Speeding onto screens with instant brand awareness is 2023's big trend. Air, Tetris, The Super Mario Bros Movie, Flamin' Hot and Barbie: they've all been there and done that already. Now it's Gran Turismo's turn, albeit with a film that isn't quite based on the video game of the same name. Directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium, Chappie), and penned by Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard), it also doesn't tell the racing simulator's origin story. Rather, this pedal-to-the-metal flick focuses on the real-life Nissan PlayStation GT Academy initiative from 2008–16, and the tale of British racer Jann Mardenborough specifically. The overall program endeavoured to turn the world's top Gran Turismo players into IRL motorsports drivers — and the Cardiff-raised Mardenborough is one of its big success stories. The ins and outs of GT Academy receives hefty attention in Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story, plus Mardenborough's life-changing experience along with it; however, much is also made of a massive marketing push. Air, Tetris, Flamin' Hot: yes, they should all come to mind again. Here, Nissan executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom, Carnival Row) wants to attract new customers, ideally those leaping from mashing buttons to hitting the road. Accordingly, he conjures up the console-to-racetrack idea to help make that sales boost happen. You don't see it in Gran Turismo the feature, but surely taking the whole situation into cinemas if the underlying concept proved a hit was part of that initial plan as well. Amid the ample product placement anywhere and everywhere that the film can slide it in, that certainty thrums constantly. Kicking into gear based on Mardenborough's tale, the big-screen Gran Turismo has an unsurprisingly engineered air from the outset, then. If filmmaking at its most formulaic sticks to a track, and it does, then this example doesn't dare deviate for a single second. Hall and Baylin gleefully take Hollywood license with the facts, too, and early. For starters, Mardenborough is positioned as the first champion at GT Academy, and part of a make-or-break gambit when he scores his chance to turn professional. In actuality, the program had anointed two previous winners. That's the thing about keeping on your line: it's meant to be the optimal route. So, if you're adhering to the usual rousing underdog sports-film script, which Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story always is, then that kind of tweaking is standard — and, at best, feels like it. The movie's Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe, Beau Is Afraid) has only ever wanted one thing for his future: to race. While his ex-footballer dad Steve (Djimon Hounsou, Shazam! Fury of the Gods) thinks it's unrealistic, he's always dreamed of getting behind the wheel IRL, but he'll take Gran Turismo's lifelike approximation if that's all that's on offer. Enter Moore's gimmick, with Mardenborough's skills in the game earning him a near-fantastical opportunity, and seeing him hop from Wales to Japan, Dubai, Germany, France and more. Although his mother Lesley (Geri Horner, aka Spice Girl Geri Halliwell) is more supportive, trainer Jack Salter (David Harbour, Violent Night), a former driver himself and the man that'll become the GT Academy's mentor, is as sceptical as anyone can be about the entire notion. That's accurate even after Salter agrees to the gig, a choice made purely because he's working for an arrogant and entitled rich kid (Josha Stradowski, The Wheel of Time) otherwise. Someone segueing from excelling behind a gamer's racing wheel at home and in arcades to competing in motorsports — Mardenborough has gotten zipping in formula racing as well, and hit the track at 24 Hours of Le Mans — is genuinely remarkable. As a result, plenty about Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story's subject's reality already fits the against-the-odds template that's reached screens over and over across a plethora of different activities, and that this picture is so slavishly devoted to. Darren Cox, Moore's off-screen equivalent, truly couldn't have hoped for a better story if he was thinking about the silver screen back when he came up with GT Academy. That tinkering when the details don't immediately suit the feature's easy blueprint, however? Again, it's to be thoroughly expected, but it's overtly calculating. Changing the timeline around a fatality solely for dramatic purposes, to give Mardenborough something else to overcome on the road to greatness? That's also deeply shameless and unnecessary. Thankfully, as by the numbers as Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story always proves — and as questionable and needless as some of its plotting choices are — the tension revving through the movie's on-the-track scenes is also genuine. There's little that's out of the ordinary about Blomkamp's approach, nor about cinematographer Jacques Jouffret's (Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan) penchant for swooping sky-high shots (their film doesn't threaten Rush or Ford v Ferrari in the hypnotic stakes, either), but the racing scenes still thrill in the moment. That said, using graphics to construct a car around Mardenborough when he's driving in his bedroom, and to take him back there when he's on the asphalt, isn't the savviest move. Instead of being immersive, it too smacks of needing to shoehorn in as many references to the game, PlayStation and Sony as possible, a motivation that's already evident everywhere that viewers look. There's no mistaking the money-driven motives behind Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story's casting and the characters that it heartily swerves into, too. As Mardenborough, Madekwe is energetic and likeable — convincingly sweet and awkward as required as well — but the fact that the film hinges upon its most bankable name is as glaring as the sun bouncing off a windshield. Since Stranger Things became such a smash, no one enlists Harbour as a cantankerous figure without wanting his irascible best. Blomkamp and company get it, and often, while always making it plain that the feature is built as much around his performance as it is GT Academy, Mardenborough's true tale and selling games. Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story had to get its personality somewhere, of course, because it doesn't spring from its director. Joining the list of acclaimed names doing a workmanlike job on formulaic fare that almost anyone could've handled of late — although doing better than Meg 2: The Trench's Ben Wheatley — he's happy steering a highly watchable but always-routine affair.
Film festival lineups are only ever truly complete when the event is over for the year, because new movies and sessions can join the program right up until the curtains fall. 2025's Sydney Film Festival runs in June, for instance, and unveiled the bulk of its its roster to start May — but it still keeps expanding, including by scoring the Australian premiere of Ari Aster's Eddington. Fresh from announcing that DEATH STRANDING and Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has joined the 2025 program to get chatting with Mad Max and Furiosa director George Miller, SFF has now revealed that one of this year's most-anticipated movies — that wasn't already on its bill — is also heading to the Harbour City across Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15. Eddington joins the fest's straight-from-Cannes contingent, with the news coming just days after the film debuted at the prestigious French festival. "With Eddington, Ari Aster turns his razor-sharp gaze to the fractured heart of America, and perhaps the world, in a film that is provocative, urgent and completely gripping. This is a compelling work that speaks to the chaos and contradictions of our times — and one that will spark passionate conversation," said SFF Festival Director Nashen Moodley, announcing the movie's addition to SFF's 2025 program. "We are delighted to present its Australian premiere at Sydney Film Festival and offer Sydneysiders the chance to be some of the very first people in the world outside of Cannes to see this incendiary film." Arriving two years after Aster first stressed out Joaquin Phoenix in Beau Is Afraid, Eddington has more tension and chaos in store for the Oscar-winning actor. The pair reunite for a trip back to 2020, to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to the movie's eponymous New Mexico location as it attempts to cope with the abrupt change to life as its citizens know it. Phoenix (Joker: Folie à Deux) portrays the small town's sheriff — with Emma Stone (Kinds of Kindness ) as his wife, Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) as the loyal mayor and Austin Butler (The Bikeriders) as the charismatic Vernon Jefferson Peak. The storyline: putting Joe and the mayor on a collision course, which unsurprisingly causes ripples throughout Eddington, in a tale that's set to see townsfolk clash in a period that we all know couldn't have been more heightened. Aster is back cultivating unease, then, as he did so expertly in Hereditary in 2018, then Midsommar in 2019, then Beau Is Afraid in 2023. If you can't see Eddington at SFF, it releases in Australian cinemas on Thursday, July 24 — the same day as the also Pascal-starring Fantastic Four: First Steps. Check out the trailer for Eddington below: Sydney Film Festival 2025 takes place from Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15 at various cinemas and venues around Sydney. For more information and tickets, head to the festival's website.
After first setting up shop in Brisbane last year, and then announcing plans to open more Australian stores last month, Taco Bell has revealed the location of its second Australian outpost: Robina on the Gold Coast. The US Tex-Mex chain is headed to a spot adjacent to Robina Town Centre later in 2018, with construction currently underway on its new digs. While the exact opening date hasn't yet been revealed, fans of burritos, quesadillas, nachos and, of course, tacos, can expect to start munching away before summer hits. Taco Bell's Queensland expansion will come as no surprise to anyone who's seen the lines at the company's existing Annerley store, and it doesn't look as though the company is done with the region yet — with job listings presently open for not only Robina, but for Brisbane and the surrounding suburbs. In good news for those eager for a Mexican-inspired bite in Sydney and Melbourne, more Australian shops are planned by the end of the year. It'll be a case of out with the old and in with the new, actually, with previous reports indicating that Taco Bell will take over old Sizzler spots. Find Taco Bell at a to-be-confirmed Robina location near Robina Town Centre later this year. We'll keep you updated on the opening.
Normally the only place you can see wombats is in a zoo or the wild. However, that’s merely for Australian wombats. You see, English wombats live life in a different way and are often easy to be found whilst they tear up gigs with their trademark tunes and antics. Luckily for Brisbane, The Wombats will be in town on Tuesday May 3 ready to play their signature, overly catchy dance songs that get everyone bouncing around and singing. Unluckily for those of you who are reading about this for the first time now, it has already sold out. Sad faces for you. If you are one of those super organised people with tickets you have a wonderful night ahead of you. Playing at The Tivoli, The Wombats will be showcasing hits from their soon to be released album The Modern Glitch as well as crowd favourites from their debut album A Guide to Love Loss and Desperation. Supporting them are Tortoiseshell.
Holidaying overseas has been off the cards for the past year due to Australia's international border closure. Vacationing interstate hasn't always been easy either, with domestic borders also opening and shutting with frequency. And, if you're a fan of staying local and going camping — or heading elsewhere within Queensland, but still pitching a tent — that's been subject to the state's campsite capacity restrictions, too. With Easter almost upon us, the Queensland Government has just made a handy amendment to the current COVID-19 rules across the state, however — with caps on the number of people at campsites removed. The change came into effect on Saturday, March 13, which is when the state's gathering limits last eased. Clearly, with a long weekend almost upon us, the timing isn't coincidental. Announcing the scrapped camping restrictions, Queensland Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Meaghan Scanlon said that the state's online booking systems are being "updated to reflect the eased restrictions and ensure that as many people as possible can get into the great outdoors". So, if that's on your to-do list in the near future, you should now be able to find more spots to book. Obviously, a fortnight out from the long weekend, some places are already maxed out for that period anyway — such as Teewah Beach and Bribie Island, Scanlon advised. But, that isn't the case across the board. At Inskip Point in the Cooloola Recreation Area, for instance, an additional 500 camping spots became available. [caption id="attachment_746565" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matt Glastonbury via Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] If you're keen on spending some time on North Stradbroke Island over the break, you mightn't have the same luck, with Minjerribah Camping announcing that Cylinder Beach is already booked to capacity. There's a waitlist for sites at Amity Point, Adder Rock and Home Beach for Easter, with any remaining spots opened to the public on Wednesday, March 17. Looking for somewhere by the water to camp — either at Easter or later in the year? We've rounded up ten beachside spots in Queensland to add to your list. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. Top image: Nick Boustead via Tourism and Events Queensland.
A visit to Currumbin Beach on the Gold Coast doesn't usually involve frolicking through giant dandelions as they sway in the sea breeze, watching huge coins glisten by the shore, walking through a towering plastic archway or spying an old truck on the sand. For ten days come spring 2024, however, it will. Each year for 22 years now, Swell Sculpture Festival fills a one-kilometre stretch of the coastline with massive artworks — and the aforementioned pieces are just some of this year's highlights. Hit the beach and you'll also spot a tribute to jellyfish, an interactive cube that's inspired by mix-and-match picture books and features Australian native species, multicoloured scarves, fungi furniture and even the GC itself (well, a likeness of it) buried under sand. The list of works goes on, including a large sweet myrtle flower, Aussie blowflies, a sea dragon, breathing exhaust pipes and a sandstone sphere. Some pay tribute to southeast Queensland history. Many explore humanity's impact on the earth. Others honour Australia's First Peoples. There'll be more than 60 pieces in total, all dotted along the sand between Friday, September 6–Sunday, September 15 — with each one putting the regular sandcastles that you might spot on any beach to shame. If this seems like the kind of event that not only engages the crowds of people who hit up Currumbin each spring, but also inspires them, that's because it is. 2024's Swell Sculpture Festival has broken its own record for the most artists involved, eclipsing 350 — with 250 local, interstate and international talents contributing to the sculptures. "Last year we had over 290 artists collaborating and working across Swell — and this year we have over 350 artists, including 250 sculptors working with artists in the main exhibition, which is an unprecedented number," explains Swell Sculpture Festival Co-Founder and Artistic Director Natasha Edwards. "This is an increase of more than 20 percent, with a focus on collaborations this year, bringing more people together to work harmoniously and achieve a common goal of fostering connections, inspiring contemplation and promoting positive change through the language of sculpture," Edwards continues. "Many of the sculptures have an environmental theme, encouraging visitors to step outside their comfort zone and confront the realistic threat our earth is facing in a thought-provoking and gentle way." When they craft the fest's eye-catching sights, Swell's roster of artists use everything from concrete, stainless steel, copper, bronze, wood, glass, plastic and natural fibres to fibreglass, bamboo, wire, silk, stone and aluminium — and plenty of other materials. The many ways that different folks can fashion these substances into new pieces of arts is also among the event's takeaway musings. 2024's festival wants to get patrons engaging more than just their eyes, too, starting with a kayak listening experience on Currumbin Creek. Swell also spans a beachside fringe fest, guided walks, a bar, yoga among the sculptures, tai chi, pilates, drawing sessions, other art and craft classes, a silent disco under the stars, a sing-along and more. Swell Sculpture Festival 2024 runs from Friday, September 6–Sunday, September 15 at Currumbin Beach on the Gold Coast. For further information, head to the event's website. Images: Leximagery and Ravel.
Any time is a good time for coffee and wine, right? It is if you're at Little Bloomfield Cafe and Wine Bar. Sure, most folks get their caffeine hit of a morning and swap to a glass or two come evening; however here, happy hour rolls around a little earlier. That's what happens when a beverage-focused hangout champions their favourite boozy tipple in their name, but then promptly closes before the typical working day is done. With that in mind, perhaps patrons should think of the latest establishment in the space behind Cleveland's library as their new go-to place for a buzzing breakfast, a leisurely brunch and wine-soaked lunch. The drinks list isn't the only thing worth checking out, though, with the accompanying food menu certainly to get your stomach rumbling. When it comes to starting your morning with something hearty, you can't beat the classic combination of mince and crusty bread. As the hours pass by, expect everything from salmon on the savoury side of things to a selection of fruit-topped tarts and raw treats for those with a sweet tooth.
If you're a Brisbanite with a healthy appetite, there's only one place to be on Sunday, July 27. The much-loved James St Food and Wine Trail (JSFWT) is returning for 2025 with the largest number of participating food and beverage stalls in the event's history. This year, the free foodie event will host 26 resident venues that will take over 40 market stalls, serving more than 170 delicious dishes for you to enjoy al fresco. Newcomers like Hideki Izakaya and Penelope will join the trail's honour roll of long-standing resident venues, which include Biànca, Cru Bar, ēmmē, Gelato Messina, Sixes and Sevens, plus plenty more. On the menu, visitors can expect Italian doughnuts from Biànca and bold pairings of fried chicken and caviar from ESSA. Meanwhile, Hellenika's chargrilled lamb on the spit with tzatziki will make a highly anticipated return. Or, if you're in the mood for something a little fresher, head to the Sushi Room's stall for yuzu slushies and fresh tuna sashimi. If you have room for dessert, Gelato Messina will scoop out the Gold Digger: a caramel and vanilla deep-fried ice cream with chocolate pudding, chocolate biscuit crumbs and dulce de leche. There will also be a range of cooking demonstrations, including tuna carving, as well as live performances and DJ sets. Art on James will also make a return in 2025, with live sound performances taking place throughout the day. If you've got little ones running around, free children's activities will run all day. Sounding too good to ever leave? For those looking to stay the night, enjoy a discounted stay at The Calile Hotel with the code JSFWT25. The James St Food and Wine Trail is free to enter, with more than 30,000 attendees expected to hit the trail this year. Images: Supplied.
Beloved camping music festival Beyond the Valley returns to its regular programming this year, set to ring in the new year at Barunah Plains, west of Melbourne, from December 28, 2022–January 1, 2023. And it's got a stacked lineup to celebrate, too, headlined by none other than the legendary Nelly Furtado — the Canadian singer behind 'I'm Like a Bird', 'Turn Off the Light', here for a one-off Aussie-exclusive performance. Joining her on the eclectic bill: Denzel Curry, Dom Dolla, Kaytranada, BENEE, Yeat, Flight Facilities, Honey Dijon, Lime Cordiale, Patrick Topping, Charlotte De Witte, Diplo and more. That includes Bicep, which'll come as no surprise if you saw the video earlier in the year announcing the fest's return, which was set to the sounds of 'Glue'. The fest's sprawling new Barunah Plains home comes complete with a 100,000-square metre-natural amphitheatre, playing host to its three usual stages (main stage, dance tent and multi-level dance spot Dr Dan's), as well as a new podcast stage featuring live and interactive recordings. The 2022 instalment will also include a beach club for swims; a small space that's only accessible via secret entrance called Schmall Klüb; and the Poof Doof 'pride patrol'; plus speed-dating, yoga, pilates, meditation, open mic sessions and a fortune teller. Beyond the Valley has released a range of ticketing options, including single-day passes and multi-day entry — though you'll want to be quick as they're all expected to sell out. [caption id="attachment_866660" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mackenzie Sweetnam[/caption]
If Luke Mangan has his way, some of the globe's famous bridges will double as restaurants — including Brisbane's own Story Bridge. It's a dream that's already become a reality in Sydney, and now the River City is in the celebrity chef's sights alongside the Golden Gate Bridge and London Bridge. Back in 2022, Mangan launched Luke's Table at the Pylon Lookout, aka a unique sky-high spot atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A collaboration with BridgeClimb that keeps booking out quickly, it gets patrons climbing up 200 stairs, listening to details about Sydney's history, then eating a three-course meal paired with matching wines while sitting at a 20-seat communal table 87 metres above sea level — and looking at panoramic vistas of the Sydney Opera House and the city skyline. Now, the idea is to take the concept elsewhere. Accordingly, instead of just using Brisbane's Story Bridge to cross from Kangaroo Point to Fortitude Valley by car or foot, or to climb up high to score a killer view of the Queensland capital, you'd be able to eat there as well. "After opening Sydney's Luke's Table on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, I'm keen to expand in iconic locations — which would be the the Story Bridge, the Golden Gate and London Bridge, to name a few," Mangan tells Concrete Playground. "So to open in Brisbane would be amazing." When the Sydney version of Luke's Table initially launched, it was billed as a one-of-a-kind dining experience — but that obviously doesn't mean that other cities can't get in on the action. There are no concrete announcements about a Brisbane iteration as yet, but the hunger on Mangan's part is clearly there. Down south, patrons who are lucky enough to snap up a reservation — it's currently booked out until the end of August — enjoy a welcome mocktail, a guided climb up to the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon, a glass of champagne and canapes. And, of course, the three-course meal with paired wines by twilight. As well as attracting interest from Glass Brasserie and Luke's Kitchen chef Mangan, Brisbane has recently welcomed Guy Grossi's first Queensland restaurant and a meat-heavy eatery from Adrian Richardson. Also, Andrew McConnell's Melbourne restaurant Supernormal is launching a Brissie outpost in 2023. So, if Luke's Table does open on the Story Bridge, it'll have ample celebrity chef-backed company. Dating back to 1940, the steel cantilever structure itself is no stranger to hosting more than just vehicles, pedestrians and climbers. Back in 2015, to celebrate its 75th birthday, it became a food market for a day. We'll update you on Luke Mangan's Story Bridge plans if and when they keep developing. To stay up to date with the chef's work and ventures — and to book a meal at Luke's Table at the Pylon Lookout on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the interim — head to his website.
This Christmas, it's time to deck your halls with boughs of whichever greenery you'd like — and to give plenty of plants as gifts, too. That's on the agenda at VEND Marketplace, which is hosting not one but two huge Christmas Twilight Markets across the festive season. There'll be more than just succulents, cacti and indoor-friendly plants on offer; however, given that the northside spot is home to its own indoor greenhouse — aptly called the Greenhouse, naturally — that's definitely a big drawcard. Between 4–9pm on Saturday, November 25 and again at the same time on Saturday, December 9, you'll also be able to get festive at VEND's 130-plus shops, and at the array of pop-up stalls that it's setting up outside. Food trucks will keep your stomach satisfied while you're picking gifts — including for yourself — and the VEND cafe will also be serving boozy beverages and Christmas dinner specials. Also, there'll be a cocktail bar. Plus, VEND is doggo-friendly — should you want to bring your four-legged pal with you for a stint of Christmas fun. (No good boy or girl wants to stay home while you're out during the merriest time of year.) And, there'll be live tunes helping set the mood, as well as a photo booth for seasonal snaps. Images: VEND Marketplace.
Whether you're a sports fanatic or not, it's hard to escape chat about the cricket over summer. But among the in-depth analyses of certain plays and team strategy, comparison of players past and present, and reliving of legendary moments in the sport's history, there is one tale that has long been ignored. In 1868, a group of Aboriginal Australian cricket players became the first Australian sports team to travel and play overseas. Beyond all expectations, the team did extremely well — they won as many games as they lost — and one particular player, Johnny Mullagh (born Unaarrimin), was lauded for his performance, which included scoring 1698 runs across the tour. The tour was a pretty remarkable feat, particularly given the climate of Indigenous affairs in Australia at the time, but the history books have, for the most part, failed to recognise it as such. That's exactly what this play by screenwriter Geoffery Atherden (Mother and Son, BabaKiueria) and director Wesley Enoch aims to rectify. Taking to the stage at Brisbane Powerhouse across Friday, April 8–Saturday, April 9, Black Cockatoo begins with a group of activists sneaking into a museum to hunt down (and expose) the story of Mullagh and his team. The play then shifts its focus onto that very story — it tracks the team's journey from regional Victoria to Lord's Cricket Ground and reveals the travesties that were unfolding at home while the team were away. Top image: Jillian Mundy.
There really is a festival dedicated to everything you can think of. We've said it before, and we know we'll say it again. Still, given that Redcliffe has a two-day fest dedicated to flying kites, we know that the statement is accurate. Yep, it's the event your inner seven-year-old will love — and, let's be honest, your adult self will too. It's a breezy way to spend the weekend, that's for sure. It's also a celebration of the simple pleasure of letting the wind catch a brightly coloured combination of wood, string and fabric, and then watching it soar. Of course, KiteFest is exactly what you make of it, whether something peaceful or action-packed is on your personal agenda. If you just want to stare at the sky, you can do that. If you want to browse market stalls, listen to live music, hop on a few carnival rides, watch roving performers and more — including world-class professional kite flyers, high-flying fly board performers, back-flipping sky skis and high-speed jet ski routines — you can do that too.
As if the first announcement wasn't kickass enough, OutsideIn have announced the second part of their festival lineup. Locked in to be held over three levels at Manning Bar in the University of Sydney, the boutique music festival cooked up by Sydney touring and management agency Astral People and record label Yes Please returns for its third instalment on Saturday, November 29. Forecast to sell out like its 2012 and 2013 events, OutsideIn will spread its super solid lineup over three stages. Joining an already solid lineup featuring '90s US hip-hop legends The Pharcyde, Sydney's beloved electronic trio Seekae, Germany's Pantha Du Prince, America's Giraffage and Melbourne duo Client Liaison is legendary Chicago house DJ/producer Roy Davis Jr and US R&B/housemaster Brenmar, alongside Melbourne’s Noise In My Head, Adelaide’s Late Nite Tuff Guy, and Sydney's own Collarbones, Chris Barker and Basenji. With a host of both local and international artists yet to be announced, OutsideIn is back for another year of beats-you-may-have-missed and downright shindigging. OUTSIDEIN 2014 SECOND LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT: Roy Davis Jr (US) Basenji Brenmar (US) Late Nite Tuff Guy Collarbones Noise in My Head Chris Barker FULL 2014 LINEUP: The Pharcyde (US) Seekae Pantha Du Prince (GER) Giraffage (US) Roy Davis Jr (US) Client Liaison Basenji Brenmar (US) HNNY (SWE) DJ SPINN (US) Tornado Wallace Collarbones Late Nite Tuff Guy Wookie (UK) Rome Fortune (US) Fishing Jubilee (US) Guerre Black Vanilla Retiree Sui Zhen Noise In My Head Preacha Andy Webb Moriarty Ariane Chris Barker OutsideIn is happening at Manning Bar, University of Sydney on November 29. General admission is $80 +bf. All tickets are available through Oztix. Photo credit: Voena.co
You mightn't usually be the kind of person who yells at the TV when you're watching something. In fact, you may have never exclaimed aloud during a streaming binge. But all bets are off when Curb Your Enthusiasm is on — because Larry David, playing a heightened and fictionalised version of himself, constantly behaves in a manner that'll make you shout an exasperated but still amused "Larry!?!?!?!" more than once. Across ten seasons since 2000, the series has followed the Seinfeld co-creator's life after that huge hit, including both his personal and professional ups and downs. Over that time, he's gotten the Seinfeld gang back together for a reunion, fallen asleep during Hamilton and starred in a Broadway production of The Producers — all within the show, that is. Larry isn't particularly fond of following social conventions, which is the source of much of Curb Your Enthusiasm's awkward comedy. There's no one better at it, actually, and much of the dialogue is improvised, too.
This isn’t so much a story about girl stuff, boy stuff and wall stuff; it’s one about love, on a platform of aspiration and charity. This one-night-only performance of the sell-out, hilarious theatre production Boy Girl Wall is part of a fundraising campaign to send the brilliant minds behind it, The Escapists, to the prestigious International Performing Arts for Youth showcase in Pittsburgh, USA. The story of Boy Girl Wall is one that’s been jerking tears and laughs out of audiences across Australia for years now. It follows neighbours Thom and Althea, who are trying to desperately keep their lives from falling apart – but not like Neighbours. This story is so much more than a tale of love; it's a tale of love plus a wall. Using chalk, sock puppets, an OHP – remember those – and over two dozen characters, this production has already proved itself in esteem and worth. Make Monday the 16th your chance to view such a theatrical spectacle, and at the same time fuel the work of Australia’s little Andrew Lloyd Webbers.
Easily spooked by things that go bump in the night? Can't bring yourself to sing "I ain't afraid of no ghosts" whenever you're belting out the Ghostbusters' theme? Not so fond of the concept of mortality? If so, you might want to stay away from Melbourne's next pop-up. Coming to Hawthorn's Glenferrie Road for four days only, A Ghost Store has one thing on its hangers: an outfit that will last an eternity. From July 27 to 30, customers will enter the shop, complete a questionnaire about their garment requirements and get kitted out in a minimalist, one-size-fits-all piece of cloth made to last for centuries (and supposedly suitable for inter-dimensional apparitions operating on parallel planes). If that hasn't given the game away, then the fact that the item of clothing in question comes in three colours (white, ivory and bone) might — yep, this store is offering up good ol' fashioned sheets so that you can get your ghost on in the afterlife. The store's moniker also gives away just why this pop-up is coming a-haunting right now — it's actually an inventive marketing idea to promote the David Lowery-directed, Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara-starring A Ghost Story, which hits Australian cinemas this week. In the film, which the trio shot in secret before it premiered at Sundance earlier this year, Affleck spends most of his screen time decked out in ghostly attire. To say more would be to say too much — but no, this isn't a comedy. Visitors to A Ghost Store can expect an interactive experience, though it comes with words of warning: "the transition from active participant to passive observer can be a difficult one", its website cautions. If you're keen on more details, Indiewire spent some time in the US version. Or, if you'd like getting fitted out for what comes next to remain a mystery — appropriately — just show up and try your luck. A Ghost Story releases in Australian cinemas on July 27. Melburnians can find A Ghost Store at Shop 12, 673 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn from 5pm to 10pm on July 27 and 28, and 12pm to 10pm on July 29 and 30.
Whatever Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz happen to be selling — and whenever, and in whichever films — audiences should always be buying. It isn't quite right to liken the acclaimed filmmaker's long-running collaboration with one of his favourite leading ladies to commerce, though, so another comparison fits better: whatever this duo birth into the world, viewers should embrace as a parent does a child. Across four decades now, the Spanish pair has gorgeously and soul-stirringly made cinematic art with the utmost understanding of how to make people feel. They know how people feel, too, and have the combined resumes best exemplified by Live Flesh, All About My Mother, Volver, Broken Embraces, Pain and Glory and now Parallel Mothers to prove it. Their shared filmography also constantly demonstrates another essential insight into human existence: that life is emotion, whether facing its beginning, end or both. Now helming his 22nd feature, Almodóvar has long filled his works with other recurrent inclusions and fascinations, many of which also burst onto the screen again here. When he initially united with Cruz on 1997's Live Flesh, she gave birth on a bus; in their second pairing, the Oscar-winning All About My Mother, she played a pregnant nun; with their most recent collaboration before this, Pain and Glory, she was mum to the writer/director's fictionalised surrogate — so that she's one of his titular matriarchs now is vintage Almodóvar. He brings back another of his veteran stars in Rossy de Palma (Julieta), paints with the vibrant-toned costume and set design that make his movies such a blissful sight for colour-seeking eyes, and focuses on mothers of all shades navigating life's many difficulties as well. Yes, Parallel Mothers is classic Almodóvar, but nothing about that description ever simply unfurls as expected. As the movie's moniker indicates, Janis, the almost-40 photographer that Cruz (The 355) inhabits with the quiet force and fragility that's second nature whenever she's directed by Almodóvar, is just one of Parallel Mothers' mums. Teenager Ana (Milena Smit, Cross the Line) is the other and, despite the feature's title, their stories keep converging. The two first meet in a Madrid hospital, where they share a room, give birth simultaneously, chat about how they're each going it alone with no father in the picture and quickly form a bond — as different as they otherwise appear, down to contrasting sources of support (Janis' brightly attired magazine-editor best friend Elena, which is where de Palma pops up, versus Ana's self-obsessed and distant actress mother Teresa, played by Estoy vivo's Aitana Sánchez-Gijón). Janis and Ana descend separately into motherhood afterwards, but twists of fate keep bringing them back together. Soapiness, aka the kinds of narrative developments characteristic of daytime TV, is another of Almodóvar's touches. But while his career has spanned films light and camp, dark and serious, and almost everything in-between, he inherently recognises that the line between what's dismissed as melodramatic contrivance and what people do truly experience is thinner than a blue slash on a positive pregnancy test. He unravels Parallel Mothers' story with that notion beaming underneath, and while also tackling a real and grim chapter of his country's history that he's never overtly confronted in his work. Before Janis and Ana can meet again and again, their lives and those of their infant daughters' forever intertwined, Janis gets in the family way to anthropologist Arturo (Israel Elejalde, 45 rpm) — who she snaps at a job, then asks to unearth the mass grave in her village that she suspects has housed her great-grandfather's body since he went missing in the Spanish Civil War. A lesser filmmaker would fail to convincingly stitch together Parallel Mothers' past and present, and wouldn't turn the picture into a missive of hope for the future as well — an ode to the ways in which women have weathered the ills, woes, wars and heartbreaks of oft-absent men, and a musing on how acknowledging that reality is a key step to reshaping it. Almodóvar is an exceptional filmmaker, of course, and so every bold move he makes here excavates multi-layered complexity, emotion and, to borrow his last release's name, pain and glory. His embrace of soap opera-style twists and the lingering shadows of Spain's recent history in tandem is chaotic, but his film never sports that air because it accepts it all as truth. There's no heightened histrionics — just the awareness that life is emotion because it's a state of ongoing trauma, as peppered with snatched moments of happiness and learning to appreciate what you can so that you can keep going on. Warm and radiant, and as great as she's ever been for Almodóvar or in any feature, the magnificent Cruz internalises this concept — of enduring and persevering, whether in tirelessly striving to finally exhume her family's past, in lucking into becoming a mother, or when faced with a certainty that's the stuff of maternal nightmares — so completely and sensitively that she's sheer on-screen perfection. There's nothing thin about her performance, but you can see right into it, gleaning the whirlwind of complicated factors that push, pull, swirl, sway and motivate Janis' every choice. She's amply matched by Smit, who turns in a far more internalised portrayal, but one that's still a revelatory portrait of resilience and resolve in its own way. That said, Almodóvar may love his strong female leads, but he also adores flaws; in his movies, no one is faultless, and his characters and the performances behind them are all the more powerful for it. Also potent: Almodóvar's style, rampant as it is, and what it conveys about the tale he's telling. His work is never just about what happens, but how — and with his players, the same rings true in their actions — so all of the colours, deep-focus shots, close-ups of Cruz and Smit's faces, mirrored images featuring the pair and sometimes-sudden edits that bring this picture to fruition are pivotal pieces in Parallel Mothers' puzzle. The mastery of the director's returning technical talents (cinematographer José Luis Alcaine, composer Alberto Iglesias, editor Teresa Font, costumer Paola Torres and production designer Antxón Gómez, all back from Pain and Glory) helps shape the film into a haunted Hitchcockian thriller at times, for example, as well as a clear-eyed look at Spanish history. It's as visually arresting as an Almodóvar movie can be, too, and interweaves its seemingly disparate approaches as commandingly as it does its chalk-and-cheese narrative threads. Sensual and savvy and always sublime, Parallel Mothers sells everything within its immaculate frames — and surrendering to its emotional, visual and thematic pull is as natural as life and death.
The black parade is coming back to Australia — eventually. After their last attempt to head to our shores in 2020 was thwarted due to the pandemic, the reunited My Chemical Romance announced earlier in 2021 that they'd tour the country's east coast in 2022. However, those gigs have now been pushed back to 2023 — but extra shows have also been added. Hopefully the third time will prove the charm for Gerard Way and co, and for music lovers eager to grab their eyeliner, don every black piece of clothing in their wardrobe, relive their angsty emo teenage years and let out three cheers. The new tour will mark more than a decade since MCR last came to our shores for the 2012 Big Day Out — and comes after the US group went their separate ways in 2013, then reformed in 2019. Fans will be pleased to know that MCR are headlining their own shows on this tour, too, rather than leading a festival bill as they were slated to do in 2020. And, they'll now be playing two gigs at each of their stops in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney — with their rescheduled 2023 tour doubling down on stints at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Rod Laver Arena and Qudos Bank Arena. While waiting an extra year to see MCR isn't quite the end-of-2021 development anyone wanted, being able to snap up tickets to new shows if you missed out in the first round is clearly much better news. Back in late 2019, when MCR announced that they were literally getting the band back together, they sold out their first reunion gig in Los Angeles quick smart — and tickets to their Australian gigs have already proven mighty popular. The group has been trying to take its new show on the road ever since they reformed, but, thanks to the pandemic, that has obviously proven much trickier than anticipated. MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE 2023 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Monday, March 13 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane — NEW SHOW Tuesday, March 14 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane — SOLD OUT Thursday, March 16 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne — NEW SHOW Friday, March 17 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne — SOLD OUT Sunday, March 19 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney — SOLD OUT Monday, March 20 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney — NEW SHOW My Chemical Romance will tour Australia's east coast in March 2023. For further information — and for pre-sale tickets for the just-announced new shows from 3pm on Tuesday, December 14, and general tickets from 12pm on Wednesday, December 15 — head to the tour website. Top image: My Chemical Romance performing by NBSTwo via Flickr.
You don't have to do much poking around to find evidence of Brisbane's latest food trend. In fact, come late November, Newstead residents will have two poke joints to choose from. After Suki set up its third outlet in the suburb just last month, Cheeky Poke Bar is about to follow suit. Heading to the new Haven development at 63 Skyring Terrace, Cheeky Poke Bar is the latest venture from the folks behind Portside's Fresh N Wild Fish, aka the place to get seafood and chips in Hamilton. They're extending their love of ocean bounty to a new format — not only in terms of serving up the Hawaiian fish dish, but in setting up a restaurant-bar hybrid that pairs its bites to eat with cocktails. While the drinks list hasn't been revealed as yet, bright boozy concoctions will be on offer, helping wash down a food range that includes chicken and tofu bowls, miso soups, wontons, and nori tacos. Cheeky will also boast kombucha on tap, plus an extensive local beer and wine range. Decor-wise, patrons can expect a sea of black, grey, blue and brass inside the 45-seat digs, as well as timber booths, bar tops made from recycled stone, and neon lighting. "I wanted to create a space which elevates your senses, so you can really appreciate the fresh produce and each flavour in every dish," explains owner Sam Demetriou. Find Cheeky Poke Bar at Haven, 63 Skyring Terrace, Newstead from late November. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more information.
Clear your weekend, because local art guru Luke Jaaniste is bringing to the Judith Wright Centre a festival like no other. Mesmerism Summer Festival is a unique art- and ideas-based, Diplo-free festival that focuses more on ambience than beat drops. Part hypnotic, part-meditative and totally relaxing for all, Mesmerism is a collection of sonic immersions, aimed at mesmerising the body, mind and soul. Promising the comfiest cushions in the universe, it welcomes you to lie down, sit or simply pace about while letting your body listen and float through gorgeous clouds of undulating sound. Friday night will features Involuntary Strings by Sydney sound artist Michaela Davies, and Luke himself will be performing Trance Piano on an amplified, thunderous grand piano. Prepare to tremble. Saturday is set to deliver a full spectrum of audible throbbing, featuring a Tam Tam Solo by renowned percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson and electric guitars and basses from local rock and experimental musicians Chris Perren (Nonsemble, Software of Seagulls, Mr Maps), Seamus Kirkpatrick (King Colossus), Adrian Mauro (Machine Age) and James Scott (Tesla Coils).
If you're Melbourne's NGV International and you've spent the summer filling your walls and halls with fashion by Coco Chanel, how do you follow up come winter? By dedicating your next blockbuster exhibition to Pablo Picasso and the artists, poets and intellectuals he crossed paths with. The iconic Spanish painter, sculptor and printmaker's pieces will sit alongside works by everyone from Salvador Dalí and Henri Matisse to Marie Laurencin and Gertrude Stein at The Picasso Century, which'll take over the St Kilda Road gallery from Friday, June 10. A world-premiere showcase developed exclusively for the NGV by the Centre Pompidou and the Musée national Picasso-Paris, and displaying until Sunday, October 9, The Picasso Century won't skimp on its namesake. From Picasso alone, more than 70 works will be on display. But it'll also surround his pieces with over 100 others from more than 50 of his contemporaries, with the latter sourced from French national collections and the NGV Collection. That means that art lovers will be able to gaze at 170-plus works of art, and chart Picasso's career via his paintings, sculptures, drawings and ceramics in the process — and also see how it developed through his engagement with his peers. And, when it comes to other talents showcased, the hefty list also covers Guillaume Apollinaire, Georges Braque, Alberto Giacometti, Françoise Gilot, Valentine Hugo, Dora Maar, André Masson and Dorothea Tanning. By placing the artist's pieces in context with the works of others around him, The Picasso Century examines the connections that helped make him who he was, and explores how his creations rippled throughout the world. Accordingly, art by Natalia Goncharova, Julio González, Wifredo Lam, Suzanne Valadon and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva will also feature, all talents who've rarely been exhibited in Australia. And, other artists included span André Breton, Georges Bataille, Aimé Césaire and Alberto Giacometti, as well as Kay Sage, Max Ernst and Giorgio de Chirico — plus Francis Bacon and Willem de Kooning as well. Didier Ottinger, a scholar of 20th century painting and Deputy Director of the Musée national d'art moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, has curated the exhibition, which obviously steps through Picasso's distinct artistic periods: his blue period, cubism and surrealism, for instance. In total, The Picasso Century will explore 15 thematic sections that chart the course of Picasso's seven-decade-plus career. If you're fond of his surrealist period, however, it'll be particularly packed with works from then. [caption id="attachment_857196" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of 'The Picasso Century', on display 10 June 10–October 9, 2022 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photo: Jeremy Kees.[/caption] Top Images: Installation view of 'The Picasso Century', on display 10 June 10–October 9, 2022 at NGV International, Melbourne. Image 1, photo: Peter Bennetts. Image 2-4, photo: Sean Fennessy.
If you find yourself walking through QUT's Creative Industries Precinct at night, firstly be wary of the nocturnal creatures (possums have been known to Parkour onto people's heads from time to time) and secondly take the time to look up! The shining light on the buildings is part of an innovative outdoor projection exhibition thanks to The Parer Place Project. The Parer Place Project is solely dedicated to providing a digital canvas for emerging or experimental artists, allowing innovative work to illuminate QUT's burgeoning creative campus. This month the project will showcase Floating Effect – a collection of short animations from Japan's Digital Hollywood University. The film university holds strong ties with organisations both inside and outside Japan and represents a range of study fields including Anime, games, film and IT. The Floating Effects series of short animations will address the interweaving of Japan's strong traditions and historical traumas with contemporary aesthetics such as Superflat and western influences. An interesting and exotic spotlight on a culture that uniquely integrates modern change with traditional practices. Floating Effect will screen outdoors, every night from 6pm until dusk.
If you live in 11 Local Government Areas in southeast Queensland — in the Brisbane City Council, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim LGAs, to be exact — then it has been some time since you've been able to flash your smile at people outside of your own home. Since the end of June, in an effort to stop the region's recent COVID-19 cases from spreading, wearing masks has been compulsory across the region. And, with these areas in lockdown until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 8, that mask mandate will remain in place until then. This is familiar news, because the State Government has extended the mask requirement for these 11 LGAs not just once but multiple times now. That last extension was due to end at 6am on Friday, August 6; however, masks remain compulsory under lockdown conditions, so they're not going anywhere while stay-at-home rules are still active. If you need a refresher, the mask rules apply whenever you're spending time indoors somewhere other than your own home — and outdoors as well, which is a change from the mask mandate that was in place before lockdown. In all of these situations, you must wear a mask. Accordingly, you also always need to be carrying a mask with you. They must be worn at all times when you're not in your own house, unless five specific conditions apply. So, you don't have to mask up if you are alone in your car or with members of your household, if you're eating or drinking, and if you're at your usual workplace and can socially distance from others — unless you work in a hospitality venue or in transporting passengers, where you'll have to keep masking up regardless. You also don't have to cover your face if you are alone outdoors or with folks you live with, or if it is unsafe to do so. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1421984774277656576 Obviously, these rules cover — but aren't limited to — all indoor spaces other than your house, all indoor workplaces unless it is unsafe to do so, public transport, and in taxis and ride share vehicles. And, under lockdown, you can still only leave your home for four reasons: to get essential goods — for example, groceries and medications — but only within ten kilometres of your house; for essential work if you can't work from home, and for school or childcare; for exercise within ten kilometres of home, and only with one person who isn't in your household; and for healthcare, including to get a COVID-19 vaccination, or to provide help, care or support. Queensland currently has 66 active COVID-19 cases, with 13 locally acquired cases reported in the past 24 hours. As always, the usual requests regarding social distancing, hygiene and getting tested if you're feeling even the slightest possible COVID-19 symptoms also still apply — as they have since March last year. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website.
Plenty of people have gotten into plenty of trouble in Collins Place. In its revamped guise, expect the hijinks to continue — but now, they'll involve boozing in a renovated former police station, rather than spending a stint inside for law-breaking behaviour. The heritage-listed Queenslander's past gives Little Big House its name, of course; however this new watering hole is all about the present and future. First announced in late October, and located in the still-developing Southpoint precinct at the end of South Bank's Grey Street, LBH comes courtesy of the Matt Moran-led hospitality group Solotel. In fact, it's their third Brisbane venue after Aria and Riverbar & Kitchen. Raised above Grey Street next to the train station, the two-level Queenslander instantly stands out from the crowd with its city views, cruisy vibe, and creative food and beverage menu. Not bad for a building that dates back to 1889, and also counts stints as a Ship Inn, a Spaghetti House and a squatter's den among its history. Most drinking spots want to be known for their relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere, and LBH certainly delivers — from the open front and side balconies, that benefit from the cooling river breeze, to the downstairs karaoke room, where groups can belt out a tune (and slap on a brightly coloured hat) for free. A pink pool table with an adjacent big screen for sports also takes up one room, while DJ booths are found on both floors. More than a few house parties are planned, because you don't call a pub Little Big House without hosting a few packed-to-the-brim shindigs. Like most pubs, however, the venue is really all about sitting down at a table, forgetting your worries and hanging out with your mates. Accordingly, whether a Sunday session is in full swing or the verandahs are peppered with lunchtime diners, LBH has the menu for it under head chef Mathew Fulford (ex Stokehouse, Qualia). Beef burgers, hot smoked salmon salad and minute steak all make for easy but satisfying meals, with the two on-site rotisseries also pumping out chicken and porchetta — with chips, or on rolls. As great as that all sounds, it's the chicken parmi spring rolls that are sure to become a favourite. Other nibbles include kingfish and avocado tostadas, lamb sausage rolls and fish fingers, plus ice cream sangas for dessert. When it comes to booze, two bars — one upstairs, one downstairs — have plenty to offer, including a limited-time-only beer collaboration with Sydney's Young Henry's. A light summer beverage that goes down fast and smooth, their brew goes by the name of Queenslander (what else?), and is only available on the premises. Further beverage highlights range from two types cocktails in a can (Feels Like Apple Pie and Grape Expectations), frosé slushies and jugs of rosé sangria, to the Salty Sailor and the Garden Tonic (aka, LBH's takes on the espresso martini, complete with popcorn and toasted marshmallow, and the G&T, with elderflower, cucumber, lime, mint). An array of Champagne, rosé, reds and whites (six of the first two, eight of the second) round out the drinks list. Decor-wise, the old meets the new in the restored fixtures, custom-painted flora and fauna murals, and adorable fake dog sitting by the front door. Throw in a heap of outside seating on the lower floor — overlooking the street, and under palm trees and umbrellas — and many a Brisbanite will have found their new laid-back go-to. Making the place even better, a kiosk out the front will serve food and coffee to those merely moseying on by, and once the train station renovations are complete, sauntering in pre- or post-commute is bound to become common. Find Little Big House at 18 Southpoint, 271 Grey Street, South Brisbane. Check out the venue's website and Facebook page for further details. Images: Atlanta Bell and Sarah Ward.
Are you ready to laugh? Of course you are — and hopefully your stomach muscles and lung capacity are primed for the next month of funniness, too. That’s right, from February 24 to March 22 it’s Brisbane Comedy Festival time, when the Brisbane Powerhouse becomes the home of humour, and your insides hurt from constant chuckling. It is easy to forget that BCF is still a relatively new event, probably because each festival’s lineup reads like a seasoned comedy roster. In only the seventh year that Brisbane has had its own celebration of hilarity, the best in local talent and a smattering of overseas stars combine once more, with more than 40 acts stepping up to the mic. Ogling the program is the easy part; narrowing down who and what to see is much harder. For that, here are our top ten BCF picks.
Launceston's Cataract Gorge is no stranger to dazzling displays, especially when Mona Foma rolls around. But when the Museum of Old and New Art's (MONA) key summer event returns in January 2022, the natural landmark will host something particularly spectacular: a 2.4-tonne sculpted block of ice that'll hang over the gorge. If you're after jaw-dropping displays that make a statement, THAW by Legs On the Wall is it. When it's dangling between Friday, January 21–Sunday, January 23, it'll task one daring performer with standing atop that big chunk of ice for eight hours a day, all as the frozen block of water melts. The installation comes to Tasmania after hitting up Sydney Festival first, and it's certain to be a stunning sight in both locations. That's not all that Mona Foma has in store for its next fest, with MONA announcing a jam-packed program that'll run in Launceston across those aforementioned dates, and then arrive in Hobart from Friday, January 28–Sunday, January 30 — after the event confirmed back in November that it was definitely going ahead in 2022. On the bill across the whole lineup: lasers, monster trucks, Midnight Oil, sonic sculptures, the return of the festival's beloved morning meditations and more. While Launceston gets ice, Hobart will see lasers blast over the city thanks to Beacon by Robin Fox. Other highlights from the entire two-weekend program include Midnight Oil's shows in both cities, and cement mixers turned into monster trucks that'll rove around the two locales. Also, Kartanya Maynard will collaborate with Vernon Ah Kee on site-specific text and sound installations in each spot, pondering assimilation, displacement and Tasmanian Aboriginal protests. Plus, the Mofo Sessions will host nightly concerts in Launceston's Royal Park and on the Mona Lawns, with Gwenno, Mo'Ju, The Chills, Danny Healy Quartet, DENNI and Jason Whatley Quartet all on the bill. And, if you've ever wanted to see two dancers on a brutalist pile of concrete for more than four hours, that'll be part of Fertile Ground. In Launceston, musicians Karlin Love and Jon Addison will play tunes inspired by Cataract Gorge's ecosystems in the gorge itself; the Midland Highway will host Trawlwoolway artist, writer and curator Julie Gough's The Missing, which muses on the area's colonial history and treatment of Indigenous Australians; video work Pacific Sun by German artist Thomas Demand will take over the National Theatre; and Quandamooka artist Megan Cope will create sonic sculptures out of discarded mining relics, geological samples and piano strings that'll be used in live performances. And, in Hobart, you can also check out AQI2020, which sees New Zealand performance and installation artist Alicia Frankovich turn a transparent sulfur-hazed box into a live show. It'll house performers, mimic the look and atmosphere from Australia's 2019–20 bushfire season and, unsurprisingly, comment on climate change. Or, attendees can also see 70s-era organs rescued from the tip and given a last whirl in DJ TR!P and Scot Cotterell's Organ Donor; check out a huge, loss-inspired, computer-generated work by Albanian artist Anri Sala at Princes Wharf 1; and witness a series of pieces that pay tribute to and farewell Australia's video shops. [caption id="attachment_835603" align="alignnone" width="1920"] THAW. Photo credit: Shane Rozario. Image courtesy of the artists and Mona Foma.[/caption] Top image: Atrium, Alicia Frankovich. Image courtesy of the artist and Mona Foma.
Help the environment, save money, restock your wardrobe: buying secondhand fashion ticks all three boxes. Tired of your old threads? Want to save perfectly good textiles from landfill? Feeling a budget crunch? Then plan a trip to the brand-new Portside Wharf Love Me Again Markets. The broader Love Me Again Markets aren't new, but this excuse to turn someone else's unwanted outfits into your next favourites is now hitting up Hamilton's riverside precinct in 2024. Find it in its new home on the second Saturday of each month, near Rise Bakery. You'll be indoors, too, and with change rooms on hand. Here, you'll have more than 20 stalls to peruse. Clothes, shoes, accessories: they'll all be on offer. Among them, so will designer wares and popular labels, and a range of shapes and sizes. The market runs from 9am–1pm, so you'll want to roll out of bed early to head along. Live tunes will provide a soundtrack, and entry costs $3 — and you'll need your card to pay. Updated Tuesday, September 10, 2024.
UPDATE, August 12, 2022: Drive My Car is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. More than four decades have passed since Haruki Murakami's debut novel reached shelves, and since the first film adaptation of his work followed, too; however, the two best page-to-screen versions of the author's prose have arrived in the past four years. It's easy to think about South Korean drama Burning while watching Drive My Car, because the two features — one Oscar-shortlisted, the other now the first Japanese movie to be nominated for Best Picture — spin the writer's words into astonishing, intricately observed portraits of human relationships. Both films are also exceptional. In the pair, Murakami's text is only a starting point, with his tales hitting the screen filtered through each picture's respective director. For Drive My Car, Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi does the honours, taking audiences riding through another of the Happy Hour, Asako I & II and with Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy helmer's layered, thoughtful and probing reflections on connection. Using Murakami's short story from 2014 collection Men Without Women as its basis, Drive My Car's setup is simple. Yes, the film's title is descriptive. Two years after a personal tragedy, actor/director Yūsuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima, Silent Tokyo) agrees to bring Chekhov's Uncle Vanya to the stage in Hiroshima, and the company behind it insists on giving him a chauffeur for his stay. He declines— he'd asked to stay an hour away from the theatre so he could listen to recorded tapes of the play on his drive — yet his new employers contend that it's mandatory for insurance and liability reasons. Enter 23-year-old Misaki Watari (Tôko Miura, Spaghetti Code Love), who becomes a regular part of Yūsuke's working stint in the city. Drive My Car doesn't hurry to its narrative destination, clocking in at a minute shy of three hours. It doesn't rush to get to its basic premise, either. Before the film's opening credits arrive 40 minutes in, it steps through Yūsuke's existence back when he was appearing in a version of Uncle Vanya himself, married to television scriptwriter Oto (Reika Kirishima, Japanese TV's Sherlock) and grappling with an earlier heartbreak. His wife is also sleeping with younger actor Takatsuki (Masaki Okada, Arc), which Yūsuke discovers, says nothing about but works towards discussing until fate intervenes. Then, when he sits in his red 1987 Saab 900 Turbo just as the movie's titles finally display, he's a man still wracked by grief. It's also swiftly clear that he's using his two-month Hiroshima residency as a distraction, even while knowing that this exact play — and Oto's voice on the tapes he keeps listening to — will always be deeply tied to his life-shattering loss. This prologue does more than set the scene; there's a reason that Hamaguchi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Takamasa Oe (The Naked Director), directs so much time its way. Where tales of tragedy and mourning often plunge into happy lives suddenly unsettled by something catastrophic or the process of picking up the pieces in the aftermath — typically making a concerted choice between one or the other — Drive My Car sees the two as the forever-linked halves of a complicated journey, as they are. The film isn't interested in the events that've forever altered the plot of Yūsuke's life, but in who he is, how he copes, and what ripples that inescapable hurt causes. It's just as fascinated with another fact: that so many of us have these stories. Just as losing someone and soldiering on afterwards are unshakeably connected, so are we all by sharing these cruel constants of life. The reality that anyone can have a history as complex and as coloured by pain is a lesson for Yūsuke to learn. Although he makes a living plumbing the depths of human emotion through art, and cathartically so, reading those same feelings into the people around him — recognising the same highs and lows in their experiences, as in his own — is a thornier path to chart. But in his daily treks to and from his theatre rehearsals, he starts making the trip towards that realisation as Misaki sits behind the wheel of his trusty Saab. Initially, neither speaks, with Oto's line readings via cassette breaking the silence. Yūsuke saves his words for the International cast he auditions and then directs, each relaying Uncle Vanya in their native tongues (or, in one instance, by an actor who is deaf and signs her dialogue). Slowly, though, the drives find their own language, as Misaki opens up about her past and vice versa. Forget Green Book and Driving Miss Daisy, American Oscar-applauded films similarly about drivers, passengers and unexpected camaraderie — Drive My Car is in a lane of its own, and not just because it isn't a simplistic and saccharine attempt to weave a heartwarming story out of racial reconciliation. Hamaguchi takes his central pair and his audience on a patient, engrossing and rewarding trip that cuts to the heart of dealing with life, love, loss, pain, shame and despair, and also sees how fickle twists of chance — a recurrent topic in the director's films — unavoidably dictate our routes. Another thing that the filmmaker does disarmingly well: ponder possibilities and acceptance, two notions that echo through both Yūsuke and Misaki's tales, and resonate with that always-winning combination of specificity and universality. Drive My Car is intimate and detailed about every element of its on-screen voyage and its character studies, and also a road map to soulful, relatable truths. Sitting — while driving and during rehearsals — is a recurrent sight in Drive My Car. It's fitting; this is a film to sit with. The movie's lengthy duration lets viewers take in its gorgeously shot visuals as they might revel in landscape spied from a car window, whether cinematographer Hidetoshi Shinomiya (Ju-on: Origins) is lensing the road as it winds by the Seto Inland Sea, spending time with the feature's core duo or chronicling Yūsuke's efforts at the theatre. Crisp, poetic and revealing even in a visit to a waste treatment facility, Drive My Car's naturalistic imagery provides a striking canvas for its affecting performances, too, with Nishijima and Miura as quietly expressive as any film — and any Murakami adaptation — could hope of its actors. In one of the picture's most stunning sequences, they chat by steps near the ocean, and the camera sees everything about their characters, and simply existing, and also tussling with life's pain, in each emotionally loaded closeup and sweeping, waterside wide shot. These are moments that drive a movie to greatness, and this moving and perceptive masterpiece is filled with them.
Emma Russack, the Melbourne-based songstress, is making quite the fuss with her velvet vocals pushing through delicate lyrics. Her second album You Changed Me is taking her on her first national tour to share her very honest, raw music that is sure to be an astounding live performance. She’ll share the intimate stage of Black Bear Lodge with some of Brisbane’s finest. Cured Pink, the hypnotic, teasing experimental outfit will move you like a well-oiled machine while dancing outside the lines, blurring the space between music and fine art. Soda Eaves will take you back to the grime and dim of 90s rock, understated but with all the detail of a performer worth travelling for. DAG cooly groove through some mighty catchy bass lines, easy listening at its finest while engaging the senses. Head along for an evening of varied sounds and atmospheres, stitched together by some of the finest up-and-coming songwriters.
UPDATE, February 27, 2022: Due to the weather conditions, the Sunday Retro Brunch has been moved to Sunday, March 27. This article has been updated to reflect that change. There really is a day for everything, and here's the latest proof: National Retro Day, aka a day to celebrate the good ol' days, arrives on Sunday, March 27. And if your idea of getting nostalgic simply involves partying like it's the 70s, then the newly reopened Hibiscus Room — which dates back that long — has the brunch session for you. From 12pm, it's hosting a Sunday Retro Brunch. Think: prawns with cocktail sauce, pavlova for dessert, and everything from oysters with Tabasco, eggs benedict, tandoori chicken, lamingtons and a cheese selection as well. And, while the menu is spiriting your tastebuds back in time, you'll be hanging out in a retro-themed rooftop poolside on level four of the Hyatt Regency Brisbane. You'll pay $79 per person for the food lineup, which includes a Four Pillars cocktail upon arrival and live entertainment as well. After that first boozy beverage, it's a pay-as-you-drink setup, with $15 Four Pillars spiced negronis, Bloody Shiraz Gin spritzes and Navy Strength Gin mule among the drinks selection for February.
Is it just us or has the concept of romantic dinner dates gotten a little stale? When did dating get pigeonholed to just romantic dinners anyway? While we're all for enjoying a good meal, when it comes to scheduling your next date, we recommend opting for something a bit more adventurous instead. Brisbane is brimming with plenty of options to get your heart racing and take your relationship to the next level. Whether it's your first date or your 31st, inject a little excitement into your next outing with your special someone. We've taken care of the heavy lifting with this adventure-packed itinerary, in partnership with Adrenaline. You and your lover can thank us later. [caption id="attachment_720391" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matthew Taylor, Tourism Events Queensland[/caption] START YOUR DAY WITH A SUNRISE HIKE There's no better way to start a full day with your bae than watching the sunrise with the cityscape in the background. Kick the date off nice and early with a hike up Mount Coot-tha. Just a short drive from the CBD, Mount Coot-tha is home to some of the most scenic hiking trails in Brisbane. Our favourite is the Summit Track, which will take you all the way up to the observation deck. The view alone makes for a great reward after sweating it out on the hilly terrain below. Time it perfectly and you'll bear witness to a killer sunrise as the city wakes up. [caption id="attachment_694715" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sean Fennessy[/caption] REFUEL WITH BRUNCH ON JAMES STREET All that exercise is sure to get your appetite up, or at least have you in desperate need of a caffeine hit. Make your way to James Street, where the people-watching is equally as impressive as the dining and shopping. Head to Lobby Bar, on the ground floor of The Calile Hotel — easily one of the most celebrated (and photogenic) hotels our city has — for a breakfast that's as delicious as it is aesthetically pleasing. Here, plush interiors are rivalled only by the menu — think fresh seasonal fruit platters, granola, and house-made crepes served with your choice of Nutella, strawberry compote, or salted caramel. TAKE A SCENIC HELICOPTER FLIGHT TO A WINERY How does the thought of arriving at a winery in your own personal helicopter sound? Bougie, right? Take your romance — and your lunch plans — to new heights with a scenic helicopter flight to Sirromet Winery. As you depart from Archerfield Airport, travelling at a deceivingly steady 270 kilometres-per-hour, take in the incredible views of Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Mount Cotton and even the Gold Coast in the distance. It sure makes for one scenic flight. Once you arrive at Sirromet, you'll have 90 minutes to spend as you please. You can opt to dine at one of the two on-site restaurants or enjoy a leisurely wine tasting, where you'll expand your knowledge as you sample the award-winning Granite Belt wines — try the 2019 Tempo Verita Montepulciano. Or, you could do a full winery tour. The choice is yours, but these are an additional cost, so make sure you make a reservation before you take off. GET COMPETITIVE WITH A ROUND OF DARTS There's nothing wrong with adding a little healthy competition to your date. And what better way to really get to know your partner than with a friendly game of darts? At Oche, it's not about the game, it's about the experience. But this is no ordinary darts board you'd find in your local pub. Oche is a high-tech alternative that takes the simple game to the next level. Rustic yet luxe interiors — we're talking dark wood panelling, red leather bench seats, and 14 cosy booths to take your pick from — really add to the vibe. Once you've been assigned a booth, it's game on. The best part? Since it's all electronic, you don't have to keep track of your score, which also means less opportunity for cheating. And should you need a little extra energy to hit the bullseye, there's an extensive food and drinks menu on offer. FINISH YOUR DAY WITH SUNSET DRINKS We're spoiled for choice when it comes to new bar and restaurant openings here in sunny Brisbane. And the latest to arrive on the scene certainly doesn't disappoint. Perched on the legendary Kangaroo Point cliffs, Joey's is the perfect spot to unwind from your action-packed adventure date with a cocktail in hand — there are five spritzes, three margaritas and a bunch of other cocktails to choose between. Be transported to Palm Springs with the charming decor, while you take in the unparalleled 180-degree view of the city skyline. Feeling peckish? Take your pick from woodfired pizzas, prawn sandwiches, or mezze boards perfect for sharing. To explore all of the Adrenaline experiences available in Brisbane and beyond, head over here. Top image: Oche
Coming up at the University Art Museum at the University of Queensland is an exciting exhibition fresh from the National Gallery of Australia. Defying the traditional divide between gallery and ‘other’ art, the UAM will present Space Invaders, an Australian street art retrospective. Think of street art and the mind most likely jumps to international street artists Banksy, Blek le Rat, Shepard Fairey and Swoon, whose works embrace the stencilling technique so common among street artists of today. Lesser known is that Australia itself has a strong street art culture and has produced a number of innovative and now internationally recognised artists. Whilst street art is certainly a slightly newer phenomenon in Australia as compared to the United Kingdom and the United States, Australian street art has grown out of a hip-hop graffiti culture that has been around since the 1980s. Artists utilise mediums such as stencilling, paste-ups, stickers and posters, often to challenge paradigmatic social norms and initiate social and political change. This is done either through overt methods (Meek’s Keep your coins, I want change) or through the strategic positioning of works in an urban environment. Space Invaders will bring together 150 works from over 40 Australian street artists, including Reks, Anthony Lister, Adrian Doyle, Sync, and James Dodd.
3D imaging has come a long way since the first experiments in the early 1900s. Take James Cameron's Avatar, which used multiple cameras to produce a three-dimensional visual masterpiece. Plus a blue alien race and the beautiful world they inhabit. 3D doesn't just make for larger-than-life films. This innovation in 3D imaging could enhance scientific research. Researchers from Ohio State University have created the first single, stationery lens to create microscopic 3D images by itself. Usually multiple lenses are required to produce a 3D image, making the invention quite incredible. The prototype lens is around the size of a fingernail and was cut by a computer-programmed ultraprecision milling device. The lens will allow more accurate viewing of microscopic objects, Associate Professor of Integrated Systems Engineering at Ohio State University Allen Yi said. "For us, the most attractive part of this project is that we will be able to see the real shape of micro-samples instead of just a 2D projection." [Via Fast Company]
You know that bucket list of local food joints you've been meaning to check out? Now is the time to start ticking them off — and you don't even need to leave your house to do so. Some of Brisbane's most legendary venues are in the takeaway game, too, so couch-bound connoisseurs have more convenient (and delicious) options available for at-home dinners than ever before. Don't feel like going out? Can't venture far from home, because that's a regular occurrence during the pandemic? These dishes will get delivered to your doorstep (and nobody will judge you for being in a robe all day). Here, we've covered everything from burgers to beef cheeks, with a few unexpected surprises thrown in between. Just make sure you brush the crumbs off your laptop before your next Zoom call.
Well, not really. But aggregated search data can be used to track some economic trends, and can do so better than official economics surveys. The logic behind it is pretty simple: what does the average person do when confronted by something new in their life? Google it, of course. By using Google Insights to measure search terms like 'real estate agent' or 'unemployment' it's possible to get an idea of how much activity there will be in the property market, or how many people might be signing up for benefits soon. The Bank of England is doing exactly that to supplement their official figures to gain a better picture of the UK economy. The search engine figures aren't 100% accurate, but they are available much faster than government reports. It's not the first time individual search activity has been aggregated and used to measure large-scale trends. Google Flu Trends uses the same idea: by measuring the frequency of searches for flu symptoms, they can measure levels of flu activity and report it much faster than hospital reported cases. In fact, Google could have spotted the 2009 swine flu outbreak... if they had been monitoring Mexico at the time. [via Guardian UK]
When 2025 began, starting off March with wet and windy weather thanks to a cyclone threatening to hit the River City wasn't on any Brisbanite's bingo card; however, that's been the reality due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. After a chaotic weekend that saw the city avoid the worst predictions regarding the cyclone's impact, but still endure damaging winds, intense rain and flooding, Brisbane remains in a soggy state. The wet conditions continue, and so does the flash-flooding risk. Nothing has returned to normal yet, then, including venturing out of the house via public transport. It's been a week since CityCat and ferry services were suspended as at the last service on Monday, March 3, with buses and trains in southeast Queensland following from the final service on Wednesday, March 5. As at Monday, March 10, Brisbane's public transport network is now slowly starting to resume, but the severe weather is still having a say. Indeed, buses initially resumed on Sunday, March 9, only to be suspended again. At the time of writing, Translink advises that "public transport is continuing to come back online after major impacts due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred", but "some services will remain offline while our crews can undertake critical repairs and clean-up work while there are ongoing impacts due to localised flooding, road closures and staff availability." Accordingly, although some bus, train, CityCat and ferry services are beginning again in and around Brisbane, you'll want to check Translink before heading out — and also be prepared for further changes as the weather keeps developing. [caption id="attachment_844368" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ash Kyd via Flickr[/caption] Brisbane City Council bus services are still suspended "until further notice due to overnight weather impacts causing flooding and road closures", for instance, but some Logan, Redlands and Moreton Bay services are running. If you usually travel by rail, the Cleveland, Doomben, Gold Coast and Redcliffe Peninsula lines aren't back in action yet, but the others are, operating on Sunday timetables. There are no CityCat services on Monday, March 10, but some currently have timetables up for Tuesday, March 11. Translink advises that its online journey planner will be updated each day at 6pm, outlining services for the next day. [caption id="attachment_754201" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] To keep up to date with the latest conditions, warnings, alerts and timetables, Brisbanites can head to the below services: The Bureau of Meteorology's Queensland warnings page, Queensland X and Facebook Brisbane City Council's emergency dashboard Queensland Government's disaster site Brisbane City Council's X and Facebook Translink's website, X, Facebook and Instagram Queensland Fire and Emergency Services's website, X, Facebook and Instagram Qld Traffic Stay safe and dry out there, Queenslanders. For the latest transport news, timetables and service changes, head to the Translink website. Brisbane City Council is continuing to update its emergency dashboard. The Bureau of Meteorology is continuing to update its warnings regularly — visit its website for further details.
We've seen plenty of services which will print your phone photos, but just when you thought iPhoneography couldn't get any more nifty, designer Mac Funamizu has conceptualised instant iPhone printouts for photos on the go. His iPhone case would allow your pretty iPhone pics to be printed Polaroid-style. The concept includes other functional features. For example, if you upload the photo to a website, you can add an QR code for the URL on the back. For a geo-tagged photo, you can also include the map to show where the photo was taken. Says Funamizu, "Yes, I’m one of those people who still relish the feel (and smell) of photos." [Via Lost at E-Minor]
Don't you hate it? You finish carving it up on the black run, having linked together some pretty sweet tricks, only for your buddy to claim his jumps were airier and his landings smoother. If only you had some way of objectively measuring just who was the more extreme… Perhaps you can. Nokia have teamed up with leading snowboard company Burton to develop Push Snowboarding, adding sensors to the board and rider that track your every action. Motion data and biometrics such as heart-rate and skin conductivity are collected wirelessly by the phone sitting in your pocket, allowing you to back up your bragging, or just monitor your progress. The development of 'connected' products can sometimes be an unnecessary gimmick, but in the sports world performance data is priceless for elite athletes. Innovatively, rather than keep the tech in-house and hush-hush, the platform is open to the boarding world, allowing the end-users to hack their own uses for the technology. It's a clever strategy from Nokia, effectively crowd-sourcing their customers to help develop ideas for the product. It could lead to purely entertaining uses, such as loading real runs up to video games, or improved safety features that aid in search and rescue. Whether it ends up as the next must-have accessory for the slopes, or is consigned to the tech junk heap along with the internet fridge, now rests in the hands of the boarders themselves. [via PSFK] https://youtube.com/watch?v=1y8nMUAUeKM
UPDATE: APRIL 30, 2018 — In news that is really not that surprising, Kendrick's Melbourne and Sydney shows sold out in less than an hour this morning. To meet demand, two more shows have been added — one in Melbourne on July 14 and one in Sydney on July 25. Tickets go on sale at 2pm today, and will no doubt sell out as quickly as the first batch. We had a feeling this might happen. Off the back of an appearance at an already sold-out Splendour in the Grass, Kendrick Lamar will also headline four Australian shows in support of his fourth album DAMN.. Lamar is one of the most critically acclaimed and successful hip hop artists of our generation. The Compton rapper most recently became the first ever artist to take out the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for contemporary music. He's also the beholder of 12 Grammys, has clocked up more than six million album sales worldwide, and was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine. Lamar will return to our shores for Splendour on the weekend of July 20–22 and four headline shows: one in Perth on July 10, one in Melbourne on July 13, one in Adelaide on July 15 and one in Sydney on July 24. Having recently taken the DAMN. tour across the UK and Europe, set lists included his extensive catalogue, including good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012), To Pimp A Butterfly (2015) and his most recent effort DAMN.. DAMN. AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES 2018 Tuesday, July 10 — Perth Arena, Perth Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Sunday, July 15 — Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Tuesday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 25 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Kendrick Lamar will visit Australia in July. Tickets will go on sale at local times on Monday, April 30 here.
Sometimes, you can read a book and imagine exactly what a TV adaptation would look like. Anyone who thumbed their way through The Southern Vampire Mysteries before it was turned into HBO's True Blood can't make that claim, however. Created by Six Feet Under's Alan Ball, this undead-focused horror series drips with mystery, lust and gothic excess. And blood, obviously. It's a show set in a world where vampires aren't just a fantasy — and at a time when a synthetic product that shares the show's name has allowed them to live side-by-side with humans, in theory. At the centre of this vamp-fuelled intrigue sits small-town Louisiana waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), who happens to be telepathic. She also happens to fall in love with 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). When their romance attracts the attention of the area's vampire sheriff (Alexander Skarsgård), that's when the drama begins.
A Sydney institution, White Rabbit Gallery has been running free exhibitions showcasing contemporary Chinese art for over a decade. But visitors to the Chippendale space between now and Sunday, August 1 can expect a particularly luminous experience, with its latest eye-catching multimedia exhibition centred around the wonders of light. Showcasing works from 30 artists, Lumen's lineup stretches from interactive light pieces and frozen copper sculptures to video projections and rooms full of LEDs. As well as grabbing attention, each work on display uses light in a thought-provoking, awe-inspiring or fully immersive fashion. The boundary-pushing Zhang Peili, dubbed the father of video art in China, is displaying 2012 Portraits, a series of 14 portraits in which the both the subject and the viewer are blinded by light. Or, there's Yao Chung-Han's DzDz, which invites the audience to stand under movement-sensitive beams of light and create music by using their bodies. And, thanks to Wu Daxin's Ashley's Heart, you'll see copper tubes suspended in the shape of a heart and gradually frozen over the course of the day, creating a unique ice sculpture. Art collective Luxury Logico is presenting two works as part of the exhibition. The first is Solar, a twinkling representation of the sun created using donated desk lamps — while the second, Miniature, is one of the exhibition's showstoppers. The display of LED lights draws upon images from a video reel, with each LED corresponding to a pixel. Both vivid and architectural in its appearance, the work is designed to remind viewers of celestial bodies in the sky, all while cycling through everything from reality TV and ads to soap operas and Adam Sandler movies. Lumen is running over all four levels of the White Rabbit Gallery. As usual with the site's exhibitions, entry is free and there are no bookings, so folks can just rock up and enjoy the art. And, free guided tours are available at 11am, 1pm and 3pm Wednesday–Sunday. Top image: Miniature by Luxury Logico.
Sometimes, the world handily delivers answers to questions you didn't even know you ever had. You might not have actively wondered to yourself "what'd happen if New Zealand treasures Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby played pirates?", for instance, but we're betting you're now keener than a buccaneer searching for a bottle of rum to discover how it turns out. Best add Our Flag Means Death to your 2022 must-watch list, then. Arriving sometime in March on Binge in Australia — with release details in NZ yet to be confirmed — the HBO Max sitcom sees Darby lead the show as Stede Bonnet, who was a real-life pirate who took to the seas in the early 18th century. The reason that his story is getting the streaming treatment? Bonnet was a 'gentleman pirate', as the just-dropped first teaser trailer for Our Flag Means Death dubs him. He left his life of privilege to rove the oceans, which this comedy is set to have plenty of fun with. As the initial sneak peek shows, Bonnet has some bold ideas about how life onboard should run — bold compared to the usual pirate stereotypes, that is. And, that's set to see him clash with a very famous name from pirate history: Blackbeard, which is who Waititi will be playing. The two immensely funny NZ talents are joined by a long list of co-stars that includes Ewen Bremner (First Cow), David Fane (Paper Champions), Nathan Foad (Bloods), Joel Fry (Cruella), Samson Kayo (Truth Seekers), Rory Kinnear (No Time to Die) and Leslie Jones (Death to 2020). And, while Our Flag Means Death is the brainchild of writer, showrunner and executive producer David Jenkins (People of Earth), Waititi directs the pilot — and executive produces, lending his name and support to another up-and-coming comedy after doing the same with Reservation Dogs last year. And yes, that means he's directing Darby yet again, as he's already done in everything from Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows to Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Check out the trailer for Our Flag Means Death below: Our Flag Means Death will start streaming in Australia via Binge in March — we'll update you when an exact date is revealed. We'll also update you when release details in New Zealand are announced. Top images: Aaron Epstein/HBO Max.
The Autark Home redefines waterfront living. Passivhaus, an independent research institute, has built an eco-friendly floating houseboat. The houseboat is highly energy-efficient, runs completely on solar power and is ten times more energy efficient than the average house. The Autark Home is currently flaoting in Maastricht, Netherlands. Designed by Pieter Kromwijk, the prototype has gained popularity because of its ultra-low energy consumption. There are plans to produce more Autark Homes to meet the demand of willing buyers.
Cristiano, Neymar and Messi have been rendered as the futurist Incredibles in a new series of illustrations by up-and-coming artist Rafael Mayani. Bringing together twelve of the finest players in the FIFA 2014 World Cup, Mayani brought his playful style — often reserved for stunning, Disney and Nintendo characters — to slick renditions of Marco Reus, Andrea Pirlo, Didier Drogba and more WC favourites. Relatively unknown on the international circuit, Mexico City-based Mayani's talent for sketching footballers is evident in his sfumato charcoal Pele posted on his Facebook page: All twelve of the players feature on a limited edition poster available at Society 6. Devoid of sweat patches, day-old Cheezels and beer-stained couch groove, your World Cup addiction never looked so elegant. Marco Reus Didier Drogba Cristiano Ronaldo Iker Casillas Andrea Pirlo Leo Messi Via Fubiz.
You can take away Brisbane's annual show, and the midweek public holiday that usually goes with it. You can do so two years in a row, in fact. But, you can't erase the city's love for the Ekka, or for some of its staples — dagwood dogs, Bertie Beetle showbags and those iconic strawberry sundaes, naturally — so the event's organisers are giving the people what we want. Already, a delivery service that's been dubbed the Strawberry Sundae Taskforce has been announced. It's delivering 20-packs of strawberry sundaes in DIY kits for you to make at home, and it's a great excuse to stock up on the cult dessert for the days, weeks and/or months ahead. But, like in 2020, the Ekka is also hosting a couple of physical takeaway-only events: a drive-thru at Brisbane Showgrounds (with entry via Gate 4A on O'Connell Terrace) and a pop-up at 5/45 King Street in Bowen Hills. These two events are being called Ekka Tastes, and they'll run from 10am–7pm between Saturday, August 14–Sunday, August 22. So, Brisbanites will have nine days to get their Ekka fix at both locations — and yes, this means that your August plans can still involve battered sausages on sticks, glossy plastic bags filled with beetle-shaped chocolates and Brisbane's most beloved form of ice cream. This year, there won't be any other fun around the food. Obviously, you won't be able to crash dodgems and throw a ball in a clown's mouth for a prize, and there won't be any fireworks either. Still, dagwood dogs, Bertie Beetle showbags and strawberry sundaes are always a winning combination. [caption id="attachment_822434" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Rommel Carlos Photography[/caption]
They’re back, bigger, brassier and well, older than ever. Yes, the ever-lovable ‘Gurge are returning to the Brisbane stage, quite an exciting moment. Most exciting of all though, they are sharing with the stage with the next generation of Hot Brisbane Band, the Jungle Giants! This young Brisbane four piece are proving to be The Next Big Thing with their brand of indie-pop rollicking goodness. The Jungle Giants only formed early this year, but these hard working lads and one lady have recorded their first self-titled EP and are now touring the heck out of it to much acclaim. And this is quite the moment for these peeps as they play alongside a Brisbane band of historic greatness Regurgitator, a Brisbane band of current greatness Ballpark Music, and The Jungle Giants are clearly a band of next generation greatness! This all-ages show at The Edge will give Brisbane audiences a chance to see for themselves, and to do some serious side-step indie dancing to these cats!
There's only one thing in life that's almost as ace as a holiday: looking forward to a holiday. The planning, counting down the days, just having something to get excited about — they all help liven up the daily grind. So when a flight sale drops, like Virgin's latest round of discounted fares, it's an instant way to brighten up your mood. Start looking forward to trips around Australia and overseas, and for cheap. This new sale spans over 500,000 fares for both domestic and international legs. Prices start low, at the usual $49, which once again gets you from Sydney to Byron Bay — the normal cheapest fare in any flight sale — and vice versa. From there, the domestic side of the sale covers everywhere from Hamilton Island and Hobart to Darwin and Mt Isa. Virgin's Flight Frenzy sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Friday, August 25 — unless sold out earlier, with fares to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide also covered. That means paying $69 one-way from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, $79 from Melbourne to Hobart, and $99 for a trip from Brisbane to Cairns or Canberra to the Gold Coast. Or, still on local deals, the specials also cover $59 from Melbourne to Launceston, $119 from Adelaide to Sydney, $179 from Brisbane to Darwin and $209 from Melbourne to Perth. Internationally, Tokyo visits are included, from Cairns only from $699 return. Among the other global return options: Bali (from $469 from Adelaide, $489 from the Gold Coast, $599 from Brisbane, and $629 from Melbourne or Sydney), Fiji ($499 from Brisbane or Sydney, and $539 from Melbourne), Vanuatu ($469 from Brisbane) and Samoa ($569 from Sydney and $579 from Brisbane). And, Queenstown is also on the agenda, with both one-way and return legs. One-way from Melbourne and Sydney starts at $265, and return from $425. From Brisbane, those prices are $309 and $539. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the fares cover select periods between Wednesday, October 11, 2023–Thursday, June 20, 2024, with all dates varying per route. Inclusions also differ depending on your ticket and, as usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick if you're keen to stack the rest of 2023 and the first half of 2024 with a getaway (or several). Virgin's Flight Frenzy sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Friday, August 25 — unless sold out earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
