Another day, another boozy art class. Brisbanites, we'd have a problem if combining alcohol and creativity wasn't the perfect way to unwind. After Cork & Chroma, Boozy Board Art, Botanical Drawing with Drinks, Pub Painting and Pastels & Plonk comes Watercolour & Wine. The city's vino lovers really should be quite the Picassos by now. Making its return for 2018, this Work-Shop session takes place at the drink-friendly time of 6.30pm on February 22. Attendees will learn the basics of painting with watercolours, all with a glass of wine in their hand. Don't worry, you won't have to literally keep a brush in one mitt and a beverage in the other — unless you want to. Taught by artist Vanessa Wallace, each class includes her tips — including observation skills, methods of drawing and composition, and, of course, a primer in applying watercolours — plus all the supplies and materials you'll need on the day, and grapey drinks. If you've never tried your hand before, it's a relaxed way to give it a go. If you're a more seasoned watercolour fiend, it's a fun way to refresh your skills.
While Australians are practising social distancing in a bid to contain COVID-19, Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan wants people to "binge on study" rather than "bingeing on Netflix". And the government is helping you do just that by slashing the prices of some online short-course degrees and diplomas. Hosted by "world-class universities and private providers", the reduced-price courses will start in early May and run for six months. They'll allow unemployed Aussies to retrain in "national priority areas", such as nursing, teaching, health, IT and science — areas in which the country is going to to need trained workers "as we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic", Tehan said in a statement. The price of the courses will be cut significantly, too, with Tehan telling SBS that "the cost of these courses has been reduced by over 50 percent, and in some instances up to 74 percent." In an interview with ABC Radio on Monday, April 13, Tehan revealed that six-month courses in nursing, teaching, counselling, English, maths, foreign languages and agriculture will be $1250, while allied health, other health, IT, architecture and building, science engineering, medical science and environmental studies will set you back $2500. Similarly to other university courses, you'll be able to get a HELP loan, which you'll then repay when you start earning above a certain threshold. There'll be two types of short-courses available, according to Tehan: graduate certificates with some prerequisites and diploma certificates that require no prior learning. "You could either use them to reskill, or you can use them to change careers, or just to start learning," Tehan said in the interview. To enrol in one of these six-month courses, you'll need to apply directly to a university — but you may need to wait a couple of weeks. As Tehan told ABC Radio, "courses [are] being developed as we speak, which will be ready to go in the early weeks of May". Swinburne University, which already has a range of online teaching courses, says in a statement on its website that it's "working with the Federal government and developing short courses in the priority areas of teacher education, health, mental health and counselling, aged care and information technology" and more information will be available in coming weeks. The cheap courses are part of the Federal Government's higher-education relief package, which also includes $18 billion in domestic student payments (regardless of enrolments) and $100 million in regulatory fee relief and six-month exemptions of loan fees associated with Fee-Help and VET Student Loans for students. In NSW, TAFE has already begun offering 21 fee-free short courses to help people diversify their skills during COVID-19. Six-month online courses in 'national priority' areas are to be offered at public and private universities across the country from early May. To enrol, you'll need to apply directly to a university.
When the weather gets cold (well, Brisbane cold) there's nothing better than bundling up inside a gallery and taking cover from whatever's going on outside. Make a mission of it by hitting a few exhibitions in a day, or hole up in one of the bigger galleries for an entire afternoon. This month, we'll be taking cover within GOMA's two awesome July exhibitions, cosily celebrating UQ Art Museum's 40th birthday and collecting warmth from Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori's retrospective at the Queensland Art Gallery. If you read on, you can do the same. Top image: An-My Le / Ship Security, US Naval Hospital Ship Comfort, Haiti (from 'Events Ashore' series) 2010 / The Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art. Purchased 2011 with funds from Michael Sidney Myer through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery / © The artist.
If you've ever watched a U.S.-made Christmas movie (or several), you've probably come to a surprising realisation. While Christmas Day is the main festive event in Australia, our American friends are much more focused on the evening prior. That's when families come together and share a meal, and that's exactly when The Stamford Plaza encourages you to do the same. Of course, their night-before food fun features not only roasts and dessert selections aplenty, but a seafood buffet as well — because some Aussie traditions just can't be beaten. They're also serving up another feast on December 25, in case you just can't bring yourself to break with convention.
Since exploding onto the music scene with an unorthodox mix of hazy acoustics and glitch electronics, Baths have been embraced by some of the most well-respected members of the music press community. Now twenty-one, Baths aka Will Wiesenfold, has been creating music since he was four, and incorporates everything from the normality of guitars and bass to unexpected clanks of scissors, pens and rustling blankets into his incredible and astonishing sound. More than just a DJ twiddling knobs and double-clicking ready made samples, the chill-wave maestro has been compared to South Carolina’s Toro Y Moi and saw his debut 2010 album, Cerulean have tracks featured on MTV’s Skins. Baths will be supported by the deep, beat-driven oceanscope that is the catchy and slippery, Fishing.
For some of Australia's major film festivals, this year hasn't turned out quite as they'd hoped. Sydney Film Festival was forced to postpone its event until November due to Sydney's lockdown, while the Melbourne International Film Festival had to ditch its in-cinema plans and run as a solely online fest for the second year running. But when the end of October rolls around, the Brisbane International Film Festival will be hoping to roll out its red carpet — and to screen a sizeable lineup of movies to Brisbanites on the city's big screens. This year's BIFF is set to take over New Farm Cinemas, The Elizabeth Picture Theatre, Reading Newmarket, Dendy Coorparoo, Palace James Street and GOMA's Australian Cinémathèque, all between Thursday, October 21–Sunday, October 31. And, the 11-day event will launch with one of the best Australian films of the year, with the Leah Purcell-starring and -directed The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson kicking off this year's festival. The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson was initially meant to do the same honours at MIFF, until that fest jumped online. Now, it leads a BIFF program that's also just announced three of its other big highlights. So, as well as looking forward to the Aussie drama — which sees Purcell continue to interrogate Henry Lawson's iconic story after previously bringing her version to the stage and page — Brisbane cinephiles will be able to see The Worst Person in the World, the Norwegian comedy-drama that picked the Best Actress prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, and Compartment Number 6, a Russian flick about strangers meeting on a train that nabbed two awards at Cannes. And, there's also Petite Maman, the eagerly anticipated new film from Portrait of a Lady on Fire's Céline Sciamma. The rest of the fest's lineup will be announced on Friday, October 1, and will mark the first program under BIFF's new setup. The festival has been through more than a few iterations over the years, after it was unceremoniously cancelled after its 2013 fest in favour of the short-lived Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival, then revived by Palace Cinemas in 2017, and then run by the Gallery of Modern Art from 2018–20. Now, it sits under Film Fantastic, who also organise the Gold Coast Film Festival, with the organisation winning a three-year tender for the 2021–23 events. Under Film Fantastic CEO Josh Martin and BIFF Program Manager Sasha Close, BIFF 2021 will screen a range of both Queensland and Australian premieres, and a lineup that Close says "has been carefully curated by the programming team and is diverse, fresh and entertaining." The 2021 Brisbane International Film Festival will run between Thursday, October 21–Sunday, October 31. Check out the event's just-announced titles by heading to the festival website — and we'll bring you details of its full program on Friday, October 1.
Brisbane isn't quite the centre of the universe, but it was supposed to feel that way this March. For five days from Wednesday, March 9–Sunday, March 13, all things science and technology were set to take over the city as part of the only Asia-Pacific offshoot of New York's World Science Festival, which Brissie has hosted since 2016. Think: talks, panels, workshops and films, all about science and technology, as well as both science and art installations. But, then the weather intervened. Accordingly, this year's in-person festival has been cancelled — including everything from its movie program at the Gallery of Modern Art to its stargazing night and sustainability market. Installation-focused art, science and technology offshoot Curiocity Brisbane has been postponed, too, with new dates for later in the year set to be announced. "This is the second time the festival has been cancelled, first in 2020 due to COVID, and now in 2022 as a result of this extreme weather," said Queensland Museum Network CEO Dr Jim Thompson. He continued: "the impacts of flooding at Queensland Museum, Queensland Cultural Centre and across South Bank Parklands, and the personal impact to some our incredible participants and staff, means we're not able to reschedule our main program of events. If the last two years have taught us anything, it's that our supporters are loyal and our team are versatile and able to adapt to changing situations quickly, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by the floods." That's the bad news. In better news, World Science Festival Brisbane has pivoted to an online-only program, which'll run across the same festival dates. The smaller lineup of livestreamed events and talks includes chats about Einstein and quantum entanglement, a step into the space race and an exploration of humanity's fascination with Mars. Also, there's a session on a very apt topic: the weather. The digital lineup still features an impressive range of talent, spanning leading scientists, musicians, journalists and academics from around Australia and the world — such as World Science Festival co-founder Professor Brian Green, space archaeologist Dr Alice Gorman, Queensland Chief Scientist Professor Hugh Possingham and Torres Strait Islander human rights lawyer Sasha Purcell. Also streaming: a selection of pre-recorded past conversations on the scientific search for a fountain of youth, cybercrime, the darkness of the universe, the rights of nature and coral. World Science Festival Brisbane 2022 is no longer going ahead as an in-person event, but will run virtually from Wednesday, March 9–Sunday, March 13 instead. For more information and to buy tickets, head to the World Science Festival Brisbane website.
When the clock strikes midnight this Good Friday, where are you going to be? We know, we know — Easter isn't really like New Year's. But if you're heading to one particular Brisbane party, timing is important. Pubs and clubs can't operate as normal, which means anyone looking for some fun has be to a bit more creative. The folks at Oh Hello have done just that, starting their Easter Rave as Friday night officially becomes Saturday. Expect DJs spinning your favourite electronic tracks, plus all the UV lights, a laser show, glow sticks and smoke machines you could want. If you're keen to dress up like a glow-in-the-dark rabbit and dance the early hours of the morning away, this is the place to be. Image: Oh Hello.
In Footloose, Kevin Bacon danced to overcome his anger. In Hot Rod, Andy Samberg did as well. In First Things First, performer and choreographer Joseph Simons dances for a different reason. He's remembering the first time he did certain things, such as going to school, riding a bike and kissing somebody. Actually, he's also exploring the idea of getting used to all of those things — the moment in time when something new and exciting becomes something that you've done before. And, while he's unleashing his blend of virtuosic dance and physical theatre at this year's MELT Festival, he's giving audiences their own initial encounter. That'd be the first time they see his astounding performance.
UPDATE, MARCH 13: Due to concerns around the coronavirus, Disney has announced that The New Mutants will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, April 9, 2020. At present, a new release date has not been announced — we'll update you when one has been revealed. When it comes to superhero cinema, quantity doesn't equal variety. A new caped crusader flick hits screens every month, or so it seems, but many of them follow the same formula. You know the drill, because you've seen it in everything from Captain America to Wonder Woman and several different iterations of Spider-Man: someone with special abilities grapples with their powers, learns how to put them to best use, then faces off against an evil nemesis — saving the world from destruction and devastation in the process. Accordingly, when something dares to break the mould in even the slightest way, it stands out. That's one of the reasons that Marvel's The New Mutants has gathered quite a bit of attention in recent years. Set within the X-Men universe and based on the comics of the same name, it follows a group of young mutants being held against their will in a secret psychiatric hospital, basically plonking them in horror movie territory. There's still plenty that's familiar about the premise, with the titular super-enhanced folks all learning to use their powers while trying to escape captivity — but the tone and approach of the film is definitely a welcome change. The darker, scarier mood is on full display in the just-dropped latest trailer, which also confirms an important piece of information: five years after it was first announced, four years since it was cast and three years after it was shot, The New Mutants finally looks set to hit cinema screens. That hasn't always been a given, with the long-delayed film originally due to release in April 2018, only to be pushed back to February 2019, then August 2019, and now April 2020. Along the way, it has been through cast member changes, script rewrites, reshoots and the Disney acquisition of Fox — aka the company behind the MCU flicks snapping up the company behind the X-Men movies — so if you were skeptical about it actually seeing the light of day, let this new sneak peek allay your fears. As well as its ominous tone and plenty of horror imagery, The New Mutants boasts an impressive cast — including Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams, Stranger Things' Charlie Heaton, and Glass and The Witch's Anya Taylor-Joy. Obviously, given how long ago the film was first shot, they all look quite a bit younger than their most recent screen appearances. And, behind the camera sits director/co-writer Josh Boone, who last helmed teen weepie The Fault in Our Stars. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otomJ2gKHfQ The New Mutants was due to open in Australian cinemas on April 9, 2020; however it'll now release on a yet-to-be-revealed date — we'll update you when one is announced.
New cases, new exposure sites, new restrictions: that's the familiar formula, and it's exactly the process that's underway in Brisbane right now. So, following the reporting of 13 new local COVID-19 cases since Tuesday, September 28 — including six in the past 24 hours — Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has just announced that a heap of rules will be tightened effective 4pm today, Thursday, September 30. The new restrictions will inspire a feeling of deja vu, as they were previously in effect in mid-August. For two weeks, Brisbane is bringing back the rules that fall under Queensland's stage 2 in its COVID-19 roadmap. The same restrictions will apply not only in the Brisbane Local Government Area, but also in the Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Logan, Townsville and Palm Island LGAs. Wondering what's changing? Firstly, there'll be a 30-person limit on gatherings in homes and outdoors in public spaces. Also, density caps in hospitality and venues will return to one person per four-square-metres inside and one person per two-square-metres outside. And, you'll also need to sit down to eat and drink — and dancing is banned again, so it's Footloose time once more. BREAKING: From 4pm today, restrictions will be tightened in the Local Government Areas of Brisbane, Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Logan, Townsville and Palm Island. #covid19 pic.twitter.com/CiXEr0wsNQ — Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) September 30, 2021 Also, there's a 100-person cap on weddings and funerals. At weddings, only 20 people will be able to hit the dance floor — which, in light of the dancing ban elsewhere, is the only place that making shapes will be allowed. Plus, the new rules will amend the capacity at both indoor and outdoor stadiums and events. If they're ticketed and have allocated seating, they can fill to 75-percent capacity. Yes, that'll affect this weekend's NRL Grand Final. Mask rules only tightened back on Tuesday, September 28, and those requirements for covering your face remain in effect. So, you still need to don a mask indoors at all times unless you're eating or drinking, or you're in your own home. You also need to mask up on public transport, in ride shares and while waiting for both — and outdoors if you can't remain 1.5 metres away from people who aren't part of your household. Queensland's standing mask mandate for flights, airports and stadiums remains, and you will also need to still always carry a mask with you no matter where you are. IMPORTANT: Restrictions tighten in parts of Queensland from 4pm today. Here's the latest roadmap 👇 pic.twitter.com/YBv6VeX4KA — Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) September 30, 2021 Announcing the changes, the Premier said that "everyone realises that we've got to put these restrictions in place if we are to avoid a lockdown at this stage. So I want everyone to please take this very seriously and please do the right thing. I'm quite sure that we will be able to get through this like we have deviously if we all do the right thing." That said, locking down if further cases pop up in the community obviously hasn't been ruled out. "It will depend each day how things progress in the state, whether Queenslanders wear their masks, whether they go and get tested... It will be very critical, the next 24–48 hours. about whether or not we see any seeding into the community," said the Premier. "As soon as Dr Young says we need to move into a lockdown, we will," Palaszczuk continued. Queenslanders are asked to keep social distancing, maintaining the hygiene practices that have been in place since March 2020, and checking the state's list of exposure sites — and to get tested if you're feeling even the slightest possible COVID-19 symptoms. Southeast Queensland's COVID-19 restrictions will tighten again from 4pm on Thursday, September 30. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website.
"Accio April 2022" isn't something any character has uttered in either the Harry Potter or Fantastic Beasts films, but it's what you might be chanting to yourself right now if you're a fan of both. Four years after the last big-screen entry in the Wizarding World — the franchise that's sprung up around The Boy Who Lived — Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore has just dropped its first trailer. When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 reached cinemas a decade back, it was never going to be the end of the on-screen story. Cue the Fantastic Beasts series, which took an illustrated guide book about magical creatures, spun a story about its magizoologist author Newt Scamander, and started a Harry Potter prequel saga. Conjuring up more enchantment hasn't been quite so straightforward this time around, however — and how you feel about 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald might just depend on how spellbound you are with everything HP. But this franchise-within-a-franchise was always going to go on, and The Secrets of Dumbledore is the third entry in the planned five-film series. When it hits the silver screen next year, The Secrets of Dumbledore will once again give Jude Law another 'young' role; he played The Young Pope, so seeing him step into young Albus Dumbledore's shoes in The Crimes of Grindelwald felt like the most natural thing in the world. And, just like in that last Fantastic Beasts flick, Law's version of the future Hogwarts headmaster is pivotal to Scamander (Eddie Redmayne, The Trial of the Chicago 7) and his pals' efforts to face off against the evil Gellert Grindelwald. That said, Grindelwald, the dark wizard who just keeps trying to control all things magical — and wreak havoc on everything in general — isn't quite the same this time around. Both Colin Farrell (Voyagers) and Johnny Depp (Minamata) have previously played the role, but Mads Mikkelsen (Riders of Justice) has now replaced the latter. As the trailer for The Secrets of Dumbledore shows, Grindelwald is still solemnly up to no good — and his devoted following is only growing — so it's up to Scamander, Dumbledore, Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston, The Third Day), Queenie Goldstein (Alison Sudol, Between Us) and Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler, The Walking Dead) to try to save the day. That requires a dangerous mission led by Scamander, who obviously crosses paths with plenty of beasts (it's right there in the franchise's title). Ezra Miller (Zack Snyder's Justice League) also returns as Credence/Aurelius Dumbledore, while Jessica Williams (Love Life) follows up her brief appearance in The Crimes of Grindelwald by return as Ilvermorny professor Eulalie 'Lally' Hicks. And making the magic happen behind the lens is David Yates, who has directed every Wizarding World film — Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts alike since 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Break out the butterbeer and check out the trailer below: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore opens in cinemas Down Under on April 7, 2022.
In the kind of news that cinephiles dream about, Brisbane's inner east is getting a new cinema. If you're thinking that sounds familiar, that's understandable — but we're not talking about Coorparoo's new Dendy. It's still in the works, as anyone who has driven along Old Cleveland or Cavendish Road lately will have spotted, however, it'll soon have some competition over at Woolloongabba. Adding another picture palace to the eastside mix, Reading Entertainment will be moving into South City Square, the suburb's $600 million urban regeneration project on the corner of Logan Road and Deshon Street. Their eight-screen complex will boast both large and boutique theatres, and will also offer patrons a Gold Class-like dine-in movie experience — think hot food, desserts and licensed bar, if their other sites provide any indication, and not just popcorn and choc tops. The new cinema will form part South City Square's 13,000 square metre retail and dining precinct — and yes, it's as huge as it sounds. A market hall, mix of yoga and relaxation spaces, al fresco dining areas and a supermarket are all slated for the development, as is a central, publicly accessible, 5000 square metre green square. You can't name call your site a square if you don't have one, which developers Pellicano and Perri Projects clearly recognise. South City Square will also include six towers of residential apartments and a five-star hotel, with the first building due to open in June. The whole project is due to be completed by 2022, so don't go looking to book your movie tickets just yet — but know that seeing more flicks in more cinemas is in your future.
It has been twenty years since Kylie Minogue crooned "they called me the wild rose" and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released one of their best albums. However, you can't just shower affection on something as haunting and evocative as Murder Ballads any old way. You have to do it justice. A bunch of musicians and singers plan to do just that for Wonderland 2016 — and while it might seem as though they'll just be offering up their version of the record, there's surely a reason that this one-off performance has been dubbed music theatre. There's more than a little theatricality in Cave's lyrics and the band's songs, of course, but we think audiences should expect something extra special.
Long before its new sequel declared so in its title, The Craft already had a legacy. A horror-thriller about teen witches using and abusing magic to cope with high school's troubles, the 1996 Neve Campbell-starring cult favourite is the quintessential movie of that exact description. It's supremely 90s. It has the cast, look, soundtrack and mood to match. In using the occult to explore adolescent angst, it splashes everything from stormy skies and candle-lit rooms to hordes of rats and snakes across the screen, filling its frames with trusty genre imagery. And, it leans into the torment and toil of being a young woman finding one's way in the world, and of dealing with sleazy schoolboys, racist prom queens, society's obsession with appearance and the tyranny of class differences, too. The overall film has its struggles, but it has always stood out — and retained its place in pop culture. Written and directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Zoe Lister-Jones (Band Aid), The Craft: Legacy is clearly the product of someone who already knows all of the above. It's also the work of someone keen to pay tribute to the original, embrace what she sees as its strengths, redress its wrongs, and update it for a new time and a new generation. But it's possible for a 24-years-later follow-up to show affection, make some smart changes, move with the times and still feel like the remnants left in a cauldron. Or, for it to recall one of its predecessor's famed moments — one it recreates, briefly — in an unintended fashion. When this feature's coven play with levitation, the words "light as a feather, stiff as a board" aren't heard; however, by the end of the movie, they best describe everything that's just happened. Starting as its inspiration did, The Craft: Legacy begins with the arrival of a teen in a new town. Lily (Cailee Spaeny, Devs) and her mother Helen (Michelle Monaghan, Saint Judy) move in with the latter's boyfriend and his three sons — and if the in-car sing-along to Alanis Morrisette's 'Hand in My Pocket' doesn't nod firmly enough in the 90s' direction, the casting of The X-Files' David Duchovny as Adam, the author of a self-help book called 'The Hallowed Masculine' and the object of the head-over-heels Helen's affection, does. Navigating a new school, Lily soon finds herself taunted by resident jock and bully Timmy (Nicholas Galitzine, Share) in an unpleasant classroom incident. But she's also found by Lourdes (Zoey Luna, Pose), Frankie (Gideon Adlon, Blockers) and Tabby (Lovie Simone, Selah and the Spades), who are looking for the west to their north, south and east. They become fast friends, trifling with spells and testing their abilities. They also sneak into Timmy's room and enchant him into becoming the best version of himself. While Timmy provides an early source of nastiness, it's hardly a spoiler to note that he isn't The Craft: Legacy's antagonist. Instead, he's transformed from a jerk that makes fun of menstruation to a sensitive soul who waxes lyrical about Princess Nokia's politics. Any movie that does that was never going to let its darkness spring from its central quartet, either. Lily and her new friends must learn to use magic responsibly, but their mistakes are lessons rather than cautionary tales. The Craft: Legacy also gets its witches to turn a homophobic classmate's coat into a rainbow-hued statement piece, and burn slut-shaming slurs off of lockers. It has Lourdes stand up for trans women like herself, correcting Frankie when she says that giving birth is one of the fairer sex's strengths. It verbally and visibly champions inclusivity at every turn, so it finds its enemy in a glaring source — that'd be toxic masculinity — and the creepy character who personifies it. Often, when a sequel, remake or reboot gestures forcefully at the movie it's based on, it can prove convenient, blatant and overt all at once. Alas, that's how the bulk of The Craft: Legacy plays. In fact, in mimicking setups, scenes or specific lines, Lister-Jones is generally canny and even economical about references to her film's predecessor — so they're frequently the only parts that don't feel bland and routine. If only the same amount of effort had gone into fleshing out the main characters, who are nearly interchangeable, even with their racial and gender diversity. If only the same care had be expended in giving them personalities (loudness is one of the gang's defining traits), backstories and any weirdness, actually. If only the same thoughtfulness had been afforded its villain and all that he stands for, too. Rather than seeing young women become consumed by their blossoming power, and also punishing those who refuse to conform, it's a welcome shift that The Craft: Legacy calls out the patriarchal norms and attitudes that put teenage girls in that situation. And yet the film just seems happy enough to have made that switch, instead of giving it any true weight or substantial depth. The Craft: Legacy is light thematically, and also in plethora of other ways. Visually and tonally, it views witchcraft as fun and colourful. Emotionally, there are few stakes and horrors, so almost everything feels unimportant and anticlimactic. As a result, there's also a stiffness to the film — as though it's trying so hard to be loose, open, breezy and upbeat that it actually proves strained and wooden instead. A likeable cast of women can't change that. Neither can a late plot inclusion that's predictable, but possesses more intrigue than the rest of the movie. It's fitting that The Craft: Legacy's witches treat their abilities like superpowers, because the film recalls oh-so-many caped crusader flicks in one inescapable regard: by focusing its energies on laying the groundwork for a sequel that isn't guaranteed, and failing to conjure up much more than the bare minimum in the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxZ774gziwU
Underneath the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park lies a labyrinth of more than 600 caves that was once an ancient coral reef. This impressive subterranean system dates back hundreds of millions of years, with slow drips of water creating stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones — and it's located approximately a three-hour-drive west of Cairns. The three caves that are accessible via guided tour are the Royal Arch, Trezkinn and Donna, each with their own distinctive geological features. Ranger tours run daily (except Christmas Day), with local experts guiding visitors through each of the three caves for an hour. The tours include breaks between the caves, allowing time to enjoy a classic pub lunch at the nearby outback hotel. You can also explore First Nations rock art sites, go on bush walks, visit the remarkable Balancing Rock, take a dip at Chillagoe Weir and enjoy a sunset picnic at the historic smelters. Image: Tourism Tropical North Queensland.
Murdering some dance floors should be on every Brisbanite's must-do list this November. That's just what you do when Sophie Ellis-Bextor comes to town to headline this year's Melt Festival. Also on the festival's full bill alongside the British singer: a Queensland-exclusive show by Big Freedia, who you'll know from Beyoncé's 'Formation' and 'Break My Soul', plus Jesswar and JessB. They'll have a heap of company between Thursday, November 10–Sunday, November 27, too, including Shane Jenek, Polytoxic, Brendan Maclean, festival artist-in-residence Dylan Mooney and a Cher-inspired cabaret by Larissa McGowan. As overseen by Festival Curator Daniel Evans, the 18-day fest will welcome Jenek – aka Courtney Act — to chat about his memoir Caught in The Act. Yes, expect his stint on RuPaul's Drag Race season six to get a mention. Meanwhile, McGowan's solo show Cher includes contemporary dance, chameleonic displays, and a pop culture-fuelled exploration of gender and power. Polytoxic's In Your Dreams will enjoy its world premiere at the fest, heroing genderqueer and intersectional artists, and performed as an awards ceremony for the future. As for Maclean, he's bringing his solo show Alone At Last! to Brisbane after its successful debut season at Adelaide Cabaret Festival. And Yuwi, Torres Strait and South Sea Islander man Mooney will continue his impressive recent run of exhibitions, spreading his art across multiple Brisbane Powerhouse spaces and surfaces. Also a highlight: Meltdown, a night of tech house beats from Soul of Detroit featuring John 'Jammin' Collins of Underground Resistance, Sophie Forrest and DJ Enn, as curated by Joel Devereux. It'll also span installations, guest appearances, drag acts and performances, aka one helluva party. There's the Melt Comedy Gala, too, which'll be hosted by Mel Buttle and feature New Zealand comic Chris Parker; Queerstories making a comeback, complete with Benjamin Law among its LGBTQIA+ storytellers; and the similarly returning Lesbian Love Stories. Both the LGBTQIA+ Elders Dance Club hosted by All the Queens Men, and Backbone Youth Arts' Revel in the Queer, will be free to attend — with a huge focus on providing uplifting and safe spaces for queer culture. Keep an eye out for The Good Room's The Chapel of Love, which'll build a chapel — yes, really — on Brisbane Powerhouse's Turbine Platform (taking inspiration from everything from Dolly Parton to Hallmark and Vegas' neon dreams, naturally). Some Melt events will make use of Brisbane Powerhouse's new Pleasuredome, an outdoor venue that's set to join the New Farm site. [caption id="attachment_716453" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Dylan Evans[/caption]
Whether you love exercise, or you need a little extra encouragement to get up and moving, getting active with a drink in your hand is a trend we can all get behind. The Flying Cock certainly is, not only holding regular Beer Yoga evenings, but also putting on the class we can't believe no one thought of earlier: Barre at the Bar. As well as scoring points for an ace name, Barre at the Bar offers up a frosé-sipping combo of pilates, ballet and yoga under the guidance of an experienced instructor. First, you'll drink your frosty rosé while running through a series of squats, plies and leg extensions actually at the bar. Then, you'll keep swilling as you head to the mat for some toning work, and while you're stretching and relaxing afterwards. There'll be a suitable soundtrack to keep you in a zesty mood, in a fitness class open to old barre pros, first-timers and everyone else. The next boozy session takes place on January 31, with $20 tickets including your first beverage. Getting fit and enjoying a cold one at the same time is certain to be popular, so booking quickly is recommended.
Drop into almost any fitness class you feel like, without worrying about gym contracts? That's the idea behind Esquared, a new app that lets you find and book your chosen workout session regardless of where it's held (and, crucially, regardless of whether you're a member at the venue in question). Aiming to add some extra flexibility to your fitness routine, Esquared is all about hooking you up with the right class in the right place, giving you control of when and where you work out. Need to go for a spin on one side of the city one day, and hit the barre on the other side over the weekend? Not sure where your schedule will take you, but still keen to fit in a training session when and where you can? Esquared has you covered. Drawing upon a range of participating gyms, the app allows you to pick the session, timeslot and venue that suits you, pay in advance and then walk right in. And, with data displayed in real time, you can select classes on the same day, the next day or any time in the next 30 days. Founded in the UK by former accountant turned pro-athlete Eleni Plakitsi, Esquared will jump from London to Sydney on Monday, September 3, with more than 50 partner gyms already onboard — spanning everywhere from CBD and Surry Hills spots, to the likes of Bondi, Manly, Double Bay, Newtown and North Sydney as well. It's offering a $40 credit to everyone that signs up in advance and, once it's up and running in Australia, will give users access to classes and gym floors across its participating venues. The no-strings-attached, on-demand approach to heading to the gym is also slated to roll out in Melbourne and Brisbane later in the year, with dates yet to be announced. For more information, keep an eye on www.esq2.com.au.
Music and movies go hand in hand, even if the current crop of cinema releases haven't been too subtle about stressing that connection (yes, we're talking about your obvious needle drops, Suicide Squad and War Dogs). There's something special about the way a song, played at the right moment, can transform an entire scene — or the way a musician, whether fictional or actual, can truly come to life on a big screen. When the recognisable beats of Prince's 'When Doves Cry' start thumping in Purple Rain, the first scenario couldn't be more apparent. And whenever Oscar Isaac starts crooning folk ditties in Inside Llewyn Davis, the latter could't, too. They're just two of the films on offer in Get What You Want: Music Cinema, the Gallery of Modern Art's month-long celebration of the magic of sound and vision via a selection of music-focused docos and features. Whatever style takes your fancy, you'll find it in the 28-title program — particularly if you're a Nick Cave, Amy Winehouse, Nirvana, Madonna, Bob Marley or Miles Davis fan. The Punk Singer's portrait of riot grrrl pioneer Kathleen Hanna and fan-shot Beastie Boys concert flick Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That are also among the lineup's highlights. Yep, this is toe-tapping cinema.
A new bar and bistro is under construction in Fortitude Valley and while this may not be particularly groundbreaking, the fact that it’s going up in the bones of Bubbles Bathhouse, a seedy underground casino and ‘massage parlour’ from the late '80s, certainly is — steered by Brisbane hospitality heavyweight Damian Griffiths. Although Brisbane seems like an innocuous city at times, some might remember an Underbelly-esque period during the late '80s when police and governmental corruption was rampant and the inquiry into said corruption brought down the Bjelke-Petersen state government. Bubbles Bathhouse was allegedly a notorious hangout for corrupt cops and sleazy politicians, but its new owners are hoping to clean up its reputation. Although it has a pretty racy history, it’s the perfect setting for a themed bar and bistro. And the kicker? There's going to be a 15-person spa bath in-house because some things never change. The as-yet-unnamed site (tentatively called ‘Bubbles’ in the press) will open in September and buck the trend of old-school style American diner fare with a basic but authentic Gallic menu executed by chef Norman Harvey. Mark our words — the next big thing in dining is steak and French fries and this new eatery will have both in large quantities. The venue has been unused for some months and prior to that housed a pretty lacklustre Vietnamese restaurant. Griffiths, the owner of Alfred and Constance, Limes Hotel, Kwan Brothers and Doughnut Time, hopes the redevelopment will breathe life into an oft forgotten but charismatic corner of the Valley. Via Good Food. Images: Limes Rooftop, Stingray Finn.
Some film festivals take audiences to corners of the globe they won't visit in the multiplex, shine a spotlight on different cinematic voices, and showcase the wealth of talent working beyond the English-speaking realm. That's not the British Film Festival's remit. Here, you'll find recognisable names and faces aplenty as the best new movies Old Blighty has to offer embark on a tour of the antipodes. Taking place between late October and early November at Palace Barracks and Palace Centro, this year's lineup includes Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy in opening night film Breathe, which marks the directorial debut of The Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis, as well as Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning in the eagerly anticipated How to Talk to Girls at Parties. The former tells a true tale of a couple striving to overcome a death sentence from polio, while the latter is a queer sci-fi rock-punk comedy based on a Neil Gaiman short story and directed by Hedwig and the Angry Inch's John Cameron Mitchell. Yep, this program might speak the same language as Australians, but it's serving up a variety of stories. If you're going to put one flick to put on your must-see list, make it The Death of Stalin. It's the latest from The Thick of Itand Veep creator Armando Iannucci, and features everyone from Steve Buscemi to Jeffrey Tambor to Michael Palin. Other highlights include Fanning again in Mary Shelley, a biopic about the writer behind Frankenstein that's helmed by Wadjdadirector Haifaa Al-Mansour, as well as England is Mine, with Dunkirk's Jack Lowden playing none other than Morrissey. Elsewhere, Saoirse Ronan stars in On Chesil Beach, her latest Ian McEwan adaptation after coming to fame in Atonement, while true story 6 Days recreates the 1980 storming of the Iranian embassy in London with Mark Strong, Jamie Bell and Abbie Cornish. BFF also boasts docos about Manolo Blahnik and Eric Clapton, a biopic about AA Milne and the genesis of Winnie the Pooh, and one of the last films to feature the late John Hurt in That Good Night. Looking back as well as forward, a selection of Agatha Christie adaptations round out the lineup. Timed to coincide with the new version of Murder on the Orient Express, the program includes the 1974 take on the same tale, plus three other classics.
For four decades, The Shining has been responsible for many a nightmare — not only due to Stephen King's 1977 bestseller, which helped cement him as a horror maestro, but courtesy of Stanley Kubrick's unnerving and acclaimed 1980 film. If you've ever been spooked by twins, garish hexagonal hotel carpet designs, sprawling hedge mazes, elevators filled with blood, someone shouting "here's Johnny!" or just Jack Nicholson in general, you have this macabre masterpiece to thank. From parodies to homages to overt recreations, The Shining is also the unsettling gift that keeps giving. Everything from The Simpsons to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Ready Player One has nodded the movie's way — as has documentary Room 237, which attempted to delve into its many secrets, meanings, theories and interpretations, too. But they've got nothing on the actual sequel to the eerie story. It picks up decades later, following the now-adult Danny Torrance as he tries to cope with the fallout from his supernatural gift. (Oh, and the memory of being terrorised by his axe-wielding dad as well.) In the first trailer for Doctor Sleep — which is based on Stephen King's 2013 novel of the same name — all work and no play made Danny (Ewan McGregor) something something. Perturbed, mainly, as he grappled with the trauma he experienced in The Shining. Then he met a mysterious teenager (Kyliegh Curran) who also has the gift, and things got creepier than a ghastly woman peering out of a bath or the word 'redrum' written on a mirror. The teaser was filled with references to the film's predecessor, naturally; however the just-dropped new sneak peak ramps up the nods even further. This time, Danny heads back to the Overlook Hotel to confront his past, and things get even more ominous. Rebecca Ferguson, Bruce Greenwood and Room's Jacob Tremblay also star, with The Haunting of Hill House's Mike Flanagan in the director's chair. While King was famously unhappy with Kubrick's take on The Shining — even writing the script for a three-part TV mini-series version in the 90s — here's hoping that he approves of Flanagan's vision. This is actually the filmmaker's second King adaptation, after Netflix flick Gerald's Game. Check out the latest Doctor Sleep trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oCTK2U5lpc Doctor Sleep releases in Australian cinemas on November 7, 2019.
Whether this year has been a good or bad one for you, one of the enduring downsides to 2020 has been this feeling that every day is on repeat. Whether you work from home or commute every day, there's a certain sameness to our routines right now. To help you shake off that Groundhog Day vibe, we've teamed up with Oporto to help you build some little wins into your working day — from virtually escaping the office to literally submerging yourself into a cool body of water. These quick, easy-to-action things to do will make you feel like you did something different with your break, and will hopefully boost your mood, too. [caption id="attachment_782787" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Charlie Bliss[/caption] MONDAY: TAKE A TOUR OF NORTHERN TERRITORY ART It's the beginning of the week, and maybe you've got a stack of emails to wade through before lunchtime — but don't let that stop you from having time 'away' from the inbox. If you have a desk-bound job, or five minutes spare with your phone in hand, you have time for a trip to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT). It's not easy to cross the border right now (and it certainly wouldn't be advised on your lunch break), but you can explore an exhibition of artworks by 65 First Nations artists in the 2020 National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards exhibition. Click through to each virtual room to discover a burial pole painted with the image of a serpent by Paul Namarinjmak Nabulumo, a tribute to the dying Great Barrier Reef by Torres Strait Islander artist Jimmy K Thaiday and an biographical work by South Australian multidisciplinary artist Nyurpaya Kaika Burton. It'll feel like a mini holiday from your Monday. [caption id="attachment_783137" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Rebecca': (L to R) Lily James as Mrs de Winter, Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs Danvers. Courtesy Kerry Brown/Netflix[/caption] TUESDAY: CATCH UP ON MOVIE TRAILERS If you're WFH, you can sometimes miss out on that office banter about what your 9-to-5 buddies are watching, reading or listening to right now. And if it's been half a year since you visited the cinema, maybe you're feeling out of touch with the latest film trailers. Well, use that half an hour in the middle of your day to play catch up. Have you seen Timothée Chalamet and the giant sandworm in the latest and highly anticipated adaptation of Dune? How about the ominous first trailer for Netflix's take on the psychological thriller Rebecca? It stars Lily James, Armie Hammer and Kristin Scott Thomas and hits your screens from October 21. And, if those have you fired up for seeing films on the big screen, why not book into a showing tonight at Cineplex? Tickets are just $8.50 on any night of the week. Or, at Dendy's Bargain Tuesdays you can see a flick for $12.50. Here are our picks of what's on at the cinemas right now. [caption id="attachment_703464" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bunya River Crossing[/caption] WEDNESDAY: GO FOR A DIP Is there anything more rejuvenating than a swim? When you've hit hump day and need a reward for your efforts so far, seek out one of these outdoor swimming pools in Brisbane. The central Spring Hill Baths are open year-round and they're heated when the weather's not on your side. For wilder spirits, you could take a drive to one of these rivers and float upstream as you wash away your cares. Then, for the most adventurous of lunchtime dips, check out these ten unusual swimming holes — from saltwater pools to lakes with healing powers. You'll feel refreshed and ready to tackle that to-do list when you return. Or, cash in some of that annual leave and make an afternoon of it. THURSDAY: HAVE A WATERSIDE LUNCH The benefits of a walk in the sunshine are well documented, and though we know it's good for us, the week can often fly by before we've even considered stepping out the door during lunch. If you've made it to Thursday and haven't stretched your limbs before 6pm on any of your working days so far, make today the day. We suggest planning ahead to order one of Oporto's new Rappas — such as the Vegan Rappa, which includes a pea and herb patty, mixed lettuce leaves, slaw, fresh tomato, avocado and a tomato and capsicum relish in a warm pita bread wrap — then pick it up from one of Oporto's city outlets and take it to Brisbane City Botanic Gardens or Roma Street Parklands. Either way, you'll have a beautiful body of water to sit by and admire. For more ideas, check out these picnic spots around Brisbane. FRIDAY: BUST OUT OF A VIRTUAL ESCAPE ROOM If the daily grind is not stimulating your mind as much as it should, flex your brain power on something altogether more thrilling, without leaving your screen. The Sydney Opera House has launched a virtual escape room which challenges you to bust out of the iconic landmark in the middle of the night. You will navigate your way around backstage areas, like the orchestra pit, costume department and props room, to find clues and ultimately escape. You'll need a pen and paper handy, so you can write down the passwords you discover along the way. Start playing Trials of Wisdom here. Or, try more virtual escape rooms from Strike and The Escape Game. Check out Oporto's full Rappa Range here, then make tracks to your closest store — or order online. Top image: Roma Street Parklands by Brisbane Marketing, courtesy Tourism and Events Queensland
Southeast Queenslanders now have another excuse to hit the water, with GoBoat splashing into the region. The Denmark-born company has been busy launching its eco-friendly picnic boats in cities all over Europe, as well as in Canberra and Melbourne — and, as announced late in 2019, it has just made its Gold Coast debut. Punters now have a fun new way to cruise through Sanctuary Cove, the Coomera River and the Goldie's canals. Aimed at making the whole boating caper more accessible for everyday folk, the Scandinavian-designed vessels are slow-moving, a breeze to operate and don't require a boating licence, making for some fun, fuss-free sailing sessions. In a win for the planet, they also run on silent, pollution-free, electric engines, and are crafted from a mix of reclaimed timber and recycled PET bottles. [caption id="attachment_701554" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Lean Timms[/caption] Each of the contemporary GoBoats clocks in at 18-feet long, boasting a central picnic table with room for eight people (and all the necessary snacks and booze). And despite what you might be thinking, they're even affordable enough to fit your budget — simply BYO food and drinks, find enough eager sailors to jump aboard and a GoBoat session will you less than $13 per person, per hour. That's $99 hourly in total. GoBoat's Queensland fleet set sail out of Sanctuary Cove Marina. Oh, and did we mention they're pet-friendly? Surely you've got a very good boy who deserves a river jaunt this summer. For more information about GoBoat, or to make a booking, visit the service's website. Top image: GoBoat Gold Coast.
It has been nearly two years since streaming platform Shudder — and AMC Networks, the American company behind it — told scary movie fans in Australian and New Zealand exactly what they wanted to hear. Back in October 2018, it was announced that the dedicated horror service would make its way Down Under; however, as anyone who likes unsettling flicks and spine-tingling TV shows will have noticed, that hasn't actually occurred — until now. In a case of better late than never, Shudder has finally launched to Aussie and New Zealand viewers — joining an ever-growing streaming landscape, but also providing a very specific lineup. Forget anything that doesn't cause goosebumps, chills, thrills or a generally unnerving, suspenseful feeling, as it doesn't belong here. Instead, you can watch your way through new and classic horror movies, as well as horror-focused television programs. Yes, Shudder takes its chosen genre very seriously. Film-wise, that includes retro favourites such as Hellraiser, several Halloween movies and Maniac Cop; newer releases like It Follows, New Zealand horror-comedy Housebound and creative Japanese zombie film One Cut of the Dead; and fresh platform exclusives such as The Beach House and Host. On the TV front, expect to binge your way through the TV adaptation of The Dead Lands, a new anthology series based on 1982 film Creepshow and a self-explanatory five-part documentary series called Cursed Films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4LZBEVlSXA If you already have a Netflix, Disney+ and/or Apple TV+ subscription and you're wondering whether you really need to add another, rest assured that Shudder's selection continues — so whether you want to revisit Swedish great Let the Right One In, check out Aussie slasher The Furies, or hear from George Lucas, Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott in James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction, you'll be covered. Shudder's curated collections also handily compile films on certain topics or themes, should you really love monster movies, tales of possession or haunted house flicks, or want to watch more horror features by female filmmakers. In terms of price, Shudder is offering a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. After that, you'll pay either $6.99 if you opt for a month-by-month account or $69.99 if you sign up for a year. For more information about Shudder — and to sign up — visit the streaming platform's website.
Plenty of different noises have echoed across South Bank over the years, from the excited splashes of folks swimming around in the precinct's manmade beaches through to the echoes of jazz by the river, food festivals filled with munching Brisbanites and everything that the piazza has ever hosted. The next sounds that the inner-city spot will hear: the Ministry of Sound, thanks to its huge dance music orchestra show. When anyone hits 30, they tend to look backwards — to reminisce, lament leaving their twenties behind and avoid accepting that they've just hit a big milestone birthday. Ministry of Sound marked that occasion last year, and it's also getting nostalgic. The brand that started as a London club night back in 1991 has been touring an orchestral gig around Australia, in fact, that's filled with three decades of dance music bangers. First announced last year, and finally heading to Brisbane's Riverside Green from 2–10pm on Saturday, November 19, Ministry of Sound Classical is the answer to a question you didn't know you had. Ever wondered what classical renditions of Basement Jaxx, Darude, Röyksopp, Robin, Underworld, Moby, Fisher and more — played by an orchestra, and with live vocals — would sound like? This is your chance to find out. On the bill: the Ministry of Sound Orchestra, of course, as well as Groove Terminator, Sneaky Sound System, Touch Sensitive and John Course. Other DJs and performers set to do their thing include Vinyl Slingers, GRVES, Rousey, Jen E and Matt Kitshon. Conductor Vanessa Perica will lead the musicians, while live vocals will hail from Sneaky Sound System's Miss Connie, plus Reigan, Rudy, Karina Chavez and Lady Lyric. There'll also be food trucks slinging bites to eat, picnic hampers for you to graze through while you listen, a champagne bar pouring the obvious and cocktails to sip, too. Oh, and a killer riverside backdrop. As for what you'll be listening to, the list of tunes getting the orchestral treatment also spans songs by Robert Miles, Cafe del Mar, Laurent Garnier, Shapeshifter and Temper Trap. And yes, it all sounds a lot like Synthony, which does the same thing — but who doesn't love getting multiple opportunities to hear dance-floor fillers given a classical spin? The Ministry of Sound Classical tour will hit Brisbane, playing Riverside Green at South Bank Parklands, on Saturday, November 19. For further details — and to register for pre-sale tickets now, before they go on sale at 8am on Tuesday, July 12 (ahead of general ticket sales at 8am on Wednesday, July 13) — head to the tour website.
Why drink at one watering hole, when you can head to two, three, six or more? That's always been the motivation behind everyone's favourite boozy journey, aka a pub crawl. And, it's the exact same type of thinking behind the Urban Wine Walk. Taking its first wander around Brisbane after previously strolling through Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth during 2017, it's the bar-hopping excuse every vino lover has been waiting for. Think Bite, Sip, Stroll, but without the restaurant meals — or Grapest, but without convincing yourself that you're going to run five kilometres. From midday until 5pm on February 17, you'll saunter between the likes of La Lune Wine Co, Super Whatnot, Wandering Cooks, Greenglass, Saccharomyces, The Laneway and more, sampling wines and having a mighty fine time. As for the tipples, they'll be taken care of by South Australia's Commune of Buttons and By Jingo Wines, and Queensland's Bent Rd / La Petite Mort and Cush & Cush, among others. Early bird tickets are currently on sale for $45, with full tickets costing $55 once the initial allocation has run out. Places are limited, but this moving cellar door will not only serve up wine tastings, but also your own tasting glass — plus a voucher for another beverage, and a guide to help you plan your mosey between bars.
Last night, the best chefs in the world descended on the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore for the annual World's 50 Best celebrations. And while there were plenty of Australians present at the awards — including the event's host, Australian journalist and TV personality Annabel Crabb — no local restaurants made the top 50. Australia's highest ranking restaurant was Attica in Melbourne, which came in at number 84 in the long list announced last week. Fellow Victorian Brae also came in at 101. This year, the list expanded to 120 for the first (and only) time, as a one-off nod to San Pellegrino's (the award's primary sponsor) 120th anniversary. The top five restaurants for 2019 were dramatically different from previous years as former World's 50 Best winners — including Eleven Madison Park and Osteria Francescana — were barred from the list, and instead added to a 'Best of the Best' lineup. The top gong, for the first time in the event's 17-year history, went to a French restaurant: Mirazur. Run by Argentinian-born chef Mauro Colagreco, whose cooking is also inspired by his Italian grandparents, Mirazur is located in an old 1930s villa in the French Riviera, near the Italian border. And, we're guessing it's going to be pretty hard to get a booking there for the next little while — so, we suggest planning a French vacay for 2020 (or beyond). Rounding out the top five were Copenhagen's Noma at number two, which reopened in a new space with a new seasonal menu last year; Spain's Asador Etxebarri at number three; the soon-to-close Gaggan in Bangkok at number four; and fellow Danish restaurant Geranium at five. Other new and notable additions to this year's list include a first-time inclusion for Dominique Crenn's famed San Francisco spot Atelier Crenn and NY's Cosme, by the 2019 Best Female Chef Daniela Soto-Innes, which was the highest ranked US restaurant. https://www.instagram.com/p/BzI0i_OlDGg/ The winning restaurants were chosen by a 1000-strong global voting panel which, for the first time, had an equal gender balance. Five restaurants led by females made the top 50, the same number as last year. You can check out the full list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants here and read more about the long list here. First image: Mirazur by Nicolas Lobbestael.
CHiPS is an extraordinarily annoying film. Annoying, because it's 85 per cent predictable, homophobic rubbish, but also 15 per cent genuinely funny. The quality of those few jokes that do land hence raises the question: was the writer, director and star Dax Shepard just lucky on those rare occasions? Or was he simply lazy on all others? Given the movie is merely the latest in a long line of old TV show reboots, laziness seems the more likely contender. This hypothesis gains further credibility when you consider the comedic chops of Shepard's cast, which includes Michael Peña, Kristen Bell and Maya Rudolph, among others. Hell, Shepard himself is no mug when it comes to making us laugh; how he, or anyone else, could possibly think this script was strong enough to move into production may forever remain a mystery. The plot of CHiPS is at once hideously convoluted and entirely predictable. Peña plays Frank "Ponch" Poncherello, an FBI agent going undercover into the California Highway Patrol in order to expose a gang of corrupt officers suspected of carrying out a series of armoured car robberies. He's partnered up with probationary officer Jon Baker (Shepard), a former X-Games motorcyclist whose body is now in a state of such ruin it's comparable to that of Lloyd Bridges' Admiral Benson in Hot Shots. Addicted to pain killers and determined to win back his adulterous trophy-wife Karen (played by Shepard's actual wife Kristen Bell), Baker is an Owen Wilson-esque modern age man forever discussing the closure of issues and expressing concern for Peña's presumed homophobia. Together, Ponch and Baker cycle around California, occasionally doing police work, but mostly just swearing, masturbating and blowing things up until the movie just sort of ends. The funny bits are funny – a moment involving a hit and run with paparazzi, for example, elicited actual applause from our audience. But successful gags are so few and far between that it makes the exercise of discovering them feel like too much for too little. Vincent D'Onofrio does a solid job imbuing his gang leader character with at least some degree of complexity when all other characters around him are merely caricatures. But it's not nearly enough to save this otherwise decidedly dull and frequently downright cringeworthy affair. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IfqqUTW-i4
Whether you're searching for budget skincare solutions, are stuck in a makeup rut or have never quite figured out how to apply eyeliner properly, YouTube has long been a beauty vlogging haven. But what if you're trying to stay glam after nuclear winter decimates the earth, wipes out life as we know it and forces the mutated remnants of humanity deep underground? Only Sarah's Channel can show you how to dazzle in that literally nightmarish situation — and how to make homemade lipstick out of saliva, clay, blood and what seem to be glow-in-the-dark mushrooms. It's set two centuries after a world-ending disaster and, after initially dying along with the vast majority of the population, Sarah (Claudia O'Doherty) has been reanimated. She's supposed to help the planet's waning survivors grow crops, overcome illnesses, restart civilisation and avoid being eaten by a giant monster called Quahmork — just everyday things, really — but the beauty vlogger, influencer, brand ambassador and author would rather keep doing what she knows. In her original life, Sarah had more than 3.5 million subscribers across her various social media platforms, and she's not going to let them down. They're all dead, but what's the point of saving the few not-quite-people left if no one looks their best? That's the idea behind the ABC's hilarious new satirical series, with Sarah's Channel taking amusing and astute aim at influencer culture and manufactured authenticity — all while its eponymous host dispenses beauty advice in a bleak, post-apocalyptic future, of course. Now available on both ABC iview and YouTube, the first season's six five-minute episodes cover everything you need to know if you're having #dystopianworldproblems, including Sarah's favourite products, her daily routine living in a fortified bunker and how to give a makeover to a slimy subterranean creature who has evolved from humanity. If you loved Australian actor and comedian O'Doherty in Netflix's Love — if you thought she was the best thing about the romantic dramedy, in fact — then you'll feel the same about her turn as the relatable yet oblivious Sarah. She stars alongside Sarah's Channel writer/director Nick Coyle (stage production Feather in the Web), who plays terrified mole person Justin. Sarah's Channel is the smart end-of-the-world parody and scathing takedown of online behaviour that you didn't know you needed. Watch the first episode below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deLiDLkQzio The entire six-episode first season of Sarah's Channel is now available to watch on ABC iview and YouTube.
When Brisbane's Christmas plans were revealed for 2024, filling the CBD and South Bank with festive cheer, a new addition to the lineup of events stood out: Sono Lumo — Festive Nights of Sound & Light, Queen's Wharf's addition to the seasonal fun. How does the River City's newest inner-city riverside precinct get merry and jolly? With a free audiovisual show accompanied by DJs and roaming live performances, as well as food and drink pop-ups. Since Wednesday, December 4, running 5–11pm Wednesday–Sunday, this has been Queen's Wharf's end-of-year gift to Brisbane. Taking place until Sunday, December 15, Sono Lumo features an hourly four-part visual journey called Carols Rewired, which is dazzling the precinct's patch of the waterfront — plus an EDM soundtrack with some festive nods, as programmed DJ Young Franco. Head by for the full experience — including Fat Noodle, Lúc Lắc, Cucina Regina and Babblers on food duty — or, if you're even remotely in the vicinity, you'll be able to spot the Christmas glow from afar. Carols Rewired lights up at 7.30pm, 8.30pm and 9.30pm each evening. The performances and DJ sets kick off from 5.30pm, with Standing Ovation, Mr Smith, DJ Harley Girl, Electro Swiggety, Jarrod Costello, DJ Sunoe, Liam Connor, DJ Sammy G, DJ Kessin, DJ Varnan, Bella Vita, DJ Boris Maskoff, The Kite String Tangle, DJ Madan, Elska featuring Cutloose, DJ Tasha Lee, Yena featuring DJ Neish and DJ Della Rix on the lineup across Sono Lumo's second week.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from October's haul. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH FROM START TO FINISH NOW BECKHAM Strike It Like Sam Kerr would make an excellent movie title. As fans of football and film alike already know, Bend It Like Beckham got there first 21 years ago, borrowing its moniker from David Beckham's uncanny knack for curling the ball when taking a free kick. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, LA Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain player — and England captain — now sees his name grace the screen again via Beckham, the instantly compelling four-part documentary about one of the biggest talents to ever play the world game. A birth-to-now chronicle, the series spins a fairytale that's all real and came true. David was once a quiet boy from a working-class family with a dad who loved soccer. He took to the sport with passion and dedication, and has since lived out any and every aspiring athlete's wildest fantasy. Director Fisher Stevens, who is recently best-known for acting in Succession, appreciates the dream ride that Beckham has experienced, but also sees the costs and tolls. Reflecting on that for him are several Beckhams, including the man himself, Spice Girl Victoria (who is adamant that she wasn't into football when she met David and still isn't now), and his doting parents Sandra and Ted. As countless YouTube complications have already captured, watching Beckham on the pitch at the height of his footballing powers is pure sporting joy — a fact that can be appreciated in the doco by soccer diehards and the unacquainted alike. Beckham shows off the skills, demonstrating how exceptional he was on the field and why the world responded. Witnessing that prowess is also key in understanding how everything from brand partnerships to global tours, famous teammates to disapproving team managers, and championships to tabloid harassment followed. Various Beckhams aren't the only folks chatting. Sir Alex Ferguson, Gary Neville, Eric Cantona and Rio Ferdinand are among the footballing names. Anna Wintour makes an appearance. But David and Victoria's observations, memories and insights — and relationship, in the 90s, since and now — are at this docuseries' core. Red cards, the World Cup, big moves, fan abuse and taunts, sacrifices and scandals, sarongs and hairstyles, the Beckhams' wedding, being peak 90s and pop-culture icons, changing clubs, owning clubs, family life: it all factors into this captivating and satisfying watch. Beckham streams via Netflix. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER Of the many pies that Succession's Roy family had their fingers in, pharmaceuticals wasn't one of them. For virtually that, Mike Flanagan gives audiences The Fall of the House of Usher. The horror auteur's take on dynastic wealth gets a-fluttering through a world of decadence enabled by pushing pills legally, as six heirs to an addiction-laced kingdom vie to inherit a vast fortune. Flanagan hasn't given up his favourite genre for pure drama, however. The eponymous Usher offspring won't be enjoying the spoils of their father Roderick's (Bruce Greenwood, The Resident) business success, either, in this absorbing, visually ravishing and narratively riveting eight-parter. As the bulk of this tale is unfurled fireside, its patriarch tells federal prosecutor C Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly, SWAT) why his children (including Pet Sematary: Bloodlines' Henry Thomas, Minx's Samantha Sloyan, The Peripheral's T'Nia Miller, iZombie's Rahul Kohli, The Wrath of Becky's Kate Siegel and The Midnight Club's Sauriyan Sapkota) came to die within days of each other — and, with all the gory details, how. As with The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor before it, plus The Midnight Club as well, Flanagan's latest Netflix series finds its basis on the page. The author this time: Edgar Allan Poe, although The Fall of the House of Usher isn't a strict adaptation of the iconic author's 1840 short story of the same name, or just an adaptation, even as it bubbles with greed, violence and paranoia (plus death, loss, decay and the deceased haunting the livin)g. Character monikers, episode titles and other details spring from widely across Poe's bibliography. Cue ravens, black cats, masks, tell-tale hearts, pendulums and a Rue Morgue. What if the writer had penned Succession? That's one of Flanagan's questions — and what if he'd penned Dopesick and Painkiller, too? Hailing from the talent behind the exceptional Midnight Mass as well, plus movies Oculus, Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep, the series that results is a gloriously creepy and involving modern gothic horror entry. The Fall of the House of Usher streams via Netflix. Read our full review. OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH First dropping anchor with its debut season in 2022, and finding a mooring among the best new series that the year had to offer, Our Flag Means Death's premise has always glinted as brightly as its impressive cast (not just Uproar's Rhys Darby and Thor: Love and Thunder's Taika Waititi, but also Bloods' Samson Kayo, Creation Stories' Ewen Bremner, Bank of Dave's Joel Fry, Game of Thrones' Kristian Nairn, Hello Tomorrow!'s Matthew Maher, Loot's Nat Faxon, The Sex Lives of College Girls' Vico Ortiz and The Batman's Con O'Neill for starters). It follows Darby as self-styled 'gentleman pirate' Stede Bonnet. Born to a life of privilege, he felt that seafaring and swashbuckling was his calling, leaving his life on land behind to hop on a ship — details that all spring from reality. Creator David Jenkins (People of Earth) isn't interested in telling the exact IRL tale, however. Consider those basics merely Our Flag Means Death's departure point. On-screen, Stede gets caught up in both a workplace comedy and a boatmance. The first springs from his certainty that there has to be a nicer way to glide through a pirate existence, and the second from his blossoming feelings for feared marauder Edward Teach (Waititi), aka Blackbeard. When season one wrapped up, Stede and Ed had found love in a buccaneering place, but also felt splashes of uncertainty about what their relationship means, leading to heartbreak and a breakup. Season two picks up with the show's motley crew of characters torn in two, with Stede and his loyal faction marooned on the island tourist destination that is The Republic of Pirates — fantasy is as much a part of Our Flag Means Death as comedy and romance — and Blackbeard back to his robbing and murdering ways on The Revenge. The series' attracted opposites will find their way onto the same deck again, but choppy waters are in store for their emotions, as well as ample bobbing up and down, ebbing and flowing, floating and sinking, and everything else that the ocean brings to mind. Similarly splashing their way: rivalries, curses, old pals, new foes, betrayals, forgiveness, glorious silliness, trauma, lopped limbs and a merman (plus Madeleine Sami from Deadloch among the show's new faces). Our Flag Means Death streams via Binge. Read our full review. LUPIN Forget Emily in Paris — the best Netflix series set in the French capital focuses on a light-fingered smooth mover who is as adept at stealing hearts as he is at pilfering jewels and art. The streaming service's Lupin isn't the first screen outing based on the Maurice Leblanc-penned master of disguise, with the author's famous character first popping up on the big screen over a century ago, then appearing in both movies and TV not just in his homeland but also in the US and Japan since. Centred on a gentleman thief who takes his cues from the fictional figure, however, Netflix's take on all things Arsène Lupin is equally creative, riveting, twisty and entertaining. With the charismatic Omar Sy (Jurassic World Dominion) as its lead, it also couldn't be better cast — as viewers initially discovered in January 2021, when Sy's Arsène superfan Assane Diop started showing off his larceny skills in the series' instantly engaging five-episode first part. The angle proved savvy. The central casting is sparkling. Creators George Kay (who has since made the Idris Elba-led Hijack) and François Uzan (Family Business) perfected the rollicking vibe. And, director Louis Leterrier (Fast X) turned in some of his best work helming the debut three instalments. It's no wonder that the show became the most-watched series in a language other than English on Netflix at the pre-Squid Game time. A second five-chapter part arrived in June the same year, but audiences have had to wait until now for a third. Now streaming its seven new entries, Lupin's third part dazzles again. As its central figure tries to protect his family while the world thinks that he's dead, crime capers don't much more charming — and bingeable — than this page-to-screen heist affair. Leblanc introduced the world to Lupin in short stories in 1905, with 17 novels and 39 novellas following. In some, Herlock Sholmes pops up — and yes, the reference to Arthur Conan Doyle's detective is clearly on purpose. Although Sherlock Holmes isn't quite Arsène Lupin's English equivalent, the two characters give readers and viewers alike the same thrills. If spending time with smart figures with silky skills in can't-put-down and can't-look-away mysteries is what you're after, both deliver. Netflix's Lupin gives the French favourite a modern-day Sherlock-esque spin, but with another pivot to put the suave Senegal-born Diop and his various quests in the spotlight. Lupin streams via Netflix. Read our full review. HOT POTATO: THE STORY OF THE WIGGLES Get ready to wiggle: Anthony Field, Murray Cook, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt have ensured that Australia has been in that exact state for so long. It was more than three decades back when the university classmates, all studying early childhood education, decided to combine their area of interest with music — not for fame, which has come and then some since, but to put what they were learning into action while engaging and teaching kids. If your childhood spanned Australia in the 90s onwards, or you've ever spent time parenting or babysitting someone who fits into that category, then you know the end result. Indeed, folks in most parts of the world do, too. The Wiggles haven't gone wrong since those early and humble beginnings. Only Field, aka the Blue Wiggle, remains part of the skivvy-loving group's current main iteration, but such is The Wiggles' beloved status that all four can and do fill arenas filled with adults on OG Wiggles tours. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles charts the why, what and how about the Aussie troupe, who've also won Triple J's Hottest 100, appeared at Mardi Gras and performed at Falls Festival in just the last couple of years. Comprised of archival clips and recent interviews — all lively and colourful — plus earworm-level kids tunes that everyone knows no matter if you've ever actively watched or listened to The Wiggles, Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles hits the screen from a filmmaker that's no stranger to exploring the stories behind pivotal figures. Also on Sally Aitken's resume: Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks and David Stratton: A Cinematic Life, although neither had such a penchant for bright primary hues. This is a tale of a great idea and the hard work that made it a success, of friendship and being able to do what you love, of creative genius and lucky breaks, and of both finding and spreading joy. It's an account about big red cars, pirates with feathers for swords and dinosaurs called Dorothy as well, of course, and of teaching approaches and learnings, sacrifices made, health tolls weathered, a band becoming a show, and a group ensuring that it wasn't just entertaining Australia and beyond — it was representing its audience, too. Unsurprisingly, Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles is both enlightening and likeable; so, classic The Wiggles, then. Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles streams via Prime Video. ONEFOUR: AGAINST ALL ODDS Members of ONEFOUR happily chat through their lives and music careers in ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, with first-time feature filmmaker Gabriel Gasparinatos regularly putting brothers J Emz and YP, plus their friend Spenny, centre screen to tell their story in their own words. As the trio talk, they're never anything less than candid and impassioned about their childhoods growing up in Mount Druitt in Sydney's western suburbs, the lack of opportunities available to the Pacific Islander community, being openly told as teens that they'd end up in jail, when paths and choices made those harsh words come true, and the reason that they're famous: their tunes. But everyone involved in this film, and those watching as well, must wish that this was a different movie — not due to anything about how the doco itself is made or plays, but because of the grim reality that it charts. If only this wasn't an account of friends who found not only something they loved but a new way forward in drill rap, which they turned into viral success and more, only to be constantly harassed by a New South Wales police squad that usually targets organised crime, terrorism and bikie gangs. Sharing J Emz, YP and Spenny's dismay comes easily while viewing ONEFOUR: Against All Odds, which takes a thorough ride through the group's origins, career and run-ins with the law. Feeling enraged at the police attempt to censor art — shutting down gigs in NSW and around the country; also thwarting international touring plans; and constantly making their presence known to ONEFOUR's talents, their families and their community — because they claim that the band's tracks will incite violence is just as inescapable. Gasparinatos interviews law enforcement representatives on-camera, and their words don't and can't justify the shocking treatment that ONEFOUR has received and keeps receiving as singles such as 'What You Know', 'The Message', 'Home and Away' and The Kid LAROI collaboration 'My City' have struck a chord with listeners locally, nationwide and internationally over the past six years. This plight isn't over, either; in fact, when ONEFOUR: Against All Odds premiered at SXSW Sydney, the heavy representation from the thin blue line didn't go unnoticed or unreported. The film chronicles the group's highlights, such as earning recognition, starting dance crazes, one-man gigs, a stadium The Kid LAROI show and the band's resilience, while always conveying how true the doco's title rings. ONEFOUR: Against All Odds streams via Netflix. THE PIGEON TUNNEL What happens when one of the world's great documentarians, and a master at the talking-head format, turns his lens toward one of the best authors of espionage intrigue that's ever graced the page? The engrossing The Pigeon Tunnel, Errol Morris' (an Oscar-winner for The Fog of War) exploration of John le Carré's life and work. Of course, the latter's tales haven't just spilled through books, but onto screens themselves long before he was a doco subject — and his IRL exploits are as fascinating as anything ever captured in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener, A Most Wanted Man, Our Kind of Traitor, The Night Manager and The Little Drummer Girl. How did the man born David Cornwell, who was in his 80s when he sat with Morris for a frank interview before his passing in December 2020, become the go-to for cloak-and-dagger affairs? And what kind of rollercoaster of an existence inspired such narratives? le Carré aka Cornwell explains all here — from his dad's shady schemes, his mother leaving and his time as a teacher through to working for MI5 and MI6, and becoming a novelist. The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories From My Life precedes this film, hitting bookstores in 2016 as the only full-length non-fiction text to le Carré's name. Whether you've read that or not, devoured one or some or none of his spy tales, done the same with the movie adaptations or are coming to the author anew here with just slight recognition drawing you in, The Pigeon Tunnel is gripping as a documentary. A gifted storyteller on the page, the movie's central figure is just as talented when he's in front of the camera — often framed askew, in a feature that tellingly takes the aesthetics of le Carré's favourite genre to heart. Morris and his adept regular editor Steven Hathaway also splice in examples from the author's pen, given there's such a large amount to choose from, which isn't merely a case of illustrating the impact of his work. Indeed, The Pigeon Tunnel knows that the lines between fact and fiction are faint, including when surveying, probing and interrogating decades in the eventful life of someone who spent more than one job spinning complicated webs. The Pigeon Tunnel streams via Apple TV+. TOTALLY KILLER Kiernan Shipka has long said goodbye to Mad Men's Sally Draper, including by starring in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. After her dalliance with witchcraft, she's still sticking with horror in Totally Killer, but in a mix of slasher tropes and a Back to the Future-borrowing premise. There's a body count and a time machine — and 80s fashions aplenty, because where else does a 2023 movie head to when it's venturing into the past? Also present and accounted for: a tale about a high schooler living in a small town cursed by a past serial killer, which brings some Halloween and Scream nods, plus Mean Girls and Heathers-esque teen savagery. And, yes, John Hughes flicks also get some love, complete with shoutouts to Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink star Molly Ringwald. Totally Killer doesn't skimp on knowingly and winkingly mashing up its many influences, clearly, or on enjoying itself while doing so. The end result is a heap of fun, as hailing from Always Be My Maybe's Nahnatchka Khan behind the lens, along with screenwriters David Matalon (The Clearing), Sasha Perl-Raver (Let's Get Married) and Jen D'Angelo (Hocus Pocus 2). Shipka plays Vernon resident Jamie Hughes, who has spent her whole life being told to be careful about everything by her overprotective parents Pam (Julie Bowen, Modern Family) and Blake (Lochlyn Munro, Creepshow) after an October turned deadly back when they were her age. Unsurprisingly, she isn't happy about it. The reason for their caution: in 1987, three 16-year-old girls were murdered in the lead up to Halloween, with the culprit badged the Sweet 16 Killer — and infamy ensuing for Jamie's otherwise ordinary hometown. Pam is still obsessed with finding the murderer decades later, but her daughter only gets involved after a new tragedy. This Jason Blum (The Exorcist: Believer)-produced flick then needs to conjure up a blast in the past to try to fix what happened then to stop the new deaths from occurring. Always knowing that it's a comedy as much as a slasher film (as seen in its bright hues, heard in its snappy dialogue and conveyed in its committed performances), Totally Killer leans into everything about its Frankenstein's monster-style assemblage of pieces, bringing its setup to entertaining life. Totally Killer streams via Prime Video. THE BURIAL Find the right story, enlist an ace cast, and any genre can thoroughly entertain and engage while ticking recognisable boxes — and legal drama The Burial is one such hearty example. The true tale: Mississippi resident Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe's mid-90s David-versus-Goliath battle against businessman Raymond Loewen, with their respective funeral operations at the centre, and also lawyer Willie E Gary representing O'Keefe's side when it went to court. The stars: Tommy Lee Jones (The Comeback Trail) as the 75-year-old grandfather who is having government troubles over the insurance side of his company, and wants to secure a future for his sizeable family (including 13 children); ever-busy and reliable character actor Bill Camp (Boston Strangler) as a cashed-up promised buyer of three funeral homes to add to his North American deathcare empire; and Jamie Foxx (Strays) as the smooth-talking, jury-whispering, private jet-owning Florida-based personal injury lawyer who is convinced by the just-graduated Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie, Elemental) to give a case he normally wouldn't think twice about a go. After writing and helming 2017's Novitiate, filmmaker Maggie Betts takes on both gigs again — co-scripting with Doug Wright (Quills), who also came up with the story that's based on a New Yorker article — on a film that doesn't only step through cracking courtroom antics, but is cleverly funny, too. The details are rousing, as well as infuriating, with Loewen reneging on an agreement with O'Keefe, the latter suing the former with Gary's help, and predatory practices regarding race and economic status becoming plain. After jumping from sci-fi/horror with They Cloned Tyrone to raucous comedy with Strays and now this, Foxx is giddily excellent playing a character that could've been all style and no substance, even as someone who exists IRL, but proves flashy yet genuine. His rapport with Jones, as cemented by the music off late-80s/early-90s R&B act Tony! Toni! Toné!, also shines. And although John Grisham could've penned the ins and outs if it was all fiction, this is still a smart and involving movie, and an easy crowd-pleaser. The Burial streams via Prime Video. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK LOKI One of the best performances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes from the man who was first charged with getting villainous, but now leads his own spinoff series as a complex and playful hero. While Tom Hiddleston's acting talents are well-established far beyond playing the God of Mischief — see: The Deep Blue Sea, The Hollow Crown, Only Lovers Left Alive, High-Rise, Crimson Peak and The Night Manager, for instance — the MCU has been all the better for his involvement for more than a decade. A scene-stealer in 2011's Thor, his parts in film after film kept getting bigger until streaming series Loki arrived. Amid Disney's rush of greenlighting shows for Disney+, starting this one couldn't have been easier; as Thor: Ragnarok in particular demonstrated, adding more Hiddleston has always been a winning move. Indeed, when it slid into queues in 2021 as just the third series in the MCU's small-screen realm, following WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki proved that more Hiddleston in a six-part TV show was also a delight. As one of Marvel's standout shows, it came as no surprise when this stint of time-hopping trickery confirmed that it was returning for a second season in that run's final episode. Now back for another half-dozen instalments, Loki becomes the first of Marvel's television entries to earn a second go-around. That isn't an achievement that it takes for granted. Picking up exactly where season one left off, Loki season two sticks to some familiar beats but also makes its own leaps, and remains fun, funny, lively and smart in the process. It feels more lived in, too, a description that rarely applies to any franchise about caped crusaders and their nemeses, gods, multiverses and temporal chaos, this one among them. And, as well as Hiddleston excelling overall, plus opposite Owen Wilson (Haunted Mansion) and Sophia Di Martino (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain), this time-jumping return also brings Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar-winner Ke Huy Quan into another temporal jumble, which is as great on-screen as it sounds on paper. Loki streams via Disney+. Read our full review. UPLOAD Every show about the afterlife, whether it's The Good Place or Upload of late, relies upon an inescapable truth: if some form of existence can go on after death, humanity's worst traits will go with it. Greg Daniels' addition to this stream of thought relies upon AI, virtual reality, plus capturing the consciousness of someone before they die so that they can spend eternity in a simulation — if they can afford it — and while The Office and Parks and Recreation writer/co-creator has made another sitcom, rather than going all Charlie Brooker and Black Mirror, the end result doesn't evade the fact that people are people whether they're flesh and blood or digital approximations. So, as he resided in the luxurious country club-esque Lakeview after shuffling off the mortal coil, computer programmer Nathan (Robbie Amell, The Witcher) wasn't free of living's troubles. Instead, he had daily struggles and the fallout from his demise to deal with. Now three seasons in, Upload has brought its protagonist back to regular reality, downloading into a body with the help of his former virtual handler-turned-girlfriend Nora (Andy Allo, Chicago Fire), but he's still facing the same troubles. Well, mostly the same — because downloading is risky, hasn't been done successfully before and Nathan's bleeding nose is a worrying sign. As Upload's main duo battle big tech, the series continues to probe the limits that capitalism will take advancements to while prioritising circuitry and dehumanising people. Nathan's ex Ingrid (Allegra Edwards, Briarpatch), who financed his trip to Lakeview, is increasingly coming around to this way of thinking. Even the plentiful AI Guy (Owen Daniels, Space Force) is getting progressively rebellious against the systems, coding and rules that are behind his very existence. Upload season three keeps complicating its storyline, but also keeps doubling down on its critique of wealth disparity, companies ruling over people, modern society's endless quest for control and cash, and the hellscape that might come if and when digital afterlives leap off the screen. Amell, Allo, Edwards and Daniels remain perfectly cast, as does Zainab Johnson (Tab Time) as one of Nora's colleagues and Kevin Bigley (Animal Control) as another Lakeview inhabitant, in a series is repeatedly astute and amusing. Upload streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. A RECENT BIG-SCREEN RELEASE YOU MIGHT'VE MISSED EMILY If Emily had been made two or three decades earlier, it might've starred Frances O'Connor, rather than boast the Australian actor-turned-filmmaker as its writer and director. Back in the 90s and 00s, O'Connor played with literary classics in movies such as Mansfield Park and The Importance of Being Earnest, plus a TV version of Madame Bovary. Now, making an accomplished and emotive debut behind the lens, she explores how Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights might've come to be. Is a Kate Bush-inspiring piece of gothic romantic fiction of such passion and yearning — the only one from a writer lost to tuberculosis at the age of just 30 in 1848 — the result of a life touched by both? That's a question that this fictionalised biopic ponders. Emily begins with another query, however, although it's also basically the same question. "How did you write it?" Emily's (Emma Mackey, Sex Education) older sister Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling, The Musketeers) demands. "How did you write Wuthering Heights?" As one Brontë grills another, "I took my pen and put it to paper" is Emily's literal answer, offered as she reclines, pale and not long for this world, alongside printed versions of her now-iconic story. The response provided by the gorgeously shot, impressively acted and deeply moving Emily is far more complicated, but O'Connor's choice to open her movie with this scene and question is both clever and telling. One perspective on great artists, including of words, is to view their work as intertwined with their lives — aka this feature's preferred vantage. A key perspective of Emily, too, is not letting the small amount of detail known about the middle of literature's three Brontë sisters dictate how this story is told. That copy of Wuthering Heights by Emily's side? It bears her name, as does every iteration printed today, but her book wasn't first published under her real moniker — her pen name was Ellis Bell — until two years after her death. Emily streams via Stan. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August and September this year. You can also check out our running list of standout must-stream shows from this year as well — and our best 15 new shows of 2023's first six months, top 15 returning shows over the same period and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies from January–June 2023, too.
Blessed be the TV screens — because on April 26, The Handmaid's Tale is back. After becoming 2017's number one must-watch show with its compelling first season, everyone's favourite dystopian drama returns for a new 13-episode round of bleakness. Yes, that means more time trawling through the oppressive society of Gilead and watching women forced into child-bearing servitude, thanks to this grim but gripping adaptation of Margaret Atwood's iconic 1985 novel. It also means once again trying to shake the feeling that this fictional future really isn't all that hard to imagine. Elisabeth Moss putting in another fierce performance, Alexis Bledel stealing every scene she's in, the all-round stacked cast showing why the series won eight Emmys and two Golden Globes: yep, that's all on the agenda as well. It's enough to make you cancel your plans every Thursday night for the next 12 weeks, with this season airing weekly on SBS and SBS On Demand after the two-part premiere. Sure, that means that you can't binge it all in one sitting — but, it also means that your time with Offred and company will last even longer. If you're eager to extend the experience further still, then get a jump start by working through our five pieces of Handmaid's homework. Praise be, obviously. RE-BINGE THE FIRST SEASON It's an easy starting point, we know, but the best way to prepare for the new season is by rewatching the first. Also, it's something else for you to watch if you've already replayed the season two trailer over and over and over again. Scour for clues about what might come next, and come up with theories about Offred's fate; given that the show left audiences with a cliffhanger, there's plenty of questions to ponder. Or, see if there's anything you missed the first time around (like Atwood's early cameo), or introduce all things Handmaid's to your friends that were clearly hiding under a rock last year and somehow haven't seen the show. They're all great reasons to dive back in again, not that you need them when a program is as engrossing as this. As it was last year, the full first season is currently available on SBS On Demand. READ (OR RE-READ) THE NOVEL Maybe you were already a fan of Atwood's 33-year-old book long before the TV version was announced. Maybe you segued from watching the first season of The Handmaid's Tale to devouring the novel. Maybe you meant to get around to pouring over the text (you really, truly did mean to), but life just got in the way. Whichever category you fall into, now is the perfect time to read or re-read the piece of fiction that started it all — and, to set the scene for what might happen in the television program's second outing. As thorough as the first series was, it doesn't include everything that Atwood initially dreamed up. We won't spoil the details, but if you don't have time to stick your nose in the printed tome, here's a rundown. There's also an audiobook version too, if you'd rather listen, as read by Claire Danes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTnhx_N7nro WATCH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TAKE ON THE TALE The Handmaid's Tale that we know and love isn't the only screen version of the story. In fact, if the timeliness, insightfulness and hugely enthralling nature of the show got you thinking "why hasn't the book been adapted before?", well, the short answer is: it has. Back in 1990, German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff joined forces with poet and Nobel laureate Harold Pinter on an American film based on the novel, starring Natasha Richardson at Offred, Faye Dunaway as Serena Joy and Robert Duvall as Fred. Saying that it's completely different to the current take is quite the understatement, right up there with saying that Gilead isn't the best place to live if you're female. If you're keen to seek it out, it's available to watch on Stan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-fofQ9VpPQ SEEK OUT LAST YEAR'S OTHER GREAT ATWOOD ADAPTATION 2017 didn't just deliver one adaptation of Atwood's work, but two. Yep, when it rains, it pours, as the saying goes. While Alias Grace didn't attract anywhere near as much attention as The Handmaid's Tale, the Netflix miniseries is definitely well worth your time. Directed by American Psycho's Mary Harron and starring Sarah Gadon (11.22.63), Zachary Levi (Chuck), Anna Paquin (True Blood) and legendary The Fly filmmaker David Cronenberg, the six-part show takes inspiration from famous 19th-century murders. Gadon plays the real-life figure of Grace Marks in this somewhat fictionalised version of true events, with the series exploring a question that has been pondered for nearly two centuries: what was Marks' actual involvement in the crime? GET COOKING Food has special significance in The Handmaid's Tale. No, we're not talking about the "blessed be the fruit" greetings exchanged by handmaids — it refers to the children they're supposed to be bearing, rather than the goods they're often seen shopping for — but, rather, the way it's used to denote status. Handmaids buy it for the household, Marthas prepare meals and the Gilead elite eat fancy spreads while everyone else tucks into something much less appetising. In one first-season episode, for example, a macaron is used to signify the divisive role that food plays, with Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) offering Offred a rare treat. There are plenty more instances where that came from, and it's enough to make you both horrified and hungry. Unsurprisingly, there's no shortage of Handmaid's-themed party menus floating around, but if you whip up something crimson red (cupcakes with red icing are a favourite), then you're on the right track. Or, you could turn your hand to something particularly elaborate. When season two started filming, Elisabeth Moss received a cookie shaped like a music box — something else of significance within the series.
Get your shopping done under twinkling lights while surrounded by real (not plastic) Christmas trees. No, this isn't a festive dream — it's the reality of the South Bank Christmas Markets. Carol singers and other performers also help add to the mood, though they can't steal the show from the most important part of the proceedings: the wares on offer at the rows of stalls. From 11am daily, you'll find handmade toys, jewellery and other trinkets just begging to be given as gifts, as well as tasty treats to add to your Christmas feast. Yep, everyone's a winner here.
It's as much a part of the end of the year as busy shops, an overdose of all things red and green, family gatherings and determined resolutions. And, it's a whole lot more fun that that, even while you're wading through masses of people, and even when you're covered in mud. Yes, we're talking about the Woodford Folk Festival. The annual six-day frenzy is back once again, complete with a lineup designed to farewell 2016 and welcome 2017 in style. Topping off a massive year, Gang Of Youths, Adalita, Amanda Palmer and Methyl Ethel help headline the festival, with more than 2000 performers and 438 events — spanning music, dance, cabaret, circus and comedy, plus workshops, debates, street theatre, films, forums and visual arts — also on the program. Whether you're heading along for a single day or camping for the entire duration, you're in for the kind of fun that only happens at one place at one time of year. 100,000 people will be sharing the action with you, and celebrating a special occasion, too. This isn't just another Woodford Folk Festival, after all, but the event's 31st outing.
If Bad Neighbours 2 was a party instead of a film, it'd be the kind that everyone has been to at least once. You know the type: a fiesta focused not only on reliving past glories, but trying to outdo them. Going bigger mightn't always be better, yet plenty of fun — both expected and not so — can be had along the way. That's the end result here. While never the complete riot it wants to be, this comedy sequel frequently proves as hilarious as its predecessor, and has more than a few surprises up its sleeve. The film picks up two years after 2014's Bad Neighbours. After surviving life next to a fraternity, Mac (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) just want to sell their house, move somewhere quiet and hang out with their growing family. While they're embracing adult life, former frat leader Teddy (Zac Efron) is remembering the wild antics of his college heyday a little too fondly. Enter Shelby (Chloë Grace Moretz), Beth (Kiersey Clemons) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein), three freshmen eager to make the most of university life, but who don't like the "super rapey" vibe of keggers, or the rule that sororities aren't allowed to throw their own parties. It's not hard to guess where the movie is going, particularly if you've seen its predecessor. Shelby and her pals move in next door to Mac and Kelly, recruit Teddy as their mentor, and start a fresh round of neighbourly fighting for the right to party. Slapstick and gross-out gags remain in the mix, as does Efron's shirtless torso. Once again, director Nicholas Stoller tries to craft a culture-clash comedy that contemplates age and maturity, and for the most part he hits the mark. Admittedly, it may seem as though Bad Neighbours 2 is simply trying to disguise its plot rehash by switching sexes. But there's more going on here — and we don't just mean nods to Minions, Magic Mike and Jackass. In these post-Broad City times, the idea that girls can be as irresponsible and reckless as guys isn't revolutionary. Yet the fact that the film is willing to acknowledge this – not to mention exploring issues such as consent, sexism and privilege – is certainly worth celebrating. Accordingly, if the struggles of growing older added insight and sweetness to the first film's rampant raucousness, interrogating notions of gender, orientation, identity and equality achieves the same feat in the second instalment. Not every joke lands, and for every scene or line that manages to amusingly rework previous material, just as many seem like a stretch. But even when laughs aren't flowing, the movie is always pushing a refreshing, timely and much-needed perspective. Perhaps that's why Bad Neighbours 2 proves both more interesting and slightly less entertaining overall. The message feels new and vital, even if not a lot else does. And while a sense of familiarity certainly assists returning cast members Rogen, Efron and the scene-stealing Byrne, newcomers Moretz, Clemons and Feldstein are rarely asked to do more than embody the film's impressive, progressive attitude.
It's omurice time. Some dishes are as straightforward as they sound, and this one — aka omelette rice — is among them. It's an omelette made with fried rice, then typically topped with sauce. Clearly it's an easy concept to get around. And Motokichi Yukimura from Kichi Kichi Omurice in Kyoto keeps visiting Down Under to whip it up. Not all iterations of this western-influenced Japanese eggs-plus-rice staple are made equal, which is why Kichi Kichi Omurice's version might be on your travel bucket list. Chef Motokichi Yukimura's viral-famous take on the dish has made him an internet star — the term "Japan's most-famous omurice chef" has been used — and seen his eatery become a tourist destination. Sometimes, however, he brings his omurice to Australia, as he's set to again in March 2025. If you'd like the Kichi Kichi Omurice experience without the airfares, you can make that a reality in Sydney, Broadbeach and Brisbane. And if this sounds familiar, that's because Yukimura headed this way twice in 2024. He's again visiting Harajuku Gyoza to show why the dish he's been making for over 45 years is such a smash. The chef is doing 'meet and eat' events in all three cities, cooking everyone who attends his specialty — and putting on a show, complete with his Kichi Kichi Omurice song and dance. Folks in Sydney are headed to Harajuku Gyoza Darling Harbour across Tuesday, March 18–Thursday, March 20. For Brisbanites, your destination is Harajuku Gyoza South Brisbane from Sunday, March 23–Tuesday, March 25. And on the Gold Coast, Harajuku Gyoza Broadbeach is your destination on Saturday, March 22. Tickets cost $170 per person, with sittings for both lunch and dinner. That price covers tucking into Yukimura's omurice, as made at your table, plus a range of Harajuku Gyoza signature dishes — and meeting the chef. Alongside removing the need to book a flight to Japan, this is an easier way to enjoy the Kichi Kichi experience for another reason. As of January 2024, the Kyoto eatery is no longer doing bookings in advance. Now, diners are only able to make reservations on the same day they're eating, and need a password that's placed on the restaurant's door each morning to lock in their seating. Kichi Kichi at Harajuku Gyoza — March 2025 Tuesday, March 18–Thursday, March 20 — Harajuku Gyoza Darling Harbour, Sydney Saturday, March 22 — Harajuku Gyoza Broadbeach, Gold Coast Sunday, March 23–Tuesday, March 25 — Harajuku Gyoza South Brisbane, Brisbane Motokichi Yukimura will be at Harajuku Gyoza Darling Harbour, Broadbeach and Brisbane in March 2025. Head to the eatery's website for further details and bookings.
One day, you might just be able to say that you saw Tessa Waters way back when. You’ll be able to tell your friends that you witnessed her talents before the certain rising star was a household name, although the way she’s winning awards at the moment — including the Brisbane Powerhouse Award for Most Outstanding Comedy at the Melbourne Fringe 2014 — that might be soon. What it is like to be a woman is her current topic of discussion, something that more than half the population can understand, and the other half should listen to. In her usual clowning-around style, there’ll be booty-shaking, bedazzling costumes and hilarious one-liners as she jumps into the funny side of feminine mystique.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around Brisbane, as happens each year once Halloween ends and November arrives. But from Friday, November 25, for a whole month leading up to the big day, the Brisbane CBD and South Bank will be brimming with festive cheer — whether you're keen on shopping your way through markets, peering at dazzling lights or getting comfy (and merry) with a drink in your hand. The lineup of Christmas events that'll be decking out the city's two major inner-city precincts is as stuffed as a stocking, and filled with both beloved returning highlights and new reasons to get merry. Some, like the Enchanted Garden in Roma Street, are popular favourites set to dazzle again. Others, like the 'Tinsel Tavern' and Christmas jazz lounge, are fresh additions to your seasonal itinerary. It all kicks off on Friday, November 25 with the annual lighting of King George Square's 22-metre-tall Christmas tree, as well as the Enchanted Garden's launch. But, mark most of December in your diary, as that's when the bulk of the rest of the events take place. For nabbing gifts, Brisbane Arcade's two-day Christmas markets, the BrisStyle twilight Christmas markets in King George Square and The Collective Markets' six-day Christmas edition at South Bank all return, joining the city's hefty list of places to browse and buy beyond shopping centres. In the CBD, there'll also be nightly light shows at City Hall, running from 7.30pm–12am from Friday, December 9–Saturday, December 24; daily roving performances in the mall across the same dates; and the Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols on Saturday, December 10 at the Riverstage. Or, kick back at the jazz lounge around the Queen Street Mall's stage, with performances by Scat Jazz. South Bank will concentrate its festive fun between Saturday, December 17–Thursday, December 22, including daily pantomime shows, a free Santa photo station at Flowstate, and the return of Christmas Cinema by the river — complete with free double features, with Elf, Last Christmas, Arthur Christmas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Holiday, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Happiest Season among the flicks on the bill. And, the Tinsel Tavern will set up on Little Stanley Street Lawn, serving tipples nightly from 4.30–10pm — and thoroughly saying cheers to the silly season.
At the Valley mall mainstay that is Ric's, there's only one way to get into the BIGSOUND spirit. That'd be throwing the biggest shindig they can in the bar's backyard; when under the sunny Brisbane skies, and all that. From 4pm on Friday until whenever you wander out before closing time on Saturday morning, this blow-out has you covered. The Stiffys, The Durries, Baskervillain, The Flangipanis and Cordeaux will take care of the tunes, while Ric's will take care of the mood, leaving you with the simple task of showing up and having fun. This event is one of our top five picks of BIGSOUND. Check out the other four here.
It's May and Brisbane has gone a little mad with art. Breaking down barriers between artistic styles, this month's exhibitions explore cultural divides, femininity in portraits and even Brisbane's own cultural history. There's a lot to take in, so we've picked out a few of our must-sees for the month, from woodworkers doing their thing to some of the country's weirdest pop art.
All-male burlesque troupe Briefs are coming back to Brisbane for MELT with their latest show Close Encounters. For anyone who hasn't seen one of their performances, expect something unlike anything you've experienced — glamorous cabaret and performance mixed with humour and just a little raunch. Oh, and this one is futuristic. Formed back in 2008, the crew has moved from club shows to selling out stages in London, Berlin, Paris, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. Holding performances from May 23 to 26, and then again on June 1 and 2, their latest effort includes dancing, acro-balancing, trapeze, lip-syncing and frocks — and, of course, plenty of social commentary about masculinity, plus a whole lot more.
Maybe you first heard of Peloton when US President Joe Biden assumed office, with his use of the company's technology-enabled equipment giving rise to questions about its potential White House security risks. Perhaps you've seen the mocking ad created by Ryan Reynolds' Aviation American Gin, or the recent Saturday Night Live spoof. Or, you could just really like expensive additions to your home gym setup, or getting guided through your workout routine by an instructor without having to leave the house. Whichever fits, Australians will soon be able to get their hands on the brand's indoor bikes and take part in its streamed classes, with the company announcing plans to launch Down Under. An exact date hasn't yet been announced, but Peloton will be rolling out its equipment and at-home workouts in Australia some time in the second half of 2021. Presumably, it won't be doing so by using its controversial 2019 TV commercial, which received considerable backlash and gave rise to the aforementioned parodies. Australians will be able to choose from two Peloton bikes first up, and neither comes cheap. The Peloton Bike will cost $2895, while the Bike+ will set you back $3695. If you're wondering what the difference is, the latter comes with a bigger screen that can rotate 360 degrees, and with a better sound system — because connecting to the Peloton app and streaming its workouts while you're hitting the pedals is all part of the process. You will need to pay extra to access the company's content, which'll cost $59 per month. On offer: instructor-led classes, motivational tracks and curated playlists, with the latter featuring the likes of Beyoncé and The Beatles. The sessions cover cycling, obviously, as well as running, strength training, high-intensity interval training, yoga, barre, pilates, dance cardio, bootcamp and meditation. Time-wise, they span from five to 60 minutes in length and, in terms of skill, range from beginner to advanced. The Peloton app does also include material that doesn't require the brand's equipment, if you're eager to give it a try without breaking your budget. Peloton is also setting up physical showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne, should you want to give its bikes a test run in person. The brand also makes treadmills, although when they'll be available in Australia hasn't yet been announced. When Peloton heads Down Under, it'll set up shop in its fifth country worldwide, after the US, the UK, Canada and Germany. Peloton will launch in Australia sometime in 2021, and set up showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne. For further details, keep an eye on the company's website.
When Lunar New Year rolls around, there's one obvious place to go in Brisbane: the Chinatown Mall. Across Saturday, February 1–Sunday, February 2, 2025, lion and dragon dances will saunter through the Fortitude Valley spot, and markets will tempt your wallet — but it isn't the only place in the vicinity getting into the celebratory mood. Also joining in to mark the Year of the Snake is Bakery and California lanes, which'll be home to roving performances on the Saturday. [caption id="attachment_758021" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tanya Dedyukhina via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Chinatown's part of the fun runs from 2–9pm on the Saturday, then from 10am–3pm on the Sunday. And if you're wondering about the tastiest part of Lunar New Year celebrations — the food, obviously — you'll be in the absolute best place thanks to Chinatown's many eateries (and the Valley's in general). We recommend booking in advance, though, as you won't be the only one with that idea. Top image: J Low via Flickr.
For one week each September, Brisbane becomes Australia's live music capital — even if a Melbourne survey generally claims otherwise. When BIGSOUND hits the city, it seems like every venue in Fortitude Valley is packed to the rafters with bands, industry folks and music-loving punters, all enjoying the latest and greatest the country's music scene has to offer. And given this year's complete lineup, expect that to be the case once again. After unveiling its first 76 acts for 2019 last month, BIGSOUND has revealed who else it'll play host to between September 3–6. As always, it's a hefty bunch. Mojo Juju, These New South Whales, Adrian Eagle, imbi the girl and Cry Club join a bill that already includes the likes of Bad//Dreems, Electric Fields, SCABZ, Outright, Milan Ring, LOSER, Tones & I and Tasman Keith, plus yergurl, EGOISM, Stevan, Laura Imbruglia and Concrete Surfers. Yes, the list goes on, with 147 artists gracing the event's stages in total. BIGSOUND has also announced its full range of venues, reaching 18 all up, all across Fortitude Valley. Attendees can expect to get cosy in smaller spaces including Black Bear Lodge and Heya Bar, tap their toes at big stages like The Zoo, The Brightside, and Crowbar, and enjoy the night air at outdoor spots such as The Valley Drive In, The Elephant Hotel and Ric's Big Backyard. As previously revealed, this year's talking heads will include keynote speaker Terry McBride, CEO and co-founder of Nettwerk Music Group, which includes Canada's largest independent record label, artist management and music publishing company; and British TV and radio presenter Abbie McCarthy, from BBC Music Introducing, Radio 1 & 4 Music, and Good Karma Club. This is a conference as well as a festival, after all — although, you can choose to hear wise words of wisdom, dance all night, or both. [caption id="attachment_636255" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bec Taylor[/caption] Past BIGSOUNDs have showcased everyone from Gang of Youths, Flume, Tash Sultana and Courtney Barnett to San Cisco, Violent Soho, Methyl Ethel and The Jungle Giants, so its program is usually a very reliable bellwether of current and up-and-coming talent. Even better — the festival's four-night $85 (plus booking fee) Rainbow Pass nabs you access to 270 music showcases at the 18 venues. To view the full BIGSOUND 2019 lineup, visit the event's website. BIGSOUND 2019 runs from September 3–6 at various venues around Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. For further details or to buy tickets from 9am on Monday, June 27, visit bigsound.org.au. To discover what to do, see, eat and drink while visiting Brissie for the annual event, check out our weekender's guide to Brisbane during BIGSOUND. Top image: Kult Kyss at BigSound 2018.
Whether abstaining from red meat is part of your beliefs, or munching on the ocean's finest just sounds like your idea of a good time, the Regatta Hotel is the place to be this Good Friday. Seafood, seafood and then even more seafood will be on the menu at their three-course with drinks luncheon. Enjoy seafood platters and glasses of Moët — which means prawns, fish and other delicious bites from the ocean aplenty — and then top it all off with an Easter-appropriate chocolate marquee served with chocolate soil, salted caramel, raspberries and pure cream. This mouthwatering feast will set you back $129 per person, but, c'mon, it sure beats a backyard barbecue.
Everyone has a favourite kind of chocolate. Everyone also has a favourite kind of chocolate that doesn't actually exist. You know what we're talking about — you've fantasised about a bar of cocoa goodness that includes all your wildest, weirdest additions, and you've been cripplingly saddened every time you've looked for your crazy concoction in the supermarket. Keep dreaming deliciously big, because new Australian online retailer Chocolab is in the business of granting chocolate wishes. Whether milk, white or dark is your jam, and whether you like to find confectionery, spices, fruit, nuts, biscuits, cereal, coffee, popcorn or pretzels hidden within, your dream choccy could be an actual, eatable thing. In the company's online creation lab, you can add up to five possible bits and pieces to your 100-gram block of Belgium's finest. The lengthy list of ingredients currently includes sour gummy worms, Ovalteenies, Nerds, caramel fudge, Nutella, Fruit Tingles, sherbet, acai berries, Tiny Teddies, brownie bites, Cornflakes and more, with new options added regularly. If you don't see an add-in you like, you can even suggest your own. A block starts at $6.50, with add-ins ranging from 70c to $2. Once you've settled on your picks, your concoction is handcrafted by Chocolab's professional chocolatiers, then shipped to you as soon as possible — and yes, there's an express delivery option, because no one likes waiting for the food of the gods. Postage starts at $4 per block, so while it's not the cheapest block of chocolate in town, it's certainly the most happily indulgent. Chocolab recommends eating the finished product with a month or two, and we celebrate their optimism and judgement-free attitude. We all know your dream bar won't last that long. To find out more about Chocolab, or to design your own block of chocolate, visit their website.
Spending more time at home is much easier to stomach with a hefty rage of desserts on hand, or at least that seems to be Gelato Messina's pandemic motto. Over the past few months, the gelato fiends have served up plenty of tasty specials, including cookie pies in choc chip, red velvet, choc-hazelnut, and peanut butter and jelly varieties, as well as 40 of its best gelato flavours. Up next: a gelato version of everyone's favourite Italian chocolate, in tub form. If your ultimate chocolate is round, covered in gold wrapping and has a crunchy hazelnut centre — yes, we're talking about Ferrero Rocher — you best get ready to order this Messina special, dubbed the Tartufo Rocks Hot Tub. Inspired by the famed Italian chocolate, the tubs feature layers of gianduja (chocolate-hazelnut) gelato, whipped cream, chocolate-coated puffed rice, hazelnut mousse and gianduja fudge and are topped with hazelnut rocher glaze. And, yes, the end result looks like the chocolates you know and love — but in a scoopable form. Available as part of Messina's 'Hot Tub' series, the Tartufo gelato can only be ordered online on Monday, October 26, with a one-litre tub setting you back $30. You can then go into your chosen Messina store to pick up your tub between Friday, October 30 and Sunday, November 1. While Rocher's tagline is indeed 'share something special', we think there's nothing wrong with keeping this all to yourself. Gelato Messina's Tartufo Rocks Hot Tubs will be available to order on Monday, October 26, for pick up between Friday, October 30–Sunday, November 1 — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
