Break out the Wensleydale! Following in the footsteps of the massively popular Pixar and DreamWorks Animation exhibitions, the latest show at Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image pays tribute to the studio behind stop motion's most iconic duo. Originally created for the Art Ludique – Le Musée in Paris, Wallace & Gromit and Friends: The Magic of Aardman is ACMI's contribution to this year's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. The delightful exhibition features more than 350 objects, including props, models, storyboards, concept art, photos, clips and behind-the-scenes interviews. It's a comprehensive survey of the history and creative process of the beloved animation studio, whose clay creations have charmed audiences for more than 40 years. Naturally, the exploits of Wallace and Gromit take centre stage. You can see the rocket the pair took to the moon in A Grand Day Out, admire the veggies growing in Gromit's carefully tended garden, and shake your fist at early character sketches for the dastardly Feathers McGraw. There's also an entire section dedicated to cracking contraptions that's sure to get your imagination working overtime. But there's much more to Aardman than what goes on at 62 West Wallaby Street, Wigan. From Creature Comforts to Chicken Run to the deeply unsettling Angry Kid, the exhibition leaves no stone unturned. You can even get a glimpse at a number of the studio's more memorable commercials and music videos, including their groundbreaking clip for Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer'. Frankly, we could have spent all day exploring the exhibition. But for those of you who might be short on time, here are five things on offer you absolutely have to see. THE ORIGINS OF WALLACE & GROMIT Early sketches reveal the secret history of Gromit and his eccentric owner, who it turns out was originally a postman named Jerry. Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it? Reckon we can all agree creator Nick Park dodged a bullet there. THE CHICKEN RUN FLYING MACHINE A key model from Aardman's first feature-length film, the flying machine is a bizarre contraption born of hard work and a belief in the impossible. In that way, it is the item that best exemplifies the spirit of the studio itself. THE PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS PIRATE SHIP Admittedly, the flying machine is somewhat overshadowed by what is inarguably the piece-de-resistance of the ACMI exhibition: the five-metre-high ship from The Pirates! Band of Misfits. So impressive is the model that you could be forgiven for thinking it's about to sail off at any moment. MAKE YOUR OWN CLAYMATION Fancy yourself the next Nick Park? Then why not try making a short animation of your own. Visitors will get the chance to mould a colourful clay character, before bringing them to life frame-by-frame. They say it's meant for kids and families, but don't let that stop you. AN EARLY LOOK AT EARLY MAN Round off your visit with a behind-the-scenes look at what Aardman are up to next. Due for release in early 2018, the prehistoric Early Man features the voice talents of Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston and Maisie Williams, and looks like an absolute blast. Wallace & Gromit and Friends: The Magic of Aardman is showing at at ACMI from June 29 until October 29. Images: Charlie Kinross.
More than two decades have passed since the original live-action Lord of the Rings film trilogy finished arriving in cinemas. Middle-earth hasn't been far from screens over that period, however. From 2012–2014, The Hobbit flicks also hit the big screen. Then, in 2022, long-awaited streaming series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted on Prime Video, and there's more of it on the way. Also in the works: new movie Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. That's just a working title, so the moniker could change, but there is indeed a brand-new live-action LoTR film on its way. Warner Bros Discovery announced in 2023 that it was taking the hobbits, elves, dwarves and other creatures from the JRR Tolkien-created fantasy realm back to picture palaces with another series of movies — and this is the first to be locked in. Also confirmed by Warner Bros Discovery's CEO David Zaslav on the company's first-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, May 9: that The Hunt for Gollum is set to drop in 2026. Yes, Andy Serkis (Andor) is back as Gollum. He'll also be directing, adding to a filmmaking resume that also boasts Breathe, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.includ Oscar-winner Peter Jackson (The Beatles: Get Back), who helmed all six past live-action flicks, is returning as well. He mightn't be helming, but he "will be involved every step of the way", said Zaslav — and so will his writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens (Mortal Engines). The latter pair are penning the script, in fact. "It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that stinker — Gollum!," said Jackson, Boyens and Walsh in a statement, as per The Hollywood Reporter. "Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle-earth Peter, Fran and Philippa," said Serkis. Of course LoTR was going to return to the movies. Star Wars did it. Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones, too. No blockbuster film franchise stays away from cinemas for too long these days. Making more Lord of the Rings pictures is a result of Warner Bros Discovery coming to an agreement with Swedish gaming and media company Embracer Group, which owns the intellectual property rights to The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and other Middle-earth-related literary works. As part of the new movie arrangement, the upcoming flicks are being produced by Warner Bros-owned production company New Line Cinema, which was behind the first two trios of hobbit-filled features. Obviously there's no sneak peek at Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum yet, but here are the trailers for The Fellowship of the Ring,The Two Towers and The Return of the King in the interim: Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to release in 2026, but doesn't yet have an exact release date — we'll update you with more information when it's announced. Via The Hollywood Reporter / Variety.
Can you feel a tingling in your toes as your feet start to defrost? That's the feeling of winter slipping away (or maybe you've been sitting cross-legged for too long) and with its demise comes the return of Australia's beloved Moonlight Cinema. Ahhh balmy nights on the grass, we have missed you. Heralding the coming of the warmer months, Moonlight Cinema is a summertime tradition that is thankfully making a comeback despite everything that 2021 has thrown our way — hitting up screens in Sydney (including western Sydney), Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth as usual. Nosh-wise, Moonlight Cinema will again let you BYO movie snacks and drinks (no alcohol in Brisbane, though), but the unorganised can also enjoy a plethora of bites to eat from food trucks — perfect, messy treats made for reclining on bean beds. The overall season runs from November through to April, although it varies city by city. As for what'll be screening, expect to hear what's on the bill later this month — before the season kicks off in Brisbane and Adelaide on Friday, November 26, obviously. MOONLIGHT CINEMA 2021–22 DATES Adelaide: Friday, November 26–Sunday, January 16 (Rymill Park) Brisbane: Friday, November 26–Sunday, February 20 (Roma Street Parkland) Melbourne: Thursday, December 2–Sunday, March 27 (Royal Botanic Gardens) Perth: Thursday, December 2–Sunday, March 27 (Kings Park and Botanic Garden) Sydney: Thursday, December 9–Sunday, April 3 (Centennial Park) Western Sydney: Thursday, November 16–Sunday, January 30 (Western Sydney Parklands) Moonlight Cinema kicks off in November 2021, running through until April 2022. For more information, visit the cinema's website — and we'll update you with program details when they're announced later this month.
In what's unsurprisingly being deemed the first of its kind, an abandoned slate mine in the Llechwedd caverns of Wales has recently been converted into an amazing trampoline playground. Featuring neon lights, huge bouncy netting, and awe-inspiring natural surrounds, this is one fantastical deathtrap that will be well worth all the hours of therapy it will inevitably necessitate. Though it officially opens next week (July 3) Bounce Below is the stuff dreams are made out of. Particularly those dreams where you wake up falling inexorably to your death. Of course, we kid. This underground wonderland has been well fitted out with safety precautions — we're just lashing out because we're bitter about being on the wrong side of the world to experience it. And, with three levels of incredible trampolines and a spiral slide measuring 20 metres in height, there's an awful lot to be jealous about. Far from your average cave tour, thrillseekers and historians visiting the seemingly unpronounceable small town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales can spend one hour bouncing around these unconventional caverns for a mere £15. Equipped with hard hat and matching overalls, both kids and adults alike can explore the many levels of bouncy bliss while enjoying the creepy serenity of being trapped underground. With the recent announcement of a a giant boobie bouncy castle at the Museum of Sex in New York, it seems like bouncing is the new hip activity around the world this week. If you need us, we'll be practicing our double-bouncing techniques at home while waiting for this giant novelty trend to hit Australia and New Zealand. Via Huffington Post.
When Taylor Swift announced that The Eras Tour was finally shaking its way to Australia, locking in five dates in two cities in February 2024, excitement echoed as loudly as the music superstar's voice. But, with such a condensed block of shows, nerves jangled as well. Getting a ticket to Swift's concerts in America caused a Ticketmaster meltdown, and has sparked new US legislation in response — and then there's scalpers and their inflated prices. With the singer-songwriter set to play her first two Aussie gigs of the tour at the MCG in Melbourne across Friday, February 16–Saturday, February 17, the Victorian Government has taken a key step to ensure that Swift fans don't get ripped off. Under the state's Major Events Act 2009, it has declared the 'Fearless', 'Enchanted', We Are Never Getting Back Together' and 'Blank Space' talent's shows a major event, which gets a whole heap of penalties around scalping's bad blood kicking in. [caption id="attachment_906252" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ronald Woan via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] Look what scalpers have made the Victorian Government do, basically. Under major event ticketing declarations, tickets to the concert must legally be available for a fair price, not the gargantuan costs that they can be flogged off for on the resale market. There's a specific figure specified under the law, in fact, with tickets to a declared major event unable to be resold for more than ten percent more than their original value. Other requirements include ticket package sellers needing authorisation from the event organiser, plus individual ads for tickets including both ticket and seating details. If a ticket seller flouts the rules, the penalties are steep — from $925 up to $554,760. [caption id="attachment_906254" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ronald Woan via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] This isn't just big news for Melburnians. Given that Swift is taking The Eras Tour to just two Aussie cities, it's relevant to the massive numbers of interstate and overseas attendees expected. The Victorian Government predicts that more than 60,000 people from around the rest of Australia, and from New Zealand, will be part of the 180,000 folks catching the singer during her two MCG concerts. Seeing Swift work through her entire career so far, playing tracks from each of her studio albums in a three-hour, 44-song, ten-act spectacular, The Eras Tour kicked off in March in the US, where it's still playing. Swift will also head to Mexico, Argentina and Brazil in 2023. Then, in 2024, she's off to Australia, Japan, Singapore, France, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) This'll be Swift's first tour Down Under since 2018, when she brought her Reputation shows to not only Sydney and Melbourne, but Brisbane and Perth, too. In the US, it's been breaking ticketing and venue records — expect tickets to get snapped up quickly Down Under as well, but now for a fair price in Victoria. [caption id="attachment_906253" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ronald Woan via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR AUSTRALIAN DATES 2024: Friday, February 16–Saturday, February 17 — Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Friday, February 23–Sunday, February 25 — Accor Stadium, Sydney Taylor Swift will bring The Eras Tour to Australia in February 2024. Tickets for the Melbourne shows go on sale at 10am AEST on Friday, June 30, with the Sydney shows on sale at 2pm AEST on Friday, June 30. The American Express VIP Package pre-sale runs for 48 hours from Monday, June 26 — from 10am in Sydney and 2pm in Melbourne — and the Frontier Members pre-sale runs 24 hours from Wednesday, June 28, again from 10am in Sydney and 2pm in Melbourne, or until all pre-sale tickets have been snapped up in both instances. Head to the tour website for further details. Top image: Ronald Woan via Wikimedia Commons.
Of course the Scandinavian Film Festival takes place in winter. When it's frosty across Australia, watching films set in snowy Nordic climes just feels appropriate. As many a cultural film fest offers, it's the next best thing to jumping on a plane and heading to the top of the world (it's also much, much cheaper). Now enjoying its fourth outing, the 2017 festival gets the Scandi celebrations started with international festival hit The Other Side of Hope, then works through the best flicks that Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden currently have to offer. Odes to real-life figures, heart-stirring dramas, explorations of indigenous plights, brooding murder mysteries and the politics of war are all included — and all make our top five picks of this year's program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxPRRzZkpus TOM OF FINLAND How does someone become known simply by their first name and homeland? Tom of Finland has the answer. The biographical film delves into the story of, yes, Tom of Finland, aka Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen. A pseudonym became another became a legend for the man who survived World War II, struggled to be himself in a country where homosexuality was illegal, and then became an emblem for sexual freedom. Director Dome Karukoski relays his tale with passion, as does Pekka Strang, as well as shining a bigger spotlight on Tom of Finland's provocative output. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O15-xYqBDZU A CONSPIRACY OF FAITH Nordic noir is the genre that keeps on giving, be it on the page, on TV or in cinemas. Jumping from books to films, Denmark's Department Q series continues to sit at the centre of the Scandinavian-set crime wave — and, the great thing about adapting a multi-tome effort is the multiple movies that follow. Fans of previous Scandinavian Film Festival titles The Keeper of Lost Causes and The Absent One will be ready and waiting to chart detectives Carl Mørck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and Assad's (Fares Fares) latest exploits, while newcomers can still jump right into the procedural action. As the title gives away, this time faith plays a big part in their new mystery, and how they approach the case. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIolgEvMAJ8 HEARTSTONE When Heartstone premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year, it was a debut effort exploring the connection between two childhood pals against a stunning Icelandic backdrop. Now making its way to Australia, it's an international film fest smash. Of course, the former still rings true, as told with intimacy, precision and overwhelming sincerity. Here, best friends Thor and Christian work through the conflicts of growing up, going after love and not always getting what they want — or understanding their bond with each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o2FkppwDoU SAMI BLOOD In the 1930s, teenage reindeer herder Elle Marja (Lene Cecilia Sparrok) is removed from her family. The reason? She's Sámi, a member of the area's indigenous people. Taking children from their culture in an attempt to assimilate them into Swedish life was common practice at the time — and yes, that kind of oppression should sound familiar to Australian audiences. Sámi director Amanda Kernell steps through a stirring tale that proves revelatory in more ways than one, while also making a star out of Sparrok, a reindeer herder herself. Sami Blood screens in Sydney and Brisbane only. Melbourne movie buffs — watch this space. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNtu-bCGi18 THE KING'S CHOICE Shortlisted in this year's foreign-language category at the Academy Awards, and based on real events, World War II effort The King's Choice finds a personal way to tell an epic story. Two nations face off, with Germany invading Norway, but one man has to find a way forward. Sure, he's the democratically elected monarch, but that doesn't make his complicated decision any less involving. Taking its time to piece its parts together, his experiences make for the kind of drama that builds towards a stirring resolution. The Scandinavian Film Festival tours the country between July 11 and August 6, screening at Sydney's Palace Norton Street and Palace Verona from July 11 to August 2, Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay and Palace Westgarth from July 13 to August 2, and Brisbane's Palace Barracks from July 20 to August 6. For the full program, visit the festival website.
Why serve sushi on a train when you can serve it on a plane? Okay, it's not exactly a plane, but it's pretty close. London's YO! Sushi, renowned for being the first sushi chain in the UK to provide its goodies via a conveyor belt, is now the first to deliver them with wings. Currently on trial at YO! Sushi's Soho restaurant, with a view to national roll out in 2014, the 'iTray' has been developed using sophisticated RC Drone quadicopter technology. Dependent on four propellers, and made of super-light carbon fibre, the 'flying waiter' is remote controlled with an inbuilt Wifi system, connected to an iPad. Two HD cameras enable the restaurant's kitchen staff to ensure that their creations experience a smooth and accurate arrival at their destination. Given that the iTray can travel at speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour, and can make journeys as long as 50 metres, a crash landing could get kind of messy. In other air borne-cuisine related developments, attendees at South Africa's Oppikoppi Music Festival, happening August 8-10, will be able to use their mobile phones to order drone-delivered beer. [via Springwise]
Some would say it's a waste of a perfectly good piano, but what Canadian artist Maskull Lasserre does to wood is worth every unused inch. Lassere explores the unexpected potential of the everyday, unassuming wooden object, and with his exceptional carving skills, transforms them into incredible works of art. He reveals strange creatures and skeletons that seems to have been fossilised inside common inanimate objects such as pianos, doors, books or axes. The artist says his work is a demonstration of how once something ceases to be, it becomes something else: "When the remnants of life are imposed on an object, and that’s true especially with the carving work that I do, it infers a past history or a previous life that had been lived, so again where people see my work as macabre, I often see it as hopeful, as the remnants of a life. Despite the fact that the life has ended, at least that life had a beginning and middle as well, so often by imparting these bodily elements to inanimate objects it reclaims or reanimates them in a virtual way." Yes, his name is Maskull Lasserre. What a dude. via Viral Nova explore the unexpected potential of the everyday
When it's winter in Australia's southern states, Hamilton Island couldn't be more gorgeous. If you like the cold, a midyear trip to Tasmania might be high on your holiday list. Or, perhaps you're dreaming of a Byron Bay getaway, a vacation to Australia's best beach for 2023 on Kangaroo Island, an excuse to head to the outback or a date with the Red Centre. Whichever of the above applies, Qantas has a sale flight to fit during its latest batch of discounted domestic fares. The Australian airline is serving up more than a million one-way flights across a whopping 100-plus routes — covering everywhere from Queensland's tropics to the Apple Isle's cities, and from Perth to Sydney, too, as well as all the other state capitals, the Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour, Mt Gambier, Broken Hill, Kalgoorlie and more. Get ready to explore your own backyard, with discounts around 30-percent below the normal year-round price on each route. The cheapest, as tends to be the case on all flight sales, is the Sydney–Ballina route, which'll get you from the Harbour City to Byron Bay from $99. The Melbourne–Launceston fare also comes in at $99. While the options from there do crack $100, more than 40 routes on offer during the sale boast flights under $150. That includes heading from the Gold Coast to Melbourne, or vice versa, from $135; from Melbourne to Sydney from $139; from Brisbane to Hamilton Island from $149; and from Perth to Sydney from $309. The sale runs until Wednesday, May 3, so you have some time to get a bargain. That said, if fares sell out earlier, you'll miss out. And, inclusions-wise, the sale covers fares with checked baggage, complimentary food and beverages, wifi and seat selection. Qantas' Australia red tail sale runs until Wednesday, May 3 — or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Mono are coming. No, I'm not referring to the kissing disease here; I mean the Japanese post-rock legends Mono. Duh. The band are in the country to perform at Hobart's DARK MOFO festival but were kind enough to arrange a few sideshows for their adoring Australian fans. The band have been performing and releasing material since the early 2000s, and their career has risen in profile every year. Their latest effort, For My Parents, was released in 2012, so their performance will surely contain a set list of new material as well as numerous soaring epics from previous albums. The band will be heading up and down the east coast to play shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane before jetting off into the sunset. I can't emphasise how important it is that you get a ticket; these guys might not be back for a while. Curious about what the band sounds like? Have a listen to this 15-minute epic, 'Yearning'. https://youtube.com/watch?v=zAleQ79UlT8
While wearable tech is impressive, it's not necessarily subtle or very stylish. You can always tell when someone's wearing a Fitbit and we all know how Google Glass went down. But Google's new piece of wearable tech is integrated into one of society's more practical pieces of clothing: a Levi's denim jacket. Google's Advanced Technology and Projects arm (ATAP) has teamed up with the iconic denim brand to redesign their Commuter Trucker Jacket with Google's Project Jacquard technology. It is the first garment to be made with the tech, which works by weaving a conducive yarn into the fabric. On the jacket, the tech is installed in the left sleeve, which acts as a touchpad and allows for touch and gesture interactivity with your phone. That means that when riding your bike (which is what this technology has been primarily designed for) you will be able to swipe up to get directions, tap to change the song you're listening to or swipe down to answer a call. It's all powered by a clip-on tag, which acts as a battery and, as far as we can tell, is the only real noticeable difference to the jacket. The technology has been in the works for some time now, but further details were announced on-stage by Levi's global product innovation head Paul Dillinger and ATAP's Project Jacquard lead Ivan Poupyrev at SXSW in Austin this weekend. The jacket — which will be made in both women's and men's sizes — will be released in spring this year and retail for about $350 USD. That's not saying the jacket will be officially released in Australia or New Zealand, but it will be available for consumers to purchase. Until then, you'll just have to be content with listening to a shitty song that snuck into your Spotify shuffle until you pull up at a traffic light. Via Mashable. Images: Levi's/YouTube.
Okay, so it's actually a statue of King Joffrey. But still! Think of the satisfaction! Everyone wants to see that smarmy little ferret face smashed into the ground and now you finally have the means with which to make it happen. Do it for Ned Stark! Do it for Sansa! Do it for that little kid in Batman Begins who had no idea of his evil destiny. The marketing geniuses over at Sky (New Zealand's equivalent of Foxtel) have set up a statue of King Joffrey in the middle of Auckland's CBD and, using the power of social media (for realsies) you can help topple the unlawful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Each tweet including the hashtag #bringdowntheking will contribute to a rope around the statue's neck tightening — a slow but inevitable means with which to bring the statue down. The public execution, which is estimated to take around five days, is available to watch via livestream here. Although, it may be a little dull until the final moments. The more entertaining things to keep an eye on at the moment are people's emotive tweets. The North remembers. Filthy Joffrey. #bringdowntheking #GOT — a little bit of ???? (@_magiciscoming) April 3, 2014 You bastard Joffrey!!! #bringdowntheking — Sam Pascoe (@PascoeSam) April 3, 2014 Something tells me these kind of fans really didn't need a marketing stunt to remind them to tune in to the season premiere on April 6.
Poor Things is still screening in cinemas Down Under, and its swag of Oscars — including for Emma Stone for Best Actress — is mere weeks old, but you can already start getting excited about Yorgos Lanthimos' next film. The Greek director is reteaming with Stone (The Curse) for their third feature, after The Favourite as well, on Kinds of Kindness. Movie lovers will see the end result soon, with the feature due to start hitting cinemas around the world from midyear. For now, it has just dropped its first teaser trailer. This time, Lanthimos and Stone have made a triptych featuring three fable-like tales. One is about a man who doesn't have choice as he attempts to seize control of his existence. Another follows a policeman whose wife goes missing at sea, then returns but doesn't seem like herself. And the last charts a woman trying to find a person with a unique ability that's meant to become a spiritual leader. That's all the narrative detail that's been revealed about Kinds of Kindness so far. The initial glimpse at the movie spans speeding cars, dragged bodies, slaps, dancing, dogs, licking and Stone talking about the moment of truth, all soundtracked by the Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams'. If you're thinking "isn't it wonderful" about this combination of elements, the movie understands — they're Stone's last words in the footage. On-screen, Stone — who also worked with Lanthimos on short film Bleat — has her Poor Things co-stars Willem Dafoe (Asteroid City) and Margaret Qualley (Drive-Away Dolls) for company. Joining them: Jesse Plemons (Killers of the Flower Moon), Hong Chau (The Menu), Joe Alwyn (Stars at Noon), Mamoudou Athie (The Burial) and Hunter Schafer (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes). Lanthimos helms, co-writing the script with Efthimis Filippou (who penned the filmmaker's Dogtooth, Alps, The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, too), on a flick that'll release in the US in June (likely after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival the month earlier, given the timing) and Down Under on Thursday, July 11. Check out the first trailer for Kinds of Kindness below: Kinds of Kindness will release in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 11, 2024.
Each and every year, Sydney Film Festival spends its June run doing exactly what it loves, and letting the Harbour City's movie buffs enjoy the same thing. But even the Harbour City's major annual celebration of cinema only turns 70 once, which means putting together a massive 200-plus-movie program to mark the occasion — starting with these 12 just-announced flicks. SFF's full lineup will arrive in May, ready to treat film fans of Sydney — and Australia — to Festival Director Nashen Moodley's latest selections from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18. If the first round of titles is anything to go by, and it usually is, there'll be no shortage of highlights. Penélope Cruz, Haruki Murakami, a documentary about documentaries and their impact upon the folks featured in their frames: they're all covered so far. Parallel Mothers star Cruz joins the lineup courtesy of L'immensità, playing a mum again. This time, she's in 70s-era Rome and navigating struggles in her marriage, while also supporting her 12-year-old when they begin to identify as a boy — with director Emanuele Crialese drawing upon his own experiences. Murakami fans, the animated Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman adapts the Japanese author's short story collection of the same name, complete with a quest to save Tokyo. And lovers of docos The Staircase, Capturing the Friedmans, The Wolfpack, Hoop Dreams and The Square should instantly add Subject to their must-see list — it spends time with subjects from all five works, diving into what it means to be the focus of a film, plus the duty of care that documentarians owe the people in their frames. SFF will also screen the latest features by acclaimed filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Christian Petzold, with the former winning a Venice Special Jury Prize for No Bears and the latter nabbing a Berlinale Silver Bear for Afire. Iranian great Panahi directs and stars, playing a fictionalised version of himself as he's fond of doing (see also: Tehran Taxi), and blending truth and fiction to examine how artists can too easily become scapegoats. Undine and Transit's Petzold once again puts actor Paula Beer in front of his lens, with the German director this time helming a tragicomedy about a seaside holiday surrounded by forest fires. On the local front, actor and director Rachel Ward returns to SFF after 2019 opening-night pick Palm Beach, this time with Rachel's Farm, a doco about bringing sustainable farming practices to her northern NSW beef farm. And, in The Last Daughter, Wiradjuri woman Brenda Matthews charts her experience being taken from her family as a toddler, growing up with a white foster family, then being returned to her parents. Taika Waititi graces the SFF lineup as an executive producer, with New Zealand comedy Red, White & Brass telling the true tale of Tongan rugby fans who volunteered to become a marching band for the Rugby World Cup — with no relevant background — just to attend the event. And, still with impressive cinema names, documentarian Frederick Wiseman's A Couple steps into the relationship between Leo and Sophia Tolstoy, while Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz ruminates upon power in When the Waves Are Gone, which is about two policemen. Rounding of the initial dozen flicks: Bobi Wine: The People's President, about the Ugandan musician getting political and battling his homeland's dictatorship; and While We Watched, focusing on Indian journalist Ravish Kumar's quest to champion independent reporting. As for what else is in store, Moodley advises that 2023's full lineup will "continue a 70-year strong tradition of presenting exceptional cinema from across Australia and around the world to Sydney audiences". "Since 1954, Sydney Film Festival has brought more than 10,000 films to Australian audiences. Year after year, the Festival continues to be a pioneer in the world of cinema, screening bold and inspiring works that provoke thought and push boundaries." "The 2023 program will expand on this legacy, promising to ignite stimulating dialogues and present powerful ideas that will broaden audience perspectives." Sydney Film Festival 2023 runs from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18, with the full lineup announced on Wednesday, May 10 — check back here then for all the details, and hit up the festival website for further information in the interim.
There's only one thing in life that's almost as ace as a holiday: looking forward to a holiday. The planning, counting down the days, just having something to get excited about — they all help liven up the daily grind. So when a flight sale drops, like Virgin's latest round of discounted fares, it's an instant way to brighten up your mood. Start looking forward to trips around Australia and overseas, and for cheap. This new sale spans over 500,000 fares for both domestic and international legs. Prices start low, at the usual $49, which once again gets you from Sydney to Byron Bay — the normal cheapest fare in any flight sale — and vice versa. From there, the domestic side of the sale covers everywhere from Hamilton Island and Hobart to Darwin and Mt Isa. Virgin's Flight Frenzy sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Friday, August 25 — unless sold out earlier, with fares to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide also covered. That means paying $69 one-way from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, $79 from Melbourne to Hobart, and $99 for a trip from Brisbane to Cairns or Canberra to the Gold Coast. Or, still on local deals, the specials also cover $59 from Melbourne to Launceston, $119 from Adelaide to Sydney, $179 from Brisbane to Darwin and $209 from Melbourne to Perth. Internationally, Tokyo visits are included, from Cairns only from $699 return. Among the other global return options: Bali (from $469 from Adelaide, $489 from the Gold Coast, $599 from Brisbane, and $629 from Melbourne or Sydney), Fiji ($499 from Brisbane or Sydney, and $539 from Melbourne), Vanuatu ($469 from Brisbane) and Samoa ($569 from Sydney and $579 from Brisbane). And, Queenstown is also on the agenda, with both one-way and return legs. One-way from Melbourne and Sydney starts at $265, and return from $425. From Brisbane, those prices are $309 and $539. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the fares cover select periods between Wednesday, October 11, 2023–Thursday, June 20, 2024, with all dates varying per route. Inclusions also differ depending on your ticket and, as usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick if you're keen to stack the rest of 2023 and the first half of 2024 with a getaway (or several). Virgin's Flight Frenzy sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Friday, August 25 — unless sold out earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
It's happening again. If you're fond of staring at the heavens with your own two eyes to see a stunning sight, you'll want to spend Thursday, October 17, 2024 looking up. Another supermoon is upon us, with the best time to see it arriving after sunset Down Under — so if you train your peepers upwards this evening, you'll be in for a glowing show. While super full moons aren't particularly rare — several usually happen each year, and one occurred in August 2024 as well as in September — there's still a a good reason to peer upwards this time around. If you're wondering why, we've run through the details below. [caption id="attachment_598533" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Andrew C via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] What Is It? If you're more familiar with The Mighty Boosh's take on the moon than actual lunar terms, here's what you need to know. As we all learned back in November 2016, a supermoon is a new moon or full moon that occurs when the moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it particularly bright. They're not all that uncommon — and because October 2024's supermoon is a full moon (and not a new moon), it's called a super full moon. It's also a hunter's moon, too, which refers to the time of year in the northern hemisphere. This is the time when hunting was undertaken to store meat for the coming winter in the other half of the world. Of course, that doesn't apply in the southern hemisphere, but the name still sticks. This supermoon is also the closest of 2024 — which makes it the brightest of 2024, too. [caption id="attachment_769713" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NASA/Joel Kowsky[/caption] When Can I See It? As mentioned above, your best time to look at the harvest supermoon is from sunset on Thursday, October 17, 2024, although it'll officially be a full moon at 10.26pm AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne, 9.26pm AEST in Brisbane, 9.56pm ACDT in Adelaide and 7.26pm AWST in Perth. The moon always appears full for a few days, however, so if you already thought that the night sky looked a little brighter this week, that's why. To catch a glimpse, you'll want to peek outside when it gets dark to feast your eyes on a luminous lunar sight. Head over to timeanddate.com for the relevant moonrise and moonset times for your area. Where Can I See It? You can take a gander from your backyard or balcony, but the standard advice regarding looking into the night sky always applies — so city-dwellers will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get the absolute best view. Sunset arrives at 7.10pm AEDT in Sydney, 7.39pm AEDT in Melbourne, 5.56pm AEST in Brisbane, 7.31pm ACDT in Adelaide and 6.29pm AWST in Perth Via timeanddate.com. Image: Elekes Andor via Wikimedia Commons.
Winter is great for getting cosy, wearing every piece of warm clothing you own and enjoying hearty foods. It's also an ace time to plan your next getaway for when spring and summer hit. Dreaming of a sunny vacation somewhere in Australia? Just keen to explore this continent we call home? To help with that, and any other domestic trip that's on your agenda in the near future, Virgin has dropped an Aussie flights sale with 500,000 discounted fares up for grabs. Prices are starting low, at $49, which will get you from Sydney to Byron Bay — the usual cheapest fare in any Aussie flight sale — and vice versa. From there, the sale spans everywhere from the Sunshine Coast, Hobart and Broome through to Cairns, Canberra and Proserpine. The 72hr See Australia sale runs until 11.59pm on Wednesday, July 19 — unless sold out earlier, with fares to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide also covered. That means paying $69 one-way from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, $79 from Melbourne to Hobart, $99 for a trip from Brisbane to Cairns and $109 to get from Canberra to the Gold Coast. Or, still on local deals, the specials also cover $69 from Melbourne to Launceston, $119 from Adelaide to Sydney, $149 from Brisbane to Darwin and $209 from Melbourne to Perth. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the fares cover between August 16, 2023–March 26, 2024, all varying per route. Inclusions also differ depending on your ticket and, as usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick if you're keen to stack the rest of 2023 and the start of 2024 with holidays. Virgin's 72hr See Australia sale runs until 11.50pm AEST on Wednesday, July 19 — unless sold out earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Andreas Amador's life is a beach, playing in the sand...literally. Although for Amador, 'playing' in the sand proves to be a little more intense than it may sound. A working morning for Amador consists of meticulously carving enormous scaled designs into the sand - all under the time crunch of the ocean tide. Up before sunrise, Amador arrives at his local San Francisco, California beaches around low-tide, creating the biggest possible space for a beach canvas. He then executes his pre-conceived, generally abstract and organic, designs. The sand is contoured with rakes, giving it a multidimensional look that hopefully Amador can capture in a birds-eye photo before tide rushes in. He generally designates about two hours to the process, but there is always the risk of his work being washed away too quickly. Of course, all of his sand drawings are effervescent by nature, only adding to their beauty. Amador sells prints and postcards of his photographed works, and offers other art services as well. He leads team-building workshops, birthday celebrations, and personal transformation journeys; he also creates commissioned pieces, including sand-scrawled marriage proposals. Simon Beck is another artist with a similar technique; his medium, however, is snow. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mP0O4Yu0kYE [via Gizmodo]
The global juggernaut revolutionising music festivals around the world, Optus RockCorps, has hit Australia with the promise of free tickets to a kick-arse festival — in exchange for just four hours of your time. This groundbreaking program offers festival-lovers a fairly irresistible exchange: simply spend four hours volunteering for the local community and in return you will get yourself a ticket to the Optus RockCorps on April 11 at the Hordern Pavilion. They're the world's only festival tickets that money literally cannot buy. The event is produced through a partnership between Optus and the RockCorps organisation, which has rocked its way across the globe, with over 130,000 volunteers from France to Venezuela to the US giving up a combined 500,000 hours in order to put on over 40 live concerts. This innovative strategy has not only allowed RockCorps to promote and pump out some pretty awesome live music but also allowed volunteers to make a difference in poor and struggling communities all over the world. Confirmed for the line-up of the first Optus RockCorps in Sydney are The Script, Labrinth and Guy Sebastian. If you fancy registering or just want to find out more about the project, visit the Optus RockCorps website or give them a call on 1800 ROCK 1800. 8 March 2013: The organisers of Optus RockCorps have announced that British MC Tinie Tempah will replace Labrinth, who is unable to perform due to scheduling difficulties.
Most of Australia might've spent the bulk of 2020 at home, but that doesn't mean that we didn't notice the temperature. And if you were feeling rather toasty across the 12 months, there's a reason for that — with the Bureau of Meteorology revealing in its just-released Annual Climate Statement 2020 that we just lived through one of country's warmest years since records started being kept. Only three years on record were hotter than 2020, with the past 12 months ranking fourth. Australia's warmest year on record came the year prior, in 2019, while 2013 ranks second. If you're wondering what that means for temperatures in 2020, the overall averaged mean temperature for the entire country across the year sat 1.15 degree above average. In all states in 2020, as well as the Northern Territory, both the mean maximum and minimum temperatures were also higher than average. BOM reports that days were especially warm in Sydney, Hobart and Darwin, and nights were toasty in the same three cities, plus Canberra and Brisbane. Yes, we know that Australia is a sunny place, and has sweltering summers. But that warmth was also spread across the year, with January, February, April, June, August, September and November sitting in the ten warmest on record when it comes to a variety of markers — such as the mean, maximum and minimum temperatures for those months. November 2020 was also the warmest November on record, before summer even hit, while the entirety of spring earned that status as well. If you noticed that the three of the top four warmest years listed above all fell in the last decade, there's a reason for that as well. "The mean temperature for the ten years from 2011 to 2020 was the highest on record, at 0.94 degrees above average and 0.33 degrees warmer than the previous ten years," said Senior Climatologist Dr Lynette Bettio. Dr Bettio also notes that increasing temperatures is a worldwide trend. "Globally, every year from 2013 onwards has been among the ten warmest on record, with 2016 and 2019 being the hottest," she says. "2020 was among the top three" on a global scale, she advises, which happened "despite the onset of La Niña, which has a suppressing effect on global temperatures". In Australia, La Niña usually means more rainfall, cooler daytime temperatures south of the tropics and warmer overnight temperatures in the north. In terms of rain, 2020 was actually close to average, BOM says; however, the western parts of Western Australia, southeastern Queensland and western Tasmania all received below average rainfall. For more information about the Bureau of Meteorology's Annual Climate Statement 2020, head to BOM's website.
“Save Live Australia’s Music (SLAM) is a collective of non-politically aligned, independent, local music-loving citizens. The only pre-requisite to getting involved is a love of live music.” That is the mission statement of SLAM, an organisation dedicated to creating a vibrant and entertaining live-music industry, nation wide. SLAM Day itself involves live music fans in every state organising gigs of every size and genre – celebrating local musicians and die-hard punters. This year, hundreds of live shows have been organised, making 2013 the biggest SLAM day to date. Check out the extensive list of gigs on the SLAM Day website for shows near you. If you are simply looking for a recommendation, we reckon My Fiction (Pictured) and The Familiars are playing at The Zoo and should be extremely entertaining.
Uber's really gunning on the whole transportable goods monopoly, huh. Transport's youngest taxi-threatening empire moved to explore the billion-dollar food delivery market, after the recent Messina delivery hootenanny (which didn't actually work for hundred of new Uber — Newber? — users). But that type of gimmicky PR stunt is going one step further into an actual delivery service: lunch delivered by taxi driver, in under ten minutes. UberFresh is the idea, with the plan to make Uber drivers into the ultimate vehicular-based slashie: equal parts taxi driver and delivery person. Planning to take you "happy to hungry in under ten minutes", the service is capitalising on that bout of hanger that sets in when your delivery snail takes an age to show up. But you can't just order any ol' extravagant, slow-cooked short rib for lunch and expect it to show up in ten. UberFresh works on a limited menu, daily specials restricted to sandwiches, salads or soups from local businesses (with a little side cookie thrown in). You'll have to meet the driver on the street to pick up your lunch, but you just skipped a 20-minute lunch line, so hush. The UberFresh program is currently only available in Santa Monica and on weekdays until September 5. Plans to bring the service to Australia or New Zealand haven't yet been announced, but with the rising rates of Uber users (and the anger at Cabcharge's sneaky extra fees) rising, shouldn't be too long before your lunch is just ten minutes away. Delivery.com and Seamless probably need new pants. Via Grub Street.
Jarno Smeets has always believed he could fly. Now he knows he can. On March 18, Smeets successfully flew using his pair of custom-built wings, controlled by video game controllers and an Android phone. The project, which took eight months of research and testing, was inspired by sketches by Smeets' grandfather depicting a futuristic flying bicycle. Smeets' grandfather spent much of his life working on the design, yet never completed the project; Smeets says that it has always been his dream to complete his grandfather's goal. While Smeets was studying engineering at Coventry University in England, he altered his grandfather's design and began working on a Leonardo Da Vinci-inspired set of flying wings. The idea was based on the mechanics involved with robotic prosthetics. Smeets' aim was to supplement his arm strength to enable his arms to carry his entire body while in flight. With the help of neuro-mechanic Bert Otten, the design eventually became a reality. The flight lasted 60 seconds, a "magical moment", according to Smeets. Of course, a video like this brings the skeptics out of the woodwork, and with the creator's CV not checking out, their case has been gaining momentum. Update: yep, it's a fake. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GYW5G2kbrKk [via Wired]
When Queensland's Go Cards were introduced, they were billed as a quicker, easier way to pay for public transport — but if you've ever had trouble topping up, been wrongly slugged for not touching off or been forced to pay paper ticketing prices after leaving your card at home, then you might disagree. In fact, you've probably been dreaming of a day when you won't need that little piece of plastic. Well, we have good news: ditching your Go Card is about to become a reality. Back in 2018, it as revealed that the Queensland Government was planning to trial and implement electronic payment methods for public transport — and, as of this month, the first such trial is underway. If catching a tram on the Gold Coast is in your future, you can now pay for your ticket using your smartphone, MasterCard or AMEX credit or debit card, or smart watch. In effect since Monday, December 14, the trial is part of the Queensland Government $371 million smart-ticketing project — which is designed to complement rather than replace the existing system. So, if you do happen to be attached to your Go Card for some reason, you can keep using it. And, this test run is ongoing, taking place across 19 the Gold Coast's 19 light rail stations from Helensvale right through to Broadbeach South. Patrons just need to touch their phone, card or watch to the bright pink ticketing machine before boarding a tram, then tap off when they hop off. https://twitter.com/TransLinkSEQ/status/1338665126677852161 A caveat: if catching a tram is just part of your public transport journey, you'll still want to use your Go Card, given that you can't transfer your ticket to a bus or train under the current trial. Also, the test is only available for adult fares, not concessions. If you aren't visiting the Goldie any time soon — or you aren't jumping on a tram while you're there — the plan is to roll out the system across all of Queensland in the next three years. Exact timings of when Brisbanites can expect to ditch their Go Cards hasn't yet been revealed, however. Smart ticketing is currently being trialled on the Gold Coast tram network, across 19 light rail stations. For further details, check out the Queensland Government statement and head to the Translink website. Top image: Bahnfrend via Wikimedia Commons.
He's one of the most critically acclaimed and successful hip hop artists of our generation. He has 14 Grammys to his name, plus an Academy Award nomination for one of his contributions to the Black Panther soundtrack. He won the 2017 Triple J Hottest 100, and also became the first ever artist to take out the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for contemporary music in 2018. His last stadium shows Down Under, back in that same year, sold out ridiculously quickly, too — and he's coming back to Australia and New Zealand to play five huge gigs before 2022 is out. We're talking about Kendrick Lamar, of course, who has just announced a huge 'The Big Steppers' world tour in support of his just-dropped fifth solo studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers — his first since 2017's DAMN., and also his first full-length release since 2018's Black Panther soundtrack. The Compton rapper will be heading to Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland in December, to close out a global jaunt that starts in the US in July, then ventures through Europe before coming our way. The word you're looking for: alright. While fans can expect plenty of tracks from Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Lamar's extensive catalogue is sure to get a whirl — including tracks from 2011's Section.80, 2012's good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2015's To Pimp A Butterfly and, obviously, DAMN.. Lamar won't be taking to the stage solo, with Las Vegas rapper Baby Keem, aka Lamar's cousin, in support on all dates. Just like his last trip Down Under — when he also headlined Splendour in the Grass — expect tickets to get snapped up quicker than Lamar can bust out lyrics when they go on sale at 12pm local time on Friday, May 20. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers literally just dropped yesterday, Friday, May 13, too, so there's your soundtrack sorted while you celebrate the tour news. KENDRICK LAMAR'S 'THE BIG STEPPERS' 2022 TOUR AUSTRALIA AND NZ DATES: Thursday, December 1 — RAC Arena, Perth Sunday, December 4 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Thursday, December 8 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Monday, December 12 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Friday, December 16 — Spark Arena, Auckland Kendrick Lamar's 'The Big Steppers' tour will hit Australia and New Zealand in December. Tickets go onsale online at 12pm local time on Friday, May 20. Top image: Renell Medrano (@renellaice).
Remember when Pizza Hut announced that monstrosity with whole cheeseburgers baked inside the crust and everyone thought our country was reaching a critical moment in the obesity epidemic? Well, good news! American burger chain Carl's Jr is coming to Australia. Well-known in the US for their total disregard of the health conscious, Carl's Jr is a bastion of oil-soaked gluttony that makes McDonald's look like a salad bar. Many of the burgers on their regular menu contain more than 1000 calories — more than double the content of a Big Mac — and suggestions of their move to Australia were last year met with comments from the Federal Health Department. Though the franchise already has 15 locations across New Zealand, Carl's Jr will be trialling its run across the Tasman with some isolated stores on the central coast of NSW and none in our capital cities. But, much like our well-balanced blood sugar levels, that won't last long. Currently looking for franchisees, Carl's Jr is reportedly aiming to open 300 Australian stores within the next 10-15 years. Of course, there's not much you can do about fast food like this. Even with the mandatory nutritional information printed on the side, if a dude wants to eat a heart attack in a bun, he'll eat one. C'est la vie. It's the corporation's marketing strategy which might cause bigger problems. Since they employed Paris Hilton to ineffectually wash this car in 2005, Carl's Jr's advertising has perpetuated some pretty heinous crimes against feminism. Their ads, which have featured the likes of Kim Kardashian and Heidi Klum, all operate on a somewhat basic mathematical level: sauce = jizz, burgers = vajayjay, dumb people's erections = profit. Prior to their launch in NZ, a similarly offensive Carl's Jr ad was actually banned from airing at all. So we're not hugely looking forward to what they come up with in Australia but understand it's a bit of a mixed bag. Carl's Jr Australia: great news for sex pests and very bad news for people with high cholesterol. Via Gizmodo.
Maybe you adore frights and scares. Perhaps bumps and jumps aren't for you. Don't worry, Halloween still caters for everyone. Between the nauseating amounts of lollies, flexing your arts and crafts skills to fashion yourself a costume, and the themed cocktails, plus the all-round excuse to party, there's something on the agenda no matter how deeply you embrace horror. Trick or treating isn't as big here as it is in the US, but we'll be damned if we won't use Halloween as an excuse for a spooky time. And, thankfully, there are plenty of eerie events and horror-centric nights happening around town for you to dive into. Here's a list of some of the best things going on in and around Brisbane for Halloween this year, ranging from the not-so scary (catching a blockbuster musical or a spooky-themed game of mini golf) to the truly unsettling (an old favourite: eerie movies) — and including the wild (partying on a yacht in costume) and wonderful (drinks to fit the date), too.
Before Barbenheimer became the biggest thing in cinema in 2023, moviegoers flocked to a film that featured a blonde wearing plenty of pink, and also clouds and mushrooms, all in the one flick. That feature: The Super Mario Bros Movie. It was a hit. It was a smash, in fact. At the global box office, the first-ever animated movie based on the Nintendo favourite came in right in the middle of both Barbie and Oppenheimer for the year — notching up more than $1.3 billion in takings. That an animated Mario movie would get audiences saying "let's go" to cinemas is hardly a surprise. Neither is the next piece of news: that a sequel to The Super Mario Bros Movie is on the way. The folks at Nintendo and animation studio Illumination are back doing the filmmaking equivalent of hitting blocks to unveil power-ups — aka crafting a second picture that's due to hit cinemas in 2026. The exact date in the US: April 3, 2026. Expect audiences in Australia and New Zealand to see the film at around the same time. Nintendo and Illumination announced the sequel as part of the annual MAR10 celebrations on March 10 — which would also make a great movie release date, but features don't usually hit the big screen on Tuesdays, which is when the occasion will fall in 2026. "By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone's faces through entertainment, Nintendo will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible," said the company in a statement. In a video, Shigeru Miyamoto from Nintendo and Chris Meledandri from Illumination also chatted about the news — but without going into much detail regarding what'll be in store in the film, other than the return trip to the Mushroom Kingdom. "This time, we're thinking about broadening Mario's world further, and it'll have a bright and fun story," said Miyamoto. The 2023 The Super Mario Bros Movie enlisted Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) to voice the Italian plumber, plus Charlie Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as Luigi, Jack Black (Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) as Bowser, Anya Taylor-Joy (The Menu) as Princess Peach, Seth Rogen (Dumb Money) as Donkey Kong, Keegan- Michael Key (Wonka) as Toad and Fred Armisen (Wednesday) as Cranky Kong. Directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic (Teen Titans Go!, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies) will return from the first film, as will screenwriter Matthew Fogel (Minions: The Rise of Gru). Check out the trailer forThe Super Mario Bros Movie below: The sequel to The Super Mario Bros Movie is set to release in cinemas in the US on April 3, 2026 — we'll update you with Down Under release dates when they're announced. Read our review of the first film.
Australia's love of whodunnits and crime stories helped make Jane Harper's Aaron Falk books a hit on the page. In cinemas, The Dry brought the character to the screen back in 2021 and proved a huge success there, too. Next came sequel Force of Nature: The Dry 2, also based on one of the Aussie author's novels, also starring Eric Bana (Blueback) as the determined detective and also helmed by Robert Connolly (Paper Planes) — and now you can check it out at home. The second move in the franchise took its time getting to the silver screen. Initially, Force of Nature: The Dry 2 was the most-anticipated new Australian movie of 2023; however, it was postponed from its planned August 2023 release amid the SAG-AFTRA strike and moved to Ferbuary 2024. The picture is still in cinemas at the time of writing but, if your busy schedule has gotten in the way of you catching it so far, you can make a date to see it on your couch instead. When Bana stepped into Falk's shoes in The Dry, more movies were always bound to follow. On the screen, the film became a massive Australian box-office smash thanks to its twisty mystery, determined protagonist, stunning scenery and spectacular cast. So, throw that formula together again and you have Force of Nature: The Dry 2. This second effort sees Falk again investigating a case, looking into the disappearance of a hiker from a corporate retreat attended by five women. Alongside fellow federal agent Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie, Ruby's Choice), Falk heads deep into Victoria's mountain ranges to try to find the missing traveller — who also happens to be a whistle-blowing informant — alive. Also featuring in Force of Nature, which has a powerhouse list of Aussie talent just like its predecessor: Anna Torv (The Last of Us) as missing hiker Alice Russell, plus Deborra-Lee Furness (Blessed), Robin McLeavy (Homeland), Sisi Stringer (Mortal Kombat) and Lucy Ansell (Strife). Richard Roxburgh (Prosper), Tony Briggs (Preppers) and Kenneth Radley (The Power of the Dog) pop up, too, while Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor (Heartbreak High) is back in the role of Erik Falk. Reteaming not just after The Dry, but also Blueback in the middle, Connolly and Bana make quite the pair when it comes to Aussie crime cinema — with Connolly the producer of one of the best local crime movies ever made, aka 1998's unnerving The Boys, and Bana famously the star of the similarly excellent Chopper. Fans of Harper's work also have The Survivors to look forward to, but on the small screen. It's heading to Netflix from the pages of the author's text of the same name, and isn't linked to The Dry or Force of Nature. Here, the Tasmanian-set story follows families still coping with the loss caused by a massive storm in their seaside town 15 years earlier, then faced with a new murder. Check out the trailer for Force of Nature: The Dry 2 below: Force of Nature: The Dry 2 is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and also streaming via YouTube Movies and Prime Video. Read our review of Force of Nature: The Dry 2, and of The Dry — plus our chat about Force of Nature with Eric Bana and Robert Connolly. Images: Narelle Portanier.
Contemplating a renovation? Before you head to IKEA or the nearest op shop, stop right here. Why settle for standard seating, expected entranceways and simple staircases when you could be installing sandpits under work desks and doors that double as ping pong tables, slides and skate ramps? Interior design is one thing, but home hacking is quite another. Here are ten ways to turn an ordinary house into a carnival ground. Forms in Nature Light Sculpture Turn your room into a scene from Nightmare Before Christmas at the flick of a switch. Ernst Haeckel’s drawings are the inspiration behind this sculpture, created by Danish designers Thyra Hilden and Pio Diaz. A complex, unruly root system surrounds a bright light. "The shadows engulf the room and transforms the walls into unruly shadows of branches, bushes and gnarled trees," the designers explain. "Mirrorings are thrown out upon the walls and ceilings and provide weak Rorschach-like hints of faces, life and flow of consciousness. Dimming the lights transforms the installation and one senses a weak fire burning deep in the center of the forest." Image: Hilden and Diaz Surfing with the sand between my toes Why settle for working from home when you could, simultaneously, be working from the beach? This installation takes the freelancer's freedom to a whole new level. Created by artist Justin Kemp, who's based in Massachusetts (about thirty or so miles from the coast), 'Surfing with the sand between my toes' aims to blur the lines between work and play. "The sand is relaxing, but for me it's more a symbol of my permanent vacation," he explains. "It's the design of a lifestyle where 'work' becomes so satisfying that vacation and retirement become undesirable. It's a permanent state of chill." Image: Justin Kemp The Ping Pong Door Here's a way to create more space, get your daily exercise and maintain a healthy competitiveness with your roommates, especially if you're living in a teeny-tiny apartment: a door that turns into a ping pong table. It's the brainchild of Berlin-based designer Tobias Fraenzel. "Design can and should be fun," he says. "A product that generates positive emotions in people, that brings them together and gets used again and again, that is a good product!" Image: Marcel Koehler Bedroom-to-Pool Waterslide Where Professor Digory Kirke's wardrobe led to Narnia, the cupboard in this proposed country mansion reveals a water slide connected to a pool. Yet to be realised, the plans are the creation of Neil Collins Architects, who specialise in one-off homes. The slide would be part of a £2 million, three-bedroom, underground dwelling entered via a TARDIS-style elevator. Image: Neil Collins Bookshelf-Staircase-Slide Why waste time walking up and down the stairs when you could be sliding? This multifunctional staircase has something for everyone. Architecture firm Moon Hoon came up with it when commissioned to design the Panorama House, a spacious home for a six-piece Korean family. It's one amongst many staircase-slides that are injecting fun into the daily routine. Image: Namgoong Sun The Cloud Sofa If you've never recovered from Neverending Story, here, at long last, is the antidote. Spend a little part of every day floating on your own private cloud. A shiny silver oval on the floor is what makes the Cloud Sofa as magical as Falkor. Its mysterious magnetic force can keep both you and your softest-ever sofa hovering all night long. We have D.K. & Wei Design to thank. Image: D.K. Wei The Skateboard House Welcome to Bart Simpson's dream home. There's not a single surface — inside or outside — that can't be skated on. It's the vision of ex-world champion, pro-skater and CEO of Sole Technology Inc. Pierre Andre Senizergues. He approached architect Francois Perrin and designer-skateboarder Gil Lebon Delapoint to make it happen. La Gaite Lyrique Museum in Paris exhibited a wooden prototype in 2011. Real-life construction is underway in Malibu, California. Image: Pierre Andre Senizergues Pirate Ship Bedroom Do you have a belief, deep-down, that Walt Disney should've cast you, instead of Johnny Depp, in Pirates of the Caribbean? You could see a psychiatrist. But it might well be cheaper to install a pirate ship in your bedroom. Designed by Steve Kuhl, this suspended schooner is entered via rope bridge and exited via secret slide. For miscreants, there's a one-person jail cell. Image: Steve Kuhl Moss Bathroom Mat The ingenious thing about this is that, as long as you shower frequently-ish, you don't need to water it. A latex frame holds together 70 x 6cm pieces of foam, planted with three types of moss: ball, island and forest. Not only do they form a complex microcosmic forest, they also feel super-soft underfoot. It's the creation of Swiss designer Nguyen La Chanh. "The idea was to find a new way of having your plants inside," she explains. "Not only plants in pots quietly standing in the corner of a living room, but alive plants, evolving in the house." Image: Nguyen La Chanh DIY Grass Couch All you have to do is find a piece of furniture, pack the frame with soil, plant some seeds and let them grow. Of course, a regular mowing and trimming routine is part of the deal. Back in 2006, these popped up all over San Francisco as part of the Let's Green this City initiative.
Battery power: we all want it for those devices that are always in our hands, pockets or bags — and, we rarely have as much as we need. Carrying a charger or power pack around with you is just one of the joys of being a modern smartphone user. And then there's the cable side of things, whether you're carting them from place to place, or seeing them sprawling through your bedroom or living room. Wireless technology seemed to offer the solution to at least some of these #firstworldproblems; however, it's not quite the always-available, always-charging saviour we all want — yet. Enter Disney, their research team and a new room that'll juice up your phone, tablet and more, no strings attached. Given the name quasistatic cavity resonance, the entertainment company has created spaces that keep things buzzing while still remaining safe for people to enter. Aaah yes, that minor matter of not being adversely affected just so that you can keep posting on social media. The areas in question consist of aluminium panels lining the walls, floors and ceiling, plus a floor-to-ceiling electric pipe running through the centre — with a current surging through it and an electromagnetic field radiating from it. Unsurprisingly, the current design isn't much to look at, but who needs something pleasing to the eye when your phone is always charged? It makes sense, really — if Disney can resurrect Star Wars and actually make it great, shower our screens with superheroes for a decade and counting, and bring just about every fairy tale to the live-action realm, they can probably whip up a dose of non-movie magic to solve this annoying issue. Just what happens next is a watch-this-space kind of deal, but we're guessing that charging your phone at Disneyland might just be a whole lot easier in the future. Via: Mashable. Image: Disney Research.
What stars Selena Gomez (The Dead Don't Die), Steve Martin (It's Complicated), Martin Short (Schmigadoon!), the ageless Paul Rudd (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), and the one and only Meryl Streep (Don't Look Up)? What's arriving to add a bit of murder, a new mystery to solve and plenty of laughs to your winter? That'd be season three of Only Murders in the Building, which has locked in a date for its eagerly awaited premiere: Tuesday, August 8. "Is this really happening again?" asks Oliver Putnam (Short) in the first teaser trailer for the new batch of episodes. "Well, you know, who are we without a homicide?" replies his neighbour, fellow murder-mystery buff and co-podcaster Mabel Mora (Gomez). Clearly, this hit sleuthing comedy will be back doing what it's always done, and well, since season one made it one of the best new shows of 2021 and season two put it in the best returning category in 2022. This time around, Mabel, Oliver and Charles-Haden Savage's (Martin) will still be bantering while solving a murder. Given that season two ended with another big death, the latter won't come as a surprise — and neither will the victim. From the initial sneak peek so far, season three will devote a fair amount of its focus to working through the events leading up to that killing, piecing together what happened, why, how and who's behind it. Enter Rudd and Streep, because this series does love adding names to its on-screen roster. Over both season one and two, Tina Fey (Girls5eva) has been a significant presence, Sting and Amy Schumer have played themselves, and Cara Delevingne (Carnival Row) has also popped up. If you're yet to experience Only Murders in the Building's charms, it follows the odd trio of Charles-Haden, Oliver and the much-younger Mabel after they bond over two things: listening to a Serial-style podcast hosted by the show's own version of Sarah Koenig, aka Cinda Canning (Fey); and a death in their luxe abode. Of course, they did what everyone that's jumped on the true-crime bandwagon knows they would if they were ever in the same situation, starting their own audio series that's also called Only Murders in the Building. That's how season one kicked off — and continued, proving a warm, funny, smart and savvy series at every step along the way. In the show's second go-around, another death needed investigating. That time, it was someone the main trio were all known not to be that fond of, so suspicions kept pointing in their direction. Check out the first trailer for Only Murders in the Building season three below: Only Murders in the Building's third season will start streaming Down Under via Star on Disney+ from Tuesday, August 8. Season one and two are currently streaming. Read our full review of season two — and of the show's first season, too.
Break out the waffles: Amy Poehler is coming to Australia. If you're a Parks and Recreation fan, nothing less than eating breakfast foods non-stop between now and the end of May will do to celebrate. The actor behind Leslie Knope — and Saturday Night Live legend, and voice of Joy in both Inside Out and Inside Out 2 — has a date with Vivid Sydney, heading to the Harbour City for a just-announced in-conversation event that'll see her chat through her career. Inside Out 2 releases in cinemas in mid-June, so it'll receive plenty of focus when Poehler gets talking — so much so that the Sydney Opera House evening that'll be moderated by Zan Rowe will include a 30-minute first-look at the film. But her work spans far and wide beyond the animated Pixar franchise, including to films such as Baby Mama and Sisters, writing the hilarious Yes Please and unforgettable Golden Globe hosting gigs with Tina Fey. [caption id="attachment_793108" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by: Chris Haston/NBC[/caption] "I'm really looking forward to taking part in Vivid Sydney this year, a place that welcomes Joy in every way," said Poehler about her impending session in the Harbour City. "I can't wait to share a little of Inside Out 2: a movie that lets Joy and Sadness, Anxiety and Envy all try to work together in hilarious and touching ways." [caption id="attachment_925839" align="alignnone" width="1920"] © 2023 Disney/Pixar.[/caption] Poehler's session will take place on Monday, May 27, making it one of the early highlights of the festival. It comes after 2023's Vivid Sydney also featured a massive screen-focused in-conversation session, welcoming The White Lotus' Jennifer Coolidge and Mike White. "Amy Poehler is comedy royalty and the perfect person to join us as part of Vivid Ideas for this year's Vivid Sydney. We're so proud to add her to the growing list of guests set to captivate visitors throughout 23 nights of the festival," said Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini. "Amy's new film Inside Out 2 ties in perfectly with the theme of this year's festival, humanity, with an accessible take on how the human mind makes decisions and processes emotions. Allowing audiences to have an insight to how one of the world's great writers and performers operates is sure to be a great thrill." Check out the trailer for Inside Out 2 below: In Conversation with Amy Poehler takes place on Monday, May 27, 2024 at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, with tickets on sale now. Vivid Sydney runs from Friday, May 24–Saturday, June 15 at various locations around Sydney. Head to the festival website for further details and tickets.
When you're brainstorming places around the world to visit on a budget, the UK is probably not the first place that springs to mind. What it may lack in affordability department, it makes up for in pretty much every other aspect of an epic holiday — from poking around charming country villages and discovering the diverse cultures of the major cities to stumbling across a historical landmark at pretty much every turn of a corner. Oh, and it has a killer music scene. You can experience all of these UK wonders on a Contiki Sounds trip. With seven- or ten-day options, these whistlestop tours will take you to some of England's top spots, culminating with an unforgettable weekend of dancing, camping and partying at Reading Festival — one of the country's biggest annual music festivals. To get you ready for traipsing around the UK's south, we've put together a guide of some of the best things to do and see while you're there. And, to prove that you can still have a good time without blowing big bucks, we've also thrown in a few penny-pinching tips. Who said you couldn't have your bangers and mash and eat them too? [caption id="attachment_719139" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Hudson via Flickr.[/caption] BIKE BETWEEN LONDON'S MARKETS Hire a set of wheels from the city's bike sharing service (nicknamed 'Boris bikes') for the weekend and visit some of London's best markets. Spend Friday near London Bridge at Borough Market, one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, and turn all of the free cheese and fudge tastings into a makeshift meal. Next up, on Saturday, is a stroll through Broadway Market, which runs from London Fields to the Regent's Canal in old Hackney. Then, on Sunday, cycle over to Columbia Road Flower Market. The street air is intense with the scent of flowers and the barrow boys will be hawking "everthin' for a fiiiver". [caption id="attachment_719140" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Towning via Flickr.[/caption] JUMP AROUND THE JURASSIC COAST Supposedly, the lady who 'sold seashells by the seashore' came from the Jurassic Coast. Too early for her time to be recognised as a palaeontologist by her peers, she was forced to sell her excess dino bones to tourists. The picturesque coast isn't just home to prehistoric beasts and tongue-twisting characters — it also boasts Durdle Door, an iconic limestone arch near Dorset. For the adventurous, try coasteering — a physically challenging activity which involves scaling cave networks, dodging tidal surges and completing ocean jumps. Broadchurch fans may recognise the Jurassic Coast's cliff faces from the hit British crime drama. [caption id="attachment_719154" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ed Webster via Flickr.[/caption] STROLL BRISTOL'S STOKES CROFT STREET ART AND ART GALLERIES Wander around the city and feast your eyes upon some of street artist Banksy's earliest works, then head over to Stokes Croft to ogle the local, ever-changing licks, sprays and splatters of paint. Then, counter your street-traipsing with some gallery time. Spike Island lies south of the river and features contemporary art, design and audio installations. An enormous old tea warehouse has been converted into three floors of contemporary art in all forms to make Arnolfini, Bristol's Centre for Contemporary Arts. Meanwhile, the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery has a huge collection, including Alfred — a stuffed silverback gorilla who was kidnapped in the 1950s by a jovial bunch and returned a whopping 54 years later. VISIT A HAUNTED PUB IN SALISBURY A pleasant 15-kilometre drive from Stonehenge will take you to Salisbury. The city is known for having some of England's finest historic houses, the Russian spy poisoning incident and, most recently, being named the best place to live in the UK. Satiate your inner historian (and thirst) with a visit to The Haunch of Venison. The haunted pub features oak beams that predate the building by several hundred years and are thought to come from early sailing vessels. Under the pub's fireplace, inside a former bread oven, lies a smoke-preserved mummified hand believed to be from an 18th-century demented whist player who lost it in a card game. The cheat's hand has been stolen a few times but is now securely locked away. [caption id="attachment_719156" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alison Day via Flickr.[/caption] JUMP THE FENCE INTO CORFE CASTLE Things are impressive when they are mighty old and still standing. One such thing is Corfe Castle, a 1000-year-old royal abode that was built as an attempt to defend the area from marauding armies. This ruined castle dates back to the 11th century and rests within a heathland landscape that is undeniably picturesque. The area also inspired a number of Thomas Hardy's poems, novels and short stories. Skip the city for a beat, give yourself a history lesson and create your own tale of treachery and treason as you jump the fence into Corfe Castle. CATCH A PORTAL TO ANOTHER DIMENSION AT STONEHENGE Baffling burial mounds and rock formations surely must point to some kind of portal into parallel universes, right? Historians may very well be appalled by our lack of appreciation for their hard work that informs us the Badbury Rings are defences of a hillfort and Avebury Stone Circle is Europe's largest Neolithic stone circle. And let's not forget Stonehenge — arguably the world's most famous prehistoric monument. But alas, the mystery of their power still remains. We're told by locals that entering clockwise affords the best luck. Cut a lap around Stonehenge's circle that was built 5000 years ago — or take a peep through the fence, which works just as well for those on a budget or fearful of transporting too far. [caption id="attachment_719158" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gerrit Burrow via Flickr.[/caption] WALK THE SOUTHWEST FOOTPATHS The southwest of England is home to a variety of stunning trails. Venture to any beach along the area, turn left or right and you'll be on the 1000-kilometre South West Coast Path and on the edge of an eye-stretching experience. The paths were originally created by coastguards patrolling the southwest peninsula looking for smugglers. They legitimately had to check in every inlet, so the cliff top walks are well-worn. The sheer variety of scenery along the gorge-sliced cliff peaks and beach walks along with the unique history of the area make this an unforgettable experience. Remember to fill your playlist with all of your favourite bands from Reading and hit the tracks. Travel around the best spots in the UK with Contiki at Reading Festival. Unearth the UK's musical heritage, then experience an unforgettable party at one of the world's best and biggest music festivals. Contiki wants to take you there — all you have to do is choose from the 7- or 10-day trip. Plus, if you bring a mate, it'll give you both $200 off. Find out more here.
From its awe-inspiring scenery to its hefty brew tours and the 200 sprawling wineries that call it home, the Margaret River region has become one of Australia's top destinations for those looking to escape the city in style. Situated about three hours from Perth, this bustling coastal setting offers surf beaches, lush forests and ancient underground cave systems all in one spot — which is especially exciting if you're looking for a bit of variety on a weekend trip this winter. With a landscape as diverse as this, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Margaret River is also home to incredible outdoor experiences that are ready and waiting for you to enjoy. There's a lot to choose from, but who doesn't love being spoilt for choice? To help, we've put our heads together with Virgin Australia to come up with the very best activities to make your getaway unforgettable. There'll be wine. There'll be beaches. And, of course, there'll be adventures. [caption id="attachment_719648" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Phil Whitehouse via Flickr[/caption] EXPLORE THE LIMESTONE CAVES OF LEEUWIN NATURALISTE RIDGE When you're viewing it from ground level, the Margaret River region is rather spectacular — but heading underground also reveals incredible sights. Formed around a million years ago, there are over 100 limestone caves throughout Margaret River. They're considered some of the most extraordinary in Australia. The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge is where you'll find many of them, with this expansive system featuring alluring crystal formations aplenty. Across a variety of guided and self-led tours, you can follow staircases and boardwalks that'll take you right into the depths of the earth. And if you only have time to visit a select few caves, don't miss your chance to see Lake Cave's imposing entrance or Jewel Cave, with its collection of stalactites that are over five metres tall. ABSEIL DOWN THE SEASIDE CLIFFS WITH MARGARET RIVER CLIMBING CO Rising 40 metres above the Indian Ocean, the Wilyabrup Sea Cliffs are among the most picturesque in the Margaret River region, stretching along the rugged coastline for a half-kilometre. If you enjoy a bit of death-defying action to go with your holiday, hook yourself into these towering red granite cliffs with the Margaret River Climbing Co — and step off the edge as you abseil your way down the sheer rock face. There's no need to worry if it's your first time. There are plenty of sections that are suitable for beginners, while experienced abseilers will still find a difficult challenge. Hanging from the cliff face presents you with pretty unbeatable ocean views, naturally. Our tip: keep an eye out for the pods of whales and dolphins that are often seen swimming amid these coastal currents. TREK THE CAPE NATURALISTE TO SUGARLOAF ROCK WALK The Cape to Cape Track is one of the most impressive treks you can complete in the Margaret River region. While you'll likely be a little busy indulging in the local food and wine to make the entire 140-kilometre journey, the Cape Naturaliste to Sugarloaf Rock section offers a pleasant introduction to the outstanding landscape. Setting off from the popular Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse, this relaxing three-and-a-half-kilometre stretch will have you stepping along a mix of gentle walking paths and timber boardwalks as you soak up the peaceful coastal views. To get the ideal experience, aim to reach Sugarloaf Rock just as the sun begins to set. Sitting just off the coastline in the Indian Ocean, this majestic rock formation is lit up daily by quite the striking colours as the sun dips below the horizon. TAKE A SUNSET CANOE RIDE ALONG THE MARGARET RIVER Sticking with the sunset theme, the Sunset Canoe Tour is your chance to float down Margaret River in complete serenity as the day draws to a close. You'll drift upstream flanked by wildflowers and forest — and it won't be long before you spy soaring limestone cliffs. Next, you'll watch as the late afternoon light sets the rock faces alight with a radiant glow, before continuing onwards in search of a secluded beachfront. Once you hit the sand, listen out for the chorus created by the local wildlife. It'll provide the perfect soundtrack as you rest on the beach with a glass of wine, a delicious canapé and a view of the last light as it disappears over the Indian Ocean. SEE THE REGION FROM ABOVE DURING A SCENIC HELICOPTER FLIGHT Make the most of your time by getting high above the Margaret River with a scenic helicopter ride. This part of the world provides a wealth of amazing natural wonders, so why not encounter the vast ocean and coastal landscape from the air? From farmland to forests to golden brown cliffs, you'll also hover above the boutique wineries and their seemingly endless rows of grapes — the ones that have helped put Margaret River on the map. Among the highlights, you'll also get to see Rivermouth, Surfer's Point, the Ellenbrook House and Cape Mentelle Vineyards, one of the oldest and most attractive wineries in all of Margaret River. If you're now eagerly planning a visit to Margaret River, check out Virgin Australia's holiday packages — which offer everything from chilled-out cottages to massive resorts.
Few individuals cut to the heart of American society with the same degree of wit or insight as author Gore Vidal. And for a man who once said, "there is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise," he didn't have much humility about it either. Highly outspoken on all the issues you're never meant to talk about — sex, politics, religion — and capable of savaging conservatives with either his pen or acid tongue, Vidal was one of America's foremost public intellectuals, until his passing in 2012 at the age of 86. A friend of Vidal's nephew, Burr Steers, Australian-born filmmaker Nicholas Wrathall first sat down to interview Vidal in 2005, laying the foundations for what would eventually become the documentary Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia. In anticipation of the film's release at Melbourne's Cinema Nova, we spoke with Wrathall about the making of the film and his impressions of the man himself. MEETING VIDAL "I really started to taking notice of Gore again after 9/11," says Wrathall. "I was living in New York, during that horrible chaos, and Gore was one of the only people in the media landscape who seemed to be speaking sensibly to how the US should be reacting, and speaking out against the drumbeats to war and the media propaganda and the Bush administration's rush into the Middle East." "Then a few years after that, in 2004, I had the opportunity to meet him in LA in a casual way with Burr and the family," Wrathall continues. "One of the first conversations I had with him was actually about Australian politics. He was very interested in an update in what was going on in Australia, and was asking me for an update on Bob Carr … I didn't realise at the time that he was actually friends with Bob, and also knew Gough Whitlam quite well. That was probably one of the bonding conversations where I gained his trust a little bit, in that it was something that I could actually speak intelligently to." Certainly, one wouldn't want to look stupid in front Vidal. "You can be quite out of your depth with Gore in a serious conversation," says Wrathall. "It can be very intimidating. He certainly doesn't suffer fools. But he's also very generous, and loves to inform, and share his knowledge and experience. So he's very kind, in my experience, especially to younger people... you wouldn't want to get into an argument with him though." MASTER OF THE MEDIA Famous for saying he never missed a chance "to have sex or appear on television," part of Gore's rise to prominence, Wrathall asserts, came from his ability to play to the camera. "He really knew how to work the media," says Wrathall. "He was always being interviewed and being invited on talk shows, and because of his humour and his wit, I think he was a great guest for someone like Johnny Carson or Dick Cavett to have on dick their show. "He loved to push the envelope, and say the things that other people might think, but wouldn't dare to say. He was very outspoken. I think you can see in a lot of the clips [in the film] from the 50s and 60s that many of the things that he said were ahead of their time … he was a great guest in the media landscape at the time, which was maybe less afraid, and less conservative than it is today, and was willing to have these sorts of public debates and issue-based conversations more openly." POLITICS AND POWER Vidal was never shy about his opinions, particularly when it came to politics. "I think he was very pragmatic," says Wrathall. "He was brought up a lot by his grandfather, who was a senator, and a great orator himself. He had people like [Senator] Huey Long coming to his house for dinner, and he'd see their conversations. And then he'd take his grandfather to the senate the next day, and he'd see the same speech that Huey had rehearsed at the dinner table on the senate floor. So he realised that there was a lot of showmanship, and a lot of strategy … He was very clued into that even as a teenager. He came to politics, and to writing about politics, in a very informed way. And that's really his power." Of the current administration, Wrathall believed Vidal had "great hope," but that he also "measured that hope," because "in reality, there are so many compromises that had to made to get to that position". Perhaps Vidal put it best himself when he said that "any American who is prepared to run for President should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so." Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia opens at Cinema Nova on March 6.
After the mild let down of last year's supermoon, you could be forgiven for not engaging in the hype of major celestial movements. But last night's total solar eclipse didn't disappoint astronomers, token stargazers and brazen US presidents alike. The eclipse wasn't visible from our part of the world, instead passing over the the US — starting over Oregon in the west and finishing over South Carolina on the east coast. As the name suggests, a total eclipse is when the sun is completely obscured by the moon. This is a pretty rare event — Time and Date says that, on average, it takes about 375 years for a total solar eclipse to happen again in the same place — so, naturally, everyone turned out to catch a glimpse. NASA live streamed the event, The Weather Channel live tweeted the lead-up to totality, and even Donald Trump stepped out of the White House to look directly at the sun. Yes, he did that. Someone: don't look into the ec- Donald trump: pic.twitter.com/71wpDiwPr1 — sarah (@sarahburhans_) August 21, 2017 So while we wait for a solar eclipse to pass over Australia — the ABC reports that the next one will take place in 2028 and will pass directly over Sydney — here's some of the most epic images from last night's total solar eclipse. Only 11 years to go. A post shared by Getty Images (@gettyimages) on Aug 21, 2017 at 11:51am PDT A post shared by Reuters (@reuters) on Aug 21, 2017 at 1:44pm PDT A post shared by NASA (@nasa) on Aug 21, 2017 at 2:03pm PDT Amazing composite images capture the moon during a previous total solar eclipse, shot by Czech photographer Miloslav Druckmüller #Eclipse pic.twitter.com/LAHenYm2Qi — sobore (@sobore) August 21, 2017 PHOTO: TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 2017 from Green River Lake, WY. I truly think I had the most beautiful spot in the whole path. More photos soon. pic.twitter.com/jLDBMHJJU4 — Ben Cooper (@LaunchPhoto) August 21, 2017 Timelapse: Total solar eclipse brings darkness to Oregon. https://t.co/q3jBRYgob2 pic.twitter.com/MgESS6odoW — ABC News (@ABC) August 21, 2017 A post shared by NASA (@nasa) on Aug 21, 2017 at 3:57pm PDT Top image: Wikimedia Commons.
Some days you feel like putting together a vaguely cohesive outfit and getting dressed to leave the house; others, not so much. If you're more familiar with the latter, let us introduce you to Willa & Mae, the New Zealand label that's attempting to make it acceptable to wear your pyjamas in public. Well, your designer pyjamas, anyway. This winter, the sleepwear-turned-lifestyle label makes its foray into Australia with ultra comfortable, effortlessly elegant pieces that are designed to be worn out of the house. Having landed in Australia in February, Willa & Mae's winter 2017 collection is available to purchase from March 31, and fundamentally functions as your new excuse to wear PJs in public and not look like a grub. Creative director Jane Mow brings her background in menswear tailoring and styling to the brand, creating an androgynous line of highly elegant jammies. Navy, cherry and suiting stripes take shape in the old-world style of men's silk pyjamas, while long slip dresses, buttery camisoles and billowing robes recall the halcyon days of elegant women's loungewear. As piping, notched collars and cuffs evoke a certain masculinity, the luxurious silk satins maintain sensual femininity. The foundation of Willa & Mae lies within "taking opposing ideas and asking them to play together" – like wearing your sleepwear out of the house, and still looking great. The label is guided by the unexpected through materials and patterns used, and the way its styles not only suit the bedroom, but also a night out. There's a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde relationship happening; on the one hand you have the sharp, feisty trendsetter Willa, and, on the other, there's Mae, keeping things grounded as the elegant, subdued yin to Willa's yang. Willa & Mae's price point may sit a bit high for your pyjama budget — between $300 and $700 — but the dawn-to-dusk-to-dawn versatility, quality silks and promised longevity means that, arguably, you don't ever need to wear anything else. And if you need one last nudge to jump on this pyjamas-in-public bandwagon, everything is made locally and ethically. Tick, tick and tick. Willa & Mae's winter 2017 collection is available online from March 31. Shop the collection here.
Drinking sessions at home just got a whole lot more stylish thanks to the arrival of Pord — a new company combining art and wine in a rather gorgeous way. Pord has pooled the talents of three female Australian artists and Victorian winemakers Mitchelton to create its first series of mini wine barrel masterpieces, designed to bring more art and beauty into your everyday life. Each artist has contributed a limited-edition and eye-catching work to grace one of Pord's three-litre barrels, which each hold a neat four bottles' worth of wine. Illustrator Filippa Edghill's monochromatic artwork, titled Ancient Lines, is inspired by nature's curves; Melbourne artist Hannah Nowlan has contributed The Last Resort II from her most recent exhibition; and designer Evi O.'s work Sorbet is a vibrant painting with bold colours and pastels. Customers can select their favourite design and have it filled with one of three Mitchelton wines from the 2017 and 2018 vintages: pinot grigio, shiraz or rosé. Unlike regular bottles of wine, your beautiful barrel will keep wine fresh for four to six weeks after opening — and it can be repurposed. Hand-signed and numbered by the artist, and teamed with a certificate of authenticity, it's the kind of statement piece destined to be the talk of your dinner parties for years to come. And there are plenty more exciting artist collaborations in the works for future Pords. A pre-sale for Pord's covetable launch series kicks off at midnight on Saturday, July 14, with the goods to be delivered in October. The limited-edition barrels will set you back $160 each. Images: Josie Mackerras
The last time I saw so many polygons so ingeniously fitted together was when I handed in my year six major geometry project. Except that they only amalgamated in my imagination, rather than according to the laws of mathematics. Lord (and advanced engineering) only knows how Frank Gehry got this thing to stand up and stay standing, but done it he has. Behold, ye faithful readers, BioMuseo. Its 4,000 square metres of exhibition space tells the story of the Isthmus of Panama — the curvy wisp of land that separates the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic and binds the mighty Americas as one (to the consternation of both North and South, more frequently than not). It’s also home to the tiny nation of Panama and the legendary Panama Canal. After a construction process that’s involved ten years and US$60 million plus, BioMuseo is soon expected to open its doors. The official ceremony date hasn’t yet been announced, but test visits are happening this month. Gehry’s mission was to design an icon that Panamanians could identify as their very own — in the way that Sydneysiders see the Opera House, Coffs Harbourians view the Big Banana and Goulburnians admire the Big Merino. The architect’s signature geometrical style blends with local aesthetics. Exhibition coordinator Darien Montanes describes BioMuseo as a “very loud and visible building, appropriate for Panama’s loud and visible culture”. Bright colours and the application of plaster to a concrete substrate reference native construction methods. Inside, an expansive central open-air atrium serves as the building’s heart. Eight Bruce Mau-designed galleries house permanent exhibitions, each worked out in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The interior design pursues an ongoing dialogue with each exhibition and the overarching story: how a 50km-wide strip of land that emerged 4.5 million years ago changed the world. Via designboom.
Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from the smallest inventions. A little over two weeks ago three Sydney-based butter enthusiasts launched a Kickstarter campaign for a butter knife with one slight design modification. Since then, they've raised over $220,000 in funding, attracted a steady flow of global media attention, and made hundreds of thousands of readers drool and slap their keyboards in excitable butter-loving anticipation. So, what's the deal? Humble though it may seem, this little piece of cutlery claims to solves one of humanity's age-old problems — how to evenly spread cold butter onto bread. "Say goodbye to hard clumps of butter ripping apart your morning toast," reads the product's Kickstarter page. The Stupendous Splendiferous ButterUp — yep, that's it's real name — "turns cold, hard butter into sumptuous easy to spread ribbons of dairy goodness." With a grater function incorporated into the knife's blade, the ButterUp slices up your unholy fridge butter and weirdly makes you feel like you're decorating your toast with cheese stringers. In case you can't fathom the enormity of this genius, here's a handy gif: Of course, this is a nice little invention. Anything that aids the consumption of butter generally gets a big fat thumbs up from us. But the response to the product has been truly staggering. Articles about the invention have been published by The Daily Mail, Wired, LostatEMinor, CBS, and Mashable. The project has ten days to go, and they've already surpassed their funding goal by over $180,000. "I have seldom previously had such a visceral reaction to something so simple," reads a comment on their Kickstarter page. "Too-hard butter has been a lifelong irritation and source of idle family chat as long as I can remember," said another supporter of the project. In fact, most responses from their nearly 9,000 backers have sounded a little like the actors from infomercials that seem to struggle with every daily tasks. Nevertheless, if you'd like to be part of the impending butter revolution, you can pledge money to ButterUp's Kickstarter campaign up until Wednesday, September 3. You can snag one for yourself for as little as $12 (or $15 if you want it delivered by Christmas). Either that or you can make like all of Europe and just leave your butter on the kitchen counter. For more information head to ButterUp's Kickstarter page.
If anyone is heading over to Europe in June — or is looking for an excuse to — check out this new arrival on the festival circuit: FOR, presented by Australian music label Modular. FOR 2013 will take up residence on the Croatian party island of Hvar, from which it takes its name, on June 21 for a three-day, three-venue intimate showcase of some of the world's premier acts to a mere 2000 attendees. Things just got boutique. Perth psychedelic-rock darlings Tame Impala will continue their career far from Aussie shores as they take on headlining, and trunk shaking, duties. Baby-Beyoncé Solange, LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy and the near-veteran electro duo Bag Raiders, along with a host of others, will also be making their way to the Adriatic for a swim and a sing. Not necessarily in that order. FOR has done well to lock down some of Hvar's more notorious party spots for the event, including (Prince Harry’s favourite swimming spot) Veneranda, and the best-named beach in the world, Carpe Diem. Apparently, its pretty pretty to boot. Tickets will go on sale next Tuesday, but the super-keen can pre-register on the website and reduced accommodation rates for festival-goers will be available.
So by now it's pretty well-predicted that La La Land is going to dominate this year's Oscars, which, depending on who you ask, is either The Greatest Thing and totally deserved or The Worst Thing and proof of the Academy's irredeemable age/taste/whiteness. But there is one award it shouldn't win, and that's Best Original Score — if you ask us, it shouldn't even be nominated for it. That's because La La Land is a musical, and doesn't have a score in the usual cinematic definition of the word. Generally, a score is the music underpinning the action, not occurring within the scene as it does in La La Land. Ryan Gosling might look adorable while he's noodling on a piano for 'City of Stars', but the fact that he's most certainly in the scene means that the song is not part of the score in the usual sense. This distinction has been emphasised by the Academy itself in the past — from 1949 to 1969, Best Original Score was split into two separate categories: one for Original Score, and one for Musical Score. The score of a film is as important as any other aspect of it; it occupies more of a film's screentime than any actor, conveys more emotion than any speech, sets the mood more evocatively than any costume or lighting or scenery. The great film critic Roger Ebert liked to say that "movies are like a machine that generates empathy". If he's correct, the score is the engine driving that machine. Film is an inherently visual medium, yet a great score is as memorable as any image. Two drags of a cello's bow and you're going to need a bigger boat; I only have to hint at the famous 'dum dum dum dum DAdum dum DAdum' and you're reaching for your inhaler. Show me one big-budget action film since Inception that hasn't used Hans Zimmer's patented PWAAAAAAAARP at some moment of high drama. Think of The Pink Panther, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Psycho, Chariots of Fire or basically any Spielberg film, and it's the score that leaps into your mind instantly. You only have to look at the list of winners of Best Score to see how seriously film scores are taken. Significant classical composers like Erich Korngold (The Adventures of Robin Hood), Aaron Copland (Of Mice and Men, The Heiress), Leonard Bernstein (On the Waterfront), André Previn (Gigi), Miklós Rózsa (Ben-Hur), Ennio Morricone (The Mission, The Hateful Eight) and Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and even Shostakovich and Prokofiev have all written scores. Other composers like Elmer Bernstein, Malcolm Arnold, Bernard Herrmann and Nino Rota — whose careers were mostly spent writing for films — are now spoken of in the same breath as other more traditionally classical composers, while today the music of James Horner, John Williams, Howard Shore and Hans Zimmer is often performed by symphony orchestras in the world's most prestigious concert halls. Even Trent Reznor has an Oscar for The Social Network. With all this blurring of boundaries and genres, the sound palette of films is broader and more experimental than it has ever been. Philip Glass, a modern classical composer long derided as difficult and unlistenable, has achieved popular recognition thanks to his score for The Hours; similarly, Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson's work has spanned film, theatre and contemporary classical throughout his career (and would have been nominated for an Oscar for his score for Arrival but for a technicality). This year's nominees for Best Original Score cover a number of styles, from musical (La La Land) to minimalist (Lion), from shimmery strings and piano chords (Passengers) to tense, darting violins (Moonlight) and unsettling, lush-yet-uneasy chamber pieces (Jackie) – proving that the emotion you make an audience feel is far more important than the method by which you make them feel. Film scores, in all their diverse sounds and styles, are inseparable from the cinema experience. They can complement characterisation, drive plot, confirm suspicions for an audience or confound their expectations. One thing they absolutely should not do is break into song on a highway off-ramp.
Getting married just after meeting, grappling for power, bloody coups, assassination plots: welcome to supposed wedded bliss The Great-style. For two seasons now, the nuptials between Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning, The Girl From Plainville) as Catherine and Peter III (Nicholas Hoult, The Menu) have been anything but ordinary in this historical satire, and rarely worth exclaiming "huzzah!" about (although viewers know how much the series loves saying that very word). So, it should come as no surprise that the royal couple have enlisted professional help in the just-dropped trailer for the show's upcoming third season. The Great was renewed for season three after its second batch of episodes streamed late in 2021, and will arrive Down Under on Saturday, May 13. This time around, after season two threw everything from attempted murders to mass imprisonments at the pair — and kept disrupting their dynamic as Catherine continued to work towards the name that's a part of history, and also inspires the show's title — its main duo is trying to make things work. Hence the couples therapy, but obviously resolving all of their issues won't be quite that simple. So, expect more of Peter figuring out what it means to play First Husband, and Catherine expanding her influence and reputation beyond just Russia. That, and visions of Peter's late father (Jason Isaacs, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris), life lessons, attempts to build a new country and the usual scheming. The show's all killer, no filler concept since season one: following Catherine's rise and reign, with a heavy focus on what that means for her marriage to Peter. It does so with only the slightest regard for the actual facts and with a big reliance upon hilarious wit, which is one of the reasons that it's such a delicious watch. While The Great has always been supremely confident in its blend of handsome period staging, the loosest of historical realities and that savage sense of humour (it does spring from Oscar-nominated The Favourite screenwriter Tony McNamara, after all), it felt even more comfortable in its skin during its second season. And smoother, too, yet just as biting. So, hopefully that will remain the case in season three as well, all while it keeps seesawing tonally and proving as sharp as a shot of vodka — or several. Fanning and Hoult will be joined by returning co-stars Phoebe Fox (The Aeronauts), Adam Godley (Lodge 49), Gwilym Lee (Top End Wedding), Charity Wakefield (Bounty Hunters), Douglas Hodge (I Hate Suzie Too), Sacha Dhawan (The Prince), Bayo Gbadamosi (War of the Worlds) and Belinda Bromilow (Doctor Doctor), too, because this is a show with a phenomenally great cast. Check out the trailer for The Great season three below: The Great season three will be available to stream in Australia via Stan and in New Zealand via Neon from Saturday, May 13.
At festivals all over the UK this summer, Vodafone has been trialling the new 'Power Pocket'. Built into either a 'Recharge' sleeping bag or a pair of 'Power' denim shorts, the device draws on body heat to charge mobile phones. Vodafone developed the Power Pocket in conjunction with the University of Southampton's Department of Electronics and Computer Science. 'We've been working on printed smart material since the late 1980s,' Professor Stephen Beeby explains on the company's blog. 'But that was high-temperature stuff designed to be used on ceramics. We got into the topic of energy harvesting in the late 1990s, and we brought the two together to make smart materials for harvesting energy. We started on thermoelectric materials in 2003, but our printed thermoelectric material work has only been the last few years.' The smart material is made up of 'thermocouples', a whole bunch of which form a 'thermoelectric module'. One side of this is cold and the other is hot. The introduction of heat creates both a voltage and a current, which, in unison, give rise to electric power. In other words, the warmth generated by sleeping or dancing contrasts with the external cold air. Technically, this reaction is known as the 'Seebeck Effect'. At the moment, eight hours' time in the sleeping bag produces enough energy for 24 minutes of talking and 11 hours on stand-by, while a day's worth of activity in the shorts provides four hours of smartphone charge. [via Inhabitat]
Permission to come aboard, captains: RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is back for 2023. Those first five words spring from RuPaul's very owb lips, not only announcing the show's return in July, but also unveiling this year's queens. Ten new fierce, fabulous, bright, bold and sassy competitors will sashay before the show's cameras for glory this winter, and showcase drag in Australia and New Zealand in the process. "Australasian drag is filled with heart and humour, and I'm thrilled to share my season three queens with the world, for all to see their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent," said RuPaul. From Friday, July 28 via Stan and TVNZ, seven Aussies and three New Zealanders will do their utmost to become the next Down Under Drag Race Superstar: Amyl, Hollywould Star and Ivory Glaze from Sydney; Melbourne's Ashley Madison, Bumpa Love and Isis Avis Loren; Gabriella Labucci from Ballarat; Auckland's Flor and Ivanna Drink; and Rita Menu from Hamilton. Each will endeavour to follow in Kita Mean and Spankie Jackzon's footsteps — after Mean took RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under's first season and Jackzon did the honours in season two. Obviously, the show's first go-around worked a charm. The second did as well. And, there's no doubt that the third will be, after the series was renewed for its latest run on Stan in Australia and TVNZ+ Aotearoa in 2022. RuPaul is back on on hosting duties, of course. Fans already know the format, which features fashion challenges, workroom dramas and lip sync battles aplenty. If you're a newcomer to all things Drag Race, however, you'll watch the next batch of Australian and NZ competitors work through a series of contests to emerge victorious, and join the likes of Mean, Jackzon, and US contenders Jinkx Monsoon, Sasha Velour and Sharon Needles in being crowned the series' winner. Before it made the leap Down Under in 2021, the US version of RuPaul's Drag Race had already been on the air for more than a decade, first premiering in 2009 — and wholeheartedly embracing its mission to unearth the next drag superstars ever since. The original US series aired its 15th season earlier in 2023, so this is a program with proven longevity. It has also spun off international iterations before, including in the UK — where it's also hosted by RuPaul — plus in Thailand, Holland, Chile and Canada. Meet Drag Race Down Under's season three queens below: RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under season three will stream via Stan and TVNZ from Friday, July 28.
Catharsis is crucial in filmmaking, as Jon Favreau (Iron Man) clearly knows. The writer, director and star emerges from big-budget cinema to return to the smaller side of Hollywood, seemingly purging his demons and addressing his disappointments in the process. In Chef, Carl Casper (Favreau) has toiled from humble beginnings to become Los Angeles' premier culinary artist, but a decade working for a profit-focused restaurateur (Dustin Hoffman) sees his menus branded safe, not daring. A scathing review by a prominent food blogger (Oliver Platt) calls out his creative malaise, swirling into a storm of negative press and social media that ushers him out of a job. At first, Carl resists the encouragement of his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara) to start his own food van. Soon, he's rediscovering his passion for cooking and reconnecting with his ten-year-old son, Percy (Emjay Anthony), in a road trip across the continent. https://youtube.com/watch?v=PZ6e51-ie7w Favreau's offering proves appetising in the undemanding manner of the food trucks it covets — and repeatedly invites the comparison. Fine ingredients abound, including finessed visuals of enticing meals on par with the best food-centric efforts; however, poise and polish are swapped for a handmade feel and celebratory outcome. Chef (Film © Sous Chef, LLC. All Rights Reserved) is out on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital with Ultraviolet on September 4, and thanks to Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and the release of Chef, you could win one of two Bodum EILEEN coffee press pack to deck out your kitchen. Included are: 1x Bodum 8 Cup Coffee Press 2x Bodum Pavina Glasses 1x Bodum Travel Press 1x Bodum Battery Operated Milk Frother 1x Bodum Vacum Travel Press 1x copy of Chef on DVD In addition, ten runners up will get copies of the Chef DVD. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Read our full review of the movie here. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
