When your nine-to-five plays out like a well-oiled machine, it can sometimes feel like each week is a little same-same. But Brisbane is brimming with a fine bounty of things to experience and explore each and every day. So aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing some adventure and spontaneity into your schedule. We've teamed up with Mazda3 to help you celebrate the little things that bring a sense of adventure to life. Shake things up, as we give you seven different detours to take each week in Brisbane. From Monday to Sunday, enrich your everyday with one completely achievable activity that inspires you to take the scenic route as you go about your daily routine. This week, find fondue at one of Brisbane's most French spots, lose your inhibitions at a lights-off dance party and pick up the perfect gift from Etsy's IRL market. Plus, we've got your future detours sorted for the new few weeks here. All require no more effort than a tiny break from the norm — what's your excuse for not trying them all?
"For never was a story of more woe," said William Shakespeare of Romeo & Juliet. To be accurate, he had the iconic play announce that itself in its second-last line. In the four centuries since the famed tale was first penned, never was there a tragic romance that's better known, either. Few works have been adapted and performed as much as this story of the warring Montague and Capulet families, and the heartbreak that ensues when their children fall in love — but Benjamin Millepied's Romeo & Juliet suite still stands out. Australian audiences will be able to discover why for themselves when winter hits in 2024, when the world-famous choreographer's take on Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers will make its Aussie debut. Playing exclusively at the Sydney Opera House from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 9, the ballet will fill the Joan Sutherland Theatre and other spaces with a mix of dance, theatre and cinema that defies genres, as well as a modernisation of the narrative that sees love first, not gender. Three versions comprise the suite, each with a different couple. On the production's first night and its Saturday matinee, an all-male pairing will bring Romeo & Juliet to life. On the second evening and the Saturday night, two female dancers will play the lead parts. And on the Friday and Sunday, a male-female duo will take to the stage. Millepied's Romeo & Juliet hails from the LA Dance Project, which he co-founded and acts as its Artistic Director. The company's ensemble will perform on the opera house's stage and also throughout the building, which is then broadcast live back to the audience inside the Joan Sutherland Theatre. So, the Romeo & Juliet suite plays with form, too — and even if you think you've seen every iteration of R&J before, this one is unique. Bringing the ballet Down Under for the first time marks Millepied's latest project in Australia. His last: making his film directorial debut with Carmen, which starred Melissa Barrera (Scream) and Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers), reimagined Prosper Mérimée's novella and Georges Bizet's opera, and shot in the outback New South Wales town of Broken Hill. The dancer, choreographer and filmmaker's resume before that spans joining the New York Ballet as a teen, choreographing and co-starring in Black Swan, a stint as Paris Opera Ballet's Director of Dance and creating the sandwalk for Denis Villeneuve's versions of Dune. "I am deeply proud of LA Dance Project, the artistic journey I've embarked on over the past decade alongside my dedicated partner Lucinda Lent and our exceptional team. The opportunity for our company to grace the stage of the Sydney Opera House is a dream realised," said Millepied, announcing the Romeo & Juliet suite's Australian debut. "This moment holds profound significance, not only because the Sydney Opera House is an emblem of global culture, but also because Australia and its people hold a unique space in my heart. Sydney, I eagerly anticipate our reunion!" The Romeo & Juliet suite will take over the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 9, 2024. For more information and tickets, head to the venue's website — with presales from 9am on Tuesday, February 6 and general sales from 9am on Friday, February 9. Read our interview with Benjamin Millepied about Carmen. Images: Julien Benhamou, Paul Bourdrel and Josh Rose.
In the initial two episodes of Scenes From a Marriage, Mira (Jessica Chastain, IT: Chapter Two) and Jonathan (Oscar Isaac, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker) brush their teeth in front of their ensuite mirror. It's an everyday task in a familiar place, spanning something we all do in a space we all use, but this powerful five-part HBO miniseries turns these two scenes into a complex snapshot of its central couple. It takes not just skill but feeling and understanding to turn such a mundane activity into a must-see; however, that's this weighty show's remit. Scenes From a Marriage gets viewers engrossed in cleaning teeth because it's ordinary, and because everything within its frames fits the same description. Its central relationship careens from happy to heartbroken, comfortable to distraught, and assured to messy, but it also charts a path that countless others have before it. When they first pick up their toothbrushes, Mira and Jonathan attend to their dental hygiene side by side. They chat between foamy mouthfuls. They're relaxed. They've had an unusual day, after talking to a researcher about their nuptials and then hosting a tumultuous dinner with friends, but they're settled in their usual regime. Seconds afterwards, they'll discuss significant news, but they approach that, too, with a sense of unthinking security. But just one episode later, when they brush again, everything has changed. Mira returns from a work trip to share a bombshell revelation, Jonathan doesn't take it well, and he stands back and stares at they each clean. She can't meet his eyes. He won't look away. Their tension, pain and sorrow fills the entire room, as does their uncertainty — and it's a case of two moments, two people, two vastly different pictures of their relationship. Dedicating each episode to a significant day over the course of several years — hairstyles change, and the couple's daughter ages (primarily off-screen) — Scenes From a Marriage is filled with these routine moments. It's a show about patterns, cycles and echoes, how they ripple through relationships and, when broken or changed, how their absence is felt. Much of the series takes place in the same domestic space, too, as the pair rove around the house they've made their home. So, viewers see the duo walk through the same rooms, sit in the same chairs and recline in the same bed. They have variations of the same discussion over and over as well. Every romance is an ongoing conversation that loops, sprawls and repeats, but Scenes From a Marriage pushes this notion to the fore. Mira and Jonathan are always talking, in some way, even when they're not. Their dialogue continues whether it seems like it's just another evening in the bathroom, or it's a terse morning after everything has disintegrated — and as a whirlwind of love, sex, heartbreak and chaos whips through their relationship again and again. It shouldn't be easy, peering into a romance as its bliss fades, and stepping into its ongoing conversation. That idea isn't Scenes From a Marriage's alone, and it wasn't new in 1973, when iconic film director Ingmar Bergman ran with it in his Swedish TV miniseries of the same name. But as penned and helmed here by The Affair's Hagai Levi, HBO's take on the concept turns the familiar and complex into the raw and the riveting. It breaks a relationship down into pivotal moments to strip away the blissful front that couples build for themselves, and the image they project to the world, and it refuses to look away as things turn difficult. Sketching out anything this complicated via just a few scenes is a gimmick, obviously, as the series even nods to in opening scenes that follow Chastain and Isaac getting into character. Still, in the right hands, and with the right tale of a marriage's minutiae, it's also devastating and powerful. Scenes From a Marriage circa 2021 is shot and scored to ramp up that intensity, that simmering uncertainty, that seesawing between two extremes. Cinematographer Andrij Parekh, a veteran of Blue Valentine and its similarly haunting exploration of a romance in decline, prowls carefully and patiently around comfortable spaces adorned in neutral tones — places The White Lotus' characters might've gone home to post-Hawaii — but lets both light and darkness visually clash and compete for attention. Composers Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine craft a score that also rides an emotional rollercoaster, setting the tone as precisely as they previously did with fellow HBO miniseries The Undoing. Each element of Scenes From a Marriage is fine-tuned to amplify the highs, the lows, and the constant to-and-fro between them. That said, this tale of an ambitious tech industry executive, her ex-Orthodox Jewish philosophy professor husband and their fraying nuptials was always going to live and thrive via its two lead performances. Chastain and Isaac, welcome additions to any on-screen project, have played a married couple before. In fact, 2014's A Most Violent Year also saw them navigate a stormy union — and it, like its main duo, was exceptional. The pair certainly know how to project intimacy on the red carpet, as they did at the Venice Film Festival premiere of Scenes From a Marriage. They don't falter in the series itself, even with a concept that could've played like an acting exercise. Again, the conceit is highlighted in those opening seconds of the duo as themselves; however, as Chastain and Isaac walk across the set that swiftly becomes their Mira and Jonathan's home — doing so with masks and distancing, because this was shot during the pandemic — they also help viewers step into their characters with them. When the camera is rolling rather than flashing, Chastain and Isaac are both experts at unpacking someone's entire emotional journey in just their gaze and stance. Accordingly, when the series flickers from the pair as actors to the duo as Mira and Jonathan, it feels seamless even though the artifice is being called out. They take the plunge, the audience does with them, and we all explore what's happened after Scenes From a Marriage's protagonists did just that. On-screen, opposites attracted, then this pair combined their lives and marched forward towards the future, and now everyone weathers the fallout. Chastain and Isaac are also masterful at responding to each other, and at letting those reactions tell as much of the story as the dialogue they're speaking. It's been done before, and will be again — officially and in everything else that's taken cues from the original Swedish series — but here and now, this series works as grippingly and movingly as it does because of its stars. No one can look away as they brush their teeth, share long looks and fling all manner of words at each other. They don't want to themselves, and neither do we. Check out the trailer below: The first two episodes of Scenes From a Marriage are available to stream via Binge, with new instalments dropping weekly. Images: Jojo Whilden/HBO.
Whether you're having a shit day or a really good one, a bunch of blooms delivered to your doorstep (or doughnuts, for that matter) will almost always make it better. But, like everything good in this world, flowers are only temporary. So if you're looking for a gift that will go the distance (like, survive in the desert kind of distance), this new Brissy delivery service is for you. The Succy Bunch lets you send a succulent to your pals around Brisbane. Each week the succulent offering — which comes in a little etched pot — will change, which means you can rack up quite the collection if you become a regular. First up, The Succy Bunch are delivering a 'Black Prince' echeveria in an 11cm x 12cm blue botanic pot. If you're in the Brisbane metro area, you're in luck — this little guy can make it to your desk (or a mate's, if you're feeling generous) for $40, including delivery. If your recipient is outside that reach, there's still hope — just get in touch with the team directly and they'll see if they can make it work. Orders are shipped out on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and must be ordered the day before at thesuccybunch.com.
Find us an occasion that isn't improved by pie, and we'll find you a plate full of reasons why the dish should always be on the menu. Pie suits every day, date, theme and celebration, because there's just so many different types of it — and that includes Halloween. Pie Town agrees, clearly, and it's doing more than just pumping out the food it's known for. The West End eatery is spending the week leading up to October 31 making 15-centimetre pumpkin, chocolate mousse and matcha custard pies, but it wants you to book yourself a slot to come in and decorate them. You'll be getting spooky, of course. Think eyeballs, fangs, tombstones, zombie hands and witches feet, all atop a delicious pie that you'll then take home with you. Tickets cost $25 and, if you're trying to decide which day to attend, you might want to think about just how much you love puppies. On Halloween itself, Pie Town is hosting a parade of costumed pooches, so you can either bring your own or head along and watch everyone else's adorable doggos.
Last year, when Stranger Things became everyone's favourite Netflix series, one Fortitude Valley bar was pretty darn happy. They mightn't force patrons to fight a demogorgon, but Barbara sure does have one of the best possible names for celebrating the fictional town of Hawkins, its curious kids and their '80s antics. So, they threw a party. When you share your moniker with one of the show's most beloved characters, that's what you do. And when the program is slated to come back for another season just in time for Halloween, you plan a second shindig. Behold: Stranger Things at Barbara — Part 2. Taking place from 9pm on October 28 — aka the weekend before the year's scariest date — expect a whole host of weird and wonderful fun, again, including craft beverages, chats about '80s-inspired pop culture, a soundtrack of synth-heavy tunes and general Barb love. Once more, your pal Nancy won't even have to drag you there. BYO Eggo waffles.
Sure, going back to the office has its perks — you get to catch up with your work pals and help yourself to the free coffee. But, for some, it can also be a bit of a drag. After all, we've just spent months gussying up our WFH offices, spending more time with our pets and, let's face it, not having to commute was pretty dreamy. And sometimes you just want to be living your best working life in track pants, we get it. To help get you excited about being back in the physical rat race, we've teamed up with Australian Cocktail Month to bring you seven after-work activities that'll get you through the nine to five. From knock-off drinks to cheese-making workshops and letting lose in a dance class, these are sure to beat any back-to-office blues. SIP A-CLASS TIPPLES Enjoy a well-earned drink after work? Then head to the inaugural Australian Cocktail Month to support local bartenders and bars who've had it pretty rough over the past year. Running throughout May, the event is taking over 72 bars across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide — you can find out your locals over here. Australian Cocktail Month is partnering with liquor brands to serve up speciality cocktails for $14 a pop, plus non-alcoholic drinks for a tenner. But first you must get yourself a $20 ticket, which unlocks the entire month of offers. Then, head on down to a participating bar and show your ticket. After that? Well, bottoms up and cheers to Australia's hospitality industry. [caption id="attachment_791359" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Omnom[/caption] LIVE OUT YOUR WILDEST CHEESE DREAMS WITH A CHEESE-MAKING CLASS If you're a hardcore cheese lover, no doubt you've tucked in to a wheel of brie or stinky gorgonzola after a hard day's work. Instead of simply buying — and eating — your one true cheesy love, why not book yourself in to a cheese-making workshop? With help from experts, you'll get your hands into the dairy and learn the basics, such as how to prepare and curdle the milk, cut the curd and salt the cheese. In Sydney, Rosebery's Omnom hosts regular classes on making ricotta, haloumi and a standout burrata and bocconcini one. The aptly named Cheesemaking offers intensive workshops around the country and will show you how to make various gourmet dairy delights. And, in Melbourne, CERES runs a heap of workshops throughout the year, including classes where you'll make vegan, cheddar and blue cheese. [caption id="attachment_723106" align="alignnone" width="1920"] MYST Escape[/caption] BOND WITH YOUR COWORKERS IN AN ESCAPE ROOM What could bring coworkers closer together than solving puzzles to escape to your freedom? These interactive experiences will transport you through films, history, space and time — and it's up to your team to make it back to reality. So, we'd say it's a pretty good bonding experience. If you're a Sydneysider, you can check out our top nine picks here or make a beeline to Glebe's MYST Escape, which claims to be 'Australia's largest escape room complex'. In Brisbane, the CBD's Fox in a Box is home to themed rooms like prison cells, war bunkers and zombie labs. Or, you can become a spy, pirate or detective at Escape Hunt Brisbane. For Melburnians, head to TRAPT Bar & Escape Rooms to find your way back to Kansas in a Wizard of Oz game, or enter the school of magic at the Harry Potter-inspired Mystery Rooms, with locations in Fitzroy and Collingwood. [caption id="attachment_689129" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cork & Chroma[/caption] CHANNEL YOUR INNER ARTIST AT A PAINT AND SIP SESSION Yes, we've seen the trend of painting while sipping wine grow in the past few years — and it looks like it's here to stay. After all, who doesn't want to channel their inner Picasso? Plus, it's a great way to unwind and forget about the day that's been. Cork & Chroma has locations across Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne and is one of the more popular studios around. Or, attempt your own rendition of Gogh's 'The Starry Night' at Life with Paint, which also has studio spaces across Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_785738" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Crossover Dance[/caption] SHAKE OFF THE WORK WOES BY DANCING Make like Taylor Swift and shake off any work stresses by heading to an after-work dance class. Not only will you cut some serious shapes, but you'll also get some sweet endorphins from all that moving and shaking. If you'd rather bust moves in your own home, we recommend 80s-themed online dance workouts from Retrosweat — just be sure to put on your leotard and leg warmers. Sydneysiders are lucky enough to be able to attend Retrosweat's IRL classes, too. Or, you can head over to inner city K-pop studio Crossover Dance. In Brisbane, get your hips moving in a 50-minute class at Rio Rhythmics or give ballet a go at Mad Dance House. Melburnians can get down with a casual jazz or hip hop class at the Dance Factory or try some burlesque at Bottoms Up studio. HAVE A SUNSET PICNIC For those who like the great outdoors, picnics are no doubt a favourite pastime. And, in our opinion, there's no better time to have one than at twilight. So pack the snacks and a few cold ones, grab your mates and head to a picturesque spot to watch the sun go down — just be sure to bring some cosy clothes. There are plenty of good picnic spots no matter what city you live in. In fact, we've rounded up our go-to spots in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, should you need any inspiration. CATCH A LOCAL COMEDY SHOW They say laughter is the best medicine, so why not catch a local comedy show? Whether you're a fan of watching live comedy or dabble in stand-up yourself, it's likely to cure those back-to-office woes. In Sydney, you can check out Underground Comedy Club at queer-friendly pub The Imperial Hotel, or hit up comedy-centric theatre Giant Dwarf at its new Surry Hills digs. In Brisbane, catch regular improv and sketch comedy nights at Big Fork Theatre or head to Sit Down Comedy Club to see some big names in the stand-up game. And Melburnians can catch some late-night laughs at Spleen Bar, stand-up at Lido Comedy or comedic quizzes at Comedy Republic. Australian Cocktail Month is taking over top bars across the Australia from May 1–31. To buy your ticket, and for the full list of participating bars, head here. Top image: Double Deuce Lounge, Kimberley Low
UPDATE, April 30, 2021: Nomadland is available to stream via Disney+ — and it's still screening in cinemas, too. Frances McDormand is a gift of an actor. Point a camera her way, and a performance so rich that it feels not just believable but tangible floats across the screen. That's true whether she's playing overt or understated characters, or balancing those two extremes. In Fargo, the first film that earned her an Oscar, McDormand is distinctive but grounded, spouting midwestern phrases like "you betcha" but inhabiting her part with texture and sincerity. In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, her next Academy Award-winning role, she's an impassioned mother crusading for justice and vengeance, and she ripples with deep-seated sorrow mixed with anger so fiery that it may as well be burning away her insides. Now, in Nomadland, McDormand feels stripped bare and still a commanding force to be reckoned with. She's tasked with a plucky but struggling part — defiant and determined, too; knocked around by life's ups and downs, noticeably; and, crucially, cognisant that valuing the small pleasures is the hardest but most rewarding feat. It'll earn her another Oscar nomination. It could see her nab a third shiny statuette just three years after her last. Both are highly deserved outcomes because hers is an exceptional performance, and this is 2020's best film. Here, McDormand plays the widowed Fern — a woman who takes to the road, and to the nomad life, after the small middle-America spot where she spent her married years turns into a ghost town when the local mine is shuttered due to the global financial crisis. A slab of on-screen text explains her predicament, with the film then jumping into the aftermath. Fern lives in a van that has seen better days, but she's spent so much effort customising the inside that she's reluctant to part with it. She works hard wherever she can, be it an Amazon warehouse in the pre-Christmas rush, a trailer park over its busy summer season, or a restaurant job she lucks into thanks to a new friend (David Strathairn, Godzilla: King of the Monsters). She's qualified to do far more employment-wise, but the post-GFC recession has wiped out most options, so she's doing her best to get by as she can. She drives wherever she has to in order to earn the most modest of livings, and returns to any gig possible when the time cycles around. This isn't the life she dreamed of, but it's the one she has. Nomadland follows Fern over the course of more than a year, chronicling the 60-something's travels — the jobs, the places and the people she meets. When asked, she's quick to stress that she isn't destitute, and that not having a house isn't the same as being homeless. Based on Jessica Bruder's 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, that's one of the film's most valued ideas. Indeed, while McDormand convincingly steps into the fictional Fern's shoes, she also leads a cast that includes real folks experiencing the existence portrayed within Nomadland's narrative. Seen on-screen as themselves, Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells couldn't be more organic and authentic as a result, but this movie earns those terms several times over anyway. Writer/director Chloé Zhao is known for this approach, using non-professional actors in 2015's Songs My Brothers Taught Me and 2017's The Rider as well. She's also known for making movies driven by pure empathy and compassion, and Nomadland's observational portrait of those that society happily overlooks overwhelmingly fits the bill. A deeply humanist road trip drama that ponders home, identity and community, Nomadland is intimate and almost disarmingly tender and thoughtful, as every movie made by Zhao proves. Those traits mightn't carry over to her next release — 2021's Marvel flick Eternals, which'll see her operating on a much different scale — but they're the reason that she's the filmmaker she is. No one else could've made this movie, even with McDormand as its lead. The cinema industry isn't lacking in talented directors, but no one else would've seen Fern, her transient life, and the ebbs and flows she navigates in the same way. Zhao truly sees everyone in her frames, be they fictional or real. She understands their plights, and ensures her audience understands them as well. Actually, one other filmmaker would've likely done as superb a job, because Debra Granik's 2018 drama Leave No Trace is the perfect companion piece to Nomadland — but Zhao's almost documentary-esque contemplation is all her own. One shot, lensed as gorgeously and naturalistically as everything else within the film by Zhao's now three-time cinematographer Joshua James Richards, typifies this knockout movie's charms. Fern has to be coaxed into attending a meet-up with other nomads but, once there, she fits in with her fellow drifters as they attend informal outdoor seminars about vehicle maintenance and faeces disposal, share stories and swap unneeded belongings. One morning, Fern walks through the makeshift camp, and the camera follows her. It sits at shoulder level, so McDormand's face monopolises the centre of the frame, but her surroundings still peek in at the sun-dappled edges. It's a sublime example of visual storytelling, and a sequence so in tune with the figure it's gazing at that it's virtually staring into her soul. It instantly conveys how Fern holds herself as she makes her way through the world, too. Meticulously crafted, filmed and performed — and with a resonant score by composer Ludovico Einaudi (The Third Murder) that lingers just as potently — Nomadland overflows with these types of moments. Each scene, no matter how routine Fern's acts and deeds might seem at any given second, unearths another sliver of her essence. Every sight, including all the natural wonders that America's sprawling expanse can serve up, has the same effect. Gleaming sunsets, winding roads, otherworldly rock formations, peaceful streams and various critters sighted aren't just background fodder here. Rather, they're used to relay Fern's inner radiance, twisty complexities, fluidity and adaptability, and unwavering strength. That's how layered Nomadland is, because its protagonist, those around her and their lives earn the same term — and Zhao never forgets that, or lets her viewers either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSFpK34lfv0&feature=youtu.be Nomadland screened in Brisbane cinemas during a two-week preview season in 2020, starting Saturday, December 26. From Thursday, March 4, 2021, it's back on the big screen for its general release season.
Matt Brady has been a pioneer of Brisbane street culture for a long time. The owner of iconic Brisbane clothing store The Outpost has also had a large role in shaping Brisbane culture in the arenas of art and music. Matt used to own the very popular Woodland venue, where live music was a major focus, and for the past decade he has been in charge of running I Used To Skate Once, an art exhibition that celebrated local talent and skating culture. The tenth iteration of this event is set to be the biggest yet, with The Zoo accommodating the exhibition itself as well as having a separate experimental music room installed in a shopfront below. The art on display is from a wide variety of local artists and interstate talent, some of who are veterans of the scene and some of who are up-and-comers. We spoke to Matt in the lead-up to the exhibition to talk about where it all started and what we can expect this year. Where did the initial idea for IUTSO come from? We wanted to do something that wasn't a fashion parade — every man and his dog were doing fashion events around that time. I also realised that there were a lot of creative people that were customers. So the skateboard thing was something small canvas and that was relevant to most people who shopped with us. In New York there is a guy called Aaron Rose who did a similar show called Minimal Tricks around the same time. His book for his gallery came out a few years back and he did a skateboard art show. I thought 'I'm on the right page' with something new to do. What made you want to make it an annual thing? We had so much fun doing it that we wanted to do it again! ... It was great because it was all of our friends together. It was a real nice atmosphere, everyone had a good time. It was like having a house party and an art show at the same time. Everyone knew each other. Looking back at the photos now, it was such a nice big group of people that really supported one another — and they still do! A lot of them are in the show on Thursday. How do you go about selecting your showcase artists? It kind of snowballs; there is no rhyme or reason. It starts off with me picking five or so people I really want to have in the show and then it will snowball from there. I do work with a lot of artists that produce products from the shop. There are always new kids coming through that are doing photography or have their own thing going and I will grab them as well. I try to make a mixture of fifty percent male and fifty percent female. Sometimes I just pick people that are loyal customers. Sometimes they aren't the most talented artists but I like to give them a chance. There is a pretty weird selection process; we can't have everyone we want in the show unfortunately. What do you do to keep things fresh and interesting? Lately I have been trying to mix up certain elements. One year we had all of the bands on the floor instead of the stage, the next year we custom built a quarter-pipe. This year we have an experimental electronic room. Obviously we like people being creative with music as well as art. There will be visuals from Pale Earth in that room as well, so there will be an artistic element to it. What do you think of the current art and music scene in Brisbane? Do you think it is in a good place right now or could it be improved? Brisbane is a great place. We are lucky to have places like GOMA and events like GOMA Up-Late, there are a lot of smaller, artist-run galleries that have come and there are a lot of great bands, regardless of genres. New venues like The Brightside are fantastic for music. I keep a low profile most times but there always seems something to do. Are there are any local artists and musicians that you are digging at the moment? I really like Charlie Hillhouse's photography; Heinz Riegler has been great with music and art; Alex Gillies with his woodcuts is amazing. He just had a show in Melbourne. Elana Mullaly is in the show and she is amazing. Band wise, I like Brainbeau (who are headlining the electronic room). Roku Music, obviously — their stuff sounds like My Bloody Valentine which is great! Per Purpose are sounding really good these days and Blank Realm are going to take over the world; they will, that's happening. What are your favourite places to eat, drink and party? I always drink coffee at Jamie's Espresso in the morning. I don't mind doing a quiet bar hop in West End, so I might go to the Bearded Lady, The End and then see a band at The Hi-Fi or The Waiting Room, then go home. I find West End to be really easy for me. I have been in The Valley for so long that it is nice to have somewhere else to go. I still love Black Bear Lodge, though! I'm into being around like-minded people which can be hard in big clubs. Sometimes I like going out to Sunnybank, any of the restaurants there are great. I like places that are high-end cuisine and cheaper eats. I Used To Skate Once 10 is taking place on June 26 at The Zoo. Live performances from Roku Music, Statler+Waldorf, Goon Sax, Brainbeau, Pale Earth and more. Entry is free.
The FIM World Supercross Championship is heading down under in November — and this is your chance to win free tickets. On Saturday, November 29, round four of the Australian GP will take place in Robina, Queensland, at the CBUS Super Stadium. With a variety of ticket options still available, plus family and fan zones to make a day of it, the FIM World Supercross Championship is an adrenaline-filled way to kick off your summer season. From pre- and post-race live entertainment to the thrill-seeking riders carving it up, the WSX has something for everyone. [caption id="attachment_1031891" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Supplied[/caption] There's a packed lineup of riders making the trip down under, with reigning World Supercross 450 Champion and two-time AMA Supercross 450 Champion Eli Tomac returning to the tracks. Two-time German World Supercross 450 Champion Ken Roczen will also be taking part, while three-time AMA Supercross 450 Champion Cooper Webb is making his World Supercross debut. [caption id="attachment_1031892" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Supplied[/caption] It's set to be a night of pure adrenaline and thrills for all ages and fans. Keen to hit the track yourself? In partnership with the World Supercross Championship, we're giving away four Premium Reserved Seating Tickets, each valued at $874.92. There are also four World Supercross Championship hoodies up for grabs, each valued at $140, so you can get 'fitted out before you hit the tracks at CBUS Stadium. To be in with a chance to win, all you have to do is tell us, in 25 words or less, what would your dream adrenaline-filled day would look like? Whether it's getting on a motorbike yourself or bungee jumping off a cliff post-energy drink, your answer may help you score a coveted seat at the World Supercross Championship. [competition]1031904[/competition] [caption id="attachment_1031900" align="alignleft" width="1920"] Supplied[/caption] If you want to be guaranteed a seat (and a thrilling day out), you can buy your own tickets ahead of the World Supercross Championship on Saturday, November 29. Get tickets here. Lead image: FIM World Supercross Championship
Sometime in the near future, Brisbanites will be able to mosey through wetlands, kayak and canoe in a lake, ride along rainforest mountain-bike trails, peer out from a treehouse lookout and climb a high-ropes course — all on the edge of Brisbane's CBD. That's what's slated for the revamped Victoria Park, with the Herston spot in line for a hefty makeover. The first step: shutting the Victoria Park Golf Course and reopening its 45-hectare expanse as a public park. That initial move has already been taken, in fact. Sorry, golfers. And, with all that land now reclaimed, the Brisbane City Council has announced that everyone can head along to the grassy locale for picnics, to kick a footy around and to walk your dog. It's the first time in nearly a century that the land has been open to everyone, too, if you need even more of an excuse to head by. Given that this is just the first step in the site's transformation — which has been dubbed Victoria Park Vision — more changes are on the way. Brissie residents can still make the most of all that greenery while that's happening, though, including by sitting underneath the site's jacaranda trees. And, the existing putt putt course, driving range, bistro and function centre are all staying open while the revamp takes place, should you have the urge to play mini golf or grab a bite to eat. "Opening the park to the public is a major step in our plan to deliver a once-in-a generation project which will restore the park to its former glory and reconnect visitors with local history, culture and nature," said Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner. "Brisbane residents have helped shape what all 64 hectares of parkland will look like and we're in investing $83 million over four years to start to bring this vision to life, which will eventually see waterholes and wetlands, nature playgrounds, an adventure valley and so much more," he continued. First announced in mid-2019, the new vision for Victoria Park will significantly change the current space. Late in 2020, following several stages of community consultations and draft proposals, the council released its final plan for what that'll entail. Over the 64-hectare site — the golf course's 45 hectares, plus some surrounding land — the park will specifically increase the area dedicated to green space. Also on the agenda: a cultural hub, artwork and trails paying tribute to Australia's Indigenous heritage, plus plenty of shady foliage including revegetated forests and pockets of native bushland. There'll be dining areas and picnic spots, too, and community gardens — or perhaps even a small urban farm or urban orchard. Multipurpose spaces such as a green amphitheatre will be designed to host events year-round as well, including performances and exhibitions. [caption id="attachment_793561" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] An artist's impression of Victoria Park once the revamp is complete.[/caption] In addition to the aforementioned Lake Barrambin — where you'll be kayaking and canoeing — the site will feature lagoons and wetlands, a 'nature and water play gully' for kids, restored waterholes for wildlife, and waterside boardwalks to mosey along. And the existing Centenary Pool will be part of the park, if you're keen for a dip. When it's all done, the transformed Victoria Park will become Brisbane's biggest new park in five decades, and one that'll alter the face of the inner city. A completion date for the revamped park is yet to be set, but we can all now drop by, laze around on the grass and watch that change happen. Find Victoria Park on Herston Road, Herston. For more information about the overall transformation, visit the Brisbane City Council website.
Is buying vinyl is part of your regular weekend shopping plans? Whether you're scouring the racks for something specific or just generally looking for a bargain, make a beeline to King George Square. After a successful first run last Christmas, the CBD spot is hosting another record fair — and you can bet there'll be plenty of tunes waiting for a new home. Taking place from 9am–3pm on Saturday, March 7, the King George Record Fair is an offshoot of Brisbane's regular monthly record fair in West End — just in quite the striking CBD location. Expect a whole range of sellers, including folks travelling up from Sydney to offload their vinyl to avid shoppers and collectors. Entry is free, although you'll want to bring your wallet if you're eager to boost your record collection. You can find all manner of delights at a fair like this, from old classics to retro wonders — and albums you never even knew existed. Top image: Brisbane City Council.
Next time you do your grocery shopping, you could cut do your bit for the environment, treat your four-legged friend and pick up some mochi ice cream — all at Coles. The supermarket chain has just launched a revamped store on Racecourse Road in Ascot, and it comes with quite a few upgrades. Also included: self-serve barista coffee, an orange juice-squeezing station and cakes from Jocelyn's Provisions. It certainly hasn't been a normal year or so months for supermarkets, with toilet paper battles and limits on everyday items hitting the front page more than once. But now the pandemic palaver has settled down somewhat, Coles hopes to make your everyday grocery shop (dare we say) exciting with the launch of its fancy new Brisbane store — which is part of the company's mission to both level-up the supermarket experience and reduce waste. The supermarket — which is part of the Coles Local brand — joins Chatswood in Sydney and Moonee Ponds in Melbourne in boasting a range of forward-thinking elements. An eco-friendly product section takes pride of place, you can pack your groceries into free cardboard boxes at the checkout, and the trolley baskets made from recycled materials — all as part of the first Coles Local store in Queensland. In addition to ticking a heap of environmentally conscious boxes, Coles Ascot features quite the range. As well as the aforementioned pastries from Jocelyn's Provisions, you can pick up sausages, patties and pre-marinated meats from Meat at Billy's, and baked goods like brioche burger buns from King Street Bakery. The store also stocks St Food Co's ready-made meals, so you can tuck into Brooklyn-style barbecue brisket, a Malaysian satay chicken or a Penang chicken curry even if you don't feel like cooking. Having friends over? A dedicated entertaining section will stock you up with everything you need. Have a sweet tooth? Stop by the pick-and-mix candy bar. Love macarons? Then you'll want to hit up the mini-macaron bar, too. Plus, Coles hasn't forgotten about the most important member of your family: your pets. You can pick them up a few goodies thanks to the new in-store pet treat pick-and-mix bar — so your pooch can have an after-dinner snack while you enjoy your Tim Tams. Frozen pet food ice cream is also in stock, because your four-legged friends deserve multiple types of treats. Coles' fancier Ascot store follows two other big additions to Brisbane's supermarket options over the past six months. Late in 2020, Sydney's Harris Farm Markets launched its first Queensland venue in Clayfield, and then opened its flagship shop in West End earlier this month. Coles Ascot is located on the corner of Racecourse Road and Dobson Street, Ascot — operating from 7am–9pm Monday–Saturday and 9am–6pm Sunday. Images: Renae Droop/RDW Photography.
If you've ever wandered into Heartbreaker at midnight, or were lucky enough to perch at The Everleigh or Bar Margaux, you've felt the Madrusan effect — fastidious drinks, generous service and a belief that the right cocktail can change the temperature of a night. Zara and Michael Madrusan's new book, The Madrusan Cocktail Companion, is that ethos on paper: a sprawling, meticulously organised reference designed to be used, dog-eared and returned to again and again. [caption id="attachment_854881" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Madrusan's iconic rock 'n' roll dive bar in Melbourne's CBD.[/caption] Originally designed as an in-house guide for their own teams, the Companion has evolved into what Zara describes as "the definitive reference guide for classic cocktails, young and old" — the result of years of collecting, perfecting and categorising recipes from across the globe. The finished product is a bible that is equal parts accessible and technical (and looks pretty chic on the coffee table, too). We caught up with the Madrusans to talk about their cocktail philosophies, the summer drink everyone will be sipping, and why aperitivo culture will never go out of style. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bartender's Choice Consultancy (@bartenderschoiceconsultancy) CP: Let's talk summer drinks — if you had to pick one cocktail as the drink of this Australian summer, what would it be and why? Zara: The Pepino: a Blanco tequila sour with cucumber. It's light, clean and fresh. Tequila is thriving and we're here for it. CP: What trends are you noticing right now in the way Australians are drinking — either in bars or at home? Zara: Agave spirits are more popular than ever with our guests, and for good reason. There are so many amazing products available to us now. With more emphasis on health and wellbeing, low sugar, savoury cocktails are also very popular with ingredients like ginger, chilli and tomato. The martini is still having a moment (which is also music to our ears). This ongoing trend is pushing the industry to experiment with the classic formula, as well as creative garnishing, and scale — we love a half-size Hoffman House directly from the freezer, lemon twist, personally. CP: Spritzes and lighter aperitivo-style drinks have been huge over the past few years. Do you think that momentum will continue, or is something else about to take its place? Zara: The thing about aperitivo drinks is that they were deeply embedded in [Italian] culture long before they were popularised in modern culture. To so many people around the globe, they're not just drinks — they're a moment in time. Aperitivo culture connects people. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Concrete Playground Melbourne (@concreteplaygroundmelbourne) CP: For readers who want to impress friends at home this summer, which recipe from the book would you recommend they start with? Zara: Five-star cocktails don't have to be big, fancy-looking drinks. Some of the best reactions we've received from guests have been when we've offered simple, creative tweaks to well-loved classics — like adding a few dashes of absinthe to the negroni to make a 'Quill' or 'Ritz Negroni'. A subtle change that transforms the flavour profile, giving a crisp, dry finish to the bittersweet classic. Start with a base that people already know and love. This is where The Madrusan Cocktail Companion works wonders — if you know they love Gimlets, head to the Gimlet branch and you'll find a whole chapter of variations to explore. CP: The book draws on cocktail history dating back to the 1800s. Do you see any "forgotten classics" making a comeback this season? Michael: There are so many forgotten classics that are worthy of a resurgence, and we really hope this book brings them out of the shadows. I'm a big fan of blending base spirits — gin and Cognac go well, especially in refreshing drinks like the "Stay Up Late" from 1951. Zara: There are age-old cocktail categories included in the book that we don't see enough of currently. Simple drinks like the Sherry Cobbler from the 1860s deserve a renaissance this summer. CP: Non-alcoholic and low-ABV options are now firmly part of the drinking culture. How did you approach including those in the book, and what's exciting in that space for summer? Zara: Non-alcoholic cocktails deserve to be interesting and complex. The rise in their popularity is no surprise and shows no sign of slowing. Similarly, low alcoholic cocktails are a no-brainer. People are drinking differently, and it's exciting. We pushed our peers around the globe particularly with this category and included two distinct chapters in the 'By Popular Request' section of the book — 'Aperitivo and Spritz', which contains various low-ABV options, and a separate 'Non Alcoholic' collection with drinks spanning all styles. Don't skip past 'La Piña' by Jessica Gonzalez of Nomad NYC for sober summertime sessions — a Piña Colada riff spiked with jalapeño and lengthened with soda. CP: The scale of this book is staggering — but how do you personally like to drink when you're off-duty at home? Zara: We like a simple frozen Martini. It's truly a poem in a drink. 'The Madrusan Cocktail Companion' is out now — available via Murdoch Books. Prefer to have your cocktails made for you? Check out Melbourne and Sydney's best bars. Images: Supplied
Another convenient trip from Brisbane is Moreton Island, just north of Stradbroke. The Tangalooma Wrecks campground is a short walk or drive (via 4WD) from the ferry landing and, as the name suggests, is within view of a series of shipwrecks. The difference between these and most others along Australia's east coast is they were deliberately sunk to create a break wall. Happily, they make for excellent snorkelling and diving, too. Moreton Island National Park is home to miles of pristine beaches, rocky headlands, creeks, lagoons and wildflowers. Facilities consist of cold showers, hybrid toilets and untreated running water. Book in advance. Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
Australia and New Zealand, you're getting more chances to dance the night away: Dua Lipa's already-huge Radical Optimism tour has expanded its trip Down Under. When it was first announced, there were three shows on the itinerary. Due to demand — and before general tickets even go on sale — the tour has been expanded to nine gigs. It's still only playing three cities, however. Accordingly, Dua Lipa fans will still need to head to Sydney, Melbourne or Auckland to catch the Grammy-winner's live shows. She's now doing three gigs in the New South Wales capital, four in the Victorian capital and two in Aotearoan city. Dua Lipa last travelled this way to bring her Future Nostalgia tour Down Under in 2022, and hit the stage at the post-parade party at the 2020 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras before that. The Radical Optimism gigs kick off in November 2024 across Asia, with concerts in Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Tokyo, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Seoul. Fans in Australia and Aotearoa get their turn to find the star under lights and turning the rhythm up in March and April 2025, thanks to shows at Rod Laver Arena, Qudos Bank Arena and Spark Arena. [caption id="attachment_963582" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Raph_PH[/caption] 2024 has been a huge year for the 'Don't Start Now', 'Physical', 'Break My Heart', 'Cold Heart' and 'Houdini' singer, with her third studio album Radical Optimism releasing in May and then the artist headlining Glastonbury. She also popped up in Argylle in cinemas. 2023 was no slouch, either, given that 'Dance the Night' graced the Barbie soundtrack and Dua Lipa featured in the film as a Barbie. The Aussie and NZ leg will restart the Radical Optimism tour in 2025, with dates also locked in across Europe in May and June next year, and in North America in September and October afterwards. As well as Radical Optimism and Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa has tracks from her self-titled 2017 debut record to bust out, including 'Be the One', 'Hotter Than Hell', 'Lost in Your Light', 'New Rules', 'IDGAF' and 'Blow Your Mind'. [caption id="attachment_972947" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tyrone Lebon[/caption] Dua Lipa Radical Optimism Tour 2025 Australia and New Zealand Dates Wednesday, March 19–Thursday, March 20 + Saturday, March 22–Sunday, March 23 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Wednesday, March 26 + Friday, March 28–Saturday, March 29 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Wednesday, April 2 + Friday, April 4 — Spark Arena, Auckland Dua Lipa's Radical Optimism tour heads Down Under in March and April 2025, with general ticket sales from 1pm local time on Friday, September 20. Head to Dua Lipa's website for more details. Live images: Raph_PH via Flickr.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. MOTHERING SUNDAY Is there anything more intimate than wandering around someone's home when they're not there, gently rifling through their things, and — literally or not, your choice — spending a few minutes standing in their shoes? Yes, but there's still an intoxicating sense of closeness that comes with the territory; moseying curiously in another's house without their company, after they've entrusted their most personal space to you alone, will understandably do that. In Mothering Sunday, Jane Fairchild (Odessa Young, The Staircase) finds herself in this very situation. She's naked, and as comfortable as she's ever been anywhere. After her lover Paul Sheringham (Josh O'Connor, Emma) leaves her in a state of postcoital bliss, she makes the most of his family's large abode in the English countryside, the paintings and books that fill its walls and shelves, and the pie and beer tempting her tastebuds in the kitchen. The result: some of this 1920s-set British drama's most evocative and remarkable moments. Jane is used to such lofty spaces, but rarely as a carefree resident. She's an aspiring writer, an orphan and the help; he's firmly from money. She works as a maid for the Sheringhams' neighbours, the also-wealthy Godfrey (Colin Firth, Operation Mincemeat) and Clarrie Niven (Olivia Colman, Heartstopper), and she's ventured next door while everyone except Paul is out. This rare day off is the occasion that gives the stately but still highly moving film its name as well — Mother's Day, but initially designed to honour mother churches, aka where one was baptised — and the well-to-do crowd are all lunching to celebrate Paul's impending nuptials to fiancée Emma Hobday (Emma D'Arcy, Misbehaviour). He made excuses to arrive late, though, in order to steal some time with Jane, as they've both been doing for years. Of course, he can't completely shirk his own party. Mothering Sunday does more than luxuriate in Jane's languid stroll around a sprawling manor, or the happiness that precedes it — much, much more — but these scenes stand out for a reason. They're a showcase for Australian actor Young, who has graduated from playing troubled daughters (see: 2015's The Daughter and the unrelated Looking for Grace) to searching young women cementing their place in the world (see also: 2020's Shirley). With her quietly potent and radiant help, they say oh-so-much about Jane that wouldn't have sported the same power if conveyed via dialogue. They're also exactly the kind of sequences that screenwriter Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth) knows well, although she isn't merely repeating herself. Helping pen the page-to-screen adaptations of Sally Rooney's Normal People and Conversations with Friends, she's inherently at home revealing everything she can about her characters just by observing what they do when no one's watching. The broader story in Mothering Sunday also springs from a book, this time from Graham Swift's 2016 novel, with French filmmaker Eva Husson (Girls of the Sun) making her English-language debut in the director's chair. Swift didn't choose an annual occasion at random, with the day cloaked in sadness in the Sheringham and Niven households — and across Britain — in the shadow of the First World War and all the young men lost to the conflict. Indeed, marking Paul's engagement is the best way to spend the date because his brothers, and the Nivens' boys too, will never have the same chance. The need to don a stiff upper lip, to keep calm and carry on, and to embody every other grin-and-bear-it cliche about English stoicism is deeply rooted in grief here, and more will come in this touching feature before the sunny March day that sits at its centre is over. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze and Hatching.
Surveying the best the inner city has to offer, the Spring Hill Alive Festival is bringing revelry back to the CBD’s outskirts. Markets, food trucks, pop-up bars and more will see Boundary Street erupt into an 11-hour feast for all ages. It's at the historic Spring Hill Baths, recently reopened, where the festival is making a real splash. Take advantage of the increasingly warm Brisbane weather with a pool party there. followed by a 'dive-in' movie. Cool off with a screening of fun 1950s classic Singin’ in the Rain, then steam back up again with Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot. A packed roster of local talent will be on hand to entertain up and down Boundary Street, headlined by a DJ set by Sampology and including Cutloose and Deejaye Katch. Fuel up with food stalls from the likes of Little Mykanos, Bishamon, Sisco Cafe and Spring Hill Deli Cafe, plus all the food trucks parked on Boundary Street for the day.
Are you the kind of person who just has to read the book before watching a TV show or movie? Perhaps you prefer the opposite, soaking in every minute of the series or film afresh with no knowledge of what's to come, then devouring the source material to spending more time in its world and fill in the details. Whichever best describes your style of page-to-screen fandom, you're welcome at a new Australian event that's all about streaming hits adapted from novels: Prime Book Club LIVE. You might've noticed that plenty of the streaming platform's recent fare began on the page. It's true of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and also of the Culpable trilogy and also We Were Liars, for instance. So, the service is celebrating that fact in Sydney, putting on Prime Book Club LIVE with a number of authors and actors connected to its lineup as guests. The third and final season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, the platform's most-successful original series, is streaming from Wednesday, July 16 and releasing episodes through until Wednesday, September 17. Accordingly, author Jenny Han — who not only penned the books The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer that the show is based on and is the series' showrunner, but also wrote the To All The Boys I've Loved Before trilogy — is on Prime Book Club LIVE's lineup. So are Lola Tung and Rain Spencer (Test Screening). Ahead of Culpa Nuestra (Our Fault), the third and final Culpable trilogy flick after films Culpa Mia (My Fault) and Culpa Tuya (Your Fault), reaching Prime Video in October, author Mercedes Ron is also getting chatting in the Harbour City. Taking place from 5pm on Thursday, July 31, 2025 at Machine Hall in Sydney, Prime Book Club LIVE boasts Lucinda 'Froomes' Price as its host, features a #BookTok panel, and sports an immersive setup spanning interactive experiences, giveaways and more. The event is also set to cover We Were Liars — which has an Australian connection thanks to Invisible Boys talent and future The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping star Joseph Zada — and others that fit the page-to-screen mould, including upcoming book-to-screen titles. Attendance is free, but you'll either need to register for a ticket in advance from 12pm AEST on Monday, July 14 or try your luck for one of the limited seats that'll be available on the day. The Summer I Turned Pretty images: Erika Doss © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC / Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Prime Video.
Don't just walk through inner-city Brisbane with your head buried in your phone. Across parts of the CBD — including Howard Smith Wharves and Fish Lane; Eagle Lane, Irish Lane, Edison Lane, Giffin Lane and Hutton Lane; Ann, Queen and Elizabeth streets; and the King George Square car park — Brisbane City Council's Outdoor Gallery wants your attention. Don't just people-watch when you're strolling along either, then, because you've got art to check out. This opportunity to celebrate creativity isn't new but it's still going strong, changing its exhibitions every few months or so. Paradise Gloss is the latest, and it too is a celebration of creativity — and play, as filling laneways, streets, lightboxes and car parks under the curation of Laura Brinin. Until Sunday, November 3, 2024, you can check out works by 14 artists, including Rachel Burke, Bonnie Hislop, Sunday Jemmott, Jessica Nothdurft, Frances Powell and Susan Lincoln. Some are Brisbane locals. Some hail from around the country. All are assisting make the River City more vibrant. In some spots, you'll see colourful artworks. In others, you'll spy something more sculptural. Either way, this exhibition and the Outdoor Gallery initiative means that it's always worth keeping your eyes peeled while wandering around.
Is Sydney Film Festival in its body-horror era? In 2024, the Harbour City's annual citywide celebration of cinema closed with The Substance, after it had wowed Cannes but before it was an Oscar-winner. The very next movie that the event is screening, aka 2025's just-announced opening-night picture, also falls into the genre. Together stars Alison Brie (Apples Never Fall) and Dave Franco (Love Lies Bleeding), had this year's Sundance buzzing and marks the feature directorial debut of Australian filmmaker Michael Shanks (The Wizards of Aus). The Aussie film will kick off one of the country's major yearly odes to movies on Wednesday, June 4 — and will do so with a flick about a couple moving to the country, then finding more than just the relaxing quiet life they're seeking awaiting. Brie and Franco play Millie and Tim. After their big shift, she feels more at home than he does, ramping up their codependent relationship on his side. Then, as the teaser trailer featuring staring animals, unexpected strands of hair, a cave and declarations of love starts to show, things get strange. Also co-starring Australian actor Damon Herriman (How to Make Gravy), Together has a date with SFF almost two months in advance of its Aussie and US cinema release date at the end of July. In Sydney, it leads a lineup that's drop its full program on Wednesday, May 7, but already includes a Jafar Panahi retrospective, Justin Kurzel (The Narrow Road to the Deep North)-directed documentary Ellis Park, and everything from homegrown animation Lesbian Space Princess to Barry Keoghan's (Bird) new Irish thriller Bring Them Down. "We are thrilled to open the 2025 Festival with Together, a fiercely original work that showcases the creative ambition of a new voice in Australian cinema," said Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley, announcing 2025's opening flick. "Michael Shanks has crafted a bold and inventive debut that shifts seamlessly between tones, anchored by fully committed performances from Alison Brie and Dave Franco." Added Shanks: "having Together open Sydney Film Festival is a huge honour. Despite our US leads, this is an Australian film through and through, and I'm so proud to showcase what amazing crew and cast we have in our local industry." "I got altitude sickness in Utah when the film premiered in Sundance, and thankfully that's far less likely to happen when it premieres in Sydney." Check out the teaser trailer for Together below: Sydney Film Festival 2025 runs from Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15 at cinemas across Sydney. Head to the festival website for further information and tickets — and check back here for the full lineup on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
There are times when we live paycheque to paycheque. Then there are times when it's appropriate to live a little large. Right now we're feeling the need to indulge. Whether that's catching an award-winning opera with epic Sydney Harbour views, spending three hours at a top-end-of-town spa, or dining at one of Sydney's famous restaurants. In partnership with Destination NSW, we've picked out seven outrageously fancy things to do in Sydney, so when you're in need of a treat you know exactly where to start. [caption id="attachment_805157" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hamilton Lund[/caption] SEE LA TRAVIATA ON SYDNEY HARBOUR One of our city's most extravagant annual events is back for 2021 with extra gusto. Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour will once again host an award-winning opera on its openair theatre. This time it's Verdi's famous opera La Traviata — a story that inspired Moulin Rouge. You can expect decadence in the form of a nine-metre-high chandelier hanging above the stage (complete with 10,000 crystals) and fireworks at every performance. Not to mention those unbeatable harbour views. To truly experience the luxury event, book a pre-show dinner and interval drinks at the HSBC Platinum Club. Tickets for La Traviata start from $99. The show runs until April 25. INDULGE IN A SPA EXPERIENCE AT SHANGRI-LA Next time you're in need of pampering, don't settle for your high street massage place. Instead, step it up a notch with a spa day at Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. The luxury hotel's in-house Chi, The Spa has heaps of packages to choose from. The most luxurious is the Journey Down Under ($535–605 per person). This 3.25-hour experience features a 75-minute wattleseed scrub and pink clay wrap combo followed by a 60-minute aroma massage, then a one-hour deep cleansing facial. The spa uses ethically sourced natural ingredients, too. Fully booked? Here are more indulgent spa experiences in Sydney. SPEND A NIGHT IN THE BEST HOTEL ROOM IN THE CITY One of the most expensive suites in the city can be found at five-star hotel The Langham, Sydney. The most expensive and luxurious room in the house is The Observatory Suite (from $2,448 per night). Boasting views over Observatory Hill, the 122-square-metre space features a double drawing room with a fireplace, a grand eight-person dining room and an extra comfy master bedroom. Plus, it has a gorgeous marble bathroom with a separate tub for the most extra soak you'll ever have. After a long bath, throw on that plush bathrobe and slippers and enjoy the 24-hour room service. TAKE A SEAPLANE TO A REMOTE WATERSIDE RESTAURANT Sure, you could easily drive to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, but where's the fun in that? Instead, live like a celeb and hop on a seaplane to take you there — with food awaiting your arrival. Sydney Seaplanes will fly you to this award-winning waterside cottage, set on Cowan Creek. The decadent three-course lunch ($580 each) is created by head chef Kevin Solomon (formerly at Guillaume). If you can't bear to leave your tranquil surrounds, you can stay overnight at Cottage Point Inn for $775 per person, including your meal and flight. In the morning, you'll be treated to a continental breakfast before flying back to Rose Bay. [caption id="attachment_677793" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] EAT AT ONE OF SYDNEY'S FAMOUS FINE DINERS Peter Gilmore's Quay is a dining experience worthy of its extravagance. You can choose from a six- or eight-course feast ($240–290) and, no matter your decision, you'll experience the finest ingredients presented beautifully. Raw scallops are paired with liquorice kombu and oyster cream; smoked eel with caviar and sea cucumber crackling; bone marrow noodles with mud crab and miso butter; and Maremma duck with black garlic and preserved blueberries. Complete your evening with the sommelier wine pairing for $190–230. CHARTER A PRIVATE YACHT FOR 20 OF YOUR NEAREST AND DEAREST Want to feel like a billionaire? If the answer is 'so freakin' bad', pretend you're Bruno Mars right here in Sydney. Plenty of local companies hire out yachts by the hour. Sydney Harbour Escapes, which operates the popular party boat Starship Sydney, has four-person boats all the way up to mega yachts for 950 guests. If you're going all out, treat 20 of your nearest and dearest to a yacht day, from $325 per hour. Living large? Opt for a skippered overnight stay with Taylor Made Escapes in Palm Beach from $499. [caption id="attachment_795541" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Balloon Aloft, Destination NSW[/caption] WATCH THE SUNRISE FROM A HOT AIR BALLOON There's more than one way to take to the skies. For the most leisurely flight option, hop aboard a hot air balloon. There are heaps of these nostalgic experiences out there, but we rate Balloon Aloft's flights in Camden and Hunter Valley. Each one-hour flight will cost you $279 per person. Whichever location you choose, you'll set out at sunrise and pass over rolling countryside and lush valleys. After your flight, you'll enjoy a gourmet brekkie complete with sparkling wine, either at Peterson House Winery in the Hunter or Camden Valley Inn in the Macarthur region. Going on a luxe getaway? Balloon Aloft also runs experiences in Mudgee and Byron Bay. 'La Traviata' runs until April 25, 2021. Tickets start from $99. Top image: Sydney Seaplanes
Cinemas are glorious. There's nowhere better to see a movie. When you're watching a film in the cosy confines of a darkened room, communing devotedly with the projected picture flickering before your eyes, that viewing experience simply can't be beaten. But hitting up your streaming queue instead isn't just for filling time on the couch or catching up on flicks you might've missed on the big screen. And, features that don't get a theatrical run shouldn't be stigmatised by the 'direct-to-streaming' label. Thanks to the ever-growing array of online viewing options, movie buffs can now see more new movies than ever before. Smaller flicks that were never going to reach cinemas, international favourites that would only screen at festivals Down Under otherwise, new releases by big-name filmmakers not getting funding elsewhere: they've all been making their way to us thanks to streaming. In 2022, that online-only roster of features dropped new must-see titles every single month, and came overflowing with fantastic fare. Back in July, we picked the best 15 straight-to-streaming films of 2022's first six months. Now, with a whole year behind us, we've cast our eyes of the entire 12-month period. As a result, we've already sung the praises of some of our overall top 15 straight-to-streaming gems for 2022 — but the very best deserve all the love all the time. Catch up with them from your couch ASAP. KIMI For the second year in a row, Steven Soderbergh has made one of the year's best movies and it has completely bypassed Australian cinemas. Unlike 2021's No Sudden Move, however, Kimi was always destined for streaming. The latest in his series of paranoid thrillers that also includes Contagion, and once again female-fronted as Haywire, Side Effects and Unsane were too, this Zoë Kravitz-starring standout takes its cues from smart devices, humanity's increasing dependence upon technology, and the kinds of events that a virtual assistant like Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant might eavesdrop on. As a result, Soderbergh has crafted another movie that riffs on a growing area of real-life interest, then turns it into a tense, potent and devilishly smart feature. A bonus: focusing on a protagonist who doesn't feel safe leaving her house, Kimi couldn't better capture how the pandemic has felt without overtly needing to be a COVID-19 film. Kravitz (The Batman) plays Angela Childs, who works for Seattle-based tech corporation Amygdala from the comfort of her own sprawling loft — and from her own audiophile's dream of a computer setup — listening to snippets of conversation captured by smart speaker Kimi for quality assurance. In one clip, she hears what she believes to be a horrible crime and is compelled to follow up; however, her bosses aren't thrilled about her probing. Complicating matters: after being the victim of an assault a couple of years earlier, Angela suffers from anxiety and agoraphobia, making leaving the house to investigate a fraught task. As he did to particularly stellar effect in Unsane as well, Soderbergh styles his latest psychological thriller after its protagonist's mindset, making unease and suspense drop from every aesthetic choice — camera angles and placement, jittery frames and a voyeuristic perspective all included. Kimi streams via Binge. ATHENA When a director uses a single take for a lengthy sequence, an episode of television or an entire film — even with some editing trickery to help — it usually isn't just a gimmick. As everything from The Bear to 1917 have shown, there's urgency and immediacy in that stylistic approach. Given that Athena plunges into a powderkeg situation in a French neighbourhood that shares the movie's moniker, with the banlieue's residents understandably incensed after the brutal killing of a teenager from their midst by law enforcement, this latest stunner from writer/director Romain Gavras (after the excellent The World Is Yours) was always going to feel unrelenting, inescapably tense and utterly in-the-moment anyway. See also: 2019 French Oscar-nominee Les Misérables, similarly about the response to police violence, which was penned and helmed by Athena's co-screenwriter Ladj Ly. Still, the unbroken shot that opens Gavras' latest spectacular film is up there with 2022's best in any feature. Long takes pop up often in Athena, which starts with French soldier Abdel (Dali Benssalah, No Time to Die) confronting the fact that his 13-year-old brother Idir (first-timer Mohamed Amri) is dead — and, as seen in online footage, that the cops are responsible. He's managing to keep calm, however, until another of his siblings Karim (debutant Sami Slimane) throws a Molotov cocktail inside a crowded police station. Cinematographer Matias Boucard (Eiffel) captures it all without looking away, and keeps doing the same as they return home, with Athena soon under siege as the authorities swarm in and the home crowd explodes with anger. Even when edits come, this is an unflagging and unflinching feature, as aided by close-up and handheld camerawork, impassioned performances, its topical storyline and staggering action cinematography. Athena uses its aesthetics to make a statement, too, about race, power and inequality — and it firmly knows that this tale can only be a tragedy. Athena streams via Netflix. WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR "Hey guys, Casey here. Welcome to my channel. Today I'm going to be taking the World's Fair Challenge." So says We're All Going to the World's Fair's protagonist (feature newcomer Anna Cobb) twice to start this absorbing horror film, to camera, in what makes a spectacular opening sequence. Next, an eerie wave of multicoloured light flashes across her face. Watching her response brings the also-excellent She Dies Tomorrow to mind, but Casey has her own viral phenomenon to deal with. She's doing what she says she will, aka viewing a strobing video, uttering a pivotal phrase and then smearing blood across her laptop screen — and she promises to document anything that changes afterwards, because others have made those kinds of reports. Written, directed and edited by fellow feature debutant Jane Schoenbrun, the instantly eerie and intriguing We're All Going to the World's Fair is that record. Schoenbrun's film is more than that, however. It also charts the connections that spring and splinter around Casey just by joining the online trend, where her videos spark others in return — and the spirals she goes down as she watches, which then sparks a response in her own way, too. A portrait of isolation and alienation as well, while chronicling the after effects of playing a virtual horror game, We're All Going to the World's Fair is also a picture of an always-recorded world. Take your lockdown mindset, your social-media scrolling, all that Zooming that defined the beginning of the pandemic and a gamer vibe, roll them all together, and that's still not quite this arresting movie — which keeps shifting and evolving just like Cobb's enigmatic and evocative performance. The entire flick earns that description and, not that it needs an established name's tick of approval, the fact that The Green Knight and A Ghost Story director David Lowery is an executive producer speaks volumes. We're All Going to the World's Fair streams via Shudder. GREAT FREEDOM Great Freedom begins with 60s-style video footage captured in public bathrooms, showing Hans Hoffmann (Franz Rogowski, Undine) with other men, and with court proceedings that condemn him to prison purely for being gay. That was the reality in West Germany at the time due to Paragraph 175, which criminalised homosexuality — and, when he's incarcerated at the start of this equally tender and brutal Austrian film, Hans isn't surprised. He's been there before, as writer/director Sebastian Meise (Still Life) conveys almost like he's chronicling time travel. It's a canny touch, as relayed in the movie's cinematography, editing and overall mood. The minutes, days, hours, weeks and more surely move differently when you've been locked up for being who you are, and when being in jail is the better alternative to being in a concentration camp. Meise jumps between Hans' different stretches, exploring the imprint all that time behind bars leaves, the yearning for love and freedom that never dissipates, and his friendship with initially repulsed fellow inmate Viktor (Georg Friedrich, Freud). In the process, Great Freedom resounds with intimate moments and revealing performances, as anchored by another stellar turn by Rogowski. The German talent has had an outstanding few years thanks to Victoria, Happy End, Transit, In the Aisles and Undine. He's as absorbing as he's ever been here, too, in a movie that stares his way so intently — and with such a striking sense of light and shade — that it could be painting his portrait. Friedrich is just as impressive, in an outwardly thorny part. Great Freedom streams via SBS On Demand. RESURRECTION Another year, another engrossing thriller starring Rebecca Hall. Another film giving the English actor a new standout performance for her packed resume, too. After proving remarkable in 2021's The Night House, and also turning director with the marvellously moving Passing, Hall plays a woman virtually synonymous with tension in the sleek and twisty Resurrection. Even when her character, Margaret, is calm and empathetic at her job in pharmaceuticals, including while counselling her junior colleagues, unease flickers in her haunted eyes and rigid posture. When she's fussing over her almost 18-year-old daughter Abbie's (Grace Kaufman, The Sky Is Everywhere) comings and goings, such as soon leaving for college, Margaret comes off as overprotective — but with a tormented edge. Resurrection lingers in this feeling, teasing out the details behind it while also making it plain that constantly being on guard can be a reality thanks to traumas and simply life. Indeed, thanks to his ambiguous tale, writer/director Andrew Semans (Nancy, Please) ensures that that sensation remains even when Margaret's demeanour and behaviour gets an explanation. If a human tooth suddenly showed up in your daughter's wallet, an eerie man from your past (Tim Roth, Sundown) re-emerged after two decades and the worst pain you'd ever experienced was drudged up again, you'd find it impossible to remain composed and collected, too. As Resurrection thrusts Margaret through her own personal horror show, it isn't concerned with simply showing a woman unravelling — rather, it focuses on a woman pushed to her limits by tragedy, malevolence, manipulation and one helluva toxic man. Semans's knack for crafting a skin-crawlingly unsettling atmosphere is immense, and so is his willingness to take gloriously unhinged swings and his talent for casting. It's no wonder that the film can barely look away from Hall, who is stellar from start to finish but next-level astounding during a lengthy monologue and a big confrontation. And as for Roth, creepy doesn't even begin to describe his work here. Resurrection streams via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. CAUSEWAY Trauma is a screenwriter's best friend. If on-screen characters didn't have past stresses to overcome or new hardships to cope with — usually both — then dramatic scripts would barely last a few pages. Neither would horror flicks, or thrillers, or plenty of comedies; however, few films are happy to sit with trauma in the way that (and as well as) Causeway does. Starring Jennifer Lawrence (Don't Look Up) as a military veteran sent home from Afghanistan after being blown up, working her way through rehab and determined to re-enlist as soon as she has medical sign-off, this subtle, thoughtful and powerful movie grapples with several stark truths. It knows that some woes do genuinely change lives, and not for the better. It's well aware that many miseries can't be overcome, and completely alter the person experiencing them. It's keenly cognisant that that simply existing can be a series of heartbreaks, and escaping that cycle can be the most powerful motivator in the world. And, when Atlanta and Bullet Train's Brian Tyree Henry enters the picture as a New Orleans mechanic with his own history, it sees the solace that can be found between people willing to face their tough realities together. When Causeway begins, Lawrence's Lynsey is freshly out of hospital, and learning how to walk, dress, shower, drive and do all other everyday tasks again. Even then, she still wants to redeploy. Directed by feature first-timer Lila Neugebauer (The Sex Lives of College Girls), and penned by fellow debutants Ottessa Moshfegh, Luke Goebel and Elizabeth Sanders, the film spies the determination in its protagonist's eyes — and the pain she's trying to bury after she goes home to stay with her mother (Linda Emond, The Patient), gets drawn into old unhealthy dynamics, but finds a friend in Henry's kind, eager but haunted James. There's no cross-country drive with a canine, if the similarly themed Dog comes to mind, but rather a willingness to steep in Lynsey and James' complicated emotions. Neugebauer has the perfect central duo for the movie's key parts, too; neither Lawrence nor Henry's resumes are short on highlights, acclaim or award nominations, but their respective textured, naturalistic and deeply felt performances in Causeway ranks among each's best work. Causeway streams via Apple TV+. FRESH Finally, a film about dating in the 21st century with real bite — and that's unafraid to sink its teeth into the topic. In this hit Sundance horror-comedy, Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Noa, and once again gets entangled in a romance that'll leave a mark; here, however, the scars aren't merely emotional. Swiping right hasn't been doing it for Fresh's protagonist, as a comically terrible date with the appropriately named Chad (Brett Dier, Jane the Virgin) demonstrates early. Then sparks fly the old-fashioned way, in-person at the supermarket, with the curiously offline doctor Steve (Sebastian Stan, Pam & Tommy). Soon, he's whisking her away to a secluded spot for the weekend — a little too swiftly for Noa's protective best friend Mollie's (Jojo T Gibbs, Twenties) liking, especially given that no one can virtually stalk his socials to scope him out — and that getaway takes a savage and nightmare-fuelling twist. If Raw met Ex Machina, then crossed paths with American Psycho and Hostel, and finally made the acquaintance of any old rom-com, Fresh still wouldn't be the end result — but its tone stems from those parts, as do some plot points and performances, and even a few scenes as well. First-time feature director Mimi Cave doesn't butcher these limbs, though, and screenwriter Lauryn Kahn (Ibiza) doesn't stitch them together like Frankenstein's monster. As anchored by the excellent Edgar-Jones and Stan, there's care, savvy, smarts and style in this splatter-filled, satirical, brutal, funny, empowered and sweet film. Its twists, and its cutting take on predatory dating, are best discovered by watching, but being turned off apps, men and meat in tandem is an instant gut reaction. Fresh streams via Disney+. COW As its name so clearly explains, Cow devotes its frames to one farmyard animal — and it's one of the most haunting films of the past few years. It's the third feature to take its title from a four-legged critter in the past two years, after the vastly dissimilar Pig and Lamb. It's also the second observational documentary of late to peer at the daily existence of creatures that form part of humanity's food chain, following the also-exceptional Gunda. And, it also joins 2013's The Moo Man in honing its focus specifically upon dairy farming, and in Britain at that. But the key to Cow is Andrea Arnold, the phenomenal filmmaker behind Fish Tank, Wuthering Heights, American Honey and the second season of Big Little Lies. She sees Luma, her bovine protagonist, with as much affection and understanding as she's ever seen any of the women who've led her projects. While watching, viewers do as well. Starting with the birth of Luma's latest calf — and, in the beginning, taking detours to see how it's faring as well — Cow unfurls with the rhythm of its agricultural setting. It's the rhythm of Luma's life, too, as she's milked and fed, moos for the offspring that's taken away too quickly, and is soon impregnated again. There's no doubt where the documentary is headed, either. There's simply no shying away from the fact that Luma and cattle like her only exist for milk or meat. Without ever offering any narration or on-screen explanation, Arnold stares at these facts directly, while also peering deeply into its bovine subject's eyes as often as possible. The result is hypnotic, inescapably affecting, and also features the best use of Garbage's 'Milk' ever in a movie. Cow streams via DocPlay. I'M YOUR MAN Since 2013, any film that's involved making an emotional connection with artificial intelligence has brought Her to mind. Since 2014, any movie about human-android relationships has conjured up Ex Machina as well. And, since 2007, any flick that focuses on the companionship that a lonely human soul might find in an artificial companion has walked in Lars and the Real Girl's footsteps, too. In smart, perceptive and warmly humorous German gem I'm Your Man, however, it's a woman who is opening her life to a male presence — an AI-run robot designed to be her perfect match — and she's not too happy about it. Archaeologist Dr Alma Felser (Maren Egger, I Was at Home, But) is merely and begrudgingly testing out the technology that brings Tom (Dan Stevens, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) into her life, for three weeks at the behest of her boss at Berlin's Pergamon Museum, and solely for the good of science. I'm Your Man is a rom-com, which means exactly what viewers think it does going in: that Alma slowly starts rethinking her position on Tom. But that's about the only aspect of this thoughtful, witty and yearning exploration of what it means to be human and to truly connect that does what's expected. Fresh from winning an Emmy for directing Unorthodox — and making this before helming She Said — German filmmaker Maria Schrader helms a charming and insightful take on what's beginning to be an oft-considered topic, and is unpacked in a moving and delightful way in her hands. Her film is also extremely well cast, with Egger thoroughly deserving her 2021 Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Acting Performance as Alma, and Stevens pitch-perfect as the supposed robotic man of her dreams — who just wants love himself. I'm Your Man streams via Binge. NANNY In Nanny, Aisha (Anna Diop, Us) is haunted, both when she's asleep and awake. Her slumbers are disturbed by nightmares, but seeing rising waters and unwelcome spiders isn't just relegated to when the Senegalese woman in New York closes her eyes. A gut-wrenching sense of unease also lingers while she works, after securing a childminding job for rich Upper East Side residents Amy (Michelle Monaghan, Echoes) and Adam (Morgan Spector, The Gilded Age). Their five-year-old daughter Rose (Rose Decker, Mare of Easttown) adores Aisha — more than her parents, it often seems. And, the nannying gig helps Aisha distract herself from missing her own son, who she's desperately trying to bring over to the US. She's haunted by his absence, too, and by the stolen snippets of conversation she gets with him on the phone, constantly juggling the time difference. The supernatural disturbances plaguing Aisha and her feelings about leaving her child in Senegal to chase a better future for them both are clearly linked, although Nanny is atmospheric and insightful rather than blunt and overt. The first horror film to win Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize, this evocative effort hails from writer/director Nikyatu Jusu, who makes her feature-length debut with quite the calling card. 2022 isn't short on affectingly moody and evocative female-focused thrillers with a maternal bent — see: Resurrection above, which also debuted at Sundance — but Nanny's addition to the fold is deeply steeped in Aisha's immigrant experience. Thanks to all that otherworldly water, it feels like it's always steeping, in fact, soaking in the troubles and struggles of trying to snatch even a piece of the American dream when you're not wealthy, white and originally from the so-called land of the free. Also prominent: the dispiriting minutiae of Aisha's day, aka exactly what she has to endure to even have a chance of gaining what comes easily and obliviously to her employers. Like its central figure, Nanny is haunted several times over, too. Nanny streams via Prime Video. PREY No stranger to voicing iconic lines, Arnold Schwarzenegger uttered one of his best-known phrases yet 35 years ago, in a franchise that's still going today. "If it bleeds, we can kill it" has been quoted frequently ever since — even by champion AFL coaches — and it's no spoiler to mention that it pops up again in the latest Predator film Prey. Trotting out that piece of dialogue won't surprise anyone, but this fine-tuned action-thriller should. It's one of the saga's best entries, serving up a lean, taut and thoughtful kill-or-be-killed battle set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. The Predator series hasn't been big on highlights over the years — Predator 2 is forgettable to put it nicely, 2010's Predators is effective, 2018's The Predator favoured its throwback vibes above all else, and the two terrible Alien vs Predator cross-over films are best left forgotten — however Prey not only breathes new life into it, but paves a welcome path for more. (Bring on a Prey sequel ASAP.) The overall premise remains the same, with the franchise's ruthless, brutal and technologically advanced alien species using earth as its hunting ground as the series has already established — and showing zero concern about leaving a body count. Trained healer Naru (Amber Midthunder, The Ice Road) is the first to notice that something is awry this time, spotting the predator's spaceship in the sky and taking it as a sign to follow her dream to become a hunter herself. Alas, that isn't the done thing. In fact, she's spent her entire life being told that she can't be like her brother Taabe (first-timer Dakota Beavers), and should focus on her assigned role instead. Now, even with an extra-terrestrial foe wreaking havoc, she's still dismissed at every turn. Midthunder plays Naru as a fierce, determined, persistent and resourceful force to be reckoned with, while writer/director Dan Trachtenberg — co-scripting with Jack Ryan's Patrick Aison — gives all things Predator the taut focus, canny shift and fresh feel he also gave the Cloverfield saga with 10 Cloverfield Lane. Prey streams via Disney+. HELLBENDER Meet the Adams family — no, not the creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky characters that've featured on pages and screens for decades (including in 2022 newcomer Wednesday, plus two terrible recent animated flicks), but the filmmaking collective comprised of couple Toby Poser and John Adams, plus their daughters Zelda and Lulu Adams. The quartet might be missing a letter from their well-known counterparts' names, but they're just as fond of all things horror. Case in point: their second feature Hellbender, a self-financed standout that's both a spellbinding tale of witchcraft and a clever coming-of-age story. It starts in a house in the woods, and also spends most of its time there. It includes the arrival of an unexpected stranger, shattering the status quo. But formulaic and by-the-numbers, this must-see isn't. In making first-rate use of its setting, and of a cast that's primarily comprised of Adams family members, it's also a masterclass in lockdown filmmaking. In the most expected aspect of Hellbender, the film's name does indeed refer to a punk-metal band, with 16-year-old Izzy (Zelda Adams, The Deeper You Dig) and her mother (Toby Poser) its sole members. No one else has ever heard them play, either, given that Izzy is both homeschooled and confined to the family's sprawling mountainside property, as she has been since she was five. Her mum tells her that she can't venture into town or around other people due to a contagious autoimmune disease; however, when a lost man (John Adams) wanders their way and mentions that his teenage niece Amber (Lulu Adams) lives nearby, Izzy gets the confidence to go exploring. As both written and directed by three out of four Adams family members — all except Lulu — Hellbender proves an impressive supernatural affair from its opening occult-heavy prologue through to its astute take on teen rebellion. Here's hoping this Adams family spirits up more DIY horror delights soon, too. Hellbender streams via Shudder. APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE AGE CHILDHOOD In 1969, the year that Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood is set, writer/director Richard Linklater was nine years old and living in Houston, Texas. This lovely animated film happens to follow a boy around the same age in the same city — and trust the filmmaker behind Boyhood, Dazed and Confused, and the glorious trio that is Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight to make viewers who weren't there then (who weren't even alive and have never been to America, too) to feel as nostalgic about the place and era as he clearly does. As narrated by his Bernie and The School of Rock star Jack Black, the film's entire middle section dances through memories of the time and city with infectious enthusiasm, but its biggest dose of affection radiates towards the technological promise of the 60s. The Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions were rocketing into space and it patently felt like anything was possible, a sensation so marvellously captured in each second of Apollo 10 1/2. Jumping back into the rotoscoped animation that served Linklater so well in Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, this loving ode to years and moods gone by also sports a delightful premise. As his older guise (Black) explains, young Stan (debutant Milo Coy) was an ordinary Houston kid with a NASA-employed dad (Bill Wise, Waves), doting mum (Lee Eddy, Cruel Summer) and five older siblings when he was approached by two men (Shazam!'s Zachary Levi and Top Gun: Maverick's Glen Powell) to help them with a problem. In the lead up to Apollo 11, it seems that NASA accidentally built the lunar module a couple of sizes too small, so they need a kid — Stan — to help them by going to the moon to test things out before Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins make their famous trip in a bigger version. That fantastical idea feels ripped from Linklater's childhood dreams, and it well might be; it also makes for a warm and charming entry point into a movie that's as much about life's ups and downs, the bonds of family and the wide-eyed optimism of youth as it is about heading to space. Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood streams via Netflix. ASCENSION Ascension may not be one of this year's Oscar-winners, losing out to the also fantastic Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), but it'll always be among 2022's nominees. More than that, this two-time Tribeca Film Festival winner will forever remain one of the most arresting documentaries of the past 12 months as well. Helming her first feature-length doco, filmmaker Jessica Kingdon turns her gaze to the Chinese dream — and what she sees, while situated in a very specific cultural context by design, is a clear and easy sibling to its American counterpart. That's part of the statement her film makes, all just by watching on patiently but meticulously as people go about their lives. Starting with factory recruitment on the streets, then moving into mass production, then climbing the social hierarchy up to the rich and privileged, Ascension explores employment and consumerism — and what they mean in an everyday sense in modern-day and modernised China. It's a portrait of the needs that make working on assembly lines a necessity, and of the dreams that inspire every climb, rung by rung, up the societal ladder. Some folks build sex dolls, their uncanny valley-esque forms adding an eerie mood. Others take lessons on etiquette for service jobs, including about not letting your face betray your emotions, and the tone is also unsettling. Observational to a mesmerising degree, Kingdon's exceptional film lets its slices of life and the behaviour, attitudes and patterns they capture do the talking, and they all speak volumes. Indeed, what a clever, telling, incisive and surreal story they unfurl. Ascension streams via Paramount+. TURNING RED What'd happen if the Hulk was a teenage girl, and turned into a giant, fuzzy, super-cute red panda instead of going green and getting ultra-muscular? Or, finding a different riff on the ol' werewolf situation, if emotions rather than full moons inspired a case of not-quite-lycanthropy? These aren't queries that most folks have thought of, but writer/director Domee Shi certainly has — and they're at the core of Pixar's Turning Red, her debut feature after winning an Oscar for 2018 short Bao. As many of the animation studio's movies do, the film takes its title literally. But, it also spins the usual Pixar question. Turning Red does indeed wonder what'd happen if red pandas sported human-style emotions; however, the Disney-owned company has been musing on people becoming other kinds of critters of late, with particularly astute and endearing results here. The movie's focus: 13-year-old Chinese Canadian Meilin Lee (Rosalie Chiang, also making her film debut). The year is 2002, and she loves meeting her strict but doting mum Ming's (Sandra Oh, The Chair) expectations, hanging out with her pals and obsessing over boy band 4*Town. And while her mother doesn't approve of her friends or her taste in music, Mei has become accustomed to juggling everything that's important to her. But then, after a boy-related mishap, the red panda appears. Mei goes to bed feeling normal, albeit angsty and upset, only to wake up looking like a cuddly creature. Like werewolf tales about teenage boys tend to be, Turning Red is all about puberty and doesn't hide it — and whether it's tackling that head-on, pondering generational trauma or showing its rampant love for boy bands, it sports sweetness, soul and smarts. Turning Red streams via Disney+. Read our full review. Looking for more viewing highlights? Check out our list of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly. We've also picked 15 exceptional films that hardly anyone saw in cinemas in 2022, the 15 best returning TV series of the year, 2022's 15 best new shows and 15 other excellent TV newcomers from the past 12 months that you might've missed.
For over a century now, HOYTS has been connecting Aussie audiences with all the big screen hits they've ever needed, and for the cinema chain's 116th birthday, it's giving a little something back to weekend moviegoers. In every HOYTS cinema around Australia this weekend, all day and night, tickets will be going for just $8, or $25 for HOYTS LUX tickets — now's the time to try watching a movie in recliner seating with cocktails, wine and gourmet food delivered straight to your seat. With 49 cinemas across the country, this is a treat we can all make the most of. HOYTS General Manager of Customer Engagement Brad Eaton said "We're extremely proud of our long legacy in cinema and this weekend is all about celebrating with our loyal guests. Whether you're after a new blockbuster or a fun experience with the family, there's something for everyone so all can take advantage of this exceptional offer." [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkgMaS5gbaA[/embed] So what's worth watching? New releases include Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman at their dysfunctional best in The Roses, Austin Butler getting caught in a crime caper in Caught Stealing and Liam Neeson saving the world (absurdly) in The Naked Gun. Not one but two small-screen series are getting big-screen finales at the moment, with Downton Abbey: The Final Chapter and Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba- Infinity Castle both screening this weekend. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAtUHeMQ1F8[/embed] Prefer something to get your pulse pounding? Settle in for The Conjuring: Last Rites, The Long Walk or Weapons. If you've got kiddos in tow, they might be keen for Sketch or The Bad Guys 2. And if you missed any of this year's winter blockbusters — Superman, F1 The Movie, The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Jurassic World: Rebirth are all still wrapping up their theatrical runs. Find your nearest HOYTS cinema and get tickets to a screening of your choice here.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. THE BATMAN When The Batman begins (not to be confused with Batman Begins), it's with the slaying of a powerful Gotham figure. A shocking crime that scandalises the city, it leaves a traumatised boy behind, and couldn't be more influential in the detective-style tale of blood and vengeance that follows. But viewers haven't seen this story before, despite appearances. It isn't the start of pop culture's lonesome billionaire orphan's usual plight, although he's there, all dressed in black, and has an instant affinity for the sorrowful kid. Behold the first standout feat achieved by this excellent latest take on the Dark Knight (not to be confused with The Dark Knight): realising that no one needs to see Bruce Wayne's parents meet their end for what'd feel like the millionth time. The elder Waynes are still dead, and have been for two decades. Bruce (Robert Pattinson, Tenet) still festers with pain over their loss. And the prince of Gotham still turns vigilante by night, cleaning up the lawless streets one no-good punk at a time with only trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis, Long Shot) in on his secret. As directed by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes' Matt Reeves, and co-scripted with The Unforgivable's Peter Craig, The Batman clocks something crucial about its namesake and the audiences that watch him, however. The caped crusader's every move stems from his inescapable grief as always, but no one has to witness its origins yet again to glean why he's become the conflicted protector of his anarchic city. Instead, here he's overtly anguished, upset, broken, broiling with hurt and working his way through those feelings in each affray — a suave, smooth and slick one-percenter playboy in his downtime, he isn't — and it's a more absorbing version of the character than seen in many of the past Bat flicks that've fluttered through cinemas. Why so serious? That question is answered quickly. Also, badging Pattinson's turn in the cape and cowl 'emo Batman' is 100-percent accurate. It's meant to be, because violence isn't just about experiencing or inflicting pain, but also about processing the emotions stirred up. Apply the label to The Batman's unrelentingly dark and rainy aesthetic as well and, once again, it suits. Lensed with such an eye for the absence of light by Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser (a Dune Oscar-nominee) that he's painting with the shadowiest of shadows, this is a grimmer Batman than Christopher Nolan's trilogy, moodier than Ben Affleck's stint, and gloomier than the Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney-starring movies (not to mention the upbeat and campy 60s TV series that gave us the Batusi). Like teen shows, the tone of any given Batman entry reflects the surrounding times, and the tenor here is bleak, bruised and battered. Call the prevailing batmosphere cinema's own bat-signal and that's oh-so-fitting, too. Batman is bruised and battered himself in The Batman. He flinches when jumping from skyscrapers in his winged batsuit, grimaces upon impact and sports contusions beneath his mask before that. In spurts of Taxi Driver-style narration — where he could be one of screenwriter Paul Schrader's lonely men wrestling with the world (see also: The Card Counter) — he seethes about his self-appointed task, past and the state of Gotham, exposing his psychological scars as well. That doesn't change when a serial killer who dubs himself The Riddler (Paul Dano, Okja) and must love David Fincher movies (Seven and Zodiac especially) commits The Batman's opening murder, the first in a chain targeting the city's elite. This other angry mask-wearing vigilante is also waging a war on Gotham's corruption, and leaving puzzles to be solved along the way — with Batman assisting police lieutenant Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright, The French Dispatch), and being aided by nightclub waiter-cum-cat burglar Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz, Kimi) in turn. Read our full review. BLIND AMBITION When Dolly Parton sang about pouring herself a cup of ambition in the giddily catchy 80s hit '9 to 5' — the song that accompanied a film of the same name four decades back, now echoes in a stage musical as well and will never, ever get old — she wasn't talking about wine. But Zimbabwean quartet Joseph Dhafana, Tinashe Nyamudoka, Marlvin Gwese and Pardon Taguzu have lived up to those lyrics one glass of top-notch vino at a time, despite not drinking alcohol as Pentecostal Christians. Clearly, these men have quite the story to tell. It starts with fleeing their homeland under Robert Mugabe's rule, and then sees them each make new homes at considerable risk in South Africa, where they all also eventually found themselves working with the grape. In the process, they discovered a knack for an industry they mightn't have ever even dreamed of contemplating entering otherwise — and, in 2017, they took Zimbabwe's first-ever team to the World Wine Blind Tasting Championships in Burgundy, France. In the words of the always-great and ever-quotable Parton again, Joseph, Tinashe, Marlvin and Pardon waited for their ship to come in, and for the tide to turn and all roll their way. '9 to 5' doesn't actually have a single thing to do with Blind Ambition, the film that splashes through the Zimbabwean sommeliers' story, but their against-the-odds journey is equally infectious and uplifting. The Australian-made documentary about the foursome has also been likened to another on-screen underdog tale, this time about Black men seeking glory in a field that isn't typically associated with their country of birth. Blind Ambition isn't the wine version of Cool Runnings for numerous reasons — it hasn't been fictionalised (although it likely will be at some point) and it isn't a comedy, for starters — but the comparison still pithily sums up just how rousing this true story proves. The reality is far more profound than a Disney flick, of course. Making their second wine-focused doco of the past decade, Warwick Ross and Rob Coe — the former the co-director of 2013's Red Obsession, the latter its executive producer, and both sharing helming credits here — decant emotion aplenty from the moving and inspiring Blind Ambition. It flows freely from Joseph, Tinashe, Marlvin and Pardon's plights, which the film begins to drip out individually, harking back to before the quartet had even met, then blends together. Getting across the border was especially harrowing for Joseph, for instance, while ensuring that his new life honours his parents back home is particularly important for Pardon. Overcoming poverty and adversity echoes through their stories, as does the hope that their newfound affinity for wine brings — including via Tinashe's desire to plant vines on his grandfather's land one day. From those histories grows a keen eagerness to turn vino into their futures, and amid those dreams sits the World Wine Blind Tasting Championships. The activity that gives the competition its name is serious business; the first word isn't slang for getting black-out drunk or even just knocking back drinks to the thoroughly sozzled stage of inebriation, but describes how teams sample an array of wines without knowing what's rolling over their palates. Every national squad, all with four people apiece, is given 12 drops. From the six red and six white varieties, they must pick everything they can just by sipping — the grape, country, name, producer and vintage — to earn points. And, they also need to spit out the answers quickly, within two minutes of taking a taste. Yes, it's an event that you need to train for. No, it doesn't involve getting sloshed. Read our full review. MISS MARX Daughter of Karl Marx, a socialist activist in her own right, a translator of Henrik Ibsen's The Wild Duck and Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary, and first seen in Miss Marx giving her father's eulogy in 1883, Eleanor Marx was many things — but she wasn't a fan of punk music. She simply couldn't have been, thanks to the gap between the timing of her life and the genre's arrival, with seven decades separating them. Still, that doesn't stop filmmaker Susanna Nicchiarelli (Nico, 1988) from soundtracking her biopic about the youngest Marx with rollicking punk tracks courtesy of current rockers by Downtown Boys, including a cover of Bruce Springsteen's 'Dancing in the Dark'. Such a decision is anachronistic in fact but not in spirit, Miss Marx contends, and it's a savvy observation. In much about her life — her willingness to break free of her father's and society's expectations, her anti-establishment activism, and her rejection of mainstream norms among them — Eleanor fits the tunes. If only Miss Marx moshed into cinemas with more than that smart idea layered over an otherwise by-the-numbers period drama — one that, despite its namesake's progressive quest for women's wrights, better working conditions for the masses and education across both genders, focuses on her ties to men, too. It boasts two particularly marvellous and playful scenes, one involving that punk soundtrack and an opium-fuelled dance by star Romola Garai (Suffragette) for the ages, the other toying with the dynamic between Eleanor and her paramour Edward Aveling (Patrick Kennedy, The Queen's Gambit), but a willingness to break the mould, thrash outside the lines and upset the status quo is rarely part of the movie. Eleanor's existence was defined by her dad since birth, of course. It was then linked to the already-married Edward when she decided to live with him as wife in all but the paperwork. But bringing her tale to the screen with such a focus feels not only much too straightforward, but also reductive. There's method and meaning in this choice, too; writing as well as directing, Nicchiarelli hones in on Eleanor's bonds with the two pivotal men in her life on purpose. The aim: to examine how someone who toiled for such pioneering causes still routinely put herself second to her father and her partner, and to being a caregiver in general. It's a juxtaposition that Eleanor sees herself, and more than once. She's dismissive when her friend, acclaimed South African writer Olive Schreiner (Karina Fernandez, Killing Eve), offers a word of warning about Edward, but both Nicchiarelli's script and Garai's portrayal convey that Eleanor spies the contrast between her rhetoric and her behaviour. Alas, the answer is as simple as it always is, and treated as such: her love for her dad, for the fellow Marxist activist she tried to spend her life with, and for everyone else she lends her time to. Out of them all, only her young nephew Jean (debutant Célestin Ryelandt) seems to understand her, proving accommodating about her need to travel, research, spread the word and follow her work. As Eleanor, Garai gives a deeply committed and thoughtful performance that makes viewers wish that the movie itself matched her, mirroring the same sentiments that Miss Marx's punk soundtrack inspires. She's the spark that keeps the romantic and domestic dramas as alight as they can be, and the politics-heavy sections of the film that explore her ideas and deeds as well — whether Eleanor is opening by farewelling Karl with her words ("he died in harness, his intellect untouched," she shares), arguing with Edward as they perform The Wild Duck or weathering the fallout from her unhappy relationship. In a feature that's always handsomely shot, far less engaging is the subplot involving the relationships surrounding Friedrich Engels (John Gordon Sinclair, Traces), her father's The Communist Manifesto co-author. It helps add extra strokes to the overall portrait of how women and family members around lauded men are treated, but it too is a stock-standard inclusion in a movie that openly pines to be otherwise. RUBY'S CHOICE When The Father tackled dementia, it won Anthony Hopkins an Oscar. When Still Alice had Julianne Moore grapple with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, it earned her an Academy Award, too. Led by Live and Let Die and Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman star Jane Seymour, Ruby's Choice follows in their footsteps thematically; however, it won't nab its lead actor the same shiny trophy. The Australian drama's high-profile star turns in a committed performance as the movie's eponymous figure, whose memory has begun to recede without anyone realising, but it's also a portrayal that ticks every expected box. The feature she's in garners the same description as well; getting a famous face to explore an illness on-screen is a formula that spreads well beyond on-screen depictions of neurodegenerative conditions, of course, but Ruby's Choice sticks to a template that's been trotted out so many times that it'll always be recognisable. Following Ruby and her family as they wade through the consequences of her faltering mental faculties, this is also a film designed to raise attention, with 50 percent of its profits set to be donated to dementia research. Clearly, it champions a worthy and important cause, and also takes the job of conveying the experience of both suffering from dementia and having a loved one afflicted with it as seriously as it can. But unlike The Father and Still Alice, Ruby's Choice peers on rather than plunges in. It presents how dementia looks from the outside rather than diving deep enough to express how it truly feels. It still makes it plain that this is a condition no one wants, and that dealing with it is immensely difficult — and, in its on-screen postscript about donating funds, that more cash for more research is needed — but it's a case of telling far more than showing. The titular Ruby (Seymour, The War with Grandpa) has spent five years living alone since the death of her husband and, attitude-wise, remains fiercely independent — but she also thinks that her deceased partner is just perennially away on a business trip. Her daughter Sharon (Jacqueline McKenzie, Malignant) plays along with the pretence because it is kinder than seeing her mum mourn her dad anew again and again, and also thinks it's harmless. Then Ruby forgets that she's driven her car to the library, starts a fire at home after forgetting she's cooking lamb chops and, after temporarily moving in with Sharon, her husband Doug (Stephen Hunter, The Tourist) and teenage daughter Tash (Coco Jack Gillies, Mad Max: Fury Road), forgets what she's doing several times over when left in charge of feeding pets and other household tasks for a day. Soon, Ruby's family can't deny that she needs help, but doing what's best — caring for her 24/7, contemplating whether finding a nursing facility is the better solution and affording either option — is hardly straightforward. From Never Too Late and June Again to A Stitch in Time and now Ruby's Choice, Australian cinema has turned its attention towards ageing protagonists and the reality that comes with their advancing years with frequency of late. And, excluding the first flick on that list, it has done so with sensitivity. Director Michael Budd (Life of the Party) and screenwriters Paul Mahoney (Mainland Tonight) and Ellen Shanley (a feature first-timer) are compassionate here, but also schematic. Layering on complications — including the arrival of Doug's brother Ken (Brendan Donoghue, June Again) and his teen son Ned (Rory Porter, The Dressmaker), fresh from their own troubles at home; issues with Tash, Ned and bullies at school; and family secrets let slip as Ruby increasingly thinks she's stepped back decades — they too bluntly try to tug harder at heartstrings that are already given a workout. Ruby's Choice still tackles an important subject with empathy, but also with as much force and formula as care. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; December 2, December 9, December 16 and December 26; January 1, January 6, January 13, January 20 and January 27; and February 3, February 10, February 17 and February 24. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter, The Lost Leonardo, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up, Dear Evan Hansen, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter, The Scary of Sixty-First, West Side Story, Licorice Pizza, The Matrix Resurrections, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Worst Person in the World, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, House of Gucci, The King's Man, Red Rocket, Scream, The 355, Gold, King Richard, Limbo, Spencer, Nightmare Alley, Belle, Parallel Mothers, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Belfast, Here Out West, Jackass Forever, Benedetta, Drive My Car, Death on the Nile, C'mon C'mon, Flee, Uncharted, Quo Vadis, Aida?, Cyrano, Hive and Studio 666.
Disney didn't need to add a new take on Peter Pan to its 2023 slate to tell audiences what we already know: the huge entertainment company doesn't want anyone to grow up. For further evidence, see its long list of live-action remakes of its animated hits, aka the films that filled our childhoods — a trend that will also see The Little Mermaid swim back into cinemas this year. Come May, the Mouse House's latest actor-led remake (see also: Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, Lady and the Tramp, Mulan, Pinocchio) will get Halle Bailey (Grown-ish) slipping into Ariel's scales and tail, and take a dip into the story of a mermaid pining for a different life. And, after dropping two sneak peeks before — one in 2022, one earlier in 2023 — the upcoming flick has finally unveiled its full trailer. Given that viewers already know and adore the original 1989 movie — there's a reason that The Little Mermaid-themed events such as screenings with live orchestral scores and cocktail experiences at aquariums keep proving popular — then we are all well aware how this tale goes. Ariel dreams of being human, and is willing to make a deal with a sea witch to see her wishes come true. That involves a trade, though: giving up her voice to get legs in return, which'll allow her to live above the water. Accordingly, as well as Bailey as Ariel, this new version of The Little Mermaid features Jonah Hauer-King (The Flatshare) as Eric, the human prince that Ariel falls for; Javier Bardem (Lyle, Lyle Crocodile) as King Triton, Ariel's protective and unimpressed father; and Melissa McCarthy (Nine Perfect Strangers) as Ursula, said sea witch. Also among the cast, on voice duties: Daveed Diggs (Snowpiercer) as Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay (Doctor Sleep) as Flounder and Awkwafina (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as Scuttle. Based on all three trailers so far, this take on The Little Mermaid from filmmaker Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine, Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns) — and not Sofia Coppola — promises vivid underwater realms, glowing light shining down from above, mermaid dances, bright coral, friendly fish and floating jellyfish. Also included: the flick's star singing 'Part of Your World'. As for the tunes, they come courtesy of Alan Menken — returning from the original movie, as do all those old songs — and recent Australia visitor Lin-Manuel Miranda. Check out the full trailer for The Little Mermaid below: The Little Mermaid will release in cinemas Down Under on May 25. Images: Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2023 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The touring country music festival, Strummingbird, has announced the lineup for its 2026 return, with dates and acts earmarked for shows in Ballarat, Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast this October. At the top of the bill is pop-turned country star Post Malone, who's joined by the likes of Bailey Zimmerman, Cooper Alan, Stella Lefty, Dexter & the Moonrocks and many more. Post Malone, returning to Aussie stages for the first time since sold-out Spilt Milk headline slot in 2023, is bringing his catalogue of modern classics like "Sunflower", "Circles" and "Rockstar," as well as plenty of tracks from his Grammy-nominated Nashville-style album F-1 Trillion, which featured country icons like Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll. Bailey Zimmerman is similarly associated with the rising stars of country music, a multi-platinum artist whose 2025 album Different Night Same Rodeo saw him land a spot at Stagecoach, where he performed a cover of Miley Cyrus' "The Climb". Elsewhere on the lineup is more up-and-coming talent, including Nashville's Cooper Alan, who made his start in the honky tonk scene, feel-good songstress Stella Lefty and Western Grunge band Dexter & The Moonrocks — both of whom are currently ranking on the Billboard 100 chart. On the local front, the lineup includes Brad Cox, best known for his singles "Lake House" and "Give me Tonight" and album Endemic Intelligence in Multiple Dimensions. There's also Sydney's own globally touring multi-genre outfit Sons of the East, Brisbane local and 2026 Countrytown Breakthrough Artist of the Year nominee Briana Dinsdale, outback-born artist Sarah Berki, CMAA Female Artist of the Year Max Jackson and Queensland cattlehand-turned global star Mack Geiger. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Strummingbird (@strummingbirdfestival) Each city that Strummingbird stops in will welcome local artists, too. Ballarat will see the rising folk-country and modern pop infusions of Lewis Love, Newcastle will welcome Gamilaraay artist Loren Ryan and the Sunshine Coast rounds out the tour with Sammy White. Strummingbird will open its 2026 tour on Saturday, October 10 in Ballarat's Victoria Park, then up to Newcastle foreshore on Saturday, October 17 and rounding out the tour at the Sunshine Coast's Kawana Sports Precinct on Sunday, October 18. Ticket presale begins on Wednesday, May 13 at 10am for the Sunshine coast, 11am for Newcastle and 12pm for Ballarat. General ticket sales open at 10am local time on Thursday, May 14. Visit the website for more info or to get your tickets.
UPDATE, January 17, 2022: The Empire Strips Back's Brisbane show will now take place on Friday, February 25, 2022. This article has been updated to reflect that change. UPDATE, August 9, 2021: Due to recent COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns, The Empire Strips Back's 2021 season has been postponed to 2022. The Brisbane show will now take place on Saturday, January 22. This article has been updated to reflect that change. In 2011, in this very country and galaxy, a pop culture favourite gained a singing, stripping burlesque parody. It's the mash-up that was bound to happen. Who hasn't looked at George Lucas' space opera, its sprawling drama and ample spectacle, and wondered what a steamier, funnier version with more visible butt cheeks would look like? Russall S Beattie clearly did, and had a good feeling that other people would give it a shot. The Empire Strips Back was the end result. It became a hit around Australia, then took itself overseas to much acclaim. Now it's returning home for a 2021 tour — once again showing local audiences that lightsabers aren't the hottest thing in the Star Wars galaxy. The saucy show promises "seriously sexy stormtroopers, a dangerously seductive Boba Fett, some tantalising Twi'leks, a delightfully lukewarm Taun Taun, a lady-like Skywalker [and] the droids you are looking for", according to its website. Apparently Yoda doesn't get the sexed-up treatment, but there is plenty of song, dance, acrobatics and — because it's burlesque — the removal of clothing. A dancing Chewie and Han is just the beginning of this cheeky take on Star Wars cosplay. Given that it's got an upbeat soundtrack, the costumes are extremely detailed and the show throws out lots of references to George Lucas' original plot, it's not surprising that local audiences — presumably the same ones that pack out Star Wars parties and large-scale screenings with a live orchestra — have latched onto the production. Heading to the Fortitude Music Hall on Friday, February 25, 2022, The Empire Strips Back sits alongside Dame of Thrones in Beattie's pop culture parody stable — so if you've already seen one of your fantastical screen obsessions get the burlesque treatment, then you know what you're in for. If you're super keen, you can also nab a Wookieerotica magazine online: a 116-page, 70s-style men's mag, just casually featuring all of your favourite jedis, siths, ewoks and other Star Wars characters. Either way, it could be a great introduction to burlesque or Star Wars, depending on which way you're coming at it. Images: Jon Bauer, Leslie Liu and Josh Groom.
UPDATE, Monday, March 18, 2024: Asteroid City is available to stream via Netflix, Binge, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. In 1954, one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest thrillers peeked through a rear window. In Wes Anderson's highly stylised, symmetrical and colour-saturated vision of 1955 in Asteroid City, a romance springs almost solely through two fellow holes in the wall. Sitting behind one is actor Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson, Black Widow), who visibly recalls Marilyn Monroe. Peering through the opposing space is newly widowed war photographer Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), who takes more than a few cues from James Dean. The time isn't just 1955 in the filmmaker's latest stellar masterpiece, but September that year, a month that would end with Dean's death in a car crash. Racing through the movie's eponymous setting — an 87-person slice of post-war midwest Americana with a landscape straight out of a western, the genre that was enjoying its golden age at the time — are cops and robbers speeding and careening in their vehicles. Meticulousness layered upon meticulousness has gleamed like the sun across Anderson's repertoire since 1996's Bottle Rocket launched the writer/director's distinctive aesthetic flair; "Anderson-esque" has long become a term. Helming his 11th feature with Asteroid City, he's as fastidious and methodical in his details upon details as ever — more so, given that each successive movie keeps feeling like Anderson at his most Anderson — but all of those 50s pop-culture shoutouts aren't merely film-loving, winking-and-nodding quirks. Within this picture's world, as based on a story conjured up with Roman Coppola (The French Dispatch), Asteroid City isn't actually a picture. "It is an imaginary drama created expressly for the purposes of this broadcast. The characters are fictional, the text hypothetical, the events an apocryphal fabrication," a Playhouse 90-style host (Bryan Cranston, Better Call Saul) informs. So, it's a fake play turned into a play for a TV presentation, behind-the-scenes glimpses and all. There Anderson is, being his usual ornate and intricate self, and finding multiple manners to explore art, authenticity, and the emotions found in and processed through works of creativity. Those windows that Midge and Augie keep chatting through belong to neighbouring bungalows in the only motel in Asteroid City, the town. (Not only is the setting not actually a city, but the asteroid that caused its famous crater back in 3007 BC is really a meteorite.) Although the pair arrive at the isolated desert spot as strangers, their respective kids in tow, they don't remain that way for long. Midge's daughter Dinah (Grace Edwards, Call Jane) and Augie's son Woodrow (Jake Ryan, Uncut Gems) are among the star attendees at a Junior Stargazer convention, each being feted by the US Military for their scientific inventions. As the kids talk and cultivate crushes, so do the adults. Those windows aren't just one of Asteroid City's several framing devices, either. Visually, Anderson reminds that we're all our own separate boxes, interacting with other separate boxes. He also ponders art's many boxes — screens included, naturally — in a film that dispenses everything from martinis to real estate from boxy vending machines. Each tiny speck of Asteroid City is that elaborate, intelligent and attentively chosen. Amid such diligent minutiae, however, Anderson goes out-of-this-world on emotion. Warm, insightful and funny, his new film features all of his hallmarks — think: the jam-packed starry cast spanning almost every famous face that's ever been in his frames, but adding more just-as-well-known talents; the exquisitely balanced compositions; the playfulness and whimsy of its on-screen world; the deadpan humour; the melancholy — and also contemplates life, death, grief, alienation, loneliness, love, dreams, connection, hope, wonder and what matters when we're all tiny specks existing ever-so-fleetingly in an expansive universe. As the filmmaker's first release made in pandemic times (The French Dispatch was shot in 2018 and 2019, initially due to premiere at Cannes 2020, then delayed to late 2021 when the globe shut down), it's also a clever, canny and brilliantly comic musing on the unexpected shaking up daily life, the ins and outs of quarantine and lockdown, and humanity's coping mechanisms when everything radically shifts and turns. Doing the writing in Asteroid City's boxed-in black-and-white segments: playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), who immediately takes a shine to actor Jones Hall (also Schwartzman), casting him as Augie. Doing the directing: Schubert Green (Adrien Brody, Poker Face), who moves in backstage when his wife Polly (Hong Chau, The Whale) leaves him. Life in monochrome is messy; this is when method acting reigned supreme, too, and Earp and Green's cast have much to draw upon. Of course, while existence within the colourful widescreen sections that represent the play itself might look neat, it's also anything but. As General Gibson (Jeffrey Wright, The Batman) oversees the stargazers — and astronomer Dr Hickenlooper (Tilda Swinton, Three Thousand Years of Longing) has them looking up — there's loss, romance, a teacher (Maya Hawke, Stranger Things) with inquisitive pupils, cowboys a-singing (such as High Desert's Rupert Friend and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker), ashes in Tupperware, a starstruck father-in-law (Tom Hanks, A Man Called Otto) and otherworldly interlopers. Anderson also finds time for Steve Carell (The Patient), Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic World Dominion), Tony Revolori (Servant), Liev Schreiber (A Small Light), Matt Dillon (Proxima), Willem Dafoe (The Northman) and more to pop up. (Much of life's chaos is bodies, faces and lots of them, his films constantly note.) And, with both Margot Robbie (Barbie) and mushroom clouds making an appearance, he even goes all Barbenheimer. (As Christopher Nolan obviously recently demonstrated, the billowing results of atom-bomb tests instantly put human fragility into context.) Asteroid City sports an Anderson retrospective as well, with precocious kids à la Rushmore and Moonrise Kingdom, trains traversing plains like The Darjeeling Limited, family woes as The Royal Tenenbaums perfected, an insular setting akin to The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch's nesting structure. Never one to hold back, the present most-aped and -memed director levels up everything, including the crater-sized impact. That Anderson's movies are impeccably styled and scored can now almost go without saying. Back from The French Dispatch, his regular cinematographer Robert D Yeoman and composer Alexandre Desplat make every moment sparkle and twinkle with beauty. That his casts understand the Anderson method is also that self-evident now. Here, wading through yearning, mourning, disappointments and the unknown, Schwartzman and Johansson in particular are astronomically spectacular. Asteroid City assembles all the Anderson pieces that audiences expect exactly so — and repeatedly probes what we see, feel and discover when we surrender to art or anything beyond ourselves, his with its giddy, gleeful, oh-so-gorgeous artifice over naturalism as well. He keeps his audience staring at boxes because, whether windows or Broadway or screens, they reflect living. "You can't wake up if you don't fall asleep," Asteroid City's play actors chant offstage; that you can't appreciate existence's wonders and mysteries if you don't look for them, be it IRL or through the stories and works and pictures that reflect our lives, the film doesn't utter aloud but conveys equally as spiritedly, lovingly and rousingly.
Whether he's co-writing and starring in sketch comedies, directing two of the best horror films of the past few years, producing an Oscar-nominee or reviving a science-fiction classic, Jordan Peele has amassed an impressive resume. So, whenever he adds a new project to the lengthy list, it's worth paying attention. After Key & Peele, Get Out, Us and The Twilight Zone — and producing BlacKkKlansman, too — he's now lending executive producing skills to upcoming Amazon Prime Video series Hunters. It stars Al Pacino, it's about hunting down Nazis in the 70s, and it has just dropped its first impressive teaser trailer. Pacino plays Meyer Offerman, the leader of a group of Nazi hunters who are intent on stopping a Fourth Reich taking hold in America. They've discovered that hundreds of escaped Nazis are not only living in the US, but have genocidal plans — and Offerman and his vigilante pals plan to thwart this conspiracy by any means necessary. Expect violence, tensions, action, thrills, and a fight between good and evil that's inspired by real events. Not just calling out oppression, injustice and hatred, but tackling it through film and television is firmly in Peele's wheelhouse, as his filmography shows. Accordingly, Hunters slots in nicely, with a ten-episode first season due to drop at a yet-to-be-announced date in 2020. Fresh from his excellent turn in The Irishman — his first collaboration with Martin Scorsese, somehow — Pacino is in less theatrical, more nuanced mode here. He's also joined by a well-known roster of co-stars, which includes Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Carol Kane (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother), Lena Olin (Vinyl) and Australian actress Kate Mulvany (Lambs of God) as a kick-ass nun. Check out the first teaser trailer for Hunters below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYxTHcoRpNo Hunters will hit Amazon Prime Video in 2020 — we'll update you when an exact release date has been announced.
For this year's Vivid Sydney Dinner on Saturday, June 3, the Ivy Ballroom will transform into nature's playhouse, with each of the evening's experiences revolving around the central theme of 'rewilding'. Food, art, light installations and live music will celebrate nature in all its glory with a focus on all things Australiana. Food will be the centre piece of this Vivid Sydney event — led by Merivale Executive Chef Ben Greeno and renowned chef and author Danielle Alvarez (formerly of Fred's). They've joined forces to create a one-off menu that champions NSW's local and seasonal produce, pairing each course with a fantastic local wine. And as this is Vivid Sydney, expect immersive light installations interacting throughout the space all night long, creating a proper feast for the senses. [caption id="attachment_897981" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Food and drink at the Vivid Sydney 2022 Dinner hosted at ivy Precinct, Sydney CBD.[/caption] Then comes the star-studded musical numbers. Eddie Perfect will play host (and perform a few tunes) throughout the Vivid Sydney Dinner, and be joined on stage by a series of performers. You'll see alt-pop singer Montaigne, African fusion artist Julian Belbachir and beloved vocal powerhouse Christine Anu belt out some of their most popular hits to a room of your fellow lovers of music, food and art. To keep the party going, Australia's 'First Lady of House' Kate Monroe will jump on the decks for a bespoke Vivid Sydney set. It's going to be a big night. And if last year's Vivid Sydney Dinner is anything to go by, it will likely sell out well in advance. To book an entire 10-person table or a just few seats on the shared tables, head to the Vivid Sydney website.
Discounted airfares have been quite the topic of conversation over the past year or so, as Australian airlines have endeavoured to encourage us all to explore this scenic country of ours. If we can't holiday overseas while the international border is closed, we should all make the most of our own backyards — or so the very sensible thinking goes. That said, with lockdowns and border restrictions still a regular part of pandemic-era life Down Under, holidaying within Australia isn't straightforward. But, if and when that becomes a bit easier in the coming months — with both New South Wales and Victoria set to start easing stay-at-home conditions when the two states each reach certain vaccination thresholds — enjoying an Aussie getaway will hopefully be back on the cards nationwide. And, in preparation for that becoming a reality, Virgin is hosting a five-day sale that's serving up cheap flights. Called 'Anywhere But Here', this sale has more than a million discounted fares up for grabs — but you'll need to get in quick. They went on sale today, Monday, September 6; however, they're only available until Friday, September 10 or sold out, whichever comes first. All one-way fares, the discounted economy flights cover 70 different routes. Some of the specials on offer include Sydney to Byron Bay for $49, Sydney to the Sunshine Coast for $69, Melbourne to Launceston from $49, Melbourne to the Whitsunday Coast from $139, Brisbane to Hamilton Island from $105, Brisbane to Darwin from $149, Adelaide to Melbourne from $79 and Perth to Broome from $179 (and vice versa in all cases, naturally). And, if you're wondering when you can travel — depending on lockdowns and border restrictions, of course — you can book flights for trips between October 6, 2021–June 23, 2022. Only some fares cover seat selection and checked baggage, however, with the airline announcing back in August that it is now splitting its economy flights into three types. Economy Lite doesn't include checking any baggage or picking your seat, but Economy Choice does — and Economy Flex gives you extra flexibility (hence the name) if you have to change your plans later. As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers. Wearing masks on flights also became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin's 'Anywhere But Here' sale runs from today, Monday, September 6–Friday, September 10 — or until sold out. Find out more about current interstate border restrictions via the Australian Government's Health Direct website.
Whether it's been six weeks, six months or six years, there's nothing quite like a romantic getaway to add a sense of excitement to a relationship. And now's the perfect time to explore even more of what our fine country has to offer for your next romantic escape. Canberra definitely fills the brief for a romantic getaway — and it's certainly much closer (and more affordable) than Paris. You and your plus one can enjoy stunning views from both the ground and the sky, plus luxe dinners and unique experiences that you may be able to tell the grandkids about one day. Here are five experiences you can have in and around the city that'll help you woo your boo. Please stay up to date with the latest ACT Government health advice regarding COVID-19.
Bickering and bantering. Battling all over space. Blasting retro tunes. That's Guardians of the Galaxy's holy trinity, no matter where its ragtag crew happens to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt, The Super Mario Bros Movie) and his pals have offered the MCU something shinier than the gold-hued Adam Warlock (Will Poulter, Dopesick): a reprieve from the ever-sprawling franchise's standard self-seriousness. Friends but really family, because Vin Diesel is involved, this superhero team got gleefully goofy in their initial big-screen outing, 2017 sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and 2022's straight-to-streaming The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. They've popped up elsewhere across the comic-book film saga plying a sense of silliness, too. Welcomely, even when they're slipping into Avengers and Thor flicks, they've always felt like their own distinctive group surfing their own humorous but heartfelt wavelength, a power that isn't generally shared across Marvel's output. Arriving to close out the Guardians' standalone trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 zooms into the movie series' fifth phase with a difference: it's still a quippy comedy, but it's as much a drama and a tragedy as well. Like most on-screen GotG storylines, it's also heist caper — and as plenty of caped-crusader flicks are, within the MCU or not, it's an origin story. The more that a James Gunn-written and -directed Guardians film gets cosy within the usual Marvel template, however, the more that his branch of Marvel's pop-culture behemoth embraces its own personality. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 couldn't cling tighter to its needle drops, of course, which leap to the 90s and 00s this time and hit with all the subtlety of a Zune player being thrown at the audience. It also stuffs out its duration and over-packs its plot. But, the obligatory post-credits sting aside, this farewell to part of the MCU always feels like a zippy, self-contained Guardians of the Galaxy movie — including when it's also a touching dive into Rocket's (Bradley Cooper, Nightmare Alley) history — rather than a placeholder for more and more future franchise instalments. That said, thanks to past MCU chapters, this third Guardians effort begins with Rocket feeling alone in the world, and Quill drunk and despondent. (The soundtrack: an acoustic version of Radiohead's 'Creep'.) The latter's beloved Gamora (Zoe Saldaña, Avatar: The Way of Water) is no longer the same woman he shared a galaxy-saving life with — instead, she's an alternate version who can't recall their romance — and he isn't coping. Demigod Warlock scorching his way through the Guardians' floating home of Knowhere snaps him into action, though, when their flying interloper tries to raccoon-nap Rocket. Only tracking down the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji, Peacemaker) will save the gang's gravely injured furry friend, which means a face-off with the megalomaniac inventor who made the genetically engineered critter and is militant in his quest to create a utopia. As Quill and fellow Guardians OGs Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista, Knock at the Cabin) and Groot (Diesel, Fast and Furious 9) go a-rescuing — with the icier Gamora along for the ride for a payday, plus later crew additions Mantis (Pom Klementieff, Thunder Force), Nebula (Karen Gillan, Dual), Kraglin (Sean Gunn, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel) and Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova, Bodies Bodies Bodies) doing their bits in various ways — it's impossible not to see art imitating life in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. A universe-creating overlord who is obsessed with dominance and perfection, and also intellectual property rights, being challenged by a thick-as-thieves troupe who'd rather be happy and scrappy? Yes, this is the movie that Gunn has whipped up for his brief trip back to Marvel following a controversy-sparked visit to the DC Extended Universe to direct The Suicide Squad and TV's Peacemaker, and before getting installed as that rival realm's new co-head honcho. Just as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn't ever scream "all that matters is setting up the next movies!", which is a relief after that's all Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania did, Gunn doesn't ever lay his real-life parallels on too thickly. He's busier ensuring that the Guardians' tussle with their all-controlling foe is as irreverent as it is emotional — bringing up those family bonds like Groot should be cracking a Corona, too — while pinballing between settings and setpieces. The gang's lively time on a base crafted out of organic matter is an eye-catchingly squidgy and fleshy standout; from the tactile production and costume design through to supporting parts by Gunn's The Suicide Squad star Daniela Melchior and his Slither lead Nathan Fillion, it's delightfully executed. And yet, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is at its best when it's jetting backwards to when a young Rocket was dreaming of being more than a mad scientist's test subject — of being more than the GotG version of Frankenstein's monster, that is. Spending a fair chunk of the film's hefty 150-minute running time in origin mode could've proven mere padding. Instead, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's present, it's the fight scenes that just keep coming that play that way. So does the Drax-and-Mantis double act after the movie's midway point, even with Bautista and Klementieff still firing in their comfortable comic pairing. When he's just a kit in a cage, having Rocket form a band of misfit toys with otter Lylla (Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me), walrus Teefs (Asim Chaudhry, What's Love Got to Do with It?) and rabbit Floor (Mikaela Hoover, The Suicide Squad) could've been too saccharine as well, but these unflinchingly bleak, earnest and empathetic flashbacks brim with soul and heart. The GotG flicks have always been about finding somewhere to belong and someone to belong with, after all, with this swansong thoughtfully explores how and why that need to connect is so deeply wired in through pain and trauma. A Guardians film that beams brightest when there's only one Guardian in focus — and not the 70s- and 80s-worshipping, Patrick Swayze name-dropping Quill? Perhaps that's why the trilogy is coming to an end. At their core, Rocket's Vol. 3 storyline and Quill's Vol. 2's daddy issues have more than a little in common, but shifting the GotG series' attention past the team's biggest Footloose fan is refreshing almost a decade in. (And while Pratt fits this big-name franchise better than Jurassic World, basically playing Burt Macklin: Space Protector, Cooper's excellent voice work makes him Vol. 3's MVP.) Knowing when something's time has come is a hard lesson to learn, of course. Among Gunn's many trademarks overseeing playful entries with a distinctive personality in an oft-formulaic broader saga, swinging big with difficult emotions, choices and realisations has always ranked up there with jokey patter and as anarchic a vibe as the MCU would let him get away with. Naturally, he signs off from Guardians in that exact fashion — and with a picture that relishes being its own thing, bloat, repetitive gags, well-worn dynamics, over-used music and all, over ticking franchise boxes.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT Starting in 2013 with The Conjuring, expanding with 2014's Annabelle, and also including The Conjuring 2, both terrible and much better sequels to Annabelle, the dismal The Nun and the formulaic The Curse of the Weeping Woman, The Conjuring Universe now spans eight evil-fighting flicks — and they're all as straightforward as it gets when it comes to battling the nefarious. Circling around real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, the franchise posits that the supernatural exists, darkness preys upon the innocent and its central couple usually has the tools to combat everything untoward. That template remains firmly in place in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. With director Michael Chaves (The Curse of the Weeping Woman) and screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Aquaman) doing the honours — taking their cues from James Wan, the Australian Saw and Insidious co-creator who helmed the first two Conjuring flicks — it once again serves up the usual bumps, jumps and scares that have haunted this franchise since day one. That said, the third Conjuring flick within the broader Conjuring realm does attempt a few changes. Rather than getting creeped out by haunted houses, it gets spooked by a kid and then a teenager who are both possessed. True to form, bone-shakingly horrific things can't simply occur without some kind of excuse and entity at play. The Warrens (Patrick Wilson, Aquaman, and Vera Farmiga, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) are first tasked with saving eight-year-old David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard, WandaVision) from a demon after his family moves to stereotypically sleepy Brookfield, Connecticut. Their efforts seem successful, even if Ed has a heart attack mid-exorcism, but the evil force they're fighting has really just jumped ship. Arne Johnson (Ruairi O'Connor, The Spanish Princess), the boyfriend of David's sister Debbie (Sarah Catherine Hook, NOS4A2), is quickly besieged by strange occurrences. He's soon also covered in blood after stabbing his landlord to Blondie's 'Call Me'. The death penalty beckons; however, the Warrens convince Arne's lawyer to plead not guilty by reason of demonic possession — the first time that ever happened in the US — and then commit to unearthing whatever paranormal details they can to save his life. The trailer for The Devil Made Me Do It teases legal thrills, but in a bait-and-switch way, because this film is barely concerned with Arne's court case. The true tale, which was previously dramatised in a 1983 TV movie starring Kevin Bacon, merely provides an easy setup for souped-up demonic antics and a routine, happily by-the-numbers, never remotely terrifying threequel. Indeed, the fact that more flicks will undoubtably still follow is the scariest thing about the film. Read our full review. LAPSIS 9 to 5 and Working Girl hail from the genre. Everything from Office Space to The Assistant do, too. But films about working in offices, TPS reports and navigating the desk-based daily grind might eventually become a dying breed or a nostalgic retro curiosity. Because art always mirrors life, the gig economy may swoop in and draw the silver screen's focus instead. Sorry We Missed You already has in a resonant warts-and-all manner, and Lapsis now endeavours to do the same via a smart and searing sci-fi satire. There's much to ponder, probe and dissect about the mode of employment that's becoming the status quo, after all, and that isn't bound to change as it spreads and grows. Corporations don't just dictate workers' behaviour during office hours now, supplying a reliable wage and perks such as holiday and sick leave in return. Attempting to monopolise entire fields such as food and package delivery, transportation and caregiving, big companies (you know the ones) hire independent contractors, scrap the benefits, and keep them toiling on-demand or on-call just to earn the bare minimum. This new kind of technology-driven rat race has been normalised, and quickly — and what it means for the labour force, employment, capitalism, corporate greed, class structures and basic human rights demands to be interrogated in thousands of movies as sharp and scathing as this one. In Lapsis and its alternative vision of New York via writer/director Noah Hutton, quantum computing is the next big thing. It requires a network of giant metallic cubes connected via thick black wires, with stringing them together the gig economy's new growth area. It's such an in-demand field and so lucrative for workers, in fact, that cablers can earn thousands of dollars just for a weekend's work. They can also pay off their mortgages within months — if the advertisements spruiking the supposed new employment dream can be trusted, that is. Technology-phobic delivery driver Ray Tincelli (first-timer Dean Imperial) is sceptical, so much so that he won't even use a quantum computer himself, even though they're essential to viewing up-to-date websites and just generally existing in Lapsis' parallel world. But his unwell brother Jamie (fellow debutant Babe Howard) suffers from a pervasive form of exhaustion called omnia, and requires expensive medical treatment. After finding a way into the cabling industry via acquaintance Felix (James McDaniel, The Deuce), Ray's need to make a quick stash of hefty cash quickly overrides his misgivings. Read our full review. BREAKING NEWS IN YUBA COUNTY Celebrity worship is one of popular culture's stupidest side effects. Stars get paid well beyond the average person and live far more lavish lives, but yes, they're people too. And, even if you round up a hefty number of famous faces in the one movie — award-winners and -nominees among them — they can still make absolutely terrible career decisions. Case in point: Breaking News in Yuba County, exactly the type of film that dispels any ridiculous notion that well-known actors opt for better choices than the rest of us. No one has done themselves any favours by featuring in this equally derivative and preposterous mess. No one will by watching it either. Director Tate Taylor might have both The Help and Get On Up to his name, but this addition to his resume sinks lower than The Girl on the Train, Ma and Ava. First-time screenwriter Amanda Idoko pens a script that aims for quirky crime-comedy with a side serving of societal satire, but really just repackages every tired cliche and trope her chosen genre has ever brought to the screen, and every obvious observation about small-town life, middle-aged women and the media as well. Also, every performance seems pitched at a different type of picture to each other — and, even in the silliest cases, none of them gel with the film's perky, almost sitcom-esque aesthetic. Allison Janney (Bombshell) plays Sue Buttons, dutiful wife to local banker Karl (Matthew Modine, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal). He's inattentive at the best of times, and she's too meek-mannered to say anything — but when she sneakily follows him to a hotel on her birthday, which he seems to have forgotten, their marriage takes a turn. Soon she's telling whoever will listen that Karl has gone missing. Her sister (Mila Kunis, The Spy Who Dumped Me) is a local news reporter, so TV attention follows. But Sue really just wants to be on one particular host's (Juliette Lewis, Music) show, and to elicit the kind of reaction the town has been giving the parents of a missing young girl. That's only part of Breaking News in Yuba County's narrative, though. Karl'x brother (Jimmi Simpson, Unhinged) is trying to go on the straight and narrow to please his pregnant wife (Samira Wiley, The Handmaid's Tale), but his ex-boss (Awkwafina, Raya and the Last Dragon) and her henchman (Clifton Collins Jr, Waves) would prefer otherwise. Jokingly at first, so would his new employer (Wanda Sykes, Black-ish), who is bored of just owning and running a furniture store. The more all of these characters' paths intersect — and those of a local detective (Regina Hall, Little), one of Karl's colleagues (Chris Lowell, Promising Young Woman) and his mistress (Bridget Everett, Unbelievable) as well — the more obvious three things are. Firstly, Idoko has clearly seen To Die For and Fargo more than once. Secondly, her script feels like it was written in the 90s, too, and then barely read again before filming started. And thirdly, this doesn't even approach the same league as its influences, or work as a goofier farce either. BYE BYE MORONS When Bye Bye Morons begins, it's with the kind of overdone setup that hardly screams 'Best Picture winner'. The film did indeed garner that gong at this year's César Awards — and six others as well — and, thankfully, twists its template beginnings into something far more intriguing than it initially seems set to deliver. When hairdresser Suze Trappet (Virginie Efira, Police) is told that she's afflicted with an auto-immune disease that stems from the chemicals she uses at work, and that it'll soon take her life, she's shocked and horrified. She also has unfinished business to attend to, after giving up a baby for adoption almost three decades earlier. That quest brings her into the path of civil servant Jean-Baptiste Cuchas (Albert Dupontel, also the movie's writer and director), who is being replaced by new technology at his paper-pushing job and happens to be staging a suicide attempt when Suze visits the office trying to track down her child. Soon, they're unlikely allies alongside a blind archivist (Nicolas Marié, Knock), and they're all endeavouring to thwart the multiple systems and bureaucracies that have defined and dictated so much of their lives. As its name makes plain, subtlety isn't Bye Bye Morons strong point, but when it finds its heartfelt groove, this French comedy also finds its charm. It helps that Dupontel has cast his feature superbly, including via his own involvement. The See You Up There filmmaker and star turns in a performance that's far more nuanced than the overwhelming bulk of the movie itself, as does the always-watchable Efira — with the pair playing exasperated ordinary folks who leap into outlandish territory not so much out of necessity, but in utter and gleeful defiance of the misfortune-laden cards that the world keeps dealing them. It also helps that, scripting with contributions from collaborating writers Xavier Nemo (Girafada) and Marcia Romano (Losing It), Dupontel fleshes out his characters more than his scenario. In fact, he makes his own on-screen job easier as a result. And, he gives his audience a much-needed anchor amidst all the broad, loose, chaotic and often over-the-top comedy he repeatedly swings in Suze and Jean-Baptiste's direction. Bye Bye Morons isn't short on plot, but when the feature is at its sweetest and most poignant, it's because viewers have become invested in its protagonists, their plight and their connection, rather than the ins and outs of their intertwined crusades. In fact, when the film is at its silliest — and when it attempts to wring easy comedy out of its absurdist and anarchic energy — it's a far less entertaining affair. BREAKING BREAD Food unites us all, or so the oft-spouted rhetoric tells us — and now documentary Breaking Bread does as well. On paper, it mightn't seem hard to demonstrate that every single one of us shares a need for sustenance and a love of culinary delights; however, debut writer/director Beth Elise Hawk doesn't merely explain what we already literally know in our guts. Instead, the filmmaker focuses on Dr Nof Atamna-Ismaeel. Originally a microbiologist, she became the first Arabic contestant to win Israeli's version of Masterchef back in 2014. After that pioneering feat, she set her sights on another: founding the A-Sham Arabic Food Festival in Haifa. Unity is baked into the fest's very existence, with the event bringing together chefs of both Arabic and Jewish descent to cook a range of Levantine dishes, and then share their creations with eager attendees. And, the festival's purpose is never far from view on the plate or in discussions with the participants. The common sentiment: while the conflict in Israel commands the bulk of the attention directed the country's way, that isn't the lived reality for most of the region's residents. Breaking Bread releases in Australia just as headlines again document rising tensions and increasing combat in the area, but Atamna-Ismaeel and her fellow chefs endeavour to espouse the opposite in their delicious-looking meals. The usual food documentary advice applies here, unsurprisingly, because watching on an empty stomach will only get tastebuds watering and hunger pangs grumbling. Hawk isn't above using slow-motion culinary shots that actively attempt to entice salivation, and to use them to pad out the already brief 86-minute feature. That said, every glimpse in the kitchen or at a plate is handsomely filmed, framed and staged, and is never too far away from lively conversation as well. Indeed, the movie's wide range of dishes might whet the appetite, but they're really just the entree. Alongside the engaging Atamna-Ismaeel, the festival's chefs speak through their backgrounds, cooking dreams, experiences with conflict and generational traumas in their own talking-head segments. The doco hears multiple accounts of how the simple act of eating, or of combining different types of food, can and has brought people together, and yet that kind of sentiment will never prove repetitive. Perhaps because of Atamna-Ismaeel's TV background, it's easy to see how a longer project that spent an entire episode or several with these interviewees would provide a satisfying meal — and get its audience thinking even further about the region, food and unity. MINAMATA It has been ten years since Johnny Depp starred in The Rum Diary, openly inviting comparisons to — and happily standing in the shadows of — his role in fellow Hunter S Thompson adaptation Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 13 years earlier. Minamata boasts no ties to the gonzo journalist, but it does initially endeavour to ape Depp's past work; playing a hard-drinking member of the press will do that. This drama draws its details from reality, though, not mere impersonation. Its subject: photographer W Eugene Smith, and his late-career series of snaps in the titular Japanese town. Informed of a story worth his and the world's attention by a translator, Aileen Mioko (Miami, Tezuka's Barbara), who'll later become his wife, Smith (Depp, Waiting for the Barbarians) convinces his Life magazine editor (Bill Nighy, Emma) to dispatch him to capture the results of chemical company Chisso's dumping of mercury in the local water. It's an important story, both for the celebrated Second World War photographer at the waning end of his career and for the movie now telling the tale, although second-time director Andrew Levitas (Lullaby) stages his earnest adaptation of Aileen and Eugene's book in a blunt manner. It doesn't help that his film arrives after the far superior Dark Waters and its own story of corporate poisoning, or that Depp is once again the point focus in a story where his character is a white outsider looking in, as he also was in the woefully misguided City of Lies. As it charts Smith's quest to bring the coastal spot's plight to the world, as aided by activist Kiyoshi (Ryô Kase, To the Ends of the Earth), Minamata does boast one crucial factor — other than its grim real-life basis. Whether seen for the first time or the thousandth, Smith's photos of Minamata residents afflicted with mercury poisoning (or Minamata disease, as the severe neurological condition particular to the town has been dubbed) are nothing short of striking. Indeed, they say so much in their single frames that a movie like Minamata was always going to feel as if it's merely sketching in filler details around these unforgettable images. As a director working with first-timer David Kessler's script, Levitas clearly understands this, and obviously appreciates the weight and importance of Smith's revelatory snaps. Accordingly, the film is as much an origin story for these famous pictures as it is an explainer for the context around them. The most recognisable photo of all — Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath, which depicts mother Ryoko Uemura bathing her daughter Tomoko — understandably garners the most focus. It's here that Minamata is at its most urgent and affecting, but so much that surrounds it proves the antithesis of Smith's shots: derivative and cliched. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25; March 4, March 11, March 18 and March 25; and April 1, April 8, April 15, April 22 and April 29; and May 6, May 13, May 20 and May 27. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Nomadland, Pieces of a Woman, The Dry, Promising Young Woman, Summerland, Ammonite, The Dig, The White Tiger, Only the Animals, Malcolm & Marie, News of the World, High Ground, Earwig and the Witch, The Nest, Assassins, Synchronic, Another Round, Minari, Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, The Truffle Hunters, The Little Things, Chaos Walking, Raya and the Last Dragon, Max Richter's Sleep, Judas and the Black Messiah, Girls Can't Surf, French Exit, Saint Maud, Godzilla vs Kong, The Painter and the Thief, Nobody, The Father, Willy's Wonderland, Collective, Voyagers, Gunda, Supernova, The Dissident, The United States vs Billie Holiday, First Cow, Wrath of Man, Locked Down, The Perfect Candidate, Those Who Wish Me Dead, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, Ema, A Quiet Place Part II, Cruella and My Name Is Gulpilil.
'Based on true events' has been the theme for 2013, and why the hell not? Stranger than fiction and all that. Pick any genre and you'll find an example: Action - Gangster Squad; Comedy - Pain & Gain; Thriller - Captain Phillips; Horror - The Conjuring. None, however, are as adept at circling the carcass of history and picking away at the choice bits like Drama. Even just to look at the 'now showing' or 'coming soon' listings is to see: The Wolf of Wall Street, 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyer's Club, Philomena, Fruitvale Station and The Railway Man — all in some way grounded in real-world events. The question is how grounded, and that's why the opening to David O. Russell's new film American Hustle is so refreshing. "Some of this actually happened," it declares, acknowledging in those five simple words that — yes — liberties have been taken for your amusement, but also — yes — some of this stuff actually happened. That stuff is the infamous 'Abscam' sting of the late 1970s, during which the FBI engaged two prolific con artists — Sydney Prosser and Irving Rosenfeld — to ensnare a number of high-ranking US politicians on corruption charges. Sporting elaborate combovers, fake accents and plunging necklines, Prosser (Amy Adams) and Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) were a retro Bonnie and Clyde pairing who used smooth words instead of Tommy guns to fleece desperate men of their savings. Eventually caught by the FBI, they avoided jail time by agreeing to work alongside the ambitious agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), and atop their list of targets was a New Jersey mayor named Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner). What began as a simple enough sting, however, soon ballooned out of control as hubris, greed and jealousy picked away at the already threadbare alliance and placed both the operation and their lives in jeopardy. O. Russell is undeniably an actors' director, and like just his previous films (The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook), American Hustle is built around its strong performances and crackling dialogue. Bale, Adams, Cooper and Renner are all at their best here; however, it's Jennifer Lawrence as Rosenfeld's wife, Rosalyn, who steals the show. Part seductress, part clown, she moves seamlessly between the two extremes with such ease and speed that each can appear multiple times in a single scene. Keep an eye out, too, for an uncredited cameo by Robert De Niro as a mafia heavyweight in easily the most gripping of the film's 138 minutes. Yes, it is long, and it definitely drags at times; however, it's also immensely funny and beautifully captures the flashy/trashy excess of the '70s — most notably in Adams' countless revealing dresses — for which none will receive any 'best supporting role' nods vis-a-vis her perilously positioned breasts. Yet even they have their place, establishing the complexity of a character who freely exposes all to the world save for the truth of who she really is. That's American Hustle, too: a layered and captivating film where you're never quite sure who to believe or which stuff actually happened. https://youtube.com/watch?v=NqgjPRNRDSY
For those following a vegan diet, plenty of obvious items are off the menu: meat, dairy products and eggs in particular. So is anything made with gelatine, given that the substance is derived from collagen from animal body parts — which rules out many a sweet treat, too. Gummy and jelly lollies are definitely usually made with gelatine; however, with its newest release, The Natural Confectionery Co is giving vegans an animal product-free alternative. Already known for completely avoiding artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners, plus high-fructose corn syrup as well, the company is now launching a gelatine-free, vegan-, vegetarian- and flexitarian-friendly version of its fruity jelly lollies. If that's your next snack taken care of, you'll find packs of Vegan Fruity Flavoured Jellies in supermarkets from mid-August — starting with Coles and independent stores, then hitting Woolworths from mid-September. They'll cost you $4 for a 200-gram packet, which boasts five varieties of lollies inside: apple, blackcurrant, peach, pineapple and raspberry. The new addition to The Natural Confectionery Co's range comes in response to demand. "We couldn't ignore the requests from Aussies asking for a vegan-friendly option," explains Lauren Fildes, the Cadbury-owned company's Marketing Director for Candy, Biscuits and Meals. If you're a fan of the brand's other types of lollies — its snakes, fruity chews and sour worms, for example — you'll have to cross your fingers that they eventually get a vegan version as well. [caption id="attachment_779206" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Peter O'Connor via Flickr[/caption] Find The Natural Confectionery Co's Vegan Fruity Flavoured Jellies in Coles and independent supermarkets from mid-August, and in Woolworths from mid-September — costing $4 for a 200-gram pack.
If you're a lover of contemporary art, there are two things you've probably found yourself in repeated fights over. Firstly, why a canvas with naught but a single monotone colour deserves to hang in a gallery and, secondly, why live art is more than just 'crazy for the sake of crazy'. So, the artist nailed his arm to a wall? It's about politics. She had all her clothes cut off by strangers? Gender. It's an artist's job to test the bounds of acceptance and cover unchartered ground, but some artists are notorious for taking that extra step into the unknown. We thought we'd take a look into the extreme history of the artform — the highs, the lows, and all the wilfully mutilated body parts. (TW: self harm and sexual content.) Pyotr Pavlensky nailed his testicles to some cobblestones November last year saw millions of men sympathetically shift in their seats as Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky drove a decent-sized nail through his scrotum and into Red Square. After receiving worldwide attention (that headline is clickbait in any language), Pavlensky stated his actions were a form of political protest against Russia's ever-increasing "police state". "The performance can be seen as a metaphor for the apathy, political indifference and fatalism of contemporary Russian society," he said. Such tactics were not new to this ballsy artist either as 2012 saw him sew his mouth shut in support of the recently imprisoned Pussy Riot. It's one way to get people talking, but at what cost? Vito Acconci hid under gallery floorboards while masturbating While we're on the topic of male genitals, it's definitely worth bringing up American artist Vito Acconci and his seminal work 'Seed Bed' (pun entirely intended). First performed in 1972 at New York's Sonnabend Gallery, this controversial and generally well-regarded work involved the artist hiding under a makeshift ramp in the gallery space and masturbating for eight hours a day. While it outwardly seems like the engineered scheme of a sexual deviant, the work is famous for being enormously effective on its audience members. While standing in the desolate gallery space, gallery-goers could hear Acconci murmuring explicit sexual thoughts via a loudspeaker, and were uncomfortably conscious of his presence under their feet. 'Seed Bed' has since been re-performed by Marina Abramovic in a very welcome inversion of the original work's testosterone overload. Marina Abramovic stared at thousands of strangers in silence until they cried This woman is the queen of all things performance art. Aside from taking on 'Seed Bed', she has a wealth of her own legendary artworks including 'The Artist is Present', a piece that inspired a documentary in its own name. For 736 hours and 30 minutes, Abramovic sat in silence at the Museum of Modern Art staring at whoever sat opposite her. The piece proved so cathartic for audience members it has spawned not only a film, but a fan blog called Marina Abramovic Made Me Cry — the artwork had this effect on the artist herself too when her ex-lover came to visit. Don't be fooled though; Abramovic is tough as guts. In her work 'Rhythm 0' she had audiences inflict pleasure and pain on her body with objects including honey, a scalpel, a rose, and a loaded gun; and in 'Rhythm 10' she played a Russian knife game dodging her fingers with 20 knives in quick succession. There are a lot of men in live art, but this woman may be the most hardcore there is. Tehching Hsieh punched a time clock every hour, on the hour, for a year Abramovic has described Hsieh as a "master" of the form. He's done the dirty stuff — he lived alone in a wooden cage unable to read, write, or listen to radio or TV for an entire year. He then went the other way — wilfully living outside for another whole year. But in the time in-between, he undertook 'Time Clock Piece'. From 1980-1981, Hsieh punched a factory-style time clock every hour, on the hour. After shaving his head at the outset, the artist took a photo of himself each hour and the subsequent documentary evidence, as the hair grows and grows, shows a passing of time equal parts beautiful and woefully depressing. Santiago Sierra tattooed these women's backs in exchange for heroin It's impossible to be indifferent to the kind of work that Sierra does. With most pieces including people from disadvantaged backgrounds in less than desirable positions, to many the art looks a lot like exploitation. In '160cm Line Tattooed on 4 People', Sierra found four heroin-addicted sex workers who were willing to have their backs tattooed in exchange for a single shot of heroin. While on the surface this seems outright despicable, the self-aware nature of the act did serve as a counter-point for many. After all, structures of power can never change if they aren't first exposed. Taras Polataiko had women contractually obliged to marry strangers In the live art piece 'Sleeping Beauties', Ukrainian artist Taras Polataiko found five female volunteers to feign sleep in an art gallery and endure the kisses of thousands of strangers. And here's the kicker: if they ever opened their eyes after a smooch, they were contractually obliged to marry the kisser. The agreement stood for gallery-goers too — in order to gain kissing privileges you had to present a valid ID and sign a legal document promising you to marriage. The performance ended on a meaningful note however, as the beauty opened her eyes to find a woman's lips. As Ukraine still hasn't legalised same-sex marriage, the work raised important questions about the issue and thankfully gave the participants a loophole to wriggle out of . Chris Burden was crucified to a Volkswagen There's nothing artists love more than a good crucifixion to dredge religion up in their work. If you thought Madonna jumping on a cross for a music video was out there, in his 1974 work 'Trans-fixed', American artist Chris Burden actually crucified himself to a Volkswagen Beetle. For no immediately apparent reason, either. The car came out of a garage for two minutes, revved a little, then returned inside. Obviously he was never one to shy away from pain. In 1973's 'Through the Night Softly' he got down to his underwear and crawled through glass, and in his aptly-titled 1971 work, 'Shoot', he was shot point blank in the arm with a rifle. More power to him. Joseph Beuys spent three days in a small room with a coyote The creeper to inspire all creepers, Joseph Beuys was an influential German artist whose 1974 work 'I Like America and America Likes Me' consisted of him skulking around a gallery in New York with naught but a coyote, some straw to sleep on, and a disturbing get-up that made him look like a gothic shepherd. He was taken from the airport via ambulance, never having stepped on American soil and stated of the work, "I wanted to isolate myself, insulate myself, see nothing of America other than the coyote." Once his time was up, he shared an awkward hug with the somewhat domesticated creature and boarded a plane home. Mike Parr had his lips, eyes, and ears sewn together The only Australian addition to this list, Parr has made a name for himself in the field of self-mutilation. This six-hour endurance piece, 'Close the Concentration Camps', was done in protest to the prolonged detention of asylum seekers during the Howard era, and has a disquieting resonance to this day. In 2002 there were reports some detainees had sewed their mouths shut in protest, but the trauma felt very distant to many Australians. Parr's act of solidarity at the Monash University Museum of Art brought this violence uncomfortably to the fore. Francis Alys enlisted the help of 500 volunteers to move a sand dune 10cm to the left One of the main arguments people have against modern art is that it's inconsequential, and Francis Alys' work certainly makes a good case for them. In his most-famous piece, 'When Faith Moves Mountains', this Belgian artist took to the outskirts of Lima and recruited 500 people to move a sand dune, one shovel at a time, slightly to the left. In response to intense confusion from everyone in the world, he responded, "Sometimes making something leads to nothing, sometimes making nothing leads to something." Artists are nothing if not riddlers, I guess.
Snot blocks, phlegm cake, pus pie – whatever unsavoury name you call it, the vanilla slice and its loyal followers in Australia are entirely unfazed by the sour nicknames. Regardless of moniker, it's easy to spot in any neighbourhood bakery: a neat brick of wobbly yellow custard sandwiched between pastry and finished with a slick of white icing or a dusting of powdered sugar, depending on the region. I'd never heard of a vanilla slice before moving to Melbourne a decade ago. It was a foreign concept when I first spotted one at La Panela – a Preston bakery best known for its vegan spins on Vietnamese and Australian classics. At the time, I didn't think much of it, instead being drawn to rows of caramel slices, faux-pink strawberry doughnuts and jam tarts. But as many of these old-school Aussie baked sweets die out, the vanilla slice remains. Across Victoria – and increasingly, the rest of the country — bakeries loudly claim to make the best vanilla slice in Australia. The declarations appear on window decals and chalkboards, sometimes within blocks of other claimants, and often without explanation of whether the title was awarded or simply claimed. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Banana Boogie Bakery (@banana_boogie) While it's not entirely clear how the vanilla slice became so entrenched, according to the bakers themselves, European influence almost certainly played a role. "I'm not sure why [the vanilla slice] is so appealing to Australians," says Jason Spencer, owner of Banana Boogie Bakery in Adelaide. "It's a bastardised version of the French mille-feuille. We've taken a layer of pastry out and given it our own spin." The Dutch tompouce is another close relative — nearly identical, save for its pink icing, a variation still spotted in some Australian bakeries. There's also the Austro-Hungarian cremeschnitte and Polish napoleonka, but I suspect Australia's strong Greek influence played a bigger role; the vanilla slice bears more than a passing resemblance to galaktoboureko. Whatever the reason, it's a dessert Australians hold in high regard, whether driven by regional pride or nostalgia. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The French Lettuce (@thefrenchlettuce) Hudson Brown manages The French Lettuce in Carlton, home to "Melbourne's most loved vanilla slice — voted best in town", at least according to the website. It's backed by media praise and customer loyalty — something Brown attributes to consistency and familiarity. When gauging a solid vanilla slice, "you want to be transported back to a memory of something special from childhood," he says. Brown's parents took over the shop in 2003, though it's been operating since 1984 with the same recipe. But staying traditional isn't cheap. Ten years ago, Brown says cream cost $14 for five litres. Today, he pays $20 for three. "Some bakeries use what's called imitation cream," he says. "It's basically a powder you add water to." French Lettuce won't do that. Maintaining the original recipe is a decision Brown credits for the bakery's longevity and cult following, even as costs rise. Cutting corners, he says, is obvious to customers who care. And boy, do Australians care. The Facebook group The Best Vanilla Slices in Australia has more than 125,000 members, with posts ranging from forensic cross-sections of custard to heated debates over pastry quality and accusations of bakeries "cheating" with packet mixes. Nowhere is this fervour more apparent than in Victoria, where the vanilla slice has achieved near-mythic status. Victorian bakeries routinely dominate the rankings in the competitive landscape of the vanilla slice. The state even hosts an annual competition, The Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph, devoted entirely to the treat. The event began in 1998, sparked by then-premier Jeff Kennett. Legend has it that Kennett ate a particularly good vanilla slice while passing through Ouyen in northwest Victoria and decided the small town deserved national attention. A Grand Prix was floated. A vanilla slice competition won out. The event ran there for more than a decade before relocating to Merbein, Mildura, and eventually back to Merbein. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Donna, do tell (@donnadotell) Last year's top honour went to Sharps' Bakery in Birchip, a small regional shop that has become something of a pilgrimage site after a prodigious six wins at the event. "People will travel from Melbourne or anywhere to go and get their vanilla slice," says judging coordinator Anne Nash. Beyond professional bakers, the competition includes categories for home cooks, schoolchildren and seniors, alongside awards for both classic and innovative slices. The competition is no joke – some interstate participants even set up makeshift kitchens in nearby caravan parks to ensure slices are as fresh as possible on judging day. Judges take their role seriously, too, with strict criteria around what makes a good slice. "We're not looking for a creamy vanilla slice – we're looking for a vanilla slice," says Nash. "You have to be able to taste the vanilla." As for what differentiates one slice from another? "They don't like to share their secrets. It's very competitive." Spencer, whose bakery placed second in last year's competition and first in 2024, edging out Victorian competitors as an Adelaide upstart, argues that the difference between a good and bad vanilla slice is immediately apparent. "You get ones that are rubbery, gelatinous, chewy – not appealing at all," he says. "Then there's the home version people make with SAO biscuits, custard in the middle and fudge icing or fondant with chocolate feathering." He says there are a few telltale signs to look for, starting with the icing. "You can always tell if a bakery sells its vanilla slices over multiple days by the icing," he says. "Fudge icing will last two to three days in the fridge. Fondant starts running after a day. It looks terrible." Second is colour. A deeply yellow custard, Spencer says, often signals cost-cutting. A base made with water and starch keeps that hue, while custard heavy in milk and cream – like Banana Boogie's – sets much paler. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bourkies Bakehouse (@bourkiesbakehouse) When it comes to the "best" slice, tradition still reigns, but innovation is gaining ground. Woodend institution Bourkies Bakehouse has made its vanilla slice the same way for 35 years, earning awards and fierce loyalty. At the same time, it has embraced contemporary flavours inspired by Filipino desserts. Its bold purple ube slice leans into the earthy sweetness of purple yam, while a pandan version highlights the herb's grassy, floral notes. "With competitions now, it's all about innovation," says retail operations manager Tess Nic. "You still have your classic custard slice, but there are constant improvements and new flavours coming through." Customers seem receptive, and other bakeries are following suit. Dulce Bakehouse, known for traditional South American pastries, has found its biggest hit in a vanilla slice layered with dulce de leche – a subtle twist that honours tradition without alienating purists. Which may explain the vanilla slice's endurance. It's a flexible format that allows for variation, yet minimal enough that quality – or lack thereof – is immediately apparent. Despite all the claims of the best vanilla slice, it's clear that for most Australians, the verdict is deeply personal. 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BIGSOUND is the gold star on Brisbane’s music calendar. Bands far and wide land in Fortitude Valley so you can spend two glorious evenings skipping between your favourite bars and music venues, seeing as many sets as your festival shoes will allow. To help you kick start your BIGSOUND experience, we’re sharing our picks of the line up – follow our suggestions, and you’ll have yourself one very sweet little timetable. DAY ONE Patrick James Patrick James has been a busy lad of late. Besides supporting Josh Pyke on tour and releasing a stellar EP, Patrick has been perfecting the art of the heart-breaking harmony. In a rare, and possibility time-limited opportunity, he will be performing in the intimate Ric’s Bar, assumedly acoustic, and definitely moving. In fact, if you’re a fan of Josh Pyke, do yourself a favour and introduce your ears to this man that is making waves. BLOODS Their recently released debut EP ‘Golden Fangs’ is receiving big love, and so Bloods are sure to be bringing their best to BIGSOUND. They’re your pick for a big attitude, high energy set, perhaps serving as a not-so-subtle reminder to those with sensitive eardrums to pack the plugs; in other words, what live music is all about. Noise, erratic dancing, long-haired head bangs, contagious garage rock sounds are sure to fill Electric Playground. Be prepared. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard Besides being one of the best-named bands on the bill, King Gizzard will weave their psych magic upon your eardrums. Their ultra-cool blend of spaghetti western and heavy rock stylings will be a nice reprieve after the last busy-busy set, and introduce you to a new dimension of sound. Those who are acquainted with The Giz will know to appropriately warn newcomers of what’s in store; this set is sure to be the gallant sounds of triumph. Robert Forster Mr Forster is one of the heavyweights of this year’s BIGSOUND. Having established himself as one of Australia’s finest music craftsmen by way of esteemed locals The Go-Betweens, he has showed no signs of fading from the industry or from influence. Besides touring and writing for his solo career, Robert has been collaborating and assisting other BIGSOUND buds with their own releases. Rumour has it that his collaborations might even reach so far as Fortitude Valley stages. Hint: you won’t have to travel as far as Tangalooma to see it. Our lips are sealed! Rainy Day Women They have the dreamscapes of Fleetwood Mac, the catchy vibes of The Kooks, and they’re trekking all the way from WA to be here. This favoured foursome have a new delightful EP out this year, full of the groovers and swayers they’ve become known for, but your ears will be amongst the first to hear them. They’ve got the hazy sounds down pat, and Coniston Lane is sure to be abuzz throughout their keenly anticipated set. Their own strand of ultra-cruisy tunes is sure to be the ending to your day one that you’re pining for… besides hunting down muso delegates. They’re everywhere. DAY TWO The Delta Riggs Melbourne ruffians The Delta Riggs are back in town surge you onto your feet for big night number two. They’ll be sure to let loose in The Zoo, where the stage is high, and so is the temperature. Arrive early to secure your spot at the front of the stage, and then hold on tight as the audience swirls around you. The music of the Riggs is that which you cannot stand still for. Be sure to wear your dancing shoes to see these crazy cats. Yukon Blonde You’ll have time to catch your breath, grab a cold beverage, and re-secure your place at the front of the stage, because you ain’t going nowhere. Yukon Blonde are next at The Zoo. These Vancouver-based gents are not just Tiger Talk, they’re all action. In keeping with those classic rock vibes, Yukon Blonde are so infectiously happy and life-affirming, their gorgeous voices will be worth the wait. This is a set in which you will make joyous friends and feel free to skip around in harmonious circles… or, keep holding on to that barrier. You’ve got the golden spot, remember. Jackie Onassis The Rev is where you will find the party trumpets and your concentrated dose of hip hop for BIGSOUND. Jackie Onassis are another of the most hotly anticipated acts of the conference, and will inevitably up the ante on your life-loving musical buzz. The Trouble With Templeton It’s been a big year for Thomas Calder and co so it comes as no surprise that they would be a part of this industry event. Their dynamic and transfixing EP will be a treat for live ears, and their performances are always sublime. To see them in a larger venue such as Oh Hello will give their sound a bit of room to stretch its legs – not to be missed. Jonti The end of your BIGSOUND blast should be cherished, and what better send off to the musical good times than with dreamy Jonti. You might find that his ethereal tracks are best listened to with closed eyes and open hearts; you won’t be disappointed. Take a deep breath, reflect on the nights past and immerse yourself in the haze of sound bound to envelope you. You deserve it.
If you're all about thinking green, living in a more eco-conscious way and doing your utmost for the planet — as we all should be — then you likely already know about Brisbane's Green Heart Fair. This event regularly takes over a leafy public space to celebrate sustainability, all by giving away plants, teaching attendees about relevant topics and serving up plant-based food truck dishes. For 2024, mark 9am–3pm on Sunday, May 26 in your diary, with all of the above is on the agenda once again. Also part of the fair, which'll be settling into the 64-hectare expanse that is Victoria Park / Barrambin in Herston: markets selling pre-loved threads, wildlife displays, taking test rides in electric vehicles, and learning more about sustainability and gardening (plus other related subjects). If adding some greenery to your yard has particularly piqued your interest, there'll be native plants on offer — all for free. They're available on a first-come, first-served basis, so arriving early is recommended. And, the fair also spans live tunes, plus activities for kids. This time around, the latter includes a Bluey show — for real life.
The nature of food is like fashion, always evolving, and now thanks to The Bun Mobile, the future is here! The food truck craze that is so strong in America and Mexico has finally come to Brisbane, and it has arrived in the form of transportable food mobile! This van is a shiny beacon of food delight. The Bun Mobile are providing the public with amazing Chinese bread ‘rolsl’ that are soft, steamed and stuffed with some great Asian inspired fillings. This fantastic dining experience is a two-part affair. The first stage is looking them up on Facebook or their website to find out where the mobile will be travelling on the day of your craving (which will be nearly every day). The second step is locating them amongst the streets of Brisbane and enjoying their simple and smart food. This makes the adventure all the more enjoyable! The first time I hunted them down was for breakfast. The twice cooked pork, hoi sin and pickled cucumber ($8) was a delight. It’s a close take on the ‘momofuku’ bun from New York which has brought this style of bread to fame. The other bun I tried was a fried egg, Kerensky sausage, lettuce and tomato relish ($8). After these two buns, I knew I had to come back the next day for lunch. For my lunch time craving I went back to the twice-cooked pork bun (it's that amazing), but also opted for two more from the lunch time range. These were the pork belly bun with pickled mustard greens and ginger shallot dressing ($10), which was fantastic and also the teriyaki chicken with carrot and cabbage slaw, Japanese mayo and hoi sin ($8) which was delicious, clean and fresh. If you don’t like surprises, they display what meals are on offer for the day on their website so you can have a peek at the options and prepare your order. The hardest thing I found was trying not to skip away like a carefree school kid (which might look very funny for this heavily tattooed man child to do). Instead I managed to hold myself together in the knowledge that The Bun Mobile will see me again before the week is out.
Come mid-August every year, everyone in Brisbane gets a day off. The scent of dagwood dogs fills the air, every second person has a showbag (or a strawberry sundae) in their hand, and you might even convince yourself that you're just like Ferris Bueller. While ol' Ferris spent his time eating in a fancy restaurant, looking at art, watching baseball and singing in a parade — among other things — it's okay if you want to do something a bit different. Here's our picks of the ten best things to do for the Ekka holiday, including the night before (because that's when the fun really begins).
Every year when spring hits, Toowoomba becomes the brightest place in southeast Queensland. Blooms blossom, greenery sprouts and flora reaches towards the sun — that's right, it's Carnival of Flowers time. For 2022, mark all of September in your diary and get ready for a colourful month-long floral fiesta. The event previously only ran for ten days, but in 2021, it stuck around for an entire month — and it's doing the same in 2022. From Thursday, September 1–Friday, September 30, a trip west should be on your agenda, with Carnival of Flowers set to bloom for its 73rd year. As always, its 2022 program will take over a variety of Toowoomba locations — including Laurel Bank Park and the Botanic Gardens of Queens Park — to showcase all of the gorgeous florets, growths and gardens around town. The big attraction: more than 190,000 blossoming bulbs. No, this huge (and free) carnival won't be short on natural splendour. Attendees can also expect everything from park tours to food festivals — amid the kaleidoscopic arrays of tulips, petunias and poppies, of course. Food trucks slinging bites to eat, a food trail showcasing local eateries and a ferris wheel with a blooming great view are also on the bill, as are a series of talks in local pubs, a dog-friendly program so that your pooch can get in on the action, both guided and non-guided walking tours, pinot and painting sessions, a big food and wine festival, a cinema under the stars and a floral parade. And, yes, the illuminated night garden will return as well. Basically, there's no bad time to visit — and you might want to make the trek more than once. Indeed, when it comes to scenic spring sights, there's no prettier place to be. And, given it takes less than two hours to head up the mountain from Brisbane, it's perfect for a weekend day trip. Make a playlist, take a picnic and there's your Saturday or Sunday sorted. Updated May 9, 2022.
With more than a century in the journalism game, Time Magazine has seen and done more than most. With this in mind, it's fair to say the editorial team is well-qualified to create a list that's loftily named The World's Greatest Places, an annual record published since 2018. Divided into distinct sections — 'Places to Stay' and 'Places to Visit' — two spots in Oceania scored a place on the former, with four more landing on the latter. On Australian shores, Sea Sea Hotel is the country's sole accommodation representative, set on Dunghutti Country near the NSW surf town of Crescent Head. Meticulously considered from top to bottom, the hotel's kitchen is also a standout amenity. Pairing modern-casual dining with an ocean-slanted, ingredient-focused menu, former Iceberg's chef Daniel Medcalf has shaped an epic experience designed to showcase the very best of the surrounding Macleay Valley region's native pantry. Also making Time's cut in our backyard is Flockhill — a historic 36,000-acre sheep station located in New Zealand's Cragieburn Valley. From a sprawling base amid the Southern Alps, this luxury accommodation is one of the most lavish ways imaginable to explore the country's wild side. Besides stays, Time had nice things to say about four places to visit across Australia and New Zealand. That includes the newly relaunched Sydney Fish Market and Pilbara's Murujuga Cultural Landscape — the world's densest collection of petroglyphs and megaliths. To see the full list, head to the website for more information. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
Whenever winter rolls around, Riverbar and Kitchen gives itself a cold-weather makeover. Now that spring is here, it's doing the same for sunnier times. So, until Tuesday, November 30, you can head by the waterside spot to immerse yourself in its spring spritz garden. The theming: greenery, florals and all things in-between. The drinks: sparkling spritzes, with four different varieties on offer. They all go heavy on fruit flavours — thanks to everything from orange bitters, mango syrup and lemon to peach syrup and passionfruit — because that firmly fits the mood, too. And, if you're heading by with the gang, one of them is a shareable tipple dubbed A Walk In The Tropics. On the menu, food-wise, is a high-tea spread filled with sweet and savoury options. Spring is perfect for grazing over drinks, after all. For that, you'll need to book in advance for between 10am–3pm, and pay $50 per person. From there, you'll be ticking into macarons, churros with chocolate hazelnut sauce, crumbed chicken sliders and more, as well as the spritz of your choice.
Designer Peter Bristol enjoys playing with our perceptions of everyday objects. First he created the 'cut chair', the legs of which appear as though they've been sliced through, so the seat seems to be hovering in the air. Now, he's designed a bag that looks like a paper clip. 'New scale creates new purpose,' reads Bristol's website. 'The binder icon functions so well as a bag you can almost take it seriously.' Made of wool felt and aluminium tubing, the clip bag was conceptualised in 2007 but has only just been released. Bristol is currently seeking a manufacturing and/or distribution partner, and has put out a call for interested parties to make contact. Any takers will be working with a multi-award winning designer. Since 2005, Bristol has received professional recognition in the form of 24 various awards, including a 2011 Spark Pro Gold Award for his Microsoft Touch Mouse and an IDEA GOLD for his Nanopoint Microfluidics Controller. [Via boing boing]
Everyone has one, or several: a TV show you just keep going back to no matter how many times you've seen it before. Whatever series that is for you, you're probably always at some stage of rewatching it — and when you finish it this time, you'll start working your way through it again because of course you will. These are our soul-replenishing comfort shows, and they usually share a few traits. Sitcoms are particularly easy to rewatch over and over. Comedies with not only a big sense of humour but also a big heart are, too. Is your go-to series filled with characters supporting each other, overcoming everyday obstacles and helping each other be their absolute best selves? Then that fits the bill as well. Basically, the shows we keep gravitating back towards are the ones Marie Kondo would approve of. Yes, they definitely spark joy, and do so again and again. Watching them feels like catching up with old friends, they always brighten your day and they're there for you when times are tough. Here are our ten picks for sitcoms that feel like the warmest of hug — and that you can stream right now. BROOKLYN NINE-NINE Long-running shows become a comforting part of our routines, giving us something to look forward to with each new episode — and in the case of supremely warm-hearted comedies, giving us all plenty of feel-good laughs as well. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is one such series. It came to an end in 2022 with its eighth season, but it'll always live on in streaming queues. Heart and laughs: that's been a noice, toit and cool cool cool formula for the Andy Samberg (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse)-starring cop-focused sitcom over the years. "Title of your sex tape" jokes, Die Hard nods and Halloween heists have all worked well, too. And so have the multi-layered, always-supportive bonds between Jake Peralta (Samberg), his best friend and fellow detective Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio, Monsters at Work), and their other colleagues Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero, Velma), Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz, Twisted Metal), Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews, Craig of the Creek) and Raymond Holt (the late, great Andre Braugher, She Said) — and the bumbling but always-affable Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker, Doogie Kamealoha, MD) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller, Station 19). In its final season, as it geared up to say goodbye, Brooklyn Nine-Nine also found a smart and still amusing way to reckon with being a comedy about police officers in America today. Brooklyn Nine-Nine streams via Netflix. SCHITT'S CREEK The idea behind Schitt's Creek is immensely straightforward, and also incredibly obvious. If one of the obscenely wealthy families that monopolises all those trashy reality TV shows was suddenly forced to live without their money, like the rest of us, how would they cope? If you're thinking "not well", you're right. If you're certain that seeing the results would be amusing, you're on the money again. As envisaged by father-son duo — and the program's stars — Eugene (Human Resources) and Dan Levy (Sex Education), that's the scenario the Rose crew finds itself in, including moving to the titular town that it happens to own as a last resort. Yes, as the name gives away, they're in a sticky situation. The adjustment process isn't easy, but it is very, very funny, immensely feel-good and ridiculously quotable, and remained that way for the show's entire six-season run before wrapping up in 2020. And, although plenty of other credits on her resume have made this plain (such as Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman and For Your Consideration, all also with Eugene Levy), the great Catherine O'Hara (Pain Hustlers) is an absolute comedy powerhouse as the Rose family matriarch. She deservedly has both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her performance here — and for her glorious accent work — too. Also stellar: Annie Murphy (Fingernails) as socialite daughter Alexis. Schitt's Creek streams via Netflix. PARKS AND RECREATION She's the government worker we all wish could be in charge of, well, absolutely everything — and she's the fictional Indiana city of Pawnee's most devoted employee and biggest fan. We're talking, of course, about Leslie Knope, Amy Poehler's (Moxie) super-passionate, waffle-loving character in iconic sitcom Parks and Recreation. Willing to work hard in any situation and always ready to lean upon her friends and co-workers, Leslie knows how to handle almost anything. In one particular fifth-season episode of the Nick Offerman (Dumb Money)-, Rashida Jones (Silo)-, Aziz Ansari (Master of None)-, Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)-, Aubrey Plaza (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)-, Adam Scott (Party Down)- and Rob Lowe (Unstable)-costarring series, that also includes grappling with a pandemic. Created by The Office's Greg Daniels and Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Michael Schur, Parks and Recreation may have only come to the end of its seven-season run back in 2015, but the sitcom has been an instant classic from the get-go for one reason: focusing on relatable characters, the minutiae of their lives and the time working in local government, workplace-based comedy has never felt more kind-hearted, or — thanks to the show's penchant for letting its main players talk directly to the camera — so inclusive. Parks and Recreation streams via Stan and Binge. TED LASSO A sports-centric sitcom that was like a big warm hug from the get-go, Ted Lasso is a cheerleader for comedies that focus on nice and caring people doing nice and caring things. Like the other shows on this list, it celebrates folks supporting and being there for each other, and the bonds that spring between them — and not just to an entertaining but to a soul-replenishing degree. As played by Jason Sudeikis (Booksmart), the series' namesake is almost all positivity, almost all the time. And, he keeps that up in the face of quite the challenges. A small-time US college football coach, he scored an unlikely job as manager of British soccer team AFC Richmond in the show's first season, a job that came with struggles. Instantly, the ravenous media wrote him off. The club was also hardly doing its best, owner Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham, Hocus Pocus 2) had just taken over the organisation as part of her divorce settlement, and veteran champion Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein, Thor: Love and Thunder) and reigning hotshot Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster, The Devil's Hour) refused to get along. Ted's upbeat attitude does wonders, though, in one of the best new sitcoms of the 2020s. You definitely don't need to love soccer or even sport to fall for this show's ongoing charms, to adore its heartwarming determination to value banding together and looking on the bright side, and to love its depiction of both male tenderness and supportive female friendships. Ted Lasso streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review of season two and season three, plus our interview with Brendan Hunt. WELLINGTON PARANORMAL Three of the best comedic actors on TV in recent years all starred in New Zealand-made sitcom Wellington Paranormal. Playing Officer O'Leary, Officer Minogue and Sergeant Maaka, Karen O'Leary (Red, White & Brass), Mike Minogue (My Life Is Murder) and Maaka Pohatu (Our Flag Means Death) spit out devastatingly hilarious deadpan line readings. They need to in this mockumentary series, which follows a squad of Wellington cops who investigate the supernatural — as the show's title so succinctly explains — but every episode across its four seasons demonstrated just how perfect these three actors are for their job. As the team tackle cases of the paranormal variety, they also often look into matters of the silly and always amusing kind as well, to delightful results. Whatever comes this crew's way, hearty laughs always ensue. A spinoff from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's excellent 2014 movie What We Do in the Shadows — well, one of the film's spinoffs, given that the very funny US TV series also called What We Do in the Shadows also exists — Wellington Paranormal aces its concept again and again. It's basically a low-key, comedic, NZ-based version of The X-Files, it's glorious, and former NZ Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern's partner Clarke Gayford has even made an appearance. Also, it now boasts a companion podcast. Wellington Paranormal streams via SBS On Demand. LOS ESPOOKYS It took some time for the delight that is Los Espookys to initially reach Australian screens, arriving two years after it debuted in the US — and it'll take you less than six hours to binge its two seasons, which you'll likely do in no more than two sittings. This HBO comedy has proven both worth the wait and worth devouring as quickly as possible. The setup: horror aficionado Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco, Noise) wants to turn his obsession into his profession, so he starts staging eerie scenarios for paying customers. That involves enlisting his best friend Andrés (Julio Torres, Problemista), pal Úrsula (Cassandra Ciangherotti, Thursday's Widows) and the latter's sister Tati (Ana Fabrega, Father of the Bride) to help, and doing everything they can to get spooky. Torres and Fabrega co-created the show with Portlandia and Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen, who also pops up as Renaldo's parking valet uncle. This mostly Spanish-language series only uses its biggest name sparingly, however, because its key cast members own every moment. Following the titular group's exploits as they attempt to ply their trade, and to weave it into their otherwise chaotic lives, Los Espookys always manages to be both sidesplittingly hilarious and so meticulous in its horror references that it's almost uncanny. There's also nothing on-screen quite like it. Los Espookys streams via Binge. OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH First dropping anchor with its debut season in 2022, and finding a mooring among the best new series that the year had to offer, Our Flag Means Death's premise has always glinted as brightly as its impressive cast (not just Uproar's Rhys Darby and Thor: Love and Thunder's Taika Waititi, but also Bloods' Samson Kayo, Creation Stories' Ewen Bremner, Bank of Dave's Joel Fry, Game of Thrones' Kristian Nairn, Hello Tomorrow!'s Matthew Maher, Loot's Nat Faxon, The Sex Lives of College Girls' Vico Ortiz and The Batman's Con O'Neill for starters). It follows Darby as self-styled 'gentleman pirate' Stede Bonnet. Born to a life of privilege, he felt that seafaring and swashbuckling was his calling, leaving his life on land behind to hop on a ship — details that all spring from reality. Creator David Jenkins (People of Earth) isn't interested in telling the exact IRL tale, however. Consider those basics merely Our Flag Means Death's departure point. On-screen, Stede gets caught up in both a workplace comedy and a boatmance. The first springs from his certainty that there has to be a nicer way to glide through a pirate existence, and the second from his blossoming feelings for feared marauder Edward Teach (Waititi), aka Blackbeard. So, Stede and Ed find love in a buccaneering place, but also feel splashes of uncertainty about what their relationship means. Life might prove choppy for Our Flag Means Death's characters, but there's always a sense of camaraderie about this series — and it's been sweet sailing for viewers across two seasons. Our Flag Means Death streams via Binge. Read our full review of season one and season two. THE OFFICE You're working. It's an ordinary day. You've been doing your usual tasks and, in a completely unremarkable incident, you happen to notice a stapler — whether you're in the office or doing the nine-to-five grind at home. If your first thought is "hmmm, I bet I could set that in a bowl of jelly", then you're obviously a fan of The Office. One of the rare instances where a TV remake is better than the original — it is based on the UK series of the same name, after all — this sitcom about paper company employees is far more amusing than it really has any right to be. In fact, it's downright side-splitting; it nails workplace relationships and minutiae in such a precise, knowing and relatable way that it sometimes feels uncanny (every office has a Creed, after all); and it's immensely easy to just keep rewatching. Of course, that's what you get when you round up Steve Carell (Asteroid City), John Krasinski (Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan), Jenna Fischer (Splitting Up Together), Rainn Wilson (Lessons in Chemistry), Mindy Kaling (The Morning Show), Ed Helms (Family Switch), Ellie Kemper (Happiness for Beginners) and Craig Robinson (Killing It) in the same show, and let all of them break out their comedic best. An Australian version is on the way, and there's talk of rebooting the OG, but there's no topping this cast. The Office streams via Stan, Prime Video and Binge. BOB'S BURGERS We've all grown up watching animated sitcoms about families, because The Flintstones, The Jetsons, The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, American Dad and Rick and Morty all exist. Bob's Burgers has been on the list as well for over a decade now, and it does what plenty of its counterparts also do — focusing on a family and their usual ebbs and flows, mainly — while also finding a tone that's sweet, goofy, cute, funny and filled with top-notch food puns. An animated TV series can definitely make you feel hungry, as this show manages all the time. It also enjoys exploring the eclectic and eccentric personalities of the Belcher clan, including burger-cooking father Bob (voiced H Jon Benjamin, Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later), his wife Linda (John Roberts, Gravity Falls), and children Tina (Dan Mintz, Adventure Time), Gene (Eugene Mirman, Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and Louise (Kristen Schaal, Flight of the Conchords). You do have to come to terms with the fact that Bob's voice is also Archer's voice — if you also watch fellow animated series Archer, that is — but you'll also get to enjoy the series' fabulous musical numbers, and the warmth that stems from more than just cooking up patties in a burger joint. Plus, the big-screen Bob's Burgers outing is also ace. Bob's Burgers streams via Disney+. THE GOOD PLACE Some shows are just so engaging and entertaining — so smart and heartfelt and hilarious all at the same time, too — that they just make you exclaim "holy forking shirtballs!" The Good Place achieves all of that, and easily. It's the show that found plenty of jokes around the kind of swearing you're forced to do in its titular spot, given that busting out the real versions of those words isn't really heaven's vibe. Because nothing in this life lasts forever, including beloved sitcoms about the afterlife stretching on into eternity, the existential comedy only ran for four seasons. They all followed the adventures of the very dead Eleanor (Kristen Bell, The People We Hate at the Wedding), Chidi (William Jackson Harper, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), Tahani (Jameela Jamil, Poker Face) and Jason (Manny Jacinto, Top Gun: Maverick), plus demon Michael (Ted Danson, Mr Mayor) and "not a person" Janet (D'Arcy Carden, Barry), and they all kept throwing delightful surprises our way. One of the spectacular things about rewatching this clever, creative and side-splitting mix of humour, philosophy and people actively trying to embrace their best rather than worst impulses is picking up all the breadcrumbs left along the way — and its all-round warm and wise approach thanks to Parks and Recreation, The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Michael Schur (yes, him again), of course. The Good Place streams via Netflix.
Comfort food and winter go hand in hand. Since 2022, so have chaotic culinary dramedies and the frostiest time of the year Down Under. Two years back, The Bear debuted in winter in Australia and New Zealand to become one of the best new shows on television. In 2023, it returned in winter for its second season to become one of the best returning shows on TV that year. And in 2024, it has a return reservation with the middle of the year again. Even after the delays in Hollywood caused by 2023's strikes, American viewers will see the Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning hit in June, with an exact date not yet announced. When Aussie and NZ audiences will get their latest taste of Jeremy Allen White (The Iron Claw) hasn't been revealed either, but it should also be this winter — but perhaps not the same day as our US counterparts. Another pattern that surrounds The Bear is delays between its American debuts and arriving Down Under, affecting both seasons so far. Season one hit in June in America, then in August in Australia. With season two, US viewers still had a June date, while Aussies and New Zealanders had to wait till July. So, fingers crossed that the third time is the charm for a same-date release. The Bear was renewed for season three in November 2023 to the surprise of no one, but to the joyous shouts of "yes chef!" from everyone. If you've missed The Bear so far, its first season jumped into the mayhem when White's Carmy took over the diner after his brother's (Jon Bernthal, We Own This City) death. Before returning home, the chef's resume featured Noma and The French Laundry, as well as awards and acclaim. In season two, Carmy worked towards turning the space into an upscale addition to his hometown's dining scene, with help from the restaurant's trusty team — including Ayo Edebiri (Bottoms) as fellow chef Sydney, plus Ebon Moss-Bachrach (No Hard Feelings) as Richie, aka Cousin, aka Carmy's brother's best friend. Also key to The Bear: truly conveying what it's like to work in the hospitality industry and weather a restaurant kitchen's non-stop pressures. In both of its seasons so far, The Bear's creator Christopher Storer (who also has Ramy, Dickinson and Bo Burnham: Make Happy on his resume) has expertly balanced drama and comedy — and, in season two, he also delivered spectacular self-contained episodes that featured everyone from Olivia Colman (Heartstopper) and Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) to Bob Odenkirk (Lucky Hank) and Jamie Lee Curtis (Haunted Mansion). Guest stars aside, The Bear's regular roster of talent also spans Abby Elliott (Indebted) as Carmy's sister Natalie, aka Sugar — plus Lionel Boyce (Hap and Leonard), Liza Colón-Zayas (In Treatment) and Edwin Lee Gibson (Fargo) among the other Original Beef staff. Check out the trailer for The Bear season two below: The Bear streams via Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand. We'll update you with an exact season three release date when one is announced. Read our review of season one and review of season two. Via Variety.
One of Brisbane's historic sites is enjoying a new life. Since 1889, the building at 271 Grey Street in South Brisbane has been a police station, a squatter's den and a Spaghetti House, as well as a Ship Inn and, most recently, Little Big House. In its new guise, the two-level Queenslander remains a watering hole. It's still benefiting from the significant spruce up that the building received as Little Big House, in fact. But head by now for a drink, a bite or to while away an afternoon doing both and you'll be hitting up a London-inspired gastropub. Alex Derrick has taken over the heritage-listed spot, renamed it The Rose & Crown and gleaned inspiration from more than two decades spent in Britain — including working in pubs, and winning awards for doing so. "I fell in love with two things in the UK: the great British pub and my wife Bella," he advises. "So much so, I changed my plans for a career in medicine and started operating some of the first gastropubs in London. These were pubs that really took food seriously, using the best available seasonal ingredients and producing a small but ever-changing menu." "At the time this was a revelation," Derrick continues. "The secret was keeping the informal atmosphere of a local pub, not trying to be fancy or pretentious but blowing customer expectations out of the water with restaurant-quality food." Gastropubs may no longer be new; however, Derrick's addition to Brisbane's pub scene upon his return to Queensland still takes the idea seriously. He calls The Rose & Crown "a place you can feel at home in, whether you are looking for a three-course freshly cooked meal or a spontaneous pint with a mate". "I really want to recreate the famous feel of a good British pub where regulars love bringing friends to their local and staying up later than they should, having a ball — a true home away from home." Drop in for a drink and you can get a brew of cask beer, with The Rose & Crown the only place in Queensland pouring it straight from the cask. In digs decked out by the aforementioned Bella Derrick, an interior stylist — complete with nods to the UK, of course, and a new three-metre olive tree taking pride of place in the garden — you can also sip your way through the 40-selection wine list, which includes pudding wine. Or, there's the pub's house lager, a heap of other beers on tap and by the bottle, two types of spritzes, and classic cocktails such as margaritas and gimlets. The food menu owes a debt to Britain, naturally, with Head Chef Kevin Honeywood also experienced working in the UK. Expect to tuck into scotch eggs, homemade steak and ale pies, pork scratchings, grilled sardine and tomato tarts, beer-battered fish with mushy peas, and Cumberland sausages with mashed potato and onion gravy. Every Sunday, roast dinners are available all day — in beef, chicken and nut varieties, complete with Yorkshire puddings — while dessert options span sticky date pudding and treacle tart. Open since the end of February, The Rose & Crown also hosts a weekly pub quiz. Prefer belting out a tune instead (whether or not it is by a British artist)? Make a date with the karaoke room. Screens around the place show sport, while live music is on the bill. Also, soaking in a London vibe here comes far cheaper than an airfare to the other side of the world. Find The Rose & Crown at 271 Grey Street, South Brisbane — open from 11am–10pm Monday–Wednesday, 11am–12am Thursday–Saturday and 11am–9pm Sunday. Head to the venue's website for more details. Images: Axis Productions.
