Last night, the best chefs in the world descended on the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore for the annual World's 50 Best celebrations. And while there were plenty of Australians present at the awards — including the event's host, Australian journalist and TV personality Annabel Crabb — no local restaurants made the top 50. Australia's highest ranking restaurant was Attica in Melbourne, which came in at number 84 in the long list announced last week. Fellow Victorian Brae also came in at 101. This year, the list expanded to 120 for the first (and only) time, as a one-off nod to San Pellegrino's (the award's primary sponsor) 120th anniversary. The top five restaurants for 2019 were dramatically different from previous years as former World's 50 Best winners — including Eleven Madison Park and Osteria Francescana — were barred from the list, and instead added to a 'Best of the Best' lineup. The top gong, for the first time in the event's 17-year history, went to a French restaurant: Mirazur. Run by Argentinian-born chef Mauro Colagreco, whose cooking is also inspired by his Italian grandparents, Mirazur is located in an old 1930s villa in the French Riviera, near the Italian border. And, we're guessing it's going to be pretty hard to get a booking there for the next little while — so, we suggest planning a French vacay for 2020 (or beyond). Rounding out the top five were Copenhagen's Noma at number two, which reopened in a new space with a new seasonal menu last year; Spain's Asador Etxebarri at number three; the soon-to-close Gaggan in Bangkok at number four; and fellow Danish restaurant Geranium at five. Other new and notable additions to this year's list include a first-time inclusion for Dominique Crenn's famed San Francisco spot Atelier Crenn and NY's Cosme, by the 2019 Best Female Chef Daniela Soto-Innes, which was the highest ranked US restaurant. https://www.instagram.com/p/BzI0i_OlDGg/ The winning restaurants were chosen by a 1000-strong global voting panel which, for the first time, had an equal gender balance. Five restaurants led by females made the top 50, the same number as last year. You can check out the full list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants here and read more about the long list here. First image: Mirazur by Nicolas Lobbestael.
CHiPS is an extraordinarily annoying film. Annoying, because it's 85 per cent predictable, homophobic rubbish, but also 15 per cent genuinely funny. The quality of those few jokes that do land hence raises the question: was the writer, director and star Dax Shepard just lucky on those rare occasions? Or was he simply lazy on all others? Given the movie is merely the latest in a long line of old TV show reboots, laziness seems the more likely contender. This hypothesis gains further credibility when you consider the comedic chops of Shepard's cast, which includes Michael Peña, Kristen Bell and Maya Rudolph, among others. Hell, Shepard himself is no mug when it comes to making us laugh; how he, or anyone else, could possibly think this script was strong enough to move into production may forever remain a mystery. The plot of CHiPS is at once hideously convoluted and entirely predictable. Peña plays Frank "Ponch" Poncherello, an FBI agent going undercover into the California Highway Patrol in order to expose a gang of corrupt officers suspected of carrying out a series of armoured car robberies. He's partnered up with probationary officer Jon Baker (Shepard), a former X-Games motorcyclist whose body is now in a state of such ruin it's comparable to that of Lloyd Bridges' Admiral Benson in Hot Shots. Addicted to pain killers and determined to win back his adulterous trophy-wife Karen (played by Shepard's actual wife Kristen Bell), Baker is an Owen Wilson-esque modern age man forever discussing the closure of issues and expressing concern for Peña's presumed homophobia. Together, Ponch and Baker cycle around California, occasionally doing police work, but mostly just swearing, masturbating and blowing things up until the movie just sort of ends. The funny bits are funny – a moment involving a hit and run with paparazzi, for example, elicited actual applause from our audience. But successful gags are so few and far between that it makes the exercise of discovering them feel like too much for too little. Vincent D'Onofrio does a solid job imbuing his gang leader character with at least some degree of complexity when all other characters around him are merely caricatures. But it's not nearly enough to save this otherwise decidedly dull and frequently downright cringeworthy affair. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IfqqUTW-i4
When Brisbane's Christmas plans were revealed for 2024, filling the CBD and South Bank with festive cheer, a new addition to the lineup of events stood out: Sono Lumo — Festive Nights of Sound & Light, Queen's Wharf's addition to the seasonal fun. How does the River City's newest inner-city riverside precinct get merry and jolly? With a free audiovisual show accompanied by DJs and roaming live performances, as well as food and drink pop-ups. Since Wednesday, December 4, running 5–11pm Wednesday–Sunday, this has been Queen's Wharf's end-of-year gift to Brisbane. Taking place until Sunday, December 15, Sono Lumo features an hourly four-part visual journey called Carols Rewired, which is dazzling the precinct's patch of the waterfront — plus an EDM soundtrack with some festive nods, as programmed DJ Young Franco. Head by for the full experience — including Fat Noodle, Lúc Lắc, Cucina Regina and Babblers on food duty — or, if you're even remotely in the vicinity, you'll be able to spot the Christmas glow from afar. Carols Rewired lights up at 7.30pm, 8.30pm and 9.30pm each evening. The performances and DJ sets kick off from 5.30pm, with Standing Ovation, Mr Smith, DJ Harley Girl, Electro Swiggety, Jarrod Costello, DJ Sunoe, Liam Connor, DJ Sammy G, DJ Kessin, DJ Varnan, Bella Vita, DJ Boris Maskoff, The Kite String Tangle, DJ Madan, Elska featuring Cutloose, DJ Tasha Lee, Yena featuring DJ Neish and DJ Della Rix on the lineup across Sono Lumo's second week.
Get your shopping done under twinkling lights while surrounded by real (not plastic) Christmas trees. No, this isn't a festive dream — it's the reality of the South Bank Christmas Markets. Carol singers and other performers also help add to the mood, though they can't steal the show from the most important part of the proceedings: the wares on offer at the rows of stalls. From 11am daily, you'll find handmade toys, jewellery and other trinkets just begging to be given as gifts, as well as tasty treats to add to your Christmas feast. Yep, everyone's a winner here.
It's as much a part of the end of the year as busy shops, an overdose of all things red and green, family gatherings and determined resolutions. And, it's a whole lot more fun that that, even while you're wading through masses of people, and even when you're covered in mud. Yes, we're talking about the Woodford Folk Festival. The annual six-day frenzy is back once again, complete with a lineup designed to farewell 2016 and welcome 2017 in style. Topping off a massive year, Gang Of Youths, Adalita, Amanda Palmer and Methyl Ethel help headline the festival, with more than 2000 performers and 438 events — spanning music, dance, cabaret, circus and comedy, plus workshops, debates, street theatre, films, forums and visual arts — also on the program. Whether you're heading along for a single day or camping for the entire duration, you're in for the kind of fun that only happens at one place at one time of year. 100,000 people will be sharing the action with you, and celebrating a special occasion, too. This isn't just another Woodford Folk Festival, after all, but the event's 31st outing.
If Bad Neighbours 2 was a party instead of a film, it'd be the kind that everyone has been to at least once. You know the type: a fiesta focused not only on reliving past glories, but trying to outdo them. Going bigger mightn't always be better, yet plenty of fun — both expected and not so — can be had along the way. That's the end result here. While never the complete riot it wants to be, this comedy sequel frequently proves as hilarious as its predecessor, and has more than a few surprises up its sleeve. The film picks up two years after 2014's Bad Neighbours. After surviving life next to a fraternity, Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) just want to sell their house, move somewhere quiet and hang out with their growing family. While they're embracing adult life, former frat leader Teddy (Zac Efron) is remembering the wild antics of his college heyday a little too fondly. Enter Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz), Beth (Kiersey Clemons) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein), three freshmen eager to make the most of university life, but who don't like the "super rapey" vibe of keggers, or the rule that sororities aren't allowed to throw their own parties. It's not hard to guess where the movie is going, particularly if you've seen its predecessor. Shelby and her pals move in next door to Mac and Kelly, recruit Teddy as their mentor, and start a fresh round of neighbourly fighting for the right to party. Slapstick and gross-out gags remain in the mix, as does Efron's shirtless torso. Once again, director Nicholas Stoller tries to craft a culture-clash comedy that contemplates age and maturity, and for the most part he hits the mark. Admittedly, it may seem as though Bad Neighbours 2 is simply trying to disguise its plot rehash by switching sexes. But there's more going on here — and we don't just mean nods to Minions, Magic Mike and Jackass. In these post-Broad City times, the idea that girls can be as irresponsible and reckless as guys isn't revolutionary. Yet the fact that the film is willing to acknowledge this – not to mention exploring issues such as consent, sexism and privilege – is certainly worth celebrating. Accordingly, if the struggles of growing older added insight and sweetness to the first film's rampant raucousness, interrogating notions of gender, orientation, identity and equality achieves the same feat in the second instalment. Not every joke lands, and for every scene or line that manages to amusingly rework previous material, just as many seem like a stretch. But even when laughs aren't flowing, the movie is always pushing a refreshing, timely and much-needed perspective. Perhaps that's why Bad Neighbours 2 proves both more interesting and slightly less entertaining overall. The message feels new and vital, even if not a lot else does. And while a sense of familiarity certainly assists returning cast members Rogen, Efron and the scene-stealing Byrne, newcomers Moretz, Clemons and Feldstein are rarely asked to do more than embody the film's impressive, progressive attitude.
One day, you might just be able to say that you saw Tessa Waters way back when. You’ll be able to tell your friends that you witnessed her talents before the certain rising star was a household name, although the way she’s winning awards at the moment — including the Brisbane Powerhouse Award for Most Outstanding Comedy at the Melbourne Fringe 2014 — that might be soon. What it is like to be a woman is her current topic of discussion, something that more than half the population can understand, and the other half should listen to. In her usual clowning-around style, there’ll be booty-shaking, bedazzling costumes and hilarious one-liners as she jumps into the funny side of feminine mystique.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around Brisbane, as happens each year once Halloween ends and November arrives. But from Friday, November 25, for a whole month leading up to the big day, the Brisbane CBD and South Bank will be brimming with festive cheer — whether you're keen on shopping your way through markets, peering at dazzling lights or getting comfy (and merry) with a drink in your hand. The lineup of Christmas events that'll be decking out the city's two major inner-city precincts is as stuffed as a stocking, and filled with both beloved returning highlights and new reasons to get merry. Some, like the Enchanted Garden in Roma Street, are popular favourites set to dazzle again. Others, like the 'Tinsel Tavern' and Christmas jazz lounge, are fresh additions to your seasonal itinerary. It all kicks off on Friday, November 25 with the annual lighting of King George Square's 22-metre-tall Christmas tree, as well as the Enchanted Garden's launch. But, mark most of December in your diary, as that's when the bulk of the rest of the events take place. For nabbing gifts, Brisbane Arcade's two-day Christmas markets, the BrisStyle twilight Christmas markets in King George Square and The Collective Markets' six-day Christmas edition at South Bank all return, joining the city's hefty list of places to browse and buy beyond shopping centres. In the CBD, there'll also be nightly light shows at City Hall, running from 7.30pm–12am from Friday, December 9–Saturday, December 24; daily roving performances in the mall across the same dates; and the Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols on Saturday, December 10 at the Riverstage. Or, kick back at the jazz lounge around the Queen Street Mall's stage, with performances by Scat Jazz. South Bank will concentrate its festive fun between Saturday, December 17–Thursday, December 22, including daily pantomime shows, a free Santa photo station at Flowstate, and the return of Christmas Cinema by the river — complete with free double features, with Elf, Last Christmas, Arthur Christmas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Holiday, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Happiest Season among the flicks on the bill. And, the Tinsel Tavern will set up on Little Stanley Street Lawn, serving tipples nightly from 4.30–10pm — and thoroughly saying cheers to the silly season.
At the Valley mall mainstay that is Ric's, there's only one way to get into the BIGSOUND spirit. That'd be throwing the biggest shindig they can in the bar's backyard; when under the sunny Brisbane skies, and all that. From 4pm on Friday until whenever you wander out before closing time on Saturday morning, this blow-out has you covered. The Stiffys, The Durries, Baskervillain, The Flangipanis and Cordeaux will take care of the tunes, while Ric's will take care of the mood, leaving you with the simple task of showing up and having fun. This event is one of our top five picks of BIGSOUND. Check out the other four here.
All-male burlesque troupe Briefs are coming back to Brisbane for MELT with their latest show Close Encounters. For anyone who hasn't seen one of their performances, expect something unlike anything you've experienced — glamorous cabaret and performance mixed with humour and just a little raunch. Oh, and this one is futuristic. Formed back in 2008, the crew has moved from club shows to selling out stages in London, Berlin, Paris, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. Holding performances from May 23 to 26, and then again on June 1 and 2, their latest effort includes dancing, acro-balancing, trapeze, lip-syncing and frocks — and, of course, plenty of social commentary about masculinity, plus a whole lot more.
Maybe you first heard of Peloton when US President Joe Biden assumed office, with his use of the company's technology-enabled equipment giving rise to questions about its potential White House security risks. Perhaps you've seen the mocking ad created by Ryan Reynolds' Aviation American Gin, or the recent Saturday Night Live spoof. Or, you could just really like expensive additions to your home gym setup, or getting guided through your workout routine by an instructor without having to leave the house. Whichever fits, Australians will soon be able to get their hands on the brand's indoor bikes and take part in its streamed classes, with the company announcing plans to launch Down Under. An exact date hasn't yet been announced, but Peloton will be rolling out its equipment and at-home workouts in Australia some time in the second half of 2021. Presumably, it won't be doing so by using its controversial 2019 TV commercial, which received considerable backlash and gave rise to the aforementioned parodies. Australians will be able to choose from two Peloton bikes first up, and neither comes cheap. The Peloton Bike will cost $2895, while the Bike+ will set you back $3695. If you're wondering what the difference is, the latter comes with a bigger screen that can rotate 360 degrees, and with a better sound system — because connecting to the Peloton app and streaming its workouts while you're hitting the pedals is all part of the process. You will need to pay extra to access the company's content, which'll cost $59 per month. On offer: instructor-led classes, motivational tracks and curated playlists, with the latter featuring the likes of Beyoncé and The Beatles. The sessions cover cycling, obviously, as well as running, strength training, high-intensity interval training, yoga, barre, pilates, dance cardio, bootcamp and meditation. Time-wise, they span from five to 60 minutes in length and, in terms of skill, range from beginner to advanced. The Peloton app does also include material that doesn't require the brand's equipment, if you're eager to give it a try without breaking your budget. Peloton is also setting up physical showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne, should you want to give its bikes a test run in person. The brand also makes treadmills, although when they'll be available in Australia hasn't yet been announced. When Peloton heads Down Under, it'll set up shop in its fifth country worldwide, after the US, the UK, Canada and Germany. Peloton will launch in Australia sometime in 2021, and set up showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne. For further details, keep an eye on the company's website.
For one week each September, Brisbane becomes Australia's live music capital — even if a Melbourne survey generally claims otherwise. When BIGSOUND hits the city, it seems like every venue in Fortitude Valley is packed to the rafters with bands, industry folks and music-loving punters, all enjoying the latest and greatest the country's music scene has to offer. And given this year's complete lineup, expect that to be the case once again. After unveiling its first 76 acts for 2019 last month, BIGSOUND has revealed who else it'll play host to between September 3–6. As always, it's a hefty bunch. Mojo Juju, These New South Whales, Adrian Eagle, imbi the girl and Cry Club join a bill that already includes the likes of Bad//Dreems, Electric Fields, SCABZ, Outright, Milan Ring, LOSER, Tones & I and Tasman Keith, plus yergurl, EGOISM, Stevan, Laura Imbruglia and Concrete Surfers. Yes, the list goes on, with 147 artists gracing the event's stages in total. BIGSOUND has also announced its full range of venues, reaching 18 all up, all across Fortitude Valley. Attendees can expect to get cosy in smaller spaces including Black Bear Lodge and Heya Bar, tap their toes at big stages like The Zoo, The Brightside, and Crowbar, and enjoy the night air at outdoor spots such as The Valley Drive In, The Elephant Hotel and Ric's Big Backyard. As previously revealed, this year's talking heads will include keynote speaker Terry McBride, CEO and co-founder of Nettwerk Music Group, which includes Canada's largest independent record label, artist management and music publishing company; and British TV and radio presenter Abbie McCarthy, from BBC Music Introducing, Radio 1 & 4 Music, and Good Karma Club. This is a conference as well as a festival, after all — although, you can choose to hear wise words of wisdom, dance all night, or both. [caption id="attachment_636255" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bec Taylor[/caption] Past BIGSOUNDs have showcased everyone from Gang of Youths, Flume, Tash Sultana and Courtney Barnett to San Cisco, Violent Soho, Methyl Ethel and The Jungle Giants, so its program is usually a very reliable bellwether of current and up-and-coming talent. Even better — the festival's four-night $85 (plus booking fee) Rainbow Pass nabs you access to 270 music showcases at the 18 venues. To view the full BIGSOUND 2019 lineup, visit the event's website. BIGSOUND 2019 runs from September 3–6 at various venues around Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. For further details or to buy tickets from 9am on Monday, June 27, visit bigsound.org.au. To discover what to do, see, eat and drink while visiting Brissie for the annual event, check out our weekender's guide to Brisbane during BIGSOUND. Top image: Kult Kyss at BigSound 2018.
Whether abstaining from red meat is part of your beliefs, or munching on the ocean's finest just sounds like your idea of a good time, the Regatta Hotel is the place to be this Good Friday. Seafood, seafood and then even more seafood will be on the menu at their three-course with drinks luncheon. Enjoy seafood platters and glasses of Moët — which means prawns, fish and other delicious bites from the ocean aplenty — and then top it all off with an Easter-appropriate chocolate marquee served with chocolate soil, salted caramel, raspberries and pure cream. This mouthwatering feast will set you back $129 per person, but, c'mon, it sure beats a backyard barbecue.
Everyone has a favourite kind of chocolate. Everyone also has a favourite kind of chocolate that doesn't actually exist. You know what we're talking about — you've fantasised about a bar of cocoa goodness that includes all your wildest, weirdest additions, and you've been cripplingly saddened every time you've looked for your crazy concoction in the supermarket. Keep dreaming deliciously big, because new Australian online retailer Chocolab is in the business of granting chocolate wishes. Whether milk, white or dark is your jam, and whether you like to find confectionery, spices, fruit, nuts, biscuits, cereal, coffee, popcorn or pretzels hidden within, your dream choccy could be an actual, eatable thing. In the company's online creation lab, you can add up to five possible bits and pieces to your 100-gram block of Belgium's finest. The lengthy list of ingredients currently includes sour gummy worms, Ovalteenies, Nerds, caramel fudge, Nutella, Fruit Tingles, sherbet, acai berries, Tiny Teddies, brownie bites, Cornflakes and more, with new options added regularly. If you don't see an add-in you like, you can even suggest your own. A block starts at $6.50, with add-ins ranging from 70c to $2. Once you've settled on your picks, your concoction is handcrafted by Chocolab's professional chocolatiers, then shipped to you as soon as possible — and yes, there's an express delivery option, because no one likes waiting for the food of the gods. Postage starts at $4 per block, so while it's not the cheapest block of chocolate in town, it's certainly the most happily indulgent. Chocolab recommends eating the finished product with a month or two, and we celebrate their optimism and judgement-free attitude. We all know your dream bar won't last that long. To find out more about Chocolab, or to design your own block of chocolate, visit their website.
Spending more time at home is much easier to stomach with a hefty rage of desserts on hand, or at least that seems to be Gelato Messina's pandemic motto. Over the past few months, the gelato fiends have served up plenty of tasty specials, including cookie pies in choc chip, red velvet, choc-hazelnut, and peanut butter and jelly varieties, as well as 40 of its best gelato flavours. Up next: a gelato version of everyone's favourite Italian chocolate, in tub form. If your ultimate chocolate is round, covered in gold wrapping and has a crunchy hazelnut centre — yes, we're talking about Ferrero Rocher — you best get ready to order this Messina special, dubbed the Tartufo Rocks Hot Tub. Inspired by the famed Italian chocolate, the tubs feature layers of gianduja (chocolate-hazelnut) gelato, whipped cream, chocolate-coated puffed rice, hazelnut mousse and gianduja fudge and are topped with hazelnut rocher glaze. And, yes, the end result looks like the chocolates you know and love — but in a scoopable form. Available as part of Messina's 'Hot Tub' series, the Tartufo gelato can only be ordered online on Monday, October 26, with a one-litre tub setting you back $30. You can then go into your chosen Messina store to pick up your tub between Friday, October 30 and Sunday, November 1. While Rocher's tagline is indeed 'share something special', we think there's nothing wrong with keeping this all to yourself. Gelato Messina's Tartufo Rocks Hot Tubs will be available to order on Monday, October 26, for pick up between Friday, October 30–Sunday, November 1 — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
You know that feeling of unbridled joy and energy you get in the opening scene of The Lion King when you scream "naaaants een-vwen-yaaaaaaa ma-ba-gee-chi-ba-va" (or some variation thereof) as baby Simba is hoisted up by Rafiki? That's why you should pay to see the Spice World: The Movie at Moonlight Cinema on February 9. Even though you've seen it a million times, you have it on DVD and Blu-ray (for some reason), and on a USB drive that's permanently in the TV, you should still buy a ticket. The sheer thrill that you'll feel when an outdoor cinema full of adult women all scream "you gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta SLAM SLAM SLAM SLAM" will be an experience like no other. The joy of sharing, nostalgia and sing-screaming are all rolled into one sing-a-long event at New Farm Park, so snap up a ticket while you can.
Sometimes, a project is talked about for so long — and the construction around it just seems to take forever, too — that it feels like it has always been in the works. On the agenda for at least six years, and set to sprawl between Alice, George, Queen and William streets, Queen's Wharf is one of those projects; however, by the end of 2022, it's set to start welcoming Brisbanites to a new inner-city riverside precinct. Yes, "let's meet at Queen's Wharf" is something you'll soon be able to say when you make plans to head to the CBD. And, you and your pals will be able to choose between one of the 50 restaurants, bars and cafes onsite, heading up to the sky deck or checking out a movie at the riverfront moonlight cinema — or just moseying around the equivalent of 12 football fields worth of public space. The site will also feature up to 2000 residential apartments, plus four hotels — the Dorsett, the Rosewood and The Star Grand hotels — so you'll have a few new staycation spots. A casino will form part of the precinct, as will the new Neville Bonner Bridge. And, if you need somewhere new to browse and buy, around 6000 square metres of Queen's Wharf will be dedicated to high-end retail. While none of these inclusions are new news, details have been fairly scarce over the past few years. So, if you've been wondering exactly where you'll be eating and drinking, when you'll be able to see the city from the sky-high deck that'll link two of the site's towers, and what the cinema will be showing, that's understandable. But, further specifics about the precinct's luxury shopping area have just been revealed, with retail giant DFS running the show. DFS forms part of the Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton Group, and its involvement in Queen's Wharf will mark its largest shopping space in Oceania. You'll find it in the Printery Building on George Street, taking over three levels. A number of its brands, such as Louis Vuitton, will sit in 16 freestanding stores as well. Like the precinct in general, DFS' shops will start opening from late 2022 — with Queen's Wharf set to open in stages. Other previously announced features include The Sports Bar, which'll be located inside the casino and play everything from AFL and NRL to English Premier League soccer; more than 20,000 plants and 300 trees, offering a big burst of greenery; and a 6500-square-metre riverside space called 'The Landing', which'll include lawns for events — and for picnics — as well as terraced seating. Queen's Wharf is slated to start opening from late 2022. We'll update you when a specific date is announced — and you can find out further details in the interim via the development's website.
Craig Robinson slays snakes. If Killing It was initially pitched with those four words and those four words alone, it still would've been easy to greenlight. When the latest comedy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator Dan Goor and executive producer Luke Del Tredici first arrived in 2022, it leaned in, too, with terminating serpents the whole point of the contest at the centre of the comedy's debut season. The place: Florida, home to the python-teeming Everglades. The year: 2016, in the lead up to the US election. The reason for vanquishing vipers: a $20,000 payday, which Craig — also the name of Robinson's character — needed to enact his vision of becoming a saw palmetto farmer. Killing It served up far more than just Robinson, a B99 guest and The Office star, polishing off reptiles — and not simply because Claudia O'Doherty (Our Flag Means Death) joined in as the hammer-swinging Jillian. As a satire of the type of society that has people resorting to seeking a better future by offing animals competitively, this series has always sunk its fangs in. Craig wanted to swap being a Miami bank security guard for capitalising upon a smart idea (the berries he's keen on are coveted in the health market for prostate medicines) to provide for his ex-wife Camille (Stephanie Nogueras, The Good Fight) and daughter Vanessa (Jet Miller, Young Dylan). Aussie expat and Uber driver Jillian wanted a life beyond the gig economy and sleeping in her car. But even in a nation that celebrates the American dream as the pinnacle of existence, a goal that all can chase with hard work and perseverance, and a key factor in US exceptionalism, neither had any other option but to hunt snakes for a big payday. Getting Killing It's characters bludgeoning wildlife was a savvy signifier of a horribly broken system. In season two, which streams in Australia via Stan from Friday, August 18, slaughtering serpents is old news; however, venomous foes definitely aren't. They're the uncaring bureaucracy, the shameless corporations, the shaking-down gangs, the car thieves, the cruel insurance bodies, the nation's entire health scheme, the manipulative bosses, the rude customers and the cash-splashing rich. They're absolutely everyone with a solely in-it-for-themselves perspective, which is almost everyone. They're also unscrupulous entrepreneur Rodney Lamonca (Tim Heidecker, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) and his mini-mogul 12-year-old daughter Prada (Anna Mae Quinn, A Carolina Christmas), who aren't done with Craig and Jillian from season one. When Killing It's latest eight-episode go-around begins, its central pair have followed through on the saw palmetto plan — albeit at a cost, with Craig's low-level criminal brother Isaiah (Rell Battle, Superior Donuts) now on the run and posing as a doctor in Phoenix. Their farm is up and running, and perennial-optimist Jillian isn't is the only one who's hopeful. The two business partners even have a buyer for their berries — and, while their margins are thin, they're getting by. Alas, whether they're dealing with a possible giant snail problem, being blackmailed into taking on new colleagues or becoming the subject of a hostile takeover, Craig and Jillian swiftly realise that snakes still lurk everywhere. Taking a cue from slithering critters, in fact, season two of Killing It poses a question: how low can modern-day America go? It's apt that this brutal contemplation of savage inequality and constant grifting returns in the same week that also gives streaming stunning docuseries Telemarketers, which similarly ponders people exploiting anyone that they think is lower than them in the food chain. Killing It is still firmly a comedy, though, and a hilarious one. Indeed, it's the best comedy that too many viewers aren't watching when everyone should be. The show is also so cutting and canny about capitalism's predators, and the prey that the globe's dominant economic setup turns most folks into, that it nearly draws blood as well as inspires laughs. There's another query at Killing It's core, of course: how low will Craig and Jillian sink, too? Season one introduced them as strangers that were each struggling but striving, then hacked into the little they each had, observing how they were forced to cope (including by coming together). Season two finds them seemingly more comfortable and secure, then unpacks what they're willing to do to retain their new status quo. It sees the selfish moves they make, or don't; the loved ones they protect, or can't; the others they sell out, or won't; the morals they compromise, or refuse to; and the dirt they embrace, or wash away. Craig and Jillian have always been an odd-couple pair, with Killing It's new run also exploring how their differences shape their responses to every choice and decision that slides their way. Problems won't stop multiplying for their on-screen alter egos, but Robinson and O'Doherty's casting gleams. He's all charismatic determination, she's perkily indefatigable, and both play keepin' on keepin' on to perfection. Together, they provide two portraits of trying to hurtle forwards however one can — and as the entire state of Florida, country of America and planet that is earth keep pushing their characters down. That said, Killing It's leads aren't the only ones shining. Fleshing out season two's storylines with an array of eclectic folks, Battle, Heidecker, Quinn and the also-returning Scott MacArthur (No Hard Feelings) all steal scenes. So do Dot-Marie Jones (Bros) as a crime-family matriarch with a laundering proposal, Beck Bennett (Nimona) as an overstressed government flunkey, Jackie Earle Haley (Hypnotic) as an insidious debt collector, Kyle Mooney (Saturday Night Live) getting shady and Timothy Simons (Joy Ride) as an FBI agent. Sharks in swimming pools, shonky surrogate arrangements, multiple Pitbull impersonators, the ridiculousness of the influencer industry, loving your first-ever major purchase, those aforementioned oversized snails: Goor, Del Tredici and their writing team also work them in. Even more than in season one, Killing It's new run of episodes delights with its eagerness to get absurd, filling every instalment with surprises. There's another way of looking at that throw-anything-in randomness: this series is hustling, just like Craig, Jillian and company. Again and again, this satire gets sharper. It also gets deeper and funnier. Yes, that name is accurate: this show is killing it as well. Check out the trailer for Killing It season two below: Killing It season two streams via Stan from Friday, August 18.
Pitting Will Smith against himself, Gemini Man is designed to boggle the mind. Viewers are supposed to stare at the big screen in awe as the former Fresh Prince not only plays a supremely skilled 51-year-old assassin, but — through the wonders of seamless de-ageing CGI — also plays his 23-year-old clone. We're also meant to marvel at the 3D visuals that surround the two Smiths as they go head-to-head, with the movie shot on digital in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. Technical jargon aside, that means Gemini Man is super-crisp thanks to its vastly increased number of pixels, and it boasts five times the usual images each second, with the camera picking up five times the visible detail as a result. Sadly, while Ang Lee loves to keep pushing the filmmaking boundaries, especially in a technical sense, he completely misses his target with Gemini Man. It doesn't come close to eliciting the same wonder that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's astonishing martial arts choreography inspired, or the dropped jaws sparked by his immersive adaptation of Life of Pi either. Instead, in Lee's second successive attempt to make a watchable high frame-rate flick (after 2016's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk), this espionage thriller has the bland appearance of a TV soap opera. At its worst, it resembles absolutely anything screening on television with the motion-smoothing settings left on (aka the default viewing mode on modern screens that Tom Cruise famously asked viewers to switch off when watching Mission: Impossible - Fallout at home). Stacks of cash have been splashed on the most advanced special effects available — techniques that are being hailed as the future of cinema — but the end product really couldn't look cheaper or uglier. In a movie that basically only exists to showcase its apparently cutting-edge hyper-realistic imagery, Gemini Man's visual blah factor has an enormous impact. Lee clearly hopes his high-tech frames will patch over the generic narrative, but they actually emphasise the film's routine flavour. Penned by David Benioff (Game of Thrones), Billy Ray (Overlord) and Darren Lemke (Shazam!), this by-the-numbers affair follows seasoned government-sanctioned sharp-shooter Henry Brogan (Smith) as he packs it all in after a tricky assignment. As soon as he trades in his weapons for retirement, he's tracked down by his youthful doppelgänger (also Smith). A rogue intelligence agency head honcho (Clive Owen) is behind it all; however, as we probably don't need to point out, he isn't the toughest adversary that Brogan must face. Throw in Mary Elizabeth Winstead as another agent caught up in the chaos, plus Benedict Wong as a kindly pilot helping Brogan hop around the globe, and Gemini Man sits somewhere between every Bourne flick and every 90s action movie involving duplicity and double-crossing. Plot-wise, it truly is that standard; no-budget straight-to-VHS stinkers have demonstrated more narrative ingenuity. A boilerplate story told well can still keep viewers engrossed, though, especially in this genre (see: the excellent John Wick films), but that's not the case here. While cheesy, inane dialogue that spells out every twist is unfortunate enough, the fact that Gemini Man looks like someone has simply used their iPhone to film two Will Smiths who happen to be standing in front of them is grating, disconcerting and distracting. That it also looks like it could be a sequel to Tommy Wiseau's The Room — well, that comparison obviously says plenty. It's one thing to feel like you could reach out and touch whichever Smith you prefer (the elder Smith deserves that honour, with the actor more comfortable acting his age than chasing his younger glory days). It's another to get bombarded with so much visual data that nothing stands out, including Smith and his digital recreation. In the pursuit of hyper-clarity, Gemini Man lacks anything that resembles movie magic — and while that means there's no blurring or chaotic editing in the film's chase and fight scenes, which are both staged and shot with fluidity, it's all just dull rather than spectacular. You won't sit there wondering "how did they do that?", but rather "why did they do that?". And if you're not getting jiggy with Gemini Man's imagery, then you're not getting jiggy with this empty experiment in stretching the limits of cinema to a place that no one really wants it to go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykm0wWnzFY8
If an apocalypse ever brings humanity so close to extinction that there might only be two people left, one thing is certain: if that duo is together and can communicate, they'll spend most of their time nattering about nothing. They'll talk. They'll argue. They'll fill the days, months and years by talking and arguing. They'll still be human, in other words, doing what humans do. Biosphere sets up house within this very scenario, and in that exact truth. Here, lifelong pals Billy (Mark Duplass, Language Lessons) and Ray (Sterling K Brown, This Is Us) are the only folks left after the planet has met a catastrophic fate — one that, because he was the US President when things went dystopian, Billy likely had a hand in — and they're now confined to the movie's titular structure. So, they talk. Sometimes, they argue. When first-time feature-length filmmaker Mel Eslyn plunges the audience into this situation, her characters have been talking and arguing, then arguing and talking, for so long that it's just what they do. Working with a script that she co-penned with Duplass, Eslyn introduces Biosphere's viewers to a self-contained ecosystem of discussing and disagreeing. In the abode designed and built by Ray, a scientist and Billy's former advisor, this pair has no other choice. "Self-contained" perfectly sums up the sensation when the film begins flickering, too — as Ray and Billy go for their daily jog around the sphere, talking and arguing as they trot, their dynamic and their routine is conveyed with such efficiency that it feels like you've been watching for longer than you have. Biosphere doesn't drag, though. Rather, it's excellent at constructing a lived-in world with Billy and Ray as they live through what could be the end of the world. It's ace at storytelling as well, but the talking, the arguing, and the immersive and relatable air all smartly say plenty about a movie that recognises from the outset how adaptable people are. "Life finds a way", aka pop culture's go-to Jurassic Park quote about resilience and versatility, even gets a mention in Biosphere. Life has clearly found a way to keep Billy and Ray chatting and conflicting like they've always done since childhood — the fact that their banter about Super Mario Bros and other trivial minutiae could be happening anywhere is purposefully meant to linger — but that's not all that Eslyn and Duplass have that famous line of dialogue sum up. Biosphere's narrative gets its drama when tragedy strikes the pond of fish that Billy and Ray have been using for sustenance, then a surprise development makes just as much of an impact. Life again finds a way in a number of manners, in a picture that revels in taking its audience along for the ride. While the second big revelation is easy to predict after the first, Biosphere's commitment to it keeps astonishing. A question lingers at the heart of this cleverly contemplative survival comedy: if all that was left of humans really was just two buddies shooting the shit and literally running in circles as they live Bio-Dome- and Spaceship Earth-style, how would the species respond? To be accurate, that's just one of many trains of thought in a layered screenplay that gets Duplass again unpacking modern masculinity as 2009 mumblecore entry Humpday did also. Two things couldn't be more important, then: tone and casting, which Eslyn and Duplass patently know. Biosphere is a film about interactions and reactions, after all, which couldn't be more dependent upon the prevailing mood and the players involved. Over and over, the movie's creative hands express and interrogate their ideas not just through the tale they're telling, but through filmmaking's fundamental elements. Again, this is efficient cinema — and effective. Biosphere's pivotal vibe is loose and light yet tender and compassionate. As writers, Eslyn and Duplass know what to take seriously, what to joke with and about, and how to avoid plummeting their huge twist into extinction. They lean into awkwardness but also hope. With all the talking and arguing, they also understand the rhythms of chatter and silence. None of this should be underestimated, and nor should Eslyn's fine-tuned efforts in bringing this sci-fi setup to the screen. Even the slightest wrong or false move would've punctured the film irreparably. Examining friendship, anxiety, identity and the nature of existence is like erecting and then dwelling in a dome when everything beyond the plastic is always pitch black, with shattering a fragile idyll far easier than maintaining it. Directing after shorts, TV series Room 104, and producing a swag of Duplass-starring flicks (Your Sister's Sister, The One I Love, Blue Jay, Creep 2, Paddleton and Language Lessons, for instance), Eslyn seems fated to have had cinematographer Nathan M Miller (also Paddleton) and the rest of her crew peer her co-scribe's way. Duplass frequently pens the indie flicks that he's in — solo or with a partner — but he's also excellent as Billy, who starts off as the slacker goof of this two-hander despite his presidential past. Selling the character's complicated journey from there isn't a simple task, but Duplass makes it look as easy and realistic as all the conversation and quarrelling. As the serious and analytical Ray, Brown is just as superbly cast in an equally as complex part. And their chemistry? Any filmmaker with actors who gel this well would have them talking almost non-stop, too. With its confined setting, lone pair of on-screen talents and dialogue-heavy approach, Biosphere is an economical movie, too, making the utmost of limited resources. Keeping the details about doomsday's coming vague might seem a budget-driven move as a result — neither telling nor showing what happened, nor what lurks beyond other than a growing green light in the sky — but it's also the best choice for the narrative. Why Billy and Ray are in this predicament is far less fascinating than what they do after their world gets domed in. Compared to exploring how humans adapt and cope from the ordinary talking and arguing through to the downright extraordinary, it's even superficial. Diving deeper comes naturally to this end-times comedy, although it does possess a fitting worst trait: loving existing so much that it's unsure about how to end.
It's the gloriously bready circular snack that's been taking over Brisbane one market at a time — and nope, it's not doughnuts (for once). One of Brisbane's favourite bagel sellers has set up a new store right in the heart of West End. Schmears all round. Of course, if you've frequented NYC Bagel Deli's Chermside shop or dropped into their space in The Market Room at Logan, then you'll know that this isn't their first bricks-and-mortar establishment. And if you've flocked to Davies Park on a Saturday morning to get your fix, you'll know their permanent Vulture Street digs aren't their first foray into the inner-city suburb either. That said, knowing that you can grab one of their freshly made sandwiches any time the craving hits — and just a stone's throw away from the CBD too — was always going to be welcome news. Did we mention that you can pick from 12 kinds of bagel, ranging from plain to jalapeño to blueberry? Or that fillings include grilled haloumi, the bacon, rocket, avocado and tomato, and honey and maple cream cheese? Yep, those bagel cravings will be ramping up soon. Expect new flavours to join the fold at the new setup, which is reason enough to head along more than once. And if you live on the west or north sides of town and have made a Sunday morning bite part of your weekend routine, don't worry. NYC Bagel Deli will continue to pop up at the Milton and Eagle Farm markets as well.
For the past few years, Brisbane's brewery scene has been booming. If you're keen for a beer straight from the source, there's now a spot serving up just that in most parts of town. And, thanks to the Craft'd Grounds, that now includes Albion — with craft brewer Brewtide opening its doors, and also helping to launch the eagerly awaited precinct in Brissie's inner north. First announced back in March, and originally slated to open in May, Craft'd Grounds wants to be the city's new one-stop shop for drinking beers, sipping coffee, eating pastries, picking up cheese, listening to live tunes, wandering around farmers markets and more. Taking over a 2600-square-metre space on Collingwood Street that used to be industrial and commercial warehouses — and a 100-year-old, timber mill, as well as a mixed martial arts and dance studio — it takes its inspiration from The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney. So, the sprawling venue is aiming to lure you in for a bite and a beverage, and to just hang out, including in Brewtide's timber-lined 500-square-metre brewery. Beer lovers will find 20 taps pouring brews; the brewery's flagship Brewtide Lager is one of them, and so is a coffee stout that's infused with Seven Miles Cat's Pyjamas blend. Coffee roastery Seven Miles has also just opened its doors at Craft'd Grounds, in fact, with the pair marking the precinct's first two tenants to start welcoming in customers. At Brewtide, collaboration is part of the brewing ethos. "Our brewery is a very collaborative space, with other artisans regularly joining in," explains head brewer Gavin Croft. "We'll be supporting and celebrating Australian producers — with as much as possible sourced locally." The brewery also gives patrons a 360-degree view of the brewing in action, and boasts its own cocktail bar. There's a bottle shop as well, which sells everything you can drink on the premises, plus hundreds of other boutique craft beers, wines and spirits. Over at Seven Miles, the Australian specialty coffee roaster has launched its flagship Queensland headquarters — and the first Seven Miles-owned cafe in the Sunshine State. The new haven for caffeine fiends is all about immersing coffee lovers in the experience, which means sitting in the open-plan venue and peering through wall-to-ceiling glass to witness everything that happens to bring the brand's roasts to your cuppas. Here, you can knock back Brisbane-made roast The Cat's Pyjamas, as well by Seven Miles' other brands such Wilde and Cultivar. There's also a range of monthly rotating Single Origin coffees, plus Seven Miles is serving cafe fare if you're feeling peckish. "We've loved having our customers experience our blends at incredible cafes all over Queensland ‚ and now we can't wait to also bring them into our own cafe too," says Seven Miles' Operations Manager Ben Graham. "It's a privilege to take our community behind the scenes and show them the care and process that goes into our roasts in our fully immersive experience, while enjoying their own great coffee." As Craft'd Grounds continues to open up, Brisbanites can also look forward to spending time in its laneways — which take up more than 680 square metres — as well as at the yet-to-launch bakery and deli Brass Tacks, which hails from the chefs behind Pie Hole and Lady Bouchon. The Albion precinct is also set to gain a yet-to-be-revealed restaurant, other food tenants and a fitness centre, and to host events and those aforementioned farmers markets. All of the above will help flesh out a space that's been designed by Conrad Gargett architects to let visitors mosey between its interconnecting tenancies, then eat and drink in the laneways, common areas and other spaces. Craft'd Grounds is set to open on Collingwood Street, Albion at a yet-to-be-revealed date in May. We'll update you when exact opening details are announced.
The past two years have delivered plenty of trends that no one loves, including supermarket shortages and traipsing around town trying to get tested for COVID-19. But here's one that's made our lives easier during the pandemic: the fast-tracking of big-name movies to streaming. Seeing a film on the silver screen hasn't been a straightforward experience over this chaotic time, and more and more flicks are quickly making the jump from cinemas to digital — including reaching the latter when they're still showing at the former. The latest is Dune, which looks downright glorious projected on the largest screen you can find, and definitely benefits from the kind of surround-sound setup you'll only get to listen to in a theatre, but is now also available to watch at home if that'll brighten up your January. One of our best films of 2021, the instant sci-fi classic is available to buy and rent via video on demand from Thursday, January 13, including from digital movie services such as Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. Accordingly, if you've already sat down on your couch to watch Timothée Chalamet in Don't Look Up this summer, you can now back it up with another of his recent flicks. Or, there's your next double feature sorted. [caption id="attachment_774009" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo credit: Chiabella James. Copyright: © 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] A spice-war space opera about feuding houses on far-flung planets, Dune has long been a pop-culture building block. Before Frank Herbert's 1965 novel was adapted into a wrongly reviled David Lynch-directed film — a gloriously 80s epic led by Kyle MacLachlan and laced with surreal touches — it unmistakably inspired Star Wars, and also cast a shadow over Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Game of Thrones has since taken cues from it. The Riddick franchise owes it a debt, too. The list goes on and, thanks to the new version bringing its sandy deserts to life, will only keep growing. As he did with Blade Runner 2049, writer/director Denis Villeneuve has once again grasped something already enormously influential, peered at it with astute eyes and built it anew — and created an instant sci-fi classic. This time, Villeneuve isn't asking viewers to ponder whether androids dream of electric sheep, but if humanity can ever overcome one of our worst urges and all that it brings. And, in his version of Dune, he's doing so with an exceptional cast that spans Chalamet (The French Dispatch), Oscar Isaac (The Card Counter), Rebecca Ferguson (Reminiscence), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Josh Brolin (Avengers: Endgame), Javier Bardem (Everybody Knows), Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home) and more. Dune tells of birthrights, prophesied messiahs, secret sisterhood sects that underpin the galaxy and phallic-looking giant sandworms, and of the primal lust for power that's as old as time — and, in Herbert's story, echoes well into the future's future. Its unpacking of dominance and command piles on colonial oppression, authoritarianism, greed, ecological calamity and religious fervour, like it is building a sandcastle out of power's nastiest ramifications. And, amid that weightiness — plus those spectacularly shot visuals and Hans Zimmer's throbbing score — it's also a tale of a moody teen with mind-control abilities struggling with what's expected versus what's right. Check out the trailer for Dune below: Dune is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream online via video on demand from Thursday, January 13 — including from Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. Read our full review.
From web searches and browsers to email and document storage, Google has its fingers in plenty of different online pies. Many of its services have become such a part of our daily lives that we no longer give them much thought, but every now and then the company has fun with one of its platforms. So far, it has brought Pac-Man, Mario Kart, Where's Waldo? and Snake to Google Maps, and Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? to Google Earth, for example. With Avengers: Endgame shaking up cinemas right now, it should come as no surprise that the company has the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its sights. Or, for that matter, that it's using a certain Josh Brolin-voiced supervillain and his famed gauntlet — aka the object that's been causing so much grief in the MCU in recent films. A word of warning: if you somehow haven't seen Avengers: Infinity War over the past year, Google's latest Easter egg is definitely a spoiler. If you have seen Infinity War but haven't seen Endgame, however, the company isn't giving away anything that you don't already know. All MCU fans need to do is type 'Thanos' into Google's search engine and look for his Infinity Stone-adorned gauntlet, which is currently appearing next to his name in the information box on the right-hand side of the screen. Click the image, and you'll find the giant purple figure's finger-snapping tricks wreaking havoc on Google's search results. In other words: prepare for a bit more space on the page. The Easter egg is a timely move, given how many people have been rushing to cinemas to see Endgame — and how many people are probably searching for every piece of MCU-related information that they can find online afterwards. In Australia, the film smashed the opening day box office record when it launched on Wednesday, April 24, making more than $10 million on its opening day. Top image: Marvel Studios.
Speaking prior to the screening of his movie in Sydney, director Christopher Miller explained: "Our one, enduring rule for this film was that it had to be story focused. It could never be permitted to descend into a 90 minute toy commercial". For he and co-director Phil Lord, then, The LEGO Movie is mission accomplished. Set entirely within a world of those clickable bricks and yellow-faced characters, LEGO tells the story of Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), an eternally optimistic construction worker whose pep is matched only by his extraordinary genericism. Emmet is the epitome of commercial dronery: a franchise-coffee-drinking, pop-music-listening nobody who always follows the instructions. That all changes, however, when he stumbles upon the 'Piece of Resistance' and becomes entangled in a power struggle between the ruthless President Business (Will Ferrell), his enforcer 'Bad Cop/Good Cop' (Liam Neeson) and the resistance agent 'WyldStyle' (Elizabeth Banks). It's...a little hard to describe the sensation of watching this film. Yes, it's computer generated, but what those computers generated were lego pieces. So, if there's an explosion, that explosion is made up of thousands of tiny red, yellow and white lego circles — not CGI fire. The effect is mesmerising. The digital design team (Australia's Animal Logic), wholly adopted the 'rules and grammar' of Lego, meaning characters could only bend at the waist and all vehicles moved as they would if being controlled by a human hand. That device alone lends itself to dozens of jokes, and in terms of laughs, The LEGO Movie delivers in spades. This is, after all, the team behind both 22 Jump Street and the sublime Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs — two films that wield pop-culture references and drop cameos like nobody's business. Where other movies in this genre can often lapse into brand promotion or smulch, The LEGO Movie retains an acute self-awareness that never permits itself to take anything too seriously. As such, the in-jokes are amongst the strongest and nostalgia is used almost exclusively as a source of comedy rather than to pull on the heart strings. That's not to say the film is without a point. Its jabs at corporatisation land more heavily than one might expect for a 'kids movie', and its determination to encourage imagination and exploration 'beyond the instructions' is at times so concerted it borders on pro-anarchism. In the end, this is a family-friendly movie in every sense, yet the truth is, adults will derive more pleasure from the viewing than their children. LEGO is a wry, playful and intelligent piece of filmmaking that, like Toy Story before it, rises far above its station and offers up a truly enjoyable experience. https://youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I
Melissa McCarthy is now three-for-three in collaborations with Paul Feig. The actor-director team chase down Bridesmaids and The Heat with a goofy espionage comedy that serves as a showreel for their respective talents. In Feig’s case, that means cementing his reputation as one of Hollywood’s most rock-solid comic-directors, extracting hilarious turns from a more-than-willing cast while demonstrating a surprising amount of confidence with action scenes, which bodes well for his Ghostbusters sequel next year. For McCarthy, it means delivering one of the best performances of her career, nailing both the verbal and physical comedy while steering almost entirely clear of lazy jokes about her gender or her size. McCarthy stars as analyst Susan Cooper, a desk jockey working in the CIA basement funnelling instructions via an earpiece to operatives around the world. Her primary charge, and the subject of her unrequited affections, is the revoltingly narcissistic Bond-wannabe Agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law). But things suddenly change after Fine is gunned down by a devious arms heiress (Rose Byrne), who has somehow gained access to the identity of every active spy. With their best assets compromised, the agency has no choice but to throw the untested Cooper into the field. It’s a pretty standard comedic premise, in a similar vein to other recent spy spoofs such as Johnny English and Get Smart — the one major difference being that Cooper is actually fairly good at her new job. Feig, who wrote the film as well as directing, pokes fun at all the typical spy movie cliches, from the megalomaniacal villain all the way down to the gadgets, here disguised as everyday items such as fungal cream and laxatives. For the most part the humour is fairly broad and sweary — this is, after all, the same director who had McCarthy shit in a sink. Still, as with Feig’s previous films, the material is elevated considerably by the performances. After proving the MVP in both Bridesmaids and Bad Neighbours, Rose Byrne could well consider giving up dramatic roles altogether. Her villainous turn here is a delightful caricature of upper-crust snobbery, and many of the film’s best scenes are the ones that she and McCarthy share. Law is likewise wonderfully hammy as Fine, while Jason Statham sends up his typical screen persona as a 'rogue' CIA agent a little too convinced of his own brilliance. But it’s McCarthy who’s the real hero here, throwing herself into every scene with absolute commitment. Together, she and Feig not only deliver big laughs but also manage to skewer our expectations of what someone who looks like her is capable of. Yes, there are plenty of jokes at Cooper’s expense, but more often than not they’re the result of people underestimating her. As it turns out, that’s a pretty big mistake.
UPDATE, August 3, 2020: Downhill is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. "Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films." They're the wise words of cinema's current king, aka multi-Oscar-winning Parasite filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, who made the above comment to a room full of Hollywood heavyweights at this year's Golden Globes. It's just a statement of fact — and while you could say that the folks behind Downhill have taken his advice, they've really just followed a frustrating trend. Remaking Swedish movie Force Majeure, they've read the subtitles, then decided that the world desperately needs an English-language version of Ruben Ostlund's (The Square) exceptional 2014 Cannes award-winner. This isn't the first time a great movie in a language other than English has received the remake treatment. And, as the likes of 12 Monkeys, Insomnia, The Departed, Let Me In and Gloria Bell have demonstrated, such a path doesn't always end badly. But Downhill is such a broad and simplistic adaptation of a savage and stunningly complex film that it only seems to be motivated by three factors. The first: money, cashing in on Force Majeure's modest success. The second: teaming up Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell. The third: taking a great concept and dumbing it down for the widest possible audience. Who needs a sharp, smart exploration of festering marital troubles and engrained gender roles — in Swedish, no less — when you can plonk a fighting, holidaying couple in a cross-cultural comedy? That appears to be writer/directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash's (The Way, Way Back) favoured approach. The setup: on vacation in the Alps, the Stauntons have skiing and bonding firmly on their minds. Then, over what should be an uneventful lunch, a controlled avalanche completely changes their getaway's vibe. Snow rolls towards the chalet where Pete (Ferrell), Billie (Louis-Dreyfus) and their kids (Julian Grey and Ammon Jacob Ford) are discussing their soup options, and it doesn't seem to be stopping. Billie throws her arms around her sons, but Pete grabs his phone, jumps up and bolts. When the incident is over — leaving everyone shaken, frosty but unharmed — Pete's family can't quite look at him the same way, especially when he claims loudly and angrily that he didn't abandon his nearest and dearest in the face of a possible disaster. As the movie's title makes plain, things do go downhill. It was a risky move, giving this film that particular name, because the whole feature proves a definite slide from the original, too. Instead of subtlety and even ambiguity — and instead of cleverly and amusingly pondering humanity's inherent fight-or-flight response, today's multifaceted readings of masculinity and the passive aggression that lingers in all relationships — Downhill keeps everything as overt and obvious as possible. Cue ample bickering, absolutely no room for intricacy or doubt, and scene after scene devoid of either tension or laughs. When younger couple Zach (Zach Woods) and Rosie (Zoe Chao) arrive, for example — as secretly invited by Pete — they're supposed to reflect the audience's discomfort at watching a marriage potentially implode. Instead, the scene just plays like a bad sitcom outtake. As actors, Faxon (Ben and Kate, Married, Friends from College) and Rash (Community's Dean Pelton) have experience in the genre; however there's nothing funny about Downhill's stilted feel. In another altercation, when Billie and Pete report their experience to the resort's security team, a scene that's supposed to ripple with awkwardness and unease just seems pointless. Actually, it does have a purpose: giving a brief snippet of screen time to Game of Thrones favourite Kristofer Hivju, who actually had a sizeable role in Force Majeure and is clearly the only actor Downhill deems worthy of returning. The less said about Miranda Otto's stereotype-baiting, forcefully accented performance as an over-sexed hotel manager, the better. It's the type of character that should've disappeared from screens decades ago, although it does typify much about Downhill. At every turn, this remake strips out its source material's depth and richness in favour of the easiest, most cartoonish option — and for viewers who haven't seen Force Majeure, another superficial and formulaic flick about an unhappy marriage and Americans marvelling at cultural differences overseas is hardly high on anyone's must-watch list. You wouldn't guess that Succession and Peep Show creator Jesse Armstrong helped pen the script, or that Louis-Dreyfus is one of Downhill's producers. In the latter's defence, she does rank among the film's highlights. While Billie is tasked with navigating scenarios that manage to be both derivative and over-the-top — losing her cool before a helicopter ride and getting steamy with a hot Italian ski instructor — there's always weight to Louis-Dreyfus' performance. The same can't be said of Ferrell, who seems to be stuck in Daddy's Home mode, but Faxon and Rash have lucked upon the perfect distraction technique. By virtue of the movie's snowy, picturesque setting, whenever anything falls flat, they just relish the scenery. In a film that's constantly on a downward trajectory, that happens often. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY5SrKf_2ic
Movie buffs who like to theme their viewing around the relevant time of year — holiday-related, primarily — are always spoiled for choice. Christmas films, spooky flicks at Halloween, Easter-relevant fare: you can build a binge session or several out of all of them. The same applies to Thanksgiving, all courtesy of the US, and The Humans is the latest addition to the November-appropriate list. This A24 release ticks a few clearcut boxes, in fact, including bringing a dysfunctional multi-generation family together to celebrate the date, steeping their get-together in the kind of awkwardness that always stalks relatives, and having big revelations spill over the course of the gathering (the calendar-mandated time for such disclosures, pouring out before the tryptophan kicks in). That said, even with such evident servings of underlying formula, The Humans is far creepier and more haunting than your usual movie about America's turkey-eating time of year. A hefty helping of existential horror will do that. Based on Stephen Karam's Tony-winning 2016 Broadway play — a Pulitzer Prize finalist as well — and adapted and directed for the screen by Karam himself, The Humans is downright unsettling, and for a few reasons. There's the tension zipping back and forth between everyone in attendance, of course — as crucial an ingredient at every Thanksgiving party as food, booze and warm bodies to consume them, at least if films are to be believed. There's also the bleak, claustrophobic, run-down setting, with the movie confined to a New York apartment close to Ground Zero, which aspiring composer Brigid (Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart) and her student boyfriend Richard (Steven Yeun, Nope) have just moved into at significant expense. And, there's the strange sounds emanating from other units, and perhaps this creaking, groaning, two-storey abode itself, which couldn't feel less welcoming. As a result, seasonal cheer is few and far between in this corner of Manhattan, where the Blake family congregates dutifully rather than agreeably or even welcomely. Also making an appearance: parents Deirdre (Only Murders in the Building's Jayne Houdyshell, reprising her Tony-winning part) and Erik (Richard Jenkins, DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story), Brigid's lawyer older sister Aimee (Amy Schumer, Life & Beth), and their grandmother Momo (June Squibb, Palmer), who has dementia and uses a wheelchair. No one is happy, and everyone seems to have something that needs airing — slowly and reluctantly when it's a matter of importance, but freely and cuttingly when it's a snap judgement directed at others. Watching The Humans, the audience hopes that no one has truly had a Thanksgiving like this, while knowing how well its fraught dynamic hits the mark. Thanks to Richard, film first-timer Karam has a straightforward way to start doling out backstory — a time-honoured function of fresh attendees to on-screen family dos, and not just in movies about Thanksgiving. Erik chats, filling the newcomer in, although the talk between everyone dishes out plenty of handy details. Religious and political affiliations cause strains, as do booze and money. The clash between the big city, where the Blake family daughters now live, and their hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania also informs the discussions. Health woes, relationship struggles, generation clashes, expecting more both from and of each other but getting less: that's the baseline. Brigid stews about not being given enough cash by her parents, and therefore jeopardising her career dreams; Aimee frets about treading water at work, being alone and a medical condition; Deirdre's conservative leanings bristle against her daughters' decisions; and Erik clearly has a secret. As anxious and agitated as the situation is — and as peppered with passive aggression and outbursts alike — there's always another feeling lurking throughout the barely furnished flat. That physical, visible, inescapable emptiness also speaks volumes about Brigid, Richard and their guests, but it's impossible to shake the sensation that this might've been a joyful affair in any other location. The same troubles and attitudes would exist, and the same players, but there's no avoiding how their grim surroundings are amplifying their bickering. When they're being guarded, coy, reserved or reticent (at times, they all fit) about the things they're keeping from each other, the apartment looms large with space and desolation. When they're flinging truths back and forth, it's tight and distressed. Or, is it actually just a regular old and dilapidated place in a crushing rental market, and it's the evening's occupants and their torment that's bringing the unease? For a film so firmly grounded in one location, to the point that the cliche about the setting being a character in the movie applies, The Humans can be slippery. Is Karam's setup as simple as a family squabbling? Is there more, or do we just want there to be more because that quarrelling — and the dancing around it, when that's the Blakes' preferred option — is so discomforting? They're the questions that dwell in the unit, which cinematographer Lol Crawley (Vox Lux) shoots like it's both dispiritingly ordinary and unshakeably otherworldly. Frequently, the film looks on from afar within the space as well, framing Brigid and company through doorways that make everything resemble a show. Sometimes, it hones in on physical minutiae as conversations play out. Are all family get-togethers performances? Do we all cling close out of habit and expectation, but keep ourselves distanced by nattering about the trivial and inconsequential? They're queries that hang heavy in the stilted air, too. As The Humans stretches on, discussions about dreams and nightmares prove revealing. The feature also points out the thin line between both, whether we're slumbering or waking, several times over in its talky frames. No one on-screen really needs reminding; that's where they're caught, even if just emotionally. Across the board, The Humans' performances are similarly anchored and weighty — whatever's going on around the Blakes or isn't, the pervasive dread keeps everyone trapped and festering, and Karam's six key cast members all play their parts accordingly. The effect is compelling, especially when paired with disquieting sound design straight out of a psychological thriller. Let's be honest, isn't that all holiday celebrations with the family anyway?
Each year, at the turn of winter to spring, Hindus celebrate Holi, a festival exalting colour that leaves participants saturated in bright hues. Holi serves as the inspiration behind the Color Run, a unique 5k race that has taken the U.S. by storm and is now headed to Australia. Runners are invited to join the "3.1 miles of color madness" that comprise the untimed Color Run purely for the sake of a good time. The only race requirements are that all participants wear a white t-shirt and be willing to be greeted with a blast of coloured pigment upon completing every leg of the race. The pigment, made of 100% natural food-grade cornstarch, is colour-specific for each portion of the race. After the first kilometre, runners are splattered with yellow; after the second, they are doused in blue. And so it continues until the end of the 5 kilometres, when each runner is covered head-to-toe in a brilliant mish-mash of every hue imaginable. So far only three Australian dates have been announced, but organisers have promised events for most Australian states in late 2012 and early 2013 The Color Run Australia dates:Melbourne - November 25, 2012 (Register)Sydney - February 10, 2013Perth - February 17, 2013Adelaide - TBCBrisbane - TBCCanberra - TBCGeelong - TBCGold Coast - TBCNewcastle - TBC Stay up to speed with further announcements via The Color Run Australia Facebook page. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZWsfHC-0d6A
Mosey along Fish Lane, and you'll find everything everything from rib shacks to Vietnamese cuisine-slinging shipping containers. Wander around the corner, and you'll now find fish and chips. While Ol' School mightn't have scored the ultimate South Brisbane street frontage for selling seafood, they're pretty close — and their old-meets-new menu, digs and approach promises to impress. The latest venture from Hello Please's Daniel Ward and Maris Cook, plus design studio Standing By and ex-Pier (Rose Bay) chef Jesse Stevens, Ol' School wants to hark back to retro-style fish and chipperies from days gone by, while adding some modern touches as well. "We're just some guys that want to cook you some really good fish and chips, served up with nice drinks," explains Stevens. Open since the beginning of 2018, that means a menu filled with the ocean's finest, as freshly prepared with old-school flair and served on greaseproof paper, all in a place that offers table service from Tuesday to Sunday. While you'll never just take a number here, takeaway is also available from Friday to Sunday. Food-wise, patrons can tuck into fish, obviously, as well as thick-cut fries served with salt, malt vinegar or lemon; potato scallops; and crusty bread for making-your-own chip butties. Or, they can opt for prawn cocktail rolls, fish tacos and the old favourite that is the fisherman's basket. A selection of salads will be available as sides, while desserts include ice cream sandwiches and lemon tarts. As for beverages, prepare to sip on wine, beer and a range of cocktails. Find Ol' School at 58 Hope Street, South Brisbane, or check out their Facebook page for further details. Images: Rix Ryan Photography.
If you're the kind of beer lover who feels like they've tried every brew ever — or you've made it your mission to achieve that yeasty goal — then you're probably a big fan of the Great Australasian Beer Spectapular. For more than a decade now, since it started off as a Melbourne-only celebration of ales, lagers, ciders and more, the event has been serving up weird, wild, wonderful and inventive varieties, many of which are made exclusively for the booze-sipping shindig. In 2022, that's set to be the case once more, with the beer fest returning for a tour of Australia's east coast capitals in May. GABS is considered to be one of the best craft beer and cider festivals in the Asia Pacific region for good reason, and this year it has at least 120 of them, because that's how many brews will be on offer. Prepare to knock back beers inspired by breakfast foods, savoury snacks, desserts, cocktails and more when the event kicks off its 2022 run at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday, May 7, then heads to Sydney's ICC Darling Harbour from Friday, May 20–Saturday, May 21, then finishes up its Aussie dates at the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne, over the weekend of Friday, May 27–Sunday, May 29. Some of the foods and drinks that this year's GABS brews are taking their cues from: peanut butter, coffee, earl grey tea, chicken salt, pizza, fairy floss, bubblegum and sour gummi bears. Confirmed highlights include Brouhaha's Baked and Wasted, a sour which uses wasted baked goods; Capital Brewing Co's experimental Smooches, which pairs cocao nibs with a strawberry kick; Mismatch Brewing Co's We Love NY Cheesecake stout, in case you've ever wondered what cheesecake in a glass tastes like; and The Catchment Brewing Co's Ra Ra Raspoutine, another stout that, yes, is brewed from chips, cheese and gravy. The event surveys both Australian and New Zealand breweries, with more than 60 set to be pouring their wares in Brisbane, and 70-plus in Sydney and Melbourne. As well as the aforementioned outfits, this year they'll also include Balter, Range, Otherside, Black Hops, Ballistic, Your Mates, Mountain Culture, One Drop and Little Creatures, as well as Colonial, Mountain Goat and Bentspoke — and NZ's Garage Project and Panhead Custom Ale. Also on the bill: other types of tipples, including non-alcoholic beers, seltzers, whiskey, gin, cocktails and wines (including by 19 Crimes Snoop Dog Cali Red). GABS is known for dishing up a hefty lineup of activities to accompanying all that sipping, too, which'll span a silent disco, roaming bands, circus and sideshow performers, games and panels with industry leaders in 2022, as well as local food trucks and vendors to line your stomach. GREAT AUSTRALASIAN BEER SPECTAPULAR 2022 DATES: Saturday, May 7 — Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane Friday, May 20–Saturday, May 21 — ICC Darling Harbour, Sydney Friday, May 27–Sunday, May 29 — Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne GABS takes place across Australia's east coast throughout May — head to the event's website for tickets and further details.
After a stint in Heath Ledger's hometown, this stunning exhibition is making its way east to Canberra's National Film and Sound Archive. Celebrating the Perth-born actor's charisma, exemplary career and passionate creativity, Heath Ledger: A Life in Pictures is a must-see for all Ledger fans. Put together by AGWA, the WA Museum and guest curator Allison Holland, the exhibition follows Ledger's career from his teenage years up to his final role in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). You'll get to see costumes — including the Joker suit from The Dark Knight and the shirts he wore as Ennis del Mar in Brokeback Mountain — alongside research journals (on display for the first time) that grant an insight into how Ledger developed his roles. Also included in the show are photographic portraits by the likes of Karin Catt and Bruce Weber, Ledger's Best Supporting Actor Oscar and BAFTA, and a chronological narrative of his career — including his own experimentation with image making and creative projects as a director. Promises to be a bittersweet reminder of just how talented Ledger was, and what even greater heights he would have gone on to achieve.
You know the feeling. You're heading out on a Friday night after a long week in the office. All you're after (at first) is a couple of crisp cocktails and time to unwind. But a flurry of mojitos quickly turns into a few too many so it's probably a good idea to put something in your belly. You need a venue with a menu as good as its drinks list. Here are ten of Brisbane's best spots to pair drinks with dinner. Esq Bookings are highly recommended for this delicious slice of Brisbane's bar and dining scene. The younger sibling of highly acclaimed Esquire (Brisbane's only three-hat restaurant) might be slightly more casual, but it's no less spectacular. The drinks are delicious and the menu favours fresh ingredients such as squid, cod or pork ribs, grilled over charcoal and served simply to highlight the quality of the produce. 145 Eagle Street, Brisbane; (07) 3220 2123; www.esquire.net.au Pony Another entry for Eagle Street comes in the shape of Pony. Settle in at the bar or grab a table to enjoy an innovative artisanal cocktail list (chilli coconut martini, anyone?) before a bite to eat. Depending on where you sit, you might even be able to scope out your dinner being prepared in the open plan kitchen. Eagle Street Pier, Eagle Street, Brisbane; (07) 3181 3400; www.ponydining.com.au Public If you like your after-work shenanigans a little bit fancy, then Public might be the place for you. Awarded a Chef's Hat and 'Best New Restaurant' in the 2012/2013 Australian Good Food Guide Awards, as well as 'Best Bar Food' at the 2013/2014 awards, Public has quickly become a favourite of many Brisbane foodies. Kick back at the bar with an expertly crafted cocktail or take a seat in the restaurant, where you can enjoy Public classics such as KFD (Kentucky Fried Duck) and Texas brisket with tortillas and chilli sauce. 400 George Street, Brisbane; (07) 3210 2288; www.lovepublic.com.au Riverbar Celebrity chef Matt Moran's second Brisbane venture has become a regular Friday evening watering hole for many of those who work nearby. With a droolworthy waterfront location, open plan fit-out and bar food available until 11pm, it's not hard to see why. Your evening snack options include snow crab sliders, lamb kofta, jamon croquettes and spicy lamb quesadilla pizza. 71 Eagle Street, Brisbane; (07) 3211 9020; www.riverbarandkitchen.com.au Verve With more ciders than you can shake a stick at and some of the best pasta in town, Verve is a shoe-in when it comes to drinks and dinner. Sneaking down those stairs into the basement dining room is the very best way to shake off a week's work and prepare for the weekend. Grab a perch at the bar and try one of more than 60 cider varieties, or find yourself a table and load up on dem carbs. We especially love the blue cheese and chicken risotto and the pork belly linguini. 109 Edward Street, Brisbane; (07) 3221 5691; www.vervecafe.com Cicada By day, Cicada caters to the breakfast and lunch seekers, but after 5pm it's a watering hole for the corporate crowd. An extensive drinks list caters to all your beverage-related needs, while the dinner menu offers tapas, mains and desserts that will line the stomach quite nicely. Cnr Adelaide and George Street, Brisbane; (07) 3211 2161; www.cicadagroup.com.au Malt You'll find Malt on Market Street in a slightly-hidden-but-not-really sort of location. Spread across three levels in the historic Wenley House, the polished wood, exposed brick and rustic feel will take you a million miles from your work day. Hungry? Order some nibbles from the bar menu or head up the stairs to The Attic restaurant. If you're after something a bit more exclusive, book out the private cellar dining room. 28 Market Street, Brisbane; (07) 3236 4855; www.maltdining.com.au Treasury Casino If choice is what you're after, then you can't do much better than the good old Treasury Casino. For the drinks part of the night, you can choose between cocktails at The Kitty, sports at the TAB Bar, tunes at the Livewire Bar or just some laid back beverages at Ryan's on the Park. When dinner time calls, there's Vietnamese fusion at Fat Noodle, modern Australian cuisine at The Lab Bar + Restaurant, or a bit of everything at Kitchen at Treasury (open 24 hours). Top of Queen Street Mall, Brisbane; (07) 3306 8888; www.treasurybrisbane.com.au Blackbird Blackbird may be new on the Brisbane bar scene, but it's already making a rather large splash. The million dollar views of the Story Bridge and Kangaroo Point are backed up by a '20s-inspired cocktail list (think 'Giggle Water' and 'The Jazzed Up Sidecar'), opulent interiors and restaurant serving a diverse menu including fresh seafood and wood-grilled meats. 123 Eagle Street, Brisbane; (07) 3229 1200; www.blackbirdbrisbane.com.au Rush During its decade-long tenure at the edge of Post Office Square, Rush has accumulated a steady stream of loyal regulars with its sophisticated yet relaxed style. On Fridays from 5pm you'll find the bar spilling out into the Post Office Square green, where you can kick back to live music as you wet your whistle. The restaurant menu features a range of salads, burgers, pizzas and mains that make great accompaniments to a Friday cocktail. 300 Queen Street, Brisbane; (07) 3211 9511; www.rushcbd.com.au Top image by Rosanne Gold.
UPDATE, December 23, 2021: The Sparks Brothers is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes, and will be available on Amazon Prime Video from January 1. "All I do now is dick around" is an exquisite song lyric and, in Sparks' 2006 single 'Dick Around', it's sung with the operatic enthusiasm it demands. It's also a line that resounds with both humour and truth when uttered by Russell Mael, who, with elder brother Ron, has been crafting art-pop ditties as irreverent and melodic as this wonderful track since 1969. Sparks haven't been dicking around over that lengthy period. They currently have 25 albums to their name, and they've taken on almost every genre of music there is in their highly acerbic fashion. That said, their tunes are clearly the biggest labour of love possible, especially as the enigmatic duo has always lingered outside the mainstream. They've had some chart success, including mid-70s hit 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us', Giorgio Moroder collaboration and disco standout 'The Number One Song in Heaven', and the supremely 80s 'Cool Places'. They're beloved by everyone from Beck and 'Weird Al' Yankovic to Jason Schwartzman and Mike Myers, too. They're the band that all your favourite bands, actors and comedians can't get enough of, but they're hardly a household name — and yet, decade after decade, the Maels have kept playing around to make the smart, hilarious and offbeat songs they obviously personally adore. Everyone else should love Sparks' idiosyncratic earworms as well — and, even for those who've never heard of the band before, that's the outcome after watching The Sparks Brothers. Edgar Wright, one of the group's unabashed super fans, has turned his overflowing affection into an exceptional documentary. It's the Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Baby Driver director's first factual effort, and it's even more charming and delightful than the films he's best known for. That said, it'd be hard to mess up a movie about Sparks, purely given how much material there is to work with. Russell and Ron, the former sporting shaggier hair and the latter donning a pencil-thin moustache rather than the Charlie Chaplin-style top lip he's brandished for much of his career, are also heavenly interviewees. That's the thing about these now-septuagenarian siblings, every Sparks tune they've ever blasted out into the world, and this comprehensive yet always accessible film that's instantly one of 2021's best: they're all joyously, fabulously, eccentrically fun to an infectious and buoyant degree. There's a joke in this doco's title, in fact; when it came to naming the group after cycling through a few monikers across other projects, they firmly rejected The Sparks Brothers. That's one of the many anecdotes that fill Wright's film — some shared playfully and self-deprecatingly by the Maels, some offered by worshipping aficionados that join the entertaining love-in. There's no escaping the documentary's devoted tone, but again, that attitude is quickly contagious. As the movie steps through Sparks' ups and downs, taking the chronological approach and giving as much time to their lesser-known albums as their cult hits, being as enchanted as Wright just comes with the package. He does an exhaustive job of charting the ebbs, flows, jumps, swerves, successes, disappointments and reinventions that've littered his subjects' careers, even as he leaves viewers wanting even more detail in plenty of instances. Crucially for a feature about musicians that many watching will be unfamiliar with, Wright does just as stellar a job at conveying exactly why Sparks have always deserved far more fame and acclaim, why they're so completely and utterly beloved and obsessed over by everyone who comes across them, and why music, comedy and the intersection of the two will forever owe them a debt. The audience first meets Russell and Ron today, looking as hip and unconventional as they always have, before The Sparks Brothers jumps back to their Los Angeles childhood, their teen penchant for movies and then everything that's come since. They originally weren't certain if they'd become filmmakers instead — and there's a theatricality to the pair's songs, shows and sublimely off-kilter music videos that speaks to that cinematic fervour. Wright weaves in an abundance of Sparks' gigs and tunes, showcasing both their creativity and their presence. This is a movie with a killer soundtrack, obviously, and it also appreciates the artistry that goes into creating such clever, distinctive and amusing songs that are always one step ahead of the pack. One clear highlight: a live rendition of 'My Baby's Taking Me Home', a tune that repeats that phrase 100-plus times, doesn't include a single other word, and is an emotional tour de force. Another pivotal message: just how hard the Maels have always worked to do what they love, to make such musical pearls and to keep challenging themselves. In 2008, they did 21 shows in London in 21 nights, playing every one of their then 21 albums through in full, for instance. It's with inescapable melancholy that The Sparks Brothers is also an account of what didn't quite happen; watching it, it's almost impossible to grasp why they haven't been one of the biggest bands in the world for the last half-century. Their 1994 synth-pop track 'When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'', a hit in Germany at the time, manages to be both an anthemic smash and a commentary on what hadn't worked out for them; yes, as Russell's voice echoes and Ron's keyboard skills constantly strike a chord, that's how witty and humorous and just all-round magnificent their music is. 2021 is the year of Sparks, though. Every year since 1969 should've been, but The Sparks Brothers sings their praises with irresistible passion. And, it gives viewers a brief glimpse at their next big project, Annette — the musical that just opened the Cannes Film Festival, is directed by Holy Motors' Leos Carax, stars Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, and reportedly features the former crooning tunes while getting rather intimate with the latter. The world has always needed more Sparks on a bigger stage; now, to the benefit of everyone that's ever loved them and anyone just discovering them, it's stopped dicking around and is finally delivering.
For 22 years, BIGSOUND has highlighted Australia's music industry, getting power players sharing their experience and advice, championing up-and-coming talents, fostering crucial connections, and celebrating live tunes and the folks that make them happen in general. Here's a few other handy numbers for the music conference-slash-festival's upcoming 2023 run: four days, 18 venues, 141 artists and 300-plus showcases. Brisbanites and music obsessives, take note: the Sunshine State capital will be Australia's music haven between Tuesday, September 5–Friday, September 8. Earlier this year, BIGSOUND announced its first speakers, headlined ROC Nation's Omar Grant — who was once the road manager for Destiny's Child and now shares the President role at Jay-Z's entertainment agency. Now, it has dropped the full list of musicians that'll be getting behind a microphone. More than 1300 applications to hit BIGSOUND's stages were received for the 2023 event, but it's the festival team's job to whittle them down to the standouts. Among those making the bill: Brisbane's own Full Flower Moon Band, Zheani, Felivand and Baby Prince; Sydney's Moss and Little Green; Melbourne's PANIA, Moaning Lisa and The Slingers; Perth's DICE and Siobhan Cotchin; and Adelaide's Aleksiah and The Empty Threats. From New Zealand comes Reb Fountain and SWIDT, while Casey Mowry and MF Tomlinson are heading to Queensland from the UK. [caption id="attachment_861894" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lachlan Douglas[/caption] The list goes on, complete with a significant focus on representation. Among 2023's talents, 27 percent identify as LGBTQIA+, 50 percent are female or gender non-conforming, and First Nations acts comprise 18 percent of the lineup. Indeed, 27 showcases will be devoted to Australia's Indigenous artists, including Miss Kaninna, Loren Ryan, Brady, The Merindas, J-MILLA, CLOE TERARE, Tjaka and Kobie Dee. Fancy checking out the most isolated heavy metal band in the world? That'd be Southeast Desert Metal, and they're also on the roster. [caption id="attachment_907800" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simone Gorman-Clark[/caption] Top image: Jess Gleeson.
Ever since Freddie Mercury teamed up with Brian May and company back in the 70s, Queen has never been out of fashion. And, thanks to Bohemian Rhapsody and the band's current members touring Down Under, the UK group has been grabbing plenty of attention again in recent years. You could call it a kind of magic. You could say that their songs must go on. Either way, if you're happy to let the British band keep rocking you, then you'll want to catch London's Queen by Candlelight when it debuts in Australia. While Queen tribute nights aren't rare — and neither are ones lit by flickering flames — this is the OG West End production, which features a live rock band and a cast of singers from London busting out the group's famous tracks. Been feeling a crazy little thing called love for Freddie and his bandmates? Then you'll clearly be in the right spot, with Queen by Candlelight playing Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth in February. If your approach to the group's music is "I want it all!", that's what you'll hear. For one night per city, the event will break free so that Queen lovers can celebrate with their fellow champions. The aim: to make you feel like you're hearing the real thing, in venues glowing with candles. In the UK, the gigs — which feature more than 20 Queen tracks — have proven sellouts. Also part of the same tour are Meatloaf by Candlelight shows, busting out the late singer's tunes — if you'd do anything for that. They'll feature the same kind of setup, but with Australia's Simon Gordon, who hits the stage after playing Strat in the Meatloaf-inspired musical Bat Out of Hell on West End and internationally. In all cities, the Queen shows play one night and the Meatloaf gigs run either one or two evenings later. QUEEN BY CANDLELIGHT AND MEATLOAF BY CANDLELIGHT 2023 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Wednesday, February 1 (Queen) and Thursday, February 2 (Meatloaf) — Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane Sunday, February 5 (Queen) and Monday, February 6 (Meatloaf) — Darling Harbour Theatre, Sydney Wednesday, February 8 (Queen) and Thursday, February 9 (Meatloaf) — Royal Theatre, Canberra Monday, February 13 (Queen) and Wednesday, February 15 (Meatloaf) — Melbourne Town Hall and Melbourne Palais, Melbourne Friday, February 17 (Queen) and Saturday, February 18 (Meatloaf) — Festival Theatre, Adelaide Tuesday, February 21 (Queen) and Thursday, February 23 (Meatloaf) — Perth Concert Hall, Perth The Queen and Meatloaf by Candlelight shows are touring Australia in February 2023. For more information and tickets, head to the tour's website.
With Lost in Translation, Sofia Coppola brought everyone's secret desire to the big screen. Who hasn't wished they could roam around Tokyo with Bill Murray, sing karaoke with him, hang out in the ultra luxurious Park Hyatt Tokyo's sky-high bar with him and just generally call upon him for advice? Now, with On the Rocks, the writer/director is giving viewers a new dream. Here, Bill Murray plays a larger-than-life playboy who is still a caring dad, and who moseys around New York helping his daughter discover whether her husband is being unfaithful. Yes, swap cities and exchange Scarlett Johansson for Parks and Recreation's Rashida Jones, and On the Rocks seems to take a few cues from Lost in Translation — but the latter was such a delight, no one is going to mind. Based on the just-dropped first trailer for the Apple TV+ film, however, the mood this time around is a little less melancholy, with On the Rocks serving up a father-daughter comedy about generational differences and complicated modern families. The full setup: Laura (Jones) initially doesn't really think twice when her other half, Dean (Marlon Wayans), suddenly starts working late more often. Soon though — and after her dad Felix's (Murray) not-so-comforting words of wisdom — she begins to wonder if Dean is cheating. That suspicion demands investigating, Felix decides, which sparks an offbeat adventure around NYC, and will also clearly help the pair work through their own complex relationship. Coppola's seventh feature, On the Rocks is also her first since 2017's The Beguiled won her the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival — where she became only the second woman to win the prize. And, it's her latest excuse to team up with Murray, with the pair last working together on 2015 Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas. Also familiar in On the Rocks' trailer: the sounds of Phoenix, who provide the movie's music. The French band have also been involved in Coppola's The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, Somewhere, The Bling Ring and The Beguiled in some shape or form, too — frontman Thomas Mars is Coppola's husband, after all. Check out the trailer for On the Rocks below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn3sK4WiviA&feature=youtu.be&goal=0_745cb9c02a-6077870a17-84180621&mc_cid=6077870a17&mc_eid=30ab429929 On the Rocks hits Apple TV+ in October — we'll update you when a specific release date is announced.
Sold out shows and chaotic scenes at in-store signings are all in a day’s work for Australian rapper 360. As part of his current tour, The Flying Tour, ‘Sixty’ will play his second Brisbane show this coming Monday 11 June. For 360, 2012 has been one success after another. He has graced the cover of Triple J Magazine, had a top 5 Aria album, platinum single and playtime across the major Australian radio networks. The Hi-Fi will host 360’s two Brisbane shows. Despite having more than enough fan interest to hold his shows in stadium-sized venues, 360 looked to reward his devoted fan-base with the opportunity to get up close and personal. Indie-darling Gossling will join 360 onstage to sing her part in the summer-hit “Boys Like You” and Hermitude and Bam Bam will open the show. Judging by 360’s recent successes, Monday’s show is sure to impress.
Nineties kids, Disney fans and everyone who's ever cried over a lion cub that just couldn't wait to be king, it's time to climb onto a rock and yell your lungs out. The circle of life has struck again, and The Lion King is back. It's in live-action form this time around, and the first full trailer for the new movie has just dropped. Releasing in July, the film will once again tell the tale of Simba, who's set to take over the pride from his father Mufasa, only for his malicious uncle Scar to get in the way. You know where it goes from there — and you'll be hearing the voices of Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as his childhood pal Nala, and James Earl Jones as his dad. Yes, the latter is reprising his role from the original film. Other big names attached include Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, John Oliver as Zazu, and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa. Elton John is back working on the soundtrack with Tim Rice, as they both did on the first film. They'll reportedly have some help from Beyoncé, naturally, while The Jungle Book's Jon Favreau is in the director's chair for the entire production. If you're anxious about how it might turn out, it's worth taking Timon and Pumbaa's advice at this early stage — although this initial look should help get rid of your worries for the rest of your days. Now, grab the tissues and watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TavVZMewpY The Lion King hits Australian cinemas on July 17, 2019.
Start making Easter plans now: Bluesfest has just announced the first acts on its 2023 lineup. From Thursday, April 6–Monday, April 10, the iconic annual festival will return to Byron Events Farm at Tyagarah for its 34th event — with Elvis Costello, Mavis Staples and Gang of Youths leading the bill. Also heading to northern New South Wales as part of the five-day lineup: Jackson Browne, Tash Sultana, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Jimmy Barnes with The Barnestormers, and Talib Kweli, GZA and Big Freedia as special guests of The Soul Rebels. As usual, Bluesfest's roster of talent spans a hefty array of music genres — blues and roots, obviously, but also soul, rock, hip hop, R&B and more — with Beth Hart, Buddy Guy, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and The Dukes, The Cat Empire and Xavier Rudd also set to take to the stage. Rockwiz Live will be doing its thing, too, in the perfect setting. And, would it be a Bluesfest without Michael Franti & Spearhead? In 2023, you won't need to find out. [caption id="attachment_867502" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mavis Staples by Myriam Santos[/caption] In total, 41 acts have been announced so far — with more to come, for what organisers are calling "the first original style Bluesfest since the world's borders re-opened". While the fest went ahead in 2022 after two years of pandemic cancellations (and a thwarted temporary move to October for the same reason), it showcased a primarily Australian and New Zealand lineup. With the return of international travel, Bluesfest can welcome top-notch acts from around the globe again. Season tickets are on sale now, alongside VIP tickets, with prices remaining at 2022 levels for the 2023 fest. Day and three-day tickets will follow in the near future, at a yet-to-be-announced date, along with more lineup announcements, plus news of sideshows and two special satellite Bluesfest events in Melbourne and Perth. BLUESFEST 2023 LINEUP — FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT: 19-Twenty The Barnestormers Beth Hart The Black Sorrows Bonnie Raitt Buddy Guy The Cat Empire Chain Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram Elvis Costello & The Imposters Eric Gales Femi Kuti & The Positive Force Gang of Youths Greensky Bluegrass Jackson Brown Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit Joe Bonamassa Joe Camilleri Presents: A Star-Studded Tribute to the Greats of the Blues Jon Stevens Kaleo Keb' Mo' Band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Lachy Doley and The Horns Of Conviction Larkin Poe Lp Lucinda Williams Marcus King Mavis Staple Michael Franti & Spearhead Nikki Hill Robert Glasper Rockwiz Live The Soul Rebels & Friends with Special Guests Talib Kweli, GZA and Big Freedia Southern Avenue Spinifex Gum featuring Marliya Steve Earle & The Duke Tash Sultana Xavier Rudd Bluesfest 2023 will run from Thursday, April 6–Monday, April 10 at Byron Events Farm, Tyagarah. Season passes are on sale now. For further information, head to the Bluesfest website.
Some stories just can't stay away from the screen, and Cinderella is one of them. Filmmakers have been drawn to the fairy tale since the silent era, resulting in beloved animated flicks, playful takes on the tale such as Ever After and Ella Enchanted, and Disney's 2015 live-action adaptation. Arriving next: a new musical that combines glass slippers and pining for a better life with singing, dancing and a fairy godparent named Fab G — with the latter played by Pose's Billy Porter. This version of Cinderella stars singer Camila Cabello as the titular character, while The Craft: Legacy's Nicholas Galitzine plays Prince Robert. Also popping up: Idina Menzel (Frozen II) as Cinders' stepmother, Minnie Driver (Starstruck) and Pierce Brosnan (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) as the king and queen, and Romesh Ranganathan (Staged) and James Corden (The Prom) as both footmen and mice. The latter is a producer, too, and came up with the idea for the film, while Pitch Perfect writer and Blockers helmer Kay Cannon sits in the director's chair. Clearly, if a new version of Cinderella doesn't hit the screen every few years, Hollywood must turn into a pumpkin. While musical takes on the tale aren't new — see also: the stage version that's about to hit Australia — this one is set to feature pop songs. So, you'll be seeing Cabello, Menzel and company singing tracks you know, as well as crooning their own new original tunes. Just how that'll turn out will be revealed on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, September 3, with the film originally slated for a cinema release, but then snapped up by the streaming platform instead. In the just-dropped first trailer, there's plenty of songs, colour and also humour. "Do you want to go to that ball?" asks Fab G at the end of the clip, to which Cinders replies: "yes, I was just crying and singing about it like two minutes ago". Check out the Cinderella trailer below: Cinderella will be available to stream via Amazon Prime Video from Friday, September 3. Top image: Christopher Raphael
Since 2011, the LaBoite Theatre Company have been putting together a new series of shows called LaBoite Indie – a platform for independent theatre that provides a nurturing and sustainable environment for independent theatre practitioners to cultivate their work and attract new audiences. The latest in the series of shows being put on at LaBoite is Home; a re-imagining of life portrayed in a unique and enthralling manner. Margi Brown Ash is an experienced actress and theatrical coach who has been a member of the Brisbane theatre scene for many years. Home is a theatrical representation of her life experiences, including her formative high school years in rural New South Wales, the years she spent acting in New York and her work in Australia. Home is being called ‘moving and uplifting theatre’ and hopes to remind us all of the importance and significance of being ‘home’.
Brisbanites are set to fork out a bit extra for their public transport travels, with TransLink announcing it's upping the price of public transport fares by 1.8 percent, from Monday, January 7. Fares have been adjusted in line with inflation, impacting the cost of travelling on trains, buses, ferries and CityCats. The increase will see passengers shelling out between five and 50 cents extra per adult-priced journey across both peak and off-peak Go Card trips, as well as single paper tickets. That means that a one-zone journey will increase from $3.25 to $3.31 in peak times, from $2.60 to $2.65 between 8.30am–7.30pm and 7pm–6am on weekdays and all day on weekends, and from $4.70 to $4.80 whenever you buy a paper ticket. At the upper end of the scale, an eight-zone trip — which'll take you from the CBD to Noosa and Gympie — will jump from $19.61 to $19.96 in peak times, from $15.69 to $15.97 in off-peak, and from $28.40 to $28.90 for paper tickets. Most concession fares will also rise, jumping between two and 30 cents per trip — although, if you happen to be buying a one- or two-zone concession paper ticket, fares will remain at $2.40 and $2.90. Image: Philip Mallis.
If you met a young man with the MTV logo emblazoned across his neck, there are a few assumptions you would probably make. 'This chap is a fan of music television', you might say. Or, 'Surely, at some point in the past, this man had too many drinks too close to a tattoo parlour after reminiscing on highlights of the '90s. What you probably wouldn't deduce is that the character before you runs a YouTube music account with almost 40 million views, that he was a key inspiration for James Franco's latest role as Alien in the Harmony Korine film Spring Breakers or that his mixtapes have garnered applause from Pitchfork, Stereogum and Complex. You definitely wouldn't guess that his soon-to-be-released major label debut, Neon Icon, will feature the likes of Wiz Khalifia, Mac Miller, Drake, A$AP Rocky and Snoop Dogg(/Lion), just to name a few. In fact, instead of gawking, it might be more appropriate to salute respectfully because the young man you've just been introduced to is none other than eccentric Texan rapper RiFF RAFF. Currently on his first Australian tour, the electrifying performer brings his notorious live show to Brisbane this Thursday. Featuring the overblown bling, intelligent rhymes and hilarious antics that have gained him worldwide acclaim, this will be a night for the hip-hop fan with an ear for the weird.
Movement have been making waves for a few months now, earning acclaim for their subtle R’n’B tinged electro masterpieces. Never have vocals and instruments blended so well. 'Ivory' is the latest tune to debut before their first, self-titled EP. Not only is this track great, but the rest are all finely crafted works of art. The trio explore the darker side of the night - the lust, the mistakes, the lonesome introspection and the need for intimate connection. Jesse James Ward, Lewis Wade and Sean Walker are masters of moody atmospherics, but are equally adept at conveying passion and groove as well. The Sydney trio have supported the likes of Darkside, Solange and Rufus and will soon be touring overseas. For now though, they are making their way around Australia and will be stopping in to Black Bear Lodge for a show. Movement will be supported in Brisbane by local electro wunderkind, Tincture. Buy tickets to this show, right now. Also, FYI - their EP has landed and is up for streaming. Do yourself a favour though, listen to it with the lights off.
Plenty of things can change in just a few days during a pandemic, as everyone around Australia already knows. But in the latest instance in Queensland, a number of COVID-19 restrictions have just been tightened — only days after they were eased on Friday, June 25. Since 1am on Friday morning, Queenslanders have been able to have as many people as they like over to their houses, and to gather in hospitality businesses at a density of three people per four-square-metres. That changed again at 6am this morning, Monday, June 28, however, with stricter requirements now in place for the next two weeks. Wondering what's changed? The at-home gathering limit is now back to 100 people, including children and infants. And, at bars, cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs, the one person per two-square-metres cap is back in effect. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the rule reversions on Sunday, June 27, noting that the changes were being made to help the state counter the potential spread of the Delta variant — the strain of COVID-19 that's behind New South Wales' current outbreak. In an effort to stop the variant spreading to Queensland, the Sunshine State has already closed its borders to Greater Sydney, which was placed under a two-week lockdown on the weekend. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1408940468331679750 Other eased restrictions that came into effect on Friday haven't been rolled back, so Queenslanders can still hang out with more folks in the great outdoors — and at galleries, museums, convention centres, theatres, gig venues and cinemas. Outside, there's no longer a limit on how many people can gather. For venues with seated and ticketed capacity, they can fill to 100 percent. Of course, whether those looser rules will remain in place will depend upon COVID-19 cases in Queensland. Also yesterday, Queensland Health announced that three community acquired cases had been identified — with an alert first issued for Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, followed by a further case who transited through the Brisbane Airport before heading to the Sunshine Coast. Queenslanders are asked to keep social distancing, maintaining the hygiene practices that have been in place since March 2020, and checking the state's list of exposure sites — and to get tested if you're feeling even the slightest possible COVID-19 symptoms. 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: Atlanta Bell.
When The Market Folk first brought a heap of stalls to Newstead's old gasometer a couple of years back, it was clearly a smart move. Browsing and buying beneath one of inner-city Brisbane's most striking sights — what's not to love? Because some ideas are too great to stop, this winning combination has kept returning, including with a pre-Mother's Day event in 2024. From 5–9pm on Friday, May 3, you can spend the evening in Newstead shopping for fashion, art, homewares, plants, pots and ceramics for your mum. [caption id="attachment_814294" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] As they always do, the Gasworks Markets will feature plenty of artisanal goodies to tempt your wallet (not that anyone should need any motivation to spoil the woman who brought you into this world). As always, Brisbane creatives will be in the spotlight, so you'll also be showing them some love as well. And, there'll be live music on the lawn, soundtracking your shopping. Plus, bringing your pooch is 100-percent encouraged. Top image: Andrew S via Flickr.
The annual Improv Everywhere mp3 experiment proves we've come a long way since the Napster debacle of the early noughties. Interestingly, the New York-based prank collective started in 2001, around the same time Napster was given a court injunction to stop the distribution of copyrighted music on its network. But the eighth installment of the annual prank has made good use of mp3 downloads, casting aside any former copyright stigmas for the convergence of thousands of people in one picturesque setting. This year's prank took place along New York's Hudson River with over 3,500 participants downloading two types of mp3s, each with instructions that culminated in a mass 'silent disco' at Nelson Rockefeller Park during sundown. The participants of this year's prank began as two groups and were asked to wear two different coloured shirts, representing the theme of two tribes coming together. Once the two groups were instructed to meet at Nelson Rockefeller Park, on-the-spot jumping, indiscriminate high-fives to random passers-by, handshaking, slow dancing and linking of the arms took place. The Improv Everywhere prank collective has orchestrated over 100 pranks since 2001, and are behind the now iconic Frozen Grand Central flashmob which has been viewed by 27,513,992 people since 2008. https://youtube.com/watch?v=lrCnh9sT_mc
Last week saw the 135th and final space shuttle mission end when Atlantis touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. For the past 30 years, the shuttle has been the flagship plane for NASA's sometimes controversial, always captivating space program. The decommissioning of the shuttle will undoubtedly make space travel cheaper and safer for the American government, who will continue their program in 1960s-style manned capsules made in Russia, before taking off in American-built vehicles. Every time the shuttle took off, it cost American taxpayers $1.5 billion. Choosing to either abandon the space shuttle or avoid it entirely, the Soviets and China have progressed by using rockets and capsules for manned spaceflights. For now, the space race is back on. National Geographic has compiled a photographic retrospective to mark the occasion, showcasing the most vivid photographs from the shuttle's colourful history. Here are some of our favourites. A huge crowd—many driving recreational vehicles—gathers to watch the space shuttle Columbia land on July 4, 1982, at Edwards Air Force Base in California at the end of STS-4. Sitting on a rolling platform, the space shuttle Challenger emerges from the mist at Kennedy Space Center in Florida as it heads toward the launch pad, just visible in the distance, in November 1982. Curling like bizarre sigils in the sky, plume remnants from the June 8, 2007, launch of the space shuttle Atlantis glow with the light of the setting sun. Earth seems ready for loading into the space shuttle Endeavour's open payload bay in a picture taken in December 1998 using an onboard IMAX camera. Riding piggyback on a Boeing 747, the test shuttle Enterprise glides over the New York City skyline in June 1983. Astronaut Dale Gardner enjoys a moment of levity as he completes a spacewalk to recover two broken communications satellites from orbit on November 14, 1984. Astronaut Joseph P. Allen IV is seen reflected in Gardner's helmet visor. Star Trek cast members from the science-fiction show attend the shuttle's rollout ceremony in Palmdale, California, on September 17, 1976. Atlantis is lifted high inside the Vehicle Assembly Building on May 18, 2011, so it can be attached to the "stack"—the combination of the large external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters. A cloud of debris spreads in the sky over coastal Florida as the space shuttleChallenger breaks apart on January 28, 1986. A charred astronaut helmet lying in the grass near Norwood, Texas, was among the debris found after the space shuttle Columbia broke apart during reentry on February 1, 2003. Suspended above the planet, the space shuttle Endeavour is silhouetted against the layers of Earth's atmosphere in a picture taken by an ISS crew member on February 9, 2010. [Via National Geographic]
After eight days in lockdown, residents of southeast Queensland will be permitted to leave their houses for whatever reasons they like from 4pm today, Sunday, August 8. As a result, a heap of restrictions will change throughout the 11 Local Government Areas in the region that's been under stay-at-home conditions since last weekend — but wearing masks isn't one of them. If you live in the Brisbane City Council, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim LGAs, it has been some time since you've been able to flash your smile at people outside of your own home. And, that isn't changing now. 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 — a mandate that's remaining in place until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 22. This is familiar news, because the State Government has extended the mask requirement for these 11 LGAs not just once but multiple times now. Masks were compulsory under lockdown conditions, obviously. Announcing the extension of the mask mandate for the next fortnight, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that "until we can get to those 70 and 80-percent vaccination rates, masks are absolutely critical. These masks are absolutely crucial, because they are your protection against the Delta virus, as well as getting the vaccine." https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1424166496717086722 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. 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 specific conditions apply. So, you don't have to mask up if you are alone in your car or with members of your household, you are alone outdoors or with folks you live with, if you're eating or drinking, if you're doing strenuous exercise, or if it is unsafe to do so. 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. Queensland currently has 148 active COVID-19 cases, with nine new 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.
