It's one of the world's biggest sporting goods retail brands, found in over 30 countries and dubbed by many as 'the ALDI of activewear'. And now, France's famed Decathlon — which launched an online store here last year — has physically hit Aussie shores, yesterday opening the doors to an enormous Sydney flagship store. Located in Tempe Retail Park next to Ikea, the new space is a monster 3800 square metres, stocked with an impressive 7000 sport-related products and promising savings galore. And to see locals happily through the festive season, it's set to stay open 24/7 for the next two weeks. If you've got a sports nut or fitness fiend in your life, put this one at the very top of your Christmas shopping hit-list. CEO of Decathlon Australia Mr Olivier Robinet said that the company wants to make sport accessible to all locals. "Australians are some of the most active people in the world, the whole country is like a playground," he explained. "Until now many Australians have had to spend hundreds of dollars to get a quality product. Decathlon has now changed this." So how cheap is it? Well, a pair of yoga pants range will set you back between $12 and $40, while a two-person tent is $30. More than just a standard store, Decathlon's Tempe venue also features dedicated active zones, where customers can roadtest certain products, and its own community sporting areas, where local sports clubs can host sign-up days, barbecues and fundraising events. Find Decathlon at Tempe Retail Park, 634–726 Princes Highway, Tempe. The store will be open 24/7 in the lead-up to Christmas and then 5am till midnight in 2018. For more info, visit decathlon.com.au. Image: Decathlon via Facebook.
It's one of the world's biggest sporting goods retail brands, found in over 30 countries and dubbed by many as 'the ALDI of activewear'. And now, France's famed Decathlon — which launched an online store here in 2016 and its first Sydney store in December last year — is set to physically hit Melbourne, with plans to open not one, but two stores here in November. The two stores will be located in Melbourne's east, in Box Hill South and on Ferntree Gully Road in Knoxfield. If they're anything like the Sydney store, the new spaces will rival Bunnings in size and be stocked with an impressive 7000 products across 70 sports and activities, like running, yoga, cycling, camping and dance. If you've got a sports nut or fitness fiend in your life, best put this one at the very top of your Christmas shopping hit-list. When the Sydney store opened last year, CEO of Decathlon Australia Mr Olivier Robinet said that the company wants to make sport accessible to all locals. "Australians are some of the most active people in the world, the whole country is like a playground," he explained. "Until now many Australians have had to spend hundreds of dollars to get a quality product. Decathlon has now changed this." So how cheap is it? Well, a pair of yoga pants range will set you back between $12 and $40, while a two-person tent is $30. More than just a standard store, Decathlon also has dedicated active zones, where customers can roadtest certain products, and its own community sporting areas, where local sports clubs can host sign-up days, barbecues and fundraising events.de Decathlon will open at 249 Middleborough Road, Box Hill South and 1464 Ferntree Gully Road, Knoxfield in November 2018. We'll keep you posted on an actual opening date. For more info, visit decathlon.com.au.
Where else but Sydney Film Festival could host the world premiere of The Pool? The documentary hails from Ian Darling, the Australian director behind The Final Quarter, and sports another supremely Sydney-centric focus: Bondi Icebergs. Think of a pool in the Harbour City, and this frequently photographed place for a dip likely springs to mind. So, Darling has spent a year charting its ins and outs to create this cinematic portrait, which will debut at SFF in 2024. The Pool is one of 17 titles that've been announced by the festival team ahead of dropping the event's full 71st-annual program in early May. Movie lovers will be watching the hundreds of flicks that make the final cut to kick off winter, from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16 — and including The Pool on its lineup likely marks the first time that anyone wished that the film fest took place in summer instead. When you're not exploring a Sydney icon at a Sydney icon — because both Bondi Icebergs and SFF are that pivotal to the New South Wales capital — you can watch your way through a carefully curated roster of flicks overseen by long-running Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley. As announced back in January, 2024's event will also boast the world's largest cash prize for Indigenous filmmaking, aka the new $35,000 First Nations Award. One title that'll be competing for the gong in its inaugural year is The Mountain, the directorial debut of New Zealand actor Rachel House, with the Heartbreak High and Hunt for the Wilderpeople star following three kids who set off on an adventure (yes, their destination is right there in the title). Also on the bill so far: horror classic Hellraiser, but not as audiences know it. The movie remains unchanged, but this is a Hear My Eyes screening, which means that it comes with a brand-new live score. Hieroglyphic Being aka Jamal Moss is doing all-new tunes, while visual artist Robin Fox will add a live laser performance — and the event hits Sydney after also being a part of Melbourne's RISING Festival. Suspended Time, the latest from French director Olivier Assayas (Irma Vep), is another big highlight. The drama is about a filmmaker and his brother in COVID-19 lockdown in their childhood home, is drawn from Assayas' own experiences and, although actors play the characters, features the director reading narration that's based on his own diary. Or, there's documentary The Contestant, about an IRL person on a Japanese television show who wasn't aware that his months spent naked in a room were being broadcast. From there, cinephiles can also start looking forward to Frederick Wiseman's (City Hall) Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros, which brings his observational gaze to three-Michelin-star French restaurant; COPA '71, about the 1971 Women's World Cup; Green Border, with Mr Jones' Agnieszka Holland honing in on the refugee experience on the Belarus–Poland border; and In Vitro, an Aussie sci-fi thriller about a couple doing biotech experiments. Keen to see a restaurant-set dramedy starring Rooney Mara (Women Talking) and directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios (A Cop Movie). La Cocina has you covered. Interested in the newest film out of Bhutan by Pawo Choyning Dorji, whose Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom was nominated for an Oscar? That's where The Monk and the Gun comes in. If you're eager for a movie from Norway that features conversations about getting intimate — and dreams about David Bowie — then Sex is the answer. And, for those who've ever wondered about the hippos in Pablo Escobar's illegally imported private zoo, check out Pepe. For now, the list wraps up with Hungarian culture-war satire Explanation for Everything, Korean family drama House of the Seasons and the Kenya-set The Battle for Laikipia — plus The Rye Horn, which is about a midwife and won Best Film at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. "This first look at the 2024 program delves into the profound and the peculiar, from remarkable true stories to works of fiction and ingenious hybrid films that land somewhere in between," said Moodley. "This selection, though diverse in setting and scope, reveals some common themes: resilience foremost amongst them. These films offer a taste of a Festival program rich with discovery and insight, poised to captivate and inspire." Sydney Film Festival 2024 takes place from Wednesday, June 5–Sunday, June 16 at various cinemas and venues around Sydney. For more information, head to the festival's website — and check back here on Wednesday, May 8 for the full 2024 lineup.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from November's haul. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH FROM START TO FINISH NOW SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF When word arrived that a new version of Scott Pilgrim was on its way, it felt as inevitable as the person of your dreams having a complicated romantic past. That said, making a Scott Pilgrim anime series also felt more fitting than most similar movie-to-TV jumps. Thanks to the manga-style aesthetic that filled Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels, the video game-esque plot about battling seven evil exes and the cartoon vibe that Edgar Wright brought so engagingly to his 2010 big-screen live-action adaptation, imagining how O'Malley and co-writer/co-producer BenDavid Grabinski (Are You Afraid of the Dark?) — plus Wright (Last Night in Soho) again as an executive producer — could bring that to an eight-part animation was instantly easy. And so, called Scott Pilgrim Takes Off rather than Scott Pilgrim vs the World, this series begins as a straightforward Scott Pilgrim anime, introducing the same tale that's been spread across pages and cinemas (and played through via a video game, too) right down to repeated shots and dialogue. Meet Scott Pilgrim again, then. The Michael Cera (Barbie)-voiced twentysomething bassist is once more fated to fall in love with literal dream girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ahsoka), who first appears to him as he slumbers, then fight the seven folks who dated her before him. When sparks fly, he also has his own amorous mess to deal with, including that he's dating high-schooler Knives Chau (Ellen Wong, Best Sellers) and remains heartbroken over being dumped by now-superstar singer Envy Adams (Brie Larson, The Marvels). He's still in Sex Bob-Omb! alongside his friend Stephen Stills (Mark Webber, SMILF) and ex Kim Pine (Alison Pill, Hello Tomorrow!). He still gets Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha, Sense8) introducing him to his battles to be with Ramona. Accordingly, just like Kim shouting "we are Sex Bob-Omb!" at the beginning of a set, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off starts with comfortable familiarity. But at the end of its initial instalment, after every detail looks like the graphic novels and film given the anime treatment to the point of feeling uncanny, in drops the first twist. There's reimaginings, and then there's this playful take that adores the comics and movie, pays homage to them, riffs on and even openly references them, but charmingly shirks the idea of being a remake. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off streams via Netflix. Read our full review. LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY Brie Larson makes a great Captain Marvel. She's even better as Elizabeth Zott. In the 2015 Room Best Actress Oscar-winner's first non-franchise on-screen role since 2019's Just Mercy, she turns executive producer, too, guiding a page-to-screen adaptation of Bonnie Garmus' bestseller that needs her performance as its star ingredient. A chemistry genius and then a TV cooking show host who is forced to battle sexism as both, Elizabeth is as complicated as the holy-grail project that she works in secret as a lab technician, and as the recipes that she later perfects for television audiences. Regardless of whether you've read Lessons in Chemistry's 2022 source material or are coming anew to the small-screen version, the character is magnificent to watch because Larson steps into her shoes so completely. Elizabeth is direct, determined and conscientious. She's not just nonplussed about being likeable, but near-allergically averse to that being her primary goal. She's curious and dryly funny, too, albeit careful about who she's open with. But being serious and rightly cautious about how 50s and 60s America routinely disregards women doesn't mean that she's anything but authentic, whether she's asserting what she's always held dear, navigating life's traumas or finding space for others in her life. Lessons in Chemistry starts with a brief jump forward to cameras and adoring viewers, and with Elizabeth's Supper at Six series an established hit. It'll take half of the broader show to get back to TV cooking with no-nonsense science explanations, an appreciation for domestic duties and an uplifted fanbase, but the opening burns an imprint, signalling that its lead character's days of being expected to make coffee for male-only Hastings Research Institute scientists are numbered. Although Elizabeth has a master's degree in chemistry, her Southern Californian employer cares little about that, or that she's the smartest person on their books, because she lacks a Y chromosome. Instead, they scold her for after-hours experiments — the only time that she can delve into her own work — and lack of interest in the company beauty pageant. It's at Hastings that Elizabeth meets Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman, Outer Range), however, who inhabits another world when it comes to respect, yet resides on the exact same non-conformist turf. And it's through him and their romance that she'll meet his neighbour Harriet Sloane (Aja Naomi King, How to Get Away with Murder) in Los Angeles' Sugar Hill, in a series that expands upon the novel as it richly explores trauma and oppression. Lessons in Chemistry streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. RUSTIN After Selma, One Night in Miami and Judas and the Black Messiah arrives Rustin, the latest must-see movie about the minutiae of America's 60s-era civil rights movement. All four hail from Black filmmakers. All four tell vital stories. The entire quartet boasts phenomenal performances, too — complete with a Best Supporting Actor statuette for Judas and the Black Messiah's Daniel Kaluuya, plus nominations for his co-star Lakeith Stanfield and One Night in Miami's Leslie Odom Jr (Selma's David Oyelowo was robbed). Colman Domingo, an Emmy-winner for Euphoria and Tony-nominee for The Scottsboro Boys, deserves to join that Academy Awards list for his turn as Rustin's eponymous figure. His performance isn't merely powerful; it's a go-for-broke portrayal from a versatile talent at the top of his game while digging into the every inch of his part. Domingo doesn't only turn in a showcase effort in a career that's long been absent on-screen leading role, either; he's everything that Rustin hangs off of, soars around, and lives and breathes with. Focusing on Bayard Rustin, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom director George C Wolfe's latest feature already had a riveting and important tale to tell, but Domingo proves its stunning beating heart. Rustin's namesake holds a place in history for a wealth of reasons, but here's one: it was at the event that he conceived, organised and gave almost everything he had to ensure took place that Martin Luther King Jr have his "I Have a Dream" speech. That moment at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963 will never be forgotten. Nor should Rustin's efforts in ensuring there was a protest — a historic demonstration with more than 200,000 attendees, in fact— to begin with against overwhelming pushback. Dr King (Aml Ameen, I May Destroy You) is a supporting player in this film, which explores the behind-the-scenes hustle and bustle from idea until the day, as well as Rustin's fight not just against racism but also homophobia as an openly gay Black man (including the battles he's forced to wage among his fellow crusaders for civil rights). Even while only covering a sliver of his subject's life, Wolfe largely takes the traditional biopic route, working with a script by Julian Breece (When They See Us) and Dustin Lance Black (an Oscar-winner for Milk); however, the potency of the Rustin's deeds and struggles, the importance of everything that he was rallying for and Domingo's electrifying lead performance all make his movie anything but standard. Rustin streams via Netflix. THE ARTFUL DODGER For nearly two centuries, everyone has known the Artful Dodger's story. Charles Dickens wrote the character, aka Jack Dawkins, to life in 1838's Oliver Twist — and readers have thumbed through the pickpocket's part of the tale ever since. But what happened once the book's narrative ended? What if Fagin's apprentice was on the straight and narrow 15 years later, living in penal colony-era Australia? What if he was a navy-trained surgeon now plying his trade on the other side of the world from London, and great at it? What if Fagin is still alive despite Dickens' words on the page, and he's the latest convict arrival, complete with a plan that cares little about Dodge's new upstanding reputation? If you're wondering how the Aussie-set The Artful Dodger can exist, that's how: by telling the above story. Australian-made as well, with Jeffrey Walker (The Clearing), Corrie Chen (Bad Behaviour) and Gracie Otto (Seriously Red) directing, it's not an origin story — it's an after story. Two decades on from Love Actually, Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Queen's Gambit) plays the show's namesake, while David Thewlis (Landscapers) is his former mentor. This eight-part series also enlists a hefty lineup of Aussie talent, from Damon Herriman (The Portable Door), Miranda Tapsell (Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe), Susie Porter (Mercy Road) and Tim Minchin (Upright) to Damien Garvey (Troppo), Jessica De Gouw (C*A*U*G*H*T) and Kym Gyngell (Black Snow). Chief among the homegrown actors is Maia Mitchell (Good Trouble) as Lady Belle Fox, daughter of the Governor, and an aspiring doctor herself — not that a female surgeon in the 1850s is approved of. That's the groundwork laid, with Dodge endeavouring to keep on the up and up, even with a shady gambling debt to pay on penalty of losing a hand, which he needs to continue his line of work; Fagin up to his usual scheming, plus ample gloating about how his pilfering instructions helped his protege earn his new calling: and Belle deeply uninterested in just finding a husband no matter what's expected of her. Energetically told, and always entertaining, the end result is anything but an old-school period piece. The Artful Dodger streams via Disney+. Read our full review. THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER Daisy Ridley hasn't been on-screen enough in the past four years. After her pivotal role and excellent performance in the three most recent Star Wars movies adorned with Roman numerals — that'd be Episode VII — The Force Awakens, Episode VIII — The Last Jedi and Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker — neither Chaos Walking nor The Bubble have done her justice. The Marsh King's Daughter is her best part since her time as Rey, then, and a film that capitalises upon the resolve that she was so adept at portraying in the sprawling space opera. Here, Ridley is Helena Pelletier, in another flick that has father issues. She's also the titular figure, while Ben Mendelsohn (Secret Invasion) similarly swaps a tale set long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (aka his Rogue One: A Star Wars Story villain role) for something earthbound as that pivotal dad. Divergent and Voyagers director Neil Burger fills out his main cast with Brooklynn Prince (Cocaine Bear), Caren Pistorius (Unhinged), Garrett Hedlund (The United States vs Billie Holiday) and Gil Birmingham (Yellowstone), but it's both Ridley and Mendelsohn who unsurprisingly make this page-to-film thriller worth watching. Here's a two-film trend: British actors named Daisy who were thrust to enormous fame via one big role, then took on American accents in movie adaptations of US books about complicated relationships in swampy surroundings. Where the Crawdads Sing made it to the screen first, of course. In The Marsh King's Daughter, everything that the young Helena (Prince) thought that she knew about her father is shattered when she discovers that their wilderness-based survivalist life in Michigan's remote reaches was been forged from kidnapping her mother Beth (Pistorius) and keeping her against her will. As an adult married to Stephen (Hedlund), and also a mother to Marigold (Joey Carson, House of Chains), the past she's spent decades trying to move on from returns to threaten her new family. Whether or not you've read Karen Dionne's 2017 book has no influence on knowing where this story will go, but Ridley is in sterling form. No one plays shady and downright chilling characters like Australia's own Mendo, too. The Marsh King's Daughter streams via Prime Video. QUIZ LADY Jeopardy! fans, or whichever quiz show takes your fancy, prepare to feel seen. If firing back answers while watching a daily slice of TV trivia or puzzles has ever been part of your routine, Quiz Lady understands, especially if you've ever built your schedule around it and found that half-hour stint your happy place. Since childhood, Anne Yum (Awkwafina, Renfield) has kept a standing date with Can't Stop the Quiz. Now in her 30s, she settles in nightly with her dog Mr Linguine — and she isn't just skilled at responding; rather, she's exceptional. Shy, introverted and terrified of public attention, she's content playing along from home instead of auditioning to give the real thing a go. Thanks to the title of director Jessica Yu (Misconception) and screenwriter Jen D'Angelo's (Totally Killer) movie, however, getting Anne into the studio doesn't come as a shock to audiences. For the character, it involves her mother absconding to Macao from her aged-care facility, leaving an $80,000 debt that local heavy Ken (Jon "Dumbfoundead" Park, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) comes to collect via dognapping, and Anne's chaotic older sister Jenny (Sandra Oh, Killing Eve) secretly filming a video of Anne in prime Can't Stop the Quiz savant mode, which goes viral. For more Jeopardy! nods, Will Ferrell (Strays) plays host Terry McTeer, bringing his sketches in Alex Trebek's shoes in Saturday Night Live's Celebrity Jeopardy skits instantly to mind. Although he's not behind the microphone as he is in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Jason Schwartzman joins Quiz Lady as the long-running Can't Stop the Quiz contestant who desperately wants McTeer's job, with his character feeling like a nod to Ken Jennings. That's all colour and texture, though. At this comedy's core is an adult coming-of-age story and a tale of two sisters finally finding common ground. Without Awkwafina and Oh splashing around their spectacular chemistry as those two squabbling siblings, and selling its slapstick antics and heartfelt emotions alike in the process — both gloriously playing against type, too — Quiz Lady could've easily faltered. With them, it's an entertaining odd-couple effort that's happily silly, frequently amusing and largely entertaining. Quiz Lady streams via Disney+. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK THE CURSE It has always been impossible to watch TV shows by Nathan Fielder, including Nathan for You and The Rehearsal, without feeling awkwardness gushing from the screen. The films of Josh and Benny Safdie, such as Good Time and Uncut Gems, are such masterclasses in anxiety and chaos — and so astute at conveying life's anything-that-can-go-wrong-will certainty — that viewers can be forgiven for thinking that their chairs are jittering along with them. From Easy A, La La Land and Maniac to The Favourite and Poor Things, Emma Stone keeps proving an inimitable acting force. Combine Fielder, the Safdies and Stone on one series, then, and whatever sprang was always going to be a must-see. Exquisite new dark satire The Curse is also as extraordinary in its brilliance as it is excruciating in its discomfort. As well as co-creating the ten-part series, Fielder and Benny Safdie co-star, co-write and co-direct. Stone joins them on-screen and as an executive producer, with Benny's brother Josh doing the latter as well. The Safdies' regular collaborator Oneohtrix Point Never, aka Daniel Lopatin, gets the show buzzing with atmospheric agitation in one of his best scores yet — even after winning the Cannes Soundtrack Award for his unforgettable work on Good Time. Yes, The Curse is everything that the sum of these parts promises. It's more, in fact, then even more again. It flows with disquiet like a burst hydrant. It fills each almost hour-long episode with a lifetime's worth of cringe. It's relentless in its unease second by second, moment by moment and scene by scene. It's also a marvellous, intense and hilarious black comedy that apes the metal Doug Aitken-esque houses that Stone and Fielder's Whitney and Asher Siegel like to build, reflecting oh-so-much about the world around it. The Curse takes the show-within-a-show route, with the Siegels eager to grace the world's screens as reality TV hosts. Their angle: environmentally sustainable passive homes that only use energy that they create, which Whitney and Asher consider their contribution to their adopted New Mexico hometown of Española. The newly married pair have American pay TV network Home & Garden Television interested in Fliplanthropy, as well as their efforts to green up the community, create jobs for locals, and revitalise a place otherwise equated with struggling and crime stats. Lurking between the couple and HGTV is producer Dougie Schecter (Safdie, Oppenheimer), Asher's slimy and manipulative childhood friend with a nose for sensationalism — particularly when he gets the scent of disharmony among his stars as they try to start a family, get their show on the air, build their gleaming houses, find ideal buyers, honour the area's Indigenous history and overcome The Curse's title. The Curse streams via Paramount+. Read our full review. A MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD Whichever miniatures are stuffed inside a snow globe, a simple shake surrenders them all to the same fate: flakes falling in their tiny dome. Pop culture's enduring murder-mystery obsession can feel much the same way. When the pieces start raining down in Disney+'s seven-part miniseries A Murder at the End of the World, there's much that instantly feels familiar from a heavily populated field of recent and classics whodunnits. That checklist includes a confined single setting, potential victims cooped up with an unknown killer, rampant secrets and lies, fingers pointed everywhere, Nordic noir's frosty climes, an eerie butler, a wealthy host who might just have the most to lose and, of course, a gifted gumshoe sleuthing through the group. A Murder at the End of the World radiates its own Gen Z Sherlock Holmes vibe, though. That's even how its sharp protagonist is described, and early. In the role of 24-year-old hacker-turned-author Darby Hart, who is invited by billionaire recluse Andy Ronson (Clive Owen, American Crime Story) to an intimate Iceland symposium of bright minds, Emma Corrin (Lady Chatterley's Lover) also turns Agatha Christie. The OA creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij have put their own intriguing, involving, can't-stop-watching spin on their addition to the genre, as they make clear early. As the duo share writing duties and split time in the director's chair — with Marling also co-starring — they take cues from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Stieg Larsson's sequels as well, all while also sliding their series in alongside Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery; however, the mood, ambition, pursuit of weighty themes, shadowy conspiracies, earnestness and love of telling puzzle-box tales match perfectly with their last show, plus their film collaborations Sound of My Voice and The East. Two timelines unspool: the present-day storyline at the ideas salon, where bodies soon start falling; and the the road trip that Darby took with fellow Reddit-aided citizen detective Bill Farrah (Harris Dickinson, Scrapper) to solve the case that fuels her debut novel. Both are compelling; shake this snow globe for more and you won't want to stop. A Murder at the End of the World streams via Disney+. Read our full review. MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS Godzilla is still big, but the picture around cinema's most-famous kaiju gets smaller in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the Japanese-created creature's new TV series. This ten-episode show sits within the American Monsterverse, which has previously filled movie theatres with 2014's Godzilla, 2017's Kong: Skull Island, 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters and 2021's Godzilla vs Kong — and it hits streaming with a scaled-down focus on family drama. People matter in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, far more than they have in any of the US franchise's instalments so far. The folks hopping around the globe chasing the giant critter and its fellow titans are also worth caring about. As a result, there's nothing little about how engaging Monarch: Legacy of Monsters proves. Getting Kurt and Wyatt Russell involved helps. The real-life father-son pair portray the same character with not just ease but charisma. Wyatt slips into Lee Shaw's military uniform in the 1950s, Kurt (Fast and Furious 9) plays the retired elder version in the mid-2010s, and jokes reference how well the pivotal figure has aged to make the maths work out (in the later timeline, Shaw has to be in his 90s). Needing to make that gag is worth it for such stellar and captivating casting. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters isn't about Shaw's family, however — at least not as bonded by blood. In 2015, a year after the G-Day events of the 2014 film, San Franciscan teacher Cate Randa (Anna Sawai, Pachinko) is suffering from kaiju-inflicted PTSD and mourning her missing father Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira, Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story), making a trip to Japan to pack up his Tokyo apartment challenging several times over. There, she finds artist Kentaro (Ren Watabe, 461 Days of Bento), a shared history and links to secret government monster-hunting organisation Monarch. Those ties comes courtesy of a satchel filled with documents that Bill Randa (John Goodman, returning from Kong: Skull Island) is seen tossing into the sea in a 70s-set prologue; having possession of it sparks chaos for not only Cate and Kentaro, but also the latter's hacker ex-girlfriend May (Kiersey Clemons, The Flash). When a shadowy international outfit is on your trail, who can assist? Given that Shaw was a 50s-era colleague of Hiroshi's parents Keiko (Mari Yamamoto, also Pachinko) and Bill (played by Inventing Anna's Anders Holm in the earlier timeline), his help is swiftly needed. And amid Cate, Kentaro, May and Shaw's attempts to evade the "like the CIA, but for Godzilla" operation pursuing their every move, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters also dives into Shaw, Keiko and Bill's backstory. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. FARGO This is a true story: in 2014, Hollywood decided to take on a task that was destined to either go as smoothly as sliding on ice or prove as misguided as having a woodchipper sitting around. Revisiting Fargo was a bold move even in pop culture's remake-, reboot- and reimagining-worshipping times, because why say "you betcha" to trying to make crime-comedy perfection twice? The Coen brothers' 1996 film isn't just any movie. It's a two-time Oscar-winner, BAFTA and Cannes' Best Director pick of its year, and one of the most beloved and original examples of its genre in the last three decades. But in-between credits on Bones, The Unusuals and My Generation, then creating the comic book-inspired Legion, writer, director and producer Noah Hawley started a project he's now synonymous with, and that's still going strong five seasons in. What keeps springing is always a twisty tale set in America's midwest, as filled with everyday folks in knotty binds, complicated family ties, crooks both bumbling and determined trying to cash in, and intrepid cops investigating leads that others wouldn't. Hawley's stroke of genius: driving back into Fargo terrain by making an anthology series built upon similar pieces, but always finding new tales about greed, power, murder and snowy landscapes to tell. Hawley's Fargo adores the Coenverse overall, enthusiastically scouring it for riches like it's the TV-making embodiment of Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter's namesake. That film hailed from Damsel's David Zellner instead, and took cues from the urban legend surrounding the purported Fargo ties to the IRL death of Japanese office worker Takako Konishi; however, wanting the contents of the Coen brothers' brains to become your reality is clearly a common thread. Of course, for most of the fictional figures who've walked through the small-screen Fargo's frames, they'd like anything but caper chaos. Scandia, Minnesota housewife Dot Lyon (Juno Temple, Ted Lasso) is one of them in season five. North Dakota sheriff, preacher and rancher Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm, Good Omens) isn't as averse to a commotion if he's the one causing it. Minnesota deputy Indira Olmstead (Richa Moorjani, Never Have I Ever) and North Dakota state trooper Witt Farr (Lamorne Morris, Woke) just want to get to the bottom of the series' new stint of sometimes-madcap and sometimes-violent mayhem. Fargo streams via SBS On Demand. Read our full review. SLOW HORSES In gleaming news for streaming viewers, Mick Herron's Slough House novel series boasts 12 entries so far. In an also ace development, several more of the British author's books have links to the world of veteran espionage agent Jackson Lamb. That thankfully means that Slow Horses, the small-screen spy thriller based on Herron's work, has plenty more stories to draw upon in its future. It's now up to its third season as a TV series, and long may its forward path continue. Apple TV+ has clearly felt the same way since the program debuted in April 2022. In June the same year, the platform renewed Slow Horses for a third and fourth season before its second had even aired. That next chapter arrived that December and didn't disappoint. Neither does the latest batch of six episodes, this time taking its cues from Herron's Real Tigers — after season one used the novel Slow Horses as its basis, and season two did the same with Dead Lions — in charting the ins and outs of MI5's least-favourite department. Slough House is where the service rejects who can't be fired but aren't trusted to be proper operatives are sent, with Lamb (Gary Oldman, Oppenheimer) its happily cantankerous, slovenly, seedy and shambolic head honcho. Each season, Lamb and his team of losers, misfits and boozers — Mick Jagger's slinky ear worm of a theme tune's words — find themselves immersed in another chaotic case that everyone above them wishes they weren't. That said, Slow Horses isn't a formulaic procedural. Sharply written, directed and acted, and also immensely wryly funny, it's instead one of the best spy series to grace television, including in a new go-around that starts with two intelligence officers (Babylon's Katherine Waterston and Gangs of London's Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) in Istanbul. When the fallout from this season's opening events touches Lamb and his spooks, they're soon thrust into a game of cat-and-mouse that revolves around secret documents and sees one of their own, the forever-loyal Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves, Creation Stories), get abducted. The talented River Cartwright (Jack Lowden, The Gold) again endeavours to show why being banished to Slough House for a training mistake was MI5's error, while his boss' boss Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas, Rebecca) reliably has her own agenda. Slow Horses streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. SCRUBLANDS There's no forgetting Scrublands' opening. There's no chance of not being hooked, either. After a Sunday congregation, as his worshippers disperse, Riversend priest Byron Swift (Jay Ryan, Muru) starts shooting with a sniper rifle. Five men are killed, with the man of the cloth not living out the fray himself. After that introduction, the bulk of this four-part series picks up a year later as the small, remote and deeply drought-stricken town is still attempting to live with an event that it'll never get over. In drives journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold, True Colours), who has been dispatched from Sydney to write about the situation 12 months after the unthinkable occurred. His welcome is mixed, with bookstore owner Mandy Bond (Bella Heathcote, C*A*U*G*H*T) initially frosty, then more open; police officers Robbie Haus-Jones (Adam Zwar, Squinters) and Monica Piccini (Freya Stafford, New Gold Mountain) varying in their cooperation; and resident chief landowner Harley Reagan (Robert Taylor, The Newsreader) blunt but reluctant. Among those who lost husbands and fathers, the response is just as complicated. Recurring among most of the townsfolk: the certainty that the picture painted of the cleric that changed everything isn't what it seems. In the official tale doing the rounds, abuse allegations were levelled at the priest just days before the incident. So, in outside law enforcement's minds, that's the case closed. But Martin is increasingly unconvinced — and, far from writing the "torture porn" that he's initially accused of, starts digging deeper. The list of Australian films and TV shows that involve a big-city outsider galloping in to run through a regional area's problems, struggles and secrets is considerable, including The Dry, Black Snow, Limbo and Deadloch in recent years. Scrublands happily fits the bill. As those aforementioned movies and series have shown, and this page-to-screen effort based on Chris Hammer's novel as well, such as setup can provide the basis for weighty stories, meaningful performances and eye-catching imagery when presented with care, thought and style. As well as being involving and gripping, Scrublands is all of those things. Helming all four episodes, Greg McLean isn't in Wolf Creek or Wolf Creek 2 territory. Scrublands streams via Stan. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September and October this year. You can also check out our running list of standout must-stream shows from this year as well — and our best 15 new shows of 2023's first six months, top 15 returning shows over the same period and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies from January–June 2023, too.
Lock up your children: the Sanderson sisters are back and they're wreaking havoc again, as this witchy trio are known to. Twenty-nine years after Hocus Pocus first cast a spell on audiences, the beloved flick is getting a sequel — arriving on Disney+ this month, on Friday, September 30, and with a new full trailer to prove it. The latest sneak peak at Hocus Pocus 2 follows an initial teaser back in June, and the results are the same: more witchy mayhem as originally seen in 1993; more Bette Midler (The Addams Family 2), Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That...) and Kathy Najimy (Music) getting spooky; and oh-so-much nostalgia this time, of course. In this second effort, Winnie, Sarah and Mary Sanderson are unleashed in modern-day Salem again, and things naturally get chaotic. As the trailers show, the magical siblings make a reappearance thanks to a different threesome — a trio of teenage pals who, early in the initial trailer, are told that "it's on the 16th birthday that a witch gets her powers". Cue a black cat, a book of spells, chanting in a graveyard and big The Craft vibes. Soon, cue Winnie, Sarah and Mary as well. Story-wise, Hocus Pocus 2 naturally follows what happens next, as the Sandersons try to unleash their child-eating ways — and the high schoolers who conjured them up attempt to stop them before dawn on All Hallow's Eve. It's been 29 years since someone last lit the black flame candle which resurrects the 17th-century sisters in the movie's world, just as it has in our own, and the witches aren't happy about it. That said, in this new sneak peek, the Sandersons also get an origin story. So if you've always wanted to know more about the sisters, here's your chance — and Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham factors into it. Hocus Pocus 2 also features Sam Richardson (The Afterparty), Doug Jones (The Shape of Water), Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl), Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories), Lilia Buckingham (Dirt), Froyan Gutierrez (Teen Wolf) and Tony Hale (Veep). While the original film was directed by Kenny Ortega — before the filmmaker gave the world the High School Musical movies — this one has Dumplin', Hot Pursuit and The Proposal's Anne Fletcher behind the lens. And yes, the Mouse House's streaming platform sure does love dropping seasonal-themed movies at the appropriate times. Here's hoping this one turns out better than last year's Christmas-focused Home Sweet Home Alone, though, when it hits the platform just before the scariest month of the year. Check out the full trailer for Hocus Pocus 2 below: Hocus Pocus 2 will be available to stream via Disney+ on Friday, September 30. Images: Matt Kennedy. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Following the success of last year's Pokémon Go craze, the latest smartphone foray into augmented reality sees the launch of Snapchat's art lens, which will again see people wandering around using their smartphone to locate 'virtual objects' all across the globe. This time though you can claim a cultural pull, because instead of hunting collectable monsters, you'll be scouting out three-storey-high digital sculptures by acclaimed American artist Jeff Koons. Having dabbled plenty in AR with its face-morphing selfie filters and World Lens feature, Snapchat's now dropped a series of Lenses that will let users view a selection of Koons's colourful installations in specific locations worldwide. Right now, the series includes a shiny gold balloon dog in New York's Central Park, a rainbow playdough sculpture on Brazil's Copacabana Beach and a monumental likeness of Popeye at Sydney Opera House. Each sculpture will remain virtually in one place for a few weeks, before moving to a new location. If you're hooked up with the latest version of Snapchat, the app will give you the option of using the art lens when you're within 300 metres of one of the sculptures. The sculptures will appear on your screen once you're nearby — you can't miss them. Snapchat's also put the call out for other artists to jump aboard their virtual global art exhibition — here's hoping some local works are added to the mix.
Since being formed in 2001, Melbourne nine-piece The Bamboos have released more than five acclaimed albums, placed songs in TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty and Underbelly and worked on the soundtrack for a multi-platinum Nintendo game. But frontman and periodic electronic producer Lance Ferguson isn't one to let the band rest on its smooth, funk-born laurels. Over the years he's injected new flavours into the band by collaborating with other artists, fusing elements of hip hop and psych, and constantly shaking up the lineup. In 2012 The Bamboos joined up with Tim Rogers of You Am I for the Triple J-championed track 'I Got Burned'. An addictive combo of the band's rhythmic grooves and the singer's distinctive howl, the track featured on The Bamboos latest album Medicine Man — their biggest release to date. This year they're taking the alliance live with The Rock n Soul Medicine Show. We caught up with Lance before the tour to talk about collaborating, staying current and the frustrations of being pidgeonholed. You guys have been pretty busy over 2012 did you manage to get a break over Christmas? I did, I had a week in Lorne in January, which was really good. It feels like a distant memory now though. You did Falls Festival didn't you? That's right. So how did you come to team up with Tim Rogers for 'Burned'? I first met Tim when I was playing guitar in Washington and we were playing the BDO tour. It was a few years back now, and I met him backstage and we hit it off. Just musical nerd talk of old records and stuff. We seemed to connect on that level, and on a personal level as well, and even at that point we talked about collaborating together — way before anything actually happened. https://youtube.com/watch?v=hZEN_l4j6mY Is collaborating with other artists an important thing for you? You've also got Aloe Blacc and Daniel Merriweather on the album too. Yeah it definitely is, and The Bamboos have often had guests involved with different records. Most of the collaborations have stemmed from some kind of friendship and the whole collaboration evolved organically rather than me on the phone to my manager going, "get me this guy." Most of these things have happened in nice natural and sincere progression. I do prefer that, because getting complete strangers in the studio can be weird if you're trying to connect musically. It is such an intimate thing, writing a song with someone, for me, so I do prefer it to stem from some kind of friendship I guess. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_4G96KbQ4SI What about Syl Johnson? Yeah well we toured with him twice, pretty much as his backing band. Both times were incredibly valuable. The last time unfortunately he had a heart attack when we were playing with him in Brisbane, which was just a terrible turn of events. And then he spent some time in hospital, bounced back and did a show in Melbourne after that, which was incredible. So yeah, such a cool guy actually. Going back to the ARIAS and the recent popularity of acts like Saskwatch and Chet Faker, what do you think it is about soul music now that has people taking notice? Do you think the music has changed or are we just becoming more receptive? Well it's been such a battle with this music, from my perspective. I recently put out a compilation called The Soul Of Melbourne with a friend of mine Chris Gill — a compilation of soulful Melbourne acts — so it was great to put that together, and you can see how the scene has crystallised. But I think what's happened is that there's a younger generation of fans and music lovers who are maybe in their late teens or early twenties now, and who came up through their teens hearing Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones. I think that has created a sort of hotbed of people who know that music through being exposed to it. So now that they're at the age of going to gigs and going to festivals that music just seems sort of natural to them, like "oh it's a soul music band, we know what that is and we like it." So there's definitely the element of generational acceptance. https://youtube.com/watch?v=pxBnzQtdHdM You made the Triple J Hottest 100, which is a pretty big deal for a funk/soul-driven group. Yeah, I mean as much as that's a cool thing I do sort of battle with The Bamboos to not be such a genre-driven band. [Funk and soul] is definitely where we've come from and where we've started, and it's ostensibly what we do in terms of the sounds we create, but for me I just really don't think of The Bamboos as a band of any genre now. I just try to think of it as, "We're The Bamboos and we're just going to make some music." It could have some psych rock elements, it could be a blues tune, it could be anything — it could incorporate a whole bunch of influences now. So I definitely have tried to break the band out of just being like a soul/funk band. I'm not saying that to have a go at you, by the way! Well that's what's so unique about your music is that it incorporates so many unexpected sounds. Your electronic project, Lanu — do you think that influences The Bamboos music at all? I don't know if it influences but it's another avenue for me as a songwriter. I think anything I write separately from The Bamboos though, even if unconsciously, I reckon it must inform it. Whether it's just different forms or different ways of looking at putting a song together... So yeah, I reckon it does influence our music actually. What about other local acts — anyone in particular you been listening to heavily? My vocalist for The Bamboos, Ella Thompson, has a band called Axolotl, who do this sort of dreamy, electronic, indie stuff. I'm really into them, they supported us on our last national tour. There's another band Hiatus Kaiyote that defies genre labels, and is doing some amazing things internationally as well. They just won the Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards for Break-Though Act, so they're really being flagged internationally. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Iae6LmWTXPw Obviously live performance is a massive part of The Bamboos appeal, and Melbourne has a very healthy live music scene. Do you think about that when making songs? I look at the studio thing and the live thing as two very separate entities, and we started out as a live act before we ever recorded anything. [The live show] has been something I've tried to improve on and tweak and be progressive with. Now we come out and basically play our songs, which sounds really obvious — but I think the lineup we've had the last year and a half is possibly the strongest, best and most solid lineup in the history of the band. For me it's an exciting time to play live. How do you see the band's sound developing over the next year or so? There were some thing in that album that were real bubblegum pop things, and I think with the next recording that things might become a little more muscular again. A bit darker. That's what I'm feeling at the moment. Is there anything else you want to say about the upcoming tour and what we can expect from it? Not really, just that it's The Bamboos and Tim Rogers rather than The Bamboos featuring Tim Rogers, so I'm really working with Tim on some new originals and we're picking out a bunch of whole new covers. There's going to be a whole new music for the band to play, which is always good for keeping us on our toes. Tim Rogers & The Bamboos Rock 'n' Soul Medicine Show: Saturday 23 Feb - Perth Festival, Perth, WA Thursday 28 Feb - QPAC, Brisbane, QLD Friday 1 March - Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne, VIC Saturday 2 March - Leongatha Memorial Hall, VIC Thursday 7 March - The HiFi, Sydney, NSW Friday 8 March - Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, NSW Saturday 9 March - Uni Bar, Wollongong, NSW Sunday 10 March - Womadelaide, Adelaide, SA
Thanks to social distancing restrictions, we're having to take a break from some of our favourite food experiences right now, from mimosa-matched bottomless brunches, to sit-down dinners at actual restaurants. But at least in the meantime, you can get your culinary fix delivered via soundwave, by tuning into one of the many podcasts dedicated to life's tastiest of pleasures — food. Whether you're hungry for some fun food history facts, or fancy tucking into an interview with one of Australia's hospitality legends, we've pulled together a menu of food podcasts to satisfy all your culinary cravings. And, unlike a visit to your favourite fine diner, these won't require you to change out of your trackies. Get downloading and whet your appetite with a few of these audio gems. DEEP IN THE WEEDS For an especially timely, locally focused food fix, try this new podcast headed up by restaurant critic and food journalist Anthony Huckstep. A real no-holds-barred look at the impact COVID-19's had on the Australian hospitality industry, Deep In The Weeds is dishing up honest conversations with a range of chefs, restaurateurs, producers and other hospo folk who are riding the storm. You'll get insight into the many issues currently facing our venues and their staff, and learn about the creative plays being made in an effort to help keep things afloat, sitting down with names like Jacqui Challinor (Nomad), Rockpool's Neil Perry, Attila Yilmaz (Pazar Food Collective) and Colin Fassnidge (4Fourteen, Banksia). HOME COOKING WITH SAMIN NOSRAT Born in response to the world's newfound passion for kitchen projects — thanks, COVID-19 — Home Cooking is the new podcast from chef Samin Nosrat (star of Netflix's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat) and producer Hrishikesh Hirway (Song Exploder). As the name suggests, it's designed to be the ultimate companion to your home cooking adventures, no matter where your skill levels are (or aren't) at. These affable hosts will help you whip up culinary success with whatever random ingredients you've got lying in the pantry, turning the everyday basics into inspired food creations. You might learn how to transform those tinned beans into something fab, or find an unexpected use for that less-than-fresh loaf. Best of all, Nosrat and Hirway are even taking audience requests for upcoming episode topics. THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING HUNGRY Aussie food journalist Lee Tran Lam hosts this largely Sydney-centric podcast, where each episode features a sit-down with a different local food legend, the program ranging from star chefs to renowned restaurateurs. You'll hear tales from the industry frontline, behind-the-scenes goss and plenty of colourful personal back stories, interspersed with hot tips on all the city's (and Melbourne's) best spots for eating and drinking. Seafood maestro Josh Niland (Saint Peter), celebrated chef Monty Koludrovic (Icebergs Dining Room, The Dolphin) and croissant queen Kate Reid of Lune are just some of the high-profile names to be found among this rich back catalogue. A worthy antidote for anyone who's missing dining out. RADIO CHERRY BOMBE A big ol' celebration of the boss ladies that have helped make our food scene what it is. Radio Cherry Bombe is an audio spin-off of the US magazine of the same name, now with over 270 episodes under its belt. That juicy back catalogue is brimming with inspiring stories about the industry's clever, creative female talent, starring guests ranging from chefs and cookbook authors, to food stylists and gutsy entrepreneurs. Get up close and personal with the likes of best-selling writer and activist Yasmin Khan, Canadian cake queen Lyndsay Sung (Coko Cake Land), cereal artist Jessica Siskin (aka Misterkrisp) and loads more. And if you tune in to recent episodes, you'll get the low-down on how some of our female hospo heroes are handling the global pandemic. GASTROPOD What kind of food crops might we one day be able to grow in outer space? How did liquorice become England's first branded candy? What the heck are blue raspberries and where did they come from? They're the kind of quirky questions you'll find answers to over at long-running podcast Gastropod, which aims to sate your inner foodie, history buff and science nerd, all at once. Co-hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley take listeners on a series of fun, investigative journeys, with each of the fortnightly episodes diving into the often surprising science and history behind a different food-related topic. Listen in for a treasure trove of cool facts you can throw around at your next dinner party. THE SPLENDID TABLE A spin-off of the acclaimed debut book from food writer and cooking teacher Lynne Rossetto Kasper, The Splendid Table began life as a public radio show way back in the 90s. These days, it's a weekly podcast hosted by renowned food writer Francis Lam, continuing the same mission of celebrating the countless ideas and stories of our global food culture. Sharpen your skills with expert cooking tips, catch sit-downs with top international food heroes, explore the history of your favourite ingredients and dishes, and get acquainted with a smorgasbord of cuisines from all across the globe. One week, you might find yourself hearing René Redzepi chat all things fermentation, while the next, you're reigniting your passion for dairy with tales from a team of international cheese experts. RACIST SANDWICH A food podcast served up within a slightly different context, Racist Sandwich dives into the politics behind what you're eating, and why. It's hosted by a pair of American writers, with (mostly) fortnightly episodes that explore the various ways in which concepts like race, gender and class intersect with the big wide world of food. Prepare to catch a diverse spread of insightful investigations and guests, from one food justice advocate's mission to preserve Salvadoran culture through its recipes, to an interview with a French prisoner and Instagram food star who's whipping up culinary magic behind bars. Make yourself a cuppa and settle in to score some fresh perspectives. EATER'S DIGEST Famed food publication Eater backs up its online feed with this weekly podcast serving up all the tastiest news morsels from the culinary world, both across the USA and further abroad. Join Amanda Kludt and Daniel Geneen as they dissect food trends, unearth new hot-ticket dining destinations, celebrate favourite cuisines and touch base with a swag of big-name hospitality heroes. You could tune in to a discussion about the world's new obsession with food TV, learn some unexpected secrets from a top restaurant critic, or get taken through a definitive list of all the very worst dining-out habits, as revealed by New York hospo staff. Right now, Eater's Digest is also dishing up plenty of honest insight into how COVID-19 is affecting the restaurant game as we know it.
One of the world's top chefs is opening a new restaurant in Sydney later this year. But unlike the many (many) upscale restaurants coming and going in our city, this latest project by Massimo Bottura — the culinary powerhouse and chef behind the world's best restaurant, Osteria Francescana — is not for those with big budgets, but rather for the less affluent. The restaurant, which will be run in collaboration with Australian food rescue charity OzHarvest, was announced at an on-stage conversation Bottura held at the State Theatre last night. The event was largely a platform to promote the chef's charitable Food for Soul project which, akin to Sydney-based not-for-profit OzHarvest, seeks to promote awareness about food wastage and hunger. And it won't be the first time Bottura has worked with OzHarvest and its Founder Ronni Kahn, either. The pair partnered up for a one-off charitable dinner back in 2017, raising money for both OzHarvest and Food for Soul. Kahn says the restaurant — or refettorio, a communal kitchens for socially vulnerable groups — came as a natural progression of this. "I first met Massimo in 2016 — it was like meeting a kindred spirit that I had known all my life," said Kahn in a statement. "We share the same passion, values and vision to create a better world…I'm excited and privileged to be able to bring his refettorio to life in Australia." [caption id="attachment_715651" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Massimo Bottura, Ronni Kahn and the team behind 2017's Cooking with a Conscience dinner. Image: Nikki To[/caption] The restaurant will be Bottura's fifth refettorio with the other venues located in Milan, Rio de Janeiro, London and Paris. At all of his kitchens, Bottura uses rescued food to create the meals — and often teams up with the city's best chefs to do so — for homeless communities and those living in poverty. Currently scoping out potential locations, Kahn and Bottura are hopeful the restaurant will open sometime this year. It will be run by both chefs and volunteers — expect to see some of the faces above in the kitchen — and might expand beyond the current refettorio model of serving vulnerable people to offer meals for the whole community. So, by the end of the year, you might be eating Bottura's food right here in Sydney. The Sydney refettorio is slated to open by the end of the year. We'll update you as soon as we know more.
Sisters Grimm do not make theatre the way you might usually think of theatre. The trashtastic Melbourne satirists (also known as Ash Flanders and Declan Green) staged their DIY 2010 theatre piece Little Mercy in a car park and 2012's Summertime in the Garden of Eden in a suburban garage — and got rave reviews for both. So much so that the anti-establishmentarians have gone establishment, in the nicest possible way, as the Sydney Theatre Company is bringing them out to reimagine Little Mercy, a high-camp ode to 'evil child' movies, for their Wharf 2 stage. (Summertime in the Garden on Eden, meanwhile, will get a run at Griffin Theatre in November). Marcus Costello caught-up with Ash, who as well as writing and directing is playing the mother character Virginia, on his first day treading the boards at the Wharf. Here's what he had to say on stepping up to the main stage, the joys of the low-brow, and how they're adapting their "aesthetic of failure". First day of rehearsals, how's it going? We haven't stopped laughing that we’re actually here at STC. Well it's a long way from where you gave birth to Little Mercy in a Melbourne car park all those years ago. How has the show changed since then? Oh, you know, just little tweaks — like rewriting the whole show. Our shows are always staged in response to the space we're working in and the resources we have available, which is usually next to nothing. Our work ends up being an exercise in the aesthetic of failure, which is where much of the comedy comes from. Of course, being here [at STC] we can't just pretend we have no money so we're responding to the idea and construction of conventional theatre. In a way it's not that radical a departure because we're all about the interrogation of genre — finding the cracks, tearing it apart, and putting it back together. We like to see how much pressure something can take before it's completely unintelligible. Stepping up to the main stage... I like to think of it as STC stepping down [laughs]. Good call. In any case it's a collision of worlds. If you like it here and want to stick around, how is that going to affect your anti-establishment practice? If we can get paid to do shows on big stages, great, but it was never really our aim to make it to this point at settle-in. I think we'll always do scratch shows because mixing up where we perform is really important to us. I mean, we'll ride this out and have fun along the way, but we won't get so big-headed that we'll stop performing in living rooms and backyard sheds, or car parks, even. By the same token, if performing in car parks to a bunch of our adoring friends was all we ever did, it wouldn't amount to much. We don't plan to play it safe. A character at the centre of your play, Rodger, is a wealthy theatre director. Should we take that as a dig at the establishment? Um, [laughs] oh I don't know how meta we want to get about that! I mean, yeah, his job, his taste comes across as increasingly ridiculous throughout the show. We needed a job where the husband/father could become totally engrossed in what he does. As we both know, directors can get way too involved with their own projects and stop seeing the world around them — maybe even fail to see their own child is a psychotic killer. You say that the goal of your theatre is to make the audience laugh. I reckon your gritty-camp shtick might rankle with some of the more conservative STC season subscribers, don't you think? We don't intend to shock them too much. I mean, we won't be flopping our dicks out. In a way, our comedy is kind of old-fashioned. A man in a dress isn't new, but what we do with it hopefully is new and interesting and funny. At least we hope so because we think laughter in the theatre is vital. If you go to the theatre to take your medicine, to eat something that's good for you, then you've killed a lot of the joy. I don't like to go to the theatre to be educated. Dialectical, polemical, preachy theatre, theatre where the performers blast their politics at you, that doesn't inspire me. At least, if I learn something I want it to be incidental to the laughs. And if it's not making me laugh, it should make be gasp. Whatever is does, it needs to make me feel something. There are a number of Australian theatre-makers at the moment who set out to hurt feelings and sensibilities. How do you feel about that? Oy vey! That's not something we would deliberately set out to do. Our kind of humour can be quite hoary and hokey but I think if anything was going to offend, especially the STC audience, it would be the stupid jokes — because we would offend their intelligence [laughs]. I'm not playing Virginia for a joke, but every time I get on stage there will be laughter for a good five seconds. That's interesting because you're not unknown to the Melbourne drag scene. How does it feel having an audience laughing at you not with you? I'm totally fine with it. It’s not my job to know why people are laughing, it's really not. I'm happy with laughs wherever they’re derived from. I'm just not that precious; I'm aware of the grenade that I am. Little Mercy is on at the Sydney Theatre Company's Wharf 2 from March 7 to 24. Tickets are available from their website.
MPavilion, Queen Victoria Gardens' pop-up building designed by Barcelona architect Carme Pinós, is hosting one of the year's largest collections of free events — 400 of 'em, to be exact. This year's bioluminescent-themed program is inspired by Pinós and will take over the gardens from October 9 to February 3, 2019. Focusing on inclusion, women in leadership and the architecture of education, the four-month program spans live music, dance performances, talks, workshops and installations — all located inside Pinós' floating geometric structure. Many of these events aren't what you'd expect, either. Think dog walking adventures, fashion shows, regular morning yoga sessions, guided meditations and contemporary dance classes. Hands-on workshops include one with designer Vicky Featherston Tu, in which participants build a pedestrian-only city using origami techniques. A discussion on beekeeping and baking and a talk on building video game worlds and virtual reality experiences are on offer, too. Two massive parties will take over the space as well — first a Halloween ball on October 27, and then a marriage equality celebration on November 17 (featuring JOY 94.9 radio and the city's best queer DJs). There'll be plenty of local and international musicians on throughout the four months, including weekly gigs at Friday Night Fiestas. Other highlights include Hope St Radio's live broadcast on October 27, a performance by emerging Indigenous singer-songwriter Alice Skye on November 18, and a series of Bakehouse Studios' secret rehearsal sessions, with the artists announced the day before. Plus, Cuba's La Buena Vida Social Club will play three Sunday arvo sessions on October 14, November 11 and December 9, with special sangria served at the kiosk during these shows. If you're interested in the strictly architecture and design side of things, discussion topics include: 'the future is gender neutral design', 'how to start and sustain your creative project', 'perfectionism: pressure to be perfect' and the 'living closer together: symposium'. There'll also be five panel talks on Indigenous built environments with architecture forum BLAKitecture, including 'women's business' and 'Indigenising procurement'. To meet this year's MPavilion designer, you can catch a talk with Pinós on October 9, titled 'the land on which we stand'. For 2018, they've also signed on writer-in-residence Maddee Clark and artist-in-residence Esther Stewart, who will explore the intersection between architecture, writing and art. Stewart will also create a large-scale interactive installation that'll fit alongside Pinós pavilion, open from December 24–January 6.
When you're a fan of a particular band, there are plenty of ways to show your love. Listening to their tunes, seeing them live, buying and wearing their merchandise: they're all old favourites. If you're keen on Dune Rats, you can also add drinking Dunies Lager to your list. The Brisbane musos are fond of a collaboration — already this year, they teamed up with Volley on their own line of kicks — and now they're bringing back their boozy team-up with Young Henrys. It all started back in 2017, when the brewery and the band initially joined forces on a range of cold ones. The beer in question actually arose from a pub bet about whether the group's second album, The Kids Will Know It's Bullshit, could top the ARIA charts. "We hung out with our mates Young Henrys one arvo, and it came up that we were gunning for number one when our new album dropped," the band said at the time. "The fellas said 'if you get the top spot, we'll brew you your own beer'." Now, Dune Rats are about to release their fourth album, Real Rare Whale, on Friday, July 29 — and make the rounds of the country's stages, taking their new tracks on tour. That's clearly as good a time as any to bring back Dunies Lager, with Young Henrys now selling the brew via its website, and also pouring it at the band's upcoming gigs. That means that you'll be able to knock back a few in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide between Friday, July 29–Thursday, August 4 — or whenever you like if you nab a case online. For the brew's return outing, it's still a limited-edition tipple. It's around for a good time, not a long time, basically. Dunies Lager still sports a Dune Rats-yellow design by artist Lee McConnell, of course. And as for the brew itself, it's described as a "slightly hazy, year-round smasher" that "gives a feisty first impression" but mellows "into an easy going friend that drinks for days". "After the first batch of Dunies Lager finished, there was a gaping hole left in our stomachs. We weren't sure what happened but something was missing... until now. We are so fucking stoked to announce the return of Dunies Lager," the band said. DUNE RATS 2022 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: Friday, July 29 — Soundmerch, Melbourne Saturday, July 30 — White Horse Hotel, Sydney Sunday, July 31 — Coorparoo Bowls, Brisbane Thursday, August 4 — Lions Art Factory, Adelaide Dunies Lager is available to buy at Dune Rats' 2022 gigs, and via the Young Henrys website.
Zip lines, bungee jumping and treetop obstacles are just the start of Australia's newest destination for adventure seekers. Set along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Live Wire Park is Australia's first outdoor adventure park that is completely powered by nature. Located within The Great Otway National Park, it's family-owned and designed with the environmental in mind, which means the park is completely off-grid, fully solar powered and all water is collected on-site — both reducing waste and taking advantage of the natural resources available. Apart from its minimal environmental impact, the park packs in some serious fun, too. Set just 900 metres from the Lorne coastline, the elevated park is set among the treetops and boasts a 5250-metre-long zip line, a Tarzan swing, a 10-metre bungee, a suspended 120-metre walking circuit among the native blue gums and even a "super circuit" of 53 physical and mental activities that test park-goers while suspended in mid-air. You'll scale trees, swing on ropes and plunge down a bungee jump, all while solving a few puzzles and problems. Plus, you can expect plenty of wildlife sightings among the pristine rainforest and waterfalls. The park's newest attraction — launched just in time for summer holidays — is Spring Circuit, a five-zone circuit suspended five metres off the ground. Here, you can dive into an elevated ball pit, throw giant blow-up giant objects at each other and escape inside hanging black pods.
In news that sounds and feels familiar, and is also sadly not at all unexpected, Vivid Sydney has announced that this year's festival won't go ahead — at all. Last month, the event pushed back its planned 2021 dates from August to mid-September due to Sydney's current COVID-19 outbreak and ongoing lockdown; however, today, Friday, August 6, it has revealed that it's pulling the plug on the light, music and art-filled fest completely until 2022. The 2021 festival had already been pushed from its usual June time slot to August (and then to September), after sitting out 2020 entirely due to the pandemic. This decision to scrap this year's fest is hardly surprising, though. Sydney Fringe Festival, which was also due to take place in September, also just cancelled its 2021 event. And, with Sydney's lockdown now six weeks in, set to run until at least the end of August and also still garnering high case numbers — 291 were identified in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday, August 5 — it's beginning to look more likely that other big events might not happen this year either. In a statement, Vivid organisers advised that "the New South Wales Government has made the difficult decision to cancel Vivid Sydney 2021 — but the world's largest festival of light, music and ideas will shine brightly again in May–June 2022. Given the ongoing uncertainty, the decision has been made to cancel Vivid Sydney 2021 to minimise the impact on event attendees, partners, artists, sponsors and suppliers." If you're keen to mark the new dates in your diary, the 2022 event will kick off on Friday, May 27 and run through until Sunday, June 18. Announcing the news, NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said that cancelling this year's Vivid now was the sensible move. "We thank everyone who has contributed to the planning for Vivid Sydney 2021. Of course, it's incredibly disappointing to cancel for the second year, but the most responsible decision was to cancel early, giving everyone certainty and minimising impacts where possible. The health and safety of our community is our highest priority, which is why we're encouraging everyone to get vaccinated so we can get back to enjoying COVID-safe events again soon," he said. Back in July, when Vivid was postponed until September, the Minister had commented that this year's event would only proceed if it's safe to do so. [caption id="attachment_816000" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] Vivid 2021 was slated to feature a hefty array of light installations, cultural events, pop-ups and activations, with the full program announced back in May. Alongside Sydney Fringe Festival, a number of big NSW events have now been impacted by the pandemic two years running. The same thing happened with Bluesfest, which was cancelled in 2020, then scrapped a few days before it was meant to start in April this year, and then rescheduled until October — and with this year's Sydney Film Festival, too, which moved to August this year from its usual June time slot, and has now been postponed until November. Vivid Sydney 2021 will no longer take place from Friday, September 17 –Saturday, October 9. Vivid Sydney 2022 is slated to run from Friday, May 27–Sunday, June 18. For more information, visit the event's website. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
As they say, when one door closes, another opens. In this case, as Melburnians bid farewell to Mid Air, they welcome news that the rooftop at HYDE Melbourne Place is set to open this December as Cleo. HYDE Melbourne Place, home to Mr Mills and Marmelo, is a boutique hotel on Russell Street in the CBD, which has grown in popularity since opening in November 2024. "As HYDE Melbourne Place evolves as a precinct, we're excited to transform Mid Air into Cleo: a Mediterranean rooftop restaurant and bar bringing bold flavours, more generous spaces for all-day dining, and a new lively energy. When it opens in December, Cleo will celebrate the warmth and conviviality of Mediterranean-style hospitality with the creative and cultural spirit of Melbourne in mind," says General Manager Jodi Brown. The rooftop drinking and dining destination will welcome Eastern Mediterranean flavours and old-world cooking techniques with Cleo. The venue will undergo a transformation to bring in warm tones and introduce long tables and relaxed spaces suitable for leisurely communal dining. Carmen Tomasic, Ennismore's Director of Brand Operations, Pacific, says, "Melbourne's dining scene is thriving and constantly evolving — and we are so excited to be part of that with the launch of our first signature concept by Carte Blanched, right in the heart of it all." Images: Kate Shanasy. Cleo is slated to open this December. Follow @hydemelbourneplace on Instagram for further updates. In the meantime, check out other standout restaurants in the CBD.
Australia's global cultural clout is about to receive a huge boost, with the Art Gallery of NSW's new Sydney Modern Project finally throwing open its doors on Saturday, December 3. Perched upon a hill next to the original AGNSW, looking down on Woolloomooloo's Finger Wharf, the world-class museum boasts a series of stunning and immersive exhibition spaces housed within an expansive open-plan glass building. On Tuesday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet called the Sydney Modern Project New South Wales' "most significant cultural build since the Opera House". [caption id="attachment_880682" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aerial view of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' new SANAA - designed building, 2022, photo © Iwan Baan[/caption] The ambitious four-level, $344-million project is filled with breathtaking works of art. Wonder through the gallery and you'll discover fully immersive exhibition spaces, vibrant works from world-renowned artists, and huge sculptures welcoming you into the building or looking out onto the harbour. The first piece of art that's sure to catch your eye is the pair of massive, larger-than-life bronze statues that stand at the front of the museum. Created by artist Francis Upritchard, these tree-like figures are playfully incorporated into the outdoor foyer of the building. [caption id="attachment_880677" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of the Dreamhome: Stories of Art and Shelter exhibition in the new building at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, featuring Samara Golden Guts 2022 © Samara Golden, photo © Iwan Baan[/caption] Once inside, there's plenty to discover. As you enter, head into the Yiribana Gallery that's been relocated from the lowest level of the original AGNSW building to the entrance of Sydney Modern. Here you'll find a showcase of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks spanning across mediums and messages. One of the nicest touches of this new Yiribana Gallery is its floor-to-ceiling glass windows that offer views of the surrounding ocean and trees, connecting the space with its natural surroundings. Continue around the gallery and you'll find works from two of Japan's most renowned artists. Yayoi Kusama has created a set of massive spotted flowers that can be observed from a large outdoor space overlooking Woolloomooloo. One level below these multi-coloured structures, you'll find Japan Supernatural: Vertiginous After Staring at the Empty World Too Intensely, I Found Myself Trapped in the Realm of Lurking Ghosts and Monsters, a chaotic 2019 artwork from Takashi Murakami. [caption id="attachment_880681" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Tank space in the Art Gallery of New South Wales' new SANAA - designed building, 2022, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter[/caption] Some of the opening exhibitions include Dreamhome: Stories of Art and Shelter, a multi-media exhibition ruminating on the concept of home and shelter; Outlaw, a series of works from rule-breaking artists inside a space purpose-built for evolving time-based art; and Adrián Villar Rojas: The End of Imagination, a fully immersive work that places visitors in the gallery's underground exhibition space called The Tank, shrouded in darkness with each piece of art slowly being revealed by a set of spotlights. For five years now, the Sydney Modern Project has been on its way — originally announced in 2017, officially given a green light in 2018 and revealing its first commissioned artworks in March 2022. [caption id="attachment_880685" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Exterior view of the Welcome Plaza of the Art Gallery of New South Wales ' new building , featuring Yayoi Kusama Flowers that Bloom in the Cosmos 2022 , photo © Iwan Baan[/caption] The Sydney Modern Project is located next to the Art Gallery of NSW. It will open on Saturday, December 3 with extended opening hours of 10am–10pm until Sunday, December 11.
Planning a trip to the Red Centre for NAIDOC Week? The Ayers Rock Resort celebrates the occasion with '50 Years of NAIDOC' — a feast for the senses, where vibrant cuisine and captivating storytelling combine with art, culture and more. Running from Sunday, July 6–Sunday, July 13, Indigenous chef Mark Olive, aka 'The Black Olive', headlines the experience, taking over the resort's Arnguli Grill & Restaurant with a three-course set menu brimming with native bush foods and Indigenous wines. Olive will also host an intimate dinner on Wednesday, July 9, with guests invited to enjoy the exclusive menu sat alongside Olive, who'll recount stories and insights behind each dish and the ingredients' significance. Meanwhile, Olive will also present a complimentary Bushfood Masterclass, where culinary tradition, technique and storytelling blend across various sessions in the Gallery of Central Australia's outdoor amphitheatre. Beyond these gastronomic encounters, the Ayers Rock Resort has also produced a series of art experiences and cultural activities. Aṉangu artists Billy and Lulu Cooley will present their wood-carving talent in the Town Square Circle of Sand. Plus, the Sunrise Journeys encounter sees guests connect to Country at dawn, as three local Aṉangu artists bring the desert landscape to life each day using laser projection, music and the natural environment. On Wednesday, July 9, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park's Cultural Centre Inma Ground offers insight into traditional working tools and ceremonial song and dance, while the Town Square Lawns features the NAIDOC Markets, teeming with community, culture and cuisine on Sunday, July 6. For cinephiles, the Arkani Theatre will host the Indigenous Film Festival, screening free films throughout the week, including Charlie's Country and Bran Nue Day. Images: Carly Earl / Matt Lambley.
Forget flame-grilled, British company Bompas & Parr are taking the backyard barbecue to new, hardcore heights — using molten lava. Experts in curating spectacular culinary experiences that go beyond the wildest dreams of Willy Wonka himself, Bompas & Parr one-upped Sydney's last New Year's display with the world's first edible fireworks in London. This year, they're forecast to trump our favourite summer pastime, the age old Australian barbecue. We can't help but be impressed. The duo teamed up with lava expert Professor Robert Wysocki from New York's Syracuse University to learn how to transform billion-year-old basalt into magma that would cook a nice T-bone at 1350 degrees. Experiments like this one have ensured the pair have honed their charring technique to perfection. Now, Bompas & Parr are offering British diners the chance to host the ultimate summer barbecue. Apart from the five-tonne furnace for those lava-seared steaks, the company will provide designers to makeover the venue, invitations hand carved from volcanic rock and lava-heated hot tubs in which to enjoy cocktails. Plus, they promise a weird and wonderful soundscape fusing real-time volcanic frequencies from around the world with more conventional tunes. The catch to getting Bompas & Parr barbecuing in your own backyard? You'll need a minimum of 500 friends to join you. But come on, though that may seem a little high and possibly saddening, who wouldn’t want to go to this barbecue-to-end-all-barbecues?
Star Wars fans, prepare to punch it on down to Sydney's Powerhouse Museum in November — and prepare to come face to face with 200 original objects from the popular sci-fi franchise at Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition. You might have to wait more than 12 months until Star Wars: Episode IX reaches cinemas late next year, but you can spend your days from November 16, 2018 until June 10, 2019 perusing the items that helped make space opera movie magic happen. Coming to Australia for the first time, that includes costumes, props, models and artworks from the Lucasfilm archives, complete with a galaxy's worth of favourites — think BB-8, R2-D2 and the Millennium Falcon just for starters. Get a glimpse of Yoda, you will, circa Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back. You'll also feel the power-hungry menace radiate from Darth Vader's suit from Star Wars: Episode VII — Return of the Jedi. Star Wars Identities is also an interactive exhibition, with creating your own unique character also part of the experience. If you've ever felt as though you should be hanging out in a cantina somewhere on a remote planet, here's your chance to answer a heap of questions, work through a series of stations and find your inner Star Wars hero. You won't need to use the force — rather, you'll receive a smart technology bracelet and a headset to use while you're in the exhibition. But if you want to say that you are using the force — or even want to give midi-chlorians some credit — no one will stop you. The Powerhouse Museum is no stranger to Star Wars shenanigans, having hosted a weekend's worth of May the Fourth fun earlier this year. For those already planning their costumes for this 90-minute experience, you're welcome to attend as Han Solo, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker or whichever other character you'd like — but helmets and masks will need to be left in the cloak room, and you'll also need to leave your lightsabers at home. Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition displays at the Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo from November 16, 2018 until June 10, 2019. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the exhibition website.
Sit down for a drink at Amsterdam's Vesper, and your cocktail just might contain more than just alcohol, garnish, ice and mixers. As part of a waste-reducing initiative called Trash the Place!, the Dutch bar is recycling all food-related items that it can, finding imaginative ways to use them, and throwing it all in their beverages. "One man's trash is another man's treasure" is the fitting line of thinking behind it, which sees Vesper's bartenders recovering and re-using food offcuts that were otherwise destined for the garbage pile, particularly where fruit is involved. As the bar's Julian Bayuni told MUNCHIES, "for example, we use strawberries to make our own strawberry Campari.. [then] we filter the fruit out of the Campari and mix it with some mango, fresh tomato, cilantro, and onion to make a fermented salsa, which we serve with our tortilla chips." While operating in a more sustainable fashion is an ongoing focus, Vesper are specifically showcasing their creative, environmentally conscious concoctions until the end of September, with not only their staff getting in on the task, but guest bartenders from other Amsterdam establishments as well. In an industry that creates as much waste as hospitality, it's an inventive and inspiring step — and joins the likes of fellow Dutch venue De Fruithaven, who run on power generated by food waste, plus New Zealand-based vodka company 42BELOW, who've been turning leftover bar garnishes into hand soap. Via MUNCHIES. Image: Vesper.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to watching anything, we're here to help. From the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from May's haul of newbies. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW GIRLS5EVA First, a word of warning: the hit song that brought fictional late 90s/early 00s girl group Girls5eva to fame is such an earworm, you'll be singing it to yourself for weeks after you binge through the sitcom that bears their name. That's to be expected given that Jeff Richmond, the composer behind 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's equally catchy and comedic tunes, is one of the talents behind it. Tina Fey and Robert Carlock produce the series, too, so you what type of humour you're in for. Starring Sara Bareilles (Broadway's Waitress), Busy Philipps (I Feel Pretty), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) and the great Paula Pell (AP Bio), Girls5eva follows four members of the eponymous band two decades after their heyday. Their initial success didn't last, and life has left the now-fortysomething women at different junctures. Then a rapper samples their hit, they're asked to reunite for a one-night backing spot on The Tonight Show, and they contemplate getting back together to give music another shot. As well as being exceptionally well-cast and immensely funny, the series is also bitingly perceptive about stardom, the entertainment industry and the way that women beyond their twenties are treated. Also, when Fey inevitably pops up, she does so as a dream version of Dolly Parton — and it's as glorious as it sounds. The first season of Girls5eva is available to stream via Stan. THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Two words: Barry Jenkins. Where the Oscar-nominated Moonlight director goes, viewers should always follow. That proved the case with 2018's If Beale Street Could Talk, and it's definitely accurate regarding The Underground Railroad, the phenomenal new ten-part series that features Jenkins behind the camera of each and every episode. As the name makes plain, the historical drama uses the real-life Underground Railroad — the routes and houses that helped enslaved Black Americans escape to freedom — as its basis. Here, though, drawing on the past isn't as straightforward as it initially sounds. Adapting Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same moniker, the series dives deeply into the experiences of people endeavouring to flee slavery, while also adopting magic-realism when it comes to taking a literal approach to its railroad concept. That combination couldn't work better in Jenkins' hands as he follows Cora (Thuso Mbedu, Shuga), a woman forced into servitude on a plantation overseen by Terrance Randall (Benjamin Walker, Jessica Jones). As always proves the case in the filmmaker's work, every frame is a thing of beauty, every second heaves with emotion, and every glance, stare, word and exchange is loaded with a thorough examination of race relations in America. If something else this affecting reaches streaming queues in 2021, it'll be a phenomenal year for audiences. The Underground Railroad is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video. LOS ESPOOKYS It has taken almost two years for the delight that is Los Espookys to reach Australian screens — and it'll take you less than three hours to binge its six-episode first season. This HBO comedy is both worth the wait and worth devouring as quickly as possible, though. The setup: horror aficionado Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco, Museo) wants to turn his obsession into his profession, so he starts staging eerie scenarios for paying customers, enlisting his best friend Andrés (Julio Torres, Shrill), pal Úrsula (Cassandra Ciangherotti, Ready to Mingle) and the latter's sister Tati (Ana Fabrega, At Home with Amy Sedaris) to help. Torres and Fabrega co-created the show with Portlandia and Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen, who also pops up as Renaldo's parking valet uncle. This mostly Spanish-language series only uses its biggest name sparingly, however, because its key cast members own every moment. Following the titular group's exploits as they attempt to ply their trade, and to weave it into their otherwise chaotic lives, Los Espookys always manages to be both sidesplittingly hilarious and so meticulous in its horror references that it's almost uncanny. There's nothing on-screen quite like it and, thankfully, it has already been renewed for a second season. The first season of Los Espookys is available to stream via Binge. OXYGEN When Elizabeth Hansen (Mélanie Laurent, 6 Underground) awakens in a cryogenic chamber, she doesn't know who she is, where she is or why she's there. She's strapped in via an array of invasive tubes and restrictive belts, the pod's oxygen levels are rapidly depleting and, in trying to work out what's going on and how to survive, she only has the unit's artificial intelligence program, called MILO (voiced by Sound of Metal's Mathieu Amalric), on hand. That's how Oxygen starts, taking cues from everything from Buried to Locke. But each engaging single-setting, talk-driven thriller lives or dies on the strength of its story, dialogue and cast, all of which hit their marks here. It helps having Laurent at the film's centre, as tends to happen when the French Inglourious Basterds star is pushed into the spotlight. Also pivotal: director Alexandre Aja's horror background, which includes the remake of The Hills Have Eyes and 2019's Crawl. As he demonstrated with the latter, he's particularly skilled at not merely working with familiar tropes and conventions, but at getting the most out of them. Accordingly, even as Oxygen nods to a wealth of one-location and survival flicks — and a hefty number of closed-in sci-fi movies as well — it still grippingly wrings every ounce of tension it can out of its nightmarish scenario. Oxygen is available to stream via Netflix. AMERICAN UTOPIA On paper, American Utopia's concept doesn't just sound excellent — it sounds flat-out superb, stunning and spectacular. A new David Byrne concert film, capturing his acclaimed American Utopia Broadway production, as directed by Spike Lee? Sign the world up, and now. In the most welcome news of the past year, the execution matches the idea in this instant masterpiece (and wonderful companion piece to 1984's Stop Making Sense). It'd be hard to go wrong with all of the above ingredients, but the second of Lee's two 2020 films (after Da 5 Bloods) makes viewers feel like they're in the room with Byrne and his band and dancers like all concert movies strive to but few achieve in such engaging a fashion. Every shot here is designed with this one aim in mind and it shows, because giving audiences the full American Utopia experience is something worth striving for. Byrne sings, working through both solo and Talking Heads hits. He waxes lyrical in his charming and accessible way, pondering the eponymous concept with an open and wise perspective. And he has staged, planned and choreographed the entire performance to a painstaking degree — from the inviting grey colour scheme and the open stage surrounded by glimmering chainmail curtains to the entire lack of cords and wires tethering himself and his colleagues down. American Utopia is available to stream via Binge and Amazon Prime Video. Read our full review. MADE FOR LOVE When author Alissa Nutting penned Made for Love, no one needed to think too hard about her source of inspiration. Now bringing its tale to the small screen courtesy of the series of the same name, her story ponders one of the possible next steps in our technology-saturated lives. Hazel Green-Gogol (Cristin Milioti, Palm Springs) seems to live a lavishly and happily with her tech billionaire husband Byron (Billy Magnussen, Aladdin). They haven't left his company's desert campus in the entire ten years they've been married, in fact. The site is designed to cater for their every desire and whim, so they shouldn't need to go anywhere else — or that's how Byron views things, at least. Then his next big idea looks set to become a reality, and Hazel decides that she can't keep up the charade. She certainly doesn't want to be implanted with a chip that'll allow Byron to see through her eyes, access her feelings and always know where she is, and she's willing to take drastic actions to escape his hold over her life. Bringing the plot to the screen herself, Nutting favours a darkly comedic and sharply satirical vibe as she follows Hazel's quest for freedom, with Made for Love filled with blisteringly accurate insights into the tech-dependence that's become a regular part of 21st century existence. That said, the series wouldn't be the gem it is without Milioti, as well as Ray Romano (The Irishman) in a scene-stealing supporting part as Hazel's father. Made for Love is available to stream via Stan. AND TOMORROW THE ENTIRE WORLD Submitted as Germany's entry for Best International Feature at this year's Oscars, And Tomorrow the Entire World mightn't have ultimately earned a nomination or the prized gong itself, but it's still a compelling and confronting — and timely — film. And, an impassioned one as well, with filmmaker Julia von Heinz (I'm Off Then) leaving zero doubt about her feelings on the re-emergence of right-wing extremist views in general, and specifically in a country that'll never escape the shadow of the Holocaust. University law student Luisa (Mala Emde, Shadowplay) swiftly shares her director's horror and anger. Brought up in comfortable middle-class surroundings, and in a family where taking a weekend hunting trip is commonplace, she has her eyes opened at school when she joins an anti-fascist group. They're soon doing whatever it takes to combat hate-filled ideologies, including letting their actions speak louder than words; however, the stakes are raised when they endeavour to thwart an upcoming attack. Aesthetically, von Heinz opts for edge-of-your seat immersion. Feeling like you're in Luisa's shoes as she steps into a topical conflict is part of the experience, as is feeling her struggles as she grapples with the reality of counteracting abhorrent views by violent means. Emde is exceptional in the lead role, pulsating with urgency in even the quietest of scenes — as does everything in the film. And Tomorrow the Entire World is available to stream via Netflix. RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK MYTHIC QUEST When its first season arrived back in 2020, it took a while for Mythic Quest to find its groove. Once it did, though, the sitcom shone — and brightly. Co-created by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, and starring the former as a visionary video game developer, Mythic Quest follows the daily ins and outs around the studio behind the eponymous massively multiplayer online role-playing game. McElhenney's Ian Grimm is drunk on his own ego, lead engineer Poppy Li (Charlotte Nicdao, Content) barely manages to cope, their executive producer (David Hornsby, Good Girls) is a ball of neuroses, and finance head (Danny Pudi, Community) couldn't be more ruthless in general or less interested in the people he works with. Mythic Quest doesn't break the workplace sitcom mould, or reshape it. Still, as it navigates its chosen industry, calls out its insular nature and examines its other issues, it's as smart and entertaining as the genre's recent classics such as The Office and Parks and Recreation. And, picking up where its pandemic special left off, the show's second season proves just as sharp and funny, including while exploring the struggles women in gaming face in a big way. The second season of Mythic Quest is dropping new episodes each week via Apple TV+. CLASSICS TO WATCH AND REWATCH ROUND THE TWIST Sometimes, you're eager to spend your spare hours binging your way through serious dramas. At other times, only clever comedies will do. But, there also comes a time when you just want to feel nostalgic — including by revisiting the local TV show that absolutely every Aussie kid watched in the 90s and 00s, and more than once. For two seasons between 1990–93, then another two from 2000–01, Round the Twist adapted Paul Jennings' popular books into an offbeat fantasy series. If you were the right age, it was must-see TV. It's the source of plenty of lighthouse obsessions, given that's where the Twist family lived. And, it's also a show that knew how to balance humour, strangeness and scares. Yes, the latter two seasons of Round the Twist really aren't as great as the first two, but we're betting they're still baked into your childhood memories anyway. And, we're certain that you'll now have the show's theme tune stuck in your head for at least the rest of the day, which is where it'll likely stay until after you've finished binging the series on Netflix (and probably for plenty of time afterwards as well). All four seasons of Round the Twist are available to stream via Netflix. A HEAP OF CLASSIC AUSTRALIAN FILMS When Netflix launched in Australia, it took three years for the huge streaming behemoth to produce Tidelands, its first original Aussie series. Another three years later, the nation's creatives are still calling for it and other streamers to invest heavily in local productions — including via content quotas that would legislate its obligation to plunge part of the profits it earns from Australian subscribers back into the Aussie film and TV industry. That battle is ongoing. For now, though, Netflix has added a hefty batch of local films to its catalogue. The lineup is eclectic because Australian cinema is eclectic, but you can start with Two Hands, follow it up with BMX Bandits, then check out Dating the Enemy (and watch Heath Ledger, Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Claudia Karvan and Guy Pearce in the process). Or, you could plunge into Dark City's twists, hit the beach with Puberty Blues, and see Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths co-star in Cosi, not Muriel's Wedding. Just as My Name Is Gulpilil reaches cinemas, you can also stream your way through the actor's standout roles in Walkabout (the Indigenous icon's first feature from 50 years ago) and The Tracker (which won him an AFI Award for Best Actor). Check out Netflix's Australian range via the streaming platform. Top image: The Underground Railroad.
How do you take something great and make it even better? Add goats. That probably doesn't apply in every situation, but it certainly seems to with HBO comedy Barry and its long-awaited third season — at least if the just-dropped new trailer is anything to go by. All killer, no filler: when it comes to this Bill Hader-starring gem, that notion firmly applies. The premise is pure TV gold, following an assassin who'd rather be an actor, but finds it hard to cut ties with his murderous gig. Making it even better is the pitch-perfect casting of former Saturday Night Live great Hader, of course, who has never been better than he is playing the eponymous hitman here. The setup: when Hader's Barry Berkman heads from Cleveland to Los Angeles for his job, he discovers a previously unknown passion for acting after he stumbles into a class held by veteran thespian Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler, The French Dispatch). The catch? Barry kills people for money, and that isn't a line of work that you can leave easily, especially when you become caught in the Chechen mafia's violent and deadly dramas. As SNL fans will already know, Hader is an on-screen treasure. He's truly something else in this part-comedy, part-tragedy series. Barry's struggle mightn't seem that relatable on paper, but it proves exactly that with Hader in the role. Also excellent is Winkler, expectedly. And, similarly great is Bill & Ted Face the Music's Anthony Carrigan as Chechen gangster Noho Hank — who befriends Barry, isn't that skilled at the whole crime business and quickly becomes one of the most memorable characters to ever grace a TV series. It's no wonder that fans have been hanging out for the third season of this Emmy-winner, which finally arrives in April — on Monday, April 25 in Australia via Binge, in fact — after a three-year gap since season two. Based on both the initial teaser trailer and this new sneak peek, Barry's quest to go on the straight and narrow — and pursue acting — is still as chaotic as ever. In fact, this season will focus on the other factors, including his own psyche, that saw Barry become a killer to begin with. Another big part of the new episodes, according to HBO: fellow characters trying to make the right choices. Also returning are Stephen Root (The Tragedy of Macbeth) as Barry's former handler Monroe, who is in hiding; Sarah Goldberg (The Night House) as Barry's girlfriend Sarah, who is also an actor; D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place) as a fellow acting student; and Sarah Burns (Werewolves Within) as Detective Mae Dunn. And Hader isn't just phenomenally excellent on-screen in Barry — he also co-created it, has directed a heap of episodes, and also co-wrote others. Check out the full trailer for Barry season three below: Barry's third season will start streaming via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand from Monday, April 25. Images: Peter Iovino and Merrick Morton/HBO.
In just a few weeks, the days will be getting chillier and you'll be, once again, unpacking beanies and mitts — and cosy weekend getaways are likely already on your mind. Happily, this year sees the return of a popular pop-up accommodation option to regional Victorian, with the Wine Down Pop-Up Hotel heading back to three wineries this autumn. The two beautifully upcycled and solar-powered shipping container hotels are the work of Contained — known for crafting bars, restaurants, offices and hotels out of shipping containers — and are all at once comfy, luxuriously appointed and sustainably crafted. And they'll soon be well-travelled, moving across three of the state's best-loved wine regions between February and June. Designed to inspire some weekend adventures in your own backyard, the pop-up eco hotels will be making their home at Yarra Valley's Seville Estate (February 28–March 28), before a stint at Montalto in the Mornington Peninsula (April 3–May 2), which has restaurants and even its own sculpture trail. It'll wrap things up at historic Rutherglen's All Saints Estate (May 8–June 7). Nestled among the vines, the self-contained Wine Down retreats come kitted out with a swag of high-end trimmings, boasting a plush queen-size bed with primo Cultiver linen, full bathroom stocked with Leif toiletries, a minibar with a bottle of the property's finest vino, a breakfast hamper of local produce, floor-to-ceiling windows leading onto a deck and — wait for it — your own private hot tub. An electric BMW will also be available to use to explore the surrounding areas and neighbouring wineries if you please. As well as the two pop-up hotels, this year, for the first time, there'll also be a third shipping container. Though, instead of beds and a bathroom, this one will be filled with wine. It's promising an "entirely new way" of engaging with wine via a virtual reality trip showcasing regional Victorian produce — as well as actual wine and food samples to eat and drink from across the Pinot Coast, Shiraz Central, King Valley Prosecco Road, Muscat of Rutherglen and Yarra Valley. It's open to all hotel guests and can be booked for $35 a pop over here. The Wine Down Pop-Up Hotel is heading to Yarra Valley from February 28–March 28, Mornington Peninsula from April 3–May 2, and Rutherglen from May 8–June 7. Prices start at $275 per night from Sundays through Thursdays and $375 per night on weekends and booking are now open via contained.com.au/hotel.
December, 2005. Two cars circle the beachside Sydney suburb of Cronulla, each filled with hotheaded locals looking for a fight. In one vehicle, the aggressive Jason (Damon Herriman) and his Ned Kelly-worshipping pal Ditch (Justin Rosniak) take the well-meaning but not-so-bright Shit Stick (Alexander England) and his kind-hearted Down Syndrome cousin Evan (Chris Bunton) in search of folks of Middle Eastern descent to bash. In the other, Hassim (Lincoln Younes) tears himself away from his studies to scour the streets for his missing brother – though his pals Nick (Rahel Romahn) and D-Mac (Fayssal Bazzi) and his devout uncle Ibrahim (Michael Denkha) are all keen to cause some physical damage to the area's ocker residents along the way. It's a scenario inspired by reality, in a film filled with harsh truths. If you're feeling a little awkward or even confronted by a comic take on the Cronulla race riots, that's okay. You're supposed to be. Like British terrorism satire Four Lions before it, Down Under addresses a subject everyone is aware of but no one wants to talk about, in perhaps the only way that it can. Feeling like you shouldn't be laughing at what you're seeing is part of the point. Thinking about why you're laughing is as well. Accordingly, the plot of Down Under offers a peek at the ugly side of Australian life. Conflict, discrimination and violence is inescapable in this film, as is the sense of discomfort by those watching. In his polished, purposefully provocative return to feature filmmaking after 2003's Ned, writer-director Abe Forsythe revels in the controversial nature of a situation that no one in the country can claim is unrealistic. After all, we all saw the scenes that made the news just over a decade ago; in fact, that's the footage Down Under begins with. As the two groups spend a day and a night driving around searching for weapons and arguing amongst themselves, the film manages to find the delicate balance between making a statement and making you laugh. Gags that stress the similarities between both sides provide many of the film's funniest and most astute moments, while Forsythe's clearly committed cast ensures that the characters never feel like mere caricatures – even when they're spouting idiotic, bigoted crap. Ultimately, Down Under isn't simply attempting to get viewers cackling about an uncomfortable topic. Forsythe is primarily trying to highlight the nation's deep-seeded intolerance, as well as the pointlessness of spewing hate based on cultural differences. It's little wonder that the film that results isn't just a comedy, but a tragedy as well. And given the current political and media landscape, this movie and its message really couldn't be more timely.
For the past five years, Pierre Roelofs and his team have taken over Café Rosamond on Thursday nights to create a new three-course dessert menu each week. While this isn’t a particularly new event on Melbourne’s culinary scene, it is undoubtedly a popular one, and one that is close to finishing forever. The very last Dessert Evening will be on December 18, but you absolutely shouldn’t wait until the eleventh hour to sample the goods. As well as the three courses, Roelofs also throws in a 'dessert tube' which can range from anything to Snickers-flavoured to Eton Mess. To get those taste buds tingling, last week’s menu included flavour combinations such as grape, oat, orange and passionfruit; spiced apple, custard and coconut; bubblegum, strawberry and vanilla. Intrigued? Salivating? You should be. To book a table, grab five of your sweet-tooth mates for a night of decadence, or you can try your luck as a walk-in if you haven’t quite got the numbers. We can't think of a better way to spend four hours (and a mere $50) on a Thursday night. See you there.
“You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge”. So begins both the film and the song ‘Straight Outta Compton’, and it’s equal parts preview and warning. The ‘street knowledge’ of NWA’s leading trio — Dr Dre (played by Corey Hawkins), Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson Jr, playing his real-life father) and Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell) — was an affront to the establishment, a threat, even, but also helped facilitate the group's rapid rise from neighbourhood group to musical ascendancy. Acquired over two decades of daily exposure to gang violence, racial vilification and police persecution, it instilled in them a bravado, passion and unyielding determination that permitted neither retreat nor weakness. It also came at a price, however, because not all streets are the same, and when Crenshaw Boulevard became Rodeo Drive, the blinders and shortcomings of that knowledge became all too apparent. Straight Outta Compton, then, is not just an NWA biopic but a cautionary tale about loyalty, friendship and the corrosive effects of celebrity. Directed by F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job), this is a slick, provocative and timely film that absolutely warrants your viewing. Straight Outta Compton (© 2015 Universal Studios) is in cinemas nationally from September 3, and thanks to Universal Pictures Australia, we have 10 double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter and then email us with your name and address. Read our full Straight Outta Compton review here. Follow the movie via its website or Facebook page. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
For cheese fiends, there's only one suitable way to tuck into the beloved dairy product: all the time, or at least as much as possible. That's an idea that Australian cheese festival Mould not only understands but encourages, and has since 2017. In 2023, from May through to August, those cheese dreams will be continuing as well. Because you can never have too many occasions to eat cheddar, brie, camembert, raclette or whatever other cheese takes your fancy, Mould is back for another year, letting dairy lovers to explore and devour the mild, hard and soft bites that Australia's best cheese wizards have to offer. The event hails from Bruny Island Cheese Co cheesemaker Nick Haddow and the organisers of Pinot Palooza, and will hit up not just Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney but also Perth for its latest run. Running for either two or three days in each city, Mould will kick off in Brisbane in May, then head to Melbourne in early June, plus Sydney at the end of June and beginning of July. As for Perth, it's getting a Mould x Pinot Palooza combo — because cheese and wine are that fine a pairing. There won't just be a few cheeses on the menu at each stop. Usually, more than 75 artisan cheeses from around the country are ready and waiting for you to devour, spanning dairy from around 30 producers. In past years, that lineup has included Bruny Island Cheese Co, naturally, plus Grandvewe, Milawa Cheese, Yarra Valley Dairy and Stone & Crow, as well as Section 28, Red Cow Organics, Nimbin Valley Cheese, Dreaming Goat, Long Paddock Cheese and Second Mouse Cheese. Alongside unlimited tastings of Australia's best cheeses — snacking on samples and purchasing slices and slabs to take home with you — the fest features cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and talks. And it wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie wines, whisky, vodka, gin, beer, cider, cocktails and sake, all of which match nicely to a bit of cheese. Unsurprisingly, Mould is mighty popular. In 2021, attendees tucked into a one million samples across the fest's three cities, and also took home over 3.5 tonnes of Aussie dairy products. So, if this the kind of event that your cheese dreams are made of, you'll want to nab an early-bird ticket ASAP for Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane — with the Perth event not yet on sale. MOULD — A CHEESE FESTIVAL 2023 DATES: Friday, May 12–Sunday, May 14 — John Reed Pavilion, Brisbane Showgrounds, 600 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills Friday, June 2–Sunday, June 4 — The Timber Yard, 351 Plummer Street, Port Melbourne Friday, June 30–Saturday, July 1— Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh, Sydney Friday, August 25–Sunday, August 27 — Centenary Pavilion, Claremont Showgrounds, Perth Mould — A Cheese Festival tours Australia from May. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the event's website.
If you like your sleep, chances are you missed catching Saturday morning's eclipse, when a red hued moon and the planet Mars put on a rare show at 5.30am. Well, luckily, that wasn't the last of the celestial treats in store this week — last night saw Mars really making its presence known, as it hung out closer to Earth than it's been in 15 years. According to NASA, the red planet only travels close enough to ours for these spectacular views once or twice every 15 or 17 years. Back in 2003, it made its closest approach in almost 60,000 years, and after this week's events, it isn't expected to make its next 'close approach' until October 6, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/nasasolarsystem/photos/a.164320877917.120400.79209882917/10155603764502918/?type=3&theater If you've been skygazing over the past few days, you would have seen Mars appear brightest from July 27 to 30, as it reached the point in its orbit that puts it closest to Earth. It was on show for most of last night, sitting just 57.6 million kilometres away from us — a relative sliver compared to the 401 million kilometre distance it reaches at its farthest. You'll be able to glimpse the planet for a few more nights, though it's set to get fainter by mid-August as it continues on its orbit. To catch the Red Planet, look east. "Mars will be rising as the sun sets, and rising high and high in the eastern sky during the evening," University of Sydney astronomer Tim Bedding told The Age. "Later in the evening it will be more prominent, passing overhead at midnight." If you find yourself stuck with anther cloudy night, NASA has kindly uploaded a four-hour video of the planet's approach from the Griffith Observatory in LA. Image: NASA
In this very time, in this very galaxy, someone is usually on a screen somewhere talking about the force. It might've been three years now since a Star Wars movie hit cinemas — 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, to be exact — but Disney+ has been filling the gap with The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. And if you still need more intergalactic drama in your streaming queue, Obi-Wan Kenobi will soon be here to help. Your new hope for another step into the Star Wars realm, the six-part series hits Disney+ from Friday, May 27, with Ewan McGregor (Halston) once again donning the iconic Jedi master's robes. As both the original Star Wars trilogy and the prequel films showed, however, it's impossible to tell Obi-Wan's story without also stepping into the tale of a certain padawan-turned-sith — and the latest Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer makes that plain in a big way. The fact that Anakin Skywalker-slash-Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen, The Last Man) is a part of the series isn't new news, but it's a key focus of this sneak peek anyway. Initially, Kenobi is reminded about his time training Anakin when he approaches Owen Lars (Joel Edgerton, The Green Knight) about trying to do the same with young Luke. Before the trailer is out, though, the familiar suit and sounds of Darth Vader take centre stage. Disney+ dropped the new sneak peek as part of May the Fourth celebrations. Yes, the force is clearly still with this franchise. It's been 45 years since a little movie called Star Wars — now known as Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope — first hit screens, and the George Lucas-created space-opera franchise has been with us ever since, including through prequels, sequels, spinoffs, theme parks and, as of this week, meditation apps. Timeline-wise, Obi-Wan Kenobi is set ten years after Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, and bridges the gap in its namesake's narrative between the prequels and the OG Star Wars flicks. So, that means following the fallout after Anakin's turn to the dark side and reinvention as Darth Vader, and also chronicling the fact that Obi-Wan is now being pursued across the galaxy. Following on from the show's initial teaser back in March, the new trailer another glimpse at the Empire's search for Obi-Wan, and also includes Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals) — who, based on appearances here, could be playing a jedi. Also set to pop up in the series: Bonnie Piesse returning as Beru Lars, plus Moses Ingram (Ambulance), Indira Varma (This Way Up), Rupert Friend (The French Dispatch), O'Shea Jackson Jr (Just Mercy), Sung Kang (Fast and Furious 9), Simone Kessell (1%) and Benny Safdie (Licorice Pizza). Check out the full trailer for Obi-Wan Kenobi below: Obi-Wan Kenobi starts streaming via Disney+ on Friday, May 27. Top image: © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Nineties kids, Disney fans and everyone who's ever cried over a lion cub that just couldn't wait to be king, it's time to climb onto a rock and yell your lungs out. The circle of life has struck again, and The Lion King is back. It's in live-action form this time around, and the first teaser trailer for the new movie has just dropped. Releasing in mid-2019, the film will once again tell the tale of Simba, who's set to take over the pride from his father Mufasa, only for his malicious uncle Scar to get in the way. You know where it goes from there — and while you're watching extremely life-like lions prowl around Africa, you'll be hearing the voices of Donald Glover as Simba, none other than Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as his childhood pal Nala, and James Earl Jones as his dad. Yes, the latter is reprising his role from the original film. Other big names attached include Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, John Oliver as Zazu, and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen as Timon and Pumbaa. Elton John is back working on the soundtrack with Tim Rice, as they both did on the first film. They'll reportedly have some help from Beyoncé, naturally, while The Jungle Book's Jon Favreau is in the director's chair for the entire production. If you're anxious about how it might turn out, it's worth taking Timon and Pumbaa's advice at this early stage — although this initial look should help get rid of your worries for the rest of your days. The Lion King hits Australian cinemas on July 18, 2019. Feel the love for the first trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJbI5f3z3Po&feature=youtu.be
Since it opened in June this year, the Mori Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless has become one of the hottest tickets in Tokyo. Given that the 10,000-square-metre site is filled with immersive, kaleidoscopic digital art — think walls filled with floating flowers, rooms dedicated to dazzling light and music shows, and sitting in a space pummelled with digital waves — it's easy to see why. It's a permanent addition to the city's Odaiba district, but the folks behind it are spreading their love to another part of the country. They're also taking up temporary residence in a castle. From November 22, 2018 to January 6, 2019, teamLab will unleash teamLab: Digitised Kōchi Castle at the historic site that gives the exhibition its name. Located in the city of Kōchi on the nation's Shikoku island, Kōchi Castle dates back to 1601, when it was originally built after a huge battle. While parts burned down in 1727, it was rebuilt and restored between 1729–1753, and remains a significant place. In fact, it's the only castle in Japan where the castle tower and almost all of its central structure are still intact. For Digitised Kōchi Castle, teamLab will do what it does best, transforming the space using interactive digital art projected onto its surfaces. That'll allow the artistic outfit to completely alter the castle without actually physically altering it — and for the artworks to react to human presence, meaning that you'll likely never see the same thing twice. Specifically, visitors can expect everything from a field of glowing oval balls under lit-up trees, with the balloon shapes changing colour when they're pushed; to animals made of flowers roaming the walls of the structure, dissipating when people get near; to simulated waves ebbing and flowing across the castle's fusuma sliding doors. A 500-metre expanse of stone wall will also be lit, shining and fading slowly as if the castle is breathing, while there'll be plenty more illumination brightening up the 417-year-old building. If you'll be finding yourself in Japan during the pop-up exhibition's nearly two-month window, tickets cost a highly affordable 1500 yen, or around $18.25 Australian. Early bird tickets, which are on sale now until November 21, are JPY1300 / AUD$15.80. Like teamLab's other creations, Digitised Kōchi Castle isn't just about light, but also about sound too — however to give the exhibition an extra glow, it'll only run in the evenings, from 5.30–9.30pm. teamLab: Digitised Kōchi Castle runs from November 22, 2018 to January 6, 2019 at Kōchi Castle, Kochi Park, Marunouchi 1-2-1, Kochi City, Kochi. For more information, visit the exhibition website. Images: teamLab.
After shooting Elvis on the Gold Coast, Baz Luhrmann dubbed the Queensland city "Goldiewood". For four days in February 2024, the coastal spot will certainly become the centre of the Aussie film and television industry when the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts sweeps into town. As well as hosting its annual awards, AACTA will put on a festival around the accolades — and after announcing its first program details in 2023, that lineup has just expanded. A series of free outdoor film screenings, a Yellowjackets Q&A, and chats with the teams behind Colin From Accounts and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart lead the new additions for AACTA Festival, which takes place from Thursday, February 8–Sunday, February 11 at HOTA, Home of the Arts. For those keen to see a flick under the stars, you have three options, all with Aussie ties. Of course Barbie tops the list, as part of a barbecue bash where dressing up is highly encouraged — cinephile Barbie, anyone? — and there will indeed be the appropriate food spread. Also hitting the screen: a 25th-anniversary screening of 10 Things I Hate About You, celebrating the Heath Ledger-starring film, this time with a 90s shindig. And, rounding out the movies is The Greatest Showman, complete with Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey on hand to introduce the Hugh Jackman (Faraway Downs)-led flick. Yellowjackets fans, get excited about Aussie actors Courtney Eaton (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Liv Hewson (Party Down), aka teen Lottie and teen Van, talking about the series — including its cliffhangers and supernatural elements. Leah Purcell (Shayda) will discuss The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, while the Colin From Accounts chat will feature producers Ian Collie and Rob Gibson (who both also worked on Scrublands) ahead of season two's arrival. [caption id="attachment_894476" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kailey Schwerman/SHOWTIME.[/caption] Now that the AACTA nominations have been announced — which hadn't happened before AACTA Festival's first lineup drop — sessions where you can meet both the film and TV contenders have been added as well. Exactly who'll be attending hasn't been revealed as yet, however. Also joining the bill is music by Sunny Luwe, Kent Dustin and Alisha Todd; panels about streaming's future and screen trends in general; and a speed-networking session for women in the industry. AACTA Festival already boasts a heap of other highlights, all surrounding AACTA's Industry Awards on Thursday, February 8 and then its main glittering ceremony on Saturday, February 10. If Talk to Me creeped its way onto your list of favourite Australian horror movies, directors Michael and Danny Philippou will dive into it. Warwick Thornton is also on the lineup to discuss The New Boy as part of the fest's 'meet the creators' events, as are the teams behind Limbo, Sweet As and The Newsreader. Trent Dalton will talk about the Boy Swallows Universe TV series — and, giving the event one of its international standouts, Lessons in Chemistry's Bonnie Garmus is on the bill as well. There's also behind-the-scenes explorations of The Matrix, the stunts of Mad Max: Fury Road and, for some more overseas flavour, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's animation. Or, enjoy a chat with Wellmania and The Way We Wore's Celeste Barber about her career, then find out more about Aussie-made Robbie Williams biopic Better Man and the sequel to Mortal Kombat. AACTA Festival will run from Thursday, February 8–Sunday, February 11 at HOTA, Home of the Arts, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise Gold Coast. For further details, head to the fest's website.
Trailblazing graffiti artist Nychos has landed in Australia. Gracing our shores over late February and early March, the Austrian artist who recently took New York City by storm will be splitting his time between Sydney and Melbourne for this tour, presenting exhibitions, hosting workshops and leaving his unique mark on walls around town — including a brand new work just outside Work-Shop in Redfern. The new piece, titled Translucent June, is a homage to Sir Frederic Leighton's Victorian painting Flaming June. The classical work, which was painted back in 1895, is thought to allude to Greek sculptures of sleeping nymphs. In Nychos' depiction, June is wearing a similar orange dress — however, it (and her skin) is translucent, revealing her blood and bone. Here's the finished product. A post shared by nychos (@nychos) on Feb 28, 2017 at 12:01am PST In Sydney, Nychos just headed a graffiti art workshop at Work-Shop and presented a screening of his street art documentary The Deepest Depths of the Burrow. In Melbourne, the workshop and screening will take place on March 11. He'll also launch a pair of exhibitions, showcasing his new sculpture project, Vienna Therapy, featuring the three-foot-tall Dissection of Sigmund Freud in Federation Square from March 8-12, and his solo exhibition, MONOCHROME ORGANISM, at Juddy Roller Gallery in Fitzroy from March 10-24. Images: Kimberley Low.
Imagine flying to a mysterious and remote spot in the middle of the ocean, and not only enjoying the incredibly scenic surroundings, but also getting to live out your wildest dreams. From the late 70s until the mid 80s, that was the premise of TV series Fantasy Island — and while the fantasies came with a price, the show definitely didn't fall into the horror genre. Thanks to prolific producer Jason Blum, now that premise comes with bumps, jumps, thrills and scares. Already remade for television in the late 90s, Fantasy Island is getting another do-over — for the big screen, and as a horror movie. The setup is the same, with folks zipping into an idyllic locale ready to live out their fantasy of choice. The cost, though, now lingers firmly in nightmarish territory. Yes, it's basically a case of turning everyone's mum's advice — "be careful what you wish for" — into a scary movie set in luxurious surroundings. And, yes, it jumps on the eerie island trend that Netflix series The I-Land also leaned into a few months back. The original series was famous for the character of Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalban), who was in charge of making guests's dreams come true — as well as his diminutive assistant Tattoo (Hervé Villechaize). Based on the just-released trailer for the remake, it seems that only Roarke has made the leap to the movie. Here, he's played by Michael Peña (Ant-Man and the Wasp). Cast-wise, Fantasy Island circa 2020 also features Maggie Q (Designated Survivor), Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars), Austin Stowell (12 Strong), Portia Doubleday (Mr Robot), Jimmy O. Yang (Crazy Rich Asians), Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars) and Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) — and behind the camera, Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2) is in the director's chair. The filmmaker has played in high-concept horror territory before with 2018's Truth or Dare, although that didn't turn out so well. If you're a fan of unsettling flicks with a clear-cut gimmick, cross your fingers that history doesn't repeat itself. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QVk_lcMyx4&feature=youtu.be Fantasy Island releases in Australian cinemas on February 13, 2020.
In news that'll come as little surprise given Melbourne's status as Australia's coffee heartland — and its predilection for complete coffee snobbery, too — a barista from the Victorian capital has taken out top honours at the Australian Specialty Coffee Association (ASCA) National Coffee Championships. Anthony Douglas of Axil Coffee Roasters has nabbed the title of Australia's National Barista Champion for 2022. Douglas beat out scores of other Aussie hopefuls in the annual competition, which was held at North Melbourne's Meat Market last month. His winning offering on the day consisted of an espresso, a milk-based coffee and his own coffee-based signature drink — a concoction featuring pomegranate and feijoa syrup, a juniper reduction, barhee dates and honey. Your morning latte's got nothing on that bad boy. [caption id="attachment_869967" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anthony Douglas[/caption] The newly crowned coffee king will now go on to represent Australia at the World Barista Championship, which is happening at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from September 27–30. It's been seven years since Australia last claimed glory in the international competition, when Ona Coffee's Sasa Sestic was named World Barista Champion in 2015. Douglas has been in the coffee industry for 12 years, and names two-time National Barista Champion Dave Makin as his boss and mentor. Catch the World Barista Championship at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from September 27–30. Axil has a swag of cafe locations across Melbourne — find your local by jumping to the website. Top Image: Fahmi Fakhrudin via Unsplash
Great news, budding entrepreneurs. We've found a very simple equation for immediate business success. Okay, not really. The truth is there is no such thing. In most cases, it takes a pinch of courage, a splash of creativity and a dash of good timing to make it happen. But, there's always something to be gained from hearing the stories of those who've taken the plunge and pulled it off. As far as restaurant groups go, Three Blue Ducks is becoming an Australian powerhouse. But, its success hasn't cost the guys behind it their down-to-earth attitude. Since launching the first Bronte cafe eight years ago, the team has grown to six co-owners (or 'ducks' as they're affectionately named), employing over 240 people across four venues in NSW and QLD (with a fifth slated to open in Melbourne later this year). We sat down with one of the original ducks, Mark Labrooy, to talk about (realistic) business growth, the importance of avoiding trends and why data is helping to improve resourcing and reduce waste. We've teamed up with Westpac to bring you some of Labrooy's top tips to celebrate its Presto Smart payment terminal, which seamlessly connects to a range of point-of-sales systems. Presto gives small businesses a leg up and makes payments and reconciliations a breeze so they can achieve scale — just Three Blue Ducks has done. ESTABLISH YOUR OWN VOICE What do your mum's famous lasagne recipe and your favourite pair of jeans have in common? They're classics that have stood the test of time. Every bite reminds you of childhood meals spent around the dinner table, and every wear confirms that you'll never find denim that feels as comfy as this. The same principle goes for any successful business. To stand out from the pack, it's important to create a product that's unashamedly one-of-a-kind. For the folks behind Three Blue Ducks, their shared passion for ethical and authentic food has been the foundation of the business from day one. "We thought we should do the food we like to eat at home in the venues, and that started to become the ethos around what we do," explains Labrooy. "I think that's what makes you authentic. If you just run with the pack and do what everyone else is doing, I think you lose your voice." USE POP-UP VENUES TO TEST THE WATERS Stepping outside our comfort zone is daunting, whether in work or life. Once you've hit your stride, it's tempting to sit back and let things happily tick away. But to stay relevant, businesses should be prepared to pivot and evolve so, once the Three Blue Ducks team had consolidated their Bronte outpost, they saw a chance to try something new. "The first new venue we did was a pop-up in the snow at Falls Creek, and it was sort of a nudge along," explains Labrooy. Opening a new location is always a risk. What if the market doesn't embrace your venue? Is this the right time to make a move? Are there strong competitors you'll need to contend with? But with risk comes reward. Plus, creating a temporary pop-up means you can experiment with new concepts and ideas without the commitment of a permanent store. "We opened this new venue and we did really well, and it gave us a boost of confidence," tells Labrooy. [caption id="attachment_663257" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] EMBRACE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ALIGN WITH YOUR ETHOS As cheesy as it sounds, sometimes things do happen for a reason. It could be spotting a 'For Lease' sign in your dream neighbourhood or meeting another like-minded entrepreneur looking to embark on their next project. When unmissable opportunities arise, jumping in can keep you ahead of the game. "We had an opportunity that presented itself with The Farm in Byron Bay, and that was a really big play for us," tells Labrooy. He reveals this venture was the business's most challenging to date. However, creating a farm-based restaurant with unlimited access to fresh local produce was always something the team wanted to pursue. "We had the opportunity to design a restaurant and kitchen completely to our specs," Labrooy explains. "We had access to all the farmers that were growing produce on the property. We used to think about ordering eggs, but now we have 500 chickens giving us fresh eggs daily." [caption id="attachment_693841" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY Whether you're creating a coffee bar or launching a boutique, connecting with your customers is key to success. As a bricks-and-mortar store, you become part of your local area — and you should use those community relationships to your advantage. This insight continues to inform every Three Blue Ducks venue as the team prioritise giving back to the local areas they call home. The Byron Bay location is a testament to this, as Labrooy tells, "there's no business in the Northern Rivers that even remotely comes close to what we're doing. There's around $4 million dollars of wages that go back into the local economy, plus $4.5 million of produce purchased from local suppliers… we don't use big companies, we use local people with small businesses instead." LEVERAGE DATA TO TEST, LEARN AND GROW Launching a new business is full of unknowns. When are the busiest parts of the day? How many staff should you hire? What quantities of stock do you need on hand to meet demand? In most cases, the first couple of years are about trial and error. For Three Blue Ducks, understanding customer behaviour has always been a valuable resource. By analysing data trends, the team is able to make informed business decisions to maximise profitability and reduce waste. "In Bronte, for example, in November, we know that there is the Sculptures by the Sea and we have thousands of visitors... So we know that's going to be a really busy time of year for us. We order more produce and roster on more staff so we can accommodate," tells Labrooy. "It's all about understanding when are our peaks and troughs and how we manage our restaurants in terms of staffing, food costs and ordering, so we can really reduce our waste." Now that you have some top tips, it's time to take the first steps towards scaling up your business. And when it comes time to set up your payment technology, look to Westpac's Presto Smart terminal. It's made for speedy payments, busting queues, reducing keying errors and seamlessly connecting to a range of Point of Sales systems to help you keep track of cashflow. Please note that the above information is intended to be general in nature and should not be relied upon for personal financial use. Request more info and speak to Westpac here. Top image: Nikki To.
Last summer, Australians sat down in front of their televisions to watch a famous train cross the country. And, it proved a hit. In fact, a three-hour documentary about Adelaide-to-Darwin locomotive The Ghan was such a success that SBS aired a 17-hour version that followed the entirety of the train's daytime trip. Yes, 17 whole hours. It cut out the evening parts, where the screen would just be black, for obvious reasons. Come January 2019, The Ghan will have company in the very niche genre that is TV docos about super-lengthy Aussie train journeys — and, once again, there's two versions. Following the Indian Pacific, the transcontinental railway line that crosses Australia from Perth to Sydney, the documentary will air on SBS in a three-hour format at 7.30pm on Sunday, January 6. It'll then be followed by the entire 17-hour marathon, which'll run on SBS Viceland from a yet-to-be-confirmed time on Saturday, January 12. Now, The Indian Pacific: Australia's Longest Train Journey could've been longer. Much, much longer. In fact, the whole 4352-kilometre trip takes 65 hours from coast to coast, with stopovers in places such as Broken Hill, Adelaide, the Barossa Valley, Kalgoorlie, Rawlinna and Cook depending on the direction of the journey. A train with a hefty history, the Indian Pacific first ran along the rails on February 23, 1970, and is now considered an Aussie icon. The lengthy doco forms part of the slow TV movement, and it's not the only instance that's coming to SBS this summer. Like boats? Multiple types of transport? The broadcaster is also airing The Kimberley Cruise: Australia's Last Great Wilderness, which follows a Broome-to-Darwin route through the Top End; plus North to South, which ventures from Auckland on New Zealand's north island down to the Southern Alps and Milford Sound on the country's south island, including railways, sailing and driving the route. Both will screen three-hour cuts as well as lengthier versions up to 18 hours, with the Kimberley getting its time to shine on Sunday, January 13 and Saturday, January 19, and NZ in the spotlight on Sunday, January 27 and Saturday, February 2. If that's not enough, SBS Viceland will replay the whole The Ghan experience on Saturday, January 26 too. If staring at transport trekking across landscape is your kind of thing, there's your Saturdays in January well and truly sorted. For further details, visit the SBS website. Image: Great Southern Rail.
Sometimes, waiting in line at a restaurant is inevitable. Heading out to dinner and planning ahead don't always go hand-in-hand, or maybe you're travelling, or perhaps you're simply keen on a particular type of popular cuisine. Of course, no one likes standing about, biding their time and hoping for a table. It might be a part of life, but even the most patient among us can get frustrated — particularly when your stomach is grumbling. Now, thanks to Google's latest feature, you can find out just what kind of delay you're in for — even when you're grabbing a bite to eat on the fly. The technology company has added estimated wait times to Google Search, expanding upon its popular times and live status function. You won't just discover when an eatery is typically busy, or how hectic it is at the moment, but when your chances are of getting a seat. The feature will also be rolled out to Google Maps, in excellent news anyone looking for some nosh while they're in an unfamiliar city or part of town. Almost a million places currently have their wait times included, as based on anonymised historical data, with that number set to increase. And, even if you're just trying to do something simple like treat yourself to something sweet, you can work out if that decadent dessert is really worth the wait.
Stargazers in Tasmania and New Zealand are happy they didn't skip town for Vivid last weekend. On Sunday night, Aurora Australis made a pretty dramatic appearance, filling the horizon with a spectrum of light. Also known as the Southern Lights, Aurora Australis tends to show up when a coronal mass ejection (CME) occurs. To cut a long story short, a CME happens when the sun releases a bunch of plasma filled with electrons and protons (the bits inside atoms, Year 7). This plasma travels 150 million kilometres before hitting the Earth's magnetic field at a speed of six million kilometres per hour. The result is a wild geomagnetic storm. As the atoms slow down, they send out light of various colours, which we see most easily at the North and South Poles, where the atmosphere is thinnest. In the North Pole, the aurora is called Aurora Borealis. Like earthquakes, auroras are rated according to their power. While most rate around 1 or 2 kp (out of a possible 9), Sunday night's hit 7, making it particularly spectacular. It's difficult to predict when the next Aurora Australis will appear — your best bet is to keep an eye on the official Facebook page, where hopeful activity is reported. If you're keen to cop an eyeful, then you'll need to head as far south as possible. It's also a good idea to get away from towns and cities, so light pollution doesn't corrupt your view. In Australia, that means making tracks to Tassie. On social media, epic photos of Sunday night's show came in from Devonport and Bruny Island. However, the lights were also seen as far north as New South Wales, including in Merimbula, Bawley Point and Williamstown. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the place to be was the South Island. Over the weekend, Aurora Australis was seriously impressive in Lake Te Anau, Dunedin, Invercargill, Waipapa Point and Queenstown, among other spots. Here's a few otherworldly Instagrams to give you an idea: How lucky have we been in #MySouthland this week with this breathtaking #auroraaustralis light show! Spectacular 📷 @the_curious_kiwi #nzmustdo #southlandnz A post shared by Southland, New Zealand (@southland.nz) on May 30, 2017 at 5:19pm PDT Sunday's breathtaking Aurora Australis as captured by staff member @purnellpictures out on the Otago Peninsula.😍#dunnerstunner #OnlyOtago #auroraaustralis A post shared by University of Otago (@universityofotago) on May 29, 2017 at 10:02pm PDT Incredible #AuroraAustralis in Tasmania's skies 😮. Tassie's the best spot in Australia to view the Southern Lights. Basically, the further south, the better. 📷: Sophie Fazackerly A post shared by ABC News (@abcnews_au) on May 28, 2017 at 7:33pm PDT NIGHT LIGHTS. The Milky Way with a hint of Aurora over Mount Iron earlier this week. Wanaka, NZ. #nightsky #milkyway #stars #aurora #auroraaustralis #southernlights #nzmustdo #purenewzealand #landscape #nofilter #astrophotography #stargazing #stars #starlight #lovewanaka #wanaka #mtiron #southisland #newzealand #longexposure #canon_photos A post shared by @the_viewfinda on May 30, 2017 at 7:57pm PDT After posting a photo of the Southern Lights yesterday people have asked me if I could really see them with the naked eye. The answer is YES. For a few very special minutes they danced like laser beams on the horizon line. The Milky Way stole the limelight afterwards. 🌌✨ A post shared by Kyle Te Kiwi | New Zealand (@barekiwi) on May 30, 2017 at 3:04am PDT After posting a photo of the Southern Lights yesterday people have asked me if I could really see them with the naked eye. The answer is YES. For a few very special minutes they danced like laser beams on the horizon line. The Milky Way stole the limelight afterwards. 🌌✨ A post shared by Kyle Te Kiwi | New Zealand (@barekiwi) on May 30, 2017 at 3:04am PDT Top image: Ben (Flickr).
As warmer weather starts to make its presence known, including an unseasonably hot September patch in Sydney and Brisbane, we're all clamouring for our favourite cooling devices. Fans, air conditioners, pools, any patch of water you can find, frozen drinks, boozy icy poles, all the ice cream you can handle: if it can combat the heat, even for a brief instant, it's a spring and summer staple. Imagine, however, just slapping on a temperature-regulating smartwatch rather than camping out under your aircon or getting comfy in a paddling pool with an esky filled with cold beverages. Or, in addition to all of the above. That's the idea behind the Aircon Watch, a device two years in the making. It claims to offer a reprieve from feeling too warm — or, in winter, too cold — by sending hot or cool signals to the wearer's brain through its special pulsating wrist strap. If you're a little skeptical, that's understandable, though the folks behind the watch point to the instant cooling effect that running an ice cube over your wrist can have — as well as a 2012 research study by Stanford University, which used a cooling glove to indicate that heat exchange can occur through the extremities. And if you think it sounds like a winning idea, you're not alone. Currently running a Kickstarter campaign, the Aircon Watch has already reached its funding goal more than 26 times over. At the time of writing, it's still accepting backers for 18 more days, with the watches expected to start shipping in December. Image: Aircon Watch.
Easter is creeping closer and the creative treats are flowing in hard and fast. This year, we've already seen the release of a hot cross bun-inspired rum, decadent gelato-filled eggs and Lune's beloved hot cross cruffins. And next up is one for your booze cabinet — limited-edition drop, The Dispensary Cacao Husk Liqueur. A grown-up Easter offering with a sustainable edge, it's a joint effort from a couple of Melbourne-based favourites — Brunswick distillery The Gospel and artisan chocolate label Mork, the same crew behind that cult campfire hot chocolate. The innovative liqueur is crafted using Mork's leftover single-origin cacao husks, which would normally be thrown out. Here, instead, they're macerated in a blend of the distillery's Straight Rye and Solera Rye Whiskeys to create a complex sip filled with an array of rich fruit notes. This forward-thinking duo has effectively turned trash into treasure. Despite the cacao element, the drink isn't overly sweet; rather, the husks carry a savoury profile that complements the whisky's aromatics, leaving a blend of flavours that includes roast hazelnut, dried orange and cranberry. Mork roasts its cacao in small batches before the nib is separated and used to make products from its legendary chocolate range. Now, those discarded husks are getting their chance to shine, too. The Cacao Husk Liqueur marks the latest addition to The Gospel's Dispensary series. The crew recommends sipping it on the rocks, or stirred down with dry vermouth, Luxardo Maraschino and The Gospel's Solera Rye in a cocktail. There'll only be a limited number of bottles of the liqueur on offer — you can grab yours from The Gospel's website from 8.30am AEST on Wednesday, March 29. The Dispensary Cacao Husk Liqueur will be available to buy online from March 29.
There's a new spot in town facilitating all-out luxury weekends away and lavish wellness retreats right by some of NSW's best wineries. Zensi Retreat has opened just outside of Mudgee, offering a regional oasis that's perfect for big group getaways (see: sophisticated hens parties or 30ths) and romantic couples trips, while also running one-off all-inclusive wellness weekends. If you've glanced at the photos and you're already daydreaming of a trip to Zensi, there are a few ways the accommodation functions. The first is the curated wellness retreats that the team runs semi-regularly. There are two wellness weekends scheduled over the next month: the Feminine, and the Rest and Slow Down. Both include two days and two nights of nourishing meals, spa treatments, yoga and workshops — with spots available for $660–1300 per person, depending on what section of Zensi you're looking to stay in. Whenever the property isn't being used for a bespoke retreat, it's bookable for both groups and couples across two different spaces. For getaways with the crew you can opt for The House which sleeps up to ten. This four-bedroom space includes a kitchen-dining area, sauna, plunge spa, firepit, barbecue, pool with day beds and an al fresco entertainment area — making it adaptable for both swim-filled summer trips and winter evenings around the fire. As expected, this massive all-inclusive luxury stay doesn't come cheap, but, if you can get a group of ten together, the house starts from just $125 per person for each night you stay. There are also added extras that you can splurge on including a personal chef. There's also a smaller, more intimate accommodation option called The Villa. With room for two, this space is all about secluded couples or solo stays. If you've got an anniversary or birthday coming up and you're looking to escape it all, The Villa offers a one-bedroom house set to the backdrop of the vast fields of central west NSW with a pool, firepit, living and dining room, sauna and al fresco area. All of this is set on a huge 33-acre property, with both spaces designed around natural hues, raw materials and minimal distractions so that you can switch and connect with the environment around you. Founders Ruby Chapman and Ray Tayoun say that the concept behind Zensi was: "To create an experience that immerses the body and mind, where one can find a sense of ease within a meticulously curated environment that caters to your every need." Zensi Retreat is located 173 Lowes Peak Road, St Fillans, 15 minutes from Mudgee. Head to the website to browse its upcoming wellness retreats and to book a stay at either The House or The Villa.
There are thousands upon thousands of street signs all over New York City, but have they ever had rap lyrics on them? They have now. Street artist and graphic designer Jason Shelowitz, better known as Jay Shells, has combined his love of hip hop music and his brilliant sign-making skills to create the ongoing project titled 'Rap Quotes'. Shells creates "official-looking" red street signs with famous rap lyrics and puts them all over the streets of New York. From a distance the signs might look quite normal, but don't be mistaken by their official look; there are definitely rap lyrics printed on them. Shells has strategically placed the 30-plus signs at specific locations and street corners throughout the city, in the exact places by which the lyrics were inspired. For example, the lyrics "'Cause I want to be on 106 and Park pushing a Benz" by Kanye West were affixed onto a street pole on 106 and Park. According to Hip Hop Wired, Shells' first sign was inspired by the late rapper Big L. Now Shells' signs feature lyrics from Kanye West, Jeru the Damaja, Jay-Z, KRS-One, Heavy D, Big Daddy Kane, Nas, Jim Jones and others. https://youtube.com/watch?v=54yahfgbqQE Website ANIMAL posted a video of one of their team members following Shells around virtually every street corner in the city as he carried out his very site-specific project. In the video, Shells says he values people's inevitable interaction with the project. "The [signs] we put up this morning might already be gone. It depends what happy-go-lucky hip hop fan walks by one and scratches their head," he says. "I don't care if people take them. I would take them. I'm sure they're going to get taken. That's the good part about documenting it. They can live on that way." Via PSFK.
Although it's impossible for viewers to tell while watching it, as over 7000 handcrafted items that took around 20 different artisans 48 weeks to make bring Memoir of a Snail to glorious life — pieces that were used to animate the film's 310,000 individual movements, too — Adam Elliot's latest feature Memoir of a Snail is the result of compromises. Every movie by every filmmaker is, of course. Existence in general is a series of bargains and trade-offs anyway. But the Australian animator's output is so distinctive, so clearly the product of its guiding force's vision, and so deeply moving in its balance of laughs and darkness, that each one plays like it's been lifted from his brain wholesale. It has almost been three decades since Elliot first made stop-motion magic with 1996's three-minute short Uncle, starting what he's dubbed a trilogy of trilogies. The plan: to make three short shorts, three long shorts and three features, all using his instantly recognisable style of animation. The fondness for brown and grey hues, the hand-moulded appearance of each clump of clay, the intricate character studies that see the ups and downs that life takes us all on: they've all continued through his two other short shorts, 1999's Cousin and 2000's Brother, and then in his lengthier efforts. 2024 marks 21 years since Elliot initially went slightly longer with the 23-minute Harvie Krumpet — and two decades since he earned one of filmmaking's highest and most-coveted honours, taking home the 2004 Academy Award for Best Short Animation. Then, six years later, came his debut feature Mary and Max, which continued adding to what's now a swag of more than 100 career accolades. The 21-minute Ernie Biscuit followed in 2015, but Memoir of a Snail arrives 15 years since Elliot first ticked off that debut full-length effort. It too has been boosting his prizes. Upon its premiere at the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France, it was named the fest's Best Feature. At the London Film Festival, it won the event's 2024 official competition. Memoir of a Snail also opened this year's Melbourne International Film Festival — aptly given that Melbourne plays a key part in its early scenes — on its many fest stops around the world. Unsurprisingly, it's been a whirlwind few months for Elliot when he speaks with Concrete Playground about the movie. "I think this is my seventh film and each one feels like a birth. You just want to make sure the baby has all its fingers and toes, and it's a pretty baby, and no one thinks it's ugly. So it's this sort of very precarious nerve-wracking period. It's no different for any other filmmaker. It's stressful for several reasons. It's not just 'will the film work?', but 'will I have a career to continue on with?'," he advises. "But, I have to admit, not that I had low expectations, but our budget was so much lower than Mary and Max — and so we couldn't afford walking, so we had to do the Muppet technique, and there was a lot of compromises. Everybody worked on award rates. So I didn't think it would be as well received as Mary and Max, but it's still early days, but it seems it seems to be getting a better response than Mary and Max." Elliot continues. "I do find the pressure and the expectation with each film gets greater and greater. I mean, you try to block that out. But the reactions are very consistent. France, then Telluride Film Festival, Melbourne Film Festival and Spain, San Sebastian. And even with the language — France and Spain had subtitling — most of the jokes, excluding Chiko rolls, most of the jokes were understood. So that's a big relief. I think the word 'relief' is probably the word I've been using the most for the last couple of months." With Succession star Sarah Snook leading the cast — and Eric Bana (Force of Nature: The Dry 2), Tony Armstrong (Tony Armstrong's Extra-Ordinary Things), Nick Cave (The Electrical Life of Louis Wain) and Magda Szubanski (After the Trial) among the others loaning their voices — Memoir of a Snail tells another of Elliot's outsider tales, focusing on the lonely Grace Pudel. The film unfurls as Grace's reflection upon her life, from her childhood in Melbourne with her fire-obsessed twin brother Gilbert (Kodi Smit-McPhee, Disclaimer) and their widowed father Percy (French actor Dominique Pinon, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon) onwards, as told to a snail named Sylvia. The movie's protagonist has long loved garden molluscs, literally wearing her love for them on her head. She's also largely been happy in her shell, until she meets and befriends the elderly Pinky (Jacki Weaver, Hello Tomorrow!). Elliot coined the term 'clayography' to describe his films, which use his preferred medium to unpack rich stories about his chosen characters — figures that spring from real-life tidbits gleaned from a lifetime love of observing others. The folks in his frames are as detailed and idiosyncratic as anyone living and breathing, and his movies have always proven deeply resonant as a result. We also chatted with the writer/director about his process of building characters, and finding that mix of humour and heart. Similarly part of our discussion: Elliot's initial animation and filmmaking dream, the path to Memoir of a Snail, his approach to writing, casting the movie and more. On Elliot's Initial Animation and Filmmaking Dream — and How Everything That's Come Since Stacks Up Against It "Well, certainly an Oscar was never even in the realm of something I thought would happen, mainly because I thought my films were too arthouse or boutique, or for adults. I never have had a strong long-term ambition. I did come up with this pretentious idea of doing a trilogy of trilogies: three short shorts, three long shorts and three features. I never thought I'd be up to number seven, so I've really only got two left and then I can die. I think I was very surprised at how universal the films have become, and that they haven't really dated. I still get people who have seen Harvie Krumpet for the first time sending me emails. And I'm constantly aware of and surprised by how people's suspension of disbelief, how they really do invest themselves in these plasticine blobs. It's hard for me to be objective. I've got a friend who's a GP and she just can't watch animation. She can't pretend to believe these characters are real. I think it's quite humbling to know that people really do give over to the characters and their stories. I thought at this point in my career that maybe stop-motion would be an artform that had disappeared. I was told that when I was at film school — I was told that stop motion was a dying artform and CGI would kill it, but the opposite has happened. Stop-motion is going through a bit of a renaissance or a golden period, and there's a lot of reasons for that, but it's alive." On the Path to Memoir of a Snail "I don't want to refer to Woody Allen, but I will. I've always liked his methodology of just finishing one and going straight into the other, and not getting caught up in the hype and the buzz. And, of course, you have to do promotion as an auteur. And you are part of the marketing campaign and strategy by Madman and the distributors and sales agents. But I'm thinking to the next film, and you've got to practice what you're preaching. In Memoir of a Snail, I'm always talking about moving forwards, moving forwards — and it's literally back to the drawing board. I'm starting to think about the next characters. What are they going to look like? And more so narrative and the story and what type of film I want to do next. I'm one of those lucky few filmmakers who hasn't had to revert to TV commercials or TV series or other forms. I've been very lucky that Screen Australia and the state funding bodies, VicScreen here, perpetually fund me. I know I'm lucky. And I know we're lucky in Australia, even having government support. So, I remind myself that quite often. Having said that, I'm always prepared to criticise the funding bodies because I think they could be doing more. I'm very annoyed they no longer fund short films. I do also worry, just quickly, that each film has a lot of references to previous films I've made, and there's a lot of repeated motifs I bring back. And I do start to worry my films are becoming formulaic and repetitive. I know somebody in IMDb posted a comment 'Adam Elliot's films are all the same'. They're right." On Elliot's Entry Point Into His Films and Approach to Making Each One Stand Out From the Rest "I do start each screenplay, I have to wait until I'm agitated by something or frustrated or extremely curious. And this film, I was going through the death of my father, the grieving process, and also getting rid of all his stuff. He had three sheds full of stuff, so I became fascinated by that. So I do a lot of research. I'm a very slow writer and I have to be enthused and driven by something. I can't just force myself to sit down and write. And sometimes it takes a few years. But when I do start the writing process, I really do become obsessed with it, and I love rewriting and writing. I mean, I could just do endless drafts. I never really ever want to start making the film. I just want to keep writing. I try to create films that I don't see and that deal with subject matter you don't see. And not that I'm trying to shock or deal with taboo subject matter, I just feel that there's things — there shouldn't be rules to animation. I don't want to offend, but I get annoyed when people think that animation is a genre. It's not, it's a medium. There was someone in the audience last night, who was talking about 'oh this film's not for the young children'. The onus is not on me. The onus is on the parents. The film's rated M. And I never get this problem in France and Germany, when I go. They have a long history of adult animation, particularly in countries like Estonia and the Czech Republic, there's a lot of surrealist animation. I think it's a job of a writer and a director to push the boundaries and push themselves. I'm very self-conscious of not just becoming stale. And if the artform of stop-motion has got to survive, it's got to move beyond Wallace and Gromit. It's got to move beyond family-friendly. And there's certainly many other stop-motion artists out there who would love to sink their teeth into an adult animation or an abstract stop-motion film, or an experimental. But of course, the thing that prohibits all this is money. It's a very slow, therefore very expensive art form. And again, I'm one of the lucky few who — every year, there's probably only three or four stop-motion features made. There's only been three in the history of Australian cinema and I made one of the others, Mary and Max. So we're very, very rare." On Finding Inspiration for His Characters in Real Life "I'm self-diagnosed OCD. I haven't had a clinical diagnosis, but I know I am. I'm very, very, extremely neat, and I obsess about detail. And I start with the detail and work backwards. So I don't worry about the three-act structure and the plot and the narrative until much later. I just gather all my ingredients — and I have very detailed notebooks going back decades. I collect quotes, I collect names, I collect sounds, I collect smells. I'm a hoarder of words, I suppose. And I just love going over my notes, and there's so many that I've forgotten that I've written. I also have very long descriptions of people I've just seen on the street. And I invent stories. I write poetry. I went through a period during COVID where I would write a poem every morning before nine o'clock. And so if I ever lost these journals, I wouldn't know what to do because they're my recipe books. It's where I get all my ingredients. I love observing people. I'm always staring at people on public transport. Even today, on the plane, I got caught staring at someone, so I'll probably get arrested, too. 'Why are they wearing those shoes? Why did they choose those earrings? I wonder what their backstory is.' I love backstories. Pinky has this whole backstory that no one will ever know about. It's mentioned briefly in the film, but to create very dimensional characters, I think you really have to go into every layer and dimension of them — because I'm aiming to create authenticity and believable characters. To give them dimension, you have to give them incongruities and contradictions. And it's not a matter of just pinning the character full of all these quirks. They have to be human. They have to have contrast and contradictions. So I'm certainly character-driven more than I am plot- and narrative-driven. On Elliot's Casting Process, Knowing Sarah Snook Was Perfect for Grace and Getting Lucky with Tony Armstrong "Well, I collect voices as well. So I have long lists of people who I think have fantastic voices for animation, or I might be able to use in the future. So I had listened to Sarah's voice, one of her early films, These Final Hours, when she was just starting out. There was the quality I loved. There was a quietness and vulnerability about her voice. So she was in my head very early on. But I did then listen to the Blanchetts and the Kidmans and the Wilsons and all the others, but none of them really ticked the boxes that Sarah did. But there's always a danger, too, that you might have this fantastic voice and then the animators do some lovely animation, and you marry them together and it just doesn't gel for generally an unknown reason. A good example is the very first Paddington film, five or ten years ago, was originally going to be Colin Firth. And they paid him. They cast him and they put his voice to the animation, and it didn't work. So they had to let him go and then in the end, they got Ben Whishaw — and he works beautifully as Paddington. So you never know. And you certainly don't want to have to tell an actor 'sorry, your voice doesn't work'. But I'm very intuitive and I also love non-actors. I do like getting people who — for example, Tony Armstrong, we'd already animated Ken, and I just couldn't find the person I wanted to voice Ken. And then I was watching ABC News Breakfast and Tony came on. And not only did he look like Ken, but he had that bass to his voice, that suaveness. And I thought 'oooh, I wonder if he can act?'. So we got in touch. And my gut instinct was actually he'd work. And it did. But sometimes you can get it wrong. And also, too, with casting, they're not the actors — the actors are the animators. I always remind the actors — I call them my voice, they're loaning us their voices, really, that's what they're doing. And they get paid a lot of money for only a few hours work. So you've got to make sure when they're in the studio, you get exactly what you want. So I do work my actors, my voice talent, quite hard, and we do many, many takes." On Filling Out Memoir of a Snail's Voices with an Australian Who's Who "It ends up being quite eclectic, and luckily we don't have to cast everybody upfront. So we only cast the voices where there's lip-sync. So it's quite leisurely in a way. My producer and I, Liz [Kearney, Sweet As], had a lot of time to go through every casting book and listen to every voice. We listened to everybody from Jimmy Barnes through to politicians. Then in the end, I did some of the voices, Liz did a voice. It's just a lot of experimentation, actually — a lot of just closing your eyes and listening, and watching some clips of animation. Certainly we got our dream cast, I have to be honest. We got pretty much everyone we wanted and thankfully it all worked out. But as I say, it's risky, and sometimes it goes pear-shaped." On Balancing Lightness, Laughs and Hope with Melancholy and Tragedy to Make Audiences Both Laugh and Cry "It's the thing that keeps me awake at night, is the balance, and it has been from day one. I often think 'gee, Adam, why don't why you just doing children's TV?' or 'why are you doing something like Bluey?'. Although Bluey has wonderful darkness at times as well, and is very clever. But yes, it is a balancing act and you don't want to depress the audience. I read somewhere, someone, I think it was on Letterboxd or somewhere, said 'Adam's films are all trauma porn'. And I thought 'oh gee, maybe they are'. I'd hate for my films to be called bleak. There's a lot of bleak Australian cinema. I do try to instil moments that are uplifting — and particularly my endings, I really want the audience to come out of the cinema feeling satisfied and relieved. They might be melancholic. I love that Victor Hugo quote that melancholy is the happiness of being sad. And I wouldn't say my films are sad films, they're melancholic at times, but ultimately I'm trying for them to be life-affirming and uplifting and soulful. A word I use a lot is 'nourishing'. I really want to nourish the audience. What's that horrible quote? Chicken soup for the soul. I think that's what I'm ultimately trying to do, it's empathy, that I'm trying to get the audience to put themselves in my characters' shoes and understand what it's like to be someone with a cleft palate. Or someone who, with Mary and Max, somebody who has Asperger's syndrome, who's being bullied and teased. Bullying and teasing is something that is a thread that goes through all my films, and that's because I was bullied and teased. And in some ways, my films are not revenge but they say to the bullies 'what you do is incredibly hurtful and destructive, and there's a whole lot of us out there who've had to carry this with us our whole lives and deal with it, suffer the consequences'. And I think there's so much animation out there doing other things, pure entertainment. I don't like getting lumped in with adult animation such as South Park and Family Guy. They are adult, but they're different, they're not trying to do the same things I'm trying to do. I do feel often very alone with what I'm doing. I'm surprised there aren't more people doing what I'm doing. I think there's certainly a demographic out there. There's certainly people who really connect with the works. I often get emails — I got an email the other day from a woman who has a cleft palate saying it's the first film she's ever seen that dealt with someone having a cleft palate with sensitivity and truthfulness. So you realise as a director and a writer that you have a degree of responsibility, and that films and cinema, they have a longevity, but they also can have an impact. I wouldn't say we save people's lives. I wouldn't go that far. But it's taken me a long while to fully understand that you can have an impact, and so you better be very mindful of that and be careful what you say." Memoir of a Snail opened in Australian cinemas on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
What do one of 2022's huge box-office behemoths and one of 2023's most-anticipated movies have in common? In Avatar: The Way of Water and the new live-action The Little Mermaid alike, darling it's better down where it's wetter. Come May, the Mouse House's latest remake of its beloved animated hits (see also: Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, Lady and the Tramp, Mulan, Pinocchio) will get Halle Bailey (Grown-ish) slipping into Ariel's scales and tail, and take a dip into the story of a mermaid pining for a different life. While it was busy dropping Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny trailers during the Super Bowl, Disney has just unveiled the latest sneak peek at the new The Little Mermaid — and, like the first glimpse in 2022, it's going big on look and feel. Given that viewers already know and adore the first flick, the trailers for the latest movie don't need to dive too far into the narrative, although the just-released second glance does bring a pivotal figure into the mix. [caption id="attachment_868655" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo courtesy of Disney. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.[/caption] Fans of the original 1989 movie, aka everyone given how popular The Little Mermaid-themed events have proven over the years — such as screenings with live orchestral scores and cocktail experiences at aquariums — are well aware that Ariel dreams of being human, and is willing to make a deal with a sea witch to see her wishes come true. That involves a trade, though: giving up her voice to get legs in return, which'll allow her to live above the water. Accordingly, as well as Bailey as Ariel, this new version of The Little Mermaid features Jonah Hauer-King (The Flatshare) as Eric, the human prince that Ariel falls for; Javier Bardem (Lyle, Lyle Crocodile) as King Triton, Ariel's protective father; and Melissa McCarthy (Nine Perfect Strangers) as Ursula, said sea witch — who pops up at the end of the new glimpse. Also among the cast, on voice duties: Daveed Diggs (Snowpiercer) as Sebastian the crab, Jacob Tremblay (Doctor Sleep) as Flounder and Awkwafina (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as Scuttle. Based on the two trailers so far, this take on The Little Mermaid from filmmaker Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine, Into the Woods and Mary Poppins Returns) and not Sofia Coppola promises vivid underwater realms, glowing light shining down from above, mermaid dances, bright coral, friendly fish and floating jellyfish — and the flick's star singing 'Part of Your World'. As for the tunes, they come courtesy of Alan Menken — returning from the original movie, as do all those old songs — and upcoming Australia visitor Lin-Manuel Miranda. Check out the new teaser trailer for The Little Mermaid below: The Little Mermaid will release in cinemas Down Under on May 25, 2023.
Wrap up the working week or kick-start the weekend festivities at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, as the upmarket hotel presents the Friday Nights Living Grand Buffet every week. Served in the hotel's signature Collins Kitchen restaurant, this indulgent affair offers abundant cuisine, no matter your tastes. Offering a sprawling selection of local, seasonal produce, the Living Grand Buffet features a tantalising seafood lineup, including blue swimmer crab and oysters. Then head over to the Japanese bar to find freshly made sashimi and nigiri that rival the best bite-sized portions from the cuisine's homeland. Moving from one food station to the next, don't skip the stir-fry from the Asian Kitchen. You're also invited to explore a myriad of meats and dips from the delicatessen, like grilled lamb rump and smoky chorizo. There's a good chance your plate is stacked high by now, but there's still at least one more stop to make. At the Pastry Counter, guests will find abundant sweet treats, from a decadent dark chocolate fountain to scoops of gelato and made-to-order waffles. Given its luxe surroundings, it's no surprise that Collins Kitchen has proved a hit. Specialising in the art of cooking over smoke and flame, extra care is taken to source fine ingredients from local makers and producers. Priced at $139 per person, the Friday Night Living Grand Buffet is certainly extravagant, yet you can trust that the cuisine on offer isn't your standard hotel fare. Decked out with wall-to-wall culinary excellence, expect a post-working-week feast where the options are almost limitless. The Friday Night Living Grand Buffet is served from 6pm–10pm at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne, 123 Collins Street, Melbourne. Head to the website for more information.
As a movie, it's a masterpiece. As a stage musical, it's one of the most famous there is. And when it returns to Australia for the first time in almost 20 years with Sarah Brightman starring as Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard is going to be big. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony-winner, which first took the leap from the screen to the stage in 1993 — and picked up Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical, and awards for leading actor, leading actress and featured actor for its efforts, among more — is bringing its Hollywood story Down Under again in 2024. The production will kick off its new Aussie run in Melbourne in May, debuting at the Princess Theatre, then move to the Sydney Opera House from August. As Desmond, Brightman will make her global debut in the part, taking on her first theatre role in over three decades. She'll also add to a spectacular career that includes originating the role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera back in the 80s. Here, she's taking on a part that saw Gloria Swanson nominated for an Oscar in 1951 and Glenn Close win a Tony in 1995. Debra Byrne played the part in Australia back in 1996, while Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls is doing the same in West End right now. "I am so delighted to be returning to Australia after many years, and to be marking my return to the stage in a musical after so long. It is only fitting for it to be with such an exquisite production as Sunset Boulevard," said Brighton. "I have always admired Andrew's work on this musical and I very much look forward to exploring the incredible score and also the iconic character of Norma Desmond. Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my close up!'." As Billy Wilder's 1950 film first covered in a feature that's been influential not just in inspiring stage adaptations, but on every other movie about Tinseltown since, Sunset Boulevard follows silent star Desmond. With her career getting small with the advent of the talkies, she dreams about making a comeback. The movie famously starts with a man's body floating in a swimming pool, then flashes back to Desmond's time with screenwriter Joe Gillis, her latest attempts to reclaim her success and the events that bring about that watery end. On the stage, Sunset Boulevard will echo with tunes such as 'With One Look', 'The Perfect Year' and 'As If We Never Said Goodbye' as it tells the above tale. GWB Entertainment and Opera Australia are behind Sunset Boulevard's latest Aussie stint — and if you're wondering who'll star alongside Brightman, the casting process has just begun. For audiences outside of Melbourne and Sydney, details of possible stops in other cities are yet to be announced. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @sunsetmusicalau SUNSET BOULEVARD 2024 DATES: From May 2024 — Princess Theatre, Melbourne From August 2024 — Sydney Opera House, Sydney Sunset Boulevard will play Melbourne from May 2024 and Sydney from August 2024, with Melbourne pre sales from Tuesday, October 10 and general sales from Friday, October 13. To join the ticket waitlist and for more information, head to the musical's website. Sarah Brightman images: Simon Fowler.
From a rooftop glamping hotel to rumours of a rooftop bar at Tullamarine Airport, Melbourne's high spots have been getting more and more attention. The latest addition to the mix is QT Melbourne's secret rooftop garden. Not that the space, dubbed Secret Garden, hasn't existed before now. It was established the garden a couple of years ago by Andy Harmer, executive chef of QT's Pascale Bar and Grill, who has since been using it as a source of fresh produce. Every morning, he and his team head up into the sunshine to harvest vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruit in their wonderland of natives and rare varietals. Next time you're perusing the menu, look out for fruit salad sage, karkalla, native river mint and blue lily pilly. Now, for the first time, the garden has become open to the public — more specifically, to parties. Get together with 10–25 mates and you can have the beautiful space to yourself. There's a couple of food-and-drink packages available. With ten people, you can partake in a long, lazy, multi-course feast made up of dishes like asparagus, truffle and stracciatella, and rose veal with almond gazpacho and secret garden radish, all with matching wine, cocktails and spirits. Meanwhile, if you're travelling with a bigger group, you can opt for a two-hour experience that gives you a private chef, private bar and handpicked selection of share plates. Find Secret Garden at QT Melbourne, 133 Russell Street, Melbourne. More information and to make a booking, visit the hotel website.
Among the wealth of new content that Netflix drops on viewers each and every year, Dead to Me proved one of the streamer's 2019 hits. Taking a few cues from 2018 film A Simple Favour, the show's ten-episode first season told the tale of two women who meet, become friends despite seemingly having very little in common, and help each other with their daily lives — then find themselves immersed in more than a little murky business. Now, the twisty dark comedy is returning for another season — and stars Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini are back as well. The former once again plays a just-widowed woman trying to cope with losing her husband in a hit-and-run incident, while the latter pops up as a positive-thinking free spirit. It has been some time since they initially crossed paths at a grief counselling session, though, so this definite odd-couple situation has evolved to feature more secrets, lies and complications, as well as more than one murder cover-up. When the show's first season ended, it did so with a huge cliffhanger. As the just-dropped full trailer for Dead to Me's second season shows, this new batch of episodes will see Applegate's Jen Harding and Cardellini's Judy Hale dealing with the aftermath of that big event. And, it also reveals that fellow series co-star James Marsden is back — although you'll obviously have to wait for the new season to find out just what that means. Created by 2 Broke Girls writer Liz Feldman, the series marks Applegate's first lead TV role since 2011-12 sitcom Up All Night. For Cardellini, it's a return to Netflix after starring on the streaming platform's drama Bloodline — and she also featured in A Simple Favour, too. Check out the full trailer for Dead to Me's second season below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmU7ylnmn_M Dead to Me's second season hits Netflix on Friday, May 8. Images: Saeed Adyani / Netflix.
Watch a Mark Wahlberg-starring movie, tuck into a burg from Wahlberg's burger chain Wahlburgers, get the words 'burger' and 'Wahlberg' stuck in your head for days: that's now on the menu in Australia. After first announcing plans to open Down Under back in 2021, Wahlburgers has just launched its first Aussie store — so, Sydneysiders, it's time to pair a burger with some Sunkist. Because there's a reality TV show for everything, you've probably heard of the chain thanks to the 2014–9 series Wahlburgers, which turned its lens on the burger joints owned by the actor formerly known as Marky Mark and his brothers. Now — in Sydney from Thursday, February 17, at least — you can also eat the Wahlburgers' fast-food fare, rather than just watch a show about it. As also announced last year, Wahlburgers has now made its home at Sydney's Circular Quay, with its first Aussie outpost joining more than 50 stores in the US, Canada and Germany. Folks in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane can all look forward to munching on the brand's bites to eat, too — and in New Zealand as well — with the chain expected to launch 20 stores across Australia and NZ. On the menu: burgers, obviously, including a meat-free Impossible burg that's been dubbed 'Mark's choice', plus a barbecue bacon burger that bears his fellow actor brother (and ex-New Kids on the Block member) Donnie's tick of approval. There are 13 burg options to choose from in total, with two types of chicken schnitzel burger, a crispy fish option, and a truffle burger — which pairs a beef patty with truffle aioli — also available. Or, you can opt for salads, sides that span everything from French fries and sweet potato fries to onion rings and bacon mac 'n' cheese, and loaded versions of your favourite fries and potato gems. There's also a breakfast menu, complete with avocado on toast, granola, pancake stacks, breakfast burgers and French toast sticks. And, for dessert, you can pick from fried dough — yes, that's what the menu says — and three types of lamington from Tokyo Lamington. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wahlburgers Australia (@wahlburgersau) To answer the most important question, at least if you happen to remember that Mark Wahlberg was in the music business before he started acting and, as part of his hip hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, he released the 1991 single 'Good Vibrations': yes, Wahlburgers serves Sunkist, as referenced in that track's lyrics. Drinks-wise, there's also other soft drinks, coffees, shakes and spiders in both boozy and booze-free varieties, 17 types of cocktails, a small wine list, and beers that include Wahlbrewskis, the chain's signature beer. If the Wahlberg name has you thinking about movies — with Mark starring in everything from Boogie Nights to Joe Bell, and co-owner Donnie also featuring in The Sixth Sense and the Saw franchise — then that won't change with Wahlburgers' Aussie jaunt. In fact, the chain's entire venture Down Under is a collaboration with United Cinemas, and some of the former's sites will be located within the latter's picture palaces. United Cinemas now operates the cinema at Opera Quays that used to be a Dendy, for instance. The picture palace brand also currently runs venues at Narellan, Collaroy, Warriewood and Avalon in Sydney, Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, Craigieburn in Melbourne, Indooroopilly in Brisbane and Rockingham in Perth, so that's where you might be getting your Walhburger fix in the future, too — but Walhburgers will be opening stand-alone stores as well. Just when the chain will launch more locations around Australia and NZ hasn't yet been revealed. Wahlburgers is also co-owned by chef Paul Wahlberg — another Wahlberg sibling — and, given its name, the chain decks out its sites with photos and memorabilia from the brothers' lives. Wahlburgers is is now open at Opera Quays, 18a/7 Macquarie Street, Sydney, operating from 7am–10pm Sunday–Wednesday and 7am–11pm Thursday–Saturday. Further stores in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and New Zealand are also set to open in the future — we'll update you with exact locations and dates when they're announced, and you can keep an eye on the chain's website and Facebook page in the interim. Top image: Michael Rivera via Wikimedia Commons.
