Remember Mr Poopie, the giant inflatable turd emoji artwork that served up ice cream in little toilet cups at Splendour in the Grass last year? No? How could you forget. Or Nicholas Cage in a Cage? Or the giant inflatable Lionel Richie head? These are all real things, seriously. Hungry Castle, the Barcelona-based art team behind all of the above have outdone themselves this year. Announced as part of the SITG arts lineup, Hungry Castle will bring their giant inflatable Sad Kanye installation to Splendour. Didn't quite get that? Here it is again: a 10-metre-high Sad Kanye inflatable is coming to Splendour — a true headliner, in our opinion. Are LCD Soundsystem inflatable? No? Alright then. It's unclear whether you'll be able to bounce on Kanye's sad face or whether he will serve you ice cream in little Kanye vessels, but we literally don't care. It's a ten-metre-tall inflatable Sad Kanye and we're determined to turn his frown upside down. Here's the inspiration shot: More about this year's Splendour lineup over here. Image: Savannah Van Der Niet/Splendour in the Grass.
Cocktail trends come and go, but one thing is certain: the martini is always in style. A good martini is a matter of technique — it generally only contains two to three ingredients, so the way in which it is mixed is key to their flavour, texture and taste. The martini is simple, but oh so complex. Ratios must be perfect, stirring time must be exact and extra touches are key. At Grey Goose's Boulangerie Bleue waterside mansion party this summer, a classic combination of vodka and vermouth was served — but with a twist of lemon instead of an olive. We asked Grey Goose's lively global ambassador Joe McCanta to show us how to make this variation on the classic — check out his technique below. MARTINI 50ml Grey Goose Vodka 10ml dry vermouth 1 twist of lemon Fill a mixing glass to the brim with ice. Add 50ml of Grey Goose Vodka. Add 10ml of dry vermouth. Stir slowly for 45 seconds. Strain into a chilled coupe. Lightly twist your lemon into your drink, and gently rub the peel up and down the stem of your coupe, and along the brim. Fancy trying another? Grey Goose Vodka's 'discover' function will tell you what cocktail you're perfectly suited for. Dive into the luxury that your city has to offer — check out our Luxe Guide to Sydney and Melbourne. Food, spas, glamorous hotels and extraordinary experiences are waiting. Image: Steven Woodburn.
You thought the time for giant slides was through. You thought you'd missed the boat. You thought you'd be doomed to slide down your own shitty bits of plastic soaked with detergent and your backyard hose forever. You're in luck, slider. There's a freakin' huge slide coming to Australia and you can skid right down the middle of it. Slide the City is a multi-city series hitting Sydney, Melbourne and Perth with more national dates to be announced. It's a gargantuan 300 metre vinyl slip 'n' slide that dares to rival the likes of Slide Melbourne, Slidestreet and every detergent-laden giant slide you've ever created in your own backyard. Apparently this is equal to nearly three football fields worth of sliding. Family-friendly and encouraging of dress-ups, Slide the City is so much more than a slide. There'll be live music, food stalls and a bar popping up on the day — all you have to do is bring your water buckets, floaties and super soakers — yep, you're actually encouraged to bring these. Unless otherwise specified, sliding starts at 9am and goes until 7pm. We know what you're thinking (after all the fun sliding bit's done), what about water wastage? In fact, the team are taking great pains to keep the event's environmental impact low, even swinging the whole thing to raise awareness of water conservation. Good stuff, team. SLIDE THE CITY 2016 DATES: MELBOURNE — Sunday, January 10 SYDNEY — Friday, January 15, Saturday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17 WOLLONGONG — TBC SUNSHINE COAST — TBC TOWNSVILLE — TBC GOLD COAST — TBC NEWCASTLE — TBC Register for tickets at the Slide the City website.
They say there are no more original ideas, and never has that felt more true than today. Announced today, Instagram has launched a new feature that lets users share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. If it sounds uncannily like Snapchat, that's probably because it is. Rolling out globally over the next few weeks on iOS and Android devices, Instagram Stories is being sold as a way to relieve fears that you're posting on the app too much. According to a post on the company blog, the new feature "lets you share all the moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. As you share multiple photos and videos, they appear together in a slideshow format: your story." Users will be able to view the stories of people they follow via a bar at the top of their feed, although they won't be able to like and comment on them (you can still send a private message letting someone know how #dope they look). And if you feel particularly attached to a photo in your story, you can change it to a regular post with the touch of a button. You'll also be able to hide stories from particular followers if you so choose. As for the elephant in the room, Instagram hasn't shied away from the fact that they're copying one of their competitors. Asked by TechCrunch about the obvious similarities between Instagram Stories and Snapchat, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom admitted that Snapchat deserved "all the credit," before going on to point out that tech companies borrow ideas all the time. "When you are an innovator, that's awesome. Just like Instagram deserves all the credit for bringing filters to the forefront. This isn't about who invented something. This is about a format, and how you take it to a network and put your own spin on it," said Systrom. "Facebook invented feed, LinkedIn took on feed, Twitter took on feed, Instagram took on feed, and they all feel very different now and they serve very different purposes. But no one looks down at someone for adopting something that is so obviously great for presenting a certain type of information." That may technically be true, but even by Silicon Valley standards, this is pretty bloody blatant. https://vimeo.com/177180549
Start planning a cheeky summer Tassie trip, Hobart's palace of next-level art MONA has just announced the first glimmer of their 2017 Mona Foma lineup. Returning to the Apple Isle's capital from Wednesday 18 to Sunday 22 January 2017, Mofo is one of Hobart's calendar cornerstones — and this year's shaping up to be as weird as ever. First off the rank is the world premiere of tētēma, the newest project from legendary Faith No More frontman Mike Patton. The project is a collaboration between Patton and Aussie experimental composer and pianist Anthony Pateras, who are bringing their ambient, experimental live show to us which explores the theme of displacement. The combo of Pateras' electro- orchestral style with Patton's insane vocal range and a 12-piece band is not to be missed. Second up, MONA has also announced that US comedic, storytelling/musical outfit Puscifer are on the festival bill. They're known for high-energy, narrative driven shows. This is only the first announcement, with the full program set to be announced on Wednesday, October 12. Looks like Mofo is shaping up to be another banger. Tickets go on sale on Monday, October 17, so keep an ear to ground for further announcements. Image: Mofo/Facebook.
Everybody knows that the people of Melbourne love a good beard. But what you maybe didn’t know? We now have an entire festival dedicated to them. Organised by the finely-bearded folks at This Is Beard Season, the first ever Mid Winter Beard Fest is set to go down in Collingwood on the evening of Sunday July 12. We’re talking a full-on warehouse party dedicated to chin fuzz, with music, booze and the most elaborate facial hair you’ll see outside of Middle Earth. And to make things even better, every single dollar is going to a worthy cause — This Is Beard Season's daily quest to get you and your friends and family to book a skincheck for melanoma. Do it. The fun kicks off at 6pm at 73 Cromwell Street, although you’ll probably need to leave most of the afternoon to properly landscape your face. Melbourne bands Sgt York, Immortal Horns and DJ Petty Crimes will crank out a few sets, while Moon Dog Craft Brewery, Kulara Estate, Arktika Vodka and Sailor Jerry will keep you from getting too thirsty. All money from the bar goes to help fight melanoma, as will the proceeds from a charity auction later in the night. For more information, visit Mid Winter Beard Fest on Facebook. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
With each passing festival season, music lineups dominate the hubbub. But with great grub now proving just as much a drawcard as those tunes, festivals are taking their food element next-level. Gone are the days of sad sausage rolls, scoffed speedily between stages — festival food is having a moment. Last year, Sugar Mountain Festival introduced a new onsite dining concept called Sensory, collaborating with some iconic Melbourne names to treat food-loving festivalgoers to an "immersive restaurant experiment". A mega success straight off the bat, Sensory is set to return for Sugar Mountain 2017, on January 21, having pulled together another cracking lineup of tastes, sights, and sounds. An indoor space within the festival's home at the Victorian College of the Arts will be transformed for the multi-dimensional event. There'll be multiple sittings throughout the day, with each 60-minute set-menu experience designed to take guests on a dazzling multi-sensory journey. Peter Gunn, the envelope-pushing chef behind Collingwood fine diner IDES, will be working his magic on the menu, sticking to form to deliver a cutting-edge culinary extravaganza. Meanwhile, the accompanying visual feast is sure to be every bit as impressive, with acclaimed multimedia artist Daniel Arsham taking the reins on the space design — fresh, might we add, from his collaboration with Pharrell Williams for Rules of the Game, which showed at Brisbane Festival this year. And all the while, those earholes will be in total aural heaven, thanks to a glittering, hour-long score crafted by S U R V I V E — yep, that's the Texan band behind the Stranger Things '80s-style hit soundtrack. Of course, the festival's foodie fabulousness extends beyond Sensory's walls, with eats from the likes of Kong BBQ, 8Bit, Pretty Mama and Pidapipo on hand to back up the musical treats. Summer-worthy cocktails will be shaken and stirred by the crew from The Top, while beer partner Sample Brew will be slinging a variety of tap beers and an exclusive range of tinnies. All-inclusive tickets to Sensory are priced at $70 each, and go on sale at 8am, November 16. Grab one separately, or bundle it together with a Sugar Mountain ticket.
There's a few delicious things you could buy for $817. You could buy a bucketload of Messina for your entire workplace. Or you could invest in one scoop of this not-so-great-sounding ice cream, the most expensive scoop in the world. Dubai's Scoopi Cafe is claiming their 'Black Diamond' as the priciest scoop in the globe, setting you back $817 a go. According to Al Arabiya, owner Zubin Doshi spent five whole weeks picking out the ingredients. Yep. Five of 'em. What did he come up with? Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream, Iranian saffron threads, and Italian black truffle, topped with a 23-karat gold leaf. Call us ungrateful, but four ingredients we've seen before hasn't left us jumping on Webjet. The exxy part of the scoop actually doesn't come from the saffron or gold leaf. It comes from the takeaway container. Your Black Diamond comes served in a bowl from Versace — one you can take home. So basically, you're paying for singular Versace crockery and the rights to tell your 'friends' you shelled out 800 beans for an average-sounding scoop. We'll stick with Messina any day. Via Al Arabiya.
At long last SPECTRE — the 24th film in the iconic James Bond franchise — has made its way to screens around the country, and to mark the occasion, Heineken is giving fans a bunch of prizes to make them sharper than Bond himself. To help celebrate its long-standing partnership with Bond, Heineken has teamed up with the boutique experience cultivators over at Mr Aristotle for a brand new project, The Catch. Throughout November and December, Heineken will be hosting exclusive SPECTRE 007 events that are so mysterious participants won’t know what’s in store until they’re suddenly whisked away and thrown right into the middle of the action right as it happens — like this one, where you and your mates head off on an exclusive personal tailoring adventure through some of Melbourne's premier male fashion outlets and stores. Winners secure the expert advice of a top-tier fashion consultant to accompany you around town for a full three hours. You'll have what every indecisive shopper dreams of: your very own personal stylist advising on your needs, style and personality. They won't tell you how to dress — they'll tell you how to dress perfectly for you. No time-wasting, no queues and, most importantly, no buyer's remorse. It doesn't matter if you're keen for a complete overhaul or the simple addition of a few key pieces, your consultant will be there to offer their years of experience and VIP access to some of Melbourne's fashion meccas. To be in the running for prizes like this, sign up via the Heineken's The Catch website and have your mates locked, loaded and ready to move at a moment’s notice. Then dive into your wardrobe and get cracking on that long overdue stocktake review — because if you win, you'll need to make some space.
Gauchito Gil is Argentina's Robin Hood. As such, it seems fitting that Australia's own Malbec World Day has been borrowed from the South American country, where the majority of the world's Malbec comes from. If this day is a donation from the grape god, it's one we're happy to accept. And with the help of Gauchito Gil, Malbec World Day will be celebrated in Melbourne with a seven-hour wine bonanza at Ormond Hall on Friday, April 17. Back for a second year, the event comes from the organisers of the Pinot Palooza and Game of Rhones, and mirrors the free-reign tasting set up. Your $40 ticket will include a wine glass, and from there you'll be able to move around, sampling over 80 Australian and Argentine Malbec varietals. Other events have been known to get a little boozy, so to soak up all that wine, there will be top-notch empanadas from some restaurants including Huxtable and San Telmo. It really doesn't matter if you know everything there is about Malbec or if you don't know much at all, because Malbec World Day is about education and celebration of the Argentine grape. And what better way to celebrate than with an unending glass of wine?
Flying might be speedy, in terms of in-air time. But when you add airport transfers, check-in queues, security checks and boarding procedures, the hours start to pile up. A plane flies from Sydney to Melbourne in 90 minutes, but, for passengers, the journey can take up to four hours. Two Aussie aviation experts want to change all that. 28-year-old Luke Hampshire and 32-year-old Alexander Robinson are hard at work getting a startup off the ground, which will give members unlimited flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, for one (expectedly hefty) monthly fee. And you won’t be flying with Virgin, Qantas, Jetstar or Tiger Air, by the way, you’ll be on a dedicated private jet. The company is named Airly and here’s how it works. Members pay $1000 to join up and $2550 per month after that (yep, it's not cheap). There are no maximum rides per month and no minimums, either. You’ll be flying on one of three eight-seater King Air 350s, which will start with 54 flights per week between Sydney’s Bankstown Airport, Melbourne’s Essendon Airport and Canberra Airport. Once things are up and running, Airly intends to cover Adelaide and Brisbane, too. Queueing for hours will look so early 21st century. Instead, you’ll be checking in just 15 minutes before departure in the company’s private terminal, cutting two hours off an average journey with a commercial airline. Meanwhile, both on the ground and on-board, ‘first class’ service is promised, ‘everytime’. Sound like some kind of pie in the sky? Well, it’s actually been done before — and successfully. Over in California, a similar service, named Surf Air, is already flying between twelve cities. In fact, Surf Air’s founder, Wade Eyerly, helped out when Hampshire and Robinson were first getting moving. Six months ago, the two quit their jobs to work on Airly full-time. The first King Air 350 has already been ordered from the United States and Hampshire told the SMH, “We are working off a membership number. We have a lot of people showing significant interest in it now. Once we reach that break-even number, we launch.” Airly won’t own the aircraft — they’ll be acting as a service provider and dry leasing the King Air 350s from an Australian company, the identity of which remains anonymous for now. Not that Hampshire wouldn't be able to do the captaining — he's a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot. Via SMH. Image: Jordan Sanchez.
It's 2017, and cinemagoers are about to see their ninth Batman movie in less than three decades — and, a few months later, their first live-action Wonder Woman film. Whether you love them, hate them, or don't mind them but are starting to get sick of a new one coming out each and every month, this year's comic book flicks highlight a disheartening point: gender equality and filmmaking really don't go hand in hand right now. Alas, the situation doesn't just apply to those fond of wearing capes and lycra. In general, watching movies about women, featuring significant roles for women, and/or made by women isn't as easy as it should be. When it comes to representing half of the world's population both in front of and behind the camera, saying that the film industry has plenty of room for improvement is both a massive understatement and a case of stating the obvious. If Hollywood isn't going to do any better, however, then the Internet Movie Database is going to do what it can to shine a light on the female-focused flicks that audiences can see. Enter the F-rating. Contrary to everything that the school grading system has made you believe, it's actually a good thing. Movies rated F boast a considerable contribution from women, be it writing, directing or acting in a sizeable part (no, playing a wife on the phone doesn't count, no matter how often great actresses are forced to do just that on screen). The rating was created back in 2014 by Bath Film Festival's Holly Tarquini in an effort to help viewers choose to watch movies that do more than give ladies a supporting role. Tick all three boxes, and a feature will receive a triple F — and a big thumbs up, representation-wise. At the time of writing, 21,890 films have been given an F-rating on IMDB, with users able to search for relevant titles just by ticking a box. Alas, searching is the only way to find the rating, which doesn't appear on IMDB's movie landing or keyword pages, but it's still a giant leap in the right direction. Or, as Tarquini sees it, it's hopefully a step on the path to better representation overall, rather than needing to actively let audiences know which female-focused films they should be seeking out. "I hope that the F rating will become redundant as the stories we see on screen reflect our culture, and that 50 percent of the stories we see [will be] told by and about women." she told The Guardian. Damn right. Via Vulture / The Guardian. Image: The Runaways.
Sitting down for our interview with director Eva Orner, it's hard not to think about the grimly fortuitous timing. Less than 24 hours earlier, a young Somali refugee set herself ablaze on Nauru. It's the second case of self-immolation at the centre in less than a week, following the suicide of Omid Masoumali just a few days before. "I think we all need to stand up and say enough is enough," says Orner. "I just read this thing where Malcolm Turnbull said, 'Let's not get misty-eyed about offshore detention.' People are lighting themselves on fire. Children are being sexually abused. People have died." Orner is no stranger to these kinds of human rights abuses. A first generation Australian whose parents fled the Holocaust, she won an Oscar in 2008 for producing Taxi to the Dark Side, Alex Gibney's harrowing documentary about CIA torture. To say that her latest directorial effort, about Australia's hardline immigration policy, is even more confronting, speaks to just how indefensible that policy has become. Combining whistleblower interviews with shocking secret camera footage captured inside Manus Island and Nauru, Chasing Asylum reveals in no uncertain terms the consequences of offshore detention. We spoke with Orner about what motivated her to pick up the camera, and whether she believes films like this can truly make a difference. A CAMPAIGN OF PANIC AND FEAR Perhaps the hardest thing to stomach, when it comes to mandatory detention, is the fact that so many Australians seem willing to accept it — something that Orner attributes to "a campaign of panic and fear and misinformation that's been going for 15 years." "I don't think that people really know what's happening, because of this policy of secrecy that's been in operation since 2001," she says. "That's why I made the film, because I wanted to show people. Vision is so much more powerful than print. There's been some excellent journalism on this, but until you really see women and children in those conditions, it's not quite the same." "I find it particularly extraordinary today when people are self-immolating, and the government doesn't really respond with any sympathy," Orner continues. "The key to me is that we have to keep coming back to the Refugee Convention. Because it came out of the Holocaust, and it was the world's apology to the Jewish people to what happened to them... We really have to look at this policy in terms of what it says about us as a democratic country." WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE The most remarkable thing about Chasing Asylum is Orner's hidden camera footage, which lays bare just how bad the conditions on Nauru and Manus Island really are. Naturally, she's unable to reveal exactly how she acquired the footage, other than to say it was "not easy to get." "If I'd known then what I know now I probably wouldn't have done it," she admits. "I think I was a bit wide-eyed going in. I always said that I was waiting for someone else to make this film, and no one did so I thought I'd better do it. But no wonder no one was making it. It's about places you can't go, people you can't speak to, and if whistleblowers do speak to you then you have to hide their identity. Then the whistleblowing legislation came out in July last year, which says that if you speak out it's a criminal act and you can go to jail." "What's important is that no cameras are allowed in, and why," says Orner. "I think the film answers that question, because it's really grim... I don't think it's a particularly emotional film, in terms of my voice. It's really just the facts and the vision of what's been happening. But what I'm seeing now as we're starting to screen it is that people cry when they see this film. It's very upsetting... I find it very hard to watch the film." CAN A MOVIE ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE? "You have to believe that good will triumph," says Orner when asked if she thinks things will ever change. "You have to believe that good will triumph, you have to believe you can change things. You have to do something, because the alternative to that is doing nothing. You just have to stand up and scream and scream and scream." "One of the things we're doing is working with an organisation to get [the film] into the school curriculum, because that's where the power is. Getting the next generation to see the film. If we get this into schools, if we get tonnes of people to see it, if it gets seen on televisions around the world, then that can make a difference." "It's really about trying to educate people. That's what I'm saying. Come see the film, see what we're doing, and then make a decision. And I'm saying the same thing to politicians, because only a handful of politicians have been to Manus or Nauru. They're spending all of our taxpayer dollars on this, they should know what it looks like. Then maybe at night when they're sitting with their families, they can reassess how they really feel." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocgNZRIEyyY Chasing Asylum is in cinemas nationally from May 26. Eva Orner's book, Chasing Asylum: A Filmmaker's Story, is available in bookstores and online. For more information visit www.chasingasylum.com.au.
Uber drivers may want to start thinking about a change of career. The ridesharing giant, whose relationship with its drivers has been turbulent in recent times, may soon have reached the point where it no longer has any need for them. After all, why spend millions settling lawsuits when you can get the cars to operate themselves? That seems to be the thinking as the company officially begins testing on its very first self-driving car. The modified Ford Fusion Hybrid, complete with roof mounted cameras and radar, took its first public outing on the streets of Pittsburgh last week. "While Uber is still in the early days of our self-driving efforts, every day of testing leads to improvements," said the company via a statement on their website. "Right now we're focused on getting the technology right and ensuring it's safe for everyone on the road — pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers." "In the future we believe this technology will mean less congestion, more affordable and accessible transportation, and far fewer lives lost in car accidents." That's all well and good, but will these self driving cars be offering their passengers complimentary mints? Where are we on that technology, exactly? Via The Sydney Morning Herald.
Did you spend your childhood wishing that Jurassic Park wasn't just a movie (or a book that spawned a movie and box office-smashing sequels)? Us too. While that dream is yet to become a reality, Queensland University of Technology has created the next best thing. Welcome... to the digital Dino Zoo. It's exactly what it sounds like: a two-storey installation that lets hyper-realistic, full-sized versions of prehistoric creatures roam wild, with the floor-to-ceiling screens acting like a glass enclosure. It's also much, much more than that. Dino Zoo doesn't just offer the world's first ever opportunity to interact with ten dinosaurs — including the largest flying reptile ever to live, and Australian critters with names like Muttaburrasaurus and Australovenator — but combines video game wizardry with scientific knowledge. What does that mean? Well, these dinos not only look the part, but act it as well. They've been designed to simulate real creatures, with each species vested with artificial intelligence. Watch Stegosaurus and Triceratops make their own decisions about moving, hunting, grazing and resting — and, if you're lucky, recreating parts of your favourite film. We can't promise that you'll be fleeing from a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but we can promise that you can pretend to. With data gleaned from real-life fossils instrumental in the project, Dino Zoo also features a digital dig pit that lets audiences uncover prehistoric bones, an interactive Earth timeline that visualises tectonic plate movement throughout history, and an 'Earth mass extinction simulator' — eek. Basically, it's all the virtual dino fun aficionados could ask for — and everyone loves dinosaurs, after all. Yes, yes they do. Just ask all the folks that flocked to see Jurassic World, which mightn't have been the sequel fans of the original were hoping for, but it still made more than $52 million at the local box office. Find Dino Zoo at QUT's The Cube in the QUT Gardens Point Precinct, George Street, Brisbane until January 27. Check out their website for further information. Image: Erika Fish, QUT.
The best of Czech and Slovak cinema will once again make its way to Melbourne as part of the fourth annual Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia. From Wednesday, September 14 through to the following Friday, an eclectic mix of classic and contemporary titles will light up the screen at ACMI, showcasing the unique, sometimes strange perspective of filmmakers from Bratislava to Prague. This year's festival features nine new release films that will compete for a cash prize awarded by members of the Australian Film Critics Association. Features in competition include opening night horror film The Noonday Witch, big screen fairytale The Seven Ravens and the FIPRESCI prize-winning Eva Nova. Completing these films is an intriguing selection of films from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Of these, some of the most intriguing include the strange, pulpy, Little Shop of Horrors-inspired comedy Adele Hasn't Had Her Dinner Yet, and the seminal adaptation of Dobroslav Chrobák's novel Dragon's Return. Below, check out our list of the five must-see films of this year's fest. THE NOONDAY WITCH This year's opening night film shapes up as an absolute cracker. Arriving in Melbourne straight from competition at the Czech Republic's prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival, The Noonday Witch is a unique horror film in that it takes place largely during the daytime. Jiří Sádek's feature film debut follows a mother and her young daughter as they relocate to a remote house in the countryside, only to find themselves haunted by a malevolent force from Czech folklore. The film has scored strong reviews, with many critics comparing it to the recent Australian spooker The Babadook. EVA NOVA The so-called First Lady of Slovak Theatre, veteran actor Emília Vášáryová stars in Eva Nova, the first fiction film from noted documentarian Marko Škop. Vášáryová plays Eva, a bitter, ageing, alcoholic screen star desperate to claw her way back into the limelight, while also hoping to reconcile with her estranged adult son. A grim but compassionate portrait of addiction and redemption, the film won a FIPRESCI prize at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, and stands out as a distinct dramatic highlight on this year's CaSFFA slate. SCHMITKE With a reputation brewing as the Czech Republic's answer to David Lynch's cult series Twin Peaks, the debut film of Štěpán Altrichter caught our attention right away. A deadpan comedy/mystery with a touch of the surreal, Schmitke follows a morose engineer sent to fix a noisy wind turbine near the Czech-German border. But odd things are afoot in the small town nearby, and soon our reluctant protagonist finds himself in the middle of something quite strange. One for fans of low-key humour and stories with more questions than answers. LOST IN MUNICH Chosen by Czech critics as the best film of last year, Lost in Munich is a bizarre political comedy that combines cheeky historical tinkering with a cautionary tale about the perils of movie-making itself. It begins when down-on-his luck journalist crosses paths with an elderly parrot, one who may or may not have belonged to former French President Édouard Daladier — a man despised in the Czech Republic for signing the 1938 Munich Agreement with Nazi Germany. That may sound weird enough already, but in truth it's just the tip of the iceberg. Petr Zelenka's film is a fascinating (and highly entertaining) closing night choice that needs to be seen to be fully comprehended. ADELE HASN'T HAD HER DINNER YET Crime, comedy and carnivorous plant life combine in this outlandish piece of late '70s pulp from filmmaker Oldřich Lipský. Michal Dočolomansky stars as a New York detective in Prague, who finds himself caught up in a case that gets stranger at every turn. An all-time cult classic of Czechoslovakian cinema complete with eye-popping animations from the legendary Jan Švankmajer, Adele Hasn't Had Her Dinner Yet recently underwent a digital restoration at the Czech National Film Archive, and will be presented at CaSFFA in all its newfound glory. CaSFFA will run from Wednesday, September 14 until Sunday, September 25. For the full program, visit casffa.com.au. Disclaimer: Tom will serve as an AFCA jury member at this year's CaSFFA.
Everyone's dreamed of walking on water, and not only has Bulgarian-American artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff made that a reality — he's made it look insanely beautiful as well. After 50 years of planning, Christo's The Floating Piers this week opened to the public at Lake Iseo in the north of Italy. And boy does it look incredible. A photo posted by ottaviadrago (@ottaviadrago) on Jun 22, 2016 at 11:00am PDT The floating pier creates a three-kilometre water walkway from the village of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the lake. Over 220,000 polyethylene cubes have been used to create a floating dock, which moves with the small waves and gives visitors the feeling of walking on water. Sort of like those mats you'd try and walk on in swimming lessons, but more, y'know, secure. To top is all off, the walkway is covered in 100,000 square metres of shimmering saffron fabric. "Those who experience The Floating Piers will feel like they are walking on water — or perhaps the back of a whale," said Christo on his website. "The light and water will transform the bright yellow fabric to shades of red and gold throughout the sixteen days." The Floating Piers were first conceived by Christo and his late wife Jeanne-Claude back in 1970. Realised almost 50 years later, the project cost around $22 million — all of which has been funded by Christo himself. It's totally free for the public to visit, 24 hours a day, until it wraps up on July 3. If you're in Italy in the next two weeks, consider this a vigorous nudge. But for everyone else, here's some of the epic Instagrams that have been taken in the last few days. A photo posted by Simona Maculotti (@simona_maculotti) on Jun 22, 2016 at 2:30pm PDT A photo posted by Carlo D'Andrea (@c_a_rlo) on Jun 22, 2016 at 11:05am PDT A photo posted by The Floating Piers (@floatingpiers) on Jun 22, 2016 at 1:50am PDT A photo posted by Marta sangalli (@marta_sangalli) on Jun 22, 2016 at 12:12pm PDT A photo posted by The Floating Piers (@floatingpiers) on Jun 17, 2016 at 4:43am PDT A photo posted by The Floating Piers (@floatingpiers) on Jun 18, 2016 at 2:15am PDT Top image: The Floating Piers via Instagram.
Deck the halls and unpack the plastic tree — the festive season is well and truly upon us. And while that whole Christmas tradition stuff is nice, we're not going to deny what we're most excited about: a whole stocking-load of new films. Along with the cricket and stampeding through shopping centres, going to the movies is one of our favourite Boxing Day traditions. After all, what better place to recover from your post-Christmas food coma than in a nice, dark, air-conditioned cinema? Of course, not all of the end-of-year titles measure up. That's why we're reporting in with our annual Boxing Day Battle Royale, to ensure that you get maximum bang for your Kris Kringle gift voucher buck. Or you could just go see the new Star Wars movie for the third time. That's also a totally valid option. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rgO_TyyOoU CALL ME BY YOUR NAME We give it: 5 stars It's easy to fall in love with Call Me By Your Name on sight. Full of the kind of sumptuous visuals that director Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash) is known for, the '80s-set effort proves a gorgeous piece of filmmaking from its opening frames. That said, it's the movie's sun-dappled dalliance that will really make you swoon, as Guadagnino follows the blossoming romance between 17-year-old Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and grad student Oliver (Armie Hammer) over the course of a sweltering Italian summer. A seductive and sensual queer romance, and a pitch-perfect account of yearning and desire — one that features an emotionally intricate turn from Chalamet in particular — Call Me By Your Name is the film that stories about first love will be judged against for many years to come. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNCz4mQzfEI COCO We give it: 4 stars It's with vibrant detail that Coco bursts onto cinema screens. A tale of following your heart while honouring your family, Pixar's latest effort is both a colourful sight to behold and an exuberant journey; a film exploding with dazzling visual and emotional fireworks. Within frames heaving with intricacy, there's never a dull moment as the movie sashays from modern-day Mexico to the Land of the Dead during the country's Dîa de los Muertos celebrations. Often it's the little things that stand out, from the grain of the many flowers never far from view, to the weathered skeleton bones that literally dance through the streets, to the melancholy look on an old woman's face. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QKg5SZ_35I JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE We give it: 3.5 stars Updating itself, quite literally, for more modern times, the new Jumanji sees the board game from the original film transform itself into a mid-90s video game cartridge. Fast-forward 20 years and, in a clear nod to The Breakfast Club, the game is discovered in a storeroom by four motley teens during high-school detention, who soon find themselves sucked in to the perilous jungle. But there's a twist: they're now in the bodies of the game character they chose. Each of the main cast members plays impressively against type: Dwyane Johnson as the allergy-afflicted nerd, Kevin Hart as the jock cut down to size, Karen Gillan as the introverted loner and – most amusingly – Jack Black as the vacuous popular girl. The laughs are frequent, coming mostly from the body-swap setup, but also from the tongue-in-cheek references to point and click video games. – Tom Glasson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN46DCFr2Y0 JUST TO BE SURE We give it: 3 stars As a comedy, Just to Be Sure doesn't always hit the mark. As an insightful look at life, love and family, however, the French film proves both thoughtful and charming. In her third feature, writer-director Carine Tardieu explores the story of widower Erwan (François Damiens) and his pregnant 23-year-old daughter Juliette (Alice de Lencquesaing) — plus the man he has always called dad (Guy Marchand), the man who might be his biological father (André Wilms) and the attractive doctor (Cécile De France) that links them both. With great performances all round, the movie is at its best when it's getting to the heart of the various characters' emotional reactions, rather than trying to find laughs. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_YnYrLfjxA BREATHE We give it: 2.5 stars Based on the exploits of polio sufferer Robin Cavendish, Breathe comes to the screen with the best of intentions. Indeed, Cavendish's son produced the film, showing just how personal this true tale is. Sadly, celebrating his father's fortitude and crafting a rousing movie aren't one and the same, despite the fact that many of the right tools are there. As Cavendish, Andrew Garfield (sporting his natural accent) flits between frustration and determination, while Claire Foy gives a moving performance as the dependable wife by his side. The production also boasts thoroughly handsome cinematography that captures its '50s, '60s and '70s setting. And yet the directorial debut of motion-capture actor Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, War for the Planet of the Apes) ultimately proves heavy on sentiment but light on emotional impact. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCrBICYM0yM DOWNSIZING We give it: 2.5 stars It's a great concept: to help save the planet, humanity gets shrunk down to size. But the unmistakably odd Downsizing isn't just an eco-friendly, statement-making update of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, even if it comes with a few ace sight gags. While director Alexander Payne has long been fascinated with ordinary guys struggling with their lot in life — think Sideways, The Descendants and Nebraska — the theme doesn't quite work in this ambitious but messy sci-fi-esque comedy. The film isn't helped by Matt Damon rolling out his usual everyman routine, though other cast members fare better. Christoph Waltz is considerably more jovial than usual, and Hong Chau turns a thinly written, stereotypical character into something more memorable. – Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXCTMGYUg9A THE GREATEST SHOWMAN We give it: 2 stars If Hugh Jackman's mega-watt smile and Zac Efron getting musical out of high school can't save The Greatest Showman, then nothing can. Turning the life of 19th-century American circus whiz P.T. Barnum into a family-friendly musical, the film prefers easy sentiment over anything more than the most obvious of themes and the simplest, flimsiest of narratives. The flat, uninvolving pop songs scattered throughout don't help or demonstrate any depth, and neither does their music video-like staging by first-time Australian director Michael Gracey. There might be warm intentions behind this broad, unsubtle underdog story about dreamers and outsiders, but they're lost in a movie that resorts to painting a critic as the villain — as if to pre-emptively scold anyone who isn't enamoured with its empty spectacle. – Sarah Ward
When it comes to making your first movie, there are easier ways to go about it than not just following in but recreating your father's footsteps. That's what O'Shea Jackson Jr experienced in taking on the role he was perhaps born to play — that of Ice Cube, who he normally just calls Dad, in the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton. Alongside Corey Hawkins as Dr Dre, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Aldis Hodge as MC Ren and Neil Brown Jr as DJ Yella, Jackson tackles the formation, fame and split of the influential hip hop group across the '80s and '90s. Starting on the streets of Compton in South Central LA, NWA created anthems that reflected their reality of difficult race relations and altercations with law enforcement, and went on to change the course of music history. The film that results is a slick, stirring, entertaining and engrossing music biopic that captures the spirit and circumstances of the songs and figures it focuses on. We chat to Jackson about making his acting debut by playing his father and doing justice to his family's legacy. You play your dad in this movie. I imagine this role is more important to you than any ordinary film role could be? Yeah, this is my family's legacy. It is bigger than NWA to me. I know that a lot of the people who may not even like the genre, a lot of the people who may not have grown up with NWA, there's a few people who know Ice Cube as only a movie star — I know that those people are going to take this movie as law, as exactly what happened. I couldn't risk somebody's portrayal of my father not being in the same light as I see him in. I knew the importance of this, so it had to be in my hands. Was taking on your family's legacy daunting? Of course. It takes a lot, but the sacrifices that had to be made were for my family. I'd run through a wall for them. Extreme bootcamps at times — I was twenty-two at the time, trying to look seventeen, so I had to go through a bit of a bootcamp, and I lost fifteen pounds in twenty-four days eating nothing but grass, dirt and diet water. It was a lot, but pressure makes diamonds, and if you run away from it you'll never know what you can do. Going into the film, how much of Ice Cube and NWA's complete story did you know? My father has been telling me these stories my whole life, and that was something I used to my advantage. I knew how things really went, and I knew that the authenticity of this film was what was going to make it stand out. I'm not going to say I knew about the guns in the hotel, but there were things I was comfortable with, stories that I knew, stories that knew I could talk to the source about to make sure we get it correct on film. It was just about re-enacting things I've heard since I was a child. You’ve been rapping for a few years now, touring with your father. Was that the easier part of the film for you? That's what made him believe that I could do it. Him taking me on stage, him seeing how I am on stage, is what led to him feeling like I could play him. That's such an important aspect. And my father was the young one of the group — he has the most energy on stage, he's the one rocking the crowd, waving his hands, bouncing up and down — so you know you have to bring that. When it came to those scenes, my guys — Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge and Neil Brown Jr — they knew that I had that experience under my belt, so they let me quarterback those scenes a little. They know that that's me in my element, and I'm forever thankful to those guys for making me feel comfortable. Those scenes that you see are really what NWA did. The Detroit scene, them looking at each other, making sure "are we all down to do this, to drop 'Fuck Tha Police'", that's something that really happened. The film’s director, F. Gary Gray, has ties to both Ice Cube and Dr. Dre going back to making music videos in the '90s. Do you think that helped the film’s feeling of authenticity? Oh my god yes. That was one of the aspects of him getting the job, that my father saw that Gary got it. He got what it meant. My father knew he wouldn't have to explain the power or just the aspects of NWA to Gary. He also really let me really spread my creative wings. I know I won't deal with a lot of directors who are willing to let an artist be an artist the way that Gary Gray does. If you do it by the book, get it by the script the couple of times, he lets you do what's called an 'eat take' and go ahead and just be you. And if it works, it works, you know. And I thank Gary, because I know how meticulous he is, and if it is not right he won't do it. And as a young actor, as a rookie actor, you want someone in your corner that's going to make sure you don't look stupid. Straight Outta Compton is in cinemas now. Read our review.
Remember the colossal slide that made everyone lose their minds last year? Well it’s back and more powerful than you could ever imagine. Slide Melbourne are bringing back the 400-metre super slide to Lawnsdowne Street in East Melbourne, to once again grace us with slippery, high speed sliding but for two Sundays only (December 6 and February 7). So get in quick because we know from past experience there’s nothing Melburnians like more than giant slippery slides (inside we’re all just whimsical children, aren’t we). Tickets are selling fast for the December/February sliding dates and while the thought of being outside, wet and holding onto a tube for dear life might seem crazy right now in winter, with the fires of global warming being fanned by our illustrious leader Tone, we’re in for a hot one. A $41 ticket will buy two hours of unfettered access to the glorious slide (well, unfettered apart from your co-sliders) and an estimated three to six slides. Slide Melbourne have all the logistics covered for a session of maxtreme sliding, including lockers, changing rooms and yes, you’ll have to sign a waiver (just in case there’s a pile-up part way down – you know, #giantslideproblems). But remember: a leisurely slide down in a tube means a 400-metre slog back to the top carrying said tube. So let this be sufficient motivation to crawl out from under your Pringle-covered doona and start getting strong and healthy to maximise the amount of slides you can cram into your session. Slide Melbourne will careen down Lawnsdowne Street, East Melbourne. Running on Sunday, December 6 from 10am to 8.15pm and Sunday, February 7 from 10am to 8.15pm. Tickets $41, book here.
The four-time number one on the World's Best Restaurants list is headed to Sydney Harbour. Rene Redzepi, owner and head chef at Copenhagen's two Michelin starred eatery Noma, will fly his entire team (including 35 chefs and 30 waitstaff) more than 16,000km around the world for an Australian pop-up from January 26 to April 2 — and now we know how to grab one of the highly prized seats in the room. Bookings for all tables will open simultaneously, on Friday, October 30, at 10am AEDT online at the Noma website. You can book for tables of two, four, six or eight, for either lunch or dinner five days a week (Tuesday – Saturday). Start saving your pennies now — the cost per person is $485, plus 1.65% CC fee, with drinks to be paid for separately on the day. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage pairings will be offered, as well as a short wine list. The menu itself is yet to be finalised, although earlier in the year Redzepi said he'll be leaving his regular ingredients back in Copenhagen, and told Good Food to expect locally inspired dishes made with shellfish, sea succulents and native herbs and spices. The team have already made several research trips to Australia to stoke their creative fires. "They’ve visited as many regions as possible, getting a good perspective on the great and diverse produce that is available in Australia," reads a statement from Noma. "Later on, in December, the entire creative team will move to Sydney to focus their energy on creating a menu that will showcase the best of what we’ve found on these trips." The Noma Australia project was inspired by their five week pop-up in Tokyo earlier this year, which Redzepi called "the greatest learning experience of my life." "Australia has always drawn me in; its great cities, its generous people, and of course its ever-present sun," wrote Redzepi in his online statement. "But what really boggles my mind is the differences you find in its landscapes and ingredients, because honestly I have never seen anything like it." Supported by Tourism Australia and property firm Lendlease, Noma Australia will be located on the ground floor of the Anadara building on Wulugul Walk in Barangaroo. The restaurant will serve just 50 people per sitting. Don't expect the cost to deter people. Bookings at the similarly expensive Tokyo pop-up sold out in just hours, with the restaurant eventually racking up a waiting list of over 60,000 people. Demand might shoot up even more vertiginously given that Redzepi has announced Noma in its current incarnation will close altogether at the end of 2016. By Tom Clift with Rima Sabina Aouf.
As you're no doubt already aware, this week the world lost one of its finest actors, after Alan Rickman succumbed to cancer at the age of 69. Although his resume boasted dozens of incredible credits, Rickman is best known for his two most iconic roles, playing Professor Snape in the Harry Potter serries and terrorist mastermind Hans Gruber in Die Hard. Yet despite his predilection for playing sinister characters, tributes in the wake of his death have universally described the actor as a kind, funny and generous human being. Emma Thompson, who appeared alongside Rickman in films including Love Actually and Sense and Sensibility, described him as "the ultimate ally," while his Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe remembered Rickman as one of the first actors to treat him "like a peer rather than a child." Perhaps the most heartbreaking tribute came in the form of this simple image from The New Yorker cartoonist Ben Schwartz. Remembering the actor Alan Rickman, in this cartoon by @BentSchwartz: https://t.co/a35CPgUxLO pic.twitter.com/moUFpyl4SM — The New Yorker (@NewYorker) January 14, 2016 In tribute to Rickman's life and career, the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Sydney have announced they will be hosting a special screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on Sunday February 7. Tickets will cost $15, with $3 of every sale going to the Cancer Council NSW. The cinema is also hosting charity screenings of Labyrinth on January 29 and The Man Who Fell to Earth on January 31 in tribute to David Bowie.
Most Melburnians have walked past the Nicholas Building dozens if not hundreds of times. The 90-year-old edifice is a Swanston Street institution, home to artists, makers, designers and local businesses from all around town. For one night only, you can take in everything it has to offer, from its art deco arcade on up. From 6–9pm on Thursday, December 7, A Night at the Nicholas invites punters to explore the historic building and get to know its eclectic tenants. Attend the launch of BLINDSIDE's Emerging Curator Mentorship, get your palm read at Muses of Mystery and pick up a gem at Retro Star. There will also be lots creative work from local jewellers, milliners, artists, fashion designers and architects on display. Entry will be by gold coin donation, with all proceeds going to the Nicholas Building Association. You'll also be able to purchase refreshments on the night. Image: Andrew/Flickr.
Watch great Australian stage productions with popcorn and choc top in hand, when Australian National Theatre Live arrives in cinemas in April. Inspired by the success of the UK's NT Live series, this local endeavour will capture and screen locally made theatre shows in participating cinemas, with the aim of bringing the live theatre experience to audiences who'd normally miss out. Australian National Theatre Live will launch with the Griffin Theatre Company's production of David Williamson's acclaimed satire Emerald City. The show will make its cinema premiere at Melbourne's Lido Cinemas on Friday April 22, followed by Sydney's Ritz Cinema on Wednesday April 27. Further screenings will follow in cinemas around the country. Other shows set to light up the silver screen include Mary Rachel Brown's The Dapto Chaser, Geoffrey Atherden's Liberty Equality Fraternity, and the Sydney Theatre Company's Wharf Revue. "Australia produces world-class theatre and Australian National Theatre Live will give audiences across Australia the opportunity to experience some of the best productions available – good theatre will no longer just be for metropolitan audiences," said spokesman and actor Grant Dodwell. "ANT Live means many more people will get to see plays that usually have a very short season in metropolitan centres." "Our ultimate aim is to stimulate a greater interest in live theatre, to encourage and promote writers, performers and practitioners, and create a resource for students and theatre lovers across the country." For more information about Australian National Theatre Live, visit www.antlive.com.au.
Bluesfest has lifted the lid on its second artist announcement for 2018, adding 16 more names to the already hefty lineup. Heading this latest stampede is Senegalese artist Youssou N'dour, who will be bringing his 20-piece band to the five-day Easter long weekend festival just outside of Byron Bay. If the name isn't ringing any bells, you'll probably be familiar with this '90s classic. Other artists joining the lineup include greatest hit-bearers Jackson Browne and Seal, Bluesfest regular Michael Franti, and British band Gomez will return to the fest for their first tour in six years. They'll place alongside two huge headliners: Lionel Richie and Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, who will play with his band The Sensational Space Shifters. Plant's performance at Blues will mark 50 years since he first performed with Led Zeppelin, so the gravity of the performance is sure to be pretty huge. Other acts taking to the stage Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm over the weekend include Aussies Tash Sultana and John Butler Trio, Swedish duo First Aid Kit and what will be a captivating set by José González. Bluesfest returnees Joe Louis Walker, Dumpstaphunk and Eric Gales are on there too. Anyway, here's the full lineup. Better start making Easter plans — and deciding what to eat — because tickets are already on sale. BLUESFEST 2018 LINEUP Robert Plant and The Sensational Space Shifters Lionel Richie The John Butler Trio Tash Sultana The New Power Generation Chic Featuring Nile Rodgers First Aid Kit Jose Gonzalez Morcheeba Gov't Mule Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real The California Honeydrops Eric Gales Bobby Rush Dumpstaphunk Joe Louis Walker Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Youssou N'dour Seal Michael Franti & Spearhead Jackson Browne Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Gomez Rag 'n' Bone Man The Original Blues Brothers Band Jimmy Cliff The Wailers Benjamin Booker Hurray for the Riff Raff Canned Heat Walter Trout André Cymone The Teskey Brothers Image: Andy Fraser.
The illustrious restaurant Noma, the same one that consistently tops dining lists across the world, will be closing its doors after one last blowout on New Year’s Eve 2016. It will be a sad occasion, but not to worry; like the phoenix or a feathered Pokemon equivalent, Noma will rise again in 2017 in a new, evolved form. Noma head chef René Redzepi told the New York Times that although business at Noma is booming, it’s time for a dramatic change, and he was not kidding. Noma will move from its cute nook in the middle of picturesque Copenhagen to the outskirts of town where the extra space will be dedicated to an urban farm, a greenhouse, a farming team and a field that floats on a raft. The menu will be have a dramatic overhaul as well. Ex-Noma chef Trevor Moran will return to help with the expansion and commented that the menu will change with the seasons, from game and mushrooms in the fall to a full seafood menu in winter. And, rather poetically, Redzepi says when “the world turns green ... so will the menu”, meaning that, for several months a year, Noma will be a completely vegetarian establishment. If you have fat stacks and want to catch a taste of OG Noma before its closure (without travelling all the way to the Denmark), then get to its Sydney pop-up in Barangaroo, where they’ll be setting up shop for ten weeks in late January 2016. Better get in quick though; the Noma Tokyo pop-up accrued a 60,000-person waiting list, so register your interest on the Noma website ASAP. Via New York Times.
Looking for an opulent, world heritage-listed B&B stay in Paris that'll make you feel like a pre-Revolution French monarch? The Palace of Versailles is opening a hotel and restaurant, where you can have your cake and eat it too. According to The Age, the world-famous 17th century palace has hit a spot of financial trouble, and is opening a hotel on the premises to raise much-needed funds. With more than seven million people wandering through the iconic grounds every year, it sounds like they're doing okay. But the state-owned palace has seen funding cuts from €47.4 million (around $70.7 million) in 2013 to €40.5 million (around $60.2 million) in 2015 — a hefty decrease when you're trying to renovate palatial Rococo apartments. Enter LOV Hotel Collection. The French-based hospitality group have just won the tender to transform the three 17th century buildings in the palace grounds right next to Louis XIV's beloved Orangerie into commercial accommodation. The Grand Controle, Petit Controle and Pavillon buildings — former treasurer and officers' mess buildings just 100 yards from the main palace — will be converted into 20 luxest of the luxe boutique hotel rooms. What's more, the 'hotel' — if you can call it that — will also house a world-class restaurant. Renowned Michelin-starred French chef Alain Ducasse is locked in to open a fine dining venue on the premises. Exactly what the restaurant will be like remains to be seen, but we're thinking levels of opulent cakery like this: "There will be no other hotel in the world like this one," according to a Versailles palace spokesman. "This is an emblem of French history and a cultural landmark. It will be an authentically royal experience." Guests will apparently be able to eat cake, drink French champagne and generally live like a House of Bourbon monarch during their stay. One thing you can probably expect? One heck of a price tag, and a tidal wave of cashed-up honeymooners. Renovations are expected to cost upwards of €14 million (that's $20 million plus), and should be finished sometime in 2018. Stay tuned. Updated: April 11, 2016. Via The Age and CTV News. Top images: Dollar Photo Club.
Controversial muso, New York Times bestseller and human energy ball Amanda Palmer is coming to Sydney for an intimate solo performance at the Sydney Opera House on January 21. Palmer's announced the intention of her down under trip is to strip things back to basics. She'll be on stage with "a suitcase, a piano, a ukulele and a baby" which sounds like a very Palmer-esque combo of bold, relatable and off-beat. It's been five years since Palmer graced the Opera House stage with Meow Meow and her partner, Neil Gaiman, so expect the unexpected. The Opera House is just one of her Aussie tour stops. She'll be setting up at the Gasometer for a residency between January 12 and March 9. She'll also be dropping by MONA in Tasmania, Woodford Folk Festival over New Year's Eve, Melt Festival at the Brisbane Powerhouse, Her Majesty's Theatre and Playhouse Theatre in Melbourne and the NGV — a prestigious venue lineup indeed. Image: Shervin Lainez.
You could trawl every art gallery and every private collection on the planet and you'd only find 800 paintings signed by Vincent Van Gogh. That's the sum total of what remains of the Dutch genius's output. So, it's insanely, insanely exciting that 60 of his masterpieces will be travelling to the National Gallery of Victoria in 2017. Set to open on April 28, the blockbuster exhibition will be titled Van Gogh and the Seasons and is expected by NGV to draw one of the gallery's biggest audiences yet. You can expect around 40 painting and 25 drawings, collected from some of the world's top-shelf galleries, including Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum and Otterlo's Kröller-Müller Museum. The curating is being taken care of by Sjraar Van Heugten, author of a genuine bucketload of books about Van Gogh and ex-head of the Van Gogh Museum's collections section. What's more, you'll also get to see a bunch of Van Gogh's letters, as well as some of the artworks he collected during his 37 years on Earth. These will be arranged to give some insight into how various artists have responded to the seasons. "It's a huge coup for the NGV and another reason why Victoria is the creative state," said Martin Foley, Victoria's Minister for Creative Industries, when announcing the exhibition on Friday 16 September. "Van Gogh is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable and famous names in art history. His incredible work laid the foundation for modern art and influences artists to this day." Van Gogh and The Seasons is the 22nd exhibition in the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, which the former Labor Government set up in 2004, to treat Melburnians to the best art in the world at least once a year. Also in the 2017 series will be the NGV's inaugural Festival of Photography, featuring works from William Eggelston (US) and Melbourne's own Zoë Croggon. Van Gogh and the Seasons opens on April 28 at NGV International. It's part of the gallery's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition for 2017. Image: Vincent van Gogh, Dutch 1853–90, Orchard in Blossom, Bordered by Cypresses (1888), oil on canvas, 64.9 x 81.2 cm, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, © Kröller-Müller Museum.
Louis Vuitton's stamp of luxury (that popular LV) and Supreme's iconic red and white boxed logo are joining forced for their first collaborated pop-up shop — and they've picked Sydney to launch. From Friday, June 30 until Friday, July 13, the Bondi beach pop-up will feature coveted LV-stamped apparel paired with the Supreme logo accessories as seen in the men's autumn/winter 2017 line, which was announced at Paris Men's Fashion Week in January. Count yourself lucky, Sydney, this pop-up shop request was denied in New York City. The pop-up will stock the duo's new collaborative baseball caps, t-shirts and backpacks. And if you're feeling bold, the collection also features denim baseball jerseys, leather jackets, cross-body bags and much more. The store will also offer exclusive pop-up shop pieces that you'll have to check out for yourself. While the two brands were established 140 years apart, their collision of high fashion and New York City streetwear is a world-first — and a huge coup for Australia. Louis Vuitton x Supreme will pop up at 95 Roscoe Street, Bondi Beach from June 30 to July 13. Open Monday to Sunday 10am–6pm, Thursday 10am–7pm.
Get off the mainland and pay a trip to Tasmania, whose brand new music festival is just around the corner. Held on the remnants of a pink crystal beach two hours west of Hobart, the inaugural Rose Quartz Music & Arts Festival is being sold as a "sensory escape to the wilderness", and is due to go down during the first weekend in April. You'd best get in quick though, since there are just 500 tickets available – and if their newly released lineup is anything to go by, they might not last very long. Music acts tapped for the festival include Andras, Roland Tings, Wax'o Paradiso, Bronze Savage, Michael Ozone and Jennifer Loveless. There'll be food available from a selection of Tasmanian food vendors. Ditto booze from local brewers, served in recyclable cups in order to cut down on waste. Rose Quartz will be held at the picturesque Lake Pedders, whose crystalline shores were submerged in the 1970s by the damming of the Serpentine and Huon Rivers. 200 festival-goers will be housed at Lake Pedder Wilderness lodge, while the remaining 300 will have to make do with camping. The latter option is currently available at $200 a head. There are limited car spots on site, but the festival will be running a shuttle bus service between Hobart and Lake Pedders. Rose Quartz Music & Arts Festival runs from April 1-2. For more information and to secure tickets visit www.rosequartzfestival.com.au. Via AWOL.
There's always something to see at a documentary festival. Whether true crime gets your pulse racing or you're excited about the idea of diving into the weird and wonderful side of this world we live in, part of the fun of a festival focused on factual efforts is the sense of real-life discovery — you'll most likely learn something new. Since it started in 2011, that's what the Antenna Documentary Film Festival has offered movie buffs keen on a dose of reality with their viewing, with the fest's annual program nothing if not varied and vibrant. Taking their true tales to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane audiences, the latter for the first time this year, Antenna beams everything from docos about eating crawling critters to cine-essays about the impact of horror cinema into hearts and minds. From this year's 39-feature lineup, here's our top five picks. BUGS Maybe you're the kind of person who's willing to eat almost anything once. Or, perhaps you're much more cautious about your culinary choices. Either way, this doco is something everyone should watch — when it comes to what we eat, the future of the planet is at stake. Researchers from gastronomic entrepreneur Rene Redzepi's (Noma) Nordic Food Lab investigate the practise of eating insects as a solution to issues of food security and scarcity, and documentarian Andreas Johnsen follows their efforts. Yep, Bugs is probably going to make your stomach squirm — but, if you really are adventurous, you can try an ant-covered ice cream at the films's screening. FEAR ITSELF In Beyond Clueless, critic and filmmaker Charlie Lyne explored the films audiences not only literally grew up with, but also chronicled that process on screen. Now, like we all do, he's moved on from teen flicks to horror — and he's giving the fright-inducing genre the same treatment. Assembling tension-filled clips from over 100 spooky efforts, he examines just how everything from the usual suspects to hidden gems manage to give audiences goosebumps and leave them on the edge of their seats. Clearly, this is a film for horror buffs — maybe don't head along if you're easily scared. CAMERAPERSON You mightn't know Kirsten Johnson's name, but if you watch documentaries, then you know her visuals. As a cinematographer and camera operator, she has shot or contributed to the shooting of everything from Fahrenheit 9/11 to Citizenfour, however, that's not all she has filmed. After more than two decades in the business, Johnson has assembled quite the array of unused footage from every effort that she has worked on, which all forms part of Cameraperson. Using these otherwise-discarded scenes, she crafts a portrait of the relationship between the people on either sides of the camera, as well as an absolutely riveting cine-memoir. BOBBY SANDS: 66 DAYS It was the film that launched the careers of both Michael Fassbender and his Shame and 12 Years A Slave director Steve McQueen: Hunger, a recreation of Irish Republican prisoner Bobby Sands' refusal to eat food for 66 days. As Bobby Sands: 66 Days' title suggest, Brendan Byrne's documentary also tells that story. Of course, it looks at the situation from a factual rather than dramatised perspective, with the end result both powerful and informative. There's a reason that the eponymous figure's actions back in 1981 continue to draw attention, which this compilation of interviews, archival materials and recreations attempts to get to the bottom of. CITY 40 The Russian city of Ozersk is the city time may as well have forgotten, closing itself off to the world around it, and even using armed guards to stop anyone entering. Indeed, the mountainous locale is referred to as City 40, and though it looks picturesque, it's really anything but. It's here that the Soviet nuclear weapons program was born after World War II — and where many are now stockpiled. This documentary examines not only the place, but the people who remain, even as their beloved home town literally poisons them through radiation. The Antenna Documentary Film Festival screens in Sydney from October 11 to 16, in Brisbane from October 26 to 30, and in Melbourne from November 2 to 6. For the full program, see the festival website.
When you're home alone and looking to belt out a few tunes when nobody is watching (we've all been there), the tinny speakers on your laptop simply won't do. Prioritising high quality sound is often relegated to the realms of live music venues and exxy headphones, but fortunately, Sonos is upping the home stereo game. Thanks to their insanely high-quality wireless PLAY:1 smart speakers, audiophiles can crank up the crisp sound quality they deserve — and you can customise the sound in every room in your house. This is some gadget wizardry. Controlled using a free app for iOS, Android, Mac or PC, the compact smart speaker PLAY:1 boasts crystal clear sound and can stream your own music library to any room in your house — including your bathroom, if you so require. Seriously, close your eyes and you'll swear Aqua was performing in your living room. As it happens, we're such big Sonos fans that we threw a beach party with them in Byron Bay this past weekend (using those killer speakers) and we're teaming up with them on a giveaway that music lovers won't want to miss. Enter your details below and you can go in the running to win one of their coveted PLAY:1 speakers, valued at $299. [competition]582397[/competition]
Lately we feel like we've been the bearer of bad news when it comes to the fate of festivals, but this time we've got the complete opposite. The cats behind Falls Festival have this morning announced something pretty darn exciting: a brand new three-day festival is coming straight at ya over the Melbourne Cup long weekend. They're calling it The Lost Lands, a name which has enough mystery (and a vague enough reference to Jurassic Park) to have us very intrigued. The three-day camping festival will not only feature heaps of music, but will centre around art, theatre, comedy and outdoor activities as well. It'll be held over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the October long weekend just outside of Melbourne at Werribee Mansion, the luxe AF mansion and grounds that has played host to So Frenchy So Chic and the late Harvest Festival (RIP). But the real point of difference for The Lost Lands is that it's designed to be hella family friendly. Festival organiser and Falls founder Simon Daly has a family of five, and he recognised the need for a more European style of festival in Australia that not only lets kids attend, but actually involves them in the festival's activities. "The Lost Lands will give parents the chance to reconnect with the festival experience while instilling in kids a love and appreciation of music, arts and adventure," said Daly. "I think there's an appetite for more experiences crafted with parents and kids in mind and it's exciting for the industry." The festival will be focused around "shared experiences" that can be enjoyed by everyone — be that parents, kids, friends, and anyone who rocks up — and it looks set to incorporate so many activities, such as bushwalks, bike rides and even day trips to the Werribee Open Range Zoo. They're also offering a range of workshops to expand the mind (such as cooking and songwriting) or lengthen the legs (like circus play and yoga). Um, sign us up for everything. A photo posted by The Lost Lands (@lostlandsfest) on May 26, 2016 at 1:05am PDT But just because there's kids around doesn't mean that the menu is limited to chicken nuggets and juice boxes. The Lost Lands is promising a huge range of festival eats and drinks, including a curated range of Mummy and Daddy drinks such as craft beer, wine, organic spirits and even an on-site distillery. All this will be happening with a backdrop of classic Italianate-style architecture amongst the sprawling formal mansion gardens (designed by W.R. Guilfoyle, the man behind the Royal Botanic Gardens) and a chill but fun musical line-up. Expect to be swaying along to The Waifs, Harts, The Grates, Ozomatli, Missy Higgins, CW Stoneking, Architecture in Helsinki, The Bamboos with Tim Rogers, Mariachi El Bronx, Tash Sultana, Olympia, Ali Barter, The Little Stevies, Pounded By The Surf, The Royal Jellies, Nicky Bonba, Ainslie Wills, and Alex Lahey. As it's a three-day, two-night festival, camping (and glamping) will be available, but with Melbourne only half an hour away by car or train, it's not a necessity like most festivals. However, if you want to feel like Marie Antoinette for a weekend, you can even rent accommodation in the actual mansion and live like damn kings. It may be dark and gloomy right now, but we cannot wait for festival season to return. The Lost Lands will run from October 28-30 at Werribee Mansion. Tickets will go on sale on Thursday, June 2 from thelostlands.com.au.
Well, it’s official: animal-themed cafes have reached critical levels of absurdity. After cats, owls and even teacup pigs, an impending eatery in East London will pay tribute to the humble blobfish, the gelatinous sea dweller that was recently voted the ugliest animal in the world. Set to open in summer 2016, the Blobfish Cafe will be home to three blobfish specimen named Barry, Lorcan and Lady Swift. No word on how the aquatic trio are handling their newfound celebrity, although Lorcan already has his own twitter account, where he mostly tweets about Tom Cruise. Of course, running a blobfish cafe isn’t as simple a proposition as just rounding up a few stray cats. The fish reside on the ocean floor off the east coast of Australia (booyah!) at depths of around 1000 metres, where the pressure is several dozen times that of the surface. As a result, the owners of the cafe have had to construct a special tank capable of replicating the deep sea environment, a mammoth undertaking described on their website as 'not cheap'. Still, the trade-off for the blobfish community may well be worth the cost. The 2013 public ballot by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society threw the species into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, with the fleshy pink fish beat out the axolotl, the proboscis monkey and the kakapo, aka the New Zealand owl parrot, to claim the title of God’s most hideous mistake. To make matters worse, a rise in deep sea trawling is threatening blobfish populations. Do you really want to live in a world without this guy? The cafe is yet to reveal their food and drinks menu, although they’ve promised a mix of light lunches and more substantial evening meals, along with weekly gourmet nights consisting of an eight course deep sea themed tasting menu. Presumably that doesn’t include eating blobfish. A number of online retailers also sell plush blobfish toys. That piece of information doesn’t really have anything to do with the cafe, but we still thought it was worth mentioning. We’re also not entirely convinced this whole story isn’t an elaborate hoax, although if it is it’s a pretty amazing one. Via London Evening Standard.
Have you ever tried to do yoga with a pet around? They're a bloody nuisance, getting up in your face during Downward Dog, tickling your ankles in Warrior Two, nuzzling in while you're taking some much-needed Child's Pose time. But perhaps you're all for a little fluffball in your grill in Baby Cobra pose. Rest assured, you're not the only one. Joining cat yoga classes around the globe, New York City's only cat cafe (yep, they've surprisingly only got one permanent spot after this pop-up) has introduced kitty yoga classes. Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane cat cafes, take note. Lower East Side cat cafe Meow Parlour has launched yoga classes instore, letting humans and Kitty Kind rescue felines find their centre. They're taking cues from an Illinois cat shelter, who started cat-flanked yoga classes as a creative strategy to boost adoption rates. All this extra harmonious time spent with the kitties will hopefully encourage you to adopt one of your zen little friends. Let's be clear here, the cats aren't doing yoga in these classes. That would be genuinely incredible, but no, you're doing the yoga, and the kitties will scurry around your Three-Legged Dog pose. Meow Parlour's hour and a half sessions are structured as 45 minutes of yoga, 15 minutes of cool-down and 30 minutes of kitty snuggles (way more feline time than a usual cat cafe visit). "One of the funny things about cats is that the more you ignore them, the more curious they are about you," Meow Parlour co-owner Christina Ha told Yoga Dork. "Our instructor, Amy, loves getting the students to do animal poses as it feels very appropriate to start off with a cat pose in an environment surrounded by cats. We like to think that visiting Meow Parlour is great for reducing your stress level and reinvigorating your soul, and yoga just seems like an extension of that." If this ever comes to Australian cat cafes, a little tip from the Meow Parlour crew: cats do leave claw marks on the mat. If you're in NYC or planning a trip soon, you can find Meow Parlour at 46 Hester Street, Manhattan. MP's yoga classes are held on Tuesdays at 3pm. Check the website for details or too book a class. Via Yoga Dork. Images: Lisa Cee (Flickr CC), Ethan Covey, Meow Parlour.
American music legend Prince has just dropped word that he'll be touring around Australia and New Zealand in February. That's right, February. As in the month we're currently in. The shock announcement was made earlier today, with the recording artist sharing the news with fans via his Twitter account. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/WiOKCZtdw8 — Prince3EG (@Prince3EG) February 5, 2016 The 57-year-old recently serenaded audiences in Minnesota with a series of intimate shows dubbed 'Piano and a Microphone', a name that has been adopted for his tour of the southern hemisphere. He was originally meant to perform in Europe in December, but cancelled those plans in the wake of the Paris terror attacks. We're yet to see any details regarding exact dates or locations – the last time Prince visited Australia was in 2012, when he played shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. This will be his first visit to New Zealand. Whatever the plan is, presumably we'll find out soon. UPDATE – The dates and locations for the tour have been revealed. Prince will play four shows at Melbourne State Theatre on February 16 and 17, two shows at the Sydney Opera House on February 20, two shows at Sydney State Theatre on February 21, and one show at Auckland's ASB Theatre on February 24. Tickets for his Australian shows go on sale at midday (AEDT) on February 9, and for his New Zealand show at midday (NZDT) on February 11. For more info, go here.
If there's an Aussie film that's had everyone talking over the last few months, it's Down Under. You don't make a comedy about the 2005 Cronulla riots — and about racism in Australia in general — without causing some chatter. The fact that the flick has reached cinemas at a time when the subject of prejudice and discrimination has been splashed all over the local media has certainly helped. Actually, unless you're actor-turned-writer/director Abe Forsythe, you don't make a movie about either the horrific events of more than a decade ago or the pointless hatred behind them at all. Determined to create "a communal experience where we can all just share in just kind of how stupid and how scary everything has kind of gotten," Forsythe didn't hold back when it came to shining a light on the more problematic side of our multicultural country — and he spoke with us about his motivation, spreading a message through laughter and the timeliness of the film's release. ON DECIDING TO MAKE A FILM ABOUT THE CRONULLA RIOTS "I think the main thing for me personally was that I found that I was going to be a father, and there were two things in play. One was that I realised I didn't have much time to get the script happening because soon there was going to be someone that I was just completely responsible for, and I was kind of running out of time. And then the other was that I felt like I was bringing someone into the world and I guess I was concerned about that. This was six years ago that I wrote it. I was looking around, and going, 'This child that I'm bringing into the world has absolutely no say about it — and what kind of world is he going to be exposed to?' So that was all stuff that led me to the Cronulla riots. Because, I mean, I've got a son, and so much of the Cronulla riots, I feel, has to do with masculinity and displaced masculinity and the way males in our country — but also everywhere around the world — the way they can deal with certain things. So it was at a particular time in my life where everything just kind of bubbled up and just fell into place. And then it wrote itself very, very easily and quickly. I mean, I spent five years working on the script, but the initial draft just kind of poured out of me." ON TURNING A HEATED HISTORICAL SITUATION INTO A COMEDY "Before writing this script, [comedy's] what I had been working in. I had been working in comedy a long time ago when I made my first film [2003's Ned] — but the years preceding writing Down Under I'd been experimenting with telling these sorts of stories but in a comedic way in a couple of films I'd made for Tropfest and a couple of other things I'd been working on. "For me, it's really interesting to use comedy to take an audience into a subject matter which I guess can shine light on that subject matter in a different way. And also, it's my experience that if you can make people laugh, you're actually opening them up in a way to accepting other things. If you're laughing, you're opening yourself up emotionally, and if you're opening yourself up emotionally, then you're more receptive to, you know, a movie that's actually saying something about something." ON BALANCING HUMOUR AND TRAGEDY "To use an example, the opening two minutes where we have all that real riot footage, one consistent thing throughout every screening of this movie that we've had has been how shocking everyone finds the opening two minutes. And I think that's partly to do with the fact that it has been ten years — and when I wrote this six years ago, one of the reasons I wrote it was that I felt like we we hadn't dealt with what happened during the riots. So, it kind of feels like we've just brushed it away, and obviously recently everything's been changing locally and internationally as well. But people were shocked by — people have always been shocked by — that first two minutes. "We actually tested the movie without opening the movie with that footage, and when we didn't have that footage at the beginning of the movie, people actually had trouble with all the stuff that happens later in the movie because it kind of took them a little bit by surprise. But by opening the movie with all that footage, where you go, 'This happened, these people did this, and it's as bad as it looks,' we were actually kind of making people go, 'Okay, this subject matter, even though we're going to ease into comedy, there's going to be all of this other stuff which appears every now and then and eventually it's going to end this way too.' "So it was a tricky tonal balancing act to go from scenes where you're laughing at all sorts of different things and behaviour, but then it was always important that we were jolting back into the darker aspects and easing back into the comedy... It was tricky and it took a lot of time to get it right. But I felt like you couldn't tell this particular story and deal with this subject matter without having the darker aspects in there." ON THE TIMELINESS OF THE FILM'S RELEASE "I think it's going to make people question what we've done more, definitely. But it is one of those things — you can have a preconceived notion of what this movie is before you see it, but after you see it, I think it's pretty clear that we're trying to be respectful with how complicated this movie is and the issues are. "Even if we're going to get specific about it, the last couple of weeks with everything that happened with Sonia Kruger's comments on television and Pauline Hanson and everything — it is a little bit crazy that for me, writing something six years ago dealing with this issue, that it is getting released at a time that I could not have guessed with everything that's happening in Australian and also internationally." Down Under is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our review.
Looking for a way to keep warm and dramatically relaxed this winter? We think we've stumbled upon just the novelty thing you're looking for. A savvy American inventor has taken the concept of relaxation to unprecedented heights, with the creation of a hammock that is also a hot tub. Commence applauding. Conceived and designed by Oregonian Benjamin Frederick, The Hydro Hammock is made from a durable synthetic material, and is capable of holding the weight of more than 185 litres of water plus two adult bathers. The water, from sea, lake or garden hose, is then heated via propane gas heater and circulated via pump (battery and solar-powered hammocks are also currently in the works). The hammock can be suspended between two points like a regular hammock, but also functions as a portable hot tub liner in the sand or snow. Yep, you can build a hot tub right into the snow. Frederick is currently looking to secure additional funding via Kickstarter, and has so far raised US$35,000 of his US$50,000 goal. A pledge of US$260 will get you the basic, single-layer hammock including installation straps and carabiners, while US$390 gets you the double layer hammock with extra insulation. However, we should point out that neither of those options actually includes the heater and pump — for that you'll have to fork out US$1180 for the single layer version, or US$1310 for the double. But while that may sound like a lot of money for a hammock, it's still likely a hell of a lot cheaper than getting a regular hot tub installed. And the good news is that Frederick ships his invention worldwide. Just make sure you tie both ends to something secure and unbending, otherwise you're likely to end up bruised, wet and cold. For more information about the Hydro Hammock, visit their Kickstarter page.
You know it's summer in Melbourne when the outdoor cinemas start flickering back to life. In the past few weeks we've seen brand spanking new programs from the folks at Rooftop Cinema, Moonlight Cinema, Lido on the Roof and the newly opened QV Outdoor Cinema. And now Shadow Electric are getting in on the action, dropping their own rock-solid lineup of recent and retro films along with a selection of music documentaries, live gigs and killer grub to match. Located within the grounds of Abbotsford Convent, Shadow Electric will kick off its four-month season on January 2 with the Australian premiere of New World Towers, which chronicles the unexpected reunion of '90s Britpop legends Blur. It's one of several films in rotation aimed specifically at music lovers, with features like Eden and Straight Outta Compton appearing alongside concert films such as The Last Waltz and Stop Making Sense. The remainder of the program consists mostly of recent releases, including Spectre, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, Macbeth and The Dressmaker, plus a smattering of nostalgic faves in the form of The Breakfast Club, The Big Lebowski and a Valentine's Day showing of Dirty Dancing. Select dates will also play host to live shows in the bandroom — keep your eyes on the Shadow Electric website for more on that front. This year will also see the venue partner with the guys behind Longhorn, Le Bon Ton and Chingon for pre-film food offerings. Talk about a step up from overpriced candy bar popcorn. Tickets for the first half of Shadow Electric's 2016 program will go on sale later today. For more information, hit up their website.
The inevitable robot uprising is one step closer to becoming a reality, with the launch of Domino's first ever pizza delivery drone. The store-to-door aerial pizza man was unveiled this week in Auckland, where it will be rolled out across New Zealand in the coming months. According to Domino's, the drones will be used as a delivery method alongside the existing fleet of human couriers (well, until they outlive their usefulness) and will be "fully integrated into online ordering and GPS systems". They've developed the technology with U.S. drone developers Flirtey, who last month helped 7-Eleven deliver their first slurpee by drone. Expect the drones to make short distance deliveries in fine weather, because the last thing we need is pizza falling from the sky. …actually, scratch that. That sounds excellent. Of course, this isn't the first time that Domino's has invested in robotics. In March of this year they gave life to DRU, a robotic delivery unit capable of extinguishing the human race by the time your pizza is cold. Sure, he looks adorable, but we're pretty sure that beneath that Apple store exterior lies the unfeeling cybernetic heart of a Terminator. Then again, maybe we're over-reacting. Maybe all he wants to do is to deliver us a pizza and garlic bread and be done with it.
With hard-hitting dramas, imaginative comedies and a retrospective tribute to one of the all-time greats, the latest edition of the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival doesn't disappoint. Lighting up the screen from March 1-24 in Sydney before heading out to Parramatta and Casula in April, from March 2-24 in Melbourne, and March 11-April 3 in Brisbane, the 2016 program features a diverse mix of titles showcasing the very best the French film industry has to offer. Cannes winners are set to be a highlight, with Rust and Bone director Jacques Audiard tackling the issue of asylum seekers in his new offering Dheepan, and Philippe Garrel's masterful romantic drama In the Shadow of Women. Legendary French filmmaker Michel Gondry's new film Microbe & Gasoline will also feature in the festival — which will be closed by Jean Luc-Godard's 1963 film Contempt. Here are our top five picks to see at the festival. But first, enter the comp for some sweet, sweet tickets. [competition]561842[/competition]
Movie lovers, prepare to lose your shit. Roadshow Films have confirmed that acclaimed writer-director Quentin Tarantino will visit Australia in January to promote his latest film, the star-studded, blood-soaked western The Hateful Eight. Details on the visit are still pretty scarce, with more information expected to drop in the coming months. What we do know is that Tarantino will attend a premiere in Sydney along with a "fan event" in Melbourne ahead of the movie's staggered theatrical release. The film is currently slated to debut in select cinemas in 70mm on January 14, followed by a wide release on January 21. Set on the western frontier shortly after the end of the American Civil War, The Hateful Eight revolves around eight strangers, played by Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Demián Bachir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern, who become snowed in at a stagecoach stopover during a fearsome blizzard. This being a film from the guy behind Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained, we're guessing things don't exactly go smoothly from there. Aside from the cast, one of the most noteworthy things about The Hateful Eight is Tarantino's decision to shoot and release the movie on 70mm film. The rarely utilised format allows filmmakers to capture images in greater detail, but is much more expensive than shooting a movie digitally or using standard 35mm film. "If we do our jobs right by making this film a 70mm event, we will remind people why this is something you can't see on television and how this is an experience you can't have when you watch movies in your apartment, your man cave or your iPhone or iPad," said Tarantino at the American Film Market earlier this year. "You'll see 24 frames per second play out, all these wonderfully painted pictures create the illusion of movement. I'm hoping it's going to stop the momentum of the digital stuff, and that people will hopefully go, 'man, that is going to the movies, and that is worth saving, and we need to see more of that.'" The issue is somewhat complicated by the fact that very few cinemas still have the equipment to project 70mm film prints — hence The Hateful Eight's two part release strategy. The Astor in Melbourne is one of the only theatres in the country that still regularly screens movies in the 70mm format, and shapes up as one likely venue for Tarantino's Australian visit.
This Valentine's Day weekend, get that special someone something sweet. Like, seriously sweet. For one day only on Saturday February 13, Melbourne-based dessert chef Caroline Khoo will be selling her sugary wares at Williams-Sonoma Chadstone. Khoo is the creator of Nectar and Stone, an online dessert store where she sells handmade chocolates, cupcakes, biscuits and pastries, as well as an array of other treats that'll give you a toothache just by looking at them. With over 300,000 followers on Instagram, she's been featured by Martha Stewart, and is currently working on her first book – we can only imagine what kind of sweet, sweet madness lies within those pages. Her Chadstone pop-up will be open from 10am until 2pm, unless she sells out early – and let's face it, that's a distinct possibility. It'll be located at Williams-Sonoma, on the lower level of Chadstone near David Jones. It's her second collaboration with the cookware and kitchen accessory brand, following a similar pop-up back in December last year. And yes, she will be selling her patented cookie-filled chocolate pyramid, better known as the peak of human civilisation. The ancient Egyptians would be so proud. Btw, if someone wants to get that for us for Valentine's Day, we promise to love them forever. For more information visit www.nectarandstonemelbourne.com.
Christmas shopping needn't be a chore. It's your chance to think about a person you care about, think about what element you and only you bring to their lives, mix it all up, and then pop a bow on that beautiful creation. Or, at the very least, make sure it's a good scented candle. Need some inspiration to start you off? Here's a leg up from the Concrete Playground team. It's only the products we've been eyeing off all year. These are the gifts we'd want under our tree, and to leave under others'. For the style savants A maximally minimal watch from The Horse No one does a wrist-dwarfing yet understated watch quite like The Horse. Japanese quartz movement meets gently grainy Italian leather at their Sydney studio, resulting in 12 highly Instagrammable timepieces. $129 from www.thehorse.com.au. Karen Walker's bold gold sunnies To mark ten unconventional years in the eyewear game, NZ designer Karen Walker has released the 'Celebrate' collection, entirely done in gold. This is for loved ones comfortable taking risks on their faces. NZ$399 at www.karenwalkereyewear.com. A reworked vintage Eames chair It's the kind of chair you get and then keep for life, and few do them better than Cast + Crew, who keep the classic shell and upholstery and add new custom legs in neon colours. From $395 at castandcrew.bigcartel.com/products (only some products ship to Australia). This completely perfect water bottle Ignore the gushy high-fashion crap all over the BKR website; these are just the best water bottles, period. They feel good to hold, they feel good to drink from, they're dishwashable and (since they're made of glass with a silicon sleeve) BPA free. US$30 at www.mybkr.com. The Lucy Folk 'Aphrodisiac' necklace It's a pearl. In its natural home. Much harmony, so wow. $750-$850 at lucyfolk.com/shop/. A custom wood keyboard by Oree For the design nerd who has it all: wooden tech. This portable wireless keyboard is made from single piece of wood (maple, walnut or wild cherry), and is customisable down to the key font. £150 from oreeartisans.com. For the food fiends The tiny woodfired pizza oven Yes, this is a legitimate option available to you. Tiny oven, full-size woodfired pizza. Just imagine the camping trip. The Uuni 2 oven is $399 from au.uuni.net. The Thug Kitchen cookbook If only all health food advocates were this sweary. We might be well detoxed by now. The Thug Kitchen cookbook is the perfect gift for friends, lovers, relatives, anyone in the MA15+ bracket. $23.95 at booktopia.com.au. Eau de Vie's small batch cocktails The only acceptable premix to put under someone's tree, from the cocktail masters at Sydney and Melbourne's Eau de Vie. $15 each from www.experimentalspiritsco.com.au. Cornersmith Hamper Hampers can be old hat, but not when they're full of goodies from Sydney's home of pickling, baking and cheese making. If you get the Workshop Wonder hamper, which comes with a class voucher, your giftee can learn to make the whole lot themselves. $40-195 at www.cornersmith.com.au. For the culture munchers The beautiful hardcover Wes Anderson Collection Film critic Matt Zoller Seitz dissects Anderson's aesthetic and idiosyncratic characters over 335 whimsical pages. If you think your giftee already has this one, there are 54 pages of lovingly made Wes Anderson tchotchkes on Etsy. $38.25 at www.booktopia.com.au. A dancing baby Groot Marvel is finally officially licensing these babies — the possible best thing from their possible best movie, Guardians of the Galaxy. The dancing baby Groot boogies in its pot while Jackson 5's 'I Want You Back' plays from the speaker. Stockists are as yet unknown, but Mashable says they'll be on shelves by Christmas. Tickets to one wild outdoor concert The new bookers at Taronga and Melbourne Zoos are magicians; they've got the likes of Bright Eyes' soul-searching dreamboat Conor Oberst, twee monarchs Belle and Sebastian and the one and only Rufus Wainwright playing their summer Twilight series. Tickets from $69 at twilightattaronga.org.au and www.zoo.org.au/melbourne/twilights. This portable speaker that looks like a big iPhone Portable speakers are almost as ubiquitous as soy candles this time of year, but the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A2 speaker stands out for its omnidirectional sound, 24-hour battery life and crazy-good looks. For the fidelity geek $479 at www.beoplay.com. Sydney Festival tickets If your giftee is in Sydney, give them the gift of a dazzlingly cultured January. We've rounded up some of our favourite and most giftable shows over here. From $29 at www.sydneyfestival.org.au. For the sun junkies This meta picnic blanket The seagulls are dive-bombing for your chips forever on this genius 'Mine Mine' picnic blanket. Trust Gorman. $99 at www.gormanshop.com.au A very clever beach bag Beach bags full of stray sand are just a summer reality, right? Wrong. The Shake Tote has a little flap that opens out to ditch those little grains, easy. US$29.99 from www.quirky.com. This semi-sensible rash vest Safety up top, party down the bottom with this cute rashie from new swimwear brand Neon Cactus. Octopus print and maroon are a sincerely underrated combo. $145 from www.neoncactus.com.au. These thongs with built-in bottle opener Look, this isn't the handsomest shoe, even among that dubious category know as 'mandals'. But that moment when your giftee takes off their thong and uses it to open a beer? That will make it all worth it. $69.99 at www.reef.com/au The Phantom 2 camera drone Twenty years ago, a camcorder was a cool thing to take on holiday. Now it's this: a rugged little quadcopter designed for videography whose flight path you can precisely program from your iPad. US$959 at store.dji.com For the stocking Underwater Puppies: The Book Is your giftee the Grinch? Because only the Grinch would fail to enjoy 128 pages of underwater puppy photos. Everyone else: loves them, loves you, loves everything forevermore. $23.95 from www.booktopia.com.au. The Sunscreen Flask Suddenly that extended family gathering is looking a lot more survivable, thanks to this innocuous-looking flask. US$16.99 at www.thisiswhyimbroke.com. The World's Largest Gummi Bear 24cm and 2kg of pure gummi, this is the perfect gift for that friend in your life (rightly) bemoaning the new reduced size of Killer Pythons. US$29.95 from giantgummybears.com. A mould to turn hard-boiled eggs into tiny skulls Who doesn't need this in their life? There's also one for giftees who prefer their eggs sunny side up. US$9.99 at www.amazon.com. Super Soakers Give someone in your life the gift of a very Leo DiCaprio summer by sticking a Nerf Super Soaker in their stocking. Hint to self: make sure you have one of your own to fire back at them. From $7.99 at www.toysrus.com.au.
When Kevin Bacon stood up in Footloose and said, “This is our time to dance. It is our way of celebrating life,” what he didn’t say was “but only for skinny people”. And yet, that seems to be what we mean these days. 'Fat' dancers and performers aren’t often seen, and so many people seem to have so many opinions on fatness and how fat people move through our society. We look at fat people and assume things — that the person is lazy, slovenly, unhappy and definitely, definitely ungraceful and unconnected to their bodily wellbeing. Now fat activist and artist Kelli Jean Drinkwater and resigning Force Majeure artistic director Kate Champion are working together to broaden our outlook on the body and the act of dancing. After selling out shows at this year's Sydney Festival, Nothing to Lose is headed to Melbourne; a highly topical, audacious and — coming from dance-theatre masters Force Majeure (Never Did Me Any Harm, Food) — sure to be a powerful watch. Challenging as it is to our prejudices, it might even be the most important work you see at the festival. We spoke to Drinkwater and Champion about the thinking behind the provocative project. Read what they had to say over here. Preview: 11 March at 8pm. Season: 12-21 March — 12-14 March at 8pm, Mon 16 March at 6.30pm, 17-21 March at 8pm, Weds 18 March also at 1pm, Sat 14 and 21 March also at 3pm.
Every time the Melbourne International Film Festival rolls around, it takes Victorian cinephiles on an adventure. In 2017, it's starting with one. This year's fest will kick off with the world premiere of Jungle, a survivalist thriller starring Daniel Radcliffe. Set in Bolivia, filmed in Queensland and making its debut in Melbourne, Jungle adapts the real-life tale of Yossi Ghinsberg. Radcliffe plays the Israeli adventurer, who trekked into the Amazon's uncharted depths as a 22-year-old in 1981. He set off with discovery on his mind — and with Swiss teacher Marcus Stamm (Joel Jackson), American photographer Kevin Gale (Aussie actor Alex Russell) and Austrian expat named Karl Ruprechter (Thomas Kretschmann) for company — but the group soon found their trip turning into a wilderness nightmare. If you're thinking, "Didn't I just watch Harry Potter get stranded somewhere remote in a movie?" that's understandable — however, unlike his role in last year's Swiss Army Man, there won't be any farting corpses here. Instead, expect an unnerving journey from Aussie Wolf Creek director Greg McLean, who returns to MIFF 12 years after his breakout horror hit graced the festival's screens. "McLean's new film is bold, hugely entertaining and a thrilling ride," said MIFF artistic director Michelle Carey. "It's an impressive showcase of Australian and international talent behind and in front of the camera." Jungle joins what's shaping up to be a jam-packed 2017 MIFF lineup, with the festival already revealing first 25 films in advance of their full program launch in July 11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcoBDgJ3ZBw The Melbourne International Film Festival runs from August 3 to 20, with tickets for opening night on sale now. For more information, visit the MIFF website — and check back on July 11, when the full program is announced.
It's a sad day when you want to visit Japan (so, so bad — we know) but you can't find sale flights that match up with your annual leave dates. Or you can't find sale flights at all. Or even if you could find sale flights, it's just not gonna happen. Luckily, Melbourne is one Australian city that's bursting with Japanese culture, but like many things in the city, finding the gold takes a bit of digging. You just have to know where to look to fill your life with Japanese-style ceramics, stationery, fabrics, furniture, kitchen sponges, Akari light sculptures, goldfish paper balloons and oh, a hidden city bath house. Here are a handful of the best spots to get you started. MADE IN JAPAN "We shape clay into a pot, but it's the emptiness inside that holds everything we want." Sounds pretty MIJ to us. No, that's not a typo for MUJI. It's short for Made In Japan, and that's one of their mottos. The warehouse that their houses their South Melbourne store has just enough emptiness to hold nearly everything you could want. Including rice paper floor lamps, hammered copper rain chains, flower spikes and the incredibly beautiful, seemingly weightless Akari light sculptures. Intrigued? That's only the beginning. It's tableware that brings most of their loyal customers to the store — the pieces imported by Made in Japan rarely appear outside Japan, and even then often only in homes and restaurants nearby to the makers' kilns. 276 – 278 Coventry Street, South Melbourne APATO Oh, how we love to namedrop Naoto Fukasawa. Simple yet innovative, many designs have flowed from this man's imagination into products that have in turn inspired some of the everyday shapes we know and love. Sleek white Apple products? That's right, even Apple cites Fukasawa as an influence. As beautiful as pictures are, it's worth heading into Apato to check out his designs in the flesh – or bent blonde wood, as the case may be. The Swan Street store hold some of the world's most beautiful furniture, from high profile designers like Fukasawa to emerging talents, all masters of their craft. 283 Swan Street, Richmond MR KITLY Not only is Mr Kitly a mecca for plant people, it's a haven for Japanese design-lovers. Store owner Bree Claffey lived in Japan for five years, so she knows her stuff. There's a big focus on artisanal crafts and ceramics, yes, many of which have beautiful plants growing in them. The store presents a range of international artists and artisans from countries including Australia, the US, the UK and France. But Japanese culture and aesthetics is definitely a focus, and Bree cites the tea room, ikebana films of Yasujiro Ozu, urban potted garden culture and organic buildings by Terunobu Fujimori amongst her key influences. Don't forget to check out the gallery works while you're there, too. 381 Sydney Road, Brunswick ONSEN MA If you wanted to design a place to relax completely, and wash away the endless chatter of the outside world, what would you create? A deep, marble bath in a light-filled converted warehouse, complete with soaring ceilings, decorative slippers and a tea house? Yep, that'd do the trick. Enter Onsen Ma. It's one of Melbourne's very best spa experiences. Follow the flight of stairs behind an unassuming door in one of the city's laneways and be led to reception – not before removing your shoes, naturally. If you haven't had a traditional Japanese bath before, the poised yet warm receptionist will tell you how it's done. And before you know it, you'll be soaking in the tub. Sauna, shower, and repeat. Judging by the tranquility of other bathers, this could be a good habit to get into. Level 1, 12–18 Meyers Place, Melbourne CIBI Head. Hands. Heart. Ours were full when we left CIBI. So were our bellies. CIBI serves up home-style Japanese cooking during lunch, and their weekend breakfast menu is not-to-be-missed. But first things first, the initial thing we noticed when we visited was the cutlery. Have you ever really studied the cutlery at a café before? Maybe you have, you're reading a design article, after all. But, design nerd or not, we'd wager you'll be well impressed by the smooth, characteristically Japanese shapes of the knives and forks next to your matcha latte. And everything — from panko-crumbed bowls of miso-mayoed goodness to the design treats inside. Did you ever imagine wanting a cedar pot stand? Chef's chopsticks? Ornamental porcelain elephant? Probably not. But, we challenge you to leave empty-handed — or without one of their delicate goldfish paper balloons. 45 Keele Street, Collingwood TOKYOBIKE No Melbourne x Japan design list would be complete without bikes, right? Tokyobike to the rescue. Founded in Tokyo's quiet Yanaka neighbourhood, their bikes were designed to bring enjoyment, comfort and lightness to people exploring the city on two wheels. They've now set up shop in Melbourne. As well as bikes, they've got all the accessories your heart could wish for, including the bike engineer pouches hand-crafted in Okayama, touchscreen gloves developed by Japan design geniuses, and a killer poncho (which looks Japanese but is actually made in London). Everyone's a winner. 5 Peel Street, Collingwood CHEF'S ARMOURY Like its Sydney sister store, the Melbourne Chef's Armoury is a must-visit for anyone who loves Japanese cooking or food, or just likes marvelling at the precision with which a knife can cut through that oh-so-hard pumpkin skin. Know the feeling? Probably not, because if you're anything like us, you've been hacking away at those hard-to-cut vegetables with a knife whose origins, and absolute bluntness, is a mystery. Carbon steel, ironwood, cast iron. All the good kitchen things. Check out their konro barbeques, too – filled with clean-burning white charcoal, they're said to imbue anything you cook with an incredible flavour. Add one of the many condiments for sale to your basket, and you're a match for any long weekend. 422 Church Street, Richmond MUJI If you're reading this article, chances are you're into Japanese design enough to know about MUJI. If you are, or if you read our article on Sydney's Japanese design gems, you'll know MUJI's name comes from the words 'Mujirushi Ryōhin', translated as No Brand Quality Goods. And the store's wares sure live up to its name. Linen aprons and acacia-wood chopsticks, anyone? Oh, and this is where you snag those ceramic ginger-graters. Level 2, Emporium Melbourne, 287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, and Lower Level, Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Rd, Chadstone KIMONO HOUSE Did you know that kimonos are made in different fabrics for different seasons and occasions? Cotton for summer, wool for winter and silk for special events. We're hanging out for a traditional kimono in linen, but maybe we'll have to wait and see if MUJI come up with a modern take on that. Tucked away in Melbourne's historic Nicholas Building, Kimono House has reams of kimono, in an almost unimaginable array of prints and colours (unless, of course, you've been to Kyoto). They also run craft and cultural classes, including an ikebana course that we're itching to try. Room 7, 2nd Floor, 37 Swanston Street, Melbourne Following your Japanese design addiction to Sydney? We can help. Top image: Tokyobike.
When your last festival screened 48 films to 168,000 people around Australia, what comes next? It's a problem many events wish they had, however, in their 28th year, the Alliance Française French Film Festival is on the case. With the massive celebration of Gallic cinema continuing to draw huge crowds, the beloved annual festival is offering up more of the same — and we're giving away tickets. Kicking off on March 7 in Sydney before touring to Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Parramatta and Casula until April 9, the 2017 program begins and ends with a bang — or, with two very different journeys. In pole position at the start of the fest sits The Odyssey, an adventure-filled biopic focused on famous oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, and co-starring Audrey Tautou as Cousteau's wife Simone. Then, after running through the bulk of its 45-film selection, the fest comes to a close with maternal comedy A Bun in the Oven, featuring The Bélier Family's Karin Viard as an unexpectedly expectant 49-year old. In between, the AFFFF delivers on two fronts: stars and a vibrant array of big screen stories. There's plenty of both. The former includes 2017 Oscar-nominees Isabelle Huppert and Natalie Portman, with Huppert showing up twice — playing a woman with a secret past in the rom-com Souvenir, and a philosophy professor in Things to Come — and Portman joining forces with Lily-Rose Depp (yes, Johnny's daughter) in Planetarium. Depp also stars with French singer-actress Soko in The Dancer, while Marion Cotillard does double duty too in romance From the Land of the Moon and the Xavier Dolan-directed family drama It's Only the End of the World. Inglourious Basterds actress Mélanie Laurent co-directs environmental doco Tomorrow, the great Gérard Depardieu takes a road trip in Saint Amour, and one of the last roles played by Amour's Emmanuelle Riva, as an elderly aunt in Lost in Paris, also features. Elsewhere, the 2017 fest tells the tale of the first popular Afro-Cuban artist of the French stage in Monsieur Chocolate starring The Intouchables' Omar Sy opposite James Thierrée (aka Charlie Chaplin's grandson), examines the real-life circumstances surrounding a pregnant nun in The Innocents, dives into coming-of-age affections with Being 17 and gets ghostly with the haunting Daguerrotype. Or, viewers can catch Juliette Binoche at her most slapstick in farcical detective effort Slack Bay, and enjoy the kind of moral dilemmas the Dardenne brothers explore so well in The Unknown Girl. Looking back as well as forwards, a two-movie retrospective steps into the court of Versailles courtesy of the Marie Antoinette-centric Farewell, My Queen and music drama Mozart's Sister. Plus, if all of the above isn't enough for the most eager film buffs, dedicated cinephiles can take A Journey Through French Cinema for 191 minutes of movie history. [competition]611799[/competition]
Heading to Byron Bay this July to flail around to The Cure, be obliterated by sound of The Avalanches and burl the words to The Strokes? You can't do all that without a little pre-game with your mates, preferably at a stunning beach house right on the ocean, with some of Australia's best upcoming artists playing sets just for you. Luckily for you, Concrete Playground has teamed up with Sonos to throw one heck of a beach party — and you could be on the guest list. We're putting on an intimate pre-festival gathering at one of Byron Bay's most iconic locations. It's called Beach Break (because you need one, we need one, everyone needs one). You could be joining mates CP and Sonos for a big ol' warm-up on Saturday, July 23, to be held at a secret location which only the guest list will know. You'll be kicking back at our Byron beach house with a cocktail, catching sets from Australia's one-to-watch artists Kllo and Banoffee, and listening to Sonos-curated party playlists. Register your interest and we could be seeing you at our pretty little beach house. ENTER HERE. This event is independently presented by Concrete Playground and Sonos, and is not associated with Splendour in the Grass or Secret Sounds.
