Phones and laptops are hardly the best screens for watching movies. At the cinemas, there's big screens, however, and then there's IMAX. The large-format system has been around for more than half a century, but it's a huge time for it in Australia right now. In 2023, Sydney's IMAX reopened, after it closed down back in 2016 to be rebuilt. In 2024, both the Gold Coast and Canberra scored their own IMAX screens. A second Melbourne venue has been confirmed as well, launching by the end of 2025, and now four more sites around the country are also on their way. Indeed, news that Village Cinemas Fountain Gate will give the Victorian capital another IMAX is still fresh, but that hasn't stopped an additional quartet of hefty screens from being announced. These four will hail from EVT, the hospitality company behind Event Cinemas. Three will welcome in movie lovers in 2026, with the fourth arriving before 2027 is out. EVT is also responsible for IMAX Sydney and IMAX Event Cinemas Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast, so it's no stranger to the world of giant picture palace screens. It also has IMAX venues up and running in New Zealand and Germany. All four of its new Australian sites will feature state-of-the-art IMAX with Laser systems, meaning that viewers can expect 4k laser-projection, bright images, a wide range of colours, deeper contrast and increased resolution. If you're wondering where Down Under these IMAXs are opening, that is yet to be revealed — but they're part of a lineup of seven new IMAX sites that EVT is opening worldwide. Also not known so far is whether these new Aussie IMAX sites will follow in Pacific Fair's footsteps, converting a screen within an existing cinema. Whichever eventuates — and wherever in Australia nabs IMAX screens, including whether IMAX is headed to cities that already boast one of its setups or is venturing further afield — this is the largest-ever deal for new Aussie IMAX locations. It does seem that at least some of these four screens are destined for new areas, however. "Moviegoer demand for IMAX significantly eclipses our current footprint in Australia and EVT continues to be very proactive and strategic in filling that gap, with IMAX locations set for new areas across the country," said IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond. "EVT and IMAX share a passion and keen focus on delivering the best possible cinematic experience, and we look forward to adding even more locations in one of our most productive markets worldwide," continued Gelfond. "A key element of the EVT entertainment strategy is to target investment into 'fewer and better' locations," said EVT CEO Jane Hastings. "Our customers love the IMAX format and when you pair that with our broad range of premium seating options, we continue to deliver world class moviegoing experiences." Three of EVT's four new IMAX locations will open in 2026, and the fourth is set to arrive in 2027. We'll update you when further information is revealed — keep an eye on the brand's website for more details in the interim. IMAX images: IMAX Sydney, IMAX Pacific Fair and IMAX Queensgate NZ.
First, Reservation Dogs came to an end after three exceptional seasons. Then the TV spinoff of What We Do in the Shadows announced that it will be wrapping up after its upcoming sixth season. Now, Our Flag Means Death is joining them in saying farewell. In fact, it has already walked the plank, with the series cancelled after two seasons. That makes it three for three in television comedies that Taika Waititi had a hand in. All three were excellent. All three are now finishing. David Jenkins (People of Earth), who created Our Flag Means Death, advised on social media that the show "won't be returning for a third season". "We've sailed at the pleasure of the fine people at Max, and it brought them no joy to see this journey come to a premature end," he continued. "They allowed us to make something authentically weird and heartfelt, cheering us on the entire way." "I'm very sad I won't set foot on the Revenge again with my friends, some of whom have become close to family. But I couldn't be more grateful for being allowed to captain the damn thing in the first place." When Our Flag Means Death arrived in 2022, earned itself a spot among the best new TV arrivals of the year and charmed everyone who watched it, it left viewers thinking the same thing: all television comedies should be pirate romances starring Waititi (Next Goal Wins) and Rhys Darby (Uproar). Only this show earned that feat, however, and it turned out wonderfully — for audiences, that is, with chaos surrounding the seafaring characters played by two of New Zealand's best-known comic names. Darby stepped into Stede Bonnet's shoes, while Waititi was Edward Teach aka Blackbeard. In just one of their many collaborations — see also: Flight of the Conchords, What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Next Goal Wins — the show satirised the buccaneering times of the 18th century. As its first season unfurled and second season embraced even more heartily, Our Flag Means Death also proved to be a sweet and warmhearted love story. Stede is a self-styled 'gentleman pirate', a great approximation of Flight of the Conchords' Murray if he'd existed centuries earlier, and a man determined to bring a bit of kindness and elegancy to the whole swashbuckling game. He's based on an IRL figure, who abandoned his cosy life for a seafaring existence. The show is a loose adaptation of Bonnet's tale, though. As for Waititi, he dons leather, dark hues aplenty, an air of bloodthirsty melancholy and a head of greying hair as Blackbeard. While the famed pirate seems like Stede's exact opposite, disproving that is a big part of the show's narrative. Also featured among Our Flag Means Death's cast: Samson Kayo (Bloods), Vico Ortiz (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Ewen Bremner (Creation Stories), Joel Fry (Bank of Dave), Matthew Maher (Hello Tomorrow!), Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones), Con O'Neill (The Batman), David Fane (The Messenger), Samba Schutte (Forspoken), Nat Faxon (Loot) and Leslie Jones (BMF). In season two, they were joined by a heap of new recurring guest stars in Ruibo Qian (Servant), Madeleine Sami (Deadloch), Anapela Polataivao (The Justice of Bunny King) and Erroll Shand (The Clearing), plus Minnie Driver (Chevalier) and Bronson Pinchot (The Mysterious Benedict Society) as guest stars. Check out the trailer for Our Flag Means Death season two below: Our Flag Means Death's first and second seasons stream in Australia via Binge and New Zealand via Neon. Read our reviews of season one and season two. Images: Nicola Dove/ HBO Max.
UPDATE: November 23, 2023 — We've arranged an exclusive package to help you make the most of Mona Foma 2024. Book with Concrete Playground Trips and you'll have accommodation, ferry transfers, festival tickets and more all sorted, from just AUD$600 per person. There is only a limited number of packages available, though, so secure your booking here ASAP. Dark Mofo might be taking a breather in 2024, except for a few beloved events, but Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) will still be embracing summer at Mona Foma. The sunny counterpart to the Apple Isle's moody winter fest has locked in its return from Thursday, February 15–Sunday, February 25, 2024 in Hobart, and from Thursday, February 29–Sunday, March 3, 2024 in Launceston. It has also dropped one helluva getaway-worthy lineup. Back in October, Queens of the Stone Age announced an Australia tour for 2024, and were also revealed as the first act on Mona Foma's program for the year. At the latter, they'll have no shortage of company. Also on the music bill: Courtney Barnett, TISM, Paul Kelly, Mogwai, Shonen Knife, and Cash Savage and The Last Drinks, for starters. [caption id="attachment_923480" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pooneh Ghana.[/caption] Making a Tassie stop on her latest tour, Barnett's show features two sets. To begin with, she'll work through album End of the Day — aka the score to the Barnett-focused documentary Anonymous Club — with Stella Mozgawa. After that, she'll dive into the rest of her catalogue of tunes. Now that TISM are back playing live together — something that only started happening again in 2022 after 19 years without gigs — the Australian legends will bust out 'Greg! The Stop Sign!', 'Whatareya' and 'Ol' Man River' at Cataract Gorge. The Ron Hitler-Barassi-led band are part of a free one-day event at the stunning site during Mona Foma's Launceston weekend, as are Cash Savage and The Last Drinks. Head along and you'll also enjoy morning meditations to start the day, and hear from Mulga Bore Hard Rock and FFLORA + Grace Chia. [caption id="attachment_926549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moshcam[/caption] Still on tunes, Kelly will be focusing on his 2022 compilation Time, while Mogwai and Shonen Knife are part of the returning lawn-set Mona Sessions — as are fellow overseas talents Holy Fuck, Wednesday, Michael Rother and Friends (playing Neu! songs), and Lonnie Holley with Moor Mother and Irreversible Entanglements. Clearly, there'll be no shortage of musicians to listen to. Darren Hanlon, Bree van Reyk and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra are teaming up; Isaac et Nora, the 14- and 11-year-old French-Korean siblings, will perform Latin-American songs they've learned by ear; and producer Filastine and singer Nova, one based in Barcelona and the other hailing from Indonesia, will provide live tunes on a 70-tonne sailing ship's deck to muse on the climate crisis as part of Arka Kinari. DJs will get spinning beneath James Turrell's Armana at Mona as well, and Mona Foma artists will be hitting up the Frying Pan Studios to jam and record. [caption id="attachment_926554" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Wei-Tsan Liu.[/caption] Emeka Ogboh's contribution to the program is also a big highlight, coming via exhibition Boats. Here, the Nigerian artist ponders migration as part of an experience that boasts its own gin — as made with native Tasmanian and West African botanicals — plus snacks, conversation and a sound installation. Also set to impress: Taiwanese artist Yahon Chang getting painting on a 20-metre-by-15-metre canvas at Princes Wharf 1, including using a brush that's human-sized, in a performance that'll blend calligraphy, art, meditation, kung fu and tai chi. [caption id="attachment_926552" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Amy Brown, image courtesy of Street Eats @ Franko Hobart and Mona Foma.[/caption] Other Mona Foma 2024 standouts include the world-premiere of Anito, a solo performance by Justin Shoulder that takes its cues from queer club culture, plus everything from theatre and dance to visual arts and installations; Dancenorth's latest production Wayfinder, which includes Hiromi Tango on design duties and music from Hiatus Kaiyote; party venue Faux Mo returning, but in a new home at The Granada Tavern; and a Street Eats night food and drink market pop-up. "Mona Foma wrangles over 500 performers and artists from places as far flung as Nigeria, Taiwan, Rajasthan and Launceston into a veritable orgy of creativity. If you can't find something to do, then you're dead — but then you wouldn't be reading this," said Mona Foma Artistic Director Brian Ritchie, announcing the 2024 lineup. "So, buy tickets, except for TISM, which is free. One of the most reclusive bands (only three gigs in twenty years) for free in amongst the most unique water feature of any urban environment, qualifies as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Carpe diem." [caption id="attachment_923130" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andreas Neumann[/caption] [caption id="attachment_926548" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ivan trigo Miras[/caption] [caption id="attachment_926545" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nick McKinlay[/caption] [caption id="attachment_926546" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Naomi Beveridge[/caption] [caption id="attachment_926547" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lisa Businovski[/caption] [caption id="attachment_926550" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Akira Shibata[/caption] Mona Foma will take place from Thursday, February 15–Sunday, February 25, 2024 in Hobart, and from Thursday, February 29–Sunday, March 3, 2024 in Launceston. Tickets go on sale at 10am AEDT on Tuesday, November 21 — head to the festival website for further details. Top image: Steve Cook. All images courtesy of the artist and Mona Foma. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. DON'T WORRY DARLING Conformity rarely bodes well in cinema. Whenever everyone's dressing the same, little boxes litter the landscape or identical white-picket fences stretch as far as the eye can see, that perception of perfection tends to possess a dark underbelly. The Stepford Wives demonstrated that. Pleasantville, Blue Velvet and Vivarium all did as well. Yes, there's a touch of conformity in movies about the evils of and heralded by conformity; of course there is. That remains true when Florence Pugh (Black Widow) and Harry Styles (Eternals) navigate an ostensibly idyllic vision of retro suburbia in a desert-encased enclave — one that was always going to unravel when the movie they're in is called Don't Worry Darling. Don't go thinking that this handsome and intriguing film doesn't know all of this, though. Don't go thinking that it's worried about the similarities with other flicks, including after its secrets are spilled, either. It'd be revealing too much to mention a couple of other movies that Don't Worry Darling blatantly recalls, so here's a spoiler-free version: this is a fascinating female-focused take on a pair of highlights from two decades-plus back that are still loved, watched and discussed now. That's never all that Olivia Wilde's second feature as a filmmaker after 2019's Booksmart is, but it feels fitting that when it conforms in a new direction, it finds a way to make that space its own. That's actually what Pugh's Alice thinks she wants when Don't Worry Darling begins. The film's idealised 1950s-style setting comes with old-fashioned gender roles firmly in place, cocktails in hand as soon Styles' Jack walks in the door come quittin' time and elaborate multi-course dinners cooked up each night, with its protagonist going along with it all. But she's also far from keen on having a baby, the done thing in the company town that is Victory. It'd curtail the noisy sex that gets the neighbours talking, for starters. Immaculately clothed and coiffed women happily playing dutiful housewives in a cosy sitcom-esque dream of America generations ago: that's Wilde and screenwriter Katie Silberman's (also Booksmart) entry point; however, they waste zero time in showing how rebelling in her own child-free way isn't enough to quell Alice's nagging and growing doubts about utopia. There's much to get her querying, such as the earth-shaking sounds that rumble when Victory's men are at work, doing top-secret business on "progressive materials" out in the sandy expanse. There's the reflections in the mirror that briefly take on a life of their own, too — starting in a ballet class that's about retaining control, coveting symmetry and never upsetting the status quo far more than dancing. And, there's the pushed-aside Margaret (KiKi Layne, The Old Guard) after she disrupts a company barbecue. All the rules enforced to keep Victory's women in their places, and the cult-like wisdom that town and company founder Frank (Chris Pine, All the Old Knives) constantly spouts, are also inescapable. So is the force with which asking questions or daring to be different is publicly nixed, as Alice quickly discovers. And, it's impossible to avoid how the men band together when anything or anyone causes a bump, even their own other halves. Swiftly, Alice's days scrubbing and vacuuming her Palm Springs-inspired bungalow, then sipping cocktails poolside or while window shopping with fellow Victory spouses like Bunny (Wilde, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Peg (Kate Berlant, A League of Their Own), fall under a shadow — not literally in such sunnily postcard-perfect surroundings, but with shade still lingering over every part of her routine. Speaking up just gets dismissed, and Frank and his underlings (including a doctor played by Timothy Simmons, aka Veep's Jonah Ryan, who is instantly unnerving thanks to that stroke of casting) have too-precise answers to her concerns. Read our full review. THE STRANGER No emotion or sensation ripples through two or more people in the exact same way, and never will. The Stranger has much to convey, but it expresses that truth with piercing precision. The crime-thriller is the sophomore feature from actor-turned-filmmaker Thomas M Wright — following 2018's stunning Adam Cullen biopic Acute Misfortune, another movie that shook everyone who watched it and proved hard to shake — and it's as deep, disquieting and resonant a dance with intensity as its genre can deliver. To look into Joel Edgerton's (Thirteen Lives) eyes as Mark, an undercover cop with a traumatic but pivotal assignment, is to spy torment and duty colliding. To peer at Sean Harris (Spencer) as the slippery Henry Teague is to see a cold, chilling and complex brand of shiftiness. Sitting behind these two performances in screentime but not impact is Jada Alberts' (Mystery Road) efforts as dedicated, determined and drained detective Kate Rylett — and it may be the portrayal that sums up The Stranger best. Writing as well as directing, Wright has made a film that is indeed dedicated, determined and draining. At every moment, including in sweeping yet shadowy imagery and an on-edge score, those feelings radiate from the screen as they do from Alberts. Sharing the latter's emotional exhaustion comes with the territory; sharing their sense of purpose does as well. In the quest to capture a man who abducted and murdered a child, Rylett can't escape the case's horrors — and, although the specific details aren't used, there's been no evading the reality driving this feature. The Stranger doesn't depict the crime that sparked Kate Kyriacou's non-fiction book The Sting: The Undercover Operation That Caught Daniel Morcombe's Killer, or any violence. It doesn't use the Queensland schoolboy's name, or have actors portray him or his family. This was always going to be an inherently discomforting and distressing movie, though, but it's also an unwaveringly intelligent and impressive examination of trauma. There's no other word to describe what Mark and Rylett experience — and, especially as it delves into Mark's psychological state as he juggles his job with being a single father, The Stranger is a film about tolls. What echoes do investigating and seeking justice for an atrocious act leave? Here, the portrait is understandably bleak and anguished. What imprint do such incidences have upon society more broadly? That also falls into the movie's examination. Mark, along with a sizeable group of fellow officers, is trying to get a confession and make an arrest. Back east, Rylett is one of the police who won't and can't let the situation go. Doling out its narrative in a structurally ambitious way, The Stranger doesn't directly address the human need for resolution, or to restore a semblance of order and security after something so heinously shocking, but that's always baked into its frames anyway. Travelling across the country, Henry first meets a stranger on a bus, getting chatting to Paul (Steve Mouzakis, Clickbait) en route. It's the possibility of work that hooks the ex-con and drifter — perhaps more so knowing that his potential new gig will be highly illicit, and that evading the authorities is implicit. Soon he meets Mark, then seizes the opportunity to reinvent himself in a criminal organisation, not knowing that he's actually palling around with the cops. It's an immense sting, fictionalised but drawn from actuality, with The Stranger also playing as a procedural. The connecting the dots-style moves remain with Rylett, but Wright's decision to hone in on the police operation still means detailing how to catch a killer, astutely laying out the minutiae via action rather than chatting through the bulk of the ins and outs. Read our full review. AMSTERDAM There's only one Wes Anderson, but there's a litany of wannabes. Why can't David O Russell be among them? Take the first filmmaker's The Grand Budapest Hotel, mix in the second's American Hustle and that's as good a way as any to start describing Amsterdam, Russell's return to the big screen after a seven-year gap following 2015's Joy — and a starry period comedy, crime caper and history lesson all in one. Swap pastels for earthier hues, still with a love of detail, and there's the unmistakably Anderson-esque look of the film. Amsterdam is a murder-mystery, too, set largely in the 1930s against a backdrop of increasing fascism, and filled with more famous faces than most movies can dream of. The American Hustle of it all springs from the "a lot of this actually happened" plot, this time drawing upon a political conspiracy called the White House/Wall Street Putsch, and again unfurling a wild true tale. A Russell returnee sits at the centre, too: Christian Bale (Thor: Love and Thunder) in his third film for the writer/director. The former did help guide the latter to an Oscar for The Fighter, then a nomination for American Hustle — but while Bale is welcomely and entertainingly loose and freewheeling, and given ample opportunity to show his comic chops in his expressive face and physicality alone, Amsterdam is unlikely to complete the trifecta of Academy Awards recognition. The lively movie's cast is its strongest asset, though, including the convincing camaraderie between Bale, John David Washington (Malcolm & Marie) and Margot Robbie (The Suicide Squad). They play pals forged in friendship during World War I, then thanks to a stint in the titular Dutch city. A doctor, a lawyer and a nurse — at least at some point in the narrative — they revel in love and art during their uninhabited stay, then get caught in chaos 15 years later. Amsterdam begins in the later period, with Burt Berendsen (Bale) tending to veterans — helping those with war injuries and lingering pain, as he himself has — without a medical license. He once had a Park Avenue practice, but his military enlistment and his fall from the well-heeled set afterwards all stems from his snobbish wife Beatrice (Andrea Riseborough, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain) and her social-climbing (and prejudiced) parents. As he did in the war, however, Burt aids who he can where he can, including with fellow ex-soldier Harold Woodman (Washington). That's how he ends up lending a hand (well, a scalpel) to the well-to-do Liz Meekins (Taylor Swift, Cats) after the unexpected death of her father and their old Army general (Ed Begley Jr, Better Call Saul). The bereaved daughter suspects foul play and Burt and Harold find it, but with fingers pointing their way when there's suddenly another body. Two police detectives (The Old Guard's Matthias Schoenaerts and The Many Saints of Newark's Alessandro Nivola), both veterans themselves, come a-snooping — and Burt and Harold now have two tasks. Clearing their names and figuring out what's going on are intertwined, of course, and also just the start of a story that isn't short on developments and twists (plus early flashes back to 1918 to set up the core trio, their bond, their heady bliss and a pact that they'll keep looking out for each other). There's a shagginess to both the tale and the telling, because busy and rambling is the vibe, especially with so much stuffed into the plot. One of Amsterdam's worst traits is its overloaded and convoluted feel, seeing that there's the IRL past to explore, a message about history repeating itself to deliver along with it, and enough mayhem to fuel several romps to spill out around it. The pacing doesn't help, flitting between zipping and dragging — and usually busting out the wrong one for each scene. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 7, July 14, July 21 and July 28; August 4, August 11, August 18 and August 25; and September 1, September 8, September 15, September 22 and September 29. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Thor: Love and Thunder, Compartment No. 6, Sundown, The Gray Man, The Phantom of the Open, The Black Phone, Where the Crawdads Sing, Official Competition, The Forgiven, Full Time, Murder Party, Bullet Train, Nope, The Princess, 6 Festivals, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Crimes of the Future, Bosch & Rockit, Fire of Love, Beast, Blaze, Hit the Road, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Orphan: First Kill, The Quiet Girl, Flux Gourmet, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Moonage Daydream, Ticket to Paradise, Clean, You Won't Be Alone, See How They Run, Smile, On the Count of Three and The Humans.
Think of the Gold Coast and your mind probably jumps straight to its picturesque beaches, beloved theme parks and the lively strip of Surfer's Paradise. While these can all make for a brilliant getaway, the Gold Coast has a number of year-round events that give the holiday destination a cultural edge. From world-class sporting spectacles to exciting festivals, Get Up and Gold Coast in 2026, and plan a trip around these exciting events. AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 This March, the Gold Coast is hosting one of the premier sporting events of the year: the AFC Women's Asia Cup 2026. Alongside Sydney and Perth, the Gold Coast will become a bucket list destination for football fans. The Gold Coast Stadium will host four group matches from Monday, March 2, until Sunday, March 8. This includes the Matildas' second group match, followed by two rounds of play-offs on Thursday, March 19. Whether you're a sports fan or not, there's no denying the buzz and atmosphere that comes from a major sporting event like this. There are still tickets available, so be sure to nab yours and book in a Gold Coast escape. Australian WPGA Championship The Australian Women's Professional Golfers' Association Championship brings the world's best female golfers to the Gold Coast. Players will compete for the Karrie Webb Cup (and $600,000 in prize money) at the Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club and the Palms Golf Course from Thursday, March 19, until Sunday, March 22. Outside of the championship, the Sanctuary Cove Marine Village is your destination for sport and entertainment with food and beverage options, music, pop-up bars, dedicated fan zones, interactive golf challenges, chill-out areas and shopping. At WPGA, witness the best in golf while enjoying the Gold Coast's picturesque weather and scenery. WSL Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro In May, the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro (part of the World Surf League Championship Tour event) will be held on the Gold Coast's golden beaches from Friday, May 1, until Monday, May 11. This year, the event is taking place in Snapper Rocks and is set to deliver world-class surfing. Past winners include Kelly Slater, Stephanie Gilmore, Mick Fanning, Carissa Moore and Gabriel Medina, so you know that it'll be worth the journey to see this year's talent on show. The Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro is free to enter, so you and the family can witness the best surfers in the world compete up close and personal. Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show One of the Southern Hemisphere's largest boat shows, the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show is an annual showcase of superyachts, sailboats, marine tech and waterfront appreciation. The event takes place over four action-packed days from Thursday, May 21, to Sunday, May 24. See superyachts up close and personal and revel in the luxurious waterfront lifestyle that the Gold Coast delivers in droves. Blues on Broadbeach Every May, the Gold Coast suburb of Broadbeach transforms into one of Australia's largest music festivals, Blues on Broadbeach. Across multiple indoor and outdoor stages, the four-day (and night) event is a celebration of soul, rhythm and blues music. It kicks off on Thursday, May 14, with a non-ticketed lineup that includes Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster, Robert Finley, The Lachy Doley Trio, and many more. While most of the festival is free, the Sunday Ticket offers exclusive access to a stellar lineup. On Sunday, May 17, ARIA Award-winning The Teskey Brothers and special guests Judith Hill and Ash Grunwald will perform to the crowd as the sun sets over Broadbeach. Alongside live performances, you can wander between beachfront parks, bars and pop-ups, making it the ultimate chilled Gold Coast experience for music lovers. Cooly Rocks On Coolangatta puts on its retro filter the first weekend in June with Cooly Rocks On. The nostalgia-fuelled street party is a celebration of the motors, music and lifestyle of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s with classic car displays, a pin-up pageant, live gigs and vintage beachfront markets, all free to explore. From Wednesday, June 3, until Sunday, June 7, you can browse through a selection of retro treasures and memorabilia and listen to some of the finest rock 'n' roll, swing, rockabilly and tribute artists from around the world. There's also a preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artists Contest taking place. Cooly Rocks On is one of three festivals in the country to host this round, and the winner will secure a spot at Elvis Week in Memphis. Rock on. Pacific Airshow The Pacific Airshow Gold Coast transforms the city's famous beachfront into an open-air runway. From Friday, August 14, until Sunday, August 16, fighter jets, aerobatic teams and precision solo flyers will take to the skies for a weekend of high-octane airshows. Enjoy general admission, or take it up a notch with hospitality experiences at the Garden Bar or Beach Club. Ticket holders can enjoy a curated menu of food and drinks, a patio area with seating and shade, private restrooms, and live airshow commentary. It's a Gold Coast-style winter escape. Bleach* It's not just Melbourne and Sydney hosting the country's premier cultural events. Bleach* Festival is a contemporary arts festival running from Thursday, October 1, until Sunday, October 11. The spring festival brings dance, art, music, exhibitions, and panels across three vibrant festival hubs: Kurrawa Park, Emerald Lakes, and the Gold Coast's Home Of The Arts (HOTA). There's a range of free and ticketed events to choose from, with the full lineup released later in the year. Keep your eyes peeled and book in some cultural experiences. Groundwater Country Music Festival Is country music more your scene? Groundwater Country Music Festival is the Gold Coast's destination for all things boots, banjos and beachside twang. Taking over the streets of Broadbeach from Friday, October 16, until Sunday, October 18, the free three-day festival brings a stacked lineup of Australian and international acts. While the 2026 lineup is yet to be announced, the October festival is a must-do for music lovers on the Gold Coast. Expect line-dancing sessions, street food, pop-up bars and a laidback coastal atmosphere complete with cowboy hats. Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 The Gold Coast 500 turns Surfers Paradise into a high-speed street circuit, bringing Supercars racing right into the heart of the city. For one adrenaline-fuelled weekend from Friday, October 23 until Sunday, October 25, the sound of engines echoes between skyscrapers as drivers battle it out just metres from the beach. Whether you're a die-hard motorsport fan or simply keen for a high-energy weekend by the beach, the event blends sun, speed and spectacle. Explore more events and accommodation options, and be ready to Get Up and Gold Coast. Image credit: Supplied
The results of the 36th edition of the Official Great Aussie Pie Competition have just been announced, revealing the best pies, sausage rolls and pasties across Australia. The competition, which ran over four days at the Fine Food Event at the International Convention Centre in Sydney, welcomed over 1500 entries from more than 200 bakeries. This year's winners, across 15 categories, came from far and wide. Paradise Bakehouse in Bundaberg, Queensland, won the award for the best plain meat pie. Banana Boogie in Belair, South Australia, took out the award for the best plain sausage roll. The best gourmet pie was a beef bourguignon version from Mount Barker Country Bakery in Western Australia. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Daisy (@australia.food.drink) There is a wide range of categories judged, including everything from the best gourmet seafood pie to the best slow-cooked barbecue pie and the best brekkie pie. The best vegetarian pie was a roasted cauliflower pie with black truffle and provolone cheese sauce. An apple and raspberry pie from Miami Bakehouse Greenfield in Western Australia took out the dessert pie category. Victoria took out the best manufacturing sausage roll, the best gourmet game pie, and the best gluten-free pie awards. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miami Bakehouse (@miamibakehouse) Over $50,000 in prize money and products were on the table, but the real prize of the competition in the past has been the remarkable boost in sales for winning bakeries. Previous winning bakeries have attracted customers from hours away, with lines out the door, to try their award-winning goods. Images: Supplied. For the full list of winners, check out the official website. If all this talk of pies and pastries has made you hungry, check out the best bakeries in Melbourne.
Literally massive news, movie lovers: IMAX is bringing its big-screen experience to Queensland. Australia's number of giant spots to catch a film is expanding to three, with the Gold Coast joining Sydney and Melbourne. Cinephiles will be able to check out the new screen before 2024 is out, with the country's latest IMAX set to open before Christmas and Boxing Day. The Sunshine State has been in this situation before, however. South Bank's Cineplex in Brisbane was previously an IMAX but, while it still has the towering screen in operation, the picture palace hasn't shown the format for more than a decade. Accordingly, Brisbanites are set for a trip down the highway — and tourists to the Gold Coast who are keen on catching a flick during their stay have somewhere huge to hit up. The movie haven to head to: Event Cinemas Pacific Fair in Broadbeach, with an existing auditorium transforming for IMAX, which is being custom-built in. Expect a 1.1:9 aspect ratio screen, with images flickering across it thanks to IMAX 4K laser projection. There's no word yet if, like its counterparts down south, the Gold Coast's IMAX will be one of the biggest cinema screens in the world. IMAX Corporation and hospitality company EVT are aiming for a Thursday, December 19 launch, which means opening with Mufasa: The Lion King — and then showing 2024's Boxing Day slate. On an ongoing basis, film fans can expect to see not just blockbusters, but also concert films, documentaries and live events make the most of IMAX. The Gold Coast will now boast two sizeable ways to get a movie fix, with surround-screen viewing experience ScreenX making its Australian debut at Event Cinemas Robina back in 2023. Three walls, three screens, a 270-degree field of view: that's the maths behind that concept, which uses multi-projection across a screen area measuring 67.7 metres. Also in 2023, after IMAX Sydney reopened at Darling Harbour following a seven-year period where it was demolished and then rebuilt, it was revealed that another IMAX was on its way to Sydney. While it's planned for an existing Event Cinemas location as well, it hasn't come to fruition as yet. "At EVT, our vision has always been to provide experiences that escape the ordinary, and IMAX embodies that ethos. Queenslanders have long desired an IMAX cinema, and we are thrilled to bring this incredible cinematic experience to the Gold Coast," said Daniel McCabe, EVT's General Manager, Cinema Operations Australia. "Australia boasts an exceptionally passionate moviegoing audience and 2024 has already become the highest-grossing year for IMAX in the country since 2016. With audience demand at an all-time high, we couldn't be more excited to bring The IMAX Experience to the Gold Coast," added IMAX Chief Sales Officer Giovanni Dolci. IMAX will open at Event Cinemas Pacific Fair, Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Level 1/1571 Hooker Boulevard, Broadbeach, in the lead up to Christmas 2024 — expected on Thursday, December 19, 2024. Head to the cinema's website for more details. Images: IMAX Queensgate NZ and IMAX Sydney.
No one likes Mondays. Tuesdays are hardly anyone's favourite day either. But while you can't escape the fact that the weekend is over, you can start off your working week with a few slurps of cheap ramen. Every Monday and Tuesday between 5–6pm, Hai Hai serves up its number one dish for $10 a pop. And, here's a tip: when you're staring at a brothy bowl filled with noodles, char siu, bean sprouts, eggs and more, the fact that you're still days and days away from a break doesn't seem so bad. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options are also available for the same price. Don't feel like slurping? Hai Hai also does mazemen — no-broth ramen — for $10 a serve on Mondays and Tuesdays as well. Unsurprisingly, there are a few conditions — including the fact that you absolutely must be seated by 6pm. There's also no waiting list for a table, and you can't hold tables either. In other words, getting there early is recommended. Images: Hai Hai Ramen.
Melbourne's cultural tapestry weaves some of its most dynamic colours in South Melbourne where the pulse of the city's south beats with a rhythm that promises something truly stunning for every hour. About 12,000 people call South Melbourne home and lucky them, they get to experience the joys of an Albert Park lake stroll and a South Melbourne dim sim every day. But as for the rest of us, we'll have to settle for just visiting. But what if you only had one day? How would you make the most of your time? Well, let's find out. MORNING If the early bird gets the worm and the second mouse gets the cheese, the South Melbourne visitor needn't worry about any of that, because chances are if you're reading this, you're a human. However, no matter your species, it is recommended to rise just before the sun so you can be at Albert Park Lake as that giant fireball in the sky says good morning to the planet. Yes, waking that early sucks, but if you can do it, the reward will be immense. The lake and its surrounds are stunning at all times of day but with a dynamic pastel backdrop of orange sky and brightening light it is particularly special. Next, we need coffee. A morning is only as good as the coffee that accompanies it — cue The Kettle Black, where baristas craft seriously decent coffee. Stick around for a while and take in the vibe, the airy sun-drenched space is worth lingering over. [caption id="attachment_925199" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Oven-fresh croissants at Chez Dre[/caption] Next, head to the Austro Bakery and nab yourself a giant pretzel, loaf of sourdough or anything else your heart desires. You really can't go wrong here as the bakery effortlessly blends tradition of centuries-old European baking inspiration with a modern twist. Speaking of baked goods, you might also want to swing by Chez Dre, a French-inspired cafe serving cakes and brunch that will transport you to Paris with every flaky bite of its chocolate croissants. Finally, round off the morning with a visit to See Yup Temple, built originally in 1856 then rebuilt and expanded a decade later. The oldest Chinese temple in Australia is a real historical treat right here in Melbourne and the perfect place to take a quiet moment before things start ramping up for the rest of the day. AFTERNOON By afternoon, South Melbourne Market beckons with the siren call of a South Melbourne dim sim — it would be a crime and an affront to all things good and holy not to. This is a sacred place for dim sim lovers the world over, a place of deep historical and spiritual significance. To taste the South Melbourne dim sim is to experience a little piece of delicious Australian history. So go on, grab one, or grab a few, and let's get going. Next up? Get in loser, we're going shopping. Check out Clarendon, Coventry, Cecil and Park streets for a little bit of retail therapy at some of Melbourne's coolest boutiques. If you're into good design, cute homewares and anything even remotely fashion-related, this is your time to shine as you hunt for a hidden gem in South Melbourne's leafy shopping streets. To keep the artisanal vibe going, pop into the Australian Tapestry Workshop on Park Street. It's been spinning some of Australia's most stunning tapestries since 1976 and is the only one of its kind in Australia, as well as among just a handful around the world. Guests can check out its two galleries, which showcase exhibitions of tapestries and modern art on a rotating basis. It also runs tapestry classes and workshops regularly. And finally, for a laidback interlude, pop into Westside Ale Works — a cosy laneway brewpub hidden on Alfred Street just begging you to stay for a while and enjoy a nice afternoon pint (or several). EVENING As the sun dips and evening colours the sky, a stroll along Port Melbourne Beach offers the perfect canvas for a sunset walk — bonus points if you're with that special someone, this is seriously romantic. And if you don't have that special someone, you'll find someone one day, or maybe you won't! Either way, a sunset stroll on the beach is lovely. Next, follow the scent of a woodfired grill to Half Acre, a once dilapidated mill that's been transformed into a fine spot to enjoy a hearty feast of great, simple food with Middle Eastern and Euro influences amid an instantly warm atmosphere that feels like elevated dining at a friend's place. Afterwards, head to Bellota Wine Bar and enjoy a glass of red, or white, or orange — given it is home to literally thousands of wine bottles. Whether you're sitting at the bar, the tables, or in the courtyard, the vibe is sure to be immaculate. LATE-NIGHT FUN The night is still young; it's only natural we go bar hopping. Head to gorgeous Hatted bistro James for a European wine bar feeling with hints of Japanese inspiration on its fantastic degustation menu. Or for something more casual venture up to The Albion Rooftop to enjoy the spectacular cityscape vista, or pop by The Montague in the leafy backstreets for a nice cocktail in the inviting outdoor seating. Obviously, we suggest all three, as well as any more you might encounter on your journey. South Melbourne is your oyster, and all its bars lead to a good time. And now for the best part of the night. Head to Dessertopia for some of the most visually pleasing desserts you'll ever see. Seriously, they look so good you'll almost feel bad eating them (almost). Don't take our word for it, check out its Insta. Yes, that's right, glow-in-the-dark cupcakes. What a time to be alive. Enjoy and bask in the sweet glow, you had the ultimate day (and night) in South Melbourne. Now go get some rest, you must be exhausted. Looking to make the most of your next city break? Explore more of your city this summer with the City of Port Phillip.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. NO TIME TO DIE James Bond might famously prefer his martinis shaken, not stirred, but No Time to Die doesn't quite take that advice. While the enterprising spy hasn't changed his drink order, the latest film he's in — the 25th official feature in the franchise across six decades, and the fifth and last that'll star Daniel Craig — gives its regular ingredients both a mix and a jiggle. The action is dazzlingly choreographed, a menacing criminal has an evil scheme and the world is in peril, naturally. Still, there's more weight in Craig's performance, more emotion all round, and a greater willingness to contemplate the stakes and repercussions that come with Bond's globe-trotting, bed-hopping, villain-dispensing existence. There's also an eagerness to shake up parts of the character and Bond template that rarely get a nudge. Together, even following a 19-month pandemic delay, it all makes for a satisfying blockbuster cocktail. For Craig, the actor who first gave Bond a 21st-century flavour back in 2006's Casino Royale (something Pierce Brosnan couldn't manage in 2002's Die Another Day), No Time to Die also provides a fulfilling swansong. That wasn't assured; as much as he's made the tuxedo, gadgets and espionage intrigue his own, the Knives Out and Logan Lucky actor's tenure has charted a seesawing trajectory. His first stint in the role was stellar and franchise-redefining, but 2008's Quantum of Solace made it look like a one-off. Then Skyfall triumphed spectacularly in 2012, before Spectre proved all too standard in 2015. Ups and downs have long been part of this franchise, depending on who's in the suit, who's behind the lens, the era and how far the tone skews towards comedy — but at its best, Craig's run has felt like it's building new levels rather than traipsing through the same old framework. In No Time to Die, Bond does need to look backwards, though — to loves lost, choices made and lingering enemies. Before Billie Eilish's theme song echoes over eye-catching opening credits, the film fills its first scenes with the past, starting with returning psychiatrist Madeleine Swan's (Léa Seydoux, Kursk) links to new mask-wearing villain Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek, The Little Things). There's patience and visual poetry to these early minutes amid Norway's snowy climes, even while littered with violence. No Time to Die is a lengthy yet never slow feature, and Bond first-timer Cary Joji Fukunaga doesn't begin with the pace he means to continue; however, the director behind True Detective's stunning first season establishes a sense of meticulousness, an eye for detail and an inclination to let moments last — and a striking look — that serves him exceptionally moving forward. Back in post-Spectre times, Bond and Swan enjoy an Italian holiday that's cut short by bomb blasts, bridge shootouts and other attempts on 007's life — and Fukunaga is quickly two for two in the action camp. No Time to Die segues commandingly from slow-building and foreboding to fast, frenetic and breathtaking in its two big opening sequences, setting itself a high bar. At this point, the narrative hasn't even properly kicked into gear yet. That happens five years later, when Bond is alone and retired in Jamaica (in a nice nod to where author Ian Fleming wrote his Bond stories). His old CIA pal Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright, Westworld) comes knocking, new politically appointed offsider Logan Ash (Billy Magnussen, The Many Saints of Newark) in tow, asking for the now ex-MI6 agent's help to foil the latest nefarious plan — involving a DNA-targeting virus fuelled by nanobots, of course — that's been hatched by terrorist organisation Spectre. Read our full review. THE POWER OF THE DOG Don't call it a comeback: Jane Campion's films have been absent from cinemas for 12 years but, due to miniseries Top of the Lake, she hasn't been biding her time in that gap. And don't call it simply returning to familiar territory, even if the New Zealand director's new movie features an ivory-tinkling woman caught between cruel and sensitive men, as her Cannes Palme d'Or-winner The Piano did three decades ago. Campion isn't rallying after a dip, just as she isn't repeating herself. She's never helmed anything less than stellar, and she's immensely capable of unearthing rich new pastures in well-ploughed terrain. With The Power of the Dog, Campion is at the height of her skills trotting into her latest mesmerising musing on strength, desire and isolation — this time via a venomous western that's as perilously bewitching as its mountainous backdrop. That setting is Montana, circa 1925. Campion's homeland stands in for America nearly a century ago, making a magnificent sight — with cinematographer Ari Wegner (Zola, True History of the Kelly Gang) perceptively spying danger in its craggy peaks and dusty plains even before the film introduces Rose and Peter Gordon (On Becoming a God in Central Florida's Kirsten Dunst and 2067's Kodi Smit-McPhee). When the widowed innkeeper and her teenage son serve rancher brothers Phil and George Burbank (The Courier's Benedict Cumberbatch and Antlers' Jesse Plemons) during a cattle-run stop, the encounter seesaws from callousness to kindness, a dynamic that continues after Rose marries George and decamps to the Burbank mansion against that stunning backdrop. Brutal to the lanky, lisping Peter from the outset, Phil responds to the nuptials with malice. He isn't fond of change, and won't accommodate anything that fails his bristling definition of masculinity and power, either. In a career-best, awards-worthy, downright phenomenal turn by Cumberbatch, Phil is all hawkish menace and bravado; he viciously calls his brother 'Fatso', his initial taunting of Peter over paper flowers and effete mannerisms is all the more ferocious for its dinner-table audience, and he's effusive in his admiration for Bronco Henry, the man's man who taught him everything he knows. Indeed, Phil's hyper-masculine air, complete with threatening and mocking banjo-plucking, soon drives Rose to drink. He'd rather still be bunking in with George, as they have for the quarter-century they've run their inherited ranch. He'd rather scare everyone away by failing to bathe, unless he's stealing off to a secret water hole — and by mixing his Yale classics degree into his sneering, too. The key to Cumberbatch's commanding performance isn't softening Phil or playing up his charisma, but conveying the battle of repression and self-resentment raging within; the cattleman has long tanned his own public persona, but he's as complex as rawhide. Adapting Thomas Savage's 1967 novel of the same name, Campion gives Phil's chomping misery ample company: in the sauced Rose, in the intimidating attitude that rolls around the ranch like a stubborn tumbleweed, and in Peter when he returns from his medical studies for the summer. The Power of the Dog lets this unhappy stew fester, adding grit to its brew with each passing scene and deepening its rich character studies in the process. The film's only misstep is pushing George aside, although the fact that his passivity — his main trait alongside tenderness — earns him less attention is an incisive touch. Rose becomes a supporting player as Phil and Peter's initially antagonistic relationship finds deeper dimensions but, in Dunst's hands, this is still an intense portrait of a woman heartbreakingly accustomed to being at others' whims. As a raw-boned young man who proves exacting and steely inside, Smit-McPhee isn't just similarly exceptional — he's revelatory. Read our full review. TICK, TICK... BOOM! "Try writing what you know." That's age-old advice, dispensed to many a scribe who hasn't earned the success or even the reaction they'd hoped, and it's given to aspiring theatre composer Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield, Under the Silver Lake) in Tick, Tick… Boom!. The real-life figure would go on to write Rent but here, in New York City in January 1990, he's working on his debut musical Superbia. It's a futuristic satire inspired by George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, and it's making him anxious about three things. Firstly, he hasn't yet come up with a pivotal second-act song that he keeps being told he needs. Next, he's staging a workshop for his debut production to gauge interest before the week is out — and this just has to be his big break. Finally, he's also turning 30 in days, and his idol Stephen Sondheim made his Broadway debut in his 20s. Tick, Tick… Boom! charts the path to those well-worn words of wisdom about drawing from the familiar, including Larson's path to the autobiographical one-man-show of the same name before Rent. And, it manages to achieve that feat while showing why such a sentiment isn't merely a cliche in this situation. That said, the key statement about mining your own experience also echoes throughout this affectionate movie musical in another unmissable way. Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't write Tick, Tick… Boom!'s screenplay; however, he does turn it into his filmmaking directorial debut — and what could be more fitting for that task from the acclaimed In the Heights and Hamilton talent than a loving ode (albeit an inescapably overexcited one) to the hard work put in by a game-changing theatre wunderkind? If this was a case of telling viewers that this is Miranda's movie without telling them, the concept would obviously do the trick. So would a few notable cameos in a standout song-and-dance number that's best discovered by watching. There's plenty in Tick, Tick… Boom! that was already layered with musical theatre history before it became a film, too; in the source material, Larson even wrote in a homage to Sondheim's own musical Sunday in the Park with George. That's the level of insider knowledge that's a foundation here, and the film frequently reverberates in an insular, theatre-obsessive, spot-the-references register. As great as it is if you stan the same productions and people, it also makes Tick, Tick… Boom! less accessible and resonant. It's as if Miranda can't choose between indulging his own adoration or truly sharing that love with his audience. (Tick, Tick… Boom! also became a three-person stage musical in 2001, and Miranda played its lead in a 2014 revival opposite Hamilton's Leslie Odom Jr and In the Heights' Karen Olivo.) Garfield's sing-to-the-rafters version of Larson is first seen in faux home-video footage, performing the rock monologue iteration of Tick, Tick… Boom!, his bouncy hair waving about as he croons and plays piano. Miranda and screenwriter Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) then segue between the lively presentation and the tale it also tells about Superbia, the looming workshop and the impending birthday. In the latter scenes, Larson can't come up with the missing song, earn enough as a composer to keep the power on, or juggle his pursuit of his dream with the complexities of his personal life. The alternative: opting for a safe career, which his ex-actor ex-roommate Michael (Robin de Jesus, The Boys in the Band) has done in advertising, and his dancer girlfriend Susan (Alexandra Shipp, X-Men: Dark Phoenix) is contemplating with teaching. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 1, July 8, July 15, July 22 and July 29; August 5, August 12, August 19 and August 26; September 2, September 9, September 16, September 23 and September 30; October 7, October 14, October 21 and October 28; and November 4. For Sydney specifically, you can take a look at out our rundown of new films that released in Sydney cinemas when they reopened on October 11, and what opened on October 14, October 21 and October 28 as well. And for Melbourne, you can check out our top picks from when outdoor cinemas reopened on October 22 — and from when indoor cinemas did the same on October 29. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Herself, Little Joe, Black Widow, The Sparks Brothers, Nine Days, Gunpowder Milkshake, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Old, Jungle Cruise, The Suicide Squad, Free Guy, Respect, The Night House, Candyman, Annette, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Streamline, Coming Home in the Dark, Pig, Big Deal, The Killing of Two Lovers, Nitram, Riders of Justice, The Alpinist, A Fire Inside, Lamb, The Last Duel, Malignant, The Harder They Fall, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Halloween Kills, Passing, Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark and Julia.
Before the pandemic, when a new-release movie started playing in cinemas, audiences couldn't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the past few years forcing film industry to make quite a few changes — widespread movie theatre closures will do that, and so will plenty of people staying home because they aren't well — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Perhaps you've been under the weather. Given the hefty amount of titles now releasing each week, maybe you simply missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here are 12 that you can watch right now at home. ASTEROID CITY In 1954, one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest thrillers peeked through a rear window. In Wes Anderson's highly stylised, symmetrical and colour-saturated vision of 1955 in Asteroid City, a romance springs almost solely through two fellow holes in the wall. Sitting behind one is actor Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson, Black Widow), who visibly recalls Marilyn Monroe. Peering through the opposing space is newly widowed war photographer Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), who takes more than a few cues from James Dean. The time isn't just 1955 in the filmmaker's latest stellar masterpiece, but September that year, a month that would end with Dean's death in a car crash. Racing through the movie's eponymous setting — an 87-person slice of post-war midwest Americana with a landscape straight out of a western, the genre that was enjoying its golden age at the time — are cops and robbers speeding and careening in their vehicles. Meticulousness layered upon meticulousness has gleamed like the sun across Anderson's repertoire since 1996's Bottle Rocket launched the writer/director's distinctive aesthetic flair; "Anderson-esque" has long become a term. Helming his 11th feature with Asteroid City, he's as fastidious and methodical in his details upon details as ever — more so, given that each successive movie keeps feeling like Anderson at his most Anderson — but all of those 50s pop-culture shoutouts aren't merely film-loving, winking-and-nodding quirks. Within this picture's world, as based on a story conjured up with Roman Coppola (The French Dispatch), Asteroid City isn't actually a picture. "It is an imaginary drama created expressly for the purposes of this broadcast. The characters are fictional, the text hypothetical, the events an apocryphal fabrication," a Playhouse 90-style host (Bryan Cranston, Better Call Saul) informs. So, it's a fake play turned into a play for a TV presentation, behind-the-scenes glimpses and all. There Anderson is, being his usual ornate and intricate self, and finding multiple manners to explore art, authenticity, and the emotions found in and processed through works of creativity. Asteroid City is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — DEAD RECKONING PART ONE Pick your poison, action-franchise edition circa 2023: balletically choreographed carnage; cars, kin and Coronas; or Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick) constantly one-upping himself in the megastar stunts stakes. Hollywood loves them all. Screens keep welcoming them all. So, after John Wick: Chapter 4 and Fast X comes Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One to deliver the kind of movie spectacle that always looks best on the biggest and brightest of viewing formats. And, as its lead actor's gleaming teeth do, the seventh instalment in the TV-to-film spy series shines. Like Cruise himself, it's committed to giving audiences what they want to see, but never merely exactly what they've already seen. This saga hasn't always chosen to accept that mission, but it's been having a better time of it since 2011's Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, including when writer/director Christopher McQuarrie jumped behind the lens with 2015's Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. Rubber masks so realistic that anyone on-screen could rip off their face to reveal Cruise's Ethan Hunt? Of course they're present and accounted for. Espionage antics that involve saving the world while traversing much of it? Tick that off ASAP. The saga's main Impossible Missions Force operative doing whatever it takes, including sprinting everywhere and relentlessly exasperating his higher-ups? Check. A trusty crew faithfully aiding the always-maverick Hunt, plus slippery adversaries to endeavour to outsmart? Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One gives them a hefty thumbs up as well. Shady forces with globe-destroying aims, being able to trust oh-so-few folks, wreaking slickly staged havoc, those jaw-dropping stunts, top-notch actors: Cruise and McQuarrie, the latter co-writing with Erik Jendresen (Ithaca), feel the need to feed it all into the flick, too. They're also rather fond of nodding to and reworking the franchise's greatest hits. Happily playing with recognisable pieces while eagerly, cleverly and satisfyingly building upon them isn't the easiest of skills, but it's firmly in this team's arsenal. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BLUE BEETLE Buzzing at the heart of Blue Beetle are two contrasting notions: fitting in and standing out. Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña, Cobra Kai) wants to feel at home not just in his own slice of El Paso-esque Texan spot Palmera City, but beyond his neighbourhood. When he assists his sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo, Hocus Pocus 2) working at the well-to-do's houses, he searches for opportunities, especially given that he's in need of a steady job to help his family save their home as gentrification swoops in. Thanks to a run-in with Kord Industries, its warmongering CEO Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon, Maybe I Do) and an ancient artefact known as the scarab, however, the recent Gotham Law University graduate will soon be his hometown's most distinctive resident. Getting covered in blue armour, being able to fly — wings and other bug appendages come with the suit — and hearing a robotic voice (Becky G, Power Rangers) chatting in your head will do that, as will having a multinational company try to swat you down because it wants to deploy the technology RoboCop-style. So scampers the latest entry in the DC Extended Universe — a movie that grapples with the same concepts as the ever-earnest Jaime beyond its storyline. It slots into its franchise while providing something new 14 entries in, before the DCEU comes to an end with the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (under fresh DC leadership, a different silver-screen saga is coming, which might still link in with Blue Beetle). Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings), this is the superhero genre's first live-action flick with a Latino lead, be it from DC or Marvel. It's a family drama as much a caped-crusader affair. It's a story about immigrants striving to thrive and retain their own culture. And, it revels in an 80s sheen and sound. Blue Beetle battles enthusiastically to claim its own space, then, as almost constantly seen and felt. Alas, that doesn't stop it from getting generic as well, as much save-the-world fare is. Blue Beetle is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BLACKBERRY There's rarely a still moment in BlackBerry. Someone is almost always moving, usually in a hurry and while trying to make their dreams come true everywhere and anywhere. Those folks include Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel, FUBAR) and Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson, who also directs and writes as he did with The Dirties and Operation Avalanche). The pair created the game-changing smartphone that shares this movie's name. Also always frenetic: Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the executive they pitch to, get knocked back by, then hire as co-CEO. That near non-stop go-go-go look and feel — cinematography that's constantly roving and zooming to match, too — isn't just a stylistic, screenwriting or performance choice. It's a case of art imitating the impact that the BlackBerry handsets and their tiny QWERTY keyboards had on late-90s and early-00s life. Before the iPhone and its fellow touchscreen competitors took over, it was the key device for anyone with a work mobile. The big selling point? Letting people do their jobs — well, receive and send emails — on the move, and everywhere and anywhere. Should you blame Research in Motion, the Canadian technology company that Lazaridis and Fregin founded, for shattering work-life balance? Dubbed "crackberries", their phones played a significant part in extending the office's reach. Is anyone being inundated with after-hours emails on a BlackBerry today? Unless they have an old handset in their button-pressing hands, it isn't likely — and BlackBerry the film explains why. Spinning on-screen product origin stories is one of 2023's favourites trend, as Tetris, Air and Flamin' Hot have demonstrated; however, history already dictates that the latest addition to that group doesn't have a happy ending. Instead, this immersive and gripping picture tells of two friends with big plans who achieved everything they ever wanted, but at a cost that saw the BlackBerry become everything, then nothing. Like its fellow object-to-screen flicks, it follows a big leap that went soaring; this one just crashed spectacularly afterwards. BlackBerry is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. CHEVALIER "He is the most accomplished man in Europe in riding, running, shooting, fencing, dancing, music." Writing in his diary in 1779 about Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, American Founding Father and future second US President John Adams didn't hold back with his praise. But the world has barely taken his cue in the nearly two-and-a-half centuries since, letting the tale of this gifted French Creole violinist, conductor and composer slip from wider attention. Within a sumptuous period drama that's charmingly, confidently and commandingly led by Kelvin Harrison Jr — with the Waves, The High Note, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Cyrano star full of mesmerising swagger, and also endlessly compelling as a talent forced to struggle as a person of colour in a white aristocratic world — Chevalier endeavours to redress this failing of history. Veteran television director Stephen Williams (Watchmen, Westworld, Lost) and screenwriter Stefani Robinson (Atlanta, What We Do in the Shadows) begin their Bologne biopic boldly, playfully and with a front-on confrontation of the "Black Mozart" label that's surrounded their subject when he has been remembered — even if they also commence Chevalier with likely fiction. In pre-revolution Paris in the late 18th century, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Joseph Prowen, Father Brown) has an enraptured crowd in his thrall as he both plays and conducts. He pauses, then prompts his audience for requests. The response comes as a surprise: Bologne striding down the aisle, asking if he too can pick up a violin, then getting duelling with the musical instrument against the acclaimed maestro. Williams and Robinson start their film with a statement, announcing that they're celebrating a life that's been left not only ignored and erased — especially in a realm that's so often considered old, stuffy and definitely not culturally diverse — but also been stuck lingering in someone else's shadow. Chevalier is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SANCTUARY Succession with BDSM. A reminder that love can sear. A slinky two-hander that's sometimes about only having one free hand. Sanctuary is all of the above, plus a psychosexual battle and a romp of a twisty erotic thriller-meets-romantic comedy — and also a reminder that there's something about Christopher Abbott in chic hotel rooms being teased out of his comfort zone by blonde sex workers (see also: Piercing). There's something about the actor in confined settings in general (see there: Possessor, The Forgiven and Black Bear), but only this supremely confident affair about a significantly complicated affair pairs him with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood breakout Margaret Qualley. As they verbally tussle and sometimes physically tumble, unpacking class, control, chemistry, intimacy and authority along the way, they're a chamber-piece dream. Sanctuary's chamber: a sleekly appointed suite decked out in saturated colours and ornate patterns at one of the 112 hotels that share Hal Porterfield's (Abbott, The Crowded Room) surname. And the piece's point? The thorny, horny relationship between the born-to-privilege heir and Rebecca (Qualley, Stars at Noon), who enters his room with a sharp knock, a no-nonsense stare, business attire and a briefcase filled with paperwork. Hal's father has just passed away, and he's now Kendall Roy awaiting the anointing that he's been promised since birth. His companion runs through background-check questions, veering into the highly personal. Soon, after drinks, dismay and a snappy debate, he's on his hands and knees scrubbing the bathroom while she watches on. Now he's Roman Roy, complete with dirty-talk banter, but in a film directed by sophomore helmer Zachary Wigon (The Heart Machine) and penned by Micah Bloomberg (Homecoming). Sanctuary is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BIOSPHERE If an apocalypse ever brings humanity so close to extinction that there might only be two people left, one thing is certain: if that duo is together and can communicate, they'll spend most of their time nattering about nothing. They'll talk. They'll argue. They'll fill the days, months and years by talking and arguing. They'll still be human, in other words, doing what humans do. Biosphere sets up house within this very scenario, and in that exact truth. Here, lifelong pals Billy (Mark Duplass, Language Lessons) and Ray (Sterling K Brown, This Is Us) are the only folks left after the planet has met a catastrophic fate — one that, because he was the US President when things went dystopian, Billy likely had a hand in — and they're now confined to the movie's titular structure. So, they talk. Sometimes, they argue. When first-time feature-length filmmaker Mel Eslyn plunges the audience into this situation, her characters have been talking and arguing, then arguing and talking, for so long that it's just what they do. Working with a script that she co-penned with Duplass, Eslyn introduces Biosphere's viewers to a self-contained ecosystem of discussing and disagreeing. In the abode designed and built by Ray, a scientist and Billy's former advisor, this pair has no other choice. "Self-contained" perfectly sums up the sensation when the film begins flickering, too — as Ray and Billy go for their daily jog around the sphere, talking and arguing as they trot, their dynamic and their routine is conveyed with such efficiency that it feels like you've been watching for longer than you have. Biosphere doesn't drag, though. Rather, it's excellent at constructing a lived-in world with Billy and Ray as they live through what could be the end of the world. It's ace at storytelling as well, but the talking, the arguing, and the immersive and relatable air all smartly say plenty about a movie that recognises from the outset how adaptable people are. Biosphere is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. EGO: THE MICHAEL GUDINSKI STORY Post-viewing soundtrack, sorted: to watch Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story is to take a trip down memory lane with the Australian music industry and hear homegrown standouts from the past five decades along the way. Unsurprisingly, this documentary already has an album to go with it, a stacked release which'd instantly do its eponymous figure proud. His tick of approval wouldn't just stem from the artists surveyed, but because Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story's accompanying tunes comprise a three-disc number like Mushroom Records' first-ever drop, a 1973 Sunbury Festival live LP. To tell the tale of Gudinski, the record executive and promoter who became a household name, is to tell of Skyhooks, Split Enz, Hunters & Collectors, Jimmy Barnes, Paul Kelly, Kylie Minogue, Archie Roach, Yothu Yindi, Bliss n Esso, The Temper Trap, Gordi and Vance Joy, too — and to listen to them. Need this on-screen tribute to give you some kind of sign that the Gudinski and Mushroom story spans a heap of genres? Both the film and the album alike include Peter Andre. Any journey through Michael Gudinski's life and career, from his childhood entrepreneurship selling car parks on his family's vacant lot to his years and years getting Aussie music to the masses — and, on the touring side, bringing massively popular overseas artists to Aussies — needs to also be an ode to the industry that he adored. The man and scene are inseparable. But perhaps Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story plays as such an overt love letter to Australian music because it's an unashamed hagiography of Gudinski. Although the movie doesn't deliver wall-to-wall praise, it comes close. When it begins to hint at any traces of arrogance, moodiness or ruthlessness, it quickly does the doco equivalent of skipping to the next track. Australian Rules and Suburban Mayhem director Paul Goldman, a seasoned hand at music videos as well, has called his feature Ego and there's no doubting his subject had one; however, the takeaway in this highly authorised biography is that anything that doesn't gleam was simply part of his natural mischievousness and eager push for success. Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. DRACULA: VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER In the Bram Stoker vampire novel that's inspired almost all other vampire novels, Dracula is undead. In popular culture since and forever, the fictional Transylvanian bloodsucker will never die. Regardless of his fate on the page back in 1897, the most-portrayed character in horror movies ever keeps baring his fangs on-screen, rising again and again like the sun that this creature of the night can never bask in. 2023 brings two new Dracula films, which isn't overly notable, but this crop of Stoker-influenced flicks doesn't simply retell the usual 126-year-old tale. Leaning into comedy and action, Renfield sunk its teeth in by giving the vampire's long-suffering familiar some love. Now the dread-dripping Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter hones in on one chapter of the book that started it all, detailing the captain's log from the neck-munching fiend's journey to London via ship. Starring for Trollhunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark director André Øvredal: Corey Hawkins (In the Heights) as physician Clemens, Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale) as stowaway Anna and Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones) as Captain Eliot. The former hops onto the latter's ship in Eastern Europe, where a promised job falls through due to his race, forcing a pivot onto the Demeter's crew to return to England. Clemens isn't the only new boarding, with the vessel also welcoming 50 unmarked crates from the Carpathian Mountains. Given that the film is named Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter Down Under — elsewhere, it's known as just The Last Voyage of the Demeter — there's no surprises about what's among the cargo. So, as initially told in Dracula's seventh chapter, in the epistolary format of letters, journals and clippings that Stoker's tome deployed across the entire novel, the key contents of those mysterious wooden chests soon begins offing fellow seafarers. Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. GRAN TURISMO: BASED ON A TRUE STORY Speeding onto screens with instant brand awareness is 2023's big trend. Air, Tetris, The Super Mario Bros Movie, Flamin' Hot and Barbie: they've all been there and done that already. Now it's Gran Turismo's turn, albeit with a film that isn't quite based on the video game of the same name. Directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium, Chappie), and penned by Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard), it also doesn't tell the racing simulator's origin story. Rather, this pedal-to-the-metal flick focuses on the real-life Nissan PlayStation GT Academy initiative from 2008–16, and the tale of British racer Jann Mardenborough specifically. The overall program endeavoured to turn the world's top Gran Turismo players into IRL motorsports drivers — and the Cardiff-raised Mardenborough is one of its big success stories. The ins and outs of GT Academy receives hefty attention in Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story, plus Mardenborough's (Archie Madekwe, Beau Is Afraid) life-changing experience along with it; however, much is also made of a massive marketing push. Here, Nissan executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom, Carnival Row) wants to attract new customers, ideally those leaping from mashing buttons to hitting the road. Accordingly, he conjures up the console-to-racetrack idea to help make that sales boost happen, even if racing veteran Jack Salter (David Harbour, Violent Night) is skeptical when asked to come onboard as a trainer. You don't see it in Gran Turismo the feature, but surely taking the whole situation into cinemas if the underlying concept proved a hit was part of that initial plan as well. Amid the ample product placement anywhere and everywhere that the film can slide it in, that certainty thrums constantly. Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. STRAYS Canines are so beloved in cinema that the Cannes Film Festival even gives them a gong: the Palm Dog, which has been awarded to a performing pooch (sometimes several) annually since 2001. Among the past winners sit pups in Marie Antoinette, Up, The Artist, Paterson, Dogman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — most real, one animated, some anointed posthumously and none scoring their prize for a quest to bite off someone's penis. That genitals-chomping journey belongs to the four-legged stars of Strays alone. They're played by actual animals, with CGI assisting with moving lips and particularly raucous turns, and they're unlikely to win any accolades for this raunchy lost-dog tale. The pooches impress. They're always cute. Also, they're capable of digging up laughs. But Strays is a one-bark idea that's tossed around as repetitively as throwing a tennis ball to your fluffy pal: take a flick about adorable dogs, and talking ones at that, then make it crude and rude. Games of fetch do pop up in Strays, but via a version that no loving pet owner would ever want to play. This one is called "fetch and fuck", with stoner and constant masturbator Doug (Will Forte, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) doing the pitching. He isn't a kindly human companion to Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell, Barbie). He's cruel and resentful — and constantly drives Reggie to various distant spots, sends him running and ditches the pooch. With unwavering affection, plus the naivety to only see the good in his chosen person, Reggie thinks that it's all meant to be fun until he's abandoned in a city hours away. There, he meets Boston terrier Bug (Jamie Foxx, They Cloned Tyrone), Australian shepherd Maggie (Isla Fisher, Wolf Like Me) and great dane Hunter (Randall Park, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania). Realising the truth about his relationship with Doug, he's sent by Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar director Josh Greenbaum and American Vandal creator/writer Dan Perrault on a canines-gone-wild revenge mission with his new dog squad trotting along to help. Strays is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. HAUNTED MANSION There's almost nothing that's bold about Haunted Mansion, but making the Disney family-friendly horror-comedy about moving on from the past is downright audacious. What the film preaches, the company behind it isn't practising — with this specific movie or in general. This flick isn't the first that's based on the Mouse House's The Haunted Mansion theme-park attraction, thanks to a 2003 Eddie Murphy (You People)-starring feature. In 2021, the entertainment behemoth also combined the Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland highlight with The Muppets in streaming special Muppets Haunted Mansion. And, no matter how Haunted Mansion circa 2023 fares at the box office, there's no doubting that the idea will get another spin down the line. Nearly everything Disney does; this is the corporation that keeps remaking its animated hits as live-action pictures (see: The Little Mermaid), revelling in sequels even decades later (see: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), and getting franchises sprawling as films and TV shows alike (see: Marvel and Star Wars). When Dear White People and Bad Hair filmmaker Justin Simien begins his Haunted Mansion, it's with backstory that explains why astrophysicist Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield, Atlanta) is himself so unwilling to embrace the future. He meets Alyssa (Charity Jordan, They Cloned Tyrone), falls in love, then understandably falls apart when he's suddenly a widower — and, once he's consumed by mourning he's committed to staying that way. Then priest and exorcist Father Kent (Owen Wilson, Loki) ropes him into a gig at the movie's central abode, enlisting not just his help but the use of his specially developed camera that photographs dark matter and, ideally, spectres. The gadget was a labour of love for Alyssa, who worked as a ghost tour guide around New Orleans, a job that Ben has swapped science and the lab for after her passing. Now, he needs his invention to assist Gabbie (Rosario Dawson, Ahsoka), a doctor who has just relocated with her son Travis (Chase W Dillon, The Harder They Fall) — while calling in psychic Harriet (Tiffany Haddish, The Afterparty) and college historian Bruce Davis (Danny DeVito, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) to also lend a hand. Haunted Mansion is available to stream via Disney+, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Looking for more at-home viewing options? Take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows — and fast-tracked highlights from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August and September, too. You can also peruse our best new films, new TV shows, returning TV shows and straight-to-streaming movies of 2023 so far
The Brunswick Street Mall has long been one of Brisbane's live music hotspots, with the Fortitude Valley strip boasting plenty of bars and venues, and hosting many a festival as well. It's now home to something even more significant for the local music scene, however: a new 3300-person entertainment hall. First announced back in 2017, the Fortitude Music Hall is the latest venture from ex-Powderfinger bassist John Collins, Secret Sounds' Paul Piticco, Scott Hutchinson and Live Nation — aka the folks behind The Triffid and Splendour in the Grass, plus one of Queensland's construction bigwigs and a huge international entertainment company. Launching last Friday, July 26, the chandelier-filled space is now open for gigs, shows and a jam-packed lineup of live tunes, instantly cementing itself as the inner-city's go-to mid-sized venue. [caption id="attachment_734388" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sam Charlton[/caption] That's a considerable feat, and one that fills a glaring gap. Since Festival Hall was torn down back in 2004 and turned into apartments, Brissie has been lacking a live music space this size in the city's heart. The Tivoli can hold 1500 people and The Triffid has a capacity of 800, but nowhere in the area can cater for 3000-plus. To the dismay of music-loving Brisbanites, that means that some acts simply don't schedule a stop in this fine city of ours when they're touring Australia. The Fortitude Music Hall aims to halt that trend. Designed as an art deco-style entertainment hub that pays tribute to Festival Hall — as well as to other Brissie theatres and venues from times gone by that've all long since shuttered or been demolished — it already has a healthy roster of talent headed to its stage in the coming months. In addition to The Flaming Lips, it'll welcome everyone from Birds of Tokyo, The Jungle Giants and Grinspoon to Two Door Cinema Club between now and the end of the year. [caption id="attachment_734387" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sam Charlton[/caption] Come Thursday, August 1, the site will also launch its venue-within-a-venue, The Outpost. Like the space around it, it nods to Brisbane's past. The name stems from a 70s-era Brissie dive bar, where Collins actually attended his first gig. While this version will be classier, it too will play host to rock shows and other live performances, while pouring whiskey, rum and cocktails by the Proof & Company team. Even better — though it'll open for after-work and pre-dinner tipples — the 300-capacity venue also has a 3am licence. Down the line, the Fortitude Music Hall will add a range of food and beverage retailers to its sprawling space, as well as function facilities, completing the latest stage in the spot's history. Located next door to McWhirters, it was first built as a Coles in 1957, and was most recently known as The Optus Centre. Find the Fortitude Music Hall at 312 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, or visit its website for upcoming gig details. Images: Sam Charlton and Vincent Shaw.
Stripping back the Big Macs, McDonalds is set to reveal its latest campaign in Paris — with no staged food styling in sight. Developed by TBWA Paris as a 'Pictogram' campaign, McDonalds' new billboards see paired down classics like chicken nuggets, fries and Big Macs (which all look undeniably stylin'). One of the world's most easily identifiable brands, McDonalds' minimalist campaign exposes how ingrained their products are in consumer consciousness. Creative director Jean-François Goize, copywriter Frank Marinus, and art director/illustrator Michael Mikiels are capitalising on your nomming muscle memory to fill in the gaps. TBWA London paved the way with this type of advertising campaign with their No Logo strategy for FCUK, with Lego picking up the logo-less brand identification technique for their 2012 ads. Imagination is the key. Business Insider pointed out that "most men, women, and children in the world know the Mickey D's staples like they know their own names." ABC found that kids were learning to identify logos before their alphabet. Check out the campaign below, alongside TBWA's Azealia Banks-fuelled ad, full of highly attractive, youthful 'street artists'. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OFu4cN7Df-8 Via Business Insider.
A magical-realist coming-of-age tale, a clear-eyed family drama, a twisty crime and detective thriller, a time capsule of Brisbane in the 80s: since first hitting the page in 2018, Trent Dalton's Boy Swallows Universe has worn its happy flitting between different genres and tones, and constant seesawing from hope to heartbreak and back again, as confidently as readers have long envisaged Eli Bell's wide grin. That hopping and jumping, that refusal to be just one type of story and stick to a single mood, has always made sense on the page — and in the excellent seven-part Netflix adaptation that now brings Australia's fastest-selling debut novel ever to the screen from Thursday, January 11, it also couldn't feel more perfect. As played by the charmingly talented Felix Cameron (Penguin Bloom), Eli's smile is indeed big. As scripted by screenwriter John Collee (Hotel Mumbai), directed by Bharat Nalluri (The Man Who Invented Christmas) with Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker) and Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket), and with Dalton and Joel Edgerton (The Stranger) among the executive producers, the miniseries version of Boy Swallows Universe embraces its multitudes wholeheartedly. Like style, like substance: a semi-autobiographical novel penned by a writer and journalist who lived variations of plenty that he depicts, learned and accepted early that everyone has flaws, and patently has the imagination of someone who coped with life's hardships as a child by escaping into dreams of an existence more fanciful, Dalton's tome and every iteration that it inspires has to be many things in one bustling package. Its characters are, after all. Seeing people in general, parts of a city usually overlooked, and folks with complicated histories or who've made questionable choices — those forced in particular directions out of financial necessity, too — in more than just one fashion flutters at the centre of Boy Swallows Universe. In the Australian Book Industry Awards' 2019 Book of the Year, Literary Book of the Year and Audio Book of the Year, and now on streaming, Eli's nearest and dearest demand it. So does the enterprising Darra-dwelling 12-year-old boy who knows how to spy the best in those he loves, but remains well-aware of their struggles. His older brother Gus (Lee Tiger Halley, The Heights) hasn't spoken since they were younger, instead drawing messages in the sky with his finger, but is as fiercely protective as elder siblings get. Doting and dedicated mum Frankie (Phoebe Tonkin, Babylon) is a recovering heroin addict with a drug dealer for a partner. And Lyle Orlik (Travis Fimmel, Black Snow), that mullet-wearing stepfather, cares deeply about Eli and Gus — including when Eli convinces him to let him join his deliveries. Slim Halliday (Bryan Brown, Anyone But You), the boys' sometimes babysitter and frequent source of wisdom, endured a lengthy stretch in the infamous Boggo Road Gaol for a murder that he's adamant he didn't commit. He's at peace with doing that time, but he also broke out (and he's based on an IRL person, name and all). Eli and Gus' biological father Robert (Simon Baker, Limbo) is an alcoholic and agoraphobic bookworm more comfortable with novels than people, initially estranged from his sons when Boy Swallows Universe begins, yet devoted to them in his affections. And Eli himself is all precocious charisma and keen curiosity mixed with unflinching nerve, whether being picked on at school, standing up to criminal thugs, breaking into a prison or talking his way into a job. Unsurprisingly, that's a combination that lands him in as many jams as it gets him out of. In all takes so far (the stage in 2021 among them), Boy Swallows Universe follows Eli as Lyle's illicit profession has consequences, Frankie is incarcerated and Robert re-enters his sons' lives. There's a bouncy air to the TV series as it works through its plot, with Eli doing everything that he can to make sure his mum is okay and get to the bottom of a disappearance, as continues when the show jumps forward to find him as a 17-year-old (then played by Totally Completely Fine's Zac Burgess). Again, the approach and atmosphere apes Boy Swallows Universe's protagonist, who can rarely be anywhere fast enough. This is a tale of darkness and violence — of addiction, murder, bullies, trauma, drugs, lopped-off limbs, loss, domestic assault, gang wars, jail, PTSD and fiendish plans — while also a story about working towards the best even in what seems to be the most dire of circumstances. Of course Eli keeps leaping towards brighter possibilities, then being pulled back into the shit (sometimes literally). A simple journey towards better days, this isn't, however. As its irrepressible central figure kicks around his neighbourhood, tags along with Lyle, writes letters to his prison penpal (Briggs, Get Krack!n), goes to school with a wannabe drug lord (Zachary Wan, Never Too Late) and endeavours to befriend The Courier-Mail's young star crime reporter (Sophie Wilde, Talk to Me), there's no shying away from the harsh realities surrounding Eli and almost everyone that he knows. Boy Swallows Universe doesn't revel in despair, though, but commits to seeing things as they are with no judgement — and zero traces of fatalistic certainty that nothing more will ever spring. That type of candour is as rare as spotting the areas of Brisbane that the narrative is set in on-screen. For locals, there's no mistaking that this is the River City, especially when there's no trace of Boggo Road, the Story Bridge or Brisbane City Hall in sight. Even as flying cars, red phones with mysterious voices on the line, eerie predictions and secret lairs factor into the plot, every second looks and feels lived in, turning an ace Brisbane book into an ace Brisbane-shot series. Tenderness and diligence linger in Collee's handling of Dalton's tale, and in Nalluri, Moorhouse and Mordaunt's attentiveness as directors. That said, if their efforts weren't matched by stellar casting, Boy Swallows Universe could've started to unravel the moment that it kicks off with Lyle being dragged away by nefarious heavies. The main adult cast members are superb, specifically in delivering unvarnished explorations of complex characters with a plethora of clashing — and realistic, and relatable — traits. Fimmel conveys Lyle's relentless attempts to take care of his family with both love and wildness in his every move. Tonkin is as resolute as she is adoring, while never sanding away the knocks she keeps taking. Baker turns in his second exceptional performance in the space of the year, and Brown perfects the role of a no-nonsense yet supportive mentor that it instantly seems he was born to play. Boy Swallows Universe's younger stars are equally as impressive. Expressive in their own ways — one in energy and movement, the other via quiet glances — Cameron and Halley know that they're the heart and soul of the show, and more than live up to the task. The former is missed when Eli ages up, but Burgess brings a deep-seated yearning to the part as someone who has spent his years approaching adulthood striving for so much that's constantly out of his grasp, despite still appreciating what he has. As with almost every detail seen and heard, that sense of absence when Eli gets older couldn't be more apt. This account of coping with day-to-day life at its most brutal and most fantastical doesn't only refuse to be just one thing, or stay with just one version of Eli, but wouldn't contemplate giving its audience anything other than the full emotional universe. Check out the full trailer for Boy Swallows Universe below: Boy Swallows Universe streams via Netflix from Thursday, January 11, 2024. Images: courtesy of Netflix © 2023.
The point of difference is right there in the name: at ΩHM (pronounced "ohm") Festival of Other Music, genre-defying, boundary-pushing, cutting-edge and pioneering tunes — and the artists behind them — are in the spotlight. 2025 marks the third year that Brisbane Powerhouse is putting on the fest, following the event's 2023 debut and first return in 2024. To celebrate, expect everyone from King Stingray to The 5.6.7.8's, plus the largest neuro-inclusive silent disco that the River City has ever seen as well. One of the New Farm venue's annual celebrations alongside the Brisbane Comedy Festival and queer cultural festival MELT, ΩHM has a date with Lamington Street across Friday, February 28–Saturday, March 22, 2025. While the program extends across the three-week-plus period, heading along on opening weekend is recommended — that's when Bonny Light Horseman is kicking things off, Camerata — Queensland's Chamber Orchestra wants you to de-stress at its hour-long meditation concert 'Interludes', documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin is gracing the big screen at Dendy Powerhouse Outdoor Cinema and the Sound Space Silent Disco will get you dancing. If those first four events on the bill across ΩHM's initial three days seem like an eclectic mix — folk tunes, music to bliss out too, celebrating an iconic band through film under the stars and making shapes — that's this festival's approach. From there, patrons can catch Toby Wren take to the stage to mark the launch of his seventh album Songs for Dead Sailors, then see Camille O'Sullivan's pay tribute to Shane McGowan and Sinead O'Connor in her new show Loveletter, plus Nigerien rockers Etran de L'Aïr do their best. They might be scheduled for the fest's final weekend, but boasting Tokyo's The 5.6.7.8's — who everyone should remember from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill — and Australia's own King Stingray on the closing lineup sets the stage for quite the ΩHM 2025 finale. This is a program filled with highlights — and the aforementioned Sound Space Silent Disco is one of biggest. It isn't every day that Brisbane Powerhouse's entire Powerhouse Theatre hosts a DJ-soundtracked party that's all about inclusion and accessibility, not only featuring a dance floor but also sensory-friendly activities outside in the venue's foyer. So, while DJ KSMBA, Update Prayer and folks from Brisbane's Quivr will be spinning tunes, attendees can also create music with unconventional objects, help make a community soundscape and take part in sound-free experiences. Ωhm Festival of Other Music 2025 Lineup Bonny Light Horseman Camerata Sound Space Silent Disco Camille O'Sullivan Etran de L'Aïr The 5.6.7.8's King Stingray Toby Wren Becoming Led Zeppelin ΩHM images: Somefx.
In 1999, two new releases posed the same question: what would happen if a member of the mafia went to see a psychiatrist about his many woes? The first, The Sopranos, changed TV forever. Indeed, it's the show that many people instantly think of whenever they see HBO's famed logo sequence on the small screen. And it also ensured the comedy movie with the same premise, aka Analyse This, would always be seen as the lesser of the two projects. Focusing on New Jersey mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), and spanning both his professional and personal lives, The Sopranos is the gangster series that all subsequent gangster series want to be — and the weighty, nuanced, compelling and thoughtful drama that paved the way for everything from Six Feet Under and The Shield to Mad Men. The now-late Gandolfini is an absolute powerhouse in the lead role, imbuing Tony with both volatility and vulnerability, as he's paired perfectly with Edie Falco as his wife Carmela
This article is part of our series on the diverse highlights of NZ's Canterbury region, from city to snow. To book your snow trip, visit the 100% Pure New Zealand website. As someone with little-to-no coordination and balance, the prospect of skiing for the first time in my life was pretty terrifying. I honestly couldn't think of a sport that’s scarier for beginners — and I tried, multiple times — or a situation where I wouldn't be hurtling down a vertical run into a tree and/or small child. That's why I’ve always thought it lucky that, for me and every other Adult Who Can't Ski, snow sports are generally pretty easy to avoid. But with the ski season ramping up — and snow weekends already being floated by my seasoned snow bunny friends — I thought it was time to see if I would sink or swim on snow. With myself as sacrifice, and some words of wisdom from Mt Hutt's media coordinator and resident snowboarder Georgie Boyd, we headed across to one of New Zealand's most renowned ski areas (and, as it turns out, biggest mountains) to find out how to slide down a slope without losing a limb — or your dignity. Don't forget your gloves Preparation is key when it comes to skiing, mostly because it involves a lot of stuff. This is no spontaneous sport. If you don't own any snow clothes and can't borrow any from a similarly sized friend (your boyfriend's oversized pants probably won’t make things any easier, just saying), you should look at hiring proper, waterproof clothing. Mt Hutt hire out snow pants and jackets as well as boots and helmets — all of which you'll probably need as a beginner. What they don't have, though, are gloves and goggles, so make sure you you've got that covered before you get up on the mountain. Freezing fingertips don’t make for fun times. Image thanks to arquera via photopin The things you think are the easiest are actually the hardest Here's the thing: no one tells you that walking in ski boots will feel like your shin is snapping in half (which it isn't, but I still have the bruises to say that it came pretty close). Those things are painful, but they say it gets better. Apparently getting on and off the lift gets less terrifying too, but maybe that comes later. And think you can sling your skis over your shoulder like they do in the movies? Think again, noob. There's a particular trick to carrying your skis out to the snow that involves sliding them together and holding onto one of the brakes, but I'll let the ski staff show you that one. Image thanks to Paxson Woelber via photopin Don't think you don't need a lesson Sure, head up to the top of the slope with your friends and be left side-stepping up the mountain while they pass you as they go up and down the run. It's enough to ruin friendships, so heed this: experienced skiers and beginners don't match. Don't underestimate the power of getting a lesson. "The action of skiing and snowboarding isn't always common sense," says Georgie. "Taking a lesson gets you on the right track straight away and will speed up the zero-to-hero process." Contrary to popular misconception, there are plenty of functioning adults who also don't know how to ski — you'll be in a class with them, not four-year-olds (who can probably ski better than you, anyway). Image thanks to Nick J Webb via photopin It's actually not that scary Only after you've strapped on your skis and are successfully standing on a flat lay of snow will you start to feel like maybe this skiing thing isn't so terrifying. Like Georgie says, the most intimidating part for learners is the fear of going too fast and the chairlifts. Once you've mastered slowing down in a lesson (it doesn't matter how long your lesson is, even an hour or two makes a difference), then you can tackle the chairlift. "There are always lifties at the top of the lift to ensure that everyone is getting off the lift safely,” Georgie says. And to make things even easier, Mt Hutt's beginner’s area even has a conveyor belt 'magic carpet', which is the pre-chairlift training to the real deal. Image thanks to Mt Hutt, NZSki Ltd. and Patrick Fallon. It's all about pizza Not the pizza pie kind (well, maybe it can be afterwards — hell, you will have deserved two pizzas by then), but the pizza slice made by the shape of your skis. That's how you stop. For snowboarders, Georgie recommends digging in your heel-side edge will slow you down and safely control an exit off a ski lift. Best you get that one down before you take off down the slopes. Image thanks to FredrikF via photopin What not to do Whatever you do, don't look down. Even though you'll want to look down and make sure your skis are doing what you want them to, it's important that you look at what’s in front of you. There are a lot of obstacles — they're called people. On the subject of people, don't use them as props. Seriously, you grab someone on the way down and no one will look at you the same again. Image thanks to radloff via photopin Any time's a good time The best thing about being a beginner is that you don’t need a lot of snow to have a good time. While all the pros are complaining about lack of snowfall, you'll have all the snow you need. So basically, any time's a good time to start skiing, so just do it already. Image thanks to laszlo-photo via photopin Remember, there is hot chocolate and/or a good story waiting at the end of it Like this one. Image thanks to PunkJr via photopin. Feature image courtesy of Mt Hutt, NZSki Ltd. and Miles Holden.
While she's been a leader in Australia's creative scene for over a decade, Yasmin Suteja is currently pivoting to a new era of her career. In 2013, the photographer, director, and content creator founded Culture Machine, a creative services and talent agency that focused on collaboration. She worked on Culture Machine alongside the likes of Kath Ebbs, Mimi Elashiry and her brother, Kai Suteja, just as the content creation and influencer era was kicking off. In the years since, Yasmin has become one of Australia's most in-demand creatives, partnering with global brands including adidas, JD Sport, THE ICONIC, Bumble, and many more. [caption id="attachment_84094" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Declan May[/caption] While the photographer and director was seen as a mentor for Culture Machine's talent for years (despite only being in her twenties herself), Yasmin knew it was time to get her hands dirty and be the least experienced person in the room for the first time in a decade. This drive pushed her to cold email Heartbreak High director Gracie Otto "about twenty times" to get onto a film set. "It was an amazing opportunity. I got to see how TV is made, and how a Netflix show happens—how many people are involved, and what the role of a director is in that capacity." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Second Life Markets Australia (@secondlifemarkets) Alongside her experience assisting on Heartbreak High, in 2023, Yasmin's debut documentary, Dying To Succeed, won the 2023 Fresh Cuts initiative at the Australian International Documentary Conference. Moving to Melbourne from Sydney has been another "game-changing" catalyst in her new career chapter. What began as a three-month contract with a production company has resulted in a fresh perspective and new collaborators. "Melbourne's opened me up to the most incredible creatives. Everyone's so excited to volunteer their time to what I'm trying to do. They really believe in me," she says. As a director, fashion naturally weaves into the stories Yasmin is trying to tell. "The medium of fashion means expression to me," says Yasmin. "I think it's the way that I kind of get to find my people in a lot of ways." [caption id="attachment_84096" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Declan May - Galaxy Z Flip7 is featured[/caption] While Yasmin's creative energy is often used to art direct other projects, how does personal style influence her expression? "When it comes to my personal style, [I like] blending being comfortable but also having a statement piece where you feel fashionable and put together." "At the same time," she says, "I need to be able to run around, be on set and do my job." Yasmin's experience in shooting for a multitude of fashion clients means that often her creative inspiration connects back to that world. "Fashion comes into my work and craft because it's predominantly what I shoot. My work is known for being tapped [into] fashion and [having] an appreciation for style." [caption id="attachment_1028569" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Declan May - Galaxy Z Flip7 is featured[/caption] When it comes to her new city, Yasmin credits Melbourne's fashion scene as a big source of inspiration. While searching for more pieces for her photoshoot at the vintage store, Retro Star, Yasmin notes Melbourne's love for unique (and often second-hand) pieces. "Melbourne has inspired me a lot in terms of fashion and style," says Yasmin. "There's a real appreciation for archive designer quality pieces — pieces that have lasted the test of time." As she enters a new era of her creative career, Yasmin also credits the rapid development in technology as something that excites her. "I think [technology] is making way for the next generation." One tool that is helping Yasmin's creativity is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7. Yasming uses the phone to snap inspiration, navigate a new city, and log her favourite fashion stores. The phone is supercharged by Google Gemini, making it even easier to discover, capture and share your style. While it's easy to stay in your lane and stick to what you know, Yasmin proves that the first decade is only just the beginning in a creative career. From moving cities to gaining television director credits and finding new creative collaborators, it seems Yasmin's next chapter is going to be a good one. Explore more at Samsung. Gemini is a trademark of Google LLC. Gemini Live feature requires internet connection and Google Account login. Available on select devices and select countries, languages, and to users 18+. Fees may apply to certain AI features at the end of 2025. Flex Mode supported at angles between 75°and 115°. Some apps may not be supported in Flex Mode. Fees may apply to certain AI features at the end of 2025. Results may vary depending on lighting conditions.
The Coachella lineup has landed. Over the course of two autumnal weekends — April 11-13 and 18-20 — California's music-loving valley will welcome some of the world's most original, inventive and popular acts into the fold. There's a major headliner scheduled for each day — the long-rumoured and at last reunited Outkast on Friday; England's rebellious, alt-rockers Muse on Saturday; and Canada's indie favourites Arcade Fire on Sunday. While Muse just finished up an Aussie tour, Arcade Fire will soon be packing their suncream and surfboards —l they’ll be headlining Big Day Out on January 19. We Antipodeans are getting quite a look-in at Coachella, too. As you might've guessed, New Zealand teenager and singing, songwriting phenomenon Lorde is on the program. She'll be joined by fellow Kiwis The Naked and Famous. Australia has abundant representation in the form of electro duo Empire of the Sun; Sydney rockers The Preatures; multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ Flume; psychedelic specialists Jagwar Ma; dance music trailblazer Anna Lunoe; and indie DJs Flight Facilities. As for the rest of the planet, the list includes The Replacements, Broken Bells, Queens of the Stone Age, The Knife, Pharrell Williams, Beck, Lana del Rey, Motorhead, Skrillex and Sleigh Bells. Tix go on sale this Friday at 10am (California time) at www.coachella.com/festival-passes
Get ready to embark on a tantalising culinary journey that will transport you straight to the sun-kissed shores of the Amalfi Coast — all without leaving Aussie soil. Together with Aperol, we've scoured every corner of this vast land to curate a guide to the bars and restaurants that capture the essence of coastal Italy's gastronomic wonders. From echoing laidback osterias to swanky harbourside bars exuding Riviera-style opulence, our roundup is a tribute to the vibrancy of Italian culture infused with an Australian twist. So, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for an unforgettable expedition. Your table overlooking the azure seas awaits — no boarding pass required.
When April 1 rolls around, it's always best to approach the day's news with a sense of humour, but one of this year's best gags isn't just a joke. For April Fool's Day, Google Maps transformed into a giant online game of Where's Waldo? — and it's available to play all week. After the company's Mario Kart caper a few weeks back, and their Pac-Man April Fool's Day update a few years back as well, it's now another iconic character's turn to roam through Maps. As anyone who has leafed through the books will know — aka everyone — good ol' red-and-white jumper-wearing Waldo likes to hide in plain sight, which means that it's up to you to find him. https://twitter.com/googlemaps/status/980203086512869376 Anyone keen to play along simply needs to update their Maps app or visit the desktop version, where Waldo is waiting to be spotted. You'll first find him waving to you from the side of the screen, and then you'll work your way through the game's five levels to find him in various places around the world. If that's not enough addictive fun, you can also try to locate his friends Wenda, Woof, Wizard Whitebeard and Odlaw. Chilean snowfields, the beach at Australia's own Surfers Paradise and South Korea's Olympic Stadium are just a few of the stops on Waldo's world tour. And yes, even when he's in countries other than the US and Canada, the game still refers to him as Waldo, rather than Wally. It'll always be Where's Wally? to us, though. Via Google Maps.
With its first season, Yellowjackets instantly became one of 2021's best new series. Its second season is due in March, which already makes it one of the most-anticipated shows of 2023. Expect that excitement to continue in 2024 or beyond as well, with the hit thriller about the fallout from plane crash just locked in for a third season. While it couldn't be a more perfect theme tune to play over the show's opening credits, Craig Wedren and Anna Waronker's 90s-esque track 'No Return' doesn't apply to Yellowjackets' fate on our screens, clearly. US cable network Showtime has already renewed the series ahead of its season-two premiere — three months ahead, in fact, with the show's second batch of episodes due late March (streaming from Friday, March 24, 2023 via Paramount+ in Australia and Neon in New Zealand). The woods have a way of calling you back. #Yellowjackets is renewed for Season 3. pic.twitter.com/7e3LPzlBle — Yellowjackets on SHOWTIME (@yellowjackets96) December 15, 2022 If you're new to Yellowjackets, it's filled with eeriness, chills, 90s threads and survival skills, as a series about a New Jersey high school's girls soccer team after they crash in the forest and possibly turn to cannibalism should be. The show deepens its mysteries across two timelines: that tragedy and its immediate aftermath, and the ripples still being felt 25 years later. Not everyone seen in the former makes it to the latter, as the first season made plain. In their high-school prime, Shauna (Don't Look Up's Melanie Lynskey as an adult, and also The Kid Detective's Sophie Nélisse as a teenager), Natalie (Welcome to Chippendales' Juliette Lewis, plus The Book of Boba Fett's Sophie Thatcher) and Taissa (Billions' Tawny Cypress, and also Scream's Jasmin Savoy Brown) were key players on the titular high-achieving squad, while Misty (Wednesday's Christina Ricci, as well as Shameless' Samantha Hanratty) was the squad's frequently bullied student manager. Then, en route to a big match in Seattle on a private plane in 1996, they entered Lost territory. That accident saw everyone who walked away from the accident stranded in the wilderness — and those who then made it through that ordeal stuck out there for 19 months, living their worst Alive-meets-Lord of the Flies lives. Season two will pick up after plenty of chaos in both timeframes, and with new faces among the cast. Introducing more of the team in their adult guise is very much on the agenda, including Simone Kessell (Muru) playing the older Lottie and Lauren Ambrose (Servant) as the older Van. In their younger years, both characters are played by Australian actors, with Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Lottie and and Liv Hewson (Santa Clarita Diet) as Van. Also joining the show: Elijah Wood, who is no stranger to leafy surroundings thanks to his time in the Lord of the Rings franchise. He'll play Walter, a citizen detective who is set to challenge Misty — the adult version, presumably. It's obviously too early for a sneak peek at season three, but you can check out Yellowjackets' first teaser for season two below: Season three of Yellowjackets doesn't yet have a release date. Season two will start streaming from Friday, March 24, 2023 via Paramount+ in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Read our review of season one.
The heritage-listed sandstone building on the corner of George and Elizabeth streets is home to two standout places to eat, drink and hang out — a luxe underground bar called the Boom Boom Room and the fantastic Chinese restaurant Donna Chang. Donna Chang is spread across both the ground floor and the mezzanine level and it fills its open space with pink, green and neutral-toned furniture, while the talented kitchen crew, led by Executive Chef Jake Nicolson and Head Chef Lyndon Tyers, endeavour to fill your stomach. Their focus: Chinese dishes with elevated Sichuan and Cantonese flavours and influences, as they aim for that highly sought-after blend of the old and the new. As you're picking from the menu, you can stare at the live grouper and shellfish tank — and yes, you can order fish, crab and crayfish fresh out of the tanks if you're in the mood for some particular fresh seafood. Other options from the menu range from xiao long bao and Moreton Bay bug dumplings, to whole roast barramundi steamed with fermented chilli, lobster rolls and char sui pork. The list goes on for both lunch and dinner, as does the wine selection. To make it a little easier, try either the $90 or $120 banquets which are feature a greatest hits lineup of the restaurant's most popular dishes. Donna Chang is yet another venture from the Ghanem Group, the folks behind Blackbird, The Valley's high-end rotisserie and grill Bisou Bisou and Byblos Bar & Restaurant. Appears in: The Best Restaurants in Brisbane
Got a greasy pizza box that you can't recycle? Hold on to it, as you'll soon have a chance to put it to good use. That's because Pizza Hut is hosting its first-ever nationwide free pizza exchange, taking over stores across the country from 4–7pm on Friday, November 21, and celebrating the launch of their garlic and cheddar golden stuffed crust. Representing the latest evolution in Pizza Hut's ever-popular crust upgrade, this brand-new offering features a generous blend of cheddar cheese combined with signature hot dust garlic seasoning. Making for a golden, crispy finish that adds a whole new element to your slice, expect serious cheese pulls with every bite. With the prospect of free pizza almost impossible to resist, this fun-loving exchange will be up and running in four states. In NSW, head to Pizza Hut Surry Hills and Pizza Hut Waterloo, whereas QLD fans can visit Pizza Hut Forest Lake and Pizza Hut Runaway Bay. Meanwhile, Victorians can visit Pizza Hut South Melbourne, as those in WA are invited to complete the swap at Pizza Hut Morley. "Pizza Hut has always been about fun, flavour and innovation, and we wanted to give Aussies a reason to fall back in love with our crusts," says Pizza Hut Australia's Chief Marketing Officer, Wendy Leung. "The new Golden Stuffed Crust delivers on all three." If you decide to swing by your nearest exchange, the equation is simple. Just hand over a pizza box from any rival brand and walk out with a steaming hot Pizza Hut Golden Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza. Why a rival? Well, the idea is that Pizza Hut is the only place to get the real deal when it comes to stuffed crust pizza that never misses the mark. Says Leung: "The Get Stuffed Free Pizza Exchange brings that spirit to life by giving people the chance to trade in their pizza frustrations for something they'll actually love." The Pizza Hut Get Stuffed Free Pizza Exchange is happening at various store locations around Australia from 4–7pm on Friday, November 21. Head to the website for more information. Images: supplied
Australia's got plenty of top-notch bubble tea spots. Now your home is about to be one of them. Boba Barista's new DIY boba kits let you get the authentic bubble tea experience at your place and the only parts you need to supply are hot water, ice and a large boba-worthy drinking vessel. Boba Barista's kits come with milk or fruit tea depending on what kind of boba enthusiast you are. Each kit includes teabags of your choice, flavoured syrup and fructose. Add some toppings to your cart and you're ready to go. All of Boba Barista's bubble tea ingredients are sourced from Taiwan and provide your pick of 15 flavours including brown sugar, matcha, taro and jasmine milk teas, or mango, peach, passionfruit and grape fruit teas. When it comes to toppings, you can pick from all your usual in-store favourites like tapioca, lychee and mango pearls, or coconut, mango or grape jelly. If you're after a true bubble tea experience, you can also buy tea cups, tea shaker sets and bamboo straws so it feels like you've just picked up your drink from your local Gong Cha. The need-to-know details: Boba Barista offers free shipping across Australia on all orders over $69 and free shipping to New Zealand for orders over $149. Bubble tea kits start at just $19.95 per kit and can cost as little as $1.60 per drink. Boba Barista is offering a special discount right now, with $10 off your first offer if you use the code LOCKDOWN10. You can browse its full range at the website. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
These days Twitter is known as two things: a medium on which to stalk Katy Perry and Justin Bieber, and a platform for #QandA Twitterati to descend into madness. With all the white noise out there it's easy to forget its true function — Twitter is a place for discussion. Thankfully this is a notion not lost on those fine folks at The Wheeler Centre. In their most recent project #discuss they're dragging Twitter philosophy into the real world, printing it on our city walls and starting important conversations nationwide. Thankfully it goes a lot deeper than catty #QandA tweets about Christopher Pyne's lizard face. The week-long project — which comes to an end tomorrow — has been launched in an effort to reignite a quality public discussion. From June 2, participants on Twitter were urged to put forward opinions or interesting thoughts on whatever topic they please. Paired with the hashtag #discuss, the initial thought was then open for exploration, disagreement, or extrapolation from the wider Twitter community. The best ten thoughts from each day have been printed on plaques and placed in fitting locations around Melbourne's CBD and inner suburbs. Right now Estelle Tang's culturally-weighted declaration that "Australians don't know how lucky they really are" lies knowingly outside Crown Casino. In what must be another blow for employees at The Age, a bleak assertion from writer Clementine Ford is currently plastered right out front of their city offices: "The old guard can fight as much as they like, but they can't stop the youth from one day taking over." Within a week of opening, Chris Lucas' latest venture Kong has already been hit with some Twitter truth: "Thanks to social media, place-dropping has become worse than name-dropping." It's a powerful concept, and one which gives abstract notions or debates an all-important physical weight. Arguments about boat people are no longer throwaway comments in cyberspace; they're staring you in the face on your way past the Immigration Department. An unsettling philosophical statement gives you some mind fodder on your way into Coles. Once again, this valued cultural institution is proving its intellectual importance. Disagree? Discuss! The project ends Sunday, June 8 so there's still a chance to get your words plastered on a city street. Even if you miss the deadline, don't worry, the discussion never really stops. @waouwwaouw at Crown Casino, Southbank. @clementine_ford at The Age offices on Spencer Street. @mattfitzy at Chris Lucas' new restaurant Kong on Church Street, Richmond. @uptosquat at Hosier Lane. @SophieMcAulay at Hungry Jacks on Russell Street. @MIFFofficial at The Classic Cinema in Elsternwick. @hamlwat at the Immigration Department. @Melbfoodandwine at Cumulus Inc. @tesslawley at Coles Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn. @AsherTreleaven at The Melbourne Club. Lead photo: @elissebaitz at Northside Records. All photos via The Wheeler Centre.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue in April. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL NOW DEAD RINGERS Twin gynaecologists at the top of their game. Blood-red costuming and bodily fluids. The kind of perturbing mood that seeing flesh as a source of horror does and must bring. A stunning eye for stylish yet unsettling imagery. Utterly impeccable lead casting. When 1988's Dead Ringers hit cinemas, it was with this exact combination, all in the hands of David Cronenberg following Shivers, The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome and The Fly. He took inspiration from real-life siblings Stewart and Cyril Marcus, whose existence was fictionalised in 1977 novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, and turned it into something spectacularly haunting. Attempting to stitch together those parts again, this time without the Crimes of the Future filmmaker at the helm — and as a miniseries, too — on paper seems as wild a feat as some of modern medicine's biggest advancements. This time starring a phenomenal Rachel Weisz as both Beverly and Elliot Mantle, and birthed by Lady Macbeth and The Wonder screenwriter Alice Birch, Dead Ringers 2.0 is indeed an achievement. It's also another masterpiece. Playing the gender-swapped roles that Jeremy Irons (House of Gucci) inhabited so commandingly 35 years back, Weisz (Black Widow) is quiet, calm, dutiful, sensible and yearning as Beverly, then volatile, outspoken, blunt, reckless and rebellious as Elliot. Her performance as each is that distinct — that fleshed-out as well — that it leaves viewers thinking they're seeing double. Of course, technical trickery is also behind the duplicate portrayals, with directors Sean Durkin (The Nest), Karena Evans (Snowfall), Lauren Wolkstein (The Strange Ones) and Karyn Kusama's (Destroyer) behind the show's lens; however, Weisz is devastatingly convincing. Beverly is also the patient-facing doctor of the two, helping usher women into motherhood, while Elliot prefers tinkering in a state-of-the-art lab trying to push the boundaries of fertility. Still, the pair are forever together or, with unwitting patients and dates alike, swapping places and pretending to be each other. Most folks in their company don't know what hit them, which includes actor Genevieve (Britne Oldford, The Umbrella Academy), who segues from a patient to Beverly's girlfriend — and big-pharma billionaire Rebecca (Jennifer Ehle, She Said), who Dead Ringers' weird sisters court to fund their dream birthing centre. Dead Ringers streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. AUNTY DONNA'S COFFEE CAFE If comedy is all about timing, then Aunty Donna have it — not just onstage. In 2020, Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun was the hysterical sketch-comedy series that the world needed, with the six-episode show satirising sharehouse living dropping at the ideal moment. While the Australian jokesters' Netflix hit wasn't just hilarious because it arrived when everyone had been spending more time than anyone dreamed at home thanks to the early days of the pandemic, the ridiculousness it found in domesticity was as inspired as it was sidesplittingly absurd. Three years later, heading out is well and truly back, as are Aunty Donna on-screen. Their target in Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe: cafe culture, with Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane returning to make fun of one of the simplest reasons to go out that there is. Grabbing a cuppa is such an ordinary and everyday task, so much so that it was taken for granted until it was no longer an easy part of our routines. Unsurprisingly, now that caffeine fixes are back and brewing, Aunty Donna finds much to parody. With fellow group members Sam Lingham (a co-writer here), Max Miller (the show's director) and Tom Zahariou (its composer), Aunty Donna's well-known trio of faces set their new six-parter in the most obvious place they can: a Melbourne cafe called 'Morning Brown'. The track itself doesn't get a spin, however, with the show's central piece of naming is its most expected move. As demonstrated in episodes that turn the cafe into a courtroom, ponder whether Broden might still be a child and riff on Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt's 1967 disappearance, nothing else about Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe earns that description. Pinballing in any and every direction possible has always been one of the Aussie comedy troupe's biggest talents, with their latest series deeply steeped — riotously, eclectically and entertainingly, too — in that approach. Think: Richard Roxburgh (Elvis) playing Rake, even though that's not his Rake character's name; Looking for Alibrandi's Pia Miranda making tomato day jokes;. stanning Gardening Australia and skewering unreliable streaming services, complete with jokes at ABC iView's expense; and relentlessly giggling at the hospitality industry again and again. Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe streams via ABC iView. Read our full review. RYE LANE When Dom (David Jonsson, Industry) and Yas (Vivian Oparah, Then You Run) are asked how they met, they tell a tale about a karaoke performance getting an entire bar cheering. Gia (Karene Peter, Emmerdale Farm), Dom's ex, is both shocked and envious, even though she cheated on him with his primary-school best friend Eric (Benjamin Sarpong-Broni, The Secret). It's the kind of story a movie couple would love to spin — the type that tends to only happen in the movies, too. But even for Rye Lane's fictional characters, it's a piece of pure imagination. Instead, the pair meet in South London, in the toilet at an art show. He's crying in a stall, they chat awkwardly through the gender-neutral space's wall, then get introduced properly outside. It's clumsy, but they keep the conversation going even when they leave the exhibition, then find themselves doing the good ol' fashioned rom-com walk and talk, then slide in for that dinner rendezvous with the flabbergasted Gia. It's easy to think of on-screen romances gone by during British filmmaker Raine Allen-Miller's feature debut — working with a script from Bloods duo Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia — which this charming Sundance-premiering flick overtly wants viewers to. There's a helluva sight gag about Love Actually, as well as a cameo to match, and the whole meandering-and-nattering setup helped make Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight an iconic trilogy. That said, as Rye Lane spends time with shy accountant Dom, who has barely left his parents' house since the breakup, and the outgoing costume designer Yas, who has her own recent relationship troubles casting a shadow, it isn't propelled by nods and winks. Rather, it's smart and savvy in a Starstruck way about paying tribute to what's come before while wandering down its own path. The lead casting is dynamic, with Jonsson and Oparah making a duo that audiences could spend hours with, and Allen-Miller's eye as a director is playful, lively, loving and probing. Rom-coms are always about watching people fall for each other, but this one plunges viewers into its swooning couple's mindset with every visual and sensory touch it can. Rye Lane streams via Disney+. BEEF As plenty does (see also: Rye Lane above), Beef starts with two strangers meeting, but there's absolutely nothing cute about it. Sparks don't fly and hearts don't flutter; instead, this pair grinds each other's gears. In a case of deep and passionate hate at first sight, Danny Cho (Steven Yeun, Nope) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong, Paper Girls) give their respective vehicles' gearboxes a workout, in fact, after he begins to pull out of a hardware store carpark, she honks behind him, and lewd hand signals and terse words are exchanged. Food is thrown, streets are angrily raced down, gardens are ruined, accidents are barely avoided, and the name of Vin Diesel's famous car franchise springs to mind, aptly describing how bitterly these two strangers feel about each other — and how quickly. Created by Lee Sung Jin, who has It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Dave and Silicon Valley on his resume before this ten-part Netflix and A24 collaboration, Beef also commences with a simple, indisputable and deeply relatable fact. Whether you're a struggling contractor hardly making ends meet, as he is, or a store-owning entrepreneur trying to secure a big deal, as she is — or, if you're both, neither or anywhere in-between — pettiness reigning supreme is basic human nature. Danny could've just let Amy beep as much as she liked, then waved, apologised and driven away. Amy could've been more courteous about sounding her horn, and afterwards. But each feels immediately slighted by the other, isn't willing to stand for such an indignity and becomes consumed by their trivial spat. Neither takes the high road, not once — and if you've ever gotten irrationally irate about a minor incident, this new standout understands. Episode by episode, it sees that annoyance fester and exasperation grow, too. Beef spends its run with two people who can't let go of their instant rage, keep trying to get the other back, get even more incensed in response, and just add more fuel to the fire again and again until their whole existence is a blaze of revenge. If you've ever taken a small thing and blown it wildly out of proportion, Beef is also on the same wavelength. And if any of the above has ever made you question your entire life — or just the daily grind of endeavouring to get by, having everything go wrong, feeling unappreciated and constantly working — Beef might just feel like it was made for you. Beef streams via Netflix. Read our full review. TOTALLY COMPLETELY FINE In Thomasin McKenzie's breakout role in 2018's deeply thoughtful and moving Leave No Trace, she played a teen being the responsible one while living off the grid with her PTSD-afflicted father. She turned in a magnificent performance in a film that also earns the same description — one of that year's best — and a portrayal that rightly ensured that more work came her way. In Totally Completely Fine, the New Zealand actor is again excellent, as she's been in Jojo Rabbit, The Justice of Bunny King, Old and Last Night in Soho in-between; however, this six-part Australian series, which makes ample use of its Sydney setting, casts McKenzie as the least responsible among her siblings. Vivian Cunningham's elder brothers John (Rowan Witt, Spreadsheet) and Hendrix (Brandon McClelland, Significant Others) are conscientious and family-focused, respectively, while she has internalised her bad decisions to the point of thinking that she ruins everything. But then her grandfather passes away when she's at a particularly low moment, wills only her his cliffside house and also leaves a note saying that she'll learn what to do with it. When Totally Completely Fine begins, Vivian is close to saying goodbye. Soon, she discovers that her inherited home is a destination for others feeling the same way. Creator Gretel Vella (a staff writer on The Great, and also a scribe on Christmas Ransom and Class of '07) doesn't shy away from a a tricky topic, as her definitely-not-totally-completely-fine protagonist becomes an unofficial counsellor to strangers — like runaway bride Amy (Contessa Treffone, Wellmania) — who step into her yard planning to commit suicide. This character-driven series doesn't ever reductively posit that only struggling people can help struggling people. Instead, it sees life's difficulties everywhere, the many ways that folks attempt to cope and don't, and the parts that others can have in that journey. McKenzie's performance is pivotal, selling the deep-seated grief that has defined Vivian's life, the chaos she's embraced as an escape, and how telling others that they have something to live for is both complicated and crucial. Totally Completely Fine streams via Stan. HUNGER Let's call it the reality TV effect: after years of culinary contests carving up prime-time television, the savage on-screen steps into the food world just keep bubbling. The Bear turned the hospitality industry into not just a tension-dripping dramedy, but one of 2022's best new shows. In cinemas, British pressure-cooker Boiling Point and the sleek and sublimely cast The Menu have tasted from the same intense plate. Now Hunger sits down at the table, giving viewers another thriller of a meal — this time focusing on a Thai noodle cook who wants to be special. When Aoy's (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, One for the Road) street-food dishes based on her Nanna's recipes get the attention of fellow chef Tone (Gunn Svasti Na Ayudhya, Tootsies & the Fake), he tells her that she needs to be plying her talents elsewhere. In fact, he works for Chef Paul (Nopachai Jayanama, Hurts Like Hell), who specialises in the type of fine-dining dishes that only the wealthiest of the wealthy can afford, and is as exacting and demanding as the most monstrous kitchen genius that fiction has ever dreamed up. There's more to making it in the restaurant trade than money, acclaim and status, just like there's more to life as well. As told with slickness and pace, even while clocking in at almost two-and-a-half hours, that's the lesson that director Sitisiri Mongkolsiri (Folklore) and screenwriter Kongdej Jaturanrasamee (Faces of Anne) serve Aoy. She's tempted by the glitz and recognition, and being steeped in a world far different from her own; however, all that gleams isn't always palatable. Plot-wise, Hunger uses familiar ingredients, but always ensures that they taste like their own dish — in no small part thanks to the excellent casting of Chuengcharoensukying as the film's conflicted but determined lead. A model also known as Aokbab, she proved a revelation in 2017's cheating heist thriller Bad Genius, and she's just as compelling here. The two movies would make a high-stakes pair for more than just their shared star, both sinking their teeth into class commentary as well. Yes, like The Menu before it, Hunger is also an eat-the-rich flick, and loves biting into social inequity as hard as it can. Hunger streams via Netflix. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK BARRY Since HBO first introduced the world to Barry Berkman, the contract killer played and co-created by Saturday Night Live great Bill Hader has wanted to be something other than a gun for hire. An ex-military sniper, he's always been skilled at his highly illicit post-service line of work; however, moving on from that past was a bubbling dream even before he found his way to a Los Angeles acting class while on a job. Barry laid bare its namesake's biggest wish in its 2018 premiere episode. Then, it kept unpacking his pursuit of a life less lethal across the show's Emmy-winning first and second seasons, plus its even-more-astounding third season in 2022. Season four, the series' final outing, is no anomaly, but it also realises that wanting to be someone different and genuinely overcoming your worst impulses aren't the same. Barry has been grappling with this fact since the beginning, of course, with the grim truth beating at the show's heart whether it's at its most darkly comedic, action-packed or dramatic — and, given that its namesake is surrounded by people who similarly yearn for an alternative to their current lot in life, yet also can't shake their most damaging behaviour, it's been doing so beyond its antihero protagonist. Are Barry, his girlfriend Sally Reid (Sarah Goldberg, The Night House), acting teacher Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler, Black Adam), handler Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root, Succession) and Chechen gangster NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan, Bill & Ted Face the Music) all that different from who they were when Barry started? Have they processed their troubles? Have they stopped taking out their struggles not just on themselves, but on those around them? Hader and his fellow Barry co-creator Alec Berg (Silicon Valley, Curb Your Enthusiasm) keep asking those questions in season four to marvellous results. Barry being Barry, posing such queries and seeing its central figures for who they are is an ambitious, thrilling and risk-taking ride. When season three ended, it was with Barry behind bars, which is where he is when the show's new go-around kicks off. He isn't coping, unsurprisingly, hallucinating Sally running lines in the prison yard and rejecting a guard's attempt to tell him that he's not a bad person. With the latter, there's a moment of clarity about what he's done and who he is, but Barry's key players have rarely been that honest with themselves for long. Barry streams via Binge. Read our full review. LOVE & DEATH In the late 70s, when Texas housewife, mother of two and popular church choir singer Candy Montgomery had an affair with fellow congregation member Allan Gore, commenting about her being a scarlet woman only had one meaning. If anyone other than Elizabeth Olsen was stepping into her shoes in true-crime miniseries Love & Death, it would've remained that way, too; indeed, Jessica Biel just gave the IRL figure an on-screen portrayal in 2022 series Candy. Of course, Olsen is widely known for playing the Wanda Maximoff aka the Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as seen in WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness most recently. So, mention 'scarlet' in a line of dialogue around her, and it calls attention to how far she is away from casting spells and breaking out superhero skills. And she is, given that Montgomery keeps fascinating Hollywood (see also: 1990 TV movie A Killing in a Small Town) due to the fact that she was accused, arrested and put on trial for being an axe murderer. The victim: Betty Gore, Allan's wife, who was struck with the blade 41 times. It's with pluck and perkiness that Olsen brings Candy to the screen again, initially painting the picture of a perfect suburban wife and mum. She keeps exuding those traits when Candy decides that she'd quite fancy an extra-marital liaison with Allan (Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog) — slowly winning him over, but setting ground rules in the hope that her husband Pat (Patrick Fugit, Babylon) won't get hurt, nor Betty (Lily Rabe, Shrinking) as well. For viewers that don't know the outcome when first sitting down to the seven-episode series, that bloody end is referenced in the first instalment. With restraint, sensitivity and a suitably complicated lead performance, Love & Death then leads up to it amid local scandals over a beloved pastor (Elizabeth Marvel, Mrs Davis) leaving and being replaced (by Keir Gilchrist, Atypical). It also explores the legal proceedings that follow (with She Said's Tom Pelphrey as Candy's lawyer). Olsen is terrific whether she's in bubbly, dutiful, calculating or unsettling mode, and the show itself slides in convincingly alongside writer/producer David E Kelley's recent slate of twisty tales with Big Little Lies, The Undoing and Nine Perfect Strangers (Nicole Kidman is also an executive producer). Love & Death streams via Binge. Read our full review. THE BIG DOOR PRIZE Sometimes Apple TV+ dives into real-life crimes, as miniseries Black Bird did. Sometimes it mines the whodunnit setup for laughs, which The Afterparty winningly achieved. The family feuds of Bad Sisters, Servant's domestic horrors, Hello Tomorrow!'s retrofuturistic dream, the titular take on work-life balance in Severance — they've all presented streaming audiences with puzzles, too, because this platform's original programming loves a mystery. So, of course The Big Door Prize, the service's new dramedy, is all about asking questions from the outset. Here, no one is wondering who killed who, why a baby has been resurrected or if a situation that sounds too good to be true unsurprisingly is. Rather, in a premise isn't merely a metaphor for existential musings, they're pondering a magical machine and what it tells them about themselves. Everyone in The Big Door Prize does go down the "what does it all mean?" rabbit hole, naturally, but trying to work out why the Morpho has popped up in the small town of Deerfield, where it came from, whether it can be trusted, and if it's just a bit of fun or a modern-day clairvoyant game are pressing concerns. When the machine arrives, it literally informs residents of their true potential. Crowds flock, but not everyone is initially fascinated with the mysterious gadget. Turning 40, and marking the occasion with that many gifts from his wife Cass (Gabrielle Dennis, A Black Lady Sketch Show) and teenage daughter Trina (Djouliet Amara, Devil in Ohio), high-school history teacher Dusty Hubbard (Chris O'Dowd, Slumberland) is nonplussed. Amid riding his new scooter and wondering why he's been given a theremin, he's baffled by all the talk about the Morpho, the new reason to head to Mr Johnson's (Patrick Kerr, Search Party) store. As school principal Pat (Cocoa Brown, Never Have I Ever) embraces her inner biker because the machine said so, and charisma-dripping restaurateur Giorgio (Josh Segarra, Scream VI) revels in being told he's a superstar, Dusty claims he's happy not joining in — until he does. The Big Door Prize streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. MRS DAVIS It was back in March 2022 that the world first learned of Mrs Davis, who would star in it and which creatives were behind it. Apart from its central faith-versus-technology battle, the show's concept was kept under wraps, but the series itself was announced to the world. The key involvement of three-time GLOW Emmy-nominee Betty Gilpin, Lost and The Leftovers creator Damon Lindelof, and The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon writer and executive producer Tara Hernandez was championed, plus the fact that Black Mirror: San Junipero director Owen Harris would helm multiple episodes. Accordingly, although no one knew exactly what it was about, Mrs Davis existed months before ChatGPT was released — but this puzzle-box drama, which is equally a sci-fi thriller, zany comedy and action-adventure odyssey, now follows the artificial intelligence-driven chatbot in reaching audiences. Indeed, don't even bother trying not to think about the similarities as you're viewing this delightfully wild and gleefully ridiculous series. There's also no point dismissing any musings that slip into your head about social media, ever-present tech, digital surveillance and the many ways that algorithms dictate our lives, either. Mrs Davis accepts that such innovations are a mere fact of life in 2023, then imagines what might happen if AI promised to solve the worlds ills and make everyone's existence better and happier. It explores how users could go a-flocking, eager to obey every instruction and even sacrifice themselves to the cause. In other words, it's about ChatGPT-like technology starting a religion in everything but name. To tell that tale, it's also about nun Simone (Gilpin, Gaslit), who was raised by magicians (Love & Death's Elizabeth Marvel and Scream's David Arquette), and enjoys sabbaticals from her convent to do whatever is necessary to bring down folks who practise her parents' vocation and the show's titular technology. She also enjoys quite the literal nuptials to Jesus Christ, is divinely bestowed names to chase in her quest and has an ex-boyfriend, Wiley (Jake McDorman, Dopesick), who's a former bullrider-turned-Fight Club-style resistance leader. And, she's tasked with a mission by the algorithm itself: hunting down the Holy Grail. Mrs Davis screens in Australia via Binge. Read our full review. RECENT MOVIES FROM THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT YOU NEED TO CATCH UP WITH EMA Every project by Chilean director Pablo Larraín is always cause for excitement, and Ema, his drama about a reggaeton dancer's crumbling marriage, personal and professional curiosities, and determined quest to be a mother, rewards that enthusiasm spectacularly. It's a stunning piece of cinema, and one that stands out even among his impressive resume. He's the filmmaker behind stirring political drama No, exacting religious interrogation The Club, poetic biopic Neruda, and the astonishing Jackie and Spencer — with Natalie Portman earning an Oscar nomination for the former, and Kristen Stewart for the latter — so that's no minor feat. For the first time in his career, Larraín peers at life in his homeland today, rather than in the past. And, with his six-time cinematographer Sergio Armstrong (Tony Manero, Post Mortem), he gazes intently. Faces and bodies fill Ema's frames, a comment that's true of most movies; however, in both the probing patience it directs its protagonist's way and the fluidity of its dance sequences, this feature equally stares and surveys. Here, Larraín hones in on the dancer (Mariana Di Girólamo, La Verónica) who gives the feature its name. After adopting a child with her choreographer partner Gastón (Gael García Bernal, Werewolf by Night), something other than domestic bliss has followed. Following a traumatic incident, and the just as stressful decision to relinquish their boy back to the state's custody, Ema is not only trying but struggling to cope in the aftermath. This isn't a situation she's simply willing to accept, though. Ema, the movie, is many things — and, most potently, it's a portrait of a woman who is willing to make whatever move she needs to, both on the dance floor and in life, to rally against an unforgiving world, grasp her idea of freedom and seize exactly what she wants. Di Girólamo is magnetic, whether she's dancing against a vivid backdrop, staring pensively at the camera or being soaked in neon light, while Larraín's skill as both a visual- and emotion-driven filmmaker is never in doubt. Ema streams via SBS On Demand. Read our full review. SHE DIES TOMORROW When She Dies Tomorrow splashes Kate Lyn Sheil's face across the screen, then bathes it in neon flashes of pink, blue, red and purple, it isn't easily forgotten. It's a vivid, visceral, even psychedelic sight, which filmmaker Amy Seimetz lingers on, forcing her audience to do the same as well. Viewers aren't just soaking in trippy lights and colours, though. They're staring at the expression beneath the multi-hued glow, which seethes with harrowing levels of shock, fright, distress and anxiety. That's understandable; this is the look of someone who has just had the most unnerving realisation there is: that she is going to die tomorrow. In her second stint directing a feature after 2012's Sun Don't Shine, Pet Sematary, Lean on Pete and Alien: Covenant actor Seimetz serves up a straightforward concept that's all there in the title. Her protagonist — who is also called Amy (Swarm's Sheil) — believes that her life will end the next day, plain and simple. But it's how the on-screen Amy copes with the apocalyptic news, and how it also spreads virally from person to person, that fuels the movie. Initially, she responds by searching for urns, researching how leather jackets are made and roaming aimlessly around the new home she has recently purchased, and by brushing off her worried but sceptical friend Jane (Hacks' Jane Adams). If Amy is merely being paranoid, that persecution-driven delusion soon proves contagious, with the feature's cast also including Katie Aselton (Bombshell), Chris Messina (Air), Josh Lucas (Yellowstone), Tunde Adebimpe (Marriage Story) and Jennifer Kim (Dr Death). Among of the joys of She Dies Tomorrow is that it's never one for obvious or easy answers, or for explaining any more than it needs to. Indeed, how it morphs from exploring one woman's fears to cataloguing a shared nightmare that spreads like a pandemic is best discovered by watching; however, Seimetz crafts a gloriously smart and unsettling thriller that toys with surreal Lynchian moments yet always feels disarmingly astute. The film was made prior to COVID-19, so it pre-dates our coronavirus-afflicted world — but, as it ponders humanity's reaction to life-shattering news both on an individual and collective basis, the way that panic and doubt spreads oh-so-quickly, and how one idea can soon overtake entire communities, it's hard not to think of the real-life parallels. She Dies Tomorrow streams via Stan from Saturday, April 29. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2022 — plus January, February and March 2023. You can also check out our list of standout must-stream 2022 shows as well — and our best 15 new shows of last year, top 15 returning shows over the same period, 15 shows you might've missed and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies of 2022.
3D printing technology is a lot to get your head around, especially in regards to the science fiction-esque breakthroughs of the medical world. But in regards to improving your herb garden, 3D printing can lend a hand here as well. Like a family tree for plants, the new 3D Printed Aqueduct Planters have a built in trickle down irrigation system so you only need to soak the top plant in water and the rest will follow. The planter utilizes the connections between each planter as a method of transferring water and saturating the soil from the top planter to the lower plants. This is especially useful for air plants or plants that don’t need a lot of soil. The planter system can be set up in an array of configurations so you can construct your living wall to complement your living space. [via inhabit]
You won't have to worry about missing Brisbane's Wineology when jumping out of your Uber — the giant gold letters on the street frontage will surely let you know you've arrived. And thank heavens, because this is one place you don't want to miss out on. The wine bar has Italian Enomatic wine dispensers, which means it can offer up glasses of wine from perfectly preserved bottles without cracking them open. Thanks to this, more than 96 options are available by the glass at Wineology. You can choose from the machine which wine you'd like to taste, pick either a half or full serve, and return to your table and enjoy. This sounds very simple, but with so many wines available, it's actually very hard. We suppose you'll just have to keep coming back. Wineology also has a substantial retail section for bottles you can either take off-premises or enjoy at your table for a small corkage fee. Of course, with all this wine, it's probably the responsible thing to do to have a snack or two, and luckily, the team has you covered for that, too. Its tapas menu includes patatas bravas with harissa and garlic, burnt maple lamb ribs, house-made blue swimmer crab, Moreton Bay bug agnolotti, and pulled duck leg empanadas. If you're vegetarian, there are also plenty of options — think heirloom tomatoes with burrata, baked cauliflower seasoned with thyme, or Paris truffle mashed potatoes with butter, chives and charcoal salt. If you arrive for lunch, a selection of baguettes is available, too, with options including grilled steak, Louisiana fried chicken, and slow-cooked pork belly with garlic aioli. Wineology also hosts heaps of events, so if you'd like to broaden your wine knowledge, watch its website for tasting events and education workshop updates.
If you're a fan of plant sales, Christmas markets — including in July — and stalls dedicated to dogs, then you might've made a trip to VEND Marketplace in Virginia over the past few years. Since opening back in 2018, the northside shopping space has hosted all of the above, and operated as a haven for small local businesses day in, day out. Indeed, all of those events have been designed to bring in folks not just to buy greenery, get festive, and watch corgi and dachshund races, but to get them shopping at the 120-plus retailers within the Sandgate Road venue. That's the kind of aim Brisbane's indoor hub for small businesses was aways going to have — a permanent indoor market, in fact — but it also boasts a cafe and outdoor lawn area as well. Plus, in ace news for the pooches of Brisbane, it's pet-friendly. Unsurprisingly, the concept has proven popular, so much so that VEND is now expanding to the city's south. From April, there'll be no need to cross the river to browse VEND's marketplace, or to hit up its events. Instead, shoppers will be able to head to Annerley, with the venue making its second home on Annerley Road. Like its sibling site, this marketplace will operate seven days a week, hosting 120-plus local businesses and creatives in one spot. There'll also be a cafe onsite, outdoor seating and, yes, pets will be welcome. As well as duplicating its operations on the other side of Brisbane, VEND's second outpost will also feature workshop spaces on its upper level, which'll be available to hire. Owner Amy Hinschen is also hoping that both the community and locals will make use of the venue's second-floor, whether for events or classes. VEND will make its Annerley debut on Saturday, April 8 with a day of grand opening festivities from 8am–4pm, and plenty of shops to peruse. If you're new to VEND, it features local small businesses and creatives slinging everything from clothing, homewares and furniture through to art, records and vintage collectables. In Virginia, its cafe serves up pumpkin bruschetta, smashed avo, corn and zucchini fritters, and boysenberry waffles as part of its all-day breakfast menu, and whips up five types of burgers for lunch. The middle-of-the-day lineup also spans lemon and herb crusted barramundi, pork san choy bow, two types of pizza and chicken schnitzels. And, to drink, options include a caffeine fix, juice, smoothies, milkshakes, and a small range of beer and wine. Find VEND Marketplace Annerley at 289 Annerley Road, Annerley from Saturday, April 8 — with its shops open from 8am–4pm, and its cafe from 7am–3pm. VEND Marketplace Virginia is located at 1768 Sandgate Road, Virginia, with the same operating hours.
For the second year in a row, heading to the movies wasn't a simple activity in 2021. Sometimes, it wasn't even possible at all. But when picture palaces were open, their projectors whirring and the scent of popcorn floating through the foyers, Australians went to see big-budget blockbusters such as Godzilla vs Kong, Fast and Furious 9, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Black Widow and No Time to Die en masse. We also threw plenty of love — and cash — at Aussie page-to-screen adaptation The Dry as well. They're some of 2021's cinema success stories in dollars, but money never tells the whole movie-going story in any year. Plenty of other films reached the silver screen Down Under over the past 12 months, didn't set the box office alight, but absolutely rank among the year's best. They're the must-sees that, based on their cinema takings, you likely didn't actually see — and you really should've. Whether you missed them because of lockdowns, restrictions, a lack of time, they weren't showing near you or just due to life in general (sorry, Jurassic Park, but sometimes life doesn't find a way), here are 12 top-notch flicks that hit Aussie cinemas in 2021 that you need to add to your catch-up list right now. EMA A new project by Chilean director Pablo Larraín is always cause for excitement, and Ema, his drama about a reggaeton dancer's crumbling marriage, personal and professional curiosities, and determined quest to be a mother, rewards that enthusiasm spectacularly. It's a stunning piece of cinema, and one that stands out even among his already-impressive resume. He's the filmmaker behind stirring political drama No, exacting religious interrogation The Club, poetic biopic Neruda and the astonishing, Natalie Portman-starring Jackie, so that's no minor feat. For the first time in his career, Larraín peers at life in his homeland today, rather than in the past. And, with his now six-time cinematographer Sergio Armstrong (Tony Manero, Post Mortem), he gazes intently. Faces and bodies fill Ema's frames, a comment that's true of most movies; however, in both the probing patience it directs its protagonist's way and the fluidity of its dance sequences, this feature equally stares and surveys. Here, Larraín hones in on the dancer (Mariana Di Girólamo, Much Ado About Nothing) who gives the feature its name. After adopting a child with her choreographer partner Gastón (Gael García Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle), something other than domestic bliss has followed. Following a traumatic incident, and the just as stressful decision to relinquish their boy back to the state's custody, Ema is not only trying but struggling to cope in the aftermath. This isn't a situation she's simply willing to accept, though. Ema, the movie, is many things — and, most potently, it's a portrait of a woman who is willing to make whatever move she needs to, both on the dance floor and in life, to rally against an unforgiving world, grasp her idea of freedom and seize exactly what she wants. Di Girólamo is magnetic, whether she's dancing against a vivid backdrop, staring pensively at the camera or being soaked in neon light, while Larraín's skill as both a visual- and emotion-driven filmmaker is never in doubt. Read our full review. PIG Nicolas Cage plays a truffle hunter. That's it, that's the pitch. When securing funding, those six words should've been enough to ensure that Pig made it to cinemas. Or, maybe debut feature writer/director Michael Sarnoski went with these seven words: Nicolas Cage tracks down his stolen pet. Here's a final possibility that could've done the trick, too: Nicolas Cage does a moodier John Wick with a pig. Whichever hit the spot, or even if none did, Pig isn't merely the movie these descriptions intimate. It's better. It's weightier. It's exceptional. It always snuffles out its own trail, it takes joy in subverting almost every expectation and savouring the moment, and it constantly unearths surprises. When Cage is at his absolute best, he plays characters whose biggest demons are internal. Here, he broods and soul-searches as a man willing to do whatever it takes to find his beloved porcine pal, punish everyone involved in her kidnapping and come to terms with his longstanding, spirit-crushing woes. And, it's a measured gem of a portrayal, and a versatile, touching, deeply empathetic and haunting one that's up there with his finest ever. Sarnoski keeps things sparse when Pig begins; for the poetically shot film and its determined protagonist, less is always more. Rob Feld (Cage) lives a stripped-back existence in a cabin in the woods, with just his cherished truffle pig for company — plus occasional visits from Amir (Alex Wolff, Hereditary), the restaurant supplier who buys the highly sought-after wares Rob and his swine forage for on their walks through the trees. He's taken this life by choice, after the kind of heartbreak that stops him from listening to tapes of the woman he loved. But then Rob's pig is abducted in the dark of the night, turning him into a man on a mission. As the swine's distressed squeals echo in his head, Rob stalks towards Portland to get her back. He has an idea of where to look, but he needs Amir to chauffeur him around the city — and Pig is at its finest when its two main characters are together, unpacking what it means to navigate tragedy, fear, loss, regret, uncertainty, an uncaring world and a complicated industry. Read our full review. LITTLE JOE Pipes blow gently. The camera swirls. Rows of plants fill the screen. Some are leafy as they reach for the sky; others are mere stems topped with closed buds. Both types of vegetation are lined up in boxes in an austere-looking laboratory greenhouse — and soon another shoot of green appears among them. Plant breeder Alice (Cruella's Emily Beecham, who won the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actress award for her work here) is cloaked in a lab coat far paler than any plant, but the symbolism is immediately evident. Audiences don't know it yet, but her shock of cropped red hair resembles the crimson flowers that'll blossom in her genetically engineered new type of flora, too. "The aim has been to create a plant with a scent that makes its owner happy," she tells a small audience, hailing the virtues of a species that's been designed to make its owners love it like it was their own child. So starts Little Joe, which shares its name with the vegetation in question — a "mood-lifting, anti-depressant, happy plant," Alice's boss (David Wilmot, Calm with Horses) boasts. She's borrowed her own teenage son's (Kit Connor, Rocketman) moniker for her new baby, although she gives it more attention than her flesh-and-blood offspring, especially with the push to get it to market speeding up. The clinical gaze favoured by Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner (Amour fou) is telling, though. The eerie tone to the feature's Japanese-style, flute- and percussion-heavy score sets an uneasy mood as well. Making her first English-language feature, Hausner helms a disquieting and anxious sci-fi/horror masterwork. Like many movies in the genre, this is a film about possibilities and consequences, creation and its costs, and happiness and its sacrifices — and about both daring to challenge and dutifully abiding by conformity — and yet it's always its own beast. Read our full review. RIDERS OF JUSTICE Few things will ever be better than seeing Mads Mikkelsen get day drunk and dance around while swigging champagne in an Oscar-winning movie, which is one fantastic film experience that 2021 has delivered. But the always-watchable actor is equally magnetic and exceptional in Riders of Justice, a revenge-driven Danish comedy that's all about tackling your problems in a different and far less boozy fashion. In both features, he plays the type of man unlikely to express his feelings. Here, he's a dedicated solider who's more often away than home. Beneath his close-cropped hair and steely, bristly beard, he's stern, sullen and stoic, not to mention hot-tempered when he does betray what's bubbling inside, and he outwardly expects the same of everyone around him — including when a a train explosion taints his character, Markus, with tragedy, leaving him the sole parent to traumatised teenager Mathilde (Andrea Heick Gadeberg, Pagten). With a name that sounds like one of the many by-the-numbers action flicks Liam Neeson has starred in since Taken, Riders of Justice initially appears as if it'll take its no-nonsense central figure to an obvious place, and yet this ambitious, astute and entertaining movie both does and doesn't. When Markus returns home from Afghanistan, Riders of Justice's writer/director Anders Thomas Jensen (Men & Chicken) and screenwriter Nikolaj Arcel (A Royal Affair) send statistician Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas, The Keeper of Lost Causes), his colleague Lennart (Lars Brygmann, The Professor and the Madman) and the computer-savvy Emmenthaler (Nicolas Bro, The Kingdom) knocking at the grieving family's door — a trio of stereotypically studious outsiders to his stony-faced military man who come uttering a theory he seizes upon. Narratives about seeking justice often ride the expected rails on autopilot, getting from start to finish on the standard vengeance template's inherent momentum; however, this layered gem questions and subverts every usual cliche, convention and motif along the way, including by putting its characters first. Read our full review. LAMB Staring into the soul of a woman not just yearning for her own modest slice of happiness, but willing to do whatever it takes to get it — and starring Noomi Rapace (The Secrets We Keep) in what might be her best role yet, and best performance — Lamb is all animal at first. In this Icelandic blend of folk-horror thrills, relationship dramas and even deadpan comedy, something rumbles in the movie's misty, mountainside farm setting, spooking the horses. In the sheep barn, where cinematographer Eli Arenson (Hospitality) swaps arresting landscape for a ewe's-eye view, the mood is tense and restless as well. Making his feature debut, filmmaker Valdimar Jóhannsson doesn't overplay his hand early. As entrancing as the movie's visuals prove in all their disquieting stillness, he keeps the film cautious about what's scaring the livestock. But Lamb's expert sound design offers a masterclass in evoking unease from its very first noise, and makes it plain that all that eeriness, anxiety and dripping distress has an unnerving — and tangible — source. This enticing, surreal and starkly unsettling is as human as it is ovine, though, as it unleashes an intense and absurdist pastoral symphony of dread and hope, bleakness and sweetness, and terror and love. The farm belongs to Rapace's Maria and her partner Ingvar (Hilmir Snær Guðnason, A White, White Day), who've thrown themselves into its routines after losing a child. They're a couple that let their taciturn faces do the talking, including with each other, but neither hides their delight when one ewe gives birth to a hybrid they name Ada. Doting and beaming, they take the sheep-child into their home as their own. Its woolly mother stands staring and baa-ing outside their kitchen window, but they're both content in of their newfound domestic happiness. When Ingvar's ex-pop star brother Pétur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) arrives unexpectedly, they don't even dream of hiding their new family idyll — even as he's initially shocked and hardly approving. Read our full review. SAINT MAUD If humanity ever managed to cure or circumvent death — or even just stop despairing about our own mortality — the horror genre would feel the difference. Lives are frequently in peril in films that are meant to spook and frighten. Fears of dying underscore everything from serial killer thrillers and body horror flicks to stories of zombies, ghosts and vampires, too. Indeed, if a scary movie isn't pondering the fact that our days are finite, it's often contemplating our easily damaged and destroyed anatomy. Or, it's recognising that our darkest urges can bring about brutal repercussions, or noting that the desperation to avoid our expiration dates can even spark our demise. Accordingly, Saint Maud's obsession with death isn't a rarity in an ever-growing genre that routinely serves it up, muses on it and makes audiences do the same whether they always realise it or not. In an immensely crowded realm, this striking, instantly unsettling feature debut by British writer/director Rose Glass definitely stands out, though. Bumps, jumps, shocks and scares come in all manner of shapes and sizes, as do worries and anxieties about the end that awaits us all. In Saint Maud, they're a matter of faith. The eponymous in-home nurse (Dracula and His Dark Materials' Morfydd Clark) has it. She has enough to share, actually, which she's keen to do daily. Maud is devoted to three things: Christianity, helping those in her care physically and saving them spiritually. Alas, her latest cancer-stricken patient doesn't hold the same convictions, or appreciate them. Amanda (Jennifer Ehle, Vox Lux) isn't fond of Maud's fixation on her salvation or her strict judgements about her lifestyle. She knows her time is waning, her body is failing and that she needs Maud's help, but the celebrated ex-dancer and choreographer does not want to go gently or faithfully in that good night. Instead, she'd much prefer the solace that sex and alcohol brings over her palliative care nurse's intensely devout zeal. Read our full review. THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS In a sparse small town — with the film shot in Kanosh, Utah — the separated-and-unhappy-about-it David (Clayne Crawford, Rectify) attempts to adjust to living with his ailing widower father (Bruce Graham, Forty Years From Yesterday). His wife Niki (Sepideh Moafi, The L Word: Generation Q) remains in their home with their four children, as they've agreed while they take a break to work through their problems. David isn't coping, though, a fact that's apparent long before his teenage daughter Jess (Avery Pizzuto, We Fall Down) gets angry because she thinks he isn't fighting hard enough to save their family. He's trying, but as Crawford conveys in a brooding but nervy performance — and as writer/director/editor Robert Machoian (When She Runs) and cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jiménez (Immanence) can't stop looking at in lengthy and patient takes — he can't quite adapt to the idea of losing everything he knows. There's an element of Scenes From a Marriage at play here, although The Killing of Two Lovers pre-dates this year's remake — and so much of the feeling in this gorgeously shot movie comes from its imagery. When it's hard to look away from such rich and enticing visuals, it's impossible not to spot and soak in everything they depict. Each frame is postcard-perfect, not that those pieces of cardboard ever capture such everyday sights, but wide vistas and the snowy mountains hovering in the background are just the beginning. With its long takes, The Killing of Two Lovers forces its audience to glean the naturalistic lighting that never casts David and Niki's hometown in either a warm glow or grim glower. Repeated images of David alone, especially in his car, also leave a firm impression of a man moving and solo. Read our full review. HERSELF Survivalist films typically pit humans against the elements, nature or space, testing a character's endurance when they're cast adrift in the ocean (as in Kon-Tiki and All Is Lost), enduring unwelcoming expanses (Into the Wild, Arctic), faced with animal predators (The Grey, Crawl) or navigating the heavens (Gravity, The Martian). Herself doesn't tick any of those boxes, but it still fits the genre — because what else is a movie about a woman trying to escape an abusive marriage, care for her two young daughters alone and build a safe future if not a story of survival? In Dublin, Sandra (Spider-Man: Far From Home's Claire Dunne, who also co-wrote the feature's screenplay) is unhappily married to Gary (Ian Lloyd Anderson, Vikings), and has the bruises to prove it. When he finds money hidden in her car, a badly fractured hand becomes the latest marker of their domestic horror. Sandra leaves, children Molly (Molly McCann, Vivarium) and Emma (debutant Ruby Rose O'Hara) in tow, but forging a path forward proves complicated at every turn. As a writer (with What Richard Did's Malcolm Campbell), Dunne doesn't make easy choices. Her narrative doesn't follow a straightforward path, either. Herself's script highlights the devastating complexities that surround Sandra, but avoids plotting the obvious course — because more hopeful and more grim moments are always in everyone's futures, even when it seems that worse surely can't come. Stress, resilience, tender gestures and uncaring powers-that-be are all a part of this story. So is interrogating a system that's quick to push back at victims in the name of family, and the impact upon children who grow up in a household blighted by domestic violence. Herself fleshes out this reality, but always hurtles forward, because that's all that Sandra can do. Worlds away from the two other features on her resume — Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady — director Phyllida Lloyd helms an intense, compassionate but still clear-eyed drama without any cloying sentiment, but still rich in hope and tenacity. Read our full review. THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS Northern Italy's woods are abundant with truffles, especially the tuber magnatum — otherwise known as the white variety. But before these highly sought-after morsels can make their way into kitchens, onto plates, and into many a willing and eager mouth, someone has to spend their time and expend their energy finding the edible fungus. Accordingly, The Truffle Hunters introduces viewers to multiple elderly men and their adorable dogs who all do just that, with their lives revolving around roving the forest and searching out the prized food. It might sound like a relaxed pursuit — as walking through trees with your pet pooch to fill your pockets with a delicacy is bound to — but it's a highly competitive endeavour, and one that the documentary's central figures are intensely passionate about. Charting four men's stories — tales that involve canine partners, cantankerous veterans and sneaking out at night to search with a torch in hand, lest one truffle hunter be caught by his wife — directors Michael Dweck (The Last Race) and Gregory Kershaw (cinematographer on The Last Race, and also on this) survey a wealth of details. The titular subjects try care for their dogs, argue with others encroaching on their turf, type missives about how the world has changed and, in one case, keep absconding by moonlight. Dweck and Kershaw aren't above using puppy cam as well, and it's both a joy and a thrill, as well as emblematic of the film's fondness for flavour and character above all else. The Truffle Hunters is a leisurely movie that's content to chronicle its subjects' easy-going lives, lean into their eccentricities and survey their lush surroundings — and, even clocking in at just 84 minutes, it's an unhurried gem of a film — however, it's also carefully compiled. Read our full review. MY ZOE Rare is the film that nods overtly to more than a few of its influences, yet still manages to inhabit its own niche and no one else's. My Zoe is one of those movies. Its first half bears much in common with 2017's exceptional French drama Custody, while its second half takes its cues from the greatest horror novel ever written, aka Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. That combination works astonishing (and almost disarmingly) well, and nothing here every feels like a mere clone of better material. Indeed, writer/director/star Julie Delpy (Looking for Jimmy, 2 Days in Paris, The Countess, Skylab, 2 Days in New York and Lolo) blends relationship dramas, a tragedy and a science fiction-tinged exploration of loss into a gripping and empathetic film that ponders how grief leads to drastic reactions, how science can let humans play god in increasingly bold and consequential manners, and how we're hardwired to use the latter to work through the former, as well as our fears of mortality. In the movie's opening section, Berlin-based geneticist Isabelle (Delpy, Wiener-Dog) juggles the struggles of co-parenting with her ex James (Richard Armitage, The Lodge). They both dote on seven-year-old Zoe (Sophia Ally, The Current War), but they also argue incessantly — largely due to James' dour behaviour, cruel demeanour and ludicrous demands. By the time that Isabelle calls him "just an awful human being" in one of their arguments, the audience is already on her side. They settle their custody dispute, but the bickering doesn't subside when Zoe is found unconscious and requires hospitalisation. Eventually, though, Isabelle has another dilemma to navigate, involving a desperate ploy to get back what she's lost, a risk-taking doctor (Daniel Brühl, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) in Moscow and an option his own wife (Gemma Arteton, Summerland) warns against. Read our full review. FANNY LYE DELIVER'D Even on a sunny day, a storm can darken a dazzling blue sky, cracking through that gorgeous facade with the weather's version of stress and woe. That's the sensation that emanates from Fanny Lye Deliver'd's early shots, which show a picturesque Shropshire farm shrouded in mist so scenic that the entire image looks like it could've been rendered in watercolours — back in 1657, too, when the movie is set. But little is perfect behind this bucolic beauty, and that's true even before two strangers unsettle the household. As they prepare to attend church on an otherwise ordinary Sunday, Fanny Lye (Maxine Peake, Peterloo) is used to being treated with disdain by her Puritan husband John Lye (Charles Dance, Game of Thrones), including in front of their son Arthur (Zak Adams, Alice Through the Looking Glass). But then young lovers Thomas Ashbury (Freddie Fox, The Pursuit of Love) and Rebecca Henshaw (Tanya Reynolds, Emma) sneak their way into the Lye home, and nothing is the same again. Fanny Lye Deliver'd isn't writer/director Thomas Clay's first feature or even his second, but it's made with a distinctive vision. Every visible detail, meticulous performance, probing line and weighty rumination upon the subjugation of women and the ills enforced in faith's name — here, during Oliver Cromwell's reign over Britain following the English Civil War — is that fastidious and intoxicating, even when depicting brutality. Clay's picture could easily sit in the mud, folklore and farmland anxiety with The Witch, a film that similarly steps into a god-fearing community where the hatred of women ascending beyond the meagre station allotted them has infected every thought and action. It plays like a cousin to that similarly entrancing and potent movie, however, rather than a sibling. Fanny Lye Deliver'd also benefits from Peake's ferocious and arresting work in the eponymous role, in what proves a stunning survivalist film about women attempting to persist amidst violence and persecution. Read our full review. FIRST LOVE When boxer Leo (Masataka Kubota, Diner) receives news that no one wants to hear — he has a brain tumour, it's inoperable and he doesn't have much time left — he takes it as gloomily as anyone would. But when he subsequently crosses paths with sex worker Monica (Sakurako Konishi, Colorless), his evening takes another unexpected turn. She's fleeing the yakuza gangsters who forced her into prostitution, including one particularly scheming underling (Sometani, Detective Chinatown 3) who plans to use her in a ploy with a crooked cop (Seiyô Uchino, 13 Assassins) to eradicate a Chinese triad gang. They start off as strangers, but Leo swiftly becomes Monica's only friend amidst the bloody mayhem. Iconic Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike has more than 100 movies to his name, shows zero signs of stopping and is clearly doing something he knows he adores (and that he's proven he's great at) with First Love. That doesn't make the prolific Audition, Ichi the Killer and Yakuza Apocalypse director's latest any less inventive, dynamic, enjoyable or brilliant, though. Here, pulp violence, a twisty crime tale and the Japanese auteur's gonzo energy all combine in a Tokyo-set noir-thriller, which ripples with Miike's distinctive brand of magic again and again — including in the movie's blending of gleefully cartoonish mania with a poignant outsiders-against-the-world narrative, and in everything from its jazz-rock score to its immaculately executed hardware store showdown as well. The inimitable talent can never be accused of painting by numbers, with everything here fitting and working as it should. Yes, he's both found and embraced his wavelength. Read our full review.
Travellers are already obsessed with Japan's wild natural landscapes and hyper-organised cities bursting with a delightfully diverse culture. You've also got ancient temples, onsen baths and picturesque towns scattered about the islands. But cover all of this in snow, and see it become something far more magical. And, yes, cold. But magical, nonetheless. In the colder months, Japan comes alive with a range of activities like skiing, snowboarding and a vibrant selection of seasonal festivals. There is a rich winter culture in Japan that is seemingly underrated — read on to see why we are obsessed with Japan when it's doused in snow. [caption id="attachment_878150" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sam Lee (Unsplash)[/caption] WINTER WONDERLAND VILLAGES Head to remote mountain villages to find Japan's own version of hygge. The steep pitched roofs of alpine homes are covered in snow and surrounded by frosted trees. Deep blankets of white consume the streets and cover frozen lakes, too. Yep, it's a lot of snow. The two most famous villages to visit — Shirakawa-go and Gokayama — are both UNESCO World Heritage sites. You'll want longer than a day trip to experience them, so stay in one of the farmhouses that have been converted into small family-run bed and breakfasts to experience rural Japanese culture authentically. Take your time exploring these winter oases, getting to know the people who call them home. [caption id="attachment_878141" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Japan National Tourism Organisation[/caption] SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING With all the snow and countless mountain ranges, it's no surprise that Japan is one of the world's biggest skiing and snowboarding destinations. There are over 500 ski resorts here, and they've even hosted two Winter Olympics. If you're into winter sports, then heading to Japan in winter is a no-brainer. On the main island, visit Hakuba Valley to find a series of connected resorts. The northern island is also incredibly popular for its very reliable snowfall. Rusutsu, Niseko and Furano are some of the most popular in this region. But, if we're being honest, just about any ski spot in Japan will be spectacular. Editor's tip: book the ultimate Japan ski tour (including lift passes, transfers and all your accommodation for seven nights) around the Hakuba Valley here. [caption id="attachment_878154" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Steven Diaz (Unsplash)[/caption] ONSEN HOPPING There's no need to run all the way to Iceland to soak in hot natural springs. Japan, a collection of volcanic islands, is full of this naturally heated water that bubbles up to the surface. It's great for your skin and your soul. And, yeah, you can visit these all year round — but nothing beats a winter onsen. Just think: vistas of Japan's snow-covered countryside while you soak your troubles away. It's an experience like no other. And, when you're searching for onsens, be sure to check out the other nature parks nearby. See snow monkeys bathing in hot springs at the Jigokudani Monkey Park, feed foxes at Zao Fox Village and watch cranes dance in the fields within the Kushiro Marsh. [caption id="attachment_878166" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alva Pratt (Unsplash)[/caption] SEASONAL FOOD AND DRINK While you're soaking in onsens, hanging out at ski resorts and wandering rugged-up around the country's towns and cities, few things will heat you up like a shot of sake. It's like a delicious instant heat pack for your insides. And hot sake is popular for that very reason. Head to an izakaya or two during your stay and drink a few tipples. We all know the cuisine in Japan is next level, and there are dishes that are traditionally made for winter. First off, there's oden. It's a one-pot dish of various savoury goodies simmered in a soy sauce and dashi kelp broth. You can get this anywhere, even convenience stores. Nabe is also a must-try. It's a classic hot-pot dish that's similar to Korean and Chinese hot pots — just with quintessential Japanese flavours. Get cosy around these brothy bowls on a cold winter evening with your mates. [caption id="attachment_878147" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Japan National Tourism Organisation[/caption] WINTER FESTIVALS We all know that Japan uniquely blends its traditional customs with its modern culture and technology. And we believe the best way to experience this phenomenon is by hitting up some local festivals. The spring cherry blossom festival is the best known, but Japan has its own winter celebrations that rival those throughout other times of the year. Christmas and New Year's Eve are big in Japan, but are very family oriented. If you're visiting with mates, or don't know any locals, we recommend you hit up Japan during the Sapporo Snow Festival from February 4–11. The city of Sapporo is taken over by snow and ice sculptures, with live music, street food and carnivals rides too. Be sure to check out the nearby Otaru Snow Light Path Festival and Tokyo's Winter Illuminations as well. [caption id="attachment_878169" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alessio Roversi (Unsplash)[/caption] SUMO WRESTLING When you have mates visiting from overseas, it's not abnormal to take them to an AFL or NRL match. The same can be said for sumo wrestling in Japan. Not only is the sport so much fun to watch, it's also one of the best places to do some people watching. A wide cross-section of Japanese people will attend these games, having a big day of drinking, eating and cheering on the athletes. Winter is one of the best times to do some athletic spectating here, too. There are a few big tournaments in January and February, with Tokyo being the best place to see them. Just make sure you plan ahead and book tickets early. Make a proper day of it: tickets usually give you access to the arena for the entire day, so take your time learning all the intricacies of the sport with a few drinks in hand. [caption id="attachment_878170" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jezeal Melgoza (Unsplash)[/caption] SUPER SALES A lot of people come to Japan for the shopping. It's a thing. The city is full of unique fashion stores and all the best tech companies selling the latest devices. But you'd be a fool to come to Japan for shopping any other time than the start of the year — as bargains abound in the major cities. It's also when you'll find fukubukuro (literally 'lucky bag'). These Japanese New Year treats are put together by store owners, and hold a bunch of mystery items that are usually worth a lot more than the price you pay for the bag. It's a lucky dip and hugely popular — people go nuts for them. While visiting Japan in winter, be sure to nab a couple and see what you find. Feeling inspired to book a Japanese getaway? Through Concrete Playground Trips, our new travel booking platform, can you purchase holidays specially curated by our writers and editors. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips at destinations all over the world — check it out. Top images: Japan National Tourism Organisation
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to watching anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this months latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from December's haul of newbies. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW LANDSCAPERS In 2013, in an ordinary backyard in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, UK police excavated the bodies of Patricia and William Wycherley. The elderly couple was last seen 15 years prior, with their librarian daughter Susan Edwards and her accountant husband Chris telling neighbours that the Wycherleys had moved — before Susan and Chris fled their own bills and chased their own love of Gallic cinema to France, that is. In 2014, the younger duo were convicted of the Wycherleys murders, despite willingly returning to England to face questioning and offering their own version of events in the process. To the police, the crime was a premeditated act motivated by money. In their tale, Susan and Chris spoke of multiple layers of abuse, of a heated night that ended badly, and of poor decisions inspired by a lifetime of fear. With Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter) playing Susan and David Thewlis (I'm Thinking of Ending Things) as Chris, Landscapers unfurls the Edwards-Wycherley saga, digging into the story's details across a four-part true-crime miniseries. But as its irreverent name makes plain, this isn't the usual dive into real-life crime — and not just because its two leads turn in phenomenal performances that rank among their very best. As he's done in both TV series Flowers and recent feature The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, filmmaker Will Sharpe brings his whimsical style to this experimental retelling. On paper, such a tone and the visual flourishes that come with it might seem ill-suited to the material, but it's all a part of the show's interrogation of how its central pair — and everyone in general — navigate life by spinning their own version of reality. It's an inspired touch, and makes Landscapers one of the most distinctive and engrossing additions yet to a ridiculously busy, ever-popular genre. Landscapers is available to stream via Stan. ENCOUNTER Excellent casting can't save all films. Ambitious directors can't, either. But with Encounter, it's easy to see how the sci-fi thriller would've turned out if anyone other than Riz Ahmed was leading the show — and if a filmmaker other than Michael Pearce was at the helm. Across the last three years and his past three movies, Ahmed has turned in a trio of stunning performances that lay bare struggling men battling to reclaim a sense of normality. Indeed, arriving after Mogul Mowgli and Sound of Metal, Encounter couldn't be better placed on his resume. As for Pearce, he jumps into this slippery story of a father, a road trip and a possible alien parasite invasion after making a tremendous feature debut with 2017's Beast, and serves up the same commitment to telling thorny tales without needing to explain away everything. When Ahmed's ex-soldier Malik Khan kills a wasp in his motel room with intense determination, it's clear that he's unusually passionate about eradicating insects — and, believing that a meteorite crashed into earth not so long ago, brought extraterrestrial invaders with it, but hardly anyone else noticed, he has good reason for his entomophobia. His mission: to rescue his two young sons (Heartland's Lucian-River Chauhan and first-timer Aditya Geddada) from the bug-sized aliens, even if it means whisking them away from his ex-wife (Janina Gavankar, The Morning Show) in the middle of the night. Co-written with Joe Barton (Girl/Haji), Pearce's film isn't quite the mystery he thinks it is, but it doesn't need to be to relay its weighty character study. Whenever Ahmed is on-screen, which is often, this is a tense and moving examination of trauma, stress and endeavouring to cope with chaos both everyday and extraordinary. Encounter is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS Here's a great way to know whether a new TV comedy is worth watching: check whether Mindy Kaling is involved. After stealing every scene she could in The Office, then turning The Mindy Project into a smart, funny and adorable rom-com sitcom made with oh-so-much love for the genre, she just keeps adding new shows to her resume as a co-creator, writer and producer. The Sex Lives of College Girls is the latest, and quickly thrives thanks to the kind of savvy, authentic, honest and highly amusing writing that's always been a hallmark of Kaling's work. If you didn't know she was behind it going in, you'd easily guess. It also sports an immensely descriptive title, following four college freshmen — strangers to each other, but now roommates — as they navigate the move from high school to the fictional Essex College in Vermont. Because three movies currently in cinemas starring a member of Chalamet family just isn't enough (aka Dune, The French Dispatch and Don't Look Up), The Sex Lives of College Girls features his Timothée's sister Pauline (The King of Staten Island). She plays Kimberly Finkle, who heads to Essex as valedictorian of her small-town school, is more excited about the classes than the parties, but still wants to have the full college experience. And, she's thrilled to find herself rooming with aspiring comedy writer Bela Malhotra (Amrit Kaur, The D Cut), star soccer player Whitney Chase (first-timer Alyah Chanelle Scott) and the wealthy Leighton Murray (theatre star Reneé Rapp) — even if the latter in particular doesn't initially return the enthusiasm. The quartet's exploits from there navigate all the usual kinds of relatable college antics, but do so with a warm-hearted vibe, a great cast, insightful humour, and a shrewd focus on friendships and figuring out who you want to be. The first season of The Sex Lives of College Girls is available to stream via Binge. SWAN SONG It took Mahershala Ali a mere two years to back up his first Best Supporting Actor Oscar with a second one, initially winning for the sublime Moonlight before again earning the nod for being the best thing about Green Book. He won't add a third Academy Award to his mantle for Swan Song, but he gives it two tries — playing a terminally ill illustrator who doesn't want to put his family through the pain of losing him, and also playing the clone his character has secretly had made to replace him without his loved ones ever knowing he was even sick. That's the futuristic sci-fi premise behind this poignant drama, which tussles with life, love, loss and two inescapable realisations. This isn't just a movie about facing your own mortality, but about confronting the fact that everything that's important to you — everyone that's important, to be specific — will still continue on after you say goodbye. Not to be confused with the Udo Kier-starring film of the exact same name that's just reached cinemas, Swan Song ruminates on Cameron Turner's (Ali, Alita: Battle Angel) moral quandary after enlisting Dr Scott (Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy) to replicate him before he succumbs to his illness. Even after seeing how fellow patient Kate (Awkwafina, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) and her clone fare, it's a decision that weighs heavily on his mind — especially given his wife Poppy (Naomie Harris, Venom: Let There Be Carnage) is expecting their second child. So much of Swan Song's power stems from Ali's ability to wade through such a difficult choice, and to convey its emotional ramifications often without saying a word. In this thoughtful directorial debut by writer/director Benjamin Cleary, Ali also unpacks the flipside as Jack, who'll replace Cameron, and sees the possibilities his existence brings with literally fresh eyes. Swan Song is available to stream via Apple TV+. THE NORTH WATER When ex-army surgeon Patrick Sumner (Jack O'Connell, Seberg) secures a gig on a whaling expedition to the Arctic working as the ship's doctor, he's clearly running from something. His new colleagues are instantly suspicious of his story, bloodthirsty harpooner Henry Drax (Colin Farrell, Voyagers) among them — although Captain Brownlee (Stephen Graham, Venom: Let There Be Carnage) and whaling company owner Baxter (Tom Courtenay, Summerland) are mostly just happy for his cheap services. That's the setup for The North Water, the 19th-century-set, five-part miniseries that takes to the seas, to the cold and to a brutal world, and proves grimly mesmerising with its Moby Dick-meets-Heart of Darkness vibes. Charting a survivalist tale not just of the physical kind amid all that unforgiving ice (and on those treacherous waters), but also of the emotional and mental variety as well, this is one of the most relentlessly intense shows to hit screens in 2021 — and it's also gripping from start to finish. The first episode sets the scene in a slow-burn fashion, culminating in sights so searing they're impossible to forget — and the story, as well as the vast chasm between Sumner and Drax, only grows from there. Writer/director Andrew Haigh adapts Ian McGuire's novel of the same name, but this series has the Weekend, 45 Years and Lean on Pete filmmaker's stamp all over it. He finds as much empathy here as he has throughout his stellar big-screen projects, and once again demonstrates his extraordinary eye for detail, exceptional sense of place and winning way with actors. With the latter, having O'Connell and Farrell lead the charge obviously helps. They're not only reliably phenomenal; they each put in some of their best-ever work, and their performances seethe with complexity. So does the entire miniseries, which is never willing to pose easy answers or provide straightforward interpretations when ruminating over the minutiae is much more riveting, fascinating and realistic. The North Water is available to stream via Binge. MACGRUBER They can't all be The Blues Brothers or Wayne's World — films based on Saturday Night Live sketches, that is. Eagerly silly, as you'd expect of any MacGyver send-up, 2010's MacGruber definitely doesn't belong in the same category as the two best SNL-to-cinema flicks. That hasn't stopped an action-parody TV series hitting streaming 11 years later, however. And, with Will Forte once again donning a Richard Dean Anderson-style mullet and wearing plenty of flannelette, this MacGruber revival is the satire's finest moment yet. You could easily think that it only exists because Forte had a gap in his schedule, or because even television skits-turned-movies never die, and both are likely true. Still, when it comes to making fun of all the action cliches that'll never leave screens either big or small, this series knows its unashamedly ridiculous niche. The setup: after spending a decade in prison, the eponymous hero is given a reprieve by his pal General Barrett Fasoose (Laurence Fishburne, The Ice Road) when the president's daughter is kidnapped. He's part of the ransom demand, but his long-term foe Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth (Billy Zane, The Boys) also has other plans. Cue a cavalcade of amusingly over-the-top gags about action-flick machismo and every other trope the genre keeps throwing at viewers, all with Forte and his co-stars as committed as ever to the concept, tone and non-stop jokes. If it wasn't so self-aware — and if both Forte and Kristen Wiig (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) weren't so pitch-perfect in their parts — it might just be stupid rather than stupidly funny. Thankfully, MacGruber knows what it is, knows how to do it well, and knows the difference between being dumb and serving up gleefully dumb fun. The first season of MacGruber is available to stream via Stan. NEW SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK STATION ELEVEN Add Station Eleven to the pile of post-pandemic movies and shows that ponder that very subject — a topic that'll continue to grace our screens for years and decades to come. It's unfair to clump this haunting end-of-the-world miniseries into the same group as opportunistic flicks such as Locked Down, though. Instead, like Y: The Last Man, it predates COVID-19, arrives after garnering a devoted following on the page, and taps into something far deeper than obvious observations about being stuck at home with your significant other and having to scramble to buy toilet paper. The focus of this excellent show, and of Emily St. John Mandel's 2014 book before it, is how art and community all play immeasurable parts in helping humanity process and navigate existence-shattering traumas — and to find a path out the other side. That's a sentiment that might sound mawkish and self-evident when described in a mere sentence, but nothing about Station Eleven ever earns such terms. It all starts with a flu that swiftly proves more than just the usual sniffles, coughs, aches and pains. For eight-year-old Shakespearean actor Kirsten (Matilda Lawler, Evil), the chaos descends during a tumultuous opening-night performance of King Lear led by Arthur Leander (Gael García Bernal, Old), the aftermath of which sees her traipsing around snowy Chicago with Jeevan (Himesh Patel, Don't Look Up), who she has just met. That's really just the beginning of this multi-layered narrative, which also jumps forward 20 years to experience Kirsten's (Mackenzie Davis, Happiest Season) life with a travelling theatre troupe as the planet adjusts to its new normality — and keeps fluttering backwards into her younger exploits, and into the experiences of others connected to her story in various ways. This is a dystopian disaster tale not just about merely surviving, but about truly enduring, and it's a lyrical, heartfelt and character-driven apocalyptic musing with an immediate difference. The first five episodes of Station Eleven are available to stream via Stan, with new episodes dropping weekly. FIREBITE Trust Warwick Thornton to rove his eyes across Australia's sunburnt landscape, imagine vampires prowling the outback and cast those predators within a narrative that hails back to the First Fleet's arrival. The Samson and Delilah and Sweet Country filmmaker co-created new Aussie fantasy-horror series Firebite with Mad Bastards' director Brendan Fletcher, so the credit isn't his alone; however, given that he's spent his career exploring the nation's treatment of Indigenous Australians, it slips easily into his filmography. His third TV project in short succession following the second season of Mystery Road and stunning docoseries The Beach, Firebite also carves out a place for Indigenous tales within the undead genre. Indeed, seeing the colonisation of Australia as the act of ruthless bloodsuckers is an idea so smart and shrewd that this new streaming delight deserves to span on for several seasons. Making glorious use of Coober Pedy's dusty expanse — and its underground dugouts, which help locals escape the heat — Firebite follows two black vampire hunters, aka bloodhunters. Tyson (Rob Collins, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson) doesn't really like the label, but he's determined to keep his hometown of Opal City free of vampires, and he's teaching his teenage daughter Shanika (Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Total Control) the trade. But then The King (Callan Mulvey, High Ground) arrives, and more bloodsuckers follow. As a century of vampire fare dictates, this doesn't bode well for humans. Thornton and Fletcher — and fellow director Tony Krawitz (Secret City) — never merely follow in anyone else's footsteps, though. In fact, they don't just sink their teeth into a familiar concept, but tear into it to tell their own standout tale, and do so with a devil-may-care attitude that drips through Firebite's style, story and performances. The first two episodes of Firebite are available to stream via AMC+, with new episodes dropping weekly. EXCELLENT RECENT BIG-SCREEN RELEASES TO CATCH UP WITH IMMEDIATELY THE POWER OF THE DOG Don't call it a comeback: Jane Campion's films have been absent from cinemas for 12 years but, due to miniseries Top of the Lake, she hasn't been biding her time in that gap. And don't call it simply returning to familiar territory, even if the New Zealand director's new movie features an ivory-tinkling woman caught between cruel and sensitive men, as her Cannes Palme d'Or-winner The Piano did three decades ago. Campion isn't rallying after a dip, just as she isn't repeating herself. She's never helmed anything less than stellar, and she's immensely capable of unearthing rich new pastures in well-ploughed terrain. With The Power of the Dog, Campion is at the height of her skills trotting into her latest mesmerising musing on strength, desire and isolation — this time via a venomous western that's as perilously bewitching as its mountainous backdrop. That setting is Montana, circa 1925. Campion's homeland stands in for America nearly a century ago, making a magnificent sight — with cinematographer Ari Wegner (Zola, True History of the Kelly Gang) perceptively spying danger in its craggy peaks and dusty plains even before the film introduces Rose and Peter Gordon (On Becoming a God in Central Florida's Kirsten Dunst and 2067's Kodi Smit-McPhee). When the widowed innkeeper and her teenage son serve rancher brothers Phil and George Burbank (Spider-Man: No Way Home's Benedict Cumberbatch a career-best, awards-worthy, downright phenomenal turn, plus Antlers' Jesse Plemons) during a cattle-run stop, the encounter seesaws from callousness to kindness, a dynamic that continues after Rose marries George and decamps to the Burbank mansion against that stunning backdrop. Brutal to the lanky, lisping Peter from the outset, Phil responds to the nuptials with malice. He isn't fond of change, and won't accommodate anything that fails his bristling definition of masculinity and power, either. The Power of the Dog is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. THERE IS NO EVIL The death penalty casts a dark and inescapable shadow over There Is No Evil, which is just as writer/director Mohammad Rasoulof intends. The Iranian filmmaker has spent his career examining the reality of his homeland, as previously seen in 2013's Manuscripts Don't Burn and 2017's A Man of Integrity — so much so that he's actually been banned from his craft, not that that's stopping him. With There Is No Evil, Rasoulof doesn't simply continue the trend that's guided his cinematic resume thus far. Rather, he interrogates the most severe form of punishment that any society can enact, and doesn't shy away from horrors both obvious and unplanned. To call the result powerful is an understatement, and it's won him Berlinale's prestigious Golden Bear in 2020, and now the 2021 Sydney Film Festival Prize as well. An anthology film that unfurls across four segments, There Is No Evil explores capital punishment, its impact and the ripples that executions have upon Iranian society. Even the mere concept of state-sanctioned killing rolls through the feature like waves, changing and reshaping much in its wake. It touches a stressed husband and father (feature first-timer Ehsan Mirhosseini), a conscript (Kaveh Ahangar, Don't Be Embarrassed) who can't fathom ending someone's life, a soldier (Mohammad Valizadegan, Lady of the City) whose compliance causes personal issues and a physician (Mohammad Seddighimehr, The Sad Widows of the Warlord) unable to practise his trade. While some sections hit their mark more firmly and decisively than others — There Is No Evil's introduction sets a high bar — this meticulously crafted movie, both visually and thematically, has a lingering cumulative effect as it ruminates on the threats and freedoms that come with life under an oppressive regime. There Is No Evil is available to stream via SBS On Demand. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November this year — and our top new TV shows of 2021, best new television series from this year that you might've missed and top straight-to-streaming films and specials as well. Top image: Ian Routledge/AMC+.
Under current COVID-19 restrictions, you can't go on a holiday (locally or overseas). But, the government has hinted travel between Australia and New Zealand may be allowed in the near future, so it's time to start dreaming. Bookmark this for when you can explore once again. With a bountiful backyard to be explored, it's high time you got out and slept in the most jaw-dropping rest stops in the South Island. You may be giving up your own bed, but you don't have to sacrifice any comfort for that natural NZ beauty at these glamping retreats. To help you find the perfect place to rest your head in the great outdoors (without getting too lo-fi), we've gathered a list of the best glamping spots in the south. Get ready for a night of luxury, trust us, you'll never sleep better. CAMP KEKERENGU, KAIKOURA Waking up at Kaikoura's Camp Kekerengu is like waking up on the edge of the earth. Perched high above the wild Clarence River, you can watch the sunrise from your bed over the expansive beaches below then enjoy sights of playful seals and whales putting on a show. The campsite is complete with outdoor baths and a kitchen with a vista to die for — you'll be moving in before you know it. Go for the full luxe experience, and head to Nin's Bin to eat some of the freshest crayfish you can get your hands on. $220 per night. LAVERICKS BAY, CHRISTCHURCH If you just want to switch off and escape, look no further than Lavericks Bay. Tucked away in the coves of the Banks Peninsula, this lavish campsite boasts wooden outdoor hot tubs and toasty wood burners for the cooler Christchurch nights. It also opens onto a private beach and backs onto rolling hills for your exploring pleasure. Fall asleep watching the stars, then hike up the hill to watch the sun rise over the ocean and feel the serenity. At a 40 minutes' drive from Akaroa and two hours from the garden city, it's a bit of a trek — but, trust us, it's worth the effort. While you're there, grab a surfboard and check out some of the remote breaks dotted around the Banks Peninsula. $210 per night. ROCKY POINT HUT, PEPIN ISLAND Just a stone's throw away from Nelson — but far enough to look back on the bay's beauty — is Rocky Point Hut on Pepin Island. Nestled on the remote tip of the picturesque farming island, the accommodation is a two-hour walk from the isolated Cable Bay beach. While that sounds long, your hard work will be rewarded with an epic vista to make you feel like the king of the land. Your throne? The outdoor hot tub with panoramic views of Tasman Bay. For the full royal treatment, forgo cooking and head to Cable Bay Cafe instead. It's a secret spot only the locals know and serves some of New Zealand's best fare. $150 per night. VALLEY VIEWS, OTAGO Deep in the heart of Mackenzie Country, you'll find a village of luxurious tents to call home. Valley Views Glamping does what it says, delivering incredible views of farm, river and mountain across the vast Waitaki Valley. The campsite sits two hours from Wanaka, giving you a chance to soak in the southern sights on your way to the comfy bed and cosy log burner that await your arrival. Bring a book, and your favourite person, you're not going to want to leave. While you're there, make tracks to Kurow Estate Winery's Cellar Door and pick up some vino to enjoy with the views. $200–$300 per night. WOODPECKER HUT Welcome to Woodpecker Hut, an oasis in the midst of the West Coast wilderness where you can kick back and let your worries subside. Designed and built by locals, the isolated cabin sits harmoniously within its natural surrounds. The hut marries luxury with nature seamlessly, so you can soak in the wooden hot tub all while you soak up a sunset. With bushwalks and beaches at your doorstep, there's plenty of adventuring to be done if you get tired of relaxing, too. If you're after even more views, take a trip just five minutes down the road to the breathtaking Pancake Rocks. $290 per night. Start planning your trip to New Zealand's south with our guide to the South Island journeys to take here.
Before Monday, March 28 comes to a close Down Under, Hollywood will have anointed a new batch of winners. After months of chatter — almost two since the nominations were announced, in fact — and even longer still of speculation, the Academy Awards will shower accolades upon its 94th round of recipients. Sweeping revisionist westerns, heartwarming animated hits, sci-fi spectacles, history-making documentaries: amid the gorgeous gowns, snappy monologues and sweet speeches that'll inevitably come with 2022's Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes-hosted ceremony, they're all in the running. Yes, the list goes in. And, in a bonus for movie lovers in Australia, you can watch 36 of this year's nominated features right now. Some are showing in cinemas, others are streaming, and a few give you options for either big- or small-screen viewings — and here's your pre-Oscars binging rundown on where to see them all. ON THE BIG SCREEN: BELFAST Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Kenneth Branagh), Best Supporting Actor (Ciarán Hinds), Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Our thoughts: Warm, cosy, rosy, charming, feel-good: typically when a film spins its story during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, none of these words apply. But with Belfast, Kenneth Branagh has made a movie set in its eponymous city when the Protestant-versus-Catholic violence was a constant sight, and also helmed a Jamie Dornan, Caitríona Balfe and Judi Dench-starring feature that's about a childhood spent with that conflict as a backdrop. Where to watch: Belfast is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. CYRANO Nominations: Best Costume Design Our thoughts: Love can spring quickly, igniting sparks instantly. Or, it can build gradually and gracefully, including over a lifetime. In the sumptuous confines of Cyrano, all of the above happens — and, with director Joe Wright helming a handsome, detail-laden, rhythmic piece of cinema starring a fantastic Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett and Kelvin Harrison Jr, this musical adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac truly sings. Where to watch: Cyrano is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. DRIVE MY CAR Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Ryusuke Hamaguchi), Best International Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay Our thoughts: Forget Green Book and Driving Miss Daisy, American Oscar-applauded films similarly about drivers, passengers and unexpected camaraderie — Drive My Car is in a lane of its own. Filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi takes his central pair and his audience on a patient, engrossing and rewarding trip that cuts to the heart of dealing with life, love, loss, pain, shame and despair, and also sees how fickle twists of chance unavoidably dictate our routes. Where to watch: Drive My Car is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. FLEE Nominations: Best International Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Animated Feature Our thoughts: Pairing animation with factual storytelling is still rare enough that it stands out, but that blend alone isn't what makes Flee special. Writer/director Jonas Poher Rasmussen has created one of the best instances of the combination yet, all to share the story of an Afghan refugee who was once a kid in war-torn Kabul, then a teenager seeking asylum in Copenhagen, and now talks through the astonishing ups and downs in his tale. Where to watch: Flee is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. LICORICE PIZZA Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Original Screenplay Our thoughts: Paul Thomas Anderson's ninth feature births two new on-screen talents, both putting in two of the past year's best performances and two of the finest-ever movie debuts. In this sublime tale of friendship, romance, hanging out and navigating the 70s in San Fernando Valley, that's evident from the first grainy 35-millimetre-shot moments, as Alana Haim (of Haim) and Cooper Hoffman (son of Philip Seymour Hoffman) do little more than chat, stroll and charm. Where to watch: Licorice Pizza is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. PARALLEL MOTHERS Nominations: Best Actress (Penélope Cruz), Best Original Score Our thoughts: Parallel Mothers is classic Pedro Almodóvar, but nothing about that description ever simply unfurls as expected. Once again, he puts Penélope Cruz at the centre of his frames, paints with the vibrant-toned costume and set design that make his movies such a blissful sight for colour-seeking eyes, and focuses on mothers of all shades navigating life's many difficulties — and the result is one of his best films so far. Where to watch: Parallel Mothers is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. IN CINEMAS OR AT HOME: DUNE Nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Our thoughts: A spice-war space opera about feuding houses on far-flung planets, Dune has long been a pop-culture building block. It's always been something special, too — but as he did with Blade Runner 2049, writer/director Denis Villeneuve has once again grasped something already enormously influential, peered at it with astute eyes, built it anew and created an instant sci-fi classic in the process. Where to watch: Dune is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and Prime Video. Read our full review. ENCANTO Nominations: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score, Best Song Our thoughts: Five years after Lin-Manuel Miranda and Disney first teamed up on an animated musical with the catchiest of tunes, aka Moana, they're back at it again with Encanto. To viewers eager for another colourful, thoughtful and engaging film — and another that embraces a particular culture with the heartiest of hugs, and is all the better for it — what can the past decade's most influential composer and biggest entertainment behemoth say except you're welcome? Where to watch: Encanto is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Disney+,Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. HOUSE OF GUCCI Nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Our thoughts: For the second time in as many movies, Lady Gaga is caught in a bad romance in House of Gucci. Yes, she's already sung the song to match. The pop diva doesn't belt out ballads or croon upbeat tunes in this true-crime drama about the titular fashion family, unlike in her Oscar-nominated role in A Star Is Born, but she does shimmy into a tale about love and revenge, horror and design, and wanting someone's everything as long as it's free. Where to watch: House of Gucci is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. KING RICHARD Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Will Smith), Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing Our thoughts: Stepping into Venus and Serena Williams' childhood as aspiring tennis stars, King Richard mostly lobs around smaller moments — and it's a tale about imperfections, struggles and contradictions in the pursuit of excellence, too. It spies the sporting greats' formative years through their father (Will Smith), but still steps through life-defining events for the entire family — and the end product is an easy win, though, rather than an all-timer Where to watch: King Richard is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. NIGHTMARE ALLEY Nominations: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design Our thoughts: Don't mistake the blaze that starts Nightmare Alley for warmth; in his 11th film, Guillermo del Toro gets chillier than he ever has. A lover of gothic tales told with empathy and curiosity, the Mexican filmmaker has always understood that escapism and agony go hand in hand — and here, in a carnival noir that springs from William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel and previously reached cinemas in 1947, he runs headfirst into cold, unrelenting darkness. Where to watch: Nightmare Alley is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SPENCER Nominations: Best Actress (Kristen Stewart) Our thoughts: Spencer joins Kristen Stewart's resume after weighty parts in Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper, Certain Women and Seberg, and has her do something she's long done magnificently: let a world of pain and uncertainty seep quietly from her entire being. The new regal drama should do just that, of course, given its subject — but saying that director Pablo Larraín has cast his Diana well, pitch-perfect head tilt and all, is a royal understatement. Where to watch: Spencer is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Prime Video. Read our full review. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Nominations: Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: Spider-Man: No Way Home isn't without its charms; Tom Holland and Zendaya's chemistry still sparkles, it's a definite treat to see Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina back in the fold, and, as blasts from the pasts keep popping up, director Jon Watts cleverly juggles the varying tones of all three different web-slinging franchises. But this spider-sequel is always happiest when it's trying to catch the audience's claps and cheers just like flies. Where to watch: Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. WEST SIDE STORY Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose), Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Our thoughts: Tonight, tonight, there's only Steven Spielberg's lavish and dynamic version of West Side Story tonight — not to detract from or forget the 1961 movie of the same name. With this swooning, socially aware remake of one of cinema's favourite stories about star-crossed lovers, the veteran filmmaker pirouettes back from the atrocious Ready Player One by embracing something he clearly adores, and being unafraid to give it rhythmic swirls and thematic twirls. Where to watch: West Side Story is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD Nominations: Best International Feature, Best Original Screenplay Our thoughts: Capturing the relentlessly on-the-go sensation that comes with adulthood, as well as the inertia of feeling like you're never quite getting anywhere that you're meant to be, The Worst Person in the World is filled with running scenes that paint a wonderfully evocative and relatable image. Those are apt terms for Norwegian writer/director Joachim Trier's latest gem overall, actually, which meets Julie as she's pinballing through the shambles of her millennial life. Where to watch: The Worst Person in the World is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. VIA STREAMING: ASCENSION Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: Starting with factory recruitment on the streets, then stepping into mass production, then climbing the social hierarchy up to the rich and privileged, Ascension explores employment, consumerism and the everyday dream in China. Observational to a mesmerising degree, it lets its slices of life and the behaviour, attitudes and patterns they capture do the talking — and what a smart, telling, incisive and surreal story they unfurl. Where to watch: Ascension is available to stream via Paramount+. ATTICA Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: Half a century after the infamous Attica uprising at the New York jail — which ended with 33 inmates and 10 correctional officers dead, all most all at the hands of law enforcement — this intelligent, compassionate and powerful documentary asks prisoners who were there to share their stories. Entwined with archival footage, it isn't an easy watch, but it's not just grim and infuriating but gripping and essential during every second. Where to watch: Attica is available to stream via Paramount+. BEING THE RICARDOS Nominations: Best Actor (Javier Bardem), Best Actress (Nicole Kidman), Best Supporting Actor (JK Simmons) Our thoughts: If Aaron Sorkin's name is attached to a project, film or TV alike, plenty of talk always ensues. That's no different in this Sorkin-written and directed biopic about Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) — which focuses on a difficult time in their marriage, and in their sitcom I Love Lucy, but largely just makes viewers wish that they were watching that television series and the real-life Ball instead. Where to watch: Being the Ricardos is available to stream via Prime Video. CODA Nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur), Best Adapted Screenplay, Our thoughts: CODA, the sophomore feature from writer/director Sian Heder (Tallulah), takes its cues from 2014 French hit La Famille Bélier — and it's a rare example of the remake bettering the original. Following 17-year-old Ruby Rossi's (Emilia Jones, Locke & Key) struggle to balance her commitments to her family, all of whom are deaf, with her dreams of attending music school, it's filled with warmth, naturalism, engaging performances and a welcome lack of cheesiness. Where to watch: CODA is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review. COMING 2 AMERICA Nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Our thoughts: Coming 2 America might make knowing jokes about pointless sequels made decades after original hits, but that winking attitude doesn't make this 33-years-later sequel to Coming to America any better. This time around, Eddie Murphy's Prince Akeem of Zamunda has to grapple with becoming king, finding out he has a 30-year-old son and realising that his country's patriarchal traditions need dismantling, and laughs are thin from start to finish. Where to watch: Coming 2 America is available to stream via Prime Video. CRUELLA Nominations: Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling Our thoughts: A killer dress, a statement jacket, a devastating head-to-toe ensemble: if they truly match their descriptions, they stand the test of time. Set in 70s London as punk takes over the aesthetic, live-action 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella is full of such outfits — but if the Emma Stone-starring affair was a fashion item itself, though, it'd be a piece that appears fabulous from afar, but can't hide its seams. Where to watch: Cruella is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. DON'T LOOK UP Nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing Our thoughts: On paper, Don't Look Up sounds like a dream. Using a comet hurtling towards earth as a stand-in, Adam McKay parodies climate change inaction and the circus that tackling COVID-19 has turned into in the US, spoofs self-serious disaster blockbusters and enlists a fantasy cast. But he's still simply making the most blatant gags, all while assuming viewers wouldn't care about saving the planet, or their own lives, without such star-studded and glossily shot packaging. Where to watch: Don't Look Up is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE Nominations: Best Actress (Jessica Chastain), Best Makeup and Hairstyling Our thoughts: Not for the first time, the eyes have it, but then they always have with Tammy Faye Bakker. The second film called The Eyes of Tammy Faye to tell the 70s and 80s televangelist's tale, this biopic, frequently puts its namesake's OTT and instantly eye-grabbing peepers in focus. That's apt, given the Jessica Chastain-starring flick hones in on perspective; however, it'd be a better film if it pondered what she truly saw, or didn't. Where to watch: The Eyes of Tammy Faye is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. FOUR GOOD DAYS Nominations: Best Original Song Our thoughts: Based on a true tale and coming to the screen via a Washington Post article, Four Good Days isn't subtle — but Mila Kunis and Glenn Close's performances still hit the mark with power and empathy. They play a mother and daughter, the former a ten-year heroin addict trying to get clean for the 15th time, the latter her long-suffering mother, and both wading through a lifetime of woes in search of a brighter future. Where to watch: Four Good Days is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. FREE GUY Nominations: Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: Free Guy is a big-budget, star-led movie that primarily exists to answer two not-at-all pressing questions: what would The Truman Show look like if it starred Ryan Reynolds, and how would that 1998 classic would fare if it was about massive online video games instead of TV? In the process, it's firmly Hollywood's equivalent of mass-produced soft furnishings emblazoned with self-help platitudes and designed to sit on as many couches as possible. Where to watch: Free Guy is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE HAND OF GOD Nominations: Best International Feature Our thoughts: The Hand of God isn't a Diego Maradona biopic; however, Paolo Sorrentino's film takes its name from the soccer star's move during a 1986 World Cup match, where he used his hand to score a goal and helped win the game. Based on the filmmaker's own youth, it also tells of a time when the player was a deity to the not-yet-movie-obsessed future Italian cinema great — and the life-changing personal dramas that occurred with that soccer worship in the background. Where to watch: The Hand of God is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. THE LOST DAUGHTER Nominations: Best Actress (Olivia Colman), Best Supporting Actress (Jessie Buckley), Best Adapted Screenplay Our thoughts: Watching Olivia Colman play a complicated woman is like staring at the ocean: it's never the same twice; it couldn't be more unpredictable, no matter how comfortable it appears; and all that surface texture bobs, floats, swells, gleams and glides atop leagues of unseen complexity. The Lost Daughter is the latest example, and it's exceptional, with actor-turned-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal making a bold directorial debut bringing Elena Ferrante's novel to the screen. Where to watch: The Lost Daughter is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. LUCA Nominations: Best Animated Feature Our thoughts: Even when Pixar makes a minor delight, like Luca, its usually swims well beyond most of the other family-friendly fare that gets pumped in front of young eyes. Set in Italy over a resplendent summer, this coming-of-age tale might be the closest that Pixar ever gets to making a Frankenstein movie. Forget the whole coming back from the dead part; instead, teenage sea monsters Luca (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) just want to belong. Where to watch: Luca is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES Nominations: Best Animated Feature Our thoughts: Fighting the robot apocalypse has rarely been as fun on-screen as it is in this feel-good, family-friendly (and family-loving) animated delight. Artificial intelligence takes over, the world's technological gadgets enslave humans, and it's up to a film-obsessed teenager and her quirky family to save the day, work through their baggage and ensure that humanity has a future — all of which makes for smart, funny, warmhearted and savvily playful viewing. Where to watch: The Mitchells vs the Machines is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. NO TIME TO DIE Nominations: Best Original Song, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Our thoughts: James Bond might prefer his martinis shaken, not stirred, but No Time to Die doesn't quite take that advice. While the enterprising spy hasn't changed his drink order, the latest film he's gives its regular ingredients both a mix and a jiggle. The action is dazzlingly choreographed, a menacing criminal has an evil scheme and the world is in peril. But, there's more weight in Daniel Craig's performance, more emotion all round, and a greater willingness to contemplate the stakes. Where to watch: No Time to Die is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE POWER OF THE DOG Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Jane Campion), Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Supporting Actor (Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee), Best Supporting Actress (Kirsten Dunst), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Our thoughts: Jane Campion has never helmed anything less than stellar, and she's immensely capable of unearthing rich new pastures in well-ploughed terrain. With The Power of the Dog, the New Zealand director is at the height of her skills trotting into her latest mesmerising musing on strength, desire and isolation — this time via a venomous western that's as perilously bewitching as its mountainous backdrop, and is also teeming with stunning performances. Where to watch: The Power of the Dog is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON Nominations: Best Animated Feature Our thoughts: Featuring a vibrant animated spectacle that heroes vivid green and blue hues, a rousing central figure who is never a stock-standard Disney princess and lively voice work, Raya and the Last Dragon boasts plenty of highlights. It embraces southeast Asian culture with a warm hug; it's always detailed, organic, inclusive and thoughtful, and never tokenistic; and it benefits from the pitch-perfect vocal stylings of Awkwafina as the playful, mystical half of the film's title. Where to watch: Raya and the Last Dragon is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS Nominations: Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: In Marvel's 25th film, Simu Liu anchors a film about history and destiny, too — one that's about breaking free from the past and committing to the future — and he heartily embraces the occasion. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings itself flits between offering up a lively picture that strives to carve out its own space in the series, and simply serving up more of the usual Marvel template but in enticing packaging, however, but it's always entertaining. Where to watch: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: Much of Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) involves stunning archival footage, as recorded more than five decades ago and never seen since, capturing live performances by an astonishing lineup of musicians at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Directed by Questlove, consider this glorious documentary an act of unearthing, reclamation and celebration, then. It's a gift, too — and a phenomenal one. Where to watch: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. TICK, TICK... BOOM! Nominations: Best Actor (Andrew Garfield), Best Film Editing Our thoughts: Lin-Manuel Miranda's filmmaking directorial debut, Tick, Tick… Boom! charts theatre composer Jonathan Larson's (Andrew Garfield) path to the autobiographical one-man-show that shares its name — before he went on to make a little production called Rent. It's a loving ode, albeit an inescapably overexcited one. And it's also clearly a case of art imitating life, with Larson's enthusiasm for the art form he cherished so feverishly coming through strong. Where to watch: Tick, Tick... Boom! is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH Nominations: Best Actor (Denzel Washington), Best Cinematography, Best Production Design Our thoughts: Bringing Shakespeare to the big screen is no longer just about doing the material justice, or even letting a new batch of the medium's standout talents give their best to the Bard's immortal words. For everyone attempting the feat (a list that just keeps growing), it's also about gifting the playwright's material with the finest touches that cinema allows — and this version of Macbeth, directed solo by Joel Coen, bubbles not only with toil and trouble but with all of the above. Where to watch: The Tragedy of Macbeth is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review.
The Alex Perry Hotel puts its designer credentials right there in its name. This Fortitude Valley property is decked out with all of the fashion designer's signature touches pulled directly from his runway creations. Think rich, dark colours contrasting with gleaming white and natural tones, plus natural light aplenty. And, the rooms are all apartment-style, which always helps in making you feel at home. It might be located in a busy area for boutique accommodation, near both The Calile and Ovolo the Valley — both of which have their place in the list of the best boutique hotels in Brisbane — but there's one thing that helps Alex Perry Hotel stand out: its rooftop space. There's a pool, naturally; however, sitting on the astroturf and admiring the sunset is one of the best ways to soak in the best of Brisbane's sensational weather.
If a certain bespectacled boy wizard and two best friends have taught us anything, it's that life really is magical sometimes. Take the latest Harry Potter-themed event, which we're certain is going to become the next big pop culture/fitness craze craze. Who doesn't want to bend and stretch in a HP yoga class? Yep, on October 30, the folks at Circle Brewing Co in Austin, Texas did something even more wonderful than make delicious alcoholic beverages; they made many a Harry Potter fan's dreams come true. It's part of their Pints & Poses series (which seriously sounds like our kind of exercise), and was held as both a fun Halloween and Dia de los Muertos-esque shindig, and a celebration of the life of Lily and James Potter on the eve of the anniversary of their passing. Attendees worked Slytherin cobra and Whomping Willow poses, wielded wands to summon a Patronus and cast off Dementors, and were told to "imagine you're sitting on the Hogwarts Express," according to Cosmopolitan in the US. They also ate sorting hat-shaped cookies, visited a potion station, and, afterwards, everyone had a pint of Circle (non-butter)beer. Of course they did. The class was so popular that two more are now slated for November, should you happen to be in the vicinity this month. Given that we already have silent yoga, silent disco yoga, cat yoga, blindfolded yoga, hip hop yoga, brewhouse yoga, rooftop yoga, Beyonce yoga, Drake yoga and stand-up paddleboard yoga on our fair shores, it really is the kind of thing that someone in Australia ought to conjure up, and fast. Accio fitness, and all that. Images: Circle Brewing Co.
Martha Marcy May Marlene is a moving psychological thriller detailing the plight of Martha (Elizabeth Olson), who has recently spent two years living with an abusive cult and its deceivingly charming leader (John Hawkes). After her escape, she reunites with her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy). She attempts to mould her life back to routine, yet is unwilling to divulge details of her mysterious and lengthy disappearance. Despite her family's concerns and inquiries, Martha's history is still kept hidden in darkness and the film pivots around the haunting memories of her ordeal. When such memories begin to fuel her paranoia and the fear that she may be recaptured, Martha becomes a victim of her past as her concept of reality becomes distorted with immense vigour. A dark and magnetic exploration of human consciousness, Martha Marcy May Marlene exposes the unturned side of humanity that we fear to recognise. The film is directed and written by Sean Durkin, who won the esteemed award for "Best Director" at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011, and opens in cinemas February 2. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight, Concrete Playground has twenty double passes to giveaway. To win tickets to Martha Marcy May Marlene, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address through to hello@concreteplayground.com.au by 5pm on Friday, January 21. https://youtube.com/watch?v=KFu-zcQ7Mh4
It might highlight the best in TV as well as film, but there's nothing small about the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Awards, or the festival that's sprung up around it. In 2024, in tandem with its move to the Gold Coast, the accolades unveiled a multi-day program of talks, events and screenings around the ceremony, all celebrating Aussie movies and shows, plus the talent behind them. In 2025, AACTA Festival is returning — for a longer run and with a bigger program. 2024's four-day, 70-plus-event lineup has been eclipsed by 2025's five-day bill with more than 100 events. HOTA, Home of the Arts is AACTA Festival's base again. The dates for your diary: Wednesday, February 5–Sunday, February 9 for the fest, and Friday, February 7 for the main awards ceremony. The bulk of the movies and TV shows nominated for this year's AACTAs won't be announced until Saturday, December 7, which means that more AACTA Festival lineup details will arrive afterwards; however, the program revealed so far is already impressive. One big highlight: getting the Working Dog team, aka Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, Michael Hirsh and Rob Sitch, together for an in-conversation session that's bound to touch upon everything from The Castle, Frontline, Thank God You're Here and Utopia to The Dish, The Hollowmen and Have You Been Paying Attention?. The Dish will also be on the screening program, and the Working Dog team will receive the prestigious AACTA Longford Lyell Award. Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser, who won an Oscar for Dune and is highly tipped for another one for Dune: Part Two, is another big-name inclusion, chatting about his Hollywood work. Also in the same category: John Seale, who took home an Academy Award for The English Patient, and was nominated for Witness, Rain Man, Cold Mountain and Mad Max: Fury Road. Attendees can also look forward to authors Trent Dalton and Holly Ringland returning from 2024's lineup, chatting about Boy Swallows Universe and The Lost Flowers of Alice on the small screen, respectively; a dive into the Heartbreak High soundtrack; a panel on queer storytelling with RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under season two winner Spankie Jackzon and Deadloch's Nina Oyama; and a session with First Nations filmmakers. Australia's contribution to the horror genre, tunes from the How to Make Gravy movie performed live, Dani Im's Eurovision experience, a Taylor Swift symposium: they're part of AACTA Festival as well. And if you're keen to watch movies, Gettin' Square followup Spit will enjoy its Queensland premiere, complete with star David Wenham (Fake) chatting about the feature's journey; Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up will make its Australian debut, at Movie World, of course; and upcoming action film Homeward with Nathan Phillips (Kid Snow) and Jake Ryan (Territory) will take viewers behind the scenes. "AACTA Festival is a one-of-a-kind event that connects and celebrates our entire screen industry. With over 100 events led by our industry's best, it is a truly transformative experience for anyone passionate about the screen industry, offering an unparalleled opportunity to explore career pathways and connect with some of the brightest minds in film and television," said AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella about 2025's lineup. "This year, we're especially excited to shine a spotlight on the resurgence of music in screen storytelling. With an incredible program of events featuring world-class composers, songwriters and music supervisors, we're not just celebrating the artistry of soundtracks and scores; we're also providing invaluable development opportunities for aspiring creatives to learn, network and advance their careers. AACTA Festival is where inspiration meets opportunity, and we can't wait to see the next generation of Australian screen talent emerge." [caption id="attachment_955328" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Netflix[/caption] [caption id="attachment_927965" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Netflix © 2023[/caption] AACTA Festival will run from Wednesday, February 5–Sunday, February 9, 2025 at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise Gold Coast. For further details, head to the fest's website.
Have you ever struck gold in an op-shop? It's a high, isn't it? The thrill — akin to finding money on the ground or winning a game — comes from small victories like picking up a piece that emulates a current trend (say, anything aquamarine right now) or a trinket to fill that empty space on your shelf. Dedicated thrifters take on bigger conquests, such as finding a brand new wedding dress at a regional Salvos. Op shopping has long been a practical (and sometimes, necessary) cost-cutting measure. A recent study from Salvos and Glow Research has pulled back the curtain on the incredible highs and lows of the op shopping experience — naturally, 60% of Australians value the savings, but the data reveals that more shoppers are rummaging the racks for fun today. Almost three-quarters of respondents agree that the experience feels like a treasure hunt, and that finding the right item brings a sense of personal accomplishment. You never know what lies in your local second-hander, but you're likely to luck out. A crystal chandelier, a rare Dobro guitar — these are among the items of "exceptional value" that 68% of Aussies have purchased at op-shops. This unending potential for discovery explains why two in three Australians find op shopping more exciting than browsing boutiques or department stores. Hard-to-find items have a maverick appeal, but the unique potential and individuality of these items also raise the stakes for shoppers. Something mass-produced can be bought anytime, but who knows when you'll see those vintage leather boots again? Salvos reports shoppers are twice as likely to regret leaving something behind at the op shop than at a regular retail store. It's the opposite of buyer's remorse; 48% of shoppers have returned to the op shop for a previously abandoned item. If they're lucky, it hasn't been snapped up by another discerning eye. Interestingly, op shops backed by charities even offset the guilt of impulse spending for almost 70% of respondents. As sustainability becomes an increasingly urgent topic, you're less likely to feel guilty when you're avoiding fast fashion. Still, moderation is always wise. This data was supplied by Salvos and was based on a study of a national representative sample of 1000 Australians. Images: supplied Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
If you didn't know that Dello Mano (Brisbane brownie icon and darling of desserts) offered breakfast and lunch seven days a week, you're not alone. Many people don't realise that the local providore of Belgium Chocolate luxury brownies, truffles, fudge, cakes and all things indulgence also plays host to a constant stream of regulars – creatives, designers, small business owners, couples, families, cyclists and the occasional dog at their Teneriffe cafe every day. A unique, eclectic space with a façade covered in creeper vines and adorned with potted plants, Dello Mano omits an aura of romantic, cosy French chic-ness. Whether you choose to sit inside surrounded by black walls, bookshelves and glass cabinets of sweet decadence or outside perched atop a padded tin drum stool, a classic French bistro chair or at the coffee bar, you're guaranteed to feel like you've just stumbled across a corner café in Paris. The food is equally impressive and you'll soon realise these guys are just as accomplished at curating a flavoursome breakfast menu as they are at producing chocolate perfection. Choose from simple yet delicious savoury combinations like the Billy Goat Eggs (fluffy free-range scrambled eggs, goats cheese and fetta, fresh baby spinach, sourdough and balsamic reduction) or the old faithful BLAT with a twist (crispy bacon, avocado, tomato and dressed lettuce on sourdough, finished with mayonnaise and mustard). However, if it's a truly unique taste sensation you seek then the house-baked Chocolate Granola (what else?) can't be ignored. Made with 72% dark Belgium chocolate, almonds, dates, maple syrup and cinnamon it's surprisingly light and strikes the right balance of bittersweet chocolate with crunchy clusters of oats for early morning. Order it with a small pot of milk and you have yourself a chocolate milkshake to slurp up after you take your last spoonful. Coffee is also lovely, using the Modena blend from fellow local supplier DiBella and is served with a small square of their ridiculously delicious Classic Brownie. Crunchy on the outside with an intensely gooey centre it has that wonderful 'not quite cooked through' texture that leaves you in a state of chocolate bliss. Dello Mano clearly has the recipe for success, offering locals a place to pick up a pre-packaged or made to order gift hamper, quench the coffee cravings or sit and savour breakfast and cake – all whilst feeling oh-so-Parisienne. Keep an eye out for their high tea offering coming soon. Image by Mimi Hyll.
It's likely safe to say that no one IRL has met their significant other via the unique combination of a flashed nipple, a dog on the street, then strangers coming together not only to ensure that an injured pooch gets the medical treatment that it needs, but to care for the cute pup together from that instant forwards. It's the type of situation that screenwriters conjure up. In this case, writers and actors Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall have done just that. But one of the charms of Colin From Accounts from its first scenes back when its initial season arrived at the end of 2022 is the fact that it takes an only-on-TV (or in the movies) kind of meet-cute and makes everything about it, and also all that's followed between its protagonists, feel authentic. The charisma between Dyer and Brammall was always going to radiate a genuine vibe. They're married. They're also no strangers to working together on an Aussie comedy series where sparks fly between their characters. The now-American Auto and Evil stars, respectively, also teamed up on the two homegrown seasons of No Activity across 2015–16 (they each appeared in the show's US remake as well, which ran for four seasons across 2017–21, and preceded both versions of the show with A Moody Christmas and Ruben Guthrie). To watch, even playing folks who wouldn't have any awareness of each other if it wasn't for an impossible-to-predict series of events as in Colin From Accounts, their shared presence couldn't be more comfortable. [caption id="attachment_881020" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lisa Tomasetti[/caption] There's an ease to Colin From Accounts that spans far beyond its on- and off-screen driving forces, though, and a relatability. Even the sequence that gets Ashley and Gordon, aka Dyer's medical student and Brammall's microbrewery owner, crossing paths unfurls with a sense that each step along the way isn't out of the question. In fact, it all begins as everyone watching has experienced themselves: with two people not knowing what to do when they literally cross each other's path in the street. Kicking off as you mean to go on — with amusing and insightful comedy that manages not to seem too far from reality when it's at its most heightened, with a new couple and their adorable pet, and with a winning sense of humour — is firmly Dyer and Brammall's approach with Colin From Accounts.facc Accordingly, it's been no wonder that the Binge series has proved a viewer favourite at home and overseas, and earned renewal for a second season. It wasn't a surprise, either, when it started collecting a swag of awards — AACTAs and Logies in Australia, also gongs from the nation's writers' and casting guilds, plus the Breakthrough Comedy Series accolade alongside the Outstanding Performance in a Comedy Series prize for Dyer at the first-ever Gotham TV Awards in the US. Speaking with Concrete Playground about season two, which is streaming for Aussie audiences via Binge, Dyer and Brammall give the series the sheen of a miracle, however, thanks to sharing a simple fact: that Colin From Accounts began as a fun thing for the pair to write for themselves, including to act in, but without thinking that anything more would come of it. [caption id="attachment_881024" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tony Mott[/caption] For most, that'll be the least-relatable thing about the hit series: that something this delightful can spring from merely "bouncing an idea around", as Brammall describes it, without having confidence that it'd find its way to the screen. With the pair's resumes — Dyer's also includes Down Under, Killing Ground, Love Child, The Other Guy, The Invisible Man and Wakefield, while Brammall's sports Home and Away, Griff the Invisible, The Moodys, Offspring, Upper Middle Bogan, Glitch, Overlord and Lodge 49, to name just a few other credits for both — the least-believable aspect might be that there was ever any question that the project would, could and should make it to fruition. Season two of Colin From Accounts doesn't dare feel like an easy repeat of the first. Ashley and Gordon are past the will-they-won't-they stage, but now they have the next question to ponder: should've they? The season picks up with them still regretting giving Colin away, so much so that they're desperate to get him back to the point of popping up in the park where he's playing with his new owners, becoming a big part of Colin's new humans' lives — much to the latter's chagrin — and doing whatever it takes to bring their dog back home. But that's just the opening storyline, and something to distract a no-longer-new duo from whether they really are right for each other. From there, the season digs into their romantic histories, approaches to self-pleasure and miscommunication, then what happens when meeting the parents doesn't quite gel and how they might want different things for the future. In addition to the show's original idea and sliding-door moment, we also chatted with Dyer and Brammall about their starting point for the second season, plans for Ashley and Gordon across the series' latest eight instalments, and veering down a new route in its fifth episode. If you've ever wondered how difficult it is to come up with a name that'll work for both a dog and a TV show, we plunged into that as well, then explored the naturalism of Colin From Accounts' dialogue — another factor that makes it feel so authentic — including both when it's scripted and improvised. [caption id="attachment_881023" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tony Mott[/caption] On the Original Idea for Colin From Accounts Springing From a Nipple Flash, a Dog and Strangers Committing to Take Care of a Cute Injured Pooch Together Harriet: "We just made it up." Patrick: "We were just bouncing an idea around, really. I mean, we didn't think it would get made. It was just like 'hey, this would be fun to write something for us to act in because we're actors'." Harriet: "We wanted two people that only had chemistry. They didn't know each other, they didn't have ..." Patrick: "Anything in common." [caption id="attachment_881021" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lisa Tomasetti[/caption] Harriet: "They were not expecting to see each other beyond that moment. It could have been a sliding-door situation where the postman didn't let the dog out, and she just flashes her nipple and he keeps driving and goes 'who was that woman?', and tells his friends at work and that's it." Patrick: "Yeah, that's right." Harriet: "But because the man didn't close the gate properly, then you've got a dog. And that's the kind of magical bit." [caption id="attachment_881022" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lisa Tomasetti[/caption] On the Deliberation That Went Giving a Dog That Name That Also Doubled as the Moniker for a TV Series Harriet: "It's interesting. I never actually loved the name Colin From Accounts as a TV show. I didn't know what else to call it, but I thought it sounded a bit broad, but it's working. It's worked. I can't note it now." Patrick: "Are you kidding? I loved it always." Harriet: "You did." Patrick: "Yes." Harriet: "Yes." Patrick: "We did talk — Binge at one point were like 'hey, do we love the title? Do we think it should be something else?'. And we had a think and the best we could come up with was Dog with Wheels." [caption id="attachment_952631" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lisa Tomasetti[/caption] Harriet: "Dog with Wheels is a different kind of broad." Patrick: "Yeah, yeah. No, not good." Harriet: "It's neither better nor worse, though." Patrick: "Colin From Accounts, I love it cause it's a good misdirect." Harriet: "People think it's about Patty." [caption id="attachment_964082" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Joel Pratley[/caption] Patrick: "Yeah, and that my name's Colin. But it comes from real life because we, a few years ago, fostered a dog for a short time, and he had a name we didn't like. It was Minshu. Like, well done, but we just didn't he looked like a Minshu. And so we literally that conversation we have in episode one season one, pretty much verbatim ..." Harriet: "Airlifted, yeah." Patrick: "... a conversation that we had in life. 'What does he look like? He looks like a Colin. He looks like Colin from accounts'. And we did that, and it amused us to call a dog Colin From Accounts. And so because these two characters, they meet on the same frequency. That's what turns each other on about the other. So that made sense to make that the name of the show, because that's a weird thing when they meet." [caption id="attachment_952629" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lisa Tomasetti[/caption] On the Starting Point for Season Two as Writers, and Diving Further Into Ashley and Gordon's Lives and Relationship Harriet: "We knew that we had to get the dog back, otherwise no one would forgive us. But we knew that it couldn't be that simple —we had to give them obstacles. They couldn't just be like 'oh, here you go'. And so it did feel a little hijinks-y trying to give them — they try, it's blocked, they try, it's blocked, but ultimately, they got him. We just had to get him back. And then once we solved that — we wanted to solve that nicely by the end of the first episode, because we didn't want to spend a lot of time on what felt pretty obvious — but then it was like 'okay, so we got him'. We also talked about do we work without him? We opened the curtain of that, and then we got him back. So that kind of curtain is still a little open, because well, now we've got him, but should we still stay together?" [caption id="attachment_964083" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Joel Pratley[/caption] Patrick: "That's right, because just before that moment happens in episode one, Gordon's like 'you know, let's just see what we're like without him, just us'." Harriet: "And then: knock, knock, knock." Patrick: "And then: knock, knock, knock — and things take over. But really, what we knew we wanted to explore in this season was the baggage that people bring to a relationship. And it's a little bit more Gordon's baggage because he's been a single pants man for so many years. He's in his 40s, and he's just never had a long, meaningful relationship." Harriet: "And he's less front-footed about his stuff. I think Ashley wears her heart and all her BS on her sleeve, whereas he's kind of tucking it away into weird corners. And trying to present this clean guy. And then she finds that box of beers and is like 'what? Just be open about whatever you are'." [caption id="attachment_952630" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lisa Tomasetti[/caption] Patrick: "That's right. So we knew we wanted to open doors in each of them. Now that they're together, what does that mean? So that's what we did. And then we just thought about what do we want the other characters to do?. And we thought of some setpieces in episode four — at the start of episode four, there's a funny kind of moment in our new relationship, which we thought was funny, a bit sexy, and also a bit cringy and real. And we thought that's not only funny, it could be a great conversation-starter for people in relationships to talk about their sexuality." Harriet: "And what their sexuality means to them, and what does it look like when they're by themselves, and habits and all that kind of stuff." [caption id="attachment_964084" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Joel Pratley[/caption] Patrick: "And in episode five, we changed the format of the show a little bit, just to play with something, a particular idea. And the idea we had for that is something that happens to Ashley, and that dictated the form of that show. It's quite different to the other episodes." Harriet: "Yeah, five is a bit different." Patrick: "And then we wanted to meet Gordon's family. And so these things kind of presented themselves, and we placed them around the season where we felt it was appropriate for them to come up." Harriet: "Yep." Patrick: "And then before you know it, you've got a season, you've got eight shows." On Ensuring That the Show's Dialogue Sounds Authentic — Both as Writers and as Actors Harriet: "Because we wrote it, we have a healthy disrespect for it. Learning lines is very easy when you or he wrote it. And also, it's funny, our script supervisor, they're the ones that come over and go 'it's actually and not but' — and we had to pretty quickly go 'we're probably not going to say what we wrote'. But sometimes we have to because we're hitting points. And also sometimes the joke is written so well that you do have to learn exactly the rhythm of it." Patrick: "Yeah." Harriet: "But there's definitely moments that ad-lib happened, and we just always left space for that. And our director Trent O'Donnell [who also directed No Activity] was so good at that. He'd give you a bit to riff on — like that whole bit with the unicycle that was so kind of iconic in season one, 'was this yours? How long have you been single?', that was a bit that he just called out from behind the camera because the props and art department put a unicycle there. That wasn't in the script, but then it ended up in the trailer. So the show is just the sum of its parts like that. Because Patty said ' hey, I want Gordy's house to be filled with half-completed hobbies'. So they had there like herbs, a punching bag ..." Patrick: "A drum kit." Harriet: "Drums, the unicycle. And it was just like this man has so many hobbies and he's not seeing any of them through." Patrick: "That's right, because it speaks to character." [caption id="attachment_964086" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Lisa Tomesetti[/caption] Harriet: "And so that realism that you're talking about, every department delivers on that, and then we just play with all the world." Patrick: "And we always, we're never too strict about the script. As Harry just said, we leave about ten percent for play, because you might find some magic there." Harriet: "And if you've got time, we go 'let's do a fun run', and that's all the characters. Just say your favourite bits of the script, but if there's something else that's popping into your head, say that." Patrick: "Or if the line isn't working for an actor, we'll just go 'don't worry about that. What do you want to say instead?'." Harriet: "But sometimes if the pitch doesn't feel right — especially some day players, they'll have an idea of what Colin From Account is, and so they'll pitch a joke that's just not it. And we'll be like 'oh my god, it's so good, but not that'. But also 'have a go, let's do that, and then we'll just do one as a script because we need it for the big guys upstairs, they're asking for it'." Patrick: "But equally, some people are great at improvising in that way. But the thing to make it feel like 'oh, this does not feel like this is the scripted bit and this is the improvised bit'. It's all got to feel real." Harriet: "Yes, yes." Patrick: "And when we're writing, that's very much one of our primary things is to make it feel like something that humans would actually say, rather than a bit of exposition." Harriet: "That's right. So some of the stuff that is definitely scripted feels improv because it's just a bit throwaway — it's not overly worked." Colin From Accounts streams via Binge, with both season one and season two available now. Read our reviews of season one and season two. Top image: Joel Pratley.
We're definitely biased, but Sydney's one of the most beautiful places to see and stay. There's always something to do, some place to drink, somewhere to swim (winter doesn't stop those Sydneysiders from achieving their morning dip). And if you're touring in style, you might as well get the full experience with a luxury stay. Whether you're visiting from interstate or a few suburbs over, Sydney is packed with five-star hotels offering plush sheets (there's no better feeling), silver-platter room service, pamper packages, and infinity pools overlooking heart-stopping views. Capella Sydney, Loftus Street Ever wondered what it's like to stay in one of the world's best hotels? Look no further than Circular Quay — with Capella Sydney crowned the 12th best hotel on The World's 50 Best Hotels list. A feast for the architectural eyes, the meticulously restored former Department of Education building invites discerning guests to another kind of art deco wonderland. Hiding behind a historic facade lies a "meadow garden" — a kinetic lighting installation, featuring wildflower-like lanterns that bloom and fold; a Baroque-style indoor pool and wellness sanctuary, including the serene Aruiga Spa, as well as some of the best dining experiences in the city. Find timeless, moody glamour at the Victorian-style drinking den, McCrae, and award-winning and seasonal brasserie classics at Brasserie 1930. The rooms also fuse heritage motifs with contemporary furnishings and appliances — think Dyson hairdryers, intuitive tablets, and oversized bathtubs. Because what's a staycation without an indulgently long morning soak? 24 Loftus St, Sydney [caption id="attachment_1069490" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Justin Nicholas[/caption] 25 Hours The Olympia, Paddington Ever return from a holiday or staycation wishing you had more time? Well, at 25 Hours Hotel Olympia, you've got an "extra hour" to play around with or lazily sink into — with an unhurried, halcyon-like atmosphere designed for comfort and presence. The global hotel chain, known for its soul-driven, chicly themed outposts, recently opened its first Australian branch at the original West Olympia Theatre in Paddington. Featuring 109 rooms for both the "dreamers" and "renegades" (the hotel's divided into two bold archetypes), wanderlust cinephiles are taken on a cinematic journey. There's "25 hours" service, retro furnishings, and a swathe of onsite destinations to check out — from the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, The Palomar, on the ground floor (helmed by Luke Davenport, ex-The Palomar, London), to a buzzy Los Angeles-like rooftop, Monica. Guests can even pick up their morning brew and pastry at Jacob the Angel, the UK's specialist coffee house. With an international feel in one of Sydney's most fashionable enclaves, you'll totally absorb main character holiday energy. 1 Oxford St, Paddington InterContinental Sydney Coogee Beach Bondi may be Sydney's most famous beach, but Coogee's now home to the area's most luxurious hotel. Opened in December, the old Crown Plaza has transformed into a sparkling Grecian escape thanks to a not-so-little makeover by The InterContinental. The five-star utopia features 198 light-filled rooms and 22 sea-facing suites (some with lavish outdoor baths), all inspired by the undulating rhythm and colours of the shoreline. Because it's the eastern suburbs, obviously, there's a clear focus on wellness and rejuvenation: you'll find sunrise yoga sessions on the sand, pickleball courts for sprightly travellers, and lavish spa treatments for the digital detoxer. The palm-fringed infinity pool, bar, and leisure deck are now open, with the fully immersive Èliva Spa and Club InterContinental set to open in May, offering stellar rest and recovery alongside members-only perks. In the meantime, guests and visitors can check out Shutters Restaurant & Bar, a fitting Australian-Mediterranean fusion, as well as the hotly anticipated Rick Stein at Coogee Beach. The influential British chef's second Aussie outpost (he's got Bannisters by the Sea in Port Stephens) heroes Stein's "fresh seafood, simply prepared" ethos for a glitzy Sydney audience. You can order everything from Singapore chilli crab to hot shellfish platters, and even classic fish and chips. 242 Arden St, Coogee View this post on Instagram A post shared by The EVE Hotel (@theevehotel) The EVE, Redfern With Palm Springs sensibilities and a seriously cool, biophilic design, The EVE is a hidden oasis in Sydney's inner city. The five-star hotel by the TFE Hotels (the hotel management team behind Brisbane's southern-Cali-inspired hotel, The Calile) sits on the chic new Wunderlich Lane in Redfern, where some of the best new Sydney restaurants, bars and boutiques are situated, such as lifestyle brand Saardé (which partners with the hotel for luxury bathroom essentials). You'll find a mixed bag of clientele here, from tastemakers and It-girls in new-season St. Agni to corporate somebodies and aspirational digital nomads — languidly soaking up the lobby's mid-century modern interiors, as well as the piece de résistance: the rooftop pool. Featuring rust coloured sunloungers, cabanas, and bar service amongst the palms, this 102-room and suite space feels more like an exclusive members club than a standard hotel. 8 Baptist St, Redfern [caption id="attachment_986313" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Christopher Pearce[/caption] The Grand National Hotel, Paddington The Grand National Hotel isn't your average foodie hotel. Founded by renowned restaurateurs Josh and Julie Niland, the restored neighbourhood pub punches above its weight in both flavour and flair. Tucked away from Oxford Street, the Paddington venue expands on Niland's three-hatted seafood-first restaurant, Saint Peter — while offering those in a food coma a place to nod off. Seamlessly blending the building's heritage charm with their ethos of sustainability and modern innovation, the 14-room boutique hotel heroes natural materials and local artisans. Eucalyptus and earthy brown tones encourage the outside world in, meanwhile custom-rendered walls and ribbed tiling mimic the ocean's ripples and fish scales. There's even fish-fat candles, ceramics made from fish bones, and custom plates and cups using discarded fish bones, in each distinctive room. As for the menu? Saint Peter 2.0 invites visitors to lap up their yellowfin tuna cheeseburger at the bar, and guests to embrace their three-course breakfast of champions. The marron scrambled eggs is a must-order. 161 Underwood St, Paddington [caption id="attachment_797071" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] George Apostolidis[/caption] Crown Sydney, Barangaroo The shining, sculpturally designed beacon of Barangaroo is the city's first six-star hotel — with everything at its doorstep. From the moment you walk in the lobby, Crown Sydney exudes Hollywood glamour. You'll be greeted by distinguished uniformed doormen before being dazzled by a gigantic six-storey crystal chandelier and monolithic white marble columns sourced from Europe. Sydney's tallest hotel offers 327 guest rooms, including premium villas and two super-prime villas, featuring deep-soaking baths and floor-to-ceiling windows, showcasing sweeping sea vistas. Postcard views aside, guests can relish in a true staycation experience here — with an incredible infinity pool that seems to flow into the harbour, as well as an open-air tennis court, a luxurious day spa optimising La Prairie products, and 14 restaurants and eateries to taste test at. Have a cucumber-infused tequila cocktail on the rooftop at CIRQ, followed by Nobu's signature black cod miso for dinner. Dessert on white chocolate mousse at Teahouse… then rinse, rotate, and repeat the next day. 1 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo W Sydney, Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is so back. The '80s and '90s weekend hotspot for food, entertainment and immaculate views underwent a major a revitalisation in the early 2020s — and W Sydney is part of the glow-up. The largest of the global W Hotel group stands tall like a wave (it's shaped as such), luring tourists and locals seeking some "big smoke" energy. There's 588 maximalist rooms and suites to soak in harbour views, with pulsating beats reverberating through the high-shine hallways. A two-storey rooftop bar and infinity pool encourages the party at night with bold flavours and innovative cocktails; whereas the on-site restaurant BTWN (because it sits directly "between" two motorways on each side of the hotel), honours locally-sourced, seasonal produce from morning to night. If you're a sweet treat before bed kinda person there's also 2am: Dessertbar by Janice Wong inside. Indulge in one of the world's best sticky date puddings and Basque cheesecakes (Wong won Asia's Best Pastry Chef) while watching the world go by. 31 Wheat Rd, Sydney [caption id="attachment_854324" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Ace Hotel[/caption] Ace Hotel Sydney, Surry Hills One of the world's most stylish hotel chains finally opened its doors Down Under in 2022. Ace Hotel has built itself up a cult following since opening in 1999, with the boutique chain going for a luxe-vintage vibe — and now, it boasts a sleek 18-storey outpost in Surry Hills. Apart from the 264 rooms (some that are pet-friendly), there are heaps of spaces to hang out in. Once you make your way past reception, you'll stumble upon the fun, laidback lobby cocktail bar that's regularly offering up DJ sets, artistic residencies and absolutely killer negronis. There are also two restaurants — the ground-floor neighbourhood diner Loam and Kiln, a rooftop restaurant and bar by Mitch Orr. They're joined by the final piece of the Ace Hotel's culinary puzzle, laneway cafe and bar Good Chemistry. Either spend the night at one of Sydney's best hotels or just drop by for drinks and dinner. 53 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney Paramount House, Surry Hills When Paramount House Hotel was first announced back in August 2017, it promised it wouldn't be your standard luxury Sydney hotel but rather an experience that would immerse patrons in the inner-city culture of Surry Hills. And when it opened in 2018, it delivered on that guarantee. You'll never have a dull moment at Paramount (unless you actively want one) as the building offers up a rooftop gym, gorgeous independent cinema and one of Sydney's best cafes — plus, depending on when you book your stay, you're likely to find a dance party, art exhibition or a film retrospective awaiting your attendance. There's also a new mini mart, Paramart, in the hotel lobby, which blends the classic Australian milk bar experience with the convenience and style of Tokyo vending machines. Designed by Anna Wu of AWA Studio, the concept heroes local restaurants, bars, cafes, and stores — while injecting a playful edge into your stay. Guests can mess around with vintage Nintendo Game Boys, chess sets, and even tarot cards. Set in an old 40s warehouse, the 29-room hotel features soaring ceilings with exposed brickwork, luxury copper finishes and Jardan sofas that complete the Paramount House identity. 80 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills The Langham Sydney, Millers Point Just a ten-minute walk from Circular Quay and The Rocks, The Langham is the epitome of indulgence. With 96 rooms on offer, demand for even just one night at this Sydney institution is high all year round. And with facilities like its fitness centre, sauna, day spa and spectacular indoor pool with a star-dappled sky ceiling, you'll find it hard to tear yourself away from the Sydney hotel to explore the amazing surrounding areas. Within the suites, expect plush furniture, high ceilings and large windows overlooking the western side of the harbour. Bed and breakfast specials are also on offer, as is a 'pampered pets program' — making it one of Sydney's few pet-friendly accommodation options at the luxury level. We're also very big fans of The Langham's traditional afternoon tea. Enjoy a bespoke version of this beloved British tradition, elevated with classic Wedgwood teaware and The Langham Sydney's champagne of choice, Laurent-Perrier. 89-113 Kent Street, Millers Point Oxford House, Paddington Find West Hollywood (or year-long summers) in Paddington with one of the city's sunniest hotels. Revitalising a mid-century gem, Oxford House (or OH! for short) comprises 56 rooms and suites of earthy hues, layered textures, and natural light. There's a stylish nod to local and international artisans and designers with curated art and photography by Ksubi co-founder George Gorrow — including work by Lena Gustafson, Adam Turnbull, and Niah McLeod — as well as custom bathrobes by Paddington designer, Double Rainbouu. In-house wine, restaurant and hi-fi bar Busby's promises dimly-lit hedonism, groovy tunes, and steak frites. If you fancy breakfast, you can carb-load with potato rostis and poached eggs. But the main event revolves around the bright and leafy courtyard pool (which many rooms face), which absolutely pops off on weekends. Poolside DJ sets and digital projections lift the mood, meanwhile, the bar keeps you well-fed and "hydrated" with Mandarin Palomas and club sandwiches. 21 Oxford St, Paddington Little National Sydney, Clarence Street A pint-sized national treasure. The Little National Hotel may be just steps away from Barangaroo and the CBD, but inside, there's a sense of zen. The intimate hotel honours Japanese minimalism with 230 petit-chic rooms and bare necessities. Little luxuries include plush king-sized beds, crisp white linen, skin and hair products by Appelles Apothecary and Lab, bathrobes by Brogo, complimentary movie access, intuitive tablets, and a partnership with UberEats. That means you can order from any available CBD-based business — and have food items delivered straight to your door by hotel staff, along with sustainable disposable plates and cutlery. Head up top, and you'll find a rooftop oasis featuring a timber-decked balcony, lush greenery, and communal sofas. Order a spritz at the bar in summer, and sip on a negroni in the indoor velveted lounge areas during winter. For commuters, businesspeople, and digital nomads, there's also "the library" (a quiet workzone) to get in a flow state and print those tickets. If you're after big-city vibes in mindful settings, The Little National is your gateway to productive rest. 26 Clarence St, Sydney [caption id="attachment_975684" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] The Old Clare Hotel[/caption] The Old Clare Hotel, Chippendale Since its highly anticipated re-opening back in 2015, Chippendale's Old Clare Hotel has held a firm place as one of the best hotels in Sydney. Reborn from the (metaphorical) ashes of the historic (and dearly beloved) Clare Hotel, and adjoining Carlton United Brewery Administrative Building, the city stay boasts heritage timber panelling and exposed brick walls, furnished with pendant lighting and vintage furniture. You can also bring your pooch along, thanks to several dog-friendly suites. Other hotel amenities include a rooftop pool, private gym and in-room massage services. Guests can also take advantage of custom-made bicycles to explore the surrounding neighbourhood. At night, simply relax at The Clare Bar or on the city-sweeping rooftop bar. 1 Kensington Street, Chippendale Shangri-La Sydney, The Rocks The views from Shangri-La Sydney look as if they have been plucked right out of a Tourism Australia ad. Look to the left and you'll see the Harbour Bridge up and close. Roll over in bed and look to your right, and you've got the Opera House just sitting there looking right back at you. It's pinch-yourself stunning. And everything you get is centred around those panoramic harbour views. Each of the 565 rooms has a different angle of the harbour. The restaurant and bar, up on level 36, are also made for gawking out at the surrounding Sydney landmarks. As you'd expect from a five-star hotel, the Shangri-La also has its own opulent spa facility. Relax here before heading to the gym, indoor swimming pool, hot whirlpool bath or sundeck. Deep dive into that self-care life. We could think of worse places to rest your head for a few nights. 176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour This 590-room five-star haven was Sydney's very first luxury hotel built in the CBD. And it has never fallen behind the pack, constantly setting the standard for all new hotels in the area. It is a true Sydney institution — for overnight stays, pampering and dining. First off, the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour rooms are just stupid glamorous. Spread over 35 floors in Darling Harbour's tallest building, guests enjoy all the latest tech and contemporary design with chic French touches. The rooms are classically designed, but they never feel old or outdated — much of this is thanks to the constant updates going on here. If you're not trying out its new luxury spa facilities, be sure to at least take a dip in the infinity pool overlooking the harbour. Food and drink-wise, you'll be sorted too. Visit the French-inspired grill combining French flavours with locally sourced produce at Atelier, order a poolside cocktail at Le Rivage Pool Bar, take in the sunset at the award-winning Champagne Bar or grab a coffee & croissant at the Esprit Noir Lobby Bar on Sundays. It's clear why Sofitel Sydney remains one of the very best hotels in Sydney. 12 Darling Drive, Sydney Crystalbrook Albion, Surry Hills Crystalbrook Albion is a luxurious operation in the heart of Surry Hills. It was launched back in July 2018 by 8Hotels, but has since been acquired by the Crystalbrook Collection hotel group. With 24-hour service and brekkie included, this guest house is pitched as a fusion of hotel and home. Here, at one of the best hotels in Sydney, you'll get to lounge around in designer interiors decked out with a covetable art collection — and in a rooftop garden complete with an outdoor shower and panoramic city views. There's also an honour system bar, where guests can help themselves to high-end nibbles and drinks. When it comes to the food and drinks, both at the breakfast table and in the mini bar, working with local businesses such as Brix Distillery, Infinity Bakery and Poho Flowers is of major importance. 21 Little Albion Street, Surry Hills [caption id="attachment_936166" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kimpton Margot Sydney[/caption] Kimpton Margot Sydney, Pitt Street Kimpton Margot Sydney may have only opened in 2022, but the Sydney hotel has some real old-world energy about it. Stacks of heritage-listed art deco architectural features have been paired with some contemporary Aussie style. The art deco vibe flows through to each of the 172 spacious rooms and suites, as well as the four restaurants and bars. Out of these drinking and dining spaces, Luke's Kitchen is the centrepiece — helmed by chef Luke Mangan. You can't stay at Kimpton Margot Sydney without taking a dip in the sun-drenched rooftop pool overlooking the city — especially come summer in Sydney. It's a proper concrete oasis, decked out with lounge chairs and couches, surrounded by city towers. All these luxury offerings are also paired with a heap of complementary amenities. Grab a free bike for the day, do some yoga in your room with all the gear and online tutorials provided, and even bring your dog — at no extra charge. 339 Pitt Street, Sydney QT Sydney, Market Street Every one of QT Sydney's guest suites has been carefully crafted to reflect and honour the historic Gowings and State Theatre buildings in which it resides. QT's exterior sports a striking blend of gothic, art deco, and Italianate-influenced architecture — and inside, the luxurious rooms carry through that art deco-meets-gothic aesthetic to quite a striking degree. Plus, thanks to its location right in the centre of the CBD — and alongside one of the city's most famous theatres — the luxury Sydney hotel is a great pick for out-of-towners, while locals can often be found making the best of its various bars, bistros and restaurants. Want to stay a little closer to the beach? Hop over to the QT Bondi for a coastal escape. 49 Market Street, Sydney Travelling with a four-legged friend? Check out our list for the best dog-friendly hotels in Sydney before you go. Images: supplied
Remember those childhood days sat in front of the television, watching your beloved Disney flicks over and over? Of course you do. While you were binging on The Lion King or The Little Mermaid on repeat, you probably weren't thinking about your future adult self partying to 'Hakuna Matata' or 'Under the Sea' — but Ivory Tusk is about to blow your inner kid's mind. From Beauty and The Beast to Aladdin to Frozen, if it's a piece of music from a Disney flick, you'll likely hear it on Saturday, January 11. The soundtrack will also span a heap of Disney TV shows and their stars, plus hits by former Mouseketeers. Think Hilary Duff, The Jonas Brothers, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera — and back on the movie front, High School Musical obviously. Kicking off at 9pm, this Disney Party will get you dancing to your Disney faves and belting out many a tune while you do so. Tickets range from $13–20, and are on sale now.
Come November, a whole heap of Aussies will be stripping off on a beach in the Whitsundays as acclaimed New York artist Spencer Tunick returns to Australia to stage the next of his famed mass nude photographs. It's been 18 years since Australia's first taste of the internationally famed artist's work, when 4500 naked volunteers posed for a snap near Federation Square as part of the 2001 Fringe Festival. Tunick then photographed around 5000 nude people in front of the Sydney Opera House during the 2010 Mardi Gras and returned to Australia just last year to shoot over 800 Melburnians in the rooftop carpark of a Prahran Woolworths. Elsewhere, he's photographed the public painted red and gold outside Munich's Bavarian State Opera, covered in veils in the Nevada desert and covered in blue in Hull in the UK. Now, the artist is set to return to our shores and his sights are set on the white sands and sparkling blue waters of Whitsundays' Whitehaven Beach. Tunick will assemble another contingent of naked folk this November, for a work titled Sea Earth Change. Interestingly, the shoot is part of The Iconic's (yes, that online clothing store) upcoming summer campaign We Are Human. [caption id="attachment_671796" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Spencer Tunick, Sydney (2010)[/caption] Anyone over the age of 18 can get their kit off and get involved — Tunick hopes to have a diverse mix of bodies in the shoot, which will be held on Saturday, November 23. Participants each get a print of the photograph, and, we're sure, a big boost of body confidence. They'll also be invited to the unveiling of the artwork at The Calile Hotel, Brisbane, a few days later. Successful candidates will be notified about a week before the shoot. The catch here is, of course, the location. If you're not usually located on the tropical Queensland archipelago, you will need to travel there. From Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, you can fly into the Hamilton Island or Whitsunday Coast airports, then take a 60-minute ferry or 30-minute drive, respectively, to Airlie Port Marina. The team will look after your transport from here. It'll be a worthwhile journey, though — as well as being involved in a once-in-a-lifetime photoshoot, you'll also get to visit the second best beach in the world. Sea Earth Change will be shot on Saturday, November 23 on Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays. You can register to take part here before Thursday, November 14. Images: Spencer Tunick, Miami (2007) and Burgundy (2009).
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to watching anything, we're here to help. From the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from June's haul of newbies. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW BO BURNHAM: INSIDE Watching Bo Burnham: Inside, a stunning fact becomes evident. A life-changing realisation, really. During a period when most people tried to make sourdough, pieced together jigsaws and spent too much time on Zoom, Bo Burnham created a comedy masterpiece. How does he ever top a special this raw, insightful, funny, clever and of the moment? How did he make it to begin with? How does anyone ever manage to capture every emotion that we've all felt about lockdowns — and about the world's general chaos, spending too much time on the internet, capitalism's exploitation and just the general hellscape that is our modern lives, too — in one 90-minute musical-comedy whirlwind? Filmed in one room of his house over several months (and with his hair and beard growth helping mark the time), Inside unfurls via songs about being stuck indoors, video chats, today's performative society, sexting, ageing and mental health. Burnham sings and acts, and also wrote, directed, shot, edited and produced the whole thing, and there's not a moment, image or line that goes to waste. Being trapped in that room with the Promising Young Woman star and Eighth Grade filmmaker, and therefore being stuck inside the closest thing he can find to manifesting his mind outside his skull, becomes the best kind of rollercoaster ride. Just try getting Burnham's tunes out of your head afterwards, too, because this is an oh-so-relatable and insightful special that lingers. It's also the best thing that's been made about this pandemic yet, hands down. Bo Burnham: Inside is available to stream via Netflix. THIS WAY UP At the beginning of This Way Up, Áine (Aisling Bea, Living With Yourself) is being checked out of a London mental health facility by her older sister Shona (Sharon Horgan, Catastrophe). Her complaints about the lack of a spa are just jokes, but they're also one of her coping mechanisms. She wears that sense of humour like a shield as she steps back into her usual routine — teaching English to folks learning it as a second language, trying to avoid spending too much time at home and attempting not to think about her ex (Chris Geere, You're the Worst). There's shades of Catastrophe in This Way Up, unsurprisingly, and also echoes of Fleabag, Back to Life and Breeders, too. In other words, it has been a great few years for acerbic UK shows about people struggling with all the baggage, expectations and responsibilities that come with being adults — and this addition to the fold, which the always-charming Bea also wrote, continues the trend. Also evident in This Way Up's fellow comedies, as well as here, is a strong focus on women who don't have it all together, or even pretend otherwise. Áine's exploits involve everything from trying to hook up with a fellow rehab patient and getting a crush on Richard (Tobias Menzies, The Crown), the father of a French boy she tutors, to constantly being the third wheel in Shona's relationship with her boyfriend Vish (Aasif Mandvi, Evil), and she stumbles and puns her way through all of it. A second season of her antics is on the way, too, which this first batch of episodes will leave you hanging out for. The first season of This Way Up is available to stream via Stan. STARSTRUCK When Rose Matafeo last graced our screens, she took on pregnancy-centric rom-coms in 2020's Baby Done. Now, in Starstruck, she's still pairing the romantic and the comedic. In another thoughtful, plucky and relatable performance, she plays Jessie, a 28-year-old New Zealander in London who splits her time between working in a cinema and nannying, and isn't expecting much when her best friend and roommate Kate (Emma Sidi, Pls Like) drags her out to a bar on New Year's Eve. For most of the evening, her lack of enthusiasm proves astute. Then she meets Tom (Nikesh Patel, Four Weddings and a Funeral). He overhears her rambling drunkenly to herself in the men's bathroom, they chat at the bar and, when sparks fly, she ends up back at his sprawling flat. It isn't until the next morning, however — when she sees a poster adorned with his face leaning against his living room wall — that she realises that he's actually one of the biggest movie stars in the world. Yes, Starstruck takes Notting Hill's premise and gives it a 22-years-later update, and delivers a smart, sidesplittingly funny and all-round charming rom-com sitcom in the process. When a film or TV show is crafted with a deep-seated love for its chosen genre, it shows. When it wants to do more than just nod and wink at greats gone by like a big on-screen super fan — when its creators passionately hope that it might become a classic in its own right, rather than a mere imitation of better titles — that comes through, too. And that's definitely the case with this ridiculously easy-to-binge charmer. The first season of Starstruck is available to stream via ABC iView. Read our full review. LUCA Unlike Studio Ghibli, Pixar can make bad movies. The main culprit: the Cars franchise. They're a rarity among the Disney-owned animation studio's output, thankfully — because even when it makes a minor delight, like Luca, its usually swims well beyond most of the other family-friendly fare that gets pumped in front of young eyes. Set in Italy over a resplendent summer, this coming-of-age tale might be the closest that Pixar ever gets to making a Frankenstein movie. Forget the whole coming back from the dead part; instead, teenage sea monsters Luca (Jacob Tremblay, Doctor Sleep) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer, We Are Who We Are) just want to belong. But, even though they can't help the fact that they're sea monsters, they'd be shunned by the village they decide to call home if anyone ever worked out that they aren't human. The pair cross paths in the water, but when Luca follows his new pal to the surface, he disobeys his parents' strict warnings. They bond over a Vespa, which they both want. Next, they befriend an ordinary girl, Giulia (first-timer Emma Berman), in a quest to win a race to nab their very own moped. The story is straightforward, but the themes still float along meaningfully in this feature debut from director Enrico Casarosa (Pixar short La Luna) — and the sun-dappled seaside animation is a dazzling treat. Luca is available to stream via Disney+. THE AMUSEMENT PARK In 1968, George A Romero changed cinema forever. Night of the Living Dead, his first film, was famously made on a tiny budget — but it swiftly became the zombie movie that's influenced every single other zombie movie that's ever followed. His resume from there is filled with other highlights, including further Dead films and the astonishing Martin, but one of his intriguing features didn't actually see the light of day until recently. It was also commissioned by the Lutheran Service Society of Western Pennsylvania to preach the evils of elder abuse, which isn't the type of thing that can be said about any other flick. The Amusement Park is incredibly effective in getting that message across, actually. As star Lincoln Maazel explains in the introduction, it aims to make its statement by putting the audience in its ageing characters' shoes, conveying their ill-treatment just for their advancing years and showing the chaos they feel as a result. That's the exact outcome as Maazel plays an older man who spends a day wandering around the titular setting, only to be constantly disregarded, denigrated, laughed at and pushed aside as hellishness greets him at every turn. Romero's film is grim, obvious and absurd all at once, and it's a powerful and winning combination in his hands. The Amusement Park is available to stream via Shudder. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK PHYSICAL On a typical early-80s day, San Diego housewife Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne, Irresistible) will make breakfast for her professor husband Danny (Rory Scovel, I Feel Pretty), take their daughter to school, then run errands. She'll also buy three fast food meals, book into a motel, eat them all naked, then purge. Physical can be bleak — about the pain festering inside its bitterly unhappy protagonist, her constantly fraying mental health, the smile she's forced to plaster across her face as she soldiers on, and her excoriating options of herself — but it also finds a rich vein of dark comedy in Sheila's efforts to change her life through aerobics. Add the series to the list of 80s-set shows about women getting sick of being cast aside, breaking free of their societally enforced roles and jumping into something active. GLOW did it. On Becoming a God in Central Florida did, too. And now those two excellent series have a kindred spirit in this sharp, compelling and often brutally candid show. Byrne is a force to be reckoned with here, in one of her best performances in some time (and a reminder that in everything from Heartbreak High to Damages and Mrs America, she's always done well on TV). Also entrancing, engaging and difficult to forget: Physical's desperate-but-determined tone, and the way it seethes with tension beneath the spandex, sequins and sunny beach shots. The first three episodes of Physical are available to stream via Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping weekly. LOKI With WandaVision, Marvel gave the world a nodding, winking sitcom that morphed into an engaging but still quite standard entry in its ever-sprawling on-screen realm. With The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it opted for an odd couple action-thriller that hit every mark it needed to, but rarely more. Loki, the third Disney+ Marvel series to hit streaming this year — and the third to focus on characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe — stands out from the crowd instantly. Having Tom Hiddleston (Avengers: Endgame) step back into the God of Mischief's shoes will do that. Loki's charms don't solely radiate from its leading man, though. He's as charismatically wily as ever (as he's always been in his scene-stealing big-screen appearances in the Thor and Avengers films), but this series is helped immensely by its willingness to have fun with its premise, and also by the great cast surrounding its star. Teaming up duos is obviously currently Marvel's thing, but Loki pairs its eponymous trickster with a time cop played by Owen Wilson (Bliss), gets them palling around in buddy cop-meets-science fiction territory, and also throws in Sophia Di Martino (Yesterday) as a character that best discovered by watching. Here, come for the usual Hiddleston mischievousness, stay for everything this quickly involving series builds around him as Loki is forced to face the consequences of his past actions. The first four episodes of Loki are available to stream via Disney+, with new episodes dropping weekly. RICK AND MORTY Five seasons in, Rick and Morty has long passed the point where its premise is its main drawcard. That setup is stellar, of course, and always will be — as you'd expect of a series that takes it cues from Back to the Future, but swaps in a dimension-hopping, drunken, cantankerous grandfather and his nervous teenage grandson. What keeps viewers coming back, and also eagerly awaiting each new batch of episodes, is the show's constant ability to twist and morph in different directions in each and every new instalment. That, and its cynical-meets-absurdist sense of humour, its ability to weave in more pop culture references than should be possible while never feeling like the mere sum of its influences, and its deeply melancholic musings on life, happiness and connection. All these traits are on display in Rick and Morty season five so far, even just two episodes in. Co-creator Justin Roiland might now have another animated sitcom about an unconventional family demanding his attention — the also excellent Solar Opposites — but his first stab at the genre shows no signs of waning. Rare is the show that proclaims that existence is meaningless with such gusto, while also celebrating life's small wins and moments. Wubba lubba dub dub indeed. The first two episodes of Rick and Morty's fifth season are available to stream via Netflix, with new episodes dropping weekly. LISEY'S STORY The list of Stephen King books that've made the leap to screens big or small is hefty. The number of those on-screen projects that the author has had a hand in himself is far smaller. That alone gives Lisey's Story an air of intrigue, with every episode of this eight-part adaptation of King's 2006 novel penned by him. As the series follows Lisey Landon, the widow of a famous author, King isn't actually the MVP, though. His presence is felt — which, depending on how much of a fan you are, isn't always a good thing — but this show has plenty of other talent to assist. Firstly, the always-great Julianne Moore (The Woman in the Window) plays the titular character. Secondly, exceptional Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín (Ema) directs the whole show. When Moore dives deep into a role, as she's clearly given the room to here in one of her rare TV parts, she makes the figures she's playing feel as if they could walk right off the screen and into reality. When Larraín lets audiences see the world through his eyes, every frame he creates is utterly magnetic, and yet also probes and ponders everything it is peering at at the same time. It's these two traits that make Lisey's Story a must-see, although a cast that also includes Clive Owen (back on TV screens after the astounding The Knick), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Possessor), Dane DeHaan (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), Joan Allen (Room), Michael Pitt (The Last Days of American Crime) and Sung Kang (Fast and Furious 9) more than helps. The first five episodes of Lisey's Story are available to stream via Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping weekly. CLASSICS TO WATCH AND REWATCH PLANET TERROR + DEATH PROOF The year is 2007. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez team up on two films that pay tribute to 70s exploitation flicks — and they make their movies, dubbed Grindhouse, as two parts of a double feature. That's not always how audiences have been able to watch Planet Terror and Death Proof, either then or since, but this pair of memorable flicks is well worth viewing back to back exactly as the directors intended. In the first instalment, Rodriguez serves up an OTT zombie film that revolves around a go-go dancer named Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan, The Sound). In the second chapter, QT gives the world one of his best movies ever, all thanks to the psychopathic Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell, Fast and Furious 9) and the group of women (Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)'s Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Zombieland: Double Tap's Rosario Dawson and seasoned stunt performer Zoë Bell) he tries to stalk with his supposedly indestructible car. Both directors play with familiar stories, and with narrative conventions, but that's a big part of the point. Watching them each deliver the most lurid features of their careers (which, in From Dusk Till Dawn director Rodriguez's case, is saying something) is a delight. And from its perfect casting to its nervy mood and tense car scenes, Death Proof is a flat-out wonder. Planet Terror and Death Proof are available to stream via Stan.
Has Jennifer Lawrence entered her Jennifer Coolidge era? With the spirit of American Pie lingering over No Hard Feelings like unpaid property taxes — a pivotal part of the movie's plot — the Silver Linings Playbook Oscar-winner and Winter's Bone, Hunger Games, X-Men and mother! star is flirting with that direction and loving it. No one sticks their genitalia in a warm home-baked dessert or talks about band camp in Lawrence's latest film, but it is a sex comedy about an inexperienced teenager that includes parents giving clumsy advice. It also involves getting lucky with an older woman; while Lawrence is only 32 and plays it here, an age gap — as well as the chasms between millennials and zoomers, and with the generations prior — is essential to the narrative. The spirit of Coolidge, a game Lawrence, gags about Hall & Oates' 1982 earworm 'Maneater' — a storyline that somewhat riffs on its lyrics, in fact — and battles over class, generational differences and gentrification: that's No Hard Feelings. Based on a real-life Craigslist ad, it's also the next movie from filmmaker Gene Stupnitsky, who penned Bad Teacher and made his feature directorial debut with Good Boys. Where the latter took a Superbad-esque setup but swapped 17-year-olds out for sixth graders, his second flick as a helmer tells a coming-of-age tale on two levels. Percy Becker (Andrew Barth Feldman, White Noise) is the introverted brainiac whose helicopter parents (Daybreak's Matthew Broderick and Life & Beth's Laura Benanti) want to live a little before he hits Princeton University, while Maddie Barker (Lawrence, Causeway) is the bartender and Uber driver who's been in a state of arrested development ever since giving up her plans to surf California's beaches when her mother got sick. Those taxes? Maddie owes them on her Montauk house, which she inherited from and remains in while the New York hamlet she grew up in is inundated by wealthy holidaymakers. And those tourists? Sweeping in for only part of the year, splashing around cash and causing property values to skyrocket while pushing locals out, they're the reason that Maddie's debt is so hefty. They're also why Percy and his family are in town for the summer. And, in general, those rich interlopers are a prime target for Maddie's anger, unsurprisingly. Still, usually the well-to-do influx helps boost her finances — driving folks around in a vacation town while the weather's right can be lucrative — but her car has just been repossessed, hence an advertisement offering a Buick Regal for dating and sleeping with Percy earning her attention. "These people use us, so why don't we use them?" is Maddie's pregnant pal Sara's (Natalie Morales, Dead to Me) take on the situation. Sporting that exact mindset, Maddie commits. The Beckers want her to bring their shy, reclusive and neurotic son out of his bedroom by taking him to bed — patriarch Laird fondly recalls his own first youthful fling, with Stupnitsky adding an extra layer by having Ferris Bueller's Day Off great Broderick in the role — and Percy has no idea about the deal. Whether Maddie is asking to touch his wiener at his animal-shelter volunteer job, inadvertently getting him suspecting that he's being kidnapped by offering him a lift in Sara's spouse Jim's (Scott MacArthur, Killing It) van filled with machetes and harpoons, teaching him how to drink Long Island iced teas, or taking him skinny dipping by moonlight and fighting the pranksters who try to steal their clothes in the nude, seducing the college-bound young man is far from an easy gig. Co-scripting with John Phillips (Dirty Grandpa), Stupnitsky also has both Percy and Maddie clutch onto the bonnet of speeding cars, and throws in hectic faux prom nights and eventful pre-uni parties; however, the raunchiest thing about No Hard Feelings is largely its premise. Bawdy humour still echoes, especially when Maddie is playing the libidinous part she's being paid to — but, as she genuinely starts to connect with Percy as a friend, so does earnestness. She's initially willing to slip between the sheets to get her life back on track, and pretends to be the stereotypical teen-boy fantasy to do so. He wants to talk, get to know her and build something physical out of a true emotional bond. Of course the film that results seesaws between the ribald and sweet, and of course it's never completely one or the other. That isn't a failure of nerve, but reflects the chaos that is growing up even when you're already supposed to be grown up. No Hard Feelings is rarely as consistently funny as it wants to be, but it'd be far more awkward than it's meant to be if Maddie and Percy weren't so well cast. The luminous Lawrence is a comic dream, no matter if Maddie is cringing at her own behaviour, bluntly decrying teens today and the ultra-rich always, attempting to climb stairs in rollerblades or turning on the sultriness. She serves up a physical comedy masterclass, and long may amusing movies that call upon her laugh-inducing skills keep joining her resume (well, other than the smug Don't Look Up). She's such a natural here that wanting No Hard Feelings to constantly ramp up the OTT antics stems wholly from her performance. (Also, as Coolidge keeps popping to mind, who wouldn't want to see Lawrence in The White Lotus in the future, whether in Thailand or wherever future seasons of the hit HBO series end up.) Feldman, who took time out from high school IRL to play the titular part in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway for a spell and then from uni for this, brings nuance to what could've been a stock-standard nerdy character in other hands. The key to his performance, and to Lawrence's: amid the overtly comic moments, they each know that they're stepping into the shoes of people who are stuck and struggling in their own ways, and they're sincere about having Maddie and Percy work through that together. So, crucially, is the sunnily shot picture itself. Although it's better when Stupnitsky and Phillips put their faith the movie's central portrayals rather than getting thematically heavy-handed, and it's also gleefully formulaic, No Hard Feelings has film-stealing stark-naked brawls, Lawrence in go-for-broke comedic mode, and insight and heart.
