Nineties kids, Disney fans and everyone who's ever cried over a lion cub that just couldn't wait to be king, it's time to climb onto a rock and yell your lungs out. The circle of life has struck again, and The Lion King is back. It's in live-action form this time around, and the second teaser trailer for the new movie has just dropped. You can watch it here courtesy of Beyoncé. Yes, Beyoncé is in the new Lion King. Releasing in mid-2019, the film will once again tell the tale of Simba, who's set to take over the pride from his father Mufasa, only for his malicious uncle Scar to get in the way. You know where it goes from there — and you'll be hearing the voices of Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as his childhood pal Nala, and James Earl Jones as his dad. Yes, the latter is reprising his role from the original film. Other big names attached include Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, John Oliver as Zazu, and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa. Elton John is back working on the soundtrack with Tim Rice, as they both did on the first film. They'll reportedly have some help from Beyoncé, naturally, while The Jungle Book's Jon Favreau is in the director's chair for the entire production. If you're anxious about how it might turn out, it's worth taking Timon and Pumbaa's advice at this early stage — although this initial look should help get rid of your worries for the rest of your days. The Lion King hits Australian cinemas on July 18, 2019. We'll share the full-length trailer when it hits the internet.
Entertaining takes a particular skill. Managing all the moving pieces for an evolving group of people, catering to all tastes and keeping everything running smoothly can be difficult even for hardcore party people. If you get it right, you've pulled together a great evening for your guests. Get it wrong, and it can be messy. You might screw up a key ingredient in dessert, three people might turn up with potato salad or you could forget that one friend who is going veg-o this month. We're not all made for it, and that's okay. What if we told you there's a way to have that winning success and have most of the work done for you? That's where Woodford Reserve comes in. This bourbon has been making waves and memories the world over since 1996. Now it's ready to bring the gold entertaining standard to your home on a mission to revolutionise the at-home cocktail party. We've teamed up with Woodford Reserve to offer one lucky winner the Woodford Reserve Whiskey Wagon, a complete evening of high-end whiskey tasting at home, paid for and stocked by Woodford Reserve. The prize includes a four-hour session for up to 40 people, with two professional bartenders preparing and pouring classic old fashioned cocktails, bourbon and sodas, lighter summery cocktails plus canapés to match, as long as the wagon can be parked on private property, you're eligible to win. Ten lucky runner-ups will receive a bottle of Woodford Reserve and a premium cocktail kit to craft the drink however they like. To enter this luxurious giveaway, all you need to do is fill out the form below before Monday, November 6. [competition]916881[/competition]
A coffee roaster opening its own cafe is the caffeinated equivalent of a beloved movie or TV character scoring their own spinoff. This version sparks a different kind of buzz, though. Australian favourite Single O is no stranger to slinging its own brews, thanks to cafes in both Sydney and Tokyo — but finally launching in Brisbane is a new and welcome leap. If you're a fan of the 20-year-old brand, then you might be familiar with its self-serve tap system in its cafes elsewhere. In more excellent news, that's now in place in the River City as well. Single O is currently pouring — and getting customers to — on Austin Street in Newstead, where it opened at the end of August. Since 2019, coffee lovers nabbing their caffeinated brews from Single O's Surry Hills cafe in Sydney have been getting their cuppas themselves — basically, it's the coffee you make when you're not actually making the coffee — which Brisbanites can also enjoy at the first coffee-on-tap setup in the Sunshine State. The filter brews on offer will rotate through single-origin batch options. Crucially, Single O's beloved oat iced latte has earned the tap treatment, too. Also among the standout sips made on La Marzocco machines, then drunk from Malcolm Greenwood's ceramic cups: Single O's Reservoir signature blend for espresso fiends, which customers can pair with either dairy or plant milks. With local gelato makers Allora Black, the roaster has also brought its Affogato Project to town. The Brisbane version starts with coffee-infused-gelato — favouring Kenyan and Costa Rican beans — then pours on a shot of the same brew. Teaming up with Newmarket's Allora Black is just one of Single O's local collaborations. Working with Agnes Bakery is another, in an excellent development for pastry fiends. Plates come from Noosa's Kim Wallace Ceramics, while Brisbane-born artist Gemma O'Brien has given the Austin Street spot its bespoke artwork, including her first-ever hometown large-scale mural. For bites to pair with your caffeine fix, Single O owner Dion Cohen has tapped into nostalgia. Sandwiches and toasties might sound rather standard, but Cohen has taken cues from his time spent as the chef at Single O's OG location in 2003. From Surry Hills, banana bread with espresso butter makes the jump north, as has the brunch favourite that is the Avo Show (yes, it's avocado on toast, but Single O's eye-catching version). While you're eating and drinking, you'll be sat in space that heroes eco-conscious practices both in making its coffee and in decking out its cafes. Design-wise, think: raw materials aplenty, and Defy Design whipping up bar tops and stools made from recycled plastic. The venue is also Single O's new distribution and training facility for its wholesalers, aka the places you've been drinking its coffee at before now.
Ever since Freddie Mercury teamed up with Brian May and company back in the 70s, Queen has never been out of fashion. Thanks to Bohemian Rhapsody, however, the band has been roaring up the charts again. You could call it a kind of magic. You could say that their songs must go on. Either way, if you're happy to let the British group keep rocking you — and you need something to fill the void until the remaining band members tour Australia next year — then head along to The Brightside on Friday, May 3. Been feeling a crazy little thing called love for Freddie and his bandmates? Then you'll be in the right spot. And if your approach to the group's music is "I want it all!", that's what you'll hear at Mamma Mia — Let Me Go. And well as ABBA songs, too, because why not? Actually, there's still more to this story. With Elton John getting a 70s-set biopic, as aptly called Rocketman, Brisbanites will be able to feel the love, make sure they're still standing and prove that Saturday nights are all right as well. Yep, it's a good ol' fashioned ABBA vs Queen vs Elton John showdown. The one-night event will break free from 9pm, so get ready to unleash your inner dancing queen, thank everyone for the music and hold someone closer, tiny dancer. Here we go again, indeed. If you're wondering how much money, money, money it'll set all you wannabe rocket men (and women) back, tickets cost $13.98 — and buying in advance is recommended, because it's likely to sell out. Because it's a hard life even when you're doing the crocodile rock, DJs will spin tunes from all three acts, and you and your fellow champions, super troupers and candles in the wind will take a chance on dancing and singing along. You'll be able to say 'gimme, gimme, gimme' to other tracks from huge artists of the 70s and 80s, too. Basically, prepare to step back in time — and if you miss out, you'll feel a little under pressure.
Christmas can often be a crazy time, and we can't think of anything worse than running around a shopping centre trying to sort out gifts. We all know the drill, and it's carnage, to say the least. Amazon is our go-to for simple gift ideas that you can pre-order from the comfort of your home, which means avoiding the carnage and taking your time to choose the right gifts. To get you started, we have ten gift ideas you can buy from Amazon right now. Whether you're buying for your impossible-to-buy-for teenage cousin, skin-care-obsessed auntie or for the kids in your life, we've got you covered. 1. Ottolenghi SIMPLE Perfect for any aspiring chef or summer entertainer — it's nearly guaranteed that everyone will love Ottolenghi SIMPLE, a cookbook and a great gift idea for someone you don't know too well or someone hard to buy for. The book features 130 of chef Yotam Ottolenghi's award-winning recipes that are easy enough to cook at home but turn out restaurant-quality (if cooked correctly). Better, if you're invited to a dinner party by whoever you gift the book to, you know you'll be in for a treat. 2. Ultimate Ears Boom 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker Another easy gift idea that most people would be stoked to receive, the Ultimate Ears Boom 3 Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a great summer gift item, since it's completely waterproof that also floats. Who knows? Maybe you'll get to reap the benefits of this gift at some stage. It also comes in seven different colours, so you can find a good match for whoever you're buying for. You can thank us later. 3. Cocktail Set The silly season is the perfect time to drink cocktails at home or to host parties (obviously with a cocktail bar), hands down. And gifting this sleek, stainless steel cocktail set for Christmas may be the perfect timing. The set includes pourers, a strainer, a muddling stick, two Boston shakers and two bartender spoons. A great gift idea for any aspiring mixologists out there, whether they're a beginner or pro. 4. Crocs Jibbitz Shoe Charms If you haven't heard of Jibbitz, you've clearly managed to steer clear of the front page of social media. A trend that no one saw coming, having a few extra charms on your Crocs is now actually, well, elite. Great for kids or adults who love rocking their Crocs, Jibbitz is an easy way to personalise the classic shoes, with a variety of charms that pop into your shoes' holes, instantly making Crocs even cooler. 5. The Ordinary Skincare It seems that everyone is in their self-care era at the moment, which means skincare is a top priority. Gifting a friend or loved one with The Ordinary The Daily Set is bound to be a practical gift that actually gets used. The set includes three gentle and hydrating formulas suitable for all skin types across all seasons for daily use, including The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid with B5 and The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA. 6. LEGO® One of Amazon's top picks when it comes to gift ideas, the LEGO® Creator flatbed truck with a helicopter, fuel vehicle, hot rod SUV and car toys is one of the best simple gift ideas for kids, as well as big kids. LEGO® Creator 3 in 1 sets give the giftee a choice as well, since the pieces can be used to assemble three different sets. Timeless, ageless, genderless and always entertaining, you really can't go wrong with LEGO® as a gift. 7. Noise Cancelling Earbuds If you ask us, noise-cancelling earbuds are no longer a luxury but an essential. If you're trying to find a Christmas gift for your friend who is always travelling or listening to tunes, or you noticed a mate with ancient corded headphones, then the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds may be the way to go. They feature technology that analyses each ear and adapts sound so that the active noise-cancelling earbuds are custom-tailored, plus they come with nine soft ear tips and stability bands for ultimate comfort. 8. Mortar and Pestle Sometimes, the best gift is a simple one. Enter the granite Mortar and Pestle. There's no kitchen tool simpler than this. Made from solid granite, this kitchen staple is great for crushing herbs, spices, garlic, basil and whatever else you so desire. It's a great gift for those in your life who love cooking. And, if it turns out they don't like cooking, then it also makes for an aesthetic piece of decor on the kitchen bench, So it's a win-win. 9. Minecraft Board Game If we could place a bet on whether the kids in your life play Minecraft, we would confidently put money on it being a yes. They can't get enough, and gifting them with anything Minecraft-related is sure to be a hit. This Minecraft Board Game from Ravensburger is an easy-to-learn strategy board game where players explore the Overworld, mine resources, build structures, collect weapons and fight mobs. Perfect for Minecraft lovers, it's also fun even if you have never played Minecraft. 10. Fitness Tracker Do you have any fitness freaks in your friendship circle? Or maybe your old man is looking to get back in shape? Look no further than the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Health & Fitness Tracker. This sleek little thing helps you track workouts and health metrics with over 150 sports modes, continuous heart rate monitoring, SpO2 measurement, and sleep analysis. It also looks cool and comes in a range of different colours. Images: Supplied by Amazon. Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links, Concrete Playground may earn a commission when you make a purchase through links on our site.
Star Wars fans, prepare to punch it on down to Sydney's Powerhouse Museum in November — and prepare to come face to face with 200 original objects from the popular sci-fi franchise at Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition. You might have to wait more than 12 months until Star Wars: Episode IX reaches cinemas late next year, but you can spend your days from November 16, 2018 until June 10, 2019 perusing the items that helped make space opera movie magic happen. Coming to Australia for the first time, that includes costumes, props, models and artworks from the Lucasfilm archives, complete with a galaxy's worth of favourites — think BB-8, R2-D2 and the Millennium Falcon just for starters. Get a glimpse of Yoda, you will, circa Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back. You'll also feel the power-hungry menace radiate from Darth Vader's suit from Star Wars: Episode VII — Return of the Jedi. Star Wars Identities is also an interactive exhibition, with creating your own unique character also part of the experience. If you've ever felt as though you should be hanging out in a cantina somewhere on a remote planet, here's your chance to answer a heap of questions, work through a series of stations and find your inner Star Wars hero. You won't need to use the force — rather, you'll receive a smart technology bracelet and a headset to use while you're in the exhibition (but if you want to say that you're using the force or even want to give midi-chlorians some credit, no one will stop you). The Powerhouse Museum is no stranger to Star Wars shenanigans, having hosted a weekend's worth of May the Fourth fun earlier this year. For those already planning their costumes for this 90-minute experience, you're welcome to attend as Han Solo, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker or whichever other character you'd like — but helmets and masks will need to be left in the cloak room, and you'll also need to leave your lightsabers at home.
In very English news, everyone's favourite well-mannered witch (sorry Sabrina) Hermione/Emma Watson, has been covertly distributing books on the London Underground. Watson has been sneaking around under the city, like the most conspicuous rat in the world, hiding copies of Maya Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom as part of her feminist book club initiative Shared Shelf. While we dig Watson's initiative and the feminist slant of her book drop, the concept isn't exactly original. She dropped the copies of the book — which is this month's pick for her online book club — on the Tube (complete with personal notes inside them because she's an angel) as part of Books on the Underground, who have been dropping books all over the shop for years. Closer to home, Books on the Rail started a book ninja empire in Melbourne that has rapidly been expanding across the country. Founders Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus have been coordinating their book ninja operation since April of this year. It's a simple concept – BotR distributes hundreds of books on Melbourne public transport. You know their work by the sticker on the front, encouraging you to read, enjoy and return the book. They started the project by giving away their own books and op-shop finds and now get regular deliveries from authors and publishers. The project is fuelled by the sustainable energy of social media, with commuters sharing and reviewing their reads under the hashtag #booksontherail. BotR is also gaining steam in Brisbane and Sydney. They've even recently organised a book club to take place on a Melbourne train. Early reviews dub it 'peak Melbourne'. Via BBC. Image: Emma Watson via Instagram.
If you're anything like us, you buy a lot of coffee, and odds are that means you burn through a lot of takeaway cups. But what you might not realise is that those cups contain a plastic liner that means they cannot be recycled. It's for this reason that the City of Sydney is throwing its weight behind a BYO coffee cup campaign – and a ton of local cafes are already on board. The aim of Responsible Cafes is to get cafes and customers to ditch takeaway coffee for good. "There are now over 2,500 cafes across Australia offering a discount to people with a BYO coffee cup," said founder Justin Bonsey. "It's great for our pocketbooks, great for cafes to bring in new customers and great for the planet." Cafes keen to get on board can sign up via the Responsible Cafes website. In return, they'll be added to a searchable map that, according to Bonesey, is visited by over 1 million people every year. Among the cafes that have already signed up include About Life Bondi Junction and Surry Hills, Darlinghurst's Infinity Bakery and The Royal, Surry Hill's BangBang Espresso and Soul Origin locations across the CBD and suburbs. The campaign will receive an injection of government funding via the City of Sydney's latest round of knowledge exchange sponsorships. "In our area alone, 100 million takeaway coffee cups end up in landfill every year – and each one takes around 50 years to decompose," said Lord Mayor Clover Moore. "Responsible Cafes connects and promotes cafes that encourage customers to refuse takeaway cups for good, and they're aiming to recruit another 100 new city cafes." It's not the first step that the City of Sydney has taken to address the issue. Last year they gave a $17,500 grant to Closed Loop, who installed standalone bins for coffee cups in office buildings in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. And it's also not the only bit of good environmental news we've gotten recently. Just last week, supermarket chains Coles, Woolworths and Harris Farms all pledged to stop using single use plastic bags as of 2018. Keep it up, Australia.
UPDATE, December 22, 2021: Annette is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Dreamy and dazzling from its first moments, rock opera Annette bursts onto the screen with a simple question: "so may we start?". As the opening credits roll, the long-awaited latest film from Holy Motors director Leos Carax addresses its audience before it poses that query — via an unseen announcer who tells viewers "you are now kindly requested to keep silent, and to hold your breath until the end of the show" — but the movie doesn't begin to truly kick into gear until the filmmaker himself asks if things can get going. Images of a recording studio flicker, with Carax on one side of the glass and Ron and Russell Mael, of art-pop duo Sparks, on the other. Carax tells his real-life daughter Nastya that the fun is about to commence, and the Mael brothers start singing and playing keyboard, with a band around them. Soon, however, everyone is on their feet and spilling out into the street, with the feature's stars Adam Driver (Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker), Marion Cotillard (We'll End Up Together) and Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) joining them in the glorious, song-fuelled, sing-and-walk scene. No one is playing a character here yet, but they're all still playing a part. They're finally coming together for the big spectacle that is this eagerly anticipated film — which has been in the works since 2016 — and they're setting the vibe in a bold and sensational way. The tune is pure Sparks, with the pair both composing the movie's music and writing the feature itself with Carax. The tone bubbles with the pair's avant-garde sensibilities, too, and the whole song echoes with the promise of remarkable things to come. Grand and resonant despite its low-key staging and setting, Annette's memorable opening number ends with the Maels, Carax and his daughter, and some of the film's supporting cast members farewelling the feature's two protagonists — with Driver and Cotillard putting on clothing their characters will favour during the rest of the movie during the track. "Bye Henry," the crowd exclaims as the standup comic played by Driver zips off on a motorcycle. "Bye Ann," they chirp at the opera star played by Cotillard as she's chauffeured off in a black SUV. The audience is sent tumbling through the looking glass now, and diving in deep. Nine years ago, Carax gave the world a once-in-a-lifetime gem. Annette is a different film to Holy Motors, obviously, but it gleams just as brightly and with the same beguiling, inimitable, all-encompassing allure. There's an ethereal, otherworldly quality to Carax's work — of heightening reality to truly understand how people feel and act, and of experimenting with artforms to interrogate them — and that sensation seeps through every second of his gleefully melodramatic musical, which deservedly won him the Cannes Film Festival's Best Director award. Everything about Annette has been turned up several notches on every setting, from its lush and lavish imagery to its cascade of toe-tapping, sung-through tunes that keep propelling the narrative forward. Every character detail, both external and internalised, has been amplified as well. This is a movie where Driver's Henry wears the same shade of green over and over like a uniform, beaming his envy at every turn. It's a film where sex scenes involve singing, as though they're the only way these characters can really convey their innermost emotions. And, it's a feature where the titular character — the baby born of Henry McHenry and Ann Defrasnoux's mismatched but passionate and all-consuming love — is played by a marionette. This is a tragedy and a fairy tale, in other words, because life so often veers between elements of both. Henry and Ann "love each other so much", as another of Annette's catchy tunes intones repeatedly, but it's apparent from the outset that their chalk-and-cheese affair has its struggles. Early on, the film contrasts their on-stage antics to quickly but effectively express their dissimilarities. In a show called The Ape of God, Henry broods over the microphone as he struts and shakes in nothing but underwear and a bathrobe, and opines about how he loves killing his audiences with his brutal and brusque comedy. He talks about how Ann is always dying in her operas, with cuts to her sweet soprano singing and heartbreaking death scenes underscoring his point. These juxtapositions keep simmering as the paparazzi charts the couple's romance, and as Ann's pregnancy brings Annette into their lives. The girl has an astonishing gift, but her presence can't save the movie's star-crossed lovers — or moonlit paramours, to be more accurate — from continuing to weather stormy seas. The Maels and Carax haven't held back in almost every facet of the feature; that aforementioned delight of an opening number is perhaps the most restrained thing they splash across the screen. The story sprawls, the lively and clever songs keep coming, and this intricately, overtly stylised affair pushes wave after wave of hypnotic imagery, mesmerising music and heated, near-Shakespearean relationship dramas into its frames. Expectedly and welcomely given the melding of creative minds behind it, it's a movie filled with idiosyncrasies and eccentricities. It's so very Carax, as fans of the director's back catalogue will instantly spot. It's so very Sparks as well, which is evident even if you're new to the duo despite their five-decade-plus career, or if you've only just discovered them via stellar documentary The Sparks Brothers. It's "so much" just like Henry and Ann's love, and it adores it — and it happily and vibrantly melds elements of cinema, gigs, opera and live performance, all while weaving in everything from commentary about celebrity culture and stints of singing cunnilingus, and also knowing that it's constantly toeing the line between oh-so-exaggerated and oh-so-heartfelt. Annette is also long, and both looping and sometimes a little loopy. It satirises, unpacks and embraces, and it loves being multiple paradoxes at once. It thrusts forward with its own pull — but once you're caught in the thrall of its exuberance, playfulness, overwhelming emotions and surreal touches, you're as subject to its whims as Henry and Ann. Inhabiting those parts, Driver and Cotillard commit to the ride. The former visibly cycles between resembling both Ron and Russell Mael in one of the film's devilishly joyous small flourishes, and bustles through the movie like a force of nature. The latter always feels like her co-star's delicate counterweight, while also ensuring that Ann's light, grace and yearning shine through. Their strings are being pulled masterfully by Carax and Sparks, as are viewers' — and yes, we want them to start, and then to never stop.
It's the ice cream mix-in you'd more than happily eat by itself, even if your mum would never let you whenever she was baking. And, it's now the main thing on the menu at Fortitude Valley's new hole-in-the-wall, which is dedicated to the gooey goodness that is cookie dough. At DoughLord, patrons won't have to enjoy their uncooked bikkies in scoops of creamy, frosty dessert, although you can if you'd like. If you're just eager to gorge on a cup full of the tasty stuff by itself, that's the number one attraction. And, unlike the mixture you make at home — or that comes in store-bought cookie packages — there's no eggs included among the ingredients, which means its safe to devour. As well as serving up a storm of different flavours from Brunswick Street since December 18, DoughLord's deliciousness is also available via UberEATS, in case you're keen for the sweet treat but can't be bothered leaving the house. Varieties and specials change regularly, but expect chocolate chip, salted caramel and peanut butter brownie, among others — all with optional toppings, and with milkshakes also on offer to wash it all down. Find DoughLord at 364 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. Head to their website and Facebook page for further details.
Since exploding onto the music scene with an unorthodox mix of hazy acoustics and glitch electronics, Baths have been embraced by some of the most well-respected members of the music press community. Now twenty-one, Baths aka Will Wiesenfold, has been creating music since he was four, and incorporates everything from the normality of guitars and bass to unexpected clanks of scissors, pens and rustling blankets into his incredible and astonishing sound. More than just a DJ twiddling knobs and double-clicking ready made samples, the chill-wave maestro has been compared to South Carolina’s Toro Y Moi and saw his debut 2010 album, Cerulean have tracks featured on MTV’s Skins. Baths will be supported by the deep, beat-driven oceanscope that is the catchy and slippery, Fishing.
Let's go party, indeed: Barbie is here, filling Australian cinemas with pink-hued cheer, and slaying both the patriarchy and the Australian box office. Greta Gerwig's Margot Robbie-starring take on the famous doll packed picture palaces not just with every shade of not-quite-red it could, but with people, breaking a Malibu DreamHouse worth records in the process. If you noticed plenty of fellow filmgoers watching this trip to Barbie Land, then Los Angeles, then back with you last weekend, that was the experience mirrored around the country. In fact, Barbie notched up the biggest opening at the Australian box office for 2023 so far, raking in $21.5 million including preview screenings. The stats keep coming, but the best is truly historic: Barbie enjoyed the biggest opening weekend for a film directed by a female filmmaker. It earned that same huge opening weekend title for films with any of Robbie, Gerwig and Ryan Gosling (The Gray Man) involved. Now that's some Kenergy. Also, Barbie helped smash even more records as part of the double feature of 2023: Barbenheimer. Thanks to both Barbie and Christopher Nolan's vastly dissimilar atomic-bomb thriller Oppenheimer, the Aussie box office saw its biggest-ever Saturday and Sunday takings. On Saturday, July 22, $11.1 million spent bested the $10.3 million recorded in April 2019 when Avengers: Endgame released. On Sunday, July 23, the $10.5 million gross topped the $9.96 million taken in December 2105 — on the Boxing Day public holiday on December 27, in fact — as fuelled by Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens, plus Boxing Day releases. Specific cinemas also broke past records. At Sydney's Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, the independent theatre scored its highest-grossing weekend in its 88-year history. Oppenheimer in 70mm notched up the cinema's highest-grossing opening ever, while Barbie now sits second in that same category. At Melbourne's Cinema Nova, the also-independent cinema looks set to earn its biggest box-office week of all time. If it does, it'll break the record set in January 2020, when Gerwig's Little Women was playing alongside films like Jojo Rabbit and Parasite. Barbie also took the opening-week record from Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel, and might become the first film by a female filmmaker to hit the venue's top ten of all time list. As for Oppenheimer, it's in the top ten biggest opening weekends. It shouldn't be lost on anyone that Barbie and Oppenheimer's successes mean that two movies that aren't part of long-running franchises have audiences flocking in. Neither film comes in as the fifth or 11th or 17th or 31st entries in a long-running saga, and don't we all know and love it. Here's the big takeaway: more of that please, especially given that oh-so-much of what reaches the silver screen is a sequel, prequel or chapter in a sprawling universe these days. Check out the trailers for Barbie and Oppenheimer below: Barbie is showing in Australian cinemas now. Read our review. Oppenheimer is also showing in Australian cinemas now. Read our review, too.
How much do we all love dessert? Let us count the ways. If you have a sweet tooth, you obviously adore tucking into everything from ice cream and chocolate to doughnuts and cakes. Being mighty fond of food festivals dedicated to such indulgent treats also comes naturally. And, over the past few years, you've likely become enamoured with supremely photogenic pop-up installations dedicated to candy and its many dessert siblings — getting a sugar rush one snap and Instagram post at a time, clearly. Brisbane has already welcomed in Sugar Republic's eye-catching spaces more than once, so it's time to kickstart your cravings at a different dessert-themed pop-up: The Chocolate Factory. This one hails from the folks that recently brought a walk-through version of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescos to town, and it's making its first Australian stop at Toombul Shopping Centre from Thursday, February 17. If your name is Charlie — or Augustus, Veruca, Violet or Mike, or even Willy — you're basically destined to spend time in the space. Everyone else can live out their Charlie and the Chocolate Factory dreams as well, of course, although this is primarily a feast for the eyes (and it has nothing officially to do with that beloved book or the films it has spawned). Here you'll find a gingerbread town, cupcake room, bubblegum room and marshmallow world within the broader chocolate factory setup. Expect the walls to be decked out like they're made out of something that Hansel and Gretel would love, sprinkles and icing to be a big design feature, pillow shapes aplenty — and a ballpit, because that's always a part of these installations. The Chocolate Factory will also task you with earning ingredients in each room to play games, provide plenty of spots to take those pics (of course) and let you bounce on a cupcake-shaped trampoline. If you just know that being surrounded by all that dessert-themed decor will make you hungry, you'll need to settle for vending-machine sweet treats (and sips as well, if you work up a thirst). Given that it's nestling into a shopping centre, you'll have other culinary options afterwards, however. Unsurprisingly, it's an all-ages affair, so expect to have company from candy-lovers both young and young at heart. The Chocolate Factory will setup shop at Toombul Shopping Centre, 1015 Sandgate Road, Nundah, from Thursday, February 17. Tickets are on sale now for sessions from 2–8pm on Thursdays and Fridays, 10.30am–8pm on Saturdays and 10.30am–5pm on Sundays, through until Sunday, March 20, with entry costing $30 for adults for a 45–60 minute visit.
Roll up, roll up to Cirque du Soleil's big top, with the acclaimed circus company heading back to Brisbane with its newest show. Called KURIOS: Cabinet of Curiosities, this acrobatic extravaganza steps inside a fantasy world in the latter half of the 19th century. If you think that normal Cirque du Soleil performances test your perception of reality, then you won't be disappointed — not quite believing your eyes, using your imagination and peering beyond the expected is part of the story. Specifically, KURIOS delves into the tale of the Seeker, who happens to be in possession of a larger-than-life curio cabinet, and also happens to think a hidden world is lurking inside. After world premiering in Montreal back in 2014, the production has been touring the globe since, and now it's setting up shop at Northshore Hamilton from Friday, January 10, 2020. The show marks Cirque du Soleil's 35th since it was formed in 1984, and features 47 artists from 17 countries. Basically, prepare to stare and drop your jaw as gymnasts, acrobats, contortionists, puppeteers, yo-yo wizards, clowns, actors and musicians do their thing. Performances will take place on Tuesdays–Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 4.30pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 1.30pm and 5.00pm, with the season running through until Sunday, February 9. Tickets for shows until January 26 are on sale now, with tickets for performances between January 29–February 9 going on sale on Monday, August 26 at 10am. Images: D-CORD Costumes: Philippe Guillotel © 2018 Cirque du Soleil Updated August 26.
Everyone has walked into a bar and fallen for the place instantly, imagining themselves whiling away future hours over several drinks within its welcoming confines. That same sensation hit Range Brewing's co-founder Matt McIver when he was looking for a new space to expand the Newstead-based beer business' footprint. "When we found that space in Paddington, it was literally love at first sight," he tells Concrete Playground. McIver is chatting about Patio, his latest venture with his Range pal Gerard Martin after the pair started their brewery back in 2018. Since then, they also set up shop Melbourne in 2020, and just gave their OG Brisbane location its own pizzeria and barrel hall — the latter to host functions and weddings. But this team isn't done growing yet. "Patio is going to be a neighbourhood craft beer, wine and cocktail bar. It's something that we've wanted to do for a little while, which is have more of a suburban presence in Brisbane, and really latch onto another community that we think a space like that will work in," McIver explains. "We've always wanted to have something with space outdoors, because of the climate that we have here in Queensland — and who doesn't love sitting outside on a patio or a deck? We'd always wanted a space like that where people could come and enjoy our beers." The spot in question: Baroona Road in Rosalie, the former suburb-turned-Paddington locality, in the space that Moga Izakaya & Sushi previously called home. When it opens its doors towards the end of May or in early June, Patio will turn the brick building into an Aussie pub-influenced watering hole. And yes, to make the most of the weather, the focus is on al fresco experiences — including in a leafy beer garden. "It's got a beautiful pavilion-style patio, then a smaller full-sun patio outside. And then a space inside that's like an old 1900s Queenslander, which has been architecturally redone upstairs and downstairs to to fit a couple of businesses in," McIver continues. "Outside doesn't actually require too much of an upgrade, but inside was fully gutted, so we've rebuilt our own space in there, and have designed it ourselves." [caption id="attachment_901789" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moga, Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Thanks to Myers Ellyett Architects, patrons can expect both a layout and fitout that pays tribute to the corner bar and the front bar of old pubs, with Melbourne drinking spots an influence. "We're leaning into 80s Australiana vibes with the colours and the styles we've chosen to go with in there, but we really just want it to be a super-comfortable space for people to feel like they're at home, but be out and relaxing having beers — and enjoying a wine or a cocktail," McIver advises. Inside, the venue will feature the bar, cosy booths and window tables, plus burgundy hues and dark oak amid the rustic brick. The mood: warm, welcoming and relaxed, a feeling that is designed to fill the whole place. Range's brews will be pouring through the ten beer taps, naturally, while two others will be devoted to wines that McIver and the team have made with LATTA Vino. More tipples, including wine, spirits and cocktails, will also be available. And, after launching Jacopo's Pizzeria in Newstead, Patio will sling its Roman-style sourdough slices, snacks and sweets. Down the line, there's plans to broaden the menu, too, with a focus on fresh Italian options. Patio is set to open at 2/146 Baroona Road, Paddington at the end of May or beginning of June — we'll update you with further details when they're announced.
Melbourne's bubble tea franchise Gotcha Fresh Tea is rapidly expanding across Australia. Having already opened three stores in Victoria and two in NSW, the chain has launched its first in Brisbane. Located inside Sunnybank Hills' Pinelands Plaza, its eye-catching gold facade and pastel pink hues make it easy to spot among the shopping centre's many other offerings. Gotcha also stands out from the pack thanks to its teas, which are all exclusively grown and hand-picked on the Gotcha plantation in Taiwan — the country where bubble tea originated, mind you. The extensive menu goes deeper than your average bubble tea shop, too. Milk teas come in red bean, bamboo charcoal, taro and durian flavours. Fruit teas come with sliced fresh fruit, including lychee, passionfruit, cumquat and mango. They all range from $5.20–18. There are also teas available with cheese, salted egg or tiramisu foams; a range of 'healthy' collagen teas in bamboo, aloe vera and mulberry flavours; and a menu of macchiatos, lattes, health teas and smoothies to choose from. Of course, you can add pearls and jelly to any and all flavour combinations. Gotcha's expansion is no where near slowing, either, with over 15 stores slated to open in 2019. If you're choosing to go out and support local businesses, have a look at the latest COVID-19 advice and social-distancing guidelines from the Department of Health
After a very successful 2014 Dust Hustle, a day of jubilation for fans of dirt, motorbikes and general tomfoolery, is returning to the Mick Doohan Raceway. This free Northgate event is premised on the simple idea that banged up road bikes are still good for something and that something is a day of bumbling, skidding Wacky Races-esque baboonery on a dirt track to entertain the crowds. Bikes that would never be allowed on the road will proudly race around a dirt track with guaranteed hilarious results. There are other classes too, for vintage and turbo-charged bikes so expect a variety of racing techniques from 'Just trying to place in Moo Moo Farm' to 'If I don’t win Rainbow Road I will drive into space, goddammit'. Parking and entry for spectators is free (free!) and once inside, you’ll find the place decked out with gourmet food trucks. Expert booze wizards from Sydney brewery Young Henrys will be there keeping the beer kegs tapped and flowing. Racing runs from 10am to 4pm, but stick around because there's an afterparty at the track until 9pm. Here's what went down last year: Image: Dollar Photo Club.
As happens every year, more than a few Australian films will reach local screens in 2021. Some have already proven exceptional, others have earned the exact opposite description, and more flicks to come will fall into both camps. But great, average and terrible movies alike, no homegrown title that hits cinemas and/or streaming this year will garner as much attention as Nitram. It's the first Aussie feature to play in the Cannes Film Festival's coveted competition in a decade, it's one of the big local premieres at this year's Melbourne International Film Festival, and it's headed to Australian cinemas and then Stan after that. Read the movie's moniker backwards, however, and you'll see why it has already attracted controversy. Reuniting Snowtown and True Story of the Kelly Gang filmmaker Justin Kurzel with screenwriter Shaun Grant, who penned both movies, Nitram steps through the lead up to the events in Port Arthur 25 years ago. Caleb Landry Jones (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) plays the eponymous figure, who lives with his mother (Judy Davis, The Dressmaker) and father (Anthony LaPaglia, Below), and finds a friend in a reclusive heiress named Helen (Essie Davis, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears). Of course, while the film isn't specifically about the tragedy of April 28 and 29, 1996 — promotional materials stress that it's about the time leading up to those dates — every Australian knows where the story goes from there. Before anyone has seen the feature, Nitram has already sparked debate about whether any film should explore this traumatic chapter of Australia's past. Thanks to their last two collaborations, Kurzel and Grant have an impressive history when it comes to tackling the nation's darker and thornier moments, however — and if Snowtown especially is any guide, the result will be difficult but must-see viewing. From the just-dropped first trailer, too, audiences look set for a haunting movie. In response to the conversation already surrounding the film, the filmmakers have advised that "Nitram was written as a response to the proliferation of regular mass shootings across the world and is an exploration of the issues and events that led to this atrocity, rather than a re-enactment of it, to bring the gun control debate to the fore and to try to ensure history does not repeat itself." Check out the trailer below: Nitram will have its Australian premiere at the 2021 Melbourne International Film Festival, and will release in local cinemas afterwards — and stream via Stan — with exact dates yet to be announced.
UPDATE, September 24, 2020: True History of the Kelly Gang is available to stream via Stan. Parched bushland. Roaring flames. Irate Australians rebelling against the status quo. It's a tragic coincidence rather than a case of making a purposeful statement, but True History of the Kelly Gang's bold, blazing imagery is timelier than director Justin Kurzel could've ever dreamed. It fits, though. It fits perfectly. Adapting Peter Carey's Booker Prize-winning novel via a sharp script by Kurzel's Snowtown screenwriter Shaun Grant, this a work of agitation. Made for a world where 'such is life' tattoos commit Ned Kelly's purported last words to slabs of Aussie flesh, this gritty, galvanising film sets fire to Australia's national identity and stares at the ashes of the country's troubled history — all by re-interrogating a man inescapably engrained in our iconography over the past century and a half. Australia came of age in thrall to Kelly, with the notorious bushranger's Robin Hood-esque story known by everyone. Accordingly, True History of the Kelly Gang needn't wonder what type of nation evolves as a result, because that's the Australia that we already live in. But what has the country mythologised about Kelly, and why — and what does that say about us today? They're questions that Kurzel, Grant and a first-rate cast led by soaring British talent George MacKay (1917) all ponder. Carey's literary work doesn't just excavate the past but toys and tinkers with it, mixing reality and fiction to mirror the present — a task that this wild and daring feature eagerly continues. "Nothing you are about to see is true," True History of the Kelly Gang announces at the outset. Reflecting the film's irreverent, impudent vibe, that's not strictly accurate. But the opening statement sets a playful mood and smashes any expectations of historical accuracy — because, here, anything can happen. So it is that Kurzel begins by peering through a letterbox-style slit in corrugated iron, as pre-teen Ned (excellent newcomer Orlando Schwerdt) watches his mother Ellen (Essie Davis) pay off local Sergeant O'Neil (Charlie Hunnam) by getting intimate. As lensed by cinematographer Ari Wegner (In Fabric, Lady Macbeth), shots recalling Kelly's famous armour keep recurring, peeking through gaps and offering rich and potent visual symbolism. In his boyhood, Ned adores yet also fears his Irish settler mum, who'll do anything for her family — including putting her husband Red (Ben Corbett) in his place. The Kelly patriarch is considered a disappointment by his wife, with Ned dubbed the man of the house instead. Indeed, Ellen has plans for her eldest son. When, through an act of heroism, Ned receives the chance to attend boarding school, his mother refuses. Rather, she gives him to bushranger Harry Power (Russell Crowe) as an apprentice. Learning he's been sold into a life of crime severely shapes Ned's perspective, understandably. Returning home a decade later following a stint in jail, Ned (now played by MacKay) makes a living through bare-knuckle boxing. He fights to entertain the law — such as the suspiciously friendly Constable Fitzpatrick (Nicholas Hoult) — and the upper classes, in a winking inversion of his future path. But his now-grown younger brother Dan (Earl Cave, son of Nick) has taken to horse-rustling, and soon crime is a family business. As their father previously did, they wreak havoc in the bush adorned in dresses, breaking both the law and societal conventions. Immortalised in the first feature-length movie ever made back in 1906, in a Mick Jagger-starring 1970 flick and with Heath Ledger donning the bandit's helmet in 2003, the nuts and bolts of Kelly's story have already been given the cinematic treatment — the Jerilderie letter, the Glenrowan siege and his 1880 hanging among them. While the same minutiae remains here, it's reshaped, reinterpreted and recontextualised, with Kurzel's uncompromising 2015 reworking of Macbeth the best reference point. Think equally ferocious and poetic imagery, an intensity bordering on operatic, a score that's both sparse and jittery, and an all-round punk-ish attitude. Framed through letters penned by Kelly, retelling an oft-told tale isn't True History of the Kelly Gang's main motivation, but rather re-evaluating the legend that's sprung up around him. In stripping bare the bushranger's story, Australia's colonial history and the nation we've become in the shadow of each, two other filmic frames of reference spring to mind: 2018's Sweet Country and 2019's The Nightingale. Ignoring the misstep that was Assassin's Creed, Kurzel's adds True History of the Kelly Gang to a resume already marked by Snowtown and Macbeth — and what an audacious and propulsive trio they make. All three also boast spectacular casts, with MacKay brawny, angry, anarchic and simply brilliant to watch here. Although he's well-supported by the formidable Davis, sly Hoult and raucous Crowe, he's nothing short of electrifying in this brutal yet utterly bewitching picture. The verve and spark in his performance is the same blistering energy that Kurzel burns into every frame of the film — a visually, emotionally, thematically searing movie that strides across the screen like an outlaw, aptly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE7YVZA5YVc
Send in the terrifying clown: that's what Stephen King did when he penned IT back in 1986, as did a 1990 miniseries adaptation of his horror novel, then the hit 2017 IT movie and its 2019 sequel IT: Chapter Two. A prequel to those two recent films, IT: Welcome to Derry is doing the same. Pennywise is back, and Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu) in the part, in a small-screen return to the franchise that's premiering in October 2025. If you've read much of King's work, then you would've agreed with some of the first words spoken in the initial teaser trailer for HBO's new IT series: "anywhere but Derry". That's a great motto if you're keen to avoid unnerving and supernatural events, which have frequented the fictional town's streets in the author's pages for decades — and in their leaps to the screen, too. The just-dropped second sneak peek at the show keeps demonstrating why the Maine locale isn't an ideal place to live. "Things are certainly different here" is quite the understatement, in fact, as is "things do happen from time to time". King's go-to setting is clearly at the heart of the series, which steps through Derry's scares before the terror that viewers have already seen and experienced. Alongside the transdimensional evil entity known as Pennywise, there's a spate of missing children, more kids seeking answers, a new family moving in, uncaring police, violence in the streets, a curfew, eerie smiles and cackles, voices in the pipes and a crimson balloon — as per the two teasers so far. If you've somehow missed all things IT until now, it follows the exploits of that maniacal clown, as well as the folks that he's rather fond of terrorising. IT: Welcome to Derry's cast includes Taylour Paige (Brothers), Jovan Adepo (3 Body Problem), Chris Chalk (Feud), James Remar (Megalopolis), Stephen Rider (What Lies Under the Tree), Madeleine Stowe (Soundtrack) and Rudy Mancuso (The Flash). Returning to oversee the show is filmmaker Andy Muschietti, who helmed the most-recent two IT movies and last directed DC Extended Universe flick The Flash. He's also behind the camera here on multiple episodes, expanding his Derry-set vision from his two features. And yes, HBO and its streaming service HBO Max are in franchise mode of late, adding The Penguin to the world of The Batman, expanding the Game of Thrones realm with not only House of the Dragon but also the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, announcing a new drama series set in The Conjuring universe and locking in a Harry Potter series that readapts the books. IT: Welcome to Derry falls into the same camp. Watch the latest IT: Welcome to Derry teaser trailer below: IT: Welcome to Derry is set to stream via HBO Max in Australia and Neon in New Zealand from sometime in October 2025 — we'll update you with an exact release date when it is announced. Images: HBO.
There are plenty of reasons to head down to West End and check out Quan Thanh. The reason for me swinging this way is the selection of soups. In particular, I go just for the pho soup, better known as the best hangover cure. This soup has caused my bearded mate to go on an eating tour of Vietnam in search for the worlds best pho. Coincidentally, when comparing the soups of his travels, his mind keeps ticking back to Quan Thanh as one of the best soup experiences. If that's not a well-researched recommendation, I don't know what is! To fill you in, 'pho' is a beef soup consisting of several cuts of beef to produce the clean, clear, aromatic broth. The soup comes neutral in heat so you can tailer it to your craving of hotness, sourness, fresh herbs and rich hoi sin. So on this amazing sunny day, I decided to sit on the kerbside deck of Quan Thanh. A word of warning, if you also like the deck seating, keep your guard up as the locals will try to steal your food... and by locals, I mean the flock of magpies. Inside tables are also available if the pesky birds are a bother to you. The service is very hit and miss. A tip is to know what you want to eat and don't dilly-dally when ordering. Remember you are not here for the service, you are here for the food. There are two menu options available to suit different tastes. The first is Vietnamese food and the second is Chinese (the more stock standard and all round safer option). But it's all Vietnamese for this tummy! If you're a bit of a risk taker and enjoy trying new food, option 1 is for you. The steamed dim-sims are a must, and in the afternoon you can see the family roll them, hell yeah! Doesn't get more authentic than that! If you're brave and open to unique flavours, the fried prawn cake with infused vinegar comes highly recommended. It's like a savoury muffin topped with a crispy whole prawn and baked with a pork mince ball and lentil filling. To fill the hunger, I skip past the vermicelli salads and grilled pork chop and rice. Although nice, they are light meals and if you came for a feed you need to pick your menu options right. Instead, go for the spicy pork and beef noodle soup, filled with soft poached beef brisket and pork neck with a thin layer of fried chilli oil sitting on top. Or alternatively, if you love pho as much as my bearded mate, go for his much loved favourite - sliced beef pho with rice noodles. The soups are fantastic and feature real, rich, deep flavour. But do be weary, in the past they have been known to be a little up and down. In the tasty beverage section you have two options, the bottle shop three meters to your left (a personal favourite), or the home made lemon ice tea, which proves to be a sweet, sharp and refreshing drink. To me this place has that 'first car feel'. It's not perfect, but always does the job and always leaves that appreciation and satisfaction that you keep going back to. Although the service isn't always amazing, the food will fill the void. And hey, if you love pho, Quan Thanh is the place to go.
We've scored giant slip 'n' slides, trampoline gyms and bouncing castle obstacle courses. Now, it's time to get on board the latest kidult craze to hit our shores, as Australia's biggest game of hide and seek takes over a cruise ship on Sydney Harbour next month. That's right: hiding and seeking is no longer just child's play. In fact, Australia's even got its own national hide and seek adults team, the Nascondingos, who took out eighth place at the most recent world championships, which are a thing. And on Sunday, February 18, these guys will be honing their finding skills, playing a team of 'seekers' as locals of all ages hide onboard one of the world's biggest cruise ships, Ovation of The Seas. It's thought to be the largest official game of hide and seek ever played at sea — and, yeah, it probably is. Applications to compete in the game are open to just about everyone, with one game for kids aged 8–14 and another for adults aged over 15. There's a solid prize pool, too, with the last person to be found in the adult's game taking home a cool $10,000 and a cruise. Of course, it's all part of a huge promo for Royal Caribbean, but that shouldn't stop it being a bit of fun. If you fancy yourself a hide and seek pro, don't be shy about it — enter here by February 5.
Step inside the heritage-listed Rothwell's building on Edward Street and, thanks to the new bar and grill that now shares its name, you can be forgiven for feeling like you're on the other side of the world. There's a firmly classic look and vibe to the space that previously housed Jamie's Italian — think: gleaming chandeliers that'd make Sia sing, white marble aplenty, leather booths decked out with vintage table lamps, and silver trays and carafes. The latest venue from 1889 Enoteca's Dan Clark, Rothwell's Bar and Grill might call a 136-year-old Brisbane building home, but it takes its cues from hospitality institutions much further afield. London's The Savoy Grill and The Wolseley are two of them. Musso & Frank Grill in Los Angeles is another — as well as New York's entire dining scene. For Brisbanites, the result is the kind of venue that aims to make you forget you're in the busiest part of the city — even if you've just made the dash from the Queen Street Mall or Central Station. Joining Clark is chef Ben Russell (ex-Aria, Est Est Est) and, together, they've shaped the newcomer after their favourite eateries from around the globe, following a quarter-century of scoping out the best dining rooms and bars the international scene has to offer. The Rothwell's sit-down experience takes patrons to the 90-seat Marble Bar area, where all that Italian marble — and those aforementioned leather banquettes — provide a light yet intimate atmosphere. If you're just stopping by for a drink, however, the 40-seater Foyer Bar will be your destination. And, for bigger dinners and events, the private dinning room caters to 50 seated guests, or 100 folks standing. It's found in the building's cellar, so you'll be surrounded by 2000-plus bottles of wine, plus eye-catching sandstone walls. Menu-wise, Russell has opted for "classic cooking techniques and European sensibilities — all the things I learned early in my career that I've returned to," he advises. That shines through in a produce-centric lineup that also goes heavy on local seafood, Aussie beef and handmade pasta. Standout dishes include prawn cocktails and steak tartare among the starters; Moreton Bay bugs with café de Paris butter, tagliarini with sea urchin and caviar, and beef wellington from the mains; and chocolate trifle, pistachio brûlée with chocolate gelato, and berry salad with brown-butter ice cream from the dessert offerings. Drinks options span martinis, old fashioned, negronis and Hemingway daquiri — again, the feel here is classic — which, at the bar, are paired with food choices such as oysters, niçoise salad and a club sandwich. Wine lovers can also take advantage of that stacked cellar — which you can visit, and which also houses and sells wines bought from all around the world from Clark's own collection. If your bank balance doesn't quite let you afford a cognac from the 1890s (understandably so), you'll find tipples from all the usual producers, as well as from smaller names from regions such as Burgundy, Chablis, Bordeaux, Champagne and Barolo. And, for digestifs, there's a dedicated armagnac cart, complete with bottles collected from Europe and dating back to the 1920s. Find Rothwell's Bar and Grill at 235 Edward Street, Brisbane — open 12–2.30pm and 5.30pm–late Tuesday–Saturday. Images: Dean Swindell.
For some, the best thing about winter is the cosy indoor opportunities to escape the cold. Who can deny the almost spiritual joy of snuggling down next to a wood fire or cuddling up inside thick sandstone walls while the weather outside seems a world away? And if there's a glass or two of vino going, so much the better. If this sounds like a heavenly way to spend a winter's day — and you're ready for a seasonal switch from tannin' to tannins — put these five exquisite Tasmanian wineries at the top of your winter to-do list. We've tracked down a winery from nearly every corner of Tassie that'll warm the cockles of your heart — whether you're after biodynamic and sustainable practices, premium tastes in heritage buildings or a glass of red with the comfort eats of an Italian osteria. You are about to fall in love with a whole cool-climate wine culture — you'll never sip a pinot noir the same way again. [caption id="attachment_719342" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chris Crerar.[/caption] MOORE'S HILL — TAMAR VALLEY How many wineries come with their very own dog? Well, Moore's Hill does; the loveable Otto is a regular fixture by the fireplace in winter. Located in the lush Tamar Valley, a 40-minute drive from Launceston, you'll come upon this boutique vino-producing estate that happens to be Tasmania's first 100-percent solar-powered winery. The fireplace at the cellar door is always lit for the chilly season, so you can drop by any day from 10am–5pm for a cosy guided tasting of current release wines (which are free for groups smaller than ten, too). Moore's Hill also offers a wine and chocolate tasting, as well as a whisky tasting, should you need a little something extra to really warm the soul. [caption id="attachment_719279" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Tasmania and Nick Osborne.[/caption] POOLEY WINES — COAL RIVER VALLEY Make sure to add Pooley Wines to your winter getaway. It's a vineyard with pedigree — three generations of winemakers have brought forth this nectar, producing some of the finest pinot noir, chardonnay and riesling on the island. Located in the Coal River Valley, it's proudly the first fully accredited environmentally sustainable vineyard in Tasmania. The cellar door (open 10am–5pm daily) is snuggled within the thick sandstone walls of the stately 19th-century Belmont House on the Butcher's Hill estate. With a swag of awards to its name, particularly for its pinot noir and riesling, Pooley will ensure you're sipping premium drop after premium drop. STEFANO LUBIANA — DERWENT VALLEY Stefano Lubiana Wines is an exceptional winery, being Tasmania's first and only biodynamic vineyard. This family-run winery opens its cellar door to wine-lovers from 11am–4pm Wednesday to Sunday. Sample the six-taste offering — including the bright and delightful Primavera pinot noir or a biodynamic reserve merlot — at $5 per person, or sit down for a structured tasting of exclusive museum and flagship wines for $35. The vineyard also distils its own grappa brandy, which is the perfect nip for a nippy Tassie winter. And then there's Stefano Lubiana's on-site Italian eatery, Osteria, that blends rustic food tradition with fine dining. The menu is fresh and seasonal, with locally sourced ingredients. Stay for an expertly paired meal and wine to taste the terroir and the country produce all in one go. [caption id="attachment_719278" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pete Harmsen.[/caption] DEVIL'S CORNER — EAST COAST For some seriously cool architecture to match your cool-climate wines and the surrounding cool temps, you'll have to hit the east coast and check out Devil's Corner. En route to Freycinet National Park, Devil's Corner is a winery with a wild edge. Looking down to Moulting Lagoon and the Hazards mountain range, the vines are exposed to the elements, which creates a unique, intense flavour. In the winter, the cellar door opens daily from 10am–4pm from June to September and tastings are free for groups of up to seven (larger groups pay $5 per person). With regular music sessions and both a seafood restaurant and pizza cafe, this is a winery that can keep you toasty warm as you enjoy views over the wintry landscape. And in even more reasons to visit, Tassie's Festival of Voices will host a gig at the winery on Sunday, June 30. FROGMORE CREEK — COAL RIVER VALLEY If you don't want to stray far from Hobart but yearn for that country vineyard experience, Frogmore Creek offers the best of both worlds. After just a 20-minute drive from the CBD, you'll reach a vineyard prestigious enough to draw celebrity visitors such as Margot Robbie. Within the expansive homestead of blue-grey timber, you'll find an award-winning cellar door experience. What's more, from July 1, the barrel room here features an open fire on weekends (and the occasional weekday) all throughout winter. Open from 10am–5pm daily, the cellar door offers samples from the different wine series for you to sip around the fire. The featured offering focuses on boutique harvests, reserve wines or minimal intervention drops. Away from the roaring fire, Frogmore Creek has spectacular grounds. But if it's too chilly for exploring, you can appreciate the sweeping valley vistas from the cellar door and restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows. Top image: Moore's Hill by Chris Crerar.
When Spilt Milk announced that it wasn't taking place in 2024, instead delaying its next festivals until 2025, it looked like fans of the event were in for a hefty wait till they could next hear live tunes echo from its stages. But if you're in Newcastle, the Gold Coast or Perth — or can get there — that's no longer the case. Spilt Milk's regular fests remain postponed until next year; however, it's hitting up those three cities this November for a new gig series. Meet Spilt Milk House Party, aka the shindigs you throw when you're not throwing your regular shindig. If the tactic sounds familiar, that's because Yours and Owls is deploying it in 2024, too, calling it a pre-party instead. The idea is the same, though: get a bunch of acts to play at a smaller event, rather than the usual big festival rollout. For its version, Spilt Milk hasn't skimped on talent. In addition to his already-announced Australian tour, Troye Sivan leads the Spilt Milk House Party lineup. For company, he'll have Glass Animals, G Flip, Artemas and Sycco. The quintet have a date with usual Spilt Milk stops Perth and the Gold Coast, before also taking the event to Newcastle. While the fest proper normally takes place in Canberra — where it first started — and Ballarat as well, they're not getting their own House Party shows. [caption id="attachment_655626" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anthony Smith[/caption] Given the smaller size, there's limited tickets available for the trio of parties, which will pop up at Kings Park Botanic Garden in Perth on Sunday, November 17; head to Broadwater Parklands on the Gold Coast on Saturday, November 23; and call Newcastle Entertainment Centre home on Sunday, November 24. When Spilt Milk cancelled its full fest experience for 2024, it did so because it "couldn't get you the Spilt Milk you deserve this year," it announced via social media. "Sooo imma dip for a bit and come back when I can make all ur dreams come true. i miss u xx," the statement continued. [caption id="attachment_967435" align="alignnone" width="1917"] F Fawkes via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Spilt Milk House Party Lineup: Troye Sivan Glass Animals G Flip Artemas Sycco Spilt Milk House Party Dates: Sunday, November 17, 2024 — Kings Park Botanic Garden, Perth Saturday, November 23, 2024 — Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast Sunday, November 24, 2024 — Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle Spilt Milk House Party will hit Perth, the Gold Coast and Newcastle in November 2024, with presale tickets available from 10am local time on Wednesday, September 11 and general sales from 10am local time on Friday, September 13. Head to the festival website for more details.
Letting the likes of Little May, Aldous Harding and Boy and Bear take the backyard folk reins for a while, Australia's ARIA-dominating folksters Angus and Julia Stone are heading back to the stage to take back the wooden throne. Four years after their huge runaway hit 'Big Jet Plane' and their Everyone Should Just Stay at Home ARIA-blitzer Down the Way, the Sydney Stone siblings have announced a colossal Australian tour to mark their triumphant return. Teaming up with pop production legend Rick Rubin (Jay Z, Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele), the duo have recorded their third studio album at Malibu's Shangri La studios. The pair's self-titled effort is set for release on August 1, timed perfectly for triple j Hottest 100 dominance. Having spent the last couple of years touring internationally and dropping solo material here and there, it seems high time for the Stones to head home for some epic shows — we're talking Sydney Opera House, Brisbane's Tivoli and Melbourne's Palais Theatre. For their first national tour since 2011, Angus and Julia Stone will be joined by 18-year-old Brisbanite Tim Bettinson, aka super-internet-hyped falsetto wonder Vancouver Sleep Clinic. Fusing synthetic instrumentation with vocals sure to generate All the Feels, VSC will hop on tour with the Stones for all national shows except Canberra. Tickets on Sale 9am July 10. Secret Sounds pre-sale: Tuesday 8 July, from 9:00am. General on sale: Thursday 10 July, from 9:00am. Angus and Julia Stone Aus/NZ Tour Dates: Fri 12 Sep — Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide. Tickets via Venuetix or venue. Sat 13 Sep — Llewellyn Hall, Canberra (Support TBC). Tickets via Ticketek. Sun 14 Sep — Sydney Opera House, Sydney. Tickets via SOH. Wed 17 Sep — Civic Theatre, Newcastle. Tickets via Ticketek Thu 18 Sep — The Tivoli, Brisbane. Tickets via Ticketmaster. Sun 21 Sep — Arts Centre, Gold Coast. Tickets via Arts Centre. Tue 23 Sep — Perth Concert Hall, Perth. Tickets via venue or Ticketek. Fri 26 Sep — Palais Theatre, Melbourne. Tickets via Ticketmaster. Sun 28 Sep — Powerstation, Auckland. Tickets via Ticketmaster. https://youtube.com/watch?v=N6TNrXRUo4Q
It's time to mark your calendars for the National Cherry Festival, the ultimate celebration of all things cherry. This annual event is set to take place in Young, NSW (the cherry capital of Australia!) from Friday, December 1 to Sunday, December 3. In case you've never been, the National Cherry Festival is a three-day extravaganza that brings together cherry growers and enthusiasts from all over Australia. Get ready to indulge in delicious cherry treats, including fresh cherries, cherry pies, cherry ice cream and more. You can also enjoy cooking demonstrations, cherry-picking competitions, live music performances, and even a seed-spitting competition. For those looking for a more relaxing experience, there will be a Cherry Blossom Walk, showcasing the stunning cherry blossoms that bloom during summer in Young. It's also a chance to meet and learn from local artisans showcasing their products and crafts, the history of the region, the cherry-growing process, and the impact of cherries on the local economy. Since Young is a four-hour drive out of Sydney, be sure to book local accommodation in advance and get the full weekender experience to celebrate of the sweetest summer fruits. For more information on the festival and how to enjoy it, visit the website. We advise against wearing white clothing.
James Bond might famously prefer his martinis shaken, not stirred, but No Time to Die doesn't quite take that advice. While the enterprising spy hasn't changed his drink order, the latest film he's in — the 25th official feature in the franchise across six decades, and the fifth and last that'll star Daniel Craig — gives its regular ingredients both a mix and a jiggle. The action is dazzlingly choreographed, a menacing criminal has an evil scheme and the world is in peril, naturally. Still, there's more weight in Craig's performance, more emotion all round, and a greater willingness to contemplate the stakes and repercussions that come with Bond's globe-trotting, bed-hopping, villain-dispensing existence. There's also an eagerness to shake up parts of the character and Bond template that rarely get a nudge. Together, even following a 19-month pandemic delay, it all makes for a satisfying blockbuster cocktail. For Craig, the actor who first gave Bond a 21st-century flavour back in 2006's Casino Royale (something Pierce Brosnan couldn't manage in 2002's Die Another Day), No Time to Die also provides a fulfilling swansong. That wasn't assured; as much as he's made the tuxedo, gadgets and espionage intrigue his own, the Knives Out and Logan Lucky actor's tenure has charted a seesawing trajectory. His first stint in the role was stellar and franchise-redefining, but 2008's Quantum of Solace made it look like a one-off. Then Skyfall triumphed spectacularly in 2012, before Spectre proved all too standard in 2015. Ups and downs have long been part of this franchise, depending on who's in the suit, who's behind the lens, the era and how far the tone skews towards comedy — but at its best, Craig's run has felt like it's building new levels rather than traipsing through the same old framework. In No Time to Die, Bond does need to look backwards, though — to loves lost, choices made and lingering enemies. Before Billie Eilish's theme song echoes over eye-catching opening credits, the film fills its first scenes with the past, starting with returning psychiatrist Madeleine Swan's (Léa Seydoux, Kursk) links to new mask-wearing villain Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek, The Little Things). There's patience and visual poetry to these early minutes amid Norway's snowy climes, even while littered with violence. No Time to Die is a lengthy yet never slow feature, and Bond first-timer Cary Joji Fukunaga doesn't begin with the pace he means to continue; however, the director behind True Detective's stunning first season establishes a sense of meticulousness, an eye for detail and an inclination to let moments last — and a striking look — that serves him exceptionally moving forward. Back in post-Spectre times, Bond and Swan enjoy an Italian holiday that's cut short by bomb blasts, bridge shootouts and other attempts on 007's life — and Fukunaga is quickly two for two in the action camp. No Time to Die segues commandingly from slow-building and foreboding to fast, frenetic and breathtaking in its two big opening sequences, setting itself a high bar. At this point, the narrative hasn't even properly kicked into gear yet. That happens five years later, when Bond is alone and retired in Jamaica (in a nice nod to where author Ian Fleming wrote his Bond stories). His old CIA pal Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright, Westworld) comes knocking, new politically appointed offsider Logan Ash (Billy Magnussen, The Many Saints of Newark) in tow, asking for the now ex-MI6 agent's help to foil the latest nefarious plan — involving a DNA-targeting virus fuelled by nanobots, of course — that's been hatched by terrorist organisation Spectre. No Time to Die has plenty of time for other magnificent action scenes, albeit fewer than might be expected; a lengthy list of characters, both new and recognisable; and the type of beats that allow Bond ruminate over his accumulated baggage, even when a few routine inclusions also pepper the script. Spectre, the film, gave 007 enough woes from the past — and actually making him grapple with it all, rather than merely throw fists, explode watches and unleash machine-gun fire from his Aston Martin's headlights as though he doesn't have a history, gives this follow-up palpable heft and resonance. In Craig's hands, Bond has become a person first and a suave action figure second. The character still falls into the second category, unsurprisingly, because that's still the gig. But in this iteration, the franchise has evolved past the kind of flicks that gave rise to Austin Powers, Johnny English and their fellow parodies — welcomely so. Indeed, the best sequence in the film takes a stock-standard Bond setup, gives it a firm update and offers Craig's Knives Out co-star Ana de Armas a killer introduction. There are no bikinis involved as per past series instalments, or double-entendre names. Instead, this team-up between Bond and fledgling CIA operative Paloma takes them to a Spectre party in Havana, lets her steal every second with devastating high kicks, fabulous timing and witty dialogue, and shows the fingerprints of Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge — one of No Time to Die's four co-screenwriters. Paloma definitely isn't a stereotypical 60s–90s-style Bond girl, either, and neither are Swan, Moneypenny (the returning Naomie Harris, The Third Day) and replacement 007 Nomi (Captain Marvel standout Lashana Lynch). Everyone is human here, not just Bond himself. In a cast anchored by Craig and his blend of gravitas, pathos, sensitivity, duty and calm, there's barely a weak link. As M and Q, Ralph Fiennes (The Dig) and Ben Whishaw (Little Joe) only pop up briefly, but leave an imprint. Malek isn't a Bond baddie for the ages, yet he makes a chilly demeanour go a long way and easily one-ups Christoph Waltz (Alita: Battle Angel). So much of what makes No Time to Die such a thrill stems from Fukunaga's perceptive choices, however — with ample help from Hans Zimmer's (Wonder Woman 1984) urgent and pulsating score, plus Linus Sandgren's (an Oscar-winner for La La Land) gorgeous globe-hopping cinematography and penchant for long takes (and one particular and glorious upside-down shot). Franchise familiarity bubbles away in the film's veins, expectedly, but Fukunaga knows what to shake, stir, change and challenge, and what makes a moving, ambitious and entertaining farewell.
Seeing dinosaurs at Queensland Museum isn't new, but they aren't usually made out of Lego. From Friday, December 8, 2023–Sunday, July 14, 2024, however, the South Brisbane venue is saying welcome to... Jurassic World by Brickman, which gets building with plastic bricks based on the Jurassic World movies. Can't wait to see how more than six million Lego blocks have been used to create the four-metre-tall park gates, the lab where the dinosaurs are genetically engineered, those instantly recognisable jeeps, a heap of creatures and more? Life has found a way to get you a sneak peek the night before the exhibition opens. On Thursday, December 7, QM is hosting an exclusive preview that'll have you pretending you're in the movies from 5.15–8.30pm. At this night at the museum — a night at the largest Lego exhibition in Australia as well — Lego and Jurassic World aficionados will meet Ryan 'Brickman' McNaught, aka the man behind the showcase. You'll also get insider knowledge from him at a Q&A. Attendance also includes a signed copy of the exhibition guide and a branded tote bag, but it doesn't come cheap, costing $189 per person. There'll be drinks and bites to eat as well, which you'll need to purchase on top — and you can't take them with you while you're scoping out Lego dinosaurs. Images: Anna Kucera.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to press photography, the adage rings true. News stories accompanied by striking imagery always stand out above the rest. The best photojournalists prove that the camera can be mightier than the keyboard in getting to the essence of an issue. Every year, the Nikon-Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism recognise the best in the field, and every year, the cream of the crop feature in a corresponding photography exhibition. 2014's finalists and winners are now touring the country. Latest stop: Brisbane. The 2015 Nikon-Walkley Press Photography Exhibition revisits the snaps that didn't just make headlines, they made people read the headlines, and the corresponding articles, too. From media moguls arguing to cricket bats breaking, this is a photography show combined with a time capsule, showcasing the outstanding moments in sports, daily life and news reportage captured over the past 12 months with stunning artistry. Image: Sylvia Liber, Illawarra Mercury, Little Princess.
The Biennale of Sydney is known for its expansive displays of public art, from Ai Weiwei's 60-metre inflatable boat to last year's huge mirrored pavilion. When it returns in 2024 it will reach new heights, allowing art lovers to wander through one historic Sydney building for the first time in a century. The Inner West's White Bay Power Station will swing open its doors to Biennale-goers, granting the public its first chance to explore the heritage-listed building in more than 100 years. The power station has been in the lengthy process of being revitalised and transformed into an arts, culture and community hub as part of the Bay West precinct — and the contemporary art showcase will be the first event to utilise the huge Rozelle space. Artists breathing life into the space will be working within the 2024 theme Ten Thousand Suns. Heat, power, light, summer, joy, strength, the changing climate — all notions that spring to mind. This is what artists will be asked to ponder when creating their pieces for the citywide event. "We are thrilled to be hosting the first major event at White Bay Power Station," says Biennale of Sydney CEO Barbara Moore. "Admission is free. We are presenting some of the best contemporary art from around the world and across Australia, with a robust program of music and food, too, and we can't wait for you to experience it... In March, we swing the doors to White Bay Power Station wide open, and we can't wait for you to be part of it." Alongside the changes to the White Bay Power Station, the long-term plan for the Bay West precinct includes new employment spaces, 250 new homes with provisions for affordable housing and a new Metro station. Overall, the planned changes to the area are expected to create over four hectares of new public and open space. [caption id="attachment_804466" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bays West precinct render[/caption] Running from Saturday, March 9–Monday, June 10, 2024 across Sydney, and free to attend as always — with the full list of venues yet to be revealed — the Biennale will feature works by artists such as William Yang, Tracey Moffatt, Serwah Attafuah, Kirtika Kain and Kaylene Whiskey among the homegrown contingent, as well as Sachiko Kazama from Japan, Francisco Toledo from Mexico and Malaysia's Anne Samat. In addition to ample art for attendees to experience, the 24th Biennale of Sydney will also feature a contemporary music lineup in partnership with Phoenix Central Park. The venue's curatorial skills will be taken to new locations beyond its stunning Chippendale site, responding to both Ten Thousand Suns as a theme and the works on display. [caption id="attachment_910497" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Creation of My Metaverse (Between this World and the Next) (2021). Serwah Attafuah. Digital 3D render, 3600 x 6000 px. Support: Sotheby's. Courtesy the artist © Serwah Attafuah.[/caption] The 24th Biennale of Sydney will run from Saturday, March 9–Monday, June 10, 2024 and will include exhibitions at the revitalised White Bay Power Station. Entry will be free, as always. We'll keep you posted on the whole artist lineup and exhibition program when they're announced. Top image: Adam .J.W.C.
Dream musical double alert: this winter in Australia, you can make a theatre date to see both Hamilton and In the Heights. Sydney is hosting the only Aussie return season for Lin-Manuel Miranda's second big Tony Award-winning show from late July — and now it's also welcoming his debut smash, too. Sydney Opera House will turn into New York City's Washington Heights for a six-week season of In the Heights, also kicking off the same month. Initially staged in 2005, then leaping to off-Broadway in 2007, then playing Broadway from 2008–11 (which is where it nabbed those 13 Tony nominations and four wins), Miranda's first stage sensation spends its time with Usnavi, a bodega owner from the Dominican Republic who dreams of going back — and who also sports a crush on Vanessa, who aspires to move out of the neighbourhood. Miranda himself originated the role of Usnavi, scoring a Tony nomination for his efforts. In Australia this winter, Ryan Gonzalez (Moulin Rouge! The Musical) will step into the part. When the show's Sydney Opera House run spans Saturday, July 20–Sunday, August 25, fellow Moulin Rouge! The Musical alum Olivia Vásquez will play Vanessa. Alongside Gonzalez, she'll be joined by Richard Valdez (All Together Now — The 100) as the Piragua Guy — another character that Miranda has brought to life personally, this time in the 2021 film version of In the Heights. On the stage and on-screen, the production not only follows Usnavi and Vanessa's connection, and their respective hopes for the future, but also the residents of Washington Heights, their family ties across multiple generations and their friendships. And the soundtrack — which helped In the Heights win Best Musical and Best Original Score Tonys — as well as the vibe and mood bring together salsa, soul, rap, hip hip, merengue and street dance. "In the Heights is an uplifting musical that celebrates collective joy in a truly genuine and spirited way. Community, culture, connection and colour explode on-stage in a vibrant setting, as we are enveloped into the lives of characters holding fast to their history and creating new traditions," said Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Performance Ebony Bott, announcing the season. If you're keen to watch the movie — or rewatch — in the interim, it stars Anthony Ramos (Dumb Money) as Usnavi and Melissa Barrera (Abigail) as Vanessa, as well as Leslie Grace (In the Summers), Corey Hawkins (The Color Purple), Jimmy Smits (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Stephanie Beatriz (Twisted Metal) and Olga Merediz (Somebody I Used to Know). Check out the trailer for the film below: In the Heights will play Sydney Opera House's Drama Theatre from Saturday, July 20–Sunday, August 25, 2024, with ticket presales from 9am on Tuesday, May 7 and general sales from 9am on Friday, May 10 — head to the venue's website for more details. Images: Daniel Boud.
Already home to grapevines as far as the eye can see, a restaurant with views over Moreton Bay, a nine-hole modified form of golf and regular concerts, Mount Cotton's Sirromet Winery has added another attraction to its expansive 560-acre grounds: onsite glamping. Dubbed 'Sanctuary by Sirromet' and launching on June 1, the new accommodation option lets wine-loving campers spend a night or several in one of 18 luxe tents. It's also the first vineyard glamping experience in Queensland. Visitors can get cosy in one of 15 couples' abodes, two family tents and one specifically designed as a bridal suite, with each featuring king beds, indoor day chairs, outdoor tables and seating, bathrooms with a shower and toilet, and reverse cycle air-conditioning to cope with southeast Queensland's usually-warm weather. Every safari-style tent also includes a breakfast hamper filled with croissants, bagels, smoked salmon and coffee — and, naturally, a mini-bar filled with Sirromet wine. And while you'll be able to connect to the outside world via free wifi, what you won't find is a television. Instead, everyone is encouraged to soak up the scenic surroundings. Or drink wine. Or both. Let's face it, you don't go glamping at a winery without hitting the vino and revelling in nature. Wallabies are known to graze around the tents, so you might have company. For those more keen on drinking side of things, you can enjoy the daily tastings and tours, grab a snack up on the Tuscan Terrace and stock up on supplies to take home from the cellar door. Unsurprisingly, you can expect to drop a few dollars on the experience, with tents at Sanctuary starting at $280 per night — with a two-night minimum. Eventually, 54 tents will be littered across 20 acres, with the winery spending more than $10 million on its new addition. Find Sanctuary by Sirromet at 850 Mount Cotton Road, Mount Cotton, or head to sanctuarybysirromet.com for bookings and further details.
If you're a well-off manchild who's ever defiantly moved out of home all grown up-like, stole all your mum's tupperware and turned your old room into a storage space because you're great and responsible and have your own Medicare card, Bondi Hipsters' new Old Spice ad will strike a few chords. The Australian follow-up to the bang-up hilarious viral 'Mom Song' brought out by the deodorant branding geniuses in January this year, 'Old Spice Man Song' (or Mahn Song) has been crafted by Bondi Hipsters for our own market. Both focused on the fact that Old Spice apparently makes you an immediate Man, the 333-riders have put less focus on freaky couch-dwelling, son-clingy mums and more on dudes who move out of home and think they're big ol' grown ups. Bondi Hipsters Dom and Adrian play two dudes breaking the news to Dom's possibly North Shore-looking mum that he's moving because he's a mahn with a cool leather wallet and a Swiss-made watch, whose beard grows quicker and chest hair grows thicker because of Old Spice. Of course it does, you've seen what happened to this guy. Watch the Bondi Hipsters' Old Spice ad here: https://youtube.com/watch?v=TuiKdWz6IKo Then revisit the US-version 'Mom Song', just for kicks. https://youtube.com/watch?v=JEbpbNTkIdk Via Junkee.
Where you can you relive the music of Twin Peaks and watch Die Hard take place in one of Brisbane's landmarks — and see amusing dystopian sketches inspired by Black Mirror, too? At this year's Wonderland Festival, which promises a treasure trove of inventive fun for pop culture fans, plus plenty more as well. Returning for the fest's sixth year, the Brisbane Powerhouse-hosted event features 28 shows between Thursday, November 21 to Sunday, December 1. Yes, it's going to be a busy nine days. Other highlights include Awesome Ocean Party, which is described as "a magic-realism-cabaret cross birthday party hosted by a woman who believes she is half octopus"; Dwell, which turns the audience into voyeurs peeking into a seedy hotel room; and the latest body-positive offering from Baby Got Back, complete with dancers, comedians, strippers, showgirls, puppeteers and burlesque artists. Adults-only circus shows, a free 1960s swing party and and a tribute to Nina Simone are all also on the bill, because this is an eclectic lineup. So are electrifying vocals and eye-popping acrobatics, all across a huge feast of weird and wonderful theatre, art, music, magic, burlesque, circus, cabaret and comedy.
Prolific psych-rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have pulled out of Byron Bay Bluesfest, the annual festival that's scheduled for the Easter long weekend. The band's decision to withdraw from the festival has been kept reasonably vague but, in a statement, the Melbourne sextet have cited the festival's decision to book content that conflicts with their values as the reason they won't be appearing. "As a band and as human beings, we stand against misogyny, racism, transphobia and violence," the statement reads. "Surprised and saddened to see Bluesfest commit to presenting content that is in complete opposition to these values." "Given this decision by the festival, we have decided to cancel our appearance at Bluesfest," continues the statement. "We are deeply disappointed to be in this position but sometimes you need to be willing to make sacrifices to stand up for your values. This is, unfortunately, one of those moments." The band's decision comes five days after Bluesfest unveiled its sixth artist announcement which featured controversial band Sticky Fingers. The booking of Sticky Fingers received online backlash from others in the music industry including Jaguar Jonze and Camp Cope's Sarah Thompson. Dylan Frost, Sticky Fingers frontman, has been the subject of serious allegations which include physically threatening First Nations singer Thelma Plum and harassing a transgender women at a Sydney pub. Frost and bassist Paddy Cornwall were also caught in an alleged brawl with each other in 2019 which saw Cornwall charged with affray. The festival has responded to the backlash on Facebook and in now-deleted Instagram comments. Bluesfest previously faced controversy after festival director Peter Noble compared a Jewish woman to a Nazi for commenting on the gender imbalance present on the first announcement of the festival's 2018 lineup. The festival will continue without King Giz from Thursday, April 6 until Monday, April 10 with headliners including Gang of Youths, Paolo Nutini, Tash Sultana, Bonnie Raitt, The Doobie Brothers and Sampa the Great. View this post on Instagram A post shared by kinggizzard (@kinggizzard) You can read King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizard's full statement here. Top image: Jason Galea
In the latest example of movie land crossing over into reality, a Japanese team has created a four-metre-tall Transformers-style robot that can switch between walking mode and vehicle mode in about a minute. The work of robot software company Asratec, a prototype of the J-deite RIDE robot was unveiled last week, and will be on show at the GoldenWeek DOKIDOKI Festa All Working Cars Assemble in Tokyo on May 5. The design is operated both by wireless network remote control and by a steering wheel in the cockpit, with two people able to ride inside at once. Asratec's unique V-Sido robot control systems allow the robot to transform from a driveable car to a walking humanoid giant, though clocking in at around 60 seconds, it's fair to say the process isn't quite as speedy as in the movies. A group called Sansei Technologies is now looking to develop the technology for 'robot-type amusement rides' — it sounds like transforming go-karts could be just around the corner.
In The Guest Edit we hand the reins over to some of the most interesting, tasteful and (or) entertaining people in Australia and New Zealand. For this instalment, we've enlisted the elegant taste of Aotearoa-based fashion designer Juliette Hogan amid the launch of her super soft — and super kind to the planet — JHL loungewear range. Hogan has handpicked her five favourite sustainable brands that show caring for the planet does not mean compromising on style or quality. After all, who knows style better than one of the country's most celebrated designers? JULIETTE HOGAN: Sustainability is no longer a 'nice-to-have' when making purchasing decisions — it is an absolute essential. As a whole, the fashion industry has a long way to come, but it's encouraging to see change. I'm excited by the continued evolution to a more transparent sharing of knowledge within our industry — both from our suppliers and to our consumers. At JHL, we believe we owe it to our customers to be constantly improving and evolving in the sustainability space in order to create genuine, honest and enduring connections with them. At the end of the day, the power is in the consumer's hands. When you make a more sustainable choice, you are sending a message about what is valuable to you. Every decision adds up, and collectively that begins to have real impact. SANS CEUTICALS Founded by Kiwi Lucy Vincent and made with the intention of taking chemicals and preservatives out of our most soothing daily rituals, Sans Ceuticals is one of my favourite skincare companies. I particularly love the Activator 7 Body, Hair and Face Oil. Find it now: On Sans Ceuticals' website or at Mecca, with shipping available around both Australia and NZ. AMISFIELD WINE I really enjoy Amisfield wine and love everything they do, including the restaurant and cellar door. I was pleased to see that they recently received recognition of Riedel Organic Winery of the year in 2020. My favourites would have to be the Pinot Noir and the Pinot Noir Rose. Find it now: At Amisfield Winery in Queenstown or on the Amisfield website, with shipping available around both Australia and NZ. JH LOUNGE For obvious reasons, JHL is of course on my go-to list of sustainable labels. There was a gap in my wardrobe, so we looked to fill it with JHL, which are considered basics designed to elevate the everyday. Everything in the collection is developed from sustainable and responsible materials, which we love and are really proud of. Find it now: The JHL website or through The Iconic, with shipping available around both Australia and NZ. GOODFOR I love GoodFor's refinery. I've recently started making homemade crackers for cheeseboards and get all of the ingredients here, as I know they're the best out there. Find it now: The GoodFor website with shipping available around NZ only. HABITUAL GOODS This brand was founded in Christchurch and has been built from the ground up, by the best local crafts people, from the best possible materials. The brassware range is incredible. Find it now: The Habitual Goods website, with shipping available around both Australia and NZ.
On Saturday, July 31, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles announced that 11 Local Government Areas in and around Brisbane were going back under strict stay-at-home conditions in a bid to stop the spread of the region's latest locally acquired COVID-19 cases. And, on Monday, August 2, that lockdown was extended until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 8. The outbreak was first identified in a student at Indooroopilly State High School last week, locally acquired case numbers growing since. On Wednesday, August 4, Queensland has 100 active cases. The current lockdown applies to the Brisbane City Council, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Noosa, Somerset, Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim LGAs — and, this time around, the rules are tighter than in the past. Present restrictions include the reinstatement of the four reasons to leave your home, a ten-kilometre travel limit and a ban on visitors to your home; however, the full list of rules can be a bit overwhelming. So, we've broken down just what you can and can't do during this latest stint of stay-at-home conditions. This information is correct as of Wednesday, August 4. For what reasons am I allowed to leave the house? Remember those four reasons announced back in March 2020? These reasons have been reintroduced. That means that you can only leave your home to get essential goods – for example, groceries and medications – but only within ten kilometres of your house; for essential work if you can't work from home, and for school or childcare; for exercise within ten kilometres of home, and only with one person who isn't in your household; and for healthcare, including to get a COVID-19 vaccination, or to provide help, care or support. You can also leave home in an emergency situation, or if directed to by an emergency officer. For how long can I leave the house? There isn't a time limit when it comes to leaving the house, although folks are obviously encouraged to do so as little as possible. Again, you can only leave for the four permitted reasons. Is there a curfew? No, there is no curfew. You are allowed out of your house at any hour as long as it is for one of the four permitted reasons. Do I have to wear a mask? Yes, masks or face coverings are still compulsory in the 11 LGAs, as they have been since the region's last lockdown. You now need to wear them indoors everywhere but your own home, and outside. And, you always need to carry one with you. You can find out all the nitty-gritty in our latest article about the mask mandate. How far can I travel? You can only travel up to ten kilometres from your home to exercise or to go shopping for essentials. The only reasons to exceed this ten-kilometre radius are for permitted work, and receiving care and caregiving. You can also leave your home in the case of an emergency or family violence. In all other circumstances, even when it isn't a specific rule as is the case with exercise and shopping, you are asked to stay within ten kilometres of your home, Enforcing a strict travel limit is new to this lockdown, so if you're not sure where you can pick up groceries or workout, check out this handy website that works out your ten-kilometre bubble for you. Can I see friends and family? No, you can't have visitors to your home — or gather with friends and family in a public place during the current lockdown. You are allowed to be joined by members of your household or one other person who lives within your ten-kilometre radius while exercising. Can I drive to a park to exercise? As long as it's within ten kilometres of your home, yes. Can I go to the beach? You can go to the beach for exercise only if there is one within ten kilometres of your home. [caption id="attachment_637609" align="aligncenter" width="1620"] Taro's Ramen, Anwyn Howarth[/caption] How about to a restaurant or cafe? You can pick up takeaway from a hospitality venue located within ten kilometres of your home, but dine-in service is off the cards. Or a gym? All gyms (indoor and outdoor), boot camps, sporting facilities and public pools are closed. Are sporting events permitted? Community sporting events are not permitted to proceed during this lockdown. Initially, at the first press conference announcing the lockdown, professional sport wasn't permitted either. "There will be no football matches. So, no community sport, no professional sport, nothing for the next three days," said Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young during the state's COVID-19 update on Saturday, July 31. However, some NRL matches were allowed to go ahead on Sunday, August 1, without crowds. If any professional sporting matches go ahead before lockdown is slated to end at 4pm on Sunday, August 8, they also will do so without crowds. Can I go shopping? For groceries and other essentials, yes. Supermarkets, food and liquor stores and pet stores are all open. But you must only shop for essentials within your ten-kilometre bubble — and not all shops will remain open, or some will have altered hours, so check before you head off. Can I attend a funeral? Yes, however funerals are limited to ten mourners. Can I attend a wedding? Yes, weddings are permitted to continue, but only with ten people in attendance. Eleven LGAs in the Greater Brisbane area are currently in lockdown until at least 4pm on Sunday, August 8. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the QLD COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. More details about the lockdown and associated restrictions can also be found on the Queensland Health website.
When it comes to street art, names don't get any bigger than Banksy. And when it comes to street art exhibitions, a new showcase of the artist's work that's making its way to Brisbane is going huge. The first major display of the enigmatic talent's pieces in the River City will feature more than 150 artworks — including infinity rooms and simulations that play with some of Banksy's most famous creations. Mark Thursday, May 4 in your diary, because that's when The Art of Banksy: Without Limits is hitting the lower ground floor at Queens Plaza in the CBD. If you're already excited, you can also mark 10am on Wednesday, March 15 in your calendar as well, as that's when tickets will go on sale. A massive collection of pieces by the art world's chief enigma — including the darkly satirical, overtly political work that has turned the stencil-loving artist into such an infamous icon — The Art of Banksy: Without Limits' 150 artworks will include Banksy's certified art, prints on a heap of different materials, plus photos and sculptures as well. For an immersive experience, there'll be installations — physical and digital — as well as murals and mapping shows. One such installation: a simulation of Dismaland Bemusement Park. Another: that mirrored infinity room. Banksy's recent murals in Ukraine will also get a nod, and one space is devoted to the MV Louise Michel, the 30-metre-long high-speed lifeboat funded by Banksy that patrols the Mediterranean to rescue refugees. There will be reproductions of Banksy's works, too, made exclusively for this exhibition. They'll recreate some of the artist's pieces as made with — of course — stencils. The full list of exactly which works will feature hasn't yet been officially revealed, if you're looking forward to potentially seeing the well-known likes of Flower Thrower, Rude Copper and Girl with Balloon (a version of which was shredded after sale in a highly publicised prank in 2018) — but images of the show's recent stop in Bangkok provide plenty of clues. When it sets up shop in Brisbane, The Art of Banksy: Without Limits will run daily and take between 45–60 minutes to wander through. And yes, you can snap away for the 'gram while you're there. You can probably exit through the gift shop, or a simulation of one, as well. The Art of Banksy: Without Limits will hit the lower ground floor at Queens Plaza, 226 Queen Street, Brisbane from Thursday, May 4. You can also join the waitlist now, with tickets on sale from 10am on Wednesday, March 15.
Beer lovers, waiting for a bartender to get your drink is now a thing of the past. Following in the footsteps of make-your-own burger joints and self-service checkouts, pouring your own pints is now a reality. We mean at a bar, of course — and at one place in particularly. That'd be the aptly named Taps. Taps started out in Mooloolaba, and after almost two years of letting Sunshine Coast locals freshen their own schooners, they've brought the concept to Brisbane. It's as straightforward as it sounds, and uses tokens called iButtons to track your consumption. You purchase an iButton, add enough credit to cover what you think you'll drink, then place it on your tap — or taps — of choice. Here, you pay by the millilitre, meaning that you can sample as many brews as you like. Food, music and other events also feature — but let's be honest, it’s the beer everyone is interested in. Best practice your pouring, because you'll want your self-served drinks to be a no foam zone.
For the past ten years, riverside drinks along Eagle Street have frequently meant a trip to Riverbar + Kitchen, which opened on Riparian Plaza's promenade level a decade ago. While the Solotel and Matt Moran co-owned venue has been closed since late-February due to Brisbane's recent floods, it's relaunching in mid-October — so put those waterfront sips back on your agenda. If you live in Brissie, and did when the River City lived up to its name in the wrong way earlier in 2022, then you likely saw the images of Riverbar + Kitchen doing the rounds. The entire place was submerged by the flooding, with just the tops of its yellow-and-white striped umbrellas sticking out of the water. It's no wonder, then, that it has taken more half a year for the venue to work through the damage. "To see such a beautiful venue go under water was absolutely horrible," said Moran. "When the floods came, it wasn't just about losing the venue but you have all your staff and customers to worry about, too." The chef and restaurateur can now see the tiniest of silver linings. "To rebuild from a completely blank canvas has been amazing — it's going to be a great refresh, a reinvigoration of what it used to be with a newer design, new branding and an elevated concept," Moran continued. Patrons can expect a new fitout, clearly, as well as a refreshed food and drinks lineup. While the full details haven't been revealed — and neither has the exact October reopening date — Riverbar + Kitchen will welcome in Brisbanites from breakfast till late, serving brunch, lunch, dinner and drinks as well. Three things that'll definitely feature on the new menu: a raw section heroing locally sourced seafood, plenty of fresh local produce in general, and a shared cocktail menu with drinks called Cherry Pie and A Walk in the Tropics. Those stunning riverside views will return, naturally — and likely plenty of folks making the most of them. Find Riverbar + Kitchen at Riparian Plaza, Promenade Level, 71 Eagle Street, Brisbane from mid-October, with an exact reopening date yet to be announced.
If you've ever been to Sea World or to a music festival at Doug Jennings Park, then you've also been to The Spit. Regardless of whether you're a local or you've just spent a bit of time on the Gold Coast, you've likely walked, swam, surfed, picnicked or cooked up a barbecue at the Southport spot as well. The next time you visit, you can also add something new to your list: going for an extended wander. The waterside locale has just scored another addition, with the site now home to the new Seaway Promenade. You'll find The Spit's latest feature stretched along the Gold Coast Seaway's south wall — and you won't be able to miss it given that it spans a hefty 700 metres in length. And yes, it's really just a new place to walk, but in quite the scenic surroundings. Visitors can enjoy views southwards across the city and the GC's coastline, back west over to the hinterland and, when peering north, glimpses of South Stradbroke Island as well. Obviously, if you simply look at the ocean, there's plenty of blue water to stare at, too. The Queensland Government has put towards $6.84 million towards the project, as part of funding shared with recent improvements to the Moondarewa Spit foreshore, as well as a new path between Sea World and Doug Jennings Park. The works fall under the government's The Spit Master Plan, which also includes restoring 37 hectares of rainforest in the area — on the northern half of Federation Walk — and also improving Muriel Henchman Park and adding new facilities to Marine Stadium. Dating back to 2019, the plan will also see two new commercial sites pop up in the area, one of which will is set to feature a 52-berth marina. Seaway Promenade at The Spit is now open at Southport on the Gold Coast. For further details about The Spit Master Plan, head to the Queensland Government website.
If your pet pup firmly thinks that he or she can do everything that you can do, then the four-legged critter mightn't be so thrilled when you head out of the house without them. One place that you can't always take your barking bestie: the movies. Every Sunday at Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema, however, they can indeed accompany you — and wag their tail in delight at a big-screen outing. It's now been almost two years since Brisbane scored a new place to watch movies under the stars all year round — and not just in summer. That's when Brisbane Powerhouse, which had played host to openair picture palaces before, permanently became home to Dendy's outdoor setup. It doesn't screen every single night, but it will give you an outside moviegoing experience every weekend. Only Sundays are for pooches, no matter what's on the big screen. If your dog always wants a snack when you have one, too, there's bites on offer just for them. There are a few conditions of entry, so you'll need to as keep your pup on a leash of two metres or under, pick up after them, and bring both water and a drinking container so that they don't get thirsty.
The fact that it took 50 years to bring Misbehaviour's true tale to the screen is nothing less than remarkable. Following the protests staged by the women's liberation movement at the 1970 Miss World Pageant in London, it harks back to a noteworthy and important chapter of history — so much so that you would've expected filmmakers to have been clamouring to give it the cinematic treatment. A plethora of compelling topics are baked into this story, after all, including calling out the gross sexism inherent in objectifying women and ascribing their worth according to their looks, questioning society's narrow view of beauty and making plain the racial prejudice that's also frequently in play. But you don't need a movie about all of the above to tell you the obvious, and also the probable reason that a film about this incident hasn't existed until now. Much may have changed in the past half-century, but the feminist quest for recognition, fairness and equality in every way isn't over yet. Indeed, it's galling how many of Misbehaviour's observations about the way women are treated — and how women of colour fare on top of that — continue to ring true in 2020. Also rather telling: that, of the two big controversies that surrounded the pageant that year, this is the one that has finally reached movie-watching audiences. Again, Misbehaviour focuses on crucial events. It's a tale that should be told, about a battle that isn't over yet, and focusing on women who helped kickstart the progress that has been made over the last five decades. Still, the uproar that arose afterwards in response to the pageant's winner also speaks volumes. The result was questioned, for reasons this review won't give away even though it's a simple matter of record, and the extent of the narrow-minded attitudes cultivated and encouraged by such exercises in objectification couldn't have been more blatant. This film comes to a conclusion before then, however, simplifying what deserves to be a complex and multifaceted examination of the entire affair. Audiences might've endured a hefty wait to see the 1970 situation get any big-screen attention, but they don't have to wonder why Misbehaviour favours the approach its does for very long. Director Philippa Lowthorpe (Swallows and Amazons) and screenwriters Rebecca Frayn (The Lady) and Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest) are eager to pay tribute to pioneering feminists, but they're also very keen to make a feel-good, cheer-inducing movie that fits a clear formula. So it is that a seemly mismatched group comes together, united by the shared goal of improving how women are regarded by society, and decides to target the giant, glitzy and televised spectacle that is the Miss World Pageant — which 100 million people will watch. The two main instigators, aspiring history academic Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley, Official Secrets) and graffiti-spraying anarchist Jo Robinson (Jessie Buckley, I'm Thinking of Ending Things), are initially worlds apart, but squaring off against a common enemy has a way of bringing people together. Making a TV appearance after the protestors make their plans publicly known, Sally stresses one huge point: they're not rallying against the Miss World contestants themselves, but at the institution they're interacting with. Misbehaviour takes that view too, splitting its time — not in equal portions, though — between Sally, Jo and their pals, and also the women vying for the sash and crown. Jennifer Hosten (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Farming), aka Miss Grenada, receives the lion's share of attention among the contenders. That said, Swedish favourite Maj Johansson (Clara Rosager, The Rain), US entrant Sandra Wolsfeld (Suki Waterhouse, The Broken Hearts Gallery) and 'Miss Africa South' Pearl Jansen (Loreece Harrison, Black Mirror) — a late addition after a journalist constantly questions why South Africa's competitor is always white — also get their moments. The film spends time with pageant founder Eric Morley (Rhys Ifans, Berlin Station) and the year's host Bob Hope (Greg Kinnear, Strange But True) as well, serving up two prime examples of the kinds of attitudes that Sally and Jo are trying to tackle. The result is exactly the type of rousing, overt and easy movie that Lowthorpe and her colleagues set out to make — a film that ticks all the boxes it has placed on its own checklist, but doesn't do anything more. That makes Misbehaviour spirited, heavy-handed and well-intended in tandem, and also immensely straightforward. Anyone familiar with the likes of Calendar Girls, The Full Monty and Swimming with Men will able able to spot the template at work, for instance, even though the narrative specifics vary significantly. Misbehaviour has the same shine and energy, too, and the same crowd-pleasing nature. Its recognisable cast all do what's asked of them as well, as seen in Knightley and Buckley's fight against the patriarchy, Mbatha-Raw's quiet determination to give women of colour more prominence, Ifans and Kinnear playing the slimy villainous roles, and Keeley Hawes (Rebecca) and Lesley Manville (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) as the latter pair's other halves. In other words, being caught up in Misbehaviour's plot, purpose and impressively staged climax is almost a foregone conclusion. Being happy that it's hitting screens and telling this tale at all after all of these years is as well. But so is knowing that this is the most standard and clearcut rendering of this story possible — and noticing that, even as it completely avoids one big part of the pageant's aftermath, the film always keeps viewers well aware that there are other tales related to these events it could and definitely should be exploring and unpacking in more detail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp3WjuJJYB8
G20 brought many things to Brisbane: Obama, Russian warships, awkward speeches, global media attention, and inconvenient road closures among them. It also saw the city shout its name in giant, brightly-painted letters at South Bank. You've seen them. You took a photo. You used it as an easily identifiable meeting spot. Brisbane gained an inner-city landmark that wasn't a bridge or associated with a hairdresser (yes, we're talking about Stefan tower), as well as its own answer to the Hollywood and I Am Amsterdam signs. And boy, didn't it prove popular. Your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds have told the story for months. Of course, the government swiftly announced that it would stay as a permanent attraction, but it turns out that there's a hitch. There will be a sign displayed along the river on the Cultural Centre Forecourt — but it won’t be that exact same one. As anyone in the vicinity today has probably noticed, those letters are being removed, one by one. No, the city hasn’t been renamed 'ISBANE'. It's just that the current sign wasn't built to stand the test of time, or to weather Brisbane's punishing summer elements. The original installation hasn't fared so well during the recent storms and showers of hail, so it is being taken away; however another, sturdier version will pop up by June 6. That’s only a couple of months to wait before you can start taking happy snaps of it again. Fittingly, the date the new sign is scheduled to be in place is Queensland Day. Via The Age. Image: Dominka Lis.
Things are looking buoyant in southeast Queensland this spring, at least where art and leisure is concerned. A boat decked out with giant inflatable installations has been floating down the river during Brisbane Festival, a giant inflatable humanoid is peering over Portside, inflatable flowers have popped up in West End, and a multi-sensory inflatable playground has set up shop until the end of the season. Also, for two weekends, the world's largest inflatable theme park for adults is making a Brisbane comeback. Yes, the word 'inflatable' has been used a lot so far. It also applies to the next big, interactive and free installation that's set to make an appearance, this time at HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast. Get ready to meet Lost Dogs Disco, the adorably named new project from Melbourne-based art studio ENESS — aka the folks behind Sky Castle and Airship Orchestra, which've been part of the aforementioned Brisbane Festival program during September. As its moniker suggests, dogs are involved in this towering inflatable work. Sixteen large-scale dog characters feature, with some measuring up to 4.6-metres tall. They'll be set up on the forecourt of HOTA's Outdoor Stage, and audiences will be able to not only walk among them, but play with them. And if you're wondering what that entails, each of the individually named dog characters will light up as you get near them thanks to proximity sensors and LED lights. They'll also unleash a soundscape that includes howls, barks and growls, as well as electronic music. If that makes your eyes light up in delight, Lost Dogs Disco forms part of HOTA's Wonder program from Friday, October 29–Sunday, November 7. You'll be able to frolic with these giant puppers from 10am–7pm Monday–Saturday and 7am–7pm on Sundays, all with the Surfers Paradise skyline as a backdrop.
Pre-loved fashion sales tick two pivotal boxes: helping add new items to your closet in a sustainable way, and also letting you pass on the threads that you're no longer wearing to someone else to make the most of. You don't have to participate in both sides of the equation, of course. So when a secondhand fashion pop-up takes over Rocklea's weekly Saturday Fresh Market on Saturday, May 31, you can just buy or just sell (if you book a stall in advance). The event: Closet Cleanout, which is running from 6am–12pm to see out May and also end autumn. The market's usual range of fresh produce, food and other goods will still be on offer, but it'll add a fashion focus for the day. Reducing fashion waste, plus celebrating and supporting eco-conscious shopping, are among Closet Cleanout's aims. Not just buying and selling but swapping is also on the agenda. Clothes, shoes, accessories: they're all covered, as are designer pieces, vintage items and everything in-between. For those heading along to browse, entry to the Saturday Fresh Market costs $2 per person, or $6 with parking.
Since Sally Rooney's Normal People first hit bookshelves in 2018, big things have followed. As well as becoming a bestseller, the Irish author's second novel was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and won 2019's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. The next step: bringing this tale of two teens and their complicated romance to the small screen, all courtesy of a new 12-part drama of the same name. In particularly excellent news for fans of the book, Normal People's TV adaptation is penned by Rooney herself — alongside fellow screenwriters Alice Birch (Succession) and Mark O'Rowe (Boy A). And, it boasts some other significant talent in the director's chair, too, with helming duties shared by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson (Room) and BAFTA winner Hettie Macdonald (White Girl, Howard's End). Of course, it's the tale playing out on-screen that's the main attraction, as readers will already be aware — and as the just-dropped first teaser shows. Cold Feet's Daisy Edgar-Jones and newcomer Paul Mescal step into the shoes of the novel's Marianne and Connell, high school classmates in their west Ireland small town who weather all manner of ups and downs as they attend Dublin's Trinity College. At school, she was lonely and aloof, while he was outgoing and popular. At college a year later, their roles have reversed. That sets the scene for an intimate, complex love story — which will unravel in full when Normal People drops on Stan on Monday, April 27. Check out the teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDpWEA2rMB4&feature=youtu.be All 12 episodes of Normal People will be available to stream on Stan on Monday, April 27.
