Ever since the days of The Island, Brisbanites have been ditching dry land for partying on the Brisbane River. Sailing where Seadeck, Yot Club and GoBoat's picnic boats have also gone, Oasis is the River City's about-to-open latest floating venue — a 500-person, 35-metre-long, three-level bar on a steel-hull catamaran that'll host DJ-soundtracked shindigs by both day and night when it launches in mid-April. It isn't hard to find something to do near, around, in or on the Old Brown Snake, but this one involves hopping aboard a$10-million vessel at the City Botanic Gardens River Hub. And, it's sticking around permanently, rather than cruising in and out seasonally. Oasis was also custom-designed for Brisbane's windy waterway, with Alex Zabotto-Bentley — who also did the honours for Seadeck and Sydney's Glass Island — taking care of the hues, fixtures and fittings. The aim: to immerse partygoers in a Sicily and Capri vibe. Thanks to The White Lotus' second season, nodding to Italian islands is quite the vibe right now. When it takes to the water from Saturday, April 22, Oasis will let its passengers rove over three levels all decked out in their own way, providing different experiences on each. Each comes with its own bar, sound system, standing areas, and seating including VIP tables; however, the lower floor is going with copper, dark tones and a pressed tin ceiling, and the middle deck with greenery and wood aplenty. Up on top, pink and white stripes are a feature, alongside tropical plants. The vessel will make its maiden voyage with a literally cruisy afternoon session featuring Faint One, Anna Sonnenburg, Apollo, Fig Jam, Geordie and Darren Sommerville on the on-deck decks, then celebrate its launch in a big way the next week with Torren Foot, Airwolf Paradise, Paluma, Kessin and De Saint on Saturday, April 29. The lineup of DJs and artists will rotate weekly, and Oasis will also serve up sips and bites to eat. And, if you want to book the whole place out for your own soirée, that's available Monday–Friday. "Brisbane is famous for its energised spirit, its youthful vitality, its vibrant love of the outdoors and its love of celebration, and Oasis has been designed to amplify this," said Oasis founder Dave Auld. "As we look forward to the Olympics in 2032, Brisbane will become one of the hottest cities in the world, and the Brisbane River one of the hottest pieces of real estate — and that's where Oasis calls home!" Oasis is set to launch on Saturday, April 22, departing from City Botanic Gardens River Hub, 147 Alice Street, Brisbane City. Head to the vessel's website for bookings and further details. Images: renders of Oasis.
It wasn't simply debuting during the pandemic's first year, in a life-changing period when everyone was doing it tough, that made Ted Lasso's first season a hit in 2020. It wasn't just the Apple TV+ sitcom's unshakeable warmth, giving its characters and viewers alike a big warm hug episode after episode, either. Both play a key part, however, because this Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live)-starring soccer series is about everyone pitching in and playing a part. It's a team endeavour that champions team endeavours — hailing from a quartet of creators (Sudeikis, co-star Brendan Hunt, Detroiters' Joe Kelly and Scrubs' Bill Lawrence), boasting a killer cast in both major and supporting roles, and understanding how important it is to support one another on- and off-screen (plus in the fictional world that the show has created, and while making that realm so beloved with audiences). Ted Lasso has always believed in the individual players as well as the team they're in, though. It is named after its eponymous American football coach-turned-inexperienced soccer manager, after all. But in building an entire sitcom around a character that started as a sketch in two popular US television ads for NBC's Premier League coverage — around two characters, because Hunt's (Bless This Mess) laconic Coach Beard began in those commercials as well — Ted Lasso has always understood that everyone is only a fraction of who they can be when they're alone. That's an idea that keeps gathering momentum in the show's long-awaited third season, which premieres the first of its 12 episodes on Wednesday, March 15, then keeps rolling out more week by week. Season three starts with Ted left solo when he desperately doesn't want to be, in one of the rare situations that can cut through the Kansan-in-London's usually unflappable optimism. Season two helped unpack his perennially upbeat ways, and started to see fractures, so a less-than-chipper Ted is no longer a complete surprise. But Ted questioning why he's on the other side of the world, and alone away from his son Henry (Gus Turner, Life After Life) and now-former wife Michelle (Andrea Anders, That '90s Show)? That's how Ted Lasso's third season kicks off, and it scores a goal with that choice. The series has already established that its various figures — Ted, Beard and the AFC Richmond crew they joined when owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham, Hocus Pocus 2) brought them to the UK initially to tank her ex-husband's beloved club — can work as a team. Now it's going deep on why they want to. "I guess I do sometimes wonder what the heck I'm still doing here," says Ted. "I mean, I know why I came, but it's the sticking around I can't quite figure out," he continues. That's a new core thread, and a notion that echoes across other plots. After becoming West Ham United's manager under Rebecca's ex Rupert Mannion (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Stewart Head), the Greyhounds' former assistant Nathan 'Nate' Shelley (Nick Mohammed, Intelligence) is thrilled and overwhelmed — and happy to keep his nasty streak going publicly, while also grappling with it privately. He knows why he joined a different team, as everyone who has seen the past two seasons does. But, as showdowns with his old club and mentor keep bubbling up, that isn't the same as knowing why he should commit to being Rupert's version of himself to stay with that team. Season three also has delightfully grumpy retired player Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein, Uncle) leaning into his coaching role at Richmond in Nate's absence, and face why he's doing it, including pushing him closer towards star striker Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster, The Devil's Hour). He has time, after his relationship with Keeley Jones (Juno Temple, The Offer) — now an ex to both Roy and Jamie — ended in season two, while she's exploring why she was so eager to start her own PR film. As for Jamie, his arc since episode one has been one of cockiness humbled by stark truths, then finding a sustainable status quo. When a new hotshot arrives, he also has to confront why he's part of the team and what he wants that to mean. As celebrated as Ted Lasso's entire cast is, with two acting Emmys for Sudeikis and Goldstein in two seasons, one for Waddingham, and nominations for Hunt, Temple, Mohammed, Jeremy Swift, Toheeb Jimoh, Sarah Niles and more, Dunster's performance deserves more notice. What will all this questioning lead to in season three? Ideally, to happier, kinder people who understand themselves better — Ted's ultimate goal always, ranking high above winning. But with Richmond back in the Premier League, Britain's football media predicting it'll be relegated again when the season is out, Rupert securing West Ham's success however he can and Rebecca desperate not to lose to the man she's already lost plenty to, winning matters more than it ever has in Ted Lasso. So, whether everyone will benefit from that journey, why they're taking it, what it'll cost and what it'll mean for the show's various teams sits at the heart of the season. Of course, as every TV viewer knows, a lot can happen in a season. Every sports fan, and anyone who has ever just watched a sports-themed TV show or movie, is well-aware, too. Higher stakes, deeper emotional dives: that's the first four episodes of Ted Lasso season three, across longer episodes that clock in between 40–50 minutes apiece. As the second season did, this go-around also broadens who it spends time with, giving Richmond players Colin Hughes (Billy Harris, The Outlaws) and Thierry Zoreaux (Moe Jeudy-Lamour, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan) a bigger spotlight as Sam Obisanya (Jimoh, The French Dispatch) and Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernandez, Spider-Man: No Way Home) gained before them. There's that team focus again, so much so that Ted Lasso can't stop filling the field. Beard and Higgins (Swift, Housebound), the club's Director of Football Operations, still have Ted's back, and Dr Sharon Fieldstone (Niles, The Sandman) remains a call away. No Ted Lasso devotee wants to start thinking about its end game, but its creators have; a three-season arc has been discussed. Unlike Succession and Barry, a finish to the acclaimed hit hasn't been announced going into this new round of episodes — but as the series ponders why Ted and company have chosen their teams, what keeps them there, and what makes them better by being there, a feeling of change lingers in the air. Everything that's always made Ted Lasso a delight remains in season three, including its sincerity, warmth and care, determination to see both the joys and the struggles, and the pitch-perfect performances. Also, every season of the series has always started with new beginnings of a sort. If this one concludes the way it kicks off, though — whether or not there's a season four — then it looks set to embrace why teams achieve, fail, find success out of mess, are stronger together, but can only win when everyone does. Check out the trailer for Ted Lasso's third season below: Season three of Ted Lasso starts streaming via Apple TV+ from Wednesday, March 15. Read our full review of season two.
Of all the new TV shows that are heading to streaming in 2023, only one has a groove and a meaning. Well, only one is based on a movie with a theme song that claims that, at least. And yes, you now have that tune stuck in your head — because 'Grease', the track, is that much of a catchy and persistent earworm. The entire Grease soundtrack is, and perhaps the tunes that come with Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies will be as well. This new prequel series steps back into the 70s-made, 50s-set musical rom-com's world, giving its titular girl gang an origin story. Based on both the initial teaser and the just-dropped full trailer, Rise of the Pink Ladies is hopelessly devoted to taking that task seriously. Here, in a ten-episode series set to stream via Paramount+ in Australia from Friday, April 7 — with New Zealand airing details yet to be revealed — it's the 1954–55 school year. It's also when the eponymous young women are given words of warning about appropriate behaviour. "Ladies, you must be careful with whom you associate," Assistant Principal McGee (Jackie Hoffman, Only Murders in the Building) tells them in the first trailer. "A girl's reputation is all that she has." Welcome back to Rydell High, clearly, but before Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) walked its halls. If the OG Grease and its tale about an Australian transfer student falling in love with an American high schooler in California is the one that you want — always — then you'll know that this franchise hasn't ever just been about the hit 1978 movie anyway. Before it became a silver-screen classic, it was a popular stage musical. After the first film's success, it spawned a 1982 Michelle Pfeiffer-starring sequel, too. Pink jackets, T-Birds, dance scenes (including while wearing mechanics' overalls), a new take on a familiar track advising that Grease is indeed the word: they're all included in show's two sneak peeks so far. Cast-wise, Marisa Davila (Love and Baseball), first-timer Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Ari Notartomaso (Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin) and Tricia Fukuhara (Loot) play the four teens who start the Pink Ladies, and are joined on-screen by Shanel Bailey (The Good Fight), Madison Thompson (Emergency), Johnathan Nieves (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels), Jason Schmidt (FBI: Most Wanted) and Maxwell Whittington-Cooper (The Photograph). This isn't the last time that all things Grease will pop up again, either — not including the stage musical and OG movie's enduring popularity, of course — with a Danny and Sandy-focused prequel flick Summer Lovin' also in the works. Check out the full trailer for Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies below: Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies starts streaming via Paramount+ in Australia on Friday, April 7. New Zealand release details haven't yet been revealed — we'll update you when further information comes to hand.
Stellar LGBTQIA+ celebrations, the Sunshine State capital and sparkling spring weather: that's the Melt Festival formula every year, including in 2025. Brisbane's annual ode to "queer joy, protest and pride", as Melt Executive Producer Emmie Paranthoiene dubs it, is taking over the River City between Wednesday, October 22–Sunday, November 9. On the lineup: 18 days packing more than 60 venues with hundreds of performances and events. Getting excited about 2025's Melt Festival has been easy for a few months now. First, the Brisbane LGBTQIA+ fest announced that Broadway icon Bernadette Peters was making the River City her only Australian stop just for the event. Then, it also confirmed that the River Pride Parade would float its boats for another year. After that came news of 1000 Voices, uniting singers from queer and pride choirs en masse. Next came its initial big program drop. Now the full bill has been unveiled — one that Paranthoiene describes as "celebrating the full spectrum of LGBTQIA+ voices, from bold new talent to iconic artists who continue to break boundaries with this diverse program. Melt is a love letter to our community and everyone's invited to the party." Think: pageants, parades, musical theatre, comedy, choral installation, burlesque, visual arts, theatre, films such as Lesbian Space Princess and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and plenty more. The fringe-style celebration of queer arts and culture fills Brisbane Powerhouse, and also spreads further across the city. Sugar by Tomáš Kantor is one new highlight, with the cabaret taking cues from Pretty Woman and boasting tunes from Chappell Roan, who has been on the Melt lineup herself in the past. Or, catch the return of BRIEFS with Jealousss, plus the Briefs Bus doing guided tours that explore Brisbane's queer history. Comedian Urzila Carlson is on the program, too, as is actor and activist Zoe Terakes (Ironheart, The Office, Talk to Me) doing an in-conversation session. 2025 newcomer Melting Pot is giving Brisbane Powerhouse a pop-up venue each week, featuring the likes of QUIVR DJs, Miss First Nation heats and queer line dancing — plus Melt artists putting on showcases and other surprises. Theatrical performance Rhythmology digs into factory resets as a theme, while daytime disco Play Date is designed for families. [caption id="attachment_1017773" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Atmosphere Photography[/caption] Reuben Kaye, the full Miss First Nation drag contest, a queer wrestle party, Femme Follies Burlesque: they're all on the lineup from past announcements. Kaye is heading to the fest to give his cabaret show enGORGEd, which'll feature Camerata — Queensland's Chamber Orchestra, its Sunshine State premiere. Shining the spotlight on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drag queens, Miss First Nation is also making a date with Brisbane for the first time, bringing the finale to the city after putting on state heats around the nation in the lead-up. The Tivoli is your go-to for Melt's high-energy queer wrestle-party, while Femme Follies Burlesque will bring its sapphic moves to The Wickham. Or, you can catch The Lucky Country, a new musical about what it means to be Australian — and the myths and contradictions that come with it — in 2025. Malacañang Made Us and Whitefella Yella Tree are also treading the boards, the first about the Filipino Australian experience and the second telling a love story. There's also a queer boat party on floating venue Oasis; the return of Queer PowerPoint; and a drag Scream Queen shindig with Naomi Smalls and Yvie Oddly, plus Drag Race UK's Kyran Thrax. Or, check out a heap of instruments and performers suspended by rope to pay tribute to Brisbane's punk history, Gerwyn Davies' series of portraits in collaboration with Open Doors Youth Service's trans and gender-diverse young people, and Instagram imagery given a new life in Micah Rustichelli's Demon Rhythm. [caption id="attachment_1007544" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Claudio Raschella[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1007548" align="alignnone" width="1920"] David Kelly[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1007545" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Markus Ravik[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1007547" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gregory Lorenzutti[/caption] Melt Festival 2025 runs from Wednesday, October 22–Sunday, November 9. Head to the festival website for more details. River Pride Parade images: brizzypix.
It's no coincidence that everyone's dream occupation is astronaut. Astronauts get to travel into truly unchartered spaces; they are pioneers who feel and see things the rest of us humble earthlings could only dream of. Until now, I guess. Today NASA have launched the very first live HD broadcast of Earth thereby making all the wonders of the universe free and accessible to every slovenly astro-novice sitting at home on their couch. Basically, the internet is the greatest. Live HD Earth viewing from the space station! Sit back, watch & enjoy our home planet: http://t.co/3rUbOQEWpt #ISS pic.twitter.com/DfGBVB2FI9 — NASA (@NASA) May 8, 2014 This thing is so good it might just beat Pandacam. Maybe. Set from a vantage point on the International Space Station, NASA has positioned four cameras facing Earth. Housed in temperature specific casing these cameras have in fact been designed with the help of American high school students, and the High Definition Earth Viewing Experiment (HDEV) is only an experiment with which to test their durability. So far, it's safe to say the cameras are doing their job. The footage is surprisingly clear and the stream is relatively uninterrupted. A grey screen does however separate footage from each camera angle, and if you can only see darkness that's due to the ISS orbit. (Come on — I know you're not an astronaut, but you have a basic understanding of how planets work, right?) While watching the stream, users can also add comments and interact with other viewers via Facebook plugins and chat options. Already viewed over 7 million times, the footage is an incredibly humbling experience not only for its astronomical proportions, but for its communal nature. Even Garth from Wayne's World is on board. NASA is streaming HD video from space: When it flies over California you can just about see me waving...I'm tiny. RT http://t.co/3bfwyM3EWb — Dana Carvey (@danacarvey) May 7, 2014 Best of all, the broadcast footage comes in total eerie silence. "There is no audio on purpose," NASA state. "Add your own soundtrack." We recommend Pink Floyd or anything from The Beatles psychedelic phase. This is every stoner kid's dream come true. Live streaming video by Ustream Via BGR and Mashable.
A trip to the tropics isn't complete without a wander through Rusty's Markets in Cairns. Open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, at Rusty's you'll find everything from exotic fruits, tropical tasting plates, freshly baked bread and more. With over 45 years of trade under its belt and more than 180 stalls to visit, there are plenty of reasons locals love to load up on fresh food at this bustling marketplace. During summer Rusty's is abundant in tropical fruits including lychees, rambutans, dragonfruit, coconuts, mangoes, custard apples, jackfruit, black sapote and more. The top-tier produce found at Rusty's also attracts many of Tropical North Queensland's finest chefs who can often be spotted roaming the stalls as they source the best locally grown ingredients for their restaurants. Make sure you stock up on fresh fruit for your day exploring the local waterfalls — there's nothing quite like polishing off a bag of lychees or rambutans while cooling off at a freshwater swimming hole.
On his first-ever trip Down Under, on a tour that'll see him become the first Latin act to headline stadiums globally, one gig was never going to be enough for Bad Bunny in Australia. Accordingly, before general tickets for that already-announced show go on sale, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio has locked in a second Aussie concert due to presale demand — also in Sydney. Bad Bunny has won three Grammys and 11 Latin Grammys, starred in Bullet Train and hosted Saturday Night Live, among plenty of other achievements; however, he hasn't hit the stage in Australia — yet. By the time that summer 2025–26 is out, he'll tick a trip Down Under off of his list, with his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour now including two shows in the Harbour City. ENGIE Stadium in the New South Wales capital is set to play host to Bad Bunny on both Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1. He's playing the New South Wales capital in-between dates in Brazil and Japan, two other countries where the 'Mia', 'Callaíta', 'Qué Pretendes' and 'Vete' singer will perform live for the first time ever. Also on his itinerary: Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Poland, Italy and Belgium, all between November 2025–July 2026 so far. His DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS-themed jaunt around the world is named for his latest album, which released in January this year and spent three weeks in a row atop the Billboard 200 chart. The Puerto Rican superstar's global tour will follow his upcoming No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí gigs, a 30-date residency at José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in his homeland, which has sold over 400,000 tickets. Before that, he toured North America in 2024, and both North and Latin America in 2022. His DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS shows will take him to Europe for the first time since his 2019 X 100pre tour. On the charts, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, his sixth album, has kept garnering love — also sitting in the Billboard 200 top ten for 13 weeks, taking the number-one slot on Billboard's Latin Albums chart for 16 consecutive weeks and helping him become the first-ever Latin artist with 100 Billboard Hot 100 entries. Prior to both his No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency and DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS world tour, Bad Bunny also has another date with SNL, this time as the musical guest on the season 50 finale that's being hosted by Scarlett Johansson (Fly Me to the Moon). Bad Bunny DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour 2026 Australian Tour Saturday, February 28–Sunday, March 1 — ENGIE Stadium, Sydney Bad Bunny is playing ENGIE Stadium in Sydney in February and March, 2026. General ticket sales start at from 11am on Friday, May 9, 2025 —head to the tour website for more details.
Solar power helps save the world and is one of the easiest renewable energy sources to tap, and now you can source it from the comfort of your own home, office and even on a plane. Designers Kyuho Song and Bao Oh have created the Window Socket, a plug socket that harnesses solar energy to charge your appliances. Just attach it to any window that receives sunlight using the suction plate, and the solar panels on its rear will start collecting energy from the sun, which is then transformed into electrical energy via an in-built converter, which is then stored on an internal battery for immediate or later use. The socket takes 5-8 hours to charge completely and will last up to ten hours once fully charged. The greatest thing about the Window Socket is that it was designed for portability to allow electronic accessibility everywhere. So once charged you can carry it on the move and rejuvenate the iPod in your bag or take business outside and power your laptop in the park. This revolutionary technology is an evolution of pre-existing solar battery backup technology and will transform the accessibility of solar power for everyday users. However, the product is still in its concept phase, with the designers wanting to further improve its storage capacity and product efficiency before placing it on the market, so keep an eye out. [Via PSFK]
Maybe it's the massive layout, which everyone traverses from the front door to the checkouts without taking any shortcuts. Perhaps it's all the display-room setups, turning almost every nook and cranny of a huge warehouse into dream homes. It could be the promise of those Swedish meatballs mid-shop, the coveted blue bags, or just knowing that your house will get a makeover when you return after browsing and buying oh-so-much. Whichever fits, a trip to IKEA isn't an ordinary shopping experience — although that'll prove true in a different way for 16 days between Friday, August 26–Saturday, September 10. That's when The IKEA Festival, aka your latest excuse to hit up the chain's closest store, will host a heap of free activities. Fancy hitting an IKEA disco, where you can probably expect ABBA to get a whirl? Of course you do. Also on offer across IKEA's Brisbane stores: plant workshops, cooking demonstrations, DJ sets, food tastings and Indigenous art. Can't make it along in-person? There's also an online live shopping event — and, of course, you can also hit up the brand's newly launched As-Is Online marketplace for discontinued, ex-display and pre-loved products.
Most travellers heading to Japan don't factor cars into their plans. Tokyo-bound visitors can explore everything by foot or subway, and those journeying elsewhere can hop on a high-speed bullet train (or, if you're flush with cash, a luxe carriage). Still, there's nothing quite like roaming around a new place from behind the wheel, going wherever the expressway takes you — and to make this easier for tourists, the country has just launched an unlimited road trip pass. With Japanese highways operating on a toll system, the Japan Express Pass will allow holders of foreign passports to venture as far and wide as they'd like, all for one set price. Well, almost; they do come with a 10,000 kilometre limit. Available in seven- and 14-day packages for between AU$228 and $400, they're designed to encourage more folks to venture beyond the Japan's cities and soak up its rural sights. If that's on your itinerary any time soon, the passes will become available from 275 car rental stores across the country from October 13. You will still need a driver's licence that's valid for use in Japan — which means an International Driver's Permit and a current Australian state driver's licence. That's what you'll need if you're keen to try your hand at Tokyo's MariCar, a real-life recreation of Mario Kart that lets you race through the streets of the city, so you probably want to make sure you have it anyway. Via The Japan Times. Image: Atif Johari.
When Yours and Owls announced that it wasn't going ahead in 2024, joining the long list of music festivals scrapping plans for this year, it thankfully only put its fun on hold for a year. Returning in 2025 was always the intention, and now that big comeback has dates. Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 1–Sunday, March 2. Yours and Owls didn't completely sit 2024 out, however. Earlier in October, it held a pre-party, aka the event you put on when you can't put on the full festival experience at your usual time of the year because it doesn't work for your headliners' calendars. So, a tunes-filled shindig still took over the University of Wollongong campus — complete with Golden Features, Peking Duk, Alice Ivy, Anna Lunoe and more — to keep things warm for next year. [caption id="attachment_965220" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Ian Laidlaw[/caption] There's no word yet as to who'll be taking to the stage when Yours and Owls starts autumn 2025 in the best possible way, but organisers have advised to expect details soon. It's been a rollercoaster ride of a few years for the fest. It only turned into its new site in 2023 after it was forced to cancel in 2022 when La Niña flooded its Stuart Park venue. Affectionately labelled 'Gong Christmas', Yours and Owls moved to UOW as part of the fest and university's three-year partnership, with the all-weather solutions available at the campus cited as one of the driving factors behind the team-up — plus the uni's picturesque green spaces and a mutual commitment towards carbon-emission reduction. [caption id="attachment_906428" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jess Gleeson[/caption] 2023's Yours and Owls featured Oliver Tree, Chet Faker and Descendents, and also Hilltop Hoods, Earl Sweatshirt, Golden Features, Ocean Alley, Flight Facilities and Pendulum — so expect 2025's fest to be worth waiting for. Confirmation that the event will be back next year follows locked in details for the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2025 for a heap of fellow festivals, such as Laneway, Golden Plains, Bluesfest (for the last time), Wildlands, Good Things, Lost Paradise, Beyond The Valley and Meredith. [caption id="attachment_906426" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ruby Bowland[/caption] [caption id="attachment_906427" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ian Laidlaw[/caption] Yours and Owls will return to Wollongong on Saturday, March 1–Sunday, March 2, 2025. Head to the festival website for more details.
UPDATE: APRIL 14, 2020 — This SoCal-style spot is doing daily meal packs with build-your-own tacos and sides for takeaway and delivery. To check out the latest menus and order, check out Baja Brisbane's Instagram. Mexican cuisine, Southern Californian vibes, Japanese influences and Queensland fresh produce — that's what's on offer at Baja Brisbane. A newcomer to Fortitude Valley's growing FV precinct on the corner of Brunswick and Alfred Streets, it's the latest venture from Milk Box Tuckshop's Daniel Quinn. And while tacos, guacamole, mezcal and tequila all feature on the menu, this isn't the kind of restaurant that's filled with sombreros. Instead, Baja Brisbane serves up its SoCal-style Mexican dishes in a laidback, minimalistic space — think neutral tones, hints of pink and green, terracotta tables and a window cactus garden. Overseen by Quinn's partner Sarah Vize, the fit-out is designed to not only to exude a relaxing vibe, but to direct everyone's focus onto the food and drink lineup. Arriving in Brisbane via Berlin after a stint working in Oaxaca, head chef Valerie Frei whipped up her menu when she was still in Mexico, opting for a simple, fresh and authentic spread. As well as tacos with a choice of grilled flank steak, mushrooms and mozzarella, slow-cooked pork neck or beer-battered kingfish (between $12–23), highlights include the Mexican fruit stand ($9), which combines watermelon, melon, cucumber and carrot with a mint and a citrus chilli vinaigrette, plus the twice-cooked octopus tentacles, which comes with citrus, chilli oil and a squid ink-infused burnt jalapeño soy sauce ($22). Or, you can tuck into the spiced chocolate mousse with house-made passionfruit yoghurt, passionfruit curd and burnt brownie pieces ($12) for dessert. Beverage-wise, the wine list spans more than 35 white, red, sparkling and rosé tipples, while both pale ale and lager are available on tap. That said, cocktails are definitely the main attraction. Opt for a Snarky Mexican Kiss (with tequila, cointreau, lemon, sugar, watermelon and a sichimi salt rim, for $18), an Epic Devil Mezcal and Tonic (with mezcal, zucca, peach, cold brew coffee with bitters and tonic, for $17) or the supremely boozy Day of the Dead (with two tequilas, one mezcal, pineapple, grenadine and lime, for $20). If you're driving, the Baja mocktail ($14) blends citrus, orange blossom water, fresh orange juice and lemonade.
Gone are the days when film buffs got their fix in one of three ways: at the cinema, via the video shop and thanks to whatever happened to pop up on TV. Lately, streaming platforms have become a cinephile's best friend — especially with COVID-19 restrictions keeping everyone at home. We say 'platforms', plural, because there's just so many to choose from. Netflix may be the industry's big gun, but Aussie audiences can also subscribe to Stan, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, DocPlay, iWonder, Quibi and OzFlix, too. And, as even the most casual movie fan probably knows, that isn't even the end of the list. Feeling spoiled for choice? Can't pick which platform to splash your cash on? There is an easier way. Australian viewers can also access a number of free streaming services such as SBS On Demand, Tubi and Kanopy — which don't skimp on film options, but won't cost you a cent. And in the interests of budget-friendly movie marathons, we've rounded up ten excellent flicks you can stream for free right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLdhN4oMxCQ BAD GENIUS Mark our words: in the next couple of years, an English-language version of this Thai thriller will reach our screens. A high-stakes high-school exam flick, it's smart and slick, funny and fast-paced, as well as tautly made and tension-filled — and it turns a situation we can all relate to into a nail-biting heist caper. Straight-A student Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) is the misbehaving high-achiever of the title, who first hatches a plan to make money by feeding her classmates test answers, and then bands together with her customers to cheat at the biggest test there is. The premise was taken from reality, and part of the movie was shot in Sydney, but the real highlight is Bad Genius' lively style and thoroughly entertaining narrative. Bad Genius is available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8oYYg75Qvg YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE In Lynne Ramsay's long-waited fourth feature, an ex-soldier and former FBI agent grapples with his own trauma while trying to save others from theirs. Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) rescues children abducted and abused by pedophile rings — and if that sounds like an astonishing story, just wait, because You Were Never Really Here isn't done yet. Indeed, it's hard to pick what's more stunning here: Ramsay's empathetic and expressive direction, which keeps making unexpected choices to immerse viewers in Joe's headspace, or Phoenix's internalised performance, which won him the best actor prize at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Call it a tie, and call this film an exceptional achievement that isn't easily forgotten after watching. Phoenix might've won an Oscar this year for Joker, but this is his best performance. You Were Never Really Here is available to stream via Kanopy. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg9nzOFVwtQ THE FIFTH ELEMENT The 90s didn't shy away from big-screen sci-fi, but there's nothing quite as entertaining as The Fifth Element. Forget Independence Day, Armageddon and Men in Black — if you're eager for a film about humanity battling aliens and trying to save the planet, Luc Besson's action-packed flick is the best pick. Come for Bruce Willis and a pre-Resident Evil Milla Jovovich at their kick-ass best. Stay for the eye-popping set and costume design, with the latter by Jean-Paul Gaultier. And, story-wise, get immersed in an ambitious and entertaining futuristic tale about a taxi driver saddled with finding four mystical stones to fend off an intergalactic attack. The Fifth Element is available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36iHKZmeH60 BRIMSTONE & GLORY It's human nature to stare at the sky whenever fireworks ascend to the heavens. We hear the popping sound, spy the bright flashes of light and simply can't help ourselves. Set in Tultepec, the tiny town at the heart of Mexico's fireworks industry, Brimstone & Glory captures that feeling more effectively than anyone could've expected. Indeed, the gorgeous documentary commits the vibrance of watching colourful explosions twinkling above to film as it charts the locale's National Pyrotechnic Festival, explores the lives of those both working and watching, and proves as spellbinding as the substance at its centre. Brimstone & Glory is available to stream via Kanopy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKD0sMntjWE THE TRIBE Writer/director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky's first feature was always going to be a hard sell. The film runs for more than two hours without a word of dialogue, a hint of music or even any subtitles, with its characters — a group of classmates at a Ukrainian boarding school for the hearing impaired — communicating only through sign language. And it's not just a difficult concept; in an effort that becomes both violent and haunting — all the more so because it demands audiences pay the utmost attention to what they can see — it's also difficult to watch. Reports of fainting are widespread, but those who can stomach its brutal sights will find a movie completely unlike anything else they've ever seen before. The Tribe is available to stream via Tubi. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-70r7GkiBGM HEATHERS These days, Heathers is a stage musical, a TV series and (in Brisbane at least) a regular dance party theme. If you've ever wondered why this dark high school-set tale just keeps spawning new adaptations and celebrations, then you owe it to yourself to watch or rewatch the original 1988 movie. For Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder), every day at Westerburg High School is hell. Even though she's part of the popular clique — with her three closest friends all called Heather — that still proves the case. Then brooding loner JD (Christian Slater) arrives at school, instantly shaking up the status quo. The result: murder, mayhem, teen angst and one incredibly acerbic, sharp and amusing satire. Heathers is available to stream via Kanopy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVsAixfCL4Q HOLY MOTORS Cinematic mind-benders don't get much better — or more strange, eccentric and surreal — than Leos Carax's Holy Motors. Following a man called Oscar (Denis Lavant) who rides around in a limousine, attends unusual appointments in various costumes and plays an array of different parts, it's the type of film that can't be neatly summarised. Indeed, as Oscar goes about his day, anything could happen. Sometimes, he's dressed up as a beggar in the Parisian streets. Later, he's an old man listening to Eva (Kylie Minogue) sing. As it hops between kaleidoscopic vignettes, Carax's vibrant film ponders and probes identity and individuality, all while serving up dazzling visuals, exuberant performances and constant surprises. Holy Motors is available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9QrvLd2pbY RIVER OF GRASS Kelly Reichardt boasts quite the filmography. She explored the companionship only a pet can bring in Wendy and Lucy, delved into the western genre in Meek's Cutoff and contemplated eco-activism in Night Moves. Then, she brought Michelle Williams, Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart together for contemplative triptych Certain Women, and stepped back to 19th-century America for her stellar latest film First Cow. Before all that, though, Reichardt spun a story of social isolation and disconnection in the Florida suburbs, all thanks to her debut feature River of Grass. And as with every entry on the director's resume, this not-quite road movie couldn't feel more authentic or keenly observed. River of Grass is available to stream via Kanopy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzp2HP4gaJ0 PURPLE RAIN 'Purple Rain', the song, is one of Prince's all-time greats. Purple Rain, the album, ranks just as highly. And Purple Rain, the 1984 film, is exactly the kind of movie that a Prince-starring rock musical should be. Focusing on an aspiring musician trying to balance his troubled home life with his band and his girlfriend, the storyline is straightforward — but when you plonk a charismatic star like Prince in the middle of it, bathe the flick's frames in plenty of purple, and crank up the killer soundtrack, sparks fly. Given the narrative, the array of live concert scenes also work a treat. And while the sequel, 1990's Graffiti Bridge, doesn't reach the same heights, this is a mighty entertaining, toe-tapping way to spend 111 minutes. Purple Rain is available to stream via Tubi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-_LxiRETWA THE CONVERSATION In 1974, Francis Ford Coppola directed a little film called The Godfather Part II. Yes, everyone has heard of it. But that was just one of his movies that year — and with zero scorn aimed towards the Oscar-winning crime flick, which is rightfully considered one of the best sequels ever made, The Conversation is actually even better. Winning the Cannes Film Festival's top gong, this Gene Hackman-starring thriller delves into a topic that's still very relevant today: the moral dilemma around surveillance. Hackman is fantastic as the film's conflicted protagonist, while Coppola crafts a tense, moody and brooding masterpiece. Keep an eye out for a young pre-Star Wars Harrison Ford, too. The Conversation is available to stream via SBS On Demand.
Déjà vu might strike when 2024 arrives, at least when it comes to one of your first TV shows of the year. Jamie Dornan (A Haunting in Venice), Danielle Macdonald (French Exit), amnesia, a past coming back to haunt, an early-January release: the first incredibly easy-to-binge season of The Tourist back in 2022 ticked all of those boxes, and now so will the second next year. When the series first arrived, it was swiftly renewed for another go-around — and, although plenty is clearly remaining the same, that follow-up does involve one big shakeup. While the initial season of The Tourist was set in Australia with Dornan as the titular figure, the season takes place in Ireland. This time, it's Macdonald's Aussie cop Helen who is travelling abroad. As the show's just-released first trailer for season two illustrates, however, not being able to recall anything remains part of Dornan's remit as Elliot. The character's lack of memory ties into a plot that bring secrets from his past into play, as well as a family feud. Audiences will be able to see the end result from Tuesday, January 2 via Stan in Australia and Monday, January 1 via TVNZ+ in New Zealand, with The Tourist season two spanning another six episodes. Screenwriters Harry and Jack Williams (Baptiste, The Missing, Liar) return as well, but Dornan and Macdonald will have Conor MacNeill, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), Olwen Fouéré (The Northman), Diarmaid Murtagh (Outlander), Nessa Matthews (Inspektor Jury: Der Tod des Harlekins), Mark McKenna (The Miracle Club) and Francis Magee (Then You Run) for new on-screen company. If you missed The Tourist's first season, Dornan's Elliot was caught up in a mystery, which unfurled its specifics in cliffhanger-heavy instalments. The show also had fun with its premise — and its onslaught of twists and turns. It knew that zigzagging thrillers that work from a clearcut roadmap should make their familiar pieces feel anything but, and should take their audience along for a wild ride. And, it was well aware that that should all be the case even when largely driving down a recognisable road. An Irish traveller in Australia, Elliot was run off the street by a steamrolling long-haul truck, sparking his fogginess about his own moniker and everything else about his past. Macdonald's Local Constable Helen Chalmers took a shine to him anyway, but piecing together his history was far from straightforward. His other immediate questions in season one: why is he in the middle of Australia, why does a bomb go off in his vicinity and why is he getting calls from a man trapped in an underground barrel? Check out the trailer for second season of The Tourist below: The Tourist season two will start streaming from Tuesday, January 2 via Stan in Australia and Monday, January 1 via TVNZ+ in New Zealand. Read our full review of season one.
Starring Sydney Sweeney as a virginal American nun in Italy whose new life as a bride of Christ finds her in the family way, Immaculate is the kind of movie that horror fans pray for. In the realm of religious-themed frightfests, which is as packed as Catholic mass at Easter or Christmas, the nunsploitation flick is as unholy as cinema gets. It's eerie and unsettling from the outset, when a fellow sister (Simona Tabasco, giving the film not one but two The White Lotus alumni) tries to escape the My Lady of Sorrows convent, only to be chased by cloaked figures, then buried alive. It ripples with unease from the moment that Sweeney's Cecilia arrives from the US to leering comments. From there, Immaculate spans everything from controlling priests and envious nuns through to winding catacombs, secret laboratories and a crucifixion nail (yes, from that crucifixion). Then there's the unforgettable ending. Immaculate is the type of film that Michael Mohan prays for, too. Chatting with Concrete Playground about directing one of the horror movies of 2024 — and being asked to by Euphoria's Sweeney, who he previously helmed on TV series Everything Sucks! and erotic thriller The Voyeurs — he calls the feature's final two minutes the highlight of his career. "It's such a visceral experience, and the way that people sort of slowly catch on to what's happening in the audience is just so fun to discover," he advises. "Really, the last two minutes are my favourite part of the movie. My favourite thing I've ever directed is the last two minutes of this movie, and it's just something to behold." For Mohan, all hail the reaction that Immaculate is garnering as well, starting with the response when it premiered at SXSW 2024 (the US version, not the Australian fest) in March. "It's made it so that I can't watch the movie with any other crowds, because it was like a drug," he jokes. "To a filmmaker, the experience of watching the movie at SXSW was like the cinematic equivalent of heroin — just because people were screaming, people were yelling, people were making fun of each other for screaming, people were standing up and cheering. It is everything a filmmaker could ever want out of an audience reaction. It was amazing." Immaculate almost didn't happen, however. The tale behind the flick making it to the screen takes almost as wild a ride as the picture itself. It was a decade back, before she was in everything-everywhere-all-at-once mode — this is her third movie since December 2023 to reach cinemas, slotting in alongside Anyone But You and Madame Web — that Sweeney initially auditioned for the picture. Now, she's a producer on it, handpicking both the script as her ideal horror effort, plus Mohan to guide it. A text asking "interested in directing a horror film?" is how she started bringing the filmmaker onboard. Barely 18 months later, Immaculate has moviegoers worshipping. Mohan's path to here doesn't just involve getting Sweeney in front of his lens, then turning her into a helluva scream queen. Short films — both writing and directing them — began gracing his resume in 2003. 2010 coming-of-age comedy One Too Many Mornings marked his first feature, followed by Alison Brie (Apples Never Fall)- and Lizzy Caplan (Fatal Attraction)-led rom-com Save the Date. After that came the 90s-set Everything Sucks!, which he co-created, but it only lasted one season. If it wasn't for that show, though, he mightn't have crossed paths with Sweeney. Call it divine intervention? Notably, Mohan wasn't new to the picture's Catholicism, growing up in it ("I grew up super Catholic, so it was in my bones. I was the leader of the youth group. I'm since a lapsed Catholic," he tells us.) With Immaculate now in Australian and New Zealand cinemas, we chatted with Mohan about that first text message about the movie, working with Sweeney as a producer as well as a star, his initial vision for the film, taking inspiration from 70s horror and the feature's take on religion. Also part of our conversation: Sweeney's versatility, how to get the perfect movie scream — of which she contributes plenty — and the picture's unshakeable imagery, plus more. On Receiving a Text from Sydney Sweeney Asking "Interested in Directing a Horror Film?" "I was just scared because I needed to love the script. I want to make as many movies with her as I can, but I also need to feel like I can bring myself to it and that I'll elevate it. So thankfully when I read the script, I realised there's so much potential here, there are twists and turns that I did not see coming. When I pitched my ideas for where I wanted to take the story to Sydney, she was thankfully very receptive. Even though we didn't have a whole lot of time to massage the script, we just went for it. She sent me the script in August of 2022, and I was then on the ground in Rome basically three months later prepping the movie." On Working with Sydney Sweeney Not Just as an Actor, But as One of Immaculate's Producers "It's interesting. At the start, I took an approach like I was a director for hire, to some degree; however, my stipulation in doing the film is that I wanted her to buy into what my vision of the film was. So I put together a lookbook, like as if I wasn't her friend. And I was like 'here, this is what I would do if I didn't know you. This is what I would do if I were trying to win this job'. And the imagery that I sent her and the things that she responded to were exactly in line with how she saw the movie, too. So going into it, we were both on the same page. At the same time, she's the producer, I'm the director, so we had a push and pull in terms of in terms of what we were doing creatively. Anytime I came to her with a new idea, her first response was always like 'but is it scary? Because it needs to be scary'. Luckily our dynamic is such in that my approach to anything in terms of creative is that if you have the same end goal in mind, there's no right or wrong in the journey going there — there's only who feels the most passionate about something. So if you get into a creative disagreement, if it's something that really matters, I can say to her 'this matters to me more than it matters to you' and she can go 'okay' and let go. For instance, there was a scene I cut out of the movie. She was like 'I really want you to put that scene back in'. And I was like 'I really don't think it needs it'. She was like 'no, this is important. This is important to me'. I'm able to look at her and go 'this is more important to her than it is to me, I'm putting it back in the movie' — and that's how you have such a great give and take in terms of collaboration, where it doesn't feel like there's too many cooks in the kitchen." On Mohan's Initial Vision for Immaculate "The initial vision was just to make something that would hopefully traumatise people. We wanted to really go hard. But we wanted to do it smartly. When the film starts, it kind of feels like a traditional horror movie. Yeah, there are all of these horrific images, there are these great jump-scares and it's bumping along, but then it starts to get a little bit more disturbing. Then it starts to get a little bit more disturbing, until at the end of the movie you're seeing something that is actually a lot more similar to French extremist horror than The Conjuring. And so to be able to craft that arc for the audience, where they feel more and more in peril as they're watching the film, was part of the design." On the Importance of Sydney Sweeney's Versatility in Taking Audiences on the Film's Journey "I love when a movie takes a character from point A to point Z. So, to start her off as this sort of meek and quiet, mild-mannered nun, into what becomes like this insane feral creature covered in blood, screaming at the top of her lungs — that's just dramatics. That's just creating a wider arc. And it's very easy for me to conceive of such a wide arc when I know that the person playing it will be able to knock it out of the park. Sydney's ability to go to completely unhinged places is her superpower as an actor. It is incredible to see because I don't know how she does it. And so for me as a director, just my job is to make sure she stays out of her head, and to gently nudge her this way or that way to shape the performance and find the deeper levels. But it's a like driving a Rolls-Royce when you're directing her — she takes direction perfectly. And we just have this history. It's just really easy for the two of us to work together." On Making a Movie That Feels Like a Blend of Both 70s-Era Horror and Contemporary Horror "That's just what I watch. If you look at my Letterboxd, it's a balance of absolute trash and The Criterion Collection — and I think this film is perfectly in the middle. I just love the horror films of the early 70s. I think that there's something a little bit more fearless about them. If you look at The Exorcist — I mean, everybody has talked about The Exorcist until the end of time, because that scene where she has the crucifix and she's stabbing herself and she's bloody, it is so disturbing. Yet that is a mainstream film. That was a studio movie. And it's almost more scary, the fact that it's really well-photographed, than seeing the grimy independent version of that. So to me, it's bringing that level of elegance, coupled with the lurid — that's just where my voice happens to live." On Immaculate's Unholy Imagery "Similar to Sydney, my cinematographer [Elisha Christian, The Night House] and I have worked together forever. He was my roommate senior year of college. And so something that we're always trying to do is bring a sense of beauty to everything we do, whether it's a horror or whether it's an erotic thriller, or some of the earlier comedies that we were working on. I'm just a huge fan of his work. I love what Elisha has done. Here, it goes back to what I was talking about with The Exorcist — when you take something that is absolutely horrific and you film it with a formalism and a beauty, that's a type of cinema that I feel like is lacking. And so for us to be able to do that, it's really just our natural voice is how we shot this film. All of our inspiration poured into it in a way, and this is how it turned out. Also, the name of the movie is Immaculate, and so we wanted to have it immaculate — and so it could also just be as simple as that." On How to Get the Perfect Horror-Movie Scream "Every actor is different. I can tell you that for Simona, at the beginning of the film, Simona Tabasco, there's a scream that she has to let out — and she brought me aside and she was like 'I'm scared of screaming'. So I was like 'okay, come with me'. We went out into the middle of the field and I was like 'I'm just going to scream with you'. And so I just started screaming, and then she started screaming. And then I started screaming back at her, and then she started screaming back at me, and you lose your inhibitions with it. I think that's the most important part, just making sure that the actors aren't self-censoring themselves. Because when you scream, it's an unnatural thing, especially if you're not actually in pain. So it's just all about letting go, and allowing allowing them to let go. Then in the case of Sydney, she's got a set of pipes and she uses them." On Finding Inspiration in the Production's Italian Location — and in Giallo "With religion, I was trying to bring that sense of majesty to it and that sense of power, because this is a movie that doesn't have a whole lot of backstory for the characters. I wanted to keep it to a tight 88 minutes, and I needed the audience to understand from her perspective why she was so swept up in this world. So we were able to do that visually by finding these locations that were absolutely majestic. At the same time, I'm in Italy making a horror film. The responsible thing to do is to at least honour the elders that came before me. So I did watch a ton of giallo films, not to bite off the aesthetic in the way that like Edgar Wright did in Last Night in Soho, but more to have a little bit of a deeper understanding of some of the more-nuanced aspects of the genre. So, for instance, there's this great film What Have You Done to to Solange?. What I love about that film is how they visually capture the patriarchal dynamics between the men and the women. So there's a scene in ours that's an interrogation scene where Sydney's at one end of the table, and she's framed with the flames behind her, almost like she's coming from hell. Then the men are on the other side of the table, and they're all standing, looking down on her. And you see that throughout the course of the film, this playing with heights. The same with in the ceremony at the beginning, she is kneeling in front of the men who are towering above her. And then at the end of the movie, obviously those paradigms are completely shifted, when she gets the upper hand and she is the one who's the powerful one in the frame. So some of that comes from those giallos that are a little bit more naturalistic. Additionally, there's this great film called The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, and I listened to the score of that film non-stop. I loved it. It helped put me in the vibe of that type of cinema, and I loved it so much that I actually used a cue from that in a key montage about half an hour into the film as well." On Why the Combination of Religion and Horror Keeps Appealing to Audiences "I think especially in Catholicism, it's so dark. Part of the ceremony of a mass is eating the body of Jesus, and it's not a representation — it's the literal body, it's transforming when you pop it in your mouth. It's wild that that's what we believe. It's wild that we take a sip of wine and believe it to be his blood. So Catholicism is metal, and so it lends itself to horror just very, very naturally." Immaculate released in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, March 21. Read our review. Images: Fabia Lavino, courtesy of NEON.
Remember the feeling of being pushed on a playground swing and getting so much air you thought you could do a 360 over the top? We indulged in that feeling when we rounded up the best swings ever, but now China have taken things to a whole new level. Not only are they building the "longest and highest" glass bridge in the world, but they're also tacking on three (three!) swings for the ultimate rush of adrenaline and sense of mortality. Game on. The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge is located above the — you guessed it — Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in middle China's Hunan province. Designed by Haim Dotan Architects, the bridge was set to open this month, but has been delayed to include a few cheeky extras. Joe Chen, vice general manager at the Zhangjiajie Canyon Tourism Management Co., told Inhabitat that the bridge will include not one, but three swings. Because one swing is never enough. Obviously. "It's true that we will have a swing on the bridge and it's not a swing but three swings, including one giant swing which has a total length of about 150 meters to 170 meters," Chen told Inhabitat. According to this very dramatic video, the new structure will be the largest glass bridge in the world (note emphasis on 'glass'), standing at 430 metres long and 300 metres off the canyon floor. The video also says the bridge holds ten world records, although it's not actually clear what those records are (especially as it hasn't even been finished yet). The bridge doesn't have a firm opening date, but it could be as early as June or July. Until then, we suggest you start building your swinging technique and nerves of steel. Via Inhabitat. Image: Haim Dotan Architects.
In the heart of Brisbane's West End, you'll find The Gunshop Cafe. It's the kind of place where you'll see long-time regulars chatting at the counter and where the food is fresh, comforting and delicious. While the neighbourhood has changed over the years, The Gunshop Cafe remains familiar, welcoming, and always worth the visit. Now, after more than two decades, the cafe is shaking up its menu while doubling down on the elements that made it a local haunt in the first place. The History of the Gunshop Cafe Housed in a heritage-listed building with exposed brick walls and large windows spilling sunlight into the cosy dining room, The Gunshop Cafe has been quietly holding down its corner of Mollison Street since 2000, doing what it does best: serving up consistently good food, coffee and company. Today, it's as much a part of the suburb's creative and cultural hub as the Saturday markets or buskers. The Story Behind the Name Long before it became known for weekend queues and perfectly poached eggs, the building was, quite literally, a gun shop. The space was once home to Kingston Bros, a gunsmith operating on-site from the 1970s through to the 1990s, and when the cafe opened its doors in 2000, the new owners decided to preserve that piece of history in the name. The Gunshop Cafe is now a very different kind of place (more smashed avo than Smith & Wesson), but the nod to the past has become part of its charm. Original Dishes and New Favourites One of the most significant updates in recent months is its new seasonal menu. But don't worry, it hasn't ditched the old favourites. The pork, apple and sage sausage, green eggs and ham, and potato and feta hash cakes are still available. But the kitchen now offers Szechuan-style fried chicken and waffles, a summer pasta tossed with scallion and spinach sauce, cherry tomatoes, and ricotta, plus rotating specials like a tempura prawn omelette or French toast with lemon curd. The team designed the menu to reflect what's in season and what they're excited to cook. A Space That Feels Like Home Part of Gunshop's long-lasting charm is the way it balances old and new, not just on the menu but in the atmosphere. It's a place where you can show up in Sunday activewear or on a first date and feel equally at ease. The staff is welcoming, and there's no rush to leave or pressure to stay. Whether you're ordering your usual or trying something new, it always feels like your spot. Inside, the cafe blends exposed brick with original wall murals by renowned Australian artist David Bromley and his apprentice, making it feel like part gallery, part living room. Coffee That Doesn't Miss Coffee is taken seriously here. The cafe's house blend is a smooth, well-balanced mix of Colombian and Costa Rican beans, making it a go-to whether you like it black, milky or somewhere in between. There's also a rotating single-origin and special coffee blend sourced from local roasters for those who like to switch it up. Whether you're ducking in for a quick takeaway or settling in for your second or third cup, the baristas know what they're doing. And yes, they'll probably remember your order. Right now, with a seasonal shake-up and some exciting new dishes on the table, it's the perfect time to pull up a chair. Find The Gunshop Cafe at 53 Mollison Street, West End, open from 7am daily. See the latest menu and make a booking on the website. By Jacque Kennedy
Laure Calamy doesn't star in everything that's hitting screens big and small from France right now, but from Call My Agent! and Only the Animals to Full Time and The Origin of Evil, audiences can be forgiven for feeling otherwise. Calamy isn't new to acting, either, with a resume dating back to 2001; however, her in-demand status at present keeps showering viewers with stellar performances. Indeed, The Origin of Evil is a magnificent Calamy masterclass. She's playing a part while playing a part, and she makes both look effortless. The Antoinette in the Cévennes César Best Actress-winner is also a picture of unnerving determination and yearning, and resourcefulness and anxiety, too, as a seafood-factory worker usually tinning anchovies, then packing herself into a mix of Knives Out, Succession, The Talented Mr Ripley and Triangle of Sadness. Unleashing in-fighting upon a wealthy family residing on Côte d'Azur island Porquerolles, this instantly twisty and gripping thriller from Faultless and School's Out writer/director Sébastien Marnier (who collaborates on the screenplay with Amore mio scribe Fanny Burdino) takes a setting that'd do The White Lotus proud as well, then wreaks havoc. On the agenda in such lavish and scenic surroundings, which come filled with an unsettling menagerie of taxidermied animals: witnessing savage squabbling over who'll inherit a business empire, bathing in the kind of bitterness that only the bonds of blood among the affluent and entitled can bring, more than one person wishing that patriarch Serge Dumontet (Jacques Weber, The World of Yesterday) would shuffle off this mortal coil and, just as crucially, not everything being what it seems. First, The Origin of Evil sees the mundanity of Stéphane's (Calamy) life on the mainland, as she works the tinning assembly line, is stood up during a visit to her incarcerated girlfriend (Suzanne Clément, STAT) and gets kicked out when her landlady decides to reconcile with her estranged daughter. It's after the latter news that she picks up the phone, makes a call and locks in a date for her own reunion. Soon, Stéphane and Serge are getting acquainted — but when the restaurateur takes his long-lost daughter from a fling decades ago back home to his palatial abode, the welcome is hardly warm. His shopaholic wife Louise (Dominique Blanc, Syndrome E) is largely obliging enough, but his daughter George (Doria Tillier, Smoking Causes Coughing) couldn't be icier, her daughter Jeanne (Céleste Brunnquell, Fifi) can't understand why anyone would want in on a clan she can't wait to get out of and light-fingered maid Agnès (Véronique Ruggia, Loving Memories) is also far from friendly. Stéphane isn't the only reason that affection among the Dumontets is as dead as the stuffed critters filling their airy, stately but jam-packed abode. His health may be ailing, but Serge still has a bite regarding work, ruling the roost and being threatened as the head of the family. George says that she's been running the company since her father's stroke, and is taking him to court to gain full control — which he'll do anything to stop. Accordingly, the joy that Serge splashes around over Stéphane's sudden appearance and the misgivings that are directed her way by George are both saddled with ample history. Whether she's claiming to own the fish factory, advising that all she wants is to get to know the dad that she's grown up without, or ignoring George's cold demand that she go away and never come back, Stéphane's time with this battling brood also has its own knotty backstory. With his School's Out cinematographer Romain Carcanade, Marnier makes The Origin of Evil a visually exacting and foreboding film, even as its vibe is laced with black comedy. Nudging viewers to spot firearms and knives isn't by accident. Ramping up the tension by having the audience primed for a body count isn't as well. Playfully clever use of split screens when everyone in front of the lens is in the same room helps reinforce the Dumontets' divisions, with and without Stéphane — and stresses her outsider status among them, alongside a heavy everyone's-a-future-suspect air. In its imagery, The Origin of Evil is as busy as the central villa that Louise has stacked with everything that she can possibly collect (one notable instance: a wall of VHS tapes of recorded TV shows). The switch of hues from grim to bright whenever Porquerolles beckons is telling, too. Watching along is like playing detective, then, scouring the sights, scenes and details for tell-tale tidbits. It might sport a title that could grace an entry in the Evil Dead, The Conjuring or IT franchises (most scary-movie sagas, really), but The Origin of Evil isn't a horror movie — traditionally, at least. As told via savvily suspenseful scripting, where constantly waiting for new revelations doesn't mean being ready for everything that spills, it's scathing about the ghastliness of money, privilege and expectation, and also misogyny. Snaky doesn't only sum up the plot, though. Where allegiances and sympathies land at any given moment is equally as zigzagging. And, as the story keeps spinning, Calamy's bobbing and weaving efforts as Stéphane are nothing short of phenomenal. Marnier and Carcanade regularly catch reactions from the newcomer in the Dumontets' midst that her hosts cannot see, each one adding new layers to this star performance. As riveting as she proves at every moment, Calamy also has excellent company, including the rest of the female-heavy cast. Blanc, Tillier, Brunnquell and Ruggia's characters mightn't receive as much time on-screen to demonstrate as much depth, but the quartet still ensures that they each make a sharp impression. Blanc is a barbed yet smiling gem, in particular. Together, around Weber segueing from affable to monstrous, the four women unpack the many imperfections of a life that glitters only on the surface — aka the flaws in the gleaming prize that Stéphane is so eagerly chasing. Again, however, Calamy is The Origin of Evil's jewel. If France's film and TV output wants to keep pushing her to the fore again and again, its movies and television shows will only be better for it.
Is Renée Jeanne Falconetti's face the most haunting in cinema history? For almost a century, The Passion of Joan of Arc has made that case. Playing the titular role in Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 silent great, the French actress says everything with her eyes as she stares at the lens with deep and lingering soulfulness. Seeing the film means never being able to forget her. Watching The Passion of Joan of Arc on a big screen also usually involves being treated to a new experience each and every time. Among the silent films from almost 100 years back that keep scoring new cinema showings, this is a deservedly popular pick — and it keeps gaining new scores, too. Julia Holter is among those who've tried their hand, first performing her soundtrack for the movie in Los Angeles in 2017. In 2025, she's finally bringing it to Australia. Melbourne International Film Festival is presenting the cinema masterpiece with Holter's score played live, taking over Melbourne Recital Centre for two evenings across Monday, August 11–Tuesday, August 12. This is both an Australian premiere and Australian exclusive, with Holter taking to the stage with her band and The Consort of Melbourne choir — and with UK-based orchestrator and composer Hugh Brunt conducting. A film like no other, a performance to match, and a score by the musician that also left an imprint on the screen with her soundtrack for Never Rarely Sometimes Always: this will be a memorable movie-and-music presentation.
ARIA has revealed the full list of nominees for its 39th annual ceremony, returning to Sydney's Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday, November 19. In partnership with Spotify, this year's awards will celebrate artists who are redefining the sound and scope of Australian music — from club floors to global charts. Ninajirachi leads the pack with a record-breaking eight nominations, the most ever for a female electronic artist in ARIA history. Her debut album I Love My Computer has cemented her place at the forefront of a new wave of Australian producers pushing pop and club sounds forward. Close behind is Dom Dolla with seven nods, recognised for his chart-topping track 'Dreamin''. Other major contenders include Amyl and The Sniffers and Thelma Plum, each earning six nominations, while Hilltop Hoods and RÜFÜS DU SOL scored five and four, respectively. The 2025 ARIAs will also debut a new category: Best Music Festival. Nominees include Ability Fest, Beyond the Valley, Bluesfest Byron Bay, Laneway Festival and Yours and Owls — a nod to Australia's thriving live scene. Meanwhile, rock legends You Am I will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. "This year's nominees are living proof that Australian artists are shaping the global cultural narrative in real time," said ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd. "There's no longer a singular image of what success looks like for an artist — and the stories celebrated in November are absolute proof of that." For the first time, fans can vote for public categories directly through Spotify, with voting open until November 10. The 2025 ARIA Awards will take place at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday, November 19. For the full list of nominees, visit the ARIA Awards website. Images: Supplied
Perched up in Highgate Hill, Lucky Duck have rolled the dice and are going quacky with the theme. Upon first glance, Lucky Duck could be like many other bar/cafes – lots of wood, bench seating, mason jars for light fittings and plants hanging from ceiling – but the closer you look, the more ducks start to appear. From the knick-knacks here, there and everywhere, to the collection of street art lining the walls, Lucky Duck fits the bill. Okay, enough of the bird puns. With a custom-made box shelving system running the length of one wall, seating out the front and a massive decked area out the back, the deceptively small space has plenty of room to make yourself at home. The small space has been utilised well where attention is in the detail, and fortunately the same could be said about its food. Food at Lucky Duck is of the Brown Dog and Hoo Ha Bar variety in that what they do, they do well by taking quality ingredients, keeping it simple and letting the flavours shine. For the punter the price is right too. The Kings ($12.50) is, as the name suggests, fit for royalty. Two thick-cut slices of Leavain organic sourdough are stacked high with the best flavours breakfast has on offer. The first slice has a generous slathering of avocado, a few thick slices of haloumi and finally a fried egg. The second is topped with a bruschetta-style tomato topping, house-made tomato relish and topped with plenty of bacon. A few basil leaves on top and this is a feast to be had. With no food priced over $15, Lucky Duck are doing an honest trade offering more eats along these lines as well as wraps filled with slow-cooked meats and sweet waffles. As far as the cafe part goes, drinks-wise Lucky Duck do all the usual culprits plus their own fresh iced teas, the Canadian Bomb milkshake, and a couple of smoothies. As for the bar, Lucky Duck have The Hills Cider Co on tap along with a range of craft beer. If you pop by during happy hour, pick up a jug for just $12. Lucky Duck is a semi-suburban gem with all the charm of an inner-city cafe and bar, with none of the pretentiousness or parking issues.
Looking to the past often helps shape the future, and the crew behind 1889 Enoteca renovated the fit-out to best show-off the old Moreton Rubber building in the increasingly buzzy Woolloongabba. Like stepping into the heart of old-time Europe, 1889 Enoteca offers gutsy Roman fare with a superb wine list. 'Enoteca' translates as 'wine library', and wine can be seen everywhere – from the hundreds of empty bottles making up the decor to the full ones ready for drinking. Evidence is everywhere of good times past and good times to be had. The miraculous wine list reads like War and Peace — so if you're a novice, leave it to the experts who run the floor and know the cellar like most people know their own children. When to comes to the food, expect a comfortingly classic Italian menu. Antipasti leads the charge with salumi, artichoke and prosciutto di parma leading the way. For the primi course, we recommend the highly-coveted and long time menu favourite the fried zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies or the particularly elite traditional vitello tonnato. Then for the pasta course you'll find classics like a rich and meaty ragu on pappardelle, a spaghetti cacio e pepe, or the tagliatelle with prawns, chilli, garlic and chives. 1889 Enoteca's secondi plates include a transportative saltimbocca alla Romana (veal that's been wrapped with prosciutto and sage before being marinated in wine and baked in the oven), Moreton Bay bugs in a creamy pesto sauce, and the bistecca — a beautifully grilled Cape Grim T-bone served at the table with horseradish mayo and salsa verde. Not surprisingly, you'll find all your favourite Italian desserts on the menu too like a textbook tiramisu and very good pannacotta. All these quintessential Italian dishes have survived the test of time, being perfected throughout many generations. And 1889 Enoteca isn't trying to reinvent the wheel. It's simply mastering each and every option. Top image: Nikki To Appears in: The Best Restaurants in Brisbane
2024 marks two decades since one of the best blends of romance, comedy, drama and sci-fi of the 21st century reached screens in the form of Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. How should you celebrate that fact? Rewatching the movie always, and also checking out the French filmmaker's latest feature at Australia's annual Alliance Française French Film Festival. In his first movie since 2015, the director draws from his own experience in semi-autobiographical comedy The Book of Solutions — one of the just-announced full AFFFF program's clear must-sees. French film fans, rejoice — the lineup goes on from there, with 41 titles on offer overall. The festival will run across March and April in its 35th year, giving most of its stops a month of Gallic movies. So, in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra, get ready to see plenty of France from your cinema seat. Byron Bay's season is shorter, but still lasts for three weeks. At the end of 2023, AFFFF unveiled its first eight flicks for 2024, so audiences already had opening night's The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan to look forward to, alongside its second part The Three Musketeers: Milady. And, the Catherine Deneuve (The Truth)-led The President's Wife, Juliette Binoche (The Staircase)-starring The Taste of Things, futuristic The Animal Kingdom, regal scandal-focused Jeanne Du Barry, legal drama All Your Faces and Laure Calamy (The Origin of Evil) in Iris and the Men as well. Joining them are plenty of new highlights, such as Last Summer, the latest from iconic director Catherine Breillat (Abuse of Weakness), about a woman and her teenage stepson. Not one but two movies starring the great Isabelle Huppert (The Crime Is Mine) are on the roster, with The Sitting Duck casting her as IRL whistleblower Maureen Kearney and Sidonie in Japan about a love triangle that includes a ghost. And Second Round gets the closing-night spot, hailing from Albert Duponte (Bye Bye Morons), and taking aim at politics and the media. Attendees can also check out A Difficult Year, from The Intouchables' Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, and with Noémie Merlant (The Innocent) and Mathieu Amalric (The French Dispatch) among the cast — plus rom-com Mr Blake at Your Service!, with author Gilles Legardinier turning director to adapt his own book, and John Malkovich (Billions) and Fanny Ardant (Well Done!) starring. Historical drama Bonnard, Pierre & Marthe is about the painter (Vincent Macaigne, Irma Vep) and his wife (Cécile de France, The Swarm), while Out of Season has Guillaume Canet (Breaking Point) and Alba Rohrwacher (La Chimera) play ex-lovers. Like The Book of Solutions, The Taste of Things, The Animal Kingdom and romantic drama Along Came Love, both Àma Gloria and Rosalie grace the program after debuting at Cannes 2023. The first focuses on a girl and her nanny, while the second tells of a real historical figure who was born with hair covering her face and body. Other options include Take a Chance on Me, as starring French pop singer Louane Emera; fellow comedy A Chance to Win, where two rival villages face off in rugby; the swashbuckling The Edge of the Blade; the world premiere of King of My Castle, from the writers of Welcome to the Sticks; and the animated Nina and the Secret of the Hedgehog, with Audrey Tautou (The Jesus Rolls) among the voices. The fest is also giving classic Children of Paradise from 1945 a new big-screen celebration, taking viewers back to the 1800s with its storyline, as well as into Paris' theatre scene — because looking at France's great films from year gone by is another way to showcase the country's cinema industry and its impact. Alliance Française French Film Festival 2024 Dates: Tuesday, March 5–Tuesday, April 2 — Palace James St and Palace Barracks, Brisbane Tuesday, March 5–Tuesday, April 9 — Palace Central, Palace Norton Street, The Chauvel, Roseville Cinema and Cinema Orpheum Cremorne, Sydney Wednesday, March 6–Tuesday, April 2 — Palace Como, Kino Cinema, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Westgarth, Pentridge Cinema, The Astor Theatre and Palace Penny Lane, Melbourne Wednesday, March 6–Tuesday, April 2 — Palace Raine Square, Luna on SX, Luna Leedeerville and Windsor Cinema, Perth Thursday, March 7–Wednesday, March 27 — Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay Thursday, March 7–Tuesday, April 2 — Palace Electric, Canberra Thursday, March 21–Tuesday, April 16 — Nova Prospect and Palace Nova Eastend, Adelaide The Alliance Française French Film Festival tours Australia in March and April 2024. For more information and tickets, visit the AFFFF website.
Some of the most wonderful sentences ever written include two glorious words: Nicolas Cage. Usually when the actor's name comes up, it's because he has a new film in the works — or sometimes a TV show — that makes another weird, wild and wonderful addition to an on-screen resume like no other. Already in 2023, he's added his first-ever western to the list. And, he's playing Dracula in Renfield, which might be the only time ever the iconic star has ever sucked. We could keep naming past highlights, such as stepping into his own shoes in 2022's The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and crooning Elvis songs for David Lynch's Wild at Heart, or we could jump straight into the next instant must-see project that might feature the one and only Cage: The Surfer. Just announced at this year's Cannes Film Festival, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, this sadly isn't the only Point Break remake that needs to be made. Like that flick, however — the Keanu Reeves-starring 90s original, not the terrible 2015 do-over — The Surfer has an Aussie connection. Cage looks set to play an Australian expat returning home from America and getting in a beach battle with a local gang of wave riders. An Aussie-set surfing thriller starring Cage? Sold. [caption id="attachment_901586" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moritz Barcelona via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Cage's titular character makes the trip Down Under after years in the US, only to get humiliated by other surfers in front of his teenage son. Cue a turf war, plus Cage's protagonist refusing to leave the beach. Cue the stakes escalating and the movie's namesake having his sanity tested, too. The film is set to shoot in Australia from September 2023, with director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium) helming, working with a script by screenwriter Thomas Martin. There's no word yet who might co-star with Cage, but you'd expect every Australian actor ever to be lining up to be involved. [caption id="attachment_901587" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Guillaume Paumier via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Fresh from directing The Dry, Blueback and the upcoming Force of Nature: The Dry 2, Robert Connolly is one of The Surfer's producers, boosting its Aussie ties. Given that Cage's character will have been in America for years, that might help the movie get around needing him to bust out an Aussie accent — but who doesn't want to see the man who has proven a comedic genius for the Coen brothers, dabbled with Marvel in two different ways despite never appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, wordlessly fought demonic animatronics, swapped faces with John Travolta, gotten speedy before the Fast and Furious saga existed, taken to the skies with criminals and acted opposite himself in Adaptation give it a try anyway? There's no release date for The Surfer yet, either, or trailer obviously, but checking out Cage's exceptional work in Mandy is always recommended while you're waiting for his next films: The Surfer doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when more details are announced. Via The Hollywood Reporter. Top image: Gerald Geronimo via Wikimedia Commons.
With its latest movie-fuelled event, Immersive Cinema is hoping that you've never felt like this before — and that you love Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey dancing up a storm in a much-adored 1987 romantic drama. The second part is easy. As for the first, you might've actually stepped into this interactive Dirty Dancing experience back in 2019 when it first came to Australia. Who doesn't want to have the time of their life twice, though? For its second Aussie stint, Dirty Dancing: The Immersive Cinema Experience is only heading to Melbourne, taking over the Flemington Racecourse on Saturday, April 1–Sunday, April 2, 2023. If Francis 'Baby' Houseman can take a trip to Kellerman's Mountain House in the Catskills with her family, you can hit up the venue — and the Victorian capital if you're not a Melburnian — to get whisked away to the next best thing. Here, attendees will get plunged into the world of Dirty Dancing. Taking over the outdoor venue, Dirty Dancing: The Immersive Cinema Experience won't just screen one of Swayze's biggest film roles, but will recreate the world of the popular film. That means that attendees will travel back to 1963 in spirit, check into the flick's setting, and enjoy a day of painting classes, volleyball, croquet, mini golf and — of course — dance lessons. You can probably also expect a stint of carrying watermelons, and definitely a dance showcase. And yes, it all ends with an evening screening of Dirty Dancing on the big screen. You'd be just a fool to believe that's all that's on the agenda. Actors and dancers will roam around like the wind and, food- and drink-wise, Americana-style eats will be available at 12 different dining spots, while seven pop-up bars will sling summery cocktails — all on offer for those with hungry eyes (and stomachs). Also, there'll be a dedicated watermelon stand, plus a picnic area among the rose bushes. You'll also be able to wander through recreations of Kellerman's famous fictional spaces. That includes the staff quarters where Baby Houseman gets her first taste of dirty dancing, as well as the studios where she learns all the steps from and starts swooning over Johnny Castle. Wherever you head, nobody will be putting Baby in a corner. Like the film version of Kellerman's, the event is also an all-ages affair — and everyone is encouraged to dress up like it's the 60s, but appropriate footwear for dancing is a must. Also, because no one had phones back in the 60s, it's a technology-free experience as well. The only screen that matters: the big one showing the movie, of course. Dirty Dancing: The Immersive Cinema Experience will take over Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on Saturday, April 1–Sunday, April 2, 2023. Ticket presales start at 10am AEDT on Monday, November 28, with general public tickets available from 10am on Wednesday, November 30. Images: Mushroom Creative House.
The entrance to Brew is anything but conspicuous. In fact it is downright unassuming. Chances are you've walked past it one hundred times and never even noticed it was there. Located at the end of Lower Burnett Lane (the alleyway between Rocking Horse Records and Pie Face), it finds itself well hidden from the passing foot traffic through Queen Street Mall. But don't let this innocuous position fool you. Brew is well known and for good reason. When something is quality, word spreads, and for this reason on any given day you'll find an eclectic mix of office workers, shoppers and youngsters drinking and dining at one of the cities' more intriguing establishments. Brew was one of the first on the scene when former premier Anna Bligh announced that council wanted to 'Melbournise' Brisbane's unused laneways. Unlike many of its peers, Brew has weathered a fickle marketplace and now finds itself thriving due largely to its unique character. Situated in what appears to have been an old storage warehouse, a coffee bar and café greets those who enter. A quick walk past this is where the magic happens. Once inside the main building a large yet intimate space appears, docked with rustic furniture, leather couches, a fully equipped cocktail bar, baristas and a kitchen creating some wonderful culinary delights. The menu is seasonal and serves dishes appropriate to the climate and time of day. Separate menus exist for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Whilst the menus are compact (due in part to the focus primarily being more on coffee and alcoholic beverages), there will no doubt be something in them to tickle the tastebuds. The pick of the breakfast menu would have to be the truffled mushrooms with herb gremolata, mozzarella di buffalo on organic ciabatta. For the lunchtime crowd check out the Spanish meatballs in housemade tomato sauce with sour cream and lemon accompanied by a toasted tortilla, and finally, for dinner goers, try the chorizo and chickpea stew. If Brew has a flaw, and it is hard to find one, it would be that during peak periods service can be a little bit slow. Having said that, at any other time of day you'll find yourself with a coffee and food almost instantly, and be served by very welcoming and friendly staff. So next time you find yourself in the mall, go on a mission, venture down the once foreboding alleyway and step into what it has now become – a gem amongst the strip of fast food franchises and American coffee shops.
So far, 2022 has been the year of Wordle — of waking up, busting out your best five-letter guesses over your morning coffee, bragging about your prowess online, getting annoyed about American spelling and grumbling about changes since The New York Times took over the popular game, too. But come March, it'll also be the year of Celebrity Letters and Numbers for the second year running, because SBS is bringing back the star-studded version of its initial 2010–12 hit that first debuted last year. Whether you watched along back when famous folks weren't doing the puzzling, you've been hooked to repeats of old episodes over the past ten years or you jumped onboard when Celebrity Letters and Numbers premiered in 2021, there's no denying the joys of this simple but delightful game show. It celebrates clever contestants doing word and number brain-teasers, each episode has an engagingly low-key vibe — all while still remaining tense as competitors try to work out the right answers, of course — and it's very easy and immensely enjoyable to play along with from home. Accordingly, it's no wonder that SBS has made a second season of its new starry format, which'll start airing on SBS and via SBS On Demand from Saturday, March 5. Comedian Michael Hing is still on hosting duties, after taking over from the OG version's Richard Morecroft. Lily Serna is also returning to flip numbers and show off her maths skills, while David Astle will again tell contestants whether they've found real words or just made them up, all with his trusty dictionary in hand — as they've both done since before Letters and Numbers had an extra word at the beginning of its moniker. As happened during season one of Celebrity Letters and Numbers, they'll be joined by three different well-known faces and a special guest each week, some vying for glory and others sitting with Astle in dictionary corner — with season two set to feature Merrick Watts, Ben Law, Tanya Hennessy, Akmal Saleh, Susie Youssef and Aaron Chen, among others. And, this new run of episodes will again span an hour each, and feature 12 instalments. Making words out of nine randomly selected letters, using six also randomly chosen numbers in equations to reach a set figure, and rearranging a jumble of nine more letters into one lengthy word in the final round — that's still all on the bill, naturally, because it wouldn't be any version of Letters and Numbers otherwise. And yes, to answer the obvious question: this is basically SBS's Aussie version of the great 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (which SBS also airs, so it clearly knows that it's ace). Letters and Numbers, both with and without celebs, owes a big debt to a few European shows, in fact. When it first aired sans comedians more than a decade ago, the original Letters and Numbers took its cues from both French TV's Des chiffres et des lettres, which dates back to 1965 — and also from Britain's Countdown, which has been on the air since 1982, and then inspired 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Check out the trailer for season two of Celebrity Letters and Numbers below: The second season of Celebrity Letters and Numbers will start airing on SBS and via SBS On Demand from Saturday, March 5, with new episodes dropping weekly.
If you've found yourself hankering for an Italian beef sandwich after watching The Bear or been inspired to devour a damn-fine slice cherry pie thanks to Twin Peaks, then you'll know that TV shows and movies can influence your culinary choices. You mightn't have expected Yellowjackets to be on that list, however. When a series follows a group of teenage girls stranded in the wilderness after a plane crash, then forced to get creative — and cannibalistic — to survive, then IRL menu options don't normally jump out. Trust Sydney's NEL to challenge that perception with its latest imaginative 11-course degustation. The Harbour City fine-diner has taken inspiration from pop culture before, including via its popular Disney-inspired feasts and its Moulin Rouge!-themed spread. Among the restaurant's other limited-time degustation menus as well — KFC-inspired dinners, Christmas meals, heroing native Australian ingredients and more — taking cues from Yellowjackets certainly stands out, though. On offer: dishes that dig into the wild and primal reality that the hit show's characters find themselves in. The fact that NEL has dubbed the four-day-only pop-up menu 'Eat Your Heart Out' says plenty. [caption id="attachment_991129" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kailey Schwerman, Paramount+[/caption] "To be approached to create a Yellowjackets-inspired menu just felt like the perfect next venture for NEL Restaurant," said Chef Nelly Robinson about whipping up an inventive feast that aims to plunge diners' senses into Yellowjackets' world — not just via sights and sounds, but also via tastes. "For anyone that knows us, they understand we are about pushing the boundaries of what is possible, and getting to ask the questions of 'how do we make an ear appetising?' or 'how can we get someone to dig into a brain?' was a very exciting quest. The answer is obviously in the flavours, and while it might not be visually 'conventionally appetising', the flavours and aesthetics will most definitely leave you speechless." Across a three-hour experience that'll be on offer between Tuesday, March 4–Friday, March 7, 2025, think: digging for truffles, then tucking into the aptly named Salmon over River Misty (a moss- and salmon-heavy dish) and also seeing how NEL comes up with its own take on the show's darker survivalist scenario. Some dishes will nod to the diet consumed in the series, whether via heart-shaped servings, working in liver or plating up "something a little more ear-y". If you're feeling adventurous enough, you will need to try your luck not only in terms of testing your tastebuds, but to score a seat. Sittings are only available via entering for a chance to win on the NEL website between now and 11.59pm AEDT on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. So, attending is free — but only if your name is selected. If you're not located in Sydney, travelling there is at your own expense, but the Yellowjackets dinner at NEL will be on the house. For those who haven't dived into the series so far or need a refresher, Yellowjackets instantly proved one of the best new shows of 2021 when it debuted courtesy not just due to its killer setup — but it does tell a tale that fascinates from the outset. The thriller hops between the 90s and 25 years later. Across two seasons until now, life and friendship have proven complex for Yellowjackets' core quartet of Shauna (The Tattooist of Auschwitz's Melanie Lynskey as an adult, and also No Return's Sophie Nélisse as a teenager), Natalie (I'm a Virgo's Juliette Lewis, plus Companion's Sophie Thatcher), Taissa (Law & Order's Tawny Cypress, and also Scream VI's Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Misty (Wednesday's Christina Ricci, and also Atlas' Samantha Hanratty). The trailers for season three also put it this way: "once upon a time, a bunch of teenage girls got stranded in the wilderness ... and they went completely nuts." The full setup: back in 1996, en route to a big match in Seattle on a private aircraft, Shauna, Natalie, Taissa, Misty and the rest of their teammates entered Lost territory. The accident saw everyone who walked away stuck in the forest — and those who then made it through that ordeal stuck out there for 19 months, living their worst Alive-meets-Lord of the Flies lives. Season three starts streaming in Australia via Paramount+ on Friday, February 14, 2025. Check out the trailer below: NEL's Eat Your Heart Out degustation will be available from Tuesday, March 4–Friday, March 7, 2025 at 75 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney. For more information or to go in the running for a seat — which is only available to competition winners, with entries open till 11.59pm AEDT on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 — head to the NEL website. Yellowjackets season three starts streaming in Australia via Paramount+ on Friday, February 14, 2025.
Perhaps you've always been a fan of Mickey Mouse. Maybe you can remember how it felt when you first watched Bambi. Or, you might be able to sing all of Genie's lyrics in Aladdin. You could've fallen head over heels for Raya and the Last Dragon more recently, too. Whichever category fits — and we're guessing that at least one does — Disney's animated movies have likely played a significant part in your life. We all have those childhood memories. We've all grown up with a lingering fondness for the Mouse House. Based on its just-announced big 2021 exhibition, clearly the team at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne knows the feeling. From Thursday, May 13 to Sunday, October 17 this year, the newly revamped ACMI will open its doors, halls and walls to Disney: The Magic of Animation, which'll showcase Disney's animated prowess over the past century. There's much to display, with the exhibition ranging back as far as 1928, when Mickey Mouse appeared in his first talkie, Steamboat Willie. From there, you can expect everything from Fantasia to Frozen to get some attention. [caption id="attachment_805358" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Disney Enterprises[/caption] Expect to look at art, too — and plenty of it. When it makes its Australian-exclusive stop in Melbourne, Disney: The Magic of Animation will feature more than 500 original artworks relating to Disney's animated catalogue. Paintings, sketches and concept art will all be on display, with the entire lineup specially selected by the Walt Disney Animation Research Library. Yes, you'll be getting a glimpse at just how the movie magic comes to life, including through glimpses at how some of Disney's famous stories were developed, and at the animation techniques that brought them to the big screen. And, although further details haven't yet been revealed, it's probably safe to expect that watching Disney's flicks will also be part of the program. [caption id="attachment_805353" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Disney Enterprises[/caption] Announcing the exhibition, ACMI Director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick said that the venue is "thrilled to bring Disney: The Magic of Animation to Australia as ACMI's 2021 Melbourne Winter Masterpiece — the first since reopening after our $40 million transformation. Disney's pioneering work has brought the art of animation to audiences across the globe for nearly a century. This exhibition invites us behind the scenes, celebrating the artists and their incredible craft as they create the magical worlds and iconic characters that we know and love." Previously, ACMI's annual Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series has toured international exhibitions such as David Bowie Is... and Hollywood Costume to our shores. In Disney: The Magic of Animation's case, it's designed to appeal to Disney fans of all ages — including Mouse House aficionados both young and young at heart. Disney: The Magic of Animation will display at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Melbourne from Thursday, May 13–Sunday, October 17. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the ACMI website.
The sun is forever shining and those with hayfever are starting to sneeze, which means ones thing: spring is well and truly upon us. We at Concrete Playground thought it necessary to find the best garden eateries in Brisbane for you to enjoy these endlessly sunny days. From business lunches in the heart of the CBD, to weekend drinks, or garden spots that will have you shedding the winter woollies and basking in the warmth of spring, we hope you enjoy these dining delights. Java Coast Café Located on George Street in the CBD, this little oasis provides diners with a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Boasting a scrumptious array of lunch time turkish melts Java Coast Café is a cosy nook filled with yummy treats. Be sure to try the salmon, cream cheese and capers turkish melt – delicious! Don't be fooled by the unassuming entrance, the pebbled pathway down the side of the cafe leads to an expansive courtyard with towering palms and Buddha statues. The outside eating area is cool in the hot weather and is a popular choice for businessmen and women taking time out to grab a bite to eat. Unwind and recover your Zen in this relaxed cafe. 340 George Street, Brisbane CBD; 07 3211 3040; www.javacoastcafe.com.au Gillian's Garden Café Gillian's Garden Café is one of Brisbane's best kept secrets. Nestled inside the Cottage Garden Nursery in East Brisbane, this little gem is a green thumb's paradise. The combination of fresh ingredients, quality homemade meals and quirky décor is unbeatable. Although the cafe is open for breakfast and lunch, for something a little bit special, head to Gillian's Garden Café for a tasty morning tea. The variety of loose leaf teas and fresh cakes surrounded by healthy plants is a great way to start the day. 99 Stanley Street East Brisbane; 07 3391 1001; www.gilliansgardencafe.com.au Lock 'n' Load Bistro If you're after a drink on a lazy Sunday with friends, you can't go past Lock 'n' Load. A laid back vibe and a tranquil garden setting make this place a welcome weekend escape. The courtyard is filled with leafy trees and a cool ambience thanks to the eclectic music that plays unobtrusively. Lock 'n' Load provides an extensive cocktail menu filled with intriguing drinks. A Concrete Playground recommendation is the Jungle Juice, a delicious blend of Jagermesiter, Malibu, lime, mint, pineapple and ginger beer. What better way to see the week out than enjoying a drink in a secluded leafy haven? 142 Boundary Street West End; 07 3844 0142; www.locknloadbistro.com.au Sassafras Sassafras offers hearty meals such as their vegetarian big breakfast - a plate filled with organic scrambled tofu, toasted turkish bread, relish, tomato, avocado, homemade baked beans and mushrooms. This café is another example of those little wonders that appears larger on the inside than it looks from the outside. Inside the converted Queenslander you can take your pick from rooms with rustic furniture and splashes of colour or enjoy the fresh air in the outdoor seating area. As the weather warms up, Sassafras's outside dining area is pleasant and the tropical garden provides a private oasis. Their sharing platters are perfect to be enjoyed with a group of friends. 88 Latrobe Terrace Paddington; 07 3369 0600; www.sassafrasfoods.com.au The Corner Store Café The Corner Store Café in Toowong incorporates a classic country veggie patch into their dining area. Cheerful sunflowers, fresh herbs and vegetables and scrumptious food, such as their wide variety of homemade cakes and cookies make for a joyful experience. The menu is child friendly with breakfast, lunch and dessert options for littlies. For a lip-smacking lunch, try the lentil burger. For all of those who would love their own veggie patch but lack the time or skill, The Corner Store Café will provide a homely substitute. 113 Sylvan Road Toowong; 3870 2223; www.cornerstorecafe.com
Picking something to watch is about to get harder, and Australian viewers are set to get even more spoilt for choice. The list of streaming services available Down Under is already hefty, but there'll be at least 50 more channels to choose from once the end of August hits. The reason: the launch of Pluto TV on our shores, which is coming via Network Ten's 10 Play platform. Up and running in the US for almost a decade, Pluto TV is completely free to watch. The catch: it's a FAST service, aka free ad-supported streaming television. So, just like in the days before anyone had even dreamed up Netflix and the like, or pay TV, you won't pay a cent to watch — but you will have to see commercials. Pluto TV's big drawcard is delivering its smorgasbord of content via channels, rather than just having audiences scroll through hundreds or thousands of shows and movies to decide what to watch. Basically, it replicates the linear TV experience on free-to-air, but via streaming. You'll still need to do some choosing, though, given that there's a lengthy roster of themed channels to choose from. And to watch, you'll be headed to the new Pluto TV area on 10 Play, rather than to a specific standalone service. Paramount, which owns and operates Pluto TV and also Network Ten, hasn't revealed the exact number of channels that'll arrive in Australia from Thursday, August 31 — other than it'll be 50-plus. And, while it also hasn't unveiled the full list of what each will show, it has named some specific options. Fancy only viewing South Park? I Love Lucy? Happy Days? Dynasty? MTV's reality shows? Nickelodeon classics? They'll all have their own channels. Whatever else Pluto TV adds to its Aussie offering — Hawaii Five-O, an MTV channel focused on Shores shows, and Nick Toons have also been announced so far — it'll be drawing from the Los Angeles-based company's partnerships with 400-plus international media outfits. And, it'll be expanding the service in yet another location, with Pluto TV already up in running in more than 35 markets. "These 50 Pluto TV channels represent our first step to engage with Australian audiences and we are happy to mark this milestone by partnering with 10 Play, demonstrating once more the strength of our Paramount ecosystem," said Olivier Jollet, Executive Vice President and International General Manager for Pluto TV. "As pioneers in the FAST industry, we are bringing a new and unique user experience through curated channels dedicated to this market. Our mix of local and international content which matches the needs of our local audiences is what makes Pluto TV so valuable for viewers, clients, and partners across the world," Jollet continued. August is clearly a great month for Nickelodeon fans — Network Ten also just added a free-to-air channel devoted to the brand, the first in Australia outside of pay TV, separate to the upcoming Pluto TV options. Pluto TV's channels will be available via 10 Play from Thursday, August 31.
It hasn't served up meals for more than a decade, but El Bulli will always be a famous culinary name. Until 2011, when the spot in the town of Roses in Catalonia, Spain was operating as a restaurant, it was the pinnacle of fine-dining. It boasted three Michelin stars to prove it. Documentary El Bulli: Cooking in Progress also told its story. Head Chef Ferran Adrià didn't just oversee one of the world's best eateries, either — he's one of the world's best chefs, too. Didn't get the chance to enjoy a dish there, for all manner of reasons? How about sleeping at El Bulli for a night instead. That's the latest money-can't-buy experience on offer via Airbnb, and for one evening only. Slumbering at elBulli1846, the museum that's now onsite, is also free — for two people, but you are responsible of getting yourself to Roses, including paying your own way from Down Under if you score the booking. Airbnb loves opening up places that you wouldn't normally be able to kip in, as seen in the past with Shrek's swamp, Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse, the Ted Lasso pub, the Moulin Rouge! windmill and Hobbiton, for starters. It has also listed the Bluey house, the Paris theatre that inspired The Phantom of the Opera, the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, The Godfather mansion, the South Korean estate where BTS filmed In the Soop, the Sanderson sisters' Hocus Pocus cottage and Santa's festive cabin in Finland. Earlier in 2024, Christina Aguilera hosted a two-night Las Vegas stay. Adrià does the honours at elBulli1846 — which, as you'd expect, goes all in on El Bulli's history. As you spend the night in the venue at Cala Montjoi, within the Cap de Creus Natural Park, he's hoping that you'll get inspired by its gastronomic innovation while soaking in the Mediterranean sea views. The museum is named after the 1846 dishes that El Bulli created in its restaurant days, after all. "The mission of elBullirestaurante was about pushing limits. We had reached what we felt was the limits of what can be done in a gastronomic experience at the maximum level," said Adrià. "Now I'm excited to push new creative boundaries, to share this way of seeing the world with the guests who stay here and to introduce them to our latest chapter as elBulli1846." This is the first time that El Bulli has allowed anything like this within its famed culinary halls. Whoever nabs the reservation will meet Adrià, and hear all about the restaurant from him; eat at one of his favourite restaurants in Roses; and get overnight access to El Bulli, including its private rooms. You'll also have dinner the next day at Enigma in Barcelona, where Adrià's brother Albert is the chef. And, in-between all of that, you'll be sleeping in a bed designed to look like a plate, which takes its cues from El Bulli's spherical olive. To enjoy all of the above, you'll need to be free to stay across Wednesday, October 16–Thursday, October 17 — and you'll be getting booking at 2am AEST / 4am NZST on Thursday, April 18. Again, while you won't pay a cent for accommodation or the two dinners while you're at elBulli1846, you will need to fork out to get there and back. For more information about the elBulli1846 Airbnb stay, or to book at 2am AEST / 4am NZST on Thursday, April 18 for a stay across Wednesday, October 16–Thursday, October 17, 2024, head to the Airbnb website. Images: Marc Ensenyat. 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.
As the sun starts to dip over Brisbane and the skyline reflection makes the river glitter, the bar scene starts buzzing. In a city with a stellar ever-growing bar scene, finding the perfect venue is getting be an increasingly challenging task. But we've got you. Together with Basil Hayden Bourbon, we've selected six excellent Brisbane venues where you and your friends can congregate for your next golden hour outing. All have the perfect mix of intimacy and vibe, where you can debrief about personal dramas with no chance of eavesdropping but also feel like you're one drink away from a party at any given moment. Sit back, pour an Old Fashioned and learn why these spots are perfect picks.
Perhaps you've spent some time this year building a Lego bouquet. Or, if you're a Melburnian, you might've made a trip to a Lego recreation of Jurassic World. Whatever interactions you've had with the plastic building blocks of late — including picking up some Lego and IKEA storage boxes, meditating to the sounds of jumbled bricks or signing up for a subscription service during lockdown — you may not have thought about one inescapable fact: that all that plastic is the stuff of environmental nightmares. Lego itself hasn't been ignoring the obvious. Back in 2018, it committed to using sustainable materials in all its core products and packaging by 2030 — and it started by producing a range of sustainable pieces made from plant-based plastic, called bio-polyethylene. The next step: making its bricks from recycled plastic. And while the company isn't quite ready to start selling sets made from recycled materials in stores, it has just unveiled its first prototype bricks. The new blocks are made with PET plastic from discarded bottles, and mark the first that've been made from a recycled material to meet the brand's quality and safety standards. It took some work to get to this point, though, with materials scientists and engineers spending the past three years testing more than 250 types of PET materials — and hundreds of other plastic formulations. One of the trickiest things to nail (and one of the most important): getting the bricks to clutch together. In a statement, Lego said that "it will be some time before bricks made from a recycled material appear in Lego product boxes". From here, it'll keep testing and developing the PET-made bricks, before deciding whether to move into the pilot production phase — with this process expected to take another year at least. And if you're wondering about the plastic used in the new blocks, it has been sourced from US suppliers, with a one-litre plastic bottle providing enough raw material for ten 2 x 4 Lego bricks. For further information about Lego's sustainability plans, head to the brand's website.
Aspiring culinary wizards of Brisbane should already be familiar with Newstead's Golden Pig. In fact, if you've ever wanted to pick up a few kitchen tricks, you've probably taken a class there. Boosting your cooking skills is no longer the only reason to stop by, however, with the Ross Street venue adding a new pan-Asian restaurant to its warehouse building. Now called The Golden Pig Restaurant & Cooking School, the brick abode still lets everyone whip up a few dishes on Sundays and Mondays, hosting sessions on curry, Greek cuisine, gluten-free cooking, sourdough and bread-making, summer salads and more on its upcoming class calendar. Every other night of the week, the timber-accented 80-seat space will be filled with an array of Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and Japanese-influenced dishes. Think Sichuan spiced duck with mandarin and miso, turmeric curry of pork belly, vegetarian ma hor with sticky fried peanuts, and king salmon with black bean, sweet soy, chilli and ginger. Working with head chef Sarah Hockings, owner and chef Katrina Ryan has designed a menu that aims to showcase a range of tastes and flavours, as well as matching Brisbane's usually sunny weather. "I think Asian cuisine and ingredients are a beautiful match with our subtropical climate," she explains — and Golden Pig's dessert selection of lemongrass tapioca, deep-fried banana ice cream, lime and coconut sugar delicious pudding typifies that sentiment. Two banquets are also available for those keen to try a little of everything, and the drinks list has been crafted by bar manager Cameron Silk. Overlooking the central open kitchen, the bar itself opens from 5pm Tuesday to Saturday — prior to the restaurant opening at 5.30pm — and serves up bao, potstickers and scallops alongside wine, beer, cider and fruit-heavy cocktails. Images: Dane Beesley.
At 12 years old, Jaimee Krawitz looked like she was doing just fine. She had a supportive family, close friends and a strong academic record. But beneath the surface, something wasn't right. Like so many young Australians, she was quietly beginning a battle with an eating disorder — one that would reshape her life. When she eventually made it to the other side — through determination, support and perseverance — she knew she was one of the fortunate ones. What stayed with her, though, was a question: why is it so hard to talk about eating disorders before they reach crisis point? Motivated by lived experience, Jaimee identified what she saw as a critical roadblock: the language surrounding eating disorders. Reflecting on her own journey, she realised she hadn't known how to speak up — and those around her hadn't known how to ask the right questions. At 23, she founded Hide N Seek, a not-for-profit dedicated to changing the way we talk about eating disorders. The foundation is grounded in the belief that these illnesses are often missed not because people don't care, but because they lack the skills to recognise early signs and the tools to navigate difficult conversations. "I wanted to provide others with the help I wish that I had access to — not only equipping individuals with skills to manage an eating disorder, but also recognising the broader impact on families and caregivers. At the time, there were limited resources available, and this gap sparked the idea to focus on empowering caregivers with practical tools, safe language and early-intervention support." From the ground up, she built Hide N Seek to reshape the language around eating disorders and create a community where caregivers can find the confidence and clarity to support their loved ones. To underpin the work, Jaimee became a registered counsellor and gained experience within a psychology practice, deepening her understanding of empathy-led communication. She assembled a team of mentors and advisors — including doctors, ambassadors and accredited dietitians — to ensure the organisation was grounded in clinical expertise. "The organisation exists because there is a clear gap in how eating disorders are understood. They often remain invisible until they become severe, partly because everyday language has normalised harmful beliefs around food, bodies and self-worth. Behaviours and comments that are culturally accepted are not always harmless, particularly for someone already struggling. Hide N Seek focuses on that early window, long before crisis, where awareness and language can genuinely change outcomes," says Jaimee. The scale of the issue is sobering. Current Australian data estimates that more than one million people are living with an eating disorder in any given year — around 4 to 4.5 per cent of the population — with Australia reporting one of the highest prevalence rates globally. Only one in three seek help. For Jaimee, that statistic underscores the urgency of early recognition and clearer pathways to support. While Hide N Seek does not provide clinical treatment, it focuses on prevention and early intervention — implementing safeguards and tools designed to stop illnesses escalating into crisis. As Jaimee explains, "Eating disorders are the fastest growing mental health condition in Australia, yet many people delay seeking help for years due to shame, the normalisation of behaviours and the fear that they are not sick enough." Education quickly became a priority. Believing educators can be powerful advocates, she developed the Hide N Seek Eating Disorder Recovery Program. The program, already implemented by more than 1000 educators, caregivers and students, includes sessions on early recognition and safe language, alongside broader whole-school prevention and culture change. The aim is to give educators the confidence to recognise early warning signs and respond without judgment. "Early intervention significantly reduces severity, duration of illness, hospitalisation and long-term system burden. This is why Hide N Seek focuses so strongly on early recognition through language, long before a crisis." Jaimee is also conscious of the intersection between Hide N Seek's work and Australia's food, drink and hospitality culture. In cities where dining out is central to social life — amplified by social media trends and viral food culture — language around indulgence, balance and self-control carries weight. The line between celebrating food and moralising it can be thin, particularly for someone already vulnerable. "Food is social, which makes language around it incredibly influential. Social settings are where language is most powerful. They are where norms are reinforced and where people can feel either included or quietly isolated. None of this is usually said with harmful intent, but what we say around food can either include someone or isolate them. Your friend might be laughing at the table, but in fact be deeply unwell. This conversation is not about blame. It is about awareness." In 2024, Jaimee secured a $40,000 grant to expand the organisation's reach. As demand has grown, the program has extended into sporting clubs and workplace settings — reflecting how widely eating disorders impact individuals, families and communities. As International Women's Day approaches, Jaimee reflects on the gendered reality of body scrutiny and food moralisation. "This work feels especially important to me as a woman building this organisation from lived experience. International Women's Day is not only about celebrating women, but about examining the spaces women occupy and whether they feel safe, visible and supported within them. Women are disproportionately impacted by body scrutiny, food moralisation, pressure to justify pleasure and normalised self-deprecating language, particularly in social settings. My intention with Hide N Seek is not to restrict enjoyment or tell people how to eat. It is to protect the joy that comes from social connection without shame attached to it." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hide N Seek (@hidenseekfoundation) Jaimee's long-term goal is to create a world where access to help feels clear, connected and human. "My hope is to take Hide N Seek into every community where people live, learn, work and gather — schools, sporting clubs, workplaces, businesses and government spaces. I want educators, colleagues, and employers to feel confident responding to this widespread issue. I want the government to help shape systems that catch people earlier, not later. My dream is for Hide N Seek to become part of everyday culture, so no one feels unseen, unsupported or alone during this journey." Join the Hide N Seek community now to receive the Language of Seeking Help e-book, which is tailored to empower caregivers with practical advice and knowledge of how best to support loved ones. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, help is available via Lifeline, Kids Helpline and The Butterfly Foundation. Images: Supplied.
UPDATE, April 16, 2021: Crawl is available to stream via Netflix, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Part creature feature and part disaster movie, Crawl is a gleeful ripper of a thriller. Not only unleashing a ferocious hurricane upon its father-daughter duo, but a congregation of snapping alligators as well, its premise is simple — what the film lacks in narrative surprises, however, it makes up for in suspense and tension. That's the holy grail of fear-inducing flicks. Regardless of the concept, if a movie can make the audience feel as if they're in the same space as the characters they're watching, enduring every bump and jump, and sharing their life-or-death terror, then it has done its job. By playing it straight, serious and scary, Crawl manages to exceed its Sharknado rip-off status to craft a highly effective battle between humans, animals and the elements. The film introduces aspiring swimming star Haley Keller (Kaya Scodelario) on a wet and windy day, although she initially misses the wild weather warnings while she's doing laps at training. A panicked call from her sister (Moryfydd Clark) doesn't rattle the no-nonsense young woman, and nor does the news that her divorced father Dave (Barry Pepper) isn't answering his phone. Still, thanks to a few unresolved daddy-daughter issues nagging at her conscience, Haley is quickly driving down the blustery highway, flagrantly ignoring police instructions and heading to their old family home. It's no spoiler to say that she discovers more than she bargained for down in their basement, with Haley soon trying to save the injured Dave, stay alive herself, fend off ravenous gators and stay ahead of rising flood waters. In telling this tale, writers Michael and Shawn Rasmussen (The Ward) haven't met a cliche they didn't love, an emotional beat they didn't want to hit, or a convenient twist of the narrative screws that they didn't want to turn. It can't be overstated just how much of Crawl, in a story sense, plays out exactly as expected. Plot developments and character decisions all stick to the usual formula, as does animal behaviour and storm surges (if you're a screenwriter, it's possible to control the very forces that your protagonists can't). But it's worth thanking the cinema gods that Alexandre Aja is sitting in the director's chair — and that he knows a thing or two about creature features and horror movies. While the French filmmaker has both hits and misses to his name (including Haute Tension, remakes of The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha, and the devilish Daniel Radcliffe flick Horns), here he masters the art of conveying an alligator's menace. Of course, it could be argued that much of Crawl's work is easy. Along with sharks, gators already rank among the most frightening beasts on the planet. Courtesy of their teeth, speed, size and power, just thinking about them gives plenty of people the shivers — so, on paper, all that an unsettling film need do is place the scaly critters front and centre. And yet, as too many Jaws wannabes have shown since Steven Spielberg's massive hit created the concept of the blockbuster as we know it, it's not enough just to throw a bunch of attacking animals at some clueless folks. As more comic takes have demonstrated in Sharknado, Snakes on a Plane and the Birdemic movies, it's not enough to write off the whole scenario as simple silliness either. There's an existential basis to the genre's underlying idea, unpacking how humanity truly copes when it's made to face nature. As a species, much of our sense of collective worth stems from our ability to shape and control our world, and yet we can't stop weather systems from morphing into destructive hurricanes, or hungry reptiles from doing what they're designed to do. Mainly lurking in the Kellers' dank, dark, rat-infested crawlspace, Crawl leans into the primal side of pitting people against the environment. Aja takes every chance to emphasise the scampering threats eager to gobble up Haley and Dave. With assistance from his regular cinematographer Maxime Alexandre, he ramps up the unease, deploying tried and tested filmmaking techniques such as low shots, quick cuts, point-of-view perspectives, dim lighting, and ample movement and shadow. A couple of gory kill sequences add to the mood, as does the movie's approach to its swirling winds and rushing water. Indeed, amid the rampant CGI, there's a sense of awe for the havoc that alligators and hurricanes can each wreak, which only heightens the stressful atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, fear and tension radiates through the film as a result — and through its key duo, too. Although Scodelario and Pepper are given about as much room for character development as their cold-blooded foes, they still bring a naturalistic air to their performances, portraying anxious everyday folks just fighting to survive by doing whatever it takes. No matter what's thrown at us, or how, or where, that's what making humanity grapple with our surroundings boils down to, after all. In fact, given the state of the planet, Crawl's central theme not only proves frightening and fuels an effective thriller, but also feels unnervingly prescient. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4WuVXo_XAM
Not someday, but in July next year, The Strokes will head to Australia to play Splendour in the Grass' long-delayed 20th-anniversary festival. And in news that'll have you partying like it's the 00s again, the New York rockers have also just announced two sideshows: at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion and Melbourne's John Cain Arena. Hitting up Melbourne first on Tuesday, July 26, before heading to Sydney on Thursday, July 28, the gigs will mark the band's first Australian headline shows in a decade. Clearly, The Strokes will have plenty to play — 2021 marks 20 years since their seminal debut album Is This It was released, and since everything from the title track and 'Hard to Explain' to the extremely catchy duo that is 'Last Nite' and 'New York City Cops' first got stuck in the world's heads. Since then, the Julian Casablancas-led group have put out five other studio albums, including The New Abnormal, their latest, in 2020 — which nabbed them the Best Rock Album Grammy Award earlier in 2021. When it comes to seeing one of the most influential bands of the past two decades, don't go making bad decisions, missing out, and realising that you only live once — and putting your heart in a cage. If you want to start drinking juiceboxes in preparation, that's up to you. The Strokes will be supported by The Chats and The Lazy Eyes on their solo shows, after headlining Splendour in the Grass on Saturday, July 23. THE STROKES 2022 AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES Melbourne — Tuesday, July 26, John Cain Arena Sydney — Thursday, July 28, Hordern Pavilion The Strokes will tour Australia in July 2022. Pre-sale tickets go on sale at 12pm AEDT on Monday, November 8, with general tickets on sale at 9am on Tuesday, November 9. For further details, head to the tour website. Top image: Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons.
Just months after bringing its world-famous pastries to Brisbane, the crew behind Lune Croissanterie is expanding its local remit. Come November, the space next door to its South Brisbane digs will be home to Butler Wine Bar, the first venue from the team that won't focus on baked goods. Brissie already scored Lune's first site outside of Melbourne, and now we're nabbing the crew's first wine bar, too. Here, local drops and seasonal dishes will get pride of place, with the neighbourhood bar aiming to be accessible both in price and in mood. In other words, Lune's Kate Reid, Nathan Toleman and Cameron Reid will be applying the same approach that's made their flagship chain such a hit, just in a new realm. The trio all have plenty of experience in hospitality beyond those New York Times-approved croissants, with Kate Reid and Toleman meeting while working at Melbourne's Three Bags Full, Cameron Reid running Sydney bar Ching-a-lings, and Toleman's Melbourne resume also including Top Paddock, Higher Ground, Hazel and Dessous. Exactly what'll be on Butler's menu hasn't yet been revealed, other than its focus on premium drops and sustainable producers; however, the newcomer will seat 30 in a long, cosy space. Design-wise, Hogg & Lamb will be doing the honours, as they did with Lune Brisbane — and also Bar Alto and The Sound Garden. [caption id="attachment_828139" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lune Brisbane[/caption] Butler Wine Bar will open in Manning Street, South Brisbane, next to Lune, sometime in November — we'll update you with an exact date when it's announced.
Last year, Barbara proclaimed that Jazz Is Dead — and then, in a weekly experimental evening, set about proving that that statement wasn't really true. Now the Valley bar has a new regular jazzfest, filling its small confines with more sweet, sweet music from 6pm every Sunday. Still enthusiastic about exploring new sounds, The Jazz House mixes its live offerings with complementary tunes. When you're not listening to jazzy performances between 6–9pm, your toes will tap to house and world music afterwards, as spun by some of the city's up-and-coming DJs. A fixture of Barbara's calendar until the end of May, the event also comes with a liquid sweetener: drinks specials. Everyone knows that getting all up in some smooth jazz goes down extra well with your favourite tipple in hand. That's why jazz nights at bars are always such a hit, after all.
When word arrived that a new version of Scott Pilgrim was on its way, it felt as inevitable as the person of your dreams having a complicated romantic past. That nothing ever truly dies in pop culture is old news. So is the fact that nothing fades into memory, especially when respawning can capitalise upon a fanbase. Turning Scott Pilgrim into a TV show is the latest example on an ever-growing list of leaps from the big screen to the small; however, sight unseen, making a Scott Pilgrim anime series felt more fitting than most similar jumps. Thanks to manga-style aesthetic that filled Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels, the video game-esque plot about battling seven evil exes and the cartoon vibe that Edgar Wright brought so engagingly to his 2010 big-screen live-action adaptation, imagining how O'Malley and co-writer/co-producer BenDavid Grabinski (Are You Afraid of the Dark?) — plus Wright (Last Night in Soho) again as an executive producer — could bring that to an eight-part animation was instantly easy. Called Scott Pilgrim Takes Off rather than Scott Pilgrim vs the World, the Netflix series that streams from Friday, November 17 begins as a straightforward Scott Pilgrim anime, introducing the same tale that's been spread across pages and cinemas — and played through via a video game, too — right down to repeated shots and dialogue. Meet Scott Pilgrim again, then. The Michael Cera (Barbie)-voiced twentysomething bassist is once more fated to fall in love with literal dream girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ahsoka), who first appears to him as he slumbers, then fight the seven folks who dated her before him. When sparks fly, he also has his own amorous mess to deal with, including that he's dating high-schooler Knives Chau (Ellen Wong, Best Sellers) and remains heartbroken over being dumped by now-superstar singer Envy Adams (Brie Larson, The Marvels). Scott Pilgrim Takes Off's debut episode still has its namesake living with Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin, Succession) in a one-room Toronto flat, and regularly having the ins and outs of his life recounted by his roommate to his sister Stacey (Anna Kendrick, Alice, Darling). Scott is reliably one third of Sex Bob-Omb! alongside his friend Stephen Stills (Mark Webber, SMILF) and ex Kim Pine (Alison Pill, Hello Tomorrow!), with Stephen's housemate Young Neil (Johnny Simmons, Girlboss) always watching on. And, when he first talks to Ramona IRL, it's at a party thrown by the acerbic Julie Powers (Aubrey Plaza, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre). Then, the band plays a gig that Scott invites Ramona to, and the first of her evil former paramours interrupts Sex Bob-Omb!'s set to throw down — with Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha, Sense8) still hung up on the girl he dated for a week and a half in seventh grade. Beating Matthew will mean needing to vanquish the rest of Ramona's past loves next: movie star Lucas Lee (Chris Evans, Pain Hustlers), vegan fellow bassist Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh, The Flash), Ramona's college roommate Roxy Richter (Mae Whitman, Good Girls), twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi (Julian Cihi, Only Murders in the Building), and record-label head Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes). Accordingly, just like Kim shouting "we are Sex Bob-Omb!" at the beginning of a set, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off starts with comfortable familiarity. But at the end of the initial instalment, after every detail looks like the graphic novels and film given the anime treatment to the point of feeling uncanny, in drops the first twist. There's reimaginings, and then there's this playful take that adores the comics and movie, pays homage to them, riffs on and even openly references them, but charmingly shirks the idea of being a remake. So, what if that narrative didn't follow the path that viewers have seen before? What if there's a reason that this series' moniker mentions Scott not being around? What if that's just the kick-off point for a brand-new, gorgeously dreamy, wildly inventive and infectiously heartfelt Scott Pilgrim remix? This is still a story spun from a slacker fantasy while bubbling with sincerity and intensity about navigating love and life when you're working out who you are, but every new turn in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off deepens its tale, emotions and delights. It still dwells in a world where Scott orders a delivery from the rollerskating Ramona on a boxy computer (she slings Netflix DVDs, aptly), yet it feels even more divorced from time. Although still abounds with pop culture nods and throwback vibes as well — albeit without zero sounds from The Legend of Zelda, but with added lines of dialogue straight out of 90s tunes — this isn't the exact same Scott Pilgrim. Prepare to get meta, and also for an angle that Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs the World didn't have, putting the focus on Ramona not as the object of eight people's affections but as Scott Pilgrim Takes Off's protagonist. As she endeavours to work out what's going on, she's the audience's guide in a whodunnit (because alongside slotting into the film-to-TV trend like Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, this series embraces its mystery angle as A Murder at the End of the World has also been doing of late, plus plenty of other shows before it). As Ramona's other exes still need confronting, it's her rather than someone she's casually seeing that's wading and soul-searching through her history. If O'Malley, Grabinski and Wright had chosen to call their Netflix effort Ramona Flowers vs the World, it would've fit; that said, not only Ramona but the full slate of characters beyond Scott all benefit from the big shift. Accordingly, while the ex-by-ex structure stays — plus the fight scenes bursting with on-screen onomatopoeia — each episode builds upon Ramona, Wallace, Knives, Kim, Young Neil, Stephen, Julie, Stacey and Envy, as well as Matthew, Lucas, Todd, Roxy, the Katayanagi and Gideon. If re-enlisting the movie's massive supporting cast seemed like a mammoth achievement, expanding their characters' place in the story must've been a prime way to entice everyone back. What makes Ramona's exes tick, hopes and neuroses alike, cannily and cathartically helps shapes the show's sleuthing. More than that, unresolved emotions and struggles colour every battle. Bouncing ingeniously through an array of film genres in a video store-set fray is a particularly memorable and meaningful move. As brought to the screen with Science Saru's now-expectedly beguiling animation (see also: the big screen's Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, Lu Over the Wall, Ride Your Wave and Inu-Oh, all from filmmaker Masaaki Yuasa), different instalments also take their tone and approach from different sources. A Lucas-centric chapter that turns Liam Lynch's 2002 track 'United States of Whatever' into its anthem is a treat, for instance, and another episode is a self-referential marvel. Where Scott Pilgrim vs the World looked outward to dive into its characters, using its gaming and pop-culture nods as shorthand to explain who they are, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off peers inwards to get its mood, themes, intricacies and slant. Like Scott with Ramona, this series is something to tumble head over heels for, and one of the best examples yet of pressing play again on a beloved treasure. Check out the full trailer for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off below: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off streams via Netflix on Friday, November 17.
They're sticky, cinnamon scrolls, drenched in glaze and famous all across the USA. And now, at last, they're available Down Under. Yep, Seattle-born chain Cinnabon has landed in Australia, with a Brisbane outpost now serving up delicious baked goods. The launch was first announced in January this year, when family-run Queensland company Bansal Foods scored the Aussie rights to Cinnabon. But, now, it's more than just news. Brisbanites eager to get their fix can head to Toombul Shopping Centre in the city's north, and grab a scroll seven days a week — well, once the opening queues die down. Cinnabon has been going strong in America since 1985, so it has already picked up plenty of Aussie fans along the way. But this is the first time that we're able to get our hands on those sticky, cinnamon-infused baked goods on home soil. The new Brisbane store slings a trio of Cinnabon cult classics, including the classic cream cheese cinnamon roll, the popular chocolate-drizzled Chocobon and very extra Caramel Pecanbon. They're available in both mini and large sizes, along with packs featuring either four or nine 'minibons'. There's coffee and lots of sugary drinks to pair with your snacks, too, including a cinnamon bun frappe. If you're yet to get acquainted with the decadent dessert creations, prepare yourself for aromatic, cinnamon-spiked dough made to a long-held recipe, decked out with stacks of signature cream cheese frosting and loaded with extras. They're notoriously tough to replicate. Toombul Shopping Centre recently opened a new neon-lit upstairs dining precinct, but Cinnabon isn't a part of that. Instead, it's located on the ground floor near Coles. And if you're not in Brisbane, it probably won't be too long until Cinnabon makes its way down south. The Toombul store is set to be the first of many. A second Brisbane store in Mt Gravatt is due to open in January 2020 and, going off plans announced earlier in the year, Cinnabon is looking to launch in Sydney and beyond in 2021. Cinnabon is now open on the ground level of Toombul Shopping Centre, 1015 Sandgate Road, Toombul.
If you haven't yet made the trip to Agnes in Fortitude Valley for dinner or a drink, Brisbane's current lockdown obviously isn't the time to start. You can't anyway, as the city's restaurants are only presently allowed to open for takeaway and delivery orders. But, if you'd like to load up on baked goods — and you live within ten kilometres of the venue — you are still able to hit up the restaurant's pop-up bakery. A lockdown favourite, after making appearances during previous stay-at-home stints, the eatery's bakery is back up and running between Wednesday, August 4–Sunday, August 8. You'll need to head along to 22 Agnes Street from 7am, and you'll likely want to get in early, as its tasty pastries — including danishes — are only available until stocks last each day. Social distancing is in effect for those queuing up, so prepare to stand two metres apart from your fellow baked goods fans. Whether the pop-up will continue if Brisbane's lockdown is extended again is yet to be revealed. In the near future, Brisbanites won't have to keep their eyes peeled for these lockdown pop-ups, with Agnes spinning out its bakery to its own site on the corner of James and Harcourt streets in Fortitude Valley. An opening date hasn't yet been announced; however, you'll be able to add it to your list of favourite — and permanent — bakeries sooner rather than later. [caption id="attachment_801126" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Chatfield[/caption] From the outside, 22 Agnes Street mightn't particularly stand out, but this old brick warehouse is run by the crew behind Same Same, Honto and Bianca, and boasts the talents of acclaimed chef Ben Williamson (ex-Gerard's Bistro, The Apo). The three-level venue includes the main dining room, a downstairs wine bar and a rooftop space — and, during this lockdown, the bakery pop-up. Agnes' bakery pop-up is running from 7am until sold out every day from Wednesday, August 4–Sunday, August 8 at 22 Agnes Street, Fortitude Valley.
Star Wars did it. Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones, too. No blockbuster movie franchise stays away from cinemas for too long these days, so of course The Lord of the Rings is being taken back to the big screen — even though it has already spawned one huge hit trilogy, then followed it up with another. Expect more hobbits, elves and dwarves in more places — in multiple movies, in fact — given that The Lord of the Rings is also doing big things on the small screen of late. In 2022, the long-awaited The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power hit streaming, bringing Middle-earth to Prime Video across a stunning-looking series. Season two is in the works as well, with the show stepping back thousands of years into the JRR Tolkien-created fantasy realm's past. The new Lord of the Rings flicks are being made by Warner Bros Discovery, so it's unlikely that they'll tie into the TV show — but exactly what they'll cover, be it new tales or linking in with the OG three LoTR movies or The Hobbit films, is yet to be revealed. So far, Warner Bros has just advised that more features are on their way, announcing the news as part of the company's latest investor earnings call. Making more LoTR films involves 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 will be produced by Warner Bros-owned production company New Line Cinema, which was behind the first two trios of hobbit-filled features. "Following our recent acquisition of Middle-earth Enterprises, we're thrilled to embark on this new collaborative journey with New Line Cinema and Warner Bros Pictures, bringing the incomparable world of JRR Tolkien back to the big screen in new and exciting ways," said Lee Guinchard, CEO of Freemode — which is part of Embracer — in a statement. "We understand how cherished these works are and, working together with our partners at New Line Cinema and Warner Bros Pictures, we plan to honour the past, look to the future, and adhere to the strongest level of quality and production values." No further details, including regarding plots, characters, casting, directors or timing — including whether Oscar-winner Peter Jackson will be involved after helming all six past New Line features — has been announced as yet. But Warner Bros Pictures Group Co-Chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy added that "for all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by JRR Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film." "The opportunity to invite fans deeper into the cinematic world of Middle-earth is an honour," the pair continued. The first LoTR trilogy hit the big screen two decades ago, with The Fellowship of the Ring arriving in 2001, The Two Towers in 2002 and The Return of the King in 2003. They were followed by the three Hobbit movies a decade later, An Unexpected Journey debuting in 2012, The Desolation of Smaug in 2013 and The Battle of the Five Armies in 2014. Before the latest Lord of the Rings films come to a fruition, an anime will get there first. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is currently in production, and will spin a story set 183 years before the events of LoTR, focusing on the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan. Expect it in cinemas in April 2024. Obviously there's no trailer for the just-announced flicks as yet, but here are the trailers for The Fellowship of the Ring,The Two Towers and The Return of the King in the interim: The new Lord of the Rings movies don't yet have a release date — we'll update you with more information when it's announced.
Hong Kong's T'ang Court restaurant has earned itself an impressive reputation, becoming a must-eat mainstay in the city's culinary scene, and also boasting three Michelin stars for seven consecutive years since 2016. For Australians keen to give its Cantonese menu a try, there's now another option — and it's easier than hopping on an international flight. Adding to T'ang Court's outposts overseas, The Langham hotel chain has opened an Aussie venue in its luxe new Gold Coast site. The Langham Gold Coast hotel itself launched back in June, after first revealing that it was in the works in May — and T'ang Court making the jump to southeast Queensland was announced then as well. But the restaurant was always set to launch later, in spring. It clearly took that opening date seriously, welcoming in patrons from Thursday, September 1. The fine-dining chain's name comes from the Tang Dynasty, with the restaurant taking a luxe approach to both its surroundings and its culinary spread. The decor pairs bold pops of colour with neutrals, including bespoke abstract art pieces by Australian Chinese artist Lindi Li. As for the food range, it spans perennial favourites and seasonal delicacies, including across both a la carte dishes and three set menus. A big drawcard at T'ang Court's first Australian location: a three-part tribute to Cantonese duck, which features duck pancakes with hoi sin sauce, duck buns with lychee and raspberry sauce (and caviar), and sliced duck breast and leg paired with with plum sauce. Or, the menu also includes sauteed pearl meat with ginger, shallots and Asian greens, plus spicy black tiger prawns with roasted garlic. "Our first Australian T'ang Court restaurant marks a significant leap forward for the local dining landscape. Authentic, traditional Cantonese fine dining is comparatively rare in Australia, so we're thrilled to bring this unique experience to life for locals and travellers, from other states and even internationally," said Howard Lam, Director of Chinese Cuisine for Langham Hospitality Group. "Diners at T'ang Court on the Gold Coast will be able to indulge in the same golden age Cantonese flavours that have earned T'ang Court at The Langham Hong Kong three Michelin stars and seen its many other award-winning sister restaurants across the world become highly-sought-after dining destinations." Located indoors on level three at The Langham, and seating 80, T'ang Court is serving lunch from 12–3pm and dinner from 5.30–11pm five days a week — operating from Wednesday–Sunday. If you're a keen to book in a visit from out of town, then stay the night afterwards, The Langham also boasts 339 rooms and suites, direct beachfront access, a pool bar you can swim up to while still staring at that ocean view, a number of other eateries and a wellness centre. Find T'ang Court at The Langham Gold Coast on level three, 38 Old Burleigh Road, Surfers Paradise — serving lunch from 12–3pm and dinner from 5.30–11pm from Wednesday–Sunday.
UPDATE, December 17, 2022: Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical screens in Australian cinemas from Thursday, December 8, and streams via Netflix from Sunday, December 25. Mischievous and magical in equal measure (and spirited, and gleefully snarky and spiky), Roald Dahl's Matilda has been a balm for souls since 1988. If you were a voracious reader as a kid, happiest escaping into the page — or if you felt out of place at home, cast aside for favoured siblings, bullied at school or unappreciated in general — then it wasn't just a novel. Rather, it was a diary capturing your bubbling feelings in perfect detail, just penned by one of the great children's authors. When Matilda first reached the screen in 1996, Americanised and starring Mara Wilson as the pint-sized bookworm who finds solace in imagined worlds (and puts bleach in her dad's hair tonic, and glue on his hat band), the film captured the same sensation. So has the song-and-dance stage version since 2010, too, because this heartfelt yet irreverent tale was always primed for the musical treatment. Over a decade later, after nabbing seven Olivier Awards for its West End run, five Tony Awards on Broadway and 13 of Australia's own Helpmann Awards as well, that theatre show's movie adaptation arrives with its revolting children and its little bit of naughtiness. Tim Minchin's music and lyrics still provide the soundtrack to Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical, boasting the Aussie entertainer's usual blend of clever wordplay and comedy. Both the stage iteration's original director Matthew Warchus and playwright Dennis Kelly return, the former hopping back behind the camera after 2014's Pride and the latter adding a new screen project to his resume after The Third Day. The library full of charm remains, as does a story that's always relatable for all ages. Horrors and hilarity, a heroine for the ages, a hulking villain of a headmistress, the beloved Miss Honey, telekinetic powers: they're all also accounted for. Matilda devotees since their younger years will spot changes, as there were on the stage. Some minor players have been ditched, and turning the tale's genius namesake into a storyteller herself adds thematic and narrative layers. Fans from the theatre will hear fewer songs, a choice made to fit Matilda the Musical's new format — making it shorter, snappier but no less entertaining and resonant. Indeed, adapting a stage sensation for the screen with everything that filmmaking entails in mind hasn't always been a given, as seen when fellow hits like Cats have made the leap. One of the joys of Matilda the Musical, then, is how kinetic, fluid and visual it proves — how cinematic, really — instead of just pointing a camera at a set like it's a stage. From the moment that Busby Berkeley-esque opening number 'Miracle' begins, there's no doubting that this is a film rather than a filmed stage musical, and that Warchus, Kelly, cinematographer Tat Radcliffe (Queen & Slim) and editor Melanie Oliver (Judy) know it. Twirling, swirling, and peering on from above as new parents and their babies bond, it's a delight of a kickoff. Of course, the sequence also shows how Matilda's birth was hardly welcomed by the selfish and vain Mr and Mrs Wormwood (Venom: Let There Be Carnage's Stephen Graham and Amsterdam's Andrea Riseborough), who don't want a bundle of joy at all. It's no wonder that as a girl (Alisha Weir, Darklands), she escapes into books from mobile librarian Mrs Phelps (Sindhu Vee, Starstruck), and jumps at the chance to finally go to school — where the warm Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch, The Woman King) awaits, but also the strict, cruel and kid-hating Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande). For almost four decades, this setup — give or take a few details — has seen Matilda work to be seen, accepted and loved in the world. It's fuelled a message about kindness, patience and respect winning out; a satire about uncaring schools and parents, and the disdain shown by the worst of both towards kids who deserve far, far better; and a pigs' blood-free, child-friendly spin on Carrie in its own way as well. That's all still essential in Matilda the Musical's on-screen guise (including streaming, given it's funded by Netflix), as told in a highly stylised, often surreal fashion. This version of Matilda isn't as rascally and impish as the 1996 flick, or the book, but it is playful; think Paddington and Paddington 2, the epitome of all-ages British cinema of late. Paddington 2's wonderful antagonist might spring to mind, too, aka one of Hugh Grant's very best performances. Love Actually stars make stellar enemies in fun for all the family, it seems — not that there was every any doubt about the always-great Thompson as Trunchbull. Her resume already attests that she can do anything, and should, with her prosthetics-wearing, teeth-gnashing, kid-throwing, comically masterful turn here slotting in alongside recent highlights like the aforementioned Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Late Night, Years and Years and The Children Act. Among the movie's purposefully cartoonish portrayals, Graham and Riseborough also nail the task at hand. And as Ms Honey, Lynch is as skilled at playing soft, thoughtful and loving as she is in no-nonsense No Time to Die and Captain Marvel mode. You can't have Matilda without a winning Matilda, though, with Weir energetic even when her character is being derided by her nasty mum and dad, traumatised by Trunchbull, or initially trying to fit in at Crunchem Hall. Her take on the tyke is both vulnerable and enterprising — so just what everyone that's ever buried their nose in the book already pictures in their head, and has long connected to. While anyone who read the novel before the past decade won't have instantly imagined songs and dancing as well, Matilda the Musical similarly plays out exactly as you'd expect there, whether or not you've seen the stage production. Recent decades haven't always been great for new flicks based on Dahl's works, with Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox spectacular, Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory definitely not, Steven Spielberg's The BFG too calculating, and the Anne Hathaway-starring The Witches tame and bland, but Matilda the Musical is more than a little bit lovely. Top image: Dan Smith/Netflix © 2022.
In self-portrait after self-portrait, Frida Kahlo was no stranger to giving the world a window into what made the artist tick. The Mexican painter didn't just create art — she bared her soul, especially in pieces where she stares back at audiences. Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image has a similar intimate aim in mind, as aided by some of the icon's depictions of herself, as well as a treasure trove of her personal belongings. When it arrives Down Under in 2025, this will be Australia's latest celebration of Kahlo after the Art Gallery of South Australia's 150-work Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution showcase of Mexican modernism in 2023, and also Sydney Festival's multi-sensory Frida Kahlo: Life of an Icon the same year. That's quite the spread of places around the country that've been dedicating walls and halls to the artist, with Bendigo now joining them. Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image will display at the Bendigo Art Gallery from Saturday, March 15–Sunday, July 13. [caption id="attachment_966475" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frida Kahlo in blue satin blouse, 1939, photograph by Nickolas Muray © Nickolas Muray Photo Archives.[/caption] Many of the artworks and items that'll feature have never been seen in Australia before. In fact, some were sealed for 50 years in her family home when Diego Rivera ensured that the site would become a museum after Kahlo passed away in 1954, and that her most-personal items were stored in the bathrooms away from public eyes. Objects such as clothes and makeup will make the trip to regional Victoria, as will mementoes and photographs. Accordingly, attendees will be peering at traditional Mexican garments, including a headdress from the Oaxaca region, that were worn by Kahlo; Revlon cosmetics, such as lipstick, nail polish and an eyebrow pencil; and hand-painted medical corsets that she donned following spinal surgeries. Appearances Can Be Deceiving, a self-portrait drawing that provides a view through her clothing to her corset x-ray style, is also a highlight. [caption id="attachment_966474" align="alignnone" width="1920"] La Casa Azul. Photograph by Sebastián Monsalve. © Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera Archives. Bank of Mexico, Fiduciary in the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Museum Trust.[/caption] Arriving direct from the Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico, Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image is exclusive to the Bendigo institution, so you'll need to make the trip if you're keen to explore what the artist's belongings and style says about her art. "This remarkable collection rarely travels outside Mexico, and has never before been seen in Australia. Kahlo's much-loved home, Casa Azul, now the Museo Frida Kahlo, was the embodiment of her art, philosophies and design influences," explains Jessica Bridgfoot, Director of Bendigo Art Gallery. "Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image will shed a light on Kahlo's carefully crafted appearance in the world, and how her vibrant clothing, poetic use of makeup and adornment constructed her captivating public image, and also addressed global political issues, cultural identity and how her physical disabilities both defied and defined her." [caption id="attachment_966476" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cotton blouse embroidered with glass beads; satin skirt with chain stitch and floral motif embroidery; holán (ruffle) and guatemalan waist-sash. Photo: © Museo Frida Kahlo - Casa Azul Collection - Javier Hinojosa, 2017.[/caption] "Frida Kahlo: In her own image originates from the extensive investigation of Frida Kahlo's personal objects, found in trunks, wardrobes, drawers, bathrooms and cellars of the Casa Azul," adds Perla Labarthe Alvarez, Museo Frida Kahlo's Director. "The exhibition is a unique opportunity to learn about the Kahlo's life in a classical Mexican house which encompassed not only her personal world but so much of Mexican life and culture. These endearing objects help us understand the story of this complex artist with all her humanity, resilience and creative power." [caption id="attachment_966477" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frida Kahlo, by Guillermo Kahlo, 1932 © Frida Kahlo Museum[/caption] [caption id="attachment_966478" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Revlon compact and powderpuff with blusher in 'Clear Red'; Seal-fast nail varnish top coat; Lastron nail varnishes in 'Frosted Snow Pink' and 'Frosted Pink Lightening'; lipstick in 'Everything's Rosy'. Before 1954. Photo: © Museo Frida Kahlo - Casa Azul Collection - Javier Hinojosa, 2017.[/caption] Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image will display at Bendigo Art Gallery, 42 View Street, Bendigo from Saturday, March 15–Sunday, July 13, 2025. Head to the gallery's website for further details. Top image: Frida Kahlo in blue satin blouse, 1939, photograph by Nickolas Muray © NickolasMuray Photo Archives.
