The Southside Tea Room has become a hub of unique activities. Not only do they provide great food and drink to their patrons, but nearly every week there is some kind of special event where people can indulge their creative side and take part in something different. This Easter Sunday, the Tea Room will be hosting Plaster Fun House – a night where patrons can get crafty and make something they can treasure. The ticket includes one glass or wine or a beer upon arrival, so get into the Easter spirit and see what you can whip up! Make sure to check out the Southside Tea Room website for information on future events, great things like this happen regularly, make sure you keep on top of it!
Let's do some quick math. 120 bands, 12 venues, two nights. If my basic addition is correct, these all equal one heck of a good time. BIGSOUND is massive. Whether you are a member of Australia’s booming music industry or just a regular music fan, BIGSOUND has something for you. Hailed as Australia’s answer to SXSW, BIGSOUND is a music conference with a bit of bite. Located in our very own entertainment precinct, Fortitude Valley, this music gathering is a place to swap ideas, make contacts and see some of Australia’s best up-and-coming bands. While the music conference might not be for everyone, the Live Showcase is going to be off the proverbial chain. 12 of Brisbane’s best live venues are hosting two nights of great live music. New bands, old bands, great bands – there is something here that everyone can enjoy. Some of the musicians on display are: Billy Bragg (pictured), Robert Forster, Regurgitator ,Megan Washington, The John Steel Singers, Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Darren Middleton, Natalie Pa’apa’a of Blue King Brown, Gossling, Yukon Blonde, The Jungle Giants, Calling All Cars, Stonefield, Chance Waters, Bleeding Knees Club and loads more. Whoa, that’s a lot of talent. BIGSOUND is happening all over town from Tuesday the 10th, to Friday the 13th.
If there is one thing we can learn from the social network juggernaut that was Kony2012, it is that the pervasive power of Facebook provides internet activists or hacktivists with a unique capacity to transform public consciousness on a truly global scale. As such, a number of environmental activists are not only taking to the streets but taking to Facebook in an attempt to raise awareness about the pressing environmental issues that face society today. Here are six innovative groups and apps that have taken the fight for a greener future into the world of Facebook. Tree-Nation Tree-Nation is one of numerous Facebook groups committed to fighting deforestation and desertification through replanting trees. For every ten people who join the Tree-Nation Facebook page, the organisation will plant one tree. Even more ambitiously, Facebook group iChapter has promised to plant one tree for every new member, with the aim to eventually plant a total of 100,000 trees. For the more Facebook savvy of you, the Earthkeepers have created an app that allows users to plant a virtual tree, tend to it and share it with friends, with every fully matured virtual tree resulting in Earthkeepers planting a tree in the real world. Make Me Sustainable Make Me Sustainable allows users to measure their impact on the environment by tracking energy consumption and carbon footprint, allowing you to see how an action as simple as changing a light bulb can reduce your environmental impact. While there is a great range of software available for individuals and businesses that help in reducing your environmental footprint, Make Me Sustainable is unique as it provides a forum for sharing information and strategies for sustainable living and a virtual space to network with other environmentally-minded individuals on a national and even international scale. A Climate for Change Not simply a Facebook application, A Climate for Change is in fact a whole new social network built around the goal of tackling the issue of climate change. Users create profiles where they share anything and everything they have to say about global warming from rants about the Carbon Tax to interesting articles and videos about the effects of our warming planet. The We Campaign As the name suggests, The We Campaign hopes to shift our focus from what 'I' can do to make a difference but what 'we' as a global community, connected through our shared desires and the power of Facebook, can do together to protect and preserve the environment. The We Campaign app awards points to users for taking certain environmental actions, with donors giving $1 to fight global warming for every 10 points earnt. Trees Have Rights Too In the age of social networking environmental activists no longer have to chain themselves to giant oaks in order to fight for their right to exist. Trees Have Rights Too not only functions as an awareness group, describing how every Christmas season 6 million trees are killed and then disposed of, but also as a particularly vocal advocacy group for the rights of trees everywhere. The group is currently aiming to petition the United Nations to create a Bill of Planetary Rights that places guidelines and regulations on government deforestation. (Lil) Green Patch The now defunct Facebook app, (Lil) Green Patch was once the most used application on Facebook and well-and-truly silenced the doubters who believed that social media couldn't be used to create meaningful environmental change. The app allowed users to tend to a virtual garden, adding little munchkin-like people, plants and flowers and in the process users would raise money for "Nature Conservancy" to save the rainforest. According to one count (Lil) Green Patch raised more than $200,000 for Nature Conservancy over two years, which represented the conservation of rainforests across the globe with an area of 70 million square feet of Costa Rican saved in the first six months alone. (Lil) Green Patch is now the benchmark for every new environmentally-minded Facebook app.
Spring 2022 wasn't a happy time for This That, or for Newcastle and Brisbane folks planning to dance their way through the music festival. After hosting fests in both spots earlier that year, the event had to pull the plug on its October and November dates "due to a combination of issues", organisers advised. This That had always promised that it'd be back in spring 2023, however, and now it's locked in its new dates. Queenslanders, you're heading to Sandstone Point Hotel on Saturday, November 4. Music lovers of New South Wales, make a date with Wickham Park in Newcastle on Saturday, November 11. So far, there's no word on a lineup, after 2022's fests featured Hayden James, WHATSONOT, The Rubens, Spacey Jane, Dune Rats, WAAX, Client Liaison, Meg Mac and more. The cancelled events the same year were due to host Earl Sweatshirt and Flight Facilities, plus The Presets, Vera Blue, Winston Surfshirt, DMA's, Chillinit, Skeggs, Hockey Dad and Jesswar, although whether any will pop up in 2023 is yet to be revealed. For now, organisers are teasing This That's biggest festival to date, as well as its largest roster of international acts. Expect more details soon, with the event's website already taking pre-sale registrations. THIS THAT NOVEMBER 2023 DATES: Saturday, November 4 Sandstone Point Hotel, Sandstone Point, Queensland Saturday, November 11: Wickham Park, Newcastle, New South Wales This That will return in November 2023, playing Sandstone Point in Queensland and Newcastle in New South Wales. For more information and to sign up for pre-sale tickets, head to the festival's website. Images: Mitch Lowe / Jordan Munns.
Something happens when fathers get to a certain age — they get really into their hobbies. We don't know whether it's because they have more time on their hands now you're all grown up, or if some magical switch flicks, but suddenly all their downtime is spent dedicated to vintage cars, golf or DIY projects. And that has one major benefit for you: it presents a goldmine of gifting opportunities. If one of your dad's passions is his home bar, we're here to point you in the right direction. We've partnered with Maker's Mark to bring you a round-up of classy gift ideas that'll make your pop's bar the best in the street, whether it's a newfound obsession or it's been there as long as you can remember (and therefore in dire need of a refresh). FANCY GLASSWARE Part of the fun of having a home bar is the ritual of fixing yourself a drink at the end of a long day. It's a form of self-care, in our opinion. But the magic kind of disappears when the vessel you're using is a leftover plastic cup from a backyard barbecue or cloudy contraband from the local pub. So we suggest getting Dad some glassware that he'll actually enjoy drinking from. Canberra-based homewares store Bisonhome sells expertly crafted ceramics and blown glassware designed by Brian Tunks, who studied ancient designs at archaeological digs in the Middle East. If your dad is partial to a whisky mixer, this six-pack of highball glasses is a great way to start his collection. Adhering to the Bisonhome aesthetic of simple, classic designs, these glasses should suit all home bar styles, while the mix of colours will add that retro edge. COOL WHISKY STONES With two stores in Sydney — Opus in Paddington and Octopus in Newtown — plus a stellar online store that ships nationally, Opus Designs has long been one of our go-to spots for gifts. And it certainly delivers on bar cart must-haves, including this cute little set of whisky chillers. If your dad is the type that likes to sit on a nip of whisky for an hour, then complain because the ice has melted and ruined the integrity (and temperature) of his drink, these will suit perfectly. All he has to do is pop these little guys in the freezer a few hours before use, and his nightcap will remain ice-cold for as long as it takes for him to finish it. And because they're made out of granite and soapstone, he'll still hear that satisfying 'chink' as he drops them in the glass. A PERSONALISED DECANTER This personalised decanter from Hard to Find will take pride of place on your dad's home bar. It's a 700ml decanter — which, FYI, will conveniently fit an entire bottle of Maker's Mark — that comes engraved with your dad's name. If you have the type of dad that's impossible to buy for because he purchases everything he wants or needs for himself, personalised gifts are great. Nobody buys themselves personalised things, right? Plus, it shows you've put a little more thought into the gift — without really putting that much extra effort in. A SUPER SWISH APRON If Dad is going to be spending so much time behind his home bar mixing, shaking and stirring, he has to look the part. And a nice, tailormade apron is the way to go — particularly if he hasn't got his mixology skills quite down pat yet and is prone to making a big mess. Sydney-based design studio Worktones specialises in high-quality workwear for the hospitality industry. We bet a lot of your favourite bars, cafes and restaurants uses Worktones for their aprons, uniforms and merchandise. The adjustable Birdy apron is made using 100-percent mercerised cotton twill, so it'll look good and last for ages. It comes in white, dark navy and olive, and costs just $35. [caption id="attachment_746194" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Discrepancy Records, Tracey Ah-kee[/caption] A KILLER SOUND SYSTEM Something else that Dad needs if he's going to be hanging out in his bar so much? Music, of course. Pander to the 'old man' in him by splashing out on a record player, then hunt down some of his favourite classic albums on vinyl. In Melbourne, your best bet is Discrepancy Records, which boasts more than 15,000 LPs. Have a gander at its online store for some of the newest releases — including a re-release of The Rolling Stones' Goat's Head Soup and Bob Dylan's Rough and Rowdy Ways — plus a bunch of LP bundles (think Queen, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd), all of which you can get delivered for free. In Brisbane, we suggest visiting Rocking Horse Records on Albert Street. And, if Dad's taste is a little left-of-centre, Sydney's Repressed Records, based in Newtown, specialises in underrated and independent artists — so it has music that's hard to find anywhere else. [caption id="attachment_766131" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Maree Downs', Madi Whyte, Cream Town[/caption] SOME EXCELLENT ARTWORK We all know those home bars that are covered in sports team merch. But if you want your dad's version to look a little, well, classier, opt for a standout piece of art instead. Check out Cream Town, an online art shop that was started by photographer Isaebella Doherty to support Aussie artists that have been financially impacted by COVID-19. The range of prints, from photographs to collage and illustrations, start from just $100 each, and they all have a limited run, so Dad can brag about having a rare artwork adorning his bar wall. A BOTTLE OF HIS FAVOURITE WHISKY And, of course, no home bar is complete without your dad's favourite tipple. Whichever item from this list you choose to spoil your dad with, be sure to add on a bottle of Maker's Mark. This smooth Kentucky-style bourbon whisky has woody oak aromas with sweet caramel and vanilla notes making it an excellent all-rounder for a home bar. It can be enjoyed both on the rocks or in a cocktail. If he decides to try the latter, shoot him a link to this recipe guide, which has four super-easy bourbon-based cocktails to try out. Learn more about Maker's Mark by visiting the website here.
Broadcasting out of a tiny shopfront on New York City's First Avenue, the legendary East Village Radio has been a solid citizen of the Big Apple for the past 11 years. But heavy licensing fees will see the independent online station forced to shut down, broadcasting its last show on May 23. Covering every genre from experimental, brash Brooklyn garage rock to phonograph recordings of old-timey pre-war singalongs, EVR has had some serious talent behind the wheel over the years. With presenters such as Mark Ronson, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce (The Smiths), members of Das Racist, Elliot Wilson (Rap Radar) Hannah Rad (Diddy's Revolt TV), Bobby Friction (BBC) and many, many more, EVR has been responsible for both breaking green new artists and reminding listeners of legends they might have missed. Inviting countless big and small name guests into the tiny mirror-walled, glass-fronted studio wedged between a tattoo parlour and a local Italian eatery Frankie's (and sitting just around the corner from the former site of rock Mecca CBGB), EVR has formed an integral part of the New York music landscape over the years, with Lou Reed, Johnny Marr and Richard Hell popping in on occasion. And Drake. Popularity isn't the problem for EVR, with listenership rising daily for the online broadcaster since opening as a 10-watt FM radio station in 2003. But with each new pair of ears comes a price tag, one the station can't afford to front forever. According to the Congressional Digital Music Copyright Act of 1998, online broadcasters must pay a digital performance royalty for each listener. With EVR achieving over a million listeners a month, it seems popularity would bankrupt the beloved station. "Every time we get a new listener, it costs us more money with licensing fees and Internet costs," East Village Radio CEO Frank Prisinzano told East Village blog EV Grieve. "After doing some projections, we see that it is going to be very, very difficult for us to continue to break even." General manager and head of programming Peter Ferraro explained to the blog that the station was paying an unfair price for its own popularity. "It's almost like we are being penalized for our growth... We pay a higher rate for royalties and licensing than Pandora pays," he said. "We live in a world where these behemouth music-streaming services keep going in for more capital. It's very difficult for an independent medium music company to survive in a world where Apple is paying $3.2 billion for Beats by Dre." New Yorkers aren't the only ones who'll miss EVR. Broadcasting in an online capacity and through the EVR app, the radio station found most of its fanbase worldwide — particularly in the UK. Countless Australians have featured on the station, with drop-ins from locals The Presets, Flume, Courtney Barnett, The Preatures (pictured above), Kevin Parker, Jagwar Ma, Hiatus Kaiyote, Art vs. Science, Anna Lunoe, The Laurels, San Cisco, The Griswolds and many more. With just a few weeks of broadcast left, EVR presenters will have the chance to sign off in their own signature fashion. In a gesture of professional decency, the station will also release every last archived show to each DJ so they can hunt around for syndication elsewhere or land themselves another presenting spot. So crank up EVR while you still can and join the team for their last hurrah on May 23. Listen to EVR online here. Via EV Grieve and New York Observer.
Young South Korean artist JeeYoung Lee is generating quite a buzz for herself in the art world these days, and it's not hard to see why. A recent graduate of Seoul's Hongik University, the artist's dreamy, highly imaginative work surpasses our traditional expectations of photography. Plus, it's totally spectacular to look at. It's hard to believe it, but Lee's images aren't Photoshopped. Instead, displaying admirable patience, she spends weeks and often months turning her tiny little studio (only 3 x 6 metres) into an unimaginably intricate, detailed set. Once she's captured the essence of the particular dream, desire, nightmare, hope or conflict she had in mind, she places herself within the image, never facing the camera directly — in fact, often with her back to it. The result is a strangely beautiful kind of reality. JeeYoung Lee is considered an up-and-coming artist in her native South Korea. She won last year's Sovereign Art Prize and has exhibited at Seoul's OCI Museum, the Incheon Foundation for Art and Culture, the Kyoto Photographic Museum in Japan and early next year will open her first European exhibition at France's Opiom Gallery with this ongoing series of self-portraits, entitled Stage of Mind. Broken Heart Black Birds Nightmare The Little Match Girl Maiden Voyage Last Supper Treasure Hunt Top image: Resurrection. Story via Colossal.
Crowdfunding is a relatively new concept, but it's also been pretty controversial, especially after big-name artists started using it to fund albums (Amanda Palmer and Eskimo Joe, anyone?). But it's also being used as a starting point for some great ideas and inventions that may not have ever become a reality otherwise. In 2012, cycling enthusiast Izhar Gafni invented a bicycle made out of recycled cardboard, rubber and plastic — the total cost of the materials coming to just $9. Now, Gafni has launched a $2 million Indiegogo campaign to take the project to the next level, which would involve mass producing the bike with the ultimate aim of making it affordable and widely available to people all over the world. Gafni describes the technology behind the bike as 'game changing' and thinks it could be the start of a 'green revolution'. On his Indiegogo page, Gafni says that the bike "means that children in under-developed countries can have access to these bikes to get to school, and their parents can get to work" and "the funds we raise will allow us to establish the first cardboard bicycle production line, thereby creating jobs, affordable transportation and a cleaner environment. For the people, by the people." https://youtube.com/watch?v=jBa0Wy50X5Y Via PSFK.
After announcing that they would expand to Western Australia this year, the Falls Music & Arts Festival have this morning announced the dates for their four-city schedule and one kickass headliner: Childish Gambino. Yep, musical (and acting and writing) wunderkind Donald Glover will return to Australia to play all four shows over the New Years period. It's his first visit back since playing Listen Out Festival last year. As always, Falls will be heading to Lorne in Victoria for four nights, and Marion Bay in Tassie and Byron Bay on the NSW coast for three nights over New Year's Eve. They'll also be setting up shop in Fremantle for the first time with Falls Downtown, a two-day city festival slated to take place over the weekend of January 7-8. The main stage will be set up in Freo's town square, while an old-world ballroom and a stone-walled church will house the smaller ones. They'll also be taking over the abandoned Myer building, turning it into a creepy crib for art installations, "unexpected performance areas", markets and "bunkered basement danceterias". There'll even be a small number of glamping tents on the roof. It sounds similar to some of Melbourne Music Week's activations of abandoned spaces, and it sounds insane. This new iteration of the festival and the announcement of Childish Gambino as headliner is another win for Falls, who sell out their Lorne event basically every year. Since its inception in Lorne back in 1993, the festival has grown to span three cities, which include the original site on the Great Ocean Road, Marion Bay in Tassie and, since 2013, Byron Bay. But here's the dates. The full festival lineup will be announced on Tuesday, August 23. Start planning. Lorne, Victoria: December 28-31 Marion Bay, Tasmania: December 29-31 Byron Bay, NSW: December 31 - January 2 Fremantle, WA: January 7-8 For more announcements from Falls Festival, visit their website.
A skating session that's all about exercise rather than rolling freely, RollerFit finally arrived in Brisbane a few years back — and, post COVID-19 lockdowns, it wants you to go for a spin. Two days a week, you can hit the rink at the YMCA Bowen Hills, with separate one-hour sessions for beginners just learning to skate and intermediate to advanced speedsters. Yep, if this is the first time you've ever even thought about living out your Whip It or Xanadu dreams, don't worry — you're covered. The novice class takes place on Tuesdays from 7–8pm, while the more experienced skaters lace up on Wednesday nights at the same time. Dropping in costs $25, or you can take that down to $20 if you plan to visit regularly and sign up for a $25 membership. Five, ten and 20-class passes are also on offer, which can bring your per-session fee down to $14. If you don't have your own wheels, you can also rent them for an extra $5 per session. Rental covers sizes 5–13, and it's a first-come, first-served kind of deal unless you email a week in advance. Rollerfit's Brisbane classes take place at the YMCA Bowen Hills on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 7–8pm. Images: Susie Yang.
Due to the laws of nature, 16-metre-high fibreglass pineapples aren't capable of growing — but Queensland's favourite towering attraction is expanding anyway. As part of a $150 million redevelopment, the space around The Big Pineapple is about to look a whole lot different. As well as viewing the giant tropical fruit, you'll soon be able zoom down a zipline, cool off in a water park, sink a few beers at a craft brewery and even stay for the night. For those keen on climbing and soaring, TreeTop Challenge's new course will be a big drawcard. It'll feature 120 activities across eight acres, including a two-kilometre stretch of high ropes and the 120-metre zipline — all up, it'll take half a day to complete. Alongside the water park, it'll form part of an 'adventure precinct', which is bound to get busy during peak tourism periods. Across The Big Pineapple's 170-hectare site, other additions range from a major concert event space — which means more ongoing music gigs like the Big Pineapple Music Festival — to a food hub, which will feature cafes and other eateries down the line. It will also be the new home of Sunshine Coast yoghurt company Coyo, and a new craft brewery and major distillery. [caption id="attachment_698027" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Anne and David via Flickr[/caption] For those keen to not only make the trip 90 minutes north of Brisbane to Nambour, but to truly make both a day and night of it, you'll soon be able to stay onsite too. Glamping was first mooted back in 2017, when proposals to reinvigorate the huge attraction were originally floated, and it looks set to be featured alongside an RV park, an eco resort and a hotel. In total, there will be 793 different accommodation options according to the Queensland Government's funding announcement. While the high-ropes course and zipline are due to launch in March this year, exactly when the other fresh additions will open also hasn't been confirmed. The Big Pineapple's existing attractions, such as the heritage-listed train, the Wildlife HQ zoo and the lure of snapping a selfie next to the enormous piece of fruit, will all remain. For more information about The Big Pineapple's redevelopment, visit the attraction's website. Top image: The Big Pineapple.
Promoters Live Nation have been forced to postpone tonight's Sydney instalment of Janelle Monae and Kimbra's Golden Electric tour, due to Monae coming down with a sudden illness. The Grammy-nominated singer had to step out of the first show of the tour in Melbourne on Saturday and will hang back in the Victorian capital today — Live Nation issued a statement saying Monae "has been required to remain in Melbourne under medical supervision to assess her recovery." The postponement of the Sydney Opera House show comes at an unfortunate time for moving things around, as the rescheduled show would have to land before Friday when Vivid LIVE takes control of the House for the next few weeks. After the tour-commencing Perth show was already cancelled, it seems The Golden Electric tour is in need of a few lucky rabbit feet. Live Nation are set to make an announcement tomorrow, recommending ticket holders sit tight and hang on to their stubs. https://youtube.com/watch?v=SyqltX5lRhQ Via TheMusic.com.au.
Jurassic Park still hasn't become a reality, but plenty of people are trying to build the next best thing. Brisbane played host to a virtual dinosaur zoo, Queensland could be getting a Jurassic Park-themed amusement park, an American attraction lets visitors roam through the desert with life-sized renderings and Jurassic World movies keep being made.. Now, an open-air dinosaur exhibition has popped up in Australia. Dinosaur Canyon is the latest addition to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs, aka the dinosaur-focused museum you mightn't realise sits in central Queensland. Perched on a cliff, the new section boasts a 300-metre floating, treetop-style concrete walkway that takes patrons over a gorge and past five galleries filled with dinosaur replicas. Cast in bronze and built to scale, they're not just statues of any old dinos — they're versions of the types of dinosaurs that have been found in the region. Yes, if you're wondering why the country's dinosaur haven resides in the middle of the outback — it's located just outside of Winton, which is approximately 1500 kilometres from Brisbane — it's because that's where dino fossils were found back in 1999. Local grazier David Elliott came across a piece while mustering, and then turned his attention to transforming the site into a natural history museum that delves into its previous inhabitants. Dinosaur Canyon opens to the public on April 16, offering a fresh attraction for dinosaur fiends who happen to find themselves in the dusty centre of Queensland. As well as checking out the new replicas against a stunning natural backdrop, visitors to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs can view bones, touch them — yep, touch actual dinosaur bones — and participate in both dinosaur digs and fossil preparation. Via ABC. Images: Sarah Ward / Australian Age of Dinosaurs.
While an airport's not usually the kind of place you scramble to spend time in, Singapore's Changi Airport has a knack for making the whole transit thing a little more fun. And right now, the major transport hub — which welcomes a cool 65 million visitors each year — is embracing the festive season, unveiling a new immersive Frozen-inspired winter wonderland pop-up. Running until January 5 in celebration of Disney's soon-to-be-released Frozen 2, the installation will see various parts of the airport transformed into snow-dusted fantasy worlds, evoking all those white Christmas feelings. The airport's new nature-themed retail and entertainment precinct Jewel will play host to a program of dazzling themed light and sound shows, splashed across its Rain Vortex: the world's tallest indoor waterfall. There'll also be a festive market selling a wide array of handmade goodies for last-minute Christmas present shopping, as well as an offering of workshops covering crafty endeavours like terrarium-making and ukulele-painting. Meanwhile, the T3 Departure Hall will feature an immersive enchanted forest pop-up, with four challenge zones inspired by the four elements of nature. Sure, it's a total kids' paradise, but there's also plenty to charm the young at heart, from jolly stilt-walkers to larger-than-life installations and roving carollers. The faux snow will be a-flying at regular intervals and Changi will even be graced by its biggest Christmas tree ever – a 16-metre-tall stunner, decked out head-to-toe in full festive finery and lit-up dramatically at 6.30pm each evening. Keep an eye out for it at the Jewel entrance near Terminal 1. Changi Airport sure knows how to keep a travel-weary person entertained between flights. During last year's Christmas period, it hosted an immersive Harry Potter-themed world, while earlier this year, it unveiled its new 14,000-square-metre Canopy Park, complete with mirror and hedge maze, topiary walk (which is currently filled with snow) and slide-filled sculptural playground. A Frozen Wonderland at Changi is located in Terminal 1-3 at Changi Airport until January 5, 2020.
We've said it before and we'll say it again: Nicolas Cage cures all woes. Whether you're having an average 2022 so far, or you're sad that the long weekend is over — or you're in parts of the country that don't get a long weekend mid-June and you're sad about that — watching one of the greatest actors alive make on-screen magic as only he can is always a thrill. Yes, that's true whether he's in an excellent or awful movie, too. Your latest excuse to see Nicolas Cage do his thing comes courtesy of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, aka a movie that's gotten a fair amount of attention for one huge reason: it stars Cage as Cage. It was first announced back in 2021, then hit Australian cinemas back in April. Now, as a mid-winter gift — and because fast-tracking flicks from cinemas to digital has become the pandemic-era status quo — the film has made the very quick leap to video on demand. That means that you can now spend your next at-home movie night watching Nicolas Cage play Nicolas Cage — and playing a whole lot of different styles of Cage, too. There's serious Cage, comedic Cage, out-there Cage, OTT Cage, short-haired Cage, floppy-haired Cage, slick Cage, gun-toting Cage and every-facial-expression-imaginable Cage. Whichever kind of Cage you can think of, it's accounted for. All your favourite Cage titles also get a nod or mention in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which sure does love absolutely everything about its leading man. There is a story behind the film's Cage-obsessed premise, of course. The fictionalised Cage is in a career lull, and is thinking about giving up acting, when he accepts an offer to attend a super fan-slash-billionaire's birthday. Getting paid $1 million is just too much to pass up, and he needs the money. But when it turns out that he might now be working for and palling around with one of the most ruthless men on the planet (played by Pedro Pascal, Wonder Woman 1984) — as a couple of intelligence agents (The Afterparty co-stars Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz) eventually tell him — things get mighty hectic. Also joining Cage playing Cage — not to be confused with his work in Adaptation, where he played two characters — are Sharon Horgan (This Way Up) as his fictional wife and Neil Patrick Harris (The Matrix Resurrections) as his manager. And, Are We Officially Dating? filmmaker Tom Gormican sits in the director's chair, because if there's anything else that this movie also needs, it's the director of a Zac Efron and Michael B Jordan-starring rom-com pivoting to total Cage worship. Yes, we've seen Cage break out of Alcatraz, sing Elvis songs, run around the streets convinced that he's a vampire, let his long hair flap in the wind and swap faces. He's voiced a version of Spider-Man, driven fast cars, fought space ninjas, hunted for his kidnapped truffle pig and stolen babies as well. Staying in his own shoes definitely stands out, though — as Cage himself always does. Check out the trailer for The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent below: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is available to stream via Google Play, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review.
Sick of waiting in line to pick up a coffee? Have a drone fly one to you instead. Costa Coffee in the UAE has trialled "coffee-copter" delivery, ferrying caffeinated beverages to Dubai beachgoers. If there's an occasion that calls for aerial beverage service, it's lazing on the sand getting some sun. Coffee-loving customers had iced versions of their drink of choice in their hands within 15 minutes of ordering, with Costa's Jumeirah Beach Drive-Thru store stepping into the future to test out the concept. The move came after a survey of their patrons revealed 82 percent were open to getting their brews via drone. Really, the most surprising part is that 18 percent said no. Delivering food, drinks and more by drone is a concept that isn't going away, so prepare for more such instances in the future. Sushi, burgers, slurpees and pizza have all received the same treatment in the past, while Amazon wants drones to bring its packages to your door, and Aussie beaches will deploy the technology to patrol the beaches for sharks over summer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S3OiTOemxY Via The National.
Sydney trio Little May could be Australia's answer to folk warblers First Aid Kit. They've certainly been compared to the Swedish duo, and to New Zealand's Tiny Ruins, but at the moment they are carving out their own path. They've recently put out their debut, self-titled EP and just wrapped up an Australian tour with the legendary Rodriguez. But there's no rest for the wicked (or the wickedly charming, in this case). Little May are about to embark on a 12-date national headline tour to promote the EP. With hype following Little May wherever they wander — from appearances at Splendour and Laneway, to an intimate showcase in London, a string of shows at CMJ in New York, and now this tour back home — the trio know a thing or two about being on the road. With summer road trip season coming up, we thought we'd check in with Liz Drummond, Hannah Field and Annie Hamilton to get us all geared up for hittin' the ol' frog and toad. What's been your best road trip so far, whether with the band or on your own steam? Annie: When I was in Mexico a couple of years ago I hired a car and drove through the desert for a few days to a tiny town called Xilitla, where there is a magical rainforest filled with surrealist scultpures, towers, pools and waterfalls. I got lost in a maze and slept in a teepee that had teapots hanging from the ceiling. It was crazy and weird and amazing. Liz: The trip up to Splendour was probably the best. I always love road trips up to Byron, but having the excitement of playing Splendour was pretty unreal. Hannah: I went on a six-week road trip with my best friend, Kandis, when I was 19. We did a big chunk of Australia's East Coast in my old Nissan Pulsar 'Bruce'. At one point Kand vomited in her handbag, lost her wallet, replaced wallet, withdrew all her money from the bank as she didn't have an ATM card, then had said wallet stolen from the caravan park we were staying at in Coff's. It was so fun. Where are you heading on your road trippin' tour this time around? Liz: I think we will probably be flying to most places on this tour in November. On our last tour we drove everywhere. It was a bit touch and go at points, we left Brisbane and arrived in Melbourne just in time to go on stage. I think that was what was the most fun about it though. We will be driving down to Wollongong and Canberra though, which is always fun. Looking forward to any stop in particular? Annie: I've never been to the Sunshine Coast before, so definitely looking forward to that! We're up there in early December so will hopefully have a bit of spare time to go to the beach. Liz: I'm looking forward to driving down the South Coast, it's so beautiful. I love visiting Wollongong and playing there, and seeing friends and other bands we haven't caught up with in a while. We always play at Yours and Owls (it's now called Rad), which is the smallest but coolest venue. Hannah: I'm excited for Perth. We have a day off in between shows, so it will be really great to just hang out at the beach, explore and have adventures. https://youtube.com/watch?v=HwV2GCooJlg What do you drive on the road? Annie: Our amazing bass player, Mark, has a pretty awesome yellow troopie van from the 90s. He let us borrow it for the last few road trips, so fingers crossed we can use it again this time round! Then again, it has no air-con or radio, so we may not be too happy with it after a month-long summer tour... Hannah: It's the best. It hurts your bottom after a while though. What's on your road trip playlist? Liz: Cloud Control, Thom Yorke's new album, The National, Fink, Father John Misty. Hannah: You can't really go past Springsteen. He's my only necessity. Annie: At the moment it's the new alt-J album on repeat. What's your preferred road trip snack? Liz: Apples. And lollies. I am addicted to sugar. Hannah: Frosty Fruits and/or Nerds. Annie: After several long drives to Melbourne and Brissy earlier this year we all got pretty over Maccas and started packing hummus and carrots as car snacks. This is a great idea until you lose the lid and end up with warm hummus all over everything... Watch out for that. Know any good car games? Liz: We make up a lot of stupid games. Mark usually inspires something absurd. We have spent a lot of road trips listening to him make up characters, and then interviewing them. He is an awesome actor, so it can get really weird at times. It's not always funny — sometimes his characters are really sad, and we asked them really intense questions. Hannah gets really wigged out by it, it's pretty funny. Annie: All the classics. I Spy never gets old. If you're a tragic holiday Instagrammer like the best of us, got a favourite filter for roadies? Liz: I am pretty bad at taking photos, I don't take enough. But in all honesty, if I'm in the photo, I basically just go through the filters until I think I look the best. Everyone is guilty of doing that. Hannah: I am really bad at social media… But I think there is one I have used called Amaro? Quite nice. Nice vibes. Annie: After just browsing through all of the filters trying to decide I'm going to say anything except Kelvin (sorry Kelvin). Where would you like to road trip in the future? Hannah: Would love to do the States, that would be incredible. Annie: I would love to do a road trip around Europe. I've never been there before so hopefully we'll get a chance sometime in the future to tour there! https://youtube.com/watch?v=A1nnYFgidnI Catch Little May on their national tour this November/December: Fri 21 Nov Northcote Social Club, Melbourne With Winterbourne and HOWQUA. Tickets $15 through Northcote Social Club or 1300 724 867. Sat 22 Nov The Front Gallery & Cafe, Canberra With Winterbourne and HOWQUA. Tickets $15 through Oztix or 1300 762 545. Thurs 27 Nov Newtown Social Club, Sydney With Winterbourne and HOWQUA. Tickets $15 through Newtown Social Club or 1300 724 867. Fri 28 Nov Newtown Social Club, Sydney With I Know Leopard and HOWQUA. Tickets $15 through Newtown Social Club or 1300 724 867. Sat 29 Nov Gorgeous Music Festival, McLaren Vale Tickets through Oztix or 1300 762 545. Fri 5 Dec Solbar, Sunshine Coast With Winterbourne and HOWQUA. Tickets $15 through Oztix or 1300 762 545 Sat 6 Dec Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane With special guests Winterbourne and HOWQUA. Tickets $15 through Oztix or 1300 762 545 Little May's debut EP is available digitally now via Dew Process and UMA Recordings. Words by Jessica Surman. Interview by Shannon Connellan.
Two big-name Hollywood stars. One movie. One helluva face off. If that setup didn't exist, there'd be far few action-thrillers reaching screens — and Netflix's latest, the Ryan Gosling- and Chris Evans-starring The Gray Man, wouldn't exist either. Based on the novel by Mark Greaney, The Gray Man follows CIA operative Court Gentry (Gosling, First Man). Also known as Sierra Six, he was once the agency's most skilled killer — after being recruited out of a federal penitentiary — but now he's on the run after discovering secrets that his employer doesn't want anyone to know. That's where his ex-colleague Lloyd Hansen (Evans, Free Guy) comes in, putting a target on his head, sparking a manhunt by international assassins, and leaving Gentry fighting for his life with only the help of Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas, No Time to Die). It all sounds as standard as action-thrillers go — and the just-dropped first trailer for the flick, which'll hit cinemas on July 14 and Netflix on July 22, is filled with exactly the kinds of things that all action-thrillers are. Gosling runs, Evans taunts, everyone smoulders and brood, things explode, fists are thrown and chases ensue. Gosling chats about his ego getting hurt, too, and Evans also gets saddled with quite the moustache — and quite the cheesy line. So, if you've ever wanted to hear the former Captain America say "if you want to make an omelette, you've got to kill some people", then this is for you. From its first sneak peek, The Gray Man also looks moodily shot — and, as the John Wick franchise and Atomic Blonde have both proven, an ace cast and style for days can be huge assets in this genre. Indeed, oh-so-many action-thriller flicks have served up a premise so familiar that audiences have seen it countless times before, but made up for it in the way it all comes together. Fingers crossed that The Gray Man is one of those movies. As well as heralding Gosling's first film since 2018 — so if you've been missing him in movies, that's why — and Evans getting villainous, The Gray Man also features Bridgerton's Regé-Jean Page, plus Billy Bob Thornton (Goliath), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrections), Indian star Dhanush, Wagner Moura (Shining Girls) and Alfre Woodard (The Lion King). Behind the lens, the movie marks the latest directorial effort by Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo — and reportedly didn't come cheap, costing $200 million and ranking as Netflix's most expensive production to-date. Check out the trailer for The Gray Man below: The Gray Man will screen in cinemas from July 14, and will be available to stream via Netflix on July 22. Images: Stanislav Honzik and Paul Abell/Netflix © 2022.
Witch Hats are the kind of band that helps you to remember what it feels like to be 17 again. You know the days, when no one admitted to liking pop music and everything you listened to had to have angry and gritty overtones to be acceptably cool. Described by Mess & Noise as creating “pop songs that sound as if they’d spent twenty years in a trashcan”, Melbourne quartet Witch Hats manage to marry melodically dysfunctional pop with lo-fi dirty noise. The band have evolved considerably since their early ‘caps locked’ days and have stepped their songs up a notch musically by teaming up with producer Casey Rice (Tortoise, The Dirty Three, Ben Lee) for their newly released LP Pleasure Syndrome. Bringing a medley of post-punk, pop and noise rock with a live show that’s been described by the band as an idiotic and loose affair, get set to throw your inhibitions aside and party like an underage teenager. Witch Hats are set to make a mess of Alhambra Lounge this February, buy a ticket and join in on the frivolity.
Summer, glorious summer: we spend all year waiting for the perfect weather and a respite from the responsibilities of everyday life but, too often, the holidays pass us by without any noteworthy adventures. No longer. To help you take full advantage of this summer break, we've teamed up with Expedia to select five destinations that are guaranteed to take your holidays from average to exceptional. Each location is less than a nine-hour flight from Sydney — perfect for a cheeky little trip — you'll be soaking up the good life in exotic surroundings before you know it. Because we know that you're all just as into food as we are, we've hunted down somewhere to eat once you get there, from fine dining, to cafe and street food and waterside restaurants. Happy adventuring. AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND FLIGHT TIME: THREE HOURS Overlooked by many tourists who rush onwards to the North Island's more famous landscapes, Auckland is something of a hidden gem. There are waterfront vistas that give Sydney a run for its money, world-class restaurants and a burgeoning art scene all to be explored. Book at room at the colourful boutique Hotel DeBrett and start your visit with a wander around Viaduct Harbour, a glittering precinct with numerous bars and restaurants offering gorgeous views over the harbour. With its acclaimed seafood dishes, Euro is a particular highlight. For your culture fix, head to the Auckland Art Gallery, home to over 15,000 works by Māori, Pacific Island, and international artists. Pop into the gallery cafe for delicious pastries and coffee served in a bright, airy space. Still hungry? If you're in town during a weekend, don't miss French-inspired farmers market La Cigale, where you can gorge yourself silly on a selection of cheeses, pastries, artisanal bread and other delicacies. Next, it's time to get outdoors. No visit to Auckland is complete without a trek up one of the city's 53 volcanic peaks. Mount Eden is a favourite for its jaw-dropping crater and sweeping views over the city. For a unique beach experience, head to the western shore, where black sand beaches are flanked by dramatic cliffs and dunes. More of a classic white sand/emerald waters person? Catch a 40-minute ferry to stunning Waiheke Island. The retreat of choice for Auckland's affluent types, the island is also home to dozens of world-class wineries (try the secluded Te Whau for its delicious blends and award-winning restaurant). EAT: KAZUYA Auckland's legendary Japanese restaurant Kazuya is not something to miss. At this fine dining establishment the waiters wear white gloves. Try the signature dish 'Texture' — 30 different types of vegetables, from tiny shavings of baby beetroot to exquisite mustard greens and perfectly cooked, bright green broccoli. Check out Concrete Playground Auckland for an entire city's worth of more handy eating, drinking and playing tips. [caption id="attachment_580107" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Levi Morsy.[/caption] BALI, INDONESIA FLIGHT TIME: SIX HOURS With its lush landscapes, gorgeous beaches, rich culture, and relative affordability, it's not surprising that Bali is on practically every Aussie's bucket list. Plus, the paradisiacal island offers something for everyone: from the party animal to the surf bum to the yogi. If it's nightlife you're after, skip overdone Kuta and head to still busy but less saturated Seminyak. Hang out at Ku De Ta, an upscale restaurant and bar that morphs into a club in the evenings or catch a live gig at Potato Head bar. If it's gourmet eats you want, Seminyak's buzzing foodie scene offers endless options. Two standouts are Sardine, where oh-so-fresh seafood is served in a bamboo structure overlooking emerald rice paddies, and Barbacoa, a South American joint with stunning decor. More of a beach type? Don't miss Uluwatu, an area famous for its pristine beaches, amazing surf, and awe-inspiring sunsets. Grab your board and spend the day riding world-class surf breaks, or simply grab a book and a cocktail and while the afternoon away on the sand. Keen to create your own version of Eat, Pray, Love (stay with us)? Then Ubud is the place for you. Bali's cultural heart offers yoga and meditation studios aplenty, and has spas on practically every street corner. Our pick is Putri Bali Spa, which offers an insanely affordable five-hour package that will leave you glowing. Book your visit just before you hop on the plane, and you'll return to Sydney entirely blissed out. EAT: DAMAI This poolside restaurant serves award-winning cuisine using local Balinese ingredients, many of which are grown in the restaurant's kitchen garden. Meat and shellfish come from the villa's boutique farm, and eggs and poultry are gathered from locals. Book a room in the accompanying, stunning villa and treat yourself. SUVA, FIJI FLIGHT TIME: SEVEN HOURS With dazzling sand, crystal clear waters, and palm trees at every turn, there's almost no better place than Fiji for a beach-heavy holiday (plus, your Instagram photos are guaranteed to make your mates cry with envy). Composed of 333 islands, choosing where to spend your time in Fiji will be the hardest part of your holiday. We suggest you start with Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island and home to the nation's capital city, Suva. Filled with striking colonial architecture, temples, mosques, and museums, this is the perfect place to get your culture fix before heading to the beach. If you're in town on a Saturday morning, don't miss the municipal market for a heady taste of local life and a great selection of fresh produce, clothing, and souvenirs. Once you've fully explored Suva, it's time to make a beeline for the ocean. For stellar snorkelling and diving, look no further than the impossibly picturesque Mamanucas and Yasawa Islands. For some of the world's best surfing breaks, head to Namatou Island, where you'll be spoiled for choice. In between your water activities, try some yaqona (or kava). This ceremonial drink is ubiquitous in Fiji and should be tried at least once — in fact, if you're invited to join a local kava ceremony, it's considered impolite to say no. Once you've soaked up the idyllic beachside lifestyle for a few days, tear yourself away from the water and venture into some lush island interiors. For gorgeous hikes through a protected rainforest with plenty of waterfalls and deep pools, try the Bouma National Heritage Park on Taveuni Island. For a stunning accomodation option, we reccomend the Tokoriki Island Resort — it has fishing, snorkelling and sailing on site. EAT: TRADITIONAL DELICACIES There are a wealth of restaurants to eat at when you're in Fiji, but the local cuisine trumps it all. Heavily influenced by the water that surrounds it, Fijian food is filled with seafood options — like octopus, sea urchin and fish. Each island in Fiji will have their own version of Kokoda — finely chopped raw fish dressed with a thick coconut cream, onions, spices and lime juice. It's traditionally served in half a coconut shell, or a clamshell. [caption id="attachment_574226" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: Kai Lehmann via Flickr[/caption] SINGAPORE FLIGHT TIME: EIGHT HOURS Once just somewhere to kill time during a layover, the Lion City has reinvented itself as a destination in its own right. A melting pot of Asian cultures, the bustling city-state is a foodie's heaven and you could easily spend your entire holiday stuffing your face. In fact, that's exactly what we suggest you do — plan your itinerary around food and fill time between meals with a few of the city's top attractions. Of course, Singapore offers a lot beyond incredible food. For a slice of nature, head to the stunning Botanic Gardens, Singapore's first UNESCO World Heritage site, or spend hours wandering around the Bukit Timah Naturae Reserve. And don't miss the Singapore Zoo — the only place in the world where you can have breakfast with an orangutang family (really). Of course, no trip to Singapore is complete without a little shopping: for the best retail therapy, head straight to Orchard Road, which boasts 22 (!) shopping malls and six department stores. For a good home base, book a room at the stunning Park Royal — it's surrounded by the city's beautiful greenery. EAT: WAKU GHIN Seafood is the focus at Waku Ghin, a Singaporean restaurant by Tetsuya Waduka (of the legendary Sydney Japanese restaurant Tetsuya's). Save up and sit down for a degustation in a stunning, fine dining restaurant within the Marina Bay Sands hotel — which overlooks the Singapore bay. Cocktails and sake options are just as innovative as the food. While Singapore is home to many upscale restaurants, make like the locals and eat at the city's hawker centres, where you can sample the city's iconic dishes without burning a hole in your wallet. For the best Hainanese chicken rice, look no further than Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle in the Chinatown Complex hawker market. Other musts are chilli crab (head to Palm Beach Seafood Restaurant for this) and nasi biryani (Tekka Centre for South Indian cuisine serves up some of the city's best). OAHU, HAWAII FLIGHT TIME: NINE HOURS If you like your beach holidays with a generous helping of non-beach activities, you'll fall head over heels for Oahu. Hawaii's most populous island offers laid-back island living on its eastern and northern shores and the bustle of urban life in the capital Honolulu. What's not to love? Start by checking in and blissing out at The Royal Hawaiian hotel, then spend a few days on iconic Waikiki Beach, where you can snorkel, swim, or learn to surf during the day and relax over a few drinks and nibbles at night. To enjoy Oahu from a different vantage point, hike up Diamond Head crater for epic views over the island. For a more challenging climb, try the Olomana hike: your efforts will be rewarded with striking panoramic vistas. Make time to catch one of the island's legendary sunsets from the aptly-named Sunset Beach. Then, it's time to head to the North Shore. If you're an advanced surfer, you'll know this corner of the island is famous for its giant waves. Once you've worked up an appetite, feast at one (or a few) of the many food trucks or tiny restaurants that dot the area. Make sure to try the iconic poke (Pupukea Grill serves up particularly tasty bowls) or shrimp from Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, which has become something of a local institution. EAT: PEACE CAFE Maybe Honolulu's only vegan restaurant, Peace is located in a tranquil, tropical cottage in Honolulu. They serve up delicious sandwiches, sweets and lunchboxes made with organic vegetables and local ingredients. Pick up a healthy Vietnamese tofu or teriyaki tempeh sandwich for sustenance before heading off on a hike. Become an Expedia+ member and book your summer holiday — you'll have access to prices that others don't see.
Do you live in a dog-friendly house? Do you have some spare time on your hands? Do you fantasise about hanging around at dog parks with an actual dog? If the answer to any of these questions is yes — and especially if the answer to all of them is yes coming into Christmas — then the good folks at Vision Australia's Seeing Eye Dogs need you. As part of the organisation's dog-training program, it has puppies running around the place quite often, and it's in need of volunteers to raise them. That includes right now, with 45 pooches requiring homes before the merriest day of the year. In other words, Vision Australia is giving away puppies — although you will need to give them back. If you put up your hand to become a puppy carer, you'll get a puppy for about a year, from around its eight-week birthday to when it turns turns between 12–15 months old. During that time, you'll be responsible for introducing the sights, sounds and smells it'll meet when it starts working as a seeing eye dog (and giving your new friend heaps of cuddles). Of course, it's not all just fun, games and cuteness. You'll have to be responsible enough to take care of regular grooming, house training and exercise, and be available for regular visits. A fenced-in backyard is mandatory, too. In return, the organisation provides a strong support network, and all food, training equipment and vet care. You'll also need to be home most of the time — so you won't be leaving the puppy alone for more than three hours a day, sat in front of Dog TV — and to be able to put effort into training and socialising the pup. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (@seeingeyedogsaustralia) Seeing Eye Dogs Australia is looking for people across the majority of local government areas across metropolitan Melbourne, as well as Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat. In Queensland, Brisbane's north and Sunshine Coast areas are the current priorities. Once the pups reach 12-15 months old, they'll return to Vision Australia — and complete their journey to become four-legged companions for people who are blind or have low vision. Keen to help? You can apply online right now. If you're eager but can't commit to the full year, there's also a six-month caring option. Or, for workplaces, there's corporate caring, too. For more information about Seeing Eye Dogs Australia's puppy carers, and to apply for the volunteer roles, head to the organisation's website. Top image: Nicola Cotton.
Just a couple of months ago Brisbane was turned into a Marvel movie set for the filming of Thor: Ragnarok. Well, comic book and film fans — there's more where that came from. Come next year, you'll be able to grab your Mjölnir, your best Tom Hiddleston wig, an Infinity Stone and anything else that ties into the now 14-strong Marvel Cinematic Universe, and head to Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art for a massive exhibition dedicated to all things superhero. Talk about great timing. To be precise (and to state the obvious), Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe — which was announced by the Queensland Government yesterday — will showcase all things Marvel when it takes over GOMA from May 27 to September 3, 2017. Consider it a great lead up to Ragnarok's release in cinemas next October. It'll be the largest ever Marvel presentation in an art museum worldwide, and will feature original artworks, film props, costumes and more from the likes of Iron Man, Ant-Man, Captain America and Guardians of the Galaxy. We'd keep listing movies, but their box office success proves that you already know what we're talking about. And yes, you read that correctly — this isn't just a retrospective screening series featuring all the flicks you've been watching since Robert Downey Jr put on a robotic suit and wisecracked his way into starting the franchise back in 2008. Instead, it's a gallery-wide, government-championed, tourist-courting, super huge event. Of course, checking out all of the relevant movies on GOMA's big screen will be part of the program. After you've seen hundreds of MCU pieces drawn from Marvel Studios, Marvel Entertainment and private collections, you'll probably want to rewatch the films. If you've been to GOMA, you're probably used to seeing curated art and movie choices rather than such a pop culture blockbuster showcase. This will certainly be their most mainstream (and possibly most popular) event of either art or cinema to date. That said, their Australian Cinematheque typically dallies with bigger movie selections featuring better-known, broader titles at least once a year (the recent Monsters, Fairytales and Fables, and Myths and Legends programs, for example), albeit not quite on this mammoth level. However, if you've already donned your costume and possibly booked a trip to Brisbane, you'd better get your tickets — they're on sale now. Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe will show at GOMA from May 27 to September 3, 2017. Tickets are on sale now at qagoma.qld.gov.au.
It might just be Australia's brightest festival, and it's returning to light up Alice Springs once again. That'd be Parrtjima - A Festival In Light, which delivers its fourth and most expansive annual program so far between Friday, April 5 to Sunday, April 14 — a shift from the event's previous timeslot, moving from spring to autumn. The nation's first indigenous festival of its kind, Parrtjima announced its shift of dates earlier this year, as well as its continued focus on dazzling light installations. Now, the free ten-day public celebration of Indigenous arts, culture and storytelling has started to reveal its lineup. In 2019, as well as a closing night performance by Baker Boy, the festival will feature seven luminous displays gracing both Alice Springs Desert Park Precinct and Alice Springs Todd Mall. While Alice Spring's CBD will light up with new installations and events, just out of town, tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park will also come alive with the festival's main attraction. Once again, a huge artwork will transform a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic MacDonnell Ranges, showering it with light from 6.30–10.30pm each night of the festival — and featuring an audio track voiced by Aussie acting legend Aaron Pedersen. Visitors will also be able to immerse themselves in art and storytelling as part of the returning Ahelhe Itethe – Living Sands (Grounded), where installations are projected onto the earth accompanied by a striking soundscape. While Parrtjima's returning slate is strong, new additions to this year's lineup include an illuminated tunnel that'll greet attendees as they enter the festival space, called Angkentye Anpernirrentye-kerte – The Language of Kin; an array of over-sized sculptures that'll relay the social history of First Nations station workers and their language of the land, dubbed Angkentye Stockmen Mape-kenhe – The Language of Stockmen; and a series of sculptured large-scale moths, badged The Language of Moths, which'll brighten up Todd Mall. There'll also be a huge maze for kids and a set-up of three bush taxis displaying works by First Nations artists. As 2019 is the UN's Year of Indigenous Languages, the festival will also have a linguistic edge — as many of the light installations' names make plain. With a theme of 'Language Expressions', the full program will feature many talks and workshops focused on Central Australia's many Indigenous languages, with details to be announced in the coming weeks. Also on the bill is jam-packed program of dance, music, workshops and talks, sharing stories and celebrating First Nations' culture. It's a nice supplement to the area's Field of Light installation, which has been extended until 2020. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs from April 5–14, 2019 around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Images: James Horan.
If you don't mind waiting 97 minutes for a really cute little animation at closing credits, then check out Filth. If waiting annoys you, then give this one a miss. If you must see it, do yourself a favour and read the book first. That might help. Adapted from the acclaimed novel by iconic author Irvine Welsh, Filth falls short of even the most casual of expectations. Directed by Jon S. Baird from his own screenplay, Filth stars James McAvoy with a supporting cast including Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, Imogen Poots and Eddie Marsan. McAvoy is Bruce Robertson. He's a tormented, bigoted cop who snorts, smashes and sleazes his way through the festive period. What he really wants for Christmas is a promotion and he'll do whatever he needs to get it — screwing wives, exposing secrets and trampling self-esteems is all in a day's work. The problem is, well, just about everything. Take Bruce. There's no descent into despair, no spiral out of control, no ride for us to belt up for and settle in. When we meet him he's an asshole, and he stays an asshole, with a few tears and moments on stairs with understanding colleagues thrown in. I laughed twice, once about a boat and once because the c-word was very well-placed. The characters are half-baked and predictable — when the next line is in your head before its spoken then something has gone very wrong. Any aspect of Bruce's personality or past we're even vaguely interested in gets resolved in a lazy tell-all monologue revealing just what we had figured out 80 minutes and two buckets of popcorn ago. And this is no Trainspotting situation; the violence is lame and without context, the sex is nothing to hang your hat on, the madness is stereotyped and disjointed and there's next to no opportunity for us to even begin to understand any of the two-dimensional characters or why they do all the annoying things they do. Except for the little piggy, right at the end, who is not annoying, and is completely adorable. Filth gets one small point for the smashing soundtrack and the animation and McAvoy's beard, which is very neat and coped well with all the jaw clenching. https://youtube.com/watch?v=tymWDB7gtK4
The latest exhibition taking place at Bird Gallery is shrouded in a bit of mystery. That is to say, there isn’t a whole lot of information floating around aside from an abstract abstract (repetition intentional) that gives nothing away except a morsel of intrigue that makes the idea much more interesting. What we do know is that Go Art Ur Self is a collaborative affair that includes live creations by three artists, interactive installations, a live DJ set and mixed media, stencil and street artworks. Sounds pretty cool, right? We think so. So, this weekend, if you have some time to spare, head down the small brick lane to Bird Gallery and see what all the fuss is about. Grab a coffee while you're there – it is some of the best in town.
After what has felt like an endless, unrefreshed eternity, the boycott of Carlton United Breweries and their products can finally come to an end. It was announced by the Australian Unions on Twitter this morning that the workers at the heart of the bitter feud had "won all their demands" and would be heading back to work for the brewery. A statement released by the Australian Council of Trade Unions this morning confirms that the 55 workers who were effectively sacked from the Abbotsford brewery would be returning to their jobs under "fair and decent union terms and conditions, which provide job security to the workers". BREAKING: #CUB55 just WON all their demands and will RETURN TO WORK! No matter how strong a multinational corp, we can fight them. And win. pic.twitter.com/PtRYs9cI3h — Australian Unions (@unionsaustralia) December 7, 2016 The whole debacle kicked off in June, when 55 maintenance workers were told that their contracts would be handed over to a new company, and that this new contract would include a pay cut that the workers, and the unions behind them, deemed unfair. This led to worker strikes in both Sydney and Melbourne, a national boycott by many members of the public on Carlton United products, and even attracted the ire of respected political commentators, The Simpsons Against the Liberals. Although Carlton United Breweries have publicly denied any allegations of wrongdoing, it appears that the brewing giant behind some of Australia's most treasured beers and beer ads has caved to the pressure applied by the workers, the unions and the general public. Lauded by secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Dave Oliver, as a win for the 'little guy', he's clear about leaving the past in the past — although called on the Federal Government to introduce changes to labour hire and subcontracting laws. "We hope that the unqualified success of this campaign is a clear indication to all employers that sham contracting and abuse of the labour hire system will not be tolerated," he said in a statement. "We are glad to finally be able to end the boycott on CUB products, which are once again proudly union made at Abbottsford." So, now that the system has actually worked, we can let bygones be bygones and enjoy the first guilt-free Reschs in six months.
No longer a mere science-fiction movie concept or a gag in The Simpsons' Stonecutter's song, electric cars have slowly been riding their way into greater use. Last year, Tesla started production on its first mass-market electric vehicles — and, for those planning a road trip in Queensland, Australians now have an 'electric super highway' to drive them along. While the name sounds like something your grandparents might say — and will likely bring back cringeworthy memories of calling the internet the 'information super highway' — the idea itself is worth getting buzzed about. Over the past six months, the State Government has installed 17 electric vehicle charging stations between the Gold Coast and Cairns, enabling electric car drivers to trek the length of the state. Apart from the fact that the highway is the longest in one state in the entire world, as Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey announced, it mightn't sound like that big a deal; however, one of the crucial aspects of using an electric car is being able to juice them up. Regular cars need petrol, electric cars need power — it makes sense. That's all well and good if you're only driving close to home, but if you want to take your electric ride further afield, you need somewhere to plug them in. A network of fast-charging stations, which will power up vehicles in around 30 minutes, solves that issue. For those dreaming of an electric road trip, stations are located in Cairns, Tully, Townsville, Bowen, Mackay, Carmila, Marlborough, Rockhampton, Miriam Vale, Childers, Maryborough, Cooroy, Brisbane, Coolangatta, Springfield, Gatton and Toowoomba — with an 18th to come in Helensvale after the Commonwealth Games. They're also available for free for an initial phase, in an even bigger attempt to encourage more car owners to make the switch.
With music videos becoming ever more complex and expensive, entrepreneurs in India are providing aspiring musicians with film clips at a reduced cost. One such musician is Drew Smith, who recently outsourced the video services to a dancing school in Bangalore, India. With a distinct Bollywood feel and guys in Hindu masks, it's quite bizarre but certainly interesting and unique. Smith stated that he turned to India after realising that "the last thing the world needed was another low-budget singer songwriter video." Furthermore, he received the video after just a few emails and phone calls. If you're looking for your big break and sick of recording videos on your iPhone and webcam, India might be your next option for some stimulating visuals. Take a look at Smith's finished product below and see if it caters to your musical style. https://youtube.com/watch?v=DkurGf0e5MU [Via PSFK]
Ah, googly eyes. Such an expressive medium for the Millennial epoch, almost on par with the emoticon. There's something about the vacant, perpetually stunned and/or confused gaze that really captures our time. As you would know from this handy video, Christopher Walken uses googly eyes for protection. This is a helpful master text for us because as Walken explains, googly eyes help you to know where you stand with someone (or, in the case of his plants, something). Now artist Aiden Glynn has taken the guesswork out of relating to inanimate objects with the addition of a few well-placed teeth, tongues and eyes to the local urban terrain of Liberty Village, Toronto. As we all know, the world is full of anthropomorphic beings like this drunk octopus who wants to fight. Of a sunny afternoon Glynn likes to unveil monsters with queasy smiles and stunned expressions all over town, as a kind of public service. His adorable googly-eyed creatures include mustachioed intercoms and cigarette disposal chutes waiting to chomp your hand off. And who's that on the median strip? Why, it's Big Bird with a disproportionately large beak. Glynn's inventions don't come from nowhere: he's an animator by trade. Much like Michelangelo, who could look upon a block of marble and see the exquisite sculpture inside waiting to be revealed, Glynn can see the sensitive, drooling monster inside a garbage can. His blog Pizza and Pixels has many more cute and whacky characters for you to enjoy. Via Colossal.
Oooh, it’s exciting when a piece of theatre is heralded as being ‘non-theatre, theatre’, theatre that takes the piss out of ‘real theatre’. It means that we don’t know at all what to expect. Black Lung Theatre and Whaling Company are really being touted as the bad boys of the Australian theatre scene, and now they are bringing their brand of cutting edge, unpredictable performance to Brisbane with a new work especially commissioned by the Queensland Theatre Company. There are hints as to what we can expect: there will be some jumping and stomping all over traditional notions of theatre, but apparently they will also take us on theatrical journeys to Vietnam, China and Turkey, fabulous. Of course there will be adventurous humor to boot, and I’ve heard rumors of a glitter cannon… In terms of actual content, who knows? These are guys who aren’t afraid to get naked for their art (hellooo ladies!), and who have been known to tell a quality crass jokes be damned the consequences. Essentially, if you like cutting edge, ballsy (perhaps literally), unique theatre then this is the show for you.
UPDATE: OCTOBER 6, 2020 — Due to worldwide cinema closures and other concerns around COVID-19, Dune will no longer release in December 2020. Instead, it will now release on Thursday, September 30, 2021. This article has been updated to reflect that change. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. A beloved science fiction title. A star-studded cast. A Hans Zimmer score. Combining all three worked rather spectacularly in Blade Runner 2049, and now filmmaker Denis Villeneuve is hoping that it'll just turn out just as swimmingly with his Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya-led version of Dune. In the latest adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, Chalamet plays Paul Atreides — son of Duke Leto Atreides (Isaac), who has just been given stewardship of the planet Arrakis. In this futuristic tale, Arrakis is the source of 'the spice', the most valuable substance in the universe. It's also home to a population of people known as the Fremen, as well as to giant sandworms, and it's known for being dangerous partly due to the latter. And, once Paul, Leto and Paul's mother Lady Jessica (Doctor Sleep's Rebecca Ferguson) move to the planet, it's the subject of a bitter battle with malicious forces over the spice trade. If all of the above sounds more than a bit familiar, that's because David Lynch brought Dune to the screen back in 1984, with his Kyle MacLachlan-starring movie becoming one one of the most unfairly maligned sci-fi films ever made. Fellow director Alejandro Jodorowsky also tried to make his own version — a feat that wasn't successful, sadly, but was explored in the excellent documentary Jodorowsky's Dune. Just how Villeneuve's take will fare is still yet to be seen, obviously, with the film initially due to hit cinemas Down Under on Boxing Day 2020, but now slated to release on September 30, 2021. But the French Canadian director has an impressive resume — see: Arrival, Sicario, Enemy, Prisoners and Incendies, just to name a few titles on his resume — and with Dune, he's clearly reaching for epic territory. The long-awaited, just-dropped first trailer makes that case quite heartily. As well as serving up plenty of Call Me By Your Name and Little Women's Chalamet as the film's brooding hero, the sneak peek features sandy expanses aplenty, a scream-inducing box of pain, and many a confrontation. And, a stellar cast that also includes Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem, all getting caught up in a spice war. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9xhJrPXop4 Dune was originally scheduled to release in Australian cinemas on December 26, 2020, but will now hit screens on September 30, 2021. Top image: Chiabella James. Copyright: © 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
One of the beautiful, beautiful things about living in a pluralistic society is that you can turn pretty much any cause, interest or activity into your raison-d’etre. Gather a few like-minded mavericks around you, and call it a club. Create a website and you’re an international force to be reckoned with. That’s right, you need never feel alone again (no matter how odd you are). Because on some far-flung corner of the earth, there’ll be a club for you. For example, are you ridiculously smart? I’m not talking about matching up to those sub-standard wannabe intellectuals over at Mensa. I’m talking about meeting entrance standards for The Giga Society. Only one in a billion people qualify. But if you’re more, let’s say, run-of-the-mill, how about sharing your passion for poodles? Or your penchant for swapping coffee cream lids? Or your need to dress up like Santa Claus, even in February? Or your fancying of pigeons? Or your love of, simply, getting naked? Photographers Ursula Sprecher and Andi Cortellini have made it their mission to capture some of the world’s most fun, eccentric and cutest clubs; collating them in a coffee table book titled Hobby Buddies. In every staged portrait, club members are shown holding the object most important to them, wearing the costume (or lack of costume) that gives them common ground or taking part in their favourite activity. According to Sprecher and Cortellini, the series is inspired by the "joy of pursuing a common cause or shared idea". Camping and Caravanning Club Swiss Garrison Dintefisch Diving Club Tram Club Tupperware Party Santa Claus Group Warriors Cheerleaders Coffee Cream Lids Swap Meet BDSM Regular's Table Orchid Club Association of Scientific Preparators Board Games Club Merriment Pipe-Smokers Club Via Beautiful Decay. Images by Ursula Sprecher and Andi Cortellini.
Over the past decade, Disney has made a hefty commitment to remaking its animated classics as live-action movies, as seen via the two Alice in Wonderland films, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo and Aladdin, to name a few. The next to get the same treatment is 101 Dalmatians, and the Mouse House is going with the same approach it used with the Maleficent flicks. Yes, there'll be spotted dogs in Cruella, but this Emma Stone-starring spinoff is all about its villainous namesake. Set to release in May — and currently slated for cinemas, rather than making the move to Disney+ like Mulan did last year — Cruella focuses on Estella de Vil before she becomes the puppy-kidnapping figure that everyone already knows. It's the 70s, she's in London, and she's an outcast and a grifter. Estella is also desperate to become a fashion designer, and draws the attention of industry veteran Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson, Last Christmas) as she attempts to make her way into haute couture's upper echelons. Obviously, Estella's relationship with the Baroness isn't going to end well. Even if you only have the faintest memories of 101 Dalmatians, Estella clearly has to morph into that tale's antagonist. And, based on both the first trailer for Cruella back in February and the just-released sneak peek now, she's going to do so in a movie that seems to have seen what Joker did — including the fact that it won Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar — and decided that's a good model to run with. As well as Stone, her two-tone hair and striking outfits — and Thompson, too — Cruella features Richard Jewell's Paul Walter Hauser, Outside the Wire's Emily Beacham, Yesterday's Joel Fry, The Good Place's Kirby Howell Baptiste and 1917's Mark Strong. The film marks a reunion between Hauser and director Craig Gillespie, after they worked together on I, Tonya, while the script is co-written by Isn't It Romantic's Dana Fox and The Great's Tony McNamara. If a live-action version of Cruella de Vil sounds familiar, that's because Disney has done it before. Back in 1996, Glenn Close took on the role in 101 Dalmatians, and then sported a heap of black and white again in 2000 sequel 102 Dalmatians. So, never one to leave its past works alone for too long, the Mouse House is following in its own footsteps in multiple ways with Cruella. Check out the latest trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40E7nrtAgdg Cruella releases in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on May 27. Top image: © 2021 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This weekend the world was brought to a standstill by a horrific attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Fifty people were tragically killed and another 53 injured in the shooting. Vigils have sprung up the world over, with everywhere from New York to Paris to Tel Aviv paying their respects to the victims and the LGBTQI community. Last night, Australia held its own countrywide tribute. Vigils were held in Sydney's inner-west suburb of Newtown and the rainbow corner of Gertrude and Smith Streets in Melbourne, and landmarks were lit up in all our capital cities. Below, we've collected some of the best photos of Australian landmarks lit up in support of the victims and LGBTQI pride. SYDNEY We offer our condolences to those affected by the Orlando attack. The Sydney Harbour Bridge now has rainbow colours. pic.twitter.com/rNOpLIClq5 — Sydney Water (@SydneyWaterNews) June 13, 2016 We grieve and stand with you #Orlando pic.twitter.com/7jXxdekv0T — Mike Baird (@mikebairdMP) June 13, 2016 Here's our pink Sydney Town Hall as it gets darker #Orlando pic.twitter.com/7kKOueTQ0E — Clover Moore (@CloverMoore) June 13, 2016 MELBOURNE As a mark of respect for those touched by the attack in Orlando. Town Hall is lit in the rainbow #LoveIsLove. pic.twitter.com/awcHsgdFVr — City of Melbourne (@cityofmelbourne) June 13, 2016 In honour of the #Orlando victims & LGBTI people everywhere, our Spire will be lit in rainbow colours tonight. pic.twitter.com/y7cV2EIaah — Arts Centre Melb (@artscentremelb) June 13, 2016 BRISBANE Bloody sensational work Brissy, what a joint. Wonderful people and wonderful sentiment. #LoveWinspic.twitter.com/IN43f4gEXb — Dan Anstey (@Dan_Anstey) June 13, 2016 ADELAIDE A photo posted by Cetina Illies ♏️ GypsyAtHeart (@missci17) on Jun 13, 2016 at 6:58am PDT Top image: Sydney Water News via Twitter.
Thanks to the wonders of smartphones and dating apps, making connections has never been easier — and that now includes swiping your way to new pals. Launching in Melbourne this week, social media network Hobspot uses location-based services to connect like-minded people via their shared interests. That's right, there's finally a Tinder for making mates. Hobspot's co-founders Sam Ethell and Alfonso Ordonez met in a bar in 2014 and bonded over a mutual love basketball. Their friendship is what inspired them to create an app that would make it easier for people to connect and bond over shared interests, just like they did. Aaaawww, cute. The Hobspot smartphone app is available on iOS and Android. It has an easy to use interface, allowing users to create a profile, select their interests and start finding folks with the same hobbies to hang out with in their local area. Don't worry — there are hundreds of interests to choose from, including camping, sailing, bike riding, chess, movies, arts and crafts, and more. Whatever you like to do, now it's easy to find a friend to do it with. Ethell and Ordonez believe that for people moving to a new city, in particular international students, Hobspot could be a real game changer. The other major demographic they believe could greatly benefit from the app is recent parents. "Priorities change dramatically for this demographic and current friendships can be hard to maintain if you're the first person in your friend circle to have kids," they stated. Whoever you are, Hobspot breaks down the barriers that exist on other social media networks, allowing you the opportunity to make genuine friendships — and, while female friend-matching app hey! VINA has been bringing ladies together since early 2016, Hobspot is open to all genders. So, if you are looking to break outside of your regular social bubble this weekend, Hobspot might be the answer. Your new best bud could be waiting just around the corner. For more information on Hobspot, download it for iOS or Android, or head to the app website.
Black Friday sparks flight sales. Cyber Monday does, too. And when Boxing Day hits, everyone knows that cheap airfares are also a part of the occasion. Fancy a travel bargain in-between? Qantas is doing a pre-Christmas sale, so you can give the gift of getaways — including to yourself. There's 800,000-plus cheap seats on offer, spanning over 170 domestic routes, with flights to 17 destinations available for under $150 one way. The starting price: $109, which will get you either from Sydney to Byron Bay/Ballina or Melbourne to Launceston (and vice versa on each route). Flights from Brisbane to Proserpine on the Whitsunday Coast start at $115, while fares between the Gold Coast and Sydney kick off at $119. If you're keen to journey between Melbourne and Newcastle or Brisbane and Hervey Bay, flights start at $129. Specials on the Sydney–Brisbane route begin at $139, as do Cairns–Townsville and Coffs Harbour–Sydney legs. Other sale options include Melbourne–Hobart for $159, Brisbane–Hamilton Island from $179, Perth–Sydney from $309 and Darwin from both Sydney and Melbourne from $329. The list of destinations and departure points also spans Kangaroo Island, Mackay, Tamworth, Toowoomba, Albury, Port Macquarie, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, Mildura, Broken Hill, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Whyalla, Longreach, Broome and more. [caption id="attachment_688401" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vivonne Bar/SA Tourism Commission[/caption] You'll be able to travel between Monday, February, 3–Thursday, April 3 and Tuesday, April 29–Wednesday, June 25, ranging across summer, autumn and winter trips, although the specifics vary per destination — as always. If you're keen, you'll need to get in before 11.59pm AEDT on Thursday, December 12, 2024. And yes, the usual caveat applies: if fares sell out earlier, you'll miss out. Inclusions-wise, the sale covers fares with checked baggage, complimentary food and beverages, and wifi. [caption id="attachment_928567" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tasmania, Luke Tscharke[/caption] Qantas' 'The sale before Christmas' runs until 11.59pm AEDT on Thursday, December 12, 2024, or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Remember back in the '90s when people went crazy for Tamagotchis? They'd take them around in their backpack, forget about them for a couple of hours only to be greeted with a screen full of faeces and a terribly unhappy looking electronic friend. The Domsai is like a Tamagotchi for your desk, minus the annoying electronic beeps and constant need for attention. Designed and created by Matteo Cibic, each Domsai has its own personality. Handmade, blown and individually created to suit your aesthetic needs, they come in both white and gold, and are available for adoption now. Although they will set you back €100, the cactuses within require practically no upkeep and are so Art Deco right now.
Whether you're a Marshmallow or just a soul naturally curious about one of the most high-profile Kickstarter success stories around, you'll be happy to learn that the new Veronica Mars movie will be made available to rent or buy online on March 14 — the same day it hits cinemas in the US. Usually, there's at least a 90-day window between theatrical and DVD or VOD releases, but Warner Bros. is in a position to bypass it this time around, since they don't have a standard distribution deal and are instead renting the theatres that will screen the movie. They see a big market in couch-dwelling non-cinemagoers for this TV-to-film crossover, and they're tapping it. It's just one more way Veronica Mars is doing things differently. After becoming the most widely supported Kickstarter campaign in history with more than 91,000 backers, it has kept fans involved in the process throughout and will make its world premiere at SXSW on March 8. The Australian digital release date has not yet been confirmed, but it seems possible it'll be March 14 here too, and Moviehole is reporting it as so. You can preorder the movie on iTunes, or wait for a definite date before you plan your downloading strategy. As for whether anyone else is listening to consumer requests for timely, legal, convenient access to content, it's not looking so good. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wq1R93UMqlk
Shipping container cafes and eateries might be on trend at the moment; however, as always, New York is a step ahead of the latest fashions. While the city that never sleeps has boasted its own four-storey shipping container house since 2013, the tiny abode is now opening its doors to Airbnb bookings. If you have a spare US$297 per night at the time of writing, you can get some shuteye in NYC's first (legal) home built entirely of recycled shipping containers, which you'll find on the other side of the East River in Williamsburg. Guests can stay in a self-contained private container apartment on the ground floor and enjoy what the hosts are calling "sustainable, comfortable, wonderful living". It might seem like a gimmick, but don't be fooled by the 8 foot by 40 foot home's compact dimensions. As your mum probably told you, good things come in small packages. Inside, you'll find everything you could need for a night away, including a wall full of books and boardgames, plus a kitchenette. As well as a full-size bed, the space also features a sofa bed, so four people can spend the night. As for the entire architect-designed structure itself, it was made out of six containers, is insulated by NASA ceramic-infused paint, and has two roof decks on top for outdoor entertaining fun. If you want to see more, the owners live on the second and third levels, and are happy to give interested guests a tour of the house. Via 6sqft/ Inhabitat.
Both Spare Parts and Strangely Familiar discuss the issue of disability in Australia. One provides a light hearted outlet for artists to create awareness; another provides a look at the skewed perception of disability in the media. Both are sure to be fascinating exhibitions. Spare Parts is a project created by Priscilla Sutton, an amputee who decided to turn her unused prosthetics into art pieces. Her idea has taken off, with numerous exhibitions in Brisbane and overseas, with works by many artists using prostheses as canvases. The sale of these unique pieces will go to COPE, an organisation that provides prosthetics and orthotics to those disabled by munitions. The artists on display this year are, Anke Catesby, barek, Bec Peart and Martin Pedder of Blackbird’s Emporium, Benjamin Werner, Clarissa Bones for Raw Bones, Elisa Jane Carmichael, Erica Gray, Josh Rufford, Kerri Hobba, and Rachael Waith. Strangely Familiar takes a microscope to the perception of disability in the media, and provides a photographic portrayal of the unseen side of the ’differently-abled’. Created by Louis Lim, Strangely Familiar reveals the stories of those affected by disability, not as objects of pity or heroic idols, but rather ordinary people with their own stories of ‘love, belonging and identity.’ Both exhibitions will be on display until the 15th of September.
The Red Bull Music Academy Weekender is gearing up for a second visit to Aussie shores. The globally acclaimed festival announced today that it will return to Sydney from August 31 through September 3, and, if last year's lineup is anything to go by, we're in for one cracking weekend of live music. The travelling event sees a sharp curation of performances, conversations, installations and club nights take over some of the city's best-loved venues, with a careful selection of internationally recognised artists coming together in a celebration of contemporary music. Sydney was lucky enough to be tapped last year, joining previous host cities including Tokyo, Dubai, Vienna, and Stockholm. Announcement of this year's lineup will drop next Tuesday, July 11, with tickets on sale the same day. Last year's program featured a sold out show with Flight Facilities and Sydney Symphony Orchestra, along with a massive club night at Oxford Art Factory and gigs by Stones Throw and Mr Fingers. Red Bull Radio will also be broadcasting live across all four days with a program of conversations, special guests, local stories, and live streams to accompany the tunes. The rest of the country is getting a taste of the action, too — this year's festival will kick off with a little help from the Road to Weekender, a series of events and lectures slated for Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne in the lead-up to Sydney from August 26 through 31. The Red Bull Music Academy boasts a long-held legacy of cultural celebration, fostering musical talent and collaboration across the globe. In Australia alone, the Academy has also hosted stages at Splendour in the Grass and Laneway Festival, as well as put on an industrial rave at Dark Mofo. Red Bull Academy Weekender and Road to Weekender will take over Australia from August 26 through September 3, with both lineups announced and tickets on sale next Tuesday, July 11. Keep an eye on this space for first dibs as tickets will no doubt sell out.
Coachella's first 2023 weekend brought a heap of highs, including for folks livestreaming at home from around the world. Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, the late addition of blink-182, a typically stunning set from electronic music legends The Chemical Brothers, none other than Blondie taking to the stage: they're just some of the week-one standouts. Now, it's time to do it all over again as week later, as the Indio, California music festival always does. This year, the event is streaming six stages across both weekends, and it has just dropped its set times after a tumultuous few days. First, the bad news: Frank Ocean is off the bill, dropping out after Coachella's first weekend. That said, everyone beaming in from their couches didn't see his week-one set either because it wasn't livestreamed. Neither was fellow high-profile star Björk's time in the desert. Now, the good news: blink-182 have moved to the Coachella stage to replace Ocean on Sunday, April 23's bill (which is Monday, April 24 Down Under), and there's a TBA slot after them. Variety is reporting that that time will be filled by Skrillex, Fred again.. and Four Tet, and the festival has also named the trio on Instagram — and noted they'll pop on the evening of Sunday, April 23 (again, Monday, 24 Down Under). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Coachella (@coachella) Whoever else ends up on the lineup as a late addition, you'll be able to make shapes at home while pretending you're at the real thing at the Empire Polo Club across Saturday, April 22–Monday, April 24 Australian and New Zealand time. Like last week, Bad Bunny is headlining the first night and BLACKPINK is doing the second, with The Chemical Brothers, Gorillaz, Blondie, Kaytranada, Pusha T and Idris Elba still on day one as well — and Calvin Harris, The Kid LAROI, ROSALÍA, Charlie XCX, boygenius, The Breeders and Underworld on day two. And on day three, there's Björk, Fisher, Porter Robinson, Gordo and Weyes Blood. Obviously, across the whole weekend there's more where they came from. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Coachella (@coachella) Coachella has been teaming up with YouTube for 11 years now. Earlier in 2023, the fest announced that it has locked in that arrangement till 2026. In-between this year's sets, YouTube will fill its feeds with more on-the-ground coverage, so you'll be able to scope out the art and installations around the fest, head behind the scenes, see how the acts get partying before the hit the stage and more. Bookmark Coachella's YouTube channel ASAP — or hit it up below: Coachella's second weekend runs across April 21–23 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. To watch the livestream, head to YouTube from 9am AEST on Saturday, April 22 Down Under.
Blurring and reshaping the lines between fiction and fact are the works by local artists, Kate Jolly, Tiffany Atkin and Sophie Blackhall-Cain. Fable and Truth examines and draws inspiration from mythology and magic, while portraying their ideas through clear feminine perspectives. Each artist utilises various styles in their work, from simple colour palates to mixed media creations to digital illustration and beyond, each of these talented artists bring something distinctive to the collection. The personal narratives of each artist add a unique touch to the entire exhibition, imbuing the pieces with the histrionics and personalities of each. The exhibition is taking place at Lust For Life Galley from the 4th of July, running to the 4th of August. The exhibition launch is free and runs from 7pm until 9pm. Featured artist, Sophie Blackhall-Cain, enthuses: “art should never be boring.” This exhibition won’t be.
Based on the classic novel by Jack Kerouac, On The Road follows Sal Paradise (Sam Riley), an aspiring New York writer, and Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund), a young and dangerously seductive ex-con, as they hit the road in pursuit of freedom and life's greatest teacher: experience. Directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) and starring Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen and Steve Buscemi, the film is in cinemas from September 27. Concrete Playground has 10 double passes to giveaway to see On The Road. For a chance to win, make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
Easily spooked by things that go bump in the night? Can't bring yourself to sing "I ain't afraid of no ghosts" whenever you're belting out the Ghostbusters' theme? Not so fond of the concept of mortality? If so, you might want to stay away from Melbourne's next pop-up. Coming to Hawthorn's Glenferrie Road for four days only, A Ghost Store has one thing on its hangers: an outfit that will last an eternity. From July 27 to 30, customers will enter the shop, complete a questionnaire about their garment requirements and get kitted out in a minimalist, one-size-fits-all piece of cloth made to last for centuries (and supposedly suitable for inter-dimensional apparitions operating on parallel planes). If that hasn't given the game away, then the fact that the item of clothing in question comes in three colours (white, ivory and bone) might — yep, this store is offering up good ol' fashioned sheets so that you can get your ghost on in the afterlife. The store's moniker also gives away just why this pop-up is coming a-haunting right now — it's actually an inventive marketing idea to promote the David Lowery-directed, Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara-starring A Ghost Story, which hits Australian cinemas this week. In the film, which the trio shot in secret before it premiered at Sundance earlier this year, Affleck spends most of his screen time decked out in ghostly attire. To say more would be to say too much — but no, this isn't a comedy. Visitors to A Ghost Store can expect an interactive experience, though it comes with words of warning: "the transition from active participant to passive observer can be a difficult one", its website cautions. If you're keen on more details, Indiewire spent some time in the US version. Or, if you'd like getting fitted out for what comes next to remain a mystery — appropriately — just show up and try your luck. A Ghost Story releases in Australian cinemas on July 27. Melburnians can find A Ghost Store at Shop 12, 673 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn from 5pm to 10pm on July 27 and 28, and 12pm to 10pm on July 29 and 30.
New Zealand's far north is rich in history and beauty. Just a three-hour drive, or a 50-minute flight, from Auckland is the Bay of Islands, a breathtaking destination where the British first settled and the nation's founding document was signed. A journey off the beaten path will give access to sleepy towns that roll on to crystal clear inlets and more than 144 undeveloped islands up for exploration. In the colder months you may struggle to pass another soul on the streets but the region still boasts mild temperatures that welcome outdoor adventures and even a dip with some wildlife — there's a reason why they call it the winterless north. In anticipation of your next weekend getaway, this is our guide to New Zealand's Bay of Islands. SEE AND DO It's called the Bay of Islands for good reason; there are 144 islands that make up the region. A good way to cover the region is by going off-land for a water cruise. Explore Group's Hole in the Rock tour journeys out to the Bay's most iconic geological formation. But before even approaching, and potentially sailing through the giant opening, you'll be treated to a display of wildlife in the area. Dolphins are abundant. So much so that the company promises a 90 percent hit rate of spotting the ocean mammals. Elsewhere, you can expect to spot the smallest penguins in the world, large schools of mullet and blue maomao and the New Zealand fur seal. On the way back the trip stops off at the secluded Otehi Bay on Urupukapuka Island for lunch. Afterwards, you can venture out for a swim, go for a walk and catch sweeping views across the Bay. Boasting kilometres of white sand coastline, kayaking is great way to explore the area without forking out on boat hire. Coastal Kayaks hosts tours out of Paihia and Waitangi, covering the stunning Haruru Falls and historic lagoon which is abundant with native birdlife. One particular excursion with the company involves a five-kilometre walk through native bush and mangrove forests to the falls, with a three-kilometre guided kayak return through the country's first river port. In large groups it's all about fun and owner Chad heightens the experience with interactive games, onboard water pistols and lighthearted yet informative banter. On the other side of the one-way bridge lies the official birthplace of New Zealand, Waitangi. In 1840, British representatives and a number of high ranked Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi to share ownership of the land — albeit only the English version was signed, leaving little in favour for the land's original inhabitants — you'll learn more in the onsite museum. Guided tours of the historical Waitangi Treaty Grounds give insight into Māori culture, the arrival of the British and subsequent Treaty signing. You'll also discover a traditional Māori waka (or canoe) that gets its yearly outing on Waitangi Day and the restored cottage of the former governor. For further interest, there's the option to book the interactive Māori cultural show showcasing traditional music, weapons and games and sample the goods from a hāngi — a traditional Māori earth oven. FOOD AND DRINK It's all about local, seasonal produce in the Bay which opens up a whole world of fresh meal options. A good place to start is at The Old Packhouse Market. Found in Kerikeri (in an old packhouse, no less) the weekly vendor gathering is the perfect spot to load up on supplies before hitting the road. Expect to pick up everything from homemade pies to raw milk, deep-fried oyster po' boys and fruit and vegetables from literally just around the corner. Enjoy your finds while listening to live music, receiving a palm reading or getting a reflexology massage. Across the road is another must-visit attraction. As soon as you enter the Makana Confections giftshop the smell from the adjoining factory will be tugging on your heartstrings. The best part is that free samples are handed out upon arrival so you can try before you buy — you'll also see staff crafting the exact same thing through the window, so you know it's fresh. The cafe offers a selection of gelato, chocolate truffles, cakes and slices. While in Kerikeri head to The Rusty Tractor for a modern interpretations of breakfast classics and a four-shot bucket of coffee, Cafe Jerusalem for authentic Israeli cuisine, and La Taza Del Diablo for portions of Mexican cuisine that not even the ravenous could get close to finishing. Not many would relate the far north to wineries but there are plenty worth stopping into. At Kerikeri's Marsden Estate you can enjoy an educational wine tasting before settling on your preferred varietal and sampling a platter under the vines in the courtyard. Found just outside of Russell, Paroa Bay Winery is a family-owned property set against the rolling hills. Stay for a flight and try the Mediterranean-inspired menu at newly opened restaurant, Sage. Elsewhere is Russell, The Crusty Crab is the place to order piping hot fish 'n' chips to enjoy on the beach; in the warmer months Hone's Garden offers wood-fired pizza, fresh beer and friendly community vibes; Hell Hole is a great option to start your day with loaded bagels and fresh coffee; and Gables offers both bistro fare and a history lesson as the oldest licensed restaurant in the country. Check out our full guide to eating and drinking in the Bay of Islands here. STAY Thirty minutes from Kerikeri, well off the beaten path down a gravel road, you'll find Takou River Lodge. Once owned by a pair of bachelors, the 150 acre site is now the pride and joy of environmental scientist Anna and engineer Ian O'Reilly. Nestled in the surrounds of certified organic beef farm and regenerating native bush are five luxury cabins for all different price points and occasions. The pick of the crop is the aptly titled Magic Cottage. Set on the edge of the Takou River, the property ticks all the boxes for a romantic escape, including an open-air bath and early morning birdsong. Along with the accomodation, guests can explore the native forest, use supplied kayaks for an adventure to the beach and book the riverside hot tub, which after-dark is the perfect place to spot glowworms. Unless you plan to make the trek back into Kerikeri, you'll need to bring your own supplies. A dinner option can be provided by the highly regarded Food at Wharepuke by chef Colin Ashton who presents a blend of modern European and Thai-inspired cuisine. With the ocean practically lapping into its foyer, The Duke of Marlborough is a pristine destination to unwind in four star accommodation or simply stop by for a bite to eat in an award-winning restaurant. The property was erected in 1827, originally operating as an unlicensed grog shop by an ex-convict. It later became the first licensed hotel in New Zealand. The property still retains its vintage appeal; the rooms are grand with high ceilings, the walls are covered with marine memorabilia and the solid furniture certainly has a story to tell. The restaurant is all about showcasing local seasonal produce and modern interpretations of classic favourites. You can expect to sample local oysters or oven roasted fish that was caught directly in front of the hotel. The beverage list is extensive with over 100 wines and 30 beers from the region and further abroad. The wine tasting rack is a good option for indecisive diners, offering three generous samples to sip back as the sun drops over the inlet. GETTING THERE Kerikeri Airport is the region's main port of call. From Auckland Airport it's a breezy 50-minute flight to the sleepy terminal. Alternatively, it will take you just over three hours to drive from Auckland to Paihia and Russell. Feature image: The Duke of Marlborough.
Drawing in nine million viewers in the US for the final episode of season two, The Walking Dead is breaking ratings records all over the world. Fast-tracked to Australian fans, The Walking Dead season three is already available to download from iTunes for $49.99. As the fight for survival continues, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and friends attempt to take refuge from the 'walkers' in an abandoned prison and in a (possibly too good to be true) town of survivors run by The Governor (David Morrissey). To mark the launch of season three, Concrete Playground has the ultimate catch-up giveaway: seasons one and two on DVD. Get up to speed with the action or simply indulge in a thrilling undead bloodbath marathon! Concrete Playground has five sets of DVDs to giveaway. To be in for a chance to win, make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground, then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
As of September, BridgeClimb will be no more. The company released a statement on its website today stating that it would be ceasing all operations as of later this year. The statement says BridgeClimb's application to win a new 20-year contract to operate tours on the Harbour Bridge was unsuccessful. BridgeClimb was first launched on October 1, 1998 by Founder and Chairman Paul Cave, and has seen over four million climbers safely scale the monument since. The Roads and Maritime Services put the Sydney Harbour Bridge Tourist Climb Business, which also includes the Bridge Museum within the South Eastern Pylon, out to tender last year. The company that has won the 20-year tender — out of a total 13 applicants — is another NSW tourism stalwart, Scenic World Blue Mountains. The company is the largest privately owned tourist attraction in Australia and has been operating for 73 years. The family-run owner of Scenic World, Hammons Holdings, also released a statement saying, "returning Sydney Harbour Bridge to the people will be a priority" and that the company will be exploring ways to safely expand access to new areas of the Bridge. And what does these all mean for the common folk? At the moment, we're not sure. But it could see changes made to tours run and (hopefully) pricing. BridgeClimb will run as normal until September 30, 2018. Scenic World Blue Mountain will commence as operators of Sydney Harbour Bridge Tourism Activities from October 1.
A group of strangers are stranded during a snowstorm, huddled together inside Monkswell Manor waiting for the weather to clear. Slowly, the guests realise one of them is a murderer, but which one of the strangers could it be? Will they discover the identity of the killer before it is too late? The Mousetrap is one of Agatha Christie's most loved mysteries. Adaptations of the production have been seen by over 10 million people worldwide, with audiences being held on the edge of their seat until the final moments of the taut and thrilling story. The Official Diamond Anniversary Production has sold out seasons across Australia as it tours for the first time down under, so make sure you get your tickets early to catch the killer in this iconic whodunit murder mystery.
I remember Sunday afternoons when I was ten. Mum and Dad would take me down to the local roller-skating rink so I could glide around aimlessly and win Redskins and Milkos in the best game to come out of the 90s: Red Rover. It was a short time after when Red Rover became violent and people started pushing, skidding, jumping and thumping, that I realised contact sport is definitely not for me. I only wished I was strong with shins of steel so I could take on the fifteen year-old bullies who, over time, won all the candy. I also wish this story would go on to tell that I grew up, got tough as shit and became a derby girl, though that’s definitely not the case. If you, like me, skated as a child, rode your roller blades up ramps and stacked it so many times your knees ran dry of blood, head down to the Brisbane Convention Centre this Saturday and support the lovely ladies who are stickin’ it to the man, roller style. I’m hoping their toughness somehow transfers over to me (maybe by osmosis?) so I can win those Milkos back. Image by Paper Fox Studio
