Dance and classical aren't music genres you'd usually find swirling around in the same basket — unless you have a particular bent for the orchestral 'Sandstorm' covers found in the depths of YouTube. Synthony — A Generation of Dance Music is here to prove that the disciplines go hand in hand. Touring Australia since 2019, the event is returning to Brisbane on Saturday, May 28. It'll see a 60-plus piece orchestra join forces with a selection of DJs and live performers at the Riverstage, all to play the biggest dance tracks of the last 30 years. Expect the venue to take a few cues from the nightclub scene, with lights, lasers and mapped video all part of the experience — and a selection of dance floor bangers note-for-note. The lineup includes live performances from Savage, Emily Williams, Mobin Master and more — and The Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra, of course — with Madison Avenue's Andy Van on hosting duties.
Australians, if you like your burgers cruelty-free, then you've probably been keen to introduce your tastebuds to Impossible Foods. One of the big names in plant-based meat, the brand has built up quite the following in the US — and, from today, Thursday, November 4, it's finally available Down Under. Known for making not just meat alternatives but also dairy substitutes out of plants, Impossible has launched in Australia with two big collaborations: with burger chain Grill'd and Sydney fried chicken joint-meets-sneaker shop Butter. Nationwide, you can now tuck into four Impossible burgs made with the brand's beef alternative. If you're a Sydneysider, you have a couple more options at Butter's Chatswood and Parramatta outposts, and you'll also be able to try a broader menu at Butter's upcoming Impossible pop-up in The Rocks. For burger fiends, those four new additions at Grill'd Australia-wide include a cheeseburger (complete with vegan cheese and vegan mayonnaise), the 'Simply Grill'd' which recreates the chain's standard burg, a vegetable-heavy option that comes with beetroot and avocado, and an Aussie spin on the concept that also adds beetroot and barbecue burger sauce. In Sydney, Butter is doing an Impossible cheeseburger and an Impossible classic burger, marking the first time it's ever had plant-based meat alternatives on its menu. Butter will also be adding a new Impossible burger to its lineup every fortnight, and slinging Impossible lasagnes and meatball subs via its home-delivery brand Mumma Julian's. And, at a yet-to-be-revealed date sometime later in November, Butter's Impossible pop-up in The Rocks will only serve items made with Impossible beef. Think: meat-free katsu, cheeseburgers and chilli cheese fries, plus whatever else Butter co-owner and executive chef Julian Cincotta comes up with. In total, Impossible's meat-less 'beef' is now available in more than 150 restaurants around the country — and you can expect more places to join the list. And if you're wondering what makes the brand's plant-based options stand out, it was named the best plant-based burger by The New York Times. Grill'd's Impossible menu is available in stores from Thursday, November 4. Butter is serving two Impossible burgers at its Chatswood and Parramatta outposts, and will set up an Impossible pop-up in The Rocks later in November. For further details about Impossible, head to the brand's website.
Dust off your sombreros, amigos. The latest international excuse for a good time to reach our shores is Cinco de Mayo — a celebration of all things Mexican (which, if we’re being nit-picky, is really more of an Americanisation than anything but shh, let us party). In celebration, the folks at Corona and Beach Burrito Company Coogee are putting together a fiesta, complete with face painting by local street artists and the first ever Taco Time Trials Eating Contest. For the less competitively inclined but equally taco-happy, Cinco de Mayo falls conveniently on a Tuesday, and Beach Burrito Co’s regular $3 taco deal applies, so your pesos’ll stretch further. With what you’ve got left, you can sip salt-rimmed margaritas, down trays of tequila shots (not recommended) or share a bucket of ice-cold Coronas. And, of course, come prepared to smash and whack your way to glory, because they wouldn’t be doing Mexico right without pinatas.
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it both, in a way? Next time you see something hovering in the sky in southeast Queensland, the answer to that last question could be yes. Not content with simply serving up fried chook on land as it's done for decades, KFC has taken to the skies to pilot a new delivery method — ferrying its finger-lickin'-good chicken pieces, burgers, nuggets and fries around select suburbs via drone in an Australian-first for the chain. If you've always wanted your lunch or dinner to swoop in from above, to feel like you're living in the future or to take the whole pandemic-era contactless purchasing setup literally to another level, you'll need to live in the SEQ suburbs of Kingston, Logan Central, Slacks Creek, Underwood and Woodridge to get your flying KFC fix. And, you'll also have to download the Wing delivery app, too, with the fast-food chain teaming up with the on-demand drone delivery service on its new way to get chicken direct to your door. Where your chicken is going, it doesn't need roads. And no, it isn't yet April 1, so this is genuinely happening. KFC has also set up a dark kitchen just to cater to drone orders — which it's calling a 'cloud kitchen', but obviously still sits on the ground — and says that some deliveries might arrive within minutes. Here's how it works: once you place your order, the drone will fly to the KFC kitchen to pick it up, and will then head back up to flying altitude to get to its delivery destination. With packages of up to 1.5-kilograms, it can travel more than 110-kilometres per hour. When it arrives at your house, it'll slow down, bring itself to a delivery height of about seven metres above the ground, and lower your food on a tether — which'll automatically release. You don't need to unclip anything, and the drone doesn't need to land, either. Wing advises that on-demand drone deliveries have proven quite popular in Logan over the past year, with more than 100,000 deliveries made in 2021, if you're wondering why it was chosen for this trial. If you're a Brisbanite who doesn't live in any of the pilot suburbs but resides nearby, KFC and Wing are also gradually planning to expand the delivery radius to neighbouring spots sometime in the future — but exactly where and when hasn't been revealed. For fried chicken lovers elsewhere, cross your fingers that your next zinger or three-piece feed will be taking to the air sometime in the future. To order KFC via drone if you live in Kingston, Logan Central, Slacks Creek, Underwood and Woodridge, download the Wing delivery app.
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 June's haul. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL NOW I'M A VIRGO No one makes social satires like Boots Riley. Late in I'm a Virgo, when a character proclaims that "all art is propaganda", these words may as well be coming from The Coup frontman-turned-filmmaker's very own lips. In only his second screen project after the equally impassioned, intelligent, energetic, anarchic and exceptional 2018 film Sorry to Bother You, Riley doesn't have his latest struggling and striving hero utter this sentiment, however. Rather, it springs from the billionaire technology mogul also known as The Hero (Walton Goggins, George & Tammy), who's gleefully made himself the nemesis of 13-foot-tall series protagonist Cootie (Jharrel Jerome, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). Knowing that all stories make a statement isn't just the domain of activists fighting for better futures for the masses, as Riley is, and he wants to ensure that his audience knows it. Indeed, I'm a Virgo is a show with something to say, and forcefully. Its creator is angry again, too, and wants everyone giving him their time to be bothered — and he still isn't sorry for a second. With Jerome as well-cast a lead as Atlanta's Lakeith Stanfield was, I'm a Virgo also hinges upon a surreal central detail: instead of a Black telemarketer discovering the impact of his "white voice", it hones in on the oversized Cootie. When it comes to assimilation, consider this series Sorry to Bother You's flipside, because there's no way that a young Black man that's more than double the tallest average height is passing for anyone but himself. Riley knows that Black men are too often seen as threats and targets regardless of their stature anyway. He's read the research showing that white folks can perceive Black boys as older and less innocent. As Cootie wades through these experiences himself, there isn't a single aspect of I'm a Virgo that doesn't convey Riley's ire at the state of the world — that doesn't virtually scream about it, actually — with this series going big and bold over and over. I'm a Virgo streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. BLACK MIRROR When Ron Swanson discovered digital music, the tech-phobic Parks and Recreation favourite was uncharacteristically full of praise. Played by Nick Offerman (The Last of Us) at his most giddily exuberant, he badged the iPod filled with his favourite records an "excellent rectangle". In Black Mirror, the same shape is everywhere. The Netflix series' moniker even stems from the screens and gadgets that we all now filter life through daily and unthinkingly. In Charlie Brooker's (Cunk on Earth) eyes since 2011, however, those ever-present boxes and the technology behind them are far from ace. Instead, befitting a dystopian anthology show that has dripped with existential dread from episode one, and continues to do so in its long-awaited sixth season, those rectangles keep reflecting humanity at its bleakest. Black Mirror as a title has always been devastatingly astute: when we stare at a TV, smartphone, computer or tablet, we access the world yet also reveal ourselves. It might've taken four years to return after 2019's season five, but Brooker's hit still smartly and sharply focuses on the same concern. Indeed, this new must-binge batch of nightmares begins with exactly the satirical hellscape that today's times were bound to inspire. Opening chapter Joan Is Awful, with its AI- and deepfake-fuelled mining of everyday existence for content, almost feels too prescient — a charge a show that's dived into digital resurrections, social scoring systems, killer VR and constant surveillance knows well. Brooker isn't afraid to think bigger and probe deeper in season six, though; to eschew obvious targets like ChatGPT and the pandemic; and to see clearly and unflinchingly that our worst impulses aren't tied to the latest widgets. Black Mirror streams via Netflix. Read our full review. GUY RITCHIE'S THE COVENANT Announcing his cinematic arrival with a pair of slick, witty, twisty and fast-paced British heist flicks, Guy Ritchie achieved at the beginning of his career something that many filmmakers strive for their whole lives: he cemented exactly what his features are in the minds of audiences. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch made "Guy Ritchie movie" an instantly understood term, in fact, as the writer/director has attempted to capitalise on since with differing results (see: Revolver, RocknRolla, The Gentlemen and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre). Ritchie's third film, the Madonna-starring Swept Away, has also proven just as emblematic of his career, however. He loves pumping out stereotypical Guy Ritchie movies — he even adores making them Sherlock Holmes and King Arthur flicks, with mixed fortunes — but he also likes leaving his own conventions behind in The Man From UNCLE, Aladdin, Wrath of Man and now Guy Ritchie's The Covenant. Perhaps Ritchie's name is in the title of this Afghanistan-set action-thriller to remind viewers that the film does indeed boast him behind the lens, and as a cowriter; unlike with fellow 2023 release Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, they wouldn't guess otherwise. Clunky moniker aside, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant is pared down, gripping and intense, and home to two excellent performances by Jake Gyllenhaal (Strange World) as Master Sergeant John Kinley and Dar Salim (Tatort) as his interpreter Ahmed. As the former leads a team that's looking for IED factories, the pair's collaboration is tentative at first. Then a raid goes wrong, Ahmed saves Kinley's life, but the recognition and support that'd be afforded an American solider in the same situation doesn't go the local's way. Where Afghan interpreters who aid US troops are left after their task is complete is a weighty subject, and treated as such in this grounded and moving film. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant streams via Prime Video. FLAMIN' HOT How? In pop culture's current true-crime and murder-mystery trends, that's a key question, with audiences keen to discover how killers are caught — or sometimes aren't. It's also the query at the heart of another on-screen obsession of late: product films. These aren't the movies that turn every favourite character and premise possible into never-ending franchises, as seen in the many various caped-crusader universes. Rather, they're origin stories behind everything from games (Tetris) to shoes (Air) and mobile phones (BlackBerry), and they just keep arriving in 2023. Marking the feature directorial debut of Desperate Housewives actor Eva Longoria, Flamin' Hot is firmly a product film, as Cheetos fans will instantly know. If you've ever wondered how the Frito-Lay-owned brand's spiciest variety came about in the 90s — and became so popular — this likeable, energetically made movie provides the answer while itself rolling out a crowd-pleasing formula. Eating the titular snack while you watch is optional, but expect the hankering to arise either way. This story belongs to Richard Montañez — and it's also an underdog tale, and an account of chasing the American dream, especially when it seems out of reach. Flamin' Hot's pivotal figure (Jesse Garcia, Ambulance) started working at Frito-Lay to support his family, after living the gang life since high school to rebel against his dad, but he wants to be more than a janitor. His attempts to work his way up the company ladder falter not through his lack of trying or willingness to learn everything there is about making junk food, but due to a stratified hierarchy that doesn't reward his efforts. But, as he takes cues about the factory's operation from engineer Clarence (Dennis Haysbert, Lucifer), who also struggles to get promoted, he realises that chilli-flavoured Cheetos would be a smash within the Latino community. His ever-supportive wife Judy (Annie Gonzalez, Vida) is committed to helping, as are his family and friends in general — but if getting Frito-Lay CEO Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel) onboard was easy or straightforward, there wouldn't be a film. Flamin' Hot streams via Disney+. BASED ON A TRUE STORY Murder-mystery comedies: everyone's making them, and on screens big (Knives Out and its sequel, See How They Run) and small (Only Murders in the Building, The Afterparty, Dead to Me). In fact, Based on a True Story star Kaley Cuoco has been in one lately thanks to two seasons of dark comedy-slash-whodunnit thriller The Flight Attendant. But the difference with the genre's latest streaming example is befriending a serial killer, which is the choice that Cuoco's pregnant real-estate agent Ava Bartlett and her just-fired tennis-coach husband Nathan (Chris Messina, The Boogeyman) make to chase a lucrative payday. How does palling around with the Westside Ripper, who has been terrorising Los Angeles, benefit the financially struggling couple? By making a podcast with them, as Australian-born creator and writer Craig Rosenberg (The Boys) finds his own way to riff on the Serial-sparked true-crime audio obsession. Ava is a devotee of folks talking about grisly deeds; if Only Murders in the Building existed in the Based on a True Story universe, she'd be its number-one fan. And, after working out that she and Nathan know the killer, it's her idea to hustle that information into what she hopes will be the next big podcast, all by enlisting said criminal to natter on with them. Based on a True Story clearly skews more darkly satirical than the fellow streaming series it most closely resembles — well, that and The Flight Attendant and also country-club comedy Red Oaks. It's messier as well, sometimes feeling like it's throwing in everything it can, and Cuoco could've easily walked out of her last series and straight into this. Still, with its love of twists, willingness to call out how the world's murder fixation is so rarely about the victims, and a well-cast lineup of talent that also includes Tom Bateman (Death on the Nile) and Liana Liberato (Scream VI), it's quickly addictive — yes, like the podcasts it's parodying. Based on a True Story streams via Binge. NEW SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK DEADLOCH Trust Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, Australia's favourite Kates and funniest double act, to make a killer TV show about chasing a killer that's the perfect sum of two excellent halves. Given their individual and shared backgrounds, including creating and starring in cooking show sendup The Katering Show and morning television spoof Get Krack!n, the pair unsurprisingly add another reason to get chuckling to their resumes; however, with Deadloch, they also turn their attention to crime procedurals. The Kates already know how to make viewers laugh. They've established their talents as brilliant satirists and lovers of the absurd in the process. Now, splashing around those skills in Deadloch's exceptional eight-episode first season lead by Kate Box (Stateless) and Madeleine Sami (The Breaker Upperers), they've also crafted a dead-set stellar murder-mystery series. Taking place in a sleepy small town, commencing with a body on a beach, and following both the local cop trying to solve the case and the gung-ho blow-in from a big city leading the enquiries, Deadloch has all the crime genre basics covered from the get-go. The spot scandalised by the death is a sitcom-esque quirky community, another television staple that McCartney and McLennan nail. Parody requires deep knowledge and understanding; you can't comically rip into and riff on something if you aren't familiar with its every in and out. That said, Deadloch isn't in the business of simply mining well-worn TV setups and their myriad of conventions for giggles, although it does that expertly. With whip-smart writing, the Australian series is intelligent, hilarious, and all-round cracking as a whodunnit-style noir drama and as a comedy alike — and one of the streaming highlights of the year. Deadloch streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. HIJACK Whether Idris Elba will ever get to play James Bond is still yet to be seen, but he resourcefully endeavours to save lives and bring down nefarious folks in Hijack, and adds another prime example of why he'd be excellent as 007 to his resume. This new series is also basically Idris Elba on a Plane, sans slithering snakes — or Idris Elba Cancels the London-Bound Apocalypse. Die Hard with Idris Elba, 24: Idris Elba: they fit as well. Fresh from battling lions in Beast, the Luther star plays Sam Nelson, a seasoned negotiator on his way home to the UK from Dubai, and a man who just wants to try to patch things up with his estranged wife Marsha (Christine Adams, The Mandalorian) and spend time with his teenage son Kai (Jude Cudjoe, Halo). Then fellow Brit Stuart (Neil Maskell, Small Axe) and his gun-toting team take over the aircraft before the first of the journey's seven hours is out, forcing Sam to play hero to try to keep himself and his fellow passengers alive. Unfurling in seven episodes, Hijack gets its audience experiencing the tension, chaos and life-or-death stakes in tandem with Sam, the rest of the flight's hostages, and the people on the ground across several countries that are attempting to work out what's going on. Creators George Kay (Lupin) and Jim Field Smith (Litvinenko) prove masterful with suspense, and at keeping viewers hooked — and, pivotally, at knowing exactly the kind of series this wants to be, the conventions and cliches it's leaning into, what's soared there before, and how to do it well. It can't be underestimated how crucial Elba is, though. Cast the wrong person as Sam, and the ability to get everyone from pilots and crew to agitated flyers, wannabe saviours and air traffic control on his side would seem ludicrous — and, at times, the hijackers as well. Hijack streams via Apple TV+. SECRET INVASION "I've had it with these Marvel tales without Nick Fury as the lead" isn't something that Samuel L Jackson has publicly uttered, with or without expletives — yes, more than a few things have Snakes on a Plane vibes this month (see also: Hijack above) — but viewers might've thought it over the past 15 years. The character that masterminded the Avengers Initiative initially appeared in 2008's very-first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. When Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 reached cinemas earlier in 2023, the franchise hit 32 cinema outings to-date, many with Fury playing a part. And yet, none have had his name in their moniker. That remains the case now, and on the small screen as well, where the MCU has also been spreading its exploits. Secret Invasion is still exactly what Marvel has needed for over a decade, however: a Fury-centric story. Perhaps Disney realises that, too; as well as bringing back Talos (Ben Mendelsohn, Cyrano), and introducing MI6's Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman, Empire of Light), insurrectionist leader Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir, One Night in Miami) and fellow revolutionary G'iah (Emilia Clarke, Last Christmas), Secret Invasion's first two episodes feature laments aplenty about Fury's absence. Within the ever-sprawling MCU's interconnected narrative, he's been AWOL lately for two reasons: The Blip, aka Avengers: Infinity War's consequential finger-snapping; and a stint since working in space, which'll get more attention when The Marvels drops on the silver screen in November 2023. Extraterrestrial race the Skrulls has noticed Fury's departure keenly, after he promised to help them find their own planet in Captain Marvel but hasn't followed through so far. Cue two factions of the shapeshifting refugees in Secret Invasion: those still waiting and others now willing to fight to take earth as their own instead. Cue far more Skrulls on Marvel's main base than humans, including Fury, know about as well. Secret Invasion streams via Disney+. Read our full review. THE CROWDED ROOM Since 2016, Tom Holland has been so busy doing whatever a spider can that stints away from his Marvel Cinematic Universe web-slinging have been few and far between. And varied, including the long-delayed (and terrible) Chaos Walking and the entertaining-enough Uncharted movie adaptation, plus straight-to-streaming flicks The Devil All the Time and Cherry. The Crowded Room boasts his best performance yet in his Spider-Man era, and provides a reminder that the star of The Impossible and The Lost City of Z, plus lover of dancing to Rihanna's 'Umbrella', will be absolutely fine when he stops pondering how great power begets great responsibility. His new ten-part series doesn't always meet its hefty ambitions, but it's always thoughtful in its attempts as it heads back to the 70s, spends time with a young man being interrogated about his past, explores mental health and, like most things of late, revels in being a mystery. Holland plays Danny Sullivan, who starts the serious jittering with nerves at New York City's Rockefeller Center. He's with Ariana (Sasha Lane, Conversations with Friends), they have a gun, and opening fire is their aim — but, although Danny doesn't want to shoot, he's swiftly in police custody. Lead cop Matty (Thomas Sadoski, Devotion) thinks that the public incident might just be the latest in a series of incidents. Enter Rya (Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout), who spends lengthy sessions interrogating Danny about his past as he awaits trial. The Crowded Room always remains a crime drama but, as it pieces together its protagonist's complicated story complete with glimpses of his doting mother Candy (Emmy Rossum, Angelyne) and abusive stepfather Marlin (Will Chase, Dopesick), it has much more on its mind. The twist in the premise is teased out, hardly difficult to guess, yet gives Holland ample room to turn in a compellingly pliable performance — in a series the brings 1981 non-fiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan to the screen, albeit using it as inspiration rather than straight-out adapting it, a task that's been attempted since the 90s. The Crowded Room streams via AppleTV+. RECENT CINEMA RELEASES YOU NEED TO CATCH UP WITH ASAP ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED With photographer Nan Goldin at its centre, the latest documentary by Citizenfour Oscar-winner Laura Poitras is a film about many things, to deeply stunning and moving effect. In this Oscar-nominated movie's compilation of Goldin's acclaimed snaps, archival footage, current interviews, and past and present activism, a world of stories flicker — all linked to Goldin, but all also linking universally. The artist's bold work, especially chronicling LGBTQIA+ subcultures and the 80s HIV/AIDS crisis, frequently and naturally gets the spotlight. Her complicated family history, which spans heartbreaking loss, haunts the doco as it haunts its subject. The rollercoaster ride that Goldin's life has taken, including in forging her career, supporting her photos, understanding who she is and navigating an array of personal relationships, cascades through, too. And, so do her efforts to counter the opioid epidemic by bringing one of the forces behind it to public justice. Revealing state secrets doesn't sit at the core of the tale here, unlike Citizenfour and Poitras' 2016 film Risk — one about Edward Snowden, the other Julian Assange — but everything leads to the documentary's titular six words: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. They gain meaning in a report spied late about the mental health of Goldin's older sister Barbara, who committed suicide at the age of 18 when Goldin was 11, and who Goldin contends was just an "angry and sexual" young woman in the 60s with repressed parents. A psychiatrist uses the eponymous phrase to describe what Barbara sees and, tellingly, it could be used to do the same with anyone. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is, in part, a rebuke of the idea that a teenager with desires and emotions is a problem, and also a statement that that's who we all are, just to varying levels of societal acceptance. The film is also a testament that, for better and for worse, all the beauty and the bloodshed we all witness and endure is what shapes us. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed streams via Docplay. Read our full review. BLAZE In the name of its protagonist, and the pain and fury that threatens to parch her 12-year-old existence, Del Kathryn Barton's first feature scorches and sears. It burns in its own moniker, too, and in the blistering alarm it sounds against an appalling status quo: that experiencing, witnessing and living with the aftermath of violence against women is all too common, heartbreakingly so, including in Australia where one woman a week on average is killed by her current or former partner. Blaze has a perfect title, with the two-time Archibald Prize-winning artist behind it crafting a movie that's alight with anger, that flares with sorrow, and that's so astutely and empathetically observed, styled and acted that it chars. Indeed, it's frequently hard to pick which aspect of the film singes more: the story about surviving what should be unknown horrors for a girl who isn't even yet a teen, the wondrously tactile and immersive way in which Blaze brings its namesake's inner world to the screen, or the stunning performance by young actor Julia Savage (Mr Inbetween) in its central part. There are imagined dragons in Blaze, but Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, this isn't — although Jake (Josh Lawson, Mortal Kombat), who Blaze spots in an alleyway with Hannah (Yael Stone, Blacklight), has his lawyer (Heather Mitchell, Bosch & Rockit) claim that his accuser knows nothing. With the attack occurring mere minutes into the movie, Barton dedicates the feature's bulk to how her lead character copes, or doesn't. Being questioned about what she saw in court is just one way that the world tries to reduce her to ashes, but the embers of her hurt and determination don't and won't die. Blaze's father Luke (Simon Baker, Limbo), a single parent, understandably worries about the impact of everything blasting his daughter's way. As she retreats then acts out, cycling between both and bobbing in-between, those fears are well-founded. Blaze is a coming-age-film — a robbing-of-innocence movie as well — but it's also a firm message that there's no easy or ideal response to something as awful as its titular figure observes. Blaze streams via Stan and Binge. Read our full review. SHE SAID Questions flow freely in She Said, the powerful and methodical All the President's Men and Spotlight-style newspaper drama from director Maria Schrader (I'm Your Man) and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Small Axe) that tells the story behind the past decade's biggest entertainment story. On-screen, Zoe Kazan (Clickbait) and Carey Mulligan (The Dig) tend to be doing the asking, playing now Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. They query Harvey Weinstein's actions, including his treatment of women. They gently and respectfully press actors and Miramax employees about their traumatic dealings with the Hollywood honcho, and they politely see if some — if any — will go on the record about their experiences. And, they question Weinstein and others at his studio about accusations that'll lead to this famous headline: "Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades". As the entire world read at the time, those nine words were published on October 5, 2017, along with the distressing article that detailed some — but definitely not all — of Weinstein's behaviour. Everyone has witnessed the fallout, too, with Kantor and Twohey's story helping spark the #MeToo movement, electrifying the ongoing fight against sexual assault and gender inequality in the entertainment industry, and shining a spotlight on the gross misuses of authority that have long plagued Tinseltown. The piece also brought about Weinstein's swift downfall. As well as being sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York in 2020, he's currently standing trial for further charges in Los Angeles. Watching She Said, however, more questions spring for the audience. Here's the biggest heartbreaker: how easily could Kantor and Twohey's article never have come to fruition at all, leaving Weinstein free to continue his predatory harassment? She Said streams via Netflix and Binge. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April and May this year. You can also check out our list of standout must-stream 2022 shows as well — and our best 15 new shows of last year, top 15 returning shows over the same period, 15 shows you might've missed and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies of 2022.
Since setting up its local base in Murarrie back in 2019, BrewDog has been serving Brisbanites plenty of cold ones, with the Scottish beer behemoth making this sunny city of ours its Australian home. Over that time, you've probably sat by the river and knocked back the company's brews — but at its annual Collabfest festival, you'll be encouraged to try yeasty bevvies from other breweries. Running from Thursday, October 19–Sunday, October 22 at both its OG Brissie site and its Fortitude Valley beer bar, this weekend-long event celebrates brews from other beer-making outfits from across southeast Queensland. Each watering hole will give four other breweries some love, and the chosen spots always brew brand new (and unique) beers for the occasion, too — so expect to taste something that you haven't sipped before. Also, there are two parts to the shindig. First, it all kicks off with a Thursday night launch, which is obviously when the party begins. Then, until Sunday, you'll be able to drop by and drink the Collabfest brews whenever you like. Although BrewDog is making a big deal of teaming up with other brewers, this fest is simply an expansion of its current approach. Already, its DogTap taproom serves up other tipples from the Sunshine State — but when it comes to beer, any excuse for a party will do.
They're entertaining to watch, and fun to play along with from the comfort of your own couch. But music quiz TV shows like Spicks and Specks and Never Mind the Buzzcocks always leave even their biggest fans wanting more. Who hasn't wished that they could show off their own music trivia knowledge in the same kind of setting? (And not just down at the local pub with your mates.) That's where Not On Your Rider comes in. A music trivia game show, it's hosted by The Creases' Aimon Clark, and features Velociraptor's Jeremy Neale and The Grates' Patience Hodgson as team captains — and it happens live at The Triffid. Also, while the two on-stage teams are always filled with musos, comedians, drag queens and other guests, anyone can buy a ticket, sit at a table and play along with them. Previous events have boasted folks from Powderfinger, Ball Park Music, The Jungle Giants, Dune Rats, DZ Deathrays, The Kite String Tangle, Butterfingers, Last Dinosaurs and more. As for the quiz itself, it's accompanied by chats about the music industry, plus other mini games involving attendees. Back for 20201, Not On Your Rider takes place monthly — and you never know which music figures might be involved on the night. Head along next on Thursday, March 18 from 7pm (with doors opening at 6.30pm). You'll want to gather the gang, too, as tickets are being sold by the table. Updated March 10.
Shiny new entrants in the electronic music scene, Safia are proving themselves a force to be reckoned with. Hailing from our super dull capital city (just kidding guys, Canberra is way exciting) these guys have already supported for the likes of Lorde, have over two million listens on Soundcloud and are building up a sizeable fanbase. Made up of Ben Woolner, Michael Bell and Harry Sayers, the trio has been playing together since they were in primary school. Adorable. In addition to Lorde, they've also casually supported Disclosure and Rudimental, toured with Rüfüs and joined Peking Duk at Splendour in the Grass and Groovin' The Moo. Big spots for relative newbies. Safia's nine day tour celebrates the release of their new single, 'You Are the One'. The Canberrans' tunes are energetic and ever-so-catchy, so this Alhambra Lounge gig promises to be one hell of a stage-shaking, generally jive-inducing gig. Get in early to be able to say you saw them before they became huge and expensive.
Whether it's in the insect-dappled heat of an outdoor cinema or in the sweet smack of an airconditioned theatre, summer is the season of movies. We just have more time for leisure this time of year, and not all of it can be spent running and swimming around. Many of the year's biggest releases are coming out in the next three balmy months. These are the ones you should start getting excited for now. https://youtube.com/watch?v=wceaLzbtuDY The Spectacular Now Out: Now A teen movie about a cool guy and a dorky girl falling in love that's somehow real and honest? It's a Christmas miracle. https://youtube.com/watch?v=WRY2ogQpbvg Kill Your Darlings Out: Now Daniel Radcliffe kills off the memory of Harry Potter with a convincing portrayal of US beat poet Allen Ginsberg for which he has a heady trinity of straight sex, gay sex and self-sex. https://youtube.com/watch?v=h5Cb4SFt7gE American Hustle Out: December 12 Clearly knowing he was on to a good thing, Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell reunites Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper and adds Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Robert De Niro and Louis CK. Other good omens: this screenplay once made the famous 'Black List' of unproduced screenplays and used to be more blatantly titled 'American Bullshit'. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Elczv0ghqw0 Anchorman 2 Out: December 19 If that maxim about the strength of the marketing being inversely proportional to the quality of the film holds true, Anchorman 2 will be the worst movie ever. Still, we've got our fingers crossed for this sequel ten years in the making. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OPVWy1tFXuc The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Out: December 26 There's nothing like Boxing Day tradition, and Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. Pictures are hoping that yours only grows stronger with a fifth year of epic Tolkien adventure. It's a no brainer. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ksrkKXoEJbM The Railway Man Out: December 26 The combination of Colin Firth and Burning Man director Jonathan Teplitzky make The Railway Man worth seeing. It's also the go-to Boxing Day film for people who like crying and catharsis around the holidays. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0XBPEUXMtMw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Out: December 26 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is Hollywood at its best. Deeply funny, optimistic, life-affirming and full of pretty pictures, the film follows a quiet LIFE magazine staffer, played by Ben Stiller, who learns to seize the day. Kristen Wiig is in it, too, so yay. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rETaWDZ57v0 Short Term 12 Out: December 26 Hot for: This is all a bit deep and wounded for a Boxing Day release, but try it, okay? With one of those hard-to-summarise plots centring around the kids and their barely adult supervisors at a temporary foster care facility, it's compulsively watchable and super emotional. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rD8f9kn7D2U Philomena Out: December 26. On the one hand, Philomena looks a bit fusty and British. On the other, it's written by Steve Coogan, directed by the indomitable Stephen Frears (The Queen, High Fidelity, Dangerous Liaisons, etc etc), stars Dame Judi Dench and will probably kick arse if you give it a chance. https://youtube.com/watch?v=9Hd_uO72h1s August: Osage County Out: January 1 This may look like blatant Oscar bait, but it's too fucked up for that. Which isn't to say it won't win anyway, with incredible performances from Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, among a star-studded ensemble cast. Based on probably the best play of the last decade, it's genius-level hilarious. https://youtube.com/watch?v=6dRuGwS1gWU The Book Thief Out: January 9 Your favourite adorable Nazi Germany bibliophilic bildungsroman has been made into a film. Now with extra adorableness thanks to the girl child from Monsieur Lazhar. Saving Mr Banks Out: January 9 Disney engages in a spot of personal myth-making with a story about the meeting of Walt Disney and PL 'Mary Poppins' Travers. A bit off-putting, but it involves Emma Thompson being excellent as the steely Travers. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ne6p6MfLBxc Her Out: January 16 Anticipation is through the roof for this, the dystopic love story from cult filmmaker Spike Jonze (Where the Wild Things Are, Being John Malkovich). Joaquin Phoenix is the brooding protagonist, and Scarlett Johansson is the operating system he falls in love with. https://youtube.com/watch?v=fmyglO2Zr0E Inside Llewyn Davis Out: January 16 You can't not pay attention to a Coen Brothers release. It's not heavy on plot, but proceedings definitely include a '60s folk singer, a cat and Carey Mulligan. https://youtube.com/watch?v=iszwuX1AK6A The Wolf of Wall Street Out: January 23 If you thought Leonardo DiCaprio was draped in obscene riches in Gatsby, you ain't seen nothing yet. This three-hour Martin Scorsese comedy, of sorts, is based on a real person's memoir of pre-recession fraud and fun times. The Great Beauty Out: January 23 On the one hand, this is an unassuming Italian number about a one-hit wonder novelist coming down to earth in a beautiful way. On the other, it's made a lot of international critics' top ten lists for the year, so we're all ears. https://youtube.com/watch?v=1bQSOBJCPQE Grudge Match Out: January 30 We're not necessarily recommending you should see this. But you should most definitely be aware that a movie exists in which Sly 'Rocky' Stallone and Robert 'Raging Bull' De Niro fight each other. https://youtube.com/watch?v=z02Ie8wKKRg 12 Years a Slave Out:January 30 Splashed on best-of lists the globe over, 12 Years a Slave is the third film from the unflinching director of Hunger and Shame, Steve McQueen. The wonderful Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in this surely harrowing slavery story you just have to sit through. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xPLSpmAtc1Q Robocop Out: February 6 Look, this could go either way. It's summer, so let's be optimists. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GAglZjX3HOk Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Out: February 6 Reviews haven't been all positive, but it can only be worthwhile spending time with such an incredible life story. Universally praised at least is Idris Elba's performance in the lead role. https://youtube.com/watch?v=U8utPuIFVnU Dallas Buyers Club Out: February 13 Matthew McConaughey gets skinny and gives a performance that no one can pay him out for. His Ron Woodroof, an '80s cowboy diagnosed with AIDS who takes to smuggling the pharmaceuticals he wants, has some cut-through lessons about the medical profession. https://youtube.com/watch?v=s4bqeT5edbs Wolf Creek 2 Out: February 20 It's been nearly ten years since the first instalment of this Australian 'torture porn' flick. And because its iconic status just seems to keep on building, we may as well have another. https://youtube.com/watch?v=UT5tqPojMtg Nebraska Out: February 20 You can tell it's the end of summer, because, like the fashion, the movies get more monochrome. Nebraska is the latest from Alexander Payne, director of The Descendants and Sideways, and follows a quirky father-and-son road trip.
Sick of playing Scrabble in generic sans serif? Lovers of words and type alike can spell their way to satisfying word play with these designer Scrabble sets by Andrew Capener. Capener wanted to "excite people about typography by giving them the ability to choose what font their scrabble set would come in." Beauty and quality are Capener's design priorities, with solid walnut and birch woods used to create the board, pieces and box. The A-1 Scrabble designer sets come in a single font of choice, or you can always mix and match with the assorted font pack. [Via Flavorwire]
Say ‘adios’ to humdrum and ‘hello’ to ten hotels that are so fresh and so cool, they’ll have you reaching for the thermostat. Boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith have the lowdown on where the trendsetters sleep. La Maison Champs Elysees - Paris What: Classic couture, Haussmann heritage Where: 8 rue Jean Goujon In the heart of the Golden Triangle, where fashion and sophistication reign supreme, La Maison Champs Elysées showcases design icon Martin Margiela’s impeccable aesthetic. A canvas of muted hues and eclectic artworks, the soothing colour palette extends into the monochrome restaurant, elegant White Lounge and darkly seductive Cigar Bar – exclusively for guest use, with staff not permitted inside. The Terrace, a lush green haven in the heart of Paris, is the perfect spot for taking breakfast or reinvigorating exploration-weary muscles. Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa - Bora Bora What: Turquoise tryst Where: Motu Tevairoa, BP 169 Vaitape, Bora Bora, French Polynesia A recipe for tropical perfection, Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa is a stunner — luring in loved-up honeymooners and glamorous jetsetters with its white-sand beaches and idyllic lagoon setting. Take in spectacular views from every angle on this island paradise; they're especially beautiful from the Overwater Bungalows, which have direct access to the water, or the Beach Suites with Jacuzzis that are set directly on the sand. If lazing on the beach or dining on lavish buffets suddenly becomes all too much, make a beeline for Manea Spa, whose menu includes Vichy showers or massages with ‘dancing feet’. For a souvenir with serious style — and that will never collect dust — the in-house tattooist Tuhei, from the Tuamotus islands, can help create a permanent reminder of your stay. Sal Salis - Ningaloo Reef What: Seaside safari Where: Yardie Creek Road, Cape Range National Park, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia Snugly nestled in the sandy dunes of the Cape Range National Park, Sal Salis flaunts a decidedly luxurious spin on camping. Leave your swags and camp kitchens at home; there’s no need for bush basics when there are heavenly pillows and organic 500-thread cotton sheets waiting at the end of the day. The lapping Indian Ocean is only metres from your doorstop, so while away hours dreamily swinging in your hammock or mingling with whale sharks, manta rays and shoals of fish. And when it comes time for a feast, bush tucker is banished as Sal Salis serves contemporary Australian cuisine under the star-speckled night sky, watched inquisitively by visiting kangaroos and wallaroos. Claska - Tokyo What: Too cool for school Where: 1-3-18, Chuocho, Meguro, Tokyo Sleek and fresh in its contemporary architecture, Claska is at the apex of Tokyo’s cultural hotspot, and in the hub of what is considered to be the coolest suburb in the city. Beautiful in its elegant simplicity, Claska retains the hallmarks of traditional Japanese hospitality. We love the Tatami Rooms, designed by c, with pretty paper lanterns and contemporary furniture. The gallery and boutique, Do, offers innovative designs, creative products and bespoke souvenirs that reflect Claska’s innovative design philosophy. Commandeer one of Claska’s free ‘tokyobikes’ to enjoy a pleasant 10-minute pedal to the attractions featured on the hotel’s ‘Tokyo by Tokyo’ iPhone app. King & Grove - Williamsburg What: Urban jungle retreat Where: 160 North 12th Street, Brooklyn, New York City In the city that never sleeps, King & Grove Williamsburg offers a welcome change of pace – without sacrificing on style and street cred – by seducing guests to venture into Brooklyn. A creative hub, Williamsburg’s collection of eateries, bars and indie boutiques is ripe for exploration (on the hotel’s hipster-approved red bicycles, of course). The open-air rooftop lounge of the Upper Elm overlooks McCarren Park and has snacks, cocktails, music and a view of the city skyline that takes some trumping. Leisure-lovers should snag a prime position in a day-bed by the backyard-style saltwater pool – one of the largest in the city – or spend an afternoon unwinding over a drink with fellow guests. Taveuni Palms - Fiji Islands What: Private paradise Where: Matei, Taveuni Island, Fiji Islands Ever dreamed of retreating to the seclusion of a private island? With only three exclusive-hire villas, understated luxury is the name of the game at Taveuni Palms. Flanked by its own private plunge pool, day-beds and panoramic Pacific views, each villa comes with seven staff including a manager, two chefs, barman, housemaid and nanny. If you can tear yourself away from your villa, Taveuni Palms offers guided snorkelling and kayaking trips, cooking lessons and local excursions. The hardest thing you will have to do is leaving – a burden made lighter by instantly booking your return visit. Das Stue - Berlin What: Animal magnetism Where: 1 Drakestrasse, Berlin, Germany Withdraw from playing tourist into a place so hip, so cutting edge and so darned cool, it could only be in Berlin. Housed in the former lodgings of the Royal Danish Embassy, Das Stue is a heritage heavyweight with a serious dose of style. Everything from the impressive entrance, marble staircase and scattered artworks is impeccable – and enough to make even the most blase of hipsters twiddle their moustache with excitement. Backing onto Berlin Zoo, Das Stue guarantees a room with a view – feathery, furry or otherwise. Catalan chef Paco Pérez is at the helm of the restaurant, Cinco, and with four Michelin stars up the sleeves of his chef’s whites, he delivers outstanding gastronomic creations inspired by the rich produce of his native Spain. Kahanda Kanda - Galle What: Serene Sri Lanka Where: Angulugaha, Galle, Southern Province Monkeys, mongooses and bright-feathered birds are your neighbours at Kahanda Kanda. Surrounded by a 12-acre tea estate, each of the eight villas has been impeccably styled by the villa’s British owner and has its own distinct feel; Peacock, Tamarind and Mango each have a private balcony overlooking the garden, and the only room with a TV, the Dubu Suite, is set into the hillside with large, private lawn and pool — just be prepared to share paradise with any tree-swinging visitors. Classic Sri Lankan curries and contemporary fusion dishes are crafted using fruits, vegetables and herbs exclusively grown on the estate. Cooking classes with Kahanda Kanda’s resident chefs are available for those wishing to learn the secrets of Sri Lankan or Thai cuisine. Kurá - Costa Rica What: Sustainably stylish Where: Uvita de Osa, Calle Bejuco, Osa/Bahia Ballena, Puntarenas, Costa Rica Six teakwood villas blend harmoniously into the lush backdrop at Kurá. Reflecting the hotelier’s passion and vision for eco-friendly accommodation that doesn’t skimp on luxury, the bungalows are minimalist in style but lavish in feel. Each contemporary, open-plan villa includes a floating bed, open-air showers and a balcony that ushers in views of the jungle and Pacific Ocean. Dive into the rectangular, saltwater infinity pool that offers bird’s-eye ocean views, calming underwater music and sun loungers tailor-made for spending an afternoon getting lost in a book or enjoying a cocktail. The Sky Lounge, which has 360-degree vistas of the Costa Rican jungle and ocean, is the prime position to whale-watch and specialises in tamarind margaritas, fruit coladas and inventive mojitos. Soneva Fushi - Maldives What: Desert-island indulgence Where: Kunfunadhoo Island, Baa Atoll Shed your shoes and worries the moment you step onto this private island and into Soneva Fushi. Only missing Fabio riding a white stallion, Soneva Fushi has all the makings of a Harlequin romance: white sand, blue seas, an observatory, a wicked chocolate room and ice-cream parlour, a wine cellar and a private butler service. Bordered by imposing walls of untouched jungle and slices of too-turquoise ocean, the island is a playground of hot stone massages and Japanese watsu treatments, liquid thrills and fresher than fresh beachside feasts. As the day dwindles and sun descends, popcorn and tropical cocktails are served in the open-air cinema beneath a twinkling night sky. Ready to leave? We thought so. Scoot over to Mr & Mrs Smith to book your own stylish stay or call the expert Travel Team on 1300 896 627.
Ask anyone what they're doing for New Year's Eve, and they'll probably spin a tale of raucousness and revelry. Ask anyone what they wish they were doing, and the answer might be a bit different. 2017 has been a big one, and it's okay if you want to say goodbye to these busy times in a less hectic way. With karaoke and slurpees, for example. Yes, the frozen beverages will have alcohol in them. Of course they will. Other than that, Death Valley and Southside Tea Room will take care of the shenanigans — think $99 for drinks, burgers, fries and canapes; getting comfy at a picnic table (which can be booked in advance for groups); belting out one of 6000 songs; and having a stellar Low-Key NYE.
Among the many strategies in place to help combat the spread of COVID-19, tracking and tracing the contacts of confirmed cases ranks alongside hand hygiene and social distancing as one of the most important. As a result, Queensland hospitality venues have been asked to keep a record of their patrons over the past year, all to assist with contract-tracing efforts. By now, you well and truly know the drill, because we've all spent months checking in via QR codes whenever we head out for a meal, drink or movie. From Saturday, May 1, the current system is changing. You'll still need to check in by scanning a QR code — that requirement isn't going anywhere anytime soon — but you'll need to do so via the Queensland Government's check-in app. It's becoming mandatory for hospitality venues, which means Queenslanders will need to have it on their phones to register their details upon arriving at restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes and other businesses in the industry. Called Check In Qld and available to download via Google Play and Apple's App Store, the app was launched back in February. Accordingly, you might've already been to a venue that's using it, and you could already be using it yourself. But it's only now becoming compulsory for hospitality venues, rather than using other electronic methods to collect customer information such as online forms, membership card scanners, online booking systems and a digital spreadsheet. [caption id="attachment_711273" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Atlanta Bell[/caption] The app collects your full name, phone number and email address, as well as the date and time that you're visiting a venue. It then stores that information for 56 days for contact-tracing purposes. If you don't want to use it, or you don't have a phone, you'll need to speak with venue staff upon arrival — as they're still required to record your details. Folks with the app can check in other people, too, so you can get your friends and family to do just that if you're with them but don't have the app yourself. When the compulsory use of the app for hospitality businesses was announced at the end of March — during Brisbane's most recent lockdown — Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said that the decision stemmed from the links between a number of recent cases and hospitality venues. "We've seen dozens of restaurants and cafes added to our list of COVID-19 contact tracing locations, including as locations for close contacts," she said. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the Queensland COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. Further details about the Check In Qld app can be found on the state's COVID-19 hub as well.
Calling all sleuths of Australia — again. If you haven't fulfilled your murder-mystery fix on the big and small screens over the past few years, and if you missed a whodunnit play hailing from the one and only Agatha Christie in both 2022 and 2023, then you'd best make a new date with The Mousetrap. Here are two questions for you to solve first: why is this play coming your way once more a big deal, and when is it doing the rounds again? The answers: as well as being penned by Christie, it's the world's longest-running play; and, because its past Aussie seasons have proven such a hit, it's returning to a heap of cities from May–September 2024. As well as heading to Hobart and Darwin, this tour is favouring regional and smaller spots. That means seeing The Mousetrap in Newcastle, Wollongong, the Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Geelong and Frankston — among other stops — for audiences in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Initially premiering in London's West End in 1952, The Mousetrap has been treading the boards in the UK ever since, only pausing during to pandemic venue closures. When theatres reopened in Britain, so did the show. Indeed, when it arrived in Australia in 2022, The Mousetrap did so 70 years to the month that it first debuted. Unsurprisingly, that hefty run means that the show has enjoyed the longest stint for any West End production, and for any play anywhere in the world. So far, there's been more than 28,500 London performances. To answer the other obvious question, yes, it's all about an unexpected body. The murder-mystery starts with news of a killing in London — and with seven people snowed in at a guest house in the country. They're strangers, which is classic Christie. When a police sergeant arrives on skis, they're told that the murderer is among them (which, again, is vintage Christie). They all have wild pasts, too, and all those details are spilled as they're interrogated, and also try to work out who among them is the killer. Those guests at Monkswell Manor include a pair of newlyweds who run the house, a spinster, an architect who is handy in the kitchen, a retired Army major, a man who says his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist. Naturally, there's another death as they're all puzzling it over — and a twist conclusion, which audiences have been requested not to reveal after leaving the theatre for seven decades now. Again, it's all Christie all over, which'll be evident if you've seen the recent film versions of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile — or the original cinema adaptations, or read the books, or devoured anything else that Christie ever wrote. And, if you caught 2022's See How They Run, you'll be more than a little familiar with The Mousetrap as well. This theatre work started as a short radio play, which was written as a birthday present for Queen Mary. It aired in 1947 under the name Three Blind Mice, after which Christie rewrote it as a short story, then adapted it again for the stage as The Mousetrap. And no, there isn't a movie of it — because Christie stipulated that it can't leap to the screen until at least six months after the West End production closes. Clearly, that hasn't happened yet. In Australia, the play boasts Robyn Nevin directing and John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia producing. AGATHA CHRISTIE'S THE MOUSETRAP 2024 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Saturday, May 11–Saturday, May 25: Newcastle Civic Theatre, Newcastle Thursday, May 29–Sunday, June 2 — HOTA, Home of the Arts, Gold Coast Tuesday, June 11–Monday, June 24 — Theatre Royal, Hobart Thursday, June 27–Sunday, June 30 — Civic Theatre, Orange Thursday, July 4–Sunday, July 7 — Geelong Arts Centre, Geelong Thursday, July 11–Saturday, July 13 — Darwin Entertainment Centre, Darwin Wednesday, July 17–Friday, July 19 — Glasshouse, Port Macquarie Tuesday, July 23–Wednesday, July 24 — Empire Theatre, Toowoomba Wednesday, July 31–Saturday, August 3 — Frankston Arts Centre, Frankston Thursday, August 8–Sunday, August 11 — Albury Entertainment Centre, Albury Thursday, August 15–Sunday, August 25 — Glen St Theatre, Frenchs Forest Thursday, August 29–Sunday, September 1 — Entertainment Convention Centre, Mackay Thursday, September 5–Monday, September 16 — Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap will tour Australia in 2024. For further details and tickets, head to the play's website. Images: Brian Gleach.
Whether you're swiping right, casually sliding into your crush's DMs or snuggling up to your long-term sweetheart, spring is dating season. Winter's gloom has lifted, the air is noticeably lighter and the glorious sunshine has both flowers and people blooming. It's a time when it feels like anything is possible — but, if you're not feeling financially stable, that sensation can fade pretty fast. Thankfully, you don't need a big bank balance or a wallet stuffed full of pineapples for a great date in this busy city. To help you out, we've pulled together five date ideas under $50, while our friends at CommBank have rounded up some top tips for living 'money smart' while you're dating or coupled up. Now you can stay well and truly in the green. Split the bill easily on your next date in under a minute using a PayID (which uses the Osko payment service). Find out more here. LEARN THE INS AND OUTS OF GIN Meeting in a bar is a tried-and-true date favourite and one of the easiest options. It also couldn't be more predictable, which is a word that no one wants to hear when it comes to romance. Learning the ins and outs of a particular spirit together, on the other hand, is far from ordinary. One part tasting session, one part masterclass, Gin Club will teach you everything you never knew about the botanical tipple — and, as you're enjoying it with your date, everything you always wanted to know about them. Taking place at Welcome to Bowen Hills' onsite gin bar Swill each month, sessions cost $15 per person and include multiple samples and nibbles. BOND OVER BRUSHSTROKES Nothing brings people together like nostalgia. Well, nostalgia and mucking around with paint — but the nostalgia does most of the heavy lifting. Bond over childhood stories of art class antics as you roll up your sleeves, get a bit messy and make some art. It's a classic rom-com trope — who doesn't look adorable when they're covered in flecks of plaster and paint. A date idea that is completely acceptable to dress down for (within reason, obviously), the Plaster Fun House pops up regularly at Southside. Aimed firmly at adults, it's your chance to paint a unicorn, puppy or skull statue for your significant other and bond over each brushstroke. Tickets cost $20 each and bookings are essential. [caption id="attachment_692367" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Flying Cock.[/caption] STRETCH IT OUT TOGETHER AT BEER YOGA Bend, stretch, sip — it's a yoga devotee's mantra, even if it's not exactly what's going through your head during the class. Sure, usually you're thinking about drinking water — but savouring a beer while you exercise is much more fun. And if you're feeling comfortable enough with that special someone, could lend itself for some good laughs. Beer yoga is a relatively new fitness trend which all kinds of people can enjoy — whether you're a wellness devotee who likes the occasional tipple, a beer lover keen to get active or you happen to fall into one category while your date sits in the other. It's also an event that keeps popping up all over town, with The Flying Cock and Ballistic Beer Co. among the drinking spots getting in on the action. Even better, as long as you bring your own yoga mat, you can find a class from $15 per person. Just leave any self-doubt or reservations at the door. [caption id="attachment_625105" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sunnybank Food Trail.[/caption] PLAN YOUR OWN FOOD CRAWL THROUGH SUNNYBANK Thanks to Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Richard Linklater and the romantic classic Before Sunrise, everyone loves a walk-and-talk date. It's the option that literally costs nothing but time, however, if you have some cash burning a hole in your pocket and you feel like a bite to eat, you can always turn it into a food crawl. There are two secrets to a good food crawl: keep things moving and have plenty of options. That's what makes Sunnybank the ideal place to stroll, chat and feast. There's even a $2 Food Trail that takes place each year. No matter what type of Asian cuisine you and your partner feel like, you'll find it here — and you can choose the number of dishes you eat, the number of restaurants you visit and the number of steps you take while you're caught up in conversation. VISIT A DEER SANCTUARY We've found it. When it comes to completely, utterly, overwhelmingly cute dates, it doesn't get more adorable than Lyell Deer Sanctuary. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like — an entire space filled with gentle, friendly creatures who are just waiting for you and your date to visit them. Located on Mt Samson, you'll need to take a half-hour drive from Brisbane to get there, however, other than petrol money, you'll just need $10 for group admission and $1 per bag of pellets. Then, the day is yours to roam around seven acres and get up close to the critters that everyone became obsessed with when they watched Bambi as a kid. Open every weekend (and on weekdays and public holidays only by appointment), there's also a cafe on site — or you can bring your own picnic. What's even better than paying $50 or less on a date? Getting us to pick up the bill. Enter our comp for a chance to win $250 so you can try every idea on the list.
When Jetstar launched a big domestic flight sale in mid-June, it sold 70,000 seats in just five hours, with Australians keen to travel when and where they can in this pandemic-afflicted year. Today, Tuesday, November 17, the airline is kicking off another one — so get your clickers ready. The Return for Free sale kicks off at 3pm AEDT today and runs until 11.59pm AEDT on Thursday, November 19 — if it doesn't sell out prior. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights across 51 routes from destinations right across the country. And, as the name suggests, it's doing return flights for free. So, you buy your ticket to your destination and then Jetstar will cover your trip home. Of course, before you book one of the 400,000 return trips available, we suggest you check on the status of interstate borders wherever you'd like to visit. As everyone should know by know, border restrictions are still changing quite frequently depending on COVID-19 cases around the country. The NSW and ACT borders are currently open to everyone except those from Victoria, for instance, although that'll change come 12.01am on November 23 when the two regions reopen in full. As for Victoria itself, it is currently open — as it didn't shut its border, even during the state's recent lockdown. Queensland is still shut to Victorian and Greater Sydney residents, and will close to folks from Adelaide at 4pm on Tuesday, November 17. The Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia are all open to parts of the country — with restrictions in the NT on folks arriving from metropolitan Melbourne and South Australia; in Tasmania on people from Victoria and SA; and in WA on those heading in from Victoria, NSW and SA. And in SA, it's open to everywhere except Victoria, with inhabitants of the latter allowed to visit from December 1. [caption id="attachment_773285" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] Now you know where you can and can't go, here are some of the deals — because, again, 51 routes are include in the sale. Sydneysiders can snag return tickets to Victoria for $65, Launceston for $89, Brisbane from $92, the Sunshine Coast for $96 and Hamilton Island for $151. Melburnians can book trips to Uluru for $165 and Darwin for $205. And Brisbanites can head to the Whitsundays for $89 and Hobart for $159. Yes, the list goes on. Tickets in the sale are for trips from February–August 2021, with exact dates varying in each region. So, if you're keen to get away, book some now and start planning. Jetstar's Return for Free sale runs from 3pm AEDT on Tuesday, November 17 until 11.59pm AEDT on Thursday, November 19, or until sold out.
South Bank has a huge revamp on the cards, and Northshore Hamilton as well. Portside is enjoying a makeover right now, while Howard Smith Wharves joined Brisbane's riverside so recently that it still feels brand new. But they aren't the only food-, drink- and entertainment-filled precincts by the water inviting Brisbanites in, with another popping up in the city's east. That'd be Rivermakers Heritage Quarter, which has turned a patch of Colmslie Road in Morningside into a new must-visit destination. If you haven't had the chance to stop by the 30-hectare heritage-listed spot yet, it keeps hosting occasions to entice folks in, including an open day, Christmas party and Hottest 100 shindig in the past. The site's latest such celebrations come courtesy of new inaugural event Makers on the River, a hefty waterside festival with live music, a heap of markets, plenty of drinking opportunities and sky-brightening fireworks. Makers on the River will debut from 12–8pm on Saturday, April 22, showcasing Rivermakers' sights — and everything you can eat, drink and do, from sipping brews and taking brewery tours at Revel Brewing Co's second site through to dancing to tunes and checking out roving performers. On the music bill: Alex Lloyd, Lecia Louise and Belle Hendricks Band. Selling their wares: over 50 stalls from artisan vendors, with a focus on all things bespoke, handmade and local. An array of food trucks will also take care of the culinary side of things, and sampling gin and rum at Bavay Distillery is on the agenda — as are Revel's beer masterclasses, plus multiple pop-up bars serving brews. For kids, there'll be rides as well. And those fireworks will liven up the heavens at 7.30pm.
It's been a year filled with drinking at home, rather than out on the town, yet Melbourne's bar scene has continued to shine. Luke Whearty's famed local cocktail haunt Byrdi has just been named among The World's 50 Best Bars' extended 51-100 list for 2021, ranked the 56th top bar on the planet. It was the only Aussie venue to make this year's secondary lineup, which was revealed overnight. The 51-100 list comes one week ahead of the release of The World's 50 Best Bars main award list, which is set to happen at a ceremony in London on December 6. The annual ranking list is a huge deal among the international bar industry, voted by a panel of over 600 drinks experts, including bartenders, writers, consultants and mixology specialists. The 2021 51-100 list was heavy on entrants from the States, with seven USA bars including New York newcomer Double Chicken Please and LA's Thunderbolt. Five London bars also ranked among the secondary list and Nairobi's Hero Bar became the first-ever African bar outside of South Africa to make the cut. [caption id="attachment_748363" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Byrdi, by Kate Shanasy[/caption] Last year, on its debut entry, Byrdi came in 80th on the extended list, ranking close to fellow Melbourne bars The Everleigh (73), Above Board (84) and Black Pearl (98). Sydneysiders Maybe Sammy, Cantina OK! and Bulletin Place all placed among 2020's top 50, which means we could see plenty more Aussie representation among next week's top 50 lineup reveal. Byrdi was launched in 2019 by Whearty and co-founder Aki Nishikura, who were also behind Singapore's multi award-winning — and World's 50 Best Bars regular — Operation Dagger. You'll find the Melbourne favourite nestled within the CBD's Ella precinct, whipping up some truly exceptional, innovative drinks. Byrdi was one of the many bars sating cravings for well-crafted cocktails during lockdown this year and last, with lots of punters making use of its home-delivery service. Stay tuned and we'll share the winners of the World's 50 Best Bars 2021 list when they're revealed next week. For the full 51-100 list of the World's 50 Best Bars 2021 (and past years' lists), see the website. The top 50 rankings will be revealed from 8.15pm GMT on December 6, via Facebook and YouTube. Top Image: Byrdi cocktail, by Kate Shanasy
If you're a Sydneysider with a trip to Queensland in your future — or vice versa — the pandemic might've just interrupted your plans. With two new locally acquired COVID-19 cases identified in the New South Wales capital in the past two days, and the Greater Sydney region reinstating some gathering restrictions and an indoor mask mandate, the Sunshine State has announced new border rules. It isn't shutting its borders, but it does now require travellers who've visited an exposure site to undertake 14 days of quarantine. The change was announced today, Thursday, May 6, and has two components. Anyone who is currently in Queensland, or arrives in the state before 1am tomorrow, Friday, May 7, is required to quarantine at their home or accommodation, call the state's 13 HEALTH number (13 43 25 84) and get a COVID-19 test. Folks who arrive after that time won't have the same luxury, though; instead, they'll be sent to mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days once they enter Queensland. The latter process — sending people who've visited a declared interstate exposure site into compulsory hotel quarantine for a fortnight — is part of Queensland's new Interstate Exposure Venues Direction. It came into effect on April 28, and applies moving forward. So, whenever an outbreak occurs somewhere other than Queensland, anyone who has visited declared exposure venues and then heads to the Sunshine State will be sent to mandatory hotel quarantine. https://twitter.com/qldhealthnews/status/1390171507226136579 The list of exposure sites was first announced by NSW Health yesterday, Wednesday, May 5, and has been growing since. Queensland Health has also been keeping a list, if you're a Brisbanite who has spent some time in Sydney lately, or you're a Sydneysider keen to head north in the near future. Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young also advised that anyone who has been in Greater Sydney on or after Tuesday, April 27 "should be monitoring closely for symptoms and getting tested immediately if they experience COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild." And, if you need a reminder, the symptoms to look out for are coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste. For more information about southeast Queensland's COVID-19 border requirements, or about the status of COVID-19 in the state, visit the Qld COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
Since COVID-19 was first reported in Australia at the end of January, 6606 cases have been recorded across the country (as at 3pm on Sunday, April 19), bringing with it 70 deaths and a drastic change to life as we know it. As the coronavirus has spread, travel has been banned and restrictions on everyday movement have been implemented, good news has been few and far between of late — which makes the past weekend's significant drop in reported cases across Australia a welcome development indeed. In Queensland, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced that zero new cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, which comes after just five cases were announced on Sunday morning and eight on Saturday morning. It's the first time in more than six weeks that the state has recorded no new cases overnight, with the state's total currently sitting at 1019 out of 85,870 tests administered. In Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews announced that only one new case was confirmed overnight. That news comes after just nine new cases were announced on Sunday, with the state's total currently sitting at 1329. https://www.facebook.com/annastaciamp/photos/a.523591701005345/3097645476933275/?type=3&theater And while overnight numbers in New South Wales haven't dropped quite as low, Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that only six new cases were confirmed overnight last night — from almost 3500 tests conducted yesterday — which is the state's lowest total in five weeks. As Australia's worst-affected state, NSW's total currently sits at 2963. Whether the drops in new cases will eventually lead to a loosening of current restrictions might vary state by state — with the Federal Government already outlining the three conditions that need to be in place before Australia-wide rules surrounding social distancing and public gatherings could start to be relaxed, and announcing that the earliest that this might be possible is in four weeks. Announcing today's news, Queensland Premier Palaszczuck noted that, "if we can keep this up over the coming weeks, I'm sure this is going to mean that we will be able to make some changes and ease some of those restrictions on the population." In Victoria, where a State of Emergency is in effect until at least midnight on Monday, May 11, Premier Andrews advised that "these numbers are not an invitation for us to roll back all the rules". To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Image: Julia Sansone
Over the past few years, Gelatissimo has whipped up a number of creative flavours, including frosé sorbet, gelato for dogs, and ginger beer, Weet-Bix. fairy bread, hot cross bun, cinnamon scroll and chocolate fudge gelato. Most recently, it made a bubble tea variety, too. For its latest offering, the Australian dessert chain is taking inspiration from another beloved foodstuff — in case you can't choose between slathering Belgium's Lotus Biscoff cookie butter spread over bread or licking your way through a few scoops of ice cream. Yes, that very combination is now on the menu, with Biscoff gelato earning the honours as Gelatissimo's August flavour of the month. Now on sale, it starts with buttery cinnamon biscuit gelato — which is then layered with slabs of cookie butter, then topped with crunchy biscuit pieces. If you're only just learning about Lotus Biscoff cookie butter spread, it's made from the crumbs of Lotus Biscoff caramelised biscuits, and is basically a cookie-flavoured version of peanut butter or chocolate spreads like Nutella. Understandably, it has picked up quite a following — and, in its spreadable form, comes in creamy and crunchy varieties. At Gelatissimo, the Biscoff gelato will only be available for the month of August at all stores Australia-wide — and only while stocks last. That includes via delivered take-home packs via services such as UberEats, Deliveroo and DoorDash. Gelatissimo's Biscoff gelato is available from all stores nationwide for the month of August.
On Saturday, July 31, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles announced that 11 Local Government Areas in and around Brisbane were going back under strict stay-at-home conditions in a bid to stop the spread of the region's latest locally acquired COVID-19 cases. And, on Monday, August 2, that lockdown was extended until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 8. The outbreak was first identified in a student at Indooroopilly State High School last week, locally acquired case numbers growing since. On Wednesday, August 4, Queensland has 100 active cases. The current lockdown applies to the Brisbane City Council, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim LGAs — and, this time around, the rules are tighter than in the past. Present restrictions include the reinstatement of the four reasons to leave your home, a ten-kilometre travel limit and a ban on visitors to your home; however, the full list of rules can be a bit overwhelming. So, we've broken down just what you can and can't do during this latest stint of stay-at-home conditions. This information is correct as of Wednesday, August 4. For what reasons am I allowed to leave the house? Remember those four reasons announced back in March 2020? These reasons have been reintroduced. That means that you can only leave your home to get essential goods – for example, groceries and medications – but only within ten kilometres of your house; for essential work if you can't work from home, and for school or childcare; for exercise within ten kilometres of home, and only with one person who isn't in your household; and for healthcare, including to get a COVID-19 vaccination, or to provide help, care or support. You can also leave home in an emergency situation, or if directed to by an emergency officer. For how long can I leave the house? There isn't a time limit when it comes to leaving the house, although folks are obviously encouraged to do so as little as possible. Again, you can only leave for the four permitted reasons. Is there a curfew? No, there is no curfew. You are allowed out of your house at any hour as long as it is for one of the four permitted reasons. Do I have to wear a mask? Yes, masks or face coverings are still compulsory in the 11 LGAs, as they have been since the region's last lockdown. You now need to wear them indoors everywhere but your own home, and outside. And, you always need to carry one with you. You can find out all the nitty-gritty in our latest article about the mask mandate. How far can I travel? You can only travel up to ten kilometres from your home to exercise or to go shopping for essentials. The only reasons to exceed this ten-kilometre radius are for permitted work, and receiving care and caregiving. You can also leave your home in the case of an emergency or family violence. In all other circumstances, even when it isn't a specific rule as is the case with exercise and shopping, you are asked to stay within ten kilometres of your home, Enforcing a strict travel limit is new to this lockdown, so if you're not sure where you can pick up groceries or workout, check out this handy website that works out your ten-kilometre bubble for you. Can I see friends and family? No, you can't have visitors to your home — or gather with friends and family in a public place during the current lockdown. You are allowed to be joined by members of your household or one other person who lives within your ten-kilometre radius while exercising. Can I drive to a park to exercise? As long as it's within ten kilometres of your home, yes. Can I go to the beach? You can go to the beach for exercise only if there is one within ten kilometres of your home. [caption id="attachment_637609" align="aligncenter" width="1620"] Taro's Ramen, Anwyn Howarth[/caption] How about to a restaurant or cafe? You can pick up takeaway from a hospitality venue located within ten kilometres of your home, but dine-in service is off the cards. Or a gym? All gyms (indoor and outdoor), boot camps, sporting facilities and public pools are closed. Are sporting events permitted? Community sporting events are not permitted to proceed during this lockdown. Initially, at the first press conference announcing the lockdown, professional sport wasn't permitted either. "There will be no football matches. So, no community sport, no professional sport, nothing for the next three days," said Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young during the state's COVID-19 update on Saturday, July 31. However, some NRL matches were allowed to go ahead on Sunday, August 1, without crowds. If any professional sporting matches go ahead before lockdown is slated to end at 4pm on Sunday, August 8, they also will do so without crowds. Can I go shopping? For groceries and other essentials, yes. Supermarkets, food and liquor stores and pet stores are all open. But you must only shop for essentials within your ten-kilometre bubble — and not all shops will remain open, or some will have altered hours, so check before you head off. Can I attend a funeral? Yes, however funerals are limited to ten mourners. Can I attend a wedding? Yes, weddings are permitted to continue, but only with ten people in attendance. Eleven LGAs in the Greater Brisbane area are currently in lockdown until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 8. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. More details about the lockdown and associated restrictions can also be found on the Queensland Health website.
Parking in Sydney is, well, a bit of a nightmare. There are some 10,483 council parking spaces available to share between a population of over 4 million. The average price for the privilege of plonking your vehicle in the CBD for two-hours is up around the $40 mark. That's if you even manage to find a spot. It's double that for a parking infringement, unless of course you avoid getting caught thanks to geo-location app Park Patrol. Other cities resort to stacking cars vertically, while privately-owned spaces can be crowd-sourced on sites like YourParkingSpace. Perhaps we should take a leaf from San Francisco's book. Recently launched SFPark is a website and mobile app which uses sensors, new meters, and real-time parking data to improve parking in eight test neighbourhoods in the inner city. Around 7,000 of San Fran's 28,800 metered spaces and 12,250 public garage spaces are covered in the program. Accessing real-time information about the availability of parking, drivers can quickly zip into open spaces. Parking meter pricing gets adjusted according to supply and demand, which helps balance availability of popular spaces while subtly encouraging commuters to opt for more sustainable travel options, like a bike or a bus. https://youtube.com/watch?v=bzUGs02Zy40 [Via Fast Company]
When and where domestic border rules and COVID-19 restrictions have permitted, travelling throughout Australia has been on the agenda across the past year. With the country set to remain closed to international jaunts until at least mid-June, that isn't changing yet — but you can still hop on a plane and head over the ocean thanks to Qantas' just-announced new flights to Norfolk Island. Of course, travelling south to Tasmania remains a trusty option if you're eager to get off the mainland. Everywhere from Kangaroo Island and Rottnest Island to Fraser Island and Daydream Island also fit the bill. But a trip to Norfolk Island means you'll be venturing more than 1400 kilometres east from the Aussie coastline, and to an external territory of Australia that sits between New Zealand and New Caledonia. Yes, you'll only be spotting water below you while you stare out of the plane windows. Qantas' flights will kick off on Friday, March 19, and head to the Pacific Ocean spot six times a week — three from Sydney and three from Brisbane. Prices start at $412 one-way from New South Wales and $390 one-way from Queensland, with the routes using Boeing 737 aircraft, which means there'll be 2000 seats available each week. Obviously, if you live somewhere other than Sydney or Brisbane, you'll just need to get to either of them first. For now, the two routes are set to run for three months, as part of a contract that the Federal Government has awarded to Qantas. There is a possibility that it'll be extended, and that the routes will stick around for the longer term. If you're keen to spend some time soaring over the sea, then kicking back on a South Pacific getaway, you'll be departing from Sydney and Brisbane's international terminal — so you really will feel as if you're jetting abroad. There's no need to prepare yourself for a lengthy flight, though, with the trip taking around two-and-a-half hours from Sydney and two hours from Brisbane. For Sydneysiders and Brisbanites who'd rather jet off to colder climes, Qantas has also this month announced new routes from the two cities to the Snowy Mountains and the Victorian Alps. There, you're clearly definitely staying on home turf — but when it comes to making holiday plans for the next few months, before a potential travel bubble with Singapore could possibly come into effect, you definitely have options. Qantas' new flights to Norfolk Island from Sydney and Brisbane will start flying from Friday, March 19. For more information, or to book, head to the airline's website. Top image: Roderick Eime via Flickr.
Calling all sleuths of Brisbane — again. If you haven't fulfilled your murder-mystery fix on the big and small screens over the past few years, and if you missed a whodunnit play hailing from the one and only Agatha Christie back in 2022, then you'd best make a new date with The Mousetrap. Here are two questions for you to solve before you get there: why is it a big deal when is it coming your way once more? The answers: as well as being penned by Christie, it's the world's longest-running play; and after last year's season proved such a hit — and a sellout — it's returning to Brisbane from Friday, May 26–Saturday, June 10. Initially premiering in London's West End in 1952, The Mousetrap has been treading the boards in the UK ever since, only pausing during to pandemic venue closures. When theatres reopened in Britain, so did the show. Indeed, when it arrived in Australia last year, The Mousetrap did so 70 years to the month that it first debuted. Unsurprisingly, that hefty run means that the show has enjoyed the longest stint for any West End production, and for any play anywhere in the world. So far, there's been more than 28,500 London performances. To answer the other obvious question, yes, it's all about an unexpected death. The murder-mystery starts with news of a killing in London — and with seven people snowed in at a guest house in the country. They're strangers, which is classic Christie. When a police sergeant arrives on skis, they're told that the murderer is among them (which, again, is vintage Christie). They all have wild pasts, too, and all those details are spilled as they're interrogated, and also try to work out who among them is the killer. Those guests at Monkswell Manor include a pair of newlyweds who run the house, a spinster, an architect who is handy in the kitchen, a retired Army major, a man who says his car has overturned in a drift, and a jurist. Naturally, there's another death as they're all puzzling it over — and a twist conclusion, which audiences have been requested not to reveal after leaving the theatre for seven decades now. Again, it's all Christie all over, which'll be evident if you've seen the recent film versions of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile — or the original cinema adaptations, or read the books, or devoured anything else that Christie ever wrote. And, if you caught 2022's See How They Run, you'll be more than a little familiar with The Mousetrap as well. This theatre work started as a short radio play, which was written as a birthday present for Queen Mary. It aired in 1947 under the name Three Blind Mice, after which Christie rewrote it as a short story, then adapted it again for the stage as The Mousetrap. And no, there isn't a movie of it — because Christie stipulated that it can't leap to the screen until at least six months after the West End production closes. Clearly, that hasn't happened yet. In Australia, the play boasts Robyn Nevin directing and John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia producing. Cast-wise, Anna O'Byrne (My Fair Lady, Love Never Dies) is Mollie Ralston, who owns Monkswell Manor, and Alex Rathgeber (Anything Goes, The Phantom of the Opera) is Giles Ralston, Mollie's husband. Also featuring: Laurence Boxhall (As You Like It, Jumpy) as Christopher Wren, a young guest; Geraldine Turner (Present Laughter, Don's Party) as Mrs Boyle, a former magistrate; Adam Murphy (Shakespeare in Love, Aladdin) as retired British military officer Major Metcalf; and debutant Charlotte Friels as the aloof Miss Casewell. Gerry Connolly (Cyrano de Bergerac, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui) pops up, too, as unexpected guest Mr Paravicini, and Tom Conroy (Jasper Jones, My Brilliant Career) plays Detective Sergeant Trotter. Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap will hit QPAC's Playhouse in Brisbane from Friday, May 26–Saturday, June 10. For further details, head to the play's website. Images: Brian Gleach.
The first time that filmmaker Justin Kurzel and screenwriter Shaun Grant tackled a recent dark chapter in Australia's history, in 2011's Snowtown, they both earned AACTA awards for their efforts — and their film picked up six gongs in total. Ten years later, they've bettered the feat with Nitram, which explores the lead up to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. Both Kurzel and Grant again collected trophies, while the feature nabbed eight awards all up. One of those prizes: the AACTA for Best Film, beating out The Dry, The Furnace, High Ground, Penguin Bloom and Rams. Nitram also swept all four acting prizes in the film fields, with its four key cast members — Cannes Film Festival Best Actor-winner Caleb Landry Jones, plus Aussies Judy Davis, Anthony LaPaglia and Essie Davis — emerging victorious. That's the big story from the 2021 AACTA Awards, which announced its nominees back at the beginning of November, then handed out its trophies on Wednesday, December 8. Nitram scooping the pool isn't surprising, given that it's powerful, haunting and the best Aussie movie of the year — and that AACTA has a history of going all on features it loves. Last year's Best Film recipient, Babyteeth, won seven awards, while The Nightingale picked up six the year before, Sweet Country did the same the year before that and Lion nabbed 12 in 2017. (Thanks to the likes of Hacksaw Ridge, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dressmaker, The Great Gatsby and The Sapphires before that, the trend goes on.) The Academy's gongs also span television — so, if you've watched The Newsreader or Fisk this year, then you've seen 2021's Best Drama and Best Narrative Comedy Series. Across both the big and small screens, other winners include Ellie and Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) for Best Indie Film, My Name Is Gulpilil for Best Documentary, and Fires for Best Telefeature or Miniseries. Here's a rundown of the major nominations — and you can check out the full list on AACTA's website: AACTA NOMINEES 2021 FILM AWARDS: BEST FILM The Dry The Furnace High Ground Nitram — WINNER Penguin Bloom Rams BEST INDIE FILM Disclosure Ellie and Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) — WINNER Lone Wolf Moon Rock for Monday My First Summer Under My Skin BEST DIRECTION Rob Connolly, The Dry Roderick MacKay, The Furnace Stephen Maxwell Johnson, High Ground Justin Kurzel, Nitram — WINNER Glendyn Ivin, Penguin Bloom BEST LEAD ACTOR Simon Baker, High Ground Eric Bana, The Dry Caleb Landry Jones, Nitram — WINNER Ahmed Malek, The Furnace Jacob Junior Nayinggul, High Ground BEST LEAD ACTRESS Rose Byrne, Peter Rabbit 2 Judy Davis, Nitram — WINNER Noni Hazlehurst, June Again Genevieve O'Reilly, The Dry Naomi Watts, Penguin Bloom BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Michael Caton, Rams Baykali Ganambarr, The Furnace Anthony LaPaglia, Nitram — WINNER Sean Mununggurr, High Ground Jack Thompson, High Ground BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Essie Davis, Nitram — WINNER Claudia Karvan, June Again Esmerelda Marimowa, High Ground Miranda Tapsell, The Dry Jacki Weaver, Penguin Bloom BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Monica Zanetti, Ellie and Abbie (& Abbie's Dead Aunt) Roderick McKay, The Furnace Chris Anastassiades, High Ground JJ Winlove, June Again Shaun Grant, Nitram — WINNER BEST SCREENPLAY Rob Connolly and Harry Cripps, The Dry — WINNER Shaun Grant and Harry Cripps, Penguin Bloom Will Gluck and Patrick Burleigh, Peter Rabbit 2 Jules Duncan, Rams BEST DOCUMENTARY Girls Can't Surf I'm Wanita My Name Is Gulpilil — WINNER Playing with Sharks Strong Female Lead When the Camera Stopped Rolling TELEVISION AWARDS: BEST DRAMA SERIES Clickbait Jack Irish Mr Inbetween The Newsreader — WINNER Total Control Wakefield Wentworth BEST TELEFEATURE OR MINISERIES A Sunburnt Christmas The End Fires — WINNER New Gold Mountain The Unusual Suspects BEST NARRATIVE COMEDY SERIES Aftertaste Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun Fisk — WINNER Frayed Preppers Rosehaven BEST COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM Dom and Adrian 2020 Hard Quiz — WINNER The Moth Effect Spicks and Specks The Weekly BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Rudi Dharmaligam, Wakefield Guy Pearce, Jack Irish Sam Reid, The Newsreader Richard Roxburgh, Fires Scott Ryan, Mr Inbetween — WINNER BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Deborah Mailman, Total Control Mandy McElhinney, Wakefield Miranda Otto, Fires Pamela Rabe, Wentworth Anna Torv, The Newsreader — WINNER BEST COMEDY PERFORMER Mark Samual Bonanno, Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun Kitty Flanagan, Fisk — WINNER Tom Gleeson, Hard Quiz Broden Kelly, Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun Sarah Kendall, Frayed Nakkiah Lui, Preppers Luke McGregor, Rosehaven Celia Pacquola, Rosehaven BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Harry Greenwood, Wakefield William McInnes, The Newsreader — WINNER Matt Nable, Mr Inbetween Stephen Peacocke, The Newsreader Justin Rosniak, Mr Inbetween BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Michelle Lim Davidson, The Newsreader Marg Downey, The Newsreader Harriet Dyer, Wakefield Rachel Griffiths, Total Control — WINNER Noni Hazlehurst, The End
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's 22nd film might be called Endgame, but we all know there's more where it came from. Of course there is. In July, Spider-Man: Far From Home will swing into cinemas, continuing the MCU and the story of everyone's favourite friendly neighbourhood web-slinger (the Tom Holland version — sorry Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield fans). If you haven't seen Endgame, and you're averse to spoilers, we're not going to tell you anything that isn't already widely known. Far From Home has been in the works since 2017's immensely fun Spider-Man: Homecoming proved a hit, it released its first teaser back in January and it's officially considered the end of the MCU's phase three. But if you don't want to know what follows on from the huge Avengers showdown that's currently in cinemas, then you definitely won't want to watch Far From Home's new trailer. Consider this an official spoiler warning — something that the trailer itself includes at the start. Yes, really. By getting Holland to deliver the caution to camera, Marvel and Spider-Man distributor Sony shows it clearly has a sense of humour, especially since the young star is known for being loose-lipped with important MCU details. Picking up where Endgame left off, Far From Home sees Peter Parker pondering what the end of its immediate predecessor means, all while he's headed to Europe with his friends. Step up for the good of the world, or pursue his crush on MJ (Zendaya)? They're some of Spidey's options. Once again directed by Jon Watts, who helmed Homecoming, the movie also features Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio — as well as familiar faces in the form of Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, Jacob Batalon as Parker's best friend Ned, and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan. Oh, and because it's an MCU film, Samuel L Jackson as well. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFoz8ZJWmPs Spider-Man: Far From Home releases in Australian cinemas on July 4.
With its next big streaming series, Apple TV+ is managing to tick a heap of must-see boxes all at once. A dark comedy led by Anchorman co-stars Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell? Check. An adaptation of a hit podcast? Check again. A twisty true tale dramatised? Yep, check once more. Throw in WandaVision's Kathryn Hahn in a key supporting role (before she gets her own Marvel spinoff series), as well as Wet Hot American Summer's Michael Showalter behind the lens, and The Shrink Next Door just keeps giving you reasons to add it to your streaming queue. The eight-episode limited series will drop on Friday, November 12, making its first three episodes available then before releasing new instalments week by week afterwards — and, based on the just-released trailer, it's going to tell quite the story. Last seen on streaming in Netflix's Living With Yourself, Rudd plays Dr Isaac 'Ike' Herschkopf. He's a psychiatrist with to Ferrell's Martin 'Marty' Markowitz, and he amasses quite the sway over his patient. In the sneak peek clip, Ike doesn't hold back when it comes to dispensing life advice — and Marty, wanting to improve himself and his factory, listens to every word. But Ike just keeps pushing, which sends the doctor–patient relationship in unsettling directions. If you listened to the Wondery podcast of the same name, you'll know where The Shrink Next Door is headed. If not, expect to watch Ike charm his way even deeper into Marty's existence — including moving into Marty's home, and also nabbing the president slot of his business. Clearly, it's one of those stories that can only spring from truth. And no, no one reads the news here. As for Hahn, she co-stars as Marty's younger sister Phyllis, while Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) features as Ike's wife Bonnie. And yes, if you're looking for something to fill the Apple TV+ void now that Ted Lasso's second season has wrapped up, this just might be it. Check out the trailer for The Shrink Next Door below: The Shrink Next Door starts streaming via Apple TV+ from Friday, November 12, dropping three episodes to begin with and then releasing new instalments week by week afterwards.
Energy: we're either using it or talking about it. When we do the latter, we also do the former, of course. It describes our strength and vitality, and also covers how we power the world — and, unsurprisingly, it's a hot topic regarding the planet's future. At We Are Electric at the UQ Art Museum from Tuesday, February 14–Saturday, June 24, energy is firmly in the spotlight, too. This free exhibition explores the subject through art, pondering extraction, extinction and the world's post-carbon futures. So, as all great showcases should, you'll be inspired to think deeply while you're peering at paintings, sculptures, installations, video works and other creative pieces — about how energy flows within us, how the planets vibrate and how humanity's need for energy to fuel our existence is coming at a cost. [caption id="attachment_894614" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Haines & Hinterding Encounter with the Halo Field, 2009-2015, still from single-channel video, sound. Commissioned in 2009 by the Australian Network for Art and Technology and Art Monthly Australia with support from the Australia Council for the Arts. Reshot for High Definition in 2015. Courtesy the artist and Sarah Cottier Gallery, Sydney. Photo: the artists.[/caption] Artists on display include Will Benedict, Diane Borsato, Eglé Budvytytè, Megan Cope, Mavis Ngallametta, Yasmin Smith, and Haines and Hinterding — plus The Institute of Queer Ecology, and Daniel Beeron (Galaman), Davina Harries, Judith Henry, Clarence Kinjun, Doris Kinjun, Debra Murray and Eileen Tep from Girringun Art Centre. Together, and in a plethora of ways, they'll get art lovers buzzing about the electricity of our hearts, earth's electromagnetic fields, climate change and renewable resources. Understandably, We Are Electric doubles as a call to action — as thinking about energy always needs to be as well. [caption id="attachment_894613" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Michaela Gleave, Terrella, 2022. Installation view, We Are Electric, UQ Art Museum, 2023. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Josef Ruckli.[/caption] Top images: Michaela Gleave, Terrella, 2022. Installation view, We Are Electric, UQ Art Museum, 2023. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Josef Ruckli. George Tjungurrayi, Tingari, 2004, synthetic polymer paint on linen. Installation view, We Are Electric, UQ Art Museum, 2023. Collection of The University of Queensland, purchased 2007. © the artist licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency Ltd. Photo: Josef Ruckli.
If you're a Lorde fan, there's no better news than this: in February 2026, the 'Royals', 'Green Light', 'Solar Power' and 'What Was That' singer-songwriter will hit the stage in Brisbane. The New Zealand star's Ultrasound world tour is bringing its gigs Down Under, heading to four cities in Australia and making dates with arenas at every stop. Ella Yelich-O'Connor last took her Solar Power tour this way in 2023. This time, as part of a run of concerts that begins in September 2025 in the US — and also includes gigs in Canada, the UK and across Europe — she has levelled up venue-wise. In the Queensland capital, Brisbane Entertainment Centre is Lorde's destination, playing on Monday, February 16, 2026. There might be a three-year gap between Yelich-O'Connor's last Down Under shows and her upcoming Ultrasound tour concerts; however, in addition to writing and recording Virgin, she's been busy making a surprise Sydney club appearance back in May 2025 at a Lorde-themed night. The focus of Lorde's 2026 Brisbane gig: 2025 album Virgin, which features the aforementioned 'What Was That' — her first original new track in four years — alongside 'Man of the Year', 'Hammer', 'Favourite Daughter' and 'Shapeshifter', and hit number one in Australia upon debut. Images: Joseph Okpako/WireImage and Thistle Brown.
Hungry? Thirsty? If you're not already, you will be soon. With everything from everyday deals to special sit-down dinners on offer, just perusing the program for Brisbane's annual Good Food Month is enough to inspire a healthy appetite. That's what happens when the city turns itself over to all things food and drink-related from July 1 to 31, after all. Prepare to rush to and from every restaurant and cafe you can think of (and a few you can't) while consuming all manner of delicious morsels. And if that sounds like you're being spoiled for choice, well, you are — but perhaps our ten top picks of events to attend can help you out.
So far in December 2020, Australia has experienced heat, snow and a patch of wet weather that has caused a Byron Bay beach to erode. That's an erratic set of conditions — so if you're wondering what Friday, December 25 has in store, that's understandable. Is a sweltering hot Christmas on the cards, or is it literally set to rain on everyone's festive parade? According to the Bureau of Meteorology, most of the country's capital cities will fall in the middle of those extremes. On the east coast, it'll be warm, but not sweltering, and either cloudy or mostly sunny. If you're still making barbecuing, beach-going and festive-feasting plans, take note. In Sydney, a maximum of 28 degrees is currently forecast, with a medium (30–40 percent) chance of showers and rain possible across the partly cloudy day. It'll also be a little windy, with northeasterly gusts getting up to 15–25 kilometres per hour. Conditions are expected to be mostly the same on Wednesday, December 23 and Thursday, December 24, too. For Melburnians, prepare for a mild Christmas — with the mercury only set to reach 21 degrees maximum (and with a minimum of 12 degrees predicted). Like Sydney, the Victorian capital will be partly cloudy and experience winds up to 15–25 kilometres per hour. There's only a 20-percent chance of rain or a shower, though. In Brisbane, it'll also be cooler than usual. Yes, we know that 25 degrees isn't exactly cold, but it's much, much milder than usual Brissie summer weather. It's also cooler than the temps leading up to December 25, which'll range from 27–33 across the week prior. The temperature isn't forecast to fluctuate much on Christmas day, with a minimum of 21 degrees expected. Also, it'll be cloudy, with light winds and a 50-percent likelihood of showers interrupting your game of backyard cricket. https://twitter.com/BOM_au/status/1339866903884513282 Over in the west, Perth will be hot, getting up to 31 degrees — although, given that temps of 38 and 39 degrees are forecast between Tuesday, December 22–Thursday, December 24, it's likely to feel like a cooler reprieve. There is little expected chance of rain, at just five percent, but winds up to 15–20 kilometres per hour are possible on what's predicted to be a mostly sunny day. Folks in Adelaide can expect sun, warmth and wind. It'll be mostly sunny, like Perth, while the mercury will hit 29 degrees and gusts will get up to 25–35 kilometres per hour. Meanwhile, Darwin looks set to be the hottest state capital for Christmas, getting to 32 degrees with showers, light winds and a possible thunderstorm — and Hobart will be the coldest, at just 16 degrees, with a 40-percent chance of morning rain and winds of up to 15–20 kilometres per hour. And in Canberra, it's expected to hit 28, with a medium (30–40 percent) chance of showers and rain possible and gusts getting up to 15–25 kilometres per hour. Of course, while these are BOM's forecasts just under a week out from December 25, conditions may change — so keep an eye on the Bureau's website for the most up-to-date information. For further details about the Bureau of Meteorology's Christmas forecasts, head to the BOM website.
Like theatre? Then you should love La Boite's returning HWY Festival of New Work. It doesn't just bring one single new show to the stage — it presents a snapshot of the current state of the city's performing arts. And just how is the Kelvin Grove-based company managing to do that? Just let us count the ways. Running until Wednesday, March 18, the 2020 program is overflowing with works in progress, as well as talks and forums that showcase fresh scripts and ideas, ponder issues of relevance to today's theatre practitioners, and fine-tune essential skills. If you're an emerging theatre type, that means workshops on creativity, getting political and being inclusive, plus plenty of chatter at panel sessions that'll help you broaden your thinking. And if you just like to watch the end result of someone else's creative endeavours, then you can check out various efforts in various stages of evolution — and see tomorrow's hits well before anyone else.
Tim Flach has captured wild animals in a way you may never have seen before. Studio-lit and beautiful, these animals create gorgeous subjects (although we're pretty sure they prefer their natural habitat to a black back drop and spotlight). Having spent years studying our bond with animals, Flach is known for his conceptual portraits of animals and the unique way in which he differs from a classic wildlife photographer. He has been awarded the Professional Photographer of the Year at the International Photography Awards and has published books, including Equus and Dogs Gods. He recently published More Than Human which features these photos and many more. His photographs challenge us to think of these animals and view them in ways in which we haven't before. He uses the defamiliarisation technique by placing familiar things, in this case animals, in an unfamiliar place to provoke questions and curiosity from the viewer. You can visit his website to view the entire More Than Human series.
Following the introduction of Nike+, the sporting giant has created its most technologically-savvy and personalised piece of performance measurement yet. The Nike FuelBand uses Nike Fuel, a new measurement system developed by the company. This allows you to measure your data such as steps, calories and distance throughout the day against other competitors of different body types and skill levels. You can also set goals for yourself and the band's screen will notify you if you have achieved them by changing from red to green. Perhaps the greatest tool of the Nike FuelBand is its ability to sync with iPhones via Bluetooth, where the information can then be shared through social media or explored in greater depth. The Nike FuelBand also has a built-in USB drive for computer access. At midnight, the FuelBand resets itself so that all your daily information is kept succinct. Technology is now playing a pivotal role in fitness, where data is now becoming more in-depth and accessible for athletes. Such technology offers much more than standard pedometers, and Nike Vice President of Digital Sport Stefan Olander believes that this has a tremendous psychological benefit for those wanting to keep in shape. He states that Nike are attempting to allow customers to "make it really easy to level something — give yourself a goal, but then allow yourself to adjust that all the time to what you want to do." The Nike FuelBand is now avaliable for preorder in the United States, with plans to become avaliable in Europe in mid-2012. This idea of data-collection and goal-setting for fitness has been explored by other products such as the Jawbone UP, a similar wristband that also comes with an app. However, the Nike FuelBand has built upon what was criticised as one of UP's major flaws - an inability to transfer data via Bluetooth because of battery life issues. Therefore, transferring such data from the UP became much more intrusive on daily routines. In any case, the development of such devices have seen technology become a double-edged sword within modern society. On one hand, the increasing dependence on computers and iPhones have been blamed for tragic obesity levels, yet such technology can also be used as a great motivational and measuring tool for physical exercise. Certainly, we are far removed from the days where an Mp3 player was only used to blast uptempo techno music while running on the treadmill. Nike FuelBand https://youtube.com/watch?v=-eAjsFl22HM [via CoolHunting]
That title caught your attention, didn’t it? Of course it did — it is designed to. There’s more to Imprint Theatricals' staging of this off-Broadway smash than the name, however. The set-up of 5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche earns a chuckle by itself: the charming widows of the Susan B Anthony Society for the Sisters Of Gertrude Stein gather for their annual Quiche Breakfast, circa 1956, as the Cold War is in full swing. This is 75 minutes spent watching what just might be the most outrageous community meeting you’ve ever seen. 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche is one of our top six picks of MELT Festival. See the other five here.
Summer holidays throughout Australia are all about sun, surf and sand. That's what the nation is known for, after all. But, when winter hits, this country of ours boasts several ace places to hit the snow — including in the Snowy Mountains and the Victoria Alps. Started planning your mid-year escape now that autumn is already upon us? Not usually a skier or snowboarder, but looking for somewhere to head this winter given that international travel is still off the cards for at least the next few months? To help Sydneysiders and Brisbanites head south for snow season, Qantas has just announced three new routes that'll take you closer to the snowfields (so you can spend less time travelling, and more actually making the most of your frosty destination). If you're venturing from Sydney, you'll be able to fly direct to Cooma three days a week, which is great news if you're looking at holidaying in Perisher Valley, Thredbo and Charlotte Pass in New South Wales. The flights will leave Sydney on Thursdays and Fridays, and return on Sundays. Yes, they're tailor-made for weekend trips. For those making the trip from Brisbane, the airline will fly the same route two days a week. It'll also head from Brissie to Albury three days a week, should you prefer to hit the slopes at Falls Creek or Hotham in Victoria instead. The new routes will operate between July 1 and September 26 this year, and use QantasLink's turboprop Q400 aircraft. Prices will start at $179 one way from Sydney and $239 one way from Brisbane. And, Qantas will obviously let you take ski and snowboard equipment as part of your checked baggage — because, if that's where you're heading, you'll need it. For more information about Qantas' new Sydney–Cooma, Brisbane–Cooma and Brisbane–Albury routes, or to book, head to the airline's website.
When mid-February rolls around each year, a specific feeling starts to sink in: the yearning for these sunny, summery days to keep on stretching on. But autumn will soon be upon us, and cooler weather, too — unless you decide to chase an endless summer by spending time anywhere from the Gold Coast up to Cairns while it gets frosty down south. After a chaotic couple of years due to the pandemic, Queensland holidays have been back on the agenda since late 2021. Just last month, the Sunshine State also ditched all of its remaining domestic border restrictions. And, if you're keen to make an autumn date with plenty of sun, surf and sand — or even to book in a winter getaway, too — Virgin Australia has just dropped a huge Queensland flight sale. Running until midnight AEST on Sunday, February 20 or sold out, whichever arrives first, this sale is solely about trips to and from the Sunshine State — with more than a 1.5 million fares on offer. It might be focused on one part of the country, but you still have options in terms of departure points and destinations. Within Queensland, you can leave or arrive in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Hamilton Island, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Mt Isa and Proserpine. And, around the rest of the country, flights to and from Adelaide, Alice Springs, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney are all covered. One-way fares start at $59 — which'll get you from Sydney to the Gold Coast, Launceston to Brisbane, Newcastle to Brisbane and Brisbane to Prosperine (and vice versa). Other sale flights include Sydney–Sunshine Coast from $65, Melbourne–Gold Coast from $69, Melbourne–Townsville from $99 and Sydney–Hamilton Island from $109. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the travel periods depend on the leg — but some span up till spring. Only some fares cover seat selection and checked baggage, however, with the airline announcing back in August that it is now splitting its economy flights into three types. Economy Lite doesn't include checking any baggage or picking your seat, but Economy Choice does — and Economy Flex gives you extra flexibility (hence the name) if you have to change your plans later. As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers. Wearing masks on flights also became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin's Great Queensland Getaway sale runs from today, Monday, February 14–midnight AEST on Sunday, February 20 — or until sold out.
With a nickname like the Sunshine State, Queensland is obviously known for its warm weather, as well as the outdoor lifestyle such sunny climes allows. And, from Thursday, October 1, the State Government is encouraging Queenslanders to spend as much time outside as possible — by increasing capacity caps at openair venues such as beer gardens and outdoor dining areas, as well as at events held outside, and at outdoor stadiums. As announced by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today, Friday, September 25, the new limits will kick in at 1am when September ticks over to October — with different restrictions in place for different situations. For outdoor venues with a COVID-safe plan, for instance, they'll be able to increase patron density from one person per four square metres to one person per two square metres, doubling the amount of folks allowed in outside areas. As well as cafes, pubs and other places with outdoor seating spaces, this expanded limit also apply to theme parks and zoos. For events with a COVID-safe checklist, attendee caps will increase from 500 to 1000, again doubling the number of people permitted. And, with the AFL finals season about to kick off — in the lead up to the grand final, which'll be held at the Gabba and mark the first time ever it's played outside of Victoria — stadium capacity will increase from 50 percent to 75 percent as well. The latter will also come into effect for outdoor amphitheatres and performance venues that have a COVID-safe plan, so it'll extend beyond the footy. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1309271978474315776 As part of the announcement, Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young explained that she is "getting more and more information that outdoors is the best place to be". She noted that "wherever possible, I strongly recommend that as much as possible people move their lives outdoors" — while recommending that people indoors should be opening up windows to let fresh air circulate. It has been a big week for changing restrictions in Queensland, with today's announcement marking the third in a number of days. As of this morning, gathering limits at home and in public places have increased to 30 in Brisbane and a number of other nearby local government areas, in line with the rest of the state — and, also on Thursday, October 1, Queensland will expand its border bubble zone, allowing folks from northern NSW to enter the state and letting Queenslanders head down south and return, both without quarantining. For more information about southeast Queensland's COVID-19 gathering restrictions, or about the status of COVID-19 in the state, visit the Qld COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. Top image: Atlanta Bell.
How do you start the first-ever WorldPride held in the Southern Hemisphere? With an already-announced opening concert starring none other than Kylie Minogue, of course. How do you farewell the fun when the massive LGBTQIA+ festival is finished taking over Sydney in February and March 2023? The event has just started locking in those plans, too, with MUNA and G Flip headlining closing gig Rainbow Republic. Like the kick-off festivities, this one will take place in The Domain — and indie popsters MUNA will be making their Australian debut when they take to the stage. As for G Flip, the pivotal slot comes after they just played the AFL Grand Final, following one iconic event with another. When it takes place on Sunday, March 5, attendees can expect a seven-hour show filled with live music, DJs and dancing — a queer megamix, if you like. On hosting duties: Keiynan Lonsdale (Love, Simon, The Flash, Eden), who'll also perform. Peach PRC, Alter Boy, BVT and Vetta Borne have also been named on the bill. This is just the first lineup announcement, however, so expect more to follow. Sydney WorldPride has been announcing parts of its lineup since June, including the return of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade to Oxford Street after the 2021 and 2022 events were held at the Sydney Cricket Ground due to the pandemic — and it will drop its full 300-event program in November. As well as the parade, Kylie and Rainbow Republic, Sydney WorldPride will feature pride villages set up in sections of Crown Street and Riley Street, a giant weekend-long street party on Oxford Street, a Bondi beach party that'll turn the iconic sandy stretch into a club for 12,000 people, and a Blak & Deadly First Nations gala concert. Plus, there'll be another huge gig in The Domain — a dance party for 10,000, which is being dubbed as the biggest LGBQTIA+ outdoor dance party in Australia. RAINBOW REPUBLIC SYDNEY WORLDPRIDE CLOSING CONCERT LINEUP: MUNA G Flip Keiynan Lonsdale Peach PRC Alter Boy BVT Vetta Borne Sydney WorldPride will run from Friday, February 17–Sunday, March 5, 2023, with closing concert Rainbow Republic taking place at The Domain on Sunday, March 5. Tickets for Rainbow Republic are on sale now. For more information about Sydney WorldPride, or for general ticket sales, head to the event's website. Thinking about Sydney WorldPride's big opening gig, Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert, too? General admission tickets have sold out, with only Sydney WorldPride's affordability option left — but you can still head along thanks to Concrete Playground Trips. The Sydney WorldPride package includes tickets to the Domain Dance Party and Live and Proud: Opening Concert, plus three nights at the PARKROYAL Darling Harbour Sydney.
Queer Screen doesn't just host two LGBTQIA+ film festivals in Sydney each year, with Mardi Gras Film Festival arriving in the first half and Queer Screen Film Fest in the second. It also takes those fests to the rest of Australia via online versions. So, to start September, you can get cosy on the couch while streaming your way through a number of movies from the QSFF lineup without leaving home. While the fest runs from Wednesday, August 28–Sunday, September 1, it goes virtual from Monday, September 2–Sunday, September 8. Closing night's Gondola, about female cable-car conductors expressing their emotions in the sky, is among the titles you'll be able to catch on your own screen. So are the gay, sapphic and trans and gender-diverse shorts strands, with Lukas Gage (Road House) and Keiynan Lonsdale (Swift Street) making appearances via the bite-sized Stay Lost. Plus, at-home viewers have American Parent, about a lesbian couple raising a toddler during the pandemic; Big Boys, focusing on a teen with a crush; All Shall Be Well director Ray Yeung's 2019 film Twilight's Kiss; and The Judgment, about US-based Egyptian boyfriends returning home and dealing with the supernatural, among their other choices.
You can never have too much greenery in your life, both inside and outside your house. And, whether you're decking out your interiors or setting up a luxe outdoor hangout zone, you can never have too many homewares either. At least that's what you'll keep telling yourself while you're browsing around The Home Collective, with northside market offering up an array of plants, pots, furniture, cushions, art and more. If you're keen for a sneak peek, or some design inspiration, check out the event's Instagram page. That'll motivate you to head along, we're certain Taking place in Wavell Heights from 9am to 1pm on Sunday, May 26, the market will kit out your abode with plenty of choices, with a heap of stalls ready for you to peruse. Sure, there's an excuse to boost your garden and homewares cred every weekend in Brissie, or so it seems, but you just can't have to much of a good thing.
The Lamb Council of Australia (otherwise known as Meat & Livestock Australia/We Love our Lamb) is back on our screens — and this time, it's political. Their 2017 campaign has just launched and, whether you're a lamb fan or not, it's already spreading warm fuzzies across the country. The ad opens on a trio of First Nation peoples picking a spot for a primo beach barbie, but it's not long before the First Fleet and other nations arrive, all by boat (accurate historical fact). While everything's underway, the most recent 'boat people' are seen coming towards the shore, at which point ex-MasterChef contestant Poh Ling Yeow asks, "Aren't we all boat people?" Damn right. It's an inclusive, anti-racism message that's sure to win the lamb lovers and creative agency The Monkeys a spate of awards despite trotting out a few well-worn stereotypes. And although it is an obvious comment on Australia Day — the way we celebrate it and the day we celebrate it on — the ad doesn't actually make any overt references to it. Nonetheless, it's a huge shift away from their regular Australia Day campaign and a move towards something much more inclusive. Plus, it's got a diverse group of Aussie celebrities to help out, including olympian Cathy Freeman, rugby legend Wendell Sailor, cricketer Adam Gilchrist, comedian Rhys Nicholson and, of course, a small cameo from Sam "Sam Sam the lamb man" Kekovich. The result is one ultimate Australian beachside barbie.
When the weather starts to cool down, the urge to devour big bowls of pasta, warm soups and pot pies usually comes with it. Despite all the blankets and fuzzy slippers in the world, sometimes you just need some carbs — and a few boozy concoctions to wash them down with. And, really, there's nothing like curling up with just the thing you're hankering for. When the heart is calling for a cheesy carbonara or a bespoke negroni, you'd best answer it. To help you out when the cravings strike, we've teamed up with Australia Cocktail Month. The inaugural month-long celebration of Aussie-made cocktails takes place throughout May, so it's just the ticket as winter approaches. Alongside everything from yum cha to countryside fire feasts, it's also one of our six recommended ways to indulge when only cocktails and comfort food will do. [caption id="attachment_644421" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain[/caption] HIT UP YOUR LOCAL FOR A SUNDAY ROAST Warm up from the inside out with a hearty Sunday pub roast. Based on the traditional British end-of-weekend meal, the Australian take on the pub roast usually features all the fan favourites (yes, including brussels sprouts) to help chase away the cold weather blues. Think succulent roast meats, crunchy potatoes, juicy vegetables, copious pours of gravy, and a nice glass of red or two on the side. Right across the nation — including in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane — there are plenty of pubs to hit up. Pick your favourite, then spoil your tastebuds with a filling roast lunch or dinner. Is there anything more comforting? [caption id="attachment_755166" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Death and Taxes[/caption] CURL UP WITH A COCKTAIL AT A TOP BAR If you're in the mood for a cocktail, you're going to love Australian Cocktail Month, a month-long celebration of Australian bars and bartenders that starts on Saturday, May 1. Across the event, 72 bars in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide are partnering with local and international alcohol brands to shake and stir up some bespoke cocktails, and to also offer discounts and unique bar experiences. To attend, all you need to do is grab a general admission ticket from the event's website, then head to a participating bar. Show said ticket and you'll be able to sip a $14 cocktail (or a $10 non-alcoholic version) while you're getting comfy. [caption id="attachment_780994" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] TUCK INTO A YUM CHA FEAST It's pretty universally known that one does not leave yum cha hungry. After all, the meal involves a steady rotation of small portions of dim sum dishes, including steamed, pan-fried and deep-fried options. Think juicy dumplings, prawn har gow, xiaolongbao (steamed soup dumplings), barbecue pork buns and pork ribs — all washed down with piping hot tea. There are plenty of places in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to get your feast on, too. So, forget the cooking and feed your hankering for Cantonese food by heading to your local yum cha house — and indulging until your heart (and tummy) is content. Just make sure not to eat beforehand. [caption id="attachment_779829" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] HIBERNATE IN A CINEMA WITH POPCORN AND CHOC TOPS Grabbing a snack at a movie theatre isn't always easy to justify. But when you're nestled in your seat, it's hard to be sorry about the big box of popcorn in your hands. A choc top never goes astray, either, and neither does a bag of Maltesers. Accordingly, to feed that comfort food craving in your belly, grab a mate or date and head to your local cinema. There, you can hibernate in a supremely cosy setting and enjoy a flick with some quality movie theatre bites. Some venues even serve cocktails too, such as Golden Age Cinema and Bar in Sydney, Classic Cinemas in Melbourne and Blue Room Cinebar in Brisbane. THROW A POTLUCK DINNER WITH YOUR MATES Why indulge in comfort food and cocktails all on your own when you can do it as a group activity with your nearest and dearest? The easiest way: get on that group chat and arrange a potluck dinner at yours with your friends. Either get everyone to bring a surprise dish, or arrange for someone to take care of entrees, others to look after mains and the best cooks in the gang to whip up desserts. You could even try out a new recipe or two, and wow your pals with a skill they mightn't have realised you have. And the best part? There are usually leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. COOK A FEAST OVER FIRE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE Fill up your car, pack an overnight bag and hit the road. It's time to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for some fresh country air and camping-style food. Get a fire roaring, then try your hand at some damper, classic s'mores, snags or corn on the cob. You could even give campfire nachos or some camping quesadilla a whirl. There are plenty of country towns to stay at just a hop, skip and jump from main cities, too, including near Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. It's a two-for-one deal, really, because you'll indulge in the charm of the countryside and fill your belly at the same time. Australian Cocktail Month is taking over top bars across the Australia from May 1–31. To buy your ticket, and for the full list of participating bars, head to the event's website. Top image: The Duke of Clarence, Kitti Gould
New Zealanders wanting to enter Australia without quarantining will have to hold off a little longer on their travel plans, after the Australian Government extended the existing pause on the current one-way trans-Tasman travel bubble. New Zealand's previous quarantine-free border arrangements were halted on Monday, January 25 after a NZ resident tested positive to the new, more transmissible B1351 variant of COVID-19. The bubble was scheduled to resume today, Thursday, January 26, after a 72-hour pause; however, the suspension will now continue for another three days. As announced in a statement by Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt, the pause will now run through until 2pm, Sunday, January 31, in line with the recommendation from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and the Australian Government Chief Medical Officer. The latest suspension comes after two more New Zealanders tested positive to COVID-19 in recent days, with both linked to the same Auckland hotel as the initial case. The bubble suspension will give health authorities a chance to do further digging and gather test results for all the close contacts linked to the outbreak. In a press conference, Australia's Acting Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd, also advised that there are concerns that a small group of people who had stayed at the Auckland hotel at the same time as the other cases have since travelled to Australia under the previous quarantine-free arrangement. They flew into the country before the bubble was paused on Monday, and are now being contacted by local health authorities. https://twitter.com/healthgovau/status/1354640405485248514 Anyone who has entered Australia from NZ since January 9 is also encouraged to get a COVID-19 test immediately, and go into self-isolation until results are received. The one-way travel bubble from NZ to Australia was introduced in mid-October last year, initially allowing New Zealanders to travel into certain Australian states without quarantine, before being expanded to include access to most of the country. It was also hoped that a reciprocal arrangement wouldn't be far off, after New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced in December that the NZ Cabinet had agreed to establishing a two-way bubble from early 2021. It's unknown what impact the recent outbreak will have on those plans. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. To find out more about the virus and travel restrictions in New Zealand, head over to the NZ Government's COVID-19 hub.
Best known for his strange modern fairytales, including Delicatessen, Micmacs and, of course, Amelie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet has a particular talent for finding whimsy and madness in the everyday corners of life. He continues that habit in his English-language debut, The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet. Mark Twain by way of Jimmy Neutron, this oddball family film lays the syrup on thick, only to cut through the sweetness with a biting critique of America's cultural foibles. Indeed, this flick is so loaded with tacky, tongue-in-cheek American iconography that it could have only been directed by a foreigner (and perhaps more specifically, a Frenchman). Cowboys, box-cars and the mighty Mississippi make up the landscape, as T.S. Spivet rides the rails from Montana to the nation's capital. There, he'll accept a prize from the Smithsonian institute for inventing a perpetual motion machine that could change the world as we know it. Not too shabby, given that he's only 10 years old. The film is an adaptation of Reif Larsen's popular children's novel, The Select Works of T.S. Spivet. It's a natural fit for the imaginative Jeunet, who, like T.S. himself, has often found himself swimming against the tide. Here, his fanciful world consists of impossibly saturated colours, the entire frame cluttered with weird and wonderful stuff. Maps, graphs and diagrams float magically from the screen in 3D, giving us a glimpse at the gears and levers of our hero's brilliant mind. Young Kyle Catlett does a marvellous job as the film's pint-sized protagonist, an undisputed prodigy but still very much a child. Much of the movie's humour is derived from his amusing, unfiltered observations of the colourful characters that inhabit his life — including his taciturn, bull-wrangling father (Callum Keith Rennie); distractible, entomologist mother (Helena Bonham Carter); and moody teenage sister (Niamh Wilson), who dreams of being a beauty queen. His thoughts linger, also, on his twin brother Layton, who died the previous year while the two of them were playing with a gun. It's a sombre recurring note, one that ever-so-slightly sours the images of America's perpetually sunny heartland. So too does a conversation with a trucker (Julian Richings), with whom T.S. hitches a ride. An Iraq war veteran, the man tells his young travelling companion he signed up to see the world. He just wishes he hadn't had to kill people in order to do so. It's only when the boy reaches D.C., however, that Jeunet launches into a full-blown comic satire. The arrival of the theretofore unknown child prodigy — and one with a tragically dead sibling to boot — sends the science world into a frenzy. Before long, trusting T.S. finds himself caught up in a press and public relations scrum, as grown men and women all try to exploit him for their own tawdry, selfish ambitions. Still, while Jeunet can't help but poke fun, the film's primary tone is one of sincerity, humour and good grace, with a late scene between T.S. and his parents striking more of an emotional chord than you expect it to. The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet is the sort of rare family film that finds just the right balance between smarts and sentimentality. Great if you have clever kids, or are just a clever kid at heart. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_Km4dZ_jBFE
Brisbanites, get ready to laugh. Get ready to party, too. Marking its tenth year in 2019, Brisbane Comedy Festival is back with a mighty huge month-long lineup — and it's ready to celebrate, obviously. A lengthy list of hilarious folk will be heading to Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane City Hall, SUNPAC and both of Newstead Brewing Co.'s beer-fuelled sites, spanning famous names, old favourites and new discoveries alike. Ross Noble, Danny Bhoy, Felicity Ward, Ronny Chieng, Dave Hughes, Nazeen Hussain, Tom Ballard, Becky Lucas, Mel Buttle, Paul Foot and Tim Ferguson are just some of the talents that'll tickle your funny bones across the four weeks, with the fest running from Friday, February 22 until Sunday, March 24. It all kicks off with an opening gala hosted by Charlie Pickering, and features a heap of other notable events — think after-hours gigs on weekends, surprise acts in a brewery, a chance to have a boozy lunch with comedians and a Frocking Hilarious night that's all about raising awareness for women's rights. Other highlights include women taking on male-sung pop tracks in Lady Sings It Better, an evening dedicated to Queerstories, and the worldwide smash that is Shit-faced Shakespeare. Want more? How about Evil Dead 2 reinterpreted through the songs of Elvis Presley, plus a fangirl look at Game of Thrones? If you know some littlies that like comedy too, this year's fest also boasts a number of shows for younger comedy lovers as well.
UPDATE, March 31, 2021: Bill & Ted Face the Music is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. When it comes to goofy and sweet movie concepts handled with sincerity, the Bill & Ted franchise has always proven most triumphant. In 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, the big-screen comedy series introduced the world to Californian high schoolers Bill S Preston, Esq (Alex Winter) and Ted 'Theodore' Logan (Keanu Reeves), who are apparently destined to write the rock song that unites the universe — if they can first pass their history exam by travelling back in time in a phone booth to recruit famed past figures like Beethoven and Socrates to help, that is. The idea that Bill & Ted's affable, air guitar-playing slackers would become the world's salvation was a joke that the film itself was in on, and the movie struck the right balance of silliness, earnestness and affection as a result. So, the end product was joyous. How could a flick that makes the absolute most of Reeves exclaiming "whoa!" multiple times, tasks its titular characters with spreading a message of kindness and sends Napoleon to a water park called Waterloo be anything but giddy fun? Actually, Excellent Adventure was something else: the reason that 1991's even loopier but still entertaining Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey exists, complete with evil robot versions of the eponymous duo and Twister games with Death (William Sadler) in hell. Now, almost three decades after that first sequel, the franchise has spawned a third entry — and Bill & Ted Face the Music delivers yet another dose of warm-hearted lunacy. Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) are back, obviously. They're older, definitely not wiser, and yet again take a few leaps through time. The fate of life as everyone knows it is still at stake, of course. And, as always, the loveable pair's clear motto — "be excellent to each other" — is pivotal. Bogus Journey told viewers that Wyld Stallyns, Bill and Ted's band, would achieve the success that futuristic emissary Rufus (George Carlin) had promised since the beginning of Excellent Adventure. When Face the Music returns to the duo, they've enjoyed the spoils of fame and subsequently crashed back into obscurity, gigs on cheap taco night, and combining a theremin with throat singing in the world's least romantic wedding song. Settled into suburban San Dimas life with their wives and children — medieval princesses Joanna (Glee's Jayma Mays) and Elizabeth (Medical Police's Erinn Hayes), and chip-off-the-old-block daughters Theadora (Ready or Not's Samara Weaving) and Wilhelmina (Atypical's Brigette Lundy-Paine) — they're still certain they'll write the tune the changes the future. Well, they're still trying to. But when they're given a 77-minute deadline by Rufus' daughter Kelly (The Last Man on Earth's Kristen Schaal), Bill and Ted decide to jump forward and steal the fabled track from themselves after they've already penned it. There's a purposeful sense of familiarity to Face the Music's main plot; watching Bill and Ted hurtle through time is what this franchise is all about, after all. Teaming up with director Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest), returning original writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon triple down on the setup, however, with Thea and Billie also leaping through history — and their unhappy mothers, who can't quite convince Bill and Ted not to be so codependent, similarly riding the circuits of time on their own trip. Layering all of the above gives Face the Music an overt excuse to rehash many of the franchise's beloved aspects, including bringing Bill and Ted face to face with themselves again and again, and sending the younger B and T on a mission to collect music icons like Mozart, Jimi Hendrix and King Cudi. And yet, while anyone who has seen Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey will spot the easy nods — even extending to a new robot (Barry's Anthony Carrigan) sent to foil the current plans — Face the Music isn't merely trying to relive past glories. In fact, the very idea that some dreams don't come true — or, to the benefit of everyone, they evolve and get passed along — sits at the core of this tender and loving movie. That's its best feature, and it's far from bogus. Naturally, it's a delight to see Winter and Reeves reprise their roles. They step back into Bill and Ted's shoes with ease, expertly conveying the characters' lingering immaturity, middle-aged malaise and ever-present kindness. They're also clearly having a blast as different versions of the duo, and their enthusiasm is infectious. As the next generation, both Weaving and Lundy-Paine are spot-on as well (the latter couldn't channel late 80s/early 90s-era Keanu more convincingly), while Carrigan steals every scene he's in. But without thoughtfully pondering what it truly means to be excellent to each other, showing that in action and demonstrating the impact that pulling together communally can have, Face the Music could've felt like it was just strumming the same hit notes again. They're also known for spouting "party on!" with frequency, but Bill and Ted's most famous catchphrase has never simply served up empty words. No one can escape the straightforward piece of advice, because "be excellent to each other" is uttered often, but it also means something. Indeed, Bill and Ted approached their lives with goodwill and consideration back in Excellent Adventure as a method of coping with their troubles — with the former's sleazy dad marrying one of their classmates, and the latter's stern father constantly threatening him with military school — and, here, they continue to illustrate the merits of their optimistic and warm mindset. It's no wonder, then, that Face the Music feels like such a nice hug of a movie. It's silly, because that's a given. It relies upon a template, but knows how to twist it in new directions. It occasionally feels repetitive, and a tad unintentionally chaotic. The heartfelt happiness it brings, though, is 100-percent excellent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hAL7emClFM
Under normal circumstances, when a new-release movie starts playing in cinemas, audiences can't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the pandemic forcing film industry to make quite a few changes over the past year — widespread movie theatre closures will do that — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you're in lockdown. Perhaps you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Given the hefty amount of films now releasing each week, maybe you missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here's 12 you can watch right now at home. IN THE HEIGHTS Lin-Manuel Miranda isn't the first lyricist to pen tunes so catchy that they get stuck in your head for years (yes, years), but his rhythmic tracks and thoughtful lines always stand out. Miranda's songs are melodic and snappy, as anyone who has seen Hamilton onstage or via streaming definitely knows. The multi-talented songwriter's lyrics also pinball around your brain because they resonate with such feeling — and because they're usually about something substantial. The musical that made his name before his date with US history, In the Heights echoes with affection for its eponymous Latinx New York neighbourhood. Now that it's reverberating through cinemas, its sentiments about community, culture, facing change and fighting prejudice all seem stronger, too. To watch the film's characters sing about their daily lives and deepest dreams in Washington Heights is to understand what it's like to feel as if you truly belong in your patch of the city, to navigate your everyday routine with high hopes shining in your heart, and to weather every blow that tries to take that turf and those wishes away. That's what great show tunes do, whisking the audience off on both a narrative and an emotional journey. Miranda sets his words to hip hop beats, but make no mistake: he writes barnstorming songs that are just as rousing and moving, and that've earned their place among the very best stage and screen ditties as a result. Watching In the Heights, it's hard not to think about all those stirring tracks that've graced previous musicals. That isn't a sign of derivation here, though. Directing with dazzling flair and a joyous mood, Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Jon M Chu nods to cinema's lengthy love affair with musicals in all the right ways. His song-and-dance numbers are clearly influenced by fellow filmic fare, and yet they recall their predecessors only because they slide in so seamlessly alongside them. Take his staging of the tune '96000', for instance. It's about winning the lottery, after word filters around that bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos, a Hamilton alum) has sold a lucky ticket. Due to the sweltering summer heat, the whole neighbourhood is at the public pool, which is where Chu captures a colourful sea of performers expressing their feelings through exuberantly shot, staged and choreographed music and movement — and it's as touching and glorious as anything that's ever graced celluloid. Of course, $96,000 won't set anyone up for life, but it'd make an enormous difference to Usnavi, In the Heights' protagonist and narrator. It'd also help absolutely everyone he loves. As he explains long before anyone even hears about the winning ticket, or buys it, every Heights local has their own sueñitos — little dreams they're chasing, such as his determination to relocate to the Dominican Republic. And that's what this intoxicating, invigorating, impassioned and infectious captures with vibrant aplomb. In the Heights is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. A QUIET PLACE PART II When every noise you make could send savage aliens stalking, slashing and slaughtering your way, it's the waiting that gets you. When you're watching a nerve-rattling horror film about that exact scenario, the same sentiment remains relevant. In A Quiet Place, the Abbott family went into survival mode after vicious creatures invaded, hunted down every sound and dispensed with anyone that crossed their path. For the characters in and viewers of the 2018 hit alike, the experience couldn't have screamed louder with anxiety and anticipation. Evelyn and Lee (Wild Mountain Thyme's Emily Blunt and Detroit's John Krasinski) and their children Regan (Millicent Simmonds, Wonderstruck), Marcus (Noah Jupe, The Undoing) and Beau (Cade Woodward, Avengers: Endgame) all silently bided their time simply trying to stay safe and alive, but their continued existence lingered under a gut-wrenching shadow. The critters were still out there, listening for even a whisper. It was a matter of when, not if, they'd discern the slightest of noises and strike again. That type of waiting drips with tension and suspense, and also with the kind of inevitability that hovers over everyone alive. A certain bleak end awaits us all, a truth we routinely attempt to ignore; however, neither the Abbotts nor A Quiet Place's audience were allowed to forget that grim fact for even a moment. Initially slated to arrive in cinemas two years later, then delayed by the pandemic for 14 months, sequel A Quiet Place Part II isn't done with waiting. Written and directed once again by Krasinski, the film doesn't shy away from the stress and existential distress that marking time can bring, but it also tasks its characters with actively confronting life's inevitabilities. After an intense and impressive tone-setting opening flashback to the first day of the alien attack, when the Abbotts' sleepy hometown learns of humanity's new threat in the cruellest fashion, the storyline picks up where its predecessor left off. It's day 474 — the earlier film spent most of its duration around day 472 — and Evelyn, Regan, Marcus and the family's newborn are grappling with their losses. That said, they're also keenly aware that they can't stay in their Appalachian farmhouse any longer. After spotting smoke on the horizon and setting off in that direction, they reconnect with Emmett (Cillian Murphy, Peaky Blinders), an old friend who has been through his own traumas. Evelyn sees safety in numbers, but he's reluctant to help. Then Regan hears a looping radio transmission playing 'Beyond the Sea' and decides to track down its source — and a film that's less thrilling, potent and unsettling than its predecessor eventuates. A Quiet Place Part II is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. BLACK WIDOW Closure is a beautiful thing. It's also not something that a 24-film-and-growing franchise tends to serve up often. Since 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has operated with the opposite aim — extending and expanding the series at every turn, delivering episodic instalments that keep viewers hanging for the next flick, and endeavouring to ensure that the superhero saga blasts onwards forever. But it's hard to tick those boxes when you're making a movie about a character whose fate is already known. Audiences have seen where Natasha Romanoff's (Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story) story finishes thanks to Avengers: Endgame, so Black Widow doesn't need to lay the groundwork for more films to follow. It's inexcusable that it has taken so long for the assassin-turned-Avenger to get her own solo outing. It's indefensible that this is just the second Marvel feature to solely focus on a female figure, too. But, unlike the missed opportunity that was Captain Marvel, Black Widow gives its namesake a thrilling big-screen outing, in no small part because it needn't waste time setting up a Black Widow sequel. Instead, the pandemic-delayed movie spends its 143 minutes doing what more MCU flicks should: building character, focusing on relationships, fleshing out its chosen world and making every inch of its narrative feel lived-in. The end result feels like a self-contained film, rather than just one chapter in a never-ending tale — which gives it the space to confidently blend family dramas with espionage antics, and to do justice to both parts of that equation. Sporting an impressive cast that also includes Florence Pugh (Little Women), David Harbour (Stranger Things) and Rachel Weisz (The Favourite), Black Widow begins in 1995, in small-town Ohio. Here, Harbour and Weisz play Alexei and Melina, parents to young Natasha (Ever Anderson, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter) and Yelena (Violet McGraw, Doctor Sleep), and the portrait of all-American domesticity — or that's the ruse, at least. The film doesn't revel in small-town life, neighbourhood playtimes, 'American Pie' sing-alongs and an existence that could've been ripped from The Americans for too long, however, with the quartet soon en route back to Russia via Cuba at shady puppetmaster Dreykov's (Ray Winstone, Cats) beckoning. When the action then jumps forward to 2016, and to the aftermath of that year's Captain America: Civil War, Natasha hasn't seen her faux family for decades. On the run from the authorities, she isn't palling around with the Avengers, either, with the superheroes all going their separate ways. Then the adult Yelena (Pugh) reaches out, because she too has fled her own powers-that-be: Dreykov, the fellow all-female hit squad she's been part of for the last 21 years, and the mind-control techniques that've kept her compliant and killing. There's an unmistakable air of Bourne and Bond to Black Widow from there, but this deftly satisfying flick doesn't trade the MCU's blueprints for other franchises' templates. With Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland (Somersault, Lore and Berlin Syndrome) in the director's chair, this welcome addition to the franchise spins a thoughtfully weighty story about women trapped at the mercy of others and fighting to regain their agency. Black Widow is available to stream via Disney+ with Premium Access. Read our full review. MY NAME IS GULPILIL Lengthy is the list of Australian actors who've started their careers on home soil, then boosted their fame, acclaim and fortunes by heading abroad. Some have won Oscars. Others are global household names. One plays a pigtailed comic book villain in a big film franchise, while another dons a cape and wields a hammer in a competing blockbuster saga. David Gulpilil doesn't earn any of the above descriptions, and he isn't destined to. It wouldn't interest him, anyway. His is the face of Australian cinema, though, and has been for half a century. Since first gracing the silver screen in Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout, the Yolŋu man has gifted his infectious smile and the irrepressible glint in his eye to many of the nation's most important movies. Indeed, to peruse his filmography is to revel in Aussie cinema history. On his resume, 70s classics such as Mad Dog Morgan and The Last Wave sit alongside everything from Crocodile Dundee and Rabbit-Proof Fence to Australia, Goldstone and Cargo — as well as parts in both the first 1976 film adaptation of Storm Boy and its 2019 remake. The latest film to benefit from the Indigenous talent's presence: My Name Is Gulpilil. It might just be the last do to so, however. That sad truth has been baked into the documentary ever since its subject asked director Molly Reynolds and producer Rolf de Heer — two filmmakers that Gulpilil has collaborated with before, including on Another Country, Charlie's Country, Ten Canoes and The Tracker — to make something with him after he was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. That was back in 2017, when he was given just six months to live. Gulpilil has been proving that diagnosis wrong ever since. Cue this heartfelt portrait of an Australian icon like no other, which celebrates a star who'll never be matched, reminds viewers exactly why that's the case, but is never a mere easy, glossy tribute. Anyone could've combined snippets of Gulpilil's movies with talking heads singing his praises. In the future, someone probably will. But Reynolds is interested in truly spending time with Gulpilil, hearing his tale in his own words, and painting as complete a portrait of his life, work, dreams, regrets, spirit, culture and impact as possible. My Name Is Gulpilil is available to stream via ABC iView. Read our full review. VALERIE TAYLOR: PLAYING WITH SHARKS Steven Spielberg directed Jaws, the 1975 horror film that had everyone wondering if it was safe to go back into the water — and the movie that became Hollywood's first blockbuster, too — but he didn't shoot its underwater shark sequences. That task fell to Australian spearfisher and diver-turned-oceanographer and filmmaker Valerie Taylor and her husband Ron, who did so off the coast of Port Lincoln in South Australia. If it weren't for their efforts, the film mightn't have become the popular culture behemoth it is. When one of the animals the Taylors were filming lashed out at a metal cage that had held a stuntman mere moments before, the pair captured one of the picture's most nerve-rattling scenes by accident, in fact. And, before Peter Benchley's novel of the same name was even published, the duo was sent a copy of the book and asked if it would make a good feature (the answer: yes). Helping to make Jaws the phenomenon it is ranks among Valerie's many achievements, alongside surviving polio as a child, her scuba and spearfishing prowess, breaking boundaries by excelling in male-dominated fields in 60s, and the conservation activism that has drawn much of her focus in her later years. Linked to the latter, and also a feat that many can't manage: her willingness to confront her missteps and then do better. The apprehension that many folks feel when they're about to splash in the ocean? The deep-seated fear and even hatred of sharks, too? That's what Valerie regrets. Thanks to Jaws, being afraid of sharks is as natural to most people as breathing, and Valerie has spent decades wishing otherwise. That's the tale that Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks tells as it steps through her life and career. Taking a standard birth-to-now approach, the documentary has ample time for many of the aforementioned highlights, with Valerie herself either offering her memories via narration or popping up to talk viewers through her exploits. But two things linger above all else in this entertaining, engaging and insightful doco. Firstly, filmmaker Sally Aitken (David Stratton: A Cinematic Life) fills her feature with stunning archival footage that makes for astonishing and affecting viewing (Ron Taylor is credited first among the feature's five cinematographers). Secondly, this powerful film dives into the work that Valerie has spearheaded to try to redress the world's fright-driven perception of sharks. Like last year's David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, 2017's Jane Goodall documentary Jane and underwhelming 2021 Oscar-winner My Octopus Teacher, this is a movie about being profoundly changed by the natural world and all of its splendour. Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks is available to stream via Disney+. Read our full review. CRUELLA A killer dress, a statement jacket, a devastating head-to-toe ensemble: if they truly match their descriptions, they stand the test of time. Set in 70s London as punk takes over the aesthetic, live-action 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella is full of such outfits — plus a white-and-black fur coat that's suspected of being made from slaughtered dogs. If the film itself was a fashion item, though, it'd be a knockoff. It'd be a piece that appears fabulous from afar, but can't hide its seams. That's hardly surprising given this origin tale stitches together pieces from The Devil Wears Prada, The Favourite, Superman, Star Wars and Dickens, and doesn't give two yaps if anyone notices. The Emmas — Stone, playing the dalmatian-hating future villain; Thompson, doing her best Miranda Priestly impression as a ruthless designer — have a ball. Oscar-winning Mad Max: Fury Road costume designer Jenny Beavan is chief among the movie's MVPs. But for a film placed amid the punk-rock revolution, it's happy to merely look the part, not live and breathe it. And, in aiming to explain away its anti-heroine's wicked ways, it's really not sure what it wants to say about her. Before she becomes the puppy-skinning fashionista that remains among Glenn Close's best-known roles, and before she's both a wannabe designer and the revenge-seeking talk of the town played by Stone (Zombieland: Double Tap), Cruella is actually 12-year-old girl Estella (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland, Game of Thrones). In this intellectual property-extending exercise from I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie, she sports two-toned hair and a cruel that streak her mother (Emily Beecham, Little Joe) tries to tame with kindness — and she's also a target for bullies, but has the gumption to handle them. Then tragedy strikes, an orphan is born, loss haunts her every move and, after falling in with a couple of likeable London thieves, those black-and-white locks get a scarlet dye job. By the time that Estella is in her twenties, she's well-versed in pulling quick heists with Jasper (Joel Fry, Yesterday) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser, Songbird). She loves sewing the costumes required more than anything else, however. After years spent dreaming of knockout gowns, upmarket department stores and threads made by the Baroness (Thompson, Last Christmas), she eventually gets her chance — for fashion domination, as well as vengeance. Cruella is available to stream via Disney+ with Premium Access, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. MARTIN EDEN The last time that one of Jack London's books made the leap to cinema screens — just last year, in fact — it wasn't a pleasant viewing experience. Starring Harrison Ford and a CGI dog, The Call of the Wild forced viewers to watch its flesh-and-blood lead pal around with a needlessly anthropomorphised canine, to groan-inducingly cheesy results. Martin Eden is a much different book, so it could never get the same treatment. With his radiant imagery, masterful casting and bold alterations to the source material, writer/director Pietro Marcello (Lost and Beautiful) makes certain that no one will confuse this new London adaption for the last, however. The Italian filmmaker helms a compelling, complicated, ambitious and unforgettable film, and one that makes smart and even sensuous choices with a novel that first hit shelves 112 years ago. The titular character is still a struggling sailor who falls in love with a woman from a far more comfortable background than his. He still strives to overcome his working-class upbringing by teaching himself to become a writer. And, he still finds both success and scuffles springing from his new profession, with the joy of discovering his calling, reading everything he can and putting his fingers to the typewriter himself soon overshadowed by the trappings of fame, a festering disillusionment with the well-to-do and their snobbery, and a belief that ascribing worth by wealth is at the core of society's many problems. As a book, Martin Eden might've initially reached readers back in 1909, but Marcello sees it as a timeless piece of literature. He bakes that perception into his stylistic choices, weaving in details from various different time periods — so viewers can't help but glean that this tale just keeps proving relevant, no matter the year or the state of the world. Working with cinematographers Alessandro Abate (Born in Casal Di Principe) and Francesco Di Giacomo (Stay Still), he helms an overwhelmingly and inescapably gorgeous-looking film, too. When Martin Eden is at its most heated thematically and ideologically, it almost feels disquieting that such blistering ideas are surrounded by such aesthetic splendour, although that juxtaposition is wholly by design. And, in his best flourish, he enlists the magnetic Luca Marinelli (The Old Guard) as his central character. In a performance that won him the Best Actor award at the 2019 Venice Film Festival, Marinelli shoulders the eponymous figure's hopes, dreams and burdens like he's lived them himself. He lends them his soulful stare as well. That expression bores its way off the screen, and eventually sees right through all of the temptations, treats and treasures that come Eden's way. Any movie would blossom in its presence; Martin Eden positively dazzles, all while sinking daggers into the lifetime of tumult weathered by its titular everyman. Martin Eden is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. I BLAME SOCIETY She's fired by her manager after he finally reads one of her scripts, then deems the topic of Israel "too political". When his assistant wrangles her a meeting with a couple of indie film producers in the aftermath, she's asked to lend her perspective to stories about strong female voices, breastfeeding in public, and either intersexuality or intersectionality — when it comes to the latter two, they aren't quite sure which. So, as I Blame Society gleefully posits in its savage takedown of the film industry today, it's little wonder that Gillian (writer/director Gillian Wallace Horvat) decides to follow up a leftfield idea. Three years earlier, some of her friends told her that she'd make a great murderer, a notion that she took as a compliment and has been fascinated with to an unhealthy degree ever since. Indeed, at the time, she went as far asking her pal Chase (co-writer Chase Williamson) if she could hypothetically walk through the process of killing his girlfriend. The request put a long-lasting pause on their friendship, to no one else's surprise. Now, as she resurrects the project, her editor boyfriend Keith (Keith Poulson, Her Smell) keeps reiterating that it's a terrible idea; however, with no other avenues forward, Gillian is committed to doing whatever she thinks she needs to to kickstart her career. During a mid-film conversation, an increasingly exasperated Keith reminds Gillian that no "there is no movie that is worth hurting someone for". He's endeavouring to get her to agree, but "if it's a very bad person for a very good movie…" is her quick and firm reply. I Blame Society is equally direct. While Horvat plays a fictional character — and, the audience presumes, hasn't ever flirted with or committed murder in real life — she absolutely slaughters her chosen concept. Not every line or moment lands as intended, but this biting satire sticks a knife into every expectation saddled upon women in general and female filmmakers especially, then keeps twisting. The film's recurrent gags about likeability cleave so close to the truth, they virtually draw blood. Its aforementioned parody of supposed allyship among powerbrokers and gatekeepers is similarly cutting and astute. In their canny script, Horvat and Williamson find ample time to poke fun of a plethora of industry cliches and microaggressions, the treatment of marginalised voices both within filmmaking and in broader society, and even the current true-crime obsession, all without ever overloading the 84-minute movie. And, on-screen as well, Horvat is a savvy delight. She wants viewers to both cringe and nod, and everything about her performance and her feature directorial debut earns that response. I Blame Society is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. A FAMILY Just five letters are needed to turn A Family's title into the name of one of popular culture's most famous clans. The Addams crew aren't the subject of this Australian-produced, Ukraine-shot blend of comedy and drama, but it does delve into the creepy, kooky and mysterious anyway. The feature debut of director Jayden Stevens — who co-wrote the script with his cinematographer Tom Swinburn (Free of Thought) — the absurdist gem spends time with the stern-faced Emerson (first-timer Pavlo Lehenkyi). With none of his family around for unexplained reasons, he pays other Kiev locals to play their parts, staging dinners, Christmas parties and everyday occasions. They eat, chat and do normal family things, all for Emerson's camera. His actors (including Maksym Derbenyov as his brother and Larysa Hraminska as his mother) all need to stick to his script, though, or he'll offer them a surly reprimand. Olga (Liudmyla Zamidra), who has been cast as his sister, struggles the most with her role. She's also the member of this little faux family that Emerson is particularly drawn to. Her own home life with her mother Christina (Tetiana Kosianchuk) is far from rosy, with the pair suffering from her dad's absence, so eventually Olga decides that Emerson's role-play game might work there as well. A Family is a film of patient and precise frames, awkwardly amusing moments, and bitingly accurate insights into the ties that bind — whether of blood or otherwise. It's a movie that recognises the transactional and performative nature of many of life's exchanges, too, and ponders how much is real and fake in both big and seemingly inconsequential instances. To perfect all of the above, Stevens walks in Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Favourite), Aki Kaurismäki (Le Havre, The Other Side of Hope) and even the usually inimitable David Lynch's shoes. His feature is austere, deadpan and surreal all at once, and smart, amusing and savage at the same time as well. Indeed, if a bigger-name filmmaker had made this purposefully and probingly off-kilter picture, it would've likely proven a film festival darling around the globe. A Family did start its big-screen run at a fest, at the Melbourne International Film Festival back in 2019. Now reaching Australian cinemas after a year that's seen everyone either spend more time with or feel more physical distance from their nearest and dearest, it feels doubly potent. Every lingering image shot by Swinburn — and all of the pitch-perfect performances that he captures — speak loudly to the cycle of yearning and disconnection that comes with being alive, and that never stops being put under a microscope. A Family is available to stream via iTunes. THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT Starting in 2013 with The Conjuring, expanding with 2014's Annabelle, and also including The Conjuring 2, both terrible and much better sequels to Annabelle, the dismal The Nun and the formulaic The Curse of the Weeping Woman, The Conjuring Universe now spans eight evil-fighting flicks — and they're all as straightforward as it gets when it comes to battling the nefarious. Circling around real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, the franchise posits that the supernatural exists, darkness preys upon the innocent and its central couple usually has the tools to combat everything untoward. That template remains firmly in place in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. With director Michael Chaves (The Curse of the Weeping Woman) and screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Aquaman) doing the honours — taking their cues from James Wan, the Australian Saw and Insidious co-creator who helmed the first two Conjuring flicks — it once again serves up the usual bumps, jumps and scares that have haunted this franchise since day one. That said, the third Conjuring flick within the broader Conjuring realm does attempt a few changes. Rather than getting creeped out by haunted houses, it gets spooked by a kid and then a teenager who are both possessed. True to form, bone-shakingly horrific things can't simply occur without some kind of excuse and entity at play. The Warrens (Patrick Wilson, Aquaman, and Vera Farmiga, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) are first tasked with saving eight-year-old David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard, WandaVision) from a demon after his family moves to stereotypically sleepy Brookfield, Connecticut. Their efforts seem successful, even if Ed has a heart attack mid-exorcism, but the evil force they're fighting has really just jumped ship. Arne Johnson (Ruairi O'Connor, The Spanish Princess), the boyfriend of David's sister Debbie (Sarah Catherine Hook, NOS4A2), is quickly besieged by strange occurrences. He's soon also covered in blood after stabbing his landlord to Blondie's 'Call Me'. The death penalty beckons; however, the Warrens convince Arne's lawyer to plead not guilty by reason of demonic possession — the first time that ever happened in the US — and then commit to unearthing whatever paranormal details they can to save his life. The trailer for The Devil Made Me Do It teases legal thrills, but in a bait-and-switch way, because this film is barely concerned with Arne's court case. The true tale, which was previously dramatised in a 1983 TV movie starring Kevin Bacon, merely provides an easy setup for souped-up demonic antics and a routine, happily by-the-numbers, never remotely terrifying threequel. Indeed, the fact that more flicks will undoubtably still follow is the scariest thing about the film. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. THE HITMAN'S WIFE'S BODYGUARD Someone involved with The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard must really love paperwork; that's the only reason anyone could've given its script the go-ahead. Perhaps Australian filmmaker Patrick Hughes, who also directed 2017's The Hitman's Bodyguard, likes nothing more than keeping his documents in order. Maybe returning screenwriter Tom O'Connor (The Courier) falls into that category, or his debuting co-scribes Phillip and Brandon Murphy — they all made the subject the focus of their screenplay, after all. Whoever fits the bill, their attempt to force audiences to care about bodyguard licensing falls flat. So does the misguided idea that the certification someone might need to unleash their inner Kevin Costner would ever fuel an entire movie. Instead, what was already a needless sequel to a terrible action-comedy becomes even more of a dull and pointless slog, with this by-the-numbers follow-up showing zero signs that anyone spent more than a few seconds contemplating the story. A significant plot point here: that Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds, The Croods: A New Age) has lost his official tick of approval. He's no longer triple A-rated after a mishap in the line of duty, and he isn't coping well. To be fair, no one watching The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard will handle that news swimmingly either, but only because they're made to hear about it over and over, all as Bryce rekindles his begrudging association with assassin Darius Kincaid (Samuel L Jackson, Spiral: From the Book of Saw) and the latter's con artist wife Sonia (Salma Hayek, Bliss). When Darius gets snatched up by nefarious folks during his belated honeymoon with Sonia, only Bryce can help — or so says the angry Mrs Kincaid. She interrupts the latter's vacation with swearing, shouting and shootouts, because that's the kind of feisty Mexican wife that Hayek plays. From there, Reynolds primarily complains, Hayek sticks with stereotypes and Jackson attempts to exude his usual brand of couldn't-care-less cool; however, even more than in Spiral: From the Book of Saw, he's on autopilot. As also seen in Jackson's last big-screen appearance, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard insists on reminding its audience about its stars' better movies. You don't cast both Hayek and Antonio Banderas (who plays a European tycoon plotting the world's demise) if you don't want to bring Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico to mind (and Frida and even Spy Kids 3, too). Thinking about the pair's shared past highlights is far more enjoyable than enduring their current collaboration, unsurprisingly. Making fun of accents is considered the height of comedy here, women can only be hot-headed nags and manchild daddy issues get almost as much love as paperwork. The jokes aren't just scattershot; they're non-existent. The messy, incoherent and over-edited action scenes fare just as badly. None of the above is likely to save us from a third movie, though, which'll probably be called The Hitman's Wife's Baby's Bodyguard's Lost Birth Certificate. The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. FATALE Only 14 women have ever won more than one Academy Award for Best Actress, and Hilary Swank is one of them. When she earned the Oscars double for 1999's Boys Don't Cry and 2004's Million Dollar Baby, she beat both Meryl Streep and now three-time recipient Frances McDormand to the feat — but her career hasn't brought the coveted accolade her way again since. Fatale isn't going to change that recent trend. It hasn't earned Swank a Razzie either, but she could've easily been in the running. Playing a Los Angeles cop who has a one-night stand in Las Vegas with an ex-college basketball star turned high-profile player manager, then starts stalking her way through his life while also trying to intimidate her politician ex-husband into giving her back access to her young daughter, she has one mode here: stern-faced yet unbalanced. Even when her character, Detective Valerie Quinlan, is first seen flirting, Swank plays her as if something isn't quite right. That's accurate, plot-wise, but it robs Fatale of any semblance of tension it might've possessed. The film is meant to be an adultery-focused thriller in the Fatal Attraction mould — with even its title blatantly nodding that way — but it just ends up recycling tired, simplistic, overused cliches about unhinged women into a monotonous and unnecessarily convoluted package. Valerie and Derrick (Michael Ealy, Westworld) hit it off at a Vegas bar, then get physical; however, the next morning, he heads home to his wife Tracie (Damaris Lewis, BlacKkKlansman), who he actually suspects of being unfaithful herself. Before Derrick can meaningfully process either his infidelity or his fears about his crumbling marriage, his swanky home is broken into one night — and, because director Deon Taylor (Black and Blue) and screenwriter David Loughery (The Intruder) are content to hit every expected beat there is (and because they've seen every 80s and 90s erotic thriller ever made, too), Valerie is the investigating officer. Despite being woefully predictable from the outset, Fatale doesn't dare have fun with its cookie-cutter narrative. It doesn't evoke thrills, bring anything more than surface style or prove particularly sexy, and it never gets its audience invested in its obvious twists, one-note characters or rote dialogue. And, although having its badge-toting stalker use excessive force and exploit her power to target a person of colour could've been a choice that said something about America's current reckoning with law enforcement, race and police brutality, Fatale doesn't even contemplate anything other than clunky formula. Fatale is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Looking for more at-home viewing options? Check out our lists of movies fast-tracked from cinemas to streaming back in May and June. You can also take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows.
