Swap your own four walls for some of Brisbane's most famous places: for a few days each year, that's what Brisbane Open House offers. Taking architecture fans, folks keen to explore another side of Brisbane and just anyone who likes to peek behind closed doors on behind-the-scenes tours of the city, the event notched up ten years back in 2019. Now, it's returning in 2022 for the first time since hitting that milestone, and expanding its showcase of Brissie's buildings, structures and precincts across two big weekends. If you've always liked to peer beyond the surface, then this is the event for you — because seeing past Brisbane's famous facades, and even stepping through nooks and crannies that aren't usually open to the public, is on the agenda here. After a couple of years spent at home more often than not, Brisbane Open House might just feel particularly enticing when it hosts its first-ever Villages of Brisbane day on Sunday, August 21, then holds its main two-day program across Saturday, August 27–Sunday, August 28. If you're keen on the first part, it's taking over Sandgate with a lineup of talks and walking tours. Attendees will hear about the history of the seaside spot, and also obviously go for a wander through its heritage-listed buildings. Among the places getting in on the action: Full Moon Hotel, Sacred Heart Church, Shorncliffe Railway Station, Sandgate Museum and Sandgate Town Hall. Over the main part of the fest, there's a focus on precincts — a new initiative for this year's Brisbane Open House. Fish Lane in South Brisbane is in the spotlight, which means making the most of the arts precinct that stretches through to South Bank, covering everything from museums and galleries through to restaurants and boutiques. Elsewhere, you can make a date with a hefty range of locations, and see them like you've never seen them before. In the CBD, that includes Anzac Square, Brisbane City Hall, Museum of Brisbane, Howard Smith Wharves, Parliament House, Queensland University of Technology, Roma Street Fire Station and Roma Street Parkland. Hitting up the Spring Hill heritage tours, which include the Old Windmill and service reservoirs, is always popular. Other sites welcoming folks in include performance venues such as the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Woolloongabba's revamped Princess Theatre, The Tivoli and The Fortitude Music Hall. And, depending on what kinds of spaces you're interested in taking a gander at, the Cathedral of St Stephen, Brisbane Cruise Ship Terminal, Fort Lytton, Government House and Masonic Memorial Centre are also on the list. So are the Port of Brisbane, Southbank Parklands, State Library of Queensland, Shingle Inn, The University of Queensland, Victoria Park, Wolston Farmhouse and Wivenhoe Dam, too. In total, around 40 venues are taking part — some letting you mosey at your own leisure, others hosting guided tours. Brisbane Open House's Villages of Brisbane program takes place on Sunday, August 21, with the full Brisbane Open House program then running across Saturday, August 27–Sunday, August 28 at a variety of places around Brisbane. For the full program, head to brisbaneopenhouse.com.au. Top images: Walter Taylor Bridget by Jake Churches, Port of Brisbane by Kim Williams, Government House Fernberg and Old Windmill Tower by Paul Knie.
Disney and Marvel. When the union was forged, many wondered whether it would be death of both or the start of something special. Then The Avengers made about a trillion dollars and it looked like things might be okay. Key to the acquisition was Disney’s hands-off approach, guaranteeing the gritty Marvel world would not suddenly be required to include musical numbers like: “I’m a Wolverine and I’m the best you’ve ever seen”. The latest offering — Big Hero 6 — is a Disney movie based on a Marvel comic that perhaps 11 people in the world have ever heard of. That meant the Disney team could largely ignore the source material and simply ‘Frankengrab’ the parts they liked, which in this case was little more than the film’s title. The action takes place in the city of San Fransokyo, a portmanteau blending not just names but also architecture, with the iconic San Francisco Bay playing backdrop to a very aesthetically Asian metropolis. Living in it are the bothers Hamada: technology prodigies who direct their talents in wildly different arenas. Hiro builds robots for underground gambling, while his older brother, Tadashi, tries repeatedly to entice him to the prestigious Institute of Technology. When tragedy strikes, Hiro finds himself inadvertently partnered up with Tadashi's prototype robot ‘Baymax', and it’s here that Big Hero 6 hits its stride. Baymax is, quite simply, a revelation. Tender, naive and scene-stealingly funny, he’s a bulbous inflatable carer-bot, a sort of Stay Puft Marshmallow Man with a med degree. Voiced by Scott Adsit (30 Rock), Baymax is singular in purpose: he wants to help people. But with several kinks yet to be ironed out, his efforts often prove more troublesome than beneficial. Add to the mix a mysterious, murderous villain who compels Hiro to train Baymax in martial arts and you get a Kung Fu Panda adventure mixed with the traditional Disney themes of loss, love and learning. There is, of course, a video game undercurrent to the action, because tied into the release of Big Hero 6 is a video game; however, the blend of characters, comedy and carnage is in the right ratio. The animation is also spectacular. Speaking at the screening, producer Roy Conli showed us some of the new technology developed specifically for this film to be made, and none was more impressive than the world-building engine responsible for San Fransokyo. The city is enormous and unbelievably detailed. It feels real, which keeps the story grounded when it might otherwise stray too far into silliness. The star, though, is Baymax. Adsit’s ability to emote through an expressionless blob is a giant accomplishment, responsible for more than few tears and sniffles throughout. Big Hero 6 may not be quite up to the level of Pixar in terms of story, but it’s still a great addition to the Disney family of films and one that all members of the family will enjoy.
Your Christmas lunch will soon be soundtracked by Bill Murray. We squealed about it back in October 2014 — Hollywood's quirkiest legend has teamed up with Sofia Coppola for a festive TV special involving him singing a variety of Christmas carols and decking the halls with one heck of a cast. Murray and Coppola's new project will be undoubtedly somewhat different to their last collaboration, Lost in Translation. The synopsis? The trailer came with a little peek: "This winter, Bill Murray brings an extra-special dose of holiday cheer to Netflix with the premiere of an all-star musically-driven holiday special, A Very Murray Christmas. Set inside New York City’s iconic Carlyle hotel, A Very Murray Christmas opens with Murray preparing to host a live, international holiday broadcast. After a blizzard shuts down the production, he makes the best of the situation by singing and celebrating with friends, hotel employees and anyone else who drops by." Dropped this morning, the trailer's a pretty quick look at a pretty damn big cast. Set to Murray's 'Let It Snow' duet with Miley Cyrus, the trailer revealed one heck of a lineup: Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, George Clooney, Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman, Maya Rudolph, Chris Rock and Paul Shaffer. Watch it here and try not to squeal: 'A Very Murray Christmas' is coming to Netflix on December 4. By Meg Watson and Shannon Connellan.
If you're one to buy a whole new wardrobe every season, we can't change you. But what if you bought sustainably, invested in eco-friendly fabrics, or bought second-hand? What if... you repaired your jean crotch hole instead of buying a new exxy pair? Sustainable fashion is something Sydney folk trio Little May feel pretty damn passionate about, and seeing as though they're about to kick off a national tour at Sydney's Metro Theatre, we thought we'd hand over the reins to multi-instrumentalist and eco-boss Annie Hamilton and let her school you on their favourite places to buy sustainable fashion. Handing over to Annie. Hello! I've just finished a year of buying-no-new-clothes in an effort to be more sustainable and to force myself to put more thought into the things that I buy and what impact they have on other humans, the environment and my own body. I studied textile design at uni and have always been interested in sustainable and ethical fashion, so I put together a list of a few Australian/NZ brands that are doing pretty awesome things in the world of sustainable fashion. In the wake of Fashion Revolution Week, it seems that more and more people are starting to question where and how their clothes were made, which can only be a good thing in the world of mass-produced, trend-driven fast fashion. Everyone has their own personal values and you should think about what yours are and try to reflect those in your purchases. But for a start, you can look for organic natural fibres, buy either locally-made or fair-trade, and look for traceability throughout the supply chain. And of course, buy clothing that is made to last, that won't fall apart or go out of fashion after a couple of wears. NUDIE JEANS CO In terms of sustainable clothing brands, Nudie ticks a lot of boxes. Nudie clothing is organic, traceable and made to last. Check out their website and you can find out exactly where the organic cotton for their jeans was grown in Turkey, or where the organic, fair trade cotton used in their shirts was grown in India. Information regarding their entire supply chain is available to the public, all the way down to the origins of their buttons, zippers and care labels. My favourite thing about Nudie is that they offer free lifetime repairs of their garments from their Paddington store, so if your much-loved jeans start to come apart at the seams, they will patch them right up for you. VEGE THREADS You can't make a list of sustainable designers without including Vege Threads. Every piece in the Vege Threads range is organic and locally made, utilising organic vegetable-based dyes. They have also collaborated with BB Shoes to create hand-made vegetable-tanned kangaroo leather sandals. They're based in Adelaide, mainly stocked online, but also available in Sydney at Newtown's You, The Earth and Me. HER SWIM It seems weird to be talking about swimwear when it is technically almost winter, but considering the fact that we're enjoying sunny, 26-degree days in Sydney, it seems evident that this summer may never actually end. This Sydney-based swimwear label uses 100 percent recycled post-consumer polyester and nylon to create simple, clean and minimal swimwear designs. NICO Nico is a Brisbane-based basics and underwear label with a huge focus on ethical and sustainable production and materials. With a minimal aesthetic, their pieces are all made of organic cotton, bamboo or modal, because who wants to be wearing chemicals-laden synthetics near your hoo-ha? Not me. KOWTOW Kowtow is a NZ based label that is truly committed to traceability and sustainability in their production. They use 100 percent fair trade organic cotton grown in India, with the entire production chain explored in the 'Seed To Garment' documentary on their website. Kowtow has several Sydney stockists (including the Somedays store in Surry Hills, which also stocks organic and ethical BaseRange underwear/basics). YOUR LOCAL VINNIES After all, nothing is more sustainable than buying second-hand (especially when that money is going back into charity). Go find yourself a bargain. [caption id="attachment_571217" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Celeste Tesoriero, Winter 2016 for Fashion Revolution Week.[/caption] WELLMADECLOTHES.COM A pretty awesome resource for buying ethically and sustainably. Full stop. SWEDISH STOCKINGS They're not Australian, but they make stockings out of 100 percent recycled plastics, and will offer you a discount if you send them your old/ripped stockings to recycle. GOOD ON YOU An Australian app that rates the sustainability of different brands to help shoppers make informed choices. Now you're all dolled up in eco-friendly threads thanks to Annie, go see Little May. Here's where: LITTLE MAY 2016 AUSTRALIA TOUR DATES Thursday, May 5 — Wollongong Uni Bar, Wollongong Friday, May 6 — Metro Theatre, Sydney Saturday, May 7 — Small Ballroom, Newcastle Thursday, May 12 — ANU Bar, Canberra Friday, May 13 — Max Watts, Melbourne Saturday, May 14 — Waratah Hotel, Hobart Friday, May 20 — Adelaide Uni Bar, Adelaide Saturday, May 21 — Amplifier Bar, Perth Friday, May 27 — Solbar, Sunshine Coast Saturday, May 28 — The Zoo, Brisbane Sunday, May 29 — Studio 56 @ Miami Marketta, Gold Coast Tickets on sale now from littlemaymusic.com/tour.
Because you’re reading this, we know you’re not someone who received a pet for Christmas, only to decide it wasn't for you. We know you're one of the good folks. You're probably wishing that you did receive a loveable animal as a gift, even if you already have one — or several — that you adore. We understand your yearning, and so does RSPCA Queensland. In trying to find permanent homes for dogs, cats, puppies and kittens surrendered into their care from all over the state, they’re bringing all those cuddly creatures to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday 17 January for their first-ever pop-up adoption event. Entry is free, and includes demonstrations, entertainment, food, and activities, as well as RSPCA stalls and information. And then there’s the hundreds of animals waiting for your affection — and for you to take them home with you. Although you can't put a price on the happiness a new four-legged friend will bring, discounted rates do apply on the day for those willing to adopt an older cat or dog. Kittens and puppies aged under four months will also be looking for someone to love them. The time and place is perfect for many a Brisbane resident, coinciding with the first day of the biannual secondhand free-for-all that is Lifeline Bookfest. Who doesn’t want to go out for a day of book browsing, puppy perusing and cat patting? You might just come home with six month's worth of reading, and a new pal to keep you company. There's more to pet adoption than overdosing on cuteness, of course, with making the commitment to care for an animal serious business. For further information, read RSPCA Queensland’s FAQs. The RSPCA Queensland Pop-Up Adoption Drive is being held at Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday 17 January, free entry.
Bring a little colour to your summer G&Ts, thanks to a new Australian made small batch gin. Produced by the family-owned Husk Distillers in Northern NSW, Ink Gin is made with organic botanicals and infused with the petals of the butterfly pea flower. The result is a spirit with touches of lemon myrtle, pepper and orange that stands out a mile away thanks to its royal blue hue. That's right, blue gin. The coloured spirit came about after three years of experimenting by Husk owner Paul Messenger. Botanicals used in its creation include citrus peel, juniper berries, elderflower and cinnamon, while its unique appearance comes from the butterfly pea, which is traditionally used in South East Asian cooking. The flower's pH sensitivity also means that the gin changes colour when mixed with tonic water, going from deep blue to pale pink. Not a bad trick to have up your sleeve the next time you invite somebody over for drinks. Speaking to The Gold Coast Bulletin, Paul's daughter Harriet said that the demand for the gin has been enormous. "We sold out of our first batch in three days," she said. "We have been keeping up the distilling to make sure we could meet demand but we really did not expect people to embrace it so quickly." So how can you get your hands on one? 700mL bottles of Ink Gin can be purchased online for $80 plus a $10 shipping fee Australia-wide. It is also available in select bars around Queensland, NSW, Victoria and WA. Just make sure you store it somewhere dark, so that it retains its natural colour. Lastly and importantly, it won't stain your teeth. Via Australian Bartender and The Gold Coast Bulletin.
Good (or just pretty good) news for the Australian arts community today. The federal government has once again redesigned its controversial arts funding scheme, following months of heavy campaigning by artists around the country. Communications and arts minister Mitch Fifield announced today that the widely maligned National Program for Excellence in the Arts (NPEA), which was introduced by his predecessor George Brandis with next to no consultation with the artistic community, will have its funding reduced by $32 million over four years, with the money instead being reallocated to the independent Australia Council — from whose budget it was originally cribbed. Top stuff. The change comes after the government received significant pushback from artists and political opponents, who were outraged by the decision made under the Abbott government to redirect $104 million from the Australia Council to the newly created NPEA — a move many believed would prove fatal for small, independent arts groups. Calls were made for Turnbull to take over the troubled portfolio, and here we are. Under this latest round of changes (and let's be honest here, there'll probably be more down the line), the NPEA budget will drop from $20 million a year to $12 million, with the savings being returned to the Australia Council. Brandis' brainchild will also be getting a brand spanking new name, going from the National Program for Excellence in the Arts to Catalyst - Australian Arts and Cultural Fund. Yeah, it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue either, does it? Now, while this definitely seems like a step in the right direction, don't start planning your celebratory interpretive dance show just yet. I'm no mathematician, but $32 million still seems like a lot less than $104 million. Let me just quickly check the numbers on that... yep, it's definitely less. Moreover, despite the budget cut and the name change, it appears that Catalyst will still function in much the same way as the NPEA would have. Like they say, a rose by any other name. Although in this case, a rose probably isn't the best analogy. Fifield is expected to announce further details regarding these changes later today. In the meantime, the National Association for the Visual Arts has issued a statement suggesting the fight is far from over. "We are relieved that the Minister is prepared to go some way towards alleviating the havoc being caused by the original decision of his predecessor," said NAVA Executive Director Tamara Winikoff. "However, the renamed Catalyst program is still being created at the expense of ensuring the survival of organisations that are the engine room for developing and presenting new Australian work." Via SMH. Image: Chunky Move.
As the taxi industry and Uber continue to trade blows, a new app targeted exclusively at women and children could prove safer and more comfortable than either. Mum's Taxi is the brainchild of comedian and single mother George McEnroe, and is currently seeking backers via the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. Assuming it gets over the line, the service would only be available to women and children, while also providing female drivers employment opportunities in an industry dominated by men. Speaking to The Age, McEnroe said she came up with the idea while weighing up the potential dangers of driving for Uber. ""I registered a couple of times and realised I was just too scared, there are too many risks," she said. "I thought of the name Mum's Taxi, which is a bit daggy, but who else do you want to pick you up?" In addition to offering a safe environment for passengers, the service would provide employment opportunities to female drivers. McEnroe points out that only 12 per cent of rideshare drivers are women, despite the fact that women make up more than half of the casual workforce. The plan is to launch the service in Sydney in October, before eventually rolling-out nationwide. Drivers would be expected to complete police and working with children checks, and in return get to keep 85 per cent of each fare. Once Mum's Taxi is national, McEnroe intends to donate a further one per cent of every fare to a charity that improves the lives of women and children. For more information or to donate to Mum's Taxi, check out their GoFundMe campaign. Via The Age. Image: Splitshire.
Whether you're on a date, catching up with your friends, or just looking for a way to kill a few hours on a gloomy Tuesday night, there are few modern indulgences that beat settling into a dark cinema and letting your worries escape you as you slip into another world. Spies, superheroes, lovers, musicians, presidents, dictators, robbers and cops: you'll encounter them all as the lights go down and the projector begins to whir. There's plenty afoot a the pictures this month, so we're here to give you a little bit of help with choosing tonight's movie. See you at the candy bar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWbk3-gEBRU GOLDSTONE Australian cinema has a new hero — or heroes, to be exact. In case 2013's neo-western crime thriller Mystery Road didn't make that apparent, Goldstone shouts it across the outback. On screen, Indigenous police detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen) stalks through another remote desert town searching for the truth. Behind the camera, writer-director Ivan Sen guides another insightful examination of race, prejudice, inequality and exploitation inextricably linked to the Australian landscape. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2IBHNUl5I LIGHTS OUT If all a horror movie needed was a killer concept, then Lights Out would sit at the top of the spooky cinematic heap. At its core is an idea that's equally obvious, ingenious and universal: the unsettling feeling that springs in children and adults alike when a flick of a switch plunges a room into darkness. In fact, when Swedish filmmaker David F. Sandberg first toyed with the notion in his two-and-a-half-minute short film of the same name, it became a viral sensation, catching the eye of horror producer James Wan in the process. Three years later, Sandberg has fleshed out the attention-grabbing effort into his feature film debut. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAoEoWrOe8g MAGGIE'S PLAN In Frances Ha, Greta Gerwig became the on-screen embodiment of a predicament most twenty-somethings can relate to: knowing what you don't want out of life, rather than what you do. In Mistress America, she offered a different side of failing to achieve your dreams, this time from a slightly older perspective. Now, in Maggie's Plan, she grapples with the fact that you can't control everything, no matter how hard you try. Consider it the next phase in her ongoing examination of the idiosyncrasies of quarter-life malaise. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJyR3Atf5q8 SING STREET Who amongst us hasn't used music to process their thoughts and feelings? The right song can convey things that words alone cannot, as writer-director John Carney understands. In his films, moving ballads and catchy melodies intertwine with life and love, providing a killer soundtrack to memorable moments and an effective method of expressing emotions. When his characters pen lyrics, strum instruments and grab the mic, they're not just creating tunes and chasing dreams — they're helping make sense of everything around them. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRVD32rnzOw STAR TREK BEYOND Space, the final frontier. An infinite continuum capable of sapping morale and robbing voyaging crews of both purpose and progress since, by its very definition, there can never be an end in sight. Such is the existential crisis facing Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) at the beginning of this third instalment in the revised Star Trek franchise – a notably low-key opening compared to its bombastic predecessors. Read our full review.
Hold onto your doughnuts and prepare to say ay, caramba! more than once, because the Sydney Opera House has just announced a huuuuge headliner for this year's GRAPHIC festival: Matt Groening. The comedic cartoonist genius responsible for The Simpsons and Futurama will make his way to Australia for the very first time to speak at the two-day festival this November, which celebrates pop culture and graphic storytelling, animation and music. Considering most of us probably acquired the large majority of our pre-Internet knowledge on global popular culture from Groening's work (well, when we could wrangle watching The Simpsons instead of the 6pm news), it seems like a brilliant full circle that we're now able to see him speak IRL as adults. He will deliver a talk titled Secrets of The Simpsons, and a Couple of Milhouse Fun Facts, which will delve into the making of the show, include hardly-seen clips and apparently even some full-frontal cartoon nudity. He will also join a session with his friend and fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry. "The most intense Simpsons fanatics I've met are from Australia, so I'm coming to Sydney to check out all you lunatics," Groening said. "I'm going to share stories of the making of The Simpsons and show embarrassing home movies and rarely-seen animation, including oddball outtakes and uncensored Itchy & Scratchy cartoons." Other highlights from the GRAPHIC 2016 program announced this morning include a screening of George Lucas' 1971 sci-fi epic THX 1138, which will be re-scored live by Asian Dub Foundation. There will be a heap of free talks from cartoonists including Leunig and First Dog on the Moon, as well as two film premieres from Nail Gaiman, who has previously called the festival "the smartest, wisest, most cutting-edge festival and celebration of narrative literature and its intersection with culture in the world". GRAPHIC will take place at the Sydney Opera House from November 4-5. Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 16 here.
Heston Blumenthal’s London restaurant Dinner will soon be losing a head chef to a Melbourne version of the Michelin-starred restaurant. But in an international switcheroo, Blumenthal is taking back quite the culinary talent to the UK to reopen The Fat Duck in Berkshire: a MasterChef from Ballina. Confused? Let's break it down. Last night saw the greatly anticipated MasterChef finale, and after a two-and-a-half hour tension headache, a winner was crowned (spoiler alert: it was Ballina chef, Billie McKay, who beat competition golden girl Georgia Barnes in a shocking twist that took a long, long while to get there). But the real star of the show was (as always) wacky, inflatable arm-flailing Blumenthal who appeared with a dish from another dimension: the Botrytis Cinerea dessert, a dish more art than food. After the winner was crowed, Heston offered McKay a job at The Fat Duck when it reopens in Berkshire, which she graciously accepted. So, Australia is losing its newly crowned MasterChef to the UK, but at the same time Melbourne is gaining a new Blumenthal restaurant, Dinner, complete with ex-Fat Duck head chef, Ashley Palmer-Watts. Dinner will take up residence in the Crown Melbourne in October, taking over from The Fat Duck's now-closed, six-month Melbourne residency. Farewell Fat Duck classics as snail porridge and quail jelly with crayfish cream, and welcome Dinner specialties like the fabled meat fruit. Dinner Melbourne will be modelled on the Blumenthal's Michelin-starred London restaurant which serves a typically jaw-dropping menu — inspired by 15th century manuscripts and 'the fanciful dramatic dishes of the royal courts of King Henry VII'. Expect dishes such as the infamous meat fruit (chicken liver parfait contained within a mandarin jelly skin), and ‘rice and flesh’, which is made of saffron, calf tail and red and hails all the way from 1390AD (where it perhaps should have stayed). It’s an ode to historical British gastronomy, which in Hestonspeak means: be wary of your meal because there’s almost certainly four and twenty blackbirds baked into it and about to sing somehow. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will open in late October at the Crown Melbourne, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank. Open for lunch Friday and Saturday, and dinner daily. Via Good Food. Images: Alisa Coonan, Ashley Palmer-Watts.
Fancy spending some time in Latin America? Don't we all. It's not quite the same as a holiday but, thanks to the brand new Cine Latino Film Festival, getting immersed in the sights, sounds and stories of everywhere from Mexico to Puerto Rico is as easy as heading to the movies. Throughout August, the latest addition to Palace Cinemas' ever-growing festival calendar brings the best films from the region to Australian screens, celebrating not just excellence but variety. Come for cinematic poetry from master filmmakers and stay for Peruvian horror efforts — they're just a few of our five must-see pics of the festival. Plus, if you scroll down to the bottom, you can go in the draw to win a double pass to see one of them. NERUDA Curbing one's excitement for Pablo Larraín's latest feature is close to impossible. The Chilean filmmaker hasn't even reached the age of 40 yet, and he already has a number of features under his belt that any writer/director would be envious of. After wowing the Aussie festival circuit with his first collaboration with Gael Garcia Bernal in 2012's political drama No, Larraín tasks the charismatic actor with once again exploring the difficulties of restrictive societies — this time through an examination of the life the poet that gives the movie its name. That Neruda has been called gripping won't surprise anyone, in yet another stellar work from a director on the rise. ENDLESS POETRY When it comes to Endless Poetry, knowing that it is directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky should be more than enough motivation to send you rushing towards your nearest Palace Cinema. After breaking a 23-year directing drought with 2013's The Dance of Reality, the 87-year-old filmmaker behind such brazen, mind-bending cult classics as El Topo and The Holy Mountain offers up another cinematic memoir. In the second of a planned five-feature series, he moves from his youth to the formative experiences of his 20s, chronicling his efforts to become a poet against the wishes of his family. THE WOMB If sitting in a darkened room, staring at a big screen and getting scared is your idea of a good time at the movies, then The Womb should be your type of film. If the fact that it is being billed as Peru's first bona fide horror flick doesn't get your pulse racing, then perhaps its unsettling tale of several layers of motherhood struggles will. Sure, you've probably seen plenty of frightening fare about being a parent lately, but there's a reason filmmakers keep returning to this tried and tested topic. HOW TO WIN ENEMIES You can never have too many offbeat comedies, right? Finding amusement in the quirks of everyday life is always going to strike a chord, with How to Win Enemies the latest Argentinian effort to give it a shot. Focusing on a young lawyer with a fondness for detective stories, it's a love story, a family drama and a mystery all in one. Yes, the sleuthing angle has seen Gabriel Lichtmann's film compared to TV's Bored to Death — so if you're a fan of that show, it can only be a good thing. I PROMISE YOU EVERYTHING Combine a skater film, a crime drama and a queer love story all into one, and the result is I Promise You Everything. Weaving through the streets of modern-day Mexico City, the feature tells the tale of Miguel and Johnny, their stumbling upon a get-rich-quick scheme supplying blood to drug traffickers, and the tumultuous results. If it sounds a little like the early work of Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu, that's not a bad thing. One review has even mentioned the film in the same breath as The Godfather — and while they're awfully big shoes to fill, discovering how it tries to achieve that feat should be intriguing at the very least. The Cine Latino Film Festival screens at Sydney's Palace Norton Street and Verona from August 9 to 24, Brisbane's Palace Centro and Barracks from August 11 to 24, and Melbourne's Palace Como and Westgarth from August 17 to 31. For more information, visit the festival website. [competition]583085[/competition]
Movie fans, prepare for your first wave of film envy for 2016. On January 21, the Sundance Film Festival kicks off its annual celebration of cinema in the snow — and that means a host of celebrities are headed to Utah to party with Robert Redford, and a new batch of indie titles are about to premiere. Last year, we were so consumed with excitement about the program that we outlined the ten flicks we desperately wanted to see on Australian screens — and with Mistress America, The End of the Tour, Dope, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck and Sleeping With Other People on our list, we had a pretty good hit rate (if we do say so ourselves). So, what's got us buzzing this time around? Well, theres a few documentaries, a mermaid thriller and an all-star cast in a film named Wiener-Dog, to name a few standouts. Here's our picks of the films we hope Aussie audiences will get the chance to watch, either courtesy of a local release or a festival — plus a few more we've got our eye on. HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE There's plenty about this flick that appeals: its manhunt for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle storyline, and Sam Neil and Rhys Darby featuring among the cast, to name a few. However, most of our enthusiasm for Hunt for the Wilderpeople stems from the involvement of Taika Waititi. To date, the New Zealand filmmaker has brought us the charming Boy, directed episodes of Flight of the Conchords, and co-starred and co-directed one of the funniest flicks of the past few years, the vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. With Marvel sequel Thor: Ragnarok coming up next, he's clearly bound for bigger things, but this eccentric comedy sounds like vintage Waititi. Also watch out for: Sing Street, another music-focused flick from Begin Again director John Carney — this time about an Irish teen in a glam-ish band. LO AND BEHOLD, REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD More and more documentaries keep touching upon the topic of the technology we're all now unable to live without. The latest comes from none other than the great Werner Herzog, which marks his first factual effort since Into the Abyss five years ago. History and horror stories combine as he interviews a wealth of experts and tries to look at both the good and the bad of the online environment. And yes, the filmmaker provides the narration — because hearing his distinctive tones wax philosophical is all part of the Herzog doco experience. Also watch out for: Under the Gun, a dissection of the firearms debate that continues to divide America. WIENER-DOG When is a sequel not quite a sequel? When it takes one figure from a film and inserts them into a compilation of tales. That's the case with Todd Solondz's Wiener-Dog, with its title referring to the as dachshund at the centre of its stories, as well as the Welcome to the Dollhouse character of Dawn Wiener (then played by Heather Matarazzo, now by Greta Gerwig) it crosses paths with. If you're a fan of the director or the 1995 feature, this is all good news. Plus, there's the cast, with the ever-luminous Gerwig joined by everyone from Kieran Culkin and Girls' Zosia Mamet to Julie Delpy and Danny DeVito. Also watch out for: Maggie's Plan, also starring continued Sundance fave Gerwig, but this time contemplating marriage and children alongside Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore. CERTAIN WOMEN Another film, another set of intersecting stories — however, don't let the format deter you from Certain Women. In one tale, Laura Dern is immersed in a hostage situation. In another, Michelle Williams copes with marital problems in her new home. In the next, Kristen Stewart plays a lawyer-turned-teacher. All three segments are tied to a vision of America's midwest that sees the women forge paths forward. If you're not already sold, knowing that the movie is directed by Kelly Reichardt — who previously worked with Williams on Wendy and Lucy and Meek’s Cutoff, and most recently helmed Night Moves — should take care of that. Also watch out for: Love and Friendship, which sees Whit Stillman reuniting with his The Last Days of Disco stars Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny for an adaptation of an unpublished Jane Austen novella. THE LURE If you think there's just not enough mermaid-related horror flicks, then The Lure should catch your attention. Aquatic sirens feature quite prominently in the feature debut of Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska, as does a tale of romance, some bloodlust and a neon-lit dance club. Yep, this is a musical affair as well as a scary one, coming together with what Sundance describes as "a knack for both burlesque and the grotesque". If it can live up to that description, consider us pumped. And even if it can't, it has to be better than one of the last films to chart this territory: the exactly-as-bad-as-it-sounds Killer Mermaid. Also watch out for: Convenience store clerks, Johnny Depp playing his character from Tusk, and plenty of silliness in the next Kevin Smith effort, Yoga Hosers. MANCHESTER BY THE SEA In 2012, Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret finally found its way to Australian cinemas. Problems and delays had plagued the film for years — the Anna Paquin-starring effort was actually made in 2007 — however if ever a film was worth the wait, it was this one. Thankfully, Lonergan's latest doesn't seem to be suffering the same fate — we're just hopeful that it will deliver. Here, a loner handyman has to take care of his teenage nephew and face a past tragedy. The underrated Affleck brother, Casey, leads a cast that also includes Kyle Chandler and Michelle Williams. Also watch out for: Belgica, the new bar-set, Soulwax-scored film from Belgian writer and director Felix van Groeningen, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his polarising The Broken Circle Breakdown. THE BIRTH OF A NATION If you know your film history, you should've already heard of a film with this title. Back in 1915, filmmaker D. W. Griffith made a silent, black and white chronicle of the American Civil War. The film is still considered ahead of its time in a technical sense, but was courted for its stance on race and depiction of the Klu Klux Klan. Now, actor-turned-director Nate Parker (Beyond the Lights) uses the same name for an effort charting a real-life slave rebellion in 1831 — and there's a statement in his choice of moniker, of course. He also stars on screen, alongside Armie Hammer as a slave owner. Also watch out for: The Office's John Krasinski steps behind the camera as director for The Hollars, a family comedy featuring Anna Kendrick, Margo Martindale, Charlie Day and Sharlto Copley. ALI & NINO He might be known for delving into the life and death of both Amy Winehouse and Ayrton Senna in two of the last decade's most powerful docos — that'd be Amy and Senna — however, Asif Kapadia also has a few narrative features on his resume. Ali & Nino marks his return to non-factual storytelling, adapting the novel of the same name. This time, he examines a clash of cultures in Baku between 1918 and 1920. Given that the film explores a romance that springs up between a Muslim Azerbaijani boy and Christian Georgian girl, expect plenty of tension between traditional and modern ways in this politically-charged love story. Also watch out for: Southside With You, a romance about a guy called Barack and a girl called Michelle. We know who you're thinking of — and yes, we mean those ones. HOLY HELL When Holy Hell was first announced in the Sundance lineup, it didn't list the director. Filmmaker Will Allen initially kept his identity a secret — which, considering the subject of his documentary, is more than a little understandable. For 20 years he lived inside a secretive spiritualist community led by a charismatic guru, filming everything that went on. That footage forms the basis of the doco, however Allen also shares his own recollections, and interviews fellow former members of the community. He ponders not only the organisation he devoted two decades of his life to, but the lengths people are willing to go to in search of happiness. Also watch out for: NUTS!, a doco that tells the so-crazy-it-must-be-true tale of the small-town doctor who tried to cure impotence by transplanting goat testicles into men. We're serious. THE INTERVENTION You've seen Clea DuVall in the likes of The Faculty, Girl Interrupted, Argo and TV's Carnivale — and now you can watch her directorial debut. In The Intervention, she stars as well as guides Cobie Smulders, Alia Shawkat, Natasha Lyonne, Melanie Lynskey, Jason Ritter and Ben Schwartz through a weekend trip that doesn't quite turn out the way everyone thinks it will. Four couples head away for what seems like the usual booze-soaked holiday, however, the apparently jolly jaunt also doubles as an intervention. Yep, this one is a dramedy, making the most of the dramatic and comic talents of its ensemble of performers. Also watch out for: Other People, which corrals Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford, June Squibb and Parks and Recreation's Retta into the big screen, feature-length debut of Saturday Night Live writing supervisor Chris Kelly.
After spending the last few years in the grasp of tweens and sexless Mormons, it's good to see the vampire movie finally biting back. From the ingenious goofiness of What We Do in the Shadows to the eerie urban decay of Only Lovers Left Alive, it's been a banner year for big screen bloodsuckers, a trend that continues at ACMI this month with the most fascinating shakeup to the genre yet. Sexy, scary and fearlessly subversive, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is a last minute contender for one of the best films of 2014. Billed as the world's first Iranian Vampire Western, the debut film from writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour takes place on the outskirts of an industrial ghost town, ominously named Bad City. It's here that an aloof young vampire in heavy eye makeup and billowing chador (Sheila Vand) stalks the streets in search of victims to devour. What she doesn't count on, however, is the romantic attention of a handsome local drug dealer (Arash Marandi), who unwittingly presents her with a difficult choice: pursue a relationship or eat him for dinner. If the plot sounds thin, that's probably because it is. A spiritual descendent of David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch, the California-based Amirpour is far less concerned with narrative than she is with style and atmosphere. The moody black and white cinematography further enhances the film's already palpable sense of menace, while also calling to mind prototypical vampire movies such as Vampyr and the original Dracula. The eclectic soundtrack is equally evocative, Amirpour spinning a Tarantino-esque blend of European and Iranian pop music combined with the rousing strains of an old school Spaghetti Western. Yet despite her aesthetic self-consciousness, Amirpour's film is in no way lacking in substance. While vampire stories are traditionally about sexuality, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night reframes the discussion to focus more on gender. It's obviously not a coincidence that Vand's vigilante vamp feeds exclusively on misogynistic men. Likewise the pointed choice of costume: her traditional head-to-toe black garb, so often viewed as a sign of oppression, re-appropriated as a symbol of her power. Even the film's title is misleading. Amirpour sets us up to expect a helpless victim, only to deliver something very different indeed. Bold and surprising, this is a truly stunning debut. Do everything you can to seek it out.
Most people's reluctance to get tattooed stems from the niggling suspicion that Kermit the Frog may not be timeless. But before at least there was solace in the idea that when you died, your skin would rot away and all tattoo sins would be forgiven (unless we get that cheapo tattoo removal cream we’ve been promised). Now, as we always knew they would, tattoo artists have found a way to conquer death. Save My Ink is a tattoo preservation service that you never knew you wanted, offered by the National Association for the Preservation of Skin Art (NAPSA). And by preservation service, this is what we mean: when you die, they come and cut your tattoo off and frame it. (?_?) So here’s the deal if you want to preserve your butterfly tramp stamp to pass along to your children. The tattoo preservation service is only available to NAPSA members, which requires you to pay a sign-up fee and annual membership fee. Then, when you die, your beneficiaries (the lucky ones who will receive your decorated skin flap) will notify NAPSA who will send in their technicians to hack off your skin art. Within three to six months, your presumably still-grieving family will receive your tattoo and will be able to promptly try to clone you with the DNA therein. You can have as many tattoos preserved as you please, as long as they’re not on the face or genitals (that would be way too creepy). In all seriousness though, while this is a pretty morbid service, it kind of makes sense. Tattoos are often sentimental, unique and used to commemorate big life events, so for some it may be comforting to preserve them. And it would be an easy way to resolve the practicalities of issues like this. For more information, check out the Save My Ink website here.
When the Mountain Goat Valley Crawl kicked off in 2016, it did so in simple but great style. Recognising that the key to many a good night out is a multi-venue itinerary, it made hopping between Fortitude Valley's finest hangouts a streamlined, well-organised yet still laidback experience — with brews aplenty and an ace live music soundtrack. Come 2021, the sprawling music and beer festival will still be going strong — even after the events of the past year. On Saturday, February 6, attendees can jump between ten Valley spots to see a huge heap of interstate and local artists. The simultaneous sonic fun takes place at The Brightside (both indoors and outdoors), Black Bear Lodge, Kickons, The Valley Drive-In, Ric's, O'Skulligans, Greaser, Blutes and The Zoo. As always, the agenda includes running between each to sip frosty beverages and catch crackin' sets, with the entertainment once again sponsored by a brewery. The whole shindig kicks off at 5pm, so the only thing left for you to do is clear your calendar for an ace day of tunes, brews and hopping around the Valley. Well, that and check out the lineup below. MOUNTAIN GOAT VALLEY CRAWL 2021: George Alice Concrete Surfers Heaps Good Friends Velociraptor Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers Teenage Joans Ayla Hallie Austen Waxflower BANFF Debbies RINSE Greatest Hits The Flowers Syrup Sunflower WALKEN Sunbather Daggy Man Order Sixty6 Lexicon Colourblind June Alt Fiction Mum Friends Flamingo Blonde Victor Bravo Bad Neighbour Sammm HANNI Ricky Albeck and The Belair Line Band Yb. PNK FME GENES Porcelain Boy Citrus Daze Pure Milk Ashgroove Pipin Sachém Oh Bailey Paris Irwin Mouse Tetrament Top image: katexjean
Fresh from throwing Brisbane's first ice cream shindig, West End's new West Village precinct is gifting the city another new event. This time, sake and bubble tea will be flowing freely, gyoza and yakitori will be filling stomachs, and origami folding and an arcade alley will be testing nimble fingers at the first Brisbane Japanese Festival. Yes, arigatou gozaimasu is exactly what you should be saying. Taking place from 11am to 5pm on August 19 as part of Japan Week Brisbane, the day-long street fest celebrates the country that gave us everything from Pokemon to Godzilla to Studio Ghibli with a feast — of festivities, of culture and of food. And while there's plenty of fun due to come in all categories, sushi doughnuts fall firmly in the latter. Sushi. Doughnuts. Talk about taking two great things and making them even better. The festival will also boast markets and food stalls, bars serving sake and whiskey, a bonsai garden, traditional drumming and dancing, chopstick challenges, Japanese personalities, music, art and more, all helping turn West Village's indoor and openair spaces into a Japan-centric wonderland. Food-wise, there'll also be karaage, poke bowls topped in sashimi and bento boxes galore — and while the organisers haven't explicitly mentioned ramen, it wouldn't be a Japanese fest without the sounds of slurping, now would it? Tickets cost $10, and given how popular the ice cream festival was — more than 5000 Brisbanites went along — snapping one up ASAP is recommended. Plus, online ticket buyers go in the draw to win a trip to Japan. The Brisbane Japanese Festival takes place on Saturday, August 19 at West Village, 97 Boundary Street, West End. Head to the festival website and Facebook page for further details.
Every food truck and market stall in Brisbane seems to be setting up a more permanent base, with Puerto Taco the latest to join the fold. Their journey from mobile eatery to pop-up restaurant and hopefully beyond has another stop, however, and it's televised. Expanding their menu but shortening their name to simply Puerto, the Mexican-themed kitchen is Queensland's entrant into the Seven Network's latest competitive cooking reality TV program, Restaurant Revolution. If you've been in the vicinity of South Bank's Grey Street over the last month, you've probably seen signs about the show surrounding a pile of shipping containers outside QPAC — aka Puerto's new home. Fashioning Asian fusion meals alongside the fare they've become known for in their meals-on-wheels guise, Puerto is pulling out all the stops to serve up their 'East meets Mex' best, with $200,000 for their dream digs up for grabs if they can beat their counterparts in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Whether they come out on top or not, we all know who the real winners are: the hungry Brisbane public, who can devour their dishes for lunch from Wednesday to Sunday and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday. Of course, you have to be willing to get caught on camera — and willing to line up to get in too, because the BYO place doesn't take bookings. Both are small prices to pay for a delicious dine-in meal from the folks behind one of the city's favourite food trucks, and to possibly help make Puerto's restaurant dreams come true. Find Puerto on the QPAC Playhouse lawn on the corner of Grey and Russell streets, South Brisbane, or check out their Facebook page for more information.
This summer, Monte Morgan, Harvey Miller and stylist Kirsty Barros as co-designer launch the Client Liaison Designer Line pop-up in Melbourne and Sydney. While the band have always designed their own merchandise, they felt the time had come to embark on something a bit more ambitious. We brought you a peek of the range last month, which features Client Liaison's signature peach and 'reef' variations, and keeps to a unisex beach theme, manifesting itself as jumpers, beach robes, t shirts, bumbags, visors and budgie smugglers. For Harvey, it's all about slip, slop, slap. "Sun protection is a big one," he told Concrete Playground this spring. "It's something everyone should remember. We have a rash vest incorporated into the Designer Line." [caption id="attachment_595549" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Chris Middleton.[/caption] When choosing a summer outfit, the Client Liaison Designer Line is a good place to start. "It's luxury at the beach," says Monte. "You're totally relaxed but retaining a level of class". Harvey adds: "At the beach you'll need a light bag to chuck your beach towel in, somewhere to store your sunglasses at night. Bring a jumper for the icy cold evening. Dressing for the summer is all about being prepared." Read more about Client Liaison's summer wardrobe-picking abilities here. The Client Liaison Designer Line is available to purchase exclusively at pop-up stores in Melbourne and Sydney and at www.clientliaison.com from November 10. Prices range from $10-129. CLIENT LIAISON DESIGNER LINE POP-UP SHOP DATES: MELBOURNE Collarts, 209 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy Launch: Friday, November 10, 6-9pm Pop-up store: Friday, November 11 to Sunday, November 13 (10am to 5pm) SYDNEY Location TBC Launch: Friday, November 18, 6-9pm Pop-up store: Friday, November 18 to Sunday, November 20 (10am to 5pm) Diplomatic Immunity is out now. Images: Chris Middleton.
JumpFromPaper, a fashion company straight out of Taiwan, want you live out your dream of a Saturday morning cartoon world with their range of trippy accessories that look they’ve have jumped right out of the TV and onto your shoulder. Just look at them. Don't you just want to take this backpack called 'Adventure' and going exploring around the city? And this 'Summer Breeze' rounded bag somehow begs you to put on a crisp white tennis skirt and do some loosely choreographed exercise. You may just give a stranger in the street an existential crisis with this little cartoon-like 'Spaceman' backpack. They've even got a range for you dapper gents out there. Honestly, how are these three-dimensional? Trouble is, once you have one, it may be near impossible to stop holding your own artistic fashion shoots. Look at these whimsical ladies on their way to the movies. And if your girlfriends all get one then there's really no other option but to form a girl band, so you can have whacky photos like this as your album cover. Shipping to Australia you can get anything from wallets for $30 to backpacks for $139. You'll be paying for something that looks like it's made of a single sheet of paper, but we guarantee your inner child will thank you everyday. Images: JumpForPaper.
Already this year, Aussie movie lovers have been able to journey to France from their cinema seats. Hitting up Spain just by heading to your local picture palace has also been on the itinerary. Your next stop: Germany. Kicking off just as the weather gets colder to remind you of frosty European climes, Australia's touring German Film Festival is back for 2022 with a 26-movie program. The fest's destinations: Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Byron Bay, spanning different dates between Tuesday, May 24–Wednesday, June 22. Wherever you reside, you'll be able to see in winter with quite the lineup of new and classic German movies. There's typically a couple of clear recurring themes in this annual cinema showcase, as there tends to be in German films in general. So, the fact that this year's GFF will open with A Stasi Comedy, about life a Stasi agent's double life as both an underground poet and a spy in 80s-era East Berlin, is hardly surprising. Nor are two of the fest's other big-name titles: The Last Execution, starring Babylon Berlin's Lars Eidinger and also set in East Berlin in the 80s; and The Forger, led by Dark's Louis Hofmann, who plays a young Jewish man in Berlin in 1942. They're just some of the 21 movies that'll enjoy their Australian premieres at the event — alongside drama My Son, about a teenager's relationship with his mother; crime comedy The Black Square, starring Toni Erdmann's Sandra Hüller; the post-WWII-set The German Lesson, which leaps from the page to the screen; and political thriller The House, which takes place in the near future. GFF is also showcasing new films from just beyond German's borders in Austria and Switzerland. So, you can check out films such as downhill skiing drama Chasing the Line, an Austrian biopic about Winter Olympian Franz Klammer — and Swiss effort Caged Birds, about a lawyer in the 80s battling the prison system. The festival's final five titles hail from its impressive retrospective for 2022, which takes a look back at German cinema over the past five decades. Cannes Palm d'Or-winner The Tin Drum gets the 70s slot, while the East German-set Sunny Side represents the 80s. Doing the honours for the 90s is the exceptional Run Lola Run, aka one of the best thrillers ever made. The movie that helped push The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's Daniel Brühl to stardom, Good Bye Lenin!, has the 00s covered, and kinetic one-take gem Victoria returns to the big screen to showcase cinema from the past decade. GERMAN FILM FESTIVAL 2022 DATES: May 24–June 19: Palace Norton Street, Chauvel Cinema and Palace Central, Sydney May 25–June 19: Palace Electric, Canberra May 25–June 19: Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor Theatre, Melbourne June 1–22: Palace Barracks and Palace James Street, Brisbane June 2–22:Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas and Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas, Adelaide June 2–22: Palace Raine Square Cinemas, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX, Perth June 3–19: Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay The German Film Festival Australia tours the country from May 24–June 22. For more information, visit the festival website.
If you've long felt you missed out on a decent childhood because you weren't bunking in with the Swiss Family Robinson, you can now make up for lost time. Treehouses for grown-ups are one of the latest fads sweeping global architecture, and a new apartment block in Turin, Italy is among the wildest. Named 25 Verde (25 Green) and designed by architect Luciano Pia, the five-storey apartment block doubles up as an urban forest. There are 190 trees snuggled within the structure, with 40 of them creating a tranquil courtyard garden, and the rest providing greenery for 63 uniquely luscious apartments. While the lower floor offers leafy garden-facing arrangements, apartments on the upper floor come with spacious, sunny terraces. Both, however, come with ample opportunities for making your own secret password security precautions and 'no boys/girls allowed' signs. Apart from their obviously eco-friendly presence, the trees also help to moderate temperature in the apartments — filtering sunlight on hot days and providing insulation when the weather cools. Total bosses. To pay 'em back, the trees are kept alive by an irrigation system that uses harvested rainwater. Meanwhile, heating is provided by ground water pumps and ventilated walls enable additional 'breathing'. Vertical gardening might have met its match. Via Huffington Post.
Ever have this problem? You're kayaking through crystal clear waters on adventure of a lifetime in paradise, and the goddamn bottom of your canoe is infuriatingly opaque. All that sea life, going unseen. All those underwater sea creature orchestras, going unappreciated. It's infuriating and devastating. Well, all of that is about to change thanks to the Crystal Kayak Company. They've invented (maybe a better term is re-imagined) the kayak, and this time round it's completely see-through. It's the boldest see-through invention since the see-through toaster. Using the same material as windshields are made from, the see-through kayaks are perfect for moments when you want to see what your kayaking over (i.e. undersea orchestras). Check out the promo vid — and we dare you to not feel like you want to quit your job, burn all of your possessions and spend the rest of your life in a transparent kayak. They retail from a whopping $1,499, but if that blows your kayak budget out of the water, you can trial it at resorts around the world. And don't think that price tag just buys the opacity of your kayak. Oh no. As well as offering quite the underwater view, they've been ergonomically designed to be wayyy more comfy than your average kayak. Check em out here.
The 62nd Sydney Film Festival closed on Sunday, June 14, having unleashed a number of great and good films upon the city. But 'great' isn't all we go to the festival for — we come looking for the stuff that challenges us, for the weirdest concoctions that will never get a cinema release, for the wild artistic risks that might not even work as a motion picture and, yes, for the failures that went down swinging. So with that appetite guiding our cinematic feast, here are our critics' highlights of the festival. THE BEST THE CLUB If there's one club no one wants to be a member of, it's the one at the centre of Pablo Larrain's latest film. The director of 2012's No keeps his voice political and his eyes focused on his Chilean homeland, with the injustices committed by the Catholic Church his new point of focus. That his chilling and complex tale takes place within a coastal retirement home for disgraced priests should give an indication of the dark psychological territory he traverses, though Larrain spares his judgment for the system rather than his subjects. There, he's scathing about the culture of covering up scandals, as demonstrated by a final act that just might render viewers speechless. He's also likely to cause another club to form: those of avid fans of the atmospheric feature, and of his continued contemplation of corruption. -Sarah Ward TEHRAN TAXI Road movies often take characters on a literal and emotional journey from point A to B. You know the ones. Jafar Panahi interprets driving, talking, growing and learning a bit differently; the director turns on-screen cabbie in Tehran in an effort that merges art and life on several levels. Panahi is currently banned from filmmaking, yet once again uses his limitations as inspiration — including in setting and staging his latest feature in a taxi, and in combining fact and fiction. In this year's Berlin Film Festival Golden Bear winner, he makes a statement about his own predicament while drawing attention to the restrictions prevalent in modern-day Iran. Forget heading off on holiday; his road trip takes audiences through his and his nation's everyday existence. -SW THE HUNTING GROUND It was a fantastic festival for documentary filmmaking, with titles like Going Clear and Sherpa taking on pressing real world issues with empathy and determination. But of all the docos in the program, Kirby Dick’s The Hunting Ground stands out as perhaps the most important. Over 103 devastating minutes, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker exposes the endemic rates of rape on American college campuses — crimes that administrators at many of the country’s leading universities have a shameful history of trying to sweep under the rug. It’s a grim and confronting story, but one that needs all the attention that it can get. -Tom Clift VICTORIA If you thought the long takes in Gravity and Birdman were impressive, then have we got a recommendation for you. Filmed in a single real-time take, Sebastian Schipper’s Victoria follows a young Spanish expat living in Berlin, who after a big night out finds herself the unlikely participant in an early morning bank heist. Schipper’s audacious shooting style adds a sense of immediacy to the tale, taking viewers through the city’s famous club scene and into its seedy criminal underworld on the same emotional rollercoaster as Victoria herself. Gripping and empathetic, this is experiential cinema at its finest. -TC THE WORST SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY Screwball comedies can be a love 'em or hate 'em affair. Sometimes their fast-talking banter charms. Sometimes their reliance upon too many conveniences grates. Sometimes, like in She's Funny That Way, the latter outweighs the former. In his first film in more than a decade, writer/director Peter Bogdanovich brings together a likeable cast of Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Rhys Ifans, Will Forte and Kathryn Hahn, yet pushes them past the point of farce and into tiring territory. There are a few giggles to be had, alongside obvious love for genre, but it's the late-stage cameo that most will remember this movie for, and that's never a good thing. -SW AMONG THE BELIEVERS Among the Believers isn’t so much a bad film as it is a disappointing one. Documentarians Hemal Trivedi and Mohammed Ali Naqvi were allowed unprecedented access to Abdul Aziz Ghazi, the leader of the notorious Red Mosque network which is widely viewed as a breeding ground of religious extremism in Pakistan. Yet we can’t help feel that they squandered the opportunity, with the resulting documentary offering little real insight into the minds of the would-be terrorists or the social and political factors that create them. With so much media attention given to the threat of Islamic terrorism, Among the Believers needed to bring a lot more to the table to rise above the noise. -TC THE BOLDEST EXPERIMENTS ARABIAN NIGHTS Making a three-volume, 383-minute feature is a bold choice, but the length of Miguel Gomes' Sydney Film Festival competition-winning effort is actually one of the least bold things about it. Yes, he's made his movie an endurance test; however, it's his choice of content and the way he splices it together that's audacious. Often involving trials and other forms of judgment, frequently featuring animals (bees, a talking cockerel, the canine winner of Cannes' coveted Palm Dog Award, and too many chaffinches), and flitting between surreal segments and documentary-style observation, the thematically connected chapters try to achieve a feat the director himself acknowledges as impossible. That'd be seducing in narrative while acknowledging the misery of Portugal's harsh economic reality — and if it sounds like courageous, challenging work, that's because it is. -SW TANGERINE Loud, gaudy and unapologetically crass, Sean Baker’s Tangerine is a far cry from a stereotypical festival film, and honestly, that’s a big part of why we loved it. Shot on the streets of Los Angeles using tricked-out iPhone 5s, the film follows a transgender prostitute named Sin-Dee as she blazes through the city with her best friend Alexandra in tow, on the hunt for her pimp boyfriend who she’s learnt has been unfaithful. The hyper-raw cinematography suits the plot and characters to perfection: tacky and stylish and outrageously funny all at once. And beneath all the humour lies surprising emotional depth. -TC THE MOST WTF THE FORBIDDEN ROOM Guy Maddin's latest effort, as co-directed with Evan Johnson, is the kind of movies cinephiles dream of. No, it's not your usual, stereotypical serious movie fare — this really is something that feels it has been ripped out of someone's head mid-slumber, or perhaps mid-hallucination. Think tripping through cinema history, complete with mind-altering substances, and you're still nowhere close to the ride this takes through layers of stories, colours, genres, tropes and film stocks. The Forbidden Room is a movie that teaches you how to take a bath, has a wolf hunter as its hero, and relays the thoughts of a volcano and a moustache. We're not kidding. Yes, it really is that offbeat and glorious. -SW A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE The title of this film is probably the least strange thing about it, hence its place in our coveted WTF section. The third part of a thematic trilogy by Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson 15 years in the making, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence consists of a series of deadpan tragicomic vignettes ostensibly ‘about being a human being’. Sexually aggressive dance instructors, a pair of morose travelling salesman and the long dead King Charles XII are just a few of the bizarre characters who inhabit this esoteric comedy, one that had us scratching our head in bafflement as often as it had us laughing. -TC
Uber's international developments are going gangbusters of late, after launching free breathalyzers in Canada, possibly slashing UberX prices in Western Australia, and launching its first ever cash-only service — a brand new auto-rickshaw option available in Delhi. Uber users in Delhi can book a rickshaw through the mobile app — you just don't have to punch in your destination — before paying in cash without extra commission charges. Drivers are apparently being trained not to refuse bookings. For regular Uber cabs, it's still electronic payment as usual. And as always, Uber users can rate their auto driver on the app, and vice versa. Sure, there's already an auto-rickshaw booking service called Ola in Delhi, and sure, it's a PR attempt to steer Uber Delhi's recently less-than-great reputation back into clear waters, but it's one that will hopefully boost job security and facilitate generally more organised and safe auto-rickshaw service in the capital for both drivers and passengers. Can't argue with that. There's just over 100,000 auto-rickshaws in Delhi (actually one of the lowest rickshaw populations in the country, something the Delhi government is trying to up), so this could really shake up the local transport industry for the Indian capital. Via Economic Times.
If there are two things that Brisbanites demand, it's (still) doughnuts and burgers. But with the small possibility that there's a third, Brisbane folks love Asian-style street food. Especially if it dons the word 'hawker-style'. Having already conquered the first couple courtesy of Donut Boyz and Hello Harry, Tony Kelly and Scott Hoskins are tackling the next on the list. Hawker-style eatery Junk is the duo's latest place to make the jump from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane. Junk's descent down south was first reported last August, with an October opening date slated, however, all good things take time. Finally, Little Stanley Street's new addition, is due to launch on February 10. You'll find a menu filled with Korean fried chicken wings, crispy Peking duck spring rolls, and four varieties of steamed bao (soft-shell crab, pork, pork gyoza and chicken katsu). Yes, one of those options really does include dumplings on bao. Dumplings. On. Bao. Crispy fried gunpowder chicken ribs and Vietnamese noodle salads will also be cooked up in executive chef Mitch Smith's kitchen, as will Gangnam fries (covered in house-made kimchi, nacho cheese sauce, nori and spring onion, and certain to get a K-pop song stuck in your head). Basically, expect to be spoiled for choice. "Mitch's knowledge and talent in freestyle Asian cooking is unrivalled and evident in every dish, resulting in unique flavour combinations and welcome surprises across the menu," says Hoskins. The South Bank joint will be Junk's third, with Toowoomba already joined by a Sunshine Coast version. And, because great Queensland eateries can't be confined to one huge state, Junk will open up in Melbourne's Punch Lane on February 22. Junk opens on February 10 at Shop 11-12 Little Stanley Street, South Bank. For more information, check out their website.
Nine floors above the bustle of Melbourne's Collins Street is Client Liaison HQ — an office filled to the brim with pastel jackets and patterned shirts that have been sourced from vintage stores around the world. The band — Monte Morgan and Harvey Miller — have just rounded off a string of tours across the country, and they're getting ready to release their first full length album, Diplomatic Immunity. The first video sees the boys cruising along Collins Street in the Client Liaison limousine. When you're in Client Liaison, there is no such thing as a half measure. We've partnered with Heineken 3 and spoken to a few of our favourite musicians, chefs and artists, to get their insight on what it takes to create the perfect summer afternoon. For summer fashion advice, there is no one more stylish to ask than Client Liaison. The prestige in their on-stage costumes carries through into their casual wear — so much so that in November, they're due to launch their own fashion line. The boys invited us into their band wardrobe and picked out three options for summer afternoon outfits. Take note — the next time you're with your friends sipping on a Heineken 3, you might need something to wear. A PASTEL SUIT IS PERFECT FOR A SUMMER GATHERING "The boys are running a little bit late. They're in a big white limousine and they're stuck in traffic", says band stylist Kirsty Barros before we meet the boys. Soon enough, they arrive dressed to kill in polished brown shoes and matching summer suits. These were the product of a recent costume sourcing trip to Bali. Client Liaison's signature peach and 'reef' colour variations are a palette developed from the vibrant bubblegum colours of Technicolor film. In the words of Barros, it's a "seamless blend of pop and prestige". Don't be afraid to show your feminine side, she says. "For a more formal summer soiree, pastels are a subtly unconventional way to subvert an 80s power suit." Wear these classic summer colours in cotton or linen — they offer a good alternative to the dull and predictable black suit you might be forced to bring out in summer. A GENTLEMAN SHOULD NEVER WEAR SHORTS, UNLESS IT'S FOR LEISURE OR SAFARI According to Monte, it's as simple as that. "It's still possible to look classy and respectable in the heat of summer, you just have to choose the right fabrics," he says. "You go to India and everyone's wearing long kaftans and light linens. Covering the skin can keep you cool. When people get into stubby shorts and a singlet — for me, that's too far". Barros adds: "We love a sunburnt country and we chose this print for it's fruity Australiana flavour. It's perfect for a summer sunset." Accessorise with a hat, a prawn cocktail, a dirty martini or a Heineken 3. ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS EVERYTHING For Client Liaison, detail is key. "All of our music is under the scrutiny of at least two sets of eyes. Two people have to love it," Monte explains. "For our clothes and costumes, we have three [Kirsty, their stylist]. "Generally, if it's two against one we'll move on, but if we need to explore something further, we will. It sometimes means that things take a bit longer, but generally it's a good way to finesse." For this outfit the details are in the fabric choice. "Linen is the number one fabric for deep heat and breathability," says Kirsty. "For summer colours, we chose the boldest of electric blue to pack a punch and married it back with flirty pastels in textured 80s cotton meshes and a fresh optical white." INTRODUCING: THE CLIENT LIAISON DESIGNER LINE This summer, Harvey, Monte and Kirsty as co-designer launch the Client Liaison Designer Line pop-up in Melbourne and Sydney. While the band have always designed their own merchandise, they felt the time had come to embark on something a bit more ambitious. The range features Client Liaison's signature peach and 'reef' variations, and keeps to a unisex beach theme, manifesting itself as jumpers, beach robes, t shirts, bumbags, visors and budgie smugglers. For Harvey, it's all about slip, slop, slap. "Sun protection is a big one — it's something everyone should remember. We have a rash vest incorporated into the Designer Line." When choosing a summer outfit, the Client Liaison Designer Line is a good place to start. "It's luxury at the beach," says Monte. "You're totally relaxed but retaining a level of class". Harvey adds: "At the beach you'll need a light bag to chuck your beach towel in, somewhere to store your sunglasses at night. Bring a jumper for the icy cold evening. Dressing for the summer is all about being prepared." Enjoy your summer afternoons with the new low-carb Heineken 3 — we're helping you make the most of them. Client Liaison first album Diplomatic Immunity will be out Friday, November 4 via Dot Dash / Remote Control. Images: Chris Middleton.
Love a cheeky G&T? You're probably someone who's noticed gin's undergoing a massive revival in Australia, with new gin bars seemingly popping up every other day, and local distillers pushing boundaries with bold, experimental flavours and colours, and all of it is thanks to those miraculous little things known as 'botanicals'. But what are they exactly? What are you even talking about when you're loftily referring to 'aromatic botanicals' in your nip of Tanqueray No.TEN? This iconic, award-winning gin, launched in 2000 as an evolution of the original Tanqueray, is handcrafted in small batches that combine the four botanicals of juniper, angelica root, coriander and liquorice. It's the only gin to be inducted into the San Francisco Hall of Fame — not too shabby. Every type of gin has a unique blend, but botanicals are the key in every bottle. Let's get to know them. [caption id="attachment_580018" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Jonas Tana.[/caption] BOTANICALS By EU law, all gin has to be made using a 96% ABV (alcohol by volume) highly rectified spirit, and must taste predominantly of juniper — the small shrub from the mountain slopes of Italy and Macedonia whose name itself is from where the word 'gin' is derived. Juniper's taste is one of bittersweet pine, lavender, and camphor, but it's from the other botanicals — those select natural additives with which the spirits are distilled — that we get the uplifting, complex and unique aromas of spicy, floral, woody and citrus. SPICE Key amongst the spicy botanicals is coriander, whose seeds are second only to juniper in terms of their importance to the process of gin distillation. Coriander is grown throughout southern Europe, southern Asia and North Africa, and its tiny fruits release spicy sage and lemon flavours that contribute a dry, peppery finish to your gin. The other major spicy botanical is ginger root, one of the earliest spices known in Western Europe. In its pure form, it's capable of raising your body temperature, and when distilled in gin it imparts a dry, spicy character. [caption id="attachment_580016" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Flickr.[/caption] FLORAL Chamomile is perhaps best known to tea drinkers and aromatherapists courtesy of its reputation for reducing stress and assisting with sleep. As a gin botanical, however, this creeping plant found throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North America imparts distinctive light apple and faint straw aromas (indeed, its name means 'ground apple') as well as a sensation of dryness. Chamomile's most frequently used floral alternative is the leaf of the bay laurel tree, with its pungent, bitter taste and an aroma most closely resembling thyme. WOODY Amongst the earthy, woody botanicals, there is no greater ingredient than Angelica root. Once rumoured to cure the plague and stave off witchcraft, the angelica root from the subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere is renown for its medicinal purposes. Yet in gin, it's an indispensable component that not only makes it dry, but provides its typically earthy base. Liquorice root, too, is another woody mainstay that hails from southwest Asia, India and some parts of Europe, and whose sweet and bitter compounds produce similarly woody flavours. Liquorice root is responsible for adding length and base to your gin, softening and rounding out its 'mouth feel' or texture. CITRUS NOTES Finally, there are the citrus botanicals, led most famously by bergamot peel. Grown in Italy's southern Calabria region, bergamot orange peel is just as likely to turn up in perfumes and lotions as it is gin, possessing a distinctly bright, citrusy aroma and taste. More broadly, then, comes the conventional orange peel botanical, which — in dried form from both sweet and Seville oranges — is similarly used in gin to offer a light, citrusy note capable of balancing out the more pungent botanicals. Top image: Jez Timms.
Looks like the cat's out of the bag for this year's Listen Out festival, leaked the old fashioned way: posters. Although the national beats-heavy festival's lineup was supposed to drop at midday on triple j, Project U noticed a casual poster on a Sydney telegraph pole this morning. US rapper and general champ Childish Gambino is heading the bill, returning after a slam dunk set at last year's Splendour in the Grass. He'll be sitting pretty alongside returning UK producer SBTRKT (DJ set), Brooklyn rapper Joey Bada$$ and recent Coachella smashes Odesza on the bill. Local favourites like Alison Wonderland, Client Liaison, Roland Tings, Hayden James and masked producer Golden Features will be there, alongside international drawcards like American hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd, LA producer ILoveMakonnen, Lido and Ryan Hemsworth. LISTEN OUT 2015: Childish Gambino SBTRKT (DJ set) Joey Bada$$ Alison Wonderland Odesza Rae Sremmurd Golden Features Dusky Ryan Hemsworth ILoveMakonnen George Fitzgerald Lido Hayden James Client Liaison Roland Tings Halfway Crooks Jordan Burns Triple J Unearthed winner and more to be announced Saturday, September 26 Catani Gardens St Kilda, Melbourne Sunday, September 27 Ozone Reserve, Perth Saturday, October 3 Centennial Park, Sydney Sunday, October 4 Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane Tickets on sale Thursday, June 18 at midday. Head to the Listen Out website for more details, tickets and lineup info.
It's finally happened. London's latest and greatest pop-up bar lets you literally inhale alcohol, a project that could only be the work of wildly ambitious, gastronomic artists Bompas and Parr. Built on the site of an ancient monastery in Borough and opened on July 30, the wonderfully-named Alcohol Architecture bar lets you walk into an actual cloud of cocktail. Sam Bompas and Harry Parr have used big ol' humidifiers to saturate the air with a cocktail of spirits and mixer, so you can simply breathe in the drink and let that sweet, sweet alcohol make its way to your bloodstream via lungs and eyes. Of course, visitors to the pop-up are advised to "breathe responsibly" — and the hour session of inhalation isn't quite enough to get you drunk, apparently. You're given a robe to protect your clothes from reeking of cocktail afterwards, and you'll be surrounded by atmospheric sounds to intensify the inhaling experience. #breatheresponsibly at @alcoholicarchitecture regram from @soniashahx A photo posted by Bompas & Parr (@bompasandparr) on Aug 6, 2015 at 8:59am PDT "Inside, the sound is modulated, so that it is like you are right inside the glass," Parr told Bloomberg. "It's a dense atmosphere that builds into a thunderstorm with lightning. It's a new way of experiencing drink, and it's social because it's an immersive shared environment. You all have the same flavor sensation. "It's like going to the seaside and finding that fish and chips taste better. Part of that is that in a human environment, your ability to perceive taste is heightened. It's the opposite of being in an aeroplane. Alcohol tastes better, with more nuances: You can detect more subtle flavors when it is humidified." We're on! Launch night of the bar tonight! A photo posted by Alcoholic Architecture (@alcoholicarchitecture) on Jul 29, 2015 at 12:37pm PDT This isn't the first jaw-dropping foodie installation Bompas and Parr have dazzled us with in recent memory. After opening a pop-up which tailored cocktails to your DNA, hosting anatomical whisky tastings allowing you to taste different aged whiskies from their same-aged human body, and creating lava-powered barbecues, the pair brought one hell of a banquet to this year's Dark Mofo festival in Tasmania — which involved much nudity and the eating of an actually beating pig's heart. If you're headed for London anytime soon, Alcoholic Architecture will be open until early 2016 at One Cathedral Street, Borough Market, London. Tickets and more info over here. We chatted to Sam Bompas recently, head over here to delve into pagan feasts, Vegemite chocolate and Australian food trends. Via Bloomberg.
No, it's not surprising, but it certainly is exciting — after months of deliberation and speculation, Netflix has officially announced it will be launching in Australia and NZ this coming March. The wait is nearly over. In just a few months time you'll be able to stream the solid gold original programming of this American behemoth while being 100 percent within the confines of the law. Get ready for some epic marathons. You certainly have a lot to catch up on. The announcement was made initially this morning by this sneaky tweet: http://t.co/8kKEzEtyq8 ??pu?u?o?x?????N# u??? ???u? ¡ZN & sn? ????W u? no? ??S — Netflix US (@netflix) November 18, 2014 Scamps. The local TV markets have been in a total tizzy since rumours started circulating earlier in the year about this. It's thought that around 200,000 Australians already access the US version of Netflix via cheeky, semi-legal VPN software, and the thought of legitimate and widespread access to the service seemed all-round damning for local competitors. Though Australia has various streaming options like ABC's iView, Foxtel's Presto, Quickflix, and Channel Nine's promising yet decidedly poorly named Stan, none have the same hype or popular appeal as Netflix. But don't go crazy just yet. Though the platform is best known for its critically-acclaimed original shows such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, the full range of our access is not yet known. A press statement released this morning announced that we'd be getting a range of great movie options as well as exclusive Netflix shows such as historical drama Marco Polo and the Will Arnett-voiced cult favourite BoJack Horseman, but it was suspiciously quiet about the better-known flagship titles. In fact, there's not too much we know right now. Though the overseas service costs US$8.99 per month, we're yet to receive a price point either. We know there'll be an option for a one-month trial, but that's about it. You should also be tugging at your shirt collar if you're one of the tens of thousands currently accessing the US service — there's a good chance they'll stop turning a blind eye and pressure you to sign up for the (almost definitely limited) Australian alternative. Don't get us wrong — it's not all doom and gloom. With Netflix officially on the scene, there's bound to be some serious movement on important industry issues like local licensing, fast-tracking of overseas shows, and the quality and price of online streaming. With everyone stepping up their game to compete, we could even see a decrease in piracy and copyright infringement. Despite what George Brandis may say, there's a reason why Australians are among the world's worst offenders. Imagine how good binge-watching is going to be when you don't have to feel guilty about it?
Craft beer has come of age in Australia. Even in the darkest, dingiest drinkatoriums where metal troughs still adorn the base of the bar, you'll likely find a boutique beer or two for the more discerning drinker. But with new options on the market every day, how best to find the perfect one for you? Here are some handy smartphone apps that help take the guesswork out of choosing your brew. UNTAPPD Cost: Free Platform: iOS, Android, Windows and yes, even Blackberry. Untappd is like the Facebook of beer apps: a vast social hub of drinkers all eagerly posting reviews, checking in at pubs and breweries and uploading photos of their thirst-inducing beverages. It easily boasts the largest user base and is helpfully available on every platform. Flip on your location services and Untappd will alert you to both new beers and bars in your vicinity, as well as let you know who else is drinking there. Over time, it even learns your tastes based on your own drinking habits and reviews, then makes tailored recommendations for what to try next. BEER BUDDY (iOS) / APK TICKET Cost: $4.99 Platform: iOS, Android What Untappd is to the social side of drinking, Beer Buddy is to straight-up information. With more than 300,000 beers in its database, Beer Buddy lets your scan a drink's barcode and access a storehouse of information, including its alcohol and calorie content, brewery history and user reviews. It also features a wide-ranging search function that allows you to seek out your favourite (or soon-to-be tasted) beers according to bars, brewery, type of beer, season, the top beers in whichever country you find yourself and, of course, simply by what's nearby. NOW TAPPED Cost: Free Platform: iOS, Android Combining the official drinks lists of around 300 partnered pubs and bars in Australia with the reported lists by other Now Tapped users, this app offers a comprehensive database of craft beers around the country. Search by venue and you'll see everything they've got for sale, as well as drink info and a brief review for each. Search by brewery and you'll find all the places that manufacturer's products are available. Otherwise there's always map view, where you can see all the places nearby where craft beers are for sale. NEXT GLASS Cost: Free (but US only for now) Platforms: iOS, Android Imagine being able to just look at a drink and know (down to a percentage) whether you'll like it or not. Next Glass does exactly that by bringing science into the equation. Using a mass spectrometer to analyse the chemical composition of thousands of different beverages, Next Glass developed a detailed criteria against which your own preferences are then matched. Basically, once you've told it your favourite drinks, all you need to do is point your phone at a label and Next Glass tells you precisely how likely you are to enjoy it, as well as how much your friends like it and even how many calories it contains. iBREWMASTER 2 Cost: $12.99 Platform: iOS (Android version in development) This is the app for the serious craft beer brewers. Add your own recipes, try out the 250+ preinstalled ones or purchase more from the in-app store. Featuring a powerful scheduling tool, iBrewMaster lets you stay on top of every stage of the fermentation process, complete with notifications and info about nearby suppliers. Highly customisable and packed with details, it's a pricey but invaluable app for anyone who lists their favourite beer as the one from their own basement.
Remember Mr Poopie, the giant inflatable turd emoji artwork that served up ice cream in little toilet cups at Splendour in the Grass last year? No? How could you forget. Or Nicholas Cage in a Cage? Or the giant inflatable Lionel Richie head? These are all real things, seriously. Hungry Castle, the Barcelona-based art team behind all of the above have outdone themselves this year. Announced as part of the SITG arts lineup, Hungry Castle will bring their giant inflatable Sad Kanye installation to Splendour. Didn't quite get that? Here it is again: a 10-metre-high Sad Kanye inflatable is coming to Splendour — a true headliner, in our opinion. Are LCD Soundsystem inflatable? No? Alright then. It's unclear whether you'll be able to bounce on Kanye's sad face or whether he will serve you ice cream in little Kanye vessels, but we literally don't care. It's a ten-metre-tall inflatable Sad Kanye and we're determined to turn his frown upside down. Here's the inspiration shot: More about this year's Splendour lineup over here. Image: Savannah Van Der Niet/Splendour in the Grass.
Cocktail trends come and go, but one thing is certain: the martini is always in style. A good martini is a matter of technique — it generally only contains two to three ingredients, so the way in which it is mixed is key to their flavour, texture and taste. The martini is simple, but oh so complex. Ratios must be perfect, stirring time must be exact and extra touches are key. At Grey Goose's Boulangerie Bleue waterside mansion party this summer, a classic combination of vodka and vermouth was served — but with a twist of lemon instead of an olive. We asked Grey Goose's lively global ambassador Joe McCanta to show us how to make this variation on the classic — check out his technique below. MARTINI 50ml Grey Goose Vodka 10ml dry vermouth 1 twist of lemon Fill a mixing glass to the brim with ice. Add 50ml of Grey Goose Vodka. Add 10ml of dry vermouth. Stir slowly for 45 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Lightly twist your lemon into your drink, and gently rub the peel up and down the stem of your coupe, and along the brim. Fancy trying another? Grey Goose Vodka's 'discover' function will tell you what cocktail you're perfectly suited for. Dive into the luxury that your city has to offer — check out our Luxe Guide to Sydney and Melbourne. Food, spas, glamorous hotels and extraordinary experiences are waiting. Image: Steven Woodburn.
You thought the time for giant slides was through. You thought you'd missed the boat. You thought you'd be doomed to slide down your own shitty bits of plastic soaked with detergent and your backyard hose forever. You're in luck, slider. There's a freakin' huge slide coming to Australia and you can skid right down the middle of it. Slide the City is a multi-city series hitting Sydney, Melbourne and Perth with more national dates to be announced. It's a gargantuan 300 metre vinyl slip 'n' slide that dares to rival the likes of Slide Melbourne, Slidestreet and every detergent-laden giant slide you've ever created in your own backyard. Apparently this is equal to nearly three football fields worth of sliding. Family-friendly and encouraging of dress-ups, Slide the City is so much more than a slide. There'll be live music, food stalls and a bar popping up on the day — all you have to do is bring your water buckets, floaties and super soakers — yep, you're actually encouraged to bring these. Unless otherwise specified, sliding starts at 9am and goes until 7pm. We know what you're thinking (after all the fun sliding bit's done), what about water wastage? In fact, the team are taking great pains to keep the event's environmental impact low, even swinging the whole thing to raise awareness of water conservation. Good stuff, team. SLIDE THE CITY 2016 DATES: MELBOURNE — Sunday, January 10 SYDNEY — Friday, January 15, Saturday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17 WOLLONGONG — TBC SUNSHINE COAST — TBC TOWNSVILLE — TBC GOLD COAST — TBC NEWCASTLE — TBC Register for tickets at the Slide the City website.
They say there are no more original ideas, and never has that felt more true than today. Announced today, Instagram has launched a new feature that lets users share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. If it sounds uncannily like Snapchat, that's probably because it is. Rolling out globally over the next few weeks on iOS and Android devices, Instagram Stories is being sold as a way to relieve fears that you're posting on the app too much. According to a post on the company blog, the new feature "lets you share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. As you share multiple photos and videos, they appear together in a slideshow format: your story." Users will be able to view the stories of people they follow via a bar at the top of their feed, although they won't be able to like and comment on them (you can still send a private message letting someone know how #dope they look). And if you feel particularly attached to a photo in your story, you can change it to a regular post with the touch of a button. You'll also be able to hide stories from particular followers if you so choose. As for the elephant in the room, Instagram hasn't shied away from the fact that they're copying one of their competitors. Asked by TechCrunch about the obvious similarities between Instagram Stories and Snapchat, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom admitted that Snapchat deserved "all the credit," before going on to point out that tech companies borrow ideas all the time. "When you are an innovator, that's awesome. Just like Instagram deserves all the credit for bringing filters to the forefront. This isn't about who invented something. This is about a format, and how you take it to a network and put your own spin on it," said Systrom. "Facebook invented feed, LinkedIn took on feed, Twitter took on feed, Instagram took on feed, and they all feel very different now and they serve very different purposes. But no one looks down at someone for adopting something that is so obviously great for presenting a certain type of information." That may technically be true, but even by Silicon Valley standards, this is pretty bloody blatant. https://vimeo.com/177180549
Start planning a cheeky summer Tassie trip, Hobart's palace of next-level art MONA has just announced the first glimmer of their 2017 Mona Foma lineup. Returning to the Apple Isle's capital from Wednesday 18 to Sunday 22 January 2017, Mofo is one of Hobart's calendar cornerstones — and this year's shaping up to be as weird as ever. First off the rank is the world premiere of tētēma, the newest project from legendary Faith No More frontman Mike Patton. The project is a collaboration between Patton and Aussie experimental composer and pianist Anthony Pateras, who are bringing their ambient, experimental live show to us which explores the theme of displacement. The combo of Pateras' electro- orchestral style with Patton's insane vocal range and a 12-piece band is not to be missed. Second up, MONA has also announced that US comedic, storytelling/musical outfit Puscifer are on the festival bill. They're known for high-energy, narrative driven shows. This is only the first announcement, with the full program set to be announced on Wednesday, October 12. Looks like Mofo is shaping up to be another banger. Tickets go on sale on Monday, October 17, so keep an ear to ground for further announcements. Image: Mofo/Facebook.
Heads up, Mother's Day is just around the corner. You can frantically message your siblings later, there's pressie planning afoot, and we've found quite the showstopper for your dear ol' Mumsie this year thanks to Gelato Messina. Never one to miss an opportunity to experiment with new ways to inhale gelato, Messina have been cooking up quite the delicate novelty dessert for Mum: a Italian-inspired chocolate box of gelato-filled nibbles. These brownie point-winners launched in 2015 and revamped in 2016, and are sure to bring it home again this year. Each box comes with eight handmade, handpainted chocolate and gelato bon bons — best enjoyed with opera blaring in the background, with a strong, black cup of coffee and a shoulder massage. Go on, your mum put up with you through puberty, you owe her one massage. So which crazy tell-your-friends flavours have Messina come up with for their bitty bon bons? There's four in total, each more decadent than the last. Ready? There's fraise des bois sorbet, champagne gel, champagne soaked sponge in a white chocolate shell. Shut up. There's Messina's famous salted caramel gelato, caramel ganache and caramel crunch in a caramel chocolate shell. Yep. There's milk chocolate gelato, passionfruit puree and chocolate sponge all wedged into a tiny milk chocolate shell. Huh? How about pistachio gelato, rose jelly and vanilla sponge encased in a white chocolate shell? NUP. If you can find us something that says 'perfect Mother's Day gift' better than fragrant bloody rose jelly and vanilla sponge cake crammed into a fragile little choc-house, we'll eat this empty bon bon box. The Messina gelato bon bon boxes are going for $45 a box, available to order from May 3. They're available for collection from Tramsheds, Darlinghurst, Rosebery, Miranda and Parramatta in Sydney, Fitzroy and Windsor in Melbourne, and South Brisbane's new store.
With each passing festival season, music lineups dominate the hubbub. But with great grub now proving just as much a drawcard as those tunes, festivals are taking their food element next-level. Gone are the days of sad sausage rolls, scoffed speedily between stages — festival food is having a moment. Last year, Sugar Mountain Festival introduced a new onsite dining concept called Sensory, collaborating with some iconic Melbourne names to treat food-loving festivalgoers to an "immersive restaurant experiment". A mega success straight off the bat, Sensory is set to return for Sugar Mountain 2017, on January 21, having pulled together another cracking lineup of tastes, sights, and sounds. An indoor space within the festival's home at the Victorian College of the Arts will be transformed for the multi-dimensional event. There'll be multiple sittings throughout the day, with each 60-minute set-menu experience designed to take guests on a dazzling multi-sensory journey. Peter Gunn, the envelope-pushing chef behind Collingwood fine diner IDES, will be working his magic on the menu, sticking to form to deliver a cutting-edge culinary extravaganza. Meanwhile, the accompanying visual feast is sure to be every bit as impressive, with acclaimed multimedia artist Daniel Arsham taking the reins on the space design — fresh, might we add, from his collaboration with Pharrell Williams for Rules of the Game, which showed at Brisbane Festival this year. And all the while, those earholes will be in total aural heaven, thanks to a glittering, hour-long score crafted by S U R V I V E — yep, that's the Texan band behind the Stranger Things '80s-style hit soundtrack. Of course, the festival's foodie fabulousness extends beyond Sensory's walls, with eats from the likes of Kong BBQ, 8Bit, Pretty Mama and Pidapipo on hand to back up the musical treats. Summer-worthy cocktails will be shaken and stirred by the crew from The Top, while beer partner Sample Brew will be slinging a variety of tap beers and an exclusive range of tinnies. All-inclusive tickets to Sensory are priced at $70 each, and go on sale at 8am, November 16. Grab one separately, or bundle it together with a Sugar Mountain ticket.
What exactly does 'Australian life' look like, really? It's a pretty damn broad term, we know. If you were to capture a little glimpse of your own everyday Aussie existence, what would it look like? Each year, the City of Sydney holds their high profile Australian Life photography competition as part of Art and About. After a nationwide callout, 22 winning photos, all encapsulating the essence of Australian life, and taken by photographers at all skill levels, are presented in a free outdoor exhibition. Sometimes, the photos feature majestic Australian sunsets, bright outback-influenced colours or stunning beachscapes. Other times, the photos are of friends swinging off a Hills Hoist in the outback, or lying in the sun on a friend's deck. These photographs (all winners, or finalists in the competition) prove that you don't need to be a professional photographer to win the $10,000 prize. You could have a photo of your friends drinking tinnies by a campfire, or a majestic Bondi panorama you were going to post on Instagram. Think again — it could be the perfect image of Australian Life. [caption id="attachment_580209" align="alignnone" width="1280"] John Appleyard, Even When the Rain Falls (2015)[/caption] SIMPLE TECHNIQUES GO A LONG WAY Turn an everyday moment into a magic one by thinking about simple photography techniques, like framing and contrast. If you were at this football game, you may have just seen a team huddling in the rain. But John Appleyard, a 2015 finalist with Even When the Rain Falls, saw a team wearing dark colours, huddled in the foreground of an expansive, well-lit green field. The perfect backdrop for a stunning photograph. [caption id="attachment_580212" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Mark Callanan, Sundeckers (2013)[/caption] ANY OL' MOMENT CAN MAKE A NEXT-LEVEL PHOTO Mark Callanan's Sundeckers proves you don't need to be a professional to take a great shot. This shot could have come straight off someone's Instagram account, a quick shot of a group of friends taking in the first days of summer sunshine (probably after a cold winter). Learning to recognise everyday moments like this as they come, and being able to turn them into something more, will make for great photography. [caption id="attachment_580213" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Sally McInerney, Shark in Pool, Dover Heights (2012)[/caption] MAKE THEM THINK TWICE This stunning photograph by Sally McInerney, winner of the competition in 2012, plays with perspective in all the right ways. It matches the lines of a Photoshopped ocean up to the lines of a real-life Australian ocean — a detailed technique that makes you look twice, if only to figure out how the photographer achieved it. For an extra kick, she titled it Shark in Pool, Dover Heights, just to reel you in for another look. [caption id="attachment_580220" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Jenny Evans, Eleanor, Portrait of a Boxer (2013)[/caption] GET YOUR TIMING RIGHT This street mural was already beautiful. But when Jenny Evans captured it in her winning photograph Portrait of a Boxer, she made it even more mesmerising. If you're shooting outside, choose a time of day that will make your subject go further. Sunset is the perfect time to shoot landscapes, or colours like those in the indigenous flag. Overcast weather, or shade, is the perfect time to shoot people. [caption id="attachment_580208" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Georgina Pope, A Great Day for Drying (2014)[/caption] FIND INSPIRATION IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD A Great Day for Drying is the photograph Georgina Pope took when she won the Australian Life competition in 2014. She gathered a few props from around the house, and then took them out to her own backyard to be photographed with an instantly recognisable Australian icon — the Hills Hoist. No professional photography studio needed. Inspired? Art & About Sydney is inviting professional and amateur Australian photographers to submit images representing Australian life, showing the country beyond the icons. Capture any aspect of Australia, from everyday occurrences to the diversity of subcultures, from celebrations/rituals to natural/man-made environments. You could be one of the 22 finalists who'll be chosen and exhibited in Hyde Park from 15 September – 9 October 2016. The winner of Australian Life will receive $10,000. Enter here. Entries close at midnight on Friday, July 29.
There's a few delicious things you could buy for $817. You could buy a bucketload of Messina for your entire workplace. Or you could invest in one scoop of this not-so-great-sounding ice cream, the most expensive scoop in the world. Dubai's Scoopi Cafe is claiming their 'Black Diamond' as the priciest scoop in the globe, setting you back $817 a go. According to Al Arabiya, owner Zubin Doshi spent five whole weeks picking out the ingredients. Yep. Five of 'em. What did he come up with? Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream, Iranian saffron threads, and Italian black truffle, topped with a 23-karat gold leaf. Call us ungrateful, but four ingredients we've seen before hasn't left us jumping on Webjet. The exxy part of the scoop actually doesn't come from the saffron or gold leaf. It comes from the takeaway container. Your Black Diamond comes served in a bowl from Versace — one you can take home. So basically, you're paying for singular Versace crockery and the rights to tell your 'friends' you shelled out 800 beans for an average-sounding scoop. We'll stick with Messina any day. Via Al Arabiya.
Flying might be speedy, in terms of in-air time. But when you add airport transfers, check-in queues, security checks and boarding procedures, the hours start to pile up. A plane flies from Sydney to Melbourne in 90 minutes, but, for passengers, the journey can take up to four hours. Two Aussie aviation experts want to change all that. 28-year-old Luke Hampshire and 32-year-old Alexander Robinson are hard at work getting a startup off the ground, which will give members unlimited flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, for one (expectedly hefty) monthly fee. And you won’t be flying with Virgin, Qantas, Jetstar or Tiger Air, by the way, you’ll be on a dedicated private jet. The company is named Airly and here’s how it works. Members pay $1000 to join up and $2550 per month after that (yep, it's not cheap). There are no maximum rides per month and no minimums, either. You’ll be flying on one of three eight-seater King Air 350s, which will start with 54 flights per week between Sydney’s Bankstown Airport, Melbourne’s Essendon Airport and Canberra Airport. Once things are up and running, Airly intends to cover Adelaide and Brisbane, too. Queueing for hours will look so early 21st century. Instead, you’ll be checking in just 15 minutes before departure in the company’s private terminal, cutting two hours off an average journey with a commercial airline. Meanwhile, both on the ground and on-board, ‘first class’ service is promised, ‘everytime’. Sound like some kind of pie in the sky? Well, it’s actually been done before — and successfully. Over in California, a similar service, named Surf Air, is already flying between twelve cities. In fact, Surf Air’s founder, Wade Eyerly, helped out when Hampshire and Robinson were first getting moving. Six months ago, the two quit their jobs to work on Airly full-time. The first King Air 350 has already been ordered from the United States and Hampshire told the SMH, “We are working off a membership number. We have a lot of people showing significant interest in it now. Once we reach that break-even number, we launch.” Airly won’t own the aircraft — they’ll be acting as a service provider and dry leasing the King Air 350s from an Australian company, the identity of which remains anonymous for now. Not that Hampshire wouldn't be able to do the captaining — he's a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot. Via SMH. Image: Jordan Sanchez.
In a matter of months, Brisbane has gone from a city with no Art Series Hotels to a place with two on the horizon. Following in the footsteps of The Johnson at Spring Hill, a second venue will form part of the Howard Smith Wharves Development. Just which artist the new boutique accommodation establishment will honour is yet to be determined — but with construction not expected to start until mid-2016, that's hardly surprising. That the five-star, 164-room hotel will be a tourist drawcard is easier to predict, particularly given that the proposed designs look out over the Brisbane River while blending into the surrounding cliff face. A 1500-square metre exhibition space, entertainment stages, a restaurant precinct and a craft brewery are also part of plans currently being considered by the Brisbane City Council, alongside grassy play areas, gardens, a walking track and dedicated cycle path. As anyone familiar with the existing location will know, the revamp presents quite a change for the 3.43 hectare site. Those not so well versed in Brisbane history might not realise the spot's significance, or why the buildings that remain have been heritage listed. Indeed, the area has remained vacant for the past half a century, and has barely been given a second glance by walkers strolling by or passengers on passing CityCats. Until the 1960s, the wharves were a key part of the city's shipping trade — and during the Second World War in the 1940s, they also became home to five air raid shelters. From 2017, they might just form part of a new precinct that opens up the New Farm end of the Story Bridge to the public. For more information about the Howard Smith Wharves Development, visit their website.
Well now, if this isn't the sweetest thing we've seen all week. CineFix have transformed Hayao Miyazaki's Academy Award-winning Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away into an adorable 8-bit 'video game'. You can't pop a quarter in to play it, but you can see the entire film summarised in five minutes with a delightful video game version of Joe Hisaishi's score. Follow Chihiro, Haku, No-Face and Yubaba through the 'levels' (No-Face's bathhouse fight scene is particularly great) below: Via Geekologie.
Brisbane means a lot of things to a lot of different people. More than two million people call this city home — and odds are that if you've been living here for a while, you probably think you know it pretty well. But the reality is, no matter how much time you spend somewhere, you'll find that it's still capable of taking you by surprise. With that in mind, we've turned to some of Brisbane's top creatives to take us on a tour of their favourite bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, galleries and public spaces. Coming at you over the next couple of weeks, their hot tips will have you looking at your city in an entirely different light. First up, it's architect and event organiser Morgan Jenkins (above, left). "I love living in Brisbane because it’s got a sense of humour as a city," he says. "There's a lot of great stuff starting to happen because instead of complaining about things, interesting people are investing their time into doing interesting things." This enterprising spirit is shared by Morgan himself, who created Woolloongabba's The End of the Line Festival. Planning is currently underway for the next edition of the festival, which is scheduled to take place on October 24. But there's plenty of weekend fun to be had between now and then. Here are Morgan's top five tips on what to do over a Brisbane weekend. SURF AT NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND I’d start with a surf at North Stradbroke Island. The ferry is only a 30-minute drive from my house in Woolloongabba. This is one of my favourite spots on the planet. Leaving the mainland, even for a couple of hours, is often much needed after the week of work. BREAKFAST AT PEARL CAFE Pearl Cafe is a pearler of a cafe in Woolloongabba. The little Logan Road cul-de-sac is just a short stroll from where I live and it's my go-to for an easy weekend outing. The food is hearty but contemporary, so you might end up having duck eggs and bacon for breakfast. BEERS AT THE BOWLS CLUB Warm afternoons definitely call for beers and a spot of bowls at Merthyr Bowls Club on the river. This is the perfect place to enjoy living in our city as it's outside in the sun, right on the river and it has an incredible relaxed atmosphere (at 1970s prices). DINNER AT CROSSTOWN EATING HOUSE Do dinner at Crosstown Eating House in Woolloongabba. This place has always been my go-to dinner destination locally. Relaxed dining but really unpretentious, great service and food quality, good tunes and a good atmosphere. SEE A LIVE GIG A weekend isn't complete without live music somewhere: a small gig at The End in West End, something mellow at The Tivoli or The Triffid, or something a bit heavier at The Zoo. These places are all golden venues for live music and a good time. By Imogen Baker and Tom Clift. Top image: Pearl Cafe by night.
Few documentarians have the same taste for hot button issues as Academy Award winner Alex Gibney. From Julian Assange (We Steal Secrets) to Lance Armstrong (The Armstrong Lie), enhanced interrogation (Taxi to the Darkside) and sexual abuse in the Catholic Church (Mea Maxima Culpa), the New York filmmaker certainly isn’t afraid of controversy, as his latest film once again proves. Going Clear is a revealing and often disturbing look at the history, tenets and purportedly shady practices of one of the most divisive religious organisations in the world. If even half of what is alleged in it is true, then it’s not just an incredible doco, but a first-rate horror movie as well. Early sections of the film concern the early days of Scientology, and in particular the life of its creator, L. Ron Hubbard. Throughout the ‘30s and ‘40s Hubbard worked as a struggling science-fiction and fantasy writer, during which time his then wife claims he often remarked that “the only way to make any real money was to have a religion”. It was in the early '50s that Hubbard released Dianetics, a self-help book that would form the basis for Scientology. Yet as the movement grew, so too did its founder’s neurosis. The latter half of the film concerns Scientology under David Miscavige, who became head of the church after Hubbard’s death. This section leans heavily on a number of interviews with ex-Scientologists, including Oscar-winning Hollywood director Paul Haggis, as well as the head of the shadowy Office of Special Affairs — a kind of church secret service charged with running smear campaigns against members who dared to speak out. “People will judge me as really stupid,” says Haggis ruefully. “But then, I was really stupid.” With these chilling testimonials, Gibney dismisses the idea that the church is simply a group of harmless eccentrics. Stories of intimidation, brainwashing and emotional and physical abuse are but the tip of the iceberg — and the agony doesn’t always end once you leave. Many members who abandoned the church have found themselves cut off from their friends and family, while others have been targeted for ongoing public harassment. But perhaps the most telling thing about the film has been the way the church has reacted to it. Almost every person involved in the production of the documentary has had their character viciously attacked; the organisation has even gone after film critics who published positive reviews. So, at the risk of opening ourselves up to unwanted confrontation: go and see this movie as soon as you possibly can.
It's 2017, and cinemagoers are about to see their ninth Batman movie in less than three decades — and, a few months later, their first live-action Wonder Woman film. Whether you love them, hate them, or don't mind them but are starting to get sick of a new one coming out each and every month, this year's comic book flicks highlight a disheartening point: gender equality and filmmaking really don't go hand in hand right now. Alas, the situation doesn't just apply to those fond of wearing capes and lycra. In general, watching movies about women, featuring significant roles for women, and/or made by women isn't as easy as it should be. When it comes to representing half of the world's population both in front of and behind the camera, saying that the film industry has plenty of room for improvement is both a massive understatement and a case of stating the obvious. If Hollywood isn't going to do any better, however, then the Internet Movie Database is going to do what it can to shine a light on the female-focused flicks that audiences can see. Enter the F-rating. Contrary to everything that the school grading system has made you believe, it's actually a good thing. Movies rated F boast a considerable contribution from women, be it writing, directing or acting in a sizeable part (no, playing a wife on the phone doesn't count, no matter how often great actresses are forced to do just that on screen). The rating was created back in 2014 by Bath Film Festival's Holly Tarquini in an effort to help viewers choose to watch movies that do more than give ladies a supporting role. Tick all three boxes, and a feature will receive a triple F — and a big thumbs up, representation-wise. At the time of writing, 21,890 films have been given an F-rating on IMDB, with users able to search for relevant titles just by ticking a box. Alas, searching is the only way to find the rating, which doesn't appear on IMDB's movie landing or keyword pages, but it's still a giant leap in the right direction. Or, as Tarquini sees it, it's hopefully a step on the path to better representation overall, rather than needing to actively let audiences know which female-focused films they should be seeking out. "I hope that the F rating will become redundant as the stories we see on screen reflect our culture, and that 50 percent of the stories we see [will be] told by and about women." she told The Guardian. Damn right. Via Vulture / The Guardian. Image: The Runaways.
Sitting down for our interview with director Eva Orner, it's hard not to think about the grimly fortuitous timing. Less than 24 hours earlier, a young Somali refugee set herself ablaze on Nauru. It's the second case of self-immolation at the centre in less than a week, following the suicide of Omid Masoumali just a few days before. "I think we all need to stand up and say enough is enough," says Orner. "I just read this thing where Malcolm Turnbull said, 'Let's not get misty-eyed about offshore detention.' People are lighting themselves on fire. Children are being sexually abused. People have died." Orner is no stranger to these kinds of human rights abuses. A first generation Australian whose parents fled the Holocaust, she won an Oscar in 2008 for producing Taxi to the Dark Side, Alex Gibney's harrowing documentary about CIA torture. To say that her latest directorial effort, about Australia's hardline immigration policy, is even more confronting, speaks to just how indefensible that policy has become. Combining whistleblower interviews with shocking secret camera footage captured inside Manus Island and Nauru, Chasing Asylum reveals in no uncertain terms the consequences of offshore detention. We spoke with Orner about what motivated her to pick up the camera, and whether she believes films like this can truly make a difference. A CAMPAIGN OF PANIC AND FEAR Perhaps the hardest thing to stomach, when it comes to mandatory detention, is the fact that so many Australians seem willing to accept it — something that Orner attributes to "a campaign of panic and fear and misinformation that's been going for 15 years." "I don't think that people really know what's happening, because of this policy of secrecy that's been in operation since 2001," she says. "That's why I made the film, because I wanted to show people. Vision is so much more powerful than print. There's been some excellent journalism on this, but until you really see women and children in those conditions, it's not quite the same." "I find it particularly extraordinary today when people are self-immolating, and the government doesn't really respond with any sympathy," Orner continues. "The key to me is that we have to keep coming back to the Refugee Convention. Because it came out of the Holocaust, and it was the world's apology to the Jewish people to what happened to them... We really have to look at this policy in terms of what it says about us as a democratic country." WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE The most remarkable thing about Chasing Asylum is Orner's hidden camera footage, which lays bare just how bad the conditions on Nauru and Manus Island really are. Naturally, she's unable to reveal exactly how she acquired the footage, other than to say it was "not easy to get." "If I'd known then what I know now I probably wouldn't have done it," she admits. "I think I was a bit wide-eyed going in. I always said that I was waiting for someone else to make this film, and no one did so I thought I'd better do it. But no wonder no one was making it. It's about places you can't go, people you can't speak to, and if whistleblowers do speak to you then you have to hide their identity. Then the whistleblowing legislation came out in July last year, which says that if you speak out it's a criminal act and you can go to jail." "What's important is that no cameras are allowed in, and why," says Orner. "I think the film answers that question, because it's really grim... I don't think it's a particularly emotional film, in terms of my voice. It's really just the facts and the vision of what's been happening. But what I'm seeing now as we're starting to screen it is that people cry when they see this film. It's very upsetting... I find it very hard to watch the film." CAN A MOVIE ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? "You have to believe that good will triumph," says Orner when asked if she thinks things will ever change. "You have to believe that good will triumph, you have to believe you can change things. You have to do something, because the alternative to that is doing nothing. You just have to stand up and scream and scream and scream." "One of the things we're doing is working with an organisation to get [the film] into the school curriculum, because that's where the power is. Getting the next generation to see the film. If we get this into schools, if we get tonnes of people to see it, if it gets seen on televisions around the world, then that can make a difference." "It's really about trying to educate people. That's what I'm saying. Come see the film, see what we're doing, and then make a decision. And I'm saying the same thing to politicians, because only a handful of politicians have been to Manus or Nauru. They're spending all of our taxpayer dollars on this, they should know what it looks like. Then maybe at night when they're sitting with their families, they can reassess how they really feel." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocgNZRIEyyY Chasing Asylum is in cinemas nationally from May 26. Eva Orner's book, Chasing Asylum: A Filmmaker's Story, is available in bookstores and online. For more information visit www.chasingasylum.com.au.
Uber drivers may want to start thinking about a change of career. The ridesharing giant, whose relationship with its drivers has been turbulent in recent times, may soon have reached the point where it no longer has any need for them. After all, why spend millions settling lawsuits when you can get the cars to operate themselves? That seems to be the thinking as the company officially begins testing on its very first self-driving car. The modified Ford Fusion Hybrid, complete with roof mounted cameras and radar, took its first public outing on the streets of Pittsburgh last week. "While Uber is still in the early days of our self-driving efforts, every day of testing leads to improvements," said the company via a statement on their website. "Right now we're focused on getting the technology right and ensuring it's safe for everyone on the road — pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers." "In the future we believe this technology will mean less congestion, more affordable and accessible transportation, and far fewer lives lost in car accidents." That's all well and good, but will these self driving cars be offering their passengers complimentary mints? Where are we on that technology, exactly? Via The Sydney Morning Herald.
Did you spend your childhood wishing that Jurassic Park wasn't just a movie (or a book that spawned a movie and box office-smashing sequels)? Us too. While that dream is yet to become a reality, Queensland University of Technology has created the next best thing. Welcome... to the digital Dino Zoo. It's exactly what it sounds like: a two-storey installation that lets hyper-realistic, full-sized versions of prehistoric creatures roam wild, with the floor-to-ceiling screens acting like a glass enclosure. It's also much, much more than that. Dino Zoo doesn't just offer the world's first ever opportunity to interact with ten dinosaurs — including the largest flying reptile ever to live, and Australian critters with names like Muttaburrasaurus and Australovenator — but combines video game wizardry with scientific knowledge. What does that mean? Well, these dinos not only look the part, but act it as well. They've been designed to simulate real creatures, with each species vested with artificial intelligence. Watch Stegosaurus and Triceratops make their own decisions about moving, hunting, grazing and resting — and, if you're lucky, recreating parts of your favourite film. We can't promise that you'll be fleeing from a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but we can promise that you can pretend to. With data gleaned from real-life fossils instrumental in the project, Dino Zoo also features a digital dig pit that lets audiences uncover prehistoric bones, an interactive Earth timeline that visualises tectonic plate movement throughout history, and an 'Earth mass extinction simulator' — eek. Basically, it's all the virtual dino fun aficionados could ask for — and everyone loves dinosaurs, after all. Yes, yes they do. Just ask all the folks that flocked to see Jurassic World, which mightn't have been the sequel fans of the original were hoping for, but it still made more than $52 million at the local box office. Find Dino Zoo at QUT's The Cube in the QUT Gardens Point Precinct, George Street, Brisbane until January 27. Check out their website for further information. Image: Erika Fish, QUT.
