If you've been counting down the days until you see Deadpool, Captain America and Blade's next stints on the big screen, you'll now be counting for longer: as part of a post-SAG-AFTRA strike shakeup, Marvel has pushed back some of its upcoming cinema release dates. And, by doing so, the comic-book company has created a rare situation: only one Marvel Cinematic Universe movie is set to hit cinemas in 2024 as a result. Earlier in 2023, when Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige told Entertainment Weekly that the MCU might slow down its pace, neither the writers' nor the actors' strikes had happened. Now, those words are proving true for four upcoming films. Deadpool 3, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts and Blade will all release later than planned, with experiencing the latest in a series of shifts back. This year has seen Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels hit the silver screen. In 2024, the next date with Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds, Spirited) — and with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman, The Son) as well — will now happen on Thursday, July 25 Down Under instead of Thursday, May 2. Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts were both slated for releases in 2024, too, but will now arrive in 2025 instead, moving from Thursday, July 25, 2024 to Thursday, February, 13, 2025 and Thursday, December 19, 2024 to Thursday, July 24, 2025, respectively. The same year, Blade will now drop on Thursday, November 6 instead of Thursday, February, 13. Obviously, while writers and actors have been striking for improved working conditions across 2023, none of Marvel's movies were being made, so these delays aren't surprising. Deadpool 3 will see both Deadpool and Wolverine enter the MCU, while Captain America: Brave New World focuses on Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) with the cape and shield. Thunderbolts will be all about the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan, Dumb Money), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen, Breaking Point), John Walker (Wyatt Russell, Under the Banner of Heaven), Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, You Hurt My Feelings), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh, Oppenheimer), Red Guardian (David Harbour, Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko, Extraction II) — and the return of Blade stars Moonlight and Green Book Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. Nothing else has shifted so far, which means that yet another Fantastic Four film — with no cast revealed as yet — is due on Thursday, May 1, 2025, in a year that has four MCU flicks set to drop. After that, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars are due to follow on Thursday, April 30, 2026 and Thursday, May 6, 2027 — if they aren't also delayed in general, due to the domestic violence allegations against Jonathon Majors (Loki) or even as a result of recasting. So, yes, all these MCU movies are still happening, but not as quickly. We've said it before and we'll say it again: maybe this far in, more breaks from the Marvel Cinematic Universe will make the heart grow fonder, especially if you've been feeling more than a bit of MCU fatigue. For more information about Marvel's upcoming slate of films and TV shows, head to the company's website. Images: Disney.
What happens when a touring showcase of music throughout Queensland joins forces with an annual citywide celebration of arts and culture in Brisbane? Sweet Relief!, the latest event from both Qld Music Trails and Brisbane Festival. A collaboration between both fests, but taking place in Brissie in September, this one-day-only excuse to get dancing will make its debut in 2023 with a helluva electronic-focused lineup, starting with Groove Armada, The Avalanches and Ladyhawke. Sweet Relief! also involves the folks at Untitled Group, the team behind festivals such as Beyond The Valley, Grapevine Gathering and Wildlands — and they've helped bring in quite the names. Groove Armada and The Avalanches will both play Australian-exclusive gigs, in fact, with the former doing a DJ set and the latter performing live. [caption id="attachment_907867" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Grant Spanier[/caption] We see you, festival-loving babies. The day to block out in your diary: Saturday, September 16. The place to head: the Maritime Green at Northshore Brisbane. As well as New Zealander Ladyhawke, the bill also spans Cut Copy doing a DJ set, plus Nina Las Vegas, Latifa Tee and YO! Mafia. Poof Doof Pride Patrol featuring Jimi the Kween is on the lineup as well, and additional Brisbane acts are still to be announced. [caption id="attachment_907869" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kath Gould[/caption] "We're so excited to be heading up to Brisbane to play at Maritime Green at Northshore Brisbane. It's such a cool looking spot — we've got a feeling it's gonna be a very special one," said The Avalanches. "Brisbane's history is littered with iconic festival moments such as Livid, Boundary Street Festival and Valley Fiesta that gave the Brisbane community an opportunity to bring their weirdest and wildest selves out to create an electric atmosphere of togetherness, diversity and inclusion," added Joel Edmondson, CEO of Qld Music Trails, announcing Sweet Relief!. "We hope that Sweet Relief! can establish itself as a place where people travel from around the country to experience Brisbane's local flavour and global appeal." SWEET RELIEF! 2023 LINEUP: Groove Armada (DJ set) The Avalanches (live) Ladyhawke Cut Copy (DJ set) Nina Las Vegas Latifa Tee YO! Mafia Poof Doof Pride Patrol featuring Jimi the Kween + more Brisbane acts to be announced Sweet Relief! will take over the Maritime Green, Northshore Brisbane, on Saturday, September 16. For more information and images — and to register for ticket presales from 6pm on Wednesday, July 5, with general sales from 12pm on Thursday, July 6 — head to the event website.
Decadently creamy, seductively spicy and oh-so-comforting — there's a reason why laksa is one of the most beloved noodle soup dishes from Southeast Asia. There are two broad types of laksa found across Malaysia, and infinite possible variations of each. The first is the asam laksa, the sour cousin of the curry laksa. Unlike the laksa most Australians will be familiar with, the asam laksa uses a fish and tamarind soup base for a more tangy, fresh noodle soup. The more common variation across Australia, the curry laksa, begins with the usual suspects — a mix of lemongrass, galangal, chilli and curry powder to give the broth its distinctive auburn glow before coconut milk is added to balance it all out. No matter what Melbourne's temperatures are doing, a bowl of this fiery concoction will warm your cockles in no time. Here's where to find the best laksa in Melbourne. Recommended reads: The Best Ramen in Melbourne The Best Pho in Melbourne The Best Hot Pot Spots in Melbourne The Best Cheap Eats in Melbourne Laksa King, Flemington The king of laksa opened its doors back in 1998 and the queues that snake along the streets of Flemington remain to this day. Every element of Laksa King's laksa is made from scratch, from the flavour-packed spice paste to the chicken broth that is simmered for hours. Each bowl comes with the unbeatable combo of delicate rice vermicelli and thick Hokkien noodles — because who can say no to double carbs? They add on tofu puffs, eggplant, crispy fried shallots, fresh mint and your choice of protein, with options ranging from roast duck to a succulent seafood mix of king prawns, calamari, mussels, scallops and fishcake. The Grand Tofu, Glen Waverley An absolute Melbourne laksa institution that has held its ground against the ever-changing shuffle of restaurants on Glen Waverley's Kingsway strip — these legends know exactly what they're doing. Reminiscent of the Dragon Hot Pot joint a few doors down, it's a choose-your-own-adventure vibe. Start by selecting your soup base — if you haven't noticed the pattern yet, we're obviously picking laksa — then pick six pieces of yong tau foo (fish paste-stuffed vegetables, beancurd and tofu) to drown in the creamy broth. Take a seat and wait mere moments before a steaming bowl of deliciousness is placed in front of you. We highly recommend also ordering some of their crowd-favourite Singapore fried noodles. KL Bunga Raya, North Melbourne This easy-to-miss restaurant on North Melbourne's Errol Street serves up one of Melbourne's best laksas as well as a heap of damn good Malaysian eats. The price of these laksas starts out at an easy $12.80, and even once they pack it full of roast duck, don't go beyond $16. They are big, tasty curry soups that are available to have in, take away or get delivered. The laksas alone will fill you up, but if you so desire, feel free to add on some roti with dipping sauces, san choi bao, satay skewers and fish cakes. Whatever you get, you can't go wrong at KL. Chef Lagenda, Deer Park This popular franchise has been serving steaming bowls of laksa to Melburnians since 2003. Their menu is an absolute treat, meaning you can fill up your table with a selection of yum cha, lobster tail and laksa all at the same time. Chef Lagenda offers five different types of laksa ranging from the classic chicken to mixed vegetables or seafood, but our favourite has to be the fish head curry laksa. The deep-fried Rockling fish head adds a deep, creamy flavour to the broth that will blow your socks off. Viet Rose, Fitzroy Don't let the name of Fitzroy's Viet Rose deter you — the team have mastered the art of both laksa and pho. The crowd-favourite vego laksa comes with your choice of rice noodles or egg noodles, veggies and generous pieces of beancurd. It's also one of the only places in Melbourne where you can order a side of Vietnamese spring rolls to go along with your curry laksa. That's a big win in our books. Roti Bar, Melbourne CBD You might struggle to find a seat here at Roti Bar if you try to pop by for a quick weekday laksa fix — you'll be competing with a crowd full of hungry office workers. Their menu is entirely halal and keeps it simple with three types of laksa on offer: prawn, chicken or veggie. Don't forget to order some of their signature roti (flaky, buttery flatbread) to soak up all of that broth. Malaysian Laksa House, Melbourne CBD Often flagged as one of the best curry laksas you can find in Melbourne, it seems like there are never enough tables in this tiny shopfront along Elizabeth Street. The vegetable laksa comes with an insane amount of toppings, you can expect huge pieces of eggplant, puffed tofu, green beans, broccoli, spinach, sambal (Malaysian chilli paste) and half a boiled egg. Mr Lee Malysian Cuisine, Brunswick East Located on the ever-eclectic Lygon Street, Mr Lee is loved by many due to their generous portions and high-quality ingredients. They serve up a soft shell crab curry laksa that ticks all of the boxes — crunchy, slurpable and absolutely delicious. Our top tip is to add on a serving of their epic char kway teow, the wok hei (the smokey flavour that comes from cooking over high heat) is out of this world. If you're out in these parts and have a hankering for a spicy soupy curry, hit up this beloved Melbourne laksa restaurant.
The smell of scrumptious street food and the buzz of live music will soon fill the air at Queen Victoria Market as Melbourne's summer Night Market returns for its 25th season. The market will commence on Wednesday, November 19, and run every Wednesday evening until March 11, 2026, with free entry for all visitors. This milestone marks a quarter of a century since the summer Night Market first opened its doors at the turn of the millennium. What began as a small gathering has evolved into one of Melbourne's most beloved summer traditions, drawing locals and tourists alike for an openair celebration of food, music and community. For many vendors, the event has become a staple of their lives as much as the city's. Vijay Sivaraj, owner of Drums Sri Lankan Street Food, has been part of the market since its first season and says the sense of continuity keeps him coming back year after year. "The summer Night Market is flavour, family and community," Sivaraj said. "I've watched generations come through. Kids who used to eat here with their parents now bring their own families. Twenty-five summers prove what this place means to Melbourne." This year's market will feature over 50 food vendors serving cuisines from around the world. Visitors can try everything from Parisian steak baguettes and flame-grilled Brazilian meats to Cypriot souvla, buttery French snails, and fresh Portuguese custard tarts. Gelato Messina will return with its signature summer flavours, while other long-time favourites such as The Black Sheep and St. Gerry's are also back. Drinks will include locally brewed beers from Brick Lane Brewing Co., mojito slushies, and refreshing serves from Isla Vodka and Compa Tequila, offering the perfect pairing for a warm night under the city lights. Beyond the food, the market's artisan section will showcase more than 50 local makers and designers. Visitors can browse minimalist jewellery from Mecino, upcycled fashion from Grandma Funk, handcrafted stationery from The Paper and Wood Co., and textiles sourced from Japan, Nepal and Tibet. It is a space that celebrates creativity as much as cuisine, offering unique finds for anyone seeking a handmade gift or summer keepsake. Live entertainment will again be at the heart of the experience, with weekly performances by local bands, buskers and RMIT music students providing DJ sets. The rhythm of the city will soundtrack each evening, as crowds wander between stalls beneath the market's openair sheds. Visitors can also look forward to seasonal produce pop-ups like Taste of summer, highlighting fruit and vegetables from Queen Victoria Market's own traders.
When Wes Anderson's films flicker across cinemas, their pastel hues dancing across the screen and their meticulous sense of symmetry looking like something out of an art gallery — the acclaimed director has previously curated his own art exhibition, after all — they make everyone watching want to step right into their frames. That's happened not just once or twice but ten times now, with The French Dispatch the latest example. Thankfully, to celebrate the long-delayed feature's arrival, Cinema Nova is bringing its detailed world into reality. See the film at the Carlton picture palace, or just stop by for a drink — either way, you can enter Cafe Le Sans Blague. Cinema Nova has given its bar a temporary Anderson-themed revamp, inspired by his new flick. Yes, just like in the movie, there's a prominent 'no crying' sign, as well as a pinboard plotting out the The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun's latest and last issue. So, you'll feel just like you've entered the offices of the movie's central magazine, and travelled to the very fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé in the process. The cafe takes its own name from one in the movie and, to keep playing up the theming, will be pumping out a mid-century French pop soundtrack. Getting nostalgic — even for a time you weren't alive for, a country you mightn't have been to and a city that definitely doesn't exist — is firmly on the menu here, as it is in Anderson's film. Cover art from various editions of The French Dispatch also lines the walls, as does art by Benicio del Toro's character Moses Rosenthaler. And, you'll also spot other details from the movie, plus behind-the-scenes tidbits and nods to the rest of Anderson's filmography. In terms of food, you'll be snacking on pastries and sandwiches, as well as the usual cinema fare — including themed black-and-yellow coffee choc tops. Drinks-wise, the Cinema Nova's regular beverage list is on offer, which spans cocktails, beer, wine and non-boozy options. Cafe Le Sans Blague is just a pop-up, so you'll want to head in sooner rather than latter to pretend you're in an Anderson film. An end date hasn't been set as yet, but it will be sticking around at least until the new year. Plus, if you get snapping while you're there — and then share your picks on Instagram — Cinema Nova will also be giving away The French Dispatch merchandise via the social media platform for the next few weeks. Find Cafe Le Sans Blague at Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon Street, Carlton — open from 11am daily.
Less than a couple of weeks out from the anticipated grand debut of arts and culture festival Rising, organisers have announced another multi-faceted, large-scale piece set to join the packed program. I Conjure delivers a thought-provoking work by celebrated New York-based artist Jenny Holzer, in the form of soaring six-storey tall projections splashed across the historic facade of Melbourne's Queen Victoria Women's Centre. Across each night of the festival, from May 26–June 6, the text-based work will present a curation of statements plucked from Holzer's Truisms series, along with a few new works. All will be emblazoned proudly on the 19th-century building. In line with the award-winning artist's anonymous street posters, which first appeared in the late 1970s, I Conjure's proclamations are witty plays on commonly held truths and recognisable cliches. Numbering close to 300, the various texts offer thoughts on creativity, art and activism. The project's lineup also includes words from renowned artists like Tracey Moffatt, Agnes Martin, Grace Hartigan and Nikki Lam. [caption id="attachment_812428" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jenny Holzer's work You Vote 2020 (Detroit, Michigan) © Jenny Holzer, member Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photo: Mark Rutherford.[/caption] A pioneer of text-based public art, Holzer's powerful messages have graced everything from baseball caps to giant LED sculptures over her decade-long art career. In recent years, the artist's statements have appeared on the likes of Switzerland's Gstaad Palace ("Hiding your motives is despicable"), New York City's Rockefeller Centre ("I feel pain with each step I take but to feel pain is better than to not feel pain at all, so above all things I am grateful") and the Wawel Royal Castle in Poland ("And now I don't know what in all that was real"). Catch I Conjure at the Queen Victoria Women's Centre, 210 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, nightly from May 26–June 6. For more details, check out the Rising website. Top images: Jenny Holzer's work A Little Knowledge Can Go A Long Way 2019 (Gstaad, Switzerland) © Jenny Holzer, member Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photo: Stefan Altenburger.
It's not every day that a design-inspiration blog transforms into its own shopfront, but that's exactly what happened with The Cool Hunter, which now operates as both a gallery and shop on Commercial Road. Inside, everything — including the lighting, food and accessories — is for sale. You won't find fads or trending items, but rather a curated list of the objects that inspire founder Bill Tikos. Decked out in ultra-chic jet-black, The Cool Hunter displays art, design and fashion, plus there are plenty of things that defy such simple categorisation.
The promises and proposals are flying in hard and fast as Victoria gears up for its next state election, and our railway situation is once again on everyone's radar. Five months after the current Victorian Government revealed it was gearing up to start work on a high-speed train line between Geelong and Melbourne, the Opposition has served up alternative plans for its own $15–19 billion regional rail network upgrade. Coalition's rail overhaul would see the Melbourne–Geelong commute slashed to just 32 minutes by 2022, using trains running at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour. The current journey clocks in at roughly an hour, with the state's best tracks only allowing for speeds of 160 kilometres per hour. In the proposal unveiled today by Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, the new 'European-style' rail network would also eventually drop travel times between Melbourne and Ballarat to 45 minutes, and squeeze the Melbourne to Bendigo trip down to 70 minutes. It would see currently closed passenger services to places like Mildura, Horsham, Donald and Hamilton reopened, and incorporate two new fleets of next-gen, high-speed trains. [caption id="attachment_691613" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Opposition's proposed regional railway network.[/caption] According to the Opposition, the revamped network would lure a whole heap of people to move from the city to the country, and would take ten years to complete. Mr Guy also confirmed that his proposal would complement existing plans for an Airport Rail Link and the Metro Tunnel, hinting that he expects the Federal Government to chip in funds as well. Labour government's plans weren't a heap different, with proposed train speeds of 250–300 kilometres per hour and a link to the airport; however, it did not mention larger plans to link in and shorten times to Ballarat, Bendigo and other regional cities. Either way, it looks like Melbourne will be getting itself a fancy new high-speed train to Geelong.
Brotherwolf has been making big moves in 2025, just over a decade since the barbershop and eventual clothing brand launched in Melbourne. In February, the label launched its first retail space on Greville Street, offering a three-month pop-up stocked with tailored streetwear alongside a curated vintage offering. Now, Brotherwolf has just opened its fourth outpost — one designed to marry menswear and grooming. Following locations in Prahran, St Kilda and Fitzroy, the brand-new South Melbourne spot brings barbering, design and fashion under the one roof. Moving into a 100-square-metre space on Clarendon Street, once the home of a grand bank, Brotherwolf has maintained the building's 19th-century heritage vibe. However, the crew brought Jessica Ellis Studio on board to give the interiors a suitably contemporary uplift. Stepping through the Boom-era facade, Parquet de Versailles flooring set against timber-clad walls welcomes visitors inside. Plus, the brand's nod to vintage rings through antique oil paintings in gilded frames as skylights flood the vast space with natural light. In the front, it's all about men's grooming thanks to a row of custom-built stations, while a hair-washing station is smartly tucked into one of the original bank vaults. Meanwhile, sleek garment racks and shelving dedicated to the brand's in-house haircare line adorn the rear. "The South Melbourne store feels like the most refined expression of Brotherwolf so far. It's different in the way it brings everything together under one roof with real intention," says the brand's founder, Pádraig Whelehan. Whether you're heading along to get a fresh fade or shop the range of wide-leg trousers, heavyweight knits and Cuban collar shirts, Whelehan has big plans for the new location. From in-store activations to limited-edition collaborations, expect creative encounters to take over the flagship spot in the coming months. Now, ten years into its run, Brotherwolf is staying true to its community-driven spirit. Says Whelehan: "At its core, [the South Melbourne store] is still very much us. The music, the banter, the attention to detail behind the chair — that stuff all remains unchanged. It carries the same DNA as our other shops, just with a bit more polish." Brotherwolf South Melbourne is now open at 295 Clarendon St, South Melbourne. Head to the website for more information. Images: Kristoffer Paulsen.
From 2025, what will Burleigh Heads have in common with Los Angeles, New York, Cannes, Bordeaux, Ibiza, Singapore, Seoul and Hong Kong? As Miami, Doha and Mexico City boast, too, it'll become home to a Mondrian hotel. Alongside fellow upcoming openings in Tulum and Dubai, the LA-born chain is launching its first-ever Australian outpost, heading to a breezy patch of the Gold Coast. For vacationers, the brand's debut Aussie site will feature 208 hotel rooms — some suites, some studios, some two- and three-bedroom beach houses. Also available for travellers: the venue's Sky House at its apex. Mondrian Gold Coast will also include residential apartments, however, if you're cashed up and looking for luxe new digs. Mondrian calls its hotels creative hives — and values its guests not just swanning in and feeling like they could be anywhere in the world, but becoming immersed in their surroundings. The 24-floor Burleigh Heads address will boast views that do plenty of heavy lifting in that regard; if you're not peering at the pine tree-lined beach, you'll have hinterland vistas. "Australia has long been a strategic focus for Mondrian's growth, and the Gold Coast was a focal point thanks to its phenomenal natural setting, rich cultural landscape and vibrant social scene," said Mondrian Hotels & Residences's Brand Chief Operating Officer Chadi Farhat. "Over the last couple of years, we have seen a rising demand for lifestyle brands, where locals and international guests are looking for authentic, creative and immersive experiences — all the hallmarks of the Mondrian brand. It felt a natural choice to bring Mondrian to the Gold Coast and we believe it will resonate strongly with the local market and lend something entirely new to the hospitality space," Farhat continued. Art, architecture, design and culture are also at the forefront of the chain's approach, with Mondrian Gold Coast skewing sleek courtesy of Australian architects Fraser & Partners and Studio Carter — the latter taking cues from the sand and pandanus shrubs for the hotel's textures and tones. Architecture and design practice Alexander &Co joins in with the as-yet-unnamed ground-floor restaurant, which will be just one of the location's spots to eat. Here, think: a space that sprawls both inside and out, complete with a sunny terrace. Up on the third floor, visitors will be able to eat with a vantage over the ocean, or enjoy kicking back at the hotel's pool club. While there's no menu details as yet, local produce will take the spotlight on the menus across the site. And for relaxing, the hotel will also feature a wellness space and sp. For partying, there'll be an events space as well. Find Mondrian Gold Coast at Burleigh Heads, Queensland, from sometime in 2025 — and head to the hotel's website for more information.
Two years ago, the site at 300 Smith Street, Collingwood was a thoroughly modern Italian affair, operating as Scott Pickett's new northside diner Lupo. Now, after a COVID-related hiatus, the space is set to be reborn with an unmistakable French accent, as the renowned chef-owner (Estelle, Matilda, Pastore) begins its transformation into Parisian-inspired newcomer Smith St Bistrot. Slated to open this summer, the bistro and bar will celebrate the French chapter of Pickett's own culinary training, as well as that of new right-hand man, Head Chef Daniel Southern (Bar Margaux, Vue Group). It'll open from 11am for those chic lunching, sipping and snacking sessions, with a rotating menu du jour showcased come dinnertime. Expect plenty of classic European flavours, across finely-tuned dishes like tuna tartare matched with pommes gaufrette, a chicken and tarragon fricassee for two, whole flounder with gribiche sauce and the classic creme caramel; here done a la Southern's recipe. You'll be just as happy dropping by for a steak baguette and pommes frites on your lunchbreak, as you will be celebrating with friends over an evening of lobster thermidor and armagnac souffles. [caption id="attachment_828038" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Southern and Scott Pickett, by Alex Squadrito[/caption] A matching wine offering promises options for all occasions and budgets, favouring local and international winemakers taking a hands-off approach to their art. That means biodynamic, organic, sustainable and natural drops are in strong supply. There'll be boutique beers and a handful of cocktails, too, revamping familiar favourites with a few new-world twists. The space itself has been reworked under the eye of Anthology Studio's Sarah Townson, with rich green velvet and burgundy leather played against exposed brick in a nod to both gothic and art deco stylings. Expect a heady vision of brass chandeliers, antique mirrors and wrought iron balustrades, complete with a spiral staircase leading to a new mezzanine level and second private dining space. Find Smith St Bistrot at 300 Smith Street, Collingwood, from this summer. We'll share more information as it's available. Images: Alex Squadrito
In an ironic makeover, a former Chicago meatpacking plant and slaughterhouse has found a new purpose as the city's first self-sustaining, vertical farm. Located in Chi-Town's Union Stock Yards, the 93,500 square foot brick building once specialised in mass-producing red meat - one of the least environmentally-friendly industries out there. Now, it is a sci-fi-like space dedicated to non-waste-producing urban farming. Projects inside 'The Plant' include a tilapia fish farm, beer and Kombucha tea breweries, aquaponic farms which harvest vegetables, and a mushroom garden. The Plant will also host to a group of bakers and caterers that will work together in a communal kitchen area. Upcoming projects include 'living' walls, and rooftop gardens. All of these endeavors have taken up a zero net waste policy, made possible by an interconnecting indoor ecosystem of sorts. The used grains from the beer brewery will be used as fish-food for the tilapia; the waste produced by the fish will nourish the mushroom garden and hydroponic plants; those plants will clean the water, which may be cycled back up to the fish tanks. Initially aided by a combined heat and power system, as well as an anaerobic digester, the Plant will be entirely self-sustaining. The project hopes to be taken off the power grid in just a few years. By the end of this year, the Plant hopes to have five rentable tenant spaces, and its renewable energy system up and running by next June. By 2016, the building is set to be fully functional, creating 125 neighbourhood jobs, and keeping over 10,000 tons of food waste out of landfills each year. Human waste is an obvious problem, says Melanie Hoeskstra, the Plant's director of operations. The renovations made to the Plant are workable in any old building: “It’s not a perfect system, but it’s really close," she says of the Plant. Sounds like city planners should take a note or two.
Missed out on tickets to the hugely popular Day of the Dead 3.1 warehouse project, announced last month? You're in luck. An immersive El Dia de los Muertos-inspired experience curated by a group of Mexican visionaries and artists, the Day of the Dead announced plans to visit Sydney on October 24, then Melbourne on October 31 before ending in Brisbane on November 7. While all three cities sold out within hours, and the organisers were inevitably inundated with hundreds of emails requesting tickets, so the Day of the Dead team twisted some arms and managed to increase the event capacity. There'll be a new and final ticket release happening on Saturday, September 26 at 12.30pm, with tickets at $95. Tickets will sell out within hours, so be ready. Get tickets here. Currently sold-out, the Day of the Dead warehouse project takes cues from some of the world's most celebrated immersive spectacles, everything from Burning Man to Sleep No More. The one-off event will immerse ticketholders in a temporary world of interactive art installations, light projections, extravagant costumes, murals created by renowned street artists and an exclusive lineup of local and international DJs and musicians. Pop-ups by a handpicked bunch of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane's go-to local Mexican eateries, like Playa Takeria, have been selected to create special Dia de los Muertos menus. Plus, there'll be Mexican cervezas and tequila/mezcal cocktails from the newly announced principal sponsor Tequila Herradura and major sponsor Tequila Jimador to provide you with enough sustenance to dance the night away. With instructions being sent to ticketholders just one week before the event, and locations revealed just one day before the party, this is secret warehouse party business at its best. Honour the dead, celebrate the living. Be ready on Saturday. The Day of the Dead 3.1's new and final ticket release is happening on Saturday, September 26 at 12.30pm. Tickets are $95 and are expected to sell out within hours. Get tickets here. By Kimberley Mai and Shannon Connellan.
Sydney might be world-renowned for its harbour, bridge and Opera House, and Melbourne's food and live music scenes might've won it plenty of fame and acclaim, but neither Australian city is one of the world's greatest places of 2023. Each year, TIME magazine singles out 50 locations around the globe that it considers extraordinary — and that travellers should make it a priority to visit — with just two Aussie destinations making the latest cut. Kangaroo Island keeps earning praise in 2023; already, The New York Times has named it one of the best places to head to this year in its version of the same type of list, and the South Australian spot's Stokes Bay topped Tourism Australia's best ten beaches for 2023, too. So, its place among TIME's picks is hardly surprising. But the publication also chose one Australian state capital: Brisbane. Move over Sydney and Melbourne — the rivalry that the New South Wales and Victorian capitals have is pointless, with the Sunshine State just sweeping in and nabbing the glory. In three words, TIME shouted out Brissie's "sports and sun", but it had more to say. And, while the hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games obviously got a mention, that's also just the beginning. "The capital of Queensland is already gearing up with ambitious infrastructural advancements, which visitors can enjoy before the crowds pour in," TIME notes. It then shouts out United Airlines' new direct flights between San Francisco and Brisbane; the soon-to-open Queen's Wharf with its bars, restaurants, four luxury hotels and sky-high observation deck; and co-hosting the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. "Beyond the central business district, the James Street Precinct is a welcome testament to how urban development can champion local businesses and artisans rather than supplanting them. The semi-industrial area leverages Brisbane's perennial sunshine to showcase an outdoor promenade anchored by artsy boutiques and cafes, all under the canopy of Moreton Bay fig trees," TIME also advises. "The surrounding neighbourhood, Fortitude Valley, has recently evolved into a culinary epicentre with new places like sAme sAme showcasing inventive international fare within a laid-back, uniquely Australian atmosphere; a growing assortment of global flavours befitting a now-worldwide audience." sAme sAme has been around for a few years now, but otherwise TIME's praise tells Brisbanites what they already know: that the River City is ace. Fresh from noting that the city's Myer Centre shopping centre would lose Myer, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said "while this is a fantastic accolade for our city, it's also about time!". "It's no accident that Brisbane is the fastest growing capital city in the country with people from southern states recognising that our city's incredible climate, lifestyle and liveability is second to none. We're investing in fantastic projects like Victoria Park, Brisbane Metro and our green bridges to help make Brisbane even better," the Lord Mayor continued. "Precincts like South Bank and Howard Smith Wharves are world-class destinations while our suburbs are great places to live, work and relax." Chosen by soliciting "nominations of places from our international network of correspondents and contributors, with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences," TIME explains, Brisbane sits on the world's greatest places of 2023 list alongside the likes of Barcelona, Kyota and Nagoya (home of the new Studio Ghibli Park) in Japan, St Moritz in Switzerland and Dijon in France. Also getting some love: Mexico City, South Korea's Jeju Island, Vienna, the pyramids of Giza, and the prime northern lights spot of Churchill, Manitoba in Canada. For TIME's full World's Greatest Places of 2023 list, head to the publication's website.
Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, The Mighty Boosh, Frida Kahlo: they're just some of the faces that've graced exhibitions around Australia in 2023. The next to join them is Amy Winehouse, in a showcase that's doing what documentary Amy also dedicated some of its frames to: stepping back a couple of decades to the beginning of the 'Back to Black' and 'Rehab' singer's career. When Winehouse was 19, photographer Charles Moriarty was requested by a friend to take some snaps of the then-unknown talent. They're the images that Amy, Before Frank will display. More than 30 will feature — and if you're wondering where the exhibition's name comes from, it references Winehouse's debut album Frank, with the photos covered hailing from before that record dropped. When Winehouse was in front of his lens, Irish photographer Moriarty didn't know what'd follow for the performer — the fame and success, nor her passing in 2011. The session clearly worked out well because Moriarty also shot the cover art for Frank, and became friends with the singer. To check out Amy, Before Frank, fans will need to head to Melbourne's @14 Gallery from Wednesday, November 1–Sunday, November 5. That timing couldn't be more perfect, given that Frank — which includes the singles 'Stronger Than Me', 'Take the Box' and 'In My Bed' — released two decades ago in October. Moriarty is also coming to Australia with the exhibition, chatting in Melbourne on Saturday, November 4. [caption id="attachment_917853" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The original photograph used for Amy Winehouse's debut album 'Frank', shot on Princelet St, London, 2003[/caption] Images: Charles Moriarty.
In Netflix's ongoing quest to keep our eyeballs glued to the small screen, the platform pumps out new original shows with frequency. There are now so many to choose from, you could easily watch nothing else. But, still, there are some that stand out from the crowd. Combine filmmaker David Fincher (Seven, Gone Girl), true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit and a whole heap of real-life serial killer cases, and you get the best show the streamer has ever made. For two seasons between 2017–2019, Mindhunter has drawn on its factual source material to dramatise the origins and operations of the FBI's Behavioural Science Unit — aka the folks who interview mass murderers to understand how they think, then use the learnings to help stop other killings. The show's main characters are fictional, such as agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) and psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), but the details they're delving into aren't. Also real: notorious figures such as Ed Kemper (played by Cameron Britton), David Berkowitz (Oliver Cooper) and Charles Manson (Damon Herriman), to name a few. It's the kind of concept that easily could span on forever — with plenty of killers and cases to cover — and still prove fascinating and gripping in this meticulously made show. Sadly, hopes for a third season now look as paltry as Holden Ford's social etiquette, with Netflix releasing the cast from its contracts, Deadline reports. The fact that Mindhunter wasn't swiftly renewed after its second season dropped last August has always been a worrying sign, which is compounded by the current news. The series hasn't been cancelled. Still, its cast is free to move onto other projects — so if Mindhunter does come back somewhere down the line, its stars mightn't be available to return because they're now working on something else. The show does boast a premise that could lend itself to an anthology format, though, so returning with a new bunch of characters taking on new cases wouldn't be the end of the world. Netflix let the cast's options expire due to Fincher's current workload, because he's quite busy making other things for them at present. As well as producing a second season of Love, Death and Robots, he's directing a Netflix film called Mank. Due to hit the platform sometime later this year, the biopic will focus on the feud between screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz and innovative director Orson Welles over screenplay credit for a little movie called Citizen Kane, with Gary Oldman and The Souvenir's Tom Burke playing the two men. Already missing Mindhunter? Check out the trailer for its excellent second season below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHlJQCyqiaI Via Deadline.
Encompassing York, Clarence and Kent Street in Sydney's CBD, the Harbour City's YCK Precinct has just been recognised in an international pilot program as an outstanding hub of nightlife, becoming Australia's first designated Purple Flag district. The Purple Flag program is an international accreditation scheme dedicated to recognising nightlife areas that are diverse, vibrant and safe. Each recognised district must meet a set of criteria judging its public transport, street lighting, food and beverage offerings, and entertainment. YCK Precinct will join areas across England, Sweden and New Zealand as Purple Flag districts, as the program strives to highlight the best after-dark cultural spots the world has to offer. [caption id="attachment_654874" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alana Dimou[/caption] "We are working to deliver a better night out for all and Purple Flag will boost Sydney's reputation as a global nightlife destination, creating a thriving 24-hour economy across the state as more precincts apply for accreditation," said New South Wales' 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Mike Rodrigues. "A collaborative and coordinated effort is required to build a vibrant and strong 24-hour economy and the YCK team has shown considered planning and a willingness to innovate in earning Purple Flag status." Boasting beloved and accomplished venues like Since I Left You, PS40, Esteban, Cash Only and The Prince of York, the YCK Precinct launched in 2021 in order to bring more attention to the three busy inner-city streets. Since then, it has worked to capitalise upon its venues, and the forces behind them, to promote the vitality of the Sydney CBD — and host several multi-day food, drink, music and arts festivals in the process. "Whether it's for some retail therapy, to visit one of the superb small bars, grab a late-night bite or enjoy one of our regular arts and cultural events, we are committed to delivering our patrons a safe, friendly and fun experience," YCK Laneways Association Vice President Karl Schlothauer said. Also in Sydney, the Purple Flag pilot program is still running in the Parramatta CBD, Haldon Street in Lakemba and Marrickville, with these three hotspots still yet to be given the official go-ahead as a Purple Flag district. Don't live in New South Wales? Sydney's latest accolade is bound to reignite Australia's capital-city rivalries. [caption id="attachment_805684" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Lobo[/caption] Learn more about the Purple Flag program in Sydney at the NSW Government's website.
Many an Aussie kid has spent a Saturday night hyped up on lime cordial spinning around their lounge room to Kylie Minogue. So, prep the cordial, and get ready to party like it's 2000 'cause the Aussie pop icon is heading back to home turf. While your inner child might be more familiar with her hits 'Spinning Around', 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' and that duo with Robbie Williams 'Kids', next year, Minogue is returning to Australia to perform songs off her just-released album Golden. Minogue was last here four years ago, in 2014, for her Kiss Me Once Tour, and now she's back, taking her Golden Tour for a spin around the country in March, 2019. As well as performing headline shows in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne, she'll also be performing at A Day on the Green in Perth, the Hunter Valley and Mount Cotton, Queensland. She'll be singing hits off her latest — and fourteenth — album Golden, which debuted at number one on the ARIA charts just this year. Featuring hits like 'Dancing' and 'Stop Me from Falling', the album has more of a country music-feel than her others, which is fitting, seeing it was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. On stage, Minogue will be joined by former Scissor Sisters frontman (now solo artist) Jake Sears at all shows and Brisbane artist Hatchie at A Day on the Green. Another special guest is expected to be announced soon, too. KYLIE MINOGUE 2019 'GOLDEN' TOUR DATES Sydney — ICC, March 5 Perth — A Day on the Green, Sir James Mitchell Park, March 9 Melbourne — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, March 13 Hunter Valley — A Day on the Green, Bimbadgen, March 16 Mount Cotton — A Day on the Green, Sirromet Wines, March 17 Tickets for capital city shows are available through Frontier Touring and A Day on the Green tickets are available through its website. Both go on sale at midday on Monday, November 19.
Gone are the days of sidling into bottle shops and covertly trying to identify the second cheapest wine on the shelf. The brainchild of The Iconic founder and former managing director Cameron Votan, Spokewine is the brand new online wine store that may well revolutionise the way you think about your drinking — with a unique customer rating system. The online equivalent of a well-stocked cellar door, Spokewine features wine options from more than 70 different Australian wineries, many of which have never before been available to buy on the web. With a focus on boutique producers, customers can browse by wine type, region or individual winery, or simply take a look at what's trending with their fellow oenophiles — which, let's face it, is basically just a fancy word for knowledgeable alcoholic. Once you've found the wine that suits your palate, you can order by the case and have it delivered to you absolutely free. Shipping should take between 4-10 days, and you'll need someone over 18 to sign for it on arrival. Sorry kids, there's no gaming the system. What makes Spokewine unique is their democratic review process, which takes the power away from snooty wine critics and puts it back into the hands of the people. Basically, it's like IMDb, but for your liver. After logging in through Facebook, you can choose between 'love', 'like' and 'not for me', or get more in depth feedback through tasting notes and written reviews. After you've rated the vino, your score and everyone else's get aggregated into two separate rankings — the 'approval' rating counts the percentage of positive votes, while the 'passion' rating calculates the number of 'love' votes as a percentage of people who ranked it positively. The Spokewine venture may prove a new mode of doing business for the former Iconic head and his partners Nicholas Turner, Michael Larsen and Victor Garcia. Votan told BRW the move was a "real partnership" with winemakers, as opposed to the set-up with labels: arguing over rebates, charging fees for lost custom. Looks like Votan is going to do things a little differently this time. "Not just The Iconic but any retailer I’ve ever been involved with, whether through consulting or an operational role, is that merchants are by nature in an adversarial relationship [with suppliers],” Votan told BRW. "It would be impossible to do that with the set of vendors that we’re working with now. They just don’t work like that. They’re up for partnerships for life. They want you to come and look them in the eye, walk through their vineyard with them, understand their story and at the end shake hands and say let’s do business." Now if you'll excuse us, we've got some user-reviewed wine to order.
For local distiller and qualified medical laboratory scientist Brogan Carr, making gin hits that sweet spot right between science and art. Along with her father Simon, Carr's created three signature gins, setting out to show the world just how diverse this spirit can be. There's the juniper-forward Australia Dry Gin dubbed Everyday Salvation, a fruity new-age number called Evening Light, and the navy strength edition called Royal Blood — a savoury concoction that pulls its flavours from Australian sea parsley, saltbush and roasted wattle seed. And it's with this character-filled trio that the Carrs have launched their new Richmond gin making operation and tasting bar to the public. North Street is now home to the modern, industrial but warm, Brogan's Way Distillery. It's a welcoming space that's primed for sipping gin when the bar opens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights — whether enjoyed straight, as part of a tasting flight, or infused into one of the exclusive cocktails. A collaborative effort between Brogan and the legendary Shaun Byrne (Gin Palace, co-founder of Maidenii Vermouth), the cocktail menu features bitters, aperitifs and digestifs also made by the talented gin-maker. And you'll find a strong lineup of tonics from Strangelove and Capi, carefully chosen to complement those house tipples. Visitors will be able to get stuck into a range of grazing platters, antipasto boards and charcuterie plates, starring local ingredients, even including pickles made using the distillery's spent botanicals.
Why not round out this month with a lively and intimate dining experience as Donde Mama, a mother-daughter duo from Colombia, teams up with Mauritian restaurant Manzé to celebrate Colombian Caribbean culture and food on Sunday, August 31, with their event Flavours at Manzé. Donde Mama, who are known for their catering that showcases the food of their hometown, Cartagena, are teaming up with social enterprise Welcome Merchant for their first sit-down dinner in Melbourne. Welcome Merchant collaborates with refugees, former refugees or asylum seekers by promoting businesses and artists, connecting communities and working to break down cultural barriers. The Manzé team have said "It's [their] privilege to provide a space for [Donde Mama] to share their warmth, culture and amazing food." The evening is set to be a joyful celebration of Colombian traditions and food. The set menu includes dishes that celebrate Colombia such as green plantain mashed with cheese and pork crackers, quail egg arepas, beef roasted in a sweet sauce, black coconut rice with raisins, and cassava cheesecake to finish. There are two sittings available, at 6pm and 8pm. Proceeds from the event will go towards supporting Donde Mama and Welcome Merchant, so grab a ticket for $85, and be quick so you don't miss out. Get your tickets for Donde Mama's pop-up, Flavours at Manzé, now. Images: Supplied.
Spring is here, the sun is out, and everything is 500 times more whimsical. Now times that whimsy by infinity. Studio Ghibli is bringing a showcase to our shores in October and it's touring all over the nation's cinemas. Celebrating renowned filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, the showcase will feature four films and two documentaries that explore the intricacies and beauty of their craft. If you haven't had a chance to get acquainted with the work of these two cult favourites before, this will be the perfect opportunity to get up to date. Work your way through much-loved classics with screenings of both My Neighbour Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies. Then explore new terrain with The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and the critically-acclaimed historical anime feature The Wind Rises. Though the Japanese animation studio has 20 feature films to its name, the Australian showcase will feature just these four — a refined look at the old versus the new. But this won't just be for the newbies. Seasoned anime pros can get an inside look into the craft with screenings of both Isao Takahta and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya and The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness. Though the documentaries have had separate screenings at local film festivals this year, this will be their first standalone showing on Australian screens. Either way, whether you're a die-hard anime fanatic or have never even seen Spirited Away, there's always room in your life for a little whimsy and wonder. Get lost in the cinema for a few hours and discover an exciting new world. The Tale of Studio Ghibli Showcase will run at select cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane from October 9-22. The films will be screening in Perth from November 6-19, and in Adelaide from November 27 - December 10.
It's not every day a Michelin-starred name makes its way to Melbourne. So it's little surprise that the queues for Hawker Chan, the new Melbourne outpost from celebrated Singaporean chef Chan Hong Meng, have been a firm fixture since its doors opened in December. The restaurant is a spin-off of Meng's original Singapore food stall, which is one of just a few hawker eateries to ever win a Michelin star. That's right — you can now get your mitts on one of the world's cheapest Michelin-quality feeds right here in Melbourne. For his Lonsdale Street venue, Meng has recreated the feel of a classic Singaporean hawker centre. You order your meal at the front counter and collect it on a tray once your number flashes up on the big screen. The lights are bright, the tables are bare and there's a buzzy atmosphere that goes hand in hand with a cheap and cheerful feed. And cheap is kind of an understatement here. The menu is a celebration of simplicity and value for money, with just a handful of favourites headlined by the chef's famed signature dish of soya sauce chicken with rice ($6.80). It's mighty hard not to love the kitchen's trademark Cantonese-style chicken — tender, juicy meat that's been braised, skin and all, in fragrant stock and spices, then chopped to order. As with the menu's other protein dishes, you can pay a couple of extra bucks to switch the accompanying rice for a pile of springy thin noodles ($8.80) or house-made hor fun ($8.80) — flat rice noodles. Meng's also kicking goals with his finger-licking pork rib recipe, which'll have you shamelessly nibbling every last bit off the bones. If you're feeling extra carnivorous, try it teamed with chopped roast pork belly and char siew as part of the three-combination platter ($18). The lineup of sides is equally minimalist, including a fragrant wonton soup ($7.80) and a flavour-packed Thai-style tofu — fried and drizzled with sweet chilli sauce and crushed peanuts ($6). Throw in a serve of house-made chrysanthemum tea ($3) or sweet plum juice ($3) and you'll find it pretty easy to imagine you're actually worlds away, living it up in Southeast Asia.
The initial event announced for RISING 2025, Swingers — The Art of Mini Golf was always going to be one of the Melbourne winter festival's big highlights for this year. Combining mini golf and art, exploring the feminist history of the short game, getting folks tap, tap, tapping across the entire upper level of Flinders Street Station, and boasting talents such as Kajillionaire filmmaker and All Fours writer Miranda July designing courses: what a combination. Accordingly, months after the fest wrapped up its later iteration, it should come as no surprise that its putt-putt experience has not only proven a hit, but is also sticking around even longer than planned. While RISING ran for 12 days from Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15 for 2025, Swingers — The Art of Mini Golf was locked in until Sunday, August 31 from the beginning. Now, that season has been extended. With a new closing date of Sunday, September 21, you've now got three more weeks to take to the greens. Expect company, as more than 25,000 people have headed by so far, resulting in soldout sessions. What do you get when you create an art exhibition that's also a mini-golf course? Swingers — The Art of Mini Golf answers that question with its playable setup. The piece's greens are designed by female-identifying and gender-diverse artists, resulting in surreal and mindbending creations in a work that also aims to get attendees thinking about the sport's beginnings. July's contribution, for instance, riffs on her latest book's name with an 'all fores' setup. Also helping to shape Swingers — The Art of Mini Golf: Soda Jerk switching from bringing TERROR NULLIUS and Hello Dankness to the big screen, plus Australian artists Kaylene Whiskey and Nabilah Nordin, Japan's Saeborg, the United Kingdom's Delaine Le Bas, Indonesia's Natasha Tontey, Atlanta rapper BKTHERULA and Hobart-based photographer Pat Brassington. "It's been fantastic seeing the diverse groups of people coming through the space, having fun, playing and learning about all of the beautiful, unusual artworks," said RISING's Grace Herbert, who curated the work. "So far, Swingers has hosted many families, friend groups and dates, and we've even had a proposal in the ballroom. I'm so glad that RISING is extending the season so that more people can enjoy this experience." As for the festival itself, it came, it celebrated, and it filled Melbourne with art, music and performances in June — with help from 100-plus events from 610 participating artists, including 16 brand-new commissions. Not only was Swingers — The Art of Mini Golf the first 2025 announcement, but it's the longest part of this year's program. And, while a few other events extended past RISING's official dates, this will also be the last to wrap up. Swingers — The Art of Mini Golf runs until Sunday, September 21, 2025 at Flinders Street Station, Flinders Street, Melbourne — head to the event's website for further information. Images: Remi Chauvin.
If you think of famous artists, you may recall the likes of Picasso, Dalí, Monet, Michelangelo, Rothko and Warhol. One thing these artists have in common is none of them are Australian. Another is that they're all men. They are, undoubtedly, some of the greats. But this year the National Gallery of Australia is turning its focus to the Aussie women who have greatly contributed to the arts with an upcoming exhibition. Dubbed Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now, the free exhibition kicks off on Friday, November 13 and will run till Sunday, July 4— so you'll have plenty of time to catch it. The blockbuster exhibition is part of the gallery's ongoing initiative to increase the representation of female artists. As the name suggests, it'll showcase works by artists from the early 1900s to the present day, including some brand-spanking-new commissions. By bringing together artists of different times, as well as cultures, practices and places, the exhibition challenges the assumption of Australian art being male-dominated. There'll be more than 350 works on display, featuring everything from paintings to performance art and a floor-to-ceiling presentation of the artists' portraits. Highlights include a commission by the Tjanpi Desert Weavers; performance art by Bonita Ely and Jill Orr; Tracey Moffatt's key series of photographs, Something more; a huge painting by the Ken Family Collaborative; and an installation by Justene Williams. You can also expect works by KuKu and Erub/Mer artist Destiny Deacon, leading modernist painter Grace Cossington Smith, famed printmaker Margaret Preston, photographer Rosemary Laing, Anmatyerr artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye and contemporary painter Anne Wallace. [caption id="attachment_775540" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anne Wallace, 'She Is' 2001 , oil on canvas, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Purchased 2002, © Anne Wallace[/caption] Coinciding with the exhibition's launch will be a three-day conference, which will bring together established and emerging artists, curators and academics to discuss everything from creative practice to women and gender equity in the arts. The conference will run from November 11–13. Know My Name: Australian Women Artists 1900 to Now is showing at the NGA from November 13 through July 4, 2021. The gallery is open from 10am–5pm daily and entry is free. Top images: Yvette Coppersmith, 'Nude selfportrait, after Rah Fizelle' 2016, oil on linen, Private collection, ©Yvette Coppersmith; Roma Butler and Yangi Yangi Fox, from Irrunytju in Western Australia, with their sculptures, 2017, photo: Rhett Hammerton; and Grace Cossington Smith, 'The Bridge in building' 1929, oil on pulboard, National Gallery of Australia,Canberra, Gift of Ellen Waugh 2005. For the latest info on ACT border restrictions, head here.
On March 14, Cyberdyne presented an exhibit at the 2011 Cybernics International Forum. The invention: HAL, an exoskeleton robot suit powered by electric motors that enhances physical strength and allows users to defy typical human capabilities. Creepy or cool? A little bit of both, I'd say. At first glance, it's perplexing to think that someone can slip on this suit and instantly inherit superhuman strength. The likes of Iron Man are revered in comic books and robots are cool in sci-fi movies, but to give humans that power in real life is both scary and a bit weird. Between these robot suits and the latest thought-controlled cars, the distinction between man and machine is starting to get blurred. But if you look deeper, HAL was designed to do more than just transform humans into cyborgs. Creators of HAL had a high-tech advance in industrial work in mind. The contraptions, that come in many forms, from a full-body suit to a "lite" single arm version, were initially aimed at helping factory workers who had to lift heavy objects on a daily basis. HAL would prevent joint pain and stress on the body, especially for older workers and those with limited joint function, and also aid people with reduced mobility. In addition, in light of the many recent natural disasters, developers have been thinking that robot assistance may have a future with the military, with firefighters or other rescue personnel. A group of firefighters with the ability to lift rubble on their own after an earthquake seems too good to be true, but with HAL it is a very real possibility. Yes, it is still somewhat creepy that a human being can now strap on a suit and basically turn into a cyborg. But if it can help save lives, then it's pretty damn cool. [via FastCompany]
Last year served up its fair share of lows, but if you'd like to balance that out with a few dizzying highs, Southbank's newest addition has them in abundance. Home to the highest observation platform in the Southern Hemisphere, the former Eureka Skydeck has been reborn with a multimillion-dollar makeover as Melbourne Skydeck. The site has relaunched not just with a new moniker, but with a whole swag of new onsite experiences and attractions designed to show off Melbourne from a fresh — and soaring high — perspective. Perched almost 300 metres above street level, the lofty Skydeck reopened in mid-December, now sporting a ground-breaking virtual reality theatre, a heart-pumping new attraction based in a suspended cube, a virtual reality zipline experience and a plush sky-high bar. To access them all, you'll first take a ride up in the speediest elevators in the entire Southern Hemisphere, too. Kitted out with 24 Positron Voyager VR shell chairs, the cutting-edge Voyager Theatre (located on the ground floor) delivers an immersive, 360-degree adventure, stopping off at 16 of the state's most iconic scenes and attractions. Vibrations, movements and aromas help virtually transport guests to the heart of the action, matched by a specially curated soundtrack courtesy of The Cat Empire's Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill. Meanwhile, upstairs, world-first experience The Edge sees you enter a glass-walled cube that then moves out beyond the building's facade to leave you suspended 300 metres above the ground — with the floor switching temporarily to transparent mode for an extra rush of adrenaline. You can even get your photo snapped while you're hovering up here above the earth. Back inside on firmer ground, those after a less edgy thrill can try the virtual reality plank walk and zipline ride, which sees you pop on a pair of goggles to enjoy a realistic cruise through the skies above the CBD. And for drinks matched with arguably the grandest views in town, check out Skydeck's Bar 88, run by the fine dining team behind Eureka 89. Here, you can sip Bollinger, nibble cheese platters and tuck into chic bar snacks while gazing out across the city spread out far, far below. Find the newly revamped Melbourne Skydeck at 7 Riverside Quay, Southbank. It's open daily from 12–10pm.
Another year, another version of Batman. The Dark Knight doesn't get a new famous face quite that often, but you can be forgiven for thinking that it feels that way. Following in the footsteps of Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck, Robert Pattinson is now the latest actor to don the recognisable cape and mask — all thanks to upcoming superhero flick The Batman. No one really needs a plot synopsis for flicks about the Gotham City-dwelling character, because yes, we've all seen multiple versions of Batman over the years. This one is meant to stand completely apart from the most recent Affleck-starring DC Extended Universe version of the character, though. So, basically, what DC Films and Warner Bros Pictures did with Joker in 2019 — serving up a grimmer, grittier iteration of the infamous figure that has absolutely nothing to do with the rightfully hated Jared Leto version — they're endeavouring to do for Batman now. Also following the same playbook: enlisting a top-notch star in the lead role. Remember, it was only last that Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar for playing the clown prince of crime. As well as Pattison as the titular character and his alter-ego Bruce Wayne, The Batman stars Zoe Kravitz (Big Little Lies) as Catwoman, Paul Dano (Escape at Dannemora) as the Riddler, Colin Farrell (Voyagers) as the Penguin, Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) as Commissioner Gordon and Andy Serkis (Long Shot) as Alfred Pennyworth. Plenty of these figures have popped on screens large and small multiple times, too — but Farrell's version of the Penguin certainly stands out in the film's just-dropped (and suitably dark, brooding and violent) full trailer. Originally slated to release this year, The Batman is one of the many movies that've been delayed due to the pandemic. And yes, you have gleaned a sneak peek before, with the movie dropping its first teaser trailer more than a year ago. Pattinson did just star in the Christopher Nolan-helmed Tenet in 2020, so perhaps it makes sense for him to play a character that Nolan helped bring back to cinemas 16 years ago. This time around, however, Cloverfield, Let Me In, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes filmmaker Matt Reeves is in the director's chair. Check out the full trailer for The Batman below: The Batman is currently due to release in Australian cinemas on March 3, 2022. Images: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/ ™ & © DC Comics.
The last time that Lady Gaga appeared on the big screen, she nabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her troubles (and a shiny trophy for Best Original Song, too). Three years after A Star Is Born, she's heading back into cinemas in House of Gucci — and while no one should be speculating about accolades sight unseen, this true-crime fashion drama sure does scream potential awards contender. Haute couture. Murder. Disco tunes and Studio 54. Throw in one of the biggest names in fashion — and a tale that's filled with both glam and grim strands, too — and that's this Ridley Scott (The Last Duel)-directed film. Ranking highly among the most anticipated movies set to hit the big screen across the rest of 2021, it steps inside the Gucci family fashion dynasty, charting its successes and shocking moments over the course of three tumultuous decades. If you've read the book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed, which this new movie is based on, then you'll know the details. If you've seen news coverage about or can remember the events that rocked the Italian family back in 1995, you will as well. The focus: Maurizio Gucci, grandson of company founder Guccio Gucci, and the head of the fashion house throughout the 80s and early 90s — until he was assassinated by a hitman in 1995. Adam Driver slips on Maurizio's unsurprisingly stylish shoes, in what's proving a big year for him in cinemas (he also starred in The Last Duel, as well as in Annette a few months ago). As for Lady Gaga, she plays Maurizio's wife Patrizia. And, as the just-dropped new trailer shows — following on from a first sneak peek mid-year — her character isn't holding back. Obviously, there's quite the story to unpack here, and Scott seems to be going big on striking threads, 70s and 80s tunes and vibes, indulgence and luxury dripping through in every frame, and also an unavoidable air of melodrama. To help, the film's star-studded cast also includes Jared Leto (The Little Things) sporting plenty of prosthetics and makeup, as well as Al Pacino (The Irishman), Jeremy Irons (Love, Weddings and Other Disasters) and Salma Hayek (The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard). As both trailers reminds us, that's a whole lot of Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated talent in one flick. Check out the latest House of Gucci trailer below: House of Gucci will release in Australian cinemas on December 26. Image: 2021 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Cast Kate Winslet and Idris Elba in a survivalist drama, and you'd expect tension, thrills and impressive performances to follow. Cast them in a romance, and you'd expect hearts to melt like snow. Unfortunately, if you throw the pair into a combination of the two, the results are as mixed as the blend of genres. The actors are great in The Mountain Between Us, of course, but there's no mistaking the feeling that they're stuck in a marginally classier Nicholas Sparks-style flick. While Charles Martin actually wrote the book that this survivalist romance is based on, all of Sparks' basic elements are present. The diversity that Elba's involvement represents isn't something the author behind The Notebook is known for, but characters meeting in unlikely circumstances, struggling through tough times, and finding love while overcoming obstacles are Sparks' bread and butter. With The Mountain Between Us sticking closely to that formula, you know where the movie is going from the moment you sit down in the cinema. As such, only one question remains: can Winslet and Elba make it all worth it? The duo play Alex, a photojournalist heading from an assignment to her own wedding, and Ben, a neurosurgeon due to usher a sick boy into his operating theatre the next day. When bad weather strands them in Idaho at the last minute, Alex introduces herself and her plan to Ben. They'll charter a plane, beat the oncoming storm and get to their Denver destination in no time — and that might've worked out just fine if their pilot (Beau Bridges) hadn't had a stroke over Utah's white-topped mountains, causing them to crash. Soon, they're in the icy middle of nowhere with no phone reception, little food and an unnamed dog as their only other company. Prior to shooting, The Mountain Between Us went through a number of casting changes, from Michael Fassbender and Charlie Hunnam to Margot Robbie and Rosamund Pike. Given the end product, you can't help but feel that they all dodged a bullet. That Winslet and Elba are the best things about the movie is evident from the outset. Screenwriters Chris Weitz and J. Mills Goodloe don't do nearly enough to make Alex and Ben seem like well-rounded characters, while director Hany Abu-Assad does little more than make them look attractive. Even so, the pair manage to bring some much-needed nuance to their paper-thin parts. Bland dialogue, routine backstories and cliched plot developments can't frost over their natural charms or rapport entirely. As much as the actors do with the material, however, they can't quite lift the film beyond standard sappy romance territory. That's primarily because the movie isn't trying to be anything different — although it's not eager to be seen as disposable fluff, either. Accordingly, Abu-Assad is saddled with a juggling act that he just can't manage to master, asked to both show the stressful, solemn side of his characters' plight, while offering up warmth and hope as his protagonists slowly discover their affection for each other. Ultimately, he doesn't come close to succeeding. Still, at least the scenery looks great, as shot by Australian cinematographer Mandy Walker of Lantana, Tracks and Hidden Figures fame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jyzGKXBOxA
It's the kind of dazzling space that you could easily lose a whole day to, and it seems that plenty of people have. A year after opening, Tokyo's teamLab Borderless Digital Art Museum has revealed that it welcomed more than 2.3 million visitors in its first 12 months, making it the most visited single-artist museum in the world. In this case, the term 'single artist' doesn't mean that everything that graces the site's walls, floors and ceiling is the work of just one person, with teamLab comprised of a collective of creatives. Still, Borderless' entry figures for the year exceed the other top single-artist venues, eclipsing the Van Gogh Museum's 2017 record high, the last reported figures for Spain's Dali Museums in the same year and the Picasso Museum's numbers for 2018. The first, in the Netherlands, saw 2.26 million patrons through the door, while the second reached 1.44 million across three sites and the third hit 948,483. [caption id="attachment_701274" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sarah Ward[/caption] While plenty of Japanese locals have made the trip to teamLab's permanent Odaiba facility, almost half of Borderless' visitors hail from overseas. Folks from more than 160 countries and regions made the trip, with the most coming from the USA, followed by Australia, China, Thailand, Canada and the United Kingdom. teamLab's other Tokyo site, teamLab Planets in Toyosu, also attracted huge numbers over its first year. Another immersive space — this time asking patrons to walk barefoot through its digital artworks — it received 1.25 million visitors from 106 global locations. It's safe to assume that patronage at teamLabs two current pop-ups — across 500,000 square metres of Japanese forest and hot springs, and in old oil tanks in Shanghai — will also prove rather healthy. For Australians keen to get a glimpse of the collective's work without jetting overseas, it's bringing its sculptures of light and "cascades of shimmering luminescence" to this year's Melbourne International Arts Festival in October. Find teamLab Borderless Tokyo: MORI Building Digital Art Museum in Odaiba Palette Town, 1-3-8 Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan. It's open seven days a week — for more information, visit the museum's website. Via Business Wire.
From Maha's elegant cocktail bar Bar Jayda comes a desert oasis-inspired night of live music and performances. For one night only, you can delight in the spice-infused cocktails and snacks that Bar Jayda is known for, while being entertained by a live band, roaming belly dancers and henna artists. Tucked away on Bond Street in Melbourne's CBD, the cocktail bar features European cigar lounges with plush velvet sofas and low tables. Sitting underneath the glowing lights, it won't take much to convince you that you're in a desert dream. Try duck and apricot kibbeh, slow-roasted lamb with green olive tabouleh, and aged basmati pilaf with cashew and parsley. Then, finish with Turkish delight donuts, dark chocolate, pomegranate and mint cake. Pair these bites with the Golden Bazaar cocktail, infused with cachaça, spiced calamansi sherbert, apricot and ginger. Or, tantalise your palate with the Marksman, made with Maker's Mark bourbon, Christian Drouin calvados, arak and applewood. Bar Jayda is one of Shane Delia's many restaurants, bars and eateries that have taken over Melbourne. Since the launch of Maha in 2008, Delia has introduced Middle Eastern and Maltese flavours to the city's fine-dining scene. Oasis After Dark is open for intimate sittings from 5pm, so make sure to book ahead for this multi-sensory dining experience.
Ever since 2025's Sydney Film Festival first started revealing its program back in March, the event was on track for a huge year. How big? By the numbers, the fest screened 242 films, and put on 448 screenings and events. Among that massive lineup of sessions, more than 150 sold out. So, it should come as no surprise that this year's SFF also made history thanks to its 150,000-plus attendees. That hefty number of folks who spent some or all of the festival's 12-day run from Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15 in a Sydney cinema is an 11-percent increase on 2024's attendance figure. It also makes SFF 2205 the highest-selling festival in its history. As Sydney Film Festival CEO Frances Wallace described it, "this year has been extraordinary". "It's amazing that after 72 years, the Sydney Film Festival is stronger than ever. It's a tribute to the organisers and the tens of thousands of film fans who've turned out. This festival, its fans and its filmmakers have once again created an absolute highlight in Sydney's events calendar," said New South Wales Minister for the Arts John Graham about the fest's 2025 achievement. "As the curtain falls on another unforgettable Sydney Film Festival, we look back on and celebrate the bold storytelling, diverse voices and shared cinematic journeys that lit up our screens and sparked our imaginations," added Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore. "I look forward to our continued partnership with the Sydney Film Festival and all that it brings to our fine city." The fest came to an end for 2025 with a closing-night gala that gave relationship comedy Splitsville its Australian premiere — and first screening anywhere beyond its Cannes debut — and announced this year's prizewinners. Receiving the $60,000 Sydney Film Prize for the most "audacious, cutting edge and courageous" movie in the fest's Official Competition: Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident, fresh from taking home the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, too, and with the iconic Iranian filmmaker himself in attendance in the Harbour City. That said, the event that opened with body-horror Together, gave Ari Aster's Eddington its Aussie premiere and boasted DEATH STRANDING's Hideo Kojima among its guests isn't actually quite done for 2025 so far. The official festival itself has said goodbye until 2026, but it's also screening Back By Popular Demand encore sessions between Tuesday, June 17–Friday, June 20 at Dendy Newtown, Palace Cinemas Norton Street and Ritz Cinemas. Sydney Film Festival 2025 ran from Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15 at various cinemas and venues around Sydney. The fest is screening four days of encores via Sydney Film Festival's 2025 Back By Popular Demand bonus screenings at Dendy Newtown, Palace Cinemas Norton Street and Ritz Cinemas Randwick between Tuesday, June 17–Friday, June 20. For more information and tickets, head to the festival's website. Jafar Panahi images: Tim Levy.
Much to the delight of Adelaide residents, the South Australian capital scored a huge new two-day music festival in 2022. Actually, Harvest Rock wasn't just about tunes. It was about food as well, and also wine given the location. And it went big, thanks to an Aussie-exclusive show by Jack White, plus The Black Crowes, Khruangbin, Groove Armada, Kurt Vile & The Violators, The Lumineers and Hot Chip also on the bill. That was last year's huge news, as 15,000 attendees per day enjoyed. In 2023, the festival will return for another weekend of music, bites and beverages at Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka and King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina, Adelaide, on Saturday, October 28–Sunday, October 29. For folks in Adelaide, you've got another reason to make your interstate mates envious. For everyone outside of the City of Churches, you clearly have an excuse to visit. The 2023 lineup doesn't drop until Wednesday, August 2, but here's hoping that it's as impressive as Harvest Rock's first event. 2022's fest also featured Crowded House, The Avalanches, Courtney Barnett, You Am I and Tones And I. Dubbed Harvest Rock II, the returning spring fest mightn't have any musicians to reveal as yet, but it has confirmed some of the other parts of the event — including the dedicated VIP Village and Harvest Lounge if you want the luxe treatment. The festival's most decadent ticketing options, if you can afford them in these hefty cost-of-living times, feature a private suite looking out onto the Harvest stage, your own concierge, curated food, and even a personal cocktail bar and private balcony. If your budget doesn't stretch that far, you'll find Adelaide's top restaurants and eateries serving up food at the Feastiville precinct. And at onsite eatery Wildwood, arkhé's chef and co-owner Jake Kellie will be leading the show again. The culinary-focused Hello Chef stage will feature live demonstrations with chefs and mixologists, plus talents from the music lineup. Plus, wine lovers can enjoy a taste of South Australia's wine regions, and order bottles for home, at the Harvest Rock II cellar door. Harvest Rock II will also boast a wellness centre called The Grape Escape, aka your go-to for hot chai, tarot readings and massages. And, there's mini festival Little Harvest for kids, which'll do arts and craft, circus workshops, hula hooping and glitter tattoos. The festival hails from Secret Sounds, the crew behind Splendour in the Grass, and is locked in for a 2023 return because 2022's event was such a success. "After a ripping debut in 2022 we are returning for our second year and are damn excited to welcome you back for a weekend of incredible music, food, wine and good times at Harvest Rock II. We're set to make this year's festival even more epic. Let's make Harvest Rock II a year to remember," said Secret Sounds co-CEO Jessica Ducrou. Harvest Rock 2023 will take at Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka and King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina, Adelaide, on Saturday, October 28–Sunday, October 29, 2023. The lineup will drop on Wednesday, August 2 — head back here then. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Mildura has been a magnet for artists for more than sixty years. So, even though international touring artists don't always make it to Australia's outback towns, it's no surprise that Lenny Kravitz is doing the honours. On 28 November, he'll take over the Mildura Sporting Precinct with his Blue Electric Light Tour, hot from London, Paris and Berlin. Skip the massive crowds in Sydney and Melbourne, and catch the legend with just a few thousand avid fans. You can expect classic hits like 'Are You Gonna Go My Way?', 'Fly Away' and 'It Ain't Over Till it's Over', as well as tunes from Kravitz's new album, Blue Electric Light. As he has for decades, Kravitz is still winning crowds with his catchy hooks, high energy and undeniable charisma. While you're in Mildura, go exploring with our weekender's guide. There's a lot to see and do – from Bruce Munro's dreamy, contemplative Trail of Lights to cruising on a 19th century paddle steamer to wine tasting on the banks of the Murray River.
As much of the TV-watching world is, Ashley Zukerman is a Succession fan. Unlike almost everyone else, however, his affection was partly built from inside of the award-winning series. In a recurring role across the HBO masterpiece's four seasons, he played political strategist Nate Sofrelli, whose past romantic relationship with Shiv Roy — portrayed by fellow Australian Sarah Snook (Memoir of a Snail) — kept spilling over into their present professional and personal spheres. But "there was periods where I didn't know if I was coming back", Zukerman tells Concrete Playground, "and there were periods where I just became more fan than part of it". A role in one of the best TV shows of the 21st century, plus a range of others in fellow international fare — big-screen horror-western The Wind and drama Language Arts; television's A Teacher, The Lost Symbol and City on Fire; and the three straight-to-streaming Fear Street movies among them — kept Zukerman away from home for years. Then In Vitro, an Aussie sci-fi thriller that premiered at the 2024 Sydney Film Festival and hit local cinemas in general release on Thursday, March 27, 2025, came his way. Before this, he hadn't worked on a homegrown project since 2017's The Easybeats miniseries Friday on My Mind. Prior to that, he'd hopped between the Australian and Aussie-made likes of The Pacific, Rush, Terra Nova, Underbelly and The Code, and Manhattan, Fear the Walking Dead, Masters of Sex and Designated Survivor overseas. Starring in In Vitro eventuated because he initially met two of the film's co-writers and fellow actors, Will Howarth (who also co-directs with Tom McKeith) and Talia Zucker, in Los Angeles when they were all stateside endeavouring to establish their careers. Due to release timing, audiences who didn't catch In Vitro on its 2024 festival run will have seen Zukerman pop up in homegrown efforts in Aussie limited series Apple Cider Vinegar first, earlier in 2025. Later this year, he also has Australian-made, New Year's Eve-set time-travel film One More Shot heading to Stan. Only In Vitro has him playing a cattle breeder in an eerie vision of the potential near future, though — a livestock farmer experimenting with biotechnology in a world, and an industry, decimated by the climate crisis and struggling to adapt to the new reality. As Jack, husband to Zucker's (Motel Acacia) Layla, Howarth (Toolies) and McKeith's (Beast) movie also tasks Zukerman with exploring the distance that clearly lingers in the the feature's central marriage, digging into the source of Jack and Layla's domestic disharmony, and unpacking the impact of controlling relationships. More than two decades have now passed since Zukerman's initial screen role, also in an Australian film, with playing Thug #2 in Tom White his debut performance. Looking back on it, "so that was my first-ever thing, and I hadn't gone to the Victorian College of the Arts yet. I had no idea what I was doing", he advises. "My family, no one in my family, was in creative industries at all. I was just trying to brute-force my way through, trying to get headshots and making cold calls and just trying", Zukerman continues. "And then when that called and I got a role, I thought it was the craziest thing in the world. Then I get there and I do it, and I'm in a scene with Colin Friels [Interceptor] and Dan Spielman [Black Snow], who I ended up playing brothers with in The Code years later. And I thought that was just very, very special at the time. Dan was on, I think, The Secret Life of Us, and Colin Friels on Water Rats, and they were heroes of mine at the time. And then to be able to revisit that with Dan years later as, I guess, equals, was very special." [caption id="attachment_997134" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Succession, David Russell/HBO[/caption] From the outside, the success that Zukerman has enjoyed over the last few years with Succession, Fear Street, City on Fire, A Teacher, The Lost Symbol and more seems huge. It is huge. He's also added Apple TV+'s Silo to his resume. For him, however, "it hasn't felt huge, but I don't think I necessarily ever have that feeling of looking at things from the outside", he reflects. "From the inside, I'd say that it's felt really fun. I know that the thing I love most is when I love the project and I feel like I'm close to the coalface of something. I thought that they were all great projects, and so that has been fun." "You're right, it's been a really nice few years, and it felt comfortable," Zukerman goes on. "I guess I'll say I've just never really stressed work. I've always known things will come, and I've always been aware that if I'm not chosen for something that it's because the person, the artist in charge of it, just doesn't need my specific colour, my specific paintbrush, and so I've never really sweated it if things haven't come to me. But the last couple of years, it's just been really enjoyable to just work on special things — and to be able to have a continuous run of that, I do feel very full now. I'm not someone who enjoys acting all the time, I don't necessarily love the experience, but I do love it when I feel that there are certain elements there, and I've been on a run projects now where those elements were largely there. It has been a really fun few years for that." From what excited Zukerman about In Vitro, his read on his complicated character and the research that went into his performance, to farewelling Succession, returning home and his initial acting dream, our chat with Zukerman covers them all — and more — as well. On What Excited Zukerman About In Vitro, and About Making His First Australian Project Since Friday on My Mind "So I knew Tahlia and Will. I'd known them before. We all met in LA when we were all younger and hustling out there. It was just this coffee shop that we all ended up frequenting, and that's where we got to know each other. It was during the pandemic that they sent the script and said 'we've been working on this, we've been thinking about you for it'. And I read it and I thought 'wow'. And I was honoured that they thought of me for it. But I thought that they had done something just really special. I think that the horror genre or the thriller genre is interesting when it's used to explore other themes. And so the thriller part of it didn't necessarily pop for me, but I thought that they were able to thread together some nuanced questions about a few issues that we're dealing with in the world, and finding a connection between them — with the climate crisis; domestic violence; how we use tech to brute-force our way through solutions; and how some people in our world don't really care about our world or the natural world or each other as the actual life that exists in it, but just what they can take from it. And I think that they were able to thread all those ideas in a very nuanced way, offering something new to the questions of 'what do we do in this world?' and 'how are we going to deal with all of these issues we have?'. The climate crisis, like so many of us, that keeps me up at night. One of the things I worry most about it is this idea that it's happening just, just slow enough that we get used to it, and it's so hard to talk about. It's so difficult to engage with it, because it's so scary for so many of us. As soon as, I know for me personally, it's hard for me when I see an article written about it for me to click on it, for me to actually open that page and delve into it. It's hard for me to watch something about it. And I thought that what they did here was they did it in a very nuanced way, where they offered something very new to that conversation, and in a way that I thought was going to be very useful and interesting — and human. It was just that the film seemed to have a very new idea to approach this issue, and that's I think what moved me about it. And then, as we went on, there were questions about the character that became far more important for me to ask. But when I first read it, that's what touched me." On Zukerman's Read on Jack and His Motivations "I think it depends how far back we go with him. If we go from what we know backwards, I think he's gotten to a stage where he has lost his sense of humanity and he's just so far down the rabbit hole on this that he can't actually turn back. I was working on this show, The Lost Symbol, the Dan Brown thing, at the time that I read this, and I was researching these secret societies and how people who were doing bad things justified them. And I came across this quote, which was from the Bible: 'to the pure, all things are pure'. I think that that is key to Jack, that because he felt he was doing something worthy and important, everything else he was doing was fine and justified … It's this idea that he's probably just a bucket with a hole in it. It doesn't matter what you pour in, he's always going to be empty. I think he's one of these just incredibly ordinary people who thinks that he's a vulnerable genius, and no one is giving him the adulation he deserves, and he will never get enough love from his partner, and that then leads to control and violence. So I think those are the things that are at play in him." On Playing a Part That's a Puzzle for the Audience as They Try to Piece Together the Full Story "Typically, the more complex a character, the less challenging I find it, because then there are just so many things underneath the surface. So those things were great, and once I knew the approach, what we were trying to do, we talked, Will, Tom and Tahlia and I talked early about this idea that we'd be doing a disservice to this story if he was arch — especially the domestic control, domestic violence story. And that he had to be so ordinary in that way, that if we were trying to portray a villain, it would do a disservice to Tahlia's story and it would be doing a disservice to the wider story. So the fact that we could let all of that complexity live in him, that gave me a lot of freedom. But you're right that the challenging thing in any of these stories is how we bury the lead when we choose to drop breadcrumbs, how we lean on awkward moments as clues for the idea — like leaving just enough the information for the audience to question what is going on to lead them down the rabbit hole with us ,but gently. That is the more challenging thing, because that's not necessarily about just living in the scene naturally. That's trying to plan the larger story. I was buoyed when I saw it — I thought we did that quite well. I really loved especially how they put it together in the edit, leaning on those awkward interactions, I thought was quite nice." On the Research That Goes Into Playing a Part Like This, Digging Into Coercive Control, Biotech and More "Typically I do love a lot of research, and I started down the path of him being an engineer. I wanted to make sure those thoughts were in there. I wanted to know where we were at with that stuff. But I think ultimately where I got to was, all that stuff — like you like feel at the end of the film — I think is window dressing in a way. I needed to know enough about that so that I could know what he was doing, but ultimately the key to him is what we're talking about — how to actually think about these men who do these things, like 'what is the wiring going on in in them?'. That's the work of understanding this character. It's the domestic work. It's the human work. And to try to explain, empathise, not absolve, but just to understand what makes these people do those things. I think that was the work with him." [caption id="attachment_997132" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Succession, Macall Polay/HBO[/caption] On Saying Goodbye to Succession, and What It Meant to Zukerman to Be a Part of It "I think it's so nice that that show will exist forever. I think it's now part of television canon, and to be a part of it, I'm just so proud. So I think it will just always have a life. I grew up loving The Sopranos and Six Feet Under and The Wire and Oz, and those seminal TV shows — and The West Wing. I knew characters that were there for an episode, that were there for three episodes. I was so aware of every little storyline on all of those shows, and I was just like 'if only I could be in something like that, that would be it'. Like, 'I would be fine'. [caption id="attachment_997133" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Succession, Peter Kramer/HBO[/caption] And I'm lucky that I got to do one of those, and I got to be there for a little bit, and I got to witness how they made it, and I got to be around those people. I just feel so lucky. I was there and I was a part of it, but I got to also be an audience just as much as, I think, in it. It's an interesting question. It was something just so special about that production that I think I'll continue to try to, I guess, understand and learn from and think about. [caption id="attachment_997137" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Succession, David Russell/HBO[/caption] All I love about any work is how close to the creative muscle I can be, and I think what was special about that show was that. I was on the periphery. There were moments when I was a little more forward in the story, but largely I was orbiting the story. And I think what was special about that is that it doesn't matter how big your role must have been — that's both the cast and crew — everyone on that set felt like they were a part of it, that they had agency to make decisions, that they were genuinely like what was being asked of them was what was special about them to only bring that. That was what was special, and that's what I'll remember. And I think it left something with me that I've taken to other things. I think it's that energy that I've brought with me after that show. " [caption id="attachment_997145" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Apple Cider Vinegar, courtesy of Netflix © 2025[/caption] On Heading Back to Australia After a Significant Run of Roles Overseas "It was never by design that I would be away. It was just that the right things didn't come up, or scheduling got in the way, or something happened for me over there that meant that I couldn't come back for various things. And it was just always I missed it. I really missed being back. I really love it here. I love the way we work. I love how fast we are, how efficient we are. We work with few resources sometimes, but it's an advantage, it creates the style of TV and film that we make. It all goes into it. It ends up on camera, that energy. And it kind of has become our visual language sometimes. [caption id="attachment_997144" align="alignnone" width="1920"] One More Shot, Ben King/Stan[/caption] And I also guess there is something about being overseas and an expat which means I'm always playing someone else in a way. There's something about home, is what I'm saying, that's important. That I know the rules of Australia. I know how people interact, that there's the micro gestures between us all, how we all interact. I guess that is home for me, that when I get back to Australia my shoulders drop and I just know how to live here. Even though the US isn't that different, it's different enough that it changes me. It requires something else of me to live there. And that's a joy sometimes. I mean, to leave is wonderful — but to come back is really, it's home. It's just a very special thing. And also, I feel very fortunate because of what I've been able to do overseas, I can now come back and work on these great things, and help these great things get up." On the Initial Dream for Zukerman's Acting Career When He Was First Starting Out "It's such a great question, because it's so rare to look back and go 'what was it that that younger person had actually wanted, and are you there now?'. That's a very special question that I don't really often give myself time to do. But I think I probably had a lot of chutzpah and a lot of ambition back then. I probably had ideas, but I didn't know what the job was, even. I didn't know what the work of being an actor was. I had a feeling that acting gave me the ability to do something I couldn't do in life, that I loved the analysis of human beings, and I loved being able to express things that I didn't express in my normal life. I loved that. But that hadn't really congealed yet, and probably at the time I just had ideas about wanting to play these big roles and do these big things, but I didn't know what it was. [caption id="attachment_997146" align="alignnone" width="1920"] City on Fire, Apple TV+[/caption] Once I started studying and I started understanding what it was, I think very quickly the only goal of mine was to have choice — just to be able to do the things I love. Like I said, it's just not always the case that I love acting, and I knew that early on that sometimes the experience can be difficult for myriad reasons. But to be able to get to a point where I can just, from project to project — based on, whether it's the quality of the work or it's the quality of the people, or both — that I could just choose to do that. I think that's nice to think about that. I think I have it, I am doing that now. I get to be pretty picky with what I do, and I get to do things for the right reasons." In Vitro opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, March 27, 2025.
When Lorde announced that she'd be bringing her Ultrasound world tour to Australia in 2026, Sydneysiders and Melburnians embraced the green light to buy presale tickets. In fact, the demand for the Aotearoan star's Qudos Bank Arena and Rod Laver Arena gigs has been so huge that new shows in both cities have already been announced — before general tickets to the originally locked-in concerts even go on sale. In February 2026, the 'Royals', 'Solar Power' and 'What Was That' singer-songwriter will hit the stage across both Australia and New Zealand, making dates with arenas at every stop across a six-city run. Sydney and Melbourne are now hosting not one gig apiece, but two. Ella Yelich-O'Connor is playing the Harbour City on Wednesday, February 18 and again on Thursday, February 19, then the Victorian capital on Saturday, February 21 as well as Sunday, February 22. These are the final Sydney and Melbourne dates that'll be added to the tour. [caption id="attachment_1012905" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joseph Okpako/WireImage[/caption] Lorde last took her Solar Power tour to Australia in 2023. Her new series of concerts begins in September 2025 in the US — and also includes gigs in Canada, the UK and across Europe before this year is out. When the initial Australian and NZ dates were revealed, they came fresh from Yelich-O'Connor's surprise 2025 Glastonbury set, as well as her fourth album Virgin releasing at the end of June. The latter debuted at number one in Australia and New Zealand alike. This is Lorde's biggest tour of her career in general, too, with nights at the likes of Madison Square Garden in New York City and O2 Arena in London already sold out. [caption id="attachment_1012901" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Thistle Brown[/caption] Featuring the aforementioned 'What Was That' — her first original new track in four years — alongside 'Man of the Year', 'Hammer', 'Favourite Daughter' and 'Shapeshifter', Virgin also hit number one in the UK and number two on the Billboard 200 chart in the US. There might be a three-year gap between Lorde's last Down Under shows and her upcoming Ultrasound tour concerts; however, in addition to writing and recording Virgin, she's been busy making a surprise Sydney club appearance back in May 2025 at a Lorde-themed night. Since 2013, when her debut record Pure Heroine arrived, Yelich-O'Connor has also released 2017's Melodrama and 2021's Solar Power, won two Grammys, picked up a Golden Globe nomination for 'Yellow Flicker Beat' from the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 and notched up over 18 billion streams worldwide. [caption id="attachment_1012904" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joseph Okpako/WireImage[/caption] Lorde Ultrasound World Tour 2026 Australian Dates Monday, February 16 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Wednesday, February 18–Thursday, February 19 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Saturday, February 21–Sunday, February 22 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Wednesday, February 25 — Perth Arena, Perth Lorde is touring Australia and New Zealand in February 2026, with ticket presales for the new shows from 2pm local time on Thursday, July 17, 2025 and general sales for all shows from 2pm on Friday, July 18, 2025 — head to the tour website for more details. Top image: Thistle Brown.
It's never too cold to party. At least, that's what the guys behind Snowtunes say. And for its third year, this Snowy Mountains music festival is coming back even bigger — twice the size actually. With the addition of a second night of festivities, the party people have also added a second stage so punters can enjoy live music at one and dance it out at the other, dedicated to EDM. And with our Snowy Mountains giveaway, you could be right there listening, dancing and partying with the snowy revellers. Who's expected to take to the stage at the festival? Plenty of Aussie-born talent, including L D R U, Gang of Youths, Nina Las Vegas, Mashd N Kutcher and Tigerlily, plus New Zealand-born singer-songwriter Mitch James and French DJ Klingande with some tunes from abroad. Mark your calendars and find some snow gear, because you could win a double pass to both days of Snowtunes on September 1 and 2, plus two nights accommodation in your own studio apartment. Enter your details below. [competition]631762[/competition] Image: Perisher Ski Resl.
Exclaiming "I'm already a star. You don't become a star: you either are one or you aren't. I am!" to get into the hottest party in Los Angeles, aspiring 1920s actor Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie, Amsterdam) has ambition. Gracing the same Golden Age soirée after ending his latest marriage with an overplayed joke that could've sprung from Inglourious Basterds, veteran leading man Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt, Bullet Train) wouldn't have gotten where he is without the same drive and determination. And, helping the shindig be the only place to be, including wrangling an elephant for the night's entertainment (a pachyderm that empties its bowels on everyone pushing it up a hill no less), Manny Torres (Diego Calva, Narcos: Mexico) has the eagerness to do something — anything — in show business. Meet Babylon's zeal-dripping on-screen threesome, a trio matched only in their quest to rocket sky-high as the man conjuring them up: jazz-loving, La La Land Oscar-winning, Tinseltown-adoring writer/director Damien Chazelle. As Babylon unfurls across its hefty 189-minute running time, it takes a colossal heap of ambition — perhaps as immense as the pile of cocaine that Nellie gravitates towards inside the party — to make it or even fake it in the film industry. For his fifth feature, and first since 2018's First Man, Chazelle waves around his own as enthusiastically as he possibly can. Even just considering his hefty list of conspicuous influences makes that clear, with the filmmaker unshackling his inner Baz Luhrmann, Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson and David Lynch, to name a mere few overt nods. The Great Gatsby, Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Mulholland Drive: swirl them together with Kenneth Anger's 1959 publication Hollywood Babylon, plus everything from Sunset Boulevard to Hail, Caesar!, and that's just the beginning of Chazelle's plans. The end result also makes for a relentless and ravenous movie that's always a lot, not just in length, but is dazzling (and also very funny) when it clicks. That elephant crap doesn't just make quite the opening, as splattered from a visible opening. Beneath the glitz and glamour, and aiding all things shiny and starry to appear that way, lurks something far less seductive — so Babylon posits from the outset, then keeps pulling back the curtain like it's The Wizard of Oz. Before the film's first 15 minutes are up, it has also sprayed urine, waded through orgies, thrown around furniture, thrust about drugs and danced frenzied dances (Robbie does an entrancing one, No Time to Die cinematographer Linus Sandgren does another with his soaring and swooping camerawork, and Chazelle's usual composer Justin Hurwitz sets the bouncy tone with his Golden Globe-winning score, then keeps doing so). Also, before the initial revelry recedes, Manny is smitten with Nellie, while she has an acting job the next day. Hollywood: it's where shit explodes and snakes are wrestled literally and metaphorically, and where enough wishes are granted on-screen and behind the scenes to keep everyone returning for more. In the rest of its first act, Babylon is a filmmaking western; to spend time on a silent-era set here is to gallop across cinema's frontier. Nellie is a natural, and feted for crying on cue (that she's getting her start when big gestures and performances are a necessity also assists). Manny nabs an opportunity as well, his efforts to secure a replacement camera for a pivotal epic shot before a moody director loses his light instantly one of the film's most hilarious stretches. While the preceding party was a vibe, Babylon's best bursts through this madcap on-the-lot day. Simply surveying the packed-together sets, movies made next to movies upon movies, is a delight — and the pacing, zippily juggling Nellie, Manny and Jack's exploits, is among the picture's tightest. With the feature kicking off in 1926, though, the noisy, frenzied chaos that buzzes in this sequence has a talkie-sparked expiration date. For the fools who dream, Chazelle worships stories of artists chasing lifelong fantasies and meeting stark realities, with Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, Whiplash, La La Land and streaming series The Eddy all leading to Babylon. He's equally fond of Tinseltown's favourite tales about Tinseltown: the path-crossing of new starlets and established players as change reshapes the business forever, as a couple of A Star Is Born versions, The Artist and the masterpiece that is Singin' in the Rain have all covered. It's the boldest of moves that any director can make to fashion a film as a copy or an origin story to the latter, or both, but that's where Chazelle's ambition brilliantly heads. So, with the advent of synchronised sound, and as Manny keeps working his way up, cue Jack striving to maintain his fame and Nellie struggling with her New Jersey voice. Babylon doesn't say anything new — when you're openly going where so many flicks and filmmakers have gone before, is there anything much new to say? — but it does pull off the Luhrmann-esque feat of making its style part of its substance. This has to be a flashy, energetic, excess-laden affair, selling the allure that draws Nellie, Jack and Manny in, plus the emptiness behind it. Babylon has to be slick but messy, decadent but corrosive, and affectionate but clear-eyed about Hollywood's ills, and a heady, hectic experience. It has to be jam-packed at the same time, but it could've been that and given Li Jun Li (Devils) and Jovan Adepo (The Stand) more to do. Their characters, Anna May Wong clone Lady Fay Zhu and talented trumpeter Sidney Palmer, traverse a rise-and-fall trajectory as well. They're exuberant, fascinating, and meant to demonstrate how Asian, Black and queer figures were pushed aside. To genuinely address that point, though, they're deserving of greater focus and a weightier part in Babylon's narrative. Among the trio receiving the bulk of Chazelle's attention, Robbie is exhilarating; understanding how Nellie demands the eyeballs of everyone in her orbit is easy. Nuanced layers of pain and sorrow also linger in her non-stop portrayal when she does slow down, or sometimes glistens in her eyes alone. Her Once Upon a Time in Hollywood co-star Pitt remains in that movie's mode, happily and fittingly so — and relative newcomer Calva is terrific as Manny. Add in a well-cast Jean Smart (Hacks) as a Louella Parsons- and Hedda Hopper-inspired gossip queen, plus Tobey Maguire getting villainous and channelling Alfred Molina, and Babylon keeps stacking in moving pieces as much as moving pictures. On that, this flick doesn't end subtly. But, ambition splashing heavily again, it also has its big finale work as an ode as much as a lament.
The morning sun slants in through the leaves of the majestic plane tree outside Short Straw. It's buzzing with breakfasters — and it's not even the weekend yet. But it's worth the wait to get into this little spot, where the art of the neighbourhood cafe is at its finest. Although it only opened in January, it feels as though Short Straw has long been a part of the Hawthorn fabric, tucked as it is just off the increasingly cool bustle of Glenferrie Road. It's been happily coasting along, being and doing without a lot of hype. This is coffee and breakfast as it should be. Chef Josh Clark (ex-Young Bloods Diner) has created a new menu for autumn featuring dishes we recognise and love, done well and with a tasteful twist and a flourish here and there. Cacao, cranberry and hazelnut granola is toasted to an appropriate crunchiness, and served with an organic yoghurt panna cotta, strawberries and a flurry of petals ($11). The eggs Benedict ($17) feature Grandmother Ham and some shaved apple to cut through the richness of the hollandaise. For those who want it all, the early board is an excellent choice; it includes a mini Bircher with granola, strawberries and yoghurt, prosciutto, avocado and poached egg on pumpkin toast and a glass of OJ ($18). All bases covered. It's an all-day menu that runs through until 3pm — and while the breakfast dishes lend themselves admirably to lunchtime appetites, if you're wanting that little bit more, the kitchen produces a pulled chicken and freekeh salad and a hanger steak sandwich that will have you at apricot mustard. Specials appear on wall-mounted brown butcher's paper. Drinks are divided into hot stuff, cold stuff and healthy stuff, which makes early morning decisions easier. Coffee is by Niccolo, which is an excellent bean for milk coffee, and perfect for the Hawthorn latte zone. There are also a green juice, red juice and a couple of substantial smoothies on offer. The interior is a nice mix of white painted brick walls and wooden beams and an almost conservatory feel to the end room with its hanging plants and hexagonal metal and ivy wall feature. Short Straw is nothing like my kitchen, but there is something in the selection of music, the reassuring décor and the ambiance created by friendly staff that makes it feel like home. Images: Jo Rittey.
Back in 2010, Ryan Gosling starred in a crime drama called All Good Things, playing a real estate heir suspected to be behind his wife's disappearance, as well as other murders. It isn't a highlight on his resume, but you'll see the feature very differently once you've watched six-part HBO docuseries The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst — because Gosling's character is based on Durst, and because filmmaker Andrew Jarecki directed both the movie and the series. True crime isn't a new genre, but The Jinx proved one of its big hitters when it was initially released in 2015. While it was originally airing, Durst was arrested on murder charges, with the criminal proceedings still ongoing to this day. Jarecki's series draws upon more than 20 hours of interviews with Durst, conducted over a number of years, and it'll drop you right into the middle of a twisty case. The minutiae is best experienced by watching, but the show's finale isn't easily forgotten.
Fancy a Tassie wine tasting extravaganza, but can't find the time (or cash) to make the trip? How about a quick hop over to Southbank instead? If you can get there with $65 to spare on Sunday, August 12, you'll be living the Apple Isle dream. That's because one-day wine festival Vin Diemen is coming back to Melbourne for a fourth year. Your ticket will get you a take-home wine glass and access to the creations of a whole slew of Tasmanian winemakers, who are crossing the strait to show us what their island is made of. Expect to sample some of the best pinot noir in the nation, alongside top-shelf chardonnay, riesling and sparkling — cold climate varieties get a better go in Tassie than nearly anywhere else in Oz. And giving the wines the respect they deserve will be a bunch of tasty Tasmanian morsels, including cheeses from Bruny Island Cheese. To top it off, you'll also be able to sample some Tassie spirits and Willie Smith's Organic Cider. Tickets are $65 general admission and $125 for a VIP ticket, which includes an extra hour at the event and a hosted masterclass.
If you liked choosing your way through Black Mirror: Bandersnatch — or telling Bear Grylls what to do in interactive series You vs. Wild — then Netflix has more where that came from. Come Tuesday, May 12, you'll be able to decide what happens to everyone's favourite kidnapping victim turned wide-eyed New Yorker in a one-off Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt special. While the Tina Fey co-created, 18-time Emmy-nominated comedy finished up its regular run with 2019's batch of episodes, which closed out the show's fourth season, it's coming back this year to put viewers in control. Netflix has actually been in the interactive game for a couple of years thanks to its children's shows like Puss in Boots, Buddy Thunderstruck and Stretch Armstrong; however this'll mark the streamer's first interactive comedy. Always wanted to curb Kimmy's (Ellie Kemper) ample enthusiasm? Keen to steer ex-socialite Jacqueline White (Jane Krakowski) towards a few sensible decisions? Think that landlord Lillian (Carol Kane) could be more eccentric and misanthropic? Just love everything that aspiring actor and singer Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess) does? Then this is for you, obviously. If you're fond of Jon Hamm's Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne, too, you're also in luck — this interactive episode is called Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, after all. A whole heap of other famous faces co-star as well, including Daniel Radcliffe, Amy Sedaris, Fred Armisen, Chris Parnell, Jack McBrayer and Johnny Knoxville. Story-wise, few details have been announced, other than a wedding, a journey across three US states, explosions, an evil plan and potentially starting a war against robots. Announcing the special last year, Tina Fey explained that "fans will be able to make choices on behalf of our characters, taking different story paths with, of course, different jokes," in a Netflix statement. Check out a sneak peak below: https://twitter.com/KimmySchmidt/status/1250446252786847745 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend will hit Netflix on Tuesday, May 12. Image: Netflix.
His video collection is filled with 80s and 90s educational films. When we chat, he's staring at a Teddy Ruxpin doll. If anyone was destined to make Brigsby Bear, a delightful, insightful comedy about a fictional television show and its number one fan, it's Saturday Night Live star Kyle Mooney. With Mooney in the lead, his childhood pal Kevin Costello with him on co-screenwriting duties, and another of their friends, Dave McCary, in the directors chair, Brigsby Bear feels like it has been ripped not just from Mooney's mind, but from his heart. It's the most earnest and genuine film you could imagine about an adult discovering that his favourite show isn't quite what he thinks — one that isn't afraid to give nostalgia a hearty embrace while wading through dark terrain. It's also a perfect addition to a career that started with web sketches with his friends in comedy troupe Good Neighbour and segued into the most famous late night comedy show there is. Along the way, he's also racked up parts on Parks and Recreation, the US version of Wilfred and Hello Ladies. With Brigbsy Bear currently screening in Australian cinemas, we spoke with Mooney about turning his VHS obsession into a movie, getting the confidence to make the leap to film, and doing so with his best friends. ON FINDING INSPIRATION IN GREEK CINEMA AND 80s VHS TAPES "I don't know how it came to me — if I was just hanging around the house or in some sort of dream state or what, but I became really obsessed with this idea of a guy who watches a TV show that's being produced just for him," explains Mooney. "And I kept on thinking about that concept until eventually the story became not just that, but more about the world he explores after that, and outside of that." "There was a movie that came out a few years ago called Dogtooth. It has some similar qualities, with a family being raised in seclusion, so maybe that played a part. But generally I couldn't tell you where it came from, except from me being that obsessive myself, and watching these shows — I have a big VHS collection of kids shows, and I watch them over and over again." "It's mostly stuff that's made for kids, and mostly stuff from the 80s and 90s. I especially really like stuff that was released straight-to-video, and was produced regionally. And where there's maybe only 200 copies made. Educational films, religious videos, stuff like that. What I really like is when it has a low budget, and low production values, but you can tell that whoever's in charge of this thing is trying to do their best impression of Jim Henson or Walt Disney — and it's totally not working." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgs81IOU0m4 ON MAKING THE LEAP FROM SHORTS, TO SNL, TO HIS FIRST FEATURE FILM "I started working on videos with Dave, our director, in my early 20s — right out of college. And with every video you learn something. And then, after a few of them you start trying new things, and you add people to the crew, or maybe start to put a little more money into the production. So it was kind of a gradual build where the stakes rise a little more each time." "By the time we got SNL — I went there with Dave and with Beck Bennett, who's a cast member who is also in our movie — again, there is a little more pressure at it, but you get used to it. And now you're working with a huge celebrity host each week! And you do that for a few years, and it has been building so that, by the time we were on set last summer shooting the movie, I felt pretty prepared." ON MAKING A MOVIE WITH HIS CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS "We had all of these shared experiences. With Dave and I, like, there was this very specific kid who went to middle school with us. And I can just be like, 'Jim said this in science class in 1998', or whatever it is, and we can get a laugh out of it. And there's just a level of trust that's there, I think, when Dave is directing me. He knows what I'm capable of. We have the same sensibilities, pretty much." "So it's easy for me, and I think it relieves a lot of the pressure of working on something and not knowing how it is going to turn out. We're also all in it together — and we fail together and we succeed together. But yeah, certainly like having so much history and sharing a sensibility helped." "And I had enough fun on that set that I felt like, 'if this is all we get out of it, I feel pretty good'. Even if the movie didn't turn out well, I would've just considered it a rad summer where we got to work on something together. When we weren't shooting, we would hang out in our hotel rooms or get beers or sing karaoke. It was truly a wonderful crew and cast, and it's nice that what comes through on screen is true to what the experience was like." ON THE FILM'S EARNESTNESS AND OPTIMISM "We have so much genuine love for the things we were trying to recreate. The Brigsby show that's in the movie — I love children's entertainment, and we never wanted to poke fun. I think we always really wanted to pay tribute to it." "And also, the film's underlying theme of creativity, or storytelling, or finding something that you love — we never felt like we wanted to make fun of that. We just wanted to embrace it. We just really liked the idea of playing everything earnest and honest, and hoped the laughs would come along naturally along the way." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MdrGM27yQ8 Read our Brigbsy Bear review.
It sure is no secret that Sydney's a pretty exxy place to call home. But here's some news to make you really start plotting that move interstate: a recent report on the cost of living has stuck it right up at number 10, above both New York and London. That's right, all your mates battling those killer Hackney rent prices now, apparently, have it better than you. As The Guardian reported this week, the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2018 study pushed our harbour city up four spots higher than in the same list last year, seeing it crack the top ten for the first time ever. This comes after another pice aggregation website Numbeo saw Sydney and Melbourne move up on its list too. The study compared prices across more than 150 products and services, looking at things like food, transport, utilities, clothing and rent in all the major cities. Singapore has again claimed the title of the world's most expensive city, followed by Paris, which jumped five points, and Zurich, which climbed one position. New York swapped last year's number nine ranking for a spot in 13th, while at number 30, London scored its lowest position in two decades — a fall the report's authors say has a lot to do with a little thing called Brexit. Via The Guardian.
A drug kingpin disappearing into a new life, clashing cousins, voting popes, a veteran actor trying to reclaim her career with the help of a mysterious liquid, Adrien Brody surviving history's horrors again, fierce tennis competitors: films about all of the above have earned Golden Globes in 2025. Stressed-out chefs, stand-up comedy greats, Japanese warriors, Gotham villains, determined detectives: TV shows about them are all also in the same category. And, they each have a heap of company. Held on Monday, January 6 Australian and New Zealand time, this year's Golden Globes ceremony started with host Nikki Glaser cracking gags about everything from Dune: Part Two's running time to Nicole Kidman making awards-nominated work to get away from Keith Urban's strumming and Adam Sandler pronouncing Timothée Chalamet's name. It then threw in excited shouts and enthusiastic speeches aplenty among the winners. Picking up the first award of the night — but not the only award for Emilia Pérez — Zoe Saldaña (Special Ops: Lioness) delivered both alone. Other highlights from the hijinks: Catherine O'Hara (The Wild Robot) and Seth Rogen (Mufasa: The Lion King), co-stars in upcoming streaming series The Studio, making up a whole lot of accolades for fake Canadian projects; The White Lotus favourite Jennifer Coolidge being Jennifer Coolidge; Emilia Pérez songwriter Camille calling the whole shebang "such an American experience"; and Vin Diesel (Fast X) starting his presenting stint with "hey Dwayne". And more standouts among the awards: gorgeous Latvian independent animation Flow taking out its category, in the first time that a movie from the nation has been at the Golden Globes; Kieran Culkin winning the supporting actor Succession battle for A Real Pain over Jeremy Strong for The Apprentice; Shogun's well-deserved swag of gongs; Demi Moore's touching sentiments about believing in your own value; A Different Man winner Sebastian Stan demanding that tough films still get made; and also Feranda Torres emerging victorious for I'm Still Here over Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Angelina Jolie (Maria), Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door) and Kate Winslet (Lee). Not every ace nominee could snag a statuette, of course. Not every worthy movie and TV series even made the roster of contenders. They're truths that everyone should remember at every awards ceremony. Still, the rundown of newly minted 2025 Golden Globe winners spans an array of deserving folks and projects — and comes in less than a fortnight before the Oscars joins in, announcing its nominees on Saturday, January 17 Down Under time. Will the Academy Awards follow in these footsteps? And the Emmys later in the year, too? What else received some love? Here's the full list of 2025's Golden Globe winners and nominees (and you can also check out our rundown of victorious films and TV shows to watch right now): 2025 Golden Globe Winners and Nominees Best Motion Picture — Drama The Brutalist — WINNER A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Nickel Boys September 5 Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy Anora Challengers Emilia Pérez — WINNER A Real Pain The Substance Wicked Best Motion Picture — Animated Flow — WINNER Inside Out 2 Memoir of a Snail Moana 2 Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl The Wild Robot Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Alien: Romulus Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Deadpool & Wolverine Gladiator II Inside Out 2 Twisters Wicked — WINNER The Wild Robot Best Motion Picture — Non-English Language All We Imagine as Light Emilia Pérez — WINNER The Girl with the Needle I'm Still Here The Seed of the Sacred Fig Vermiglio Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl Angelina Jolie, Maria Nicole Kidman, Babygirl Tilda Swinton, The Room Next Door Fernanda Torres, I'm Still Here — WINNER Kate Winslet, Lee Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama Adrien Brody, The Brutalist — WINNER Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown Daniel Craig, Queer Colman Domingo, Sing Sing Ralph Fiennes, Conclave Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy Amy Adams, Nightbitch Cynthia Erivo, Wicked Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez Mikey Madison, Anora Demi Moore, The Substance — WINNER Zendaya, Challengers Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain Hugh Grant, Heretic Gabriel Labelle, Saturday Night Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness Glen Powell, Hit Man Sebastian Stan, A Different Man — WINNER Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture Selena Gomez, Emilia Pérez Ariana Grande, Wicked Felicity Jones, The Brutalist Margaret Qualley, The Substance Isabella Rossellini, Conclave Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez — WINNER Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture Yura Borisov, Anora Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain — WINNER Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown Guy Pearce, The Brutalist Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice Denzel Washington, Gladiator II Best Director — Motion Picture Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez Sean Baker, Anora Edward Berger, Conclave Brady Corbet, The Brutalist — WINNER Coralie Fargeat, The Substance Payal Kapadia, All We Imagine as Light Best Screenplay — Motion Picture Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez Sean Baker, Anora Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain Coralie Fargeat, The Substance Peter Straughan, Conclave — WINNER Best Original Score — Motion Picture Volker Bertelmann, Conclave Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist Kris Bowers, The Wild Robot Clément Ducol, Camille, Emilia Pérez Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Challengers — WINNER Hans Zimmer, Dune: Part Two Best Original Song — Motion Picture 'Beautiful That Way', Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Zachrisson, The Last Showgirl 'Compress / Repress', Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Luca Guadagnino, Challengers 'El Mal', Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez — WINNER 'Forbidden Road', Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, Sacha Skarbek, Better Man 'Kiss The Sky', Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi, The Wild Robot 'Mi Camino', Clément Ducol, Camille, Emilia Pérez Best Television Series — Drama The Day of the Jackal The Diplomat Mr & Mrs Smith Shogun — WINNER Slow Horses Squid Game Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy Abbott Elementary The Bear The Gentlemen Hacks — WINNER Nobody Wants This Only Murders in the Building Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Baby Reindeer — WINNER Disclaimer Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story The Penguin Ripley True Detective: Night Country Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series — Drama Kathy Bates, Matlock Emma D'arcy, House of the Dragon Maya Erskine, Mr & Mrs Smith Keira Knightley, Black Doves Keri Russell, The Diplomat Anna Sawai, Shogun — WINNER Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series — Drama Donald Glover, Mr & Mrs Smith Jake Gyllenhaal, Presumed Innocent Gary Oldman, Slow Horses Eddie Redmayne, The Day of the Jackal Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun — WINNER Billy Bob Thornton, Landman Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary Ayo Edebiri, The Bear Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along Jean Smart, Hacks — WINNER Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This Ted Danson, A Man on the Inside Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building Jason Segel, Shrinking Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building Jeremy Allen White, The Bear — WINNER Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television Cate Blanchett, Disclaimer Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country — WINNER Cristin Milioti, The Penguin Sofía Vergara, Griselda Naomi Watts, Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans Kate Winslet, The Regime Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television Colin Farrell, The Penguin — WINNER Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer Kevin Kline, Disclaimer Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Ewan McGregor, A Gentleman in Moscow Andrew Scott, Ripley Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear Hannah Einbinder, Hacks Dakota Fanning, Ripley Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer — WINNER Allison Janney, The Diplomat Kali Reis, True Detective: Night Country Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television Tadanobu Asano, Shogun — WINNER Javier Bardem, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story Harrison Ford, Shrinking Jack Lowden, Slow Horses Diego Luna, La Máquina Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television Jamie Foxx, Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was Nikki Glaser, Nikki Glaser: Someday You'll Die Seth Meyers, Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking Adam Sandler, Adam Sandler: Love You Ali Wong, Ali Wong: Single Lady — WINNER Ramy Youssef, Ramy Youssef: More Feelings The 2025 Golden Globes were announced on Monday, January 6, Australian and New Zealand time. For further details, head to the awards' website.
How do you know you're a hip hop prodigy? Well, Jay-Z might feature your music on his Life+Times blog, Dizzee Rascal might ask you to lay down some tracks, or Kendrick may say you're "the illest". Or, if you're UK artist Little Simz, all of these things happen before you've even released your debut album. (And yes, Kendrick did say that.) Now with her first full-length album A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons having been released last September, the rapper and musician is travelling to Australia to perform from it in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. She'll be gracing the stage at Brunswick's Howler on Wednesday, February 24. It may be a school night, but this is one gig worth losing some winks over.
It was true of season one of Outer Range and it doesn't stop proving the case in season two: thinking about Twin Peaks, Yellowstone, Lost, The X-Files, The Twilight Zone and primetime melodramas while you're watching this sci-fi western series is unavoidable. In its second go-around, throw in Dark, too, and also True Detective. Here, as streaming its latest seven episodes via Prime Video from Thursday, May 16, an eerie void on a Wyoming cattle ranch sends people hurtling through time, rather than a cave beneath a nuclear power plant — and that concept, time, is dubbed a river instead of a flat circle. The idea behind Outer Range, as conjured up creator Brian Watkins for its debut season in 2022, has always been intriguing: what if a tunnel of blackness topped by a mist of floating energy suddenly opened up in the earth? Also, where would this otherworldly chasm lead? What would be the consequences of taking a tumble into its inky expanse? What does it mean? It isn't literally a mystery box Dark Matter-style, but it also still is in everything but shape. Watkins, plus season two showrunner Charles Murray (Luke Cage, Sons of Anarchy, Criminal Minds), equally ponders what effect such a phenomena has on a rancher family that's worked the land that the ethereal cavern appears on for generations, as well as upon the broader small-town community of Wabang. Getting trippy came with the territory in season one, in an instantly entrancing blend of the out-there and the earthy. Season two doubles down, dives in deeper and gallops across its chosen soil — a mix of the surreal and the soapy as well — with even more gusto. Just like with a vacuum that materialises on an otherwise ordinary-seeming paddock, no one should be leaping into Outer Range's second season unprepared. This isn't a series to jump into with no prior knowledge, or to just pick up along the way. It isn't simply the premise that Outer Range takes its time to reveal in all of its intricacy, a process that remains ongoing in season two; the characters, including Abbott patriarch Royal (Josh Brolin, Dune: Part Two) and stranger-in-their-midst Autumn (Imogen Poots, The Teacher), receive the same treatment. Whenever it swirls up in Outer Range's modern-day scenes, the inexplicable hole makes its presence known in the Abbotts' west pasture. The patch of ground unsurprisingly has Royal's attention — and, as they each become aware of its existence and what it means, that of his sons Perry (Tom Pelphrey, Love & Death) and Rhett (Lewis Pullman, Lessons in Chemistry), and his wife Cecilia (Lili Taylor, Manhunt). Across both seasons, Autumn and Deputy Sheriff Joy Hawk (Tamara Podemski, Reservation Dogs) are individually drawn there, each to investigate in their own way. So is the neighbouring money-hungry Tillerson clan, from eccentric family head Wayne (Will Patton, Silo) to his Cain- and Abel-esque sons Luke (Shaun Sipos, Reacher) and Billy (Noah Reid, Schitt's Creek). Then there's scientist Dr Nia Bintu (Yrsa Daley-Ward, World on Fire), who persists in attempting to convince the Abbotts to let her unfurl her research. Stare into this gap in the dirt and no one's reflection glares back, but it still acts as a mirror for the show's key figures. They see in it what they want, be it past mistakes, future possibilities, a way to escape bad choices or the means to secure a better tomorrow (or power or cash). This is a series of hops back to the 19th and 20th centuries, and not as flashbacks; of adult kids palling around with their parents when they were child-free and decades younger; of a psychedelic mineral that unleashes visions (and gets Reid singing); of haunting tragedies and lingering omens; and of mind-bending flashes juxtaposed with a classic setting roved and lensed in a classical manner. It's also about the void that calls at the heart of everyone, be it Outer Range's versions of the Hatfields and the McCoys or those enmeshed in their lives, as we each inch second by second towards the oblivion that awaits us all. Dark and moody in tone even when it canters across the range at its sunniest, this is a series about battles over the pivotal piece of land, reckoning with the past's echoes, existential anxiety and crises of faith, too; no one can accuse either Watkins or Murray of not being ambitious. The fact that Royal and Cecilia's granddaughter Amy (Olive Abercrombie, The Other Zoey) disappeared at the end of season one gives season two its throughline — but scouring far and wide for a missing girl is just one of its searches, and the questions about her whereabouts add to its lengthy list of mysteries. Outer Range confronts the notion that life is sifting through the unknown and unknowable, then navigating wherever it flings you. Whether that's a matter of "cosmic destiny bullshit" or how the pieces fall into place by chance is a query that each character would answer differently, as might each viewer. While lurching from cowboys to cults, and also from rustic to dreamlike, there's a central performance in Outer Range that's paired perfectly to each of the show's array of shades. Brolin, who also makes his TV directorial debut with one of season two's episodes, is exceptional as the strong and stoic western archetype — and at unpacking it as episodes trot by. Poots embraces Autumn's status as an enigma unravelling, while Taylor rides every emotional beat of a matriarch left wondering if she can still believe in anything that she's ever known. Giving Podemski her own dedicated instalment, following Joy back to when the Shoshone were clinging to their Wabang land as homesteaders settled, is both a showcase and a reward for the grounded portrayal that she keeps serving up. It was also accurate of season one as it is now: whether skewing towards Taylor Sheridan or David Lynch, one of the delights of Outer Range is its willingness to swerve and veer like it too is a fog hovering over an obsidian abyss. Sometimes, the series hurtles itself into interpersonal minutiae. Sometimes, it's an all-out western, not just the neo- kind. It can be a kidnapping thriller, and then a drama about feuding families and yearned-for legacies. Sometimes, it's a gleeful and eager spring into absurdity. Swish them all together and Outer Range remains worth the plunge, compellingly so, as it flows towards a hopeful third season. Check out the trailer for Outer Range season two below: Outer Range season two streams via Prime Video from from Thursday, May 16. Read our review of season one.
