Australians, it's finally time to drop it like it's hot again — because Snoop Dogg is coming back to our shores. For the first time since 2014, the rapper is hitting stages Down Under as part of this new 'I Wanna Thank Me' tour, which'll be playing arenas in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide in February and March 2023. If this sounds familiar, that's because this tour was initially due to happen in 2022, only to be postponed. Now, Snoop Dogg has locked in the rescheduled dates, complete with extra shows in both Sydney and Melbourne — and adding Adelaide to his tour itinerary. Clearly, fans of the musician/actor/cook book author/wrestling MC/wine brand owner will be breaking out the gin and juice as he raps his way through the RAC Arena, Qudos Bank Arena, Rod Laver Arena, Brisbane Entertainment Centre and Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Snoop will also be inspiring hip hop aficionados to be the life of the party and, if you can remember his time as Snoop Doggy Dog and Snoop Lion across his career, to ask about his name as well. Yes, you can expect to hear singles such as 'What's My Name?', 'Gin and Juice', 'Drop It Like It's Hot' and 'Snoop's Upside Ya Head', as well as tracks from his last few albums — with his 17th record from 2019, I Wanna Thank Me, sharing its moniker with the tour. Since then, he's also dropped two more albums: From tha Streets 2 tha Suites in 2021 and BODR in 2022, with another, Missionary, also in the works. SNOOP DOGG 'I WANNA THANK ME' 2023 AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES Monday, February 27 — RAC Arena, Perth Wednesday, March 1–Thursday, March 2 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Saturday, March 4–Sunday, March 5 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Tuesday, March 7 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Wednesday, March 8 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Snoop Dogg is touring Australia in February and March 2023 — visit the tour website for tickets and further details.
If you're a Brisbanite who loves musicals, the last year or so has seen you absolutely spoilt for choice. When theatres have been open, everything from An American in Paris, Frozen the Musical and Cruel Intentions: the 90s Musical through to 9 to 5 the Musical, Friends! The Musical Parody, Cinderella and Come From Away have hit the city's stages. And, Mary Poppins is on its way as well. Also now heading to Brissie: Six the Musical. No, Hamilton isn't the only hit musical from the past few years that took a few cues from the past, paired a well-known chapter of history with toe-tapping tunes and made on-stage magic. Indeed, this one proved such a hit during its most recent Sydney stint — a whopping during its 15-week Sydney Opera House run over summer — that it's returning to the Harbour City as well, then heading up to the Sunshine State this summer. From Friday, December 30, Six the Musical will hit up the QPAC Playhouse with a pop-fuelled take on royal intrigue. First premiering back at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, then jumping to London's West End, the show takes inspiration from one of the most famous sextets there's ever been — because even if you don't know much about Britain's past kings and queens, you likely know that Henry VIII had six wives. The Tudor monarch's love life has inspired plenty of pop culture content over the years — including 00s TV series The Tudors and 2008 movie The Other Boleyn Girl — but this one takes the pop part rather seriously. Six the Musical is presented as a pop concert, in fact, with Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr all taking to the microphone to tell their stories. Each woman's aim: to stake their claim as the wife who suffered the most at the king's hands, and to become the group's lead singer as a result. For its Brisbane stint, Kala Gare (Rent) plays Anne Boleyn, Loren Hunter (Strictly Ballroom: The Musical) takes on Jane Seymour, Kiana Daniele (Dirty Dancing) will step into Anne of Cleves' shoes and Vidya Makan (Green Day's American Idiot) will do the same with Catherine Parr. And, Phoenix Jackson Mendoza (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Chelsea Dawson (Shrek the Musical) also feature, as Catherine of Aragon and Catherine Howard respectively. Six the Musical will play the QPAC Playhouse from Friday, December 30. For more information, head to the musical's website. To register for QPAC's ticket waitlist, head to the QPAC website. Images: James D Morgan, Getty Images.
After years of international border closures, and also the shutting down of overseas travel from Australia except for specific approved purposes, seeing the world open back up to tourism country by country is a far more pleasing trend. And, with that in mind, you can now add another destination to your next overseas holiday — yes, that one you've probably spent two years dreaming about now thanks to the pandemic. That location: Bali, which will start welcoming back Australian tourists from Friday, February 4. The Indonesian island will reopen to all international travellers, coinciding with a move to shorten the quarantine period for vaccinated visitors from seven to five days upon arrival. So, if you're now raring for a getaway, you'll still need to factor a stay in isolation into your travels — which likely means spending that time in a bubble hotel. Discussing the reopening, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that Bali's quarantine options for international traveler include "bubble quarantine at five hotels for now with a total of 447 rooms, and on live-on-board ships". The move follows an earlier reopening, back in mid-October, but just to some countries — with opening Bali to all tourists now happening to help boost the holiday hotspot's economy. Late in 2021, Virgin started selling flights from Australia to Bali for travel from late March, while Qantas signalled an April date to restart its Bali routes. Australians will obviously need to factor in the various state rules around international travel, too — some helpful, such as Queensland's recent scrapping of quarantine for double-vaccinated international travellers, and some that'll still delay your plans, like Western Australia's decision to indefinitely delay its border reopening. For more information about Bali's reopening plan, head to the Indonesian Government's website.
If your first binge-watch of 2023 was the debut season Black Snow, you might've pressed play to start the year with a new Australian mystery series, then found yourself digging into the thriller's weight as much as its twists and turns. Starring Travis Fimmel (Dune: Prophecy), the homegrown Stan hit follows a Brisbane-based Cold Case Unit detective dispatched across the state to attempt to close disappearances left unsolved for decades. In season one, the Sunshine State's cane fields in its north beckoned, as did an interrogation of the nation's colonial history and the nation's treatment of the Australian South Sea Islander community while Fimmel's James Cormack searched for a 17-year-old girl last seen in 1994. If the end result hadn't proven gripping must-see viewing, season two Black Snow wouldn't have begun its run to kick off 2025. This time around, with episodes dropping weekly rather than arriving in a single batch, the Glass House Mountains backdrop the latest case to cross Cormack's desk. In 2003, Zoe Jacobs (Jana McKinnon, Silver and the Book of Dreams) left her 21st birthday party in the Sunshine Coast hinterland town of Moorevale and hasn't been seen since, but her backpack has just been found locally. Black Snow splits its time between its absent figure and Cormack — not merely jumping between then and now, but giving the former as much of a voice in the show as the latter. This isn't just another missing- or dead-woman show, the type that the first season of Deadloch satirised, then; it's as interested in the character that might simply be a face on a flyer in other series, alongside the social issues that played a part in their disappearance. Setting its action in picturesque Queensland surroundings, the current season also dives into the housing crisis. Before playing the plucky, idealistic Zoe — a twentysomething with big dreams to get out of the only home that she's ever known, to make a difference and to live a life far removed from the existence that her real-estate developer father Leo (Dan Spielman, The Newsreader) has planned for her — McKinnon watched Black Snow's first season as a fan. "To be honest, I was living in Cairns at the time and I saw the first season with my housemates, just as a random audience member, pretty much. And I was so excited about seeing the landscape of Far North Queensland on screen, because I personally hadn't really seen it that much before," she tells Concrete Playground. "And so I just felt really moved by those images of the cane fields — and because they were right in front of my house as well, so it really tied in beautifully with my life that I had there, which was very based in Queensland. I just thought that was really special. And also the representation it gave to Australian South Pacific Islander peoples. I just was a fan of the show. Then I got an audition for the second season and I got really excited about it, and I thought 'I have to be a part of this'." Now, McKinnon is Black Snow's second lead in its second go-around. The Austrian Australian actor was last seen on Aussie screens in fellow Stan series Bad Behaviour (also alongside Spielman), and stars again as a young woman endeavouring to find for her place in the world. McKinnon is drawn to "complex and nuanced characters, and characters that are searching for purpose in life, or for their place in life," she advises. "Because I think as a young woman in the world, it's so interesting how we all navigate the world and society. And I guess I can relate to that in a sense on a personal level. I find it quite interesting." While Fimmel remains its constant, surrounding the Boy Swallows Universe, Raised by Wolves and Vikings alum with other impressive talents has never been a struggle for Black Snow. In addition to McKinnon and Spielman, season two enlists a cast that includes Megan Smart (Class of '07), Alana Mansour (Erotic Stories) and Victoria Haralabidou (Exposure). Adding to a resume that seems to feature almost every Aussie show made in the last few decades — think: Underbelly, of course ("it stands up really well and I'm so proud of it; it was a great experience," Stewart notes), plus Offspring, and also The Secret Life of Us, Blue Heelers, Stingers, City Homicide, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Newstopia, Tangle, No Activity, Get Krack!n, Five Bedrooms and One Night, too — Kat Stewart also joins the series as politician Julie Cosgrove. One of the few characters seen both in the 2000s and 2020s, she's initially the pro-development Moorevale mayor, then a senator and the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning. Cosgrove's son is also Zoe's ex-boyfriend. Stewart was "really, really thrilled to be a part of it," she shares with Concrete Playground, especially as Black Snow stood out among her past roles. "It's a character unlike anyone I've played before. I've tended to play characters that have no filters or are a bit highly-strung or neurotic, and Julie is completely grounded, completely focused, completely composed and quite ruthless — and that was great fun," she continues. Also a highlight: balancing Julie's very distinctive professional and personal guises. "I think that was a key interest for me, because that was a conflict for much Julie's storyline. She's got to balance her impulses and fierce protective instincts for her son with her ethical concerns and her professional concerns. So, that was a big appeal. And I think that's something that's universal. That's something that lots of parents can understand. I think of Joe Biden right now and what he's done — you want to do anything for your kids, but can you? Should you?" Then there's the fact that this is a topical series — with Julie directly tied to the season's examination of housing insecurity and homelessness, the factors behind both, and the clash between ensuring that people can afford to live in their own communities and attempting to create wealth through development — but "it's not a documentary. First and foremost, it's going to be entertaining. I think it's really smart," Stewart notes. We also chatted with McKinnon and Stewart about playing strong-minded figures, heading back in time, getting energy from the rest of the show's cast, bringing different visions of the Australian landscape to the world and plenty more. On How McKinnon Approached Playing a Character Who's Pondering What It Means (and Takes) to Be Her Own Person Jana: "I think Zoe's a very strong-minded person, and she really knows what she wants to do in life. And she's just trying to find a way, as in how to sell that to her family in the long run — and compromising here and there to wiggle her way through that, through those expectations, I guess. I thought that was really interesting. And showing someone who is so focused on also changing the world and making it a better place, and being so invested in that — and then being thrown by all these other things that that life forces onto her, like grief and just everything that comes with that. I found that a very interesting aspect of Zoe's journey, how she deals with the grief of losing her friend and what that does to her life and the trajectory that she's on." On Stewart's Initial Read on Julie, and What Got Her Excited About the Part Kat: "First and foremost, you look at great writing and a great story. Is this something I would watch? That's kind of my litmus test, and it was a big yes. And I thought 'okay, this is something I can have fun with. This is something a bit different for me'. And I hasten to add it's a fantastic ensemble. So I'm one of a brilliant ensemble. I'm in and out of the two timeframes, 20 years ago and currently. I liked that she's a grown-up character. I play her in her 40s and her 60s, and I love that she's so centred. That just appealed to me. I thought 'there's a stillness here that I can really explore'. And also the fact given the right set of circumstances, we're capable of really surprising actions. And she's a mother as well as a politician, and those roles butted up against each other. So I thought 'yeah, this is interesting'. I thought it'd be good fun — and it was." On What McKinnon First Saw That She Could Bring to Zoe — and How She Prepared to Jump Back to the Early 00s Jana: "I like that she was a bit edgy and had this really strong interest in music, and did the community radio show. And it was all about the bands and the music with her friends. I just thought that was so cool. It was so nice to research all the music myself, because I didn't know all of the bands that she was into, and dig into that aspect of the period. I mean it's 2003, but it's technically period now. It's kind of strange when it's sort of still the time that you're living in, but sort of not. It's uncanny sometimes, like suddenly you're thinking about 'oh, did you have computers at the cash system at the shop or did you not? How did that work?'. And also all the tech at the community radio station, we had to learn all that because it was old tech that we didn't grow up with anymore. So it was really interesting and fun to explore." On How Stewart Got Into the Mindset of a Politician Kat: "I think subliminally we all probably research a bit. We just look at our politicians and how they hold themselves. I went in with a central idea that Julie has — I'm someone who, I don't go into the into a room thinking I'm the most important person in the room. But Julie does, and I put that in my head. I was like 'yep, everyone's looking at me, everyone's interested in me'. That's Julie, I hasten to clarify. And that was a really interesting idea to take on because that's not how I carry myself in my own life. It was just a different head space to be in. It's such a fun job. I love acting. This is a great job." On McKinnon's Balancing Act Charting Zoe's Journey Towards Stark Realisations About Her Community Jana: "Even though she has that very ambitious sense — and she really wants to change the world for a better place — she also can be very righteous, and she can also have blind spots to what's going on in front of her. So for me that was a balancing act. So balancing these really noble ideas and ambitions with what's actually going on in her community around her and what she's blind to, even when it's right in front of her nose — and the injustice that she's unable to see in her own community. I think it's something that a lot of people can relate to. A lot of people want to be good people out in the world, but they forget to do it on their own doorstep. So I thought that was a very complex aspect of the character that I enjoyed exploring." On the New Season Not Only Chronicling a Missing-Person Mystery, But Examining Housing Uncertainty and Insecurity Kat: "That's the beauty of Lucas Taylor's writing, and he did it in the first season, too. He'll give you a ripping yawn with really engrossing characters and plot twists, but he'll sort of Trojan horse in bigger issues as well. But you don't feel like you're eating vegetables. It's done in a really organic, sophisticated way, where you're not really aware of it, but you come away thinking about the larger issues — in this case, it's homelessness, particularly for older women. So I think that's one of the great things about this show and it was the case in the first series. Julie's part in it is interesting, too, because from her point of view, she's bringing wealth to area and she's bringing a lot of people with her. But, we're seeing an exploration of the more personal aspects and implications of that trajectory, and who's been left behind. It's not preachy, but it's a really interesting examination of the issue. It feels like it's a part of the world, but it's not the point of the show. So I think for people who want to see the show, they're going to be grabbed by a great mystery, and great characters, and that's something that is just at the backdrop of it. In a way, it's something that's almost subliminal, but it's there and I think that's sometimes the best way to explore issues, because no one wants to be told what to think." On Joining Black Snow as a New Cast Member for Season Two Jana: "When I came in, I really just felt the love that the Heads of Departments and the crew members that were already on season one — and quite a lot of them were — had for the show. It was really beautiful to come in and start something fresh, but with people that already had that experience of season one, and they were also fond of that experience and also the final product, the show. So it felt really special. I remember that pre-production time where I went in and we had all our costume fittings and everyone was just excited to be back on at the production office. It was really, really nice, honestly." Kat: "It gives you a sense of the parameters and the tone. I think it's really helpful. And I haven't had this situation much. I suppose if you come in as a guest actor in an established show, it's like that, too. It's a good idea to watch a couple of episodes to get a sense of the tone. So I guess I have had that situation before. I think it was really helpful, because I'm very much a character that's one of the ensemble, and so we're in and out. So having that blueprint, even though it's its own show, just in terms of the style of the show and what it is, was actually really, really useful. I had a good sense of what I was stepping into in advance, which is great." On Drawing Energy From the Rest of Show's Impressive Cast Jana: "The beautiful thing was that everyone was so excited to be on the show. No matter where they came from, if that was their first acting job ever or if they were well and truly established actors, everyone was excited to be on the show. I think that really creates a beautiful spirit on set, and was very family-like. And it's just such a gift when you work with people like that, because it elevates the experience, but also elevates your own performance if you're acting opposite people who are really good actors opposite you. So it's just the best thing that can happen to you, really." Kat: "I actually only have one scene with Travis, and it was really interesting, because that one scene was quite an intense, big scene — and he was directing it. That was full on, because it was like 'hello'. I was really excited to work with him because I think he's terrific. I loved him in Boy Swallows Universe, the first series of this, obviously he's in Vikings. But it was a very unusual situation to be in. But I think I had the benefit of watching the first series, so I knew what the character was, and that certainly anchors it. So having seen the series, it gave me an idea of the tone of the show and the parameters and the way it would be shot. But yeah, that was just headfirst. I haven't seen it. I can't wait to see how it turned out." On the Importance of Black Snow Giving Its Missing People as Much Attention as the Search for Them Jana: "It's funny because going into it, for me it was all about creating her life and what that was like. And it wasn't for me to create anything beyond that, really. So to me, it was almost like whatever happens outside of that is not part of my storytelling, because I can't — knowing what happens to her, I can't bring that into my performance as the Zoe before anything happens. So it's kind of like, in that sense as an actor, pretty much like any other character — because it's all about doing justice to the person that they are and bringing them to life. I think it's really special that Black Snow does that, because you also get really invested as an audience member and you really want to know what happens to that person. So I can only hope that that's the same for Zoe and that people are invested in what happened to her." On Season Two Being Set in Queensland's Glass House Mountains Jana: "I think the producers are doing a really good job at picking out these beautiful, very striking pieces of landscape that you know to be Australian, but you don't see them so much. I think that's really special. The biggest block of shooting we did on the Gold Coast. We only had a few bits and bobs that we did at the Sunshine Coast. It was all pieced together. But I remember being there, seeing the Glass House Mountains for the first time, and I was just stunned. I loved it so much. They're very powerful." Kat: "I love being on location, and most of my work's been done in Victoria, Melbourne, which is just luck — and it's worked out well because I've got a young family — but this was great. It's so beautiful, the climate is completely different and the way they've shot it, they've really showcased that part of the world so beautifully. I think it's like a character, really. People say that all the time, but it really is. It's really beautiful. And I can't think of a production that's looked at this particular part of Australia like this." On Whether the Balance of Projects and Diversity of Roles That Stewart Has Enjoyed Is What She Hoped for When She Was Starting Out On-Screen a Quarter-Century Ago Kat: "I don't think I'd ever thought that far ahead. And it's all very strange, you saying 25 years, because I don't look back, either. You're always looking ahead. I know I've been very fortunate. I've been very lucky to work consistently and to work with such great people. And some long-running roles, too, where I really had a chance to develop the life of a character over a long time. That's a special — that's a really great experience to have. So I have been lucky. But having said that, I hope I'll be working for a very long time yet." On What Black Snow's Second Season Taught Its New Stars Jana: "It was just incredible to watch everyone bring their skills to the table on this show, because all the crew and the cast and all the directors were so incredibly skilled and beautiful at their jobs, and it was just such an enriching experience to get to watch them and just be present in that really concentrated and really skilled type of work. And also for me on a personal level, I think I always take inspiration from the characters that I play, and Zoe, with the fire that she has for the world, was definitely a very big inspiration for me as well on a personal level." Kat: "I just want to work on — it's the stuff you hear, but it's true — I just want to work on great scripts with great people. And each time you're building a character from the ground up, each time you sort of start with nothing, and each time you think 'oh god'. You always have to think 'oh, gee, how am I going to do this?'. You just learn things along the way just through doing it. And honestly, I love what I do. It's the coolest thing." Black Snow streams via Stan. Read our review of season one.
Just north of Brisbane, muggles and magical folk alike can shop for wands, pick up Harry Potter merchandise, knock back butterscotch brews and try Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, all at Samford's Store of Requirement. For wannabe witches and wizards, that's reason enough to pretend that your car is the Hogwarts Express and make the half-hour journey out of town — but if you need more motivation, the enchanting shop is now hosting Harry Potter-themed tournaments. It's not quite the Triwizard Tournament, but The Store of Requirement's Wizard's Tournament will put your skills to the test, as well as your Harry Potter trivia knowledge. When you're not answering questions about the huge book and film franchise, you'll solve escape room-style riddles and puzzles. Each two-to-four person team will represent a different house while they're competing (and no, everyone can't be in Gryffindor). While just what the escape room part of the fun will entail hasn't been revealed, it has been designed by Escape Hunt Brisbane and Directors of the Extraordinary. The latter was behind the huge interactive zombie game, Containment, that took over Brisbane Powerhouse back in 2017, so you can reasonably expect their Potter antics to be immersive. After kicking off this week, four future events are scheduled — and although the July 25 tournament is already booked out, you can sign up for August 2, 9 and 22. Tickets cost $90 for two people, $145 for three and $190 for four, with an option to pay extra for cheese and fruit, cheese and meat, or hot food platters. A live scoreboard will track your progress throughout the night, so you'll know just how often you'll need to say "accio points!" to try to up your score. Unsurprisingly, dressing up is encouraged — so all that's left to do is find some Potter-loving friends to don some robes and house colours with you. Find The Store of Requirement at 22 Station Street, Samford Village — and head to the shop's website to book a spot at The Wizard's Tournament, which takes place at 6.30pm on August 2, 9 and 22.
Career-wise, the past decade has been kind to Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton. It all started back in 2009, when he won the Cannes Film Festival's Camera d'Or — the award for best first feature — for the fantastic Samson and Delilah. Since then, he has explored ghost stories in The Dark Side, and opened the Sydney Film Festival with We Don't Need a Map, a documentary exploring the prominence of the Southern Cross in Australian culture. In 2017, he also directed one of the best, most blistering Australian westerns ever made, Sweet Country. And, more recently, he co-helmed the second six-part season of TV series Mystery Road — which premiered at this year's Berlin Film Festival before hitting screens Down Under. All that hustle and bustle has had an impact, however, as his next project explores. In The Beach, Thornton documents his own quest to step back from his busy life by living alone on an isolated stretch of sand by the shoreline — at Jilirr, on the Dampier Peninsula on the northwest coast of Western Australia. Thornton directs the exquisite-looking documentary, with his son — Robbie Hood and Finke: There and Back filmmaker Dylan River — shooting the entire series. As well as helming, Thornton obviously stars in the six-part series, too. And it's understandably a highly personal affair; "The Beach is one of the most important projects of my life. It's about my life. It is my life," the acclaimed director explains. Accordingly, when the documentary hits NITV, SBS and SBS On Demand on Friday, May 29 — airing on NITV and SBS simultaneously in one big block, and dropping on the broadcaster's streaming platform at the same time — it'll chronicle Thornton's efforts as he lives alone, endeavouring to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors, the Kaytetye people. Solely relying upon the land, he spends his days in scenic surroundings while hunting and gathering for food, with the docuseries observing unobtrusively as he attempts to transform his existence, connect to Country, and nourish both his body and spirit. As the just-released trailer shows, it makes for quite the striking viewing. And, given the current state of the world, immensely timely viewing too. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaMIcuVH83M All six episodes of The Beach will air on NITV and SBS on Friday, May 29, with the docuseries available to stream via SBS On Demand from the same time.
When the National Gallery of Victoria dedicates its blockbuster summer or winter exhibitions to big fashion names, one word usually applies no matter which designer is in the spotlight: stunning. It was true back in 2022 when the Melbourne venue turned its focus to Alexander McQueen, for instance, and also in 2021 when it did the same with Gabrielle Chanel. Expect the same across the summer of 2025–26, when it's Vivienne Westwood's time to shine, plus Rei Kawakubo from Comme des Garçons' moment as well. Heading to NGV International across Sunday, December 7, 2025–Sunday, April 19, 2026, Westwood | Kawakubo is both an Australian and a world first, pairing pieces by both the British talent and the Japanese designer in one massive showcase. No matter which of the duo's works you're looking at, you'll be revelling in rule-breaking, status quo-subverting threads. Some helped define the fashion of the punk movement in the 70s. Others have earned the world's attention at the Met Gala. In-between, items donned by supermodels, seen in films and from collections worn by plenty of well-known names will feature. [caption id="attachment_1011675" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vivienne Westwood, London (fashion house), Vivienne Westwood (designer). Outfits from the Portrait collection, autumn–winter 1990–91 (detail). 116 Pall Mall, London, March 1990. Photo © John van Hasselt / Sygma via Getty Images. Models: Susie Bick & Denice D. Lewis.[/caption] In total, more than 140 designs are set to display at the NGV. To assemble such a wide range, the gallery has sourced pieces from New York's Metropolitan Museum, The Victoria & Albert Museum, Palais Galliera and the Vivienne Westwood archive, plus its own collection. Over 40 works are new gifts to the gallery from Comme des Garçons especially for Westwood | Kawakubo, as chosen by Kawakubo. Among the full lineup of items: punk ensembles made famous by The Sex Pistols and Siousie Sioux, the wedding gown that Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That...) wore in Sex and the City: The Movie and the tartan dress that Kate Moss stepped into in Westwood's Anglomania collection in the mid 90s — and also a version of Rihanna's petal-heavy 2017 Met Gala outfit, plus pieces from collections that Lady Gaga and Tracee Ellis Ross (Black Mirror) have sported. [caption id="attachment_1011671" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rhianna wearing Comme des Garçons, Tokyo (fashion house), Rei Kawakubo (designer) at The Met Gala, 2017. Photo © Francois Durand via Getty Images.[/caption] Westwood | Kawakubo will span from taffeta to tweed, vinyl and leather to silk, and corsetry to ruffles and knitwear, then — and much beyond. The exhibition is designed to step through Westwood and Kawakubo's careers across five thematic strands, including the former's punk-era work and the influence of the movement on the latter, their shared needs to rebel against the norm, how the two women have looked either forward or back in their pieces, eschewing objectification and using fashion to make a statement. "This exhibition celebrates two leading female fashion designers from different cultural backgrounds, who both had strong creative spirits and pushed boundaries," explained NGV Director Tony Ellwood, announcing the showcase. "Through more than 140 designs from the NGV Collection and key international loans, Westwood | Kawakubo invites audiences to reflect on the enduring legacies of these groundbreaking designers and contemplate the ways in which fashion can be a vehicle for self-expression and freedom." [caption id="attachment_1011673" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vivienne Westwood, London (fashion house), Vivienne Westwood (designer) Look 49, from the Anglomania collection, autumn–winter 1993–94. Le Cercle Républicain, Paris, March 1993. Photo © firstVIEW. Model: Kate Moss.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1011677" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Comme des Garçons, Tokyo (fashion house), Rei Kawakubo (designer) Look 9, from the 2 Dimensions collection, autumn–winter 2012. Paris, 3 March 2012. Image © Comme des Garçons. Model: Henna Lintukangas.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1011676" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sarah Jessica Parker wearing a Vivienne Westwood wedding gown on the set of Sex and the City: The Movie, New York City, 12 October 2007. Photo © James Devaney / WireImage via Getty Images.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1011678" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Comme des Garçons, Tokyo (fashion house), Rei Kawakubo (designer) Look 1, from the Blue Witch collection, spring–summer 2016. Paris, 3 October 2015. Image © Comme des Garçons. Model: Maja Brodin.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1011674" align="alignnone" width="1920"] World's End, London (fashion house), Vivienne Westwood (designer), Malcolm McLaren (designer) Outfit from the Savage collection, spring–summer 1982. Pillar Hall, Olympia, London, 22 October 1981. Photo © Robyn Beeche.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1011679" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Comme des Garçons, Tokyo (fashion house), Rei Kawakubo (designer) Look 13, from the Uncertain Future collection, spring–summer 2025. Paris, 28 September 2024. Image © Comme des Garçons. Model: Astrid Wagemakers.[/caption] Westwood | Kawakubo displays from Sunday, December 7, 2025–Sunday, April 19, 2026 at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Head to the gallery website for tickets and more details. Top image: excerpt of Rhianna wearing Comme des Garçons, Tokyo (fashion house), Rei Kawakubo (designer) at The Met Gala, 2017. Photo © Francois Durand via Getty Images.
It's the absolute last thing Melbourne needs right now, but just after 9am this morning, Wednesday, September 22, the city was hit by what's reported to be an earthquake. Yep — we're out here deep into Lockdown 6.0, having clocked up over 200 days of stay-at-home orders, and the universe goes and dials up the drama with the literal shifting of tectonic plates. Just who exactly Melbourne pissed off so badly, is yet to be revealed. The experts over at the Seismology Centre shared details of the quake on Twitter, confirming a magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit Gippsland and was felt right across Melbourne, a good 100 kilometres away. The earth shakes lasted about 20 seconds, which proved pretty exciting stuff for this particular writer who hadn't even had their morning coffee yet. The preliminary magnitude 5.3 estimation is yet to be officially confirmed and may be revised. As you can imagine, Twitter fired up instantly following the quake, as people rushed to swap notes on Melbourne's 843576th bad news event of the year. There'll be more information to come as the experts recover from this sneak environmental attack. But in the meantime, here are some winning reactions from the Twitterverse. We'll bring you more information as details unfold on the earthquake event from this morning. Sounds like Melbourne's going to be in need of a good construction industry — Josh Withers (@JoshuaWithers) September 21, 2021 im pretty sure an earthquake is the sixth seal opened during the apocalypse. good news melbourne, just one to go! — Jim Malo (@thejimmalo) September 21, 2021 Statewide earthquake in Vic, 5.6. Whoever is writing this script of the impending apocalypse is getting ridiculously heavy-handed, I mean just fucking introduce a fun love interest or something and give us a breakhttps://t.co/erVIIzC7Ny — Marieke Hardy (@mariekehardy) September 21, 2021 pic.twitter.com/appe69o1u5 — fungbunger (@parsfarce) September 21, 2021 At what point do we accept that God hates Melbourne? — James Colley (@JamColley) September 21, 2021 FACT: Melbourne are 0-1 in VFL/AFL Grand Finals that immediately followed magnitude 6.0+ earthquakes in Victoria pic.twitter.com/7cGOgsMfUY — Michael (@HiReception) September 22, 2021
The dusty expanse of a post-apocalyptic world. Life before everything changed forever. Bunker existence. Giant robotic suits. All of the above are set to feature in Fallout season two — as they did in the show's first season — and Prime Video has just dropped a series of first-look images to give viewers a glimpse at what's in store. After premiering in 2024 and becoming one of the platform's top-three most-watched shows ever, notching up more than 100-million viewers globally, the game-to-screen hit is returning for its second season in December 2025. There's no exact release date yet, and there isn't a trailer so far either, but you can get a peek via the new pictures from upcoming episodes. Yes, this is a blast — as was the news earlier in 2025 that Fallout has already been renewed for a third season. Clearly, if you bring a massively beloved video game to TV in the right way, as season one did, then viewers will come flocking. We all know that that worked for The Last of Us as well, with its second season already airing this year and a third also in the works. For season two of Fallout, audiences can look forward not only to picking up where season one's finale left off, but to venturing through the Mojave wasteland to New Vegas — and to more time spent with stars Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets), Walton Goggins (The White Lotus) and Aaron Moten (Emancipation) as Lucy, The Ghoul and Maximus, respectively. When it dropped its initial eight episodes in 2024, Fallout took its cues from the games that first debuted on computers back in 1997, with three released sequels, a fourth on the way and seven spinoffs all following. The live-action television iteration follows Lucy, a lifelong vault-dweller, who leaves her cosy underground digs to navigate the irradiated wasteland that earth has remained for two centuries after the nuclear apocalypse. Crossing her path: bounty hunter The Ghoul, who has ties to life before the devastation; and Maximus, an aspiring soldier with the Brotherhood of Steel, who don those huge mechanical outfits. In this nightmarish future, a hellscape filled with mutants, wild west vibes and plenty of violence awaits beyond the bunker that the optimistic Lucy, daughter of Hank (Kyle MacLachlan, Overcompensating), who oversees Vault 33, has always called home. Bringing the chaos to life is a behind-the-scenes team featuring Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, as well as Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Graham Wagner (Silicon Valley) as writers and co-showrunners. And yes, Bethesda Game Studios has a hand in it as well. There's no trailer for Fallout season two yet, but you can check out the trailer for season one below: Fallout streams via Prime Video. Season two will arrive in December 2025 — we'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced. Read our review of season one, and our interview with Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell and Aaron Moten. Images: courtesy of Prime Video.
When you've just made two seasons of a time-loop TV show about reckoning with the past, what comes next? For Russian Doll co-creator Leslye Headland, another jump backwards beckons. The Star Wars franchise has been telling tales set not just in a galaxy far, far away but also a long time ago for almost five decades; however, across its 11 movies and five live-action Disney+ TV shows until now, it hasn't ever explored the events of as long a time ago as Headland's The Acolyte brings to the screen. As streaming from Wednesday, June 5, welcome to the High Republic era a century before Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace — and into a thrilling new angle into one of pop culture's behemoths. Although they each date back further, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones have become the 21st century's holy trilogy of fantasy and sci-fi fare. They've also all been adopting the same approach to keeping their stories going: stepping through the events before the events that they've already relayed to audiences. So went the Star Wars prequels, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Andor, plus House of the Dragon and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. So now goes The Acolyte as well. The key aspect of the latter isn't just that this eight-instalment series gains the space to jettison familiar faces and spin its narrative anew — it's also that it's traversing more of the world that George Lucas first envisaged in the 70s, and what the force means to more than the usual faces and those tied to them. And, it isn't afraid to question the heroes-versus-villains divide that's as engrained in all things Star Wars as lightsabers, having a bad feeling and droids. Taking place in a period of peace and prosperity — well, for some — The Acolyte is still home to heroes. Villains are part of the tale, too. But the idea that the Jedi always fall into the first camp and their enemies can only sit in the second is probed. Similarly queried is the notion that anything in the Star Wars realm, let alone everything, is that binary. The premise: Jedi are being eliminated by a mysterious warrior, a setup that is pushed to the fore immediately and initially aligns its emotional response as audiences since 1977 know to expect. But as gets uttered three episodes in, "this is not about good or bad — it's about power and who gets to wield it". The Acolyte's opening showdown unfolds in the type of cantina that's hardly new to the saga, but the battle itself is. From beneath a mask, a warrior (Amandla Stenberg, Bodies Bodies Bodies) isn't afraid to throw down, throw knives and throw around her ability to use the force, with a Jedi her target. In the aftermath, the robe-adorned head honchos have ex-padawan Osha in their sights. Now working as a meknik, which entails undertaking dangerous spaceship maintenance tasks that robots are legally only supposed to do, she fits the description. Her old Jedi mentor Sol (Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game) isn't so sure, though, especially knowing her past. Get ready to delve into history: throughout episodes set in The Acolyte's present day, Osha's backstory spills its details, plus a glimpse at how the Jedi work when they're the universe's accepted peacekeepers instead of freedom-fighting underdogs. In the season's illuminating third instalment — with Bachelorette and Sleeping with Other People's Headland handing over directing duties to After Yang's Kogonada after the debut two chapters (Cowboy Bebop's Alex Garcia Lopez and SWAT's Hanelle M Culpepper also helm episodes) — the action also leaps back years prior. Diving into to Osha's childhood in a coven that's use of the force isn't approved of by its regular guardians, it sees the show digging deeper into its examination of who is permitted to possess authority and influence. The Acolyte remains a Star Wars mystery as well, with why four Jedi are being singled out by an assassin doing their own master's bidding just one question that needs an answer. Who is pulling the strings behind the campaign against Sol, Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss, The Matrix Resurrections), Torbin (Dean-Charles Chapman, Game of Thrones) and Wookiee master Kelnacca (Joonas Suotamo, who also sported Chewbacca's fur Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker) is another. As not just Sol but also fellow knight Yord (Charlie Barnett, another Russian Doll alum) and his protege Jecki (Dafne Keen, His Dark Materials) are on the case, only one of these queries receives an answer early. Five years since the franchise started rolling out Disney+ shows in 2019 with The Mandalorian, as followed by The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor and Ahsoka, the results have varied from exceptional to unnecessary. That said, in whichever TV tale has been expanding this galaxy, casting has rarely been an issue. From an impressive ensemble of actors that also features Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers), Jodie Turner-Smith (Sex Education) and Rebecca Henderson (You Hurt My Feelings), Stenberg and Lee are The Acolyte's standouts. While they deliver particularly weighty performances when they're together — portrayals that cut to the heart of the thorny power dynamic that the series keeps laying bare — Stenberg, dealing with a twist on the saga's love of family drama and its echoing repercussions, adds an especially layered turn to her growing resume. Andor, with its complexity, grit, passion and spy-thriller vibe, remains hard to top as the best small-screen Star Wars spinoff. It was one of the best new shows of 2022 all round. Still, leaving sifting through why giving your all to attempt to stave off a dystopian nightmare is the most-pivotal quest there is to Andor, The Acolyte is a worthy addition to the realm. As it unpacks the hierarchy of light and dark, the grey areas that lurk between the two extremes and what all of those intermediary shades mean if you're not among those setting the rules, it's never afraid of the reality that life, even here, is messy. The force might be complicated in this one, but the potential for The Acolyte is strong. Check out the trailer for The Acolyte below: The Acolyte streams via Disney+ from Wednesday, June 5, 2o24. Images: ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
If you think Christmas has become a bit too much about shopping and spending, then you're probably a fan of Festivus. Yes, we mean the alternative to the over-commercialised holiday proposed in an episode of Seinfeld, as conjured up by none other than George Costanza's dad. The Foundry certainly like the idea of an all-inclusive December gathering, which is exactly what they're throwing to mark the end of their first year. Moses Gunn Collective, Baskervillain and If I Had Antlers will be cranking out some tunes, and if you're lucky, there might also be an unadorned aluminium pole in place of a tree. Now that'd be a Festivus miracle.
Escaping the hustle and bustle of daily life can sometimes be as easy as escaping into a vibrant art installation — in Brisbane over the past few years, at least. In recent times, the River City has played host to multi-sensory Van Gogh exhibitions, recreations of the Sistine Chapel, giant kaleidoscopes you can walk through, inflatable spaces and more, all aiming to take you out of your routine and into a place most wonderful and dazzling. The latest event to join them: pop-up mindfulness installation DayDream, which is taking the luminous part of these kinds of activities firmly to heart. Located on the bottom level of the Wintergarden shopping centre in the Queen Street Mall until Sunday, October 30, it's filled with more than 20,000 lights, which beam along to an ambient soundscape. An array of colours also flicker through the installation, with four different experiences on offer during the pop-up's run. Until Tuesday, October 18, it's going with 'Into the Wild' and 'Over the Rainbow' themes, while the rest of the dates will opt for 'Summer Solstice' and 'Deep Space'. Whenever you drop by, you'll be soaking up the space's calming vibes in 90-second bursts — including on bean bags — and endeavouring to drift far away from your everyday ebbs and flows. The one caveat: to enter, you do need to spend $10 at the Wintergarden first, then show your receipt to walk through DayDream's darkened archway. That's as good an excuse as any to go shopping, of course. Also, if you're photosensitive or respond to strobing lights, DayDream features flashing LEDs — so take that into consideration before heading along.
Have you ever wondered if there was a way to salvage the flavour of burnt rice, how to test if an egg is still fresh, how to prevent cheese from going off, or bread from going stale? Unorthodox but incredibly helpful kitchen and cooking tips are a great way to make the cooking experience much quicker and easier, and can be employed in your everyday cooking routine. Here are ten of the most helpful cooking tips that you may not know, but should. 1. Make Garlic Easier to Peel How? By microwaving it for 20 seconds. Zapping garlic in the microwave for a short amount of time is believed to heat the water in the garlic and cause the cells to rupture thus breaking the bond between skin and flesh and causing the skin to slip straight off. It is thought to make the garlic slightly less pungent but apparently doesn't alter it's flavour or texture. 2. Keep Delicate Dishes Warm How? By placing the saucepan on top of a fry pan. Whilst placing a saucepan over a stove on low may suffice for some dishes, delicate sauces or mashed potatoes can easily be burnt and ruin a perfectly good meal. A great trick is to put a cast-iron skillet over a low flame and then place the saucepan on top of this to ensure the heat is evenly spread throughout the meal. 3. Absorb Excess Fat from Soup How? By placing a lettuce leaf on top of it. Placing a lettuce leaf on the surface of a soup is an organic and effective way to defat the liquid, and it is a much easier and cheaper alternative than using gravy separators. The leaf can then easily be thrown away it has absorbed the unwanted fat. 4. Test the Freshness of an Egg How? By placing it in cold water. You can determine the age of an egg (while still encased in it's shell) through the amount of air in it's air pocket simply by placing it inside glass or bowl of cold water and seeing if it floats. If the egg sinks it is fresh, if it tilts slightly up or moves to a semi-horizontal position it is about a week old, but if it moves to a vertical position or floats to the surface of the water it is stale. It's that easy! 5. Avoid Curdled Cream How? By adding baking soda. Have you ever wondered how the age old quandary of cream curdling when you place it over fruit can be avoided? Well wonder no longer, because the solution is as easy as adding a pinch of baking soda to the cream before serving. 6. Keep Cheese Longer How? By wrapping it in a paper towel that's been moistened with vinegar. To avoid losing your cheese to mould, all you have to do is place a paper towel that's been soaked in white wine vinegar at the bottom of an air-tight container and put the cheese on top then keep the container in the fridge. 7. Eradicate Bacon Curling How? By soaking it in cold water before frying. In order to avoid the dreaded bacon curling that occurs when frying it, soak it in cold water for two minutes before frying it and dry well with paper towel. If that doesn't work simply sprinkle some flour over it, and if you still have no luck then try poking some holes in it. 8. Remove the Bitter Taste of Burnt Rice How? By placing a piece of white bread over it. Burnt your rice? Never fear, because all you need to do is place a slice of white bread on top of the rice, close the lid and let it sit for 15 minutes, then vualah, take the bread out and enjoy your non-bitter tasting rice. The bread will apparently absorb the bitter flavour of the rice you burned and restored it's taste back to normal. 9. Tenderize Meat and Speed up Defrosting How? By pouring vinegar over frozen meat. If defrosting meat has always been one of those processes that has baffled you, make life easier for yourself just by adding some vinegar. Pouring a cup of vinegar over the frozen meat lowers it's freezing temperature, making it thaw more quickly, and the acid in the vinegar breaks down connective tissue to increase it's tenderness. 10. Prevent Bread from Going Stale How? By adding a celery stick to the bread bag. By simply adding a piece of celery to a sealed bread bag overnight, you can refresh your bread and make it taste as good as when you first bought it. The bread is supposed to absorb the humidity of the celery, but it's flavour shouldn't change due to the bland taste of the celery.
Anything a human can do, a dog can do too — at least according to every single canine that's become someone's best friend. If you have a pet pooch, you know the drill. Wherever you go, they want to go. Wherever you sit, they want to sit. Whatever you eat, they want to eat as well. Sadly for your four-legged bestie, that mindset doesn't always pay off — but throughout August at The Prince Consort in Fortitude Valley, it's Pawgust time. The Wickham Street pub is dedicating the entire month to pairing pints with pooches. The beers are for you, obviously, not your barking companion. A heap of special events are on the agenda, including Paws and Pints sessions every Sunday, a pooch pub crawl from 11am on Sunday, August 25 and a Puppies and Comedy gig from 11am on Saturday, August 31. Also on offer: gourmet hot dogs, plus fundraising for the Animal Welfare League Queensland. Indeed, $1 from each of those special hot dogs will go to the AWLQ.
If you're of an age when you can remember burning your friend's So Fresh CD so you could stay up to date with the coolest songs of the season, congrats. You're old now. But also, congrats, because you will seriously enjoy this So Fresh shindig. The old-school get-together to end all old-school get-togethers is coming to Eaton's Hill Hotel on Saturday, April 13, and it'll be playing bangers strictly of the 2000s vintage. You can expect a disturbing percentage of Channel 10 alums (Australian Idol winners/losers and ex-Neighbours actors) as well as way too much Nickelback for polite company. Also, just throwing this out there: we're desperately hoping for a timely comeback of the Duff sisters duet 'Our Lips Are Sealed'. Entry will set you back $18.70, and of course it's obviously 18 and over — because if you're under 18 you definitely don't know what So Fresh is. Or CDs, probably.
Remember Stones Corner, that little pocket of weird shoe shops and depressing facades? Well it’s all grown up, looking fine and you’re invited to its birthday party. The Stones Corner Festival is happening on May 31 from 10am to 9pm and entry is free. As always, the focus is on craft beer, cider and wine from a glut of excellent breweries, which makes it completely acceptable to get your day drink on (although we recommend avoiding the petting zoo while buzzed). The festival also puts on live music throughout the day and a wide selection of local food and market stalls. But the festival’s real drawcard this year is to get you acquainted with the culinary talent on the block, including newbies Bent Elbow and Five Boroughs as well as established veterans Shady Palms, Grindhouse and Lady Marmalade. So come on down and get to know Stones Corner, the new West End of the east side.
When a spider spins a web, the strands are designed to trap prey for the eight-legged arachnid to consume. Madame Web tries to do something similar. The fourth live-action film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, it attempts to create a movie meal by capturing bits and pieces from anywhere and everywhere. There's Spidey nods, of course, variations on the "with great power comes great responsibility" line and more than one Spidey-like figure included. Introducing a new superhero to the screen, it's an origin story, complete with a tragic past to unfurl. Set in 2003 but with ample 90s tunes in the soundtrack, it endeavours to get retro as well. In its best touch, Madame Web winks at star Dakota Johnson's (Cha Cha Real Smooth) Hollywood family history, with a pigeon bringing The Birds, as led by her grandmother Tippi Hedren (The Ghost and the Whale), to mind. And, catching inspiration just like flies, the film also strives to be a serial-killer thriller. Look out, though. Here's hoping that spiders have more luck snaring a feast than Sony has in swinging Madame Web into its not-MCU franchise. They're not officially counted as part of the saga, and they're both exceptional unlike this, but the studio's animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse also help explain Madame Web's existence and approach. In trying to carve out a Spidey space around the Peter Parker version of the webslinger, who is now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony has been throwing everything it can at the screen. In the Spider-Verse flicks, that means a kaleidoscope of spider-folk, plus dazzling visuals and creative storytelling to match, demonstrating that people in suits isn't the best way to tell caped-crusader tales in cinema. In the SSU, focusing on a heap of peripheral Spidey figures is instead the tactic — and it's as piecemeal as it sounds. Hence Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, the upcoming Kraven the Hunter and the on-the-way third Venom title. Hence also the feeling that giving whichever bit players Sony can their own features, in the name of making a sprawling superhero saga with well-known stars because everyone else is (see also: DC), is the money-chasing move. In Madame Web's case, its namesake from the comics has scored a makeover to fit the franchise's mould — so, instead of being an elderly mutant with clairvoyant powers, who is both blind and attached to a web-like life-support system, she's 30 and sports Johnson's famous off-screen devil-may-care attitude. It's easy to wonder while watching if the film's lead took the gig just to wreak havoc on the press tour. Johnson's presence also gives viewers plenty to be thankful for. She hasn't gone for serious and solemn. She isn't playing for laughs, either. Instead, she lends the flick her charisma and knack for playing charmingly awkward, all without ever seeming bogged down by how lacklustre the movie around her is; now that's a superpower. Madame Web arrives on the big screen with one of its pieces of dialogue already sporting meme-level notoriety, except that it doesn't actually include that line. The clunky "he was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died" became the best-known aspect of the feature's trailer when the sneak peek hit in 2023, but it isn't in the finished film. Words to the same effect are, describing the fact that Johnson's Cassie Webb is the daughter of scientist Constance (Kerry Bishé, Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber), who has spun off this mortal coil — and that explorer Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim, Napoleon), the flick's big bad, was there with her. That was back in 1973. In the movie's present, Cassie has grown up in foster care, now spends her days saving lives with her work partner Ben (Adam Scott, Party Down), then starts seeing the future after a near-death experience. The full backstory, which also provides the feature's prologue, involves Constance getting bitten in Peruvian jungle under the guidance of Amazonian spider-people Las Arañas as a way of saving the unborn Cassie's life. That's the reason for the adult Cassie's visions — and, thanks to his own interaction with the magic arachnids from the area, for Ezekiel's spider-like physical abilities and dreams of his impending death. In the latter, he sees three spider-esque women ending his existence. His plan: locate them now (with the help of The Flight Attendant's Zosia Mamet and some technology that doesn't really fit 2003), murder them, live evilly for longer. Only Cassie can stop that from happening, with Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney, Anyone But You), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced, Migration — and also Dora in Dora and the Lost City of Gold) and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O'Connor, Ghostbusters: After Life) soon in her care despite not knowing her, or each other, beforehand. It doesn't bode well for veteran TV director SJ Clarkson (Succession, Vinyl, Jessica Jones) that her first cinematically released feature, which she co-wrote with producer Claire Parker (Life on Mars), also includes Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless as scribes. The pair with Dracula Untold, The Last Witch Hunter, Gods of Egypt and Power Rangers on their resume scripted Morbius, too, which is still the worst SSU movie — but generic, bland, caring zero about characters and basically sketching out scaffolding for monotonous action scenes remains their niche. Madame Web's serial-killer angle does stand out, more for feeling like it could've been the plot of a 90s effort about a psychic protecting three teen girls that had zero Spider-Man ties. That flick wouldn't have needed such routine fights and chases, either, or proven what too much caped-crusader fare constantly does: like join-the-dots filler. Enlisting ace talent such as Johnson, Sweeney and Scott, each of whom do what they can with stock-standard roles — as do Merced and O'Connor (alas, the usually stellar Rahim's part is woefully thankless) — can't paper over Madame Web's desperation to send strands Spider-Man's way. The 2003 setting could've been a Tobey Maguire (Babylon)-era nod, but with Ben's surname Parker and his pregnant sister Mary (Emma Roberts, American Horror Story) having a boy, the timing is geared to connect with the Tom Holland (The Crowded Room) iteration. A mid-movie scene blatantly yearning to make that leap also helps sum up Madame Web. At a baby shower for Mary, Cassie doesn't want to get roped into the antics, turns the room silent by talking about her mum's death and interrupts the big name reveal. Johnson kills it, but the need to link into a franchise that isn't even the SSU crashes. Unsurprisingly, pitching the whole picture to setup a future Spider-Woman trio flick feels like just as much as a stretch. Unless Madame Web becomes a box-office smash, no one, not even Cassie, would foresee a follow-up coming to fruition after this tangled mess.
Whether you're embracing being at home, or itching to get out of the house and into a bar as soon as possible, we expect you've experienced many mood changes with every 'new normal' moment. Perhaps you've been unexpectedly thrilled with your baking skills? Mortified with your home hair dye efforts? Proud of your Zoom hosting skills? Each day comes with its own highs and lows, so, we've teamed up with Jimmy Brings to suggest a drink and a snack for the small wins through to the mini meltdowns. Jimmy Brings is known for its 30-minute delivery times, so even when all you're doing is cleaning out the fridge, you can order a spontaneous drink to mark the occasion. Find the iso moment you relate to most, below. UNEXPECTED JOY AT YOUR BREAD BAKING SKILLS Deserves: a mini celebration with Covielle sparkling. In times like these it's all about celebrating the little things. Is your starter bubbling and doubling as it should? Are you proving your dough without having to watch the clock? Sounds like you're nailing it. When you're ready to slice into that crusty loaf, pair it with a selection of deli cheeses, from one of these cheese shops in Sydney, these ones in Melbourne, or from Le Fromage Yard in Brisbane. And make yourself an Aperol spritz with Covielle sparkling, which has a citrus tang and a clean, crisp finish that pairs well with the gooey cheese and that proud grin on your face. UTTER PUZZLE FRUSTRATION WHEN THAT BLUE PIECE DOESN'T SEEM TO FIT Deserves: a comforting bowl of pasta and a Mists & Shadows Chardonnay. You're 300 little blue shapes from completing that masterpiece of dots and swirls, and though you don't remember caring about puzzles before 2020, this is now all you think about. Why. Won't. It. Fit? Just remember, it's the little things that cause us most angst. No, your friends probably don't understand. But, you know what will help? A warming hug in a bowl. Order in a lamb ragu from Tottis or a cacio e pepe DIY pasta kit from Ragazzi, if you're in Sydney. Melburnians, Tipo 00 has its braised duck gnocchi for pick up, and much-loved vegan spot Smith & Daughters is delivering its penne carbonara and vodka-spiked spaghetti. In Brisbane, you can get spaghetti, rigatoni and carbonara to take away from 1889 Enoteca. The white peach and nectarine notes in the Mists & Shadows chardonnay pairs particularly well with lighter pasta dishes. [caption id="attachment_770129" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tim Mossholder[/caption] BOTCHED ISOLATION HAIRCUT BLUES Deserves: a treat-yourself moment with Heritage House Shiraz. Too scared to embrace the grombre, you decided it was a good idea to touch up those roots yourself and now… well, it's a good thing all those social catch ups come with a 'no video' mode. At least you didn't cut yourself a fringe, or decide now was the time to grow a beard. Console yourself with a treat meal — after all, you've saved all that money avoiding a professional. We suggest ordering Walter's dry-aged steaks, if you're in Brisbane. Or you can get wagyu sirloin steaks and beef fillets from Vic's Meat in Sydney, and Meatsmith can deliver a porterhouse or marinated minute steaks to you by the next day if you're in Melbourne. Get Jimmy to bring you a full-bodied red to match it. The Heritage House Shiraz has rich berry flavours and hints of oak that complement a sirloin or porterhouse served with buttery veggies. [caption id="attachment_770049" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Creative Exchange[/caption] PURE HAPPINESS AT A SUCCESSFUL VIRTUAL DANCE PARTY Deserves: a cheeky Jolly Trotter Pinot Grigio to set the mood. If you've been tuning into Hot Dub at Home every weekend, you'll know a dance party is all about the details. Balloons? Check. Glitter on your cheeks? Check. A raving outfit ready for that 'Sandstorm' drop? Triple check. When you're in the mood to dance, it doesn't matter if you're in a sweaty club or jumping around the sofa — so to help you get into the spirit, crack open a bottle of pinot grigio. Jolly Trotter is a crowd-pleaser with an orchard fruitiness to it that leans on the dry side. And, because you're planning to recover like a champion, prep an order of bacon and egg rolls for the morning. Sydneysiders can order a BKE roll and coffee combo from Paramount Coffee Project. In Melbourne, Egglab has its full menu available for delivery. And Brisbanites, you can order crispy bacon and fried egg baps from the masters of the humble brekkie roll, Yolk. WHOLE BODY SATISFACTION AT FINALLY CLEANING OUT THE FRIDGE Deserves: Mists & Shadows Cabernet Merlot on the couch, with a chocolatey treat. Look at that: you've organised the dairy to the top shelf and everything. You deserve to put your feet up on the couch (once again) and give yourself a much needed pat on the back. We all made lists during lockdown, but you actually achieved something. May we suggest having your cake and eating it? Our pick would be this decadent baked cheesecake from Attica. But if you're too far from Melbourne and want something you don't have to share, Koi Dessert Bar is delivering its weekly rotation of cakes around Sydney, from mascarpone tiramisu to mango yuzu tarts. And in Brisbane, you could order Gelato Messina's bombe alaska, or just a jar of its housemade dulce de leche. Pair it with Mists & Shadow's South Australian cab merlot that has a smooth mouthfeel and plum and blackcurrant aromas. GIDDY ANTICIPATION FOR YOUR UPCOMING FIVE-GUEST DINNER PARTY Deserves: Kiwi Hawk Sauvignon Blanc, because you're the host who knows the most. There's a reason everyone's looking to you to host the first catch-up dinner: you're the social alpha. You always know the best bars to visit and the newest restaurants in town, so now we're allowed friends over once again, it's your turn to impress with all that local knowledge. Not that you need our help, but if you're in Sydney, stock up at Paddington's Fish Butchery, which also has Mr Niland at Home meals if you're feeling lazy. Pair your seafood feast with a Marlborough savvy-b with a difference — Kiwi Hawk's is crisp and medium-bodied and works well with shellfish and herbaceous salads. In Melbourne, you can buy sashimi platters and green ocean king prawns from restaurant seafood supplier Clamms. And Brisbane's oldest seafood market, The Fish Factory, has plenty of whole fish and freshly shucked oysters to choose from. [caption id="attachment_770050" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Unsplash[/caption] NERVOUS BUTTERFLIES BECAUSE YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH YOUR HOUSEMATE Deserves: a bottle of Arcadian Tryst Shiraz and a couple of bowls of ramen. So you hooked up with your housemate during iso, and you liked it more than you expected. In fact, you want to take this out of the friend zone and into an IRL relationship. That's a ballsy move, so you may want some dutch courage. Better yet, make it a romantic dinner date for your do-you-feel-the-same? chat. First, order a bottle of date-night worthy shiraz from the cool climate Langhorne Creek; its sweet berry flavours, with crushed plum and smoky spices, pairs well with rich food, like the pork broth of a tonkotsu ramen. In Sydney? Order The Darkness from Rising Sun Workshop or RaRa's tonkotsu shio. Global ramen chain Hakata Gensuke is delivering across Melbourne. And Brissy lovers can enjoy Taro Ramen's DIY home packs. Even if things don't pan out, at least you ate good food. Download the Jimmy Brings app and use the code 'CONCRETE' to get $10 off your first order. Offer expires July 30, 2020. Top image: Andrea Piacquadio.
Most of Australia's cinema industry has earmarked July as its relaunch date, aiming to reopen in time for the planned release of Christopher Nolan's Tenet. But if you're a film fan keen for some big-screen fun before that, the country's drive-in theatres are filling the gap — and, given that their whole concept involves folks watching flicks in cars, social distancing is already part of the experience. At the beginning of May, Queensland's Yatala Drive-In welcomed movie buffs and their vehicles back through the doors. After a successful return over the state's Labour Day long weekend, the site halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast has worked its way up to screening films seven nights a week across its three fields. Run by the same team behind Brissie's New Farm, Elizabeth and Red Hill cinemas, Yatala is playing a mix of classics and recent releases. Viewers can pick from retro titles like Shrek, Dirty Dancing, The Princess Bride, Jaws and Toy Story, or opt for newer fare such as Jumanji: The Next Level, Bad Boys for Life, The Gentlemen or Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). In Sydney, Blacktown's Skyline Drive-In quietly relaunched over the weekend of May 23–24, selling out its two sessions quickly. It's now officially reopening for regular showings from today, Thursday, May 28, screening from Thursday–Sunday each week (plus a Monday night session on the Queen's Birthday public holiday, too) — with four flicks playing each night. Films on the bill include The Invisible Man, IT: Chapter Two, Spies in Disguise, Joker, Grease and Knives Out, with horror-themed Friday nights and retro programming on Saturdays also on the agenda. Its diner is also back in business, serving burgers, hot chips, choc tops and other snacks. [caption id="attachment_622465" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brook James[/caption] Melburnians looking to catch a flick in their car under the stars will need to wait until 11.59pm on Sunday, May 31 — so, Monday June 1, effectively — which is when Victoria's next stage of eased restrictions kick in. Drive-ins will be allowed to reopen then, with Dandenong's Lunar Drive-In relaunching on that date, Village Cinemas Coburg Drive-In doing the same on Wednesday, June 3 and the Dromana Drive-In restarting is projectors on Thursday, June 4. On the various cinemas' lineups: The Fast & the Furious, Shaun The Sheep: Farmageddon, 1917 and Bloodshot at Lunar; Cats, Mad Max: Fury Road, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction at Coburg; and Sonic the Hedgehog, Back to the Future, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Muriel's Wedding at Dromana. Each of the reopening drive-ins is implementing additional social-distancing measures, ranging from the provision of hand sanitiser stations to asking attendees to take their rubbish home with them. Online bookings are required in some cases and recommended in others, while bathrooms at some sites are only available in emergencies — and candy bar and diner patron limits are being enforced, with some venues delivering snacks straight to vehicles. For more information about each drive-in, or to book tickets, visit the websites for Yatala in Queensland, Skyline in Sydney, and Lunar, Coburg and Dromana in Melbourne. Top image: Yatala Drive-In and Skyline Blacktown
When the end credits rolled Dune: Part Two when it reached cinemas in February, it clearly wasn't the end of Paul Atreides' story. On the page, in the book franchise started by Frank Herbert in 1965, the tale of sci-fi's spiciest man — and of the planet Arrakis, and the fight to control it — goes on. It will continue on the big screen, too, with a third Dune movie from Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) now officially in development. As Variety reports, Villeneuve will work on the futuristic saga's next flick, which will follow 2021 standout Dune: Part One and this year's first sequel. That's all that's locked in right now, though — but here's hoping that it has a smoother path to picture palaces, after Part One was delayed from 2020 due to the pandemic's early days, then Part Two was pushed back from 2023 during Hollywood's strikes. When the next Dune movie will release, if it'll be called Dune Messiah like the second of Herbert's novels, whether Timothée Chalamet (Wonka) will be back as Paul, if he'll be co-starring with Zendaya (Euphoria) again: none of this has been confirmed at the moment. There might be a wait for more Dune, however, with Villeneuve also potentially adapting non-fiction text Nuclear War: A Scenario into a feature (and maybe making his own Oppenheimer as a result). Dune: Part One picked up a heap of 2022 Oscars, including for Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser. Although 2025's Academy Awards are still almost a year away, expect Dune: Part Two to at least notch up nominations again. Also featuring Rebecca Ferguson (Silo), Javier Bardem (The Little Mermaid), Stellan Skarsgård (Andor), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Oscar Isaac (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Christopher Walken (Severance), Florence Pugh (Oppenheimer), Austin Butler (Elvis), Charlotte Rampling (Benedetta), Léa Seydoux (Crimes of the Future), Josh Brolin (Outer Range) and Jason Momoa (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) across the two flicks so far, Villeneuve's Dune films to-date follow in David Lynch's footsteps. They also manage what Alejandro Jodorowsky sadly couldn't (see: excellent documentary Jodorowsky's Dune) in the process. Dune Messiah has only made it to the small screen before now, in 2003 miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune that included James McAvoy (His Dark Materials) and Susan Sarandon (Blue Beetle) among its cast — plus Alec Newman (The Boys in the Boat) as Paul. There's obviously no sneak peek at the third Dune film yet, but check out the trailers for Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two below: The third Dune film doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. Read our reviews of Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two, and our interview with cinematographer Greig Fraser.
While it seems to be a rite of passage for every school-aged kid to learn how to make paper cranes and aeroplanes, very few children would have ever dreamed they'd make a living out of folding paper. There does, however, seem to be a few notable exceptions to this rule. One such dreamer you might know is the remarkable Australian artist Benja Harney. Harney has transformed his childhood love of playing around with paper into a full-time profession. His incredible paperwork creations have been used for pop-up books, advertising, fashion, illustrations, invitations, and standalone pieces of fine art, with such illustrious clients as Harper's Bazaar, Smirnoff and Sportsgirl forking out the big bucks for Harney's paper structures. With its incredible intimacy, intrinsic simplicity, and remarkable flexibility, paper provides the artist with a unique material for creating works of art. And for Harney the joy of his craft comes from discovering just "how creative one can be with a flat piece of paper". Harney is not alone either. Last year's Sydney Biennale featured the paperwork of Japan's Sachiko Abe, China's Li Hongbo and Belgium's Honore d'O, while in America a number of paper artists have made a name for themselves thanks to their amazing sculptures of such seemingly impossible structures as stained glass windows and the White House. So here are seven of the most intricate and incredible structures ever made out of paper that prove that throwing paper aeroplanes at your maths teacher was perhaps not a total waste of time. A 'Stained Glass' Window - Eric Standley These amazing stained glass windows were created from hundreds of interlocking and overlapping pieces of coloured paper. The American-based artist Eric Standley begins the arduous process of making the windows by firstly drawing a design of the window, and then lasercutting through thousands of layers of paper. These are then layered together to create these marvellous 3D structures. See more of Eric Standley's work here. San Francisco - Matthew Picton London-based artist Matthew Picton has taken his love for all things geography to its fullest realisation with his amazing paper sculptures of major cities, from Venice to Tehran to this remarkable reworking of San Francisco. Not only are Picton's sculptures a masterclass in paperwork but also the paper he selects and crafts has particular significance to the cities he represents. His sculpture of Venice, for instance, is made from pages taken from Thomas Mann's classic novel Death in Venice with the paper then dipped in the infamously dank and disgusting lagoons that line the streets of Venice. See more of Matthew Picton's work here. Cross-Sectioned Animal Head - Lisa Nilsson New York-based paper artist Lisa Nilsson is clearly a woman of exceptional patience and remarkable skill, creating these insanely detailed cross-sections through the nauseatingly slow process of 'quilling', or paper filigree. Quilling requires the artist to individually roll, shape and glue small strips of paper and then combine them together to create a larger piece of art. Marrying this skill with her close study of the anatomical structures of humans and animals, Nilsson has been able to create what is undoubtedly the most fascinating science textbook imaginable. See more of Lisa Nilsson's work here. A Stretchy Person - Li Hongbo Chinese artist Li Hongbo devised a mind-bogglingly complex process of cutting and layering thousands of pieces of paper into an intricate honeycomb structure to create striking sculptures that seem to resemble some sort of horrifying Freudian nightmare. Hongbo's sculptures at first seem to be totally normal, solid structures, resembling white marble or resin; however, when Hongbo pulls at his creations, the faces and bodies become distorted and elongated, providing us with some striking and altogether unique pieces of art. See more of Li Hongbo's work here and here. 'Clothes' - Benja Harney Australia's favourite origami disciple, Benja Harney, has made everything from feathered wings for a Hermes window display to jewellery for a Sportsgirl shoot to an American Indian headdress for indie-pop sensation Sia — all entirely from paper. Perhaps most impressive, however, are these paper dresses that were showcased at the MAC Launch Party at Fashion Week 2010. The interlocking paper structures blew away the high fashion community with their artistic innovation and creative daring. Not only were the dresses remarkably beautiful but also totally functional pieces of clothing. See more of Benja Harney's work here. A Room Like a Cloud - Sachiko Abe Sachiko Abe may well have the easiest job in art. Abe is a performance artist who sits for hours and days at a time cutting paper into fine strips until she is surrounded on all sides in a cocoon of white paper resembling a sort of winter wonderland. The mysterious and elegant Abe never set out to be an artist but instead began her bizarre career while she was interred in a psychiatric hospital. She found the process of shedding paper to be strangely therapeutic and meditative, once stating that "the act of cutting is a constant exercise through which I organise and structure my random thoughts". The ethereal world of paper she creates around her made quite a splash last year when it was on display at the 18th Biennale on Cockatoo Island. See more of Sachiko Abe's work here. Capitol Hill - Jill Sylvia Whether it comes from some form of extreme patriotism or an addiction to papercraft, Jill Sylvia has spent the last few years turning discarded paper ledgers into iconic US buildings. The structures are made by cutting out the negative space from each paper grid and then joining the remaining squares of paper into an intricate connection of columns, walls, archways and domes. Sylvia has thus far created the White House, American Treasury, and Capitol Hill with many more iconic structures allegedly in the works (or paperworks, even). See more of Jill Sylvia's work here.
Eleven years ago, the biggest small-screen fantasy series of the 21st century so far told us that winter is coming. It repeated it over and over again across its eight-season run, in fact. Now, in a different fantasy franchise's longest trailer yet, darkness is coming. And yes, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power does look like it's taking a few cues from Game of Thrones. On the page, JRR Tolkien's saga obviously got there first — but in your streaming queues, it's following George RR Martin's equally beloved series. Actually, that's the case in two ways, given that Prime Video's new Lord of the Rings show will arrive a couple of weeks after Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. There's plenty of room in everyone's lives for both — and now viewers as keen as a hobbit for second breakfast can enjoy their lengthiest look yet at Prime Video's small-screen jaunt through Middle-earth. That not only includes the faces that anchor the series, which covers elves, dwarves and harfoots, aka hobbit ancestors, but also the places. This time, New Zealand's natural splendours stand in for the Elven realms of Lindon and Eregion, the Dwarven realm Khazad-dûm, the Southlands, the Northernmost Wastes, the Sundering Seas and the island kingdom of Númenór. It's now been 21 years since the first of The Lord of the Rings movies had everyone rushing to cinemas, obsessing over hobbits and elves, and saying "precious" too many times. Come September, this time at home, get ready for much of the above to happen all over again. After five years of talking about it, Prime Video's new series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is mere months away from reaching eyeballs — and the new sneak peek has an epic feel about it. If you're not up to date on The Rings of Power, it features a young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark, Saint Maud) and a young Elrond (Robert Aramayo, The King's Man). As seen in the show's first and second trailers, as well as this new one, it's also set to include elves catching arrows, humans stuck on rafts on stormy seas, cave trolls, raging fires and orc battles. Amazon first announced the show back in 2017, gave it the official go-ahead in mid-2018 and set a premiere date of Friday, September 2, 2022 back in 2021. In-between, it confirmed that it wouldn't just remake Peter Jackson's movies. Rather, the series spends time in Middle-earth's Second Age, bringing that era from the LOTR realm to the screen for the very first time. According to show's official synopsis, The Rings of Power will follow "the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history," with the action set thousands of years before the novels and movies we've all read and watched. The series will also "take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness." If you're a little rusty on your LOTR lore, the Second Age lasted for 3441 years, and saw the initial rise and fall of Sauron, as well as a spate of wars over the coveted rings. Elves feature prominently, and there's plenty to cover, even if Tolkien's works didn't spend that much time on the period — largely outlining the main events in an appendix to the popular trilogy. Naturally, you can expect Sauron to feature in the new show, and to give its main figures some trouble. "Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth," the official synopsis continues. "From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone," it also advises. In terms of stars, The Rings of Power features an unsurprisingly large cast — and some impressive talent behind the scenes. Among the other actors traversing Middle-earth are Ismael Cruz Córdova (The Undoing) as Arondir, Nazanin Boniadi (Bombshell) as Bronwyn, Owain Arthur (A Confession) as Prince Durin IV, Charlie Vickers (Palm Beach) as Halbrand and Sophia Nomvete (The Tempest) as Princess Disa. There's also Tom Budge (Judy & Punch), Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (The Accountant), Maxim Baldry (Years and Years), Peter Mullan (Westworld), Benjamin Walker (The Underground Railroad) and comedian Lenny Henry. And, the series is being overseen by showrunners and executive producers JD Payne and Patrick McKay, while filmmaker JA Bayona (A Monster Calls, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) directs the first two episodes. Check out the latest The Rings of Power trailer below: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be available to stream via Prime Video from Friday, September 2, 2022. Images: Matt Grace / Ben Rothstein.
Three months have passed in 2023, but Marvel fans have only enjoyed one chance to get their caped-crusader fix so far. The ever-sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe is reportedly set to keep spreading at a slower rate from now on, in fact; however, both Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Secret Invasion are on their way — and soon. The latter joins the MCU's small-screen slate, alongside WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms Marvel and She-Hulk. The focus: Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury. The Director of SHIELD and creator of the Avengers Initiative acted as the connective tissue between most of the big-screen franchise's early instalments — if Jackson didn't show up in a Marvel movie back then, was it really a Marvel movie? — but it's taken 15 years since first appearing in the post-credits scene of the original Iron Man for him to gain the spotlight in his own adventure. Secret Invasion itself has been in the works for some time, after first being announced back in 2020, and also dropping a debut trailer in 2022. Now, it finally has a release date: Wednesday, June 21. Mark your diaries, then get excited by checking out the show's latest trailer, which goes heavy on the looming war. The six-episode show will reteam with Fury as a battle is imminent with the shapeshifting Skrulls, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother) keeps asking help and his popularity within the MCU is waning. Plenty of other familiar faces pop up, too: Australia's own Ben Mendelsohn (Cyrano) returning as Talos after Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home, Don Cheadle (The Wonder Years) as War Machine and Martin Freeman (Breeders) as the CIA's Everett Ross. Will their characters really show up? Or will we really be seeing Skrull impersonators? Obviously, that'll only be answered when Secret Invasion arrives. Because every actor ever has to fit into the MCU at some point, the above cast is joined by a few other huge names as well: Olivia Colman (Empire of Light), Emilia Clarke (Last Christmas) and Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami). The story clearly ties into Captain Marvel, which is proving a launching pad for more than a few recent and upcoming MCU chapters, such as streaming's Ms Marvel and big-screen release The Marvels — which teams up Captain Marvel (Brie Larson, Just Mercy), Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani) and WandaVision's Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris, Candyman), and also arrives this year, in November. Fury, and therefore Jackson, did appear in two episodes of the Agents of SHIELD TV show in 2013 and 2014, so this isn't the character's first small-screen outing. Behind the scenes, Kyle Bradstreet (Mr Robot) created Secret Invasion, and writes and executive produces. Check out the latest trailer for Secret Invasion below: Secret Invasion will stream via Disney+ from Wednesday, June 21. Images: Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Everything is a multiverse these days, or so it increasingly seems. Marvel has one, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is currently in cinemas to remind us all of that fact if we somehow forgot after Spider-Man: No Way Home. Rick and Morty loves them as well. Even if the term isn't mentioned explicitly, everything from French delight Petite Maman to The Matrix franchise flirts with similar territory. And yes, the list goes on — but nothing else is quite like Everything Everywhere All At Once. Don't know why that's the case? There's a vast array of reasons, including star Michelle Yeoh getting to play multiple versions of the same character, earning a far worthier showcase of her talents than the likes of Boss Level and Gunpowder Milkshake have provided of late, and also working in a nod to her Crazy Rich Asians-era IRL self as well. Plus, there's the wonderful return to cinema by Ke Huy Quan, aka Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom's Short Round and The Goonies' Data, who makes a fantastic double-act with Yeoh. Also a highlight: a world where everyone has hot dogs for fingers; another where Ratatouille is real, but with raccoons; and another still that's a sparse realm where life only exists in sentient rocks. Weird, wild and wonderful from its first frame to its last, Everything Everywhere All At Once stands out in a heap of ways — and, if you haven't seen it yet or you're keen to give it a revisit, you can now watch one of the best films of 2022 so far from your couch via digital platforms from Thursday, May 26. Fast-tracking flicks big and small to digital is our new pandemic-era reality, and this gem is the latest to make the leap — while it's still showing in cinemas, too. It looks fabulous on the big screen, but if the ease of checking it out at home suits you better, that's also now an option, as it also has been with The Batman, West Side Story, Dune, The Matrix Resurrections and more in the past few months. Written and directed by the Daniels, aka Swiss Army Man's Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once really does take its name seriously. Here, almost anything that can happen does, all while laundromat owner Evelyn (Yeoh) just wants to get the tax office off her back, save the family business and make the most of her dad's (James Hong, Turning Red) visit from China. In the middle of a punishing audit by IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween Kills), and already feeling chaotic after her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) brought her girlfriend Becky (Tallie Medel, The Carnivores) home, Evelyn learns that the fate of the universe is at stake. Of course, only she can save everything — and while that setup might sound familiar, this funhouse of a feature never takes the expected path. Check out the trailer for Everything Everywhere All At Once below: Everything Everywhere All At Once is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream online via video on demand — including via YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review.
Need to get from A to B, and keen to do so on a neon green scooter? Well, you're in luck. After setting up shop in New Zealand, running a test in Melbourne and trialling electric bikes in Sydney, US-born company Lime has now unleashed its motorised two-wheeled transport in Brisbane. Specifically, Lime is giving its dockless electric scooter service a whirl, initially leaving several hundred — yep hundred — in South Bank and Fortitude Valley. When the outfit launched in NZ, it clocked up more than 300,000 rides within a month, so it's clearly hoping for a similar influx of scooting here. The company has been gaining popularity across the globe, with even Uber signing up as a strategic partner. With biking Lime's domain, its Lime-S electric scooters are of the stand-up variety — like the ones you probably had as a kid, not mopeds. But, with a 250-watt motor, they can reach speeds of just over 23 kilometres per hour and have a range of around 32 kilometres. They'll cost you $1 to unlock and 30 cents per minute. In terms of hiring them, it works much the same as dockless bikes services that we've seen. You locate a nearby scooter using the Lime app, unlock it by scanning a QR code or entering an ID, and cruise to your destination. You then park and lock the scooter safely out of the way. Each of the vehicles is also equipped with a sensor, which can tell the operators its location. And for keeping an eye on battery life, that's something that you can monitor via the app. In Brisbane, Lime will add more to spots around the city according to demand, and will also collect the vehicles every night from wherever they end up. As far as the latter is concerned, the aim is twofold: to juice up the scooters for the next day, and to reduce both vandalism and street clutter. In other cities like Melbourne and Sydney, the bicycle sharing service boom, which Brisbane City Council has refrained from entering so far, has folks leaving their bikes wherever they feel like it, throwing them into rivers and more has been a problem around the country, which Lime clearly hopes to avoid in Brissie. In Sydney, the company is currently trialling bikes rather then scooters due to legal restrictions; however the Queensland Government has given Lime an exemption to laws that otherwise deemed its vehicles illegal. Without the arrangement with the authorities, users could've been fined up to $10,444 due to the speed and power of the scooters. The state's road rules mandate that motorised scooters can't travel faster than ten kilometres per hour, or have an electric motor with more than a 200-watt output. The Lime scooters are now circulating Brisbane. To find one, download the Lime App and follow the instructions.
In the first season of The Last of Us, Joel (Pedro Pascal, The Wild Robot) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget) didn't always get along, but their best chance for survival was together. In season two, as the just-dropped full trailer for the HBO hit's long-awaited return shows, that may no longer be the case. Amid warnings about monsters — and scenes showing why those cautions are so important — the most-haunting moment of the new sneak peek arrives with two words: "you swore". Ellie flings that phrase at Joel like she's throwing a weapon — and it cuts deep. Exactly why, and also why the pair are in conflict with each other, will start to be revealed from Monday, April 14, 2025. Yes, the wait for this game-to-TV smash's seven-episode second season is almost over. In Australia, watching The Last of Us season two will also mean signing up for a new streaming service, as it'll stream via HBO's own platform Max, which is launching locally on Monday, March 31. How does humanity endure in the aftermath of the Cordyceps virus, and the global devastation caused by it? What does it mean to persist? Also, who do we become in the process? Audiences will find out again in mid-autumn. The new trailer for The Last of Us isn't the first glimpse at the show's second season — others have come as images, in promos for the network's full upcoming slate and via teaser trailers — but it does firmly set the scene for what's to come. Prepare for a time jump. Prepare for a guitar. Prepare for hordes of infected. Prepare for flames. Prepare for an eerie feeling, too. Also, prepare for sirens, flares and a stern warning: "there are just some things everyone agrees are just wrong", one of the teasers advises. In season two, it's been five years since the events of season one. And while there has been peace, it clearly isn't here to stay. The show's main duo also have company from both familiar faces and a heap of newcomers in its second season. Rutina Wesley (Monster High) and Gabriel Luna (Fubar) return as Maria and Tommy, while Kaitlyn Dever (Apple Cider Vinegar), Isabela Merced (Alien: Romulus), Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Young Mazino (Beef), Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope), Spencer Lord (Family Law), Danny Ramirez (Black Mirror) and Catherine O'Hara (Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) are the season's additions. The Last of Us made the leap from video games to TV in 2023, and was swiftly renewed after proving a massive smash instantly. The series gave HBO its most-watched debut season of a show ever — and its first episode was also the network's second-largest debut of all time. Locking in a second season was also hardly surprising because the 2013 game inspired a 2014 expansion pack and 2020 sequel. For first-timers to the franchise on consoles and as a TV series, The Last of Us kicked off 20 years after modern civilisation as we know it has been toppled by a parasitic fungal infection that turns the afflicted into shuffling hordes. Pascal plays Joel, who gets saddled with smuggling 14-year-old Ellie (his Game of Thrones co-star Ramsey) out of a strict quarantine zone to help possibly save humanity's last remnants. There wouldn't be a game, let alone a television version, if that was an easy task, of course — and if the pair didn't need to weather quite the brutal journey. As a television series, The Last of Us hails from co-creator, executive producer, writer and director Craig Mazin, who already brought a hellscape to HBO (and to everyone's must-watch list) thanks to the haunting and horrifying Chernobyl. He teams up here with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also penned and directed The Last of Us games. Check out the full trailer for The Last of Us season two below: The Last of Us season two will arrive on Monday, April 14, 2025 Down Under, streaming via Max in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of the first season. Images: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
It's won 11 Tony Awards and is one of the Obamas' favourite musical, and now Lin-Manuel Miranda's game-changing musical Hamilton is finally coming to Australia. The critically acclaimed hip hop musical, for which Miranda wrote the music, lyrics and the book, is about the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, as well as inclusion and politics in current-day America. As well as its 11 Tony Awards, which include Best Musical, it has nabbed a Grammy Award and even a Pulitzer Prize. After hitting Broadway in 2015, then West End in 2017, and beginning its third tour of the US earlier this year, Australians can finally catch Hamilton — when it makes its Southern Hemisphere premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in March 2021. According to the SMH, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane began vying for the rights to stage the musical in mid 2018, and Sydneysiders will be happy to have come out on top (this time). There's no word yet on whether it'll head to other Aussie cities later on — it's possible, other big musicals, such as The Book of Mormons, have. But, if you don't want to risk it, those located interstate should to start planning a trip ASAP — we think it'll be more than worth it. [caption id="attachment_722617" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hamilton by Joan Marcus.[/caption] It's not Miranda's first musical to hit Australia, either, his take on the classic 200s film Bring It On: The Musical hit Melbourne last year and quadruple Tony Award-winning In The Heights just finished a short season at the Sydney Opera House this January. Hamilton will make its Australian premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in March 2021. You can sign-up for pre-sale tickets now. Image: Hamilton, Broadway. Photo by Joan Marcus.
Surrounded by water on three shores, The Entrance is nearly an island. It's an ideal place to spend a winter weekender staring into endless blue, especially when you've been desperately longing to forget all about work, traffic and the general chaos of life. And it's just a 90 minutes' drive north of Sydney. On one side lies tranquil Tuggerah Lake, and on the other, the mighty Tasman Sea. Further north are the tiny settlements of Magenta and Norah Head, where you'll come across friendly cafes, rugged lookouts and white-sand beaches backdropped by national park. Set up home base at the Pullman Magenta Shores Resort and follow our guide to fending off the winter blues with a sneaky getaway. EAT All great weekenders start with ace coffee. Get yours at the Burrow Coffee House. This cosy spot offers nice brews and beautifully composed brekkies, including a bacon and egg roll with avocado, haloumi and balsamic. When you're ready for your next brew, head a couple of kilometres south to Long Jetty. Here you'll find The Glass Onion Society, a fun, art and music-loving cafe that does Sonoma baked goods, vegan doughnuts and 'Soul Soup', among other eats sure to warm up even the frostiest morn. When lunchtime arrives, explore a bit of history in the best way possible: while eating cake. Do so by booking high tea at The Entrance Lake House, an airy, elegant cafe that's been licensed since 1905 but underwent a reno in 2012. If you happen to be around Norah Head when hunger hits, then swing by The Ark Cafe, which serves Campos coffee and gourmet bites, such as a poppyseed bagel loaded with heirloom tomatoes, haloumi, spinach, avo and pine nut pesto. This place isn't just an eatery but a social enterprise, too. A percentage of profits goes to The Welcome to Paradise Foundation, which supports aid workers in South Sudan and a food program in Nepal, among other worthy causes. There's also a quirky retail space, where you can invest in a hand-shaped surfboard created by local Christian M. Laing and peruse a bunch of ethically produced clothing and homewares. Been saving up your pennies for a posh feast or looking to impress your date? Reserve a table for dinner at Ocean, a fancy restaurant whose floor-to-ceiling windows let you gaze straight out over the Tasman. You'll get premium seafood transformed into cracking dishes, such as ocean trout with lemon mayonnaise, beetroot, asparagus, peas and potato, or mussel and shellfish chowder. A more affordable option is The Shallows Bar where you can build your own charcuterie board or grab a few wood-fired pizzas. Or head to Bistro Jinja to sample dishes from all over Asia. Tuck into Shanghai braised pork belly, Chiang Mai chicken curry and dark chocolate tart with honeycomb and sticky fig ice cream, while seeing the sunset over Lake Tuggerah. DO One of the best things about visiting The Entrance during winter is that you get all the beaches but none of the crowds. Soldiers Beach, just south of Norah Head, has the whitest sand on the Central Coast and backs onto the lush greenery of Wyrrabong National Park. While you're there, keep an eye out for whales, which pass by from May until August. An even better vantage point is Pelican Beach Road Lookout, from where you can walk the 3.4-kilometre Red Gum Trail through towering red gum forest and the 3.5-kilometre Lillypilly Loop through rainforest, cabbage palms and burrawangs. Whales aren't the only creatures worth watching around here, either. The Entrance is famous for its pelicans. It's been named the 'Pelican capital of Australia', in fact. These kooky and characterful birds make great subject matter for photos, particularly if you stop by the waterfront at 3.30pm, their daily feeding time. It's not purely about feeding either — it's a chance for volunteers to make sure none of the little guys are tangled up in hooks, lines or other debris. Make your next stop spectacular Norah Head, whose lighthouse has been operating since 1903. In fact, this became the very last lighthouse in New South Wales to lose its lighthouse keeper when it became fully automated in 1995. Half-hour tours, which take you up the building's 96 stairs for epic 360-degree views are available every day for just $6 per person. Keen to travel further? Continue another 15 kilometres north to reach Munmorah State Conservation Area, a coastal wonderland of empty beaches, lookouts and walking trails. SLEEP To sleep with still water on one side and roaring surf on the other, check into Pullman Magenta Shores Resort. This beautifully designed luxe five-star resort is ten minutes' drive north of The Entrance, on the southern edge of Wyrrabalong National Park. The resort offers apartment-style accommodation options, complete with views overlooking the landscaped gardens. Recreation is the name of the game here, so don't even think about complaining of boredom. You've got the exclusive Magenta Shores Golf Course and Country Club, a day spa, tennis courts and three swimming areas: a 2o metre indoor heated lap pool, rock pools and the Lagoon with a swim-up pool bar, all at your fingertips. Go to the AccorHotels website to book your stay in The Entrance, and to discover more of regional NSW, check out Visit NSW.
Melbourne's Yarra River is known for a lot of things — like instigating a north-south city divide, being a sweet spot to have drinks next to, etc. — but being clean isn't really one of them. It's got a lot to do with that time it was a dumping ground for industrial run-off, sure, but it's also more visibly attributed to the litter that finds its way into the river. To help remedy this (literally) rubbish situation that's affecting the health and quality of that Yarra's water, local industrial designer Rowan Turnham has developed a floating device to help trap and remove litter from the waterway. In collaboration with non-profit vegetation renewal group the Yarra Link Project, Turnham (through his company Amass Design) has developed Project Galada. Galada is a modular capture barrier that floats on the surface of the water to capture and collect litter that accumulates there. Designed to look like bike chains (very Melbourne), the pods link together to create a barrier suitable for the environment. As the Yarra flows both ways, so the flap is opened by downstream flow (letting in litter), while an upstream flow pushes the flap closed (trapping litter). The blue pods also act as buoyant planters, with roots that are submerged into the water to provide bio-filtration for the river. As well as removing cheeseburger wrappers from the Yarra, Project Galada will also help improve the health, biodiversity and quality of Melbourne's waterways both now and for the future. We still wouldn't swim in it, but still.
Planning a Japanese getaway, or dreaming about eventually planning one? You can take one thing off of your to-do list: packing. Instead of carefully researching all possible weather conditions, obsessively trying to predict what you'll want to wear and then trying to jam it all into your suitcase, you can now simply rent whatever you need when you arrive at your destination. Luggage-free travelling comes courtesy of a new service called Locarry, which lets you hire everything from clothes to costumes to cameras — and sporting equipment, strollers and more — from residents on the ground, rather than taking your own. Prices are set by those leasing out the goods, with no fees charged by the sharing platform itself. The service can be used by friends to arrange to lend items to other friends as well. There are a few restrictions, understandably. While users can rent things out individually or as a collection (that is, a pack of objects that you might need if you're going sight-seeing in Tokyo or wandering through cherry blossoms in Kyoto, for example), they can't hire out food, drinks, booze, medicines, animals or a number of other items. And — as you'd completely expect — underwear is off the table as well. Of course, the idea of hopping on a plane without your own outfits won't appeal to everyone. Still, packing lighter than usual, being able to nab a raincoat if the weather turns or pick up a camera to use while you're away just might. For more information, visit Locarry's website.
The Yarra Valley is set to score its first big name hotel, with IHG announcing plans to open one of its new 'voco' accommodation sites there in 2021. The 170-room hotel, which has nabbed a hillside address in Lilydale, will feature its own on-site gin distillery, natural amphitheatre, mirrored maze, lavender farm and a providore selling local produce. Across one quirkily designed main building and 20 standalone cabins, it'll boast a gym, a restaurant and multiple bars with views across the region. Less than an hour out of Melbourne, it's in a prime location for visitors hitting the Yarra Valley's famed wine region and is on the way to popular ski field Mt Buller. Launched in June, voco is IHG's newest brand, pitched at delivering accommodation options that are upscale, yet fun. The same group has announced it'll be opening a Holiday Inn in Coburg in 2020, and has plans for 22 more hotels to launch across Australasia. voco is slated to open at 486 Maroondah Highway, Lilydale in 2021.
From July 19 to July 30, there's one surefire way to work up an appetite — just head to South Bank's Cultural Forecourt, peruse the hawker-style array of stalls slinging all manner of food and listen to your stomach grumble. Yes, the Night Noodle Markets are back for a fourth annual round of culinary deliciousness and yes, they're guaranteed to make you hungry. In 2017, there will be 23 stalls to choose from, plus heaps of pop-up bars, free music each night and the kind of bustling vibe that comes with a massive food gathering. As for what you'll be feasting on, expect tasty treats from the likes of Gelato Messina, Waffleland, Teppanyaki Noodles, Little Kyoto, Donburi Station, Spanthai, Hoy Pinoy and an epic collaboration between Blackstar and N2 Extreme Gelato. Make sure to work up an appetite beforehand and be prepared to roll yourself on home.
On any given Saturday morning across Brisbane, plenty of pooches can be found descending upon the city's markets. Come 6am–12pm on Saturday, October 15 in Carseldine, dog lovers and their furry four-legged BFFs will be doing what they usually do — with the added bonus of attending the northside spot's returning Barktoberfest. What do cute canines have to do with celebrating this time of year? Nothing, but don't let that get in the way of a dapper doggo-friendly morning out. As well as the usual food and fresh produce, an array of pet-related stalls will ramp up the fun to barking great levels. There'll also be a pupper fashion parade and a pawparazzi photo contest — to determine just which canine cutie friend is the most adorable. Also returning this year is a pooch splash zone, which first debuted in 2021. Yes, that means pools for your doggo. It is getting warm again, after all, and we're betting that your pupper also feels the heat. Doggy dancing, pooch portraits, canine competitions, pupper prizes — they're all on offer, too. Entry is free, and live entertainment is part of the market as well.
They don't call it movie magic for nothing, as plenty of Hollywood's leading lights have made it their mission to stress. A filmmaker's work should ideally make that statement anyway — seeing any picture and taking any trip to the pictures should, not that either always occurs — but overt odes to cinema still flicker with frequency. Across little more than 12 months, Kenneth Branagh's Belfast has featured a scene where his on-screen childhood alter ego basks in the silver screen's glow, and Damien Chazelle's Babylon made celebrating Hollywood and everything behind it one of its main functions. With The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg revisited his formative years, following the makings of a movie-obsessed kid who'd become a movie-making titan. Now 1917, Skyfall, Spectre and American Beauty director Sam Mendes adds his own take with Empire of Light, as also steeped in his own youth. A teenager in the 70s and 80s, Mendes now jumps back to 1980 and 1981. His physical destination: the coastal town of Margate in Kent, where the Dreamland Cinema has stood for exactly 100 years in 2023. In Empire of Light, the gorgeous art deco structure has been rechristened The Empire. It's a place where celluloid dreams such as The Blues Brothers, Stir Crazy, Raging Bull and Being There entertain the masses, and where a small staff under the overbearing Donald Ellis (Colin Firth, Operation Mincemeat) all have different relationships with their own hopes and wishes. As projectionist Norman, Toby Jones (The Wonder) is Mendes' mouthpiece, waxing lyrical about the transporting effect of images running at 24 frames per second and treasuring his work sharing that experience. Empire of Light is that heavy handed, and in a multitude of ways. But duty manager Hilary (Olivia Colman, Heartstopper) and new employee Stephen's (Micheal Ward, Small Axe) stories are thankfully far more complicated than simply adoring cinema. Actually, despite spending her days slinging £1.50 tickets and popcorn, Hilary has never seen a movie at The Empire. That might seem unlikely, but it's a crucial and thoughtful character detail. Navigating a journey with her mental health, her conscientiousness at work helps her to keep busy away from her lonely apartment. Having spent a lifetime thinking little of herself, she doesn't for a moment contemplate enjoying what her workplace sells (the fact that it's where she's being taken advantage of sexually by Donald also leeches joy from her view of the place). Accordingly, she has a stronger affinity for the venue's empty third and fourth screens, both of which have been shuttered — plus the upstairs bar that services them — and allowed to fall into pigeon-filled disrepair. When Empire of Light begins, Hilary has recently returned from a hospital stint, too, and the lithium her doctor has prescribed since is stifling. Watching someone go through the motions in a place that's all about motion, possibility, and shiny visions of other lives and realms paints a powerful portrait, with Mendes — who writes his first-ever solo feature script in addition to directing — crafting a keen character study layered with symbolism. Welcomely, when Stephen arrives to break up The Empire's routine, he's never merely a catalyst in another's tale or an emblem of Britain's struggles with race. Empire of Light takes the time to chart his path as well, including the discrimination he faces walking down the street; his devotion to his single mum, Trinidadian nurse Delia (Tanya Moodie, The Man Who Fell to Earth); and his growing romance with Hilary. Stephen's story is a coming-of-age story, all about finding himself in and through a space where audiences flock to find everything imaginable. So too is Hilary's, of course. That said, it's easy to see how Stephen could've just been a device, helping to keep the plot turning and Hilary's tale progressing, if someone other than Ward had taken on the part. His is a rich, sincere and soulful performance, playing a young Black man with the clearest of eyes as he surveys a hostile Thatcher-era England, yet remaining kind and caring — to people and injured birds alike — and perennially optimistic. Holding one's own against Colman is no mean feat; this film's own light largely beams from the pair. Whether they're sharing a frame or taking centre stage alone, they're always a key force drawing viewers in, no matter how forceful Mendes is with his cinema-conquers-all message (and how adamantly the score by Bones and All's Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is telling the audience what to feel). What a stunning portrayal Colman delivers beside Ward; Hilary was written specifically for her, unsurprisingly, and plays that way at all times. Saying that the Oscar- and Emmy-winner — for The Favourite and The Crown, respectively — is phenomenal in any role is like saying that popcorn is salty, but it doesn't make it any less true (as her recent work in Landscapers, The Lost Daughter and The Father also demonstrates). Deep-seated sorrow and heartbreak lingers in Hilary in Empire of Light, and not just because the screenplay says it must. The talented actor is a marvel at not only opening up a character's inner tussles and emotions in her gaze and stance, but making them feel hauntingly real, which Mendes makes exceptional use of. It's no wonder that the movie peers at her face often — a face that makes its own case for movie magic whether it's staring intently at Hilary's latest cinema task, revelling in Stephen's company or breaking down at The Empire's big moment: the glitzy regional premiere of Chariots of Fire. Alongside Colman and Ward, the man responsible for Empire of Light's gaze — and lighting it — is the feature's other immense and essential asset. Just like the film's two key actors, Roger Deakins' impact is so pivotal that this'd be a completely different movie sans his input. Earning the picture's only Academy Award nomination — his 16th, fresh from consecutive wins for Blade Runner 2049 and 1917 — he ensures that every shot speaks volumes about The Empire and the people who consider it a type of home. Sometimes, he achieves that by mirroring the big screen's frame, finding other frames to place around the picture's characters where possible, and stressing that everyone's tale is worth telling. Sometimes, too, he actively seeks out reflections, nodding to how cinema interacts with the world around it while also literally showing multiple sides of a character at once. That's movie magic alright, and Empire of Light is at its best when it lets its craft demonstrate cinema's glory itself.
We are all well aware of the pervasive effect social media has on our lives in terms of connecting, conversing and sharing with others on an unprecedented scale. Yet there are a whole myriad of other uses that social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter provide, which can have immensely positive effects. Take a look at a few valuable uses for social media sites that you probably didn't expect. 1. Mapping Infectious Diseases Graham Dodge founded a cunning website called Sickweather which ingeniously uses Facebook and Twitter updates to track infectious diseases. Unlike Google Flu Trends, which launched in 2010 and is based off people's searches, Sickweather can actually track the occurrence and locations of specific ailments. Dodge is also optimistic that through the use of event schedules, travel and weather patterns and environmental data, social media will be able to predict the spread of diseases. He has already noted pertinent trends of the spread of disease throughout America, and now hopes to win a $21,000 prize in a government-sponsored competition for a new app, which uses Twitter to warn us about public health issues. So next time you feel a cough creeping up on you, do us all a public service and tweet about it. 2. Helping the Homeless find Equality A study conducted by the University of Dayton has discovered that Facebook provides a refuge for homeless people by making them feel more equal. Everyone on Facebook is equipped with the same services and benefits, whether that be liking, commenting, messaging or uploading photos. This, and the fact that people can't smell if they didn't shower yesterday, or even know that they are homeless, which, says one of the subjects of the study, makes them feel accepted. Facebook is also important in helping them establish community networks, and helping solve practical issues such as where to find social services, a meal or shelter. 3. Tracking Public Opinion Topsy released a new political index last week called Topsy Pro Analytics whereby we can use Twitter to gauge public opinion by searching particular topics or hashtags. The complex technology delves into two years of data from Twitter feeds and is updated in real time. The mass number of results from the search not only reveal the frequency and number of tweets about a topic over time, but it also measures the tone and actual content of the tweets and who is conversing most about it. 4. Getting Your Voice Heard Thunderclap is a new site, which allows users to send out a message. Once enough people tweet it or post it on Facebook (at this stage 500 messages over 5 days) the site reaches its threshold and all the updates are sent out at once. This not only increases the chance of the message becoming a trending topic on Twitter but it also increases chances of people seeing multiple updates on Facebook and paying more attention to it. The tool could be a dream for non-profit organisations and the like to help amplify their message. 5. Educating Conservative Cultures about Sex Social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are transforming the way youth consume their media, even in developing nations such as Ethiopia, Mozambique or Indonesia. Social media is also a great tool in educating young people about safe sex practices and the importance of condoms. Through Facebook pages, Twitter feeds and YouTube videos younger audiences can learn about condom use without the embarrassment of their parent's presence and remain anonymous if they wish to. Through these social media platforms it is significantly easier for youth in these lesser developed countries to access information about HIV protection and family planning and chat about sensitive issues. 6. Engaging a 3000 Student Class The thought of teaching a 3000 strong student cohort would surely be enough to plague any teacher or lecturer with terrible nightmares. But John Boyer at Virginia Tech seems to find this massive class a piece of cake. Boyer introduced a novel system of 'gaming principles' by which students can rack up points to determine their notes. On top of this, Boyer poses regular questions on Facebook and Twitter for his students to respond to and also holds office hours using instant messaging on Ustream so he can respond to his many pupils in real time. Skype is also utilised to host interviews with important figures in global issues, such as Kony2012 creator Jason Russel, or a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. 7. Sharing your Organ Donor Status Facebook has introduced a new status option in the United States and United Kingdom which allows users to proclaim their organ donor status. By openly advertising in their biographical information that one is willing to be or already is a registered organ donor, doctors and advocacy group leaders believe that this will have a domino effect and encourage many others to sign up to be an organ donor. As well as this, being able to view it on Facebook would most likely hasten the decision and make it easier for family members to approve their loved one's donation. The company is looking to expand the tool to other countries in the coming months.
Plenty can happen in six years. Since the last time that Hans Zimmer performed in Australia, his score for Dune won him his second Academy Award and his work on Dune: Part Two earned him his fifth Grammy, for instance. Over that period, the iconic composer has also given everything from No Time to Die, Wonder Woman 1984, Top Gun: Maverick and The Creator to Prehistoric Planet and Planet Earth III their tunes. One of the biggest names in big-screen music, he's clearly been busy — but he's not too busy to add a three-city Aussie tour to his 2025 calendar. Zimmer will head Down Under for the first time since 2019, including for one night in Sydney. If you've seen him live before, you'll know that this is quite the sonic experience, especially for movie lovers. And if you haven't caught him yet, you'll want to fix that at his Thursday, April 24 gig at Brisbane Entertainment Centre. For more than four decades now, Zimmer has given screens big and small a distinctive sound. The German composer helped put the bounce in The Lion King's score and the droning in Inception's memorable tunes, and has loaned his talents to everything from Thelma & Louise to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy to Blade Runner 2049. It's an impressive list that just keeps going and growing — see: above — and it sounds even more impressive when played live and accompanied by an orchestra. [caption id="attachment_990221" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Suzanne Teresa[/caption] The latest trip Down Under for the man who has worked his music magic on a wealth of titles — Hidden Figures, The Boss Baby, Dunkirk, Widows, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, The Lion King remake and The Crown are just a few more of his recent-ish credits — comes not only after his 2019 visit, but after he toured his Hans Zimmer Revealed concert series in 2017, including to Australia. His 2025 shows see the return of his Hans Zimmer Live gigs, complete with a 19-piece live band and full orchestra, as well as a huge stage production that features a luminous light show and other eye-catching visuals. While the Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy and Tony-winner obviously isn't going to perform every single one of his iconic film scores, expect to hear plenty of your favourites from a newly arranged lineup of tunes that includes Dune, Gladiator, Interstellar, The Dark Knight, The Lion King, The Last Samurai and Pirates of the Caribbean. Onstage, Zimmer will have Australian singer Lisa Gerrard for company, with some of the songs that she co-penned with him featuring in the set — so, tracks from Mission: Impossible, King Arthur, Black Hawk Down, Tears of the Sun and more. [caption id="attachment_990220" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Suzanne Teresa[/caption] Top images: Lee Kirby / Frank Embacher Photography / Suzanne Teresa.
It's always a good idea to wear sneakers when you're walking around a gallery, but they're the only kicks that'll do when Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street arrives Down Under. First staged by The Design Museum in London, this exhibition pays tribute to the footwear's origins and evolution — through sports to fashion, surveying iconic brands and names, and obviously touching upon basketballers Chuck Taylor and Michael Jordan's relationships with the shoes. In total, more than 200 sneakers will be on display during Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street's Australian-premiere and Australian-exclusive season at the Gold Coast's HOTA Gallery. The six-level spot will give over its walls and halls to shoes, shoes and more shoes over the summer of 2023–24, starting on on Saturday, November 25, and marking the site's first major design exhibition since opening in 2021. While a hefty amount of trainers will feature, the entire showcase will span 400-plus items. The other objects at Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street include photos, videos, posters, artworks and process material, all helping to explore the journey that the footwear style has taken in its design and culturally. Expect to learn more about sneakers that were initially made specifically for getting sweaty, which is where the Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars and Nike Airs come in (and, with the latter, to add to a year that's already seen the movie Air step through the story behind them). Also set to feature: the shoes that've become cultural symbols (such as the Vans Half Cab and Reebok InstaPump Fury), future advancements in making kicks (as seen with Biorealize for Puma) and big-name collaborations (Jordan, of course, plus Run-DMC and more). Attendees will also check out sneakers that've made a splash on the runway (Comme des Carçons and A-Cold-Wall*, for instance), find out more about plant-based sneakers (such as Veja and Native Shoes) and customisable kicks (as Helen Kirkum and Alexander Taylor are doing), and dive into celebrity endorsements (Travis Scott with Nike, Pharell for Adidas and the like). Laid out in chapters called 'STYLE' and 'PERFORMANCE', the exhibition's first part goes big on aesthetics and its second on the act of making the best trainers — covering Chuck Taylor's basketball clinics, sneaker culture in New York City and everything that's happened since. "Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street reveals the role young people from diverse backgrounds have played in making individual sneakers into style icons and in driving an industry now worth billions," notes Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street Curator Ligaya Salazar. "The exhibition also gives behind-the-scenes insight into new upcycling and sustainable design practices, unseen prototypes predicting the future of performance design, and streetwear and fashion collaborations that changed the face of the industry." "As an active city with a vibrant street culture and enthusiasm for fashion, summer on the Gold Coast is the perfect time and place to celebrate the iconic footwear phenomenon. We are thrilled to be presenting this internationally acclaimed exhibition exclusively in Australia," added HOTA's Interim CEO Mik Auckland. Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street is the Gold Coast venue's second huge Australian-exclusive in 2023, following Pop Masters: Art From the Mugrabi Collection, New York and its focus on Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring from February–June. Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street will open on Saturday, November 25 at HOTA Gallery, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise Gold Coast — head to the exhibition's website for further details and tickets. Images: Ed Reeve, Design Museum London.
Get the jab, get a free beer, flight, holiday or pair of jeans: thanks to plenty of companies around Australia, that's been a reality over the past few months. Breweries, airlines, hotel chains, denim brands and more have been offering Aussies a little something extra for rolling up their sleeves, all as part of an effort to encourage getting-19 vaccinated against COVID-19. Now, one group of philanthropists and corporations is handing out a cool $1 million for having the jabs. The newly launched Million Dollar Vax promotion knows what it's about: giving away a big stack of cash to someone who has been vaxxed. And, it's open to folks who've just had one jab, too, as long as you've had it when you enter — and as long as you'll be fully vaccinated by Monday, December 13. If that's you — and you're over the age of 18 — you can enter whenever you like in October, all by filling out the online form on the contest's website. It runs through basic information such as your name, email address, date of birth, mobile phone number, suburb, state and postcode, and does require you to tick boxes to confirm that you meet the jab requirements. (If you have a medical exemption, you're not eligible to enter.) After you've filled out the form, you'll go in the running to win that $1 million prize, which'll be drawn on Friday, November 5. And, the competition is also giving out daily prizes, too. Over the month, 100 $1000 gift cards will be given away each and every day, from a total prize pool — including that top $1 million prize — of $4.1 million. You can only enter the overall contest once, however, and you're only eligible for the daily prizes on the day you enter. If you do win one of the $1000 gift cards, you'll be contacted via email within five business days of entering. You'll then get your gift card emailed to you once you verify your ID and that you've been vaxxed. All prizes are being handed out randomly, so you don't need to come up with a reason to win, enter an answer in 25 words or less or anything else along those lines. And if you're wondering who is behind the promotion, it's being run by "a group of generous philanthropists and corporations" called the Million Dollar Vax Alliance, who are aiming "to accelerate Australia's COVID-19 vaccination program" according to the contest's FAQs. "The faster we reach vaccination rates nationally, the sooner we all can safely resume our full range of community and business activity," the FAQs continue. For more information about the Million Dollar Vax promotion, or to enter, head to the competition website.
Chances are, you've walked past a Jimmy Rod's Barbershop once or twice. There are ten in Brisbane alone, including this one in Broadway Mall, Westfield Chermside and the original in Oxley, which Jimmy Rod first opened in 2003. It's hard to pinpoint this success to one element. Of course, the stores have that sleek industrial feel, and the barbers know their craft well. But you can't ignore the little details like tasty snacks, complimentary coffee and beer, and a Playstation 4 to play while you wait. It's also pretty affordable for a traditional barbershop with men's cuts starting from $36.50 and beard trims from just $11.50. Meanwhile, cut-throat shaves start at $47.50 and the shop sells a broad range of aftercare products from Uppercut Deluxe, American Crew and Kingbrown Pomade. Hot tip: try to nab a midweek appointment as prices jump up on weekends.
The Kooks were back in Sydney last week at the tail end of their Australian tour. We spoke with band member, Hugh Harris, about bringing in the New Year at Falls, cooking spag bol and retracing his roots in his spiritual homeland, Sydney. Hey Hugh, thanks for chatting with me today. So you have just landed in Sydney ready for the gig tonight? Well, we arrived last night but I have family in Sydney so we had dinner plans and then after dinner plans. Hopefully I will have time to have a rest today before the gig. But it is great to be in Sydney. I was down in Tassie for Falls so I saw you guys ring in the New Year! Oh, that's great, yeah, I think that was one of the best gigs we played, in Tasmania. And we managed to get the countdown right which was a bonus. Yeah, I was speaking to Alex Turner [Arctic Monkeys] the other day and he was a bit miffed that the countdown didn't really work out at Falls in Lorne when they were playing for NYE? Yeah, well I think in Tasmania it was OK because we had the big screen so it was pretty hard to mess up. In Lorne, there was no TV screen so it would've been hard for the Arctic Monkeys to count down. Have you played a summer NYE gig before? No, no summer NYE before, not on stage. I always think it is better just to have a party, then there is no pressure on anyone to provide the fun. But we have always wanted to do it and the opportunity came up so now we have. And did you get to see Pnau come on after you guys? Pnau? No. I stuck around for a bit. I had my cousins there from the countryside. My sheep shearing cousins. But it is hard you know when you are working, it is hard to know when the partying starts, but we just partied afterwards. Do you guys like playing festivals as compared to standard gigs? Yeah, I mean I think we are a festival band in a way. And it is a happier vibe. You get to play to people who aren't necessarily fans and that is an exciting prospect, you know, to gather a larger following. And you get that at festivals, everyone's drunk and they don't have a choice but to listen! You've been to Sydney a lot and having family here is there anything you really look forward to doing whilst you are here? Yeah, I have this nostalgia route that I take. We used to come here for Christmas because my grandmother was here. And one Christmas I got a skateboard and I used to take this route around Rushcutters Bay. So I will do that. On your skateboard? No, those days are past! I just walk it now. So I start at Rushcutters and then walk up the hill and go to No Frills [an offshoot of the supermarket chain Franklins that no longer exists] in the Edgecliff Centre and get a cake. It's where I used to buy my holiday cakes. And then I will head down to the Golden Sheaf and try and get a beer. And then a swim at that harbour pool. Redleaf? Yeah, Redleaf. So I will try and do that today. I think perhaps the Sheaf might have changed a bit since you were last there.. Yeah, I've heard that. What happened? Well, it is pretty much an empire now. When did you last go? Well, my Dad was here in the 1970s. Yeah, well it is not the Sheaf of the '70s! And neither of us was around then! You guys have been playing now for 7 years and you were only 18 when The Kooks signed to Virgin – did you always want to be in a band? No, absolutely not. I actually wanted to be in espionage, I always wanted to be a spy. And then second I wanted to be in a band. Well, maybe you could be a spy in your thirties? No, I think that might be too late. You know you have to do all this training, martial arts training; I think the dream is over. And maybe it will be too hard, you know needing to be inconspicuous and all? No, I'll shave my head that will be fine! And what do you guys get up to in your free time whilst you are on tour? Do you get into sightseeing or art galleries or whatever? Yeah, art galleries for sure. You hit the nail on the head. I love art galleries and try and go as much as possible. Modern art galleries. And cooking. I really love cooking, but mostly when I get home. I find it really relaxing and I cook a mean spaghetti bolognaise. Like all good boys! All boys have the staple spag bol! Yeah, but I would like to say that I think mine is better than anyone else's! You know, I leave it for a really long time, even cooking overnight, and it just comes alive. Well, not with bacteria hopefully. And other stuff? I like tennis. My favourite colour is yellow. And… Ok, just one more question. Your new clip for Is it me is particularly nostalgic with the typewriter and the 1960s primary colours – considering your musical influences how do The Kooks feel about nostalgia and looking back at the past? Yeah, we love the past. I love my past. And yeah, we are influenced by a lot of music from the past. But I think when we were young we used to go through our parents' record collections and just sift through, you know. But also I like that things from the past are spun and renewed and regurgitated. It's a blending of the past. Like with our new album, you know it is a bit of a bridge. It is The Kooks staple sound but then there are all these warm synthesisers in there so it blends the past and the present. That's what we do.
Every Brisbanite knows Anthony Lister — either his work, or his story. The former decorated the city's traffic signal boxes, brightening up more than 120 of them with his distinctive creations, all with the permission of Brisbane City Council. The latter, however, took a turn into interesting territory when BCC later took him to court on graffiti-related charges. In early April, you can catch his tale on screen in the excellent documentary Have You Seen the Listers?, and from March 22 to May 5, you can also see his latest exhibition at Fireworks Gallery. With the title Anthony Lister: The Flower Show, you can guess what he's focusing on — but, in his series of multi-coloured creations, it's a little like Brisbane street art meeting Van Gogh and Andy Warhol. As Lister explains, "Van Gogh was a delusional, antisocial sociopath — I can relate to that. Andy Warhol was a psychopath — I can also relate to that… It is agreed though they both made some very good paintings while they were alive… I have (for the sake of history and conversation) created a series of amalgamation paintings that celebrate the genius of both Van and Andy by unifying the qualities I am most attracted to of each."
Usually when May rolls around, the bulk of Brisbane heads to Musgrave Park for two days to pretend that they're in the Mediterranean. Loukoumades, souvlaki, haloumi and barbecued calamari await, and in hefty quantities. So does a massive celebration of Greek culture, cuisine and booze — aka Paniyiri. In 2023, that'll finally be happening again, after the 2020 event cancelled, the 2021 fest opted for a scaled-down and largely online format and 2022's big comeback as a full two-day fest was postponed to October due to soggy weather. This'll be the first Paniyiri to take place in its OG format in its OG timing since before the pandemic, running from Saturday, May 20–Sunday, May 21. Once again, the city's massive Greek festival will take over West End with quite the array of food, drink, partying and more. Yes, there's a reason that more than two million people have gone along over the years. Getting closer to five decades since the fest first was held in 1976, 2023's Paniyiri will focus on the theme "picnic at Paniyiri". Bring your own blanket to sit on for the day or, if you'd like a souvenir from the occasion, there'll be Paniyiri versions to purchase. No need to take along anything to eat or drink, of course, with the festival's stalls taking care of that — plus the usual array of Greek revelry, such grapes to stomp, coffee to sip, olives to consume, plates to smash, TV stars to rub shoulders with and cooking demonstrations to watch. Food-wise, expect bites from 11 Greek regions. If devouring as much as you can is your idea of fun, the festival's regular food contests usually keep stomachs satisfied. Then, to wash all of that down, there'll be Greek wine, Greek beer and Greek-inspired cocktails as well. It wouldn't be Paniyiri without entertainment. While the full event program hasn't yet been revealed, dancing is always a big feature thanks to Greek Dancing with the Stars and the Hellenic dancers — so fingers crossed they return this year. Paniyiri's cultural program will specifically pay tribute to three powerhouse Greek women in the arts via a historical display: Maria Callas, Melina Mercuri and Irene Papas. In addition to celebrating all things Greek in Musgrave Park, Paniyiri also takes over The Greek Club — and given that it's marking its first regular fest with its regular timing in three years, expect both venues to host one massive shindig. "Since 1976, Brisbane's Greek community has taken such pride in bringing people together from all walks of life, to take part in the zest for life that we Greeks have," said Chris Kazonis, Paniyiri's co-Chairman. "From honey puff-eating to dancing the Zorba to shopping the market stalls reminiscent of the cobbled streets of Mykonos, we enjoy nothing more than bringing Greece to Brisbane's doorstep for one fun-filled weekend every year." Paniyiri 2023 takes place from Saturday, May 20–Sunday, May 21 at Musgrave Park and The Greek Club, Edmondstone Street, South Brisbane. For more information or to buy tickets from Saturday, March 25, head to the event's website.
Brisbane's shopping centres have recently been shaking up their dining options. Goodbye boring ol' food courts that cram in as many fast food outlets as they can, hello indoor-outdoor food precincts that spread a variety of restaurants and eateries over a greenery-filled area. Chermside made the change a couple of years back, and now it's Toombul Shopping Centre's turn — and the fellow northside spot is doing so with neon, fountains and a circus-themed arcade bar. Called Upstairs at Toombul and opening just yesterday, the new area appears to be taking more than a few cues from key tenant Archie Bros Cirque Electriq (aka the latest novelty bar from the folks behind Holey Moley, Strike Bowling and B. Lucky & Sons). Indeed, the Sandgate Road shopping centre is calling its latest addition a 'foodie playground', and highlighting elements that seem to be specifically geared for eye-catching photo opportunities. Here, you can soar through the air on swings that change colour, watch the fountain turn into a multi-hued pool of lit-up mist when the sun goes down, check out installations and murals, and knock back drinks under a wall of neon. Beneath the hanging plants and disco balls, there's also a see-saw, a slide and a popcorn ball pit — and it's all designed for kidults, not kids. It is still primarily a food and drink precinct, though, so, as well as Archie Bros, Upstairs is also home to a heap of eateries. Dapple + Waver serves up modern Australian cuisine; Little Red Dumpling, Niku Ramen and Sushi HYO all specialise in exactly what their names suggest; Espresso Max is all about coffee; and Hello Harry slings burgers. Take specific note of Il Gancio if you like cheese wheel pasta — it's the latest venture from the folks behind Bowen Hills' Il Verde, and it's serving up the famous dish every Wednesday night. To mark Upstairs' launch, Brisbanites can head by on selected dates from Thursday, November 14 to enjoy a heap of specials and freebies — including free fairy floss, free frosé, free coffee and free boozy ice blocks, as well as $1 oysters and new cheese dumplings. Upstairs will also host an ongoing series of events, activations and entertainment, featuring live music, trivia and bingo nights, and chances to cuddle cute canines. And, in case you've forgotten, Toombul also boasts its own BCC cinema — and that's having a makeover too. Reopening its revamped doors just in time for the mid-December release of Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, the eight-screen complex will sport two new BCC Recline screens (yep, they feature reclining chairs), as well as a renovated foyer, lounge area, candy bar, coffee station and licensed bar. Upstairs at Toombul is now open at Toombul Shopping Centre, 1015 Sandgate Road, Toombul.
Peering at ancient pyramids isn't normally a Sydney pastime, but it will be come September 2024 without needing to leave the city — or country. At virtual-reality experience Horizon of Khufu, you'll get immersed in the past like it's all around you. Patrons will see the Great Pyramids of Giza, including flying over the Giza Necropolis. You'll climb to the top of the Pyramid of Khufu, in fact, and gaze out over Egypt with a 360-degree view. Getting a glimpse of burial chambers and embalming ceremonies, finding the queen's chamber, sailing down the Nile, attending Khufu's funeral: that's all also on the agenda, as is checking out the Great Sphinx of Giza and witnessing these ancient wonders by night. That's where your eyes will be heading, at least, via a VR headset that'll take you into a shared play space. Your peepers will also be checking out recreations of sights dating back 4500 years, to the time of Khufu, the second pharaoh of Egypt's fourth dynasty. He's the figure that's believed to have commissioned the largest of the pyramids, which was also his tomb. Your body will need to be at the Harbour City's Fever Pavilion, where Horizon of Khufu is making its Australian debut from Thursday, September 5, 2024. Once you've popped on your headsets, attendees will be led through Horizon of Khufu by a virtual guide, all while benefiting from design by Egyptologist and Harvard University professor Peter Der Manuelian. If you're with your date or mates, or family, the 45-minute experience also lets you visuals others in the VR space, so you won't all just be off on your own wander through bygone years. Australia joins France — where Horizon of Khufu debuted in 2022 — as well as the US, Canada and the UK in being able to enjoy this blast from the past. Unsurprisingly, it has proven popular around the globe, notching up more than one million visitors so far. If you've seen plenty of other Egypt obsessives at Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs and Pharaoh, you'll know that Aussies will help boost those numbers.
Sometimes, you can fall out of love with your city, get stuck in a monotonous 9-to-5 routine and start to feel a little like you're living in Groundhog Day. The best thing to do is pack your bags and get outta town for a couple of days, maybe more. Sydney is teeming with new places to while away a sunny day, it's the perfect destination if you want to escape the Melbourne weather or hightail it out of Brissie for a long weekend. But you don't want to get stuck visiting the same old tourist traps. To help you out, we've partnered with Qantas and curated sunrise-to-sunset guide for Sydney's hip 'n' happenin' inner-city suburbs, so you won't miss out on a thing. First destination: Coogee. There's more to this chill beachside suburb than a broad sandy beach, our step-by-step itinerary will show you how to pack the most into a day-long Coogee frolic and see all the best sites. From sunrise boxing on the beach to lounging on the rooftop at Coogee Pavilion, outdoor yoga at the Baths to dog-spotting on the foreshore, you can have an active, ocean-drenched, food-filled day all at once down at one of Sydney's most laid-back eastern suburbs beaches. Now, it's time to explore. 6AM: GO BOXING ON THE BEACH Book one of Beachfit and Wellbeing's outdoor boxing classes to kick-start your day with the zest of a lifestyle blogger. Coogee Beach itself gets fairly packed on sunny days, so the best way to enjoy the sand between your toes is to get down there early. Like, sunrise early. Meet at the centre of Coogee Beach, watch the sun come up and smash out a workout before most of Sydney has even registered that it's a new day. Don't forget to snap an Insta pic to make your interstate friends jealous. 7AM: GRAB COFFEE AND BREKKIE AT THE LITTLE KITCHEN Rinse off the sunrise sweat at one of the council's outdoor showers, and walk towards the south end of Coogee to The Little Kitchen. A family-run cafe open from 7am daily, you'll find modern Aussie cafe food in a relaxed, freshly refurbished setting. Pick a seat at one of the long tables inside away from the sun. Double Roasters coffee or cold drip takes care of all your caffeine needs. Keep brekkie simple with a humble order of fruit toast and ricotta, or have the grilled chorizo with roasted peppers, herb salad, hummus and labne for a more substantial feed. Don't forget to bring a book or the paper — anyone who gets up before 8am truly earns the right to savour that morning coffee. 8.30AM: ENJOY SOME PRIME DOG-SPOTTING Scientific fact: dogs are freaking cute. But you can test this hypothesis for yourself if you must. Grab a coffee to go, meander along the boardwalk towards Trenerry Reserve and you'll be in the heartland of peak dog-spotting action. Remember to wear a hat, some sunscreen and sunnies as those Sydney rays can be quite strong if you're not used to them. 9.30AM: PRACTICE YOUR SUN SALUTATION AT OUTDOOR YOGA Keep the active-wear on for a relaxing outdoor yoga session. From the dog park, just wander 100 metres back towards Coogee Beach to the historic Wylie's Baths for a wholesome al fresco Hatha Flow. Run by Wylie's Wellness, classes take place in the shade of a marquee overlooking the sea, so you can enjoy stunning ocean views while you're stretching it out. 12PM: FISH AND CHIPS AT CHISH N FIPS After an active morning, it's time to chill. Lunch from Chish N Fips is a local favourite and must-try for visitors. It's a reasonably priced, no-frills joint reminiscent of grabbing a feed on a camping car trip with the family circa 1998, but, more importantly, it's very tasty. Order calamari and chips to take away and enjoy unparalleled views of Coogee beach, with the sand beneath your toes and salty ocean breeze on your face. 2PM: COOGEE PAVILION Unequivocally the best place to scout a prime view overlooking the whole of Coogee Beach is from the rooftop balcony of Coogee Pavilion. Nab one of their balcony umbrellas, grab a Pavilion Pina Colada ($18) and some grilled haloumi wrapped in vine leaves ($12.50) and wind down overlooking post-card perfect views of the beach. Ah, how's the serenity? 4PM: SNORKELLING AT GORDONS BAY You don't have to travel to the Great Barrier Reef to live out your marine biologist dreams — check out the teeming aquatic life down at Gordons Bay, the coastal inlet just north of Coogee Beach. The word that comes to mind when describing the bay is 'magical'. This might sound like the overzealous puffery of a high-end Maldivian resort guidebook write-up, but when you're floating in the water looking up at the surrounding cliffs, you will second this assessment. Just think, if you were a Sydneysider you could do this every weekend. 6PM: DINNER AT SUGARCANE RESTAURANT Conclude your Coogee adventure with dinner and drinks at Sugarcane. It's a contemporary Asian dining experience with Japanese, Malay, Thai and Chinese cuisines all featuring on the menu. The decor has Balinese Seminyak vibes, but the ocean view from the restaurant's balcony tables is pure Sydney. Now's probably a good time to start planning your next trip back to this magical place. Ready to get away and experience Sydney? Book with Qantas for great fares to Sydney and NSW until 24 September. Terms and conditions apply.
Despite our country being one that's girt by sea, as our anthem reminds us, we've become rather obsessed with waves of the man-made kind of late. Surfing legend Kelly Slater intends to open his second surf ranch on the Sunshine Coast and NSW's Hawkesbury region is getting a giant wave pool and luxury resort come 2022. But, most excitingly, Australia's first inland surf park Urbnsurf, near the Melbourne Airport, finally started pumping waves in 2020. Now, the Urbnsurf team is setting its sights on three more landlocked locations across Australia. Because, these days, you no longer need the beach to be able to hang ten. After a tumultuous first year at the Melbourne location due to the global pandemic — and with the on-site Three Blue Ducks' all-day diner now open — Urbnsurf is set to open locations in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. The 3.2-hectare Sydney spot got approved way back in 2017 and, after the success of the Melbourne outpost, the team is now focusing on delivering its NSW project at Sydney Olympic Park. Construction on the Sydney surf lagoon is expected to commence in 2021. While an exact opening date is yet to be announced, the wave pool is set to make a splash come summer 2022/2023 — don't worry, we'll be sure to keep you updated. [caption id="attachment_796164" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Render of Urbnsurf Sydney[/caption] Meanwhile, the company also plans to make headway on projects in Brisbane and Perth. With the progress of these two locations still very much in the early stages, the details are under wraps for now. Urbnsurf Melbourne powers up to 1000 waves per hour, day and night. Plus, every wave has six different take-off spots equating to 3600 surfable positions every hour. So, if that's anything to go by, Sydneysiders, Brisbanites and Perthians can expect A-class surfing year-round — come rain or shine. Urbnsurf Sydney is slated to open in summer 2022/2023. Urbnsurf's Brisbane and Perth locations and opening dates are yet to be announced — but we'll be sure to keep you posted. Top image: Courtesy Urbnsurf and Ed Sloane
Make October a month of wellness, as W Brisbane teams up with much-loved purveyors of all things healthy living, Cool 2Be Conscious. Held across three early morning Friday sessions, Conscious Collective runs on October 10, 17 and 24 from 6–8am, seeing locals and visitors alike guided through a revitalising experience that's both exclusive and approachable. Shaped as community-driven workshops, guests are directed through two hours of breathwork and meditation, ensuring a relaxing end to the week. Then, it's time to drift away in a restorative soundbath before rounding out the session with a rejuvenating ice plunge, making for an unmatched dopamine rush that leaves you feeling centred again. Taking over W Brisbane's WET Deck, the rooftop bar and pool give way to a mindful openair studio just before the weekend arrives, made even better with sweeping Brisbane River views. With the sun still coming up as you move through one soothing experience after another, expect this weekly ritual to deliver a major mind and body boost. Founded by Ryan Hubbard and Ru Mackenzie on the Gold Coast in 2020, Cool 2Be Conscious has become a big name in the breathwork scene, hosting massive gatherings designed to make health a collective experience. Yet for those seeking a more intimate experience, C2BC's W Brisbane collaboration might just be the perfect wellness alternative.
Cross-dressing spitfire MC Mykki Blanco is in the country for Dark Mofo, heading north afterward to blow Brisbane minds at Ellement Lounge. One seriously multitalented artist, NYC-based Blanco is a rapper, performance artist and poet who grew up listening to riot grrrl music. The significantly internet-hyped New Yorker's setlist will inevitably include writhing party jam 'Wavvy' and heavier tracks like the recently released 'Initiation' — both as likely to intrigue audiences as attract them to the dance floor. Think bass heavy, post-trap anthems with a killer MC at the helm. While Blanco certainly stands out and makes her presence felt, she doesn't aim to make a 'statement' as such; rather fluidly transcending many identities. https://youtube.com/watch?v=w39Fxx10CEI
Deep in the woods of an Argentinian forest, Pedro (Viggo Mortensen) leads a simple life. He lives on his own in a cabin, tends to his bees with local girl Rosa (Sofia Gala) and is involved in less legitimate activities with childhood friend Adrian (Daniel Fanego) and the latter's slow-witted godson Ruben (Javier Godino). But when he begins coughing up blood, he knows he is quickly succumbing to cancer and he decides to make a rare trek into the city to see his brother. Meanwhile, in the city, his identical twin brother Agustin, a paediatrician, leads a comfortable but unhappy life and feels only numbness when his wife tells him they can adopt a baby. When the scruffy, chain-smoking Pedro visits unexpectedly and offers him a cash reward for treatment, Agustin seizes a chance to take his sibling's life and kills him, leaving his body to fake his death, enabling him to return to the cabin in Pedro's place. Agustin soon realises his brother's life was no idyllic backwater breeze, however, as he has to feign his sibling's ailments while piecing together his estranged brother's life and figuring out how to extract himself from the kidnapping scheme Pedro got himself involved with. The bees which make their way into his unfamiliar beekeeping suit turn out to be the least of his problems as he inherits a vendetta with the owners of a local general store, further isolating himself from the remote community. He also has to navigate an uneasy relationship the gun-toting, bible-quoting Adrian and convince Rosa that he hasn't been acting strange since he returned from the city. Everybody Has a Plan is a ponderously paced though richly atmospheric affair, its picturesque setting all broody swamps, hazy sunsets and fields speckled with ghostly trees. But a strong sense of place isn't matched by the story, which is thin and difficult to ever really care about. Similarly, the romance with Rosa feels underdone. The main reason to see this, a debut picture from Argentinian Ana Piterbarg, is Mortensen, who turns in not one but two intense and convincing performances, in Spanish no less. Mortensen remains a great screen presence, but he needs a better avenue for his considerable talents. https://youtube.com/watch?v=cJ8W01suq-c
