Google has just released photos of their in-the-works augmented reality glasses prototype. And while the glasses might not be the sexiest on the market, they certainly have functional appeal. The initiative, 'Project Glass', represents the company's first attempt at a wearable product. The glasses appear and function much like regular eyeglasses...that is, if your eyeglasses' lens could stream video, text messages, maps, and the weather forecast - all in real time. Operating via voice command, these glasses can also record video or take pictures of what is being viewed through them. Project Glass' Google Plus press release stated the initiative's belief that, "technology should work for you - to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don't." The beta release of the glasses is expected to generate conversation and feedback to the company about what customers would like to see from Project Glass. https://youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4 [via PSFK]
Summer might feel like it's flown by in a blink, but you've still got a chance to make the last of these balmy days count. Especially if you nab yourself a spot at one of Rosetta's upcoming Sicilian long lunches. On Saturday, February 25, and Sunday, February 26, the Southbank Italian restaurant invites you to soak up some rays on the openair terrace while digging into a seafood-heavy four-course feast, basking in the bright flavours of Sicily. Book a table between 12–2.30pm and settle in over the likes of Port Lincoln prawn crudo, garlicky clam spaghetti served with house-made focaccia, coral trout with capers and cherry truss tomatoes, ricotta-filled cannoli and fruity sorbeti. Coming in at $179, the lunch includes a different Sicilian-inspired cocktail paired with each course — just in case you needed any more of an excuse to kick back and really unwind. Expect sips like a white negroni, the Sprezzatura Spritz and a Positano-style martini.
The 2013 Sydney Film Festival is bringing out Jeff Desom's intense, insanely complex-looking video installation Rear Window Loop. Projected on a 10m-long surface, the panoramic piece allows you to see the world as it appeared to Jimmy Stewart's paranoid, wheelchair-bound photojournalist Jeff in Hitchcock's Rear Window — possible murders and all. The effect is created by splicing scenes together in After Effects, a process more complicated than it sounds in this sentence. "I dissected all of Hitchcock's Rear Window and stitched it back together in After Effects," says Desom on his website. "I stabilised all the shots with camera movement in them. Since everything was filmed from pretty much the same angle I was able to match them into a single panoramic view of the entire backyard without any greater distortions. The order of events stays true to the movie's plot." The three-channel projection runs for 20 minutes. You can get a good idea of the process as well as the finished product in this video, also from Dessom's site. Rear Window Loop won Best Remix in the Vimeo Awards and Golden Nica at Ars Electronica and will be installed at the Sydney Film Festival Hub at Lower Town Hall, which since last year has been the festival's route to incorporating art happenings, interdisciplinary works and playtime, acknowledging the role of film outside the cinema. It's curated by Sydney's favourite cultured revellers, The Festivalists (Jurassic Lounge). The Sydney Film Festival has also announced the first 27 films of its 2013 program as a taster. Most hotly anticipated is the neo-Gothic thriller Stoker from Park Chan-Wook (Old Boy), which stars Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman and Jacki Weaver. Other highlights include Wadjda, the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia (and by a Sydney Uni graduate no less, Haifaa Al Mansour); Miss Nikki and the Tiger Girls, a documentary about Burma's first girl band by Australian director Juliet Lamont; and Comrade Kim Goes Flying, a romantic comedy that's also the first North Korean movie to screen at the festival. The full program will be revealed on May 8. You can see Rear Window Loop at the Sydney Film Festival Hub at Lower Town Hall from June 6-14 at 5-6pm and again from 10pm-midnight. The SFF itself runs from June 5-16.
The National Gallery of Victoria is wrapping up this wild year in style, hosting the blockbuster second edition of its much-hyped NGV Triennial. Taking over the gallery from Saturday, December 19, the exhibition looks set to be the biggest art event to hit the city in three years, featuring works from over 100 artists, representing 30 different countries. Among them, you can expect a diverse response to this year's themes of illumination, reflection, conservation and speculation. With a lineup like this — and many months of missed art appreciation to make up for — it's hard to know where to even start. But we're here to help. We've delved into the program and pulled out five must-see artworks set to grace the gallery's hallowed spaces this summer. Start plotting your post-lockdown art gallery debut now, with this roundup of five captivating artworks to check out at the NGV Triennial. [caption id="attachment_795343" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dhambit Mununggurr, 'Can we all have a happy life' 2019-20, courtesy Salon Indigenous Art Project. Installation view at NGV International, photographed by Sean Fennessy.[/caption] DHAMBIT MUNUNGURR: CAN WE ALL HAVE A HAPPY LIFE If you've got a thing for hues of blue, this immersive work from Yolnu artist Dhambit Munungurr will surely resonate. While artists from her home of Yirrkala (Northeast Arnhem Land) traditionally paint using hand-ground ochres and other natural pigments, Munungurr was granted special permission to switch to acrylic paints after a 2005 car accident left her with ongoing injuries. She's since developed a special love for the colour blue and as such, her recent works have left a significant mark on Yolnu art as a whole. This NGV installation Can we all have a happy life (2019–2020) is the latest to embrace the artist's go-to colour palette, featuring a vibrant series of 15 bark paintings and nine larrakitj (hollow poles). [caption id="attachment_795344" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cerith Wyn Evans, 'C=O=D=A' 2019–20, courtesy White Cube, London. Installation view at NGV International, photographed by Tom Ross.[/caption] CERITH WYN EVANS: C=O=D=A Big and bold is the name of the game for Cerith Wyn Evans' latest work, titled C=O=D=A (2019–20). The London-based artist has created a large-scale, neck-tilting celebration of light and movement, with his series of neon 'drawings' suspended brightly together in mid-air. Among them, you'll spy frantic scribbles, carefully structured shapes and even doodles referencing chemical compounds, each design experienced in countless new ways from different angles as audiences move around the installation. The full display towers at up to six metres high, challenging viewers to continually switch their perspective as they explore how each shape interacts with the next. [caption id="attachment_795349" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Atong Atem, 'Studio series' 2015, courtesy MARS Gallery, Melbourne. Installation view at NGV International, photographed by Tom Ross.[/caption] ATONG ATEM Atong Atem serves up some fresh cultural perspectives with her series of early photography works offering a vibrant exploration of identity. Born in Ethiopia in the 90s and now based in Melbourne, the artist has developed her body of work honing in on migrant stories and post-colonial practices in the African diaspora. For this portrait project she gives a nod to the old-school studio photography practices of her homeland, via a collection of staged shots dripping with colour. The vintage-inspired images are heady and impactful, featuring a festival of patterns and hues delivered through props, backgrounds, textiles and garments. [caption id="attachment_795351" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stuart Haygarth, 'Optical (tinted)' 2009 (foreground), Mark Rothko, 'Untitled (Red)' 1956 (left) and Sabine Marcelis 'Dawn XXXIII' designed 2015. Installation view at NGV International, photographed by Sean Fennessy.[/caption] STUART HAYGARTH: OPTICAL (TINTED) A collection of over 4500 recycled tinted prescription spectacle lenses are the unlikely heroes of this stunning piece by British artist Stuart Haygarth. Optical (tinted) (2009) speaks to ideas of consumption, time and loss, as a thing of beauty is hatched from a bunch of discarded objects. Best known for his work repurposing everyday items into unexpected lighting installations, Haygarth here puts together a layered, shimmering sphere of used lenses. The intricate work features a careful assembly of elements, with cloudier lenses at the core making way for clearer glass pieces towards the outer edges. It's then lit from within, creating a sort of dazzling disco ball that'll have you reassessing your thoughts about waste and trash. [caption id="attachment_795355" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Porky Hefer, 'Plastocene – Marine Mutants from a disposable world' 2020, courtesy Southern Guild, Cape Town. Installation view at NGV International, photographed by Tom Ross.[/caption] PORKY HEFER: PLASTOCENE — MARINE MUTANTS FROM A DISPOSABLE WORLD We'd imagine there won't be too many times in your life you'll get to admire a giant octopus crafted from hand-felted cigarette butts. But this supersized oceanic beauty will be just one of many featured in a new large-scale installation by Porky Hefer. Plastocene – Marine Mutants from a disposable world (2020) sees the South African artist and his collaborators create a series of handmade sea creatures plucked from some dystopian future. The work's built on the notion of species being able to transmutate, eventually adapting themselves to fit a world of polluted oceans and plastic waste. The NGV Triennial 2020 will be on show at NGV International from Saturday, December 19 until Sunday, April 18, 2021. For more info and to see the full program, visit the NGV website. Top image: Cerith Wyn Evans, 'C=O=D=A' 2019–20, courtesy White Cube, London. Installation view at NGV International, photographed by Tom Ross
The just-dropped program for this year's Melbourne Writers Festival has a distinct musical edge, as it sets out to pay homage to that intersection between songwriting and literature. For its 2018 edition, with Marieke Hardy making her debut as artistic director, the festival celebrates the theme 'A Matter of Life and Death', pulling together a swag of iconic Aussie musicians to share their take on their art. In news to thrill music fiends and wordsmiths alike, Jimmy Barnes trips back in time for 'Musical Memory', getting nostalgic with a collection of seven-inch records, while rock legend Paul Kelly sets poetry to music in his event, 'Other People's Words'. You'll catch Steve Kilbey, frontman of The Church, as he performs hits from across his impressive 43-year career, US singer-songwriter Neko Case in a discussion titled 'The Book That Made Me a Feminist', and a chat with our own Sally Seltmann about women who make art. Then, there's Duets — a series of live performances and discussions curated by SLAM and Bakehouse founder Helen Marcou. Each session matches up an emerging artist with an established one, pairing the likes of Sarah Blasko with indie-folk act Ryan Downey, Jen Cloher with Brisbane rapper Miss Blanks, and Kate Ceberano with young soul artist Kaiit. Meanwhile, kicking off the fun as part of MWF18's 'You Are Here' gala, you'll find American artist Andrew W.K throwing down good vibes with a positivity coaching session, child soldier turned rap icon Fablice Manirakiza throwing down some live tunes, and legendary author Andy Griffiths turning his talents to a DJ set. A slew of authors, writers and activists who aren't musical (well, publicly) will also be talking and holding workshops, including Marwa al-Sabouni a Syrian architect and author, The New Yorker's television critic Emily Nussbaum, veteran investigative journalist David Neiwart and engineer and author Yassmin Abdel-Magied. MWF18 runs from August 24 to September 2, at various locations across the city. Head to the MWF website to catch the full program, and to buy tickets from 9am on Friday, July 20.
One of Sydney's leading hospitality groups is set to venture outside of New South Wales for the first time, with Merivale announcing its upcoming entry into Melbourne. The industry giant, which is helmed by CEO Justin Hemmes, will take ownership of Tomasetti House at 277 Flinders Lane in the heart of the Melbourne CBD. The historic building, built in 1853, is located just off of Flinders Street — a five-minute walk from Federation Square. Merivale currently operates more than 60 venues across Sydney, including popular restaurants Totti's and Mr. Wong, Sydney stalwarts The Beresford and Vic on the Park, and expansive bars Ivy and Coogee Pavilion. Hemmes' collection of bars and restaurants has been growing in recent years, with the purchase of venues such as The Duke of Gloucester Hotel and Hotel Centennial. Earlier in 2021, Hemmes and co purchased waterside bar The Quaterdeck on the NSW south coast, marking Merivale's first venture outside of Sydney. "Melbourne's CBD has suffered terribly from the hardships of the past year. We are committed to doing everything we can to help reinvigorate the city and support it in its road to recovery," Hemmes said in a statement. "Its local hospitality industry is one of the best in the world; brimming with creative culinary talent and supported by a passionate community of diners." [caption id="attachment_702661" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Totti's by Nikki To[/caption] Originally opened as a warehouse, Tomasetti House has operated as everything from a warehouse to a bar and nightclub across its 150-plus years. Most recently, the building has been in the hands of hospitality and tourism group Millet Group who have operated The Mill House out of the building's ground floor. Merivale is set to receive the keys to the multi-storey building late this year, with further details and plans yet to be announced. Merivale will open its first Melbourne outpost at Tomasetti House, 277 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, with further details yet to be revealed. To keep an eye out for future announcements, head to the Merivale website. Top image: The Mill House
First we had beer flavoured like food, and now at long last we've got beer that is food. Yep, move over Nutella, there's a spreadable beer in town by the name of Birra Spalmabile. It hails from Italy's Cittareale, where Emanuela Laurenzi of Alta Quota Brewery and Pietro Napoleone of Napoleone Chocolatiers have combined their expertise in something of a dream team. The duo unveiled their invention at Turin’s Salone de Gusto food fair, where the spreadable beer caused quite a stir, and we're not surprised. Birra Spalmabile (literally translated to 'beer spread') reportedly goes down nicely with a slice of cheese. (And you thought you were weird for combining peanut butter and vegemite on your sandwiches.) Also useable as a filling in cake, the spread comes in two flavours — Omid dark ale and Greta blonde ale, the first being a little more intense than the latter and each made of 40 percent beer. Though not stocked in any Aussie stores, you can order a jar or ten directly from the source by emailing commericiale@birraaltaquota.it. Just expect to pay its weight in gold for delivery. Via NY Post
If you're thinking about heading along to an industry event or panel discussion at Melbourne Music Week this year, this would be our pick. Face the Music industry conference is now in its eighth year, and conveniently coincides with the festival. The session we're most interested in is Music Journalism: The Critical Mass. Music journalism comes in many different shapes and forms these days, from independent music blogs to long form magazine essays, and too many interviews to count. While it's fantastic, we have so many enthusiastic voices wanting to share their passion and knowledge of the next big thing in music. So how can you make sure your voice is heard over the others? That's where the experts come in. This panel will include Fred Pessaro (VICE Music), Mathew Coyte (Rolling Stone Australia), Brodie Lancaster (Rookie, Pitchfork) and Marcus Teague (The Age, Rolling Stone, The Guardian), and will be moderated by author and journalist Jenny Valentish. Online ticket sales have now closed, but tickets will be available from the front desk on both days. A two day pass will set you back $120, while a single day pass is $80. Image credit: Alean Penaflor
The CBD's lunch landscape just scored a major boost with the opening of a second outpost for northside legend Babajan. The Carlton North eatery, launched in 2016, has brought its much-loved Turkish-inspired fare to the top of Little Collins Street. Just like its sibling, Babajan's new city store is a haven for grab-and-go treats with morning coffees, Middle Eastern lunch eats and pantry goodies. And of course, handmade sweet things also abound. Chef-owner Kirsty Chiaplias has stuck to her winning formula for this cheery, takeaway-only spot, celebrating generous Middle Eastern flavours across a rotating lineup of fresh, handmade fare. Cabinets heave with a mix of Babajan classics and exclusive new creations. Flakey boreks are stuffed with combinations like lamb and potato, and spinach and feta, while show-stopping sandwiches hero fillings including confit ocean trout with a green zoug dressing, and roast chicken is studded with pinenuts and preserved lemon. There's a range of house-made simits (a traditional ring-shaped bread) starring the likes of eggplant aleppo and cheddar, or scrambled egg with pastirma and harissa. And giant bowls showcase each day's selection of sensational salads — maybe a broccoli and zucchini number with zoug and avocado, or a pilaf spiked with braised fenugreek and roast carrot. Dessert is basically a must, once you lock eyes with treats like Chiaplias' chocolate halva tarts, walnut baklava, and date and white chocolate lamingtons. You can even maximise your lunchbreak by ordering ahead via the Babajan app, which is available via the App Store. Meanwhile, the shelves are stocked with a tidy curation of signature pantry products, alongside other Middle Eastern classics ranging from condiments and sauces, to spices and pulses. Find Babajan at Shop 5, 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne. It's open weekdays from 7am–3pm. Images: Pete Dillon
Bennetts Lane used to be where you'd head for a little late-night saxophone and moonshine. The laneway's Jazz Club, which closed in mid-2017 after 25 years, was one a Melbourne jazz institution, hosting gigs by locally and internationally renowned artists — including, even, Prince. Now, the laneway is about to be home to a fancy new jazz era-inspired boutique hotel. A collaboration between Aust Global Investment and designers Breathe (who recently design Sydney's award-winning Paramount House Hotel) and Plus Architecture, the hotel will seek to retain a little of the art deco moodiness of the original jazz club. It'll be home to 44 rooms across 13 levels as well as – in perhaps the best news – a speakeasy in the basement from which we can only hope the strains of Miles Davis will echo. Initial designs of the hotel show jazz-inspired architecture, brass features, curved forms referencing instruments, and a general vibe of the hidden underground side of Melbourne. Using locally sourced furnishings and fittings, Plus Architecture's design will see reception and a cafe area on the ground floor spilling out onto the laneway, prime real estate for sipping an espresso. The design might be just about done but the next step is finding the drivers that have the oomph to run the place. Putting the call out for a hospitality provider, the hotel is currently calling for expressions of interest. The prospective operator would be stepping into some pretty big shoes — Bennetts Lane Jazz Club was a fiercely loved Melbourne institution and an integral part of the city's jazz scene. Here's hoping for more late nights spent sipping whisky and listening to smooth jazz, even if it's in a hotel bar. The Bennetts Lane Hotel is slated to open in mid-2020.
When Hans Zimmer composes a film score, audiences remember it. His list of credits is as massive as his love of music, spanning everything from Dune, Top Gun: Maverick and No Time to Die through to Prehistoric Planet, Wonder Woman 1984 and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run in just the past three years alone. Also on the German composer's resume: helping put the bounce in The Lion King's score — both versions — and the droning in Inception's memorable tunes, plus Thelma & Louise, Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Blade Runner 2049 and more. We could keen naming titles — flicks like Hidden Figures, The Boss Baby, Dunkirk, Widows, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, 12 Years a Slave, Sherlock Holmes, Mission Impossible II and Pearl Harbour, for instance — but all movie lovers know that the best way to appreciate the the Oscar-, Golden Globe-, Grammy- and Tony-winning talent is to listen. And, that's exactly what the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra wants you to do on two big autumn nights, thanks to its upcoming The Music of Hans Zimmer performances at Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne. [caption id="attachment_724809" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hans Zimmer[/caption] Sadly, especially if you caught his 2019 Australian tour, Zimmer himself won't be there. But Australian conductor and composer Nicholas Buc will lead the charge as the MSO plays through a selection of Zimmer's work, focusing on tunes from flicks like The Dark Knight, Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lion King. Buc is no stranger to Zimmer's tunes, after conducting the world-premiere live concert for The Lion King. And, he's no stranger to this kind of event in general, with doing the same for Beauty and the Beast, and just leading live film concerts around the country and the world, also on his resume. Taking place on Wednesday, May 3 and Thursday, May 4, The Music of Hans Zimmer will also feature The Art of the Score podcast hosts Andrew Pogson and Dan Golding talking audiences through the music with Buc. The event sits on a growing roster of movie-themed performances for the MSO, including Toy Story and Home Alone gigs in 2022, plus Frozen and Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back also coming up in 2023. The Music of Hans Zimmer will hit Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne on Wednesday, May 3 and Thursday, May 4. Tickets go on sale from 10am AEDT on Thursday, March 2 — for further details, visit the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's website.
If your ideal weekender involves art, design, good eats, beautiful beaches and minimal driving, make tracks to Red Hill. Located just an hour's drive from Melbourne — in the centre of the Mornington Peninsula — this tiny rural community puts the tranquil waters of Port Phillip Bay on one side of you and the wild Bass Strait on the other. Get your art fix at the stunning Pt Leo Estate Sculpture Park and Montalto in between dining on hatted fare and trying a pinot noir or two among the Peninsula's 50 or so cellar doors. To help you plan, we've partnered with Mitsubishi in celebration of its new Eclipse Cross to bring you an art-filled itinerary for a weekend escape to Red Hill. [caption id="attachment_684423" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pt Leo Estate.[/caption] SEE AND DO Your arty escapade begins at Pt Leo Sculpture Park, on the southeast coast, around 15 minutes drive from Red Hill. Opened in October 2017, this epic wonderland has large-scale works dotted among 135 hectares of vineyards, flowers and fields backdropped by the sea. It's the collection of multi-billionaires John and Pauline Gandel — owners of Chadstone Shopping Centre. Look out for Horizons (1988) by late Australian sculptor Anthony Pryor, which looks like a stairway that vanishes into the sky, and the shiny blue conical forms of Cosmic Resonance by Melbourne-based Augustine Dall'ava. There's also a bunch of international works, including the meditative Ma'aseyahu by late Israeli-American artist Boaz Vaadia and Luke by Britain's Tony Cragg. An interactive app lets you choose between 30- and 60-minute self-guided walks — with or without a glass of wine in your hand from the single-vineyard, hand-harvested drops on offer at Pt Leo Estate's cellar door. [caption id="attachment_641330" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pt Leo Estate.[/caption] Continue your sculptural spree just five minutes' drive away at Montalto. The one-kilometre trail meanders around the Estate's picturesque grounds — from open spaces with monumental works that dominate the horizon, to vineyards and wetlands where smaller pieces are on show. The collection is made up of 30 permanent sculptures, so there's plenty of art to keep you entertained. If you're travelling between February and October, you'll also get to see the Montalto Sculpture Prize Exhibition, an annual acquisitive award worth $16,000. [caption id="attachment_690382" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Montalto.[/caption] Beyond the grand estates and sculpture parks, Red Hill and surrounds are home to an array of indoor galleries. Make your first stop the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, 15 minutes' drive north in Mornington. Check out the permanent collection, which includes Margaret Preston's Tank Traps (1943) and Arthur Boyd's Lovers in a Boat, Hastings (1955), among works by Brett Whiteley, Russell Drysdale and Charles Blackman. Find out what local artists are getting up to along the Peninsula Studio Trail and at the Cook Street Collective, in Flinders — near the coast, ten minutes' drive south of Pt Leo Sculpture Park. This artist-run space exhibits paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, jewellery, woodcrafts and design. [caption id="attachment_659517" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Laura.[/caption] EAT Pt Leo champions art not only in its park but also at the onsite restaurant, Laura. Named after the Estate's Jaume Plensa sculpture, headed by Phil Wood (ex-Rockpool Bar & Grill) and affording panoramic water vistas, this spot offers divine tasting menus. Start with seafood pie with roast Arnotts Farm onions and Heritage Farm duck egg sabayon, followed by coffee-glazed pork with mustard, hoshigaki, salad onion, cheese and parsnip. The matching wines are an international journey, journeying from Pt Leo Estate pinot noir 2016 to Pietradolce 'Archineri' Carricante 2016 from Etna, Italy — and passing Rutherglen, France and Japan on the way. [caption id="attachment_659528" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flinders Island mussels, seaweed butter and dehydrated tomatoes with polenta at Laura.[/caption] Also hard to miss — visually and gustatorily — is Port Phillip Estate's Dining Room, whose magnificent curved limestone building looks like a modern castle. Among the hatted dishes are roasted Humpty Doo barramundi with wood-roasted celeriac and lemon caper sauce and Great Ocean Road duck breast with leg cannelloni, parsnip and fermented pear. [caption id="attachment_641446" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Port Phillip Estate.[/caption] For a more casual lunch that's all about letting local produce do its thing, swing by Foxeys Hangout. Your best bet is to put yourself in the chef's hands by ordering seasonal share plates. One weekend, you might be feasting on braised leeks with goat curd, blood orange and mint, and the next, mushroom sausage rolls with smoked tomato sauce. The dishes are complemented by Foxey Hangout's excellent cool climate wines, so do be tempted to sample your way through the pinot noir, pinot gris and chardonnay. Another laidback cellar door is Quealy, where you can try its out-of-the-box Pobblebonk (a field blend) and Friulano, an Italian varietal seldom grown in Australia. [caption id="attachment_645761" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jackalope.[/caption] STAY The artiest stay in the area has to be Jackalope in Merricks North, ten minutes' drive east of Red Hill. This super-luxe boutique hotel boasts its own art collection, including a seven-metre high sculpture of a jackalope — the mythical horned rabbit from which the stay takes its name. Expect a room with vineyard views, floor-to-ceiling windows, a private terrace, deep Japanese bath and handcrafted bespoke furnishings. Back in Red Hill, sleep among a 25-acre working winery at Polperro. Each of the four light, roomy studios afford vineyard views, which you can soak up from your king-sized bed or private deck. On cool nights, get cosy in front of your own fireplace or relax in the spacious spa. If it's a sauna you're after, request Number Four. [caption id="attachment_685523" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Iluka Retreat.[/caption] Meanwhile, glampers and campers can get back to nature at Iluka Retreat, just a stone's throw from Pt Leo Sculpture Park. You'll find yourself immersed in 36 acres of nature, overlooking wetlands backdropped by hills. Each spacious bell tent comes with comfy cushions, rugs, mattresses and linen, as well as an optional private fireplace. If you have your own tent, you're welcome to pitch it instead. Where to next? Make the most of every week with Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and navigate to your next destination here.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe will likely never end, and Disney shows no signs of wanting it to — but if it ever does, every Marvel character you can think of will get their own Disney+ series first. Already, plenty have; see: WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms Marvel and She-Hulk. The next one to join them: Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury, aka the Director of SHIELD and creator of the Avengers Initiative who acted as the connective tissue between most of the MCU's early instalments. (If Jackson didn't show up in a Marvel movie back then, was it really a Marvel movie?) Fifteen years after first appearing in the post-credits scene of the original Iron Man, the film that started it all, Fury will placed front and centre in Secret Invasion — a show that was announced back in 2020, but won't hit streaming until autumn 2023 Down Under. As seen in the just-dropped first trailer for the six-episode series, a war is looming with the shapeshifting Skrulls, and Fury can't keep ignoring the pleas from Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother) for help. Plenty of other familiar faces pop up, too: Australia's own Ben Mendelsohn (Cyrano) returning as Talos after Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home, Don Cheadle (The Wonder Years) as War Machine and Martin Freeman (Breeders) as the CIA's Everett Ross. Will their characters really show up? Or will we really be seeing Skrull impersonators? Obviously, that'll only be answered when Secret Invasion arrives. Because every actor ever has to fit into the MCU at some point, the above cast is joined by a few other huge names as well: Olivia Colman (Mothering Sunday), Emilia Clarke (Last Christmas) and Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami). The story clearly ties into Captain Marvel, which is proving a launching pad for more than a few recent and upcoming MCU chapters, such as streaming's Ms Marvel and big-screen release The Marvels — which teams up Captain Marvel (Brie Larson, Just Mercy), Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani) and WandaVision's Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris, Candyman), and also arrives in 2023. Fury, and therefore Jackson, did appear in two episodes of the Agents of SHIELD TV show in 2013 and 2014, so this won't be the character's first small-screen outing. Behind the scenes, Kyle Bradstreet (Mr Robot) created Secret Invasion, and writes and executive produces. Check out the trailer for Secret Invasion below: Secret Invasion will stream via Disney+ in autumn 2023 — we'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced. Images: Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2022 MARVEL.
Another month, another great selection of contemporary art exhibition to check out. And October has spoiled us, with major arts and cultural events kicking off with some of the finest artists from our lands and beyond. Melbourne Festival 2017 is open for another year with an eclectic range of events, while Australia's best portrait painters see their work on display at Geelong Gallery for the 2017 Archibald Prize. If you prefer your portraits by photograph, the National Photographic Portrait Prize is also on this month at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. With so many great events — featuring many local and international creative geniuses — there's art, design, music, film and more to see.
If you are looking for your next date night or outing with friends, Chadstone – The Fashion Capital's latest entertainment offering could be your answer. Dreamweaver will be hitting the retail mecca from September 15 to October 1 and features a series of free and unique events and immersive experiences. Adding to Chadstone's retail, dining and entertainment offerings — including its new precinct The Social Quarter which serves up kidult fun with Funlab favourites like Strike Bowling, Holey Moley and Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq — Dreamweaver presents yet another reason to visit the shopping mecca. You'll be spoilt for choice if you're here to unleash your playful side. Stroll outside Tiffany & Co. and discover the Dream Wall — a towering digital light-art wall that reacts to gestures or movements. This is brought to life at the three after-dark live dance performances from 4pm every Friday and Saturday night during the festival. Not to be outdone by dazzling performances, mirror infinity boxes will be outside Target. You can put your head inside these infinity boxes, see endless reflections of yourself, and be dazzled by lights and the patterns your reflections make. Your mate can snap a photo of the kaleidoscopic creation from a window at the side of the infinity box. So whether you're looking for something different, something for your kids during the school holidays or you want to add a little bit of dazzling dreamwork into your night out with mates, put Dreamweaver in your diaries. Dreamweaver at Chadstone – The Fashion Capital runs from Friday, September 15 until Sunday, October 1. For further details on the events in the schedule, head to the Chadstone website.
The arts world doesn't go into hibernation when the cold season arrives. In fact, the highly anticipated Woodend Winter Arts Festival (WWAF) is one of the most exciting events on the entire calendar, giving passionate aesthetes and budding fans an excellent excuse to immerse themselves in a sprawling program of music, film, and words and ideas events. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, WWAF returns to Woodend in the scenic Macedon Ranges from Friday, June 6–Monday, June 9, with world-class performers joined by some of Australia's brightest minds for a series of incredible performances and discussions. Immersed in a relaxed village setting, this series of free and ticketed events makes for a stirring cultural experience. Highlights across this year's music program include Anne Harvey-Nagl, a celebrated violinist and the concertmaster of the Volksoper Vienna. Meanwhile, Moroccan vocalist Lamiae Naki and her ensemble Seffarine will share the musical heritage of the Straits of Gibraltar alongside a flamenco dance performance. As part of the Words & Ideas program, WWAF features Jane Austen's great niece, Caroline Jane Knight, on the 250th anniversary of the iconic novelist's birth, while renowned art consultant Christopher Menz will explore the influential pattern designs of William Morris. With loads more to explore, heading to WWAF in 2025 makes for the ideal winter escape.
The park at the heart of Werribee City Centre is set to score an actual glow-up in March, as it's once again transformed into a luminous after-dark wonderland for LIT at Wyndham Park. Come 8pm every night (except Mondays and Tuesdays), from Friday, March 8–Sunday, March 24, Wyndham Park will come alive with a collection of glowing artworks paired with unique soundscapes set against its leafy natural spaces. You're invited to wander through the pop-up gallery for free, where you'll encounter a cast of colourful characters and creations. Among them, catch swarms of very vocal lit-up birds in both the Night Parrots and Birdsong installations — listen closely to the latter as they share a warning for visitors. Elsewhere, Nocturnal Neighbourhood consists of a few animated nocturnal animals that light up and interact with one another; while Ursula Lassos The Moon features a huge glowing and rotating moon that has been captured in the sky and harnessed by rope. As for refreshments, you can pack a picnic or hit one of the many nearby eateries for a range of dine-in and grab-and-go options. [caption id="attachment_942668" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Ursula Lassos The Moon' by Studio Vertigo[/caption] Top image: 'ChronoHarp' by Amigo & Amigo
Geelong's waterfront playground is the only place to be when the sun is shining. Built in the 1930s, it's as popular today as it was nearly a century ago, and it's not hard to see why — the beachside reserve boasts lush green areas with barbecue facilities and undercover picnic tables, a historic fountain, public artworks and the city's famous ferris wheel. The centrepiece is the semi-circular, double-platform wooden promenade, one of Geelong's most recognisable sites. The 200-metre boardwalk encloses more than eight acres of seawater, and also features diving towers, slides and swimming pontoons, making it an ideal spot for a day by the water.
This time of year can get pretty hectic. Your head is abuzz as you try to sort holiday plans, organise your New Year's bash and tie up loose ends at work before everybody's on break. And despite all your post-it note reminders of "Choose a good gift for Mum", it's easy for those gift shopping plans to fall by the wayside, to end up running out of time and giving your nearest and dearest the uninspired box of chocolates, candle or pair of socks. To help you avoid the Christmas Eve shopping scramble, we've partnered with Australia Post and pulled together gift ideas for every important person in your life. It's the A to Z of gifts, covering every present you'll need to give — from your partner to your parents, we've got you sorted. Moreover, they can all be ordered online and conveniently delivered to your nearby Parcel Locker, so you don't even have to go to the shops. Let your fingers do the walking, forgo the crazy Christmas crowds and rest easy knowing your parcel is stored securely till you're ready to collect. YOUR PARTNER With any luck, you'll score some time off with your main squeeze over Christmas. Set them up for a nice and relaxing break by giving them the gift of a quality cup of joe and a good pageturner — and not just for the festive season, but for the rest of the year. Every month, the Coffee and a Classic subscription service will ship your partner a classic novel, something to sip — choose between coffee, tea or hot chocolate — book-themed bric-a-brac, snacks and a bookmark every month. So, they can unwind over the holidays (and beyond) with a good book and tasty beverage. If you're lucky, maybe they'll give you the cliff notes over a cuppa. How much? From $28.99 YOUR PARENTS If your parents are stuck in past, drinking instant coffee out of convenience, show them the power of good brew with one of these handcrafted pour overs and coffee cup and some beans from Sydney-based Coffee Alchemy. Pour over is the ultimate 'slow coffee style', and it's as simple as making a cup of Moccona freeze-dried, but tastes miles better. You can forget about teaching your folks how to use a complex Nespresso machine, this much cheaper alternative is an easy and pleasant way for them to make their morning coffee. Also, the chic ceramic contraption, handmade in Thailand by Cone Number 9, looks a helluva lot better than that "World's Best Dad" cup. How much? Coffee pour over and cup $79, coffee beans from $14 YOUR SIBLING There's a good chance you've shared a few Domino's pizzas with your bro or sis before — back when you were both on student budgets, your metabolism knew no limits and food really wasn't your priority. But now you're older, it's time to up the ante and treat your sibling to a top-notch pie. Where to Eat Pizza features more than 1700 pizzerias from all over the world, so your sib can peruse the pages and pick out a pizzeria for you both to try. Bonus points if you plan your next overseas trip around these top-notch slices. Gift them this ultimate pizza directory and you'll be well and truly in the good books. How much? $30.95 YOUR BESTIE One of the greatest things about Christmas holidays is the promise of beachside hangs with your bestie. Well, ensure your ride-or-die is the trendiest person on the beach and gift them a beach towel by Sydney-based artist Miranda Lorikeet. The designs, all crafted by Lorikeet on MS Paint, are at once strikingly simple and undeniably dramatic. Seascapes, cliffs and rocky mountains are depicted in sunset-inspired pastels, providing the perfect backdrop for a day at the beach. And if your friend is a fan of the illustration, you can pick up a range of other wares featuring the same design, which means their next birthday present is sorted. How much? From $38.99 YOUR FUR BABY Reward your very good dog or cat with a plush new bed from Nice Digs. Depending on the personality of your pupper or pussycat, you can pick a design to suit — there's a bright Palm Springs-inspired print for the playful and a soft velvet number for the precious. The beds come in two sizes — to accommodate both great and small — and will look fab in any abode (which makes it kind of like a design gift for yourself, too). Oh, and don't let anyone make you feel bad about your purchase, your pooch or mew is as much a part of the family as anyone else. How much? From $139 THE CREW Do you and your crew communicate exclusively through memes? When you get together, is it mainly a chance to rattle off quotes from your favourite shows? If yes, these pretty, pretty, pretty, good pop culture mugs are sure to be a hit. Pick whichever reference best speaks to your squad, and give your friends the gift of a giggle every time they drink from the mug. From Parks and Rec to Curb Your Enthusiasm, all manner of screen fiend is catered for. Get ready to enjoy the jollies to come. How much? $28.53* ANY KIDS IN YOUR LIFE We all secretly want to be that cool adult who can make even a bratty kid smile. But children can be really hard to please, phases come and go — from Fortnite to fidget spinners — and it's difficult to know what they like (or don't). It's best to go for something classic that's both fun and timeless. Enter Finksa, a seriously addictive log-tossing game from Finland. Crafted from eco-friendly birch, it's shock resistant, aesthetically pleasing and most importantly it doesn't emit any annoying beeping or buzzing. Treat your whippersnapper to a Finksa and have some fun with them over the holidays. How much? From $69.90 THE HOST Agreeing to host the Chrissy bash is a pretty generous act, who knows how long it will take to get rid of that red wine stain or how bad those prawn heads are going to smell in the wheelie bin over the coming days. So, it's important to splash out on your host and pick them up a pressie they'll treasure. Since they like entertaining, treat them to a Uashmama paper bag where they can store their bread. Made from washable paper, which looks like leather but machine washes with ease, Uashmama bags are handsewn in Tuscany using a cultivated fibre that does not contribute to deforestation. So, the bags are sustainable, stylish and sure to make up for any spilt vino. How much? Medium-sized bag (perfect for bread) $32 WORK SECRET SANTA Arguably one of the hardest gifts to buy, you don't want to spend a bunch but still want your gift to be impressive, thoughtful and practical. Opt for a hydration tracking water bottle and help your office pal stay hydrated and healthy. Crafted from tough Tritan plastic, the drink bottle boasts an intuitive system that tallies the number of bottles you've consumed without any hydration tracking apps or complicated calculations. Let's face it, we all need to drink more water and this makes it super easy for your work wife or hubby. How much? $13.77* Christmas shopping has never been so simple — order online, ship to a Parcel Locker and avoid the hectic shops with Australia Post. *Price correct at time of writing.
If you've been looking for an excuse to eat cake, don't wait around for the next office birthday. Gelato Messina thinks every day is a good day to eat an entire cake by yourself, which is why the frozen treats expert has just launched a new range of its single-serve gelato cakes. Messina Monoporzione (or Monos for short) launched in three Aussie stores on Wednesday October 9. Available at Sydney's Rosebery and Darling Square outposts and Melbourne's Fitzroy, these single-serve cakes are just as gorgeous as Messina's usual creations, but you don't have to share them. The six adorable mini cakes include the brand's signature Dr Evil's Magic Mushroom (dark chocolate mousse with dulce de leche and peanut butter, placed atop edible grass) and the Bombe Alaska (marsala-soaked sponge cake, vanilla gelato, strawberry mousse and compote, wrapped in torched meringue). [caption id="attachment_745192" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ballin'[/caption] There's also a striking bubble tea-shaped number — the white chocolate 'cup' is filled with earl grey and lychee mousse, topped with lychee compote and finished with a red and white striped chocolate 'straw'. Then there's the all-black Lamington³, with milk chocolate mousse, raspberry gel, coconut gelato and almond crunch. For nut lovers, the final two in the Monos range are the spherical malt and peanut praline Ballin' and the Seymour Nuts: a disc of chocolate hazelnut ganache and hazelnut gelato, finished with caramel glaze and cocoa nibs. These beautiful babies will cost you $12 a pop or, if you still have it in your mind to share, you can also nab a box of three or six for $33 and $63 respectively. Gelato Messina's Monos are available in-store at Sydney's Rosebery and Darling Square outposts and in Melbourne's Fitzroy.
Trekking is fun. But carrying heavy gear isn't. Next time you're contemplating a hike through the Macedon Ranges, consider getting a llama to help you out. Hanging Rock Llama Treks will hook you up with your very own personal four-legged friend. The eco-tours range from five to 12 kilometres in length. Plus, there's also an obstacle course that you and your llama can conquer together. Before you head out, you'll be taken through all things llama from how to care for them to what order they should walk in (to respect dominance in the herd). And if you're lucky, when you return to the farm, you may even get to meet some crias (baby llamas).
The sounds of Dune, Interstellar, Gladiator, The Dark Knight, The Lion King, The Last Samurai and Pirates of the Caribbean will soon be echoing through Australia, with Hans Zimmer returning Down Under with his latest tour. If you've seen him live before, you'll know that this is quite the sonic experience, especially for movie lovers. And if you haven't caught him yet, you'll want to fix that at his April gigs — which have now doubled their dates in Sydney and Melbourne. Due to demand for presale tickets, second and final shows in the New South Wales and Victorian capitals have joined Zimmer's tour itinerary, on Sunday, April 27 at Qudos Bank Arena and Monday, April 30 at Rod Laver Arena, respectively. Both new dates are the day after the Oscar-winning composer's first gigs in each city. In Brisbane, he's still just playing one night, on Thursday, April 24 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. [caption id="attachment_990221" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Suzanne Teresa[/caption] Zimmer last performed in Australia in 2019 — and since then, his score for Dune won him his second Academy Award and his work on Dune: Part Two earned him his fifth Grammy. Over that period, he's also given everything from No Time to Die, Wonder Woman 1984, Top Gun: Maverick and The Creator to Prehistoric Planet and Planet Earth III their tunes. One of the biggest names in big-screen music, he's clearly been busy, but he's not too busy to also perform his compositions live. For more than four decades now, Zimmer has given screens big and small a distinctive sound. He's helped put the bounce in The Lion King's score and the droning in Inception's memorable tunes, and has loaned his talents to everything from Thelma & Louise to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy to Blade Runner 2049. It's an impressive list that just keeps going and growing — see: above — and it sounds even more impressive when played live and accompanied by an orchestra. [caption id="attachment_990222" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lee Kirby[/caption] The latest trip Down Under for the man who has worked his music magic on a wealth of titles — Hidden Figures, The Boss Baby, Dunkirk, Widows, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, The Lion King remake and The Crown are just a few more of his recent-ish credits — comes not only after his 2019 visit, but after he toured his Hans Zimmer Revealed concert series in 2017, including to Australia. His 2025 shows see the return of his Hans Zimmer Live gigs, complete with a 19-piece live band and full orchestra, as well as a huge stage production that features a luminous light show and other eye-catching visuals. While the Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy and Tony-winner obviously isn't going to perform every single one of his iconic film scores, expect to hear plenty of your favourites from a newly arranged lineup of tunes that includes Dune, Gladiator, Interstellar, The Dark Knight, The Lion King, The Last Samurai and Pirates of the Caribbean. Onstage, Zimmer will have Australian singer Lisa Gerrard for company, with some of the songs that she co-penned with him featuring in the set — so, tracks from Mission: Impossible, King Arthur, Black Hawk Down, Tears of the Sun and more. [caption id="attachment_724856" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frank Embacher Photography[/caption] Hans Zimmer Live Australian 2025 Dates Thursday, April 24 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre Saturday, April 26–Sunday, April 27 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Tuesday, April 29–Monday, April 30 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne [caption id="attachment_990220" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Suzanne Teresa[/caption] Hans Zimmer Live is touring Australia's east coast in April 2025. For more information, and for tickets — with general sales from 12pm local time on Wednesday, February 12 — head to the event's website. Top image: Suzanne Teresa.
Pearl Chablis & Oyster Bar will soon shuck its last bivalve. The beloved Bourke Street speakeasy is set to close its doors for the final time this July, following last week's announcement that sister venue Pinchy's will also shutter this month. Since opening in 2022, the sleek 28-seater has provided something of an antidote to Melbourne's increasingly maximalist fine-dining scene. With its laser focus on premium Australian seafood and an unrivalled chablis program — thought to be the largest in the country — Pearl carved out a niche for elegantly understated luxury. In a statement, owner and Director Jeremy Schinck cited a range of factors behind the decision, including the upcoming closure of Pinchy's, which played a vital role in supporting Pearl's more elevated format. "Unfortunately, with the economic climate and announced closure of Pinchy's ... we've had to make the difficult decision to close Pearl," said Schinck. "To our loyal guests, suppliers, friends, and industry peers, we thank you for supporting our vision and celebrating something that was truly unique to Melbourne." The news seems especially sudden given the unveiling just last month of Sam Holman as the venue's new Executive Chef. The Vue de Monde alum was charged with transforming the menu from a snack-and-sip offer to a nine-course degustation journey. The good news is that there's still time to sample Holman's produce-driven menu and selections from the award-winning wine list, with Pearl set to dim the lights on Saturday, July 19. It might just be goodbye for now, though, with Schnick hinting at a potential return — this time, with a bigger and bolder iteration of the Pearl concept. "While this chapter is ending, I'm already planning the next," Schinck says. "Pearl 2.0 is on the horizon, and I look forward to sharing something even more exciting in the near future." Pearl Chablis & Oyster will hold its final service on Saturday, July 19. Find it at Level 1/200 Bourke Street, Melbourne. For more information, head to the venue's website.
UPDATE: JANUARY 28, 2020 — The Shaggy & Sean Paul show was set to take place at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, but it has been moved to The Forum in the CBD. Tour promoters MJR Presents announced the venue change on Facebook, but did not expand on why the move was necessary. Tickets to the original Sidney Myer Music Bowl show are valid for the new venue. Clear your diary, grab your sneakers and prepare to get busy, boombastic and nostalgic — Shaggy and Sean Paul are heading on a tour of Australia this summer. It was revealed earlier this year that the two reggae stars would be headlining Southeast Queensland's inaugural One Love Festival, and, now, it has just been announced that they'll also be hitting up Sydney and Melbourne in January and February. Yes, the shows will be taking place in the summertime, but if there is a storm, we're sure Sean Paul will be able to shelter you. Enough of the song puns, though, you know the hits and you probably already have them stuck in your head. If not, we suggest you listen to (and get ready to relive), Shaggy's 'Luv Me, Luv Me' and 'It Wasn't Me', and Sean Paul's 'Get Busy' and 'No Lie'. The two 90s and 00s stars will be supported by US reggae-pop singer Josh Wawa White, too. So get ready for a full evening of reggae come summer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W5pq4bIzIw Top image: Jonathan Mannion
Over the last decade — since it was established in 2009 by renowned art collector and philanthropist Judith Neilson — Sydney's White Rabbit Gallery has become the world's largest private collection of contemporary Chinese artwork. To celebrate the renowned gallery's tenth birthday, the gallery is bringing a few of its most epic pieces down to Melbourne for a major exhibition in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria. Open now and running until October 6, A Fairy Tale in Red Times: Works from the White Rabbit Collection showcases 26 of the most distinguished and exciting contemporary Chinese artists working today. Across installation, painting, photography and more, there are also five landmark works that have never previously been exhibited on Australian shores. More than just an awe-inspiring art collection, White Rabbit documents the post-Mao generation of artists and explores the changing social and cultural landscape of modern-day China. Below, we've picked out five of the most outstanding artworks that provide the perfect introduction to this striking exhibition. Entry is free, so lock in an afternoon to visit ASAP. ZHANG XIAOGANG 张晓刚: BATHTUB (2017) Spanning almost three-metres in length, Bathtub is the newest artwork to be added to White Rabbit Gallery's 2500-strong collection. It's the latest painting in Zhang Xiaogang's ong-running Bloodline series, which is one of the most iconic in contemporary Chinese art. It's also one of the most highly valued; the works have fetched some fairly outrageous prices around the world — one sold for 94.2 million HKD (around 17 million AUD) in 2014. The large-scale oil painting considers memory and imagination, while drawing inspiration from both European surrealists and the family portraits that are symbolic of China's era of Cultural Revolution. SHI YONG 施勇: A BUNCH OF HAPPY FANTASIES (2009) Presented in a hazy red gloom, Shi Yong's A Bunch of Happy Fantasies simultaneously explores illusion, poetry and installation. Spread across the artwork are virtually indecipherable Chinese poems that appear upside down and cryptic, having been written by a friend of the artist in an opium-induced daze. Forming seemingly random sentences and ideas – like 'roses made from water' – Shi Yong took this calligraphy and created an installation that ponders the idea that fantasy is inseparable from reality. Featured in its own dedicated space at the NGV, this work alone makes visiting A Fairy Tale in Red Times well worth it. ZHU JINSHI 朱金石: THE SHIP OF TIME (2018) Undoubtedly one of the most intricate works on display throughout A Fairy Tale in Red Times, Zhu Jinshi's The Ship of Time is hard to miss as it fills a cavernous space hanging from above. Delicately produced, its massive cylinder form was created from 14,000 sheets of xuan paper, 1800 pieces of fine bamboo and 2000 cotton threads. Appearing for the first time in Australia, the work represents a journey into the past with the fireproof xuan paper being collected from ancient villages dotted across the Yellow Mountains. Meanwhile, the work also references the prominent Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, whose parable, The Empty Boat, encourages people to discard their ego and anxiety. SU MENG-HUNG 蘇孟鴻: THE ALBUM OF IMMORTAL BLOSSOMS IN AN EVERLASTING SPRING BY GUISEPPE CASTIGLIONE (2012) You likely haven't heard of the 17th century Italian Jesuit missionary and painter Giuseppe Castiglione, but his work had a profound effect on artist Su Meng-Hung. Having worked within the imperial courts of three Chinese emperors, Castiglione was one of the early artists to combine both western and Chinese painting techniques to great success, while also contributing European architectural styling to a variety of Chinese royal palaces and gardens. Bringing new life to Castiglione's art, Meng-Hung borrows the ancient artist's creative lexicon and fuses it with his own interest in life and death, empires, and the nature of art in a globalised world. ZHAO ZHAO 赵赵: CONSTELLATIONS (2017) Training under the guise of China's most provocative artist Ai Weiwei, fellow conceptual artist Zhao Zhao follows closely in his mentor's footsteps with his Constellations series. Having observed photographs of bullet holes found in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, Zhao decided to delve into to the concepts of violence and the endless passage of time. To create his ongoing work, he fired a gun into sheets of glass and painted over the resulting damage. Zhao later decided to team up with his mother to replicate these spidery splinters — but, this time, across a massive three-metre work of silk embroidery. A Fairy Tale in Red Times: works from the White Rabbit Collection is on now and free to attend at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne until October 6, 2019. Images: Tom Ross for NGV.
Since first launching its end-of-year festival fun in Lorne back in 1993, Falls Festival has become an end-of-year staple not only on the Great Ocean Road, but in Byron, Marion Bay and Fremantle. But, one day into its 2019 event, the festival has had to cancel the remaining days of its Lorne bash due to the extreme and hazardous weather predicted for tomorrow, Monday, December 30. In a Facebook post this morning, a Falls Festival spokesperson said the decision had been made after "consultation with local and regional fire authorities and other emergency stakeholders". "Forecasted conditions have gotten significantly worse in the past 12 hours, with information coming to light that has not been available to us before the event kicked off on December 28th," the statement says. "It is clear that we have no other option." While there are no out of control bushfires in the area at the time of writing, temperatures are expected to reach a top of 43 degrees on the Surf Coast tomorrow. That, coupled with strong 90–100-kilometre northwesterly winds, has prompted organisers to make the decision to "move everyone offsite safely and in good time". A total fire ban in place across the whole state tomorrow. The festival officially started yesterday, and there are already 9000 people on site. While festivalgoers got to catch the likes of Vera Blue, Parcels and John Farnham on day one, today there will be no music or bars — but food outlets, toilets and medical facilities will be open until 9am tomorrow, when the gates to the festival will close. Festival organisers are urging punters to return home as the surrounding towns on the Great Ocean Road — like Lorne, Apollo Bay and Anglesea — will already be at capacity due to the holiday period. Thousands more were expected to arrive at the festival site today. This fire season has already been a catastrophic one, with fires continuing to burn in the East Gippsland region and NSW, where over three million hectares has been burnt so far. NSW's New Year's Eve festival Lost Paradise was cancelled due to bushfire threat earlier in the month. Falls Festival was set to run from December 28–January 1, with Halsey, Vampire Weekend, Disclosure and Peking Duk some of the artists scheduled to perform across four stages. The festivals in Marion Bay, Byron and Fremantle will go ahead as scheduled. Everyone with a ticket will be refunded next week. Top image: Boaz Nothham
Acclaimed pastry chef Pierrick Boyer has finally gifted local dessert fiends with his first solo venture, opening the doors to a namesake patisserie and cafe in the heart of Prahran. A minimal, 70-seat space decked out with powder pink and gold accents, lush foliage and velvet seating, it's both an homage to Boyer's delicate, French-style creations and a fitting addition to Melbourne's contemporary brunch scene. Out of one kitchen comes the French-trained chef's decadent line of cakes, desserts and pastries — from creamy lemon tarts and choux buns, to the PB passion brownie, loaded with passionfruit custard, crunchy praline and chocolate mousse. Another kitchen, manned by Head Chef Bradley Pearce, is where the savoury magic ensues, for a menu of reimagined brunch classics. Expect dishes like a soft shell chilli crab scramble, a cheesy croque madame, and a wagyu beef burger on house-made brioche. Best of all, no one's about to feel left out with this lot — in both the sweet and savoury corners, you'll find a hefty range of vegan, vegetarian, nut-free and gluten-free options to rival anything else off the menu. Feeling inspired by all those intricate desserts? Book yourself in for one of Boyer's regular masterclasses, held in the venue's third, educational kitchen.
Canberra coffee fiends have long been familiar with award-winning specialty coffee roaster Ona, which now has a handful of well-known cafes and coffee venues dotted across the nation's capital. Even Sydney has been given a taste, with Ona's first interstate outpost launching in Marrickville in mid-2018. Now, it's Melbourne's turn, as the caffeine maestros gear up to open the doors to their newest cafe venture, in the heart of Brunswick. Set to launch in spring 2020, the Ovens Street venue will boast a similar set-up and offering to its siblings. The team has nabbed a building with what they call a "unique history", which they'll convert into a complete "coffee sanctuary". For Ona, specialty coffee is a serious passion — in place of the standard cafe options, choice here runs to a simple trio of milk, black and filter coffee, with blends and single origins available for each. Expect a full service, open-plan coffee bar, optimised for customer interaction and with dedicated sections for espresso, milk work and filter brewing. Built-in freezers house Ona's famed frozen 'reserve' coffees, which use signature methods to vacuum-seal and store small portions of rare and expensive coffee. [caption id="attachment_673830" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ona Coffee Marickville[/caption] This 'reserve list' hints further at Ona's coffee obsession, acting a little like the high-end vino offering you'd find at a wine bar. The lineup will showcase various coffee harvests, countries of origin and processing techniques, highlighting the huge array of flavour differences. Yep – get ready to unleash your inner coffee nerd like never before. The cafe's food menu is still in the planning stages, but we're told to expect a strong sustainability focus, plenty of local ingredients, and a big contingent of vegan and vegetarian dishes. While Melbourne is not short on great cafes and roasteries, coffee fiends should be particularly excited about Ona — the acclaimed coffee brand's baristas and brews are often recognised as some of the best at the annual Melbourne International Coffee Expo. Ona Melbourne is set to open at 22 Ovens Street, Brunswick, from March/April 2020. Top image: Ona Sydney.
An Australian classic is about to be reborn: the good ol' milkbar. Matt Wilkinson and Ben Foster, the duo behind Melbourne brunch fixture, Pope Joan, are determined to reinvent the beloved Australian after-school haunt, according to Good Food. As per tradition, the milk bar — fittingly dubbed Jack Horner — will sell a variety of household essentials, such as pantry goods, toilet paper and pet food, as well as having a deli counter, canteen and a small bottle-o. But like Pope Joan, Wilkinson's plans for the milk bar are not quite as orthodox as they first appear. Wilkinson and Foster plan to blend the best bits of the English corner shop, the Australian milk bar and the NYC deli into their newest venture — renovating the former Brunswick Tip-Top factory. Jack Horner will also operate as a modern tuckshop of sorts, where visitors can sample head chef Travis Welch's plates of seasonal pickles and housemade cheese, breakfast food, sandwiches, salad and hot dishes, to either eat in or take home. The Jack Horner milk bar will be opening in mid-April. And for non-Brunswick residents disappointed on missing out on a new local, patience; Wilkinson and Foster are planning to expand to the CBD and southside in the future. Via Good Food.
For most of Australia, 2018 has been hot. Last weekend, Melbourne endured its hottest day for two years, while Sydney experienced its second hottest day ever. Temperatures have been toasty around the rest of the country too, with Brisbane expecting a top of 38 today. And although Tasmania hasn't been immune to the extreme heat — reaching 35 degrees earlier this week — the state also just dipped firmly in the opposite direction. Yesterday, while it was a rather warm 34 degrees in Sydney, 36 in Brisbane and 37 in Perth, eastern Tassie enjoyed storms, hail and even ice. In Hobart, yesterday's maximum only made it to 15.8 degrees, while the minimum was 13.5 degrees. That's rugging-up weather, not swimming temperatures. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd4Ob8oBD5b/?taken-by=tasmaniawhyweloveit https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd4CcbTHV-7/?taken-by=what_kat_did_next "I don't think we've seen that very often," the Bureau Of Meteorology Debbie Tabor told the ABC, explaining that the icy conditions were caused by the thunderstorms. "We had a series of thunderstorms move through the eastern half of Tasmania… and did produce some hail at various locations and that's what was seen at Orford." On Twitter, BOM also clarified that the visible whiteness wasn't snow, even if it might've looked like it. https://twitter.com/BOM_Tas/status/952077590453514240 That said, snow did reach the state's lofty peaks — at 1300 to 1400 metres, not on the ground. Today, a top of 21 is expected in Hobart, ahead of a week in the mid twenties. Via ABC. Top image: Katrina Ashton via Instagram.
Victoria's Hot Chocolate Festival is back again this August. And it's just in time, too. To save Melburnians from these blustery days, they'll be churning out 31 hot chocolate flavours over 31 days. This year, the festival will be run across three locations: the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie, the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie in Bellbrae and the Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie. Eight different flavours will be served up each week, so make sure you plan your visit(s) carefully as to not miss out on the best. Fan favourite flavours like triple chocolate brownie and Nutella will return to this year's menu, along with the more adventurous likes of Mocha Margarita, Hot Shoey, which is served with a mini chocolate shoe, and the Green Goddess with kale and coconut All limited edition hot chocolates will be served with an extra shot of hot couverture chocolate and a giant handcrafted marshmallow. Some of the highlights will arrive topped with fairy floss, melting chocolate discs and edible drinking cups — the perfect antidote to any winter blues. The chocolateries together creates over 6000 hot chocolates per year, so newcomers can trust they know their way around this winter-warmer. If exploring the festival and enjoying all the free chocolate tastings isn't enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, you can also book into a 45-minute tasting session at both the Yarra Valley, Great Ocean Road and Mornington Peninsula stores. For $20 you'll be able to sample eight hot chocolates and make three of your own 'hot chocolate spoons' from over 50 ingredients to take home. The Hot Chocolate Festival will run daily from 9am–5pm, August 1–31 at the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie, 1200 Great Ocean Road, Bellbrae; the Yarra Valley Chocolateire, 35 Old Healesville Road, Yarra Glen; and the Mornington Peninsula Chocolaterie, 45 Cook Street, Flinders.
We get it. Everyone loves an espresso 'tini. We've got a bar that even does them on tap — and Sydney recently got a whole venue dedicated to that God-sent concoction of chilled coffee and vodka. And now — not to be outdone by Sydney — Melbourne is getting the country's very first espresso martini festival. Sleep, who needs it? The festival, which was initially just a one-day thing, has now been extended to run over three days, from Friday, November 4 to Sunday, November 6. It's being gifted to our espresso-loving, cocktail-filled city by the fine boozehounds at Mr Black, a NSW-based cold-pressed (and damn fine) coffee liqueur. In short, they know how to capitalise on our weaknesses and we're not even mad about it. The affair will involve some of Australia's best coffee suppliers, cafes and bars, and will come together to create a beautiful array of alcoholic caffienated beverages. As with any festival of this kind, there will be an array of food trucks as well as a game or two of coffee pong (whatever that is). The festival is to be held at North Melbourne's Meat Market from 5-10pm on Friday and 2-10pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets will set you back $25 a pop, which includes an espresso martini and a try of Mr Black's coffee liqueur (yum!), free tastings (yay!) and license to drink espresso martinis to your heart's content (yeah!). Updated: October 18, 2016.
Sydney's Taronga Zoo hasn't been humming with crowds over the past three months, given that it's been closed during the city's ongoing lockdown. It'll be roaring a little louder in its lion enclosure from now on, though. Back on Thursday, August 12, the zoo welcomed five African lion cubs — three females and two males — and this quintet of cuteness actually marks the first lion cubs to be born at the venue in more than 18 years. These little balls of fluff were born to experienced mum Maya and first-time dad Ato, and they've grown from weighing around 1.5 kilograms at birth to hitting the scales at between five and six kilograms now. As they've been growing, Taronga's staff have been keeping an eye on them via the zoo's CCTV cameras. And, if that sounds like a great way to spend your own day, you can now join them via a new 24/7 live-stream. Taronga already lets you fill your time staring at capybaras, seals, meerkats, otters, sumatran tigers, lions and elephants, all without leaving your home, thanks to its online TV channel. All those animals are all well and good. They're great, and they're very easy to spend too much time staring at, actually. But, because we all grew up watching The Lion King, we all have an extra fondness for lion cubs. The zoo's cub cam is doing things a little differently, however. This time, you'll need to make a tax-deductible donation of $7 to access the all-day camera footage. Your cash will then help support Taronga, its ongoing research and conservation programs, and its work to save African lions — and if you're able to, you can donate more if you like. There's your background viewing sorted. Popping the stream on in the background while you work from home suits these kinds of feeds, in fact, because sometimes the critters in the spotlight aren't in view. Or, in this case, those cubs like to sleep between 12–20 hours per day. Taronga Zoo Sydney and Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo started their online streams in 2020, and they're back now for obvious reasons. Taronga is also releasing regular videos across its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels, and making keeper talks and other clips available online as well. To subscribe to Taronga Zoo's cub cam, head to the zoo's website. To check out Taronga TV, head to the channel's website — or keep an eye on its videos on its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages.
Gin and sunshine go together like cheese and crackers, a pairing so perfect that nobody is really sure where it came from. We just know it works. It makes sense to celebrate all things gin as we approach the warmer season, hence why Four Pillars Gin is celebrating a brand new ready-to-drink flavour across a huge series of live music events. For Melbourne, the action starts at Ponyfish Island in Southbank then spreads to The Royal Hotel in Mornington. This series of events taking place across October to December is putting tins in hands and smiles on faces via the drink itself (which can be described as a classic gin mule in a can). Quality vibes at local venues and entertainment will be provided by local musical talent. From the always-vibey Ponyfish Island in Southbank to the historic hotspot The Royal Hotel in Mornington — each weekend will star new musical acts and offer every guest a way to grab their very own Four Pillars Bucket Hat. Ponyfish Island is a favourite for sunset drinks in Melbourne, with its unique waterfront location making it front of mind for after-work drinks or breezy summer lunches. Gin Tins & Tunes will set up shop on the island on Sunday, October 8 and run every Sunday until October 29. Further to the south in Mornington is the Royal Hotel, a heritage pub that prides itself on royal feeds with top-notch seaside views and vibes. Gin Tins & Tunes will stay from Sunday, November 26 and run every Sunday until December 17. Gin Tins & Tunes runs weekly on Sundays at Ponyfish Island and The Royal Hotel. For more information and to make a booking, visit the website.
As the city continues to wake from its lockdown-induced slumber, we've got a brand-new laneway market experience to add to the calendar. Kicking off November 19 and running Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until January 30, Postal Lane Markets is set to deliver a weekly curation of locally-made wares, tasty eats, live tunes and summery sips. Making its home in the iconic Postal Lane adjacent to the GPO building, the market aims to bring a touch of buzz back to the CBD, while celebrating some great local talent. Friday evening sessions (4–8pm) will be all about the food, with stalls slinging a tasty array of cheese, pastries, bread and gourmet pantry goodies, alongside a bar offering. And an extended footprint on Saturdays and Sundays (10am–6pm) will host a shopper's oasis, slinging fashion, skincare, accessories, jewellery, art, plants and more. Some of the stallholders already on the roster include leisurewear label Jasmine Alexa, Japanese kitchen Nama, IRock Jewellery and Long Paddock Cheese, with plenty more set to join the mix. Top Image: Kit Edwards
For most of us, the uncomfortable feeling that creeps in when you share a social justice status (linking a petition or an article, or writing a strongly-worded open letter, as is the fashion) is accompanied by the thought: is this enough? Am I keyboard warrior? How can I effect real change? The couple behind this Richmond cafe might be able to help you out with that. Jane and Francois Marx are the husband and wife team from Long Street Coffee and their aim is to bring you coffee and bring jobs to refugees. But making the transition from social justice keyboard warrior to real-life warrior is not an easy feat, nor is it cheap. Long Street Coffee is the product of a three-year long journey. They've been the worthy recipients of an Australian Women's Weekly grant, successful Pozible campaign and generous community donations from everyone from photographers to stonemasons to get them on their feet. The community response to the enterprise, which trains refugees over a six-month period and helps them find ongoing work, has been overwhelmingly positive — and a breath of fresh air in the face of Australia's refugee laws. "I think that we're seeing the backlash against the hostility towards refugees," says Jane. "We are part of a larger movement that opposes the overwhelming hostility from the media and punitive measures from the government. In the face of all that, there's a movement of people saying you are not representing us as a nation; we want to be a place that welcomes refugees." Jane says that while there's a big risk in setting up any small business, and particularly in employing untrained staff, Long Street Coffee is not a charity. Jane and Francois have 20 years combined experience in the industry and understand what it means to be a competitive small business. The cafe is a hybrid: part social justice enterprise and part booming small business with its finger on the pulse. "Part of the mission with Long Street was to be able to employ people with a refugee background who wouldn't otherwise be able to get jobs. And part of the scaremongering that comes from the government and the media is coming from ignorance. People don't actually know refugees but if they were able to see the people in the boats as oppose to the boat itself… If you could go to place that and be served coffee by a refugee and hear their stories, you would see that they are people. We want to break down the stigma. We didn't see that 'fair go' being extended to the refugee community. It is only a fair if it applies to everyone. Everyone who lives here should be able to fulfil their potential and realise their dreams." Get down to Long Street Coffee and do your part in showing these total legends some hard-earned support.
UPDATE, July 9, 2021: The Farewell is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Ask someone how'd they prefer to shuffle off this mortal coil, and you'll likely receive the most cliched of answers: to pass peacefully in their sleep. That's certainly better than any alternative (other than somehow managing to live forever), although it's rarely realistic. Still, if you could give a loved one that gift, sparing them the pain of knowing that the end was near, would you? If they were diagnosed with terminal cancer, had mere months or weeks left to live, and invasive medical treatment would only cloud their remaining days, is it better to let them carry on blissfully unaware? Whether such choices are tender mercies or rob one's nearest and dearest of the chance to say goodbye sits at the heart of The Farewell, a sensitive and stirring drama set within a culture where keeping impending death from the unwell is commonplace. Drawing deeply on her own experience, writer-director Lulu Wang also uses this complicated issue as fuel to contemplate identity, belonging, tradition and cultural displacement. Born in China and raised in New York, Billi (Awkwafina) is firmly ensconced in the Big Apple. An aspiring writer, she's constantly hoping for grants to fund her work, is perennially behind on her rent and largely relies on credit cards to get by. But when her father Haiyan (Tzi Ma) and mother Jian (Diana Lin) deliver the news that her beloved paternal grandmother, Nai Nai (Zhao Shuzhen), has stage four lung cancer, Billi is determined to journey back to China — even when her parents advise her not to go. She's conflicted, however, about her family's decision not to tell their mentally spritely, physically ailing matriarch about her condition. Instead, they're all making the trip under an elaborate cover story, rushing Billi's cousin Hao Hao (Chen Han) to marry his Japanese girlfriend Aiko (Aoi Mizuhara). Such subterfuge is standard in her homeland ("when people get cancer, they die," the Chinese saying goes, referring to the impact such an illness can have on one's will to live), but it rubs against the western sensibilities that've been instilled in Billi since moving to America. One of Wang's most affecting and astute moves, of which there are many, is to task her cast with conveying this moral and emotional dilemma in their every expression and movement. In an intuitive portrayal that's worlds away from her scene-stealing, over-the-top turn in last year's Crazy Rich Asians, Awkwafina lives, breathes and wears Billi's internal turmoil. When the character is plastering on the happiest face she can to hide the truth from Nai Nai, her hunched shoulders reveal her pain. When she's trying to have a quiet, genuine moment with the woman she knows will soon be gone — a vibrant, irrepressibly bossy old lady who bustles about like a near-unstoppable force of nature — sorrow lingers in her eyes. This isn't just Billi's burden, but one shared even by those who support the decision to keep Nai Nai in the dark, sparking stellar performances across the board. Guilt and regret seeps from recognisable Chinese American star Ma (Wu Assassins), playing the son who travelled across the globe to pursue a better life. Chinese Australian actor Lin (The Family Law) tussles with Jian's own difficulties, caught as she is between a crumbling husband and an angry daughter. And as Hao Hao, Han may barely utter more than a few sentences as he endeavours to contain his sadness, but he's always a tense ball of visible discomfort. Favouring the same approach in all facets of the film, Wang styles The Farewell with naturalism at the fore. Dialogue flows freely, often from Nai Nai as she snaps out wedding plans and comments on Billi's appearance as a grandmother is known to, but a picture truly speaks a thousand words here. Collaborating with cinematographer Anna Franquesa Solano, the sophomore filmmaker tells her tale free from any rose-coloured fondness. This is a warm movie, however it steadfastly depicts its central situation, setting and struggle as they are. In practical terms, that means realism and nuance — Billi and her family exist within the film's Changchun locale, and its day-to-day minutiae is baked into every scene, and yet her visiting protagonist doesn't play tourist, for example. The same description applies to the movie's handling of its illness storyline, which is never squeezed for easy sentiment or used as weepie fodder. Wang also finds the right balance between organic humour and earnest emotion, never overstating one or the other — a tactic that particularly resonates when Billi begins to question the existence she was given in America, as well as the links to her broader family and heritage she feels it has robbed her of. All of these choices reinforce The Farewell's takeaway message: that in life and death alike, there is no simple path. There are no clear-cut answers, either, including when you're tossing up whether to tell someone they're dying or keep that knowledge from them. Far from treating these notions as obvious, Wang navigates the many complexities that prove her point with a lived-in maturity. She has literally been there, seen that and emerged to tell the tale, after all. As a result, what could've been a straightforward tearjerker in other hands benefits from her personal and poignant touch, and never heads down the blatant route. This is a subtle, thoughtful and heartfelt film that serves up a continual array of surprises — the kind that can and do get thrown in everyone's way, because that's what grappling with life's ups, downs, comings and goings is like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0yh_ZIqq0c
The streets of Sydney are about to transform into a kaleidoscope of colour, charisma and character for the 46th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and we've got two exclusive packages to make sure you're in the thick of it. Whether you're a Mardi Gras veteran or a first-timer, these deals will set you up to have the ultimate Mardi Gras experience. First up, for those looking to add a touch of luxe to their Mardi Gras, we present the Diamond Club Viewing & Boutique City Stay. Priced at AU$1,599 for two people, this deal not only puts you in a premium viewing area for the Parade on Saturday, March 2, but also gives you access to exclusive bars, gourmet food and amenities at Diamond Club — one of the hottest tickets on the festival calendar. And when the day is done, you'll retreat to your luxury room at the Ovolo Woolloomooloo for two nights (March 1–3). This isn't just a place to crash — it's a five-star retreat complete with daily breakfast, unlimited Wi-Fi, self-laundry (because glitter gets everywhere), daily afternoon cocktails, free minibar, gym, pool and in-room Alexa and Apple TV. Alternatively, the Sideshow Viewing & Boutique City Stay starts from AU$1,299 for two people and offers front-row seats to the parade from the Sideshow area. Your accommodation? Take your pick between The Woolstore 1888 by Ovolo or the Kimpton Margot Sydney. Both options are an easy stroll to the parade route and come with all the perks you'd expect from top-tier hotels. So go on, treat yourself. You're not just booking a room; you're securing a front-row seat to one of the most vibrant events on the Sydney calendar. See you there.
Champagne, cognac and caviar. This is what Melburnians can expect from the CBD's favourite new cocktail bar, Nick & Nora's. The bar is the brainchild of the Speakeasy Group, the owners of cocktail classic Eau de Vie, Viking luxe bar Mjølner and whisky-serving Boilermaker House. Like Mjolner, Nick & Nora's will be a Sydney import — the group opened its first Nick & Nora's in Sydney in October 2018. The Melbourne outpost swung open its incredibly opulent doors in July 2023 for a very short time, then reopened them at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday, October 27, when restrictions were eased. Like its Sydney counterpart, the venue is inspired by Dashiell Hammett's novel The Thin Man and its fictional crime-solving team, Nick and Nora Charles. If you're not familiar with the book, expect a roaring 30s vibe befitting a most glamorous party. The sprawling venue boasts five distinct spaces (a main bar, salon, champagne parlour and a VIP lounge), three balconies, green marble, gold and dark wood finishes and a whopping 400 bottles of champagne on display. The latter is housed in a five-metre-long climate-controlled display case and features rare vintages alongside bubbles by the glass. For cocktails, the manual is organised by taste — a Speakeasy Group signature — but with venue-themed list names like The Femme Fatal, The Hollywood Starlet and The Snitch. Think martinis, champagne cocktails, punches and sours aplenty. [caption id="attachment_787583" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pinkerton Punch by Brook James[/caption] If you can't be bothered to read through the entire book of drinks, we suggest going for the smoking Cafe Noir (aged rum, cold drip, coffee liqueur, sweet sherry and vanilla mousse, served chilled with liquid nitrogen, the Doin' Time (Woodford Reserve rye whiskey, marmalade and amaro, served with a pinot noir float or the four-person Pinkerton Punch (gin, Cynar, elderflower, celery shrub and bubbles. For nibbles, while you drink, there are French-inspired snacks and share plates, including smoked eel blinis topped with caviar, confit duck with fermented chilli, chicken liver parfait with brioche and lamb tartare topped with macadamia cream. Plus a full caviar service and a sizeable selection of cheese and charcuterie. Nick & Nora's is located in the high-end restaurant precinct within the 80 Collins Street building. It's shaping up to house some big hospitality names, with highly anticipated new venues from Sepia's Vicki Wild and Martin Benn and Pastuso's Alejandro Saravia already locked in. Images: Brook James Updated Tuesday, March 21 2023. Appears in: The Best Bars in Sydney
Melburnians will now fork out a bit extra for their public transport travels, with Public Transport Victoria upping the price of Myki fares by 2.2 percent. The change came into effect on Tuesday, January 1. Fares have been adjusted in line with inflation, impacting trains, buses and trams. And while no one is a fan of price hikes in general, 2019's annual jump is the lowest fare increase since 2014. In 2018, fares went up by 4.7 percent. The new hike will see passengers shelling out between six and 20 cents extra per adult-priced journey across zone one, zone two, and zone one and two trips — for both two-hour tickets and daily fares. Myki passes will also increase in cost, with the smallest jump seeing travellers pay $30 for an adult seven-day zone two pass, and the biggest bringing 325+day zone one and two passes from $1683.50 to $1722.50. Most concession fares have also risen, jumping between three and 10 cents on two-hour and daily tickets. Regional Victorians travelling around their towns have been spared the price hike, with fares remaining at $2.40 for a regional trip within the same zone.
At the start of 2023 the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne was unveiled in all its luxurious 80-storey glory. The 257-room hotel is a high-end affair, with renowned Aussie architecture firm Cottee Parker behind the build and BAR Studio to thank for the classically elegant interiors. Here, they've flipped the script on the usual hotel formula and it's designed to be experienced from the top down; the guest rooms and suites are located on floors 65 to 79, with the impressive Sky Lobby Reception way up on Level 80, where guests are met with lofty ceilings and huge windows offering panoramic views. Rooms continue to invite in epic views thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows. The interiors feature hand-made glass panels, dark timber and gold finishes, while artworks pay tribute to the city location and the area's Indigenous heritage. Splash out to stay in the enormous Ritz-Carlton Suite, and you'll enjoy your own in-room sauna, walk-in wardrobe and private pantry. There are three on-site venues to satisfy guests: Atria is the innovative fine diner celebrating hyper-seasonality, Cameo is the glam cocktail bar promising top-shelf sipping, and the Lobby Lounge is the more casual counterpart that'll also play host to high tea sessions. All these sit at the top of the hotel, showcasing eye-popping views across the city. Of course, with all that luxury, there had to be a standout wellness offering involved — and the Ritz-Carlton Spa does not to disappoint. Here, you'll find six treatment rooms and a substantial menu of therapies, as well as a soaring infinity pool, yoga studio and fitness hub.
We all need some time off with a poolside cocktail every now and then. Or just to hold on to the dream of getting it one day. But in reality, do we want to pass our whole holidays like that, while our children are off making a completely different set of memories? Not so much. A lot of family holidays aim for segregation: massages and mud baths for the big people; predictable 'kids clubs' for their offspring. But for those who are in the mood to get imaginative and adventurous, we've teamed up with Holden Equinox, the SUV for parents with nothing to prove, to round up five getaways to gratify you. If you want to share memorable — and, quite possibly, educational — experiences with your kids, then read on to find five of the best contemporary regional holiday ideas for families wanting to clear out of the city and have fun. Together. PHILLIP ISLAND Phillip Island isn't all about the penguins – although, of Phillip Island's many delights, these sand-dune waddlers will light up your kids' eyes most. It's a place of natural beauty that's made to be explored on foot. The tribe can witness koalas and fur seals in their natural habitat, and run barefoot on untouched white-sand beaches. If all that sounds a bit tranquil, you can unleash your inner rev-head at the go-kart track – a replica of the famous Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. 2 hours' drive south of Melbourne via the Monash Freeway YARRAWONGA AND LAKE MULWALA Water sports, live music and country charm: it's hard not to enjoy yourself at Yarrawonga. Lake Mulwala pulls waterskiing enthusiasts from across the country and is a great spot to introduce your kids to the sport. Afterwards, the Ski Club is one of country Victoria's best sports venues in terms of space, views, food and drink, and live music for the whole family to get down to. Bushwalkers can take their pick of forest tracks, many of which end with the reward of a river swim, while the Bundalong Tavern, 10 minutes east of Yarrawonga, makes for a memorable country pub experience. 3 hours' drive north of Melbourne via the Hume Highway KYNETON BUSHLAND RESORT The phrase "going bush" often conjures up images of long and lonely northward drives to lands of silos, scrub and Kingswood utes. Not so in the case of Kyneton Bushland Resort, which brings the full outback experience to Melbourne's doorstep. After checking into your self-contained villa (the resort has 55 individual villas spread across 50 hectares of bushland), you can mingle with the abundant wildlife before a spot of canoeing, fishing or swimming in the lake. Unwind or go wild: it's your choice. 1 hour's drive northeast of Melbourne via the Calder Freeway BALLARAT AND SOVEREIGN HILL On the surface, it's just another city, but Ballarat comes with a rich history – literally, given it's the centre of the Victorian goldfields. A trip to Sovereign Hill, a stunningly recreated 1850s Gold Rush town, will cost the average family $140, but it's an unforgettable experience. The sound and light show, which tells the story of the Eureka Stockade, runs nightly, while Winter Wonderlights' Christmas in July is an immersive treat. Lake Wendouree, meanwhile, is very pleasant for a picnic. 1.5 hours' drive east of Melbourne via the Western Highway INVERLOCH AND BUNURONG MARINE PARK One beach tends to meld into another unless you're prepared to go off the beaten track. Cue Bunurong Marine Park: many of its suite of breathtaking beaches are only accessible via long sets of steps. Not great for prams, then — but therein lies the adventure! The area is also great for fishing, observing marine life, snorkelling, rockpooling and fishing. Inverloch, meanwhile, is your base, with its vibrant centre and seasonal produce-laden cafes — the Black Sheep Tapas and Wine Bar is a good starting point. 2 hours' drive southwest of Melbourne via the Monash Freeway Drive your family on adventures in and outside of town in the Holden Equinox, the SUV for parents with nothing to prove. Find out more on the Holden website.
Chapel Street is in for a taste of old-world European romance when Matteo Bruno (Hana, The Meatball & Wine Bar) opens the doors to his latest project next week. Named after Bruno's 93-year-old nonna, Ines Wine Bar looks set to become one of the most charming watering holes around, Euro-style street seating and all. Inside, the team at Techne Architecture have pulled together a warm, laidback mix of walnut, Italian marble and aged brass accents, to match a soundtrack of classic tunes from the likes of Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles. In short: it's a space designed for unwinding. Having most recently honed his smarts at Ides and intimate Japanese spot Kappo, sommelier Raffaele Mastrovincenzo has designed a wine list of around 80 Italian, French and local varieties, with a Coravin system allowing for more interesting by-the-glass sessions. That said, Ines' cocktail game is equally strong, with Italian mixology whizz Stefano Cinelli showing off his knack for the classics — you're just as likely to find yourself dropping in for a sazerac or old-fashioned. Plus, buy a bottle of your favourite spirit and they'll even keep it safe behind the bar for your subsequent visits. Meanwhile, in the culinary corner, it's Euro accents all the way. Think a daily-changing selection of crostini, cheese and charcuterie boards, freshly shucked oysters and the croque signore, riffing on a French classic with the addition of aged prosciutto. Find Ines Wine Bar at 150 Chapel St, Windsor from May 15. It'll open for dinners Tuesday through Saturday.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE What a difference Mads Mikkelsen can make. What a difference the stellar Danish actor can't, too. The Another Round and Riders of Justice star enjoys his Wizarding World debut in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, taking over the part of evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald's Johnny Depp — who did the same from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them's Colin Farrell first, albeit in a scripted change — and he's impressively sinister and engagingly insidious in the role. He needs to be: his fascist character, aka the 1930s-set movie's magical version of Hitler, wants to eradicate muggles. He's also keen to grab power however he must to do so. But a compelling casting switch can't conjure up the winning wonder needed to power an almost two-and-a-half-hour film in a flailing franchise, even one that's really just accioing already-devoted Harry Potter fans into cinemas. Capitalising upon Pottermania has always been the point of the Fantastic Beasts movies. Famously, this series-within-a-series springs not from a well-plotted novel, where the eight Boy Who Lived flicks originated, but from a guide book on magical creatures. That magizoology text is mentioned in the very first HP tome, then arrived IRL four years later, but it was only after the Harry Potter films ended that it leapt to screens. The reason: showing the Wizarding World's powers-that-be the galleons, because no popular saga can ever conclude when there's more cash to grab (see also: Star Wars and Game of Thrones). For Fantastic Beasts, the result was charming in the initial movie and dismal in its followup. Now, with The Secrets of Dumbledore, it's about as fun as being bitten by a toothy textbook. Nearly four years have passed since The Crimes of Grindelwald hit cinemas, but its successor picks up its wand where that dull sequel left off. That means reuniting with young Albus Dumbledore, who was the best thing about the last feature thanks to Jude Law (The Third Day) following smoothly in Michael Gambon and Richard Harris' footsteps. Actually, it means reuniting Dumbledore with Grindelwald first. And, it involves overtly recognising that the pair were once lovers. The saga that's stemmed from JK Rowling's pen isn't historically known for being inclusive, much like the author's transphobic statements — and it's little wonder that getting candid about such a crucial romantic connection feels cursory and calculating here, rather than genuine. The same applies to The Secrets of Dumbledore's overall message of love and acceptance, which can only echo feebly when stemming from a co-screenwriter (alongside seven-time HP veteran Steve Kloves) who's basically become the series' off-screen Voldemort. Referencing Dumbledore and Grindelwald's amorous past serves the narrative, of course, which is the real reason behind it — far more than taking any meaningful steps towards LGBTQIA+ representation. Years prior, the two pledged not to harm each other, binding that magical promise with blood, which precludes any fray between them now. Enter magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne, The Trial of the Chicago 7) and his pals. Well, most of them. Newt's assistant Bunty (Victoria Yeates, Call the Midwife), brother Theseus (Callum Turner, Emma), No-Maj mate Jacob (Dan Fogler, The Walking Dead), Hogwarts professor Lally (Jessica Williams, Love Life) and Leta Lestrange's brother Yusuf Kama (William Nadylam, Stillwater) are accounted for, while former friend Queenie (Alison Sudol, The Last Full Measure) has defected to Grindelwald. As for the latter's sister Tina (Katherine Waterston, The World to Come), she's spirited aside, conspicuously sitting Operation Avoid Muggle Genocide out. Read our full review. AMBULANCE Michael Bay movies, Michael Bay movies, whatcha gonna do? Since the action-film director leapt from commercials and music videos to his big-screen debut Bad Boys more than a quarter-century back, there's only been two options. Slickly and unsubtly dripping with gleeful excess, his high-concept flicks embrace explosions, chases, heists, shootouts, jittery chaos and perpetual golden-hour hues with such OTT passion that you surrender or roll your eyes — having a blast or being bored by the bombast, basically. Too often, the latter strikes. That proved true of all five of his Transformers films, which are responsible for more cinematic tedium than any filmmaker should legally be allowed to crash onto screens. That his pictures are lensed and spliced as if lingering on one still for more than a split second is a heinous crime usually doesn't help, but it's what Bay is known for — and yet when Bayhem sparkles like it mostly does in Ambulance, it's its own kind of thrilling experience. Following a high-stakes Los Angeles bank robbery that goes south swiftly, forcing two perpetrators to hijack an EMT vehicle — while a paramedic tries to save a shot cop's life as the van flees the LAPD and the FBI, too — Ambulance is characteristically ridiculous. Although based on the 2005 Danish film Ambulancen, it's Bay from go to whoa; screenwriter and feature newcomer Chris Fedak (TV's Chuck, Prodigal Son) even references past Bay movies in the dialogue. The first time, when The Rock is mentioned, it's done in a matter-of-fact way that as brazen as anything Bay has ever achieved when his flicks defy the laws of physics. In the second instance mere minutes later, it's perhaps the most hilarious thing he's put in his movies. It's worth remembering that Divinyls' 'I Touch Myself' was one of his music-clip jobs; Bay sure does love what only he can thrust onto screens, and he wants audiences to know it while adoring it as well. Ambulance's key duo, brothers Will (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, The Matrix Resurrections) and Danny Sharp (Jake Gyllenhaal, The Guilty), are a former Marine and ostensible luxury-car dealer/actual career criminal with hugely different reasons for attempting to pilfer a $32-million payday. For the unemployed Will, it's about the cash needed to pay for his wife Amy's (Moses Ingram, The Tragedy of Macbeth) experimental surgery, which his veteran's health insurance won't cover — but his sibling just wants money. Will is reluctant but desperate, Danny couldn't be more eager, and both race through a mess of a day. Naturally, it gets more hectic when they're hurtling along as the hotshot Cam (Eiza González, Godzilla vs Kong) works on wounded rookie police officer Zach (Jackson White, The Space Between), arm-deep in his guts at one point, while Captain Monroe (Garrett Dillahunt, Army of the Dead), Agent Anson Clark (Keir O'Donnell, The Dry) and their forces are in hot pursuit. Everything from Armageddon, Pearl Harbour and The Island to 2019's Netflix flick 6 Underground has trained viewers in what to expect from Ambulance — plus the movies name-checked in Ambulance's frames, obviously — but Bay is also the filmmaker who gave cinema 2013's exceptional Pain & Gain. His latest doesn't reach the same savvy heights, and it's both boosted by its hearty embrace of Bayhem and occasionally a victim to it, but it's rarely less than wildly entertaining. As the director's best efforts have long shown, he boasts a knack for heist-style films. Capers about break-ins of various sorts, even into Alcatraz, suit Bay because they're typically about chasing hefty scores no matter the cost. Ambulance was made for only $40 million, which is a fifth of most Transformers movies and somehow around half of non-Bay-directed recent release Morbius' budget, but bold moves with eyes on a big prize aren't just fiction in Bay's orbit. Read our full review. MEMORIA When Memoria begins, it echoes with a thud that's not only booming and instantly arresting — a clamour that'd make anyone stop and listen — but is also deeply haunting. It arrives with a noise that, if the movie's opening scene was a viral clip rather than part of Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul's spectacular Cannes Jury Prize-winning feature, it'd be tweeted around with a familiar message: sound on. The racket wakes up Jessica Holland (Tilda Swinton, The Souvenir: Part II) in the night, and it's soon all that she can think about; like character, like film. It's a din that she later describes as "a big ball of concrete that falls into a metal well which is surrounded by seawater"; however, that doesn't help her work out what it is, where it's coming from or why it's reverberating. The other question that starts to brood: is she the only one who can hear it? So springs a feature that's all about listening, and truly understands that while movies are innately visual — they're moving pictures, hence the term — no one should forget the audio that's gone with it for nearly a century now. Watching Weerasethakul's work has always engaged the ears intently, with the writer/director behind the Palme d'Or-winning Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives and just-as-lyrical Cemetery of Splendour crafting cinema that genuinely values all that the filmic format can offer. Enjoying Memoria intuitively serves up a reminder of how crucial sound can be to the big-screen experience, emphasising the cavernous chasm between pictures that live and breathe that truth and those that could simply be pictures. Of course, feasting on Weerasethakul's films has also always been about appreciating not only cinema in all its wonders, but as an inimitable art form. Like the noise that lingers in his protagonist's brain here, his movies aren't easily forgotten. With Weerasethakul behind the lens and Swinton on-screen, Memoria is a match made in cinephile heaven — even before it starts obsessing over sound and having its audience do the same. He helms movies like no one else, she's an acting force of nature, and their pairing is film catnip. He also makes his English-language debut, as well as his first feature outside of Thailand, while she brings the serenity and magnetism that only she can, turning in a far more understated turn than seen in the recent likes of The French Dispatch and The Personal History of David Copperfield. Yes, Weerasethakul and Swinton prove a beautiful duo. Weerasethakul makes contemplative, meditative, visually poetic movies, after all, and Swinton's face screams with all those traits. They're both devastatingly precise in what they do, too, and also delightfully expressive. And, they each force you to pay the utmost attention to their every single choice as well. As Jessica, Swinton plays a British expat in Colombia — an orchidologist born in Scotland, residing in Medellín and staying in Bogota when she hears that very specific din. After explaining it in exquisite detail to sound engineer Hernán (Juan Pablo Urrego, My Father), he tries to recreate the noise for her, but only she seems to know exactly what it sounds like. At the same time, Jessica's sister Karen (debutant Agnes Brekke) is in hospital with a strange ailment. Also, there's word of a curse that's linked to a tunnel being built over a burial ground, and Jessica consults with an archaeologist (Jeanne Balibar, Les Misérables) before heading from the city to the country. Grief echoes as strongly through Jessica's life as the bang she can't shake, and she wanders like someone in a dreamy daze, whether she's roaming around an art gallery or crossing paths with a rural fisherman also called Hernán (Elkin Díaz, Besieged). Read our full review. NOBODY HAS TO KNOW Before Belgian actor and filmmaker Bouli Lanners started gracing screens big and small — writing and directing projects for the former as well — he trained as a painter. If you didn't know that fact, it'd be easy to guess while watching Nobody Has to Know. He helms and scripts, as he did 2011 Cannes award-winner The Giant, plus 2016's The First, the Last. He acts, as he has in everything from A Very Long Engagement and Rust and Bone to Raw and Bye Bye Morons. But it's the careful eye he brings to all that fills Nobody Has to Know's frames that immediately leaves an impression, starting with simply staring at the windswept Scottish scenery that provides the movie's backdrop. It's picturesque but also ordinary, finding visual poetry in the scenic and sweeping and yet also everyday. That's what the feature does with its slow-burning romantic narrative, too. On a remote island, Philippe Haubin (Lanners) has made a humble home. Working as a farmhand, he stands out with his arms covered in tattoos and his accent, but he's also been welcomed into the close-knit community. And, when he's found on the beach after suffering a stroke, his friends swiftly rally around — his younger colleague Brian (Andrew Still, Waterloo Road), who spreads the word; the latter's aunt Millie (Michelle Fairley, Game of Thrones), who ferries him around town; and her stern father Angus (Julian Glover, The Toll), who welcomes him back to work once he's out of hospital. But Phil returns with amnesia, which unsurprisingly complicates his daily interactions. He doesn't know what Brian means when he jokes about Phil now being the island's Jason Bourne, he has no idea if the dog in his house is his own, and he has no knowledge of any past, or not, with Millie. As a filmmaker, Lanners splits Nobody Has to Know's attention between Phil and Millie as they're drawn to each other — through natural chemistry, thanks to her kindness in helping him learn to navigate his life again, and courtesy of secrets and twists that speak to emotional truths even if they involve lying. And, it's due to finessed performances on both parts that the film always resonates with both tenderness and authenticity, befitting its restrained but still affecting tale of pain, guilt, regrets, isolation, identity and yearning. He plays a man who quickly made an imprint in a new place, but has a past he's been fleeing, and now finds himself facing them both anew. She plays a woman cruelly nicknamed 'the Ice Queen' because she's single, quiet and of a certain age, and remains just as eager to unearth her true self. Indeed, as she copes with Phil's new situation, she makes a bold leap to follow her heart. In lesser hands — with lead actors who weren't so adept at understatement, or didn't possess as convincing natural chemistry; with a writer and/or director more fond of leaning into melodrama; with a cinematographer other than the poised Frank van den Eeden (Patrick, Girl), too — Nobody Has to Know could've been relegated to a movie-of-the-week-style weepie. Thankfully, that isn't Lanners' film, which cannily eschews the easy for the deep and evocative. He takes as much care with the feature's sensitive pace, reflecting how tentatively his characters have been willing to embrace their real feelings, as he does with that painterly scenery that makes the utmost of the Scottish islands of Lewis and Harris, and with key performances that convey a lifetime of worries without uttering a word. His is a picture that builds in impact, quietly but unmistakably, like taking the time to truly stare at and soak in everything about a piece of art hung on a gallery wall. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on January 1, January 6, January 13, January 20 and January 27; February 3, February 10, February 17 and February 24; and March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Ghostbusters: Afterlife, House of Gucci, The King's Man, Red Rocket, Scream, The 355, Gold, King Richard, Limbo, Spencer, Nightmare Alley, Belle, Parallel Mothers, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Belfast, Here Out West, Jackass Forever, Benedetta, Drive My Car, Death on the Nile, C'mon C'mon, Flee, Uncharted, Quo Vadis, Aida?, Cyrano, Hive, Studio 666, The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Top image: ©Kick the Machine Films, Burning, Anna Sanders Films, Match Factory Productions, ZDF/Arte and Piano, 2021.
It's hard to imagine sharing anything else with a complete stranger on public transport than the very seat you both happen to sit on. But the Bibliotaxi project based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, makes sharing things on public transport sound not half-bad. The concept behind Bibliotaxi or 'library in a car' was developed by Instituto Mobilidade Verde, or Green Mobility Institute, and combines their causes of sustainability and mobility. The project also aims to encourage 'sharing' in the city of Vila Madalena. Taxi passengers who enter a Bibliotaxi are free to leisurely peruse the books inside the taxi and even borrow (and return) the books if it becomes too hard to part with once their destination is reached. What a great way to revive books. Perhaps the awkward taxi conversation may become more interesting and informed in Sao Paulo, now that there is a library at the passenger's disposal. [Via PSFK]
It has finally happened again, Melburnians. The city's projectors remained silent, its theatres bare and the smell of popcorn faded over the recent almost two-week lockdown; however, Melbourne's picture palaces are now back in business. Under stay-at-home restrictions, no one is ever short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over by now, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent more time than usual over the past 18 months glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that. And, we've rounded up, watched and reviewed the new movies that have just arrived in theatres now that Melbourne's latest stay-at-home stint is over. OLD Ageing in a privilege. It's certainly better than the alternative. But what if life's physical ravages were condensed and accelerated? What if you were a six-year-old one moment, a teenager a few hours later and sporting middle-aged wrinkles the next morning? That's the premise of the insidious, moving, effective and also sometimes too neat Old, which boasts a sci-fi setup that could've come straight from The Twilight Zone, a chaotic mid-section reminiscent of Mother!'s immersive horrors, and a setting and character dynamics that nod to Lost. It slides in alongside recently unearthed George A Romero thriller The Amusement Park as well and, with M Night Shyamalan behind the lens, indulges the writer/director's love of high-concept plots with big twists. No one sees dead people and plants aren't the culprits — thankfully, in the latter case — however, surprise revelations remain part of this game. That said, unlike earlier in his career, when the filmmaker might've made the rapid passage of time the final big shock, Shyamalan isn't just about jolts and amazement here. Old has another sizeable reveal, naturally. Shyamalan is still the director behind The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, The Village, The Visit, Split, Glass and more, and he likes his bag of tricks. This time, though, he wants to play with and probe his scenario, and the emotions it inspires, rather than primarily tease his audience and keep them puzzling. That's what echoes as the about-to-separate Guy (Gael García Bernal, Ema) and Prisca (Vicky Krieps, Phantom Thread) arrive at a luxe resort on a remote island with six-year-old Trent (Nolan River, Adverse) and 11-year-old Maddox (Alexa Swinton, Billions). Their kids have conflicting ideas about how to spend the getaway, but the hotel's manager (Gustaf Hammarsten, Kursk) tells the family about a secret beach, which they're soon heading to by mini-bus (driven by Shyamalan, in one of his regular cameos). Alas, with arrogant surgeon Charles (Rufus Sewell, The Father), his younger wife Chrystal (Abbey Lee, Lovecraft Country), their daughter Kara (debutant Kylie Begley) and his elderly mother Agnes (Kathleen Chalfant, The Affair) — and with famous rapper Mid-Sized Sedan (Aaron Pierre, The Underground Railroad), and couple Patricia (Nikki Amuka-Bird, The Personal History of David Copperfield) and Jarin (Ken Leung, a Lost alum) as well — Guy, Prisca, Trent and Maddox quickly discover that time ticks by at a much speedier pace on this supposedly idyllic patch of sand. The bulk of Old charts their reactions, plunging viewers into the confusion and heartbreak that results. Not only do the kids grow up fast (which is where Jojo Rabbit's Thomasin McKenzie, Jumanji: The Next Level's Alex Wolff and Babyteeth's Eliza Scanlen come in) in this vividly shot film, but any of the beachgoers' ailments are expedited, too. Read our full review. NINE DAYS Androids may dream of electric sheep, or they may not, but that isn't the only metaphysical question that cinema likes to contemplate. Do souls yearn and strive for — and fret and stress over — their chance to shuffle onto this mortal coil? That's the query that Pixar's Soul pondered so thoughtfully and enchantingly, and it's one that Nine Days, which actually predates its animated counterpart but is only reaching Australian cinemas now, masterfully explores as well. "You are being considered for the amazing opportunity of life," a bespectacled, suspender-wearing, serious-faced Will (Winston Duke, Us) tells the candidates hoping to soon live and breathe. They're far more enthusiastic about the process than he is, although he values their prospective existence much more than they can fathom in their wide-eyed eagerness and excitement. Will has seen what can happen next, because it's his job not only to select the best souls to embark upon this thing called life, but to monitor their progress in all the days, months and years afterwards. He's observed the success stories; however, he's also witnessed the heartbreaks as well. In this stirring and fittingly soulful debut feature from writer/director Edson Oda — a movie that won the dramatic screenwriting award at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, and that's memorably and evocatively about the texture, experiences, feelings and enigmas that comprise every soul, and every life — Will surveys his next troupe of contenders fresh from viewing the unhappy end that met one of his previous favourites. He's already adrift from existence as we know it, and from almost everyone else who resides in the picture's ethereal yet also earthy pre-life realm, but he's now burdened with a renewed sense of solemnity. His colleague Kyo (Benedict Wong, The Personal History of David Copperfield) tries to get him to see the lighter side — the more human side — of the path his next chosen candidate will take. He emphasises the ebbs and flows that Will, who has become more rigid in his thinking and feelings the longer he's in the role, now fervently discounts. But among a roster of new applicants that includes Kane (Bill Skarsgård, IT Chapter Two), Alex (Tony Hale, Veep), Mike (David Rysdahl, Dead Pigs) and Maria (Arianna Ortiz, Rattlesnake), all of which are given nine days to demonstrate why they should be born next, it's actually the calm, passionate and inquisitive Emma (Zazie Beetz, Atlanta) that challenges the way Will perceives his work and what it means to be alive. Read our full review. GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE Cutesy name, likeable stars, stylised brutality, a familiar revenge scenario: blend them all together, and that's Gunpowder Milkshake. There's one particular ingredient that's missing from this action-thriller's recipe, though, and its absence is surprising — because much about the film feels like it has jumped from the pages of a comic book. That's one of the movie's best traits, in fact. The world already has too many comics-to-cinema adaptations, but although Gunpowder Milkshake doesn't stem from a graphic novel, it actually looks the part. Its precise framing and camera placement, hyper-vibrant colours and love of neon could've easily been printed in inky hues on paper, then splattered across the screen like the blood and bullets the feature sprays again and again. Writer/director Navot Papushado (Big Bad Wolves) and cinematographer Michael Seresin (War for the Planet of the Apes) have made a visually appealing film, and a movie with evident aesthetic flair. All that gloss is paired with a generic assassin storyline, however, and a half-baked feminist thrust. It's Sin City meets John Wick but gender-flipped, except that the Kill Bill movies and Atomic Blonde have been there and done that. Crafting a film that's entertaining enough, but largely in a mechanical way, Papushado and co-scribe Ehud Lavski (a feature first-timer) attempt to complicate their narrative. The basics are hardly complex, though. As skilled killer Sam (Karen Gillan, Avengers: Endgame) notes in the movie's opening narration, she works for a group of men called The Firm, cleaning up its messes with her deadly prowess. It's an inherited gig, in a way. Fifteen years earlier, she was a fresh-faced teen (Freya Allan, The Witcher) with a mum, Scarlet (Lena Headey, Game of Thrones), who did the same thing. Then her mother abandoned her after a diner shootout, leaving Sam to fend herself — and, to ultimately get her jobs from Nathan (Paul Giamatti, Billions), one of The Firm's flunkies. It's on just that kind of gig that Sam kills the son of a rival crime hotshot (Ralph Ineson, Chernobyl), and he wants revenge. Soon, her employers are also on her trail, after she takes another assignment in an attempt to sort out her first problem, then ends up trying to save eight-year-old Emily (Chloe Coleman, Big Little Lies) from violent kidnappers. The cast also spans the impressive trio of Angela Bassett (Black Panther), Michelle Yeoh (Last Christmas) and Carla Gugino (a Sin City alum), albeit sparingly, with all of Gunpowder Milkshake's female figures solely tasked with navigating an inescapably clear-cut scenario. Read our full review. SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY In the misfire that's always been 1996's Space Jam, basketball superstar-turned-unconvincing actor Michael Jordan is asked to hurry up. "C'mon Michael, it's game time! Get your Hanes on, lace up your Nikes, grab your Wheaties and your Gatorade, and we'll pick up a Big Mac on the way to the ballpark," he's told. Spoken by go-to 90s schemester Wayne Knight (aka Seinfeld's Newman), this line couldn't better sum up the film or the franchise it has now spawned. The Space Jam movies aren't really about the comedic chaos that springs when a famous sportsperson pals around with cartoons. That's the plot, complicated in the original flick and now 25-years-later sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy by evil forces that turn a basketball game into a battle ground; however, it's also just a means to an end. These features are truly about bringing brands together in a case of mutual leveraging, as product placement always is. Connect Looney Tunes with the NBA, and audiences will think of both when they think of either, the strategy aims. It has worked, of course — and with A New Legacy, the approach is put to even broader and more shameless use. Everyone who has ever even just heard of Space Jam in passing knows its central equation: Looney Tunes + hoop dreams. The first Space Jam's viewers mightn't also remember the aforementioned product name-drops, but Warner Bros, the studio behind this saga, hopes A New Legacy's audience will forever recall its new references. All the brands shoehorned in here are WB's own, with its other pop culture franchises and properties mentioned repeatedly. The company also has Harry Potter, The Matrix, the DC Extended Universe flicks such as Wonder Woman, and Mad Max: Fury Road in its stable. Its catalogue includes Game of Thrones, Rick and Morty, The Lord of the Rings, and Hanna-Barbera cartoons like The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, too. And, it holds the rights to everything from The Wizard of Oz, Metropolis and Casablanca to A Clockwork Orange and IT. A New Legacy wants to forcefully and brazenly impress these titles into viewers' minds so that they'll always equate them with the studio. In other words, this is just a Warner Bros ad with LeBron James and Looney Tunes as its spokespeople. You don't need to be a cynic or have zero nostalgia for the OG Space Jam to see A New Legacy as purely a marketing exercise, though, because corporate synergy is literally what the movie's villain, an algorithm named Al G Rhythm (Don Cheadle, Avengers: Endgame) that runs the on-screen Warner Bros, aims to achieve in this shambles of a film. Read our full review. ROSA'S WEDDING The idea that a middle-aged woman might put her own interests first shouldn't be worthy of a movie. It should just be a given, as it is with men. But that still isn't the world we live in, so films like Rosa's Wedding keep offering cinematic slices of empowerment — here, in a feel-good, crowd-pleasing, but still smart and enjoyable way. This Spanish two-time Goya Award-winner gets savvy and playful with its title, too. Writer/director Icíar Bollaín (Yuli) and her coscribes Alicia Luna (Viva la vida) and Lina Badenes (also one of the feature's producers) know that mentioning matrimony usually brings a certain kind of rom-com to mind, because countless other flicks have gone down that path. And, there is indeed a ceremony in Rosa's Wedding. An extended family descends upon a scenic spot, relatives fuss and stress, and almost anything that can go wrong does, all in classic wedding movie style. The difference: 45-year-old Rosa (Candela Peña, Kiki, Love to Love), a constantly put-upon seamstress who is taken advantage of at her film industry job, always asked to watch her brother Armando's (Sergi López, Perfumes) young kids, tasked with keeping her widowed dad Antonio (Ramón Barea, Everybody Knows) company, and expected to always be at her daughter Lidia's (Paula Usero, Love in Difficult Times) beck and call, has decided to move back to the coastal town Benicassim that she grew up in to start her own dressmaking business. Also, to cement her commitment to her new future, she's also going to marry herself. When they receive her wedding invite, Rosa's nearest and dearest are shocked and surprised to learn that she'll be walking down the aisle, but no one registers that she'll be the sole focus of the ceremony. Given how reliant they are on Rosa to run their errands and keep their messy lives in order — Armando is on the verge of divorce, Lidia has two newborns and an unhappy life in Manchester, and Rosa's sister Violeta (Nathalie Posa, Julieta) is an interpreter with a penchant for a drink — they couldn't fathom that she might be unhappy with the status quo anyway. Rosa's Wedding isn't subtle about how women of a certain age are thrust into set roles, even by those closest to them. It isn't big on nuance as it watches its titular figure claim her life back, either. But it's always spirited and astute regardless, not to mention likeable and engaging. And, there's also zero point in holding back when it comes to celebrating women breaking outdated and oppressive boundaries. Also, there's understatement in Peña's wonderful performance. It takes strength and courage for Rosa to first realise how miserable she is, then pledge to make a change, and finally to follow through. As shot in warm, naturalistic tones against its picturesque but never glossy backdrop, Rosa's new future isn't always assured, either, especially when everyone turns up for her big day and brings their baggage with them, and the misunderstandings and chaos only multiplies. SNAKE EYES: GI JOE ORIGINS Every film doesn't have to spawn a franchise, and most shouldn't; however, when a Hollywood studio teams up with a toy manufacturer to turn action figures into a movie, and then wants to keep using the latter to sell the former, apparently that stops being the case. That's why cinema audiences have been forced to suffer through the Transformers movies over the years, and why we also now have Snake Eyes: GI Joe Origins, the latest addition that no one wanted to a dull saga that started with 2009's GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra and then continued via 2013's GI Joe: Retaliation. Channing Tatum isn't part of the story this time around, with the focus shifting to the eponymous Snakes Eyes (Henry Golding, Monsoon). Before the character becomes a member of the GI Joe team, he's a man out to avenge the murder of his father (Steven Allerick, Westworld) from back when he was a kid. That quest first leads him into the employ of yakuza kingpin Kenta (Takehiro Hira, Girl/Haji), where he helps smuggle guns in giant dead fish. From there, he gets his shot with the Arashikage clan — a family-run enclave of Japanese powerbrokers that the ambitious Tommy (Andrew Koji, Warrior) thinks he'll lead next, is unsurprisingly wary of outsiders, but eventually and after much suspicion from head of security Akiko (Haruka Abe, Cruella) lets Snake Eyes undertake its secretive testing process to become a member. It's a credit to director Robert Schwentke (Insurgent and Allegiant), and to writers Evan Spiliotopoulos (The Unholy), Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse (Rebecca), that Snake Eyes isn't obsessed with obnoxiously stressing its franchise ties. It does all lead up to uttering a well-known GI Joe adversary's name, other recognisable characters such as Scarlett (Samara Weaving, Bill & Ted Face the Music) and Baroness (Úrsula Corberó, Money Heist) pop up, and nefarious terrorist organisation Cobra plays a part, but none of these links ever feel like the movie's primary purpose. Still, that half-heartedness speaks volumes about a movie that displays that trait again and again, is fine with remaining a generic Tokyo-set ninja revenge movie — complete with gratingly obvious shots of Mount Fuji, the Shibuya scramble crossing and Tokyo Tower — and also works giant snakes rendered in visually abhorrent CGI into the mix. The best element: Golding, who has never been less than charismatic in any of his on-screen roles (see also: Last Christmas, A Simple Favour and Crazy Rich Asians). He can't lift this formulaic franchise-extending slog, though, and neither can his rapport with both Koji and Abe, Schwentke's eye for his settings or the movie's often eye-catching costuming. The film's unenthused action scenes prove an apt weathervane, because they're by-the-numbers at best, even when The Raid's Iko Uwais is involved. SIR ALEX FERGUSON: NEVER GIVE IN Even among sports agnostics who know next to nothing about football of any code, and don't want to, Sir Alex Ferguson's name still likely rings a bell. The prodigiously successful soccer manager was synonymous with equally prosperous English Premier League team Manchester United for almost three decades between 1986–2013, leading them to 38 different trophies — including 13 EPL titles. He oversaw an era that featured star players such as David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, all famous names that are also known beyond sports fans. Accordingly, Ferguson is a highly obvious candidate for a documentary, particularly an authorised film directed by his own son Jason. But the best docos don't just preach to the already celebratory and converted. A piece of non-fiction cinema has the potential to turn any viewer into an aficionado, and to get everyone watching not only paying attention, but wholly invested. As the vastly dissimilar, not-at-all sports-related The Sparks Brothers also does, that's what Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In achieves. It steps through its eponymous subject's life story, all with the man himself narrating the details, sharing his memories and musings, and looking back on an extraordinary career. Helpfully when it comes to standing out from the crowded sports doco crowd, Never Give In has an angle: in 2018, Sir Alex was rushed to hospital and into surgery due to a brain haemorrhage. At the time, his biggest fear was losing his memories, which the younger Ferguson uses as an entry point — and as a touchstone throughout the birth-to-now recollections that fill the film otherwise. This approach helps reinforce exactly what Sir Alex has to recall, and what it all means to him. It also makes his plight relatable, a feat his footballing achievements were never going to muster (we can all understand the terror of having our lives' best moments ripped from our consciousness, but few people can claim to know what his level of professional success feels like). In his Scottish brogue, the elder Ferguson proves a lively storyteller, talking through his upbringing in Glasgow, his childhood adoration of Rangers Football Club, his ups and downs as a player — including taking to the pitch for Rangers and against them — and the path that led him to coaching first in Scotland, then for Manchester United. A wealth of archival footage assists in fleshing out the tale, as do interviews with players such as Cantona and Ryan Griggs. The result: an easy win of a film, but a nonetheless compelling and skilful one, too. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately before lockdown — check out our rundown of new films released in Melbourne on January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25; March 4, March 11, March 18 and March 25; and April 1, April 8, April 15, April 22 and April 29; May 6, May 13, May 20 and May 27; June 3, June 10, June 17 and June 24; and July 1. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Chaos Walking, Raya and the Last Dragon, Max Richter's Sleep, Judas and the Black Messiah, Girls Can't Surf, French Exit, Saint Maud, Godzilla vs Kong, The Painter and the Thief, Nobody, The Father, Willy's Wonderland, Collective, Voyagers, Gunda, Supernova, The Dissident, The United States vs Billie Holiday, First Cow, Wrath of Man, Locked Down, The Perfect Candidate, Those Who Wish Me Dead, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, Ema, A Quiet Place Part II, Cruella, My Name Is Gulpilil, Lapsis, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Fast and Furious 9, Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks, In the Heights, Herself, Little Joe, Black Widow and The Sparks Brothers.
UPDATE, September 1, 2023: Aftersun is available to stream via Binge, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. The simplest things in life can be the most revealing, whether it's a question asked of a father by a child, an exercise routine obeyed almost mindlessly or a man stopping to smoke someone else's old cigarette while wandering through a holiday town alone at night. The astonishing feature debut by Scottish writer/director Charlotte Wells, Aftersun is about the simple things. Following the about-to-turn-31 Calum (Paul Mescal, The Lost Daughter) and his daughter Sophie (debutant Frankie Corio) on vacation in Turkey in the late 90s, it includes all of the above simple things, plus more. It tracks, then, that this coming-of-age story on three levels — of an 11-year-old flirting with adolescence, a dad struggling with his place in the world, and an adult woman with her own wife and family grappling with a life-changing experience from her childhood — is always a movie of deep, devastating and revealing complexity. Earning the internet's Normal People-starring boyfriend a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and deservedly so, Aftersun is a reflective, ruminative portrait of heartbreak. It's a quest to find meaning in sorrow and pain, too, and in processing the past. Wells has crafted a chronicle of interrogating, contextualising, reframing and dwelling in memories; an examination of leaving and belonging; and an unpacking of the complicated truths that a kid can't see about a parent until they're old enough to be that parent. Breaking up Calum and Sophie's sun-dappled coastal holiday with the older Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall, Vox Lux) watching camcorder footage from the trip, sifting through her recollections and dancing it out under a nightclub's strobing lights in her imagination, this is also a stunning realisation that we'll always read everything we can into a loved one's actions with the benefit of hindsight, but all we ever truly have is the sensation that lingers in our hearts and heads. That aforementioned question arrives early in Aftersun: "when you were 11, what did you think you'd be doing now?" Sophie asks. A query that's been uttered many times to many people, Wells does indeed mean to get Calum taking stock, remembering his youthful hopes and dreams, and seeing the chasm between what he once wanted and where adulthood has brought him. She also wants viewers sharing the train of thought with him, in a movie that doesn't just feel personal in every second — the filmmaker has called it "emotionally autobiographical" — but gets its audience feeling that it is personal to them. That's a remarkable skill, making a piece of fiction drawn partly and loosely from someone's facts feel as vivid to you as if you'd lived it yourself. And, for 90s kids like Sophie, it doesn't just spring from the meticulous period detail in the sets, wardrobe choices, and 'Macarena', 'Losing My Religion' and 'Tubthumping' on the soundtrack. Consider Calum's quietly, subtly shaken response to Sophie's innocent inquiry — the unsettled look on his face momentarily, owning the brief but loaded pause, before he remembers that he needs a dad's reaction — Exhibit A among the evidence that Mescal is doing career-best work. The actor still only has a handful of screen credits to his name, scoring his Academy Award nod in just his third movie role. He's never been anything less than phenomenal in anything he's been in. Earthy and charming, gentle and fragile, stoic and raw, so wounded inside and so reluctant to share it, and sporting a vulnerable gaze and a cast over one wrist, Mescal is simply heartwrenching in Aftersun, however, as it keeps diving into Sophie's remembrances of her oft-smoking, always supportive, tai chi-practising, playfully bantering, tenderly doting but also silently depressed dad. Understanding why the adult Sophie is scouring VHS tapes and her mind's eye for far more than mere nostalgia involves doing what everyone on a resort getaway does: hanging out. Aftersun spends much of its time in the simple holiday moments, including by the pool, at dinner, singing karaoke, day tripping, and in Sophie and Calum's room — and lets these ordinary, everyday occurrences, and the details that flow from them, confess everything they can. With a blue hue, the film pieces together the pair's history along the way, with Sophie living in Glasgow with her mum, Calum based in London but hardly settled or happy, and this vacation a rare chance for the two to enjoy quality time alone. It also hears the instances where he's mistaken for her older brother and, not unrelated, sees her yearning to be liked by the older kids staying at the same hotel as they drink, banter, party and represent a step closer to her dad's existence. Mescal gets a tilt at Hollywood's night of nights for his efforts, but Corio is just as extraordinary — perhaps more so given that it's her first acting role. Watching the duo together is a marvel and, befitting the wistful sensation that washes through the feature about its central voyage, a rarity. Aftersun is sensual and dreamy in its structure and texture, elaborately constructed to look and feel that way, and anchored by two sensationally naturalistic performances and one sublimely authentic rapport. Everything about the picture ripples with a lived-in air: Mescal and Corio alone and combined alike, the emotions so tremendously conveyed in their portrayals, the genuine rather than fetishised 90s minutiae, Catatonia's 'Road Rage' and All Saints' 'Never Ever' echoing among the pitch-perfect music choices, and those flashes of hazy lose-yourself-to-dance reverie that include the grownup Sophie as well as her vision of Calum. Sophie, Calum and the inescapable aching that haunts both make an unforgettable trio, but Aftersun adds more names to that list, Wells chief among them. One of her great feats in penning and helming a movie that itself is a great feat is ensuring it resembles a flickering memory, complete with making it look and play that way — aided by cinematographer Gregory Oke (Raf) and editor Blair McClendon (The Assistant) — with its faded, glitching videotape aesthetic. Her sense of pace, feel and emotional storytelling, and her ability to build layers everywhere, is as engrained as Mescal and Corio's easy vibe. Her way with all the details revealed in all those small things, and with music drops that say everything (the use of David Bowie and Queen's 'Under Pressure' is majestic and dazzling) is as well. There's nothing tiny about the talents on show here, or the story shared, or one of the most resonant, intelligent and shattering final shots any film has ever managed. "Wish we could've stayed for longer," Sophie says before that. When Calum replies "me too", he's speaking for all of us.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS Somewhere in the multiverse, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is terrific. In a different realm, it's terrible. Here in our dimension, the 28th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe teeters and twirls in the middle. The second movie to focus on surgeon-turned-sorcerer Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog), it's at its best when it embraces everything its director is known for. That said, it's also at its worst when it seems that harnessing Sam Raimi's trademarks — his visual style, bombast, comic tone and Evil Dead background, for instance — is merely another Marvel ploy. Multiverse of Madness is trippy, dark, sports a bleak sense of humour and is as close as the MCU has gotten to horror, all immensely appreciated traits in this sprawling, box office-courting, never-ending franchise. But it stands out for the wrong reasons, too, especially how brazenly it tries to appear as if it's twisting and fracturing the typical MCU template when it definitely isn't. Welcomely weirder than the average superhero flick (although not by too much), but also bluntly calculating: that's Multiverse of Madness, and that's a messy combination. It's apt given its eponymous caped crusader has always hailed from Marvel's looser, goofier and, yes, stranger side since his MCU debut in 2016's plainly titled Doctor Strange; however, it's hard to believe that such formulaic chaos was truly the plan for this follow-up. Similarly, making viewers who've long loved Raimi's work feel like their strings are so obviously being pulled, all for something that hardly takes creative risks, can't have been intentional. It's wonderful that Multiverse of Madness is clearly directed by the filmmaker who gave the world Army of Darkness and its predecessors, the Tobey Maguire-starring Spider-Man movies and Drag Me to Hell. It's fantastic that Raimi is helming his first feature since 2013's Oz the Great and Powerful, of course. But it's also deeply dispiriting to see the filmmaker's flourishes used like attention-grabbing packaging over the same familiar franchise skeleton. Multiverse mayhem also underscored Multiverse of Madness' immediate predecessor, for instance — aka 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. That's the last time that audiences saw Stephen Strange, when he reluctantly tinkered with things he shouldn't to help Peter Parker, those actions had consequences and recalling Raimi's time with Spidey came with the territory. Strange's reality-bending trickery has repercussions here as well, because Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen, Sorry for Your Loss) isn't thrilled about her fellow super-powered pal's exploits. Yes, Multiverse of Madness assumes viewers have not only watched all 27 past MCU movies, but also its small-screen offshoots — or WandaVision at least, where the enchantress that's also Scarlet Witch broke rules herself and wasn't still deemed a hero. Multiverse of Madness begins before its namesake and Wanda cross paths after their not-so-smooth moves, actually. Strange's latest escapade kicks off with monsters, moving platforms, a shimmering book, and a girl he doesn't know and yet wants to save. It's a dream, but said teen — America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez, The Babysitters Club) — is soon part of his waking life. Hailing from another dimension and possessing the ability to hop through the multiverse, she's still being chased. Interrupting Strange's brooding at his ex-girlfriend Christine's (Rachel McAdams, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) wedding, rampaging critters reappear as well, while a sinister tome called The Dark Hold also factors in. The mission: save the girl and all possible worlds, aided by Strange's old friend and now-Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong, Nine Days), and via a run-in with nemesis Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Locked Down). Read our full review. PETITE MAMAN Forget the "find someone who looks at you like…" meme. That's great advice in general, and absolutely mandatory if you've ever seen a Céline Sciamma film. No one peers at on-screen characters with as much affection, attention, emotion and empathy as the French director. Few filmmakers even come close, and most don't ever even try. That's been bewitchingly on display in her past features Water Lillies, Tomboy, Girlhood and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, any of which another helmer would kill to have on their resume. It's just as apparent in Petite Maman, her entrancing latest release, as well. Now 15 years into her directorial career, Sciamma's talent for truly seeing into hearts and minds is unshakeable, unparalleled and such a lovely wonder to watch — especially when it shines as sublimely and touchingly as it does here. In Sciamma's new delicate and exquisite masterpiece, the filmmaker follows eight-year-old Nelly (debutant Joséphine Sanz) on a trip to her mother's (Nina Meurisse, Camille) childhood home. The girl's maternal grandmother (Margot Abascal, The Sower) has died, the house needs packing up, and the trip is loaded with feelings on all sides. Her mum wades between sorrow and attending to the task. With melancholy, she pushes back against her daughter's attempts to help, too. Nelly's laidback father (Stéphane Varupenne, Monsieur Chocolat) assists as well, but with a sense of distance; going through the lifelong belongings of someone else's mother, even your spouse's, isn't the same as sifting through your own mum's items for the last time. While her parents work, the curious Nelly roves around the surrounding woods — picture-perfect and oh-so-enticing as they are — and discovers Marion (fellow newcomer Gabrielle Sanz), a girl who could be her twin. The Sanz sisters are identical twins IRL, and why they've been cast is right there in Petite Maman's name. Spelling out anything further would be saying more than is needed going in; flitting through the story's intricacies alongside Nelly is one of its many marvels. Like all kids, she's naturally inquisitive about her parents' upbringings. "You never tell me about when you were children," she complains to her dad, who counters that, actually, he and her mother do. Like all kids, she's also keenly aware of the special alchemy that comes with following in your mother and father's youthful footsteps, all just by being in the house and roaming around the woods where her mum grew up. There's nothing as immersive in helping to understand why one of the people that brought you into the world became who they are. Indeed, it's no surprise that Sciamma and her cinematographer Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Spencer) shoot the film in golden and glowing autumnal hues. Nelly has questions for Marion, too, and vice versa; however, spending time in each other's company, watching the connection that springs and embracing every emotion it evokes is Sciamma's plan for the quickly thick-as-thieves pair. Explanations about what's happening are unnecessary; only the experience itself, the mood and the resonance it all holds are what matters. So, the girls do what kids do, whether amid all that ethereal greenery or inside Marion's home, decked out in vintage decor as it is, where Nelly meets her new pal's mother. The two girls play, including in a teepee-like hut made out of branches. They write and perform their own play, costumes and all. They share secrets, talk about their dreams for the future, make pancakes, bust out boardgames, and also float through their new friendship as if they're the only people who matter — in that intimate, serious and earnest way that children do with their friends. Read our full review. THE DROVER'S WIFE THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON Leah Purcell's resume isn't short on highlights — think: Black Comedy, Wentworth and Redfern Now, plus Lantana, Somersault and Last Cab to Darwin (to name just a few projects) — but the Goa-Gunggari-Wakka Wakka Murri actor, director and writer clearly has a passion project. In 2016, she adapted Henry Lawson's short story The Drover's Wife for the stage. In 2019, she moved it back to the page. Now, she brings it to the big screen via The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson. Only minutes into her searing feature filmmaking debut, why Purcell keeps needing to tell this 19th century-set tale is patently apparent. In her hands, it's a story of anger, power, prejudice and revenge, and also a portrait of a history that's treated both women and Indigenous Australians abhorrently. Aussie cinema hasn't shied away from the nation's problematic past in recent times (see also: Sweet Country, The Nightingale, The Furnace and High Ground); however, this is an unforgettably potent and piercing movie. In a fiery performance that bristles with steeliness, Purcell plays the eponymous, gun-toting and heavily pregnant Molly. In the process, she gives flesh, blood and a name to a character who wasn't allowed the latter in Lawson's version. In this reimagining, Molly is a 19th-century Indigenous Australian woman left alone with her four children (and one on the way) on a remote Snowy Mountains property for lengthy stretches while her husband works — and that situation, including the reasons behind it and the ramifications from it, causes ripples that shape the course of the film. Two of the key questions that The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson asks couldn't be more obvious, but something doesn't have to be subtle to be potent and perceptive. Those queries: what impact does being marginalised twice over, as both a woman and a First Nations Australian, leave on the feature's protagonist? How has it forged her personality, shaped what she cares about and cemented what she's capable of? It's during her spouse's latest absence that the film unfurls its story, not with a snake but rather strangers trotting Molly and her children's way. New sergeant Nate Clintoff (Sam Reid, The Newsreader) and his wife Louisa (Jessica De Gouw, Operation Buffalo) decamp from England — both well-meaning, and the latter a journalist who even protests against domestic violence, but neither truly understands Molly's experience. Also darkening her door: her husband's pals (Dead Lucky's Anthony Cogin and Wakefield's Harry Greenwood), who make the male entitlement and privilege of the time brutally apparent. And, there's no shortage of other locals determined and downright eager to throw their might, morals and opinions around, be it the resident judge (Nicholas Hope, Moon Rock for Monday), the minister (Bruce Spence, The Dry) or his unwed sister (Maggie Dence, Frayed). As Purcell impresses in her stare and stance first and foremost, Molly doesn't let her guard down around anyone. The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson has the parade of supporting characters to show why, and to illustrate the attitudes its namesake has been forced to stomach silently her entire life. She sports physical markers, too; from the outset of this moody and brooding film, there's no doubting that violence is a familiar and frequent part of Molly's existence. But Aboriginal fugitive Yadaka (Rob Collins, Firebite) is one of the few figures to venture in her direction and earn more than her ferocious gaze. He's on the run from murder charges, although he states his real crime bluntly: "existing while Black". Around the Johnson property, he strikes up a warm camaraderie with Molly's eldest boy, 12-year-old Danny (newcomer Malachi Dower-Roberts) — and, in another of the script's point-blank strokes, he's soon the closest thing to an ally his wary host has ever had beyond her children. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on February 3, February 10, February 17 and February 24; and March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; and April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Belfast, Here Out West, Jackass Forever, Benedetta, Drive My Car, Death on the Nile, C'mon C'mon, Flee, Uncharted, Quo Vadis, Aida?, Cyrano, Hive, Studio 666, The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy.
