Of course Tim Burton did a Dumbo remake. How could he not? For a director who's built his career around tales of misunderstood misfits, outcasts and oddities, an orphaned and absurd-looking circus elephant must've been all but irresistible. 'Edward Aero-Ears', if you will. And yet, this is more of a reimagining than a remake, melding modern themes of gender equality, animal welfare and anti-corporatisation with Burton's trademark touch of the macabre. The first notable difference between this version and the animated original from 1941 is its timeline, set now in post-war 1919. Burton certainly doesn't shy away from the bleak realities of the WWI era. His protagonist, Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell), is a traumatised veteran who's lost an arm to the War and a wife to influenza. Finding work scarce and his injury an added obstacle to employment, Holt rejoins the old circus where once he dazzled as a horseback entertainer, but now merely shovels elephant manure. It's there, though, where he and his children (Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins) discover Dumbo, the baby elephant with enormous ears, whose appearance sees him mocked by audiences and dismissed by the circus owner (Danny DeVito). In one of the film's more heartbreaking scenes (and there are few; this is definitely a tissues-at-the-ready situation), Dumbo's mother Jumbo is wrenched from her son and hauled away after she kills her torturous trainer and handler (a suitably loathsome Phil Zimmerman). It's not the only grim moment in the film, either. With his mother now gone, and amidst grief and despair, Dumbo's miraculous ability to fly becomes apparent, launching him into stardom and attracting the interests of an unscrupulous Walt Disney-esque theme park owner named V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton). From there, predictably, the circus's seemingly golden ticket reveals itself to be a far darker deal from which escape offers up all manner of perils. The live-action remake is Disney's new cash card (as if it needed one). Having already made bank with Beauty and the Beast, the studio is now poised to release both Aladdin and Mulan, followed later in the year by the Lion King, which will doubtless eclipse all manner of box office records. Where Disney has been successful so far is in melding human actors with their digital counterparts, and Dumbo, if you'll forgive the pun, soars in that respect. His enormous blue eyes and delicate expressions imbue him with almost more emotion than any of the actors given speaking parts, and when he flies so too does the film. Sadly, however, too much of the remainder feels entirely lacklustre, despite its exaggerated colourful palette. The characters, aside from DeVito and, to a lesser extent, Farrell, are woefully underwritten, while the performances are borderline pantomime. And in a movie named after him, not nearly enough focus is placed on Dumbo himself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocWpGdITSR4
Game, set, match, music: the 2024 Australian Open might be jam-packed with Grand Slam tennis action, but it's also serving up a few aces for fans of live tunes. In 2023, the annual Melbourne sports event launched the AO Finals Festival, which gets a heap of talents taking to the stage. Unsurprisingly proving a hit, the fest returns this year. Attendees will be treated to a program of live acts on three of the event's final four days, all in John Cain Arena. 2024's AO Finals Fest will start on Thursday, January 25, on AO Pride Day. Then, it's back for both the women's final on Saturday, January 27 and the men's equivalent on Sunday, January 28. A stellar lineup awaits, including Tash Sultana, Peach PRC and Yaeji on the Thursday; DMA's, Ruel and The Jungle Giants on the Saturday; and Groove Armada, Rudimental and Sunshine & Disco Faith Choir on the Sunday. Just like in 2023, the stacked bill doesn't come as too much of a surprise, given that it has again been curated with help from the respected music heads at Untitled Group — the brains behind Pitch Music & Arts, For The Love, Grapevine Gathering and more. Expect plenty of company, with the 2023 event selling out. Accordingly, 2024's AO Finals Festival has moved venues, shifting to John Cain Arena to take advantage of its 10,000-person capacity. Tickets can be bought individually per day, or matchgoers can upgrade their tennis tickets to head to the festival. As always, there'll be scores of food and drink pop-ups scattered throughout Melbourne Park, as well as big screens showing all the on-court action. AO FINALS FESTIVAL 2024 LINEUP: Thursday, January 25: AO Pride Day Tash Sultana Peach PRC Yaeji Anesu Djanaba DJ Luv You Saturday, January 27: Women's final DMA's Ruel The Jungle Giants Tia Gostelow Mell Hall Sunday, January 28: Men's final Groove Armada Rudimental Sunshine & Disco Faith Choir Latifa Tee Cooper Smith Images: Ash Caygill.
Have you spent the last 15 years popping your colleagues' staplers in jelly, or covering their desks in gift wrap? When someone makes a comment — any comment — do you answer "that's what she said"? Do you have a soft spot for paper company employees, or for anyone who gets married at Niagara Falls? As soon as you meet people who work in HR, do you expect them to be called Toby? If so, then The Office — the US version — has changed your life, and now it's time to put your secret skills to the test. Michael Scott won't call a virtual conference on Thursday, April 16; however Isolation Trivia will dedicate its next online trivia night to the beloved sitcom, so it's almost the same thing. Because Australia loves trivia evenings based on sitcoms that Mike Schur had a hand in (think Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine) more than it loves pulling pranks, it's certain to be a popular evening — even when you're just taking part from your couch. The quiz session will run from 6.30pm, and you'd better be ready to break out Jim and Pam's wedding dance — and eat something beetroot-flavoured, ideally from Schrute Farms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryxUeWEcUqE Playing is free, and there's no need to register. Just head to the event Facebook page on the night. And if ever you needed an excuse to hit up Stan and binge your way through the whole series again, this is it.
Maybe you like licking an ice cream cone while you stroll along the river. Perhaps a trip to the movies isn't complete without a scoop or two beforehand or afterwards. Or, you could just be keen on any and every excuse to get your gelato fix. Whichever fits, Rosé Gelateria will have you covered when it opens at Portside Wharf. The Hamilton precinct is undergoing quite a few changes at the moment, announcing late in 2022 that a $20-million makeover is in the works. Also on the way: Fosh, a seafood restaurant from the restaurateur behind Opa Bar + Mezze, Massimo Restaurant, Yamas Greek + Drink and George's Paragon; and the Gold Coast's Rise Bakery launching its first Brisbane venue. Rosé Gelateria is making the same leap as the latter, in fact, heading to the River City after setting up stores in Sanctuary Cove and Main Beach. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rosé Gelateria (@rose.gelateria) Brisbanites will have a new boutique dessert go-to come June, with an exact opening date yet to be revealed. Yes, it'll be winter, but it's never too cold for gelato in the Queensland capital (as our obsession with the Ekka's strawberry sundaes each August shows). This ice cream spot will be located next to Dendy Cinemas, handily, and span across 56 square metres of indoor seating space, as well as an al fresco seating area. As for the fitout, it's going chic and elegant, with help from Lowry Group as the venue's builders. Rosé Gelateria is known for its rose gelato made with rosewater and topped with rose petals, but also does Biscoff gelato — using the biscuit spread, also caramel — among its 20-flavour signature lineup. The Portside shop will feature vegan and dairy-free options, too, and rotate through four limited-edition flavours each month. If you have a pet that likes frosty treats, and always tries to get a lick of yours, Rosé Gelateria will offer pet-friendly gelato as well. Husband-and-wife team Bronson Tucker and Diana Prinz came up with their range after a visit to Italy. "All our gelato flavours are inspired by a trip my wife and I took to the homeland of gelato, Florence in Italy, which is where we were taught the authentic way of crafting gelato by a local teacher," advises Bronson. That said, Rosé Gelateria doesn't just keep things cold and creamy. It'll also be serving up macarons and cookies, plus juices and milkshakes. Joining forces with Paradox Coffee Roasters, it'll be brewing a specialty coffee blend called Paper Moon, too — and expect to taste black cherry and plum with your caffeine hit. "We have poured our passion and love for gelato into the creation of Rosé Gelateria, and it's clear from the support we have received that others can feel and taste that appreciation as well," said Prinz. "We aren't your everyday gelato store. As a boutique provider, we put considerable thought into every detail, flavour and the overall experience we offer, with our customers at the forefront of each choice. Our vision for Rosé Gelateria has been to create truly beautiful spaces for friends, families and people to connect while enjoying our artisanal range of gelatos and treats. We are delighted to continue bringing this vision to life at Portside Wharf." Find Rosé Gelateria at Portside Wharf, 39 Hercules Street, Hamilton, from sometime in June 2023 — we'll update you with an exact launch date when one is announced.
Something delightful is happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu9wL8sDhXE SUPERINTELLIGENCE Playing a former couple who reconnect and reignite their spark, Melissa McCarthy and Bobby Cannavale have great chemistry together in Superintelligence. This isn't the first time they've featured in the same movie, thanks to 2015's Spy, but there's an energy to their work opposite each other here. She's Carol Peters, an ex-Yahoo executive who quit her job eight years ago with a dream of moving into philanthropy. He's George Churchill, a creative writing professor. Carol still thinks about George two years after their breakup and, when they re-meet-cute in a supermarket, he's happy to see her — although he is flying out to Ireland in three days to take up his dream academic job. There is enough to the concept just described to furnish a likeable albeit predictable rom-com that coasts by on McCarthy and Cannavale's charm and charismatic pairing. A film that simply followed the above story would be straightforward, but Superintelligence shows that it'd likely work. Alas, Superintelligence makes Carol and George's romantic antics the subplot in a movie that's actually about a sentient artificial intelligence that's trying to decide what to do about humanity, chooses Carol as an example of the most average person on earth, and pushes her to get back with George so it can observe, judge her actions and extrapolate what it might mean about people in general. Unsurprisingly, the tech side of the story crashes hard. As everything from Her and Ex Machina to the Terminator and Matrix franchises have shown, films about AI aren't new — and nor are movies about technology threatening to eradicate or enslave humanity — so a wealth of far better features have already traversed this territory. And while screenwriter Steve Mallory (The Boss) has come up with a twist on the idea that he seems to think is brilliant, it really isn't. How can it be when his killer concept just involves said artificial intelligence being voiced by James Corden, and that fact being recognised in the story because Carol is a big fan? If you're not as fond of Corden as she is (likely because you've seen Cats and The Prom), you won't be laughing. It wouldn't be funny even if you did like his work. It's a one-note gag, and a grating one at that. It also chews up far too much of Superintelligence's running time, when viewers would always rather be seeing McCarthy and Cannavale together without any silly gimmickry. The former's husband Ben Falcone directed the film, as he did with Tammy, The Boss and Life of the Party, but that can't explain why the movie squanders the best thing it has. McCarthy's career constantly swings from highs to lows (Can You Ever Forgive Me? and The Happytime Murders came out in the same year, for instance), but Superintelligence is both misguided and a missed opportunity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nmsIChFUCo DREAMLAND Back in 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street, Margot Robbie didn't simply hold her own against Leonardo DiCaprio. The Australian actor stole scenes from her then far-more-famous co-star — which, given that he put in a phenomenal performance, is no small task. Accordingly, the fact that she quickly rocketed from supporting player to the kind of lead that an entire film can hang from is hardly surprising. Her path from Suicide Squad to Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) illustrates it perfectly, in fact. Still, even Robbie's ability to lift a movie has its limits, which Dreamland tests. She's both luminous and textured in the Great Depression-set thriller. Playing a bank robber on the run, she's the most absorbing and intriguing part of the film. She's meant to be, because that's how and why her character of Allison Wells draws in Texan farm boy Eugene Evans (Finn Cole, TV's Animal Kingdom) and gets him to help her. And, Robbie is clearly invested in the movie both on- and off-screen, as she not only stars but also produces. That said, very little about Dreamland other than her performance proves anything more than standard, and noticeably so. Director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte (As You Are) aims to follow in the footsteps of Badlands and Ain't Them Bodies Saints — and brings Bonnie and Clyde to mind, too — but flails in comparison to both. Dreamland does boast a gorgeously hazy, woozy aesthetic — through the hues that cinematographer Lyle Vincent (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) splashes across the screen, primarily — that gives it an enticing look and feel. In quick square-framed shots inserted to represent flashes of dreams of a life that could possibly come if everything goes Allison and Eugene's way, the film couldn't be more alluring. But, alongside Robbie's performance, that isn't enough to boost the routine storyline. Indeed, at times the movie's visual style even augments and bolsters Dreamland's been-there, done -hat air. The narrative doesn't need much help, though, with screenwriter Nicolaas Zwart (Riverdale) hitting as many recognisable beats as the cops pursuing Allison fire off shots. She's wanted in general, but also because her last stick-up with her now-dead partner saw a little girl get killed. Eugene's stern stepfather George (Travis Fimmel, Lean on Pete) is one of the deputies on her trail, so the teen's decision to let her hole up in his family's barn is instantly risky. The young man is also desperate to flee himself, to find the dad that abandoned him and his mother (Kerry Condon, Better Call Saul) years earlier on their dustbowl property, so he doesn't need much convincing to assist Allison in this all-too-familiar affair. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_xZGoYU1eg CROCK OF GOLD: A FEW ROUNDS WITH SHANE MACGOWAN Frontman for The Pogues since the early 80s, and a formidable music force in-between the Celtic punk band's stints together — until the 90s, and then from the early 00s to the mid 10s — Shane MacGowan is a rare beast in his chosen industry. He's a true individual that no one could ever emulate no matter how they tried. He's also a spikier, pricklier, far more recalcitrant figure than others who've earned that description (David Bowie and Prince, for example). He certainly has more stories to tell about smoking cigarettes and drinking booze as a child, then listening to his aunt teach him the gospels and sharing her religious fervour to such an extent that he even thought about turning his childhood beliefs into his life's work. Accordingly, to delve into MacGowan's existence beyond the easy-to-Google biographical details, the usual musician-worshipping documentary was never going to do him justice. So, seasoned director Julien Temple doesn't try to fit the usual mould. The filmmaker has ample experience in the genre, with Sex Pistols rockumentary The Filth and the Fury on his resume — plus Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten and Glastonbury, too — and he's just adept at finding the right approach for the right subject. In Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan, viewers hear the song that he's best known for more than once. The Pogues' 'Fairytale of New York' is an instrumental part of his story, after all. Although it was released in 1987, it's also the most popular Christmas song of the 21st century. Alongside the film's birth-to-now linear path, the use of well-known tune is the most standard part about this deep dive into MacGowan upbringing, fame and controversy. Case in point: MacGowan isn't an interviewee here in the traditional sense. Archival footage of him answering questions fits the expected mould, but in his more recent chats specifically for the doco, he talks with people he knows such as Johnny Depp, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams. It's a canny and compelling approach, likely by necessity, and just how MacGowan changes depending on his company doesn't escape attention. In the process, and amidst animated sequences, family photos and videos, and deftly deployed stock imagery, Temple lets his audience see first-hand how a man with such a strong presence and infamous reputation is still a rolling, rambling bag of contradictions and complications — although MacGowan's words, offered over more than a few drinks as the lively film's title makes plain, easily paint that picture themselves. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been throughout the year — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29; and November 5, November 12, November 19 and November 26; and December 3 and December 10. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators, An American Pickle, The High Note, On the Rocks, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Antebellum, Miss Juneteenth, Savage, I Am Greta, Rebecca, Kajillionaire, Baby Done, Corpus Christi, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Craft: Legacy, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon, Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), American Utopia, Possessor, Misbehaviour, Happiest Season, The Prom, Sound of Metal, The Witches, The Midnight Sky and The Furnace. Images: Superintelligence, Hopper Stone; Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan, Andrew Caitlin.
If you're serious about bacon, then there's only one place to be over the weekend of Friday, August 16–Sunday, August 18, 2024. That's the town of Kingaroy, about two-and-a-half hours north-west of Brisbane. As it does every year, it's dedicating three whole days to one glorious type of foodstuff. Whether you're keen on eating it or buying a heap of it, if there's bacon involved, it's on offer during Kingaroy BaconFest. Browse the bacon market, watch bacon cooking demonstrations, catch pork masterclasses or try your hand at the tastiest eating contest there is. Yes, it's about bacon, obviously. Getting cooking: a range of well-known chefs. 2024's talents haven't yet been revealed, but Miguel Maestre and Alastair McLeod were involved in 2023. There's usually also a big bacon breakfast and a wine-and-swine party. Live music is also on the bill, plus bacon ice cream. And, you can get jogging at the running event called Rasher's Fun Run, then have your tastebuds tempted again a barbecue pork smoke-off competition.
Summer might be in full swing on both sides of the ditch, but it's never too early to start thinking about your music festival plans for the year ahead, as well as how to spend the frostier months. One solution that ticks both boxes: Queenstown winter music festival and ski trip Snow Machine, which is returning in September 2023 for its huge second year. It's the hottest festival for the colder months, packed with five snow-filled days of music and adventure at two mountain-topping ski resorts this year. On the just-dropped lineup sits a heap of must-see names, including Art vs Science, Hayden James, Hilltop Hoods, The Jungle Giants and Peking Duk, all helping give Snow Machine's winter wonderland a thumping soundtrack. After launching in Japan in 2020, the festival was actually supposed to make its arrival in Aotearoa in September 2021 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. It finally debuted in September 2022, and now makes a comeback from Tuesday, September 5–Sunday, September 10, 2023. Attendees will be treated to action-packed days on the slopes, après ski events on both Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, and a hefty roster of international acts against the idyllic backdrop of New Zealand's adventure capital. Also dropping in to share the stage will be Benee, Broods, Coterie, Danny Clayton, Jacotène and Jimi The Kween, as well as Kate Fox, Neil Frances, Northeast Party House, Pete Murray, Set Mo, Shapeshifter, Stace Cadet (doing a DJ set), Sweet Mix Kids and Zahn Walker. Other than the wintry backdrop, one of the things that sets Snow Machine apart from other music fests is being able to book your entire getaway with your ticket. Packages span both five and seven nights of accommodation, and include a four-day festival ticket and five-day ski pass. If you'd rather make your own way or pass on the skiing, there are 'ticket only' options — and VIP packages if you really want to do it in style. Festival goers are also encouraged to immerse themselves in the adventure capital by adding on heli-skiing, jet boating, bungy jumping, canyon swinging and skydiving — and that's on top of Snow Machine's huge welcome party, and vintage retro day dedicated to old-school ski suits. Also returning in 2023: the second annual Polar Bare, which endeavours to set a world record for the most amount of people heading down the slopes their swimwear. SNOW MACHINE 2023 LINEUP: Art vs Science Benee Broods Coterie Danny Clayton Hayden James Hilltop Hoods Jacotène Jimi The Kween The Jungle Giants Kate Fox Neil Frances Northeast Party House Peking Duk Pete Murray Set Mo Shapeshifter Stace Cadet (DJ set) Sweet Mix Kids Zahn Walker Tom Tilley and Hugo Gruzman present First Base Snow Machine will be held from Tuesday, September 5–Sunday, September 10, 2023 in Queenstown, New Zealand. Presale tickets go on sale from 12pm AEDT on Tuesday, January 17, with general tickets available from 12pm AEDT on Wednesday, January 18. For more information, visit the festival's website. Images: Pat Stevenson/Ben Lang. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
With the holidays just coming to an end, we're all now emerging from prime binge-watching season. So, if you feel like you've glued your eyes to every possible TV show and movie there is recently, that's completely understandable — but the great thing about streaming is that there's always something else popping up, demanding your attention and helping you maintain that comfy groove in your sofa. Returning series releasing their latest seasons, brand new shows that haven't been on your radar, recent favourites that you mightn't have seen, retro classics that are always worth a revisit, flicks that'll keep you talking — they're some of the fresh additions to the streaming world recently, and they're all ready to add to your 2021 watch list. If you're wondering where to start, we've teamed up with streaming platform Binge to pick five must-sees that'll help you start the year with some top-notch viewing. You can view them all on the Australian service, including via a 14-day free trial for new customers.
We can't all live in a world where a newspaper columnist pens one article about her love life a week, gets paid enough to wear Manolo Blahniks and spends most of her time drinking cocktails with her best mates — and coming up with amorous fodder for her next pithy essay. But, thanks to 1998–2004 series Sex and the City, we can all watch that fictional world, which is actually partly based on the experiences and New York Observer columns of writer Candace Bushnell. As everyone with even the slightest pop culture knowledge already knows, Sarah Jessica Parker plays fashion-loving writer Carrie Bradshaw, who has given plenty of viewers a sizeable case of wardrobe envy over the years. She's joined by Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, in a series that pushed the boundaries when it came to both sex and friendship. Just ignore the 2008 and 2010 movies
Between Thursday, August 9 and Wednesday, August 15, Palace Cinemas is giving movie buffs an extra gift. It's not just the gift of great flicks — that is, their daily bread and butter — but the gift of cheap great flicks. Head to either of the chain's two Brisbane locations in New Farm and Petrie Terrace across the week in question, and any film at any time will only cost you a fiver, plus an online booking fee of $1.50. Want to see Mission: Impossible — Fallout with your friends on a Saturday night? It'll cost you $6.50 in total. Keen to laugh your way through The Breaker Upperers after work one afternoon? Still $6.50 all up. We'd keep naming movies, but you get the picture. Booking in advance is highly recommended, given how much everyone loves going to the flicks for little more than the price of a cup of coffee, so you will want to nab your tickets online and pay the fee. And if you're wondering what $5 Movie Week is all about, Palace is about to launch its new rewards club. Consider this the first reward — although you don't need to be a member to benefit. Image: Palace Barracks.
When Netflix first revived The Addams Family via Wednesday back in 2022, it did so with help from a familiar face that knows more than a little about pop culture's creepiest, kookiest, most mysterious and spookiest family: Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets). She doesn't play the show's namesake, of course — enter: Jenna Ortega (Scream VI) with the black attire and bleak attitude — but her presence was both felt and welcome. And when season two hits, she won't be the only cast member from the 90s films that's been a part of this series. Wednesday was renewed for a second season in early 2023 — Netflix is so keen on the show that there's talk of an Uncle Fester-focused spinoff, too — and now, post-last year's strikes, production has commenced. Along with that development, the streaming platform has announced which actors will be joining the series this time around. One of them, as a guest star: Christopher Lloyd. [caption id="attachment_954276" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Helen Sloan/Netflix © 2024[/caption] Adding to a recent resume that includes Hacks, Knuckles, Self Reliance and The Mandalorian, Lloyd won't be reprising his work as Uncle Fester from The Addams Family and Addams Family Values given that Fred Armisen (Fallout) is Wednesday's take on the character. Still, the Tim Burton (Dumbo)-executive produced series continues to throw love at past iterations of the residents of Cemetery Lane. Season two of Wednesday doesn't have a release date as yet, but it will also feature more of Catherine Zeta-Jones (National Treasure: Edge of History) as Morticia, Luis Guzmán (Justified: City Primeval) as Gomez, Isaac Ordonez (Color Box) as Pugsley and Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo (How to Date Billy Walsh) as Deputy Ritchie Santiago, all getting meatier parts than in season one. New to the cast are Steve Buscemi (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Billie Piper (Scoop), Evie Templeton (Criminal Record), Owen Painter (Tiny Beautiful Things) and Noah Taylor (Foundation), as well as Joanna Lumley (Fool Me Once), Thandiwe Newton (Big Mouth), Frances O'Connor (Erotic Stories), Haley Joel Osment (What We Do in the Shadows), Heather Matarazzo (Wish) and Joonas Suotamo (Willow) joining Lloyd as special guests. In season one, Wednesday's titular figure had been terrorising her way through various educational facilities, hopping through eight of them in five years. That's how she ended up at Nevermore Academy, where her mother introduced her with an apology: "please excuse Wednesday, she's allergic to colour". Morticia actually met Gomez at the school, and thought that their eldest would love it there as they did, but Wednesday's storyline was never going to be that straightforward. With Burton behind the scenes, and also sitting in the director's chair for the first four episodes — in the job the Frankenweenie, Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands filmmaker was clearly born to have — cue high-school chaos, a monstrous murder spree to stop and a supernatural mystery linked to Wednesday's parents a quarter-century ago to solve. Oh, and a killer goth wardrobe, naturally. Wednesday unsurprisingly proved a smash, breaking the Netflix record for most hours viewed in a single week, then doing so again — notching up 341.23-million hours viewed in its first week, then 411.29-million hours viewed in its second. All things Addams Family have always found an audience, with the Ricci-led 90s films beloved for decades for good reason, and the 1960s TV show and 1930s The New Yorker comics before that. Check out the season two cast announcement video for Wednesday below: Wednesday streams via Netflix, with season one available now and season two arriving at a yet-to-be-announced date. We'll update you with further details about season two when they're revealed. Read our full review of Wednesday season one. Images: Netflix.
Maybe you remember Miami Horror from your playlist for blissed-out summer parties circa 2010, when their hit single 'Sometimes' did the club circuit and went on solid rotation in backyards nationwide. We haven't heard much from them since those days, but the Melbourne electronic-pop four-piece haven't been laying low. Instead, they've taken up residence in Los Angeles, where they've been busy working on album number two (or as busy as you can get in a land of perpetual sunshine, palm trees and too many dreams). The result is the sometimes-funky, sometimes-dreamy, almost 'too happy' All Possible Futures, released earlier this year. They’re bringing their fresh new LA-inspired sound back home, with a five-date east coast tour this August. Reacquaint yourself with these guys by giving 'Love Like Mine' and 'Real Slow' a listen, then grab yourself a ticket. How sweet is rediscovery? [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRhVsVT3mPM[/embed]
Whether tearing up football fields across during his 372-game stint for the Sydney Swans, or standing up against prejudice both in the AFL and in Australian in general, Adam Goodes' name has been splashed across the headlines plenty of times over the past two decades. That's not going to change in 2019, but for a different reason — the dual Brownlow medallist and 2014 Australian of the Year is the subject of two documentaries, with each exploring his story on and off the field, including the racism he endured over his 17-season playing career. The first film, The Final Quarter, just launched at the Sydney Film Festival, premiering to a packed house on Friday, June 7 and receiving a standing ovation from the lively audience afterwards. Directed by Ian Darling, and solely compiled from archival material — in a technique reminiscent of another great sports doco in recent years, Senna — it's a powerful and impassioned chronicle of the treatment Goodes received from crowds and commentators alike. Unsurprisingly, it's also both moving in displaying the AFL champ's dignified response to such horrors, and infuriating in its thorough examination of his ordeal. As the name suggests, The Final Quarter focuses on the last stages of Goodes' time in the AFL — when he was verbally attacked by spectators and high-profile media figures, relentlessly booed at games, put under immense scrutiny for celebrating his Indigenous heritage, accused of staging for free kicks and ultimately chose not to play for a period due to the toll he was under. As Darling astutely realised, the footage says it all. The documentary intertwines media clips from Goodes' games, general AFL coverage, news stories, press conferences and interviews from the era to paint a heartbreaking picture of the ex-Swans captain's experiences. As essential for the broader public as it is for football fans, the film is set for both a cinema and television release later this year, Just hours before the premiere — but nearly four years after Goodes retired at the end of the 2015 season, notably — the AFL and its 18 clubs released a long-overdue statement that apologised "unreservedly for our failures" in not standing up for him during his career. The second Goodes-focused doco, The Australian Dream, will surface in August. It's written by acclaimed journalist Stan Grant, and will open the Melbourne International Film Festival before hitting theatres around the country. Check out the trailer for The Final Quarter below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9C8JaJxoYU The Final Quarter will release in Australian cinemas later this year. We'll update you with a release date when one is announced.
Civil War is not a relaxing film, either for its characters or viewers, but writer/director Alex Garland (Men) does give Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog) a moment to lie down among the flowers. She isn't alone among the movie's stars on her stomach on a property filled with Christmas decorations en route from New York to Washington DC. Also, with shots being fired back and forth, no one is in de-stressing mode. For viewers of Dunst's collaborations with Sofia Coppola, however — a filmmaker that her Civil War co-star Cailee Spaeny just played Priscilla Presley for in Priscilla — the sight of her face beside grass and blooms was always going to recall The Virgin Suicides. Twenty-five years have now passed since that feature, which Garland nods to as a handy piece of intertextual shorthand. As the camera's focus shifts between nature and people, there's not even a tiny instant of bliss among this sorrow, nor will there ever be, as there was the last time that Dunst was framed in a comparable fashion. Instead, Civil War tasks its lead with stepping into the shoes of a seasoned war photographer in the middle of the violent US schism that gives the movie its name (and, with January 6, 2021 so fresh in everyone's memories, into events that could very well be happening in a version of right now). The US President (Nick Offerman, Origin) is into his third term after refusing to leave office, and the fallout is both polarising and immense. Think: bombed cities, suicide attackers, death squads, torture, lynchings, ambushes, snipers, shuttering the FBI, California and Texas inexplicably forming an alliance to fight back, Florida making its own faction, journalists killed on sight, refugee camps, deserted highways, checkpoints, resistance fighters, mass graves and, amid the rampant anarchy, existence as America currently knows it clearly obliterated. (Asking "what kind of American are you?" barely seems a stretch, though.) The front line is in Charlottesville, but Dunst's Lee Smith is destined for the White House with Reuters reporter Joel (Wagner Moura, Mr & Mrs Smith), where they're hoping to evade the lethal anti-media sentiment to secure an interview with the leader who has torn the country apart. That Dunst's character, nor anyone, will never be able to shake the chaos observed and experienced, no matter the no-nonsense demeanour sported, couldn't be more evident from Civil War's opening. This is a raw and deeply resonant movie about trauma, sources for which fill its chillingly realistic visuals constantly, as Garland and cinematographer Rob Hardy (returning from all of the filmmaker's past helming work, including Ex Machina and Annihilation) bring to the screen with haunting immediacy. It's also about desensitisation to that onslaught, for Garland's players and audiences alike. Combine both, even if Lee ignores the personal impact, and you get someone who'll never feel the calm that should accompany lying on a lawn in different circumstances — because the time when she'd soak that in, and the person who could do just that, are long gone. You also get someone so accustomed being surrounded by nightmarish horror that she's no longer aware of what she's lost. Garland's fourth film behind the lens is a probingly complex character study as well. It's a snapshot of a dystopia with far more potential to come immediately true than most such tales — and it gives America and its volatile political reality the filmic treatment usually reserved for almost anywhere else — but it's always also an unpacking of what it means to spend your life immortalising humanity at its worst; pics and it definitely did happen. Navigating the ethics of the gig, Lee is adamant that the job is to chronicle, not to intervene. "We take pictures so others can ask these questions," she advises. Everything about the performance behind not just the line but the figure lives and breathes that idea. That said, she's also as firm in her belief that what she does should spark pause. "Every time I survived a war zone, I thought I was sending a warning home: don't do this," Lee says to Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson, Beau Is Afraid), a New York Times veteran and fellow member of the movie's travelling party. "But here we are," she continues with a sigh. Garland gives Dunst another contrast beyond referencing one of her prior roles: Spaeny's Jessie. (That Civil War arrives so soon after Priscilla, which Dunst recommended Spaeny to Coppola for, adds inescapable emphasis.) Introduced being saved by Lee when they first meet in the thick of a brutal fray, the green as green — and keen as keen — wide-eyed 23-year-old freelancer is similarly snapping the conflict, learning as she's going and convincing Joel to let her tag along. Her vast range of emotions couldn't be in greater opposition to Lee's dispassion. "I've never been so scared in my entire life. And I've never felt more alive," Jessie notes after the movie's most intense scene, an unforgettable nerve-shredder where the foursome and a couple of colleagues (Ahsoka's Nelson Lee and The Brothers Sun's Evan Lai) cross paths with a cruel group of soldiers (led by Dunst's IRL husband Jesse Plemons, Killers of the Flower Moon). No one needs to be familiar with Dunst and Spaeny's cinematic history, and their echoes, to feel the weight of what Civil War is portraying. Spotting the array of cast members from Garland's 2020 sci-fi/thriller TV series Devs — Spaeny, Henderson, Offerman, Sonoya Mizuno (House of the Dragon) as an embedded British correspondent, Jin Ha (Pachinko) as a sharpshooter and Karl Glusman (The Idol) as a spotter — also isn't a must to understand that the author-turned-filmmaker is in his element. Garland has always been fascinated by how folks react to humanity's inherent lust for control and power, whether perpetuating it, fleeing it, being victimised by it or getting it on the record. That was true when he was writing novel The Beach, then penning the screenplays for 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go and Dredd, too. Indeed, as Lee watches on and documents, Dunst virtually plays her director's in-film surrogate. For all of the ways that Civil War can be linked back to now, to recently, to not mere fiction or conjecture, Garland isn't here to overtly connect dots or take sides; he also began writing his script in 2020, pre-dating the Capitol attack. He knows as a given, as he gleans that everyone will, that fractures have become an entrenched part of the US. As intelligent as it is urgent, Civil War is a cautionary tale, then, but never a source of answers. What it sees is the loss, the toll and the consequences when democracy shatters, all through people, aka Lee and company, including the devastation of such grimness becoming a normality. Making The Virgin Suicides come to mind serves the picture in another way, reminding of a stunning Dunst performance laced with unflinching pain just as she's giving another one at the heart of this arresting and searing feature.
Whether the hankering strikes for a steak, a bowl of pasta or a combination of the two — wagyu sirloin bolognese, perhaps? — Brisbanites will have a new restaurant that heroes both to hit up before November is out. With Ben O'Donoghue in the kitchen, Fortitude Valley's Establishment 203 will serve up beef and Italian dishes, opening its doors on Tuesday, November 28. Usually a visit to the Valley's stretch of Ann Street means grabbing drinks; however, top-notch meals will be the attraction here. Think: woodfired bone marrow bruschetta, steaks from the fire, beef cheeseburgers, saltimbocca made with Brisbane Valley quail and scampi linguine. As announced back in August, diners who like to watch the chef in action will find that on the menu as well, as the Billykart talent and Surfing the Menu presenter O'Donoghue whips up farm-to-table fare with Queensland produce — including those hero steaks — and also traditional pastas. "With an ability to control quality from paddock to plate including breeding, feed, ageing, cooking and plating, diners will be assured of the very best steak in the country," said O'Donoghue. "This exceptional dining experience is underpinned by a combination of kitchen technology that mixes the best of old and modern cooking to accentuate the flavours of our seasonal produce. Side by side in the kitchen is Queensland's first Michelin-quality MKN induction cooking suite juxtaposed with our large live woodfired Mibrasa cooking stations." So, if you go with steak — with angus, wagyu with marble scores of six and ten, and grassfed varieties available — it'll be cooked over wood, which is being sustainably sourced from beef producer Stanbroke to give Establishment 203's meats a unique flavour. The pasta range is drawn from O'Donoghue's Italian favourites, including from time spent travelling in Europe and working at The River Cafe in London. The vibe: sleek, upmarket and elevated, so more than just your average steak joint. Again, that comes through in the menu, where caviar, oysters, kingfish and tuna crudo, beef tartare and chicken liver parfait are also options. While Establishment 203 is owned by a cattle-farming family with Italian heritage — hence the focus — seafood is clearly also on offer. And as for what you'll be washing down your meal with, the drinks lineup will span signature cocktails, Italian red wines and Brisbane craft beers. Establishment 203 opens on Tuesday, November 28 at 6 Marshall Street, on the corner of Ann Street, Fortitude Valley — head to the restaurant's website for further information.
Guillermo del Toro hasn't yet directed a version of Frankenstein, except that he now has in a way. Officially, he's chosen another much-adapted, widely beloved story — one usually considered less dark — but there's no missing the similarities between the Nightmare Alley and The Shape of Water filmmaker's stop-motion Pinocchio and Mary Shelley's ever-influential horror masterpiece. Both carve out tales about creations made by grief-stricken men consumed by loss. Both see those tinkerers help give life to things that don't usually have it, gifting existence to the inanimate because they can't cope with mortality's reality. Both notch up the fallout when those central humans struggles with the results of their handiwork, even though all that the beings that spring from their efforts want is pure and simple love and acceptance. Del Toro's take on Pinocchio still has a talking cricket, a blue-hued source of magic and songs, too, but it clearly and definitely isn't a Disney movie. Instead, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is an enchanting iteration of a story that everyone knows, and that's graced screens so many times that this is the third flick in 2022 alone. Yes, the director's name is officially in the film's title. Yes, it's likely there to stop the movie getting confused with that array of other page-to-screen adaptations, all springing from Carlo Collodi's 19th-century Italian children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. That said, even if the list of features about the timber puppet wasn't longer than said critter's nose when he's lying, del Toro would earn the possessory credit anyway. No matter which narrative he's unfurling — including this one about a boy fashioned out of pine (voiced by Gregory Mann, Victoria) by master woodcarver Geppetto (David Bradley, Catherine Called Birdy) after the death of his son — the Mexican Oscar-winner's distinctive fingerprints are always as welcomely apparent as his gothic-loving sensibilities. In del Toro's third release Down Under this year, following Nightmare Alley and horror anthology series Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities — something else that unswervingly deserved his name in the moniker — the Pinocchio basics are all accounted for. This isn't an ordinary edition of the story, though, or a wooden one (for that, see: the recent Mouse House live-action remake of its 1940 animated hit). Co-helming with feature first-timer Mark Gustafson, co-writing with Patrick McHale (Adventure Time), using character designs by author and illustrator Gris Grimly, and boasting The Jim Henson Company among its producers, this Pinocchio still takes liberties with the original plot, without being beholden to Disney as its guide. Two big leaps: using wartime Italy under Mussolini as the movie's setting, and reinterpreting what it truly means to be "a real boy". Also a visible departure: how Pinocchio himself looks, with his forest origins never sanded or polished away, or clothed over like a doll (or a flesh-and-blood child, for that matter). He cuts a rustic, thorny and whittled figure, complete with stick-thin legs, twisted nails protruding from his back, swinging joints and a branch-like nose with leaves snaking in all directions whenever he fails to tell the truth. No doubt aided by Gustafson's stop-motion background, including working as animation director on Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox, the end result looks so knotty, gnarled and textured that wanting to touch it is a natural reaction. Pinocchio's entire visuals do, as lensed by cinematographer Frank Passingham (Kubo and the Two Strings) — and as befitting a story that's inherently tactile anyway. (Being about a hand-carved puppet that comes alive will naturally do that.) Sebastian J Cricket narrates, putting Ewan McGregor's (Obi-Wan Kenobi) melodious voice to good use as the talkative insect, and starting the film's star-studded cast. He chats through Gepetto's bliss with Carlo (also voiced by Mann), the recklessly dropped World War One bomb that took the boy's life and the booze-fuelled desolation that festers during the woodcarver's decades of mourning. It's while drunk that the latter whips up Pinocchio, who is then visited by the Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton, Three Thousand Years of Longing), and embraces the next morning walking, talking and being thoroughly mischievous. Alas, the puppet isn't quite embraced in return to begin with — with his shocked papa constantly comparing him to his lost boy, the village priest (Burn Gorman, The Offer) demanding he's sent to school and the local Podestà (Ron Perlman, Don't Look Up) seeing military uses, wanting to ship Pinocchio to war with his own son Candlewick (Finn Wolfhard, Stranger Things). Telling the curious, cheeky, chaotic and selfish timber tot what to do at all is a tricky task anyway, but he listens to one person: Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz, No Time to Die). The carnival master entices Pinocchio to his circus with help from his monkey sidekick Spazzatura (Cate Blanchett, Tár), promising treats and fun, but only really seeing lira and adoration for himself. Del Toro's choice of period gives not just this but the whole tale a grimmer spin, with never being afraid to confront history's horrors — and life's — even when getting fantastical always one of the director's great moves. As in The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy, it works beautifully; Pinocchio is as tinged with personal and universal sorrow and violence as it is gleefully sprouting with eccentricities. (On the page, too, Collodi's creation has always been weirder and more wondrous than Disney gave it credit for, as the 2019 version by Gomorrah's Matteo Garrone also recognised.) Surreal, tinged with sadness, bittersweet, beautiful: that's the film that del Toro has chiseled. It's also caught between a stunning dream and a macabre nightmare, and oh-so-aware that life is only as remarkable and precious as it is because death casts a shadow over every moment for all of us. The usual moral flutters at its heart as well, like this movie's cricket inside Pinocchio's cavernous wooden chest, but the added darkness and pain gives the idea of becoming a genuine person through kindness, love and connection extra weight and depth. This iteration tinkers with the mechanics and meaning behind that 'real boy' quest, however, to utterly heartwarmingly results. In fact, the only less-than-glorious move del Toro makes in his Pinocchio-by-way-of-Frankenstein is keeping in songs — his movie is magical enough without them. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio screens in cinemas from Thursday, November 24, then streams via Netflix from Friday, December 9.
Food and music are two things everyone picks based on their mood; however, the cuisine you eat doesn't always influence the songs you listen to, or vice versa. Crafting a menu that will grow and adapt based on their fortnightly-changing playlist, Petrie Terrace's new GreenHill Bar aims to change that. Just opened right next door to frites and burger joint Fritzenberger, GreenHill Bar kicks off with a culinary selection overseen by former Little Larder head chef Geordie Smith, including twice-cooked lamb ribs, and baked brie with orange, sage and cranberry molasses — as well as tunes curated by local musician and songwriter Luke Peacock. Expect both to evolve regularly, which is a great excuse to keep coming back to the industrial-themed space, though we think their drinks list might inspire the same reaction. We're sure it isn't made in bathtubs, but none other than moonshine is a feature of GreenHill's beverage range. They're calling it an "all new, out-of-the-box experience for patrons to experiment with" — and it's certainly something you won't find everywhere. Those feeling less adventurous can opt for craft beers plus indie wines and spirits, with the grape-based tipples rotating seasonally along with the meals. And if you're wondering about the name, it stems from the area's not-so-well-known past. Before the site across the road became the retail, restaurant and cinema complex that is the Barracks, it was a police barracks — and before that, it was GreenHill Gaol, Brisbane's second purpose-built prison. Find GreenHill Bar at 48 Petrie Terrace, Brisbane. Check out their Facebook page for further details.
As temperatures soar over the summer, it can be hard to keep fit. No matter how early you go, your morning jogs are stifling. You hardly feel like moving. And it's way too hot for your usual weekend hike. More often than not, you'll find that you just want to head indoors and stay cool — but that doesn't mean your workouts need to take a hit. From team sports to solo workouts, there's a tonne of options in Brisbane for keeping fit over the summer. Check out how you can beat the heat with these eight indoor workouts — and not one of them takes place at a traditional gym. URBAN XTREME, HENDRA Bet you didn't know you could go skiing in Brisbane. At Urban Xtreme, you can try your hand at snowboarding or skiing, and brush up on your skills without having to brave the cold or even leaving the city. The slopes features full-length mirrors so you can check out and improve your technique, and its suitable for all levels of experience. As if this isn't enough, Urban Xtreme also features parkour, climbing, a ninja warrior course, trampolining and laser tag. That should just about fill out your summer with midweek active activities. URBAN CLIMB, MILTON, NEWSTEAD AND WEST END Urban Climb has a number of climbing gyms in Brisbane. Milton and Newstead are bouldering-only gyms (short, unroped climbs that don't require a partner), while West End is the flagship location with both roped climbing and bouldering facilities, and heaps of fitness and technique classes. Or mix it up and combine the powerful movements of climbing with the intuitive flow of yoga in a single workout — there are heaps morning and evening yoga classes at West End, and Urban Milton even has a self-serve yoga booth if you can't make the classes. Once you're there, staff will have you sending routes like Alex Honnold in no time. It's an extremely popular climbing gym, so you'll never be in want of a belay partner. STAFFORD SKATE CENTRE, STAFFORD Roller skating is both a charming old-school blast from the past and a novel way to exercise. If it's been a while since you've tied up your skates, head into Stafford Skate Centre for a session on the weekend or a Friday evening. The evening sessions are an especially good option for avoiding the sweltering temperatures — but, whenever you go, the centre's huge fan will be keeping you cool with you skate. If you're serious about getting fancy, the rink also holds learn to skate classes on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings, which means you'll be scooting around South Bank like a pro in no time. So, don your most flamboyant duds and get rolling — admission is only $13. ICEWORLD, ACACIA RIDGE AND BOONDALL When you really need to beat the heat, there's nothing as ice-cold as ice skating. It's fun with friends or a date, but you can also zoom around solo and still have a great time. Iceworld boasts Olympic-sized rinks at both of its locations. And, if you're a little wobbly, classes are available. You can also try your hand at ice hockey, curling, speed skating, synchronised skating, and figure skating. Which is enough to keep anyone occupied all year round. Wear your gloves and a warm coat and, if you really want to pretend it's winter, you can even get a hot chocolate at the cafe afterwards. CRANK INDOOR CLIMBING, MACGREGOR If you're an Australian Ninja Warrior fan, you have to pop into Crank for your next workout. Crank has produced several of the show's top performing ninjas, and you can even get some training from them at Crank's in-house ninja warrior course on Wednesday nights. Crank also boasts a small traditional gym, a parkour gym, as well as yoga classes, a ceiling rope and, of course, climbing and bouldering — so it's really a one-stop shop for anyone into alternative fitness. With huge industrial fans throughout the venue, it's also nice and cool throughout summer. BOUNCE, TINGALPA Trampolining is a high intensity activity and a great choice for ramping up your cardiovascular fitness. It's also a total throwback to your childhood, which is reason enough to hit Bounce for a session the summer. Bounce features several specialised trampolines, so whether you want to jump high, do an obstacle course, shoot hoops or whack people with beams, there's something for you. Even 10-30 minutes of jumping has huge health benefits, so it's a good post-work activity for a quick heart rate lift. SKYZONE, MACGREGOR Having trouble deciding between rock climbing and trampolining? There's no need to at Skyzone in Macgregor. Loosen up with an hour on the tramps, then finish with an hour of concentrated climbing for around $34. The climbing section of the gym is less serious than other climbing gyms and is more about novelty than anything else — you can climb up a giant twisting plant like Jack and the beanstalk, try your hand at a maze climb or compete for glory on a two-person speed climb. It's open until 9pm throughout the week, so you can do an after-work summer session. And if you're on a budget, Skyzone has cheap as chips unlimited trampolining on Monday nights for just $10. ROCKSPORTS INDOOR CLIMBING, FORTITUDE VALLEY Rock climbing is a full-body workout that's becoming more popular by the day — probably because it feels more like play than fitness. And even if you don't have a climbing buddy on-hand, it's suitable for a solo session, too — just ditch the rope for a bouldering pad. Rocksports was Brisbane's first climbing gym and has a chill and welcoming atmosphere — and it offers technical classes and yoga sessions to complement your climb. Once you get good, you also have the option of taking things outdoors with lead climbing trips taught by qualified instructors.
Trading Hamilton for Fortitude Valley, Brisbane Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery has recently revealed its brand-new flagship clinic in the heart of the James Street precinct. Yet it's more than just a new look. Guided by interior design firm Studio Collective, this considered space aims to redefine healthcare interiors through the lens of boutique hospitality design. In practice, that means saying goodbye to cold, austere waiting rooms and harsh lighting that makes you feel under the spotlight. Instead, Studio Collective have replaced the clinical cues with a softer design language, where warmth, tactile materiality and human-centred design help foster an experience that aspires to be the antithesis of traditional healthcare design. "We were very clear that we didn't want the space to feel clinical," says Studio Collective Director Casey Talbot. "Our aim was to create an environment where people feel at ease the moment they arrive, more like stepping into a private home or hotel than a medical facility." And it's not just patients who see the benefits. With the clinic's support staff making the move across town, the back-of-house areas match the quality guests experience. According to Brisbane Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery Business Manager Lauren Dinneen, the calm and welcoming space "has a real impact on how our team feels at work and how patients experience their visit." To shape the experience, each material was carefully selected for its sensory effect. Here, softly rendered walls, silver travertine, and warm timber tones establish a restful base, while soothing lighting and layered textures evoke an ambience that reassures rather than intimidates. Meanwhile, mid-century furniture and finishes further enhance the space's character. However, these design-led details remain thoughtfully proportional to stringent healthcare and commercial standards. Bringing over a decade of experience designing for aged care and retirement living, Talbot says striking the balance between beauty and performance was essential. "People expect spaces that support emotional wellbeing as much as clinical outcomes. This project sits right at that intersection, and it's a direction we're excited to continue exploring." Brisbane Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery is now open at 151 Robertson St, Fortitude Valley. Head to the website for more information or check out Studio Collective for more design-led spaces. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
QPAC isn't home to a speakeasy, but until Saturday, March 6, it's happy to pretend otherwise. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for the next month, it's turning the Cremorne Theatre into a club, and serving up a lineup of cabaret, circus, beatboxing, burlesque, cocktails and bites to eat. Yes, after helping to liven up the South Bank venue during 2020's QPAC Unlocked event, Club Cremorne is back. The same concept remains, so expect to laugh, relax, eat, drink and watch a heap of exceptional performers. Thanks to the circus part of the program, you'll also see hoops spin, tightrope walkers do their thing and trapeze artists swing. Comedian Damien Power is on MC duties, and the talent lineup spans everyone from Tom Thum and spoken word poet Sachem to Jacqueline Furey and the folks from Circus Company 2. You can opt for a balcony or table ticket — and, with the latter, you can order cheese, deli and antipasto platters to nibble on while you're kicking back and in in the performance. Top image: Andy Phillipson.
They're called twin films: two movies with a similar idea that reach screens around the same time. Think Deep Impact and Armageddon, Dark City and The Matrix, and The Prestige and The Illusionist — plus The Raid and Dredd, Upgrade and Venom, and Skate Kitchen and Mid90s. Yes, the list goes on (and on and on). The same concept applies on the small screen, too, as two of 2020's new shows are demonstrating. Earlier in the year, Netflix debuted Space Force, which starred Steve Carell as a military man tasked with establishing the space-focused new branch of the US armed forces. Now, via US network Showtime — and streaming service Stan in Australia — Moonbase 8 is also trying to turn the quest to leave earth into a sitcom. Featuring Fred Armisen, John C Reilly and Tim Heidecker, and set to start dropping from Sunday, November 8, Moonbase 8 follows three men who are eager to take part in a lunar mission. Skip (Portlandia's Armisen), Rook (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'s Heidecker) and Cap (Reilly) are the epitome of enthusiastic, in fact, and they're doing their absolute best to complete their training at NASA's Moon Base Simulator in the desert in Winslow, Arizona. But whether they'll stay sane through the process is another matter entirely. The show's three stars also serve as Moonbase 8's executive producers, while the series is penned by Heidecker with Portlandia and Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! writer — and Baskets creator — Jonathan Krisel. And, based on the just-dropped first trailer, the new comedy promises plenty of stir-crazy silliness between three characters living in close quarters — something immensely relatable in 2020, obviously. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KECl99n-DI0 Moonbase 8 starts streaming in Australia via Stan on Sunday, November 8. The New Zealand streaming date is yet to be confirmed — we'll update you with further details when they come to hand. Top image: Courtesy of A24 Films/SHOWTIME.
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.
Spring in Brisbane is a pretty great time to dial up the romance. The scent of summer is starting to drift through the air, and the days are getting longer, meaning more sunlight hours for planning a few stellar dates. But as is the age-old dilemma of being a young city-dweller, it's your budget that can hold you back when it comes to the planning. Dating can be pricy, but you obviously don't have to take out a bank loan to show someone you care; there are plenty of wallet-friendly activities to do in Brissie. To give you a little inspiration refresh this spring, we've teamed up with RACQ — who offer some pretty sweet deals, giving members access to top activities on the cheap — to put together five great date ideas for under 50 bucks, so you can spend some quality time with your person and still pay rent. AN OLD SCHOOL BOOGIE Brisbane's beloved Lefty's Old Time Musicall Hall hosts movers and shakers of all ages within their western saloon-style interiors. On Fridays and Saturdays, Lefty's is generally packed to the rafters, so head here during the week for slightly more relaxed vibes and excellent, 'old-timey' live music. Also, with a few less people, there's more room to practice your honky tonk, square dancin' skills. If you need a little liquid confidence to get you going, try a couple of Lefty's famous whisky and apple cocktails — the secret's in the apple, freshly juiced upon order. Once you and your date have worked up an appetite after all that dancing, treat yourselves to something delicious from the Southern American-inspired menu. Share some spicy buffalo wings, try the fried pickles with smoked habanero hot sauce and see who can eat the most bacon-wrapped padron pepper poppers. And if you're after something a little heartier, order the quarter pounder cheeseburger for only $14 a pop, or one of the barbecue po'boys for $12. A night of eatin', drinkin' and good ol' fashion dancin', sorted. POP CULTURE PUTT PUTT There's nothing wrong with adding a little friendly competition to the mix to spice up your date, so challenge them to a round of pop culture putt putt at Holey Moley, an inner city mini golf bar — yep, mini golf bar. Have a drink while you putt through a game of nine holes for only $16.50 per player, where each hole comes cleverly themed around your favourite pop culture references. As you putt your way through The Simpson's living room and up to the nine-iron throne, why not make things a bit more interesting by playing each other to see who shouts the first round of drinks? The bar has a clever selection of punny cocktails to choose from like the Teeyoncé Holes and Tee-quila Mocking Birdie. Hit up Holey Moley for a date night like no other. You and your date are bound to have a tee-lightful night out. (Sorry.) Image: Lucas Dawson. $20 THEATRE TICKETS Break away from the typical 'dinner and a movie', and change up your next date with a night at the theatre. Brisbane's theatre scene is brimming with talent, and there's always something guaranteed to inspire at Queensland Theatre. At first thought, seeing a play may sound a little out of your price range, but not to worry, there is such a thing as $20 theatre tickets. Members of RACQ can access this cheap ticket deal with QT any time, plus, after you've reserved those tickets, you're left with an extra $10 to spend at a cheeky pre-theatre happy hour at one of the many West End establishments. FREE COMEDY Who doesn't love a good laugh, especially when it's brought on by some free comedy. Every Friday evening, the Powerhouse hosts Knock Off Comedy from 6pm, welcoming various comedians, all making funnies for you at zero cost. It's an excellent cheap date night idea that also offers an opportune moment to see if your date's humour matches your own — because those who laugh together, stay together, right? And since you still have $50 to spend thanks to this freebie, you can now afford to enjoy a few Friday bevs overlooking one of Brisbane's best river views after the show. A total win/win. CHEAP EATS Whatever your date night plans are, it's inevitable a meal of some sort will be included — because who doesn't love food? Getting to know each other over great eats is a classic, but unfortunately when you're on a tight budget, eating out takes a noticeable chunk out of our back pocket. Cheap eats hot spots are great, but sometimes you want to up the ante with something a bit more special, which is where the Catch-22 of wanting to splash out on a meal, but not having the funds to do so comes in. With RACQ Dining Rewards, you can get 10% cash back on your Visa from a selection of restaurants around Brisbane. There are hundreds of culinary options to choose from, so even the pickiest of dates will find something to their liking. Some of our picks? Look to Sassafras — they're also dog-friendly — The Euro, Urbane and Lock'N'Load. Want more date ideas? RACQ offers members a huge selection of deals from those cheaper eats to a slew of festivals to scaling the Story Bridge and more. Check out their full offering here.
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.
Much that Jimmy Barnes has uttered, sang and screamed is immortalised in Australian history. His discography, both as the lead singer of Cold Chisel and as a solo artist — and via his many collaborations — has echoed across the nation and soundtracked this sunburnt country since 1973. "Oh, my soul" now ranks up there. Those were the three words that he exclaimed to Triple J announcers Zan Rowe and Lucy Smith when he heard live on air that 'Flame Trees' had come in at number seven in the first-ever Hottest 100 of Australian Songs — a chat that he was doing because 'Khe Sanh' had just placed eighth. Australia demonstrated their appreciation for Barnesy's contribution to local music with their votes, including for 'Working Class Man' at number 56, and he clearly, audibly, emotionally appreciated that love in turn. "We've had a lot of awards and all that sort of stuff, and big claims to fame over the years, and we've always been a bit 'nah, you can't say this is the best song ever', because everybody has their own taste," Barnes tells Concrete Playground. "But for me, the best thing about that top 100, the top 200 even, was the fact that a radio station — which Cold Chisel literally helped start, we were playing when they were Double J, Live at the Wireless, when it was a scrambling little station, we helped get them set up — but there's a station that's become our national carrier, that is the only really, truly national radio station for kids in this country. And there's times when I listen to it and I go 'I don't get it. I don't really get what you're playing here', but they're the only station that still plays a load of Australian music. And the fact that on that day they celebrated Australian music and played 100 Australian songs, which were a collection of songs that had moved and affected the punters in this country — just to be a part of that was a good thing for me, and to be a part of that group of songs." Barnes himself joined in with selecting his favourites, entering his picks in the poll. "There's a lot of great songs in this country. I voted for 'Eagle Rock' myself," he advises. He's passionate about shining the spotlight on Aussie tunes — "it's very cool. And the thought that they were celebrating Australian music was the best thing ever. That was the best part about it. I think they should do it more often," he offers — and also equally as enthusiastic about the fellow local acts that earned a place in the countdown. "You look at that that top five or whatever it was, whether it's INXS' 'Never Tear Us Apart' — I think that besides it being a great song and beautiful film clips and all that, we have that loss, that sad loss of Michael [Hutchence], who was such a dear soul and just a magnetic frontman. The band were just unique the way they played, and they couldn't play it like that without Michael. So there's a tragedy to it," Barnes continues. He collaborated with INXS on 1986 single 'Good Times', which featured on The Lost Boys soundtrack. "You have The Veronicas, who are these little intense pop girls who are just incredible," Barnes says. "They were all from different worlds. There was all sorts of stuff. There was Kylie. There was all sorts of stuff in the top 20, it was so eclectic and so mixed that I just thought 'I'm glad to be a part of that group of songs, doesn't matter where I am in the chart as long as we're in amongst it all, then it's a good thing'. There were acts with more songs than us, but it wasn't that sort of competition. It was just great. I'm listening to the top 100 and I hear Jet come on with 'Are You Gonna Be My Girl' and I go 'what a great song. Jesus, who wrote that? That's really cool'." [caption id="attachment_1018404" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sam Tabone/Getty Images[/caption] Long before the country spent a day revelling in the best 100 Aussie tunes — and a week afterwards enjoying the next 100, too — Barnes was already in deeply reflective mode. Almost a decade ago, in 2016, he released his first memoir Working Class Boy, which saw the rocker lay bare his traumatic childhood. Focusing on his adult years, Working Class Man as a book hit shelves the following year. 2018 then brought Working Class Boy to cinemas as documentary, premiering at the Melbourne International Film Festival. Now, seven years later, Working Class Man is also a film and also debuting at MIFF. Between the page and the screen, Barnes has taken his excavation of his upbringing, life and career to the stage as well. Australians have been embracing Barnes on every step on this journey. In their printed guises, Working Class Boy and Working Class Man both became bestsellers, and each also won the Australian Book Industry Award for Biography of the Year. Crowds flocked to see Barnes talk about his experiences live. Viewers did the same with the first doco, which notched up a spectacular array of feats at the time. It played on the largest amount of screens, 220, for an Aussie doco; took over $500,000 in its opening weekend to top that period for a local documentary; and it scored the biggest opening for a doco in Australia since This Is It, 2009's Michael Jackson concert film. [caption id="attachment_1018405" align="alignnone" width="1920"] James Gourley/Getty Images for TV WEEK Logie Awards[/caption] As a movie, then, Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man is a highly anticipated sequel. With Andrew Farrell (How Australia Got Its Mojo) in the director's chair after executive producing Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Boy — which veteran filmmaker Mark Joffe (Spotswood, Cosi, The Man Who Sued God) helmed — it traces the impact of a childhood of neglect, abuse and poverty upon Barnes as he became a rock star, all as it charts his time behind the microphone from joining Cold Chisel onwards. In the film and in conversation chatting about it alike, the man who'll also be forever known as the voice of 'Breakfast at Sweethearts', 'Choirgirl', 'Cheap Wine', 'You've Got Nothing I Want', 'Saturday Night', 'No Second Prize' and so much more is candid as well as relaxed, even about the darker days that he's been unpacking in his memoirs and their documentary adaptations. "All that stuff was pretty raw and fairly emotional, but because I've been through writing the book and obviously the process of, I guess, detraumatising myself from it all over the few years after that, and then going through the Working Class Man spoken-word tour, which we based this doco on, it gave me time to process it all," Barnes notes. "So there's stuff there that every time I look at it, I go 'ouch, I wish I could have not done that', but I've learned to live with everything I've done." [caption id="attachment_1018401" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] Of Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man, he says "they've done a fabulous job". Of Farrell: "we've known each other for a long time and I trusted him completely with it". That act of reflecting the past has also been driving some of Barnes' live tours, with Cold Chisel taking to the stage around the country to mark their 50th anniversary in 2024, and the 40th anniversary of 'Working Class Man', the song — and album For the Working Class Man that it's on as well — the reason for his next tour in November 2025. Barnes is currently as prolific as ever: alongside the new documentary and the two tours mentioned above, he opened the 2025 Logies, June was all about his Defiant tour, he's released seven albums in the past decade as well as six books so far, and has his second recipe book with his wife Jane, Seasons Where the River Bends, hitting stores in October. From whether he had any inkling that his memoirs would strike such a chord, their leaps to the screen and how he feels about his part in inspiring men to be emotionally open in a way that isn't usually part of Aussie masculinity, through to everything in his life being a family affair, boasting a catalogue of songs that's engrained in Australia's identity and his career longevity, we also spoke with the icon who'll always be known as Barnesy about plenty more. On Whether Barnes Had Any Idea of What Might Follow Working Class Boy — and the Impact That It Has Had Personally "No, not really. But I did get a feeling pretty soon after I wrote it — it was so liberating to sit and write the book. It was something, at the time, doing it was very painful. And every day I wrote — this is the first book — every day I wrote, it would open up a new can of worms that I had to deal with. And there was obviously a lot with childhood trauma. There's a lot of stuff you just block out, and you forget details and all that sort of stuff. And so I'd be writing it and then I'd remember all the stuff that I hadn't thought about for 50 years, 40 years or whatever. And it'd come back to me, and I'd have to process it and deal with it. So the during the process of it, it was sort of a heavy time, a heavy burden on my shoulders. But every day I'd end up and I'd feel like something has been lifted off. And most days I'd finish writing, and I'd ring up my therapist and talk to him about stuff, and then he'd put more weight back on my shoulders and tell me more things to look for. [caption id="attachment_1018398" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jess Lizotte[/caption] So the process of doing that, it was dark and hard to deal with, but it was also enlightening at the same time. And so by the time I'd finished the book, I just felt that I'd learnt a process, a way to process the past and my childhood, without having to sit and actually not physically allow it to overwhelm me. I could do it and walk away from it and process it a bit and breathe, and come back and then write again. And every time it got too overwhelming, I could stop. So I learned how to process — and that went along with a lot of help that I got from various psychotherapists and rehabs and all that sort of stuff. I had enough tools to be able deal with it. So I really enjoyed it. In the end, I really enjoyed the process of writing. And that made me just think — I'd sort of half-written Working Class Man while I was writing the other one. The thing was, the publishers and everybody that was on the commercial side of the book was really wanting the rock 'n' roll, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll story. And I'm going 'I think this is much more important for me to write, that I write the first one first'. And so when I did it, I wasn't going to sit down and write about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, and brag about being wild and all that sort of stuff — because a lot of that stuff, it just is what it was, but a lot of it was as painful as when I was a child. And by the time I finished writing the first book, I realised that my behaviour as an adult, which I obviously, as I say in the book and on the show, I take full responsibility for, but it was heavily influenced by that trauma and that stuff that I just dealt with in the book previously. So it gave me an opportunity to to look at not only the mistakes my parents made and the mistakes that we made as children, how we were brought up and all that sort of stuff, but also how that affected me and how I moved on as an adult, and how the impact of childhood trauma kept knocking on the door — it kept, every time I'd get over one thing, something else would reveal itself until it became so entwined with addiction. And you turn into the parents, and I ended up with the same problems as they had, because I hadn't really — before I'd gotten that heavily into alcohol and drugs and that, I hadn't dealt with any of this stuff. So it was interesting. It was a really good process. [caption id="attachment_1018397" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jess Lizotte[/caption] And the other thing I liked about it was I could sit sitting down after spending years of singing, going out on stage and literally reaching out to people and going 'look at me, look at me, look at me', I could sit — writing books I'm sitting at a desk and just going back into my mind. It gave me a lot of freedom to, like I said, to not cherry pick but go in and look at things and get out of there before it was too heavy. And it allowed me to do the same with my imagination. When I started writing fiction or more towards fiction, I just found it was really enjoyable. I could sit in my own head and just disappear into my own worlds there. So writing that first book has opened up this whole new, not career, but a new chapter in my life — no pun intended — that I really enjoy. I can still go out and make music and feel that emotional response with people, or I can just bury myself in my own head and dig out stories, which I really enjoy almost as much as singing." On What It Means to Barnes to Help Inspire Men to Be Emotionally Open in a Way That Isn't Usually a Part of Aussie Masculinity "Well, it wasn't something that I did myself. It was the start of real growth of men. We'd all been brought up, everybody that I knew had been brought up, with 'men don't cry' and 'you've got to hold your emotions in' and 'don't you don't admit you're wrong', all that bullshit. And I think part of that was just — like when my parents, when my dad was alive, he had to be strong just to survive. He was fighting. He was a prizefighter. My grandfather was fighting bare knuckles in the alleys of Scotland so that he could feed his family, and they had to be tough. They couldn't cry. They couldn't let people know they were weak. But I could look back on them though — and now I remember how scary my grandfather was, I thought he was very scary and that whole image I built up of him was scary — but I look back at it now and I think 'he's probably the same as me, just terrified the whole time'. I know I spoke to my brother John about it — John was a dangerous guy, he was wild and he could fight like hell, and him and I spoke about it. And he said 'I only fought because I was so scared, and I had to be hypervigilant, hyperaggressive. I had to win because I didn't want to be hurt'. And I realised that they were like that. So I guess writing these books, I was never looking for blame, to blame anybody, but in the process of writing them, there were times where I was really angry with my parents and angry with my family and all that sort of stuff. And in the process of the first book, I got angry. With the second book, I realised that I fell into the same patterns and I fell into the same traps, and I was trying the best I possibly could but it just wasn't good. And so I learned about forgiveness for my parents in the process of writing those first two memoirs." [caption id="attachment_1018406" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sam Tabone/Getty Images[/caption] On Sharing Barnes' Story, and the Path to Working Class Boy and Working Class Man Receiving the Documentary Treatment "I realised when I started writing Working Class Boy, in the process of writing, I realised that my story wasn't that unique to me. It was a common story that a lot of people went through. A lot of people went through the same things as me. And that was one of the reasons why I put the book out. When I was first started to write, I was thinking I'd just write and when it's all finished, I could burn it and that'd be okay. It'd have done its job. But everybody I let have a look at it went 'oh, I can relate to this. I can relate to that'. And I realised that there were people who were going to be touched or see themselves in it, and maybe get a window of hope from it. And so I wanted to film the shows — and one of the reasons I wanted to film the shows was because every night, when I go up and talk about all the stuff that I had written, something else would reveal itself to me. I'd be up there talking about my mum being angry and storming around and dragging us through the streets and stuff, and then I go 'oh geez, I remember this now'. I'd remember something else that she did. There was a point where I remembered, I realised that as scary as my mum was, and as wild and all that sort of stuff, and she neglected us, but actually I realised that the only time I ever felt safe was when she held me in her arms, when I was a baby, when I young. And I realised that and I thought 'oh, man, all of this stuff, I've just kept thinking all the bad stuff. You've got to remember the good stuff, too'. So things would reveal themselves as I wrote them. And I thought — and doing the stories, more would reveal, more detail, I'd think of more things. There's times when I'd be telling the stories — so it's sort of half-rehearsed, but I got pretty good at it after the first ten shows or so — and then suddenly I'd be telling the story and all this new stuff information would come to me. And so it was really, I wanted to film the shows then, because I wanted to see how far that went and see if it could — I didn't know how, if it was going to be a documentary or a movie or what we were going to do with it, it was more to have in case I needed it as another tool to deal with my own shit." [caption id="attachment_1018399" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jess Lizotte[/caption] On Ensuring That the Documentaries Were Always the Films That Barnes Was Comfortable With — Including No Dramatisations "Mark was a dear friend of mine, and I love Mark's work as a filmmaker, anyway. I've known him for a long time. And one of the deals we did when he said he wanted to make it, one of the deals we made was that it had to be the story we wanted to tell. It wasn't going to be glamorous or dramatised — I didn't want to have people acting as us and all that sort of shit. Which you could do. And I was getting people, literally even once I started writing the book, I was already getting offers to have movies made with actors. And I'm going 'no, this is too close to the bone' and I didn't want dramatisations of it. I wanted it be real. And Mark was really sympathetic to that, and he made me really comfortable. He said 'we're only going to reveal and open up things, wounds, that you think you need to or you think you can learn from or you think that need to be told to tell the story'. So he was very close to me about it. And Andrew was actually, as a producer, was involved working with Mark all the time on that. The first one, I was 'hmm, I don't know if I want to put this out', and then the book seemed to really connect with a lot of people. So that was really a good outcome for me and allowed me to let even more of that stuff go. The second one, I just figured that because everybody had watched me growing up in public onstage, I thought because a lot of those people had read the first book, they would want to see how that affected me — and what effect that had for the good and the bad. I wouldn't have been the wild rock 'n' roll singer I was had I not been brought up that way. Everything about being abused and unwanted and poor, and the violence and the alcohol in the house all the time, everything that happened to me made me the perfect melting pot to make me a rock 'n' roll singer. [caption id="attachment_1018403" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] I got there and all I wanted — even before I was in bands — all I wanted to do was for people to like me so I felt safe. And what better way for people to like you than to make the whole bloody country like you? I get up on stage and people go 'yeah, Jimmy, you're okay' — and I go 'yeah, I'm all right'. I'd be falling apart, but it would make me feel safe. And as a traumatised child, to get people to like you they had to look at you. So I'm on stage going 'look at me. Look at me. Look, I can do this — like a monkey, I can do tricks'. And so I wanted people to see what I worked out was actually going on behind the pictures, behind the story that that we all knew that and that I'd created really as far as just being a rock 'n' roll singer. And I wanted to prove that as bad as all that upbringing was, you've got to be thankful for who you are. If you can learn from it and grow from it, then you can learn to be thankful for all the gifts that were given to you in amongst all that shit — and it doesn't seem that bad anymore." On Working Class Man Being a Family Affair, Like Everything in Barnes' Life "They were always there — all the way through my life, my grown life, Jane was there. And she was just waiting for me and she was trying to keep me in the straight and narrow. And at times I drove her into the wild side with me, and there were times where it got out of control, but she was always just trying to keep things and be there for me as long as she could. I think as much healing as I got from writing the first two books, I think the family got it, too. So as soon as I started to get myself together and started to deal with this, my family blossomed. They've always been very supportive. Always there. The kids were always singing with me. I used to take the kids on tour with me all the time, and Jane on tour with me — we'd get teachers and tutors and nannies and stuff to bring them on the road, so we wouldn't be apart, because I was just afraid I was always going to lose them. And as that changed and I started to become a better human being, started to understand my own life, I wanted them there for much better reasons: to share the joy of it with me. And so they went from going — they were always there, but the reasons for them being there and what they were getting from being there changed dramatically. And so, in the end — because my kids naturally grew up and went into music, and Jane became a musician and a singer as well, but they learned that it was all about the joy, and not about the running and the hiding. And it wasn't just about the wildness and about bravado; it was about growing up and baring your soul to people, and making a connection with someone and walking away feeling like you belong. And for me, for my children, for Ruby [Rodgers, who also appears in Future Council], my grandchildren, to feel that connection with an audience is, I think, it's probably one of the best gifts I could have given her in life — to feel that she can connect to people and connect with her own soul. When she started singing, she's done her first record, and it was nothing like any of us singing. It's just really sweet and beautiful. But we weren't all pushing her and telling her what to do. She just did it on her own. And she's found his voice, and she's found this direction that she wants to sing and the way she wants to communicate, which is really beautiful. But it was just because she was allowed, nurtured and it was encouraged that she find her own voice. And I think that's one of the great gifts that we've been able to share in this family. And so they're all a part of this film, because they're all a part of my life and our lives are so entwined. Sometimes, for a while it was unhealthy, but now I think it's very healthy. I used to want Jane to be with me, of course because I love her, but also because I didn't ever want to lose her and I didn't want to be away and I didn't want to forget about her. Now it's just because I just adore her and we just want to be together all the time. So the reasons sorted themselves out. And I realise that being together even through the adversity, there was times where it was probably more dangerous than doing good, but it also helped keep us together." On How Barnes' Period of Reflection Has Inspired New Projects "For a start, being healthier and straight and focused, I just have so much time. I'm hyperactive anyway, but obviously when I was medicating myself and drinking myself to a standstill all the time, it was hard to pick myself up to just even sing. Nowadays, I'm so healthy. I was up at 7am this morning swimming laps. But I feel so healthy and so good. I just wake up and go 'right, what am I going to do now?'. And I've got the cookbook coming out this October. I've written two kids books in the last few months for a couple of my grandkids, in at the publishers now. I've started writing more short stories. I've also started, last year or the year before, I started writing a novel, which I'm in the process of rewriting that. I've got new songs that I've written for the next record. I have to slow down because you really can't put three records in a year. People will go really crazy. But I'm just enjoying having the time and the energy to focus and do things that are creative and that are inspiring." [caption id="attachment_1018402" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] On Making Music That's Built Into Australia's Identity "I think we're very lucky that we're a pretty real working-class band, really. It's a mixed bag actually, like Steve [Prestwich] and myself and Ian [Moss] — Ian comes from Alice Springs, he's a country boy; Phil [Small] was sort of middle working class; Steve and I were real working-class families. Don [Walker] was sort of the outsider. His family were writers and are writers, and were really beautiful writers. But Don wrote, he was a voyeur a bit, of life. And he looked at life and the lives that we had and wrote songs about them. So I was lucky enough and we were lucky enough as a band that we wrote songs, that he was writing, that were influenced by us and influenced by what he's seeing around him. And those songs were so good they've connected with people. Our songs aren't about driving in your limousines or whatever. They were songs that were real earthy, and people connected to them. And I found songs like that, songs like 'Khe Sanh', songs like 'Flame Trees' — I could go on, there's a list of them all the way through. 'One Long Day'. Songs about people who just work in an office trying to get through the week, so they can have a nice time of the weekend with their girl or something. Those songs connected with people. And over the years, the songs have become part of people's lives. We've been around for 50 years. We never changed. Cold Chisel was always a band, and same with me, people can walk up and say hello to you. We don't have security. For a while I had security, because it was to keep me from people, because I was too wild. But Cold Chisel have always been approachable. They're always a meat-and-potatoes band. We're like the people we play for. And I think that made us connect with, that band, with those people. And the songs are just — sometimes it really it brings tears to my eyes, because people come up and say 'I buried my father to your songs', 'I danced at my wedding to 'Flame Trees'', 'I danced at my bar mitzvah', whatever it was. All these different things and people, these songs were part of their lives, and that's something that we don't take for granted. That's something that anytime we start to get a bit uppity, we remember this is why we play — to be connected to this society, to the people that we love so closely. And I think a lot of that has to do with the quality of songs." On Barnes' Longevity, Including His Current Prolific Period "I think it's a real blessing. I think one of the reasons why that happens is, as much as Cold Chisel went away for a while, we always all worked. We always stayed connected to our audience, to the music we love. And one of the things I tell young musicians is just 'keep doing it because you love it. Some things are going to be successful, some things aren't. And if you just keep doing them, people connect, come and go'. And I feel, we've made maybe 50 records or something, or something more, and they've not all connected. But some of the ones that haven't connected are really special to me. So if you make music for the right reasons, and you put your heart into it and you put your soul into it, and you're committed, people connect with you and I think you'll always have a career. And the thing is, I'll always have a career because I'll sing till the day I die. Whether I'm selling records or not is another story, but that's what brings me joy, is singing." Jimmy Barnes: Working Class Man screens at the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival. MIFF 2025 runs from Thursday, August 7–Sunday, August 24 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 17 and Friday, August 22–Sunday, August 24 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide from Friday, August 15–Sunday, August 31. For further details, visit the MIFF website.
For almost two decades, 2005 film Mr & Mrs Smith has been best remembered as the movie that started Brad Pitt (Babylon) and Angelina Jolie's (Eternals) time as a couple. The action-comedy cast the pair as a bored married duo who didn't know that they were actually both assassins, let alone that they'd each been tasked with killing the other. The flick wasn't particularly memorable, but Brangelina clearly was. In 2024, Mr & Mrs Smith will also become a TV series, because the path from the big to the small screens just keeps proving popular (see also: Dead Ringers, Irma Vep, A League of Their Own and Interview with the Vampire, to name a mere few recent examples). This time, Donald Glover (Atlanta) and Maya Erskine (PEN15) are strangers who have to pretend to be married as part of their job. So, that's how Glover becomes John Smith and Erskine becomes Jane Smith — and how the two embark upon a high-risk espionage life together. The tradeoff for faking a romance: the lucrative gig, money, travelling the world, a dream Manhattan brownstone and, in this take on the premise, these strangers actually falling for each other. Pretending to be a couple but seeing sparks fly is one of Hollywood's current obsessions, with rom-com Anyone But You taking the idea to the big screen — without spies or anything to do with Mr & Mrs Smith, however. Adding another TV show to his resume, Glover co-created the new Mr & Mrs Smith with Francesca Sloane (also Atlanta), with the end result set to drop all eight episodes at once on Prime Video on Friday, February 2, 2024. And if you have vague memories of Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) being involved, she was initially slated to play Jane until Erskine took over her role. There's no trailer yet for the Mr & Mrs Smith TV series, but here's the trailer for the film instead: Mr & Mrs Smith will stream via Prime Video from Friday, February 2, 2024.
If you have never been to the Grand Central Hotel on a Thursday or Saturday night then you have been missing something special. Live music, cheap drinks, finger food (!!!), free entry and a great atmosphere, all nestled underneath Central Station. It is the saving grace of the dreadfully drear CBD music scene. To celebrate a great year of great tunes, the team behind Off The Rails/Trainspotters are putting on a couple of shows to celebrate the Yuletide season, suitably named, Black Christmas (Thursday) and White Christmas (Saturday). Each night will feature a massive bill of bands from Brisbane and beyond, with performances from - The Clits, The Quest For Glory, Mega Ogre, POLICE FORCE, Babaganoüj, Johnny and The Fembots, Teen Sensations, Tempura Nights. See? Massive. Each night will also be themed on naughty or nice. Prefer a lump of coal over a candy cane? Thursday might be your night. Enjoy a good bit of festive cheer? Saturday is the night for you. Pick a night (or head to both) and enjoy some of the best music around. Santa couldn’t give a gift as good as this.
As it speeds towards notching up two decades of superhero movies and TV shows, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has experienced both ups and downs — but in 2025, it's finally getting fantastic. This is the year that the Fantastic Four joins the franchise, stepping back to Mister Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Thing and The Human Torch's beginnings in the 1960s in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The movie hits cinemas in July; however, you can get your first sneak peek now courtesy of the just-dropped teaser trailer. Before there was a MCU, there were Fantastic Four movies. The initial two to earn a big-screen release arrived in 2005 and 2007, with the latter hitting the year before Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As Deadpool and Wolverine did 2024's Deadpool and Wolverine, the Stan Lee- and Jack Kirby-created superhero quartet now join the list of characters who are being brought into the MCU fold, as has been on the cards ever since Disney bought 20th Century Fox. Stepping into Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm's shoes this time, as first revealed for Valentine's Day 2024 in the US: Pedro Pascal, who adds the MCU to his resume alongside the Star Wars realm (thanks to The Mandalorian) and game-to-TV smash The Last of Us, as stretchy group leader Richards; Vanessa Kirby (Napoleon), who is bending light as one of the Storm siblings; Joseph Quinn (Gladiator II) proving fiery as the other; and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear), who is no one's cousin here, instead getting huge, rocky and super strong. In The Fantastic Four: First Steps' debut sneak peek, the focus is on family: family dinners, as cooked by Grimm; family connections and quirks; and the strength of family helping the titular crew with existence's challenges. "Whatever life throws at us, we'll face it together — as a family," Sue notes in the trailer. Pascal and company are taking over from two batches of past movie takes on the superhero team. In the 2005 and 2007 movies, Ioan Gruffudd (Bad Boys: Ride or Die), Jessica Alba (Trigger Warning), a pre-Captain America Chris Evans (Red One) and Michael Chiklis (Accused) starred. Then, in 2015, Chronicle filmmaker Josh Trank gave the group a spin — still outside of the MCU — with Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick), Kate Mara (Friendship), a pre-Black Panther Michael B Jordan (Creed III) and Jamie Bell (All of Us Strangers). Directed by WandaVision, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and Succession's Matt Shakman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps pits Pascal, Kirby, Quinn and Moss-Bachrach against Ralph Ineson (Nosferatu) as space god Galactus and Julia Garner (Wolf Man) as the Silver Surfer. Also co-starring: Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai), John Malkovich (Ripley), Natasha Lyonne (Fantasmas) and Sarah Niles (Fallen). Check out the first teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps below: The Fantastic Four: First Steps releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Images: courtesy of 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios / © and 2025 MARVEL.
Calling all Scandi cinema diehards, Nordic noir buffs, fans of the region's oft-icy climes, and lovers of mythology and folklore: the 2023 Scandinavian Film Festival has something on its lineup for you. When it gets frosty in Australia each year, this big-screen showcase celebrates titles primarily hailing from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden — and its latest lineup is full of must-see highlights. Touring the nation between Thursday, July 13–Wednesday, August 9, with stops in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Byron Bay, the fest's latest program will kick off with the Australian premiere of Let the River Flow, which won the Audience Award at this year's Göteborg Film Festival. Based on a true tale, it tells of a young woman who unintentionally becomes involved in a protest against a dam, with the new structure set to possibly flood Indigenous Sámi land. The standouts keep coming, such as Godland from Icelandic filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason (A White, White Day), which gets the festival's centrepiece slot — and Fallen Leaves, the latest from Finnish great Aki Kaurismäki's (The Other Side of Hope). Both hit the Scandi Film Festival after bowing locally at other events around the country. Also boasting a high-profile name is Burn All My Letters, which follows the consequences of a love affair, and stars Barbarian and John Wick: Chapter 4's Bill Skarsgård. Or, there's Swedish thriller Shadow Island, Darkland sequel Darkland: The Return and psychological drama Copenhagen Does Not Exist for devotees of Nordic cinema's dark side. If that's your favourite way to get a Scandi film fix, you'll also be in your element with Scandi Screams, the fest's six-movie retrospective. That's where that focus on myths and eerie tales comes in, and of course Let the Right One In is on the lineup. So is Ari Aster's Midsommar, the Oscar-nominated Border, Mads Mikkelsen in Valhalla Rising, twisted Christmas flick Rare Exports and the fantasy-heavy Troll Hunter. Back to the event's slate of recent releases, comedy lovers can get excited about Iceland's dinner party-set Wild Game, Denmark's Fathers & Mothers and The Land of Short Sentences, the new film in The Grump franchise, and absurdist-leaning period piece Empire. Also on the lineup: Unruly, another 2023 Göteborg Film Festival award-winner, this time for Best Nordic Film; documentary The King, about Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf; Munch, a dramatisation of the Norwegian artist's life; coming-of-age drama Norwegian Dream; One Day All This Will Be Yours, about a Swedish cartoonist and her siblings dividing up the family farmland; and polyamory love story Four Little Adults. One note: cinemagoers in Perth won't get to see Fallen Laves, while Adelaide movie buffs don't have Four Little Adults on their lineup. SCANDINAVIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2023 DATES: Thursday, July 13–Wednesday, August 2 — Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor Theatre, Melbourne Tuesday, July 18–Wednesday, August 9 — Palace Norton, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema, Sydney Wednesday, July 19–Wednesday, August 9 — Palace Electric, Canberra Wednesday, July 19–Wednesday, August 9 — Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Adelaide Wednesday, July 19–Wednesday, August 9 — Palace James St, Palace Barracks, Brisbane Thursday, July 20–Wednesday, August 9 — Luna Leederville, Luna on SX & Palace Raine Square, Perth Thursday, July 20–Wednesday, August 9 — Palace Byron Bay The Scandinavian Film Festival tours Australia from in July and August 2023. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the festival's website.
Move over, flowers. Everyone's tried, tested and trusty thoughtful gift option has some new competition. Posies of beautiful blooms are all well and good, but you can't eat them. Your loved ones can eat a bouquet of doughnuts, however (and maybe even share them with you). Meet Sweety's Treat Boxes, the new Brisbane-based delivery service that knows the way to someone's heart isn't just through their stomach — it's through their pastry-loving tastebuds too. Conceived by local couple James Greensill and Eloise Kerma, it'll bring boxes of goodies from The Doughnut Bar, Krispy Kreme and newcomers Marmalade&Co to your favourite person's door, with the latter serving up vegan and gluten-free morsels. Sweety's launched just before Christmas, offering 65 different combinations of boxes and 14 different arrangements, plus free delivery within a ten-kilometre radius of the CBD. As well as doughquets, which come with not only doughnuts but also wine or beer, their range includes candy, chocolate and Nutella-stuffed packages, plus an ode to an iconic ice cream (that'd be the 'You're Gonna Have a Gaytime Box', which recreates the dessert in doughnut form). Or, opt for an Aussie survival kit that comes with XXXX, VB and Tim Tams, or a Big Lebowski-themed bundle with Jack Daniels. From January 22, they'll also be selling a Valentine's Day pack for anyone after something other than roses. And, on February 14, they'll be popping up in the Wintergarden in the Queen Street Mall to share the love in person — for one day only. Doughnuts are made fresh that day, to be eaten that day, and if you're wondering where the dedicated doughnut gift box idea came from, "it all started with Eloise wanting to surprise me with a gift delivered to my office last Valentine's Day," explains Greensill. "She kept coming up short, [and was] frustrated with the lack of options and variety catering to each individual preference, whether it was too gender-specific or not customisable." Starting a doughnut delivery service to solve the problem? That's a solution Homer Simpson would be proud of. For more information, visit www.sweetys.com.au.
If you spend your free time binging on true crime, then you would've watched I'll Be Gone in the Dark last year. The HBO docuseries honed in on the Golden State Killer, who terrorised California between 1974–1986, committing more than 100 burglaries, over 50 home-invasion rapes and at least 12 murders. More than that, the show explored the case through writer Michelle McNamara, who had been kept wondering about the culprit over the years and decades — because, astonishingly, no one was sentenced for the Golden State Killer's crime spree until August 2020. McNamara's own tale is filled with intrigue, too, which the series also explored. She'd spend her nights spent sleuthing through unsolved crimes and penning the blog True Crime Diaries while her family slept. Fixating on the Golden State Killer actually led McNamara to writing an article for Los Angeles Magazine, plus a book deal. But before she could finish her manuscript, McNamara — who was also married to comedian Patton Oswalt — died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in her sleep. Her book I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer was published two years after her death, and before an arrest was made in the case, with the six-part HBO series stepping through this whole scenario. I'll Be Gone in the Dark's central figure was interested in other cold cases, too — and, because seemingly everything can return these days (and not just beloved sitcoms), the show is now coming back for a special follow-up episode to delve further into her obsessions. Viewers can expect to hear more about McNamara's work on cold cases in general, and to dive into one that affected her deeply: the rape and murder of Kathy Lombardo back in 1984, which happened in McNamara's hometown of Oak Park, Illinois. Once again, McNamara's own archival research and voice recordings will play a big part. The one-hour special episode will also feature interviews with residents of present-day Oak Park, all as part of a broader musing on how unsolved crimes cause their own traumas. In Australia, it'll be available to watch on streaming service Binge on Tuesday, June 22 — in line with when it airs in the US on HBO. Check out the trailer below: I'll Be Gone in the Dark's special follow-up special will be available to stream via Binge on Tuesday, June 22. Top image:HBO.
New York's Museum of Modern Art isn't the only major international gallery to bring its wares to our shores this year, with an exhibition from London's Tate Britain gallery heading to Australia from December. Entitled Love & Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate and displaying from December 14, 2018 until April 28, 2019, it'll bring more than 40 of the Tate's beloved works to the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, in an exhibition that'll focus on the artistic movement that started in 1848. Iconic pieces such as John Everett Millais' Ophelia and John William Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott will be making the journey as part of the showcase. Part ode to early Renaissance efforts, part protest against the prevailing creative traditions of the mid-19th century, pre-Raphaelite art was sparked by a group of rebellious artists eager to create something different to the art of the time — and their preferred style, featuring detailed, colourful compositions painted in thin layers with small brushes, certainly managed that. In addition to the pieces from the Tate, the exhibition will also feature an additional 40 works loaned from other British and Australian collections. Each will help highlight the themes of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, examine the different styles adopted by the various artists adhering to its principles, stress the importance of draughtsmanship and emphasise the movement's fondness for collaboration. "This exhibition includes some of the most loved and visited paintings at Tate — some of which have never before been seen in Australia," said NGA director Nick Mitzevich. Love & Desire: Pre-Raphaelite Masterpieces from the Tate will be the NGA's major summer exhibition, although it's not the gallery's only new addition come the end of the year, with Yayoi Kusama's pumpkin-filled infinity room The Spirits of the Pumpkins Descended into the Heavens set to join its permanent collection in December. Images: John Everett Millais, Ophelia 1851-2. Oil paint on canvas. Tate collection presented by Sir Henry Tate 1894. © Tate. / John William Waterhouse, The Lady of Shalott 1888. Oil on canvas. Tate. © Tate.
There's nothing like a big, warm welcome to make you feel instantly at home, whether you're wining and dining out or enjoying a hard-earned weekend escape. At some places, it might be a traditional greeting, called cheerfully when you walk through a restaurant's front door, for others, a thoughtful gesture that's steeped in culture. Then, there are the greeting rituals that'll please your taste buds as well as give you the warm and fuzzies — like DoubleTree by Hilton's signature 'cookie welcome', which sees all of its guests gifted with a freshly baked, warm chocolate chip cookie on arrival. Keen to feel at home away from home? We've scouted out some of Melbourne's best global eateries dishing up warm welcomes of their own. BHANG, BRUNSWICK At contemporary Brunswick spot Bhang, Indian street food gets a freshen-up with classic flavours married to modern techniques and served up in a funky, new-school setting. Here, a lot of thought goes into making visitors feel welcome, with gestures both traditional and not. If you're digging the vibe, it could be because the figure of Hindu deity Ganesha is given fresh flowers at the start of each service, as a way of increasing the positive energies and inviting health and prosperity. You'll also catch welcoming wafts of incense throughout the restaurant and enjoy complimentary house-made pappadums to kick-start your meal. 1/2A Mitchell Street, Brunswick. DOC, CARLTON Enter through the doors of Carlton's legendary DOC and you'll be welcomed with the scent of baking pizza dough, as well as a cheery chorus of ciao, Italy's well-known greeting. Here, crisp-based traditional pizzas are the stars of the show, but to start things off right, let the friendly staff invite you aboard the aperitivo train. An alcoholic sip designed to help fire up the appetite, consider this the proper Italian welcome to any hearty meal. At DOC, fuel up with a glass of prosecco or a spritz, and you'll know you've been invited to enjoy some serious feasting. 295 Drummond Street, Carlton. AKACHOCHIN, SOUTH WHARF For fresh, honest Japanese fare served with a side of warm hospitality, you'll find it hard to beat a visit to South Wharf's Akachochin. Named after the red paper lanterns you'll often spy strung up outside a Japanese izakaya, this waterfront spot plays to tradition — from the serious knife skills on display in the open kitchen to the menu of sushi, sashimi and tried-and-true classics. Of course, you'll find it hard not to get swept up in tradition yourself, when you're greeted with a cheerful staff chorus of irasshaimase — Japan's customary call of 'welcome' or 'come on in'. 33 S Wharf Promenade, South Wharf. MOVIDA, CBD Spain's renowned tapas culture is about much more than just chowing down on tasty small food — it's about sharing a meal and wine with friends and celebrating social interactions. And when you partake in the tradition, it's hard not to feel like you're part of some big Spanish eating club. Here in Melbourne, Frank Camorra's famed MoVida is one of the best spots to get your authentic tapas fix — all funky tunes, moody lighting and a menu filled with top-notch small bites, like mini beef tartares and pressed pork tostadas. 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne. PASTUSO, CBD Dining at ACDC Lane restaurant Pastuso is a bit like embarking on a journey through the many flavours of Peru, from the lively seafood dishes of the dedicated ceviche bar to the charry, meaty offerings coming hot off the traditional grill. And of course, the proper welcome to any authentic Peruvian adventure comes in the form of a fresh, tangy pisco sour — Peru's widely celebrated national cocktail, made from a grape-based spirit. To have you dining like a true Peruvian, the staff here are always eager to steer you towards an expertly crafted concoction from the pisco bar. 19 ACDC Lane, Melbourne. BON AP', FITZROY This cosy Fitzroy gem is like a little slice of provincial France, with fare as charming and authentic as the staff's French accents. The aim here is to replicate the familiarity of a quaint village bistro from back home, so expect a hearty bonjour upon entering, a warm bon appétit and an easygoing energy for as long as you stay. It's an inviting spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner — settle in with some charcuterie, a serve of mussels and a few glasses of great French wine and you'll find it pretty hard to say goodbye. 193 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. LOS HERMANOS, BRUNSWICK At cosy Brunswick haunt Los Hermanos, bank on being greeted by authentic Mexican eats, a festive vibe and a serious collection of Mexico's national drink, tequila. But for all the choice, you won't be left daunted, with staff always keen to help hook you up with your ultimate agave match — their way of welcoming you into the fray. For full effect, pair your chosen drop with a few of the kitchen's drool-worthy tacos, featuring fillings like beer-battered fish, slow-cooked lamb leg and bold chipotle chicken. 339 Victoria Street, Brunswick. SON IN LAW, COLLINGWOOD Rooted in tradition, yet unafraid to unleash its creativity, Collingwood's Son In Law is one of Melbourne's best-loved Thai joints. Named after the dish of deep fried eggs that's said to be served up to misbehaving Thai sons-in-law, it's a colourful spot that's guaranteed to charm. Owner Piyawut Tony Rungpradit says his aim is to welcome diners to an authentically Thai dining experience by offering this namesake dish, as well as traditional share plates like the rich green curry and pad see ew noodles. Expect a sunny Aussie welcome to make you feel at home while you tuck into a proper Thai feast. 56 Johnston Street, Collingwood. DIN TAI FUNG, CBD Famed for its signature dumplings and boasting venues across the globe, Din Tai Fung sure knows how to pull the crowds. But no matter how busy the Melbourne Emporium restaurant might get, you'll always be met with a friendly call of ni hao — a Mandarin version of 'hi' or 'how are you' that's commonly used in China and Taiwan. It's just a kind little reminder of the Taiwanese deliciousness that awaits — drunken chicken, fragrant wonton soup and, of course, a parade of juicy, perfectly-crafted dumplings. Emporium, 287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. HOFBRAUHAUS, CBD In Germany, one of the world's largest consumers of beer, the heartiest welcome you'll find comes in the form of a nice, cold stein. For centuries it's been part of the social fabric, bringing people together and creating homes away from homes. And you'll experience exactly this with a visit to Market Lane's historic German restaurant, Hofbrauhaus. Here, staff sport classic Bavarian outfits, live German tunes set a cheerful tone and generous serves of pork knuckle are primed for feasting sessions. A range of traditionally brewed biers rounds out the whole lively experience. 18–28 Market Lane, Melbourne. Discover the many ways to feel welcome in Melbourne — from an authentic aperitivo hour to a chorus of 'irasshaimase' to the warm, freshly baked cookies waiting to welcome you to your home away from home at DoubleTree by Hilton on Flinders Street.
You know a show is a big deal when you have to Google whether the musician is still alive or not. Thankfully for us, the legendary tambourine man is still very much alive and kicking. And, to celebrate his 73rd birthday yesterday, Bob Dylan has announced a month-long run of Australian and New Zealand tour dates to kick off in August. Though this birthday would signify the age of retirement for many, this world-renowned singer-songwriter is showing no signs of slowing down. Having last toured the country with his 2012 album Tempest, Dylan has recently been leaking new content on his website. After releasing a cover of Frank Sinatra's 'Full Moon and Empty Arms', some have suggested the prolific musician's next album — number 36 — could be a compilation of covers. Either way, it'll be a treat to see this living legend perform live. But be sure to get in early! With an iconic sound that has spanned generations, these all ages shows are bound to sell out quick. Tour dates: Saturday, August 9 - Claudelands Arena, Hamilton. Wednesday, August 13 - Riverside Theatre, Perth. Thursday, August 14 - Riverside Theatre, Perth. Monday, August 18 - Palais Theatre, Melbourne. Tuesday, August 19 - Palais Theatre, Melbourne. Monday, August 25 - Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane. Friday, August 28 - Royal Theatre, Canberra. Sunday, August 31 - Entertainment Centre, Adelaide. Wednesday, August 3 - State Theatre, Sydney. Thursday, September 4 - State Theatre, Sydney. Wednesday, September 10 - CBS Canterbury Arena, Christchurch. Tickets for the Australian shows go on sale Tuesday, June 3 at 9am via Ticketek and Ticketmaster.
They're the masters of immersive thrills, such as smash-hit shipping container installations Seance, Coma and Flight — also known as the Darkfield series. But not even the folks at Realscape Productions are immune to the realities of pandemic life. After spending much of the year locked down with the rest of Melbourne, the team put their nerve-jangling real-life projects on hiatus and whipped up a series of brand-new audio experiences. All of Realscape's recent collaborations with UK creators Darkfield have been designed for fans to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes, such as Double and Visitors — and they've been geared to be every bit as creepy and unsettling as their IRL predecessors. But the next addition to the series, Eternal, promises something extra special. It is inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula, aka one of the best horror novels ever written (and certainly the best vampire novel), after all. Available until Sunday, January 31, Eternal is presented via the producers' new digital project Darkfield Radio. Like its siblings, it plunges participants deep into an immersive experience by perplexing the senses — with the use of a 360-degree binaural sound, played through your own headphones. But while this year's other shows were aimed at groups of two, this one is made for listening to solo, at home, while you're alone in bed. Originally commissioned by Ireland's Bram Stoker Festival, the 20-minute-long Eternal explores the allure of living forever — and will get you pondering what you'd willingly do to avoid death. The uneasiness everyone feels when they hear something go bump in the night also plays a part, because that's just the kind of sensation the production aims to conjure up. To listen along, you'll need an $11.40 ticket, and to book a spot a late-night spot — with the show available at select times Thursday–Sunday (with exact slots depending on the day, but 9.30pm, 10pm, 12.30am and 1am times, all ADST, on offer). And if you haven't yet given Double and Visitors a listen, they're still available as well. Yep, you can make it a triple feature if you'd like to get especially eerie one night.
If you've binged your way through The Afterparty already this year, and watched Death on the Nile as well, then you might be in the market for a new murder-mystery fix. Here's one puzzle that's easy to sleuth, because the answer is set to arrive via Disney+ — thanks to the return of instant 2021 favourite Only Murders in the Building. One of last year's surprises and delights — one of last year's best new shows, in fact — this gem weaves true-crime podcasting into the mix, too, all via a very funny murder-mystery comedy. And, thanks to the latest sneak peek at its second season, following other teasers and trailers back in March and May, Only Murders in the Building looks set to continue as it left off. We're never too far away from a new murder-mystery in some shape or form, of course, and Only Murders in the Building's new batch of episodes knows it, tasking its central trio of NYC neighbours-turned-sleuths (and true-crime podcasters) with investigating a second killing. This time, though, the three key residents of the fictional Arconia in New York are suspects, as well as subjects of a competing podcast. Only Murders in the Building focuses three New Yorkers: actor Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated), theatre producer Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and the much-younger Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die). They're all addicted to a podcast hosted by the fictional Cinda Canning (Tina Fey, Girls5eva), and find themselves unexpectedly bonding over it, in fact. And, when someone turns up dead in their building, they decide that they can sleuth their way through the case by getting talking themselves. That's how the first season panned out. Now, in season two, Charles-Haden, Oliver and Mabel are weathering the fallout. Complicating their efforts are a trio of factors: their public implication in the death in question; that new podcast about them and this murder; and the suspicions of their neighbours, who think they're guilty. Exactly how that'll play out won't be unveiled until Tuesday, June 28, when Only Murders in the Building returns — but you don't need to be an amateur detective to know that it's bound to be both amusing and twisty. Whatever happens, both Cara Delevingne and Amy Schumer are involved, with the pair joining the cast as guest stars. And, as the new sneak peek shows, Fey is back as well. Check out the latest trailer for Only Murders in the Building season two below: Only Murders in the Building's second season will start streaming Down Under via Star on Disney+ on Tuesday, June 28. Read our full review of the show's first season. Images: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu.
Unless you're an eastside local or you've made a visit to Comslie Reserve's tucked-away beach of late, you probably haven't paid much attention to the new Rivermakers precinct that's in development on the corner of Morningside's Lytton and Comslie roads. The riverside site is set to gain a new space called Heritage Quarter, too — giving the location a hefty revamp, but still keeping its existing old buildings. In one such structure — the 1920s-era the heritage-listed Commonwealth Acetate of Lime Factory, in fact — the precinct will welcome a new small-batch distillery. Bavay Distillery even takes its name from distiller and chemist August de Bavay, who was commissioned by the Queensland Government to design and build the factory more than a century ago. So yes, nodding to the past while giving the space a makeover is firmly on the menu. "Many distilleries today are focused on turning traditional distilling methods on its head, which has been great for reviving the local spirit industry," says co-founder Scott Yates. "However, at Bavay our focus is on honouring the origins of distilling and making spirits as they were 100 years ago." When it opens its doors in early December in the factory's original stillhouse — which helped whip up booze a century back — Bavay Distillery will both make and pour small-batch gins, vodkas, rums and whiskys. As well as serving spirits for all tastes, it'll host blending masterclasses to teach Brisbanites the tricks of the trade. And, it'll offer custom coopered miniature barrels so that you can age your own blends. The design and vibe will also nod backwards; think: Great Gatsby-era flourishes in the sprawling bar space, which'll fit up to 120 patrons. A copper top bar, greenery aplenty and drop lighting are key interior features, and guests won't miss the 500-litre copper pot still that's been dubbed Monica. Outside, there'll be alfresco seating. Something that definitely didn't exist 100 years ago: gin cocktail trees, a tiered option that'll be available to groups. Food-wise, Bavay will serve tapas-style bites — or patrons can check out fellow Heritage Quarter tenants, such as the already-open Low n Slow Meat Co and the soon-to-open Revel Brewing Co. Bavay Distillery is set to open at the Heritage Quarter precinct in the Rivermakers development, 500 Lytton Road, Morningside, sometime in early December — we'll update you with an exact opening date when it's announced.
The phrase "stand and deliver" gets stuck in your head quickly while watching The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, thanks to both its theme tune and its dialogue. That's to be expected with a show about a real-life highwayman — albeit a highly fictionalised version, and a series that's definitely a comedy. Those pivotal three words also apply to Apple TV+'s approach to the program's future. After the initial season tickled funny bones with The Mighty Boosh's Noel Fielding in the titular role, the streaming platform has announced that it's standing up and delivering a second season. Take a historical figure, but someone from several centuries back who isn't a worldwide household name. Use them as the basis for a comedy series that doesn't promise to stick to the facts for a second. And, enlist famous hilarity-inspiring folks to tell the tale. The above description summed up Our Flag Means Death, which has sadly departed the streaming seas after being cancelled following a two-season run. Now, since March 2024, it also fits The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin. Where Our Flag Means Death's Stede Bonnet was an 18th-century pirate, The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin's namesake stuck to land in the same era as a highwayman. You can look up how his story turned out, or you can enjoy how the series gives it the absurdist comic treatment as it follows Turpin and his gang of fellow rogues — across its already-available first season and, although no release date has been revealed so far, soon also in its second. Working in plenty of dick jokes — well, it is the show's main character's moniker — is high on The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin's agenda. So is Fielding in his usual comic mode, as seen on The Great British Bake Off and Never Mind the Buzzcocks as well. Turpin's quest: to evade the corrupt Jonathan Wilde (Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey: A New Era), who fancies himself as a thief-taker, and just generally stay alive. And if you're wondering what kind of antics that inspires, Fielding is also one of the series' writers, so anything and everything can and does happen. Wild costume changes were always going to be a given. So was Fielding playing charming but chaotic. "I know what you're thinking: who is this guy with the incredible cheek bones? Where does he get his hair done? One day, I'll be the most-famous highway man in all of England," Turpin tells a crowd to start of the show's season-one trailer — only for it to be revealed that he's standing on a gallows, about to be hanged. Joining Fielding in the cast: Ellie White (Wonka), Marc Wootton (High & Dry), Duayne Boachie (You Don't Know Me), Tamsin Greig (Sexy Beast), Asim Chaudhry (Barbie), Dolly Wells (The Outlaws) and Joe Wilkinson (Sex Education) — and also Noel's brother Michael (also The Mighty Boosh) and his Never Mind the Buzzcocks host Greg Davies (The Cleaner). There's obviously no trailer for season two of The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin yet, but check out the trailer for season one below: The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin streams via Apple TV+ We'll update you with a release date for season two when one is announced. Read our review of season one.
If throwing axes and hurling hatchets is your idea of a great time — near the beach, too, and with drinks afterwards — then Maniax has the new venue for you. The chain has launched its eighth venue, and its second in Queensland since setting up shop in Brisbane in 2018, on level one of the Paradise Centre in Surfers Paradise. And yes, the bar comes with ocean views. The Gold Coast venue follows the same setup as Maniax's other locations, including the aforementioned Brisbane joint, two sites in Sydney, two in Melbourne, and one apiece in Adelaide and Perth. No matter which spot you're heading to, patrons get flinging in special axe-throwing lanes, with the Surfers Paradise venue featuring 11 single lanes and four double lanes. And no one lifts a hatchet without being shown the ropes — and taught all the necessary safety essentials, crucially — by one of Maniax's axe-perts first. From there, folks can choose between a range of blade-hurtling activities — think solo or small group sessions, axe-throwing events for larger parties, and also date-night options (because the couple that hurls hatchets together stays together, clearly). And, if this seems like your kind of sport, there's even a competitive league. As for how it all works, it's comparable to darts. Basically, you chuck axes at a board and try to hit a bullseye. Don't even know the first thing about picking up a hatchet? Again, that's completely to be expected, which is why those lessons are included in every session, as well as in the league competition. And, the axe-throwing experts are also on hand to help even when you think you've mastered the basics. The Viking-themed Gold Coast spot is also home to Maniax's new bar concept, Ragnar and Sons, where you can sip Viking cocktails and craft beers. The beer menu skews local, with brews on offer from Burleigh Brewing, Black Hops, Precinct Brewing and Lost Palms Brewing. And if all that blade-chucking works up an appetite, Maniax isn't doing food in-house at Surfers; instead, it's partnering with local businesses on dining packages, which customers can pre-purchase.
UPDATE, August 15, 2020: I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story is available to stream via DocPlay, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. For many teenage girls, love has a name. It's not their schoolyard crush, or that boy who keeps teasing them in class. Depending on the decade, it's Harry Styles, Nick Carter, Robbie Williams or Paul McCartney. Their great loves sing to them, stare back at them from posters on their walls, and soulfully look their way at packed-out concerts. They croon tunes about holding hands, wanting them back and inner beauty, and — crucially — declare they'll never break any hearts. Whether it's The Beatles in the 60s, the Backstreet Boys in the 90s or One Direction earlier this decade, such is the power of boy bands. Many come together in the most calculated of manners, specifically engineered to appeal to as many swooning girls and sell as many records as possible. But the sentiments they're uttering feel real to their fans. Take 16-year-old Long Island resident Elif, for example. When she talks about One Direction, her face could light up Zayn Malik and company's world like nobody else. She screams at their videos, calls them "the boys" like they're kids that she goes to school with, and bursts into tears when a friend suggests that a band member might deliver their pizza. Alongside 25-year-old San Francisco journalist Sadia, 33-year-old Sydney band strategist Dara and 64-year-old Melbourne TV producer Susan, Elif is one of four boy band aficionados featured in I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story. Each has fallen hard for a different group and it's changed their life, with the documentary exploring, analysing and celebrating their fandom. Well aware that loving a boy band is so often seen as the domain of silly young girls, filmmaker Jessica Leski examines the phenomenon with joy, affection and irreverence, and with an open heart and mind. She knows a thing or two about the topic herself, having become a devoted Directioner at the age of 31. Cue a delicate balancing act, but one that I Used to Be Normal manages with the skill of a carefully choreographed *NSYNC dance routine. As the bright, upbeat, quick-paced film delves deep into its subjects' thoughts, emotions, hopes and desires, it also dissects the broader allure of manufactured male pop groups and the catharsis they can offer. Dara gives viewers a Boy Band 101 lesson to help cover all angles, however its her own personal story — and Elif, Sadia and Susan's too — that comprises the beating heart of the doco. Set to an appropriate soundtrack, their love of cute men belting out pop ballads is always intimate and genuine, and handled with thoughtfulness and insight. For Turkish immigrant Elif, One Direction connects her to her adopted country and helps unleash her dreams of becoming a musician. Growing up in a conservative Muslim household, Sadia's obsession with the Backstreet Boys helped her explore her teenage urges — and still helped when she suffered from depression in college. Dara's affinity for Take That's Gary Barlow shaped her identity and her sexuality, while Susan's Beatlemania has been a crutch to lean on through decades of ups and downs. Even if you don't know New Kids on the Block from East 17, and even if you'd never want to, these tales are instantly relatable. It's passion that unites I Used to Be Normal's four women, and unites them with everyone watching, too. On good and bad days alike, these ladies filter their lives through something that feels larger than life, which is exactly what sports nuts, comic book-lovers, Game of Thrones tragics and Potterheads do as well. While exposing this truth, Leski acts in much the same way from behind the camera. That's a key aspect of her documentary: she doesn't judge or dismiss or play up stereotypes, because everyone is a fangirl (or boy) for something, including the director herself. There's humour in the film, but it comes from someone who knows what her subjects are going through — and knows that everyone watching knows the same loving feeling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSQBPzGL8EI
Chocolates, roses, free-flowing drinks, all the gelato you can eat, spending every day at the beach: none of these play a part in animated Prime Video series Undone. But if they all were a standard element of everyone's everyday lives — if we were all blissfully happy all the time, in other words — then stories like this multiverse mind-bender wouldn't exist. Screens big and small keep being filled with alternate realities, and tinkering with time as well, because asking "what if?" is an inherently human way to cope with all of life's disappointments. We dream of what might be if things were different and, when we escape into movies and TV shows, our on-screen fantasies keep dreaming those dreams for us. What if there was another realm where things were better? What if, somewhere else out there, those choices you regret had gone another way? What if you could venture backwards to mend whatever you and your loved ones are struggling with, or forwards to solve the consequences of your misdeeds? What if you could reunite with the people you've lost — or get a do-over on the opportunities you'd missed? These are the questions that Undone ponders, as the likes of Everything Everywhere All At Once, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Rick and Morty, Russian Doll and The Matrix franchise have in their own ways. A particular point of obsession flutters at the heart of all these trains of thought, and all these films and television programs, too: fixing everything that's stopping your existence from being perfect. Returning for its second season three years after its first — which was one of the best shows of 2019 — the gorgeously and thoughtfully trippy Undone is especially fixated on this idea. It always has been from the moment its eight-episode initial season appeared with its vivid rotoscoped animation and entrancing leaps into surreal territory; however, in season two it doubles down. Hailing from BoJack Horseman duo Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg, it also remains unsurprisingly concerned with mental illness, and still sees its protagonist caught in an existential crisis. (The pair have a type, but Undone isn't BoJack Horseman 2.0). Again, it deeply understands that contentment doesn't lead to "what if?" queries. Indeed, learning to cope with being stuck in a flawed life, being unable to wish it away and accepting that fate beams brightly away at the heart of the show. During its debut outing, Undone introduced viewers to 28-year-old Alma Winograd-Diaz (Rosa Salazar, Alita: Battle Angel), who found everything she thought she knew pushed askew after a near-fatal car accident. Suddenly, she started experiencing time and her memories differently — including those of her father, Jacob Winograd (Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul), who died over 20 years earlier. In a vision, he tasked her with investigating his death, which became a quest to patch up the past to stop tragedy from striking. Undone's first season was purposefully and perceptively vague, though. Spectacular to look at, and also inventive, smart, funny and tender, it wasn't keen on offering firm answers about Alma's mission, her mental state and its ending. Rather, it was determined to dive deep but stay ambiguous as it examined the meaning of life, and also slotted in alongside shows such as The Good Place, Forever and Maniac. Undone didn't necessarily need a second season, but this repeat dive into Alma's story is just as exceptional as its first — even with one big change. This time, her actions in the last batch of episodes are given a clearcut answer, and another timeline seems to glimmer with almost everything she's ever wanted. But every family's troubles are multifaceted, with more springing up here to fracture the Winograd-Diazs' seeming idyll. With help from her elder sister Becca (Angelique Cabral, How It Ends), Alma now splashes around in her visibly sorrowful mother Camila Diaz's (Constance Marie, With Love) past, including learning about chapters in Mexico decades back that again disrupt the status quo. If it wasn't evident already, it should be now: while it shares more than a few themes in common with BoJack Horseman, Undone dwells in its own world. Still, in its second season, it has another topic on its mind that Purdy and Bob-Waksberg's last show also surveyed — and fellow multiverse effort Everything Everywhere All At Once as well, plus the recent second season of time-travel comedy Russian Doll. Both Encanto and Turning Red mused on the same concept, too: intergenerational trauma. That some pain is so deep-seated in those bearing it that it passes down alongside genes isn't a new realisation, and wasn't back in the 60s when One Hundred Years of Solitude made it its basis on the page. But reckoning with it more often, as is happening now, is a product of a world that's far more willing to pull apart the sins and scars of the past. Accordingly, Undone joins the parade of pop-culture titles excavating it, spying the marks it leaves from generation to generation, and exploring how to face it. There's more certainty in Undone's second go-around — about what's happening, why, what it means and where it comes from — but that doesn't mean that this devastatingly astute series is done with uncertainty. Using rotoscoping, which involves drawing over filmed footage of its actors (see also: Richard Linklater's Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly and Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood), isn't just a stylistic preference or a way to get the best performances out of the series' phenomenal cast. Able to reflect Alma's ever-changing, always-fragile emotional and mental state in every frame, Undone's dreamlike animation is thoroughly unburdened by reality and all the more expressive for it. Show, don't tell: not that it shies away from talking through what's happening, but that's clearly this soulful, stunning and supremely moving program's motto. Deeply rich and resonant, as intelligent and affecting as sci-fi and animation alike get, and dedicated to thinking and feeling big while confronting everyday truths, Undone is like nothing else that's streaming. And yes, that's still accurate even in these busily multiverse-hopping, existence-contemplating times, where dreaming about alternate lives is as natural as breathing. Check out the trailer for Undone season two below: Undone is available to stream via Prime Video.
Catharsis is crucial in filmmaking, as Jon Favreau clearly knows. The writer, director and star emerges from big-budget cinema to return to the smaller side of Hollywood, seemingly purging his demons and addressing his disappointments in the process. Favreau started his stint behind the lens with Made, and last helmed the underwhelming Cowboys & Aliens, but is best known for Iron Man and Iron Man 2. This journey informs Chef, complete with commentary on the perils of fame, the difficulties of criticism in the digital age, and the creative corruption that comes with working for the big end of town. The parallels are easy and obvious. In Chef, Carl Casper (Favreau) has toiled from humble beginnings to become Los Angeles' premier culinary artist, but a decade working for a profit-focused restaurateur (Dustin Hoffman) sees his menus branded safe, not daring. A scathing review by a prominent food blogger (Oliver Platt) calls out his creative malaise, swirling into a storm of negative press and social media that ushers him out of a job. At first, Carl resists the encouragement of his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara) to start his own food van. Soon, he's rediscovering his passion for cooking and reconnecting with his ten-year-old son, Percy (Emjay Anthony), in a road trip across the continent. With the heavy-handed correlations between Favreau's own fortunes and his on-screen alter ego evident, Chef is the filmmaker's opportunity to assemble something reduced in stature but substantial in content. Every aspect of the film reinforces the connection, not just in the narrative that shouts its thematic similarity, the informal aesthetic that rallies against special effects-driven efforts or the indulgent running time, but also in the brief appearances from fellow Marvel alumni Robert Downey Jr and Scarlett Johansson, worlds away from their franchise outings. Though the statement of Chef could have easily overpowered any involvement with the characters, Favreau fleshes out Casper's relationship with the idolising Percy in the film's strongest emotional arc. Understated performances also sell the fictional scenario beyond its autobiographical subtext, with the filmmaker leisurely affable in a rare lead role, and youngster Anthony empathetic but not overly sentimental. Laidback turns from Bobby Cannavale and John Leguizamo round out the likeable cast. As blunt and predictable as it always is, Favreau's offering proves appetising in the undemanding manner of the food trucks it covets — and repeatedly invites the comparison. Fine ingredients abound, including finessed visuals of enticing meals on par with the best food-centric efforts; however, poise and polish are swapped for a handmade feel and celebratory outcome. Gourmet filmmaking this isn't, but nor is it a fast food confection. Instead, the therapeutic and thoughtful Chef serves up palatable passion that's pleasantly rough around the edges. https://youtube.com/watch?v=PZ6e51-ie7w
Step into the world of the mysterious and the macabre. Step into the world of Night Vale. Home to angels, dragons and an ominous glowing cloud, and ruled by a shadowy city council whose true form remains hidden, the small desert town is best known as the setting of the hugely popular podcast Welcome to Night Vale. Since debuting in mid-2012, the surreal half-hour show has amassed legions of fans and embarked on several successful live tours – the latest of which will bring them to Australia. The tour consists of a series of one-night-only engagements in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne across the second week of February. Fans — and curious — can join unflappable community radio host Cecil Gershwin Palmer as he guides them through the daily goings on in the weird and wonderful town that he calls home. Just make sure you stay on the right side of the Night Vale Secret Police. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiLrr0h4ek8
On February 24, 2010, Florida SeaWorld employee Dawn Brancheau drowned after being pulled underwater by the park's star attraction, a five-and-a-half tonne orca named Tilikum. Her death was the third in 20 years to involve the massive killer whale, who has spent most of his life in captivity. Troubled by reports of the marine park's unethical treatment of its animals and spurred on by conflicting stories about how Brancheau's tragic death occurred, documentary filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite decided to investigate further. The result is Blackfish, a troubling if not particularly revelatory doco about the dangers of keeping predators in captivity. It's obvious that Blackfish is pushing an agenda, albeit one that most viewers will probably agree with. Convinced that SeaWorld's treatment of animals like Tilikum is morally wrong and may have played a key role in the death of Brancheau and others, Cowperthwaite's primary aim is to appal and incite outrage. Her interview subjects consist of marine biologists, animal activists and disillusioned former SeaWorld workers. Through the testimony of the latter in particular, Blackfish paints a damning portrait of physically and emotionally neglected animals along with subpar safety conditions for their trainers. Despite this, the trainers maintain they felt connected to their animals, like a parent does to a child. Footage of Brancheau at work — focused, professional but full of energy and laughter — is Cowperthwaite's emotional trump card. In contrast, the marine park chain is depicted as a faceless corporate entity, whose primary concerns seem to be dodging culpability and maximising profit (an end credits title card pointedly informs viewers that SeaWorld representatives refused to appear on camera). At the same time, Cowperthwaite never really breaks with documentary convention. Most of her major talking points, from the intelligent and social nature of marine mammals to the shady practices of the animals-in-captivity industry, have already been covered in earlier exposes, like Louie Psihoyos's shocking, emotionally devastating Oscar winner The Cove, to which Blackfish can't quite compare. Still, there's no denying the director's noble intentions, or the fact that her film is effective. While viewers may not be presented with much information that they didn't already know (or at least, assume to be true), there's certainly no harm in being reminded. Sickening footage of trainers barely escaping with their lives begs the question: when will the next fatality occur? If Blackfish causes even a few members of the public to reconsider where they go on holiday, then the project will have been a success. https://youtube.com/watch?v=G93beiYiE74
There's no such thing as an ordinary trip to the circus. Heading to the big top might've once meant juggling clowns, contorting acrobats and other feats of strength; however that's no longer the case now. Both still feature, but today's ringside action is likely a little more on the artistic side, as seen at Cirque du Soleil — or a bit more extreme, like at Cirque Adrenaline. Indeed, the latter has taken their cues from the former (and some of their performers, too). They've also added the kind of stunts more commonly associated with the likes of the Crusty Demons. With the Wheel of Death and the Sphere of Fear all part of their show, there's no doubting their heart-pounding credentials, with trapeze work and daredevil motorcyclists sharing the same arena. Cirque Adrenaline claims to boast the world's most dangerous and death defying acts, and we're happy to believe them.
When you feel like hitting the water, you don't need to head straight for the sea. Instead, hook up the boat and take a cruise to one of Australia's many serene inland lakes or rivers that offer everything you need for an incredible boating trip with your closest mates. Keep yourself entertained on the water by loading up some fishing rods and snorkelling gear. You can also throw in the new ultra-portable Sonos Roam — it features a drop-resistant design and waterproofing technology — to make sure your on-water getaway comes with your very own soundtrack. [caption id="attachment_813546" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pittwater, Destination NSW[/caption] PITTWATER, NEW SOUTH WALES Pittwater is ideal for those looking for a quick escape from Sydney. Situated about an hour's drive from the CBD, this 18.4-square-kilometre estuary boasts a remarkably diverse landscape and incredible scenery. You can spot everything from mangrove wetlands and salt marshes to sand flats and seagrass meadows. While the waterway features plenty of nooks and crannies that are well worth dropping anchor to explore, the expansive, grassy lands of The Basin offer opportunities for fishing, swimming and beachfront barbecues. It's also home to one of the area's only campgrounds. [caption id="attachment_813653" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jack van Tricht, Unsplash[/caption] LAKE SOMERSET, QUEENSLAND Situated about a 1.5-hour drive from Brisbane, Lake Somerset is a prime destination for Queensland boating enthusiasts. This picturesque spot is one of the state's top places for water sports, so don't be surprised to find dozens of people ripping up the freshwater lake with jet skis and speedboats. There are a number of private campgrounds, holiday houses and retreats dotted around the 42.1-square-kilometre lake, too, if you're looking to make a trip out of it. Prefer to indulge in some peaceful fishing away from the crowds? Nearby Lakes Wivenhoe and Atkinson are worth a visit. [caption id="attachment_813549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nelson Bay, Destination NSW[/caption] PORT STEPHENS, NEW SOUTH WALES As far as marine playgrounds go, Port Stephens is undoubtedly one of Australia's most impressive. The Great Lakes Marine Park consists of an estimated 980 square kilometres of waterways that provide virtually limitless offshore adventures. If you're coming from the city (or Newcastle, from which Port Stephens is about a 40-minute drive north) you don't have to worry about bringing up your own boat, with a number of boat hire shops dotted around the estuary that makes exploring every corner of the region easy. Popular pitstops include the Karuah and Myall Rivers, which are perfect for a relaxing cruise through beautiful national parks. [caption id="attachment_813554" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mildura, Visit Victoria[/caption] MURRAY RIVER, VICTORIA/NEW SOUTH WALES You won't find many inland boating trips quite as special as cruising down the mighty Murray River. Stretching over 2500 kilometres, this winding waterway is the third-longest navigable river in the world and stretches from the alpine Snowy Mountains, along the Victorian border and into the Great Southern Ocean via South Australia's Lake Alexandrina. You're welcome to climb aboard a throwback paddle steamer or even rent a houseboat if you want to complete the journey in style with riverfront towns like Mildura, Swan Hill and Renmark making for outstanding stops along the way. [caption id="attachment_813720" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Patrick Ryan, Unsplash[/caption] GOLD COAST WATERWAYS, QUEENSLAND Weaving in and around the Gold Coast is a labyrinth of waterways that ensures boaties can see every side of the city from the water. With so much space to cover, knowing which direction to point your vessel is no mean feat. Runaway Bay is a fine place to start, as you can calmly sail along the wide waterways and tie up at one of the restaurants or cafes lining the local rivers and canals. Further along, the Coomera River is another great pick, with Sanctuary Cove's Marine Village offering a selection of high-end eateries and boutiques well worth the stop. [caption id="attachment_813563" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] LAKE MACQUARIE, NEW SOUTH WALES As Australia's largest coastal saltwater lake, Lake Macquarie has everything you need for a top-notch boating adventure. Locals here love the water, so you'll find lavishly appointed marinas, yacht clubs and jetties in the towns around the lake to make your trip a smooth one. Keen anglers won't be disappointed in Lake Macquarie — the region was zoned as a Recreational Fishing Haven in 2002, so you can while away the hours at your leisure. Plus, there's a high chance of spotting a much-loved dolphin that has made Marmong Point its home for the last few years. [caption id="attachment_813552" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Josie Withers, Visit Victoria[/caption] GIPPSLAND LAKES, VICTORIA The largest network of inland waterways in Australia, the Gippsland Lakes are bursting with things to see and do. There's no shortage of remarkable places to dock, but Barrier Landing's jetty and lagoon are especially rewarding for those who love fishing and wildlife spotting. If you're on the lookout for something a bit more heart-pumping, the waters surrounding Raymond Island are the go-to spot for water skiing. The island itself is also one of the best places in Victoria to get up close with koalas in their natural habitat. Further south, consider mooring at Ninety Mile Beach for a delightful picnic on the sand and a chance to spot humpback whales migrating along the coast. Connecting Ninety Mile Beach with Gippsland Lakes is the relaxed town of Lakes Entrance. Probably the region's headline destination, the popular beachfront town is perfect for experiencing the glistening waters in relative peace. [caption id="attachment_813734" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ezykron, Wikimedia Commons[/caption] LAKE BOONDOOMA, QUEENSLAND Drive through the flourishing wine region of South Burnett and you'll arrive at Lake Boondooma. Since being dammed in 1983, the area has transformed into a popular water sport and fishing destination, attracting visitors from across the state eager to spend a tranquil day on the water. Situated deep within the Queensland backcountry, Lake Boondooma offers a great chance to switch off and enjoy the serenity for a couple of days. Once you've finished carving up the lakefront, pitch a tent at one of the nearby campgrounds or book a cabin for the night. Find out more about the new Sonos Roam at the official website. Top image: Unsplash
While there are plenty of cute Airbnbs and hinterland cottages in this part of the Sunshine Coast, the region is also perfect for camping. Located along the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk is the Flaxton walker's camp, which offers a series of campsites peppered through a towering eucalypt and ash forest with a ferny undergrowth. The site is only accessible via a 16-kilometre walk, but we assure you it's worth the effort — you'll be rewarded with truly majestic surroundings and be woken by birdsong as the sun rises. If you fancy bringing the 4WD, the nearby Hunchy Hills Bush Camp is situated on a former banana and pineapple plantation less than five minutes' drive from the centre of Montville. It offers a superbly secluded setting, with each of the three sites boasting a fire pit and log seats. Head to the website for travel alerts, directions and bookings. Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
