UPDATE, September 4, 2020: Paddington 2 is available to stream via Netflix, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Break out the marmalade, slather it on a sandwich and stash it under your hat in celebration, because Paddington is back. In 2014, the Peruvian mammal journeyed from author Michael Bond's pages to his first movie adventure, and the resulting blend of heartwarming sweetness and madcap goofiness proved an utter delight. Three years later and we're pleased to report that the follow-up is every bit as much of a joy. As with its predecessor, this sequel adores its furry protagonist every bit as much as generations of readers have, and is determined to bring that love to his latest big-screen excursion. But it's also committed to being entertaining; to jovial jokes, smart sight gags and well-meaning silliness. In short, it'll leave you sporting the biggest, sincerest of smiles. Picking up where part one left off, Paddington 2 sees the eponymous bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) still happy with the Brown family, both in their hearts and in their home. Risk analyst Henry (Hugh Bonneville) is annoyed about losing out on a promotion, his wife Mary (Sally Hawkins) is preparing to swim the English channel, teenage daughter Judy (Madeleine Harris) has started her own neighbourhood newspaper and son Jonathan (Samuel Joslin) is reinventing himself at school. As for Paddington, he's trying to purchase an antique pop-up book for his beloved Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) back in the jungle. Working odd jobs helps raise the cash he needs, but soon two problems present themselves. The first comes in the form of famed theatre actor Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), who is after the text as well. The second arises when the prized tome is suddenly stolen. Quicker than our hero can stuff a toothbrush or two into his ears, Paddington 2 jumps from a carnival to prison to touring London's famous landmarks. With a jailbreak, some amateur sleuthing and a train-top chase included, it's a busy 103 minutes as the talking bear falls victim to prejudice, befriends a burly jail cook (Brendan Gleeson) and tries to restore order. Despite this, however, the movie never feels over-stuffed. Nor is it lacking in visual treats, be it the exceptional CGI work used to bring Paddington to life, or the gorgeous animation that takes viewers through a pop-up world. The film offers up such a feast of precise, playful and picturesque imagery that it's easy to imagine Wes Anderson sitting at the helm. Indeed, if the man behind Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel had a British counterpart, it'd be Paddington director Paul King. Before he steered the series' maiden movie outing, the filmmaker directed all 20 episodes of The Mighty Boosh as well as the similarly surreal comedy Bunny and the Bull, and the offbeat sensibilities of both shine through here. Witty, whimsical and filled with wonder, in King's hands the film is a comic caper that offers a warm hug and a fierce rib-tickling at the same time. It also finds room to make a gentle statement about the merits of inclusiveness — a message that feels extra important given the current climate in Paddington's adopted England, as well as the world at large. All that's left is for the cast to ace their roles, which is exactly what they do. The returnees remain in fine form, with Whishaw's vocal work proving a particularly perfect match for Paddington's famed kindness and politeness. Grant, meanwhile, hams things up spectacularly, turning in his best and most enjoyable performance in years. Moreover, there's an expressiveness and physicality to his efforts that could've worked just as well in a silent movie — as could've much of the immensely bearable fun throughout the film. Everyone talks, of course, but Paddington 2 serves up an array of well-executed nods to cinema history, along with the feeling that it'll be joining all of those classics soon enough. It's not only the best family-friendly flick of 2017, but one of the best of the year in any genre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aQR1oc3E40
If there's ever been a reason to jump out of bed early on a Saturday morning (or stay up until daybreak after a big night out), it's seeing cosmic history made before your very eyes. The longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century delivered just that when it put on its sky-high show from 3.14am AEST — with the partial eclipse starting at 4.24am, the total eclipse at 5.30am and maximum eclipse occurring at 6.21am. For anyone that missed the event — and the news in the lead-up — this lengthy event lasted 103 minutes in the total eclipse phase, a duration that won't be seen again until the 2100s. It was also the last total lunar eclipse of any length that is visible from Australia again until May 2021. And, thanks to sunlight that was filtered and refracted by the earth's atmosphere, the moon also turned a blood-red share as well. So, in addition to spying a total lunar eclipse and a full moon, sky-gazers also saw a blood moon as well. Last but by no means least, Mars was also seen twinkling in the sky right next to the moon, with the planet at its closest position to earth in 15 years. As always, social media is packed full of stellar photo from those who saw and snapped the astronomical event — so whether you saw it with your own eyes or blissfully slept through it, here are some of the best shots of the lunar eclipse from around the planet. https://www.instagram.com/p/Blv7VuFHds_/?taken-by=seathebreezee https://www.instagram.com/p/Blv6W6klmLn/?taken-by=bodrumlayasa https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwBF0PHUUk/?taken-by=dorpell https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwBAQRlHpR/?taken-by=imikov https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwFT2cntgc/?tagged=lunareclipse2018 https://www.instagram.com/p/Blv4yWnBsC7/?taken-by=daves_snippets https://www.instagram.com/p/Blv2RLhnqqB/?taken-by=evrensongun https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwEgD1H6jO/?taken-by=matthias.hangst https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwHTeTn207/?taken-by=mel_weber_photography https://www.instagram.com/p/BlwFhjXH5K1/?taken-by=milkyway_scientists
Meet Australian cinema's new heroine. Myrtle 'Tilly' Dunnage (Kate Winslet) wouldn't consider herself a star at anything other than making stunning dresses, nor does she try to conquer anything but her own doubts and cruel small-town gossip. However, she's the guiding force in a film that warmly embraces local flavour, deftly navigates everything from drama to mystery to comedy, and serves up an offbeat, engaging time at the movies. Tilly is the titular figure in The Dressmaker, which charts her homecoming to outback Australia after being driven away as a child. Scandal surrounds her return, linked to the death of a boy years ago. She can't remember all the details, yet is determined to do whatever it takes to put together the pieces. Her mother, 'Mad' Molly (Judy Davis), isn't much help, and most of the townsfolk barely offer a hello. Only the handsome, lovelorn Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth) and the secretly fashion-conscious Sergeant Farrat (Hugo Weaving) give Tilly a warm welcome, until the rest of her neighbours get wind of her winning ways with a sewing machine, that is. Soon, she's transforming the drab populace of housewives and shopkeepers' daughters with Parisian designs — but, as often proves the case in such insular, one-street communities, their newfound politeness can't always be trusted. If Tilly's scenario sounds like a bit of a mixed bag of figures and genres, that's because it is. The motley crew of characters she's surrounded by includes a stern schoolteacher (Kerry Fox), mean pharmacist (Barry Otto) and more, as played by a who's who of Australian actors (Sarah Snook, Gyton Grantley, Rebecca Gibney, Shane Jacobson, Alison Whyte, Shane Bourne and Sacha Horler among them). Her story flits between romance and revenge, laughs and long-held secrets, and standoffs and tears. Happy moments are followed by sad, with the film's tone veering in several directions. Thankfully, though, none of this mishmash of elements can be seen as a bad thing. Even when it threatens not to work, it still does — and in quite striking fashion. Skipping between seemingly mismatched parts is what The Dressmaker does best; this is a movie that introduces its lead with the words "I’m back, you bastards," then later has her stop a footy match by showing up in a jaw-dropping outfit, after all. There's always a bit of quirkiness, though not too much, to balance out the darker narrative threads, or some stunning sartorial sights to brighten up the frame, or a sympathetic exchange between Tilly, Teddy and/or Molly to temper the broader strokes of comedy. Accordingly, it's a fine return to film for writer/director Jocelyn Moorhouse — making her first feature since 1997’s A Thousand Acres — who brings Rosalie Ham’s 2000 novel of the same name to the screen with verve and then some. It's also a fine return to Australian shores for Winslet, who starred in the locally made Holy Smoke back in 1999, and hasn't lost her gift for our accent. That's not Winslet's only strength, nor the handsomely shot, 1951-set film's either. She perfects the mix of determined and vulnerable that Tilly radiates— though Davis, Weaving and Hemsworth do their parts, stealing scenes with one-liners, making a supporting player more than comic relief, and oozing allure and emotion respectively. Together, they make for a multifaceted bunch, as does The Dressmaker as a whole. And if the film encourages Australian audiences to see homegrown fare in a cinema — as it should — then it's a champion in its own right, alongside its shining protagonist.
When you're in a long-term relationship with the city you live in, you've got to actively work to keep things interesting. It's easy to get into a rut — you walk the same familiar path, eat the same familiar food and you forget to even look up to marvel at the sights which surround you. But when you take the path less travelled, it's like discovering a whole new city. Sidestep your routine and you'll discover a whole new Melbourne: a mysterious, complex place where what you see is definitely not what you get. We've partnered with Mitsubishi in celebration of its new Eclipse Cross to curate a list of experiences that will spice up your life, or your week, at least. They say change is as good as a holiday — so, even when you can't make time to get away, little changes and new experiences in old places will leave you feeling refreshed and inspired. [caption id="attachment_673756" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Giulia Morlando.[/caption] MONDAY, AUGUST 20: PIZZA FEAST Cure any case of the Mondays with a belly full of pizza pockets. There are a few things that can instantly turn that Monday frown upside down, and an Italian street food feast courtesy of Pezzo is definitely one of them. Guy Grossi's casual Flinders Lane diner is slinging a tidy menu of modern pizza pocket creations, featuring 48-hour fermented dough filled with inspired ingredient combos. Reward yourself for surviving that grizzly first day of the week by stuffing your face with one of the 'Pitzi' numbers, loaded with veal schnitzel, white sauce, pickles and slaw. Fancy extending those weekend vibes? Add on one of the legendary vanilla custard shakes, infused with a cheeky shot of rum. [caption id="attachment_682386" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Andrew Curtis.[/caption] TUESDAY, AUGUST 21: QUIET GALLERY VISIT Check out the latest exhibition at ACCA. Midweek is the best time to head to an art exhibition. If you've ever found yourself shouldering your way through the weekend crowd at the NGV or waiting for hours to get into ACMI, you should think about a Tuesday visit. The Australian Centre for Contemporary Art is currently hosting an exhibition that's perfect for a quiet, introspective visit. A Lightness of Spirit Is the Measure of Happiness is on show till September 16 and features ten installation works which explore various aspects of contemporary Aboriginal life. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22: GRAND BUDAPEST AT THE ASTOR Rewatch Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel at the Astor. You may have seen it before, but you probably haven't seen it screened in such grandeur. The Astor is hosting a retrospective of Anderson's best titles and Wednesday's viewing is The Grand Budapest Hotel, a film that looks and feels right at home in the opulent Astor. The screening starts at 7.30pm, which gives you enough time for a quick dinner on Chapel Street — it's tough to go past the cheap and cheerful Mexican at Yellow Bird cafe — as well as time to make your movie snack selection. [caption id="attachment_682388" align="alignnone" width="1920"] via Facebook.[/caption] THURSDAY, AUGUST 23: DRAG SHOW AND $5 PIZZA See one of Mollie's inclusive and celebratory Baby Drag shows. It's Thursday night and it's time to experience something beautiful, dramatic and hilarious. Head to Mollie's in Fitzroy for the fun and effusive Baby Drag. Grab some snacks at the bar — on Thursdays, there are $5 pizzas — and get ready to be entertained. The motto at Mollie's is 'spread unconditional love — and don't fuck it up' (a little Ru Paul reference there for Drag Race fans). The lineup varies week to week, but the inclusive energy is always the same. Prepare for laughs, jokes and a little bit of audience participation. [caption id="attachment_678661" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The West Projections Launch Party in 2016.[/caption] FRIDAY, AUGUST 24: A PROJECTIONS FESTIVAL Walk through Footscray surrounded by sparkling lights. The West Projections Festival is running in Seddon and Footscray from August 3– 26, with light installations bringing the suburbs to life every night of the week. On Friday, August 24 (right before the festival ends), attend the Fact or Fiction walk. The walk begins at 6pm at Footscray Station, guests are guided through festival works and given insight into each piece. The tour wraps up at 7pm at Bar Josephine. Stick around for hangs in the dog-friendly beer garden, or head to a neighbouring restaurant for dinner. Tickets are a neat $10 and we recommend bringing some wet weather gear — you never know what the Melbourne weather will do. SATURDAY, AUGUST 25: GRAB SOME CHEAP BOOKS Pick up a few cheap books at the City Library sale. Books, glorious books. Kindles might be all the rage, but there's nothing like the smell of a fresh, okay pre-loved, book. The City Library sporadically runs book sales packed with bargains so you can get your book fix for dirt cheap. Second-hand books start at 50 cents and max out at $10. The event is free and starts at 11am, so you can enjoy a leisurely Saturday morning sleep in before hitting up the sale. Grab a coffee from Dukes Coffee on Flinders Lane to give you the energy you need to get buried in books. [caption id="attachment_628485" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sweet Set, 2016.[/caption] SUNDAY, AUGUST 26: EIGHT COURSES OF DESSERT Make your way through a decadent spread of sweets. It's Sunday, and no matter what sort of week you've had, you definitely deserve an eight-course dessert degustation. Grub Food Van in Fitzroy is hosting Sweet Set, which features eight famous pastry chefs over eight Sundays, with each bringing eight serves of dessert. This specific Sunday, Boris Portnoy from All Are Welcome — a minimalist-decor, maximum-decadence bakery in Northcote — is taking charge of the treats. If you weren't already convinced, consider this: before he was brightening the northside with baked delights, Portnoy was the head pastry chef at a three-Michelin star restaurant in Napa Valley. Prepare your tastebuds for a wild and sugary ride. Where to next? Make the most of every week with Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and navigate to your next destination here.
For a lot of us, 2020 so far has involved a whole heap less travel than we'd usually like. With devastating bushfires raging across the country, many had to forego our annual summer trips and stay at home. Then, COVID-19 hit Australia, resulting in nationwide restrictions on travel. To say we have a bit of wanderlust would be an understatement. Last week, on. Friday, May 8, the Australian Government announced its three-step roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdown, with talks of interstate and possibly trans-Tasman travel happening before the end of July. Finally, we can start thinking about leaving our four walls and dreaming of our next trip away. While we can't jet off to Europe or make our way through Southeast Asia yet, we'll soon be able to explore our own backyard — from its pristine coastline, lush bushland, snowy mountains and expansive plains. And, to help inspire your post-iso plans, Tourism Australia is launching an online program of virtual travel experiences and entertainment. Best of all, it's completely free. Dubbed Live from Aus, the program will run from Saturday, May 16 to Sunday, May 17 via its YouTube channel and Facebook page. It'll feature everything from Phillip Island's penguins to underwater reef tours at the Great Barrier Reef, music by First Nations artists with Uluru as its backdrop, Mona's Spectra light show, an Australian wine tour with Adelaide Hills' Unico Zelo, a cheesemaking session with Jo Barrett and Matt Stone, and sunrise yoga at Byron Bay. All up, expect a taste for Australia's natural beauty, food, music, wildlife and culture. [caption id="attachment_769947" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sunrise Yoga with Elements of Byron Bay, courtesy of Tourism Australia[/caption] Other highlights include a disco party with The Wiggles, an exploration of Indigenous Australian ingredients with famed chef and MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo, tours of Australia's greatest golf greens, pub trivia, a coffee making tutorial with Ona Coffee, a tour of Kangaroo Island, a night at the Opera House and Dreamtime stories with Darren 'Capes' Capewell. You can check out the full program and times here. Live from Aus will kick off at 7am AEST on Saturday, May 16 till Sunday, May 17. You can tune in for free via Facebook or its website. Images: Underwater Reef Tour at the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru Sunset Session with First Nations music curated by Sounds Australia, Penguin Parade Bedtime Stories from Phillip Island and Kangaroo Island Tour with Craig Wickham — all courtesy of Tourism Australia.
For a new pub on a prime piece of Fitzroy real estate, The Stone Hotel doesn't particularly feel very Fitzroy. Which isn't a bad thing — it's just a thing. In renovating the old Cape Lounge, the Tom Tschuis (both father and son share the same name) removed internal walls and some of the roof to transform the building on the corner of Johnston and Brunswick streets into the high ceilinged, spacious and somewhat minimalist venue they've reincarnated as The Stone Hotel. And as you would expect from this part of town, there is the exposed brick, white-walled and industrial steel beams we've come to know and love, and ironic moustaches and sleeve tattoos abound. But it is perhaps just too brightly lit, too vague in its intentions and what kind of bar it wants to be. It's just a little hard to know who they are catering for. But having only been open since the start of June, Tom (the younger of the two) says they are taking a relaxed approach to finding their feet. The Stone Hotel, while not wanting to be known as a gastropub, wants to serve great craft beer and good food. They have certainly nailed the craft beer part of the equation with two by ten taps pouring a rotating array of craft brews from Parrot Dog, 4 Pines, Sample and other well-received beers. Not a wine bar, the wine list is small with only three choices offered by the glass in both the white and the red sections. The menu, by head chef Luke Eckersall from The Farm Cafe and Ladro, is a work in two parts: a selection of share plates and a seasonal 'Winter Warmers' menu, which offers some hearty slow-cooked meat and vegan dishes. The braised beef cheeks on mash were tender and full of pull-apart tastiness, offset with a garnish of pickled vegetables. The sharing side of the menu features smaller offerings of oysters or prawns or crunchy crumbed cheddar and pickled walnut croquettes through to larger options, such as the slow cooked lamb ribs or the sirloin. Eckersall's signature dish — bacon doughnuts with whipped bay leaf butter — have been popular, which, when you think about it, is hardly surprising in this doughnut-crazed town. There's also a burger section, with both traditional meat and vegan options. The cheeseburger is a favourite here, and while the patty could do with more flavour and substance, it still satisfies as a standard burger with a serving of fat chips. Up top is a 33-square-metre first floor beer garden, which, with its location on Brunswick Street, should prove a drawcard as the weather gets warmer. If you're looking for a cosy dining experience with great food and service, you might be better off elsewhere. But if you're after a night out with craft beer, interesting bar snacks and rooftop possibilities, The Stone Hotel is for you.
American singer-songwriter Tom Krell (aka How to Dress Well) once described his sound as a convergence of Mariah Carey and Elliott Smith. It's that juncture of emo-acoustic and twinkly sentimental balladry that's led to Krell's music being labelled as 'lo-fi R&B'. Certainly in his older records, that came through. But with 2014 album "What is This Heart?" Krell's moving away from those early roots, towards something more musically diverse. (That said, the chorus of 'Precious Love' is decisively reminiscent of an early '00s R&B ballad, and it's great.) Krell picked his stage name semi-randomly from the spine of an old book he bought from a used bookstore ten years ago — justifying it by pointing out that we don't generally choose our names. True. That preoccupation with the uber real is reflected in his music. His lyrics are at times so personal they're almost uncomfortable, but then he turns it all weirdly in on itself with alien synth sounds and a falsetto that's painfully otherworldly — like, as one YouTube commenter put it so aptly, the ghosts of dead R&B singers come back to sing in empty bathroom stalls. Take this cover of Janet Jackson's 'Again'. Without a ukulele in sight, it's a refreshing antidote to the tired trend of white singers doing twee covers of the work of black musicians. We caught up with the super well-articulated, notoriously candid Krell ahead of his appearance at Sydney Festival, Melbourne's Sugar Mountain Festival and Brisbane's Australia Day Eve at the Brightside to chat about his newest album, the nature of quotation, embracing your influences, and creating intense, muscular live shows that are all about presence. Earlier this year you released your newest album, "What is This Heart?" which you recorded in Berlin with Rodaidh McDonald. What was the recording process like? It was cool. I came in with what could have been a finished record and then Rodaidh really helped me go through it. I'd have a guitar recorded and he would ask me, "What do you want this guitar to sound like?" and I'd say, "I want it to sound really close to the strings, and really raw-sounding." We'd re-record it and he'd help me dial in the details of the details. He's a really helpful engineer. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwRr2YyQD80[/embed] Making this album, were you influenced by anything in particular? How do you deal with your influences? A million things. For every song there's a whole handful of influences. I really do live through my influences. A lot of people I know write, and then listen to music separately. When they're writing they want to have this control, they worry that what they're making sounds too much like something else. I kind of have the opposite approach. While I'm working, if I hit on something that sounds like something else, I'll go listen to the song and try to figure out what it was in that song that so moved me that it snuck its way into my creative process. A lot of people have anxiety over influence, but I just really find it super inspiring. Let's talk about the title, "What is This Heart?". It's in quotation marks — what effect do they have for you? Quotation is a weird thing. On the one hand, it's about attributing something to someone. It's illegal to misquote someone because we really care, for some reason, about the things we say when they're in quotes. I started thinking a lot about that. An album is sort of like a long quote from me: this is what I want to say, and what I'm willing to have said in my name. Quotes also put things in scenes. Suddenly it's not just text on a piece of cardboard, but maybe it came out of someone's mouth. These things were stirring for me when I was writing. When I look back, what kinds of things do I want to have attributed to me? What kinds of things do I want people to say that I said? When I was writing lyrics for the record I also constantly found that I would think of something that someone said to me. A lot of the lyrics are made up of different kinds of quotes — things that I said that I wish I hadn't said, things that I overheard, things that I said that I didn't know the full consequences of. There's a lot going on with quotation in general. Talking about your lyrics, a lot of them seem deeply personal, or like they're really heavy with emotion. Does something compel you to write that kind of music? I suppose so. I don't think that they're personal in the sense of the coffee shop confessional. There are people who write much more directly personal things than I do. I would say that if they're personal, they're indirectly personal. The way I write, it is quite emotional. I guess I'm interested in the emotional life of people in general, which is another way of saying I'm interested in the way people live. Not in what people say when you ask them, "Hey, how was your day?" They'll tell they went to the library, they went to work, they went to the coffee shop, or whatever. But what I'm interested in in people and the self is not that story, but more the way it feels to actually live a life, the actual experience of life. That's the emotional part of life. So you went to the grocery store? Why, when you were walking down the aisle of the grocery store, did you think of your mother ageing and feel an intense pang of guilt? That's the kind of stuff that I'm interested in. Actual life. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTkGTfsMRYE[/embed] How would you explain the progression to this album from your previous albums? Especially because Love Remains, your first album, was very raw and stripped back — how did you move towards something more produced? Weirdly, I think of this newest record as the least produced. On Love Remains every single sound is filtered and changed to the point of being something really weird. It's full of little weird, suspended-in-time sound sculpture things. But for some of the stuff on this new record I just opened the microphone and sang right into it. There's acoustic guitar on Love Remains, but there's no way anybody other than me could ever pick it out because it just sounds like a weird wash indistinguishable from some of the other sounds. That's something I was actively trying to do because I wanted to make a specific record. Each record is a different response to a different time in my life. I don't really know what's next in terms of how to produce the next record, but it felt important for me on this record to do something with that real life thing I was just talking about. I wanted the music to have a realistic quality to it. So you're coming to Australia for Sydney Festival. In the past you've said that, rather than being like dance parties, you think of your shows as being more like a theatre performances. What's a How to Dress Well show like? I still don't think of what we do as a dance party, because it just isn't. But there are moments like that. The thing for me with the live show now is that I want it to be extremely physical and really obvious that there's a person present in front of you, doing this quite demanding performance. Another thing I was motivated by on this record was having really intense dynamic shifts. Having one moment be really quiet so you can sort of hear yourself breathing while you're listening and then another moment being so loud and muscular and intense that it knocks you back on your heels. That's a tough thing to do on a record. It's a much easier thing to do live because you can literally blast someone's head off and then very quickly go to something really quiet and subtle. I really do think we have the best show I've seen right now. I don’t think I know anybody else who plays a better concert than us, right now, which is cool. I really am super extremely proud of what we're doing live. It's super musical, really funny and fun, and really sad and touching. There are tender moments, and aggressive moments. It covers all the ground I really love in music and live music and live art. We have a really beautiful visual presentation as well that's weirdly connected with my motions. When I move quickly the visuals move. It's really cool. We've worked really hard on it. It's kind of the shit. See How to Dress Well as part of Sydney Festival's FBi Radio series at The Aurora on January 23, at Sugar Mountain Festival on January 24, or at The Brightside's Australia Day Eve on January 25. "What is This Heart?" is out now via Domino.
The plastic rings that hold six packs together are both genius and hazardous. On the one hand, they're really bloody handy when you're carting six tinnies to a barbecue — have you ever tried to hold six loose cans of beer? — but on the other, they have a devastating impact on marine wildlife when they become waste. To combat the effects these pesky pieces of plastic have on the environment, a Florida brewery has developed a type of biodegradable six-pack ring that can actually be eaten by the animals they usually pose a risk to. After seeing the effect plastic has on marine animals like birds and turtles, Saltwater Brewery — a small brewery in Delray Beach, Florida — teamed up with New York advertising agency We Believers to redesign their packaging to make it more environmentally friendly. What they came up with was a biodegradable version of the plastic rings made of the wheat and barley that's left over after brewing. They claim that it's the first 100 per cent biodegradable, compostable and edible packaging in the beer industry. The first batch of rings were made using a 3D printer, and the brewery aims to produce 400,000 per month to cover their current production. It's a great move that we hope bigger breweries take on. Now to tackle aluminium cans... Via Creativity.
It is instinctive for human beings to question what the future could hold and and will look like. But just like most aspects of our lives, buildings of the future are incredibly difficult to predict. Here are some of the most mind-boggling futuristic building designs which are in the planning stage or already under construction. New Orleans Arcology Habitat In an attempt to revamp both the aesthetics and economy of New Orleans in the face of the terrible destruction of 2005's Hurricane Katrina, an incredibly modernistic Arcology Habitat has been proposed. The design includes hotels, condos, commercial property and casinos all floating on the surface of a water basin between the Mississippi River and the CBD. Spaceport America Spaceport America is now in its initial stages of development in New Mexico and has already seen a series of flights launched from its lunar pads last year. This sleek construction is set to be the first commercial spaceport the world has ever seen and would unlock the potential to allow anyone to enjoy the wonders of space. Shimizu Mega-City Pyramid This enormous construction proposed for Tokyo would be 14 times higher than the ancient Great Pyramid of Giza, and would house an incredible 750,000 people. Designed as a solution to the over-population issue in Japan, this design is on hold until super-strong lightweight materials appear in the future. Kingdom Tower This enormous skyscraper has been approved for construction in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah at the preliminary cost of $4.6 billion as part of the proposed Kingdom City to be located along the Red Sea. If completed according to plan, the tower will not only become the tallest building in the world, but also the only on the planet to exceed a height of 1 kilometre. Kuwait Airport A new terminal is undergoing construction at Kuwait International Airport this year, set to be completed by 2016. The reconstruction, designed as a three point star, should increase the passenger handling capacity from 7 million to 13 million in the first phase. Trio Vertical Garden French designer and botanist, Patrick Blanc, is starting a revolution with his amazing designs of vertical gardens. His projects started in Sydney in 2009 by embedding 4,500 seedlings into a recycled felt surface, creating a contemporary artwork that is both environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Taiwan Tower Sou Fujimoto was the winner of the Taiwan Tower International Competition with his interpretation of 'Primitive Future'. The 300 metre tower is inspired by the Taiwanese banyan tree and is designed to be a model of green architecture for future generations. Keret House Instead of just discounting the space of an 133 centimetre alleyway between two houses in Warsaw, architect Jakub Szczesny saw the possibility for an ingenious house. Designed as a creative workspace for Israeli writer, Etgar Keret, the hermitage would range from 72-122cm in width with remote control stairs and boat-inspired water and sewage systems. Project Utopia Floating Island After numerous references to floating civilisations in literature comes finally an inventive floating island design more like an oil rig than a yacht. The volume of the Project Utopia would be equivalent to a present-day cruise liner, measuring more than 100 metres across and including more than 11 decks.
Mona has never shirked attention. Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art has welcomed it, in fact, whether it's bringing in 80 tonnes of sand, is allowing music fans listen to the sole copy of Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time in Shaolin or is part of a TV show about potentially eating Australia's invasive animal species — and that's just in the past year. Also part of the venue's story over the past 12 months or so: the legal proceedings around Ladies Lounge, the feminist installation created by artist and curator Kirsha Kaechele, which was taken to court due to an anti-discrimination complaint. Two big developments impacted Ladies Lounge in 2024: first, in April, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled that it must start letting men enter; then, a September decision by the state's Supreme Court upheld Mona's appeal, permitting it to reopen for women only to continue to make its statement about the lack of opportunity historically offered to ladies by such spaces. Kaechele did indeed relaunch the installation, but only briefly, while flagging that it could go on tour. So, after ending its run at its original home in January 2025, Ladies Lounge is now headed to the Gold Coast. Each year, the coastal Sunshine State spot turns over much of the city to Bleach*, its annual arts festival. This year, Ladies Lounge is on its lineup. This is the first time that it will pop up beyond Mona, and therefore also beyond Tasmania, with the Gold Coast's HOTA, Home of the Arts playing host to the feminist space. "Yes, some boys may be allowed in for domestic arts lessons and reparations," the fest advises. Bleach* 2025 runs from Thursday, July 31–Sunday, August 10, also covering music, opera, drama, food and more, all at festival hubs a HOTA, Kurrawa Park and Emerald Lakes. It has more big art names attached, too. Australian visual artist Michael Zavros is the festival's guest Artistic Director for the year, curating a program that spans 100-plus events. Among them, Patricia Piccinini's Skywhale and Skywhalepapa are on the lineup, and will float through the Gold Coast's skies. That's how Bleach* will kick off at sunrise on its first 2025 day. "It's such a thrill to come on board as guest Artistic Director and launch Bleach* 2025. We've been shaping this festival for some time now, and it's incredibly rewarding to see the program come to life and finally share it with our audiences," said Zavros, announcing this year's bill. "We've dreamed big this year — pushing for bold, ambitious moments — and it's exciting to see those ideas realised in such powerful ways. Bleach* continues to play a vital role in the Gold Coast's arts and culture scene, and this year's program is a true reflection of the city's creative spirit and growing artistic ambition." Among the festival's three world premieres of works created on the Gold Coast, plus five Queensland premieres and plenty of other must-sees, other highlights include opera, classical music and dancing horses taking over Kurrawa Beach; artist Jeff Koons getting chatting at an exclusive in-conversation event; and Selve's new album Breaking Into Heaven performed in full with lasers, Karul Projects dancers and the Australian Session Orchestra outdoors at HOTA. Or, there's also Drum As You Are, a family-friendly Nirvana tribute — one of the iconic band's albums is called Bleach, after all — that'll feature both professional and community drummers. Unsurprisingly given that he's steering this year's festival, you can also see Zavros' Drowned Mercedes, the sculpture that was first unveiled in Brisbane in 2023 and, yes, features a 1990s Mercedes-Benz SL convertible filled with water. Zavros is also taking part in life-drawing sessions, Melissa Spratt and Tal Fitzpatrick are teaming up to showcase how textiles can be comforting in public space, and Josh Cohen's Radiohead for Solo Piano II will be in the spotlight. Bleach* 2025 runs from Thursday, July 31–Sunday, August 10 at various locations around the Gold Coast. For further information, head to the festival website.
Fusing thousands of EDM lovers, raveheads waiting for the bass to drop and a formidable amount of hot sauce can't possibly go wrong right? Face-melting dance and tastebud-destroying chili will combine their unlikely party powers for the first ever Electronic Sriracha Festival in San Jose, California. There'd better be some solid water stations in the production budget. Staking a spicy claim over San Jose's St. James Park on August 30, the hot sauce-inspired festival is making David Tran's beloved Sriracha rooster the poster boy for build ups, bass drops and breakdowns. Taking over two city blocks, three stages of electronic music, four bars and 120 sriracha-infused dishes, ESF is keeping food at $6 and the amps to 11. Seems it's all about endorphins, with EDM generating the same rush as a mouthful of hot sauce (the secret's in the capsaicin). Seems the moment before the bass drops parallels the waiting game before the Sriracha heat seeps in. Goes without saying, punters to both types of caps[aicin]-fuelled adventures do often display the same facial reaction: Could be one of the most unlikely Nailed It festivals yet, more innovative than your regular phone company sponsor with only corporate tents and handouts to add to the vibe. Sriracha held their first food-focused festival in LA last year, seems the team want to take things next level. The line-up will be released Monday, July 21 at 9am. Via Grub Street.
They're the pieces of plastic no one can leave home without — if you want to catch a bus, train, tram or ferry. Sydney has Opal, Melbourne has Myki and Brisbane has the Go Card, aka the main way to pay for public transport in today's increasingly cash-less society. For now, that is. News Corp's Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane papers are all reporting the looming end of the current ticketing cards, in favour of smartphone, smartwatch and tap-and-go bank card payments. It's one of those obvious leaps in technology that was always going to happen at some point soon. If there's a more convenient, contactless way to pay that don't rely upon everyone remembering to stuff yet another card into their wallet, then it's hardly surprising that the New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland governments are looking into it. In Sydney, a trial began on the Manly ferry last year, with patrons tapping their Mastercards instead. It's expected to expand to other forms of transport according to The Daily Telegraph, although it's worth noting that Opal multi-trip benefits don't apply to other payment systems. Melburnians can expect to scan on with a credit or debit card in trials due to start this year, focusing on Routes 11, 86 or 96, The Sunday Herald Sun notes. And in Brisbane, The Sunday Mail reports that a trial will commence either later in 2018 or sometime in early 2019, starting with the Airtrain. Moving away from dedicated transport cards — or adding other payment options — will make things easier for tourists and travellers, who shouldn't have to buy a new piece of plastic just to catch a bus or train (or pay extra for a paper ticket if they don't) when they're visiting. Ensuring the new system remains accessible for anyone that doesn't have a smartphone, smartwatch or bank card remains a concern, however. And, there'll always need to be a backup option in case someone forgets their phone, watch or wallet. Via The Sunday Mail / The Sunday Herald Sun / The Daily Telegraph. Images: Beau Giles / Binayak Dasgupta / Andrew Thomas.
After five years spent winning over the brunch-loving masses of Abbotsford, multi-talented eatery Au79 has spread its wings and added to the family, opening the doors to not one, but three new venues. The team has joined forces with the minds at build-to-rent apartment brand Home, which now plays host to new Au79 cafe outposts at both its Richmond and Southbank locations. And what's more, a wine bar is also on the way. Set on Bridge Road, Home's Richmond Traders precinct is the setting for Au79's second Home cafe, showcasing the brand's signature breads and baked goods, house-roasted coffee and brekkie fare. Roll in here for kimchi scrambled eggs with Sichuan chilli oil, a croque monsieur with black truffle bechamel, or the cranberry chicken sanga with basil and avocado. [caption id="attachment_857889" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Au79 Richmond, by Instant Crush[/caption] A more recent addition is its sibling, the Au79 Café and Eatery in the lobby at Home Southbank, which boasts a light-filled space and sleek AA Studio fitout, all-white archways and shimmering metallic accents. Here, an all-day menu features plates like prawn benedict on charcoal brioche, a salmon and pea risotto, and the quinoa salad spiked with turmeric cauliflower and broccolini. Front counters displaying dreamy house-made pastries are a fixture of both sites, laden with buttery danishes, almond croissants, cupcakes and cookies. [caption id="attachment_857885" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Au79 Southbank, by James Geer[/caption] But the new projects don't end there — this winter, Home Southbank will also open the doors to Au79's first-ever wine bar concept, The Green Room. The feel here is set to be modern Australian meets Italian, with the space featuring moody lighting and cosy booth seating. Chef Daniel Cormick (Mulberry Group, Coombe Yarra Valley) has designed a menu of bar bites and larger, dinner-friendly options. You'll be able to breeze in for an after-work vino matched to freshly shucked oysters and the daily arancini special, or settle in over the likes of a black truffle and wild mushroom risotto, and chargrilled whole fish paired with heirloom tomato. Home residents don't even have to venture outside their apartments to get their Au79 fix, either. The cafes run a room-service-style offering, as well as catered private dining options. Find Au79 Cafe at Richmond Traders, 240 Church Street, Richmond. It's open daily from 8am–6pm. Au79 Cafe and Eatery, and The Green Room Wine Bar are located in the lobby of Home Southbank, 260 City Road, Southbank, with the cafe open daily from 7am–2pm.
With the 2025 Australian Open in full swing, plenty of folks are feeling the urge to pick up a racquet and book a local court. But most of us aren't so great at full-size tennis nor do we have the gear to do it properly. Enter the National Pickleball League and its pop-up courts over at Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya. From Thursday, January 9—Thursday, February 6, you'll find a pop-up pickleball court up on level one, all set up for friendly games with mates or strangers who are also dropping by for sushi and cocktails in the sunshine. It is a first-come, first-served (excuse the pun) situation with the court, so be sure to get in early — it's open from 5pm from Thursday–Sunday each week. This is a fairly easy and fun way to get around the Australian Open mania taking over Melbourne right now — all the while dining out at one of Melbourne's best Japanese restaurants.
Black suits, black shades, futuristic weaponry and plenty of aliens: the Men in Black are back. Because film franchises never die — they just get revamped/remade/rebooted/reimagined — the sci-fi series is releasing its fourth instalment. It's a spin-off, and it features a brand new cast. In Men in Black: International, Thor Ragnarok co-stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson step into the outfits originally made famous by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The Aussie star plays Agent H, while Thompson plays agent M, a newcomer who nabs a job after tracking down the secretive organisation. Helping them with their London-based efforts are Emma Thompson and Liam Neeson, who are also donning the requisite attire. Two (unrelated) Thompsons are better than one, clearly, and, when it comes to Neeson, why not? Directed by Straight Outta Compton and The Fate of the Furious' F. Gary Gray, Men in Black: International arrives 22 years after the original flick (and the original theme tune that you now have stuck in your head). It follows the new agents as they not only try to keep watch over the world, but attempt to track down a mole inside the Men in Black. If it wipes the franchise's rather average Men in Black II and Men in Black III out of our memories, it'll achieve something. Men in Black: International opens in Australian cinemas on June 13, 2019 — check out the trailer below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gexS_FVXdhk&feature=youtu.be
When the middle of October hits, celebrating Japan by actually heading to the country will be back on the agenda, with the Asian nation's strict border rules finally relaxing. Can't make the trip ASAP? Fancy getting your Japanese thrills in a cinema instead — or until you can hop on a plane? Then Australia's annual touring Japanese Film Festival has timed its return well. As it does every year, this year's JFF has compiled a selection of must-see recent and retro Japanese movies, and will take its lineup to Canberra, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. There's two parts, both coming to all locations except Western Australia: a classics series, showing iconic films on 35mm; and a rundown the latest and greatest flicks the country has to offer. When it does the rounds between Saturday, November 5–Wednesday, December 14, the 2022 fest will open with historical drama Dreaming of the Meridian Arc, which hops between present-day Japan and the Edo period to tell the tale behind the man who completed the first-ever map of Japan. Also a huge highlight: the retro season's focus on filmmaker Mikio Naruse, with 1954's Sound of the Mountain, 1960's When a Woman Ascends the Stairs and 1964's Yearning on the bill — and showing for free. Back to the recent titles (and the paid part of the program), standouts include psychological thriller Lesson in Murder, which starts when a college student gets a letter from a serial killer on death row; drama In the Wake, about the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011; and the animated Blue Thermal, with the world of competitive gliding soaring onto the screen. Anime Supremacy! is unsurprisingly focused on characters who live and breath anime production; Baby Assassins gives battling the yakuza (and being hitmen) a kawaii spin, and culinary documentary The Pursuit of Perfection follows top Tokyo chefs Takemasa Shinohara (Ginza Shinohara), Natsuko Shōji (Été), Yōsuke Suga (Sugalabo) and Takaaki Sugita (Sushi Sugita). JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL 2022 DATES: Canberra: Special series: November 5–6 at NFSA Latest releases: November 16–20 at Palace Electric Perth: Latest releases: November 21–27 at Palace Raine Square Brisbane: Special series: Friday, November 11–Sunday, November 20 at QAGOMA Latest releases: Wednesday, November 23–Sunday, November 27 at Palace Barracks Melbourne: Latest releases: Wednesday, November 30–Sunday, December 4 at The Kino Special series: Friday, December 2–Sunday, December 4 at ACMI Sydney: Latest releases: Wednesday, December 7–Sunday, December 11 at Palace Central, Palace Norton Street and Palace Verona Special series: Monday, December 12–Wednesday, December 14 at The Chauvel The 2022 Japanese Film Festival tours Australia between Saturday, November 5–Wednesday, December 14. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website. Images: Baby Assassins Film Partners / Blue Thermal Film Partners / AOI Pro/TY Limited.
If summer always leaves you reminiscing about the balmy school holidays of your youth, you're going to be all about the latest line of frosty creations from Gelatissimo. The gelato chain is throwing back hard and digging up plenty of fond memories with its newly launched Aussie Favourites range — a trio of flavours that includes chocolate crackle, fairy bread and Weet-Bix with honey and banana. They're scooping now at all Gelatissimo stores nationwide, up for grabs until the end of January 2020. Sure to transport you straight back to some childhood birthday party, the fairy bread flavour pays homage to a true Aussie icon. Expect buttery vanilla gelato — made with real butter, mind you — scattered with 100s and 1000s, and crunchy pieces of lightly toasted fairy bread. Cleverly blurring that line between breakfast and dessert, the Weet-Bix concoction is another riff on a favourite, though one you're probably less inclined to scoff a bowl of before netball practice. It teams real Weet-Bix chunks with creamy banana gelato and a splash of Australian wildflower honey. And the nostalgia runs extra deep with the chocolate crackle creation, a sweet tribute to one of the most recognisable party treats in all of Australian history. It boasts rich chocolate gelato infused with chunks of real chocolate crackle, crafted just like Mum used to make, with rice puffs, cocoa powder, desiccated coconut and plenty of chocolate sauce. Of course, Gelatissimo's no stranger to dreaming up wild and innovative new creations. In the past year alone, the brand's launched a dog-friendly peanut butter gelato, a boozy frosé sorbet and even a frozen take on the iconic Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Gelatissimo's Aussie Favourites range is available from all stores nationwide, from Friday, November 29, until the end of January.
Ever wanted to build your own community? And no, I don't mean spending every waking hour on The Sims renovating your virtual dream house. This big idea, straight from TED2011, could empower humans everywhere with the essential tools to create civilisations, DIY-style. TED fellow Marcin Jakubowski has identified 50 machines critical to our modern way of life — everything from tractors to ovens to brick-making machines. Determined to re-design these machines to be modular, long-lasting and made of local recyclable materials, Jakubowski began Open Source Ecology, a project uniting a community of farmers, engineers and supporters hell-bent on developing an open-source 'Global Village Construction Set'. In essence, it's a suite of machines that are essential for setting up any civilisation. The best bit? Machinery is made up of interchangeable life-sized LEGO-like parts, and has the potential to democratise industrial production and enhance supply chains to be more environmentally sustainable. Jabukowski says the Global Village Construction Set "lowers the barriers to entry into farming, building, and manufacturing and can be seen as a life-size lego-like set of modular tools that can create entire economies." https://youtube.com/watch?v=CD1EWGQDUTQ [Via GOOD]
Knowing when to take the one-and-done route isn't pop culture's forte, as too many movie franchises and TV shows extending beyond their best days keep showing. The Tourist falls into the opposite category: initially planned as a once-off with its six-episode first season in 2022, the Australian-international co-production has found a way to return. The catalyst for that comeback isn't just the show's initial success, but teaming up stars Jamie Dornan (A Haunting in Venice) and Danielle Macdonald (French Exit) for a second time because it worked so swimmingly to begin with. Indeed, when The Tourist swiftly earned its season-two renewal, it was hardly a twist. Some on-screen collaborations simply demand more opportunities to keep shining, and Dornan with Macdonald is one of them. Same cast, new location, similar-enough scenario: that's the approach in this also six-episode run, as streaming on Stan in Australia and TVNZ+ in New Zealand since Tuesday, January 2. In season one, Dornan's Elliot Stanley awoke in the Aussie outback with zero memory and his life in danger. When it ended, he'd uncovered who he was, complete with a distressing criminal past, but was on the path to starting anew with Helen Chambers (Macdonald), the constable who helped him get to the bottom of his mystery. Screenwriters Harry and Jack Williams (Baptiste, The Missing, Liar) switch part of their initial setup in season two, moving the story to Elliot's homeland and turning Helen into the tourist. Remaining is the lack of recollection about the former's history, even as he actively goes looking for it. The travelling life has been far kinder to Elliot in the gap between seasons, with The Tourist first rejoining him and Helen on a train in southeast Asia. While not married, they're firmly in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. But the now ex-cop has a revelation for her boyfriend: he's received a letter from one of his childhood pals who wants to meet back home. Quickly, off to the Emerald Isle the show's main duo go. Trying to shave off his bushy holiday beard in a public toilet leads to Elliot being kidnapped, plus Helen playing investigator again. As he attempts to flee his captors (Outlander's Diarmaid Murtagh, Inspektor Jury: Der Tod des Harlekins' Nessa Matthews and The Miracle Club's Mark McKenn), she seeks help from local Detective Sergeant Ruairi Slater (Conor MacNeill, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), but any dreams that The Tourist's globe-hopping couple had about happy reunions or relaxing Irish getaways are sent packing fast. Disturbing discoveries; feuding families led by the equally formidable Frank McDonnell (Francis Magee, Then You Run) and Niamh Cassidy (Olwen Fouéré, The Northman); Helen's grating ex Ethan (Greg Larsen, Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe) hopping on a plane to Ireland in an effort to win her back, even as he's supposedly dealing with his oozing toxicity: they're all key factors in The Tourist's second season. So is doing plot-wise what the series' namesakes often embrace, aka veering here, there and everywhere. The obvious point of comparison has always been the Coen brothers and, in particular, Fargo. Its TV adaptation is currently working through its fifth season, and also hurtles through comic crime chaos as a madcap caper with thoughtful leads. Both have that anything-can-happen feel, and live up to it in their narratives. You betcha both are also well-cast. As Elliot endeavours to evade his abductors, Helen searches and worries, and frays going back decades are pushed to the fore, the Williams' brothers aren't afraid of tonal and storytelling swerves, or of jam-packing a tale that's taut and tense but also regularly amusing. Directors Fergus O'Brien (Happy Valley), Lisa Mulcahy (Lies We Tell) and Kate Dolan (Kin) don't shy away from stressing season two's setting, either. As also served their season-one counterparts Daniel Nettheim (who made the excellent 2011 Australian film The Hunter) and Chris Sweeney (Liar) well, the helming trio take their visual cues from their surroundings — with coolly bleached hues suiting someone with nothing to grasp onto in the show's initial run, and verdant sights lingering now that Elliot can't stop being confronted by his densely overflowing past. So follows car and foot chases among rolling hills, a Saw-esque stint, escaping an island, hanging off cliffs, Helen witnessing a murder, unearthed secrets and others that should be buried, escalating violence, and several folks wanting Elliot to reckon with events and choices that he can't recall, all dropping at a breakneck pace that makes binging the series as rapidly as possible the natural reaction. The Tourist is gleefully written to be moreish, yet never manipulatively so. The only misstep: giving Ethan such a prominent part again. In its jump to the other side of the world, bringing Helen's jilted former fiancé back feels like an attempt to ensure that there's more than one Aussie actor popping up — because it certainly isn't a plot necessity. There's no doubting that The Tourist prefers the rollicking over the realistic in everything that it throws Elliot and Helen's ways; however, Dornan and Macdonald are up to the job. He finds the subtleties and vulnerabilities in a man learning who he is more literally than most, and she gives Helen the perfect balance of kindness and determination. Together and with charisma to burn, they're clearly a pair to build a series around, as the Williams siblings have done twice now. Whether laced with laughs or overtly courting them, comedy suits Dornan — see: Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar — but he brings as much dramatic nuance and depth to the role as he did in fellow recent highlights Belfast and Synchronic. If The Tourist will end with just two stamps on its passport is yet to be announced. Its driving forces patently hope otherwise, setting up a third season that hasn't yet been greenlit in season two's final moments, and showing that they're keen to keep shaking up their overarching narrative by always leaping in new directions. Regardless of whether more comes to fruition, Dornan and Macdonald have a highlight on their resumes, while viewers have a compellingly entertaining thriller-meets-dramedy that not only made the most of its arrival, but does the same with its 2024 return. Check out the trailer for second season of The Tourist below: The Tourist season streams via Stan in Australia and TVNZ+ in New Zealand. Read our review of season one.
Come the first sign of sunshine, Carlton locals flock to Johnny's Green Room. Negroni in hand, they angle for a perch overlooking the bustling Lygon Street. But since last year's facelift — which expanded the seating capacity and added a semi-retractable roof for the option of shade — there's been less jostling and a lot more room to soak up the gloriously warm afternoons to come. Now, it's upgrading its Sundays with a creative new series. Once a month, the rooftop bar shakes off the scaries with cheffy snacks from Melbourne's favourite restaurants and local winemakers cracking open unreleased lo-fi drops — which will be reimagined as Campari-infused wine spritzes for the day. The music program is curated by the pros at Hope St Radio themselves, so you're guaranteed a good boogie. This Sunday, energetic beats from Māori producer Kuzco will accompany bold Indian bites like skewer kebabs with mint chutney and housemade paneer and capsicum tikkas from Mischa Tropp of Kolkata Cricket Club and Toddy Shop, plus fresh riesling releases from Bridget Werkstatt. Can't make it? Pencil in October 12 for a taste of Fitzroy's hard-to-book backstreet restaurant Carnation Canteen — Audrey Shaw will whip up some spring plates to complement GUM's 2025 rosés, soundtracked to warm-weather sets from Ewan Sutardy. Or swing by on November 9 for Greek-inspired snacks from Stavros Konis of Kafeneion and Salona, washed down with a glass of Stefani Wines' signature sangiovese.
In 2010's How To Train Your Dragon, the Vikings of Berk learned the virtues of embracing fears and looking beyond the surface when the plucky Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) made a friend out of one of their most fearsome foes. His fellow villagers eventually came to an accord with their fire-breathing enemies, refashioning their society to fly atop and frolic with the scaly organisms. Five years later, that lifestyle persists within the veritable dragon haven. Alas, now another challenge confronts the peaceful settlement, with not all inhabitants of the surrounding lands and territories embracing their newfound fondness for the pests turned pets. As a trapper, Eret (Kit Harington), hunts the benevolent beasts for an evil warmonger, Drago (Djimon Hounsou), and his army of controlled creatures, Hiccup is called upon to fight for their survival once again. Like its predecessor, How to Train Your Dragon 2 continues the page-to-screen journey of the 12-strong children's book series by Cressida Cowell; however, it uses its source material as little more than inspiration. Returning franchise writer/director Dean DeBlois goes it alone in bringing to life the second effort in a planned trilogy, not only in losing his co-helmers and scribes from the first feature, but also in shaping a story more indebted to family-friendly film formula than anything that happens to have the same name. Of course, the template here is obvious, with a tale of the bond between animals and humans simply expanded by medieval lore and fantastical embellishments. That doesn't make it any less affecting or endearing as Hiccup strives to save his best friend, tamed dragon Toothless — just overtly familiar. The insertion of family drama continues in the same vein, more so when competing dynamics come into play. Hiccup becomes sandwiched between his chief father (Gerard Butler), who wants to anoint him his successor, and the enigmatic Valka (Cate Blanchett), with whom he shares his against-the-odds kindness. From DreamWorks Animation, beautifully rendered visuals enliven all character interactions and their accompanying environment, but it is the sights of soaring the skies and following in Toothless's cute footsteps that fare best. Thankfully, How to Train Your Dragon 2 balances the spectacle and the intimacy, creating an effort as comfortable with its advanced action stakes as it is with its increased sweetness and sentiment. The diverse voice cast also creates just the right emotional moments, from the high-profile additions to the repeat supporting contributors of Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller and Kristen Wiig offering more of the same. That's How to Train Your Dragon 2 all over — the new overlaid upon the far from original with ample warmth and wit, creating an agreeable animated offering never remarkable but always affable. https://youtube.com/watch?v=tGFUmPhVhtU
One of Melbourne's most recognisable rooftop addresses is getting ready to reveal a dramatic new look. This spring, MAMAS Dining Group — the crew behind Hochi Mama, Suzie Q and Winsdor Wine Room — will unveil its seventh venue: a Japanese izakaya-inspired rooftop set in the former home of Madame Brussels. The third-floor space at 59–63 Bourke Street will swap pastel garden party vibes for a low-lit, disco-drenched homage to 1980s Tokyo. Expect smooth disco and old-school hip hop spinning on vinyl, a drinks list that flows well into the night, and panoramic views of the city skyline — all wrapped in a retro-modern fit-out by hospitality architects Directitude. In the kitchen, MAMAS' Culinary Creative Director Michael Stolley will oversee a menu of share-style Japanese fare. Sushi from master chefs will sit alongside smoky, chargrilled yakitori and other snacky izakaya classics, paired with an extensive sake list, Japanese-inspired cocktails and top-shelf craft beers from Japan. With seating for up to 150, the venue aims to channel "the soul of Shibuya nights and the heart of Harajuku days". For MAMAS Dining Group CEO and Director Thai Ho, the upcoming opening is a moment worthy of the group's tenth anniversary: "We're so excited to open our seventh venue in the heart of Melbourne's CBD, a huge milestone to mark MAMAS' 10 years of operation in Australia's most renowned city for hospitality. To open in one of the city's most iconic locations is a fantastic opportunity." When the doors of the yet-to-be-named venue swing open this spring, expect a rooftop that swaps Pimm's jugs for sake carafes, cucumber sandwiches for smoky yakitori, and prim garden parties for moody Tokyo nights — and a whole new chapter for one of Melbourne's most coveted rooftops. MAMAS Dining Group's as-yet-unnamed seventh venue will open in the former Madame Brussels site this spring. For more information, head to the group's website.
When Super Mario Kart first rolled onto Super Nintendo consoles back in 1992, it came with 20 inventive courses and endless hours of fun. Nearly three decades later, the game has become a beloved phenomenon — not just speeding through desert tracks and rainbow roads, but onto Google Maps and mobile phones, and also into reality. The hugely popular game's next stop? Theme parks. In the works since 2019, delayed due to the pandemic (like everything else), but finally opening its doors on March 18, Super Nintendo World is now a place that genuinely exists. And yes, you can enjoy a real-life Mario Kart experience as part of the first-ever Nintendo-themed theme park zone, which has joined Universal Studios in Osaka. There's no mistaking this space for anywhere else. Given that it features life-sized recreations of both Bowser's Castle — complete with spiked fences and heavy iron doors — and Peach's Castle, fans of the gaming brand will know exactly where they are. You also enter via a warp pipe, because of course you do. No other entryway would've done the park justice. For those keen to hop on Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge, you'll be racing through familiar Mario Kart courses that've been brought to life. And yes, as you steer your way along the track, you're surrounded by characters such as Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach. You can also throw shells to take out your opponents — because it wouldn't be Mario Kart without them. If you're wondering how it all works, it's a blend of physical sets, augmented reality, projection mapping and screen projection, all designed to make you feel like you're really in the game. As for Yoshi's Adventure, that lets you climb on Yoshi's back — and, as it sounds, it's very family-friendly. So, you hop on, then set off on an adventure. Specifically, you follow Captain Toad to find three coloured eggs, plus a golden egg as well. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン USJ (@universal_studios_japan) Across its multiple levels — fitting for a gaming-themed space — Osaka's Super Nintendo World also includes restaurants and shops. A certain highlight: the world's first Mario cafe, which launched ahead of the rest of the site. Here, patrons are surrounded by oversized Mario and Luigi hat sculptures, the whole space is kitted out with a red and green colour scheme, and Mario Kart-style checkered floors are a feature. As for snacks, there are Mario pancake sandwiches and cream sodas, plus other drinks available in 'super mushroom' souvenir bottles. The theme park also has wearable wrist bands, called Power Up Bands — which connect to a special app and allow patrons to interact with the site using their arms, hands and bodies. That mightn't sound all that exciting, but the bands enable you to collect coins just like Mario does in the Super Mario games. Like the red-capped plumber, you can also hit question blocks to reveal more coins. There are collectible items to gather, too, such as keys and character stamps, which you can only find after achieving various goals. The stamps also earn you even more coins, so you really will be basically playing Super Mario in real life. You do have to buy a Power Up Band separate to your entry ticket to enjoy that element of the park, though. While no one is venturing far at present — and Japan has just shut out international travellers from the Tokyo Olympics, so you're unlikely to be able to head to the country anytime soon — you can add Osaka's Super Nintendo World to your must-visit list once overseas travel does start returning to normal. You might also want to add ziplining into a life-sized version of Godzilla to the same list while you're dreaming about Japanese holidays. Universal Studios is also planning Super Nintendo Worlds for its other parks in Hollywood, Orlando and in Singapore, if you need to add more places to look forward to visiting sometime in the future. The latter was just announced last year, and is set to open by 2025. Super Nintendo World is now open at Universal Studios Osaka, 2 Chome-1-33 Sakurajima, Konohana Ward, Osaka, 554-0031, Japan. Top image: Nintendo and Universal Studios.
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 — Melburnians will need to wait until next year to head back to Docklands' Central Pier for a wine, dine or a dance. The century-old pier will remain closed until at least January 2020, Development Victoria has revealed in a statement, with initial assessments by engineers expected to take 15 weeks. After the assessments are complete, it'll be known how much repair work is required — which means it could be closed far beyond January, too. In a Facebook post, Atlantic Group (which leases and operates several venues and event spaces on the pier, including nightclub Alumbra) said that it was working hard to relocate all functions to other venues. You can read the group's full statement below. This weekend's party plans could be in for a bit of a shake-up, especially if you like wining, dining, or dancing by the water. Docklands' Central Pier — and all the businesses located on it — was yesterday completely evacuated due to safety concerns and reports suggest it'll be off limits and out of action for a good, long while. The 100-year-old pier's landlord, Development Victoria, confirmed the century-old pier and its venues were forced to close immediately on Wednesday, August 28, after engineers advised the structure had suffered significant deterioration and was unsafe for use. Popular residents including gastropub The Woolshed, artisan breadhouse Mill & Bakery and Middle Eastern eatery Mama Rumaan were evacuated on the spot. The pier's numerous events spaces were also declared no-go zones — a bummer especially for organisers of last night's Deakin University commerce ball, which was forced to move location at the last minute. Geoff Ward, spokesperson for Development Victoria, revealed the pier had undergone structural stabilisation in the past two years and had consistently been given the safety tick of approval."Engineers have been inspecting the pier every two months since November 2018 and had previously provided certification that supported the ongoing occupation of the pier," he confirmed. But yesterday's assessment saw immediate closure of the pier. As of this morning, fencing and signage across the front of Central Pier has gone up, preventing any access while Development Victoria waits on further engineering advice about its future. There's no word yet as to how long the precinct will be off limits, though we do know it won't be hosting any of its usual partying this weekend, as confirmed by popular Central Pier nightclub Alumbra. Alumbra posted to the Facebook page for its Saturday club night 9th District, confirming that "9th District and any other business on central pier will not be running this weekend". The venue has "a move in place that will be unveiled in the next few days". https://www.facebook.com/atlanticgroupv/photos/a.209219019106336/2856382844389927/?type=3&theater Images: Giulia Morlando.
Believe: it's the one-word slogan that helped a fictional football club change its mindset and its fortunes on the turf, and truly become a team. IRL, it was even adopted by the AFL's Brisbane Lions on their way to winning the 2024 premiership. It's also what Ted Lasso fans have been doing since 2023, having faith that the kindhearted Jason Sudeikis-starring Apple TV+ hit would return after its third season seemed to wrap up the show's storyline. That belief has proven well-founded: Ted Lasso is officially returning for season four. And yes, lead and executive producer Sudeikis (Hit-Monkey) will be there with it, stepping back into his two-time Emmy-winning role, donning the American-in-London coach's moustache again and presumably continuing to improve the character's knowledge of soccer. Keen to know what's in store? Other details are scarce for now, including who else among the cast will be returning. Brendan Hunt (Bless This Mess), aka Coach Beard, has been named among the new season's producers, however — a behind-the-camera role he also held in the first three seasons — so fingers crossed that he'll be back on-screen, too. Announcing Ted Lasso's fourth season, Sudeikis did provide broad details about the theme in the spotlight this time around. "As we all continue to live in a world where so many factors have conditioned us to 'look before we leap', in season four, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to leap before they look, discovering that wherever they land, it's exactly where they're meant to be," he shared. "Ted Lasso has been nothing short of a juggernaut, inspiring a passionate fanbase all over the world, and delivering endless joy and laughter, all while spreading kindness, compassion and unwavering belief. Everyone at Apple is thrilled to be continuing our collaboration with Jason and the brilliant creative minds behind this show," said Apple TV+ Head of Programming Matt Cherniss about the fourth season. Bill Lawrence, who co-developed Ted Lasso with Sudeikis, Hunt and Joe Kelly (Detroiters) — and who has been busy on the also-warmhearted Apple TV+ comedy Shrinking, which he co-created with its star Jason Segel (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) and Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein (The Garfield Movie) — will be back for season four as an executive producer as well. How will Ted Lasso pick up from the end of season three? Will Goldstein return — and be here, there and everywhere — as Roy Kent? Is everyone from Juno Temple (Venom: The Last Dance), Hannah Waddingham (The Fall Guy), Jeffrey Swift (Sweetpea) and Nick Mohammed (Renegade Nell) to Phil Dunster (Surface), Toheeb Jimoh (The Power), Cristo Fernandez (Sonic the Hedgehog 3), Kola Bokinni (Foresight), Billy Harris (The Outlaws) and James Lance (The Famous Five) also coming back? Hopefully more will be revealed soon, although recent reports have mentioned Goldstein, Waddingham, Swift and Mohammed's involvement, as well as possibly Hunt and Temple. There's no trailer yet for Ted Lasso's fourth season, understandably, but check out the trailer for season three below: Season four of Ted Lasso will stream via Apple TV+ — we'll update you when a release date is announced. Read our full review of season two and season three, and our interview with Brendan Hunt.
Maybe it's the twilight glow. Perhaps it's the stars twinkling above. Or, it could be the cooling breeze, the picnic blankets and beanbags as far as the eye can see, and just seeing a movie grace a giant screen with a leafy backdrop. When the weather is warm enough Australia-wide, a trip to the cinema just seems to shine brighter when it's outdoors. That's Sunset Cinema's whole angle, in fact, and it's returning for another season across the east coast. Over the summer of 2022–23 — and into autumn, too — this excuse to head to the flicks in the open air has seven stops on its itinerary: one in Canberra, three in New South Wales, two in Victoria and one in Queensland. In each, movie buffs can look forward to a lineup of new and classic titles, and a setup perfect for cosy date nights or an easy group hangs outdoors. NSW's run gets started on Friday, December 9 at St Ives Showgrounds, screening through till Saturday, January 28 with a lineup that includes box-office behemoths Top Gun: Maverick and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Disney's Strange World, Aussie drama Blueback and Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling. Also on the bill: a heap of festive flicks leading into Christmas, such as Elf, Love Actually, Home Alone and The Nightmare Before Christmas; and three dog-focused films in January, spanning Marley & Me, Scooby-Doo and 101 Dalmatians. Sunset Cinema will also head to North Sydney Oval from Wednesday, January 11—Saturday, April 1, featuring the likes of 2022 hits The Menu and Everything Everywhere All At Once, Steven Spielberg's latest The Fabelmans, Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody, throwbacks such as There's Something About Mary and Crazy Stupid Love, and more. And, at the Wollongong Botanic Garden from Thursday, December 15–Saturday, March 11, the season covers many of the aforementioned titles — the Christmas lineup included — and also Mean Girls, Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap as part of a Lohan Fest. In Victoria, Mt Martha is first on the agenda, with Sunset Cinema hitting The Briars from Wednesday, December 21—Friday, January 20. Those festive films get a run here, too, as do classics Dirty Dancing and The Princess Bride — and many of the new titles showing at other venues. Melburnians don't miss out, however, thanks to a new St Kilda run from Friday, February 1—Saturday, March 4 at St Kilda Botanical Gardens. The lineup for that spot hasn't yet been revealed. And, in Brisbane, mark April in your diaries — with the exact dates, venue and program to be announced. At all stops around the country, BYO picnics are encouraged here, but the event is fully licensed, so alcohol can only be purchased onsite. Didn't pack enough snacks? There'll be hot food options, plus plenty of the requisite movie treats like chips, chocolates, lollies and popcorn. SUNSET CINEMA 2022–23 DATES: Canberra, ACT: Thursday, November 24—Saturday, February 25 at Australian National Botanic Gardens St Ives, NSW: Friday, December 9—Saturday, January 28 at St Ives Showgrounds Wollongong, NSW: Thursday, December 15–Saturday, March 11 at Wollongong Botanic Garden North Sydney, NSW: Wednesday, January 11—Saturday, April 1 at North Sydney Oval Mt Martha, VIC: Wednesday, December 21—Friday, January 20 at The Briars, Mt Martha St Kilda, VIC: Friday, February 1—Saturday, March 4 at St Kilda Botanical Gardens Brisbane, QLD — from April 2023, exact dates and venue TBC Sunset Cinema's 2022–23 season runs at various venues around the country from November 2022. Head to the Sunset Cinema website for further details.
When French stage actor Sarah Bernhardt performed in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, posters helped spread the word. The art that featured is as famous as the star herself. Responsible for the designs: Czech-born painter and illustrator Alphonse Mucha, who is virtually synonymous with Paris in the art nouveau period as a result. He's also the subject of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' huge 2024 winter showcase. AGNSW has unveiled its program for the year ahead, and its biggest-name exhibition is impressive. It'll also be exclusive to Sydney. Running from Saturday, June 15–Sunday, September 22, Alphonse Mucha: Spirit of Art Nouveau will be the most-comprehensive showcase of the artist's work that Australia has ever seen, in fact. Posters for Bernhardt and others will feature, alongside illustrations, photographs, jewellery and interior decoration. Surveying Mucha's five-decade career, created in collaboration with the Mucha Foundation in Prague and featuring pieces from the Mucha Family Collection, Alphonse Mucha: Spirit of Art Nouveau will also include a digital component. There, his painting cycle The Slav Epic from 1912–26 will get the immersive treatment. [caption id="attachment_942045" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alphonse Mucha 'Reverie' 1898, colour lithograph, 72.7 x 55.2 cm © Mucha Trust 2024 // Alphonse Mucha 'The Seasons: Summer' 1896, colour lithograph, 103 x 54 cm © Mucha Trust 2024. // Alphonse Mucha 'Princess Hyacinth' 1911, colour lithograph 125.5 x 83.5 cm © Mucha Trust 2024[/caption] "Thanks to the close and generous collaboration with the Mucha Foundation in Prague, this extensive exhibition brings many of Alphonse Mucha's exceptionally important works to Sydney, revealing an artist and designer whose powerful influence remains with us today, some 85 years after his death," said Art Gallery of New South Wales Director Michael Brand, announcing the exhibition. "Mucha was a prolific and versatile artist whose work spanned many areas of design, from the iconic theatrical posters that made his name, to design and advertising, to jewellery, sculpture and interior design, book illustration and, of course, painting." "As an artist, activist and philosopher, Mucha moved beyond art nouveau in his search for an art to elevate the human spirit, coming to focus attention on the socio-historical issues affecting the Slavic peoples then under the domination of the Austro-Hungarian Empire," Brand continued. [caption id="attachment_942047" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lesley Dumbrell 'Solstice' 1974, Liquitex on canvas, 173 x 296 cm, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased with funds provided by the Patrick White Bequest 2019 © Lesley Dumbrell.[/caption] Alphonse Mucha: Spirit of Art Nouveau sits on AGNSW's 2024 lineup alongside a wealth of other reasons to hit the Sydney gallery. The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes will be back, of course, displaying across winter as well. The Volume festival, which debuted in 2023, will also return — albeit with dates and details to be confirmed. And the site is a venue for the 24th Biennale of Sydney from March–June, too. The abstract art of Australian talent Lesley Dumbrell, paintings and sculptures by South Korea's Lee Ufan and stepping into Wendy Sharpe's creative process are among the other highlights, from a list that goes on. One particular must-see: What Does the Jukebox Dream Of?, where the gallery will go big on defunct media — complete with Susan Hiller's large-scale installation Die gedanken sind frei (Thoughts are free), a customised Wurlitzer jukebox, which will hit Australia for the first time and play 100-plus anthems spanning centuries. [caption id="attachment_942046" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Susan Hiller 'Die gedanken sind frei (Thoughts are free)' 2012, 102 songs on customised Wurlitzer walnut jukebox, vinyl lettering, books, benches, sound, overall display dimensions variable, Art Gallery of New South Wales, gift of Geoff Ainsworth AM and Johanna Featherstone 2017 © Estate of Susan Hiller, courtesy Lisson Gallery, photo: Jack Hems.[/caption] Art Gallery of New South Wales' 2024 Exhibitions and Events: Until Sunday, March 10 — Kandinsky and Georgiana Houghton: Invisible Friends Until Sunday, April 28 — Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day? Until Sunday, April 21 — ARTEXPRESS 2024 Saturday, March 9–Monday, June 10 — 24th Biennale of Sydney: Ten Thousand Suns Saturday, March 9–Sunday, September 22 — What Does the Jukebox Dream Of? Saturday, March 9–Sunday, June 2 — Jelena Telecki: Mothers, Fathers Saturday, May 25–Sunday, August 11 — Wendy Sharpe: Spellbound Saturday, June 8–Sunday, September 8 — Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes 2024 Saturday, June 15–Sunday, September 22 — Alphonse Mucha: Spirit of Art Nouveau Saturday, June 22–Monday, October 7 — Emily Hunt Saturday, July 30–Sunday, October 24 — Lesley Dumbrell: Thrum Saturday, August 31–September 2024 — Lee Ufan Saturday, September 14–Sunday, January 12 — Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial 2024 Saturday, September 21–mid 2025 — Angelica Mesiti: The Rites of When Saturday, November 2–Sunday, February 16 — Leyla Stevens Saturday, November 9–Sunday, February 9 — Nusra Latif Qureshi TBC — Volume 2024 [caption id="attachment_942048" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sampa the Great performing at the 2023 Volume Festival at the Art Gallery of NSW, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Daniel Boud.[/caption] For more information about the Art Gallery of New South Wales' 2024 exhibitions — all of which will occur at The Domain, Sydney — visit the venue's website. Top image: excerpt of Alphonse Mucha 'Reverie' 1898, colour lithograph, 72.7 x 55.2 cm © Mucha Trust 2024 // Alphonse Mucha 'The Seasons: Summer' 1896, colour lithograph, 103 x 54 cm © Mucha Trust 2024. // Alphonse Mucha 'Princess Hyacinth' 1911, colour lithograph 125.5 x 83.5 cm © Mucha Trust 2024
When it comes to creating smash-hit venues, legendary chef Andrew McConnell knows what's what. He's the mind behind favourites like Cumulus Inc, Cutler & Co, Supernormal and Marion, to name a few. And now, Melbourne's set to score another, with news McConnell's planning a new restaurant, to open in the 1920s heritage Cavendish House building at 33 Russell Street in the CBD. It'll be his first new project in five years. The restaurant is yet to be named, though McConnell has dropped some clues as to what we can expect. "The inherent design of the room made me think of a clubby European bistro that manages to be familiar and elegant at the same time," he said in a statement. Part of the space will be home to a cocktail bar, so you'll be able to pop in for an after-work or pre-dinner drink and snack combo, too. Sydney-based architecture and design studio Acme will be heading up the build, charged with creating 'a sensory experience' through a mix of marble, brass, linen and leather. The space will feature a dining area decked out with booths and banquettes, and a separate cocktail bar. Considering the studio is responsible for highly Instagrammed venues like The Grounds Of Alexandria, Charlie Parker's and Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, you can expect it to be very impressive. As for the food, we're told to expect elements of French, Spanish and Italian cuisine, with a few flavours from the British Isles thrown in for good measure. The building — which was previously a fancy flagship for Bang & Olufsen — is located on the corner of Flinders Lane and Russell Street, only a short walk from McConnell's Supernormal and in the middle of the Flinders Lane dining action. Andrew McConnell's next restaurant will open at 33 Russell Street, Melbourne in early 2020. We'll let you know when we have more details and an opening date. Image: Google Maps.
It's hard to imagine sharing anything else with a complete stranger on public transport than the very seat you both happen to sit on. But the Bibliotaxi project based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, makes sharing things on public transport sound not half-bad. The concept behind Bibliotaxi or 'library in a car' was developed by Instituto Mobilidade Verde, or Green Mobility Institute, and combines their causes of sustainability and mobility. The project also aims to encourage 'sharing' in the city of Vila Madalena. Taxi passengers who enter a Bibliotaxi are free to leisurely peruse the books inside the taxi and even borrow (and return) the books if it becomes too hard to part with once their destination is reached. What a great way to revive books. Perhaps the awkward taxi conversation may become more interesting and informed in Sao Paulo, now that there is a library at the passenger's disposal. [Via PSFK]
One day, glowing plants might provide enough energy to light up entire buildings. At least, that's the hope of Antony Evans, Kyle Taylor and Omri Amirav-Drory. They have the science to justify it, and the support behind their Kickstarter campaign to attempt its realisation. Their plan has been made possible by developments in synthetic biology over the past 30 or so years. Back in 1986, scientists cultivated the very first radiant seeds but discovered that their effectiveness required the addition of luciferin (the pigment that illuminates fireflies). Three years later, the luciferase-luciferin gene was sequenced. However, it wasn't until 2010 that researchers at the State University of New York managed to add the gene to plants, giving them a dim glow. Around the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic, the University of Cambridge's iGem team was recycling luciferase to create bacteria that beamed with the ferocity of Kryptonite. Fast-forward three years, and the aforementioned trio of scientific talents is building on these developments to hatch a plan that has the dramatic reduction of CO2 at its heart. They've already raised the $65,000 necessary to achieving their initial aim — the cultivation of Arabidopsis plants. Now, they're on the cusp of reaching their first stretch goal — $400,000, which will enable the development of glowing roses. So far, 6,981 backers have committed funds, to the tune of $395,135. Supporters who pledge $40 or more are promised a batch of seeds, meaning they'll be able to grow their own glowing plants at home. $150 or more buys a bioluminescent rose. The project has received the backing of some of the highest fliers in the fields of Genetics, Biotechnology and Biochemistry, including George Church (Head of Genetics at Harvard Medical School), Andrew Hessel (Autodesk Distinguished Research Fellow) and Austen Heinz (Founder of Cambrian Genomics). [Via Inhabitat]
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. THE INNOCENTS Thanks to his Oscar-nominated work co-penning The Worst Person in the World's screenplay, Eskil Vogt has already helped give the world one devastatingly accurate slice-of-life portrait in the past year. That applauded film is so insightful and relatable about being in your twenties, and also about weathering quarter-life malaise, uncertainty and crisis, that it feels inescapably lifted from reality — and it's sublime. The Innocents, the Norwegian filmmaker's latest movie, couldn't be more different in tone and narrative; however, it too bears the fingerprints of achingly perceptive and deep-seated truth. Perhaps that should be mindprints, though. Making his second feature as a director after 2014's exceptional Blind, Vogt hones in on childhood, and on the way that kids behave with each other when adults are absent or oblivious — and on tykes and preteens who can wreak havoc solely using their mental faculties. Another riff on Firestarter, this thankfully isn't. The Innocents hasn't simply jumped on the Stranger Things bandwagon, either. Thanks to the latter, on-screen tales about young 'uns battling with the supernatural are one of Hollywood's current favourite trends — see also: the awful Ghostbusters: Afterlife — but all that this Nordic horror movie's group of kids are tussling with is themselves. Their fight starts when nine-year-old Ida (debutant Rakel Lenora Fløttum) and her 11-year-old sister Anna (fellow first-timer Alva Brynsmo Ramstad), who is on the autism spectrum, move to an apartment block in Romsås, Oslo with their mother (Blind's Ellen Dorrit Petersen) and father (Morten Svartveit, Ninjababy). It's summer, the days are long, and the two girls are largely left to their own devices outside in the complex's communal spaces. That's where Ida befriends Aisha (Mina Yasmin Bremseth Asheim) and Ben (Sam Ashraf), albeit not together, and starts to learn about their abilities. One of The Innocents' most astonishing scenes — in a film with many — springs from Ida discovering what the sullen, bullied Ben can do solely with his brain. Indeed, one of Vogt's masterstrokes is focusing on how she reacts to the boy's telekinesis, as demonstrated by flinging around a bottle cap. Ida is almost preternaturally excited, and she's lured in by the thrall of what Ben might be able to do next, even though she can visibly sense that something isn't quite right. Another series of unforgettable moments arises shortly afterward when her new pal, lapping up the attention from his only friend, cruelly and sickeningly shows off without even deploying his superpowers. It's a deeply disturbing turn in a movie that repeatedly isn't afraid to find evident terrors in ordinary, everyday, banal surroundings, and Ida's response — horrified, alarmed, yet unwilling to completely cut ties — again says everything. Vogt doesn't shy away from intimating something that society often doesn't, won't or both: that childhood and innocence don't always go hand in hand. En route to their new home in the film's opening sequence, Ida is already spied pinching the non-verbal Anna just to glean what she'll do. Later, as conveyed in economical imagery lensed by stellar cinematographer Sturla Brandth Grøvlen — who already has Another Round, Last and First Men, Shirley, Rams and Victoria to his name, and uses blood here with haunting precision — she's seen escalating that pain-fulled experimentation in a gutwrenching fashion. This side to the girl's personality isn't played as a twist or shock, and neither are Ben's skills and proclivities, or the friendly Aisha's telepathic powers (including the ability to communicate with Anna). Instead, The Innocents is positively matter of fact about what its pint-sized characters are capable of, and also steadfastly avoids trading in simplistic ideas of good and evil, or offering up neat rationales. Read our full review. HOW TO PLEASE A WOMAN When Magic Mike stripped its way into cinemas a decade ago, it didn't just turn Channing Tatum's IRL background into a movie and give his chiselled torso oh-so-much attention; it understood that women like sex, boast libidos and have desires, too. Its sequel, Magic Mike XXL, doubled down on that idea, and winningly so — even if the saga dances with a notion so blatant that it definitely shouldn't feel revelatory to see it thrust front and centre in a big-budget Hollywood film. There's no trace of Tatum in How to Please a Woman, and it has nothing to do with the saucy franchise that has a third flick on the way, but this Aussie comedy nonetheless follows in Magic Mike's footsteps. Here, women also like sex, boast libidos and have desires, and that's something that the stuck-in-a-rut Gina (Sally Phillips, Off the Rails) turns into a lucrative business. When first-time feature writer/director Renée Webster begins her sunnily shot, eagerly crowd-pleasing leap to the big screen — following helming gigs on TV's The Heights and Aftertaste — Gina's relationship with sex is non-existent. She has long been wed to lawyer Adrian (Cameron Daddo, Home and Away), but he still thinks that having a tumble on their last holiday years ago is enough bedroom action to keep their marriage going. Gina's resigned to that fact, too, until her ocean swimming club pals book her a stripping surprise for her birthday. Tom (Alexander England, Little Monsters) shows up at her door, starts gyrating and undressing, and says he'll do whatever she wants. Although her friends are later horrified — and its their eagerness to truly take Tom up on his offer that inspires a brainwave — Gina asks him to clean her house instead. Men doing housework shouldn't be revolutionary or subversive either, but How to Please a Woman still uses it as a doorway to exploring other female yearnings that are often left unsatisfied. It's as cliched a move as Webster makes — and her movie makes plenty — but it's also part of the film's devotion to celebrating what women genuinely want. Here, a comedy can be overt, easy and obvious (all things that Gina's sex life isn't), and also delightfully well-intentioned in embracing a fact of life that's rarely given much attention, especially if women past their 30s are involved. Indeed, when a suddenly unemployed Gina, devastated by being the only one downsized out of the insolvency firm she dutifully works for, spots a removalist company she thinks she can save — by turning it into a male escort service, covering scrubbing and shagging alike, and both if customers would like — How to Please a Woman is both broad and joyous. There's a caper attitude to Gina's operations from there, after convincing Tom's removals colleagues Anthony (Ryan Johnson, Doctor Doctor), Ben (Josh Thomson, Young Rock) and Steve (Erik Thomson, Coming Home in the Dark) to widen their professional repertoire. She's skirting the law, Adrian's none the wiser, and the customers (including characters played by Blacklight's Caroline Brazier, Mystery Road's Tasma Walton, Rams' Hayley McElhinney and The Heights' Asher Yasbincek) keep coming. Sometimes, those between-the-sheets antics are clumsy, and Gina's new stable of prostitutes need a few pointers. That applies to getting their paying clients' homes spick and span, too. And, it also covers How to Please a Woman overall, which is always cosier and less risqué than its sex-positive, age-positive and female-focused premise implies. It also leans on the expected rather than takes risks, but remains wonderfully cast — especially Phillips — and gleefully wears its message about finding happiness by knowing what you need and going for it. LAST SEEN ALIVE Perhaps the most positive thing that can be said about Last Seen Alive is this: it's definitely a Gerard Butler-starring kidnapping thriller. That isn't meant as praise, though; rather, the film simply manages to be exactly what viewers would expect given its star and premise. There's clearly far less cash behind it than the also-terrible trio of Olympus Has Fallen, London Has Fallen and Angel Has Fallen — or Geostorm, Den of Thieves, Hunter Killer and Greenland among the Scottish actor's career lowlights over the past decade, either. There's visibly less effort, too, and more of a phoning-it-in vibe. The second collaboration between actor-turned-filmmaker Brian Goodman (What Doesn't Kill You) and producer/writer Marc Frydman after 2017's Black Butterfly, it plays like something that a streaming platform's algorithm might spit out in an AI-driven future where new movies are swiftly spliced together from pieces of past flicks. Yes, among Butler's output and with its abduction storyline, it's that derivative. Butler plays Will Spann, a real estate developer who already isn't having a great day when the film begins — but it's about to get worse. He's driving his unhappy wife Lisa (Jaimie Alexander, Loki) to her parents' home, where she's keen to decamp to find herself and take a break from their marriage, and Will is desperate to convince her to change her plans en route. His charm offensive isn't working when they stop at a petrol station mere minutes away from their destination, and he has zero charisma for anyone when Lisa unexpectedly disappears while he's filling the tank. Fuming that local police detective Paterson (Russell Hornsby, Lost in Space) hasn't just dropped everything immediately, and that he also has questions about their relationship, Will decides to chase down any lead he can himself. Meanwhile, Lisa's unsurprisingly wary parents (Queen Bees' Cindy Hogan and Master's Bruce Altman) direct their suspicions his way. Perhaps the most backhanded compliment that can be given to Last Seen Alive is this: it'd make a better Liam Neeson movie. Both Frydman's script and Goodman's execution feel like they're aiming for Taken; instead, even this year's dismal Blacklight looks better. With Butler in the lead, Will comes across as overbearing and insufferable rather than concerned and committed to doing whatever it takes — and nothing that the character does makes much sense as a result. He refuses to let the cops investigate because, basically, he's played by an angry Butler. He can't even wait at the petrol station that Lisa disappears from for seemingly the same reason. When he gets a tip about a suspect, he takes matters into his own hands rather than tells Paterson because, you guessed it, he's played by an angry Butler. Accordingly, the entire movie is little more than an exercise in answering the same question over and over again: what would a jerk of a character played by an angry Butler do in any given situation? It doesn't help that Last Seen Alive is shot as if the bane of every recently made television's existence, motion-smoothing settings, were already set in-camera. There's low-budget naturalism and then there's the flat, dull, soap opera-style look that this film sports. And, the special effects used for explosions simply demonstrate how vast the gap between unconvincing CGI and the real thing can be. Similarly doing the film no favours: the complete and utter absence of tension that stems from its central casting, and also its eagerness to prove as generic as possible. Little that Spann does is logical, but it's also ridiculously predictable because it's exactly what has to happen with Butler in the part. That he's easily and quickly overshadowed by Ethan Embry (First Man) in a thankless supporting role says everything it needs to. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on February 3, February 10, February 17 and February 24; and March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5 and May 12. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Belfast, Here Out West, Jackass Forever, Benedetta, Drive My Car, Death on the Nile, C'mon C'mon, Flee, Uncharted, Quo Vadis, Aida?, Cyrano, Hive, Studio 666, The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara and This Much I Know to Be True.
No one loves long-haul flights. If you don't have the cash to upgrade your seat, no one loves trying to get some sleep when you're soaring through the air for nine, 13 or even 17-plus hours. But thanks to Air New Zealand's new economy skynest, getting some shuteye midair is about to get a whole lot easier — come 2024, when the airline's new Dreamliners will take to the skies. First announced back in 2020, and now confirmed to come into operation in just two more years, Air NZ's economy skynest is a first-of-its-kind option that'll feature six lie-flat pods. Yes, they look like bunk beds on a plane, and you'll be able to slumber in them while zooming to your destination. If it sounds like a game changer, that's because it is. Back in 2020, Air NZ announced the pods as part of filing patent and trademark applications, and noted that it'd make a final decision on whether they'd come into effect within a year. That go-ahead might've arrived a bit later — aka now, not in 2021 — but that doesn't make it any less exciting. "New Zealand's location puts us in a unique position to lead on the ultra-longhaul travel experience. We have zeroed in on sleep, comfort and wellness because we know how important it is for our customers to arrive well-rested. Whether they are heading straight into a meeting or to their first holiday hotspot — they want to hit the ground running," said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran. "It's a proud moment to finally unveil five years of hard mahi, in what truly is a cabin of possibility. One that will provide customers with options to get some shut eye wherever they're sitting." While the full details are yet to be revealed, when they were first announced, the pods were intended to include a full-size pillow, sheets, a blanket, ear plugs, privacy curtains and lighting designed for sleep. The airline also said it was exploring other features such as separate reading light, personal device USB outlet and ventilation outlet. Also on the way: new business premier luxe suites and business premier seats, if you are flush with cash. The former will include a door that closes, plus a space to dine; the latter will let you share your nest with a friend if you're in the middle row. The new Dreamliners will also feature premium economy seats, with more protected space to recline without annoying the person behind you; economy skycouch, so you can spread out, lie down and sleep; and economy stretch, with more leg room than a regular seat. And, those usual seats will get more storage space, a 50-percent bigger entertainment screen, and bluetooth audio and pairing. Also, the aircrafts will feature care stations in the premium economy and economy cabins, letting travellers stretch their legs, grab a bite to eat and get a drink whenever they wish. Design-wise, the planes' interiors will take cues from Aotearoa in a number of ways, too — such as carpet inspired by the forest, and nodding to the tūī in the seats. Air New Zealand's Economy Skynest will be available from 2024. For more information in the interim, visit the airline's website.
Imagine a fully immersive theatre experience with a 'choose your own adventure' twist and lots of macabre nods to Edgar Allan Poe, and you'll have some idea of what to expect when A Midnight Visit takes over an abandoned Melbourne warehouse this winter. Following its sell-out interstate incarnations in Sydney and Perth, as well as winning Concrete Playground's Best New Event of 2018, A Midnight Visit is now being brought to life across 36 rooms in an eerie North Melbourne warehouse. Part performance, part playground and part film set, it'll be unlike any offering the city has seen before. Take on the dare and you'll be transported you into a dreamworld that takes its cues from those notoriously thrilling, dark-hearted works of Edgar Allan Poe. It'll channel more contemporary cult classics, too — think David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick and Stranger Things. Running from from Tuesday, July 29 to Sunday, November 3, A Midnight Visit has been conjured by a team of multi-disciplinary performers spanning theatre, dance, circus, burlesque and music, along with a hugely talented creative crew of innovative sound, set and costume designers. Each room within the labyrinth will alternate between the mysterious, the ghoulish and the sublime. Expect to plunge into a pink ball pit, crawl through tunnels and dance with the dead in a blood-red chamber. Exploring themes of madness, death, impermanence, guilt and memory and with hints to uneven floors, small spaces and many 'troubled characters', A Midnight Visit won't be for the faint-hearted. But, for those daring enough, a whimsical and seductive whirlwind experience awaits. If you're thinking you might need some sort of tipple to calm your nerves before all of that, or after, you'll find yourself in good hands at the on-site pop-up bar — The Raven's Rest — which will be serving up snacks and libations. A Midnight Visit will run from July 29 to November 3, at an abandoned warehouse (aka House of Usher – Funeral Services), 222 Macaulay Rd, North Melbourne. Tickets cost between $48–84 and are on sale now — we suggest you get in quick. Images: Anna Kucera and Toby Peet. UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 — Due to overwhelming demand, A Midnight Visit has extended its Melbourne season from September 15 to November 17. The above article has been updated to reflect this.
Pack your bags, book a flight, grab your winter woolies, and get ready to head to Hobart. For yet another year running, the Museum of Old and New Art is making Tasmania the place to be with events more weird and more wonderful than ever before. Yep, they've unveiled their stellar Dark Mofo 2016 lineup. From June 10 to 21, the museum every mainlander wishes was in their home city is unleashing its unique brand of large-scale art, food, film, music and just general light, noise and mayhem upon the apple isle. It's the kind of cultural pandemonium that has inspired more than 130,000 people to make the trek to Tassie in previous years. Now that's how you celebrate the winter solstice. One-off installation Asylum, set inside a historic mental institution, includes a 72-hour, non-stop performance by artist Mike Parr — and it only accepts mirrors (yes, those shiny things you can see your own reflection in) as an entry fee. It's the type of event most festivals can only dream of, so, naturally, it's on the Dark Mofo program. So is Ryoji Ikeda's supersymmetry [experience], which springs from his 2014-15 residence at the European Council for Nuclear Research, the home of the Large Hadron Collider, and will become the latest addition to the MONA collection. With the Juliana Engberg-curated exhibition Tempest bringing a blend of piracy and wild weather to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery at the same time, that's part of the Dark Mofo shenanigans as well. And it includes Event for a Stage: the Australian premiere of a new stage-to-film exploration of the acting and the creative process made by Turner Prize-winning Young British Artist Tacita Dean OBE, starring Game of Thrones' Stephen Dillane, and shot live during the nineteenth Biennale of Sydney. If that's not enough to inspire a mid-year pilgrimage, then perhaps a public art playground filled everything from swinging pendulums to LED light drawings that transcribe the patterns of the wind will be. Yep, the dockside Dark Park is the place to find Divination, Nancy Mauro-Flude's thirties-era cabaret crossed with a cypherpunk internet cafe; A Galaxy of Suns, where Michaela Gleave and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Chorus turn constellations into scores; and the disorienting chamber of kaleidoscopic reflections that is Christian Wagstaff and Keith Courtney's House of Mirrors, too. We're noticing a theme here. [caption id="attachment_567185" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] The Bacchae. Image: Pia Johnson.[/caption] And really, that's just the beginning. Performance-wise, pop-up space Block Box will play host to a whole heap of pieces — although it depends if Lustmord's dark ambient tunes or hallucinatory theatrical event The Bacchae, a dream-like invocation of excess and violence as told through the eyes of teenage girls, is your kind of thing. Music fans will want to flock to Hymns to the Dead, where death metal gets its due, or to Rivers and Streams, the only Aussie show by Ukrainian maestro Lubomyr Melnyk, aka the fastest concert pianist in the world. Anyone fond of costume balls can don their best gothic threads for The Funeral Party — and given that it's set at Turnbull Family Funerals, it's certain to be as dark as it sounds. Plus, film buffs should expect another fright-inducing feast of sinister cinematic delights, such as heavy metal horror effort The Devil's Candy. Dark Mofo isn't just about all things new and exciting, though, with a couple of old favourites also returning. Late-night event Blacklist will turn both weekends into an art party, and the Winter Feast will serve up another communal banquet. Don't forget to purge your fears with the annual burning ritual of the ogoh-ogohs, and take part in the Nude Solstice Swim after the longest night of the year. Basically, whatever type of activity floats your boat, you'd best get on one — or another type of landmass-hopping transport — to take part. With a lineup this killer, you know you're going to kick yourself if you miss it. Dark Mofo runs June 10 to 21 in various locations across Hobart, Tasmania. Tickets are on sale from 10am on Monday, April 20 from the festival website.
UPDATE, December 24, 2020: The Lodge is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. When a horror movie takes its title from a house, home, cabin or other structure, nothing good will happen within those walls. Indeed, when a film boasts a name like The Cabin in the Woods, The Last House on the Left or The Orphanage, it starts creeping people out — or at least evoking a considerable sense of foreboding — long before the first frames even roll. Unsurprisingly, The Lodge fits the mould perfectly. There's a lodge, naturally. It's in the middle of nowhere, of course, and it's further isolated by the expanse of ice and snow that surrounds it for miles. Inside, strange things happen, too. But don't go thinking that Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala's (Goodnight Mommy) slow-burning psychological thriller just sticks to an easy formula. Before taking viewers to the feature's eponymous abode, the writer/director team visit two other houses: the home of journalist Richard (Richard Armitage), where kids Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) are being dropped off for the weekend; and that of his estranged wife Laura (Alicia Silverstone), who he's just told that he wants a divorce. Neither place particularly sparkles with joy, especially after Laura reacts to her marital breakdown — and the fact that Richard is planning to wed his younger girlfriend Grace (Riley Keough) within months — in a far more drastic fashion than just exclaiming "as if!". Afterwards, Aidan and Mia aren't thrilled about their new stepmother-to-be either, or the fact that she'll be joining them and their dad at the family lodge over Christmas. They're especially suspicious given that Grace isn't just the new woman in their father's life but, as a child, was the only survivor of a doomsday cult's suicide pact — which Richard literally wrote the book on. It's not hard to guess what happens next: they all go to the lodge, unease spreads and, after Richard heads back to the city to work for a few days, the situation explodes between Aidan, Mia and Grace. And while that may seem like as stock-standard a horror storyline (or family drama plot) as holidaying in a remote cabin, Franz and Fiala know how to mould even the most straightforward setup into something distinctive, chilling and disturbing. Their secret weapon: ambiguity. It's what made the aunt-and-nephew team's first feature, unsettling Austrian creepfest Goodnight Mommy, work such a charm as well. When The Lodge's central trio all awake to find a blizzard settling in, the power and water cut off, and all their food and warm clothes gone, there are a couple of perfectly reasonable explanations — but the possibility that something more sinister could be afoot also feels just as plausible. Cue a perturbing film that doesn't just ooze uncertainty, but embraces it, dwells in it and splashes it across the screen at every turn. That applies to the characters as well as to the audience, with mistrust and paranoia sparking plenty of questions on-screen and off. Grace wonders if Aidan and Mia are messing with her, the kids ponder whether their future stepmum's horrific past might be seeping into their present, and they all eventually suspect bigger, stranger causes. And, intimating that more than one answer might apply, Franz, Fiala and their co-writer Sergio Casci keep absolutely everyone guessing. Also adding another layer of queries: the movie's frequent, lingering glimpses at Mia's astonishingly detailed doll's house, which is filled with miniature versions of the exact same sights and scenes playing out in the lodge. If said doll's house reminds you of Hereditary and its disquieting diorama, that's understandable. They're made by different filmmakers, and The Lodge was in the works long before Hereditary premiered and became an instant cult horror hit, but the two films are kindred spirits. There's no limit on tragedy-fuelled explorations of family tensions, grief and distressing occurrences, after all — and no limit on atmospheric explorations of all of the above, either. Indeed, seeing how Franz and Fiala twist these familiar elements into something unique ranks among The Lodge's highlights. Mood-driven filmmakers, they ratchet up the eeriness with skill and style, firmly taking the film in its own direction. That said, for all its pinpoint-effective ambiguity, needling sights and sounds, and agitating ambience, The Lodge might've still proven generic. It could've just come across as a routine mashup of Goodnight Mommy and Hereditary, too, albeit an assured and eye-catching one. That's if it didn't have Keough at its core — and her impact in this supremely well-crafted film cannot be underestimated. As a horror device, uncertainty only works if audiences genuinely believe that multiple outcomes could be possible, which is the case here thanks to Keough's rattling performance. In her bone-chilling stare and gut-wrenching screams, Grace is a clear trauma victim. In her jittery behaviour, she's also a source of immense stress and apprehension for Aidan and Mia. Viewers never quite know whether to be frightened of Grace or to be frightened with Grace, with the Mad Max: Fury Road, American Honey and Logan Lucky actor selling both options. Serving up a nerve-shattering onslaught of psychological thrills, The Lodge leans into that anxiety-sparking uncertainty as far as it can go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN4E-NV2bpo
UPDATE, March 29, 2021: The King of Staten Island is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Binge, Foxtel Now, Google Play and YouTube Movies. Judd Apatow has a length problem. If one of his manchild protagonists said that, they'd be poking fun at his penis size, but we're actually referring to the duration of the filmmaker's movies. His arrested development-fuelled comedies always clock in at around the two-hour mark, minimum. Whether he's laughing at a middle-aged man's lacklustre love life, an unplanned pregnancy, or a comedian and movie star's near-death experience, the director behind The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Funny People never does so with brevity. So, returning to his favourite topic after giving it a slight twist in Trainwreck — which swapped his usual floundering male lead for Amy Schumer — it's hardly surprising that Apatow's latest flick feels protracted. Loosely inspired by Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson's life, including what might've happened if he hadn't made it in comedy, The King of Staten Island definitely, noticeably meanders. Thankfully, it's also candid, raw and funny, as well as exceptionally well-cast. Oozing a different kind of BDE — that'd be big daddy's boy energy here, and even big deadbeat energy — Davidson plays 24-year-old Staten Island resident Scott. He still lives at home with his overworked nurse mother Margie (Marisa Tomei) and his college-bound younger sister Claire (Maude Apatow), and he still can't quite cope with the death of his firefighter father on the job 17 years earlier. A high-school dropout who dreams of opening a combined tattoo parlour and restaurant, he spends his time smoking weed with his mates (Moises Arias, Ricky Velez and Lou Wilson), sleeping with but refusing to commit to or publicly acknowledge his lifelong friend Kelsey (Bel Powley), and inking up anyone who'll let him. Then, after making a particularly poor decision involving a tattoo gun and a nine-year-old, he ends up with irate firey Ray (Bill Burr) first yelling on his doorstep, then dating his mum. Born and raised in Staten Island himself, 26-year-old Davidson lost his own firefighter dad in 2001's September 11 attacks — and, unsurprisingly, he co-wrote The King of Staten Island's script with Apatow and ex-SNL writer Dave Sirus. Hanging out with someone who is playing a part, but has also mostly been there and done plenty of what viewers see on-screen, the movie always sports a lived-in vibe as a result. Indeed, rather than just conjuring up relatable comic scenarios for chuckles, it heaves with extra weight and resonance. Scott's aimlessness, his inability to face his feelings about anything and his juvenile response to almost every situation all feel grounded in truth, then unfurled in the film in an unvarnished fashion. And while few folks watching have been in the exact same circumstances, The King of Staten Island leans into the minutiae of its Staten Island experiences and coming-of-age antics with such commitment that they prove universal. That's what personal, specific stories do when they're told frankly, and with warmth and care — including when they pair a tale about a wayward twenty-something grappling with trauma with a hefty stream of bro-comedy jokes. This is an Apatow movie, though, so the usual manchild escapades and humour do apply. That's especially true when the film indulgently watches on as Scott pals around with his buddies, which is where the feature's relaxed length makes itself felt. But, more importantly, The King of Staten Island is a Pete Davidson movie — and that has a considerable impact. Apatow often shapes his films around his stars (see: Knocked Up and Seth Rogen, Funny People and Adam Sandler, and Trainwreck and Amy Schumer); however Davidson might be his best lead yet. He's lanky and loose, as the comedian always is in SNL. He plays the wayward yet vulnerable slacker role with ease and even confidence, too, as he did in the thematically similar Big Time Adolescence. Plus, with a sense that he's willing to not only step into his own shoes, but also laugh and take a look at himself while he's there, he nails Scott's cruising, childish, often dickish demeanour and behaviour. That he does so while the radiant Tomei, determined Powley and, as another firefighter, a laidback Steve Buscemi all leave an imprint is no minor feat. Here, confronting how easy it is for immature, inertia-riddled men not to grow up makes for a canny and amusing semi-autobiographical comedy, as mixed with another of Apatow's hallmarks since his and Paul Feig's Freaks and Geeks days: sweetness. When the film opens with Scott driving down the highway, shutting his eyes for a second and flirting with death, it hints at a much darker, deeper movie that sadly never eventuates — although the feature that does blaze across the screen is steeped in unmistakable sorrow, Apatow has always loved getting sentimental. Still, The King of Staten Island isn't the by-the-numbers addition to the director's resume that it could've been. It undeniably relies upon a formula, but it benefits from Davidson's rougher edges and brutal self-awareness. And, as shot by Paul Thomas Anderson's regular cinematographer Robert Elswit (an Oscar-winner for There Will Be Blood), it benefits from gorgeous, naturalistic 35mm imagery also — fittingly for a film that tasks its lead with peering back at his upbringing, pain, loss, laughs, learnings, quarter-life struggles and all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQqiDZQScVA&feature=youtu.be Top image: © 2020 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. All Rights Reserved.
Not once, not twice, but three times during the 21st century, movie-goers have watched Peter Parker get bitten by a radioactive spider. We've witnessed the aftermath more times than that, too, thanks to three different Spider-Man franchises, all with multiple entries, starring three different actors as the web-slinger. But whether you prefer Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland's version of the character, every single live-action Spidey film pales in comparison to 2018's dazzling animated effort Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The Oscar-winner is the movie that gave us a spider-woman, spider-robot and spider-pig, as well as Nicolas Cage as a 30s-era spider-vigilante, so it was always going to be a delight — and it's getting a sequel. Even better: it's getting two follow-ups, because Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will hit cinemas as two films — starting with Part One in October 2022. Once again filled with multiple Spideys, the first part has just dropped its initial trailer alongside that multi-flick announcement. And yes, the animation still looks spectacular. While Holland's take on Parker, and Spider-Man, is about to dabble with multiverse madness in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Shameik Moore (Let It Snow)-voiced Miles Morales already went there in Into the Spider-Verse. So, in the sequel to the latter, Morales is spinning back into familiar territory — although, based on the first sneak peek, he's heading into other Spidey realms rather than welcoming different web-slingers into his. Also returning in Across the Spider-Verse: Hailee Steinfeld (Hawkeye) as Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman, as seen in the trailer, and Oscar Isaac (The Card Counter) as Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099. If you're wondering about Isaac's character, he first turned up in the post-credits section of Into the Spider-Verse, and he's an alternate version of Spidey from a specific Marvel Comics imprint. Across the Spider-Verse will see Morales, Stacy and other Spider-People join forces to deal with a powerful villain — so some standard Spidey stuff, but with more Spideys and, again, those eye-popping visuals. Here's hoping it also keeps the sense of humour and playfulness that made Into the Spider-Verse such a treat, and keeps doing what only this animated Spidey franchise can. Check out the first Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) trailer below: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) will release in cinemas Down Under in October 2022 — we'll update you when an exact date is announced.
The Church Street space once home to the Great Britain Hotel has been given a new lease on life, and has been reborn as multi-faceted good times haunt, Harlow. Offering a little something for all occasions, the new-look pub now boasts a ground floor bar and dining space, a sprawling split-level beer garden and a neon-drenched basement bar that's heavy on the grunge. With room for 250, the dog-friendly courtyard comes decked out in festoon lighting and lively street art, with a separate entrance for those with four-legged mates in tow. The music offering is as diverse as the space itself, with weekend DJs rounding out a broad-ranging soundtrack through the week. More lively flavours come courtesy of the kitchen, where the focus is on cleverly rejigged pub classics. On the menu, openers might include small bites like mini crab doughnuts or duck and bacon sausage rolls, leading into supporting acts like a decadent steak sanga, loaded with barbecue sauce, swiss cheese and maple bacon. A hefty vegan burger and a smoked beer and cheese hot dog make an appearance, too, while larger groups might be lured by the barbecue option, tucking into a feast of charry treats hot off the grill. And downstairs, with its old-school music videos and low booths, the moodily lit basement bar proves an ideal setting for a cocktail offering that references the different tunes you'll hear throughout the pub each week. Sips like the California Girls — blending citrus vodka, peach liqueur, orange juice and pinot gris — bring the summery pop vibes, while the likes of Boyz-N-The-Hood, crafted with Jack Daniels, Apple Jack, Fireball and apple juice, feature in the menu's hip hop-inspired lineup. Find Harlow at 447 Church Street, Richmond.
While you may have been spoilt these holidays, with a scented candle or an adult colouring book, you may not have gotten what you really wanted for Christmas. As the festive season comes to a close and we head into the new year, you can treat yourself to some new cruelty-free makeup, exceptionally soft linen and bottles of wine for just $8.50 a pop, thanks to a heap of online Boxing Day sales. We've rounded up some of the biggest right here.
Perhaps it’s the simplicity of this practical, environmentally-friendly and rather smart looking pallet garden that’s so inspiring. It looks like something every urban dweller should be doing - it’s neat, space-saving, and an ideal solution for maintaining a herb, flower or veg garden in the city. Better looking than the average window box too. The new trend is popping up on balconies, aside garages and on roof tops. It’s such an achievable way to recycle unwanted crates or pallets that can be found at local supermarkets and factories, yet it looks so good - we only wish we’d thought of it ourselves. [Via Lost At E Minor]
Whether you want to stay rustic and pitch a tent, find the best spot to park your hippie van or lounge around in a luxe, beachfront bungalow sipping margaritas, there's a place on the Coral Coast for you. Here, we take a look at five of the best accommodation options between Perth and Exmouth — from the lush yet earthy Novotel Ningaloo to the friendly Kalbarri Seafront Villas to the laidback Dongara Tourist Park. LUXURY: NOVOTEL NINGALOO, EXMOUTH Novotel Ningaloo's primary bragging point is that it's the only accommodation on Sunrise Beach. But rather than imposing itself on its pristine surroundings, the resort aims to blend in effortlessly. That means earthy colours, natural materials and organic shapes. Rooms feature king-size beds, spa baths, high ceilings and private balconies, and vary from standard doubles to two-bedroom bungalows. Go for the latter if you're after uninterrupted ocean panoramas. Hit the onsite restaurant and bar for sunset meals and cocktails. HOME AWAY FROM HOME: KALBARRI SEAFRONT VILLAS These neat villas are located on the Kalbarri waterfront. They come with free use of dinghies, so you can explore the Murchison River at your leisure, and should you need any tips, your friendly hosts will help you out. Accommodation varies from studios to villas to a two-storey townhouse, with most rooms offering excellent water views. Plus there's an outdoor pool and a barbecue area. As far as value for money goes, this is one of the best options on the Coral Coast. HOMEY HIDEAWAY: OCEANSIDE VILLAGE, DENHAM, SHARK BAY If you were any closer to the water, you'd be sleeping in a submarine. Oceanside Village is on absolute beachfront, meaning that your door is literally 20 metres from the surf. Accommodation consists of free-standing, self-contained villas. Opt for one-bedroom or get fancy with the two-bedroom arrangement, complete with private balcony and panoramic views. Free Wi-Fi, free Foxtel, barbecue facilities and a pool are all part of the deal. COMFORT: BROADWATER MARINER RESORT, GERALDTON Stroll just 50 metres from Broadwater Mariner Resort and you'll find yourself at peaceful Champion Bay, a favourite swimming spot among Geraldton locals. The resort's 107 guest rooms are beautifully decorated and dotted among landscaped gardens. Choose accommodation to suit you — from studios to spacious, three-bedroom apartments. Next door, the L'attitude 28 Restaurant offers a menu inspired by local produce and a long wine list, with an emphasis on vintage and boutique drops. BUDGET: DONGARA TOURIST PARK Bring a tent, roll up with your caravan or book into a deluxe cabin — whichever way you want to holiday, Dongara Tourist Park can make it happen. You'll find its acres of green, rolling grass right on the coast at Port Denison, 3 kilometres south of the cute, sleepy village of Dongara. The marina is just three minutes away, for easy launching of boats, and during lobster season, you can buy fresh crustaceans direct from local fishers. If, however, you'd rather someone else do the cooking, there's a great restaurant just a short walk away.
Not only is finding top-quality Latin American cuisine a challenge in Melbourne, but getting your hands on the ingredients to whip up an authentic dish at home is no easy feat either. Cousins Laurent Linares and Leidy Avila are looking to change that, combining a new cantina, Holy Guacamole, with a specialty Latin American grocer, El Mercadito, in one convenient Collingwood location. Starting with the cantina, every dish on the menu is made fresh in-house using ingredients Linares personally sources from the Footscray Market. Think handcrafted Mexican street tacos, unique Colombian arepa nachos and house-made salsas that bring a genuine taste of Latin America to the inner north. Meanwhile, the drinks list flows with thoughtfully selected mezcal- and tequila-based cocktails, including a signature michelada. "We've poured our hearts into creating a space that truly reflects the flavors and traditions we grew up with. From the way we prepare each dish to the warm, lively atmosphere, Holy Guacamole is all about sharing the best of Latin America with Melbourne," says Linares. As for El Mercadito, the in-house grocer will assuredly become a go-to spot for locals looking to replicate the flavours of Latin America in their own kitchens. Stocked with imported goods, from snacks, spices and sauces to premium tequila and Colombian coffee, El Mercadito will also feature a dedicated açai bar perfect for a quick organic feed. Serving as a nod to the Amazon, the Tropical Bowl features kiwi, mango and chia seeds, while the Honey Bowl brims with peanut butter and toasted muesli. "We wanted to make it easier for people to cook authentic Latin dishes at home with the same ingredients we use in our kitchen. El Mercadito is about sharing our culture beyond the plate, it's a little piece of Latin America right here in Collingwood," adds Avila. This passion is reflected in the venue's impressive design, with a dilapidated garage transformed into a warm and welcoming space over the past 18 months. With the help of Mexican designer Jimena Morales, the cantina fuses traditional Latin charm with an upbeat modern aesthetic, including neon signage and Day of the Dead-inspired iconography. "Holy Guacamole and El Mercadito are not just about great food; they're about culture, tradition, and bringing people together, and we can't wait to welcome everyone into our new Latin-inspired food hub," says Avila. Holy Guacamole and El Mercadito are open Tuesday–Sunday from 12pm. Head to the website for more information.
Frankston locals have scored a major win with the arrival of The Sporting Globe. The new two-storey sports, entertainment and nightlife hub has taken over a sprawling corner of the Bayside Entertainment Centre, with room for 700 punters across its three bars — including a rooftop with a retractable roof. As with other Sporting Globe locations, screens are the star attraction. Around the venue, you'll find more than 50 HD TVs and two jumbotron screens showing all the major codes from open to close, as well as private booths fitted with personal touchscreen TVs. But it's not just about spectating. If you're feeling competitive, you can take your best shot in one of the augmented reality dart lanes. Add 16 beers on tap and a menu stacked with parmas, burgers, wings and other sports bar staples — including a dedicated low-gluten selection — and you've got the makings of an all-rounder for game days and nights out alike. The Frankston outpost joins a national stable of 23 Sporting Globe venues, all with a strong community focus — the brand maintains partnerships with more than 250 grassroots sports clubs across the country.
They played the first game of their 2023 Women's World Cup campaign in Sydney. They took on Denmark there in the round of 16, then England in the semi-final loss. The next reason that the Matildas will hit the Harbour City: a match against China PR on the way to the 2024 Paris Olympics, and also for goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and coach Tony Gustavsson to take to the Vivid stage. The duo have just joined the already-packed Vivid Sydney 2024 lineup for a Vivid Ideas session at Sydney Town Hall on Monday, June 10. At Champions of Change: Mackenzie Arnold and Tony Gustavsson, the pair will have plenty to talk about — all things Matildas, of course, including the team's achievements over the past year, the challenges along the way, the squad's impact, the pressures and the coach-athlete dynamic. "This Vivid Sydney event is an awesome opportunity to connect with fans and reflect on the incredible ride we've had with the Matildas over the last couple of years. The highs and lows, the pressure and the triumphs, what it means to represent your country on the world stage — this is more than just a game. It's a chance to inspire the next generation and make a difference for women and girls on and off the field," said Arnold about the session. "The Matildas have had an incredible journey over the last 12 months, and it's a proud moment for me as a manager to celebrate and reflect on this at Vivid Sydney alongside Mackenzie," added Gustavsson. "I want to shed light not only our achievements on the field but also the incredible spirit and resilience behind the scenes, how much each of these players gives to this game. This conversation is also a chance to delve into the strategies that shaped our team's success and to touch on the broader implications of our journey for women's sport and society at large." Arnold and Gustavsson's addition to the Vivid lineup comes after Amy Poehler recently also joined the bill, to discuss her career and the upcoming Pixar sequel Inside Out 2. "We're so proud to be bringing two modern-day superstars of sport to the Vivid Sydney 2024 program. This discussion with Mackenzie and Tony will explore humanity through the lens of sport and bring a relatable and inspirational touch to their world class achievements on the field. You do not want to miss this opportunity to hear from two of Australian football's most influential and inspiring figures," said Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini. Champions of Change: Mackenzie Arnold and Tony Gustavsson takes place on Monday, June 10, 2024 at Sydney Town Hall, with tickets on sale from 9am on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Vivid Sydney runs from Friday, May 24–Saturday, June 15 at various locations around Sydney. Head to the festival website for further details and tickets.
Remember when going on holiday meant asking your travel agent for impartial advice on where to stay, play or party? And though you suspected that Gladys Hamby had never actually stayed in that beachfront cabana soaking up cosmopolitan Broadbeach and throwing back stiff Long Islands, she scored you a free daily continental breakfast so you booked it anyway? These days you’re more likely to do your own research when planning an escape, but even better than scanning through an acquaintance’s holiday snaps on Facebook is new social travel website Hooroo. Enticing pictures are accompanied by untold stories, inside tips and destination inspiration, all from real people who really want to share their travel adventures. Once you’ve decided where to go and what to do once you’re there you can choose from thousands of discounted accommodation options all over Australia, from Melbourne and the Gold Coast to Kangaroo Island and the Fleurieu Peninsula. Get your name on their list before the site goes live on July 18 and those deals will be even sweeter. Go here and start hoarding annual leave. Sponsored post
For almost four decades, Hans Zimmer has given cinema a distinctive sound. The German composer helped put the bounce in The Lion King's score and the droning in Inception's memorable tunes, and has loaned his talents to everything from Thelma & Louise to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy to Blade Runner 2049. It's an impressive list that just keeps going — and it'll sound even more impressive played live and accompanied by an orchestra. As well as working his music magic on a wealth of movies — Hidden Figures, The Boss Baby, Dunkirk, Widows, X-Men: Dark Phoenix and the upcoming Lion King remake are just some of his recent credits — Zimmer has been taking his show on the road over the past few years. After touring his Hans Zimmer Revealed concert series in 2017, including to Australia, he's returning to our shores with Hans Zimmer Live, which'll echo through arenas in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne this October. While the Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy and Tony-winner obviously isn't going to play every single one of his iconic film scores, expect to hear plenty of your favourites from a lineup that also includes Wonder Woman, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, 12 Years a Slave, Sherlock Holmes, Mission Impossible II and Pearl Harbour — plus the small screen's The Crown and Blue Planet II as well. Zimmer will be joined not only by a massive orchestra, but a full band and a huge stage production, complete with a luminous light show and other eye-catching visuals. [caption id="attachment_724806" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hans Zimmer, Los Angeles, LA, Tour, Concert, Performance, April 14 2017, EVI[/caption] Hans Zimmer Live will hit the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Thursday, October 3, Sydney's Qudos Arena on Saturday, October 5 and Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena on Monday, October 7. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Monday, June 17 — for further details, visit the promoter's website. Top image: The World of Hans Zimmer Berlin by Frank Embacher Photography.
Here's an incredibly obvious but still always true statement: the finest sushi you'll ever eat is found in Tokyo. That's just a delicious reality, but so is struggling to get into the best sushi joints during your Japan holiday because they're impossible to book. Thanks to Melbourne eatery Uminono, however, there's now a tour jetting out of Australia this spring that'll let you spend five nights eating your way through Tokyo's finest sushi restaurants. And yes, it takes care of all the reservations for you — including to quite the selection of exclusive spots. First, you'd best check your bank account. The Uminono x Plan Japan Luxury Sushi Discovery Experience doesn't come cheap, costing $9600 if you're willing to share a room and $11,900 if you want to bunk solo. But that fat stack of cash will get you the kind of Tokyo holiday you've only dreamed of, as co-guided by Uminono sushi chef Arnaud Laidebeur. Between Sunday, September 25–Friday, September 30 — departing out of Melbourne, and presumably assuming that Japan allows tourists back in by that time — this trip will hit up the likes of eight-seater boutique Sushi Amamoto, which boasts two Michelin stars, plus acclaimed chef Masamichi Amamoto in the kitchen; and Sugita, an extremely well-known standout that uses traditional Edomae skills to make its sushi. Also on the list are Ginza's Hakkoku, a six-seater that serves up to 30 different fish varieties; and Sushi Kimura, which is all about aged sushi and non-conventional fish varieties. While sushi is the main focus, the tour also includes a range of Tokyo fine-diners with a particular focus on French-Japanese fusion. So, that means a meal at the world-acclaimed Sugalabo, as well as Florilège and Été, with the latter only seating up to four guests a day. The exact itinerary hasn't been locked in just yet, but other restaurants on the list include Arai, Shimazu, Takamitsu and Sushi Ryujiro among the sushi spots; Ode from the French-Japanese eateries; and also eight-seater upmarket seafood and steak joint Tacubo, yakitori standouts Torishiki and Yakitori Eiki, yakiniku spot Yoroniku, the wagyu-covering Wagyumafia, Toyosu market, and a heap of street food and ramen places. Only six seats are available for the tour's September dates — so if this'll let you live your sushi dreams, and you can afford it, getting in quick is obviously recommended. And, you'll be slumbering in hotels to match the luxe culinary experience on offer, such as Palace Hotel Tokyo in the Marunouchi district and Shangri-La Tokyo, which is right near Tokyo Station. The Uminono x Plan Japan Luxury Sushi Discovery Experience arrives in Tokyo on Sunday, September 25, then returns to Melbourne on Friday, September 30. For more information or to register your interest, head to the Plan Japan website.
A love of Woody Allen courses through Fading Gigolo, his influence evident in his inclusion amongst the film's cast but his distinctive footprint also felt in its themes and moods. Though John Turturro is the feature's guiding force as its lead actor, writer and director, the inspiration he has taken from his co-star is obvious. His fifth effort as a filmmaker offers a light homage to the type of easy and breezy New York comedies Allen is synonymous with. To saddle Turturro's protagonist with the waning prostitute descriptor of the film's title is to overstate his enthusiasm for his new-found line of work; for Fioravante — also known by his gigolo pseudonym of Virgil Howard — making money making love is a reluctant sideline to his floristry job. His friend, failed bookseller Murray (Allen), convinces him to test out the world's oldest profession with dermatologist Dr Parker (Sharon Stone). Positive reports from their first satisfied customer motivate Murray to start actively scouring for other clients, including Hasidic widow Avigal (Vanessa Paradis). The relaxed attitude that marks Fioravante's take-it-or-leave-it approach to benefiting from his bedroom skills also flavours the entire film. It's a movie that saunters with fondness rather than marches with purpose. Affection is its primary motivation — for its New York setting, for eclectic characters that careen through eccentric circumstances, for the brand of emotional sweetness and slapstick silliness too rarely offered with any intelligence, and for the continual mysteries of life and love. If it all seems familiar in that warm and witty way of Allen's directorial efforts, that's because it is, especially with the auteur in the thick of the amiable ensemble antics. In his best acting role in many years (and in a part obviously written for him), he relishes the expected affable neuroses of his accepted screen presence. And yet, his biggest feat and the feature's biggest surprise is his double act with Turturro. Where Allen provides the anticipated patter, Turturro is an engaging, alluring enigma. He sells the facade of Fioravante's sexual appeal and sensitive outlook but leaves audiences ever intrigued and always wanting more. The duo fit in perfectly in the caper-like creation that Fading Gigolo becomes, as do their well-cast supporting players; however, the hijinks-laden atmosphere stems as much from a persistent jazz score and a storyline that sees Murray tailed by a jealous neighbourhood watch cop (Liev Schreiber) and Fioravante pursued for a menage a trois with Dr Parker and her friend Selima (Sofia Vergara). Following such comic paths proves purposely frivolous and recognisable but also pointedly earnest. With a slightness of touch, Turturro whips his Allen-esque meanderings into a modest but melodious tapestry of offbeat observations and off-kilter charm. https://youtube.com/watch?v=_pdlbI4TuGY
It's a familiar setup: a remote house, a family haunted by decades-old troubles, a murky history that's still leaving an imprint and tension levels rising when, naturally, strange things start to happen. As it has been for countless scary flicks before it, that's the broad overall premise of new Australian horror movie Relic; however this Sundance-premiering film has more than a few tricks up its sleeves. Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins Returns), Robyn Nevin (Top of the Lake), and Bella Heathcote (Bloom) star as three generations of a Victorian-based family — with Mortimer's Kay called back to her family home when her widowed elderly mother Edna (Nevin) disappears. With her own daughter Sam (Heathcote) in tow, Kay first endeavours to find her missing mum. Then, when Edna reappears suddenly without any explanation for her absence, Kay and Sam try to ascertain just why Edna's house — and, increasingly, Edna too — seems so sinister. The feature directorial debut of Japanese-Australian filmmaker Natalie Erika James — who cowrote the script with fellow first-time Christian White — the instantly disturbing but still slow-burning Relic takes its creepy, eerie look and feel seriously, as the film's trailer shows. As it trifles with the supernatural and provides many a well-executed jump, bump and unnerving sensation, the smart and thoughtful movie also uses its concept and plot to ponder the physical and emotional impact of ageing, including dementia. Aussie audiences can get unsettled — including by the film's labyrinthine main setting and its nerve-rattling soundscape — when Relic hits Stan on Friday, July 10. Across the ditch, it arrives courtesy of the NZ International Film Festival. It follows this year's also excellent Aussie-made release The True History of the Kelly Gang in making the leap from international festivals to local streaming. Check out the Relic below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atqf47wM5Gg Relic starts streaming via Stan from Friday, July 10. You can also watch it as part of the NZ International Film Festival from 25 July.
