Before Barbenheimer became the biggest thing in cinema in 2023, moviegoers flocked to a film that featured a blonde wearing plenty of pink, and also clouds and mushrooms, all in the one flick. That feature: The Super Mario Bros Movie. It was a hit. It was a smash, in fact. At the global box office, the first-ever animated movie based on the Nintendo favourite came in right in the middle of both Barbie and Oppenheimer for the year — notching up more than $1.3 billion in takings. That an animated Mario movie would get audiences saying "let's go" to cinemas is hardly a surprise. Neither is the next piece of news: that a sequel to The Super Mario Bros Movie is on the way. The folks at Nintendo and animation studio Illumination are back doing the filmmaking equivalent of hitting blocks to unveil power-ups — aka crafting a second picture that's due to hit cinemas in 2026. The exact date in the US: April 3, 2026. Expect audiences in Australia and New Zealand to see the film at around the same time. Nintendo and Illumination announced the sequel as part of the annual MAR10 celebrations on March 10 — which would also make a great movie release date, but features don't usually hit the big screen on Tuesdays, which is when the occasion will fall in 2026. "By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone's faces through entertainment, Nintendo will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible," said the company in a statement. In a video, Shigeru Miyamoto from Nintendo and Chris Meledandri from Illumination also chatted about the news — but without going into much detail regarding what'll be in store in the film, other than the return trip to the Mushroom Kingdom. "This time, we're thinking about broadening Mario's world further, and it'll have a bright and fun story," said Miyamoto. The 2023 The Super Mario Bros Movie enlisted Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) to voice the Italian plumber, plus Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as Luigi, Jack Black (Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) as Bowser, Anya Taylor-Joy (The Menu) as Princess Peach, Seth Rogen (Dumb Money) as Donkey Kong, Keegan- Michael Key (Wonka) as Toad and Fred Armisen (Wednesday) as Cranky Kong. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) will return from the first film, as will screenwriter Matthew Fogel (Minions: The Rise of Gru). Check out the trailer forThe Super Mario Bros Movie below: The sequel to The Super Mario Bros Movie is set to release in cinemas in the US on April 3, 2026 — we'll update you with Down Under release dates when they're announced. Read our review of the first film.
Battery power: we all want it for those devices that are always in our hands, pockets or bags — and, we rarely have as much as we need. Carrying a charger or power pack around with you is just one of the joys of being a modern smartphone user. And then there's the cable side of things, whether you're carting them from place to place, or seeing them sprawling through your bedroom or living room. Wireless technology seemed to offer the solution to at least some of these #firstworldproblems; however, it's not quite the always-available, always-charging saviour we all want — yet. Enter Disney, their research team and a new room that'll juice up your phone, tablet and more, no strings attached. Given the name quasistatic cavity resonance, the entertainment company has created spaces that keep things buzzing while still remaining safe for people to enter. Aaah yes, that minor matter of not being adversely affected just so that you can keep posting on social media. The areas in question consist of aluminium panels lining the walls, floors and ceiling, plus a floor-to-ceiling electric pipe running through the centre — with a current surging through it and an electromagnetic field radiating from it. Unsurprisingly, the current design isn't much to look at, but who needs something pleasing to the eye when your phone is always charged? It makes sense, really — if Disney can resurrect Star Wars and actually make it great, shower our screens with superheroes for a decade and counting, and bring just about every fairy tale to the live-action realm, they can probably whip up a dose of non-movie magic to solve this annoying issue. Just what happens next is a watch-this-space kind of deal, but we're guessing that charging your phone at Disneyland might just be a whole lot easier in the future. Via: Mashable. Image: Disney Research.
Break out the waffles: Amy Poehler is coming to Australia. If you're a Parks and Recreation fan, nothing less than eating breakfast foods non-stop between now and the end of May will do to celebrate. The actor behind Leslie Knope — and Saturday Night Live legend, and voice of Joy in both Inside Out and Inside Out 2 — has a date with Vivid Sydney, heading to the Harbour City for a just-announced in-conversation event that'll see her chat through her career. Inside Out 2 releases in cinemas in mid-June, so it'll receive plenty of focus when Poehler gets talking — so much so that the Sydney Opera House evening that'll be moderated by Zan Rowe will include a 30-minute first-look at the film. But her work spans far and wide beyond the animated Pixar franchise, including to films such as Baby Mama and Sisters, writing the hilarious Yes Please and unforgettable Golden Globe hosting gigs with Tina Fey. [caption id="attachment_793108" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC[/caption] "I'm really looking forward to taking part in Vivid Sydney this year, a place that welcomes Joy in every way," said Poehler about her impending session in the Harbour City. "I can't wait to share a little of Inside Out 2: a movie that lets Joy and Sadness, Anxiety and Envy all try to work together in hilarious and touching ways." [caption id="attachment_925839" align="alignnone" width="1920"] © 2023 Disney/Pixar.[/caption] Poehler's session will take place on Monday, May 27, making it one of the early highlights of the festival. It comes after 2023's Vivid Sydney also featured a massive screen-focused in-conversation session, welcoming The White Lotus' Jennifer Coolidge and Mike White. "Amy Poehler is comedy royalty and the perfect person to join us as part of Vivid Ideas for this year's Vivid Sydney. We're so proud to add her to the growing list of guests set to captivate visitors throughout 23 nights of the festival," said Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini. "Amy's new film Inside Out 2 ties in perfectly with the theme of this year's festival, humanity, with an accessible take on how the human mind makes decisions and processes emotions. Allowing audiences to have an insight to how one of the world's great writers and performers operates is sure to be a great thrill." Check out the trailer for Inside Out 2 below: In Conversation with Amy Poehler takes place on Monday, May 27, 2024 at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, with tickets on sale now. Vivid Sydney runs from Friday, May 24–Saturday, June 15 at various locations around Sydney. Head to the festival website for further details and tickets.
When you're brainstorming places around the world to visit on a budget, the UK is probably not the first place that springs to mind. What it may lack in affordability department, it makes up for in pretty much every other aspect of an epic holiday — from poking around charming country villages and discovering the diverse cultures of the major cities to stumbling across a historical landmark at pretty much every turn of a corner. Oh, and it has a killer music scene. You can experience all of these UK wonders on a Contiki Sounds trip. With seven- or ten-day options, these whistlestop tours will take you to some of England's top spots, culminating with an unforgettable weekend of dancing, camping and partying at Reading Festival — one of the country's biggest annual music festivals. To get you ready for traipsing around the UK's south, we've put together a guide of some of the best things to do and see while you're there. And, to prove that you can still have a good time without blowing big bucks, we've also thrown in a few penny-pinching tips. Who said you couldn't have your bangers and mash and eat them too? [caption id="attachment_719139" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Hudson via Flickr.[/caption] BIKE BETWEEN LONDON'S MARKETS Hire a set of wheels from the city's bike sharing service (nicknamed 'Boris bikes') for the weekend and visit some of London's best markets. Spend Friday near London Bridge at Borough Market, one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, and turn all of the free cheese and fudge tastings into a makeshift meal. Next up, on Saturday, is a stroll through Broadway Market, which runs from London Fields to the Regent's Canal in old Hackney. Then, on Sunday, cycle over to Columbia Road Flower Market. The street air is intense with the scent of flowers and the barrow boys will be hawking "everthin' for a fiiiver". [caption id="attachment_719140" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Towning via Flickr.[/caption] JUMP AROUND THE JURASSIC COAST Supposedly, the lady who 'sold seashells by the seashore' came from the Jurassic Coast. Too early for her time to be recognised as a palaeontologist by her peers, she was forced to sell her excess dino bones to tourists. The picturesque coast isn't just home to prehistoric beasts and tongue-twisting characters — it also boasts Durdle Door, an iconic limestone arch near Dorset. For the adventurous, try coasteering — a physically challenging activity which involves scaling cave networks, dodging tidal surges and completing ocean jumps. Broadchurch fans may recognise the Jurassic Coast's cliff faces from the hit British crime drama. [caption id="attachment_719154" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ed Webster via Flickr.[/caption] STROLL BRISTOL'S STOKES CROFT STREET ART AND ART GALLERIES Wander around the city and feast your eyes upon some of street artist Banksy's earliest works, then head over to Stokes Croft to ogle the local, ever-changing licks, sprays and splatters of paint. Then, counter your street-traipsing with some gallery time. Spike Island lies south of the river and features contemporary art, design and audio installations. An enormous old tea warehouse has been converted into three floors of contemporary art in all forms to make Arnolfini, Bristol's Centre for Contemporary Arts. Meanwhile, the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery has a huge collection, including Alfred — a stuffed silverback gorilla who was kidnapped in the 1950s by a jovial bunch and returned a whopping 54 years later. VISIT A HAUNTED PUB IN SALISBURY A pleasant 15-kilometre drive from Stonehenge will take you to Salisbury. The city is known for having some of England's finest historic houses, the Russian spy poisoning incident and, most recently, being named the best place to live in the UK. Satiate your inner historian (and thirst) with a visit to The Haunch of Venison. The haunted pub features oak beams that predate the building by several hundred years and are thought to come from early sailing vessels. Under the pub's fireplace, inside a former bread oven, lies a smoke-preserved mummified hand believed to be from an 18th-century demented whist player who lost it in a card game. The cheat's hand has been stolen a few times but is now securely locked away. [caption id="attachment_719156" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alison Day via Flickr.[/caption] JUMP THE FENCE INTO CORFE CASTLE Things are impressive when they are mighty old and still standing. One such thing is Corfe Castle, a 1000-year-old royal abode that was built as an attempt to defend the area from marauding armies. This ruined castle dates back to the 11th century and rests within a heathland landscape that is undeniably picturesque. The area also inspired a number of Thomas Hardy's poems, novels and short stories. Skip the city for a beat, give yourself a history lesson and create your own tale of treachery and treason as you jump the fence into Corfe Castle. CATCH A PORTAL TO ANOTHER DIMENSION AT STONEHENGE Baffling burial mounds and rock formations surely must point to some kind of portal into parallel universes, right? Historians may very well be appalled by our lack of appreciation for their hard work that informs us the Badbury Rings are defences of a hillfort and Avebury Stone Circle is Europe's largest Neolithic stone circle. And let's not forget Stonehenge — arguably the world's most famous prehistoric monument. But alas, the mystery of their power still remains. We're told by locals that entering clockwise affords the best luck. Cut a lap around Stonehenge's circle that was built 5000 years ago — or take a peep through the fence, which works just as well for those on a budget or fearful of transporting too far. [caption id="attachment_719158" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gerrit Burrow via Flickr.[/caption] WALK THE SOUTHWEST FOOTPATHS The southwest of England is home to a variety of stunning trails. Venture to any beach along the area, turn left or right and you'll be on the 1000-kilometre South West Coast Path and on the edge of an eye-stretching experience. The paths were originally created by coastguards patrolling the southwest peninsula looking for smugglers. They legitimately had to check in every inlet, so the cliff top walks are well-worn. The sheer variety of scenery along the gorge-sliced cliff peaks and beach walks along with the unique history of the area make this an unforgettable experience. Remember to fill your playlist with all of your favourite bands from Reading and hit the tracks. Travel around the best spots in the UK with Contiki at Reading Festival. Unearth the UK's musical heritage, then experience an unforgettable party at one of the world's best and biggest music festivals. Contiki wants to take you there — all you have to do is choose from the 7- or 10-day trip. Plus, if you bring a mate, it'll give you both $200 off. Find out more here.
Few individuals cut to the heart of American society with the same degree of wit or insight as author Gore Vidal. And for a man who once said, "there is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise," he didn't have much humility about it either. Highly outspoken on all the issues you're never meant to talk about — sex, politics, religion — and capable of savaging conservatives with either his pen or acid tongue, Vidal was one of America's foremost public intellectuals, until his passing in 2012 at the age of 86. A friend of Vidal's nephew, Burr Steers, Australian-born filmmaker Nicholas Wrathall first sat down to interview Vidal in 2005, laying the foundations for what would eventually become the documentary Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia. In anticipation of the film's release at Melbourne's Cinema Nova, we spoke with Wrathall about the making of the film and his impressions of the man himself. MEETING VIDAL "I really started to taking notice of Gore again after 9/11," says Wrathall. "I was living in New York, during that horrible chaos, and Gore was one of the only people in the media landscape who seemed to be speaking sensibly to how the US should be reacting, and speaking out against the drumbeats to war and the media propaganda and the Bush administration's rush into the Middle East." "Then a few years after that, in 2004, I had the opportunity to meet him in LA in a casual way with Burr and the family," Wrathall continues. "One of the first conversations I had with him was actually about Australian politics. He was very interested in an update in what was going on in Australia, and was asking me for an update on Bob Carr … I didn't realise at the time that he was actually friends with Bob, and also knew Gough Whitlam quite well. That was probably one of the bonding conversations where I gained his trust a little bit, in that it was something that I could actually speak intelligently to." Certainly, one wouldn't want to look stupid in front Vidal. "You can be quite out of your depth with Gore in a serious conversation," says Wrathall. "It can be very intimidating. He certainly doesn't suffer fools. But he's also very generous, and loves to inform, and share his knowledge and experience. So he's very kind, in my experience, especially to younger people... you wouldn't want to get into an argument with him though." MASTER OF THE MEDIA Famous for saying he never missed a chance "to have sex or appear on television," part of Gore's rise to prominence, Wrathall asserts, came from his ability to play to the camera. "He really knew how to work the media," says Wrathall. "He was always being interviewed and being invited on talk shows, and because of his humour and his wit, I think he was a great guest for someone like Johnny Carson or Dick Cavett to have on dick their show. "He loved to push the envelope, and say the things that other people might think, but wouldn't dare to say. He was very outspoken. I think you can see in a lot of the clips [in the film] from the 50s and 60s that many of the things that he said were ahead of their time … he was a great guest in the media landscape at the time, which was maybe less afraid, and less conservative than it is today, and was willing to have these sorts of public debates and issue-based conversations more openly." POLITICS AND POWER Vidal was never shy about his opinions, particularly when it came to politics. "I think he was very pragmatic," says Wrathall. "He was brought up a lot by his grandfather, who was a senator, and a great orator himself. He had people like [Senator] Huey Long coming to his house for dinner, and he'd see their conversations. And then he'd take his grandfather to the senate the next day, and he'd see the same speech that Huey had rehearsed at the dinner table on the senate floor. So he realised that there was a lot of showmanship, and a lot of strategy … He was very clued into that even as a teenager. He came to politics, and to writing about politics, in a very informed way. And that's really his power." Of the current administration, Wrathall believed Vidal had "great hope," but that he also "measured that hope," because "in reality, there are so many compromises that had to made to get to that position". Perhaps Vidal put it best himself when he said that "any American who is prepared to run for President should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so." Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia opens at Cinema Nova on March 6.
After the mild let down of last year's supermoon, you could be forgiven for not engaging in the hype of major celestial movements. But last night's total solar eclipse didn't disappoint astronomers, token stargazers and brazen US presidents alike. The eclipse wasn't visible from our part of the world, instead passing over the the US — starting over Oregon in the west and finishing over South Carolina on the east coast. As the name suggests, a total eclipse is when the sun is completely obscured by the moon. This is a pretty rare event — Time and Date says that, on average, it takes about 375 years for a total solar eclipse to happen again in the same place — so, naturally, everyone turned out to catch a glimpse. NASA live streamed the event, The Weather Channel live tweeted the lead-up to totality, and even Donald Trump stepped out of the White House to look directly at the sun. Yes, he did that. Someone: don't look into the ec- Donald trump: pic.twitter.com/71wpDiwPr1 — sarah (@sarahburhans_) August 21, 2017 So while we wait for a solar eclipse to pass over Australia — the ABC reports that the next one will take place in 2028 and will pass directly over Sydney — here's some of the most epic images from last night's total solar eclipse. Only 11 years to go. A post shared by Getty Images (@gettyimages) on Aug 21, 2017 at 11:51am PDT A post shared by Reuters (@reuters) on Aug 21, 2017 at 1:44pm PDT A post shared by NASA (@nasa) on Aug 21, 2017 at 2:03pm PDT Amazing composite images capture the moon during a previous total solar eclipse, shot by Czech photographer Miloslav Druckmüller #Eclipse pic.twitter.com/LAHenYm2Qi — sobore (@sobore) August 21, 2017 PHOTO: TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 from Green River Lake, WY. I truly think I had the most beautiful spot in the whole path. More photos soon. pic.twitter.com/jLDBMHJJU4 — Ben Cooper (@LaunchPhoto) August 21, 2017 Timelapse: Total solar eclipse brings darkness to Oregon. https://t.co/q3jBRYgob2 pic.twitter.com/MgESS6odoW — ABC News (@ABC) August 21, 2017 A post shared by NASA (@nasa) on Aug 21, 2017 at 3:57pm PDT Top image: Wikimedia Commons.
Drinking sessions at home just got a whole lot more stylish thanks to the arrival of Pord — a new company combining art and wine in a rather gorgeous way. Pord has pooled the talents of three female Australian artists and Victorian winemakers Mitchelton to create its first series of mini wine barrel masterpieces, designed to bring more art and beauty into your everyday life. Each artist has contributed a limited-edition and eye-catching work to grace one of Pord's three-litre barrels, which each hold a neat four bottles' worth of wine. Illustrator Filippa Edghill's monochromatic artwork, titled Ancient Lines, is inspired by nature's curves; Melbourne artist Hannah Nowlan has contributed The Last Resort II from her most recent exhibition; and designer Evi O.'s work Sorbet is a vibrant painting with bold colours and pastels. Customers can select their favourite design and have it filled with one of three Mitchelton wines from the 2017 and 2018 vintages: pinot grigio, shiraz or rosé. Unlike regular bottles of wine, your beautiful barrel will keep wine fresh for four to six weeks after opening — and it can be repurposed. Hand-signed and numbered by the artist, and teamed with a certificate of authenticity, it's the kind of statement piece destined to be the talk of your dinner parties for years to come. And there are plenty more exciting artist collaborations in the works for future Pords. A pre-sale for Pord's covetable launch series kicks off at midnight on Saturday, July 14, with the goods to be delivered in October. The limited-edition barrels will set you back $160 each. Images: Josie Mackerras
The last time I saw so many polygons so ingeniously fitted together was when I handed in my year six major geometry project. Except that they only amalgamated in my imagination, rather than according to the laws of mathematics. Lord (and advanced engineering) only knows how Frank Gehry got this thing to stand up and stay standing, but done it he has. Behold, ye faithful readers, BioMuseo. Its 4,000 square metres of exhibition space tells the story of the Isthmus of Panama — the curvy wisp of land that separates the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic and binds the mighty Americas as one (to the consternation of both North and South, more frequently than not). It’s also home to the tiny nation of Panama and the legendary Panama Canal. After a construction process that’s involved ten years and US$60 million plus, BioMuseo is soon expected to open its doors. The official ceremony date hasn’t yet been announced, but test visits are happening this month. Gehry’s mission was to design an icon that Panamanians could identify as their very own — in the way that Sydneysiders see the Opera House, Coffs Harbourians view the Big Banana and Goulburnians admire the Big Merino. The architect’s signature geometrical style blends with local aesthetics. Exhibition coordinator Darien Montanes describes BioMuseo as a “very loud and visible building, appropriate for Panama’s loud and visible culture”. Bright colours and the application of plaster to a concrete substrate reference native construction methods. Inside, an expansive central open-air atrium serves as the building’s heart. Eight Bruce Mau-designed galleries house permanent exhibitions, each worked out in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The interior design pursues an ongoing dialogue with each exhibition and the overarching story: how a 50km-wide strip of land that emerged 4.5 million years ago changed the world. Via designboom.
Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from the smallest inventions. A little over two weeks ago three Sydney-based butter enthusiasts launched a Kickstarter campaign for a butter knife with one slight design modification. Since then, they've raised over $220,000 in funding, attracted a steady flow of global media attention, and made hundreds of thousands of readers drool and slap their keyboards in excitable butter-loving anticipation. So, what's the deal? Humble though it may seem, this little piece of cutlery claims to solves one of humanity's age-old problems — how to evenly spread cold butter onto bread. "Say goodbye to hard clumps of butter ripping apart your morning toast," reads the product's Kickstarter page. The Stupendous Splendiferous ButterUp — yep, that's it's real name — "turns cold, hard butter into sumptuous easy to spread ribbons of dairy goodness." With a grater function incorporated into the knife's blade, the ButterUp slices up your unholy fridge butter and weirdly makes you feel like you're decorating your toast with cheese stringers. In case you can't fathom the enormity of this genius, here's a handy gif: Of course, this is a nice little invention. Anything that aids the consumption of butter generally gets a big fat thumbs up from us. But the response to the product has been truly staggering. Articles about the invention have been published by The Daily Mail, Wired, LostatEMinor, CBS, and Mashable. The project has ten days to go, and they've already surpassed their funding goal by over $180,000. "I have seldom previously had such a visceral reaction to something so simple," reads a comment on their Kickstarter page. "Too-hard butter has been a lifelong irritation and source of idle family chat as long as I can remember," said another supporter of the project. In fact, most responses from their nearly 9,000 backers have sounded a little like the actors from infomercials that seem to struggle with every daily tasks. Nevertheless, if you'd like to be part of the impending butter revolution, you can pledge money to ButterUp's Kickstarter campaign up until Wednesday, September 3. You can snag one for yourself for as little as $12 (or $15 if you want it delivered by Christmas). Either that or you can make like all of Europe and just leave your butter on the kitchen counter. For more information head to ButterUp's Kickstarter page.
If anyone is heading over to Europe in June — or is looking for an excuse to — check out this new arrival on the festival circuit: FOR, presented by Australian music label Modular. FOR 2013 will take up residence on the Croatian party island of Hvar, from which it takes its name, on June 21 for a three-day, three-venue intimate showcase of some of the world's premier acts to a mere 2000 attendees. Things just got boutique. Perth psychedelic-rock darlings Tame Impala will continue their career far from Aussie shores as they take on headlining, and trunk shaking, duties. Baby-Beyoncé Solange, LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy and the near-veteran electro duo Bag Raiders, along with a host of others, will also be making their way to the Adriatic for a swim and a sing. Not necessarily in that order. FOR has done well to lock down some of Hvar's more notorious party spots for the event, including (Prince Harry’s favourite swimming spot) Veneranda, and the best-named beach in the world, Carpe Diem. Apparently, its pretty pretty to boot. Tickets will go on sale next Tuesday, but the super-keen can pre-register on the website and reduced accommodation rates for festival-goers will be available.
At festivals all over the UK this summer, Vodafone has been trialling the new 'Power Pocket'. Built into either a 'Recharge' sleeping bag or a pair of 'Power' denim shorts, the device draws on body heat to charge mobile phones. Vodafone developed the Power Pocket in conjunction with the University of Southampton's Department of Electronics and Computer Science. 'We've been working on printed smart material since the late 1980s,' Professor Stephen Beeby explains on the company's blog. 'But that was high-temperature stuff designed to be used on ceramics. We got into the topic of energy harvesting in the late 1990s, and we brought the two together to make smart materials for harvesting energy. We started on thermoelectric materials in 2003, but our printed thermoelectric material work has only been the last few years.' The smart material is made up of 'thermocouples', a whole bunch of which form a 'thermoelectric module'. One side of this is cold and the other is hot. The introduction of heat creates both a voltage and a current, which, in unison, give rise to electric power. In other words, the warmth generated by sleeping or dancing contrasts with the external cold air. Technically, this reaction is known as the 'Seebeck Effect'. At the moment, eight hours' time in the sleeping bag produces enough energy for 24 minutes of talking and 11 hours on stand-by, while a day's worth of activity in the shorts provides four hours of smartphone charge. [via Inhabitat]
Catharsis is crucial in filmmaking, as Jon Favreau (Iron Man) clearly knows. The writer, director and star emerges from big-budget cinema to return to the smaller side of Hollywood, seemingly purging his demons and addressing his disappointments in the process. In Chef, Carl Casper (Favreau) has toiled from humble beginnings to become Los Angeles' premier culinary artist, but a decade working for a profit-focused restaurateur (Dustin Hoffman) sees his menus branded safe, not daring. A scathing review by a prominent food blogger (Oliver Platt) calls out his creative malaise, swirling into a storm of negative press and social media that ushers him out of a job. At first, Carl resists the encouragement of his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara) to start his own food van. Soon, he's rediscovering his passion for cooking and reconnecting with his ten-year-old son, Percy (Emjay Anthony), in a road trip across the continent. https://youtube.com/watch?v=PZ6e51-ie7w Favreau's offering proves appetising in the undemanding manner of the food trucks it covets — and repeatedly invites the comparison. Fine ingredients abound, including finessed visuals of enticing meals on par with the best food-centric efforts; however, poise and polish are swapped for a handmade feel and celebratory outcome. Chef (Film © Sous Chef, LLC. All Rights Reserved) is out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital with Ultraviolet on September 4, and thanks to Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and the release of Chef, you could win one of two Bodum EILEEN coffee press pack to deck out your kitchen. Included are: 1x Bodum 8 Cup Coffee Press 2x Bodum Pavina Glasses 1x Bodum Travel Press 1x Bodum Battery Operated Milk Frother 1x Bodum Vacum Travel Press 1x copy of Chef on DVD In addition, ten runners up will get copies of the Chef DVD. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Read our full review of the movie here. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
We've all been living through the sweats and the naps, the lying in front of the fan and the UberEats-ing ice cream. Summer isn't kind sometimes, and even the most motivated among us find it easy to come up with excuses to not exercise during the hottest months (e.g., it's a million degrees outside and you'll die = valid). What we've decided is that finding fairly active pursuits to spend your time on counts just as much; as long as your blood is pumping and you're schvitzing a bit, you've ticked the box and can sit down to a nice cold beer(s). Have a go at some of these this summer — your morning jogs are a thing of the past. ROWBOATING Rowboating is A+ for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, upper arm strength, teamwork, enjoying the water and re-enacting scenes from The Notebook or Bridget Jones Diary. It's also very accessible, with boats available to hire all over Melbourne and Sydney, and a nice alternative to land-based activities this summer. Take a picnic in with you and when your arms tire, hang up your oars and drift around eating cheese and sinking a few cold ones. Up north in Brisbane, the waters are more friendly for kayaking, which is also a perfect shenanigan for two — and everyone looks great in a yellow life jacket. Where? Lane Cove Boatshed in North Ryde, Sydney; Fairfield Park Boathouse in Melbourne; and Kayak Hire Brisbane, in Scarborough. DANCE CLASS The broadness of this one means you'll be able to tickle your fancy no matter what floats your dancing boat. Dancing is one of the most effective forms of fitness out there, mostly because you're often having so much fun you don't even realise that you're exercising your coordination, strength and flexibility, as well as hiking up your energy levels and mood. Take a salsa class with your significant other, a contemporary class to flail around to Sia like you've always wanted or get yourself into a street dance situation if it's Step Up feels you're after. There are studios around Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane which offer all these choices and more. They say "dance like nobody's watching" and even if there are people watching, it's chill — you're doing a noble thing by being active in the first place. Where? Sydney Dance Company in Walsh Bay, Sydney; The Space in Prahran, Melbourne; and Mad Dance House in Brisbane. CIRCUS FIT Circus Fit has been marketed as the new gym class for people who hate gym classes, and as such it's something a little bit different: it's a combo of both strength and flexibility training, with a healthy dose of aerial work thrown in there, too. Just head along and jump on your trapeze (low-hanging, luckily) and after a warm-up, you'll work through a variety of exercises that target core strength and stability — and, you'll have a whole bunch of fun doing it too. Try it at Fitness Playground in Sydney, but in Melbourne and Brisbane, you can head along to a short course in aerials at NICA or Flipside Circus, respectively. If you've ever had that urge in you to run away and join the circus, well, you probably can't because of life responsibilities and the fact that it's hard to touch your toes and all that, but you can feel like it isn't such a distant possibility for 60 minutes during class. Where? Fitness Playground in Marrickville, Newtown and Surry Hills, Sydney; NICA in Prahran, Melbourne; and Flipside Circus in Alderley, Brisbane. ROCK CLIMBING Rock climbing may not seem like the ideal hot weather sport at first — but you can easily avoid the elements by just heading to an (air-conditioned) indoor climbing centre where you can climb to your heart's content and not get overheated or intense sunburn. It's a win/win. Go on a date because rock climbing is the perfect duo activity: one person climbs while the other belays (holds the rope beneath them) so it's all romantic because your date's life is in your hands — nothing says 'second date' more than not letting someone fall off a really high rock wall, right? If you're flying solo or don't quite trust your entire life with that special someone, bouldering is an excellent alternative — no ropes necessary and no extreme heights either. Notoriously good for upper-body and arm strength, a climb up one of the numerous rock climbing centres around the country is definitely a valid option for those wanting to remain active this summer but who turn their noses up at high energy circuit training. Where? 9 Degrees in Alexandria, Sydney; Cliffhanger Climbing Gym in Altona North, Melbourne; and Urban Climb in West End, Milton and Newstead in Brisbane. ULTIMATE FRISBEE The thing about throwing a Frisbee around is that it's actually very difficult to catch (and often, throw smoothly). A game of Ultimate Frisbee could easily lull you into a false sense of security before you realise your calves are burning and you're sweating up a storm; miles have been run trotting around after that thing as it catches the wrong wind and ends up in someone else's picnic. Before you even notice, you've had a medium to hectic workout and it's time for a bit of a sit-down and a cold brew. Game-wise, the rules of Ultimate Frisbee are simply that you have to pass the Frisbee to a teammate at the opposite end zone of play and that — similarly to netball — you can't step while holding the disc. Pick a nice quiet beach and you can cool off in the water once you're done too (plus running on sand makes for an extra workout). Where? Collins Flat Beach in Manly, Sydney; Elwood Beach in Elwood, Melbourne; and Flinders Beach on North Stradbroke Island. Forgo the trip to the gym and get your exercise in a new way, then reward your workout success with a ice cold Hahn, because you deserve it.
There are a lot of stereotypes about a full moon that we could call on here — moody mates, transformations into other-worldly beings and Thai beach festivals among them. But when a full moon falls on a Saturday evening, the best way to look at it is as an excuse for a big ol' party — and that's certainly how Jade Buddha is approaching things. On Saturday, March 3, the Eagle Street Pier venue will be hosting one of its popular Full Moon Parties upstairs in the Shadow Lounge. The lunar soiree includes a food and beverage package for $40 per person, so from 6–8pm you can feast on canapés alongside tap beer, wine and, of course, Thai bucket cocktails. After 8pm, the lounge is open to other full moon revellers to join in on the festivities with great DJs scheduled throughout the night. If the moon or sweeping views of the Brisbane River and Story Bridge aren't enough to keep your gaze fixed outwards and upwards, illuminated water jetpack and fireworks displays at 6.30pm and 8.15pm definitely will. To secure your spot on the guest list, book tickets here.
It's becoming a trend these days for music festivals to make a big song and dance (pun, hoy!) about their food lineup — and, frankly, we couldn’t we couldn't be happier about it. Melbourne's Sugar Mountain Festival is stepping it up with an immersive 'sensory' restaurant, and St Jerome's Laneway Festival has announced a tight little food sched for their upcoming spots along the east coast. And it looks like it's going to be as good and as varied as the music. Here's what's going to be in your gob while you get down to Grimes in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. SYDNEY It's a real meaty affair in Sydney with LP’s Quality Meats on the smoker, Mary's doing their signature burgers, Porteno firing up the Argentinian barbecue, and Mexican snacks from Playa Takeria. Stuff from the sea will be provided by Oysters Unplugged and Zetland's Salmon and Bear. It's not all animals through; vegos and vegans can chow down on Yulli's cuisine. Of course, Gelato Messina will be there, alongside Knafeh, who'll be serving up their sweet and cheesy (and totally delish) Jerusalem street desserts. Plus, there'll be ice-cold Young Henrys and Stone & Wood on-hand to wash it all down with. MELBOURNE Melbourne Laneway is going to be a bonanza of classic Melbourne eats. Japanese food wizards Mr Miyagi (who are the feature restaurant partner of 2016) will be doing their nori tacos, Beatbox Kitchen will be pumping out those burgers, and beef short ribs will come by way of Burn City Smokers. You may have trouble choosing though, as they'll be joined by an army of food options, including Taco Truck, Slice Girls West, Gelato Messina, Gyoza Records, Juanita Peaches, Nuoc Mama's, Rice and Dice (for vegan dumplings!) and more. Beer-wise, it's going to be a choice between Byron's Stone & Wood, Sydney's Young Henrys, and local breweries, Footcray's West City and Brunswick East's Temple. Wear loose clothing. BRISBANE Punters at Brisbane Laneway will enjoy incredibly diverse food options from some classic Brissie establishments. Good luck trying to choose between homemade Greek food by Greek Street Grill, pizza by Pizzantica, and German sausages by Brat Haus. Or weigh up between vego fare by the legendary Govinda's, nachos by Sweethearts and Venezuelan by Fiery Deli. Throw Phatboys Food Truck, Puerto Taco and Mangia! Mangia! into the mix and it's going to be a tough choice. One decision is easy though: don't go past a local brew from Newstead Brewing Co. To check out the full Laneway food lineup (or the real lineup), go to their website.
When you're sitting at a bar, sipping a cocktail and enjoying its delicious flavours, you're usually just thinking about how great it tastes. Something you're probably not pondering is what happens to the fruit that makes your beverage so zesty. Once you're done drinking, what's next for those slices of lemon, wedges of orange and other edible cocktail ingredients and garnishes? Wonder no more, cocktail lovers — New Zealand-based vodka company 42BELOW can not only answer that question, but they're helping make your favourite concoctions more sustainable. Rounding up many a lemon, piece of fruit and even a few olives, they're turning yesterday's cocktail waste into today's hand washing liquid. Prepare to lather up with 42BELOW Recycled Cocktail Lemons Eco Soap, aka the world's first hand soap made from recycled cocktail fruit. The initiative first launched in December last year, with 13 venues in Sydney, two places in Melbourne and a further two on the Gold Coast jumping on board. Fast forward two months and drinkers at the likes of Darlinghurst's This Must be The Place, Melbourne CBD's The Carlton, Surfer's Paradise's elsewhere and Auckland's Mea Culpa, your cocktail habit is now environmentally friendly. To date, they've already collected 400 kilograms of fruit waste, then transformed those discarded morsels then into soap. In just a few weeks, 20,000 sachets and 400 bottles of liquid soap have been created — or 3200 cocktails, because that's everyone's preferred method of measurement. 42BELOW is in the process of signing up more bars around Australia and New Zealand, with those that join the fold then receiving their soapy goodness for free. Yes, pubs, watering holes and boozy hangouts can recycle their fruit wastage and keep patrons' hands lemony-fresh for zilch, while everyone downing cocktails can feel extra great about ordering their next fruity beverage.
The Queensland Music Awards are half party, half award ceremony. Sure, there are awards given out to deserving musicians, but when you are celebrating music as good as this, you can't help but get a little bit carried away. This year, the QMA's are taking place at the iconic venue, The Tivoli - a place that has held countless amazing live performances of every musical genre. It is fitting that it is also the place where Queensland musicians are honoured in grand fashion. The nominations read like a who's who of Queensland Music, with every genre being hotly contested by quality talent. Rock, Pop, Folk, Country, each genre contains some of the greatest musical talent Queensland has to offer. There will be live performances sprinkled throughout the night by great talent such as The Jungle Giants (pictured), The Trouble With Templeton, Violent Soho, Thelma Plum and Pigeon. Make sure you get a ticket to witness Queensland musical history in the making.
The year 2015 has come and gone, and the kind of microwave-rehydrating instant pizzas featured in Back to the Future Part II haven't yet come to fruition. Neither has a holographic 19th Jaws film. However, something just as great is on its way to becoming a reality thanks to a Danish brewery — and it'd go mighty well with Marty McFly Jr's favourite food. Copenhagen-based outfit To Øl has invented something many a yeasty beverage fan has dreamed of: instant craft beer. It comes in powdered form, ready to be mixed with some of the original alcohol and sparkling water. Add the three together, and voila, you've got some fresh booze ready for drinking. Basically, the gypsy brewers — aka two beer-loving pals who don't have their own facilities, but work out of others with spare capacity — figured out how to freeze-dry their tipples, and also how to then transform it back into the drinkable form (thanks, science!). According to Tobias Emil Jensen & Tore Gynther's post on online food culture platform Aorta, they were motivated by "wanting to provide quality beers in situations which normally doesn't encourages it due to the natural physics of beer," such as climbing a mountain or transporting beverages by plane. Four of their brews have undergone the freeze-drying treatment so far: "a heavy deep beer brewed with coffee, a fruity IPA brewed with different tropical fruits, a Wild Yeast hop forward IPAs and a fairly dry pilsner". No word yet as if or when To Øl will ever release their new concoctions to the public, so we'll all just dream of these futuristic bevs until more news come to hand.
What has happened to that once glorious Hollywood staple, the romantic comedy? Even at its most saccharine, it was a dependable genre, the type that left you in a kind of terrible movie heaven of enjoyably unlikely plot premises, clueslessly fated lovers, and fairytale endings. Trashy, sure, but reliably trashy — carefree and frothy and silly. Beautiful people, overcoming mindlessly familiar cinematic hurdles and falling in love — it's comforting stuff for hopeless romantics. But a genre that focuses more on seduction and courtship and the happily-ever-after, bridal magazine moments eventually leaves viewers craving something a little more substantial. After all, anyone who lives in the real world knows that the real work in relationships begins at the point where rom coms usually end: the kiss, the wedding, the honeymoon period, the beginning. I Give It a Year goes some way towards reclaiming the rom com genre in favour of the reality and ridiculousness and complexity of relationships and sex and romance. British director Dan Mazer has styled it as a renovated, thinking-person's rom com, one that starts at the wedding and explores the difficulty of staying in love. Rose Byrnes' highly strung Nat and Rafe Spall's man-boy Josh are not meant to be — they marry too quickly and are obviously more suited to the two supporting characters, played by Simon Baker and Anna Faris. Concrete Playground has 10 double passes to give away to see I Give It a Year. To be in the running, subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email us with your name and postal address at hello@concreteplayground.com.au. Read our full review here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=3UgPWKPDlvA
Each year we anticipate the arrival of December 25. Because of the day off, the promise of an afternoon spent dozing in a hammock — and the arrival of Messina's annual Christmas cake. And while the gelato chain last year went for a festive response to Sydney's lockout laws in the form of Santa trying to fit down a chimney, it's decided to take on a quintessential Australian dessert for 2017: the trifle. Enter The Christmas Coma. This epic ice cream creation will feature layer upon layer of everything that is good about Christmas — but instead of being soggy and slightly regrettable, this one will have you licking the glass bowl. So what's in it? The trifle will be layered with — here we go — vanilla custard gelato, whipped cream, peach jellies, raspberry marsala jelly, raspberry meringue, sherry-soaked jam rolls and bloody peach sorbet. Plus, it'll be garnished with white chocolate and cherry truffles and come with Messina brandy custard and chocolate-coated nuts to douse all over the mess. The trifle, which serves 18–20 (or less if you really commit), costs $120 and can be ordered for pickup between December 22 and Christmas Eve. In Sydney you can pick one up from Rosebery, Darlinghurst, Bondi, Miranda, Penrith, Tramsheds and Parramatta. If you're in Melbourne, you can get one from the Fitzroy or Windsor outposts — and the South Brisbane store will be making them too. Hopefully nan won't take it personally. The Christmas Coma is available to order at gelatomessina.com from 9am on Tuesday, December 5.
If you think that climbing Mount Everest is a massive endeavour, then wait until you hear about the latest venture from ex-Noma chef James Sharman. As part of his One Star House Party project, he's taking 15 adventurous diners on a 14-day trek of the mammoth Himalayan mountain, complete with a pop-up fine-dining restaurant. Participants will hike to base camp for the meal of a lifetime, setting off on December 10 and returning on December 23. Just what Sharman will whip up when they get there is yet to be revealed; however, given that his roving culinary party aims to showcase the cuisines of each country that he visits and make meals out of ingredients he discovers along the way, inventive takes on Nepalese fare is more than likely. Now that's how you celebrate scaling the world's highest peak above sea level — but, of course, the catch is that attendees have to do the hard work to get there first. And it doesn't come cheap, unsurprisingly. The eager climbers each pay US$1050 per person, which includes accommodation in guest houses along the way and other necessities for the trip. Nepal marks Sharman's fourth stop in his 20-month plan to host 20 restaurants in 20 countries, after starting in Beijing in September, then visiting Ho Chi Minh in October and Bangkok in November. Mumbai is next on the agenda, with the delicious escapade also touching everywhere from Nairobi, Berlin and Reykjavik to Santiago, Vancouver and Kyoto. Yes, Australia is included, with a Tasmanian stopover slated for June 2018. For more information about One Star House Party, visit www.onestarhouseparty.com. Image: Nick Taz.
Filmed like a play but choreographed like a dance, Birdman is cinematic ballet where the way the story is presented is just as critical to its telling as the story itself. That's because the film features one remarkable, continuous shot that goes for 119 minutes and is called Birdman. Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) is a washed-up movie star whose career faded into obscurity after turning down the lead in ‘Birdman 3’ (allusions to Keaton’s career post Batmans 1 and 2 are clearly — and gleefully — embraced by all). Thomson has gambled everything on one final shot at restoring his credibility: a Broadway adaptation of a Raymond Carver story that he has singlehandedly adapted, directed and is starring in. There's a matryoshka doll feeling to it all: the movie, filmed like a play, about the movie star putting on a play. The effect is at once mesmerising and unbalanced, neatly reflecting Thomson’s own tortured subconscious. With a supporting cast including Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, Birdman is a tantalisingly original black comedy that belongs on everyone’s must-see list for 2015. Birdman is in cinemas nationally on January 15. Thanks to Twentieth Century Fox, we're giving away one collectable, money-can’t-buy talking Birdman figurine (only 50 in Australia), along with a Birdman double in-season pass. Ten runners up will also get double in-season passes. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Read our full review here. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
Boaz Yakin's 'Safe' follows the two-headed mission of former special forces operative Luke Wright (Jason Stratham) as he sets out to outwit Chinese Triads and the Russian Mafia. 12-year old Mei (Catherine Chan) is Wright's unlikely sidekick: a girl who holds potentially deadly knowledge. Mei has been gifted with mathematical genius, a skill which enables her to memorise the code to a coveted safe containing $30 million. Her secret cannot remain under wraps for long, however. Once word gets out that Mei is the only person who knows the safe's code, the underbelly of the crime world comes clamouring. Wright must protect Mei as together they attempt to outwit the Triads, corrupt NYC officials, and Russian Mafia. From the producer of 'Kill Bill' and 'Inglourious Bastards', this breakneck-speed crime thriller will keep you on-edge, hoping that Wright can successfully complete his trickiest and most important mission yet: to keep Mei safe. To win one of ten double passes to see Safe, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address through to hello@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=Mv2VZi5RD6c
Fresh from scoring plenty of attention in Australia's sporting circles after hosting the AFL's first-ever Gather Round, Adelaide is giving locals and visitors alike another reason to enjoy the City of Churches. Art, music and culture lovers, get ready for the South Australian dream that is Illuminate Adelaide, which debuted in 2021, then backed up its dazzling first year in 2022 — and has just dropped an impressive 2023 lineup, too. Illuminate's third month-long event will run from Wednesday, June 28–Sunday, July 30, putting it in prime winter festival season following Vivid Sydney, RISING Melbourne and Dark Mofo in Tasmania. Spending the country's colder months travelling between all four fests sounds positively heavenly; however, if you can only hit up one, SA's addition to the fold makes a strong case. Topping the music bill are Yothu Yindi, Oneohtrix Point Never and Tourist, giving Illuminate both Australian icons and electronic must-sees from overseas. With the former, the iconic Indigenous rock band play for one night only to celebrate NAIDOC Week. As for the latter, the Brooklyn-based Oneohtrix Point Never (who is responsible for the intoxicating scores to films Good Time and Uncut Gems) and English electronic musician and producer Tourist (aka William Phillip) will also bring their respective tunes to the Hindley Street Music Hall during the fest. After making its Aussie debut at last year's Illuminate, concert series KLASSIK underground will return, once again pairing classical music with live visuals. So too will experimental and electronic music celebration Unsound Adelaide. And, the roster of tunes also spans Murrawarri and Ngemba talent DOBBY, Space Afrika's dub-techno sounds, Sofie Birch and Antonina Nowacka teaming up, rapper bbymutha and Guatemalan experimental cellist Mabe Fratti. [caption id="attachment_897498" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jack Fenby[/caption] That's what festival attendees will be listening to. The arts and light part of the program is just as impressive — and literally vibrant. UK creatives Architects of Air will hit Illuminate with Arborialis luminarium, which will take over East End in Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka with 1000 square metres of inflatable mazes. Even better: running for three weeks, it's basically a labyrinth of colour and light, and you can head along by both day and by night. Mirror Mirror is another standout, harking from multimedia studio Moment Factory and coming to Adelaide fresh from premiering in Montreal. An interactive and immersive experience that'll take over its own purpose-built structure on Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga, it gets attendees wandering their way through unique art installations — and yes, a hall of mirrors is included. The same outfit is also behind Resonate, which takes over from 2021 and 2022's Light Cycle in lighting up a 1.7-kilometre trail nightly through the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. [caption id="attachment_897495" align="alignnone" width="1920"] John Owens[/caption] Keeping with the 2023 festival's radiant side, Illuminate will welcome back some of its past big luminous drawcards for a third time, because they're just that impressive and popular. That includes Light Creatures at the Adelaide Zoo, which means even more glowing animal installations. This year, it'll feature returning panda, skink, underwater and tiger favourites, plus a golden falcon, crabs and a projection that travels through time. Also worth looking out for (not at you can miss it) is the City Lights program, which makes a comeback to again feature more 40 free site-specific works over 17 days. A sculptural floral field, CoolShit getting into stare mode with large-scale art installation The Eyes, a touch-sensitive light and sound piece, an exhibition of works by the multi-talented Poh Ling Yeow, Amanda Parer's towering and inflatable Man: they're all included. So too is Augmented Revolution, which dives into augmented reality featuring works by First Nations artists. Elsewhere, you can make a date with pop-up bar and eatery hub Base Camp in its third year; the also-returning New Light, which commissions new screen works from Aboriginal talents; Make|Shift @ The Mill, aka projection art by six SA multidisciplinary artists; and the world premiere of Restless Dance Theatre's new Shifting Perspectives. Looking for more things to do around South Australia at the time? Concrete Playground Trips has a four-day wellness escape in the Adelaide Hills available to book in July as well. [caption id="attachment_897500" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moment Factory[/caption] Illuminate Adelaide 2023 runs from Wednesday, June 28–Sunday, July 30. Check out the festival's website for the full program and to grab tickets. Top images: Sam Wong, Amigo and Amigo, Frankie the Creative, Moment Factory and Rami Saarikorpi. 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.
"What is this kind of film?" This question is not, as one might expect, asked by a journalist following a screening of Trance, or by a member of the public curious about the billboards currently filling London. Rather, it is asked by Vincent Cassel, one of the film's leads, to a room of six reviewers, including myself. None of us are able to answer him. Trance is the latest Danny Boyle film and, as such, one must approach it with very few specific expectations. Boyle has treated his career like a pick-n-mix, filling his directorial bag with genres as diverse as black comedy (Shallow Grave, 1994), Bollywood-inspired coming of age (Slumdog Millionaire, 2008) and zombie flick (28 Days Later, 2002). So what has he attempted this time? When asked, Boyle is vague. "You tend to talk in genres when you're doing publicity but it's not really something we think about." This seems unlikely and yet the three core cast — James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Cassel — agree. Trance defies easy categorisation. The film's opening minutes feel like a classic heist movie, as a high-priced work of art is stolen from the London auction house where McAvoy's character, Simon, works. It very quickly descends into violent gangster flick as Cassel's Franck, a French crime boss, enters the story. And just as quickly, it makes the switch to psychological thriller with the introduction of Elizabeth, played by Dawson — a hypnotherapist with the apparent ability to not only see into Simon's mind but to completely control it. These rapid direction changes are disorienting but one suspects that is entirely intentional. In a film in which motivations are revealed in increments, it helps to have the audience as misdirected as the characters. Boyle says that even the artwork at the centre of the criminals' plot is a part of this tactic. Witches in the Air by Goya "introduces a slightly surreal element into the film to prepare you". Depending on your viewpoint, the use of hypnotherapy as the plot's driving force might add to this sense of the surreal. In a film more bound up in realism, it would be laughable to posit the possibility of mind control through hypnotherapy, but it's easier to swallow in the hypercolour confusion of Trance. The film's actors are split on this issue. Dawson says she had a very intense experience in a hypnosis centre in California which convinced her that "it's not a parlour trick or a gimmick." It didn't work on McAvoy, but he still believes "it has a place and a power, even if that power is placebo. Placebo is a powerful drug for some people." Cassel's response is the most revealing. While he was resistant to being hypnotised, he thinks he knows why the subject fascinates his director. "Danny Boyle is a control freak. Maybe he wanted to talk about that. It's a personal problem for him and that's what makes it so interesting." Control freak he may be, but he's a prolific one. Boyle managed to pull off two completely different projects concurrent with the production of Trance: directing the 2011 theatrical production of Frankenstein and acting as artistic director for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. The pressure on an Olympic opening ceremony is huge, with each country attempting to top the last. But when Boyle is asked if he felt that pressure he hesitates slightly before responding. "Well ... no, to be honest. People say were you nervous on the night, and I wasn't nervous at all." The relaxed attitude extends to his advice for the next opening ceremony, to be held in Rio De Janeiro in 2016. "I think Brazil has such personality. Provided they just reflect that personality, they'll be fine." With all this so recently behind him, one might expect Boyle to take a break. But this doesn't seem to be in his nature. He's currently working on two period films — another new genre for him — and is keen to develop an original musical. Excitingly for fans, there are also preliminary plans for a sequel to his 1996 hit, Trainspotting, about drug culture in Edinburgh. He confirms that "We're trying to make a Trainspotting 2 — T2," adding that he doesn't know what James Cameron will think of that title. The variety of work Boyle produces makes it tempting to try to tie down Trance, to figure out where it fits in his ever expanding portfolio. But Cassel feels this would be a mistake. "Any genre movie made by a good director becomes that director's movie and nothing else. It's a Danny Boyle movie." And as his other leading man, McAvoy, reminds us: "He's not making obscure art. He's making proper entertainment." On that front, the deliriously paced, lushly shot and brilliantly acted Trance certainly delivers. Trance is in cinemas across Australia from April 4. Read our review here.
Are you planning a fancy weekend away in 2016? Forget glamping (seriously forget it, let’s pretend it never happened), we suspect 2016 is going to the year of the gallery getaway. This is a wonderfully alliterative way of saying that 2016 is shaping up to be an amazing year for Australian galleries and you owe it to yourself to spend a few glamorous and very grown-up weekends out of town taking in the exhibitions. To help you get started, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Museum of Contemporary Art have a slam dunk of a prize pack to giveaway to a lucky couple (platonic or otherwise) which is designed to bequeath unto you a weekend spent enjoying the cornucopia of art and culture available in Sydney right now. The full prize will include return flights for two (economy from Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart or Melbourne), a night’s accommodation in the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth and two art passes which grant you entry into The Greats: Masterpieces from the National Galleries of Scotland exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales and Grayson Perry: My Pretty Little Art Career at the Museum of Contemporary Art. If you need to bone up on the ins n outs of the current exhibitions, let us help you out: a review of Grayson Perry can be found here and a review of The Greats here. As if that wasn’t enough, they’ll also throw in a feasting voucher (glory of the gods!) for dinner at Matt Moran's Chiswick at the Gallery and drink vouchers for MCA's pretty, pretty Gin Garden. So if you win you can bank on two days of art, boozing, and artful boozing which pretty much sounds like the perfect weekend. Now go forth and enter the contest! Thanks to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and the Sydney International Art Series, we have one trip for two to Sydney from Melbourne or Brisbane up for grabs. The prize includes two return economy flights to Sydney, one night accommodation at Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, two Art Passes (provides entry into The Greats at AGNSW and Grayson Perry at MCA), one dining voucher for CHISWICK at the Gallery, drink vouchers for the Gin Garden at MCA. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter by January 18 and then email win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. The winner will be notified by January 19. See competition Terms and Conditions.
Tegan and Sara have obviously done their family proud. The identical siblings have sold over a million albums in their career and have shared the stage with some of the world’s biggest musical stars. They have made their mark on the musical landscape thanks to the evolution of their pop sound scapes since their inception in the late '90s. The twins were last here in 2010 for Groovin' The Moo and they enjoyed it so much they came back to do it again. This time, Tegan and Sara are giving their Australian fans a real treat by playing a few dates around the country in their own headline tour. Their seventh album, Heartthrob (follow-up to 2009’s Sainthood) unveils a new set of hits for the duo to perform on the tour alongside lead single, 'Closer', which has garnered over half a million streams and earned the siblings performance spots on American television. Undoubtedly, this album is going to make long time fans very happy, and may even add some newcomers to the growing legion of the devoted. Tegan and Sara play the Tivoli with support from Clubfeet.
Paris and Abu Dhabi might seem worlds apart in many ways, but come November they'll share a pretty significant cultural bond, as the Louvre Abu Dhabi opens its doors to the public. Set to launch on November 11, the museum will be unlike any other in the United Arab Emirates, pitched as "a universal museum that focuses on shared human stories across civilisations and cultures." It's a stunner, too, designed by acclaimed French architect Lean Nouvel and boasting a 7500-tonne, 180-metre high dome ceiling, set with close to 8000 metal stars. The intergovernmental project is globally significant, pulling together a diverse, 600-strong collection of artworks and artefacts from 13 of France's top cultural institutions, spanning prehistoric times to the present day. In a forward-thinking move, they'll be displayed chronologically, rather than with a focus on place, shining a spotlight on cross-cultural interconnectedness. According to the museum's director, Manuel Rabaté, the goal was to create "a place where visitors can come to understand their own and others' cultures. Its ground-breaking architecture complements a presentation of exceptional treasures that represent a snapshot of humanity's creativity, and paves the way for new discussions." Images: Mohamed Somji.
That The Boys-shaped hole in your viewing is about to be filled, and not just by college-set spinoff Gen V. Viewers had the latter to get their sinister superhero fix in 2023, but 2024 will deliver more of the show behind it — and, unsurprisingly to viewers of 201-9's first season, 2020's second effort and 2022's third go-around, utter mayhem is on the way. When The Boys returns, it'll see the world dealing with Homelander (Antony Starr, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant)-versus-Starlight (Erin Moriarty, Captain Fantastic) factionalism, and just being ready to tear itself apart in general. Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit, Where'd You Go, Bernadette) is getting closer to the Oval Office, too, with Homelander pulling the strings. It's no wonder that the just-dropped first trailer for season four is filled with utter chaos. Also on the way: no-nonsense Brit Billy Butcher (Karl Urban, Thor: Ragnarok) dealing with the fact that he's only got months left, and that he's no longer leading The Boys — aka the eponymous ragtag team intent on bringing down Vought International, Homelander, and the company's caped-crusader industry and dominance. And, there's a new face, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead) joining the cast, adding another Supernatural link after Jensen Ackles did the same in season three. Back in 2019 when The Boys first hit streaming, sufferers of superhero fatigue understandably rejoiced. Yes, it focuses on a group of caped crusaders just like seemingly every second blockbuster movie (and, these days, every third TV show or so as well); however, in a world where viewers have been conditioned to lap up narratives about powerful folks who are supposedly better than most, this series both satirises and questions that very idea. Here, superheroes work for Vought. They're still the main form of entertainment, but they're real, the most famous celebrities there are and inescapable in daily life, too. The absolute top talent is known as The Seven, but most are hardly role models when the public isn't looking. That has made quite the change from the usual cinematic universes as the Prime Video show has kept notching up the seasons, all coming to the small screen after being adapted from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic book series of the same name. Exactly when The Boys will bring back its gleefully darker-than-dark tone, a pervasive bleakness that refuses to be shaken, plus oh-so-much blood, gore and guts hasn't been revealed other than sometime in 2024. As well as Starr, Moriarty, Doumit and Urban, Jack Quaid (Oppenheimer), Jessie T Usher (Smile), Laz Alonso (Wrath of Man), Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl), Tomer Capone (One on One), Karen Fukuhara (Bullet Train), Colby Minifie (I'm Thinking of Ending Things) and Cameron Crovetti (Goodnight Mommy) will all return — with Susan Heyward (Hello Tomorrow!) and Valorie Curry (The Lost Symbol) also set to be season four newcomers. Check out the first trailer for The Boys season four below: The fourth season of The Boys will start streaming via Prime Video sometime in 2024 — we'll update you with an exact date when one is announced. Read our reviews of The Boys season three and Gen V.
Zipping around the city running errands can be difficult without a bicycle accessory to hold all your belongings — backpacks get heavy and bags hanging off handlebars get caught in wheels. So counter this, Yeong Keun Jeong and Aareum Jong have created Reel, an invention that attaches to your bike frame using woven elastic and adhesive silicone buttons. This simple yet effective design comes in two parts: one long piece of elastic and a sheet of clear plastic buttons. By attaching the buttons evenly along the bike frame, Reel stops the elastic from sliding to the bottom of the frame by looping the elastic in a diamond shape. Acting as a woven basket, the elastic holds your items in place along the triangle frame so you can ride off into the sunset or down the street with whatever tickles your fancy in tow.
“My father passed away when I was three. It was only this year that I realised that he was just thirty when he died. So, if I make it through this year alive, I’ll outlive my own father, which is crazy. And that’s why my album is called Thirty One. Apparently he was a really amazing musician, so I think that’s where I got my music from.” Brisbane singer-songwriter Jarryd James has had one heck of a year. The 31-year-old former teaching student's debut LP Thirty One drops September 11, but he's already blitzed the Australian charts and festival circuit. Since his single, ‘Do You Remember?’ hit number two on the ARIA charts in February, James has been living in a dream-like state, selling out huge national venues like Sydney's Metro Theatre and playing to one of Splendour's biggest crowds. “There was no way I was expecting that,” he said. “It’s been incredible. I don’t think I’ve really had a chance to process it properly.” ‘Do You Remember?’ has now racked up more than 2 million Youtube views, and he's just released a single co-written with Julia Stone. And that's all in one year. We caught the Brisbane singer on the day of his debut album launch, to head back to the beginning, to chat about singing up a storm in his bedroom, the tapes his mum used to play and how the heck he worked with Frank Ocean and Lorde's producers. ON TRAINING HIS VOICE USING HIS MUM’S TAPES Despite a furiously busy year of fast fame, James's deceptively simple track has years of work – and listening – behind it. James started singing when he was just a kid. “I never had any training or anything like that. I’d put tapes on and just sing along. I listened to a lot of Stevie Wonder, Harry Nilsson, The Beatles and Bob Dylan — all the staples, I guess. And the stuff my mum had in her tape and record collection. Singing is all about listening, really, more than it is about making noise. You need to listen to what’s happening and adjust your voice accordingly. I spent a lot of time listening to other singers and figuring out how they did it.” ON BEING A SHY BEDROOM SINGER Even though singing came naturally to James, performing was a different matter. “As a teenager, I never sang in front of anyone else. I was ridiculously shy and the thought of it made me feel sick.” It wasn’t until James was 19 that he worked up the courage to sing in public, which launched a decade of music-making — from touring independently to playing bass with good mate Matt Corby. And now the tables have turned — performing is now James's "favourite part". "It’s one thing to record a song and go back and change things. But when you’re performing in a room, it’s in real time. It’s happening there and then, and it has its own energy, which I find a bit addictive. There’s no other thing in the world that makes you feel like that. It’s amazing. The bigger the crowd, the easier it is … The only time I get nervous is when it’s some awkward thing, like a label showcase, where there are twenty people staring at you in a silent room.” ON WORKING WITH LORDE AND FRANK OCEAN'S PRODUCERS Jarryd recorded Thirty One in Auckland, Los Angeles, Melbourne and Sydney, with the input of three seriously Big Time producers — Joel Little (Lorde, Broods), Malay (Frank Ocean) and Pip Norman (Urthboy, Dan Sultan). As a result, listeners can expect twelve melodic, laidback tracks, including ‘Do You Remember?’, as well as the also already-released ‘Give Me Something’ and ‘Regardless’ (featuring Julia Stone). So what kind of sound does a Brisbane boy and Frank Ocean's producer come up with? “Nothing was forced. We were all on the same page musically and we decided that we should see what happens. We weren’t trying to force out any hits or any of that shit. We enjoyed each other’s company first and foremost, and we made music according to that. I don’t care at all about what anyone’s done previously or what their status is or what their name is. I care about what their agenda is with music and what they value when they’re writing and producing.” ON SIMPLICITY AND HONESTY Jarryd describes his most important musical values as “simplicity and honesty. A lot of [the music on Thirty One] is quite emotional. It is stuff that’s flowed out of me … I try to let my subconscious lead the writing process and switch my brain off as much as I can. I’ve learnt to trust that. When I over-think and second-guess, that’s when I get myself in a bit of a rut, creatively. I think the main thing I focus on is not focusing. It sounds weird but it does work for me. "I don’t even let myself think about fears that I have because I’m the kind of person, if I get down that path, it’ll kind of maybe mess me up a bit. But my hopes are that I can keep on doing this for a long as I can – that being decades and decades. I want to be able to make enough money to live off and support other musicians and help as many people as I can. I have a very blessed life now so I want to be able to pass that on." Jarryd James' debut album Thirty One is out September 11 via Universal Music. Images: Universal, Ian Laidlaw (Splendour)
Here's your chance to thank a major enabler of your binge TV habit. The man responsible for bringing you 3720 hours of glee, revulsion, frustration and satisfaction, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan, is coming to Australia. He'll be making one exclusive appearance at the Sydney Town Hall as part of the Sydney Writers' Festival (an early part; he's here May 1 while the rest of the festival kicks off May 19). The discussion will zero in on Gilligan's creative process and presumably provide a platform for all your Better Call Saul-related questions. Even though Gilligan might be the most 'read' writer at the festival, there's plenty else in the program announcement to warrant attention and ticket-getting. Big international names include that other confounding New Zealand prodigy, 2013 Booker Prize winner for The Luminaries Eleanor Catton (who is, we're constantly being reminded, 28). There's also right-of-passage author Irvine Welsh, journalist/press freedoms fighter Jeremy Scahill, Super Sad True Love Story writer/famous blurbist Gary Shteyngart, and Eimear McBride, who in 2013 threw out the laws of grammar and emerged with the bizarrely comprehensible A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing. Artistic director Jemma Birrell doesn't appear to be trying to reinvent the wheel or tweet the wheel or performance art the wheel; the 2014 Sydney Writers' Festival is geared towards solid programming that mixes interesting minds. "Over 400 writers will bring their insight and knowledge, their creativity and contemplation, to help us see life from a different perspective," she says of the festival. Bondi Beach and Bowral are new venues, and there's a fun-looking series putting the spotlight on Literary Friendships (it generously counts siblings as friends, so writers Benjamin and Michelle Law are included). Now a fixture of the festival, the Chaser-run Festival Club is where things will get relaxed and sweary at the end of the day. The Sydney Writers' Festival is on May 19-25 (apart from lone wolf Vince). Tickets are on sale from 9am on Friday, April 4, via the festival website.
It's time to get festive beneath one of Newstead's most striking features: the Gasometer. Across four nights in December, The Market Folk is taking over the eye-catching Gasworks space, bring a heap of stalls with it and helping you finish your Christmas shopping — because, let's face it, no one ever gets 100-percent of their gift buying done too far in advance. From 5–8pm on Thursday, December 12–Friday, December 13, and from 10am–2pm on Saturday, December 14–Sunday, December 15, the Gasworks Plaza precinct will be home to market stalls, artisanal workshops, rack sales selling pre-loved clothing and live music — and activities for kids, too. If you're wondering just what kinds of presents you can expect to pick up, think fashion, art, homewares and ceramics — and plants as well. There'll be a particular focus on Brisbane creatives, so you'll also be gifting them some Christmas cheer by supporting their hard work. Image: Andrew S via Flickr.
Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, took to the small screen on Tuesday with his new talk show, The World Tomorrow. Assange and his first interviewee, the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, chatted companionably (with the aid of of translators) via video chat. Nasrallah spoke from an undisclosed location in Lebabnon, and Assange from the UK, where he is under house arrest. The interview marked Nasrallah's first Western interview since 2006. The World Tomorrow is carried by Russia Today (RT), a Kremlin-backed English-language news network and website with an anti-American undertone. Created by Vladimir Putin in 2005, RT aims to promote the Kremlin line abroad; it is also broadcast in Spanish and Arabic. Assange is noted for his involvement in a 2010 mass release of secret government documents. Though he was supported by the cooperation of several news organisations (including the New York Times), Assange was the only one involved to fully disclose the documents' details, names and all. He published the documents on his website, and has since become a target of controversy. Though no TV host natural, Assange covered a wide range of interesting topics, including issues in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, with Nasrallah on Tuesday night. The interview was thought-provoking and fresh, leaving audiences guessing what could be coming up in future episodes. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GDLXPpooA18 [via Pedestrian]
He's back! It's been eight long years since we first heard Thom Yorke's glitchy solo grooves in The Eraser now, out of nowhere, he's dropped a sneaky surprise album overnight. Tomorrow's Modern Boxes sees Yorke return to his trademark sound with a full LP of sneaky sneakster electronica. But you won't find this album in stores just yet. As always, Yorke has something else in mind. Similar to the release of Radiohead's In Rainbows where fans could pay whatever they wanted for an online download, Tomorrow's Modern Boxes has been released via BitTorrent. It's a bold move. Seeking alternative methods of distribution, Yorke has chosen to embrace the technology the music industry struggles with the most. The album, in fact, is the world's first paygated BitTorrent bundle. "It's an experiment to see if the mechanics of the system are something that the general public can get its head around," reads a statement on the Radiohead website. "If it works well it could be an effective way of handing some control of internet commerce back to people who are creating the work." By releasing the music direct to the public, artists are able to keep a much larger share of the profits. For each album sold, BitTorrent reportedly takes a 10 per cent cut and Yorke gets the remaining 90. This combined with the savings on production and publicity means they are able to set the price at a mere US$6. Score. "It it works, anyone can do this exactly as we have done," the statement reads. "[This would enable] those people who make either music, video or any other kind of digital content to sell it themselves. Bypassing the self elected gate-keepers." BitTorrent's CCO Matt Mason told Mashable that this is a system many artists will soon be employing. And, why not? Unless you work at a record company, it seems like a win-win situation. Tomorrow's Modern Boxes is available for download via BitTorrent now. You can listen to the first single 'A Brian in a Bottle' prior to downloading. But don't be stingy, give this legend his $6 for the full thing.
Since first making a big-screen splash in 2016's Lady Macbeth, in just her second film role, Florence Pugh has just kept proving an on-screen force to be reckoned with. In everything from Fighting with My Family and Little Women through to Black Widow — and including excellent TV series The Little Drummer Girl as well — she's gone from strength to strength. In Midsommar, too, she put in an all-timer while coping with the creepiest of creepiest scenarios. As that horror gem showed, Pugh also gives great reaction shots, especially when she's playing someone who is facing a terrifying nightmare. That's the situation the British actor finds herself in again in Don't Worry Darling — and, based on the initial and just-dropped second trailers, Pugh is in phenomenal form once more. When the two sneak peeks start, life is dreamy for Alice, her character; however, that unravels quickly. In the second feature from actor-turned-filmmaker Olivia Wilde (Booksmart), Alice gets stranded in the worst kind of 1950s ordeal despite all initial appearances to the contrary. Victory, the community where she's just moved to with her husband Jack (Harry Styles, Eternals) appears picture-perfect, but we all know how that can be deceiving. The town is home the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project — such as Jack — and their families, and it's where Don't Worry Darling's central duo are meant to enjoy nothing but bliss. They're given two rules to abide to, though: exercising the utmost discretion and committing 100-percent to Victory's vision, even if the town's wives don't actually know what their husbands get up to all day. That's all well and good — and terrific, in fact for most of Victory's residents — but it stops being the case for Alice. Despite the pervasive optimism of the era, as well as overt reassurances by company CEO Frank (Chris Pine, All the Old Knives) and his wife Shelley (Gemma Chan, Eternals), Alice is certain that all isn't quite what it seems — or that she can or should trust what the company is so determined to impress upon the town's inhabitants. Yes, as immaculate as Don't Worry Darling appears, it's 100-percent a psychological thriller. It gives off huge The Truman Show vibes, too, as Alice refuses to acquiesce. Hitting cinemas Down Under in early October, Don't Worry Darling also co-stars Wilde herself, playing another Victory employee's spouse, as well as Nick Kroll (Our Flag Means Death), KiKi Layne (The Old Guard), Sydney Chandler (The Golden Rut), Kate Berlant (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Asif Ali (WandaVision), Douglas Smith (Big Little Lies), Timothy Simons (Station Eleven) and Ari'el Stachel (Zola). Check out the latest trailer for Don't Worry Darling below: Don't Worry Darling releases in cinemas Down Under on October 6. Top image: © 2022 Warner Bros. Enterainment Inc. All rights reserved.
Already home to an entire museum dedicated to dachshunds, Germany is attempting another feat that'll make dog lovers wish they were in the European country — an attempt to break the world record for the most amount of sausage dogs in one place. On Saturday, July 21, dachshunds and their human companions will descend upon Berlin's Dackelranch Lichtenrade — or Dachshund Ranch, fittingly — with amassing 666 elongated pooches their ultimate target. And if you're wondering why the organisers have chosen that number, it's because it eclipses the current world record and then some. At present, the record stands at 601, the number of short-limbed doggos that strolled along a Cornwall beach in England in March this year. That huge canine meet-up beat the previous total, from Wales, by 101 dachshunds (not dalmatians). Those in attendance will see the cute critters wander around a 500-square-metre dog play area — and there'll also be veterinarians on site in case any puppers feel overwhelmed. With the world record attempt organised by dachshund-themed Berlin bar POSH Teckel, there'll also be an after party, although we're guessing the 666 or so sausage dogs won't be trotting along to the evening shenanigans.
A year after making history for being just the third woman ever to win the Best Director Oscar, as well as the first woman in to receive two nominations in that very category, Jane Campion is coming to the 2023 Sydney Film Festival to discuss that stunning achievement and her impressive four-decade career. The New Zealand filmmaker will have much to talk about, including the body of work that's also being showcased in the fest's retrospective called Jane Campion — Her Way. This year's SFF runs from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18, and it's devoting its spotlight retro programming to the director behind The Piano, The Portrait of a Lady, In the Cut, Bright Star and more — including, of course, the 12-time Academy Award-nominated revisionist western The Power of the Dog. All five films will screen, as will Campion's five-episode debut behind the lens Two Friends, which as made in 1986 for the ABC; the Cannes-premiering 1989 feature Sweetie; 1990's An Angel at My Table, which won the Grand Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival; and 1999's Holy Smoke, complete with an Aussie-accented Kate Winslet (Avatar: The Way of Water). [caption id="attachment_897271" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kirsty Griffin/Netflix[/caption] For the in-conversation part of Jane Campion — Her Way, Campion will chat with David Stratton on Saturday, June 10 following a showing of the new documentary Jane Campion, The Cinema Woman. The screening part of the lineup will play throughout the fest, and also include Campion-helmed shorts Peel, A Girl's Own Story, Passionless Moments, After Hours and The Water Diary. The lineup is a collaboration with Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image and Canberra's National Film and Sound Archive, and will also show in both venues. It'll hit ACMI from Thursday, June 15–Sunday, July 2 — coinciding with its current Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion exhibition that celebrates women in film history — and then the NFSA from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, July 30. "For our 70th edition, we wanted to present a retrospective commensurate with the milestone, reflecting the audacious and boundary pushing filmmaking synonymous with our Festival and region — and there was no one more appropriate than Jane Campion. She is a groundbreaking filmmaker who has made a profound impact on cinema with her daring and unforgettable films," said Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley, announcing the program. "Campion has broken barriers for women in the industry, winning two Academy Awards and becoming the first woman to receive the Palme d'Or at Cannes. She has changed the landscape of cinema around the world, crafting films now etched in film history. It will be remarkable to see the full suite of her talents in one program, which take us to unexpected and exciting places with every frame and film," said Moodley. Campion and Jane Campion — Her Way join 2023's SFF lineup alongside 12 other previously announced films, with the full program announced on Wednesday, May 10. Sydney Film Festival 2023 runs from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18, including Jane Campion — Her Way, with the filmmaker's in-conversation session with David Stratton taking place on Saturday, June 10. The film screening series will then hit Melbourne's ACMI from Thursday, June 15–Sunday, July 2, followed by the NFSA in Canberra from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, July 30. Top image: Kirsty Griffin/Netflix.
Anastasia Booth has wasted no time in making a name for herself in the Brisbane art world. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Art (Visual Art) with Honours from the Queensland University of Technology in 2011, Anastasia has exhibited nationally and has turned heads with her expressive forms of art. In her latest exhibition, Crude Tools, Feeble Actions, Anastasia explores elements of sexual fetishism to further expand upon the discourses that aim to re-imagine female desire. Touching upon subjects like materiality, marginality and rituality, Anastasia aims to bring all elements together by linking them to sexual fetish and art practice. Her work encompasses installation, sculpture, video, performance and sound art – bringing sexuality and sensuality new meaning. The opening night takes place on Wednesday, April 24, with an artist talk occurring on Wednesday, May 1.
The Abbotsford Anglers are a lousy, Saturday morning, suburban cricket team, led by Ted (Stephen Curry), a sweet but kinda hopeless guy who lives in a mate's garage and works at a sports store. When his best mate, Rick (Brendan Cowell), announces his plans to marry and have children (which, to the boyish Ted, amounts to no less than treason), Ted can see his beloved cricket team will be overtaken by nappies, wives and all the other dreadful trappings of manhood. Oblivious to the inevitable fact that the times and the nature of his friendships are a-changing, Ted leads his D-grade team into the depths of India for a tour of glorified park cricket. It's here that tensions arise, friendships are frayed, life lessons are learned and Ted must finally man up, grow up and fondly leave his teenage dreams behind. Underlying all the beer and bravado, Save Your Legs! is about mateship and coming of age, with an affectionate portrait of everyday Aussie battlers that puts it in the same cinematic bracket as The Castle and Kenny. Cowell and Curry give endearing performances as man-boys who are forcefully and finally shoved out of adolescence and into adulthood at the ripe old age of thirty-five. As a lighthearted, nostalgia-drenched film, Save Your Legs! hits a six. Courtesy of Madman Entertainment, we have 15 complimentary in-season passes to give away to Save Your Legs, in cinemas February 28. To be in the running, subscribe to our newsletter (if you haven't already) and then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. You can read our full review here.
Since 1989, Sweden's Icehotel has given travellers a decidedly cool place to stay each winter. December hits, and the site reveals its new frosty rooms — the kind that are carved out of ice and only around for a short time, as they'll melt once the weather gets warmer. They're not just any old slabs of ice and snow in the village of Jukkasjärvi, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, however. As part of their annual tradition, the accommodation provider calls for designers and artists to unleash their chilly ideas — then unveils their wondrous creations to travellers. In this year's crop? A snail world made out of cold, cold substances, a hanging installation that you can sleep in, a bed you can only reach by navigating a 34-meter ice labyrinth and another than requires walking over a bridge — and some thin ice — before you can bunk down for the night. Other highlights include a frozen jungle of Monstera-plants, an icy Fabergé egg, a space-inspired space, and a dream-like, cloud-esque piece that UK artist Lisa Lindqvist has dubbed "an art installation who also happens to be a bedroom." Now open until April 15, 2018, the fresh blend of ice and creativity features 35 one-of-a-kind rooms in total, as crafted by 36 artists from 17 countries. They're made from more than 30,000 cubic metres of snice — that's a mix of snow and ice — from the local Torne River. As well as places to sleep, the new iteration also includes an ice bar, ice ceremony hall and ice gallery. If you're a fan of the kind of coldness the southern hemisphere doesn't see at this time of the year, but you can't make it to Icehotel's cold climes during the northern winter, don't worry — in addition to their annual slate of artistic suites, Icehotel has been open all year round for the past year. It inclludes 20 permanent suites, an ice bar, plus private saunas and spas for an added touch of warmth in such cold surroundings. For more information about Icehotel, visit www.icehotel.com. Images: Asaf Kliger.
Ever been so caught up in work, sleep or staring blankly into space that you've missed a huge piece of breaking news, only to discover something big has happened when you later log onto Facebook and notice everyone's changed their profile picture and talking about something you definitely do not understand? Those are the times you wish a mate had just sent you a little nudge to say that, "hey, X world event is happening right now — you probs need to know about it" or "X is doing a free gig tonight" to save you looking like a fool at the water cooler the next morning at work. Well, ABC News is now that friend. All you have to do is start up a convo with them on Facebook Messenger and they'll keep you updated on the latest news through some sneaky text messages. It's called ABC News on Facebook Messenger (fitting, really), and it's the broadcaster's newest way to deliver personalised news to its audience on mobile. All you have to do is find ABC News on Messenger (you can just search for them) and start up a conversation. Then, they'll send you the latest news updates through short, snappy messages in a conversational format — just like a really, really informed friend. It's very similar to the Quartz's news service, which does basically the same thing but through their own dedicated app. The best thing about having a personal convo with the ABC — the news is put together by their digital editorial team and the service is powered by a third-party bot Chatfuel — is that you can choose what news you want to get notified about. If you want a summary of what's happened while you've been sleeping, you can choose to get one sent to you as your alarm goes off. Or, perhaps you just want to get alerts when the really big stuff happens? You can opt in for the too. You can also choose alerts for sport teams you follow, long-form news or stories that involve puppies. You can also just start up the convo at any time to see what's happening. The service was rolled out yesterday after a successful trial. You can find out more and sign up here.
Positive Posters is putting forward the question: what do you care about? This creative initiative is a competition and exhibition asking designers worldwide what they think the most pressing global issues are. Entrants are challenged to design an original poster that conveys a message about a current problem which requires more attention. The posters will be viewed by thousands of individuals from over 150 nations, some of which won't speak your language. Entrants will therefore need to use make their message universal using images not words. The posters will be reviewed by judges who will create a shortlist of 30 to be exhibited at an exhibition in Melbourne in late October. From there, international judges will pick the top three place winners. Submissions can be entered in August and September, so get your creative thinking caps on quickly. For more information regarding the entry specifications and process read the Positive Posters 2012 brief.
You don't know what you've got till it's gone. That saying has never felt more poignant than right now as we look for ways to keep living our best city-dwelling lifestyles within the confines of our homes. We're missing impromptu after-work drinks with colleagues and big birthday bashes at a flashy restaurant with our crew. We're missing the thrill of seeing our favourite band perform live or shaking off the shackles of the workweek with some kidulting fun. These things will return in good time. Until then, we're going to be spending a bit more time at home than usual, so we may as well make it a place we actually like hanging out. To celebrate the return of the Miller Design Lab, we've come up with five ways to customise your home and bring the best aspects of your city's nightlife into the fold. Miller Design Lab has built their own online home of creativity and self-expression with Australia's leading minds in design, art, technology and fashion. Together, we're celebrating our nightlife and its impact on culture by bringing you ways to create exceptional moments in your own home. [caption id="attachment_503345" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Le Bon Ton[/caption] TRANSFORM YOUR BALCONY OR GARDEN INTO A ROOFTOP BAR It's no secret that we love a rooftop bar — there's just something about the fresh air and epic sunset views (and perhaps the altitude) that make our drinks even tastier. If you're lucky enough to have a balcony or garden space attached to your home, you better be making the most of that prime piece of real estate. Take some cues from some of your favourite sky-high bars around the city and transform those few square metres into a mini oasis that you can kick back in with a drink in hand. Once you've got the furniture sorted — whether that's the full setup from an outdoors warehouse or an eclectic mix of chairs and tables from Gumtree — focus on injecting some colour and personality into the space. Start with some greenery: you can get hanging planters, quirky pot plants and all kinds of foliage delivered to your door via The Plant Society in Sydney and Melbourne or The Plant Lounge in Brisbane. Next, set the mood with some lighting — go with some traditional fairy lights for an ethereal feel or festoon lights if you're aiming for something a little more rustic. TURN YOUR LIVING ROOM INTO A LIVE MUSIC VENUE Working from home has its perks, but it can actually be really hard to switch off at the end of the day when you've got nowhere to rush off to. To mark 'tools down', set a date with yourself and your roommates or partner to go to a gig — in your own living room. Live music venues may be closed for now, but there are a bunch of playlists that you can stream (check out some of our favourites here), plus many artists are bringing the gigs to you via the wonders of the internet. There's the daily LGBTQIA+ Zoom party Club Quarantine, Defected Records' Defected Virtual Festival (featuring sets from Calvin Harris, Sam Divine and more), and Room 2 Radio, the Sydney-based virtual dance party which kicks off every Friday night at 8pm. Plus, the likes of Hayden James and Major Lazer are doing weekly streams, while Radiohead and Metallica are uploading footage from old concerts every week on Youtube. Sunset is the signal for you to the shut the laptop, get the live-stream up on your TV and reshuffle the furniture (or just haphazardly push it to once side — either works) so you can have enough room to throw shapes. If you really want to get into the spirit, treat yourself and the room to a funky disco ball, neon sign or strobe light machine, too. MAKE NIGHTTIME PLAYTIME If there were ever a time you wished you could wind back the clock and be a little kid again, it's probably right now. Unless you have a Delorean in your possession (if you do, can we borrow it?), it's not a possibility. So, we've found other ways to get our kidult kicks across the city — think arcade bars, indoor trampoline centres and escape rooms. And you can bring some of those into your own home, too. Set up a mini golf tournament in your backyard, dig out those classic board games from the cupboard or stock up on puzzles — even our PM agrees the latter is essential. You can also try your hand at a virtual escape room — our pick is this Harry Potter one. Or, crowdfund with all your housemates to purchase a traditional arcade game. CONVERT YOUR DINING AREA INTO AN INTIMATE BAR Finding a dimly lit nook in a small bar and splitting a bottle with someone is one of our favourite winter pastimes — it suits when on a first date, catching up with an old friend and bonding with a new colleague. To bring some of those cosy vibes into your apartment, set mood lighting with those candles you've been hoarding, grab a couple of premium beers, then order in some cocktails from a local bar for 'happy hour' or crack open that vino you've been saving for a special occasion. Oh, and don't forget the snacks. Get some top-notch cheese delivered from Formaggi Ocello in Sydney, Milk the Cow in Melbourne or Le Fromage Yard in Brisbane and build your own grazing board. [caption id="attachment_709879" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Shanasy[/caption] REVAMP YOUR BEDROOM TO BE LIKE AN ART GALLERY You may only think of it as the place you go to sleep, but your bedroom is pretty important, particularly when you live with other people. It's where you retreat to after all that partying around your pad. It's also where you have free rein to express your personality and interests through your art and styling choices — from your bed linen to funky furniture choices. A wall mural decal will transform a blank wall into a big statement that emanates an inner-city laneway. For something a little less permanent, create your own mural with old photos, posters or magazine clippings (yes, just like you did in high school), or support a local artist and buy one of their pieces — sites like Cream Town are a good place to start with artworks starting at just $100. For more ways to celebrate your city's nightlife and recreate its energy in your own space, head this way.
At the moment, every movie franchise you can think of has or is being turned into a TV show, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, its rival DC Extended Universe, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, IT, The Conjuring and Twilight. Another trend doing the rounds: giving 90s flicks a 2020s remake or sequel, as seen with Hocus Pocus, The Craft, Interview with the Vampire, A League of Their Own and now White Men Can't Jump. Yes, the Woody Harrelson- and Wesley Snipes-starring basketball film is heading back to screens 31 years later, this time getting Jack Harlow bouncing, dribbling, trash talking and trying to use his on-the-court skills to rustle up a big payday. The musician is turning actor to lead White Men Can't Jump circa 2023, as the initial sneak peek earlier in the year and just-dropped full trailer shows, opposite Nanny's Sinqua Walls. Harlow makes his movie debut, in fact, playing former basketball star Jeremy, who is struggling after injuries got in the way of his career. Then, he teams up with Walls as Kamal, a once-promising player who also didn't see his basketball future turning out as he planned. Bring on the streetball hustling from there, clearly. Behind the lens, Calmatic does the honours after also directing a House Party remake — yes, another 90s flick — and helming a heap of music videos, including winning a Grammy for Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road'. Penned by Black-ish's Kenya Barris and Doug Hall, 2023's White Men Can't Jump is headed straight to streaming via Disney+ Down Under, arriving on Friday, May 19. If you're new to all things White Men Can't Jump, as well as the court action, it featured a significant Jeopardy!-related storyline. The trailers for the new movie don't show any signs of bringing that back, sadly. Check out the full trailer for White Men Can't Jump below: White Men Can't Jump will be available to stream on Friday, May 19 via Disney+.
From holding a bake sale to selling off your bodily organs to teaching your dog to do this, artists, artisans and inventors have always had to be creative when it comes to getting dollars in the bank. If you’re not the baking or self-mutilating or dog-training type, Australia’s top crowdfunding platform Pozible might be up your alley. Pozible is more like a superhighway that started in 2010 and has since grown to support over 4,500 projects in Australia and around the world. It’s not hard to run a campaign, but it can be tough to succeed. We spoke to Pozible co-founder Rick Chen and compiled a hit list of top tips to help you on your way to making that money pool you always dreamed of. The Anything's Pozible pop-up is on in Sydney until March 13. Check it out for more tips and workshops to help you crowdfund your next project. Research ten similar projects First off the bat, do your research. Make sure you know how Pozible works. Search the Pozible website to find out how other similar projects have been funded. Read the FAQ, get in touch with Pozible and ask all the dumb questions. According to Rick, the Pozible team “work with project creators to educate them and let them know what works and what doesn’t work. This face-to-face guidance is a rare thing, and no other platform approaches crowdfunding in this way”, a contributing factor to high success rates. Tell a story “Most of the time it’s not about the project itself, it’s about the person behind it," says Rick. "People want to be part of you and your journey, so you need to be able to open those doors for people to get in.” Keep it simple, keep it personal, and make your crowdfunding supporters feel that they are all just as much a part of the process as you are. Transparency is also key in your storytelling. Tell people exactly what you are going to do with your money if you meet your target. (The more specific you are with this, the more it will feel as if your supporters are making a tangible difference). Include a video of yourself: you'll raise 114 percent more money if you That’s according to American crowdfunding site Indiegogo. And who doesn’t love a selfie? If you star in your own video, people will connect better with your story. The key is to create content that is visually compelling to compete with the visual noise of the internet. Offer a combination of physical goods and experience-based rewards "Physical products give your supporters a tangible sense they are getting something out of their contribution," says Rick. "Experience gives them the sense they are part of something exclusive. These two combined make it personal for people to get behind your project.” And how many rewards should you offer up? The sweet spot is somewhere between three and eight. Get another three people on your team If you have four or more people on your team, you’ll raise 70 percent more money than if you only have one person. That is, use your networks to build your team; it’s not about how many friends you’ve got, it’s about how you use them. Have your family and friends help to get the ball rolling. Don’t be afraid to ask people you know to contribute. In addition, line up a few key influential people to help spread the word. Build your networks before you launch to create hype. Shoot for 25 percent of your overall goal within the first 24 hours Go hard or go home. You are more likely to hit your target if you can reach 25 percent of your overall goal within the first 24 hours. People are more likely to donate to a campaign if other people have already donated. Pozible advises not to run a campaign for less than 20 days unless you have a good reason or are super confident. You need time to disseminate your marketing material. Indiegogo supplements this advice with the fact that on average, successful campaigns will cross their target fundraising goal on Day 36. Don't all-out beg on social media Only directly ask people to pledge to your campaign in 20 percent of your social media posts. The other 80 percent of posts should add meaning to your project, reveal exciting project news and engage people in the story. Plan your social media posts before beginning your campaign. According to Rick, “It is not about the social media platforms that you use, it is about how you use those platforms as a tool to carry out your activity — to tell your story”. Write medium-specific posts. And don’t get too disheartened if things slow down in the middle of your campaign, it happens to everyone. What’s important is you keep communicating during this period. Don’t be shy to post every day. Only ask for the amount you really need Consider the size of your networks and how many people you can realistically reach. Surprisingly, the average contribution size on successful campaigns comes in at around $70, with performance projects the most successful category. According to Rick, this is often because “these campaigners have strong existing followings — sometimes small but strong audiences who come to see shows, hardcore fans who follow these artists”. So it isn’t necessarily how many people you target, it’s who. Be realistic, write a budget. Factor in the cost of delivering your rewards. The more people you have promoting, the more pledges you will receive. Finally we asked Rick the ultimate question: What’s the biggest reason people don’t reach their targets? His response goes right back to point one: “Absolutely no question, it is because people don’t do their research properly and don’t know what they’re doing. We try to educate as much as we can, we run workshops on a monthly basis across cities in Australia. We strongly encourage people to prepare before they launch a campaign. Lack of research is basically what kills campaigns." Roslyn Helper crowdfunded her project zin's PARTY MODE on Pozible. Supplementary information sourced from US crowdfunding site Indiegogo.
For the past four years, gin lovers across the country have tripped over themselves to get their spirit-loving fingers on a bottle of Four Pillars' Bloody Shiraz Gin — and that's before they've even had a sip of alcohol. The limited edition shiraz-infused concoction really is that good, so we thought you'd like to know that the next batch goes on sale this Saturday, June 1. If you haven't come across the gin before, it's basically what it says on the label: gin infused with shiraz grapes. This gives the spirit a brilliant deep cerise colour and some sweet undertones (without a higher sugar content). That, along with its higher alcoholic content — 37.8 percent, compared to an average 25 percent in regular sloe gin — makes the Bloody Shiraz Gin a near-perfect specimen. It can be used in cocktails where you'd usually use your regular gin, but we reckon it's best if you keep it simple with a G&T. Four Pillars created the game-changing gin back in 2015 when it came into a 250-kilogram load of shiraz grapes from the Yarra Valley. Experimenting, the Victorian distillers then steeped the grapes in their high-proof dry gin for eight weeks before pressing the fruit and blending it with the gin, and hoping like hell it would turn out well. It did. This year — after selling 50 percent of the company to beer behemoth Lion in March — Four Pillars has acquired more grapes from other Victorian wine regions to make more of the gin than ever before. Still, you'll need to move fast — last year's batch has completely sold out. The gin will go on sale for $85 this Friday, June 1 at selected bottle shops, in the Four Pillars online store and its Yarra Valley distillery (where the bar will be doing tastings). If you're lucky, you'll also be able to find it served at bars around the country. Godspeed. The 2019 Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin will go on sale around the country for $85 on Saturday, June 1. Head to the Four Pillars website to buy a bottle.
Hallmark know a thing or two about invented celebration — heck, they did quite the number on that Valentine's Day. But there's never been a better reason to squeal and toss the nearest confetti-like whatever than Hallmark's latest campaign, the greeting card giants have hired puppies to deliver your mail. Have. Hired. Post. Puppies. With tiny, tiny mailbags. This is not a drill. To celebrate the launch of Hallmark's new Australian-only app, HelloYou:), (smiley face included, not this writer's haphazard love of emoticons), Hallmark have employed a team of outstandingly squealworthy, smooshface, ohp-dohp-dohp puppies to act as posties. The campaign runs like this: you download the HelloYou:) app to your smartphone, create a personalised card with your big ol' face on it, send it to the person in your life you most need brownie points from and it could be delivered by a tiny puppy in a tiny personalised uniform wearing a tiny mailbag within a few days. Could be. You're going to be pretty disappointed if some puppyless dude just shows up on your doorstep. Post Puppies will be in action on nominated dates between July 21 and August 8 in selected Australian cities. We're not sure how Hallmark acquired these tiny, tiny postal workers, whether they're getting good rates (read: pats and treats) and if they're allowed sick leave after all those love cards have been delivered. We're also pretty sure people will simply send cards to themselves to take all the postal puppy love for themselves (you selfish, selfish geniuses). Check out Hallmark's disarmingly adorable video below, in which a HelloYou:) user disturbs a tiny sleeping Golden Retriever with her need for post. Luckily, this pup takes the postal service seriously. We take no responsibility for you becoming the Office Weirdo for squealing at your computer after this little escapade: https://youtube.com/watch?v=uZwvmOczk-8
The dockless bike sharing phenomenon hasn't exactly proved a roaring success here in Australia, with rogue bikes clogging up footpaths, or winding up broken and abandoned in dangerous locations, and oBike withdrawing from Melbourne entirely. And still, yet another company is keen to give the concept a whirl locally — this time, featuring electric scooters. Aussie start-up Scootie has announced it'll launch a trial program of its ride share service in November this year, giving locals in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth the chance to be the first to road-test its fleet of electric scooters. Punters keen to get involved are invited to sign up now to Scootie's mailing list. Riffing on the scooter systems that have been going gang-busters over in the USA, the local company is still nailing down its technology, with plans to launch the pilot program in St Kilda, before rolling out across CBD areas. At this stage, riders will simply locate a scooter, scan and pay via the Scootie smartphone app, before jetting off on their two-wheeled adventure. According to Scootie spokesman Troy Taylor, details about specific scooter deposit zones and charging stations are yet to be confirmed, though there will be a bond taken to help deter people from damaging or abandoning the scooters. Trip costs are also in the process of being finalised, with Taylor suggesting they'll start at around 20-40 cents per minute. So, for example, a 40-minute journey would cost between $8 and $16. Scootie's trial program is slated to launch in November and run for several weeks. You can sign up to be a part of it here.
