showdown. It might seem like a pure boilerplate affair on the page, particularly when getting roguish with the western genre — and using it to muse on race — has peppered Quentin Tarantino's resume courtesy of The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained. One of the other keys to The Harder They Fall is how openly and confidently that Samuel knows whose footsteps he's following in, because this is a realm with a past as sprawling as the plains it frequently covets. Seasoned fans can spot the nods in a multitude of directions, including to 60s and 70s spaghetti westerns, and to plenty of other flicks from the same era starring Clint Eastwood. But this is act of reclamation built on the bones of all that's come before, rather than a homage; it slides into a busy field to assert a place for Black cowboys, and does so as beguilingly as Samuel knows how. Perhaps better known as a songwriter and music producer, aka The Bullitts, Samuel brings a thrumming, dynamic, take-charge energy to The Harder They Fall. He writes, directs and composes the movie's soundtrack, too, so that applies across the board. Indeed, the way that he weaves the sounds of hip hop, reggae and afrobeat into a score that also takes cues from the late, great Ennio Morricone — the man behind the music to all of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, as well as an Oscar-winner for The Hateful Eight — perfectly encapsulates his overall approach. Samuel has room for all that's come before, and reverence for it, but he's also committed to challenging and redefining the stories and mythology it represents. The Harder They Fall has purpose, pluck and panache — oh-so-much flair, in fact, that it drips across everything from the cinematography to the production design and dapper costuming. It has pace as well, with its 130-minute running-time whizzing by amid several shootouts filled with rapid-fire bullets and enough strong glares to fuel a franchise of flicks. It also boasts the absolute best posse that Samuel could've hoped for. The Harder They Fall's cast is the kind you build an entire movie around, not that that's the gambit here. It'd be hard to thrust this ensemble together and have something other than a spectacular acting showcase result, but this is a rollicking pleasure with the exact right cast, an abundance of smarts, savvy and style, and an unwavering backbone. Top image: David Lee/Netflix.
With a new superhero movie hitting cinemas every month, or near enough, you can be forgiven for feeling a bit fatigued with the general premise. With box office domination comes more of the same; however the genre's popularity is also inspiring creative takes on the concept — and in the case of Brightburn, something dark and creepy. You mightn't recognise the movie's moniker, given that it stems from an original script rather than an existing comic book property, but Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director James Gunn is the producer's chair. The first release with his name on it after he was fired from the Marvel franchise earlier this year, it was written by his brother Brian and cousin Mark. Brightburn also features a cast led by Elizabeth Banks, who starred in Gunn's pre-Guardians horror flick Slither. Directed by David Yarovesky (who also has a Guardians credit, appearing on-screen as a goth ravager), the premise starts in familiar territory. A child from another world crashes to earth, and is taken in by a caring couple (Banks and The Office's David Denman). But before you start thinking about Superman, this is a horror movie — and it definitely doesn't feature the man of steel. Brightburn opens in Australian cinemas on May 23, 2019 — check out the trailer below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lCimwXO0-U&feature=youtu.be
He's been hailed as the king of documentaries, known for his fearless deep dives into the boldest of subjects, from sex trafficking to religious extremists and just about everything in between. And now, Louis Theroux is stepping out from in front of the camera and onto the stage, venturing Down Under for his second Aussie speaking tour this summer. In January, the intrepid BBC filmmaker will hit Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne, here to share his secrets in new show Louis Theroux Without Limits. The fearless journalist will be joined by local media personality Julia Zemiro for a two-hour on-stage adventure, dropping insights into his extraordinary life and behind-the-scenes secrets from his impressive catalogue of work. With more than two decades of filmmaking experience and multiple awards under his belt, Theroux has a knack for digging deep and getting people to spill the beans, telling it exactly how it is. From the opioid epidemic and the San Fernando Valley porn industry to the Church of Scientology, his work has given him countless fascinating stories to dish up on this latest speaking tour. "Australians are obviously connoisseurs of the weird side of life," Theroux said in a statement. "I look forward to coming back to share even more memorable moments and extraordinary stories from the people I have encountered in my films." He was last here in 2016, when he took his (sell-out) speaking tour to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. While you wait for Louis to head Down Under, you can catch his new series of documentaries on BBC Knowledge from Thursday, June 27. You can check out a teaser for the new show Louis Theroux Without Limits here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bcgv0S4Wj8&feature=youtu.be LOUIS THEROUX WITHOUT LIMITS 2020 DATES Sunday, January 12 – Riverside Theatre, Perth Monday, January 13 – Convention Centre, Adelaide Wednesday, January 15 – Brisbane Convention Centre, Brisbane Thursday, January 16 – Royal Theatre, Canberra Friday January 17 – State Theatre, Sydney Sunday, January 19 – Plenary Theatre, Melbourne Tickets to Louis Theroux Without Limits go on sale at 9am on Monday, June 24. You can sign up for pre-sale on the website.
So, you haven't been to River Quay — and you don't know where River Quay is. It's the pocket of South Bank that now houses a host of restaurants, plenty of grass and a great view of the river, and it's the place to be from January 23 to 26. For four days, the eateries in the area — aka Aquitaine Brasserie, Cove Bar & Dining, Popolo and The Jetty — will showcase their wares, offering not only a sample of everything that makes them great, but a feast of Queensland ingredients as well. A lineup of live performances provides just the right kind of mood music, and a fireworks display brings everything to a close on Australia Day. If Great Australian Bites sounds like the perfect way to while away an afternoon, that's because it is. Who doesn't love taster plates piled up, pop-ups, local artists and scenic sights, after all? No one, that's who.
It's not every day that an inner-city street shuts down for an onslaught of music and fun. No, just Big Gay Day. Now in its 20th year, the annual event returns to The Wickham and the surrounding roadway for an afternoon and evening of music and celebratory mayhem. Topping the bill is a name that households across the globe will know: Mel C. You know, the one from one of the biggest girl groups ever — the Spice Girls. She'll be performing with her band of drag performers, Sink The Pink. You'll also catch Indigenous Australian electronic duo Electric Fields; bubble gum punk duo Cry Club; hip hop and roots collective The Regime; local act Being Jane Lane; indie folk artist Julia Rose; a heap of DJs and drag performances. It's proven to be the city's most colourful and diverse street festival for the past 19 years, and will continue to be so again in 2020. There'll be carnival acts, multiple performance spaces, food trucks, themed pop-up bars and plenty of partying people on the agenda, as is raising funds for six charity partners that help the LGBTQIA+ community. [caption id="attachment_754871" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Mel C and Sink The Pink.[/caption]
Brisbanites love a market — especially one that specialises in top-notch pre-loved clothing. There's nothing like finding a quality item at a clothing market. There's the thrill of searching through the racks to stumble upon the piece, plus shopping secondhand and upcycled clothing is more sustainable than buying your clothes new. If this all sounds entirely relatable to you and you're doing your festive shopping, head to the Second Life Markets when it hits Brisbane for Christmas on Saturday, December 14–Sunday, December 15 2024. Taking place at Superordinary — and expanding across two days — the event will host pop-up stores boasting vintage, secondhand and upcycled clothing. The stalls will span all ranges of clothing, including masculine, feminine and unisex pieces. There's your gifts covered, whether you're buying for someone else or yourself. The Second Life Markets run successful quarterly events across Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, London and, of course, Brisbane. The seasonal events bring together local sellers and independent designers, as well as a heavy dose of good vibes. Brisbane's Christmas market will run from 11am–4pm on both days. Entry varies from free to $30 depending on what time you'd like to head by (the later, the cheaper) and if you're keen to hit up both days. In the sustainable spirit of the market, it's asked that you bring your own reusable shopping bag(s) with you. There'll also tunes and snacks options onsite, because shopping is hungry work.
Do you feel that? It’s a change in the air. It’s a little more humidity. It’s birds chirping a little louder. It’s flowers blooming brighter. Yep, the season is changing here in Brisbane. More than just political change has been in the air, and at local favourite Alfred & Constance a new menu has been brewing to make the most of summer’s seasonal produce. Head patron chef Jocelyn Hancock has given winter the flick, introducing new soon-to-be-favourite the Josper grilled duck breast on a bed of watermelon cubes, Persian feta, mint leaves and toasted cashews. This bad boy works the refreshing feel of summer on your tastebuds. While lots of old favourites didn’t get cut, other new notables include the lamb rack main with green beans and salsa, the chorizo scotched egg, crispy calamari, and house cured salmon with a crunchy Chester Street organic rye bread. Dessert has brought to life a not-too-sweet pecan pie with maple ice-cream and a classic Aussie pavlova with a lemon and passionfruit zing. If you’re looking for us in the next six months, chances are we’ll be sitting on the deck with a Jumbled Julep cocktail in one hand and a fork in the other. Hello summer.
"Darling it's better down where it's wetter" isn't just a line The Little Mermaid fans have had stuck in their head for the last two decades. Come the beginning of 2019, it's also the first thing likely to pop into the minds of anyone heading to one particular Norwegian restaurant. Set to open in the coastal village of Båly in the country's south, Under will plunge hungry patrons into watery surroundings, offering more than just the usual scenic vistas. At this eatery, diners will be tucking into their dishes underwater. To be specific, they'll be feasting on seafood under the sea — if you're going to open a space underneath the ocean, you have to serve up the fish, which is just what head chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard will be doing. Visitors will descend down three colour-coded levels to sip sparkling tipples in a champagne bar that boasts views of the shoreline, before enjoying meals in the completely submerged dining room. The latter sits five metres below the water's surface, and is surrounded by panoramic acrylic windows for quite the aquatic view. For those wondering about pressure and safety, metre-thick concrete walls will keep everyone nice and dry, in a structure designed by architecture firm Snøhetta. Describing the space as "a sunken periscope", the building will be constructed not only to wow those stepping foot inside, but to fit in with its surroundings. The grey exterior colour scheme will blend in with the rocky coastline, and coarse surfacing will encourage molluscs to cling on. Indeed, over time it's hoped that Under will become an artificial mussel reef. As well as offering a memorable place to eat, the project also aims to champion biodiversity, functioning as a research centre for marine life. This will include informational plaques educating visitors about the area, helping to expand not only the list of places you've tucked into a meal, but your knowledge. Start planning your 2019 Scandinavian trip now. Images: Snohetta.
When beer brewers Killer Sprocket and Kaiju teamed up to make KaKS Cotmari, they bottled a malty science experiment and featured a menacing creature on its label. But that wasn't to be their only foray into monster movie territory. Now, as part of Brewsvegas 2016, they're holding a movie night — and you can be there to watch, witness and taste the results. Knocking back a beverage by both companies is a must, of course; however watching their film of choice is just as important. In fact, the former will help you enjoy the latter, as The End pops on a classic Japanese flick and lets Killer Sprocket's brewer-slash-comedian Sean and Kaiju's resident funny guy Nate provide their own commentary. The ticket price includes the film, a beer and a plate of gyoza on arrival.
Unafraid to shock and appall, sharp photographer, journalist and human rights activist Shahidul Alam examines the ever-increasing issue of ever-prominent extra-judicial killings in Bangladesh. In 2004 the Bangladeshi government created The Rapid Action Battalion, a new armed-enforcement agency formed in response to what they perceived to be a law and order crisis. Quickly the RAB became notorious and feared for their quickness to act violently and itchy trigger fingers, and hated for the number of people, allegedly, blindly killed in the crossfire. Shahidul Alam’s Crossfire opened to government opposition. First shown in 2010 to draw attention to The Rapid Action Battalion’s wanton disregard for public safety the project was swiftly shutdown by a government keen to hide from reality. But, following a high court ruling in Alam’s favour, the show was re-opened for a single day. Following a successful run at New York’s Queens Museum in April this year the exhibition comes to Brisbane’s Powerhouse for its first Australian appearance.
With free trams, great coffee, even better bearded men and now a potential smoking ban, Melbourne's really upping the stakes in its claim to become Australia's most progressive city. Melbourne City Council have today announced plans to make the CBD completely smoke-free by 2016. This would make Melbourne the first city in the world to implement such comprehensive measures. Of course, it would also make us home to the most disgruntled business types — sitting forlornly on a milk crate on Degraves just won't look the same if you don't have a durry in hand. This news comes after a successful bid to make The Causeway — one of the cheeky laneways between Bourke and Little Collins — smoke-free, alongside six similar bans."I think there's overwhelming support to progress smoke-free areas given the great success we had with The Causeway," city councillor Richard Foster told Fairfax Radio this morning. "I think we're going to actually attract people to Melbourne by being one of the first in the world to go smoke-free." Though Cr Foster maintains he has majority support on the idea, not all politicians are on board. Premier Denis Napthine strongly opposes the proposition, deeming it "totally unworkable" and "totally unreasonable". Similar disdain can also be heard from the city's street traders. After all, smokers still flock to outdoor seating in our city's cafes for the iconic coffee and cigarette combo. In its current imagining the plan would ban smoking for both pedestrians and footpath diners in the areas between Flinders Street, Spencer Street, Spring Street and Queen Victoria Market; though there would be designated smoking areas most likely in the form of shelters. Smokers seen breaking the ban would be met with on-the-spot fines, though the prohibition would be understandably difficult to police. The plan is similar to that which has recently been implemented in our inner-city universities. Both RMIT and the University of Melbourne are currently smoke-free and offer rather meagre designated areas for insistent smokers. The issue was debated widely by students as both a move towards a safer and healthier environment and an infringement on smokers' civil liberties. Of course, should the issue be taken city-wide the debate would only intensify. So far, public reaction on social media has been fairly positive. Even Lord Mayor Robert Doyle is on board so long as the changes are "incremental". If there's ever been a time to quit, this is probably it. Life as a smoker is getting more and more outlawed by the day. Via The Australian. Photo credit: Orin Zebest.
Is this the real life? Yes, Queen — the legendary rock band behind hits Bohemian Rhapsody, Don't Stop Me Now and We Will Rock You — is coming to Australia. And, they are hoping to rock you. Two of the original band members Brian May (lead guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums) will be heading Down Under, along with long-time collaborator and frontman Adam Lambert — a Grammy nominated American singer who has been touring with the group since 2011 — keyboardist Spike Edney (who's been performing with the band since the 80s), Neil Fairclough on bass and Tyler Warren on percussion. Lambert will be performing Queen hits — made famous by iconic moustached frontman Freddie Mercury, who passed away in the early 90s — from across the band's 15 albums. John Deacon, the band's original bass player, retired in the late 90s will also not be part of the Australian tour. [caption id="attachment_696706" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody[/caption] Queen rose to prominence in the 70s and 80s, with their famed Live Aid performance — oft referred to as one of the greatest concerts in rock history — happening at Wembley Stadium in 1985. But, the band has once again been in the spotlight with the release of the Rami Malek-starring film Bohemian Rhapsody. After the biopic was released, the song 'Bohemian Rhapsody' reentered the US top 100 — for the third time. While the Aussie Rhapsody Tour — hitting Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast in February 2020 — won't star Mercury (or Deacon), it's set to be one rockin' show. With tickets most likely to sell out, put the below dates in your calendar ASAP. QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT 'THE RHAPSODY TOUR' 2020 DATES Brisbane — Suncorp Stadium, Thursday, February 13 Sydney — ANZ Stadium, Saturday, February 15 Melbourne — AAMI Park, Wednesday, February 19 Perth — Optus Stadium, Sunday, February 23 Adelaide — Adelaide Oval, Wednesday, February 26 Gold Coast — Metricon Stadium, Saturday, February 29 Queen + Adam Lambert The Rhapsody Tour pre-sales start on Wednesday, April 10 with general sale from Monday, April 15. For all sale times, head to the Ticketek website. Image: Queen + Adam Lambert, 2014. Photo: Diana Kat, Wiki Commons.
Hey Geronimo have been amassing a solid fan base over the past few years, branching out from their Brisbane roots and hitting the national airwaves thanks to some seriously catchy hits. Their latest effort, Erring On The Side of Awesome further established the band as one to keep an eye on, even though their YouTube clips have amassed over a million views. The band has returned home to curate a series of shows for Trainspotters, the popular hub for live music. For their first show, the band has collected an interesting group of acts. My Own Pet Radio, Bilby and Born Joy Dead will be taking the stage from 9pm. Head over to Central Station, have a few cheap drinks and enjoy a night of excellent music selected by an excellent band.
Nestled away in Woollongabba’s cool Logan Road strip of intimate establishments, Canvas is a great place to go any night of the week, and New Year’s Eve is certain to prove no different. Suiting their year-round vibe of vintage allure, there’s a fitting theme in place for the ultimate night of merriment: the Roaring Twenties. With the price of admission including an arrival cocktail as well as a food and drinks package, you’ll be primed to hark back to a time of flappers, the Charleston and all things art deco. Dressing up and having your very own The Great Gatsby moment isn’t mandatory, but it is all part of the fun. You could even win a prize for donning the best outfit.
UPDATE, March 8, 2021: Hidden Figures is available to stream via Disney+, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. Every parent tells their child to dream big. Unfortunately, for many people, a world of factors conspires to stop their hopes and aspirations from coming true. For the three women at the centre of Hidden Figures, the forces blocking them from fulfilling their potential aren't just obvious — they're quantifiable. Faced with both institutionalised sexism and institutionalised racism, friends Katherine (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy (Octavia Spencer) and Mary (Janelle Monáe) know exactly what's holding them back. But, as smart, savvy human computers at NASA's Virginia headquarters in the segregated 1960s, they're also driven to find a solution. Based on a real-life tale that most won't have heard before, and sending its spirited leading ladies on a fight for equality, Hidden Figures is exactly the kind of movie that you think it is. It's warm, broad and certain to please. It's designed to rouse and entertain as it sheds light on an overlooked part of history, with soft colours and an upbeat soundtrack. It brings together an engaging cast who prove endearing individually and even more so when their affectionate rapport is in the spotlight. Most of all, though, it combines all of the expected elements together just as anyone could easily predict, and still manages to be a thoroughly good watch. Katherine, Dorothy and Mary crunch numbers in the same department, share rides to work and spend time together with their families after hours, but it's ambition in the face of oppression that truly unites them. On any given day, they're expected to be grateful for their jobs, while constantly being underestimated, undermined, ignored, overlooked, and made to use separate bathrooms and even coffee pots. That's a struggle, especially in a place that wants to defy the accepted order by putting a man on the moon. Each of the three have their own goals: Katherine wants credit for her crucial efforts when she's moved into the team trying to send an American beyond the earth; Dorothy seeks the supervisor title and pay raise that goes with the tasks she's already doing; and Mary is trying to take the classes she needs — at a white's-only school — to become an engineer. There's not much surprising about the way that writer-director Theodore Melfi (St. Vincent) brings Margot Lee Shetterly's non-fiction book to the screen, but honestly that's fine. In fact, it's rather apt. It's the sparkling individual components that comprise the ideal equation here, rather than any attempt to craft a new formula. Besides, just the fact that this story is being told at all is kind of revolutionary. Space movies and films about maths geniuses are a dime a dozen, but they're usually about one type of person: white men. Not here. A few pop up — Kevin Costner is memorable as Katherine's boss, while Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons plays the colleague constantly putting her in her place — but, refreshingly, this isn't their movie. Instead, it belongs to the women of colour at its centre. Played with vibrancy that matches the feature's own mood, there's nothing hidden about the core trio of black female mathematicians. Their real-world determination, infectious spirit, and the fine performances behind them, ensures that Hidden Figures adds up to something really special.
In 2013, 300 people danced to Kate Bush's' 'Wuthering Heights' in a field — and now in 2017, the idea is back and bigger than ever. Yes, The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever is happening in Brisbane on July 15 in Bedford Park. Yes, everyone should be dressed as Kate Bush, complete with a red dress, red stockings and black belt (men, that means you as well). On the day, a clowder (that's the collective noun for Kate Bushes, just FYI) will descend upon the park and copy Bush's swaying, kicky dance in unison just for the pure joy of it. Support for this weird and wonderful outing has been widespread, and Kate Bush fans from around the world have been inspired to create events in their home cities. So get your gear together (dressmakers are being flooded with orders for the day, check it out here) and ready yourself to roll and fall in green, out on the wily, windy moors of Bedford Park. Then, head on over to the after-party at the Jubilee Hotel.
Guillermo Del Toro's original Pacific Rim knew exactly what it was: a modern day creature feature starring giant robots beating the living crap out of even bigger monsters. Everything the movie did, from the characters' backstories to the wacky scientists and even the burgeoning romance, was all there to serve a sole purpose: get us to the next massive monster bash. The entire exercise was big, silly and frequently confusing, but in the end it was all forgivable because Pacific Rim delivered the film it said it would. The sequel, by contrast, made the fatal error of having hardly any robot vs. monster fisticuffs, and – to put things bluntly – it sucked. Sadly, cinemas latest creature feature, The Meg, makes a similar mistake, proving about as big a disappointment as the shark you barely get to see. The setup, as far as sharksploitation films go, is actually pretty solid. A deep sea research project named Mana One discovers the Mariana Trench is actually deeper than first thought, with a dense cloud of hydrogen-sulfide masking a deeper world that's remained untouched since the Jurassic period. It's here the scientists both discover and then accidentally release the proverbial Meg (short for Megalodon), setting the giant shark upon a course of murderous destruction as it explores the oceans above. And wouldn't that have been great to watch! Sadly the film chooses to tell rather than show, mostly sending its cast to survey the aftermath of the Meg's mayhem rather than really showing the toothy beast in action. Much of the fault lies in decision to go for a family (and censor) friendly rating that strips the movie of almost all its gore. Truly, there's more bloody violence in a lamb ad then The Meg, robbing it of any sense of gruesome fun. In the lead human role, action man and former professional diver Jason Statham plays a deep sea rescue expert reluctantly drawn back into the world that abandoned him after a deadly incident some years prior. He's grizzled, cynical and a heavy beer drinker, yet still somehow more ripped than a carcass after a shark attack – not that The Meg would show that kind of thing. Statham, like Dwayne Johnson, is a delight to watch on screen, at once committed to his performance yet unmistakably aware of how ridiculous this movie is. Even he, though, feels underutilised in this film, relegated to delivering bad cliches in even more derivative scenarios. His co-stars don't fare much better, with the likes of Ruby Rose, Rainn Wilson and Chinese superstar Li Bingbing all trudging their way through this cheesy affair. In all, there's just not enough Meg in The Meg to justify the price of admission, let alone the title. It's not good enough to be a good film, but also not bad enough to be so bad it's good. Frankly, if it's schlock you're after, you'd be far better served by genuine B-movies like Sharknado. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGYXExfKhmo
The Supernatural Amphitheatre may have banned Native American headdresses, but they'll soon have to make an unexpected exception — Golden Plains 2015 will feature the Village People. That's right, it's been nearly 40 years since the height of their fame, but the Village People are still coercing you to stay at the YMCA. Get ready to raise your cowboy boot. The full lineup which has just been released is nothing if not diverse. The Village People are proving disco isn't dead, your emotional teenage heartthrob Conor Oberst will be there bringing the indie rock, classic local tunes will be had with Something For Kate, even seminal Australian punk legends Radio Birdman will be in attendance. As always, the local lineup is strong. Off the back of her first national headline tour, Courtney Barnett will be the perfect soundtrack to your afternoon chill session. You can expect some unsavoury antics while watching The Bennies, and local favourites like Twerps, Banoffee, and Milwaukee Banks will also be hitting the stage. Aside from your Bright Eyed boyfriend and the Village People, other international acts include Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit and Pavement follow-up project Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks. As always, you'll have to enter the ballot if you want in on this glorious gathering. The festival will run from March 7-9 and tickets will be $328.80+bf. It's the same festival you know and love — no dickheads, no need to hide your goon sacks, no problems. The second-draw ballot closes on 9pm on Tuesday, October 21. Welcome to the sounds of your summer. Full lineup: Aldous Harding Banoffee Black Vanilla Bombino Conor Oberst Courtney Barnett Dj Shadow & Cut Chemist Felice Brothers First Aid Kit Graveyard Hits La Pocock Milwaukee Banks Neneh Cherry With Rocketnumbernine+ Nick Waterhouse Oblivions Parquet Courts Radio Birdman (featuring Rob Younger, Deniz Tek, Pip Hoyle, Jim Dickson, Dave Kettley, Nik Rieth) Sharon Van Etten Sleep D Soil & “Pimp” Sessions Something For Kate Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks The Bennies The Meanies Theo Parrish Total Giovanni Twerps Village People
Thought bingo was for your nan? Think again. It's also for you — or perhaps, if she's a groovy gran, for the both of you. Hijacking the traditional format of bingo with raves, conga lines and lip sync battles, Bingo Loco is 50-percent one of those strange dreams you get after eating too much cheese and 50-percent just a walloping good time. Come Friday, October 28 at Mansfield Tavern, the MC will keep the night rolling, while confetti showers and smoke cannons will go off throughout the evening (perhaps wear your glasses). Bingo ravers will compete for ultimate glory (and prizes) over the course of multiple rounds. Given the timing, this night is all about Halloween, too. That means spooky effects, scary hosts and maybe even breaking out the 'Monster Mash'. Obviously, dressing to meet the spine-chilling occasion is also on the agenda. In between the traditional bingo games, you'll be expected to groove to classic 90s rave bangers, partake in dance-offs and battle others for lip sync queen titles. Basically, be prepared for many high-octane, energetic activities — gone are the days of simply raising your hand when you've got a full sheet of numbers. Doing your stretches and vocal warm-ups first are advised. You'll vie for prizes, which in the past have included Coachella tickets, Vegas trips, mobility scooters (nan, listen up), boats and lawnmowers (maybe for your dad), among other goldmines. Bingo Loco has been running across the globe for a few years and now will trumpet its way around Australia once more, with a portion of ticket sales going to Minus18's work with LGBTQIA+ youth.
If all your want for MELT is a celebration of Mariah Carey, then you're luck — and no, Josh Daveta's Like Mariah isn't just a sweet, sweet fantasy. The Brisbane talent channels his inner Mimi for an hour-long exploration of the music sensation's career, impact and hits. He had a vision of love, and it's all that he's giving to Brissie audiences across May 17 to 19. Yes, he's the hero that's come along with the strength to carry on — or to try to hit the diva's multiple-octave range, at least. There'll be no shortage of songs given Mariah was only the biggest-selling female artist of the 90s. And, the show does promise that her spirit will be made known in other ways, too.
Come November, if you're keen on travelling to a galaxy far, far away, you won't need to visit your local cinema. Disney is getting into the streaming game and, when it launches its new Disney+ platform, it'll do so with the first-ever live-action Star Wars spinoff television series, The Mandalorian. One of the most anticipated shows of the year on this (or any other) planet, The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter who hails from the planet Mandalore and roams the outer reaches of the universe. His bullet-firing antics happen far from the prying eyes of the New Republic, with the series set after the fall of the Empire — that is, after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi but before Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. If the basic premise isn't enough cause for excitement, then the stacked cast will help — it includes Game of Thrones' Pedro Pascal and Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito, plus Nick Nolte, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Ming-Na Wen and none other than legendary director and occasional actor Werner Herzog. Behind the scenes, The Mandalorian also boasts plenty of big names, with The Lion King's Jon Favreau calling the shots (as the program's creator, writer, showrunner and executive producer), and Taika Waititi among its series' directors. Waititi will also voice a new droid, called IG-11. After announcing the show last year, then keeping the details as secret as possible, Disney has slowly been revealing bits and pieces about the series in recent months. If you've been keener than Han Solo in any cantina in the galaxy to get a glimpse, the Mouse House dropped its first trailer for the series back in August, and has just followed up with a brand new second sneak peek. Given all of the above details — the cast, the concept, the place in the Star Wars timeline — plus the fact that the show hits in a matter of mere weeks, Disney isn't being quite as shy this time around. Expect space beasts, spaceship battles, bounty hunter dramas and folks getting frozen in carbonite in the new clip, as well as more of The Mandalorian's number one asset. Yes, that'd be Herzog and his inimitable voice, which once again get a workout in the latest trailer. Check out the new preview below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmI7WKrAtqs The Mandalorian will hit Disney+ when it launches Down Under on November 19.
Take a burlesque troupe, add a member of Resin Dogs, and then combine their styles of music and movement. The end result is Drop It: Hip Hop Burlesque, with The Velvet Kittens and DeeJaye Katch joining forces to create a blend of burlesque and beats. If you think they don't quite sound like they go together, that's okay — in fact, that's partly the point. And yet it's a great melding of smooth tunes and record scratches, collaboration and defiance, and harmony and conflict, all in one rhythmically entertaining, utterly toe-tapping package. This event is part of Wonderland 2016.
Created specially for Brisbane Festival, Arc is a brand-new dance performance by Australasian Dance Collective. Thirty young dancers will move together, and individually, to express a sense of our common purpose as human beings, which is to strive for purpose and unity — an especially poignant theme at a time after isolation and living through a mass feeling of an unknown future. The world premiere 30-minute performance is free to watch, and will take place at South Bank from 5pm on Friday, September 18 and Saturday, September 19. Created by Australasian Dance Collective's Artistic Director Amy Hollingsworth, the dance features a new score from award-winning composer Wil Hughes. It's suitable for all ages. Image: David Kelly
Rolls Bayce are on a roll. Sorry for the pun, but it’s true. They’ve recently been announced for a slot at BIGSOUND, they have just released a new single and now they are setting up shop at Black Bear Lodge for a month long residency. The Bayce boys are already accomplished musicians as its members were in successful bands previously. If you are fans of Hungry Kids of Hungary or Millions, then you might find something to like about Rolls Bayce. ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’, the newest single from the band, is a kicker of a tune. Striking guitars, a thumping beat and exquisite vocals – this is your new favourite song, trust me. Rolls Bayce will be playing at Black Bear Lodge on the 2nd, 16th and the 30th of August. They will be supported by a bunch of great Brisbane bands such as Love Signs, Born Joy Dead and Blonde Tongues. Make sure you check them out on one of these dates, it is bound to be a treat for the ears.
UPDATE, December 23, 2021: Last Christmas is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. At the end of each year, when 'Last Christmas' gets stuck in your head for months, you probably don't spend too long thinking about it. George Michael's soft tones echo through your brain, his romantic lyrics roll off your tongue and the song's gentle beat becomes the rhythm of your life — but we're guessing you've never added a backstory to the classic 80s festive track, pondered its words in-depth or taken it literally. Clearly, you're not Emma Thompson. Asked to turn the tune into a screenplay, the Oscar-winning actor and writer has expended her brain cells on this task — and the film that results clearly states that it's "inspired by the song 'Last Christmas'". Given that movies based on games, toys and amusement park rides are now commonplace, a Wham! track is as good a starting point as any. Plus, with Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters and A Simple Favour director Paul Feig at the helm, Last Christmas comes with a solid comedy pedigree. It's highly contrived, as plenty of end-of-year movies are. It's also schmaltzy, as is the song. But, splashed across the screen with a sea of red, green and tinsel, the Christmas flick boasts enough warm-hearted charm to light up this sweetly engaging seasonal affair. Feig, Thompson and co-writer Bryony Kimmings (the performance artist behind I'm a Phoenix, Bitch) have another trick up their sleeves, with Last Christmas taking its entire soundtrack from George Michael's back catalogue. On paper, a Christmas rom-com based on a beloved pop song, featuring a jukebox worth of tracks by the same artist and unfurling its Yuletide hijinks in London sounds like the work of an algorithm in overdrive. If the world's December playlists joined forces with everyone's Love Actually-heavy festive streaming queues, this premise would be the end result. The film's casting, letting a post-Game of Thrones Emilia Clarke channel her inner Fleabag and deploying a post-Crazy Rich Asians Henry Golding as a tender dreamboat, seems like it has sprung straight from social media posts, too. In short, Last Christmas feels engineered to incite as cosy a feel-good glow as it can — and, in-between evoking a few eye rolls, it manages that feat. On the subject of eye rolls, the plot details might as well spring from a rom-com handbook. Kate (Clarke) is a down-on-her-luck aspiring singer who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas store, Tom (Golding) is an unrelentingly optimistic bicycle courier who doesn't have a phone and devotes his spare time to helping the homeless, and, despite ostensibly having nothing in common, they're drawn to each other. One of their early run-ins involves a bird shitting on Kate, lest viewers forget that her boozy life moving between various friends' couches and spare rooms is a mess. Befitting this incident, Tom's wisdom-laced catchphrase — because, yes, he has one — is "look up". As Last Christmas' chalk-and-cheese duo get closer, with Tom's kindness rubbing off on the cynical Kate as she tries to figure out her life, nothing unexpected happens. That's especially true if you do actually spend a few seconds thinking about the song behind the movie's moniker, but Thompson and Kimmings' script has such a heartfelt tone — and an awareness of the tropes it's gleefully adopting — that the film mostly works. It's the cinematic equivalent of drinking eggnog; it might not be your beverage of choice, but, when it's in front of you, you'll genuinely enjoy it all the same. Two weightier aspects of Last Christmas' narrative also help it go down smoothly, the first involving Kate's recovery from a major health scare and the impact it has had on her life, and the second stemming from her family heritage. With the picture set in 2017, and with Kate and her relatives (including Thompson as her broad-accented mother) immigrating from the former Yugoslavia two decades earlier, this is very much a Brexit-era festive romantic comedy. The film's other key elements — Feig, Clarke and Golding — all hit their marks. Feig's penchant for odd-couple comedy, Clarke's bubbliness behind her usual Mother of Dragons on-screen persona and Golding's innate charisma each sparkle, particularly when the movie begins to lean on its formula (and when the predictable twist, which viewers have been guessing since the trailer first dropped, pops up). Elsewhere, the latter's Crazy Rich Asians mother, Michelle Yeoh, steals her scenes as Kate's boss Santa (yep, that's her name). Naturally, Thompson does the same in the picture's most overtly comic role. Consider them the extra ingredients in this Christmas pudding of a picture — a film that's designed to complement the full meal that 'tis the season, and proves sweetly satisfying enough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co5jWMYsr34
UPDATE, NOVEMBER 8, 2021: For the third time, Nine Lives Festival has been postponed, and will now take place on Saturday, March 5, 2022. This article has been updated to reflect the new date. Back at the beginning of 2020, Jet Black Cat Music marked its ninth birthday — and, to celebrate, the West End store hopped over to the other side of the inner city and threw a huge block party. Now, it's repeating the feat. That means that Brisbanites will need to head to The Tivoli again, with Fortitude Valley's Costin Street set to overflow with tunes, markets and food on Saturday, March 5, 2022. On hand at Nine Lives Festival this time around: Stella Donnelly, King Stingray, No 1 Dads, Bananagun, Cool Sounds, Floodlights, Gordon Koang, Good Morning and Surprise Chef. Tunes will take over three indoor and outdoor stages, so you can dance in The Tiv's main space, at What's Golden and in the carpark — to DJs such as Dameeeela, DJ Heartbeats, Mumgenes, Rock Lobster and In the Flowers as well. While you're outdoors, you'll also be able grab a bite from a food truck or the onsite sausage sizzle, browse the stalls and go trawling the crates for records. This year's festival has had to cap its numbers due to COVID-19 restrictions, so getting a ticket early is recommended. Also, in another post-COVID move, sadly you won't be able to bring your dog this time around.
Over the past few years, Gelatissimo has whipped up a number of creative flavours, including frosé sorbet, gelato for dogs, and ginger beer, Weet-Bix. fairy bread, hot cross bun, cinnamon scroll and chocolate fudge gelato. Most recently, it made a bubble tea variety, and a gelato featuring Belgium's Lotus Biscoff cookie butter spread, too. For its latest offering, the Australian dessert chain is taking inspiration from other well-known sweet treats hailing from overseas — in case you've always wanted some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or Hershey's Kisses in your ice cream. Yes, those very combinations are now on the menu, all as part of Gelatissimo's new American-inspired Flavours of the USA gelato range. Just launching this week, the lineup includes three new flavours — so if you needed an excuse to treat yourself to multiple scoops, you just might've found one. First up, it's pretty easy to guess how Gelatissimo's Peanut Butter Cup Made With Reese's flavour will taste. It uses peanut butter gelato, plus some Hershey's cocoa powder, then adds a ripple of chocolate that features roasted peanuts and big chunks of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Not feeling quite so nutty? Chocolate Kisses Made With Hershey's is basically an excuse to eat chocolate, some more chocolate, and then even more chocolate. It's made with chocolate gelato — and the gelato itself is made with Hershey's kisses and Hersey's cocoa powder — which is then drizzled with more melted Hersey's Kisses. Lastly, Gelatissimo is pairing crushed candied pecans with bourbon caramel swirls in a flavour called, unsurprisingly, Bourbon Caramel and Pecans. While this is a US-inspired range, the boozy flavour comes via a collaboration with West Australian distillery Whipper Snapper, infusing its Upshot Whiskey into the gelato. Gelatissimo's new range just hit stores on Friday, October 9, with the three new flavours currently available nationwide. That said, they're only on offer for a limited time, although the chain hasn't specified an exact period — but you can nab them either by going into a shop or via delivery. Gelatissimo's Flavours of the USA range is available from all stores nationwide for a limited time.
Since the first-ever Valley Fiesta back in 1997, one of Brisbane's favourite events has popped up in all shapes and sizes. Its suburb remains the same, obviously, but how many days it runs for, exactly where in Fortitude Valley that it sets up its stages, who is on the bill and whether there's more than just tunes involved can change from year to year. Accordingly, whenever the program drops, Valley Fiesta's surprises span more than just the lineup. In 2024, this massive street party is returning as a one-day affair — and heading along is free. From 1.30–10pm on Saturday, October 26, the all-ages event will take over Brunswick Street, Winn Lane and Bakery Lane, setting up four stages featuring 20 local and national acts. On headlining duties: Meg Mac, May-a and The Buoys. Attendees will find the QMusic-produced roster of talent's key trio on the main stage in the Brunswick Street Mall, joined by Daste, Velvet Trip, Porpoise Spit, Deafcult and 01 Thurman. Valley Fiesta's primary location will also feature a DJ stage, with Zed Mero, Danyon, Eve and Eljae on the decks. Or, Brisbanites can hit the laneways to enjoy tracks spun by a QUIVR lineup of Patricia, DJ EmGem, Kodos, First Beige DJs, Sophie McAlister and Andras in Winn Lane. Bakery Lane isn't missing out on the action, either, thanks to a DJ stage with Luke Brazier and Jimmy Ellis. [caption id="attachment_974506" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dave Kan[/caption] "Brisbane is Australia's lifestyle capital and home to some of the country's most iconic music venues — many of which are in the heart of Fortitude Valley. The arts and entertainment industry needs our support and this fantastic free event means more people can get out and back our incredible local artists," said Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, announcing the lineup. "Thousands of people attended last year's event and we will continue delivering programs just like this to create more to see and do in suburbs right across Brisbane." "Valley Fiesta is one of the key music events at Australia's greatest music precinct. t's a spectacular chance for everyone — whether they're new to Valley or been coming for years — to experience what makes the strip famous the world over," added QMusic CEO Kris Stewart. Valley Fiesta 2024 Lineup Brunswick Street Main Stage: Meg Mac May-A The Buoys Daste Velvet Trip Porpoise Spit Deafcult 01 Thurman Brunswick Street DJ Stage: Zed Mero Danyon Eve Eljae Winn Lane QUIVR Stage: Patricia DJ EmGem Kodos First Beige DJs Sophie McAlister Andras Bakery Lane DJ Stage: Luke Brazier Jimmy Ellis [caption id="attachment_974507" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dave Kan[/caption] [caption id="attachment_974505" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tom Sue Yek[/caption] Valley Fiesta 2024 takes place on Saturday, October 26. For further information, head to the QMusic website.
While we all get enjoyment out of reading the odd rhyming couplet inscribed on the walls of toilet stalls, it’s nothing we can call deep. Though most of us aren’t looking for prose as thoughtful as Lord Byron when nature calls, isn’t some of the best time for introspection found while on the can? If you’ve ever been looking for a comedic cabaret performance about toilet wall prose (and I’m sure there are many of you), strap yourself in because we found one. Public Toilets, Private Words is an absurdist take on public toilet tales from around the world. Dozens of characters, heaps of songs and a whole lot of fun; Public Toilets, Private Words could be your new favourite production. Robert Frost it ain’t, but when we are talking about great contemporary poetry, I know where I sit.
Eleven is a lucky number for some, and it might just prove a lucky place for many. That's what Brisbane's next rooftop bar is hoping from its sky-high vantage point. Yes, patrons will have to venture up to the eleventh floor of 757 Ann Street to find the Fortitude Valley hotspot. Come July 24, that climb will be worth it, as the venue's 270-degree views from Newstead to the CBD will attest. If surveying the city from up above isn't your thing, then devouring share plates with your mates probably is — while enjoying bottle service, and sitting in a semi-private booth. Stunning view which ever way you're looking at it #eleven #rooftopbar #brisbane #greatfood #cocktails A photo posted by Eleven Rooftop Bar (@elevenrooftopbar) on Jul 19, 2015 at 7:08pm PDT The vibe at Eleven sounds both casual and sophisticated, because that's exactly what owner Jason Coats wants to cultivate. Aiming to create a place that offers a laidback feel by day and transitions into a cultured party vibe by night, he has taken inspiration from a few overseas jaunts, with rooftop bars in Istanbul, luxe party venues in Bali and spots in Ibiza all getting his creative juices flowing. This might be his first nightlife-focused venture; however the chef turned restaurateur knows a thing or two about fine dining and relaxed hangouts. He made his name in the kitchen at Gerties, Senso Unico and Olivetto’s, then swapped cooking for managing at Suburban and Liquorish Bar + Bistro. Currently, he oversees the popular riverside spots The Jetty Oxford and The Jetty South Bank. That's quite the pedigree, and a guarantee that Eleven Rooftop Bar is in good hands. From down here it might not look like much but 757 Ann Street will soon be THE place to be..…& the view from the eleventh floor is pretty spectacular ???? #comingsoon #brisbanenightlife #rooftopbar #fortitudevalley #eleven A photo posted by Eleven Rooftop Bar (@elevenrooftopbar) on Jul 14, 2015 at 3:24am PDT Find Eleven Rooftop Bar at 757 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley from Friday, July 24, or visit their website for more information.
In these tumultuous modern times — these times of Pottermore, Fantastic Beasts spinoffs and The Cursed Child — it's comforting to be able to take it back to basics. Basics, here, meaning the score of the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets film played live by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. After a sell-out performance of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone back in April, the QSO are taking us back to 2002 when the second of the eight Harry Potter films came out. It made us cringe (the acting — so bad but so good), reinforced our fear of spiders (Aragog, still terrifying) and — most importantly — float away on a magical adventure thanks to the incredible score by John Williams. For two performances on Saturday, October 7, you'll be able relive the magic all over again when the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre screen the film complemented by a real-time live score by the QSO. Maybe they'll release live owls! Maybe not because that would be chaos. Maybe they'll release live rats? Actually, absolutely not — we all know rats are secretly fat old criminals hiding from magical law enforcement and waiting for the Dark Lord to rise again (lookin' at you, Pettigrew). As you might imagine, tickets are selling like pumpkin pasties so get in quick or spend eternity griping about it like some Moaning Myrtle-type character.
Winter is all about staying indoors — and you want those interiors to look as great as possible. Art and design lovers, that's where the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art's annual Winter Design Market Weekend comes in. Browse, buy and then prepare to get cosy. Find jewellery, ceramics, textiles, homewares and clothing and more at this popular market, which will feature almost 50 stalls when it takes over the GOMA forecourt from 9am–4pm on Saturday, July 2–Sunday, July 3. Don't go giving the venue's official store a miss either. Take the time to peruse the GOMA collection of books and art, and thank us for the tip later. As well as shopping for cute design wares — and meeting the makers behind them — while you're in the vicinity, you'll be able to wander through wool thanks to the gallery's winter Chiharu Shiota exhibition, too. And although GOMA will host another design market once the silly season rolls around, getting your gift shopping out of the way now will make you feel like Christmas has come early. Or, just treat yo'self — no excuse necessary.
It's impossible to think about Christmas without also thinking about ornament-adorned trees; however, the traditional towering variety isn't always practical. Perhaps you don't have space in your apartment. Maybe you're keen on the real thing, but just can't make it to market, farm or nursery to get one. Or, you could have a four-legged friend (or several) that's fond of scaling anything that reaches up into the sky. Even if you've found a place for the same old plastic tree that you trot out every year, you're probably still wishing that you could gaze up at the real thing — which is where Floraly comes in. The Australian plant delivery service focuses on sustainable blooms and even offers monthly subscriptions, and it introduced a Christmas offering in 2019. Because it's that time already, it's getting festive again in 2020, too. The big drawcard: living trees. If you're happy with a pint-sized version, then this tiny plant is about to make your festive dreams come true. 'Tis the season to order a 60-centimetre-tall tiny tree that comes with decorations and a pop-up pot, wait for it to be delivered, then feel mighty jolly. Sourced from farms in Victoria and New South Wales, and able to be sent Australia-wide, Floraly's trees also arrive with soil, fairy lights, baubles and a tree-topper — so they really do look like miniature versions of your ideal Christmas centrepiece. There are two versions available, so you can opt for red baubles and a gold star for the top, or go with white decorations and a silver star In line with Floraly's eco-conscious mindset, its trees still have their root system intact. That means that once Christmas is over, you can replant them, keep them for some year-round merriment and then enjoy their splendour next year. The trees also come in fully recyclable packaging, further reducing their environmental impact. If you're keen, you can order a small bundle of greenery from the Floraly website for $79. Fancy sending a tiny tree as a gift? You can do that too, including as part of packs with T2 tea, Gelato Messina spreads, Endota body care products, and champagne and chocolate. Floraly's tiny Christmas trees are available to order now by visiting the service's website. Images: Floraly
Ever wanted to see a Bollywood-style comedy about two vaginas falling in love? The idea mightn't have crossed your mind, but you'll want to see this show at MELT Festival. The Adventures of Yoni 1 & Yoni 2 has plenty of fun with its concept, as you'd expect from the writer and producer behind Midsumma and Mardi Gras hit The Ultimate Lesbian Double Feature. Affection, taking inspiration from Indian cinema and discovering what happens with the female body parts in question embark on the path to matrimony are all on the agenda, as told with humour and dancing. As for what happens next, well, there's an answer to that — but you'll just have to join creator Zoe Brinnand to find out.
After critical accolades at the Next Wave festival in 2014, James Welsby's evocative dance production Hex is making its way north for MELT. Partly inspired by this controversial HIV/AIDS awareness ad from 1987, Welsby's show uses movement, music and allegorical imagery to chronicle the gay community's relationship with the devastating disease. To the tunes of Queen, Liberace and Michael Jackson, three dancers move fluidly through the gay scene of the early '80s, the onset of the AIDs crisis, all the way up to present day. In doing so, the hour-long show pays tribute to the countless lives lost to illness, while exploring its impact on young gay men today. HEX is one of our top six picks of MELT Festival. See the other five here.
When you were a kid, did you wish that all your favourite chocolates would be turned into ice creams? You might've, but you also could've also just been perfectly happy scoffing down whichever bars took your fancy whenever you had the chance. Both are acceptable. That said, as every Gelato Messina fan knows, the dessert chain has spent a decent amount of time not only pondering whether a heap of childhood faves should get the gelato treatment, such as Iced Vovos, lamingtons, Coco Pops and more, but actually following through. Here's the latest example: gelato Bounty and Chokito bars, which are a real thing that you can treat your tastebuds to in Brisbane this week. They're called 'the bounty hunter' and 'chok-it-out-now', respectively, and the first includes salted caramel gelato and chocolate fudge, which is coated in a milk chocolate and rice bubble rocher glaze — and the second goes with chewy coconut and salted coconut gelato, as coated in a dark chocolate glaze The catch? Like almost all Messina specials, they're here for a good time, not a long time. With the James Street Food and Wine Trail finally bringing its big culinary party back to New Farm this month after two pandemic-affected years, Messina is busting out these gelato Bounty and Chokito bars as part of the trail's Market Day. While the entire food and wine fest runs from Thursday, July 28–Sunday, July 31, the Market Day only happens on the Sunday. You'll find the bars on offer then from 10am–6pm. You'll also need to hit up Messina's Market Day stall, which you'll find between McLachlan and Arthur streets, rather than its James Street store. And yes, this'll fill the Messina-shaped gap you might have in your freezer right now if you ordered some of its special tubs when it dished up 40 of its greatest gelato hits back in June, but you've eaten them all already. Gelato Messina's chok-it-out-now and bounty hunter bars will be on sale from 10am–6pm on Sunday, July 31 at the James St Food and Wine Trail. For more information, head to the Messina website.
It's been four years since Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water turned a creature feature into a love story, and won the filmmaker the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars in the process. That's four years that movie fans have had to wait for his next dance with horror — because the director behind everything from vampire flick Cronos and dark fantasy Pan's Labyrinth to kaiju-versus-machine effort Pacific Rim and gothic haunted house feature Crimson Peak sure does love twisting genre staples in his own ways. Viewers love his work for doing just that, too, and del Toro's long-awaited next film looks set to continue the trend. With Nightmare Alley, he's forgoing Mimic's bugs, The Devil's Backbone's ghosts and Blade II's bloodsuckers in favour of spinning up psychological thrills in a carnival — and, as seen in the just-dropped first teaser trailer for the film, doing so with quite the impressive cast. Here, Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born) plays carnival worker Stan Carlisle, who has a gift for using the right words to get people to do what he wants. That's a savvy — and manipulative, obviously — skill, and it proves even more so after he teams up with psychiatrist Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett, Where'd You Go, Bernadette). Adapting William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel of the same name — which was already turned into a movie back in 1947 — Nightmare Alley also features Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse), Rooney Mara (Mary Magdalene), Toni Collette (Dream Horse), del Toro regular Ron Perlman (who starred in the director's original Hellboy movies) and The Shape of Water's Richard Jenkins. And, as the trailer shows, it's embracing its setting in a big way. Throughout his almost three-decade filmmaking career, del Toro has always given his features quite the entrancing look (see: everything mentioned above), and that doesn't seem to be changing here. Expect things to get dark, story-wise, when the movie hits cinemas Down Under in January 2022. Expect big tops, carnival rides, Dafoe spruiking attractions, blindfolds, blood, fire and plenty of brooding looks, too, based on the trailer alone. Check out the Nightmare Alley trailer below: Nightmare Alley releases in Australian cinemas on January 20, 2022.
What inspires someone to go to war? We're not talking about events and ideals — we're wondering about the exact words used to rally the masses in support of combat. Writer and performer Valentijn Dhaenens clearly pondered the same topic, resulting in his latest show featuring at WTF 2016. In BigMoutH, he stands in front of five microphones, cycles through declarations of battle, farewells, final arguments, victory speeches and eulogies, and pays tribute to 2500 years of oration. Everyone from Socrates to Mohammed Ali to Osama Bin Laden gets a mention, in a performance that both depends upon and dissects the age-old art of rhetoric.
UPDATE, September 3, 2021: The Brightside has announced that, after being contacted by the Office Of Liquor and Gaming Regulation, its plans to hand out free beers to Brisbanites have changed. It will now be hosting Jab Club events every Friday in September from 5–7pm, which will only be open to people who've had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. And, you'll be able to donate to Support Act in exchange for your brew. For further details, head to the event's Facebook page. 2021 is well past halfway through, the pandemic has been going for more than 19 months and two Australian states are in lengthy lockdowns — and Australia's vaccination campaign has only recently started picking up steam. As at Sunday, August 29, just 34.2 percent of Aussies over the age of 16 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 57.5 percent of the population have had one dose. Based on the current jab rate, the nation isn't expected to reach the 70-percent and 80-percent fully vaxxed thresholds, which is when more restrictions are set to loosen, until the end of October and mid-November, respectively. Australia's vaccination efforts have been plagued by plenty of issues since the beginning of the year. Recommendations around who should get the AstraZeneca and Pfizer shots have changed a few times, and the rollout's staged approach has limited who can get jabbed when. As a result, most folks under 40 have had to wait to get their chance to get vaxxed. But, if you've had either your first or second dose on or before Friday, September 3 and you'd like a free drink — and who wouldn't? — here's some fantastic news. Anyone who rolls up their sleeve on or before this Friday can then visit The Brightside between 5–7pm and nab a beverage on the house. The Fortitude Valley spot hasn't yet provided further details about what type of brew or brews will be on offer, or how it'll be checking vaccination status; however, there'll definitely be free beers for folks who've rolled up their sleeves. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Brightside Brisbane (@thebrightsidebris) Brisbane's hospitality venues — and those around Australia — have obviously done it tough during COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, which is why the watering hole will be giving away freebies for two hours. It's aiming to encourage people to get the jab and help the city — and the country — progress towards fully opening back up, and to a stage where lockdowns, restrictions and limited venue capacities become a thing of the past. The Brightside's 'beer for jabs' afternoon follows in the footsteps of other hospo initiatives that endeavour to help boost vaccination rates by rewarding folks who've been vaxxed. The Prince Alfred pub in Melbourne did the same thing, Hawke's Brewing Co has been handing out slabs for jabs, and Sydney's Lord Gladstone Hotel has temporarily renamed itself 'The Lord Jabstone' and is serving up free brews, too. Find The Brightside at 27 Warner Street, Fortitude Valley. It's giving away free beers to vaccinated Brisbanites from 5–7pm on Friday, September 3.
Brisbane creatives, look here! The Brisbane Emerging Art Festival is returning in 2012 and is going to be even better than it was this year. The festival was once visual-arts-only but next year will also incorporate film, performance, music and fashion into its 2012 program. The Fashion department are currently calling out for artists to exhibit within their discipline. If you work directly within fashion - be you designer, milliner, jeweller - or indirectly - fashion illustration, film, et cetera - then the Brisbane Emerging Art Festival wants to hear from you. To find out more information on the call out and apply, please visit the Brisbane Emerging Art Festival website. You can also connect to the Brisbane Emerging Art Festival through Facebook and Twitter.
Taking over the city during September, Brisbane Festival does many things. It gives everyone an excuse to devour entertaining cultural delights — and it serves up a new hangout. Actually, make that hangouts. Yes, Brisbane Festival's central hub offers multiple spaces in one. Revamping South Bank's Cultural Forecourt, Arcadia boasts everything from the Little Creatures Treehouse to six pop-up food stops to a festival-first two-spiegeltent set-up. The good news keeps on coming, because the bulk of Arcadia's bustling lineup of fun activities is free. Fancy harmonica and ukulele lessons? Eager to sink a few at a beer workshop or a robot and brew night? Want to watch a wood-carving demo or indulge in some life drawing? Keen to chill out to some live tunes from Tuesday to Sunday? Well, you'll find all that in the Little Creatures Treehouse. Plus, you can catch the fest's big cabaret, comedy and music shows such as Blanc de Blanc, Meow Meow's Little Mermaid and gigs by Custard, Mick Harvey, Jen Cloher and Kim Gordon.
After making his fortune at the card tables as a professional gambler, David Walsh launched MONA as something to give back to the community. Three years later it's become a national icon, boosted Tasmania's economy and given rise to one of Australia's best festivals. Now, despite labelling gambling as "mostly immoral", Walsh has plans in the works to build a mini-casino at his much-loved Tasmanian gallery. Yes, this is confusing. In its defence, Walsh's vision for the space goes far beyond the sad state of affairs you see on an average night at Star City or Crown. Designed for the more refined gambler, the space would be "a little high-roller, tourist-only, no-pokie casino". The entire operation would consist of nothing more than 12 cards tables. Basically, it'd be the perfect place for Bond villains to hang out should they ever find themselves in Australia. To add to this eye-patch wearing, cigar-puffing, international art smuggling cartel theme, Walsh has stated he would call the casino Monaco. While a cute play on the gallery name, the choice could also be a knowing wink at the ritzy Monte Carlo casino the nation is known for — a site coincidentally used in many Bond movies. Regardless, these plans have a long hard road to becoming a reality. At present, the Federal Group (owners of Wrest Point Casino) have an exclusive license on casino operations in Tasmania and Walsh's plans would require an overturning of the license by the state government. Walsh has reportedly made initial contact but is sceptical about his chances. At one point, the MONA owner was banned from Wrest Point for card counting. If the plans were to go through, the gallery would undoubtedly enjoy a large boost in funds. At the very least it would be an un unconventional solution to the impending cuts to Australia's arts industries and a welcome salvation for Walsh himself who has bankrolled the gallery since its inception. But honestly, the outlook doesn't look great. You can't blame an eccentric, art-loving millionaire for chasing the dream. Via The Guardian and The Mercury.
In 1977, Robyn Davidson decided she would walk west from Alice Springs until she hit the Indian Ocean, taking with her only her beloved dog and four camels. She was determined to do this alone, but, finding herself in need of money, was forced to allow National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan to document her journey. Davidson was told the trek would be suicide, but, undeterred, she set out anyway on her perilous, eventful journey. Filmmakers have been trying to adapt Tracks, the book she wrote about her experience, since the early 1980s, with even Julia Roberts attached in 1993. This is the sixth (and, clearly, the only successful) attempt to bring Davidson's story to the screen. Mia Wasikowska stars and is impressive as Davidson, imbuing her with a determination required to sell the character. Adam Driver, best known from Lena Dunham's Girls, is equally superb as Smolan. Driver is a compelling presence, and though his character is an irritant to Davidson, he is a welcome presence to us whenever he appears. Read our full review of Tracks here. Tracks is in cinemas on Thursday, March 6, and thanks to Transmission Films, we have five double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=RyDCfuYTX_U
It's the 32nd year for Australia's largest folk art and music festival. And like a vintage wine, the artistic line up gets more and more complex and impressive as the years go by. This year there'll be over 2000 artists in 400 acts across visual, performance and spoken word formats. Catch folk, rock and pop musicians including John Butler, Kate Miller-Heidke, The Beautiful Girls, Husky, Holy Holy, Canadian band The East Pointers, Timberwolf and Montaigne. Personalities such as Dr Karl, Tracey Spicer and Noel Pearson are among an exhaustive selection of speakers, presenters and comedians doing what they do best and you'll be mesmerised by at least 20 dance and performance acts. You can also try your hand at artisan crafts from pottery to tattoo art to Maori basket weaving — or even just go on a bush walk with a professional nature enthusiast through Woodford's beautiful surrounds. And as usual, you'll welcome in the new year alongside thousands of others with an epic fire display. The crowd is expected to reach over 132,000 this edition, so get your name on a ticket before they become scarce.
Finally, the lobster pop-up our bank accounts have been waiting for. Y'know... relatively speaking, anyway. Now, you will have to venture to the Gold Coast — but this has to be the classiest beach-adjacent lunch you could possibly have. It's all happening at Lobster Shack, taking over the corner of Queensland Avenue and Surf Parade until January 28. And, there's even proper Champagne to go with it. For $35, you can experience Maine lobster confit in a freshly baked roll with buttermilk and fennel slaw. The lobster tails are slow-poached in butter before being placed inside a milk bun. You'll also receive parmesan-dusted truffle fries on the side. If you still don't feel like a baller, you can step up the fancy factor with a glass of Veuve Clicquot on the side for an extra $15. They'll be serving from midday until 9pm each day.
When Coachella was the only thing that everyone could think and talk about in autumn, South Brisbane's sky-high bar Lina Rooftop embraced the occasion, giving itself a Californian-style temporary revamp. Now that winter is here and bringing a chill, the venue is also going all in, this time via a two-month-long seasonal makeover that'll help Brisbanites make the most of the frostier weather — well, Queensland's version of cold — and pretend they're somewhere snowier. And yes, there will be snow. Bringing in seasonal flakes has become a winter go-to at watering holes around Australia when they're keen to get into the midyear spirit, and Lina is jumping on the trend. Obviously, the fact that this snow will be on a rooftop is a hefty point of difference, which also applies to another winter favourite: igloos. From Wednesday, June 28–Sunday, August 27, this winter wonderland — dubbed the Lina Rooftop Winter Wonderland, in fact — will feature private igloos that can welcome in up to six people, and will come equipped with a heater, mini bar and fairy lights. Because they're clear, you'll still be able to soak in the view as you get snacking on cheese and chocolate fondue, plus marshmallows, and while sipping mulled wine. The snow around the place will help set the mood, and so will the firepits and logs, with Winter Wonderland running from Wednesday–Sunday weekly. Eager partygoers have two options in terms of food-and-drink packages, too: a $79 fondue-heavy offering and a $99 spread with raclette. Go with the first pick and you'll tuck into cheese fondue, baguettes, rosemary- and garlic-roasted chats, cured meats, gherkins, on-vine cherry tomatoes, and porcini and truffle arancini. From the sweet side of the menu, there'll also be chocolate fondue, plus strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, marshmallows, brioche and apple to dip in it. If raclette has your tastebuds watering, that package includes the same chocolate fondue lineup as outlined above, but swaps cheese fondue for a 1.8-kilogram block of raclette melted on a hot grill. Also, it pairs the cheese with a French-style platter including potatoes, gherkins, baguettes, cured meats and Swiss brown mushrooms. Everyone gets a glass of mulled wine as well, because it really wouldn't be winter without it — and two-hour seatings take place from 12–2pm, 2.30–4.30pm, 5–7pm and 7.30–9.30pm. The Lina Rooftop Winter Wonderland runs from Wednesday, June 28–Sunday, August 27 at Lina Rooftop, 74/80 Tribune Street, South Brisbane — head to the venue's website for further details.
The Story Bridge is a Brisbane icon, an icon you can climb. Even if you haven't spent much time driving or running across it, you'd still be used to the sight of people in daggy grey and blue jumpsuits marching up and down the length of it. So, we reckon that this Thursday you should throw all inhibitions and fashion cares to the wind, and add 'bridge climber' to your CV. Sign up for a Twilight Climb to see some pretty spectacular sites as traffic whizzes by below. It's time to get over that fear of heights because there's not much else that is as Brisbane as the Story Bridge climb. Book in and see the city from a truly unique perspective.
Pop-up bars are no stranger to Brisbane's streets — but none deliver a message quite as blatant as Trash Tiki. It's operating waste-free and travelling the world showing customers and bar owners how to do it too. In the hopes of drawing attention to over-consumption and single-use ingredients in the craft cocktail industry today, UK bartenders Kelsey Ramage and Iain Griffiths have designed the pop-up to be a launchpad for a conversation on waste. It's travelled Europe, Asia, South America, the US and now Australia. As part of their stint in the country, Trash Tiki is heading to Brisbane to do something a little different — and it comes with dinner. In celebration of World Bartender Day, the duo will settle in at Electric Avenue on February 26 and host a three-course meal that comes complete with four anti-waste cocktails. The drinks selection will be created using a combination of fresh local ingredients and things from the kitchen or bar that'd otherwise end up in the bin, including a special one-off Wild Card concoction that uses waste items from the dinner itself. Also on the menu: the Black & Tan Sour, which features Jim Beam Black Label, honey cream, lemon juice and stock, wattle seed syrup, whey, lemon husks and egg yolks. Two seatings will be held, at 6pm and 8pm, with tickets costing $93.50. Image: Steven Woodburn.
Ask a cyclist why they risk death on two wheels to get around town, and their response might mention the green credentials of biking: infinite miles per gallon, fewer resources used in manufacturing, no resources required to repair the damage to roads caused by bikes... But what if you wanted to take your eco-cycling to a whole new level? What about all that CARBON in the carbon fibre? One of the world's leading bike manufacturers has come up with a solution. Trek have a recycling program using waste carbon fibre products to make new bike frames, and keeping the waste from landfill. If that's not green enough for you, you could opt for a bike made from nature's own carbon fibre: wood. Audi have partnered with specialist bike manufacturer Renovo to create a range of luxury bikes with hardwood frames. But if you prefer to have an eco-bike that's not associated with a car company, why not grow your own? Bamboo bikes have been around for a while as a cycling curio, and are now getting the full cycle-bling treatment by the likes of Calfee. Or, if you're into DIY, there's even an instructables page on how to build one yourself.
