When Kate Cooper met Damon Cox while working together in beloved Brisbane record store Skinnys, they bonded over a shared love of music and decided it was time they created their own sound. After spending some valued time abroad to record new tunes for our ever waiting ears, An Horse are back in Brisbane for the hometown reunion tour we’ve all been waiting for. Announcing a string of tour dates across the nation to support their 2011 release Walls, everyone can get excited about our local record store duo making it back to Brisbane. Walls has attributed to much of An Horses's local and international success, earning them a truck load of critical acclaim and a strong following of supporters across the globe. As An Horse continue to tour relentlessly through Australia, Europe and North America don't miss their Brisbane venture. Supported by fellow Bris’ locals, We Set Sail and Go Violets at The Zoo, the night promises to be a proud eve for Brisbane music lovers. Catch them this Sunday before they scoot back overseas once more.
Inspired by the life experiences of writer/performer Waiata Telfer, an indigenous, mixed race woman with an intense cultural connection to her family despite feeling deeply disconnected, Song-The Story Of A Girl, A Bird & A Teapot sees its central character travel on with her trusteed teapot, itself a symbol of lost traditions and rituals, always pushed forward by the calls of an unseen, but ever-present, bird. Directed by Sue Rider Song will ignite your senses and passions as it entertains, enthrals and baffles you.
An orphan, a witch, a virgin, an archangel, a duke and a devil. All is not as it seems in Wonders Of A Godless World. Based on Andrew McGahan’s novel and adapted for the stage by director Shaun Charles, Wonders Of A Godless World takes place on an unnamed island, in a gothic hospital resting in the shadow of a volcano, where a mute orphan girl works, caring for the insane. After the arrival of a peculiar foreigner, strange phenomena and bizarre murders begin to take place and patients and inhabitants of the island are thrown into turmoil. What happens next is an extraordinary exploration of consciousness, reality and madness. Wonders of a Godless World, performed by final year students of Griffith University, is a powerful and apocalyptic story that plunges those watching into a web of darkness and intrigue that goes to the farthest reaches of the universe and beyond.
Across its five seasons to date, Black Mirror has dedicated 22 episodes to imagining dystopian futures — and while it makes for compelling viewing, none of the sci-fi anthology series' predictions are particularly pretty. But, for all of its prognosticating, the Charlie Brooker-created show didn't foresee 2020's chaos. And now we've all endured this hectic year and are about to see it come to an end, the team behind Black Mirror has something to say about it. At some point soon — presumably before 2020 is out — Netflix will drop a new comedy special called Death to 2020, which is made by the Black Mirror crew. Exactly what's in store is being kept a surprise for now, but the show will obviously look back on the year. And, it'll have high-profile help in the form of Samuel L Jackson, Hugh Grant, Lisa Kudrow, Kumail Nanjiani, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo, Leslie Jones, Diane Morgan, Cristin Milioti and Joe Keery. Netflix has just revealed a teaser trailer for Death to 2020, although that doesn't provide any further info — other than confirming that the Black Mirror team couldn't have made up a year as bleak as this, and that they'll be satirising and savaging the year's developments. That said, Brooker has a history of looking back at events that have just passed, as Newswipe with Charlie Brooker and his end-of-year Wipe specials between 2010–16 have all demonstrated. Brooker and Netflix also love releasing new material over the holiday period with little pre-warning, with interactive Black Mirror special Bandersnatch dropping between Christmas and New Year's Eve back in 2018. So, you might be receiving an extra festive — and grimly funny — present this year. Check out the teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxR9Zo36rbo&feature=emb_logo Death to 2020 looks set to hit Netflix sometime before 2020 is out — we'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced. Top image: Black Mirror.
It has been three months since Queensland closed its borders to Greater Sydney, making the Sunshine State off limits to residents of specific local government areas in the New South Wales capital. Over that period, the status of Queensland's borders has changed multiple times — as it has throughout much of 2020 — including shutting out all of NSW, then reopening to all of NSW except Greater Sydney. But, finally, Sydneysiders will be able to make the journey north from Tuesday, December 1. Today, Tuesday, November 24, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that Queensland will reopen its border to all of NSW, including Sydney, from the first of next month — which is just seven days away. The Premier said Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young was now "satisfied" that NSW was safe as it had reached more than 28 days of no unlinked community transmission. The state is also set to open its border to Victoria from December 1, as long as the southern state does not record a new case tomorrow. Victoria has had 25 consecutive days with zero new cases and has today hit the milestone of zero active COVID-19 cases for the first time since February. "I hope this is welcome news," the Queensland Premier said at the announcement. "I think it's great news in the lead-up to Christmas, but, once again, that timely reminder for everybody — we need to make sure that we continue to keep up our social distancing." https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1331015192155541507 This is also good news if you're a Queenslander now keen on a southern getaway, as you'll be able to head to Sydney or Melbourne (if all goes well in the next 24 hours) and not have to worry about quarantining on return. The Sunshine State will continue to keep its borders closed to 20 South Australian LGAs for the foreseeable future. Whichever way you're heading, though, you will still need a border pass. It isn't required to leave the state, but you'll need one to enter, regardless of whether you're a tourist or returning resident. To obtain a pass, you'll need to apply online, with each one valid for seven days. For more information about Queensland's border policies, head to the Queensland Government website.
UPDATE, July 22, 2021: The postponed 2021 Brisbane Night Noodle Markets will now take place between Wednesday, September 22–Sunday, October 3. UPDATE, July 13, 2021: Due to travel and quarantine requirements stemming from Greater Sydney's current lockdown, the 2021 2021 Brisbane Night Noodle Markets have been postponed. With many of the event's vendors based in New South Wales, the markets can't go ahead as planned on from Wednesday, July 21–Sunday, August 1. New dates haven't yet been announced, but we'll update you when they are. At the end of May, Brisbane's Good Food Month revealed that it was returning for 2021, which is great news for grumbling stomachs across the city. Also part of that announcement: the news that the Night Noodle Markets would also be returning, although few other details were given. Wondering where you'll be perusing the usual hawker-style array of stalls? And when? This year, you won't just be heading to South Bank as usual. Instead, the 2021 Night Noodle Markets will take place at the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens — and you'll be making a trip (or several) between Wednesday, July 21–Sunday, August 1. This'll be the sixth year that the Night Noodle Markets have hit up our fair town, after sitting out 2020 for obvious reasons. It's also a rare physical event for the event of late, with both Sydney in 2020 and Melbourne this year doing at-home versions instead. As for what Brisbanites will be eating this year, and which vendors will be slinging all manner of food, that hasn't yet been revealed. In previous years, as well as more than a couple of pop-up bars, the likes of Chu the Phat, Hoy Pinoy, Waffleland, Puffle, Donburi Station, Bangkok Street Food, Bao Brothers, Little Kyoto, Okonomiyaking and Gelato Messina have served up dishes. And, they've whipped up everything from Malaysian and Indian-style paella, Japanese octopus dumplings and Korean barbecue tacos to cheeseburger puffles and waffle sticks with peanut butter, ice cream, bananas, pretzels and caramel. Obviously, arriving hungry is recommended. This year, so is registering that you'll be attending in advance for contact tracing purposes. And, entry will remain free — but you'll clearly have to pay for whatever you're eating and drinking. The 2021 Night Noodle Markets will pop up at the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens from Wednesday, July 21–Sunday, August 1. We'll update you when vendor details — and the lineup of foods they'll be serving — are announced. Images: Bec Taylor.
Seven First Nations artists have been celebrated at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards on Friday, August 7. Held for the first time in a special live-streamed virtual ceremony, this year's Telstra NATSIAA was presented by journalist and Gamilaroi woman Brooke Boney, who announced the winners across several categories, each with a cash prize. The artists were chosen from a suite of 65 finalists by this year's judging panel: Director of Injalak Arts Donna Nadjamerrek, Darwin-based visual artist Karen Mills, and Curator of Araluen Arts Centre Stephen Williamson. Each artist represents a different community, and they've shared stories of their land, the sea, their history, creation and healing through a variety of styles and mediums, highlighting the enormous and diverse talent of Indigenous artists from across the nation. You can see all the finalists' works in this year's Telstra NATSIAA via the virtual exhibition, and you can also sling a vote for your favourite artwork online in the Telstra People's Choice Award. Check out the seven winners from this year's awards, below. NGARRALJA TOMMY MAY Winner of the Telstra Art Award 2020 — prize $50,000 Wangkajunga/Walmajarri man Ngarralja Tommy May has been awarded this year's major prize in the Telstra NATSIAA. The piece, titled 'Wirrkanja' (2020), depicts flood time on the artist's country in the Great Sandy Desert. The now Fitzroy Crossing-based artist has been pioneering his unique style in a career spanning three decades; this year's judging panel noted 'Wirrkanja' shows May at his peak with a work that displays "exquisite beauty and power". May says his work shows a place significant to him; "It's the country where I lost my brother, it's jilji (sand dune) and flat country. There's a jila (living spring waterhole). It's not far from Kurtal, over two sand dunes. In flood time, the water runs down the jilji (sand dunes). This is my country and my family's country. This is my job, it's a good job." JENNA LEE Winner of the Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award (sponsored by Telstra) — prize $5,000 Larrakia/Wardaman/Karajarri artist Jenna Lee lives in Brisbane. Her entry artwork was created in response to the 250-year anniversary of Lieutenant James Cook's arrival at Botany Bay, marked this year. 'HIStory Vessels' is a reconstruction of the cover of a Ladybird History Book, The Adventures of Captain Cook. The interdisciplinary artist was inspired to create the artwork during an artist residency in the UK, to reclaim the omnipresent, white, patriarchal narrative of Cook and its impact on First Nations stories. She says, "I aim to take this narrative and reconstruct it as a story of personal and cultural resilience, beauty and strength." CECILIA UMBAGAI Winner of the Telstra Emerging Artist Award — prize $5,000 Painting on bark that was harvested from her country in the West Kimberley region, young Worrorra woman Cecilia Umbagai says she likes to use traditional materials to create her contemporary depictions of Wandjina Wunggund law, the dreaming stories of her people. The artist usually works across several mediums including acrylic on canvas and photography, and she only started working with bark in 2019. The artist says she loves the texture of the bark with its "curves and irregularities". Using earth pigments on stringybark, Umbagai's winning entry 'Yoogu' is based on traditional cave drawings of the Wandjina spirit of the boab tree, a story she remembers being told as a child. SIENA MAYUTU WURMARRI STUBBS Winner of the Telstra Multimedia Award — prize $5,000 The youngest finalist in this year's Telstra NATSIAA is 18-year-old artist Siena Mayutu Wurmarri Stubbs. The winning artwork is a poem and film inspired by a school trip in 2019. Shinkansen was made on the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Nagoya to Kyoto in Japan. The Yolŋu Matha woman has grown up surrounded by her culture, family and Yolŋu lore, which she explores in all of her artistic endeavours. In such a short career the artist and filmmaker has already won multiple awards for her non-fiction, and curators remark that her work conveys a maturity beyond her years. ADRIAN JANGALA ROBERTSON Winner of the Telstra General Painting Award — prize $5,000 In his artworks, Alice Springs-based Warlpiri artist Adrian Jangala Robertson often refers to his mother's country, Yalpirakinu. Revering the ridges, trees and desert mountains that make up the landscape, Robertson's painting style is described as being loaded with energy and drama. Born in Papunya in 1962, Robertson witnessed the emergence of the Western Desert painting movement, which informs his style to this day. Typically using a minimal range of colour, the widely respected landscape artist injects character and movement into his work with brushstrokes that he says are his connection to his country and "loaded with memories". His winning artwork is a synthetic polymer paint on canvas titled 'Yalpirakinu' (2020). MARRNYULA MUNUŊGURR Winner of the Telstra Bark Painting Award — prize $5,000 Coming from a lineage of prolific and award-winning bark painters, Yirrkala-based Munuŋgurr, of Djapu and Balamumu clans, has carried on the tradition of her family in her creation of ground-breaking bark installations. The artist grew up assisting both of her parents with their own bark work, and in particular her father Djutjadjutja with his sacred Djapu paintings that also won him the Bark Painting Award in the 1997 NATSIAA. For this year's award, Marrnyula created a cross hatching grid pattern — a sacred design for the freshwaters of the Djapu clan at the clan's homeland of Waṉḏawuy. Unlike her other well known artworks in which the artist creates large-scale installations using hundreds of small pieces of bark, this time the artist has chosen to create the same effect on just one piece of bark. The winning stringybark is titled 'Muṉguymirri' (2020), which means 'in small pieces'. ILUWANTI KEN Winner of the Telstra Works on Paper Award — prize $5,000 Pitjantjatjara artist Iluwanti Ken, who is from Watarru and now based in Rocket Bore community in the NT, says birds have lessons for Anangu women about how to hunt and how to care for one's children. A highly respected ngangkari (traditional healer) and a skilled tjanpi (grass sculpture) weaver, Ken is mostly known for depictions of hunting eagles. Ken's winning ink on paper entry, 'Walawulu ngunytju kukaku ananyi (Mother eagles going hunting)', tells the story of female adult eagles hunting for food and bringing it back to feed their babies. The artist says birds are like Anangu mothers in that they protect their babies from outside dangers. Take a look at the virtual gallery and vote for your favourite artwork in the 2020 Telstra NATSIAA People's Choice Award. Top image: Njarralja Tommy May by Damian Kelly.
UPDATE, October 8, 2021: Supernova is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth aren't lazy, bad or bland actors. The former has an Oscar nomination for The Lovely Bones, the latter won for The King's Speech, and neither can be accused of merely playing the same character again and again. And yet, whenever either pops up on-screen, they bring a set of expectations with them — or, perhaps more accurately, they each instantly remind viewers of the traits that have served them so well over their respective four-decade careers. In features as diverse as The Devil Wears Prada and the Hunger Games films, Tucci has given a distinctive sense of flair and presence to his many parts, as well as his innate ability to appear bemused and sarcastic about life in general. Whether as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice or as Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones movies, Firth has enjoyed immense success playing reserved, introverted, dry-witted men who are more likely to ruminate stoically than to outwardly show much emotion. Teaming up in Supernova, both talents draw upon these characteristics once more, as writer/director Harry Macqueen (Hinterland) wants them to. But here's the thing about this pair of stars, who shine particularly bright in this affecting drama: far from ever settling into their own comfortable niches, they're frequently delving deeper, twisting in different directions and offering up untold surprises. A famed novelist less interested in putting pen to paper than in peering up at the stars, Tucci's Tusker knows how to defuse any scenario with his charm in Supernova, but it's apparent that he often uses that canny ability to avoid facing a number of difficulties. An acclaimed musician with an eagerly anticipated concert in the works, Firth's Sam often says little; however, the fact that he's grappling internally with feelings he can't quite do justice to in words always remains evident. Travelling around England's Lakes District, they're not just on an ordinary campervan holiday. Neither man has simply been whiling away their time before their long-awaited returns to performing and writing, either. With stops to see Sam's sister (Pippa Haywood, Four Kids and It) and her family, and to reunite with old friends, the couple are making the most of what time they have left together. Tusker is unwell, with early-onset dementia increasingly having an impact on not only his everyday life, but upon the shared existence they've treasured for decades. Tucci and Firth serve up big performances in Supernova, but never overt ones. Actors can command the screen and the audience's attention while delivering disarmingly intimate, delicate and intricately drawn portrayals, which is what this stellar pair manage here repeatedly. Indeed, viewers can feel the force behind their heartbreaking efforts — as is to be expected in a film about life, love, loss, mortality, ageing and illness — but these aren't forceful turns. Rather, they're so detailed, textured and lived-in that they fill every frame and scene, and every room and wide-open space that Tusker and Sam find themselves in. Both Tucci and Firth are in career-best form here, and continually referring to them together comes naturally. Their rapport is as lively, thorough and authentic as anything in the movie, with Tusker and Sam's relationship always in Macqueen's view. This isn't just a feature about one man's experiences as his mind starts to fail him, he faces the end that awaits as all and he tries to claim what control he can over a situation that keeps stripping any sense of agency away; it's a devastating portrait of a couple confronting the waning of their life together far sooner than either had ever wanted or imagined. From its early scenes of Tusker and Sam beneath the sheets to the tough moments and conversations that arrive later, when dementia proves a topic that can no longer be ignored on their otherwise cosy road trip, Supernova is a thoughtful and tender love story through and through. Given the subject matter, that really isn't a standard feat. Unlike some films about sickness — too many, in fact — Supernova doesn't render its unwell figure a supporting player in his healthy partner's story. Similarly and welcomely, it doesn't posit that Sam's ordeal at Tusker's side is the true tragedy. In his warm, intuitive and compassionate screenplay and in his graceful direction as well, Macqueen has time for both men, their circumstances and their expectedly complicated emotions. But, in repeatedly showing how Tusker feels when he can't remember words and starts to forget where he is, conveying how his uncertain future is already taking a heavy toll upon his lucid moments and expressing the weight he feels in being acutely aware that he's losing his sense of self, the film never even dreams of sidelining its ailing point of focus. Awards and nominations typically follow dramas that wade through comparable terrain; for Michael Haneke's shattering Amour, Julianne Moore's superb performance in Still Alice and this year's Anthony Hopkins-starring standout The Father, they have in the past decade alone, for example. A plethora of shiny trophies and nods haven't yet come Supernova 's way, though — it is sometimes a little too neat and literal in its story, and in its stylistic choices as well — however, this is always a beautifully conceived, observed, performed, shot and executed film. Its leading men make the last flourishes of Tusker and Sam's romance, and of Tusker's mind, feel as explosive as the astronomical event that gives the movie its name. Cinematographer Dick Pope (Peterloo, Mr Turner) ensures that starry skies, green fields and cramped caravans alike all hover between the commonplace and the otherworldly. That contrast of the everyday and the ethereal sums up Supernova perfectly, and encapsulates every grand romance, too. Falling in love and spending your life with someone feels like entering into another universe, after all — and when that threatens to turn to stardust, it does so with a bang. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SEoi8r1Z4Y
When Halloween rolls around, some folks like to celebrate the occasion in the eeriest way possible. For others, it's all about balancing scares and frights with some fun. Whichever category you fall into, both creepy and entertaining flicks are on offer as part of Yatala Drive-In's end of October program. Across Friday, October 30–Saturday, October 31, the southeast Queensland spot is putting on a heap of horror films — some new, some recent-ish, some retro. If you're keen to settle in for the long haul, you can go old school with a double of Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, or opt to get spooked by The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2. Or, if you're only in the mood for one, you can pick between Hocus Pocus, the perennial favourite that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show and this year's new The Craft: Legacy. Yes, it's the kind of movie night that calls for gathering the gang and heading down the highway. Tickets will set you back $35 for a carload for one film, and $49 for a double feature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxZ774gziwU
It's Keanu Reeves' world and we're all just living in it. When he played Neo in The Matrix back in 1999, that was basically the narrative (because yes, Keanu is and always will be the one). But what would happen if his famous sci-fi franchise character was 20 years older, sported Keanu's John Wick-era look, and couldn't remember anything about blue and red pills, bending spoons, bullet time and living in a simulated reality in a dystopian future where artificially intelligent machines harvest human bodies for power? The answer to that question is coming to the big screen, and soon, all thanks to The Matrix Resurrections. The fourth live-action film in the series that started 22 years ago, already spawned sequels The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions in 2003, and also includes excellent animated anthology The Animatrix, this 18-years-later follow-up dives back down the rabbit hole as Neo once again grapples with the Matrix and everything it means for humanity. And, as seen in the long-awaited, just-dropped first trailer for the new movie — which comes after a teaser site, www.whatisthematrix.com, popped up earlier in the week — he needs to show off some martial arts moves in a familiar-looking dojo again first. In the years since audiences have last seen The Matrix saga's trenchcoat-loving protagonist, it seems that Neo has been living his life as Thomas Anderson once more — and he's forgotten all about his time with Morpheus and co, so much so that he doesn't even recognise Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Jones) when they cross paths. He does chat to his therapist (Neil Patrick Harris, It's a Sin), however. And, he gets to hear a very telling line from another advice-spouting character (played by Mindhunter's Jonathan Groff): "after all these years, to be going back to where it all started... back to the Matrix." As newcomers to the franchise, Harris and Groff are joined by a lengthy list of other recognisable faces making their Matrix debuts, including Jessica Henwick (On the Rocks), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (The White Tiger), Christina Ricci (Percy vs Goliath) and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Candyman). And, while Jada Pinkett Smith (Girls Trip) sits alongside Reeves and Moss in the returning camp, one big name from the original flicks is noticeably missing — but the trailer does indeed have an answer to that. Crucially, filmmaker Lana Wachowski also returns as The Matrix Resurrections' director and co-screenwriter, albeit without sibling Lilly — who co-helmed the first three live-action films. Just as importantly, the first sneak peek at the new flick looks as moody and brooding — and as filled with spectacular action scenes — as its predecessors. It comes jam-packed with nods to the other movies, too. So, knock knock, The Matrix fans, because it's time to jump back in (well, it will be on January 1, 2022, when the film is scheduled to hit Australian cinemas). (And, because it really is Keanu's world, we're getting John Wick: Chapter 4 in 2022 as well — so that's double the chances to see Keanu return to his best franchises in one year.) Check out the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections below: The Matrix Resurrections opens in Australian cinemas on January 1, 2022.
As summer draws nearer we all feel that urge to GTFO of the city, and when the weather heats up sometimes all we want to do is eat oysters on the Great Ocean Road or blast out summery tunes on the way to a three-day music festival. The list of cool, boutique festivals seems to get longer and more varied, so we've picked out seven regional festivals that we think are worth the drive not only for the main event, but also for the cute country towns and rolling vineyards they inhabit — from grape harvests in the Granite Belt of Queensland to family-friendly music festivals in country New South Wales. Before you head out on a long drive, make sure you're doing it in comfort. MG's new limited-edition MG3S hatchback has ample luggage space (perfect for three-day camping festivals), rear camera and parking sensors (to help you nab that last parking spot) and an AppleCarPlay system (for that podcast binge). Start planning your journey to these seven events below.
My my, how can you resist this? MAMMA MIA! The Musical is bringing its Greek-set onstage party back to Brisbane in 2023 — and if you're a musical fan, an ABBA devotee or perennially keen to indulge in 70s nostalgia, you'll want to be there. By now, the hit production is well-known around the world, including from previous Aussie runs. It has spawned not one but two movies, too. And, its tale of a young bride-to-be's quest to find her father before her wedding will liven up QPAC's Lyric Theatre from Sunday, August 6. Here we go again with this restaging of the popular 2017 production, which is filled both with romantic chaos and 22 ABBA tracks. It's one of the biggest jukebox musical hits of the past quarter-century, in fact, as seen by over 65 million people worldwide so far. And, for this run, Elise McCann will be playing Donna Sheridan, after she played Ali in the 2009 season. Sarah Krndija (9 to 5 The Musical, Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical and Friends! The Musical Parody) steps into Sophie's shoes, while Martin Crewes (Handa's The Phantom of the Opera on Sydney Harbour), Drew Livingston (War Horse) and Tim Wright (New Amsterdam) play her three potential dads. The story, as theatre audiences have enjoyed since 1999, follows 20-year-old Sophie, who is about to marry her fiancé Sky on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. It's her dream for her dad to walk her down the aisle, but courtesy of her mother Donna's old diary, she learns that her father could be one of three men: Sam Carmichael, Bill Austin or Harry Bright. Calling all dancing queens, obviously — with that track, the titular number, and everything from 'Money, Money, Money', 'Thank You for the Music', 'Super Trouper' and 'The Name of the Game' to 'SOS', 'Does Your Mother Know', 'Waterloo' and 'Knowing Me, Knowing You' featuring (and 'Take a Chance on Me', 'The Winner Takes It All' and, of course, 'I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do', too). The new Australian run hails from producers Michael Coppel, Louise Withers and Linda Bewick, plus Helpmann Award-winning director Gary Young, choreographer Tom Hodgson and musical supervisor Stephen Amos. Images: James D Morgan / David Hooley.
Finding a designated driver on New Year's Eve is not an easy feat. No one's putting their hand up to find a park near the fireworks, South Bank or anywhere near the city. TransLink understands, easing the pain of commuting on the big night (slightly) by offering public transport for free each year. Yes, that includes 2023 ending and 2024 beginning. On Sunday, December 31, all trains, buses, ferries and CityCats will be free from 8pm through until 5.30am on Monday, January 1. This doesn't apply to the Airtrain or long-distance services, but if you're otherwise travelling within Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, you're in luck. And, on the Goldie, it includes trams, too. [caption id="attachment_630654" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Thomas via Flickr[/caption] In Brisbane, as there will be hordes of people flocking to and from the fireworks as usual, there'll also be additional services. The extra buses will hit the road between 8.40–9.50pm and again from 12–1.30am, covering South Brisbane, King George Square, Roma Street, Woolloongabba and Mater Hill stations. Two NightLink routes will also up the number of buses: the N250 to Capalaba will get four services, while the N555 to Loganholme will score three inbound and 11 outbound services. Trains will increase to four trains per line (except Doomben) from 8.45–9.45pm, with one Ipswich service also extending to Rosewood and one Caboolture service doing the same to Nambour. From 12.15–1.30am, the arrangement will be similar — except there'll be two extra trains for the Doomben line, and the Caboolture service will extend to Gympie North. Then, from 1.30am until Monday, January 1's normal first service, there'll be a train per hour on all lines other than Doomben, Rosewood and Sunshine Coast. [caption id="attachment_749921" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] John via Flickr[/caption] Until 1am, CityCats will run around every 15 minutes, while KittyCats and Kangaroo Point Cross River services will run until around 2am. You can check out a comprehensive rundown of New Year's Eve services at the TransLink website. [caption id="attachment_754201" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Find more information on free travel periods on New Year's Eve in Brisbane, and on service updates, head to the TransLink website.
In 1993, for the first time ever, Triple J asked Australian music lovers to pick their their favourite songs from the year prior. The ABC radio station had run Hottest 100s before, but focusing on all-time faves. With a small but significant tweak, an annual national icon was born — and it's still going three decades later. Over the last 30 years, Triple J listeners have voted en masse. They've had strong thoughts about which tunes were the best of the best, whether picking their choices via pen and paper back in the poll's early days, or with a few quick clicks today. And, they've chosen thousands of songs as the cream of the crop over that period — and more in the broadcaster's other Hottest 100s, including the Hottest 100 of All Time countdowns, the 2011 Hottest 100 of Australian Albums, the Hottest 100 of the Decade (which focused on the 2010s) and the upcoming Hottest 100 of Like a Version. That's a hefty amount of tracks, and quite the playlist. It's also exactly what'll be pumping 24/7 on Triple J Hottest. The broadcaster is launching another new station to sit alongside Triple J, Double J and Triple J Unearthed, this time only giving tunes that've ranked in a Hottest 100 sometime a spin. Denis Leary's 'Asshole', which came in at number one back in 1993? Yes, that's eligible for the playlist. 2022 winner 'Elephant' by The Wiggles? That is as well. Tracks that catapulted their artists to bigger fame, songs you've completely forgotten existed, all-time classics, novelty tunes: if it ranked in a Hottest 100, as all of the above have, then it'll get a whirl. Just looking at the top tens from the past three decades, there's a wealth of tunes in store. Think: Rage Against the Machine's 'Killing in the Name', Silverchair's 'Tomorrow', both '(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River' and 'Greg! The Stop Sign!!' by TISM, Coolio's 'Gangsta's Paradise' and '! (The Song Formerly Known As)' by Regurgitator, plus Weezer's 'Island in the Sun', Spiderbait's 'Black Betty' cover, so many songs by Powderfinger and Flume, 'Lonely Boy' by The Black Keys, and even 'Chandelier' by Sia. Kendrick Lamar's 'Humble' and 'King Kunta', Childish Gambino's 'Red Bone' and 'This Is America', Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's 'WAP': they're just some of the other songs that've enjoyed some Hottest 100 love, and will now hit Triple J Hottest. Launching at 9.30am AEST on Monday, July 17 — meaning that it can include the picks from the Hottest 100 of Like a Version, which airs on Triple J and Double J from 12pm on Saturday, July 15 — Triple J Hottest will also feature archival interviews with Hottest 100-ranking acts, a heap of Hottest 100 history, and other relevant stories about the poll. It's a digital-only station, so you'll be listening 24 hours a day, seven days a week either via the Js' website, the Triple J app or the ABC listen app. And yes, obviously this station will add 100 new tracks to its rotation every year — another perk for tunes that make each year's Hottest 100. Triple J Hottest launches at 9.30am AEST on Monday, July 17 — head to the Triple J website for further details. Top image: Flume, M Drummond.
We can't all live in a world where a newspaper columnist pens one article about her love life a week, gets paid enough to wear Manolo Blahniks and spends most of her time drinking cocktails with her best mates — and coming up with amorous fodder for her next pithy essay. But, thanks to 1998–2004 series Sex and the City, we can all watch that fictional world, which is actually partly based on the experiences and New York Observer columns of writer Candace Bushnell. As everyone with even the slightest pop culture knowledge already knows, Sarah Jessica Parker plays fashion-loving writer Carrie Bradshaw, who has given plenty of viewers a sizeable case of wardrobe envy over the years. She's joined by Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, in a series that pushed the boundaries when it came to both sex and friendship. Just ignore the 2008 and 2010 movies
Some Pixar movies bring childhood obsessions to big screen, as seen in the Toy Story and Cars films. If you loved monsters as a kid, the Monsters, Inc flicks definitely also count. Other features made by the beloved animation studio explore exactly what it feels like to be a child — as seen in the wonderful Inside Out, of course, and now in the company's upcoming release Turning Red. Marking the first feature from writer/director Domee Shi, who won an Oscar for her delightful 2018 short Bao, Turning Red takes its moniker literally. Many Pixar flicks do (see also: Finding Nemo, Up, Brave and Onward, for instance). Here, 13-year-old Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang, also making her movie debut) is an ordinary teen who gets embarrassed by her mum Ming (Sandra Oh, The Chair) fairly often, and can find adolescent life a bit overwhelming. So far, so relatable — but when she's overexcited by all of the above, Mei Lee also happens to turn into a fluffy red panda. If you're thinking about the Hulk but red, female, younger and more adorable, that's the kind of vibe that the trailer gives. Disney does own both Pixar and Marvel, so that isn't a big leap. Just how Mei Lee copes with those sudden transformations is exactly what the flick will cover, obviously — and while the film was originally destined for cinemas, viewers will now be able to see the end result via Disney+ instead. The Mouse House has just revealed that Turning Red will take the same route as the past two Pixar releases, Soul and Luca, and head straight to its streaming platform. So, you'll be sitting on your couch to grab another dose of heartwarming animated cuteness, with the film due to drop on Friday, March 11. Check out the trailer below: Turning Red will be available to stream via Disney+ on Friday, March 11. Top image: © 2022 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
If TV is your way to escape the nine-to-five grind, or one of them, then the best of the best of 2022's small-screen newcomers thoroughly understands. All five of the year's absolute top fresh arrivals contemplated work in some way. Some showed its nightmarish side, while others delved into life and work as a performance — and you spent some time spending at your streaming queue over the past 12 months, you eagerly clocked in for office hell, hospitality tension, film industry chaos, law-and-order disorder and approaching existence as something that can be rehearsed. Chills, thrills, laughs, horror, jaw-in-the-floor moments: that's just part of what television delivered in 2022. Porn for women, pirates, dinosaurs, murder-mysteries, rom-coms, chaotic holidays, the best Star Wars story yet: they're all on the list as well. Whatever your preferred genre or topic, it's likely there was an ace new TV show about it this year, keeping you glued to your couch. 'Tis the season to reflect upon, revel in and revisit the year's new small-screen gems — and maybe even throw a waffle party or tuck into a beef sandwich in celebration. We've spent the year watching and rounding up TV highlights — including initially naming our favourites midyear — but these 15 newcomers are 2022's must-sees from its new must-sees. And, your catch-up list over summer. SEVERANCE It's the ultimate in work-life balance, an antidote to non-stop after-hours emails and Slack messages, and a guaranteed way to ensure what happens at work stays at work. In mind-bending thriller series Severance — which plays like Black Mirror meets the Charlie Kaufman-penned Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with Wes Anderson's aesthetic if he designed soulless office complexes, plus sprinklings of everything from George Orwell to also-excellent 2020 TV effort Devs — switching off when clocking off at Lumon Industries is easy. There's a brain implant for exactly that, and it's a condition of employment on "severed" floors. Accordingly, when quittin' time comes for Macrodata Refinement division employee Mark (Adam Scott, Big Little Lies), he physically steps into a tiny, shiny elevator to re-enter his after-hours life; however, the version of him that works for Lumon won't recall anything beyond the company's walls. The instant that the lift starts moving, it goes back to the office for Mark's "innie", as his work-bound consciousness is dubbed. Voila, it's clocking-on time once more. Severance's attention-grabbing premise springs from creator Dan Erickson, a TV first-timer, and understands how most folks feel about the nine-to-five grind. The show is knowing in its lead casting, too, given that Scott is best recognised for two workplace comedies: the joyous hug that is Parks and Recreation, as well as the acerbic, astute and soon-to-return Party Down. But as savvily and evocatively directed by Ben Stiller in its first three season-one episodes (and again in its last three, with Kissing Candice filmmaker Aoife McArdle helming three in the middle), Scott's new series dwells in 'be careful what you wish for' territory. For the part of Mark's brain that blanks out work, Severance initially seems like heaven. For the half that only knows the office, it's hell. For everyone watching, soaking in its twisty mysteries — and enjoying Patricia Arquette (The Act), Christopher Walken (Percy vs Goliath) and John Turturro (The Plot Against America) as fellow Lumon employees — it's a surreal and riveting must-see. Severance streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. THE BEAR First, an important piece of advice: eating either before or while watching The Bear is highly recommended, and near close to essential. Now, two more crucial slices of wisdom: prepare to feel stressed throughout every second of this riveting, always-tense, and exceptionally written and acted culinary series, and also to want to tuck into The Original Beef of Chicagoland's famous sandwiches immediately. The eatery is purely fictional, but its signature dish looks phenomenal. Most of what's cooked up in Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto's (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless) kitchen does. But he has taken over the family business following his brother's suicide, arriving back home after wowing the world in fine dining's top restaurants, and nothing is easy. Well, coveting The Bear's edible wares is across the show's eight-episode first season — but making them, keeping the shop afloat, coping with grief and ensuring that the diner's staff work harmoniously is a pressure cooker of chaos. That anxious mood is inescapable from the outset; the best way to start any meal is just to bite right in, and The Bear's creator Christopher Storer (who also directs five episodes, and has Ramy, Dickinson and Bo Burnham: Make Happy on his resume) takes the same approach. He also throws all of his ingredients together with precision — the balance of drama and comedy, the relentlessness that marks every second in The Original Beef's kitchen, and the non-stop mouthing off by Richie, aka Cousin, aka Carmy's brother's best friend (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Dropout), all included. Carmy has bills to pay, debts to settle, eerie dreams and sleepwalking episodes to navigate, new sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, Dickinson) mixing up the place and long-standing employees (such as Hap and Leonard's Lionel Boyce, In Treatment's Liza Colón-Zayas and Fargo's Edwin Lee Gibson) to keep happy. Every glimpse at the resulting hustle and bustle is as gripping as it is appetising — and yes, binging is inevitable. The Bear streams via Disney+. Read our full review. IRMA VEP A cinephile's dream of a series, Irma Vep requires some unpacking. The term 'layered' has rarely ever applied to a TV program quite as it does here. French filmmaker Olivier Assayas (Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper) retraces his own footsteps, turning his cult-favourite 1996 movie of the same name into an Alicia Vikander-starring HBO miniseries. And, in this series itself, a director is also remaking one of his own past flicks as a television project. In all versions of Irma Vep, the movies and shows being made are also remakes of 1915–16 French crime effort Les Vampires. It was a ten-episode, seven-hour cinema serial, and it's supremely real. Indeed, by first helming a feature about remaking Les Vampires, and now a series about remaking a movie that remakes Les Vampires (which, IRL, is also a remake of a movie that remakes Les Vampires), Assayas keeps remaking Les Vampires in his own way. It all sounds exactly as complicated as it is — and Assayas loves it. Viewers should, too. The nested dolls that are Irma Vep's meta setup just keep stacking, actually. The 1996 Irma Vep starred Maggie Cheung, who'd later become Assayas' wife, then ex-wife — and the 2022 Irma Vep haunts its on-screen filmmaker René Vidal (Vincent Macaigne, Non-Fiction) with visions of his ex-wife Jade Lee (Vivian Wu, Dead Pigs), who, yes, led his movie. If you're a fan of word puzzles, you might've also noticed that Irma Vep is an anagram of vampire; that said, Les Vampires isn't actually about bloodsuckers, and nor is any iteration of Irma Vep. To add to the list, while Cheung played a version of herself, Vikander (Blue Bayou, The Green Knight) plays fictional American star Mira — a name that's an anagram of Irma. You can also take that moniker literally, because mirroring is patently a pivotal aspect of the brilliant Irma Vep in every guise. Irma Vep streams via Binge. Read our full review. WE OWN THIS CITY For the past 20 years, we've all fallen into two categories: people who've seen, loved and haven't been able to stop raving about HBO's Baltimore-set masterpiece The Wire; and folks who don't tick any of those boxes but have been told by everyone who does that they really need to watch it ASAP. We Own This City deserves to spark the same response — and shares many of its predecessor's key pieces. It too takes place in Maryland's most populous city. It also follows a law-and-order battle, complete with time spent within the Baltimore Police Department. It springs from former Baltimore Sun police reporter-turned-author, journalist and TV writer/producer David Simon as well, and sees him reteam with writer George Pelecanos, a veteran of not only The Wire but also Simon's Treme and The Deuce. Oh, and as it tells a compulsive crime tale, it's packed with phenomenal performances. One of those astonishing portrayals is among the first thing that viewers see, in fact, with We Own This City opening with Sergeant Wayne Jenkins lecturing new recruits on the BPD Gun Trace Task Force. Chatting through how to legally do the job — how to get away with what he deems necessary, that is — Jon Bernthal (The Many Saints of Newark) is hypnotically unsettling as Jenkins, who'll become the focus of a corruption investigation for his methods. He isn't the only "prime example of what's gone wrong in Baltimore," as viewers are told. So is Daniel Hersl (Josh Charles, The Loudest Voice), who is initially glimpsed pulling over and terrorising a Black driver for no other reason than that he can. Department of Justice Civil Rights Department attorney Nicole Steele (Wunmi Mosaku, Lovecraft Country) is among those tracking the force's bad eggs, and that's just one of this complex, revealing and arresting six-part miniseries' layers. And if it feels so detailed that it could only be true, that's because it's based on a non-fiction book by Justin Fenton another ex-Baltimore Sun reporter. We Own This City streams via Binge. THE REHEARSAL Early in the first episode of The Rehearsal, Nathan Fielder meets Kor Skeete, a Jeopardy!-watching, trivia-loving New Yorker with a problem that he's seeking help with. Skeete has been lying to his bar trivia team about his educational history, claiming that he has a master's degree instead of a bachelor's degree, and he's hoping for assistance in coming clean. His biggest worry: how his pal Tricia might react, and if it'll end their friendship. First, however, in their initial meeting in Skeete's apartment, Fielder asks Skeete if he's ever seen any of Fielder's past work. Skeete says no, despite claiming a particular interest in television as his favourite trivia subject — and his response to what Fielder explains next will likely mirror anyone watching who comes to this with the same fresh eyes. Until now, Fielder was best known for Nathan for You, in which he helped companies and people by using his business school studies. Fielder played a version of himself, and the result is best described as a reality comedy. It's the kind of thing that has to be seen to be truly believed and understood, and it's both genius and absurd. In The Rehearsal, Fielder is back as himself. He also wants to use his skills to help others again. His tactic this time is right there in the name, letting his subjects rehearse their big moments — baring all to a friend in that first episode, and exploring parenthood in the second, for instance. The show's crew even build elaborate sets, recreating the spots where these pivotal incidents will take place, such as the bar where Skeete will meet Tricia. Fielder hires actors to assist, too. And, adding yet another layer, Fielder also steps through the same process himself, rehearsing his first encounter with Skeete, with thanks to an actor, before they cross paths. If you've ever thought that life was a big performance, and that every single thing about interacting with others — and even just being yourself — involves playing a role, you'll find much to think about in this fascinating, funny, often unsettling, quickly addictive series. There's reality TV and then there's the way that the deadpan Fielder plays with and probes reality, and while both can induce cringing, nothing compares to this. The Rehearsal streams via Binge. Read our full review. ANDOR When it arrived in 2016 between Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Rogue One: A Star Wars sent a message in its own spy-slash-heist flick way: it wouldn't be slavishly beholden to the Star Wars franchise's established and beloved universe. It felt earthier and murkier, more urgent and complicated, and far more steeped in everyday reality — within its science-fiction confines, of course — and more concerned with the here and now of its specific narrative than the bigger saga picture. It was certainly and unshakeably bleaker, and felt like a departure from the usual template, as well as a welcome risk. The same proves true of impressive streaming prequel Andor, which slips into its namesake's routine five years prior. The Galactic Empire reigns supreme, the Rebel Alliance is still forming and, when the series opens, Cassian (the returning Diego Luna, If Beale Street Could Talk) is a wily thief living on the junkyard planet of Ferrix. A Blade Runner-esque sheen hovers over a different place, however: the industrial-heavy, corporate-controlled Morlana One, which couldn't be further under the boot of the Empire if it tried. As Monos-style flashbacks to Cassian's childhood aid in fleshing out, he's searching for his sister, but his latest investigatory trip results in a confrontation and the Preox-Morlana Authority on his trail. Back on Ferrix, he endeavours to hide with the help of his friend/presumed ex/mechanic/black-market dealer Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona, Morbius) and droid B2EMO (Dave Chapman, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker), while keeping his latest antics a secret from his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve). But, even after being told to drop the case, persistent Imperial Deputy Inspector Syril Karn (Kyle Soller, Poldark) and higher-ranking officer Dedra Meero (Denise Gough, Under the Banner of Heaven) aren't willing to give up. Andor streams via Disney+. Read our full review. BAD SISTERS Bad Sisters begins on the day of an Irish funeral, farewelling John Paul Williams (Claes Bang, The Northman) — after his widow, Grace (Anne-Marie Duff, Sex Education), makes sure that the corpse's erection won't be noticed first. He's long been nicknamed 'The Prick' anyway, with his four sisters-in-law all thoroughly unimpressed about the toxic way he treated his wife. In flashbacks, they joke about saving her by getting murderous, and exactly why is made plain as well. Bonded by more than blood after their parents died, the Garvey girls are used to sticking together, with the eldest, Eva (Sharon Horgan, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), stepping in as the maternal influence over Grace, Ursula (Eva Birthistle, The Last Kingdom), Bibi (Sarah Greene, Normal People) and Becka (Eve Hewson, Behind Her Eyes). She's fierce about it, too, as characters played by the Catastrophe and This Way Up star tend to be. When a guest offers condolences at John Paul's wake, Eva's response is "I'm just glad the suffering's over" — and when she's then asked if he was ill, she replies with a blunt and loaded "no". If this scenario sounds familiar, that's because Belgian TV's Clan got there first back in 2012, which means that Bad Sisters joins the ever-growing list of series that largely exist to make the leap into English. That isn't a criticism of the end result here, though, which proves itself a winner early. Also part of both shows: two insurance agents, aka half-brothers Thomas (Brian Gleeson, Death of a Ladies' Man) and Matthew Claffin (Daryl McCormack, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande) here. Their family-run outfit is meant to pay out on John Paul's life insurance policy, but it's a hefty amount of cash and will bankrupt the firm, which is why Thomas starts asking questions. It seems an obvious setup, but this is a series with both bite and warmth. Brought to the screen by Horgan, Bad Sisters finds both the pitch-black comedy and the drama in its whole 'offing your arsehole brother-in-law' premise, and the tension and banter as well — and the sense of sorority between its quintet of main ladies, too. Bad Sisters streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. MINX When home video, the internet and mobile phones with inbuilt cameras each arrived, six words could've been uttered: get ready to look at dicks. HBO comedy Minx is set the early 70s, so before all three, but the same phrase also applies here. It's true of the show itself, which isn't shy about displaying the male member in various shapes and sizes. It also stands tall in the world that Minx depicts. When you're making the first porn magazine for women — and, when you're making an ambitious, entertaining and impeccably cast The Deuce meets Mrs America-style series about it, but lighter, sweeter and funnier (and all purely fictional) — penises are inescapable. Also impossible to avoid in Minx: questions like "are erections consistent with our philosophy?", as asked by Vassar graduate and country club regular Joyce Prigger (Ophelia Lovibond, Trying). Idolising the magazine industry and unhappily working for the dispiritingly traditional Teen Queen, she has long dreamed of starting her own feminist publication — even penning a bundle of articles and making her own issues — but centrefolds splashed with male genitalia don't fit her ideal pitch. No one's buying what Joyce is selling, though; The Matriarchy Awakens, her dream mag, gets rejected repeatedly by the industry's gatekeepers. Only one is interested: Bottom Dollar Publications' Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson, Ride the Eagle), but he's in the pornography business. Minx streams via Stan. Read our full review. FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE The title doesn't lie: when Fleishman Is in Trouble begins, its namesake is indeed struggling. He's also perfectly cast. If you're going to get an actor to play an anxious, unravelling, recently divorced man in his forties who's trying to navigate the new status quo of sharing custody of his kids, having a high-powered ex, and being initiated into the world of dating apps and casual hookups, it's Jesse Eisenberg. If his Zombieland character lived happily ever after until he didn't, or his Vivarium character was trapped into a different type of domestic maze, this book-to-screen series would be the end result. Fleishman Is in Trouble has Eisenberg play Toby, a well-regarded hepatologist who is passionate about being able to help people through medicine, but has spent more than a decade being made to feel inferior by Upper East Siders because his job hasn't made him rich enough. His theatre talent agent wife — now former — Rachel (Claire Danes, The Essex Serpent) had the exact same attitude, too, until she dropped their kids off at his place in the middle of the night, said she was going to a yoga retreat and stopped answering his calls. Written to sound like a profile — something that journalist, author and screenwriter Taffy Brodesser-Akner knows well, and has the awards to prove it — Fleishman Is in Trouble chronicles Toby's present woes while reflecting upon his past. It's a messy and relatable story, regardless of whether you've ever suddenly become a full-time single dad working a high-stakes job you're devoted to in a cashed-up world you resent. As narrated by the ever-shrewd Lizzy Caplan (Truth Be Told) as Toby's old college pal-turned-writer and now stay-at-home-mum Libby, Fleishman Is in Trouble dives into the minutiae that makes Toby's new existence such a swirling sea of uncertainty. At the same time, while being so specific about his situation and troubles, it also ensures that all that detail paints a universal portrait of discovering that more of your time is gone, your hopes faded and your future receded, than you'd realised. Everything from class inequality and constant social hustling to the roles women are forced to play around men earns the show's attention in the process, as layered through a show that's both meticulously cast and evocatively shot. Fleishman is indeed in trouble, but this miniseries isn't. Fleishman Is in Trouble streams via Disney+. THE ENGLISH It tells of gold rushes, of brave and dusty new worlds, and of yellow frontiers stretching out beneath shimmering and inky blue skies; however, the true colour of the western is and always will be red. This isn't a genre for the faint-hearted, because it's a genre that spins stories about power and its brutal costs — power over the land and its Indigenous inhabitants; power-fuelled in-fighting among competing colonialists; and power exercised with zero regard for life, or typically for anyone who isn't white and male. It's a rich and resonant touch, then, to repeatedly dress Emily Blunt (Jungle Cruise) in crimson, pink and shades in-between in The English, 2022's best new TV western. She plays one instance of the show's namesakes, because the impact of the British spans far beyond just one person in this series — and the quest for revenge she's on in America's Old West is deeply tinted by bloodshed. In her first ongoing television role since 2005, in a stunning and powerful series from its performances and story through to its spirit and cinematography, Blunt dons such eye-catching hues as Lady Cornelia Locke. With a mountain of baggage and cash in tow, she has just reached Kansas when The English begins, seeking vengeance against the man responsible for her son's death. But word of her aims precedes her to this remote outpost's racist hotelier (Ciarán Hinds, Belfast) and, with stagecoach driver (Toby Jones, The Wonder), he has own mission. That the aristocratic Englishwoman arrives to find her host torturing Pawnee cavalry scout Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer, Blindspot) is telling: the plan is to blame her end on him. Before the first of this miniseries' episodes ends, however, Cornelia and Eli have rescued each other, notched up a body count and started a journey together that sees them each endeavouring to find peace in a hostile place in their own ways — and started their way through one helluva show. The English streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. THE RESORT If the last couple of years in pop culture are to be believed, it mightn't be a great idea to go away with a character played by Cristin Milioti. In three of the always-excellent actor's most recent high-profile roles, she has decamped to idyllic surroundings, only to find anything but bliss awaiting. Palm Springs threw a Groundhog Day-style time loop her way in its titular setting. Made for Love saw her trapped by sinister futuristic possibilities. In The Resort, which hails from Palm Springs screenwriter Andy Siara, she now has the ten-year itch — and a getaway to Mexico that's meant to soothe it slides swiftly into a wild mystery. In this instantly twisty comedy-thriller Miloti plays Emma, spouse to William Jackson Harper's (The Good Place) Noah. After a decade of marriage, they're celebrating at the Bahía del Paraíso in the Yucatán, but they're really trying to reignite their spark. At this stage in their relationship, he recoils at her bad breath, she makes fun of him falling asleep on the couch, and they're rarely in sync; even when they're floating along the resort's lazy river, cocktails in hand, they want different things. Bringing them together: a missing-persons case from 15 years ago, after Emma goes tumbling off a quad-biking trail, bumps her head and spies an old mobile phone. It belongs to Sam (Skyler Gisondo, Licorice Pizza), a guest at the nearby but now-shuttered Oceana Vista Resort, who was on holidays over Christmas 1997 with his parents (IRL couple Dylan Baker, Hunters, and Becky Ann Baker, Big Little Lies), as well as his girlfriend Hannah (Debby Ryan, Insatiable). As Emma learns via Sam's photos and text messages, all wasn't rosy in his romantic life. After running into fellow guest Violet (Nina Bloomgarden, Good Girl Jane), who was travelling with her dad Murray (Nick Offerman, Pam & Tommy), his SMS history skews in her direction. But the pair promptly disappeared, and any potential clues were lost when a hurricane struck and destroyed their getaway spot. If The White Lotus joined forces with Only Murders in the Building, it'd look a whole lot like this entertaining series, which also includes an ace performance by Luis Gerardo Méndez (Narcos: Mexico) as Baltasar, Oceana Vista Resort's head of security. The Resort streams via Stan. Read our full review. OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH In the on-screen sea that is the never-ending list of films and television shows constantly vying for eyeballs, Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby have frequently proven gem-dappled treasure islands. When the immensely funny New Zealand talents have collided, their resumes have spanned four of the most endearing comic hits of the big and small screens in the 21st century so far, aka Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal and Hunt for the Wilderpeople — and now, with pirate parody Our Flag Means Death, they've given viewers another gleaming jewel. This show was always going to swashbuckle its way into streaming must-see lists — and into comedy-lovers' hearts — based on its concept alone, but it more than lives up to its winning idea and winsome casting. Come for the buccaneering banter and seafaring satire, stay for a thoughtful and sincere comic caper that's also a rom-com. The inimitable Darby stars as Stede Bonnet, a self-styled 'gentleman pirate' and a great approximation of Flight of the Conchords' Murray if he'd existed centuries earlier. Meanwhile, Waititi dons leather, dark hues aplenty, an air of bloodthirsty melancholy and an eye-catching head of greying hair as Edward Teach, the marauder better known to the world as Blackbeard. The two real-life figures eventually cross paths after Bonnet leaves his life of wealth, privilege and comfort to rove the oceans, captains a ship staffed by a motley crew to end all motley crews, and initially gets captured by Blackbeard — or Ed, as he calls him. As these two opposites bond, riding the waves from adversaries to co-captains to potentially something more, Our Flag Means Death truly and gloriously opens up its warm heart. Our Flag Means Death streams via Binge. Read our full review. HEARTSTOPPER It only takes minutes for British newcomer Heartstopper to explain its title — showing rather than telling, as all great shows should. A year ten student at Truham Grammar School for Boys, Charlie Spring (first-timer Joe Locke) finds himself seated in his form class next to year 11 rugby player Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, Little Joe). Sparks fly on the former's part, swiftly and overwhelmingly, with the eight-part series' graphic-novel origins inspiring a flurry of fluttering animated hearts on-screen. But Charlie has a secret boyfriend, Ben (Sebastian Croft, Doom Patrol), who won't even acknowledge him in public. He also hardly thinks of himself as sporty, even after Nick asks him to join the school team. And, while a friendship quickly solidifies between the two, Charlie is initially unsure whether anything more can happen — and anxiety-riddled in general. As well as writing Heartstopper's source material — which initially started as a webcomic — Alice Oseman pens every episode of this perceptive teenage-focused gem. From the outset, it bubbles with heartwarming charm, while its coming-of-age story and central love story alike prove wholly relatable, aptly awkward but also wonderfully sweet and sensitive. In short, it's a series that plunges so convincingly and inclusively into its characters' experiences that it feels like its heart is constantly beating with affection for Charlie, Nick, and their fellow high-schoolers Tao (fellow debutant William Gao), Elle (Yasmin Finney), Isaac (Tobie Donovan), Tara (Corinna Brown, Daphne) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell). First crushes, young love, the swirling swell of emotions that comes with both and also figuring out who you are: all of this dances through Heartstopper's frames. Also, when Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter) pops up, she's glorious as always. Heartstopper streams via Netflix. Read our full review. PREHISTORIC PLANET Five episodes, one comforting voice, and a time-travelling trip back 66 million years: that's the setup behind Prehistoric Planet, an utterly remarkable feels-like-you're-there dive into natural history. Having none other than David Attenborough narrate the daily activities of dinosaurs seems like it should've happened already, of course; however, now that it finally is occurring, it's always both wonderful and stunning. Filled with astonishing footage on par with the visuals that usually accompany Attenborough's nature docos, all thanks to the special effects team behind The Jungle Book and The Lion King, it truly is a wonder to look at. It needs to be: if the Cretaceous-era dinosaurs rampaging across the screen didn't appear like they genuinely could be walking and stalking — and fighting, foraging for food, hunting, flying, swimming and running as well — the magic that typically comes with watching an Attenborough-narrated doco would instantly and disappointingly vanish. Welcome to... your new insight into Tyrannosaurus rex foreplay, your latest reminder that velociraptors really don't look like they do in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World flicks, an entertaining time spent with al kinds of animals, and your next favourite dinosaur project with an Attenborough attached. Each of Prehistoric Planet's five instalments focuses on a different type of terrain — coasts, deserts, freshwater, ice and forests — and chats through the creatures that call it home. Set to a spirited original score by Hans Zimmer, fresh from winning his latest Oscar for Dune, there's a formula at work. That said, it's no more blatant than in any David Attenborough-hosted show. Viewers watch as some dinos look after their young, others try to find a mate, plenty search for something to eat and others attempt not to be eaten. The same kinds of activities are covered in each episode, but the locations and dinosaurs involved all change. Prehistoric Planet streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS A girl, a guy and a meet-cute over an adorable animal: that's the delightful and very funny Colin From Accounts' underlying formula. When medical student Ashley (Harriet Dyer, The Invisible Man) and microbrewery owner Gordon (Patrick Brammall, Evil) cross paths in the street one otherwise standard Sydney morning, they literally come to an impasse. He lets her go first, she flashes her nipple as thanks, then he's so distracted that he hits a stray dog with his car. As these circumstances demonstrate, Colin From Accounts isn't afraid to get awkward, much to the benefit of audiences. There's a syrupy way to proceed from the show's debut moments, intertwining sparks flying with idyllic dates, plus zero doubts of a happy ending for humans and pooches alike. If this was a movie, that's how it'd happen. Then there's Dyer and Brammall's way, with the duo creating and writing the series as well as starring in it, and focusing as much on ordinary existential mayhem — working out who you want to be, navigating complex relationships and learning to appreciate the simple pleasure of someone else's company, for example — as pushing its leads together. Just like in the Hollywood versions of this kind of tale, romance does blossom. That Dyer and Brammall are behind Colin From Accounts, their past chemistry on fellow Aussie comedy No Activity and the fact that they're married IRL means that pairing them up as more than new pals was always going to be on the show's agenda. It's how the series fleshes out each character and their baggage — including those who-am-I questions, Ash's difficult dynamic with her attention-seeking mother Lynelle (Helen Thomson, Elvis), and the responsibility that running your own business and committing to care for other people each bring — that helps give it depth. Colin From Accounts lets Ash and Gordon unfurl their woes and wishes, and also lets them grow. Sometimes, that happens by peeing and pooping in the wrong place, because that's also the type of comedy this is. Sometimes, it's because the show's central couple have taken a risk, or faced their struggles, or genuinely found solace in each other. Always, this new Aussie gem is breezy and weighty — and instantly bingeable. Colin From Accounts streams via Binge. Read our full review. Looking for more viewing highlights? We also rounded up the 15 best returning TV series of 2022, as well as 15 excellent new TV shows of 2022 that you might've missed. Plus, we've kept a running list of must-stream TV from across the year, complete with full reviews. And, you can check out our regular rundown of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly.
In 2020, when the Australian Government tightened its restrictions on public gatherings and social distancing in a bid to contain COVID-19, the country's flurry of event cancellations included the Ekka. It might now be 2021, but given that southeast Queensland is under lockdown again in an attempt to stop the region's latest coronavirus outbreak — and that those stay-at-home conditions will continue until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 8 — the annual show has just shuttered its 2021 plans. As announced at Queensland's daily COVID-19 press conference, Deputy Premier Steven Miles said that "the lockdown extends beyond the intended start day of the Ekka, so that means we've had to make the very regrettable decision to advise the Ekka to cancel their event for this year. It will not be able to go ahead." This year's event was due to take over the Brisbane Showgrounds from Saturday, August 7–Sunday, August 15. First held in 1876, this is only the fourth time in the show's 144-year history that it has been cancelled — with previous cancellations in 1919 and 1942 due to the Spanish Flu and World War 11, respectively, and in 2020. The Ekka joins a growing list of big events that have been impacted by the pandemic for two consecutive years — such as Bluesfest, Splendour in the Grass, Vivid Sydney and the Royal Melbourne Show. The 2021 Ekka will no longer take place from Saturday, August 7–Sunday, August 15. For more information, visit the show's website. 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.
It was really only a matter of time before someone went there — and they finally have. Residents that fit into the intersection of the 'Singapore resident' and 'Orange Is the New Black fan' Venn diagram will be stoked to hear Netflix is opening an a pop-up restaurant themed around the show's prison cafeteria. As of yesterday, June 16, Singaporean diner OverEasy has been transformed into Litchfield Penitentiary Cafeteria to bring the TV prison experience to the people (and also to cash in on the hype surrounding the OITNB season four debut, which should be going up on Netflix sometime today). Chef Bjorn Shen has created the menu inspired by the depressing slop served up in the prison cafeteria but, you know, more gourmet. On the menu? An appetiser of corn kernels with spiced butter, cheese and lime, a main designed to replicate Nutraloaf (the US prison punishment food of three meals literally blended into one), and gruel for dessert (which is actually white chocolate and coconut rice pudding, almond crumble and 'fruit' of the day). And to wash it all down? Delicious tap water (moreish, healthy and flavourful!). Unfortunately the restaurant has filled up pretty quickly but if you're in Singapore right now, you can chance your arm for a walk-in. It's worth a shot because the prison-style grub is free — probably because no one would actually pay for prison fare. And for everyone else, well, we can sleep easy knowing that OITNB-branded GruelTM is surely coming soon to a supermarket near us and get stuck into binge watching season four. Via CNET.
Yearning to create pop music that has a little more depth than your standard dancefloor anthem is Sydney's Catcall. Catherine Kelleher, the woman behind the name, speaks to Kirstie Sequitin ahead of her debut album release and upcoming performance at Surrealism Up Late. How's The Warmer Side coming along? Yeah, it's good! We're kind of in the process of mixing it at the moment. There'll be a new single out in August, September hopefully. How long has that process been going for? It seems like you've been working on it for a while now. I put the EP out around 2008, and then I started writing for the album around the end of that year. Since then I've been kind of writing and recording and working on it. It's just taking a long time for the songs to develop to a point where we're all really happy with them, and then there was a lot of demoing done and a lot of songs disposed of. Then we had to work out how the record was going to be tied together and produced and recorded. All that kind of stuff just took a while to kind of grow into something strong, but now it's all kind of come together quickly in the last couple of months and it's at that point where we're just locking mixes off and whatnot. When it comes down to the writing process - I guess that was a while ago now - but do you focus on lyrics first or do you focus on the backing stuff first? I usually collaborate with people who start off by sending me either a simple thing with a bass line or some keys, and that inspires the vocal melody. They'll normally ask me, "What do you want to make?" and I usually tell them to make whatever they vibe. I don't like sending refs or anything saying "I want you to create me this!" It's not about creating the most interesting or exciting work; usually I just want the other person to do what they do best. They usually send me a beat or something and I'll write something over it and that'll always start with a vocal melody. From there the hardest part is basically just nutting out the lyrics and that's usually where all the time is spent, getting the lyrics perfect, because you need your meanings and you need to sing it and make sure it sounds good. Then we record and mix and get the production worked in. Do you have a specific vision in mind? I know that you said that you don't tell the collaborators what to do but do you have a template of how you want them to sound? Hm… not really - they've usually already heard something I've done. With Youth [Brisbane's Luke Foskey], he knew all of it, so he would just send me stuff. But with more recent collaborations in the past six months they do normally ask for refs and ask things like "What are you listening to at the moment?" and I'll say, "Oh, I'm really into Fleetwood Mac". But you can't get someone to truly create something that's like Fleetwood Mac, so I'll just tell them what I'm listening to, and send them stuff that I've already written and that usually forms what they'll do. Most of the time I just want them to do what they already do, and I collaborate with them because I've already heard their stuff. But they do always ask those kinds of questions like "What are you writing? Are you writing something slow or are you writing something fast?" because they want to know a point to start. Then I think, "Maybe we will go fast, maybe we'll go up-tempo" but usually I stop there because I want them to do what they do, because that's when the most exciting stuff happens. I've read that you have an emphasis on making things imperfect, can you elaborate on that? I don't want things to be necessarily perfect but just as strong as they can be, I guess. In terms of the quality of work, the show… I just want everything to have the best that I can bring it. I don't like the idea of putting something out there that's half-assed. Well, not half-assed but just something that feels like it's not finished, or complete, you know? Because I've already done that, I've put out work that's not complete, I've performed shows that have been really incomplete. Now this is my first record, and I'm going to start putting on a live show and playing regularly. I'm not a complete perfectionist but I just want everything to be the best that it can be. What it seems like to me is that you're trying to work on something that's a little more wholesome than other pop music that's coming out. Yeah, yeah, I want it to be substantial. I was at the APRA Awards the other day and I remember there were eight songwriters on one Katy Perry song and I was like, "That's why these records come out so quickly! There are eight people working on this!" It's like, there's a real formula with the production and it just feels really empty. I just want things to be soulful; I want people to connect with it and I don't think you can just do that if you do it without putting any thought or care into it. It takes a long time to write a really good record. It's so much harder than people assume. Pop records especially. I mean, good pop records. Not really forgettable, flimsy, soulless pop records. You've changed a lot in the past couple of years, how would you describe your developments? Your music style, how has that developed? I think I've become a better singer, a better vocalist, and that's opened up a lot more possibilities for me for what I can write. I've started paying more attention to song lyrics and what makes a really good song. Bry Jones and Toni Toni Lee, I think working with them has really helped me develop, and being open to criticism of what I'm doing and performances and writing. And spending a lot of time rewriting and looking at what I've done and thinking about what I've done and trying to make it better, rather than being satisfied with the first thing I put down, which is what I used to do. I used to be like "Yep, that's what we're going to do" and never edit myself or look back and think, "Hang on a second, there's so many different ways I can make this better". I think that has definitely made me a better songwriter and a better singer and a better performer all round. Catcall plays Surrealism Up Late at the Gallery of Modern Art on July 29. Thanks to GoMA we've got three double passes to give away - e-mail brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au with the subject line 'Water in my veins' by Monday July 25 for your chance to win.
Queensland College of Art Honours Graduate, Monica Rohan, has created an exhibition of work that walks a fine line between sublime surrealism and grounded practicality. Predicament is a series of paintings that draw heavily from rural Queensland surroundings, then overlayed and intertwined with novel ideas and ruminations. The paintings rely heavily on self portraiture and the use of space, with figures depicted in vivid settings that convey deep emotion and use of imagination. Monica Rohan was a finalist in the James Kiwi Watercolour Prize and has had works shown in galleries all across South East Queensland. This is an extremely talented artist who is coming into her own with a truly unique style and flair. Predicament is an exhibition that will be familiar to those with deep connections to the Queensland soil, but with enough of a grasp of the use of imagination and fiction to hook any avid art lover.
Just this morning, Nike announced to the world that it had terminated its sponsorship agreement with boxer Manny Pacquiao on account of his offensive views towards same sex couples. It’s a timely reminder of the lengths to which corporations will go in order to protect their brand, even if it means dropping one of the biggest and most successful names on their books. The most powerful companies in the world understand that such power exists only insofar as the public continues to allow it, for without their buying power, these companies are nothing. The most famous and certainly most destructive example of this approach took place in the 1950s, when Hollywood’s major motion picture studios agreed to blacklist a group of their most successful screenwriters on account of their affiliation with the communist party. No crimes were committed, no treason alleged, yet these men were suddenly denied any ability to work in the industry to which they’d dedicated their lives and provided so many financial and critical accolades. Families struggled, many crumbled, and some of the blacklisted even died. And all of it because a few powerful conservatives including John Wayne and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (played here by Helen Mirren) deigned to call them ‘un-American’. The best known of the so-called Hollywood Ten was screenwriting legend Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston), the highest paid writer in town and the scribe behind such hits as Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo and Kitty Foyle. When he refused to comply with the infamous hearings of the House Un-American Activities Committee, Trumbo was immediately blacklisted and imprisoned, and soon realised the only way he’d be able to continue working was to write B-movies for a pittance under an assumed name. So began an extraordinary period in Hollywood’s history that ultimately resulted in not one, but two Academy Awards going to entirely fictitious writers. It's a story so fantastic it would seem to surpass the imagination of even the likes of Trumbo. Perhaps that explains why Trumbo the film falls somewhat short of the mark. A movie that not just centres on an extraordinarily gifted screenwriter, but also includes multiple excerpts of his craft, inherently sets up an unavoidable comparison with its own writers’ work, and the contrast is at times pronounced. The film’s tone, too, frequently errs on the whimsical despite its subject matter representing an incredibly dark and shameful period in America’s history. The scenes where its actors pay proper deference to this are by far the strongest – although the most moving scene of all takes place in the credits, when the real-life Trumbo pays tribute to his stoic daughter Nikola (Elle Fanning). Despite these issues, Trumbo tells a compelling tale. Led by a remarkable performance from Cranston, the extensive cast breathes much life into the story – and while it feels insufficiently told, the portrait of the man at its centre remains a moving one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gryhSJxx7I
When Ovolo the Valley took over Ann Street's former Emporium Hotel, it launched with plenty of fanfare, but without an onsite restaurant. That's no longer the case, with the Fortitude Valley spot welcoming its newest addition: Middle Eastern-inspired kitchen and bar Za Za Ta. A 240-seat space that extends across multiple rooms, Za Za Ta takes its culinary cues from Israeli — executive chef Roy Ner (who's previously worked at Nour and Aria in Sydney) was born there, and has long enjoyed mixing his heritage into his cooking. "We're having fun making soulful and dynamic Middle Eastern. Each recipe has a lot of heritage — we're taking centuries old recipes and bringing them back to life," Ner explains. And while the restaurant definitely has a particular focus, it also weaves in Mediterranean flavours, plus cooking techniques that span everywhere from France to Japan. Menu-wise, expect nibbles, share-friendly small and large plates, and a raw selection, including breads, dips, charcuterie and cheese all made in-house. Patrons can start with a challah toastie filled with wagyu bits and pickled sugarloaf cabbage, fried goats cheese pretzels with house lamb bacon and yolk aioli, or beetroot pastrami with smoked rye and horseradish, then move on to the likes of octopus with camel nduja and eggplant, or charcoal rainbow trout with cucumber and chilli salsa, plus herring tahini. From the heftier range, other standouts include duck breast with black garlic and foie cream, as well as charcoal short rib with bullhorn and coriander. A seven-dish vegetable menu includes baby cauliflower shawarma, eggplant fingers with caramelised haloumi and falafel chips with tahini aioli. And, come Sunday, August 25, Za Za Ta will also launch a brunch offering that includes a grazing spread, charcuterie mezze platters, woodfired dishes such as smashed avocado with pickled kolorhabi and chilli manoush, and even poached lobster. With the bar open until 2am daily, there's also a considerable late-night focus inspired by Tel Aviv's after-dark dining scene. Drinks are a big focus, showcasing rum beverages, spice-infused drinks using fresh cold-pressed juices and new takes on old classics, as well as Middle Eastern botanicals, Mediterranean-style gin and tonics, and shared cocktails. There are no prizes for guessing which regions takes pride of place on the wine list, with biodynamic, organic and skin contact vinos a highlight too. A selection of craft beers helps round out the booze range, while folks after a non-alcoholic tipple will find options such as house-made limonana (which blends mint and dehydrated lemon) and hibiscus rose iced tea. In its design elements, Za Za Ta mixes things up, with the sprawling spot will taking patrons on a bit of a tour — jumping back to the 1940s as well as to the Victorian era. Heroing everything from reclaimed lead light doors, Lacroix carpets and tessellated tiles, to wrought iron, velvet upholstery and washed plywood furniture, award-winning interior designers Luchetti Krelle have decked out the space, which also incorporates nods to Queensland architecture. Find Za Za Ta at Ovolo the Valley, 1000 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley. The kitchen is open for brunch from 11.30am–4pm on Sundays, for launch from 11.30am–2.30pm Wednesday–Friday, and for dinner from 5.30pm Tuesday–Saturday. The bar operates from 4pm from Sunday–Thursday, and from 12pm on Friday–Saturday.
Trust a mockumentary about the undead to keep coming back in new guises. Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's What We Do in the Shadows first came to light as a short film in 2005, then made its way to cinemas in rib-tickling feature-length form in 2014, and currently has both a werewolf-focused sequel and a US television remake in the works. As first announced back in 2016, it's also getting a Cops-style TV spinoff — one that starts airing in New Zealand this month, and has just released its first trailer. Slated to air on New Zealand's TVNZ 2 from July 11, Wellington Paranormal doesn't spend more time with everyone's favourite Wellington-dwelling bloodsuckers, even though Waititi and Clement conceived the six-part series. Instead, it follows police officers Karen O'Leary and Mike Minogue, who WWDITS fans might remember came knocking at the vampire share house's door. With the help of Sergeant Maaka (Maaka Pohatu), the cop duo will keep trying to keep the city safe from supernatural happenings — and we're sure viewers will keep watching. When Wellington Paranormal's existence was first revealed, Waititi described the show as "Mulder & Scully but in a country where nothing happens" on Twitter, should you need any more reason to get excited. For Australian viewers looking to catch the show, local airing details haven't yet been announced, but watch this space — once you're done watching the below trailer, of course. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=WRO2QfESbEI
The World Press Photo Foundation is a global platform connecting professionals and audiences through raw visual journalism and storytelling. The organisation was founded in 1955 when a group of Dutch photographers organised a contest to expose their work to an international audience. Since then, the contest has grown into the world's most prestigious photography competition and global travelling exhibition. The 65th edition of the World Press Photo Exhibition will touch down in Brisbane this year and be on display at Brisbane Powerhouse from Saturday, July 2–Sunday, July 24. The winners from this year's contest were chosen by an independent jury that reviewed 64,823 photographs by 4066 photographers from 130 countries — and while the exhibition only showcases a selection, get ready to peer at the best of the best. Taking top honours for 2022: Amber Bracken's image for The New York Times, featuring red dresses hanging on crosses along the roadside to mark the children who died at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. It's a hauntingly striking photo. This will be on display alongside other finalists, plus eye-catching images in categories that span contemporary issues, the environment, general news, nature, portraits and sports. View this post on Instagram A post shared by World Press Photo Foundation (@worldpressphoto) Top image: 2022 Photo Contest, World Press Photo of the Year. Title: Kamloops Residential School. © Amber Bracken for The New York Times.
The epitome of grace and good taste, a finely crafted suit can make all the difference in a number of occasions. No longer relegated to the bland en masse uniform of the corporate nine-to-fiver, the suit is experiencing a resurgence as a statement of personal style, flair and elegance. But how do you know which suit is right for you or should be worn at which occasion? Indochino has made picking the details of your suit nice and simple to build your own personal touch to your corporate, formal or marital attire. The brand lets you customise your suit from shoulder to cuff, pockets to hems. But if you need some guidance in figuring out how to get started, that's where we come in. Here, we've broken it all down for you. Find out about the importance of each part of the suit and how best to accentuate (or downplay) these elements for the strongest effect — no matter the occasion. [caption id="attachment_725467" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Indochino Spring/Summer 2019.[/caption] COLOUR The most immediate impact of your suit will be its colour. Suits, like all clothing, are inherently linked to eras and fashion. Certain colours can accurately indicate the period in which they were popular — think bright blue a couple of years ago, black during the late 90s and early 2000s and, for the more out there, aubergine, brown and fawn from the 70s. Nowadays we see mostly grey, navy and black but occasionally, a colourful number comes along that makes for a great statement. Indochino offers a wide variety of colours that allow for versatility across a number of occasions; a forest green might be a good choice for someone wanting a suit that's a little outside the box but still maintains a level of formality and style. For the occasion where you can be a little bolder, you may choose a purple hue for more effect. And, of course, there are the classic blues, greys and blacks available, too. You could always go with a pattern as well, with multiple patterns like checked, herringbone and striped available — plus there's always a vibrant pocket square and/or tie that can take your look up a notch. [caption id="attachment_725466" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Indochino Spring/Summer 2019.[/caption] LAPELS Essentially there are three types of lapel: notch (the standard), peak lapels (usually found on double-breasted jackets) and shawl, wherein the collar and lapel are made from one piece of fabric. Indochino recommends notch or peak lapels in slim, normal and wide for suits and offers shawl lapels for its tuxedos, as these are always found on traditional dinner jackets and tuxedos, giving a sense of elegance and grandeur. The width of one's lapels is often indicative of style and era — think of the wide Saturday Night Fever-style from the 70s versus the Mad Men-esque slim lapels of the 60s. Another thing to look for is the height at which the lapel joins the collar (the gorge). Currently, the trend seems to hark back to the 60s when gorges were high in order to enhance the slim silhouette of the suit. Another thing to note about lapels (who knew there was so much to know): the lapel hole, made to hold flowers — or a fob or pocket watch if that's more your style. You could even attach a brooch if you want to add some personal flair on a special occasion. You've got a lot of options; now you just need to decide the style (and decade) you're going for. [caption id="attachment_727121" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Indochino Spring/Summer 2019.[/caption] BUTTONS For such a seemingly innocuous detail, buttons bring a suit all together depending on colour and count. Brown buttons tend to be the go-to, with black reserved for black or dark suits and cream for lighter suits. And when it comes to counting 'em, the number of buttons on the front of a jacket is traditionally indicative of your profession, though now, it's more about your style preferences. The most common count on a single-breasted suit is two, though three-button fronts come and go with trends. But the most important thing to remember is the button rule that's accepted the world over: if a jacket has more than one front button, the lowest shouldn't be buttoned. POCKETS Invariably, all suits will have an outer breast pocket, which is always on the left and undoubtedly stems from the fact that most people are right-handed. For the most part, these never have a flap but are made from a single piece of fabric which is folded and sewn into the body of the jacket — a welt pocket. Most jackets will also have at least two 'side' pockets, located above the hip and usually made with a fabric 'flap'. Traditionally the flaps are straight but can be angled to achieve a more rakish look. Slim fitting jackets often have a smaller version above the right hip pocket, which sits almost in the jacket's waist. These are referred to as ticket pockets, because, fun fact, their original purpose was for carrying one's theatre tickets. Inside the jacket, there are usually two breast pockets and often a lower inside ticket pocket. Maintaining the clean line of the suit should be top of mind when wearing a suit, so try not to put too much in them. TROUSERS Well-fitting trousers can make or break the look of a suit. Just think of that suit from year ten formal that just looked a bit silly all bunched up at the ankle and saggy in the seat. You're no longer 16; this look won't cut it. These days, most suits favour a particularly slim leg, though depending on the suit, baggier cuts are also in style, but generally with a higher waist. Broadly speaking, baggy trousers are to be worn with baggy jackets and slim with slim, and for the most part, don't have cuffs. Now that you know where to start, let Indochino help you through the rest of your suit customising journey here. Plus, from now until September 30, 2019, the brand is offering its premium custom suits at a discounted price of $599 for all Concrete Playground readers. Use code CONCRETEPLAYGROUND to receive the discount.
Here's the great thing about hosting a major arts festival as soon as spring hits: the weather is delightful, everyone is eager to get out and about, and Brisbane Festival delivers oh-so-much to do. And, while there isn't much that's been normal about 2021, this citywide event is here to deliver a dose of music, art, theatre and culture-filled fun anyway. On this year's agenda: fireworks, obviously, and also everything from spectacular installations and huge sing-alongs to stunning puppetry and plenty of dogs. In other words, don't say that you don't have anything to do between Friday, September 3–Saturday, September 25. And if you're still wondering what to see, hear and experience, here are our ten must-attend highlights.
Oh Christmas, what a time. A time for love, a time for giving, and of course, a time to lose your shit amongst the writhing throngs of desperate last-minute shoppers. Joy. Luckily for us, this year WineMarket have put together some pretty nifty packages, including a whole host of multi-bottle specials. Throw in easy-as-mince-pie one- or 1-2 day delivery on selected sets, and you really can get Christmas sorted this year, minus the stress plus a whole lot of delicious booze. Take the methode traditionelle Grandin Grande Reserve Brut NV, for example. These six tasty sparklings, made the same way as Champagne but with fruit from outside the region, come in at practically half the price of their French cousin. And, individually packaged in festive red metal presentation tubes, they’re right fancy too ($119.40 for six). Another great option to give is the six-pack of Wynns Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz Merlot, again individually packaged so no need to wrap. Just in case you haven’t heard of Wynns, this yummy mellow-textured fruity number is crafted by award-winning winemaker Sue Hodder, from her 5-star James Halliday-rated winery ($191.40 for 12). But, if you really want to treat the vino connoisseur in the family, you can also secure a bottle of Penfolds Grange 2010, sporting accolade after accolade, for $639 (usually $785). But, if variety is the festive spice of your silly season, you’re covered with all manner of combos, including ten reds and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label ($99), 13-bottle stock-up essentials ($99) and a fabulously titled Impress the In-Laws package of award-winning, 90+ rated reds ($120). Cheers to that. WineMarket is offering a discount exclusively for Concrete Playground subscribers. Get $50 off orders over $120 (excluding freight) using the voucher code CONCRETEXMAS at the checkout. Hurry: offer ends 11.59PM 21/12/2014 (AEDT). Voucher can only be used once per customer. Excludes orders solely consisting of beer, champagne, cider or RTDs, and purchases from WineMarket must not be re–sold commercially. Not valid with any other promotion. Not redeemable for cash. WineMarket reserves the right to cancel orders made outside of these terms and conditions. Standard WineMarket T&Cs apply.
No matter where you are in Australia, you probably spent the majority of 2020 in your own state — and in your own bedroom — thanks to interstate border restrictions. Limits on domestic travel have still been popping up in 2021 so far; however, if you're still keen to see more than your own backyard this year, Virgin Australia is selling 1.9 million fares to destinations around the country. And, those cheap flights are starting at $75 for a one-way ticket. Hang on, Virgin? Yes. The same airline that, less than 12 months ago, entered voluntary administration. It has since been sold to US private investment firm Bain Capital, launched a comeback sale in early July and its voluntary administration officially ended on Tuesday, November 17. Virgin's current Let the Good Times Fly flight sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 8 — or until sold out. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights on a heap of routes to destinations across the country, with travel dates spanning from March to September 2021. If you've been waiting to book your first getaway for the year, now might be the time. Discounted flights span both economy and business, and include seat selection and checked baggage. Some of the routes on offer include Sydney to Ballina from $75, Brisbane to Proserpine from $84, Melbourne to Hobart from $99, Brisbane to Darwin from $165, and Melbourne to Hamilton Island from $179. The discounted flight sale is timed to coincide with Queensland reopening its border to New South Wales, which came into effect on Monday, February 1. Virgin is also increasing the frequency of trips between the two states, including between Sydney and the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Hamilton Island and Brisbane. 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 became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin is also waiving change fees and allowing unlimited booking changes between now and June 30, 2021 — extending a scheme that was initially due to end at the end of January. Virgin's Let the Good Times Fly flight sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 8 — or until sold out. Find out more about current interstate border restrictions over here.
In a bid to contain the most recent coronavirus outbreak, the Queensland Government made wearing masks compulsory across southeast Queensland in late June. It then extended that requirement in Brisbane and several other parts of the state until mid-July, and then extended it again for 11 Local Government Areas in and around Brisbane for another week. So, the news that masking up will continue to be mandatory in parts of Brissie for a further week really shouldn't come as a surprise. Today, Thursday, July 22, Deputy Premier Steven Miles announced a number of changes to Greater Brisbane's current COVID-19 restrictions, including easing gathering and venue caps — however, in the Brisbane City Council, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim LGAs, masks are staying. You'll now need to keep wearing them as you are now until 6am on Friday, July 30. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1418011226559246336 If you need a refresher, the mask rules apply whenever you're spending time indoors somewhere other than your own home. In those situations, you must wear a mask. They must be worn in all indoor spaces other than your home, all indoor workplaces unless it is unsafe to do so, on public transport, and in taxis and ride share vehicles. And, outdoors, you need to wear them when social distancing isn't possible. Accordingly, you always need to have a mask with you. The Deputy Premier also advised that masks will now be mandated in all indoor ticketed venues, including stadiums, theatres and cinemas, statewide as well. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1418011562866970624 "It's great to see the restrictions or ease from 6am tomorrow, but I have for an additional week asked for people please wear their masks," said Queensland's Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young at the same press conference. "We know that has protected us. I'm positive the reason we've not had communities spread recently is because people have been genuinely wearing their masks," she continued. Queensland currently has 26 active cases, with none reported in the past 24 hours. As always, the usual requests regarding social distancing, hygiene and getting tested if you're feeling even the slightest possible COVID-19 symptoms also still apply — as they have since March last year. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website.
They've made bespoke cocktails catered to each drinker's DNA, hosted anatomical whisky tastings where spirits were sipped from actual people, and served a beating pig's heart as a starter. Yes, it's safe to say that Sam Bompas and Harry Parr know how to liven up a meal. Calling the duo food artists might be a bit of an understatement, however, particularly given that they're not just experimenting with what we consume in a creative, unexpected and delicious way. At the heart of everything from their edible fireworks to their molten lava barbecue to their 200-course dinner party sits an interrogation of our eating and drinking habits, including the one thing carnivorous folks easily overlook: the food chain. Indeed, London diners heading along Bompas & Parr's next event won't be able to forget where their lunch came from. In the kitchen at Sea Containers restaurant, they'll see just what path their meal takes to their plate, and play quite the considerable part in it. At Kill It, Eat It, attendees will devour a crustacean-heavy feast — after, as the name gives away, they kill the crabs destined for their stomach. We'll give you a moment to think about this next-level eating experience because it's quite the confronting concept. Of course, it's supposed to be. It's one thing to know but not really engage with the idea that you're munching on something that was once alive. It's another to have an active hand in it. The 16 people per session that are willing to face their food in the most visceral and primal way possible, as well as their role in eating living creatures, will journey through a number of steps: looking closely at crabs and the role they play in the ocean, learning about the ways they're sourced and caught, and discovering the the 'biologically most efficient and humane method' of ending their lives. They'll then receive their own live crustacean, prepare it, kill it in a RSPCA-approved manner, cook it and de-shell it. Afterwards, participant's crab will be dressed by the restaurant's chefs and served as part of the group meal alongside sea-inspired cocktails. An expert in fisheries and seafood cultivation will be on hand during the event, and attendees will receive a guide to help them replicate the process at home. Chatting with Concrete Playground in advance of their 2015 Wild at Heart event at Dark Mofo — which involved roadkill jerky, drinks served from actual skull cups, roasting just-hunted wild deer and the aforementioned blood-gushing pig's heart — Bompas explained that "when you start feeding people, you become quite aware of just how thin that line of civility is that divides us from the animal kingdom." It's clearly something that, with his culinary partner-in-crime Parr, he's still exploring. Bompas & Parr's crustacean-focused classes will take place on April 23 and 30, and they're just the first toe into the water of a planned Kill It, Eat It series. We'll let your mind ponder just what might come next. As Parr explains, the workshops are designed to provoke the ultimate question at the heart of every carnivorous diet: "if you want to eat animals, shouldn't you be prepared to kill them yourself?"
If you're thirty-plus (either chronologically, or in terms of your musical tastes) and finding triple j increasingly unsuitable to your aural palette, then you're probably going to love the ABC's latest move. Yesterday afternoon, the broadcaster announced that, as of 5pm, digital music channel Dig had come under triple j's management. Essentially, the plan is to revamp Dig as a 'triple j for over-thirties'. In other words, the program will be shaped by the types of artists that originally informed the triple j ethos. Think Tex Perkins, Eskimo Joe, Nick Cave and their musical progeny. About 75 percent of the playlist will be comprised of new music (triple j's is about 90 percent that way) and the other 25 percent will be made up of classics familiar to '70s and '80s babies. Each week, there'll be a minimum of four pre-recorded, guest-programmed segments. Anticipated curators include Billy Bragg, Sarah Blasko, Adalita, Missy Higgins, Bernard Fanning, Tex Perkins, David Bridie, Eskimo Joe, Clare Bowditch and Moby. During the next six months, Dig is asking listeners to let the station know exactly what they want to hear, and how they want it presented. The channel will be officially launched in its new format in April 2014. "Over the last few years, there have been many voices calling out for a station like this," commented Dig Music's content director Meagan Loader, "and the input of those voices during this initial stage is hugely valuable. We are so excited to be able to evolve with our listeners and create something truly unique." Dig Music is available online at www.digmusic.net.au, on mobile phones via the ABC Radio App, and through both digital radio and television.
It took 45 years as an actress and 122 credits on her resume for Isabelle Huppert to receive an Oscar nomination, earning the long-overdue nod for her work in the rape-revenge thriller Elle. But the French star is just as deserving of awards and acclaim for her turn in the intimate drama Things to Come. The same matter-of-fact determination shines through in both performances, and yet you'd never mistake one for the other. Part of Huppert's genius is the way every character she plays feels united by a shared humanity, but still utterly distinctive in their traits, and in the way she brings them to life. That's Things to Come's Nathalie Chazeaux in a nutshell. Huppert's protagonist may well make you think of your mother — in fact, writer-director Mia Hansen-Løve wrote the role for Huppert with her own mum loosely in mind. Still, for every aspect that's recognisable, just as many remain unique. A philosophy professor, she's wading through a spate of familiar situations as the years pass by. Her husband decides to leave after a quarter of a century together; her mother requires more of her attention while her kids need less; a cat she doesn't want scampers around; and her professional dealings don't always go as planned. Even if you've never been a just-past-middle-age woman dealing with all of the above, Huppert will ensure you forget that for 102 minutes. Hers is such a fine-tuned and thoughtful performance, one that so effortlessly brings the film's universal themes to the fore, that you'll soon be doing just what her character is doing. No, you won't be quoting renowned thinkers and imparting wisdom to students. Rather, you'll be facing a stark truth about the future: it keeps coming, whether things are changing drastically, or seem to be staying the same. Hansen-Løve isn't one for big revelations and realisations, however. She gets to the heart of what it means to be happy and successful, or to try to be, without filling Things to Come with the kinds of huge moments, altercations and declarations that often find a place on screen. It's the same feat that she achieved with her last film, the Paris-set, electronic music-infused Eden. Daft Punk doesn't show up this time, but both movies convey more than you might expect about navigating the ups and downs of everyday existence by focusing on the minutiae that we all wade through. Indeed, the writer-director's sensitive observational style lends itself to lingering on the details — to building a picture from the smallest elements, rather than the broadest strokes. It's what makes Huppert such a perfect fit, and it's also what makes the filmmaker's patient approach so rewarding. Every close-up of Huppert's face tells a story. Every handheld camera movement does as well. They're small, unobtrusive and delicate ways of painting an involving portrait of life going on, and of all the things that will come.
Sydneysiders who have been to Fairfield Council in the city's west will no longer be able to enter Queensland, with the Sunshine State declaring the region a NSW COVID–19 hotspot. Fairfield joins the neighbouring councils of Liverpool and Campbelltown, which were announced as hotspots back on Tuesday, July 14. On July 10, Queensland opened its borders to visitors from all states and territories — except Victoria, which is also declared a hotspot — but from 1am on Monday, July 27, visitors from Fairfield will be turned away at the border. Returning Queensland residents or those entering for a range of essential reasons will be required to quarantine in a hotel for 14 days. The move comes as a cluster of 46 positive COVID-19 cases are linked to the Thai Rock restaurant in Wetherill Park, which is part of Fairfield. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1286184350870982657 The NSW Government sent out a health alert directing anyone who visited the restaurant between Thursday, July 9 and Sunday, July 12, or on Tuesday, July 14, to get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. While NSW recorded 19 new cases in the 24 hours leading up to 8pm on Wednesday, July 22, Queensland recorded zero and has just three active cases. When asked what classifies a hotspot, Queensland's Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has previously said, "It's when there's clearly a growing numbers of cases and there's community acquisition of cases — so we've seen that here." From 1am on Monday, July 27, anyone who has visited Fairfield City in the past 14 days will not be allowed to enter Queensland unless they are a returning resident or are entering for one a few essential reasons. Those who have visited Sydney councils Campbelltown and Liverpool, as well as Victoria, are also subject to the same rules. For more information, head to the Queensland Government website. Image: The Queensland-NSW Border at Tweed Heads via WikiCommons.
When you're deciding how to spend your next brunch — and where to spend it, more importantly — perhaps it's a case of what you'd like to drink. Tired of mimosas? Fancy something stronger with your first Sunday meal? Or, maybe you just really love gin. West End gin joint Covent Garden has been in the bottomless brunch game for a while now, and shows no signs of stopping. Here, you can tuck into gin tap cocktails — including the monthly spritz special — for two hours, or opt for a few Pimm's cups. Pimm's is based on gin, after all. For $49 per person, you'll also sip red or white wine sangria, and munch on a shareboard spread — featuring charcuterie, cheeses, pickled vegetables and crackers, plus that breakfast and brunch staple, aka bread, too. The food and drink feast goes down between 11am–5pm each week and, while bookings aren't essential, it's recommended that you secure your spot in advance anyway.
For residents of the Greater Brisbane area, plus folks who spent some of your Christmas and New Year break in the region, 2021 has gotten off to a hectic start. The city's Grand Chancellor hotel cluster sparked six COVID-19 cases — all of the new, more contagious B117 coronavirus strain — resulting in a three-day lockdown, increased local restrictions, and changes in domestic border rules between states as well. The cluster also saw Prime Minister Scott Morrison declare Greater Brisbane a COVID-19 hotspot at the commonwealth level — a decision that came out of the first Australian national cabinet meeting for 2021, and covered the Brisbane, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton and Redlands local government areas. Now, just over a week later — and 14 days since local transmission is thought to have occurred — Australia's Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has announced that the hotspot status has been revoked. That new status became effective at 12.01am today, Sunday, January 17. "This hotspot was declared out of an abundance of caution because we saw for the first time a case of this new more transmissible strain in the community," said Kelly. "Like so many instances throughout the pandemic, we've now seen another success story in our response." When Greater Brisbane was deemed a federal-level hotspot, every state and territory across Australia implemented border restrictions with the area — and in some cases, the entire State of Queensland. As the situation has settled, those rules have been changing again. In New South Wales, folks who had been in the Greater Brisbane area since January 2 were required to isolate during the Queensland region's lockdown. Now, however, there are no restrictions in place. Victoria closed its borders to Greater Brisbane, and implemented a new traffic light-style system to cope with domestic outbreaks and corresponding restrictions on entering the state in general. Greater Brisbane was initially classed as a 'red zone', which meant anyone who had been in the area couldn't head to Victoria. As at 6pm on Saturday, January 16, it became an 'orange zone' instead — so entry is now allowed after applying for a permit, then self-quarantining, getting a coronavirus test within 72 hours of arrival and remaining in isolation until a negative test result is received. https://twitter.com/VicGovDHHS/status/1350229906488102913 Tasmania declared the Greater Brisbane region a high-risk area. Anyone who had arrived in Tasmania after spending time in Greater Brisbane since January 2 had to immediately self-isolate, while anyone who had been in the area and wants to travel to Tassie isn't allowed to enter without an exemption. That's still the case, although the rules will be reviewed and updated on Monday, January 18. In the Northern Territory, a hotspot declaration meant that anyone entering the NT from Greater Brisbane area had to go into quarantine for two weeks. That declaration was revoked on Monday, January 11. South Australia brought in a quarantine requirement, too, requiring arrivals from Greater Brisbane to to isolate for two weeks. That was revoked at 12.01am on Sunday, January 17, although anyone entering SA from the area must now have a COVID-19 test on day one, five and 12 of their trip to the state. The Australian Capital Territory required anyone who had been in the Greater Brisbane area since January 2 to go into isolation for 14 days from when they were last in the area; however, that was revoked at 2pm on Monday, January 11. Over in Western Australia, a hard border has been brought back in with all of Queensland, with WA closing to anyone who has been in the Sunshine State since January 2. That's still in effect — so anyone who receives an exemption to still enter WA has to go into quarantine for 14 days, and undertake COVID-19 testing within 48 hours of arrival and again on day 11 of their quarantine. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Australia, visit the Australian Government Department of Health website.
It has played host to everyone from the Beastie Boys to The Chemical Brothers — plus plenty of festivals, too — and is one of the city's main live music venues. And, on Saturday, September 7, it'll be exactly 30 years old, with the Brisbane Riverstage launching on the same date in 1989. Brisbane Festival is celebrating the occasion, naturally, with help from Hot Dub Time Machine, Cub Sport, Confidence Man, Last Dinosaurs and Clea. They'll all take to the stage as part of a huge birthday bash that also doubles as a one-day festival — and, thanks to the headline act (aka Tom Loud), you can expect plenty of retro tunes. We're guessing that more than a few late 80s bangers will feature as he hits the decks, because this shindig is all about nostalgia.
Fans of Trainspotting will probably want to check out Filth, the new film adaptation of the 1998 Irvine Welsh novel. Jon S. Baird directs James McAvoy as Bruce Robertson, a bipolar, misanthropic junkie detective (role of a lifetime) who, when he's not awash in drugs, alcohol and sex games, spends his time plotting the downfall of his fellow colleagues. In his quest to trump them and secure a coveted promotion, he stops at nothing — stealing their wives, exposing their darkest secrets. Oh, and there's a murder to be solved, too. Things escalate to the point of madness, with plenty of manipulation, hallucination and downright insanity. McAvoy won critical praise for his performance upon the film's UK release and is supported by some stellar UK actors including Jim Broadbent, Jamie Bell and Eddie Marsan (who was so good in Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky and Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur). The film will no doubt give a typically Welsh-ian insight into the grim, violent underbelly of Edinburgh — with a few laughs. Filth is in cinemas on November 21, and thanks to Icon Films, we have ten double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
Wine lovers of Australia, rejoice: picking your next bottle of plonk just got a whole lot easier. In fact, you don't even need to choose — or leave the house — thanks to top Melbourne sommelier Virginia Selleck and her new, curated online wine shop. Joining the ever-growing ranks of wine delivery options, Magnum + Queens promises a rotating array of specially selected stock brought to your door Australia-wide, with each month's offerings following a different theme. To celebrate their launch, May's batch has been dubbed The New Guard. Customers can opt for small, medium or large packs of three, six or 12 bottles, then enjoy Selleck's favourites from around the globe. Individual bottles are also available, and folks that sign up for a subscription will get access to specials, rare vintages and other hard to find drops. Not your usual online bottle-o, but not a traditional wine service either, Magnum + Queens wants to expand your wine-drinking remit; expect industry stalwarts among their wares, but also expect grape-based goodness from tiny wineries, family-run outfits, new brands, innovative winemakers as well. That could include varieties from France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and our local efforts, and even Spanish sherry and Japanese sake. "Our aim is to introduce customers to carefully selected, quality wines from all over the globe, and specifically from small, sustainable, craft producers that focus on new varietal wines that are interesting and delicious," says Selleck. A joint venture with photographer Kirsten Dickie, Magnum + Queens arrives at what's proving a busy time for the sommelier — after working at Melbourne's Cumulus, Inc, Rockpool Bar & Grill, The Stokehouse and Prince Wine Store, she's now the wine director at Wilson & Market. Find Magnum + Queens at www.magnumandqueenswine.com.
Whether you've been watching A Haunting in Venice in cinemas, Death and Other Details on streaming or The Mousetrap on the stage, murder-mysteries are rarely hard to find in Brisbane — fictional ones, of course, and purely for entertainment purposes. Accordingly, even if you're frequently sleuthing through the genre's very best, you might be feeling like you've seen every whodunnit ever. Murder Village: An Improvised Whodunnit is a cure for that sensation. In fact, even if you've seen it before — it debuted in Brisbane in 2016 — you haven't seen it before. Given that everything is made up on the night at each show by creator, director and star David Massingham and his cast, this production really isn't ever the same twice. It still takes its cues from Agatha Christie, however, just like it's one of the prolific author's 1950s novels. And, as the title makes plain, it all happens in a village where anyone could've gotten murderous. From there, the audience helps suggests where things go — and the show's actors react. You can see the results at the 2024 Brisbane Comedy Festival across Thursday, May 9–Sunday, May 12. Top image: Mark Gambino.
Brisbane's streets are about to look a whole lot brighter — and sport a lot more paint, feature giant murals aplenty and showcase a heap more art in general. The reason: the returning Brisbane Street Art Festival, which'll take over the city from Saturday, May 6–Sunday, May 21 in its eighth year. When it comes to splashing art across the streets, spraying some paint around and stencilling up a storm, this festival offers a firm reminder: no, Banksy isn't the only artist worth celebrating and never has been. Indeed, the street art scene has been thriving in Brisbane for years, which is why this fest even exists. (That said, this year's BSAF will arrive around the same time as a huge Banksy exhibition hits the River City, so it's basically street art Christmas.) [caption id="attachment_848397" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sheep Chen and Adnate by Joshua Taten.[/caption] Illma Gore also stands out among BSAF's 2023 roster of talent. The Australian artist lives in Los Angeles and has made a name for herself with a toilet made from $100,000 worth of Louis Vuitton bags, a mural made with the blood of 60 protestors and a nude Donald Trump. Also on the Aussie artist list: Fintan Magee, Gus Eagleton and Tori-Jay Mordey. Cat Eagan, Katherine Viney, Keys and Meimei will all be displaying pieces, as will Mulga, Jeswri, Phoebe Paradise, Pencil Head, Sevens and Vance. In total, the full lineup spans 43 artists and collectives. The festival's 16-day run will also be complemented by a range of art events, including a big party at Felons Brewing Co, workshops, and using Northshore as its headquarters. [caption id="attachment_848405" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cam Scale.[/caption] Top image: Drapl and Treazy by Aimee Catt. Updated March 23.
A multi-sensory meal-performance isn't what you usually expect when walking through the doors of a theatre. But that's exactly what The Last Supper is. And it's not one of those performances where you can rest back in your comfy chair and watch actors through half closed eyes. Instead, theatre-goers will be sitting at a dinner table, sipping wine in a "Da Vinci-like mise-en-scene" while eating the last meal requests of crimals on death row. Hopefully plated to Masterchef standards. Yep, the 13 audience members will become a part of the work, which has been written and directed by Mole Wetherell of UK/Belgium group Reckless Sleepers, and yep, food and wine are part of the package. The three performers will guide the piece and tell stories of death, both real and not so real, while the "audience" chows down. Hopefully those crims have good taste.
Get ready for battle: House of the Dragon is returning in 2024 and, based on the just-dropped first teaser trailer for the Game of Thrones spinoff's second season, things are getting even more fiery. "There is no war so hateful to the gods as a war between kin — and no war so bloody as a war between dragons," Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best, Nurse Jackie) tells her niece Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D'Arcy, Mothering Sunday) in the just-dropped sneak peek. Also glimpsed in the debut look at the Targaryen-focused show's next eight episodes: dragons, obviously, plus Rhaenyra and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke, Slow Horses) going head to head — and Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith, Morbius) looking brooding while suiting up in armour. Troops preparing to fight, burning soldiers and the Iron Throne (also obviously) all pop up as well, as do serious words about what's to come. Set to arrive in winter 2024 Down Under — because, yes, winter is always coming — House of the Dragon's second season will arrive two years after the first premiered in 2022. Game of Thrones was always going to spark spinoff shows. Indeed, when HBO started thinking about doing a prequel five years ago, before the huge fantasy hit had even finished its run, it was hardly surprising. And, when the US network kept adding ideas to its list — including a Jon Snow-focused series with Kit Harington (Eternals) reprising his famous role, novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg and an animated GoT show, to name just a few prequels and spinoffs that've been considered, but may or may not actually come to fruition — absolutely no one was astonished. So far, just House of the Dragon has hit screens, which jumps back into House Targaryen's history. When it initially roared into streaming queues, it became an instant success. Accordingly, as it delivered more complicated GoT realm relationships, flowing long blonde hair, dragons, stabbings and fights for power — and plenty to fuel a drinking game, as we created — it was quickly renewed for season two. The series kicked off 172 years before the birth of Daenerys and her whole dragon-flying, nephew-dating, power-seeking story, and gave HBO its largest American audience for any new original series in its history when it debuted. If you're thinking that House of the Dragon is basically a case of new show, same squabbles, as it was easy to foresee it would be, you're right. It's pretty much Game of Thrones with different faces bearing now well-known surnames — and more dragons. If you haven't yet caught up with the show so far, it dives into the battle for the Iron Throne before the one we all watched between 2011–19. Paddy Considine (The Third Day) started the series King Viserys — and it's exactly who should be his heir that sparked all the Succession-style fuss. The words "succession" and "successor" (and "heir" as well) got bandied around constantly, naturally. Also, Australian actors Milly Alcock and Ryan Corr were among the stars. House of the Dragon's returning season two cast includes Rhys Ifans (The King's Man) as Ser Otto Hightower and Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin) as Lord Corlys Velaryon, plus Fabien Frankel (The Serpent), Ewan Mitchell (Saltburn), Tom Glynn-Carney (Rogue Heroes) and Sonoya Mizuno (Shortcomings). HBO has also announced new faces for the show's comeback, with Clinton Liberty (This Is Christmas) as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna (Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew (Warrior) as Hugh, Tom Bennett (Black Ops) as Ulf, Tom Taylor (Love at First Sight) as Lord Cregan Stark and Vincent Regan (One Piece) as Ser Rickard Thorne. They join Abubakar Salim (Napoleon) as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin (Perry Mason) as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox (The Great) as Ser Gwayne Hightower and Simon Russell Beale (Thor: Love and Thunder) as Ser Simon Strong among the season two newcomers. This latest adaptation of George RR Martin's popular fantasy books — based on Fire & Blood, specifically — is bound to continue on for more than just two seasons, but that's all that's confirmed for the moment. Check out the first teaser trailer for House of the Dragon season two below: House of the Dragon streams Down Under via Foxtel and Binge in Australia and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand, with season two arriving in winter 2024 — with an exact release date yet to be announced. Read our full review of season one. Images: HBO.
How would you like to be in pictures? Screen Australia and YouTube have teamed up to map the Australian summer, and need your films and footage to do it. You can submit footage of your Aussie summer to the YouTube Map My Summer channel but it must have been filmed since December 1 2010. Inspired by Ridley Scott's Life in a Day project, Screen Australia have selected Dr George Miller, of Mad Max, Babe and Happy Feet fame, and short film maker Amy Gebhardt to create a film that captures the essence of Australian summer from all the public submissions. Gebhardt won the right to work alongside Miller thanks to her film Into the Sun, a dreamy, symbolic expression of our relationship with summer. Given the summer Australia has just had, the finished work could end up being anything from a disaster movie to a Jaws remake. Five contributors whose footage is used in the final film will be invited to attend the Sydney Film Festival premiere in June, where the crowd-sourced film will be screened, so get your summery, sub-three-minute video uploaded by the end of March and be a part of it! https://youtube.com/watch?v=QlIfgRqTB7M
Whether you're avoiding the wet weather across Australia's east coast, still in lockdown in Auckland or in need of a quiet one before the festive season kicks into gear, a stint of couch time may be on your weekend agenda. And while there's never any shortage of things to watch, here's something that might tempt your eyeballs: extremely cheap Disney+ subscriptions, plus a lineup of new movies and TV shows to go with it. This month marks two years since the Mouse House first leapt into the streaming game, so it's celebrating with $1.99 subscriptions. That's the rate for one month, and it's available until 6.59pm AEDT on Monday, November 15 — as long as you're either a new subscriber or a returning subscriber who doesn't current have an active subscription to the service. Disney+ is also fleshing out its catalogue with a number of new big-name additions, effective today, Friday, November 12. So, from tonight, you can watch Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings at home — just two months after it hit cinemas — or get nostalgic and merry with new Home Alone franchise instalment Home Sweet Home Alone. Action-adventure comedy Jungle Cruise is also making the leap to the service as part of regular subscription fees (after simultaneously launching on the big screen and on digital back in July, but for an extra fee for the latter). And, so is new Michael Keaton-starring drama Dopesick, with the TV series exploring prescription drugs, Big Pharma and opioid addiction in America. The Mouse House is also going big on existing fan favourites, thanks to the Frozen-related Olaf Presents, new short The Simpsons in Plusaversary, the first episodes from the second season of The World According to Jeff Goldblum, and Star Wars-centric Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett special. Plus, you can check out two Marvel specials about the making of Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings and Hawkeye's best MCU moments — although Hawkeye, the show, doesn't actually premiere until Wednesday, November 24. And, there's also The Making of Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, which follows on from the platform's Billie Eilish concert experience — as well as the Disney+ debut of the 2007 Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey-starring fantasy rom-com Enchanted. Disney+'s $1.99 subscription deal is available until 6.59pm AEDT on Monday, November 15 for new and eligible returning subscribers. For more information, head to the streaming platform's website.
In what might be the bravest marketing move of the decade, ice cream manufacturers Ben and Jerry's are rumoured to be creating a new flavour called 'Schweddy Balls' based on an incredibly popular Saturday Night Live skit from 1998 involving Alec Baldwin. In an interview last night former SNL cast member Anna Gasteyer said of the Schwetty Balls skit "It has this crazy, massive popularity that's kind have had a half life since I left the show. Ben and Jerry's is coming out with a Schwetty Balls ice cream for Christmas this year." Bowery Bogey claims this delicious dish will be available to consumers as soon as September. A Ben and Jerry's representative has refused to either confirm or deny the sweaty speculations, instead choosing to say "we like all our new flavours to have an element of surprise." Surprise indeed, one can only imagine what constitutes a Schweddy Balls flavour. And while this all might seem too be good to be true, it wouldn't be the first time that Ben and Jerry's have released a pop culture inspired flavour. Previous flavours include Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream, Cherry Garcia, in honour of Grateful Dead singer Jerry Garcia, and Yes Pecan in honour of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential victory. https://youtube.com/watch?v=yVChao15oDw [Via Gothamist]
There are plenty of ways to see out one year and welcome in the next. There are plenty of music festivals that offer that experience, too. But Woodford Folk Festival truly is an event like no other. When it sets up shop in southeast Queensland, it turns a patch of the Moreton Bay region into a thriving and heaving arts, music and culture village — and it's finally back to do it all again to farewell 2022 and greet 2023. Back in May, the festival announced that it would indeed return this year, hosting its first fest since 2019. And, it revealed its dates: Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Sunday, January 1, 2023. Now, it has also just locked in who'll be in the bill. It's an enormous lineup, as it always is — but it starts with Boy and Bear, Jaguar Jonze, Dani Im, John Butler and Electric Fields. Also on the program: The Black Seeds, The Black Sorrows, Gabriella Cohen, Spinifex Gum and Urthboy. Given that there's always around 2000 artists putting on 1600-plus shows across the festival's 25 stages, in venues that range from a 25,000-seat amphitheatre to chilled-out hangout spots, the list truly does go on. Whoever piques your interest, or even if you're just keen on a Woodford experience — for the first time, tenth or more — prepare to catch a heap of bands, wander between arts performances and get a little muddy, all around 90 minutes north of Brisbane. The festival will once again take over its Woodfordia parklands base, which now boasts a lake. And, as always, the fest's lineup spans everything from music, art, circus and cabaret to yoga, dance and comedy, plus spoken word, comedy, workshops, bars, cafes and restaurants. Tickets are already on sale, whether you'll be slumbering at one of the fest's multiple campgrounds or just heading along for the day. Whichever fits, you'll have company — more than 120,000 people attended and participated each year in pre-pandemic times. Find highlights from the 2022–23 lineup below, and check out the full list of acts and activities on the Woodford website. WOODFORD 2022–23 LINEUP HIGHLIGHTS: Alysha Brilla Andrew Small Anna Smyrk Ashley Watkins Band of Frequencies The Black Seeds The Black Sorrows Boy & Bear Catherine Britt Coterie Dami Im Dya Singh Electric Fields Electrik Lemonade Emma Donovan & The Putbacks Emily Lubitz Eric Bogle Fred Smith Gabriella Cohen Grace Petrie with Ben Moss Greg Sheehan Hello Tut Tut Hollow Coves Hot Potato Band Inn Echo Jacob Jolliff Band Jaguar Jonze The Jellyman's Daughter John Butler Keyim Ba Lior & Domini Liz Stringer Mama Kin Spender Marlon x Rulla Mia Wray The Monks of Tibet The Moving Stills Neil Murray Parvyn The Paul McKenna Band Rachel Bailman Rich Davies & The Low Road Sorong Samarai The Spooky Men's Chorale Spinifex Gum The Steele Syndicate Super Massive Tenzin Choegyal William Barton Urthboy Yirrmal The 2022–23 Woodford Folk Festival will run from Tuesday, December 27, 2022–Sunday, January 1, 2023 at Woodfordia on the Sunshine Coast. For more information, head to woodfordfolkfestival.com Images: Woodford Folk Festival via Flickr.
If the impending winter chill has you dreaming of cosy nights spent quaffing drams of whisky, there's a new Melbourne-made creation that deserves a spot in your spirits collection. The team at the city's own Starward Whisky has just unveiled the latest edition of its Ginger Beer Cask series — and this spicy little number promises to keep those winter blues at bay. The sixth annual iteration of Starward's ginger-based program is its most experimental yet — French and American oak barrels were used to brew a citrus-filled ginger beer, which was then left to soak up maximum flavour. Next, the casks were emptied and then refilled with a blend of apera (a fortified wine) and single-malt whisky that had been previously aged in red wine barrels. The result is a boldly-flavoured ginger-forward drop with aromas of orange and dark chocolate, and a juicy taste full of vanilla and pineapple accents. Starward's experts say you can try the whisky any way you please, but they particularly recommend sipping it straight, perhaps alongside some good-quality dark chocolate. Either way, it's safe to say you can expect a very good drop — the last Ginger Beer Cask edition took out a gold medal at the World Whisky Masters, as well as a bronze at the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition. The special-edition spirit is always quick to sell out, and this year's release is pegged to be no different. In fact, after five increasingly popular runs, Starward is this year using a ballot system to determine who gets first dibs on buying the limited number of bottles available. To be in with a shot, register online before Sunday, May 9. Any remaining bottles will then be available to the general public for purchase on World Whisky Day on Saturday, May 15. And if you'd like to try before you buy, it'll be on the tasting roster at Starward's Port Melbourne distillery bar for a limited time. To get first access to Starward's Ginger Beer Cask #6, register for the ballot online by Sunday, May 9. Ballot holders will then get a few days to purchase a bottle, before any remaining stock goes on sale to the general public on Saturday, May 15. A 500-millilitre bottle will set you back $119, and will be available via the distillery's online store or at its Port Melbourne distillery shop.
MELT doesn't just celebrate diversity on the stage or on its walls — it also showcases all things queer in the gaming space, too. Welcome to Gayming, where inclusivity isn't literally the name of any of the titles on offer, but it's definitely the celebratory event's underlying motto. For five hours from 2pm on Saturday, June 29, attendees will play games made by queer developers, talk to them about their work and trial in-progress games, all across both tabletop and digital platforms. It's the biggest get-together of its kind in the country, and will feature chats, panels, interactivity and plenty of mashing buttons, rolling dice, roleplaying and even designing your own characters.
New York's Museum of Modern Art isn't the only major international gallery to bring its wares to our shores this year, with an exhibition from London's Tate Britain gallery heading to Australia from December. Entitled Love & Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate and displaying from December 14, 2018 until April 28, 2019, it'll bring more than 40 of the Tate's beloved works to the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, in an exhibition that'll focus on the artistic movement that started in 1848. Iconic pieces such as John Everett Millais' Ophelia and John William Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott will be making the journey as part of the showcase. Part ode to early Renaissance efforts, part protest against the prevailing creative traditions of the mid-19th century, pre-Raphaelite art was sparked by a group of rebellious artists eager to create something different to the art of the time — and their preferred style, featuring detailed, colourful compositions painted in thin layers with small brushes, certainly managed that. In addition to the pieces from the Tate, the exhibition will also feature an additional 40 works loaned from other British and Australian collections. Each will help highlight the themes of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, examine the different styles adopted by the various artists adhering to its principles, stress the importance of draughtsmanship and emphasise the movement's fondness for collaboration. "This exhibition includes some of the most loved and visited paintings at Tate — some of which have never before been seen in Australia," said NGA director Nick Mitzevich. Love & Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate will be the NGA's major summer exhibition, although it's not the gallery's only new addition come the end of the year, with Yayoi Kusama's pumpkin-filled infinity room The Spirits of the Pumpkins Descended into the Heavens set to join its permanent collection in December. Images: John Everett Millais, Ophelia 1851-2. Oil paint on canvas. Tate collection presented by Sir Henry Tate 1894. © Tate. / John William Waterhouse, The Lady of Shalott 1888. Oil on canvas. Tate. © Tate.
