Biting into a katsu sandwich and devouring a few pieces if nigiri is what going to the Night Noodle Markets is all about — but usually when you sink your teeth into either of the above, you're not chomping on something made of gelato. While plenty of hot fresh-cooked Asian street food bites will be on this year's menu as usual, Gelato Messina is setting up its regular stall and serving up dessert versions of two Japanese favourites. The Kamikaze Katsu Sandwich is made with sudachi lime gelato, which is then coated in red velvet cake and panko crumbs, deep-fried and finally sandwiched in fluffy white bread along with some yuzu sauce. And as for the O-No-Giri, it features green tea gelato and pistachio mousse that's dipped in rice bubbles and coated with white chocolate. That's just half of this year's custom-made Messina offerings at the Night Noodle Markets, with two sundae-style dishes also available. Opt for Aunty Tomsu's Cheesecake and you'll get Japanese cheesecake, strawberry and cherry blossom cream, and strawberry meringue, all with strawberries and strawberry gelato. For I Think I'm Turning Sesame, there's black sesame gelato (what else?) with condensed milk coffee jelly, miso crunch and banana miso bread, then topped with vanilla cream and coffee powder. While the gelato haven's sole Brisbane store is located just down the road, you'll only be able to pick up these four specials at its Japanese game show-style booth at South Bank's cultural forecourt between July 25 and August 25. While you're there, you'll also be able to give what they're calling the 'useless wheel of spinning happiness' a whirl — and win prizes that are also pretty useless, apparently. Still, it'll be fun, and one of them is a Hello Kitty tattoo. The Night Noodle Markets run from July 25 to August 5 at the South Bank Cultural Forecourt as part of Good Food Month.
Stones Corner's Shady Palms has just the activity for your Friday night, especially if you're always glued to your playlist. And if you guessed that it's giving a game your nan probably plays a musical twist, then that's a bingo. At Musical Bingo, you don't just wait for someone to tumble a sphere of balls, pick out a number and make a bad joke. Instead, you'll hear bits and pieces of songs, and then match them to the ones listed on your bingo card. Running from 7pm every fortnight — so on Friday, December 9 and Friday, December 23 to wrap up 2022 — it's as simple as it sounds. Keen to both face and match the music? You're more than catered for. Entry is free, with no registrations required and there are prizes up for grabs — two $50 Shady Pines vouchers, in fact. And yes, given the nature of the night, we're guessing there'll be sing-alongs. Top image: Shady Palms.
That soothing feeling that sweeps over you when you spy a cute canine, spend too much time watching internet cat videos or even just spot a picture of a newborn animal — that's the feeling at the heart of Karmably's wellness sessions. Sure, you've been to kitten yoga and puppy pilates, and they're both great. But we're guessing that you haven't tried meditating with baby goats or getting mindful with soft, cuddly lambs. Currently held in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, attendees at Karmably's classes attempt to find inner bliss while they're surrounded by rescued baby farm animals. In short, it's the best way to de-stress when life's got your goat. After all, who can remain overwhelmed, exhausted or annoyed when they're sharing their chill-out session with actual goats? The classes focus on relaxation techniques, like Breathe In & Bleat Out, which gives you an idea of just what's in store. Those heading along can expect three parts to the session: mindful stretching, meditation and snuggling the four-legged participants. If you're wondering where the concept came from, it was inspired by organiser Berenice Tan's own experiences trying to find something other than the usual mindfulness classes within Australia. Unimpressed with the options already available, she flew to Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco "and experienced every meditation class under the sun," she explains. "Funnily enough, I heard about goat yoga and laughed it off as something ridiculous I wasn't interested in trying." Upon returning to Brisbane, Tan began to research animal therapy and, after learning of the benefits (and realising that everyone loves cute critters), her sessions with goats, lambs and even piglets were born. The bliss goes both ways, too — with Karmably not only helping humans to relax in a fun manner, but also assisting animals in need. Tan works with sanctuaries, rescue centres, and organisations such as Harmony Hooves Healing Hearts, Brisbane Pony Parties and My Little Farm Friends. They're all outfits that raise baby creatures who have either been rejected by their mothers or lost their mums in other ways, and hand-rear them until they can be adopted out as pets to families who live on suitable properties. After setting up shop in 2018, classes frequently sell out in advance — but there's currently spaces for the latest Brissie session at 10.15am on Sunday, January 19. The calming cuteness takes place at 46 Evesham Street in Moorooka.
Over the past five years, Runcorn's Genkotsu Ramen has served up plenty of bowls of its eponymous dish — and Brisbanites have slurped them all up willingly and happily. But we're guessing that, come Wednesday, March 11, the southside eatery will prove even more popular than it usually does. Slinging $5 bowls of ramen will do that. To celebrate half a decade of being in the noodle soup business, Genkotsu Ramen is doing $5 ramen for one whole day. You'll need to order the original ramen; however you'll have a choice of shio, shoyu, miso and gyokai — so you just need to decide whether your tastebuds are feeling salty, or are hankering for soy, miso or fish. You'll also need to eat in, as this special isn't available for takeaway orders. It all kicks off at 11.30am, so you can head by for a cheap lunch or a cheap dinner. Expect to have plenty of company, of course. Images: Genkotsu Ramen.
A lot can happen in five years — in the world in general, in Brisbane as well, and at the patch of Brissie's inner city known as Welcome to Bowen Hills in particular. The permanent food truck hub opened back in 2017, flirted with a name change in 2021 and has returned to its old moniker now. It's also bringing back an old favourite from its events lineup: A Day of Rosé and Cheese. Sometimes, this excuse to drink pink and eat oh-so-much cheese has been called a party. Sometimes, it's been dubbed a festival. Both still fit, because a rosé and cheese event by any other name does indeed still taste (and smell) as sweet. Pink vino lovers and gooey dairy fiends, prepare to head just north of the CBD from 12pm on Saturday, March 12 for a whole day dedicated to quite the culinary pairing. You'll drink the tipple in question. You'll eat cheese. It's simple, really. The wine list will feature drops from Australia, New Zealand, France and Italy, so you won't go thirsty — and sparkling rosé and frosé will both be on offer. Food-wise, a feast of cheesy goodness is on the cards, starting with cheese platters paired with charcuterie, meats and seafood. There'll also be Moreton Bay bug mac 'n' cheese, reubens, steak with blue cheese pepper sauce, oysters with cheese and more, all ready to be washed down with pink-hued tipples. This year, entry is free but you can register your attendance in advance — and you'll pay as you eat and drink.
Many a bar, pub, club and watering hole line Fortitude Valley's streets; however, there's one thing that the suburb hasn't had until now. While craft breweries have been popping up nearby in Newstead, in the CBD under the Story Bridge and over the river at Kangaroo Point, the inner-city hotspot has remained quiet on the beer-making front — but that's where Soapbox Beer comes in. Taking over an old agricultural store on the corner of Gipps Street and Ranwell Lane, and open since December 2018, the newcomer both brews and serves up its hoppy beverages onsite. In a spacious venue filled with reclaimed timber and industrial fittings largely nabbed from demolition works, you'll find a 2000-litre steam brew system pumping out Soapbox's core brews, plus a 200-litre system for seasonal and smaller batch beers. [caption id="attachment_707149" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rachael Nixon[/caption] Always pouring through the taps are five particular beverages: a malt and citrus-heavy pale ale, a chocolatey and bitter dark ale, an IPA with orange notes, a slightly sweet kolsch and an American-style amber ale. To help line the stomach, Soapbox also slings a menu of share plates, snacks, steaks and burgers, many of which include beer as an ingredient. Between pints, you can tuck into potato curry croquettes with a pale ale vindaloo sauce or a grilled wagyu beer steak with a porter onion gravy — or a brisket burger with beer-pickled daikon, the obligatory beer-battered fish and chips, and even beer fudge brownies with hops salted caramel sauce. As for the folks responsible, Soapbox is the brainchild of craft beer aficionados Luke Nixon and Scott Robertson, who started home-brewing six years ago. They've now traded in their film industry and corporate jobs to jump from making tipples in their backyards to whipping up beverages in the centre of Brissie's nightlife scene, with help from Greg James as their new head brewer. Find Soapbox Beer at 89–101 Gipps Street, Fortitude Valley, open from 11am–midnight Wednesday–Sunday. Images: Rachael Nixon.
For almost a century and a half — 146 years in 2023, to be exact — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake has delighted ballet lovers. Premiering in 1877, it's one of the most famous works that's ever been performed on pointe shoes. A version has rarely been far from a stage somewhere, the music is as stunning and haunting as compositions get, and we wouldn't have Black Swan without it. Now, the classic gives rise to Duck Pond. Here, Swan Lake gets the circus treatment, plus new tunes and haute-couture costumes. The folks to thank: Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa ensemble, who've reimagined the iconic ballet in quite the inventive way, including with sequinned flippers instead of the usual attire. Pirouetting, waddling, leaping, all-around acrobatics: that's all part of this world-premiere show, which plays QPAC's Playhouse from Wednesday, July 5–Saturday, July 8. Audiences can also look forward to duets, humour, surrealism, aerials and feathers, plus a tale about a film crew, a duck army and a burlesque black swan. Libby McDonnell takes care of the outfits, Jethro Woodward reworks the tunes — while still nodding to Tchaikovsky, of course — and ten Circa performers will get quacking.
Remember when eating healthily and indulging your sweet tooth were mutually exclusive activities? Thankfully, that doesn't always have to be the case — or ever again, if Brisbane's newest vegan bakehouse has anything to do with it. Set to open in Everton Park in the coming weeks, Veganyumm is the answer to every nutrition-focused foodie's prayers (because even the most disciplined crave a delicious treat every now and then). And, as the moniker suggests, those who don't consume meat or animal products should be particularly excited. The new eatery won't just be dedicated to whipping up cakes, pastries and other tasty bites — it'll be Brisbane's first 100 percent vegan establishment of its type. If the name sounds somewhat familiar, that's probably because you've come across Cinnayumm at Charlie's Fruit Market. After making a big impression with her egg- and dairy-free artisan cinnamon buns, owner, recipe creator and head chef Shairie Bhim has decided to keep the collaboration going. The two will now dive head-first into all things vegan — as well as free from sugar and gluten — and add everything from decadent red velvet cupcakes to cookies to their repertoire. There's a reason that the word 'yum' is part of the new venture's title. Waffles, pancakes and more will also feature, with doughnuts on the list as well — because no Brisbane-based food business can overlook the city's doughy obsession. Drinks-wise, expect organic roasted coffees and mylkshakes (that's the vegan spelling of milkshakes) too. If you're not vegan already, Veganyumm's menu just might change that. Veganyumm is set to open at the end of April or beginning of May in Everton Park. Keep an eye on their Instagram for more information — and to start drooling in anticipation.
Believe it or not, it's been 14 years since Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance saga first hit the big screen — and since tweens across the globe collectively fell in love with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, too. The pair's careers have rocketed since, with KStew hopping between everything from Clouds of Sils Maria and Personal Shopper to Charlie's Angels and Spencer, and RPatz going from The Rover and Good Time to Tenet and The Batman. They'll always have that undead franchise on their resumes, though. Forgotten what the five vamp films are like? Love them and want to see them on a big screen again? Just adore movie marathons in general? Whatever reason you have, the Twilight Saga Movie Marathon wants you to sink your fans in. Stewart, Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and all-star supporting cast that spans Dakota Fanning, Anna Kendrick, Michael Sheen and Bryce Dallas Howard will all feature on Saturday, August 6 as the five blockbusters hit the silver screen once more at Brisbane's Palace Barracks cinema. Tickets cost $30, and the lengthy journey of glorious supernatural light-erotica will kick off at 6.30pm as Bella lands in Forks, Washington in the original Twilight film. From there, it's all love triangles, revengeful vampires, and half-human babies as New Moon, Eclipse and the two-part Breaking Dawn features run back-to-back.
After almost two years at Eagle Street Pier, Naga Thai has shut its doors, with the riverside precinct about to be torn down to make way for a new $2.1-billion development. But the team behind it can't get enough of that part of the CBD — or the waterfront — with Andrew and Jaimee Baturo, plus head chef Suwisa Phoonsang, moving over to Riparian Plaza for their latest venture. Set to open in early September, nestled into the mezzanine level between Madam Wu and River Bar, Tillerman will focus on seafood — and pair the ocean's finest, river views and a relaxed holiday-style vibe. "It's been designed for the warm Queensland climate and will make you want to stay all day," says Andrew Baturo, who also has Libertine, Walter's Steakhouse, Popolo and The Gresham on his resume. "Opportunities right on the river don't come along every day and we think Tillerman is one of the best locations in Australia for a seafood restaurant. We can't wait to serve up fabulous food, drinks and service complemented by Brisbane's riverfront as the stunning backdrop," he continued. Phoonsang will whip up a menu that's guided by fresh, premium seafood, rather than a particular cuisine or culture — but the culinary range will take inspiration from the best dishes found around the world. While the full lineup hasn't yet been unveiled, options will include salt cod croquettes, hand-picked Queensland mud crab with crab butter and chives, and salt-baked Murray cod. Among the non-seafood selection, wagyu flank, chicken roulade with mushroom duxelles and seasonal vegetable tarte tatin will feature, as well as salads and sides. And as for what you'll be sipping, the drinks menu will feature champagne and cocktails — which are suggested sips for taking in the view and the surrounding lights — plus other tipples. Design-wise, Brisbane's Hogg & Lamb are taking cues from travel, which'll shine through in the heavy use of spotted gum and botanical prints, as well as the sand-hued leather cushions. Wherever you're sat, you'll score a river vista, with both high and low tables, banquettes and mini booths on offer. Find Tillerman on the mezzanine level inside Riparian Plaza, 71 Eagle Street, Brisbane, from early September — open from 12–2.30pm Tuesday–Saturday for lunch, and 5–9pm Tuesday–Thursday and 5–10pm Friday–Saturday for dinner. We'll update you with an exact opening date when one is announced.
After cooking up a storm on the Gold Coast, the team behind Burleigh Heads' Rick Shores is bringing its Asian-style fare to Brisbane with opening of neo-Chinese dining hall and beer garden Little Valley. There are no prizes for guessing which suburb the 70-seater seater eatery calls home, but you'll find Little Valley's kitchen pumping until late in Warner Street rather than Chinatown. Still, the menu by ex-Rick Shores head chef Jake Pregnell takes inspiration from Chinese cuisine, drawing upon his recent study tour of the country — and his general love of the area's tastes and flavours. That means that patrons can expect a feast of regionally inspired meals — think twice-cooked duck and roast pork neck with char siu glaze, plus kung pao mushrooms and duck egg noodles with something called 'strange flavour'. From the dim sum range, potato and truffle spring rolls, lobster and chive har gow, and chilli crab xiao long bao sit among a nine-dish selection, while desserts include red bean ice cream with pumpkin curd and a Hong Kong custard tart for dessert. Drinks-wise, a hefty wine, beer and spirits list is complemented by eight signature cocktails; the Waking Panda with vodka, elderflower, mandarin and citrus, and the Silk Palace with rum, orange blossom, coconut cream, vanilla and citrus are just two examples. And if you're looking for somewhere to enjoy a tipple or two, Little Valley also boasts an openair bar and beer garden, as well as an adjacent laneway that'll be home to a new lighting installation. The eatery will be open from Wednesday to Sunday, with bar service commencing at 4pm, meals from 5.30pm and a 2am closing time on Friday and Saturday nights — a welcome addition to Brisbane's late-night dining options. It'll also start offering lunch from Friday, July 6. You can find Little Valley at 6 Warner Street, Fortitude Valley. It's open from 4pm Wednesday to Sunday, and will open for lunch on Fridays and Saturdays from June 6.
If Brisbane's latest food event needs a theme song, it has plenty of options to choose from. Sure, most tracks that reference wings in their name come soaked in emotion (we're thinking about Jeffrey Osbourne's 'On the Wings of Love' and Bette Midler's 'Wind Beneath My Wings', for starters, because 80s tunes are just that impossible to forget). But hey, who isn't in love with crispy, deep-fried chicken wings? We're going on about potential anthems because the Australian Buffalo Wing Festival will make you want to sing an ode to its titular dish, we're betting. That's what showcasing all the great places in Brissie that sell these delectable sites of poultry does. Well, that and fill your stomach. Featuring everywhere from Aether and KaiKai Chicken to Fritzenberger and Shady Palms among its locations — and Wing Fury, Seoul Bistro and Newstead Brewing, too — the fest is a choose-your-own-adventure kind of affair. Basically, pick an eatery from one of the four regions highlighted on the four days from Wednesday, September 4 to Saturday, September 7, and start munching. Or, go on a buffalo-crawl in search of the many deals on offer. Each joint will be serving up their own flavours, so you really will want to taste them all.
When one of the biggest movie franchises to ever grace the silver screen is forced to flee cinemas for more than a year — due to the pandemic, obviously — what happens next? In the Marvel Cinematic Universe's case, it plans a big comeback by releasing not one, not two, but three new movies in less than six months. First up is Black Widow, which is heading to both cinemas and streaming in July. When it does so, it'll mark only the second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that solely focuses on a female protagonist. Yes, really. Next, come September, the franchise's next flick will also make history — because Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is the MCU's first movie with an Asian lead. Achieving that milestone is obviously long overdue; Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings will be the 25th MCU flick, after all. Simu Liu is doing the honours, playing the titular martial artist and trained assassin, who has spent ten years living a normal life but is suddenly drawn back into the shady Ten Rings organisation. As the first trailer and the just-dropped new trailer for the superhero feature both show, Kim's Convenience star Liu will have plenty of chances to show off his character's skills. He'll have impressive company, too. Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings's cast includes Awkwafina, following on from her voice work in fellow Disney release Raya and the Last Dragon; the great Michelle Yeoh, who was last seen on the big screen in Last Christmas and Boss Level; and the just-as-iconic Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, a mainstay of Wong Kar-Wai's films such as In the Mood for Love, 2046 and The Grandmaster. Fala Chen (The Undoing), Florian Munteanu (Creed II), Ronny Chieng (Godzilla vs Kong) and debutant Meng'er Zhang also feature, while Short Term 12 and Just Mercy's Destin Daniel Cretton is on directing duties. And, you can be forgiven for looking out for familiar sights amid the heavy martial arts action when the movie hits theatres — because it was shot in Sydney. On the big screen, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings will be followed by the Angelina Jolie-starring, Chloe Zhao-directed Eternals, which is due to release in November. Although the MCU has been absent from cinemas since 2019, the franchise has been busy on the small screen in 2021's first half thanks to WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki. Check out the latest Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings trailer below: Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings releases in cinemas Down Under on September 2, 2021. Top images: ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved
If there's one thing humans will always have over the rest of the animal kingdom, it's our sense of creativity. Sure, there are those sell-out, painting elephants and the ever-entertaining lyrebird, but it's humans alone who are graced with the ability to create abstract compositions of colour, shapes and textures. The proof lies right on our doorstep with local artist Simon Degroot. His bright and colourful paintings of bulky shapes and transulcent forms have cemented him as one of Brisbane's best. His latest exhibition, Titanium Anvil, is a display of abstract compositions of mechanical figures, painted in a graphic style that combines flat pinks and yellows with chrome coloured bends and twists. Degroot strips fragments of his pieces of their original context, evoking a meaning quite familiar but still very distant for the viewer. Degroot's production of aesthetically teasing, chrome paintings are the perfect meal for any creativity-starved human brain.
One otherwise normal day back in 2019, you probably sat down on the couch, switched on your TV, started scrolling through Netflix and came across a new show. That's a pretty regular occurrence for all of us, but we're guessing that you'll remember this particular instance. Discovering I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson isn't something that's easily forgotten. The best sketch comedy of 2019 — and one of the best TV shows in general, too — I Think You Should Leave's first season is ridiculously easily to binge. You don't even need two hours to get through all six episodes but, once you're done, you'll wish that it went for at least twice as long. Social awkwardness is satirised with absurd precision here, and the results are as offbeat and hilarious as a house completely filled with Garfield items and furniture (trust us). And, in great news, a second season is finally due to hit Netflix on Tuesday, July 6. The streaming platform hasn't dropped a trailer, but it has released an announcement video that's as awkward and amusing as fans have come to expect from the show. Exactly what Robinson will satirise this time is obviously yet to be seen, but the second season is already must-see viewing. And if he seems familiar — other than from I Think You Should Leave's — that's because Robinson was the star of Detroiters, and also spent a couple of seasons on Saturday Night Live. Haven't watched the first season yet, and not sure it's for you? Robinson had plenty of recognisable co-stars by his side over the initial batch of episodes, which he also wrote and produced — talents such as Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth), Steven Yeun (Minari), Tim Heidecker (Moonbase 8) and Vanessa Bayer (Saturday Night Live). And, the series also boasts some big names off-screen too, with The Lonely Island (aka Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Andy Samberg and his regular comedy partners Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone) its executive producers. Check out the season two announcement video below: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's second season will be available to stream via Netflix from Tuesday, July 6. Top image: Netflix.
One of Australia's most beautiful strips of surf and sand, Rainbow Beach is as pristine a place as any to saddle up and go for a ride. Andrew and Kirsty McCarthy run Rainbow Beach Horse Rides, one of those picturesque little ventures that seems like never-ending fun and the dream of small businesses. With a team of certified trail guides and some of the prettiest and quietest horses this side of the equator, Rainbow Beach Horse Rides is the perfect little adventure for a warm spring Saturday.
January 26 as been given many labels. On a difficult occasion, Survival Day is one of them. Commemorating and celebrating the endurance of Australia's Indigenous population, marking the date involves recognising and paying tribute to the nation's First Peoples in morning ceremonies. In Brisbane, the Benarrawa Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Solidarity Group and Benarrawa Community Development Association will lead a gathering along the banks of the Brisbane River and Benarrawa (Oxley Creek). Meeting at the bronze canoe near Simpsons Playground in Graceville, the event will pay tribute to the original inhabitants of the area, with all Australians welcome to participate. Attendees are asked to arrive at 7.15am for a 7.30am start, and to bring clap sticks, a hat and native flowers, with the posies cast into the river at the end of the ceremony. Also recommended: bringing a rug or chair to sit on. Following the official proceedings, everyone is also invited to stay for a bite and a drink, so don't forget your cold or hot beverage of choice and a plate to share. Top image: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons.
We all know that feeling when you've spent most of your payslip in just one weekend and subsequently have to stretch those pennies till the next payday. Add savings goals into the mix and suddenly having a full and fun life seems tricky. But that doesn't mean you have to confine yourself to the house, cook every single meal and secretly use your boyfriend's mum's Netflix account. With the right know-how, you can treat yourself to life's little pleasures — and still make sure you're saving. That's why we've teamed up with Great Southern Bank. The bank offers a great range of clever tools that help you save, so you can keep chipping away at those long-term financial goals while still treating yourself to epic art exhibitions, indulgent spa days and leisurely afternoons on a boat. One of these handy tools is The Boost, which transfers a small amount of money (between $0.01 and $5) straight into your savings account each time you use your debit card. No matter the shape of your budget, though, you'll want to have a few fun activities up your sleeve. So, here are a few great Brisbane experiences that meet different spending criteria, so you can do the things you love without spending all your hard-earned dosh. [caption id="attachment_826332" align="alignnone" width="1920"] New Farm Park, Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] FREE A picnic should be your go-to for good times on a tight budget. Whether you're after somewhere by the water (hello, New Farm Park) or need a central location like the newly-revamped Riverside Green at South Bank, you can't go wrong with an al fresco feast. While it's no picnic without snacks, the amount you bring is up to you (and your budget). Better yet, round up your mates and organise everyone to bring a plate, so you can have your cake and eat it, too. [caption id="attachment_823925" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Springfinity, curated by Haline Ly and banner artwork by Katie Benn. Brisbane City Council.[/caption] If you're more of an art lover, a stroll through the city with your head up and your eyes off your phone (weird, I know) will help you take in the epic public art displays. Peep celebrated contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama's work outside on George Street, check out a spring-themed outdoor exhibition, follow the Expo '88 art trail or spot one of the many street art murals from Brisbane Street Art Festival. Wander through the city streets and explore these gems on your own for free, or, if you have a bit of cash to spend, join the Museum of Brisbane's public art walking tours ($30–35). [caption id="attachment_807856" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lean Timms[/caption] $20 AND UNDER Hiring your own private boat to cruise down the river with your mates sounds like a budget-breaking afternoon out — but it doesn't have to be. A GoBoat is an electric-powered, self-driving picnic boat that fits eight people and costs just $119 for one hour (or $189 for two hours). Divide that sum by eight and you're paying as little as $15 each. You can even settle in for the long haul with a three-hour float if you're game (and the wallet allows). Plus, you can bring your own food and drinks on board to keep you fuelled. Who said budgets couldn't be bougie? Keen to get bendy on a rooftop? Of course you are. Not only is the tranquility — and fitness — well worth it, but the views are what will keep you coming back. Fortitude Valley's Cielo Rooftop is taking wellness to new heights with its sky-high yoga sessions. For sunrise yoga, you'll need to block out a Wednesday or Saturday morning from 6–7am. Sunset classes take place on Mondays and Wednesdays between 5.45pm–6.45pm. The best part? There are no contracts or memberships requiring you to repeatedly dish out your dough. Just book your spot for $20, rock up with your mat and get flowing. $50 AND UNDER You don't have to go hot air ballooning or jet skiing to get your thrills. Throwing an axe at a target can be just as exhilarating, plus it's a great way to let off some steam at the end of the work week. At Maniax, there are heaps of options to suit your budget (and your need to hurl axes). You can get a full hour of unlimited axe throwing for $45 per person, or head in on a Monday and get two for the price of one. When you're on a budget or trying to save, all-inclusive packages are your secret weapon. Yep, we're talking boozy brunches. And at Covent Garden, it means bottomless gin brunches every Sunday from 11am–3pm, where you can settle in for two hours of gin cocktails and a stacked grazing board for $49 and not a penny more. So, you know what? For the sake of your home ownership goals, we say treat yourself to brunch. [caption id="attachment_701807" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] MAKE IT RAIN (WITHIN REASON) There are fewer simple pleasures in life than a good, hearty feed and a fine glass of vino. Does it mean you should blow hundreds of dollars on dinner every week? No — but you can still wine and dine without dipping into your savings on the reg. For a Greek feast with mates, head to riverside restaurant Greca and opt for its reasonable and oh-so-filling $60 Full Greek banquet. Keen for a lunchtime treat? Grab a table at the incredibly chic Bisou Bisou where two-course lunches are dished up for $48 every Monday to Friday. It's been a pretty wild ride these last 18 months. So, you deserve a spa day. We're not saying pamper yourself silly every time you feel like it, but sometimes a little self care is just what the doctor ordered. If you've squirrelled away some spare coin (that is not in your savings account), then book yourself in for a massage, facial, body scrub or manicure this season. We recommend a trip to Kailo Wellness Medispa in The Valley for maximum chill vibes, otherwise check out our list of luxe day spas in Brisbane for a well-deserved treatment. Great Southern Bank is empowering Aussies to get clever with their banking. Whether you want to stick to your savings goals with The Boost or hide your house deposit fund from yourself with The Vault, Great Southern Bank helps you get there. For more information on savings tools and home loan options, head to the Great Southern Bank website. Top image: GoBoat, Lean Timms
In 2023, Brisbane scored a new place to watch movies under the stars all year round — not just in summer. Brisbane Powerhouse had played host to openair picture palaces before, but it permanently became home to Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema, which takes advantage of the fact that the weather is usually nice enough to catch a flick outside in the River City every month from January through to December. There's something about seeing a movie outdoors and the warmest part of the year, though — and, when the season hits, getting merry with your cinemagoing, too. So, across December, Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema is putting a few Christmas classics through its projector. Whether you've been nice or naughty this year, there's a film for you. Yes, Die Hard is a Christmas flick. Yes, it's on the lineup on Sunday, December 8, so that you can say "yippee-ki-yay" to the jolliest time of year. Nothing's quite as festive as Bruce Willis (Assassin) doing his thing in this late 80s slice of explosive excellence. After that, Elf will hit the screen on Saturday, December 14, followed by Love Actually on Friday, December 20. Can't choose between Will Ferrell (The Boys) at his silliest and sweetest or a British rom-com? You don't have to.
If you thought that Michael Jordan was the epitome of cool and Albert Einstein didn't know how to have a good time then prepare to have your perceptions shattered. A significant part of being a successful celebrity is the act of persuasion. This includes the constant act of generating and maintaining a public image that appeals to a wide audience. Kurt Cobain did dense and brooding, Bill Clinton did regal and commanding, and Stalin did intense and intimidating. Yet here are ten photos that prove that sometimes what the spin media show us about famous people is not exactly the whole story. Teenage Eminem adorned in Alf T-shirt Kurt Cobain eating pizza Hillary and Bill 'The Dude' Clinton at Yale Dean Martin and John Wayne cooking spaghetti Hitler looked ominous even when riding a sled Michael Jordan as a dorky College kid Stalin: Part time dictator, part time model Colonel Sanders with Alice Cooper Winston Churchill says 'Line up, ladies!' Albert Einstein: everyone's favourite drunk uncle
Handmade, eclectic and colourful jewellery and homewares are the namesake finds at Dinosaur Designs. As the brainchild of two Sydney designers, founded in 1985, the company continues to seek inspiration from nature and consciously takes responsibility for its environmental footprint during production. Many of the products are best thought of as wearable art rather than mere necklaces and bangles. Every design is made by hand using resin - making each piece unique.
Here are some things that have happened in the stories of American writer David Sedaris: A man goes in search of a stuffed owl to give to his boyfriend for Valentine's Day. Befriending a taxidermist who confirms his interest in formerly alive creatures is strictly non-professional, the man finds himself in a London basement gazing at the 400-year-old preserved head of a 14-year-old girl and the skeleton of a 19th-century Pygmy. They raise questions, uncomfortable ones. Like, 'how much are they?' A man takes a job at Macy's department store as a Christmas elf named Crumpet. He encounters fistfights, vomiting and magnificent tantrums, children with modelling contracts and children with adjectives instead of first names. He tells a child that Santa has changed his policy, and no longer brings coal if you misbehave. Instead he will break into your house, steal all your appliances, and leave you alone, in the dark, with nothing. A father imagines his children forming a jazz quartet. Hoping to make the fantasy reality, the father gifts the son 'that guitar you always wanted'. The son, while regularly petitioning for a brand-name vacuum cleaner, had never mentioned a guitar. He takes lessons from an artistically thwarted midget, until one evening the son admits to his teacher that what we really wants to do is perform a medley of television jingles in the voice of Billie Holiday. David Sedaris has developed a cult-like following for penning insightful, satirical, real-life stories like those above. His latest book is entitled Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls. You could read it, if that is a thing you would like to do. You could also read Naked, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Me Talk Pretty One Day or any of his other fine collections available at your local bookshop. A regular contributor to This American Life, Sedaris will be touring Australia and New Zealand in January 2014. You can sign up for exclusive pre-sales at his website. SYDNEY Sydney Opera House Saturday 18 January MELBOURNE Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Tuesday 21 January CANBERRA Canberra Theatre Centre Wednesday 22 January BRISBANE Brisbane Powerhouse – Powerhouse Theatre Thursday 23 January PERTH Perth Concert Hall Friday 24 January AUCKLAND Civic Theatre, Auckland Sunday 26 January https://youtube.com/watch?v=1msZQjwlebU
Unsuspectingly tucked away in the industrial hub of East Brisbane, Pennisi Cuisine is a cheese lovers paradise – from fresh buffalo mozzarella to big wheels of Parmiggiano Reggiano. The family business offers huge selections of delicacies and traditional foods from South America, Italy, Spain, Greece, Lebanon and Morocco and more. You will also find a range of Kosha products. With so much choice, bring a basket and fill up before heading out to a nearby picnic spot. There's no doubt your loot will turn heads and bring all the boys to the yard.
Hosting a city-wide arts festival during a pandemic is no small feat, but that's exactly what Brisbane Festival is doing in 2020. Returning in its usual September slot to shower Brissie in culture for three weeks, this year's fest isn't ignoring the obvious, though. If you've been peering at the heavens during lockdown, playing tourist in your own town once restrictions started easing and just generally making the most of your own backyard over the past seven months, prepare to keep doing the same, Bris Fest-style. When the festival takes over Brissie from Friday, September 4–Saturday, September 26, it definitely wants the city's residents to look up — at super-sized installations. The first, designed by audiovisual artist Robin Fox, combines lasers, lights and sounds in a huge onslaught of brightness and colour called Night Sky. Able to be seen from hundreds of spots around the city, it'll dazzle on Friday and Saturday evenings. And, it appears to replace the fest's usual Riverfire fireworks display — which was the source of controversy in 2019, when the fest's Fire Gardens centrepiece was cancelled due to a bushfire-induced total fire ban. Then, there's Messengers of Brisbane. We hope you like giant Gouldian finches, because six of them will take up residence in the Brisbane CBD and South Bank, atop the Goodwill Bridge, and at QPAC, Queensland Museum and Brisbane Powerhouse. This is the latest large-scale art work by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, who is known for placing oversized animals in iconic spots. If you've seen footage of his massive inflatable Rubber Duck sculpture, then you'll know why you should be getting excited. Hofman's inclusion on the 2020 Bris Fest program stands out for another reason — his is one of the very few projects on the bill from an international creative. Usually when the festival rolls around, it does so with a hefty lineup of overseas shows and performers; however, this year's event will feature more than 700 homegrown artists across 490 shows and 91 events. It'll also include 28 new works that have been specifically commissioned for Brisbane Festival, so Brisbanites will be seeing brand new locally made productions. Plus, 73 of the fest's shows will be free to attend. From the first Bris Fest under new artistic director Louise Bezzina (ex-Bleach* Festival), highlights include kicking off with Jumoo, a city-wide smoking ceremony that pays respects to Brisbane's First Nations peoples; unveiling Circa's latest blend of acrobatics and dance, called Leviathan; and unleashing the powerful Silence, Karul Projects' dance work about the conversations that aren't being had with Indigenous Australians. The festival will also play host to Throttle, which turns a performance into a live-action drive-in horror movie — all while attendees remains seated in their cars. [caption id="attachment_777815" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Art-Work Agency[/caption] A considerable portion of the 2020 Bris Fest program is designed to spread the love far and wide audience-wise, too, with the festival having a presence in 190 Brisbane suburbs. That includes hosting 24 gigs in different Brissie spots as part of the Street Serenades series; flash mob-style dancing in the street with All You Need is Love; and puppets and cheer squads taking over local bikeways and walking paths at Exercise Surprises. Also on offer as part of this year's fest: Embassy, which pays tribute to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy first assembled in 1972; smartphone-based mass game and social experiment Avoidable Perils; a huge black-and-white fancy dress party for Megan Washington's latest album Batflowers; a gig by Brissie legends Custard; and a time-capsule artwork about life under lockdown called Snapshot. And, over at West Village, Hiromi Tango's installations Brainbow Magic and Rainbow Circles (Healing Circles) will provide a burst of fluorescence, as well as glowing rainbow arches. Brisbane Festival will run from Friday, September 4—Saturday, September 26 — for the full program, and to buy tickets, head to the festival's website.
Who doesn't like their meat or vegetables skewered, grilled and whipped up quickly? No one, that's who. With yakitori cementing itself as Brisbane's latest street food obsession, the proof is in the delicious arrangements of chicken, pork, salmon and beef (and onion, mushroom, zucchini and tomato, for non-carnivorous folks) at Tatsu Yakitori Bar, the city's newest food-on-a-stick haven. Making its home in the Chinatown mall, Tatsu is the latest venture from the folks behind Izakana-Ya Okuman, which immediately boosts its authentic cred. And if you thought that the West End has restaurant spoiled diners for choice since it opened in 2015, then wait until you try to pick something to eat at their just-opened Fortitude Valley sibling venue. That's the great thing about street food, though: bite-sized servings leave room for plenty of servings. In addition to yakitori, which are available in two-skewer servings of your choice as well as a five-skewer set, you'll also find salads, sashimi, bao, ramen, gyoza, the usual small bits and pieces (miso, edamame, takowasabi), and deep-fried dishes such as spicy chicken karaage, soft shell crab, chicken wings and calamari wings. Cosy up in an open booth-like table underneath a Japanese-style mural and wash it all down with Aussie and Japanese beers, plum wine, shochu, sake, whisky and a selection of colourful house-special cocktails. And the best part? They're open for lunch and dinner — keeping things cooking until midnight for a late night fix, too — every day of the week.
Fast cars, pulse-pounding action and plot holes bigger than the veins in Dwayne Johnson’s biceps: the seventh entry in the Fast and/or Furious franchise delivers everything fans have come to expect. And yes, to be clear, we mean that as a compliment. In an age where most Hollywood blockbusters do everything they can to seem dark and gritty, this souped-up seven-part soap opera drives straight in the other direction, delivering delightfully silly, self-aware thrills at every possible turn. The most over-the-top film in the franchise so far, Fast & Furious 7 doesn’t just jump the shark; it sails over the shark’s head at 245mph, in a $3.5 million Lykan Hypersport, in slow motion, while half a dozen strippers dance to a Wiz Khalifa song playing in the background. The 'plot' of the film sees Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his hetero life partner Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) back on the streets of Los Angeles after earning a pardon for six movies’ worth of crimes. Unfortunately for them, their newfound tranquillity is short-lived, as Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham playing the same character he always does, only evil) shows up to avenge his brother Luke, aka the bad guy from Fast & Furious 6. Dom and Brian’s only option is to team up with Agent Frank Petty (franchise newbie Kurt Russell), who promises to help them deal with Shaw in exchange for rescuing a computer hacker (Nathalie Emmanuel) from a group of international terrorists. Of course, in order to manage such a mission, they’ll need their regular crew, including Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges). Think of them as being kind of like the Avengers, only more racially diverse, and marginally less bound by the laws of physics or common sense. If they’ve got time, they might even be able to solve the mystery of who keeps stealing the sleeves off Vin Diesel’s shirts. Australian director James Wan takes over from four-time franchise helmsman Justin Lin, and manages to capture the film’s many, many action scenes with similarly explosive aplomb. Silliness aside, one of the great things about this series is how it opts for actual stunt-work and stunt driving instead of just relying on digital effects. That said, we kind of suspect the scene in which a car is driven out the side of a skyscraper and through the side of another probably benefited from a little bit of computer-generated magic. To say that that sequence isn’t even the most ridiculous thing about Fast & Furious 7 should really drive home just how absurd this movie is. To their credit though, the cast still play it 100% straight, and in doing so have managed to get this franchise to that sweet spot where even its legitimately terrible moments — including maybe the most blatant moment of product placement in the history of modern cinema — still manage to be kind of entertaining. Well, almost. We’ve gotta say that Wan’s use of the Michael Bay ass-cam on any and all female extras gets creepy pretty fast. It doesn’t help that the once gender-balanced cast of heroes has basically been reduced to a bunch of bros plus Michelle Rodriguez. Definitely something they should correct in Fast & Furious 8. Apparently Helen Mirren has already put her hand up to play the villain. Now that would be amazing.
During much of Hotel Mumbai, petrified guests and staff are trapped inside the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, trying to flee the gunmen in their midst. Dramatising the real-life incident from 2008, first-time filmmaker Anthony Maras recreates the terror, tension and tragedy as attackers roam the hotel's halls, shooting everyone on sight — and as ordinary folks scramble to survive the violent onslaught. But in the movie's clumsiest scene, a group huddles in a locked area. Nerves and tempers fray, especially when an older woman voices racist worries about Taj Mahal Palace Hotel employees. It's a blatant learning moment, as viewers witness prejudice both lurking in and defeated by the most fraught of circumstances. It's also as heavy-handed as it sounds, and as unnecessary. Everyone is the same when their lives are under threat in such a horrific way. Everyone is the same anyway, but staring down the barrel of a gun helps hammer this realisation home among the closed-minded. While there's no doubting the validity of the film's message or the warm intentions behind it, Hotel Mumbai is so convincing when it's showing the truth of its central statement that it doesn't need to resort to shouting its sentiments in such a clumsy fashion. The details seen speak for themselves, from the senselessness of lives slain by those mercilessly seeking to incite fear, to the unwavering endurance, resilience, kindness and heroism demonstrated by the terrorists' intended victims. Thankfully, Maras and co-screenwriter John Collee (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Tanna) avoid simple life lessons for most of the movie's running time, letting the confronting on-the-ground specifics do the heavy lifting. Wednesday, November 26 seems like another ordinary day in the titular Indian city. Concierge Arjun (Dev Patel) arrives at work wearing just one shoe, much to head chef Hemant Oberoi's (Anupam Kher) dismay. Couple Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi) and David (Armie Hammer) are seeking a respite from their busy schedules, albeit with their newborn baby and Australian nanny Sally (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) by their sides. With a private party planned, demanding Russian businessman Vasili (Jason Isaacs) is hardly a model guest. But along with Aussie backpackers Eddie (Angus McLaren) and Bree (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), they're all soon caught in a nightmarish plight, with a group of young jihadists wreaking havoc on their way towards the luxurious hotel. For many, Hotel Mumbai's events will remain fresh in their memories, as the film's use of news footage only cements. The difference between reading the headlines and feeling like you're there is enormous, of course, and it's the latter that drives dramatic big-screen recreations. Drawing their narrative from interviews with survivors and witnesses, Maras and Collee aim to place viewers in the thick of the chaos. Primarily shot in Adelaide by cinematographer Nick Remy Matthews, it's a feat they achieve. From the second the film introduces the assailants, a sense of urgency pulsates through every frame — whether racing through darkened streets, seeing innocent people mown down by bullets, or watching as the decadent Taj Mahal Palace Hotel becomes a bloody battlefield. Indeed, Hotel Mumbai is so effective at putting the audience in the moment — and in the shoes of the desperate victims — that the film's straightforward nature largely escapes notice. Big questions aren't begging to be answered and explanations aren't offered, with Maras depicting the grim situation as he's been able to piece it together, rather than editorialising or analysing the particulars. Helped by a solid cast, it's a fitting approach. Such harrowing horrors call for a sober perspective, which is what makes the movie's rare instances of overt button-pushing feel so out of place. At its best, in bringing this bleak slice of reality to the screen, Hotel Mumbai stares into one of humanity's darkest ordeals and refuses to look away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz4jnixs8yA
When Seinfeld was the world's biggest sitcom, the show about nothing was also about everything. Its quartet of yada, yada, yada-ing New Yorkers was oh-so-specific, too, but also relatable. It's no wonder that the 90s hit made a star out of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who ensured that Elaine Benes was a work of comedic genius — with a Best Supporting Actress Emmy and six other nominations to show for it — and someone who could've walked straight in off the street. In razor-sharp political farce Veep, the actor did much the same to ample accolades. Making a Vice President in a gleeful satire feel real is no mean feat. But Louis-Dreyfus is at her best, and a true sensation, whenever she's in leading-lady mode in front of writer/director Nicole Holofcener's lens. That's only happened twice so far; however, both 2013's Enough Said and now 2023's You Hurt My Feelings are as excellent as engaging, lived-in and astute character-led dramedies come. In her finest performances, Louis-Dreyfus inhabits her roles like she's always been in them. There's a lightness to her on-screen presence that never smacks of force, artifice or effort — a naturalism, clearly, even if she's working with comically heightened material. Nothing about Holofcener's two collaborations with Louis-Dreyfus goes big with its laughs, of course. The pair aren't making Seinfeld or Veep together. Instead, their talents combine in sublime and thoughtful works of intimacy and intricacy, wryly funny explorations of small moments, and perceptive slices of life — and You Hurt My Feelings is indeed a gleaming gem. It's also the kind of American feature that rarely gets a silver-screen run in these days of blockbuster franchises, endless sequels and remakes, and ever-sprawling cinematic universes (the filmmaker's last picture The Land of Steady Habits, which starred Ben Mendelsohn and arrived in 2018, was a Netflix affair). The battle to find a home for Holofcener's preferred type of tales earns an in-script parallel in You Hurt My Feelings, with novelist Beth (Louis-Dreyfus, You People) also struggling. Her first book, a memoir about her childhood with an emotionally abusive dad, didn't notch up the sales she would've liked. At lunches between Beth, her sister Sarah (Michaela Watkins, The Dropout) and their mother Georgia (Jeannie Berlin, Hunters), the latter still protests about how it was marketed. And, when she finally submits a draft of her next tome after toiling for years, Beth's editor (LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Grey's Anatomy) isn't as enthused. None of these situations give the movie its name, though, which stems from Beth's therapist husband Don (Tobias Menzies, This Way Up) and his opinion. When she overhears him tell her brother-in-law Mark (Arian Moayed, Succession) that he isn't that fussed about the new text, it's shattering, especially when he's been nothing but her heartiest cheerleader otherwise. Holofcener begins and punctuates You Hurt My Feelings with Don's sessions with clients, including an incessantly bickering and blatantly unhappy couple played by game real-life spouses Amber Tamblyn (Y: The Last Man) and David Cross (Station Eleven). They argue. They complain openly and heatedly about each other. They say awful things, but they're also adamant about staying together. They start expressing their displeasure about paying for Don's services when it evidently isn't making any difference to their domestic disharmony, which feeds his own doubts about whether he's any good — and, while taking time away from the luminous Louis-Dreyfus, these asides also cut to the heart of this supremely well-observed movie. We're all our own worst critics, and we all jump on any chance we can to reinforce our fears, worries and raging cases of imposter syndrome. We all rely upon our partners to be the voice of support, positivity and encouragement. When that falters or rings false, then, it isn't minor. As Holofcener's layered screenplay explains in the film's economical 93-minute running time, Beth and Don have always prided themselves about being close. Their college-aged son Eliot (Owen Teague, To Leslie), who is writing a play and working in a weed store, cringes over his parents' codependence and shared meals. When Beth and Don buy each other anniversary gifts, they even each make the same mistake — but that decades-forged comfort proves fragile the instant that Beth hears what she'd never have guessed that Don would say or think. You Hurt My Feelings unpacks why on both sides, also interrogating self-confidence and insecurity, the need for validation, tiny misunderstandings that feel massive to whoever is on the receiving end, social niceties, and white lies uttered with the best of intentions, with Sarah and Mark's relationship, his up-and-down acting career, her interior-design work, and Eliot's own personal and professional tussles also providing examples. She's been busy with Veep, the unimpressive Downhill and multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe appearances in the decade since she last worked with Holofcener, but here's hoping that it doesn't take as long for Louis-Dreyfus to reteam with the writer/director again. She's that magnetic and, yes, relatable in the filmmaker's fare, and that devastatingly great at both comedy and drama as well. Although You Hurt My Feelings' guiding force has had a packed slate herself, not just with The Land of Steady Habits but also episodes of Enlightened, Parks and Recreation, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, One Mississippi, Mrs Fletcher and Lucky Hank, the same wish applies her way. Her empathetic features about everyday women are that authentic and incisive, as both Enough Said and this demonstrate. Here's a dream: a Holofcener film with both Louis-Dreyfus and the helmer's Walking and Talking, Lovely & Amazing, Friends with Money and Please Give star Catherine Keener. Casting has always been one of the filmmaker's talents; in You Hurt My Feelings, Menzies, Watkins, Berlin, Moayed and Teague are all wonderful as well. Holofcener gets the same honesty out of each, and from Louis-Dreyfus, as she channels into her smart dialogue, earnest insights and pitch-perfect musings about life. Thanks to cinematographer Jeffrey Waldron (A League of Their Own), her movie looks as naturalistic as it always feels — and, while almost everyone watching isn't a NYC-dwelling writer with a shrink husband and wounded pride over a book, the emotions that You Hurt My Feelings trades in are genuine. Also 100-percent sincere: the feature's winning way with finding humour in the need that we all have to be seen and appreciated, the tendency to tell our loved ones what they want to hear and the very real clash between those two behaviours.
When Song Kang-ho hasn't been starring in Bong Joon-ho's films, he's been featuring Park Chan-wook's and Kim Jee-woon's, plus Lee Chang-dong's and Hong Sang-soo's as well. One of Korea's acting greats boasts a resume filled with the country's directing greats — so getting the Memories of Murder, The Host, Thirst, Snowpiercer and Parasite star, plus Joint Security Area, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Lady Vengeance and Secret Sunshine talent, to play a filmmaker for his The Good the Bad the Weird and The Age of Shadows filmmaker feels like perfect casting even before Cobweb starts spinning its reels. Song's career highlights are already many, complete with a Cannes Best Actor Award for working with Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda in Broker. Here, he's reliably and rakishly charming in a movie-making ode and on-set farce. For his own director Kim, Song plays a director Kim — but on-screen version Kim Ki-yeol is living in the 70s, and also in a rut. Once an assistant to a famed and acclaimed helmer who has passed away, now he's openly mocked by critics for his trashy fare in one of Cobweb's first scenes. He's made most of a masterpiece, however, or so he believes. The only thing that's required to ensure it's a complete classic is two more days to undertake re-shoots. His film is meant to be finished, but he's adamant that the cast and crew reteam (and his producer foot the bill) to ensure that the creative visions that keep haunting his dreams can become a feted triumph. Convincing everyone that he needs to isn't the only tricky feat, with challenges upon challenges unspooling the longer that the fictional Kim and his colleagues spend bustling. Also involved amid the lights, cameras and action: Shinseong Film Studio's Chairwoman Baek (Jang Young-nam, Project Wolf Hunting), who's hardly enamoured with Kim's new plan; Mido (Jeon Yeo-been, Glitch), the heir to his mentor's company; and actors Min-ja (Lim Soo-jung, Melancholia), Ho-se (Oh Jung-se, Revenant), Yu-rim (Jung Soo-jung, Crazy Love) and Madam Oh (Park Jung-soo). Cue doubts, shaky promises, unexpected alliances, philandering, secret pregnancies, squabbles about prominence, allergies to fake blood, fires, stars trying to juggle shooting the movie and a TV drama, and a supporting actor so wedded to stepping into a detective's shoes that he's deducing on the side between takes. It's an anything-that-can-go-wrong-will situation, and equal in careening chaos to two other recent behind-the-scenes filmmaking comedies: One Cut of the Dead and remake Final Cut, just without the zombies and single-shot gimmick. In both that 2017 Japanese hit and its 2022 French do-over, a commitment to keep filming and making art regardless of the cost thrashed around the picture as heartily as the flesh-eating undead. Courtesy of a script co-written with Shin Yeon-shick (1seung), Kim Jee-woon's characters share that determination without such pronounced life-or-death stakes. Bringing a cinematic reverie to fruition is a leap of faith, as Cobweb understands. When it works, it's not just magic but alchemy. "Here's to the ones who dream" might've been crooned by Emma Stone in La La Land rather than in this fellow tribute to that dream, but the sentiment fits. While Cobweb finds plenty of amusement in the on-screen Kim's madcap last-dash scramble to make the motion picture he'll always be known for, it also respects the passion, yearning, gumption and quest. There may be no shuffling masses to contend with, but there are movie-chomping censors who must approve every element that's destined to grace celluloid. For Song's Kim, zombies might've been nicer to deal with. The all-business Baek is all about toeing the line. Without the censors' tick, not a frame will reach audiences — and careers can crumble via blacklisting, too. Kim won't compromise on his tour de force, except that the whole whirlwind reshoot is a constant exercise in compromise. As various solutions spring up to stop the authorities' interference, including persuading them that the new ending will give them an "anti-communist film", setting Cobweb five decades back is a choice with meaning. Harking back to the days when South Korean cinema IRL was at the mercy of the state under the Yusin system rather than truly driven by artists, the film applauds the dedication and the hustle that sees any picture exist, and especially one under such circumstances. Cobweb's cast also deserve praise, with Song unsurprisingly chief among them, as he tends to be in whatever he's in. His selling task is twofold: swaying the production-within-a-production's on- and off-screen players to give their all to crafting his movie the way that it dances through his head, and whether or not it seems to make even a bit of sense; and getting Cobweb's audience invested not just in the madcap mania that Kim Jee-woon can't stop embracing, but emotionally. His co-stars are also up to going along for the ride, particularly Jeon as Kim's co-conspirator in pulling the whole gambit off. Both Song and Jeon get moments as actors playing actors, when Kim and Mido's respective fervour sees them resolved to step in front of the camera to guarantee the performances they want. He's best known for A Tale of Two Sisters, A Bittersweet Life and I Saw the Devil, but Kim Jee-woon is no stranger to dark comedy, as he eagerly plies here. His regular cinematographer Kim Ji-yong, who has been working with the director on and off since A Bittersweet Life, is equally acquainted with lavish lensing — and while Cobweb isn't as ravishing as his efforts on Park Chan-wook's 2022 stunner Decision to Leave (because almost nothing is), it remains an arresting sight as it flits from the black-and-white of Kim Ki-yeol's noir-esque Hitchcock-meets-soap opera flick to the retro period sheen of his existence. Don't go expecting to know exactly what the on-screen Kim is so feverish about, though. His counterpart splashes around the OTT movie inside the movie in fits and bursts, but it suits. Believing that Song's Kim believes in it is easy in a film this savvy, entertaining and adept at weaving its many strands.
Tasers, telephoto lenses and a new spate of crimes terrifying the beachside town of Neptune: yes, Veronica Mars is back. Everyone's favourite pint-sized TV private eye is finally returning to our screens, all thanks to the show's long-awaited, eagerly anticipated fourth season. As played with the usual pluck and determination by Kristen Bell, she's ready to sleuth her way through a whole new mystery. Of course she is. Due to release in the US in July, via streaming platform Hulu, Veronica Mars' revival follows its titular heroine as she endeavours to get to the bottom of a wave of bombings that've been blasting their way through her home town. The fictional seaside spot is quite the tourist spot — especially come spring break — and Ms Mars thinks that someone wants to blight its reputation. After dropping a very brief teaser in April, Hulu has released the first proper trailer for the series — and, as well as showing the no-nonsense Veronica doing what she does best, it features a heap of familiar faces. Her dad Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni) and on-again, off-again love interest Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring) also pop up, as does her ex-classmate Weevil (Francis Capra). Also set to make an appearance: returning cast members Percy Daggs III, Ryan Hansen and Max Greenfield, plus new inclusions such as Patton Oswalt, Clifton Collins Jr and Bell's The Good Place co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste. Oh and JK Simmons, too, and it appears that he's the new season's bad guy. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuhCFAtFE-A If you've been following Veronica's story for the past 15 years, you'll know that the TV series originally debuted in 2004, ran for three seasons until 2007, and then set a crowdfunding record to get a film off the ground in 2014. Next came two novels and a web series spin-off — and now, as first confirmed in September last year, this eight-episode revival. Break out the marshmallows, obviously. The fourth season of Veronica Mars hits Hulu on July 26. Details of the show's Australian and New Zealand release are yet to be confirmed — we'll keep you posted.
The story of cinema's favourite spy goes back decades, with the seven faces of James Bond spanning a screen saga that started in the 1960s. Daniel Craig's iconic run as the character came to an end in 2021 with No Time to Die, and with Craig's time in the tux now concluded, it seems appropriate to return to where it began with his 2006 character debut in Casino Royale. The widely acclaimed blockbuster is coming back in the form of a special concert screening on Friday, March 15. Better yet, the film's musical score will be performed live by Queensland Symphony Orchestra as the film plays on the big screen. In Casino Royale, Bond is not the super spy we have previously known him to be. This younger MI6 agent has just acquired his famed 00 status and a license to kill. Now he's being dispatched to a high-stakes poker tournament to play for the fortune of criminal banker Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), who will use any winnings to finance terrorists worldwide. Casino Royale was a hit with fans and critics alike, breathing new life to the franchise and setting up four Daniel Craig-starring sequels: Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and the aforementioned No Time to Die. The score, composed by David Arnold, captures the full spirit of the series, sweeping strings and blaring brass with a healthy splash of 2000s rock, and will sound fantastic when QSO takes to the stage of the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre for this unmissable, one-night-only show. Casino Royale in Concert will be performed live by Queensland Symphony Orchestra at 7.30pm on Friday, March 15. For more information or to book tickets, visit the website.
UPDATE, April 16, 2021: Brigbsy Bear is available to stream via iTunes and Amazon Video. In Brigsby Bear, a grown man finds himself unable to let go of his childhood obsession. No, it's not a documentary. While farewelling beloved franchises, characters and TV shows is an increasingly rare occurrence in today's remake-, revamp-, reboot- and resurrection-centric popular culture, this sweet, insightful and genuinely moving comedy doesn't simply chronicle an adult fanboy suffering from a severe bout of arrested development. Brigsby Bear's furry heart beats with more than easy nostalgia. For the shy and awkward James Pope (writer and star Kyle Mooney, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live), his love of Brigsby Bear Adventures and its eponymous animal hero isn't driven by a wistful yearning for a past long passed. The television series might look like a relic – with its cheap sets, stilted acting and kid-friendly life lessons – and yet a new episode arrives like clockwork on VHS every week. James devours each instalment with wide-eyed enthusiasm, in his room packed wall-to-wall with Brigsby merchandise. Having spent the bulk of his life in a homely underground bunker with just his parents (Mark Hamill and Jane Adams) for company, it's literally the only escape he knows. It's also his only experience of the world beyond his contained existence. Directed by Dave McCary and co-written by Kevin Costello (two of Mooney's primary school pals), Brigbsy Bear follows James' reaction when he's thrust out of his comfort zone, forced to interact with reality and confronted with the realisation that his favourite program isn't quite what he thinks. The precise nature of the revelation is best discovered by watching, though it's not a spoiler to say that his post-Brigsby life comes as quite a shock. As he endeavours to cope, the film couldn't be more earnest or astute in exploring why we become so attached to shows and movies, or the cathartic role they play in shaping how we approach the world. Sure, it might sound like the kind of quirky concept that Mooney could satirise in an SNL skit, but empathy rather than parody proves the guiding principle here. Steeped in warmth as well as melancholy, while also flirting with darker territory, Brigsby Bear is the type of film that's cute yet never cloying, heartfelt but not schmaltzy, and amusing without resorting to caricature. It's a big bear hug of a movie, but one that ultimately makes it clear that even the most eager embraces can't last forever. Thanks to McCary's DIY-esque aesthetic, Brigbsy Bear offers viewers quite a cosy visual cuddle as well, reminiscent of Be Kind Rewind and YouTube fan films. Hey, if you're going to make a film about undying '80s-style passions, you have to make it look the part. Throw in Mooney's impressively deadpan central performance, and this is a flick that excels in hitting the right notes — in its images, its themes and its emotions alike. And, like the fictional show at its centre, it also imparts a lasting message: we're more than the things we love, but we wouldn't be who we are without them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MdrGM27yQ8
If choice is what you're after, then you can't do much better than the good old Treasury Casino. For the drinks part of the night, you can choose between cocktails at The Kitty, sports at the TAB Bar, tunes at the Livewire Bar or just some laid back beverages at Ryan's on the Park. When dinner time calls, there's Vietnamese fusion at Fat Noodle, modern Australian cuisine at The Lab Bar + Restaurant, or a bit of everything at Kitchen at Treasury (open 24 hours). Images: Grace Smith.
Sometimes, getting out of your car to purchase food is just too much effort. For those occasions, humanity invented the drive-thru. It's a fast food staple, and the concept has been getting quite the workout during the pandemic — so obviously a drive-thru dedicated to lasagne and wine was bound to happen. The Lasagne Drive-Thru is the latest venture from Jerome Dalton, owner of Dalton Catering and — since last July – of CJ's Pasta as well. The latter no longer operates as a bricks-and-mortar business, instead focusing on selling pasta to restaurants and wholesalers. But for folks at home who love a bit of layered pasta with bechamel sauce, CJ's Pasta is now letting you roll up to Fortitude Valley's Prospect Street in your car each Friday, remain seated, and take home one of four different lasagnes and multiple varieties of wine. The idea first came about in response to Brisbane's most recent lockdown at the end of March, with the Lasagne Drive-Thru kicking into action while everyone was staying at home for three days. Unsurprisingly, it proved popular, so Dalton is bringing it back every Friday from now on. Brisbanites can choose from beef lasagne in 1.2-kilogram and three-kilogram servings, a three-kilogram sand crab lasagne and a three-kilogram vegetarian lasagne, all of which come with a cheesy garlic focaccia. The small-sized beef costs $50 and serves two or three people, while the larger size costs $100 for beef and vegetarian and $120 for crab, and will keep six stomachs satisfied. Salumi boxes filled with mortadella, salami, bread and pickles are also available ($50, to serve two or three people). On the wine front, prices range from $39–80, with prosecco, champagne, pinot grigio and chianti among the varieties on offer. If you're keen come Friday, you'll need to order in advance via phone, then motor on over to pick up your ready-to-eat meal and vino. You can still try your luck on the day without preordering, but you'll be getting a chilled lasagne that you'll need to heat up at home. Find the CJ's Pasta Lasagne Drive-Thru at 22 Prospect Street, Fortitude Valley every Friday from 1–6pm — or until sold out.
Brisbane might be the centre of the political world during G20, but come March 2015, there’s no other place Australia’s cinephiles will want to be. The auteur’s auteur, David Lynch, is coming to town. Yes, you read that correctly. Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art has pulled off their greatest programming coup yet, presenting Australia’s first David Lynch exhibition from March 14 to June 7. Exclusive to the Queensland capital, David Lynch: Between Two Worlds is the largest retrospective of Lynch's practice to date, charting 50 years of his output across all media — and we mean all of it. Developed closely with Lynch himself, the exhibition features more than 200 works. Lynch is best known as a filmmaker; however he has worked as a visual artist for 50 years, producing an extensive body of paintings, photography and works on paper. Lynch’s film prowess is the stuff of cinema legend, his inimitable mind creating the wonders that are Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive. Bold, strange and with a singular style, his films really are incomparable. His output on the small screen is just as iconic, courtesy of a little TV show called Twin Peaks and its film prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. You might have heard of them. If you were already excited about the beloved series returning for a third season in 2016, as announced just last month, then the exhibition’s anniversary celebration of what many rightfully consider the best television show ever made is going to be right up your alley. In addition to a complete collection of his film, video and television efforts at the Australian Cinémathèque, including a specially curated program of Lynch's short and feature films, works for television, documentaries and independent projects produced for online platforms, the exhibition will take over the rest of the Gallery of Modern Art. Rarely seen paintings and drawings from the mid 1960s, lithographs, an important presentation of Lynch's photographs of factories and nudes, and recent large-scale paintings are among the creative treats on offer. There’s plenty more news to come, too, with details of exclusive events — including a chance to get up close and personal with the man himself at an artist in-conversation session, as well as public programs and special musical performances still to be announced. Get the pie and coffee ready for December, when tickets go on sale. Visit the GOMA website for more information.
When it comes to televised singing battles, there's only one that matters. Regardless of whatever reality television keeps throwing our way, that's Eurovision. So, back in 2015, Australia became the first country from Oceania to join the clearly Europe-centric competition. It what was supposed to be a one-off move, but we've been singing along ever since. In 2019, to celebrate five years of belting out pop tunes on the world stage, we even scored our very own pre-Eurovision event to pick the Aussie entrant — and it's coming back in 2022. Yes, SBS Australia is once again hosting Eurovision - Australia Decides, putting together a series of live performance shows to highlight potential entrants. The general public can attend, and then vote for the song and singer that'll follow in Guy Sebastian, Dani Im, Isaiah Firebrace, Jessica Mauboy, Kate Miller-Heidke and Montaigne's footsteps. As for who's doing the singing, prepare to hear Paulini, Jaguar Jonze, Sheldon Riley, G-Nat!on and Andrew Lambrou all vie to represent Australia — with more acts still to be announced. Eurovision - Australia Decides will be hosted by Myf Warhurst and Joel Creasey, who've hosted Australia's Eurovision coverage since 2017. Head along to one of the three shows on Friday, February 25 and Saturday, February 26 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Melbourne-based watercolour artist Kelogsloops has built a 1.4 million-strong following for his dreamy images. As a kid, he spent hours in his room, lost in his sketchbooks. As an adult, he turned his passion into a profession, and regularly exhibits in Melbourne, Los Angeles and New York. Sharing his tips with others online has long been part of Kelogsloops' mission. And now, he's hosting a weekend of hands-on masterclasses in Brisbane, where you can learn from him IRL. In a small group, you'll spend three days finding out how Kelogsloops merges traditional and digital techniques, drawing on all kinds of influences. These range from film and video games to masters like Monet and Klimt, and contemporary artists like Yoshitaka Amano and James Jean. The masterclasses will focus on drawing and painting techniques, particularly mixing skin tones and colour, to create the stylised watercolour portraits that are Kelogsloops' specialty. Artists of all levels are all welcome. Whether you haven't drawn a picture since primary school or have a years-long practice, you're in with a very good chance of learning something new.
Dwayne Johnson (aka 'The Rock') is an absolute Hollywood powerhouse. Just physically the guy's so strong he looks like he could bench press someone while they were bench-pressing. Yet there's so much more than brute force to this wrestler-turned-box office behemoth. In recent times he's had years (such as 2013) where his films have grossed more than US $1 billion combined. With more instalments of the unstoppable Fast and Furious franchise on the horizon, he's fast becoming the most bankable man in the business. No wonder, then, he's recently been hailed as the official heir-apparent to the king of action – Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then there's Kevin Hart, fast-becoming a movie-making powerhouse in his own right. Since just 2014 he's already churned out thirteen films, prompting Chris Rock to joke at the Oscars that not even porn stars make them as quickly as he does. Hart is increasingly being likened to Eddie Murphy for his style of comedy, his likability and his growing credentials as an action-comedy star. With all that said, the only thing surprising about Central Intelligence is how long it took to actually put Hart and Johnson together. And if you're wondering, yes, the film immediately went to no.1 on the US Box Office. Plot wise, there's very little to speak of. Johnson plays Bob Stone, an unflappable CIA operative who may or may not have gone rogue from the Agency, and who twenty years prior was the enormously fat kid subjected to relentless bullying by just about everyone other than Hart in his high school. On the eve of their school reunion, Stone reaches out to Hart's character, Calvin Joyner – the former class president and guy voted 'most likely to succeed'. Joyner is now a mid-level accountant in the throws of a mid-life crisis. Together, the pair quickly find themselves pursued by the CIA as they chase down some secret classified information. It's a classic odd-couple, buddy action comedy in the vein of the Schwarzenegger/DeVito movie Twins, only with far less class and only the most threadbare of storylines. Both Hart and Johnson throw themselves completely into their roles, without which the film would be a proper stinker. They're both terrifically funny actors, and Johnson's deadpan delivery of ridiculous lines is when the movie is at its strongest. It's just frustrating to see the current kings of action and comedy let down by a movie in which the action is entirely dull and derivative, and the comedy is so absent that the only real laughs come from the outtakes playing over the final credits. It all has a feeling of 'she'll be right, mate', relying far too heavily on the celebrity and charisma of its leading men instead of giving them a clever, considered script through which to showcase all that they're capable of. The film does also boast a handful of 'surprise cameos' that briefly recapture your attention, but they're not enough to cover up the gaping holes in plot or direction. Full of potential yet thin on substance, Central Intelligence is best seen as a challenge to the next writer-director to put this pair together. Imagine how brightly these two stars could shine if only they had a decent script. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxEw3elSJ8M
UPDATE, August 9, 2020: Kusama: Infinity is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. Early in Kusama: Infinity, a series of black-and-white drawings and paintings take pride of place. Unsurprisingly given the documentary's subject, they're filled with dots. The artworks rank among Yayoi Kusama's earliest creations, with the Japanese icon starting her love affair with the medium — and with the circles that she repeatedly wields as a motif — when she was ten years old. Nearly eight decades later, she's still following those passions in pieces littered with dots and pumpkins, and in infinity rooms filled with orbs too. Of course, now the entire world gets to share in the eye-catching results. The path from creatively curious child to international superstar hasn't been quick or smooth for Kusama, which is the crux of Heather Lenz's film. As a kid, Kusama's mother would snatch away her paper while she was still drawing — and even as a twenty-something, it was only writing to American artist Georgia O'Keeffe that gave her the confidence to move to the US. Virtually ignored in conservative post-war Japan, she was hardly the toast of New York when she arrived in the late 1950s. That's the reality of an artist considered a sensation in her eighties: all of that fame and acclaim only came after a lifetime of hard work. Directing, writing, producing and editing her first full-length documentary, Lenz explores the inescapable truth at the heart of Kusama's story. In the process, she also gives viewers a Kusama 101 lesson. The dots, dilemmas and dramas flicker across the screen, furnishing a tale that's as much about the doors that wouldn't open to the young artist as it is about the boundaries that she dared to push. In Japan, she was a woman who defied convention by refusing to become a dutiful housewife. In America, she was both a woman in a male-dominated realm and a foreigner in an unwelcoming land. Everything about Kusama's story is vital and essential — as important and affecting as staring into one of her mirrored cubes, or seeing her dots completely envelop a room. But while Kusama: Infinity clearly recognises that fact, the movie remains happy to chronicle its subject in the usual art doco manner. Experts impart explanatory narration, sometimes as talking heads. Clips showcase a feast of different pieces, spanning paintings, sculptures, installations, videos and even America's first queer wedding ceremonies. Kusama herself lends her thoughts, which are relayed as interviews as well as voiceover. There's gorgeous sights and biographical insights aplenty, but the film never quite breaks the mould in the same fashion as the artist at its core. Thankfully, Kusama: Infinity's array of artwork works its charms. How could it not? If Kusama's pieces feel more than a little otherworldly just as they are, seeing them blown up on a big screen makes them larger than life. Colour, shape, movement, an intoxicating sense of repetition — they all dance through her creations, and through the movie as a result. As they do, one of the picture's opening remarks lingers: "I convert the energy of life into dots of the universe," Kusama offers. "And that energy, along with love, flies into the sky." Kusama herself proves the film's other highlight, for devotees and newcomers alike. Her work may tell a thousand stories — tales that the doco's well-selected archival photographs of the artist only enhance — however there's nothing like hearing about Kusama's life, motivations and roadblocks in her own words. There's nothing like seeing her chat to the camera either, with her bobbed red hair a-blazing. First spied wearing a vibrant crimson dress peppered with white polka dots while standing in front of one of her monochrome circle-filled drawings, she provides an instant visual reminder of why her art strikes a chord. It might be impossible to capture the enigma that is Kusama in one 85-minute documentary, but her inimitable allure is evident every time the artist herself brightens up the screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRqxWNn3iQU
It's the best action movie of this century. The best Australian flick of the same period, too. And, it's one of the very best in general as well. But, because the arid expanse that usually surrounds Broken Hill was too green when filming took place, six-time Oscar-winner Mad Max: Fury Road was actually shot overseas. That won't be the case with its follow up Furiosa, though. Focusing on a younger version of the character played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road, Furiosa is actually a prequel — and it'll begin filming in New South Wales in June this year. The Queen's Gambit lead Anya Taylor-Joy will be stepping into the formidable figure's shoes, and starring opposite Chris Hemsworth. Watchmen's Yahya Abdul Mateen II will also feature and, although no other cast members have yet to be announced, it's safe to expect that plenty of local faces will pop up as well. It has been six years since Fury Road first motored its way across the big screen, so Furiosa can't arrive soon enough. Exactly when the latter will actually hit cinemas is yet to be revealed, but it'll do so after a relatively short gap by Mad Max standards. If you feel like you've been waiting for ages to see the franchise continue, it's worth remembering that there was a 30-year gap between 1985's not-so-great Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Fury Road's triumphant arrival in 2015. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the news today, Monday, April 19, noting that the shoot "is expected to support more than 850 local jobs and bring in around $350 million into the NSW economy". And while it's all good and well that the Mad Max series is continuing, that it'll be shot in Australia and that it has quite an impressive cast, that'd really mean nothing if director George Miller wasn't involved. Thankfully, he'll be back behind the lens, as he has been on 1979's Mad Max, 1981's Mad Max 2, and both Beyond Thunderdome and Fury Road as well. Obviously, a sneak peek of Furiosa won't be available for quite some time given that it hasn't even begun shooting yet, but you can relive Fury Road's glory in its trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEJnMQG9ev8 Furiosa will start filming in NSW in June. Exactly when the film will hit cinemas hasn't yet been revealed, but we'll update you with details when they're announced
Choose life. Choose celebrating a movie that defined the '90s, made Ewan McGregor a star and instantly made everyone's favourite flicks of all time list. Choose spending 2017 revelling in all things Trainspotting. Film fans already have long-awaited sequel T2: Trainspotting (which is scheduled for a February release) to look forward to, and now theatre fans in Australia can choose something else: Trainspotting Live. Choose 75 minutes of intense, immersive page-to-stage antics, as based on Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel about Edinburgh heroin addicts, and first adapted for the theatre in the UK back in 1995. Yes, that means that Harry Gibson's award-winning original stage version was written before Danny Boyle's iconic 1996 movie — and you haven't really experienced the story of Renton, Begbie, Sick Boy and company until you've seen it acted out, live and in person, right in front of you. Transporting its all-Scottish cast and their distinctive accents to Adelaide from February 17 to March 19, Melbourne's fortyfivedownstairs from March 22 to April 13, and Brisbane Powerhouse from April 19 to 22, Trainspotting Live does more than that — it also brings the audience into the show, starting with an extended rave, and even including the infamous 'Worst Toilet in Scotland' scene. It's no wonder that the production has been selling out shows in London, and earning rave reviews for its no-holds-barred approach. The fact that it's being staged by In Your Face Theatre should give you an indication of what you're in for. Welsh — that is, the man who literally wrote the book, plus a sequel, prequel and Begbie-focused spin-off, and recently floated the idea of a TV adaptation — called Trainspotting Live the "best way to experience Trainspotting", in case you needed any more convincing. Just don't go confusing it with the BBC television program of the same name, which is actually about looking at railways. Trainspotting Live plays in Adelaide from February 17 to March 19, at Melbourne's Fortyfivedownstairs from March 22 to April 13, and at Brisbane Powerhouse from April 19 to 22, 2017. For more information, visit the production website.
When Respect first breaks out its titular track, it's the original Otis Redding version that echoes in the background. The song plays in the Franklin household as Aretha (Jennifer Hudson, Cats) and her family listen, and the scene bubbles with anticipation for the thing everyone watching knows will come. Shortly afterwards, the Queen of Soul tinkers at the piano in the deep of night, her excitement buoyant after hearing her first big hit 'I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)' on the radio. Her sisters Erma (Saycon Sengbloh, Scandal) and Carolyn (Hailey Kilgore, Amazing Stories) join in, and they're all soon rearranging Redding's tune into the single that cements Aretha's status as a music superstar. For the entire film up to this point, viewers have also heard the Franklins, including patriarch and preacher CL (Forest Whitaker, City of Lies), refer to Aretha using a nickname. "Ree" they call her again and again, and soon "ree, ree, ree" is exactly what Erma and Carolyn sing on backing vocals. It's a neat and also exuberant moment. Respect quickly segues to Aretha and her sisters crooning 'Respect' at Madison Square Garden to a rapturous crowd, but watching the track come together has already proven electric. Something can be orderly and expected and potent and rousing all at once, as this movie happily demonstrates regarding its namesake — but for most of its 2.5-hour running time, Respect is content to careen between inescapably formulaic and occasionally powerful. In other words, Respect is a standard music biopic. The genre will never stop expanding — films about Elvis, Madonna, Boy George, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston are currently in various stages of development — but flicks about famous musicians have peppered cinemas with frequency recently. Thankfully, Aretha's stint in the cinematic spotlight doesn't merely shuffle through a greatest hits album like Bohemian Rhapsody. All her well-known songs are accounted for, though, and it definitely doesn't strive to shake up the template as Rocketman managed so vividly. And with Judy and The United States vs Billie Holiday still fresh in filmgoing music-lovers' memories, Respect can't help feeling like it's striking the same beats. The faces and tunes change, but the overall journey remains undeniably similar. The fact that so many iconic female singers' stories navigate comparable paths is a horrible indictment of the way women have long been treated in the music industry; however, the fact that the movies telling their tales can't completely shake that air of familiarity can never quite do them justice. Respect begins with young Aretha (lively debutant Skye Dakota Turner) being roused from sleep by her father to sing at one of his well-attended house parties. It's 1952, and to an audience that includes Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, she breaks out a rendition of the latter's 'My Baby Likes to Be-Bop' — and "she's 10 but her voice is going on 30" is the shared reaction. This obviously isn't the last time that Aretha unleashes her astonishing voice in Respect, and that everyone in earshot reacts accordingly. When she's accosted by an unnamed man in her bedroom afterwards, it isn't the last time the film veers between highs and lows, either. First-time feature director Liesl Tommy and screenwriter Tracey Scott Wilson (Fosse/Verdon) repeat that pattern, embracing it as comfortably as their key figure croons any song she chooses. But where their subject transcends every ditty she trills, Respect can't be said to do the same. Even viewers unaware of the ups and downs of Aretha's life will still know where each second of the film is headed. The choice to end with 2016 footage of the real-life singer piping '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman' is a classic biopic touch, of course, but it's preceded by far more predictable choices again and again. Accordingly, as a child Aretha wrestles with her mother's (Audra McDonald, Beauty and the Beast) untimely death, and her own abuse, to evolve from singing in church for her father and family friend Martin Luther King (Gilbert Glenn Brown, Stargirl) to starting her career under her dad's ferocious guidance. From there, she struggles to turn her early Columbia Records releases into successes, yearns to make music that means something to her and defies her father by marrying small-time producer Ted White (Marlon Wayans, On the Rocks). The children she has as a teenager remain with her family as her path leads to Atlantic Records, veteran record producer Jerry Wexler (Marc Maron, Joker) and recording with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section in Alabama, which is where early hits like 'Respect' and 'Ain't No Way' come to life. But her marriage to Ted isn't happy, and coping with his violence takes its toll. So does touring, recording and working non-stop, including when she weds her tour manager Ken Cunningham (Albert Jones, Mindhunter), and later decides to make her best-selling gospel album Amazing Grace. It's never a smart idea to remind your audience that a better movie exists on the same topic, so the decision to recreate parts of Aretha's Amazing Grace performance — as also seen in the magnificent documentary of the same name that only reached cinemas in 2019 — is misjudged. This section of Respect does let Hudson shine, and Aretha's music do the same, though. Alongside the dazzling costuming, they're the film's biggest assets the whole way through. While the script sticks to well-worn territory, cramming its subject's story to fit the usual music biopic mould and giving the entire affair a handsome period sheen, Hudson injects power and presence into her portrayal. The Dreamgirls Oscar-winner has the talent to do Aretha's songs proud, too. But she also makes viewers wish that everything around her performance, the tunes she's singing and the clothes she's wearing didn't fall victim to the usual cliches. This film has ample respect for the woman at its centre, but it also approaches the act of bringing her life to the screen like it's simply taking care of business.
Not all blasts from the past are welcome — and not all trips down memory lane turn out the way you might expect them to. That's a telling message for our nostalgia-soaked times, where everything old always seems to be new again. It's also one Australian actor, writer and producer Joel Edgerton is pushing in his first film in the director's chair. His filmmaking debut, The Gift, is so steeped in tension and wariness about previous deeds, figures and altercations that it crafts a psychological thriller out of it. The feature starts, as many moody mysteries do, with a married pair moving to a new home. Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are fleeing their recent baggage for a fresh beginning, the former starting a different job, the latter readying the house for trying to start a family. Out shopping one day, they meet Gordo (Edgerton, starring as well as helming), who recognises Simon from high school, though not vice versa. The three make polite, tentative plans to catch up; however, Gordo takes the pleasantries quite a bit more seriously than his reunited pals. Cue the beginnings of a stalker drama that wouldn't feel out of place as a late '80s or early '90s effort featuring Michael Douglas — and that's a compliment. Showing his skill behind as well as in front of the camera, Edgerton ramps up the creepiness in the film's mood, script and in his supporting turn. He's also made a movie that combines slick packaging and mature-skewed content; a glossy piece of entertainment for teens, this isn't. Indeed, again finding inspiration in familiar territory, The Gift isn't just concerned with the series of presents Gordo leaves Simon and Robyn, or his unwanted encroaching on their space, or the not-so-truthful tales he tells to get close to them, but with the chasm between how things appear and how they really are at all levels. There's a reason the audience is instantly aware that the seemingly happy couple aren't really, and that they always feel that Gordo seems both odd and somewhat sweet. Yes, appearances can be deceiving. As a screenwriter, Edgerton best explores the conflict that springs when ghosts from the past expose lies from the present through his characters — and as a filmmaker, through some stellar performances. The director himself straddles the fine line between strange and sympathetic, Hall brings depth to the role of the woman trapped in the middle, and it's always a pleasure to see Bateman flirt with playing the bad guy (the murkiness surrounding Simon and Gordo is The Gift's strong point). When the film devolves into one too many twists, and tries to offer a too-definitive ending — when it finally gets there — it loses steam. Remaining ambiguous and toying with the dynamic between the central trio is what keeps things intriguing. Accordingly, although The Gift may not always balance its generic elements with its ambitions, it revels in trying to present a well-produced piece of unnerving cinema. Here, it mostly succeeds too, because rare is the film that can balance overt jump scares with patient puzzling conveyed through dialogue, and follow a formula yet retain interest.
Viewing overload may be a thoroughly modern dilemma, but it's one that we can all relate to. And, it doesn't just apply to the sheer volume of options these days — across cinema releases, film festivals, regular television, pay TV and the growing number of streaming platforms, for example — but also to the types of stories told. If you're feeling a little like you've seen every superhero flick, upbeat rom-com tale, cop procedural and bromance buddy comedy ever made, then the SBS Short Film Festival is here to deliver a huge dose of diversity. The new three-day event's main aim: to showcase not only different subjects, topics and formats, but work made by creators who are typically underrepresented in the screen industry. Dropping on SBS On Demand across Friday, September 13 and Sunday, September 15, the festival will feature 14 shorts, all from Australian talents — including folks from multicultural and Indigenous backgrounds, members of the LGBTIQ+ community and those living with disabilities. Different shorts will hit the free platform each day, recreating the real-world film festival experience. Of course, to enjoy this event, you just need a TV, laptop or smartphone. Highlights include the Aaron Pedersen-starring Out of Range, which sees the acclaimed actor plays a father trying to reconnect with his estranged son on the road; Amar, about the groom-less wedding of a Muslim woman with Down syndrome; and Bananas and Flavour Swap, each exploring the bonds of food and culture. On the documentary front, Limited Surrender focuses on an artist's plight after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, while Lost Daylight examines the stolen generation from a personal perspective, through the tale of a woman who was placed in the Sisters of Mercy convent at Brisbane's All Hallows' school in 1950s and 60s. Other titles include The Loop, hailing from Lorcan Hopper, a first-time television director with Down syndrome; Deafinition, which crafts its sights and sounds through the perspective of someone who is profoundly deaf; and the three-part Monsters of Many Worlds, a combination of live-action and animation on the topic of mythical creatures. The SBS Short Film Festival stems from the Short-Form Content Initiative, which is committed to increasing opportunities for Australian creatives from diverse communities. The 14 films were shot across Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania, with funding assistance from Film Victoria, Screen Queensland, Screenwest, South Australian Film Corporation and Screen Tasmania. Check out the festival trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ex32L9dC9k The SBS Short Film Festival hits SBS On Demand between Friday, September 13 and Sunday, September 15. Images: The Small Town Drifter, Michael O'Neill, Blur Films / Out of Range, Ryan Alexander Lloyd / Amar, Zahra Habibullah / Deafinition / Flavour Swap, Amy Brown / Lives In Action, Jurban Botany.
What's better than a weekly stroll around a farmer's market? Pairing your perusing and purchasing with a party. If you help Kuraby Markets celebrate their fourth birthday, they'll help you add more fun to your Saturday. Come May 20, there'll be more than the usual selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, baked goods, seafood and meat, arts and crafts, homemade items and homewares, and secondhand items on offer on Beenleigh Road. Prepare to stock up your cupboards and wardrobe, and prepare to eat cake as well. While the markets run from 6am until noon, once 9.30am ticks over, there'll be free birthday cake for everyone. It mightn't be your usual breakfast, but it's a great start to the day nonetheless. With themed decorations, a specialty cake and cupcake stall, and a yet-to-be-revealed birthday giveaway part of the shenanigans, it's the shindig that gives all of its guests a gift.
With gigs and shows popping back onto calendars again over the last six months, bands and concert promoters have been forced to get creative to abide by COVID-19 restrictions. Local favourites have thrown seated gigs in small regional towns, performed to a sea of cars at drive-in concerts and are even set to take to revolving stages as part of NSW's first major music festival of 2021. Although gathering restrictions have begun to roll back and normalcy is beginning to return to the live music scene across the country, these unique opportunities to catch bands in unexpected locations don't seem to be going anywhere. Take Live At Last, for instance. It's the new live music series that will see fan-favourite Australian musicians perform at intimate venues across the country. In Sydney, it'll feature Hockey Dad, the band behind the aforementioned drive-in gigs, who'll perform in beloved bar Frankie's Pizza on Thursday, April 29. The show will be a unique chance enjoy Frankie's new Dan Pepperell-crafted pizza menu while catching the Wollongong surf-rock duo up close, with the CBD bar having a much smaller capacity than the 3000-person Big Top Luna Park the band recently sold out. A venue the size of Frankie's playing host a band of Hockey Dad's popularity could result in chaos, so you'll have to win tickets in order to get access to the gig. To go into the ballot to head along, you just need to hit up the Secret Sounds website and enter your details. Announced after the Hockey Dad show — but happening the day before — is Live At Last's Brisbane stopover. Last Dinosaurs and Dear Seattle will hit the stage at The Triffid on Wednesday, April 28. To head along, you'll also need to try to win tickets via the Secret Sounds website. Then, the series of gigs is set to move to other parts of the country. If you're wondering where else Live At Last will head, that's yet to be revealed. [caption id="attachment_772790" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hockey Dad by Ian Laidlaw[/caption] Live At Last is set to kick off on Wednesday, April 28 with Last Dinosaurs and Dear Seattle at The Triffid in Brisbane — and then head to Frankie's Pizza on Thursday, April 29 with Hockey Dad. To win tickets and to keep an eye out for future events, head to the event's website. Top image: Frankie's Pizza by Katje Ford Updated April 16.
If you're of an age when you can remember burning your friend's So Fresh CD so you could stay up to date with the coolest songs of the season, congrats. You're old now. But also, congrats, because you will seriously enjoy this So Fresh shindig. Returning for yet another year, the old-school get-together to end all old-school get-togethers is coming to Eaton's Hill Hotel on Saturday, June 19, and it'll be playing bangers strictly of the 2000s vintage. You can expect a disturbing percentage of Channel 10 alums (Australian Idol winners/losers and ex-Neighbours actors) as well as way too much Nickelback for polite company. Also, just throwing this out there: we're desperately hoping for a timely comeback of the Duff sisters duet 'Our Lips Are Sealed'. This time around, the retro tunes will come with plenty of party fun, with a ball pit, jumping castle, balloon drop, silent disco and face-painting, plus free fairy floss, lollipops, Zooper Doopers and rainbow Paddlepops. Oh, and it's a pyjama party, so you know what you need to wear. Tickets are on sale now, and of course it's obviously 18 and over — because if you're under 18 you definitely don't know what So Fresh is. Or CDs, probably. And if you need some motivation, let the Duff sisters take care of that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRfvBPkIQ9M
It has only been a few months since Finders Keepers last came to town, unleashing its spring and summer lineup upon Brisbane. But the gift-buying time of year is well and truly upon us, and not everyone was organised enough to pick up all their pressies in October — so the ever-expanding art and design market is heading back for a one-day pop-up. As it's been doing for over a decade now, Finders Keepers will once again bring shoppers face-to-face with some of the country's most quirky and creative designers — this time from 9am–4pm on Saturday, December 4 at Alexandria Park in Bowen Hills. The focus remains, as ever, on helping you discover and connect with the next wave of independent and emerging artisans. Expect to find everything from jewellery, fashion and ceramics to leather goods, body products and items for your pets. Many of the market's seasoned vendors will also return — so, if you've been kicking yourself since last round that you didn't pick something up, you're in luck. This market is happening outdoors, which means there's no entry fee and plenty of grass for BYO picnics. That said, when the inevitable shopping-induced hunger strikes, there'll be food trucks and coffee spots on offer if you haven't brought something with you.
