Think enjoying a pint and making a difference are mutually exclusive activities? Think again. Thanks to The Good Beer Co., the next drink you knock back could help save the world — or at least the Great Barrier Reef. The Good Beer Co. is Australia’s first social enterprise beer company, with a mission to match nice drinks with nice deeds. The company aims to pair the nation's top craft brewers with worthy causes — as their maiden beverage demonstrates. That'd be the aptly named Great Barrier Beer, as brewed in Bundaberg by the local legends at the Bargara Brewing Company. Once it hits the shelves, they'll donate 50% of the profits to the Australian Marine Conservation Society. To get to that point, though, The Good Beer Co. needs your help, which is why they're launching a crowdfunding campaign. You can assist them with brewing, distributing and promoting the Great Barrier Beer, and with startup costs to get established and roll out the idea to other great causes. Backers will enjoy the warm and fuzzy feeling of supporting something good, as well as the chance to taste the tipple before anybody else. You'll also get the opportunity to have a say in future recipes, labels and causes. So if you like beer and are keen to help the planet, it really is a win-win situation. After all, who doesn't want to put their beverage consumption to good use? For more information about The Good Beer Co, visit their website. Image via Dollar Photo Club.
Three years ago, Brisbane welcomed a new film festival. While cinematic celebrations have never been far from the city's screens, Queensland Film Festival arrived with a condensed, curated program and a specific mission. Sure, every fest promises to champion movies you won't see elsewhere; however QFF's efforts were immediately evident in every film choice. In this year's lineup, for example, cinephiles can catch a candy-coloured exploration of sexuality from a Japanese provocateur, a retrospective dedicated to an influential Czech auteur and a pioneering '80s Aussie musical from one of the country's greatest female filmmakers — and, as always, that's just the beginning. Running from July 13 to 23, and primarily based at New Farm Cinemas, QFF 2017 spans teen icons, Korean masters, incisive polemics on race and brightly lit fireworks displays, with room to spare for terrorist thrillers, home-grown dramas and psychedelic reflections as well. Every film only screens once, so picking wisely is recommended — we've compiled a list of must-sees to help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KthpVP0Ppng CLAIRE'S CAMERA Another year, another film from Korean director Hong Sang-soo. Or two, actually. QFF 2017 kicks off with one of his latest, Claire's Camera and also features the filmmaker's On the Beach at Night Alone — and lest you go thinking the latter is old news, it premiered at this year's Berlinale just months before the former made its debut at Cannes. Yep, Hong is certainly prolific, however his naturalistic, breezy, observational style works well with his fondness for making as many movies as he can. And, when pumping out several features in 12 months involves enlisting Isabelle Huppert to play a teacher visiting the world's biggest film fest, well, Hong proves that he can do anything really. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MghEoBMl3E THE ENDLESS In 2014, as film festival time came round, Spring had genre buffs talking. Come for the seemingly familiar premise, stay for the twists, turns and insights that filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead offered up. Three years later, the duo returns with their next title to do the same all over again. The Endless starts as a cult drama, but, as it shifts through both horror and science fiction, it earns comparisons to the efforts of Upstream Color's Shane Carruth for a reason. Cult flicks about cults might have become somewhat common, but sometimes that status couldn't be more appropriate. BRIMSTONE & GLORY It's human nature to stare at the sky whenever fireworks ascend to the heavens. We hear the popping sound, spy the bright flashes of light and simply can't help ourselves. Set in the tiny town at the heart of Mexico's fireworks industry, Brimstone & Glory captures that feeling more effectively than anyone could've expected. Indeed, the gorgeous and immersive documentary commits the vibrance of watching colourful explosions twinkling above to film as it charts the locale's National Pyrotechnic Festival, and proves as spellbinding as the substance at its centre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T7Rf9rLaLg JEANNETTE: THE CHILDHOOD OF JOAN OF ARC One of the greatest silent films ever made took on the tale of Joan of Arc. In the nearly a century since, the historical figure has been played by Ingrid Bergman twice, popped up in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and formed the basis of Milla Jovovich and Luc Besson's post-The Fifth Element effort. Still, it's safe to say that none of the many movie depictions of the French heroine have proven quite like Bruno Dumont's musical Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc. Featuring non-professional actors, the film that results is both silly and serious, and light and philosophical — and likely to be polarising, just like plenty of the Slack Bay director's other works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J122E5Ygz5s NOCTURAMA We've already noted that QFF features movies that you won't see anywhere else, and that many of the flicks on its slate don't neatly fall into easy categories, even when it appears as though they might at first glance. Add terrorist thriller Nocturama to both piles. Moody and magnetic, Bertrand Bonello's latest effort charts Parisian youths making a statement, in a film that also aims to do just that. It also plays with the narrative and visual treatment of its tale, while proving pertinent to our times — and mesmerising. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVyGCxHZ_Ko GOOD TIME Folks, thank the film gods for Twilight. Do it. Without it, we wouldn't have two of today's most talented actors making such interesting — and excellent — projects. Take the Robert Pattinson-starring Good Time, for example. The fast-paced flick mightn't offer a good time for his character, a low-level crim running around New York trying to rustle up some cash to get his brother out of jail after a bank robbery, but it's a mighty good time for audiences. Directing duo Josh and Ben Safdie (the latter of which also stars as Pattinson's brother) ramp up the energy and tension, shoot with gritty vividness, and bring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Captain Phillips Oscar nominee Barkhad Abdi along for the ride. And then there's the pulsating score — trust us, Oneohtrix Point Never won the soundtrack award at this year's Cannes Film Festival for a damn good reason. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO In I Am Not Your Negro, Samuel L. Jackson lends his voice to the words of American essayist James Baldwin. He does an outstanding job at capturing the tone and passion required, but it's the text itself, rather than the star uttering it, that's truly remarkable. Stepping through the state of race relations in the U.S. by focusing on the lives and deaths of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., every syllable spoken couldn't be more perceptive — or, even though they were written decades ago, still relevant today. It's little wonder that the film was nominated for best documentary at this year's Oscars, with director Raoul Peck matching the verbal content with an illuminating compilation of footage from the '50s and '60s. Need more QFF recommendations? Here you go. We also loved Certain Women when it released in Sydney and Melbourne cinemas, were keen on The Lure at last year's Sundance, and got excited about The Untamed at this year's Sydney Film Festival. Queensland Film Festival runs from July 13 to 23 at New Farm Cinemas. To view the full program or buy tickets, head to the festival website.
Whether you're staying put or travelling interstate this summer, one thing's for sure: you won't be bored from a lack of art. A fine contingent of blockbuster exhibitions has hit the country for the warmer months, sweeping into temperature controlled galleries from Brisbane to Melbourne and all the way across to Perth. You can step into the dotty world of legendary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama GOMA, curl up in bed at the MCA to watch some of Pipilotti Rist's work go by and remember gone-too-soon talents Amy Winehouse and Heath Ledger (at the Jewish Museum of Australia and Art Gallery of WA, respectively). And that's not even mentioning the NGV's huge new NGV Triennial, which features a giant buddha and 100 oversized resin skulls. If you're someone who travels for art, you might want to book those domestic flights now. This is probably one of the most impressive summer lineups we've seen — and, come March, most of them will be gone. Hop to it.
Of all the ingenuity and creativity that helped make the original Star Wars films some of the most iconic sci-fi pictures of all time, one characteristic deserves credit above all others: it was a universe that had been lived in. Compared to the pristine, almost sterile visions of space portrayed by every other film of its kind, Lucas showed us something that felt entirely ‘real’, thanks to its grimy establishments, malfunctioning droids and a Millennium Falcon that only worked after a sturdy thump from its captain. Director J.J. Abrams has done well to remember this lesson. Things that were new at the close of Return of the Jedi are now old, and those that were old are now ancient, forgotten or gone entirely. Such is not just the feel, but indeed the very plot, of Episode VII: The Force Awakens. As the opening title crawl explains (yes, it's still there), Luke Skywalker has vanished and in his absence a sinister adjunct of the former Empire has arisen under the banner of ‘The First Order’. Led by a Sith-esque figure known as Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the Order is scouring the galaxy for any information as to Luke’s whereabouts so as to finally erase all vestiges of the very last Jedi. In its way (and also seeking Skywalker) stands the small yet unshakeable Rebel Alliance, now marshalled by General Leia Organa. Each side has part of a map, but neither can yet complete the full picture, and time is of the essence. There can be few things more intimidating than embarking upon the production of a new Star Wars movie. So steeped is the series in lore, so fanatical its supporters, that even the tiniest of missteps will attract the most merciless and unceasing fury the galaxy has ever seen (i.e: sternly worded blog posts). Thankfully, via his Star Trek reboot, Abrams has already proven his extraordinary deftness when it comes to blockbuster space operas, and The Force Awakens is no exception. It is riddled with allusions to the past, yet few are accorded more than a glance (you will find no stormtroopers sporting ‘vintage death star t-shirts’ here, for example, unlike the indelicate homages of Jurassic World). Instead we are made to feel right at home amongst our new heroes (the exceptional Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac) thanks to familiar musical flourishes from John Williams, the spine-tingling sound and visual effects from Industrial Light and Magic, and the return of our beloved Han and Chewie. New planets and old faces, original characters and veterans to guide them – this is a franchise reborn but not reinvented. If criticisms are to be levelled, they fall mainly upon the villains. Few cinema foes will ever match the menace of Darth Vader and his Emperor mentor, however here the film’s antagonists feel particularly thin. Andy Serkis’ CGI overlord Snoke is more distracting than daunting, Domhnall Gleeson’s General Hux is surprisingly hammy and Kylo Ren, whilst evil, is underscored by a petulance that borders on comedic. Thankfully, despite being masked and heavily synthesised, his voice does remain entirely comprehensible, as distinct from the recent broken PA system that was Tom Hardy’s Bane. Not to mention that his force grip is dead-set spectacular. Given the choice between normal and 3D, the latter does actually add that little bit extra here, and whilst parents will doubtless be eager to introduce their younglings to the franchise, be warned – Abrams shies not away from the ‘wars’ in Star Wars. Gritty, intelligent and utterly electrifying, buckle yourselves in folks, because we’ve got a damned good feeling about this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGbxmsDFVnE
There's a big, white container coming to South Bank. But, like most shipping containers in the city, it's not being used to transport furniture. And the word 'séance' will be written on the side in black. It's kind of ominous. Séance is actually a new installation where participants take a seat inside the tiny space, put on a headset and place their hands flat on the table in front of them. The lights go out and the container enters complete darkness. For the next 20 minutes, participants are fed 'suggestible information' through their headsets. You're probably thinking that there's something dark or supernatural about the whole thing — and going by the name, we don't blame you. But the installation's organiser assures us that 'séance' is simply a French word meaning 'session' or 'sitting'. And so Séance is a sensory experience that looks at the psychology of a group sitting together. Despite not being a horror or supernatural-themed piece, it's a scary indicator of how easy it is for confusion, information overload and the people siting right next to us to affect our judgment. Artists David Rosenberg and Glen Neath (who have collaborated in other sensory deprivation projects before) are the creative masterminds behind the project, which has been described as 'disorienting' and 'deeply unsettling'. It's not recommended for the claustrophobic or the easily frightened. The spooky installation visited Sydney and Melbourne late last year, and is now descending on the Treasury Brisbane Arcadia, South Bank Cultural Forecourt, from September 8–29 this year as part of the 2018 Brisbane Festival.
Jameson, the legendary distillers of one of Ireland's most famous whiskeys, are calling on eager filmmakers from around the world to pick up a pen and finally write out that short film script they've been thinking about. Now in its sixth year, Jameson First Shot is fostering the creative endeavours of young filmmakers — giving those who may find it difficult to break into the film industry a shot at the big time. It's a stepping stone for filmmakers who don't quite have their foot in the door yet — for those who want to break into the industry, but haven't had the chance to. It's a platform that gives talented individuals an opportunity to realise their ambition and potential, and a way for them to tell their stories. If you're an aspiring filmmaker, head to the First Shot website and submit a seven-page short film script. If your script is chosen as the winner, your film will be produced by a team of professionals that includes Dana Brunetti — he's the man responsible for Captain Phillips and The Social Network, and the brains behind getting House of Cards onto Netflix, something the world should be endlessly grateful for. Dominic West (best known for his role as Detective McNulty in The Wire) will also be the star of your film, taking the lead acting role. Winning First Shot gives filmmakers an opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in show business. Last year's winner, Jason Perini, had the opportunity to direct and work with Maggie Gyllenhaal. "The most exciting part of the filmmaking process was just watching Maggie act — her face was a special effect," he says. "What had the biggest impact on me was the result of really creative and collaborative people working together. All the crew and cast were so dedicated to making the film I had envisioned in my head. I don't think I will ever experience such ease and dedication again." Since filming wrapped, Perini has gone on to direct his debut feature film, Chasing Comets. "I never anticipated that within less than a year of winning, I'd be directing my own feature film," he says. [caption id="attachment_568922" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: Trigger productions.[/caption] To enter the competition, write an original piece of work, with the final draft being no more than seven pages in length. Base your script around the great, unexpected things that can happen when you get rid of your fear and invite life in. For a complete set of guidelines and a script template, head here. It isn't everyday you get the chance to have your passion project turned into a reality, so sit yourself down with a delicious whiskey and get writing. Entries close at 5pm on Monday, June 1.
We're calling it: for Brisbanites, the summer of 2016-17 is going to be the summer of Gelato Messina. Yes, we know that this year is just kicking into gear — but if there's anything that's going to get us eagerly awaiting the next annual calendar, it's the news that everyone's favourite dessert artisans are finally setting up shop in our fair city. Actually, eager lovers of cold, creamy sweets only need count down the days until October, because that's when Messina's first-ever Brisbane store will open its doors, confirmed by Messina director and co-founder Declan Lee. We predict a whole lot of hanging around South Brisbane in our futures — at 109 Melbourne Street, to be exact. It's Messina's second Queensland store after opening their first northern venture in Coolangatta. At the Brisbane store, gelato fiends will find Messina's largest site in the country, stretching out over a 200-square-metre space. If you think that sounds like more room than even these culinary wizards need to sell their scrumptious, low-fat, high-flavour wares, you'd be right. Serving up their macadamia crunch, and salted caramel and white chocolate concoctions — and blood orange and chocolate sorbets, too — isn't all that's on the menu here. Yep, the good news keeps on coming, with Messina also bringing their ever-popular classes to their new digs. Not only can you feast on icy treats whenever you like, but you can take a three-hour class on gelato appreciation and the hands-on details of dessert making in their very own classroom. They don't call these seminars a combination of info session, science lesson and degustation without good reason. Sure, Brisbane has been waiting for its own permanent Messina hangout for years, but with all this to look forward to, it seems that good things really do come to those who wait. Find Gelato Messina at 109 Melbourne Street, South Brisbane from October 2016. Keep an eye on their website and Facebook page for more information.
Can you believe it's that time of the year again? It seems like only last week that we were prowling the South Bank Forecourt for the best eats, then angling for the best vantage point of the river at the Night Noodle Markets. And yet, here we are again. Poised at the precipice of all things delicious, Good Food Month's Night Noodle Markets are back for 12 glorious days, where you can taste your way around the best Asian treats Brisbane has to offer. Going cashless this year, the markets let you PayPass your way to a full belly. Plus, puppers are welcome — as long as they're on a leash — which means that in addition to amazing food, there's also some great dogspotting in store. Win. The markets are open every weekday evening from 5pm and weekends from 4pm, and just in case you're starting to get palpitations remembering the huge array of choice from last year, fear not. We're serving up our pick of the top eats — in addition to suggested drink pairings from Beer The Beautiful Truth — to make your Night Noodle Markets trip simply spectacular. BAO STOP'S BAO TRIFECTA WITH XXXX SUMMER BRIGHT LAGER Bao comes in pretty high at the top of our list of the best things that can be eaten with one hand. This fluffy, sticky bun is the perfect steamed companion for whatever savoury filling happens to be tucked inside. In Bao Stop's case, they've gone all out and provided not one but three flavours — a veritable bao trifecta, if you will. You can nom on a veggie version with their triad of tofu bao, or sample the carnivore's trinity with chicken, pork and duck. Grab a seat and watch the night unfold as you drink a Summer Bright Lager from XXXX, a crisp match for those tasty baos. POKE BEAR'S ALPINE KING SALMON WITH KIRIN MEGUMI Poké bowls have been sitting for a long, well-deserved while in the spotlight recently, so it's no surprise they've turned up at the markets. With roots in Hawaiian cuisine, the culinary trend involves taking bite-sized bits of quality fish, marinating them and mixing them into a salad of sorts — think of it as a cross between sashimi and ceviche. You can put whatever you want with the fish really, so Poké Bear have opted to pair their alpine king salmon with yuzu miso, sesame dressing, wakami, sesame seeds, daikon, radish, wasabi and diced avocado. Enjoy the delicate, toothsome flavours of your poké bowl without overwhelming them, and pair it with a light, smooth Kirin Megumi. POKLOL'S KOREAN BBQ TACOS WITH LITTLE CREATURES ORIGINAL PILSNER Life is good when you have a warm taco clamped in your little hand and a refreshing brew in the other. Poklol has got this figured out to a T, serving up a Korean-influenced trio of the palm-sized Mexican treats, paired with a cold one. Enjoy bulgogi beef, chilli chicken and chilli pork tacos all served with pickled carrots, kimchi slaw, cucumber, shallots, and finished off with a slathering of Poklol's secret pokky sauce. Dig into the big flavours, and grab yourself an Original Pilsner from Little Creatures for maximum deliciousness. LET'S DO YUM CHA'S HANDMADE YUM CHA WITH LITTLE CREATURES ORIGINAL PILSNER It's rare the person who can walk past a yum cha stand and not stop for at least a look at what delights are on offer. Yum cha is ideal if you just want to try a little bit of everything, and with Let's Do Yum Cha's handmade yum cha offering, you get a delectable sample of all the goodies. Up for grabs is everyone's favourite, the BBQ pork bun, along with a chicken dim sim, vegetarian dumpling and vegetarian spring roll. It's the perfect platter if you want to dip a toe into the world of yum cha, or if you're a seasoned pro and just want to revisit your old favourites. Pair it with a Little Creatures Original Pilsner for out of this world tastiness. JUNK'S CRISPY PORK BELLY WITH XXXX GOLD If you haven't been drooling over Junk's Instagram or been down to visit them at their store in South Bank, Maroochydore or Toowoomba, be prepared to join the obsession at the markets. While Junk has a couple of dishes on offer, we can't go past the pork belly, especially when it's drenched in kaffir lime and dark palm sugar caramel, and paired with creamy laksa and crunchy green papaya and cashew nut salad. Beer-wise, you'll want something to balance these rich, intense flavours. Look to a light, crisp, mid-strength beer like XXXX GOLD to give you a nice refresh between bites. NOM NOM KOREAN EATERY'S KIMCHI FRIES WITH JAMES SQUIRE ORCHARD CRUSH APPLE CIDER If you're looking for some eats you can easily stroll around with, Nom Nom Korean Eatery's kimchi fries are it (and let's be honest, they should have called them kimchips). This simple combination of hot chips laced with cream cheese and the piquant kick of kimchi are just what you need to keep warm and fueled as you wander around and pick what you'll snack on next. If you're looking for another reason to order kimchi fries (as if you need one), then saddle up your high horse, because kimchi is fermented, and as you may or may not know, fermented foods are really good for you. So this dish is pretty much a wholesome snack, and when you pair it with a James Squire Orchard Crush Apple Cider, you're only compounding the goodness. LITTLE KYOTO'S PHORRITO WITH HAHN PREMIUM LIGHT The time for innovative food portmanteaus is now, and we are all things excited to wrap our eager little paws around a phorrito from Little Kyoto. You can tell your grandchildren that you were alive to see the glorious union of Vietnamese pho and the beloved burrito come to be. There's not much we need to tell you about the mashup, short of the fact that it's bound to be slightly messy to eat and entirely delicious. If you're looking for the right kind of beverage to enjoy with it, we recommend going for a Hahn Premium Light. It's crisp, light and won't overpower that phorrito flavour. VINTAGED BAR & GRILL'S ROAST PUMPKIN NOODLES WITH ONE FIFTY LASHES If you're a flat noodle fan, you're going to love the soft and tender chewiness of Vintaged Bar & Grill's roast pumpkin version. Partnered with Korean-style braised beef with pear and ginger, the dish has an earthy kick from mixed mushrooms, along with the oh-so-excellent combination of green olives and toasted pepitas for a kick of crunch. Pair the dish with a James Squire One Fifty Lashes; the fruity, cloudy pale ale is the perfect buddy for the warmth of the noodles. SAMBAL KAMPUNG'S ROTI CANAI WITH HAHN SUPERDRY Malaysia is known for many wonderful things, especially its incredible food, like the ever-popular roti canai. An Indian-influenced flaky, fried flatbread, roti canai is served crunchy yet chewy, hot and ready to tear apart to mop up a tasty curry. At the markets, Sambal Kampung is pairing their delectable roti canai with a chicken curry — you'll be keen to find a proper seat so you can pay full attention to eating this delicious combination. Make sure you also get your hands on a Hahn SuperDry to sip as you eat, the richness of the curry and the freshness of the beer are a match made in gustatory heaven. HARAJUKU GYOZA'S DESSERT RAMEN WITH WHITE RABBIT DARK ALE If you're one of those clever people who saves room for dessert, we salute you. And if you're like us and merely assume that your stomach will always have room for dessert no matter how full you are, we salute you too. Either way, you must give Harajuku Gyoza's dessert ramen a spin. We aren't going to give the game away, suffice to say your dessert ramen will be creamy, delicious and most certainly worthy of your Instagram. If you're looking for the right brew to match with your dessert ramen, you really can't go past the delicious flavours of White Rabbit Dark Ale. With a wash of malt driven ale and a backbone of toffee and chocolate, the beer is a great accompaniment for sweeter eats. Hungry for more? Feed all your cravings at the Brisbane Night Noodle Markets with expert beer pairings presented by Beer The Beautiful Truth from July 19 to 30. See the full menu here. Images: Bec Taylor.
Every day, worldwide, McDonald's feeds approximately 1% of the earth's population. Like a partially-digested chicken nugget entering your bloodstream, we'll just let that sink in for a moment. The Founder, by writer Robert D. Siegel (The Wrestler) and director John Lee Hancock (Saving Mr. Banks) tells the true story of Ray Kroc, a milkshake mixer salesman from Illinois who in 1954 stumbled across an innovative hamburger joint run by the McDonald brothers (Nick Offerman and John Carroll Lynch) and convinced them to franchise it into the 92nd largest economy in the world. Again, just let it siiiiink on in. Played magnificently by Michael Keaton, Kroc presents as a ruthless and relentless businessman for whom 'no' is just a soft yes waiting to be solidified. "Contracts are like hearts" he explains at one stage to the brothers, "…they're meant to be broken". And so it was that the McDonalds empire began to form, with or without the support of the two men to which everything was owed. It's a fascinating, heartbreaking story to behold. Offerman and Carroll Lynch are perfectly cast as a pair of brothers whose steadfast belief in the importance of authenticity and quality seems at once admirable and naive - not to mention antithetical to the very ideas that would eventually turn each of them into multi-millionaires. Of course, the fact that they only make millions, and not billions, is what forms the bulk of the film's story, as it catalogues the means by which Kroc manoeuvred himself into a position of unmatchable power over the pair via manipulative and underhanded yet entirely legal means. By the time "gentleman's handshakes" are being proposed, you already know how things are going to end, just as you lament the feeling that there's nothing else the brothers could have done to stop it. This is a slick production from top to bottom, beginning with Siegel's superb script and its equal measure of laughs and wince-inducing severity. The direction, too, is impressively restrained, allowing the performers and script to shine without embellishment. As in the recent Birdman, Keaton is the standout in a field of outstanding actors, bringing similar levels of narcissism to the role. His serpentine smile and darting eyes betray much of the Kroc personality before he ever opens his mouth. Do not be surprised to see Keaton's name appear on the nomination roll for next year's awards season. In all, The Founder is an admirable piece of cinema that's at once a character study and a history lesson, just as its lead offers an uncomfortable mix of bastardy and astounding foresight. You won't like much about Ray Kroc by the end of this film, but you'll be hard-pressed to deny his determination, business acumen or impact upon a world in which 62 million customers eat at McDonalds every day. 62 million customers. That's more than the population of Great Britain. So yeah…just let that sink in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX2uz2XYkbo
The show must go on for the folks at the Moulin Rouge. 15 years after the release of Baz Luhrmann's smash-hit movie musical, the story of doomed lovers Christian and Satine is coming to the stage. The lavish adaptation is currently in its early stages, and will be directed by two-time Tony nominee Alex Timbers. "I first encountered Alex Timbers through the remarkable and inventive production of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and the brilliance of Here Lies Love," said Luhrmann in a statement. "I immediately recognised the young director's creative spirit and felt we shared similar sensibilities and instincts." Writing duties will be handled by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter John Logan, whose resume includes the recent James Bond outing Skyfall as well as the Tony Award-winning play Red. "It's immensely gratifying to know that a new wave of artists will be leading Moulin Rouge! into its rightful theatrical realm," said Luhrmann. The show is being developed by entertainment group Global Creatures, who previously worked on the theatrical adaptation of King Kong and helped bring Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom to the stage. A premiere date and location for Moulin Rouge! has yet to be announced.
When you're trying to settling on viewing plans for an evening — any evening — there are almost as many ways to pick what to watch as there are movies and television series vying for your attention. One of the easiest options? Working your way through award-winners, whether you know you've already seen and loved plenty of them, you've been meaning to catch up with a heap or you just want to discover what all the fuss has been about. 2023's first excuse to pack your streaming queue and stack your cinema visits based on a Hollywood organisation is the Golden Globes, aka the Hollywood gongs that always kick off each year — and honour both films and TV series. Taking place on Wednesday, January 11 Australian time, the 2023 awards handed out trophies to many of 2022's absolute best on the big and small screens, giving you quite the list of things to watch and/or rewatch. Whether you're keen to hit the silver screen to catch a filmic gem, stream a stellar flick or binge your way through an excellent series or two, here are 15 of the Globes' best winners that you can check out immediately. (And if you're wondering what else won, you can read through the full list, too.) MOVIE MUST-SEES EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE Imagine living in a universe where Michelle Yeoh isn't the wuxia superstar she is. No, no one should want to dwell in that reality. Now, envisage a world where everyone has hot dogs for fingers, including the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon icon. Next, picture another where Ratatouille is real, but with raccoons. Then, conjure up a sparse realm where life only exists in sentient rocks. An alternative to this onslaught of pondering: watching Everything Everywhere All At Once, which throws all of the above at the screen and a helluva lot more. Yes, its title is marvellously appropriate. Written and directed by the Daniels, aka Swiss Army Man's Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, this multiverse-hopping wonder is a funhouse of a film that just keeps spinning through wild and wacky ideas. Instead of asking "what if Daniel Radcliffe was a farting corpse that could be used as a jet ski?" as their also-surreal debut flick did, the pair now muses on Yeoh, her place in the universe, and everyone else's along with her. Although Yeoh doesn't play herself in Everything Everywhere All At Once, she is seen as herself; keep an eye out for red-carpet footage from her Crazy Rich Asians days. Such glitz and glamour isn't the norm for middle-aged Chinese American woman Evelyn Wang, her laundromat-owning character in the movie's main timeline, but it might've been if life had turned out differently. That's such a familiar train of thought — a resigned sigh we've all emitted, even if only when alone — and the Daniels use it as their foundation. Their film starts with Evelyn, her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom's Short Round and The Goonies' Data) and a hectic time. Evelyn's dad (James Hong, Turning Red) is visiting from China, the Wangs' daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) brings her girlfriend Becky (Tallie Medel, The Carnivores) home, and IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdra (Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween Ends) is conducting a punishing audit. Then Evelyn learns she's the only one who can save, well, everything, everywhere and everyone. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy (Michelle Yeoh), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Ke Huy Quan). Where to watch it: Everything Everywhere All At Once streams via Binge, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Read our full review. BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER Black Panther: Wakanda Forever isn't the movie it was initially going to be, the sequel to 2018's electrifying and dynamic Black Panther that anyone behind it originally wanted it to be, or the chapter in the sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe that it first aimed to be — this, the world already knows. The reason why is equally familiar, after Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer in 2020 aged 43. At its best, this direct followup to the MCU's debut trip to its powerful African nation doesn't just know this, too, but scorches that awareness deep into its frames. King T'Challa's death starts the feature, a loss that filmmaking trickery doesn't reverse, no matter how meaningless mortality frequently proves when on-screen resurrections are usually a matter of mere plot twists. Wakanda Forever begins with heartbreak and pain, in fact, and with facing the hard truth that life ends and, in ways both big and small, that nothing is ever the same. Directed and co-written by Ryan Coogler (Creed) like its predecessor — co-scripting again with Joe Robert Cole (All Day and a Night) — Wakanda Forever's emotional tributes to T'Challa and Boseman hit swiftly, after the former's tech-wiz sister Shuri (Letitia Wright, Death on the Nile) agonises over not being able to save him. In a swirl of song, dance, colour, movement, rhythm and feeling on par with the first instalment, but also solemn, Wakanda erupts in mourning, and the film makes plain that the Black Panther audiences knew is gone forever. A year later, sorrow lingers, but global courtesy wanes — now that the world knows about the previously secret country and its metal vibranium, everyone wants a piece. Such searching incites a new threat to the planet, courtesy of Mesoamerican underwater kingdom Talokan and its leader-slash-deity Namor (Tenoch Huerta, Narcos: Mexico). The Atlantis-esque ocean realm has vibranium as well, and it's not keen on anywhere else but Wakanda doing the same. If Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett, Gunpowder Milkshake), Shuri and their compatriots don't join Namor to fight back, Namor will wage war against them instead. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Angela Bassett). Where to watch it: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. RRR The letters in RRR's title are short for Rise Roar Revolt. They could also stand for riveting, rollicking and relentless. They link in with the Indian action movie's three main forces, too — writer/director SS Rajamouli (Baahubali: The Beginning), plus stars NT Rama Rao Jr (Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava) and Ram Charan (Vinaya Vidheya Rama) — and could describe the sound of some of its standout moments. What noise echoes when a motorcycle is used in a bridge-jumping rescue plot, as aided by a horse and the Indian flag, amid a crashing train? Or when a truck full of wild animals is driven into a decadent British colonialist shindig and its caged menagerie unleashed? What racket resounds when a motorbike figures again, this time tossed around by hand (yes, really) to knock out those imperialists, and then an arrow is kicked through a tree into someone's head? Or, when the movie's two leads fight, shoot, leap over walls and get acrobatic, all while one is sat on the other's shoulders? RRR isn't subtle. Instead, it's big, bright, boisterous, boldly energetic, and brazenly unapologetic about how OTT and hyperactive it is. The 187-minute Tollywood action epic — complete with huge musical numbers, of course — is also a vastly captivating pleasure to watch. Narrative-wise, it follows the impact of the British Raj (aka England's rule over the subcontinent between 1858–1947), especially upon two men. In the 1920s, Bheem (Jr NTR, as Rao is known) is determined to rescue young fellow villager Malli (first-timer Twinkle Sharma), after she's forcibly taken by Governor Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson, Vikings) and his wife Catherine (Alison Doody, Beaver Falls) for no reason but they're powerful and they can. Officer Raju (Charan) is tasked by the crown with making sure Bheem doesn't succeed in rescuing the girl, and also keeping India's population in their place because their oppressors couldn't be more prejudiced. GLOBES Won: Best Original Song (for 'Naatu Naatu' by Kala Bhairava, M.M. Keeravani, Kala Bhairava, Rahul Sipligunj). Where to watch it: RRR streams via Netflix. Read our full review. THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN In The Banshees of Inisherin, the rolling hills and clifftop fields look like they could stretch on forever, even on a fictional small island perched off the Irish mainland. For years, conversation between Padraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell, After Yang) and Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson, The Tragedy of Macbeth) has been similarly sprawling — and leisurely, too — especially during the pair's daily sojourn to the village pub for chats over pints. But when the latter calls time on their camaraderie suddenly, his demeanour turns brusque and his explanation, only given after much pestering, is curt. Uttered beneath a stern, no-nonsense stare by Gleeson to his In Bruges co-star Farrell, both reuniting with that darkly comic gem's writer/director Martin McDonagh for another black, contemplative and cracking comedy, Colm is as blunt as can be: "I just don't like you no more." In the elder character's defence, he wanted to ghost his pal without hurtful words. Making an Irish exit from a lifelong friendship is a wee bit difficult on a tiny isle, though, as Colm quickly realises. It's even trickier when the mate he's trying to put behind him is understandably upset and confused, there's been no signs of feud or fray beforehand, and anything beyond the norm echoes through the town faster than a folk ballad. So springs McDonagh's smallest-scale and tightest feature since initially leaping from the stage to the screen, and a wonderful companion piece to that first effort. Following the hitman-focused In Bruges, he's gone broader with Seven Psychopaths, then guided Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell to Oscars with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, but he's at his best when his lens is trained at Farrell and Gleeson as they bicker in close confines. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Comedy, Best Screenplay — Motion Picture (Martin McDonagh), Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy (Colin Farrell). Where to watch it: The Banshees of Inisherin is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO Guillermo del Toro hasn't yet directed a version of Frankenstein, except that he now has in a way. Officially, he's chosen another much-adapted, widely beloved story — one usually considered less dark — but there's no missing the similarities between the Nightmare Alley and The Shape of Water filmmaker's stop-motion Pinocchio and Mary Shelley's ever-influential horror masterpiece. Both carve out tales about creations made by grief-stricken men consumed by loss. Both see those tinkerers help give life to things that don't usually have it, gifting existence to the inanimate because they can't cope with mortality's reality. Both notch up the fallout when those central humans struggles with the results of their handiwork, even though all that the beings that spring from their efforts want is pure and simple love and acceptance. Del Toro's take on Pinocchio still has a talking cricket, a blue-hued source of magic and songs, too, but it clearly and definitely isn't a Disney movie. Instead, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is an enchanting iteration of a story that everyone knows, and that's graced screens so many times that this is the third flick in 2022 alone. Yes, the director's name is officially in the film's title. Yes, it's likely there to stop the movie getting confused with that array of other page-to-screen adaptations, all springing from Carlo Collodi's 19th-century Italian children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio. That said, even if the list of features about the timber puppet wasn't longer than said critter's nose when he's lying, del Toro would earn the possessory credit anyway. No matter which narrative he's unfurling — including this one about a boy fashioned out of pine (voiced by Gregory Mann, Victoria) by master woodcarver Geppetto (David Bradley, Catherine Called Birdy) after the death of his son — the Mexican Oscar-winner's distinctive fingerprints are always as welcomely apparent as his gothic-loving sensibilities. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Animated. Where to watch it: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio streams via Netflix. Read our full review. ELVIS Making a biopic about the king of rock 'n' roll, trust Baz Luhrmann to take his subject's words to heart: a little less conversation, a little more action. The Australian filmmaker's Elvis, his first feature since 2013's The Great Gatsby, isn't short on chatter. It's even narrated by Tom Hanks (Finch) as Colonel Tom Parker, the carnival barker who thrust Presley to fame (and, as Luhrmann likes to say, the man who was never a Colonel, never a Tom and never a Parker). But this chronology of an icon's life is at its best when it's showing rather than telling. That's when it sparkles brighter than a rhinestone on all-white attire, and gleams with more shine than all the lights in Las Vegas. That's when Elvis is electrifying, due to its treasure trove of recreated concert scenes — where Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) slides into Presley's blue suede shoes and lifetime's supply of jumpsuits like he's the man himself. Butler is that hypnotic as Presley. Elvis is his biggest role to-date after starting out on Hannah Montana, sliding through other TV shows including Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries, and also featuring in Yoga Hosers and The Dead Don't Die — and he's exceptional. Thanks to his blistering on-stage performance, shaken hips and all, the movie's gig sequences feel like Elvis hasn't ever left the building. Close your eyes and you'll think you were listening to the real thing. (In some cases, you are: the film's songs span Butler's vocals, Presley's and sometimes a mix of both). And yet it's how the concert footage looks, feels, lives, breathes, and places viewers in those excited and seduced crowds that's Elvis' true gem. It's meant to make movie-goers understand what it was like to be there, and why Presley became such a sensation. Aided by dazzling cinematography, editing and just all-round visual choreography, these parts of the picture — of which there's many, understandably — leave audiences as all shook up as a 1950s teenager or 1970s Vegas visitor. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama (Austin Butler). Where to watch it: Elvis streams via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE FABELMANS "Movies are dreams that you never forget," says Mitzi Fabelman (Michelle Williams, Venom: Let There Be Carnage) early in Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans. Have truer words ever been spoken in any of the director's flicks? Uttered to her eight-year-old son Sammy (feature debutant Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord), Mitzi's statement lingers, providing the film's beating heart even when the coming-of-age tale it spins isn't always idyllic. Individual pictures can come and go, of course. Only some — only some on the Jaws, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and West Side Story filmmaker's own resume, in fact — truly stand the test of time. But as former concert pianist Mitzi understands, and imparts to her wide-eyed on-screen Spielberg boyhood surrogate, movies as an art form are a dream that keeps shining in our heads. We return to theatres again and again for more. We glue our eyes to films at home, too. We lap up the worlds they visit, stories they relay and fantasies they inspire, and we also add our own. To everyone that's ever stared at the silver screen in awe, The Fabelmans pays tribute far more than it basks in the glow of its director. Because everyone is crafting cinematic memoirs of late, Spielberg adds this tender yet clear-eyed look at his childhood to a growing list of self-reflective flicks; however, he's as fascinated with cinema as a dream-sparking and -making force as is he with fictionalising his own tale. Slot The Fabelmans in alongside James Gray's Armageddon Time, Kenneth Branagh's Belfast, Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza and Alejandro González Iñárritu's Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths from the past year or so, then, but don't merely consider it Spielberg jumping on a trend. Focusing on Sammy's film fixation, including as a teen (played by Gabriel LaBelle, The Predator) and as his fragile family hops around the US following his computer-engineer dad Burt's (Paul Dano, The Batman) work, this is a heartfelt, perceptive and potent movie about how movies act as a mirror — a vividly shot and engagingly performed one, too, complete with a pitch-perfect late cameo — whether we're watching or creating them. GLOBES Won: Best Motion Picture — Drama, Best Director — Motion Picture (Steven Spielberg). Where to watch it: The Fabelmans is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. SMALL-SCREEN STANDOUTS ABBOTT ELEMENTARY The Office did it, in both the UK and US versions. Parks and Recreation did so, too. What We Do in the Shadows still does it — and, yes, there's more where they all came from. By now, the mockumentary format is a well-established part of the sitcom realm. Indeed, it's so common that additional shows deciding to give it a whirl aren't noteworthy for that alone. But in Emmy-winner Abbott Elementary, which is currently streaming its second season, the faux doco gimmick is also deployed as an outlet for the series' characters. They're all public school elementary teachers in Philadelphia, and the chats to-camera help convey the stresses and tolls of doing what they're devoted to. In a wonderfully warm and also clear-eyed gem created by, co-written by and starring triple-threat Quinta Brunson (Miracle Workers), that'd be teaching young hearts and minds no matter the everyday obstacles, the utter lack of resources and funding, or the absence of interest from the bureaucracy above them. Brunson plays perennially perky 25-year-old teacher Janine Teagues, who loves her gig and her second-grade class. She also adores her colleague Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph, Ray Donovan), the kindergarten teacher that she sees as a mentor and work mum. Actually, Janine isn't just fond of all of the above — she's so devoted to her job that she'll let nothing stand in her way. But that isn't easy or straightforward in a system that's short on cash and care from the powers-that-be to make school better for its predominantly Black student populace. Also featuring Everybody Hates Chris' Tyler James Williams (also The United States vs Billie Holiday) as an apathetic substitute teacher, Lisa Ann Walter (The Right Mom) and Chris Perfetti (Sound of Metal) as Abbott faculty mainstays, and Janelle James (Black Monday) as the incompetent principal who only scored her position via blackmail, everything about Abbott Elementary is smart, kindhearted, funny and also honest. That remains the case in season two, where Janine is newly single and grappling with being on her own, sparks are flying with Williams' Gregory and James' Ava can't keep bluffing her way through her days. GLOBES Won: Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy, Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy (Quinta Brunson), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical or Comedy or Drama Television Series (Tyler James Williams). Where to watch it: Abbott Elementary streams via Disney+. THE BEAR First, an important piece of advice: eating either before or while watching The Bear is highly recommended, and near close to essential. Now, two more crucial slices of wisdom: prepare to feel stressed throughout every second of this riveting, always-tense, and exceptionally written and acted culinary series, and also to want to tuck into The Original Beef of Chicagoland's famous sandwiches immediately. The eatery is purely fictional, but its signature dish looks phenomenal. Most of what's cooked up in Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto's (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless) kitchen does. But he has taken over the family business following his brother's suicide, arriving back home after wowing the world in fine dining's top restaurants, and nothing is easy. Well, coveting The Bear's edible wares is across the show's eight-episode first season — but making them, keeping the shop afloat, coping with grief and ensuring that the diner's staff work harmoniously is a pressure cooker of chaos. That anxious mood is inescapable from the outset; the best way to start any meal is just to bite right in, and The Bear's creator Christopher Storer (who also directs five episodes, and has Ramy, Dickinson and Bo Burnham: Make Happy on his resume) takes the same approach. He also throws all of his ingredients together with precision — the balance of drama and comedy, the relentlessness that marks every second in The Original Beef's kitchen, and the non-stop mouthing off by Richie, aka Cousin, aka Carmy's brother's best friend (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Dropout), all included. Carmy has bills to pay, debts to settle, eerie dreams and sleepwalking episodes to navigate, new sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, Dickinson) mixing up the place and long-standing employees (such as Hap and Leonard's Lionel Boyce, In Treatment's Liza Colón-Zayas and Fargo's Edwin Lee Gibson) to keep happy. Every glimpse at the resulting hustle and bustle is as gripping as it is appetising — and yes, binging is inevitable. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy (Jeremy Allen White). Where to watch it: The Bear streams via Disney+. Read our full review. EUPHORIA From the very first frames of its debut episode back in June 2019, when just-out-of-rehab 17-year-old Rue Bennett (Zendaya, Spider-Man: No Way Home) gave viewers the lowdown on her life, mindset, baggage, friends, family and everyday chaos, Euphoria has courted attention — or, mirroring the tumultuous teens at the centre of its dramas, the Emmy-winning HBO series just knew that eyeballs would come its way no matter what it did. The brainchild of filmmaker Sam Levinson (Malcolm & Marie), adapted from an Israeli series by the same name, and featuring phenomenal work by its entire cast, it's flashy, gritty, tense, raw, stark and wild, and manages to be both hyper-stylised to visually striking degree and deeply empathetic. In other words, if teen dramas reflect the times they're made — and from Degrassi, Press Gang and Beverly Hills 90210 through to The OC, Friday Night Lights and Skins, they repeatedly have — Euphoria has always been a glittery eyeshadow-strewn sign of today's times. That hasn't changed in the show's second season. Almost two and a half years might've elapsed between Euphoria's first and second batch of episodes — a pair of out-of-season instalments in late 2020 and early 2021 aside — but it's still as potent, intense and addictive as ever. And, as dark, as Rue's life and those of her pals (with the cast including Hunter Schafer, The King of Staten Island's Maude Apatow, The Kissing Booth franchise's Jacob Elordi, The White Lotus' Sydney Sweeney, The Afterparty's Barbie Ferreira, North Hollywood's Angus Cloud and Waves' Alexa Demie) bobs and weaves through everything from suicidal despair, Russian Roulette, bloody genitals, unforgettable school plays, raucous parties and just garden-variety 2022-era teen angst. The list always goes on; in fact, as once again relayed in Levinson's non-stop, hyper-pop style, the relentlessness that is being a teenager today, trying to work out who you are and navigating all that the world throws at you is Euphoria's point. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series — Drama (Zendaya). Where to watch it: Euphoria streams via Binge. OZARK In 2022, Julia Garner schemed her away into New York's upper echelons in the instantly addictive Inventing Anna, playing IRL faux socialite Anna Delvey — and won the unofficial award for wildest accent on TV, too. She didn't end up nabbing a Golden Globe for her part, despite being nominated; however, the acclaimed actress hasn't been going home empty-handed at awards ceremonies. The reason? Fellow Netflix series Ozark. The Assistant keeps picking up Supporting Actress gongs for the crime drama, for her blistering performance as Ruth Langmore. When the show started back in 2017, Garner wasn't in its top-two biggest names, thanks to Jason Bateman (The Outsider) and Laura Linney (Tales of the City), but she's turned her part into an absolute powerhouse. Ozark's focus: a financial advisor, Marty Byrde (Bateman), who moves from Chicago to a quiet Missouri town — yes, in the titular Ozarks region — after a money-laundering scheme goes wrong in a big way. That's a significant shift for his wife Wendy (Linney) and kids Charlotte (Sofia Hublitz, What Breaks the Ice) and Jonah (Skylar Gaertner, Daredevil), but it doesn't see Marty change his ways. Instead, more laundering is in his future, as well as crossing paths with Ruth, who hails from a criminal family. Across its four-season run, Ozark has always been lifted by its performances, which is unsurprising given that Bateman, Linney and Garner are all at the top of their games. It's a masterclass in tension, too, and in conveying a relentless feeling of dread. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical or Comedy or Drama Television Series (Julia Garner). Where to watch it: Ozark streams via Netflix. BLACK BIRD 2022 marks a decade since Taron Egerton's first on-screen credit as a then-23 year old. Thanks to the Kingsman movies, Eddie the Eagle, Robin Hood and Rocketman, he's rarely been out of the cinematic spotlight since — but miniseries Black Bird feels like his most mature performance yet. The latest based-on-a-true-crime tale to get the twisty TV treatment, it adapts autobiographical novel In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption. It also has Dennis Lehane, author of Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River and Shutter Island, bringing it to streaming. The focus: Jimmy Keene, a former star high-school footballer turned drug dealer, who finds his narcotics-financed life crumbling when he's arrested in a sting, offered a plea bargain with the promise of a five-year sentence (four with parole), but ends up getting ten. Seven months afterwards, he's given the chance to go free, but only if he agrees to transfer to a different prison to befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser, Cruella), and get him to reveal where he's buried his victims' bodies. Even with new shows based on various IRL crimes hitting queues every week, or thereabouts — 2022 has seen plenty, including Inventing Anna, The Dropout, The Girl From Plainville and The Staircase, to name a mere few — Black Bird boasts an immediately compelling premise. The first instalment in its six-episode run is instantly gripping, too, charting Keene's downfall, the out-of-ordinary situation posed by Agent Lauren McCauley (Sepideh Moafi, The Killing of Two Lovers), and the police investigation by Brian Miller (Greg Kinnear, Crisis) to net Hall. It keeps up the intrigue and tension from there; in fact, the wild and riveting details just keep on coming. Fantastic performances all round prove pivotal as well. Again, Egerton is excellent, while Hauser's menace-dripping efforts rank among the great on-screen serial killer portrayals. And, although bittersweet to watch after his sudden passing in May, Ray Liotta (The Many Saints of Newark) makes a firm imprint as Keene's father. GLOBES Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (Paul Walter Hauser). Where to watch it: Black Bird streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. THE WHITE LOTUS Lives of extravagant luxury. Globe-hopping getaways. Whiling away cocktail-soaked days in gorgeous beachy locales. Throw in the level of wealth and comfort needed to make those three things an easy, breezy everyday reality, and the world's sweetest dreams are supposedly made of this. On TV since 2021, HBO's hit dramedy The White Lotus has been, too. Indeed, in its Emmy-winning first season, the series was a phenomenon of a biting satire, scorching the one percent, colonialism and class divides in a twisty, astute, savage and hilarious fashion. It struck such a chord, in fact, that what was meant to be a one-and-done limited season was renewed for a second go-around, sparking an anthology. That Sicily-set second effort once again examines sex, status, staring head-on at mortality and accepting the unshakeable fact that life is short for everyone but truly sweet for oh-so-few regardless of bank balance — and with writer/director/creator Mike White (Brad's Status) still overseeing proceedings, the several suitcase loads of smart, scathing, sunnily shot chaos that The White Lotus brings to screens this time around are well worth unpacking again. Here, another group of well-off holidaymakers slip into another splashy, flashy White Lotus property and work through their jumbled existences. Another death lingers over their trip, with The White Lotus again starting with an unnamed body — bodies, actually — then jumping back seven days to tell its tale from the beginning. Running the Taormina outpost of the high-end resort chain, Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore, Across the River and Into the Trees) is barely surprised by the corpse that kicks off season two. She's barely surprised about much beforehand, either. That includes her dealings with the returning Tanya McQuoid-Hunt (Jennifer Coolidge, The Watcher), her husband Greg (Jon Gries, Dream Corp LLC) and assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson, After Yang); three generations of Di Grasso men, aka Bert (F Murray Abraham, Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities), Hollywood hotshot Dominic (Michael Imperioli, The Many Saints of Newark) and the Stanford-educated Albie (Adam DiMarco, The Order); and tech whiz Ethan (Will Sharpe, Defending the Guilty) and his wife Harper (Aubrey Plaza, Best Sellers), plus his finance-bro college roommate Cameron (Theo James, The Time Traveller's Wife) and his stay-at-home wife Daphne (Meghann Fahy, The Bold Type). GLOBES Won: Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television (Jennifer Coolidge). Where to watch it: The White Lotus streams via Binge. Read our full review of season two. THE DROPOUT Dramatising the Theranos scandal, eight-part miniseries The Dropout is one of several high-profile releases this year to relive a wild true-crime tale — including the Anna Delvey-focused Inventing Anna, about the fake German heiress who conned her way through New York City's elite, and also documentary The Tinder Swindler, which steps through defrauding via dating app at the hands of Israeli imposter Simon Leviev. It also dives into the horror-inducing Dr Death-esque realm, because when a grift doesn't just mess with money and hearts, but with health and lives, it's pure nightmare fuel. And, it's the most gripping of the bunch, even though we're clearly living in peak scandal-to-screen times. Scam culture might be here to stay as Inventing Anna told us in a telling line of dialogue, but it isn't enough to just gawk its way — and The Dropout and its powerful take truly understands this. To tell the story of Theranos, The Dropout has to tell the story of Elizabeth Holmes, the Silicon Valley biotech outfit's founder and CEO from the age of 19. Played by a captivating, career-best Amanda Seyfried — on par with her Oscar-nominated work in Mank, but clearly in a vastly dissimilar role — the Steve Jobs-worshipping Holmes is seen explaining her company's name early in its first episode. It's derived from the words "therapy" and "diagnosis", she stresses, although history already dictates that it offered little of either. Spawned from Holmes' idea to make taking blood simpler and easier, using just one drop from a small finger prick, it failed to deliver, lied about it copiously and still launched to everyday consumers, putting important medical test results in jeopardy. GLOBES: Won: Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Where to watch it: The Dropout streams Disney+. Read our full review. HOUSE OF THE DRAGON In its very first moments, House of the Dragon's opening episode delivers exactly what its name promises: here be dragons indeed. Within ten minutes, the Iron Throne, that sprawling metal seat that all of Westeros loves fighting about, also makes its initial appearance. By the time the 20-minute mark arrives, bloody violence of the appendage-, limb- and head-lopping kind fills the show's frames as well. And, before the debut instalment of this Game of Thrones prequel about House Targaryen's history even hits its halfway mark, a brothel scene with nudity and sex is sighted, too. Between all of the above, the usual GoT family dramas, squabbles over successors and power struggles pop up. Of course they do. House of the Dragon was always going to check all of the above boxes. None of this can constitute spoilers, either, because none of it can come as a surprise. Game of Thrones' fame and influence have become that pervasive, as have its hallmarks and trademarks. Everyone knows what GoT is known for, even if you've somehow never seen this page-to-screen franchise yet or read the George RR Martin-penned books that it's based on. After green-lighting a different prequel to pilot stage, scrapping it, then picking this one to run with instead — and also making plans to bring novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg to TV, working on an animated GoT show, exploring other potential prequels and forging ahead a Jon Snow-focused sequel series — House of the Dragon is the first Game of Thrones successor to arrive in streaming queues, and it doesn't mess with a formula that HBO doesn't consider broken. Its focus: the Targaryen crew 172 years before the birth of Daenerys and her whole dragon-flying, nephew-dating, power-seeking story. Cue silky silver locks aplenty, including cascading from King Viserys I's (Paddy Considine, The Third Day) head as he takes to the Iron Throne over his cousin Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best, Nurse Jackie). She had a better claim to the spiky chair, but gets passed over because she's a woman. Years later, the same scenario springs up over whether the king's dragon-riding daughter Princess Rhaenyra (Upright's Milly Alcock, then Mothering Sunday's Emma D'Arcy) becomes his heir, or the future son he's desperate to have, or his headstrong and shady younger brother Prince Daemon (Matt Smith, Morbius). GLOBES: Won: Best Television Series — Drama. Where to watch it: House of the Dragon streams via Binge. Read our full review. Top image: HBO.
While we suspect he'll always be remembered best as the world's most famous boy wizard, you certainly couldn't accuse Daniel Radcliffe of always playing in the same sandbox. Since wrapping up the Harry Potter series, the actor has played Alan Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings, taken the stage in Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishman, and most recently appeared as a flatulent corpse in the surprisingly heartwarming indie film Swiss Army Man. His latest project is an Off-Broadway play, one that is noteworthy not just for Radcliffe's part, but for its unusual policy when it comes to mobile phones. While whipping out your cell is generally considered sacrilege in the theatre, Privacy takes the opposite approach — actively encouraging audience members to take selfies during the show in order to explore questions of privacy and accountability in an increasingly connected world. As Radcliffe dives into the open world of social media, audience members are able to post their photos to the theatre website, at which point they're projected onto a giant screen behind the actors. Further chances for crowd participation come when a character types "is it wrong…" into Google, with viewers prompted to shout out possible autofill possibilities. Of course Privacy isn't the first time theatres have allowed or even encouraged the use of mobile phones. Theatres in Melbourne such as Malthouse and La Mama have experimented with special 'tweet seats' in the past, sparking furious debate as to whether the practice should be allowed. What's interesting in this case is how the play actually incorporates phone users into the performance. This could very well be the beginning of a brave new world. Via PSFK.
Step back in time to 1965, and attend the Delamere family's annual dinner party. Two years earlier, the event was terrorised by an antiquities salesman experimenting with a set of dolls — and, as an urban legend tells, no one was ever the same again. If you have your wits about you, you can join twelve others to recreate the fateful evening; however, a word of warning: this isn't an experience for those easily spooked. Take your cues from the interactive show's setting, because there's no better space to see a ghost story take place than West End's Ecclectica: Esoteric Books & Curiosities.
Less is traditionally more in the tiny homes that have boomed in popularity over the last few years. This is not the case with Stella the Stargazer, an exceptional pop-up that will tour regional Victoria over the next six months. Stella's unique approach to luxury is considered and environmentally sensitive. The distinct interior design headed up by Port Fairy-based Ample champions upcycled and repurposed materials, including the use of corrugated iron and Victorian hardwood in the construction process. An indulgent, annular shower is surrounded by adjustable glass louvres designed to envelop you in the natural surroundings. Plus, there's an outdoor fire pit that doubles as a barbecue. Glass sliding doors open onto the modular deck with openair seating, and you'll find plenty of local wares featured throughout; from Dindi Naturals toiletries, to threads from Weave Home Australia, Society of Wanderers and Grampians Goods Co. [caption id="attachment_879299" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Ample, Brook James[/caption] But the crowning jewel of this enchanting tiny palace is a roll-out, queen-bed-sized sleeping platform that's primed for stargazing on calm evenings. Provisions boast a local lean, with guests enjoying a curated welcome hamper of cheese and charcuterie, a bottle of wine and breakfast provisions — showcasing regional bread, bacon, eggs and granola. Famed chef Alejandro Saravia (Farmer's Daughters, Victoria by Farmer's Daughters) can also ensure you don't have to venture far, with a DIY dinner experience available to add to your stay. The evening's menu runs to the likes of Farmer's Daughters pork terrine served with Snowy River black garlic chutney; a warm roasted pumpkin on a bed of creamy stracciatella; and Cherry Tree Organics roasted lamb shoulder served with roasted carrot and marjoram. Currently, the limited-time tiny stay by Visit Victoria is situated at the idyllic Blue Gables vineyard in Maffra, but she'll move on from Thursday, December 15, and head to the Great Ocean Road for the end of summer. [caption id="attachment_879298" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Ample, Brook James[/caption] Stella the Stargazer will make her home in Maffra, Gippsland, from October 14–December 15, 2022. She'll then stop in a new location along the Great Ocean Road from February 3–April 6, 2023, before moving to the Grampians from April 17–June 18, 2023. Rates are $330 per night Monday–Thursday, and $390 per night Friday–Sunday.
Melburnians now have even more of a reason to head down the Mornington Peninsula for a pampering session, as the acclaimed Peninsula Hot Springs unveils some swish new facilities as part of a $13 million upgrade. The award-winning wellness destination now has a revamped program of offerings as part of its biggest expansion since opening back in 2005. This includes the addition of two cold plunge pools and seven new hot spring pools — which, if you've ever jostled for a spot in the top pool on a busy Saturday, you'll know is good news. An impressive outdoor Bath House Amphitheatre has also been added to the Fingal site, which is set to host a whole swag of shows. Baths also now have views of the stage and underwater speakers have been installed so visitors can get stuck into some live entertainment while they're submerged. The Hot Springs is also delving into cryotherapy for the first time with a new 'ice and fire' experience. This will allow bathers to switch between hot and cold therapy — the hot being two new 30-person saunas, and the cold being a new (and Australian-first) ice cave and a 'deep freeze' treatment room, which will be kept at a cool 25 degrees below freezing. The idea is that, by jumping between hot and cold, you will sweat out toxins, cleanse your skin and potentially burn calories. The venue also has a new cafe, a cultural meeting space designed in collaboration with local Indigenous elders, and a multipurpose wellness centre for classes and talks. Meanwhile, a new on-site veggie garden marks the start of a planned three-acre terrace 'food bowl', which will grow produce for the Peninsula Hot Springs' kitchens. Thermally heated glasshouses and an underground mushroom cave are also in the works. If that doesn't sound like enough, there's more growth in store for the Peninsula Hot Springs, with glamping facilities and 126 rooms of accomodation to be built on-site over the next three years. The Peninsula Hot Springs is located at Springs Lane, Fingal. Booking is recommended on weekends. Updated: October 5, 2018.
Once, Brisbane was just the home of XXXX. Now, this beer-loving town has a brewery on every corner, or so it seems. It's no wonder, then, that Brewsvegas sprung up to celebrate the city's plethora of places for a yeasty pint — and it's back in 2019 for its sixth massive year. From Friday, March 15 through until Sunday, March 24, you'd best prepare to quench your hard earnest thirst with an ice cold brew. Plenty of beverages will be sunk across the ten-day period; however there's more to Brewsvegas than just knocking back beer. Fancy pairing your boozing with doughnuts? A scavenger hunt? A riverside food truck party? A parkside meet-up for doggos and their drink-sipping owners? Several other pooch-friendly events? That's all on the agenda. The list goes on, so prepare to say 'cheers' a whole heap. From the huge lineup, here's our six top picks — let's call it our Brewsvegas six-pack. Top image: Catchment Brewing Co.
It might be hard to imagine how Australia's contentious immigration and asylum seeker policies could be fodder for comedy, but Tom Ballard has somehow managed to produce a 'comedy lecture' that is at once moving, thought-provoking, and piss-your-pants funny. The award-winning comedian's latest show Boundless Plains to Share (which takes its title from that oft-forgotten line in our national anthem) tackles the history, inhumanity, and hypocrisy of Australia's immigration policies. It's that rare kind of performance that will leave you both furious and introspective, and also belly-sore from all the laughter. This is one Brisbane Comedy Festival event you definitely don't want to miss. This is one of our top picks for this year's Brisbane Comedy Festival. Read the whole list.
Staying ahead of the curve in Sydney's constantly evolving food scene is difficult. New restaurants, bars and cafes pop up every week, and in Sydney, a city already saturated with food and drink options, it's incredibly easy for hospitality businesses to fall behind. In partnership with William Blue at Torrens University, we're asking the hospitality graduates who run our favourite Sydney restaurants to talk about how they got started in the industry. In 2015, Adelene Stahnke helped to open Bang Street Food in Surry Hills with her partner Tapos Singha and designer Nicholas Gurney. In 2016, the same team opened Bang Street Food spin-off Trunk Road in Darlinghurst. Stahnke is only 23 years old, so helping to start up two successful Sydney restaurants is no small feat. We asked her how it all happened, and if she has any tips to share. FIND A GAP IN THE MARKET (AND STICK TO IT) "Tapos kept talking about wanting to open a Bangladeshi restaurant in Sydney. I thought it was a great idea, and really inspiring because nobody had brought great, traditional Bangladeshi food to the city yet. I encouraged him to stick to his dream because I could see that there was a gap in the market, and I had a really strong feeling that a space would open up in Sydney. Tapos pitched the idea to his business partner, and once a space appeared in Surry Hills everything took off from there." LEARN EVERYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT THE CUISINE YOU'RE COOKING "Tapos went back home to Bangladesh for a few months to get some ideas flowing for the menu, and I went to Melbourne to cook at Tonka [an Indian-fusion restaurant] with Adam D'Sylva. I wanted to get some experience in sub-continent food because I didn't know much about it beforehand, and I think it's important to learn everything you can about a style of food before you start a business with it. I worked at Tonka with the goal to learn as much as I could and it was a really great experience. When Tapos and I both arrived back to Sydney, he showed me the menu and I understood the dishes in a way that I wouldn't have, had I not worked at Tonka. The menu was great, but it needed some refining, which is where I came in. I made sure that the menu would appeal to Surry Hills, while making sure that the Bangladeshi soul was still there." KNOW WHEN YOU'RE ON TO A GOOD THING — AND RUN WITH IT "At Bang we have a dish that people really love called 'Bang Boti Kebab', which is a roti kebab with steak filling. That dish really blew up so we thought we would take the opportunity and run with it. We said, 'let's do a restaurant based on that dish but in a smaller space, something cheap where we can do take-away as well'. That's how Trunk Road, our second restaurant, came about. We waited until we found the perfect space — a little terrace house in Darlinghurst — and the boys built the whole restaurant while my dad tiled it. I moved over to run the kitchen at Trunk once it was up and running. It's just a one-person, solo kind of thing in a really small kitchen, very different from Bang. We only serve four types of the 'roadie' kebab, a curry and some snacks." SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE THAT SHARE YOUR ASPIRATIONS "In order to establish a really good business you need to have a concept and stick with that concept. It's also very important to have people around you that can compliment you and share your aspirations. Stay focused, and as long as it's still your hobby, you can make money from it because you love it. Having your own business is a lot of work, there are long hours right from the start. It's very different when it's your own project as opposed to working for someone else. Work everywhere you can and get experience in everything. I've studied hospitality and worked in hotels as well as fine dining, breakfast spots in Darlinghurst and Indian restaurants. You never know what will come in handy." William Blue at Torrens University offers courses in Culinary Management, Event Management, Tourism and Hospitality. Find out more about the diverse career options in hospitality, and kick-start your career via the website. Images: Kimberley Low.
Brisbane’s St Jerome’s Laneway Festival 2015 opened to a scene of sweaty, sunscreen-clad, too-nicely-dressed festivalgoers — and eight years on we wouldn't expect it any other way. The Sunshine State turned on the tropics for grand day out at the RNA. Early on, the crowd swelled to catch Queensland darling Eves The Behavior. The homegrown festival newbie played her set at ease, making her one to watch as 2015 plays out. The stages have yet again been rejigged – the RNA's cab rank shelter making the perfect outdoor stage, and the giant white tent better known as Oktoberfest's beer hall turned into the all-weather main stages — and it needed to be. The sizzling 33 degree day gave way as a very, big, bad storm with more attitude than Vic Mensa clipped Brisbane CBD at the edge. Laneway's epic lineup put a plethora of unique male vocals on show. Vienna-based producer SOHN won fans with his falsetto, smooth transitions, and adorable clapping to signify the end of his own tunes. New Orleans local Benjamin Booker's signature raw and raspy voice was on show while he tried to cool overheated crowds with just a single fan (thanks for the thought). Swimming in a sea of approval, Andy Bull was his usual, magical, brilliant self, his crowds now singing every last words. And despite the early timeslot, young Raury had us eating from his hands with a stage presence and fringed brown suede jacket that demanded attention. Vic Mensa had the crowd pumping early on, pulling in old and new fans alike as they came running from the tree shadows to pack out the carnival tent and help chant the producer's name in unison. And in the last rays of light, 32-year-old-going-on-13 Rustie dropped the bass with more swagger than one might expect from a white guy from Glasgow. All the while Mac DeMarco found himself successfully crowdsurfing — resurfacing like a pro with both shoes. Future Islands couldn't have been truer singing that seasons change on that day. The trio's set opened to a bright starry sky following the day’s heatwave, imminent hail storm, down pour and then freezing cold change — anyone would have thought we were in Melbourne. Plenty of enthusiastic dad dancing ensued. Female powerhouses FKA twigs and Banks separately stole the show with their incredible performances. Banks sauntered up to the microphone in head-to-toe black, unleashing a killer, bass-heavy set. Later, FKA twigs commanded crowds clad in a black leotard, fishnets and singing about anything but good deeds. Girl crushes were formed or strengthened for the two. America's St Vincent, rapper Tkay Maidza and witty singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett’s sets helped round out the strong female lineup. Experimental artist Flying lotus has us all lips zipped and completely mesmerised with his incredible Layer 3 audiovisual concept set in full swing. Weary heads and tired feet perked up as final act Flight Facilities finally brought a danceable act to the main stage, with everyone seeing out the day with two feet in the air. Laneway Festival turns ten this year (eight in Brisbane), and incredibly has still managed to maintain a boutique feel to it. The crowds are nicer, tamer, more friendly and less selfish, and the acts more humble and giving you chance to discover real new music. Here’s hoping Laneway's move to remain closer to the up-and-coming pulse rather than superheadliners will have us celebrating for another ten. Words/Images: Daniela Sunde-Brown and Hamish Snow.
Bingo. Rave. Two ends of the spectrum of fine holiday fun finally came together in Australia last year. If you didn't make it along, Bongo's Bingo is a games night like you've never seen before. Part club, part rave, and, of course, part bingo night, this unlikely fusion event has been wildly popular in the UK since 2015. It's hardly surprising that taking the show on the road — that is, launching Bongo's Bingo Down Under — went well. And now, it's hardly surprising that is's coming back for yet another round either. What you mightn't expect is the event's new special guests: British boy band royalty, aka Westlife's Brian McFadden and Boyzone's Keith Duffy. Under the name Boyzlife, they'll perform their respective groups' biggest hits while all of the debauchery of the original British version of Bongo's Bingo gets underway. That includes rave intervals, dancing on tables and a loose kind of bingo that you definitely never played with your nan (well, maybe you have). The victorious players can win everything from big cash prizes to some absolutely ridiculous surprises, which is all part of the fun. Australia is the second international location for Bongo's Bingo, which recently launched in Dubai as well and, based on popularity, we imagine the event will continue to expand around the globe. BONGO'S BINGO DATES: Brisbane — Saturday, March 24 at The Tivoli Sydney — Saturday, March 31 at Big Top Melbourne — Thursday, April 5 at St Kilda Hall Doors from 6pm and shows kick off 7.30pm. Tickets are $40 per person and go on sale on Monday February 5 — the Brisbane show at 4pm AEST via Ticketmaster, and the Sydney and Melbourne shows at 6pm AEDT via Moshtix.
National Reconciliation Week is an opportunity for all people of Australia to learn and acknowledge the nation's shared history, to celebrate the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and reflect on how we can each contribute to reconciliation. Reconciliation requires more than listening, learning and reflecting, which is powerfully summarised in this year's theme: More than a word. Reconciliation takes action. As always, hundreds of events are occurring around the nation in schools, community centres, workplaces, cultural institutions and sporting clubs. All these events embrace the theme and recognise that for reconciliation to occur in Australia, more impactful action is required. Reconciliation also requires the active participation and involvement of wider Australia. So this year, you can also host an event as well as attending a suite of unique educational discussions and workshops. National Reconciliation Week is convened annually by Reconciliation Australia, the national body on reconciliation. Significantly, this year marks twenty years since Reconciliation Australia was established in 2001. The start and end dates of Reconciliation Week are the same each year— May 27 and June 3. These dates celebrate two significant achievements in the reconciliation journey: the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision which saw the rightful recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners of the land. [caption id="attachment_813142" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: City of Greater Geelong, City Hall[/caption]
There aren't a whole bunch of things that can beat a day in the sun with a drink in your hand. Recognising the need to slake that thirst, Canadian Club is bringing their Racquet Club back for the summer, dosing out refreshing Canadian Club, dry and lime beverages by the water with a screen showing the tennis. The Racquet Club celebrates Australia's biggest annual summer sporting fixture, the Australian Open. After keeping punters hydrated in Melbourne last year, the pop-up will this year extend to Sydney and Brisbane as well. The club will set up at Brisbane's waterside Sandstone Point Hotel from December 27 - January 30. The pop-up bar will carry Canadian Club on tap, as well as a whole slew of Canadian Club cocktails (the grapefruit Summer Spritz is our pick), and will be decked out in all the tennis memorabilia that they can find. Plus, when the Open starts on January 16, there'll be a big screen showing every game, loud and live. We're giving away 25 bar tabs worth $100 for the opening night of Racquet Club at Sandstone Point Hotel. Tell us which location you'd like to head to and enter your details below for your chance to enjoy the summer vibes. [competition]603069[/competition]
Next week marks the beginning of Art Basel Hong Kong, one of the biggest art fairs in Asia. Painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video and installation will all be on display, in an event designed to showcase the work of thousands of artists from all around the world. But the work of one man in particular appears to be in particularly good taste (geddit?). Uwe Opocensky, the German chef at the Michelin-starred Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, has put together a menu that blurs the line between food and art. The aptly named Art Menu at the Mandarin Grill + Bar begins with an entree inspired by the most iconic artwork of Englishman Damien Hirst. The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living features a 14-foot shark suspended in a tank of formaldehyde. Opocensky's version consists of a mackerel floating in horseradish-flavoured cucumber jelly. The main course is modelled after a box of paints, with different coloured purees including mashed sweet potato, brown truffles, black garlic paste and red peppers, as well as a slice of beef covered in edible flowers. And for dessert, an ice cream filled chocolate mountain on a bed of popping candy, inspired by the mountaineering photography of Chinese artist Xu Zhen. As with many things in the world of high art, Oponcensky's elaborate dinner doesn't come cheap: $HK1888 ($AU320) a head. Pretty pricey, especially when you won't have anything to show for it at the end of the night. "What we make has a very short life span," Opocensky said to Quartz. "It is very exciting though. I cannot draw to save my life, but I can put things on a plate, and I love that we can be associated with art as a movement" Via Quartz.
Beneath its glory and grandeur, Paris offers adventures a-plenty at ground level. For every 16th-century art gallery crowded with tourist snappers, there's a neglected street art masterpiece on a corner somewhere; for every ritzy hotel foregrounded with limousines, there's a quirky hideaway concealed behind a secret door; for every Michelin-starred restaurant, there's a laneway shopfront peddling regional produce. Thanks to the city's spiralling, snail-like arrangement, a diverse array of neighbourhoods is easily accessible from the centre. With only a week to dig up the picks of the Paris underground, I asked a few of the locals to show me around. DRINKING Unlike Australian wines, which are labelled according to grape variety, French ones are classified based on region. If you've been to neither Burgundy nor Bordeaux, ordering can be confusing and, occasionally, intimidating. One express way to get your head around this is at a tasting session. I found Alexis, a Parisian-born wine expert, through Localers, a company that organises left-of-field activities led by locals, from like-a-local crash courses, to macaroon classes, to games of petanque. His father started teaching him the difference between a decent drop and a dud when he was in his early teens. I met Alexis at Le Pharamond (24, Rue de la Grande Truanderie), one-time preferred eatery of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tucked away in a side street amid the cocktail bars of the first arrondissement, it's a direct link to the Belle Epoque, with its gilded mirrors, glazed tiles, high ceilings and hardcore traditional cuisine: offal, pigeon, escargot and tripe served up at boiling point. While these delicacies are available to anyone with a dinner reservation, Le Pharamond's shadowy, candle-lit wine cellar, dug out in the Middle Ages, is accessible only in the company of a guide – via secret hatch behind the bar and a series of steep staircases and ladders. This was where our class began. Filling our glasses with champagne, Alexis started explaining the rules of French wine, "Under no circumstances can champagne be referred to as champagne, unless it comes from Champagne." Then, whipping out a map, he pointed out which varieties grew where. Ask for a Burgundy red, and you'll be drinking a pinot noir; request a Chablis and you can expect a chardonnay. If you're in Bordeaux, don't even think about requesting a bottle from Burgundy, or anywhere else for that matter. Keeping things local is a pretty new trend in Australia, but the French have been fiercely defending their regionalism for centuries. After that we were ushered to a private dining room on the Pharamond's third floor, with a view to the street below. We sampled five more wines, representing a north to south journey through France, and matched with several premium cheeses and cured meats. "When you cut cheese in France," Alexis explained, "you must do it from the centre outwards, so that everyone ends up with an equal share of the rind." Armed with my new working knowledge of French wine and cheese etiquette, I was ready to brave Paris's culinary specialties. If not the tripe. EATING It's not difficult to find the city's renowned high-end restaurants, but scoping out the mid-range gems is tougher. The sheer volume of visitors has pushed up prices, especially on the major thoroughfares. So I enlisted the help of Lisa, a Canadian who's been living in Paris for two years. She runs her own small tour business, Flavors of Paris, which promises to take travellers "off the eaten path". We gathered at Les Deux Magots (6, Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés), where the likes of Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Ernest Hemingway penned masterpieces in between coffees and cocktails. These days, Lisa told us, the Saint Germain area is quite "shi shi", but, despite the trendy stores, it's still bustling with students and writers. On a circuitous journey down cobbled alleyways and through courtyards, we visited independent boutiques where we sampled olives, olive oils, pastries, breads, cheeses, charcuterie, chocolates, jams, spreads and wines. On my own, I'd have had little chance of finding them. At chocolate concept store Un Dimanche à Paris (4, Cours du Commerce Saint-André) we indulged in the must-try creations of Pierre Cluizel, whose lifelong dedication to chocolate began when he was six; at Ma Collection Marchande de Saveurs (33, Rue Mazarine), we sampled a curated collection of local gourmet products; at the Marché Saint-Germain (14, Rue Lobineau), we bought direct from farmers; and at Bacchus et Ariane (4, Rue Lobineau), we tasted wine sourced from propriétaires récoltants (winemakers who grow their own grapes). ARTING Despite the crowds, the Louvre is always a magnificent experience. But if you prefer your art with some personal space, Paris's smaller galleries are worth a visit. Head to the Marais district, which is like Sydney's Paddington in its emphasis on independent design, but more intense. For new, challenging work, check out La Maison Rouge (10, Boulevard de la Bastille) a converted factory that's been exhibiting since 2004. Or for an element of surprise, step through the heavy, green doors of the Passage de Retz (9 Rue Charlot), whose maze of rooms started life in the 17th century as a hotel and now hosts temporary shows. Alternatively, take to the streets. Numerous corners, archways and parks act as canvases for street art, accessible 24 hours a day. Having spied various space invaders and OBEY references, I decided to get some context via a walking tour with Underground Paris. Beginning at the'70s-inspired Café Place Verte (105, Rue Oberkampf), the journey took us on a three-hour long saunter through the Oberkampf and Belleville, where low rents and warehouse spaces have been drawing Paris's art community since the '80s. We learned what inspired Space Invader's obsession, found out more about 'photograffeur' and TED-prize winner JR and discovered works by numerous lesser-known local artists. Using individual stories as a springboard, our guide carved out a broader history of street art, from graffiti tagging to multi-million dollar successes. We ended up in Parc de Belleville (47, Rue des Couronnes), one of the few places in Paris where you can picnic with panoramic city views minus the crowds. SLEEPING (ON THE RIGHT BANK) Wandering around the Madeleine district, on Paris's Right Bank, felt like walking through the set of a Baz Luhrmann film. Everything was grander, more beautiful and more decadent than real-life, from the golden Gucci dog collars, to the glittering macaroon sculptures, to the gilded statues atop the Palais Garnier. It's also a really visitor-friendly location, with the Champs Elysées within walking distance. The Hotel Chavanel (22 Rue Tronchet) is hidden behind an unobtrusive sliding door, just a few hundred metres from the spectacular Corinthian columns of the Madeleine Church. Sophie Charlet took over as hotelier in 2013, intent on turning the hotel into a bit of an artwork. Each of the 27 rooms has been designed individually, but they're linked by an aesthetic that combines traditional haute couture with bold, fun, contemporary concepts. It looks like what might have emerged out of a Christian Dior and Pierre Paulin collaboration. I stayed in the junior suite, on the sixth floor. It was furnished like the guest room of some cutting-edge interior designer: an enormous oval bed draped with cashmere, mushroom and tulip stools, a recliner shaped like a cloud, lamps made of silkworm cocoons from Thailand and lace-curtained windows affording district views. I wasn't surprised to learn that Sophie had overseen the placement of every single object and that she's big on ethical supply chains and supporting independent artists. The lobby's street-facing window is dedicated to exhibiting locally-made creations, from jewellery to sculptures, while breakfast comes in the form of a 100 per cent organic buffet. SLEEPING (ON THE LEFT BANK) Not far from where my Flavors of Paris tour started, and just around the corner from the Luxembourg Gardens, the Villa Madame (44, Rue Madame) inhabits a quiet street. On first impressions, it feels more like a welcoming private mansion owned by an arts philanthropist than a hotel. Sculptures and drawings dot the lobby-bar-restaurant, leading through to a secluded, leafy courtyard. Monthly live shows feature local artists, from musicians to storytellers to magicians. Owners Giles Delfau and Thérèse Tafanel employed specialist boutique hotel designer Michael Jounnat to create the Villa's artsy yet luxurious feel. His passion is restoring 'identity' and 'soul' to places, rather than following trends; some of his other projects include St Petersburg's Grand Hotel Europe, Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Palace and Oran's Royal Hotel. The atmosphere established from the outset extends seamlessly into the rooms. I stayed in a suite, made up of a courtyard-facing ground-floor room, a loft-style lounge room and an oversized bathroom. It was a classically Parisian experience - and a warm, cosy hideaway at the end of the day. Jasmine travelled as a guest of Localers, Flavors of Paris, Underground Paris, Hotel Chavanel and Villa Madame.
Filipinos may drink the most gin in the world, but they're not simply lovers of this botanical libation. While San Miguel makes the region's most popular, easy-drinking beers, Manila's emerging craft beer market has swiftly become the talk of the town. When it comes to craft beer, Manila is way ahead of the pack and on the level of Hong Kong and Japan as a leader of the craft beer revolution in Asia. While the country's capital alone houses over ten microbreweries already, a few smaller breweries are also popping up in the southern islands, including Cebu and Palawan. Filipinos are going for the range, brewing everything from deep stouts and bold IPAs to tropical, fruity beers and highly alcoholic ginger beers. If you're a craft beer fanatic heading to Manila, we've got your back — here's which beers to drink and where to find them. [caption id="attachment_618703" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Katipunan Craft Ales.[/caption] WHERE TO DRINK You're spoilt for choice with Manila's nightlife, which rivals New York City in its love of late-night partying and all-hours dining. It seems there's always a new joint popping up, and this is especially true of the budding craft bar scene. It's always a party at Big Bad Wolf, with live acts a constant accompaniment to their craft brew offering. Beers to keep an eye out for here are Summer Sessions blonde ale by Craftpoint and 'Signal No.1', a stout made by Katipunan Craft. Both are Manila-based breweries so you know the brews will be fresh as. Another, simply called The Brewery at the Palace, serves up its own brews from gorgeous copper tanks visible from the restaurant floor. The rustic interior well matches the old-world-looking brewing equipment and the beers are as impressive as the place makes them look. They're brewing up some serious beers here, including an alcoholic ginger beer at a surprising seven percent ABV. The Perfect Pint is your go to for an ever-changing, extensive craft beer list and fusion Filipino-Western food that goes all too well. If you're lucky enough to find Pedro's Procrastination pale ale on tap, don't pass it by. These brewers were inspired by the craft beer scene in Hong Kong and turn out some of the most impressive brews in Manila. Out of all of the craft beer joints in the city though, Kabisera is not to be missed. They're serving up authentic Filipino pulutan, or drunk food, and craft beer in a relaxed, well-designed dining room playing some killer tunes. The menu of street food, including fish balls and kwek-kwek (deep fried quail egg) is a great drinking accompaniment, as is the sisig bangus (sizzling fish) and array of noodle dishes. Kabisera houses all of the usual craft beer suspects, along with speciality brews from the southern islands, including Cebu's Cebruery and Palaweño Brewery — Palawan's first and only craft brewery. [caption id="attachment_618701" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nipa Brew.[/caption] WHAT TO DRINK When in Manila, keep an eye out for these locals in the craft brew scene: Pedro Brewcrafters Katipunan Craft Ales Craftpoint Brewing Co. The Brewery at the Palace Baguio Craft Brewery Palaweño Brewery Cebruery Turning Wheels NIPA Brew
Finding yourself smooshed between a shove-happy tween and a dirty ponytail-touting brick wall at the front of the mosh could be a thing of the past — virtual reality concerts are here, from Coldplay's Ghost Stories concert to Paul McCartney's VR concert app and a brand new Opera House VR experience, released today. If you didn't nab tickets to Future Classic's 10th anniversary concert at the Sydney Opera House this past May, you can now experience part of the sold-out Vivid concert through a cheeky new virtual reality experience. Samsung, principal partner of the Opera House, put their tech to work on the day, recording sets for virtual reality, specifically made for YouTube’s new 360° video service. The recently unveiled YouTube app allows you to watch VR videos, including Future Classic and Samsung's brand new recorded Opera House performance of Flight Facilities’ ‘Heart Attack’ performed with Melbourne’s Owl Eyes and Julian Hamilton of The Presets. Samsung created the video from more than 20 remote-controlled cameras, shot from three vantage points to capture this 360° x 180° immersive view — in Ultra High Definition, of course. The team-up was an experiment by the Opera House to let more than ticketholders experience Future Classic's sold-out show long after the date. This isn't the first time an Australian organisation has used virtual reality to create a new audience experience, the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra put 3D goggles on audience members this July and let them watch an entire concert from the perspective of the musicians. The technology has also been used by the Sydney Opera House before, also at this year's Vivid, by UK drum and bass artist Squarepusher. Dubbed the Stor Eiglass Virtual Reality Experience, Squarepusher worked with artists, artistic studio Marshallow Laser Feast, BAFTA-winning animators Blue Zoo and illustrator Rob Pybus to create a a fully immersive 2D and 3D virtual reality experience in the Main Box Office Foyer. But this new Flight Facilities video, shot from three different vantage points, is the first time we've seen a virtual reality concert experience like this. Watch the video here (if you've got a VR viewer like Google Cardboard, it's even better): Then watch the behind the scenes making of here: Image: Daniel Boud.
Deck the halls and unpack the plastic tree — the festive season is well and truly upon us. And while that whole Christmas tradition stuff is nice, we're not going to deny what we're most excited about: a whole stocking-load of new films. Along with the cricket and stampeding through shopping centres, going to the movies is one of our favourite Boxing Day traditions. After all, what better place to recover from your post-Christmas food coma than in a nice, dark, air-conditioned cinema? Of course, not all of the end-of-year titles measure up. That's why we're reporting in with our annual Boxing Day Battle Royale, to ensure that you get maximum bang for your Kris Kringle gift voucher buck. Or you could just go see the new Star Wars movie for the third time. That's also a totally valid option. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDMf9m7FXd4 LA LA LAND We give it: 4 stars A surefire contender at this year's Academy Awards, Damien Chazelle's follow-up to the critically acclaimed Whiplash is a bittersweet love letter to music, movies and the old school sense of romance we associate with both. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are at their charming best as a pair of dreamers who fall madly in love against the backdrop of Los Angeles, only for their creative ambitions to get in the way. The film is beautifully shot, and its toe-tapping song and dance numbers will leave you with a gigantic smile on your face. Also: tears. Oh boy, will there be tears. – Tom Clift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKFuXETZUsI MOANA We give it: 4 stars The latest film from the Disney animation juggernaut, Moana hits all the right marks. Indeed, it's a cocktail of all of the best elements of the Disney princess genre – a desperate quest, a charismatic supporting cast, catchy tunes and an animal sidekick – but with one subtle but important difference. Unlike most Disney princesses, Moana doesn't need a training montage to become a boss bitch, because she already is one. She's a beautiful role model, maybe the best Disney princess ever. And the score, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa'i, is the music she deserves. Prepare your ears to hear the main refrain 'How Far I'll Go' more than that damn 'Let It Go' song from Frozen. We ain't mad, though, because it's the perfect summer jam. – Imogen Baker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX5vI4osR50 A UNITED KINGDOM We give it: 4 stars As far as rousing romances based on real-life stories go, Amma Asante's A United Kingdom hits the jackpot. Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo star as typist Ruth Williams and future president of Botswana Seretse Khama, whose romance in the years following WWII challenged racial divisions and provoked widespread international attention. The film provides an example of solid emotional storytelling from start to finish. Complications keep forcing the star-crossed lovers in opposite directions, but they never lose sight of what's important. Nor does Asante or writer Guy Hibbert, who are at their best when swapping easy sentiment for quiet fortitude. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl3sTpmEKIs RED DOG: TRUE BLUE We give it: 3.5 stars Five years ago, a little local film with a lot of heart scampered its way into cinemas — and into the country's box office records. Given the tail-wagging success of Red Dog, a follow-up was all but inevitable. Still, while there's much that's familiar about Red Dog: True Blue, it still earns every bit of emotion that oozes from this second trip into family-friendly territory. This time around, the eponymous pooch gets an origin story starting in 1968, and a lonely boy (Pan's Levi Miller) gets a new best friend. For their part of the bargain, viewers get a broad, crowd-pleasing, affectionate effort that's certain to make everyone fall in love with the red-coloured canine all over again. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qksQSt8K830 WHY HIM? We give it: 3 stars "Produced by Ben Stiller. Story by Jonah Hill. Starring James Franco." Put those things together and you already know what you'll get: fart jokes, dick jokes, poo jokes, semon jokes, stoners, swearing and sex. And yet, true to form, you also get laughs. Not as many as you might have hoped for given the involvement of Bryan Cranston, Megan Mullally and Keegan-Michael Key, but maybe just enough to keep you entertained. In this modern day riff on Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, Cranston's daughter invites her family out to Silicon Valley to meet her eccentric tech millionaire boyfriend Laird, whereupon daddy decides to go to war with the very idea of their relationship. Too often the film turns to the loud and the wacky for easy laughs, when all the best material comes in the gentler, well-directed barbs at San Fran startup culture. Franco steals the show, forging Laird into a genuinely endearing character whose vulnerabilities lie bare like the tattoos adorning his torso. – Tom Glasson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlp94-C31cY ALLIED We give it: 3 stars Partially styled after and sharing its initial setting with classic World War II romance Casablanca, Allied poses an age-old question in a specific context: how well does anyone actually know each other, particularly married couples who've started a family together while the planet battles it out around them. Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard mightn't boast overwhelmingly convincing chemistry together, but each turn in fine performances as a Canadian intelligence officer and French resistance fighter, respectively, whose pairing on an undercover mission soon leads to a genuine connection. Obviously pitched at an older crowd, Allied is an elegant affair that seems like a response to the complaint that they just don't make them like they used to. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrWjjOOYxhI SING We give it: 3 stars On paper, animal karaoke caper Sing sounds like reality television turned into a star-studded cartoon – albeit in a form that aims to make viewers feel warm and fuzzy rather than inducing a serious case of cringe. On screen, the latest film from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Son of Rambow director Garth Jennings plays out just as you'd expect, though it thankfully remains fun enough despite its obvious formula. Think bright colours, a bouncy pace, recognisable songs a plenty, Matthew McConaughey voicing a theatre-owning koala, and the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon and Eddie the Eagle's Taron Egerton among the cast. If you're looking for a film to keep youngsters distracted, this animated effort should do nicely. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_3CL12eNaE ROSALIE BUM We give it: 2.5 stars While Rosalie Blum bears the name of Noémie Lvovsky's protagonist— a middle-aged corner store-owner saddened by past pain – the intertwined fates of three individuals sit at the centre of this light and breezy effort. Adapted from a series of graphic novels, the film – a hit at this year's Alliance Francaise French Film Festival – explores the story not just of Rosalie, but also the hairdresser who starts following her every move, and the college student (and Rosalie's niece) who starts shadowing him in turn. Coincidence and contrivance rear their head, though so does a genuine understanding of the interplay between unhappiness and escapism. The result is a well-acted but often a tad too convenient movie about coping with life's ups and downs. – Sarah Ward If you're looking to steer well clear of cinemas on Boxing Day, why not check out one of our favourite films from throughout the year instead. Words by Imogen Baker, Tom Clift, Tom Glasson and Sarah Ward.
Festival-loving Eastsiders, clear your schedules for the second week of November. Not only is the beloved Bulimba Festival returning after funding issues threatened otherwise, but what was a single day of fun has now turned into a whole week of activities. Running from November 9 to 15, the fifth annual Oxford Street-centric party has moved to later in the year — and that's not the end of the good news. After six days of showcasing what makes living in the riverside suburb so great, the festival will come to an end with the mixture of music and markets that is Lunch on the Lawn, headlined by local indie legends The Grates. Given that the Southside Tea Room and Death Valley — the two Morningside establishments owned by the band's vocalist Patience Hodgson and guitarist John Patterson — are only a stone's throw away from Bulimba, they're the ideal to candidates to cap off what promises to be an exciting revamped event. Lunch on the Lawn also boasts all the browsing regulars know and flock to, plus food options, a licensed area and a VIP bar. Those heading along for the tunes will be treated to a lineup of some of Brisbane’s best burgeoning bands — including Cheap Fakes, Halfway, Avaberee, Eden Mulholland and Greg Chaipello — as brought together by The Triffid. The rest of the festival features everything from a tasting day to showcase the area's best eateries to the suburb's first No Lights No Lycra dance party, plus movies in the park on Friday the 13th and a river regatta. Yes, there really is something for everyone. Yes, that really is how you throw a suburb-wide celebration. The 2015 Bulimba Festival runs from November 9 to 15 at various venues across the suburb. For more information, visit the festival website.
Obliterating your eardrums by throwing mad shapes too close to the speakers at Listen Out is one thing. Wearing a subwoofer on your own personal wrist so you can feel that bass is another. One of these things is much better for your body, and it's being funded on Kickstarter as we speak. Because 2016, the world's first wearable subwoofer is seeking crowdfunding, claiming "sound is meant to be felt, not just heard." Created by a Berlin-based startup founded by Daniel Büttner and Gwydion ap Dafydd from Ableton and Native Instruments, The Basslet is a watch-like gadget that sits on your wrist and delivers the beats directly to your body, letting you "experience powerful bass — anywhere you go." Best bit? It's 100 percent silent to the rest of the world. Y'hear that, beats-hungry commuters? SILENT. Intending to block out every other sound from the world around you, The Basslet works with music, gaming and VR, connecting to your smartphone, laptop, console, VR headset — even with your old Walkman. It doesn't need an app and promises a powerful, wholly immersive sound experience beyond headphones — with the full bass spectrum (10-250 Hz). Rather than being just a mere force to eat up hectic Hud-Mo drops, The Basslet could have some serious potential for people who are deaf or have limited hearing. Sound isn't the only way to enjoy music. Check out The Basslet's Kickstarter page. Via Protein.
If you're one to simultaneously munch a durrie and schnittie combo, we've got some bad news for you. Smoking in all outdoor dining areas in New South Wales is banned from today, thanks to the implementation of the Smoke-free Environment Act 2000. From July 6, 2015, all commercial outdoor dining areas in licensed venues (including clubs and hotels), restaurants and cafes must be smoke-free. Basically, if food is being served, there's no smoking. There's going to be some serious penalties (we're talking fines up to $5500) for venues who don't comply with the new smoking bans, enforced by NSW Health Authorised Inspectors — so you can rule out a cheeky smoke, even if you 'know the owner'. Plus, you could land yourself a $300 fine for gettin' y'puff on. It's not just courtyards and beer gardens that are about to clear the air; areas within four metres of a pedestrian entrance to or exit from a licensed venue, restaurant or cafe must be smoke-free (so on-street dining and footpath areas too). But venues are allowed to create designated smoking areas — so beer gardens are still allowed to section off glamorous shame corners or build blue-lit miscreant booths (lookin' at you Beach Road). From today, venues will have to put up 'no smoking' signs of approved size and staff will be trained to deal with the new laws. Let's be honest, this was always coming. The 2013 NSW Smoking and Health Survey showed 75 percent of surveyed folks approved banning smoking in all outdoor areas in hotels, restaurants and cafes. And really, trying to enjoy a burg with cigarette smoke in your face isn't the best. But we're pretty sure this one's going to stir up some furious pub debate. Via NSW Health.
Have you ever found yourself wondering, “How old is too old to use a ball pit? Will it be creepy if I dive right in?” Well, wonder no more (although for the record, the answer to both is 'never, if it's art'). NY studio Snarkitecture have created a massive, minimalist ball pit at in the National Building Museum in DC that will transport you to another dimension (one populated with opaque white balls and fulfilled childhood dreams). The project, titled The Beach, utilises 750,000 recyclable (thank god) plastic balls enclosed in the towering, Grecian columns of the National Museum to create a surreal beach scene; a bizarre juxtaposition of old and new. White deck chairs are lined up along the artificial shore and the mirrored wall at the back of the space makes Snarkitecture's beach seem to go on forever and ever. Like most high-fiveable things these days, the project was crowdfunded by the people of Washington DC who said definitively, “Yes, we do want a giant ball pit, kthnxbai,” and raised $12,155 in a month. The funding has gone towards building the beach and stocking it with deck chairs, pool toys and snack vendors to create the perfect beach experience for people who generally hate the outdoors. The interactive exhibit patriotically opened on July 4 and will run until September 7, which is still enough time to buy a plane ticket, escape winter and get away to the beach. Watch a nifty timelapse of the buiding of The Beach here: Via designboom. Images: Noah Kalina and snarkitecture.
While Australia is still a ways off legal weed yet, our friends in California appear to be living in a stoner's paradise. One of the more laissez-faire places when it comes to marijuana – it's legal for medicinal use, while possession will cop you a $100 fine at most – the state already caters to smokers with dispensaries and delivery services. So really, a cannabis social club was the next logical step. Located in downtown Los Angeles, Nexus Social Lounge is an endeavour of Nexus Glass, a company that specialises in pipes and other glassware, and provides a welcoming place for patrons to, uh, medicate. The bar is decked out with a full blown arcade, complete with retro games and pinball machines. Elite Daily went along to the venue earlier this week and caught a performance by Waka Flocka Flame – who also spent some time interacting with patrons from behind the bar. Who want some Flockaveli OG ???? Coming soon to dispensary near you. @wakaflocka A photo posted by Nexus Social lounge (@nexussociallounge) on Feb 5, 2016 at 9:48am PST @wakaflocka at the dab bar A photo posted by Nexus Glass (@nexusglass710) on Feb 4, 2016 at 6:34pm PST Recap | 2015 NYE Party A photo posted by Nexus Social lounge (@nexussociallounge) on Jan 13, 2016 at 11:23pm PST Recap | NYE Party @808mafiaboss @westcoastcure A photo posted by Nexus Social lounge (@nexussociallounge) on Jan 13, 2016 at 11:05pm PST Tag someone who you'd go head to head with. #highscore #110 #nexussociallounge A photo posted by Nexus Social lounge (@nexussociallounge) on Nov 26, 2015 at 6:26pm PST We offer exclusive parties in collaboration with some of the industries finest to provide a unique experience like no other, our private member-only lounge cannot be matched. #nexussociallounge @nexussociallounge A photo posted by Nexus Glass (@nexusglass710) on Nov 25, 2015 at 2:07pm PST On a semi-related note, Victoria recently became the first state in Australia to take steps towards legalising medicinal marijuana, with the Andrews government tabling a report in parliament by the Victorian Law Reform Commission that recommended legalising the drug for the treatment of serious illnesses. Baby steps, people. Via Elite Daily.
Myer and eBay have joined forces to take online shopping to the next level with their creation of the world's first Virtual Reality Department Store. Available today, their cardboard 'shoptical' device allows users to browse, personalise, and purchase over 12,500 Myer products just with your face. The best part — they're giving out 15,000 of them for free. For our sceptical readers who didn't automatically click away at the word free, here's the deal. The 'shoptical' device seems pretty simple — you download the eBay VR Department Store app on your smart phone and insert the phone into the cardboard shoptical — very, very similar to Google Cardboard's design. You can then browse, research and eventually purchase any item in the catalogue by holding your gaze on a product. The VR store is continually personalised while you use it and will suggest products based on what it knows about you. Creepy? Yes. Convenient? Also yes. While the new VR Store doesn't quite diminish the age old online shopping problem of ordering without trying on, the shopticals do give an unprecedented, up close and personal view of products – think 3D images that take you inside the jumper you're looking at. The product range, pricing and stock information will also be updated in real time, which is a brand new feat for virtual reality experiences. For those looking to try before they buy, you can trial the VR Department Store by booking your place at a special exhibition on Thursday, May 19 and Friday, May 20 at The Harbourside Room, Level 6, 140 George Street in Sydney. While this device may not be for the old school shoppers out there, it's definitely a huge leap forward for online converts. If you made it this far and still think this sounds bloody brilliant, we just want to repeat that they're really giving out 15,000 for free.
Perler beads aren't just for making and ironing into cat pendants any more. Swedish artist Pappas Parlor has teamed up with duo The Very Best to create an 8-bit video for the duo's newest single 'Let Go'. With all the nostalgic joy of a platform, 8-bit game, the video was actually created using tiny perler beads (yep, those beads you used to make gerberas, cats and unicorns out of as a kid and iron them into permanence). Unsurprisingly, Parlor's video took over a month to create; painstakingly arranging the perler beads as 'pixels' and editing the whole thing as stop motion. The clip follows The Very Best bandmates Johan Hugo and Esau Mwamwaya scurrying through different platform environments in a two-player set-up, and meeting Vampire Weekend’s Chris Baio and The Vaccines’ Freddie Cowan along the way. Mwamwaya and Hugo run through their homelands, hotfooting it away from 'enemies' specific to their locations — in Mwamwaya’s southeast African home of Malawi, they run from the local street dogs, in Hugo's Swedish homeland, they run from a fox, polar bears... and the ring-wing political party. "We tried to come up with funny things that could happen in the video as well as address some of our more serious concerns," Johan told Wired. Most importantly, how do they beat the bosses in each level? Dance-offs, naturally. Try that, Mario. The Very Best’s new album Makes a King drops April 7. Check out the video for 'Let Go' here. Via Wired.
Jarryd James has had a bloody big year. The Brisbane-raised, former teaching student dropped his slam dunk of a debut LP Thirty One in September, blitzed the Australian charts and festival circuit. Oh, and casually won his first ARIA for Best Pop Release. Since his single, ‘Do You Remember?’ hit number two on the ARIA charts in February, James has been selling out huge national venues like Sydney’s Metro Theatre and playing to one of Splendour’s biggest crowds. ‘Do You Remember?’ has now racked up more than 2 million YouTube views, and he's in the middle of an east coast tour with fellow Aussie Meg Mac. And that’s all in one year. Everyone needs a little holiday, even if you're road tripping around the country's venues. And touring artists love paying a visit to their hometowns on the way, dropping into all their old haunts and stocking up on solid family and friends time. So after his huge gig at The Tivoli last night, we decided to give James a little challenge: take a holiday in his hometown of Brissy. BLACK BIRD BAR & GRILL "This is one of my favourite restaurants in Brisbane. It sits by the river, with real nice views of the Story Bridge and Kangaroo Point etc. The food is amazing — I pretty much always get the rib eye on the bone, and they have a great bar." 123 Eagle Street, Brisbane THE WYNNUM MANLY LEAGUES BOWLS CLUB "I used to live right around the corner from here, and it is the perfect spot to hang out with friends and play a game that, let's face it, you will all suck at. Cheap beers and it's really peaceful, plus it's right near the waters of Moreton Bay." 92 Wondall Road, Manly West THE OLD CLEVELAND LIGHTHOUSE "This is a really nice spot where you can go if you want to have really good seafood and relax by the ocean. I know I sound like a 70-year-old retiree when I say that, but that's totally fine with me." North Street, Cleveland BEN'S BURGERS "I do realise that most of these are based around food. Ben's Burgers is perfect for anyone who has visited the United States of America, tasted the horribly delicious things, but cannot afford to go back." 5 Winn Street, Fortitude Valley VICTORIA PARK GOLF COMPLEX DRIVING RANGE "A really great place to go if you are too lazy to actually play golf. Which is me. It overlooks the city and it's real nice. There's also food there." Herston Road, Brisbane JARRYD JAMES AND MEG MAC'S EAST COST TOUR DATES: December 4 — Enmore Theatre, Sydney December 10 — The Tivoli, Brisbane December 14 — The Fourm, Melbourne Read our full-length interview with Jarryd James right over here. Images: Blackbird Bar & Grill, Curtis Cronn (Flickr), bertknot (Flickr), Ben's Burgers, Dollar Photo Club. By Shannon Connellan and Jasmine Crittenden.
Multisensory cooking, auto suggestion and a robotic desserts trolley: these are just a few of the things diners can expect when famed chef Heston Blumenthal restarts service at his three-Michelin Star restaurant The Fat Duck later in the year. After undergoing extensive renovations — during which time Blumenthal popped up in Melbourne's Crown Casino — the original Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, England is set to reopen this October. Interviewed by The Observer restaurant critic Jay Rayner, Blumenthal dropped a number of tasty tidbits as to what has changed. "The move to Australia was a great opportunity to question what the Fat Duck is," Blumenthal told Rayner. "In the sense that we cook food and it’s served to people, we’re a restaurant. But that’s not much, is it? The fact is the Fat Duck is about storytelling. I wanted to think about the whole approach of what we do in those terms." In addition to consulting with Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall on the idea of turning the menu into a story — complete with introduction and chapter headings — one of the most intriguing/terrifying things Blumenthal mentioned in the interview was that he had spoken with mentalist Derren Brown, star of Derren Brown: Mind Control, about ways of extracting information about his customers "without them being too aware", and using auto suggestive techniques in order to convince diners they're getting what they most desire. Yeah, that doesn’t sound sinister at all. The Fat Duck (along with other destination restaurants) has apparently long been in the habit of Googling guests in advance, but such prosaic sleuthing is no longer enough to sate Blumenthal. Other features of the "maturing" Fat Duck include a £150,000 robotic sweetshop shaped like a dollhouse and a new online booking system to help sort through the more than 30,000 table requests per day. You can, naturally, expect the prices to go up too — although considering the tasting menu was £220 a head before the renovations, that might keep you, and your suggestive mind, out of Blumenthal's orbit. Via The Observer..
Not going overseas this winter? Luckily, you'll still have the chance to take a bite out of some Big Apple arts and culture, as Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria plays host to an exclusive exhibition showcasing works from New York's prestigious Museum of Modern Art. Debuting today and set to run until October 7, MoMA at NGV: 130 Years of Modern and Contemporary Art will feature over 200 modern and contemporary masterpieces, many on their first ever visit to Australia. Taking over the entire ground floor of NGV International, it's certifiably huge. The exhibition will present pieces from all six of MoMA's curatorial departments, meaning the works will span Photography, Film, Architecture and Design, Painting and Sculpture, Drawings and Prints, and Media and Performance Art. You'll catch works from all of the big names of the 19th and 20th century art world, including Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Frida Kahlo, Jackson Pollock, Georgia O'Keeffe, Diane Arbus and Andy Warhol. Capturing the spirit of more recent times, will be pieces from the likes of Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker, Olafur Eliasson, Rineke Dijkstra and Camille Henrot. Examining over 130 years of innovation, MoMA at NGV sets out to explore all the major art movements, with the exhibition spread across eight themed sections. Here are a few of the big-name works on display. [caption id="attachment_672010" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roy Lichtenstein: Drowning girl (1963)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_672008" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andy Warhol: Marilyn Munroe (1967)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_672011" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frida Kahlo: Self portrait with cropped hair (1940)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_672012" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Salvador Dali: The persistence of memory (1931)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_672013" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kara Walker: Gone: An historical romance of a civil war as it occurred b'tween the dusky thighs of a one young negress and her heart (1994)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_672014" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shigetaka Kurita et al.: Emoji (1998–99)[/caption] Needless to say, the partnership with MoMa is a pretty huge coup for both the NGV and Australian art lovers. "The collaboration with the National Gallery of Victoria provides a unique opportunity to see extremely important works from nearly every area of our collection in an exhibition that simultaneously explores The Museum of Modern Art's history as well as the history of modern and contemporary art in general," said MoMA Director Glenn D. Lowry. As an added bonus, NGV members who are hitting New York while the exhibition is running will score free admission to MoMA, and vice versa. MoMA at NGV runs from June 9 until October 7, at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne. Grab tickets here. Images: NGV/Tom Ross.
After taking a big chunk out of the hotel business, Airbnb are finally getting into… the hotel business. The online marketplace has just launched Samara, an urban planning and design studio that recently put the finishing touches on its inaugural design project — a cedar wood guest house soon to open in the small town of Yoshino, Japan. Designed in conjunction with local architect Go Hasegawa, the dwelling features multiple bedrooms, a communal living area and a 16-foot-long dining table. It's currently on display in Tokyo as part of the House Vision exhibition, but will be transported to Yoshino in October, where it will function as a community centre that doubles as visitor accommodation. "Imagine it's lunch time and you're eating and at the end of the table there's a community meeting taking place," Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia told Fast Company Design. "I picture Western guests walking up, stepping inside, and you're interacting with the community from the minute you arrive. If you want to tour the sake factory, or the chopstick factory, or take a hike, the locals are right there." Apparently the whole idea was inspired by an elderly woman in Tsuyama Okayama, who created a mini tourism boom in town after listing her home on Airbnb. The hope is that the Yoshino house generates similar interest. Of course, that's assuming that locals actually want an influx of Western visitors — although the town did donate the land for the project, so presumably they're on board. "If this works, there are a lot of villages in Japan that could benefit," said Gebbia. Indeed, the plan seems to be to expand the project globally, with Gebbia mentioning that the company had received calls from people in places such as the UK, China, Korea, Spain, France, and Italy. Via Fast Company Design.
If Cards Against Humanity's dark sense of humour appealed to the evil troll that lies dormant inside us all, you're going to flip your wicked lid over their new venture. OK Cookie Co. might sounds wholesome and sweet but the concept is devilish — send your friends (or your enemies) fortune cookies with brutal truths hidden inside. If there's anything more devastating than hopefully cracking a fortune cookie open only to have it tell you it's too late to stop climate change, we've never heard of it. OK Cookie taps into that market of assholes who love cruel jokes (which is frankly all of us). For US$10 plus shipping (or free shipping for two of more boxes), you can send a pack of 15 assorted misfortune cookies to anyone. Fortunes include gems such as "You will probably die of a heart attack or something" and "Your wildest dreams will come true, assuming those dreams are about the extinction of honeybees". It reminds us of the whole 'Send Your Enemies Glitter' win and the send your enemies a bag of gummy dicks thing of 2015 — people are apparently really on board with sending mean, anonymous gifts in the mail and we're delighted by it. May this be the first wave in a long, long line of novelty mail gifts.
All you need for a beautiful day on the beach is yourself, some togs and a few hours of unburdened, gloriously free time. But wouldn't it be an even better day if you had these movie-set perfect beach and pool accessories with you? Yes. Yes, it would. Read on and cast your mind forward to a time when your aqueous outing is framed by the style, ingenuity and inflatable Pegasus-ry here collected. THE BEACH MAT: BEACHILL SMART MATTRESS Barely out of development, the Beachill can be a tough product to get your hands on — at the moment, the company's Facebook page asks that you get in touch via email to order. Nevertheless, the bubblegum-bright beach mat is so good that it's already moderately internet-famous. That's because it actually solves three common beach trip dilemmas: how to support your back (i.e. the usual beach mat mandate), how to keep your drink cool and how to charge your dwindling phone battery. It accomplishes the latter by way of a 7 watt solar panel on the back of the cushion. High five, Beachill. Price on enquiry from the Beachill Facebook page. THE BEACH TOWEL: THE BEACH PEOPLE ROUNDIE Throw away your old rectangular towel (read: leave it in the linen cabinet for a bit), because this season everyone's drying off with a whole new shape. That shape? The circle. Luxe and oversize, this new breed of towel is an extravagance, but one you'll be thankful for when you're wrapped in its embrace from head to fringe-tickled toe. Byron Bay company The Beach People do them best, in bold, monotone prints inspired by beach cultures from all over the world. $110 from The Beach People. THE BEACH SUNGLASSES: KREWE DU OPTIC ST LOUIS What's going on on that nose bridge there? Well, that would be a brushed metal architectural detail inspired by New Orleans' French Quarter's iconic 1800s cast iron balconies. Swoon. Krewe Du Optic are a brand you want to get in on — started in 2013, they handcraft all their frames using premium acetate, lenses and hinges. The sunset-hued mirrored pair above is a 'Bengal', but the St Louis style alone comes in 11 different colourways, each more fetching than the last. Just look. US$195–255 ($270–354) from Krewe du Optic. THE BEACH BALL: SUNNYLIFE INFLATABLE WATERMELON BALL If you're anything less than impressed right now, it's only because the full significance of Sunnylife's inflatable watermelon ball is yet to hit you. This ball is not just a toy to be tossed; it is a trompe l'oeil that will turn heads in wonder at your ability to keep a half-watermelon aloft with a few blasé taps. Not only that, but have you played with any beach ball lately? The things run away from you at the slightest suggestion from the wind. Hours of active fun right there. $18.95 from Sunnylife. THE INFLATABLE: FUNBOY PEGASUS POOL FLOAT The game of inflatable animal one-upmanship has gone so far it's crossed into mythical creature territory. Following summer after summer of the swan, the flamingo and the toucan, we now have in our midst the Pegasus, from LA brand Funboy. You know you want it. Though it's definitely not for open ocean beaches, take along Peggy to a pool, harbour beach or lake as desired. US$99 ($137) from Funboy. THE BEACH GAME: MEN'S SOCIETY ALOHA PADDLE BEACH BALL GAME SET What's with all the dude-centric brand names in the beach toy industry? Remedy this, someone. But for now let's plough ahead and appreciate this neat paddle tennis set anyway. It's designy, but not too designy. You could probably leave it unattended while you went for a swim and nobody would steal it. Note the colour palette; it seems to invoke the Pacific islands, the Rene Lacoste days of tennis and your primary school athletics uniform all at once. A real achievement. £29 from Men's Society. THE BEACH BAG: THE SHAKE TOTE The Shake Tote is okay-looking, but where it wows is on its bottom. Open the flap and all the sand that's inevitably made it into your bag during a day at the beach will just fall straight through the mesh lining and out of your life. Whataworld. The Shake range also comes in a small backpack and clutch, in two different colourways. US$80–90 ($111–124) from Amazon. THE BEST SUN PROTECTION: INVISIBLE ZINC 4HR WATER RESISTANT SPF50+ What's this guy doing here? Well, if your best accessory is the skin you're in (and let's say it is), then you're going to want to take care of it. Invisible Zinc makes it into our beach bags year after year because it's super effective at reflecting UVAs and UVBs, low irritant, Australian owned and a real leader in the physical sunscreen game, with a natural Zinc Oxide formula that rubs in nearly as well as chemical sunscreens. The latest addition to their product line is 50+ and 4 hours water resistant. $21.99 from Priceline.
Vivid Sydney is really cranking it up this year. With a kaleidoscopic festival program of light, music and ideas, Vivid's 2016 will be taking over building facades, creative spaces and music venues throughout the city from May 27 through to June 18. Obviously, the lights are the main event here, the drawcard millions of visitors descend upon Sydney for. This year, Sydney Opera House features the absolutely stunning Songlines, with new and iconic contemporary Indigenous works from Karla Dickens, Djon Mundine, Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi, Reko Rennie, Donny Woolagoodja, and the late Gulumbu Yunupingu. The Light Walk is back, with Sydney's building facades lighting up with spectacular artistry — including Selena Griffith, Edison Chen, Nila Rezaei, Nathan Adler's I LOVE YOU, a giant heart that changes colour when you scream those exact words at it. Taronga Zoo is playing host to an illuminated animal trail, and The Royal Botanic Gardens is celebrating 200 years with its own highly Instagrammable installations — including Mandylights' Cathedral of Light. The Chatswood precinct lights up with WildLight, inspired by the animals of Gondwana, and Martin Place sees the technical debut from NIDA in Martin Place called Fountain, a giant installation of human birth rate data as 'water jets', and Simon Aitken's unmissable Geometrics. Have a flick through our gorgeous gallery from Concrete Playground's Bodhi Liggett, then rug up and get amongst the lights, music, parties and ideas. Want to have a bite while you're watching the lights? Here's ten spots with panoramic Vivid views.
A new prepaid initiative from Uber looks set to deal yet another blow to the rapidly dying taxi industry. You remember taxis don’t you? They were those cars that used to drive around the city not picking you up, which didn't show up when you called them and whose drivers didn't know how to operate a GPS. They were all the rage back in the day, before people had literally any other option. Rolling out in New York City over the next couple of weeks, UberEVENTS will allow event organisers to arrange prepaid Ubers for their guests. You simply log on to the Uber website and enter your information, including how many guest passes you'd like to prebook. Uber then sends those passes to you so you can forward them on to your guests. When the big day arrives, they enter their passcode into the Uber app, and before they know it they're being whisked away to your very exciting party. If you didn't follow all that, don't worry: this nifty little graphic helps lay it all out. "When planning a company happy hour, client appreciation dinner, or even upcoming nuptials, there is a lot that goes into ensuring that your event goes off without a hitch—including how your guests can safely get to and from without any fuss," wrote Uber Senior Marketing Manager Kimiko Ninomiya in a post on the Uber blog. "We want to make the experience of planning transportation logistics as seamless as ordering a ride at the touch of button [sic]." The service will only be available to select riders and Uber for Business users at first, although assuming it's a success, then presumably it won't be too long before it becomes a standard feature. In the meantime, Uber's legal status in Australia remains a point of contention. A Victorian state Magistrate yesterday rejected the company's attempts to have a legal case against one of its drivers thrown out of court. The taxi industry, for their part, continues to flail around feebly in the face of progress. A strike in Melbourne a couple of weeks back saw about 500 cabs taken off the roads – Uber retaliated by offering people free rides across the city. Yeah, it's pretty clear who's winning this fight. Via Tech Crunch.
Apple's first wearable computer, the Apple Watch, is almost here. After months of furious pub debates, Android-loving naysaying and know-it-all speculation, Apple finally announced the release date for its next 'must-have' device at its 'Spring Forward' event in San Francisco — and the price tag for its sold gold version. Starting at AU$499 and running all the way up to AU$14,000 for their ultra-hard 18-karat gold version, the shrunken, wearable computer fits into a watch body and runs a modified version of iOS — the system running your iPhone and iPad right now. Available in two sizes (38 and 42mm height) the Apple Watch comes in three different 'collections' including the Apple Watch Sport Collection — with 60 percent stronger anodised aluminium case, though not completely waterproof — and the pretty, pretty AppleWatch Edition made from 18-carat yellow or rose gold, sapphire crystal glass (and costing that cheeky $10K). Not as baller as these watches, but a good first model. Preorders for the Apple Watch start April 10, available in the US, UK, China, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong. The watch will be available from April 24, but if you wander into a Genius bar you'll be able to try one on from the 10th. Analysts are predicting Apple could up to 60 million shipments within a year of its release — perhaps not if Pebble Time has anything to do with it. So, how does the Apple Watch work? Behold, the 'digital crown' controls all The primary joystick of the whole device, you can go all James Bond by using the rotating dial on the side of the watch to navigate (something many smartwatches leave out for aesthetics). Even so, the display is also used as a touch screen classic smartthing style. For all you constant screencrackers out there, that face is made from a super hard-as-nails single line sapphire material. Your watch can tell you to run faster Using four sapphire lenses on the back of the watch and the mighty, custom-designed S1 chip, the watch can detect your pulse rate (along with an epic amount of other info). Combine this with the accelerometer measuring body movement and the GPS tracking your distance, the watch can figure out how hard you're exercising and suggests fitness goals. What a beneficial jerk. 'Glance' at your most important info The Glances feature is where you make the watch all about you. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and your custom-selected screen of notifications pops up. Weather, dirty messages, calendars of events you're avoiding; it's all on your wrist. You can charge wirelessly No winding here. To charge up, the Apple Watch fuses MagSafe and inductive charging — you just hold the back of the watch near the charging connector and let the magnets pull everything together. Apparently the battery lasts 'all day', which could be anywhere from a probably 18 hours to 72 hours in Power Reserve mode. Siri runs the show Because the Apple Watch is so mini in screen size, Siri comes into play for a significant amount of commands. Yep, you'll feel like a spy. An awesome, awesome spy. You can send doodles to your mates Using the newly revealed app Digital Touch, watch wearers can create little animated drawings and send them to other watcheroos. Cute. App developers will be able to create Apple Watch versions, we're thinking Snapchat is particularly made for this. You need an iPhone for it to work And there's the catch. The Apple Watch needs an iPhone 5 or 6 nearby in order to function, feeding from the web or GPS info to work. Music, photos and contacts come across, sure, but this makes the device one of Apple's most you-need-that-to-get-this products ever, even the iPad stood on its own little stand. The Apple Watch will be available for purchase in Australia from April 24, pre-orders open from April 10. Via Mashable, TIME and PC Advisor.
Deck the halls and unpack the plastic tree — the festive season is well and truly upon us. And while that whole Christmas tradition stuff is nice, we're not going to deny what we're most excited about: a whole stocking-load of new films. Along with the cricket and stampeding through shopping centres, going to the movies is one of our favourite Boxing Day traditions. After all, what better place to recover from your post-Christmas food coma than in a nice, dark, air-conditioned cinema? Of course, not all of the end-of-year titles measure up. That’s why we’re reporting in with our annual Boxing Day Battle Royale, to ensure that you get maximum bang for your Kris Kringle gift voucher buck. Or you could just go see Star Wars for the sixth time. That's also a totally valid option. JOY See it if: you can't get enough J-Law in your life. We give it: 3.5 stars Jennifer Lawrence stars in the latest film by David O. Russell (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook), a fictionalised account of the rise of a real-life home shopping network star. Joy is a rags-to-riches tale of a battler trying to improve herself and her situation. Wrestling Russell's current patterns and preferences into a canny character study, the film watches on as a woman fights for agency and control, despite constantly being told that she should take care of others and rein in her go-getting ways. Weaving in surreal soap opera segments, it's an astute and engaging dissection of the power of selling a fantasy. Read our full review here. SUFFRAGETTE See it if: you want to be inspired. We give it: 3.5 stars Sarah Gavron's Suffragette may play out somewhat conventionally, but that doesn't make its impact any less resounding. Carey Mulligan is fantastic as Maud Watts, a downtrodden washerwoman in early 20th century London who becomes involved in the fight for women's suffrage. It's a timely tale that will no doubt strike a chord with many modern viewers, reminding us of how far we have come and how much further we still have to go. Just don't expect much Meryl Streep. Despite being a major part of the marketing campaign, she's in the film for less than five minutes. Read our full review here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9p0qnj4OC4 THE BELIER FAMILY See it if: you love a good coming of age tale. We give it: 3.5 stars A box office smash in its native France, The Belier Family is an immensely charming holiday crowd-pleaser. The film tells the story of 16-year-old Paula, who acts as an interpreter for her deaf parents and brother in the running of the family dairy farm. But her future becomes uncertain when her music teacher encourages her to apply to a prestigious singing school in Paris. The film is overlong, a tad melodramatic and gets bogged down at various points in underdeveloped side-plots. But the family drama remains compelling — and surprisingly poignant — throughout, as does the remarkable performance from singer-turned-actress Louane Emera. THE GOOD DINOSAUR See it if: you're hoping to get in touch with your inner child. We give it: 2.5 stars In their stories and themes, Pixar often play in the same territory over and over. And yet, when it comes to visuals, they rarely do the same thing twice; each new Pixar movie might feel somewhat similar, but they always look different. The Good Dinosaur, the animation studio's latest effort, demonstrates both extremes. The tale of a dinosaur and his primitive human friend trying to make their way back home, the film takes a routine narrative that pales in comparison to the animated splendour that surrounds it. It's not often that the background proves more engaging than the figures at the centre of the frame, yet that's frequently the case here. The photorealistic details evident in images of fields, mountains, waterfalls, trees and other natural features are the real stars of the show. Read our full review here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhVDSzj2Lrw YOUTH See it if: you want something pretty to look at. We give it: 2.5 stars Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel wonder about days gone by, while Rachel Weisz and Jane Fonda deliver verbal tirades designed to awaken the ageing men from their apathy. All four spend their time in an expensive Swiss spa, and in a film as visually luxurious as their lush surroundings, Paolo Sorrentino's Youth unravels — its seasoned cast and opulent images its obvious selling points. Musings about life, love and legacy have rarely looked as exquisite, even if the movie's charms remain somewhat surface level. It's a decadent picture about watching the world go by, rather than really experiencing it. Read our full review here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqe1kFb0xTk PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT See it if: you're an art addict yourself. We give it: 2 stars Audio snippets from the eponymous art addict are all that keep this unremarkable doco afloat. Director Lisa Immordino Vreeland struggles with tone, never quite knowing whether to interrogate the gossip that surrounded Guggenheim's personal affairs or to simply recount the rumours. It still makes for pleasant-enough viewing, particularly for art addicts themselves — but it just never manages to fully do Guggenheim justice. In fact, it's only her vocal presence that stops the movie from amounting to little more than an interesting video of a Wikipedia listing. Read our full review here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arhMMJx7tCU DADDY'S HOME See it if: you're a sucker for punishment. We give it: 1 star Apologies to fans of Will Ferrell, but watching Daddy's Home is one of the more agonising experiences we've had in a cinema all year. Ferrell stars as a dweebish music exec married to an improbably tolerant wife (Linda Cardellini), who is forced to compete for the love of his step-children when their cool but irresponsible biological father (Mark Wahlberg) rolls back into town. Cue a mind-numbing comedy that mixes kindergarten-level humour with weirdly adult sex gags and feels about three times as long as its 96-minute runtime. Stand-up comic Hannibal Buress manages to scrape a few laughs here and there, but otherwise it's slim pickings. Do yourself a favour and steer well clear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNkSYE6HiOE ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROADCHIP See it if: ...yeah, we've got nothing. We give it: N/A Look, we're going to level with you here: we didn't actually see this. Life's too short. But if you want to go out and spend your hard earned money on a ticket for a film about a group of wise-cracking rodents, feel free to let us know what you thought. If you're looking to steer well clear of cinemas on Boxing Day, take a look at our list of the year's ten best films that hardly anyone saw here. Words by Tom Clift and Sarah Ward.
As any published author will tell you, settling on a cover design is tricky. But California-based designer Maria Mordvintseva-Keeler has come up with a novel approach. She's repackaged classics in cans — with labels that reveal their 'ingredients' without giving away their storylines. Titled Food for Thought, the design series features three classic books, each of which contains a foodie reference in its title — Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's, William Burroughs' Naked Lunch and Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. The label lets the reader know if the book suits his/her mood and literary diet. Breakfast at Tiffany’s, for example, reads: "[It] has the characters, serving size, with the number of pages, and emotions in the daily value sections," Mordvintseva-Keeler told Mashable. "I sometimes wish they featured something like that on the cover, since the right book at the right moment is better than any sort of therapy. Reading is certainly better than stress eating." Originally from Moscow and now based in San Diego, Mordvintseva-Keeler's previous projects include Packaged Pets, which promotes the adoption of animals from shelters; EcoBag, a biodegradable plastic-bag replacement containing seeds (and similar to these coffee cups); and Bold as a Rooster, a typographical study exploring the "potential of roosters’ combs, feathers and legs to become legible letters". Take a leaf out of this artist's book. Via Mashable. Images: Maria Mordvintseva-Keeler.
Fitness fanatics of Brisbane, it's time to add a tutu to your workout kit. Think ballet without the performance, and a style of exercise that fuses yoga, pilates and dance conditioning routines. Think barre. You've probably already heard about the workout that celebrities seem to swear by, given that it's been around since German dancer Lotte Berk came up with it in London in the late 1950s. Trying it; well, that's another matter. While the UK and the US have been barre-crazy for decades, it didn't catch on quite so quickly here. A few gyms around town offer classes, Spring Hill already boasts its own studio and another is coming to the CBD — but you can never have too much of a good thing. At Barre Brisbane, director Ash Daniec wants to get the city excited about the exercise trend she discovered 18 months ago while preparing for an overseas trip. For the uninitiated, barre focuses on flexibility and strength, asking participants to use their own body weight in isometric — or small, one-inch-increment — movements. It might not sound like it, but the technique really gets the muscles firing, with sculpting and creating length among its key outcomes. Daniec's new venture will offer 23 classes over 6 days each week, as available via memberships and casual passes ranging from $25 per class to $35 for a three-class-per-week package. West End is her first stop, with plans to open more studios in Teneriffe, on the northside and in Noosa, and add week- and weekend-long retreats to the mix as well. When it comes to the classes themselves, Barre Brisbane is designed to appeal to newcomers and health-nuts alike, as well as anyone keen for a cardio boost and those who want to (literally) stretch themselves. Plus, it just might help you fulfil a childhood dream. Let's face it: for most of us, it's as close to being a ballerina as we're ever going to get. Find Barre Brisbane at 347 Montague Road, West End from February 25. For more information, visit their website.
Want your Uber ride to be even cheaper? Don’t mind sharing a ride with strangers and making awkward small talk? UberPOOL might just be your perfect service. As reported by The Guardian, it’s rolling out in London today and allows Uber users to opt into a carpooling option with a very attractive 25 percent discount on the standard Uber fare. Sharing is caring. It’s not guaranteed there’ll be another user opting into UberPOOL in the vicinity, but if you don’t get matched you still keep that tasty discount. So basically, you get rewarded for being a chill and environmentally conscious Uber user, even if you don’t even right share (it’s the thought that counts). As well as making Uber even cheaper for anyone willing to share, UberPOOL also environmental benefits — more seats on bums and more cars making full use of their capacity means less cars on the road and less pollution. The option has been rolled out in a few cities and even accounts for half of all rides taken in San Francisco (half!), so it’s not exactly a new concept but it’s certainly taking off. We’re still waiting for word of when it will hit our shores but you can guarantee it's likely to. Gizmodo's Luke Hopewell wrote an interesting account of his experience in an UberPOOL and pointed out the one major flaw in the plan: as well as being hella awkward to ride with a complete stranger, if you hop our first, that complete stranger knows where you're going or where you live. The app doesn't give you the name of your riding buddy, but that's no guarantee you won't be Ubering home with a weirdo. While we wait to see how it all plays out, let’s just scroll through #yourtaxis and giggle gleefully over terrible PR ideas. Via The Guardian.
Earlier this year, some of Australia's best bar teams went head-to-head to nab mad bragging rights, an epic photo shoot and a huge trip to Glasgow for Auchentoshan Whisky's national Distilled Different competition. Bar teams across Australia created an Auchentoshan American Oak cocktail for the competition, and twelve were then paired with an up-and-coming Australian photographer who worked with them to create a photographic masterpiece to reflect the team's personality. On Tuesday October 18, the winner of the cocktail competition was crowned. Sydney bar team Eau De Vie won for the originality of their cocktail and portrait, which was snapped by Brendan Fitzpatrick in a fully-styled photo shoot that judges agreed captured the essence of their bar. Eau De Vie and Fitzpatrick were chosen as the winning team by a panel of industry professionals, including our very own managing editor Shannon Connellan. The team from Eau De Vie will be jet-setting off to Glasgow as part of their prize. Glasgow is the home of Auchentoshan — the only triple distilled Scottish single malt whisky in the world. Triple distilled, people. The winners will of course get to visit the Auchentoshan distillery while they're there. The team at Ramblin' Rascal Tavern were also chosen on the night as the winners of the People's Choice Award. Take a look at what went down on the night.
