With Tilda Swinton as the model, W magazine was sure to have a wild spread for their May issue. But this is probably Tilda's most striking photo shoot yet. The cover story, rightfully titled 'Stranger Than Paradise' is strangely insane (and totally surreal). The series of photos actually pays tribute to some of Swinton's favourite artists. The 52-year-old star of We Need to Talk About Kevin and glass boxes poses with everything from glamorous Chanel and Givenchy clothing to centipedes — yes, you read right, centipedes. And you know what? Even with centipede face, she's gorgeous. Check out some photos from the series below.
Folks can't stop talking about Christy Tania. Not only did the renowned dessert chef bend minds with her 'Floating Ice Cream' creation on MasterChef earlier this year, but she has also launched her own permanent dessert shop. Opening its doors on Windsor's Peel Street, Tania's new sweet wonderland offers artisanal frozen treats for eating in and taking away. Fancy ice cream stores mightn't be a rare occurrence these days; however, as Tania's first permanent solo venture, Glacé is every bit as impressive as the rest of her artisan treats. The contemporary space offers a hefty range of frozen desserts and innovative flavours, crafted with local ingredients — such as her trademark ice cream push pops, with their layers of cake sponge and ice cream. Diners will find ice cream eclairs and ice cream macarons on the menu, because every dessert is better in ice cream form. When it comes to flavoursome scoops themselves, think creative concoctions such as boozy date (sticky date pudding soaked in rum with vanilla ice cream and salted butterscotch), coffee caramel (caramel milk chocolate ice cream with Kahlua and orange cinnamon crumble), and lamington (coconut ice cream and chocolate brownie with a swirl of raspberry sorbet), plus the zig-a-zig-ah-inducing ginger spice (vanilla ice cream with salted butterscotch and gingerbread crumble). Those keen on something more traditional can try the likes of 72% dark chocolate ice cream, strawberry passionfruit sorbet and coconut ice cream with pure coconut droplets. The fixed digs come hot on the heels of successful pop-ups in Sydney and Melbourne in May, which gave sweet tooths a taste of the flagship store's range. As for Tania herself, the chef first popped up in 2013, after famously steering Melbourne dessert bar Om Nom into its first chef's hat within just two months of heading up the kitchen. Since then, her inspired sweet treats have continued to dazzle and astound, both out of the Om Nom kitchen and during a host of MasterChef guest judge appearances, making jealous messes of audiences across the country. Find Christy Tania's Glacé at 1A Peel Street, Windsor. For more information, check out the eatery's website. By Libby Curran and Sarah Ward.
Come with us on now, on a journey through time and space, to the world of Behind The Boosh. You may not hear those words spoken aloud when you walk into the exhibition celebrating British comedy troupe The Mighty Boosh, but fans will think them. When you're peering at behind-the-scenes peeks into Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding's hilarious and surreal creation, as snapped by fellow group member Dave Brown, that's the very first thing that should come to mind. A part of all things Boosh since the troupe was first formed in the 90s, Brown played Bollo the Gorilla, Naan bread, Black Frost and Australian zookeeper Joey Moose. He's also taken care of tour posters, DVDs, set graphics and merchandise; compiled and designed The Mighty Book of Boosh; and had a hand in Boosh music and choreography. And, he's been snapping away with his camera — the results of which are gracing this photography showcase. There aren't enough elbow patches in the world for this exhibition, or shoes filled with Baileys. Whether or nor you can find either — or the black hair dye and strong hairspray needed to get Vince Noir-style locks, green Old Gregg-esque body paint or 60s-era suits that look like they've been taken straight from Howard Moon's wardrobe — heading to Sydney's M2 Gallery and Melbourne's North Gallery this August means getting a glimpse into the minds behind The Mighty Boosh's stage shows and radio series, and obviously the three-season TV gem also called The Mighty Boosh. Brown's two decades of images traverse a history that saw The Boosh become a live smash at the Edinburgh and Melbourne Comedy Festivals, then a 00s cult hit on the small screen. These days, Fielding might co-present The Great British Bake Off and do team captain duties on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, while Barratt has been playing a part in The Great, but they'll always been known for The Boosh. "These images are like children to me, badly behaved children with no manners but also beautifully funny, insanely dressed up children that are two dimensional and don't move," explained Brown of his Behind The Boosh photos. "I love these pics, incredible memories of a special time with my Boosh band of brothers and sharing them with our beautiful Aussie Boosh fans is long overdue." "The love The Mighty Boosh still has to this day is comparable to legendary acts such as Monty Python and continues to draw in people of all ages. It was such a bonus to have a great photographer who was part of the show; Dave never missed anything! I almost find it difficult to look at them because it takes me back immediately to that time, and because Dave was always taking photos, the snaps are genuine; they're not posed," said Fielding. "Dave is a lens with legs! Ever since I have known him, he's had a camera strapped to his face. I have a terrible memory which is why Dave is my saviour, if we are our memories then without Dave Brown I simply would not exist," added Barratt. Brown is also in Australia with the exhibition, which runs from Wednesday, August 2–Sunday, August 6 in Sydney and Wednesday, August 16–Sunday, August 20 in Melbourne. In both cities, on the Saturdays in each, he's doing an artist talk to chat through his work — and being part of a troupe, plus their various onstage and on-screen shows, where anything could happen. In Sydney as well, Brown will hit the decks at Redfern Surf Club's Surfapolooza festival on Saturday, August 5. BEHIND THE BOOSH AUSTRALIAN DATES: Wednesday, August 2–Sunday, August 6 — M2 Gallery, 4/450 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, Sydney Wednesday, August 16–Sunday, August 20 — North Gallery, Level 1/55-57 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne Behind the Boosh displays in Sydney and Melbourne in August 2023 — head to the exhibition website for further details. Images: Dave Brown.
The anticipation is building for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™. Seeing as we are hosting the iconic occasion Down Under, Sydney is set to witness some exhilarating matches. Meaning the city will be bursting with football fever and a plethora of vibrant events and experiences to enjoy. So, if you're planning a trip to the city, be sure to witness the best of what Sydney has to offer. From art and culture to music and culinary delights, Sydney is poised to showcase its dynamic spirit during the month-long World Cup celebration. Luckily for you, we've rounded up some top picks that you should not miss during your stay.
If your idea of a relaxing pastime involves moseying through Australia's picturesque landscape by foot, bike or horse, then add the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail to your must-visit list. Spanning 161 kilometres, it runs through southeast Queensland from Wulkuraka, west of Ipswich to Yarraman in the Great Dividing Range. And, with its final stage completed and opened this month, it's now Australia's longest continuous hiking, cycling and horse riding trail — exceeding the Great Victorian Rail Trail's 134 kilometres in length. Inaccessible to cars, the track follows the now-defunct Brisbane Valley railway line, which dates back to the 1880s. Upon closing to trains in 1991, it was converted to a recreational trail; however the final link between Toogoolawah and Moore has only just come to fruition through $3.354 million in funding from the federal, Queensland and local governments. Visitors can now make their way through an array of scenery — including farms, country towns and bushland — across the trail's entire expanse, with the track winding through the likes of Fernvale, Lowood, Esk, Toogoolawah, Moore, Linville, Blackbutt and Yarraman, and including both coffee stops and campsites along the way. Further work is planned along the trail, including a $4.5 million upgrade to the heritage-listed Lockyer Creek Railway Bridge. Image: Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Users Association Inc.
Home to raindrop cakes, Nutella gyoza and salted caramel gyoza, Harajuku Gyoza clearly likes getting creative with its sweet treats. The chain is fond of trying out new things with its savouring dumpling range, too, as its experiment with mac 'n' cheese and pepperoni pizza versions showed — but it obviously has a soft spot for the kind of desserts you won't find on any old menu. Right now, the Australian gyoza brand is serving up a new menu item that turns lemon meringue into gyoza. You'll find lemon curd stuffed inside each dumpling, and mini meringues perched on top. And, if your stomach isn't already rumbling, they come crispy fried and dusted with icing sugar. Just like the chain's marshmallow gyoza from earlier this year, the lemon meringue dumplings are joining the chain's dessert lineup in plates of five, which'll cost you $10. And if you fancy tucking into the new gyoza after devouring two old favourites — cheeseburger gyoza, which is stuffed with burger pieces, aged cheddar, onion, pickles, mustard and tomato sauce; and mozzarella gyoza, which is filled with the obvious, then deep-fried and sprinkled with Twisties salt — that's up to you. Harajuku Gyoza's lemon meringue gyoza are now available at all Australian stores — at Darling Harbour in Sydney; at South Bank and the CBD in Brisbane; and in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast.
Arachnophobes, beware — a heap of creepy-crawly eight-legged creatures are descending upon Queensland Museum. As part of the site's next big exhibition, the South Brisbane spot is turning its walls and halls over to spiders of all shapes and sizes. More than 200 specimens will be on display, including 12 live species. Yes, that means there'll be real, living, prowling Sydney funnel webs, trapdoors, hunstmans, redbacks and tarantulas. Don't worry — they'll be behind glass. Obviously, if the mere thought of these arachnids fills you with terror, this showcase won't be for you. Feeling brave? If you're keen to get playful with the critters, Spiders – The Exhibition will also include interactive elements. You'll be able to hold a wolf spider in your hands (virtually, of course), challenge a peacock spider to a dance-off, peer at a web-slinger's insides via 3D scanning technology and get caught in net-casting spider's web (for a photo, naturally). Running from December 6, 2019 to May 4, 2020, the exhibition will showcase spider ecology in all of its facets — from reproduction, to their specialised jaws and silk, to their venom, to their adaptive qualities — all drawing upon expert research. Queensland Museum is actually known as a bit of a spider-hub, so its arachnologists will be putting their own skills on display, and doing whatever a spider buff can. Image: Robert Whyte.
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations — giving you a little inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we take you to Bali's legendary beachfront resort Desa Potato Head. And right now, we have an unmissable deal for you to take advantage of, which includes daily cocktails and a bunch of other complimentary offers on three-, five- and seven-night stays. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? Whether Bali is yet to be ticked off your bucket list or you're a seasoned visitor, you probably already know Seminyak is where all the action is — think top restaurants, luxurious day spas and pumping party spots. Of the many hot spots that populate Seminyak, Potato Head Beach Club is an institution. But, Desa Potato Head's offering extends well beyond the famed beach club with its sweeping archipelago views and infinity pool. Billing itself as a self-contained 'village', Desa Potato Head has several restaurants, a range of accommodation options, art installations and a co-working space. And then there is the next-level wellness program. We're talking a 24-hour gym, personal training, outdoor fitness sessions, yoga and guided meditation sessions, IV treatments and the Sanctuary — a space offering ice baths, sound healing and other alternative wellness practices. The resort also has a steadfast commitment to sustainability — it was the first company in Asia to go carbon neutral and is making strides to be a zero-waste operation. THE ROOMS Desa Potato Head has two distinct accommodation offerings. The first is Potato Head Suites (formerly known as Katamama). Each of these 58 suites effortlessly blends ancient Indonesian craftsmanship with modern touches, including floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Indian Ocean, private gardens, spacious living areas, and jacuzzis or pools. Your other option is Potato Head Studios, the more traditional hotel offering. Across the 168 rooms, expect luxury amenities, stylish decor and stunning views over the ocean, bamboo garden or resort. All rooms have thoughtful personal touches, like build-your-own-cocktail kits, refillable products (including sunscreen and insect repellent) and zero-waste kits that you can take home with you. FOOD AND DRINK Beach Club is, of course, the most famous of Desa Potato Head's hospitality offerings, so spending a few hours here (at the very least) is a given. Snag one of the daybeds by the infinity pool to enjoy signature cocktails — prepared with local fruits and spices — and a few snacks from the kitchen, including charcuterie boards, pizza and platters of oysters. The Beach Club has two more formal options, too. The first is Ijen, which focuses on fresh local seafood served raw or grilled. The other is Kaum, which showcases traditional recipes, methods of cooking and ingredients from some of Indonesia's lesser-known regions. Elsewhere in the resort, you'll find semi-subterranean plant-based diner Tanaman, casual eatery Katamama and rooftop bar Sunset Park. THE LOCAL AREA When you're ready to explore beyond the boundaries of Potato Head, Seminyak has plenty on offer to keep you busy. Get your caffeine fix from one of the Aussie-style cafes (Revolver Espresso is our pick) and take a wander down Jalan Kayu Aya (otherwise known as Eat Street) to find tasty local food and boutique shops. Want to visit other beach clubs? KU DE TA, Finns and Mrs Sippy are all worth a look-in. Then, of course, there are all the nature-laden day trips and outdoor adventures you can take. Check out this Ubud day tour, which includes visits to Tegenungan Waterfall and the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, or this full-day of water sports fun — think scuba diving, jet skiing and more. THE EXTRAS A stay at Desa Potato Head guarantees plenty of luxuries. We've already mentioned a few, including the in-room cocktail bar and daily wellness activities, but you can also expect welcome cocktails, daily breakfast, free daily laundry and airport transfers. Plus, if you book a three-, five- or seven-night stay through Concrete Playground Trips, we're throwing in even more to sweeten the already-sweet deal. Specifically: free cocktails daily, a free massage, spa credit of IDR500,000, dinner at Tanaman and priority daybeds at the Beach Club. Get moving on this offer — it's only available until June 13. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world.
You might walk in the doors of Wooden Horse Restaurant & Bar simply seeking to pique your curiosity about Clayfield's newest eatery; however once you experience the buzzing atmosphere, you'll want to stay for much, much more. And if you don't believe us, maybe their Beatles-themed cocktail list will twist your arm. Yes, a Twist n' Shout (bourbon, maple, lemon, vanilla, egg white and cinnamon) or Strawberry Fields Forever (sparkling wine, Chambord and strawberries) can be yours to savour if you love the fab four. Even if you don't, the ode to Britpop's best goes down nicely with the modern Italian menu. When it comes to food, you'll feast on share plates and mains that boast all the favourite staples — cob loaf, chorizo and pork belly among them — without jumping on the trend-centric bandwagon. Our pick to kick things off is the Wooden Meat Board's delicious serving of wagyu bresaola, serrano, manchego, Sicilian olives and house grissini — aka the perfect thing to consume while sitting inside Wooden Horse's appropriately timber-heavy interior. Find Wooden Horse Restaurant & Bar at 278 Junction Road, Clayfield. For more information, visit their website or Facebook page.
There are 8222 islands within Australia's watery borders. You could spend your entire life hopping from one to another and never quite make them all (well, unless you're very, very quick). So, we thought we'd save you some time and handpick ten of the best. They should at least get you started. Next time you start imagining yourself on a white-sanded beach with quokkas close by, sea lions in the distance and your desk a few hundred kilometres away, these are the spots to catch a boat/plane/ferry to. Remember: when you leave the mainland, you leave all your worries there, too. From pristine beaches and bountiful wine regions to alpine hideaways and bustling country towns, Australia has a wealth of places to explore at any time of year. We've put together a list of some of our favourite island escapes — no passport or immense jet lag required. [caption id="attachment_688571" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Ewart/Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND, QLD Located 25 minutes by ferry off the Queensland coast, Stradbroke Island is an easy day trip from Brisbane. It's the second biggest sand island in the world after Fraser Island (more on that later). For swimming in gentle waves, head to idyllic Cylinder Beach; for wilder surf, make your destination 38-kilometre-long Main Beach. Overnight stays include beach camping, as well as an array of cottages, hotels and B&Bs. Just north of Straddie is Moreton Island, a wonderland of long beaches, clear lakes and a national park. And, consider sleeping over at Tangalooma, an eco-friendly resort where you can hand-feed wild dolphins and swim around a shipwreck. [caption id="attachment_688550" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trevor King/Destination NSW[/caption] LORD HOWE ISLAND, NSW Just 11 kilometres long and two kilometres wide, Lord Howe, a two-hour flight east of Sydney, is explorable within a few days. Whenever you travel, you won't have to fear tourist crowds: only 400 visitors are permitted at any one time and the population was just 382 at last count back in 2016. Prepare to have pretty beaches, spectacular diving sites and rugged terrain all to yourself. Among the best adventures are the Mount Gower Trail, a steep, eight-hour trek that carries you 875 metres above sea level, and Erscott's Hole, a natural wonder where you can snorkel among staghorn coral, bluefish and double-headed wrasse. [caption id="attachment_688568" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Khy Orchard/Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] MAGNETIC ISLAND, QLD There are hundreds of islands in the Great Barrier Reef area, offering everything from secluded campsites to five-star luxury resorts. But, for convenience, outdoor adventures and, most importantly, koala spotting, Magnetic Island is hard to go past. You'll find it just 20 minutes from Townsville. Get active with sea kayaking tours and yoga classes, get artsy at beachside markets and galleries or relax at stunning beaches like Horseshoe Bay. If you're keen to venture further, jump aboard a Great Barrier Reef snorkelling, diving or sightseeing tour. [caption id="attachment_688400" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Isaac Forman/SA Tourism Commission[/caption] KANGAROO ISLAND, SA With a whopping 509 kilometres of coastline, Kangaroo Island could have you exploring for weeks. The island was pretty badly affected by bushfires back in 2020, but this guide will help you navigate — including which businesses to support. To get there, take a 45-minute ferry ride from Cape Jervis, on the Fleurieu Peninsula, around 100 kilometres south of Adelaide. Then gear up to share your holiday with sea lions, fur seals, little penguins, echidnas, koalas and, you guessed it, kangaroos. The island is a haven for creatures who've struggled to survive elsewhere, especially Australian sea lions, who were hunted to the brink of extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries. There are numerous national parks and conservation areas, and the over 4000-strong population is big on food and wine. ROTTNEST ISLAND, WA This island is a 90-minute ferry ride from Barrack Street Jetty, Perth, or 25 minutes from Fremantle. Like Kangaroo Island, Rottnest has given a big dose of much-needed love to our wild creatures, particularly quokkas, which now number 12,000 or so. Dedicate some time to spotting them (though please don't go touching, patting or feeding), before visiting pristine beaches — such as The Basin, where you'll find an underwater playground, and Little Parakeet Bay, backdropped by striking rock formations. [caption id="attachment_724590" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] PHILLIP ISLAND, VIC Phillip Island's biggest drawcard is its penguin parade. Every night, at sunset, the island's resident little penguins return to their terrestrial homes, having spent the day out and about fishing. Beyond wildlife watching, go wine and craft beer tasting, bliss out with a massage or spa treatment, or conquer a trail on foot — such as the Cape Woolamai Walk, which traverses dramatic clifftops along Phillip's southernmost point. Find suggestions on where to eat, drink and stay in our guide. Unlike all the other islands on this list, you can reach this one by road: it's around 90 minutes south of Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_770035" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Australia[/caption] BRUNY ISLAND, TAS Bruny feels completely remote, yet it's just a 20-minute ferry ride from the coast and, with driving time added, 50 minutes from Hobart. The beauty of this proximity to the city is that, despite all the wilderness, you can find some top nosh: for fish and chips head to Jetty Cafe; for pub grub swing by Hotel Bruny; for cheese visit Bruny Island Cheese Company; and for a tipple, there's the Bruny Island House of Whisky. Meanwhile, nature lovers will find white wallabies at Inala Nature Reserve, windswept headlands at Cape Bruny Lighthouse and head-clearing watery views at Cloudy Bay. [caption id="attachment_688565" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matt Raimondo/Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] K'GARI (FRASER ISLAND), QLD World Heritage-listed K'gari (Fraser Island) is the biggest sand island in the world. There are 184,000 hectares of the stuff, comprising of 72 different colours and mostly in the form of magnificent dunes, many of which are covered in rainforest. If you've time on your hands, take on the Great Walk, an eight-day epic that visits many of Fraser's 100 freshwater lakes. If not, jump aboard a 4WD and cruise along 75 Mile Beach, take a dip at Champagne Pools along the way and pay a visit to awe-inspiring Boorangoora(Lake McKenzie), a perched lake made up of rainwater and soft silica sand. [caption id="attachment_688583" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Wilson/Tourism Tasmania[/caption] KING ISLAND, TASMANIA You might have no idea where this island is, but you've no doubt seen its cheese at your local supermarket. King Island Dairy's decadent triple cream brie is an Aussie gourmet staple. But it's far from the only treat you'll be sampling in this lush place, which lies in the Bass Strait, halfway between Victoria and Tassie. Count, too, on super-fresh seafood, flavourful beef and a cornucopia of produce from local growers. When you're finished feasting, stroll along the white sands of Disappointment Bay, visit a 7000-year-old calcified forest and go horse riding by the sea. [caption id="attachment_688591" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Coral Coast Tourism[/caption] ABROLHOS ISLANDS, WA The Houtman Abrolhos isn't just an island, it's an archipelago. There are 122 isles that make up the marvel, more or less clustered in three groups, across 100 kilometres. They lie around 60 kilometres off the Coral Coast, west of Geraldton, which is four hours' drive north of Perth. Lose yourself snorkelling or diving among colourful coral, spotting Australian sea lions and looking out for more than 90 species of seabirds, including majestic white-breasted sea eagles. For mind-blowing views, jump aboard a scenic flight. Top image: Lord Howe Island, tom-archer.com via Destination NSW
Australia's cities are filled with must-try places for a bite, whether you're seeking out Sydney's very-best restaurants, Melbourne's top eateries or Brisbane's latest openings, but there's still nothing like a home-cooked meal. Alison Roman understands this. The Brooklyn-based food writer and chef may live in New York and have access to its thriving dining scene, but she's a big fan of eating in — and she has viral recipes such as #TheCookies, #ThePasta, #TheStew and #TheDip to prove it. Roman also has two cookbooks currently in bookshops, and possibly on your own shelves: Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes and Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over. Come April in Australia, Sweet Enough: Desserts for People Who Don't Do Dessert will join them. To launch the latter, and to make her first trip ever Down Under, Roman is hitting our shores on a three-city tour to get chatting about home cooking, those internet-famous dishes and why she adores her own kitchen. [caption id="attachment_894215" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chris Bernabeo[/caption] The viral recipe queen and New York Times-bestselling scribe leads this year's Melbourne Writers Festival lineup, which is her first Aussie stop. She'll discuss her career and her journey to the dessert-focused Sweet Enough with Benjamin Law on Friday, May 5 at Melbourne Town Hall — plus her love of culinary imperfection. Next destination: a stint at Brisbane Powerhouse on Sunday, May 7, where she'll be in-conversation with Belinda Sweeney, touching upon everything from having her own CNN cooking show to releasing her first baking book. And, last but by no means least, Sydney Opera House will add Roman to its impressive list of 2023 guests — see also: Michael Sheen during Amadeus, Bikini Kill on their first trip to Australia in more than a quarter-century and the whole All About Women lineup — on Tuesday, May 9. In the Harbour City, she'll be talking with Melissa Leong, and expect her food newsletter A Newsletter and YouTube series Home Movies to also get a mention. "I was scheduled to come to Australia in March of 2020 but the world had other plans, so I am beyond thrilled to finally make it over," said Roman, announcing the tour. "A first-time trip to Sydney was already going to be special, but speaking at such a legendary venue as the Opera House is more than I could have dreamed of. I really, truly can't wait." ALISON ROMAN AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2023: Friday, May 5 — Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne, as part of Melbourne Writers Festival Sunday, May 7 — Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane Tuesday, May 9 — Sydney Opera House, Sydney Alison Roman tours Australia in May 2023. For more information — and for tickets — head to the Sydney Opera House (for pre-sales from 8am AEDT on Thursday, March 23 and general sales from 9am AEDT the same date), Melbourne Writers Festival and Ticketek (from 9am AEST on Thursday, March 23) websites. Top image: Alison Roman by Chris Bernabeo.
The Gold Coast, with its enviable combination of good weather and beaches, already gives off festival vibes all year round. But the real kicker happens when you add beer to all of that goodness. Add vitamins B (beer) and C (cider) to the vitamin D you cop on the coast with the Crafted Beer and Cider Festival, on Saturday, September 7. Taking place in Kurrawa Park in Broadbeach, the beer festival will unite more than 40 of Australia's top craft breweries, over 200 different brews and some good food and live music to line your stomachs and ears. It's as good an excuse as any for a cheeky getaway to the Goldy. Locals like Balter Brewing Company, Black Hops Brewing and Burleigh Brewing Co join up with visitors like Sydney's Akasha Brewing Company, Yulli's Brews and Young Henrys, plus Victoria's Bridge Road Brewers and Moon Dog — and that's but a few of the many beer houses to be represented on the day. More of a cider person? Far From the Tree and Granite Belt Cider Co. are some of the cideries making the pilgrimage to the Coast. Food-wise, your picks span Little Havana, Smokin' Grill BBQ, Mac From Way Back, The Wiener House and more — including a hot dog-eating contest. The music lineup is equally eclectic with The Delta Riggs, Wharves, Seaside and Nice Biscuit among the bands providing the soundtrack to your day. Also on the day's agenda is comedy, a ping pong competition and beer yoga, where you can perform a few downward dogs before you down your beer — it's all about balance, after all.
It isn't every day that wandering through Federation Square involves walking past — or through — a whopping 3000 kilograms of clothing waste. Thanks to an eye-catching, awareness-raising, three-day-only pop-up, however, Melburnians can currently do just that. Until Thursday, April 28, a hefty pile of discarded fashion is sitting in the middle of the Victorian capital, all to draw attention to how many threads are thrown away by Australians. The sustainability focused installation is a collaboration between Kathmandu and zero-waste advocate Joost Bakker, and it'll instantly teach you something — because the 3000 kilograms of discarded clothing that's pivotal to the piece only represents the amount of textiles disposed of by Aussies in a mere five-minute window. That's how much that gets thrown away every five minutes, in fact, with Kathmandu and Bakker's team-up designed to make that stark truth hit home. "The thing that shocked me the most — I just thought I'd use 500 kilos of clothing, but then I got 200 kilos of clothing in just one day," Bakker tells Concrete Playground. "I just went 'oh my god'. There's just this huge volume. I just couldn't quite comprehend the volume, and the weight. And then when you see these piles of clothing, or you see factories full, or you see it in landfill — the energy, the water, the labour, everything that's gone into creating that, and it's just thrown into landfill, it's crazy." The 3000 kilograms of clothes that Bakker has amassed for this project — with the help of clothing recycling centre Upparel — is used in a tunnel structure that visitors to Fed Square can mosey through. Still, it's hard not to feel the the scale of it. Again, that's completely by design. "My core belief is that people are aware, they'll do something about it," says Bakker. "Even if it's just one person who walks through that structure and gets inspired and comes up with a solution — that's what's so exciting. Globally, so many people are putting their energy into finding solutions that, over the next ten years, it'll be a thing of the past. I have no doubt that clothing waste will not exist very quickly because we're all putting our energy into it and trying to find solutions. Humans are amazing at finding solutions when we put our energy and efforts into it, and that's what's happening now. That's really what this installation is all about," he continues. The reason for the collab with Kathmandu: the company asked, and gave Bakker free rein to come up with his own way to highlight the fashion-waste problem. "I thought it was quite inspiring that a brand wanted to actually highlight this, and so I got quite excited," he notes. "I wanted to really come up with a way that you could actually immerse yourself in a volume [of textiles]. If you have a pile of clothing, it's very difficult to get a sense of how much that is," Bakker tells CP. "So I wanted to create a structure where you were really in it and immersed in it. And I'm based in Monbulk, I'm surrounded by flower farmers, and I was able to access plastics that are used for greenhouses — these are all offcuts, and we've put lots of layers of offcut plastic to create that structure that allows you to see the enormous waste that's generated." Kathmandu is also launching a new 100-percent biodegradable BioDown puffer jacket, which Melburnians will see hanging through the installation. It's made from materials — outer, inner, down, zips, threads, tags and all — that are treated with a special additive that helps accelerate biodegradation, but only in a landfill environment. The jackets will hit stores from Thursday, April 28. Bakker notes that it's moves like these that'll help see textile waste eliminated — an issue that's only been around for half a century or so anyway — and unwanted fashion items reused and recycled instead. "My belief is that waste is just a human thing. Waste is something that pretty much is only a fifty-year thing, it's a very short space of time that we've generated a waste industry. Even if you go back 60, 70 years, everything was a resource, so we didn't have things like landfills and waste dumps," he explains. "I view waste as something beautiful. It's amazing how many people have commented 'the structure is actually really beautiful, but it's filled with waste, it's filled with something that we discard, something that we don't put any value on'. All my work has been about turning that around," Bakker continues. "In nature, there's no waste. You don't walk around a forest and go 'oh my god, I'm surrounded by all this rubbish'. It's only a human thing, because everything becomes something else again. I think the sooner that as a society we embrace that idea, we can completely design waste out of everything. It can happen really quickly, and I think it will happen really quickly, because we are all aware now." Kathmandu's fashion-waste installation is on display at Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne, from Tuesday, April 26–Thursday, April 28.
Strawberry sundae season is in full swing, but no matter how much you love the Ekka's iconic scoops of pink-coloured ice cream, we can't all go to the show to grab one every day that it's on. If you fancy treating yo'self to something similar — and in a fancier setting, too — you can make a date with Stokehouse Q from Friday, August 9 to Sunday, August 18, with the South Bank restaurant serving up its best Ekka-inspired creation. Created by group pastry chef Lauren Eldridge, this strawberries and cream concoction is a serious treat, combining strawberries and cream-flavoured semifreddo with strawberry meringue and fresh strawberry. It's available during the lunch and dinner service for $19, and it's for fans of the red, juicy fruit, clearly. Making a great deed even better, Stokehouse Q is partnering with The Common Good, aka The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, and donating a portion of the proceeds from the limited-edition dish to this worthy cause. That's something you won't get with your regular sundae — or river views, either. Plus, if you want to try whipping up the dessert yourself, the recipe is also available on Stokehouse Q's website.
Ever wondered why so many Sunday sessions involve going all out? When you know that the nine-to-five grind is almost upon you for another week — yes, again — indulging in plenty of food and drinks just seems to come naturally. And, that's exactly what's on the menu at Comuna Cantina's new end-of-weekend option. We hope you like margaritas and tacos. We hope you love them, in fact. You'll find a heap of them on offer here, during two-hour sittings from 12pm each week. That's when you'll tuck into bottomless margs and as many tacos as you can eat — all for $85 per person. On the food menu: corn chips and guacamole, a chips tasting board, and both cauliflower and chicken bites upon arrival, plus all the coconut fish, halloumi, grilled chicken and pulled pork tacos you can handle. When it comes to margs, there's classic, coconut, watermelon and spicy versions on offer, plus a small range of wines and beers. Comuna Cantina is hosting the bottomless Sunday sessions every week until the end of August at both its CBD and Everton Park locations. And if you'd like to tap your toes as you drink, there'll be live DJs and percussionists as well. Updated August 11.
Via Studios is playing host to the Brisbane Collective Exhibition this weekend. The venue, commonly used as a rehearsal space and a recording studio, is undergoing a transformation into a gallery for what is sure to be a great display of artistic talent from a variety of local artists. This creative haven will host works from the following Brisbane artists: Susan Shambrook Lucy Wolber John Patterson Megan Starr-Thomas Jeff Paton Julia Palazzo Jade Thompson Cathryn Ruhle Kimberley Clifford Cameron Gillard Tiffany Howe Travis D. Hendrix Tommy Knott Chuck Mayfield Charly Designs Sophie Vaughan Adam Leigh Rita Rose Raven Hodgson Ella Mobbs Khi-Maree Brent Wilson Irkle It is free to enter, is BYO and will have a few sets of live acoustic music. This is shaping up to be a great night for the local artistic community. Make sure you are a part of it!
It's the seventh film in the Jurassic franchise. It takes its characters to a secret island that was home to the research facility for Jurassic Park's original prehistoric animal sanctuary. Thanks to the latter, it's filled with dinosaurs too dangerous for the original wannabe tourist attraction. The movie: Jurassic World Rebirth, which is also the next picture to get a cast member of Oscar-winning 2019 film Marriage Story facing off against creatures that went extinct millions of years ago. Yes, that's a niche bit of trivia. But life has indeed found a way to get Scarlett Johansson (Fly Me to the Moon) battling dinos after it also got Adam Driver (Megalopolis) doing the same in 65 — and, of course, after Laura Dern (Lonely Planet) starred in the OG Jurassic Park, plus Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion. In Jurassic World Rebirth, Johansson plays covert operations expert Zora Bennett, who has a date with the movie's main island to obtain genetic material that could help develop drugs to save human lives. Arriving three years after Jurassic World Dominion and set to stomp into picture palaces in July, the new Jurassic flick also takes Jonathan Bailey (Wicked) and Mahershala Ali (Leave the World Behind) on its upon a clandestine mission. After the first sneak peek at how that turns out dropped in February, a brand-new trailer has been revealed. The vibe? The words "you don't see that every day" are uttered early, and dinosaurs are a threat by land, air and sea. The idea at the heart of picture: on the landmass at its centre, different species of dinosaurs to those that the films have featured before roam — species that were couldn't go into the OG park because they would've caused too much havoc. Bennett heads there with Bailey's palaeontologist Dr Henry Loomis and Ali as her righthand man Duncan Kincaid — and company — in what seems to be shaping up, in part, as a Jurassic heist film with pesky rampaging ancient beasts. Alongside Johansson, Bailey, and Moonlight and Green Book Oscar-winner Ali, the Rebirth's lineup of on-screen talent also spans Rupert Friend (Companion) as a pharmaceutical executive; Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Lincoln Lawyer) as a civilian who gets dragged into the mission after becoming shipwrecked; Luna Blaise (Manifest), David Iacono (Dope Thief) and Audrina Miranda (Lopez vs Lopez) as the latter's family members; and Philippine Velge (The Serpent Queen), Bechir Sylvain (Black Mafia Family) and Ed Skrein (Rebel Moon) among Zora and co's crew. In the storyline, five years have passed since the events of Jurassic World Dominion — which, for audiences, followed 2015's Jurassic World and 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in the Jurassic World saga, plus 1993's Jurassic Park, 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park and 2001's Jurassic Park III in the OG Jurassic Park trilogy. Jurassic World Rebirth director Gareth Evans (The Creator) is new to the franchise, but knows a thing or two about flicks about fighting giant creatures courtesy of 2010's Monsters and 2014's Godzilla. Rebirth does have a key link back to the debut Jurassic Park movie, however, with screenwriter David Koepp returning after co-penning the initial film and scripting the second solo. (Koepp also returns to grappling with dinosaurs after a three-movie run writing screenplays for Steven Soderbergh with Kimi, Presence and Black Bag.) Check out the latest trailer for Jurassic World Rebirth below: Jurassic World Rebirth releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
Lady Gaga doesn't shy away from innovation. Ridiculous costumes and outrageous hairstyles aside, the 25-year old artist has harnessed the power of the interwebs to reach over 10 million Twitter followers, 35 million Facebook fans and 1 billion YouTube views. Teaming up with Google, Gaga and her little monsters have created a 90-second ad for Google's Chrome browser. The underlying message? The web is what you make of it. Gaga's not the first musician to endorse Google Chrome. Late last year Arcade Fire released an interactive video clip which made use of the brower's extensive capabilities. https://youtube.com/watch?v=sDPJ-o1leAw [Via Engadget]
As far as summer food/drink combos go, beer with guac and chips is definitely up there. But one brewery's just found a way to combine the two in one unusual but very intriguing beverage. The LA-based Angel City Brewery recently introduced Avocado Ale as part of their inaugural Avocado Festival on August 24, which celebrated the beginning of avocado season in California. The beer contains avocados harvested straight from brewmaster Dieter Foerstner's grandmother's farm, as well as other ingredients you'd normally find in guacamole, like crushed red pepper, garlic, lime and coriander. Angel City is no stranger to experimental brews — their previous creations include the Pickle Weiss and the less weird-sounding White Nite, a golden, chocolate- and espresso-flavoured ale. It looks like Avocado Ale's just a one-off local thing, but they're not the first brewers to take the 'Why can't we have both?' approach to beer and food. Sydney's own 4 Pines Brewery recently held a series of Beer Mimics Food events, featuring beer infused with HP sauce, apple and blackcurrant crumble and, even more bizarrely, a bento box lager. Foerstner, the man behind Avocado Ale, described it to LAist as a "love or hate kind of thing. It's not what traditionalists would expect a beer to taste like. It does have a well-pronounced avocado flavour, so people who don't care for the fruit to begin with might not enjoy it. But being an avocado lover, I love it." Via PSFK.
Fan art has been deemed the domain of the obsessive. Whether that is reserved for the creator or extends to the viewer is still undecided. Nevertheless, Seinfeld - the show about nothing that graced our television screens for 9 years and 180 episodes - is being remembered in a unique way in Newcastle's ArtHive. During the month of May and thirteen years after the show ended, ArtHive, an artist-run initiative, will be home to a new exhibition, Art Vanderlay. The showcase, curated by Jessica Louttit, will showcase art inspired by the show's 9-season run and feature works from local artists including Mike Foxall, Ry Wilkin, Sarah Mould and "many sponge-worthy others in one huge Seinfeld fan flaunt." The opening night on May 27 will see the exhibition come to life with episodes of the hit television show being beamed onto the walls, prizes awarded for the best character costumes, as well as catered to the brim with your choice of muffin tops, black & white cookies, Junior Mints and Pretzels. To get in contact, share your ideas, get more details, yada yada yada, keep an eye on the gallery's blog at subjecthive.blogspot.com https://youtube.com/watch?v=t_nCmj9IyLo [via Lost at E Minor]
Yes, Queenstown is the adventure capital of the world, but there is only so much one can do before needing to refuel. That, or the weather pulls a finger, and the day's activities need to be re-planned. For both of those types of situations, I suggest trying the delightful Vudu Cafe & Larder. The tiny cafe on Rees St has a solid following from both locals and exotic ski bunnies alike, and it's not particularly hard to figure out why. For one, it's organic; and the meat and egg production's all free range. There's your tick for being a good person. Secondly, it's darn tasty. Especially when working on a steady half-hangover, you'll want to cast your eyes towards the Immunity Booster juice. This particularly sassy number introduced me to the joys of having beetroot, ginger and carrots in a juice, together. Immunity boosted? I think so. Then there's the food. Try anything in the cabinet or off the menu, anything. It's all be good. I had a bean burrito ($9) for a late lunch, which effectively filled my tank until around midnight. So it's fair to say you're getting a lot of bang for your buck. Add in some cool hanging jar lamps, and an aerial shot of Queenstown to the decor, and you've got yourself a pretty cute wee cafe. But be warned, all good things come to those who wait, so be prepared to stand in quite a bit of line for seating. Vudu Cafe & Larder 03 441 8370 16 Rees St, Queenstown Mon - Sun 07:30am - 5pm
If you've read much of Stephen King's work, then you'll agree with some of the first words spoken in the just-dropped debut teaser trailer for HBO's new IT prequel 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 screen adaptations, too, including the hit 2017 IT movie and its 2019 sequel IT: Chapter Two. 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. As first revealed in 2023, IT: Welcome to Derry falls into the same camp. It'll arrive in your streaming queue sometime in spring 2025. If you're not fond of clowns, find yourself scurrying past sewers and simply can't stand red balloons, there's probably one big reason for your phobias. Maybe you read King's horror tome IT, which first made its way to bookshelves back in 1986. Perhaps you saw the 1990 miniseries, which turned Tim Curry from The Rocky Horror Picture Show's Frank N Furter into the transdimensional evil entity known as Pennywise. Or, you might've caught the recent two IT flicks. Whichever fits, your fears are about to get another workout. King's go-to Maine town is clearly the setting, with the series stepping through the locale's scares before the terror that viewers have already seen and experienced. And yes, Pennywise does indeed feature. So does a spate of missing children, more kids seeking answers, a new family moving in, uncaring police, eerie smiles and cackles, voices in the pipes and a crimson balloon. 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. "As teenagers, we took turns reading chapters of Stephen King's IT until the thick paperback fell to pieces," said Muschietti and his sister Barbara Muschietti, who is also working on IT: Welcome to Derry, back when the show was first revealed. "IT is an epic story that contains multitudes, far beyond what we could explore in our IT movies. We can't wait to share the depths of Steve's novel, in all its heart, humour, humanity and horror." "I'm excited that the story of Derry, Maine's most haunted city, is continuing, and I'm glad Andy Muschietti is going to be overseeing the frightening festivities, along with a brain trust including his talented sister, Barbara. Red balloons all around!" added King at the time. If you've somehow missed all things IT so far, it follows the exploits of maniacal clown Pennywise, as well as the folks he's rather fond of terrorising. In the 2017 and 2019 movies, Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu) put on the demonic makeup. In the first of those films, his targets were all kids. In the second, those teens — the Losers Club — were all grown up and still getting spooked. Skarsgård is back as Pennywise in IT: Welcome to Derry, with 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) as his co-stars. Watch the initial IT: Welcome to Derry teaser trailer below: IT: Welcome to Derry is set to stream via Max in Australia and Neon in New Zealand sometime in spring 2025 — we'll update you with an exact release date when it is announced. Images: HBO.
When you're a stellar sleuth renowned for solving complex cases, what's your holy grail? That question will soon be answered in the Knives Out world. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the third film in the detective franchise and will arrive before 2025 is out — and in its just-dropped initial sneak peek, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig, Queer) is excited about "the impossible crime". Netflix has unveiled its first look at Wake Up Dead Man in a date-announcement teaser, which reveals Friday, December 12, 2025 as the day that you'll be watching. Accordingly, this trailer is short on plot details — but there are snippets of what's in store, including a church and its graveyard featuring prominently. Also included: a glimpse at much of the characteristically stacked cast. Just like in 2019's OG Knives Out and 2022's Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Blanc keeps pointing the finger at well-known faces. Onboard this time around: Josh O'Connor (Challengers), Glenn Close (Back in Action), Josh Brolin (Brothers), Mila Kunis (Goodrich), Jeremy Renner (Mayor of Kingstown), Kerry Washington (Shadow Force), Andrew Scott (Ripley), Cailee Spaeny (Civil War), Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters) and Thomas Haden Church (Twisted Metal). The new teaser also includes character names, including advising that O'Connor plays a reverend and Renner a doctor. The whodunnit saga's writer and director Rian Johnson (Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi) is back behind the lens on what is being teased as Blanc's "most dangerous case yet" — and he's giving audiences two big sleuthing returns in the same year, given that Poker Face, which he also created, has already made a comeback in 2025. So far, the Knives Out franchise has stuck to a three-yearly pattern. Also, although Johnson has plunged his detective into a familiar setup, he's always ensured that the end result was anything but routine. His trusty scenario to date: bringing a group of people together in a specific setting, then watching on when one thing that always occurs in a whodunnit happens. That'd be a murder, in a formula that Agatha Christie also loved, as book-to-film adaptations Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile and A Haunting in Venice have shown. The author's play The Mousetrap and 2022 flick See How They Run, which riffs on it, make the same point. And, so does this clearly Christie-inspired franchise. The cast across Knives Out and Glass Onion has always been impressive. Chris Evans (Red One), Ana de Armas (Ghosted), Jamie Lee Curtis (The Last Showgirl), Michael Shannon (A Different Man), Toni Collette (Mickey 17), Don Johnson (Doctor Odyssey), Lakeith Stanfield (The Changeling), Christopher Plummer (Departure), Katherine Langford (Savage River) and Jaeden Martell (Arcadian) all featured the first time around. In the second flick, Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Janelle Monáe (Antebellum), Kathryn Hahn (The Studio), Leslie Odom Jr (The Exorcist: Believer), Jessica Henwick (The Royal Hotel), Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks), Kate Hudson (Running Point) and Dave Bautista (Dune: Part Two) co-starred. Check out the date announcement video for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery below: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will release on Friday, December 12, 2025. Read our reviews of Knives Out and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
If you're a fan of iconic late-90s/early-00s high school-set dramedies, big-name Hollywood comedies, entertainingly twisty mysteries and TV shows about teenage witches, then SXSW Sydney 2025 is doing you a simple favour: Paul Feig, the director, writer, producer and actor who created Freaks and Geeks, helmed Bridesmaids and A Simple Favour, and co-starred in the OG Sabrina the Teenage Witch, is heading Down Under for this year's event. Not only is Feig the 2025 SXSW Sydney Screen Festival keynote speaker and also the filmmaker in the spotlight at the fest's big-screen retrospective, but he's also being celebrated with a brand-new accolade. When the event runs between Monday, October 13–Sunday, October 19, 2025, it'll debut the SXSW Sydney Screen Pioneer Award, and Feig is its inaugural recipient. If you're a fan of The Heat, Spy, Last Christmas and this year's Another Simple Favour, too — and also Feig's excellent 2018 Ghostbusters with an all-female spirit-hunting team — then this keeps proving great news. Exactly which titles among those flicks will be among SXSW Sydney's screenings is yet to be revealed, however. The same is the case with whether the Feig-helmed Unaccompanied Minors, The School for Good and Evil and Jackpot! might pop up. Here's something to cross your fingers for, though: The Housemaid, Feig's latest movie, is due to make its way to cinemas at the end of 2025. So, while there's absolutely no word yet that it'll be playing SXSW Sydney before its general release, you can start hoping that the Sydney Sweeney (Echo Valley)-, Amanda Seyfried (Long Bright River) and Brandon Sklenar (Drop)-starring film might score a spin when Feig makes the trip Down Under to get chatting. "I'm so honoured to receive the first-ever Screen Pioneer Award from SXSW Sydney. SXSW is my favourite festival in the world because they are committed to entertaining audiences. They've been supporters of mine for so many years and to have my work celebrated in this way, and to be able to share it with Australian audiences through this retrospective, is incredibly special. I look forward to the conversations, the Q&As, and the Tim Tams come October!" said Feig. Added Fenella Kernebone, Head of Conference Program, "Paul Feig's films have reached huge audiences — from Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy to Ghostbusters and A Simple Favour, his career has been defined by genre-shaping stories that put powerful, complex and hilarious women front and centre. Paul has spent his career breaking moulds, challenging industry norms, and proving that female-led films can be both critically acclaimed and wildly successful. We're thrilled to welcome him to SXSW Sydney and can't wait to hear his insights from a career built on visionary storytelling, sharp comedy and a deep commitment to elevating others." Also big: SXSW Sydney's Screen Festival has announced its first six features beyond the Feig retrospective, so get excited about seeing By Design, $POSITIONS, Dead Lover, Zodiac Killer Project, The Last Sacrifice and Bokshi. Among that group, body-swap effort By Design features Juliette Lewis (The Thicket), Mamoudou Athie (Kinds of Kindness) and Robin Tunney (Dear Edward); horror-comedy Dead Lover is a SXSW Austin award-winner; Charlie Shackleton (The Afterlight) digs into a famed serial killer; and everything from comedy to folk horror features. Shorts Stomach Bug and Chasing the Party have a date with the fest as well, among other titles, with the former a BAFTA-nominee and the latter boasting Sam Rockwell (The White Lotus) as a producer. The new round of SXSW Sydney announcements for 2025 — following its dates, that its free programming is expanding, plus a few batches of speakers and music artists — also span Slo Mo podcast host and former Google X Chief Business Officer Mo Gawdat, Google Maps co-founder Lars Rasmussen, Passes founder Lucy Guo and MIT Technology Review Executive Editor Niall Firth as fellow speakers across the rest of the technology, music, film and gaming event. Signal President Meredith Whittaker is already on the keynote list from past program drops. The initial 50 Conference Program sessions and the first 40 titles at the Games Festival Showcase have been revealed, too, which is ace if you're keen to learn more about exploring space, sustainable design, the creator economy, people living in the ocean, writing true stories for TV, indie game marketing, cutscenes, cyber intelligence, digital sovereignty and AI ethics — or to mash a whole heap of buttons. SXSW Sydney 2025 runs from Monday, October 13–Sunday, October 19 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. Top image: Frank Micelotta.
Here's a trend: co-stars from Baywatch, the movie not the series, making separate biopics about wrestlers. When Zac Efron (The Studio) did it, The Iron Claw was the result, and the film about Kevin Von Erich and his family was excellent. Next, it's Dwayne Johnson's (Red One) turn in The Smashing Machine, with MMA fighter Mark Kerr in the spotlight. Johnson, aka The Rock, leaping into the ring is far from a new development, of course — but the wrestler-turned-actor is now drawing upon his sporting background and talents in the other well-known side of his career. That said, even if you've watched plenty of his WWE exploits, and then his film and TV roles in everything from The Scorpion King, the Fast and Furious franchise, Ballers and Pain & Gain to San Andreas, the recent Jumanji flicks and Black Adam, you haven't seen Johnson like this before. The Smashing Machine hits cinemas in October 2025. Opposite Emily Blunt (The Fall Guy) as Dawn Staples — with the pair reuniting after 2021's Jungle Cruise, and set to team up again next for Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon) — Johnson helps bring the story of a wrester-turned-UFC star to the screen. In the just-dropped first trailer for the flick, Kerr is determined to keep chasing the unparalleled high that comes with winning, even while he's in pain and as it's clearly taking a toll on his relationship with Staples. The term "unrecognisable" gets thrown around a lot when actors transform for a role; however, every time Johnson's face is on-screen in the first sneak peek at The Smashing Machine, that description proves true. If the name of the movie sounds familiar, that's because there's a 2002 documentary of the same moniker that's also about Kerr. As a biopic, The Smashing Machine hails from writer/director Benny Safdie, making his first solo directorial effort after spending his filmmaking career so far co-helming with his brother Josh. On their shared resume: Daddy Longlegs, Lenny Cooke, Heaven Knows What, Good Time and Uncut Gems. It's been six years since Benny was last behind the camera on a feature, but he's been popping up in acting parts elsewhere, including in Pieces of a Woman, Licorice Pizza, Stars at Noon, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Oppenheimer and The Curse — the latter of which he co-wrote and co-created with The Rehearsal's Nathan Fielder. Benny's brother Josh also has a new film out in 2025, also focusing on sports and also helmed on his lonesome. In Marty Supreme, Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) is in the lead — and ping-pong is the focus. Check out the trailer for The Smashing Machine below: The Smashing Machine releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, October 2, 2025.
Happiness is contagious. If you've ever had a bad day, and let's face it we all have, then you know that simply being around uplifting and optimistic people can turn a frown upside down. One small random act of kindness or a few words of encouragement, even if from a complete stranger, can change the way we feel about ourselves, how we treat others and how we approach life each day. The San Francisco Mirrors Project aims to put an extra spring in everyone's step by doing just that, spreading a little happiness. If kickstarted, creator Akin Bilgic will form a public art installation by hanging 3 x 1.5 foot mirrors on walls and buildings throughout the city, each with a single sentence message of inspiration, hope, encouragement or positivity on them. "Track down your favorite teacher and thank them for getting you where you are today" and "Looking good. Ask him/her out for coffee today" are just a couple of the feel-good phrases that will be inscribed on the mirrors. Bilgic's goal is to get passersby to take a moment to look in the mirrors, take the messages to heart and walk away feeling confident and happier, ultimately spreading that happiness to the people they interact with. Although the Mirrors Project will only take place in San Francisco, with a pay-it-forward attitude the installations could easily be spread worldwide.
In the latest addition to the ever-growing trend toward themed wine festivals, Oinofilia will hit Melbourne's Meat Market on June 24 as Australia's newest event entirely focused on Greek wine. The festival is brought to you by Bottle Shop Concepts, the crew behind wine events Pinot Palooza and Game of Rhones, and will celebrate all things Greek wine, food and culture. The name appropriately comes from the Greek term for "a love of wine". As the oldest wine-producing region in Europe, the festival will showcase 80 wines from 20 of the country's best producers, with wines made everywhere from the Aegean and Ionian Islands to Crete. To accompany the drinks, sister restaurants Elyros and Epocha will join forces with Prahran Market's Sweet Greek and Collingwood's Meatsmith to curate an authentic feast of spit-roasted meats, grilled seafood, pickles, breads, cheese and pastries, among other Greek delicacies. The location is ideal as Melbourne has the largest Greek population outside of Greece. Bottle Shop Concepts' wine festival empire will also continue to expand, with the company recently announcing a new Barossa Valley event, launching this July. The Oinofilia Greek Wine and Food Festival will take place on Saturday, June 24 from 11am through 5pm at the Meat Market, 5 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne. Check the Oinofilia website for tickets and more information.
Bickering and bantering. Battling all over space. Blasting retro tunes. That's Guardians of the Galaxy's holy trinity, no matter where its ragtag crew happens to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1, Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt, The Super Mario Bros Movie) and his pals have offered the MCU something shinier than the gold-hued Adam Warlock (Will Poulter, Dopesick): a reprieve from the ever-sprawling franchise's standard self-seriousness. Friends but really family, because Vin Diesel is involved, this superhero team got gleefully goofy in their initial big-screen outing, 2017 sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and 2022's straight-to-streaming The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. They've popped up elsewhere across the comic-book film saga plying a sense of silliness, too. Welcomely, even when they're slipping into Avengers and Thor flicks, they've always felt like their own distinctive group surfing their own humorous but heartfelt wavelength, a power that isn't generally shared across Marvel's output. Arriving to close out the Guardians' standalone trilogy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 zooms into the movie series' fifth phase with a difference: it's still a quippy comedy, but it's as much a drama and a tragedy as well. Like most on-screen GotG storylines, it's also heist caper — and as plenty of caped-crusader flicks are, within the MCU or not, it's an origin story. The more that a James Gunn-written and -directed Guardians film gets cosy within the usual Marvel template, however, the more that his branch of Marvel's pop-culture behemoth embraces its own personality. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 couldn't cling tighter to its needle drops, of course, which leap to the 90s and 00s this time and hit with all the subtlety of a Zune player being thrown at the audience. It also stuffs out its duration and over-packs its plot. But, the obligatory post-credits sting aside, this farewell to part of the MCU always feels like a zippy, self-contained Guardians of the Galaxy movie — including when it's also a touching dive into Rocket's (Bradley Cooper, Nightmare Alley) history — rather than a placeholder for more and more future franchise instalments. That said, thanks to past MCU chapters, this third Guardians effort begins with Rocket feeling alone in the world, and Quill drunk and despondent. (The soundtrack: an acoustic version of Radiohead's 'Creep'.) The latter's beloved Gamora (Zoe Saldaña, Avatar: The Way of Water) is no longer the same woman he shared a galaxy-saving life with — instead, she's an alternate version who can't recall their romance — and he isn't coping. Demigod Warlock scorching his way through the Guardians' floating home of Knowhere snaps him into action, though, when their flying interloper tries to raccoon-nap Rocket. Only tracking down the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji, Peacemaker) will save the gang's gravely injured furry friend, which means a face-off with the megalomaniac inventor who made the genetically engineered critter and is militant in his quest to create a utopia. As Quill and fellow Guardians OGs Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista, Knock at the Cabin) and Groot (Diesel, Fast and Furious 9) go a-rescuing — with the icier Gamora along for the ride for a payday, plus later crew additions Mantis (Pom Klementieff, Thunder Force), Nebula (Karen Gillan, Dual), Kraglin (Sean Gunn, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel) and Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova, Bodies Bodies Bodies) doing their bits in various ways — it's impossible not to see art imitating life in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. A universe-creating overlord who is obsessed with dominance and perfection, and also intellectual property rights, being challenged by a thick-as-thieves troupe who'd rather be happy and scrappy? Yes, this is the movie that Gunn has whipped up for his brief trip back to Marvel following a controversy-sparked visit to the DC Extended Universe to direct The Suicide Squad and TV's Peacemaker, and before getting installed as that rival realm's new co-head honcho. Just as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn't ever scream "all that matters is setting up the next movies!", which is a relief after that's all Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania did, Gunn doesn't ever lay his real-life parallels on too thickly. He's busier ensuring that the Guardians' tussle with their all-controlling foe is as irreverent as it is emotional — bringing up those family bonds like Groot should be cracking a Corona, too — while pinballing between settings and setpieces. The gang's lively time on a base crafted out of organic matter is an eye-catchingly squidgy and fleshy standout; from the tactile production and costume design through to supporting parts by Gunn's The Suicide Squad star Daniela Melchior and his Slither lead Nathan Fillion, it's delightfully executed. And yet, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is at its best when it's jetting backwards to when a young Rocket was dreaming of being more than a mad scientist's test subject — of being more than the GotG version of Frankenstein's monster, that is. Spending a fair chunk of the film's hefty 150-minute running time in origin mode could've proven mere padding. Instead, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's present, it's the fight scenes that just keep coming that play that way. So does the Drax-and-Mantis double act after the movie's midway point, even with Bautista and Klementieff still firing in their comfortable comic pairing. When he's just a kit in a cage, having Rocket form a band of misfit toys with otter Lylla (Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me), walrus Teefs (Asim Chaudhry, What's Love Got to Do with It?) and rabbit Floor (Mikaela Hoover, The Suicide Squad) could've been too saccharine as well, but these unflinchingly bleak, earnest and empathetic flashbacks brim with soul and heart. The GotG flicks have always been about finding somewhere to belong and someone to belong with, after all, with this swansong thoughtfully explores how and why that need to connect is so deeply wired in through pain and trauma. A Guardians film that beams brightest when there's only one Guardian in focus — and not the 70s- and 80s-worshipping, Patrick Swayze name-dropping Quill? Perhaps that's why the trilogy is coming to an end. At their core, Rocket's Vol. 3 storyline and Quill's Vol. 2's daddy issues have more than a little in common, but shifting the GotG series' attention past the team's biggest Footloose fan is refreshing almost a decade in. (And while Pratt fits this big-name franchise better than Jurassic World, basically playing Burt Macklin: Space Protector, Cooper's excellent voice work makes him Vol. 3's MVP.) Knowing when something's time has come is a hard lesson to learn, of course. Among Gunn's many trademarks overseeing playful entries with a distinctive personality in an oft-formulaic broader saga, swinging big with difficult emotions, choices and realisations has always ranked up there with jokey patter and as anarchic a vibe as the MCU would let him get away with. Naturally, he signs off from Guardians in that exact fashion — and with a picture that relishes being its own thing, bloat, repetitive gags, well-worn dynamics, over-used music and all, over ticking franchise boxes.
Generally well-regarded, Australian owned and operated Coopers Brewery has come under fire this week for their involvement in this painfully uncomfortable Bible Society video. The video depicts two Liberal Party MPs, Andrew Hastie and Tim Wilson, discussing marriage equality in a 'lighthearted way', washing it down with a few ice-cold bottles of Coopers Light. Yeesh. If you're confused how Coopers got roped up in such a casually offensive and poorly executed pun, the sad news is that they pretty much tied the noose themselves. As a congratulatory gift to the Bible Society's bicentenary this year, Coopers released a collaboration limited edition light beer which features the Christian non-profit's logo and Bible verses on each case — 10,000 of them, to be exact. The brewery — which is family-run and openly Christian — and their association with the Bible Society flew under the radar until the society's 'Keeping it Light' campaign went live over the weekend, which is meant to showcase "light discussion on the heaviest topics". The Bible Society's somewhat haphazard video (which, it must be noted, Coopers has claimed they had no involvement in) acts as the first in a planned series using the Coopers Light beer as a gateway for their 'light' discussion. Shortly after the video was released, The Sydney Morning Herald published these statements by the two MPs, who seemed to find nothing wrong with the video's content. With 64 percent of Australian's in support of marriage equality, the video came across as patronising and flippant to a large chunk of the public who feel same-sex marriage shouldn't be a debate at all. Coopers' involvement with the video is questionable. Their first response was a sort-of apologetic statement essentially defending the video's content, saying it was "a lighthearted but balanced debate about an important topic". When this did not quell the backlash and boycotts, they then released a second statement claiming that they "did not give permission for [their] Premium Light beer to feature in, or 'sponsor' the Bible Society's 'Keeping it Light' video". The Bible Society has since released their own statement backing up this claim, stating that they were "entirely responsible" for the video and that no money changed hands in regards to the campaign. Twitter, not surprisingly, exploded. The hashtag #BoycottCoopers has taken over social media over the last few days, with consumers and venues alike speaking out. Venues across the country are pulling Coopers stock from their bars, including Sydney's Hollywood Hotel and Newtown Hotel and Melbourne's Old Bar and Sircuit/Mollies Bar & Diner — the latter of which posted this video of their GM throwing all their Coopers stock into the bin. Whatever their involvement with the production of the video, it doesn't look like Coopers is getting out of this one anytime soon. It certainly muddies the waters in relation to how religious groups and brands can influence consumers and secular institutions — particularly as Coopers has been a donor to the Liberal Party in the past, which not one, but both MPs in the video belong to.
When it comes to the display of a-grade artistic initiative, in a setting that's cosy as pie, The Hold Artspace knows how to deliver. And when it comes to jaw-dropping, visually confronting, finely crafted nature photography, Polish-born Renata Buziak knows just the same. Unfolding Rhythms is the latest showcase by Buziak, drawing on the infinite - and sometimes unnoticeable - progressions of nature’s rhythms in various frequencies and times. In photographic sequences that would have National Geographic fuming in jealousy, Buziak uses experimental biochrome processes and time-lapse photography to expose the graphic composition or organic decomposition. The plants used in this piece hold a special significance to the Quandamooka people of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) for their traditional and medicinal purposes - the cultural layers of this exhibit make it just as rich as the work itself. The complex and completely visual take on these humble pieces of nature, make Buziak a conductor and creator of one simple question – what is the importance of the relationship between ourselves and the natural world?
UPDATE, July 6, 2021: Antarctica Flights will also be flying out of Canberra this year, departing on November 7. For further details, head to the Antarctica Flights website. Seeing the South Pole is a bucket-list dream at the best of times, and even more so in these pandemic-afflicted times. But, if you have a bit of spare cash to burn, it's actually achievable — including while Australia's borders remain mostly closed to international travel. Eager to head overseas just for one day? Then you'd best get in quick to score a seat on the upcoming Antarctica flights out of Australia. As it has in previous years, sightseeing group Antarctica Flights is taking bookings for a series of rare, sky-high charter tours. And if you're wondering how the day trips can go ahead during COVID-19, that's because they're classified as domestic flights. You won't even need to take your passport with you. Departing Perth (November 14, 2021), Adelaide (November 21, 2021), Brisbane (November 28, 2021), Melbourne (December 5, 2021 and February 6, 2022) and Sydney (December 31, 2021 and February 13, 2022), these flights will cruise above the dazzling Antarctica Treaty area for around four hours. Each flight path is carefully chosen to maximise viewing from both sides of the plane and to ensure the best views should the weather turn nasty, while some passengers will rotate seats to allow everyone an equal shot at the spectacular scenery below. Travelling on a Qantas 787 Dreamliner, the whole trip clocks in at around 12.5 hours — depending on your departure city — during which you'll hear from expert Antarctic explorers, talking about the polar environment and its fascinating history. All that, while enjoying some better-than-average Qantas plane food, full bar service and, in the lead-up to the views, a spot of in-flight entertainment — classic flick Happy Feet, or some Antarctic docos, of course. As expected, this kind of plane trip doesn't come cheap — you're looking at $1199 to be seated without direct access to a window. Other options, including Standard Economy Class ($2199), Superior Economy Class ($3199) and Premium Economy Class ($3999) involve seat rotations throughout the flight, so passengers can spend time both close to the window and further away. Of course, you and your favourite travel buddy could drop $7999 each on Business Class Deluxe tickets to have a window seat and the one next to it all to yourselves for the entire flight. Regardless of which type of seat you fork out for, COVID-19 safety measures will be in effect — including temperature testing and pre-flight health and safety forms; providing disposable masks, sanitiser and disinfectant wipes; enhanced cleaning procedures; and not selling all seats in Economy Class. Antarctica Flights' 2021–22 season is open for bookings now, with flights out of Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney between November 14, 2021–February 13, 2022. Images: Antarctica Flights
Next time that someone hands you a $100 note, you can be forgiven for thinking that it looks a little different — because a new range of the green-hued currency will be released into circulation from Thursday, October 29. Australia's banknotes have been getting a makeover since September 2016, when a different $5 note started doing the rounds. It was followed by a revamped $10 in 2017, a sparkling fresh $50 in 2018 and a brand new $20 in 2019. For the upgraded $100 note, the design still celebrates engineer, soldier and civic leader Sir John Monash, as well as internationally famed soprano Dame Nellie Melba. They're both recognised in several ways on the new notes, with not only their portraits displayed prominently, but with microprint featuring excerpts of a letter written by Monash, as well as text from Melba's autobiography Melodies and Memories. As well as changed artwork (albeit keeping the same colour scheme as old notes), the new $100 boasts the same improved security features as the revamped $5, $10, $20 and $50 notes, which are largely aimed to stop counterfeiting. A clear window running from top to bottom is the most obvious, and contains a number of features such as a reversing number and flying bird. As mentioned above, the note also includes microprint, plus a patch with rolling colour. And, in great news for the vision-impaired, the new series of legal tender has a tactile feature to help distinguish between different denominations. As happened with the other denominations, the rollout will happen gradually. The existing $100 banknotes are still considered legal tender, so you can still keep using them. Australia's new $100 notes will start circulating from Thursday, October 29. For more information about the banknotes, head to the Reserve Bank of Australia website. Images: Reserve Bank of Australia.
For too long the precious black liquid that keeps your brain afloat during 8am meetings on Monday has gotten all the attention. But what about the intricately designed disposable cup? It's easy to forget about (let alone give any sustained attention to) the vessel of cardboard that carries that lovingly brewed coffee to our lips — but we'd be pretty lost without it. Coffee Cups of the World is an unabashed display of one man's beautiful takeaway coffee journey across the world documented on Tumblr and Instagram. "I want people to look at the coffee cups and be conscious of them," New Zealand professional food photographer Henry Hargreaves told Cool Hunting. "The to-go cup is the best piece of advertising for coffee shops, but not everyone gives it enough attention." Until now, that is. Hargreaves (who you might know for his eerie food photography series of death row inmates' last meals) has collected coffee cups from cafes in Europe, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. He has even enlisted a friend from South Africa to send him a bunch and — great news — is now encouraging the public to do the same. See more of Hargreaves's work at the Coffee Cups of the World Tumblr and on his online portfolio. Via Cool Hunting
Across ten extremely amusing initial episodes in 2022, Loot had a message: billionaires shouldn't exist. So declared the show's resident cashed-up character, with Molly Wells (Maya Rudolph, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem) receiving $87 billion in her divorce from tech guru John Novak (Adam Scott, Madame Web), then spending most of the Apple TV+ sitcom's first season working out what to do with it (and also how to handle her newly single life in general). That she had a foundation to her name was virtually news to her. So was much about everything beyond the ultra-rich. And, she was hardly equipped for being on her own. But Loot's debut run came to an entertaining end with the big statement that it was always uttering not so quietly anyway. So what happens next, after one of the richest people in the world decides to give away all of her money? Cue season two of this ace workplace-set comedy from Wednesday, April 3. Created by former Parks and Recreation writers Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard, in their second Rudolph-starring delight — 2018's Forever was the first — Loot splices together three popular on-screen realms as it loosely draws parallels with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his philanthropist ex-wife MacKenzie Scott. At her charity, as Molly's staff become the kind of friends that feel like family while doing their jobs, shows such as 30 Rock and Superstore (which Hubbard also has on his resume) score an obvious sibling. As its protagonist endeavours to do good, be better and discover what makes a meaningful life, The Good Place (which Yang also wrote for) and Forever get company. And in enjoying its eat-the-rich mode as well, it sits alongside Succession and The White Lotus, albeit while being far sillier. Nothing was broken about this mix and setup in season one, so there's no fixing required the second time around — just leaning in further and letting Loot's talented cast make the most of it. Co-starring alongside Rudolph: Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (American Horror Story) as foundation head Sofia, Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island) as Molly's assistant Nicholas, Ron Funches (Good Burger 2) as her cousin Howard and Nat Faxon (Our Flag Means Death) as company accountant Arthur, plus Stephanie Styles (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Meagen Fay (9-1-1) as the cheery Ainsley and hippie-ish Rhonda to round out the office gang. As motley crews dictate, everyone has a personality archetype. Sofia is dedicated and determined. Nicholas chases clout. Howard and Arthur both bring sweetness, the latter as a daggy dad who also becomes Molly's everyman love interest, for instance. Loot has a clear lead, but it also patently adores its ensemble; with this group, there's plenty to love. After Molly's huge announcement, she has downsized mansions in season two, while also grappling with John's rekindled romantic interest and trying to make good on her word — and to get her homelessness-tackling project Space for Everyone off the ground. Loot knows that the path back from such an extravagant existence isn't straightforward, though. Plenty of its humour comes from Molly attempting to do what she thinks is right, but being the type of out-of-touch that money literally buys. Still, she has a caring heart and noble intentions, which Loot always sees. This is a series that's teeming with designer attire, jet-setting, lavish spiritual retreats and opulent dream homes, and watches them gleam, yet is keenly aware that nothing sparkles as brightly as truly being yourself, learning what makes you feel fulfilled, real connection and genuine benevolence, all of which are priceless. It's hard to imagine anyone but Rudolph selling Loot as wholeheartedly, or ensuring that the concept hits its mark. It isn't a simple task, parodying the ridiculously affluent while humanising a lead character who can't remember anything but rolling in dosh — and also showing her well-to-do trappings without undercutting the show's eat-the-rich mantra by making her life, or even just the materialism, freedom and security of a an abundant bank balance, seem aspirational. By now, however, almost three decades since she made her screen debut and nearing a quarter century since her first Saturday Night Live days, it's been proven several times over that Rudolph can do everything. Playing Molly requires that flexibility, as honed so expertly in sketch comedy. It also hinges on Rudolph committing to being the joke again and again, while digging past satirising Molly to unearth the person beneath the billions. Put Loot's lead in any show or movie and it's worth watching (see also: everything from Away We Go, Bridesmaids, The Way Way Back and Sisters to Up All Night and Maya & Marty). That said, also harking back to her SNL stint, she's a spectacular team player even when giving a star turn, which this recognises. Yang and Hubbard have filled Loot's cast perfectly with actors who bounce off of Rudolph flawlessly, including in guest roles in season two. When Ana Gasteyer (American Auto), Rudolph's SNL co-star, pops up as another obscenely well-off ex-wife, audiences can be forgiven for wanting a spinoff that pushes them both to the fore. And when Benjamin Bratt (Poker Face) joins the series briefly, it's a sublime inclusion. For the show's regular ensemble, season two delivers more subplots and supporting-character arcs. Sofia gets a boyfriend (O-T Fagbenle, Secret Invasion), plus more time away from the job that she's devoted to. Nicholas dives into his cultural heritage, adopted upbringing and dating behaviour. Howard follows an opposing route to Molly, endeavouring to free himself from debt rather than giving away money, while also embracing a passion as a side hustle. Chemistry still lingers between Molly and Arnold, but no workplace sitcom lets romance come easily — and no series about a person bettering themselves, and also unearthing themselves in a midlife crisis, allows new love to blossom quickly, either. From Molly doing Vogue's 73 Questions and Taylor Swift obsessions becoming a plot point to runway appearances and weaving in a hilarious nod to a movie masterpiece, Loot isn't short on other reasons to get giggling — or other ways to flesh out Molly and the gang. Another pivotal element that it boasts in abundance: the potential to keep growing, especially as Molly's bank balance dwindles. Skewering levels of wealth that no one should have, and that only the one percent of the one percent can grasp, will never stop proving rich and necessary comic material. Loot has bite, laughs, thematic capital to keep building upon and a roster of talent making it one of Apple TV+'s comedy standouts. It was true in its first season and remains the case in its second: this is a series to invest in. Check out the trailer for Loot season two below: Loot streams via Apple TV+, with season two starting on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
If a great getaway to a beach, island or faraway city can be life-changing, what does a journey to space do? So ponders Constellation, among other questions. This new Apple TV+ series, which started its eight-part first season on Wednesday, February 21, is another of the platform's beloved mysteries — see also: Criminal Record, The Changeling, The Crowded Room, Hijack and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters since mid-2023 alone, and that list isn't exhaustive — with no shortage of queries floating through its tense frames. Inquiries are sparked instantly, from the moment that a mother in a cabin in northern Sweden, where there's snow as far as the eye can see but a frost infecting more than just the temperature, leaves her pre-teen daughter to follow a voice. The screams that she seeks out are yelling "mama!" — and what they mean, and why she's abandoning one girl to find another, is just one of the matters that Constellation interrogates. The woman is Jo Ericsson, as played by Noomi Rapace with the maternal devotion that also marked her turn in Lamb, plus the protective instincts that were key in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant as well — alongside the scrutiny and adaptability that was evident in her work in You Won't Be Alone, and the fierceness that helped bring her to fame as Lisbeth Salander in the original Swedish The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo films. Jo is an astronaut, and Europe's representative on the International Space Station when Constellation jumps backwards from its opening icy horror to a different kind of terror. Not long out from returning back to earth, she FaceTimes with her nine-year-old daughter Alice (Rosie and Davina Coleman, The Larkins) and husband Magnus (James D'Arcy, Oppenheimer). Then, something goes bump in the sky. Trauma leaves people changed, too; what if this incident, during which setting foot on our pale blue dot again is anything but assured, isn't the only distressing facet of travelling to the heavens? On the at-risk ISS, on a spacewalk to locate the source of the collision, Jo finds the mummified body of what looks like a 60s-era Russian cosmonaut. There'll soon be another astronaut dead inside the station, destroyed infrastructure, the first escape pod shuttling her three remaining colleagues back to terra firma and Jo left alone trying to repair the second so that she herself can alight home. Where both Gravity and Moon spring to mind in Constellation's initial space-set scenes, plus Proxima in the show's focus on mother-daughter connections (Interstellar, Ad Astra and First Man have dads covered), it's the earthbound Dark that feels like a touchstone once Jo is back among her loved ones. There's a similar moodiness to this series, a feeling that characters can't always trust what they think is plainly apparent and a certainty that nothing is simply linear about what's occurring. Her stint above the planet has made its imprint on Jo, but it's her everyday life that seems altered. Whether or not Alice can speak Swedish, the colour of the family car, if Jo can play the piano, why Magnus is chilly towards her: with each, what confronts Jo post-ISS conflicts with what she can recall prior to ascending to the station. Roscosmos' Irena Lysenko (Barbara Sukowa, Air) is also wary of her claims about spying a decades-old USSR cadaver. And the NASA equivalent, Nobel Prize-winning former Apollo astronaut Henry Caldera (Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul), is concerned only with a quantum-physics experiment that was taking place on the orbiting base, gathering data about a possible new state of matter, which Jo has no recollection of. It might appear convenient that the psychological effects of long-term space travel fuel Jo's research mission on the station, but Constellation creator and writer Peter Harness — who boasts Doctor Who, Wallander, McMafia and The War of the Worlds on his resume — could never be accused of valuing neatness over depth. Unravelling the show's debut season with patience and deliberation, and with Joseph Cedar (Our Boys), Oliver Hirschbiegel (Unwanted) and Michelle MacLaren (an Emmy-winner for Breaking Bad) directing, he's dedicated to ensuring that the series intensely ruminates on the liminal. Constellation is about disorientation and transition, about the space where being too much of something and not enough of another smash and clash, and about coping with realising that life is always what happens in-between — as well as the fact that sometimes that truth applies more literally than others. As a thriller and a mystery, Constellation names Jo's daughter cannily; tumbling down the rabbit hole is a solid parallel. Viewers won't spy cakes and bottles labelled "eat me" and "drink me", but there are pills and supplements. No one goes chasing a walking, talking white bunny; however, a rabbit toy does feature, and clinging onto what Jo knows is real is just as elusive. While there's no Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Bud Caldera (also Banks) mirrors much about Henry, except that he's now working the sci-fi convention circuit. And although cries of "off with her head" are absent, the dismissals from those around Jo about what's happening with her perception is its own equivalent. Alice in Wonderland comparisons were always going to fit a story about curiouser and curiouser minds pursuing wild adventures, then endeavouring to reclaim their footing. At times, especially in remote lodgings in freezing woodland, the dark fairy-tale vibe beats stronger. But again, even when Constellation dances with fantasy like it's clutching onto a waltz partner — and does the same with eeriness as well — the series never stops being grounded in human bonds, emotions, yearnings and existential concerns. As the reality of both being alive and facing mortality, the urge to understand our place in the cosmos and the sheer enormity of the universe thrum throughout the show regardless of whether it's in space or on land, each is always brought back to people, rather than remaining mere concepts. Rapace, Banks, both Coleman sisters and Sukowa are especially instrumental in anchoring Constellation's twists, turns and big-thinking ideas in the show's characters — and making it so compelling. It isn't just as slickly made as Apple TV+'s fellow excellent recent sci-fi series Severance and Silo, then, and as gripping in its mysteries, but as rivetingly acted. Banks, doing double duty after over a decade as Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul's Mike Ehrmantraut, is particularly emblematic: that there's a chasm between what we want to comprehend and what's around us gleams in his eyes as both Henry and Bud, while his twin parts equally demonstrate how differently it glints from person to person. Check out the trailer for Constellation below: Constellation streams via Apple TV+ from Wednesday, February 21. Read our interview with Jonathan Banks.
How do you follow up Game of Thrones? So asks one of the biggest questions in pop culture over the past decade. HBO's hit adaptation of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series ended five years ago, but the network behind it, the TV industry in general, and everyone involved in it on- and off-screen has been grappling with that query since the series became a worldwide smash. For the cable station that made it, more Game of Thrones shows is the answer, aka House of the Dragon, the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight and other floated spinoffs. For Hollywood, leaning in on fantasy franchises has been a solution. And for David Benioff and DB Weiss, the showrunners on the Westeros-set phenomenon, bringing another complex book saga to the small screen is the chosen path. Those novels: Liu Cixin's Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, which reaches Netflix named after its debut entry, in another of its similarities with Benioff and Weiss' previous success. So arrives 3 Body Problem, streaming all eight of its first-season episodes from Thursday, March 21, with 2008 book The Three-Body Problem as its basis. Invasions, feuds, jumping timelines, a hefty cast of characters: they're all still in place. So are John Bradley (Marry Me), Liam Cunningham (Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter) and Jonathan Pryce (Slow Horses) among the cast, answering the "what comes next?" question for three Game of Thrones actors. Also, that composer Ramin Djawadi (Jack Ryan) is on music duties again isn't difficult to notice. With 3 Body Problem, which sees Benioff and Weiss team up with True Blood and The Terror's Alexander Woo to bring Cixin's text to the screen, sprawling high fantasy gives away to time- and space-hopping hard sci-fi, however. The danger to global stability still springs from a battle for supremacy, but one where countdowns start dancing in front of some people's eyes, particle accelerators stop functioning properly, other folks can't be seen in security footage, scientists seem to be killing themselves and aliens linger. The series begins with a physics professor being beaten to death in front of a crowd containing his daughter during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Then, it flits to London today to watch the entire sky wink, gleaming helmets spirit whoever dons them into a complicated and intricate virtual-reality game, and what lurks beyond the earth — and who — play a significant part. This isn't the only attempt to bring Cixin's novels to the screen, with 2023's 30-part Chinese series Three Body getting there first. 3 Body Problem also isn't concerned with creating as faithful a take on its source material as possible; rather, its main aim is to do for science-fiction mindbenders what Game of Thrones did for epic fantasy. Accordingly, this is a propulsive and addictive drama within its chosen genre — and one where pressing "next episode", since the whole first season drops at once, doesn't feel optional. Given how crucial that advanced maths and physics concepts are to its plot (its moniker is taken from orbital mechanics, after all), sparking a must-binge reaction is far from a simple mission. Structurally, cliffhangers are used liberally. Thematically, all of the scientific minutiae, and sci-fi as well, always comes back to people, families by blood and by choice, and humanity as a species. 3 Body Problem's grim 60s-set opening introduces Ye Wenjie (TV first-timer Zine Tseng), who is also punished by the anti-intellectual movement for being her father's offspring and protege. When she discovers Rachel Carson's Silent Spring at the logging camp where she's forced to toil, prison then awaits — then a secretive mountaintop base, where her work changes not just her life, but the planet's future. In 2024, then, as numbers haunt fields of vision and bright scientific minds commit suicide, old choices made by Ye (who is now played by Rosalind Chao, Sweet Tooth) start having an impact. If it all seems like a mystery, 3 Body Problem purposefully plays out like one, complete with detective Da Shi (Benedict Wong, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) investigating what's happening for shadowy government agency head Thomas Wade (Cunningham). Enter a sextet with ties to Oxford: Vera Ye (Vedette Lim, FBI) and five of her former students. Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo, Babylon) is her research assistant, not that their studies can continue now that technology is failing them; Jin Cheng (Jess Hong, The Brokenwood Mysteries) also remains in science; Auggie Salazar (Eiza González, Mr & Mrs Smith) is trying to revolutionise nanofibres; Jack Rooney (Bradley) has sold out, making a fortune in junk food; and Will Downing (Alex Sharp, One Life) now teaches high schoolers. Trauma brings them back together. Hallucinations, VR, disappearing strangers and odd occurrences in the heavens keep them connected. Also linked to their plight is Mike Evans, who Ye in the earlier timeline (with Y: The Last Man's Ben Schnetzer in the part), but segues from being an eco-activist to living on a tanker (with Pryce taking over the role). Then there's the headsets, which appear randomly and selectively like the present that no one knows that they want (because no one knows about them before they materialise). Popping one on means tussling with the eponymous quandary in a realm so lifelike that everyone who visits is convinced that they're really seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting everything around them. 3 Body Problem proves a spectacle when it slides into VR. Benioff, Weiss, Woo and their directors — Derek Tsang (Better Days), Andrew Stanton (who made WALL-E in his Pixar days), Minkie Spiro (Pieces of Her) and Jeremy Podeswa (Station Eleven, and another Game of Thrones alum) — understand the allure of escaping, of hoping that something better exists beyond our everyday reality and of dreaming big. With the threat of extra-terrestrials taking over looming large, however, their series also recognises the mundanity, brutality and beauty that surrounds humanity daily. One gruesome sequence, arriving just past the halfway mark of the season, won't be forgotten. When a series has such a wealth of narrative to dig through, and so many ideas unearthed in the process, characters can feel like mere pawns. Thankfully, Benioff and Weiss have also been here before. As they did with Game of Thrones, the duo never let the fact that this is a tale about people first and foremost get out of sight. Among the cast, the always-welcome Wong, both Tseng and Chao as Ye, plus Adepo, Hong and Sharp all leave the biggest imprint — and give 3 Body Problem's story several weighty anchors. In no small part due to their efforts, the show's first season inspires another question as it wraps up: how do you now follow that? Check out the trailer for 3 Body Problem: 3 Body Problem streams via Netflix from Thursday, March 21, 2024. Images: courtesy of Netflix.
One of the funniest TV comedies of the 2020s is back with its third season, and as hilarious as ever. So what are you waiting five? If that question doesn't make any sense to you, then you clearly haven't yet experienced the wonder that is Girls5eva. It starts with a numerical pun-heavy earworm of a theme tune that no one should ever skip, then bounces along just as catchily and sidesplittingly in every second afterwards. A move to Netflix for season three — after streaming its first and second seasons via Peacock in the US, Stan in Australia and TVNZ+ in New Zealand — might just see the Tina Fey-executive produced music-industry sitcom switch from being one of the best shows that not enough people are watching to everyone's latest can't-stop-rewatching comedy obsession. In other words, this a series about a comeback and, thanks to its swap to the biggest player in the streaming game, now it's making a comeback itself. Two years have passed for longterm fans since Girls5eva last checked in with Dawn Solano (Sara Bareilles, Broadway's Waitress), Wickie Roy (Renée Elise Goldsberry, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and also a Hamilton Tony-winner), Summer Dutkowsky (Busy Philipps, Mean Girls) and Gloria McManus (Paula Pell, Big Mouth), but the gap and the jump to Netflix haven't changed this gem. Consider the change of streamer, which kicks off on Thursday, March 14, in the same way that Dawn and the gang are approaching their leap back into their girl group after two decades: as an all-in, go-hard-or-go-home, whatever-it-takes relaunch. For new viewers, seasons one and two of Girls5eva are also now available on Netflix — and bingeing through all 22 episodes, with season three providing six of them, is the best way to spend a day, weekend or few evenings right now. With its non-stop jokes that reward multiple viewings because you're likely laughing too hard to catch all of them on the first go-around, deep-cutting pop-culture references, satire that's always both razor-sharp and raucously ridiculous, and supremely stellar cast, the series is a quintessential Fey-produced comedy. If her post-Saturday Night Live efforts were songs, 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Great News, Mr Mayor and Girls5eva couldn't make a better record. (Meredith Scardino, who created Girls5eva, is also an Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Mr Mayor alum.) The riff for Girls5eva: parodying the pop-music realm as the titular group endeavour to stop wondering what might've been after their career fizzled out 20 years earlier, aided by their single 'Famous 5eva' getting thrust back into the spotlight via another artist. The takedown of the entertainment world that was at the heart of 30 Rock hums along here, too, as does calling out the treatment of women, especially by the media, that also fuelled Fey's first sitcom hit alongside Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Great News. Whether via Liz Lemon's dating life and quest to have a family, or in Mr Mayor's experienced deputy played by Holly Hunter (Succession), unpacking how women are perceived the moment they're out of their 20s and beyond has also echoed through the Feyniverse — and Girls5eva croons that tune with force and feeling. Now firmly back together, the surviving members of Girls5eva — Ashley Gold (Ashley Park, Only Murders in the Building) died in an infinity pool accident — have taken to the road. So far, however, their big Returnity tour has been happy in Fort Worth. In the Texan city, their track 'Tap Into Your Fort Worth' keeps drawing in crowds, even if that's all that concertgoers want to hear. Also, the Marriott Suitelettes for Divorced Dads has become their home away from home, but resident diva Wickie isn't content just playing one place. Always dreaming huge, massive and stratospheric, she sets the band's sights on Radio City Music Hall, booking them in for a gig at a fee of $500,000. Cue a six-month timeline to sell it out — a feat made trickier by the fact that the show is on Thanksgiving — or risk ruin. When season three commences in Fort Worth, and among weekend-only fathers buying forgotten birthday presents for their kids out of vending machines, the quality of Girls5eva's writing proves as gleaming as ever. Here, the pregnant Dawn can put pancakes from the breakfast buffet in her robe, and also get cosy watching The Crown, which has a storyline about Prince Andrew's stuffed-toy obsession. Gloria is on a mission to hook up with all 178 types of women, complete with a spreadsheet tracking her progress, which is a riotous source of amusement. "Always gonna never stop restarting, never gonna end not un-beginning, don't un-try to un-stop us now" aren't just lyrics for Girls5eva the band and Girls5eva the show, though. So, into the van the group hops, with Percy (John Lutz, 30 Rock) as their tour manager. Girls5eva's big joke energy doesn't slow down when Wickie and company are drumming up cash at private concerts, battling with a state senator (John Early, The Afterparty) who doubles as a "Fetal Citizen Advocate" or trying to capitalise upon the fame of pop's current megastar (Thomas Doherty, Gossip Girl) — or when the series charts Summer's attempt to work out who she is without her ex-husband Kev (Andrew Rannells, Invincible) through a multi-level marketing scheme for teeth-whitening gummies. As that snapshot of season-three elements makes plain, the show's love of loopiness, hijinks and hysterical bits doesn't fade out, either. Flashbacks to the band's late-90s, early-00s fame continue to deliver gold, too, including Gloria and *NSYNC's Lance Bass trying to make a sex tape. Girls5eva isn't afraid of silliness for the comical sake of it, but it's also as savvy as comedy gets in lampooning the state of the world and fleshing out its characters while sparking never-ending chuckles. Holding back or taking a beat isn't Girls5eva's style; if it was an album itself, it'd be wall-to-wall singles. (Its tunes, which continue to showcase the musical-comedy prowess of Fey's husband Jeff Richmond after 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and the like, already make ace records.) Giving anything but 100 percent isn't Bareilles, Goldsberry, Philipps or Pell's style, either — and the series keeps benefiting. Bareilles' ability to ground every type of chaos remains essential but, away from New York and Dawn's family, that's no longer her main remit. Always at home when the show is at its most absurd, Goldsberry, Philipps and Pell have also never been funnier. ("Hi, this is Gloria, from sex!" is one of Pell's all-time great lines.) The only issue with season three: that this stint with Girls5eva's glorious on-screen talents is too short, just like forever versus 5eva. If it becomes a Netflix smash, here's hoping that it'll be famous at least one more time. Check out the trailer for Girls5eva season three below: Girls5eva season three streams via Netflix from Thursday, March 14. Read our reviews of season one and season two. Images: Netflix.
Oh god, it's happened. We knew it would. Ever since we first tried to make a 'beer spider' by heaping some vanilla bean into our third or fourth pint, we knew it was a possibility. The method just needed some work. Unsurprisingly, adding dairy to beer was never the answer. Now the Japanese legends at Kirin have perfected the recipe for the ultimate beer slushie, and are selling a home version of the machine that makes it. Here's the kicker: the drink is actually super tasty. The slushie portion of this frozen treat is made with frozen beer instead of ice cream so instead of clogging your brew with curdled milk, it just keeps the whole thing freezing cold. The machine has been floating around as a promo tool in Japan and the USA since 2012, but — because it's basically a pure form of liquid happiness — it's stuck around until now. The machine is currently available for purchase via the Japan Trend Shop online, however it does come with some drawbacks. For instance, although the initial cost of the product is only US$67, you'll have to add another US$47 on for shipping. Also, it only runs off C batteries (for some reason) and all of the instructions are in Japanese. Eek. Of course this won't stop the hardcore enthusiasts, but if you consider yourself a more casual beer slushie drinker, head out to Harajuku Gyoza to try it first. The Japanese gyoza and beer restaurant in Potts Point and Fortitude Valley are currently one of the only (if not the only) place serving it in Australia. Bon appétit! Via Thrillist and Hospitality Magazine. Images via Kirin USA Facebook.
This week Art/Work sits down for a cuppa with artist Keg de Souza. Keg is one cool little lady who never fails to have her fingers in every pie. From social activist to book binder to screen printer to Rizzeria handler to tour guide to pun maker to home brewer - how she manages to fit in her day job, we don't know... Most days you'll find me starting my day by walking our snowdog to get a coffee, (for me, not him) reading the paper then I begin my 'working' day by checking emails and whittling away at whatever project I'm working on at the time - sometimes it's exciting like building a boat to paddle across the harbour, sewing a giant inflatable igloo or binding a book but most likely it's life administration which usually takes up the better part of my day! When I am not there I am at the Bookbinding Guild making books, if it's a Wednesday. I also often work collaboratively so sometimes I'm working or meeting with the various groups I'm in; SquatSpace, You Are Here or the Rizzeria. Basically I'm usually scheming about something. My day job is working as an educator at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The rest of the time I do odd bits of illustration, run workshops and whatever casual paid work I can muster up. At the moment I am working on researching a project based around the Rocks area, continuing my interest in neighbourhoods. It's just the beginning of the project but I have already found some pretty great stories from the area and I am excited to create a new work there. Also, I'm collecting broken umbrellas for it - so if you have any send them my way! If money wasn't an issue I'd just do more making and less of the other odd jobs. Being an artist in Sydney can be a struggle, just living in Sydney can be a struggle but I find that often inspires me to make stuff about that very thing. My neighbourhood is Waterloo, right next to Redfern Park which is a pretty great. In 2005 due to the anxiety we were feeling about the area's mysterious and rapid changes, SquatSpace - one of the collectives I work with, developed the Redfern/Waterloo Tour of Beauty. The tours take people on bike and bus tours of the area with various local speakers. We've been running these since then so I feel pretty connected to the area. The area has, and continues to change a lot. The rapid gentrification of the area is pretty intense - there is a fast spreading new-café rash across the park on Redfern Street and then there's Danks Street to the East but don't even get me started on that. All I can say is thank goodness for the Public Housing so we have a little diversity still, at the moment… My favourite spot in Sydney is listening to the bats in the Botanic Gardens, which unfortunately is all about to change with the plans that are already in place to evict them…wah. For a full rundown on all of Keg's projects click here or for her blog click here.
It told you it was freakier. Giving 2003's mother-daughter body-swapping comedy a 22-years-later sequel means upping the ante, then. When the Freaky Friday franchise returns to cinemas, it'll again subject Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis, The Last Showgirl) and Anna (Lindsay Lohan, Our Little Secret) to a switch; however, they're not the only characters waking up to an unexpected change. Anna's daughter Harper (Julia Butters. The Fabelmans) and future stepdaughter Lily (Sophia Hammons, The Absence of Eden) will also learn what it's like to literally walk in another person's shoes to understand how they feel. As the just-dropped full trailer for the film shows, that's how sequel Freakier Friday is living up to its name: by getting four characters, not two, in on its identity crisis. This time, it's Harper and Lily who are squabbling, just as Tess and Anna were in the first flick — but the entire quartet experience the consequences. The new Freakier Friday sneak peek follows a first glimpse at the movie earlier in 2025, which already promised more chaos, plenty of nods to its predecessor — a nostalgic favourite — and taking the body-swap scenario up a few notches. The storyline: Anna is about to get married to Eric (Manny Jacinto, The Acolyte), hence gaining a stepdaughter, with the process of merging families happening just as a familiar situation pops up. It was back in 2023 that word arrived about a follow-up to the 00s version of Freaky Friday. Audiences will see the results on the big screen Down Under on Thursday, August 7, 2025. There's no fortune cookie involved, it seems, but there is a fortune teller (Vanessa Bayer, No Good Deed) who tells Anna and Tess that they've "walked in each other's paths" and "learned a lesson — a lesson that may serve you again". She also advises Harper and Lily that they're "called to be family". Similarly returning alongside Curtis and Lohan from Freaky Friday: Mark Harmon (NCIS: Origins), Chad Michael Murray (Sullivan's Crossing), Christina Vidal Mitchell (The Terminal List), Haley Hudson (Queen Gorya), Lucille Soong (Raya and the Last Dragon), Stephen Tobolowsky (The Madness) and Rosalind Chao (3 Body Problem). For more company, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) also joins the cast. Behind the lens, Nisha Ganatra (The High Note, Late Night) is directing, with Curtis and Lohan among the executive producers, all on a movie that keeps building on the Freaky Friday name. The initial Curtis and Lohan team-up didn't start the franchise, of course. Instead, it began with the 1972 book by Mary Rodgers, then the 1976 Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)-starring first movie adaptation, and also a 1995 remake with Gaby Hoffmann (Zero Day). After 2003's beloved Curtis- and Lohan-led take, horror flick Freaky also gave the idea a spin in 2020. Check out the full trailer for Freakier Friday below: Freakier Friday releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, August 7, 2025. Images: Glen Wilson © 2024/2025 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Spoiler warning: this interview incudes specifics about Materialists if you haven't watched the film before reading. Honesty. Authenticity. Anyone who has seen, swooned over and fallen head over heels for Past Lives, aka one of 2023's very best movies, already knows that these two traits beat at the heart of Celine Song's films. What's present in the writer/director's sophomore feature Materialists more than her Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated, Gotham- and Independent Spirit Award-winning debut, however, is frankness — especially about people approaching relationships as an arrangement and a transaction, even, and about coupling not just driven by love, fluttering hearts and racing pulses. As it plunges into the New York City life of Lucy (Dakota Johnson, Madame Web), Materialists is submerged in a matchmaker's existence. That's her job. For those looking for love and willing to pay her high-end employer — so, usually folks with ample cash to splash in the service of meeting their perfect partner — Lucy works her magic. She knows how to woo new clients. She also knows how to seal the deal, with nine marriages springing from her services so far. And, she's well-aware that her gig isn't simply to make sparks fly. With her like with no one else, the Big Apple's bachelors and bachelorettes are unvarnished about their wants and must-haves in a soul mate. They have exact height parameters, and acceptable salary ranges as well. Some sport lengthy lists that go much further. None are particularly willing to budge. Materialists is a direct film, then, about the objectification and commodification of people that can be layered into the search for someone to spend one's life with, plus the materialistic values that can often become part of that process. Yes, that's weighty for a romance. Song's movie is still both deeply affectionate and genuinely comedic, though — smartly, sharply, astutely and wonderfully so. And, even if its characters sometimes might be, Materialists is never cynical about love, its marvels, and the joys of truly finding someone that makes you instantly imagine your older self next to theirs decades into the future. Is Materialists saying the normally quiet part about modern love and dating maths, the motivations and reasons that aren't necessarily normally voiced, out loud? "Oh, interesting that you feel that way," is her first response to the question. "I feel like there are fully people who speak this way about love and dating. You go on TikTok, you know," she tells Concrete Playground. "I think that it is actually so much more common — and not only is it common, it is actually the way that my clients would speak." With Past Lives, Song adapted her own experience. She too had a Korean childhood sweetheart. She has an American husband. The movie in its entirety isn't autobiographical, but it grew from that kind of place. With Materialists, Song instead draws upon her own time endeavouring to assist others with their love lives. She was only a matchmaker for around half a year, but that stint has informed her second film that's centred on the emotional journey of a woman torn between her past and her future. Consequently, when Song says that people tackle the quest for a partner like they're putting in a drinks order (a coke and a beer is Lucy's) or making a deal, it's because she has seen it firsthand. "And also, people will just — like people in my life now, if you ask them what they're looking for, sometimes they will speak that way," Song continues. "And I do think that it is something where it's the quantifying or the turning into numbers, that it is, it gets that literal in that way. As in 'well, even if you're five-two, I still want somebody who's over six-feet tall'. And you're like 'why? Can they be five-ten?'. And they're like 'no'." Lucy faces this situation day in, day out. Chatting with Song about it, it's clear how intricately that her own time in the same day job while she was starting out as a playwright has fed into Materialists. The romantic options of Lucy's clients aren't the film's key concern, of course, but their attitudes have made an imprint on her own. So, when she has two choices — Harry (Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us), the tall, successful, distinguished, handsome and ultra-wealthy brother of someone that she's just married off; and John (Chris Evans, Red One), a struggling actor making a buck as a cater waiter that she has a past with — this proves a picture about how her personal reality and beliefs about love come to collide. Upon exiting her matchmaking days, Song knew that it'd play a part in her work at some point. She felt that compulsion immediately. Why? We also explored that in our chat about this seductive and significant — and masterful and meaningful — interrogation of relationships with its guiding force. Do people appraising romance in economic terms consciously realise that they're treating marriage like a transaction, or do they think that that's just a relic of history? How do you approach casting for chemistry, especially when a luminous Johnson, debonair Pascal and never-better Evans are your stars? They're some of the other directions that our discussion with Song charted. On Song Leaving Her Short Stint as a Matchmaker Knowing That It Would Somehow Inform Her Work — and How Materialists Came About From There "I think that I walked into that job thinking that it was going to be a day job, but I think I learned more about people and what their hearts desire than almost any other six-month period of my life. And I think that I did walk away from that job feeling like I'm going to make something about it. I was like 'I'm going to devise something about it, I just know it'. And I think that it's because I'm dealing with people, encountering people, every day who want to find love. But when you ask them what they're looking for, everything that they say about the person that they intend to love are things like height, weight, salary, lifestyle — things that are quantifiable, things that are concerns of an insurance salesperson or somebody at the morgue. So I think in that way, I was just always so shocked by how different the way everybody's talking about the dating side of the pursuit of love versus what I knew about love. And love is this amazing ancient mystery. It's a complete miracle when it happens. And it's the most beautiful, most dramatic thing that we do in our lives. So it's an amazing thing to just watch such a gap, huge gap, between what is the answer to 'who are you looking for?' and then what it is actually like to be in love and to fall in love. And I think that that gap, and then the tension in that gap, the contradiction of those two things, I think that was what really made me want to make a movie about it. It just felt like such a powerful mystery and a powerful thing to deal with." On Whether People Consciously Realise That They're Approaching Marriage Like a Transaction — or If They Think That That's Just a Relic of History, Such as Victorian Romances "We're not very far from the way that Victorian romances were talking about marriage, because I feel like still this economic pressure, especially as the economic anxieties and financial anxieties are such a fundamental part of our lives, the relief we want from it is, I think, at the heart of our fundamental desires, right? We're starting to be like 'I would like to be relieved of financial troubles. I would like to be relieved of it'. So part of that relief, desire for relief, is, of course, something that was a fundamental part of the Victorian romances. It's so much about that relief. And I think that we have not come that far from feeling like that's a very good reason to marry someone. I think that, of course, it's less of a total choice. And then, of course, women make money. So it's kind of like 'of course it's changed a lot in that way'. But how amazing that women are able to make their own living? And so in that part of this, of course, so far improved — but it still hasn't changed the otherwise very difficult thing, which is that marriage is still seen as a very specific contract. And I think that that is a very reasonable and a normal thing. But as Lucy says in the film 'but love has to be on the table', right? You can't walk away, right? Like you can't actually have a business partner for your spouse. Your spouse is your spouse. You're going to have to change that person's diaper. That person would change your diaper — whatever, one of you is changing the other person's diaper. And the thing is, that's the most romantic thing about marriage, and therefore love has to be on the table." On Song's Approach to Casting for Chemistry — Especially When Casting Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans "I think that when it comes to chemistry, some of it is just purely instinctual. But it's also so much work that's coming from the actors — as in, it is something that we're working on together as part of the performance, the chemistry. I think that sometimes people think chemistry is just flirting on-screen, but it's really not about flirting at all. Chemistry is something that you build by having two characters who want different things from each other, and the two of them trying to find a resolution. So what I mean by that is, for example, that loading dock scene between John, Chris Evans' character, and Lucy, Dakota Johnson's character, is that the chemistry in that scene is being built by me telling Chris 'you're doing your darndest, you're doing your best, to not kiss her'. And when it comes to Dakota, I'm telling her 'I think that she already knows that she probably will kiss him at some point'. So to me, I'm like 'well, you have two contradicting desires, right?'. And in that, that's where the tension is going to be and that's where the chemistry is going to be. So that's how it gets built. And the thing is, it's not just that these two people who are flirting with each other and then somehow there's going to be chemistry — there's not. It's all beautifully make believe. So, much of it I would want to credit the acting, the work that we're doing on it. And this is what I've always believed about chemistry. Chemistry is about erotic desire. And what is erotic desire? Wanting something that you don't have. That's where you can have chemistry. So I think, to be honest, that's the truth of it. And when it comes to those actors, I think building the chemistry, some of that is just about just knowing it — just knowing that they're going to, all three actors, are going to feel something for each other. That they're going to like each other, and even like just actually feel something for each other in such a deep way as humans. So I think it's really that. And of course, if they're the right people for each role, and these roles are romantically entangled and have chemistry with each other, they are going to have chemistry with each other. So to me, that's how I would really describe the way to find chemistry." On the Film Exploring Not Only Lucy's Clashing Romantic Options, But the Conflict Between Her Personal Reality and Her Beliefs About Love "I think the funniest part of it is that she's a matchmaker and she's having trouble finding a match for herself. And that's kind of an amazing dramatic problem — a matchmaker who is looking for love. So I think that in that way, it was always so important that we're meeting Lucy at the peak of her power and the peak of her feeling that she's the expert, that she knows everything. And then throughout the film, to unravel her until she is somebody who was able to not only accept that she doesn't know, but to also say 'I completely surrender. I completely surrender to love'. So I think that because that is her journey throughout this film, it was absolutely, yes, exactly what you're describing is the reason I wanted to make this movie. It was very important for Lucy to start as somebody who is presenting as just the smartest girl ever, and then to end the film making a decision that is with her heart. And it's not going to seem smart to a lot of people — even though the truth is we know that she's making the only smart decision in the whole film, right? Which is to say 'deal' to the one deal that you cannot say 'no' to. That's the only deal that is worth saying 'yes' to. And she does it. And in fact, that's the beautiful thing. It's like by making a decision that I'm sure, to herself in the beginning of the film, may seem like a stupid decision, she's making the wisest decision she can make about her life — which is to go where love is." Materialists opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Images: Atsushi Nishijima, A24.
No one wants to get married, then feel like they need to add more spice to their relationship. But if you've always wanted to tie the knot with help from some secret herbs and spices, there's a solution. Don't just pick up some KFC for your nuptials — get the fried-chicken chain to throw the ceremony for you, all thanks to the return of KFC Weddings. So, you've found that special forever someone — someone who deals with your drama, puts up with your quirks and shares your passion for all the important stuff, like, say, finger-lickin'-good chook. Clearly there's just one thing left to do, and that's to seal the deal at your very own official KFC nuptials. After cooking up an idea we never knew we needed and launching its own wedding service in 2019, the chain is back at the romance game again. Fried chook obsessives across Australia now have another opportunity to get hitched via KFC's unique service; however, there is a caveat: you must propose using the Colonel's wares. The brand has brought back its weddings to promote its new BBQ onion ring burgers, and it wants you to pop the question using its onion rings as rings. The burgs feature two onion rings, so that's one for you and one for your other half. All couples are invited to apply, as long as you're both over 18. There's just one wedding up for grabs this time, which you can try to score by going to KFC, getting a BBQ onion ring burgers, proposing using its onion rings and taking a snap to prove it. You'll also need to provide a 15-second-long video that introduces you and your partner, and sum up your need for a KFC wedding in 100 words. There's no time to waste — if you want to be the lucky duo that gets a call-up, you need to enter before Monday, November 27. So what's involved in the ultimate KFC nuptials, you ask? Well, you can bank on KFC theming via a KFC stylist, KFC chicken for catering thanks to a KFC food truck, and also a budget to take care of a venue, entertainment and photos. All up, the prize is worth $80,000, and you'll need to get hitched within 12 months of winning. We can only hope the bride will be throwing buckets instead of bouquets, and that there'll be plenty of wet wipes to go around. If you're keen to kick off married life with some secret herbs and spices, you can apply for your own KFC wedding online until Monday, November 27, 2023.
Don't want to compromise when picking a vintage from your favourite restaurant or wine bar's menu? If it's not poured by the glass, that can mean paying up for an entire bottle. Your tastebuds might thank you, but your wallet likely won't. Nowadays, things don't necessarily have to be this way, as Coravin's wine preservation tools make it possible to pour from a corked bottle without actually removing the cork. Returning for a second year, the Coravin World Wine Tour is showcasing these nifty creations by teaming up with five bars across Australia to pour their entire menu by the glass. In Noosa, Atelier Wine Bar is the venue of choice. While there's only enough space to seat 16 guests, this contemporary cellar-like spot has more than enough world-class vino to choose from. Considering you won't have to pay by the bottle, now is your chance to explore over 150 rare and diverse vintages hand-picked from across Europe and Australia. Plus, there's undoubtedly some incredible pairings to discover with Atelier's Italian-inspired small plates. "A new generation of wine drinkers are increasingly curious, adventurous, and willing to experiment with new varieties and styles. Offering more wines by the glass allows drinkers to find their new favourite variety, region, or style, without taking the risk of buying a whole bottle," says Coravin Founder, Greg Lambrecht.
When September rolls around in Brisbane, expect to do at least one of three things — all involving the moon. You can get up close and personal with a giant floating replica of the celestial object. Or, you'll be able to party beneath it at a series of synchronised rooftop shindigs. And, you can also stare up at it at its fullest while floating along the river surrounded Lindy Lee's art. Why? Because Brisbane Festival 2022 will be taking over the town from Friday, September 2–Saturday, September 24, and it's going big on lunar action in a variety of ways. Perhaps that's why the fest announced back in mid-March that it'd begin with Riverfire this year, rather than end with it. Starting with a night of moonlit fireworks now proves extremely fitting, and a case of kicking the festival off as means to go on. As part of its just-dropped first hefty program announcement, Bris Fest will bring the moon down to earth thanks to British artist Luke Jerram, who is perhaps best known for his seven-metre Museum of the Moon. It adorns a floating orb, will make its temporary home at West Village for the fest, and will also share that huge sphere with two other of Jerram's works — Gaia and Mars — displaying one each week. [caption id="attachment_810754" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Museum of the Moon (2017) by Luke Jerram, courtesy University of Bristol[/caption] As for those parties, they'll pop up on six Brisbane rooftops on one single night as part of an event called Raise the Roof. Exactly where hasn't been revealed as yet, but the sextet of soirees will feature six artists and/or artist collectives such as Michael Zavros, Briefs Factory International and The Grates' Patience Hodgson, all curating a venue each around a specific colour palette. If you're heading along, you'll be asked to embrace the theme. On the water, Brisbane's Art Boat will return after proving such a hit in 2021, and set sail from Northshore Brisbane once again. Australian visual artist Lindy Lee will be doing the honours, decking out the floating venue as part of a festival-first collaboration. And while it'll be cruising along all across the fest, Brisbane's Art Boat will host a midnight cruise on Saturday, September 10 so that patrons can peer up at that evening's full moon. [caption id="attachment_855887" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lindy Lee by Joel Devereux[/caption] These lunar-loving events form part of Brisbane Festival's new focus on weekends — rejigging its program around what it's calling four "weekends of wonder". Also on the bill so far: the Queensland Symphony Orchestra playing 70s disco tunes in the moonlight at the Riverstage, with the openair Disco Wonderland gig also featuring Paulini and Ben Mingay. Plus, the 2022 lineup includes the world premiere of Holding Achilles, an aerial-focused theatre production set amid the Trojan War, staged by Dead Puppet Society and Legs on the Wall, and featuring Montaigne performing an original score live; the stage adaptation of Shannon Molloy's coming-of-age memoir Fourteen by shake & stir; and a tri-lingual reimagining of Shakespeare's Othello by Queensland Theatre, as set in the Torres Strait at the height of World War II. [caption id="attachment_827941" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Girl From the North Country, Tristram Kenton[/caption] Or, there's Tiddas, a La Boite Theatre and Queensland Performing Arts Centre co-production described as Anita Heiss' "love letter to Meeanjin"; the already-announced Queensland premiere of Girl From the North Country, complete with a Bob Dylan soundtrack; and the return of smoking ceremony Jumoo. And yes, that's just a taste of what'll be filling Brisbane come September — with the full fest lineup set to be announced in July. Brisbane Festival runs from Friday, September 2–Saturday, September 24. Tickets for the event's festive weekends lineup will go on sale on Monday, June 6 — and we'll update you with further program details when the full lineup is announced in July. Top image: Museum of the Moon by Luke Jerram, Greenwich & Docklands Festival, UK, 2017. Photo by @edsimmons / @visitgreenwich.
Prepare yourself for a total Punk/Hardcore annihilation over three days with the third edition of Total Attack Festival. This absolutely monstrous line up will be coming to Crowbar on May 3, the Transcontinental Hotel on May 4 and Coniston Lane on May 5. All of these main shows are strictly 18+, however Tym’s Guitars will be hosting Deep Heat for an all-ages, free show from 2pm on the final day of the festival. The best of Australia’s punk and hardcore bands will be converging on Brisbane for the event, as are the nation’s most devoted fans. Headliners, including the Euro-smashers Sotatila, Sydney’s Deathcage and Melbourne masters Kromosom are among the many bands attracting huge attention to this long awaited celebration of these genres. For the full line up, set times, locations and ticket prices, head along to the event website.
Since 1989, the Piscine Molitor – Paris’s most glamorous interwar swimming spot and namesake of Yann Martel’s fictional hero – has been dry as a bone. Where the world’s first bikini model strutted her stuff and Tarzan once served as lifeguard, graffiti artists have been busy tagging and ravers have been busy, well, raving. In fact, a 2001 dance party run by French collective Heretik saw a 5,000-strong crowd occupy the space. But as of Monday, the indoor pool has been re-filled and re-opened in yet another incarnation. It is now part of a luxury 124-room MGallery hotel, complete with gym, spa, restaurant and bar. And the privilege of visiting for a day comes at the whopping cost of €150 (about $220). Both the 33-metre pool and the 50-metre lido have received a somewhat controversial renovation. Of the original façade, designed by Lucien Pollet, only one small section remains. But the architect behind the changes, Jean Phillipe Nuel, defends them. "We tried to conserve the dialogue between past and present," he told The Guardian. "For example, in the lobby under the original two-metre high ceiling (now mirrored) is a Rolls Royce bought by Eric Cantona, tagged by the American graffiti artist JonOne." Nuel has also managed to preserve several distinguishing Art Deco features, including the mosaics, stained glass images of bathers, blue doors and green railings crucial to Pollet’s original vision: that the Piscine Molitor should resemble an ocean liner. All the fancying up is perhaps less in keeping with Martel’s artistic decisions. The long-surviving, spiritually explorative Pi received his name because his “honorary uncle”, Mamaji, had told his father: “If you want your son to have a clean soul, you must take him one day to swim in the Piscine Molitor”. No mention of an enormous bank account. Via The Guardian.
Everyone discovers inner harmony in their own way. For instance, some people head to the nearest body of water, while others meditate with ocean waves playing in their headphones. Now it's possible to combine these restful exercises, as the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa offers a new floating wellbeing experience. Delivered by Aqua Sculpt, a floating wellness studio, the five-star resort transforms its saltwater lagoon into a restorative sound bath experience. Held across three 60-minute sessions — on Friday, July 25; Friday, August 22; and Friday, September 19 — guests can start their day from 7–8am with a tranquil encounter filled with harmonic vibrations. With eyes covered, you'll float on inflatable boards or nestle into a cabana or lounge as a serene live soundtrack of therapeutic tunes eases you into a state of pure relaxation, bringing balance to your nervous system and creating space for mindful presence. Think crystal singing bowls, equilibrium chimes and grounded meditative guidance. With only 28 spots per session, this introspective experience might just help you feel a little more at one with yourself. The location won't hurt either, as the Marriott's saltwater lagoon has routinely been named one of Australia's best pools, making it the ideal setting for this unique wellness activity.
When home video, the internet and mobile phones with inbuilt cameras each arrived, six words could've been uttered: get ready to look at dicks. New HBO comedy Minx is set the early 70s, so before all three, but the same phrase also applies here. It's true of the show itself, which isn't shy about displaying the male member in various shapes and sizes. It also stands tall in the world that Minx depicts. When you're making the first porn magazine for women — and, when you're making a series about it, even if it's all purely fictional — penises are inescapable. Also impossible to avoid in Minx: questions like "are erections consistent with our philosophy?", as asked by Vassar graduate and country club regular Joyce Prigger (Ophelia Lovibond, Trying). Idolising the magazine industry and unhappily working for the dispiritingly traditional Teen Queen, she has long dreamed of starting her own feminist publication — even penning a bundle of articles and making her own issues — but centrefolds splashed with male genitalia don't fit her ideal pitch. No one's buying what Joyce is selling, though; The Matriarchy Awakens, her dream mag, gets rejected repeatedly by the industry's gatekeepers. Only one is interested: Bottom Dollar Publications' Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson, Ride the Eagle), but he's in the pornography business. In Minx's premiere — which is now streaming alongside its second via Stan in Australia, with future episodes dropping in pairs weekly — Joyce and Doug are poised as opposites. When they first meet at the Southern California Magazine Pitch Festival, they contrast so forcefully in a visual sense that the show's Los Angeles-set frames may as well be screaming. She's buttoned up in a three-piece pantsuit, while he hasn't seen fit to fasten his shirt above his navel. Her gaze is steely and resolute; his couldn't be more casual. As created by Ellen Rapoport (Clifford the Big Red Dog) and executive produced by Paul Feig (Last Christmas), Minx plays up this clear and blatant contrast, and gleefully so, but little that follows is ever as easy and obvious. A streaming series about feminism, penises and 70s porn for women: that's Minx. A program about all of the above that unpacks and subverts Joyce and Doug's initial impressions: that's Minx as well. Indeed, it uses that first interaction as a spark for everything it carves into once it truly kicks into gear. Together, the pair pledge to create a feminist erotica magazine, and a savvy yet breezy workplace comedy results. The fact that nothing is ever just one thing — be it people, ideas, or everything that feminism and porn encompass — is a straightforward observation, but it's laid bare in a winning way in this quickly likeable show. Joyce is many things, in addition to being Minx's editor, driving force and sole doubter about male centrefolds. She worships Gloria Steinem, hands out The Kinsey Report to her colleagues, and is committed to giving the mag depth and intelligence — marital rape and contraception for single women rank among her ready-to-go article topics — but she's also prudish about nudity and sex toys, and incurious about her own desires. And, as the series points out, she benefits from a layer of white privilege and financial comfort that's given her the space to even fantasise about her passion project in the first place. Doug is equally multifaceted; a slacker on par with Johnson's New Girl claim to fame, he isn't. He's laidback, naturally, but he's astute about business, great at reading people, eager to make bold leaps and values having talented folks around him. Just as Joyce isn't merely a patriarchy-smashing go-getter stereotype, Doug isn't a sleazy but charming peddler of porn, either. Teamwork makes the Minx dream work, of course, and the crew assembled to get the magazine into the hands of women keeps challenging archetypes, too. Blonde and perky, Bambi (Jessica Lowe, Miracle Workers) models for Doug's other publications, has a knack for the creative side of the business and could never be dismissed as a bimbo — and sees nothing wrong with everything the term typically describes. Shelly (Lennon Parham, Veep), Joyce's sister, is more open about sex and its place in print, all while slotting into the conventional homemaker role expected of her gender. There's also Tina (Idara Victor, Shameless), Doug's whip-smart righthand woman, who rightly won't stand for being underestimated because she's Black— but isn't simply around to offer that reminder — and gay Latino photographer Richie (Oscar Montoya, Final Space), who is never a best friend-type sidekick. If Minx, the series, sounds a little like The Deuce meets Mrs America — but lighter, sweeter and funnier — that's because the comparison fits. Pick a beloved workplace sitcom, make it about feminism and porn, and Minx would slide in there, too, especially with its pitch-perfect ensemble cast. Of course, TV comedies aren't normally filled with so many phalluses, but this series knows that it can't tell a tale about embracing the female gaze if it doesn't embody the very concept. It's thoughtful about it at every turn as well; when Joyce rationalises the mag's first centrefold by flipping a real-life situation that women have endured too often, it's part of Minx's ongoing conversation on a range of essential topics. The many forms that feminism takes, how women have been conditioned to view sex, the stigma surrounding porn: they all bubble up in Minx's first five episodes (from a ten-instalment debut season). So too do sexism within advertising and in life in general, boys' club mentalities, censorship, the wowser-driven political war against anything salacious, the way that women judge each other and the power dynamics at the heart of romance. Obviously, the list of subjects that could fall into Minx's remit is lengthy — and, like its two lead characters, it sports the ambition to keep spreading its message far and wide. It's also as determined and unapologetic as Joyce, charismatic and flirty like Doug, and as layered as everyone in its frames. Minx's dicks don't talk — that's left to Pam & Tommy — but this newcomer is a full-frontal delight. Check out the trailer for Minx below. The first two episodes of Minx are available to stream via Stan, with two new episodes dropping weekly.
Melbourne might be where Lune started its world-acclaimed croissant empire ten years back; however, Brisbane is where the Kate Reid-founded bakery has branched out with not just two pastry-slinging spots, but also a wine bar. That tipple-pouring venue: Butler, which started serving drinks in mid-2022, then started teaming up with its sibling for food-and-wine parties late in the year. Still rolling in 2023, Tarte Party is one such shindig. Sunday, February 26 marks just the second time that Lune and Butler have joined forces, and they'll be serving up Lune's tartes with ample vino. The pastries will be baked fresh by Lune, with a special menu for the day, while Cork and Co is on wine duty. Food-wise, there'll be three types of tarte: mushroom and blue cheese; 'nduja, tomato and soft herbs; and a dessert plum, vanilla and almond number. Cork and Co's Logan Moore will be onsite showcasing winemakers such as LATTA, Koerner, Jilly and Sven Joschke, complete with rare and unique drops from each's private cellars. Tarte Party is taking place over two sessions: from 2–4.30pm and 5–7.30pm. Your $30 ticket gets you two tartes, with extras available to purchase — and wine being sold by the glass.
For most people, waking up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee is one of life's simple pleasures. Soon, waking up in bedding made from coffee grounds might be as well. Forget using caffeinated leftovers in the garden or around the house — Australian outfit Ettitude wants to reuse the parts that don't make it into your cuppa, infusing them into their new sheets range. It seems that they're not the only ones keen on the idea, with their Kickstarter campaign fully funded, and the first sheets due to ship in November. Their range includes the whole bedding kit and caboodle — aka flat and fitted sheets, quilt covers and pillow cases — in double, queen and king sizes, as available in a range of packs of combinations. And while they don't actually smell like everyone's favourite hot beverage, they do supposedly reap plenty of rewards. So, how does it work? The company's bamboo coffee bedding collection uses coffee yarns sourced from S.Cafe, who repurpose coffee grounds from cafes around the world, blend them with a polymer made from recycled plastic drink bottles, and turn the mix into fabric. At Ettitude, the yarns are then woven through their own sustainable bamboo lyocell textiles, ready to bring some coffee goodness to bedrooms everywhere. It's not just the environmentally friendly aspect of their new creation that Ettitude is getting all frothed up about, either; their sheets apparently offer a range of other benefits. It's unsurprising that material made out of something as heavy-scented as coffee grounds can block out other odours, but it can also wick away moisture faster, ensuring that bedding stays fresher for longer. Ettitude also state that hypoallergenic, thermoregulating bamboo-based linen doesn't irritate hair and skin as much as other fabrics, helping you wake up feeling refreshed — before you even roll out of bed and grab a coffee. For more information about Ettitude's bamboo coffee sheets, head to their Kickstarter campaign.
