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
Choose the conventional, or go with something else. It's a question Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) knows oh-so-well. Every time the former Edinburgh heroin addict turned Amsterdam accountant has unleashed one of his catchy "choose life" monologues — first in Trainspotting, now in the sequel — that's been his central dilemma. In the long-awaited follow-up to the 1996 cult classic that introduced him and his fellow layabout mates Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle), it's a choice that remains as relevant as ever. Initially, Renton chose skag. Then, he chose to fleece his friends after a lucrative drug deal so he could live life on the straight and narrow. Now, back in his old stomping grounds, he doesn't quite know which option to go for. Before long he crosses paths with the pals he hasn't seen for 21 years, finding Spud still struggling with his habit, and Sick Boy running both a failing pub and a blackmail racket with his Bulgarian girlfriend Veronika (Anjela Nedyalkova). At least Renton's safe from Begbie, who has long been locked up for his ultra-violent ways…at least, until he orchestrates a jailbreak. So it is that the characters reunite, in one way or another, and find themselves taking stock of their unfulfilling lives. But things are rather different than they were in '96. It was with the energetic drumbeat and aggressive drawl of Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" that the foursome made their debut all those years ago, back when they were young, searching for fun, spoiling for trouble, hooked on various substances and sensations, and nothing about them was clean, orderly or clear-cut. Two decades later, an air of chaos still prevails – but in trying to make sense of the past to cope with the present and face the future, messiness is the very thing the characters are trying to eliminate. From a narrative perspective, that's easier said than done. While T2: Trainspotting spins its story around the futility of reliving former glories, director Danny Boyle seems unable to resist the urge to replicate, redefine and retell. There's nostalgia here, and melancholy, but also a sense of indulgence, with many a phrase, situation, scene, shot, soundtrack choice and even snippets of old footage harkening back to the original. Sometimes the movie successfully interrogates its history. Sometimes it's an empty rehash. Mostly, Renton sums it up perfectly: "choose history repeating itself". Still, it's a pleasure to catch up with the iconic characters again, as well as with the actors that play them – although sadly, the first film's female stars Kelly MacDonald and Shirley Henderson get barely more than cameos. McGregor and Miller are rarely better than when they're just catching up and talking rubbish together, and Carlyle still plays psychopathic with brutal flair. But, it's actually Bremner who steals the show — and his tragicomic Spud who receives the most fulfilling storyline, while also suffering most from the film's need for neatness. Ultimately, the battle between the engaging and the all-too-easy is what you'll find coursing through T2: Trainspotting's veins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsozpEE543w
A tense, make-your-stomach-drop drama from director Benedict Andrews, Una is not an easy watch. You'll find your skin crawling, and your legs and arms crossed, physically recoiling from the modern-day version of Lolita too realistic for comfort unfolding on screen. You might even forget all about the big crush you have on your fave Aussie dad figure Ben Mendelsohn. The effect of Una is just that jarring. The film tells the story of Una (Rooney Mara), a woman whose sudden reappearance threatens to destroy the life of Ray (Mendelsohn), a man who at first glance it seems she was once intimately involved with. But we soon pick up on the fact that "involved with" here means "sexually abused by". Una was 13 when Ray began a sexual relationship with her. Years later, she arrives at his workplace, come to confront him about the past. In brief, disjointed moments of flashback we meet Una as a child, and Ray as a younger man who becomes obsessed with his neighbour's daughter, sexually abusing her through the guise of them "being in love". Back then, it all ended in a plan to run away to Europe, a single motel bed, abandonment, and a jail sentence. Years later, Ray (now "Peter") has rebuilt his life with a new job, a new wife, a new house, and a whole new identity. Una? Not so. Still dealing with what was done to her as a child, she lives in the same house where it all happened, with a mother she's still failing to communicate with. The last time we see Una as a child, she's pleading with Ray via live video feed in a courtroom, asking him to come back, to make contact, and to tell her why he left her. The first time we meet her as an adult, she's having sex with a faceless man at a club and wandering home in the early morning, stuck in her anger and her past. The film was adapted from Blackbird, a play by David Harrower, and its origins on the stage are clear to see. Una's musings to Ray, mostly within the confines of the lunchroom at his workplace, are delivered like monologues. Mara chews up and spits out the dialogue the way her character must have practised hundreds of times in the years since her abuse. The film succeeds in what it sets out to do in part through its handling of the aspects of Una and Ray's past that, obviously, it can't actually show. A chill runs down your spine with each horrible moment left unseen; a close-up of two hands holding each other, or a long shot of a huge tree that obscures our view. Our imaginations run cold along with our blood. Mendelsohn is convincingly charismatic while bringing the requisite darkness to his role. Mara struggles a little in her attempts to pull off a British accent, but aside from that her performance is exceptional. The chemistry between the two is patently present, enough to make you shudder. Una is one of those films that you can't stop watching, no matter how much you might want to; a tense, confined study of a paedophile that dares you to look away. Is Ray rehabilitated, trying to move on from the unforgivable actions of his past? Or is he still as sick and manipulative as ever? The film, and Mendelsohn, will leave you guessing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSpZBmnamhg
First things first: Lady Macbeth isn't about William Shakespeare's famous character. It does, however, bring some of the Bard's best-known words to mind. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," he waxed lyrical in Romeo and Juliet. It's a statement that rings true here, in a film about a woman every bit as calculating, ambitious, disarming and deadly as her notorious namesake. In adapting Nikolai Leskov's 1865 novella Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, first-time feature director William Oldroyd delivers a stunning character study, an unnerving portrait of the female experience in the 19th century, and a tense psychodrama. With playwright turned screenwriter Alice Birch moving the action from the book's Russian setting to Northern England, Lady Macbeth explores the married woes of young Katherine (Florence Pugh), who is wed to the unkindly but wealthy Alexander (Paul Hilton), confined within his family's rural estate and treated like property. As her overbearing father-in-law Boris (Christopher Fairbank) explains, she has been bought and paid for; accordingly, tending to her husband's needs should now be the only reason for Katherine's existence. Exploring the dismal way English women were treated just 150 years ago drives much of the film's first act, as it touches on not only gender but also race and class courtesy of Katherine's black housemaid Anna (Naomi Ackie). Showing how Katherine plans to break free from her restrictive regime underscores everything that follows. When an affair with one of Alexander's handsome groomsmen, Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis), gives her a glimpse of a different life, she's reluctant to return to the drudgery that comprises her version of normality. In fact, she's reluctant enough to scheme, flout convention, and generally do whatever it takes to regain her independence. If you're familiar with Macbeth, you'll have an idea of the kinds of plots she conjures up. If you're not, let's just say that getting caught in Katherine's way isn't recommended. In other hands, Lady Macbeth might've been more of a bodice-ripper. Constraining undergarments are indeed torn open and tossed aside, a sexual awakening takes place, and passions refuse to be contained. And yet it's the intensity of Katherine's feelings, not only for Sebastian but also for control over her life, that Oldroyd and Birch thrust to the fore. The film is austerely shot and composed; Australian cinematographer Ari Wegner (The Kettering Incident) keeps the visuals largely still, gloomily lit and posed from a distance, allowing the underlying emotions to bubble up against bleak images and a dour atmosphere. Of course, the movie's stylistic restraint serves another purpose. When such a potent figure stalks through almost every frame — as brought to life with such a stunning central performance — dialling back everything around her is an astute choice. And what a force to be reckoned with Pugh turns out to be, so assured that it's hard to believe that Lady Macbeth is only her second big screen role (she previously appeared in The Falling). Then again, perhaps it's apt: this is a tale of a young woman defying expectation to make a bold statement, after all. Either way, no one will forget her in a hurry — the actress, or the character she plays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQAG253WWZU
9 to 5 and Working Girl hail from the genre. Everything from Office Space to The Assistant do, too. But films about working in offices, TPS reports and navigating the desk-based daily grind might eventually become a dying breed or a nostalgic retro curiosity. Because art always mirrors life, the gig economy may swoop in and draw the silver screen's focus instead. Sorry We Missed You already has in a resonant warts-and-all manner, and Lapsis now endeavours to do the same via a smart and searing sci-fi satire. There's much to ponder, probe and dissect about the mode of employment that's becoming the status quo, after all, and that isn't bound to change as it spreads and grows. Corporations don't just dictate workers' behaviour during office hours now, supplying a reliable wage and perks such as holiday and sick leave in return. Attempting to monopolise entire fields such as food and package delivery, transportation and caregiving, big companies (you know the ones) hire independent contractors, scrap the benefits, and keep them toiling on-demand or on-call just to earn the bare minimum. This new kind of technology-driven rat race has been normalised, and quickly — and what it means for the labour force, employment, capitalism, corporate greed, class structures and basic human rights demands to be interrogated in thousands of movies as sharp and scathing as this one. In Lapsis and its alternative vision of New York, quantum computing is the next big thing. It requires a network of giant metallic cubes connected via thick black wires, with stringing them together the gig economy's new growth area. It's such an in-demand field and so lucrative for workers, in fact, that cablers can earn thousands of dollars just for a weekend's work. They can also pay off their mortgages within months — if the advertisements spruiking the supposed new employment dream can be trusted, that is. Technology-phobic delivery driver Ray Tincelli (first-timer Dean Imperial) is sceptical, so much so that he won't even use a quantum computer himself, even though they're essential to viewing up-to-date websites and just generally existing in Lapsis' parallel world. But his unwell brother Jamie (fellow debutant Babe Howard) suffers from a pervasive form of exhaustion called omnia, and requires expensive medical treatment. After finding a way into the cabling industry via acquaintance Felix (James McDaniel, The Deuce), Ray's need to make a quick stash of hefty cash quickly overrides his misgivings. Ray doesn't drop his distrust of quantum computing and everything associated with it, of course. But, in trying to pay for medical care and just generally make enough money to get by, he's willing to compromise his ideals out of necessity — or he's forced to, really, given that he doesn't have any other options to take care of his brother and boost his finances. In choosing these motivations to drive his protagonist, writer/director Noah Hutton quickly taps into, caricatures and scratches away at the US today. Helming his first fictional feature after a decade of documentaries, including two about the oil industry, he keeps digging his claws into a society that treats health care as an optional extra for anyone who isn't wealthy, and thinks that basically working yourself to death is just how life should be if you haven't been successful enough in chasing the so-called American Dream. All of this pointed commentary exists in Lapsis' premise, and the deeper it dives into the cabling world, the more biting the film becomes. Hutton is playful, parodying the reality he's drawing upon, but he still sinks his teeth in — and hard. As Ray quickly learns, his new form of employment involves hiking through gorgeously leafy surroundings to get from cube to cube, all while wheeling a cart between his magnetic start and end points. While the terrain is bumpy, the job sounds straightforward and even leisurely and enjoyable, but it definitely isn't. Different routes pay more than others, getting lucrative gigs isn't easy unless you've been at it for years, and competition is fierce between cablers. Also complicating matters: robotic carts that scurry along day and night, and can steal routes from humans by overtaking them. By design, they push flesh-and-blood cablers to work harder — or risk expending all that effort for absolutely nothing. Then there's the fact that when Ray checks in on the trail, using the medallion he's been given, it flashes up the name 'Lapsis Beeftech'. That moniker instantly inspires scorn from his fellow workers, with only acerbic experienced cabler Anna (Madeline Wise, Crashing) willing to explain why. She also talks Ray through exactly what he's gotten himself into, how the companies behind the job treat their contractors, the pushback during past attempts at unionisation and the small ways that cablers can get the upper hand over their mechanical adversaries. Savaging both expensive and quack medical treatments as well — and the fact that they're the types that largely garner attention — Lapsis is undeniably dense in ideas. That said, it's never overstuffed or overcomplicated, and it doesn't spread its many insights and statements too thin. Indeed, as both a screenwriter and a visual storyteller, Hutton keeps striking a perfect balance. He layers his film with reflections upon much about work in the 21st century. He spins an involving dystopian tale, too. And, he doesn't let either the feature's loaded commentary or its involving world-building feel like it's dragging the other along with it, or dragging it down for that matter. Stepping into a high-tech world with a low-fi (and low-budget) approach, Lapsis' analogies might be clearcut, but they're meant to be. Like Sorry to Bother You, one of the other excellent movies of the past few years that tore strips off of so much that we've come to accept as standard, this is a shrewd film that's direct about its targets at every turn. It's also savvily crafted, stems from clear anger and overflows with surprises. The engaging cast, including the wily Imperial, is one such unexpected gem — and so is this astute, complex and compelling delight itself, including in its memorable final stretch.
For 69 years, the Sydney Film Festival has screened and celebrated the latest and greatest in international cinema in the Harbour City. Since 2009, it has also handed out a prestigious award to the absolute best of the best. The list of flicks that've won the fest's Sydney Film Prize for "audacious, cutting-edge and courageous" movies is impressive, including everything from Nicolas Winding Refn's Bronson and Only God Forgives through to Bong Joon-ho's Parasite. Now, at the 2022 festival, Lukas Dhont's Close has joined them. Fresh from nabbing the Grand Prix at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Dhont's sophomore feature has picked up this year's SFF $60,000 gong from a lineup of 12 contenders. Close dives into a teenage friendship between two 13-year-olds that's tested when they're teased and taunted about their closeness by their classmates — and also marks the filmmaker's second movie to screen at the Sydney fest, after Girl in 2018. "I want to express my incredible gratitude for the recognition that our film Close receives at this year's Sydney Film Festival. Thank you to the festival for expressing its love for the film, the jury for choosing it among all these outstanding pieces, and its first Australian audience for opening hearts and spirits to a film that comes from deep within," said Dhont. "We wanted to make a film about friendship and connection after a moment in time where we all understood its necessity and power. I decided to use cinema as my way to connect to the world. And tonight I feel incredibly close and connected to all of you." This year's Sydney Film Prize was decided by a jury comprised of Australian actor David Wenham (The Furnace), the SFF Official Competition Jury President, plus Jennifer Peedom (director of River and Sherpa), Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (the Bangladeshi filmmaker behind No Man's Land, which screened at SFF 2022), Semih Kaplanoğlu (the Turkish director-producer of Commitment Hasan, also screening at this year's SFF) and Yuka Sakano (Executive Director of Tokyo's Kawakita Memorial Film Institute). In winning the Sydney Film Prize, Close follows in the footsteps of the aforementioned Parasite, the 2019 recipient, as well as fellow past winners There Is No Evil (2021), The Heiresses (2018), On Body and Soul (2017), Aquarius (2016), Arabian Nights (2015), Two Days, One Night (2014), Only God Forgives (2013), Alps (2012), A Separation (2011), Heartbeats (2010), Bronson (2009) and Hunger (2008). Announced as the Sydney Film Prize-winner at SFF's 2022 closing ceremony, Close is just one of this year's award recipients. The street dancing-focused Keep Stepping won the $10,000 Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary, while Filipino doco Delikado nabbed the fest's second-ever $10,000 Sustainable Future Award. Also, the $20,000 Deutsche Bank Fellowship for First Nations Film Creatives went to filmmaker and performer Kylie Bracknell (Fist of Fury Noongar Daa), and film composer Caitlin Yeo (Wakefield, Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks) received the $10,000 Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award. And, in the Dendy Short Film Awards, Donkey won the Yoram Gross Animation Award and the AFTRS Craft Award, while The Moths Will Eat Them Up scored the Dendy Live Action Short Award and the Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director. Four shorts were highly commended, too: 2166 in the Yoram Gross Animation Award field, Ghosted in the Dendy Live Action Short Award category, and Stonefish and Yao Yao Goes to Little Bay for the Best Director prize. The 2022 Sydney Film Festival ran from Wednesday, June 8–Sunday, June 19, with the festival screening four days of encores until Thursday, June 23.
Space, the final frontier. An infinite continuum capable of sapping morale and robbing voyaging crews of both purpose and progress since, by its very definition, there can never be an end in sight. Such is the existential crisis facing Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) at the beginning of this third instalment in the revised Star Trek franchise – a notably low-key opening compared to its bombastic predecessors. Three years into their five-year deep space mission, Kirk and his crew are homesick, questioning their commitment to the cause and bored of their 'episodic' existence. An urgent rescue mission changes all of that, however, and when that rescue goes awry, Kirk and the team from the Enterprise find themselves stranded on a forbidding planet, unable to contact Star Fleet and being hunted down by a villainous character named Krall (Idris Elba). As it happens, the story scarcely stretches beyond that point, resting instead in the comfortable zone of 'crew in peril requiring brazen rescue attempt' – which is not to say that it's a bad film because of it. Co-written by Simon Pegg (who also plays Scotty) and directed by Justin Lin of the Fast & Furious franchise, Star Trek Beyond feels much more like an episode from the original TV series, where each member of the ensemble is afforded considerable and equal screen time. Spock, Bones, Uhura, Chekov and Sulu all feature prominently in Beyond, along with newcomer Sofia Boutella as Jaylah, a fearsome warrior castaway from another, earlier shipwreck. And while the laughs are fewer than might be expected for a script penned by Pegg, the action absolutely delivers, most notably in the film's dazzling climax, complete with fist-pumpingly-spectacular callback to the Beastie Boys moment from the 2009 original. Star Trek Beyond has featured prominently in the news ahead of its release, both on account of the sudden accidental death of one of its stars (Anton Yelchin as Chekov), and its decision to reveal long-time character and fan-favourite Sulu as gay. The latter issue is handled perfectly by Lin and actor John Cho, in that it attracts neither fanfare or spotlight since, at least in the world of the movie, nobody cares either way. As for Yelchin, it's another fine performance from the talented actor whose abilities far outweighed the requirements of his character. The dual dedications at the end of the film – 'In loving memory of Leonard Nimoy', and, then '...For Anton' – feel particularly tender and respectful, capping off a movie in which subtle nods to both the earlier movies and television series are everywhere. This is, as they say, 'one for the fans.' Still, newcomers will find more than enough to enjoy about Star Trek Beyond in their own right, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRVD32rnzOw
It's the kind of thing nightmares are made of. You arrive on day one of your dream job, but everyone is watching — including ever-present cameras. It's also the type of situation good documentaries can be born of, taking the fly-on-the-wall technique to its extreme. Trailing a fresh-faced new arrival in the hope that fireworks follow could be a waste of time, or it could result in something special. Both scenarios met Raf Simons when he commenced his latest post as artistic director for the House of Christian Dior in April 2012. His appointment was huge news in fashion circles, with the Belgian designer better known for his minimalistic ready-to-wear lines for his own label. Taking over the creative reigns of one of the biggest clothing houses in the industry, he had just two months to put together his first-ever haute couture collection. Observing in the atelier, director Frédéric Tcheng captures the chaos of Simons' trial-by-fire — though the dramas are few and the designs are many. From the moment he meets his new colleagues, to his reaction at the star-studded unveiling of eight weeks' worth of hard work, Dior and I charts his journey with an insider's perspective. It's that peek behind the high-pressure scenes that lifts the documentary, looking further than you might expect. Simons is focused on the massive mission at hand and reluctant to share much about his vision or processes, though he's not the only important figure to consider. The many others toiling away night and day, some mainstays in the workroom for decades, are just as crucial — and are treated accordingly. That's not just Tcheng's approach in trying to make a more interesting movie, but reflective of the status quo at Dior, where collaboration is essential. Also influential is that other figure, the legendary Christian Dior himself. The man who started the brand is worked into the film through snippets of his diary read aloud, his presence felt elsewhere in every shot bearing the label's name — and there's plenty — and discussion about its operating philosophy. Despite the title, however, what the documentary offers is an insight into the way those carrying on his legacy handle that task. Here, it's the I that has it. Tcheng is no stranger to the world of fancy frocks, celebrities and catwalks, having worked on Valentino: The Last Emperor and co-directed Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel, with his affection for the industry evident. It would've just been something to catch a crisply shot glimpse of the hallowed halls responsible for some of the greatest looks of the last 70 years, especially for the already converted — but in his hands, Dior and I delivers more than that. With clear eyes, it shows the mania behind the magic and the team behind the icon. That, folks, really is fashion, beyond the parade of beautiful dresses.
New year, new vaccination campaign, new chance to see life return to pre-pandemic normality: when 2020 ticked over to 2021, that's what was on the horizon. But the year hasn't turned out as planned so far thanks to ongoing lockdowns and restrictions — and the slow pace of Australian's vax rollout. For many Aussies under 40, it's been quite a wait to get the jab. Across most of this year, getting vaccinated if you're aged 39 and under — and getting the Pfizer vax, which is the preferred jab for that age group — has only been possible if you've fallen into a specific high-risk category. But, thankfully, that's no longer the case. So, it's time to roll up your sleeves, get your two jabs and protect yourself against COVID-19. In the process, you'll also help the country increase its vaccination rate, with more restrictions likely to ease for fully vaxxed Aussies once the nation hits both the 70-percent and 80-percent vaccination thresholds. That said, when it comes to the process of actually booking in for your vaccination, you might have a few questions. It isn't always as straightforward as it perhaps should be, in fact. So, we've run through the basics — and the queries you might have bubbling away in your head at the moment. Obviously, if you have any questions or concerns about the COVID-19 jab, you should seek advice from your GP or a healthcare professional. How do I find out if I'm eligible to get vaccinated? Brisbanites, your first point of call is the Queensland Health website, which runs through exactly who is eligible for both the Pfizer and the AstraZeneca jabs. All Aussie adults have been able to actively opt to get the AZ vax since late June, including under 40s. But, due to rare side effects with the AZ jab, Pfizer is the recommended COVID-19 vaccination for under 60s — and it's now available to any person aged 16–59 years in Queensland. The nationwide vaccination rollout opened up the Pfizer vaccine to under 40s on Monday, August 30. To get the Pfizer jab if you're aged 39 and under, you do need to book into a Queensland Health vaccination centre, though — more on that below. Where can I get vaccinated? The Queensland Government has set up Qld Health vaccination centres across the state, including at places such as Doomben Racecourse and the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. If you're under the age of 40 and you're getting the Pfizer vax, that's where you'll need to head. That means that you can't currently get the Pfizer jab from your GP or from a pharmacy. The Qld Health website has its own vaccination location map, which outlines all of the relevant sites. Or, in a nifty spin on another handy online map that's gotten quite a workout during the pandemic, COVID-19 Near Me now has a vaccination function — so you can use it to find your nearest location as well. How do I book in my first vaccination appointment? There are two pathways for people under 40 to book in their Pfizer jabs: via the Australian Government COVID-19 vaccination eligibility checker, and by registering with Queensland Health. The first path will actually lead you to the second, though. So, you can either hit up the Qld Health website straight away, enter your relevant details, then wait to receive an email invitation that then provides the necessary information — and link — to book. Or, if you want to triple check that you're eligible first, you can head to the eligibility checker, then follow the prompts through to the Qld Health site afterwards. If you need assistance from there, Qld Health has put together a tutorial video and a series of user guides, too. How do I book in my second vaccination appointment? Once you've had your first jab, your appointment for your second jab will be made for you — within three-to-six weeks for the Pfizer vax. You'll be emailed details, including on how to reschedule if the date and time isn't convenient for you. I've had my jabs. How do I find proof? Allowing people who've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 more leeway — to go to venues and to travel, for instance — is part of Australia's National COVID Response that was announced in July. So, once you've had both of your jabs, you'll likely be looking for the documentation to prove it. The easiest way at the time of writing: via Medicare, either through the Australian Government's My Gov website and app, or the Express Plus Medicare mobile app. The Services Australia website will step you through accessing your digital certificate using both methods. For further information about Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout, head to the Australian Government Department of Health website.
Brewing up beers on Helen Street in Teneriffe for a decade now, Green Beacon Brewing Co has obviously become known for its selection of yeasty beverages. It's also built up a reputation for throwing shindigs, too — oyster parties, block parties, Oktoberfest parties, you name it — so to celebrate hitting ten years in action, it's unsurprisingly hosting a birthday bash. You know what you'll be drinking here, of course: beer, beer and more beer, naturally. Green Beacon's brewpub will be pouring its usual tipples; however, it'll also be pairing them with tunes and four days of partying. It all starts on Thursday, January 26 with limited-release new beers, live tunes, hourly giveaways and specials. Then, on Friday, January 27, knockoff pints, limited-edition merchandise and a DJ-spun soundtrack are on offer. Fancy two countdowns? Both the Triple J Hottest 100 and GABS Hottest 100 will be in the spotlight on Saturday, January 28. And, amid the fun on Sunday, January 29, there'll be a brunch club from 11am–1pm. Images: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons.
Ever feel like you deserve a prize for just how much you love your wine? Are your efforts as an amateur sommelier yet to be properly rewarded? WineMarket are ready to make your dreams come true with a truly massive giveaway. Every case of wine you buy from WineMarket this February will put you into the running for a five-night getaway on the West Coast, complete with a wine lover's experience of Margaret River and a chance to explore Perth in style. Along with flights and four-star accommodation the lucky winner and a friend will win a tour of a Margaret River winery, a fancy dinner for two in Perth, a scenic tour around the city, five days' car hire and more (to the value of $4500+). The more cases you buy and the more friends you get involved, the better your chances, so now's the time to stock up your cellars for a rainy day. Or if you've already got a healthy supply, get an entry just for signing up to WineMarket's newsletter. Check out the WineMarket website for all the details and to enter. Just hurry — the competition closes on Saturday, February 28, 11.59pm. To all you wine lovers, we salute you and wish you luck.
Jesus Christ Superstar is coming to Australia. The record-breaking Andrew Lloyd Webber rock opera tour de force has been travelling around the globe for more than 40 years and is landing Down Under this June. It is not arriving as fans of the musical would expect, either, with the production reimagined for post-millennial society, with Twitter, Occupy protests and bankers all making an appearance. Whilst it may be slightly modernised, it has lost none of its charm, receiving rave reviews throughout its recent UK run. Resurrecting John Farnham's 1992 Jesus on stage will be Ben Forster, a role he won after performing on Andrew Lloyd Webber's reality TV show Superstar. Also starring and adding some Australian flavour are Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot and Deal or No Deal's Andrew O'Keefe as King Herod, and the cast also features a Spice Girl. That's right, 'Sporty Spice' Melanie C will be portraying Mary Magdalene. If you still need convincing, the Pope himself approved the musical. So if you want to see a musical with a papal seal of approval it will be in Brisbane on June 11, 12 and 18 and tickets are selling fast.
On Saturday, August 24, First Nations artists are firmly in the spotlight at one of Brisbane's must-attend returning gigs. It was back in 2022 that Blak Social debuted Blak Day Out, which has popped up each year since. 2024's run is different, however — it's now called Last Night: Blak Day Out, it's free, it's taking place on King Street instead of at The Tivoli, and it's turning into a Bowen Hills street party. The focus at the all-ages festival remains the same — and also essential — with Blak Day Out celebrating Indigenous sovereignty, music and community, complete with a stellar lineup. Taking to the stage: Emma Donovan, 3% (aka Nooky, Dallas Wood and Angus Field) and Sue Ray, as well as BADASSMUTHA and The Ancient Bloods. DJ Kritty will be on the decks at the silent disco, while The First Creatives will be breaking out dance moves and live murals will also be painted during the event. Falling into 2024's Open Season series of performances focused around The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre — and postponed from June, when it was meant to launch the season — Last Night: Blak Day Out kicks off at 3.30pm, running till 9.30pm. Alongside tunes to listen to, you'll also have Indigenous retailers to shop, pop-up bars quenching your thirst and street food stalls tempting your tastebuds. [caption id="attachment_957834" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lewis Bin Doraho[/caption] Top image: Lewis Bin Doraho. Updated Friday, August 16, 2024.
Although it may be overshadowed by the enormous BIFF, the folks behind BUFF (Brisbane Underground Film Festival) probably prefer being the lesser known film fest in town. Instead of big Hollywood actors, we have young up and comers. Instead of critical acclaim, we have cult favourites. The Brisbane Powerhouse is shining a light on these oft-overlooked artists over a three day period. This is film with a twist, where being outrageous is encouraged, where nothing is too low-brow and the biggest winning factor is out-right entertainment. Take note: being underground does not mean lacking in vision or creativity, as these directors, writers and actors have some serious chops. The festival has shown such underground gems like Dogtooth, Hobo with a Shotgun and The Comedy, all amazing independent films. Who knows which of 2013’s features will be added to that illustrious list in years to come? Check out the screening schedule on the Brisbane Powerhouse website and pre-book your tickets now.
Bummed you didn't get a Splendour ticket? Angry you bought dozens of Splendour tickets so you could scalp them, and now find yourself holding hundreds of dollars' worth of paper after organisers shut down the re-sale facility over the weekend? Decided not to go this year, thinking you could totally see all the bands you wanted to see when they did their sideshows? Well whoever you are, it's time to whip out those diaries and start making plans — we found the mother of all emails in our inboxes this morning, bursting with sideshow goodness. Listed below are all the details you need for nine bands — electronica wunderkind James Blake, old Splendour favourites Cold War Kids, so-hot-right-now sister act HAIM, MS MR (described to me as "Florence + the Machine, plus Lana Del Rey, with some Kavinsky thrown in"), the R&B-ish indie of Mancunians Everything Everything, Next Big Thing Jake Bugg, LA noise merchants FIDLAR, fast-rising Poms Palma Violets and kings of Florida chill Surfer Blood. And those are just nine of the eleventy-billion bands (we counted!) announced on the full Splendour lineup just a couple of weeks ago. More shows will be announced for the other bands as we get closer to the date. (Though sadly not for The National, Mumford & Sons or TV on the Radio, who are playing their only Australian shows at the festival.) Full ticketing information is on the Secret Sounds website. JAMES BLAKE Fri 26 July – Astor Theatre, Perth Tues 30 July – Sydney Opera House, Sydney Wed 31 July – Palais Theatre, Melbourne Fri 2 Aug – Town Hall, Auckland www.jamesblakemusic.com COLD WAR KIDS Monday 29 July – Metro Theatre, Sydney Tuesday 30 July – The HiFi, Melbourne Thursday 1 August – The Gov, Adelaide Friday 2 August – Capitol, Perth www.coldwarkids.com HAIM Wed 24 July – The Hi-Fi, Sydney Thu 25 July – The Hi-Fi, Melbourne www.HAIMtheband.com MS MR Fri 26 July – The Metro, Sydney Mon 29 July – The Hi-Fi, Melbourne www.msmrsounds.com EVERYTHING EVERYTHING Fri 26 July – The Corner, Melbourne Sat 27 July – The Metro, Sydney www.everything-everything.co.uk JAKE BUGG Thurs 25 July – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney Sun 28 July – The Corner, Melbourne www.jakebugg.com FIDLAR Mon 29 July – The Corner, Melbourne Wed 31 July – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney Fri 2 August – Spinoff Festival, Adelaide Sat 3 August – The Bakery, Perth www.fidlarmusic.com PALMA VIOLETS Mon 29 July – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne Tues 30 July – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney www.palmaviolets.co.uk SURFER BLOOD Wed 24 July – The Corner, Melbourne Fri 26 July – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney www.surferblood.com
Australia’s most prolific multi-vocalist Tom Thum is set to debut his extraordinary talents at the Brisbane Festival. The frontman of the Tom Tom Crew and incurable beatbox addict has sold out shows from Berlin to New York, performing with the likes of hip-hop legends Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. Thum is now home, bringing with him his show Beating the Habit, direct from London and Edinburgh Fringe. With nothing more than a microphone and inexhaustible talents, the result is an explosion of sound. Tom Thum takes audiences on a ride of countless instruments, impossible beats and faultless sound effects, combined to create an unparalleled musical experience. Tickets will sell fast, and there are discounts for groups and concessions. The varying times and prices of the shows can be found on the event website.
Since my experience of ‘great dancing’ is limited to awkward hipster clubs with ironic dance moves made with the support of several dozen beers under the belt, I sometimes forget that the art of dance is a true skill, and the best dancers do it without liquid courage. Remember the ballet? Yeah, that still happens, and it’s still beautiful, leaving you with that ‘oh-my-god-I-will-never-be-half-that-graceful-ever’ feeling as you leave the venue (even though Black Swan did shatter any dreams I’d ever had of being a ballet dancer). Remember swing? That still happens, too, and it’s not limited to rockabillies or your grandparents. Contemporary? Yep, that’s happening as well, and while some would try to justify their late-night-boogying-down-to-Lady-Gaga as ‘contemporary’, it’s not. How does one refine their taste in rhythmic movement, then? Go to the 2011 Australian Dance Awards. Recognising and honouring the best and most outstanding contributions to dance, the Australian Dance Awards are now in its 14th year, celebrating a small, but growing community. There are showcases by some of the country’s leading dance groups, too. Expand your dance peripheral outside of the dark and dirty dancefloor, teach the hipsters something new next time you go out.
TV addicts, sitcom specialists and couch potatoes: listen up. A wonderful opportunity to put your useless knowledge to the test is coming to the Southside Tea Room. Prime Time TV Trivia is a night of reliving the wonder years of television, where golden girls and hardy boys alike can come together to bond over unfashionable haircuts, classic one-liners and the highs and lows of our favourite reruns. As with any great trivia night, you can win prizes, participate in games and drink to the occasion with your host and resident bartender Sam Malone. I mean, Ben McDonald. Southside Tea Room are known for their fine selection of craft beers, moreish snacks and generally relaxed vibe; it’s the perfect place for a low key evening with friends (or a high-paced, action-packed trivia competition, if you are so inclined!). So if you’re mad about your classic TV, you don’t want to miss an opportunity years in the making!
Attention all wannabe heroes: something big is coming. This March, much-loved comic company Marvel will bring its world-class Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. exhibition to Melbourne. The immersive exhibition, held at Federation Square, will give would-be caped crusaders the chance to delve into the history, engineering, genetics and technology behind Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and the rest of their superhero team. Visitors will also undergo training, as if they were learning to become agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and can explore bespoke equipment and costumes including the Hulkbuster suit, Captain America's uniform and shield, Iron Man's MK armor and Thor's hammer, Mjölnir. Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. combines complex science and technology, developed by Marvel to help bring the successful film franchise to life. Space agency NASA have also contributed to the interactive experience, helping to enhance its scientific authenticity. After successful stints in cities including New York, Seoul and Paris, the exhibition will now head Down Under for the very first time. It'll be open 11am–6pm Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11am–10pm Thursdays, 10am–10pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 10am–6pm Sundays between March 16 and July 15. Last year Marvel broke records when it brought its Creating the Cinematic Universe exhibition to Brisbane, drawing in close to 270,000 fans. Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. is expected to be even bigger.
If you think that good art in Brisbane is only found at GoMA, good music at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and good performances at QPAC, you need to take a closer look at the city - there’s a lot more going on in Brisbane once you expand your horizons a little bit. In virtually every nook and cranny in the city there’s something happening that fosters and exhibits creativity – though admittedly they can be hard to find. If you need a nudge in the right direction, the best place to start is at Metro Arts this Saturday, at the Brisbane Emerging Art Festival. Once a visual arts-only event, this year the Brisbane Emerging Art Festival is encompassing emerging artists specialising in visual art, music, film, performance, fashion and spoken word in this year’s program, coordinated by a group of Brisbane’s best creative practitioners. They say the best things in life are hard to find, but you’ll find that events like the Brisbane Emerging Art Festival are making it easier to repeal that saying. Make a night out of finding the best of Brisbane this Saturday evening.
Brisbanites will have another excuse to hit the water this year when GoBoat splashes into the city. The Denmark-born company has been busy launching its eco-friendly picnic boats in cities all over Europe, as well as in Canberra, Melbourne and the Gold Coast — and, sometime in the near future, it'll make its Brissie debut, giving punters a fun new way to cruise along the river. Aimed at making the whole boating caper more accessible for everyday folk, the Scandinavian-designed vessels are slow-moving, a breeze to operate and don't require a boating licence, making for some fun, fuss-free sailing sessions. In a win for the planet, they also run on silent, pollution-free, electric engines, and are crafted from a mix of reclaimed timber and recycled PET bottles. Each of the contemporary GoBoats clocks in at 18-feet long, boasting a central picnic table with room for eight people (and all the necessary snacks and booze). And despite what you might be thinking, they're even affordable enough to fit your budget — simply BYO food and drinks, find enough eager sailors to jump aboard and a GoBoat session will you less than $13 per person, per hour. That's $99 hourly in total. Where GoBoat's Brisbane fleet will set sail from is yet to be revealed. The same applies to its launch date — but, after first floating the idea of moseying along the Brisbane River last year, it's hoping to be up and running soon. At its other sites, GoBoat's vessels are pet-friendly. Here's hoping that's the case in Brissie, too — surely you've got a very good boy who deserves a river jaunt. View this post on Instagram A post shared by GoBoat Brisbane (@goboatbrisbane) GoBoat will launch in Brisbane sometime in the future — we'll update you when an exact date is announced. Top image: GoBoat
If you're fond of spending your time browsing through stalls, looking at local wares and buying everything from arts and crafts to fashion and homewares, then you've probably made a visit to a BrisStyle market. The Brisbane group hosts several regular events around town, including the Brisbane Twilight Markets in King George Square and The Handmade Markets outside the Queensland Museum. It doesn't usually focus primarily on greenery, though — which is one of the reasons that its returning Plant Market is so special. Here are two others: it's happening in spring, so it's the ideal time for it; and it's happening in Roma Street Parklands. From 9am–2pm on Saturday, September 23, you'll want to head to Roma Street Parklands's Celebration Lawn to get shopping. Yes, you'll be looking for greenery while surrounded by greenery. As well as plants, there'll be pots, gardening accessories and floral-themed homewares on offer, with more than 25 stallholders selling their goods. You'll also be able to chat to experts to get some tips about putting your green thumb to best use. Expect food vendors onsite as well, because we all know that trawling the markets is hungry and thirsty work. Or, you can grab a picnic basket — if you pre-order first — from Roma Street Parklands' The Garden Room Cafe. Either way, live tunes will provide a soundtrack. Before or after your purchasing and picnicking, take a wander to the site's Spectacle Garden, too, where 10,000-plus flowers are blooming.
Now in its third year, Frankly! It’s A Pop Festival is back again, providing Brisbane with its annual festival of left-leaning music and avant-pop. Having closed last year’s festival with the likes of Xiu Xiu, High Places and Crayon Fields, Frankly! has stepped up their game yet up again with this year’s line up, bringing LA’s LA Vampires and Wet Hair and Japan’s Miko, Ytamo and Oorataichi down to the Brisbane Powerhouse, alongside a medley of Australian acts. If you need something to tide you over before the festival in September, Frankly! have released a pop sampler with tracks from all acts on the bill. Best of all, it’s free! Click here to download. Frankly! It’s A Pop Festival is on Saturday 10 September at the Powerhouse, and tickets are on sale now. Lineup: LA Vampires (US) Wet Hair (US) Blank Realm Angel Eyes Miko (JAP) Ytamo (JAP) Oorataichi (JAP) Pikelet The Twerps
Let's just call it here and now: Robert Duvall will be nominated for Best Supporting Actor at next year's Academy Awards. It'll be his seventh nomination, and it'll be entirely deserved. The Man. Can. Act, and in his latest film — The Judge — you get the privilege of seeing that ability up close and incredibly personal. As the title suggests, Duvall is 'the Judge' — an elderly statesman of the justice system who's presided over the legal affairs of a small town in Indiana for over 40 years. When his wife passes away, the judge dutifully farewells his sweetheart only to then find himself accused of a hit-and-run that very same night. Thankfully, his high-flying, big-city lawyer son Hank (Robert Downey Jr) is in town for the funeral. Hank is, at least publicly, master of his domain, king of the jungle, pisser on the pants of his opponents. Privately, however, his marriage is crumbling, his daughter pines for more attention and the death of his mother has done nothing to assuage the chasm of estrangement between him and his father. They can scarcely look each other in the eye, let alone share any form of actual dialogue or physical contact, which makes establishing any form of legal defence markedly challenging. Throw in the attentions of the ex-girlfriend (Vera Farmiga), the grumpy brother (Vincent D'Onofrio), the mentally challenged brother (Jeremy Strong) and the unrelenting prosecutor (Billy Bob Thornton), and Hank's already reluctant return home fast becomes an almost unliveable nightmare. The Judge was directed by David Dobkin, whose previous films have largely fallen into the comedy/action arena (most notably: Wedding Crashers and Shanghai Knights). Here, he wields the direction with a split personality: sometimes hitting home runs, other times swinging and missing with wildly misfiring scenes. When the latter happens (and, regrettably, it's probably more than the former), The Judge descends into by-the-numbers schmaltz and dials up the cheese. Surprisingly this is often in the courtroom scenes where, traditionally, drama is most at home. The revelations are either too insignificant or heavily flagged, meaning the jurors' gasps and gallery's sighs are more comical than convincing. Downey Jr is well-cast as Hank, bringing the swagger of Iron Man without the bells and whistles to protect him. His scenes with Duvall carry the movie entirely, and whether by design or misstep, every other character becomes little more than background noise. It's not a film with a lot to offer by way of innovation, but it knows how to jerk the tears on more than a few occasions and (despite its unjustifiable length) keeps you engaged enough right through to the end. Most of that engagement, though, comes via Duvall, whose layered and moving performance is right up there with the best of the year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZBvK6ni97W8
Before the pandemic, the Treasury Casino regularly ended the working week with wine and cheese shindigs — and, this winter, it's bringing its dairy and drinks parties back again. On July 15, the CBD venue will be plating up samples, pouring tastings and jumping into the weekend in the best possible way. Cheese & Wine goes down between 5.30–7.30pm, and features wine from Wynns Coonawarra Estate's Reframed series. There'll also be other reds, whites and sparkling from international vino brands. And, of course, plenty of cheese will be waiting for your tastebuds at grazing stations. The tastiness takes place across the Treasury's ground floor, including its courtyard, so expect a starry backdrop and some live music as well. And, this night of drinking and eating is rather affordable as well, with the two-hour package costing $70 per person. [caption id="attachment_680931" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Grace Smith[/caption]
This Brisbane stalwart has undergone a renovation in recent years and now boasts an impressive multi-level venue to explore. If you're feeling a wee bit flush, or just love a good excuse to slurp some oysters and a flute of bubbles, Gambaro is your spot. Smack bang in the middle of Caxton Street, this Brisbane icon since 1953 gives you a selection of fresher-than-fresh seafood and oysters to round off your week the right way. Take note: if thousands of chanting Broncos fans streaming up the middle of the road isn't your thing, make sure you pick a Sunday when there's not a home game. Image: Gambaro via Facebook
Despite the rapid change we experience in our cities, there are some things that stay the same. And just like clockwork, Melbourne has been named the world's most liveable city in the world The Economic Intelligence Unit's Liveability Index ranks 140 cities on stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, culture and environment. This marks Melbourne's seventh consecutive year at the top of the charts, and the Victorian Government could barely contain its glee. "Melbourne pipped Vienna for the top ranking, and finished well above Sydney, which did not make the top ten," read the incredibly smug press release issued by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews' office earlier today. "This is a win for all Victorians, who contribute so much to making Melbourne the best place to live in the world," said Andrews. "Every Melburnian knows that they're living in the world's greatest city – and this proves it yet again," added Tourism and Major Events Minister John Eren. Rounding out the top five were Vienna, Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary, which tied with Adelaide in fifth place. Sydney came in at number 11 — which, for what it's worth Melbourne, is only just outside the top ten.
Listen up: Listen Out is back for its 11th year and it isn't slouching on the lineup front. The bill for the touring festival boasts 21 Savage, Skepta and Flo Milli among its hip hop and R&B names. On the electronic side, John Summit and Sub Focus feature. Yes, the list goes on from there. Fans of 21 Savage and Flo Milli — and of Teezo Touchdown, Jessie Reyez and Jazzy, too — should be especially excited. When they each take to Listen Out's stages at Brisbane Showgrounds on Saturday, October 5, they'll be hitting the country for the first time. Among their company, Lil Tjay, Lithe, Folamour, The Blessed Madonna, Cassian and Disco Lines are just some of the fellow acts that'll have festivalgoers dancing. 2023's fest was Listen Out's most successful in terms of ticket sales ever, and the crew behind it are hoping to continue that trajectory. Something that might help: turning the fest into a 16-plus event, age-wise, which is a first for 2024. As the roster of names on the lineup demonstrates, the festival's focus is staying true to its niche, filling its stages on electronic and hip hop artists — both international and local talents, too. Listen Out 2024 Lineup: 21 Savage Skepta Lil Tjay Flo Milli Jessie Reyez Teezo Touchdown Lithe John Summit Sub Focus Folamour The Blessed Madonna Cassian Disco Lines Jazzy Koven Conducta A Little Sound Ben Gerrans AK Sports Foura B2B Tom Santa Miss Kaninna Djanaba Soju Gang Brisbane only: Trance Mums Jacob Tompkins Mikalah Watego Melanin Mami Top images: Jordan Munns and Sam Venn.
In November of 1976, the Canadian-American rock band known as The Band played what they deemed their farewell concert appearance. Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison and Eric Clapton joined them on stage, and none other than Martin Scorsese filmed the show. The iconic music documentary The Last Waltz immortalised the occasion. Brisbane musician Danny Widdicombe wasn't even one at the time of the gig, but now, on the eve of turning 40, he considers the soundtrack recording his favourite live album of all time. He's not only using it as a springboard for his first-ever birthday shindig, but as a fitting way to celebrate the not-so-minor the achievement of living with leukaemia for half of his life. Widdicombe will be joined by his own posse of musical pals and collaborators to play the album live in its entirety. With the likes of Bernard Fanning, Jeff Lang, Ian Haug, The Wilson Pickers, The Gin Club, Karl Broadie, Jackie Marshall, McKisko and Luke Daniel Peacock joining the jam session — plus more still to be announced — this promises to be one heck of a party.
Macbeth begins with witches warning of coming toil and trouble; however, what they really should've been predicting is the never-ending spate of adaptations of the text. Can't stop, won't stop seems to be the motto of every theatre group, troupe and interested party when it comes to staging one of the Bard's greatest works. Plays, films, student performances... they just keep coming. The Danger Ensemble's addition to the fold isn't just another standard version, though. The Brisbane theatremakers have made danger more than their middle name, after all. Where else will you find a take on the tale inspired by horror films and boasting a distinctive Australian air? Nowhere, of course. Expect dark, brooding, bleak and moody as one of theatre's most scheming power couples go on the ultimate quest for success, and learn the price of their actions. Expect a twist on the usual male-heavy gender dynamic, too, with only four of the production's roles played by men.
Anything the Gold Coast can do, Brisbane can do too, right? Well, maybe not when it comes to beaches — but as far as evening market get-togethers are concerned, we can give it a good try. That's exactly what the Mt Gravatt Marketta is doing when they launch on August 13. A sibling shindig to the beloved Miami Marketta, it'll bring food from Good Food Catering Co, The Frying Piggy Food Truck, Little Havana Food Truck, Barbecue Mafia, Heven-yah Gelato, Little Wahaca, Samba Catering Co and more to Mt Gravatt Showgrounds every Saturday evening, plus drinks and music. And, it's not just the GC that the new event is trying to emulate — it's also a popular hangout on the other side of the river. If wandering around a market, filling your stomach at food stalls, listening to live tunes and grabbing a few beverages sounds a little like Eat Street, that's because it's supposed to.
These days it seems like just about anywhere can be a cinema. Rooftop viewing is all the rage, drive-ins are popping up all over the place, and even local bars is getting in on the action. But that's only the beginning. Come August in Brisbane, film buffs will be getting locked up for their movie fix. No, going to the movies isn't being outlawed. Instead, cult film guru Kristian Fletcher has put together yet another must-attend event. This time, he's hosting a movie night at Boggo Road Gaol. With a "when in Rome" attitude, Fletcher's regular program will serve up prison films in a prison setting – because flicks about roaming free in wide open spaces really wouldn't work, would they? First cab off the rank is Jailhouse Rock on August 12, followed by Chicago and Walk the Line. And if you're wondering why we haven't mentioned The Shawshank Redemption yet, don't worry. Of course it will also grace Boggo Road's big screen. Each movie will start at 7:30pm, although anyone after more than just a film is encouraged to arrive an hour earlier. That way you can take an ex-prisoner tour, browse the markets, and peruse the jail art show. Our tip: BYO Rita Hayworth poster if you think you might want to tunnel out of there during the evening.
What's better than one annual showcase of French movies ? Two, of course. After giving Aussie audiences the best in Gallic cinema once a year for the past 26 years — and building the biggest festival of French films outside of France, too — the folks behind the Alliance Française French Film Festival are doubling their efforts. In fantastic news for anyone who likes diving back into the great flicks of times gone by, the Alliance Française Classic Film Festival will shine a light on a heap of old favourites. It's the second time the fest has done so, but the first time it has toured around the country. Heading to screens in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Melbourne during September through to November, the fest will unleash classic efforts starring everyone from Brigitte Bardot to Catherine Deneuve to Isabelle Huppert for your viewing pleasure, . Feasting your eyes on the game-changing wonder that is Jean-Luc Godard new wave hit Breathless is a must, whether you're keen for a revisit or you're watching it for the first time. Also check out extravagant French western Viva Maria!, the love triangle-focused Cesar and Rosalie, the Venezuelan-set Lovers Like Us, and black-and-white underworld crime drama Casque d'Or.
Some food combos immediately sound appetising. Others don't quite get your stomach grumbling until you try them. Depending on your specific tastes, indulging in cheese, beer and meat all at the same time could fall into both camps — but the mix of tastes still proves delectable, either way. Don't just take our word for it, of course, particularly when Newstead Brewing, Fromage the Cow and Meat at Billy's are on hand to state their respective and intertwined cases. Their shared event might be called Dank, Dark & Delicious; however it's the latter term you'll be thinking about for days afterwards. Across three courses, you'll savour the flavours that make each of the three key ingredients what they are. And, as fun as eating and drinking is, that's not all, with Tony Launay from Fromage the Cow and Billy Gibney from Meat at on hand to talk through each course.
If you can recall a time when going on holiday meant sending postcards rather than uploading photos, then you've probably seen quite a few weird and wonderful images stuck to your fridge. Keep those memories in your mind when you peruse Gerwyn Davies' exhibition Subtropics. We guarantee you'll be thinking about fastening them to your biggest kitchen appliance with a magnet in no time. In fact, the specific sights and scenery that adorn Aussie postcards are meant to pop into your brain while you look at Davies' photographs, because they were part of his inspiration. Expect bright colours, familiar scenery and an overall mood of camp — and a narrative about our country in the process. They're the kind of images that obviously aren't real, particularly given that they use a combination of costumes and photos to fabricate elaborate constructions out of everyday materials. Still, with their vivid tones and eye-catching content — and their obvious attempt to toy with cultural cringe — you'll be drawn to them all the same.
The French word méconnaissance doesn't get thrown around in everyday conversation all that often (or ever, really), but once you start thinking about it, you might want to change that. Psychoanalyst Jaques Lacan — aka "the most controversial psychoanalyst since Freud," according to some sources — used it to describe our ability to mistakenly recognise our own images and identities. Who can't relate to that? Athene Currie certainly thought it was something worth pondering, given that the term pops up in the title of her solo show. Méconnaissance — New Rites of Passage collates a series of performative videos to explore the concept of discovering one's true self, particularly during the middle of our lives. Yes, this is an exhibition for anyone who has ever tried to find themselves, but don't go in expecting easy answers. Instead, there'll be plenty of food for thought from July 27 to August 14, with Currie performing at the opening night celebrations on August 4. Image: Athene Currie, New Rites of Passage, 2016, video still.
When it comes to family, faith and the inevitable intersection of the two, sometimes you've just got to laugh. That seems to be the mindset behind Bad Jews by Joshua Harmon. When the darkly comic theatre production graced London's stages, however, its posters were banned from the city's underground. Of course, finding humour in matters of religion isn't everyone's cup of tea — even if the smashing success of The Book of Mormon indicates otherwise. For his addition to the satirical fold, the New York playwright draws upon his own conservative upbringing, while pondering what it means to be Jewish in today's society. Championed as "one of the funniest things on the New York stage right now" by the Huffington Post when it debuted back in 2012, the play follows three cousins as they each try to claim a treasured family heirloom with religious significance after the passing of their beloved grandfather. Expect plenty of bickering — and expect plenty of bite, too. There's a reason that Bad Jews enjoyed a sellout season and a return encore run in Melbourne earlier in the year, after all.
"For some reason, everything has become a metaphor," newly widowed investment banker Davis Mitchell (Jake Gyllenhaal) writes in a letter to a vending machine company. Uttered in voiceover partway into Demolition, it's not just a cringe-worthy piece of dialogue designed to provide an insight into his grieving mindset. It's also a dangerous sentiment for a character in a film to express — particularly in a feature that dedicates the bulk of its running time to becoming the movie equivalent of this statement. Davis' life has been torn apart by a car accident that claimed his wife (Heather Lind), though he managed to escape without a scratch. Barely shaken by the tragic turn of events — and clearly not visibly upset enough to satisfy his father-in-law and boss, Phil (Chris Cooper) — Davis begins to see everything around him as a reflection of his predicament. When he's not pouring his thoughts onto the page, initially trying to obtain compensation for a packet of undispensed peanut M&Ms but really just looking to share his lack of pain, he takes to dismantling the physical objects around him. A phone call from pot-smoking customer service representative Karen (Naomi Watts) proves similarly disruptive. Director Jean-Marc Vallée might be known more for his style than his subtlety, but the aptly titled Demolition takes blatant expressions of emotional states to a new level. Gone is the evocative earnestness and thematic texture that made the Quebecois filmmaker's French-language fare such as C.R.A.Z.Y. and Café de Flore work so well, even when they veered into heavy-handed territory. Instead, it's the contemplative simplicity of his most recent English-language efforts — AIDS drama Dallas Buyers Club and soul-searcher Wild — that's on display, coupled with a fondness for obviousness. Accordingly, Demolition proves an elegantly shot and deftly edited but ultimately empty series of scenes depicting its titular process in various forms: the initial crash, the destructive manner in which Davis behaves in the aftermath, and more than a few instances of both items and relationships being smashed to pieces, often in slow motion. While there's truth behind the broader observations Vallée is keen to stress, there are few new insights on offer. That screenwriter Bryan Sipe also penned the script for this year's Nicholas Sparks' adaptation The Choice gives an indication of the level of depth — or absence thereof. Alas, Demolition isn't a film that can be saved by its cast either. Gyllenhaal is solid and convincingly imparts some much-needed levity, but demonstrates exactly the amount of nuance he's asked to. While it shouldn't be surprising that yet another movie about a man's attempt to find himself wastes its female talent, Watts' nothing part is still disappointing. Playing Karen's teenage son, it's actually relative newcomer Judah Lewis (TV's Game of Silence) that fares best. His story arc might be designed to increase drama, but he conveys his character's journey without resorting to the movie's favourite tool, on-screen and off: a sledgehammer.
The team behind The Legend of Tarzan has done something very interesting with their film. Rather than simply giving us another version of the boy becomes man, man becomes hero, hero becomes legend tale, the film plays out much more like the final instalment of a trilogy, in which its hero's days of daring and valour are already all but behind him. Not unlike the bearded and beleaguered Bruce Wayne of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård) is, at the start of this story, Tarzan no more. Seated opposite the British Prime Minister in his most fashionable three-piece, the iconic jungle man now lives a secluded life in his remote castle and goes by his rightful birth name and title: John Clayton, Viscount of Greystoke, Member of the House of Lords. That introduction alone gives The Legend of Tarzan a more complex and compelling platform from which to launch its story than many of its superhero contemporaries, whose protagonists consistently flounder and fall for lack of any clear-cut motivation other than generally being super. In this instance, it's the suspicion of slave trading in the Congo that compels Tarzan to resume his moniker and return to his beloved Africa, along with his wife Jane (Margot Robbie) and the real-life American Civil War hero turned politician and lawyer George Washington Williams (Samuel L Jackson). This undercurrent of slavery, along with allusions to ivory trading and ethnic cleansing, all serve to ground The Legend of Tarzan in something more than unadulterated comic book fun. The result is a superhero movie with a social conscience that continually flits in and out of getting the balance right. In the titular role, Skarsgård looks every bit the part. With his flowing blond locks and unreasonably buff physique, you could comfortably sell just about any cologne or luxury watch simply by placing its logo on top of him and gently whispering its name. For a role so ridiculous (and truly, a man raised by gorillas who commutes via jungle vine is about as ridiculous as it gets), Skarsgård does an extraordinary job of keeping the audience's disbelief at bay. His dialogue is sensibly sparse, opting instead to speak through impressively expressive eyes and CGI-heavy action that's not nearly as awful as the early trailers made out. Opposite him in the role of the villain, Christopher Waltz (Inglorious Bastards) again offers up his signature cocktail of eloquent menace paired with a spine-chilling grin. In truth it's a more nuanced and credible performance than his turn as Bond's arch-nemesis in last year's Spectre. Robbie, too, puts in a charming turn as Tarzan's wife Jane, yet despite every effort to establish her character's strength, courage and independence, she still ends up very much on the sidelines; an underutilized spectator to the action rather than an active participant. In all, critics have been quick to condemn The Legend of Tarzan for both its hobbled story and themes, asking what place such an antiquated tale has in the modern world. Well the answer is 'fun', which the film most definitely is. Yes, the action is scattershot and often feels hurried, which is why its strongest scenes are also its most subtle ones – be they fireside singalongs, candlelit dinners or silent interactions with the jungle's magnificent creatures. The Legend of Tarzan could very easily have ended up another Lone Ranger-style disaster. Instead, director David Yates has managed to orchestrate an old-school adventure with an unshrinking social conscience. It's far from perfect, but it's darned good fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7ty6sViiU
Sick of the winter weather? Then escape from the chill to a warm, dark cinema, where you can watch movies from places even colder than here. Returning to Palace Barracks, the Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival will once again showcase the best of Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Icelandic cinema, from award-winning dramas to esoteric comedies and the very best of Nordic Noir. One of the big highlights on this year's program is the Golden Globe-nominated The Fencer, a Finnish-German-Estonian co-production — dubbed by Finland Today as "the best Finnish film in a decade" — about a fencing instructor hiding from Soviet forces in Estonia in the years after the war. It's one of a number of critically-acclaimed titles in the program this year, alongside oddball Icelandic rom-com The Together Project which took home a screenplay prize at Cannes, and the excruciatingly tense Danish drama Land of Mine, which played in competition at the Sydney Film Festival earlier this year. For the complete Scandinavian Film Festival program, go here.
If you're a Brisbanite with a healthy appetite, there's only one place to be this weekend. Take your rumbling stomach and its yearning for something scrumptious down to James Street, and fill it with tasty treats. From July 30 to 31, the New Farm precinct becomes a foodie wonderland for the fifth year running, once again highlighting the gastronomic delights of the area. That includes devouring delicious dishes and drinks, of course, regardless of what kind of food, beverage or event takes your fancy. And, for the first time ever, part of the road will even be closed off for the occasion. Whether you want to feast on Hong Kong or Greek-style meals, sip on wine or liqueurs, or indulge in a mix of beers, burgers and beats, all your culinary dreams are catered for. You an also sample the street's signature concoctions, enjoy a gourmet take on the good ol' sausage sizzle, or get into the swing of things at one of several after parties. If you like your epicurean fun on the chilled side, then head to the urban picnic's array of offerings. Just because it's a food and wine trail doesn't mean you have to get caught up in the hustle and bustle. In fact, we recommend the same approach to eating, drinking and being merry: savouring the moment.
For a few days, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is hosting a sales event of most peculiar stock. Strange things they are, full of pages, rampant with words and with covers of the most beautiful colours. You can't charge them, they don't run out of battery, their brightness is unalterable, and they won't smash when you drop them and have them lost forever. Lifeline Bookfest is back for another round of vintage bargains and startling ranges of everything from Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks to a bit of cheeky erotica. If you're been before, you'll know there are warehouse quantities of books for sale – your grade five diary is probably hidden under a copy of Shantaram, and you'll come across at least three copies of Cooking with Days of Our Lives. Prices range from cents to the big bucks – bring a trolley and your glasses and absorb yourself in books.
There's never a bad time to head to the Sunny Coast; however if you're after more than just a trip to the beach, then September 10 is looking extra enticing. That's when the Maroochy Music & Vis Arts Festival takes over Old Horton Park Golf Course for 2016 with a lineup that can only be described as epic. Headlining the sonic side of the bill is Matt Corby and Peking Duck, with the likes of Allday, George Maple, Client Liaison, City Calm Down, Ngaiire, Boo Seeka, Bad//Dreems, Vera Blue and Pop Cult also adding plenty of tunes to the day-long party. Local acts Batz, The Francis Wolves, Christian Patey, Inigo, Mark Lowndes, Forevr, Alice Ivy, Juju Bom, Chris Flaskas and Sommer Rd will be strutting their stuff too, ensuring that your melody-seeking ears and toe-tapping feet will be happy — and so will your art-loving eyes. On that side of the equation, expect Amanda Parer, Bertie Blackman, Gus, Michael Black, Wintercroft and Wayne McFetridge to break out everything from installations to street art in displays of creativity of the visual arts kind. And if all that doesn't inspire you to head north for some fun, knowing that there'll be a chilled crowd should. Yep, like Meredith down south, Maroochy Music & Vis Arts Festival has a strict 'No Dickheads' policy.
Do you have hoop dreams? Do you fantasise about dribbling, dunking and just dominating the basketball court in general? If you think you could be the next Shaq, Kobe or Lebron — or just want to have fun pretending — then bust out your Air Jordans and head to King George Square on June 10 and 11. That's when Bring Your Game Brisbane takes over the CBD's central outdoor space for two sessions of b-ball action. And if you're wondering just what has inspired this sporting extravaganza, well, there's a mighty good reason. Brisbane is about to boast Queensland's first House of Hoops by Foot Locker store, and Nike and Foot Locker have joined forces to celebrate. Everyone from amateurs to suburban superstars are welcome, with some of Australia's basketball greats due to show up to strut their stuff as well. As far as we're concerned, other than watching real pros in action, it's the best basketball event to come to Brisbane since Space Jam was spotted playing on a TV screen in one of the city's favourite dive bars.
Everyone likes to spend their Sunday arvo kicking back with an ice-cold beverage in their hand. In fact, the only way to improve on this simple pleasure is to throw a few slabs of meat into the mix and then serve them up on burgers. It's that very combination of both elements and mouth-watering dishes that CrowBBQ is all about, after all. Fancy a beef brisket cheeseburger with your beer? Or a lamb shoulder and feta burger? Or both of the above, plus pulled pork and slaw and jalapeño and cheddar doused in Jameson whisky barbecue sauce, all in slider form? As anyone who has previously frequented Fortitude Valley's Crowbar, enjoyed low and slow-cooked food made by Barbecue Mafia or indulged in a Young Henrys' brew knows, this feast of food, booze and fun is the only logical result when these three groups come together. Add a few live smokey ballads courtesy of Rick Fredricks and some swampy blues by Dead Weight Express' Sonny, and it's the ultimate end-of-week sesh.
