After another helluva year, we find ourselves once again entering the festive season. This time maybe a little more wearily, but still aching to hug our loved ones, and, in many cases, shower them with gifts. We all have that one person we have trouble buying a present for. Maybe it's your stubborn old man? Perhaps a wealthy aunt? Or it could be your partner (who you know got you something awesome and, even though it's not at all a competition, you still want to make sure you got them the better gift). Whatever your motivation, there's never a better gift option than to give someone an experience. If you add travel into the mix, you're also supporting some great regional areas around the country that are home to unique cultural experiences. It's a win-win. We've teamed up with Tourism Australia to put together ten top-notch cultural experiences to help you give a memorable, meaningful gift this holiday season.
Were Picasso's Cubist portraits of women true to life? It would suggest there were a lot of chicks with displaced eye sockets hanging round Paris in the 1900s. Now a Spanish fashion photographer, Eugenio Recuenco, has reimagined Picasso's Cubist muses as live beings, styling his models in the same surrealist manner that Picasso painted them. Recuenco's portraits are weird, emotional and lovely in their own right. His women subjects mirror the poses of the originals, with elegant silhouettes, painted skin and outlandish costumery all projecting a moody atmosphere. Post-production by Recuenco gave the photographs the same feel as the paintings via color manipulation, while the mysterious spaces he used amp up the dreamlike quality. Recuenco has a large dossier of equally stylised art and fashion projects. Beside this project, which was published in the Spanish weekly SMODA, his website shows fairytale scenes and tableaux vivants that suggest their own narrative worlds channelling the work of artists Goya, El Greco and Zurbaran. Check out a selection of the Picasso-inspired portraits below. Via Flavorwire.
Brick Lane Brewing tapped its very first keg at the Queen Vic Winter Night Market in 2018, and now — five years later — the team is set to launch its latest bricks-and-mortar restaurant and bar across the road from that very same spot. On Wednesday, November 29, on the second week of this season's Queen Vic Summer Night Market, Brick Lane Brewing's huge new venue — aptly named Brick Lane Market Upstairs — will open to the public. Brick Lane already has its brewhouse in South Dandenong, Brick Lane Shed on Queen Vic Market's String Bean Alley and Brick Lane Market located beneath the new venue — but the upstairs section will be altogether more impressive. Taking over the second floor of the former Mercat Cross Hotel, the totally renovated space will now boast a 120-seat dining room with an open kitchen, a 16-seat private dining room and a 150-seat wrap-around terrace overlooking the market itself. And this proximity to the market isn't just about foot traffic and views. The team is set to work collaboratively with vendors, featuring local produce throughout the site. This will most notably be seen in the Brick Lane Market's raw bar. Here, the team will serve up fresh oysters and seafood sourced directly from QVM's newly refurbed Food Hall, which is also set to open in November. Chef Ankit Padmani (ex-Indu, Mejico and Collins Quarter) will oversee the restaurant's main menu, pushing a market-to-plate ethos, serving up dishes chock full of local and seasonal produce sourced from the market itself. Of course, beer will be the star of the show at Brick Lane Market Upstairs. Thirty-six taps will be scattered throughout the venue, pouring the brewery's core range, seasonal specials and one-off Pilot Batches. These more experimental brews are for those wanting to try something a little different and are set to be inspired by Queen Vic Market itself. Brick Lane Market Upstairs will open on Wednesday, November 29, at 456 Queen Street, Melbourne, operating seven days a week from 11.30am till late. For more information, check out the venue's website. Images: Carmen Zammit.
2020 will forever be known as the year everyone wore an extra groove into their couch. And because the past 12 months have just been so chaotic, you probably haven't managed to do everything you wanted to — even working through your streaming queue. You've been distracted by quite the hectic circumstances, so that's perfectly natural. Now that life slowly seems to be returning to normal — and now that holidays are upon us, too — you're probably wondering which series you should catch up on. 2020 delivered a heap of stellar new shows, however, so that isn't a straightforward question. Thankfully, in collaboration with streaming service Binge, we're here to help. Here are five of the year's absolute must-sees, all of which you can binge in full now — including via a 14-day free trial for new customers.
In what's unsurprisingly being deemed the first of its kind, an abandoned slate mine in the Llechwedd caverns of Wales has recently been converted into an amazing trampoline playground. Featuring neon lights, huge bouncy netting, and awe-inspiring natural surrounds, this is one fantastical deathtrap that will be well worth all the hours of therapy it will inevitably necessitate. Though it officially opens next week (July 3) Bounce Below is the stuff dreams are made out of. Particularly those dreams where you wake up falling inexorably to your death. Of course, we kid. This underground wonderland has been well fitted out with safety precautions — we're just lashing out because we're bitter about being on the wrong side of the world to experience it. And, with three levels of incredible trampolines and a spiral slide measuring 20 metres in height, there's an awful lot to be jealous about. Far from your average cave tour, thrillseekers and historians visiting the seemingly unpronounceable small town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales can spend one hour bouncing around these unconventional caverns for a mere £15. Equipped with hard hat and matching overalls, both kids and adults alike can explore the many levels of bouncy bliss while enjoying the creepy serenity of being trapped underground. With the recent announcement of a a giant boobie bouncy castle at the Museum of Sex in New York, it seems like bouncing is the new hip activity around the world this week. If you need us, we'll be practicing our double-bouncing techniques at home while waiting for this giant novelty trend to hit Australia and New Zealand. Via Huffington Post.
It's won 11 Tony Awards and is one of the Obamas' favourite musical, and now Lin-Manuel Miranda's game-changing musical Hamilton is finally coming to Australia. The critically acclaimed hip hop musical, for which Miranda wrote the music, lyrics and the book, is about the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, as well as inclusion and politics in current-day America. As well as its 11 Tony Awards, which include Best Musical, it has nabbed a Grammy Award and even a Pulitzer Prize. After hitting Broadway in 2015, then West End in 2017, and beginning its third tour of the US earlier this year, Australians can finally catch Hamilton — when it makes its Southern Hemisphere premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in March 2021. According to the SMH, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane began vying for the rights to stage the musical in mid 2018, and Sydneysiders will be happy to have come out on top (this time). There's no word yet on whether it'll head to other Aussie cities later on — it's possible, other big musicals, such as The Book of Mormons, have. But, if you don't want to risk it, those located interstate should to start planning a trip ASAP — we think it'll be more than worth it. [caption id="attachment_722617" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hamilton by Joan Marcus.[/caption] It's not Miranda's first musical to hit Australia, either, his take on the classic 200s film Bring It On: The Musical hit Melbourne last year and quadruple Tony Award-winning In The Heights just finished a short season at the Sydney Opera House this January. Hamilton will make its Australian premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in March 2021. You can sign-up for pre-sale tickets now. Image: Hamilton, Broadway. Photo by Joan Marcus.
If you've ever had a sneaky little go with some small person's Lego blocks once they're all tucked up in bed, Legoland sees you, tips you their hat… and raises you an adults-only night at its Melbourne Discovery Centre. And, because it's the time of year for it, the venue is throwing in some Halloween shenanigans as well. With no children to get in the way (or outdo your creations), you'll be able to have free rein of Legoland to check out the 4D cinema and rides, then build to your heart's content in the brick pits. Challenge yourself by taking on the master builder or a speed build, and vie for the prizes up for grabs — there'll even be a scavenger hunt so you can go full inner-child mode. This adults-only evening will be getting spooky, too, given the occasion. Fancy going monster hunting through Lego? This is your chance for that as well. Wearing a frightful costume is encouraged, too — so, having the full kidulting experience. It all takes place from 6–9pm on Friday, October 27 — and BYO shameless excitement, taste for glory and love of Halloween.
The latest cure for festival FOMO is here: for the first time ever, two of Glastonbury's headline performances are being livestreamed around the globe for everyone to watch. Won't be in the UK during the fest? Always wanted to see big names take to the event's famed Pyramid Stage? A fan of Dua Lipa and/or Coldplay? Thanks to the BBC, you're now in luck. When Coachella rolls around each year, it's not just an exciting time for folks fortunate enough to be on the ground in California, but for audiences worldwide via the fest's arrangement with YouTube. Glastonbury and the BBC might only be streaming two sets across the planet and not the majority of the British event, but it's still a welcome development. [caption id="attachment_926976" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Lee[/caption] Your destination: the BBC's Glastonbury website, where you can catch Dua Lipa's set on the morning of Saturday, June 29, then Coldplay's — before the Chris Martin-fronted group returns to Australia and New Zealand later in 2024 — on the morning of Sunday, June 30. Dua Lipa's stint in the high-profile slot also marks her first-ever time on the Pyramid Stage. As for Coldplay, they're headlining the fest for the fifth time, albeit in their first visit since 2016. [caption id="attachment_963580" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Raph_PH[/caption] "The Glastonbury Festival is an icon of British culture, and this livestream will give fans around the globe a front row seat to headline performances like never before. This is just the latest example of our focus on bringing more cultural-defining moments like Glastonbury to fans on our platforms outside the UK so users can experience the best of British culture wherever they may be," said BBC Studios' Chief Commercial Officer Tara Maitra, announcing the global livestreams. "From this exciting live music experience from two of the biggest names in music, to the BBC News channel livestream that is coming soon in Australia, our digital platforms offer immediate, unrestricted and tailored access for all audiences," added BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand General Manager Fiona Lang. Also on the Glastonbury 2024 bill across Wednesday, June 26–Sunday, June 30 UK time but not being beamed to the world, sadly: SZA, LCD Soundsystem, PJ Harvey, Cyndi Lauper, Janelle Monae, Shania Twain, Disclosure, The Streets, Camilla Cabello, Bloc Party, The National, Avril Lavigne, Jessie Ware, Sugababes, Jamie XX, Kim Gordon, James Blake, Sleafod Mods, Orbital, The Breeders, Peggy Gou, The Cat Empire, Eric Prydz and a whole heap more. Glastonbury 2024 Livestream: Saturday, June 29 — Dua Lipa, 7–8.45am AEST / 6.30–8.15am ACST / 5–6.45am AWST / 9–10.45am NZST Sunday, June 30 — Coldplay, 6.45–8.45am AEST / 6.15–8.15am ACST / 4.45–6.45am AWST / 8.45–19.45am NZST [caption id="attachment_963582" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Raph_PH[/caption] [caption id="attachment_926978" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Lee[/caption] Glastonbury's 2024 livestream will broadcast Dua Lipa's set globally on the morning of Saturday, June 29 Down Under, and Coldplay's show on the morning of Sunday, June 30 — head to the BBC's Glastonbury website to watch. Dua Lipa images: Raph_PH via Flickr.
What's better than catching one of Broadway's biggest hits of the 21st century right here in Melbourne during its latest Australian run, and being whisked off to the Land of Oz in the process? Catching Wicked at the Regent Theatre for just $20. The production opens its next Victorian stint on Saturday, March 2, and it's dubbing that night a preview where folks lucky enough to click their ruby slippers together three times to get tickets can head along for cheap. No red-hued shoes are actually required among the audience, nor bumping of heels. But, because this is a one-night-only special price to start Wicked's 2024 Melbourne season, it does require nabbing your seat in person at the Regent Theatre box office. You can't hop online for this deal, and it's a first come-first served affair — so lining up early when tickets go on sale for the 7.30pm show is recommended. That date: Wednesday, February 7, with the $20 passes on offer from 8am. Each customer can only purchase two tickets, and you'll need to show valid ID while you're making the transaction (and dreaming about defying gravity, of course). After premiering in Sydney, Wicked is set to play the Victorian capital until at least Sunday, May 12, 2024 — the last date that tickets are available for at the time of writing. The overall production just marked its 20th anniversary, after composer Stephen Schwartz and playwright Winnie Holzman took a book inspired by The Wizard of Oz, put it to music and turned it into a smash. Indeed, even if you haven't seen the show before, including on its past Aussie run from 2008–11, then you've likely heard of it. Following the Land of Oz's witches — telling their untold true tale is the musical's whole angle, in fact — Wicked has notched up more awards than you can fit in a hefty cauldron over the years. That spans three Tonys from ten nominations, a Grammy, an Olivier Award and six Drama Desk Awards. Also huge: its worldwide footprint, playing in 16 countries around the globe since its 2003 debut. And, when it makes its way to the Regent Theatre for its second stop on its current Aussie run, it'll do so after enchanting itself into fourth place in the list of longest-running Broadway shows ever — even surpassing Cats. Story-wise, Wicked starts before The Wizard of Oz and continues its narrative after Dorothy Gale lands, adapting Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The text itself has sold 5.5 million copies, five million of those since the musical first opened. Here, before Dorothy blows in, two other women meet in the Land of Oz: Elphaba and Galinda. One will later be known as the Wicked Witch of the West, while the other will become Glinda the Good Witch. Exactly why that happens, and how, and the pair's relationship from rivals to unlikely friends to grappling with their new labels, fuels the show's tale. The production is taking to the stage again before the in-the-works two-part film adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo (Pinocchio) as Elphaba and Ariana Grande (Don't Look Up) as Galinda, and directed by Jon M Chu (In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians), is due to start reaching cinemas at the end of 2024. Wicked will play Melbourne's Regent Theatre from Saturday, March 2. For $20 tickets to the preview show that night, head to the Regent Theatre box office from 8am on Wednesday, February 7. For other tickets and further details, visit the production's website. Images: Jeff Busby.
When Tenacious D return to Australian and New Zealand stages in winter 2024, it won't just be a tribute — it'll be the real two-man comedy rock group, aka Jack Black and Kyle Gass, performing their first Down Under shows since 2013. The duo has announced July dates in seven cities, playing arenas as part of their The Spicy Meatball tour fresh from sellout gigs in the US, UK and Europe in 2023. In the 11 years since Tenacious D last took to the stage Down Under, plenty has happened, including for Black and Gass. Black's acting resume has added everything from Goosebumps and two Jumanji movies to Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, voice work on Rick and Morty and lending his vocals to Bowser in The Super Mario Bros Movie. Gass popped up in Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Hacks. And in 2018, the band released their fourth studio album Post-Apocalypto. [caption id="attachment_939746" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Now, the Grammy-winning pair, which first came together in the 90s as theatre students in Los Angeles, has locked in dates in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide in Australia — plus Wellington and Auckland in Aotearoa. Expect tickets to go quickly if the overseas response is any guide. In London alone, Tenacious D's O2 show was all snapped up the week that it was announced. [caption id="attachment_939740" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Travis Shinn[/caption] From not just their latest record, but also Tenacious D's self-titled 2001 debut, 2006's The Pick of Destiny — the soundtrack to the film of the same name — and 2012's Rize of the Fenix, attendees will hear 'Wonderboy', 'Tribute', 'Kickapoo', 'Low Hangin' Fruit' and more get a spin. Also on the band's current setlist: 2023's 'Video Games', the group's first single in five years, and their cover of Chris Isaak's 'Wicked Game'. They've been busting out Thin Lizzy's 'Jailbreak', Gerry Rafferty's 'Baker Street' and Led Zeppelin's 'Good Times Bad Times', too — but not The Super Mario Bros Movie's 'Peaches'. Tenacious D The Spicy Meatball Australia and New Zealand Tour 2024 Dates: Sunday, July 14 — ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney Tuesday, July 16 — Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle Thursday, July 18 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Saturday, July 20 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Monday, July 22 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Wednesday, July 24 — TSB Arena, Wellington Friday, July 26 — Spark Arena, Auckland Tenacious D are touring Australia and New Zealand in July 2024, with ticket presales from 9am AEDT on Wednesday, February 7 and general sales from 12pm local time on Friday, February 9 — head to the tour website for further details. Top image: Sven Mandel via Wikimedia Commons.
It's a nice feeling to bring a little something into the world. Feeding it, taking good care of it. A plant is just like a pet, or even a child – just half the trouble. But if you live in an apartment, there's not always the room to undertake extensive horticultural projects. If your green thumb is itching to get gardening, IDEA award-winning Simple Garden will tickle your fancy. They've created a gardening 'starter kit' with everything you need to cultivate your own piece of earth. They even throw in the earth itself – just add water and the NutriRich soil brick will be just the stuff to raise your seedlings into healthy plants. Gadgets like the Lite Stick help provide enough natural light to indoor plants, while the colourful plastic pots are specially designed to improve air flow, water circulation and nutrient absorption. Sweet and self-contained, this is one hell of a city-living solution. [Via Cool Hunting]
Those chocolate-filled advent calendars are fun and all, but after 12 months of aiming for a spot on Santa's 'nice' list, a few wines feels like a more fitting reward. Wine subscription club Good Pair Days agrees, so it's put together the ultimate pre-Christmas treat for grownups: the 12 Wines of Christmas Advent Calendar. The festive box features 12 different full-sized bottles of wine, as chosen by the Good Pair Days experts. They're each hidden behind a pop-out cardboard door and individually wrapped so each one is a little surprise gift. And the options are endless. You can gift the box to yourself and unwrap one wine at a time in the lead-up to December 25, or snap one up as an early Christmas present for that wine-loving mate. Or, simply have an advent box on hand so that you're extra prepared for the calendar of silly season parties to come. There are three boxes to choose from: one with reds, one with all chillable wines (sparkling, whites and rosés) and one with a mix of the two. Then, you decide how expensive you want to go — the cheapest is $189 and the most spenny is $465. And while you won't know what wines are in them until you open the box, you can be reassured that there are some ripper drops in there as the bottles have been picked from the highest rated of Good Pair Days' local and international collection. Wine pairing suggestions, tasting notes and recipes are also included. Good Pair Days (previously The Wine Gallery) was founded back in 2015 by mates Tom Walenkamp, Beto de Castro Moreira and acclaimed sommelier and Bar Liberty co-owner Banjo Harris Plane. It's a personalised wine subscription service that aims to hook you up with your perfect vinous matches through an expert curation and a nifty wine taste tester app. The 12 Wines of Christmas Advent Calendar packs are available now via Good Pair Days.
Red Gum BBQ — the biggest craft beer and barbie destination in Australia — is bringing its Independence Day bash back for yet another year. Swing by on Friday, July 4, for 12-hour-smoked hog, peach margaritas, line dancing and live Americana. Doors open at 5.30pm, and an hour later, pitmaster Martin Goffin will carve the whole beast in front of your eyes. Pile your plate with as many slices as you can handle, along with sides galore, from mac 'n' cheese and pit beans to slaw, pickles and rolls. Then tuck into dessert: homemade s'mores pie. With all that keeping you fuelled, you'll be ready to power through line dancing lessons and a live Americana band. Need a little motivation to get your toes tapping? Head to the bar for July 4th-inspired cocktails, including a Kentucky Apple Pie and peach margaritas. Tickets, which include snacks, dinner and the band, are $59. Take the kids along for the ride at $29 a pop.
One of modern art's most argued-about works is finally up for auction. Tracey Emin's famously debated 1999 work My Bed is going under the hammer for the very first time, complete with dirty sheets, cigarette butts and condoms. Emin gained notoriety when her work Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995 debuted at a 1997 Charles Saatchi's Sensation exhibition at London's Royal Academy. After getting drunk, going on national TV and getting all sweary, she'd release My Bed two years later to colossal debate. One of modern art's classic "Is this art? What is art? Is this bag of wrenches art?" generators, My Bed is expected to sell between £800,000 and £1.2 million (roughly $1.4 million to $2.2 million) at auction in July. The highly-scrutinised installation is a recreation of Emin's actual bed during a rough time — the artist spent days in the bed during relationship difficulties and dealt with suicidal thoughts. Scattered with paraphenalia from the artist's own bedroom (condoms, menstrual-stained underwear, slippers), My Bed caused controversy not for the collective sum of confrontingly personal items but for the stains on the sheets. Gallery-goers saw the traces of bodily secretion as a little too human. "It's a self-portrait, but not one that people would like to see," Emin said. "I took everything out of my bedroom and made it into an installation," Emin said. "And when I put it into a white space, for some people it became quite shocking. But I just thought it looked like a damsel in distress, like a woman fainting or something, needing to be helped." The new owners might be able to recreate the work of two performance artists, Yuan Chai and Jian Jun Xi, who jumped on Emin's bed in a performance creatively titled Two Naked Men Jump into Tracey's Bed. Most interestingly will be the conditions under which the new owner must actually display My Bed. Previously (when not displayed in a gallery setting) the work has been on display at the home of its owner Charles Saatchi. As The Guardian reports, the work — a flurry of seemingly random miscellany — has very meticulous installation instructions. "It's a very complicated piece to put together," Director of Cadogan Tate Fine Art Stephen Glynn says. "It comes with a dossier of photographs of every object, and a list of where exactly everything needs to go." A bit like an Ikea instruction manual, then? "A bit. You're certainly trying to make sure that everything goes in the right place." Displayed at the Tate Modern in 1999, My Bed was shortlisted for the Turner Prize that year. Christies will put the Saatchi-owned work to auction, with proceeds going straight back to the Saatchi Gallery — the team are moving to make the gallery have free admission. Via Reuters and The Guardian.
It's been 100 years since the art world welcomed an icon with the birth of Jeffrey Smart, who went on to become one of Australia's most celebrated artists. And this summer, the National Gallery of Australia is paying homage to his life and work when it hosts a retrospective exhibition, aptly dubbed Jeffrey Smart. Running from Saturday, December 11–Sunday, May 15, the exhibition will dig deep into the renowned artist's legacy through a major survey of his works. Greatly inspired by the urban environment and the age of industrial modernity, Smart was known for his hyperrealist streetscapes, theatrical stylings and penchant for geometric composition. Vehicles, highways, factories and water towers are common motifs within Smart's art, as are eerily empty streets occupied by solo travellers. The National Gallery of Australia's centenary showcase will feature pieces from throughout his illustrious career and highlight the many varied themes Smart explored via his painting, as well as chronicle his evolution as an artist. Book your timed visit to check out Jeffrey Smart here — it'll be open daily (except Christmas Day). [caption id="attachment_834494" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jeffrey Smart, Wallaroo, 1951, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1959, © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart.[/caption] Top Images: Jeffrey Smart 'Self portrait, Procida', National Gallery of Australia, copyright The Estate of Jeffrey Smart. Jeffrey Smart 'Corrugated Gioconda', National Gallery of Australia, copyright The Estate of Jeffrey Smart.
Back in 2018 for its 13th instalment, Opera Australia's popular Mazda Opera in the Bowl returns to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl for a wonderful night of opera under the stars on the last night of spring — and it's absolutely free. Featuring some of Australia's top vocal talent in sopranos Stacey Alleaume and Artist Anna-Louise Cole, mezzo-soprano Anna Dowsley, tenor Walter Fraccaro and baritone José Carb, Opera in the Bowl will have you whistling along to famous tunes you didn't even know you knew. Gather the crew (and your trusty picnic basket) and settle in for a night of some of opera's most famous and most beautiful moments. But don't worry if you don't actually own a picnic basket — a whole heap of the city's best food trucks will be there cooking up a storm and the garden bar will be slinging all sorts of cusp-of-summer drinks. As for the soundtrack, songs from William Tell and Carmen will entertain you, whether you're an opera aficionado or you don't know Bellini from a bellini. If nothing else, it's a perfect cheap date idea.
You could say life has been somewhat colourless over the past couple of years thanks to a pesky thing called a pandemic. That may be a touch melodramatic, but you catch our drift. With summer on the horizon, we're itching for days at the beach, road trips with mates and kicking back with our families and loved ones. Bliss. Here to inject a big dose of colour into the months ahead is Aussie artist Mulga (AKA Joel Moore), whose super-fun designs radiate summer vibes. Recently, the Sydney-based muralist and illustrator teamed up with go-to outdoor retailer Kathmandu for a limited-edition collection of beach essentials. To celebrate the new range, we chatted to Mulga to get a sense of what it's like to be in his brightly hued, quirky character-filled world — plus what he's got planned over summer. Then, you can head to our competition to go in the running to win some of the next-level beach gear. MULGA THE LATE BLOOMER First up, Mulga wasn't always creating art; he only picked up the practice in 2012. "I worked in financial planning. I realised I didn't like that," hey says. Once he got serious about his art, though, he didn't look back. He began painting murals — which he still loves doing — then expanded to making his own products such as printed tees, boardies, totes, art prints and oh-so-COVID-appropriate face masks. He's also a big fan of brand collaborations, which has seen his work pop up in Sydney streets, on buses, across swimming costumes and even on Maxibon wrappers. In his art, you'll find a lot of bearded dudes and chiller animal characters — think koalas holding surfboards, sunglasses-clad chickens and cockatoos eating ice cream. One of the first animals he got into painting was gorillas after a visit to Taronga Zoo, which has become a motif in his years-long practice. "I use lots of bright colours and try to inject a little bit of humour into my creations." HIS VISUAL CATCHCRY Looking at Mulga's work, it's clear that laidback summer vibes are Mulga's visual catchcry. "I love summer and the beach and surfing and my love for that just flows out through my art," he says. It makes sense, considering he's an avid surfer: "One of my dreams is to spend a year on a tropical island doing nothing but surfing and making art." Why summer specifically? "It's a time of summer holidays and Christmas and pool parties. What's not to love?" The man's got a point. And when the mercury's soaring, he'll be at the beach with his kids, getting an ice cream, cruising around on a boat and "chilling in the hammock under a palm tree". HIS LATEST COLLAB So, it makes sense that his collab with Kathmandu is all about making the most of sunny days at the beach. The range combines Mulga's signature bright, quirky prints and patterns with Kathmandu's functional designs. "I did my thing which is making funky artworks and Kathmandu did their thing which is making quality products, and the result is funky quality products." There are t-shirts, sand-proof towels, water bottles, camping chairs, sun shelters and beach umbrellas — all of which will take your summer adventures to the next level. "The beach tent is pretty rad." Mulga says. "I'm looking forward to the moment when I go to the beach and see someone with the Mulga x Kathmandu tent. I'll stroll by and say 'nice tent'." Check out the full Kathmandu x Mulga beach collection on the Kathmandu website. Keen to score beach gear for free? Enter our competition to go in the running to win a sweet Kathmandu x Mulga prize pack before November 14.
Next time you crack open a can of BrewDog's Punk IPA, you might find yourself motivated to welcome a new four-legged addition into your family. Teaming up with Animal Welfare League Queensland, the Scottish brewery has brought its Street Dog initiative to Australia — profiling adorable dogs that are currently available for adoption across its cans. If you're the type of person that pats every pooch you see, and takes a daily walk past the local dog park just so you can get a glimpse of those adorable canines and their little faces, then you're also the kind of person who'd love to see pictures of puppers while you're sinking a brew. The photos adorn select Punk IPA packs, which have been badged 'Street Dog'. And yes, if you fall in love with the little fluffball staring back at you from the can, you can give it a home. By picking up a few Street Dog brews — which are on offer in eight- and 16-packs — you'll also be helping doggos in need another way. BrewDog is also donating all of the profits from sales of the beer to Animal Welfare League Queensland. And, although it's brewed at the company's Australian base in Brisbane, it's only making the beer available via its new online store, so everyone nationwide can stare at these canine cuties over their next cold one. Street Dog actually started in the UK earlier this year, as inspired by comedian Ricky Gervais. The comedian tweeted about his genuine fondness for Punk IPA, while also noting that businesses in general were better off giving their money to charities than paying for celebrity endorsements — and, taking his words to heart, BrewDog decided to start supporting homeless dogs, a cause that Gervais has been vocal about. Cue BrewDog cans covered with photos of dogs, which, when they launched in Britain, helped all of the pups featured on the tinnies to find homes. If you're wondering about the timing of bringing the Street Dog initiative to Australia, it's designed to help give the profiled pooches a permanent home before Christmas hits. The 375-millilitre cans will be available to purchase online until sold out. BrewDog's Street Dog limited-edition version of its Punk IPA beer is available to buy as an eight-pack for $40 and a 16-pack for $70.
Throwing an awesome barbecue doesn't have to involve making your own bunting and painstakingly pouring pomegranate jelly shots into hollowed-out strawberries. God (who looks like Bill Hunter if you're Australian) can see you when you do that, and he doesn't approve. But your mates won't think you're a wanker if you make a little effort. Here's what you need for a barbecue: food, a case or two, music, somewhere to sit, some ice, and good people. We can't help you with meeting good people and making them like you, although inviting them over to eat meat and drink beer probably won't hurt. 1. PLAYLIST & PEOPLE This is up to you, of course, but for a breezy arvo-into-evening sit-around, we suggest a vaguely chronological mix of soul and Motown, RSL bangers (we're talking Crowded House, 'Electric Blue', 'The Horses', 'Bette Davis Eyes', 'Dumb Things') and early-90s hip hop and RnB. Only invite people who enjoy all those things, don't invite anyone who hates 'Electric Blue', and there's your guestlist sorted. 2. DRINKS Beer: buy a case. Buy at least one. Buy two if you can afford it. What, are you worried you'll be stuck with a whole bunch of leftover beer? It's not a Christmas ham. People will (and should) BYO but you should always have communals they can get stuck into. And nobody's going to complain about free beer, but if you want to step it up a notch, use one of these apps to pick yourself a solid local craft beer. Wine: Non-beer-drinkers will usually BYO too, but you can now get an award-winning bottle of wine at ALDI Liquor for a fiver. Get two white, a rose and a red, just to be hospitable, and if you end up taking one to dinner at your in-laws', they won't be able to tell from the label that it cost less than a pub steak. As for ice: schlep to the servo and buy a bag. It's like $4. If you don't have a tub-type thingy and don't want to shell out for one, here is a short list of things into which you can place a sturdy garbage bag to create a reasonably capacious waterproof ice bucket: - A laundry basket - the carton the beer came in (or literally any other large cardboard box) - a milk crate - a small shelf turned on its side If you've got an old solid-metal bottle opener around, tie it to your table or BBQ stand with a piece of string. That way you'll always have one handy, it won't go walkabout in someone's pocket, and your dumbest/drunkest mate won't break a tooth trying to prove how hard he is. 3. MEAT Buy minute steaks, not rump. They're cheaper, thin enough to stuff into a white roll with sauce, and are much more friendly to plastic cutlery, paper plates, eating on laps and all of the above at once. Sausages are mandatory. Buy two kinds. Make one of those kinds the standard straight-sided fundraising democracy Saturday sport sausage-sizzle beef variety (get some from a good butcher if you're not wild about where the beef in the budget ones come from). Make the other a nice spicy Italian, fat pork ones, or vego ones if lots of your mates lean that way. 4. CONDIMENTS The most important sauces, of course, are the holy trinity of red, yellow and brown: tomato, barbecue and American yellow mustard in big squeezy bottles. Those are mandatory. Don't get fancy about it. Heinz and Masterfoods are your friends. Other than that, it's down to taste. A couple of hot sauces (chipotle, habanero or classic pepper), sriracha, a good brown'n'sticky like HP or A1, whole-egg mayo, onions, chutney, that Beaver brand hot dog mustard with the pickle chunks in it — line 'em up. 5.BREAD ROLLS Bags of them. Supermarket. Buy about one and a half per diner. 6. FOOD THAT IS NOT MEAT It exists! Barbecuing plant matter usually yields delicious results. Here's the best way to go about it: - Classic, cheap as heck, everyone loves corn, and all you need to put on it is butter. (Spicy mayo and grated cheese works too, though.) BBQ the cobs whole (you can even do them in the husk, if you rip out most of the silk and give them a soak in salted water beforehand so they steam themselves) and pile them up on a big plate. - Buy as much asparagus as you can afford. Snap off the woody ends, oil 'em up a bit, get some good char marks on there, chuck them in any dish that's longer than it is wide and squeeze a wedge of lemon over the top. Looks fancier than a mink bidet. - Baked potatoes. Wrap them in foil, stick them in the hottest corner of the BBQ (with the hood down, if you have a hood) and forget about them until it's time to do the steaks; they're done if they give when you poke them with the tongs. - The standard vego options at BBQs are portobello mushrooms and haloumi. Those are delicious things, but herbivores are usually pretty used to fending for themselves a little at social events – don't be shy about asking them if they'd like to bring something they're actually enthusiastic about. If you want to make a salad-y thing, here's the easiest one: cook a 500g packet of risoni or orzo, and dump in a whole jar of marinated feta (oil and all — break up the big bits) and a big bag of baby spinach and some chopped fresh parsley while the pasta's still warm. The oil from the feta will become your dressing, and you can add toasted nuts or chilli flakes or roasted veg if you want. For dessert? Fresh watermelon and pineapple, and/or Zooper Doopers. 7. AMBIANCE We've already talked music, and ruled out bunting. Fairy lights are your friend: string heaps of them above head height for a star-canopy effect, drape them randomly on a wall or fence, or twine them around the clothesline for that Strayan charm. (Bonus points if you can find the old-fashioned multicoloured, full-sized light globe style.) For daytime, shade is crucial, whether it's a covered area, an umbrella or a tarp strung up bivouac-style and if you're not blessed with a truck-sized vat of chemically-treated water in your backyard, a blow-up pool is just as much fun. Sturdy citronella candles are more practical than tea lights, smell like summer, and sometimes even keep mozzies away. (Keep a can of Pea Beu handy anyway.) All you need to do, really, is to let the booze flow, watch the evening roll in, and feel the serenity. And if it all devolves into a raucous game of Goon Of Fortune, at least your neighbours will know who the legends on your block really are. Image credits: Christopher Craig via photopin cc, Johan Larsson via photopin cc, Thomas Hawk via photopin cc, "Korb mit Brötchen" by 3268zauber CC, W i l l a r d via photopin cc, Joe Buckingham via photopin cc.
Bingo. Rave. Two ends of the spectrum of fine holiday fun finally came together in Australia this year. Bongo's Bingo is a games night like you've never seen before. Part club, part rave, and, of course, part bingo night, this unlikely fusion event has been wildly popular in the UK since 2015. They took the show on the road, launching in Australia this June and coming back in August. And, it went so well, they're doing it all yet again. Patrons can expect all of the debauchery of the original British version of Bongo's Bingo, including rave intervals, dancing on tables and a loose kind of bingo that you definitely never played with your nan (well, maybe you have). The victorious players can win everything from big cash prizes to a Hills Hoist, with a range of some absolutely ridiculous surprises on offer. Bongo's Bingo heads to a secret Melbourne location on October 28, with details to be revealed via the event website.
Wins can be hard to come by, whereas fails, well, when it rains, it pours, right? When you've missed your morning train, been yelled at by your boss, come home to a huge electricity bill and then realised you've got nothing in the fridge for dinner — a win can feel like a distant memory. It's in moments like these where you've got to recognise the little wins — those seemingly minor things that can reshape your day and make you feel all warm and fuzzy. We've put our heads together with our friends at Coopers to come up with some foolproof, easy ways of making you feel like everything's coming up you. The win might be as simple as growing your own basil, but don't underestimate the effect that putting a fresh herb — one that you've nurtured from a little baby seed — into a homemade dish can have. Trust us, you'll feel like an accomplished gardener and your food will taste delicious. Win, win. Look at that, two wins in a row. MONDAY: READ A BOOK TO AN ELDERLY COMPANION Remember how soothing it was when your mum read you a bedtime story? Very. There's something really nice about being read to, so spare a thought for those who could use it. Go visit your nan, your friend's nan or even a stranger's nan, and take a book you've been meaning to read — that way you'll kill two birds with one stone, get through a chunk of your book and spend some quality time with an elderly companion. If you don't know an elderly person, just walk into your nearest respite or aged care facility — or even a hospice — and get to know someone who's no doubt lived quite a life. TUESDAY: EAT AT A NEW RESTAURANT There's nothing wrong with your tried-and-true Indian eatery down the road nor clicking the 're-order' button time and time again on Deliveroo. But there's also a lot to be said about trying new places and foods. How about Ethiopian instead of Indian? Moroccan instead of burgers? There are heaps of new places popping up across our cities all the time, so treat your tastebuds to new flavours from a fresh venue. Hit up one per week, even if you have to trek out to the other side of the river or harbour, and your stomach will thank you for it. What's more, trying a new place every week will give you a whole wealth of dining knowledge in your city. On our list, Half Acre in Melbourne, Lankan Filling Station in Sydney and Little Big House in Brisbane. WEDNESDAY: GROW YOUR OWN HERBS Making a pasta sauce from scratch is super nourishing for the soul and makes you feel like a nonna who's been doing it for generations. Every good homemade bolognese needs fresh herbs, so, why not push yourself even further and grow them in your own garden? Then you can attest to the freshness of every ingredient (well, perhaps you didn't grow the tomatoes, but if you can do parsley you can do tomatoes, too). Find a sunny — but not too sunny — spot in your backyard, plant your parsley and basil seeds in the ground or in a pot and don't forget to water them (that's probably the most important part). Now you're a bona fide green thumb, bravo. THURSDAY: DO A BOOK SWAP No more excuses, this year is the year that you'll read that Tolstoy novel. Okay, maybe next year... But this year you are going to read more, you can promise yourself that. While it can be hard to find the motivation to devour a lengthy novel, it becomes much easier when you do it in tandem with a friend — it's like a good type of peer pressure. Swap a book you love for one of theirs and off you go. Or, step things up a notch and start a book club. If you aim to meet once a month, you can get away with reading a few pages a night. And, the best part is, it'll improve your media consumption habits, too. No more Instagram right before bed? That's a win for your sleep habits, mental health and eyeballs. FRIDAY: HEAD TO DANCE PARTY You might be tired after a full work week but muster your second wind, Friday night beckons. Corral your mates, have some beers and head to a themed dance party. Nothing says 'win' more than living out your dream of dancing at a Beyonce vs. Rihanna party (seen in the past at Melbourne venue Yah Yahs). If you're in Sydney, keep an eye on what The Bait Shop is up to — often themed nights around sub-cultures and music of the noughties — or Brisbanites should monitor The Brightside, which held a Hogwarts-themed event this year. SATURDAY: GET ACQUAINTED WITH A NEW STYLE OF MUSIC Though your music likes and dislikes are probably set in stone and your favourite Spotify playlist forever on repeat, why not refresh your listening habits with some tunes outside of your usual genres? Head to live music venue — no, not your regular — and spend the evening getting acquainted with a new style of music. Head to The Night Cat in Melbourne for some rhythm and blues, Lazybones Lounge in Sydney for some folk and country or Doo-Bop Jazz Bar in Brisbane for, well, jazz. [caption id="attachment_680605" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Buffalo Bar, Brisbane.[/caption] SUNDAY: WATCH FOOTY WITH SOME RANDOMS If you've ever travelled overseas during AFL season and walked into a pub while a game is on the big screen, you'll know that it's never easier to make 20 new best friends than over footy and beer. If you're new in town, bored in your own town or just feel like you could do with some new friends, head to a pub where they broadcast live sport and shout "GO [insert team here]!". Before you know it, you will have gained a whole family of fellow supporters who'll probably have your back through thick and thin — and that's a massive win. We suggest, the Bellevue in Sydney, the Royal Saxon in Melbourne and Buffalo Bar in Brisbane. Bring on the beers and cheers. Kick off your 'easy wins' by enjoying a Coopers Dry, or two, with your mates. Top Image: Half Acre by Tim Ross.
Designed by architect Robin Larsen, the Clifftop at Hepburn boasts seven remarkable cabins that will take your rural retreat to the next level. Floor-to-ceiling windows reveal views across the rolling bushland toward neighbouring cliff faces. With unconventional amenities like Lord of the Rings pinball machines and eclectic Japanese massage chairs, each cabin presents a bespoke design that blends perfectly into the hillside landscape. Nearby Daylesford and Hepburn Springs present some spectacular day-long hikes, or you can refresh yourself straight from the source at Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve. [caption id="attachment_722684" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] Top images: Visit Victoria
The Northcote Social Club is a veteran of the Melbourne music scene, and like many classic venues of yore, it's had a few little facelifts over the years. Gone is the faded glory of an ageing Aussie pub — though the interior has retained its old-school warmth with polished floorboards and wooden accents, elegant lighting and young, heart-leafed philodendrons curling up sparse metal grates. There's still ample seating for eating, drinking and people-watching available in the front bar and deck, while the gig room is still as large and magnificent as always. Some things may never change, but the menu is not one of them. Northcote Social Club has done what we wish all venues would do, which is ensure the face-stuffing-before-the-cab-ride portion of the evening can happen right after the band finishes without the fuss of leaving the building. Share a bunch of mezzes with your mates — olives, housemade dips and croquettes — before jumping on the extensive burger and sandwich train. Alternatively, get around pub classics like steak and chips, parmas, sausages and mash and a heap of vegetarian and vegan friendly options. Deals also abound at Northcote Social Club —as they should at any good Melbourne pub. Monday nights are cosmo and parma nights. Wednesdays are for pies and pots. Thursdays are all about steaks. And the Sunday roasts are some of the top in town — best paired with a few rounds of Bloody Marys. This haunt still focuses on hosting great live gigs, but it's no longer the only reason to visit. You can easily visit Northcote Social Club for food and booze only, and be a very happy camper. Appears in: The Best Pubs in Melbourne for 2023
Forget about trekking up north — at Boho Luxe Market, Byron Bay comes to Melbourne. Well, the beachy New South Wales spot's general vibe does at least. On the market's agenda: forgoing the trappings of the city for a big fix of bohemian fashion, jewellery, homewares, art, skincare and the like. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then block out Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20 in your diary for the market's winter appearance. The Boho Luxe Market will head to Carlton's Royal Exhibition Building for a weekend of browsing and buying, food trucks, live music and more. There'll be a stack of vegan eats, plus plenty of libations from The Prosecco Van, Cheeky Rascal Cider and Kombi Keg. You can treat yourself to a sound healing session, try a cacao ceremony, or get creative in one of the guided workshops, ranging from henna art to flower crown-making. And if you're after some inspiration for your next event or outdoor adventure, suss out the gorgeous kombi and glamping displays. Entry costs $5 per day or $10 for all three. Drop by and pretend you're somewhere blissed-out and coastal on Friday from 5pm–9pm, Saturday from 10am–5pm, and Sunday from 10am–4pm. [caption id="attachment_865701" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Samee Lapham[/caption] Top Image: Samee Lapham
The Good Food & Wine Show will turn 25 this year – and, in one of the event's biggest editions yet, more than 300 exhibitors will converge on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for three days. Head along between Friday, May 30–Sunday, June 1 for tastings, masterclasses, demonstrations and more. At the heart of the show is the Good Food Village, where you'll find stacks of mini-producers from all over Australia, including Noosa Black Garlic, Monkey Nuts, Kiwi Artisan Truffles and more. Once you've sampled your way through, head to the Harvey Norman Kitchen to a catch a cooking demo from the likes of Miguel Maestre, Georgie Calombaris or Shannon Bennett. Also on the program is a Cheese Lover's Ticket, which buys you a masterclass with Valérie Henbest from Smelly Cheese Co., plus other goodies. Or, if chocolate's your thing, drop into a chocolate appreciation class with Kirsten Tibballs. In between sessions, check out the Wine Selectors' themed tasting rooms, the VIP Lounge where chef Andrew Ballard will be serving lunch, the Sonos Sound Bar for soundtracked workshops, and the Cheese Corner to try some of Australia's best cheeses. You'll find out everything else you need to know over here.
When the eighth season of Game of Thrones finished its run in 2019, bringing the highly popular series to a conclusion, everyone knew that it wasn't really the end. The world created by George RR Martin will live on in his books, whenever the author finally publishes the long-awaited next instalment of his A Song of Ice and Fire series. And, because HBO likes both ratings and advertising dollars, the US cable network will keep the GoT-related TV shows going as well. Like residents of Westeros hoping that summer (or at least autumn) will last for ever, HBO isn't ready to let go of its highly successful commodity. Before GoT even finished, there had been plenty of chatter about what it'll do next, in fact. First, HBO announced that it was considering five different prequel ideas. It then green-lit one to pilot stage, scrapped it and later decided to adapt Martin's House Targaryen-focused Fire & Blood for the small screen instead. Now, the channel is reportedly in the early development phase for another GoT-related series also stemming from Martin's books. This time around, novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg looks set to get the TV treatment, Variety reports — with HBO still eager to keep building upon GoT's massive success, as the network is likely to be for the near future. The project is in the very early stages, however, so there's no word yet on who'll be involved either on- or off-screen. If it does come to fruition, Tales of Dunk and Egg will draw upon three novellas published so far: 1998's The Hedge Knight, 2003's The Sworn Sword and 2010's The Mystery Knight. Set around 90 years before the events of GoT, all three focus on the titular characters. Dunk will eventually become the future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall, while Egg is the future king Aegon V Targaryen — and both earn a mention in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels. As happened with the first proposed GoT prequel — as mentioned above — the fact that HBO is pondering making a new Westeros-set show doesn't mean that it'll end up making it to screens. Still, if you've been missing the chaos of the franchise's fictional world (and could use a return visit as a distraction from the real world), it's welcome news. Until any of the prequels actually drop, you can always rewatch the original — which is streaming in Australia via Binge — or revisit a trailer from its eighth and final season below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuLUyJdRvSU Via Variety.
In the lead-up to Christmas, you don't want to be dashing all over town, picking up every little thing to make the day come together. Luckily, the festive season is coming to one of Melbourne's largest markets, making it a real one-stop shop for present shopping and stocking up on Christmas lunch. Across the month of December, festive celebrations are set to take place under the twinkling lights and through the open-air laneways of Queen Vic market, with over 550 vendors selling locally-made gifts and Christmas trinkets for those hard-to-shop for souls. If you're facing feeding a bunch, you can order your fresh seafood, hams and poultry now — although many vendors are promising to stock hams right up until Christmas eve, if you leave things a bit late. For the kids, a special Christmas trail around the market is on, so grab a map from the Market Hub, follow the clues and be in to win a festive prize. Santa will be visiting on weekends from November 19 if you've still got things to put on your wishlist. When you get hungry and need a shopping break, drinks and food are on at the Brick Lane Bar.
If you've ever ventured down Collingwood's Wellington Street, you have probably been intrigued by a certain eye-catching corner building, decked out with a bold black and white façade. You'd be looking at Chotto Motto. The lively Japanese haunt is a joint effort from Dylan Jones and Tomoya Kawasaki, the latter who is behind fellow mod-Japanese hits Wabi Sabi Salon and Neko Neko. At Chotto Motto, it's the humble gyoza that reigns supreme, specifically crisp-based Hamamatsu-style dumplings that are served as a group, flipped upside down. Grab a 10 or 20-piece feed, in flavours like spicy pork in crispy chilli oil, prawn and ginger with yuzu ponzu, or the vegan-friendly impossible pork with shiso and sesame. Small plates might include the likes of Japanese curry chicken salt fries, king prawn with shredded leak tempura, or seasonal veg wrapped in tofu skin with a side of yuzu pepper. The drinks are fun, also, with a range of cocktails including a yuzu margarita, a Japanese slipper with melon, orange and lemon, and a ume plum negroni with gin, Aragoshi Umeshu Plum Wine and Campari. There is plum wine, sake and beer as well, plus a single option for each colour of wine. The space itself is equally upbeat, between the Japanese slot machine, the neon glow and an assortment of knick-knacks scattered throughout. You'll catch a vibrant mural by Mitch Walder gracing one interior wall, while outside's head-turning paint job is the work of Melbourne street artist Chehehe.
When Kendrick Lamar was announced as Spilt Milk's 2025 headliner, festivalgoers had all the right words to say courtesy of the man himself. "DAMN" and "LOVE" also apply to his latest news. Not content with taking to the stage Down Under in Ballarat, Perth, Canberra and on the Gold Coast, the acclaimed hip hop artist has also locked in two solo stadium shows on his next Australian trip, as part of his Grand National tour. After making its way around North America and Europe, Lamar's latest string of live dates is heading to Melbourne and Sydney. First up: the Victorian capital, at AAMI Park on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. Then comes Allianz Stadium in the Harbour City on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. Lamar's Aussie stadium gigs kick off before his Spilt Milk dates, then slot in-between the festival's two weekend runs. The fest hits Ballarat on Saturday, December 6; Perth on Sunday, December 7; Canberra on Saturday, December 13; and the Gold Coast on Sunday, December 14. December clearly suits Lamar for a jaunt Down Under — that's when the Pulitzer Music Prize-winning musician also made the trip in 2022. Lamar is one of the most-critically acclaimed and successful hip hop artists of our generation. He currently has 22 Grammys to his name, plus an Academy Award nomination for one of his contributions to the Black Panther soundtrack. He won the 2017 Triple J Hottest 100 and, when he nabbed his Pulitzer in 2018, he also became the first ever artist to take out the prestigious award for contemporary music. GNX, his most-recent studio album, dropped in November 2024 — with his extensive catalogue also spanning 2011's Section.80, 2012's good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2015's To Pimp A Butterfly, 2017's DAMN and 2022's Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Kendrick Lamar Grand National Tour 2025 Australian Dates Wednesday, December 3 — AAMI Park, Melbourne Wednesday, December 10 — Allianz Stadium, Sydney Spilt Milk 2025 Dates Saturday, December 6 — Victoria Park, Ballarat Sunday, December 7 — Claremont Showground, Perth Saturday, December 13 — Exhibition Park, Canberra Sunday, December 14 — Gold Coast Sports Precinct, Gold Coast Kendrick Lamar is touring Australia in December 2025, with ticket presales for his Sydney gig from 9am on Thursday, June 12 and for his Melbourne gig from 11am on Thursday, June 12 — then general sales from 9am on Monday, June 16 for Sydney and 11am Monday, June 16 for Melbourne. Head to the tour website for further details. Top image: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images.
Freshly shucked from the minds at Pinchy's, comes yet another haven of seafood and wine. Pearl Chablis & Oyster Bar sits in the space next door to its sibling, its focus set firmly on primo Aussie oysters and quality French chablis — a crisp, dry white wine crafted on chardonnay grapes. Just like its hero drop, the bar is a sophisticated affair, with modern, art deco-inspired interiors, plenty of soft green velvet and some striking marble countertops reminiscent of the layered markings of an oyster shell. The bivalve is further celebrated via Pearl's impressive menu of top-quality oysters sourced from around Australia. Atop the bar, a centrepiece cabinet displays the day's selection on ice, before they're shucked theatrically on-demand and delivered to your table. Non-oyster goodies might include the likes of poached Murray Cod with warm horseradish tartare and a lemon pepper crumb ($28); the duck liver parfait ($16); beef tartare with ponzu ($20); and mussels in a vadouvan and white wine sauce ($17). If you're feeling a little fancier, there's a caviar menu. Or, you can go all out and pre-order the signature Pearl Caviar Experience — a feast of butter-poached Southern Rock Lobster, Russian osetra caviar and Siberian caviar, for a cool $1450. Meanwhile, Pearl's eye-popping chablis selection is thought to be the largest in the country. This particular wine varietal is a famously good match to oysters, with an acidity that's primed for cutting through the molluscs' creaminess. What's more, the minerality of the soil throughout the Chablis wine region is attributed to the ancient oyster shells fossilised beneath the earth. Regular tasting events shine the spotlight on various chablis producers. Otherwise, you can quench your thirst with options from the 500-strong collection of Burgundy wine. Images: Jana Langhorst and Pearl Chablis & Oyster Bar
UPDATE: APRIL 28, 2020 — In a move that can only be considered peak Melbourne, the CBD's Bar Clara has launched goon bags filled with mulled wine. Made with Aussie red wine, spices and orange, the 1.5-litre Scarlet & Clove sacks will set you back $38 — and can be delivered to doors across Melbourne metro areas for free. Peruse Bar Clara's drinks list, and a number of familiar words jump out, bellini and martini among them. But this new addition to Little Bourke Street isn't just serving up the usual old classics. If Melbourne's restaurant scene can take inspiration from the region's local and seasonal produce, then Bar Clara owner and manager Joel McKenzie can as well. Now open in a basement space in Chinatown, under the arch near Exhibition Street, this watering hole slings a custom, frequently changing cocktail list that blends fresh ingredients with modern techniques. Current standouts include the savoury Roma Martini, which combines gin and dry vermouth with tomato juice that has been spun in a centrifuge 4000 times; the New York Natural with cherry-infused bourbon, sweet vermouth and bitters; and the Banoffe Special, a mix of Starward Whisky, lemon and crunchy raw cane sugar syrup — plus caramelised meringue on top. A small beer, cider and wine selection is also available, plus a range of bites to eat — such as smoked almonds, house-marinated olives, duck liver parfait with lavash, smoked mackerel and horseradish bites, and a rotating cheese platter that always features three types of dairy with crackers. Decor-wise, prepare to sip and snack in a dimly lit space decked out with plants, concrete beams, a copper bar top and green velvet couches.
UPDATE, June 28, 2022: RRR is available to stream via Netflix. The letters in RRR's title are short for Rise Roar Revolt. They could also stand for riveting, rollicking and relentless. They link in with the Indian action movie's three main forces, too — writer/director SS Rajamouli (Baahubali: The Beginning), plus stars NT Rama Rao Jr (Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava) and Ram Charan (Vinaya Vidheya Rama) — and could describe the sound of some of its standout moments. What noise echoes when a motorcycle is used in a bridge-jumping rescue plot, as aided by a horse and the Indian flag, amid a crashing train? Or when a truck full of wild animals is driven into a decadent British colonialist shindig and its caged menagerie unleashed? What racket resounds when a motorbike figures again, this time tossed around by hand (yes, really) to knock out those imperialists, and then an arrow is kicked through a tree into someone's head? Or, when the movie's two leads fight, shoot, leap over walls and get acrobatic, all while one is sat on the other's shoulders? RRR isn't subtle. Instead, it's big, bright, boisterous, boldly energetic, and brazenly unapologetic about how OTT and hyperactive it is. The 187-minute Tollywood action epic — complete with huge musical numbers, of course — is also a vastly captivating pleasure to watch. Narrative-wise, it follows the impact of the British Raj (aka England's rule over the subcontinent between 1858–1947), especially upon two men. In the 1920s, Bheem (Jr NTR, as Rao is known) is determined to rescue young fellow villager Malli (first-timer Twinkle Sharma), after she's forcibly taken by Governor Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson, Vikings) and his wife Catherine (Alison Doody, Beaver Falls) for no reason but they're powerful and they can. Officer Raju (Charan) is tasked by the crown with making sure Bheem doesn't succeed in rescuing the girl, and also keeping India's population in their place because their oppressors couldn't be more prejudiced. There's more to both men's stories because there's so much more to RRR's story; to fill the movie's lengthy running time, Rajamouli hasn't skimped on plot. Indeed, there's such a wealth of things going on that the film is at once a kidnapping melodrama, a staunch missive against colonialism, a political drama, a rom-com and a culture-clash comedy — involving Bheem's affection for the sole kindly Brit, Jenny (Olivia Morris, Hotel Portofino) — and a war movie. It's a buddy comedy as well, starting when Bheem and Raja join forces for that aforementioned bridge rescue, yet don't realise they're on opposite sides in the battle over Malli. It's also as spectacular an action flick as has graced cinema screens, and as gleefully overblown. Plus, it's an infectiously mesmerising musical. One dazzling dance-off centrepiece doubles as a rebuff against British rule, racism and classism, in fact, and it's also nothing short of phenomenal to look at, too. Spectacle is emphatically the word for RRR — not quite from its scene-setting opening, where Malli is ripped from her family, but from the second that Raju shows how well he can handle himself. That involves taking on a hefty horde of protesters single-handedly with just a stick as a weapon, because extravagance and excess is baked into every second of the feature. Super-sized is another term that clearly fits, because little holds back even for a second. And a third word, if the film bumped up its moniker to the next letter in the alphabet? That'd be sincere. An enormous reason that everything that's larger than life about RRR — which is absolutely everything — works, even when it's also often silly and cheesy, is because it's so earnest about how determined it is to entertain. You don't use that amount of slow-motion shots if you don't know you're being corny at times, unashamedly so. If the whole friends-but-enemies dynamic between Bheem and Raja sounds like The Departed and Infernal Affairs, that's just part of RRR's exuberant melange of influences — just like genres. Its protagonists Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju are actually ripped from reality, with each revolutionaries, although their tales didn't ever intertwine. (No, nothing IRL in history has ever resembled this). The Harder They Fall did the same thing, fictionalising the past to make a statement and craft barnstorming cinema, but in America, in the Old West and with Black characters. Imagine the same idea given the Michael Bay treatment in India and that's almost the wavelength that RRR runs on. Imagine the right kind of Bayhem, though — Pain and Gain, for instance — or just think of his penchant for shamelessly go-for-broke action scenes and ignore everything he usually stuffs around them. When a filmmaker is helming an action onslaught, just as when they're overseeing musical scenes, choreography is always key. That's another crucial factor in making RRR so engaging. Rajamouli's staging of both, and the way that the frays and song-and-dance numbers alike are shot by cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar (Vijetha) and edited by A Sreekar Prasad (Good Luck Sakhi), is a visual wonder. On one side, the Fast and Furious movies would be envious. On the other, Lin-Manuel Miranda might be. Again, RRR is often chaotically ridiculous, but it's also so well-made — so audaciously as well — that it's exhilarating. The films of John Woo come to mind at times, as do The Raid and The Raid: Redemption, but RRR is also its own beast. It's also easy to predict that Telugu-language cinema stars Jr NTR and Charan could get their moment in Hollywood; if Vin Diesel doesn't come calling, perhaps Quentin Tarantino will when he hops behind the camera next. Jr NTR and Charan are megawatt movie stars, one playing an everyman who becomes a hero, the other the picture of dutiful and skilled authority — and deep-seated conflict — who does the same. They're dynamite together amid the rampant maximalism, the stunts and the CGI-heavy special effects. Yes, that means that RRR is also a bromance. The film's central pair live their lives one anti-colonialist tussle at a time, though. Their characters are also posed as superheroes, never with the term ever mentioned, but in just how super-adept they are. Of course, the usual sprawling caped-crusader franchises typically don't feel this overstimulated, ardent, often-absurd and engagingly alive.
Award-winning 400 Gradi chef Johnny Di Francesco is bringing another little slice of Venice to Brunswick this year, by opening up a ciccetti bar next door to his World Pizza Championship-topper Lygon Street establishment. Housing up to 50 patrons, 400 Gradi Cicchetti will have a slightly different atmosphere to the buzzing pizzeria next door but will maintain an air of authenticity and tradition. While no details have been released in regards to the menu, we’re assured there will be a well-considered and extensive drinks list to wash it all down. Cicchetti, for those who are yet to get amongst it, are small Italian snacks or side dishes and are traditionally a Venetian style of food. They’re often served at small bars called bàcari and are consumed after breakfast, for lunch or as afternoon snacks. A few common cicchetti include marinated olives, small dishes of meat or fish and mini arancini (meat-filled rice balls). Think of it like Italian tapas, if that helps. Earlier this year Johnny Di Francesco took out the number one spot at the World Pizza Championship (Campionato Mondiale della Pizza) in Parma, Italy. His Neapolitan-style pizza is undeniably amongst the best that Melbourne has to offer, so it’s pretty safe to say this next door endeavour will have tables full from the get-go. Find 400 Gradi Cicchetti at 99 Lygon Street, Brunswick East (right next door to 400 Gradi).
When Sydneysiders want to spend a day carving up the snow, they usually have to jump in a car for at least five hours and head to one of NSW's ski resorts. But, in a few years, it might be as easy as jumping on a train to Penrith, thanks to a new $300-million indoor Winter Sports World that's been proposed for the city — and has just received Penrith Council's official endorsement. Set to be built in Jamisontown on the corner of Jamison Road and Tench Avenue, the centre will include a 300-metre indoor ski slope, an Olympic-size ice skating rink, and both ice and rock climbing facilities. If executed to plan, the proposal claims the ski slope will be one of the top ten high-performance training centres in the world. And yes, it'll use real snow. A food and drink precinct featuring bars, restaurants and cafes, and a 120-room hotel have also been included in the proposal. One of those eateries will be a revolving fine diner, too, and everything will have snow views. A snow play area is also part of the plan, alongside conference and function rooms. Visitors will be able to learn to ski onsite, as part of the resort's positioning as a feeder site to outdoor snow fields. The idea: that you'll learn the ropes indoors, then later head out of town to try the real thing. The development, which sought public feedback last year and is being put forward as a new major attraction for the area, is part of the Penrith City Council's plan to double visitors and tourism revenue in the area by 2025. If it goes ahead, Winter Sports World is expected to contribute $80 million to the NSW economy each year. Once built, the facility is hoped to provide a boost to Australia's Winter Olympians and their training, providing a venue for alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding and figure skating, as well as ice hockey, speed skating and curling (and possibly cross country and biathlon as well). The Winter Olympics haven't traditionally been one of Australia's sporting strong suits — the national team first competed in 1936 and didn't win its first medal until 1994. The proposal has been in the works since November 2018, and in development for the past seven years in total. Site owner and developer Peter Magnisalis will now finalise the plans with the council and the NSW Planning Department, with an aim to start construction in 2022 ahead of a 2024 target opening date — in winter, of course. If construction does kick off, it certainly won't be the only big new development happening in Western Sydney, with Badgerys Creek set to become home to Sydney's next major airport. For more information about Winter Sports World, head to the proposed venue's website. Images: artists' impressions of Winter Sports World.
The pandemic has changed much about travel over the past year and a half, including the way that Australians approach roaming throughout our own country. Booking a ticket to another state or territory is no longer something we all just do whenever we feel like without checking the rules, restrictions and requirements first — because closed domestic borders will do that. But with New South Wales and Victoria both progressing through their roadmaps for reopening following both states' respective (and lengthy) lockdowns, venturing a bit further around the country might soon become a little easier. Exactly what domestic border limits will remain in place, and where, hasn't yet been revealed; however, Qantas and Jetstar have announced that they'll start ramping up their flights around the country anyway. Firstly, the two airlines will increase flights regionally within NSW, starting from Monday, October 25. That's around when the state is expected to hit the 80-percent double-dose vaccination mark, which is when travel throughout NSW will be permitted again. Next, Qantas and Jetstar have brought forward the start date for trips between NSW and Victoria. Instead of recommencing in December, these flights will now resume on Friday, November 5. [caption id="attachment_823330" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brent Winstone[/caption] So, if you're a Sydneysider eager to escape the city — either within NSW or to Victoria, you're about to have options. For Melburnians, heading north will be possible as well. Obviously, this all depends on the rules both states put in place regarding travel between them, because that's the world we now live in. The airlines haven't changed their flights between Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory and South Australia just yet, though, with trips to WA still remaining sparse for the foreseeable future due to its strict border arrangements all throughout the pandemic. The two carriers won't restart legs from WA to Victoria and NSW (and vice versa) until at least February 1, 2022 for that reason, other than the five return flights it's doing from Perth to both Sydney and Melbourne at the moment for folks with permits — but it's hoping to increase flights between Queensland and WA in the coming weeks. No matter where you live, expect to see a few incentives popping up trying to tempt you to holiday in certain parts of the country. The Northern Territory is doing discounts of up to $1000 for fully vaxxed folks who head to the NT from spots that aren't deemed hotspots, for instance, and there's also $250 tour vouchers up for grabs in Queensland's tropical north. For more information about Qantas and Jetstar's increased domestic flights as NSW and Victoria reopen, head to the Qantas and Jetstar websites.
This winter, you won't be chasing the sun and soaking in a European summer. That was off the cards last year, too. But, thanks to eased domestic border restrictions and the trans-Tasman bubble, you can spend the chilliest part of the year surrounded by snow. Of course, whether you're planning to ski, snowboard or just build a snowman, you'll need to rug up — and whatever is currently in your wardrobe mightn't do. Each year — except 2020, for obvious reasons — Aldi hosts a big sale on snow gear. Every time it happens, it draws quite a crowd. It's back for 2021, so mark Saturday, May 22 in your diary. That's when you can head to your nearest Aldi supermarket to pick up everything from snow jackets and boots to face masks and beanies. Available at stores across the nation, and made to withstand extreme weather conditions, 2021's range of gear includes six different varieties of snow jackets, which start at $39.99 for something light and go up to $119.99 for windproof and waterproof numbers; four types of snow pants, including one style with adjustable leg and waist cuffs for $99.99; and ski fleece sets, featuring a hoodie and a pair of pants, for $19.99. Boots for both kids and adults start at $19.99, helmets will cost you between $19.99–24.99, and you'll be spending between $4.99–34.99 for masks, beanies, neck warmers, cabin socks, gloves and balaclavas. Kids clothing is part of the deal, too, if you'll be travelling with younger skiers — ranging from $19.99–34.99. Once you're all kitted out, you're certain to stay toasty if you're making the trip to Perisher Valley, Thredbo, Falls Creek, Hotham or anywhere else local where snowy peaks are a feature. If you're hopping across the ditch instead, you'll find plenty of items to stop you getting frosty up at New Zealand's ski fields. The Aldi Snow Gear Special Buys range is available from Aldi stores nationally from Saturday, May 22.
As both The Dry and Force of Nature: The Dry 2 demonstrated, Jane Harper's mysteries feel right at home on-screen. After the Australian author's first two Aaron Falk books made the leap to cinemas starring Eric Bana (Memoir of a Snail), and proved hits, of course more adaptations of her work were set to follow. The Survivors is next — first announced between The Dry and Force of Nature reaching picture palaces, heading to Netflix as a six-part limited series, and now officially joining your streaming queue at the beginning of June. The Survivors isn't linked to either Falk tale, so he isn't part of the narrative. Instead, the Tasmanian-set story follows families still coping with the loss caused by a massive storm in their seaside town 15 years earlier. Filmed in Tassie, too, it follows the aftermath of two people drowning and a girl going missing in Evelyn Bay, as the just-dropped trailer teases — and as viewers can watch in full from Friday, June 6, 2025. Tragedy isn't just in this coastal town's past, however. An incident like that is never forgotten. So, when a young woman's body is found on the beach, old wounds are unsurprisingly reopened. The series is pitched as both a murder-mystery and a family drama, and the sneak peek features elements of both. Cast-wise, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's Charlie Vickers and Bridgerton season four's Yerin Ha play couple Kieran Elliott and Mia Chang, who return to their hometown. Also featuring: Damien Garvey (Nugget Is Dead?: A Christmas Story), Catherine McClements (Apple Cider Vinegar), Martin Sacks (Darby and Joan) and Robyn Malcolm (After the Party), plus Jessica De Gouw (The Union), Thom Green (Exposure), George Mason (Black Snow) and Shannon Berry (Fake). Filmmaker Tony Ayres is behind The Survivors' streaming adaptation, adding to fellow TV series Nowhere Boys, Glitch, Stateless, Clickbait and Fires on his resume — and Cherie Nowlan (The Irrational) both directs and executive produces, Ben C Lucas (Nautilus) also does the former and Harper the latter. The Survivors joins Netflix's slowly growing slate of Australian shows, which it has been growing since Tidelands became the first local production three years after the streaming service officially launched Down Under. Among the others: Heartbreak High, Wellmania, Boy Swallows Universe, Territory and Apple Cider Vinegar. Check out the trailer for The Survivors below: The Survivors streams via Netflix from Friday, June 6.
If you're a fan of Australian-made streetwear and indulging in pop-culture nostalgia — and who isn't? — then we've just found your new summer threads. Melbourne label HoMie has teamed up with Disney on a 90s-style range that's decked out with the Mouse House's beloved animated characters, with the 18-piece collection of t-shirts, shorts, hoodies and socks set to hit the brand's online store from Tuesday, November 16. It's a whole new world of nostalgia for your wardrobe — and while the HoMie and Friends range is clearly excellent news for Disney lovers, it's even better news for young people affected by homelessness or hardship. When the collection goes on sale, HoMie will donate 100-percent of the profits to the worthy cause. The label's first-ever range with Disney, HoMie and Friends is designed to offer a bright and retro way to embrace the warmer weather, too — especially after the chaotic year that's been 2021. "This collection organically grew from wanting to produce a range that focuses heavily on fun, positivity and friendship after what has been a really difficult time for people," said HoMie co-founder and Creative Director Marcus Crook. "We wanted the range to be fun to wear, so you will find lots of bright colours, bold prints, premium embroidery and, my personal favourite — the matching sets." The collection includes vibrant pink t-shirts emblazoned with Minnie Mouse's face, peach-hued hoodies featuring everyone from Donald Duck to Mickey Mouse, and other old school-leaning designs that draw upon Disney's OG stable of animated characters — such as a lime-green Goofy shirt, and both pastel blue and aqua-coloured Mickey combos. The whole collection is gender neutral, and sizing spans from XS to 3XL. The HoMie and Friends range will be available online from Tuesday, November 16 — head to HoMie's website for further details.
One of the enduring joys of staring at a screen, big or small, is the nifty knack that movies and TV shows can have for delivering treasures viewers didn't know they needed. We should've realised we had to see Michelle Yeoh hop across dimensions to save the world before Everything Everywhere All At Once arrived, for instance. We should've gleaned that Timothée Chalamet would make a compelling cannibal prior to Bones and All, too. And, it should've been obvious that Adam Scott plunging into an office nightmare would be instantly addictive viewing, but it took Severance to make it plain. Now, Shrinking joins the list by giving the world what we've truly been lacking: a delightfully gruff Harrison Ford co-starring in a kind-hearted sitcom. Creating this therapist-focused series for Apple TV+ — with its first two episodes hitting on Friday, January 27, and the remainder of the ten-episode first season dropping week by week afterwards — Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein and Jason Segel didn't miss Shrinking's immediate potential, though. Lawrence and Goldstein add the show to their roster alongside Ted Lasso, which the former also co-created, and the latter stars in as the also wonderfully gruff Roy Kent to Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning effect. It too bathes in warmth amid chaos, all while understanding, exploring and accepting its characters as the flawed folks we all are. As for Segel, he's no stranger to playing the type of super-enthusiastic and super-earnest figure he inhabits again here, as seen in Freaks and Geeks and How I Met Your Mother. If Ted Lasso downplayed the soccer, instead emphasising the psychologist chats that were a pivotal part of season two, Shrinking would be the end result. Also, if Scrubs, another of Lawrence's sitcoms, followed doctors specialising in mental health rather than working in a hospital, Shrinking would also be the outcome. It's worth remembering that Scrubs featured a very funny and clever nod to Ford, which likely makes his casting here a dream come true for Lawrence. Round up all of these familiar elements, details brought over from elsewhere and past references, and Shrinking turns them into a series that's thoughtful, supremely entertaining, well-cast and well-crafted — and an engaging and easy watch. Ford is the biggest name among Shrinking's many recognisable faces, because a career forever tied to the Blade Runner, Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises will do that, but he's in supporting mode. Segel (Windfall) leads the show as Jimmy Laird, a therapist who is initially seen waking up his empty-nester neighbour Liz (Christa Miller, a Scrubs alum and also Lawrence's wife) in the deep of night while hanging out with sex workers and self-medicating around his backyard pool. She's not mad, however, because he's been like this for some time — and she's been helping keep his life running, primarily by being a surrogate parent for his teenage daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell, Generation). A year back, Jimmy's wife Tia (Lilan Bowden, Murderville) passed away; saying that he's struggling to cope is an understatement. As overused and irritating as the dead-wife trope is — men can flounder all by themselves without a deceased spouse to blame — Shrinking thankfully unpacks the concept. It explores how Jimmy's all-or-nothing attitude has always been part of his persona, questions his idealised view of his marriage, and establishes that his faults weren't suddenly sparked by going through what nobody ever wants to. Co-scripting as well, Lawrence, Goldstein and Segel also ensure that Shrinking examines how loss affects more than just middle-aged white men unexpectedly without wives, courtesy of not just Alice but also Jimmy's colleague and Tia's best friend Gaby (Jessica Williams, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore). And, while never underplaying the existence-altering weight of grief, it spies how everyone is the sum of their best and worst experiences, including Jimmy and Gaby's boss Paul (Ford, The Call of the Wild), Liz, Jimmy's estranged pal Brian (Michael Urie, Younger) and Jimmy's patients. Shrinking isn't called Shrinking without capturing its therapists in action; add it to the pile of recent fare, such as The Patient and The Shrink Next Door, that jump on and off the couch. Shrinking's twist: after taking his Liz-interrupted evening as a wakeup call, and attempting to work through his mourning and be an attentive dad again, he decides to ignore ethics, get frank and shower his patients with tough truths. Tired of discussing their woes endlessly without seeing changes, and suffering from compassion fatigue, he makes drastic moves — threatening not to be Grace's (Heidi Gardner, Saturday Night Live) shrink any longer if she doesn't leave her abusive husband, for example, and taking new patient Sean (Luke Tennie, CSI: Vegas), a young war veteran with anger issues who'll soon be living in Jimmy's pool house, to box out his feelings in the ring. Both sweetness and melancholy linger in Shrinking as it finds as many ways as it can to layer in one of therapy's key takeaways: that working through everything that life throws your way, and also working on yourself in the process, is never simple. Talk reigns supreme, whether Jimmy is desperately trying to get back on Alice's good side, Alice is confiding in Paul instead, Paul makes what he says count, Gaby gets drawn deeper into Jimmy's dramas or Sean is endeavouring to move on from his military service while avoiding confronting its impact. An embracing, cosy, feel-good vibe radiates, too — in a series that's another hearty hug, as Ted Lasso is, but one that's sharper about the pain that everyone carries for their own multitude of reasons. Shrinking could've just gifted viewers Ford's second-ever regular small-screen role in his almost six-decade career — arriving swiftly after his first in Yellowstone prequel 1923, in fact — and been happy coasting on Ford's presence. He's unsurprisingly exceptional, and wanting more of his no-nonsense but soft-hearted veteran shrink if a second season eventuates springs exactly as expected going in. He's pitch-perfect as the show's resident grump, and at fleshing out the reasons why. He's fragile when diving into Paul's own troubles and regrets, warmly wise dispensing advice to Jimmy and Alice, and hilarious when he's getting blunt and also singing terrible tunes. And he's just one terrific component that makes Shrinking click, alongside knowing that being alive is constantly juggling an array of components and making the most of whatever you can. Check out the trailer for Shrinking below: Shrinking streams via Apple TV+ from Friday, January 27.
Boasting a storied past, and home to a melting pot of people and subcultures, Richmond has to be one of inner-city Melbourne's most eclectic pockets. And the suburb's newest accommodation offering gives a wholehearted nod to that diversity. Introducing The Motley, a five-star boutique hotel that's made its home on bustling Bridge Road and is unafraid to show off its colourful side. With 80 rooms across its eight floors, this stylish urban escape draws inspiration from the most famous of the building's former residents — a well-loved seamstress and theatrical costumier named Ms Mary Parker. The site has been developed by Amber Property Group and will be managed by La Vie Hotels & Resorts. The Motley's considered interiors come courtesy of leading design studio Chada, paying homage to Richmond's multifaceted culture and history. You'll spy nods to sporting icons, references to the arts and, inspired by the area's long ties to the textiles and design industries, an abundance of rich textural elements incorporated throughout. Accents of brass, terrazzo, leather and stone are played against bold patterns and playful hues, with an enviable collection of statement artworks gracing the walls. Five room styles are currently available, with a collection of individualised Motley Heritage Rooms launching soon — including one beauty decked out in animal print known as the Tiger Room. Meanwhile, the ground floor plays host to colourful eatery Ms Parker, which is slinging coffee and cafe fare by day, transitioning into a fine-diner from 5pm each night. Earlybirds can tuck into the likes of wattleseed sourdough, 'nduja shakshuka with dukkah, and even a brekkie pavlova paired with coconut sorbet. Dinner plates up elevated dishes like duck liver parfait profiteroles, a dagwood dog reimagined with crab and 'nduja, rainbow trout done with roe and a beurre blanc, and bone marrow paired with miso brûlée and fermented daikon. Find The Motley at 205 Bridge Road, Richmond, with bookings now open online. Ms Parker is open from 6.30am–12pm weekdays, 7am–12pm weekends and 5.30pm–late daily. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
After beginning the year with a devastating bushfire season, then following it up with a global pandemic that rid the area of tourism, the Blue Mountains, it's fair to say, has has a tough 12 months. In response, Mount Tomah's Blue Mountains Botanic Garden has turned to an unlikely partner on its road towards bushfire recovery: gin. In collaboration with Sydney-based gin brand Grown Spirits, the Botanic Garden has released the Blue Mountains Grown Gin in a limited run of just 1000 bottles. All profits from the gin go to supporting the garden's horticultural and scientific staff in their efforts to restore hundreds of specimens and areas of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden destroyed in the bushfires earlier this year. The Blue Mountains Grown Gin was created by Grown Spirits and Master Distiller Philip Moore at Distillery Botanica in Erina. It combines local eucalypt plant the silver-leaved mountain gum with juniper, valencia orange and liquorice root for a textural gin with a hint of spice. "In creating a gin homage to the Blue Mountains and the Garden, there was one botanical I was immediately drawn to, eucalyptus pulverulenta, or "Baby Blue" as some people call it," Moore said in a statement. "It brings fresh, cooling qualities to the gin much like the mountains themselves." The team recommends serving it in a G&T or a martini with a lime zest. You can also try it at Dead Ringer in Surry Hills, shaken into a cocktail called Evergreen. If you're looking for ethical holiday gifts this time of year, the Blue Mountains Grown Gin fits snuggly into a Christmas stocking. Not a gin enthusiast, but still keen to support the area? You can take a trip to the Blue Mountains — and the Garden — and spend liberally on local businesses. To start planning your adventure, check out our guide to the upper Blue Mountains and these enchanting local stays. The Blue Mountains Grown Gin is now available now for $129 at the Garden Grown Gin website or at select bottle shops across Australia.
Do you guys ever think about all the new movies that didn't get as much love while everyone was seeing Barbie and the rest of 2023's huge box-office hits? If you haven't so far, the time to do so is now. This year's's slate of cinema releases is like the year's biggest blockbuster, serving up multiple variations for everyone. So, while The Super Mario Bros Movie, Oppenheimer, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, The Little Mermaid, Elemental and Fast X were among the typical successes (and 2022's Avatar: The Way of Water and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish as well), the massive money earners are just a fraction the flicks that've graced the silver screen over the last 12 months. All of the aforementioned pictures made piles of cash from Australia audiences, and earned attention and chatter along the way. Elsewhere, stunning thrillers, warped mindbenders, thoughtful dramas, queer romances, propulsive action efforts, twisty delights and gorgeous animation also awaited — and they're worth catching up with ASAP. As we have since 2014 (see also: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022), we've picked a heap of must-see movies that you likely didn't see in 2023, because that's what the cinema takings tell us, but you should definitely add to your list. Thanks to our 15 selections, don't say that you don't have anything new to watch. HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE Every story is built upon cause and effect. One thing happens, then another as a result, and so a narrative springs. Inspired by Andreas Malm's non-fiction book of the same name, How to Blow Up a Pipeline isn't just strung together by causality — it's firmly, actively and overtly about starting points, consequences and the connections between. Here's one source for this impassioned tale about determined and drastic environmental activism: the warming world. Here's an originator for that, too: fossil fuels, humanity's reliance upon them and the profits reaped from that status quo. Now, a few outcomes: pollution, catastrophic weather changes, terminal illnesses, stolen and seized land, corporate interests prioritised over ecological necessities, and a growing group that's driven to act because existence is at stake. Turning a text subtitled Learning to Fight in a World on Fire into a fictional feature, How to Blow Up a Pipeline joins all of the above, stressing links like it is looping string from pin to pin, and clue to clue, on a detective's corkboard. In his second feature after 2018's smart and effective camgirl horror Cam, writer/director Daniel Goldhaber isn't trying to be subtle about what dovetails in where. With co-screenwriters Jordan Sjol (a story editor on Cam) and Ariela Barer (also one of How to Blow Up a Pipeline's stars), he isn't attempting to rein in the film's agenda or complexity. This movie tells the tale that's right there in its name, as eight people from across America congregate in Texas' west with a plan — an octet of folks who mostly would've remained loosely connected, some strangers and others lovers and friends, if they weren't desperate to send a message that genuinely garners attention. Goldhaber's latest is explosive in its potency and thrills, and startling in its urgency, as it focuses on a decision of last resort, the preparation and the individual rationales before that. How to blow up hedging bets on-screen? That's also this tightly wound, instantly gripping, always rage-dripping picture. Read our full review. INFINITY POOL Making his latest body-horror spectacle an eat-the-rich sci-fi satire as well, Brandon Cronenberg couldn't have given Infinity Pool a better title. Teardowns of the wealthy and entitled now seem to flow on forever, glistening endlessly against the film and television horizon; however, the characters in this particularly savage addition to the genre might wish they were in The White Lotus or Succession instead. In those two hits, having more money than sense doesn't mean witnessing your own bloody execution but still living to tell the tale. It doesn't see anyone caught up in cloning at its most vicious and macabre, either. And, it doesn't involve dipping into a purgatory that sports the Antiviral and Possessor filmmaker's penchant for futuristic corporeal terrors, as clearly influenced by his father David Cronenberg (see: Crimes of the Future, Videodrome and The Fly), while also creating a surreal hellscape that'd do Twin Peaks great David Lynch, Climax's Gaspar Noe and The Neon Demon's Nicolas Winding Refn proud. Succession veteran Alexander Skarsgård plunges into Infinity Pool's torments playing another member of the one percent, this time solely by marriage. "Where are we?", author James Foster asks his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman, Dopesick) while surveying the gleaming surfaces, palatial villas and scenic beaches on the fictional island nation of Li Tolqa — a question that keeps silently pulsating throughout the movie, and also comes tinged with the reality that James once knew a life far more routine than this cashed-up extravagance. Cronenberg lets his query linger from the get-go, with help from returning Possessor cinematographer Karim Hussain. Within minutes, the feature visually inverts its stroll through its lavish setting, the camera circling and lurching. As rafters spin into view, then tumble into the pristine sky, no one in this film's frames is in Kansas anymore. Then, when fellow guest Gabi (Mia Goth, Pearl) gets James and Em into a tragic accident, which is followed by arrests, death sentences and a wild get-out-of-jail-free situation, no one is anywhere they want to be, either. Read our full review. BROKER No matter how Hirokazu Kore-eda's on-screen families come to be, if there's any actual blood between them, whether they're grifting in some way or where in the world they're located, the Japanese writer/director and Shoplifters Palme d'Or winner's work has become so beloved — so magnificent, too — due to his care and sincerity. A Kore-eda film is a film of immense empathy and, like Like Father, Like Son, Our Little Sister, After the Storm and The Third Murder also in the prolific talent's past decade, Broker is no different. The setup here is one of the filmmaker's murkiest, with the feature's name referring to the baby trade. But showing compassion and humanity isn't up for debate in Kore-eda's approach. He judges the reality of modern-day life that leads his characters to their actions, but doesn't judge his central figures. In the process, he makes poignant melodramas that are also deep and thoughtful character studies, and that get to the heart of the globe's ills like the most cutting slices of social realism. It isn't just to make a buck that debt-ridden laundromat owner Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho, Parasite) and orphanage-raised Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won, Peninsula) take infants abandoned to the Busan Family Church's 'baby box' — a chute that's exactly what it sounds like, available to mothers who know they can't embrace that part for whatever reason — then find good families to sell them to. There's a cash component, of course, but they're convinced that their gambit is better than letting children languish in the state system. In Kore-eda's usual kindhearted manner, Broker sees them with sensitivity. Even if blue hues didn't wash through the film's frames, nothing is ever black and white in the director's movies. The same understanding and tenderness flows towards mothers like So-young (Lee Ji-eun, Hotel Del Luna, aka K-Pop star IU), whose decision to leave Woo-sung (debutant Park Ji-yong) isn't easily made but puts Broker on its course. Read our full review. REALITY Sydney Sweeney is ready for her closeup. Playwright-turned-filmmaker Tina Satter obliges. A household name of late due to her exceptional work in both Euphoria and The White Lotus, Sweeney has earned the camera's attention for over a decade; however, she's never been peered at with the unflinching intensity of Satter's debut feature Reality. For much of this short, sharp and stunning docudrama, the film's star lingers within the frame. Plenty of the movie's 83-minute running time devotes its focus to her face, staring intimately and scrutinising what it sees. Within Reality's stranger-than-fiction narrative, that imagery spies a US Air Force veteran and National Security Agency translator in her mid-twenties, on what she thought was an ordinary Saturday. It's June 3, 2017, with the picture's protagonist returning from buying groceries to find FBI agents awaiting at her rented Augusta, Georgia home, then accusing her of "the possible mishandling of classified information". Reality spots a woman facing grave charges, a suspect under interrogation and a whistleblower whose fate is already known to the world. It provides a thriller of a procedural with agents, questions, allegations and arrests; an informer saga that cuts to the heart of 21st-century American politics, and its specific chaos since 2016; and an impossible-to-shake tragedy about how authority savagely responds to being held to account. Bringing her stage production Is This a Room: Reality Winner Verbatim Transcription to the screen after it wowed off-Broadway and then Broadway, Satter dedicates Reality's bulk to that one day and those anxious minutes, unfurling in close to real time — but, pivotally, it kicks off three weeks earlier with its namesake at work while Fox News plays around her office. Why would someone leak to the media a restricted NSA report about Russian interference in getting Donald Trump elected? Before it recreates the words genuinely spoken between its eponymous figure and law enforcement, Reality sees the answer as well. Read our full review. CORSAGE Britain's two Queen Elizabeths have enjoyed their fair share of film and TV depictions, aided by Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Margot Robbie, Helen Mirren, Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Imelda Staunton and more — to name just a few — but they're not the only royals of that first name to grace the screen. While the spelling differs slightly and she's played as more of a Diana-style people's princess in her latest stint in cinemas, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (also Queen of Hungary) has received several celluloid and pixel resurrections of her own. Corsage ranks among the best of them, as famed as Austria's Sissi films from the 50s are and as recently as Netflix's The Empress hit streaming, in no small part due to two other outstanding women. One is Luxembourgish actor Vicky Krieps (Bergman Island), who is shrewd, wry and wily as the Bavarian-born wife to Emperor Franz Joseph I. The other is Austrian writer/director Marie Kreutzer (The Ground Beneath My Feet), whose handsomely staged and smartly anachronistic feature is no mere dutiful biopic. Corsage's lead casting is the dream it instantly seems on paper; if you're wondering why, see: Krieps' scene-stealing work opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in 2017's Phantom Thread. Here, she's been earning deserved awards — the Best Performance prize in the 2022 Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard section among them — for a portrayal that never feels like she's stepping into someone else's shoes or jumping back to the past for a part. Krieps is, naturally. Also, given that Sissi lived between 1837–1898, viewers have no way of knowing how close this characterisation is. But Krieps' fierce, dynamic and layered performance goes far further than easy impersonation, or providing a period-appropriate rendering of the Empress based on how history dictates that women of the era behaved (or what flicks set then or focusing on regal women back then have served up before). Corsage is a portrait of a lady, after all, and not of a time. Read our full review. SCRAPPER Trust a movie that's all about connection and pluck to boast plenty itself. The second of cinema's 2023 father-daughter pictures out of Britain that's directed by a first-time feature filmmaker called Charlotte — the first: Charlotte Wells' Aftersun — Charlotte Regan's Scrapper couldn't be better cast or any more fearless about telling its tale. Starring as 12-year-old Georgie, a pre-teen striving to survive on her own with any help from adults or the authorities after her mum Vicky's (Olivia Brady, The Phantom of the Open) death from cancer, debutant Lola Campbell is an electrifying find. Fresh from playing a model in Triangle of Sadness, Harris Dickinson is now an absent rather than ideal dad, a part that he infuses with equal doses of soul, sorrow, charisma and cheek. And, recognising that she's hardly skipping through new narrative territory, writer/director Regan heaps on character and personality. This is a perky, bright and bubbly take on a kitchen-sink story. There's sadness in 2023's Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winner, too, with Scrapper scoring its award in the fest's World Cinema Dramatic Competition. There's anger as well, especially about a society that has Georgie convinced that staying solo in the council flat she lived in with her mother — a space that she's now fastidious about keeping exactly as it was before heartbreak struck — is her top choice. But Regan sees colour amid the grey, plus possibilities alongside struggles. Her view is clear-eyed but never steely. Regan unblinkingly witnesses the realities of working-class existence, yet also spies joy and whimsy, and similarly isn't afraid of getting surreal. This is a flick with talking spiders — cue literal bubbles, of the speech variety — alongside scrapping to get by. Read our full review. SHAYDA Whether or not Noora Niasari was ever explicitly told to write what she knew, the Iranian Australian filmmaker has taken that advice to heart. Her mother listened to the same guidance first, even if it was never spoken to her, either. The latter penned a memoir that has gone unpublished, but helped form the basis of the powerful and affecting Shayda. This account of a mum and her daughter attempting to start anew in a women's shelter doesn't entirely stick to the facts that writer/director Niasari and her mother lived through. The Sundance-premiering, Melbourne International Film Festival-opening, Oscar-contending feature — it's Australia's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Academy Awards — isn't afraid to fictionalise details in search of the best screen story. Still, the tale that's told of courage, resilience, rebuilding lives and finding a new community is deeply and patently personal. Perhaps even better, it's inescapably authentic. Niasari peers back at being barely of primary-school age and making a new home. Fleeing to a women's shelter is the only option that the film's eponymous figure (Zar Amir Ebrahimi, 2022's Cannes Best Actress-winner for Holy Spider) has to get away from the abusive Hossein (Osamah Sami, Savage River), whose controlling nature is matched by that of their patriarchal culture. So, Shayda leaves with six-year-old Mona (debutant Selina Zahednia). As she waits for her divorce proceedings to go through — a complicated task under Iranian law and customs — she seeks refuge at a secret site overseen by the caring Joyce (Leah Purcell, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart). Even surrounded by kindness and filled with desperation for a better future, every iota of Shayda's decision is fraught and tense; Niasari starts the film with Mona at an airport being told what to do if she's ever there with her father, should he try to take her not only away from her mum but also back to Iran. Read our full review, and our interview with Noora Niasari. OF AN AGE You Won't Be Alone isn't just the name of Macedonian Australian writer/director Goran Stolevski's debut feature, which hit cinemas in 2022. It's also a phrase that applies now that his second film is here. Of an Age initially premiered in the same year as well, bowing in Melbourne International Film Festival's opening-night slot — and, while it tells of growing up queer in 90s Melbourne, falling in love for the first time, then sifting through the aftermath a decade later, it's a glorious companion piece to its predecessor. No one is chosen by a sorceress here. The place isn't Macedonia, the period isn't the 19th century and supernatural shapeshifting isn't part of the narrative. But even just a mere duo of movies into his helming career, Stolevski makes pictures that profoundly ruminate upon two of life's purest truths: that absolutely everything changes and, consequently, nothing completely lasts forever. 1999 is inching towards becoming Y2K when Of an Age begins, and 17-year-old Nikola aka Kol (Elias Anton, Australia Day) is only hours from taking to the floor at a Melbourne dance championship. That's how his day is meant to pan out, at least, and what he's preparing for when the film meets him practising his smooth ballroom moves in his suburban garage — conjuring up visions of John Travolta in a flick made famous two decades prior, in fact. Kol's ordinary morning fever breaks, however, thanks to friend and dance partner Ebony (Hattie Hook, Savage River) and her bender of an evening. She's awoken on the beach in Altona with no idea where she is, scrounging up change for the payphone call to say she thinks she'll miss the recital unless Kol can pick her up. To attempt to make his big performance, he has to convince Ebony's older brother Adam (Thom Green, Eden) to play taxi — and he's still all aflutter with anxiety, and just the inertia of being so keyed up from endeavouring to sort things out, when he slides into the twentysomething's brown car and feels sparks fly instantly. Read our full review. THE ORIGIN OF EVIL Laure Calamy doesn't star in everything that's hitting screens big and small from France right now, but from Call My Agent! and Only the Animals to Full Time and The Origin of Evil, audiences can be forgiven for feeling otherwise. Calamy isn't new to acting, either, with a resume dating back to 2001; however, her in-demand status at present keeps showering viewers with stellar performances. Indeed, The Origin of Evil is a magnificent Calamy masterclass. She's playing a part while playing a part, and she makes both look effortless. The Antoinette in the Cévennes César Best Actress-winner is also a picture of unnerving determination and yearning, and resourcefulness and anxiety, too, as a seafood-factory worker usually tinning anchovies, then packing herself into a mix of Knives Out, Succession, The Talented Mr Ripley and Triangle of Sadness. Unleashing in-fighting upon a wealthy family residing on Côte d'Azur island Porquerolles, this instantly twisty and gripping thriller from Faultless and School's Out writer/director Sébastien Marnier (who collaborates on the screenplay with Amore mio scribe Fanny Burdino) takes a setting that'd do The White Lotus proud as well, then wreaks havoc. On the agenda in such lavish and scenic surroundings, which come filled with an unsettling menagerie of taxidermied animals: witnessing savage squabbling over who'll inherit a business empire, bathing in the kind of bitterness that only the bonds of blood among the affluent and entitled can bring, more than one person wishing that patriarch Serge Dumontet (Jacques Weber, The World of Yesterday) would shuffle off this mortal coil and, just as crucially, not everything being what it seems. Read our full review. FINGERNAILS In the world of Fingernails, 'Only You' isn't just a 1982 pop song that was made famous by Yazoo, is easy to get stuck in your head, and is now heard in this film in both French and English. It's also the philosophy that the first English-language feature by Apples filmmaker Christos Nikou has subscribed its characters to as it cooks up a fascinating sci-fi take on romance. In a setup somewhat reminiscent of Elizabeth Holmes' claims to have revolutionised blood testing (see: The Dropout), Fingernails proposes an alternative present where love can be scientifically diagnosed. All that's needed: an extracted plate of keratin, aka the titular digit-protecting covering. At organisations such as The Love Institute, couples willingly have their nails pulled out — one apiece — then popped into what resembles a toaster oven to receive their all-important score. Only three results are possible, with 100 percent the ultimate in swooning, 50 percent meaning that only one of the pair is head over heels and the unwanted zero a harbinger of heartbreak. When Fingernails begins, it's been three years since teacher Anna (Jessie Buckley, Women Talking) and her partner Ryan (Jeremy Allen White, The Bear) underwent the exam, with the long-term duo earning the best possible outcome — a score that's coveted but rare. Around them, negative results have led to breakups and divorces as society's faith is placed not in hearts and souls, but in a number, a gimmick and some tech gadgetry (one of the sales pitches, though, is that finding out before getting hitched will stop failed marriages). As their friends go the retesting route — satirising the need for certainty in affairs of the heart pumps firmly through this movie's veins — Anna hasn't been able to convince Ryan to attend The Love Institute as a client. She's soon spending her days there, however, feeding her intrigue with the whole scenario as an employee. When she takes a job counselling other pairs towards hopeful ever-after happiness, she keeps the career shift from her own significant other. Quickly, she has something else she can't tell Ryan: a blossoming bond with her colleague Amir (Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal). Read our full review. THE INSPECTION If war is hell, then military boot camp is purgatory. So told Full Metal Jacket, with Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece making that observation echo and pierce with the relentlessness of machine-gun fire. Now, The Inspection stresses the same point nearing four decades later, plunging into the story of a gay Black man enlisting, then navigating the nightmare that is basic training. This too is a clear-eyed step inside the United States Marine Corps, but drawn from first-time fictional feature filmmaker Elegance Bratton's own experiences. New Yorker Ellis French (Jeremy Pope, One Night in Miami) is the Pier Kids documentarian's on-screen alter ego — an out queer man who has spent a decade from his teens to his mid-20s homeless after being kicked out by his ashamed mother Inez (Gabrielle Union, Strange World), and pledges his post 9/11 freedom away for a place to fit in, even if that means descending into a world of institutional homophobia and racism. It would've been easy for Bratton to just sear and scorch in The Inspection; his film is set in 2005, "don't ask, don't tell" was still the US military forces' policy and discrimination against anyone who isn't a straight white man is horrendously brutal. Life being moulded into naval-infantry soldiers is savage anyway; "our job is not to make Marines, it's to make monsters," says Leland Laws (Bokeem Woodbine, Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Ellis' commanding officer and chief state-sanctioned tormentor. And yet, crafting a film that's as haunting as it is because it's supremely personal, Bratton never shies away from Ellis' embrace of the Marines in his quest to work out how he can be himself. There's nothing simple about someone signing up for such heartbreaking anguish because that's the only option that they can imagine, but this stunning movie is anything but simple. Read our full review. SISU Lean, mean and a Nazi-killing machine: that's Sisu and its handy-with-a-hunting-knife (and pickaxe) protagonist alike. This stunningly choreographed Finnish action film's title doesn't have a literal equivalent in English, but writer/director Jalmari Helander's (Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale) latest effort means stoic, tenacious, resolute, brave and gritty all in that four-letter term; again, both the movie and the man at its centre fit the description. Former soldier Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila, also Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale) has one aim. After he strikes gold and plenty of it in Lapland's far reaches, he's keen to cash in. For someone who has already lost everyone and everything to World War II, that requires transporting his haul; however, the year is 1944 and German troops still lurk even as the combat winds down. Accordingly, getting those gleaming nuggets from the wilderness to a bank means facing a greedy and unrelenting platoon led by Helldorf (Aksel Hennie, The Cloverfield Paradox), who can spy a payday and an exit strategy for himself. Before anything yellow shimmers, Nazi-filled tanks are sighted, a single shot is fired or a blow swung, Sisu explains its moniker as "a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination". Text on-screen also advises that "sisu manifests itself when all hope is lost." As a film, Sisu may as well be shorthand for John Wick meets Inglourious Basterds meets Django, the iconic 1966 spaghetti western that Quentin Tarantino riffed on with Django Unchained, too — plus all of that meets the work of legendary spaghetti western director Sergio Leone as well. The carnage is that balletic. The Nazi offings are that brutal, roguish and inventive. And valuing deeds over dialogue as a lone figure dispatches with nefarious forces against an unforgiving landscape, and no matter what they throw at him, is firmly the setup. Read our full review. COBWEB When Song Kang-ho hasn't been starring in Bong Joon-ho's films, he's been featuring Park Chan-wook's and Kim Jee-woon's, plus Lee Chang-dong's and Hong Sang-soo's as well. One of Korea's acting greats boasts a resume filled with the country's directing greats — so getting the Memories of Murder, The Host, Thirst, Snowpiercer and Parasite star, plus Joint Security Area, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Lady Vengeance and Secret Sunshine talent, to play a filmmaker for his The Good the Bad the Weird and The Age of Shadows filmmaker feels like perfect casting even before Cobweb starts spinning its reels. Song's career highlights are already many, complete with a Cannes Best Actor Award for working with Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda in Broker. Here, he's reliably and rakishly charming in a movie-making ode and on-set farce. For his own director Kim, Song plays a director Kim — but on-screen version Kim Ki-yeol is living in the 70s, and also in a rut. Once an assistant to a famed and acclaimed helmer who has passed away, now he's openly mocked by critics for his trashy fare in one of Cobweb's first scenes. He's made most of a masterpiece, however, or so he believes. The only thing that's required to ensure it's a complete classic is two more days to undertake re-shoots. His film is meant to be finished, but he's adamant that the cast and crew reteam (and his producer foot the bill) to ensure that the creative visions that keep haunting his dreams can become a feted triumph. Convincing everyone that he needs to isn't the only tricky feat, with challenges upon challenges unspooling the longer that the fictional Kim and his colleagues spend bustling. Read our full review. THE BLUE CAFTAN In The Blue Caftan, a tailor's hands say everything that needs conveying about how he holds himself in the world. That garment-maker is Halim (Saleh Bakri, My Zoe), and he plies he trade in the Moroccan city of Salé, in a humble store overseen by his no-nonsense wife Mina (Lubna Azabal, Rebel). Refusing to use machines, Halim is meticulous in his work. He's patient, careful and thorough, as one needs to be in the painstakingly detailed job of hand-embroidering women's traditional tunics. As a result of his precision and artistry, he isn't short on customers — and that rigour and commitment seeps from him like breath whether he's letting Mina run the show; training Youssef (first-timer Ayoub Missioui), the apprentice brought on to help meet the demand for his exquisite wares; or finding ways to deal with his feelings, including the pull he feels towards his new protege. For her sophomore feature after the also-tender and moving Adam, writer/director Maryam Touzani again makes a delicately layered and intricately woven film — a movie that digs deep into a subject considered taboo in Morocco, too, via an exceptionally well-observed triple character study. If her pictures say everything they need to about the filmmaker herself, then Touzani clearly values intimate and weighty connections, examining the needless pressures enforced by antiquated attitudes, the bonds that spring in such complex circumstances, and heartbreakingly poignant pictures about that list. She both appreciates and elicits sensitive performances, too, with Adam alum Azabal again superb under the helmer's gaze, and Bakri just as wonderful. It's no wonder that The Blue Caftan, with its resonant tale, rich cinematography and willingness to surprise while remaining emotionally raw as well, was chosen as Morocco's 2023 Best International Feature Oscar contender. MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON Every couple has in-jokes, a valuable currency in all relationships, but only Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer-Camp have turned a cute private gag into Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. The Parks and Recreation actor and the Fraud director are no longer together romantically, marrying and divorcing in the 13 years since they first gave the world the cutest talking shell anyone could've imagined; however, they've now reteamed professionally for an adorable film based on their 2010, 2011 and 2014 shorts. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On also gave rise to two best-selling children's picture books, unsurprisingly, following a familiar internet-stardom path from online sensation to print and now the big screen. Neither Slate and Fleischer-Camp's faded love nor their joint project's history are ignored by their footwear-sporting seashell's cinematic debut, either; in fact, acknowledging both, whether subtly or overtly, is one of the things that makes this sweet, endearing, happily silly, often hilarious and deeply insightful movie such an all-round gem. That inside jest? A voice put on by Slate, which became the one-inch-high anthropomorphic Marcel's charming vocals. In Marcel the Shell with Shoes On's three initial mockumentary clips, the tiny critter chats to an unseen filmmaker chronicling his life, with earnestness dripping from every word. ("My name is Marcel and I'm partially a shell, as you can see on my body, but I also have shoes and a face. So I like that about myself, and I like myself and I have a lot of other great qualities as well," he advises in his self-introduction.) The same approach, tone and voice sits at the heart of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On's feature-length leap, of course, but so does a touching meditation upon loss, change and valuing what's truly important. Fleischer-Camp plays the movie's documentarian, mostly off-camera, who meets Marcel and his grandmother Connie (voiced by Isabella Rossellini, Cat Person) after moving into an Airbnb following a relationship breakup — and, yes, their work together becomes a viral phenomenon. Read our full review.
A true legend of the game, France-Soir has been dishing up French-accented goodness from its charming Toorak brasserie since 1986. Many consider it a go-to for those timeless, simple French classics, thanks to its menu of expertly executed fare. From escargots and white wine mussels, to steak frites and duck a l'orange, it's a study in essential Euro flavours, done well but without unnecessary fanfare. [caption id="attachment_638871" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Brook James[/caption] But it's not just the food that keeps the Parisian-inspired restaurant packed after more than 30 years. The intimate, understatedly elegant atmosphere of France-Soir is nearly impossible to replicate, and its old-school sense of hospitality is hard to resist. Throw in an extensive, internationally recognised wine list featuring thousands of French labels, et voila — it's not hard to see how France-Soir keeps its loyal regulars coming back again and again. Got a special drop of your own you'd like to bring along? BYO is available at lunch Saturday to Thursday, with no corkage fee. Images: Brook James. Appears in: The Best Restaurants in Melbourne for 2023 The Best French Restaurants in Melbourne for 2023
Not all travel has to include wild adventuring. Sometimes, we want to go an easy holiday that doesn't include hours behind the wheel of a car or pushing our bodies to their limits. Instead, we can explore a new city (or our own) at whatever speed we like — staying in a luxurious hotel, taking things at a stroll and taking in the best of local culture. This is what a city break is all about. To help you find the perfect one, our team of editors has curated these travel packages. Whether you're on the lookout for a city staycation or vacation, find your favourite option and book it through Concrete Playground Trips now. [caption id="attachment_683983" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] STAYCATION IN PERTH AND ITS SURROUNDS Perth, glorious Perth. It's hard not to fall in love with this city when visiting. In fact, the whole state is a treasure trove of bewitching riches. Head to Western Australia's capital to find a thriving city full of great food and culture, surrounded by gorgeous natural landscapes that every Australian must see. And our Perth travel deal will take you to the best bits. We'll put you up in the Adina Apartment Hotel at Perth Barrack Plaza — in the heart of the city — and let you explore the local area at your own pace. We've also organised a day trip to Rottnest Island (friendly quokkas, pristine white sand beaches and clear blue water await) and a tour around The Pinnacles. BOOK IT NOW. [caption id="attachment_890077" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Devang Sahani (Unsplash)[/caption] A LUXE BEACHSIDE BREAK IN ADELAIDE Adelaide's beachside burb of Glenelg is seriously underrated. Found just a 20-minute drive from the city centre, this area is home to long beaches lined with great restaurants and boutique stores. It's so close to the city but boasts the laid-back culture and energy of the best Aussie coastal towns. Our Adelaide city break takes you to this part of South Australia, with the Stamford Grand Adelaide hosting you for three nights. During this time, guests can explore Glenelg at their own leisure — potentially catching a tram into the CBD, too. The highlight of this trip that takes it from great getaway to something seriously special is the four-hour wild dolphin swimming tour run by a team of marine biologists. Jump in the waters — they'll have wetsuits for you — and get right up and close with these ultra-curious ocean mammals. It's an unforgettable experience. BOOK IT NOW. THE ULTIMATE HOBART FOOD, WINE AND ADVENTURE HOLIDAY There is so much to see and do when visiting Hobart, but we have somehow managed to pack a heap of its top experiences into one exclusive five-day holiday. Our trip will have you gliding over Wineglass Bay in a scenic flight that drops you off on Maria Island where you'll go on a guided wildlife tour, then feast on a gourmet lunch. On another day, you'll visit the one and only MONA. Slowly explore the museum, get a private tour (with tastings) at the onsite winery and have a lazy long lunch with even more vino included. It's a truly epic way to see the iconic museum and its grounds. You'll also get a couple days to wander around Hobart, checking out galleries, boutique stores and a heap of the city's brilliant restaurants and bars. BOOK IT NOW. A LUXURIOUS SYDNEY STAY You can easily do Sydney on a budget and have a wicked time. But sometimes you really want to treat yourself. That's when you book our opulent Sydney getaway. For two nights, two guests will stay at the five-star Crown Towers Sydney. Enjoy unbeatable views across the bay, taking in all the sites from day to night — either from your room, the rooftop pool or one of the seriously impressive on-site restaurants. With this deal, you'll also get $100 credit to spend however you like within the Crown Towers Sydney. Did someone say, 'massage time'? BOOK IT NOW. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Top image: Steven Groeneveld (Unsplash)
When you're brainstorming places around the world to visit on a budget, the UK is probably not the first place that springs to mind. What it may lack in affordability department, it makes up for in pretty much every other aspect of an epic holiday — from poking around charming country villages and discovering the diverse cultures of the major cities to stumbling across a historical landmark at pretty much every turn of a corner. Oh, and it has a killer music scene. You can experience all of these UK wonders on a Contiki Sounds trip. With seven- or ten-day options, these whistlestop tours will take you to some of England's top spots, culminating with an unforgettable weekend of dancing, camping and partying at Reading Festival — one of the country's biggest annual music festivals. To get you ready for traipsing around the UK's south, we've put together a guide of some of the best things to do and see while you're there. And, to prove that you can still have a good time without blowing big bucks, we've also thrown in a few penny-pinching tips. Who said you couldn't have your bangers and mash and eat them too? [caption id="attachment_719139" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paul Hudson via Flickr.[/caption] BIKE BETWEEN LONDON'S MARKETS Hire a set of wheels from the city's bike sharing service (nicknamed 'Boris bikes') for the weekend and visit some of London's best markets. Spend Friday near London Bridge at Borough Market, one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, and turn all of the free cheese and fudge tastings into a makeshift meal. Next up, on Saturday, is a stroll through Broadway Market, which runs from London Fields to the Regent's Canal in old Hackney. Then, on Sunday, cycle over to Columbia Road Flower Market. The street air is intense with the scent of flowers and the barrow boys will be hawking "everthin' for a fiiiver". [caption id="attachment_719140" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Towning via Flickr.[/caption] JUMP AROUND THE JURASSIC COAST Supposedly, the lady who 'sold seashells by the seashore' came from the Jurassic Coast. Too early for her time to be recognised as a palaeontologist by her peers, she was forced to sell her excess dino bones to tourists. The picturesque coast isn't just home to prehistoric beasts and tongue-twisting characters — it also boasts Durdle Door, an iconic limestone arch near Dorset. For the adventurous, try coasteering — a physically challenging activity which involves scaling cave networks, dodging tidal surges and completing ocean jumps. Broadchurch fans may recognise the Jurassic Coast's cliff faces from the hit British crime drama. [caption id="attachment_719154" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ed Webster via Flickr.[/caption] STROLL BRISTOL'S STOKES CROFT STREET ART AND ART GALLERIES Wander around the city and feast your eyes upon some of street artist Banksy's earliest works, then head over to Stokes Croft to ogle the local, ever-changing licks, sprays and splatters of paint. Then, counter your street-traipsing with some gallery time. Spike Island lies south of the river and features contemporary art, design and audio installations. An enormous old tea warehouse has been converted into three floors of contemporary art in all forms to make Arnolfini, Bristol's Centre for Contemporary Arts. Meanwhile, the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery has a huge collection, including Alfred — a stuffed silverback gorilla who was kidnapped in the 1950s by a jovial bunch and returned a whopping 54 years later. VISIT A HAUNTED PUB IN SALISBURY A pleasant 15-kilometre drive from Stonehenge will take you to Salisbury. The city is known for having some of England's finest historic houses, the Russian spy poisoning incident and, most recently, being named the best place to live in the UK. Satiate your inner historian (and thirst) with a visit to The Haunch of Venison. The haunted pub features oak beams that predate the building by several hundred years and are thought to come from early sailing vessels. Under the pub's fireplace, inside a former bread oven, lies a smoke-preserved mummified hand believed to be from an 18th-century demented whist player who lost it in a card game. The cheat's hand has been stolen a few times but is now securely locked away. [caption id="attachment_719156" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alison Day via Flickr.[/caption] JUMP THE FENCE INTO CORFE CASTLE Things are impressive when they are mighty old and still standing. One such thing is Corfe Castle, a 1000-year-old royal abode that was built as an attempt to defend the area from marauding armies. This ruined castle dates back to the 11th century and rests within a heathland landscape that is undeniably picturesque. The area also inspired a number of Thomas Hardy's poems, novels and short stories. Skip the city for a beat, give yourself a history lesson and create your own tale of treachery and treason as you jump the fence into Corfe Castle. CATCH A PORTAL TO ANOTHER DIMENSION AT STONEHENGE Baffling burial mounds and rock formations surely must point to some kind of portal into parallel universes, right? Historians may very well be appalled by our lack of appreciation for their hard work that informs us the Badbury Rings are defences of a hillfort and Avebury Stone Circle is Europe's largest Neolithic stone circle. And let's not forget Stonehenge — arguably the world's most famous prehistoric monument. But alas, the mystery of their power still remains. We're told by locals that entering clockwise affords the best luck. Cut a lap around Stonehenge's circle that was built 5000 years ago — or take a peep through the fence, which works just as well for those on a budget or fearful of transporting too far. [caption id="attachment_719158" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gerrit Burrow via Flickr.[/caption] WALK THE SOUTHWEST FOOTPATHS The southwest of England is home to a variety of stunning trails. Venture to any beach along the area, turn left or right and you'll be on the 1000-kilometre South West Coast Path and on the edge of an eye-stretching experience. The paths were originally created by coastguards patrolling the southwest peninsula looking for smugglers. They legitimately had to check in every inlet, so the cliff top walks are well-worn. The sheer variety of scenery along the gorge-sliced cliff peaks and beach walks along with the unique history of the area make this an unforgettable experience. Remember to fill your playlist with all of your favourite bands from Reading and hit the tracks. Travel around the best spots in the UK with Contiki at Reading Festival. Unearth the UK's musical heritage, then experience an unforgettable party at one of the world's best and biggest music festivals. Contiki wants to take you there — all you have to do is choose from the 7- or 10-day trip. Plus, if you bring a mate, it'll give you both $200 off. Find out more here.
Spring, plus light- to medium-bodied red wine: what a pairing. It's the duo that not only sits at the heart of Australian wine-tasting festival Pinot Palooza, but has helped the vino-swilling event become such a hit. The weather is sunny, the tipples are heady, and sipping your way through a heap of the latter is on the menu — including in 2023. Earlier in 2023, the beloved wine fest announced that it was not only returning for 2023, but also settling back into that coveted spring timeslot. Now, it has locked in venues and put tickets on sale. The Melbourne-born wine tasting festival will celebrate its 11th year by hitting up Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane again. To close out winter, it'll also make its debut in Perth. On offer at Claremont Showgrounds in Perth, Sydney's Carriageworks, Brisbane Showgrounds and The Timber Yard in Port Melbourne: more than 50 winemakers slinging their wares. Pinot Palooza will spread the party over three August days in Western Australia, as well as three October days in the Sunshine State. In New South Wales and Victoria, it'll be a two-day affair. In its decade of life until now, the fest has welcomed in thousands of vino lovers. Indeed, an estimated 65,000 tickets were sold globally before its 2022 events. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, the popular celebration was shelved for two-and-a-half years, before making a comeback last year. The response? More than 12,000 folks heading along around the nation. 2023's vino-sipping fun will cover organic, biodynamic, vegan and low-intervention wines, and more. Set to share their tipples among producers from Australia, New Zealand and further afield: New Zealand's Burn Cottage and CHARTERIS; Small Island, Ghost Rock and Meadowbank from Tasmania; M&J Becker from NSW and Moondarra from Victoria. The food lineup will feature cheese, salumi, terrines, patê, olives and other perfect vino accompaniments, with Tasmania's Grandvewe Cheese and Victoria's Mount Zero among the suppliers. And, while Pinot Palooza is a standalone fest only across the east coast dates, in Perth it's part of an already-announced collaboration with cheese festival Mould. PINOT PALOOZA 2023: Friday, August 25–Sunday, August 27: Centenary Pavilion, Claremont Showgrounds, Perth Friday, October 6–Saturday, October 7: Carriageworks, Sydney Friday, October 13–Sunday, October 15: John Reid Pavilion, Brisbane Showgrounds Friday, October 27–Saturday, October 28: The Timber Yard, Port Melbourne Pinot Palooza will get pouring around Australia from August–October 2023. For more information and tickets, head to the event's website.
Not to be confused with recent Australian film Limbo, six-part Aussie dramedy In Limbo takes its title to heart, and also uses its eponymous idea as fuel for a supernatural buddy comedy. Before the end credits run on the show's first episode, Nate (Bob Morley, Love Me) is palling around with his lifelong best mate Charlie (Ryan Corr, House of the Dragon) from the afterlife — and the dearly departed Brisbanite is stuck. He isn't staying by choice. Instead, he hasn't moved on. He can't, and he doesn't know why he's lingering. Audiences can instantly guess in general terms, because ghost fare both comic and spooky overflows with spirits tied to the mortal coil via unresolved business, but In Limbo is never about scares and definitely isn't only about laughs. While Nate grapples with his newly loitering status, Charlie is reeling over losing his best friend unexpectedly at the age of just 38. Initially, he thinks that spying his pal again is a drunken hallucination in his grief-stricken state, especially given that he found the body. No one else can see Nate, not his widow Freya (Emma Harvie, Colin From Accounts); the eight-year-old daughter, Annabel (Kamillia Rihani, The Twelve), he doted on; or his very Catholic mother Maria (Lena Cruz, Wellmania) and affable father Frank (Russell Dykstra, Irreverent). As Charlie does his best to help his pal's family cope, he's the sole one spotting Nate as an apparition — and, more than that, he falls back into their usual rapport. It's Christmas, too, in this Sunshine State-shot and -set series, with facing the festivities after such a shock far from easy. As it heartily deploys Brisbane Powerhouse and New Farm Park as settings, that's a lot for one show to delve into — and delve it attentively does. On paper, In Limbo's mix seems delicate. It's an otherworldly sitcom with an odd couple at its centre, their bond transcending life and death, and it isn't afraid of having a sense of humour. That said, it's also a heartwrenching tragedy. In addition, it delivers a sincere musing on loss, shame and guilt, and a weighty exploration of mental health. And, In Limbo confronts how difficult it is to ask for assistance, and to notice when even your closest loved ones need it, plus the fact that men requiring a hand can still be regarded a weakness. Tackling mourning, mental struggles and suicide isn't simple, even in a show about someone haunting their best mate, and including when such topics have been increasingly popping up on Australian screens lately (see also: Totally Completely Fine). Created by Lucas Taylor, marking his second series for 2023 after Black Snow, In Limbo is clearly crafted with empathy and understanding for its subject matter, its characters and everyone among its audience that can relate. Penned by him as well, with Doctor Doctor's Tamara Asmar co-scripting and Trent O'Donnell (Ride the Eagle) and David Stubbs (Daffodils) directing, the show crucially doesn't attempt to offer any firm answers. Rather, whether facing a tough topic with humour, heart, or clear-eyed and head on, the series acts as a conversation starter — an important function. In Limbo entertains, engages and moves, potently so, but it's even more committed to being meaningful. There's zero doubt that the show knows how immensely hard it is to navigate loss — in fact, it leans in. In its opening episode, before Nate and Charlie switch from the comfortable banter that's flavoured their friendship since childhood to picking it up from the beyond, it sees the pain that becomes Charlie and Freya's second skins. It watches their expressions as everything they thought they knew crumbles. It sits with their confusion, sadness, desperation and yearning. It knows that nothing will ever be the same again, and that this will always be a part of them. In a rarity for on-screen depictions of death, In Limbo also acknowledges the mundane but essential tasks that the experience places on those left behind. It understands that finances need getting in order, funerals require planning and children need guiding. It wades through the conventions and expectations around how the bereaved grieve, and for how long; how they share the traumatic news and where; and how they start working through their new future. As the admin of mourning piles up, In Limbo also knows that everything changes but so much heartbreakingly stays the same. Here, Annabel still has soccer games to play. The festive season remains in full swing. Charlie hasn't forgotten about the looming divorce that he's been avoiding, either, and matters of addiction and domestic violence in his broader circle don't just fade away. It boasts considerate writing, compassionate aims and the right balance of comedy at its core; however, a series like In Limbo was always going to need the best cast that it could get. With Corr and Morley as its leads, it couldn't have managed better. The ever-excellent Corr plays a supremely complicated role with charm and sensitivity, which is no surprise given his Holding the Man, 1% and Wakefield-filled resume, and decades in the business. In a likeable and layered performance, he fleshes out Charlie's troubles, plunges into his doubts and challenges his grin-and-bear-it status quo. In Limbo dives deep into Charlie's whirlwind of emotions without Nate physically by his side, with Nate now his ghostly offsider and with his own problems, and doesn't ever dream of brushing past the character's flaws. Corr also makes such a great double act with Morley that filmmakers should be clamouring to pair them up again ASAP. The focus on 21st-century masculinity and friendship demands that their camaraderie feel real, which it achieves reliably and effortlessly. The series tasks Morley with providing an outwardly spirited portrayal with equal range as Corr, a feat that he similarly perfects. But In Limbo doesn't only value its main duo. Harvie's work is just as complex, Rihani makes an impact as Annabel, and Cruz and Dykstra are never reduced to grating in-laws. Cherishing everything you can while you can and peering beyond what's right in front of you beat at the heart of this thoughtful show, after all — and that's meaningful, too. Check out the trailer for In Limbo below: In Limbo streams via ABC iView.
First it was toilet paper. Next up was flour. Then, Australian panic-buyers found a new object of affection: seedlings. With restrictions starting to ease and new COVID-19 cases dropping, the country's hoarding days are hopefully behind us — but, that doesn't mean you should give up on your new veggie patch. To help with this endeavour is a new stall at the Queen Vic Market. Robbo & Sons Seedlings is selling fresh veggie seedlings — including broccoli, cauliflower, celery, silver beet and boy — for a bargain: five seedlings for just $10. Whether you want to start a small edible garden on your balcony or fill every inch of your backyard with fruit, vegetables and herbs, Robbo will be able to help you out. It's, conveniently, located in the I Shed opposite The Eggporium and American Doughnut Van — incase you want to grab something to eat right now while you're there. Shopping for food and other essentials is a valid reason to leave your home under Victoria's stay-at-home restrictions, but if you'd like to avoid as much interaction as possible, the Queen Vic Market is also offering a preorder and pick up service from over 40 different traders. Just head over to the website, order your cheeses, croissants and cookbooks, pay and then choose what time you'd like to pick it all up. Pickup is available from 8am-2pm on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and from 8am-3pm on Saturday and Sunday. The Queen Vic Market is open from Tuesday–Sunday. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria and the current restrictions, head to the Victorian Government website.
Thanks to Keith Courtney, Melburnians have already been able to walk through a huge house of mirrors in the past few years. And, with his help, moseying through an eerie and endless labyrinth of doors became a reality, too. The homegrown installation artist isn't done setting up massive mazes just yet, however — and his latest is designed to resemble a huge, human-sized kaleidoscope. Called Kaleidoscope, fittingly, this installation isn't small. It's a 700-square-metre expanse of glass, steel, mirrors and moving prisms that features a labyrinth of corridors decked out in a revolving showcase of lights and colours. Set up for this year's Rising Festival, but sticking around until Sunday, July 24, it's currently shimmering and luring Melburnians in the Art Centre Melbourne forecourt. Both House of Mirrors and 1000 Doors have also graced the same space — and, like them both, this one has been crafted to be immersive as possible. Expect to have your senses disoriented while you're strolling through, including both motion and gravity. Expect to see plenty of shifting illusions among the ever-changing array of light and colour as well, and to be drawn in by the installation's soundscape in the process. "No one will have the same experience in Kaleidoscope – this is a multi-sensory and at times physical experience where the visitor is completely submerged in sound and light – a vortex of serenity to somewhere or nowhere," explains Courtney. In bringing the massive piece to life, the artist has teamed up with visual artist Ash Keating, composer Tamil Rogeon and artist Samantha Slicer, plus a team of highly skilled technicians. After its Melbourne stint — which is open daily from 12–10pm, with tickets costing $15 — Kaleidoscope will head to Brisbane, then take an international tour. House of Mirrors premiered at MONA's Dark Mofo in 2016, then headed to 12 cities across the globe, while 1000 Doors debuted at the Melbourne International Arts Festival, then went on a 10-city tour of Australia and New Zealand. Find Kaleidoscope at the Art Centre Melbourne Forecourt, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, until Sunday, July 24 — open daily from 12–10pm.
It’s a truly eye-popping spread of international art stars at the AGNSW’s summer blockbuster, Pop to Popism. Much of it will be familiar; you’ll see Warhol’s famous Marilyn series and Lichtenstein’s In the Car. But beyond the colourful brushstrokes of American artists picking apart consumer culture, you're bound to stumble across a few local and lesser known artists who were nowhere near the New York hotbed of creative activity. Though you might not find their works stamped on pencil cases and postcards in the gift shop, here’s a list of underrated artists you ought not to skip over. Alain Jacquet: Pop and the Dot Roy Lichtenstein spoke about breaking an image down into tiny abstract elements. But unlike his clean lines of handpainted dots, Alain Jacquet developed a more textured technique by allowing different coloured dots to bleed into each other. This French artist was part of a mini-movement at the tail-end of Pop Art. Like their American cousins, the European artists of the school of New Realism were interested in using the materials of everyday life and avoiding the traps of figurative painting. Jacquet’s reworking of Manet’s canonical Luncheon on the Grass deserves to be appreciated up close. Like a hazy summer dream, there is a real sense of warmth and vitality to his work. Annandale Imitation Realists: Pop and Protest In 1960s Sydney, the beginnings of a local Pop Art scene might be attributed to the Annandale Imitation Realists, a group describing themselves as a 'spoof art organisation'. Mike Brown, Colin Lancely and Tony Tuckson produced eclectic mixed media assemblages, drawing from a range of different sources. Breaking through the conservatism of public life, these edgy inner-westies were passionate crusaders for free expression. In fact, Brown was the only Australian artist to be successfully prosecuted for obscenity. While Warhol and Lichtenstein imitate the aesthetic of advertising, this group revelled in nonsensical statements, visceral messiness, and a disregard for authority. They represent an exotic and exuberant counterpoint to the Pop Art that was unfolding across the Pacific. Martha Rosler: Pop and Activism An overlooked figure in the male dominated world of pop art, Martha Rosler moves within the spectrum of social critique. Her incisive series House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home fuses together militancy and materialism. Using photomontage, she reconstructs advertisements aimed at housewives with scenes from the Vietnam War. It's a bizarre juxtaposition; the models are all smiles while soldiers and child casualties peep through windows. Like Richard Hamilton’s earlier and more famous collage, this is a satire of the modern home. But Rosler’s series feels a lot more pressing. She simultaneously tackles the outdated ideal of femininity and the ethics of a media saturated war. Vivienne Binns: Pop and Feminism With second wave feminism in full swing, Vivienne Binns shocked her Sydney audience by exhibiting paintings of vaginas in 1967. Becoming one of the first female artists to address sexuality, her intricate and brightly coloured works drew strong backlash. An abbreviation of vagina dentata, Vag Dens is one of the most significant paintings of this period. In terms of her style, it is as if Abstract Expressionism has entered the realm of '70s psychedelia and become infused with sexual empowerment. Still active today, Binns has a reputation as one of the most radical women on the Australian art scene. Martin Sharp and Tim Lewis: Pop and Deconstruction While you’re sure to see Martin Sharp’s shiny psychedelic posters of Bob Dylan and other famous faces, his collaborative works with Tim Lewis represent the point at which Pop Art began to turn in on itself. During the dying days of this global phenomenon, the Aussie duo was preoccupied with appropriating the big personalities of the movement. It's interesting to see the cartoonish and the cult of celebrity paired with aesthetic purists, like Mondrian, and tortured geniuses, like Van Gogh. Imposing the new faces of postmodernism onto the masters of modernism, they created playful works that prematurely historicise Pop Art with the kind of wry humour it probably deserves. Edward Ruscha: Pop and Language A mighty artist in his own right, Edward Ruscha is more of an associate than a proponent of Pop Art. Of course, one of the rivers running through this art movement is text: whether it be the onomatopoeic sound effects of Roy Lichtenstein, the capitalist slogans of Barbara Kruger, or the self-aware ramblings of Mike Brown. Though Ruscha's training was similarly grounded in commercial art, his word paintings are more visceral and experimental than his colleagues. For instance, he has been known to use odd materials like gunpowder and red wine in his work. Fascinated by "the raw power of things that made no sense," he combines the spoken sounds of language with the written word to create a kind of visual noise. Gilbert and George: Pop and Performance Although these cheeky Londoners have long been part of the Kaldor collection, it's interesting to see Gilbert and George reframed as a part of Pop to Popism. Beginning their career with a series of performances, they insisted that art is everything the artist does. By repeating the same set of activities every day, they turned their lives into a perpetual performance. Their later photo-based works have a strong graphic quality. Full of "words and turds", these brightly coloured self-portraits are highly stylised reflections of modern life. At the tail-end of the exhibition, it's hard not to love this pair of conservative rebels with their mix of English propriety and bodily glee. They might be thought of as the contemporary caretakers of Pop Art. Images: Martin Sharp, Alain Jacquet, Mike Brown, Martha Rosler, Vivienne Binns, Martin Sharp and Tim Lewis, Edward Ruscha, and Gilbert and George.
