Sick of rooftop bars and microbreweries playing host to your weekend wind down? Looking for something classier than the local pub but want to steer clear of the Valley? From the street, Cobbler Bar doesn't look like much, but opening the door to this specialty whiskey and cocktail bar is like opening the door to a world of Edgar Allan Poe with dimly lit tables, melted red wax candles and floor-to-ceiling wooden shelves filled with not books but every single genre of booze, malt and spirit imaginable. Scan the 300 odd (give or take) whiskies imported from across Europe, Asia and North America, bop your head to the sounds of 50s rock and cast your eyes over the ever-changing cocktail list, which stretches from the traditional to the tropical to the innovative and weird. The interior may be different, and the atmosphere exceptionally hipster-preppy-grunge, but the best part (and what makes Cobbler truly unique) is the BYO policy for food. These guys are so focused on pouring the perfect cocktail or sourcing the best whiskey for your palate that there's no time to think about a food menu. No no. Here, you can bring in as much cheese and quince paste as your heart desires, which leaves professional and skilled bartenders to focus on what they do best.
Kangaroo Island is known for its spectacular coastal views, wildlife, wineries and pristine beaches. It's clear to see how it got on the New York Times list of the best places to visit in 2023 and our own list of the best islands to visit in Australia. To help travellers get the most out of a trip to Kangaroo Island, we decided to create this complete guide. It highlights the best places to stay, where to eat and drink and what special activities to book ahead of time — whether you're looking for adventure or a little bit of luxury. All you have to do is get yourselves there, either by ferry or plane from Adelaide. [caption id="attachment_759309" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bay of Shoals Wine by Meaghan Coles[/caption] EAT AND DRINK Straight off the ferry? Head to Millie Mae's Pantry for a full brunch made with ingredients from the kitchen garden, or pick up something to take with you for lunch while you adventure through the island. If you've stayed in Kingscote, start the day off with coffee from Cactus. It's well worth coming back later in the day for dumplings, tacos or whatever is on the menu that night. A winery tour is a must while you're in town, so make sure to hit Bay of Shoals Wines, which boasts the closest vines to the sea in the southern hemisphere. Nearby, there's also The Islander Estate Vineyards for vino made by a renowned Bordeaux winemaker and, for balance, Kangaroo Island Brewery where you can stop for lunch and try a few local cold ones. Also worth checking out on the far east side of the island is False Cape Wines — known for its minimal intervention drops — and Dudley Wines, which has incredible views and live music on the first Sunday of the month. But if organising this alone seems like too much hassle or you'd rather someone else drive you around, then wine tours are the way to go. This full-day wine and nature tour starts from Kangaroo Island and this alternative food and wine tasting safari starts from Adelaide. On each of these Kangaroo Island day trips, you'll taste great local vinos, eat some tasty local produce and get up and close with friendly Aussie wildlife. [caption id="attachment_759308" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Penneshaw Hotel by Adam Bruzzone[/caption] For the island's best fish and chips, we have to recommend KI Fresh Seafood in Kingscote. It's attached to a petrol station, but don't let that put you off — take away and enjoy on the water's edge. For a finer affair, head to dinner at Sunset Food and Wine. The modern bistro looks out over American Beach and is owned by Jack Ingram, former executive chef of Southern Ocean Lodge, a Kangaroo Island favourite that was sadly destroyed in the bushfires of 2020. The menu is stacked with fresh local seafood and produce, including rock lobster, kingfish sashimi and Kangaroo Island honeycomb. Otherwise, the Penneshaw Hotel is perched on a clifftop and offers a decent pub feed overlooking the wide open sea. And lastly, you should check out the monthly farmers and community market day at Penneshaw Oval, which also happens on the first Sunday of the month (between October and April). [caption id="attachment_759315" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chapman River[/caption] DO If you're arriving by ferry, you'll get into Penneshaw — and from there you can head straight to Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari to swim with dolphins. In Lashmar Conservation Park, you can also watch out for wildlife as you kayak along the Chapman River to Antechamber Bay, where you'll find a lovely private beach perfect for a dip. Making your way west, seafood lovers should spend an afternoon at American River, where The Oyster Farm Shop will sort you out with fresh local oysters, marron, abalone and King George whiting, before you explore the protected wetlands of Pelican Lagoon. Of course, one of the best things about Kangaroo Island is the beaches: crystal clear, blue waters, long stretches of glittery white sand and lazy days spent soaking it all in. The best ones? Emu Bay on the island's north coast, where you can drive your car right onto the four-kilometre stretch of white sand and spend a day in the tranquil waters, or — a little further west — Snelling Beach for an epic sunset. Spend a day exploring the shops and sights of Kingscote, the island's largest town, just south of Emu Bay. Stop in at the Spinners and Weavers Shop for handmade natural fibre treasures, take a tour of Island Beehive and pick up some local honey, shop art at Shep's Studio and Fine Art Kangaroo Island, and visit Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil distillery. Be sure to make time for a two-hour blend-your-own-gin experience at Kangaroo Island Spirits. Next, you should head southwest to Vivonne Bay for surf and to sandboard down Little Sahara with the help of Little Sahara Adventure Centre. Alternatively, you cab join a quad bike tour to explore the grass and bushland before heading to the Seal Bay Conservation Park for a guided tour of the sea lion colony. [caption id="attachment_759307" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ecopia Retreat by Stirling West[/caption] STAY Kangaroo Island has lots of luxury accommodation and you can go off-grid in style at Stowaway Kangaroo Island. Imagine curling up in the window seat of a luxurious private cabin on the edge of Lathami Conservation Park and a privately owned sheep farm, soaking in views of the bush and ocean in the distance. Both of the cabins, aptly named The Nest and The Sleepy Hollow, come with a huge soaker bath with sweeping views, a hot tub out on the deck, a sauna and a local produce hamper. Otherwise, make yourself at home at Ecopia Villas on a vast property in the middle of the island, complete with exclusive access to the Eleanor River and hundreds of acres of wilderness. Or you can book an all-inclusive package with bespoke 4WD tours at the Sea Dragon Lodge and Villas, or fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs of the island's eastern-most point at Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge within the Cape Willoughby Conservation Park. If you'd rather keep it simple (and cheap), pitch a tent at one of these gorgeous camping spots that are all mere steps from the beach and have their own toilets, barbecues and picnic facilities. These stunning sites help place Kangaroo Island on our list of the best camping spots in Australia, as voted by our readers. We aren't the only ones who love Kangaroo Island — you guys do, too. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. All images courtesy of the South Australia Tourism Commission.
When you've directed two movies about zombies — the first of which you've basically become synonymous with — and also dabbled with on-screen demons, what do you tackle next? If you're Australian Wyrmwood, Nekrotronic and Wyrmwood: Apocalypse filmmaker Kiah Roache-Turner, you do battle with another classic horror concept. Sting takes its moniker from The Hobbit. The fact that its human protagonist is called Charlotte is particularly telling, however. What better name to use in a movie about a giant spider that falls from the sky, is discovered by a curious 12-year-old, then makes its growing presence petrifyingly known? Shot in the ABC studios in Sydney but set in a New York City apartment block in the thick of winter, Sting's nods elsewhere stretch across the film like a web. Lines recall Predator. Shots nod to Alien. "I pretty much copied that exact jump-scare from Alien, when Tom Skerritt goes into the air conditioning ducts, 100 percent," Roache-Turner tells Concrete Playground. He's loving about his influences, on- and off-screen. That affection for flicks gone by shows in the movie from the moment that its titular creature — he's named his spider well, too — first appears. Roache-Turner has also used himself and his own fear as a basis. Yes, he's afraid of spiders, as we almost all are. "I didn't necessarily want to confront it. It's just my job is to think of the worst thing, the scariest thing, the most-disturbing thing that could happen to me, and then put it in a script and then make you guys watch it and hope that it scares people," says Roache-Turner. "That's kind of what I do. I just sit around thinking about things that disturb me and then I write about them — and it's good because if you take your nightmares out of here and you put it down onto paper, and you spend a couple of years making a spider movie, the hope is that you might become a little less arachnophobic. So it could be therapeutic." Asked if making Sting ended up being cathartic, though, Roache-Turner has bad news for anyone thinking that they might cure their unease about eight-legged arthropods through filmmaking. "Not at all. No. I still hate spiders. Maybe it's worse now because I've had to look at so much footage of spiders, so now I'm doubly sure that I hate them," he shares. Ten years back on Wyrmwood, which he calls "one of the best things I've ever done in my life", the writer/director put everything that he had into what swiftly became his calling card. "It was three-and-a-half years of production. I shot a lot of it in my mum's backyard. It was me and my brothers and my mates just putting on zombie makeup and having fun," Roache-Turner notes. "I can't tell you how fun it was, and I still think about it almost every day. It's a huge part of my life, and it's the reason why I'm here talking to you about a giant spider movie." He's happy that it keeps coming up. "No matter what I do, people go 'you made Wyrmwood'. I think that's how Sam Raimi must feel, too. He can make as many A Simple Plan movies as he wants. He can do as many Spider-Man movies as he wants. But he's always the guy that did Evil Dead, and that's me," he advises. Roache-Turner is also still giving his all with Sting, including by drawing upon his own family setup. Charlotte, played by Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart's Alyla Browne, has an IRL analogue. So does her stepfather Ethan, with House of the Dragon and In Limbo's Ryan Corr the film's version of Roache-Turner. As happens in the picture — which features Noni Hazelhurst (One Night), Penelope Mitchell (What You Wish For), Jermaine Fowler (A Murder at the End of the World), Silvia Colloca (Wellmania), Danny Kim (C*A*U*G*H*T) and Robyn Nevin (Relic) as well — Sting's creative force had just welcomed a new baby. Similarities continue, albeit with a critter that Roache-Turner is most frightened of looming large, literally, aided by creature design by Wētā Workshop. How does taking inspiration from so much of your own life guide you when you're writing a horror screenplay? How did Sting get rolling from the idea that everyone hates spiders, not just Roache-Turner? What kind of balancing act was required to make this an unsettling spider flick, also a movie about a kid with an unusual pet Pete's Dragon and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial-style, and a picture about a family in crisis? With Sting opening in Australian cinemas on Thursday, July 18, 2024, Roache-Turner filled us in, and also chatted about his inspirations, casting Browne and Corr, and what type of primal fear that he's grappling with next. On Starting with the Idea That Everyone Hates Spiders, Then Getting the Ball Rolling "The good thing about Sting is it's a primal fear like sharks. Everybody's scared of a thing in the bedroom. Everybody's scared of the idea of a ghost. These are primal fears. And as I'm arachnophobic, I've had the image or the idea — anytime I look at a spider, I'm scared, I want to cry. But a little part of my brain goes 'imagine that was big. Imagine that was big!'. I've been thinking about that for most of my life, and then finally I set myself a task. It was actually after I had a meeting with James Wan's producer, and he was explaining how he and James make films. And he goes 'we do a template system, so we go: single location, one monster, one family — go'. And he goes 'we just make the same movie over and over again'. And I was thinking 'I wonder if I could do that?'. So I thought 'okay, I'm going take a single location: let's say an apartment building. I'm going to take a family: let's say my family'. So I just had a baby. I'm married. I've got a stepdaughter. I'm going to just template that so I can make it personal. 'What's the monster?' And that whole thing in my head just started echoing 'imagine a spider was big'. That's the thing that I would be most scared of to see. So I just wrote the movie that would be the scariest movie that I could possibly make. The idea of a giant spider descending on a crib was one of the first images that I got, because I just was a new father and I had a baby, and I just couldn't imagine anything worse. And so I was like 'yeah, that'll make a good poster'. That's how these things get started. And I wrote the script, and I took it around. And I don't think anybody, I couldn't really find a producer who wanted to do it because they were all scared. They're just like 'no, no, no, no, no, it's probably going to be more than about five mil'. Everybody wants to make the five-mil Blumhouse template thing. And I'm like 'yeah, I could write that, but I didn't write that in this case. I don't think we can make a giant spider movie set in a New York apartment building for five. I don't know how to do that'. So Jamie Hilton and Michael Pontin and Chris Brown [Sting's producers] just were brave enough to just go 'okay, we believe in this, we're going push it'. Once we got the ball rolling, it just seemed like a good idea, because it had been a while since we had a really decent giant spider movie. I can't even really think of one. I mean Arachnophobia, but they're little. I'm talking about one the size of a pit bull terrier. Other than Shelob, there's not really that many out there. So we had something vaguely original and we just ran with it." On How Taking Inspiration From Your Personal Life Guides You When You're Writing a Screenplay "It guides the emotion, so all of this stuff with the father and the daughter and the wife and the baby and the tension, that all came out of COVID. I was going through that. The big difference is I get on with my family really well — I'll start to make up a bunch of really horrible drama to make it interesting, but the feelings and the emotion is there. In terms of writing the thing, there's no secret to it. It's unexplainable. The structure just jumps into your head. You go 'if there's an alien spider in the building, how does it get into the apartment? How do we keep it in the family? How does it then grow big? How does it then escape so it can start eating dogs and cats? Who's the first human it's gonna eat? What happens when it attacks the family?'. One thing leads to another, and it just becomes a question of thinking your way out of situations. And then you find yourself at the end, and then you write 'fade out'. Sometimes they're good. Sometimes they're bad. Writing is the most-unexplainable thing in the world, and it's the hardest part of the whole process. But there are little tricks to making it easier, and certainly templating your own family and your own experiences is an easy way to get into an emotional truth." On Balancing the Film as a Spider Horror Flick, But Also a Movie About a Kid with an Unusual Pet and a Picture About a Family in Crisis "It's the hardest part, balancing that stuff. And because I am the person who made Wyrmwood, my tendency is to just make films that feel like they just never stop. So I really was trying to make something that has more long sections of just straight drama. I wanted to slow it down a little bit. A huge part of the writing process and the rewriting was about making the family warmer at the start so that when cracks start to appear, we care about them more — and how much drama should there be between the father and the daughter? All that kind of stuff. Yeah, it's a real balancing act in a film like this. Sometimes, I'm not sure I succeeded. Sometimes, I'm like 'did I put too much family drama in there?'. And some people are like 'yeah man, you should have had more deaths and kills'. And then somebody else would go 'god, what? No, no. That was the best thing about the film'. So it's hard to know sometimes. I think you just make a thing and you hope it's right. You do some test screenings. You work on instinct. But on this one, I wanted it to be more than just about a spider eating people, and scares and thrills. I had a personal thing that I wanted to work through with the family dynamic, and we did that, we went a little bit more dramatic with it." On Casting Rising Australian Star and Furiosa Co-Star Alyla Browne as Charlotte "We went to Nikki Barrett [the Australian casting director] and just said 'Nikki, we have a really, really difficult task for you. We need you to cast a 12-year-old star in this film that we just wrote'. And she goes 'shhhh, stop talking. Cast Alyla Browne. Just don't talk about it. Don't talk about it. Just cast her'. And she doesn't talk like that. She's usually very considered, but she was just like 'this is the person. This is the girl'. I might've just looked up a clip on YouTube. I was like 'who is this Alyla Browne?'. It was two clips of an audition she did for a film years earlier when she was like nine. She did an amazing audition where she cried. And I was like 'oh, my god, she's so talented'. Then she did the same thing in a flawless American accent and cried. And I was like 'is she available immediately?'. We didn't even audition her. I just met with her and her mother and just tried hard not to stuff it up. I was more me convincing her to be in the film. But luckily she loved the script and wanted to do it. Her mum just wanted to meet me to make sure I'm not a crazy person and so I pretended not to be, and she signed up and did the movie. She's honestly one of the most-talented actors I've ever worked with. You put the camera on her and something happens. It's a star quality — she's a 12-year-old with the star quality of Nicole Kidman or something. The whole crew would go silent and people would be looking at each other going 'just how is this 12-year-old being this amazing?'. And she made my film just 30-percent better just by being on in front of the camera — and that's something that the director prays for." On Enlisting Ryan Corr to Play Roache-Turner's On-Screen Surrogate "I'd wanted to work with Ryan for years and years. We tried and we just had a few availability issues or whatever. I've been trying to work with him for a long time. So I was stoked to get him for this one, and I'm glad it was on this one because, yeah, this was very much like he's playing me. He's not playing a guy running around jumping in slow motion, firing a gun — this is me. I wanted to be a comics artist. I wear glasses. I have a beard. Like, he's playing me. He's just playing like a heaps better-looking version of me. And every actor knows that, he read the script, he knew the deal. He's like 'yeah, this is you. I get it, but I'm going to do my own version'. With Ryan, it's like working with Brando or Tom Hardy or something. You just step back, say 'action' and watch him improve your movie. There's not much directing that goes on. The guy's a genius." On the Film's Commitment to Incorporating Practical Effects "I love CGI and we've got some sick CGI in this film. Cumulus VFX, the company that did all that stuff, it was a flawless job. But I just believe, particularly with horror, sometimes there's just a bit of an uncanny-valley thing that pops in every now and again. You're just like 'oh, there's still just something wrong with the weight of it' or 'it's not quite interacting with the shadows right', and that's even when you've just got the best CGI you can get. So it's always important for me to have a big practical element. I prefer to have a layer of practical and CGI augments what's already there. Denis Villeneuve does that on Dune: Part Two — you look at the behind-the-scenes, most of it's practical, it's augmented digitally and that's why Dune is one of the best-looking science-fiction franchises of all time. I think with this one, it was really important that we had a practical element. And when that practical element is done by Wētā Workshop, who are the best at what they do in the universe, your life is made a lot easier." On Sting's Broad Array of Inspirations Beyond Roache-Turner and His Family "Charlotte's Web, 100 percent. That's just me having a dig at a cultural phenomenon — everybody read Charlotte's Web as a kid. And I figured most people have read The Hobbit, so the sting reference I think would be nice, too, and with all the giant spiders in Mirkwood. Also The Thing, with a single location with a bunch of people stuck with one monster being eaten. And there's a comedy aspect to The Thing that I love. The tone of John Carpenter's films, I love. Very heavily influenced by Jaws, even though narratively, it's very different — but just the tone of it. Poltergeist, also in that they're stuck in a house and it's a sort of flawed family with cracks in it being terrified by an entity in a house. I really was going for a Spielberg thing. There's a tendency, I think, in today's horror to be overly arty or overly bleak, and Spielberg has a light and an adventurous touch that I really like — as well as being a really good filmmaker who understands that Hitchcockian tension. So I wanted to play in that sandbox. Spielberg is a huge influence on this." On Which Classic Horror Setup Is Next for Roache-Turner "I'm in pre-production on a giant shark movie right now, so I'm literally a couple of weeks away from shooting. I'm doing an Australian World War Two shark movie where a ship gets shot down by Japanese torpedoes halfway between Darwin and East Timor, and these guys are trapped on a raft and they're bedevilled by this giant killer shark that's eating them one by one. So I'm just making my way through the monsters." Sting opens in Australian cinemas on Thursday, July 18, 2024.
You may have already heard, indeed the internet has been speaking of nothing else, but Stereosonic will not be returning in 2016. They announced on Facebook that the festival will be back and bigger than ever in 2017 which, tbh, just sounds like a gentle breakup. Why would a beloved festival, a cornerstone event in the calendars of both gym bros and dinger slingers alike, clock out for a whole year? Organisers Totem Onelove say it's because they're committed to bringing fans the best festival experience possible. It may also be attributed to the tragic deaths of two patrons in 2015, or that the American company who own Totem Onelove, SFX, recently filed for bankruptcy. All hypotheticals, all 'could be's. It could be that the Year of the Monkey is just not their year. It could just be a sign of the times. Future Music was cancelled in early 2015 because it doesn't make "financial sense"; Soundwave soon followed due to poor ticket sales (although to be fair, their version of poor ticket sales was around 20k at $170 a pop – about $3.4 million revenue. And now Stereosonic has folded and the big three festival that defined the Aussie festival scene are done and dusted. The real shame here is without a big festival, and the big budgets they bring, there's one less drawcard to get the big acts out to Australia and put on sideshows. It's pretty good news for people who would rather bathe in urine than step foot into a gym-bro festival because at the same time, as you've probably noticed, boutique festivals are going boom — it's been a killer few years for the likes of Sugar Mountain, Secret Garden Festival, Strawberry Fields, Let Them Eat Cake, Inner Varnika, OfftheGrid, Dark Mofo and Meredith to name only a handful. In the place of the massive one-size-fits-all festival giants come hundreds of smaller, niche events. The democratisation of festival culture can only be a good thing right? See ya Stereo. You'll be missed, like the lost revenue from many, many Australian gym memberships this year. Image: Stereosonic.
What runs the film world right now? Concert flicks, which are having a big-screen moment again. In the space of mere months, three huge examples of the genre will play cinemas worldwide, much to the delight of folks who like getting their movie and music fix in one go. First comes Taylor Swift's Eras tour concert film in October. In Australia, Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense, aka the best concert flick ever made, will return to picture palaces in November. And now RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ will do the same worldwide from December. Beyoncé is no stranger to splashing her sets across a screen, after HOMECOMING: A Film By Beyoncé did exactly that on Netflix back in 2019. That movie covered the superstar singer's time on the Coachella stage, and came with a 40-track live album as well. This time, Bey is focusing on her 56-performance, 39-city world RENAISSANCE tour in support of the 2022 album of the same name. Now wrapped up after starting in Stockholm in Sweden in May and finishing in Kansas City, Missouri in the US on Sunday, October 1, the RENAISSANCE tour featured everything from 'Dangerously in Love 2', 'Cuff It', 'Formation' and 'Run the World (Girls)' to 'Crazy in Love', 'Love On Top', 'Drunk in Love' and 'America Has a Problem'. Sadly, audiences in Australia or New Zealand haven't experienced that setlist for themselves, with the tour skipping Down Under shows so far. Accordingly, RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ is the first chance for Bey fans in this part of the world to join in without heading overseas. "When I am performing, I am nothing but free," says Beyoncé in the just-released trailer for the new concert flick, which dropped along with the news that the movie exists. "The goal for this tour was to create a place where everyone is free," the musician continues, in a sneak peek that includes behind-the-scenes glimpses, crowd shots and, of course, spectacular concert footage. RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ charts the tour from its first show until its last, as well as the hard work and technical mastery that went into it on- and off-stage, as 2.7-million-plus fans have seen in person. In North America, it'll hit cinemas on Friday, December 1, and play for at least four weeks from Thursday–Sunday, including in IMAX. Exactly when the film will debut Down Under hasn't been revealed as yet — nor where the movie will screen — but prepare for lift off ASAP afterwards. Check out the trailer for RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ below: RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ will start screening in North America from Friday, December 1, with opening dates in other locations still to be announced — we'll update you when Australia and New Zealand details are revealed. Images: Julian Dakdouk / Mason Poole.
Streaming platforms, superheroes and Star Wars have become modern life's new certainties, with instances of each continuing to pop up all over the place. When Disney launches its own next big venture, they'll all combine, unsurprisingly — and with the company's own streaming service set to arrive in 2019, the mouse house has begun revealing the details. The platform will be known as Disney+, and will be home to not one but two small-screen Star Wars series, as well as at least one Marvel series as well. Given that Disney owns both Lucasfilm and Marvel Entertainment, it's highly likely that the service will boast an entire galaxy of shows related to each huge franchise. In fact, you could probably walk into a cantina somewhere and make a safe bet on it. There have been 10 Star Wars films and 20 Marvel movies in cinemas already, after all. Fans of the George Lucas-created space opera can not only look forward to the previously announced $100 million Star Wars series The Mandalorian from The Jungle Book, Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau (and with Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi helming an episode), but also a new spin-off from Rogue One. The latter will be set before the events of the film and will focus on Rebel spy Cassian Andor, with Diego Luna reprising his role from the movie. In the Marvel sphere, while a number of shows have been rumoured for months, Disney have announced that Tom Hiddleston's trickster Loki will definitely be getting his own series. Just what storyline it'll follow, or when it'll be set, is yet to be revealed. That said, it's safe to assume that it might be a prequel series as well. Release dates for both series haven't been unveiled either — and nor has any word on the other Marvel show that has long been rumoured, about Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch. Disney+ is definitely going big when it comes to bringing the company's well-known properties to the new streaming platform, with a High School Musical TV series, another show based on Monsters, Inc. and a live-action Lady and the Tramp movie also on its lineup. Via The Walt Disney Company. Image: Marvel Studios' Avengers: Infinity War. Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Photo: Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2018.
It's time for class, again. After the first season proved a huge hit, and the second as well, Netflix is bringing Heartbreak High back for season three. Then, it's time to graduate. While the revival of the beloved Australian series from 1994–99 has been renewed for a third run, the streaming platform has also announced that the next batch of episodes will be the show's farewell. "She never got the letter — but now we get to see what happens next! Renewing Heartbreak High for its final season is a major point of pride for us at Netflix," said Netflix Director of Content ANZ Que Minh Luu, announcing the news. "It has been a joy to work with the utterly cooked creative minds behind our favourite Aussie YA show and to bring our stories, our culture and our in-jokes to all the fans here at home and throughout the world. See you at muck up day." Since releasing in April 2024, Heartbreak High's second season has spent plenty of time in Netflix's charts, debuting at number one in Australia — of course — and spending three weeks in the streamer's top ten for English television shows globally. The first season was also a massive smash with audiences, and with awards bodies, turning the series into an International Emmy-, AACTA- and Logie-winner. The third season, still to be shot in Sydney, will take the gang to their last year at Hartley High. What awaits Amerie (Ayesha Madon, Love Me), Harper (Asher Yasbincek, How to Please a Woman), Darren (screen first-timer James Majoos), Quinni (Chloe Hayden, Spooky Files), Ca$h (Will McDonald, Blaze), Malakai (Thomas Weatherall, RFDS), Spider (Bryn Chapman Parish, Mr Inbetween), Ant (Brodie Townsend, Significant Others), Sasha (Gemma Chua-Tran, Mustangs FC) and Missy (fellow newcomer Sherry-Lee Watson) — as well as teachers Woodsy (Rachel House, Our Flag Means Death) and Jojo (Chika Ikogwe, The Tourist) — hasn't yet been revealed. Also not yet announced: when Heartbreak High will drop its swansong season, so there's no date to add to your diary yet. In season two, the show not only dived back into high-school chaos, but followed a love triangle, a school captain race, clashing curriculum strands, quests for redemption, new romances, a mystery, plus the impact of new students and staff — including pupils Rowan (Sam Rechner, The Fabelmans) and Zoe (Kartanya Maynard, Deadloch), and Head of PE Timothy Voss (Angus Sampson, Bump). It was in 2020 that Netflix initially announced that it was bringing Heartbreak High back — and yes, it sure is a 2020s take on the Aussie show, spanning everything from friendship fights, yelling about vaginas from the top of a building and throwing dildos at walls through to consent, crime, drugs and police brutality. The original Heartbreak High was a massive deal, and was filled with now-familiar faces, such as Alex Dimitriades, a pre-Home and Away Ada Nicodemou, and Avengers: Endgame and Mystery Road's Callan Mulvey as Drazic. It painted a multicultural picture of Australia that was unlike anything else on TV at the time. And, for its six-year run across two Aussie networks, the Sydney-shot show was must-see television — not bad for a series that started as a spinoff to the Claudia Karvan- and Alex Dimitriades-starring 1993 movie The Heartbreak Kid, too. There's obviously no trailer for Heartbreak High season three yet, but check out the trailer for second season below: Heartbreak High streams via Netflix. Season three doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. Read our reviews of season one and season two. Images: Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024.
Anyone who’s spent a frosty morning commuting on the Underground would know that London’s not exactly the world’s friendliest city. Well, not before a beer or five, anyway. In fact, a quarter of city siders report feeling lonely often, if not all the time. But a group of talkative types has decided that it needn’t be this way. They’ve come up with a project called Talk to Me London. The aim is to encourage a friendlier culture by helping strangers to talk to one another. The first assignment is a Kickstarter campaign, raising money for London’s first ever ‘Talk to Me’ day. The initial goal of £6,000 ($10,700) has been reached. So, one day this summer, thousands of Londoners will receive ‘Talk to Me’ badges to wear, indicating that they’re ‘up for a chat’. There’ll also be events held in public spaces, like dinner parties in parks and book discussions on tube carriages, lectures on wellbeing and community, conversation-prompting public art, flash mobs to break awkward silences, ‘talk bars’ on train platforms and busking acts that depend on interaction. Mayor Boris Johnson is a keen supporter. “I love the idea behind Talk to Me London,” he said. “What an innovative and fun way to encourage Londoners to talk to each other. Conversations are a great way to share experiences and stories, increase wellbeing, and bring a greater sense of community in the capital.” Via Springwise.
Outdoor music festivals aren't solely synonymous with summer, but one event takes its winter setup to great heights in more ways than one. At Snow Machine, the weather won't just be a bit cooler. Wearing a jumper won't do, either. This is both a chance to enjoy live tunes and a ski trip — and it's returning to Queenstown in 2024. It's the hottest festival for the colder months, packed with five snow-filled days of music and adventure at two mountain-topping ski resorts. On the just-dropped lineup for this year sits a reliable list of must-see names, including Peking Duk, The Rubens, Angus & Julia Stone, Bag Raiders and Cub Sport, who all help to give Snow Machine's winter wonderland a thumping soundtrack. After launching in Japan in 2020 (and returning there this year), the festival was actually supposed to make its arrival in Aotearoa in September 2021 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. It finally debuted in September 2022, then returned in 2023. Next, it makes a comeback from Tuesday, September 3–Sunday, September 8, 2024. Attendees will be treated to action-packed days on the slopes, après ski events on both Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, and a hefty roster of talent against the idyllic backdrop of New Zealand's adventure capital. Also dropping in to share the stage will be Atomic Blonde, Danny Clayton, Jimi The Kween, Lee Mvthews and Matt Corby — and also Montell2099, Old Mervs, Sachi, SHOUSE, Sin & Brook, Snakehips, Teenage Dads, The Knocks and the Poof Doof Ski Club. Other than the wintry backdrop, one of the things that sets Snow Machine apart from other music fests is being able to book your entire getaway with your ticket. Packages span both five and seven nights of accommodation, and include access to all three evenings at the main arena, plus a five-day ski pass. If you'd rather make your own way or pass on the skiing, there are ticket-only options — and VIP packages if you really want to do it in style. Festival goers are also encouraged to immerse themselves in the adventure capital by adding on heli-skiing, jet boating, bungy jumping, canyon swinging and skydiving — and that's on top of Snow Machine's huge welcome party and other festivities. Another annual highlight: the Polar Bare, which endeavours to set a world record for the most amount of people heading down the slopes their swimwear. Snow Machine 2024 Lineup: Angus & Julia Stone Atomic Blonde Bag Raiders Cub Sport Danny Clayton Jimi The Kween Lee Mvthews Matt Corby Montell2099 Old Mervs Peking Duk Poof Doof Ski Club Sachi SHOUSE Sin & Brook Snakehips Teenage Dads The Knocks The Rubens Tom Tilley and Hugo Gruzman present First Base Snow Machine 2024 takes place from Tuesday, September 3–Sunday, September 8 in Queenstown, New Zealand. Presale tickets go on sale on from 12pm AEDT / 11am AEST / 2pm NZDT on Thursday, February 22, with general tickets available from 12pm AEDT / 11am AEST / 2pm NZDT on Friday, February 23. For more information, visit the festival's website. Images: Daniel Hildebrand/Pat Stevenson/Ben Lang. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
It's been just over a year since Amazon finally launched in Australia, promising an array of goods delivered quickly and affordably, as shipped from Melbourne and Sydney, and about five months since the company blocked Aussies from purchasing off its cheaper, larger international sites. Thankfully, it has just backflipped on the later. To rewind a bit, on July 1, Amazon announced that purchases from its international platforms would no longer be shipped to Australian addresses because of a change to Australian GST laws, which applied the standard goods and services tax of 10 percent to all online overseas purchases. Previously, GST had only applied to transactions over $1000. Aussies could instead shop on the Amazon Australia store, which had only around one percent of the range available in the US, or use a shipping forwarding service But this morning, Thursday, November 22 — less than five weeks out from Christmas (if you're counting) — Amazon backflipped on its decision, announcing it had reopened its US and other international sites to Aussies. In a statement published on news.com.au, Amazon said it had listened to "customer feedback" and made the necessary changes to its website to allow the company to comply with the new GST laws. The great news is the international sites are accessible right now, just in time for the Black Friday Sales. The not-so-good news is that at the moment only items that Amazon stocks and sells are available to us, while the company works out how to apply GST to third-party items. If you haven't yet started your Christmas shopping, here's a great excuse to start. via news.com.au
In the grand tradition of doing whimsical things to raise awareness about conservation and sustainability, New York City is set to be transformed next year as a part of The Water Tank Project. Carefully selected rooftop water tanks across New York will be wrapped in temporary artworks which all address the subject of water, as part of a public awareness campaign being organised by Word Above The Street. Working under the assumption that there's no art quite so powerful and affecting as public art, The Water Tank Project aims to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation. You may recall before the country started flooding that most of Australia was in drought for some time, remembered by most city folk for the dreary water restrictions put in place. And we had to do that because water, one of the things people take most for granted, can so easily and disastrously run out. The issue of simply finding water safe enough to drink is a global problem, with just 1% of the world's fresh water adequate for human consumption. Those who can't witness in person the changing New York city skyline will be able to keep tabs on the project through apps and web-based media. However, after the project's stint in New York, Word Above The Street plans to move the project to cities like Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City...and Sydney. In the meantime, supporters can donate to the project online. [Via Cool Hunting]
What's better than one of the Attenborough siblings marvelling over our planet's ancient creatures? None other than David Attenborough following in his brother Richard Attenborough's footsteps, of course. While the latter showed dinos some love back in Jurassic Park — with the now-late actor and filmmaker even uttering the iconic words "welcome to Jurassic Park" — his broadcaster, biologist and natural historian sibling has largely surveyed the rest of the earth's living creatures in his iconic documentaries. In David's next series, however, he's solely focusing on prehistoric critters. That show is Prehistoric Planet, a five-part natural history doco that's coming to Apple TV+ — and yes, fittingly, it's arriving on the small screen just before new Jurassic Park franchise instalment Jurassic World Dominion reaches cinemas in June. Even better: after revealing a few sneak peeks earlier in the month, the streaming platform has just dropped the full Prehistoric Planet trailer. Here, you'll hear David Attenborough talk through everything you need to know about dinosaurs. And, while peering back at what the earth was like 66 million years ago, he'll give the fascinating creatures the same treatment he's rolled out in past shows The Living Planet, State of the Planet, The Blue Planet, Frozen Planet, Blue Planet II, Our Planet, Seven Worlds, One Planet, A Perfect Planet and Green Planet (as well as Planet Earth and Planet Earth II, plus documentary David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet). Basically, if you're always wanted to see a David Attenborough series about dinosaurs, life just found a way. And, it's clearly a must-see if you'd listen to him narrate anything and you're always awed by dinos (both of those apply to pretty much everyone). Get ready to discover little-known and surprising facts of dinosaur life, step through the environments of Cretaceous times, see how the Tyrannosaurus rex parented, and explore the ancient creatures of both the sea and sky. That's what Prehistoric Planet will cover across five episodes, which'll drop daily on Apple TV+ across Monday, May 23–Friday, May 27. Unsurprisingly, CGI will feature heavily in Prehistoric Planet — David Attenborough can do many things, but time travelling isn't one of them — but the show's special effects-created dinos will be combined with wildlife filmmaking and paleontology learnings. While the broadcaster's voice is always music to anyone's ears, Hans Zimmer will be adding rousing score to the show — fresh from winning his latest Oscar for Dune. And, if you're wondering about the photorealistic imagery that's bringing dinosaurs to life, filmmaker Jon Favreau is one of the Prehistoric Planet's executive producers. Also, the effects company behind his versions of The Jungle Book and The Lion King is doing the CGI honours. Check out Prehistoric Planet's full trailer below: Prehistoric Planet will hit Apple TV+ across Monday, May 23–Friday, May 27, with a new episode available to stream each day.
Gracing pages for almost a century — plus screens big and small for decades — Winnie-the-Pooh has done many things in his time. Ever since AA Milne first conjured up the honey-loving, walking-and-talking teddy bear back in the 1920s, Pooh has enjoyed plenty of adventures, usually involving Christopher Robin and his Hundred Acre Wood pals Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga and Roo. And, of course, the cuddly critter's efforts to eat as much of his favourite foodstuff as possible have also earned more than a little attention. We've all seen the cartoons — and the toys — and watched films such Goodbye Christopher Robin and Christopher Robin in recent years, too. So far, so adorable. That said, Winnie-the-Pooh's next outing is set to prove anything but. Called Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, it's a slasher film. Yes, really. And, it'll turn Pooh and Piglet into serial killers — and carve into everyone's childhoods in the process. No, the idea that Pooh might turn murderous hasn't ever crossed anyone's minds before — he's a honey-fiending teddy bear who doesn't wear pants, after all — but that's changing thanks to director Rhys Waterfield. And if you're wondering about the tone of the film, other than horror, the filmmaker's other upcoming titles include Firenado, Sky Monster and Rise of the Loch Ness. Yes, viewers will clearly be in B-movie territory here — as the premise makes plain as well. The setup: after seeing their food supplies dwindle as Christopher grew up, Pooh and Piglet have spent years feeling hungry. They've turned feral, in fact, even eating Eeyore to survive. So when Christopher returns, it sets the pair on a rampage, which leads to them a rural cabin where a group of university students are holidaying. We've all seen what usually happens from there, even if this is the first time that it'll involve an iconic kids character. The phrase you're looking for: "oh bother". Whether Winnie-the-Pooh exclaims those two words is yet to be revealed, but you could probably put money on them getting uttered at some point. Exactly when Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey will reach screens Down Under, and where, also hasn't yet been announced — and the film's release date in the US and UK is also yet to be set at this point. Wondering why something that's usually so sweet and innocent is being given the creepy, bloody, eerie horror treatment — turning Winnie-the-Pooh into a killer, no less? It's because the character has just entered the public domain in America. Disney no longer holds the copyright, and no one can now hold the exclusive intellectual property rights over the character, opening the door for wild interpretations like this slasher flick. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey doesn't yet have a release date Down Under — we'll update you when further details are released. Images: Jagged Edge Productions.
When Re opened in Sydney's growing South Eveleigh precinct back in April with hospitality stars Matt Whiley (Scout) and Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Ciccia Bella) at the helm, it did so with a bold and important mission. It's aim: to create less waste, have less of an impact on the environment and forge a blueprint for other venues to follow. It's Australia's first no-waste bar, in fact, and its menu reflects that ethos. Here, Sydneysiders can sip drinks made with excess, salvaged and foraged ingredients — but still with plenty of flavour. Fast favourites include melon and wasabi negronis, yuzu and matcha margaritas, and cherry ripe old fashioneds — and, even though Sydney is currently in lockdown, they're still on offer. Adjusting to the current situation, Re has launched the Re Up Bottle Shop for takeaway and delivery orders. And, if you're not located in the Harbour City, it's also delivering these pre-bottled cocktails nationally. Ten different types of tipples are available in both 100-millilitre ($18) and 500-millilitre ($85) sizes. If you'd fancy more than one, you can opt for a four-pack ($65 for the smaller bottles / $320 for the larger serves). And if you're wondering what other kinds of cocktails are on the menu, other highlights include the 50 Shades of Gruyere, which is made with mushroom cognac, sweet vermouth, gruyere and bloody shiraz — and an old fashioned that goes heavy on seeds and grains, including toasted pumpkin seeds, red rice and fermented black barley. A small selection of wine, beer and spirits is also available to purchase, as is Re and Mr Black's recycled coffee liqueur collaboration — which uses recycled coffee grounds to give you a boozy and caffeinated hit. The Re Up Bottle Shop is open every day except Sunday for pick ups, and delivers in Sydney from Thursday–Saturday (yes, just in time for the weekend). For interstate folks now feeling mighty thirsty, it does next-day delivery outside of Sydney as well. Sydneysiders can find the Re Up Bottle Shop at 2 Locomotive Street, Eveleigh — open 12–5pm Monday–Tuesday and 12–8pm Wednesday–Saturday for pick ups. For online orders anywhere in Australia, head to the bar's website.
UPDATE, APRIL 4: Due to concerns around the coronavirus, Disney has announced that The French Dispatch will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, August 13, 2020, with the film now hitting cinemas on October 15, 2020. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. An offbeat storyline. Mesmerisingly symmetrical frames. A cast that includes Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban and Anjelica Houston. Yep, it must be a new Wes Anderson film — and, based on its just-dropped first trailer, The French Dispatch looks like Wes Anderson at his most Wes Anderson-esque yet. The premise: in the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé sometime in the mid-20th century, Arthur Howitzer Jr. (Murray) has turned a series of travelogue columns into a weekly American magazine. A supplement to the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun, The French Dispatch resembles The New Yorker, is staffed by top expatriate journalists, and covers life in France, world politics, high and low art, and diverse stories of human interest. As for the film that shares its name, it focuses on three tales printed in the publication's pages. Cue 'The Concrete Masterpiece', with Benicio del Toro as incarcerated artist Moses Rosenthaler — who paints portraits of his prison guard (Léa Seydoux) and tries to fend off the interests of an art dealer (Adrien Brody). Next comes 'Revisions to a Manifesto', featuring Timothée Chalamet and Lyna Khoudri as student revolutionaries, as well as Frances McDormand as a journalist. And, there's also 'The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner', about a big kidnapping, plus a chef (Stephen Park) known for "the mode of cuisine known as police cooking". A framing story also steps inside the inner workings of the magazine itself, and the publication of a special issue, complete with writers played by Swinton, Wilson, Elisabeth Moss, Jeffrey Wright, Fisher Stevens, Griffin Dunne and Wally Wolodarsky. The cast list isn't done just yet, with Christoph Waltz, Liev Schreiber, Henry Winkler, Rupert Friend, Cecile de France, Matthew Almaric, Lois Smith and The Grand Budapest Hotel's lobby boy Tony Revolori all popping up. Obviously, as has proven the case in every Anderson film from Bottle Rocket and Rushmore to Isle of Dogs, every frame looks like it belongs on a wall — or in Anderson's own recent museum exhibition. Check out the trailer for The French Dispatch below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcPk2p0Zaw4 After being delayed from its original release date of August 13, 2020, The French Dispatch will now open in Australian cinemas on October 15, 2020.
When it comes to exploring Broome (Rubibi) and the Kimberley, we recommend packing your sense of adventure. This vast, varied stretch of country holds some of the most breathtaking landscapes and unique experiences in the world. There's ocean wilderness and colourful coral wonderlands, Aboriginal cultural sites and places of ancient, enduring story and significance. You'll see otherworldly rock forms, lush greenery and sprawling lakes, optical lunar illusions and sideways — yes, sideways — waterfalls. There's nowhere like it, and there are so many ways you can explore. Whatever way you want to adventure, we've got a standout spread of activities here to choose from — and a few ready-to-go trips if you're already packed and ready. It's time to choose your own quest out west.
2023 was huge for women's soccer in Australia. 2024 mightn't boast the World Cup rolling out Down Under, sadly, but with the Matildas competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, it's still a massive year for fans of the country's national squad. 2023 also brought documentary Matildas: The World at Our Feet to streaming queues, too — and 2024 is following suit there as well thanks to Stan's Trailblazers, which was announced earlier in the year and now has a Tuesday, June 4 release date. While The World at Our Feet chronicled the current team's path to the 2023 Women's World Cup, Trailblazers is taking a broader look at the Tillies' story and also at women's football in Australia, as the trailer for the doco makes plain. Sam Kerr, Steph Catley, Mary Fowler, Ellie Carpenter, Katrina Gorry and Teagan Micah all feature as interviewees — but chronicling the Matildas' journey before their current success is also in the documentary's remit. If your obsession with the Tillies started in July 2023, this is your chance to dive into the first FIFA-recognised game in 1979, the team's 2015 strike for equal pay and its fortunes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics — and to reflect upon the the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, plus the squad's qualification for Paris. So, you'll hear from and about earlier players, such as first-ever Matildas captain Julie Dolan, alongside Kerr and company. The Matildas' first Indigenous female player Karen Menzies also features among the discussions, as do fellow past players Melissa Barbieri, Kate Gill and Moya Dodd. Tommy Sermanni, who coached the Tillies from 1994–97 and 2005–12, similarly gets chatting. And, so does ex-Socceroos captain-turned-commentator Craig Foster. Stan is dropping Trailblazers not only in the lead up to the Paris Olympics, which take place from Friday, July 16–Sunday, August 11, but also just after the Matildas play two warmup friendlies in Australia on Friday, May 31 (in Adelaide) and Monday, June 3 (in Sydney) against China. Behind the scenes, Maggie Miles (Dare to Be Different) and Maggie Eudes produce, write and direct the documentary — aka your next chance to revel in all things Tillies. If you want to wear green and gold while watching, or the recently released (and soldout) purple Mackenzie Arnold goalkeeper kit if you got your hands on one, that's up to you. Check out the trailer for Trailblazers below: Trailblazers will stream via Stan from Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
Bracken Ridge Tavern has finally reopened after a mammoth $10 million renovation. This major transformation ushers in a new era for Brisbane's Northside hospitality, with the venue now primed for all-day socialising and dining for families, friends and groups. The Tavern is run by second-generation owners and operators, publicans Chad and Elisabeth White, who both left corporate careers to continue the family legacy. The pub has been a cornerstone of the region's hospitality for almost five decades. "Bracken Ridge Tavern has always been part of the community's fabric, but we wanted to create a place that evolves with it," says Chad. Elisabeth adds, "We've created a space where local families, long-time customers and new faces can come together to eat, drink, connect and celebrate, whatever the reason, whatever the time of day, all under one roof." As the doors swing open, the first stage of the facelift has been unveiled, revealing a new Italian eatery, Two Wise Guys, a reimagined steakhouse, Panama Jacks, a bustling laneway that connects the indoor and outdoor spaces, a refurbished games room, the Laneway Cafe, and a garden terrace, perfect for families, which includes a kids' playroom and grassed areas. At a later date, the second stage of the renovation will introduce The Captain's Sports Bar to the buzzing precinct. Two Wise Guys is an ode to Chad and Elisabeth's grandfathers, which served freshly sliced meats, crisp pizzas and fresh pastas. "Two Wise Guys is a love letter to our grandfathers, who were humble men, believing the best meals start in the soil and end at the table, surrounded by friends and family. We wanted to honour their stories through food made with heart, using the best local produce and Italian know-how." Elisabeth says they wanted to design a venue that suits each moment of the day, from a morning coffee to a long lunch, to catching up over the footy with mates, or even celebrating a special occasion. The renovation comes at just the right time, as Brisbane's Northside is experiencing a surge in locals seeking more exciting and elevated hospitality experiences. "Now is the time to raise the bar. People want spaces that feel special, yet familiar, with great food, great company and a sense of community at the core," says Chad. Images: Supplied.
By now, you've probably forgotten what an overseas holiday even feels like. But you might want to pull out a map and start flexing those vacation planning skills, because the folks at Qantas and Jetstar have just announced plans to kick start international flights from late-October. Yep, if all goes to plan, the two airlines could have you jetting off to foreign lands as early as spring. The Qantas Group today announced it aims to resume flights to most international destinations from October this year, after it ramps up flights on its trans-Tasman routes from July. The news comes almost a year after the COVID-19 pandemic first forced Qantas and Jetstar to suspend overseas flights back in March 2020. The tentative plans also take into consideration the Aussie rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. Last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the Federal Government aims to give every Australian the opportunity to get vaccinated by October. You might not be able to fly until you've received your jab, with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce previously stating the airline would only allow vaccinated passengers to travel on international flights. The airline is also currently trialling digital health pass apps, such as Common Pass and IATA Travel Pass, which contain information about a passenger's COVID-19 status, testing and vaccinations, on current international repatriation flights. Come October 31, Qantas expects to have resumed flights to 22 of its 25 international destinations, including London, Singapore and Los Angeles. Unfortunately, if you've got New York, Santiago or Osaka on your wish list, you may have to wait a little longer to fly. Meanwhile, Jetstar plans to resume all of its 13 international routes by the same projected date, though flight frequencies will be determined by what's happening in the rest of the world. Got your sights set a little closer to home? Both airlines are aiming to dramatically increase their trips to and from New Zealand, starting from July 1. Of course, even once international flights are up and running again, you can expect a much lower capacity than pre-COVID travel — Qantas says it's not anticipating a full return to normality until 2024. In good news for planners, Qantas has also announced some extra flexibility for customers booking international flights. It's expanded its Fly Flexible policy to include overseas routes that are booked from now until at least the end of April 2021. That'll allow you to change your flight date to any other currently available, up to 355 days in advance. Learn more about Qantas and Jetstar's international travel plans at the website.
Gone are the days of choosing between man's best friend and man's perfect holiday - there are more dog-friendly hotels, spas and getaway cottages in Queensland to pick from than ever before. And it's not just the big cities that are catering to pet parents and fur babies. You and your pooch can pack your bags and hit the road for surf beaches, dog-friendly wine tours, idyllic hinterland serenity and eco-friendly retreats to soothe the soul. Check out the best of what's on offer for you and Fido throughout the Sunshine State at these pet-friendly accommodations. Recommended reads: The Best Hotels in Brisbane The Best Glamping Sites Near Brisbane The Best Dog-Friendly Cafes, Bars and Restaurants in Brisbane SPICERS, VARIOUS QUEENSLAND LOCATIONS The Spicers group offers a series of luxury pet-friendly stays across Queensland for travellers hitting town and country. Stay in the urban heart of New Farm at Balfour, a stone's throw from parks, bars and the winding River Walk. Head to the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and Tamarind Retreat for rainforest luxury stays in a South-East-Asian-influenced wellness hotel. Enjoy French-inspired luxury at Clovelly Estate in Montville in the lavish guest house suites or private, self-contained cottage. Or stay in the historic Chinese Cottage near Hidden Vale homestead, set among 12,000 acres of serene bush at Grandchester - and don't miss the famed paddock-to-plate dining at Homage Restaurant. Wherever your next escape might be, the Spicer's Pooch Package includes bedding, bowls and little treats, and a warm welcome and tummy rubs (for the pup, of course). SALTWATER VILLAS, MOOLOOLABA Make your next Sunshine Coast weekend a little more 'extra'. Saltwater Villas offers the best of both worlds: canal-side accommodation tucked away from the main street high-rises but with all the cafes, bars and restaurants of the Esplanade just a wander away. All villas are pet-friendly with private enclosed courtyards, and they offer dog-minding and dog-walking by prior appointment. You'll find this service invaluable if you're booking one of their in-house massages, pedicures, facials and spa treatments. If you'd prefer some soothing beach-therapy, head into town with the pooch and walk along the rock wall and water's edge, watching the waves roll in. Stop for lunch at a cafe, grab a drink at The Good Bar or make the most of the famous Mooloolaba seafood by cooking up a storm in the villa kitchen - with your best friend by your side. LILLYPILLY'S, MALENY An easy drive from Brisbane brings you to Lillypilly's spa getaway. It's your perfect escape from the hustle and bustle in the charm of a private country cottage - without sacrificing all the modern conveniences of air con, coffee machine and wifi, plus spa treatments, gourmet additions or a full 'spoil yourself' package. Relax on the verandah or daybed with tranquil views over the lake and rolling hills. If you and the pup get restless, head out and about to explore the towns and nature walks of the Sunshine Coast hinterland before you return for the night. Massage for you, fresh air for the pooch and a cosy living room with a crackling fire that everyone can snuggle up in front of. Pawfect. MT COTTON RETREAT, MOUNT COTTON Fancy a green getaway for you and your furry friend? Mt Cotton Retreat has Advanced Eco Certified status and a 20-hectare nature reserve and koala conservation program. The rustic 'treetop' cabin is the perfect place to unplug and unwind. It's all about the simple pleasures of you and your pup together. Wander through woodland, spot wildlife in the trees, listen for the creek after the rains, enjoy utter peace and quiet. For an elegant touch to your bush retreat, you can arrange a gourmet picnic hamper for the humans - but you'll need to BYO canine catering. There are lovely spots nearby for easy day trips, including a local winery. Best of all, this pet-friendly stay in Queensland is only a 30-minute drive from Brisbane. OVOLO, THE VALLEY, BRISBANE All creatures deserve the Ovolo creature comforts, and now your four-legged friend can enjoy them thanks to its V.I.Pooch package. Your pets will get a special bed, mat and bowl plus a goodie bag with toys and treats. And humans get complimentary breakfast, snacks, a 24-hour gym and your own loot bag (with different treats, of course). If you want to get out and explore The Valley nightlife - after your hotel sundowner drinks during 'social hour' - you can arrange dog-sitting via the pup-loving Ovolo staff. The Ovolo is more than a stylish getaway: it wants to be known as Queensland's best dog-friendly hotel - let them try to prove it to you. BRIAR ROSE COTTAGES, STANTHORPE All aboard a dog-friendly wine tour of the Granite Belt. Set up a luxe base camp at Briar Rose Cottages, just 1km outside of Stanthorpe (which happens to be one our favourite day trip destinations from Brisbane). These three darling little cottages are straight out of a picture book. Think, 'aspirational country chic'. Crackling woodfire heating, white wicker chairs on the verandah and heritage elegance with a welcoming, homey feel. They're self-contained, for 2, 4 or 6 people, but as there's no fence on the property, you'll just have to keep the doggo on a leash when you're outside. When you've settled in, head out to one of the numerous dog-friendly wineries, including Ridgemill Estate, Robert Cannon Wines, Summit Estate and the trendy Symphony Hill Wines. A tasting for you, some head-pats for the pup, then return to your cosy country abode. W BRISBANE, NORTH QUAY Fantastic news: your doggo can now enjoy the Marriott luxury, too. The five-star W Hotel in South Bank welcomes well-behaved pooches to join its pet-parents for an indulgent city getaway. Admittedly, your fur baby probably won't appreciate the fun, quirky, Aussie-inspired design choices of the W, and they might not think much of the view over the river, Mt Coot-tha and the suburbs beyond. That's all for your enjoyment. And you'll need to leave them with a sitter when you dine at the restaurant and hit up the sun-drenched rooftop pool. But together you can take in the city sights. Jump on a ferry, wander along the river, explore the vibrant West End and Southbank arts district, and stop in at one of the many pooch-friendly pubs and cafes. NOOSA HINTERLAND RETREATS, NOOSA There's no reason why your pooch has to miss out on a sunny surf holiday at Noosa. Head into the hinterland for a bit of R&R in a completely private and self-contained apartment just 20 minutes' drive from the main beach. The Hinterland Suite on the ground floor has a fenced private yard with an enviable view of Mt Cooroy. A queen size bed and spacious living area provides ample room to relax, and there's a bushwalk trail nearby when you need to stretch your legs. Drive down and explore Noosa at your leisure, pick up local gourmet provisions or stop in at one of the many dog-friendly cafes, such as Aromas at Noosa Heads. WONGARI ECO RETREAT, SCENIC RIM Because pets are family too, Wongari Eco Retreat welcomes well-behaved doggos with open arms — so you and your pup can reconnect with nature together. The house rules are simple: don't make a mess, don't worry the wildlife and don't leave the pooch alone in the cabin. You can take them with you on your adventures along nearby bushwalks or let them run freely through wide open spaces. Serenity cabin is tucked away in a secluded pocket of forest, while Bimbul cabin — which runs on renewable hydropower — has open views across the Hoop Pines. Bowls are provided, but BYO food and bedding. Live your idyllic rustic dream around the Scenic Rim as you bake bread in the woodfired oven, watch the sunset over the hills and enjoy the simple pleasures of rural life with your pup. Absolute bliss. TREETOPS RETREAT, CAIRNS Craving the tropical heat and clear blue seas of beautiful Far North Queensland? Make a road trip north with a few pals and rent out this spacious treehouse getaway. Set amongst the heritage-listed Crystal Cascade rainforest, Treetops Retreat has space for nine people — and your pup. This luxury retreat has everything you need to recharge and replenish your energy in style: wooden sauna, pool, tranquil garden and an outdoor Bali daybed. Fling open the wide doors and let the sounds and scents of the rainforest wash over you. You're just a short drive from Cairns or the foodie hotspot of Port Douglas, but if you'd rather stay in and have fun, you can gather around the pool table for a game, or book a private nature experience via the host. When it gets too hot, just lie back in a hammock while your pup plays on the deck - just keep them off the leather couches and you'll be as golden as the FNQ sunshine. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top image: W Brisbane
Rummaging through your cupboards can be an invigorating exercise, unearthing and breathing new life into old gems. In one of the most high-fiveworthy collaborations in recent memory, Future Classic and le coq sportif have paired up for their own big ol' throwback project. The Sydney-based electronic label home to Flume and the French-founded sportswear company have joined forces to release a collection of remixes and reissues from the archives. Dubbed 'The Reissue Project', the double-sided project sees both parties bring their mad skills to the table. Delving deep into the back catalogues, le coq sportif have designed a collection of garments exclusively for Future Classic. Looking particularly to the '80s and '90s chapters of le coq history, the team have created six brand new designs that hope to fuse le coq aesthetic with the beats-loving clubs of now — think drop crotch trackies, reversible jackets, bucket hats, fleecy sweaters and good old fashioned t-shirts. Best part? Glow in the dark details, FO' CLUBBIN'. The team have also made exclusive varsity jackets for Future Classic artists, not for sale but still fly. In return, Future Classic have dug into their own back catalogue to reissue some older bangers, revamped with some pretty damn excellent remixes and reworks by Chicago legend Derrick Carter, Sydney's acid house master DJ HMC, NYC beatsmaster Jaques Renault, French young gun Pyramid and UK 'resident producer' of Wolf Music, Greymatter. Touch Sensitive's 2006 track 'Body Stop' has been worked over, alongside Luke Million, Stick Figures, Peret Mako and the gold nugget-like 'Possum', the first tune Flume ever put on triple j Unearthed. The physical collaboration element between the two comes from the unique codes paired with each le coq sportif piece; if you buy a piece you can download the Reissue Project tracks to strut down the street with for free. But because both sides are legends, they're letting you listen in anyway — you'll be able to stream the tracks from Soundcloud and www.thereissueproject.com from Thursday, August 14 at 10am AEST. Here's the sweet threads, you can run from the gym to the clurb without changing a thing: The LCS x FC Reissue Project is available in le coq sportif stores, selected Glue Stores nationally and online from 14 August. Want to customise your own le coq sportif threads in the meantime? Stroll to The Rocks over here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=FBh7PVr0p9Y
Taking design cues from Everything Adorable Ever works a treat for Edwina Sinclair. The 22-year-old Brisbane designer behind Australian label Soot counts Emojis, kiddie terrycloth beach ponchos and post-swim towel huddling as the triggers for her SS14/15 collection 'Splash'. A beachworthy assortment of flowing, wide-leg pants, summery tunics and her signature knitted bubble print, Soot's spring/summer collection is a pastel-lover's paradise. An unfathomably recent graduate from Queensland University of Technology (we're talking a couple of years), industry favourite Sinclair took us through her pretty-as-blazes looks for next season. On Fusing the '30s with Emojis Soot's impossibly summery SS14/15 collection 'Splash' found its beginnings in Sinclair's enthusiasm for both structured '30s beachwear and her own Australian beach-bound childhood. "I wanted to incorporate humour, luxury and texture which are values that I aim to include in all Soot collections," she says. "Inspirations came from looking at 1930's beach loungewear and vintage pyjamas. I am all about comfort so this is subconsciously incorporated into the garments shapes." In an adorable move that reflects Sinclair's age, she found further inspiration right under her thumbs. "I further looked at Emoji's for the prints to incorporate another playful element and develop my 3D textures." On Getting Back to Aussie Roots Full of flat, flowy tunics, wide-leg pants, 'Splash' gives a firm nod to Sinclair's Australian heritage. Remember those 'ball gowns' you and your tiny crew used to make out of towels on the beach, perfect for a parental parade? Sinclair's taken those makeshift moments of Roxy towel-made haute couteur and made them into Actual Garments. "I love the beach, I am there almost every weekend!" she says. "The homage to my Aussie roots comes from the colour, the water references and some literal references too! Such as the linen towel dress — the shape came from wrapping a towel around you after a swim and the droplet jersey dress silhouette came from the terry toweling ponchos children wear at the beach!" On Her Signature Knitted Bubble Design Sinclair's signature knitted bubble bags and dresses popped up at every turn at this year's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, with many a front rower swanning by with SOOT's most recognizable items in tow. Trending at MBFWA is a dream for most up-and-coming designers, and while Sinclair is flattered by the design's success she can see the pressure such hoo-ha can create. "It is great to have other people respond so positively to an idea that has come from a concept to a physical object," she says. "When something does have a good response it does put the pressure on to create something that will be as well received the following season." On Teaming Up With the Fam Edwina isn't the only talented sibling in the Sinclair family. 'Splash' is the first SOOT collection to feature her sister Tilly's jewellery designs. Fusing the strengths of the Sinclair sisters in one gorgeous collaboration, 'Splash' is a beautifully-executed family affair. "It is fun! Also it is very easy to talk openly about our ideas and if we disagree on something it is easy to resolve and compromise," says Sinclair. "It is really great that Tilly wanted to come on board to collaborate this season. I think the jewellery has added a nice touch to the collection." On Hanging at Home in Brisbane So where does one of Brisbane's best exports hang out when she's at home? "I like Shady Palms, Tipplers Tap and Lefty's for a drink with friends. I usually go to Jamie's Espresso Bar or Reverends to get my coffee (both in Fortitude Valley just near my studio). I shop at my favourite store which also happens to be Soot's Brisbane stockist, Blonde Venus in Fortitude Valley." Now for more pretty pictures, here's Soot's SS14/15 'Splash' collection. Check soot.com.au for stockists.
Since launching in 2013, Four Pillars has given Australian gin lovers plenty to drink, including its famed Bloody Shiraz Gin, an annual Christmas-themed tipple, olive leaf gins and even a boozy ode to Melbourne landmark The Espy. Next time you pour yourself a sip of one of the above juniper spirits, you'll actually be pouring yourself a drop from the world's best gin producer, with the Yarra Valley-based distillery earning that title for the second consecutive year at 2020's International Wine and Spirits Competition. Four Pillars nabbed what's considered the industry's top gin gong, receiving the prize in a virtual ceremony on Thursday, November 18 at 6pm UK time. And if you're wondering about the size and scale of the IWSC, it's the globe's largest international competition for spirits, receiving more than 4000 entries worldwide. Winning for its impressive range of gins — which also includes its Rare Dry Gin, Spiced Negroni Gin and Navy Strength Gin — Four Pillars made history by becoming the first Australian distillery to win the award in 2019. It's the latest exciting chapter in the company's short but substantial run so far, with the gin outfit founded by Cameron Mackenzie, Stuart Gregor and Matt Jones seven years ago, earning plenty of acclaim and awards since, and selling a 50-percent stake to beer giant Lion earlier in 2019. [caption id="attachment_774866" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Four Pillars Laboratory in Surry Hills by Anson Smart[/caption] In anointing Four Pillars this year's IWSC International Gin Producer of the Year, the organisation also recognised the company's role in the gin industry, its commitment to collaboration and creativity — and its full lineup of tipples. This year certainly hasn't been a normal year for the company, however, with the distillery pivoting to produce hand sanitiser overnight when the pandemic hit — and then launching its first Sydney bar and distillery just a couple of months later. "This is a triumph for strength over adversity, for professionalism and passion in the face of what sometimes in 2020 seemed insurmountable odds," said Mackenzie in a statement. "This is a victory for every single person in the Four Pillars world but most particularly for everyone at Healesville who has faced so much uncertainty and difficulty this year but has never stopped putting in the hard yards." To peruse the full list of International Wine and Spirits Competition 2020 winners, visit the organisation's website.
The patch of land at 458 Brunswick Street is no longer just an empty old Blockbuster store, or even a vacant lot where said video shop used to be — and it's giving Brisbanites plenty of reasons to drop by. First, Hotel X opened its doors and treated the city to a new staycation spot. Then, the building welcomed lavish restaurant Bisou Bisou, complete with an oyster and caviar bar. Now, bar and restaurant Iris has joined the party, setting up shop by the pool on the building's rooftop. While its downstairs sibling has opted for a French theme, Iris takes its cues from the Mediterranean coast, including everywhere from Beirut to Barcelona. Design-wise, that translates through the exposed stonework entranceway, wisteria and olive trees, and the fairy lights twinkling above. Visitors will also find themselves surrounded by plum, rose and indigo hues accented with gold finishings, plus marble touches. The 200-person venue pairs its luxe decor with quite the view — including of the adjacent water, Fortitude Valley, New Farm, the Story Bridge and the city skyline — as well as poolside bungalows, and a private dining room that can seat 14. Once evening approaches, there's also a dance floor that'll get you cutting shapes to DJs as the sun sets. Overseen by Ghanem Group Executive Chef Jake Nicolson and Head Chef Lloyd Evans (ex-Blackbird), the food menu is filled with Greek and Spanish-style share plate options. Start off with an antipasto platter ($45), then pick your way through anchovy ($19), prawn ($21) and fish taco ($17) tapas. Larger options include barbecue pork rib pinchos ($28), salmon crudo with shiraz gin caviar ($24), spicy lamb and chorizo albondigas ($18), and spiced wagyu picanha with chimichurri rojo ($44). And, for dessert, the list spans a fig-focused take on tiramisu ($14), Persian pistachio and olive oil cake ($12), and a toffee apple churro tart ($16). On the drinks menu: red, white and rosé sangrias made with organic wines, four types of boozy sodas, seven signature cocktails, three mocktails and kombucha. There's also an extensive range of tap and bottled beers, as well as hard seltzers, sherry, wines by the glass and bottle, and spirits. Or, you can opt for bottle service.
After two decades and thousands of fingerprints, Zhang Yu's 'Fingerprint Series' has expanded into a collection of paintings, installations, performances, and books. The series represents Zhang Yu's understanding of reality and of the world, and fingerprinting represents his attitude towards life. His method is simple: he dips his right thumb into red, white, or black ink, and presses it repeatedly onto rice paper. The effect, however, is an incredible sense of an infinitive pattern, created by the overlapping thumb prints. Regarded as a pioneer of Chinese experimental ink painting, Zhang Yu's works do not reveal a specific image to the viewer. Instead, they emphasise the methodical and meditative process with which they are created, making one feel quite small and insignificant in comparison.
Your winter streaming plans just got better — and brighter, bolder, fiercer and sassier, too — because RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under has locked in its return date for season two. Last year, after the debut Australian and New Zealand version of the show, Stan in Australia and TVNZ OnDemand in New Zealand confirmed that the series would sashay our way again. Now, that's set to happen from Saturday, July 30. Exactly who'll be donning eye-catching outfits, navigating dramas and vying for glory next hasn't been revealed, but a new lineup of drag queens will endeavour to follow in Kita Mean's footsteps — after Mean took RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under's first season. Whoever gets the gig, they'll be joined by RuPaul, of course — who takes on hosting duties again — as well as fellow returnees Michelle Visage and Rhys Nicholson. Also yet to be revealed: 2022's lineup of celebrity guests, after 2021 saw Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue and Taika Waititi all pop up. Still, fans already know the format, which features fashion challenges, workroom dramas and lip sync battles aplenty. If you're a newcomer to all things Drag Race, you'll watch the next batch of Australian and NZ competitors work through a series of contests to emerge victorious, and join the likes of Mean and US contenders Jinkx Monsoon, Sasha Velour and Sharon Needles in being crowned the series' winner. Before it made the leap Down Under last year, the US version of RuPaul's Drag Race had already been on the air for more than a decade, first premiering in 2009 — and wholeheartedly embracing its mission to unearth the next drag superstars ever since. The original US series just aired its 14th season this year, so this is a program with proven longevity. It has also spun off international iterations before, including in the UK — where it's also hosted by RuPaul — plus in Thailand, Holland, Chile and Canada. While details might still be thin regarding who's competing and guesting on RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under's second season, RuPaul has still done the honours on the show's date announcement video. It wouldn't be a big piece of Drag Race Down Under news without a RuPaul clip, of course — check it out below: RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under will return for a second season in 2022 on Stan and TVNZ from Saturday, July 30.
Immerse yourself in the world of Ian Fairweather at Queensland Art Gallery. This exhibition showcases the artist's works from 1953 until his death in 1974. During this time, Fairweather resided and worked on Bribie Island, his abstract paintings feature scenes from his life on the island. Many of these works have been taken from his private collections and never before been seen by the public. As well as his abstract art, Fairweather is also known for masterfully combining artistic elements from both Western and Asian cultures to create unique pieces. This special exhibit will be showing until March 2013. What's more, the exhibit is free, so make sure you mosey on over to Queensland Art Gallery within the next few moths to check out extraordinary pieces from one of Australia's best painters. The Queensland Art Gallery also provides guided tours for this exhibition, running daily from 11am.
Massive screen, massive occasion, massive movies: that's the equation when IMAX Sydney reopens its doors after a seven-year absence. How do you relaunch one of the biggest cinema screens in the world, which measures 692 square metres and will start shimmering before film lovers' eyes again from Wednesday, October 11? With Avatar: The Way of Water, Barbenheimer and Taylor Swift's Eras concert tour flick. Trips to the pictures in Sydney are getting huge again, with the Darling Harbour venue reopening in its newly rebuilt form after closing down back in 2016. The entire building was demolished, and was originally meant to get its projectors running again in 2019, then in 2021; however, that clearly didn't happen. Giant things come to cinemagoers who wait, it seems. That screen really is large. It's not quite as big as IMAX Melbourne, which is the world's largest, but it's still mammoth. And, it sports a 1.43 picture ratio, which means giving viewers up to 40-percent more image. Cue more need for speed when Top Gun: Maverick graces the screen during the venue's opening week, more of Barbie's pink hues and Oppenheimer's tension (including in perfectly timed Barbenheimer doubles), more humans battling AI in The Creator, and more of one of the world's biggest pop stars onstage for Swifties to enjoy. The new IMAX Sydney's setup is also IMAX's most-advanced theatre experience so far, spanning 4K laser projection using a system with a new optical engine and custom-designed lenses. Thanks to a range of proprietary technology, viewers can expect the images to be brighter, too, with increased resolution, deeper contrast and the widest range of colours that IMAX has seen. As for the sound, that's being piped through a 12-channel setup. At a site run by EVT — the hospitality company behind Event Cinemas, Moonlight Cinema, the Skyline Drive-In and the State Theatre; the arrival of surround-screen viewing Down Under; a heap of bars and restaurants; QT Hotels, Rydges and other hotel chains; plus IMAX venues in Auckland and Queensgate in New Zealand, as well as IMAX Karlsruhe in Germany — moviegoers have four choices when it comes to seating. In addition to standard seats, you can get comfortable in a full recliner, cosy up with your plus one in a couples' recliner or go with a private box for up to four people. The latter is perched on an elevated platform, and comes with exclusive food and beverage options There's 430 seats in total, on par with the old venue. And, the range of bites and drinks overall has scored a revamp courtesy of a marketplace experience. Before your movie starts, you can kick back in the lounge — and, of course, IMAX Sydney sports a full-service bar. "The opening of IMAX Sydney showcases EVT's commitment to bringing world class entertainment experiences to Australia. With Laser by IMAX, our new seating options, and our food and beverage offering, we are setting a new benchmark for immersive cinema entertainment that captivates the senses," said EVT CEO Jane Hastings. "We are very excited to partner with EVT for our long-awaited opening of IMAX Sydney in Darling Harbour, which is historically one of our best performing locations globally and a cultural centre of this beautiful city," added IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond. "IMAX Sydney immediately joins the ranks of our flagship locations and, with its state-of-the-art IMAX technology, breathtaking design and Event Cinemas renowned cinema expertise, is a shining example of what the theatrical experience should aspire to." Future flicks set to hit IMAX Sydney's enormous screen include Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, Marvel Cinematic Universe entry The Marvels, The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Napoleon, Wonka and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. And if you live outside of Sydney but are the kind of cinephile that can't pass up a trip to the movies when you're in a different city, IMAX Sydney is a new film-loving tourist destination, too. IMAX Sydney will reopen at Darling Harbour, 1/35 Wheat Road, Sydney, from Wednesday, October 11 — head to the cinema's website for tickets and further information.
Heading to Moonlight Cinema has been one of the best ways to spend a balmy night across Australia since 1995. Kicking things off 30 years ago with a screening of Tarantino classic Pulp Fiction, the much-loved outdoor cinema is celebrating its milestone birthday with the launch of a special cinematic lineup selected by the audience — The People's Program. While the cinema never misses a beat when it comes to the silver screen schedule, showcasing new releases, timeless masterpieces and family-friendly hits, now audiences are invited to have their say on which films return to the big screen. With voting open, choose from a curated list of classics, sing-alongs and cult favourites, from Shrek and Dirty Dancing to The Castle and Jurassic Park. "For three decades, Moonlight Cinema has been a quintessential summer ritual for millions of Australians," says John Boero, General Manager of Entertainment Operations, EVT. "The People's Program gives fans the chance to help shape the season and enjoy their most-loved films — under the stars, where Moonlight magic happens." However, there's more to this event than just picking the flicks. Everyone who votes will receive a 30 percent discount on general admission tickets to The People's Program sessions, screening the top-voted requests from January through March. Plus, voters go into the draw to win a double season pass alongside other stellar prizes so that you can experience Moonlight Cinema at its very best. As for the rest of the season, this year's Moonlight Cinema is particularly merry. From Tuesday, December 9–Tuesday, December 23, movie-lovers will be treated to Christmas Favourites. Spanning two weeks of crowd-pleasing festive films, Love Actually, Elf, Home Alone, The Holiday and more are taking over massive al fresco screens around the country. Then it's time for summer blockbusters, including new releases like Wicked: For Good, Eternity and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. Meanwhile, there's no shortage of new family flicks bound to become old favourites, like Zootopia 2, Moana 2 and How to Train Your Dragon. Moonlight Cinema runs in various locations with specific dates from Friday, November 21–Sunday, April 5, 2026. Head to the website for more information.
There are few bands with enough unfaltering stamina to line up a debaucherous, beer-fuelled pub crawl to kick off every night of their Australian tour. But Brisbane's Dune Rats leave the rules at home, abiding by one big ol' proviso: "no kooks, no gutties." Whatever the blazes that means, these bloody corker dudes surf self-generated waves of laidback party-fuelled philosophy. We checked in with the Dunies in Kuala Lumpur during the South East Asian leg of their world tour, or "Koala Kangaroo" as bassist Brett Jansch calls it. The Brisbane lads have been on a furious bender around the globe, rambling around South Africa, Europe and South East Asia in mobile homes and tour buses — with their sights set back home for June. "It's fuckin' awesome," Jansch says "Last night was like, the first time I've slept in a bed for like, the last however long it's been. Just chilled. We had like, a motorhome, then a little campervan all tour." It's good for the Dunies to kick back after months on the road, with all the modern conveniences that come with the gloriousness of hotel life. "I watched this thing on the TV last night called 100 Most Favourite '90s Songs or something, they had like LL Cool J and Marky Mark and shit, it was sick." https://youtube.com/watch?v=CjJ0ABIwOfo On An American Death Trip of Dreams Dune Rats' BC Michaels, Danny Beusa and Jansch have been away from home for some time now, heading to the US, staying in a New York AirBnB warehouse, driving along the West Coast from San Diego to Vancouver and filming their own (sorta) web series American Death Trip of Dreams. Then they bailed over to Europe and the UK. "Ah fuck, I just had such a sick time in the UK and Europe... In America I just get super fat and then washed up, then you get hungover and then you get fat again. Then it's ok, then you get fat again. It's not good for your health, America." "When we just came back, there was about two weeks at home and we all dissipated to our families' respective, like, sanctuary zones because everyone was just wrecked. Too much of America. Then we came to the UK and everyone's like, BC's gettin' a full six pack hey? Eatin' lots of fruit and veg for the last few weeks!" The Dunies made their way to Liverpool, playing an Aussie BBQ during the city's legendary festival Sound City. "That was fuckin' super fun. There were so many Brisbane bands there and we were all "How the fuck are we all here in one place?" That was actually a corker of a time hey." After months on the road, the Dunies will head back home to Australia for a national tour, showcasing their debut album set for release on June 1. It'll be the first time the trio have played to home audiences for months. The tour kicks off on the west coast and ends up back where they all started. "I'm pretty fucking excited to get home, that's for sure. We haven't played in Brissy for ages," says Jansch. "We've been away for so long and hopefully we can just get back and hang out with our buddies and just talk about anything else, find out what they're doin'. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0APj4u-56Jw On Turning an Australian Tour into a Pub Crawl Pieced together like a rambunctious escapade of regrets, the Dunies will host a pub crawl in every city before the gig for fans who've preordered their debut album (out June 1). "Well I guess you just want to get as fucked up as possible before the gig with all our friends and buddies that have preordered the album in order to come to the pub crawl," Jansch says in a wink-wink, nudge-nudge moment of please-buy-our-albumness. "We'll find the right place where we can all hang out together near the venue or whatever and just go pub to pub. "So honestly, we'll be going on a pub crawl all around Australia I guess. I wonder if anyone will come all the way with us. If someone does, they can definitely have a fuckin' t-shirt! They can have a hangover as well." Supporting Dune Rats will be different buds in each state. "We've kind of put together just all our fucking favourite bands and our friends to play, you know... So it's going to be a fucking party every night, especially now with our pub crawls and shit.," Jasnch realises. "Fuck, I think it's going to be a full wash up by the end of it." https://youtube.com/watch?v=1TKRT5IQtjQ On Writing at Brett's Mum's House The Dunies' debut album came to fruition in the most unlikely of locations. The trio headed to Brett's mum's house and started writing. Well, planted a vege patch, went surfing, wrote a bit, hung out, went surfing, wrote again, played a bit, all with Mum's permission. Has to be said: Coolest. Mum. Ever. "She was frothing! You know, I bet whenever the door was shut she was probably sitting on the fuckin' step outside, like with a megaphone in her ear. She was just lovin' it man," says Jansch. "Like, I fuckin' hate all our neighbours at home. But mum would always be like, play as long as you fuckin' want, as loud as you fuckin' want, fuck everybody," he laughs. The World's Best Mum and a solid support base has proved the best grounder for the Dunies, who wholly appreciate everything on their plate. "I guess we're all just fuckin' blown away that we can even go around the world on fuckin' tour... We don't take it for granted or anything. We're always constantly stoked, we're always frothing about all this shit." https://youtube.com/watch?v=lU3n6vRX8yY On Their Debut Album Like all groundbreaking things (Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Ian McEwan's Atonement, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock's The Lake House) the whole thing hinges around an important letter. "You know there's like, a letter from Steve Albine that surfaced, when Nirvana recorded 'In Utero'? He just outlined the idea of like, fuck all the bullshit, there's no need to slave over shit and try to get everything perfect. The best thing to ever do is probably just punch it out as it would come naturally. And what happened with that album is it turned out fuckin' awesome. [That's] exactly what we were kinda talking about. "We just didn't wanna fuckin' do all this stupid shit that bands do with an album. We just wanted to record the song that we made up in the shed. And that was just this nice inspiration to think oh fuck, you know what? We actually can do it the way that that we'd like to and it'll turn out right." The album was recorded and mixed at Melbourne's Red Door Studios, in the capable hands of Woody Anderson (tour manager and sound engineer for Children Collide). The whole process — recording, mixing, the lot — took just four weeks. "It was all super chilled, all with Woody — just fuckin' easy peasy," says Jansch. "It was pretty much just a bunch of us in the studio, fuckin' chillin' out, makin' the songs." Dune Rats is a rambunctious ride through moments of pure silliness ('Dalai Lama' has five words in total: "Dalai Lama, Big Banana, marijuana,") and heartfelt bouts ('Home Sick'). Jansch is insistent, however, the trio didn't set out to make a particular type of song any given day. "It wasn't like "Ahhh what's today fellas? Let's try and write a funny song." All of them just fuckin' turned out." DUNE RATS TOUR DATES: June 12 - Mojo's, Fremantle WA June 13 - Amplifier, Perth WA June 14 - Uni Bar, Adelaide SA June 19 - Karova Lounge, Ballarat VIC June 20 - The Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC June 21 - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney NSW June 28 - The Zoo, Brisbane QLD TO REGISTER FOR THE DUNIES PRE PARTIES: 1. Pre-order the album Dune Rats for ten beans at iTunes or JB HiFi. 2. Forward your iTunes or JB HiFi album preorder receipt and your mobile number to stuff@ratbagrecords.com. 3. Let the Dunies know which pre-show you'd like to go to from the dates above. 4. Wait. Recieve the deets on the morning of the show. Then party on dudes. For more details about the Dune Rats pub crawls and to preorder the album head over here. Dune Rats debut album is out Sunday, June 1.
British artist Ben Turnbull's most recent collection of work, Supermen - An Exhibition of Heroes, is an exploration of idealised superheroes within pop culture comics and the real, heroic acts of everyday citizens. Turnbull's exhibition was inspired by the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, and commemorates all the firemen and policemen that served during this event. His creations are based on the visual vocabulary of an entire generation of superhero lovers. This time, however, the heroes are based on real American citizens rather than fictional characters. The works serve as a bridge between collective fantasy and harsh home truths. Turnbull delves into the idea that superheros echo the idea of a better world, but in reality this world is so far removed from the society we actually live in. Each piece has been created from cut-outs of an enormous personal collection of pre-1990 comics, including fictional superheroes like Captain America, Daredevil, The Fantastic Four, Batman, Spiderman and the Hulk. There's certainly a take-a-second-look appeal about Turnbull's works that has a nostalga-meets-pop-culture charm, while, at the same time, working as a thought-starter. [via yatzer]
It was already apparent from afar, which is where Australians watched all things SXSW from before 2023. Now that the tech, innovation, screen, music, games and culture festival has expanded Down Under, it's even more evident: this is one enormous event. How big? The inaugural SXSW Sydney spanned more than 700 speakers and talents, covered in excess of 300 sessions and hosted over 300 gigs across 25 venues. 2024's follow-up might just top those numbers, announcing another 500-plus additions to a lineup that even now hasn't revealed a third of the full program yet. This is the second round of speakers and sessions named for SXSW Sydney 2024 so far, after this year's first lineup details were revealed back in May (and after it was announced in late 2023 that the event would return for a second year, too). Like the initial program drop ahead of the fest's seven-day run between Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20, this one features a bit of everything. On the list: folks who'll be getting talking, additions to the music roster, flicks that'll be hitting the big screen and studios that'll be showcasing their games, for starters. That aforementioned 500-plus figure includes speakers, screenings, artists, workshops, games and experiences, meaning that there's already a reason on the program for everyone to head along. At the SXSW Sydney Conference, benefiting from the response to the fest's Session Selects — where the public both submits and then votes on what they'd to see at SXSW — additions among the topics range from advances in medicine, how biotech will change our lives, and the threat of deepfakes and fake news through to odd spots in the cosmos, the power of dressing, trend analysis and companion robots. If you're interested in learning more about how tech can make a social impact, milk, AI and intimacy, neurotechnology, smart cities and constantly being watched, that's all on the bill as well. So is a session on brand trust with Bunnings Managing Director Mike Schneider (but there's no word yet if there'll be a sausage sizzle involved). For those keen on hitting as many gigs as possible, the SXSW Sydney Music Festival has added 60-plus artists. Accordingly, when you're not catching Voice of Baceprot, the first Indonesian band to take to the stage at Glastonbury, you can check out artists from Australia, Colombia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and the UK — such as Phoebe Rings, I'mdifficult, Clara Benin, The Grogans, JESHI, The Buoys, Mincy, RINSE, Mulga Bore Hard Rock, ixaras and Death of Heather. Screen obsessives who also love tunes, or vice versa, can look forward to the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival playing a heap of music-related films. Documentary The Most Australian Band Ever! about the Hard-Ons sits on the lineup alongside S/He Is Still Her/e: The Official Genesis P-Orridge, which is executive produced by Against Me!'s Laura Jane Grace — and also Alien Weaponry: Kua Tupu Te Ara, about thrash metal in the Māori language. The fest will also show music videos, such as 'U Should Not Be Doing That' from Amyl and The Sniffers, 'See You Tomorrow' from BAD // DREEMS and 'Settle Petal' from The Buoys. Or, if you're eager to get nostalgic and maybe crave a slice or several with your SXSW movie date, there's Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts. The latest documentary from Barbecue and We Don't Deserve Dogs' Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker, who are no strangers to SXSW in Austin, it sees the Australian-born, Brooklyn-based duo explore the US today through former Pizza Hut buildings. At the SXSW Sydney Games Festival, studios from 16 different countries are now on the program — and, beginning with HORSES, Wild Bastards and Fishbowl, so is half of the Games Festival Showcase. Also, the Games Investment Forum will include Raw Fury, Null Games, Team17, Whitethorn Games, Playside Publishing, Critical Reflex, Astra Logical Games, Landfall Games, PQube, Headup Games, UltraPlayers, Fellow Traveller and WINGS Interactive among its publishers and funding bodies. Given that the 2024 program already boasts Australian astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg, TikTok marketing head Sofia Hernandez, Heartbreak High star Ayesha Madon, human rights lawyer and barrister Jennifer Robinson, cricketer David Warner, Mortal Kombat director Simon McQuoid, Def Jam-signed Australian talent SAHXL, a game about turning fruit into your own menu and a short film about a housewife trying to get a free pizza, plus plenty more, it's worth saying it again: SXSW is massive, including in Sydney. If you missed it, 2023's inaugural SXSW Sydney welcomed everyone from Black Mirror's Charlie Brooker and Chance The Rapper to Future Today Institute founder and CEO Amy Webb and Nicole Kidman to its stages. In the process, and via not just its talks but also its concerts, films, TV shows and games as, it notched up 287,014 attendances from 97,462 unique attendees. Those figures came from 34,975 total tickets, with folks from 41 countries heading along to 1178 sessions. SXSW Sydney 2024 will run from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. Images: Jami Joy, Ian Laidlaw, Jess Gleeson, Katje Ford and Paul McMillan.
The thing about the great outdoors is that there's a depth to it that photos and secondhand accounts can't fully capture — its full grandeur has to be experienced firsthand to be truly appreciated. Whether you're hoping to catch a glimpse of rare species endemic to the region, hankering after an adrenaline rush — or simply can't imagine a holiday without taking in the natural wonders of your destination, the landscapes of the American South are just waiting to be explored. In partnership with Travel South USA, we've curated a range of ways to get into the great outdoors in each of the South's nine states. Mammoth Cave — Kentucky A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mammoth Cave is the world's longest known cave system, with over 400 miles (over 643 kilometres) explored. Visitors can take guided tours to marvel at its vast chambers, unique rock formations, and fascinating underground ecosystems. Not only is it the largest cave system in the world, it's also situated in a National Park that's ideal for hiking, biking and camping. Atchafalaya National Heritage Area — Louisiana One of the most ecologically diverse regions in the US is found in south-central Louisiana's Atchafalaya National Heritage Area. Not only is the Atchafalaya the nation's largest freshwater swamp, the twisting bayous are where alligators, raccoons, bears, catfish, shrimp, crawfish and over 270 species of birds call home. Within the swamp grounds, ancient oak trees and impressive cypress trees also tower — and can be seen when exploring the swamp on a guided tour either by boat or kayak. Whitewater Rafting in Almost Heaven — West Virginia For an experience that gets you out of your comfort zone and into the splash zone, take to West Virginia's river rapids. The state is home to world-class whitewater rafting, with the highest density of whitewater runs in the country. Beginners all the way through to rafting veterans are all welcome, with family-friendly fun and wild adrenaline-pumping adventures alike to be found in Almost Heaven's wide range of rivers. The rafting is so good in West Virginia that National Geographic crowned it a 2024 "Best of the World Experience". Loggerhead Sea Turtles at Edisto Beach State Park — South Carolina South Carolina's beaches are as warm as they are wide, and are home to a population of loggerhead sea turtles — one of the seven species of the beak-and-flipper-boasting marine reptiles worldwide. Female loggerheads return to the beaches where they were born to nest and every year between May and August, Edisto Beach State Park is home to returning loggerheads and hatchlings as they make their treacherous scurry out to sea. Ranger-guided nighttime beach walks during this period offer a chance to witness the baby turtles take their first breaths and first scurries firsthand. Katy Trail State Park — Missouri Built along the corridor of what was once the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railway, today the Katy Trail State Park is home to the longest continuous rail trail in the US — and an unrivalled way to witness the heritage of the state. The trail consists of 26 trailheads stretching over 386 scenic kilometres meandering through once-thriving small towns along the Missouri River, wine country in the state's east and rural farmland in the west. Hugh Branyon Backcountry Trail — Alabama Situated along Alabama's beautiful Gulf Coast beaches, the Gulf State Park spans a formidable 6150 acres (about 2500 hectares). Despite the size, the Hugh Branyon Backcountry Trail makes exploring this expanse of pristine nature much more accessible. Over 28 miles (about 45 kilometres) of paved trails it's possible to explore all nine of the distinct ecosystems that make up the State Park. There are a plethora of wildlife-watching opportunities and the trail is ideal for hiking and biking, making it a homegrown favourite that was crowned 2024's Best Recreational Trail by USA Today. Coastal Mississippi — Mississippi Mississippi's extensive coastline is a nature lover's playground. Whether by boat or on foot, there are breathtaking Gulf views to behold and a smorgasbord of experiences unique to the region, including the possibility of fresh local seafood in the catch of the day on a chartered fishing trip or shrimping excursion. The coast's many serene bayous and waterways are ideally suited for exploring from a kayak or paddleboard, while a boat ride is the best way to reach the Gulf Islands National Seashore's pristine beaches. Birdwatchers can flock to Pascagoula River Audubon Center to spot migratory species and there are countless coastal trails just waiting to be strolled along. WildSide in Pigeon Forge — Tennessee In the backyard of Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains with over 18 miles (about 28 kilometres) of trails across 900 acres of terrain (about 365 hectares) lies WildSide, one of the ultimate adventure parks in the South. Head off-road on guided UTVs (utility terrain vehicles) or on a mountain bike for thrilling wilderness experiences to suit every skill level and appetite for adrenaline. Grandfather Mountain — North Carolina Standing at 5946 feet (1812 metres), Grandfather Mountain in northwest North Carolina is more than just the highest peak of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, which is itself one of the chains that make up the expansive Appalachian Mountains. With 16 distinct natural ecosystems, the mountain is classified as an International Biosphere Reserve owing to its rare plant and animal diversity, many of which are also endemic or endangered. The reserve has a multitude of hiking trails, opportunities to see local species in natural habitats and is also home to America's highest suspension footbridge. Find your next adventure in the South. Discover more unforgettable destinations and start planning your trip with Travel South USA.
In 2011, in this very country and galaxy, a pop culture favourite gained a singing, stripping burlesque parody. It's the mash-up that was bound to happen. Who hasn't looked at George Lucas' space opera, its sprawling drama and ample spectacle, and wondered what a steamier, funnier version with more visible butt cheeks would look like? Russall S. Beattie clearly did, and had a good feeling that other people would give it a shot. The Empire Strips Back was the end result. It became a hit around Australia, then took itself overseas to much acclaim. Now it's returning home for a 2019 tour — once again showing local audiences that lightsabers aren't the hottest thing in the Star Wars galaxy. The saucy show promises "seriously sexy stormtroopers, a dangerously seductive Boba Fett, some tantalising Twi'leks, a delightfully lukewarm Taun Taun, a lady-like Skywalker [and] the droids you are looking for", according to its website. Apparently Yoda doesn't get the sexed-up treatment, but there is plenty of song, dance, acrobatics and — because it's burlesque — the removal of clothing. A dancing Chewie and Han is just the beginning of this cheeky take on Star Wars cosplay. Given that it's got an upbeat soundtrack, the costumes are extremely detailed and the show throws out lots of references to George Lucas' original plot, it's not surprising that local audiences — presumably the same ones that pack out Star Wars parties and large-scale screenings with a live orchestra — have latched onto the production. Heading to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, The Empire Strips Back sits alongside Dame of Thrones in Beattie's pop culture parody stable — so if you've already seen one of your fantastical screen obsessions get the burlesque treatment, then you know what you're in for. If you're super keen, you can also nab a Wookieerotica magazine online: a 116-page, 70s-style men's mag, just casually featuring all of your favourite jedis, siths, ewoks and other Star Wars characters. Either way, it could be a great introduction to burlesque or Star Wars, depending on which way you're coming at it. The Empire Strips Back tours Australia early 2019. It will be at Perth's Regal Theatre on January 11–12, Melbourne's Palais Theatre on January 18, Brisbane's The Tivoli from January 31 to February 2 and Sydney's Enmore Theatre on February 15–16. Ticket pre-sales commence at 9am on Thursday, September 13 — visit the show's website for further details. Images: Jon Bauer, Leslie Liu and Josh Groom.
If you choose where to slumber while you're on holidays solely based on the amenities, then The Star Gold Coast has just given you a new reason to book in a night away. Levelling up your vacation with swims and cocktails on a sixth-floor pool club will do that — and that's exactly what's now on offer at the Goldie spot. As first announced in 2021, The Star Gold Coast has launched Isoletto Pool Club, which is where all those dips and drinks come in. It is located within the resort, within its new $400 million, 53-storey hotel and apartment tower. To make the most of the pool club, though, you'll either need to be a resident or a hotel guest. A coast holiday it is, then — depending on your budget, of course. The sky-high Isoletto Pool Club features a 12-metre-long pool that boasts views over to Broadbeach, daybeds scattered around the deck and wet lounges in the pool itself. There's also a restaurant and lounge serving up sushi, oysters, prawn cocktails, fried snapper burgers, grilled chicken BLTs and gelato, plus cocktails such as the Giulietta (made with concoction with gin, Aperol, and Pavan grape and orange blossom liqueur) and the Green Cove (with white rum, orange bitters and mint). Craft beers are on the menu as well, and the wine list spans both local and international tipples — to drink either inside or outdoors by the water. If you're gathering the gang, guests can opt for poolside packages designed for larger groups, too. Think: bottled champagne, cocktails, seasonal fruit platters and complimentary sunscreen. Whichever you opt for, you'll be kicking back in a space designed by local architecture and interior design practice Plus Architecture, and that takes its cues from its Gold Coast surroundings. Colour-wise, that means neutral tones with pops of lemon and melon hues, and big tropical vibes.
After a sold-out season in Sydney and a current run in Melbourne, Muriel's Wedding the Musical is coming to Brisbane in 2019. A co-production between Sydney Theatre Company and Global Creatures, the musical adaptation of Muriel's Wedding is like a perfect high school reunion — maximum 80s nostalgia without having to tell any of your old friends you're in HR now. When Muriel Heslop realises that the small town of Porpoise Spit has nothing in store but grim futures, she decides to take off, with only her parents' chequebook, a couple of ABBA albums memorised note for note and a vague sense that the wider world has something that she is hungry for. PJ Hogan, who wrote and directed Muriel's cinematic adventure, has adapted and updated the script for the stage, while Kate Miller-Heidke and Keir Nuttall have built the music around ABBA's towering back catalogue. There's a real buzz around Muriel. Sure, it's a chance to re-immerse yourself in the unadulterated joy of Muriel's hijinks, but it's also because Muriel hasn't stopped holding the mirror up to our desperate, fame-hungry society since she first hit the screen. As director Simon Phillips points out: "Muriel's governing delusion is becoming a celebrity and becoming famously married. The world has caught up with Muriel." Running at QPAC's Lyric Theatre from September 19, the Brisbane season comes after the show won a slew of awards at last year's Helpmann Awards, Australia's annual awards for live entertainment and performing arts. Muriel's Wedding the Musical picked up five gongs across the two nights of awards, including Best Original Score, Best Music Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Design and Best Choreography in a Musical. Muriel's Wedding the Musical will play a limited season at QPAC, South Brisbane from September 19, with tickets on sale now. Image: Christine Messinesi.
You may have heard that, this week, two Australian restaurants won some fierce kudos on the international stage, being named in the World's 50 Best Restaurants of 2017 list. Ben Shewry's Attica was placed at number 32 (as was predicted), but Dan Hunter's regional Victorian restaurant Brae pleasantly surprised everyone, moving up 19 spots to crack the top 50 at position 44. Following his win, Hunter has announced that he'll embark on an Australia-wide tour this May to promote his upcoming cookbook, Brae: Recipes and Stories from the Restaurant. The 256-page book, which was announced before his placing in the World's 50 Best and will no doubt be all the more in demand now, will illuminate some of the Birregurra restaurant's most famed recipes — think the burnt pretzel with treacle and pork. He'll be hitting up Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide to host events with some of Australia's best chefs to chat about his journey from small-time chef to world-famous restaurateur. At Melbourne's Cutler & Co, Brisbane's Urbane and the Penfolds Magill Estate Restaurant in Adelaide they'll be serving high-end snacks with matched drinks. But in Sydney, Hunter and Quay's Peter Gilmore are pushing the boat out with a five-course meal event and matched drinks for $450. Brae: Recipes and Stories from the Restaurant ($75) is published by Phaidon and out on May 1. The A Taste of Brae events will coincide with the release date — you can book here. Image: Colin Page.
Bartenders are the new rockstars — if their touring habits are anything to go by, anyway. In the past few years, more and more cocktail bars and their helmsmen have joined musicians for fly-in, fly-out visits to Australia — but instead of touring records, they're touring killer drinks lists. Last year saw Asia's best bar 28 Hongkong Street and hidden New York City jaunt Attaboy both do a quick stops in Melbourne and Sydney, while Mace popped up at Sydney's PS40 just the other week and PDT was in town a little while back too. And now another NYC bar is making its way to our shores for a cheeky cocktail pop-up. The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog will come to Australia for three nights only, spreading its shaking skills across the east coast with one night at Melbourne's Black Pearl, one night at Sydney's Baxter Inn and one night at The Gresham in Brisbane. Dead Rabbit will be sending their finest drink makers to work in collaboration with the host bars to create a one-night-only menu that will showcase their skills and signature drinks and food items (like their Scotch egg). Their cocktail menu is pretty extensive, but we're hoping they bring their Hong Kong Phooey with them — it blends rum with Aquavit, grapefruit, pistachio and avocado. Although we've had a few bars pass through our major cities by now, this one's pretty special as Dead Rabbit, which is permanently located in lower Manhattan, took out the top spot on last year's World's 50 Best Bars list. So if you can't get to the Lower East Side anytime soon, this is your next best option. Tickets to the pop-up have already sold out in Melbourne for April 18, but are still available in Brisbane on April 19 and Sydney on April 23. Tickets are a little pricey at $40 (plus booking fee) — that includes a cocktail on arrival and one of Dead Rabbit's signature Scotch eggs. You'll then be able to purchase extra drinks on top of that.
If you're a wannabe wizard or witch looking for more Harry Potter magic in your life, the last few years have provided plenty of ways to accio up some enchanting fun. Harry Potter-themed potions bars have popped up across Australia and New Zealand, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child hit the stage in Melbourne, and screenings, parties, escape rooms, scavenger hunts and other HP-centric events have been common everywhere, really. You can also play Pokemon Go-style game Wizards Unite or browse your way through the online Harry Potter at Home portal whenever you like, too. Soon, all of above will pale in comparison to the kind of space HP fans can really lose themselves in — and one that, hopefully, visitors will need a Marauder's Map to get around. That'd be a dedicated Harry Potter theme park, which is set to open in Japan in the first half of 2023. Fingers (or wands) crossed that international travel is back to normal by then. As first reported earlier this year, the new park will take over part of the existing Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo's Nerima ward. That site has been up and running for 94 years, but will close at the end of August 2020 — so Warner Bros Studio Tours, Warner Bros Japan, Seibu Railway Co Ltd, ITOCHU Corporation and Fuyo General Lease Co Ltd are teaming up, waving a few magic wands about and turning a section of it into a Harry Potter-theme park. [caption id="attachment_761496" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Toshimaen. Image: Rsa via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Called Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo — The Making of Harry Potter, the new venture will take more than a few cues from the existing Harry Potter attraction in London, which spans costumes, props, exhibitions and special events. That means there'll be a focus on sets that fans can tour, rather than rides. If you were hoping to play quidditch, travel by portkey or ride the floo network, that doesn't seem to be on the agenda, sorry. Instead, visitors will be taken "on a fascinating behind the scenes tour of the Wizarding World series," according to the statement officially announcing the Tokyo park. Over a space of about 30,000 square metres that'll include a soundstage and backlot area, there'll be movie sets that were designed and built by the creators of the Harry Potter series, as well as original outfits and items from the films. Overall, it's expected to take patrons about half a day to wander through it all. [caption id="attachment_761499" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Warner Bros Studio Tour London[/caption] Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo — The Making of Harry Potter will be ticketed, unsurprisingly, but outside the entrance it'll also feature a landscaped area filled with sculptures of Harry Potter figures — and that'll be accessible to both park visitors and local residents. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will be turning the rest of Toshimaen Amusement Park's grounds into a public park, with the Harry Potter tour and the rest of site coordinating their development plans. Japan is already home to a Harry Potter theme park zone at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka — so diehard devotees just might have to visit two of the country's cities. When it comes to fruition, add the dedicated Harry Potter theme park to Japan's hefty range of pop culture-themed attractions. A Super Nintendo amusement park zone is due to open at the aforementioned Universal Studios Japan in Osaka this year, a forthcoming Godzilla attraction will let you zipline into the monster's mouth, and a Studio Ghibli theme park is in the works — and Tokyo already boasts huge Godzilla and Gundam statues, as well as the Studio Ghibli Museum just outside the city. Top image: Warner Bros Studio Tour London.
It's Friday night and you're in the mood to binge on pork dumplings, but before you reach for a cold beer or glass of wine to wash down those hot, juicy pockets of joy, consider cracking open a bottle of champagne. You may have noticed a rise in the number of pink champagnes in your local bottle shop, and that's because this bubbly booze is a surprisingly versatile drink, even with the most flavoursome dishes. We've partnered with the pioneers of rosé champagne, Moët & Chandon, to bring you a list of unusual dishes to try the next time you're popping open a bottle of pink — from delicate wagyu beef carpaccio to simpler summer-ready salads. As rosé champagne is crafted from three of Champagne's grape varieties — pinot noir, chardonnay and meunier — it's one of the best quality rosé champagnes to purchase for your next dinner party. Take some inspiration and go wild with your own menu pairings — this French fizz complements many a feast. [caption id="attachment_759771" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mariha Kitchen[/caption] WAGYU BEEF CARPACCIO WITH JUNIPER BERRIES For an unlikely but heavenly marriage of texture and flavour, try wagyu beef carpaccio dressed with juniper berries. The red meat will give you that boisterous protein hit and the slightly sweet, slightly spiced addition of juniper berries is a fantastic complement to the pinot noir notes of rosé champagne. And, as raw meat rarely has pronounced tannins, this is the perfect meal for when you're craving red meat but don't want to spoil the wild strawberry and raspberry notes in a good bottle of bubbly. [caption id="attachment_759773" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lilechka75[/caption] BEETROOT RISOTTO WITH TALEGGIO CHEESE AND PINK PEPPERCORNS This is one of those pairings that looks as good as it tastes — it's pink and purple with a glossy rich glow from the risotto. The subtle sweet character of the beetroot and the richness of the creamy Italian taleggio cheese are incredibly well-suited to a bottle of crisp rosé champagne as the vibrancy and the acid in the wine cuts through the creaminess. Plus, the addition of pink peppercorns gives the dish a gentle spice that can open up the flavours of any glass of wine. If it's true what they say — that anything with a little pink pigment is perfect for pink bubbly — then this dish is proof. [caption id="attachment_759782" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Martin Turzak[/caption] MOROCCAN LAMB STEW WITH ROAST SUMAC Slow cooking meat, such as lamb, tends to mellow out the tannins in the meat, giving you really tender, slightly sweet meat that's very welcoming to the crisper style of rosé. Try Moroccan lamb stew with roasted sumac for a hearty dish that's an unlikely, yet delicious, match with rosé champagne. The lamb pairs with the dry notes of the wine, plus the gentle spice of the sumac brings out the aromatic elements of the rosé champagne. It's sure to create a whole new flavour experience that's an impressive flex for your next dinner party. [caption id="attachment_749216" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Duck & Rice; Steven Woodburn[/caption] DIM SUM As a rule, any kind of pastry is an excellent companion to champagne, but fatty and salty snacks like dumplings and spring rolls aren't well known companions for pink fizz. Introduce a light rosé champagne to your next dim sum feast of pork or prawn dumplings and it'll open your mind to a world of underrated matches for your new favourite bubbly. Salty-sweet pork and buttery prawns wrapped in pillowy dough couldn't ask for a better partner than a crisp glass of rosé champagne to give a sensation of freshening the palate. [caption id="attachment_617490" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NOLA Smokehouse[/caption] KINGFISH CEVICHE WITH PINK GRAPEFRUIT Seafood is a longtime friend of sparkling wine, and while champagne might go great with smoked salmon, rosé champagne is destined for top-end ceviche. The fattiness of kingfish ceviche with the fruity acidity of pink grapefruit makes for a party dish well matched to a robust rosé champagne, such as Moët & Chandon's Rosé Impérial, which has gooseberry, raspberry and wild strawberry notes. For a little kick, add a chilli dressing to really brighten the whole experience. Much like the rosé champagne itself, this pairing packs a big punch but always finishes with a fresh taste in your mouth. [caption id="attachment_759780" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Z Kruger[/caption] MORETON BAY BUGS WITH GARLIC BUTTER This is one of those dishes that is difficult to pair with wine, simply because it's so good on its own. With a buttery sweetness, Moreton Bay bugs need the strength and complexity of a wine big enough to really match it in richness without ruining the lobster-like flavour. Rosé champagne is that complementary partner. The creaminess of the garlic butter is mellowed by the acidity in the rosé, and the dry notes of the champagne go well with the soft-sweet juiciness of the bugs. [caption id="attachment_759786" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sarsmis[/caption] WATERMELON AND FETA SALAD For a super-simple summer salad, we suggest marrying a subtly sweet watermelon to a briny feta cheese. Try building your salad at a picnic location to keep the flavours as fresh as possible, and remember to bring an ice bucket for the pink champagne. The fresh and healthy salad is an effortless match for a crisp glass of rosé champagne, as the wine's natural fruit characters, minerality and acidity pairs well with light fruit-based dishes. Moët & Chandon's Rosé Impérial is a fruity and elegant champagne with gooseberry, raspberry and wild strawberry notes. Find out more here. Top image: Oriental Teahouse.
In the trailer for Midsommar, a group of people trek through a forest, all saddled up with backpacks and sleeping bags. They're outside a Swedish town, with the locals putting on a mid-summer event. "It's like a crazy nine-day festival; it only happens every 90 years," visitor Dani (Florence Pugh) is told. As anyone who has ever seen a movie should know, this situation usually goes one of two ways: raucous festivities ensue, with friendships tested and lessons learned, or unnerving antics do instead. With Hereditary writer/director Ari Aster behind Midsommar, anyone who saw the 2018 horror hit will know that this flick is destined to fall into the latter category. The details are being kept scarce, even in the movie's just-released first trailer, with the film set to hit cinemas worldwide from early August this year. But if you're expecting another visibly dark and sinister flick from Aster, think again. Instead, Midsommar looks light, bright and filled with bohemian-looking folks — even as it seems to step firmly into creepy cult territory Story-wise, Dani is accompanied by her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor), a whole heap of people wearing white await their arrival and things aren't quite what they seem when the duo gets to their destination. The Good Place's William Jackson Harper and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch's Will Poulter also feature among the cast, and what this first sneak peek offers in the way of idyllic natural surroundings and flower crowns, it counters with glimpses of chilling rituals. Check out the nightmarish first trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0UWIya-O0s Midsommar opens in Australian cinemas on August 8.
Melbourne isn't the only patch of Victoria that's gaining a new place to celebrate creativity in 2025, and adding something different and welcome to Australia's cultural scene in the process. While the state's capital city is set to become home to the Australian Museum of Performing Arts in December, championing the nation's contribution to music, theatre, opera, circus and dance in a city that's never short on any of those artforms, Halls Gap at the foothills of Gariwerd/Grampians National Park is gaining the National Centre for Environmental Art before winter is out. Again, the venue's focus and its location match perfectly. If you're going to open an Aussie-first gallery that's dedicated to works about the natural world, doing so in stunning surroundings is a must. The National Centre for Environmental Art is the brainchild of the Wama Foundation and, as it hones in on artistic narratives heroing the earth, will form part of the organisation's new art and environment precinct. When it begins ushering patrons through its doors — at a yet-to-be-revealed midyear 2025 date — the National Centre for Environmental Art will launch as stage one of the broader hub, alongside the Gariwerd/Grampians Endemic Botanic Garden, plus new artwork around the grounds. From there, immersing art within the landscape will continue to be a highlight of stage two, which will also boast a sculpture trail. So, you'll be enjoying the site's affection for both creativity and nature indoors and out. Inside, Western Australian artist Jacobus Capone will be in the spotlight at the centre's debut exhibition, with End & Being contemplating the planet's warming, the crisis as a result and the influence that humans have had upon the situation. The Fremantle-based artist creates everything from paintings and video installations to photos and performances — and will take visitors to Bossons Glacier at Mont Blanc in France without leaving Victoria, all by documenting a performance staged above and beneath the icefall. [caption id="attachment_1006306" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Astrid Muller[/caption] "Our program, encompassing new commissions, group exhibitions and nationally touring shows, will be rooted by a spirit of inquiry. Our take on the genre of environmental art is expansive, offering ample space for both playful exploration and deep contemplation," explains Wama Foundation CEO Pippa Mott of the National Centre for Environmental Art's aim. "Jacobus and I are deeply honoured to be part of Wama's inaugural exhibition and to present a project that, like Wama, seeks to foster a dialogue between art, humanity and the environment," added curator José Da Silva, who is also UNSW Galleries' Director and previously was part of the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art's team in Brisbane, including leading the Australian Cinémathèque. "Capone's work, with its profound sensitivity to environmental change and human vulnerability, speaks directly to that mission, and has guided our decisions to present this particular project." [caption id="attachment_1006309" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Astrid Muller[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1006310" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacobus Capone and Moore Contemporary[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1006311" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacobus Capone and Moore Contemporary[/caption] Find the Wama Foundation and The National Centre for Environmental Art at 4000 Ararat-Halls Gap Road, Halls Gap, Victoria, Australia sometime from winter 2025 — head to the Wama Foundation website for more details.
It's your saving grace when you're designated driver. The dash you can't do without in any manhattan or whisky sour. Yet, Angostura bitters has long been relegated to play the bittersweet supporting role. But, trust three ex-MasterChef contestants (and culinary champions) to look beyond the old fashioned and take bitters from cocktails to cooking. Far from bitter that they missed out on the top spot, MasterChef runners-up Ben Ungermann, Matt Sinclair and Georgia Barnes accepted the challenge to create three unique recipes featuring one unlikely ingredient — Angostura bitters. From entree through to dessert, the three chefs prove that bitters complements both sweet and savoury dishes that, luckily for us, you don't need to be a MasterChef to cook at home. ENTREE: ANGOSTURA-POACHED COD WITH FENNEL AND ORANGE SEGMENTS While bitters and fish may seem like an unlikely combo to us amateurs, Ben Ungermann found multiple ways to hero bitters in his Angostura-poached cod entree. First by using the ingredient in the marinade for the cod, and then as a bittersweet vinaigrette to match the tartness and zest of the accompanying orange and fennel salad. Angostura Marinated Poached Cod with Fennel and Orange Salad For the vinaigrette 1 tsp Angostura aromatic bitters 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp white wine vinegar Pinch of salt and pepper For the fennel and orange salad 1 handful shaved fennel 1 small handful of bean sprouts Orange segments from one orange For the Angostura-poached cod 150g cod 1 tbsp Angostura aromatic bitters 100g unsalted butter Zest from one orange Salt Pepper Method Vinaigrette Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Set aside for serving. Fennel and Orange Salad With a mandolin, shave the fennel into thin strips. Take an orange and remove the skin. Cut the orange into segments, then vertically cut the segments to make small triangles. Toss the fennel and orange through bean sprouts and set aside. Angostura-Poached Cod Cut fish fillet into 4–6cm pieces. Place fish in foil along with butter broken into small pieces, Angostura aromatic bitters, orange zest and seasoning. Tightly wrap and place in oven at 120 degrees Celsius until steamed. Check fish every 10 minutes until cooked through. MAIN: ANGOSTURA BEEF SHORT RIBS WITH OLD FASHIONED GLAZE When a single ingredient added to an orange glaze helps to achieve what Matt Sinclair describes as "a liqueur-like intensity that complements the richness of short ribs", there's no questioning that bitters has found a new calling as the secret ingredient in your new favourite dish. Seeing bitterness as a "vital aspect of a balanced dish that's just as important as sweet, sour and salt", Matt brings all these elements together, turning an old favourite into new in his recipe for Angostura beef ribs with old fashioned glaze. Angostura Beef Short Ribs with Old Fashioned Glaze For the beef ribs 2kg beef ribs 1l master stock or chicken stock For the glaze 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup bourbon 6 tbsp Angostura orange bitters 4 tbsp vinegar Zest and juice of two oranges 1 cup sugar 2-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced 6 cloves of garlic 4 star anise For the crystal cucumber 2 lebanese cucumbers 1 tsp sea salt 2 tsp caster sugar, plus extra 1 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 2 tsp sesame oil 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tbsp olive oil 2–3 garlic cloves, finely grated 1–2 birdseye chillies, finely sliced 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds 1/2 cup fresh mint, leaves picked Method Ribs and Glaze Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Place ribs in a deep oven tray, bone-side up and cover with master stock or chicken stock. Cover with foil, and cook in the oven for 3.5 hours. Remove from oven, and transfer ribs to a wire rack over a roasting tray, bone-side down. Cover with foil. Increase oven temperature to 220 degrees Celsius. While ribs are cooking, in a medium saucepan add all glaze ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer glaze until a syrup-like consistency is reached. Pour 1/3 cup of the glaze over the ribs, and place them back in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove ribs from the oven and place onto a platter. Pour over any remaining glaze. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and crystal cucumber on the side. Crystal Cucumber Cut cucumber in quarters lengthways, and dice into 2-inch pieces. Place the cucumber in a colander, add a pinch of salt and sugar and toss to coat. Then place the colander over a bowl and allow to drain in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add salt, sugar and rice wine vinegar and whisk to combine, until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add sesame oil and soy sauce and mix through to combine. To serve, remove cucumbers from the refrigerator and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat before adding garlic, dressing, chilli and mint. Mix together well, garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately. DESSERT: ANGOSTURA LEMON, LIME AND BITTERS TART When it comes to bitters, it'd be remiss not to mention the sweet, refreshing flavour combination of a lemon, lime and bitters. So rather than break away completely from something that's already so damn good, Georgia Barnes opted to reinvent the iconic soft drink as an Angostura lemon, lime and bitters tart with a thick, buttery pastry base and sweet, creamy filling. Garnish the tart with edible flower petals and plate with precision, and you'll do a convincing job that you too could be a MasterChef contender. Angostura Lemon, Lime and Bitters Tart with Brown Sugar Shortcrust Pastry For the pastry 2 cups plain flour 4 tbsp brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt 150g unsalted butter, cold and chopped 3–4 tbsp ice cold water For the tart filling 100ml lemon juice 100ml lime juice 1 cup caster sugar 2 tbsp corn flour 4 free-range eggs 4 free-range egg yolks 100g butter, chopped 2 tbsp Angostura aromatic bitters To serve 100ml dollop cream Lemon zest Lime zest Edible flower petals (optional) Method Grease and line a 23cm springform tart tin. For the pastry, place flour, sugar, salt and butter into a food processor, and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Slowly add the iced water until mixture forms a soft ball of dough. Place a large piece of baking paper onto a clean, dry surface. Sprinkle baking paper with a little extra flour. Place dough onto baking paper and roll to 2–3mm thick using a floured rolling pin. Carefully turn the sheet of pastry onto the tart tin, pastry side down. Peel away the baking paper. Gently press pastry into the sides of the tart tin. Place tart shell into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Remove tart shell from refrigerator. Using a sharp knife, trim excess pastry away from the edge of the tart tin. Using baking paper and pie weights or uncooked grains, place tart shell in the oven to blind bake for 20 minutes. Remove tart shell from oven. Carefully remove baking paper and weights and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, or until the base of tart shell is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. To make the filling, place lemon juice, lime juice, sugar, corn flour, eggs and egg yolks into a saucepan and whisk together well. Place saucepan over medium heat and continue to whisk until the mixture reaches boiling point and has thickened. Remove saucepan from heat. Strain hot filling through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove any lumps. Add butter to filling, and continue to stir until butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Add Angostura aromatic bitters and mix well. To assemble the tart, pour lemon, lime and bitters filling into the cooled tart shell. Place tart in the refrigerator to chill for 1–2 hours or overnight. To serve, carefully remove the tart from the springform tart tin and place onto a serving plate. Sprinkle tart with lemon and lime zest and drizzle with cream. Garnish with edible flower petals. Using a sharp knife, cut tart into even pieces. Best served chilled. Now that you've got this secret ingredient on your radar, move your bottle of Angostura bitters from the drinks cupboard to the pantry, and try your hand at cooking some of these deliciously bittersweet recipes.
It has been a big year for fans of The Crown, and the show hasn't even released any new episodes in 2020 so far. At the beginning of the year, Netflix announced that it would end the royal drama after its fifth season. Then, it had a change of heart, revealing it would continue the series for a sixth season. That's quite the drama — and all of this before the show's fourth season has even aired. If you prefer your royal intrigue on-screen, however, the streaming platform has now just dropped its first teaser trailer for the aforementioned fourth batch of episodes. The clip only runs for 46 seconds, so it doesn't give very much away at all; however Oscar-winner Olivia Colman is back as Queen Elizabeth II. Fans also get the tiniest of glimpses of The X-Files icon Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and Pennyworth's Emma Corrin as Lady Diana Spencer, too. Also included is a rather pivotal tidbit for The Crown aficionados: just when the show will make a comeback this year. Block out Sunday, November 15 in your diaries, as that's when you can start binging. As Anderson's casting intimates, the fourth season is set to take place during Thatcher's time as Britain's prime minister — and as the sight of Diana in a wedding dress demonstrates, will feature the latter's wedding to Prince Charles (God's Own Country's Josh O'Connor). It'll also be the last chance for fans to enjoy seeing the current lineup on talent, with the series' fifth and sixth seasons — which are expected to follow the Queen in the 1990s and 2000s — switching out its cast again. The show already did exactly that after seasons one and two, of course. This time, after season four, Downton Abbey, Maleficent and Paddington star Imelda Staunton will don the titular headwear, and Princess Margaret will be played by Staunton's Maleficent co-star and Phantom Thread Oscar-nominee Lesley Manville. Also, Game of Thrones and Tales from the Loop's Jonathan Pryce will step into Prince Philip's shoes and Australian Tenet, The Burnt Orange Heresy and Widows star Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Diana. Check out The Crown's first season four teaser below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TGInHPoufg The Crown's fourth season will hit Netflix on Sunday, November 15. Image: Sophie Mutevelian / Netflix
Quentin Tarantino loves movies. He adores directing them, and has nine impressive flicks to his name spanning three decades to prove it. He's oh-so-fond of dropping references, nods and winks to other films in his films, as anyone who has ever seen even just one already knows. Sometimes, such as in Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he builds the business of making movies or screening them — or both — into his plots as well. He'll chat about them at length, too, and he turned his last flick into a book that spends plenty of time delving into film and TV history. So naturally he's about to do what every film lover seems to do at some point. Yes, he's making a podcast about movies. While sitting the Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill and The Hateful Eight filmmaker behind a microphone and just letting him wax lyrical about cinema would've attracted listeners anyway, Tarantino's new podcast does have a specific angle. Famously, he was once a video store clerk — so he's diving back into those days. That's why you'll be listening to The Video Archives Podcast, which is named after the Californian shop that Tarantino worked at in the 80s. And, staying true to that concept, he'll be discussing films that he watches on the old store's actual VHS tapes. Because Tarantino is Tarantino, he acquired the joint's tapes back in 1995, and also rebuilt the Video Archives store in his home. Now, alongside his co-host Roger Avary — who also used to work at The Video Archives, where the pair met; also then became a director, making Killing Zoe and The Rules of Attraction among other movies; and collaborated on the Oscar-winning Pulp Fiction screenplay — he'll be pulling tapes off his own shelves, watching them and getting nattering. As outlined in the podcast's just-dropped trailer, the pair will chat about movies such as John Carpenter's Dark Star, Bond film Moonraker, Mexican supernatural flick Demonoid: Messenger of Death and horror-comedy Piranha — aka titles they recommended and rented out all those years back. They'll be joined by announcer Gala Avary, Roger's daughter, and also "expose listeners to movies they didn't know they'd love, give awards to their favourites and rate the quality of the video transfer", according to the podcast's announcement. The Video Archives Podcast is set to start dropping episodes on Tuesday, July 19, and will arrive via SiriusXM's Stitcher. And yes, of course Tarantino has something to say about it already. "We never imagined that 30 years after we worked together behind the counter at Video Archives, we would be together again doing the exact same thing we did back then: talking passionately about movies on VHS," Tarantino and Avary advised in a joint statement. "Watching movies was what originally brought us together and made us friends, and it's our love of movies that still brings us together today. So we surrounded ourselves with the original Video Archives collection, where we both worked before we became celebrated filmmakers, and time-traveled ourselves back to the golden age of VHS. We LOVE to discuss movies, and we want to welcome you into The Video Archives Podcast to hang with us and Archives' new employee Gala, and discover the hidden VHS gems on our shelves." For more information about The Video Archives Podcast, which'll start dropping episodes from Tuesday, July 19, head to Stitcher. Top image: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The great American poet Walt Whitman has a poem called 'Splendour in the Grass'. It's about the fleeting nature of youth, and the pain and suffering of old age, and the acknowledgement that all good things must pass. What though the radiance which was once so bright Be now for ever taken from my sight, Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower, We will grieve not, rather find Strength in what remains behind; In the primal sympathy Which having been must ever be; In the soothing thoughts that spring Out of human suffering; In the faith that looks through death, In years that bring the philosophic mind. Unlike old Walt, though, our hour of Splendour in the Grass is only just beginning. And there's sure to be a little somethin-somethin for everyone, with Frank Ocean headlining, festival favourites like Of Monsters and Men, Mumford & Sons, a topnotch Aussie contingent (including You Am I performing their classic albums, Hi-Fi Way and Sound As Ever in full!), exciting newcomers like Haim and Fidlar. And when you add to that Polyphonic Spree performing The Rocky Horror Picture Show, you just know this is going to sell out faster than you can say 'It's just a jump to the left'. Here's the lineup in full: Mumford & Sons (Only Aus show) Frank Ocean The National (Only Aus show) Of Monsters & Men Empire of the Sun Bernard Fanning The Presets TV on the Radio (Only Aus show) Klaxons Flume Babyshambles Passion Pit Birds of Tokyo James Blake Architecture in Helsinki Laura Marling Matt Corby Drapht Mystery Band Flight Facilities Polyphonic Spree (Performing Rocky Horror Picture Show) Boy & Bear Fat Freddy's Drop Cold War Kids The Rubens Sarah Blasko Darwin Deez You Am I (Performing Sound As Ever & Hi-Fi Way) Hermitude Haim Airbourne The Drones Ms Mr Gurrumul Everything Everything Clairy Browne & The Bangin' Rackettes Cloud Control Portugal. The Man Daughter Something For Kate Wavves Chet Faker Snakadaktal Robert Delong Unknown Mortal Orchestra Whitley Fidlar Jake Bugg The Bamboos Surfer Blood Deap Vally Palma Violets Alpine Little Green Cars Vance Joy Jagwar Ma Villagers Violent Soho Dune Rats PVT The Jungle Giants Cub Scouts Art of Sleeping The Growl Twinsy The Chemist Songs Mitzi Splendour takes place from July 26-28, 2013, at North Byron Parklands, Byron Bay (its permanent home), and get ready to pounce on www.moshtix.com.au when tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday, May 2. With this calibre of acts, there's no reason for misplaced excitement, a la these fans (of nonexistent bands) caught out at Coachella. https://youtube.com/watch?v=W_IzYUJANfk
Prepare yourself for a night of whimsy, wonder and a weird, scaly, hermaphroditic fish man named Old Gregg. Noel Fielding, the androgynous co-lead of the surreal British comedy series The Mighty Boosh, is bringing his live show, An Evening with Noel Fielding, to a capital city near you. Combining stand-up comedy with animation and original music, as well as special appearances from some of Fielding's most beloved and baffling characters, including Fantasy Man and The Moon, the April 2015 show marks Fielding's first time in Australia since his sold-out tour in 2012. This time he'll also be joined by his younger brother Michael, best known for his recurring role on The Mighty Boosh as Naboo the Enigma, an alien shaman from the planet Xooberon. Fielding previously played the part of Richmond in The IT Crowd, appeared as a team captain on the music comedy panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and helped create the comedy sketch program Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy. He is also a member of the band Loose Tapestries along with Kasabian guitarist Sergio Pizzorno, whose music will be featured in the tour. Tickets to An Evening with Noel Fielding go on sale at 9am on Wednesday, December 17. The show begins in Auckland on Monday, April 6, following by Wellington on Friday, April 10, and Christchurch on Sunday April 12. Fielding then crosses the ditch, first to Melbourne on Wednesday April 15, then Adelaide on Friday April 17 and Canberra on Monday April 20. He'll be at the State Theatre in Sydney on Wednesday April 22, before finishing up with Perth on Friday April 24 and Brisbane on Monday April 27. For more information, head to the promoter website.
The perpetual re-creation of urbanscapes amounts to copious waste. It's true that an abundance of recycling processes aims at diminishing resource use. However, they're often heavy on the energy consumption front. Consequently, designer Omer Haciomeroglu, in conjunction with Atlas Copco, has come up with 'ERO: Concrete De-Construction Robot'. It's programmed to pull apart reinforced concrete structures, so that they can be re-used in the construction of pre-fabricated concrete buildings. 'Today, operators manually control different sized demolition machines to smash and crash the concrete structure into dusty bits within the demolition location,' Haciomeroglu explains. 'All of these machines consume a lot of energy to operate. Water has to be sprayed constantly over the pulverised surfaces with fire hoses to prevent harmful dust from spreading around. After the work is done, big machines come and scoop the rebar and concrete mixture and transfer them to the recycle stations outside the city. There, the waste needs to be separated manually.' So, Haciomeroglu designed ERO to separate materials during the de-construction process, achieved through Hydro-demolition and Centrifugal Decanter technologies. This means that new concrete blocks can be created onsite. In the 2013 International Design Excellence Award (IDEA), ERO won First Prize in the Student Designs category. Haciomeroglu has studied design at California State University, Istanbul Technical University and the Umea Institute of Design, Sweden. 'As a developing designer I always look forward to being part of design teams that develop projects, concepts and products that will grant us, the humankind, valuable and entertaining vision of a better and sustainable future,' he explains. [via PSFK]
Where would we be without movies over the past 12 months? Even when cinemas were closed for a hefty portion of 2020, we all still sought out the joy and escapism of watching a flick — because when you're in lockdown, quarantining or isolating at home, or just spending more time indoors in general, it's particularly cathartic. Still keen to queue up a big heap of movies, and a hefty dose of couch time? Enter Movie Frenzy, the returning week-long online film rental sale. Until Thursday, March 11, it's serving up a sizeable lineup of popular flicks from the past year, all from $2.99 per movie. On the lineup: Tenet's mind-bending action, The King of Staten Island's blend of comedy and reflection, and the joyous laughs of Bill & Ted Face the Music. You can also opt for the murder-mystery thrills of Knives Out, check out a new version of a childhood favourite thanks to The Secret Garden, dive into a fight between Aussie sheep-farmer brothers in Rams and see Russell Crowe act as the title demands in Unhinged. Nicolas Cage's OTT latest, Jiu Jitsu, is also on the list, as are Bloodshot, Dirt Music, Honest Thief, After We Collided, The Outpost, Sonic the Hedgehog, The High Note and Trolls World Tour — and while some are more worth your attention than others, we'll let you do the choosing. You can nab the cheap flicks via your digital rental platform of choice, including Apple TV, Fetch, Google Play, the Microsoft Store, the Playstation Store, Amazon Prime Video, Telstra TV Box Office and YouTube Movies — although just what's available, and the price, will vary depending on the service. And you won't need a subscription, unless you decide to join in the fun via the Foxtel Store. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywhTeWg8970
