The days are dwindling down, and you've come to a stressful realisation: you've left your Christmas shopping until late in the season again. Let's face it, you're not alone. Thankfully, trawling the mall isn't your only option when it comes to finding a gift or grabbing ingredients for a delicious meal. Returning for another year from 6–10pm on Friday, December 14, the Carseldine Markets is hosting a twilight event brimming with the spirit of the season. Get your list ready, because all the art, craft and fresh produce stalls you know and love will be on site, just waiting to help you out of a festive fix. In 2017, there was more than 180 of them,. Prepare to tuck into festive treats, too (because you'll need to eat while you browse), as well as ample entertainment. Yes, it's a Christmas wonderland. Warning: if you're more of a Grinch than one of Santa's elves, you'd best prepare yourself for an overdose of holiday cheer. Image via Carseldine Markets.
If you love your AFL and you're a mad-keen Marvel Comics fan, today is a pretty good day. That's because, in a partnership with The Walt Disney Company Australia that few saw coming, Melbourne's Etihad Stadium is set to be renamed Marvel Stadium. An eight-year agreement between Disney and Melbourne Stadiums Limited will see the iconic Docklands sporting ground switch to its new moniker from September 1 this year — just in time for the AFL Grand Final. On top of the name change, the rebranding will also see a "premium" Marvel retail store installed on-site, and punters can prepare to see a number of brand activations when visiting the ground. "It is a brand dedicated to audience experiences, which firmly aligns with our vision to create incredible experiences for fans," said Melbourne Stadiums Limited CEO Michael Green said in a statement. "This partnership will allow us to take the stadium atmosphere to the next level and create memorable experiences for a vast array of audiences and we look forward to delivering a truly game-changing experience." Yeah, we never thought we'd see our interests in AFL and Marvel combine either.
Summertime comes with a whole heap of perks and benefits befitting hot weather, and pool parties come in pretty high on that long list. If you sadly don't have the pleasure of taking a dip whenever you wish, you might like to read on as Limes Hotel have planned your perfect pool party afternoon. Starting at 1pm, the chilled afternoon will include sets from Limes Hotel regular DJs. Stick around to catch Kolombo weave his magic and conjure up the very best in summer vibes. His successful singles, 'Get So Hot' and 'What Could Make Me Think' have helped earn his place in the house music spotlight. Keep cool this Saturday afternoon while you combine the very best things in life – drinks, a pool and great music. Grab your swimsuit, order an Espresso martini and let Kolombo provide the soundtrack to your balmy Saturday night. Tickets are available via Auditree.
Heading to one of the many markets around Brisbane is a weekend tradition, especially for those keen to stock up on fresh, tasty treats for the week ahead. For residents of the inner west, it's now something they can do closer to home, courtesy of the brand new Red Hill Farmers Markets. Every Sunday morning from May 31, Ithaca Tafe will turn into market central, foodie heaven and all things in between. Featuring produce supplied by farmers and sourced locally, with a strong focus on all things spray-free, this is where everyone serious about their meals is going to want to be. For culinary wizards, gourmet goodies including deli lines, fresh seafood and premium meats are the drawcard, though those fonder of eating than cooking will find plenty to devour on the spot. Those more interested in the non-edible things in life can survey the arts and crafts stalls, or browse for fashion, jewellery and gifts. Shopping is only part of the fun, of course, with live music and other activities also on offer. It's a dog-friendly event, too, so you can take your pet pooch along. This is the fourth venue run by Mark Power, a veteran of the farmers markets game. Regulars at Carseldine, Nundah and Kuraby know just the kind of goodness they're in for. Everyone else: prepare for an artisanal explosion. From May 31, find the Red Hill Farmers Markets at Ithaca Tafe, Fulcher Road, Red Hill, every Sunday from 6am until 12noon. Visit their website for more information. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Think Capri, and you likely think of the island off Italy's coastline. Southeast Queensland also boasts the Isle of Capri, however, in the Nerang River on the Gold Coast. And it's there that you'll find your next spot for Southern California-meets-Mexican eats while peering at the water, with newcomer Isla Cantina opening its doors. Back in mid-2022, the Capri on Via Roma shopping centre was snapped up by Mulpha Hospitality Group, who is behind this new restaurant and bar as well. Isla Cantina is nestled next to Edgewater Dining & Lounge Bar, can welcome in 100 people, and sports a coastal-appropriate earthy and airy fitout by Brisbane-based architect and interior designer Simone Barr from DAARC — and, amid greenery and neutral hues, those views. Mark Marshall, Mulpha's Area Executive Chef for Queensland, has overseen Isla Cantina's culinary lineup, which unsurprisingly goes heavy on seafood given the venue's location. Fried red snapper tacos are a particular highlight, sitting alongside spanner crab tostadas, snapper ceviche, cachaca- and lime-cured ocean trout, and yellowfin tuna tiradito. If you're keen to venture beyond the ocean's finest, eight-hour slow-roasted lamb barbacoa, adobe barbecue chicken, and flank steak paired with bone-marrow butter, fire-roasted onions and tomatillo salsa are also on the menu, plus jackfruit carnitas. For dessert, options include barbecue pineapple, as well as the sweet-and-spicy blend that comes with chocolate and chipotle mousse. And, you'll also lean into a melange of flavours in the cocktail range, which is filled with drinks ready to be sipped on Isla Cantina's breezy deck. Authentic Mexican cocktails lead the show, margaritas obviously included, and also the paloma, and the beer-based chelada and michelada.
Erotica fans Australia-wide are celebrating the return of World Movies Channel's adults only program, Summer of Sin. Starting in December, it's a 62-night festival of all things intimate, with a sexually charged film screening at 9.30pm every single night until January 31. Before you ask, yes, Christmas Day's included. 2011 Spanish film The Sex of the Angels has that one covered. Moreover, New Year's Day will see a coital marathon kicking off at midnight, with 24 hours of films played back-to-back. In December 2012, the initiative saw a 49 percent increase in the channel's audience. This year, the formula that proved so irresistible to so many is being reapplied — a combination of classics and new international films, never-before-seen in Australia. In the words of the organisers, "We've scoured the darkest and dirtiest corners of the cinematic world for a line-up of the sexiest premiere films." Pretty much every fantasy or fetish gets a look-in, from swingers' parties to alien abduction. Here's our top 5. Young and Wild (Chile, 2012) When: Friday, 13 December 2013 (Australian television premiere) & Wednesday, 15 January 2014 This playful, raunchy, stylish film centres on 17-year-old Daniela (Alicia Rodriguez), who can't stop thinking about sex. Raised in a strict, wealthy, religious family, she expresses herself through her blog, Young and Wild, where she records her most outrageous desires and experiences. Call Girl (Sweden, 2012) When: Wednesday, 18 December 2013 (Australian television premiere) Inspired by true events involving Swedish politicians and prostitutes, this crime film is one of the more serious items on the Summer of Sin menu. A teenage girl's entry into prostitution exposes widespread hypocrisy at governmental level. Intimacy (France, 2000) When: Thursday, 26 December 2013 (Australian television premiere) & Saturday 18 January Every Wednesday afternoon, Jay (Mark Rylance), a failed-musician-turned-bar-tender, meets a woman (Kerry Fox) for brief, rough, wordless sex. One day he follows her home and discovers more than he bargained for. Kiss Me (With Every Heartbeat) (Sweden, 2011) When: Wednesday, 8 January 2014 Mia has always lived a straight life, and is about to enter an engagement with her partner, Tim, when she falls in love with her stepmother's gay daughter, Frida. An irrepressible mutual attraction develops between the two women, leading to a sensual affair. Elles (France, 2011) When: Friday, 31 January 2014 (Australian television premiere) Obsessive, middle-aged, unhappily married journalist, Anne (Juliette Binoche), receives an assignment that carries her into the risky yet seductive world of Parisian student prostitution. She gets to know two independent young women whose erotic adventures carry them into dangerous and unpredictable territory. Read our review here.
It has been more than six months since the Australian Government introduced an effective ban on international travel in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19 within the country. And, over that time, there has been plenty of speculation about when jetting overseas might resume — including predictions that the entire global travel industry mightn't return to normal until 2023, and that Australia's borders could remain closed until 2021. When it comes to Australia's prolonged border closure, an exception has been floated, however. Receiving ample chatter over the past few months is the concept of a travel bubble with New Zealand — which would allow international travel between the two countries, even as they potentially remain closed to other nations. Back in June, Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham noted that it was under consideration. Now, in a new media appearance on Sunday, September 27, he has said that it could possibly be implemented by the end of the year. Speaking on ABC News, Senator Birmingham advised that he hoped Australia's border would open back up to NZ by the time 2020 was out. "That would just be a great step, and it would prove the work that is being done to make sure this can be done, again, in a safe way — that travellers between Australia and New Zealand can be given corridors and clearances through our international airports without coming into contact with higher-risk travellers who might be returning from other parts of the region and still have to go through quarantine". Of course, this isn't just a decision that Australia can make on its own, as the Minister also noted. "We're making sure we have all the work done, all the preparations there, so that we can safely achieve that bubble with New Zealand. It's up to them as to whether they choose to open up to Australia, but we're certainly making sure that we're prepared and I'm hopeful that could be this year and then maybe set a model for us to look at for any other countries that meet similar high standards." Today, on Monday, September 28, the ABC reports that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has also weighed in on the topic — and also mentioned the end of the year. On broadcaster TVNZ, she noted that it might be possible on a state-by-state basis before Christmas. As Brisbane Times reports, that travel might only be one-way, though, with New Zealanders able to come to Australia only. As 2020 has reminded us all over and over again, much can change very quickly during a pandemic — so whether Aussies will be able to head to NZ before the year is out is obviously still yet to be seen. But, if you've been dreaming of leaving the country the moment that any international holidays are permitted again, this might be the ray of hope that you need right now. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. For further information about Australia's current international travel ban, head to the Smart Traveller website.
If the idea of sampling a range of gins from around the world appeals to you, you'd best be planning a trip to Covent Garden sharpish. Drawing on its London namesake for inspiration, the venue is nestled on Boundary Street in West End and is a stunning spot for a first date, a third date, a relaxed Sunday lunch, or late night supper and cocktails. The space positively blooms with beautiful artwork and furniture and there's a fairly stunning backbar just crying out to sit at. Grab a seat, order your first cocktail and then set about the serious business of choosing what you're going to eat. The menu really is best when it's shared, because you can try more of everything. A plate of zucchini fritters ($12) are dressed ever so simply with yoghurt and lemon, allowing the freshness of the zucchini to shine. There's a mezze plate with olives, smoky baba ghanoush, feta, pickles and breads ($17/$32) perfect to graze on pre-dinner, and why not grab a plate of fried squid ($14) for a bit of crispy deliciousness with your drinks? For more serious dinner fare there's seared wagyu ($38) or perhaps pork cheeks with sherry and nashi pear ($22). Helpful staff are only too happy to recommend a drink to suit your food, or some food to suit your drink, and if you simply can't decide on what to get just order the feasting table ($39 per person) which will satisfy everyone. The wine list is restrained but perfectly sufficient, while the cocktail list has to be experienced first hand. Plus, in a delightfully fun twist, you can get high tea ($45 pp) at Covent Garden until 6pm every day with a pitcher of Covent Garden G&Tea and an assortment of sweet and savoury delights. Sounds like Saturday afternoon drinks just got a whole lot fancier. Images: Anwyn Howarth
Like beer? Like monsters? Like your brews named after creepy critters, with bottle, can and label artwork to match? Horror-loving drinkers, there's never been a better time to pair your beverages with your fondness for all things scary — but from 12pm on Saturday, October 22 will be even better than usual thanks to Netherworld's Monster Menagerie Beer Festival. The returning event will bring together eight yeasty tipples, strange creatures and stellar collaborations, all for a day of boozing fun. And if you're wondering why it takes place in October, just think about it for a second. 'Tis the month of Halloween, after all. Everyone from Aether Brewing Co and Kaiju to Black Flag to Happy Valley will be involved, with Netherworld serving up orange miso lagers, cherry blossom sours, cumquat yuzu pilsners and more. Tickets cost $35, which include a tasting paddle featuring each and every one of these beastly beers, as well as a limited edition enamel pin and five game tokens. Top image: Cole Bennetts.
In A Real Pain, as two cousins make a pilgrimage to walk in their dearly departed grandmother's shoes, the concept of alternative possible lives arises. Jesse Eisenberg's second film as a writer/director after 2022's When You Finish Saving the World doesn't hop between timelines science fiction-style; rather, when different pasts or futures come up, it follows a relatable Sliding Doors-esque train of thought about the events and decisions that've shaped David (played by Eisenberg) and Benji Kaplan's (Kieran Culkin, Succession) existences. They're in Poland, where their Grandma Dory grew up, and where they might've too if the Holocaust hadn't occurred. On their guided tour, Benji muses with David about their parallel-universe selves, where they're Polish with beards and everything that they've ever known is completely different. A Real Pain itself is the product of a comparable journey; it could've been a different movie and, originally, it was meant to be. Eisenberg was endeavouring to bring another project to the screen, adapting a short story that he'd penned for Tablet magazine. It was about two friends, not cousins, and instead of Poland they were travelling to Mongolia together. But the Oscar-nominated The Social Network actor, not to mention star of everything from the Zombieland and Now You See Me movies through to TV's Fleishman Is in Trouble, had himself been to Poland. He'd paid tribute to his own family history, visiting the house that his aunt Doris had lived in. He'd also been inspired by that trip to write 2013's off-Broadway play The Revisionist, about a young American man with an older Polish cousin who had survived the Second World War. An ad for "Auschwitz tours, with lunch", which Eisenberg randomly spotted online, helped him pull together influences from all of the above — the screenwriting task that he'd actually set himself, his prior play, his personal experiences and history — into A Real Pain. Audiences should be grateful that it did. Awards bodies have been so far, including via four Golden Globe nominations (for Best Film — Musical or Comedy, Best Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy for Eisenberg, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture for Culkin, and Best Screenplay — Motion Picture, again for Eisenberg), plus love from the Gotham Awards and Independent Spirit Awards. At Sundance, where A Real Pain premiered, the dramedy took home a screenwriting accolade. Eisenberg isn't just filtering elements of his family's past into the movie, or recreating a trip that he took with his now-wife two decades back. As he did with the Julianne Moore (May December)- and Finn Wolfhard (Saturday Night)-starring When You Finish Saving the World, he's also tapping into his own IRL anxieties. What he's digging into is right there in A Real Pain's name. As he tells Concrete Playground, "I'm trying to examine and ask the question that I ask myself every day: is my pain valid?". When there's such bigger struggles, troubles and atrocities haunting the world beyond the everyday woes of a person with a largely comfortable life, how can someone feel angst and hurt while also confronted with the bigger picture? In A Real Pain, David and Benji were born mere weeks apart and were almost inseparable as kids, and now make a chalk-and-cheese pair — as is immediately evident while the former leaves a series of messages about meeting up at the airport, where the latter has already been contentedly for hours — but both have their own tussles. In their interactions one on one and with others, one is a ball of tension and apprehension, while the other is laidback and charming. (Based on casting, it's easy to pick which is which before even watching, although Eisenberg initially planned to play Benji.) Where David has also settled into adulthood while grappling with his stresses, however, Benji is in a state of arrested development. Their grandmother's passing hasn't helped. At a pivotal moment, chatting over dinner with the pair's tour group — which includes Will Sharpe (The White Lotus) as their guide, plus Jennifer Grey (Dollface), Kurt Egyiawan (The Agency), Liza Sadovy (A Small Light) and Daniel Oreskes (Only Murders in the Building) as fellow travellers — while Benji is in the bathroom, David unburdens his feelings in a powerful torrent. "I love him and I hate him and I want to kill him and I want to be him," he notes, getting to the heart of the cousins' complicated relationship. Earlier, they'd been at Lublin's Old Jewish Cemetery. The next day, they'll visit the Majdanek concentration camp. A Real Pain sees its titular emotion in micro and macro, then, and knows how awkwardly that the two clash. Just as with questioning the legitimacy of routine trials versus all of the worse things in the world, Eisenberg drew that crucial monologue from his own emotions and experiences. "It's also the most-personal part of the movie — and this is a movie that is very personal," he told us. We also chatted with the Rodger Dodger, The Squid and the Whale, Adventureland, The Double, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Vivarium and Sasquatch Sunset star about how A Real Pain came together, working with Culkin — including Emma Stone's advice as one of the film's producers that he shouldn't play Benji himself — and what he makes of his career 25 years after his screen debut in TV series Get Real. On What Keeps Drawing Eisenberg to the Question of 'What Pain Is Valid?' as a Writer/Director, First in When You Finish Saving the World and Now in A Real Pain "I've been in the arts since I'm a kid, and I married somebody who works in social justice. And so anytime time I feel I'm doing well or something, I'm reminded that my wife is maybe working with people in more immediate need than I am. And my mother-in-law ran a domestic violence shelter for 35 years, and was unimpressed that her daughter had been married to somebody in movies. So in that first movie, Julianne Moore plays a woman who runs a domestic violence shelter, and she's kind of unimpressed with her kid, who's her family, not doing anything of social value according to her. And then in A Real Pain, the characters are experiencing this very personal pain. My character has OCD, but medicates it away. And my cousin's character has very dark, dark demons inside of him, but it's on an individual level. And so I thought it would be interesting to put these guys against the backdrop of real historical global objective trauma, like the Holocaust. Because in both movies I'm trying to examine and ask the question that I ask myself every day: is my pain valid? I live in a comfortable apartment with a nice wife and kid, and work, I have a nice job. But yet I still feel miserable all day. And why do I have those feelings? So both movies are exploring that exact question. Questions of privilege versus pain — questions about how is it possible that we could feel bad for ourselves when there are so many worse things in the world? In the case of the first movie, it's about domestic violence, and in the case of this movie, it's the Holocaust. And that's just my preoccupation, which just comes from a very self-centred question of 'why do I deserve to feel self-pity?'. On A Real Pain Coming Together From First Trying to Write a Different Film, Then Seeing an Online Ad for Auschwitz Tours "with Lunch", and Also a Past Off-Broadway Play, Plus Eisenberg's Own Personal History and Trip to Poland "It's funny, my friend and I, he's a writer too, we write next to each other at the library every day, and he always says 'once you're on the downslope of the script, you know it's going well'. 'The downslope' in our lingo is basically just once you get past the point of setting everything up and the things are in motion and everything feels right, kind of resolving everything or maybe it's not resolving anything, but that downslope to the end is really smooth. So the last ten pages of this movie, I wrote, I think, in like five minutes, because my wife was texting me I'm going to be late to pick up my kid, and I was like 'I know, but I know the ending, I just have to..'. [caption id="attachment_985500" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by Agata Grzybowska. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.[/caption] So I just wrote it really quickly and all this great stuff came out about me hitting him in the airport, and then this just sad ending of me going home to my family and him stuck at the airport, and it just happened because everything had been set up. And it was in my mind, as you mentioned, throughout several other plays and short stories and stuff, and a real trip with my wife. So once I was at that point, where the dominoes were all falling, I knew, 'oh, this is a story that feels complete'. And then I sent it to my parents and they had no idea what they were reading, because I sent it to them, I don't write in screenwriting programs, so I sent them an e-mail with no names above the characters. Anyway, they said 'this is terrible, what did you what did you do?'. And then I made it more official." [caption id="attachment_985499" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by Agata Grzybowska, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures, © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.[/caption] On What Eisenberg Was Excited About with Working with Kieran Culkin — and Casting Him in a Role That He Was First Planning to Play Himself "I was originally thinking I would play the role of Benji. And our producer is Emma Stone, and she is obviously a very successful producer/actress, and she told me just it would not be a good idea to play a character like that, who's so kind of unhinged and spontaneous, while also trying to direct the movie where I had to be in my other side of my brain of managing a crew. So once I decided I wasn't going to play that role and I was thinking about who could play it, the only person that seemed to me — it's strange, because he's not a Jewish actor — but the only person that seemed to me of my ilk is Kieran. [caption id="attachment_985496" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Company Limited[/caption] I don't know what it is, that we're both from New York and speak in this kind of way, and have an energy about us that is similar, but I needed somebody similar and different to me. And Kieran is like me in so many ways and then completely the opposite of me in so many ways. He doesn't feel anxiety about acting. He doesn't think about it. He just wants to get to the set and to just perform. He doesn't want to talk. He does want to analyse it. He doesn't even sleep the night before, and he never wants to rehearse. And he's just comfortable in his own skin. He's now winning, like today, he just won two major awards for the role. I think he doesn't even care. I sent him a congratulations message. He's never going to get back to me. He just takes care of his kids and doesn't care about ambition, fame, success, any money, anything. He lives a really unusual life and it's exactly what I needed for the character. So what we were experiencing on set as colleagues was quite similar to what they're experiencing on set in character." On Capturing the Relatable Dynamic of Loving Someone But Also Hating Them in a Powerful Monologue — and How Pivotal That Moment Was for Eisenberg "Oh, very strangely pivotal in the sense that I was so conscious of the fact that I, as the writer/director, have a monologue in the movie. And I was so panicked about filming it, because I thought I would screw it up, and then I thought 'I don't want the other cast to be sitting there all day while I do this shot of myself'. So the cinematographer and the producer Ali Herting [I Saw the TV Glow, The Curse] basically forced me into doing this long shot that pushes in. We did one take and I was too embarrassed to do it again, because it just seemed indulgent. It's the only take we got. And because I knew I only wanted to one take, I put all the eggs in the basket of it, and so it was very lived in, so to speak. It's also the most-personal part of the movie — and this is a movie that is very personal. We film the movie at my family's house in Poland and it's about my family's history, and yet the most-personal part of the movie is where I say that stuff. Because I guess what I'm talking about is just the way I've felt in my relationships with other guys growing up, just finding people that I'm in awe of — not just guys, also women and family members and all sorts of people — where I have these dual feelings of wanting to be them and kill them at the same time, and loving them and hating them at the same time. I'm living in the shadow of Benji, but in some ways my life has greater stability than his. In most ways, my life has more stability. And so I understand that I've created the life I want, and yet still every time I'm with him he brings up those childhood feelings of envy." On What Eisenberg Makes of His Path From His Screen Debut in TV Series Get Real 25 Years Ago to Everything That's Come His Way Since, Including Writing and Directing "When I was like 16, I got my first professional acting job, which was acting in this TV show. And I'll never forget the audition, all the executives were there, and I remember I was just trying to be funny in front of them. And I was not thinking of myself as a funny person at that point. I was trying to be funny, and people were laughing, like adults were laughing. And I thought 'oh, that's interesting, I wonder if I'm allowed to just be funny the way I want to be funny — it can translate'. I didn't have to be funny like Adam Sandler or something. I could just be funny like myself. So that TV show allowed me to explore, let's say, my own voice as an actor. So that was a really, really lucky experience that no one watched. And since then, I've been very lucky to play roles where I can bring myself to it or bring my own sensibility to certain things, especially in a movie like A Real Pain, which is like my story, and I'm always surprised that anybody likes it. Because when you think of something that's your own, and that's private or artful or creative or something that's funny in your head, you never expect to have any kind of public reaction. But now I've found myself in this very weird position where I get to write stuff and can produce it, and it just feels quite strange because it all still feels very personal." A Real Pain opens in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, December 26, 2024. Images: Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.
Traditionally, Albury hasn't made many a traveller's bucket list. Drivers tend to whizz past on their way to quainter spots, like the gold rush town of Beechworth or the alpine village of Bright. But, over the past couple of years, this 45,000-person city on the northern banks of the Murray River has transformed itself into a destination. There's a blockbuster-capacity gallery, a sculpture trail, a designer hotel, and a slew of new restaurants, bars and cafes. In between art-ing and eating, you'll find mountain biking and paddling adventures a-plenty. So, next time you're racing along the Hume, stop over for a night — or three. Albury lies 462 kilometres southwest of Sydney and 326 kilometres northwest of Melbourne. Let's get into all things Albury. STAY Stretch your legs after the easy drive and check in to one of Albury's best modern stays. With its oversized industrial light fittings, Scandi-inspired high stools, vintage-style bicycles and open plan, the Atura Hotel's foyer feels more like an inner-city warehouse than a hotel lobby you'd stumble across in Albury. And this is just what Atura, a brand belonging to the AHL Group (which also owns QT, Rydges and Art Series) is going for — more art and better design in regional places. The reception 'pod' flows into the bar, where guests crowd around a retro-inspired pool table. The bar morphs into the Roadhouse Grill, dishing up popcorn prawns, braised lamb shanks and local Gundowring ice cream sundaes by night, and buffet breakfasts from 6.30am. Through the glass back wall, black and white NEMO face chairs look over an arc-shaped pool. Keep an eye out for inflatable pink flamingos around the place and Friesian cattle, who drop by occasionally. [caption id="attachment_563142" align="alignnone" width="1279"] Supplied by Atura[/caption] For excellent views of Albury's motley skyline, ask for an east-facing room on the seventh floor. That said, each of the 140 rooms is decorated with the fun yet sophisticated aesthetic informing the entrance. You'll be napping in a king-sized bed, swinging a cat around in loads of space, cleaning up with Malin + Goetz toiletries in a mural-covered ensuite, sipping free coffee from your own machine and tapping into free wifi. To save some dosh, jump on one of Atura's packages, which top up your stay with gallery tickets, cocktails, movies and more. EAT AND DRINK Make your first stop the River Deck Cafe, open daily for breakfast and lunch, and Thursday to Saturday for dinner. You'll find it right on the Murray, among the leafy plane trees of idyllic Noreuil Park. For years, there was only a kiosk here, but in May 2015, Alex Smit, who's been proprietor since 2011, transformed it into a 120-seater restaurant, bringing in Mauritian-born Ludo Baulacky as head chef. Goat's cheese is turned into dollops of pannacotta, carefully arranged among pickled mushroom, baby beetroot, stonefruit and dukkah. For a light lunch, it's a good match with the herby quinoa salad, which comes with candied walnuts, honey dressing, tomatoes and olives. Among the share plates, there's a Milawa cheese platter and a salmon brushcetta with smoked salmon, crème fraiche and caperberries. If you're looking for a hearty main, try the seared barramundi with cauliflower and dill puree, pickle, clams, soy bean and chicken jus. A map in the menu shows you what produce comes from where — one of the River Deck's local mainstays is Rad Growers, a small farm in Bungowannah, twenty kilometres west of Albury. On the main drag, Green Zebra has been making housemade Italian food for 15 years. You can design your own dish by choosing from the pasta, sauce and ingredients menus. Do not stop yourself from ordering the lemon tart for dessert. On Townsend Street is The Proprietor, a friendly, pendant-lit, checkered-floored cafe, serving Padre coffee from Brunswick, and an all-day menu driven by local suppliers. Go for grilled haloumi and dukkah eggs with hummus, salty lemon, watercress and sourdough, or the mushroom toastie, with cheese spread, haloumi, garlic and green sauce. Another of Albury's outstanding new additions is Boom Boom. Tucked away in AMP Lane, this wine bar and eatery feels like a transplant directly from Melbourne. Owner Matthew Carrington has made sure that every element is on point — from the beautifully-curated, globe-spanning wine list to the impeccably-balanced cocktails to the in-house charcuterie and laidback soundtrack. The star share plate arrives crowded with wagyu bresaola, finocchiona-wrapped caperberries, pancetta, pickled grapes and oyster mushrooms. Unwilling to share? Go for a 'Big Thing', like the ling en papiotte with chilli, lemon, coriander and kipfler medallions, or the scotch fillet with potato rosti and tomato bourbon relish. You can relax in the laneway at a table for two, perch at the bar or take over a communal bench. Another dinner option is the long-standing Border Wine Room. If wine bottles could speak, this place could tell a tale or two — the walls are dotted with empty Grange vessels. The a la carte menu changes monthly, while the six-course tasting menu is revamped fortnightly. Keep an eye out for special events — from French wine tastings to chocolate degustations. DO In late 2015, after a $10.5 million makeover, the Albury Regional Gallery reopened as MAMA (Murray Art Museum Albury), with a 14-metre-high curved wall and a visionary director named Jacqui Hemsley, who's passionate about getting people excited and engaged. To that end, MAMA is currently hosting its first blockbuster: Marilyn: Celebrating an American Icon, showing till May 8. Live circus is coming up on April 22 and 23, and, on May 21, the MAMA Art Foundation National Photography Prize, worth $50,000, will move in. The gallery also now has its own modern, casual eatery: Canvas. It's hidden away from the main street, overlooking a quiet, grassy square. Concertina windows allow natural light to stream into the high-ceilinged space, and the menu features luxurious twists on classics. Think coddled egg with truffled mushroom duxelle and brioche soldiers, and duck benedict with house-smoked duck ham, brioche, poached eggs, beurre noisette hollandaise and spinach. Canvas is open daily for brunch and lunch, and Wednesday-Saturday for dinner. Back alongside the Murray, you'll find the five-kilometreYindyamarra Sculpture Walk, stretching between Kremur Street and Wonga Wetlands. It's part of the Wagirra Trail, a work-in-progress that will ultimately consist of 70 kilometres of riverside shared paths. Every sculpture — from the giant-sized Maya Fish Trap by Uncle Tunny, Darren Wighton and Andom Rendell, to Reconciliation Shield by Tamara Murray — was created by local indigenous artists and is a response to the river. Whether you walk or cycle, take your mobile, to access augmented reality at each stop. Despite Albury's sizeable population, wild places are easy to access. To get on the river, hire a canoe from Murray River Canoe Hire, who'll drop you eight or 12 kilometres upstream for an easy one-two hour paddle back to town. Prepare to meet cheeky flocks of white cockatoos, cormorants and white ibises — 350 bird species live along the Murray, which, at 2,700 kilometres, is the third longest navigable river in the world, after the Amazon and the Nile. There's also some cracking mountain biking terrain. And, four years ago, elite biker Indi Boer, who's won 19 international and national titles, set up a coaching school named The Fastline Bikademy. If you're a beginner, sign up for a basic skills lesson and by the end of it, you'll be conquering scary dips and powering around corners. Experienced? She'll spend hours helping you to refine your skills, so you can take on tougher rides with more skill and strength. If you're looking for an excuse to head to Albury sooner rather than later, the annual Gold Cup is coming up on March 17 and 18. With more than 15,000 people expected to attend, it's the most popular country race in NSW — and an official public holiday for Albury residents. There'll be live music, craft beers and pop-up stalls peddling local produce. LET'S DO THIS; GIVE ME THE DETAILS By car: Albury is about six hours drive southwest of Sydney, and about three-and-a-half hours' drive northwest of Melbourne. By train: The XPT takes seven-and-a-half hours to reach Albury from Sydney, and three hours and twenty minutes from Melbourne. By plane: QANTAS, Virgin Australia and REX all fly the 80-minute route between Albury and Sydney. REX flies between Melbourne and Albury, taking about an hour. Jasmine Crittenden travelled as a guest of Destination NSW. Images: Peter Saw (unless otherwise specified).
Three days after environmental advocates glued themselves to a pedestrian crossing in Queen Street, the CBD will weather another outcry against Queensland's just-approved Adani coal mine. Come 5pm today, Friday, June 21, a march will head from the top of Queen Street Mall over to South Brisbane, to protest the controversial facility. Led by Uni Students for Climate Justice and Movement Against Destruction, the We Do Not Approve: Stop Adani! rally will leave from Brisbane Square on George Street, travel over the Victoria Bridge and end at the ABC's Brisbane headquarters on Grey Street at South Bank. According to the protest's Facebook page, it's expected to run for two hours until 7pm — which means Brisbane peak-hour traffic will be affected. Whether you're a CBD worker looking forward to quitting time, need to travel through the city on your way home or have plans to head out tonight, you might want to adjust your schedule as a result. Brisbane City Council advises that road closures are likely, including on George, Adelaide and William streets in the city, along North Quay, over the Victoria Bridge and down through Grey Street. Translink also notes that delays and changes to public transport are possible, with the 555 bus already being diverted to miss some CBD stops both inbound and outbound. https://twitter.com/MoveAgainst/status/1141311094826213377 At the time of writing, more than 1200 people have RSVPed to attend the Brisbane event. Simultaneous protests will also be held in Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide. If you're wondering about the march's route, organisers are hoping that the national broadcaster will air the protest live, giving the rally — and the widespread unhappiness about the government's decision to support the Adani project — a bigger platform. For public transport and traffic updates throughout the afternoon and evening, keep an eye Qld Traffic Metro and Translink's twitter feeds, as well as Brisbane City Council's Facebook page. Image: Victoria Bridge, John via Flickr.
Brisbanites, heading to Tokyo just got cheaper, whether it's your first trip or you're planning a return visit to the Japanese capital. Jetstar is rolling out its latest route from Tuesday, October 31, launching a Brisbane–Narita service — its first direct to Tokyo from the River City. The budget airline first announced the news midyear, and now launch day has arrived. On Boeing 787 Dreamliners, the carrier will run five return flights a week from Brissie to the home of Tokyo Tower, the Studio Ghibli theme park, TeamLab's digital gallery and more. From December, that'll increase to daily services. The move makes Jetstar the first low-cost airline to connect the two cities, and sees Jetstar stop flying from the Gold Coast to Narita — with its last service making the trip on Sunday, October 29 — to focus on the Brisbane route instead. Start making holiday plans, then — and not just to Tokyo. Also soon to launch: new international routes direct from Brisbane to Osaka and Seoul, with the trio of legs expected to see Jetstar will cater for more than 480,000 new seats each year out of the Queensland capital. For folks keen on cherry blossoms in Osaka, the carrier will boast four return legs a week from Brisbane from Friday, February 2, 2024. The new Seoul flights will take off the day prior, on Thursday, February 1, 2024, with three return services weekly. Jetstar is still flying to Japan from Cairns as well. Its extra services out of Brissie stem from a partnership with Brisbane Airport, with support from Queensland's Attracting Aviation Investment Fund (AAIF), which is joint Government and airport initiative to help kick the state's visitor economy back into gear. Cost-wise, one-way fares currently start at $425 to Tokyo, $363 to Osaka and $329 to Seoul. Jetstar's new international routes to Tokyo from Brisbane start flying from Tuesday, October 31, 2023 — with Osaka and Seoul routes beginning in February 2024. Head to the airline's website for tickets and further details. 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.
If the past few years have you craving something more than the usual — something outside of your house, for starters, and events that don't just feel like the same old thing again and again, too — then prepare to spend some time in a secret Somerset region location. You'll be heading to Jimna, which is where Jungle Love Music & Arts Festival will unleash its 2022 program. Yes, one of southeast Queensland's favourite smaller, more specialised, boutique, curated fests is returning. Since 2014 — with pandemic delays, like all events — Jungle Love has been a smorgasbord of creative activities. Instead of ridiculous queues and heaving crowds clamouring for space in an ordinary city showground, here you'll find a laidback vibe, a campground surrounded by luscious greenery, and the chance to go for a swim in the creek while you watch a gig. Oh, and did we mention that it's a BYO festival as well (though no glass is allowed)? This year's event will take place between Friday, September 2–Sunday, September 4. If you've been in previous years, the fest is heading to a new site in 2022, so get excited. Camping is included in the price, and you can level up to glamping packages — in bell tents that sleep up to five people — as well. And, in terms of what you'll be enjoying while you're there, the lineup includes visual arts displays, cabaret, circus, comedy, poetry slams, knocking back those BYO beverages and plenty of tunes. JUNGLE LOVE MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL LINEUP 2022: AYA J Battlesnake Boing Boing Boom Boom Bean Selecta Bud Rokesky Budjerah CityPiss Cloe Terare Dizzy Doolan DJONN Fem Fale Flamingo Blonde Full Flower Moon Band Great Sage Hope D Ivey JB Paterson Jem Cassar-Daley K+Lab Kid Heron King Stingray Koa Lastlings The Lachy Doley Group The Lazy Eyes Life On Earth Lucinda R. Matthew Graham Menajerie mou Mr. Maps Nicole McKinney Nonsemble Pink Matter Pirra Radium Dolls Rhythm Hunters Sahara Beck SCARES Shugorei Tessa Devine Thunder Fox Tjaka Torpid Vetta Borne Images: Bajj Holloway, Liav Shalev, Kyle Golly and Jackson Grice . Updated August 29, 2022.
Fish Lane's Town Square is putting its patch of pavement to good use, with markets now popping up in the South Brisbane spot. While bars and eateries line the laneway, and festivals have taken it over as well, Fish Lane only started hosting its own stalls back in 2021 — and in 2022, it's again giving you a chance to browse and buy locally made art, ceramics and other goods. Taking place on Sunday, May 29 and Sunday, October 16, the markets close down the road between Hope and Grey streets, and go big on showcasing local independent makers and designers. On offer: wares spanning everything from fashion, plants and jewellery to natural skincare and accessories for your dog as well. Obviously, you can also bring your four-legged friend with you as you browse the stalls. Food-wise, Fish Lane's existing cafes and eateries will keep you feed and caffeinated, so you can add a visit to Cups on Melbourne or Lune Croissanterie to your itinerary. For lunch, the likes of Julius, Southside, La Lune Wine Co, Chu The Phat, Big Roddy's and Grassfed will all be tempting your tastebuds The Fish Lane Markets run from 9am–1pm. If you haven't been to the precinct's Town Square yet, head for the rail bridge — you'll find it underneath. Updated September 26.
It only takes one perfect record to make a musician a legend. For Ms Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was that album. The American singer and rapper fronted The Fugees before dropping her only solo release. She starred in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit as well. But come 1998, when the record that bears her name hit, it ensured that she'd always be an icon. 2023 marks 25 years since The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill first arrived — and to celebrate, Hill is touring. Down Under, she has locked in three stops, including a headlining gig at Promiseland Festival on the Gold Coast. The fest runs across Saturday, September 30–Sunday, October 1 at Doug Jennings Park, with Hill topping the Sunday bill. Also on the Promiseland lineup: Six60, L.A.B., Davido, Tems, Fiji, House of Shem, Koffee and Fireboy DML — and Giveon, Tems, ONEFOUR, Ayra Starr, Stefflon Don, Koffee and more. Home to singles 'Doo Wop (That Thing)', 'Ex-Factor', 'Everything Is Everything', 'Lost Ones' and 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You', The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was a smash on the charts, with critics and at the Grammys. It peaked at number two in Australia; has been named in oh-so-many lists of 90s, hip hop and rap records, as well as albums of all time and releases by women; and earned five Grammys from ten nominations. During her tour, Hill will play tracks from her time with The Fugees, too — killing audiences softly with the iconic cover that the band is best known for, plus 'Ready or Not', 'Fu-Gee-La' and more. Top image: Città di Parma via Wikimedia Commons.
For fans of anime film director Hayao Miyazaki, the good news is that his new film, The Wind Rises, will be released in Australian cinemas next year. The bad news is, he's confirmed that this will be his last full-length feature film. Miyazaki's animation career has spanned over 50 years, but he's best known for the studio he co-founded, Studio Ghibli, and its films Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo — dreamy, whimsical movies that are a lot more progressive than the average Disney number, addressing things like feminism, environmentalism and pacifism. The Wind Rises is a semi-fictional biopic about aeroplane designer Jiro Horikoshi, who designed the A6M Zero (a deadly aircraft used in World War II) but started out as a young boy who dreamed of making and flying beautiful planes. Set in pre-war Japan, the film depicts events including the Depression, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the tuberculosis epidemic and Japan's role in WWII. It's attracted a lot of controversy in Japan, having been released in the middle of a nationwide debate about the Japanese government's proposed changes to the military. Despite this, The Wind Rises has still been at the top of the Japanese box office for seven consecutive weeks and has been getting some pretty good reviews. Miyazaki announced his retirement from feature animation in a media statement on Friday, 6 September. He said that while he will continue working in other capacities, he will not direct another full-length film — and that includes scripting and supervising as well as the pen-to-paper animation Studio Ghibli painstakingly produces. The latest film took five years to finish, and at that rate, the anime legend says, "the studio can't survive." The Wind Rises will be released in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment in 2014.
What does a gin made on a farm in far north Queensland have in common with beer brewed in the middle of Adelaide? Or with a nice vino from a winery located outside Geelong, a premix sangria from New South Wales, a rum hailing from a Western Australian property and a cider from southern Tasmania? As well as offering a top-notch choice for your next beverage, they've all been named among Australia's favourite local drops as part of BWS' Local Luvvas initiative. In an effort to not only gauge which smaller and independent homegrown tipples Aussies love, but also to give the country's breweries, winemakers and distilleries some extra support, BWS asked the nation to name their go-to local beverages. From all of those votes, the bottle shop retailer has now announced the top picks, spanning drinks in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. It's a sizeable list — and, as part of the campaign's overall aim, it isn't just filled with names you'll already know. You might be a Brisbanite who's been singing your local brewery's praises; however, you may not have heard about a stellar outfit pumping out great beers down south. Or, even if you consider yourself very well-acquainted with Aussie wines, it's likely that there's still some labels you haven't come across. In their respective states, 18 winners will be given an extra helping hand with getting their products stocked in more BWS stores. And if you're currently wondering which tipples you should be looking out for — whether it's for a cold one after a busy day, a glass of nice wine with lunch or dinner, or a cocktail just because — we've run through the entire list of fan favourites state by state. [caption id="attachment_787625" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] NEW SOUTH WALES From New South Wales' variety-filled lineup of local drinks producers, four brands emerged victorious. That's more than other states, because wine lovers gave themselves two choices — this is a state that's clearly serious about its vino. For a straight drop, NSW residents selected Audrey Wilkinson from the Hunter Valley. For something a little different, Local Luvvas voters also highlighted Nueva Sangria, which serves up an Aussie twist on the Spanish drink. In the beer category, Sydneysiders made their preference known, picking craft brew outfit Akasha out of Five Dock in the city's inner west. And just like in the wine field, premixes obviously have a hefty amount of fans among spirits drinkers, too, with Lust Liquor's low-calorie range getting the nod. VICTORIA When you're Melbourne's oldest independent brewery and boast a 17-year history, you've had plenty of time to rustle up hordes of beer-loving aficionados. So it should surprise absolutely no one that Thornbury's 3 Ravens has been named Victoria's favourite local brew. Victorians also showered some affection on another brewery, Billson's, but for the Beechworth-based company's spirits range — which includes bottles of gin and vodka, as well as vodka premixes. And, as picked from all the local wineries that the state has to offer, 6Ft6 has been dubbed Victoria's most-loved. Based in the Moorabool Valley in Geelong, it focuses on seven specific varieties spanning both white and red drops. QUEENSLAND Queensland's far north isn't just home to tropical greenery, picturesque beaches, and a climate that's even warmer and sunnier year-round than Brisbane. It's also home to Mt Uncle Distillery in the Atherton Tablelands. That's where the state's favourite spirit springs from, in the form of its Botanic Australis gin. When it comes to the Sunshine State's preferred beer, a Brisbane local has won out — and it's one with a considerable following around the city. That'd be Aether Brewing, the family-owned brewery that started in the city's west, is now based in Brissie's north and has been doing its beer-making thing since 2016. WESTERN AUSTRALIA Just shy of 400 kilometres south of Perth sits the vineyard responsible for Western Australia's favourite vino, Ferngrove Wines, which has been making top-notch drops since 1998. Keep heading down and, once you hit Albany, you'll find WA's best-loved beer as well. Wilson Brewing Company has seven different brews among its range, including lighter session and blonde ales, plus heavier dark and brown ales. Wondering which type of spirits WA residents like best? That'd be Illegal Tender Co's rum. Fans can also be forgiven for dreaming about following in the brand's footsteps — it's a labour of love from an electrician who decided to leave his career behind and follow his passion instead. SOUTH AUSTRALIA Even if you've never been to South Australia, or to its famed wine regions, every Australian knows that McLaren Vale and vino go hand in hand. It's also where Never Never Distilling Co is based, and where the company whips up beverages made from juniper instead of grapes. Obviously, we're talking about gin. For SA's favourite wine, you'll actually want to sip a drop from the Adelaide Hills, and from the tiny 343-person township of Paracombe specifically. There's no prizes for guessing where Paracombe Wines gets its name from, of course. And, in the beer category, Adelaide's Little Bang Brewing Company topped the poll thanks to its yeasty brews made in its inner-city base in Stepney. TASMANIA Tasmania's well-known nickname has clearly struck a chord with fans of a nice crisp drink. In the brewery category, the state's residents have chosen Plenty Cider as their pick. It's made from 100-percent local apples on the Apple Isle, which is patently a winning combination. In the vino field, Pepik Wines nabbed top spot, hailing from Josef Chromy Wines and its 61-hectare vineyard at Relbia, just south of Launceston. For Tassie's preferred spirits, your tastebuds are heading to Marion Bay. Hellfire Bluff Distillery launched in 2017 out of a potato farm, and it now not only makes vodka but also gin, coffee liqueur and limoncello as well. For more information about BWS' local range — and to pick up one of the above beers, wines and spirits — head to the retailer's stores in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.
Something delightful is happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_jjELPpKkk HAPPIEST SEASON Heading home for the holidays and stepping into a sea of interpersonal dramas is a familiar on-screen set-up, as a new movie every Christmas or so reminds us. By now, then, we all know the formula. Adult children make the pilgrimage to their parents' place, rivalries and animosities flare up, secrets are spilled, chaos ensues and, by the end of the film's running time, everyone has learned something. Happiest Season fits the template perfectly. With the merriest time of the year in full swing, the Caldwells converge on the Pennsylvanian family home, with their celebrations given an extra edge due to patriarch Ted's (Victor Garber, Dark Waters) mayoral campaign. His fastidious wife Tipper (Mary Steenburgen, The Book Club) insists on snapping every moment for his Instagram feed, all as stern eldest daughter Sloane (Alison Brie, GLOW) arrives with her husband (Burl Moseley, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), two children (Asiyih and Anis N'Dobe) and plenty of unspoken tension in tow; zany middle sister and aspiring fantasy writer Jane (Mary Holland, Between Two Ferns: The Movie) is largely ignored; and Pittsburgh-based political journalist Harper (Mackenzie Davis, Irresistible) returns with the girlfriend, Abby (Kristen Stewart, Charlie's Angels), that none of her relatives know about because she hasn't come out to them yet. If someone other than The Faculty, Girl, Interrupted, Veep and The Handmaid's Tale actor-turned-filmmaker Clea DuVall had made Happiest Season, the above paragraph would accurately reflect the feature's character hierarchy — because Sloane would take centre stage, and Harper and Abby would hover around the narrative's edges. But DuVall did make Happiest Season and, with co-writer Holland, she flips the movie's focus, even while still sticking with a well-worn general premise. Accordingly, this festive flick resembles a comfy sweater that often gets a wear, but seems welcomely different on this particular occasion. It shouldn't be so subversive to take an overused genre that's heavy on recognisable tropes, then strip away the engrained heteronormativity, but it is. Amid the sibling struggles, the re-emergence of old flames both male (Jake McDorman, What We Do in the Shadows) and female (Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation), and the always hectic whirlwind that surrounds every seasonal family affair — and every attempt to run for political office, too — Happiest Season also explores two crucial themes in a meaningful way. First, it unpacks the performative nature of human existence, where too often we're all trying to match other people's perceptions and expectations without consistently remaining true to ourselves. And, it also interrogates how coming out isn't a simple or straightforward act, even in seemingly loving circumstances. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97nnV0fNd30&feature=youtu.be AMERICAN UTOPIA There may be no catchier lyric in music history than "same as it ever was", the five words repeated in Talking Heads' 1981 single 'Once in a Lifetime'. As uttered again and again by the band's inimitable frontman David Byrne, it's a looping phrase that burrows into your skull and never leaves. So when American Utopia opens with the musician sat at a table holding a brain and talking about what its various parts do, it feels as if Byrne is acknowledging what everyone already knows in the deepest recesses of their consciousness: that Byrne long ago got cosy in our craniums and has been nattering away to us ever since. As he stares at grey matter while wearing a grey suit — a perfectly fitting one, unlike the famed big number he wore in iconic 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense — he has something else on his mind, however. American Utopia starts with the part of our bodies where we all mentally reside, but slowly and smartly evolves from the cerebral to the communal. It segues from one man alone on a stage lost in his own thoughts to 12 people singing, dancing, playing instruments and connecting, and also pondering the state of the world and how to better it in the process. And it takes its titular concept seriously along the way, confronting America's political and social divisions in Byrne's witty, wise and impassioned between-song chats, but never satirising the idea that the US could be improved to the benefit of everyone. American Utopia is a concert film like its predecessor but, as that masterpiece proved, the whole notion means more to Byrne than merely standing in front of a camera and busting out well-known hits.From the sublimely soothing 'This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)' to the punchier 'Burning Down the House', plenty of Byrne's best-known songs do grace American Utopia. 'Once in a Lifetime' is among them, of course, as are 'Road to Nowhere' and 'Everybody's Coming to My House', with the film's playlist spanning his career with Talking Heads and solo. Across a range of styles and tempos, each track is a wonder, and not just in the way that fans already know. As should be obvious from the way in which Byrne has conceptualised this stage performance — which he toured in 2018, then adapted for Broadway in 2019, and has now turned into this standout movie directed by Spike Lee — this is a meticulously crafted work. Basking in the glory of Byrne and his band is inevitable and would happen regardless, but soaking in everything that American Utopia does is another marvel entirely. Before the film forces you to do so, you probably won't have realised how enlivening, wondrous and cathartic it is to see the act of connecting so firmly thrust to the fore. It takes an incredible amount of work to make something so tightly constructed seem so loose and natural, and that's just one of the reasons that American Utopia is yet another of the star's masterpieces. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqCTIdF7rs&feature=youtu.be POSSESSOR In Possessor, technology permits assassins to hijack the bodies of people close to their targets, letting them assume not just their identities but their physical presence to fulfil their murderous missions. Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough, The Grudge) is one such killer, and she is so exacting and accomplished at her job that her no-nonsense boss and handler Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Annihilation) keeps trying to push her further. Such work comes with consequences, though, with Tasya slowly estranging herself from her husband (Rossif Sutherland, Catastrophe) and young son (Gage Graham-Arbuthnot, Becky). During the luridly shot undertaking that opens the movie and the assignment that the often neon-hued flick spends the bulk of its time on, Tasya also begins to realise that separating herself from the folks she's temporarily inhabiting is becoming difficult. In the first job, Tasya's consciousness takes over a woman called Holly (Gabrielle Graham, On the Basis of Sex) to gun down a high-flying lawyer at a swanky hotel party. Every mission should end with extraction via suicide — the possessed person's, as forced by the possessor, who then returns to their own bag of bones, flesh and blood — but Tasya can't pull the trigger on her host body. When she's later sent into Colin (Christopher Abbott, Vox Lux), the fiancé of the daughter (Tuppence Middleton, Mank) of a ruthless business mogul (Sean Bean, Snowpiercer), she similarly struggles to retain control. As depicted in gory detail, being able to stick a probe into your head and mind-hop into someone else's may be pure science fiction, but writer/director Brandon Cronenberg intentionally apes The Matrix when he shows how the tech behind his premise operates. Our present analogues to Possessor's body-jumping concept exist in the online world, virtual reality, avatars, catfishing, trolling and even just anonymous commenting while you're tapping at your keyboard or phone, and this film makes it ferociously clear that it all has a significant cost. Cronenberg isn't just taking cues from his father David — whose 1999 film eXistenZ, also starring Jason Leigh, toyed in somewhat similar territory — or from a beloved sci-fi franchise. As many works that reflect upon humanity's true nature via dystopian futures tend to, the writer/director adds an entry to both the body horror and science fiction canons that seems like it might've appeared in a feverish dream after a life spent consuming those exact types of tales. But Possessor also always feels like a unique creation, and never a film puppeteered by its influences in the same way that Tasya pulls the strings of her marks. Cronenberg's feature boasts far too much of its own chilliness, daring and determination, as well as the filmmaker's fondness for particularly gruesome imagery, to merely be the sum of its various sources of inspiration. Possessor also has its own wellspring of nihilism pumping through its veins, not only tackling big notions in a bold and ultra-violent way, but proving deeply, gut-wrenchingly, existentially dark. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp3WjuJJYB8 MISBEHAVIOUR The fact that it took 50 years to bring Misbehaviour's true tale to the screen is nothing less than remarkable. Following the protests staged by the women's liberation movement at the 1970 Miss World Pageant in London, it harks back to a noteworthy and important chapter of history — so much so that you would've expected filmmakers to have been clamouring to give it the cinematic treatment. A plethora of compelling topics are baked into this story, after all, including calling out the gross sexism inherent in objectifying women and ascribing their worth according to their looks, questioning society's narrow view of beauty and making plain the racial prejudice that's also frequently in play. But you don't need a movie about all of the above to tell you the obvious, and also the reason that a film about this incident hasn't existed until now. Much may have changed in the past half-century, but the feminist quest for recognition, fairness and equality in every way isn't over yet. Indeed, it's galling how many of Misbehaviour's observations about the way women are treated — and how women of colour fare on top of that — continue to ring true in 2020. Director Philippa Lowthorpe (Swallows and Amazons) and screenwriters Rebecca Frayn (The Lady) and Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest) are eager to pay tribute to pioneering feminists, but they're also very keen to make a feel-good, cheer-inducing movie that fits a clear formula. So it is that a seemly mismatched group comes together, united by the shared goal of improving how women are regarded by society, and decides to target the giant, glitzy and televised spectacle that is the Miss World Pageant — which 100 million people will watch. The two main instigators, aspiring history academic Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley, Official Secrets) and graffiti-spraying anarchist Jo Robinson (Jessie Buckley, I'm Thinking of Ending Things), are initially worlds apart, but squaring off against a common enemy has a way of bringing people together. Also earning the film's attention: contestant Jennifer Hosten (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Farming), pageant founder Eric Morley (Rhys Ifans, Berlin Station) and the year's host Bob Hope (Greg Kinnear, Strange But True). The result is a rousing, overt and easy movie that ticks all the boxes it has placed on its own checklist, but doesn't do anything more — and it definitely could. Getting caught up in Misbehaviour's plot, purpose and impressively staged climax is almost a foregone conclusion. Being happy that it's hitting screens and telling this tale at all after all of these years is as well. But so is knowing that this is the most standard and clearcut rendering of this story possible. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tibarzGOUSk LET HIM GO Hell hath no fury like a grieving mother and grandmother in Let Him Go, an involving drama that shows that few actors can convey quiet anger and unflinching determination quite like Diane Lane. The Unfaithful and Under the Tuscan Sun star plays Margaret Blackledge, a Montana rancher with a way with horses, and with strong, silent ex-sheriff George (Kevin Costner, Yellowstone) for a husband. Soon after the family's rural idyll is first established, she not only loses her adult son (Ryan Bruce) to a tragic accident but, just a couple of years later, is shocked to discover that her newly remarried daughter-in-law Lorna (Kayli Carter, Bad Education) has left the local town in a hurry one night with Margaret's three-year-old grandson Jimmy (Bram and Otto Hornung). Determined not to see more of her family members ripped away, she convinces George that they should set off on their trail. Complicating their plans is he fact that Lorna has wed into the Weboys, who hold significant — and criminal — influence over their patch of America's north. As the Blackledges learn after finally tracking down their new relatives-via-nuptials, brash Weboy matriarch Blanche (Lesley Manville, Misbehaviour) isn't keen to relinquish her claim on the only link Margaret has left to her dearly departed child. Adapted by writer/director Thomas Bezucha (screenwriter of 2018's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society) from the novel of the same name, Let Him Go follows a straightforward narrative with a smattering of hits and misses — but its two main female roles are so superbly cast, and the film's handling of tension so finely tuned, that it proves gripping for the bulk of its running time. The last time that Bezucha dabbled with complicated family antics, in 2005's The Family Stone, he was in far lighter territory; however, he's more than adept at handling the fierce confrontations, simmering and overt suspense, and pulpy revenge-fuelled setpieces that are pivotal here. And, he does so in a fittingly pared back but forceful manner; Let Him Go takes its time and doles out only the necessary details, butt does so with maximum emotional impact in mind. While Costner is also solid as a man trying to deal with his own heartache and disappointment in his own way, and Booboo Stewart (The Twilight Saga) leaves a lasting impression as a Native American teen the Blackledges cross paths with on their journey, Let Him Go is at its best when it cedes the screen to the potent Lane and the gloriously overt Manville. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqEQyL8prJg&list=PL6F30AC1F68415FCE IN THE NAME OF THE LAND In We'll End Up Together, French filmmaker and actor Guillaume Canet directed a sequel to his friendship-driven drama Little White Lies, this time ruminating on his characters' choices and struggles years latter. In La Belle Époque, he played the man behind a company that lets anyone pay to recreate the place and time of their choosing, whether to enjoy a life they didn't get to live, temporarily try to correct past wrongs or revel in happier memories. His third release to reach Australian cinemas this year, In the Name of the Land is a vastly different film — but it too is about someone grappling with his chosen path and wondering what might've been. Here, Canet steps into the shoes of Pierre Jarjeau, who returns to his dad's (Rufus, Amelie) modest farm in 1979 after a stint on a vast Wyoming cattle ranch and, with a 25-year-old's hope for the future, instantly agrees to take over the family property. Fast-forward to the mid to late 90s, when the majority of the movie takes place, and Pierre is saddled with debt and trouble. He's still repaying his father, the price he earns for his produce just keeps dropping and, despite his wife Claire's (Veerle Baetens, The Broken Circle Breakdown) disapproval, he's certain that expanding and taking on bigger loans is the only way forward. Pierre's plan requires building a coop to house 20,000 chickens — livestock he doesn't currently farm — and getting into bed with a giant agriculture company to do so. First-time feature writer/director Edouard Bergeon bases In the Name of the Land on his own father's story, and it's a grim one, as every move Pierre makes seems to place the Jarjeaus in a worse situation with ever-increasing stress and higher stakes. Given that this is a personal tale and topic for the filmmaker, it's hardly surprising that he draws such nuanced and authentic performances from Canet, Batens and Rufus, and from young actor Anthony Bajon (The Prayer), who is virtually playing the director's on-screen surrogate. The prominence given to the gorgeously shot landscape, including golden and green fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, isn't the least bit astonishing either. And, neither is this solemn but passionate movie's unshakeable condemnation of the current state of French agriculture, and of the very real toll that the push towards corporations and mass production is taking on those who dedicate their life to working the land. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29; and November 5, November 12 and November 19. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators, An American Pickle, The High Note, On the Rocks, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Antebellum, Miss Juneteenth, Savage, I Am Greta, Rebecca, Kajillionaire, Baby Done, Corpus Christi, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Craft: Legacy, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon and Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt).
With social networks now pivotal for most businesses, entrepreneurs, artists and pretty much anybody with an Internet connection, it's not surprising that new websites are popping up more often than ever. The latest website to gain some real momentum around the world is Pinterest, a 'digital scrapbooking' website that lets you present and organise all of your interests and share them with the world. Users cluster their favourite things into small boards such as 'food' and 'music', with each interest receiving a neat image and hyperlink if applicable. Building upon the aesthetic appeal of visually-based websites such as Instagram and the sharing capabilities of Facebook, Pinterest has all the correct elements to become a huge success. In late 2011, it broke into the Top 10 most popular social media websites, and its recent growth has seen it become a bigger traffic referrer for women's websites than Facebook and Twitter in the U.S. However, if the revolving door of social media has taught us anything, it's that websites can fall just as fast as they skyrocket, and that trends can be embraced fully before fading into obscurity. The biggest challenge for Pinterest will be keeping up with technology and offering users greater ways to integrate the website with their daily routines and ideas. There are 12 million American users of Pinterest, and an overwhelming 83% of those are female. Complying with traditional gender stereotypes, the most popular Pinterest profiles are largely focused on fashion, decoration and interior design. This overwhelming dominance of female users has even caught the attention of the US Army, who are looking to Pinterest as a source for more women to join the ranks. Pinterest's simplicity and organisation have made it a joy to explore when online. Many companies have already taken to 'board hacks' in order to slice their favourite images and present them in creative ways. Like all effective social media websites, this allows users to personalise their pages with great innovation. Will you jump aboard the Pinterest bandwagon? Concrete Playground has already started to fill the Pinterest boards with all the best and brightest cultural news. Follow us here and share the love.
It's been just a few days since the Victorian government proposed new legislation in an attempt to even the playing field between taxis and ride share services. And now it looks like Sydney's ride-sharing industry could also see its own boost in competition, with Uber rival Taxify set to launch in the city by the end of the year. The Estonian company made headlines last month when licensing issues forced it to stop services in London just days after its UK launch. According to operators, Taxify's recent Paris launch saw it become the most downloaded app in France. Now with about 30 international cities under its belt, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Taxify is slated to hit Sydney streets by Christmas. The company is promising to charge drivers a 15 percent commission on fares, a figure that's much more attractive than the company's main competitor Uber, which currently takes around 20 to 25 percent from each fare. In theory, that could see Taxify offering cheaper rides and luring customers (and drivers) to jump ship from their usual ride-share service, though Uber's domination of the market since launching in 2012 has proven impossible to crack so far. As Morningstar analyst Gareth James told The Sydney Morning Herald, Taxify doesn't have an easy ride ahead. "To have a competitive advantage, you need to have a network effect whereby everyone uses your website," he said. "What will be difficult for new entrants is competing with Uber's network effect. Taxify might get some market share but they are going to have to spend a lot of money to do it." Pending success in the Sydney market, Taxify has its sights set on Melbourne and Brisbane in the near future. Taxify is set to launch in Sydney by the end of the year. For updates, check the company's Facebook page. Via The Sydney Morning Herald. Image: Taxify.
Immersive and Instagrammable art is all the rage right now in Australia. Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Room has taken up permanent residence in Canberra, Sugar Republic's "dessert museum" toured the country in 2019 and an extremely photogenic pop-up "museum" for pets is set to hit later this year. Next on the must-photograph list: Happy Place. Dubbed the "world's most Instagrammable exhibit", the multi-room installation has already travelled across the US and Canada and is now heading to the rooftop of Sydney's Broadway Shopping Centre from Friday, March 6–Sunday, May 3. Once inside the exhibition, you'll find many OTT rooms to explore, including a rubber ducky bathtub room, a cookie room that actually smells like freshly baked cookies, a room filled with 40,000 golden handmade flowers and a giant rainbow with a golden ball pit (no leprechauns though, sorry). If that doesn't have you reaching for your smartphone, there's also a mind-bending upside-down room and the "world's largest confetti dome". As well as the rooms, the exhibition has a lemonade stand — with all money from the Sydney one going to Red Cross Australia — a retail store and a cafe. One million snap-happy folks have already visited Happy Place in the northern hemisphere — including, supposedly, celebs such as Adele, Hilary Duff and Kourtney Kardashian — and we're guessing it's going to be equally popular Down Under. While the exhibition is "on a mission to spread happiness around the world", let's hope it's not actually like The Good Place — or, speaking of Kardashians, as nightmare-inducing as Kylie Jenner's Stormi World. Either way, it's going to sell out — fast. Tickets are on sale now for $39 a pop, so go get 'em if you're keen. Find Happy Place on the rooftop of Broadway Sydney, 1 Bay Street, Ultimo from Friday, March 6–Sunday, May 3. It's open from 3–9pm Monday–Tuesday, 12–9pm Wednesday–Thursday and 10am–8pm Friday–Sunday. Tickets will set you back $39 and are available now via Moshtix.
Twenty-six years ago, "do you like scary movies?" stopped being just an ordinary question. Posed by a wrong-number caller who happened to be a ghostface-masked killer with a fondness for kitchen knives, it was the snappiest and savviest line in one of the 90s' biggest horror films — a feature filled with snappy and savvy lines, too — and it's now one of cinema's iconic pieces of dialogue. It also perfectly summarised Scream's whole reason for being. The franchise-starting slasher flick didn't just like scary movies, though. It was one, plus a winking, nudging comedy, and it gleefully worshipped at the altar of all horror films that came before it. Wes Craven helmed plenty of those frightening features prior to Scream, so the A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Hills Have Eyes director was well-equipped to splash around love for the genre like his villain splashed around entrails — and to eagerly and happily satirise all of horror's well-known tropes in the stab-happy process. If you've seen the 1996 film or its three sequels till now, you've bathed in all that scary movie affection. You might've gleaned the horror basics from their rules and references; the OG film even had its characters watch Halloween and borrows the 70s classic's stellar score for key scenes. Geeking out over spooky cinema is the franchise's main personality trait, to the point that it has its own saga-within-a-saga, aka the Stab movies, and its fifth entry — also just called Scream — wouldn't dream of making that over. The famous question gets asked, obviously. Debates rage about the genre, enough other horror films are name-checked to fill a weekend-long movie marathon, cliches get skewered and dissected, and there's a Psycho-style shower scene. 'Elevated' horror standouts The Babadook, It Follows, The Witch and Hereditary earn a shoutout as well, but Scream itself just might be an elevator horror flick. It isn't set in one, but it crams in so much scary movie love that it always feels like it's stopping every few moments to let its nods and nerding-out disembark. In other words, you'd really best answer Scream's go-to query with the heartiest yes possible, and also like watching people keep nattering about all things horror. Taking over from Craven, who also directed 1997's Scream 2, 2000's Scream 3 and 2011's Scream 4 but died in 2015, Ready or Not's Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett task their next generation of slasher fodder with showing their devotion with all the subtlety of a masked murderer who can't stop taunting their prey. It's playful, irreverent, loving and meta but also overdone, even as the film has something savage to say about internet-era fandom and its non-stop demands (especially with big, popular and ongoing franchises like this). A little too often, the new Scream resembles chatting to that one person at a party who won't stop going on about the sole thing they adore, even if you love it with equal passion. One of those cinephile titbits that gets mentioned over and over: that the film considers itself a requel, aka a flick that keeps the same context as its predecessors — same timeline, same world and some legacy characters, too — but introduces fresh faces to give the original a remake. So it is that this Scream dispatches Ghostface upon today's Woodsboro high schoolers, because the fictional spot is up there with Sunnydale and Twin Peaks on the list of places that are flat-out hellish for teens. Scream 4 did the same, but the first new attack by the saga's killer is designed to lure home someone who's left town. Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera, In the Heights) hightailed it the moment she was old enough, fleeing a family secret, but is beckoned back when her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega, You) receives the feature's opening "do you like scary movies?" call. Soon, bodies are piling up, Ghostface gives Woodsboro that grim sense of deja vu again, and Tara's friends — including the horror film-obsessed Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown, Yellowjackets), her twin Chad (Mason Gooding, Love, Victor), his girlfriend Liv (Sonia Ammar, Jappeloup), and other pals Wes (Dylan Minnette, 13 Reasons Why) and Amber (Mikey Madison, Better Things) — are trying to both survive while basically cycling through the OG feature again, complete with a crucial location, and sleuth out the culprit using their scary movie knowledge. Everyone's a suspect, including Sam herself and her out-of-towner boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid, The Boys), and also the begrudging resident expert on this exact situation: ex-sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette, Spree). The latter is the reason that morning show host Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox, Cougar Town) and initial Ghostface target Sidney Prescott (Skyscraper) make the trip back to Woodsboro again as well. Working with a script by Murder Mystery's James Vanderbilt and Ready or Not's Guy Busick, Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett are in familiar territory several times over — their ace last release was all about attempting to outwit disturbed murderers, too — and they're well-aware that their audience knows it. "I've seen this movie before," Sidney slyly comments in one pivotal scene, which is this Scream's most telling moment. Just like the thin line between intriguing and unhinged in all those gravelly-voiced phone chats, the line between fun and repetitive is oh-so-slight here. Because this kind of sequel is currently Hollywood's favourite thing, Scream splits the difference between Ghostbusters: Afterlife and The Matrix Resurrections; it's never anywhere near as dull and grating as the first, but it's not as smart and ambitious as the second, either. It is gloriously gory, though. Blood, like horror movie references, flows thick and fast. Indeed, Scream 2022 is at its best when it's doing two things: staging those teased-out kills with stylish flair, which is where the flick's self-referential obsession gets its finest time to shine, and taking another slice at its three franchise mainstays' stories. Sidney and co are supporting players this time, as per requel rules, but they're the callbacks that are worth the price of admission over the Stab chatter and obligatory 'Red Right Hand' needle-drop. The new cast members put in a fair effort — Barrera and Savoy Brown especially; both have had a killer on-screen past 12 months anyway — but the bulk of the movie's first-timers always feel too disposable. Yes, this slasher sequel falls victim to unshakeable tropes far more than it successfully subverts them. It's still mostly entertaining enough, and the franchise had endured other average-at-best chapters (see: Scream 3 and Scream 4); however, looking self-satisfiedly backwards instead of leaping forwards, it's basically running up the stairs when it should be heading out the front door.
Is there anything more popular in the world at the moment than Game of Thrones? The fantasy juggernaut transcends boundaries, enabling readers and viewers of all preferences to immerse themselves in arguably the most dense fantasy offering in literary history and be enthralled by its scope, unable to stop reading and watching. It's wonderfully rewarding but also immensely frustrating, as your favourite character(s) can suddenly be taken out of the game without a word of notice. Well, thankfully you now have the chance to ask why, oh why the Red Wedding happened and gain a unique insight into the wonderful world of the Seven Kingdoms and beyond, as writer George R.R. Martin makes his way to Brisbane. He'll be joined by Peter Dinklage, the actor who brilliantly portrays Tyrion Lannister, Martin's favourite character. The man who has sold more than 20 million books worldwide will be providing a window into his incredibly innovative imagination and aspirations for the future of the series, as well as entertaining your questions at the Supanova pop culture expo, which runs from November 8-10. Dinklage, meanwhile, has mastered the witty love-him-or-hate-him nature of Tyrion, deservedly winning Emmys and Golden Globes along the way, and is ready to share the intricacies behind translating the page to the screen as well as plenty of on-set secrets. This is a must-see for any fans of the epic saga — finally, the chance to ask Martin your most pertinent questions. Just don't ask him when the next book will be released.
The Belvedere wants to take you to Mexico this June. For an entire month, the 124-year-old hotel in Redcliffe is hosting a fiesta, packed with free tacos, bottomless sessions, tequila masterclasses and mariachi bands. Drop in any Friday from 3–5pm for Mexican Happy Hour, then head back on Saturday or Sunday at 3pm for a bottomless session. $110 will buy you two hours of endless margs, wines, tap beers, soft drinks and cocktails, alongside as many tacos, hot chips, corn chips and guacamole, and churros as you can handle. Want free tacos? Swing by on Tuesday, June 10, and, with every purchase of a jug of margarita, that's exactly what you'll get. Meanwhile, Wednesday, June 11, is dedicated to $15 enchiladas. There's also a bunch of one-off events throughout the month. Catch a tequila masterclass on Thursday, June 12; join the Day of the Dead Party from 9pm on Saturday, June 14; and kick back to a mariachi band from 2pm on Saturday, June 14, and Sunday, June 15. Check out the whole program on the Belvedere's website.
Maybe you always leave your Mother's Day shopping till the last minute. Perhaps you're known for being immensely organised, but you can't pass up an opportunity to nab your mum one more gift. Or, you could simply be in the mood to treat yourself — or you just really love markets, taking in the riverside air, and having an excuse to stop for a bite and a drink. Whichever applies, Portside Local Markets has you covered from 12–4pm on Saturday, May 7. Shop, stroll, sip: yes, that sounds like a mighty fine weekend itinerary. More than 40 stalls will offer up plenty for you to browse and buy, including art, plants, ceramics, accessories and more. If you've been to markets at the Gasworks, or in Fish Lane, Coorparoo and Gabba South City, you'll have a firm idea of what you're in for — because The Market Folk is behind all of the above, and is running this new Portside pop-up as well. To give your shopping a soundtrack, live tunes will echo through the Hamilton precinct, too. And, if those hunger pangs strike — or you're just keen on having a drink — everywhere from Sono, Bamboo Basket, Burrito Bar and Ginga Sushi to Mr & Mrs Jones, Belvedere Bar 'n' Grill, Byblos Bar and Restaurant and Gusto da Gianni will be open.
Every year, Japan comes to Australia — or, as far as movies are concerned, it does the next best thing. Since starting with three free film screenings back in 1997, the Japanese Film Festival has kept bringing the nation's many cinematic delights down under. Of course, they're going to do so again for their 20th birthday. Travelling around the country with a hefty lineup of movies so new, many are coming straight from the Tokyo International Film Festival this month, JFF embraces the vast array of big screen treats Japan's filmmakers have to offer. Sometimes, that means a poignant drama about a family banding together as a typhoon bears down. Sometimes, live-action adaptations of popular manga series are part of the equation. In fact, the 2016 lineup has both — and so does our list of the five must-see movies in the program. AFTER THE STORM Get the tissues out, Hirokazu Koreeda's new film is here. As previous efforts such as I Wish and Like Father, Like Son have proven, his dramas are tear-jerkers in the best kind of way, unpacking the ties that bind (or sometimes break) families, and understanding that the notions of love, loss, loyalty, sacrifice and struggling he depicts are absolutely universal. After the Storm promises all of the above as a separated husband and wife are thrown together during a typhoon. And yes, the filmmaker proves gifted at directing kids once again. Quite simply, he's in his own classic territory. CREEPY Everyone thinks of themselves as a good neighbour, however given the number of horror and thriller flicks that pop up on the subject, perhaps that's not quite accurate. There's something about exploring the very relatable scenario of trouble with the folks next door that keeps fascinating filmmakers and audiences alike, with Creepy the latest effort on the topic. Here, a just-quit detective moves to a new area after a traumatic incident, only to face a different kind of tension. As well as demonstrating society's collective obsession with neighbours, the film also plays with another staple: sometimes the quietest things can be the most unnerving. THE MAGNIFICENT NINE Not to one-up a certain iconic western that was only literally just remade with Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt, but a magnificent posse of nine folks is better than one with two fewer. Don't worry, there's not really already another take on the tale that actually first started with Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Instead, The Magnificent Nine goes comedic in feudal samurai times as a group of merchants hatch a secret plan to outwit their lord's harsh tax regime, as based on historical accounts. KAMPAI! FOR THE LOVE OF SAKE Sit down for a meal in almost any restaurant in Japan, and you'll find sake on the menu. The traditional rice wine is the nation's favourite alcoholic beverage, and Kampai! For the Love of Sake attempts to explain why. No, the documentary doesn't just throw a title card saying "Hey, it's just really, really tasty," onto the screen and then roll the credits. Rather, it takes the personal approach by focusing on three specific people and their link to the drink. It's guaranteed to make you want to sip the stuff while you're watching. TERRAFORMARS You've gotta love Takashi Miike, who ranks as possibly the most prolific and eclectic of contemporary Japanese filmmakers. First, consider a few of his most recent directorial credits: a violent, unhinged yakuza vampire flick, a drama about a doctor volunteering to help child soldiers, a high school-set, game-playing horror/thriller, and an adaptation of a manga about cockroaches evolving on Mars later this century. It's the latter that's his latest, and like almost everything Miike makes, it's probably destined for cult status. Talk about not making the same thing twice, even when you've got 100 directorial credits on your resume across less than three decades. The Japanese Film Festival tours the country, screening at Brisbane's Event Cinemas Myer Centre from October 26 to 30, Sydney's Event Cinemas George Street Sydney and Art Gallery of New South Wales from November 17 to 27, and Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image and Hoyts Melbourne Central from November 24 to December4. For more information, visit the festival website.
It's the first Australian-produced show to win the Tony Award for Best Musical. It's based on an adored Baz Luhrmann-directed, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor-starring film that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. With its tale of star-crossed lovers set to a toe-tapping soundtrack, it's been a Broadway sensation — and it's finally opening in Australia. That'd be Moulin Rouge! The Musical — and, if you're as keen to attend its Melbourne premiere season as its central duo are about each other (and about professing their affection through song), then you just might be able to nab yourself a cheap ticket. As has happened with The Book of Mormon, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Hamilton, a ticket lottery is being held for the production's homegrown debut run. Via Today Tix, you can sign up for your chance to score a ticket for just $30. Yes, that figure is accurate. This is your spectacular (spectacular) chance to see the acclaimed screen-to-stage musical for less than the price of a dinner. To take part in the lottery, you will need to download the Today Tix app — which is available for iOS and Android — and submit your entry each week for the next week's performances. The lottery will go live at 12.01am every Thursday morning, starting from today, Thursday, November 11, with winners drawn between 1–6pm on the following Wednesday. If your name is selected, you'll have an hour to claim your tickets from when you receive the good news. If you need a reminder, you can also sign up for lottery alerts via Today Tix, too. Opening at Melbourne's Regent Theatre on Friday, November 12, Moulin Rouge! The Musical brings to life the famed Belle Époque story of young composer Christian and his heady romance with Satine, actress and star of the legendary Moulin Rouge cabaret. Set in the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, the show is known for its soundtrack, celebrating iconic tunes from across the past five decades. The film was, too; however, the stage version backs up the movie's tracks with even more hit songs that have been released in the two decades since the feature premiered. Usually, tickets will set you back $95–219 a pop — so the $30 lottery really is an absolute bargain. There's no word yet on whether Moulin Rouge! The Musical will head to other Aussie cities later on. It's possible, as other big musicals, such as The Book of Mormon, have — and Hamilton has announced a move from Sydney to Melbourne, too. But, if you don't want to risk it, those located interstate should to start planning a trip ASAP — we think it'll be more than worth it. Moulin Rouge! The Musical will make its Australian premiere at Melbourne's Regent Theatre from Friday, November 12. To enter the Today Tix $30 lottery, download the company's iOS or Android app, and head to the company's website for more information — and to set up an alert. Images: Michelle Grace Hunder.
Byron Bay is known for many things, including beaches, Hemsworths, a stunning lighthouse and, sadly, a terrible reality TV show. From October, the crews behind existing favourite Luna Wine Store and natural wine importers Lo-Fi Wines are hoping that the coastal town draws folks in for another reason: Bar Heather, their new Paris-inspired natural wine go-to. A restaurant as well as a watering hole, the soon-to-open venue sees owners James Audas and Tom Sheer (ex-Noma, Oscillate Wildly and LP's Quality Meats) team up an impressive staff list: chef Ollie Wong-Hee (ex-Ester, Sixpenny and Franklin), sommelier Ollie Smith (formerly at 10 William St) and restaurant manager Amalia Oxley (previously Agrarian Kitchen). They'll oversee a 68-seater on Johnson Street, located just across from Luna, that'll pair some of the best vinos from around the world with a locally focused food menu. "Over the years we've collected some very special bottles and always thought that if we ever opened a drink-in venue this is where they would go," says Sheer. "We only plan to do this once, so we figured we better do it right." Those drops will include from wine names such as Matassa, Alessandro Viola and Gut Oggaua — with vino by the glass starting at $14 and bottles from $50. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bar Heather (@heather.bar) Both the wine list and the culinary lineup will rotate frequently; however, diners can look forward to a range of snacks, small dishes and larger share plates among Wong-Hee's offerings. Think: a potato chip, comté and shiitake combo; duck confit with betel leaf and kohlrabi; and grilled king green prawns in a sauce made from the seafood's shells. And, price-wise, snacks will start at $8, mains at $32 and desserts from $16. Seaside vibes might breeze through Byron by default, but Audas and Sheer are nodding to their French inspiration in Bar Heather's decor, which'll include an attention-grabbing, mortadella-coloured, marble horseshoe bar. Patrons will also spy French wooden flooring, green leather banquettes with an aged appearance and hanging art aplenty. And, as a soundtrack, afro beats, funk and late disco will set the mood. Bar Heather will open evenings from Wednesday–Sunday, and keep part of its seating — 60 of which will be found indoors, and eight outside undercover — open for walk-ins each night. Find Bar Heather at G9 Jonson Lane, 139 Jonson Street, Byron Bay from early October — with reservations currently open from Wednesday, October 19. It'll operate from 5pm–12am Wednesday–Sunday. Images: Jess Kearney.
If you're of an age to remember burning your friend's So Fresh CD so you could stay up to date with the coolest songs of the season, congrats. You're old now. But also, congrats because you will seriously enjoy this shindig — yep, it's a So Fresh Party. The nostalgic party to end all nostalgic parties is coming to The Foundry on June 9, and it'll be playing bangers strictly of the 2000-2009 vintage. You can expect a disturbing percentage of Channel 10 alums (Australian Idol winners/losers and ex-Neighbours actors) as well as way too much Nickelback for polite company. Also, just throwing this out there: we're desperately hoping for a timely comeback of the Duff sisters duet 'Our Lips Are Sealed.' Entry will set you back $10 on the door or $12.75 including booking fee if you grab one of the limited early bird tickets currently on sale, and of course it's obviously 18 and over — because if you're under 18 you definitely don't know what So Fresh is. Or CDs, probably.
If you're flying out of Sydney Airport with Air New Zealand this week, the experience might be a little different to what you're used to. The airline is trialling a new kind of employee. On loan from the Commonwealth Bank, a humanoid robot called Chip will be getting around the airport as part of a five-day experiment, interacting with customers, giving directions and even assisting with check-ins. A video released by the airline shows Chip communicating through a screen in his chest, and even scanning boarding passes with his eyes. Way cooler than those boring self-service check-in kiosks. Up until now, Chip's been spending most of his days hanging out with students and academics at CBA's Sydney Innovation Lab, so his time at the airport will both give him valuable 'real world' practice and help Air New Zealand explore ways of enhancing the customer travel experience. "The airport is a busy and often overcrowded environment with signs, instructions and messages every which way you look," Air New Zealand chief digital officer Avi Golan explained in the video. "Our customers can feel overwhelmed. The experiment is about bringing information to life, through innovative technologies." Chip will be at Sydney Airport until today, Friday, August 25. Let's see if any Aussie airlines follow suit. https://youtu.be/6DHXa8V6N4U Via The NZ Herald. Image: Air New Zealand/YouTube.
It's that time of year again. Australia's favourite mid-winter music festival kicks off this Friday, with some amazing acts gracing Belongil Fields in Byron Bay. Featuring The Kooks, Jack White, Bloc Party, The Smashing Pumpkins, Miike Snow, Gossip, Lana Del Rey, Azealia Banks, and New Zealand's Kimbra and Ladyhawke to name a few, the three day festival offers that little ray of escapism from the long winter months and the lack of summer sun time witnessed by most. And those fortunate enough to secure tickets to the sold out event are in for a treat, with long range forecasts for weather looking pretty good. If you can't make this year's event, you can watch the performances via over 8 hours of live streaming performances thanks to Virgin Mobile's sponsorship of Splendour in the Grass. Plus, Virgin Mobile customers who register via the Virgin Mobile Facebook App will be rewarded with access to a number of customer benefits made available to them by using Near Field Communications (NFC) Wristbands. Some of these benefits are: Star Treatment Stop on the drive to Byron, providing coffees, massages, comfy beanbags and refreshing tunes.Access to Posh Pits which is code for a fancy bathroom with five minute makeoversFast Lane express bar queue. More time watching the music as opposed to yarning to some random about how awesome this event is. You had me at hello.Recharge Stations for your mobiles so you can tell your mates how awesome this event isAccess to an exclusive Channel V party at the Beach Hotel on the SaturdayAnd of course, access to prizes (which you find out by tapping the Wristband). I will be heading on this trip to experience all of this, taking a representative from New Zealand's largest Festival Rhythm and Vines, who will no doubt be taking some serious notes on how brands can tastefully activate at a Festival without tarnishing the experience. For full updates, follow @playgroundnews and @playgroundNZ. Sponsored post
Two hefty names in 80s and 90s music. One massive visit to Australia and New Zealand. Pearl Jam have finally announced new Down Under gigs, as a leg on their Dark Matter tour to support their next album, and they'll have huge company thanks to Pixies. Eddie Vedder and Black Francis taking to the same stage? That'll make you feel alive and ask "where is my mind?". The Seattle-born Pearl Jam are the headliners, and about time; this is the band's first visit Australia and Aotearoa since 2014, on a tour that included the final-ever Big Day Out. They've been dropping clues for a while that they were heading this way again, complete with hints at Bondi Beach since the past weekend. Now, they've locked shows in Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney and on the Gold Coast. [caption id="attachment_940844" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Danny Cinch[/caption] Dark Matter, the band's 12th album, will release in April — which gives fans plenty of time to know it by heart before the group play Go Media, Heritage Bank, Marvel and Giants stadiums in November. The record's title track is a brand-new tune, just dropping on Tuesday, February 12. Live, that song and others from Dark Matter will feature on a setlist that's sure to span past hits 'Alive', 'Black', 'Jeremy', 'Better Man', 'Last Kiss' and 'Daughter' from previous albums such as the iconic Ten, Vs and Vitalogy from the early 90s, plus No Code, Yield and more since. [caption id="attachment_940849" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Wp72 via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Pixies, who were last Down Under in 2022, are responsible for a helluva one-two punch with their first two albums: 1988's Surfer Rosa and 1989's Doolittle. The first gave the world the track that's been linked with Tyler Durden courtesy of David Fincher's Fight Club since 1999, aka 'Where Is My Mind?', as well as 'Gigantic' and 'Cactus'. The second is home to 'Here Comes Your Man', 'Monkey Gone to Heaven', 'Debaser' and 'Wave of Mutilation'. Foo Fighters, blink-182, Queens of the Stone Age, Tenacious D, now Pearl Jam and Pixies: it's been a great time of late for big rock tours in this neck of the woods. Pearl Jam Dark Matter World Tour 2024 with with Special Guests Pixies — Australia and New Zealand Dates Friday, November 8 – Go Media Stadium, Mt Smart, Auckland Wednesday, November 13 — Heritage Bank Stadium, Gold Coast Saturday, November 16 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Thursday, November 21 — Giants Stadium, Sydney Pearl Jam and Pixies are touring Australia and New Zealand in November 2024, with ticket registrations from Wednesday, February 14–Sunday, February 18 and ticket sales from Friday, February 23 — head to the Pearl Jam website for further details. Top image: Raph_PH via Flickr.
Gone are the days when showing your pop culture love meant being glued to a screen. That's still on the cards, of course, but there's an ever-growing list of ways that you can interact with your favourite movies and shows beyond simply watching them. Disney does cruises, balls inspired by Bridgerton have been popping up around the country, The Simpsons got the adults-only burlesque and drag treatment, and Shrek raves involve copious amounts of dancing and the colour green — to name just a few examples. So of course an interactive IRL game based on Beauty and the Beast that has fans running around the streets was going to materialise at some point. It's a tale as old as time, again, but in an escape room-meets-scavenger hunt way. This new game hails from CluedUpp, which has already busted out CSI, Jack the Ripper, and witchcraft and wizarding-themed activities around Australia — plus Alice in Wonderland games, too, with another based on The Smurfs also still to come. In a year that's set to deliver the Beauty and the Beast musical Down Under as well — in Sydney from June — CluedUpp wants you to be its guest to get sleuthing. Also arriving from the first month of winter onwards, its Beauty and the Beast game involves roaming around outdoors on an adventure that takes its cues from the classic 18th-century fairy tale that's earned such a folllowing, as combined with a whodunnit-style mystery. Beloved story? Tick. Inserting fans into said narrative? Tick again. Working in the ever-popular genre that is the whodunnit? Tick once more. Throw in the whole escape room and scavenger hunt elements, and it does sound like something that an algorithm would come up with — and a lot of fun. Hitting Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide on various dates, this spin on Beauty and the Beast starts with the latter getting cursed again. Forget love — this time, there's challenges to complete, clues to crack and fairy tale characters for you and your mates to interrogate. Participants get involved in teams of up to six, roaming around outdoors with their phones to help. And yes, if you want to dress up to fit the theme, you can. "We're committed to creating unique, outdoor experiences that bring people together and encourage them to have fun with family and friends," said Tref Griffiths, founder of CluedUpp Games. "With Beauty and the Beast, I'm confident people of all ages will love this magical mystery-solving adventure." CluedUpp's game isn't officially connected to Disney's movies, but if you want some costume inspiration, check out the trailer for the Emma Watson-starring version below: CluedUpp's Beauty and the Beast game will start taking over Australia's streets from June 2023 — head to the company's website for further details.
Landlocked surfers of Melbourne, rejoice — Australia's first surf park has finally announced its opening date. And it's a whole lot closer to the city than Torquay or the Peninsula. Urbnsurf Melbourne will officially open in Tullamarine, near the airport, just 16-kilometres north of the CBD, on Monday, January 6. Plans for the park first surfaced way back in 2016 and, while the team was initially hoping for a spring opening, Urbnsurf is finally opening its doors this summer. The two-hectare space is powering up to 1000 waves per hour — day and night — with the waves coming from an 85-metre pier running down the centre of the lagoon. A series of pistons located on the pier push the water to the left, then to the right, to create the waves. Being ability to create waves means that the park is built for both pros who are looking for steep, barrelling waves and novices looking for a safe place to get their start in the surf. [caption id="attachment_756496" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy of Urbnsurf and Ed Sloane[/caption] The waves are split into three sections: The Bays (beginner) with gentle rolling waves; The Point (intermediate) with 1-1.5 metre, mid-range turn waves; and The Point (advanced) with steep, long, barrelling waves up to two-metres-high with high-octane turns. At Urbnsurf, founder Andrew Ross predicts most novices will stand on their board within an hour and ride across the green face within two. And not only will you get guaranteed waves — you won't be fighting for them. The park holds a maximum of 24 riders in The Bays and 18 on each side of The Point. [caption id="attachment_756495" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy Urbnsurf and Stu Gibson[/caption] You'll be able to experience all of these waves for a very reasonable price, too, with one-hour sessions starting at just $25 for adults and lessons from $69. If you see yourself becoming an Urbnsurf regular, you can also splash out on a discounted ten-pack of sessions ($620 for beginners, $700 for pros) and monthly memberships, which start at $100 a month. More of a watch-and-cheer than a tumble-around-in-the-water person? All-day spectator passes are also available for just $5 — and they get you access to the day beds, cabanas and hot tubs (when they open in autumn). If you need a break between sessions on the water, Urbnsurf will also be home to a new two-storey restaurant by the owners of Sydney's Three Blue Ducks, which is set to open in early autumn. Until then, pop-ups by a heap of Melbourne's favourite food trucks, bars and eateries will look after the food and drinks. If you're not in Melbourne, you'll be happy to know that a second Urbnsurf is set to open at Sydney Olympic Park in 2021. Find Urbnsurf from Monday, January 6, near Melbourne Airport. It's open from 6am–10pm in summer and 9am–6pm in winter. You can now book in for surf sessions, surf lessons and spectator passes on the website. Images: Courtesy Urbnsurf, Ed Sloane and Stu Gibson.
Food is glorious for a whole heap of reasons. It's tasty and it provides much-needed sustenance, for starters — and nothing brings people together like a good meal. That's the principle behind A Taste of Belonging, the latest event in the State Library of Queensland's Belonging series. On April 22, sitting down for a three-course dinner becomes a meaningful culinary experience, complete with an eclectic mix of Sri Lankan, Iranian, Chinese and Venezuelan cuisines, and insights into the history and culture behind each dish. Plus, the entire mouthwatering feast will be whipped up by Wandering Cooks and Alphabet Cafe based on recipes shared by the Romero Centre's migrant communities.
Father's Day is just around the corner, and — considering it's been one helluva year so far — you may be thinking about getting your dad something a little special. Melbourne travel brand July wants to help you go the extra mile this year and is throwing in a bunch of extras. July offers up premium luggage, backpacks, suitcases and overnight bags — and you'll nab a whole heap of freebies when you order your dad a gift through the online shop this year. First up, you'll be able to add custom-printed, personalised lettering to your luggage of choice — for free. Your gift will also come with a complimentary Orbitkey leather key organiser (worth $45). All shipping to Australia and New Zealand is absolutely free, too, which is especially useful if you don't live near dad. Simply shop the Father's Day gift edit to get started. On the list are the Carry All backpack and weekender bags, along with Carry On and Checked wheeled luggage. All of the travel bags are custom embroidered too. And each one comes in heaps of colours, including black, blue, green and beige. July luggage comes with a lifetime warranty (plus five-year warranties for all travel bags) to boot. While dad might not be going on any overseas jaunts just yet, we're sure he's planning a road trip, beachside escape or mountainous adventure in Australia for sometime in the near future. And a fresh set of luggage will be just the ticket when he finally gets to jet off. To shop the Father's Day gift edit, head to the July website. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
If there's a question that no employee wants to hear from the person setting company agendas, pulling strings and signing paycheques, it's "what do we do?". In The Consultant, Regus Patoff (Christoph Waltz, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio) asks a variation of it early — "what do we make?" he queries at CompWare after he arrives amid grim circumstances. The mobile gaming outfit came to fame under wunderkind Sang (TV first-timer Brian Yoon), so much so that school groups tour the firm's office. Then, during the visit that opens this eight-part Prime Video thriller, a kid shoots and kills the company's founder. That doesn't stop Regus from showing up afterwards clutching a signed contract from Sang and spouting a mandate to do whatever it takes to maximise his legacy. Regus is as stern yet eccentric as Waltz has become known for — a suit- and tie-wearing kindred spirit to Inglourious Basterds' Hans Landa, plus Spectre and No Time to Die's Ernst Stavro Blofield. He first darkens CompWare's door in the thick of night, when only ambitious assistant Elaine Hayman (Brittany O'Grady, The White Lotus) and stoner coder Craig Horne (Nat Wolff, Joe vs Carole) are onsite, and he won't take no for an answer. There's no consultant job for him to have, Elaine tells him. There's no business to whip into shape, she stresses. By the next morning, he's corralling employees for an all-hands meeting and telling remote workers they'll be fired if they don't show up in-person within an hour, even if he proudly doesn't know what CompWare does — or care. Giving the small screen its latest moody and mysterious workplace nightmare, The Consultant adapts horror author Bentley Little's 2016 novel of the same name, but plays like Severance filtered through Servant. Similarities with the former come with the setting, tone and keep-'em-guessing setup, while commonalities with the latter arise from sharing creator Tony Basgallop. Both series kick off with a blow-in, unsettle a group already coping with tragedy and reorder their status quo with severe methods. Both lace the chaos that follows with nods towards the supernatural, and both ask what bargains we're willing to make — or not — to live the lives we're striving for. The Consultant hinges upon two ideas: the disdain all workers have for head honchos who slash and restructure without knowing the daily grind, bothering to understand it or even pretending to get to know their staff; and the lengths someone might be willing to go to, including what they may accept and overlook, to advance their own careers. Regus doesn't waste any time earning ire, whether through arbitrary firings — he claims one worker smells of "putrid fruit" — or by pitting his employees against each other to fight for a management office. But, as he sits in the top-floor suite still splattered with Sang's blood, he also accepts Elaine's self-given title bump to Creative Liaison and rushes Craig's new game into production. There's still plenty getting Elaine and Craig questioning, such as Regus' around-the-clock calls, the basement records room filled with invasive personal files that no one previously knew about, his sudden rule changes — one day, shoes are verboten — and how he whisks off Sang's visiting mother (Gloria John, Shifter), who actually now owns the company, but doesn't take her to her hotel or anywhere else she can be found. Elaine and Craig also have a romantic past to deal with, The Consultant's most obligatory narrative detail. Plus, Craig is preparing to marry the Catholic Patti (Aimee Carrero, Spirited), who isn't fond of his slacker vibe or his at-work friendships. And, there's a helluva mid-series night that involves a sky-high nightclub, a Russian model (Gena Heylock, Chicago Med) with prosthetic limbs and a wild car ride. The heavy splashes of red that colour The Consultant's opening titles and much of CompWare's office lighting aren't subtle. Neither is the "devil made me do it" excuse offered by Sang's boy killer or the soundtrack's use of Elvis Presley's '(You're the) Devil in Disguise'. But Basgallop excels at keeping viewers guessing about whether the diabolical events that come his characters' way have nefarious sources, or if they're as easily explainable via everyday details. His two currently streaming series are also masterclasses in using their confined settings — The Consultant steps beyond CompWare HQ rarely, like Servant and its Philadelphia brownstone — to bubble with unease. The Severance comparisons kick in again here, too, weaponising and satirising a tech company's look and feel, as well as its attitude and atmosphere. While O'Grady backs up her stellar turn opposite Euphoria's Sydney Sweeney in The White Lotus with another astute performance — and character — and Wolff conveys disaffected but driven with ease, The Consultant wouldn't be as quick a binge without Waltz. Quentin Tarantino has built two films around him, with both Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained winning the actor Oscars, and he's perfectly cast here. There's also a slipperiness to Waltz's involvement that matches Basgallop's fondness for the same trait. Viewers know exactly how the series' biggest-name star will play Regus and he doesn't disappoint, but that alone doesn't explain everything about the sinister character. As Waltz gets menacing and malevolent, and O'Grady and Wolff flit from shock to acquiescence and back again and again, The Consultant makes expected points about corporate culture, its cut-throat dynamics and increasingly 24/7 demands; the 21st-century employment landscape and its ruthlessness towards employees; and the engrained mindset that has everyone dutifully complying with authority. Familiar but still topical, sly, smart and shrewd: that's the thematic terrain the series traverses, and well. Try not to think of recent social-media moves when Regus starts throwing his weight around, for instance. Try not to ponder your own horrible bosses — yes, Waltz has played one before in Horrible Bosses 2 — and career pressure points, too. There's no point trying not to get drawn into this tense, suspenseful and slickly made series, however, which boasts Destroyer and Yellowjackets' Karyn Kusama among its directors, and lures in viewers as easily as addictive mobile games. Check out the trailer for The Consultant below: The Consultant streams via Prime Video.
Giving someone the gift of food or beer can be an easy choice — it's certainly a timesaver, and it's obviously very easy to order if you're in lockdown — but it can also show that you know what they love. And if your dad likes beer and liquorice, he's likely to be more than a little keen on a new limited-edition brew whipped by by Darrell Lea and Nomad Brewing Co. If you're known to have a hankering for both of those things, you might be as well. The beer in question: Darrell Lea Batch 37 dark chocolate liquorice stout. It sounds a bit like chocolate bullets in beer form, and its release has been timed for Father's Day. The confectionery company says that it sells plenty of bullets and liquorice at this time of year, so doing a liquorice brew was a straightforward next step. As a result, if you can never quite decide between getting your dad a few brews or his favourite sweets, you've now got another choice. As the name makes plain, Nomad has infused this stout with Darrell Lea's Batch 37 liquorice, with the Sydney-based brewery also adding natural liquorice flavour to the mix. Flavour-wise, as well as liquorice — which is one of those foods that people tend to either adore or abhor — you can expect to a creamy, rich and also bitter taste. You won't find the brew at Darrell Lea stores, though. Instead, you'll need to head to Nomad's website or to a bottle shop. Darrell Lea Batch 37 dark chocolate liquorice stout is available via Nomad Brewing Co's website for $11 per can or $45 per four-pack, or via select bottle shops.
If someone mentioned bubbles before 2020 hit, they were usually talking about baths, sparkling wine, gum or tea. For the past 12 months, however, the term has been on every hopeful holidaymaker's lips, referring to arrangements between countries that allow overseas travel in these pandemic-afflicted times. Since mid-2020, the big hope for Australians eager to head abroad while the international border is shut has been a travel bubble with New Zealand. That has actually been in place on and off since October, but only on a one-way basis — so New Zealanders can come to some parts of Australia, but not vice versa. There had been chatter that the complete trans-Tasman arrangement might come into effect in early 2021, allowing Aussies to jump across the ditch. It's now March, though, and that hasn't come to fruition as yet. So, the Australian Government has set its sights on a different location: Singapore. As confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack on Sunday, March 14 on the ABC's Insiders, Aussies might be able to fly to the island city-state for a holiday by mid-year. "We're working with Singapore at the moment, potentially for a bubble in July," the Deputy Prime Minister said. "As the vaccine rolls out, not only in Australia but in more countries, we'll reopen more bubbles," he continued. If you're after more details, that's all that was discussed; however, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Aussies would be permitted to go to Singapore for work or leisure. And, getting permission from the Department of Home Affairs — which is the only way you can go overseas at present while the nation's international border restrictions are in place — wouldn't be necessary. It'll only apply to folks who've been vaccinated against COVID-19, however. Singaporeans who've been vaccinated would also be able to travel to Australia, without undergoing the currently mandatory 14-day quarantine period. While the details are yet to be finalised, if the Australia–Singapore travel bubble comes into effect, it'll be great news for everyone that's been dreaming of overseas holidays since the pandemic began. At present, Australia's international border closure has been extended until mid-June, but airlines Qantas and Jetstar have begun selling overseas flights for trips from October onwards in the hope that the border will reopen by then. Qantas has also started trialling a digital health passport on repatriation flights, which allows passengers to provide proof that they've received a negative COVID-19 test result before flying — and will ideally note vaccination status in the future, too. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Via Insiders / The Sydney Morning Herald.
Search for Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Jungle Book, Mulan and Cinderella on Disney+ and you don't just get one option. Thanks to the Mouse House's devotion to remaking its animated hits in live-action, viewers can watch versions brought to life with actors, too. Come April, search for Peter Pan and the same will apply, courtesy of the Jude Law (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore)-starring Peter Pan & Wendy. The first of Disney's do-overs for 2023, arriving before The Little Mermaid, this one is heading straight to streaming. There, it'll join Lady and the Tramp and Pinocchio, too, with both also bypassed cinemas. And, this take on JM Barrie's classic hails from a filmmaker with experience bringing animated fare to live with flesh and blood, with David Lowery also behind the gorgeous Pete's Dragon. Based on the just-dropped trailer, Peter Pan & Wendy's storyline goes heavy on the latter, as she meets that other titular figure, tiny fairy Tinker Bell and the Lost Boys. With her brothers, she's spirited off to Neverland, where Captain Hook awaits — listing off her full name like she's in trouble, in fact. Cast-wise, Ever Anderson — daughter of actor Milla Jovovich and filmmaker Paul WS Anderson, and also seen in the pair's Resident Evil: The Final Chapter — plays Wendy, while Alexander Molony (The Reluctant Landlord) gets flying as Peter. They're joined by Yara Shahidi (Grown-ish) as Tinker Bell, Joshua Pickering (A Discovery of Witches) and Jacobi Jupe (Cupid) as John and Michael Darling, and everyone from Molly Parker (Pieces of a Woman) and Alan Tudyk (Strange World) to Jim Gaffigan (Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania). With Lowery coming to Peter Pan & Wendy fresh from The Green Knight, the first trailer for the former shares the latter's love of lush greenery — and memorable villains. Indeed, don't go expecting a dashing, debonair version of Law as Captain Hook. Lowery's version of Peter Pan aims to take cues from both the novel and Disney's animated adaptation. "We wanted to invigorate our retelling with emotional sincerity, an open heart, and a grand yearning for adventure. Hundreds of incredible artists spent many years bringing this film to the screen; I'm excited for audiences to see their work, to go on this ride, and to rediscover an evergreen tale from a new perspective," the filmmaker said. Check out the Peter Pan & Wendy trailer below: Peter Pan & Wendy will be available to stream via Disney+ from Friday, April 28.
Consider yourself a budding sleuth? Here are three questions for you to solve. What's the world's longest-running play? Who wrote it? Where's it heading this year? The answers: The Mousetrap, the one and only Agatha Christie, and Australia — Sydney to be exact. Initially premiering in London's West End in 1952, it's been treading the boards in the UK ever since, only pausing during to pandemic venue closures. When theatres reopened in Britain, so did the show. Indeed, when it makes its way to Sydney's Theatre Royal from October, with the exact premiere date yet to be revealed, The Mousetrap will do so 70 years to the month that it first debuted. Unsurprisingly, that hefty run means that the show has enjoyed the longest stint for any West End production, and for any play anywhere in the world. So far, there's been more than 28,500 London performances. To answer the obvious question, yes, it's a whodunnit. The murder-mystery starts with news of a killing in London — and with seven people snowed in at a guest house in the country. They're strangers, which is classic Christie. When a police sergeant arrives on skis, they're told that the murderer is among them (which, again, is vintage Christie). They all have wild pasts, too, and all those details are spilled as they're interrogated, and also try to work out who among them is the killer. Those guests at Monkswell Manor include a pair of newlyweds who run the house, a spinster, an architect who is handy in the kitchen, a retired Army major, a man who says his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist. Naturally, there's another death as they'e all puzzling it over — and a twist conclusion, which audiences have been requested not to reveal after leaving the theatre for seven decades now. Again, it's all Christie all over, which'll be evident if you've seen the recent film versions of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile — or the original cinema adaptations, or read the books, or devoured anything else that Christie ever wrote. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Mousetrap Australia (@themousetrapau) The Mousetrap originated as a short radio play, which was written as a birthday present for Queen Mary. It aired in 1947 under the name Three Blind Mice, after which Christie rewrote it as a short story, then adapted it again for the stage as The Mousetrap. And no, there isn't a movie of it — because Christie stipulated that it can't leap to the screen until at least six months after the West End production closes. Clearly, that hasn't happened yet. In Australia, the play will hit the stage with Robyn Nevin directing and John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia producing. Whether it'll head to other cities as well hasn't yet been revealed — but cross your fingers. Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap will play Sydney's Theatre Royal from October, with tickets on-sale from Monday, June 27. For further details or to sign up for the wait list, head to the play's website. Top image: Matt Crockett.
If the past decade or so of Steve Carell's career has taught us anything, it's that he loves playing characters in a workplace environment. If his recent resume has taught us anything else, it's that these characters are usually a source of chaos at their place of employment — or, at the very least, they're surrounded by it. That proved true in the US version of The Office, as anyone who's heard "that's what she said" too many times well knows. It was also the case in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and its sequel, where Carell made quite the impression as a lamp-loving weatherman. In Apple TV+'s recent drama Morning Wars, he also played a TV host who sparked a scandal — and now, in new Netflix sitcom Space Force, he's taking charge of America's new intergalactic defence squad. Co-created by Carell with The Office's Greg Daniels — and marking the latter's second new streaming sitcom this month, after Amazon's The Good Place-meets-virtual reality comedy Upload — Space Force follows a four-star general in the US Air Force who dreams of overseeing his chosen branch of the military. When Carell's Mark R. Naird receives a new promotion, however, it's to lead the newly formed space-focused unit instead. So, he's off to Colorado to run the show, and to achieve the White House's aim of returning humans to the moon asap. Obviously, things don't go smoothly, which — as the just-dropped first trailer shows — is where plenty of laughs and a Beach Boys sing-along comes in. Based on the initial sneak peek ahead of the first-season release on Friday, May 29, Space Force looks a bit like The Office meets Veep meets any movie about astronauts and/or NASA — and that looks like a mighty amusing combination. An impressive cast is on hand to help, with Carell starring alongside John Malkovich, Parks and Recreation's Ben Schwartz, Booksmart's Diana Silvers and Friends alum Lisa Kudrow, as well as Tawny Newsome (Brockmire), Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley), Noah Emmerich (The Americans) and Alex Sparrow (UnREAL). And if you're thinking, "hang on, doesn't this sound familiar?", that's because there is a real-life precedent. Just last year, the US created a new United States Space Force. If that sounded funny at the time, Space Force, the show, is taking that mood and running with it. Check out the trailer for Space Force below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdpYpulGCKc Space Force hits Netflix on Friday, May 29. Top image: Aaron Epstein/Netflix.
Six years after opening its doors back in 2012, and just a few months after giving its distinctive patch of Wynnum Road a huge facelift, Morningside's Southside Tea Room has announced that it's closing down. The bar and eatery will shutter after it finishes trading on Sunday, November 4, which means no more barbecued meats, weekend brunch, burnt-wood panelling and hanging out on picnic benches after that date. And, no more band pop-ups, plaster fun house sessions and retro New Year's Eve parties, either. In an update shared to both Facebook and Instagram, Southside owners and The Grates band members John Patterson and Patience Hodgson explained that "it has taken a huge amount of bravery to make this decision". They continue: "what we have be able to achieve, and the memories we have made together, are nothing less then epic". Patterson and Hodgson's post also notes that Southside will be slinging specials and selling off its wares across its last week of operation. "Come say goodbye and grab some kind of bargain in our final week of trade — or buy a table, or the shop", it advises. If you're keen to swing by for old times' sake, you'll still find a pinball and arcade area, outdoor seating, and slow-cooked brisket and pulled pork on metal trays. Since its revamp mid-year, the current iteration of Southside has been all about hefty chunks of meat that come with a slice of bread, pickles, onion and the choice of two sides, such as mac 'n' cheese and charred broccoli with pecorino. Drinks wise, say one last hurrah with local beers on tap, a small range of wines, and house cocktails such as the Morningside margarita and the calippo daiquiri. As for what comes next for Patterson and Hodgson, expect to keep hearing from them — literally. "We never managed to strike a balance between industries and can not be more thrilled about returning to music." Find Southside at 639 Wynnum Road, Morningside until Sunday, November 4 — or visit the venue's website or Facebook page for further details.
When each year comes to an end, celebrating ace movies and TV shows from the past 12 months has become a tradition, especially if you worship screens big and small. Another ritual: looking forward to a new calendar filled with standout things to watch. Based on Disney+'s just dropped trailer for the year ahead, for example, Mouse House fans have plenty to get excited about. Chief among them is the second season of Loki, following on from its first back in 2021.When that initial run of episodes came to an end, the credits for its final instalment included a stamp that said "Loki will return in season two" — and that follow-up will hit sometime in 2023. The God of Mischief — well, Tom Hiddleston (The Essex Serpent) — narrates the brief Disney+ 2023 trailer, which includes multiple glimpses at his Marvel Cinematic Universe alter-ego. Viewers not only looking forward to Loki's return, but also eager to see Owen Wilson (Marry Me) back as Mobius M Mobius, can catch a look at both. Banter results, naturally, and clone trickery. Loki's second season will hit in another busy year for the MCU, which is also set to include the Nick Fury-focused Secret Invasion; Hawkeye spinoff Echo; Ironheart, which Black Panther: Wakanda Forever helped set up; and maybe even WandaVision spinoff Agatha: Coven of Chaos — all on streaming. In cinemas, the sprawling comic book-inspired realm will also welcome Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels. Exactly what Loki's season two plot will follow is yet to be revealed, just like when it'll arrive; however, it isn't the only Disney+ series highlighted in the 2023 glimpse. Also included: that aforementioned Secret Invasion, the third season of The Mandalorian, fellow Star Wars series Ahsoka, Pixar's Win or Lose and Up-related Dug Days: Carl's Date, and the live-action Peter Pan & Wendy. If you're a fan of all, some or any of the Mouse House's big brands, prepare to spend plenty of time on your couch in 2023. Check out Disney+'s 2023 trailer below: The first season of Loki is available to stream via Disney+ now. Exactly when in 2023 the second season will arrive is yet to be announced — we'll update you with more details when they come to hand. To keep an eye on Disney+ catalogue, head to the streaming service's website. Top image: ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
While most people think of a concept before a title is given to the project, graffiti artist and satire king Banksy does the opposite. The reclusive English artist and activist ventured into the world of TV last Saturday with his show The Antics Roadshow, a title he claims was born before the show's concept. In a statement Banksy said that "Basically I just thought it was a good name for a TV programme and I've been working back from there." Banksy's foray into TV takes a look at a topic he is most familiar with: public pranks. But his approach is tongue-in-cheek; from the 2010 politically motivated prank by Russian performance art group Voina to the pie-in-face pranks of Noel Godin, The Antics Roadshow (a pun on the iconic British TV show Antiques Roadshow) celebrates the humorous side and, at times, poignant statements of recent pranks and pranksters. The hour-long TV show is currently being aired on UK's Channel 4 and is narrated by English actress Kathy Burke and produced by Jamie D'cruz (who also produced Banksy's 2010 film offering Exit Through The Gift Shop). https://youtube.com/watch?v=NdpVVgMRbKg
They're sticky, cinnamon scrolls, drenched in glaze and famous all across the USA. And now, at last, they're headed Down Under. Yep — Seattle-born bakery chain Cinnabon is landing in Australia, with sunny Brisbane marked for the location of its first local outpost. Family-run Queensland company Bansal Foods has announced it's scored the Aussie rights to Cinnabon, with plans to open the first stores here by the end of 2019. If the name sounds familiar, that's because this is the same crew that brought Carl's Jr to our shores, opening six local outposts of the US burger chain in the past 12 months. The plan for Cinnabon is to launch its first two Aussie stores in southeast Queensland this year — one in September and one in October — with another to follow in Sydney later and further expansion slated for 2021. Word is, we could see as many as 50 stores across the country within the next three years. Cue easy access to indulgent treats like the Classic Roll, miniature BonBites, Cinnabon Stix and (hopefully) the super-popular Chocobon. One of Cinnabon's big pulls is the freshness factor, with new batches of scrolls apparently cooked in store every half hour. Cinnabon is slated to open its first two Australian stores in southeast Queensland in September and October 2019. Updated: May 9, 2019.
