Contemplating a renovation? Before you head to IKEA or the nearest op shop, stop right here. Why settle for standard seating, expected entranceways and simple staircases when you could be installing sandpits under work desks and doors that double as ping pong tables, slides and skate ramps? Interior design is one thing, but home hacking is quite another. Here are ten ways to turn an ordinary house into a carnival ground. Forms in Nature Light Sculpture Turn your room into a scene from Nightmare Before Christmas at the flick of a switch. Ernst Haeckel’s drawings are the inspiration behind this sculpture, created by Danish designers Thyra Hilden and Pio Diaz. A complex, unruly root system surrounds a bright light. "The shadows engulf the room and transforms the walls into unruly shadows of branches, bushes and gnarled trees," the designers explain. "Mirrorings are thrown out upon the walls and ceilings and provide weak Rorschach-like hints of faces, life and flow of consciousness. Dimming the lights transforms the installation and one senses a weak fire burning deep in the center of the forest." Image: Hilden and Diaz Surfing with the sand between my toes Why settle for working from home when you could, simultaneously, be working from the beach? This installation takes the freelancer's freedom to a whole new level. Created by artist Justin Kemp, who's based in Massachusetts (about thirty or so miles from the coast), 'Surfing with the sand between my toes' aims to blur the lines between work and play. "The sand is relaxing, but for me it's more a symbol of my permanent vacation," he explains. "It's the design of a lifestyle where 'work' becomes so satisfying that vacation and retirement become undesirable. It's a permanent state of chill." Image: Justin Kemp The Ping Pong Door Here's a way to create more space, get your daily exercise and maintain a healthy competitiveness with your roommates, especially if you're living in a teeny-tiny apartment: a door that turns into a ping pong table. It's the brainchild of Berlin-based designer Tobias Fraenzel. "Design can and should be fun," he says. "A product that generates positive emotions in people, that brings them together and gets used again and again, that is a good product!" Image: Marcel Koehler Bedroom-to-Pool Waterslide Where Professor Digory Kirke's wardrobe led to Narnia, the cupboard in this proposed country mansion reveals a water slide connected to a pool. Yet to be realised, the plans are the creation of Neil Collins Architects, who specialise in one-off homes. The slide would be part of a £2 million, three-bedroom, underground dwelling entered via a TARDIS-style elevator. Image: Neil Collins Bookshelf-Staircase-Slide Why waste time walking up and down the stairs when you could be sliding? This multifunctional staircase has something for everyone. Architecture firm Moon Hoon came up with it when commissioned to design the Panorama House, a spacious home for a six-piece Korean family. It's one amongst many staircase-slides that are injecting fun into the daily routine. Image: Namgoong Sun The Cloud Sofa If you've never recovered from Neverending Story, here, at long last, is the antidote. Spend a little part of every day floating on your own private cloud. A shiny silver oval on the floor is what makes the Cloud Sofa as magical as Falkor. Its mysterious magnetic force can keep both you and your softest-ever sofa hovering all night long. We have D.K. & Wei Design to thank. Image: D.K. Wei The Skateboard House Welcome to Bart Simpson's dream home. There's not a single surface — inside or outside — that can't be skated on. It's the vision of ex-world champion, pro-skater and CEO of Sole Technology Inc. Pierre Andre Senizergues. He approached architect Francois Perrin and designer-skateboarder Gil Lebon Delapoint to make it happen. La Gaite Lyrique Museum in Paris exhibited a wooden prototype in 2011. Real-life construction is underway in Malibu, California. Image: Pierre Andre Senizergues Pirate Ship Bedroom Do you have a belief, deep-down, that Walt Disney should've cast you, instead of Johnny Depp, in Pirates of the Caribbean? You could see a psychiatrist. But it might well be cheaper to install a pirate ship in your bedroom. Designed by Steve Kuhl, this suspended schooner is entered via rope bridge and exited via secret slide. For miscreants, there's a one-person jail cell. Image: Steve Kuhl Moss Bathroom Mat The ingenious thing about this is that, as long as you shower frequently-ish, you don't need to water it. A latex frame holds together 70 x 6cm pieces of foam, planted with three types of moss: ball, island and forest. Not only do they form a complex microcosmic forest, they also feel super-soft underfoot. It's the creation of Swiss designer Nguyen La Chanh. "The idea was to find a new way of having your plants inside," she explains. "Not only plants in pots quietly standing in the corner of a living room, but alive plants, evolving in the house." Image: Nguyen La Chanh DIY Grass Couch All you have to do is find a piece of furniture, pack the frame with soil, plant some seeds and let them grow. Of course, a regular mowing and trimming routine is part of the deal. Back in 2006, these popped up all over San Francisco as part of the Let's Green this City initiative.
Some bands are born from skill, passion and a garage strewn with beer cans, but others are born from the shrewd minds of television producers (or at least a combination of the two). Flight of the Conchords might be the one of the biggest players in guitar-based digi-bongo a cappella-rap-funk-comedy folk spheres, but they're not the first great band to have emerged from behind a television screen (via stage and radio, to be fair). To celebrate the Conchords' upcoming tour, here are ten made-for-TV bands that have rocked the tube in decades gone by. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ehJNw-T3gpo 1. THE MONKEES Three No. 1 singles, six Top 10s, 12 Top 40s and a total of 20 Hot 100 singles. The Monkees weren't just made for television — they were made for world domination. Commanding the charts during one rock 'n' roll's most significant periods and staging a showdown against the producers who banned them from actually playing any instruments on early records, The Monkees helped define authenticity in rock. R.I.P. Davy Jones. https://youtube.com/watch?v=kFohA6mKFjc 2. MISSION CONTROL (FREAKS & GEEKS) Before James Franco was a multi-talented actor/director/writer/grad student he was a small-time guitarist (and a bit of an asshole) on NBC's Freaks and Geeks. The short-lived cult TV show was excellent for many reasons, one of the best being the quote "Rock 'n' Roll don't come from your brain! It come from your crotch!" https://youtube.com/watch?v=27EVNiKDR4k 3. ZACK ATTACK (SAVED BY THE BELL) Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris was involved in a range of extra-curricular activities, but none were so memorable as his role as lead singer and lead guitarist in Zack Attack. The band never achieved the success that it did in Zack's dreams, but it definitely made the show that much more awesome. https://youtube.com/watch?v=B7-IoFyp_68 4. DINGOES ATE MY BABY (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER) Can't think of a name for your band? Why not turn to notorious stories involving the death of small children for inspiration? Pushing past the awkward name, Dingoes Ate My Baby weren't actually that bad for a post-grunge, pre-emo rock band. Probably because the more tastefully named Four Star Mary provided all their music. https://youtube.com/watch?v=8ti8-vEM3U8 5. JESSE AND THE RIPPERS (FULL HOUSE) It's not every made-for-television band that still has a frequently updated Facebook page 17 years after the demise of the television show, but it's not every made-for-television band member who had hair like Jesse Katsopolis. Hit songs included "Forever", and several hundred Beach Boys cover songs. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qCIKg3YREHY 6. FROZEN EMBRYOS (MY SO-CALLED LIFE) Also living on through Facebook are Frozen Embryos from ABC's My So-Called Life. The lead singer is the elusive Tino, who isn't actually seen in any episode. He is, however, mentioned in Juno when Ellen Page's character says her band should be ready to rock "once Tino gets a new drumhead". Rock lives! https://youtube.com/watch?v=IXMFKmiNyvk 7. DR TEETH AND THE ELECTRIC MAYHEM (THE MUPPETS) You know you've struck the right chord when your band inspires the name of a hipster dive in San Francisco's Mission district. Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem mostly stick to rock music, but it's arguable that they do a better rendition of Chopin than Chopin. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0B9wJ7EwcN4 8. SCRANTONICITY (THE OFFICE) A Police cover band with Kevin as the drummer and lead singer. This has "magnificently awkward" written all over it. https://youtube.com/watch?v=8sITlZo5r84 9. MYSTIK SPIRAL (DARIA) The fictional grunge rock band from Daria helped confirm one of lyricisms irrefutable truths: coherence is no way near as important as a good rhyme. Okay so that might not always be true, but Mystik Sprial were way cool and totally would have scored the big break they deserved had they only managed to agree upon the perfect band name. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rXWaVz4yogI 10. DETHKLOK (METALOCALYPSE) Say what you will about virtual melodic death metal as a whole, but you have to hand it to Dethklok for achieving such widespread commercial success that they were ranked as the world's seventh largest economy by the end of Metalocalypse's second season. And while the real-life version of the band hasn't achieved quite this level of success, they do still play regular shows.
Brisbanites, if you've been seeing this fair town of ours in a completely different light this year, that's to be expected. After spending so much time at home and indoors during lockdown, even the most familiar places around the city look a little different. So, you're probably paying them more attention than usual. While you're peering around the place, you might just spot some great art. Brisbane City Council runs a free outdoor gallery program, and it has been busy in 2020. First came Razzle Dazzle — and, next, Sunny Side Up will be brightening up a heap of public spaces, all while pondering Brissie's sunny and subtropical identity. From Monday, November 30–Sunday, April 18, you'll be feasting your eyes on pieces by Monica Rohan, Charlie Hillhouse, Julia Scott Green, Parallel Park, Jordan Azcune, Phoebe Paradise, Holly Anderson, Kinly Grey, Amelia Hine and Hailey Atkins. They're all emerging Brisbane artists under the age of 35, and the whole show has been curated by fellow up-and-comers Alex Holt and Sarah Thomson. It's all free, obviously, and includes everything from photography, sculpture and video to animation and illustration. Fish Lane, Edward Street, Irish Lane, Queen Street — they're just some of the places to head to.
Before Game of Thrones ended its eighth-season run, HBO spent years telling the world that the end of the hit show wouldn't actually be the end. Firstly, the American cable network announced that it was considering five different prequel ideas. It then green-lit one to pilot stage, scrapped it and later picked a contender to run with: the upcoming House of the Dragon. It also opted to give novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg the TV treatment, too, and to work on an animated GoT show. And, it's been reported that another three prequels are also under consideration. Throughout all of this, GoT fans have been told one thing over and over, even without it being explicitly said. Our days of watching fiery fights between famous Westerosi names — and games over who gets tot sit on the Iron Throne — are far from over, clearly, and won't be for quite some time. And, now that House of the Dragon is getting nearer, dropping teasers and setting release dates (releasing in winter Down Under, when else?), that's glaringly apparent. HBO has just unveiled a new sneak peek at its first GoT spinoff and, yes, all of the basics are covered, including men being unhappy about the idea of a woman on the throne. Focused on House Targaryen — and including flame-breathing scaly creatures, naturally — House of the Dragon promises to dive into the chaotic family's past. That's intertwined with the entire history of the Seven Kingdoms, though. And, as the new footage makes plain, the prequel knows that everyone watching are all well aware of how things turned out when Daenerys Targaryen claimed power (even if this series — which is based on a George RR Martin book, Fire & Blood, of course — is set a couple of hundred years earlier). Cast- and character-wise, House of the Dragon stars Emma D'Arcy (Misbehaviour) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first-born child of King Viserys; Matt Smith (His House) as Prince Daemon Targaryen, the King's brother; Rhys Ifans (The King's Man) as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King; Olivia Cooke (Slow Horses) as Alicent Hightower, Otto's daughter; and Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin) as Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka 'The Sea Snake', a nautical adventurer from a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. These Westerosi folk all grace a tale that harks back to Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of the Seven Kingdoms — which is what started the hefty 738-page first volume in Fire & Blood's planned two-book series — and then works through the family's backstory from there. Aegon I created the Iron Throne, hence the returning favourite's prominence. Also, you don't have to be the Three-Eyed Raven to know that fighting, battles for supremacy and bloodshed are always a part of every GoT narrative. Popping up on camera as well: Paddy Considine (The Third Day) as King Viserys, Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon and Sonoya Mizuno (Devs) as Mysaria, Prince Daemon's paramour. Behind the scenes, Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal are acting as the series' showrunners. Sapochnik has a hefty GoT history, winning an Emmy and a Directors Guild Award for directing 'Battle of The Bastards', helming season eight's 'The Long Night', and doing the same on four other episodes. As for Condal, he co-created and oversaw recent sci-fi series Colony, and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2018 film Rampage. The latest trailer follows an initial sneak peek back in October last year. Given there's still a few months until House of the Dragon's ten-episode first season starts airing, expect more to follow. That dance with dragons will arrive on Monday, August 22 Down Under, if you don't already have it in your calendar. Foxtel and Binge in Australia and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand will be doing the honours, if you're wondering where to direct your eyeballs. Check out the latest teaser trailer for House of the Dragon below: House of the Dragon will start airing on Monday, August 22 Down Under via Foxtel and Binge, in Australia and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand. Images: Ollie Upton/HBO.
Brisbane's idea of cooler weather might be much milder than most, but you'll still be able to slide across ice in the centre of the city. From June 16 to July 9, King George Square will become a winter wonderland thanks to the return of the Skating At Brisbane Festival. Return, you say? It's a case of same event, new name for the event that was previously known as the Winter Festival. Don't worry, all of the frosty fabulousness Brisbanites know, love and won't find anywhere else in the CBD is back: ice skating, ice sliding, rides, music, a market, fake snow, and eating German sausages and strudels included. It's the next best thing to heading to Europe when it's oh-so-cool, just without the bone-chilling, teeth-chattering cold. And, did we mention that there's gluhwein (aka warm, mulled, spiced wine, aka your new favourite winter drink)? Entry to the area is free, but you'll have to pay for all of the fun stuff, with the fest open from 10am to 8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am to 10pm on Friday and Saturday, and 9am to 8pm on Sundays.
There's never a bad time to head to the Sunny Coast; however if you're after more than just a trip to the beach, then September 10 is looking extra enticing. That's when the Maroochy Music & Vis Arts Festival takes over Old Horton Park Golf Course for 2016 with a lineup that can only be described as epic. Headlining the sonic side of the bill is Matt Corby and Peking Duck, with the likes of Allday, George Maple, Client Liaison, City Calm Down, Ngaiire, Boo Seeka, Bad//Dreems, Vera Blue and Pop Cult also adding plenty of tunes to the day-long party. Local acts Batz, The Francis Wolves, Christian Patey, Inigo, Mark Lowndes, Forevr, Alice Ivy, Juju Bom, Chris Flaskas and Sommer Rd will be strutting their stuff too, ensuring that your melody-seeking ears and toe-tapping feet will be happy — and so will your art-loving eyes. On that side of the equation, expect Amanda Parer, Bertie Blackman, Gus, Michael Black, Wintercroft and Wayne McFetridge to break out everything from installations to street art in displays of creativity of the visual arts kind. And if all that doesn't inspire you to head north for some fun, knowing that there'll be a chilled crowd should. Yep, like Meredith down south, Maroochy Music & Vis Arts Festival has a strict 'No Dickheads' policy.
Want to know what the future of art and design looks like? Just look to the present. No, don’t worry, we don’t think that times won’t change. What we do think is that today’s students are tomorrow’s innovators — because they are. QUT’s aptly titled annual SHAPE of Things to Come exhibition clearly thinks so too, showcasing the university’s most recent graduating class. The Creative Industries Faculty’s newly minted breed of artists, designers and creatives show their best work, and there’s plenty of it. Spanning acting, fashion, architecture, interactive and visual design, or visual arts, 2014’s batch of folks with a fresh bachelor’s degree know their stuff. 'Adapt or Die' is this year’s theme, investigating the very fitting notion of adaptability. It’s a necessary element for transformation, progress, innovation and sustainability, and one for artistry too. How these creatives will adapt over the course of their fledgling careers — well, that really is the future.
Do you like being terrified and entertained at the same time? Is indulging in all things spooky and scary your idea of fun? Halloween only comes around once a year, so The Brightside is making the most of it. If you're itching for a frightening fix and some live tunes, it has you covered. Nightmare on Warner Street combines two things: an excuse to get dressed up in whatever costume you feel sums up Halloween 2020, and music by The Cutaways, Ringpull, Copius and Ghost College. Actually, there's a third part of that equation, with the Chevron Showgirls busting out their burlesque moves as well. This petrifying party is taking place in The Brightside's outdoor area, and it does have a capacity limit of 100 — so if you're keen, you'd best grab a ticket faster than a trick-or-treater sticking their hand inside a candy jar. Donning a costume isn't just a suggestion, either, with prizes on offer — and lucky door prizes as well.
All you holiday-planners, Queensland is calling with a long list of weird and wonderful things to do in 2023 — and it's time you knew about them. Wanting to experience something a little bit different? Longing for events that can't be found anywhere else? Listen up. In 2023, the Sunshine State is celebrating everything from rock music in the desert to Mary Poppins, Elvis and medieval times — there's even a festival that celebrates both jazz and jumpers (yep, that's a thing). So, together with Queensland, we've rounded up 11 fantastically different events that need to be added to your 2023 travel diary, stat. Plus, while you're there having a memorable time, make a real trip out of it and explore some of Queensland's regional areas — or scoot back to Brisbane and dive deeper into the thriving arts scene. AGNES BLUES, ROOTS & ROCK FESTIVAL, 1770 The town of 1770, at the Great Barrier Reef's southernmost tip, will host the eighth Agnes Blues, Roots & Rocks Festival from Friday, February 17 till Sunday, February 19. The three days will be packed full of music (courtesy of over 30 bands, including headliner Busby Marou), stand-out food from local vendors and free-flowing bevs. Discovering new music or soaking up your faves, dancing away your Queensland days — in a numerically named township — is a terrific way to live. You could be leaving with new skills as well, with a range of workshops run by performers. All this takes place on a stunning stretch of Queensland's coast — so be sure to spend a few extra days swimming and surfing in the area. Agnes Blues, Roots & Rocks Festival, Friday, February 17 till Sunday, February 19, 2023 [caption id="attachment_881866" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visual Poet Society[/caption] FESTIVAL OF OUTBACK OPERA, OUTBACK QUEENSLAND Opera in the outback? Delightfully different. Outdoor concerts under star-filled skies, pop-up performances taking over main streets and panel discussions in local parks — these are the experiences that made the 2022 Festival of Outback Opera a huge success. And Opera Queensland is bringing it back for its third year from Friday, May 19 until Monday, May 22. Forming part of this year's Queensland Music Trails, the festival will be running in the towns of Winton and Longreach, offering visitors the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of local and national artists all while experiencing some proper outback culture. Festival of Outback Opera, Friday, May 19 till Monday, May 22, 2023 [caption id="attachment_881863" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bianca Holderness[/caption] COOLY ROCKS ON FESTIVAL, GOLD COAST From Wednesday, June 7 until Sunday, June 11, Coolangatta will go back in time with this old school rock 'n' roll, swing and rockabilly festival. Expect this coastal Queensland town to welcome all who are ready to rock out to classic tunes, appreciators of retro motors and countless hip-shaking groovers making moves towards the preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest — with the winner heading straight to Memphis to compete in Elvis Week. It's a must-see part of the Cooly Rocks On Festival. But that ain't all. The festival also includes a pin-up pageant celebrating the days of rockabilly fashion and beauty, a 1940s-themed Harvest Moon Swing Ball and a huge selection of vintage cars for the motoring enthusiasts to gawk at. Either come to dress up and join the festival-goers who attend religiously each and every year, or come as you are and watch on as fun-loving fanatics do their very own version of larping. Cooly Rocks On Festival, Wednesday, June 7 till Sunday, June 11, 2023 [caption id="attachment_881862" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matt Williams[/caption] BIRDSVILLE BIG RED BASH, OUTBACK QUEENSLAND This music festival is kind of like an Australian version of Burning Man — but significantly more family friendly. People head to the Simpson Desert, dressed up in their brightest and wackiest costumes, to party along to the sweet sounds of Aussie music legends. This year, Icehouse is headlining, with Pete Murray, Human Nature and the Hoodoo Gurus taking to the big stage as well. Hire an RV with your mates or bring your own camping gear along to the Birdsville Big Red Bash from Tuesday, July 4 till Thursday, July 6. Along with the stellar sounds, you can take part in a bunch of super quirky activities too. From a colourful drag race (a literal running race) along steep sand dunes to a fashion show for pooches, air guitar championship and camel rides, this is one fun-filled desert party. Birdsville Big Red Bash, Tuesday, July 4 till Thursday, July 6, 2023 MARY POPPINS FESTIVAL, FRASER COAST Each year, lovers of all things Mary Poppins descend upon Maryborough's Portside Precinct. Dressing up in their best Mary Poppins garb, they gather to celebrate Pamela Lyndon Travers — the author of the classic tale — who was born in the town. (We bet you didn't know that nugget of Australian trivia!) The most hardcore attendees dress up in their very best outfits to take part in The Great Nanny Race (where competitors attempt to reach the finish line first with their baby doll still safely in its pram), the Chimney Sweep Challenge (a race to guide a balloon up a chimney before demonstration of the best chimney-sweep jump) and the Costume Competition. But, you don't need to go all in at the Mary Poppins Festival — many come to watch the beautifully bizarre activities and wander around this part of the Fraser Coast, enjoying sidewalk performers, pop-up art installations and great local grub. It's a whole lot of wholesome fun. Mary Poppins Festival, Sunday, July 3, 2023 JUMPERS & JAZZ IN JULY, SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND COUNTRY 'Jumpers' on trees and jazz — who knew such an unlikely pairing could be so popular? Back in 2004, the Jumpers & Jazz in July festival was created in response to a streetscaping project by Warwick Art Gallery. The idea was simple: get the community together to enliven the wintery locale by knitting some jumpers to put on leafless trees and then play some jazz. And now? The festival is massive. From Thursday, July 20 to Sunday, July 30, the population of Warwick will almost quadruple in size as visitors descend to get in on the arty merriment. And as it's grown, so has the lineup of events. There's the usual — trees in the town centre covered in brightly hued yarn and live jazz music performances all over town — but there are also art exhibitions, markets, workshops, a vintage car show and heaps of pop-up food and drink stalls. It's a really unique way to brighten up your winter. Jumpers & Jazz in July, Thursday, July 20 till Sunday, July 30, 2023 [caption id="attachment_881860" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ken Huntley[/caption] ABBEY MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL, BRISBANE Live your best A Knight's Tale fantasy at the 2023 Abbey Medieval Festival on Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9. Yes, it is super geeky, but that's the fun of it all. Geeks are cool. Get on board. Join the club. Dress up in your finest ye-olde 'fits and go watch some jousting or shoot your shot in an archery competition. As you explore the Abbeystowe grounds you may also happen across actors playing Vikings and Turkish oil wrestlers while a string of food stalls sling medieval-themed food — think venison pies and other delights. You can even rest up at The Stag Inn to refuel while you sip mead or cider. Abbey Medieval Festival, Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9, 2023 CRAFTED BEER & CIDER FESTIVAL, GOLD COAST Beer and cider fans best get around the beachside Crafted Festival in September. While the exact dates are yet to be announced — keep your eyes peeled in the coming months — in 2022, more than 50 of Australia's top craft brewers landed on the Gold Coast's Broadbeach, with a whopping 250-plus sips on pour. (This lineup included wine, spirits and cocktails for those who needed a break from the hopsy bevs.) If it's anything like last year, you'll be tasting all your favourite brews in the ocean air, with live music in your ears and stacks of local food stalls dishing out delicious bites to eat. Crafted Beer & Cider Festival, August 2023 CAPRICON POP CULTURE CONVENTION, ROCKHAMPTON Cosplayers, this one is for you. CapriCon Pop Culture Convention is a yearly event that celebrates comics, collectibles, anime, medieval larping, gaming and steampunk culture in Queensland's Rockhampton — and it's back for one day only on Saturday, September 2, 2023. In years gone by, there have been Star Wars lightsaber classes, cartoon and manga drawing workshops and monumental LEGO competitions (for all ages). There are also awards for those with the most spectacular costumes — so come dressed to impress. CapriCon Pop Culture Convention, Saturday, September 2, 2023 [caption id="attachment_881868" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leximagery, Clayton Blake's Bathing Box[/caption] SWELL SCULPTURE FESTIVAL, GOLD COAST You'll be hard pressed to find an Australian outdoor art exhibition in more breathtaking surrounds. From Friday, September 8 till Sunday, September 17, over 70 large-scale contemporary sculptures will pop up along the picturesque Currumbin Beach while several other parts of the Gold Coast host a series of art exhibits — a huge (and fantastically arty) undertaking. But Queensland's biggest outdoor art festival isn't just about the artworks themselves. Throughout SWELL Sculpture Festival, there will be guided twilight walks around the installations, live music performances, comedy shows, masterclasses and talks. Be sure to stick around to get the full experience. SWELL Sculpture Festival, Friday, September 8 till Sunday, 17 September, 2023 MITCHELL CREEK ROCK 'N' BLUES FEST, SUNSHINE COAST This annual music festival in the Noosa Hinterland brings a wide range of Aussies together — that all have a common love for classic rock 'n' roll and blues. For three days and nights, over 140 local bands hit the stages to perform to excited crowds. But, it's super laidback, with visitors drinking and eating the day away at their campsites or hitting up pop-up markets and vintage car shows. A diverse selection of food vendors are also at the Mitchell Creek Rock 'n' Blues Fest throughout the festival — from Friday, September 15 right up until the last tent packs up on Sunday, September 17. The event organisers are also known for making this festival — its amenities, stages and camping grounds — accessible for those with disabilities. They even have an area for those who come camping with their dogs — everyone's welcome at this party. Mitchell Creek Rock 'n' Blues Fest, Friday, September 15 till Sunday, September 17, 2023 To explore more arts and culture events taking over Queensland in 2023, head to the website. Top image: Ravel, Alejandro Propato's Permanent Sunrise at SWELL Sculpture Festival
Hiking through forests and swimming around coral reefs can be great fun, but some of the best adventure holidays include those with close and personal wildlife experiences — and that doesn't mean just looking at birds in trees or visiting a zoo. This kind of epic getaway will have you witnessing exotic animals in their natural habitat, getting as close as you can without causing them any harm. To help you get on one of these trips, we teamed up with a bunch of local and international tour providers who curate experiences for animal lovers especially. Read on to find your fave and book your spot through Concrete Playground Trips. A HUMPBACK WHALE ADVENTURE This is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of travel experience. Adventure lovers will spend seven nights in Tonga, diving around the island almost every day. Each day, you'll follow the lead of Jono Allen — the ocean photographer, environmental scientist, marine megafauna guide and filmmaker — as he takes you to a series of different dive spots. Every year, thousands of magnificent humpback whales migrate from the freezing feeding grounds of Antarctica to Tonga's warm, azure paradise to mate and give birth. You're not totally guaranteed to see these majestic sea creatures, but this place'll be your best bet. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_899178" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Red Charlie (Unsplash)[/caption] FIVE-NIGHT LUXURY SERENGETI SAFARI This Tanzanian trek takes animal lovers to some of the country's most famous safari destinations, including Rift Valley and the Ngorongoro Crater. You'll traverse savannah grasslands in a 4WD car with only a couple of other tourists. Here, you've got an ideal vantage point for spotting zebras, leopards, giraffes and all other kinds of native wildlife. You'll also stay in incredibly glam accommodation along the way. Specifically, the Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Arusha Coffee Lodge and Grand Melia. It's guaranteed that you'll safari in total style on this Serengeti tour. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_893317" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Colin Meg (Unsplash)[/caption] 10-DAY BORNEO WILDLIFE EXPEDITION Borneo is a bucket list travel destination for so many nature lovers. People flock to this part of the world for its wild rainforests, rugged coastline and traditional villages full of friendly locals. Fantastically, this 10-day tour takes you to all of Borneo's best bits, including an orangutan sanctuary where you can get up close with the intelligent creatures. You'll also cruise along the Kinabatangan River, chill out on the stunning Manukan Island and get a taste of city life in Kota Kinabalu — spending your nights in luxe resorts, hotels and lodges. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_895302" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] SWIM WITH WHALE SHARKS ON THIS NINGALOO REEF GETAWAY Swimming with the whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef should be at the top of everyone's travel hit-list when visiting Western Australia's Coral Coast. Exmouth is the gateway to the world's largest fringing reef — the iconic Ningaloo Reef — and that's exactly where you're headed on this exclusive three-day adventure. You'll enjoy a full day here, diving headfirst into the pristine aquatic wonderland that's home to dolphins, manta rays, turtles, humpback whales and, of course, the much-loved gentle giants: whale sharks. Spend the rest of your days at your own leisure. Our hot tips? Hitting up the iconic Cape Range National Park, home to native wildlife and epic walking trails. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_899180" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Juli Kosolapova (Unsplash)[/caption] CROSS THE SOUTH GOBI DESERT BY CAMEL This isn't the usual two-hour camel tour you'll find Down Under — it is altogether more epic. You'll spend 11 days trekking around the largest desert in Asia, all from atop your humped steed. Wake up, jump aboard and explore Mongolia's Gobi Desert with local guides. This part of the locale is rich in mineral resources, diverse flora and fauna, thousands of unrevealed dinosaur fossils and rare paleo findings, as well as stacks of historical and archaeological sites. And seeing them via camel just makes your trip that much more unique and fun-filled. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_899177" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jorge Tung (Unsplash)[/caption] LUXURY SAFARI AROUND KENYA This seven-day tour takes adventure travellers to some of the greatest national parks and conservation reserves in Kenya. You'll see lions, elephants and rhinos in their habitats as they thrive in protected areas — a true must-do experience. Each night will be spent in a different luxury lodge located close to the wildebeest migration routes — meaning guests will likely get the chance to see these astonishing wild animals close-up (say, while having brekkie or swimming in their private plunge pool). If an African safari is on the cards this year, consider this exclusive offering from Concrete Playground Trips. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_899195" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick Dunn (Unsplash)[/caption] SMALL GROUP FULL-DAY TOUR OF KANGAROO ISLAND Kangaroo Island is one of the top places to visit in Australia — and this tour will let travellers see some of its cutest and most rare wildlife. Start the morning with a cuppa and some homemade treats with fellow travellers before walking along koala-filled paths by the beach. After you're fuelled, you'll be taken to a series of natural sites that'll have you right up close to wallabies and sea lions. Watch pups nursing or playing in the surf, see old bulls bearing the scars of territorial disputes and learn about their unique breeding biology. The trip even includes lunch at a private bush camp, where you'll dine on locally caught fish and drink plenty of South Australian wine. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_899184" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 2H Media (Unsplash)[/caption] EXCLUSIVE GORILLA TOUR OF UGANDA Live your Gorillas in the Mist fantasy (sans scary poachers) on this seven-day primate tour in Uganda. You'll trek around the rainforests keeping your eyes peeled for all kinds of primates — think chimpanzees, monkeys and the almighty gorilla — and even jump aboard a river boat for a day. Throughout the animal-filled getaway, travellers will stay in Rushaga Gorilla Camp, Simba Safari Camp and the Isunga Lodge — each surrounded by nature and wildlife. It's one of the greatest ways to explore this part of the world. BOOK IT NOW. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top image: Hu Chen (Unsplash).
Everybody, be cool. This isn't a robbery — but it is a raucous rush through the filmography of one of the most distinctive directors of the past three decades. Two Man Tarantino is exactly what it sounds like, with two people hopping up on stage to re-enact diamond heists, twist dancing contests, blowing up bad guys, hunting down the hateful and more. Running Wednesday–Sunday between Wednesday, May 17–Sunday, May 28 as part of the 2023 Brisbane Comedy Festival, it's a 70-minute-long recreation that also has the perfect framing device: it's set in a video store. Everyone knows that's where Quentin Tarantino's love of movies blossomed long before he was asking Samuel L Jackson to wax lyrical about royales with cheese — and revisiting the kind of shop that has died out in recent years is also part of the fun. Two Man Tarantino first hit up Brisbane a couple of years ago, then returned in 2021, and now it's back for a return season because it's that popular. Get ready to fly, folks. If you need some motivation — or just a refresher on one of the filmmaker's very best movies — check out the trailer for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELeMaP8EPAA Update May 2.
The patch of land at 458 Brunswick Street is no longer just an empty old Blockbuster store, or even a vacant lot where said video shop used to be — and it's giving Brisbanites plenty of reasons to drop by. First, Hotel X opened its doors and treated the city to a new staycation spot. Then, the building welcomed lavish restaurant Bisou Bisou, complete with an oyster and caviar bar. Now, bar and restaurant Iris has joined the party, setting up shop by the pool on the building's rooftop. While its downstairs sibling has opted for a French theme, Iris takes its cues from the Mediterranean coast, including everywhere from Beirut to Barcelona. Design-wise, that translates through the exposed stonework entranceway, wisteria and olive trees, and the fairy lights twinkling above. Visitors will also find themselves surrounded by plum, rose and indigo hues accented with gold finishings, plus marble touches. The 200-person venue pairs its luxe decor with quite the view — including of the adjacent water, Fortitude Valley, New Farm, the Story Bridge and the city skyline — as well as poolside bungalows, and a private dining room that can seat 14. Once evening approaches, there's also a dance floor that'll get you cutting shapes to DJs as the sun sets. Overseen by Ghanem Group Executive Chef Jake Nicolson and Head Chef Lloyd Evans (ex-Blackbird), the food menu is filled with Greek and Spanish-style share plate options. Start off with an antipasto platter, then pick your way through anchovy, prawn and fish taco tapas. Larger options include barbecue pork rib pinchos, salmon crudo with shiraz gin caviar, spicy lamb and chorizo albondigas, and spiced wagyu picanha with chimichurri rojo. And, for dessert, the list spans a fig-focused take on tiramisu, Persian pistachio and olive oil cake, and a toffee apple churro tart. On the drinks menu: red, white and rosé sangrias made with organic wines, four types of boozy sodas, seven signature cocktails, three mocktails and kombucha. There's also an extensive range of tap and bottled beers, as well as hard seltzers, sherry, wines by the glass and bottle, and spirits. Or, you can opt for bottle service. First announced last month, Iris is latest venture from the Ghanem Group. As well as Bisou Bisou, the company also already has everywhere from Boom Boom Room Izakaya, Donna Chang and Byblos Bar and Restaurant to Blackbird Bar and Grill and Lord of the Wings in its portfolio. Find Iris Rooftop atop Hotel X at 458 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley — open from 11am–late daily.
It's the most obvious Game of Thrones line to quote. It's also been uttered more times than anyone can count over the past 11 years. When it comes to the arrival of the show's keenly anticipated new prequel series House of the Dragon, it rings oh so true if you live Down Under, too. Yes, winter is coming, as it does every year. In 2022, however, before the frosty season ends in Australia and New Zealand, this House Targaryen-focused new series is coming as well. Fans already knew that House of the Dragon would hit HBO at some point this year, but now the US network has dropped an exact date: Sunday, August 21 in the US, which is Monday, August 22 Down Under. Obviously, the show will hit locally at the same time, on Foxtel and Binge in Australia and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand — it's one of the biggest series of the year, after all. When that date rolls around, expect to spend more time with flame-breathing scaly creatures and the family that adores them. If you thought the Targaryens were chaotic already, delving into their history — and their love of using dragons to wage wars and claim power — is certain to cement that idea. We all know what happened to the last surviving members of the family in GoT, including Daenerys and her boyfriend/nephew Jon Snow; however, House of the Dragon, like Fire & Blood — the George RR Martin book that it's based on — jumps back 300 years earlier. Cast- and character-wise, House of the Dragon stars Emma D'Arcy (Misbehaviour) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first-born child of King Viserys; Matt Smith (His House) as Prince Daemon Targaryen, the King's brother; Rhys Ifans (Official Secrets) as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King; Olivia Cooke (Pixie) as Alicent Hightower, Otto's daughter; and Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin) as Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka 'The Sea Snake', a nautical adventurer from a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. These Westerosi folk will all grace a tale that harks back to Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of the Seven Kingdoms — which is what started the hefty 738-page first volume in Fire & Blood's planned two-book series — and then works through the family's history from there. Aegon I created the Iron Throne, hence the returning favourite's prominence. And you don't have to be the Three-Eyed Raven to know that this tale involves plenty of GoT's staples: fighting, battles for supremacy and bloodshed. Also set to pop up on-camera: Paddy Considine (The Third Day) as King Viserys, Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon and Sonoya Mizuno (Devs) as Mysaria, Prince Daemon's paramour. Behind the scenes, Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal are acting as the series' showrunners. Sapochnik has a hefty GoT history, winning an Emmy and a Directors Guild Award for directing 'Battle of The Bastards', helming season eight's 'The Long Night', and doing the same on four other episodes. As for Condal, he co-created and oversaw recent sci-fi series Colony, and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2018 film Rampage. House of the Dragon's arrival has been a long time coming. Game of Thrones finished three years ago, and given how successful it proved for HBO — even after its eighth and final season caused plenty of uproar — the on-screen world inspired by Martin's books was never going to simply disappear. Indeed, before GoT even finished, there was chatter about what would come next. So, the network first announced that it was considering five different prequel ideas. It then green-lit one to pilot stage, scrapped it and later decided upon House of the Dragon. Next, it opted to give novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg the TV treatment, too, and to work on an animated GoT show. And, it's been reported that another three prequels are also under consideration. Now, after all that, House of the Dragon's ten-episode first season creeps closer and closer. Mark your diaries this instant — you've got a dance with dragons come August. Check out the first teaser trailer for House of the Dragon below: House of the Dragon will start airing on Monday, August 22 Down Under via Foxtel and Binge in Australia and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand. Images: Ollie Upton/HBO.
In one of her most memorable performances of the past decade, Nicole Kidman turned villainous, playing a not-so-friendly taxidermist who'd like to add a certain marmalade-loving bear to her collection. That was in the delightful Paddington, and she has stepped into plenty of other parts over the last ten years, too — in Stoker, Grace of Monaco, Lion, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Beguiled, Destroyer, Boy Erased, Aquaman and Bombshell, just to name a few — but it seems that the Australian actor is getting a little creepy again in her next miniseries role. As the just-dropped first teaser trailer shows, Nine Perfect Strangers casts Kidman as a wellness guru. She's unlikely to leave anyone feeling relaxed, though. Her character Masha oversees a resort that promises to transform nine city dwellers — but, although the sneak peek so far is brief, you can bet that things aren't going to turn out as planned for the show's titular figures. If the name sounds familiar, there are two reasons for that. Firstly, Nine Perfect Strangers is based on a 2018 novel of the same title, which was penned by Liane Moriarty. She also wrote Big Little Lies, which was also turned into a Kidman-starring TV series. Secondly, Nine Perfect Strangers was filmed in Byron Bay in the latter half of 2020, and received plenty of attention over that period given its star-studded lineup. Also set to feature in the new eight-part series: Melissa McCarthy (Thunder Force), Michael Shannon (Knives Out), Luke Evans (Crisis), Bobby Cannavale (Superintelligence), Regina Hall (Little), Samara Weaving (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Melvin Gregg (The United States vs Billie Holiday), Asher Keddie (Rams), Grace Van Patten (Under the Silver Lake), Tiffany Boone (The Midnight Sky) and Manny Jacinto (The Good Place). As with Big Little Lies — and with The Undoing, too, another of Kidman's recent projects — David E Kelley (LA Law, Ally McBeal, Mr Mercedes) is leading the charge behind the scenes. He's the show's co-writer and co-showrunner, with Long Shot's Jonathan Levine directing every episode. Exactly when Nine Perfect Strangers will start airing is yet to be revealed, but it'll stream via Hulu in the US — with details of how folks will be able to watch it Down Under also yet to be advised. And yes, Byron Bay seems to be quite the TV hub at the moment, given that Stan's upcoming mystery-drama series Eden also shot in the area, and that Netflix is working on a docu-soap about Byron Bay influencers. Check out the teaser trailer for Nine Perfect Strangers below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4nwFSSTUZc Nine Perfect Strangers doesn't yet have an air date Down Under — we'll update you when one is announced.
Looking to the past often helps shape the future, and the crew behind 1889 Enoteca renovated the fit-out to best show-off the old Moreton Rubber building in the increasingly buzzy Woolloongabba. Like stepping into the heart of old-time Europe, 1889 Enoteca offers gutsy Roman fare with a superb wine list. 'Enoteca' translates as 'wine library', and wine can be seen everywhere – from the hundreds of empty bottles making up the decor to the full ones ready for drinking. Evidence is everywhere of good times past and good times to be had. The miraculous wine list reads like War and Peace — so if you're a novice, leave it to the experts who run the floor and know the cellar like most people know their own children. When to comes to the food, expect a comfortingly classic Italian menu. Antipasti leads the charge with salumi, artichoke and prosciutto di parma leading the way. For the primi course, we recommend the highly-coveted and long time menu favourite the fried zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies or the particularly elite traditional vitello tonnato. Then for the pasta course you'll find classics like a rich and meaty ragu on pappardelle, a spaghetti cacio e pepe, or the tagliatelle with prawns, chilli, garlic and chives. 1889 Enoteca's secondi plates include a transportative saltimbocca alla Romana (veal that's been wrapped with prosciutto and sage before being marinated in wine and baked in the oven), Moreton Bay bugs in a creamy pesto sauce, and the bistecca — a beautifully grilled Cape Grim T-bone served at the table with horseradish mayo and salsa verde. Not surprisingly, you'll find all your favourite Italian desserts on the menu too like a textbook tiramisu and very good pannacotta. All these quintessential Italian dishes have survived the test of time, being perfected throughout many generations. And 1889 Enoteca isn't trying to reinvent the wheel. It's simply mastering each and every option. Top image: Nikki To Appears in: The Best Restaurants in Brisbane
Step into your local arthouse theatre these days and you'd be hard pressed not to find a regional film festival going on. From established cinematic powerhouses like France, Germany and Japan, to less spotlighted industries such as Poland, Indonesia and Serbia, the sheer amount of world cinema on the cultural calendar means there's almost always an alternative to the latest blockbuster out of Hollywood. As long as you don't mind reading subtitles, that is. In 2014, the line-up is getting that little bit more crowded, with the inaugural edition of a brand new festival highlighting the films from Europe's frozen north. Covering Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, the first annual Scandinavian Film Festival is set to put the kvikmynd in kvikmyndahátíð. One area where contemporary Scandinavian cinema really seems to excel is the crime genre. Case in point, the Easy Money trilogy, starring Joel 'RoboCop' Kinnaman as a uni student turned drug runner. All three films will screen at the festival — see them before the scheduled US reboot featuring Zac Efron. From across the bridge in Denmark, meanwhile, comes police thriller The Keeper of Lost Causes, one the highest grossing films at the Danish box office last year. Continuing the dramatic thread, Metalhead, out of Iceland, tells the story of a pre-teen girl who copes with her brother's accidental death by taking on his identity. Sounds a little strange, sure, but the film has drawn rave reviews on the international festival circuit and scored a record-breaking 16 nominations at Iceland's prestigious Edda Awards. Thankfully, despite the region's chilly climate, not everything on the program is so severe. Finland's August Fools is a rom-com set against a Cold War era backdrop, while opening night features the informatively titled Swedish comedy The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. For more information about the Scandinavian Film Festival, visit their website.
For 2023's World Science Festival Brisbane, Erth is winding the clock back 65 million years with a series of dinosaur-heavy picnics at South Bank. Popping up at the Piazza, Erth's Prehistoric Picnic will bring a series of huge dinosaur puppets and inflatables to the riverside precinct for a show filled with dino wonder. These dinosaur recreations will stretch their legs and wander their way around the picnics to the delight of adults and children alike. Included in the roster of millennium-old creatures is the newest edition to Erth's repertoire: a set of three-metre tall thunderbirds that will be strutting their stuff across the prehistoric events. Entry costs $30 for adults and doesn't come with a picnic included, so it's recommended you break out the blankets you bought during lockdown and pack an array of snacks for the whole group. Sessions are running from Wednesday, March 22–Sunday, March 26, with 9.30am and 11.30am time slots available on weekdays and an extra 1.30pm event running on Saturday and Sunday. Top image: Yaya Stempler.
When your nine-to-five plays out like a well-oiled machine, it can sometimes feel like each week is a little same-same. But Brisbane is brimming with a fine bounty of things to experience and explore each and every day. So aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing some adventure and spontaneity into your schedule. We've teamed up with Mazda3 to celebrate the landmark 40th anniversary of their iconic small cars, and in turn, help you celebrate the little things that bring that sense of adventure to life. Shake things up, as we give you seven different detours to take each week in Brisbane. From Monday to Sunday, enrich your everyday with one completely achievable activity that inspires you to take the scenic route as you go about your daily routine. This week, play tourist in your own city, plan a staycation at a street art hotel and reconnect with nature at the top of Mt Tamborine. Plus, we've got your future detours sorted for the new few weeks here. All require no more effort than a tiny break from the norm — what's your excuse for not trying them all?
From the ruthless world of magazine publishing to the blood and guts of an Aussie hens weekend gone supremely wrong: that's been Aisha Dee's journey of late. There's far more to the Gold Coast-born actor's career so far, of course, including coming to fame as a teenager back in 2008 courtesy of The Saddle Club, subsequent parts on Dead Gorgeous and Sweet/Vicious, and showing up in St Vincent-starring satire The Nowhere Inn. Still, on screens big and small alike, she's been garnering attention for navigating pressure-filled situations — and revelling in them. In Sissy, her latest role and her return to Australia after years working in the US, Dee is in positively savage territory. She plays the titular character, better known as @SincerelyCecilia on Instagram to the tune of 200,000-plus followers. Liking and subscribing is what her devotees do all day, responding to her calming and inspiring missives about being yourself and finding your bliss, and Cecilia's whole sense of self is built on that online adoration. Sissy is a comedy, too, with writer/director duo Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes having ample fun parodying the wellness and influencer industries. That said, when the movie's namesake attends a bachelorette shindig for her long-lost childhood BFF, old torments resurface and this proves firmly a horror flick as well. Dee wasn't initially approached to play Cecilia. When the script came her way, she was earmarked for Fran, fiancée to Emma, Cecilia's primary school bestie. But Dee felt an instant bond with Sissy's eponymous figure. She felt protective of her. "Honestly, I read the script and immediately I felt like I had to defend Cecilia," she tells Concrete Playground. "I cared so deeply for her. I really felt really connected to her and had a lot of empathy for what she was experiencing in the moment, and how easy it would be under those circumstances to kind of just slip and fall." Once you've seen Sissy, Dee's words obviously come with a caveat: clearly, she hasn't found herself in the exact same situation, behaving in the exact same way. But in a film that happily, smartly and entertainingly rips into a whole heap of targets — with humour and as a slasher flick alike — she makes Cecilia a compelling protagonist amid all the chaos. It's a bold performance, because The Bold Type isn't just an entry on Dee's resume. The international film festival circuit heartily agrees, with Sissy premiering at SXSW 2022, enjoying its Australian premiere in June at the Sydney Film Festival, and doing the rounds everywhere from Melbourne and Perth to South Korea and Scotland since. Dee hit the Harbour City midyear with the movie, which is now in cinemas across Australia — and chatted to us about social media, knowing that she had to play Cecilia, preparing for the part in hotel quarantine, making a different kind of Aussie movie and getting an opportunity she didn't think would happen. ON SOCIAL MEDIA'S PREVALENCE — AND SILLINESS "The film doesn't offer solutions, but I do think it poses questions and forces us, in a way that feels quite uncomfortable, to question our own relationship with social media and how we interact with it. I think it's hard to be a human in the world right now and not have some kind of relationship with social media, because it is such a prevalent part of our society now. Personally, I don't use social media in the same way [as Cecilia] — I wish I was better at it, it's not something that comes super naturally to me, to be posting on Instagram all the time. My relationship with social media has always been really about creating boundaries, because I find it a very triggering environment in terms of even just having the confidence to post something. I second-guess myself a lot, and I get very existential. Every time I post something, I'm like, 'well, what's the point? What is Instagram? What is a telephone?'. It's all pretty silly." ON NEEDING TO PLAY CECILIA "It was towards the end of 2020 — and, you know, we were all there for 2020. I had been in LA for most of that year, really only seeing a select few people and kind of feeling quite isolated socially, a bit awkward, and reexamining a lot of my relationships. And my manager sent me this script. Initially they wanted me for the role of Fran, and I could see that, because Fran felt really similar to a couple of characters I had played before. But literally, I couldn't shake the feeling that I felt like Cecilia was my little sister or my best friend, or just someone that I loved so deeply and cared so deeply for. It wasn't something that I planned or knew was going to happen when I read the script, but I felt like I had to honour it. I called my manager and I said 'please tell them that I really love the script, but I just don't feel connected to Fran as a character — but I feel really connected to Sissy, tell them that I love Sissy'. I said that knowing it was kind of presumptuous but not expecting them to ask to meet me at all, but they were really into the idea. I think they had had someone very different in mind — she was described as having blonde hair and being very petite and pale, and I am none of those things — but I just felt like something felt right. ON DRAWING ON 2020'S CHAOS FOR THE PART — HOTEL QUARANTINE AND ALL "There's the year of 2020 as a whole. But then, in order to get back home to Australia, I had to do two weeks of quarantine in hotel quarantine where you literally see no one. It is the most extreme version of isolation. I was on a really low floor in this big tall building, and every day at like 12pm, I would lose the sun. I would be out my window — like I needed the sun and I needed the fresh air, and I felt like I was going absolutely insane. So while I was in quarantine, I was actually sending Hannah and Kane, the writers and directors of the film, I was sending them videos as Cecilia. Just every morning I would wake up and do a different kind of like sermon or meditation or something, just because I did't really have anything to do. Getting out of quarantine, I definitely felt like Bambi on ice a little. I felt very awkward. I'm an awkward person to begin with, but having those two weeks alone in a room — it wasn't intentional but I do think it kind of leant itself to getting into some kind of headspace." ON RETURNING HOME TO MAKE A DIFFERENT KIND OF AUSSIE MOVIE "Something that jumped out to me when I was reading it was the way that there was this really heavy female gaze on the movie — which I think is rare for genre films to have such a strong female gaze. And beyond just Cecilia the character, you had a very small cast that consisted of an interracial lesbian couple, a gay man with disability and an Asian woman. And the only man that you really saw was a queer man." I loved this this. I just loved the world that I could see imagining it and reading it. It didn't feel like any other Aussie movie that I had seen. It really reflected the colourful, diverse, beautiful Australia that I know. I think unfortunately, up until kind of recently, Australian film and television really hasn't reflected that same colourful melting pot that like we all know actually exists here — so that was another big reason why I wanted to be a part of it." ON GETTING AN UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY "I definitely had hoped that I would be able to play a character like this. But, being realistic, opportunities like this don't come up every day for someone who looks like me, especially in the Australian film space. So I had always hoped that maybe I would be able to play a role like this, but the fact that the opportunity was actually presented to me is really, really, really cool. I guess it kind of was on my bucket list. But when I think about it, I don't know that I ever could've anticipated that this would be an opportunity that I would've had. And to me, it really meant nothing whether people were going to see it or they weren't, it didn't matter to me — because with independent film, you really are rolling the dice, chances are nobody's going to see it. The fact that like it's doing such big things is really cool. I think that honestly it's a testament to what can happen if the Australian film industry embraces diversity the way they should." Sissy released in Australian cinemas on November 3. Read our full review.
Finding a way to celebrate Christmas in Brisbane isn't hard at the moment. In fact, there's a whole program of events across the CBD and South Bank literally called Christmas in Brisbane, and running right up until Christmas Eve — so consider that your festive fun well and truly sorted. On the lineup: glowing lights at Roma Street Parkland's Enchanted Garden, a Christmas jazz lounge in the Queen Street Mall, and plenty of other performances and markets. Oh, and a Tinsel Tavern over on the Little Stanley Street Lawn. What's a Tinsel Tavern? It's a pop-up bar serving tipples nightly from 4.30–10pm — and thoroughly saying cheers to the silly season. You'll want to stop by between Saturday, December 17—Thursday, December 22, and it's a pay-as-you-go type of seasonal affair. Brisbanites can grab Christmas cocktails and pick up takeaway from the riverside precinct's eateries — yep, there's your relaxed sting of merriment sorted. Or, pack a picnic from home and tuck in while you're saying cheers. Whichever you pick, you'll also get a soundtrack thanks to live gigs by local musicians. Tinsel Tavern's dates coincide with two other big festive drawcards at South Bank: The Collective Markets Christmas Edition for 2022 and this year's South Bank Christmas Cinema. So, as well as drinking and eating, you can get shopping and movie-watching. No one will be saying "bah, humbug!" to that.
Rome is a must-visit city in your lifetime. You have ancient historic sites at every turn, iconic architecture, countless restaurants packed with some of the world's finest Italian fare, and bars pumping out spritzes and aperitivo experiences every day of the week. It is a magical place, a city bursting with culture and energy. If you travel to Rome on a budget, you can certainly go down the hostel route of accommodation and find no shortage of quality options. You can find charming smaller apartments a little further out as well. But there is a kind of luxury in Rome that should also be experienced. The city's spectacular collection of lavish hotels haven't been stripped of personality or colour or fallen victim of excessive modernisation. Instead, you'll be staying in historical buildings full of character and extravagant charm. Read on to find a handful of our favourites that you can book via Concrete Playground Trips right now. PARCO DEO PRINCIPI GRAND HOTEL Located by the stunning landscaped garden of Villa Borghese, this luxury hotel embraces the more is more design aesthetic. It's fabulously opulent with layer upon layer of jewel-toned interior styling and multi-textural decor. The drawing room is clad in antique wood panels, every room is decorated with traditional patterned drapes and you'll find a mix-match of colourful furniture and sculptures scattered throughout. Every corner is worthy of a photograph. BOOK IT NOW. TREE CHARME PARLIAMENT BOUTIQUE HOTEL This quaint, 14-room hotel is located right by the iconic Piazza Navona and Pantheon but is in a surprisingly quiet little street. You won't be disturbed by loud tourists while you slumber in one of the recently refurbished rooms. Expect a more modern affair when it comes to design and amenities as well as very personalised hospitality that you can only find in such a small hotel. BOOK IT NOW. ROME CAVALIERI Rome is a big and busy city, so sometimes it can be nice to stay a little further out. And Rome Cavalieri has got to be one of the greatest, set within 15-acres of parkland atop the city's highest hilltop. Look down upon St Peter's Dome and the sea of terracotta roofs from the restaurant, pool and luxe suites during your stay. Then jump in a cab or hit the public transport system to reach the centre of Rome within minutes. BOOK IT NOW. HOTEL LORD BYRON Art Deco design never looked so good. This 1930's villa has been finished with luxe mahogany, marble and rosewood features throughout, making for an altogether opulent affair. It's like the Great Gatsby has come to Rome. But it has also been kitted out with modern amenities, bringing it right up to 21st Century luxury hotel standards. BOOK IT NOW. HOTEL RAPHAEL-RELAIS & CHATEAUX We are obsessed with every part of this hotel. From the exterior covered in lush greenery to the ornately decorated rooms and incredible views from the rooftop, it's a stunning stay. Even if you aren't staying at Hotel Raphaël-Relais & Châteaux, be sure to book a table at the fine dining hotel restaurant so you can experience a small part of this hotel's luxury offerings. BOOK IT NOW. HOTEL ROME GARDEN From the outside, this accommodation looks like most hotels in Rome. It's in a charming old building that looks a lot like the rest. But the boutique hotel has a hidden garden set within old Roman ruins. It's an ancient oasis. Enjoy a buffet breakfast out here or a few spritzes during a balmy evening before retreating to one of the 34 rooms. BOOK IT NOW. HOTEL CESARI This boutique 51-room hotel expertly blends the historic with the contemporary. The old building has been totally transformed with a sleek updated fit-out. Design-wise, it's less maximalist than some of the other inclusions on this list, but it still holds onto all its old-world charm. Hotel Cesari is best experienced up on the rooftop terrace adorned with loungers, colourful umbrellas and fresh flowers aplenty. BOOK IT NOW. HOTEL ART In many ways, Hotel Art feels more like a quirky contemporary art gallery than luxury hotel. Set within an former boarding school, you will find traditional design elements paired with bold artworks and installations. Receptionists sit in large white glowing pods, furniture is all bespoke, and each of the 46 rooms have been uniquely decorated with specially commissioned artworks and colourful fixtures. It's a great alternative place to stay in Rome. BOOK IT NOW. THE WESTIN EXCELSIOR Opulence abounds in this grand classic hotel. Everything is luxurious, from the large bedrooms with high ceilings and views across the city, to the elegant ballrooms and restaurants filled with marble and ornate chandeliers. The spa is also a big win. Get indulgent massages, body treatments and facials or simply relax in the large indoor pool and sauna. You'll be paying a lot for the experience but it's worth it for an unforgettably luxurious stay. BOOK IT NOW. HOTEL FORUM The Forum is one of Rome's most popular sites and is close to many must-visit sites — The Coliseum, Trevi Fountain and so forth. That's why staying in this area is fantastic. You don't need to fuss with public transport or lengthier strolls during hot summer days. Step outside the Hotel Forum to immediately find Rome's best bits at your feet — or head up to the rooftop terrace to get unique views of these sites lit up at night. BOOK IT NOW. AMBASCIATORI PALACE You'll be sleeping in a newly renovated palace that was originally constructed in 1900. It doesn't get much more special than that. The team at Ambasciatori Palace also add glam bars and restaurants under the same roof as well as a state-of-the-art spa. It was recently taken over by InterContinental so you know the service will be perfectly polished and seamless. BOOK IT NOW. J.K. PLACE The old and new seamlessly combine within this luxury boutique hotel located in the heart of Rome. Enjoy the playful design features by the architect Michele Bönan — including colourful palettes, stately four-poster beds and common spaces decked out with Berber rugs, marble statues and a futuristic chandelier. The team will even rent you an e-bike during your stay and make up a unique picnic hamper to be enjoyed within one of the nearby parks. BOOK IT NOW. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top images: Hotel Raphaël-Relais & Châteaux.
Earlier this year, Brisbane scored a new riverside market — and it wasn't a once-off. Yes, the Portside Local Markets are returning. Everyone likes shopping and hanging out by the water, after all, especially when festive season is approaching. If you really like browsing and buying, taking in the riverside air, and having a reason to stop for a bite and a drink, you'll want to head to Hamilton on Saturday, November 20. From 12–4pm, you can shop, stroll, sip and purchase gifts, which sounds like a mighty fine weekend itinerary. More than 35 stalls will be offering up everything from art and plants to ceramics and 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 Portside event as well. To give your shopping a soundtrack, live piano tunes will echo through the Hamilton precinct. And, if those hunger pangs strike — or you're just keen on having a drink — everywhere from Pineapple Express Cafe, Bamboo Basket, Burrito Bar and Ginga Sushi to Mr & Mrs Jones, Belvedere Bar 'n' Grill, Byblos Bar and Restaurant, Gusto da Gianni and Sono will be open. Images: Claudia Baxter.
A great meal should satisfy your tastebuds and your stomach. When Vertigo opens in Brisbane, it'll also get your blood pumping and pulse racing. A brand-new addition to the River City's iconic Brisbane Powerhouse, this soon-to-launch eatery is joining the sky-high ranks, but with a difference: it isn't just located on top of the riverside New Farm venue, but hangs off of the site's industrial facade. Forget just living on the edge — this is dining on the edge, and literally. Obviously, the views will be spectacular. Given that you'll be climbing out to your seat while donning a safety harness, then eating four stories (and 17 metres) up, so will the thrills. An Australian-first vertical dining experience, Vertigo will start serving up — and levelling up — dinner with a view from October, with bookings now being taken for dates from Thursday, October 12 onwards. Once open, it'll operate four nights a week, from Thursday–Sunday, welcoming in tables of two. The one caveat: naturally, this adrenaline-pumping restaurant will be at the mercy of the weather, which will certainly play a factor over Brisbane's stormy summers. If it's only lightly raining, however, the night's sitting will still go ahead. The other key point: if you're not fond of heights, this won't be for you. But if you're fine with towering not just atop but over the side of an old power station-turned-arts precinct that dates back to the 1920s — whether you're a Brisbane local or a tourists — you'll be in for quite the unique experience. A third caveat: you can't head up if you've been drinking, with everyone breathalysed first and required to return a 0.00-percent blood alcohol reading. Brisbane Powerhouse's Bar Alto downstairs will be providing Vertigo's food across its eight tables — and each reservation's two-hour sitting — with the two-course menu featuring local ingredients to go with what's certain to become a local attraction. Unsurprisingly, a visit here won't come cheap, costing $250 per person. While you need to be sober to climb over the edge, a matched glass of wine will be served with dinner. You'll also get a post-descent champagne, beer or soft drink. To make the evening even more dramatic, diners can also choose to come back to earth post-meal via dropline down the facade. Or, if that's too much adventure for you — especially after eating — you can just head back to the ground through the venue. "Vertigo is unlike anything else in the world, it is an unexpected combination of adventure tourism and fine-dining on a heritage site," said Brisbane Powerhouse CEO/Artistic Director Kate Gould, announcing the restaurant. "Stepping off the roof of Brisbane Powerhouse to take a seat suspended at your table, four stories above the ground, will be the ultimate thrill. Experience silver service dining — albeit one with unbreakable crockery and cutlery attached to the table!" [caption id="attachment_850754" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Atmosphere Photography[/caption] "We are creating a uniquely Brisbane dining experience, at height. You will be on the edge of your seat in the open air before descending via an unforgettable exit," added Riverlife creator and co-founder John Sharpe, with the outdoor tour operator partnering with Powerhouse on the venture. "Vertigo will inspire fear but with the knowledge that safety is the priority of our experienced team of adventure tourism guides." If star chef Luke Mangan achieves his dream of setting up a restaurant on the Story Bridge, too, Brisbane might need to rename itself the Sky-High City. [caption id="attachment_776880" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Vertigo is set to open at Brisbane Powerhouse, 119 Lamington Street, New Farm, Brisbane from Thursday, October 12 — head to the venue's website for further details and bookings.
Everyone has different ideas of the perfect holiday - lying on a tropical beach until you're as brown as Giorgio Armani might be your thing, or maybe you dream of walking the El Camino Del Ray. But you would be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn't have a trip to Italy on their bucket list. Who could possibly not love a land of the best pizza and ice cream you will ever eat? Italy is not just about the food though, as the folks at Mr & Mrs Smith know. Their website offers reviews of the most unique and stylish hotels from all over the world, for those who are looking for an alternative to the bland monotony of Holiday Inns. They've now created a beautiful coffee-table-worthy travel guide of Italy, including, of course, 32 of the country's coolest boutique hotels from the grand, baroque kind to the sweet and rustic and hidden coastal retreats. Also included is an insider lowdown of what to do in each destination, including restaurant recommendations, what to pack and tips like which deli sells the best prosciutto or which vineyard to visit for the most romantic day. A perfect Christmas present for someone who's been talking about doing the Italy trip for far too long. To win one of five books by Mr & Mrs Smith, make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au (for Australia) or auckland@concreteplayground.co.nz (for New Zealand) by Wednesday 7 December, 2011 at 5pm. Winners will be notified by email soon after.
At this point in Australia's cinema history, audiences can be forgiven for wondering if homegrown movies have unearthed and told every outback tale there is. Filmmakers have surveyed the nation's ochre-hued terrain as a source of beauty, wonder, comfort, isolation, terror and horror many times over — and used it as a vast and striking backdrop, too — for decades via a multitude of genres. Splash almost any orange-tinted patch of the Aussie landscape across the big screen, and it instantly feels recognisable to even the most ardent of city dwellers, in fact. But the answer to the aforementioned query is an overwhelming no, as The Furnace shows. When the country's cinematic talent traverses this sunburnt and sprawling expanse we call home to explore stories steeped in our problematic past, it's impossible to run out of tales to unfurl. First-time feature writer/director Roderick MacKay sets his meat pie western — the term applied to Australia's spin on the genre, riffing on Italy's spaghetti westerns — in gold-rush era Western Australia. The year is 1897, and transporting freight requires a network of cameleers who trek across the desert. The men hail from India, Afghanistan and Persia, and are largely of Muslim and Sikh faith. They're also badged together under the label 'Ghan' by white Aussies, who treat them poorly and cruelly. As they trudge and toil, Indigenous Australians are far more welcoming. Of course, in stressing this fact, The Furnace isn't making a minor point. MacKay delivers a powerful interrogation of Australia as a multicultural nation, and as a country controlled by those who've done much over the past two centuries to ignore and erase that truth. Indeed, it shouldn't be lost on anyone that the film draws from a real chapter of the nation's story, and also a largely forgotten one — so much so that it's likely to introduce the cameleers' existence to many viewers for the first time. Hanif (Ahmed Malek, Clash), The Furnace's main point of focus, didn't choose to come to Australia or take up this line of work. So, when the young Afghan witnesses the death of his mentor at the hands of a white man, he's eager to earn the cash he needs to return home and leave his stint in the Aussie desert far behind. The Yamatji Badimia people he often spends time with on his travels, including leader Coobering (Trevor Jamieson, Storm Boy) and Hanif's friend Woorak (Baykali Ganambarr, The Nightingale), suggest that he stays and joins them instead — but, after stumbling across injured thief Mal (David Wenham, Dirt Music), he's determined to use half of his new acquaintance's stolen Crown-marked gold bars to finance his escape. Troopers led by the fervent Sergeant Shaw (Jay Ryan, IT: Chapter Two) are swiftly on the unlikely pair's trail; however, Hanif and Mal keep traipsing towards the eponymous smelter, where Mal promises they can melt down the precious metal to remove all traces of the government's ownership. Charting Hanif's journey — physically, and emotionally and spiritually as well — The Furnace is a patient film. It follows characters making a considerable trek, and it lets that sense of time infect the audience. Viewers feel Hanif's exasperation as parts of his life slip by in the sun-dappled dirt and dust. The movie forces those watching to fall into a rhythm, where there's no shortage of new developments complicating Hanif and Mal's quest, but there's no urgency either. That's a difficult feat, especially in a film that sees its central duo pursued by the law with increasing vehemence. The audience knows that Hanif and Mal's predicament is precarious and pressing, because it's apparent in every second after they first cross paths. But MacKay doesn't rush a moment, scene or vivid yet composed image, ensuring viewers also know that being in a hurry means something completely different when nothing but hellishness stretches out as far as the eye can see. It takes an immense amount of skill to realise exactly how long a story needs — not just to relay its plot, but to steep audiences in its characters' experience. If a movie feels too short or lengthy, it's usually because it has failed at this task. The Furnace perfects it and, in deploying the western genre's trademarks in an Australian colonial context, it serves up a stellar meat pie western in the process. The Proposition, Sweet Country, The Nightingale and the forthcoming High Ground have all done so since the turn of the century, and now have more company among the 21st-century's best examples. Perhaps less expected is the way that The Furnace also recalls the greatest addition to the western genre from anywhere over the past two decades: TV series Deadwood. While MacKay crafts an inherently and visibly Aussie story, he also taps into the acclaimed HBO show's canny understanding that trying to make something of oneself when a country is also in its fledgling phase of doing the same is not only complex, but brutal. In a movie that's unflinching in posing the kinds of questions about our national identity that we should always be asking, that above observation applies across the board. It's given flesh via Malek and Wenham's performances, but it's the former that's the star here — alongside Ganambarr, who is now two for two film-wise. Both Malek and Ganambarr are expressive actors who can convey as much through their gaze and presence as through words, which MacKay capitalises upon via prolonged, unedited shots. Actually, they're the reason that The Furnace's biggest struggle stands out, too. So much is subtle and lingering about this film, so it's immediately noticeable when some peripheral characters prove one-note and cartoonish. Such blunt instruments clash with a movie that's otherwise poured as carefully onto the screen as molten gold from its titular stove. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8DT_zVzxhk
When Rocketman first hit the big screen a couple of months back, it immersed viewers in the glitz and glamour of Elton John's 70s-era rise to fame, while also delving into the darkness, drinking, drugs and depression that came with it. Starring an exceptional Taron Egerton and directed by Eddie the Eagle's Dexter Fletcher, the vibrant biopic also leaned into its genre — never stepping through Sir Elton's early years in a straightforward way, but instead turning his life into an expressive, fantastical blend of song, dance and spectacular musical numbers. A couple of things were always going to happen afterwards. We still predict that Rocketman will end up reaching the stage as a live production; however, until that eventuates, fans can now sing along with the movie in a cinema. Given the film's huge soundtrack, spanning everything from the titular track, 'Tiny Dancer' and 'Honky Cat' through to 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart', 'Your Song' and 'I'm Still Standing', there's plenty to croon along to. Sure, Elton might think that Saturday night's alright for fighting, but every night from Friday, August 9 through until Wednesday, August 14 is also mighty fine for heading to a Rocketman Sing-Along session. Tickets prices vary depending on the venue, but wearing sequins, glitter and the most over-the-top glasses you can find is obviously recommended.
Timothée Chalamet has played a teenager falling in love over summer (Call Me By Your Name), King Henry V (The King), Paul Atreides (Dune and Dune: Part Two, Willy Wonka (Wonka), a cannibal (Bones and All), a love interest for Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird and Little Women), a young man struggling with addiction (Beautiful Boy), the Vice President's son (Homeland) and more, but there's a look of fierce enthusiasm that comes over him when he's talking about a project that he spent more than half a decade working on, stars in and also produced: A Complete Unknown. Portraying Bob Dylan on-screen isn't a simple task. In fact, when I'm Not There attempted the feat in 2007, it enlisted six actors, including Australians Heath Ledger and Cate Blanchett (The New Boy), to share job. As evident from his hypnotic performance in A Complete Unknown — and his singing and guitar-playing, learned for the feature — Chalamet not only embraced but aced the challenge. For A Complete Unknown, he steps into Dylan's shoes from back when the movie's title proved true, then stays in them until four years later when that phrase definitely no longer applied. In 1961 at the age of 19, Dylan met his idol Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy, Speak No Evil), visiting him in hospital as a fan from Minnesota. Come 1965, after songs such as 'Blowin' in the Wind', 'The Times They Are a-Changin' and 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' had struck a chord, whether he'd go electric at the Newport Folk Festival was the source of huge controversy. Dylan did, as history will always remember. Chalamet, working with director James Mangold (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), brings that specific slice of the icon's life to the screen in a film that keeps garnering him award nominations. He's the young Dylan, arriving to chase his music dream with little more than the guitar that's rarely out of his hands. He's also the thrust-to-fame-swiftly Dylan, after mentorship from Pete Seeger (Edward Norton, Asteroid City), while cultivating a complicated relationship with the already-renowned Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro, Fubar), and as he's trying to maintain a relationship with artist and activist Sylvie Russo (Elle Fanning, The Great), who is based on the real-life Suze Rotolo. And, Chalamet wouldn't mind being Dylan again in the future, if the "incredible opportunity" came up. "The amazing thing about Bob Dylan is every chapter is interesting. This is almost the most fertile because it's the beginning," Chalamet advises. This is the period of his life where the least is almost available, especially in the early 60s, but you can make a movie out of almost any period of Bob's life." How does it feel to lead a Bob Dylan biopic and to have the man himself tweet about it? "I didn't know if he was ever going to say anything because, true to the reclusive artist that Bob is, I don't know if he'll ever see the movie, truthfully," Chalamet says. "But seeing that post was hugely affirming. When you're a young artist, I don't care how successful you are, to get a pat on the back from a legend — especially a legend of few words like Bob Dylan — it was a dream come true, literally. I mean, it was beyond my wildest dreams. It was an enormous pat on the back and affirmation, and a moment for me in my life and career to go 'okay, I'm doing the right thing'." Passion radiates from Chalamet, clearly. It does the same from Mangold, who returns to the music-biopic genre after 2005's Johnny Cash-focused Walk the Line — Cash is also part of this flick, with Boyd Holbrook (The Bikeriders) in the part — plus from Fanning and Barbaro, too. "Think about it: between the ages of 19 and 24, he wrote 15 or 20 of the most-important songs of the century," the filmmaker behind A Complete Unknown, who co-wrote the script with Jay Cocks (Silence), adapting Elijah Wald's 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties, notes of Dylan to Concrete Playground. "That's pretty remarkable when you think about what probably we were all doing between 19 and 24 years of age." Fanning was a massive Dylan devotee going in; "I was huge Bob Dylan nut, and I had a poster of him on my wall and I was a fanatic, so I felt like I kind of manifested this part in in many ways," she shares about playing Russo, a take on Rotolo with the name changed at Dylan's request. For Barbaro with portraying Baez, she speaks about her gig, the IRL great that she's acting as and performing with Chalamet — after learning to sing and play guitar herself — with equally deep feeling. "It's an absolute career highlight for me," she tells us. As it works its way from Guthrie's hospital bedside to Newport, exploring who Dylan was at the time through his music and impact, the commitment from its many key forces echoes from A Complete Unknown as memorably as its wealth of tunes. Chalamet, Mangold, Fanning and Barbaro also spoke with us about how important it is that the movie isn't trying to paint one definitive portrait of its subject, the film's exploration of an artist evolving, speaking with Baez, Cash and Dylan's connection, parallels for the cast with reality and more. On How Mangold Knew That Chalamet Was the Right Actor to Bring This Period of Dylan's Life to the Screen James: "Well, 'know' is the strange word. I had an instinct that he'd be good. We don't know anything. I mean, we just try. And Timmy's phenomenally talented. Can sing. And I think has some of the mercurial, playful aspects of Bob in him, in his own personality. I thought he could find parallels. The act of playing a role like this isn't really the act of doing an impression or mimicry — it's really, to me at least as I feel it, it's about finding the harmonies between your own personality and the person you're playing, and finding a way to meet somewhere in the middle where you're still bringing your authentic acting self. You're not just doing an impression in which the performance is judged by how well you do Bob's mannerisms only, but how well you can fold that into who you are and come out with something authentic, and real, and soulful that exists in the space between. He's one of the best young actors of our time. And he's also a wonderful guy. And it seemed so logical, it seemed actually a no-brainer, to be honest. It seemed like a really exciting proposition. I cannot say I knew he would hit it so far out of the park that he would find such a great chord. We often present ourselves, as directors, we often try to get you guys to write about us like we knew everything in advance and we had a vision, and the vision comes to life — and we love it when you write about us that way. But in reality that isn't the way it is. We have a hunch. We have a hope. We have a prayer. And sometimes we're right and we keep it in the movie. Sometimes we're wrong and, if we can, we get it out of the movie. But the reality is that I had a hunch Timmy would be great. But I also demanded a lot of him. He had to learn over 40 songs and play them live, and be still in character acting, meaning it's not just 'can you learn the song and sing?' — it's 'can you learn the guitar, sing this song and do it like Bob Dylan in a scene while there's romantic tension or some other kind of dramatic energy going on?'. You're talking about a lot of chewing gum and riding bicycles and juggling at the same time. And Timmy's a pretty remarkable talent himself. And you're also talking about a young man in Timmy who has met with fame from an early age like Bob. So there are whole other levels where — and stardom and all that it brings — so that there were so many levels that he could bring insight and talent to this job." On How Crucial It Was to Chalamet That This is a Film About a Moment in Time and an Artist Evolving Timothée: "That's exactly it. This is a movie firmly about an artist evolving, as you so wonderfully put it. This is an interpretation. This is not a definitive act, and I think James Mangold, our director, always had a very solid eye on that. This is a man who's alive and well, who knows the history of how this went down. And a lot of the footage, not particularly from 1961–63, but definitely from 64 onwards, is available online and it's wonderful. It was very helpful to me in my interpretation of the character and of this period, but ultimately this is an interpretation. That's why Elle Fanning's character is a Sylvie Russo, as opposed to Suze Rotolo. This is more of a fable. And nonetheless, it's also, of course, a Bob Dylan biopic." On How the Film's Exploration of Artistic Evolution Resonates with Fanning Given That She's Been Acting Since She Was a Toddler Elle: "Yeah, technically two, because I would play my sister at a younger age in things, in flashback scenes — they would just call me in. But I think that's one of my favourite things, honestly, about this film and watching it as a whole. This slice of Dylan's life was so much about making artistic choices and not being pigeon-holed into one thing. So it's actually been a really nice reminder to me to follow my instincts. I always have followed my instincts pretty much. And when I haven't, it's like 'oh god, it's always best to do that'. And I love surprising people and picking parts that are going to surprise people, and surprise myself and challenge me. That's just what I want. I don't want to ever be put into a box of a certain genre or certain film. I mean, people will try to do that to everyone, because it's more palatable for people when you understand where they're coming from. That's what Dylan has done — he's never allowed anyone to do that to him. So it's been inspiring, and the movie is really about that, to be honest. So I loved watching the film for the first time, and seeing that journey was great. Because obviously I wasn't in every single scene, so it's fun to watch the scenes I wasn't in. But I try to push myself." On How Portraying an IRL Figure, and an Icon, Changed How Barbaro Approached Her Part Monica: "It was very big shoes to fill. She's an exceptional musician and I had no music training, so my main call to action was to learn to play guitar, and learn to sing, and get my proficiency up to a level where you would believe that I'd been doing that for years and years. And then also, the benefit is, as much as her voice is absolutely impossible to replicate, she had these iconic qualities that people referred to a lot. When they talk about her, they mentioned her tight vibrato and the key that she sings these songs in. And so just trying to expand my range and trying to sound like her — the finger-picking, that was a particular style that she played with. And just diving into those specifics to try to get that recognisability there was a huge part of the process." On Mangold Revisiting Johnny Cash On-Screen After Walk the Line — and Finding Someone New to Play Him James: "I really didn't give it much thought in terms of my own oeuvre, although I was aware that it was the second time this real-life character was appearing in my film. It just seemed a necessity, the more research I did. It wasn't really very featured at all in Elijah Wald's book, but the more research I did — and I also had the knowledge from making Walk the Line that Johnny Cash and Bob had been pen pals during this period — but the more research I did, and knowing that Cash was on stage in the wings when Bob went electric, was there and even lent his guitar, his acoustic guitar to Bob when he went back out on stage to sing his last song 'Baby Blue', the last acoustic song, at Newport 65, I thought 'well, what am I going to do with Johnny?'. And I asked Dylan's manager, Jeff Rosen, if they still had the letters that Johnny Cash had written to Bob. And they did. And he sent me scans of all these letters, which were magnificent — a kind of beautiful, romantic example of an artist a few years ahead of Bob, writing him fan letters and bolstering a sense of confidence in the young man about his writing and his ability from someone Dylan admired. And so this correspondence suddenly became central to me, because as I was trying to assemble — as much as I was trying to tell Dylan's story, he is a bit inscrutable, and I felt like you could learn more by also telling the story of those that surrounded Dylan, and the way his genius affected each of them differently. And what was so necessary about bringing Johnny into the story was that he's the devil on that shoulder. If you have Pete and Lomax and Joan Baez all on this shoulder saying 'stick with the team; don't cross over to that dangerous, suspicious popular music', you had Johnny Cash on the other shoulder who was saying 'track mud on someone's carpet'. Which was literally one of Johnny's lines in his letters to Bob. And that he made it his business to encourage Dylan to stay bold and to stay on the leading edge, was so wonderful to me. And then Cash also ironically had a band, and somehow got special dispensation to bring his band on the stage at Newport without anyone having a meltdown — which indicates or, I think, reveals, how Bob was a symbol. The reason they didn't want Bob to go electric was not because they hated all music with an electric guitar or a drum, but because he had become the centre pillar, holding up the tent of classical folk music. And if Bob turned, that meant the tent would fall." On Chalamet's Run of Playing Young Men Discovering the Reality of What Fame and Power Means as Paul Atreides and Bob Dylan — and Parallels with His Own Experience Timothée: "I think what's most fascinating about the world of Dune, and of this period of Bob Dylan that we explore in this film from 1961–65, is both were born of the open-mindedness of culture in America in the 1960s. Dune was written in this middle 60s period, it was written on the West Coast, but in a similar time in American history where people were groundbreaking with their creativity and open mindedness. And as far as relating to these roles, it's really not that fascinating to try to dissect or even to talk about, because the ways or parallels are apparent or not apparent, and I have no interesting perspective for anyone beyond the ways they're apparent to you or to me. And the ways they're not apparent are also apparent, because I'm not a space prophet and I'm not a lyrical prophet." On What Fanning Was Excited About, Coming to A Complete Unknown as a Huge Dylan Fan Since She Was a Teenager Elle: "Well, I was excited about multiple things. Jim and I were supposed to, he was supposed to direct me in a film many years ago, and so to be able to — that didn't work, but then he remembered me from that time and so asked me to come on for this. And I'd done a movie with Timmy before, so we were friends. I was huge Bob Dylan nut, and I had a poster of him on my wall and I was a fanatic, so I felt like I kind of manifested this part in in many ways. And obviously, the film was like five, well, more than five, years in the making. We were supposed to film it five years ago and then COVID and the strikes happened. So we had a lot of time to think about it. There were points where we thought it might fall apart — is everyone's schedules going to work? — so I was very happy that the schedules worked out that I was able to stay on and do it. [caption id="attachment_987697" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Green/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Company Limited[/caption] And then, the thing is Sylvie, even though her name is different, she really she is Suze Rotolo. So she's not actually a fictionalised character, it's just that her name is changed because Bob Dylan himself, he talked to Jim a lot about the script and he's read the script — I haven't met him or talked to him — but he wanted her name changed. That was the one thing that he wanted, because he felt like she, and this is touched on in the movie a lot, that she was a private person. She never wanted to be a public figure. And Suze has now passed. So there was something, there was a weight to that, that I subconsciously always felt every day. Because I don't know if Bob will ever see this movie, but still if he does one day, I hope that I captured that essence of their first love, because obviously it was a very sacred and precious thing to him. And Suze wrote a novel, a memoir called A Freewheelin' Time, so I read that and had so much information about their relationship. And honestly, scenes from that book are verbatim in our story. So in a lot of ways, her story is very true to the trajectory of their relationship. Dates are changed, she wasn't in Newport in 65, but the fights that they had and the things that they shared together is very true to what the relationship was. Obviously Suze was, I guess, a muse, but I guess more inspired him many times over. There's so many songs he's written about her. And he really wasn't in the political scene, he wasn't into politics until he met Suze, because she was a real political activist at that time in the 60s, in the West Village and the youth movement and civil rights movement, she introduced that to Bob. I knew how special of a figure she was to him, so I wanted to honour that and make it true to first loves around the world that we have. Inevitably they don't work out, but keep 'em in your heart." On What Barbaro Drew From Speaking with Baez — and What It Meant to Her Monica: "I did have the chance to speak with her. I was nervous about reaching out, but I was so absorbed and obsessed with her and her life, and every corner of what I could find in any interview, memoir, documentary, and even within the songs and the way she sang them, that we were starting to film and I started having dreams about her. And I kept dreaming that we were hanging out and we always had a really good time. And so I think my subconscious was telling me that 'it's okay to reach out' — like 'you do understand her, I think, well enough to know that she'll have a conversation with you'. And I felt like it was a very Joan thing to do, to be bold enough to reach out so. So I did, and we spoke on the phone, and hearing the sound of her voice on the phone with me is one of the most-beautiful experiences I think I've ever had. It was emotional. It was everything to me, and she mentioned at one point that she was hoping I would reach out — and that just felt incredibly validating in my decision. And also I felt it made me feel like I really had understood something about her, and that I was on the right path. And the next day I performed 'Don't Think Twice' live, which was my first song live in front of a live audience on a big stage with guitar, with singing — difficult guitar song, too, that I had taken a year to learn with no prior experience. And so I was all bundled up and nervous for that, and then as we were doing takes of it, I just felt something release, and I felt like she had sort of — whether she knew it or not — sort of sent me on my way, and I was able to fully embrace the research I had done, but try to blossom into this character in the movie, and create as her and try things as her. I felt like somehow, even though she didn't give me permission, I felt somehow like I suddenly had it, had that permission to try things as Joan." A Complete Unknown releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, January 23, 2025. Images: courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.
When word arrived that a new version of Scott Pilgrim was on its way, it felt as inevitable as the person of your dreams having a complicated romantic past. That nothing ever truly dies in pop culture is old news. So is the fact that nothing fades into memory, especially when respawning can capitalise upon a fanbase. Turning Scott Pilgrim into a TV show is the latest example on an ever-growing list of leaps from the big screen to the small; however, sight unseen, making a Scott Pilgrim anime series felt more fitting than most similar jumps. Thanks to manga-style aesthetic that filled Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels, the video game-esque plot about battling seven evil exes and the cartoon vibe that Edgar Wright brought so engagingly to his 2010 big-screen live-action adaptation, imagining how O'Malley and co-writer/co-producer BenDavid Grabinski (Are You Afraid of the Dark?) — plus Wright (Last Night in Soho) again as an executive producer — could bring that to an eight-part animation was instantly easy. Called Scott Pilgrim Takes Off rather than Scott Pilgrim vs the World, the Netflix series that streams from Friday, November 17 begins as a straightforward Scott Pilgrim anime, introducing the same tale that's been spread across pages and cinemas — and played through via a video game, too — right down to repeated shots and dialogue. Meet Scott Pilgrim again, then. The Michael Cera (Barbie)-voiced twentysomething bassist is once more fated to fall in love with literal dream girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ahsoka), who first appears to him as he slumbers, then fight the seven folks who dated her before him. When sparks fly, he also has his own amorous mess to deal with, including that he's dating high-schooler Knives Chau (Ellen Wong, Best Sellers) and remains heartbroken over being dumped by now-superstar singer Envy Adams (Brie Larson, The Marvels). Scott Pilgrim Takes Off's debut episode still has its namesake living with Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin, Succession) in a one-room Toronto flat, and regularly having the ins and outs of his life recounted by his roommate to his sister Stacey (Anna Kendrick, Alice, Darling). Scott is reliably one third of Sex Bob-Omb! alongside his friend Stephen Stills (Mark Webber, SMILF) and ex Kim Pine (Alison Pill, Hello Tomorrow!), with Stephen's housemate Young Neil (Johnny Simmons, Girlboss) always watching on. And, when he first talks to Ramona IRL, it's at a party thrown by the acerbic Julie Powers (Aubrey Plaza, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre). Then, the band plays a gig that Scott invites Ramona to, and the first of her evil former paramours interrupts Sex Bob-Omb!'s set to throw down — with Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha, Sense8) still hung up on the girl he dated for a week and a half in seventh grade. Beating Matthew will mean needing to vanquish the rest of Ramona's past loves next: movie star Lucas Lee (Chris Evans, Pain Hustlers), vegan fellow bassist Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh, The Flash), Ramona's college roommate Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman, Good Girls), twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi (Julian Cihi, Only Murders in the Building), and record-label head Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes). Accordingly, just like Kim shouting "we are Sex Bob-Omb!" at the beginning of a set, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off starts with comfortable familiarity. But at the end of the initial instalment, after every detail looks like the graphic novels and film given the anime treatment to the point of feeling uncanny, in drops the first twist. There's reimaginings, and then there's this playful take that adores the comics and movie, pays homage to them, riffs on and even openly references them, but charmingly shirks the idea of being a remake. So, what if that narrative didn't follow the path that viewers have seen before? What if there's a reason that this series' moniker mentions Scott not being around? What if that's just the kick-off point for a brand-new, gorgeously dreamy, wildly inventive and infectiously heartfelt Scott Pilgrim remix? This is still a story spun from a slacker fantasy while bubbling with sincerity and intensity about navigating love and life when you're working out who you are, but every new turn in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off deepens its tale, emotions and delights. It still dwells in a world where Scott orders a delivery from the rollerskating Ramona on a boxy computer (she slings Netflix DVDs, aptly), yet it feels even more divorced from time. Although still abounds with pop culture nods and throwback vibes as well — albeit without zero sounds from The Legend of Zelda, but with added lines of dialogue straight out of 90s tunes — this isn't the exact same Scott Pilgrim. Prepare to get meta, and also for an angle that Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs the World didn't have, putting the focus on Ramona not as the object of eight people's affections but as Scott Pilgrim Takes Off's protagonist. As she endeavours to work out what's going on, she's the audience's guide in a whodunnit (because alongside slotting into the film-to-TV trend like Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, this series embraces its mystery angle as A Murder at the End of the World has also been doing of late, plus plenty of other shows before it). As Ramona's other exes still need confronting, it's her rather than someone she's casually seeing that's wading and soul-searching through her history. If O'Malley, Grabinski and Wright had chosen to call their Netflix effort Ramona Flowers vs the World, it would've fit; that said, not only Ramona but the full slate of characters beyond Scott all benefit from the big shift. Accordingly, while the ex-by-ex structure stays — plus the fight scenes bursting with on-screen onomatopoeia — each episode builds upon Ramona, Wallace, Knives, Kim, Young Neil, Stephen, Julie, Stacey and Envy, as well as Matthew, Lucas, Todd, Roxy, the Katayanagi and Gideon. If re-enlisting the movie's massive supporting cast seemed like a mammoth achievement, expanding their characters' place in the story must've been a prime way to entice everyone back. What makes Ramona's exes tick, hopes and neuroses alike, cannily and cathartically helps shapes the show's sleuthing. More than that, unresolved emotions and struggles colour every battle. Bouncing ingeniously through an array of film genres in a video store-set fray is a particularly memorable and meaningful move. As brought to the screen with Science Saru's now-expectedly beguiling animation (see also: the big screen's Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, Lu Over the Wall, Ride Your Wave and Inu-Oh, all from filmmaker Masaaki Yuasa), different instalments also take their tone and approach from different sources. A Lucas-centric chapter that turns Liam Lynch's 2002 track 'United States of Whatever' into its anthem is a treat, for instance, and another episode is a self-referential marvel. Where Scott Pilgrim vs the World looked outward to dive into its characters, using its gaming and pop-culture nods as shorthand to explain who they are, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off peers inwards to get its mood, themes, intricacies and slant. Like Scott with Ramona, this series is something to tumble head over heels for, and one of the best examples yet of pressing play again on a beloved treasure. Check out the full trailer for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off below: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off streams via Netflix on Friday, November 17.
Florentijn Hofman has transformed France's Loire River into a giant bathtub with his enormous rubber duck sculpture. The duck floats from city to city, nodding its cute yellow head at passersby. Before beginning its trek down the Loire, the duck has brought nostalgic smiles to the faces of witnesses worldwide; it may just be impossible not to smile at this strikingly out-of-place, yet adorable creation. Dutch artist Hofman is renowned for his tongue-in-cheek pieces, including a memorable party-hat-sporting frog perched on the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art in Kobe, Japan in 2011. The duck sculpture, constructed of rubber-coated PVC atop a pontoon with a generator, measures at 25 metres high, and 25 metres across. Here's to hoping on of our favourite childhood bath time companions will make a splash in Australasia soon.
When Riverbar and Kitchen on Eagle Street reopened its doors in October 2022 following an eight-month closure due to Brisbane's most recent floods, things started looking brighter for the Solotel and Matt Moran co-owned venue. Expect the radiance to ramp up a few notches this winter, however, when the waterfront watering hole gives itself a temporary neon-hued revamp. There'll be entrancing lights, live performances from 7pm every Friday and Saturday night, and also glowing cocktails. When dusk hits this stretch of the Brisbane River, the bars along its banks bask in the glow of the Story Bridge, of course. But, from Friday, June 23–Sunday, June 30, Riverbar's Nightfall & Neon will give the River City's famous structure a run for its luminous money. Live tunes will also provide a soundtrack as Oscar Production Company's talents bust out their best — and the venue's bartenders freshen your drinks. Entertainment-wise, there'll be neon hula hoopers, mirrored men and fluoro feathered dancers — and that's just the beginning. The lineup will rotate across the six-week season, so you'll never know what might greet you in advance. On the menu: lit-up sips, such as the Light Me Up Gin & Tonic, Electric Dream (made with Bombay Sapphire, blue curaçao, lemon, sugar and soda), Pretty in Purple (Bombay Bramble, lemon juice, sugar and soda), Citrus Moonrise (Bombay Citron Pressè, lemon, sugar and soda) and Parlez Vous Francais (Bombay Premier Cru Murcian Lemon Gin, fresh lemon juice, Leftbank Brut and sugar syrup). The food range will be all about warming bites, too, including pizzas.
When you're taking your pet pooch to the park in the cooler months, you want your four-legged friend to look its best and be warm. Yes, all puppers are adorable anyway, because that just comes with the territory. But your furry little woofer is certain to dial up its natural cuteness in a piece from Big W's new winter pet range. Whether your dachshund would look dapper in a cosy knitted vest, your jack russell terrier needs a faux fur-trimmed jacket or your shih tzu could do with an 'Always Snackin' sweater, you'll find it on offer in this new line. It's super-affordable, too, with sweaters starting from $9 and jackets from $15. More than 100 items are currently available (including various sizes and colours), spanning collars, harnesses and leads, as well as cable-knit jackets, tartan jumpers and novelty beds. Yes, if you and your pooch are looking to to go on an 'indoor camping adventure' — we've been WFH for a while now — you can get them a teepee: The fashion and accessory line will add further items throughout the year, too, because even your doggo's wardrobe can change with the seasons. While Big W has dubbed the line its 'petwear', so far it's all for dogs. That said, if you can somehow manage to get your cat into a vest or sweater, then you're well-equipped to slip them into something from this range. Big W's petwear is currently available to purchase online, with contactless home delivery and pick up available.
Once, Brisbane was alive the the fluorescent glow of flickering neon signs. Now, only 200 large scale pieces are left in the state. Celebrating the bright lights that once lit up darkened Brissie nights, The Salon Electric delves into neon as an art form, its relationship to nightlife, the design that goes with it and Queensland's shimmering history between August 25 and February 11. At the heart of the exhibition sits iconic pieces curated by neon maker Michael Blazek, plus photographs of others from the State Library of Queensland's various collections. Jo-Jo's restaurant, the Kookaburra Cafe, Mr Fourex — they're all included. And if you'd like to play along when you're not at South Bank, or even add your own neon pics, the exhibition also has an interactive Historypin site. As well as gazing at glistening signs and snaps of them, The Salon Electric will also feature a screening of Australian documentary Neon on September 5. Directed by Lawrence Johnson, the lively documentary wears its love of its titular substance in every frame — and this is the first time it will play in Brisbane. Image: Neon sign from the collection of Michael Blazek. Courtesy of State Library of Queensland.
Eastsiders, your favourite street party is back — and yes, it is hard to believe that it's only in its second year. The End of the Line Festival made such a splash in 2014 that its return is rather highly anticipated. Thankfully, the program for the one-day event more than justifies that excitement. On October 24, Woolloongabba’s Village Precinct between Logan Road and Jurgens Street will once again become a vibrant hub of food, music and entertainment. Local eateries will provide all the tasty morsels you could want to sample, while Jet Black Cat Records' Shannon Logan has curated the eclectic line-up of bands, so attendees know they're in for quite the treat. Tunes-wise, that includes Jess Ribeiro, Blank Realm, East Brunswick All Girls Choir and Caitlin Park, and that's only the beginning of the mix of rock, indie-pop, jazz funk, electronic and folk performers. When you're not enjoying their sweet sounds, you can wander around market stalls, devour dishes served up by food trucks, marvel at projection art and watch skateboarding demonstrations — and appreciate the area, too, because that's what a block party is really all about.
Sorry Jamie and Nigella, every other cookbook is now irrelevant. Based on the actually genius blog that we've somehow only just discovered, Thug Kitchen gives you the full rundown on clean eating with a satisfyingly foul mouth. These are recipes for newbies to healthy living; people like us who need a proper kick in the arse to finish our plate of kale or quinoa. Though the book itself doesn't hit our shelves until next month, the trailer has just been released. And wow, it is so many types of great. Ringing a little too true for those of us scoffing our faces with two-minute noodles and artery-clogging burgers, this idea is crazy enough to actually work. Who knew profanity would pique our interest in healthy food so quickly? And here's the kicker: the food is actually pretty great. Their recipes online include Pina Colada ice cream, peach pancakes (presented in comic form) and dishes so tasty they threaten to completely "change the noodle game". Putting an end to those "sugar shakes" and "meat sweats" you've become so familiar with, the Thug Kitchen cookbook will only be available in the UK, Canada and Australia next month. Because of course we'd be interested in something that swears this much. Remember What the Fuck Should I Make For Dinner? We basically lived off that. Keep an eye on the Thug Kitchen Facebook page for a specific release date but until then, here are a few bits and pieces to get you in the right mindset. Time to get your shit together, Australia.
Austrian photographer Paul Schneggenburger's fascinating body of work The Sleep of the Beloved has broken through closed bedroom doors to illuminate one of the most private and intimate of human interactions: sleeping couples. Sitting permanently in the photographer's studio is a bed where couples are invited to come and spend the night. Schneggenburger simply sets the stage, lights some candles, and leaves the room with his camera set to long exposure capturing all the movements of the couples over a six-hour period from midnight to 6am. The resulting photographs are a beautiful blur of tangled bodies and ghostly movements demonstrating how sleeping can often be an unconsciously intimate act of love and affection or a quite static experience designed only for resting and rejuvenation. As the photographer asks: “What happens to lovers while they are sleeping? Is it a nocturnal lovers' dance, maybe a kind of unaware performed tenderness, or does one turn their back on each other?" Check out some of the photographs below and head over to Schneggenburger's website to see more of these gorgeous and fascinating images. Via CNN World.
Dreaming of a South American vacation? Aren't we all. Heading to a Hamilton cafe isn't quite the same, we know — but thanks to Petrichor & Co's menu, it's a cheaper and more convenient way to pretend that you're venturing away from home. Drawing upon owners Paula Moreno and David Ariza's Colombian heritage, the new addition to Racecourse Road adds a taste of something a bit more far-flung than your usual suburban eatery fare to their house-made daytime menu. That includes Veneziano beans for those after a coffee, plus huevos rancheros with chorizo for breakfast. Who doesn't want to start their day with Mexican-style eggs? Of course, it's not just the food that'll help satiate your holiday cravings, even if you do opt for something like French toast with pear, caramel popcorn and berries (yes, really), or a quinoa and black bean burger. Sitting in Petrichor's sunny outdoor area will also brighten up your day — and yes, we mean that literally.
Whether sports is your pastime of choice or something that you go out of your way to avoid, Toowong's Wests Rugby Club is about to become one of the inner-west's must-visit eating spots. As part of the building's renovation, the folks behind local favourite The Corner Store Cafe have moved in. Don't worry, your favourite suburban hangout hasn't changed — it just now has a sibling down the road. Meet Pitch and Fork, and prepare to pull up a table and grab some cutlery. In fact, just sitting down in the new eatery's al fresco dining area brings plenty of pleasures of its own. When was the last time you ate breakfast, brunch or lunch under brick arches with a view of hills and greenery? You'll match those nice sights with a house-smoked ocean trout omelette, Sunshine Coast tiger prawns on a sourdough baguette, a turkey and pancetta clubhouse sandwich, a veal parmigiana burger, and healthy eggs Benedict with sautéed broccolini, kale, spelt toast and avocado mayonnaise, to name a few dishes. And coffee-wise, expect a hot cuppa of Parallel Roasters' finest to really kick your day into gear.
Gardening enthusiasts will be able to spend even more time with Mother Nature in this wonderful garden shed, a collaboration between architect Ville Hara and designer, Linda Bergroth. While greenhouses are usually inhabited by plants, this one is nice enough for you to sleep amongst the greenery. A prototype built at Bergorth's summer cottage in eastern Finland features a wooden floor and solar panels for power lighting. Bergroth also added a mattress so that the greenhouse can become a spare bedroom during the summertime, when she wakes up overlooking the water. Safety glass windows line the walls and roof, and have automatic openers to control the temperature inside. The back of the garden shed features a storage compartment where all tools can be placed compactly. Surprisingly, this entire garden shed can be assembled using a screwdriver. This neat piece of architectural innovation proves that simplicity is often the key.
If you're looking for a practical gift for your wine-loving dad this Father's Day, look no further than Good Pair Days. This year, the personalised wine delivery service has joined forces with sustainable retailer Manrags to bring you four wine and socks boxes — each of which was created with dad in mind. The man behind the wine offering is Sommelier Banjo Harris Plane (ex-head sommelier at Attica and co-owner of Melbourne's Bar Liberty), so you know you're getting some extra special drops for your pop. If your dad is well into his reds, go for the deluxe box ($164) — which boasts a New Zealand pinot noir, an Italian dolcetto and a Victorian shiraz mencia blend — or the the wine lover box ($123), with a malbec, a Barossa GSM (grenache, syrah and mourvedre blend) and cabernet merlot from Southern Highlands' Tertini. There's also a classic box ($84) and one solely dedicated to shiraz ($39). Along with the extra special bottles, each box also includes three pairs of Manrags socks, which are made from super-soft Egyptian cotton and are printed with funky Australian designs, as well as tasting notes, details on the winemaker, food pairing suggestions and a matching recipe card for each bottle. Shipping is included in all boxes and the packaging is 100-percent compostable to boot. And, for those last minute gift givers, Good Pair Days ships quickly within one-to-two business days. To order one of Good Pair Days' dad packs, head on over to goodpairdays.com. 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.
Everyone knows that SXSW is a haven for music, including unearthing new talent. The festival's screen side, showcasing your new favourite movies and TV shows, is just as famous. So is the fact that all manner of well-known names take to its stages to get chatting — plus the event's all-round focus on tunes, tech, innovation, films, television, games and culture, as Sydney first experienced in 2023. SXSW's Down Under leg also lets the community get behind the microphone, via a part of its conference programming called Session Select. More than that, it allows you to choose what makes it into this portion of the fest's lineup. All you need to do is vote, which is now open for 2024. [caption id="attachment_923287" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney[/caption] It was in late 2023, after the inaugural SXSW Sydney proved a hit — and featured everyone from Black Mirror's Charlie Brooker and Chance The Rapper to Future Today Institute founder and CEO Amy Webb and Nicole Kidman onstage — that the Australian event confirmed that it'd be back in 2024. If you're wondering who'll be on the bill from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20, nothing else has been announced so far. But make your picks among the Session Select candidates and you can help shape the conference portion. You'll be choosing from proposed sessions from over 1000 organisations and folks, hailing from 35 countries. Whether you're interested in hearing more about and from Concrete Playground, TikTok, Reddit, Aussie airlines Qantas and Virgin Australia, Getty Images, or a bunch of Australian and international universities, you've got options. That's obviously just the start of a list that also spans Google, Meta, Leonardo.ai, Canva, Xero, Tourism Australia, the Australian Human Rights Commission and plenty more. [caption id="attachment_923316" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul McMillan[/caption] Whatever earns your vote, topics set to feature at the conference cover AI, the future of work, climate and sustainability, food, lifestyle and beauty, and the creator economy, for starters. In total, there's 23 tracks, all picked to reflect what's garnering conversation right now. The chosen sessions will start being announced from this month. Early-bird tickets to SXSW Sydney 2024 have also gone on sale, including platinum badges, which gets you into all SXSW Sydney events in the conference, and at the games, music and screen festivals; tech and innovation badges; and music, screen and game festival badges. There's also a new Under 25s option for the latter two — tech and innovation, plus music, screen and game — which offers a discount if you fit that age group. [caption id="attachment_923286" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney[/caption] 2023's SXSW Sydney notched up 287,014 attendances from 97,462 unique attendees. Those figures came from 34,975 total tickets, with folks from 41 countries heading along to 1178 sessions. Among its wealth of highlights, last year's SXSW Sydney featured Brooker chatting about his hit series and technology's future; Chance The Rapper talking about 50 years of hip hop; Coachella CEO Paul Tollett discussing his own fest; Kidman exploring her work as a producer on the likes of Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, The Undoing and Love & Death; the Australian premiere of Kitty Green's The Royal Hotel; and the world premiere of The Wiggles documentary Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles. The full lineup spanned a 700-plus strong bill of talent, covering over 300 sessions, and featuring more than 300 gigs across 25 venues. From talks and concerts to films, TV shows and games, there was no shortage of things to see. That's all in store again in 2024. SXSW Sydney 2024 will run from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details, tickets and to vote for Session Select conference sessions. If you're be interested in attending Concrete Playground's panels, please visit the voting pages for New Rituals: The State of Socialising and Hospitality and Appetite for Distraction: Youth, Information and the Digital Age in 2024 to show your support. Voting closes on Monday, April 22, 2024. Images: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney.
With Irma Vep, French filmmaker Olivier Assayas (Wasp Network) retraces his own footsteps, turning his cult-favourite 1996 movie of the same name into an Alicia Vikander-starring HBO miniseries. There's more to that act both on- and off-screen, and Assayas couldn't be having more fun with the whole concept. But first, David Lynch's Twin Peaks deserves a mention. No, not just because it's always worth thinking about. When that cult-favourite series returned in 2017 after a quarter-century gap, it ended its 18-hour run by asking "what year is this?". That query made complete sense in the show's narrative with its Lynchian logic; however, it's also as perfect a comment on the state of entertainment today as anything could utter. In Lynch's hands, Twin Peaks was never going to feel like slipping cosily back into the past to rehash old glories. Almost everything else that's hit screens of late can't make that claim, though. Among 2022's big box-office successes so far sits the latest Batman flick, the 28th Marvel movie, a 36-years-later sequel, the 11th Wizarding World instalment, yet another Spider-Man film and more Ghostbusters; what year is this indeed? Irma Vep doesn't belong in their company, however. It slides into streaming queues knowing the everything-old-is-new-again status quo, and probing, challenging and satirising it. It also jokes about whether an episodic project aired on TV can really be a movie, playfully riffing on the chatter about Twin Peaks' third season — and it's one of the best things to reach television since that masterpiece. Streaming weekly in Australia via Binge since Tuesday, June 7, and in New Zealand via Neon from Tuesday, June 14, Irma Vep also requires some unpacking. The term 'layered' has rarely ever applied to a show quite as it does here. So, Assayas remakes his own film — and the resulting series follows a director remaking one of his own past flicks as a TV project, too. In all versions of Irma Vep, the movies and shows being made are also remakes of 1915–16 French crime effort Les Vampires. It was a ten-episode, seven-hour cinema serial, and it's supremely real. Indeed, by first helming a feature about remaking Les Vampires, and now a series about remaking a movie that remakes Les Vampires (which, IRL, is also a remake of a movie that remakes Les Vampires), Assayas keeps remaking Les Vampires in his own way. The nested dolls that are Irma Vep's meta setup just keep stacking. The 1996 Irma Vep starred Maggie Cheung, who'd later become Assayas' wife, then ex-wife — and the 2022 Irma Vep haunts its on-screen filmmaker René Vidal (Vincent Macaigne, Non-Fiction) with visions of his ex-wife Jade Lee (Vivian Wu, Dead Pigs), who, yes, led his movie. If you're a fan of word puzzles, you might've also noticed that Irma Vep is an anagram of vampire; that said, Les Vampires isn't actually about bloodsuckers, and nor is any iteration of Irma Vep. To add to the list, while Cheung played a version of herself, Vikander (Blue Bayou, The Green Knight) plays fictional American star Mira — a name that's an anagram of Irma. You can also take that moniker literally, because mirroring is patently a pivotal aspect of Irma Vep in every guise. This lengthy roster of links, nods and connections isn't done yet, with René clearly a fictionalised version of Assayas, and the latter finding inspiration for Mira elsewhere in his career. Two of his recent gems, the sublime duo that is Clouds of Sils Maria and Personal Shopper, both starred Kristen Stewart — and spotting similarities between her professional and personal lives and Mira's is oh-so-easy. In fact, Mira signs up for René's new Irma Vep after leading huge Hollywood hits, then yearning for more complex and substantial work. She also has a famous actor ex, Eamonn (Tom Sturridge, the upcoming The Sandman), and moved on with her now-former personal assistant Laurie (Adria Arjona, Morbius). As delightful as it is for diehard cinephiles, knowing all of the above isn't essential before watching Irma Vep 2.0. It helps put viewers on its wavelength, though — and this is a show that's all about wavelengths. René can't find his, with the production plagued by insurance woes, actors demanding either big sex scenes (Sorry Angel's Vincent Lacoste) or crack (Proxima's Lars Eidinger), and a financier who only stumped up the cash to get Mira to front his new perfume line. Amid that chaos, and after finishing promotional duties on her last blockbuster (and running into the now-married Laurie in the process), Mira attempts to plunge as deeply as she can into her role. She adores the black velvet catsuit that costume designer Zoe (Jeanne Balibar, Memoria) has fashioned — almost as much as Zoe visibly adores her — and, even under her new assistant Regina's (newcomer Devon Ross) watchful eye, immerses herself in playing Irma Vep far more than the script requires. Everyone's sinking their teeth into something here, or trying to, just as Assayas bites into a smart and savvy satire about the entertainment industry. Everyone's feasting on something, too, including Hollywood's insatiable need to devour itself one sequel and remake at a time. Irma Vep tackles these ideas, and parodies the incessant lust for more and more screen content, the perils and perks of fame, on-set antics and plenty of online discussion about cinema over the past decade, all while musing on the lines between art and reality as well. Oh, and while throwing in a wonderful Emily in Paris gag. But Assayas is an arthouse auteur above all else, and he's always grounded and naturalistic rather than campy and farcical — even when Irma Vep is hilarious, which is often. In contemplating why we consume art, or make it so that others can (and for others still to capitalise upon), he also revels in both dissecting and simply hanging out among behind-the-scenes shenanigans. If that wasn't all phenomenal enough — and equally thoughtful, playful and savagely clever — Irma Vep is hypnotically lensed like it belongs on the big screen. It also shimmers with the full force of Vikander at her absolute best (yes, better than her Oscar-winning turn in The Danish Girl). There's such an earthiness to her performance that it hardly feels like watching a performance at all. She's acting, of course — Irma Vep doesn't add that layer to its pile — but she inhabits Mira with relaxed effortlessness, whether she's projecting the cool, calm and collected movie-star persona, showing the character's vulnerabilities, or diving into the allure that the series-within-a-series version of Irma Vep holds. Macaigne, the always-impressive Lacoste and Eidinger, and Balibar and Ross also do their utmost, because this show isn't short on standouts. But that key combination of Assayas, Vikander and all things Irma Vep is what dreams are made of, as is one of 2022's most glorious new TV shows. Check out the trailer for Irma Vep below: Irma Vep streams week by week in Australia via Binge since Tuesday, June 7 — and in New Zealand via Neon from Tuesday, June 14. Images: Carole Bethuel/HBO.
Humanity's love for Nutella truly knows no bounds. We've had Nutella deep-fried ice cream, frozen custard, arancini, jaffles, calzones and doughnuts, among other edible items. There's a day dedicated to it, as well as a festival, food truck, dessert bar and restaurant. Here in Australia, we've even caused a country-wide shortage of the good stuff. And now, McDonald's in Italy is selling Nutella burgers. Given that burgers are one of the only others food items that are as popular as everyone's favourite hazelnut spread (alongside doughnuts and pizza), this really is the culinary mashup we had to have. And Maccas isn't messing around. Their Sweety con Nutella only features two ingredients: Nutella and a burger bun. In the words of the McDonald's Italy Facebook page, it's "soft bread with a creamy, indulgent centre". We can understand their thinking. Why complicate something as amazing — and simple — as the delectable substance we all love on bread? We can also understand why you might be contemplating an overseas trip right about now. Alas, as yet, there's no news of a local launch for this must-have addition to Maccas' menu.
Each year, once winter takes a hike across Brisbane, the city comes alive with the sound of music. Spring and summer are prime festival seasons Australia-wide — but southeast Queensland sure does know how to throw a huge live gig, pack it with eager festival-goers and get everyone dancing. Now that making shapes is allowed again, and hanging out in crowds is becoming part of daily life once more as well, the Sunshine State's music festival calendar is starting to fill up. Fancy spending three days hopping between Fortitude Valley venues? Kicking back in a riverside park? Seeing in 2022 at a massive fest? They're just some of the big events filled with live tunes that Brisbanites can look forward to.
If you enjoy getaways of the pampering, wellness-oriented and soaking kind — you're in luck. Victoria is set to score the country's largest-ever hot springs experience at the majestic 12 Apostles, opening in 2026. The $200 million 12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort project will be the biggest hot springs offering in Australia, sprawling over a 79-hectare site encompassing multiple onsite hospitality venues, 70 baths and a 150-room wellness resort. "Traditionally hot springs have been associated with places like Japan and Europe, but Australia has seen an enormous renaissance on natural bathing," Founder and Principle Design Consultant of Spa Sessions Naomi Gregory says. "I see this as being the premium bathing location in the country." [caption id="attachment_907721" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: 12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort, renders[/caption] Details on the new hot springs resort and spa are scarce at the moment, but will feature natural bathing sourced from geothermal mineral springs set approximately 1km below the site. Victoria is quickly becoming a hot spring haven, with future plans including a 900-kilometre trail filled with bathing spots dubbed The Great Bathing Trail to span along the Victorian coast. The latest announcement follows the recent opening of Mornington Peninsula's Alba Thermal Springs and Spa, Gippsland's Metung Hot Springs and Peninsula Hot Springs' huge, ongoing expansion plans. [caption id="attachment_907722" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: 12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort, renders[/caption] 12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort is set to open in 2026. More to come. Images: Renders, supplied.
Keen to escape your house by heading to a cinema this winter, but your wallet doesn't want to play ball? Call Dendy Portside's latest special a case of great timing, then. For no particular reason other than the fact there's plenty of flicks hitting the big screen, the riverside picture palace is offering up discount tickets between Thursday, June 10–Wednesday, July 7 — and if you attend a session between 4–7pm daily, you'll only pay half price for your movie of choice. Or movies. With everything from A Quiet Place Part II, Cruella and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It to My Name Is Gulpilil and Wrath of Man currently screening, there's plenty to see if you're keen to spend as much time in a darkened room as possible. Also set to hit the screen during the special's month-long period: long-delayed high-octane franchise entry Fast and Furious 9, stage-to-screen musical In the Heights, and retro 30-year anniversary sessions of The Silence of the Lambs. So, don't say you don't have anything to watch over the next month. Top image: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons
UPDATE, January 7, 2022: Wrath of Man is available to stream via Binge, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Too many times in his now 23-year feature filmmaking career, Guy Ritchie has happily crammed a heap of his favourite things into a bag, shaken it about, spilled it out onto the screen and called it his next movie. The British director likes twisty crime capers, dialogue peppered with slang and wisecracks, and memorable character nicknames. He loves chopping his narratives up into parts, then piecing them back together in a non-linear fashion. And, he's rather fond of enlisting sizeable ensemble casts, then switching between their varying perspectives. He's keen on trying to keep his audiences guessing, too. That said, he also likes having someone explain the inner workings of a plan, then showing said scheme in action while those descriptive words echo above his needle drop-heavy soundtrack. If you've seen Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla or The Gentlemen, you'll recognise all of the above. And, you'll know that in three of those films, Ritchie managed to point his lens at another of his favourite things as well. Lock Stock and Snatch didn't just make Ritchie a star, but also catapulted Jason Statham to fame. The pair found a groove that worked for them, and it changed their lives — until, with Revolver, it didn't. With revenge thriller Wrath of Man, Ritchie and Statham reunite after 16 years apart. During that stretch, the former subjected the world to his terrible Sherlock Holmes films, fared better with left-field additions to his resume like The Man From UNCLE and Aladdin, but didn't quite know what to do with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. The latter has become an action go-to over the same time — with both forgettable and memorable flicks resulting, including three Fast and Furious movies and a stint scowling at Dwayne Johnson in the franchise's odd-couple spinoff Hobbs & Shaw. Accordingly, Ritchie and Statham reteam after heading in their own directions. Thankfully, they're not just interested in rehashing their shared past glories. From Wrath of Man's first moments, with its tense, droning score, its high-strung mood and its filming of an armoured van robbery from inside the vehicle, a relentlessly grim tone is established. When Statham shows up shortly afterwards, he's firmly in stoic mode, too. He does spout a few quippy lines, and Ritchie once again unfurls his narrative by jumping between different people, events and time periods, but Lock, Stock Again or Snatch Harder this isn't. Instead, Wrath of Man is a remake of 2004 French film Le Convoyeur. While walking in someone else's shoes turned out horrendously for Ritchie with the Madonna-starring Swept Away, that isn't the case here. Statham plays Patrick Hill, the newest employee at the Los Angeles-based cash truck company Fortico Securities. On his first day, his colleague Bullet (Holt McCallany, Mindhunter) dubs him H — "like the bomb, or Jesus H," he says — and the nickname quickly sticks. H joins the outfit a few months after the aforementioned holdup, with the memory of the two coworkers and civilian killed in the incident still fresh in everyone's minds. So, when gunmen interrupt his first post-training run with Bullet and Boy Sweat Dave (Josh Hartnett, Penny Dreadful), they're unsurprisingly jumpy; however, H deals with the situation with lethal efficiency. Cue glowing praise from Fortico's owner (Rob Delaney, Tom & Jerry), concern from his by-the-book manager (Eddie Marsan, Vice) and intrigue about his past from the rest of the team (such as Angel Has Fallen's Rocci Williams and Calm with Horses' Niamh Algar). Ritchie leaps both forwards and backwards from there, teasing out H's backstory and also exploring exactly what's brought him to his current gig. But this isn't just his tale, as seen via the time spent with Jackson (Jeffrey Donovan, Let Him Go), Jan (Scott Eastwood, The Outpost) and their fellow military veterans — plus glimpses of Agent King (Andy Garcia, Words on Bathroom Walls). The ominous mood remains steadfastly intact as Wrath of Man fleshes out the details, and composer Christopher Benstead (The Gentlemen) keeps working overtime with the nerve-rattling thrumming. Both could be accused of overplaying their hands, but they're effective. The same applies to Statham's no-nonsense tough guy routine, which never wavers, yet never becomes monotonous either. He exudes menace from the outset, as he typically does on-screen, but here it's of the baked-in variety. Wrath of Man isn't short on narrative twists, moving parts on justifications for H's behaviour, but there's an internalised sense of pain and anger in Statham's performance that never feels as if it's just going through the plot-dictated motions. Statham still glowers, throws around fists and shoots bullets like a man on a mission — and growls his lines like each word is a weapon, too — all of which happens often. But Wrath of Man is a streamlined rather than an indulgent action film. While it runs mere minutes shy of two hours, it doesn't pad out its frames with overblown and overly chaotic filler. As Godzilla vs Kong and Nobody also demonstrated recently, the power of cleanly shot and coherently staged action scenes really can't be underestimated. Viewers should be swept up in the action, rather than lost in it, which Ritchie, cinematographer Alan Stewart (Tom and Jerry) and editor James Hebert (Edge of Tomorrow) understand. Ritchie and co-screenwriters Marn Davies and Ivan Atkinson (The Gentlemen) also know the difference between a complicated storyline and a convoluted one. They wade into murky thematic territory, including exactly why folks might be driven to wage violent campaigns of vengeance or carry out intricate robberies, but don't ever expect to deliver easy answers. Wrath of Man doesn't come close to reaching the heights of fellow LA-set heist films Point Break and Heat, and it's also well aware of the crime and revenge genres' many conventions; however, it finds its niche. It also leaves its audience looking forward to the next collaboration between Ritchie and Statham — an as-yet-untitled spy film that's already been shot — rather than dreading that they'll simply stick to their decades-old greatest hits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcOP5kQrABk
Zombies are invading this year's Japanese Film Festival. They're hitting Brisbane courtesy of horror-comedy One Cut of the Dead, but this isn't your average undead flick. It might be about a film crew trying to make their own zombie movie, as routine as that sounds; however the gleefully low-budget effort offers up plenty of surprises. Come for the found footage-style, one-take opening and stay as it veers into unexpected territory. That's just one of the movies on JFF's 2018 lineup, which also features two things that everyone loves: cats and ramen. The former comes in the form of The Travelling Cat Chronicles, about a cute feline hopping around the country. The latter is a part of foodie drama Ramen Shop, about a blogger sifting through his family's history, as well as absolute classic Tampopo, the iconic noodle western which has been given a 4K restoration. Other titles hitting up Event Cinemas Myer Centre include crime flicks The Blood of Wolves and My Friend 'A', and romances Colour Me True and The 8-Year Engagement. All up, Brisbane's leg of the fest boasts 16 films, screening across Wednesday, October 24 to Sunday, October 28.
Soaking away the day, your troubles and your worries is Soak Bathhouse's speciality. At the chain's venues in Mermaid Beach and West End, heading in for a dip means seeing your woes dissipate in warm water — at least temporarily. As everyone who has sat in heated H2O knows, there are other few things as calming in life. On Wednesday nights all throughout spring, however, this wellness brand has found a way to ramp up the relaxation even further. From 5–8pm each hump day, to help you forget about your midweek work stresses, Soak Bathhouse is doing Soak & Sound sessions at both its sites. On offer: a soak, of course, plus live music and drinks. When it kicked off in winter, the event took its cues from après-skí hot-tub sessions — and, while there was no snow then or now, you will still get the warm water part of the equation, plus acoustic tunes and beverages. Bookings are required, just for a $49 soak session during the three-hour window. Do that and you'll get the Soak & Sound experience thrown in at no extra cost.
West End is now home to a new Friday night market, spanning all the food, drinks and stalls you'd expect, plus live music as well, and also fire twirlers, stilt walkers and fortune tellers — and a neon forest. The destination for all of the above: Westoria, which takes place weekly from 4–10pm on Jane Street next to the regular West End Markets site. Getting weird, wild and wonderful is the vibe here every single week; however, with Halloween upon us for 2022, the Westoria crew is ramping things up a few notches. So on Friday, October 28, it's hosting a special Halloween edition, complete with spooky stalls, street food and sips. Also on offer: games to fit the theme, decorations, a Halloween-inspired jumping castle, glitter face painting to help you look ghoulish, roving goblins, and other music and entertainment to suit. Entry costs $4 as usual, and the event runs through until midnight.
