The 2013 brisbanetimes.com.au Good Food Guide, celebrating Queensland’s best food and wine, was released yesterday following Monday night’s much-anticipated launch and awards ceremony. Brisbane foodies waited with bated breath as their favourite restaurants were judged in categories including Restaurant of the Year, Wine List of the Year and Diners’ Choice. The competitive field featured 50 newcomers, including locals Alfred & Constance, Gerard’s Bistro, Pony Dining and Riverbar & Kitchen. Gerard’s Bistro took home the Best New Restaurant award in the end, impressing with its casual elegance and Middle Eastern-inspired menu. Other notable winners were Esquire, taking out Restaurant of the Year; Chef of the Year Alejandro Cancino (Urbane); Cabiria for Best Bar with Food; and BYO Restaurant of the Year Rhubarb Rhubarb. The nationally recognised chef’s hat rating system was used to reward 45 restaurants with one or more hats, but also caused a few upsets with Brisbane’s 1889 Enoteca, Alchemy, Cinco Bistro, Era Bistro, and Reserve each losing their one-hat status. Overall, though, the feeling coming out of the awards night was one of positivity. Good Food Guide editor Natascha Mirosch said, “From our very best hatted restaurants to our cheerful casuals, Brisbane is one of the most exciting places to eat and drink in the country right now.” Mirosch also noted marked trends towards smart casual dining, share plates, and artisan wine and beer offerings. Three Hats Esquire Located riverfront in Brisbane's CBD, this degustation menu changes daily and is filled with innovative and exciting meals created by Executive Chef Ryan Squires. Two Hats Aria Matt Moran and Peter Sullivan's Aria has been a popular fine dining fixture in Brisbane known for its fresh and contemporary food and exquisite wine list to match. Ortiga Ortiga has a Spanish flair that has people coming back time and time again for their incredible tapas, share plates and first-class service. Stokehouse For fine dining on the riverfront, Stokehouse is in a superb location at South Bank with a relaxed vibe and a beautiful contemporary Australian menu. Urbane The seasonal menus bring together fresh produce and molecular gastronomy in flavour combinations sure to surprise and delight. One Hat Bistro One Eleven Bistro One Eleven has beautiful, simple food as is Philip Johnson’s style. The restaurant has a relaxed but elegant atmosphere and is the perfect place for corporate diners to enjoy a very well executed lunch or dinner. Brents the Dining Experience Located in Toowong, Brents is the best suburban French food you can find, with a romantic setting, wonderful food and award-winning service. E'cco Bistro At E’cco you are met with the ultimate dining experience: charismatic and welcoming staff, warm and inviting décor, and faultlessly delicious meals. The Euro Conceived to offer a more relaxed dining experience than its older sister Urbane, the Euro has a brilliant mediterranean-inspired menu with an Australian twist. Gerard's Bistro Gerard's is a restaurant and bar specialising in mezze-style meals with a retro yet exotic space to enjoy. Il Centro A Brisbane icon, Il Centro is known for their signature sand crab lasagne dish and also the award-winning service of restaurant manager Zahir Meher-Homji. Malt Dining An intimate venue in the heart of the CBD, with flavour rich dishes and rustic charm. Montrachet Paddington's favourite French experience is here, with a breathtaking list of French wines and heartwarming and classic dishes. Prive 249 Located at the Sofitel, Prive 249 offers a French-Australian inspired menu in a romantic setting. Public Public has made a huge and incredibly positive impression on Brisbane residents in the last year. Their inventive and flawless menu has diners returning to try their favourite dishes over and over. Restaurant Two David Pugh's long-running restaurant is renowned for their focus on local Queensland produce created into inventive and exciting dishes. Sake For a wonderful all-round experience, Sake serves exceptional Japanese food and offers some of the most delicious and unique cocktails you will taste - think sake! Tank A popular place to dine on the law and order side of town with a focus on local Queensland produce, most popular for a long lunch. Tartufo This classic Italian establishment, is a standout in the popular Emporium complex. Dishes are simple yet stylish and are more than adequate representations of what a typical Italian family would feast on. Vintaged If you want old world hotel charm then Vintaged is the place to go. Channel your inner Donald Draper and pick yourself a delicious slab of meat accompanied by an Old Fashioned.
Sydney, it's your time to play the most entertaining game of "what if?" there is, especially if you love classic tales, pop songs and sensational musicals. Whether you studied it in high school or just obsessed over Baz Luhrmann's glorious 90s movie, everyone knows how Romeo and Juliet ends — and it doesn't conclude happily for either of its eponymous star-crossed lovers. But what if it didn't wrap up that way? What if Juliet lived to love again? And what if her experiences from there, after thwarting theatre's greatest tragedy, involved a whole heap of earworm tunes from the last couple of decades? The answer to how all of that might turn out already exists, all thanks to Olivier Award-winning jukebox musical & Juliet. A hit in London's West End since 2019, it remixes the iconic love story in multiple ways — tinkering with its narrative and throwing in all that toe-tapping music. And, it's coming to the Harbour City in 2024. The acclaimed show arrived in Melbourne in February 2023, with Australia only its second stop outside of the UK following Toronto. Now, it's taking its Shakespeare-meets-pop spectacle to more Aussie locations, locking in a run at Sydney Lyric Theatre from Tuesday, February 27–Sunday, June 2, 2024. A Perth run at Crown Theatre has also been confirmed from Saturday, December 30, 2023–Thursday, February 8, 2024 — Brisbanites, cross your fingers that the River City also gets a spin. If you're now thinking "wherefore art thou?" about & Juliet's setup, it picks up after the ending we all know doesn't eventuate. And, it muses on what might happen if Juliet could choose her own fate instead. That scenario involves Anne Hathaway — no, not that one — and her husband William Shakespeare, and features songs by Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Robyn, Katy Perry, The Weeknd, Kelly Clarkson and more. Tunes that get a spin: 'Larger Than Life', 'I Want It That Way', '... Baby One More Time', 'Show Me Love', 'Oops!... I Did It Again', 'As Long As You Love Me', 'Stronger', 'I Kissed a Girl', 'Since U Been Gone', 'It's My Life', 'It's Gonna Be Me' and a whole heap of others. The common factor between them all is Swedish songwriter Max Martin, who penned or co-penned every track on the musical's soundtrack. As well as Martin's involvement — including as one of & Juliet's co-creators — the musical features a book by the Emmy-winning Schitt's Creek writer and The Big Door Prize creator David West Read. And if you're wondering about the show's shiny Olivier Awards, it was nominated for nine for its West End debut season, and nabbed three: for Best Actress in a Musical, Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical and Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical. Down Under, Lorinda May Merrypor plays Juliet, while Rob Mills is Shakespeare, Amy Lehpamer steps into Anne's shoes and Blake Appelqvist gets his Romeo on. Also in the cast: Casey Donovan, Hayden Tee, Jesse Dutlow, Yashith Fernando, Georgia Anderson, Jade Delmiguez, James Elmer, Riley Gill, Jerome Javier, Giorgia Kennedy, Jordan Koulos and more. "If there were ever a show and a city that were made for each other it is Sydney and & Juliet, and I am thrilled we are finally bringing them together. This show that celebrates joy, love, diversity and taking chances are the same things that inspire and drive the people of Sydney and we can't wait to share it with them," said producer Michael Cassel, announcing the Sydney season. "& Juliet was such a hit in Melbourne that it completely sold out — I just know Sydney will embrace the show with spectacular enthusiasm." Check out the trailer for & Juliet below: & Juliet will play Sydney Lyric Theatre from Tuesday, February 27–Sunday, June 2, 2024, which includes preview performances from Tuesday, February 27–Wednesday, March 6 with tickets for $79. For more information or to sign up for the ticket waitlist — before tickets go on sale in September, with pre-sales from Monday, September 25 and general sales from Friday, September 29 — head to the musical's website. & Juliet will play Crown Theatre, Perth, from Saturday, December 30, 2023–Thursday, February 8, 2024 — with pre-sales from Monday, August 28 and general sales from Thursday, August 31. Images: Daniel Boud.
Across two seasons in 2016 and 2018, Fleabag was the only dramedy that mattered. If you weren't watching Phoebe Waller-Bridge's smash hit, you were hearing all about it from everyone you knew. If you were watching it, you were then rewatching it — and, of course, telling all of your friends. But before it was a hit TV series, Fleabag was a one-woman theatre show. That history behind Phoebe Waller-Bridge's award-winning series isn't new news, of course. As the television version of Fleabag kept picking up accolades — a BAFTA for Best Female Performance in a Comedy for its writer/creator/star; Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series; Best Actress and Best Television Series Golden Globes; and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series among them — that past was well-known. But if you haven't seen the OG stage production, a recorded version of that stunning performance is coming back to the big screen in Brisbane. The story remains the same, charting an incredibly relatable tale of trying to balance work, life, love and the like. When it was playing theatres from 2013–2019 after premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Fleabag was just as applauded. And, as plenty of hit UK productions are, it was filmed by NT Live, then beamed into cinemas. It's that recording that's heading to picture palaces again from July 13, complete with Waller-Bridge stepping through the story of Fleabag's titular character. Captured at London's Wyndham's Theatre, it initially started doing the rounds for filmgoers in 2019. Indeed, that debut silver-screen stint broke box-office records. If you're unfamiliar with the TV show, let alone the theatre production before it, Fleabag's existence is perhaps best described as chaotic. Friends, family, job interviews, keeping a guinea pig-themed cafe afloat — they're just the beginning. The idea behind it came at one of Waller-Bridge's pal's storytelling nights, as a challenge to create a character for a ten-minute slot. Images: Matt Humphrey.
Do you sometimes lack confidence, or luck? Do you feel like you try more than you succeed? Do you seesaw between hoping things will go well and avoiding anything that could turn out badly? Of course you do — and so does Charlie Brown. For 65 years, the main character in Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip has captured the routine struggles of everyday life, acting as everyone's cartoon surrogate through life's eternal ups and downs. His troubles often involve kicking a football and flying a kite, but they're the kind of average antics anyone can relate to. That's one of the reasons why Peanuts has remained a comic strip favourite — and why a new big-screen outing has been eagerly anticipated. The makers of Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie know this, and they've acted accordingly. Their film might bring this ordinary boy, his beagle and their buddies into the 21st century, but it doesn't stray far from all the things that have made Peanuts such a cherished property for decades. Story-wise, that means a raft of scenarios fans will instantly recognise, and even the most casual of Peanuts readers or viewers probably will as well. Charlie Brown doesn't just tussle with his preferred outdoor activities, but with getting the attention of the Little Red-Haired Girl. His pals all continue to hang around, including his little sister Sally, best buddy Linus, the opinionated Lucy and tomboy Peppermint Patty. Back at home, mischievous pooch Snoopy dreams up a novel involving his World War I pilot alter ego, his girlfriend and his nemesis. If you're buzzing with not only nostalgia, but déjà vu, that's understandable. With Schulz's son Craig and grandson Bryan among the film's writers, The Peanuts Movie was always going to tread gently in its predecessors' footsteps. In what amounts to a series of interlinked vignettes, the film tells fond and familiar tales about beloved characters, with a tone of adoration more important than offering up any surprises. Indeed, consider the first Peanuts flick in 35 years a best-of compilation or a greatest hits package. The affectionate tribute that results comes complete with gorgeous 3D CGI animation that mimics pen strokes, a score that's appropriately jaunty, and the smart use of children instead of famous actors as voice talent. And while the movie's episodic nature means that some segments soar above others, when they do, they're something special. Charlie Brown's attempts to read War and Peace and his reaction when his classmates brand him a genius aren't just earnest and endearing — they're easily the film's highlights. Director Steve Martino (Ice Age: Continental Drift) might not be able to sustain the Peanuts magic for 88 minutes, but he certainly whips up a couple of memorable chapters. Of course, adapting comic strips into movies is a tricky task, even with ample material to call upon. Gags that work so well over four illustrations don't always translate to the cinema, particularly when pieced together and stretched out to feature film length. Accordingly, The Peanuts Movie is as slight and patchy as it is sweet, charming and amusing. When it all comes together though, it fittingly serves up another lesson about taking the good with the bad.
If you've seen a man in the moon, the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich or a monkey in the callus of a tree, do you know there's a word for what you've been experiencing? It's 'pareidolia', which the Collins Dictionary defines as "the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist". In his notebooks, Leonardo da Vinci wrote that the phenomenon inspired great art: "If you look at any walls spotted with various stains or with a mixture of different kinds of stones ... you will be able to see an infinite number of things which you can then reduce into separate and well-conceived forms." Google is now taking pareidolia to a whole new level. Combining facial recognition software and Google Maps, Google Faces can identify human features on the Earth's surface. Given that the aforementioned cheese sandwich sold for $US28,000, we can only begin to imagine what the discovery of Jesus's visage in someone's backyard might do for property values. Google Faces is the brainchild of Onformative, 'a studio for regenerative design', based in Berlin. They have created an algorithm that, in combination with Facetracker, scans the satellite images provided by Google Maps, honing in on geographical elements that resemble an eye, nose, mouth or forehead. So far, the programme has circumnavigated the world twice, and it'll continue its journey over the next few months, gradually zooming in on the Earth to access new perspectives. Via io9.
In the late 60s, a decade after first slinging slices in America's midwest, Pizza Hut started taking the second part of its name seriously. Thanks to a design by architect Richard D Burke, who agreed to a $100 fee for each location that opened — a hugely lucrative deal, it turned out — everyone knows the fast-food chain's famous silhouette. From 70s, 80s and 90s childhoods in particular, that angular roof instantly brings to mind family feasts, birthday parties and all-you-can-eat pizza specials that gave Sizzler a run for its money in Australia, dessert bar included. Brooklyn-based Aussie filmmakers Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker, who previously made Barbecue and We Don't Deserve Dogs, are well-are of this history. In fact, they've made a documentary that's partly about it: Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts. They're equally cognisant of the nostalgic feeling that old Pizza Huts bring. "I kept thinking back to the soft-serve machine. As a kid, I was just drawn to that machine. I just wanted the soft serve with the sprinkles, the coloured sprinkles on top — my Pizza Hut dream was the soft-serve machine," Tucker tells Concrete Playground, chatting about the film that'll premiere at 2024's SXSW Sydney in October. Audiences will indeed remember their own experiences in Pizza Hut's distinctive buildings while watching Slice of Life. Craving pizza comes with the territory, too. Salleh and Tucker haven't tucked into Pizza Hut while making the movie, purely "because they're not in New York", Salleh advises, but they still understand the urge. "Occasionally we're editing and we'll see shots of pizzas, and I'll be like 'we need pizza'. Luckily, living in Brooklyn, you only have to walk about 150 metres to find some pretty awesome pizza. So if anything, it's just made me eat a lot more pizza in New York," he continues. Recalling times gone by for a global chain is just one of this doco's ingredients, however. Consider it a topping; at its heart, this film's main focus is right there in its title. While they weave in the Pizza Hut origin story, and that of those huts known around the planet, Salleh and Tucker are interested in how such immediately recognisable structures have lived on in new guises in the US once the brand left plenty of those buildings. Be it a Texan karaoke bar, a LGBTQIA+ church in Florida or a cannabis dispensary in Colorado, what made-over former Pizza Huts say about the pursuit of the American dream today is also as pivotal to their documentary as dough is to the world's most-beloved Italian dish. The pair boast a tried-and-tested approach, as their first two feature-length films also capitalised upon. Take one thing — barbecue cooking, canines, ex-Pizza Huts — then dive deep, building a portrait of what humanity's interaction with said subject explains about the world, people in general and/or a specific country. All three titles have also enjoyed a relationship with SXSW. Barbecue premiered at SXSW Austin in 2017, and was picked up by Netflix as a result. Then, We Don't Deserve Dogs was selected for the pandemic-affected US event in 2020. Now, after being one of the first films announced for this year's lineup, Slice of Life will bow at SXSW Sydney's second year. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) If there's a spark of familiarity to Salleh and Tucker's latest concept, that's because the Used to Be a Pizza Hut blog has also been operating in this territory. It was a helpful resource for them, with its founder Mike Neilson among their interviewees. Wondering if the duo ever thought of expanding their remit beyond US Pizza Huts, as the site covers? They've dubbed their American focus "geographical discipline". Explains Salleh: "this is our documentary version of the great American road movie, I guess. We were tempted to to make this thing global, but then we knew we'd be probably making it for the next 20 years." Adds Tucker: "we really could, they built these things all over the place." What does having SXSW's support mean to the pair? "It's amazing. As an independent filmmaker, it's really, really tough to even get into a festival, so to do it with SXSW now three times is pretty special," says Tucker. "We're basically independent DIY, and so to be able to go to a festival that also has a little bit of a market and business side to it as well, and tries to bring those elements together is, I guess, what we try to do on a daily basis — bringing together the business of what we do and the creativity of what we do. So it's been a good fit over the years," advises Salleh. When you hone in on a specific topic per documentary, where does inspiration come from? Also, how do you know that you're onto a winner of an idea, and then get your subjects onboard? From the way that they handle to on-the-road projects to finding their former Pizza Huts and what they learned about America while making Slice of Life, we chatted through the details with Salleh and Tucker. On Where Salleh and Tucker Find Inspiration Rose: "I guess you could say we're just chronic people-watchers, and we're just interested in things that people get passionate about. So with Barbecue, that one's a fairly obvious one: people get really fired up about cooking and gathering with their family. There's a little bit of patriotism involved in that as well — everyone thinks they have the best barbecue — so it's a thing that gets people talking and gets people passionate. And similarly with dogs. People love their dogs and that's a global phenomenon." Matthew: "We have a scribble board of hundreds of ideas, and it's a survival of the fittest. It's when we can see that an idea will play out in a in a whole film, rather than be a short or something like that. I often say there's a taxi or Uber driver test, where an Uber driver will ask what you do for a living and you explain the film you're making, and they go 'ohh you have to go interview my best friend' — or if they know someone or if they can tell their passionate story. It was a similar thing with this new film, we would talk about it with people and they go 'ohh back in my town, the old Pizza Hut used to be ...'. There was either nostalgic remembrance of what it used to be or 'ohh now it's a mattress store', 'now it's a Hertz car rental' or any sort of interesting thing. So it seems to have really gotten people interested in talking passionately. And it's interesting as well, because there's a lot going around at the moment with people re-examining pop culture nostalgia and stuff like that. But then it just presented this amazing opportunity for us where we were actually able to go 'well, here's something pop culture and nostalgic, but it still exists in this strange way now'. So it was a way that we could combine the nostalgic memories of old Pizza Huts with this entrepreneurial spirit of people starting up businesses potentially in buildings they never thought they would, but making it work somehow." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Rose: "There's this idea of community that flows through these buildings. So when they're a Pizza Hut, they're a community hub. And it would be a really big deal if your small town got a Pizza Hut. It was a big, big deal. Then when they close down, that hub goes away. But now they're sprouting up again in these second, third, fourth, fifth lives, and those places are now similarly hubs for the community. They're the places that we were really focusing on trying to find — those places that still are that gathering point, or that third place that that people are drawn to and want to spend time with people in." Matthew: "And in a world where those sort of places are dying away, making this film coming out of the pandemic, where we had to eliminate that third place, those gathering places in the community‚ and even the fact that a lot of these businesses survived through some of those tougher times so that they can flourish now — that was very much part of our mind when we were making this. It's places where people can just get together, whether it's a church or whether it's a restaurant …" Rose: "Or a karaoke bar." Matthew: "… and just be part of their community." On Finding Slice of Life's Old Pizza Huts in Small Towns Across America Where Having the Chain in Town Was Originally a Source of Pride Rose: "We were actively seeking small towns. The most-rural town we visited is Walsenburg, Colorado — and that is in the middle of the country, small town, and it was a big deal. From memory, I think that the only other fast food they currently have is a Subway." Matthew: "Much less romantic." Rose: "But it was a huge deal to get this big building, this big Pizza Hut, that was right on the edge of town — it was a massive deal. And it was where all the sports teams would go on the weekend after finishing their game, it's where kids would go after their prom for their after party. Like, this was the place." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Matthew: "And I think it was this idea that the town over didn't get the Pizza Hut — we got the Pizza Hut. We're all very hip and cosmopolitan now, we might almost chuckle a little at a chain store having meaning, something important to a community — but back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, when towns, especially towns across America, were trying to grow and trying to be something, these were the test of having made it, as it were. So that seemed to be a big part of it. And then there's also a practical consideration, because we basically had to become world experts in these old Pizza Hut buildings — and they survive more in small towns, because I think the ones that were in big cities have just gotten levelled with the passage of time." Rose: "Or they were never built in the first place. This is a building that worked in suburbia and out on the highways. I don't think there were any traditional Pizza Hut buildings built within New York City, where we live at the moment. So you're not going to find one here. But you go out a little bit, you go down into Long Island, suddenly they start popping up." On Salleh and Tucker's Two-Person Approach to Filmmaking Matthew: "The main thing is the incredibly small footprint. It's basically just myself and Rose, and we do pretty much the whole movie. So I direct and Rose produces. I do the shoot. I do the cinematography. Rose does the sound. We both edit it. We do a surround-sound mix and picture work on the film in our one bedroom apartment." Rose: "In the room we're sitting at now." Matthew: "We just basically do the whole film from a technical point of view by ourselves. And, one, it makes it cheaper and more versatile — but the most-important thing is that versatility in that we don't need to have bosses that we get approval from when we come up with an idea, and we can just stay in a place until we get the story, and we can move around and be this very intimate film crew. When we film, it's not this giant truck with 20 people turning up. It's me and Rose and a backpack. And that familiarity that people have with us it just gives a gives our film something else, I hope." On How Having Such a Small Filmmaking Footprint Helps Get Subjects Onboard Rose: "We love the intimacy that we can create with it just being the two of us. The fact that we're a couple as well, I think a lot of the people we're working with, a lot of people running these businesses are little husband wife teams as well. So there's definitely a connection that we just have. We run our own business. We understand the challenges of running a small business, and we like to think we're quite entrepreneurial as well. I think we have a lot in common with the people who we are filming with." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Matthew: "When you run your own business, when you want to be sustainable and have your arts career that works as a business, you have to know as much about cinematography as you do about filing tax returns. We met with a lot of people that had a passionate thing they wanted. I think instantly of Ed running Big Ed's BBQ, who had this passion for barbecue and then instantly realised he was in over his head — and that very much resonated with me as a person that got way in over my head when I decided to start a film company however many years ago. That part of the storytelling also reminds me of my dad, who started his own business after working in government for many years. I think everyone that knows someone that's an entrepreneur, a sort of self-starter, it's a sort of crazy type of person. It was a lot of fun to hear those stories." Rose: "But we definitely had to win people over. And we'd always have a few conversations over the phone before we turn up with cameras and really explain what we were trying to do. I think particularly in this day and age, people can be a little hesitant with documentary, like 'ohh, are you making fun of me or is this a hit piece?'. And we would have to assure people that was not the case." Matthew: "Something we weren't sure about: people operate their businesses and lives out of these former Pizza Huts, and it's kind of a humorous concept. I'm like 'do they think it's humorous as well?'. And they certainly did. I remember our first phone call with everybody from the church in Boynton Beach that we filmed, and the first thing they wanted to tell us is that they'd given themselves a nickname of the Church of the Pepperoni. They think it's very funny as well. There's something about that sense of humour, it's a little wry smile when they know that they run out of an old Pizza Hut. But then you go beneath that and you go look through the window, effectively, and there's these amazing lives, and these really powerful and interesting people. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) I would say that with a lot of pop culture and nostalgia, people try to remember the old thing. But for us to be able to actually go into those buildings, it was fascinating that you have a really diverse set of people — and America's an incredibly diverse country — and all of these people had one thing in common: the floor plan of their businesses were exactly the same. And it was kind of odd. A few months into filming, we'd be walking into like the fifth Pizza Hut and there'd be this weird déjà vu that would kick in — and I'd be like 'ohh, in Colorado, they put the door over that side, but I see you guys put it over here'. And there's this one bit where some of the old Pizza Huts, they always leak in the same spot — and they all go 'oh yeah, the leak'. Maybe there's something comforting in knowing that people around the world might have a common experience with you, even though you will never meet them. So that was very powerful for us." On the Research Process and Criteria for Picking the Former Pizza Huts Featured Matthew: "There were a couple that we'd heard about. You start Googling, and lots of people have documented a lot of these old buildings. But only the building. It was hard to know anything more about it. So we'd start with that process — it just started with conversations." Rose: "I would dive in and take a look at a business. You can tell a lot from their social media and things like that. You can tell when a place is a community hub, and they were the places we were looking for. And honestly, I would just shoot them a message or an email, and get on the phone and chat. I remember we called the owner of the Bud Hut in Colorado, and we talked to her for I think two hours. She was just so clearly so passionate and cared so much about her community, and we were like, 'well, that's an instant yes'." Matthew: "This is something that we've always believed as a core part of the films we make, that everyone's got an interesting story to tell. So in a way, I wasn't even really worried, because I'm like 'well, everyone's got an interesting story to tell'. Our job is to listen and find those stories. We try not to have too many preconceptions. We had ideas — as soon as we heard that there was a church down in Florida, we're like 'well that sounds amazing'. So there's ones like that. One of the interesting ones was Taco Jesús, a Taco restaurant in in Lynchburg, Virgina — not necessarily a place known for its Mexican cuisine. But funnily, that restaurant didn't even exist when we started shooting the movie. We only shot that a few months ago because we were looking back over some notes, and one of them was something that was closed down." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Rose: "I have a list of addresses and every few months I would sweep through them just to see if a new place had popped up. I was looking at this place in Lynchburg, Virginia, which, after it was a Pizza Hut, it was a another pizza restaurant — and I noticed they were permanently closed. And I was like 'that's interesting, I wonder who's going in there?'. I did a little online research and realised it was going to be this brand-new taco restaurant, and it looked beautiful." Matthew: "I think we saw a story that Jesús and his father-in-law were running it together, and I'm like 'there's a story that'. Then just your journalistic instincts kick in and you go 'oh, there's something interesting there'. I think, to be honest, as we spoke to people, it confirmed more than anything that all these are really fascinating stories that we have to capture." Rose: "There'll always be a few on the wishlist that we didn't get to, mainly just because we felt like we had a complete film. But there's always be the long list of places that maybe we could have visited — like there is a funeral home in Texas which would have been pretty interesting." Matthew: "There's actually two." Rose: "We could've kept filming forever." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Matthew: "It's interesting when we talk about when you're completely independent and you've got to do it yourself, how do you get started — but how do you finish? That's almost as much the challenging question and it's usually, with us, through exhaustion. Usually it's desperately editing into the night. I remember with We Don't Deserve Dogs and a little bit with this film, you just stop eventually and go 'I think the movie is finished'. And you almost don't want to admit it's finished, because then you've got to work out what to do next. You've got to distribute and market the film, and all the rest of it. But this one was definitely one where we had a lot of the film down, and then we took a bit of a break. Then we went and filmed with Taco Jesús, and we just slotted that in." Rose: "It was the missing thing." Matthew: "It was the different side of the story that brought it all together. So it's nice, it's been a lot of fun, because at the moment we're doing all the technical stuff, the sound and the music and all of that, and it's really lovely to be able polish up this thing that we've been putting together for a few years now." On What You Learn About the US Today on a Cross-Country Road Trip That Examines How an Incredibly Nostalgic Symbol Has Been Reborn Rose: "I think we managed to capture a pretty hopeful version of humanity. I'd like to think that. I think you realise that if you watch the news a lot …" Matthew: "Which we all do." Rose: "… which everybody does, there's maybe an impression of America and what middle America is like, and I think we wanted to challenge that expectation a little bit. There definitely are, I think, more good people than bad everywhere we went. We were met with open arms in communities of all shapes and sizes and political persuasions." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Matthew: "And we're just a bunch of hipsters from New York, so they should be very guarded. But no, to be serious, I think it's this thing where we came in to listen and hear their story, and so we didn't come in with this ulterior motive of 'we want to set up the story'. That's been a really important thing about the films we do. We film with multiple subjects, multiple locations and people, and we don't have this scribbled-out script that we want to fit. We go where the story takes us. If the story revealed a much angrier America, then we would have gone 'okay, well, what is that story?'. But for us, everyone was quite hopeful, quite proud — quite proud of being American, quite proud of their entrepreneurial side — which, by focusing just on that, was really interesting. We had this criteria for this movie: we want to meet people from all across America, but they have to be operating out of an old Pizza Hut restaurant. That limits you a little bit, and yet we found such diversity, such different people, different opinions, different lives, different stories. So it was nice, even with such limitations on your sample size, you can still find a very diverse America." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Rose: "I think Mark from the Yupp's Karaoke in Fort Worth, Texas, puts it best: 'our diversity is our strength'. And this is coming from a bartender in Fort Worth, Texas. It's pretty beautiful stuff. " Matthew: "I must admit that Yupp's Karaoke Bar was a lot of fun to film." Rose: "It was raging on a Tuesday night. It was just packed. And from what I understand, they now have lines on Saturdays — you can't get in. They are going absolute gangbusters." Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts. premieres at SXSW Sydney 2024, which runs from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details.
If pub grub with a touch of class is your jam, then the QA Hotel is the place for you. Good steak? Check. Plenty of beers on tap? Check. Pool tables for those lazy Sunday afternoon sessions? Check. The QA - short for Queens Arms - is a classic sprawling Australian public house on James Street, Fortitude Valley. Though it may appear slightly out of place in between the boutique fashion houses and trendy cocktail bars, a major renovation several years ago has given this hotel the polish it needs to live up to its fashionable location. Beer drinkers will rejoice at the 17 brews available on tap, including Stone & Wood, James Squire 150 Lashes, Pure Blonde and Asahi as well as all the classic favourites. A wide range of wine, cider, spirits and cocktails is also on the menu. In the restaurant, the food is a level above your standard pub fare. Try the QA signature oven baked crab lasagne with laksa carbonara sauce for an unexpected but delicious twist on the Italian classic. Other pasta options on offer are ragu Bolognese and seafood marinara, while the Char Grill menu includes steaks, chicken and market fish of the day. If you're after something slightly smaller or a little cheaper, look for the specials board or check out the 'Fingers and Forks' bar menu for a range of snacks, pizzas and and pub meals all coming in under the $20 mark. Facilities are available to accomodate all sorts of functions, ranging from board meetings to parties for over 100 people. There are also regular events, including trivia nights and degustation dinners, and weekly food and drink specials. The QA Hotel has all the charm and authenticity of a classic pub with that extra inner-city shine. Images: Grace Smith.
It could've been stickier than a marmalade sandwich. After directing the first two Paddington movies so delightfully, and either writing or co-writing both 2014's Paddington and 2017's Paddington 2 as well, filmmaker Paul King opted to dance with another beloved pop-culture character instead of making a third date with a certain adored Peruvian-in-Britain bear. Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), as the chocolatier, was also a gem. With Dougal Wilson making his feature helming debut, Paddington in Peru has turned out charmingly as well. Wilson has been behind the lens for decades on music videos, short films and advertisements. If you've seen the clips for 'Fit But You Know It' by The Streets, 'Take Me Back to Your House' by Basement Jaxx, Dizzee Rascal's 'Dream', Jarvis Cocker's 'Don't Let Him Waste Your Time', 'Psyche' by Massive Attack, Goldfrapp's 'Happiness' and 'Life in Technicolor II' from Coldplay — among other vids — then you've seen his work. He's received Grammy, MTV Europe Music Awards and UK Music Video Awards nominations for his efforts, but taking over a big bear hug of a cinema franchise that's adored by audiences of all ages (and, in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, by the one and only Nicolas Cage) is quite a task. Was it daunting? How did Wilson approach it, knowing how much viewers have warmed to all things Paddington on the silver screen over the last decade — and knowing, of course, the character's history on the page, where the Michael Bond-created critter first popped up in 1958, too? "You try not to make the pressure make you have a nervous breakdown, really," he tells Concrete Playground with a laugh. While he was new to the series, he was "surrounded by a very good team who all worked on the previous films", which assisted. "I had the same cinematographer, Erik Wilson [who also lensed Better Man], as the first two films. Same producer, Rosie Alison [Wonka], who is fantastic. Mark Burton [an Aardman Animations veteran, including Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl] was one of the writers who worked on the first two films. And James and Jon, two of the other writers, Jon Foster and James Lamont [the creators of animated series The Adventures of Paddington], they'd also contributed to some of the writers' rooms on the first two films. Then I had the director of animation Pablo Grillo [The Little Mermaid], who was a huge part the first two films." "So I had a really good team to help me, who could, if not reassure me — because it's not something you should be reassuring yourself, but it's hard to work on that, and you just have to chip away and keep working and craft it as best you can — but they had been there before, so they were a great team to work with," Wilson continues. For the franchise's third instalment, Wilson, his veteran Paddington colleagues, plus a cast still led by Ben Whishaw (Black Doves) turning in a lovely and lively vocal performance, all have new terrain to traverse. Although Paddington hails from Peru, he's one of London's most-famous animal residents, and so the first two movies largely set their narratives in the UK. With a roster of actors that's added Emily Mortimer (The New Look) as Mrs Brown, taking over from Sally Hawkins (The Lost King) in the first two pictures, and also enlisted Olivia Colman (Wicked Little Letters) as the singing Reverend Mother at the Home for Retired Bears and Antonio Banderas (Babygirl) as riverboat captain Hunter Cabot, the third film unfurls as an adventure in the South American jungle. Paddington and the Browns (including The Agency's Hugh Bonneville, Houdini and Doyle's Samuel Joslin and Man Down's Madeleine Harris) arrive to visit Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget), then find themselves searching for her — and El Dorado. The job for Wilson, then, wasn't just stepping into a heartwarming saga that King had established and then furthered so wonderfully — it was also upping the stakes, playing with a new location, taking inspiration from Buster Keaton and Werner Herzog, and more. We also chatted with the filmmaker about how he came to make his feature directorial debut with a Paddington flick, what excited him most about the job, balancing the slapstick and emotionally resonant elements of the movie (and others), the importance of Whishaw's voicework, the cast's new big names, how his music-video background assisted and more. On How Wilson Came to Make His Feature Directorial Debut with a Paddington Movie "Well, I was quite happy doing short things. They're great fun and they're very distracting. I had made various attempts to start on a longer-form thing, but I'd always haver about whether I got the story right or get paranoid that it wasn't. And then another short thing would come along and it would be more of a delay before the long thing ever got made. But I was working on another thing — a much-smaller long thing. Then this opportunity came up and I thought 'well, unlike other attempts I was making with features, I knew this would definitely happen' — because they really wanted to make a third film. And while it wasn't what I anticipated the first thing I would maybe try to do in long-form, I realised it was a great opportunity, and as did lots of my friends. They said 'oh, it's Paddington, you've got to do that'. Also I really admired what Paul had done on the first two films. Paul was off doing Wonka, so wasn't going to do the third one. And I really admired the style. I thought the way he told those stories, the way he coordinated the world and created the character Paddington himself, and the tone of the scriptwriting was so good. And that the humour was great. It had this lovely, quite unique modern-British comedic sense. And, despite being a family franchise, he'd really made it quite smart, and you could be any age to enjoy it. So I admired all these things and I thought 'well, I should probably take this opportunity'. But I was really scared because the first two films are really cherished and really good — and very well done. And I was under no illusion that this would be easy. We had to work on the script quite a lot with the writers as well, and develop that. And then it's a real technical challenge — and we were taking Paddington out of the environment in the first two films and taking him somewhere completely new, where he'd only been fleetingly in the first two films. So yeah, it was terrifying. But I felt I had to try." On What Excited Wilson the Most About Diving Into Paddington's World "I find the first two films really funny, but also quite emotionally powerful, and I was excited to try — I guess, as well as being terrified, I was excited to try to create something that if it was at least half as good as those two films, then I felt like I would have been really happy. So that was exciting knowing that we were aspiring to make something that could be good. Specifically, I was very excited by the mixed-media approach that Paul had started in the first two films. Using animation for some parts, I loved that in my short-form work. I was really excited about how intricately and brilliantly the action sequences were done in the first two films. I was keen to get my teeth into the slapstick sequences in this film. I was very excited by the approach to the design of the cinematography and the heightened style which we were going to try to continue. It's challenging because we were in London, and London is a big character in those first two films. And it does really, the locations and buildings in London really contribute to the style. But we are obviously in a natural environment in Peru. So it was a challenge, but I was also excited to try to continue the style of the first two films in an environment that was novel to them. We tried to that by setting it within an Incan labyrinth that sort of became our stand-in for how the National History Museum works in the first film, or Hunter's riverboat becomes the same as the train in the second film. It was just trying to find proscenium arches for certain scenes that continued he style of the first two films in a way that was as fun and as intricate as they did." On the Juggling Required to Make a Warmhearted, Globe-Crossing, Treasure-Hunting Mystery Adventure That's Also About Identity, Acceptance and Kindness "If you don't have both, then it will feel quite one-dimensional. So while Paddington will always mess things up or get himself in quite serious spots of bother, it's all because he means well and it's all because he's trying to do the right thing. So that does guide you in the script-development process. Also, we were completing the circle of the trilogy, which was basically the story of an immigrant who's looking for a home, who's trying to find their home — and then in the second film, someone who becomes part of a wider community but loses that place and has to fight to get it again, and in doing so finds out finds out a bit more about himself. And in the third film, it's about the experience of an immigrant who has to ask themselves where their home really is and what home means. So there was a deeper theme lying behind all the fun and the action, and we had to bear that in mind the whole time. And it obviously comes into focus towards the end of the film where Paddington finds out something about how he ended up in that river in Paddington 2 and where he might really be from. So there was always the undercurrent of that guiding us, and Paddington's outlook on life guides us. Even in the smallest details, like there's a scene where he tries to drive the boat and ends up — spoiler alert — ends up sinking the boat by accident, and that's all just because he wants to help. He wants to do the right thing. And so it often steers you, his outlook on life. It's not gags for the sake of gags. It's gags because he's trying to do the right thing at that moment." On the Scene in Paddington in Peru, Amid the Film's Many Visually Imaginative Sequences, That Wilson Is Most Pleased About "There's a few, but the one I thought was very ambitious but hopefully we carried it off was the finale chase at the end of act three — where Paddington's being pursued by the character Hunter, played by Antonio Banderas, around an Incan labyrinth by an Incan citadel, which is very inspired by Machu Picchu. During the research and location-scouting phase of the project, I went to South America for two months and I saw a lot of Incan architecture. And I went to Machu Picchu twice and explored those ruins, and I realised that would be a great place for a chase and for all sorts of interesting physical comedic moments to develop. In the same way as Paul drew on Chaplin in Paddington 2, I'm an enormous fan of Buster Keaton, and we worked in some Buster Keaton — there's a literal homage to the famous moment where the wall falls on Buster Keaton in Steamboat Bill, Jr within this chase. Then there's references to Raiders of the Lost of the Ark. There's nods to Aguirre, Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo. But that particular chase around the Incan ruins, that was really fun to do because we had to work out a sequence of comedic moments within a chase that we could then apply to an Incan citadel, and it just felt like a very good expression and condensation of the idea of Paddington in Peru. It's like, let's take Peru and put Paddington inside and hopefully fun will ensue." On Not Really Needing to Guide Ben Whishaw's Vocal Performance — or Imelda Staunton's as Aunt Lucy "They're somewhat old hands at this now, because they've both done two films already. And they're also just brilliant actors. So I often don't really have to tell them really much to do. I just, we get the first few performances, we might develop it, get some options — because sometimes you also don't quite know in the recording session with them exactly what will feel right within the edit, until you get the recordings back to the edit suites and then play those performances off against the other cast or the particular cut you have. But no, they really inhabit those characters. Ben is the heart and soul of Paddington. And when you hear his voice — because we didn't have his voice right at the start, we started just with scratch dialogue. You do a read-through with stand-ins. And often in the edit, it's sometimes my voice doing Paddington's voice, just because we needed Paddington to say something in particular we don't happen to have as a recording. So in the later stages of the edit, we start doing the voice sessions with Ben and with Imelda, and then those voices go in. And also, you don't have Paddington's animation to begin with. You just might have some — again, sometimes it's my incredibly crude drawings, which my editor Úna Ní Dhonghaíle [Young Woman and the Sea] had to up with. She had to do chase sequences where it's just this frozen awful drawing of Paddington. But then when you put Ben's voice on it, somehow it absolutely comes alive and the emotion sings through. And the same with Imelda. I think we got her voice quite late in the day and suddenly the scene just came alive when we put it on. I don't have to tell them to do very much. It's very, very easy with those actors because they are just so expert." On How Crucial Whishaw's Voice Is as Paddington, Especially Given That Colin Firth Was Initially Cast for the First Film "There's a magic to Ben's performance and it just shows you that it's very difficult to put your finger exactly on what it is that that really works when you see that animation combined with that voice. And I think it was very hard thing to predict. He wasn't originally the voice of Paddington, and it was switched during the editing of the first film, I believe — and then once you hear it, you think 'well, how could that ever have been a different choice?'. I think the fact that it maybe wasn't obvious when Paul and his team were making the first film, who Paddington's voice should be, is part of the magic of why Ben works. And it's quite hard to articulate why he works. He just has this — there's an element of wisdom to his voice, but there's also an element of childish innocence to his voice. It's a lovely, subtle, slightly contradictory combination. And there's a real intimacy to his performance. And also you really believe the character and you believe he cares. That's just something interwoven in the fabric of Ben's performance. What exactly, how exactly he does that, I don't know. That's the magic." On Adding Olivia Colman and Antonio Banderas to the Cast "We needed an amusing British nun who just felt like she was in a Paddington film. And as soon as someone mentioned Olivia Colman, we couldn't really think of anyone else, so that just seemed to click together. Then we sent her the script and asked if she wanted to do it, and within the same day we got a response: 'love to, I'm already learning the guitar'. So that was it. It was pretty simple. Antonio was equally keen on the project. We needed a charming Spanish riverboat captain who was quite swashbuckling, and of course your mind immediately turns to Antonio Banderas. So they just seemed the right, obvious choices for two archetypal roles. And luckily, they were very, very into it." On the Sense of Responsibility That Comes with Making a Heartwarming, Joyous Film That Offers Viewers an Escape — But Also Have Some Darkness in It "It's a big responsibility. And it's lovely to see the reactions of people who've seen the film and have found joy in it and found their spirits lifted by it. That's a wonderful thing to do. Obviously they're joyful, but you have to have the dark moments as well in order for the joy to work. And also you can't slap the joy on in too saccharine a manner, otherwise they won't feel authentic. But yes, they have a very positive outlook on the world and that all just emanates from Paddington's character, which he has an optimistic view of the world. He always looks for the good in people, and he always believes that if we are kind and polite, the world will be right. So the joy from the films, I think it all emanates from Paddington's worldview and his ability to change people. He often doesn't change that much himself, but he can change other people for the better. He'll find the good in people and change them." On Why the Paddington Films Have Struck Such a Chord with Audiences "I think basically because Paul got it right. He managed to get the character right, managed to get the tone of the humour right and managed to get the execution right. It could have been done differently, but it was just very, very smartly done. And again, you mentioned Ben Whishaw — Ben Whishaw just inhabits Paddington. And then the animation, the director of animation on all the films has been a brilliant guy called Pablo Grillo, and the combination of the way Paddington is designed and moves and animates and emotes with Ben's voice is just something, there's something magical there, and it was to the credit of all the team on the first two films that they just managed to make that resonate. So, I can't take the credit for that myself. I think that's just something that I inherited and I did my best to continue." On How Wilson's Background in Music Videos Helped with Directing His First Feature "That format of filmmaking, short-form, especially short-form set to music, is — well, the way I've done it, is there's a lot of attention to detail because you only get a short amount of time to show stuff. I also try to put stories into these pieces of videos. And I love it when the pieces are as packed as possible and as intricate as possible. So I really enjoyed applying that to the sequences in Paddington. I also thought, for the first two films, they do feel very carefully crafted and every moment seems to count. So it didn't seem too different a style for this film. Although, story is king and the story comes from the script, so I very much had to respect the scenes where the actors have to deliver a story — but I love trying to entwine that with style and design, and how it was directed and how the shots slotted together. Then it really came into its own when I was doing an action sequence or a slapstick sequence, or even a musical sequence, obviously when the Reverend Mother sings a song. So it really helped, but it was also a good new experience to do long scenes with actors performing and delivering great performances. That was maybe something that I hadn't experienced as much when I did short-form of stuff, but I really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed attacking that sort of scene as well." Paddington in Peru released in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.
When the FIFA Women's World Cup arrived in Australia in 2023, anyone in Brisbane who didn't score a ticket to the local games was able to watch along on the big screen at South Bank. When both Brisbane Lions teams — the men and the women — made their respective 2023 AFL grand finals, the inner-city site also broadcast the action. Next up: checking out both the Olympics and Paralympics, with the South Brisbane precinct again turning into a viewing site for the Paris 2024 games. South Bank's cultural forecourt in front of QPAC — and next to the BRISBANE sign — will turn into a sports-watching hub from Saturday, July 27–Monday, August 12 for the Olympics, then from Thursday, August 29–Monday, September 9 for the Paralympics. Across both periods, attendees will be able to catch the games from 6am–midnight daily, featuring a mix of both live broadcasts and replays. [caption id="attachment_801246" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Department for Culture Media and Sport, Wikimedia Commons[/caption] As well as cheering on the competing athletes — including the Matildas — Brisbanites will be able to make the most of pop-ups such as community sporting demonstrations and challenges, other entertainment, plus food trucks providing a bite to eat. Although the telecast will show 18 hours a day every day across the two periods, you'll need to head along between 4–7pm on Fridays and 11am–7pm for the activations. Expect the initial Matildas games to be among the replays, given their first three matches are all scheduled for 3am Brisbane time. First, the squad takes on Germany on Friday, July 26. Next up is Zambia on Monday, July 29, then the USA on Thursday, August 1. Not that getting into the Olympics and Paralympics spirit every four years is new in Brisbane, but 2024 sees the Queensland capital embrace the games eight years before hosting them in 2032. [caption id="attachment_956385" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tiffany Williams[/caption] South Bank Olympics and Paralympics Viewing Site Dates: Saturday, July 27–Monday, August 12 — for the Olympics Thursday, August 29–Monday, September 9 — for the Paralympics [caption id="attachment_820189" align="alignnone" width="1920"] IOC, Christophe-Moratal[/caption] [caption id="attachment_956383" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tiffany Williams[/caption] South Bank's Paris 2024 Olympics viewing site will run from Saturday, July 27–Monday, August 12, and the Paralympics viewing site from Thursday, August 29–Monday, September 9. For more details, head to the South Bank website.
Talk about a big hook: while shark movies and serial-killer films comprise their own unnerving genres, each swimming with ample must-see viewing, Dangerous Animals combines the pair into an entertaining thriller mashup. The Gold Coast-made and -set picture boasts marine predators aplenty. The real monster in the hierarchy, however, lives on land and is very much human. Indeed, in a post-Jaws world — June 2025 marks five decades since Steven Spielberg's blockbuster sparked many a permanent case of galeophobia — one of The Loved Ones and The Devil's Candy filmmaker Sean Byrne's aims with his third feature, and first in ten years, is to do justice to rather than villainise the feared toothy fish. His new antagonist: Tucker, Dangerous Animals' shark-obsessed murderer. The victim of an attack in his younger days, he's now in the cage-diving business. As viewers learn early on, tourists frequenting his boat to swim with the ocean's creatures get more than they bargained for. From Jai Courtney (American Primeval) in the part, the movie receives exactly what it needs, though: an unforgettably terrifying performance, bringing to life a figure that's charismatic from the outset, while equally unsettling from the get-go as well. Tucker charms his customers, but there's aways an edge to him. He's menacing and obsessive, and also believable and fleshed out — and a little vulnerable, too. When Dangerous Animals introduces American-in-Australia Zephyr (Hassie Harrison, Yellowstone), everyone watching knows that the dedicated surfer is bound to paddle into Tucker's orbit, even as the solo traveller is making a rare connection with local real-estate agent Moses (Josh Heuston, Heartbreak High). The screenplay by first-timer Nick Lepard obliges — but this isn't the type of film where foreseeing such a turn of events kills the tension and suspense. Although Tucker abducts Zephyr to indulge his sadistic shark-feeding ritual, she knows the true threat and isn't afraid to sink her own teeth into fighting back. An engaging big-screen experience results, as does a movie that earned a rare endorsement on its way to cinemas Down Under. At 2025's Cannes Film Festival, Dangerous Animals became the first shark film to ever grace the event's program. "To be the first shark film to be officially selected for Cannes was kind of mindblowing," Byrne tells Concrete Playground. "And to be in Directors' Fortnight as well, which traditionally is a very film-literate sidebar — but it was a great vote of confidence that, I think, the selection committee saw this as a subversion of the traditional shark film." [caption id="attachment_1009141" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Belinda Rolland © 2025.[/caption] "What I loved the most was, the Cannes experience, that was the first time that an audience had seen the finished film," Byrne continues. "So I was terrified. And because it is a very film-literate audience over there, I was thinking 'how are they going to perceive this?'. But they absolutely understood that this is just a fun, unhinged night at the movies, and really responded to that, and laughed and gasped. And we got a ten-minute standing ovation. So, yeah, it was incredibly gratifying. But to begin with I was petrified, because it was the first time that an audience had seen the finished film and on quite a big stage, so the stakes felt high." Playing Tucker, the stakes are raised for Courtney, too. It's a complex role — and one that Byrne has likened to Kathy Bates in Misery, Jack Nicholson in The Shining and Christian Bale in American Psycho. The Australian actor, making his second homegrown flick in succession after the immensely different, family-friendly Runt, hasn't shied away from playing the bad guy across his career so far. Here, the IRL true-crime fan was excited about the many layers to his Dangerous Animals part, as he adds to an on-screen resume that began two decades back in short Boys Grammar — and has spanned the likes of Jack Reacher, A Good Day to Die Hard, Terminator Genisys, the Divergent movies and two Suicide Squad entries in Hollywood. Is a willingness to get dark behind the range of antagonistic parts to Courtney's name? "I think it's just something that's started to happen. You find things that are in your wheelhouse," he advises. "And I'm not afraid of that or necessarily in search of it, either. It's just that, I guess, things that tend to be the stuff that come my way, that meet up with where my interests are, happen to be that way. But the goal for me is just to try and shake it up whenever I can. And fortunately films like Runt come along and I get to play a loving father of two, and completely depart from this world whatsoever. As long as I pepper a few of those in here and there, hopefully I'm not pigeonholed too heavily." A premise like Dangerous Animals' is a rarity, no matter how common both shark and serial-killer fare are separately. Yes, for both Byrne and Courtney, that's a drawcard. Respecting the film's sea-dwelling creatures, complete with using real animal footage as much as possible, was another key element for its director. So was the fact that this is as much a movie about the importance of love, and the power that someone believing in you can give. For its star, Tucker's dance sequence to Steve Wright's 'Evie' wasn't a motivating factor — but it's one of the film's most-memorable moments in a flick filled with them. We also chatted with Byrne and Courtney about the above, unpacking Australian larrikins and ideas around Aussie masculinity, how starring in a shark picture leaves you feeling about them and their career journeys as well, among other subjects. On the First Reaction When a Horror Movie About a Shark-Obsessed Serial Killer Stalking the Gold Coast — and About Man Being the Real Monster, Too — Comes Your Way Jai: "I think I read something that felt really original. It was a great story and had really strong characters at the centre of it, which is a sort of immediate way in — because I think with something like this, you get a loose logline before you're about to crack it open and it's like 'okay, it could go either way'. But Nick Lepard, who wrote our script, had really done a lot of work in giving these characters maybe a bit more depth than you'd come to expect from a film of this nature. And I think that's what made it a bit of a unique experience, and certainly made it appealing to me to want to get involved with. I think Tucker, he's so much more than the shark-obsessed serial killer. And we don't get to explore tons of his backstory, but there is a lot of colour to him, and I think seeing a chance to bring all that to life with this undertone of his morally ambiguous intentions was what really attracted me to it. And then, just speaking to Sean and kind of getting on common ground as far as what we thought was necessary for him. I didn't want this character to feel like a broad-strokes-washed-over-evil-intentions guy. If that was the movie he was trying to make, I don't think I would have been there. But I think we both wanted him to feel like there was a sort of deception there. And it had to feel fun. I wanted it to feel familiar and uniquely Australian, but also the genre speaks to the world, and we play into all the classic tropes that you might expect. It also does a good job of not taking yourself too seriously. There's a few winks to the audience in this film, where I think if you get onboard — it's why it's so important to see it with an audience, too, I really believe, because there's an energy to it that when you're sharing the space with others who are on the same ride, it becomes really palpable." Sean: "I tend to write my own scripts, much to the frustration of my agent and manager. And then this crossed my desk, and immediately I was just struck by the high-concept of serial killer film meets shark film. And I thought 'why hasn't anyone done this?', especially when you had the fact that this is the first shark film where the sharks aren't really the antagonist — man is. So I felt like Nick Lepard had actually kind of cracked the code. Because, Jaws masterpiece though it is, has done such a disservice to the sharks, where the same formula has been followed over and over again to the point that sharks are beginning to become an endangered species — because it was so culturally seismic. And so to get this shark film that was unlike any other shark film, but also had a conservation angle — but on top of that, was just a wild, fun night at the movies — it was just irresistible.' On Exploring Tucker's Layers — Including His Childhood Shark Attack and the Physical Scars It Left, Plus the Trauma, Vulnerability and Emotional Damage — All While He Remains a Shark-Obsessed Serial Killer Jai: "You just have to find the quiet moments and allow them to be there without trying to sell it too hard. The camera is an interesting thing, because it sees things that are saved for the audience for later. It's not like on set — you can't kind of like sell it all for the people that are in the room. And I think Tucker, there's an opportunity with him sometimes — where even just his response to certain comments made by Zephyr, or questions he's asked by Heather [Ella Newton, Girl at the Window] in the start of the film, there's things that can be quite potent. I just wanted to find opportunities with him to reveal a bit of his tenderness. And I think that's the thing that, for me, was like the gateway into figuring out who he was — is like this wound. We don't get to hear a lot about it in the film. There's one moment that sort of touches on it. But there's a bit of arrested development. He's stuck in a place where he was abandoned as a kid, and this somewhat otherworldly encounter touched him, and that's by way of being victim of an attack. But it almost made him feel chosen in a way. And so a lot of that is really just figuring out the path for yourself, where you're going 'alright, here's this bloke who's got this gaping wound in him, this trauma, but feels this immense connection to the animal'. All of that is just sort of say that he's found a crusade for himself that feels real. And it might be misguided, but he has a true belief in it. And so there you have the building blocks of who he might be, and then the fun part is stacking on the colourful bits on top. Even just costume and makeup and finding his look, finding the shape of his body — I mean, that for me, it's all part of building who Tucker is, and I wanted him to feel like a real salty, kind of born-out-of-the-marina, familiar Australian figure." On Courtney's Chance to Turn in a Horror Performance That Aims to Be as Memorable as Kathy Bates in Misery and Jack Nicholson in The Shining Jai: "Oh no, I didn't really approach it with any of that in mind. I just approached it with a goal to just do something that was dynamic and big, and get to explore all the corners of this human, really. And I think Sean and I were onboard with each other, and there was an immediate trust. And I think he let me — I was kind of like 'you help me with the temperature, and the volume of where we're pulling moments up and down and in and out, and I'll take care of sending it as hard as I think it needs to'. I mean, the material is there. But that stuff is a blueprint, it's not prescriptive. Every actor is going to come and do that with their own instincts. I saw a version of it in my head when I first read it, and I felt like that was the version that would work for the film. And fortunately I was given the chance to do it, and I'm proud with what we came up with." Sean: "I think any kind of horror film that stands the test of time, the antagonist haunts the audience's nightmares well after they've left the cinema. But I wanted it to be a great time as well. You think of Hannibal Lecter, and as disturbing as he is, he's fun. And Kathy Bates in particular, that character is just so wonderfully goofy, and she doesn't swear. And there's a certain theatricality to antagonists in commercial horror films, and we really wanted to aim for that and keep it fun. But also, the great thing about Jai is he's such a great character actor. I knew he would bring emotional nuance to the character where it was required — and capture the broken child inside the man, and point to this shark attack that he'd had as a child and capture all that. But also, he was also Captain Boomerang. He's got this wild charisma that reminded me of kind of Eric Bana in Chopper. And that's how the spider catches the fly, with charisma and letting tourists, they let their guard down. And finally, he's physically really intimidating and genuine — he could kill you with one punch. So I just thought combining the charisma with the kind of character actor that he is and the physical intimidation would be a really electric mix, to the point that I thought that this was the role that he was born to play. And so I was so thankful that we got him." On What Goes Into a Good Dance Sequence for Courtney, Given That He's in Quite the Unforgettable One in Dangerous Animals Jai: "God, I couldn't even tell you. I was daunted by that whole thing, because I'm by no means a dancer and it should never be filmed when I'm dancing. But we knew what it wanted to feel like. It's completely unchoreographed and just improvised. Tucker's kind of having this wrap party for his own little film that he's made, and it's a private look at this person in a light that we don't really get to spend a lot of time with them outside of that moment in the film. That needle drop of 'Evie' was written into the script. I know that song very well. I could already see it and hear and feel it. And I didn't plan any of it. I just had to go in, get in that mindset that he's in that night and just go for it. I think we did it in two takes. We did one, and we just ran it again from a different angle, and it was just me and Shelly [Farthing-Dawe, In Vitro], our cinematographer, with a handheld camera in the space. It was kind of like 'what we get is what we get'. And fortunately it turned out to be something really fun." On Unpacking Australian Larrikins and Ideas Around Aussie Masculinity Through Tucker Sean: "I think we've all had that kind of tour-guide experience. It doesn't necessarily need to be a shark-diving boat, but we're always in the hands of the tour guide. So yeah, there was that, but also he's almost an outdated representation of the kind of masculinity or toxic masculinity that I think the film works as a Trojan horse to say that this is something that needs to be kind of defeated. And Moses, in many ways, is the anti-Tucker. But I think it's inherent in the title. It's called Dangerous Animals. He is definitely more dangerous than what's in the water. But ultimately, I think Zephyr is the most-dangerous animal — and the allegory is she needs to defeat this. This is something that needs to be defeated. His philosophy needs to be destroyed." On Whether Being a True-Crime Fan Helps When You're Portraying a Serial Killer Jai: "I think so. I think I leant on my curiosity for people that are capable of things that we can't quite understand. And yeah, I do just have a fascination with it. It's one of those things where I think it's easy to judge that and feel like for some reason you're excusing these behaviours, or we're glorifying it or whatever — but I don't know, I've just always been fascinated by how close we might get to people that are capable of these crazy things without even knowing it. And that's interesting to me. You know, you don't really know who you're sitting next to on the bus or in a pub or whatever, and for some reason that doesn't terrify me — it intrigues me. There's not a story you could tell me that's too dark. I'm kind of here for it in a strange way. So yeah, I guess it led me in a little bit. But even with Tucker, the experience of shooting it, there were moments that hit a limit. There's a night we had where Ella Newton, who plays Heather, is strung up in the harness over the open water in the middle of the night, screaming for her life — and everyone was squirming, honestly, after a few minutes. We were all kind of, the whole crew, myself included, we're just like 'can we make this stop? This is too much'. And it's a testament to her performance and what she was giving it. But yeah, when your disbelief is suspended somewhat, even as a performer, you know you're stepping into wild territory." On the Importance of This Being Not Just a Killer Shark Flick and a Serial-Killer Movie, But Also a Survivalist Thriller, Plus a Film About Love and Finding Someone Who Helps You Believe in Yourself Sean: "Oh absolutely. I'm so glad you said that, because I think that's almost a central theme — that it's about love, or the difference that love can make in a life, and what an absence of love can do to a person as well. And I think it's this collision course between these two broken people that have had to learn to survive on their own, which actually sharks do. They're birthed in the shallows, and then they're left on their own to survive. So in many ways, Zephyr and Tucker know each other better than anyone else on the planet does — in a similar way to De Niro and Pacino doing Heat. Even though they're opposites and they're trying to kill each other, it's like, well, they actually understand each other as well. I think ultimately, Zephyr uses the ocean to ease her loneliness, and she uses it in a way that's about solace — whereas Tucker takes advantage of the ocean, ultimately, and it comes back to bite him." On How Making a Film About Sharks — Even When They're Not the Villain of the Movie — Leaves You Feeling About Them Afterwards Jai: "Sharks are scary. Let's get one thing straight, right: I don't think anyone's not scared of sharks. Maybe there are people out there that have a completely different affinity with them, but I don't need to come closer than anyone should. I would love to cage dive with whites. I've been in a tank, in a cage with some sharks, but they weren't exactly maneaters, so, you know, I wasn't in fear of my life. But there's something so incredible and mythical about giant beasts that could consume humans, that I think it's rare — that's sort of a rare quality on this earth. You think of big cats and maybe bears, and other than that, there's things that will kind of poison you. But sharks are a very unique threat, and they live in a world that we really can't get too close to or understand. So I think there's always going to be this quality to that that keeps people in fear. But they're beautiful. And nature is beautiful. And it's just the nature things. There's a line in the movie about it not being the shark's fault, Tucker references his own, being the victim of his own attack, and yeah, that is the case — it isn't." On How Crucial It Was to Use Real Shark Footage, Including to Dispel the Notion That They're Villainous Creatures Sean: "I feel like shark films recently have become so reliant on CGI, just because you can have lots of them in the shot. And they tend to be super sleek and more like a video game. But since Jaws, there's been so much overfishing of sharks. And they carry scars the same way that we do. And so I wanted to present them in a kind of documentary, real light — because our scars as humans are a big part of our personality. So I wanted to depict that with the sharks and show them as the majestic creatures that they truly are. And the only way to do that is treat them with the respect and show them for real. So 80 percent of the sharks that you see are real. Everything underwater is real. It's all taken from 4K footage that our shark researcher sourced to match storyboards and photographic references. The only CG is the fins above the water, because it's pretty much impossible to cover the intricate shark blocking with real shark fins. And all the shark photography really happens underwater because no one ever captures fins. So that was a necessity. But yeah, it just felt like I hadn't seen that in a shark film for such a long time, just real sharks in their element and appreciating them in all their beauty." [caption id="attachment_804997" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Suicide Squad[/caption] On How Courtney's Franchise Experience in Everything From Die Hard and Terminator Flicks to the Divergent Series, Jack Reacher and Suicide Squad Helps on a Film Like Dangerous Animals Jai: "Filmmaking is weirdly all the same. Your experience of it might change because the budget is different, but that's really not — you're just telling different stories. It doesn't really get better or worse. Maybe some people wouldn't like to work on a film of this size and give up a few basic luxuries, but that doesn't really — having more money to spend on screen doesn't make something more fulfilling to make. Sometimes it's just the bare-bones stuff where the story is as good as it gets and the character's really well rounded out and you're working with a phenomenal director, and it can be a really contained drama, but it's just as alive to shoot because of what we do as storytellers, as people that play dress ups. And it's all make believe. It's nice to put a big costume on sometimes and jump around on huge stunt rigs, and get to be involved with epic crash sequences or whatever. It's a lot of fun. But I enjoy the intimate, small stuff just as much. I guess I'm fortunate to be able to shake it up and operate in many different spaces." On What It Means to Courtney to Be Able to Come Home and Make Films That Are as Diverse as Runt and Dangerous Animals Jai: "It's everything. I hope that never ever ends. Australia's such a great place to work. I love the crews there. I've been fortunate to be part of some really special films — and I don't think it'll ever change. As long as we keep telling stories, I'll keep wanting to be involved." On Byrne's Journey From The Loved Ones Through The Devil's Candy to Dangerous Animals Sean: "I think it's probably a perception out there that if you do something that a lot of people end up seeing and gets some kind of cult status, that there's going to be money on tap. And the unfortunate reality is if you write original films about humans hunting other humans, they're not that easy to get off the ground. That's why there's more supernatural films than there are serial-killer films, because it's easier to blame the devil. In fact, I kind of had to do that in The Devil's Candy to get the money. So I've written constantly in the years between The Loved Ones and The Devil's Candy, and The Devil's Candy and Dangerous Animals, and optioned all of my scripts. But then Hollywood is so risk-averse, that that's why they want something that can mitigate the risk and justify their decision. Hence it's got to be either IP-driven or a sequel, or kind of supernatural — and that's why I was so thrilled when this crossed my desk. I had another film that was a lower budget that actually got the money at the same time as Dangerous Animals. So after all that time, it was like an embarrassment of riches. But Dangerous Animals felt the most-commercial choice, just because it's a shark film that has a very loyal following, plus it's a serial- killer film. And I was really happy to have that safety net that I could explore the extreme nature of man, but have the loyal shark fans to hold it up." On How Courtney Sees His Path From His First Screen Acting Role Two Decades Back, Through Huge Hollywood Franchises, Comedies, Local Fare and Much In-Between Jai: "I don't know. I'm still figuring it out, I think. Just trying to stay engaged with the material that I'm choosing nowadays. I'm a big believer in it all being part of the story, and there's some elements of that that you can control and a lot you have none over. So, I don't know, man. It gets tough out there. I'm just really grateful to get to do this for a living. There's nothing else I would be doing or ever will. [caption id="attachment_884171" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaleidoscope. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.[/caption] And I really am in touch with that gratitude when I'm working. It's a real pleasure to get to do this. So I'm just trucking along, trying to keep growing as an artist — and try to hopefully do stuff that I'm thrilled to roll out of bed and get to involve myself in." Dangerous Animals opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Back in the late 90s, there was a period when every second film was a disaster film, or so it seemed. Independence Day, Daylight, twin volcano flicks Dante's Peak and Volcano, Hard Rain, duelling death-from-above movies Deep Impact and Armageddon: they all kept unleashing chaos upon the earth on the big screen. Also among them, and proving a whirlwind box-office hit: Twister. Come July 2024, that tornado-chasing picture starring Helen Hunt (Blindspotting) and Bill Paxton (The Circle) will no longer be a once-off. Cue Twisters, a sequel that arrives 28 years after the initial feature to turn it into a franchise — because everyone knows that if this followup swirls up huge audience interest, more will likely follow. Alongside Deadpool & Wolverine and Wicked: Part One, Twisters unveiled its first trailer during the 2024 Super Bowl, introducing Glen Powell's (Anyone But You) character as a "tornado wrangler" in the process. There's also twin twisters, plenty of chasing them and a whole heap of fellow familiar faces getting swept up in the action Story-wise, the film follows an ex-storm chaser played by Where the Crawdads Sing's Daisy Edgar-Jones, who has to join forces with a cavalier colleague (Powell) thanks to an intense season that sparks weather that no one has seen before. They each have teams by their side, and both end up on a path to central Oklahoma, where the bulk of the chaos looks set to converge. Also featuring on-screen: Anthony Ramos (Dumb Money), Kiernan Shipka (Totally Killer), Sasha Lane (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters), Brandon Perea (Nope), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Maura Tierney (The Iron Claw). The fact that Lee Isaac Chung is behind the lens is no small detail, either, marking the filmmaker's first feature since Minari, which nabbed him Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Check out the trailer for Twisters below: Twisters will release in cinemas Down Under on July 18, 2024.
Brisbane is already home to two mini-golf bars, multiple arcade bars, several axe-throwing bars and a digital ping pong bar — and now it boasts a huge new two-storey darts hangout, too. Usually the domain of old-school pubs, the projectile-flinging sport is the main attraction at Oche Brisbane, though it's had a thoroughly 21st-century update. Originally launching in Oslo in Norway, Oche (pronounced ockey) has opened its first Australian digs in Fortitude Valley. Lining the walls are dart boards that look exactly how you remember — but they all have an electronic component. Each board comes with dozens of games built in, so you can pick between the knockout-style Killer, high-scoring High Striker and points-accumulating 201, among other options. The boards also keep score, so there's no need for a pencil and paper (and no room for arguments). And, for unknown reasons, some of them chat to you as well. Nestled within the brick walls of the 115-year-old Old Flour Mill Building on Constance Street, Oche's darts sessions run for 85 minutes, and are designed to get patrons to do something that's definitely not common these days: put down your phone. The idea is that you'll head along with your mates, get drinking, throw a heap of darts, and forget about your emails, Insta feed, DMs and the like. (You'll probably keep picking up your phone to take and post snaps, but hey, getting folks to switch off is a noble aim). Inside the 700-square-metre, heritage-listed spot, Oche also features an outdoor terrace and two separate bars, with one dedicated to local beverages. It'll spotlight different local breweries, distillers and winemakers each month, starting with Green Beacon in December. Or, you can sip your way through the regular beer and wine list, or opt for six types of G&Ts, seven kinds of spritzes, or other cocktails that pay tribute to Brisbane. Food-wise, Ben Williamson (Gerard's Bar) has overseen the menu — with highlights including fried prawns with tom yum dust, charred lamb cutlets, Middle Eastern-style pizzas and charcuterie boards, plus four types of tacos, salt blocked cobia, mojito and limoncello gummy bear bowls, flavoured popcorn (with seasoning varieties changing daily), and mango and coconut macadamia ice creams. So you can hurl darts and eat simultaneously, everything is designed to be eaten with one hand. In fact, Oche doesn't stock cutlery. Expect to have plenty of company while you're throwing darts at boards for bragging rights — Oche can accommodate 360 people. And Oche Brisbane is just beginning of the company's Australian plans, with venues in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide in the pipeline. Find Oche Brisbane at 111 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley — open from 12pm–12am Sunday–Thursday and 12pm–2am Friday–Saturday.
Winning the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll for 2023, Mountain Culture's Status Quo Pale Ale is living up to its name. The tipple from the New South Wales brewery in the Blue Mountains was also anointed 2022's top drop. So, from that ranking to the just-announced new countdown — which was unveiled on Saturday, January 27, 2024 — the existing state of affairs has indeed been maintained. When the end of January rolls around in Australia, folks get a-counting — and brews sit alongside tunes. The nation loves working through the top 100 songs of the past year thanks to Triple J's huge annual music poll, and has for decades. And, it loves celebrating the beers that everyone is likely sipping while listening to that countdown, which is where GABS' ranking of Aussie craft beers has come in for 16 years now. This yeasty poll does for beer what the other Hottest 100 does for bangers, and it loves repeat winners. In both 2020 and 2021, Canberra's Bentspoke Brewing Co did the honours with its Crankshaft American IPA. In 2022 and 2023, that brew came in third instead. Mountain Culture also bested 2017 and 2018 winner Balter Brewing Company for the second year running, with its Balter XPA notching up second position in 2022 and 2023. And, it beat out Your Mates Brewing Co, which nabbed fourth place this year. In fifth: Bridge Road Brewers' Beechworth pale ale. The rest of the top ten includes Gage Roads Brewing Co's Single Fin Summer Ale in sixth, Coopers Brewery's Original Pale Ale in seventh and Stone & Wood Brewing Co's Pacific Ale — the winner of the 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2019 polls; 2020's second-place getter; and 2021 and 2022's fourth beer on the list — in eighth. Young Henrys sits ninth with Newtowner, while Pirate Life Brewing came in tenth with its South Coast pale ale. Mountain Culture, which is run by husband-and-wife team DJ & Harriet McCready, also placed 22nd with its Cult IPA, 41st with its Be Kind Rewind NEIPA and 46th with its Summer Pale Ale. Obviously, it made more than a little company. 2023's hottest 100 was whittled down from 436 vote-receiving breweries and 1877 of their beers. From that hefty list of contenders, 63 different breweries scored a spot on the full list of 100 brews. That covers 27 beers from NSW, 24 from Queensland and 22 from Victoria, plus 11 from Western Australia, and eight each from the ACT and South Australia. 2023's rundown saw quite the turnover in tipples, too, with 28 of 2022's top brews dropping out and being replaced in 2023's rundown. Held by GABS — or the annual festival also known as the Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular, which returns for 2023 this May and June — the countdown is a people's-choice poll decided by booze lovers around the country. If you're thinking "less background, more beer", here's what you've been waiting for: the rundown of the best beverages from the past year that just keep tempting tastebuds. Working your way through the whole 100 isn't just a great way to show your appreciation for locally made brews, either — consider it research for the 2024 countdown. GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2023: 1. Mountain Culture Beer Co — Status Quo Pale Ale 2. Balter Brewing — Balter XPA 3. BentSpoke Brewing Co — Crankshaft 4. Your Mates Brewing Co — Larry 5. Bridge Road Brewers — Beechworth Pale Ale 6. Gage Roads Brewing Co — Single Fin Summer Ale 7. Coopers Brewery — Original Pale Ale 8. Stone & Wood Brewing Co — Pacific Ale 9. Young Henrys — Newtowner 10. Pirate Life Brewing — South Coast Pale Ale 11. Philter Brewing — XPA 12. Black Hops Brewing — G.O.A.T. 13. Little Creatures — Pale Ale 14. Beerfarm — Royal Haze 15. Capital Brewing Co — Coast Ale 16. Range Brewing — Disco 17. 4 Pines Brewing Company — Pacific Ale 18. 10 Toes Brewery — Pipeline 19. The Grifter Brewing Co — Grifter Pale 20. Rocky Ridge Brewing Co — Jindong Juicy 21. Coopers Brewery — Sparkling Ale 22. Mountain Culture Beer Co — Cult IPA 23. Balter Brewing — Eazy Hazy 24. Stomping Ground Brewing Co — Gipps St Pale Ale 25. Moffat Beach Brewing Co — Passenger Pale Ale 26. Mountain Goat Beer — GOAT Very Enjoyable Beer 27. Better Beer — Better Beer Zero Carb 28. Blackflag Brewing — Rage Juicy Pale 29. Heads Of Noosa Brewing Co — Japanese Style Lager 30. Blackman's Brewery — Juicy Banger IPL 31. Green Beacon Brewing Co — Wayfarer Tropical Pale Ale 32. Heaps Normal — Quiet XPA 33. KAIJU! Beer — KRUSH! Tropical Pale Ale 34. CBCo Brewing — CBCo Pale Ale 35. Matso's Broome Brewery — Mango Beer 36. Feral Brewing Co — Biggie Juice 37. Hawkers Beer — West Coast IPA 38. Bright Brewery — Alpine Lager 39. Brick Lane Brewing Co — One Love Pale Ale 40. One Drop Brewing Co — We Jammin' 41. Mountain Culture Beer Co — Be Kind Rewind 42. Balter Brewing — Hazy 43. BentSpoke Brewing Co — Barley Griffin 44. Capital Brewing Co — Capital XPA 45. Balter Brewing — Cerveza 46. Mountain Culture Beer Co — Summer Pale Ale 47. James Squire — One Fifty Lashes 48. Your Mates Brewing Co — Sally 49. Gage Roads Brewing Co — Side Track All Day XPA 50. Little Bang Brewing Co — Sun Bear 51. Hop Nation Brewing Co — Rattenhund Classic Pilsner 52. Hiker Brewing Co — Cloudscapes 53. Bodriggy Brewing Company — Speccy Juice 54. Akasha Brewing Co — Super Chill Pacific Ale 55. Hop Nation Brewing Co — J-Juice Hazy IPA 56. Range Brewing — Lights + Music 57. Seeker Brewing — Mystic NEIPA 58. Heads Of Noosa Brewing Co — Black Japanese Lager 59. White Rabbit — Dark Ale 60. Bridge Road Brewers — Bling IPA 61. Coopers Brewery — Australian Lager 62. The Grifter Brewing Co — Serpents Kiss 63. Dainton Beer — Blood Orange NEIPA 64. Moon Dog Craft Brewery — Old Mate 65. Hawke's Brewing — Hawke's Patio Pale 66. Shout Brewing Co — Mullet Pale Ale 67. Modus Brewing — Modus Cerveza 68. Deeds Brewing — Juice Train 69. Coopers Brewery — XPA 70. Kosciuszko Brewing Co — Kosciuszko Pale Ale 71. Black Hops Brewing — East Coast Haze 72. Balter Brewing — Captain Sensible 73. 4 Pines Brewing Company — Japanese Lager 74. Stone & Wood Brewing Co — Hinterland Hazy Pale Ale 75. BentSpoke Brewing Co — Sprocket 76. Capital Brewing Co — Hang Loose Juice Hazy IPA 77. Little Creatures — Rogers 78. Sunday Road Brewing — Cryotherapy 79. Rocky Ridge Brewing Co — Rock Candy 80. Margaret River Beer Co — In the Pines 81. Big Shed Brewing Concern — Boozy Fruit 82. Blackflag Brewing — Affinity Tropical Pale 83. Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel — Three Sheets Pale Ale 84. Brouhaha Brewery — Strawberry Rhubarb Sour 85. Helios Brewing Co — Dionysus Oat Cream DIPA 86. Banks Brewing — Cake Eater 87. Coopers Brewery — Best Extra Stout 88. 4 Pines Brewing Co — Hazy Pale Ale 89. Fixation Brewing Co — Fixation IPA 90. Little Creatures — Little Hazy Lager 91. Bad Shepherd Brewing Co — Peanut Butter Porter 92. CBCo Brewing — CBCo IPA 93. Yulli's Brews — Amanda Mandarin IPA 94. Stone & Wood Brewing Co — Cloud Catcher 95. Moffat Beach Brewing Co — Moff's Summer Ale 96. Capital Brewing Co — Trail Pale Ale 97. Young Henrys — Hazy Pale Ale 98. Wolf of the Willows Brewing — Wolf PUP Hazy Pale Ale 99. Range Brewing — Dripping in Green: Citra 100. Your Mates Brewing Co — Macca For more information about the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2023, head to the GABS website.
Take a must-visit Paris art museum, an acclaimed Victorian gallery, an iconic French painter and one of the world's most influential architects, mix them all together, and Australia's latest huge exhibition is the end result. So is something unsurprisingly stunning: the world premiere of Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi at the NGV International in Melbourne. The National Gallery of Victoria's revolving door of blockbuster exhibitions shows no sign of slowing, with this exceptional meeting of creative minds gracing its halls from Friday, June 9–Sunday, October 8. When the temperature dips each year, the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series kicks in — and, as created in collaboration with the Musée d'Orsay, home to the world's largest collection of Bonnard works, this ode to Bonnard and Mahdavi is the current centrepiece. On display: more than 100 pieces by the famed French artist, but seen through a fresh lens. Helping provide that new perspective is scenography by internationally renowned architect and designer Mahdavi, in a major showcase that was originally slated to debut in 2020 before the pandemic did its thing. An icon of late 19th- and early 20th-century art, and a good mate of Henri Matisse, Bonnard is known for his colourful, textural depictions of French life, offering stylised yet subtle glimpses of intimate domestic scenes, urban backdrops and natural landscapes. Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi includes a hefty collection of the artist's own paintings, drawings, photographs, prints and other decorative objects, alongside works from his contemporaries — including Édouard Vuillard, Maurice Denis, Félix Vallotton and cinematic pioneers the Lumière brothers. Attendees can expect to step through Bonnard's early artistic days in the 1890s, highlighting his focus on Parisian street life; his evolution from there, including when he started focusing on more domestic scenes as inspired by his relationship with his companion Marthe Bonnard; and his love of landscape, especially from 1910 onwards, and as influenced by his fellow pal Claude Monet. Numerous pieces are on loan from the Musée d'Orsay, as well as other museums and private collections in Europe, Australia and the USA. The NGV's own collection also includes significant works, however, including Bonnard's 1900 painting La Sieste (Siesta). Considered one of the world's most influential architects, multi-award-winning Mahdavi has been commissioned to help bring the historic pieces to life via her scenography, tasked with creating a setting that complements Bonnard's signature use of colour and light. The results aren't just spectacular — they're dreamy. Images: Installation view of Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi, on display from June 9–October 8, 2023 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photos: Lillie Thompson.
The weather outside may be frightful, but the banter with your mates is always delightful. It's well past time to invite your favourites over for a catch-up and a tipple. Want to impress your mates with your cocktail prowess? Check out these twists on classic cocktails — an ideal way to elevate your evening in. Pick your spirit and let's get mixing. TEQUILA — TEQUILA AND CHILL Instead of the classic paloma or tequila mockingbird, surprise your guests with a sophisticated spin on both with the addition of Chambord to your tequila of choice. Ingredients - 45ml Herradura Plata Tequila - 15ml Chambord - Cranberry juice - Lemonade/lemon soda - Mint leaves - Fresh lime Method Add Herradura Plata, Chambord, mint leaves and two squeezed lime wedges to a tall or highball glass. To increase the mint flavour, clap the leaves in your hands first — you might look silly, but it works. Fill the glass with ice and top with equal parts cranberry juice and lemonade. Stir to combine and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint, rosemary and lime wheel or go the extra mile with a dehydrated lime wheel. To make the dehydrated lime wheel, either use a dehydrator (obvious) or place lime wheels in a low-temperature oven for a few hours until all the juice has evaporated and you're left with a crisp garnish. GIN — EURO SUMMER Everyone seems to be jetting off for their European summer. Bring a taste of the Mediterranean to your chilly apartment with this cocktail. The secret is using a gin that is made with botanicals that evoke tastes of the Italian coastline. Gin Mare fits the bill as it uses olives, basil and other fresh herbs for its botanicals. Pair with some bruschetta and tiramisu and rug up with your blanket and imagine you're summering in Europe with your mates. Ingredients - 60ml Gin Mare - 30ml Lemon juice - 20ml Sugar syrup - Fresh basil and rosemary Method Grab your cocktail shaker and add all the ingredients. Shake and strain using a fine mesh strainer into a chilled glass filled with ice. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary and enjoy. RUM — WINTER SWIZZLE Rum is a dark spirit that showing up more and more on drinks lists in the city. It's a sweet alternative to peaty scotch or fragrant gin and is perfect for cooler nights. You could go for a classic dark 'n stormy or Moscow Mule, but if you want to elevate your evening, try this spin on a swizzle. Ingredients - 60ml Diplomático Rum - 10ml sugar syrup - Two dashes of aromatic bitters - 15ml cloudy apple juice Method Rum Swizzle recipes vary, but most have three ingredients in common: rum, fruit juice and a sweetener. To make this wintry version, add all ingredients to a chilled rocks glass, add ice and stir to combine. Top with fresh ice and a twist of orange peel or cinnamon stick. WHISKY — SCOTCH CITRUS SODA Sometimes the answer isn't a hot toddy, although they are always a good call when the winter chill sets in. If you have a scotch in your collection that you've been looking for a nice way to enjoy, why not opt for this citrusy take on a whisky soda? Perfect for cooler arvos on your (or your mate's balcony). Ingredients - 45ml Glendronach 12 yo - Fever Tree Clementine (orange tonic water) - Two dashes of aromatic bitters Method Get your highball glass and add ice. Pour in your scotch, orange tonic water and a couple of dashes of bitters. Stir to combine and garnish with a fresh orange slice. Go a step further and pair with baked brie with marmalade and walnuts. BOURBON — CANDY CANE Bourbon is a great cocktail base. Arguably some of the best and classic cocktails came from the States and so it isn't a surprise that their spirit is perfect for the practice with its smooth vanilla notes and slightly sweet characters. Instead of going down the savoury cocktail route, ramp up the sweetness and toast to your mates with this tasty, fruity and sweet spin on a whisky sour. Ingredients - 45ml Jack Daniel's Bonded - 15ml Chambord - 30ml lemon juice - 20ml sugar syrup - 15ml egg white or aquafaba (aka the juice from a can of chickpeas) - Two dashes of chocolate bitters Method Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker without ice and shake vigorously to get the egg white or aquafaba nice and foamy. Add ice and shake again. Strain through a fine strainer into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a dehydrated lemon wheel, or amp up the berry flavours of the Chambord with fresh raspberries. Top Image: Gin Mare.
Since 1997, Fortitude Valley has put itself in the spotlight with a huge street party, with Valley Fiesta taking a variety of forms over its quarter-century run so far. It's a celebration of hearing live tunes, checking out art and shopping your way around markets — and hitting up the inner-city suburb's bars and eateries, too — and it turns the Valley's regular haunts and activities into a festival. But, it's only a once-a-year happening. Can't wait till 2023's Valley Fiesta, which hasn't yet announced its dates? Meet Brunswick Street Live, a day-long fest which is popping up this winter to tide everyone over — and give Brisbane another excuse to revel in the Valley and its main street. The name gives away where it's taking place, debuting on Saturday, June 10. And the lineup has the classic Brunswick Street experience all covered. Artisan and vintage markets will run from 12pm, plus live street art by Stewart Shuker, John Smith Gumbula and Seana Clarkson, with music from 12.20pm. Leading the bill are Horrorshow and Monstera, alongside Danyon, Ghost Mutt, First Beige DJs, Zed Mero, and Nejmere and mumgenes. The aim: not just to showcase the Valley, its venues and the city's talents, but to add another annual music festival to Brisbane's cultural calendar. Brisbane City Council is planning for the free fest to become a yearly event alongside Valley Fiesta and the Lunar New Year festivities. [caption id="attachment_902926" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brisbane City Council via Flickr[/caption] "The festival will activate the Valley's day and nighttime economies while featuring free performances from some of Brisbane's best emerging and current musicians," said Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, announcing Brunswick Street Live. Whenever Valley Fiesta arrives for 2023 — 2022's took place in November — Brunswick Street Live will help fill the gap before not just that beloved fest, but BIGSOUND in September. There's no such thing as too many Valley music festivals, after all. [caption id="attachment_902925" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brisbane City Council via Flickr[/caption] Brunswick Street Live takes place on Saturday, June 10 in Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley — head to the Brisbane City Council website for further information. Top image: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons.
When was the last time you jumped on a trampoline? How about fiftyish connected floor trampolines, with vertical wall trampolines surrounding the whole thing? The answer to the former is likely years and the answer to the latter never, but Sky Zone — the world's first indoor trampoline park — will have you jumping back to your childhood in a bounce. Sky Zone's newly-opened Brisbane facility brings the backyard staple indoors, unleashing the inner child in all punters. In hour-long sessions, patrons get the run of the 3000 square metre park to bounce to their heart's content. You can jump while slam-dunking a basketball. You can jump away from incoming dodgeballs. You can jump facefirst into a giant pit of foam cubes. And you can literally bounce off of the walls. After obtaining a special pair of trampoline socks upon arrival (that are then yours to keep), jumpers can make their way to through bright blue and orange decor to the different sections as they see fit. For those after entertainment of the more organised variety, three specifically-designed dodgeball zones await. Future Slamball players can jump and dunk baskets at the sky slam, with separate hoops for the tall and small. If flipping, falling and faceplanting is your thing, the pit is the place to be. If you want test your parkour skills, head to the wall. Jumping purist? Find your regular jumping hub (on one trampoline, or between many) at the stratosphere. There’s more to Sky Zone than just jumping, including a three-storey laser tag arena that holds up to 40 combatants at a time. With a subtle Alice in Wonderland spin, gun-toting participants hide behind giant chess pieces, run past playing cards and dice, try not to be spotted in mirrors and peer down from above in the structure’s cloud-themed heights. Attempting to fell your foes while avoiding the same fate is, of course, the aim of the game. Kids will undoubtedly flock to what’s certain to become the next big birthday party location, however the young at heart are equally catered for (there's even beer). Every activity suits all ages, even if older patrons might find the soundtrack lacking — sadly, Van Halen, House of Pain, Kris Kross and Destiny’s Child’s thematically-fitting hits don’t seem to feature on the park’s playlist. For those more serious about the park’s weekly sport offerings, refereed dodgeball leagues will run every Tuesday and Wednesday night from late July, with winning teams receiving the not-so-shabby prize of $500. From August, the facility will also offer a range of fitness classes, spanning cardio, cross training and using suspension ropes. Visit Sky Zone at 544 Kessels Road, Macgregor. Find more info over here. For now, scroll through the palace of your childhood dreams:
When Ben & Jerry's wanted to call for action on climate change, it stuck to its strengths, releasing a new ice cream flavour to draw attention to the topic. When it wanted to specifically target the Australian Government's support for fossil fuels, it did the same as well. But, in its latest effort to support renewables, the dessert brand has decided to branch out. Its new release won't just satisfy your sweet tooth — it'll also quench your thirst. For a limited time, Ben & Jerry's beloved choc chip cookie dough flavour is no longer just something that you eat. You can now drink it, too, thanks to a collaboration with 4 Pines. The brew tempting your tastebuds: a new Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Nitro beer. And yes, like ice cream, it's best served as cold as possible. When you crack open a can — which can be bought individually, in four-packs and in 24-tin cartons from Monday, May 17 — you'll then sip a lactose-infused brown nitro brew. Expect a decadent and creamy taste, as well as plenty of colour thanks to the nitro infusion. You'll also find the beer on tap at selected venues, and on the menu at the GABS Craft Beer and Cider Festival in Melbourne and Brisbane — and if you start hankering for dessert afterwards, well, that's understandable. When 4 Pines was in the brewing stage, the new beer was made with energy sourced from solar and wind — which powers the brewery's main Brookvale site and headquarters. But that's not the only way that the ice cream-inspired brew is drawing attention to renewable energy. Teaming up with community-owned power company Enova Community Energy, Ben & Jerry's and 4 Pines are contributing funds from the beer project to Enova to use to install solar panels for a community group. So, your next brew can help a worthy party do their bit to help the planet. Ben & Jerry's and 4 Pines' Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Nitro beer hits bottle shop shelves on Monday, May 17. You'll also find it on tap at selected venues, and at the GABS Craft Beer and Cider Festival in Melbourne and Brisbane.
That soothing feeling that sweeps over you when you spy a cute canine, spend too much time watching internet cat videos or even just spot a picture of a newborn animal — that's the feeling at the heart of these out-of-the-ordinary wellness sessions. Sure, you've been to kitten yoga and puppy pilates, and they're both great. But we're guessing that you mightn't have tried meditating with baby goats or getting mindful with soft, cuddly lambs. After launching in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast a few years back, Karmably's cuddly classes are now a regular fixture. During them, you'll attempt to find inner bliss while surrounded by rescued baby farm animals. In short, it's the best way to de-stress when life's got your goat. After all, who can remain overwhelmed, exhausted or annoyed when they're sharing their chill-out session with actual goats? Back for 2023, Karmably's Goat Yoga classes focus on relaxation techniques. Those heading along can expect three parts to the session: mindful stretching, meditation and snuggling the four-legged participants. If you're wondering where the concept came from, it was inspired by organiser Berenice Tan's own experiences trying to find something other than the usual mindfulness classes within Australia. Tan began to research animal therapy and, after learning of the benefits (and realising that everyone loves cute critters), her sessions with goats, lambs and even piglets were born. The bliss goes both ways, too — with Karmably not only helping humans to relax in a fun manner, but also assisting animals in need. Tan works with sanctuaries, rescue centres, and organisations such as Harmony Hooves Healing Hearts and ABC Animal Farm. They both raise baby creatures who have either been rejected by their mothers or lost their mums in other ways, and hand-rear them until they can be adopted out as pets to families who live on suitable properties. The 2023 Brisbane sessions take place on Saturdays — on January 14, March 11, May 13, July 15, September 9 and November 11 — at The Station Brisbane in Fortitude Valley, with session times at 8.30am, 10am and 11.30am. Tickets usually get snapped up fast, so you'll want to book yours ASAP.
Since the beginning of 2024, W Brisbane has been hosting the Ever After High Tea, which takes inspiration from the Fairy Tales exhibition currently on display at the Gallery of Modern Art across the river. For bunny and chocolate season this year, the spread isn't going away — but it is getting a few apt additions, as part of the high tea's easter edition from Friday, March 22–Sunday, April 7. Two particularly big changes are on offer from Friday–Sunday across the three weeks. They both give the two jewels in the high tea's crown an Easter makeover. So, that's great news for fans of food that you can play with before you eat and, for adults only, cocktails. The fairy tale cookie cake book that you can paint before you devour will now feature Easter imagery, while the Crème Eggstraordinate is taking over as the high tea's signature boozy sip. What it's trying to recreate is right there in its name, as made with Bacardi Superior, Malibu, mango nectar, coconut cream, pineapple juice, lime juice and, of course, a crème egg. Running from 11am–3pm at Living Room Bar, the high tea also includes hot cross buns with whipped butter and strawberry jam as part of its culinary spread, as well as a chocolate Easter egg surprise that you crack open with a tiny hammer. From the regular menu, the strawberry macaron clocks, Queen of Hearts chocolate and hazelnut cakes, Snow White's Bittersweet Poisoned Apple Mousse, forest mushrooms, cured salmon crostini, chicken pies, cheese and herb bites, and pumpkin tarts with freeze-dried goats cheese are also on offer. You'll still pay $79 per person for the food, plus endless tea and barista-made coffee. Add in the cocktail and the price is $99. For a glass of champers instead, it's $109. And there's a $45 version for kids, which features bottomless juice, tea, babycinos and hot chocolates.
Icy poles and booze — they're the two staples of a long, hot Aussie summer. And now they've come together as one, in the form of Calippo-style Champagne icy poles. They're the genius creation of POPS, a UK brand that has been keeping folks stylishly cool since 2014, when it launched its first frozen Champagne treat — apparently supermodels like Kate Moss and Bella Hadid are on board, if that's something to sway you. The Champagne pop (called The Classic) contains half a glass of Champers (wahee!), and the range has since expanded to include another grown-ups-only creation: the Bellini, which blends hibiscus flowers, blood orange juice, peach Schnapps, and half a glass of Prosecco. Plus, there are a couple of all-ages products too, which see the alcohol swapped out for real fruit. The frozen delights are arriving in our eskies just in time to be eaten in front of the fan (or, y'know, in the sun) this summer. They'll launch in Melbourne first, with a series of pop-up events, and festival appearances aplenty. No word yet if you'll be able to buy a box for the freezer, but let's hope. POPS will launch in Melbourne soon. For more info, visit wearepops.com.
Now that Brisbane is finally starting to feel the winter chill, we know the eyes are beginning to wander and the urge to commence the winter season’s dalliance with luscious, bone-warming, indulgent hot chocolate is increasingly difficult to resist. Don’t feel guilty; it’s only natural. We condone this love affair with liquid chocolate goodness, because before we know it, September will be upon us and it’ll be all CrossFit and boot camps. So to make your deliciously dangerous liaison easier, we’ve done the hard work for you and hunted down our top ten picks this season that will be sure to quell your sweet tooth. Bitter Suite Bitter Suite’s peanut butter hot chocolate is definitely a CP staff favourite and is the perfect bevvy to sip and savour huddled up close to one of the flaming gas fire heaters. Literally tasting like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups melted down and mixed with milk, this hot chocolate is faultless. Although be prepared to ask for a top up of dairy; once you hit the peanut butter mound that forms at the bottom of the mug, it's akin to eating it straight out of the jar. But totally worth every calorie. 75 Welsby Street, New Farm Noosa Chocolate Factory The Noosa Chocolate Factory really is your one-stop shop for all your chocolate needs. Blocks and balls with every fruit and nut filling imaginable line the walls in milk, white or dark chocolate. But it's their range of hot chocolates in every possible combination that will keep you coming back this winter. With eight hot chocolates of varying intensity, we suggest their insanely delicious fresh rocky road hot chocolate, super sweet white hot chocolate or, if you're trying to be good, their '73 percent skinny hot chocolate' made with Noosa Chocolate Factory's half-strength dark chocolate and Maleny Dairies' skim milk. 144 Adelaide Street, Brisbane John Mills Himself John Mills Himself is a place that takes their hot chocolate seriously, with skilful baristas that know their stuff when it comes to pouring out a perfect cup, lovingly extending the milk until just the right frothy consistency. Our picks are definItely the 70 percent dark hot chocolate (with a hint of bitterness, it's indulgent but not overly sweet) or the rose hot chocolate, which pretty much tastes like a liquid Cadbury Turkish Delight only a trillion times better. Sprinkled with a thick layer of chocolate shavings on top (practically another shot's worth), these babies will never fail to omit an OMG groan. Access via 55 Elizabeth Street laneway, Brisbane Sisco BCL This is like hitting the motherload of chocolate bounties. Served in what is practically a soup bowl, Sisco's thick, rich and smugly sweet hot chocolate is liquid gold and a chocolate lover's dream. In fact, you could totally eat it with a soupspoon. Maybe even lick the bowl after. We won't judge. Alternatively, they also offer a chilli chocolate chai, which is a sensory overload of spice and chocolate. It's like Christmas in July. 1/500 Boundary Street, Spring Hill Cowch Dessert Cocktail Bar The newbie in Brisbane dessert bars has pretty much hit the nail on the head with their Belgian hot chocolates. Made on milk, white or dark, it's like drinking a slightly more viscose chocolate fondue. Plus, Cowch's Deluxe version comes stuffed with mini marshmallows (the ones that bring back wonderful childhood memories) and lashings of whipped cream. Each sip transports you to a state of "I don't care that I have whipped cream on my nose this is so good" chocolate bliss. 2/179 Grey Street, South Bank The Burrow Having just updated their menu, The Burrow now uses the Melbourne brand Mörk Speciality Hot Chocolate, proclaimed to be cacao artisans (and yes we are inclined to agree) using cocoa beans sourced from Sur del Lago in Venezuela, to make their mugs of magic. Our recommendation is to go for the 'even darker' 85 percent cacao. It's one for the real hot chocolate connoisseur; there is only a subtle hint of sweetness, and it is intensely bold, nutty and earthy. 37 Mollison Street, West End Campos Coffee Qld Thank goodness it’s that time of year again where Campos brings out the big guns. Even the most dedicated of coffee drinkers' eyes start to wander from a cup of fragrant Campos coffee to a cup of their Italian-style hot chocolate. We couldn't think of an apt enough describing word for the smell, so to put it in a sentence, it's like when you reach that point in baking preparation when you have to melt the dark chocolate and add butter or cream to make a ganache and your nostrils are filled with an incredible intense chocolaty waft... yeah that smell. And it pretty much tastes that way too. 11 Wandoo Street, Fortitude Valley Passiontree Velvet Passiontree Velvet is the new concept chocolatier, patissier and tea room that just opened at Westfield Carindale shopping centre. A more refined sister to Passiontree in the CBD (who also serve an orange hot chocolate that tastes like a molten Jaffa), they make hot chocolates using couverture chocolate (high-quality chocolate that’s rich in cocoa liquor or solids and has a cocoa butter content of at least 32 percent). Our choice is the glossy and seductive 70 percent Real Dark, which is pretty much pure unadulterated chocolate and has the perfect balance of bittersweet earthy notes without sacrificing that intense chocolate hit. Shop K202/1151 Creek Road, Carindale Theobroma Chocolate Lounge We realise this is a franchise store, however, when you get to choose whether your hot chocolate (of which there are seven to choose from and four types of hot chocolate mocha) comes in either a cup or 'mug 'n' warmer' then there's not only taste factor but novelty to consider. Theobroma's chilli hot chocolate is the hands down winner and a perfect winter warmer with that zing of spiciness at the end of each mouthful. Little Stanley Street, South Brisbane Chocolateria San Churro Okay, yes, we know, it's another chain, but seriously, dulce de leche hot caramel? While not technically a hot chocolate, this one deserves a mensh', using San Churro’s own famous dulce de leche caramel and creamy full fat milk. It's sweet, eyes-roll-to-the-back-of-your-head milky goodness and certainly not for the sugar faint-hearted. Shop 2/161 Grey Street, South Bank
UPDATE, May 19, 2021: A Quiet Place is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Silence isn't simply deafening in A Quiet Place. As a family attempts to evade aliens that attack every sound, the absence of noise couldn't scream louder. The film's stillness is forceful and unrelenting, creating a stunning soundscape. One type of silence fills a room, farm house, abandoned supermarket and sprawling country property with dread and anxiety. Another thrums with the comfort of routines designed to impart normality in a clearly abnormal situation. Moreover, this symphony of quiet doesn't just play at different volumes, but with different instruments. As voices drop below a whisper and words are signed rather than spoken, the surrounding din of a desolate, post-apocalyptic world buzzes faintly: the whistling wind, the rushing water, the creaking of branches. In a movie that's acoustically muted for most of its running time — a movie that infuses its hushed status into its very premise — all of the above couldn't be more crucial. As an achievement in sound design, A Quiet Place is positively thunderous, even if Buffy the Vampire Slayer did something similar years ago. Director, co-writer and actor John Krasinski makes every minute of silence and every sudden burst of noise count, executing a straightforward B-movie concept with exceptional technical precision. More than that, The Office star ensures that his third stint behind the camera echoes both literally and emotionally. Here, a protruding nail is a heartbreaking sight. A bloodied hand streaking along a pane of glass proves horrifying as well as surprisingly hopeful. A suppressed grimace of pain gets the audience's adrenaline pumping, as well as their empathy. Viewers first meet A Quiet Place's central family on day 89 of their ordeal. When the central unnamed couple (Krasinksi and Emily Blunt) and their young children (Millicent Simmons, Noah Jupe and Cade Woodward) take a cautious trip to stock up on supplies, it ends in tragedy, establishing just how deadly absolutely any sound can be. Skip to day 472, with Blunt's character now heavily pregnant, Krasinski's patriarch trying to keep everyone safe, and the remaining kids quite rightly nervous. Still, they're as happy as they can be in their terse, jumpy, grief-stricken state. They're together, and thanks to the eldest daughter's hearing impairment, they're able to communicate via sign language. But the impending baby is certain to cry, the children waver between wanting to help and wanting to run, and the extra-terrestrial critters are rarely out of earshot. Krasinski's stripped-back use of sound reflects his entire approach, crafting a masterfully sparse movie from start to finish — and a downright masterful one too. Forget questions about why the monsters are there and where everyone else is: they couldn't matter less in this taut, fast-paced thriller, and they shouldn't even cross your mind. Disposing with the need to provide clunky explanations or exposition (something which can and has thwarted many horror flicks), A Quiet Place hones its focus on the protagonists, their immediate plight and their quest for survival. Indeed, the script's economical nature allows the film to flex its other muscles — or sharpen its other senses, fittingly. Visually, A Quiet Place flits between claustrophobic close-ups and the wide-open expanse of the family's farm, a contrast that ratchets up the tension as well as the movie's impact. When it's used, the score proves stirring without over-stressing the scenario's urgency, or making the bumps and jumps feel cheesy. Above all, however, it's the cast that not only benefit from the film's preference for showing rather than telling, but make their mark as a result. Like her work in Looper and Sicario, Blunt is both formidable and feminine, demonstrating that one doesn't negate the other in one of the best performances of her career. Watch out for the scene-stealing Simmons, though. The deaf young actress, who was similarly great in last year's Wonderstruck, is the strong, silent, expressive heart of this stellar picture — and its secret weapon in more ways than one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqy27Bk0Vw0
They're undeniably cute and cuddly. They hop through fairy tales, cartoons, and play an important part in everything from Us to The Matrix franchise. They're also considered adorable by some and a pest by others. That'd be the humble rabbit — and for three weeks between Tuesday, March 29–Sunday, April 17, the floppy-eared creatures will be taking over Brisbane Quarter in a giant, inflatable and illuminated way. That's when Amanda Parer's eye-catching Intrude is popping up at the CBD spot, with this iteration of Australian artist's installation featuring three big bunnies that'll tower over the precinct. The world-famous artwork is designed not only to glow, garner attention and look glorious, but also to get people thinking about rabbits, their environmental impact and the many contradictions surrounding the way they're regarded by society. It's the second time that the installation has come to Brisbane, following a stint in 2020 — and expect it to be popular. Sky-high luminous bunnies will have that effect. Entry is free and, if you don't want to be late for this very important date, the rabbits on display daily on Brisbane Quarter's Podium One at 300 George Street.
We love a spontaneous adventure as much as the next person, but sometimes it pays to plan ahead. Case in point: Canberra. Sure, there are plenty of excellent ways to fill an impromptu jaunt to the capital — from hiking and mountain biking to blowing a few weeks' income in the Braddon boutiques. But if you're willing to do a little forward planning, you can secure your spot on some tours and take that trip to the next level. On such adventures, not only will you get to meet some locals (both humans and animals) and uncover some of the city's hidden gems, but you'll also avoid spending the entire time staring at Google Maps trying to navigate your way around. And, in the interest of saving you time now — and to save you from any internet rabbit holes — we've picked seven unexpected experiences you can have on your next Canberra vacay. Please stay up to date with the latest ACT Government health advice regarding COVID-19.
Let's see what's behind door number one. Or how about door number 1000? After blowing our minds last year with the incredible House of Mirrors, Australian installation artists Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney are headed back to Brisbane Festival with the fittingly named 1000 Doors. Visitors will choose their own adventure, cutting a path through an endless labyrinth of doors, screens, portals and gateways in the Cultural Centre Forecourt. No two people will experience the work in quite the same way once they step across the threshold. While there's no word yet on what you'll encounter on the way — hopefully no deathly four-guard, two-door riddle, à la Labyrinth — the artists have hinted to ghosts, time-travelling and "past inhabitants". We suggest you have your wits about you. 1000 Doors runs from Friday, September 6 to Saturday, September 28, with sessions held from Tuesday–Sunday. Images: James Morgan
Fans of Australian mysteries, page-to-screen crime tales, Eric Bana (Dirty John) getting sleuthing and all things Aaron Falk, you'll have to wait a bit longer for your most-anticipated Aussie film of 2023. With the SAG-AFTRA strike currently in effect, and Bana a member of the union, Australian and New Zealand distributor Roadshow Films — in consultation with the filmmakers — has decided to push back The Dry sequel Force of Nature: The Dry 2 from its planned August release. "It is with some regret, but a large amount of conviction, that we have decided to postpone the release of Force of Nature: The Dry 2. I'm incredibly proud of this much-anticipated Australian film and want to be able to do it justice by promoting it thoroughly," said Bana in a statement. "Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, of which I am a longstanding member, it is not possible to do that at this time. Just as we did with The Dry, our plan is to be face to face with the cinemagoing public through event screenings, Q&As and press appearances at the time of release. I stand in support of the changes that SAG-AFTRA are fighting for on behalf of all working actors. I apologise for any inconvenience it causes anyone who has pre purchased tickets to our already soldout Q&A sessions. Thanks for your understanding. See you at a cinema soon," Bana continued. When the Aussie star stepped into Falk's shoes in The Dry, more movies were always bound to follow. On the screen, the film became a massive Australian box-office hit in 2021 thanks to its twisty mystery, determined detective, stunning scenery and spectacular cast. It was capitalising, of course, on the story's proven success on the page. And, to the delight of movie producers and audiences, the beloved novel by author Jane Harper was just Falk's first appearance. Accordingly, throw that formula together again and you now have Force of Nature: The Dry 2, the big-screen sequel that no longer has a release date — with exactly when it'll hit cinemas now yet to be confirmed. This follow-up sees the core duo of Bana and writer/director Robert Connolly (Blueback) return, with the latter again investigating a case. This time, as both the movie's initial teaser and full trailer explore, Falk is looking into the disappearance of a hiker from a corporate retreat attended by five women. Alongside fellow federal agent Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie, Ruby's Choice), Falk heads deep into Victoria's mountain ranges to try to find the missing traveller — who also happens to be a whistle-blowing informant — alive. Also featuring in Force of Nature, which has a powerhouse list of Aussie talent just like its predecessor: Anna Torv (The Last of Us) as missing hiker Alice Russell, plus Deborra-Lee Furness (Jindabyne), Robin McLeavy (Homeland), Sisi Stringer (Mortal Kombat) and Lucy Ansell (Utopia). Richard Roxburgh (Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe), Tony Briggs (Preppers) and Kenneth Radley (The Power of the Dog) pop up, too, while Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor (Heartbreak High) is back in the role of Erik Falk. Reteaming not just after The Dry, but also fellow 2023 release Blueback, Connolly and Bana make quite the pair when it comes to Aussie crime cinema — with Connolly the producer of one of the best local crime movies ever made, aka 1998's unnerving The Boys, and Bana famously the star of the similarly excellent Chopper. It's likely that this won't be the last big movie that's delayed due to the current actors' strike, with Hollywood talents fighting against diminishing residual payments for performers, and to establish firm rules about the future use of artificial intelligence in the industry. When they took action in mid-July, SAG-AFTRA's members joined their counterparts in the Writers Guild of America, who've been striking since May. Check out the full trailer for Force of Nature: The Dry 2 below: Force of Nature: The Dry 2 doesn't currently have a release date for Australian and New Zealand cinemas — we'll update you when one is announced. Read our full review of The Dry. Images: Narelle Portanier.
If you've ever been to Sea World or to a music festival at Doug Jennings Park, then you've also been to The Spit. Regardless of whether you're a local or you've just spent a bit of time on the Gold Coast, you've likely walked, swam, surfed, picnicked or cooked up a barbecue at the Southport spot as well. The next time you visit, you can also add something new to your list: going for an extended wander. The waterside locale has just scored another addition, with the site now home to the new Seaway Promenade. You'll find The Spit's latest feature stretched along the Gold Coast Seaway's south wall — and you won't be able to miss it given that it spans a hefty 700 metres in length. And yes, it's really just a new place to walk, but in quite the scenic surroundings. Visitors can enjoy views southwards across the city and the GC's coastline, back west over to the hinterland and, when peering north, glimpses of South Stradbroke Island as well. Obviously, if you simply look at the ocean, there's plenty of blue water to stare at, too. The Queensland Government has put towards $6.84 million towards the project, as part of funding shared with recent improvements to the Moondarewa Spit foreshore, as well as a new path between Sea World and Doug Jennings Park. The works fall under the government's The Spit Master Plan, which also includes restoring 37 hectares of rainforest in the area — on the northern half of Federation Walk — and also improving Muriel Henchman Park and adding new facilities to Marine Stadium. Dating back to 2019, the plan will also see two new commercial sites pop up in the area, one of which will is set to feature a 52-berth marina. Seaway Promenade at The Spit is now open at Southport on the Gold Coast. For further details about The Spit Master Plan, head to the Queensland Government website.
Thinking about work-life balance when January hits is an annual tradition. The Christmas break has been and gone, everyone is making resolutions for the new year, and better dividing your time between your professional and personal realms becomes a goal for most. Come January 2025, the subject will get a bigger push via a hugely anticipated TV returns — and so will how work-life balance can weigh on your mind, or not. Capitalising on perfect timing, Apple TV+ will finally end the wait for more Severance, the sci-fi mindbender where disconnecting from your job come quittin' time — and giving your gig 100-percent of your focus during your daily grind — has become literal in a nightmarish way. At Lumon Industries, employees agree to undertake the titular procedure, which splits their memories between work and home. That tale will continue from Friday, January 17, 2025, a date that no one will want surgically removed from their head between now and then. This news calls for a waffle party, an egg bar or a melon bar. In the upcoming second season of the series — which was one of the best new shows of 2022 — more celebrations must be on the way based on the first sneak peek at new footage from back in June. Apple TV+ has now added to that initial glimpse with a first proper teaser trailer for Severance's second season. It's still brief, putting most of its emphasis on the elevator that Lumon's workers take to its labyrinthine workspace, as well as the verbal agreement that the show's key characters gave to having their recollections severed. If you missed season one, its dive into the kind of scenario that Black Mirror might've dreamed up, and technology that could've been used if Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was about punching the clock instead of romance, pushed Macrodata Refinement division employee Mark S (Adam Scott, Loot) to the fore. He willingly signed up for severance, all to help process his grief over the death of his wife. And he's happy with the situation until his work BFF Petey (Yul Vazquez, The Outsider) leaves suddenly without saying goodbye, then new staff member Helly (Britt Lower, American Horror Stories) comes in to replace him — and instantly starts questioning the insidious setup, the rules and restrictions needed to keep it in place, and why on earth her "outie" (as the outside versions of Lumon employees are known) agreed to this in the first place. In season two, Mark and his work pals will attempt to dig deeper into the consequences of the severance procedure, and trying to escape it. There isn't much more detail in the trailer, but the mood is disquieting — in typical Severance fashion. Tramell Tillman (Hunters), Zach Cherry (Fallout), Jen Tullock (Perry Mason), Michael Chernus (Carol & the End of the World), Dichen Lachman (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), John Turturro (Mr & Mrs Smith), Christopher Walken (Dune: Part Two) and Patricia Arquette (High Desert) also star — and season two newcomer Gwendoline Christie (Wednesday) also pops up in the sneak peek. Ben Stiller (Escape at Dannemora) is back as a director on five episodes, and executive producer across the whole season, with ten episodes on the way. Apple TV+ will drop instalments through until Friday, March 21, 2025. Check out the first trailer for Severance season two below: Severance returns for season two on Friday, January 17, 2025 via Apple TV+.
A glass of bubbly is always a pleasure, but the return of World Champagne Day provides ample excuse to add a little more sparkle to your upcoming weekend. Taking over QT Hotels & Resorts across Australia from Friday, October 24–Sunday, October 26, the brand's lineup of luxe off-beat stays have teamed up with true-brut style Perrier-Jouët for a cork-popping experience. To mark the occasion, guests are invited to double-down on their love of champagne, as your first flute purchase scores a second pour of top-quality champers on the house. Just swing through any of QT's signature restaurants — like Gowings & Parlour at QT Sydney, Pascale Bar & Grill at QT Melbourne and Yamagen at QT Gold Coast — to toast yourself with a fizzy encore to match.
When Godzilla first crawled out of the ocean and into cinemas, the famous movie monster made its debut appearance in the shadow of the Second World War. The link between the film's fears of nuclear holocaust and what Japan had just experienced wasn't an accident, in a picture that isn't just an excellent creature feature — the franchise-starting flick is stellar all round, including its glorious score. It was back in 1954 that Godzilla initially greeted the world. Now, almost seven decades later, 37 other movies have followed. The latest: Godzilla Minus One, which gives Zilly fans a long-awaited new Japanese Godzilla movie and takes its namesake back to the country's postwar era. As seen in the just-dropped first trailer for Godzilla Minus One, Japan is still coping with the aftermath of WWII's atomic bombings when the kaiju appears. The question: in a place that's already rebuilding, how will everyone both endure and battle against this towering critter? In a feature written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki (Lupin III: The First, Ghost Book), cue plenty of rampaging through the streets by Godzilla, plus fleeing by the film's humans. Cue buildings levelled, the ground both rumbling and crumbling, and explosions wreaking more havoc, too. Referencing going backwards from zero in its moniker, cue a film that follows people trying to survive and fight — all back in the time that gave birth to all things Godzilla. Reaching cinemas in Japan on Friday, November 3 and the US on Friday, December 1, but without a release date Down Under as yet, Godzilla Minus One marks the first live-action Japanese Godzilla release about its namesake since 2016's excellent Shin Godzilla. Since then, three animated efforts — 2017's Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, and 2018's Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle and Godzilla: The Planet Eater — have arrived on streaming, however. The franchise also includes America's take on Godzilla, starting with a low in 1998, then including another try in 2014, 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters and 2021's Godzilla vs Kong. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, a sequel to the latter, is due in 2024. And, TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is due to hit before the end of 2023. Check out the trailer for Godzilla Minus One below: Godzilla Minus One will hit cinemas in Japan on Friday, November 3 and the US on Friday, December 1, but doesn't yet have a release date Down Under — we'll update you when one is announced.
More than most video games, Until Dawn always felt destined for the big screen from the moment that it first had players pressing buttons. The premise of the 2015 hit is straight out of a horror movie, with a group of eight friends attempting to make it through a trip to Blackwood Mountain — the place where one character's two sisters disappeared a year prior, and where everyone is now looking for answers — alive. The cast boasted star power, including a pre-Oscar Rami Malek (The Amateur), plus Hayden Panettiere (Scream VI) and Peter Stormare (So Long, Marianne). Visually, there's also its pivotal third-person perspective. Something that Until Dawn featured as a game, however, that was unlikely to make the leap to cinemas: the choose-your-adventure approach to play. Interactive films exist, but the two best-known recent examples are each streaming releases: Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend, both on Netflix. In adapting Until Dawn into a movie destined for the silver screen, so lurked the dilemma — aka how to nod to the butterfly effect-style element, where player decisions dictate the storyline. The answer came by still focusing on choice, and also nodding to the fact hundreds of endings are possible in the game, making selecting an option a move that requires careful consideration about where any path might lead. Enter the mechanism that's fuelled everything from Groundhog Day and the Happy Death Day films to Edge of Tomorrow and so much more: time loops. In the movie directed by David F Sandberg (Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods), and penned by Gary Dauberman (Salem's Lot) and Blair Butler (The Invitation), there's still a group of friends, a missing sibling and a remote setting. That said, neither its helmer nor one of its writers, both of whom first collaborated on Annabelle: Creation, set out to make a direct adaptation of the game, Sandberg and Dauberman tell Concrete Playground. "It's more like a new chapter of Until Dawn," advises Sandberg, who first made the leap to full-length flicks in horror courtesy of the short-to-feature Lights Out. "The game is so cinematic, we just didn't want to try to replicate that experience," notes Dauberman, a mainstay behind the scenes on The Conjuring Universe films, including Annabelle and its sequels — he directed as well as penned Annabelle Comes Home — and The Nun, alongside scripting IT and IT: Chapter Two. [caption id="attachment_1000992" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images[/caption] Here, then, the characters are different, and the absent sister as well. The cast fighting to survive has changed, too. As a film, Until Dawn steps into a new scenario also, although Stormare remains the link among the actors to its gaming beginnings. This time, it's Clover (Ella Rubin, Anora) who is in search of Melanie (Maia Mitchell, The Artful Dodger) a year since she was last seen. The rest of her travelling group — Max (Michael Cimino, Never Have I Ever), Megan (Ji-young Yoo, Expats), Abe (Belmont Cameli, The Alto Knights) and Nina (Odessa A'zion, Am I OK?) — have helping Clover as their main aim rather than finding Melanie, though. She's determined to look for her sister. They're eager to assist her with facing her trauma and moving on. Of course, no one expects that following Melanie's path to an abandoned visitor centre in a secluded valley will lead them to being stuck battling an array of killers in a time loop, and dreading an hourglass flipping again and again. When they all die, Until Dawn's latest figures just find themselves in the same place, yet caught in another scenario. Sometimes that plunges the movie into slasher-film territory. Sometimes it skews more supernatural. Sometimes, Clover and her friends are caught in a creature feature — and the list goes on. The only way for them to be free of the nightmare, and from an experience that hops between horror subgenres, is right there in the feature's title. Make it until dawn and the hellish ordeal ends. What excited Sandberg and Dauberman, other than being gamers themselves, about taking on the task of bringing Until Dawn to cinemas? That's where our chat with the pair started. From there, we dug into selecting the different subgenres, basically making multiple horror flicks in one, Stormare's return, and how you enlist a cast when their gig is to get murdered over and over — plus interrogating choice via time loops, calling out other films using temporal repeats, the current wave of successful video game-to-screen adaptations (think: The Last of Us, Fallout, The Super Mario Bros Movie and A Minecraft Movie) and more. On What Excited Sandberg and Dauberman About Adapting Until Dawn Into a Movie Gary: "I think the thing that excited us the most — I'll speak for me — but was really being able to do a couple different subgenres of horror within one movie. The game is really this cinematic experience that's a true love letter to the genre. We wanted to make sure that was captured in the movie, and do that ourselves with the movie. And so that was really exciting. So then it just became about, 'well, how are we going to do that?'. Because it's not going to be a direct adaptation of the game — because, as I said, the game is so cinematic, we just didn't want to try to replicate that experience. So it was really about, 'okay, how can we stay true to the game, the world and all that, but also be able to do our own thing as well within the genre?'." David: "And what excited me was that Gary and Blair, they didn't try to just recreate the game — which was already so much like a movie and already cinematic. It's more like a new chapter of Until Dawn. And the fact that we have all these different horror genres in one movie. So I got to try out all these different things, including genres I'd never done before — like slasher or found footage. It was just a dream come true." On Deciding Which Horror Subgenres to Jump Between in the Film Gary: "It's interesting — Blair and I always had slasher first, and I think a large part of that's just because, I mean I know that's because of the game itself and the psycho mask and all that. And then I think it was just what could be different from slasher? We leaned into supernatural because that felt so different and a stark contrast to just the visceral kills of the slasher. So you just try to think of what's going to give that sharp contrast to whatever came before. Then you go supernatural, then you go right into body horror — which is super real and gross, whereas supernatural generally isn't that. That's the thought behind how it's laid out in sequential order, I guess." On Feeling Like This Movie Meant Making Not Just One Horror Film, But Multiple Horror Films David: "For sure, because it also, like schedule-wise and time wise, felt like we were trying to do six or seven movies in one. It was a challenge. It's a very ambitious movie for the time we had, so we had to do a lot of planning — and sometimes adapting on the day, where it's like 'okay, we're not going to have time to do all of these things, so we'll focus on what's most important to get'. So it was a challenge, but it was also the reason why I signed up for the movie — to get to do all of this. So I happily did it." On Making Dr Hill (and Peter Stormare in the Role) One of the Key Connections Between the Game and the Movie Gary: "Dr Hill, to me, was always the character I was most curious about in the game, and felt like he could be a great link, connective tissue, between the game and the movie. And he could really be the steward of the franchise, of these stories. He always felt like he's got more going on. And I think talking with the game developers and what they had intended with Dr Hill as well, it was a constant dialogue and conversation, so he just made the most sense organically to what they had in mind and what we had in mind to use. And plus, it's Peter Stormare. If you've got Peter Stormare, you want to use him every chance you get. So that was also a part of the decision. But from a storytelling aspect, I saw him as a great face of the franchise." On How You Build a Cast When the Gig Is to Get Killed Over and Over Again David: "We did a lot of auditions to try to find the right people. Michael, who plays Max, came recommended — he's worked with Gary before. But otherwise, it's just doing a lot of auditions and finding the right people who are not just good actors, but who are willing to go there, to these places. Because I had to warn the cast that this is going to be a challenging movie, like physically challenging and mentally challenging, because you're going to have to be wet and bloody and dirty and crawl through mud, and all of these things. And work nights and work in uncomfortable locations and all these things. But they were really up for it. And once we'd done all this extensive casting, they just worked as a team right away, just became instant friends and were just a pleasure to work with. And I know they really appreciated getting to do — like Maia was saying that in most movies and TV shows, she has to look pretty and perfect, and all these things. In this movie, you don't need to look perfect. You need to look like you've gone through hell. And you get to scream and let it all out. So they were more than up for it." On Calling Out How Popular Time-Loop Flicks Are in the Film — and Knowing How This Addition to the Genre Needed to Stand Out Gary: "We knew we didn't want to do the Groundhog Day-esque time loop. Happy Death Day does that so, so well and effectively. If we were going to do it, we needed to own it for us and make it different. So in a way, the knowledge of those made us just work against that — like going 'okay, we know that's out there, so we've got to do something different'. So that's kind of how we went. And then in terms of the subgenres themselves, it really was about the tropes within the subgenres that we were using as elements to each sequence — but not any specific movie per se." David: "Yeah, you don't want to shy away from some of these tropes, because you want people to feel like 'okay, now we're in this kind of film'." Gary: "Yeah, exactly." David: "But you try to subvert it so you don't know exactly what's coming, but you just need to feel familiar enough." Gary: "That's right." On Still Interrogating Choice, Even If the Film Can't Mirror the Game's Player-Shaped Storylines and Hundreds of Endings, in a Movie That's Also About Trauma Gary: "It was a really important element from the character standpoint of like, 'okay, the terror is new, but we're still here, we're still a part of this group'. And as the group starts to fracture a bit because they have different ways of how they want to go about solving this puzzle of how they're going to survive until dawn, I think it's about, one of the things is sticking together and surviving through trauma and leaning on each other to get through something — as opposed to just being off in a corner by yourself, because that's not going to get you through it, much like Clover was at the start of the movie. For Clover, for instance, she's someone who had to die over and over again in order to know how to live again. So that's kind of how we saw the character choices affecting the character arcs in the movie." David: "Yeah. And I thought it was so brilliant to have this restarting in the movie, because it does make it feel so much like the game — where you can play it several times and make different choices and see different deaths and different kills and stuff. And this was a way to get that in movie form." On the Film's Commitment to Practical, In-Camera Effects as Much as Possible David: "It's something I've always wanted to do. Since I was a little kid watching horror movies, reading all these books about effects done with latex and silicone — and makeup effects and all these things, something I've wanted to do forever, and this was a chance to do that. And I like when horror movies, in particular, do that. I'm not opposed to visual effects in any way, and there's visual effects in this movie, too, but we wanted to try to take practical as far as we could — and have things there for our actors to see and feel and react to, because it just makes it more fun for us. But I think the audience can feel that coming through as well." On How Sandberg and Dauberman's Working Relationship Has Evolved in the Eight Years Since Annabelle: Creation David: "Gary produced this movie as well. It all started with him, the project. So I guess you were more involved now. I mean, you were involved in all of Annabelle: Creation as well. So it's very similar." Gary: "I think it was similar, but I think we just got more comfortable with each other." David: "Yeah." Gary: "So I think it's evolved from that standpoint. But I think I just have a confidence in him that I don't have in a lot of people, so he's like a safe place for me. I just know that he's going to elevate whatever material I hand over to him. And so, yeah, I think it's just the familiarity and the comfortability that you oftentimes don't get in this business, because it's so transactional and it's new faces every time you go somewhere. So it's nice to have somebody who's consistent and constant." On Why Adaptations of Video Games Are Such a Focus at the Moment — and Striking Such a Chord with Audiences David: "I think it's because people who grew up with video games are now in positions to make to make and write these types of movies. And I think that really helps — because I think back in the 80s, making that Super Mario Bros movie, I don't think those people were gamers. Maybe they were, I don't know. So I think it's just like, for this generation or for us now, it's like 'well, of course video games are just as important as comic books or other movies or whatever'. So it's gotten to the respect that it deserves." [caption id="attachment_1000993" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stewart Cook/Sony Pictures via Getty Images[/caption] Gary: "Yeah, and I think from a business standpoint, it's such an IP-driven business that comic books feels a little probably picked over. And so it feels like now the attention has turned to video games — and that IP, it's just been kind of sitting there. But as gamers, we've always known it's been — it's right there. You go do this stuff, give it the money and the time it deserves, and the talent. So I'm happy and excited to see that that's coming to fruition." David: "And games, of course, have become more and more cinematic, closer to movies as well." Gary: "Yeah, yeah, which becomes part of a challenge." Until Dawn released in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
With several restaurant precincts spread throughout and around its parklands, and plenty of grassy sitting spots too, South Bank offers hungry Brisbanites the best of both worlds. Sometimes, you just want to dine in and feast on a fresh-cooked meal that's brought to your table. At other times, relaxing on the lawn and enjoying a leisurely picnic is exactly what the mood calls for. Enter new Italian eatery Mister Paganini, which will be able to cater to both scenarios when it opens its doors in early December. The multi-faceted venue will feature a restaurant serving up classic cuisine, as well as a deli for on-the-go and take-home bites and snacks. Those keen on the sit down, in-house approach will find simple, communal fare made with fresh, locally grown ingredients. Chef Steve Wildermoth's full menu is yet to be unveiled, but the veteran of restaurants Sorellina, Ortiga and Moda will be serving up spaghetti with spanner crab, garlic, chilli, parsley and olive oil, as well as porchetta with crispy pork belly, fried herb potatoes and pear mostarda. Dessert fiends can expect to devour millefoglie with coffee cream, puff pastry, peach jam and chocolate, among other delectable dishes. If dropping by and taking away takes your fancy instead, you'll be able to get your coffee fix, and then pick from traditional pastries and sweets — plus, there's more substantial offerings such as fresh salads and gourmet rolls for lunch. Whichever option you choose, it all sounds delicious. And if you like Italian food, there's really no wrong choice. Find Mister Paganini at 174 Grey Street, South Brisbane from early December, and visit their website and Facebook page for more information.
Based in West End, Junky Comics is the passion project of Vlada Edirippulige, also known as illustrator Junky. It's the kind of place where browsing — and taking a seat on the couch while you peruse the shop's stock — is welcome. "I really hate that feeling of getting in, grabbing something and getting out," Edirippulige advises. "With comics, you need to look through them too see if you dig them. The unique combination of written word with illustration is a big part of what draws Edirippulige to comics as well. "Comic books and graphic novels cover such widespread content — it's not just about superheroes anymore! — and I wanted to have a place that showcased that diversity." Indeed, rifling through the wares adorning the store's custom-made shelves proves just that, with Junky Comics stocking everything from Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis to vintage Wonder Woman. There's also a selection of local zines and cards. Take your time, cosy in and browse the comics and art found in this treasure trove of illustration.
A boozy trip to the Treasury's courtyard usually involves pairing wine and cheese. The inner city venue has hosted more than a couple of parties that combine the two, and it'll undoubtedly do so again in the future. But, from 5.30–7.30pm on Friday, May 28, a different drink and a different type of food will be on the menu on George Street — which is great news if you like beers and American barbecue dishes. At Brewed Treasury Brisbane, your beverages will be yeasty. For two hours, you'll be sipping tipples from James Squire, Eumundi Brewery, Panhead, Brooklyn, Burleigh Brewing and XXXX, all while wandering through an event that takes place inside the hotel as well. Food-wise, your $60 ticket also gives you access to a wing station, where you can choose your toppings and sauces. Nachos and sliders will also be on offer — but, if you really can't get enough chicken, there'll be a wing roulette challenge, too.
When Brisbanites initially stepped inside Naldham House in the 1800s, they weren't greeted by a brasserie and terrace, then a supper club upstairs. In a building with history across three different centuries, that's firmly a 2024 experience. Behind its white facade on Felix Street, this heritage-listed former shipping office is now all about drinking and dining — and, decor-wise, about strikingly rich colours adorning every surface, with a huge 1110 different hues used. It was back in June that the venue's latest guise was announced. Venturing to the Eagle Street side of Brisbane's CBD has long meant being dwarfed by gleaming skyscrapers, but this is the building that predates them all. Although the year listed above its entrance is from four decades back, the structure was first built 140 years ago. The site began its life as a shipping office, then underwent major renovations in 1988. From there, it became the Brisbane Polo Club from 1994–2015. Now, since mid-July, it's the River City's newest drinking and dining destination — still under the name Naldham House. Thank DAP & Co to transforming this patch of the inner city into a three-venues-in-one hub. The hospitality group co-owned by Andrew Baturo, Denis Sheahan and Paul Piticco, which is also behind The Gresham, Popolo Italian and Walter's Steakhouse and Wine Bar, has launched the first two of those venues together, with the other to come in spring. So, while you wait to hit up the site's third level, you can still be hang out at Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace on the ground floor, plus supper club-style cocktail bar and lounge Club Felix on the second storey. Part of the Waterfront Brisbane project that's revamping this area of town, the new Naldham House is a project four years in the making. DAP & Co can't be accused of holding back, be it on ambition for the site, on multiple experiences at one address or, via that plethora of jewel tones, on colour in the fitout by interior designer Anna Spiro. How do you put so many hues to use? They've been deployed to ensure that each level has its own identity and vibe. Naldham House Brasserie & Terrace takes its cues from both European brasseries and grand hotel lobbies around the globe. If you can't be elsewhere, pretend, basically. The markedly old-school atmosphere extends to the pianist playing the grand, and also the service, whether you're among the 95 people that the venue can cater to inside or the 120 outside on the terrace with its own bar. Meal options in the brasserie include hand-cut beef tartare, chicken liver parfait and a beetroot tart among the snacks, then oxtail ragu pasta, crumbed rock flathead and noisettes of lamb from the mains. You can also share a pork tomahawk, the market fish or rib steak, then finish up with a berry mille-feuille — aka a vanilla slice — plus crème caramel, three cheeses and a chocolate Paris-Brest. Outside, the terrace menu sports the likes of crispy chicken skin with whipped cod roe and caviar, smoked mortadella and potato croquettes, steak frites, a wagyu cheeseburger and a king salmon gravlax sandwich. Whether you choose to get comfortable indoors or out, a 28-page drinks list awaits, filled with European and Australian wines both by the glass and the bottle, beers both local and international, and a hefty array of spirits. The cocktail selection hops from spritzes to signatures, and then from classics to zero-alcohol sips. A mandarin spritz might take your fancy, or a Yuzito made with gin, orange curacao and yuzu soda — or perhaps a negroni or the non-boozy Watermelon Sugar. Images: Dexter Kim.
I've lived within walking distance of Stones Corner for almost 15 years now, and sadly, I've watched the area slowly deteriorate. Its historic shopfronts have long been boarded up, retailers continue to pack up shop, and employment offices now seem to outnumber the stores that once culminated a thriving shopping precinct. Even after all these years, I've continued to walk the almost empty main strip in the hope that someone will rescue this neat little pocket of Brisbane from oblivion. Then a café named Lady Marmalade came along. Located in the old corner shop where Replay Records and CDs once kept me occupied on the weekends, Lady Marmalade is just the lodger Stones Corner has been lacking these past few years. Bare brick walls, odd ornaments and table numbers represented by rubber fruits with faces only add to the charm of the café's interesting fit-out. And as if there isn't enough to take in while you're waiting for your meal, the tables are covered with a mixture of famous art and front-page clippings from half-century old Brisbane newspapers. While the eccentric décor would undoubtedly be enough to draw in passers-by, the home-style menu and ever-changing cabinet of treats at the counter is surely enough to clinch the deal. My favourite, the haloumi sandwich – that's haloumi, roasted pumpkin, chilli and mint pesto, tomato and spinach on sourdough – is worth going back for again and again. Add a damn fine cup of coffee and some of the best baklava I've ever tasted and you've got something to tell your friends about.
Goodbye golden arches, hello golden fries: that's McDonald's new makeover at its world-first fry-thru pop-up. And if you're wondering what a fry-thru is, that's the term that Macca's has coined to describe it's new fries-focused restaurant, which will make Tumbalong Park in Sydney's Darling Harbour its home for the duration of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. This fries-adoring McDonald's outlet won't just be serving up hot and crispy slivers of potato heaven in medium servings. It'll definitely be doing that, of course, but the space that it's selling them from is just as noteworthy. Head to the FIFA Women's World Cup Fan Festival to get some chips and you'll be ordering them from an eatery that's shaped like a giant packet of fries. If you've ever needed to see what a five-metre-tall version of Macca's potato slices looked like — and then get some fries from it — this is your chance. It's the dream that no chips lover ever realised they had, and it's coming true from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, August 20. Here, the question isn't "would you like fries from that?", because you're definitely getting fries. Instead, it's "would you like fries from that?". The giant packet of chips is pairing its medium fries with a couple of Macca's sauces of the world condiments, with outback barbecue sauce and wasabi-flavoured mayonnaise on offer to tie in with the Women's World Cup's participating countries. Not getting in on the fan fest fun but just want to drop by the restaurant? The fry-thru is open to both football fans hitting up the Fan Festival and the general public. Outside stadiums hosting Women's World Cup matches in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, Macca's is also setting up an interactive photobooth that'll gives you a personalised collectable card, plus Macca's swings. [caption id="attachment_907652" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Johannes Simon - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images[/caption] Find the McDonald's fry-thru in Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour, Sydney, as part of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 Fan Festival from Thursday, July 20–Sunday, August 20.
The silly season is upon us. Time to let go of those inhibitions and indulge in the excess of the season. Whether you're hosting Chrissie lunch, heading to a summer barbie or organising the office drinks, you'll want to make sure you're dining and sipping well. So, to help you sort out the menu, we've teamed up with our friends at Pernod Ricard, purveyors of festive tipples like Mumm, Chivas, St Hugo and Jacob's Creek, to bring you some top-notch food and beverage pairings for the festive season. Whether you're after a traditional roast, barbecued seafood or some tasty little canapés, we've tracked down a tip-top tipple to complement your Christmas fare. OYSTERS AND CHAMPAGNE It's a classic pairing; there's just something about the smooth, tannic saltiness of an oyster paired with a fizzy, dry Champagne that makes for a perfect (and rather lush) starter. Mumm's signature Cordon Rouge is a key drop to pair with your raw bar this Christmas. The nose offers hints of white and yellow peach with some delicate notes of lychee and pineapple, and on the palate, you can expect a complex yet well-balanced mouthfeel with lots of fresh fruity notes and the tiniest hint of caramel to balance. Pop and pour some Mumm as you shuck oysters with the family. And make sure everyone gets a go at opening their own oyster. SALMON AND A SPRITZ Fresh, bubbly and fun, the prosecco spritz is like that friend you invite to everything because you know they'll be the life of the party. And Jacob's Creek's version is no different — plus it makes hosting a breeze with the aromatic, orangey spritz flavours already bottled up. All you've gotta do is pour over ice and garnish with a slice of orange. As for the food, we recommend pairing those bitter orange notes and herbaceous aromas with the salty, oily flavours of smoked salmon blinis with cucumber, creme fraiche and salmon roe. It's elegant, sophisticated and dead easy to prep and serve. GRILLED PRAWNS AND ROSÉ With the heat, sunshine and general summer vibes, Australian Christmas typically favours seafood —what's more Australian than chucking a few shrimp on the barbie? Well, should you live in an apartment sans barbecue or just can't be bothered with the whole 'uh oh the prawn has fallen through the grate', this grilled alternative is quick, easy, flavourful and pairs quite well with a glass of rosé or two. Marinate the prawns in butter, lemon juice, garlic and herbs, and then place under your oven grill for two to three minutes. Plate up the prawns and get some chilled Jacob's Creek Le Petit Rosé on the pour. And with this pairing falling in line with the pinky orange Pantone colour of 2019, you'll not only eat like a king but a stylish, on-trend one at that. CHRISTMAS ROAST AND CAB SAV Even though it's likely to hit 30-plus degrees this Christmas, it's still hard to beat a traditional Christmas roast lunch on the big day. If you're going for a roast turkey, goose or chicken, complete with all the trimmings, you'll need a wine that can hold its own against the mammoth meal. St Hugo cabernet sauvignon pours an inky red-purple and offers a spicy bouquet of cherries, blackberries and a touch of star anise. On the palate expect a full body with roasted chestnut flavour and oaky vanilla, that finishes with an acidity that brings it all home. CHOCOLATE AND WHISKY Chocolate and whisky — it's got decadence written all over it. To achieve maximum opulence, you'll want to find a drop that'll be enriched by a chocolate pairing. The Chivas Regal 18 is a blended scotch whisky aged to bring out a smooth, spicy and slightly sweet flavour profile. The buttery toffee and caramel notes are complemented by dried fruit and a hint of spice and dark chocolate. Pour a nip over a single ice cube to pull out the flavours, and pair it with a square (or block) of rich, dark chocolate — or, even more decadent, a fudgy chocolate cake. Start planning your festive menus — Christmas will be here before you know it. Purchase any two eligible Pernod products from a Cellarbrations, The Bottle O, IGA Liquor or Big Bargain Bottleshop, and go in the draw to win a $500 travel voucher. There's one voucher to win every day till Christmas. And really, what could be better for the holiday spirit than winning an actual holiday?
"Driving." That's one of the words that Justin Hurwitz uses to describe the sound of Babylon, with his score to Damien Chazelle's new Hollywood-set film after La La Land frequently thumping with a propulsive beat. An array of other terms come to mind while hearing the two-time Oscar-winning composer's latest effort kick in throughout the Margot Robbie (Amsterdam)-, Brad Pitt (Bullet Train)- and Diego Calva (Narcos: Mexico)-starring movie, including at party after party, too. It's urgent. It's infectious. It's as spirited as the liveliest of raucous shindigs. From go to whoa, a handful of quieter moments aside, it bustles with big and jazzy lose-yourself-to-dance energy. For the picture that just nabbed him his fourth Golden Globe, Hurwitz is soundtracking the City of Stars' Jazz Age, after all. And, as viewers of his and Chazelle's past features know — Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, Whiplash and La La Land, with their fourth collaboration on First Man being the only exception — this pair doesn't just like but loves jazz. Babylon's score doesn't simply stick with the obvious, however. Exploring an era where giving oneself over to Los Angeles' star factory and its indefatigable shenanigans was all the rage in the movie's view, it takes its inspirations as broadly as Hurwitz can find them, all to help set a pace and vibe for a flick that throws almost anything it can at the screen — from glitz and glamour to copious amounts of drugs and body fluids — to paint its buzzing, pulsating portrait. [caption id="attachment_885697" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alex J. Berliner/ABImages[/caption] Babylon follows its three central figures — Robbie's aspiring actor Nellie LaRoy, Pitt's established star Jack Conrad and Calva's industry jack-of-all-trades Manny Torres — as they weather everything that chasing their dreams thrusts their way. Given that the picture commences in 1926, that means traversing the Golden Age's wild highs and big changes alike, with the latter spanning the move from silents to synchronised sound from The Jazz Singer onwards, what that meant for actors now featuring in talkies, and shifting moral and societal standards of the period. Nellie parties herself into her big break, then gets saddled with the realities and contradictions of sudden fame. Even with his years of experience, Jack's ongoing lustre in the limelight is far from secure. And Manny does whatever he needs to to get jobs, turn them into better gigs, and keep climbing his way up. For all three, the successes are glorious, but the costs are significant. There's no reprieve from Tinseltown's relentlessness, or its allure, in Babylon. Hurwitz's earworm of a score is similarly persistent; having it lodged in your head long after watching comes with viewing the film. But what does it take to create that irresistible sound? To give a 1920s- and 1930s-set movie a unique but fitting soundtrack? To hark back a century ago, but interpret it with modern sensibilities? Ahead of Babylon's release Down Under on January 19, we chatted with Hurwitz about making a feature that it feels like he and Chazelle were fated to, his processes, the film's rock 'n' roll and modern dance music influences, and more. [caption id="attachment_885698" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brad Pitt, Diego Calva and Director Damien Chazelle on the set of Babylon from Paramount Pictures.[/caption] ON GETTING JAZZY WITH DAMIEN CHAZELLE — AGAIN When you've teamed up with someone on five films, you clearly share a connection — and a wavelength. For Hurwitz and Chazelle, that started two decades back, when they both attended Harvard, met as freshmen and became roommates. And, before they were making movies, they were making music as early members of indie pop band Chester French. Yes, jazz was an influence. Chazelle was a jazz drummer, after all, and Hurwitz a pianist and percussionist. It's no wonder that the genre had an influence on their filmmaking; in fact, it'd be more surprising if it didn't. Still, while Babylon might seem like a dream for the duo, it's a long-in-the-works effort for Chazelle but a relatively new project for Hurwitz. "I didn't know about this film till 2018," he advises. "Damien told me that this was what he was writing. He'd been working on it for a long time, which I actually just learned — I learned a couple of days ago that he'd been thinking about this movie for like 15 years. I had no idea. So I guess it was part of his evolution somehow, from the other jazz movies he made." "For me, I didn't start thinking about this until a few years ago, and didn't start actually working on it till 2019. There's definitely some commonalities with the other things we've made, but I hope it's different — I hope the music sounds like its own thing." ON TURNING CHAZELLE'S SCRIPTS INTO MUSIC How does a composer start conjuring up the sound for a film, especially when it is intricately tied to a specific period of music history? For Hurwitz, it's "the script. I always start with the script". With Babylon, he says, "Damien sent me a script, and we started marking it up and talking about where is there going to be music and where won't there be music." "A lot of the music sequences were very complicated because there were a lot of performances, but also the same pieces of music had to then extend into other parts of the movie. You might have a little bit of a performance, or a little bit of Jovan's [Adepo, as a trumpeter Sidney Palmer] character playing, but then that music spills over into a montage into something else. So we had to think about what could serve the performance, but also what could serve the sequences dramatically." "You really start with asking 'what do we want to feel?' Just looking at the scenes, what do we want to feel? And then I sit down, I start writing music at the piano or using some samples, some virtual instruments, and just trying to create sounds that feel — whether it's an aggressive driving piece, if we really want to feel something that's pounding you in the face, or if we want feel something sweeter. Whatever it might be, I just start trying to noodle around and sketch in the melodies that have whatever mood we're trying to feel." ON DRAWING ON MORE THAN THE OBVIOUS MUSICAL INFLUENCES Jazz Age-set film, Jazz Age-adoring score, right? That might be the easy and obvious equation, but it wasn't Hurwitz's approach to Babylon. In its narrative, its visuals and its atmosphere, Chazelle is always pushing — as are his characters, and is Hollywood back at them. And, as tunes like 'Voodoo Mama', 'Call Me Manny' and 'Damascus Thump' make plain, so is Hurwitz. "I know certainly I was trying to push the music, ironically, a lot more contemporary than anything we've done — even though this movie is 1920s, and it's an earlier time period than anything we've done," he explains. "I was trying to push the music more modern, more aggressive, more inspired by rock 'n' roll and modern dance music. So for me it feel pretty new — like a new flavour." "I was really trying to stay away from music from the era, actually. I didn't want to listen to 1920s music, because we didn't want to have 1920s music in the movie really. So I was taking more inspiration from rock 'n' roll — imagining what it could feel like if you had rock 'n' roll riffs played on brass, played by a jazz band or a horn section. Or things that could easily be on a distorted guitar, but what if you give it to a couple of trumpeters? So that was a thought process." "I was listening to the Rolling Stones and AC/DC, and things like that. And also listening to a lot of electronic dance music, and getting inspired by the dance rhythms and dance hi-hat and driving, 808 kick-drum feels — and sort of risers and drops, and those sort of moments that build anticipation and then explode and get you wanting to mood. I was taking inspiration from modern dance music for that kind of feel." ON THE RANGE OF SOUNDS IN 'BABYLON' Hurwitz didn't just vary his influences when composing Babylon's music (one tune, 'Manny and Nellie's Theme', even sparks La La Land flashbacks). For a film that he describes as having "a lot of other weird stuff", he employed a wide range of instruments and noises. "There's a lot of circus and carnival sounds," he says. "I was recording kazoos and slide whistles, and party horns for some of the tracks." "There's erhu, which is a bowed Chinese instrument. There's a lot of world percussion. There's African percussion, Latin percussion, Asian percussion. There are very eclectic sounds in this movie, to match the very eclectic world of this movie — and of the 20s." "People were really thinking about far-off places of the world, so there was a lot of exoticism, even if it was campy exoticism. Like, you go to theatres [from then] in LA and it's Egyptian style and it's all a little campy — it's obviously not really Egyptian. But people were just interested in it back then, so we tried to bring in certain flavours. That's a very long way of saying that the influences were far and wide." Babylon screens in Australian and New Zealand cinemas from January 19. Read our full review.
Taking to the skies soon? The food might be a little more delicious than you remember. That's because Virgin Australia has just launched new winter menus in both its economy and business classes, so you can embark on a culinary journey at 35,000 feet. Made fresh daily, those in the cheap seats can now tuck into Italian and Aussie dishes crafted by St. Food Co., with options ranging from creamy spinach and ricotta tortellini to savoury sausage rolls. Plus, you can now pair these satisfying flavours with an Archie Rose Gin & Peach Soda. As for business class travellers, a new globally inspired menu is being served from Wednesday, May 28. Think Japanese-style soba noodles with grilled chicken, a three-bean Mexican quesadilla with sour cream and salsa, and an Indian-inspired chickpea masala with herbed jasmine rice. Whether you're flying first thing in the morning or catching the red-eye, the business class menu also features fancy rotating options for breakfast and dessert. Start the day with a blueberry pancake stack topped with mascarpone and boysenberry, blackcurrant and apple compote, or round things out with strawberry cheesecake or sticky date cake. "At Virgin Australia, we believe flying should be as enjoyable as the destination, right down to what's served onboard. Our new winter menu embodies our passion for bringing personality to the skies, featuring fresh, flavour-packed options designed to add value and delight at every bite," says Kyler Chong, Virgin Australia's General Manager Product & Customer Strategy. That's good news if you're a white-knuckled flyer looking to distract yourself, or just someone keen to pass the time with food that doesn't make you regret your life choices. Featuring a thoughtful balance of variety, value and flavour, these winter menus mean your next departure date just got better. Virgin Australia's new winter menu is now being served in economy class, while the business class menu launches on Wednesday, May 28. Head to the website for more information.
Back in 2012, when Daniel Radcliffe was trying to shake a certain boy wizard from his system, he stepped into a different kind of supernatural thrills. His first post-Harry Potter role saw him take on The Woman in Black — a gothic horror tale that pitted him against a curse and a ghost. And yes, the latter did have quite the fondness for wearing dark clothing. The film adapted the 1983 novella of the same name for the second time, but before The Woman in Black made it to the cinema, it first spooked out the theatre. Because hauntings often keep coming back, it's doing so again, with Brisbane Arts Theatre staging their very own version between June 10 and July 15. If you don't like scary tales about sinister spirits seeking revenge for past ills, you might want to sit this one out. If you love them, then prepare to put your nerves to the test. We're betting that the Petrie Terrace venue will be at their unnerving best for the occasion — it's not every day you put on a show that ranks among West End's longest-running productions, after all.
If playing a musical instrument in public is on your bucket list, and breaking a world record as well, then the first event announced for Brisbane Festival 2023 other than perennial favourite Riverfire has you covered. 10,000 Kazoos is exactly what it sounds like, amassing 10,000 Brisbanites to get humming and hopefully go down in history. Never played a kazoo before? That doesn't matter. This kazoo orchestra will unleash its tunes on Saturday, September 23, on the last day of this year's Brisbane Festival, taking over Victoria Park. The greenery will indeed be alive with the sound of music, in a huge mass-participation that just might make the record books. [caption id="attachment_902496" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Michael Pham[/caption] That said, given that 10,000 Kazoos is popping up in Melbourne this winter as part of the Victorian capital's RISING festival, Brisbane's version will need to top whatever numbers its southern event pulls in. If you're keen to help, registrations to take part open on Sunday, May 28. And no, you don't even need your own kazoo. Biodegradable versions of the buzzing musical instrument will be provided to everyone on the day. Once you have one, you'll just pop it in your mouth and start humming, which is what makes the membrane of the kazoo vibrate. As well as the big performance, Brisbane Festival's newfound kazoo obsession will span free kazoo workshops in 20 or so spots around the city in order to help whip up the original composition that will be played by the 10,000 kazoodlers. Until a few years back, Brisbane Festival previously wrapped up with fireworks, rather than started with them — but this is bound to make a memorable closing concert. Wondering what else will pop up at this year's citywide arts and culture celebration? More news is on the way soon, and the full lineup will be revealed in July. [caption id="attachment_818960" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Victoria Park[/caption] Brisbane Festival 2023 runs from Friday, September 1–Saturday, September 23 all around Brisbane, with 10,000 Kazoos popping up at Victoria Park, Herston, on Saturday, September 23. You can register to take part from Sunday, May 28.
By now, we all know that plenty of streaming platforms are constantly vying for our eyeballs. We know that those services boast always-expanding catalogues of movies and TV shows, too. And, we're well aware that picking what to watch when you're settling down on the couch is rarely a simple exercise. So, while the fact that Australia's latest streaming service features 20,000 episodes and films is definitely great news, it won't simplify your viewing choices anytime soon. Australians now have another streamer to choose from, with new streaming service Paramount+ launching on Wednesday, August 11. The platform actually rebrands the existing 10 All Access streaming service, with parent company Viacom CBS Australia and New Zealand bringing it into line with the global Paramount+ subscription offering that launched in America in March this year. Paramount+'s big drawcard? Its library of titles from Paramount Pictures — obviously — as well as from Showtime, CBS, BET Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, the Smithsonian Channel and Sony Pictures Television. So, if you're the kind of viewer that loves rewatching your favourite flicks, you'll be able to head to the service to stream movies from the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Godfather, Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones, Transformers, Jackass, Batman and Dark Knight Trilogy franchises. Plus, the likes of Austin Powers in Goldmember, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Grease and Good Will Hunting will also be available on the service, all as part of the $8.99 per month subscription fee. On the TV front, existing series like The Good Fight, The Twilight Zone, Why Women Kill, Charmed and SpongeBob SquarePants will find a new home. Paramount+ is also betting big on new television shows being a big drawcard, so you can expect to add a heap of titles to your must-watch list — including revenge-fuelled miniseries Two Weeks To Live, starring Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams; Leonardo, a historical drama about Leonardo da Vinci; and Anne Boleyn, with Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim) as the titular figure. If you're feeling nostalgic, there's also the revival of Nickelodeon's iCarly, following the characters now they're adults; the return of Rugrats, this time with computer-generated animation; and Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, which gives everyone's favourite absorbent, yellow and porous character an origin story. New Mark Wahlberg-starring movie Infinite, which sees him play a man haunted by memories of a life he didn't live, also launches in Australia with the service — and as does new seasons of Five Bedrooms, Why Women Kill and Evil. And, before August is out, you'll be able to stream the Nancy Drew TV series, the latest season of In the Dark, all of Ziwe and Coyote, six-part satire The Bite and horror anthology Monsterland as well. Down the track, Paramount+ will also be home to the new Dexter revival; the Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Old Guard)-starring TV adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth; The First Lady, which sees Viola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) play Michelle Obama; and page-to-screen adaptation The Luminaries. New Australian drama Last King of The Cross is also destined for the platform, as are Melbourne-shot comedy Spreadsheet and coming-of-age feature film 6 Festivals. The list goes on, including spy drama Lioness, a TV adaptation of video game Halo and The Offer, a scripted drama about on the making of The Godfather. Paramount+ is available in Australia from Wednesday, August 11, rebranding the existing 10 All Access streaming platform, with subscriptions costing $8.99. For further information, head to the Paramount+ website.
Under current COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, you can't go on an interstate holiday just yet. But, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said it could be back on the cards by July, 2020 — so, it's time to start dreaming. There's no shortage of on-snow accommodation in Australia — from ski lodges to chalets. But a lot of it is designed for function, rather than romance. Finding a cosy cabin of your own, however, where you can snuggle in front of a roaring fire with a glass of wine in your hand, while watching the snow fall all around you isn't easy. But it's not impossible. We've searched far and wide, to scope out five cabins where you can stay right on the snow. Just don't forget to pack your skis — or snowshoes. NUMBANANGA LODGE, SMIGGINS HOLES, NSW Opened in July 2018, this secluded lodge is just minutes (by skis) from Smiggin Holes ski resort and two kilometres from Perisher Valley. Whether you want to ski or snowboard downhill all day or go on a cross-country adventure, you can – from your door. Plus, there are loads of restaurants, bars and pubs nearby, too. Three bedrooms provide room for up to six guests. The only catch is, you'll need to be quick. This is one of the only isolated, free-standing huts on snow in Kosciuszko, so it's pretty popular. Bookings, at $1200 per night in winter, are available via NSW National Parks. How much? From $1200 a night. [caption id="attachment_733860" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lean Timms[/caption] THE EASTERN, THREDBO, NSW For incredible views of Mount Kosciuszko, the highest mountain in Australia, stay at the Cedar Cabin, which makes up one half of The Eastern: a pair of beautifully designed, luxe stays in Thredbo. The open-plan, loft-style space features vaulted ceilings, exposed timber and a piping hot Japanese-inspired onsen — the perfect place to relax after a day spent outdoors. You'll find this haven on the village's western side, around four minutes from restaurants, bars, shops, and Thredbo's diverse, scenic ski runs. How much? From $700 a night. MOONBAH HUT, SNOWY MOUNTAINS, NSW Moonbah Hut is located on private frontage on the Moonbah River, the Snowy Mountains' cleanest, most unspoilt home for trout. Give your fishing muscle a flex from your front doorstep, while keeping an eye out for wildlife – from wombats to deer to brumbies. Or bunker down inside, with a huge, open stone fireplace for company. Previous guests have taken the experience next level and invited personal chefs along for an evening. Moonbah Hut is around 20 minutes' drive west of Jindabyne. How much? From $245 a night. FOREST VIEW BUSH CABINS, CRADLE MOUNTAIN, TAS Smack bang in the middle of Tasmania's Cradle Mountain National Park are two bush cabins surrounded by forest and run by Highlanders Cottages. Hand-built with local Tasmania timber, each offers two bedrooms, den lounges and a log fireplace, plus a private deck and a fully stocked kitchen. Meanwhile, in the bathroom, you'll find a soaking tub and a shower. This is an ideal spot to unwind after wandering around Cradle Mountain's magical, snow-covered forests. How much? From $215 a night. WOMBAT CABIN, MT BAW BAW, VIC Located on the edge of Victoria's Mount Baw Baw Village, the simple, super-cute Wombat Cabin is just a quick shuffle away from both Maltese Cross T-Bar and the Frosti Frog Hollow Toboggan Park — so there's fun to be had for skiers, boarders and tobogganers of all kinds. There are two cosy bedrooms, with room for up to five guests, plus a private deck, where you can surround yourself with snow gums. When you're not adventuring on the slopes, explore Mount Baw Baw's many offerings, including Howling Huskys' husky sled dog tours. How much? From $419 a night. Looking for more? Check out these seven cosy cabins around the country. Top image: Numbananga Lodge
Call it a cost-of-living-crisis miracle: Australia has a new streaming platform vying for your eyeballs, but this one won't cost you anything to watch. There's no sign-up fee, no monthly or annual subscription, and no pay-per-view purchases with Brollie. Instead, there's ads — but also 300-plus films and TV shows to enjoy for free. First announced earlier in November and now streaming as at Thursday, November 23, Brollie hails from independent Australian and New Zealand distributor Umbrella Entertainment. Accordingly, its focus is on homegrown fare. Whether you're after an early Nicole Kidman (Special Ops: Lioness)-starring movie such as BMX Bandits or Bush Christmas, the scares of The Babadook, Kylie Minogue in Cut, or documentaries such as Servant or Slave and Ablaze, you'll find them here. Other Aussie highlights include Rose Byrne (Physical) featuring opposite Heath Ledger in Two Hands, Hugh Jackman (The Son) in Erskineville Kings, and the David Gulpilil-starring like Walkabout and Storm Boy. Or, there's also a young Claudia Karvan (The Clearing) and Ben Mendelsohn (Secret Invasion) in The Big Steal — and Karvan and Jackman in Dating the Enemy. The Furnace, Girl Asleep, Head On, the Daniel Radcliffe (Miracle Workers)-led Jungle, The Last Wave, Mad Dog Morgan, Love Serenade, Puberty Blues, Sirens, Tanna, The Tracker: add them to your queue as well. An Angel at My Table, one of Oscar-winner Jane Campion's (The Power of the Dog) early films, is also available. So is fellow New Zealand effort Coming Home in the Dark. Brollie's lineup clearly isn't just about Aussie efforts, then. So, get excited about Nicolas Cage milking an alpaca in Color Out of Space, Joaquin Phoenix (Beau Is Afraid)-led masterpiece You Were Never Really Here, the live-action OG Super Mario Bros, 80s favourite Heathers, and mind-bender Vivarium with Jesse Eisenberg (Fleishman Is in Trouble) and Imogen Poots (Outer Range) among the international titles. Even 2023's Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is there. You can say cheers to Mads Mikkelsen (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) in both Another Round and Arctic, too, or give fantasy space western After Blue (Dirty Paradise) a whirl. Takashi Miike's (First Love) Audition, the Brian Cox (Succession)-starring The Autopsy of Jane Doe, South Korean standout A Bittersweet Life, George A Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead, and absurdist comedy Deerskin also pop up. So do sci-fi mind-bender The Endless, LA noir Under the Silver Lake, supernatural comedy Extra Ordinary, several Re-Animator and Hellraiser flicks, and the original Suspiria. And, for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans, the three live-action 90s movies are all on offer. The list goes on, complete with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale) in Her Smell, Japanese animation In This Corner of the World, a number of Bruce Lee titles, and Harry Dean Stanton (Twin Peaks) turning in one of his best performances in Lucky with David Lynch also acting by his side. Speaking of exceptional on-screen efforts, the David Bowie-led Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence also falls into that category. Everyone needs to have seen once-forgotten film Miami Connection once, but because it's an out-there martial arts movie that really has to be seen to be believed — and definitely not due to its acting. From the docos, You Don't Nomi pairs perfectly with Showgirls, which is also on the platform; We Were Once Kids explores the making of Kids, which again is similarly available to watch; and Zappa, The Go-Betweens: Right Here and Buena Vista Social Club all put their subjects in their names. Not Quite Hollywood's dive through Ozploitation history is obviously a perfect fit for the streamer, while the vastly dissimilar Honeyland was nominated for two Academy Awards. The television selection is currently small, with 15 titles. More Ledger in TV series Sweat, a small-screen version of Dune, the first season of Skippy and sitcom All Together Now all feature. Viewers can watch along via Apple TV, Google TV, Android TV, Chromecast with Google TV and on your browser. Whichever you pick, just don't forget that ads will appear while you're viewing — aka the tradeoff for Brollie not bothering your bank account. To help viewers sort through the Brollie collection, the service's team is highlighting its best-of picks twice monthly, and also heroing Aussie horror via an Australian Nightmares collection. At present, the latter includes The Babadook (of course), as well as Lake Mungo, The Tunnel, Razorback, Dark Age, the original Patrick and 1989 must-see Celia, among others. Brollie launched on Thursday, November 23 — head to the streaming platform's website to subscribe and for further details.
