Think you've done every kidult activity there is in Brisbane? Think again. There's always more board game battles to have while drinking brews, and The Mill on Constance is giving its latest quite the build up. You don't call a day of placing coloured counters into a blue frame the Connect 4 World Championships unless you're serious about the pastime in question, after all. Go for it, then go for one more on September 2, with registration commencing at 2.30pm and the competition getting started at 3pm. Participants pay a $5 entry fee for a winner-takes-all contest, then show just how they can drop red and black circles with the best of them. And you thought a childhood spent getting overly enthusiastic about board games wouldn't come in handy. To help keep the fun flowing, 4 Pines will be keeping the numeral-themed antics going by providing taps filled with beer. Sure, it's not red cordial, but it'll do the trick. Image: Matěj Baťha.
UPDATE, October 7, 2020: The Death of Stalin is available to stream via Stan, Google Play and YouTube Movies. "I can't remember who's dead and who isn't," remarks a Soviet minister in The Death of Stalin, in what's actually one of the movie's tamer jokes. Guards tell each other to ignore a noise from the leader's office, because even acknowledging it would likely get them killed. Lackeys remark that all the best doctors are either in the gulag or dead. Generals enter the room asking "what's a war hero got to do to get some lubrication around here?" The list goes on. If you're going to make fun of the titular event and its aftermath, then there's no point being coy about it. And given that Veep, In the Loop and The Thick of It satirist Armando Iannucci is behind this fiercely, blackly funny film, viewers can be assured that it doesn't hold back. It's Moscow, circa 1953. Joseph Stalin (Adrian McLoughlin) falls to the floor, and Russia's Politburo don't quite know what to do. Not that deputy Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), party head Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov (Michael Palin) or secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale) can admit it, either publicly or privately. After three decades of Stalinist rule by fear, intimidation and executing anyone who expresses even the slightest opposition, the country's top brass are only certain of two things. Firstly, they can't trust anyone at all, not even each other. And secondly, if they show any sign of weakness or disloyalty, they'll end up stabbed in the back and six feet under themselves. Hell, the latter will probably happen anyway. So begins The Death of Stalin, a movie that takes inspiration from history, is filmed with the fitting slickness of propaganda, and really couldn't be more timely. It's a political farce about tyrannical leaders, slippery cronies and a nation in turmoil. It's also a portrait of a government wedded to its own version of the truth at any cost, and acting absolutely mercilessly in dispensing with anyone who disagrees. Finally, it's a flick about blustering men pretending they're stronger and bolder than they are, while whipping up paranoid hysteria to hide their failings. This should all sound familiar, and there's plenty more modern-day parallels where they came from. Yes, Iannucci is at it again in his usual uproarious fashion, slinging gags like weapons and flinging devastating one-liners like Molotov cocktails. (If you're wondering, the bomb did indeed get its name from Palin's character). Tackling Stalin's murderous regime, corrupt wheeling and dealing, and crafty offsiders, the filmmaker keeps one eye on the past and the other on contemporary times. Whether he's sticking with fiction or twisting days of old, the British writer-director has always had a knack for mirroring reality. That mightn't appear particularly hard given that Iannucci routinely turns the halls of power into caustic comedies, but no one manages the feat quite like him. He says "fuckety bye" to good taste and a rousing hello to savage parodies that simply wouldn't be as funny if they didn't seem both outlandish and accurate. Provocative, perceptive writing may be a sizeable part of The Death of Stalin's charm, but the film's cast do just as much heavy lifting. In particular, Buscemi's Khrushchev ranks among Iannucci's best characters — think The Thick of It's Malcolm Tucker in a literal life-or-death scenario, with equally oily schemes and rapid-fire insults. That said, the movie is an ensemble affair, including a hilarious Rupert Friend and a stern Andrea Riseborough as Stalin's children, plus Jason Isaacs as a gloriously puffed-up military head. As characters bicker over Stalin's body and banter about allegiance to the state, the corresponding performances prove a masterclass in devilishly, hysterically bleak comedy. If it all seems as brilliant as it does absurd, then this is your kind of film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KWg2nTYmk8
With international travel banned indefinitely and many Australian states and territories closing their borders, travel is in no one's immediate plans — and the airline industry is responding accordingly. In late March, Qantas and Jetstar suspended all international flights and cut domestic flights by 60 percent, temporarily stepping down two-thirds of their 30,000-person staff in the process. Virgin Australia also suspended all international flights from March 30 — and cut domestic flights by 50 percent — but is now reducing its local capacity even further. From yesterday, Friday, April 10, Virgin Australia has suspended all domestic passenger flights except for a return service between Melbourne and Sydney, running once daily except Saturdays. In a statement on the airline's website, the group said "Demand for travel has continued to decline with border restrictions and the need for people to stay home due to social distancing measures." https://www.facebook.com/virginaustralia/photos/a.10151888728861990/10156927916476990/?type=3&theater Tasmania, WA, SA, NT and Queensland have all closed their borders to non-essential travel and require interstate visitors to quarantine for 14 days. And, as of yesterday, Queenslanders are required to obtain a permit to cross back over the border from interstate, too. These measures are similar to those currently in place for Australians returning from overseas, which mandates compulsory 14-day isolation periods for all international travellers Qantas and Jetstar haven't yet announced further cuts to their domestic flights, and all three airlines currently working with the government to help bring stranded Australians home. Qantas is helping bring Aussies back from Peru, Argentina and South Africa, while Virgin Australia is running flights to Los Angeles and Hong Kong. If you have ticket for travel up to June 30, 2020, Virgin Australian will let you change your booking or cancel and request a travel credit with no change and cancellation fees. You can find out more about this on its website. For more information about Virgin Australia's reductions, visit its website. For further details about Qantas and Jetstar's plans, visit the company's website.
Not content with terrifying southeast Queenslanders with their unsettling shipping container installations just once, the folks at Realscape Productions keep bringing back their disquieting Darkfield experiences again and again. The next chance to set your nerves on edge? It arrives at South Bank's Maritime Museum in the lead up to Halloween. The event inducing chills? Well, the fact that it's called Flight says plenty. This immersive favourite involves stepping inside a 40-foot steel box, sitting in pitch darkness and listening to a particularly heightened soundscape while the production plays with your sense of reality. For those who aren't fond of flying or don't cope well with the possibility of things going awry in the air, you might want to stay away. If your stomach can handle all of the above, step onboard. You won't actually be jetting anywhere, of course; however you will be strapping yourself into a section of a real commercial airliner, then pondering the many possible outcomes if the cabin suddenly happened to lose pressure. Created by Glen Neath and David Rosenberg, Flight draws upon the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics while taking attendees on a multi-sensory journey. If you're keen, Flight's latest run spans Thursday, October 3—Sunday, December 8, 2024 at the Brisbane venue. Buckle up, and prepare to have your head completely messed with — unless you're claustrophobic, pregnant, or suffer heart or back conditions, in which case you'll have to firmly stay on the ground. Images: Mihaela Bodlovic / Realscape Productions.
There's no shortage of cheesy places in this food-loving town of ours, but King Street's Il Verde just might be Brisbane's cheese central. Serving up pasta from a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano has helped put the Bowen Hills eatery on the culinary map — and pairing that delicious delight with gooey raclette will keep it there. Unsurprisingly, they're calling this tasty double Death by Cheese. If you're going to go, you may as well go doing what you love, or so the thinking goes. And, let's face it, you're going to love this. Take one cheesy favourite, then add another — what's not to love? It all kicks off on March 1, with sittings at 6pm and 8pm, and then takes place every Tuesday and Thursday evening. Even better — this combo of pasta or gnocchi stirred up in a wheel cheese, wood-fired bread topped in melted raclette, a glass of wine and an Italian dessert will set you back just $55 per person.
Brisbanites, if catching a train is on your agenda between December 25–27, you might want to rethink your travel plans. Translink has announced that track work will take place over Christmas, with a number of stations closing as a result. Buses will replace rail services in the affected areas. The closures kick off from the first service on Friday, December 25 and run through until the last service on Sunday, December 27 — and a sizeable number of stations will be impacted. In the CBD, everything from Roma Street to Northgate will close, having an effect on every line. So prepare to hop off the train at either spot, then jump on a bus to complete your journey. Additional stations will be out of bounds, too, but it depends on the line. The Beenleigh line will be shut from Roma Street to Moorooka, the Cleveland line from Roma Street to Lindum, and the Doomben and Ferny Grove lines won't operate. As for the Airtrain, it'll operate to Eagle Junction — and Gold Coast services will run express from Roma Street to Altandi. The works involve general maintenance across the lines, upgrade works and works for the Cross River Rail project.. If you're thinking that this'll add some time to your journey, you're absolutely right. Travellers should factor extra time into their trips. For more information, and to check train and bus timetables, visit the TransLink website.
Like your poultry pieces covered in crispy coating and served in in bite-sized chunks? Don't we all. Sure, chicken nuggets probably make you remember being five years old and trying to dip them in as much sauce as possible, but that experience doesn't just live on in your memory — it's on the menu at The Flying Cock every Saturday. From midday until 9pm each week from June 9, it's The Nugg Club time. And while plenty of places serve up chicken nuggets, this valley hangout is cooking up as many as you can eat within two hours. You'll also get bottomless fries and slaw, all for $20. Plus sauce, obviously, in ten flavours that range from good ol' tomato and tangy house barbecue to Korean chilli and lemonade and blue cheese sour cream. It's the kind of all-you-can-eat offering that is tailor-made for helping you recover from a big night out — or ensuring that you line your stomach for the next one. And, if you head along five times and grab a rewards card, you'll get your sixth bottomless bunch of nuggs for free.
When Welcome to Bowen Hills gifted Brisbane a new permanent food truck hangout, it borrowed its successful concept from Melbourne's Welcome to Thornbury — and that's not the only Victorian culinary wonder it's bringing up north. If you're a fan not only of chicken, but of "really fucking hot" chicken, then start rejoicing, because Belles Hot Chicken is finally coming to town. It's handy the chain has its own food truck, which is a regular at Welcome to Thornbury. In its meals-on-wheels guise, the east coast favourite will make its first Brissie appearance at Welcome to Bowen Hills, with exact dates to be announced. We do know that it's been named as part of the Gregory Terrace precinct's latest niche food fest — that'd be the upcoming Chicken Nugget Festival — so it'll be in place and serving up tasty nuggs by May 26 at least. For those new to Belles, the chain operates three spots in Melbourne and three in Sydney, serving up southern-inspired poultry and natural wine. Menu highlights include chicken sandwiches, chicken sliders, chicken and waffles, and chicken pieces served at five different levels of spiciness. Down south, they've also just launched bottomless brunches. Find Belles Hot Chicken at Welcome to Bowen Hills from May, with dates to be confirmed. Keep an eye on the Belles Hot Chicken and Welcome to Bowen Hills Facebook pages for further details.
Cinema lovers of Brisbane, if you've been hanging out to see some of the past year's most significant international, art and experimental movies, your wait is about to come to an end. While the latest iteration of the city's annual major film festival, the Brisbane International Film Festival, won't return until October and and November, a new Brisbane film society is screening flicks that've wowed overseas fests every fortnight. Meet Container, which is welcoming in cinephiles every second Tuesday from July 12. Generally screening at the CBD's Elizabeth Picture Theatre — with potential jaunts elsewhere to screen 3D, 35-millimetre and other film formats — it's a curated program delivered in single-screening servings. As well as offering an alternative to the usual festival rush, where cramming in as many movies as your eyes and body can handle is always the name of the game, it's giving Brisbane a fortnightly substitute for the standard multiplex and arthouse programming. On the bill: primarily movies that aren't likely to screen in Brisbane cinemas otherwise, spanning everything from acclaimed titles from festivals such Cannes, Venice and Berlin through to experimental showcases and live expanded cinema performances. The program kicks off with Peter Strickland's Flux Gourmet, the latest from the inimitable Berberian Sound Studio, The Duke of Burgundy and In Fabric filmmaker, and will also include Joana Pimenta and Adirley Queirós' Dry Ground Burning, Rhayne Vermette's Ste. Anne, Lucile Hadžihalilović's Earwig, João Pedro Rodrigues' Will o the Wisp and Gasper Noé's Lux Æterna before the end of September. If you're a Brisbane-based movie buff, you'll know the type of flicks that Container will be showcasing — aka the kinds of festival fare that, if BIFF doesn't screen them, don't enjoy a local big-screen showing. If that idea sounds familiar, that's because Container has taken a few cues from Victoria's long-running Melbourne Cinematheque. Also, it's guided by the same idea behind Queensland Film Festival, albeit via an annual film fest rather than a year-round lineup. Container also has Michelangelo Frammartino's Il Buco, Qiu Jiongjiong's A New Old Play, Albert Serra's Pacifiction and Ben Rivers' Urthworks on its upcoming list, plus Thai Memoria director Apichatpong Weerasethakul as well. Entry is via membership, either paying for six- ($60 full/$30 concession) or 12-month ($100/$50) access in advance. Plus, there's also a $250 solidarity membership, which includes three single-use guest passes as well, and helps Container make its screenings more available to the rest of the community.
In 2022, New Farm Cinemas gave Brisbanites another excuse to head to the movies: the first-ever New Farm Queer Film Festival. Celebrating LGBTQIA+ filmmaking on Brunswick Street, the event unsurprisingly proved a hit. So, it's returning in 2023 for a 12-day run from Thursday, September 21–Monday, October 2. Queer classics and the latest festival fare sit side by side on this event's lineup, as its bookending picks make plain. 2023's fest opens with Passages, which hails from Love Is Strange's Ira Sachs, dives into a love triangle, and stars Franz Rogowski (Great Freedom), Adèle Exarchopoulos (The Five Devils) and Ben Whishaw (Women Talking). Then, when NFQFF comes to a close, it'll do so with the one and only John Waters' Pink Flamingos. In-between, movie lovers can look forward to Afire, a Berlinale Silver Bear-winner for Undine and Transit's Christian Petzold; Blue Jean, a four-time British Independent Film Award-winner about a lesbian teacher in Thatcher's England; and Beau Travail, Claire Denis' (Stars at Noon) 1999 standout. Other highlights include the Australian premiere of the 1987-set Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, more German cinema with both Bones and Names and Drifter, 60s Japanese effort Funeral Parade of Roses and Denis Côté's (Ghost Town Anthology) That Kind of Summer. On the homegrown front, NFQFF will also feature The Winner Takes It All and Single, Out — one a comedy about a woman who finds out that her husband is cheating, the other about a life-changing first sexual encounter (and the latter with the cast and crew doing an introduction).
When December rolls around, everything in Brisbane seems a little brighter. The summer sun is shining, the city is awash with festive cheer and everyone is a more relaxed with the holidays just over the horizon. Step into one of the galleries around town, and that definitely proves the case. In short: it's not just the most wonderful time of year, but the most wonderful time of year for art lovers as well. Given that the Gallery of Modern Art is hosting Yayoi Kusama's dots and pumpkins, as well as Gerhard Richter's paintings and photographs, that's hardly surprising. And, they have company, with the Museum of Brisbane dancing its way into its new Li Cunxin showcase, and the Queensland Art Gallery letting Picasso grace its walls, and The State Library of Queensland staying neon. There's also emerging artists, creative self portraits, and a heap of bootlegs and replicas. Sounds good, right? Read on for all the details.
The party never stops for Alison Wonderland. After hosting a slew of warehouse parties earlier this year, as well as playing just about every Australian music festival you can poke a stick at, Wonderland has dropped her Calm Down EP featuring all new original songs. Wonderland's DJ sets are known for their ability to ignite any dance floor, with her special mix of old school hip hop and modern indie dance. We were lucky enough to get Wonderland to sit still just long enough to tell us what we should look forward to with her new EP and her 'Rural Juror Touror' tour. The Calm Down EP Wonderland has previously released a compilation mix called Welcome to Wonderland, but the Calm Down EP is her first release to feature all original material. A more personal side of Wonderland will be coming through this EP, which her vast fan base has been eagerly awaiting. "This EP will be more songs rather than club jams," says Wonderland. "I'm excited and nervous to hear what people think about them." So far two singles from the EP have been released, 'Lies' and 'I Want U', the latter of which has a killer video clip, directed by local Melbourne maverick Prad Senanayake. Wonderland says the concept for the clip, which casually features possessed nuns and an old man being coddled by a younger temptress, was a collaborative effort between her and Senanayake. "It was super nice to work with Prad," says Wonderland. "He gets it, he's super smart." While Wonderland may be most well known for her work as a DJ, spinning tunes is not her first foray into music. Wonderland is a classically trained musician; she was a principal cellist with the Sydney Youth Orchestra and played bass in an indie band for a spell. "I think that the classical education that I received definitely helps me write music," says Wonderland. "I don't try and keep it at the forefront of my mind when I'm writing — I try to do that with feel — but I definitely think in the back of my mind somewhere it's a big reason why I make the music that I do." The Love Of Vinyl Wonderland is clearly excited for the release of her EP, but what's more, it's coming out on vinyl — a medium she has favoured since childhood. "When I was eight my Dad gave me his vinyl collection from when he was a teenager," explains Wonderland. So then, what was her last vinyl purchase? We don't want to be presumptuous, but it might not be what you'd first expect. "My latest vinyl purchase is actually kind of embarrassing!" admits Wonderland. "My favourite film ever is The Princess Bride, which is a 1980s fantasy film. I have the first ever release of the soundtrack on vinyl, played by Mark Knopfler." The Party Starter Before embarking on her Rural Juror Touror, earlier this year Wonderland hosted a series of warehouse parties across Australia. All the shows, held in secret locations, sold out almost immediately and in some cities venues had to be upgraded to keep up with the demand. The Wonderland Warehouse Projects were a huge success, and as per usual with Wonderland's gigs, the crowds were lively, sweaty, and brimming with riotous enthusiasm. "Getting up on stage and seeing the crowd, that was a pretty crazy feeling," explains Wonderland. "There was 2,000 people at each show." Despite being thrilled with the turn out to these events, there was one audience member in particular that Wonderland was especially thrilled about. "My Mum came to one of my shows, which was exciting!" says Wonderland. "She's only seen me play twice before, it was cool for her to see what I did." The Rural Juror Touror Wonderland has already performed the first few shows of her 'Rural Juror Touror', which will send her to all corners of Australia. The desire to take on a national rural tour was sparked after performing at Groovin the Moo last year. "I enjoyed it so much that it was kind of the inspiration for this tour," explains Wonderland. For Wonderland, there is no difference between playing to a crowd in a major city or a smaller rural venue. "I think they draw a certain type of crowd when I play," explains Wonderland. "They're usually quite educated in the type of music I DJ wherever I am." ALISON WONDERLAND'S RURAL JUROR TOUROR: Fri 27 June — Discovery, Darwin NT Sat 28 June — Argyle House, Newcastle NSW Sun 29 June — Flinders Social, Townsville QLD Thurs 3 July — Southern Cross Uni, Lismore NSW Fri 4 July — Fitzgeralds, Bunbury WA Sat 5 July — Toucan, Mandurah WA Fri 1 Aug — Star Bar, Bendigo VIC Sat 2 Aug — Amaroo Hotel, Dubbo NSW Thurs 7 Aug — World Bar, Queenstown NZ Sat 9 Aug — Movitas, Mackay QLD Sat 16 Aug — Karova, Ballarat VIC Fri 22 Aug — Secret Show, Taiwan Sat 23 Aug — Warehouse 82, Bali Fri 29 Aug — Observatory, Hobart TAS Fri 5 Sept — Plantation, Coffs Harbour NSW Sat 13 Sept — Smirnoff Snowdome, Thredbo NSW AW's Calm Down EP is out now. https://youtube.com/watch?v=YLCm9lP-3Uk
When Brisbanites sleep, do they dream of burgers? The latest burger joint to open its doors certainly hopes so. Bringing American-style feeds to Petrie Terrace, Hank's Burgers & Beer might be yet another place grilling up the city's favourite meat-and-bread combo (and veggies and bread, for non-carnivorous customers); however what they do, they do well. Every burger on their menu keeps the US theme going, so prepare to take your tastebuds on a tour. Those after a classic kind of burg should opt for the New York, while anyone feeling extra hungry should double up on their beef and cheese with the New York New York. You'll find fried chicken on the Kentucky, of course, and pineapple on the Hawaiian. Fish fiends, the Florida is tailor-made for you. And if you're looking for slow-cooked pork and slaw, you're after the Iowa. Just as live tunes spice up Saturday nights at the Caxton Street haunt, weekly specials add other choices to the mix, like the Idaho with double beef, double cheese, bacon, onion, pickle, mustard, ketchup, Hank's sauce and fries. When it comes to washing it all down, the beverage of choice is right there in the name, though other options are also available. Soft drink refills are free with any burger purchase, and their shakes are big, bright and delicious.
What's charm got to do with it? In What's Love Got to Do with It?, plenty. A rom-com with absolutely nothing to do with Tina Turner, the song that instantly springs to mind or the 1993 biopic about the singer's life, this British affair from the producers of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, the Bridget Jones films and Love Actually — and the more-recent Yesterday and Cyrano, too — thrives on the charisma of its leads. It has to. Lily James (Pam & Tommy) and Shazad Latif (Profile) are nicely cast, but they're also all-so-crucially required to help patch over the movie's flagrant formula. Indeed, as penned by journalist-turned-producer-turned-screenwriting first-timer Jemima Khan, and helmed by Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, What's Love Got to Do with It? interrogates its own premise in its template-like nature. Is it better to stick to a tried-and-tested route or let surprises reign? In the way it's made and the tale it tells, at least, this flick repeatedly advocates for the former. For documentarian Zoe (James) and oncologist Kazim (Latif), childhood pals, neighbours and each other's first kiss, What's Love Got to Do with It?'s big battle isn't about romantic comedies, of course. And, it certainly isn't about whether the latest entry in the genre should paint by numbers or dare to diverge from the trusty path. But the same conflict underscores Zoe and Kaz's differing approaches to love and marriage, as Zoe is shocked to discover at Kaz's brother Farooq's (Mim Shaikh, Doctors) wedding. That's where the man she's known her whole life announces he's getting hitched, even though he hasn't met someone. Happy to skip the chaos of dating, not fussed with casual hookups, and buoyed by his parents Aisha (Shabana Azmi, Halo) and Zahid's (Jeff Mirza, Eternals) success with arranged nuptials, he's putting his trust in assisted marriage to find someone to share his life with. What's Zoe got to do with Kaz's decision, other than being a friend by his side? There's the glaring answer and then there's how Khan's script keeps her central pair in each other's orbit other than just as mates. As Zoe gets knocked back for funding for her next project, she doesn't blink before suggesting examining assisted marriages in Britain instead. (My Big Fat Arranged Marriage is her producers' dream title.) Kaz is understandably reluctant, but soon Zoe's camera is capturing everything, including the parade of events that her mother Cath (Emma Thompson, Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical) chats, drinks and dances her way through. Making a doco out of Kaz's quest to tie the knot can't help Zoe avoid her mum's stereotypical pestering about her own romantic prospects, however, complete with setting her up with family vet James (Oliver Chris, Emma). Due to rom-com logic, convention and expectation, there's a dose of My Best Friend's Wedding to What's Love Got to Do with It?, although Zoe doesn't ever try to sabotage Kaz's big day. There's also more than a dash of When Harry Met Sally… to Kapur's first feature in over a decade and a half (other than a segment of New York, I Love You) as Zoe and Kaz constantly discuss their varying ideas about relationships. And, to zero astonishment as well, there's pure and simple obviousness at work. Almost any rom-com focused on these two characters, enlisting these two actors, and benefiting from James and Latif's easy chemistry — and their innate likeability in both parts, especially Toast of London and Toast of Tinseltown's Latif — is going to do exactly what the audience not only wants, but what What's Love Got to Do with It?'s genre has primed them for. Accordingly, the real questions at the heart of What's Love Got to Do with It? aren't whether Kaz's assisted-marriage plan will succeed, or if this is a sensible way to meet one's other half in these always-swiping times. A culture clash comes with the setup, with Kaz's choice hailing from his Pakistani heritage, but diving into what that tradition means for better and for worse is a mere subplot. Rather, the film asks the most straightforward query it or any romantic comedy can or ever does. The specifics vary from flick to flick, but it's the same predicament. Here, it plays out like this: how will employing Muslim matchmaker Mo (Asim Chaudhry, The Sandman), video chatting with law student Maymouna (Sajal Aly, Ishq e laa) and following what happens from there — right through to three days of colourful ceremonies in Lahore, which Zoe records and the excited Cath wouldn't miss for the world — obstruct and complicate Zoe and Kaz's unspoken but plain-as-day feelings for each other? Inevitability drips through every moment of this sunnily shot and cosily staged movie as a result, but thankfully doesn't breed contempt. Again, that's thanks to James, Latif, their engaging performances and their comfortable rapport as What's Love Got to Do with It? embraces being exactly the type of fluffily predictable romantic comedy it is. That said, Khan and Kapur do take risks, but their film ends up worse for it. Although it's an eagerly knowing touch to have a former on-screen Cinderella play a woman who frames her love life as revised fairy tales, those narrated montages — popping up intermittently and told as bedtime stories to children, but echoing over Zoe's bad dates and morning-after regrets — flounder and feel like filler. What's Love Got to Do with It? doesn't judge Zoe's romantic exploits, nor should it, just as it avoids the same with Kaz — but, while it's accepting of amorous mess and assisted marriage alike, it isn't always certain in its tone or thoughtful with its supporting characters. Thompson's role proves an inescapable example, as much of a treasure as the great English actor is (see: her phenomenal work in 2022's Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, plus too many other past parts to count). Instead of exuberant, free-spirited, or even a gleefully silly example of an older generation broadening their world, Cath comes off as one-note and cartoonish. A white woman whose personality is defined by her fixation on another culture was likely to, sadly, in a movie that's fine with skewing broad and affable over shooting for sparks.
The opening moments of For Sama aren't easily forgotten. As journalist Waad Al-Kateab sings to infant Sama in their Aleppo home — a room in the city's only remaining volunteer hospital — in 2016, the sound of tank shells puncture her soothing tones. With her doctor husband Hamza, Waad and her daughter soon start to flee. As they rush hurriedly downstairs, a flash appears at the end of the hallway, filling the corridor with smoke. The trio make it to safety, huddling with others in the same situation. To keep Sama distracted as they wait out the attack, they play a game of peek-a-boo with the baby using their air-filtration face masks. Shot by Waad herself — For Sama's narrator, producer, cinematographer, co-director with Edward Watts and one of its subjects — this sequence kicks off this Oscar-nominated, Cannes-awarded, BAFTA-winning documentary as it means to go on. That said, in a film that doesn't shy away from the blood spilled, lives lost and bodies piled up during the ongoing Syrian Civil War, this introductory scene actually provides some of the movie's least confronting sights. Given how tough, fraught and tense the feature's first moments are, that speaks volumes about everything that follows. But difficult images and emotions are to be expected when peering into the lives of ordinary Syrians caught up in the country's seemingly ceaseless conflict, especially when detailed in such an intimate fashion. As the film's simple, personal and expressive title suggests, Waad has fashioned her documentary as a visual letter to her firstborn. A chronicle of Sama's time in the crumbling Aleppo, it's also an explanation, a time capsule and a portrait of a place that the Al-Kateabs passionately fought for. Using footage recorded since 2012 — when the Arab Spring initially sparked protests in Syria — Waad captures the war from her own viewpoint. Her skills as an activist and journalist are essential, but her role as a mother and the fact that she's a passionate, empathetic person prove even more important. Waad doesn't capture soldiers in battle, bombs being fired or buildings turning to ruins, instead focusing on her own efforts to simultaneously fight for her home, maintain a life and help many others in need. Piecing it all together via a poignant video diary, she also depicts the many others trying to do the same, as well as the casualties and consequences. Accordingly, this is a doco where children arrive at the hospital covered in blood, muck and dust from artillery fire, then leave crying as their siblings join the growing body count. It's a film where mothers scream with pain and fury, inconsolable about their losses but adamant that everything must be recorded in order to show the world what's happening. And, it's a movie where Waad is committed to battling for freedom however she can — by documenting the war, assisting at the hospital and, crucially, by refusing to run away — but still agonises over the choice to bring Sama into the world. Every second is heartwrenching. Every moment is devastating. Every frame stares into the on-the-ground nightmare, as relayed by someone experiencing it as it happens. While the conflict in Syria has understandably become a frequent cinematic topic — For Sama is just one of two films on the subject that were nominated for this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary — Waad's personal approach makes an enormously powerful impact. We watch as she evolves from economics student to married filmmaker and mother. We hear her thoughts, prayers and regrets. We feel her initial hope that Bashar al-Assad's Russian-backed dictatorship will come to an end, her fear when the shells and bombs keep raining down, and her seemingly impossible quest to balance her love of her country with her love for her fledgling family. And, we also watch as she records intimate, life-changing events around her, giving them the benefit of her eyewitness insight. In the latter category, footage of doctors working on a baby born via emergency caesarian ranks among the movie's many inclusions that audiences will want to both stare deeply at and instantly look away from. Jerky and jittery both emotionally and visually, there are no easy images here — even when Waad's handheld cinematography simply gazes at Sama's smiling face. There are no easy answers either, even though the utter horror of targeting civilians like Waad and her compatriots in war is never in doubt. A dedicated, distraught and despairing act of bearing witness, For Sama channels all of its energy into presenting a vital perspective — and one that's so routinely overlooked in tales of conflict. War is waged not just on nations, leaders and soldiers, but on ordinary people, mothers, children and babies, as this shattering film never lets slip out of view. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04BVhwx1RpA
For thousands of shoppers, the processed, packaged, poor excuses for food offered by supermarket giants no longer promise culinary, or nutritional, satisfaction. Organics, grow-your-own and farmers’ markets are experiencing a surge in popularity akin to that of permaculture in the 1970s. In Australia, Jan Powers Farmers Markets have become one of the most important contributors to the shift. Having provided a platform for south-eastern Queensland's farmers, fisher people, butchers, bakers and bottlers to present their produce at Mitchelton, Powerhouse, Queen Street and Manly, they’ll be setting up in Brisbane's Albion Mill Village on Sunday, 22 September. For residents of the city's inner north, it's definitely welcome news. Home to the local flour mill for nearly 80 years, Albion is now being developed to the tune of $330 million, according to a 'Village Masterplan' worked out by the FKP Property Group. "The Jan Powers Farmers' Markets were voted no. 22 in Australian Traveller Magazine's 100 Greatest Australian Gourmet Experiences, and it's a privilege to be working in close collaboration with such a well-known operator and famed foodie," said FKP's Gary Kordic, executive general manager of developments in Queensland. "Everything on offer at our markets is made, caught, dug, plucked, picked, bottled or baked by the person serving you and their families," added Jan Power. "Our aim for Albion is to provide a great balance between farm-fresh produce and delicious, ready-to-eat goodies so that a visit on a Sunday can include shopping for the week ahead, as well as something a little bit wonderful to eat and enjoy with family and friends." The Albion Mill Village markets will include a sit down cafe under the Heritage building, so you can put your feet up in between all that stocking up. Easily accessible from the Albion Train Station, the Markets will be held on the second and fourth Sunday of every month, between 7.30am and 2pm.
UPDATE, July 5, 2021: Following Brisbane's lockdown, Lifeline Bookfest reopened on Sunday, July 4, and will now run for an extra two days. The event will finish up on Tuesday, July 6, and masks are mandatory for all attendees. This winter, the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is hosting a sales event of most peculiar stock. Strange things they are, full of pages, rampant with words and with covers of the most beautiful colours. You can't charge them, they don't run out of battery, their brightness is unalterable, and they won't smash when you drop them. Yes, after sitting out 2020 due to the pandemic, Lifeline Bookfest is finally back for another round of vintage bargains. It's where you'll find everything from Australian Women's Weekly Cookbooks to a bit of cheeky erotica, as well as games, DVDs and puzzles. If you've been before, you'll know there are warehouse quantities of books for sale – your grade five diary is probably hidden under a copy of Shantaram, and you'll come across at least three copies of Cooking with Days of Our Lives. Prices range from $2.50 to the big bucks — with no $1 selection on offer this year so that the sale can spread out in these social-distancing times. Don't go thinking you won't have plenty to choose from, though. Bookfest hasn't hit Brisbane for more than 18 months, so 900 crates of reading materials are coming our way. You'll still want to bring a trolley and your glasses, obviously, and to clear some space on your shelves at home. And, you'll want to bring your cards, because this Bookfest is cashless. Also, you'll need your own bags, as books won't be wrapped for you this year. Head along from 7.30am–6pm on Saturday, June 26; 8.30am–6pm between Sunday, June 27–Thursday, July 1; 8.30am–9pm on Friday, July 2; and 8.30am–6pm between Saturday, July 3–Tuesday, July 6. Images: Bookfest.
In Sydney, across Australia and around the globe, Maybe Sammy has earned quite the reputation. That's always going to be the case when the annual World's 50 Best Bars ranking shows a Harbour City watering hole plenty of love, including the venue in its list in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. For Brisbanites heading to Sydney, sips at Maybe Sammy should be on your agenda. What if you didn't need to venture south to enjoy its drinks, however? Enter: W Brisbane. Getting Brisbanites tasting top-notch cocktails from award-winning venues around the world has been this hotel's game at its Living Room Bar for a few years now. In the past, acclaimed Barcelona bar Paradiso — aka the best bar on the World's 50 Best Bars list for 2022 — has whipped up a special menu featuring the Spanish spot's globally famous beverages. Enlisting bartending talents closer to home, Matt Whiley from Sydney's Re (which placed 46th on the World's 50 Best Bars list in 2021) also created a Conscious Cocktails lineup, heroing a low-waste approach. Now comes the brand-new Bar Swap Series, making a habit out of bringing acclaimed bars to Brisbane on a regular basis. It all kicks off from 6pm on Thursday, February 27, 2025 with Maybe Sammy making the jump north. The venue's mixologist and Venue Manager Giorgio Gervasoni will be behind the bar, assisted by W Brisbane's own Francesco Squillacioti, the Bar Manager of Living Room Bar. Perhaps you'd like to try the Check In, a gin-based highball that's inspired by the Americano a twist. Or, the vodka-based, sour-flavoured, shaken Sauna Room might tempt your tastebuds. On the four-drink menu, another option features agave, kalamata olives distillate, seaweed dry vermouth, and capsicum vinegar, while there's also a blend of vodka, lacto-fermented strawberries, sencha tea and mango soda. Whatever tempts your tastebuds, walk-ins are welcome at the series' first one-night affair. Can't make it on the evening? W Brisbane is also adding the Maybe Sammy sips to its in-room menu from February, which is a great excuse for a staycation in the River City's CBD. There's no word yet which other bars from beyond Brisbane will feature in the Bar Swap Series in the future, but stellar cocktails from further afield joining the menu in the Queensland capital, even if only temporarily, is worth saying cheers to. [caption id="attachment_831071" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marriott International Hotel[/caption] The first event in W Brisbane's Living Room Bar's Bar Swap Series is taking place from 6pm on Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 81 North Quay, Brisbane. Maybe Sammy cocktails are on the hotel's in-room menu from February 2025. Head to the venue's website for further details.
Feeling worked up about the bushfires currently raging across the country? Perhaps chucking an axe at a target will help. Actually, if you book a session at 11am on Sunday, January 26, we know it will. Hurling hatchets is Lumber Punks' usual gambit, with the venue letting Brisbanites throw bladed weapons — at a target, in controlled circumstances — since it opened back in 2018. On Australia Day, however, it's donating 100-percent of all fees for its 11am session to the Rural Fire Services in New South Wales and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services in Western Australia. That's what Throw for the Firies is all about. For $45, you'll spend 90 minutes flinging axes and assisting a worthy cause. Just remember that you'll need to wear enclosed shoes that cover your toes, because safety is paramount. Lumber Punks is booze-free, but there'll non-alcoholic beverages and snacks available.
Queer intergenerational relationships lie at the heart of The Foundation, a major film installation by renowned UK/USA artist Patrick Staff. A combination of passive, historical footage and created contemporary dance sequences explore the exhibition’s themes from different angles. The footage revolves around the Tom of Finland Foundation, a Los Angeles organisation devoted to preserving the work of erotic artist and gay icon Touko Laaksonen (1920–1991), known as Tom of Finland. Largely observational in nature, the footage paints a picture of the foundation as a space that serves many different roles: an archive of homoerotic art, a private home, a business place and the heart of a community. The people associated with the foundation, and the work of the artist himself, represent the different generations that responded to Tom of Finland’s legacy. The Foundation exhibits at the Institute of Modern Art from 8 August to 10 October. Image: Patrick Staff, The Foundation (still from HDV, 28 mins, 2014). Co-commissioned by Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane; Chisenhale Gallery, London; Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver; and Spike Island, Bristol. Co-produced by Chisenhale Gallery and Spike Island. Courtesy of the artist.
Feeling a little chilly, Brisbanites? There's a reason for that. We're only halfway through autumn, but a significant drop in temperature has been making the city shiver today, Monday, April 12 — with this morning marking not only Brissie's coldest of 2021 so far, but also its frostiest since September 2020. At 6am this morning, the mercury sat at 13.4 degrees. The minimum temps so far in April have hovered between 17.7–20.9 degrees, so it's quite a bit colder than usual. And, the Bureau of Meteorology reports that the apparent temperature was 11.8 degrees, so it felt even chillier still. While the mercury will hit the 24-degree maximum mark today — and continue to sit between 14–29 degrees right through until Sunday, April 18 — expect that frostier sensation to remain early in the week. BOM advises that the apparent temperatures will be lower than the official digits for a few days, as a result of dry and windy conditions in southeast Queensland. Today, Monday, April 12, isn't expected to feel above 20 degrees, in fact. https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1380712423389331459 To put the colder temperatures in context, Brisbane's mean April minimum is 17.4 degrees. Typically, the mercury doesn't start dropping much further until May, which sports a 13.8-degree average minimum temperature. Obviously, we're at the point of the year when saying "winter is coming" is warranted, but the first arrival of cooler weather after a Brissie summer is always a shock to the system. Rest assured that it has been genuinely colder than normal to start today, though. For more information about Brisbane's weather forecasts and recent temperatures, head to the Bureau of Meteorology's website.
On December 8, 1975, Brisbane history was made. That's when community radio station 4ZZZ transmitted its first broadcast, and the independent and alternative media outlet has been doing its thing on the city's airwaves ever since. Yes, it has now clocked up a whopping 45 years, in fact. That a big milestone. And, obviously, it's one worth celebrating. 4ZZZ itself is marking the occasion, of course, including via a big week of programming from Friday, December 4 — but it is also getting a big cheers from Young Henrys as well. They Sydney-based brewery is throwing some love up north via its new limited-edition H4ZZZY West Coast IPA, which is only available in southeast Queensland. Brisbanites can find the brew on tap in select venues around town, and also in long necks at some bottle shops, but only for a short period. Drinking a brew that pays tribute to a Brissie icon is all well and good. It's particularly great, in fact. But Young Henrys' H4ZZZY is going one step further — with the brewery donating 50 percent of the proceeds from the beer to 4ZZZ. Yes, having a sip means that you'll be helping support the community station, and helping to keep it on the air for decades to come. [caption id="attachment_793010" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] 4ZZZ. Image: John Robert McPherson via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Young Henrys' H4ZZZY West Coast IPA is available in select bottle shops and venues across southeast Queensland.
Most folks will tell you that there's no bad time for a margarita, and they'd be right. But there is a particularly great time to grab a glass and enjoy a sip or several: February 22, also known as National Margarita Day. To celebrate the occasion in 2022, the Osbourne Hotel is throwing a Tuesday fiesta. It's a two-stage affair — head by from 5pm when the party really gets going, or drop by during the day to get the drinks and Mexican snacks started early. Four different types of margs will be on offer for $15 a pop, including a classic, a coconut variety, a spicy concoction that pairs cranberry and jalapenos, and one that goes heavy on watermelon. There'll also be tacos and nachos, aka the exact right kind of snacks for the occasion. Those making a night of it will also find themselves dancing to a mariachi band — combine their music with a few salty tipples, and you'll be making shapes in no time.
If you've been following the Aussie strawberry scandal and want to do your part to help the farmers impacted by it, then there's a beer with your name on it. Following Ekka's strawberry sundae fundraiser, the folks behind Spring Hill's Archer Brewing are launching a Strawberry Ale and giving the proceeds back to the fruit growers. The launch will happen at Fortitude Valley's Bloodhound Bar on Friday, October 5, from 5pm, where Archer is providing a karma keg of its seasonal Patch Strawberry Ale — Patch is one of the brewery's sister brands that specialises in fruit beers and cider using only fresh, local ingredients. At the party, patrons will pay what they wish for a pint (while considering it's for charity, not a cheap booze handout) and all proceeds from the keg will go to the strawberry growers that made the beer possible. In this case, it's the Sunshine Coast's Piñata Farms. The team drove to the farm just this week to nab some seriously fresh picks for brewer Gavin Croft to throw into the batch. Also available on the night will be some of Patch's other seasonal releases, like the Pine Lime, Pomegranate and Mandarin Ales, along with a few from Archer's core range (a lager, pilsner, pale ale and IPA). Keep on eye on the Facebook event where the complete tap list will soon be revealed. When the event is over, you'll be able buy Patch's Strawberry Ale at local bars and at Archer's Bunker.
Everyone needs to start somewhere, whether it's running an event, performing at or attending one. Organised by Backbone Youth Arts, that's the aim of the 2high Festival. It offers an unofficial training ground for festival workers, artists, administrators and leaders in the industry — and you get to share in the entertaining and informative results. See what this year's team has put together under the theme 'Vital Signs' — with its roster of talent promising to show plenty. Spanning all the art forms you can think of and more, 2high has assembled a diverse array of up-and-comers to revel in all things creative, including the usual endeavours and the not so. Everything takes place at Metro Arts, and there's a heap of activities and shows to choose from, ensuring everyone can join in the fun. Learn about the history and science of glitter, discover the optimal conditions for intimacy, and listen to the always excellent advice about not reading the comments — and yes, as always, that's just the beginning. Or better yet — get a festival pass and try them all.
Fresh from curating Laneway's gourmet food menu, acclaimed Longsong chef David Moyle will join Flinders Island residents for the inaugural Food and Crayfish Festival. Taking place across April 14 and 15, the weekend festivities will focus on a special long lunch, celebrating the wealth of fresh produce and ingredients available on the island. To cook up a storm, Moyle has invited fellow chefs James Viles from Biota, Mark LaBrooy from Three Blue Ducks, and Matt Stone and Jo Barrett from Oakridge Wines to join him in creating the April 14 beachside feast. In line with the festival's first theme —Mother Nature + Human Nature — the quintet will spend a week on the island visiting local producers, foraging and diving to create the perfect menu. "It is such a great treat as a chef to be able to cook dishes directly from the location and connected to the land you are standing on" Moyle noted. Because all great meals need a nice drop to go with them, sommelier Alice Chugg from Hobart bar and bottleshop Ettie's will join the chefs, matching their culinary delights with a selection of Tasmanian wines and beverages. Fish for the festival will come from the island's only crayfish fisherman, 74-year-old Jack Wheatly, who captures the ocean's bounty like his father and grandfather before him. Other celebrated ingredients to be incorporated into the festival include saltgrass lamb, wallaby and mutton bird. The exact beach location of the lunch will be revealed 48 hours before the event, taking into account the microclimate. Islanders will lend chairs from their own dining tables for the event, and the local 'Men's Shed' is crafting the long tables for the lunch. Open to only 100 'off-islanders', tickets for the lunch — which has a dress code of barefoot cocktail — are currently available for the grand price of $240. Flinders Island Food and Crayfish Festival takes place across April 14 and 15 on Flinders Island. Visit www.visitflindersisland.com.au for tickets and further details. Image: Kara Hynes.
UPDATE, April 1, 2021: The Personal History of David Copperfield is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and YouTube Movies. He's skewered British, American and Russian politics in The Thick of It, In the Loop, Veep and The Death of Stalin. This year, in the eerily prescient Avenue 5, he pondered what would happen if a group of people were confined on a cruise of sorts — a luxury space voyage — for an extended stretch of time. But, made in period comedy mode, The Personal History of David Copperfield might just be Armando Iannucci's most delightful affair yet. Indeed, playfully trifling with a Charles Dickens classic suits the writer/director. It should; he's a huge fan of the 19th-century author, and a staunch believer that Dickens' body of work "isn't just quality entertainment for a long-dead audience" (as he told viewers in his 2012 BBC special Armando's Tale of Charles Dickens). And so, taking on the acclaimed scribe's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story, Iannucci tinkers, massages and re-envisages David Copperfield with ample love for the literary source material. In the process, he also crafts a still Victorian era-set yet unmistakably modern — and fresh, very funny and sharp-witted — big-screen adaptation. The eponymous character's tale begins in the film as it does on the page: with Copperfield determined to discover whether he shall turn out to be the hero of his own life "or whether that station will be held by anybody else". On-screen, the hopeful aspiring writer (Dev Patel) delivers that statement from a stage while speaking to a crowd. Then, in one of the many inventive visual flourishes that mark Iannucci's lively retelling, Copperfield strolls through the background to revisit his experiences from the moment of his birth. Though he enters the world to a doting mother, Clara (Morfydd Clark), his isn't a childhood filled with unfettered happiness. The joy he feels in his earliest days (as played by Ranveer Jaiswal and Jairaj Varsani) — and when his beloved nanny Peggoty (Daisy May Cooper) takes him to visit her family, who live in an upturned boat that doubles as a beach house — subsides quickly when Clara remarries. Not only is his new stepfather (Darren Boyd) stern, cruel, violent and accompanied by an equally unpleasant sister (Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie), but he sends the boy off to London to work in his factory. As episodic on the screen as it is in the book, Copperfield's life then navigates a rollercoaster of ups and downs — starting with the drudgery of child labour, as well as time spent lodging with the poverty-stricken, law-skirting but always kindly Mr Micawber (Peter Capaldi) and his family. After tragedy strikes, Copperfield moves in with his donkey-hating great-aunt Betsey Trotwood (Tilda Swinton) and her equally eccentric houseguest Mr Dick (Hugh Laurie); however, though his situation appears to improve, the cycle from wealth to poverty and back again just keeps turning. As Dickens was, Iannucci and his frequent co-scribe Simon Blackwell (Peep Show, Breeders) are well aware of class chasms, the tough plights endured by the masses to benefit the better-off, the dog-eat-dog nature of capitalism in general and humanity's selfish, self-serving nature. The Personal History of David Copperfield may be largely upbeat in tone, visibly bright and dynamic, and take a few shrewd liberties with the story, but the darker elements of the narrative never escape view. Nor, as is to be expected given Iannucci's political satire prowess, do The Personal History of David Copperfield's contemporary parallels and relevance evade attention. Watching the twists and turns of Copperfield's life, it's easy to see how little some things have changed (attitudes towards everyone who isn't rich, white, powerful and male, especially, particularly in Brexit-era Britain) even 170 years after David Copperfield was first published. Heightening this perception is the movie's colour-blind casting, which not only extends to Patel's leading role, but to Doctor Strange's Benedict Wong, Harlots' Rosalind Eleazar and Avenue 5's Nikki Amuka-Bird in key parts (among other on-screen performers). No one mentions race; however, as also seen in the other recent and exceptional example of purposefully inclusive casting — musical sensation Hamilton — reframing this story to include and champion diverse backgrounds leaves a firm imprint. That makes The Personal History of David Copperfield as perceptive as it is jovial, jaunty, hilarious and spirited. In other words, it makes it a classic addition to Iannucci's resume. He's never shown as much visual creativity as he does here — deploying split-screen imagery, rear-projecting memories on giant tarpaulins, brandishing colourful costumes, favouring theatrical wide-angle lensing and even harking back to 1920s silent cinema — but he's astute as he's always been across his career. As always, that extends to his choice of actors in general, with the perfectly cast Patel as charming and thoughtful as he's ever been; Swinton, Capaldi and Laurie all put to stellar comic use; and Ben Whishaw suitably shady as the conniving Uriah Heep. With this gem of a sharp, savvy and supremely entertaining film, Iannucci doesn't just update Dickens for a modern audience or show that the author's work is still pertinent, but creates one of the great page-to-screen adaptations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqO25i-XNEU
Gelato Messina is about to become a place both wonderful and strange. With Twin Peaks finally happening again in the form of an eagerly anticipated third season, the gelato kings are getting in on the action by turning two of their stores — one in Sydney and one in Melbourne — into the show's iconic Double R Diner for one day. Naturally, there'll be themed frozen goodness aplenty, as well as free scoops. It's going to be damn fine indeed. In what will be Messina's first ever store transformations, the Double R Diner is set to take over the Newtown store on May 22 and Richmond on May 25. There mightn't be staff called Norma and Shelly on-hand, but there will be custom-made cherry gelato 'pie'. If that's your idea of dessert heaven, then here, the ice cream is what it seems. This must be where pies go when they die. In addition to the limited edition pie — there will only be 50 slices available per store — Messina has created three custom Twin Peaks flavours. They'll be served up for free (yes, free) between the hours of 12pm and 4pm, and then again from 5pm to 10pm. Just what those varieties will be, if they'll be wrapped in plastic, and whether there'll be a jukebox on-site playing tunes you just want to click your fingers to — well, you'll have to head along to find out. You can probably expect good, hot, black coffee too. Let's just hope there isn't a fish in the percolator. Unless you've been trapped in the Black Lodge for the past 25 years, you'll know that the whole thing is timed to coincide with the start of new Twin Peaks season, which will drop on Stan in Australia at 2pm on Monday, May 22. All 18 episodes have been directed by David Lynch, so we're in for quite the treat. Celebrating with pie and gelato is something Special Agent Dale Cooper would approve of — remember his wise words of advice: "every day, once a day, give yourself a present". The Double R Diner will pop up at Gelato Messina Newtown on Monday, May 22 and at the Richmond store on Thursday, May 25 from 12–4pm and 5–10pm. For more information, visit the Sydney and Melbourne Facebook event pages.
Australia's states have been known to serve each other some pretty stiff competition when it comes to world-class boozing and bartending. We've usually got a handful of cocktail haunts vying to take the top Aussie spot in the annual World's 50 Best Bars list (last year, that was Sydney's Maybe Sammy coming in at number 22) and innovative new venues are emerging on the scene all the time. In May, global bartending competition Diageo World Class ignited even more of that interstate drinks rivalry when it named its Top 100 Australian Bartenders for 2022, who would go on to compete for the coveted title spot. And now, after a few rounds of fierce contest and some exceptional mixology, we have a winner — Nick Tesar from Melbourne's Bar Liberty has been crowned this year's Diageo World Class Australian Bartender. Held in Sydney overnight, the final stage of the annual drinks competition saw five Aussie finalists battle it out behind the bar, as they showed off their skills across three whisky-focused challenges. Joining Tesar in the ring were fellow Victorian, Black Pearl's Kayla Saito, as well as Maybe Sammy's Sarah Proietti, Eduardo Conde from Glebe's No.92 GPR and Samuel Cocks from Western Australia's Bar Rogue. The night's challenges included a mystery box-style task centred on Talisker Scotch, which Tesar owned with a cumquat-based cocktail creation, and a speed round during which the winner managed to smash out 12 show-stopping drinks in just five minutes. [caption id="attachment_623310" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bar Liberty, by Brook James[/caption] The newly-crowned bartending king will now go on to compete in the Diageo World Class global final in September, where he'll shake and stir up a storm alongside 55 other international hopefuls in a bid to be named World Class Global Bartender of the Year. He'll have a home-field advantage, too, with the competition to be held in Australia for the first time ever. It'll descend on Sydney as part of the World Class Cocktail Festival, from September 9–18. For full details on the Diageo World Class Australian Bartender competition and more info on Diageo World Class, check the Diageo Bar Academy website.
One of Brisbane's finest adult playgrounds, Cloudland, is hosting a luxe lunch series every weekend in its fabulous foliage-filled Garden Restaurant this spring. Think vibrant, Mediterranean-inspired share plates, bottles of premium wine, and a stylishly verdant backdrop that's perfect for lounging and lingering. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon, you and your crew can dive into a selection of share-style dishes, like aged kingfish crudo with a zesty yuzu koshu dressing or King River wagyu tri-tip with bordelaise, Jerusalem artichoke and artichoke crisps. Also on the menu is bruschetta with local buffalo mozzarella, wild mushroom and taleggio arancini with truffle mayo side and crispy potatoes with spring onion cream. And for every three guests at your table, there's a bottle of your choice of Maison AIX Rosé or Mumm Marlborough Brut Prestige to keep the vibes high and the glasses full. Cloudland's sprawling Garden Restaurant offers a chic setting with sunlit spaces, plush pods and a sparkling glass waterfall, making it the perfect place to sip, savour and stay a while. Whether you're catching up with friends or celebrating something special, this isn't just a lunch; it's a luxe experience. Book your spot now. Images: Markus Ravik
Brisbanites, if you can remember back to the beginning of 2020, then you might recall that Jet Black Cat Music marked its ninth birthday to start off that year — and, to celebrate, the West End store hopped over to the other side of the inner city and threw a huge block party. That festival, Nine Lives, clearly has to keep coming back. Yes, that includes in 2023. Once again, the River City's music lovers will need to head to The Tivoli, with Fortitude Valley's Costin Street set to overflow with tunes and food on Saturday, March 4. Thanks to the pandemic, this marks the third edition of the festival, after also going ahead in 2022. Here's hoping that there's at least six more to come. Leading the bill in 2023: Angel Olsen, Crumb, Drugdealer and Mdou Moctar, giving Nine Lives an impressive lineup of overseas headliners. They'll be joined by 1TBSP, Baby Cool, Bones & Jones, Felivand and Folk Bitch Trio, as well as Girl and Girl, Loose Fit Mylee Grace, No Zu and Platonic Sex. The tunes will take over two stages — and festival-goers also hit up the array of food trucks serving bites to eat, and go trawling the crates for records. "Nine Lives started and was inspired by the record shop's ninth birthday a few years ago — something extra special to bring our local and surrounding music loving communities together, stemming from the stuff we love and get behind at Jet Black Cat Music," said Nine Lives co-founder and Jet Black Cat Music owner Shannon Logan, announcing the 2023 lineup. "It's a tastemaker's curation of fantastic music from Australia and around the world. We are thrilled to have all of these acts playing Nine Lives 2023 and can't wait for the audience to leave with some new favourites!" NINE LIVES 2023 LINEUP: Angel Olsen Crumb Drugdealer Mdou Moctar 1TBSP Baby Cool Bones & Jones Felivand Folk Bitch Trio Girl and Girl Loose Fit Mylee Grace No Zu Platonic Sex Nine Lives returns to The Tivoli, 52 Costin Street, Fortitude Valley, on Saturday, March 4, 2023. Ticket pre-sales start at 10am AEST on Wednesday, December 7, with general sales from 10am AEST on Thursday, December 8. Top image: Bianca Holderness.
Throw a stone in Brisbane's inner city, and it'll likely hit a bar. But try to find somewhere that doesn't just pour wine, but makes it, and it's a completely different story. Come early 2019, that'll change with the opening of the Brissie's first urban micro-winery: City Winery Brisbane. Making its home in the old Campos Coffee in Fortitude Valley, City Winery Brisbane clearly won't boast its own sprawling vineyard on-site. But, after sourcing grapes from around the country, it will be stomping, barrelling, bottling and serving vino in Wandoo Street. Brisbanites will even be able to help with all of the steps in the process (and drink it too, obviously). As well as a barrel room and winery that'll double as a function space when each year's vintage is complete, and a cellar that will also be used as a 20-person private dining room, the site will feature a 70-seat restaurant highlighting modern Australian cuisine. Chef Travis Crane is heading up the kitchen, whipping up a menu that revolves around an open fire. While the exact dishes won't be revealed until closer to City Winery Brisbane's opening, Crane will be sourcing fresh produce from the establishment's own market garden in Rosewood. A collaboration between winemaker Dave Cush and City Winery Brisbane's managing director Adam Penberthy, the venture has been more than 18 months in the making — largely due to the difficulties of finding the right warehouse-style location. When the venue opens its doors, it'll actually nod to the city's winemaking history. "In the 1800s, there were over 350 acres of grape vines planted throughout the city," Cush explains. "The Lamberts had a vineyard along Lambert Road in Indooroopilly, there was substantial vineyards throughout Mitchelton, and of course Carl Gerler who had a 14 acre vineyard along the Brisbane River where Kingsford Smith Drive is today." In honour of the latter, City Winery Brisbane's own wine label will be named Gerler. Find City Winery Brisbane at 11 Wandoo Street, Fortitude Valley from early 2019. To keep an eye out for further details, visit the winery's website.
In 2011, in this very country and galaxy, a pop culture favourite gained a singing, stripping burlesque parody. It's the mash-up that was bound to happen. Who hasn't looked at George Lucas' space opera, its sprawling drama and ample spectacle, and wondered what a steamier, funnier version with more visible butt cheeks would look like? Russall S. Beattie clearly did, and had a good feeling that other people would give it a shot. The Empire Strips Back was the end result. It became a hit around Australia, then took itself overseas to much acclaim. Now, after a successful 2019 tour back on home turf, it's coming back next year — once again showing local audiences that lightsabers aren't the hottest thing in the Star Wars galaxy. The saucy show promises "seriously sexy stormtroopers, a dangerously seductive Booba Fett, some tantalising Twi'leks, a delightfully lukewarm Taun Taun, a lady-like Skywalker [and] the droids you are looking for", according to its website. Apparently Yoda doesn't get the sexed-up treatment, but there is plenty of song, dance, acrobatics and — because it's burlesque — the removal of clothing. A dancing Chewie and Han is just the beginning of this cheeky take on Star Wars cosplay. Given that it's got an upbeat soundtrack, the costumes are extremely detailed and the show throws out lots of references to George Lucas' original plot, it's not surprising that local audiences — presumably the same ones that pack out Star Wars parties and large-scale screenings with a live orchestra — have latched onto the production. Heading to The Tivoli between Thursday, February 6 and Saturday, February 8 , The Empire Strips Back sits alongside Dame of Thrones in Beattie's pop culture parody stable — so if you've already seen one of your fantastical screen obsessions get the burlesque treatment, then you know what you're in for. If you're super keen, you can also nab a Wookieerotica magazine online: a 116-page, 70s-style men's mag, just casually featuring all of your favourite jedis, siths, ewoks and other Star Wars characters. Either way, it could be a great introduction to burlesque or Star Wars, depending on which way you're coming at it. Tickets for The Empire Strips Back's 2020 shows go on sale at 9am on Tuesday, November 12. Images: Jon Bauer, Leslie Liu and Josh Groom.
At W Brisbane's Living Room Bar so far in 2024, treating yo'self to high tea has also meant embracing fairy tales and Easter. Up next: thinking, drinking and eating pink. From Wednesday, May 1–Sunday, June 23, the venue's signature spread is being rebadged the Pretty in Pink High Tea, other than over Mother's Day weekend. This new excuse to kick back over small bites and hot beverages — plus a cocktail or some champagne if you like — is on offer every Friday–Sunday. Forget lunch, because you'll need to head by between 11am–3pm, which is when everything from red velvet cupcakes with rose petals and raspberry opera cake with ruby pearls to mac 'n' cheese croquettes and shredded chipotle chicken are on the menu. This is always an interactive event, getting you playing with your food — yes, literally. For the Pretty in Pink theming, you'll decorate your own vanilla buttercream cake before you eat it. The icing is coloured pink, obviously. W Brisbane's high teas whip up a signature cocktail for the occasion as well, this time using pink-hued Archie Rose gin, raspberry cordial, lychee liqueur, lavender, honey and lime juice. You'll pay $79 per person for the food, plus endless tea and barista-made coffee. Add a cocktail and the price is $99. For a glass of champers instead, it's $109. And there's a $45 version for kids, which features bottomless juice, tea, babycinos and hot chocolates.
One of the iconic movie musicals ever made has been adapted beyond cinemas, as a stage show that last hit Brisbane back in 2016. But now Singin' in the Rain is returning to the city in a new guise. The Gene Kelly-starring 1952 flick has scored an onstage concert version, which'll see theatre production company Prospero Arts play through all of the movie's hit tunes. Set to echo through QPAC's Concert Hall from Friday, November 11–Sunday, November 13: all of the tracks that helped make the movie such a winner, including 'Good Morning', 'Make 'em Laugh', 'Gotta Dance' and, of course, the titular 'Singin' in the Rain'. They'll be accompanied by dance choreography, because trying not to tap your toes to this film and everything inspired by it — which also spans La La Land, in fact — is impossible. For those who've somehow missed the 1920s-set big screen classic so far, Singin' in the Rain charts a story of romance and stardom, as silent film star Don Lockwood (Kelly) tries to adjust to the age of talking pictures, and aspiring actress Kathy Selden (the great Debbie Reynolds) tries to make her big break. It was actually crafted around a heap of existing songs, such the eponymous track, 'Make 'Em Laugh' and 'Good Morning'. And yes, the recent Downton Abbey: A New Era definitely took inspiration from it as well. Singin' in the Rain – In Concert will feature including Bobby Fox (Jersey Boys, Hot Shoe Shuffle) as Don, Angelique Cassimatis (A Chorus Line, Strictly Ballroom) as Kathy Selden and Mark Hill (West Side Story, Muriel's Wedding the Musical) as Cosmo Brown, Don's best friend. Just four shows will splash into QPAC for this brief season — and, while there's no trailer for the concert, you can check out the trailer for the film that sparked it all below:
First it was Korean food, then it was ramen and sake, and now the folks at Nom Nom have turned their attention to bao. Quietly launching back in August, but celebrating its official opening on Friday, September 7, Nom Nom Bao will join Nom Nom Korean Eatery and Nom Nom Ramen & Sake in Bakery Lane. Thanks to its name, you know what's on the menu: fluffy, stuffed bite-sized buns. Patrons can not only feast on savoury varieties — including pork belly with hoisin sauce, galbi beef with kimchi slaw, fried chicken teriyaki and miso cured cod — but also on a dessert bao made with ice cream and seasonal fruit. To wash it all down, there's Green Beacon beer on tap, plus cocktails, wine and bubble tea. And, as the Nom Nom crew did when they added ramen to the mix, Nom Nom Bao's opening festivities will also include a free feed. Just head by at 6pm on Friday, September 7, with the first 100 people nabbing a free chicken, pork or vegetarian bao. Getting in early is recommended, as there's a limit of one per person. Find Nom Nom Bao in Bakery Lane, 680 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley. Visit the eatery's website and Facebook page for further details.
Any plans for Bali escapes, treks across Mexico or food-filled Japanese getaways have been put on ice for 2020, but that doesn't mean you can't indulge in a bit of escapism. And, no, we're not just talking about daydreaming and spending hours scrolling through Pinterest. Australian Venue Co is helping to ease the wanderlust a touch by transforming more than 20 of its pubs and restaurants into some of the world's most popular holiday destinations for summer. So, you'll be able to sip frozen margaritas surrounded by cacti, eat dumplings under cherry blossom trees and wear flower crowns (if that's your thing) on Coachella-inspired rooftops. Called Summer Staycations, the transformations will be taking place from November to February at the likes of the The Provincial Hotel and The Smith in Melbourne, Manly Wine and Bungalow 8 in Sydney, and Kingsleys and Riverland in Brisbane. Of course, the visual makeovers — which will include giant teepees, citrus trees and flowers aplenty — will be paired with appropriate food and drink menus. On the Amalfi Coast, you'll find bottomless pizza and sorbet spritzes; in Mexico, there are unlimited tacos and many margaritas; and in Bali, you'll find brunch and many frozen cocktails. For a taster of what to expect, look to The Rook. The Sydney rooftop has been filled with cherry blossoms and bottomless dumplings since March — but, come November, it'll become an Italian summer haven. More information about the staycations is set to drop on Monday, October 19, with pop-ups set to go live on Friday, November 2 in all states but Victoria. Melbourne's will kick off — restrictions allowing — in December. [caption id="attachment_785121" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jasper Avenue[/caption] SUMMER STAYCATION LINEUP Amalfi Coast Prince Alfred, Vic Provincial, Vic The Rook, NSW Kingsleys, Qld Payneham Tavern, SA Spring in Tokyo The Smith, Vic The Duke, Vic Manly Wine, NSW Fridays, Qld Sweetwater Rooftop, WA Mexico Fiesta College Lawn, Vic Perseverance, Vic Riverland, Qld Cleveland Sands, Qld Waterloo Station, SA Coachella, Palm Springs Fargo and Co, Vic Cargo Bar, NSW The Aviary, WA Hope Inn, SA Beach Club, Bali Bungalow 8, NSW The Globe, WA For more information about Australian Venue Co Summer Staycations, head to the website. Top image: The Rook by Jasper Avenue
Fast food doesn't seem all that speedy when you're sat in your car, queued nine vehicles deep and trying to get through a drive-through that's at a standstill. For folks who want their finger lickin' good fried chicken as soon as possible, with minimal waiting and hassle, KFC is set to trial a new solution — its first drive-through-only store. Moving away from the usual one-lane drive-through model — that is, a drive-through that's attached to a restaurant where you can also dine inside — the chain is launching a five-lane drive-through-only concept in Newcastle. The first spot of its kind in the world, it'll feature separate areas for online and app purchases, as well as regular drive-through transactions. Customers will be able to order in advance, then whiz through and pick up their food, or choose on the spot and and then collect their chicken. If it's successful, expect more drive-through-only sites to pop up. As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, the pilot store is currently under construction on Lambton Road in Broadmeadow, with a November opening slated. The idea reflects the growth on online ordering, and endeavours to respond to the rise of home delivery services such as Deliveroo and UberEats. It also admits to a blatant fact — that, for many folks, eating in at a suburban KFC doesn't often cross their minds. For Broadmeadow customers who choose to order by app, they'll receive a code with their transaction, which they'll then enter on a touchscreen when they drive up. Whichever way Newcastle residents decide to ask for their fried chook, they'll still need to wait for it to be cooked — but the whole concept is designed to speed up the time between asking for a two-piece feed and snatching those drumsticks through the drive-through window. Of course, if you need something to listen to in your car while you wait, KFC has that covered as well. Last year, it launched KFChill, a wellness website that lets you unwind to the sound of chicken frying, gravy simmering or bacon sizzling away in a pan. Yes, it'll make you hungry. Via The Sydney Morning Herald / news.com.au
Home to brews, bands and giant-sized board games since 2014, Ann Street's Woolly Mammoth Alehouse is getting an in-house sibling venue: a tropical-themed watering hole called Ivory Tusk. Slated to open on Thursday, August 22, the new bar is taking over Woolly Mammoth's Mane Stage area and giving it a Palm Springs-inspired revamp, complete with plenty of pastels. As well as transforming the Fortitude Valley's site's existing garden terrace into a tequila-focused party space, Ivory Tusk will boast three bar areas, all serving up cocktails on tap. Expect eight different concoctions made from fresh ingredients and botanicals, plus a range of craft brews. Food-wise, the venue will champion Mexican cuisine, with the kitchen overseen by Executive Chef Graeme McKinnon (Covent Garden) and Head Chef Jack Thompson (The Line & Label, Port Lincoln). Think gazpacho tequila shooters, lamb barbacoa and roast pork, as well as vegan-friendly and gluten-free options. With the site also doubling as an events space — and catering for between 20-1000 people — set menus will be a feature. Visitors will also spy plenty of colour, new furnishings and a lighter, airier feel to suit the 'tropicali' vibe, thanks to renovations led by Luis Nheu of BSPN Architects. In the garden terrace, that means pendant lighting and a stencilled terrazzo floor. Back inside, Woolly Mammoth's band room has also been given a makeover. Ivory Tusk's entertainment lineup will span regular DJs, live bands and rockaoke — aka karaoke, but with a live band playing as you sing. And if you're fond of Woolly Mammoth in its current guise, its Mane Stage will still be hanging around — just smaller, and on the site's upper level. Find Ivory Tusk at 633 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley from Thursday, August 22.
Enjoying a Cantonese meal with cracking river views at Stanley, the Howard Smith Wharves restaurant that pairs the two in fine style, is an all-year-round treat. That said, stopping by to celebrate Lunar New Year is obviously a must. And, to mark the Year of the Snake, Head Chef Louis Tikram is adding special dishes to the menu. The sample menu includes mixed seafood and black truffle dumplings, giant Skull Island king prawns, an XO dish pairing the ocean's finest with crispy noodles, whole Queensland coral trout done Chongqing-style, Shandong chicken, five-spice roast duck, wagyu striploin in kung pao sauce, and truffle and spanner crab egg fried rice with caviar. Whatever ends up on offer, your tastebuds won't be disappointed based on how delicious Stanley's regular spread always proves. The LNY specials will be available alongside the usual a la carte and banquet offerings, too, so you can enjoy the best of both worlds — as long as you make a date between Wednesday, January 29–Sunday, February 2, with seatings for lunch and dinner. At 6.30pm and 8.30pm each evening, there'll also be lion dances. And before or afterwards, you can extend the fun upstairs at the new Stan's Lounge bar.
Brisbane's annual show serves up many things, from fireworks and showbags to dagwood dogs and oh-so-many strawberry ice creams. But you won't find strawberry cocktails 21 floors up and strawberry sundaes in a French patisserie at the Ekka. Instead, you can score them both at Emporium Hotel South Bank while the exhibition takes over Brisbane Showgrounds. Head here and you can avoid the Ekka crowds, plus get a sweet treat. Until Sunday, August 20, Brisbanites can mosey upstairs at The Terrace for a Strawberry Pavilion cocktail. It combines strawberry gin, rhubarb and sherry, comes topped with vanilla foam, and also includes a white chocolate lollipop — and it's the Ekka-related treat that you didn't know you needed until now. If that's not enough Royal Queensland Show-themed fun for you, you have another choice downstairs at Belle Epoque. The Parisian-style purveyor of baked goods and desserts has whipped up its own take on a pink-hued dish, featuring a tropical cheesecake as a base inside a chocolate cup coated in wafer flakes. A strawberry mousse popsicle also sits within, and then cream is dolloped on top. You'll pay $24 for the cocktail and $12 for the sundae — and both venues are open daily.
Haven't seen The Last Jedi yet? Been waiting until the Boxing Day rush dies down to see the last batch of 2017 flicks? If so, and you're a Melburnian headed to a Village Cinema, you might want to keep an eye on ticket prices. During the summer holidays, the cinema chain is trialling dynamic pricing at selected sites. In other words: if you go during peak times, you'll pay more for the privilege. As first reported on Reddit, after 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays, customers can expect to spend between 50 cents and $1 more to watch whichever feature takes their fancy, and to see candy bar costs rise by between 30 cents and $1 per item. Yes, it's the same concept that Uber users hate during busy periods, now showing at multiplexes including Crown, Fountain Gate, Doncaster, Jam Factory, Southland and Werribee. The idea of variable movie ticket prices isn't new — student discounts, cheap Tuesdays and the like — but charging more during peak cinema-going slots isn't going to be well-received given that Aussie ticket costs rose 31 percent in the decade to 2016. Interestingly enough, while Village Cinemas is ramping things up in popular periods, it's not decreasing them for slow sessions and times. It might be school holidays, but we're guessing that some titles on their schedule aren't selling out to weekday morning crowds, particularly if they're not aimed at kids. In 2017, an app called Choovie proposed the same concept, calling themselves "Uber for movies" and offering up bargains in quiet spots. It currently features deals at selected times in selected locations, all for less than the regular multiplex ticket prices. Going to the cinema hasn't died out as many have predicted over the years, and isn't likely to. The thrill of seeing a new film on a big screen in a darkened room with (hopefully) no distractions is something that your huge TV and Netflix just can't beat, and nor can piracy. Still, with Aussie attendance in decline, charging viewers more for seeing a flick at times when most people like to go to the movies is up there with the rumour that Apple would introduce a 'theatre mode' option for mid-movie texting — that is, it's a downright terrible idea. Via news.com.au
If you like venues with punning names, the Gold Coast is already home to an ace one thanks to Chinese restaurant Miami Rice. Also taking its moniker from the same source of inspiration: newcomer Tropic Vice, which you'll now find sporting big summer vibes on a Mermaid Beach rooftop. In this instance, the nod to a certain 80s TV crime drama — and 2006 Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx-starring movie remake — stems from the bar's Palm Springs-meets-Miami vibe. And with pastel hues almost as far as the eye can see, umbrellas aplenty, oh-so-much greenery and even neon flamingos around the place, it certainly looks the part. Patrons have multiple sunny spaces to choose between — starting with the grassy-heavy garden bar with its brollies, and also including a deck covered with creeping vines and high tables, as well as a neon-lit podium space. And yes, almost every surface here is either pink, teal, green, white, or covered in tropical prints and/or plants. While you're pretending you're on a holiday without actually going on holiday — although, for Brisbanites, a night or two on the Gold Coast definitely counts as a getaway — you can tuck into a menu that takes its cues from Caribbean and South America. Highlights span oysters topped with watermelon chilli vinaigrette, kingfish ceviche, fish and potato balls, jackfruit and black bean salsa tacos, as well as chilli and garlic prawns paired with fresh mango salsa. For dessert, you can pick between coconut rice with homemade dulce de leche and fried bananas. The cocktail list sticks to the venue's theme, starting with the Miami Spice (with whisky, vanilla liqueur, lemon juice and spice syrup), Flamingo Spritz (pink gin, prosecco, blood orange seltzer and soda water) and Vice Martini (vodka, passionfruit puree, pomegranate syrup and mint leaves). Three kinds of margaritas are on offer, too — guava and goji, coconut and mandarin, and lychee and chilli — plus boozy slushies and salted caramel espresso martinis. And if you're keen to stick around for the long haul on a Sunday, there's both $79 and $89 boozy bottomless brunches from midday each week. Images: Mondae Studio.
They're just humble cucumbers left to ferment in vinegar, but pickles certainly get plenty of attention. We love them on sandwiches, and to munch on individually. We love drinking whiskey, then chasing it down with a shot of pickle brine. Sometimes, folks even make beer that showcases the zesty pickle flavour. If you're fond of all of the above, then get your pickle-loving self to Pickle Fest. Hosted by The Woods Bar — in collaboration with Picklehead Pickles and Soapbox Beer — the event celebrates its eponymous ingredient in a whole range of guises. In other words, it's an excuse to eat pickles, drink pickle brine and sip pickle-flavoured brews. And, to eat reuben sandwiches, aka the go-to food when anyone thinks of pickles (and a great way to line your stomach, too). Also on the menu: deep-fried pickled jalapeños, pickle pate and pickled onions, as well as a custom bloody mary selection — including a smokey whiskey version, and another made with tequila, lime and chilli. The one-day festival takes place on Sunday, December 1, with the Mitchelton watering hole getting into the pickled spirit from from 11am. Image: The Woods Bar.
If Christmas vibes and shopping for greenery inside a Coorparoo warehouse sounds like your perfect outing, then head along to the Jungle Collective's indoor plant sale on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8. It's the latest Brissie market from The Jungle Collective, a Melbourne nursery that stocks all kinds of weird and wonderful species. Yes, it is trucking its way up north again for another Queensland venture. Whether you're after a hanging pot plant, some palms for the garden or a giant Bird of Paradise, chances are you'll find it here. Have a reputation for killing your cacti? Overwatering your ferns? Don't worry — there'll be horticulturalists on site on the night to give you advice and chat through any questions you might have. Get inspired by greenery aplenty, learn to incorporate plants into your home and living spaces, and nab a few Christmas gifts —all while browsing and soaking up some tunes. Best get in quick though, as these markets are always popular, with more than 170 different species usually on offer. Due to expected demand, the sale will be held in four sessions on Saturday (8-10am, 10am-noon, 12-2pm and 2-4pm) and two on Sunday (10am-noon, 12-2pm), and attendees will need to register for free tickets in advance. Plus, if you dress up like 'Aussie Santa' complete with a Santa hat and beard (and, ideally, some boardies) — and spend at least $10 — you'll get $5 off your purchase.
If you're a dog person, being surrounded by wagging tails and beaming pooch faces is one of the happiest feelings in the world. Here's another: doing your part to assist animals in need. Each year — a pandemic hiatus aside — the RSPCA's Million Paws Walk combines the two, asking Brisbanites and their puppers to go for a stroll to help raise funds for an obviously extremely worth cause. Come Sunday, May 28, this endorphin-sparking mosey returns for 2023, taking over the Forgan Smith Lawn at the University of Queensland in St Lucia. Whether you're keen to dress up for the occasion — in a matching outfit to your four-legged bestie, of course — or just pop on your sneakers and usual workout attire, then join in from 10am (with registrations from 8.30am). Entry costs $35 for adults and $30 for concessions, with the money raised going towards RSPCA Queensland's work rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals. In addition to the exercise, you and Rover can browse a heap stalls afterwards, listen to live tunes and grab a bite to eat from food trucks. There's also dog competitions and games as well. Can't make it to UQ? Check out the full list of venues around Queensland. Top image: Call of the Wild Pet Photography.
Do you like scary movies? Do you think you know everything there is to know about them? If you answered yes to both questions, then consider your evening sorted from 6.30pm on Monday, October 28 — you'll be heading along to The Elizabeth Picture Theatre's Mega Horror Trivia. Prepare to test your knowledge of all the frightening films you can think of, and likely a heap more beyond that. Including remakes, reboots, sequels, prequels, long-running franchises and movies that just won't die, there's no shortage of flicks to draw upon — and while these kinds of things usually remain mainstream-oriented, you can still expect the questions to range beyond the obvious (yes, we're talking about the Halloween franchise). Want to prepare? Honing up your knowledge on the genre in general — everything from teen-oriented '90s efforts I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream to unnerving classics Rosemary's Baby and Nosferatu, plus the likes of the family-friendly Casper and The Addams Family, the zombie-focused Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of The Dead, and recent hits IT and Hereditary, too — wouldn't go astray. Basically, expect to be grilled all the creepy stuff you grew up watching and keep watching now, with bragging rights and prizes on offer for putting all those hours spent in front of a screen to good use. Tickets cost $5 on the night, which can be used towards food and drink purchases, but you'll need to email theelizabeth@fivestarcinemas.com.au to reserve your spot.
Brisbanites, prepare to get hopelessly devoted — again — to Rydell High, summer lovers reuniting at school, leather jackets and Pink Ladies. Because giving Grease a prequel streaming series in 2023 wasn't enough, the 50s-set musical is returning to its original home, with Australia's brand-new multimillion-dollar theatre production of the five-decade-old show set to be the one that Brissie audiences want from Friday, January 3, 2025. Grease is shaping up to be the River City's big electrifying summer hit, zipping into the Queensland capital's QPAC like lightening. This is the fourth stop on the show's current Aussie tour, with the production playing Melbourne, Sydney and Perth before arriving in Brisbane. Everyone knows Grease's plot by now, given how popular the 1978 movie adaptation of the musical rom-com still is, especially Down Under. It is about an Australian transfer student, after all, who falls in love with an American high schooler in California. After it sped from the stage to become a silver-screen classic, it spawned a 1982 Michelle Pfeiffer (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)-starring sequel, too, then 2023's Paramount+ show Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Just as John Travolta (Paradise City) and the late, great Olivia Newton-John (The Very Excellent Mr Crocodile Dundee) once did as Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, the Brisbane cast have leathers to slip into. Patti Newton plays Miss Lynch, Bobby Fox is Vince Fontaine and Marcia Hines will pop up as Teen Angel. The new batch of T-Birds and Pink Ladies in Brissie will obviously be belting out all the famous tunes — including the titular 'Grease' and fellow earworms 'Summer Nights', 'Sandy', 'Hopelessly Devoted to You', 'You're The One That I Want', 'Greased Lightnin' and 'Beauty School Dropout'. Images: Jeff Busby.
There are no maybes about the Melbourne International Film Festival's major high-profile guest for 2018 — but, as fans of the Bluth and Fünke families will know, there is one Maeby. Best known for playing Arrested Development's resident teenage film industry executive, ignored daughter, slacker banana stand employee and alluring cousin, Alia Shawkat is headed to Australia as part of this year's fest, where she'll chat about her career and her life in general. Taking place on Saturday, August 18 as part of the 18-day film event, MIFF Talks: Alia Shawkat in Conversation will see the actor talk for an hour with writer and presenter Lorin Clarke — it will be her only Australian appearance. Considering she's officially attending the fest in support of her new film Blaze, a biopic about country and western songwriter Blaze Foley which Ethan Hawke directed, we're guessing there won't be any dancing like a chicken. Thanks to TV series Search Party and Transparent — plus movies such as Green Room, 20th Century Women, Nasty Baby, Night Moves and Whip It — Shawkat's resume spans much, much further than television's worst real estate family, and that's just on the screen. She's also a jazz singer, pianist, painter and illustrator, and recently starred in, co-wrote and executive produced the film Duck Butter. Plus, if Broad City has you wondering about Shawkat's doppelganger-like connection with Ilana Glazer, we have to point out that the latter was just in Melbourne this month too. MIFF Talks: Alia Shawkat in Conversation joins MIFF's growing 2018 program, which also includes an all-night Nicolas Cage marathon and a screening of Drive with an all-new live score. The fest has also announced its first 32 titles for this year, including Blaze, with the full program set to be revealed on July 10. MIFF Talks: Alia Shawkat in Conversation will take place at the Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne at 1.30pm on Saturday, August 18. Tickets cost $25, and are available online now.
Peter Alwast is a Brisbane artist who uses paintings, objects, sculptures and video portraits to explore ideas of community. His latest exhibition, Being Together, is a continuation of this recurring theme, as well as testing the limits and communion of seemingly disparate objects. Alwast completed his Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) in painting at QUT and was awarded the Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship, which he used to complete his Masters at New York's Parsons School of Design. Since then he's exhibited in Australia and across the globe, including Experimenta Utopia Now at MONA and Selectively Revealed, which toured South Korea, Taipei and Thailand. His work is held in numerous corporate, university and private collections across Australia and the USA. In this exhibition, gold chain-making machines belonging to Alwast's father are presented with video portraits of others from Brisbane's artistic community. They sit alongside a series of site-responsive drawings inspired by Alwast's former mentor, Richard Tuttle. Here, the personal and mechanical combine to create a fragile sense of community based on finitude, relation and communication rather than any idealised principle. Being Together exhibits at The Block QUT from October 15 to 28.
