Travelling to the Sunshine Coast in less than a hour is the kind of thing that beach-loving Brisbanites dream of, but if a new proposal receives the go-ahead, it could soon become a reality. Put forward by 26 Federal Coalition MPs in Queensland, the North Coast Connect project would see high-speed rail introduced between Brissie and Nambour. Say goodbye two-hour train trips and road journeys, and hello a CBD-to-beach jaunt in 45 minutes. If successful, the plan would involve improving and upgrading the existing Brisbane to Beerburrum line, laying new lines from Beerburrum to Nambour, and building a 40-kilometre line from Beerwah to Maroochydore. To be delivered by development companies Stockland, Smec, Urbis and KPMG, it'd mark the first time the Sunshine Coast's actual coast was connecting to Brisbane. As for the super-fast part, trains would be trains required to travel between 150 to 200 kilometres per hour. At present, the proposal has been submitted for government funding, reaching a shortlist of 11 projects vying to share in $20 million to develop a business case. The three recipients will be announced in February, and if the North Coast Connect makes it through, the next step will involve assessment by Infrastructure Australia in the hopes of accessing $10 billion in federal cash. Via Brisbane Times. Image: Andy Hay via Flickr.
Three friends, a huge music festival worth making a mega mission to get to and an essential bag of goon: if you didn't experience that exact combination growing up in Australia, did you really grow up in Australia? That's the mix that starts 6 Festivals, too, with the Aussie feature throwing in a few other instantly familiar inclusions to set the scene. Powderfinger sing-alongs, scenic surroundings and sun-dappled moments have all filled plenty of teenage fest trips, and so has an anything-it-takes mentality — and for the film's central trio of Maxie (Rasmus King, Barons), Summer (Yasmin Honeychurch, Back of the Net) and James (Rory Potter, Ruby's Choice), they're part of their trip to Utopia Valley. But amid dancing to Lime Cordiale and Running Touch, then missing out on Peking Duk's stroke-of-midnight New Year's Eve set after a run-in with security, a shattering piece of news drops. Suddenly these festival-loving friends have a new quest: catching as much live music as they can to help James cope with cancer. The first narrative feature by Bra Boys and Fighting Fear director Macario De Souza, 6 Festivals follows Maxie, Summer and James' efforts to tour their way along the east coast festival circuit. No, there are no prizes for guessing how many gigs are on their list, with the Big Pineapple Music Festival, Yours and Owls and Lunar Electric among the events on their itinerary. Largely road-tripping between real fests, and also showcasing real sets by artists spanning Dune Rats, Bliss n Eso, G Flip, B Wise, Ruby Fields, Dope Lemon, Stace Cadet and more, 6 Festivals dances into the mud, sweat and buzz — the crowds, cheeky beers and dalliances with other substances that help form this coming-of-age rite-of-passage, aka cramming in as many festivals as you possibly can from the moment your parents will let you, as well. This is also a cancer drama, however, which makes for an unsurprisingly tricky balancing act, especially after fellow Aussie movie Babyteeth tackled the latter so devastatingly well so recently. Take that deservedly award-winning film, throw in whichever music festival documentary takes your fancy, then add The Bucket List but with teens — that's 6 Festivals. There's a touch of the concert-set 9 Songs as well, obviously sans sex scenes. Spotting the dots connected by De Souza and Sean Nash's (a Home and Away and Neighbours alum) script isn't difficult. That said, neither is spying the movie's well-intentioned aim. Riding the ecstatically bustling festival vibe, and surveying everything from the anticipation-laden pre-fest excitement through to the back-to-reality crash afterwards, 6 Festivals is an attempt to capture and celebrate the fest experience, as well as a concerted effort to face a crucial fact: that, as much as a day in the mosh pit feels like an escape and is always worth cherishing, it only sweeps away life's stark truths momentarily. The film's core threesome have their fair share of stresses; pivotally, 6 Festivals sticks with believable dramas. James faces his diagnosis, treatment and his mother's (Briony Williams, Total Control) worries, all while trying to recruit the feature's array of musical acts for his own dream event. Scoring backstage access comes courtesy of up-and-coming Indigenous muso Marley (debutant Guyala Bayles), who graces most of the lineups and shared a childhood with Summer, united by their respective mothers' struggles with addiction — and, now they've crossed paths again, offers to mentor her pal's own singing career. As for Maxie, his drug-dealing older brother Kane (Kyuss King, also from Barons) is usually at the same fests pressuring him into carrying his stash. They're the only family each other has, so saying no doesn't seem an option. Cemented friendships, last hurrahs, big dreams, substance-addled chaos: all festivals boast these tales, whichever one, six or 1000 anyone happens to pick. Again, it's easy to see how De Souza and Nash have chosen not only their overall plot, but its narrative beats — and it's just as easy to understand why, what they're striving for and how it's hoped that viewers will respond. 6 Festivals' live footage is vivid and authentic in its look, texture and tone, and the story sticks to the same relatable terrain. Of course, the line between clichéd and being predictable because that's simply how life is can be incredibly thin, not to mention subjective. Sometimes, 6 Festivals falls on the raw and immersive side of the been-there-done-that equation, and sometimes on the forced and well-worn — like a well-known song either given a definitive new live spin, or sounding exactly as it does whenever and wherever it's played. Always fresh and lived-in, and never just doing what's done, is the film's impressive young cast — even when the dialogue they're uttering is more than a little clunky. It isn't merely Potter who gets saddled with awkward lines, thankfully, as the worst pictures about ailing characters tend to do. 6 Festivals doesn't push its cancer-stricken character to the side and, with all five of its key figures wading through woes, it smartly doesn't use his deteriorating health solely to gift his pals with life-changing lessons, either. Still, whenever the movie gleans an opportunity to spell out its weighty emotions as overtly as it can, it takes it. It needn't; Potter sells James' plight in his yearning eyes and anxious energy, including when getting drunk feels like the only thing to do, while Honeychurch, Bayles and the IRL King brothers all leave their own imprints. Every festival thrives or falters based on its lineup, and this film that flits between six of them is no different — including via the real-life bands and artists that fill its frames. Some get worked into the narrative in those aforementioned behind-the-action chats, others solely bust out their onstage best, but the full roster provides a stelar snapshot of Australia's music and fest scenes. With the live performances, as well as the general on-the-ground atmosphere, cinematographer Hugh Miller (June Again) and editor Ahmad Halimi (The Bureau of Magical Things) achieve the most vital task 6 Festivals has: making feeling like you're there the easiest feeling in the world. The movie overall is a mixed bag, but wanting to rush out of the cinema — or hop up from your couch, with the film hitting streaming on August 25, a fortnight after its big-screen debut — and into the first festival near you is an instant reaction.
Over the past few years, Gelatissimo has whipped up a number of creative flavours, including frosé sorbet, ginger beer gelato, Weet-Bix and fairy bread varieties, hot cross bun gelato and even gelato for dogs. For its latest offering, the Australian dessert chain is taking inspiration from other sweet treats — in case you can't choose between tucking into a frosted cinnamon scroll or licking your way through a few scoops of ice cream. Yes, that very combination is now on the menu, all as part of Gelatissimo's deluxe range. Just launching this week, its frosted cinnamon scrolls flavour is made from cinnamon, vanilla and cream cheese gelato. It's then filled with chunks of soft cinnamon scrolls and topped with cream cheese icing, with the scrolls and icing made by Sonoma Baking Company. Gelatissimo has also added a fudgy choc chunks and raspberries flavour as well, which is exactly what it sounds like. You'll bite into chocolate and raspberry gelato, then find whole chocolate fudge chunks made by Yarra Valley's Fudge by Rich inside. It also comes with a thick chocolate sauce made from cocoa butter, as well as a raspberry sauce. The two newcomers join a lineup that already includes double choc brownie, cookie dough, choc-dipped strawberries and New York cheesecake, should your dessert-loving tastebuds need a few more mashup options. Gelatissimo's deluxe range focuses on chunky gelato made with locally sourced ingredients — and while the two new flavours are now available nationwide, they're only on offer for a limited time, although the chain hasn't specified an exact period. Gelatissimo's frosted cinnamon scrolls and fudgy choc chunks and raspberries gelato flavours are available from all stores nationwide for a limited time.
You can't miss this triangular-shaped structure of the FV Brisbane in Fortitude Valley that purposefully takes inspiration from New York's famous Flatiron Building. It's all part of the ever-growing FV precinct, which includes Altitude rooftop bar. Of course, you're not supposed to miss it. But marvelling at its exterior is just the start — although one of its unmistakable highlights is definitely located outside, and up high as well. Lofty pools with a view are on-trend at the moment but we're certainly not complaining about that. Here, the splash-friendly spot is U-shaped, and it looks out over the city skyline. You can also book private spa lounges (should you be staycationing with a group) and then catch a flick on the outdoor deck. Or, find your bliss in FV Brisbane's yoga studio. Seeking more inspiration? Discover more at our list of the best hotels in Brisbane.
Keen to see Oasis onstage Down Under when Liam and Noel Gallagher reunite for the reformed band's 2025 tour? Don't look back in anger at paying more than you should for a ticket to their Melbourne shows. As it did with Taylor Swift's Eras tour — and with the 2024 Meredith Music Festival, too — the Victorian Government has declared the British group's upcoming trip to the state a major event, meaning that the gigs now fall under anti-scalping laws. Under Victoria's major-event ticketing declarations, tickets to the two concerts must legally be available for a fair price, not the hefty costs that they can be flogged off for on the resale market. There's a specific figure specified under the law, in fact, with tickets to a declared major event unable to be resold for more than ten percent more than their original value. [caption id="attachment_975202" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simon Emmett[/caption] Other requirements include ticket package sellers needing authorisation from the event organiser, plus individual ads for tickets including both ticket and seating details. If a ticket seller flouts the rules, the penalties are steep, ranging up to more than half-a-million dollars. [caption id="attachment_975640" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Batiste Safont via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] While the major-event declaration clearly benefits Melbourne Oasis devotees eager to get a ticket to see the band play at Marvel Stadium, it's also great news for fans elsewhere that are hoping to head to the Victorian capital for the Friday, October 31–Saturday, November 1 shows. Oasis are only making two stops on their visit Down Under, two doing gigs in Melbourne and two in Sydney. So, also like the Eras tour, there'll be plenty of concertgoers flying and driving in from interstate. 2025 marks 20 years since Oasis last toured Australia, but that's where the lengthy gap between the band's Down Under shows is ending. There's comeback tours and then there's Britain's most-famous feuding siblings reuniting to bring one of the country's iconic groups back together live — aka the biggest story in music touring of 2024 since Liam and Noel announced in August that they were reforming the band, and also burying the hatchet. Initially, Oasis locked in a run of shows in the UK and Ireland. Since then, they've been expanding their tour dates, also confirming visits to Canada and the US. From London, Manchester and Dublin to Toronto, Los Angeles and Mexico City, the entire tour so far is sold out. Oasis broke up in 2009, four years after their last Australian tour, and following seven albums from 1994's Definitely Maybe through to 2008's Dig Your Soul — and after drawing massive crowds to their live gigs along the way (see: documentary Oasis Knebworth 1996). If you're feeling supersonic about the group's reunion, you can likely expect to hear that track, plus everything from 'Live Forever', 'Cigarettes & Alcohol', 'Morning Glory' and 'Some Might Say' through to 'Wonderwall', 'Don't Look Back in Anger' and 'Champagne Supernova' when they hit Australia. Oasis Live '25 Australian Dates Friday, October 31–Saturday, November 1 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Friday, November 7–Saturday, November 8 — Accor Stadium, Sydney Oasis are touring Australia in October and November 2025, with Melbourne tickets on sale from 10am AEDT and Sydney tickets from 12pm AEDT on Tuesday, October 15. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Raph_PH via Flickr.
Now in their fourth decade, Novocastrian stalwarts The Screaming Jets, also widely-known as 'the last great Aussie Pub Rock band', is bringing their much-loved brand of hard rock back to the masses. Led, as they have been since the band's formation in 1989, by frontman Dave 'Gleeso' Gleeson, the group spent their time in lockdown reworking and rerecording five of their most iconic tracks, including 'Shivers' and 'Helping Hand', and releasing the new versions as a new EP entitled Bitter Pill. You can head to either a homecoming show at The Camberidge Hotel, lovingly known as The Cambo, on Friday, November 27, or a beachside performance in Towradgi on Saturday, November 28. Or, if you're a real Jets tragic, why not both? For the latest info on NSW border restrictions, head here. If travelling from Queensland or Victoria, check out Queensland Health and DHHS websites, respectively.
When Walt Disney Animation Studios had Dwayne Johnson sing a ridiculously catchy tune that was penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda in 2016's Moana, it gave itself the perfect response to all the love thrown the film's way. Adore the movie? You're welcome. Can't stop crooning its songs? You're also welcome. Excited about the just-confirmed sequel that'll hit cinemas in November 2024? What can the Mouse House say except... yes, "you're welcome" again. Disney has announced that Moana 2 is on its way to the big screen before the year is out, on November 27 in the US. Down Under, films usually release on Thursdays, which would make it November 28; however, the exact local date is yet to be revealed. It'll be another animated musical, and both Moana and Maui will return — and there's also a first-look announcement video. [caption id="attachment_940041" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moana[/caption] Story-wise, the feature will see its namesake take to the seas of Oceania to answer the call from her ancestors, which is where new characters will come in. Who they'll be and who'll be voicing them hasn't yet been revealed. Neither has whether Johnson (Fast X) will be back as Maui and Auli'i Cravalho (Mean Girls) as Moana. In the director's chair: Dave Derrick Jr, who was a storyboard artist on the original Moana. And on music duties this time are singer-songwriter Abigail Barlow, composer Emily Bear (Dog Gone), Opetaia Foa'i (returning from the first film) and Mark Mancina (also back from the initial movie). Whether Miranda is involved again also hasn't been mentioned. [caption id="attachment_940042" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moana 2[/caption] "This was originally developed as a series, but we were impressed with what we saw and we knew it deserved a theatrical release," said Disney CEO Bob Iger, announcing the sequel in the company's first-quarter earnings call for 2024. "The original Moana film from 2016 recently crossed one-billion hours streamed on Disney+ and was the most streamed movie of 2023 on any platform in the U.S." Moana 2 is one of two new Moana movies in the works, with a live-action adaptation of the first Moana also on the way — and with Johnson starring. "Along with the live-action version of the original film that's currently in development, Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise," continued Iger. Check out the announcement video for Moana 2 below: Moana 2 will release in Australian and New Zealand cinemas in November 2024 — we'll update you with an exact date when one is announced. Read our interview with Jemaine Clement about Moana.
If one person's trash is another man's treasure, then a trunk full of junk may as well be a treasure chest. Suitcase Rummage gets that when it comes to shopping, secondhand reaps the best bang for your buck. For years, it has been hosting regular events around town — and, although the past few years have been a bit chaotic, it's still going strong in 2024. Next unpacking its bags from 12pm on Sunday, September 15 and Sunday, October 6 at Reddacliff Place — and Sunday, October 20, too — Suitcase Rummage features a crowd of open suitcases filled with the type of clothes, knick-knacks and craft you probably don't need but definitely deserve. [caption id="attachment_653944" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yan Chen[/caption] If you can't make it now, try again on the first and third Sundays of each month. And, if you've got a pile of unwanted bits and pieces that someone else could love, you could always take your own suitcase along. Those who wanting to sell their wares must register — and it'll cost $33 for a 'stall'. You can bring up to three suitcases, so you can lug in all those shoes you've been promising to wear but certainly will not. [caption id="attachment_885725" align="alignnone" width="1920"] tcfairyqueen via Flickr[/caption] Top image: Suitcase Rummage.
Wow is the right word for Brisbane's latest fest: the Women of the World Festival. Returning to the city as part of the Commonwealth Games' cultural offshoot, aka The Festival, WOW is all about celebrating ladies being awesome. It might sound obvious, but it's never a bad time to showcase the ace feats achieved by women — while also exploring the issues that still remain around gender equality. Taking place from April 6 to 8 at the Brisbane Powerhouse, WOW will feature women from more than 20 Commonwealth nations, taking part in talks, performances, exhibitions, workshops and panels, plus speed mentoring sessions, yoga classes, skateboarding, Femi-oke and more. There'll also be a healing space and a marketplace, including meditation and shopping (and both, if that's what helps you de-stress). Highlights include Hot Brown Honey's return, interactive feminism sessions for kids under 10, a panel on the politics of hair, and classes on everything from juggling, journalling and dance to using tools and online safety. Or, mosey on over to New Farm Park on April 7 for The Beautiful Game, a creative take on football and its roots featuring armour, an oversized football and bike-riding referees.
When things supposedly go bump and jump in the night, Professor Philip Goodman (Andy Nyman) calls bullshit. But then his childhood hero (Leonard Byrne) comes calling, asking the professional paranormal debunker to investigate three cases — and warning that they just might challenge his long-held scepticism. That's the crux of British horror film Ghost Stories, which understands two important truths. Firstly, there's a little bit of wonder buried in every cynic, even if they won't or can't admit it. Secondly, the only thing that's more thrilling than a spooky tale told well is a number of them strung together. Goodman's trio of supernatural incidents all involve strange and downright disturbing sightings, which he works through one by one. Employed in a deserted former asylum for women, nightwatchman Tony (Paul Whitehouse) just thinks that the power is flickering one evening, but that's soon the least of his worries. Driving through woodland in the thick of night with no one else in sight, the jumpy Simon (Alex Lawther) is involved in a hit and run with an unusual victim. As for wealthy banker Mike (Martin Freeman), who takes Goodman walking around his countryside property, he spins an account of personal woe and potential ghosts — all set in his sprawling mansion as his wife is about to give birth to their first child. At first, these three vignettes all seem quite slight and standard, of the type that you might share around a crackling fire with marshmallows and a happy suspension of disbelief. That's by design, with the horror genre frequently drawing its power from appearing simplistic when the reality proves otherwise. Adapting their 2010 stage production of the same name for the screen, writing and directing duo Nyman and Jeremy Dyson keep the superficial details purposefully straightforward, while having fun playing with tropes and littering clues within each narrative within the narrative. This is an unnerving anthology that perfects the nuts and bolts of haunted storytelling, and yet also subverts expectations, offers enjoyable nods to horror greats gone by, and builds towards a big finale. Where it eventually lands is a little silly and obvious, but each individual segment — and its bookending framework — is staged in an impeccable and stirring manner. The idea that Ghost Stories is 'staged' has multiple meanings, some that are best discovered by watching. Even if you're unfamiliar with the production in its original form — that is, literally on the stage — it's easy to see how it would work in the theatre. Crucially, however, this isn't a talky work that feels out-of-place on the screen. Rather, it's a broodingly gothic affair that's just as disquieting when it's toying with darkness, shadows and startling sounds as when it's giving its supernatural forces more concrete shape and form. Moving the tale to the cinema gives Nyman and Dyson plenty of room to revel in the movie's mood and imagery, creating a gloriously rich spookhouse — think bleak Yorkshire exteriors and thoroughly creepy interiors. Ghost Stories is also a well-acted scarefest, with Nyman and Freeman the clear standouts. One plays a devout rationalist with conviction, the other rattles chains (albeit verbally, not physically) — and if you notice that the film is dominated by men with secrets, that's on purpose also. Being assaulted by the inexplicable is unsettling, as is being expected to just grin and bear life's ills, a trait that the movie's characters all share. The notion of hiding from pain provides thematic texture, deepens this entertaining take on the familiar, and helps Ghost Stories achieve what all anthology efforts strive for: leaving the audience wanting more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh9KCVdx33I
Leah Shelton and Lisa Fa'alafi of Brisbane collective Polytoxic asked more than 100 Queensland artists to send them their memories of lockdown life, from apartment block isolation to endless Zoom calls. Polytoxic has then taken those reflections and weaved them into a full-scale visual tapestry that'll be projected onto the 20-metre-high walls of Brisbane Powerhouse. The 'time capsule' of what we're living through right now tells the stories of those within the arts industry — including musicians, writers, poets, dancers and artists. And the beautiful projection work and accompanying soundscape is experienced alongside live performances. It's free to watch, and each performance lasts for 30 minutes. Head to the Powerhouse before 6.30pm or 8.30pm, Thursday to Saturday nights.
When you're standing in a room filled with butterflies with your special someone — a cavernous white space with its bright walls covered in tiny, intricate, black-hued paper critters swarming all around you — it's a truly wondrous feeling. That's one of the highlights of the Gallery of Modern Art's Air exhibition, alongside volcanic mounds, floating spheres, glowing red lights and smoky darkened spaces. And, it's the perfect place to visit come Valentine's Day. Taking advantage of the ideal name for a romantic event, GOMA is putting on a one-night-only Love Is in the Air session from 5.30–8.30pm on Tuesday, February 14. Usually, hitting up the South Brisbane gallery's exhibitions after hours is limited to its Up Late parties, and they're coming for this stunning showcase — but you can get swooning with your significant other first. Attendees will get the run of all things Air, wandering through pipes, seeing plants, marvelling at giant sculptures and staring at hanging pieces — and more — across the three-hour session. You'll also receive a Valentine's Day gift upon arrival: a conversation prompt card printed on plantable seed paper. [caption id="attachment_888732" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dora Budor / Croatia b.1984 / Origin I (A Stag Drinking) (installation view) 2019 / Custom environmental chamber (reactive electronic system, compressor, valves, 3D-printed elements, aluminium, acrylic, LED light, glass, wood, paint), organic and synthetic pigments, diatomaceous earth, FX dust, felt, ed. 3/3 / Purchased 2021. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: QAGOMA / © Dora Budor / Photograph: Claudia Baxter © QAGOMA.[/caption] There'll be workshops and pop-up talks as well, plus immersive art experiences. And would it be a date-night gallery visit without a pop-up bar doing drinks and bites to eat? Of course it wouldn't. Fancy a memento of the night, other than all the pictures that you and your plus one will take yourselves? The Love Snap photobooth has you covered, with local artist Clo Love coming up with a photoset described as "pop art meets an Italian pizzeria in the sky". Prefer to head along with one of your mate instead of a date? That's heartily encouraged as well. [caption id="attachment_888731" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Patrick Pound / New Zealand / Australia b.1962 / The air lock 2022 (installation view) / Photographs and objects from the artist's collection and the QAGOMA Collection / Courtesy: The artist, Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney, and STATION, Melbourne / © Patrick Pound / Photograph: Claudia Baxter © QAGOMA.[/caption] Top image: Carlos Amorales / Mexico b.1970 / Black Cloud (installation view) 2007/2018 / 30 000 black laser-cut and handfolded paper butterflies (30 different butterfly and moth species in five sizes with a wave wing pattern), ed. 1/3 (+ 1 A.P.) / Purchased 2022 with funds from Tim Fairfax AC through the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation / Collection: QAGOMA / © Carlos Amorales / Photograph: Claudia Baxter © QAGOMA.
Fashion, art, homewares and handcrafted goods as far as the eye can see — that's The Village Markets. A Gold Coast favourite ever since setting up shop over a decade ago, this regular browsing and buying mecca combines a specially curated stall lineup with food, drinks, live local music and creative workshops, plus a super relaxed vibe. In great news those living north of Burleigh Heads, TVM has now made the leap to Brisbane. Forget driving down the highway — all you'll need to do is make your way to Stones Corner Village once a quarter, with the next market happening on December 22. Yes, it's always on a Sunday — with this one starting at 9am and finishing at 2pm. Regardless of the time of year, the market is perfect for anyone looking for a gift — for others, and for themselves. Think everything from colourful dresses to luxe jewellery to accessories for your pupper, plus the Brissie version of TVM's famed pre-loved designer and vintage rack sales. Updated December 15.
When that slice of inner-city delights known as Teneriffe was officially named a suburb back in 2010, locals threw a party to celebrate. Eight years on and the shindig is still going strong — you know it as the Teneriffe Festival. For its 2017 outing, the event has compiled a wide-ranging lineup, aka the kind of bill previous attendees have come to expect. Think music, food, markets and fun, all helping locals and visitors alike make the most of the bustling locale. Chilled riverside hangouts are just the beginning. Indeed, whether you're keen on feasting, shopping, drinking or tapping your toes, you'll find it here. The Tastes of Teneriffe showcases the area's bars and restaurants, then work off all that food by walking around 70 bespoke market stalls, or sit down and digest on a Magical Mystery History Tour. Green Beacon Brewing Company is adding their own party to the mix, a series of paintings in motion will brighten up the festivities — and, in between all of that, check out the packed program of local tunes. Image: Teneriffe Festival.
Maybe you remember the news reports back in 2009. Maybe you've just heard the stories since. Either way, the story of St Mary's in South Brisbane has become part of Brisbane history. That's what happens when a beloved priest is ousted by the Catholic Church for placing a statue of Buddha in the foyer, blessing same-sex couples and welcoming women into the pulpit — and when he takes his flock of more than 700 devoted followers to a new building in the aftermath. St Mary's In Exile tells that tale, which focuses on Father Peter Kennedy, a tight-knit community and the real meaning of organised religion. As the excommunicated minister prepares to leave the building he calls his spiritual home, he crosses paths with a homeless visitor who asks about his situation. Written by Brisbane playwright David Burton of April's Fool and The Voice in the Walls acclaim, the Queensland Theatre Company production that results is both rousing and compelling, as any version of this battle between a progressive priest and a rigid institution would have to be.
Whitehaven's seven-kilometre-long perfect arc of white sand is The Whitsundays' poster girl. And, thanks to her handy campground, you can join her for a sleepover. Protected by shady coastal eucalypts and beyond the clutches of mobile coverage, let your days pass by in a hammock haze — when you're not swimming in Blue Lagoon-esque waters or walking to Hilltop Inlet, that is. To get here, catch a boat from Airlie Beach. Facilities are limited to hybrid toilets and picnic tables. There's a cap of 36 campers across seven pitches, so bookings are essential. Images: Tourism and Events Queensland
The Valley's about to get pretty damn loud. Celebrating its second year, The Blurst of Times festival has released their first lineup announcement, with the likes of DZ Deathrays, Dick Diver and Hard-Ons set to create some bonafide chaos in Brisbane this October. Sporting a kickass Simpsons-lovin' title, the returning festival will see 28 bands take over three venues in the Valley for Saturday, October 18. Releasing the first idea of the lineup today, The Blurst of Times lineup sees Brisbane's thrash pop favourites DZ Deathrays at the top, with Sydney punk rock legends Hard-Ons and beloved Melbourne indie foursome Dick Diver. Brisbane's Blank Realm, Orphans Orphans, Major Leagues, Babaganouj and Rolls Bayce will also throw down sets alongside Canberra's TV Colours, Sydney's Day Ravies and Melbourne’s The UV Race and High Tension. Celebrating its second year of tomfoolery this October, The Blurst of Times has already cemented itself as a surefire Good Time on the Brissy calendar. The 2013 edition took over Alhambra Lounge, Coniston Lane and Black Bear Lodge with Violent Soho, Velociraptor, Scott and Charlene's Wedding, Drunk Mums and The Cairos among a solid lineup. This year, the festival will make The Brightside home, as well as the Brightside carpark and The Zoo. The Blurst of Times 2014 Lineup (first announcement): DZ Deathrays Hard-Ons Dick Diver Blank Realm Orphans Orphans The UV Race Major Leagues TV Colours High Tension Babaganouj Rolls Bayce Day Ravies High-Tails I, A Man Dollar Bar Roku Music The Good Sports The Upskirts Born Lion Salvadarlings The second Blurst of Times lineup announcement is due on September 8, with eight more bands to be revealed. Tickets are on sale now via Oztix. Via FasterLouder.
It's taken a heck of a long time — 12 years, to be exact — but, having become a permanent fixture on the summer events calendar for Fremantle, Launceston, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, BeerFest is finally hitting Brisbane in 2020. The festival is set to descend on Victoria Park on Saturday, March 14, in a heady blaze of music, comedy, food and, of course, beer. For its frothy Brisbane debut, BeerFest will round up over 40 artisanal breweries and deliver hundreds of craft drops, all alongside a stack of great ciders, cocktails and wines. You'll kick off the season with tastings, food and beer matchings, and free, brewer-led masterclasses showcasing one-off creations. While the brewer list is yet to be announced, previous events interstate have featured Melbourne's Henry Street Brewhouse and Urban Alley Brewing, Sydney's Young Henrys and Sauce Brewing Co, and the ACT's BentSpoke. What's more, this little shindig also packs a serious punch in the entertainment department — and while it's yet to drop the full bill there as well, Art vs Science will be headlining the whole thing. They'll also team up with Burnley Brewing and CryerMalt to create their own one-off beer, which you'll obviously be able to drink at the festival. There'll be plenty of laughs to be had, too, all thanks to the BeerFest Brisbane comedy stage. The on-sale date for tickets is yet to be announced; however expect entry to the festival to range between $20–50.
The humble selfie is the subject for celebration at the ‘Oh! You Pretty Things’ exhibition, hosted by the Bird Gallery & Studio. Mixed media portraits, from photographs and illustrations, through to impressionist collages and even the computed designs will find their place in this exhibit, giving focus to talents both locally and internationally. While artists abroad will be focussed on in this event, it is also a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the growing impact and influence that Brisbane has achieved on the global stage. The ever-expanding cultural outputs - fine art and fashion, photography, literature, music and performance - are always proud reminders of the talents of this great city, and how their works are often too big to be restricted by geography. Come and celebrate the always changing face of Brisbane at the opening night - the bar will be open, the talents widely varied and exciting, and the possibility of spotting the odd local celebrity at its all-time high. Be sure to check out the gallery while you can - the exhibition will run February 21-28.
You did it. You survived another Brisbane winter. You made it through the dreary, grey season and we're not even going to judge you for how many nights you spent under a doona, indulging in goodies from the snack aisle and binging Fleabag. And one of the wonderful things about living in this part of the world is poking your head out as spring arrives and jumping on the road for an adventure before the weather gets altogether too hot. With flowers blossoming and festival season just around the corner, there's no better time to get out there. Together with MG — in celebration of its new limited-edition MG3S hatchback — we've come up with four activities that will get you out and about in Brisbane and enjoying the spring sunshine in style.
If you're a fan of true-crime stories, then you'll know a disturbing truth: that there's no shortage of real-life tragedies that films and series in the genre can draw upon. White House Farm's inspiration comes from the notorious killings known as the White House Farm murders, which took place outside an Essex village and saw five members of the Bamber-Caffell family lose their lives, and continued to garner headlines intermittently in the decades since as appeals were lodged and reviews took place. Across six episodes, the show not only heads back to August 6, 1985, but also follows the investigation into the case. Feeling tense is part of the package, even if you're already familiar with the details. Cast-wise, Snatch's Stephen Graham and Game of Thrones' Mark Addy play the detectives trying to get to the bottom of the traumatic and complex situation — and fellow GoT alum Alfie Allen also pops up.
Paniyiri Greek Festival is back for another year, with the weekend of all things Greek food, dance and celebration taking place on May 24-25 at Musgrave Park. It is the longest running cultural festival of its kind in Australia, and once you’ve been, you’ll know why. Over 30 food stalls of meats and sweets and everything in between will leave no craving unsatisfied, and traditional music and dancing will entertain and enlighten you throughout the day. Grape stomping, honeypuff eating competitions, Zorba ‘til you drop, cooking demonstrations, surprise guests; it’ll all be Greek to you. Prepare yourself for an afternoon (or a double feature?) of al fresco dining, the smells and smashing plates, the sounds of the bouzouki and the lira, among some 50,000 Greeks and honorary Greeks. Opa! Children under 13 enter free, and tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. Opa!
The silly season is for cooking, decorating and creating napkin swans for Aunt Julie, who insists on tradition even though it is 40 degrees outside and everyone is already in a punch coma. DIY Christmases are where it's at. Join those who actually know what they are doing (and buy some gifts with the same amount of love) at this year's Christmas Design Market. Find jewellery, ceramics, textiles and pre-loved fashions for some of your favourite humans (or perhaps as a self-gift, because you're worth it). The annual market always compiles a bunch of well-known names in the creative gifts department — and taking the time to peruse the GOMA collection of books and art is always recommended, as is checking out the edible delights to keep you going. Remember: cute design gifts call for cash, as EFTPOS facilities might not be available at all sellers. The QAGOMA Store Christmas Design Market runs from 9am–4pm on Saturday, December 15 on the GOMA forecourt. Merry shopping!
Lost Movements have set themselves atop the Brisbane art scene over the past two years thanks to their tireless work on expanding and promoting the work of Brisbane underground artists. Thanks also in part to their stroke-of-genius idea to combine it with music, dance and other fringe elements of Brisbane’s culture, the bi-monthly events have become a highlight on the Brisbane cultural calendar. For their December event, the Lost Movements gang have pulled out all the stops, gathering some of the brightest creative minds in Brisbane for a multi-dimensional display of artistic talent. Here is the entire list of artists, muso’s, body painters, writers and everything else on offer this Sunday. Bands: Dr Peppernickle's Orphanarium of Obese Aristocrats hazards of swimming naked + projection from Sloe Motion Jeremiah Hunter & the Preachermen Ashley Town Artists: Kira Crees Art Illma Gore Slightly Bruised Fruit Jessie Hughes Performers: Scott Wings Lucy Fox- Actor, multi-disciplinary artist + Laura Trenerry Pent Upglamour Jonathon Sri Writers: 9/8ths Evelyn Morataya Gabriel Morton Freya Wright-Brough Lost Movements VIII will take place at the Holloway Eyewear Warehouse in West End, not at the usual spot at Coniston Lane.
Brisbane rock five-piece Waax have been steadily gaining a following over the past few years. This month, they're set to cross the border for a gig in Byron as part of NSW Government initiative Great Southern Nights. They'll be playing at The Northern, situated right in the centre of Byron Bay and just a few minutes' walk from its famous Main Beach. Not that you'll be thinking of the surf when Waax lets rip with their take on alternative post-punk. Likened in the past to acts such as Siouxsie and the Banshees and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, their debut album, Big Grief — incidentally recorded in Byron Bay — just fell short of a place in the Top 10 last year. You can catch them at the coastal pub on Saturday, November 7 at 6pm or 9.30pm. For the latest info on NSW border restrictions, head here. If travelling from Queensland or Victoria, check out Queensland Health and DHHS websites, respectively.
Forget sushi, forget anime, forget skiing, forget every single one of those cheap, superficial associations you match with Japan. It’s a country that offers ideas, trinkets of stories and themes that beg to be captured and crafted by the most talented of artistic minds. Beg no more. The Hold Artspace is hosting two concurrent, cross-cultural events for half this month, and each is just about as exciting as the other. A Knife and a Torch is a collection created and curated by Kay Lawrence, Kat Sawyer and Vanessa Stanley at Sanda Sution, Aimoto, Japan. It combines the local culture and terrain, with the ‘tourist’ exerpience, drawing on themes of familiarly, home, the natural world and transformation. The second exhibition, Translations, draws on the similar theme of cross-cultural experience, all at the hands of Bridie Gillman. Drawing from her experiences of both Australia and Indonesia, her work will look into the awkwardness of the unknown, through partial constructions. As an added bonus, the artists will be speaking at the venue on March 12 from 6-8pm. That’s two for one, for free!
It’s hard not to love a band with as many syllables as Ball Park Music. They started humbly as QUT students, worked the Triple J airwaves with ease, and now are one of Brisbane’s most successful music exports – we’re of course referring to their presence at Toowoomba’s 2013 Food and Wine Festival. But seriously, since their return from The Range, they’ve made quite a few exciting announcements – a new single 'She Only Loves Me When I’m There', the release of their third album Puddinghead, and a national album tour. That means happy days for their fans, friends and maybe enemies are in store! Ball Park Music are heading to The Tivoli to show of their new album and treat fans to the classics that made them party-playlist staples. 2013 was the year they could settle down, buckle up and throw all their heart into a new album, and the by-product, Puddinghead, is testament to their time and talent. It’s no doubt their most accomplished album to date. Get online and grab a ticket – don’t be a fence sitter, just go!
Controversial, uncompromising, riveting. “The Economist” is the first play written as a response to the massacre that took place on Utoya Island, Norway. Inspired by Anders Breivik’s journal, this disturbing and entertaining play portrays the worst depths of the human psyche. Andrew has been having nightmares. He’s been doing everything he can to stop them. World of Warcraft. Neo-fascism. Plastic surgery. When the girls next door starts coming around, it seems like maybe they’ll stop. But then again... “Disarmingly imaginative... superbly acted” – The Australian. Adapted for the stage by playwright Tobias Manderson-Galvin of Melbourne’s MKA: Theatre of New Writing. There are a range of group discounts available to patrons, including those who see three or more plays.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy head up a stellar cast in Tanya Wexler's offbeat comedy Hysteria, based on the true story of Dr. Mortimer Granville — the man who created the world's first vibrator, back in 1880. In a search to cure the baffling female medical condition of the day, 'hysteria', the young doctor (played by Dancy) and his new boss Dr. Dalrymple (Jonathon Pryce) create the 'feather duster', offering women intimate manual relief from their condition – and, by chance, generating a surprising increase in business. The film is a joyful and light-hearted take on the birth of the sex toy, likely to put a knowing smile on a few faces in the audience. Concrete Playground has ten double passes to give away. To be in the running to win a pair of tickets to Hysteria, make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
Breaking down barriers and blasting stereotypes — it all happens with irreverent energy in Blak Electric. Weaving together drama, dance and song, this work from the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts is all about the Indigenous experience in urban Brisbane. Plus it has the added benefit of sharing and celebrating the skills of the school's latest cohort of students. The performance focuses on three young people, each with different connections to their country and culture, and each faced with different obstacles in working out what it means to be an Indigenous Australian in 2014. Director Stephen Lloyd Helper crafts a cheeky and contemplative piece about connection, culture and reconciliation, with the theme of land as a focal point. Featuring more than 40 performers on stage, as well as a live band, Blak Electric tells a story, honours tradition, and showcases the next generation of talent. Image: Dylan Evans.
The one and only time I have seen Yuksek live was when he played a post Splendour 2009 show at the (gone but not forgotten) Empire Hotel. It was a great show except for one small fact: he refused to high five me. My grudge has held strong since then, as I have not had an opportunity to rectify the situation. Finally, however, he is returning and I can get what I deserve – a not awkward at all high five. Playing a Queensland exclusive for Oh Hello, Yuksek will be helping Brisbane’s party-ers bring in the new year the best way he knows how. His years in the international music scene combined with Oh Hello’s party throwing skills will result in a collaboration not to be missed. Amazing live music, great drinks, friends, and a venue worthy of an interiors magazine spread are the only things you’ll need. Throughout the night your ears will be blessed with the sounds of Young Men Dead and Yuksek, as well as various DJ sets from artists including Midnight Tango and Rock PoP and Ju helping you dance the night away. Although there is a general admission ticket that gives you entry to this Oh Hello haven, I myself like the sound of the Pre-Party Exclusive Ticket. It’s a little more expensive, but it’s more than worth it as it gives you access to a buffet of drinks and finger food. So really, what else could you need this New Years Eve?
Fat Stories is a photo-documentary that seeks to question and challenge stereotypes, misconceptions and moral judgements that surround being fat. It looks at media representations that perpetuate stigmas and discriminatory perceptions of obesity by following the lives of 6 of Australia’s ‘fat activists’. The photographs offer alternative representations of what it is to be fat that will question how the greater society looks at sizism, and how we look at, talk about and represent those who are obese. Fat Stories is a collaborative project for two Griffith University representatives. Isaac Brown, a Brisbane photographer, has done work with the Artworkers Alliance and Frankie Magazine. He often explores relationships between the photographer and the subject. He is joined by marketing academic Lauren Gurrieri whose research looks at the cultural aspects of consumption and consumer identity construction. Together, their wealth of knowledge and skill promises a series of work that will ask the hard questions.
Last year we told you about Endulj, a brand new Melbourne food service replicating and delivering dishes from some of the swankiest restaurants in town. Well, if Endulj is the equivalent of dinner at a high-end restaurant, then FoodByUs would surely be a comforting home-cooked meal. In fact, that's literally what they're all about, connecting hungry Australians with talented home chefs. Because why bother borrowing a half-dozen eggs from your neighbour when you can get them to make the whole omelette for you? Described as "a vibrant local community of food buyers and sellers", the online portal and app has been operating in Sydney and Melbourne since last year, and launches in Brisbane this week. Users can chose from culinary creations — ranging from bowls of gnocchi to vegan 'tuna' mayo to home-baked cakes — made by dozens of different professional and amateur chefs for pick-up or delivery. It's like UberEats at community level — a place where it's perfectly acceptable to ask someone else's nonna to cook you dinner. "With FoodByUs already having great success in both Sydney and Melbourne, we are looking forward to connecting locals with talented home cooks and predict Brisbane could have some of the best talent in the country," said co-founder Ben Lipschitz. "We have already signed up a number of residents who want to turn their passion for cooking into a business." Alternatively, you can try your hand at making and selling dishes of your own. Have your friends ever told you your cupcakes are so good you could charge people for them? Well, here's your chance to put that to the test. For more information and to try it for yourself visit foodbyus.com.au. The app can be found on Google Play and in the Apple App Store.
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama. Oh, sorry, it’s easy to daydream of tropical paradise when the weather in Brisbane has been as gloomy and chilly as it has been lately. And what better way to reminisce and look forward to the Spring and Summer (only a mere 5 months away) than to have a Tropicana party? Oh Hello! are here to bring the summer back and let the good times roll with the slightly overdone tropical themed fiesta. But, this time it’s a bit different. This Hawaiian inspired shindig ain’t no backyard flop, it’s going to be headlined by old-hand KATO, who has been Dj-ing for over 10 years. His mix of party hits, new shit and old favourites will warm you up and has the potential to make you think you’re actually in a tropical paradise. Accompanying him is Charlie Hustle, Alex Terrell, Van Tovier, Caramel Funk and Yahn. You won’t want to miss this golden opportunity to mix and mingle with the best in the business, as well as sip cocktails and whip out that old Hawaiian shirt you’ve been hoarding for that special night. All Autumns and Winters should be like this!
“It’s 1965 and everything is just about to happen. The German/British collective Gob Squad invites you to take the hand of the King of Pop Art himself, Andy Warhol, and step back into the underground cinemas of New York City, where it all began.” Gob Squad (Germany/UK) present Kitchen, Andy Warhol's classic film reconstructed live on stage. The work promises to illuminate the past for a new generation as well as to peer deeper into the shiny surfaces of the modern world we live in. Time Out New York said it was "a deftly orchestrated and very funny layering of reality, fiction, historicity and futurity.” To catch the Australian premier of this hotly anticipated show, book your tickets now on the Powerhouse website. Discounts are available for groups of three or more people, as well as for those who see three or more shows.
UPDATE, July 26, 2020: Sing Street is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. Who amongst us hasn't used music to process their thoughts and feelings? The right song can convey things that words alone cannot, as writer-director John Carney understands. In his films, moving ballads and catchy melodies intertwine with life and love, providing a killer soundtrack to memorable moments and an effective method of expressing emotions. When his characters pen lyrics, strum instruments and grab the mic, they're not just creating tunes and chasing dreams — they're helping make sense of everything around them. Indeed, while he put his foot in his mouth earlier this year, when it comes to making beautiful music — in movies like Once and Begin Again — the Irish filmmaker excels. You'd be right to say that Carney has a formula, but that's by no means a criticism. Although his movies can feel as though they're repeating the same narrative, they're earnest and vibrant in their own ways all the same. Carney sets his latest toe-tapping tale in Dublin in the financially struggling '80s — a period when Duran Duran's glossy 'Rio' clip played on TV, and everyone watching just wanted to make ends meet. For 15-year-old Conor Lalor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), money troubles means changing schools, with his bickering parents (Maria Doyle Kennedy and Aiden Gillen) sending him to the local Christian-run academy. He's bullied by teachers and classmates, but he also crosses paths with aspiring model Raphina (Lucy Boynton), who lives across the road. Eager to get her phone number, he asks her to star in a video for his band...despite the fact that he doesn't actually have one. Conor's quest involves rounding up new friends, including the rabbit-obsessed Eamon (Mark McKenna) and enterprising wannabe manager Darren (Ben Carolan). With the assistance of his college dropout brother Brendan (Jack Reynor), it also means listening to the likes of The Cure, Spandau Ballet and Hall & Oates, and aping their sounds and style. Cue some of the film's best outfits and standout original tunes, including the futurist-leaning 'The Riddle of the Model', the heartfelt 'A Beautiful Sea', and the upbeat 'Drive It Like You Stole It'. The pop tracks do more than entertain; whether amusing or tender, each one is infectious, endearing, exuberant, and anchored in authentic sentiments and experiences. The same descriptions apply to Carney's cast, particularly newcomer Walsh-Peelo and Transformers: Age of Extinction star Reynor, who convincingly capture both the uncertainties and the yearnings of youth. Accordingly, while the film initially seems like a straightforward musical romance, its coming-of-age journey also provides a touching testament to brotherly bonds courtesy of their respective performances. That's just one of a handful of surprises in a story that appears to follow a clear path, yet still finds new ways to offer depth and charm. Carney's colourful imagery and snappy pacing, meanwhile, ensures the movie always feels like the joyous blend of music, emotion and escapism that it is — complete with an inspired riff on Back to the Future that couldn't be more fitting.
When Marnie Minervini (Susan Sarandon) leaves a rambling voicemail message for her daughter Lori (Rose Byrne) detailing her every move since relocating to Los Angeles, adult-aged children everywhere will nod in recognition. We've all been there: the missed calls, the text messages, the snooping. And yet while writer-director Lorene Scafaria initially appears set to provide a comic look at coping with an overbearing mother, The Meddler soon proves a different film entirely. Instead, it's an honest, heartfelt exploration of a relatable family dynamic, and of the role of mums everywhere. Marnie's new LA existence isn't just a case of not being able to stay out of her offspring's business. A year after the death of her husband, she's forcing herself to stay positive and find a sense of purpose, even if she's actually avoiding her grief in the process. But with Lori depressed over her breakup with film star Jacob (Jason Ritter), and trying to get her latest TV pilot made, mother-daughter bonding time isn't a priority. So instead, Marnie channels her well-intentioned interfering into paying for a wedding for one of Lori's friends (Cecily Strong), driving her local Apple Store employee (Jerrod Carmichael) to his night classes, volunteering at a hospital and meeting retired cop Zipper (J.K. Simmons) after wandering onto a film set. In the absence of any cynical laughs, two elements ensure The Meddler avoids any resemblance to the saccharine soul-searching quest it might sound like on paper: its ripped-from-reality feel, and its remarkable lead performance. The former comes courtesy of Scafaria's own experience, with the Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist writer having undergone a similar process with her own mother when she started working in Hollywood. It's the latter, however, that helps the film overcome a few sitcom-like developments, and truly makes proceedings seem sincere. Sarandon doesn't just play her part with a broad Brooklyn accent and a smile plastered across her face. She also shows grace and care in a role that could've easily been a caricature, yet never becomes one. There's an openness and earnestness to her portrayal that works just as well when Marnie is unable to resist overstepping her bounds with Lori (checking her browser history, for example), as it does when she's forming a connection with the chicken-raising, Dolly Parton-playing Zipper. Both Byrne and Simmons prove up to the task set by their co-star, bringing the requisite depth to their supporting but pivotal roles. Of course, where the story heads is far from surprising, with The Meddler designed to be both reflective and upbeat. With a tender touch and a sunny disposition, Scafaria isn't just working through her complicated relationship with her mother. She's also allowing viewers to do exactly the same thing.
Nothing is scarier than outer space. Think about it for just a moment: On one hand: your stock horror movie assemblage of psycho killers, poltergeists, zombies and monsters. On the other hand: the void of space, black holes, supernovas, the certainty of tissue-crushing death just beyond your vessel, aloneness with zero human life for infinity, ohmigod infinity. So it's strange that while we've seen a number of dramas that play off this setting (not least 2001: A Space Odyssey), we haven't seen a major film directly about it. Enter Gravity, an extremely visceral, sensorial journey into our shared fear of drifting into outer space. Apparently director and co-writer Alfonso Cuarón (the consistently solid genre-hopper behind Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Y Tu Mama Tambien) wanted to be an astronaut as a child, though there's no trace of idealised fantasy here. Gravity stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as two astronauts making repairs to the Hubble Telescope that orbits Earth. Clooney's Matt Kowalski is an extroverted veteran, casually whizzing around on an untethered space walk by way of a thruster pack. Bullock's Dr Ryan Stone is a reticent newbie just trying not to throw up from extreme motion sickness. They haven't been at the Hubble coalface for long when their suddenly grim colleagues at Mission Control warn them of an incoming wave of debris from a Russian anti-satellite test. Sure enough, it strikes soon and strikes ferociously, leaving Bullock and Clooney floating in space with no incoming communication from Earth. Before seeing Gravity, I would've assumed this was the end of the line. As it turns out, there are a number of measures open to a resourceful, fast-thinking survivalist in the great emptiness of the heavens — and faced with rotten bad luck, they're going to have to try a great number of them. Gravity, however, is more about experience than plot. It is the single most stressful two hours you can have in a movie theatre — in the best possible way — as it puts you in the position of the stranded astronauts. Long shots subtly convince you that the subjects are not surrounded by a crew of cameramen, while the view from inside their helmets is frighteningly limiting and disorientating. While there is music (composed by Steven Price), Cuaron also exploits the soundlessness of space to great effect, with sound carried through vibration coming across tinny and foreign and Bullock's fluctuating breathing your faithful guide throughout. The incomparably stunning visuals alone are enough reason to see this film, a milestone in 'grown-up 3D'. At the same time, Bullock's performance is deeply compelling. Even when Gravity's relentless series of obstacles seem to become ludicrous (and there is a point), you're so invested in her survival that it's forgiven. Gravity is an unforgettable ride that will make you appreciate the feeling of the ground beneath your feet. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OiTiKOy59o4
Finding a moment or statement from The Princess to sum up The Princess is easy. Unlike the powerful documentary's subject in almost all aspects of her life from meeting the future King of England onwards, viewers have the luxury of choice. Working solely with archival materials, writer/director Ed Perkins (Tell Me Who I Am) doesn't lack in chances to demonstrate how distressing it was to be Diana, Princess of Wales — and the fact that his film can even exist also underscores that point. While both The Crown and Spencer have dramatised Diana's struggles with applauded results, The Princess tells the same tale as it was incessantly chronicled in the media between 1981–1997. The portrait that emanates from this collage of news footage, tabloid snaps and TV clips borders on dystopian. It's certainly disturbing. What kind tormented world gives rise to this type of treatment just because someone is famous? The one we all live in, sadly. Perkins begins The Princess with shaky visuals from late in August 1997, in Paris, when Diana and Dodi Fayed were fleeing the paparazzi on what would be the pair's last evening. The random voice behind the camera is excited at the crowds and commotion, not knowing how fatefully the night would end. That's telling, haunting and unsettling, and so is the clip that immediately follows. The filmmaker jumps back to 1981, to a then 19-year-old Diana being accosted as she steps into the street. Reporters demand answers on whether an engagement will be announced, as though extracting private details from a teenager because she's dating Prince Charles is a right. The Princess continues in the same fashion, with editors Jinx Godfrey (Chernobyl) and Daniel Lapira (The Boat) stitching together example after example of a woman forced to be a commodity and expected to be a spectacle, all to be devoured and consumed. Listing comparable moments within The Princess' riveting frames is easy; they snowball relentlessly into an avalanche. Indeed, after the film shows Charles and Diana's betrothal news and how it's received by the press and public, the media scrutiny directed Diana's way becomes the subject of a TV conversation. "I think it's going to be much easier. I think we're going to see a change in the attitude of the press. I think that now she's publicly one of the royal family, all this telephoto lens business will stop," a talking head from four decades back asserts — and it isn't merely the benefit of hindsight that makes that claim sound deeply preposterous. Later, Perkins features a soundbite from a paparazzo, which proves equally foolish, not to mention a cop-out. "All we do is take pictures. The decision to buy the pictures is taken by the picture editors of the world, and they buy the pictures so their readers can see them. So at the end of the day, the buck stops with the readers," the photographer contends. The Princess isn't here to simplistically and squarely blame the public, but it does let the material it assembles — and the fact that there's so much of it, and that nothing here is new or astonishing even for a second because it's already been seen before — speak for itself. What a story that all unfurls, and how, including pondering the line between mass fascination and being complicit. Perkins eschews contemporary interviews and any other method of providing recent context, and also makes plain what everyone watching already knows: that escaping Diana has been impossible for more than 40 years now, during her life and after her death a quarter-century ago as well, but it was always worse by several orders of magnitude for Diana herself. The expressions that flicker across her face over the years, evolving from shy and awkward to determined and anguished, don't just speak volumes but downright scream. In the audio samples overlaid on paparazzi shots and ceaseless news coverage, that's dissected, too, and rarely with kindness for the woman herself. Being sympathetic to royalty isn't a prerequisite for feeling perturbed by The Princess. Being a fan of The Crown or believing that Kristen Stewart deserved an Oscar for Spencer — which she did — isn't either. All that's required is empathy for anyone whose existence is stripped of choice, who is made to perform a certain role no matter what, who's saddled with onerous tasks that dismantle their agency and identity, and who gets torn to pieces whether they comply or rebel. That's a key reason why Diana's plight keeps resonating and always will. It's also why 'the People's Princess' label continues to echo. The latter was coined to describe her popularity and that feverish obsession, but it cannily cuts to the core of a heartbreaking truth: Diana attained a supposed fairytale but discovered that nothing in life is a dream, a realisation that couldn't be more relatable and universal. As well-established as the details are, the minutiae still spills out as The Princess progresses: the coupling primarily to provide an heir to the throne, the unsurprising distance in Diana and Charles' marriage, the persistent presence of Camilla Parker Bowles, several layers of envy, the 'Dianagate' tapes and the nation-stopping interviews all included (electricity surges during her 1995 tell-all chat with Martin Bashir, thanks to kettles boiling across Britain, are noted). Ignoring how the media kept shaping Diana's narrative would mean shutting your eyes and blocking your ears, even if the score by The Crown's Martin Phipps didn't maximise the tension. Ignoring the parallels rippling through the royal camp today, in the way that Meghan Markle has been treated by the media, is similarly out of the question. It isn't by accident that Perkins lingers on a young Prince Harry at his mother's funeral to wrap the movie up, after all. The Princess' approach isn't new, either. It's effective, though. And, as the same style proved in recent Australian docos The Final Quarter and Strong Female Lead — films that used archival footage to explore how perceptions are manufactured by the press as well — it's nothing short of damning about media practices and the audience hunger they think they're satisfying. Those two features explored how AFL star Adam Goodes was regarded in the twilight of his career, and how the fourth estate surveyed Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard while she was in the nation's top job. They dived into the self-fuelling cycle that stems from predatory coverage and the public's responses, one feeding the other and vice versa. Sound familiar? Watching both alongside The Princess would make for grim and harrowing viewing — essential viewing, too, particularly in a world that shows so few signs of changing.
To those in the know, Michael White has long been the epicentre of the London entertainment scene, spreading his producing talents across the stage and screen in everything from Oh! Calcutta! to Monty Python and the Holy Grail to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. To those outside his orbit, his name remains unfamiliar even as his impact is inescapable. Documenting the untold story of his life and legacy, The Last Impresario dwells in the space between both extremes. Australian actress and filmmaker Gracie Otto once fell into the latter category, until spotting White at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. There he sat, surrounded by the who's who of the industry, and her curiosity was instantly piqued. They quickly made each other's acquaintance, formed a firm friendship, and the idea for the film was born. In keeping with her enigmatic introduction to the now elderly entrepreneur, it is not White that monopolises Otto's insider look at his influence, but the myth of the charming man and the many people and projects that came under its thrall. A septuagenarian with declining health, he has a limited ability to tell his own tale, but there is no shortage of famous faces — from John Waters to John Cleese, Kate Moss to Anna Wintour, and Australians Greta Scacchi, Naomi Watts, Lyndall Hobbs and Barry Humphries — able to regale viewers with amusing anecdotes. Of course, much of the fun comes in reliving his celebrity experiences with Jack Nicholson, David Bowie and the like, as meticulously photographed by avid snapper White and further catalogued in decades' worth of memorabilia. His life and the documentary that results is the ultimate act of star-spotting, filtered through a charismatic figure who should be better known than those he interacts with. Scacchi succinctly puts it best; he is "the most famous person you've never heard of". Making her first full-length effort after a series of award-winning shorts, Otto is a naturalistic documentarian afforded ample access undoubtedly aided by her own movie pedigree (in addition to forging her own career, she is the daughter of Bliss's Barry and the sister of The Lord of the Rings' Miranda), yet only occasionally does she overplay her hand. Her visuals are vibrant, her interviews probe, but it is her tone that best impresses, celebrating the feature's subject while never shying away from the underlying melancholy of his less-than-ordinary existence. Two areas skirted around — White's illness and finances — provoke unfulfilled intrigue; however, what does comprise the film paints a very interesting picture nonetheless. The feature's thesis, that they just don't make them like White anymore, is easily proven. In name and in nature, The Last Impresario colourfully charts the final remnants of dying breed. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mRbUZA161vc
UPDATE, April 16, 2021: Crawl is available to stream via Netflix, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Part creature feature and part disaster movie, Crawl is a gleeful ripper of a thriller. Not only unleashing a ferocious hurricane upon its father-daughter duo, but a congregation of snapping alligators as well, its premise is simple — what the film lacks in narrative surprises, however, it makes up for in suspense and tension. That's the holy grail of fear-inducing flicks. Regardless of the concept, if a movie can make the audience feel as if they're in the same space as the characters they're watching, enduring every bump and jump, and sharing their life-or-death terror, then it has done its job. By playing it straight, serious and scary, Crawl manages to exceed its Sharknado rip-off status to craft a highly effective battle between humans, animals and the elements. The film introduces aspiring swimming star Haley Keller (Kaya Scodelario) on a wet and windy day, although she initially misses the wild weather warnings while she's doing laps at training. A panicked call from her sister (Moryfydd Clark) doesn't rattle the no-nonsense young woman, and nor does the news that her divorced father Dave (Barry Pepper) isn't answering his phone. Still, thanks to a few unresolved daddy-daughter issues nagging at her conscience, Haley is quickly driving down the blustery highway, flagrantly ignoring police instructions and heading to their old family home. It's no spoiler to say that she discovers more than she bargained for down in their basement, with Haley soon trying to save the injured Dave, stay alive herself, fend off ravenous gators and stay ahead of rising flood waters. In telling this tale, writers Michael and Shawn Rasmussen (The Ward) haven't met a cliche they didn't love, an emotional beat they didn't want to hit, or a convenient twist of the narrative screws that they didn't want to turn. It can't be overstated just how much of Crawl, in a story sense, plays out exactly as expected. Plot developments and character decisions all stick to the usual formula, as does animal behaviour and storm surges (if you're a screenwriter, it's possible to control the very forces that your protagonists can't). But it's worth thanking the cinema gods that Alexandre Aja is sitting in the director's chair — and that he knows a thing or two about creature features and horror movies. While the French filmmaker has both hits and misses to his name (including Haute Tension, remakes of The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha, and the devilish Daniel Radcliffe flick Horns), here he masters the art of conveying an alligator's menace. Of course, it could be argued that much of Crawl's work is easy. Along with sharks, gators already rank among the most frightening beasts on the planet. Courtesy of their teeth, speed, size and power, just thinking about them gives plenty of people the shivers — so, on paper, all that an unsettling film need do is place the scaly critters front and centre. And yet, as too many Jaws wannabes have shown since Steven Spielberg's massive hit created the concept of the blockbuster as we know it, it's not enough just to throw a bunch of attacking animals at some clueless folks. As more comic takes have demonstrated in Sharknado, Snakes on a Plane and the Birdemic movies, it's not enough to write off the whole scenario as simple silliness either. There's an existential basis to the genre's underlying idea, unpacking how humanity truly copes when it's made to face nature. As a species, much of our sense of collective worth stems from our ability to shape and control our world, and yet we can't stop weather systems from morphing into destructive hurricanes, or hungry reptiles from doing what they're designed to do. Mainly lurking in the Kellers' dank, dark, rat-infested crawlspace, Crawl leans into the primal side of pitting people against the environment. Aja takes every chance to emphasise the scampering threats eager to gobble up Haley and Dave. With assistance from his regular cinematographer Maxime Alexandre, he ramps up the unease, deploying tried and tested filmmaking techniques such as low shots, quick cuts, point-of-view perspectives, dim lighting, and ample movement and shadow. A couple of gory kill sequences add to the mood, as does the movie's approach to its swirling winds and rushing water. Indeed, amid the rampant CGI, there's a sense of awe for the havoc that alligators and hurricanes can each wreak, which only heightens the stressful atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, fear and tension radiates through the film as a result — and through its key duo, too. Although Scodelario and Pepper are given about as much room for character development as their cold-blooded foes, they still bring a naturalistic air to their performances, portraying anxious everyday folks just fighting to survive by doing whatever it takes. No matter what's thrown at us, or how, or where, that's what making humanity grapple with our surroundings boils down to, after all. In fact, given the state of the planet, Crawl's central theme not only proves frightening and fuels an effective thriller, but also feels unnervingly prescient. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4WuVXo_XAM
If Emily had been made two or three decades earlier, it might've starred Frances O'Connor, rather than boast the Australian actor-turned-filmmaker as its writer and director. Back in the 90s and 00s, O'Connor played with literary classics in movies such as Mansfield Park and The Importance of Being Earnest, plus a TV version of Madame Bovary. Now, making an accomplished and emotive debut behind the lens, she explores how Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights might've come to be. Is a Kate Bush-inspiring piece of gothic romantic fiction of such passion and yearning — the only one from a writer lost to tuberculosis at the age of just 30 in 1848 — the result of a life touched by both? That's a question that this fictionalised biopic ponders. Emily begins with another query, however, although it's also basically the same question. "How did you write it?" Emily's (Emma Mackey, Death on the Nile) older sister Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling, The Musketeers) demands. "How did you write Wuthering Heights?" As one Brontë grills another, "I took my pen and put it to paper" is Emily's literal answer, offered as she reclines, pale and not long for this world, alongside printed versions of her now-iconic story. The response provided by the gorgeously shot, impressively acted and deeply moving Emily is far more complicated, but O'Connor's choice to open her movie with this scene and question is both clever and telling. One perspective on great artists, including of words, is to view their work as intertwined with their lives — aka this feature's preferred vantage. A key perspective of Emily, too, is not letting the small amount of detail known about the middle of literature's three Brontë sisters dictate how this story is told. That copy of Wuthering Heights by Emily's side? It bears her name, as does every iteration printed today, but her book wasn't first published under her real moniker — her pen name was Ellis Bell — until two years after her death. With Emily, O'Connor doesn't just pluck everything from her own imagination, but conceives of context for a novel that still haunts and entrances today. Before she's close to saying farewell, the film's namesake is a shy, sensitive but strong-minded young woman seen as the family black sheep — in her minister father Patrick's (Adrian Dunbar, Line of Duty) eyes, visibly, given that she always comes second to Charlotte and the younger Anne (Amelia Gething, The Spanish Princess), and also further afield. "They call you the strange one," Charlotte advises with exasperation at Emily's demeanour, her penchant for staying home and for fondness for roaming, rolling and falling in green among the wily, windy moors. There's no absence of kindness among the sisters, but Emily's keenest affinity springs with her scampish brother Branwell (Fionn Whitehead, Voyagers), an aspiring creative whose attachment to alcohol and opium impacts his dreams. Into this Yorkshire maelstrom arrives handsome curate William Weightman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, The Lost Daughter), instantly winning over Charlotte and Anne with his lyrical sermons and his Valentine's wishes, and the village of Haworth as well, but initially leaving the guarded Emily sceptical. So, when Patrick decrees that William will help with Emily's French lessons, she's reluctant in general — including about their burgeoning connection. In a movie filled with standout scenes so potent that many other flicks would long to possess them, a debate in the Gallic tongue about blind faith proves one of Emily's most electrifying. That said, sparks don't merely fly in verbal discussions, as the frantic but careful attention given to the era's complicated disrobing demonstrates once Emily and William submit to their smouldering attraction. Teaming up with cinematographer Nanu Segal (A Spy Among Friends) and editor Sam Sneade (The Suspect) — and with strings-fuelled assistance from composer Abel Korzeniowski (The Courier) — O'Connor finds heat and solace against the picture's bucolic backdrop. At its lustiest, Emily never threatens Lady Chatterley's Lover, but it too is earthy, full-hearted and focused on a tactile romance. The impressionistic filmmaking itself evokes the whirlwind of sensations swirling and stirring inside its central figure, whether the movie is cutting to black, deploying handheld camerawork or energetically setting the pace through quick edits. Throw in that often-urgent score, as well as elemental sound design that whirrs with the wind but also knows how to punctuate its emotions with silence, and to watch Emily is to feel as feverish as O'Connor contends that Emily did, or might've, or could've. It isn't just a compliment to O'Connor to note that she pens and helms a feature she would've once fronted. Such is the now-director's standing as an actor — in a career that's also spanned Love and Other Catastrophes, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Hunter, The Conjuring 2, Cleverman and The End — that they're words of praise to Mackey as well. The Sex Education star ripples with intensity even in the stillest and quietest of moments, constantly conveying Emily's ever-churning thoughts and feelings in something as simple but loaded as a pensive gaze. Emily adores peering intently at her face and Mackey is up to the scrutiny, but one of her powerhouse scenes involves Emily donning a mask. Playing a storytelling game, and bringing to mind the origins of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in the process, she spooks Charlotte, Anne, Branwell and William by claiming to be the spirit of the Brontës' dead mother. How symbolic this exchange is, too, laying bare the influence of grief upon the family and displaying what Emily is capable of when she doesn't have to worry about the face she's showing the world. How wonderful it'd be to see Mackey cast as Catherine in a future adaptation of Wuthering Heights as well, if another soon joins the many past takes — 1939's Oscar-nominee, 1992's Juliette Binoche-led flick and 2011's Andrea Arnold (Cow)-directed one, to name a few — on-screen. For now, though, if there's a misstep in Emily, it's the nods given to the Brontës' speculated sibling rivalry. All three sisters made their mark on the page, and on history — Charlotte is responsible for Jane Eyre, of course, and Anne for Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall — and having them in competition with each other feels reductive. Still, it never undoes the movie, and it does help answer the big early question slung Emily's way. How did she write Wuthering Heights? In a family of sharp, intelligent, talented women, by being utterly and unflinchingly herself.
When Ralph Fiennes first trundles across the screen in The Dig, then starts speaking in a thick Suffolk accent, he's in suitably surly mode, as he needs to be. But, playing forthright, hardworking and under-appreciated excavator Basil Brown, the adaptable Official Secrets, Hail, Caesar!, Spectre and A Bigger Splash star also flirts with overstatement in his initial scenes. Thankfully, Fiennes settles into his role quickly. What starts out threatening to dissolve into caricature — not a charge aimed at the actor very often across his long career — soon becomes a measured, layered and earthy performance that's quietly weighty and moving. The self-taught Basil has spent a lifetime being judged by his voice, demeanour and appearance, and not on his talents and intellect, which Fiennes conveys with a firm but also delicate touch. As he finds his groove, not only while his character shovels dirt but in his conversations with those around him, this 1939-set drama about a real-life archaeological discovery also finds its rhythm with him. Hired by Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman) to burrow into what appear to be centuries-old burial mounds on her sprawling estate, Basil doesn't unearth any old junk. His kindly employer has always had a feeling about the small hills on her property, as she tells him in one of their friendly, leisurely chats, and her instincts prove more than accurate when they're found to contain Anglo-Saxon relics dating back to the sixth or seventh century. Basil initially dismisses Edith's suggestion about one particular mound; however, he swiftly realises that she too has spent her years being cast aside — due to her gender, not her class — by others. Their discovery on the site now known as Sutton Hoo is immense. It sparks national attention, including from museum head honchos who were barely interested when Edith first went asking for help excavating her property. Indeed, they cared so little about assisting Edith, and what her land might contain, that they fobbed off the job to Basil. The latter was well-recommended, and rightly so, but the way in which he came to be in Edith's employment smacks of men of authority, wealth or both who think they inherently know better than everyone, especially those they consider beneath them. Telling this tale, The Dig adapts the 2007 novel of the same name by John Preston — exploring Basil's work, Edith's fight to retain both recognition and the items buried deep in her soil, her increasing health woes, and the keen excitement of her primary school-aged son Robert (Archie Barnes, Patrick) as the excavation continues. It also follows the circus that arises when the British Museum's Charles Phillips (Ken Stott, The Mercy) insists on taking over once objects of value are found, and the love triangle that forms between his married employees Stuart (Ben Chaplin, The Children Act) and Peggy Piggott (Lily James, Rebecca) and Edith's airforce-bound cousin Rory Lomax (Johnny Flynn, Emma). The latter is the film's least convincing and least necessary element, smacking of pointlessly adding a romantic subplot to ramp up the drama. Still, whether you already know Sutton Hoo's story or you're learning the details for the first time, The Dig nonetheless relays an astonishing chapter of history. The first half of the 20th century was a staggering time for unearthing the past in general, as the movie nods to when Edith and Basil mention the exhumation of Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt just the decade prior. That said, spending time at an archaeological site mightn't sound like rich and riveting viewing — but this fascinating feature proves that notion wrong. While The Dig doesn't hone in on the scooping, shovelling and scraping too often, every shot that does leave an imprint. Such images also reinforce the film's broader contemplation of longevity, mortality and legacies, too. This is a movie that steps back into the past, chronicles an extraordinary historical discovery, and ponders the reality that time comes for all things and people. We all hope to leave a mark, to ensure that generations to come know that we once walked this earth, and to live on in the minds of those who follow after us, but the reality is that not everyone gets to. We can't all have our treasures dug up more than a thousand years after our deaths, or have our names etched in the history books for finding someone else's. We can all hope to be remembered by those nearest to us, those dearest to them and so on, though. As well as its true tale and its ruminative, melancholy undercurrent, The Dig benefits from two important decisions: the casting of Mulligan and Fiennes, and the involvement of Australian theatre director-turned-filmmaker Simon Stone. After the anger and raw energy of Promising Young Woman, Mulligan finds power in restraint here. Arriving back to back, her two recent performances are almost whiplash-inducing; that's how extensively they survey her range. Once Fiennes finds his knack as Basil, he's a source of stoic potency as well. Indeed, Mulligan and Fiennes' scenes together rank among the movie's best, although, making his first feature since 2015's The Daughter, Stone ensures that even the most routine of moments is never dull. The Dig abounds with sun-dappled imagery of Suffolk fields, their green and yellow expanse being carved into one spade at a time, but it's a gorgeously lensed picture in every frame. Stone and cinematographer Mike Eley (who also worked on The White Crow, which was directed by Fiennes) rarely shoot anything within view in the expected manner, resulting in a film that appears the handsome period part, yet also looks and feels fluid and lively. It has a sense of movement, of living, of truly engaging with everything within its view, rather than just peering on. And, while gouging into the land sometimes disinters valuables and sometimes just offers more dirt, this graceful movie proves a consistent gem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZQz0rkNajo The Dig is currently screening in Brisbane cinemas, and will also stream via Netflix from Friday, January 29. Image: Larry Horricks/Netflix.
Never meet your heroes. Kill your darlings. A murderous rampage through the Hundred Acre Wood — a slasher take on a childhood favourite, too — Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey sticks its paws in both pots. Based on AA Milne's famed creation, which initially appeared in kids' poetry book When We Were Very Young in 1924, this schlockfest is exactly what a headline-courting low-budget horror flick about a homicidal Pooh and Piglet seemed sight unseen, and in its trailer. Blood and Honey is all about that high-concept idea, and splashing around as many instances of bloody bother as possible, to the point of repetition. It slathers on well-executed gore, but isn't anything approaching good or so-bad-it's-good. That said, it's also a reminder that everything changes, even a cute, cuddly stuffed animal revered by generations — and that carving away cosy notions about comforting things is a fact of life. Commenting on ditching one's safety blankets and inevitably being disappointed by one's idols is an unexpected — and perhaps unintended — bonus here. With so little plot and character development to writer/director/producer Rhys Frake-Waterfield's (The Killing Tree) script, making a statement is hardly Blood and Honey's main meal. This is a film of opportunity. Milne's loveable bear of very little brain entered the public domain at the beginning of 2022, which is what gave rise to this gruesome spin on figures seen on the page, in plenty of cartoons, and also examined in recent movies such as Goodbye Christopher Robin and Christopher Robin. As sure as the titular teddy's historical love for ditching pants and palling around with Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga and Roo, this Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style Pooh twist primarily exists because the premise was too irresistible thanks to copyright laws. Now gone all lumberjack, Pooh does don dacks in Blood and Honey. He's also fond of sadistically ripping people apart with a range of weapons, particularly inflicting head traumas. Why? To satisfy bloodlust that's sprung from feeling abandoned by Christopher Robin (Nikolai Leon, also Frake-Waterfield's The Killing Tree) when he went off to college, then having to carnivorously rely on a friend to survive. Unsurprisingly, much of the picture is filled with stalking and killing, as the bear and his porcine companion dispense with anyone who dares go down to the woods on any day. Just as much focuses on lingering shots of Pooh and Piglet in all their human-sized, fully clothed glory — their faces rubbery, twisted, grinning and grotesque, and never resembling anything but two guys (Craig David Dowsett and Chris Cordell, both alumni of Frake-Waterfield's The Area 51 Incident) in masks. Often, they lurk in the background like they're Michael Myers, waiting to strike cinema's go-to throwaway victims: out-of-towners on a rural vacation, and women at that. Blood and Honey uses illustration-style animation to set the scene before getting cold-blooded, and to establish not only Christopher leaving the Hundred Acre Wood crew, but also the latter's decision never to speak again after the hunger, resentment and tough decisions that follow. Dubbed "abominations" by the opening narration anyway, they maintain their mute promise even when their former friend returns brimming with excitement to show his boyhood haunt and its residents to his disbelieving spouse Mary (Paula Coiz, Tooth Fairy Queen of Pain) — and when that reunion turns feral, when they spark the torture-porn onslaught. Blood and Honey isn't the product of many savvy decisions past its central idea, and can't even decide whether Mary is Christopher's fiancée or wife in its early dialogue; however, removing the possibility of ill-fitting voices for Pooh and company slicing the mood to pieces is at least one smart move. What's a man-shaped bear and pig to do when Maria (Maria Taylor, Mega Lightning), Jess (Natasha Rose Mills, Return of Krampus), Alice (Amber Doig-Thorne, Summoning Bloody Mary 2), Zoe (Danielle Ronald, Shockwaves), Lara (Natasha Tosini, Quarantine Leap) and Tina (May Kelly, also Mega Lightning) mosey their way not long after Christopher's comeback? Get kill-happy, complete with slaughtering a few other folks who stumble along in Frake-Waterfield's straight-faced, by-the-numbers affair — and prolific producer Scott Jeffrey's latest cheap horror effort, including almost every film mentioned above in the Blood and Honey's cast's previous credits. How are any of the movie's humans supposed to stand out, or make an imprint beyond being grist for the grindhouse mill? They can't, although Maria is introduced as the victim of a prior attack, a background detail that's barely explored and then utterly ignored. Otherwise, two of her friends are a couple, and one likes taking bikini-clad selfies — which is all that the feature shares about them. How's a director meant to find tension in the monotonous array of deaths, and with dispatching with such one-dimensional, forgettable prey? Frake-Waterfield can't, especially given there's zero doubt from the outset that Pooh and Piglet are deranged and demonic, the body count and accompanying splatter will be high, and a sequel will be on the way based on the viral response to the feature's existence alone. Blood and Honey's creative forces are indeed planning a second jaunt for violent Pooh and his pals, as revealed before the first movie hit cinemas. More than that, they have their sights set on other children's favourites now in the public domain, such as Bambi and Peter Pan, all in their own Marvel Cinematic Universe-esque interconnected realm. Like the MCU, DC Comics Extended Universe and the like, they're also clearly fine with filler in their franchise. Perhaps future serial-killer Pooh flicks will find more to bother with. To keep audiences coming back now the 'beloved character gets unhinged' bit has been so dully done, they'll need to. More nods to Milne's pages would be a start, because Blood and Honey plays like a generic slasher with familiar names and a heap of honey thrown in (using Eeyore's detachable tail to get whipping is a rare and welcome touch). Perhaps whatever returns to the Hundred Acre Wood from here will give viewers a reason to care about someone — anyone — and their fates. Maybe there'll be dialogue that actual people would genuinely say, or a much-needed sense of OTT humour. Ideally, there'd be some weight behind the slaying of childhood innocence. If 2023's other big bear-focused release is a hit, though, maybe the best that can be hoped for is Winnie-the-Pooh meets Cocaine Bear — a notion that doesn't sound bad on paper, but neither did Blood and Honey before the movie started rolling.
Since making her movie debut as "girl in a blue truck" in Dazed and Confused, then popping up in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel, Renee Zellweger has enjoyed quite the career. She belted out a tune on a rooftop in Empire Records, told Tom Cruise that he had her at hello in Jerry Maguire and became everyone's favourite romantically challenged Briton in three Bridget Jones flicks. Then, she razzle-dazzled her way to an Oscar nomination in Chicago, before nabbing a coveted statuette for Cold Mountain. It's an impressive resume. So, when we say that Judy may just be Zellweger's best work, we don't make that statement lightly. Stepping into a famous figure's shoes might be one of acting's most difficult feats, especially when that person is cinema royalty, but Zellweger doesn't ever feel like she's just impersonating Judy Garland. Rather, she wears Garland's ruby slippers as if they're her own — and they fit perfectly. Technically, because Judy is set in the year leading up to the eponymous star's death, Zellweger doesn't literally don that iconic pair of footwear, with the film enlisting newcomer Darci Shaw to do the honours in flashbacks to Garland's teenage years. Zellweger doesn't need glittering shoes to inhabit the part, though; with nuance and intensity simmering through her performance, she shines brighter than any jewel-toned item of clothing ever has. While the aforementioned leaps back into the past show where Garland started, the expectations placed upon her and the destructive impact of her showbiz childhood, Judy spends the bulk of its duration in 1969. Garland is 46, with more than four decades of experience to her name, but she's scrounging for work. Deemed unemployable by Hollywood's insurance agencies, which nixes her cinema stardom, The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis and A Star Is Born talent sings and dances through touring stage shows instead. Both broke and homeless, she's trying to provide for two of her children (Bella Ramsey and Lewin Lloyd). So, when she reluctantly takes a long series of gigs in London, it's largely to earn enough cash so she doesn't have to keep travelling away from her kids afterwards. Given the above state of affairs, plus years of using prescription pills to stay awake and to get to sleep (and drinking as well), Garland isn't in prime physical, emotional or mental health during Judy's period of focus. Remaining in the public eye since she was two has clearly taken its toll, understandably. And, while Garland knows this, she's addicted to the thrill of being in the spotlight — and she has an ego to with it, too, as her interactions with her British minder (Jessie Buckley) demonstrate. Still, what a joy it is to spend time with Zellweger's version of Garland, and not only when she's wowing crowds while strutting across the stage. In an always hypnotic, often heartbreaking portrayal that illustrates the star's on-stage strength and behind-the-scenes sorrow in tandem, Zellweger turns every scene into a revelation. Watching as Garland dotes over her youngest offspring, attends a party with her twenty-something daughter Liza Minnelli (Gemma-Leah Devereux) and falls swiftly for her fifth husband (Finn Wittrock), viewers see the yearning heart of someone who just wants to love and be loved in return. In her messier moments, of which there are many, we feel the kind of aching pain that all the cheering fans in the world can't fix. And, when she's crooning a greatest-hits collection from across her career — including 'Get Happy' and, of course, 'Over the Rainbow' — we understand why she keeps doing what she does even when it's almost killing her. For existing Garland aficionados, the result is like trotting down the yellow brick road — you can bask in all the glorious details you've ever wanted, while also getting a glimpse behind the curtain at the stark reality behind the magic. And if The Wizard of Oz is your only real frame of reference for Garland, Judy wholeheartedly explains that the now-80-year-old classic was neither the beginning nor the end of her tale. Accordingly, in adapting stage musical Over the Rainbow for the screen, director Rupert Goold (TV's The Hollow Crown) and writer Tom Edge (The Crown) have hit the biopic jackpot. There's a sense of formula at work in Judy's storytelling, as can happen in showbiz portraits, but it captures its subject in a winning way. And, come next year, Zellweger will likely be winning plenty more awards for her efforts — for such a captivating performance that does justice to a legend, she deserves to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C61wB6DTwiA
For a movie this bad, a standard review is more than it deserves, so instead we’re giving it the treatment of something less dignified. Here are ten reasons why The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies fails in every possible respect. Despite fierce deliberation, our pros list stands at zero. The prequel tension vaccuum Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, Legolas, Galadriel, Elrond and Saruman: they're all familiar characters from Lord of the Rings that feature heavily in this film. Why is this relevant? Because as a prequel to LOTR, it means we know every single one of them survives. Not even a war involving five armies can inject tension into scenes involving any of these characters because they’re cinematically invulnerable. Fifteen Minutes of Freeman It doesn't seem entirely unreasonable to think that a film (a) about the hobbit, and (b) called 'The Hobbit', would at some point feature the hobbit. Well get ready for unreasonable, because Martin Freeman’s Bilbo Baggins (just about the only thing that held these films together), is given so little screen time, this should simply be called: 'The Battle of the Five Armies And Nothing Else, Okay? So Just Shut Up'. Smaug Remember the climactic cliffhanger ending of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, in which Smaug took to the skies headed for Lake Town to finally do some desolating? Well… he dies. Like, right away. He’s Steven Segal in Executive Decision, that’s how quick it is. Lisa Needs Braces ‘The Last Exit To Springfield’ is regarded by many as the greatest Simpsons episode of all time, featuring the iconic, echoey memory montage of voices in Homer's head screaming: “Lisa needs braces / Dental Plan!” The same thing happens in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and it’s hilarious, but it’s certainly not meant to be. Alfrid the Pointless In Tolkien’s novel, the character of Alfrid Lickspittle is unnamed and rates little more than a cursory mention. In The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Jackson has made him a significant secondary character despite him having no point whatsoever. To call him 'this film’s Jar Jar Binks' would almost be unfair to Jar Jar. We’ll give you a moment to let that sink in. Five Armies Is Three Too Many Speaking of The Phantom Menace (something few people ever do), remember that clusterfuck of a final battle involving cloned robots, Jedi, Sith, human space pilots and Gungans? It was confusing, distracting and largely irrelevant to the overall… I wanna say ‘plot’? So too the battle in this film. Tolkien gave it only slightly more attention than those unnamed characters, yet Jackson's done an entire film about it. Its scale is impressive, but inherently it requires most of its thousands of combatants to be computer generated and, as such, is about as emotionally engaging as a screensaver. Fuck You, Sir Isaac Newton Legolas runs up a series of falling bricks as they tumble down a gaping ravine. It’s strange to talk about ridiculous implausibility in a movie featuring orcs, necromancers and invisibility rings, but this was just one crumbling-step too far. Like Sands through the Hourglass What do you get if you combine the hackneyed writing of a daytime soap with the protracted, intense stares and closeups of a daytime soap? Clue: it's The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. In fact, one exchange through a hole in a wall between Thorin and Bard the Bowman ends with a head turn of such unbelievably contrived drama, the entire cinema laughed. On The 8th Day, Jackson Created Tauriel In order to stretch a 19-chapter book into almost nine hours of cinema, you need to embellish, and in this trilogy Peter Jackson invented the character of Tauriel (played by Evangeline Lilly). Setting aside her redundancy, the fearsome warrior with complicated romance issues was actually fun to watch, so it’s mystifying why she’s given about as much screen time as Bilbo. On the upside, Jackson will probably give Tauriel her own trilogy in a year or two. Ultra High Def As we’ve noted previously, the astounding clarity of 4K HD film makes the world of Middle Earth an absolute joy to behold, and is pretty much the only format of 3D that doesn’t exhaust your eyes. But it also makes films shot in this format feel entirely un-cinematic and more like live community theatre. Coupled with the terrible writing and hammy acting, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is a perfect Christmas movie in that it’s basically a pantomime.
When the weather warms up, soaking up the great outdoors starts moving toward the top of our to-do lists. And when we can enjoy the sprawling parklands of Brisbane while supporting a great cause, it takes prime position at the very top. On Friday, October 28, you and your crew can get involved in The MS Moonlight Walk to help raise money for MS Queensland — an organisation that provides critical support to people living with multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions. The annual after-dark event will kick off its pre-walk festivities at 4pm at South Bank Piazza, with the walk itself commencing from 6pm. There'll be live entertainment, loads of lanterns lighting the way (free with your registration), a competition for best dressed and endless opportunities to connect with the local community. All you have to do is decide if you want to tackle the 3-, 5- or 10-kilometre course. Keen to get involved and to show your support? The MS Moonlight Walk will kick off from 4pm Friday, October 28 at South Bank Piazza. For more information and to register, visit the website.
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.
When a filmmaker keeps chiselling away at the same niche, they're called repetitive. When they swap what they know for something new, they're accused of straying past their limits. The supposed ideal seems to sit somewhere in the middle, with directors expected to remain unwaveringly reliable while also serving up constant surprises — even if that very concept defies basic human nature. So what's an acclaimed auteur to do when he appears to be settling into a well-worn groove, as his underwhelming last picture made plain? In Asghar Farhadi's case, he explores the contradiction of trying to be the same yet different, baking the notion into his latest release. With the Spanish-language Everybody Knows, one truth is immediately evident: you can take the Oscar-winner out of his native Iran, but you can't take the familiarity out of his work. The man behind About Elly, A Separation, The Past and The Salesman delights in delving into disharmony in close quarters — into relationships, friendships and family situations where what's left unspoken is as important as what's said, and where complication reigns supreme. The scenarios, characters and narratives vary, and occasionally the countries that his films are set in do as well, however the writer-director's deep dive into complex interactions continues. All of the above proves accurate in this recognisable domestic drama, which is dressed up as a kidnap thriller while shot in sunny hues and scenic locales. If that last sentence seems like a clash of contrasts, that's partly the point, with Everybody Knows examining the foolishness of simultaneously wanting things to change and hoping they remain exactly as they always were. Returning to her Spanish village after establishing a life in Argentina, Laura's (Penélope Cruz) homecoming should be a happy one. She's back for her younger sister Ana's (Inma Cuesta) nuptials, she has her teenage daughter Irene (Carla Campra) and adolescent son Diego (Ivan Chavero) in tow, and everyone from her elderly father Antonio (Ramon Barea) to her ex-lover Paco (Javier Bardem) is delighted by her presence. Of course, no one could've anticipated that Irene would disappear during the lively wedding reception, or that a significant ransom demand would set everyone on edge. When Laura's husband Alejandro (Ricardo Darin) belatedly arrives, he steps into a tempest of flaring tempers and fraying emotions as the close-knit group endeavours to work through their darkest hour. With a name like Everybody Knows, Farhadi's eighth film was always going to hinge upon twists and secrets — of the type that, as the title makes plain, aren't all that twisty and secret at all. For viewers of the director's past work, the minutiae borders on routine, as characters argue about past dalliances, long-held grievances, whispered rumours and deep-seated jealousies, plus a contentious land deal that helped Paco become a successful winemaker. But with Laura's desperation growing, Paco committing to assist however he can, and Alejandro becoming quietly envious of their previous relationship, something else fascinates. In thoughtful and insightful fashion, the movie's main players are all caught between a past they've painted in rosy colours, a present that's fraught with pain, and an idealised future that may never eventuate. Pondering the ripples caused by previous deeds has become a Farhadi trademark, as has upsetting a comfortable vision of life with a challenging alternative, yet the turmoil is both smartly and aptly handled in Everybody Knows. Still, while there's substance behind Farhadi's story and themes, not to mention purpose behind his usual flourishes, Everybody Knows is rarely more than a striving but standard entry on his resume. What helps lift the movie considerably is another of the filmmaker's regular touches, with Farhadi particularly accomplished at wringing excellent performances out of his actors. In roles written specifically for them, Cruz and Bardem show why they've become the English-language film world's go-to Spanish stars, throwing up surprises in their multi-faceted portrayals long after the narrative has stopped doing so. Elsewhere, the soulful Darin demonstrates why he belongs in their company, and there's no false moves among the rest of the cast either. Alas, even with such stellar assistance and intentions, Farhadi often feels as if he's caught between two impulses — between simply doing what he's always done, and giving his fondness for familiarity extra weight and meaning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYMBGiWXoUc
