Throwing open the doors after spending more than three months in lockdown is a rather huge deal, both for Melburnians keen to venture out of the house for whatever reason they like and for venues eager to welcome patrons back in. So, the National Gallery of Victoria is marking the occasion in a big way — and reopening with seven exhibitions. While cultural venues have been permitted to reopen since the last set of eased restrictions kicked in at 6pm on Friday, October 29, both the NGV International on St Kilda Road and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square will welcome back art lovers from Wednesday, November 3. And, it'll do so with a mix of returning and new art, ahead of a few huge additions when summer hits. Didn't get the chance to see NGV Australia's world-premiere Maree Clarke: Ancestral Memories exhibition before lockdown? The first retrospective dedicated to the Melbourne-based artist and designer, it's returning until February 6, 2022, and covers more than three decades of the Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung woman's art. Also at Fed Square, you can check out Big Weather if you missed it earlier in the year. Exploring the appreciation of weather systems within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural knowledge, it's sticking around until the same February date. And, NGV Australia is also bringing back its newly acquired Naomi Hobson painting and photographic series, which focuses on Hobson's cultural identity, connection to Country and love for her community. [caption id="attachment_830893" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation view of Big Weather at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, Melbourne on display from 12 March 2021 – 6 February 2022. Photo: Tom Ross.[/caption] Plus, over at the NGV International, Camille Henrot: Is Today Tomorrow and Reko Rennie's newest work Initiation OA_RR will be on display upon reopening. The former is the first Australian showcase of the French-born, Berlin-based contemporary artist's work, while the latter features a pink Holden Monaro in a striking video piece — and both will display until January 30, 2022. That's what you'll be able to peruse the moment the NGV opens its doors across both its sites, and they'll be joined by two more exhibitions at NGV Australia before the week is out. From Friday, November 5, Sampling the Future will highlight design items with a futuristic feel (think: 3D-printed coral and hand-knitted architecture). Then, on Saturday, November 6, Found and Gathered: Rosalie Gascoigne | Lorraine Connelly-Northey will examine pieces by both artists — more than 75 wall-based and freestanding sculptural works, in fact. From late November till mid-December, NGV International will just keep adding new exhibitions, too, starting with Golden Shells and the Gentle Mastery of Japanese Lacquer on Thursday, November 25. It's all about kai-awase, the Japanese historical 'shell matching' game, and features two large lacquerware shell boxes alongside 360 matching pairs of gold-gilded and hand-painted shells. [caption id="attachment_811494" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Artists' impression of pond[er].[/caption]As already announced earlier in 2021, the Australian-exclusive Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition will launch on Saturday, December 4 — and with more than 230 garments, accessories and jewellery on display, it's clearly a fashion must-see. Next comes this year's NGV Architecture Commission, pond[er], on Monday, December 6, adding a pink wading pool to the NGV Garden. Finally, both Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala and The Gecko and the Mermaid will open on Friday, December 17 — celebrating bark paintings and larrakitj (painted hollow poles) made by women artists working out of Yolngu-run art centre Buku Larrngay Mulka Centre, and also exploring the Yolngu people's culture in an all-ages exhibition. The NGV International on St Kilda Road and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square reopen on Wednesday, November 3. For further details, visit the NGV's website. Top image: Visitors at the NGV Waterwall, NGV International, Melbourne. Photo: Eugene Hyland.
If you were planning on making jaffles one of your main dietary go-tos this winter, you'll be chuffed to know that you'll be able to do so while also helping out an excellent cause. Non-profit group Society Melbourne has opened the doors to its latest social enterprise hospitality project, dubbed Home.Two. Sibling to the Crêpes for Change food truck and pint-sized Brunswick cafe Home.One, this newcomer has set down roots at the University of Melbourne, where it's slinging Wood & Co coffee alongside an all-vegan, gluten free-friendly lineup of jaffles. You'll find hearty fillings like cauliflower and vegan cheese, mushroom and pesto, a plant-based meat and cheese pie version and even a take on the classic cheeseburger. And they're all going for just $8. The space itself is located in a cheery pocket of the university's New Student Precinct, located across from the tram stop on Swanston Street. It's set up shop inside a converted shipping centre, complete with a patch of turf and minimalist design by Breathe Architecture. You can take a seat on one of the wooden stools or grab a toastie on the run to your next uni lecture. The socially minded venue continues Society Melbourne's fight against youth homelessness, with 100 percent of profits going to its education and employment program. Run in conjunction with charities Launch Housing and Melbourne City Mission, the program offers life-changing employment and training for young homeless Melburnians, as well as a supportive work environment for them to boost their skills and confidence, from front of house to behind the coffee machine. Home.Two's also doing its bit for the environment, with fully biodegradable packaging and discounts encouraging customers to bring their own reusable cups and containers. Find Home.Two in the New Student Precinct, University of Melbourne. It's open from 7.30am–3.30pm, Monday–Friday.
Weekends are all about balance. You've gotta do something to make up for the fact that you're at work for 67.2 percent of your week (we did the maths), and sometimes all you need is a sophisticated long lunch with your favourite people. Counterbalance all the times you've eaten lunch at your desk by inviting your closest friends to while away an afternoon feeling fancy-free with delicious food and a cocktail in hand. Whether you've hit your targets at work, been kicking goals at the gym, or you just made it through another week, you deserve to treat yourself for the small wins and milestones. The world's finest French vodka, Grey Goose, is committed to quality ingredients, which means bartenders are able create incredible cocktails that upgrade any summer occasion — particularly a leisurely long lunch on the weekend. With that in mind, here are six Melbourne venues perfect for a fancy, indulgent meal.
Riddik is a pretty spot-on moniker for the gutsy new all-day eatery that's landed itself in Templestowe. Largely because the menu is downright huge — you're going to want to leave your indecisiveness at home for this one. Elsewhere, things are equally big and bold. The lofty former bank is decked out with statement street art and lots of leafy green touches against a black-and-white colour palette. It's a hard task to master, but it's the kind of space that holds up well from early morning Code Black coffees to those after-dinner cocktails. By day, you're faced with a sprawling mix of cafe classics and clever adaptations, with breakfast running until 3pm and lunch on offer from noon. A winner at either meal is the slow-cooked lamb, piled atop thick-cut sourdough and teamed with grilled asparagus and mint-laced hollandaise ($18) — just one of six different varieties of eggs benedict flying from the Riddik kitchen. Also in excellent supply here are burgers. The five-strong lineup stars buttermilk-poached fried chicken, coffee-rubbed beef and everything in between. The fish version ($22) ticks all the right boxes, stuffed with a crunchy panko-crumbed fillet, cut through with a pea smash and served with a side of chips you'll only want more of. A dive into more virtuous territory will leave you no less spoilt for choice, with options like the ancient grains bircher with chai-infused yoghurt ($16), a signature smashed avo finished with fig, spiced shanklish (a Levantine cheese) and pomegranate molasses ($19), and three on-trend breakfast salads. Some daytime offerings reappear with the dinner service, though overall the influence here is a little broader. Make a proper feast of it with dishes like truffled cauliflower and seared scallop risotto ($21) or the lime and ancho chilli pork cutlet ($24). Or paddle happily up the snackier end of the menu while you breeze through some after-work drinks. To match, there's a decent crop of largely local wines and a lineup of cocktails that runs from the classic to the more creative. For a tasty caffeine hit, see the Cold Drip Martini with brandy liqueur, Mr Black and house-brewed cold drip ($19) — you'll have earned it after navigating that ridiculously hefty dinner menu. Images: Phoebe Powell
It's the red neon signage that hails you down the depths of Crossley Street. This restaurant's distinct identity — created in collaboration with Studio Round and with a fit-out by Elenberg Fraser — and unique consideration for the fusion between contemporary food and design is what makes Gingerboy one of Melbourne's most exciting dining destinations. Since 2006, it's been the leader of the pack, quietly showing the rest how it's done. Like a beacon of light, there's nothing you can do but follow the red glow and go down the rabbit hole. Part opium den, part cosmopolitan outpost, Gingerboy is dark, seductive and thoroughly chic. Black tables juxtapose ghost chairs, whilst a tactile bamboo wall provides an element of the exotic. Dim lighting keeps your senses alert and, against this backdrop, Gingerboy's refined approach to South East Asian hawker-style fare bursts for attention. Gingerboy is an experience in new flavours and spices, making it particularly worth the visit if you're finding your own home fare a little bland. With the menu broken down into small and larger dishes that are ideal for sharing, it reads as a sharp and varied introduction to the buzz of an Asian hawker market. Ingredient combinations are individually delicate yet imposing when combined, including a moreish coconut chicken salad ($17) and a thoroughly impressive whole fried baby snapper, with roasted chilli lime dressing, mango and coconut ($38). Deboned before your eyes, it's likely to be devoured within minutes. Just like its dimmed interior, the deeper you dive into the darkness of the menu at Gingerboy, the greater your reward. Dessert cools the palette, but Gingerboy's sugar banana fritters with star anise ice cream ($16) are nothing like your local Asian takeaway joint. Airy and delicately sweet, appreciate the generous serving as you'll be licking your fingers for more. Finish this with service that is attentive, knowledgeable and beautifully inconspicuous, and suddenly, this den is yours. Gingerboy is energetic, exciting and bold. It's clear that a few years in the game has allowed for the ambitious concept to be refined to near-perfect practice. Gingerboy is one of the few places in Melbourne that hits sizzling style with class and character, merging the tastes of a global city with a distinctly Asian twist.
If you're lucky enough to score tickets to Meredith Music Festival in any year via the event's ballot, one of Australia's best fests awaits no matter the lineup. 2025's roster of acts is characteristically impressive, however. On the just-dropped bill: TV on the Radio, Atarashii Gakko! and Perfume Genius, for starters, as well as Thee Sacred Souls, Pa Salieu, HAAi, Bar Italia, Colin Hay and Mildlife. And, there's still more where the came from. Folk Bitch Trio, Saya Gray, RONA. and Omar Souleyman are on the lineup, too. So are Dames Brown, Radio Free Alice, Sam Austins RP Boo, Wax'o Paradiso, Florist and Jack J. Add in Drifting Clouds, Dr Sure's Unusual Practice, Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir, Mouseatouille, Brown Spirits and Lazy Susan on MC duties, and expect a jam-packed three days across Friday, December 5–Sunday, December 7, 2025. [caption id="attachment_1017126" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sumner Dilworth[/caption] How is the fest crew describing this year's event? "One of the best places on earth to spend a weekend, the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre has been natured and nurtured and then natured again, for the singular purpose of hosting the time of your life," organisers advise. So, expect "a permanent and purpose-built underground wunderland that provides optimal conditions for rarefied reverie", as well as to get "lost in music, lost in one another, for three days and two nights of Sup'ed up saucery". 2025 marks the beloved festival's 33rd year, with this three-decade-plus tradition taking over its namesake Victorian locale to kick off summer. The first round of the ticket ballot for the three-day BYO camping festival opened in July and ended on Monday, August 11, 2025, but you still have a chance to enter. The second round is now open, and you've got until 10.33pm AEST on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 to put your name in. So, book that long weekend, go in the running for tickets, then cross your fingers that you'll be spending a trio of days at The Sup with Tunde Adebimpe and company. [caption id="attachment_1017128" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cody Critcheloe[/caption] Meredith Music Festival 2025 Lineup TV on the Radio Atarashii Gakko! Perfume Genius Thee Sacred Souls Pa Salieu HAAi Bar Italia Colin Hay Mildlife Folk Bitch Trio Saya Gray RONA. Omar Souleyman Dames Brown Radio Free Alice Sam Austins RP Boo Wax'o Paradiso Florist Jack J Drifting Clouds Dr Sure's Unusual Practice Central Australian Aboriginal Women's Choir Mouseatouille Brown Spirits Lazy Susan Meredith Music Festival returns to Meredith from Friday, December 5–Sunday, December 7, 2025. To put your name in the second round of the ballot to get your hands on tickets, head to the festival's website before 10.33pm AEST on Tuesday, August 19. Meredith Music Festival images: Chip Mooney, Leah Hulst, Ben Fletcher, Chelsea King and Steve Benn.
The latest big-screen gems aren't the only movies on offer at a heap of Australian film festivals in 2024. When Europa! Europa returned in February and March, it also featured a retrospective dedicated to Poor Things director Yorgos Lanthimos. On this year's German Film Festival lineup: a spotlight on The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft's Werner Herzog. And, when the Spanish Film Festival hits picture palaces around the country in June and July, it'll pay tribute to the one and only Salvador Dalí. 2024 marks 120 years since the Spanish artist's birth, so this annual showcase of films from Spain and Latin America is including an ode to the surrealist great through cinema. Documentary Salvador Dalí: In Search of Immortality is filled with archival footage, 1929 short film Un Chien Andalou is a collaboration between Dalí and filmmaker Luis Buñuel, and 1930's L'Age d'Or is penned by the pair. Also featured: Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, in which Dalí was responsible for the dream sequence. When you're not celebrating Dalí at this year's Spanish Film Festival, there's plenty more to see — including opening night's Chile-set The Movie Teller from director Lone Scherfig (The Kindness of Strangers) and co-writer Walter Salles (Central Station), as starring the Buenos Aires-born Bérénice Bejo (Final Cut) and Barcelona-born Daniel Brühl (All Quiet on the Western Front). It'll kick off the fest in each of its stops in Canberra, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay and Ballina, with the event's full tour running from Tuesday, June 11 (when it launches in the Australian Capital Territory) to Wednesday, July 10 (when every leg around the nation wraps up). When Un Amor, the latest from Elisa & Marcela director Isabel Coixet, pops up on the lineup, it's part of a focus on the filmmaker. Elegy, which stars Ben Kingsley (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) and Penélope Cruz (Ferrari), is also on the spotlight bill — as is 2013's Yesterday Never Ends and the Monica Bellucci (Mafia Mamma)-led Those Who Love from 1998. Other highlights span drama The Girls at the Station, a coming-of-age tale about three girls who grow up at a juvenile detention centre; Something Is About to Happen, focusing on a woman who loses her job, which won Malena Alterio (Strangers) a Goya; Jokes & Cigarettes, a biopic of comedian Eugenio; and vino-focused documentary Rioja: The Land of a Thousand Wines. Or, there's Checkmates, which rocketed up the Spanish box office with an underdog story about kids trying to win the Spanish Chess Championship — and Saturn Return, which takes inspiration from Spanish band Los Planetas. The timely Artificial Justice follows a judge assessing if AI can be used in the justice system, and Vera and the Pleasures of Others focuses on a 17-year-old girl who likes listening to exactly what the title spells out. Then there's the roster of titles from Latin America, such as Totem, which takes place across one day in a Mexican household; Bad Actor, which tells a post-#MeToo era tale; sci-fi thriller Aire: Just Breathe; and wellness dark comedy The Practice. There's more where they came from, including one helluva closing-night pick: Alejandro Jodorowsky's iconic The Holy Mountain, adding more surrealism beyond Dalí to the program. Spanish Film Festival 2024 Dates: Tuesday, June 11–Wednesday, July 10: Palace Electric Cinema, Canberra Wednesday, June 12–Wednesday, July 10: Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Adelaide Thursday, June 13–Wednesday, July 10: Palace James Street and Palace Barracks, Brisbane Thursday, June 13–Wednesday, July 10: Palace Raine Square Cinemas, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX, Perth Friday, June 14–Wednesday, July 10: The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Palace Balwyn and Pentridge Cinema, Melbourne Wednesday, June 19–Wednesday, July 10: Palace Norton Street, Palace Moore Park, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema, Sydney Friday, June 21–Wednesday, July 10: Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay Friday, June 21–Wednesday, July 10: Ballina Fair Cinemas, Ballina The 2024 Spanish Film Festival tours Australia in June and July. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the festival's website.
The gin-making superstars at Four Pillars are at it again, this month unveiling their first new creation to hit shelves since 2016. The latest addition to the Yarra Valley distillery's much-lauded barrel-aged program is the Sherry Cask Gin, which has just spent over a year in former sherry barrels, to lend a rich, intense character to the final drop. It's rounded out with notes of crushed coriander, pine needles and star anise, and infused with a small amount of Amontillado sherry to give some length and sweetness. According to the experts who made it, this one works well neat, or with sherry and orange bitters in a classic Tuxedo cocktail. Also launching this month is the 2018 edition of Four Pillars' Chardonnay Barrel Gin, which used to go by the name of Barrel-Aged Gin. This time around, the spirit's enjoyed a full 12 months in chardonnay barrels, giving characters of ginger and spice, and an oak-driven sweetness. The Four Pillars team is recommending this one over ice, or with a sprig of rosemary and a drop of honey. Both gins are available online or at selected independent retailers.
If you think that climbing Mount Everest is a massive endeavour, then wait until you hear about the latest venture from ex-Noma chef James Sharman. As part of his One Star House Party project, he's taking 15 adventurous diners on a 14-day trek of the mammoth Himalayan mountain, complete with a pop-up fine-dining restaurant. Participants will hike to base camp for the meal of a lifetime, setting off on December 10 and returning on December 23. Just what Sharman will whip up when they get there is yet to be revealed; however, given that his roving culinary party aims to showcase the cuisines of each country that he visits and make meals out of ingredients he discovers along the way, inventive takes on Nepalese fare is more than likely. Now that's how you celebrate scaling the world's highest peak above sea level — but, of course, the catch is that attendees have to do the hard work to get there first. And it doesn't come cheap, unsurprisingly. The eager climbers each pay US$1050 per person, which includes accommodation in guest houses along the way and other necessities for the trip. Nepal marks Sharman's fourth stop in his 20-month plan to host 20 restaurants in 20 countries, after starting in Beijing in September, then visiting Ho Chi Minh in October and Bangkok in November. Mumbai is next on the agenda, with the delicious escapade also touching everywhere from Nairobi, Berlin and Reykjavik to Santiago, Vancouver and Kyoto. Yes, Australia is included, with a Tasmanian stopover slated for June 2018. For more information about One Star House Party, visit www.onestarhouseparty.com. Image: Nick Taz.
It has been twenty years since James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet recreated one of the deadliest ship disasters in modern history — you know the one. Titanic also launched a lifetime of folks standing at the bow of boats and exclaiming "I'm the king of the world", and made the world endure a Celine Dion song that, as the lyrics promised, would go on. As well as snag a huge bag of Oscars and big, big bucks at the box office, the film did something else: reignite public fascination with the 1912 sinking. If you've ever watched and wondered what it'd be like to see the real thing, then wonder no more. You'd just better have a cool $137,000 sitting in your bank account. Commencing in 2018, travel company Blue Marble Private will be taking nine fascinated seafarers down to the famous ship on an eight-day journey. Departing from the coast of Newfoundland in Canada, they'll dive four kilometres down into the North Atlantic Ocean in a titanium and carbon fibre submersible — accompanied by experts, of course — to cruise around the passenger liner's deck, glide over its grand staircase and wander through the vessel that went down on its maiden voyage, taking more than 1500 people with it. The hefty price tag is supposed to reflect the cost of a first class ticket on the RMS Titanic 105 years ago, although it's hardly surprising that plunging deep into both the ocean's depths and a historical wreck costs a massive stack of cash and then some. This isn't the first time tours have been offered — indeed, presumably using some of the loot his romantic drama pulled in, James Cameron has made the journey three times — but it's still estimated that only 140 people have seen the site in person since it was first discovered in 1984. Via: The Australian. Image: OceanGate.
Homebrewers and beer lovers in Perth have a new local playground for their craft. Brew U: Brew University is taking the existing brew-on-premises model and gearing it toward craft beer enthusiasts, giving locals the ability to brew beer that is actually tasty while digging deeper into the science behind the process. If you're not familiar with the model, a brew-on-premises facility allows novices to bulk brew their own beer on the cheap. It saves money (when you compare it to buying retail) and avoids the bloody mess of doing it at home in the garage. Brew U is just taking this concept to the next level. The whole thing has been started by six Perth locals and aspiring brewers: Jon Stockey, Jenna Lippert, Eliza Stockey, John Lewis, Richard Allen and Lisa Allen. Together, they're offering much more than your typical extract brewing facility — which is most likely the method your mate used to make that nasty home brew, which you then vowed to never drink again. Instead, Brew U provides patrons with the added opportunity to try out grain brewing (just like professional brewers) and use rare yeast strains in their beer, all from a customised menu. The brewing menu uses fresh, local and high quality ingredients and includes specialty brews like a sour cherry Berliner Weisse, an India pale lager (IPL) and a New England-style IPA. As well as beer, the facility also allows for the production of cider and ginger beers. The space is inspired by US microbreweries, with the refurbished venue taking on an American varsity theme using chain-link fencing, ivy vines, school lockers, park benches and AstroTurf, along with a 30-metre custom mural by artists Steve Browne and Jerome Davenport. Apart from the brewing bit, the space will host beer education classes and seminars with local brewers, kegerator sales, keg hire and custom installations. The team also has its own microbrewery in the works with a full-on site production facility, bar with indoor beer garden and packaged products planned for the near future. Brew U is now open at 3–176 Bannister Road, Canningvale, Perth. It's open 3.30–7.30pm Monday to Friday, 8am–5pm Saturday 10am–5pm Sunday. For more info, visit the Facebook page.
Having an after-work tipple at a physical bar is just one of many social happenings that have been paused as measures to contain COVID-19 ramp up. But one South Australian alcohol company is keeping the spirit alive — albeit virtually — with its newly launched Digital Happy Hour. The crew behind Applewood Distillery and Unico Zelo wines is here to turn your isolation frown upside down, with interactive tasting sessions live streamed nightly from 5.30pm AEDT. Available via the Unico Zelo Facebook page, Digital Happy Hour will see Founder Brendan Carter crack open and discuss a different bottle of wine each night, with viewers invited to join in with questions and comments of their own. Expect funny stories, banter aplenty, blind-guessing wine, "shit wine invention" reviews and lots of down-to-earth wine chat. Then at 6.30pm AEDT, head over to the Applewood Facebook page for a nightly spirits-focused live stream with Brand Ambassador Henry Hammersla. He'll be sharing some fun cocktail recipes for you to recreate at home — such as the much talked about Quarantini — as well as taking questions about all things booze. And as far as the actual drinking goes, Unico Zelo has you sorted with its Iso-Vino Care Package — a mixed dozen wines you can get delivered to your door, with free shipping. Or perhaps you'd prefer to stock up with Applewood's Isolation Gin Pack, featuring three of its signature gins for $199.99. Head over to Unico Zelo Facebook page at 5.30pm AEDT and Applewood Distillery's at 6.30pm nightly for Digital Happy Hour and Iso-Cocktails.
After making an impressive debut in 2017, One Night in Footscray is returning this Friday, November 23 with an even bigger and more expansive program. From 5pm, the streets of the inner-west suburb will be brought to life with an array of interactive art installations, live music and exhibitions. And it's all free. Visitors are encouraged to take a self-guided journey through the suburb, engaging in various cultural experiences along the way. Keen Fred Astaires can take to a pop-up LED dance floor, while others can get up close and personal with the giant puppet troupe Snuff Puppets. There's even a makeshift photo studio to get your family portrait taken, so don't leave pooch at home. Hungry punters will no doubt make a beeline for the walking degustation tours. You'll be able to skip between eight local eateries to devour everything from crispy Vietnamese spring rolls from Thien An, fresh Turkish burek from Double Degree Kebabs, and pies from boozy bakery Bad Love Club. Leave work on time so you don't miss any of the action.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from September's haul of newbies. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL HEARTBREAK HIGH Teen-focused dramas always reflect the generation they're made for, and returning Australian favourite Heartbreak High is no different. Today's high school-set shows often come with more than a few nods backwards as well, though. Just like Beverly Hills, 90210, Saved by the Bell and Gossip Girl before it — like Degrassi's multiple go-arounds across more than four decades now, including a new take that's set to land in 2023 — Heartbreak High 2.0 knows it has a history and doesn't dream of pretending otherwise. 90s worship is in fashion anyway, so all those Doc Martens, nose rings, baggy jeans, slip dresses and oversized band t-shirts not only could've adorned the initial show's cast. As this revival returns to what worked so well the first time around, takes a few cues from Euphoria, Sex Education and Never Have I Ever as well, and finds its own intensity, that blast-from-the-past aesthetic proves a natural fit. Sporting such decade-crossing attire is a fresh-faced — and fresh-to-the-franchise — cohort of Hartley High students. The years and teens have changed, but the location, like plenty of the outfits, remains the same. When the eight-episode new season begins, Amerie (Ayesha Madon, The Moth Effect) and Harper (Asher Yasbincek, How to Please a Woman) are life-long best friends, but their sudden rift after a drunken night at a music festival changes everything. Amerie doesn't know why Harper has suddenly shaved her head, let alone cut all ties with her. She's just as shocked when the mural they've graffitied in an unused school stairwell, chronicling who's dated, had a crush on and slept with who among the year 11s, is scandalously outed. And their classmates, including the non-binary Darren (screen first-timer James Majoos), their bestie Quinni (Chloe Hayden, Jeremy the Dud), heartthrob Dusty (Josh Heuston, Thor: Love and Thunder), his smug pal Spider (Bryn Chapman Parish, Mr Inbetween), mullet-wearing food delivery driver Ca$h (Will McDonald, Home and Away), and Bundjalung basketballer Malakai (Thomas, Troppo), all get drawn into the resulting (and immediately easy-to-binge) chaos. Heartbreak High streams via Netflix. Read our full review. WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR "Hey guys, Casey here. Welcome to my channel. Today I'm going to be taking the World's Fair Challenge." So says We're All Going to the World's Fair's protagonist (feature newcomer Anna Cobb) twice to start this absorbing horror film, to camera, in what makes a spectacular opening sequence. Next, an eerie wave of multicoloured light flashes across her face. Watching her response brings the also-excellent She Dies Tomorrow to mind, but Casey has her own viral phenomenon to deal with. She's doing what she says she will, aka viewing a strobing video, uttering a pivotal phrase and then smearing blood across her laptop screen — and she promises to document anything that changes afterwards, because others have made those kinds of reports. Written, directed and edited by fellow feature debutant Jane Schoenbrun, the instantly eerie and intriguing We're All Going to the World's Fair is that record. Schoenbrun's film is more than that, however. It also charts the connections that spring and splinter around Casey just by joining the online trend, where her videos spark others in return — and the spirals she goes down as she watches, which then sparks a response in her own way, too. A portrait of isolation and alienation as well, while chronicling the after effects of playing a virtual horror game, We're All Going to the World's Fair is also a picture of an always-recorded world. Take your lockdown mindset, your social-media scrolling, all that Zooming that defined the beginning of the pandemic and a gamer vibe, roll them all together, and that's still not quite this arresting movie — which keeps shifting and evolving just like Cobb's enigmatic and evocative performance. The entire flick earns that description and, not that it needs an established name's tick of approval, the fact that The Green Knight and A Ghost Story director David Lowery is an executive producer speaks volumes. We're All Going to the World's Fair streams via Shudder. RAMY In the dramedy that bears his name, Ramy Youssef (Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot) is a quintuple threat. He created Ramy, plays Ramy, executive produces, and also frequently writes and directs — and, in a show about a Queens-born first-generation American Muslim raised in New Jersey to Egyptian parents, as Youssef himself is, there's no doubting that the stories he's telling are personal. There's a difference between bringing your own exact existence to the screen and conveying the truth behind your experiences, however, with Ramy falling into the second category as it charts its eponymous figure's struggles as his faith conflicts with his lifestyle. Since its first season in 2019, the series has always been so deeply steeped in the lived reality of feeling torn between two cultures, and so specific in its details, too. And yet, it's also so universal and relatable in its emotions and insights. None of the above changes in season three, welcomely so, in what's one of Ramy's finest moments yet. In this ten-episode third run, the lives of Ramy and his loved ones are rarely blessed with fine moments — and Ramy Hassan, Youssef's on-screen alter-ego, keeps threatening his own heart, mind and soul with his choices. Season two ended with a short-lived marriage and the fallout still lingers, but Ramy has thrown himself into making his Uncle Naseem's (Laith Nakli, Ms Marvel) diamond business a success as a distraction. He has money, his own place and, soon, his own jewellery outfit, although that doesn't herald happiness. For his sister Dena (May Calamawy, Moon Knight), nor has striving hard to take the bar exam, especially when her parents Maysa (Hiam Abbass, Succession) and Farouk (Amr Waked, Wonder Woman 1984) are open about how differently they see her and her future to Ramy. As the elder Hassans also grapple with Farouk being out of work, plus decades of feeling like they're treading water, Ramy remains a stunningly perceptive and engaging exploration of the battle to remain true to oneself — and one's hopes, dreams and religion — while also proving a rich, poignant and devastatingly well-acted comedy. May more come. Ramy streams via Stan from Friday, September 30. DO REVENGE Sequels aren't the only way to get nostalgic, or to thrust a beloved old-school film — or several — into the now. A high school-set comedy about exactly what it's moniker describes, Do Revenge joins Heathers, The Craft, Jawbreaker and Jennifer's Body in charting teens chasing vengeance. Mean girls abound, too, and when 'Kids in America' starts playing, it's a Betty of a Clueless nod (and just one of many, including pastel uniforms that could've been pulled out of Cher Horowitz's computerised wardrobe). Casting Sarah Michelle Gellar as the principal and dropping 'Praise You'? The Cruel Intentions winks keep thrilling like a young Ryan Phillippe. The list goes on, to the never-grow-up delight of, well, everyone — because writer/director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great) and co-scribe Celeste Ballard (Space Jam: A New Legacy) clearly know and love the type of movie they're making as much as the rest of us. Unleashing more references than a school library doesn't always play well — in the latest Scream movie, it gets repetitive and fast; in whodunnit parody-slash-homage See How They Run, it's a touch too clever-clever — but Do Revenge radiates pure fun and affection. At its centre: queen bee Drea (Camila Mendes, Riverdale), who climbed her exclusive private school's social ladder, hid her modest background and dated the dream boy Max (Austin Abrams, Euphoria) until a sex scandal tarnishes her reputation. With newcomer Eleanor (Maya Hawke, Stranger Things), who also has her own grudge against one of their classmates, she hatches a Stranger on a Train-esque plan: they'll avenge each other's wrongs and bring down their respective tormentors. Robinson and Ballard have a ball getting savage yet sweet, as does a cast that also includes Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner, 13 Reasons Why's Alisha Boe and Ms Marvel's Rish Shah — and devilish twists come with the self-aware fandom. Do Revenge streams via Netflix. HOCUS POCUS 2 Twist the bones and bend the back, Hocus Pocus has returned for another horror-comedy attack — and there's no doubting that this 29-years-later sequel adores its predecessor. Disney loves reviving and extending its popular past hits, whether as new remakes, followups or ever-sprawling franchises. In the majority of cases, it's committed to sticking to the same already-winning formula, too. So, pushing the cackling Sanderson sisters to the fore again, Hocus Pocus 2 unsurprisingly doesn't overly mess with the tried-and-tested template. Once again starring Bette Midler (The Addams Family 2), Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That...) and Kathy Najimy (Music), it's another family-friendly tale of Salem witches trying to eat children to remain alive and youthful forever. And, it doubles down on everything that the Mouse House thinks made the OG flick such a beloved 90s favourite to begin with — more songs, more OTT siblings, more teens trying to foil their plans to run amok, amok, amok and more Massachusetts-set mayhem, namely That means that Hocus Pocus 2 plays like a greatest-hits do-over as much as a second effort. New movie, same setup, a few fresh faces and an obvious yearning to keep the saga's black flame candle burning: that's director Anne Fletcher (Hot Pursuit) and screenwriter Jen D'Angelo's (Young Rock) film. After adding an origin story for Winnie (Midler), Mary (Najimy) and Sarah (Parker), as well as Billy Butcherson (Doug Jones, What We Do in the Shadows), they're all unleashed upon modern-day Salem by 16-year-old Becca (Whitney Peak, Gossip Girl), her best friend Izzy (Belissa Escobedo, Sex Appeal) and magic shop owner Gilbert (Sam Richardson, The Afterparty) — and nostalgically entertaining hijinks ensue. Hocus Pocus 2 isn't subtle or restrained, or keen to do much more than worship its predecessor, but spells do work more than once. Hocus Pocus 2 streams via Disney+ from Friday, September 30. BLONDE Usually when a film leaves you wondering how it might've turned out in other hands, that isn't a great sign — but Blonde, the years-in-the-making adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' fictionalised Marilyn Monroe biography of the same name, demands a watch. It's a fascinating movie, including for what works astoundingly well and what definitely doesn't. In the first category: Ana de Armas (The Gray Man) as Norma Jeane Mortenson, the woman who'd become not just a star and a sensation during her life, but an icon across the six decades since. Also exceptional: the almost-uncanny recreations of oh-so-many images that captured Mortensen/Monroe, including a plethora that are iconic themselves. In the second camp, however, falls Blonde's decision to filter its central figure's story through her death, as though that was the most important thing about her — and that it was inevitable. No one ever wants to be defined by one thing. Monroe certainly didn't, as Blonde itself depicts. She fiercely yearned to be known as more than a sex symbol who drew crowds to cinemas and attracted intense media interest — but being objectified was a part of her Hollywood experience, including here from the moment that a first studio meeting ends horrifically. As written and directed by Australian filmmaker Andrew Dominik, in his latest feature to unpack larger-than-life true tales after Chopper and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Blonde reductively sees that awful treatment, her childhood struggles, her tumultuous marriages and romances, her miscarried or aborted pregnancies, and her late-career on-set antics as all leading to the conclusion that's long been a matter of history. Far more engrossing is the movie's efforts to unpack the truth and pain behind all of Monroe's career-defining images, and to plunge the audience into a fraught headspace with her — and that soulful and phenomenal lead performance. Blonde streams via Netflix. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK LOS ESPOOKYS In the US, it was one of the best new shows of 2019. In Australia, thanks to a hefty delay in bringing it to our screens, it earned that distinction in 2021. The one silver lining for the latter? The gap between Los Espookys' first season and its second has proven much shorter Down Under — but more of this Spanish-language HBO comedy was always going to be worth the wait. The premise is a gem; the cast is a delight; the cavalcade of horror references is so savvily worked in that it almost puts every other winking, nodding, nudging show or movie to shame; and there remains nothing else on television or streaming like it. Sharp, witty, absurd, affectionate, insightful, charming, oh-so-distinctive, perhaps the best unofficial (and unrelated) successor to The Mighty Boosh yet: that's Los Espookys again and again, even more so in season two, although it's also a must-see that's best experienced rather than described. The same rings true for the Los Espookys gang and their business: horror IRL. It genuinely is a business for genre devotee Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco, Museo) and his pals Andrés (Julio Torres, Shrill), Úrsula (Cassandra Ciangherotti, This Is Not a Comedy) and Tati (Ana Fabrega, Father of the Bride), turning a passion into a line of work with a steady-enough list of customers. In an always-unpredictable affair co-created by Torres, Fabrega and Our Flag Means Death's Fred Armisen, the group stages spooky setups for folks willing to pay — gloriously outlandish and OTT scenarios, always with a tactile and DIY feel, resulting in both impressive and hilarious outcomes. Those installations keep coming, and so does both personal and interpersonal chaos for the crew (plus Renaldo's parking valet uncle Tico, as played by Armisen), particularly after Tati can't quite adjust to marriage, Andrés navigates life beyond the luxury he grew up in, Renaldo keeps being haunted and Úrsula tries to fend off persistent TV offers. Los Espookys streams via Binge. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER Like knowing that House of the Dragon was coming, and winter as well, it's been impossible to avoid news about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The stunning-looking series has been in the works for five years, and is already locked in for five seasons, all jumping back to Middle-earth's Second Age. That's a period of elves, men, dwarves and harfoots — precursors to hobbits — and of the lurking evil of Sauron, plus orcs, trolls and more. It's also when the titular jewellery is forged. On the page, it's largely been covered in an appendix to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books, taking this new series into previously unseen on-screen territory. And, as The Rings of Power focuses on, it's where Galadriel and Elrond's tales truly kicked in, with Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud) taking over from Cate Blanchett and Robert Aramayo (The King's Man) doing the same for Hugo Weaving, with their characters thousands of years younger. The young Galadriel narrates The Rings of Power's explanatory introduction, setting the scene for the show's fight against Sauron — and slowly putting the pieces in place for the compilation of a fellowship to do so. She tells of the dark lord Morgoth and his defeat in wide-ranging wars. She notes that the elf Finrod (Will Fletcher, The Road Dance) was convinced that Sauron, Morgoth's apprentice, still lingered afterwards. And she advises that such a belief and the search to prove it right cost Finrod, her brother, his life. Alas, during relative peace, as Middle-earth has been under since Morgoth was vanquished, isn't a prime time to take up that fight. But she's still scouring far and wide for Sauron, even if High King Gil-galad of the Elves (Benjamin Walker, The Ice Road) wants to bathe her in glory for past victories instead. If that's the path she took, there wouldn't be much of a series — and that's just the start of a thrilling show that also spends time with the dwarves of Khazad-dum, fellow elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova, The Undoing) among the humans, and harfoot Nori Brandyfoot (Markella Kavanagh, True History of the Kelly Gang) and her fellow diminutive creatures. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. ANDOR When it arrived in 2016 between Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Rogue One: A Star Wars sent a message in its own spy-slash-heist flick way: it wouldn't be slavishly beholden to the Star Wars franchise's established and beloved universe. It felt earthier and murkier, more urgent and complicated, and far more steeped in everyday reality — within its science-fiction confines, of course — and more concerned with the here and now of its specific narrative than the bigger saga picture. It was certainly and unshakeably bleaker, and felt like a departure from the usual template, as well as a welcome risk. The same proves true of impressive streaming prequel Andor, which slips into its namesake's routine five years prior. The Galactic Empire reigns supreme, the Rebel Alliance is still forming and, when the series opens, Cassian (the returning Diego Luna, If Beale Street Could Talk) is a wily thief living on the junkyard planet of Ferrix. A Blade Runner-esque sheen hovers over a different place, however: the industrial-heavy, corporate-controlled Morlana One, which couldn't be further under the boot of the Empire if it tried. As Monos-style flashbacks to Cassian's childhood aid in fleshing out, he's searching for his sister, but his latest investigatory trip results in a confrontation and the Preox-Morlana Authority on his trail. Back on Ferrix, he endeavours to hide with the help of his friend/presumed ex/mechanic/black-market dealer Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona, Morbius) and droid B2EMO (Dave Chapman, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker), while keeping his latest antics a secret from his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve). But, even after being told to drop the case, persistent Imperial Deputy Inspector Syril Karn (Kyle Soller, Poldark) and higher-ranking officer Dedra Meero (Denise Gough, Under the Banner of Heaven) aren't willing to give up. Andor streams via Disney+. Read our full review. ATLANTA You can't escape yourself. As Atlanta sent Earnest 'Earn' Marks (Donald Glover, Guava Island), his cousin and rapper Alfred 'Paper Boi' Miles (Brian Tyree Henry, Bullet Train), their Nigerian American pal Darius (Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah) and Earn's ex Vanessa (Zazie Beetz, also Bullet Train) around Europe in the show's third season earlier in 2022, that truth became inescapable, too. Hopping everywhere from Amsterdam to Paris and London, the group saw the daily reality of being Black Americans linger with them at every destination — and their personal ups and downs as well — no matter how wild, weird, bleak or hopeful the circumstances they were in. Arriving mere months later, season four kicks off by also exploring that point, including in a debut episode that sees Atlanta, the city, haunt the show's main players. They're back home and there's no way they couldn't know it, whether they're on scavenger hunts, stuck in carparks or being chased. Just a handful of episodes in, Atlanta's fourth season also examines another truth that's always sat at the core of the show: that for better and for worse, there's no place like home. That applies to the physical location, but also to the homes we make with other people — family, friends and everything in-between. Earn and Van gravitate closer together, but their relationship has always ebbed and flowed. Al keeps pondering what success really means, too. In the process, Glover's superbly smart, blistering and often-surreal unpacking of race relations lays bare the nation it usually calls home, as it did so incisively in its first two seasons, while never failing to challenge, surprise and swing big. That the show's final season also clearly muses on legacies obviously couldn't be more fitting; however it ends, no doubt in a thoroughly unpredictable and yet also ridiculously apt way, it'll always be a great on Glover, Henry, Stanfield and Beetz's resumes. Atlanta streams via SBS On Demand. THE PATIENT In one of 2022's new streaming standouts, Bad Sisters, Brian Gleeson tries to get to the bottom of a suspicious death. In another, The Patient, Domhnall Gleeson plays a serial killer. The two shows have more differences than commonalities, but it's clearly a great time for the Frank of Ireland-co-starring Gleeson brothers and twisty tales about crime. For Run's Domhnall, he co-leads a show about a murderer who enlists a therapist to try to stop his homicidal urges. Sam Fortner does indeed sit in Alan Strauss' (Steve Carell, Minions: The Rise of Gru) office and seek his help, but as well as hiding his eyes and face behind sunglasses, he keeps his real name, the bulk of his personal details and bloody pastime to himself. It's only after Strauss wakes up chained in Fortner's house that the latter feels comfortable enough to come clean and truly ask for assistance, albeit under terrifying circumstances for his captive. Domhnall Gleeson's on-screen resume isn't short on highlights, including Ex Machina and Brooklyn. Carell's has blatantly boasted many, spanning both comedies (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and The Office, obviously) and dramas (including his Oscar-nominated work in Foxcatcher). Accordingly, it should astonish no one that they're both instantly gripping in The Patient, as their characters bounce off of each other in inherently grim circumstances; however, they're each also in career-best form. The psychological-thriller series works as two commanding, textured and high-stakes character studies as Fortner demands Strauss' professional best, and ensures he isn't capable of refusing — and works through their respective baggage cat-and-mouse-style from there. In fact, it hits its marks so well that the show's concise format (each episode clocks in at between 20–25 minutes) keeps viewers wanting more. The Patient streams via Disney+. RICK AND MORTY The longer that Rick and Morty continues, the more it galaxy- and time-hopping mayhem it slings at the screen, aka whatever out-there sci-fi situations that creators Justin Roiland (Solar Opposites) and Dan Harmon (Community) can conjure up. But the more that this Back to the Future-inspired animated hit continues, too, the more that it proves a tragedy about choices made and not — and how even having all the science-fiction gadgetry in this and every other world and dimension can't make everything perfect always, because that's just not human (or alien, animal or Birdperson) nature. Season six of the series was always going to get contemplative given how the past season ended, of course, and because that's been baked into the show since day one. Still, the oft-quoted "wubba lubba dub dub" feels particularly weighty this time around, considering what it really means: "I am in great pain, please help me". Rick Sanchez (voiced by Roiland) has been saved, but that initially tears the Smith family apart — by now, they know (and we know) that Rick and his daughter Beth (Sarah Chalke, Firefly Lane), son-in-law Jerry (Chris Parnell, Archer), grandson Morty (also Roiland) and granddaughter Summer (Spencer Grammer, Tell Me a Story) aren't quite the versions of themselves they once were. Also part of the season's first few episodes: Beth getting close to Space Beth, also with consequences throughout her household; exploring what it means to offload parts of your life you're not happy with; and a good ol'-fashioned "yippee ki-yay!"-shouting Die Hard parody. In other words, it's all quintessential Rick and Morty, just getting deeper with each new run of episodes. Naturally, when Peter Dinklage (Cyrano) voices an alien equivalent of Hans Gruber, it's gold, and yet another classic Rick and Morty moment. Rick and Morty streams via Netflix. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August this year. You can also check out our running list of standout must-stream 2022 shows so far as well — and our best 15 new shows from the first half of this year, top 15 returning shows and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies.
If there's one thing the eastern suburbs do well, it's wine bars. It doesn't matter if you're slogging it down Chapel Street or staying away from the crowds in a quiet leafy pocket of Kew, chances are, there'll be a nice little wine bar nearby. The ones of this list stock a nice selection of traditional and new-age natural drops, and most have a kitchen or at least a good selection of cheese so you can snack while you taste a few of the open bottles. Quite a few even allow you to take away — so once you've taste tested a few, you can take a bottle home with you to drink at your leisure.
As the worlds of wellness and social connectivity continue to intermingle more than ever, Gurner Group has opened the largest and most extravagant private club in its growing stable to date. Spanning three levels and over 2000 square metres, SAINT Black is a high-performance haven that brings together wellness, biohacking, recovery, coworking and hospitality under one seriously stylish roof in South Melbourne. The experience begins with a sensory cube just beyond the threshold that opens up into a soaring lobby area. Here, you'll find a reception, concierge and tea bar replete with vein-cut travertine, Calacatta marble and soft circadian lighting for an instantly calming feel. Further inside, a member's bar and floating DJ booth overlook a coworking lounge built for casual business meetings and creative collaborations, complete with an organic wholefoods menu, adaptogenic drinks and alcohol offerings Thursday through Sunday. Ascending the luminescent staircase to level one leads to a sprawling gym floor framed by skyline views and kitted out with state-of-the-art gear from Watson, Technogym, AlphaFit and PLAE, as well as intimate studios with a full slate of over 200 weekly classes across strength training, pilates, yoga, breathwork, meditation and more. This is complemented by a suite of biohacking treatments in Haven — the venue's dedicated high-tech wellness wing that offers everything from cryotherapy and hyperbaric oxygen chambers to IV infusions and red-light therapy. SAINT Black South Melbourne also offers new membership tiers that unlock access to SANA, the venue's exclusive rooftop wellness experience. This private sanctuary on level seven features wood-barrelled ice baths and a 40-person sauna that hosts SAINT's signature 'fire and ice' classes, along with a six-degree ice bath, 38-degree magnesium pool and a sun-washed lap pool framed by sunloungers, all backed by panoramic skyline views.
It's been four years since Ryan Gosling last graced screens, rocketing to the moon in First Man. No, Barbie set photos pored over on every internet-connected device don't count. Since he played Neil Armstrong, much has happened. There's the obvious off-screen, of course — but then there's Chris Evans farewelling Captain America, and also appearing in Knives Out with the scene-stealing Ana de Armas. After co-starring in Blade Runner 2049 with Gosling back in 2017, she leapt from that Evans-featuring whodunnit to palling around with 007 in No Time to Die. Also during that time, Bridgerton pushed Regé-Jean Page to fame, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earmarked Julia Butters as a young talent to watch. This isn't just a history lesson on The Gray Man's cast — well, some of them, given that Billy Bob Thornton (Goliath), Jessica Henwick (The Matrix Resurrections), Dhanush (Maaran), Wagner Moura (Shining Girls) and Alfre Woodard (The Lion King) also pop up, plus Australia's own Callan Mulvey (Firebite) — for the hell of it, though. Back in 2018, before all of the above played out, it's unlikely that this exact film with this exact cast would've eventuated. But plenty of action-thrillers about attempting to snuff out hyper-competent assassins already did flicker across celluloid — both John Wick and Atomic Blonde had already been there and done that, and the Bourne and Bond movies, and countless other predecessors. Still, the combination of this collection of current actors and that familiar setup isn't without its charms in The Gray Man, which makes the leap from the pages of Mark Greaney's 2009 novel to the big and streaming screens. Reportedly Netflix's most expensive movie to date, it lets its two biggest names bounce off of each other with chalk-and-cheese aplomb, and isn't short on globe-hopping action spectacle. The off-the-book spy versus off-the-book spy killer flick is knowing amid all that box-ticking formula, too, although not enough to make its cheesy lines sound smart and savvy. Gosling plays Court Gentry, aka Sierra Six; "007 was taken," he jokes. Before he's given his codename — before he's paid to do the CIA's dirty work as well — he's in prison for murder, then recruited by Donald Fitzroy (Thornton). Fast-forward 18 years and Six is a huge hit at two things: being a ghost, because he no longer officially exists; and covertly wreaking whatever havoc the government tells him to, including knocking off whichever nefarious figure they need gone. But one stint of the latter leaves him in possession of a USB drive that his arrogant new direct superior Carmichael (Page) will ruthlessly kill to destroy. Actually, to be precise, he'll pay Lloyd Hansen (Evans) of Hansen Government Services to do just that, and to do the dirty work that's too dirty for the criminals-turned-government hitmen in the Sierra program, with Six the number-one target. If you've seen one espionage-slash-assassin flick that sends a shadowy life-or-death fight bounding around the planet — here, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Germany and Austria all feature, among other spots — then you've seen The Gray Man's template. Directing duo Joe and Anthony Russo helmed the Marvel Cinematic Universe's versions with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, so they know the drill. That they've seen a heap of other entries in the genre is never question, either. That feeling radiates from the script, which is credited to Joe Russo with seasoned Marvel scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game), and clearly styles its one-liners after superhero banter. Having Gosling and Evans sling it, one playing bearded, silent and virtuous and the other moustachioed, jabbering and unhinged, makes a helluva difference, however. The silver screen has missed Gosling, and the moody, charismatic brooding he does so well. Thanks to Drive and Only God Forgives, the actor is firmly in his calm-but-deadly, complex-but-smouldering element — and, when Fitzroy's niece Claire (Butters) joins the story, Gosling is also in comfortable The Nice Guys-style territory. That isn't a complaint; he's great at both, reliably and engagingly so. But, again, almost every aspect of The Gray Man recalls something similar or its stars' past work. As he did so memorably in Knives Out, Evans revels in his latest asshole swerve away from The Star Spangled Man with a Plan, spitting out his smirking dialogue with relish. (The trash 'stash and skin-tight wardrobe are new, but suit the psychopathic vibe that Lloyd is wrapped in as snug as spandex.) That at least 50 shades of this feature have filled other films before can't be shaken, and yet that fact never blows up the movie. Explosions aren't lacking, given the storyline. Neither are setpieces of varying action-flick ridiculousness to house them in, as well as such a hefty dose of transport-related mayhem that the Fast and Furious movies might get envious. There's nothing grey in colour about the first big action extravaganza, staged in Bangkok amid a gleaming nightclub and bursting fireworks — and the Russos' best shootouts, fights and frays boast a sense of playfulness, just like the back-and-forth between Gosling and Evans. Still, some lively lurches stumble. A "Ken doll" quip is too calculated to crib that Barbie mania, and when the setpiece setting ante gets upped to include a hedge maze, it's yet another reminder of riches elsewhere on celluloid. That said, Netflix also previously made the abhorrent Red Notice, the last film badged as its most expensive ever. Next to that atrocious example of cobbling together well-worn parts and plastering them over with megastars, The Gray Man naturally looks like a masterpiece. The Gray Man isn't a masterpiece, though. If it was — rather than being entertaining despite showing the easy dots it's connecting, and its seams — the slickly shot picture would make full use of its entire cast. The film is all the better for having de Armas, Page and the like in it, but they all scream for more screentime (and for better-fleshed-out characters), which may come for some in future instalments. As his mentor Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan saga did, Greaney's books have spawned followups. On the screen, both a sequel and a prequel were reportedly greenlit by Netflix before The Gray Man even reached audiences. Knowing that this is meant to be a franchise-starter doesn't justify its love of formula, or hide it, but it also doesn't detract from Gosling or Evans, or the dazzling destruction around them. The Gray Man screens in cinemas Down Under from Thursday, July 14, and is available to stream via Netflix from Friday, July 22. Image: Paul Abell/Netflix.
You don’t have to be a science fiction fan to know that Doctor Who is having a moment right now. The 50th anniversary episode in December last year was a global event, and 2014 brings in the twelfth Doctor, to be played by Peter Capaldi. But while you wait for season eight to kick off, the MSO will be tiding your over with a performance of the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular at the Plenary. Back by popular demand, the MSO will perform music from the hit series composed by Murray Gold. The show will feature edited footage of the eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, as well as looking back at some of the past Doctors. The concert hall will also be overrun by the Silence, Daleks and Cybermen, so park the Tardis close by if you need to make a quick escape. Intergalactic adventures await you, so don’t forget to pack your sonic screwdriver.
Pairing hot dumplings with cold beer is one of life's simple pleasures, and it's one of the reasons that Harajuku Gyoza has become one of Brisbane and Sydney's go-to Japanese joints. When their sixth venue joins the fold in May, it won't just be bringing gyoza and brews to a 150-seat space in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast — it'll be setting up a microbrewery. Given the name Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium, it's the first restaurant of its type for the chain, and Australia's first Japanese microbrewery as well. And, it'll be offering plenty of tempting tipples for booze-loving dumpling fiends. Say hello to four 1200-litre red, black, silver and gold beer tanks pumping out six core Japanese craft beers from the Yoyogi Japanese Craft Beer range. Harajuku Gyoza has been brewing its own craft Yoyogi Pale Ale since 2015, but now they'll do so on-site at Broadbeach — and add five others to their regular menu. In addition to quenching Gold Coast diners' thirsts with their year-round selection and special seasonal releases, the new microbrewery will serve up yeasty brews that'll be sent to other stores, and sold wholesale. For anyone wanting more than just a pint, Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium will feature an entertaining table that comes with its own ten-litre keg, allowing you to fill up your own drinks as you sit and eat. And while the focus might be on beer, glorious beer, whiskey fans will find a range of rare Japanese varieties, available to purchase by the nip or individual bottle. If that's not enough booze and dumpling fun, the Broadbeach restaurant will also be Harajuku Gyoza's first to have a breakfast menu. Sounds smart — if you've been drinking fresh-made Japanese brews all night, you might want to head back the next morning for a gyoza pick-me-up. Find Harajuku Gyoza Beer Stadium at The Oasis Centre, Broadbeach from later in May. Head to their website and Facebook page for more information.
Making a grand entrance opposite Southern Cross Station, Quarterhouse could be your new go-to destination for after-work drinks and a pre-match feed. Catering for up to 1,400 patrons across three expansive levels, the venue's variety of spaces makes it a stellar spot for corporate gatherings and primetime footy fever. Plus, with Marvel Stadium just a short stroll away, getting pumped before the game or commiserating afterwards is a breeze. On the ground floor in the Public Bar, punters will encounter a classic, easygoing pub atmosphere. Kick back with live sports on big screens, including a mammoth four-metre-wide centrepiece, or challenge your pals by racking up some pool. There are comfy banquettes that are perfect for chilling out, or you can also soak up the sun with street-side dining and drinks. The menu spans European-inspired gastropub cuisine, with smaller dishes like fried squid paired with pickled fennel, lemon and aioli complemented by pub favourites like classic chicken parma or the Quarterhouse Burger, featuring bacon, blue cheese mayo, pickled onions and more. Meanwhile, juicy steaks served with skin-on fries, salad, umami butter and jus gras or peppercorn sauce are bound to hit the mark. Upstairs on level one, The Hall is where celebrations of all stripes, from birthdays to corporate events, take over. Decked out with its own private bar and a sunlit wrap-around terrace graced with greenery, your next special event will benefit from the elevated ambience. Versatile in design, this reserved space has enough capacity for 240 guests. Then, perched atop Quarterhouse, The Rooftop switches up the mood once again, with a laidback vibe ideal for cocktails in the sun. Rising above the hum of Collins Street, this vantage point looks across the elevated expanse of Sky Park. Up here, the menu is made for sharing, with a selection of woodfired pizzas offered alongside options like wagyu beef skewers with a pepperberry jus gras and roast shallots. When the footy isn't taking over Quarterhouse, a weekly entertainment lineup keeps the mood upbeat. Get down on Mondays for free all-day pool in the Public Bar, or head along on Thursdays for live acoustic performances from 5pm. The vibe picks up when the weekend arrives, with Fridays seeing Sunset Sips and DJs bringing the party to the rooftop. Then, Sunday afternoon welcomes casual trivia from 3pm. With Quarterhouse's arrival, your next game day or weeknight gathering is sorted. Quarterhouse is now open Sunday–Wednesday from 11.30am–11pm, Thursday from 11.30am–12am and Saturday–Sunday from 11.30am–1am at 693 Collins Street, Docklands. Head to the website for more information. Images: Chege Mbuthi / Griffin Simm.
All across New South Wales, stages are being swept, setlists are being finalised, speakers are being stress tested, and crowds are gearing up—because the statewide Great Southern Nights is just about to make its 2025 return. With well over 300 gigs taking place across 17 nights in cities and districts from Byron Bay to Broken Hill and beyond, it's going to be one hell of a festival. Midway up the NSW coastline, you'll find one of Great Southern Nights' hubs in the live music-loving city of Newcastle and the Newcastle Midtown Gig Trail set to host over 40 gigs across the festival's 17-night runtime. We've teamed up with Great Southern Nights to pick out the must-see entries on the lineup and some suggestions on how to stay busy between them. The Lineup The fun starts on Friday, March 21, with multi-disciplinary Filipino/Wiradjuri artist MO'JU at The Stag and Hunter Hotel in Mayfield, the five-piece Kiwi band SIX60 at NU's Bar on the Hill and EDM duo Slumberjack at King Street Nightclub. The following night, back at Bar on the Hill, late 80s/early 90s indie rock legends The Cruel Sea will take to the stage with some throwback hits and new recordings. To end the first weekend, solo multi-instrumentalist Running Touch and Melbourne-native indie rock quartet The Belair Lip Bombs will take over the King Street Warehouse on Sunday, March 23. The following weekend, on Saturday, March 29, legendary Aussie Blues and Roots soloist Xavier Rudd will be performing a bit out of town at Dashville Campground in Lower Belford. When the festival heads into April, expect a few hot gigs in the King Street Bandroom. Namely, the multi-platinum-winning rapper Winston Surfshirt on Friday, April 4; five-piece folk-rock group The Paper Kites on Saturday, April 5; and indie rock favourites Slowly Slowly on Sunday, April 6. If you find yourself with a free night, hit up the Newcastle Midtown District Gig Trail. Every night throughout the festival you'll find free gigs, performers, actors and more at seven venues in the heart of the action. That's just the tip of the iceberg, all sorts of gigs are set to take happen around the headliners. [caption id="attachment_938853" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Flotilla[/caption] Local Eats and Treats Newcastle is home to a buzzing blend of eateries to refuel between gigs; if anything, you'll end up pressed for time to hit all the venues around town. For a compact taster menu of what the city has to offer gastronomically, the Honeysuckle Foreshore is right in the centre of the city, close to Newcastle's premiere hotels, attractions and waterfronts. But if you're willing to go further afield, it'll pay off. Without leaving the city, you can enjoy Spanish tapas at Bocados or a sizeable yum cha feast (on Sundays) at Ginger Meg's, and if you like something a little fancier, there's sustainable seafood at Scottie's or curated cocktails and Italian feeds at Market St Basement. Should you find yourself a bit beyond the city lights, you can find an authentic Californian taqueria at Antojitos, and one of the most popular restaurants in the area is the famous Flotilla in Wickham. If you prefer to hit the streets and let the universe guide you to the eatery for you, you'll find casual options aplenty in Hamilton, eclectic, trendy small spots in Cooks Hill, while heading out west to the Hunter Valley will connect you with some of the top wineries in the country. Things to Do and Places to See Most of the GSN gigs on offer take place after dark, so what are you supposed to do beforehand? Glad you asked. One of Newcastle's most famous, accessible and affordable attractions is its ocean baths. Found along the Bather's Way, a six-kilometre walking track that traces the coast from Nobbys Beach to Merewether Beach, these pools (and the more secluded-yet-scenic Bogey Hole) are midway on the route and are recognised as some of the most scenic ocean pools in the country. If the sun is blazing and you'd rather stay indoors and dodge the steps, the Newcastle Museum is a great place to learn some local history, as is the Fort Scratchley Historic Site if military history is your jam, being the only fort in Australia to engage enemy combatants in maritime defence during WWII. For a dose of First Nations history and culture, take a guided tour through the towering sand dunes of the Worimi Conservation Lands. Where to Spend the Night The many facets of Newcastle's identity are plain to see in the accommodation options throughout the city. The QT hotel group is known for bold interiors and luxury by the pound — and QT Newcastle is no exception. A love for music and the arts and Newcastle's prominent surf culture can be felt at this dynamic stay. Set in a heritage building with waterfront views, the hotel also boasts one of Newcastle's finest rooftop bars and an on-site luxury restaurant that exclusively serves local produce. If you want to be as close to the water as possible, it's tough to get closer than Noah's On the Beach. A literal stone's throw from the surf break of Newcastle Beach, staying here means you'll be sent off to sleep by the sounds of the sea. And though you could be catered for with the onsite eatery, you'd be well within walking distance from the Newcastle CBD. If you want something further from the action (45 minutes further, to be precise) but don't want to skimp on the luxury, secure a booking at Caves Coastal Bar & Bungalows. South of Newcastle behind Caves Beach, this resort property brings a touch of the Hamptons and a pinch of the Maldives to the mid-north NSW coast. With bungalows, townhouses and villas available for booking and the luxurious restaurant Caves Coastal, this is the perfect place for larger groups looking to explore the surrounds of Newcastle. Great Southern Nights is set to take over venues across NSW between Friday, March 21 and Sunday, April 6. Check out our gig guides for Sydney, the Central Coast and Wollongong or visit the website for more information.
If you're looking for a unique Las Vegas experience, this is beautiful in every single way: an Airbnb hosted by Christina Aguilera, with the entire weekend booking designed around the the 'Dirrty', 'Genie in a Bottle', 'What a Girl Wants' and 'Lady Marmalade' singer. She'll chat with you over drinks. You'll hit up her favourite Vegas restaurant. You'll also see her intimate show in the Nevada city. And, of course, you'll spend two nights making the most of your reservation, including slumbering just off the Vegas strip. Missed Aguilera at her one-night-only gig in Melbourne in 2023, which was her first Down Under since 2007? This is your chance to go one better — and head to her, too. Here's hoping that your calendar is blank in the near future, however, because the Airbnb stay is only on offer from Thursday, February 29–Saturday, March 2. [caption id="attachment_942172" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dennis Leupold[/caption] "Welcome to Las Vegas! I'm a big believer in self-love and embracing your true, authentic self, so I'm thrilled to host a stay in Sin City for fans to let loose and give themselves some much deserved TLC for the weekend," said Aguilera about her hosting gig. "This glam stay is all about empowerment, pleasure and play. Get ready." Included in the booking, which covers up to four people: that conversation with Christina while drinking cocktails; staying in the luxe four-bedroom, four-bathroom Airbnb for the weekend; a private burlesque lesson from choreographer and dancer Sarah Mitchell, who has worked with the singer for more than a decade; and VIP seats to Christina Aguilera at Voltaire, the star's current Las Vegas residency. You'll also score that restaurant experience; a glam session with Christina's team to learn about — and don — her looks — as well as a boudoir photoshoot. Thanks to Christina's sexual-wellness brand Playground, you'll take some goodies home with you, too. The one-of-a-kind Aguilera-focused stay is the accommodation platform's latest such once-in-a-lifetime experience. Shrek's swamp, Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse, the Ted Lasso pub, the Moulin Rouge! windmill, Hobbiton, the Bluey house, the Paris theatre that inspired The Phantom of the Opera, the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, The Godfather mansion, the South Korean estate where BTS filmed In the Soop, the Sanderson sisters' Hocus Pocus cottage and Santa's festive cabin in Finland have all featured before (and the list goes on). For you, if this is what a girl (or guy) wants, needs, will make you happy and set you free, you'll need to try to nab the free booking at 5am AEDT / 4am AEST / 7am NZDT on Friday, February 23. Whoever gets these special kinds of Airbnb reservations is usually responsible for their own travel, including for this one. So, making the trip to Las Vegas and back is on your own dime. The rest? Money really can't buy it. For more information about the Christina Aguilera-hosted Las Vegas Airbnb stay, or to book at 5am AEDT / 4am AEST / 7am NZDT on Friday, February 23 for a stay across Thursday, February 29–Saturday, March 2, 2024, head to the Airbnb website. Images: Victor Leung. 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.
To mark the release of the 24th James Bond film and to celebrate its 18-year partnership with the iconic 007 franchise, Heineken is offering fans one last chance to live the glamorous life of a cinema spy and attend an exclusive party filled with glamour, prestige, special guests and VIP performances. You won’t know where. You won’t know when. You just have to be ready. It's the final escapade for Heineken's huge nationwide project The Catch, teaming up with the boutique experience cultivators Mr Aristotle. Throughout November and December, Heineken has been hosting exclusive SPECTRE 007 events that have been so mysterious participants haven't known what’s in store until they were suddenly whisked away — they've sent lucky folks on a helicopter pub tour, personal stylist sessions and a Rottnest Island adventure to name a few. Now there’s just one day left to enter The Catch, and seize your chance to attend a huge VIP SPECTRE party in a secret and exclusive location in Melbourne. So secret, in fact, that guests are simply being sent coordinates rather than its actual location. Should you win, you’ll find yourself walking the red carpet alongside 250 celebrity, VIP and media guests, before taking in a show by a mystery international headline act. The colossal Sydney party, which took over Darlinghurst's National Art School, saw a themed theatrical journey with aerial performers, dancers, blackjack tables and surprise performances by Michelle Martinez, Peking Duk, Heather Mailman, Solo Tohi and Jonny Sonic from the Potbelleez with Mumma Mugs on vocals — so odds are the Melbourne gig will be just as epic. To be in the running, you’ll need to sign up via The Catch website, but be quick, because the competition ends TODAY.
Cinema has a big problem — and for the first time in quite a while, it can't be summed up by the words "sequel", "reboot" or "Adam Sandler". For a long time now, convenience stores and cinema candy bars have been known for their bizarre Prohibition-era pricing of ordinary goods. Now they are being joined by a third champion of Weimar-esque inflation – the cinema ticket counter. According to Screen Australia, in 2005, the maximum price you'd pay to see a movie on the big screen was $15. In 2015, the last year for which there is recorded data, that price had exploded to $24.50. And while this hasn't reduced the number of Australians going to the flicks each year, the number of times people visit has been steadily declining since 2009. Melbourne couple Sonya Stephen and Shane Thatcher say that only around 16 per cent of available movie tickets are purchased in Australia each year. Their solution, a new app called Choovie, is an attempt to allow audiences to drive demand — and, by extension, the prices they pay at the door. "Every time we went to the cinema and there was only a few people in there, he [Thatcher] would start questioning how you could use technology to get more people to go to the cinema more often," says Stephen. "It became obvious that by using smartphone technology there could be a genuine win-win, people could see more movies and cinemas could make more money." Choovie is a push for cinemas to adopt a fluid ticket price based on the time of the screening and the popularity of the film. The app would then share this information with users and allow them to find the best deal. In other words, you'll probably still pay a mozza for the new Star Wars in mid-December and whatever the biggest flick is on Boxing Day, but when you're busting to see Tears of the Otter by that Danish guy at 11am on a Wednesday morning, Choovie will help you find a ticket that takes these things into account. Obviously, much of the app's success will rest on whether cinemas decide to play ball or not; however with Australian movie theatres currently selling less than a fifth of their available product, Stephen is confident that more bums on seats will also mean bigger profits for cinemas. "The onus is on us to prove that it works. If we can do that I can't see why everyone wouldn't come on board." Choovie goes live on 27th March in Victoria, NSW and the ACT, with staggered launches across the rest of Australia in the months following. For more information, visit their website.
If bustin' makes you feel good — ghostbustin', that is — then start singing the appropriate theme tune: the movie franchise about vanquishing spirits is returning again. Notching up the supernatural comedy series' fifth film, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has locked in a date with cinemas in March 2024, and now has a trailer teasing what's to come. Perhaps the most important details: Paul Rudd, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson are all back. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is the sequel to 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which means that not only is Rudd (Only Murders in the Building) returning as Gary Grooberson, but that Carrie Coon (The Gilded Age), McKenna Grace (Crater) and Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) are back as well. The latter trio play Callie, Phoebe and Trevor Spengler — yes, the daughter and grandchildren of the late Harold Ramis' Egon Spengler — who became initiated in the family business when they inherited his old farmhouse. As the just-dropped first sneak peek at Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire shows, this film is reversing the last flick's swap — so, rather than taking place in Oklahoma, it's back in New York. There, summer is proceeding as normal until an unseasonable chill kicks in. The reason for the plummeting temperatures isn't any old blast of cooler weather, either, which is where the Ghostbusters come in. Also in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire's cast: Kumail Nanjiani (Welcome to Chippendales), Patton Oswalt (What We Do in the Shadows), Celeste O'Connor (A Good Person) and Logan Kim (The Walking Dead: Dead City), alongside OGs Murray (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), Aykroyd (Zombie Town) and Hudson (Quantum Leap), as well as Annie Potts (Young Sheldon). The new film will arrive four decades after the first Ghostbusters initially hit screens, with Gil Kenan (A Boy Called Christmas) directing. Not only did 1989's Ghostbusters II follow before Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but also 2016's women-led, excellent and wrongly maligned Paul Feig-helmed Ghostbusters. After directing Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Jason Reitman (Tully, The Front Runner) — who is the son of Ivan Reitman, who helmed the first two movies — co-writes the script this time around. Check out the trailer for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire below: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will open in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
Let's call it the "Nicolas Cage plays" effect: when those three words combine, almost anything can follow and viewers will be obsessed. Dracula, himself, an expat Aussie surfer, a man that no one can stop dreaming about, Superman, a truffle hunter and a dad milking an alpaca are just some of the recent ways to end that sentence. In Longlegs, the pivotal phrase wraps up with the movie's title. It's the key name in the case that a just-out-of-the-academy FBI agent has been assigned. Nothing can prepare audiences for Cage's performance, however, even if you've seen him in everything from Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Vampire's Kiss to Wild at Heart and Face/Off, and then Mandy and Willy's Wonderland. Little can prepare you for this instant-classic and supremely unnerving addition to the horror canon, either. In making Longlegs, Maika Monroe and Osgood Perkins were well-equipped, though, thanks to a decade separately linked to the genre as an actor and a filmmaker, respectively. The former came to prominence with 2014's It Follows, a follow-up to which is on the way. The latter made his directorial debut with 2015's The Blackcoat's Daughter, then added 2016's I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House and 2020's Gretel & Hansel to his resume. Perkins is tied to horror by blood, too, as well as from his work on-screen, where he was stepping into a young Norman Bates' shoes at the age of nine. His father is Anthony Perkins, aka the elder Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, plus three sequels — one of which he helmed himself — in the 80s and 90s. Cage, Monroe, Perkins: that's a helluva pedigree for any movie. Longlegs doesn't squander it. Whether it's opening in 70s or unfurling its bulk with pitch-perfect 90s details, Perkins has whisked up a can't-look-away cinematic nightmare — one with a namesake that takes some thematic cues from Darth Vader in a way, he tells Concrete Playground. That's a connection that likely no one would make if he didn't join those dots himself. That said, it also speaks to the impact of a figure that lingers over an entire feature while deployed judiciously. The trailers for Longlegs are just as careful with their teasing, and Perkins was with Monroe as well: on-set, she saw Cage as Longlegs properly the first time that Agent Lee Harker, her character, does. Mentioning the best-known villainous force in a galaxy far, far away is also an aptly leftfield clue for a movie that does indeed play out like a puzzle, not just for Monroe's Harker and her boss Carter (Blair Underwood, Origin), but for everyone — and a feature that can never be accused of making obvious choices. Perkins has also described Longlegs as a "horror movie mixtape", and it fits a flick that's about unsolved murders, detectives chasing the culprit, the occult and Satanism, mysterious codes, unsettling dolls and creepy barns, each adding to the components waiting for audiences to piece together. The response so far in the US alone hasn't just been warm, but hypnotised and huge. Neon, the US distributor that's also brought Parasite, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Possessor, Titane, Spencer, Moonage Daydream, Triangle of Sadness, Infinity Pool, Anatomy of a Fall, Ferrari and Perfect Days to screens in America, broke its box-office record for a debut weekend when the movie opened there a week before Down Under. The only film that beat it in takings: the all-ages-friendly minion power of Despicable Me 4, so the exact opposite of this haunting thriller. Now it's Australia and New Zealand's turn to meet Longlegs — and we chatted with both Perkins and Monroe about it, including about where inspiration came from for Perkins for a character as immediately unforgettable as Longlegs, plus Monroe's career path to the movie. Also covered in our round-table discussion with the duo: the genesis of the film's story, Monroe's reaction when it initially came her way, building a presence like Longlegs with Cage and Perkins' route to the genre. On What Inspired the Character of Longlegs Osgood: "For me, it starts with Darth Vader, and everything goes forward from there. And when I say it starts with Darth Vader, it starts with the quality of 'ohh, the villain is really the star of their own story, the star of their own situation. They're doing the best that they can with what they've been dealt'. And so with someone like Cobble, with Longlegs, the idea is not how do you make him sinister, but what about him isn't sinister? The sinister parts and the sort of evil parts and the kind of villainous parts is de rigueur. That's got to just be part of it. That's mandatory. Where you pull and stretch the rubber band is like, well, where is he pathetic? Obviously he's powerful, but where is he weak? Obviously he's invested — well, where is he unsure? So when you start to create these binary positions, much more can exist between those poles. If you have a villain who's like this all the time, and that's not — you don't see a lot of that anymore, but everybody has their pluses and their minuses. And I guess even a serial killer is ultimately still a person who shit's happened to, not good. And when you pluck them out of their habitat, they're probably pretty pathetic." On What Came to Mind First When Perkins Was Conjuring Up the Film's Story Osgood: "It's what I think would be fun about something like this. And usually that comes in through music, and imagery evolves as you work with other people. The first thing that happens is the dialogue and the way the movie sounds and what people are talking about, and what words they're choosing to use. I'm a big words guy. I don't believe in thinking about writing. I only believe in actually writing. Those are very different entities for me. So it starts with the words, and it starts with words that I like, and it starts with the title like Longlegs that I like. And then it starts with the way that he talks and the things he chooses to say, and it grows out of that." On Monroe's Initial Reaction to the Movie When the Script Came Her Way Maika: "I read a whole lot of scripts, and it is few and far between that you read something that just grabs you immediately. The writing was so good. It was so vivid. And, probably similar to audience members watching the movie for the first time, I really thought that I had a grip on where it was going and understanding, and I was like 'okay, awesome, a nostalgic crime-thriller'. And then a little past halfway through, all of a sudden it turned into a whole other beast, and it just felt so unique and fresh." On How Much of Longlegs, the Figure, Was on the Page — and How Much Came Together During the Shoot Osgood: "We worked together on it, and of course there's the contribution of hair, makeup, special effects makeup, wardrobe, production design. Everybody's gratifyingly pulling towards the same goal, which is to make something cool, something that has a music to it, something that has a pulse or that vibes stronger than anything else around it. That's the whole trip that we're on. And with Nic, with the character of Longlegs, most of it is on the page when he gets it. The way he looks is written. And then we've got to figure out a way to make that look right. So it becomes about literally taking one piece at a time. Like the chin, it's too much, it looks like Dick Tracy, so take it down by half. I don't need these scary things around the eyes because that makes it look a little too like Halloween costumes, so let's take that down. Let's look at this — the hair should be poufy. We're talking about glam rock, so let's exaggerate that a little bit. It just becomes about taking all the little pieces and sewing them together. And luckily for me, I have a collaborator in one of the great all-time movie presences who's really as focused and deliberate and deep as you want them to be." On Monroe's First Proper Meeting with Longlegs Maika: "It definitely felt intense, and pretty much we would do a take and I would just step out of the room — and I would go in if there were notes or something, but I just think it was nice for us to keep our space. Then after we finished filming that day, it was actually his [Cage's] last day. We were sitting across from each other and they were taking some still photos, and we just started chatting. It was the first time I heard his actual voice, and he was just saying to me 'I'm just such a fan. I love all your movies'. And I was just like sitting there like 'is this really happening?'. It was crazy. It was very surreal." [caption id="attachment_924171" align="alignnone" width="1920"] It Follows[/caption] On What Monroe Makes of Her Career So Far After 15 Years On-Screen and a Decade on From It Follows Maika: "There's just so many ups and downs, and there's no rhyme or reason to this industry. You book this big movie and you're like 'this is it. This is going to be it'. And it isn't. And then you do this tiny film, and all of a sudden it turns into to something that was never expected. I think at the end of the day, I am just so insanely grateful. I have to step outside and sort of look at where I'm at. And if I were to talk to my 13-year-old self, I would have never believed this, that I'd be sitting here right now and just the people I've been able to work with — it's just surreal and just very lucky. On Perkins' Path to Directing Horror Movies Osgood: "I think like any kid who grows up and sees their dad doing the thing, there's either the raging impulse to do the same thing and to try to find out, do a little bit of a detective search on your dad by trying to go in their footsteps of — and I think for me, it was certainly part of that. The horror genre to me is just the most delightful. It's the most delicious. It's the most profane and absurd, romantic, poetic, endless, concealed genre of all of them. It really contains everything. It contains love. It contains comedy. It contains adventure and science fiction, and it's all sort of embedded in there. So I don't necessarily think of myself as a horror director, because I don't know that I think of myself as a horror fan. I can't remember the last horror movie I paid for to see in the theatre. I don't really care about it, it's not really interesting to me. To me, I'm more looking to do something expansive, and the horror genre allows for all realms of thought and expression. And there's so many little signifiers that you can connect to, like serial killer or procedural crime, or it's an axe murderer or whatever it is — you can go in and people have an idea about it, and an emotion attached to it. And then you can create your own thing based on the model." Longlegs opened in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on Thursday, July 18, 2024. Read our review.
The year 2015 has come and gone, and the kind of microwave-rehydrating instant pizzas featured in Back to the Future Part II haven't yet come to fruition. Neither has a holographic 19th Jaws film. However, something just as great is on its way to becoming a reality thanks to a Danish brewery — and it'd go mighty well with Marty McFly Jr's favourite food. Copenhagen-based outfit To Øl has invented something many a yeasty beverage fan has dreamed of: instant craft beer. It comes in powdered form, ready to be mixed with some of the original alcohol and sparkling water. Add the three together, and voila, you've got some fresh booze ready for drinking. Basically, the gypsy brewers — aka two beer-loving pals who don't have their own facilities, but work out of others with spare capacity — figured out how to freeze-dry their tipples, and also how to then transform it back into the drinkable form (thanks, science!). According to Tobias Emil Jensen & Tore Gynther's post on online food culture platform Aorta, they were motivated by "wanting to provide quality beers in situations which normally doesn't encourages it due to the natural physics of beer," such as climbing a mountain or transporting beverages by plane. Four of their brews have undergone the freeze-drying treatment so far: "a heavy deep beer brewed with coffee, a fruity IPA brewed with different tropical fruits, a Wild Yeast hop forward IPAs and a fairly dry pilsner". No word yet as if or when To Øl will ever release their new concoctions to the public, so we'll all just dream of these futuristic bevs until more news come to hand.
Sorry Sydney. Melbourne is getting the country's first-ever 67 Pall Mall outpost, due to launch some time in mid-2025. This incredibly luxe, global private members club is set up exclusively for wine lovers who want to sample the very best drops out there. It's not for those of us hunting down $15 bottles of ok wine at the local bottle shop; it's for top-tier wine drinkers who are willing to spend big. The joining fee is $3500 per person (being waived for a limited time!) and the current discounted yearly fee for members who sign up early is $2300 on top of that. If this is beyond your spending limits, perhaps shoot this article over to your rich sister or that well-to-do mate who always shouts the good drinks — because they might be able to bring you in as a guest. [caption id="attachment_942250" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 67 Pall Mall Singapore[/caption] So what's the deal with 67 Pall Mall? Memberships for 67 Pall Mall are highly sought after around the world. The group has sites in Singapore, London, Switzerland, France and Hong Kong. The venues are known for being some of the most incredibly designed spaces, filled with the world's greatest wines that are served and chosen by accredited master sommeliers. A huge selling point for wine connoisseurs is the fact that 67 Pall Mall offers an unmatched selection of wines by-the-glass to members — 1000 to be exact — and sells them with very minimal markup. Most of these drops are never offered by the glass so it presents a rare opportunity. What's in store for Australia's first club? The first Australian site is touted for Melbourne's Spring Street. Spread across the top three floors of the 16-story building, the private members club will let folks sip on fine wines while taking in views across the Treasury Gardens, MCG and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Floor 14 will boast a wine bar and all-day dining room with impressive 270-degree views of the surrounding area. One level up, members will get access to private rooms and semi-formal dining experiences. And the top floor will feature an extensive champagne menu, a raw bar, open air balconies, and a secluded whisky bar. This is top-end luxury stuff that's hard to come by in Australia. 67 Pall Mall's CEO Grant Ashton says, "Melbourne was chosen above all other cities as our first outpost in Australia due to its close connection to independent and outstanding wine producers, allowing us to engage with a passionate wine culture and a knowledgeable collector community." Peter Gago, chief winemaker of Penfolds, whose wines are poured in 67 Pall Mall Clubs across the globe, also commented: "From London to Singapore, 67 Pall Mall has evolved into the world's premier wine Members' Club. Now, expanding to a prime site overlooking the MCG in Melbourne, it's truly remarkable. "Melbourne, a strategic gastronomic hub, with Yarra Valley vineyards and Mornington Peninsula nearby, will soon boast 67 Pall Mall as a wine mecca. It'll attract wine enthusiasts and curious minds alike, continuing the Club's tradition." 67 Pall Mall is set to open in mid-2025 at 85 Spring Street and is currently taking applications for new members (at heavily discounted prices). For more information, head to the club's website here.
2013 is drawing to a close, and it’s safe to say that it’s been a pretty big year. We’ve had three prime ministers, a royal baby was born, there was a huge doping scandal in national sport, and of course, Miley Cyrus. So who better to reflect on the year that was than some of Australia’s finest writers, comedians, and musical talents? Casey Bennetto will be at the helm of this one night only cabaret performance. His sophisticated wit will be setting the tone for the evening, with guests jumping in with a song, a story, or some slam poetry about what 2013 has meant for them. Guests include Trevor Ashley, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Tony Birch, Alan Brough, Catherine Deveny, Hannah Gadsby, Sammy J, Lally Katz, George Megalogenis, Tripod, Maude Davey, Chloe Hooper and Henry Wagons.
Reckon your pup gets a bit lonely sometimes? Well, now you can find him a bunch of new mates with just a few swipes of your phone. It's all thanks to a clever new smartphone app, which helps dog owners to connect their pooches with other local doggos and dog communities. Created by Queensland University of Technology business student Josh Fritz — who came up with the app when he moved to Brisbane, adopted a cavoodle called Quincy and wanted to find him some buddies — PatchPets works a little bit like Tinder. Users create a personalised profile for their pup, and then use the app to find and network with other fur parents in their area, based on location. You can scroll through photos of local hounds, check out their details and get in touch with their owners to set up doggy play dates. To keep you informed about your pooch's possible new pal, profiles feature information about which vaccinations each dog has had, whether it's been desexed and what their all-important Instagram handle is. Got a particularly picky pupper? You can even filter the results by dog breed and size. PatchPets also comes loaded with plenty of other nifty features, including a directory that lists pet-friendly businesses nearby, plus real-time dog park maps — allowing you to see when four-legged friends are hanging out at your local park. No more rocking up to the park for a play sesh, only to find there's no one else there. And, you can use the app's message function to join group chats with your dog's new mates. Having launched in May, PatchPets has already clocked up over 5000 users — which means your doggo will be totally spoilt for choice in the friends department. PatchPets is now available to download for free, for both iOS and Android, from the iTunes App Store and Google Play. Images: QUT Media
POOF DOOF, GiRLTHING, Thursgay and CLOSET are all coming together for the ultimate Midsumma blowout at St Kilda's iconic Luna Park. From 3pm until late, Yass Pride! will see an all-star lineup of DJs, dancers and drag performers working their magic across multiple stages beneath the rickety Scenic Railway. Oh, and if that weren't enough, once 8pm rolls around, ticketholders will be given unlimited ride access. If your inner child isn't screaming with glee right now, then we just don't know what to say. First release tickets have already sold out, so snap up second release tickets while you still can.
One Drink Jack Nicholson wears sunglasses. Harrison Ford wears an earring. Ellen thanks Seth MacFarlane for setting the bar so low. Winner thanks God or Jesus. Winner pays tribute to the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Winner commends losing nominees. Winner’s speech is played off by the orchestra. George Clooney says something earnest and/or pulls a “hilarious prank”. Leonardo DiCaprio smiles with an “Another year, another supermodel” look. George or Leo brings his mother as his date (five drinks if they bring each other’s mothers). Matthew McConaughy makes an incomprehensible speech and/or beats his chest in rhythm. Presenter refers to “The McConaissance” Jennifer Lawrence does something adorably “real” (three drinks if it’s a fashion mishap). Michael B. Jordan offers to star in the sequel to Space Jam. Channing Tatum refutes the suggestion that 22 Jump St will be the last in the series because he can’t count any higher. Jennifer Garner reminds us she's married to Ben Affleck who has TWO Oscars. Kevin Spacey refers to that corrupt, pernicious, money-hungry institution ... HOLLYWOOD. Not CONGRESS. HOLLYWOOD! Two Drinks Jack Nicholson wears sunglasses and a hat. Harrison Ford wears an earring and an Indiana Jones hat. Ellen jokes that the show will be longer than the Sochi Games and almost as long as Wolf of Wall Street. Winner thanks Buddha or Ganesh. Winner pays tribute to the late, great James Gandolfini. Winner describes his/her film as “important” Winner describes his/her film’s director as “a genius”. Special effects winner has a ponytail. Brad Pitt says something insightful/poignant, or Angeline Joie says something lighhearted. Jessica Biel says that marrying Justin Timberlake was irrelevant to getting a presenter’s gig. Liam Neeson looks genuinely surprised he wasn’t nominated for anything. Goldie Hawn tells Kate Hudson that she should give Matthew McConaughy a call now that he’s all respectable and accomplished. Anne Hathaway makes a rambling joke about rambling in her acceptance speech last year (three drinks if she also sings). Joaquin Phoenix brings a “Galaxy S5 – new from Samsung!” as his date. Amy Adams says it was awkward to be upstaged by her own cleavage in American Hustle. Kerry Washington mentions the potential for “scandal”. Emma Watson refers to the “magic of filmmaking”. Bendict Cumberbatch, referencing Smaug, is disappointed to be surrounded by golden statues he can’t keep himself. Three Drinks Jack Nicholson wears sunglasses and an Indiana Jones hat. Harrison Ford wears an earring, sunglasses, and an Indiana Jones hat. Ellen conducts a divorce of some of the couples who were married at Grammys but have found marriage to be “overrated”. Winner thanks Allah or Mohammed. Winner pays tribute to the late, great Paul Walker. Losing nominee mouths “fuck” when the winner is announced. Non-human presents an award. Congratulatory kiss or embrace from presenter “gets awkward”. Keanu Reeves throws a tantrum because they are re-making Point Break. Chris Hemsworth says he’s shocked that Liam and Miley’s engagement didn’t work out. Jonah Hill is reminded that he’s a two-time Oscar nominee and chuckles, “Who’s ‘super bad’ now, Michael Cera?” Naomi Watts congratulates Robin Wright on her engagement (five drinks if she also notes that Ben Foster is not quite young enough to be either of their sons). Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong’o win and make out on stage. The Lone Ranger wins for Best Visual Effects and everyone is just confused. Daniel Day-Lewis says he’d give his left foot to have Phillip Seymour Hoffman back. Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd dress as Ghostbusters to farewell Harold Ramis (five drinks if Ernie Hudson also gets on stage). Jospeh Godon-Levitt or Tyler Perry makes a reference to marriage equality, Jason Collins, Michael Sam, or the Arizona veto. Five Drinks Ellen announces that presenters do not have to hand over awards to any winner who is ... from Arizona. Gravity wins an award and Neil DeGrasse Tyson rushes the stage to protest. John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson take Christoph Waltz hostage, demanding that Quentin Tarantino make them relevant again. “Jackass” and “the Oscar goes to...” are used in the same sentence. Chiwetel Ejiofor or Michael Fassbender notes that it’s a bit weird that the two main actors in a movie about American slavery are English and German.
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations — giving you a little inspiration for your next escape. In this instalment, we go to The Henry Jones Art Hotel in Hobart, Tasmania, where you'll encounter hundreds of artworks adorning the walls, views of the harbour and boutique interiors with exposed timber beams and walls of hand-cut stone that nod to the building's former life as a waterfront jam factory. Stay here as part of one of our curated itineraries on Concrete Playground Trips that includes a four-nights stay with daily breakfast included, scenic flights for two over Wineglass Bay, and Posh Pit tickets to MONA. Book it now. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? Located in the Hunter Street precinct, this building is one of the oldest waterfront warehouses in Hobart named for the one-time building owner who started working in the former jam factory as a 12-year-old kid, working his way up the ranks until he eventually took over the business and ultimately made the jam trade his bitch. While art hotels are no longer new-news, the Henry Jones does has the claim to fame as Australia's first dedicated art hotel and the extensive collection of works and ongoing artist in residence program upholds its place as a leader within the onslaught of art-devoted stays that has followed. There are some 400 artworks throughout the property with a strong representation of emerging Tasmanian artists. Stroll the hallways, guest rooms, drinking and dinings options and public spaces, including The Packing Room Gallery, which hosts a roster of themed exhibitions. THE ROOMS At the Henry Jones Art Hotel no two rooms are the same. Organic materials, tones and polished timber meets rich accents of primary colours and thoughtfully curated decor in each of the hotel's lodgings. In many rooms, large harbour-facing windows let in natural light to show off sleek contemporary design elements amid the building's original features. Like much of Hobart, it's a collision of old and new influences. As for the details: luxurious bedding, original artworks and beautifully-appointed modern bathrooms complete with ample fluffy white towels. There's also the requisite free wifi and in-room coffee machine, and in some rooms you'll find an ultra-deep Kohler bath tub for soaking between strolls and sampling the sensational local dining scene. FOOD AND DRINK Speaking of dining, the in-house offering is a step above your usual hotel lobby bar. There's the IXL Long Bar, for innovative cocktails and snacks. At the front of the hotel is the Landscape Restaurant and Grill with a menu by Head Chef Nathaniel Embrey designed around the Asado grill and inspired by the region's exceptional local produce and artworks of legendary landscape artist John Glover that surrounds diners. Then there's the hero of the lineup: Peacock & Jones. Culinary Curator Ben Milbourne (chef and former Masterchef Australia contestant) and Head Chef Julian Volkmer (MONA) have crafted a menu that celebrates the very best of seasonal Tasmanian produce from sea urchin to truffles. And, of course, the drinks program showcases a carefully considered selection of Tasmanian wines, whiskies and spirits. [caption id="attachment_869996" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maria Island[/caption] THE LOCAL AREA It's no secret that we are serious devotees to all that Tasmania's got on offer. Here's a quick guide to some of our Hobart favourites, and a more comprehensive exploration of all the flavours of Tassie can be found here. Head to The Henry Jones Art Hotel website to book a stay or, if you'd rather we sort your itinerary for you, book our curated Bucket-List Hobart Getaway here.
One of the most poorly kept secrets of the year has finally been confirmed: The Cure, patron saints of bedroom dancing and boys in eyeliner, are officially coming to Sydney as part of the Vivid Live lineup. The legendary new-wave '80s band will be playing two shows, entitled 'Reflections,' at the Sydney Opera House on May 31 and June 1. The shows will see the band play three of their most influential albums in their entirety: Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds and Faith. Get out your black trench coats and tease up your hair, The Cure are a-coming. Around for more than thirty years, The Cure have had over a dozen line-ups, but it's their earlier albums which have become their most definitive, with their dark and melancholy melodies treasured by generations of goths and boys who don't, but might, cry. In an almost-original lineup, front man Robert Smith will be accompanied by Simon Gallup and Jason Cooper for the performance of Three Imaginary Boys, while the original drummer Lol Tollhurst will come on stage for the performance of Seventeen Seconds and Faith. Rumours that the band were due to appear at Vivid began last week, but it was only when Stephen Pavlovic, 2011's festival curator, rocked up to FBi Radio and played a Cure track, and then proceeded to neither confirm nor deny the possible appearance of The Cure, that the rumours entered into the realm of the bleeding obvious. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xik-y0xlpZ0
Chapel Street got a taste of old-world European romance when Matteo Bruno (Hana, The Meatball & Wine Bar) opened the doors to his latest project in May. Named after Bruno's 93-year-old nonna, Ines Wine Bar is one of the most charming watering holes around, Euro-style street seating and all. Inside, the team at Techne Architecture have pulled together a warm, laidback mix of walnut, Italian marble and aged brass accents, to match a soundtrack of classic tunes from the likes of Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles. In short: it's a space designed for unwinding. Having most recently honed his smarts at Ides and intimate Japanese spot Kappo, sommelier Raffaele Mastrovincenzo has designed a wine list of around 80 Italian, French and local varieties, with a Coravin system allowing for more interesting by-the-glass sessions. That said, Ines' cocktail game is equally strong, with Italian mixology whizz Stefano Cinelli showing off his knack for the classics — you're just as likely to find yourself dropping in for a sazerac or old-fashioned. Plus, buy a bottle of your favourite spirit and they'll even keep it safe behind the bar for your subsequent visits. Meanwhile, in the culinary corner, it's Euro accents all the way. Think a daily-changing selection of crostini, cheese and charcuterie boards, freshly shucked oysters and the croque signore, riffing on a French classic with the addition of aged prosciutto.
When an Australian series becomes the Foxtel Group's most-watched original scripted show of all time, it's bound to keep bounding back for more seasons. That program is Colin From Accounts — and after 2022's gem of a first season saw it renewed for a second, the latter has sparked a third as well. Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall will be back on-screen, and also writing and executive producing, as the Aussie rom-com follows what comes next for their characters Ashley and Gordon. "We're very excited to bring you season three of our show. To be honest, with the way we ended season two it would have been weird not to make a third, so here we are. We promise we won't leave you hanging like that again. Probably," said Dyer and Brammall, confirming Colin From Accounts' third run. "We couldn't pass up the opportunity for fans to see what's next for Ash and Gordon (and Colin!). Colin From Accounts has delighted fans the world over and we're proud to commission a third season of this hilarious, chaotic and relatable series that has stolen our hearts," added Foxtel Group's Head of Scripted Lana Greenhalgh. When the series began, Dyer's (American Auto) Ashley and Brammall's (Evil) Gordon first crossed paths thanks to a flashed nipple and an injured dog, then an agreement to co-parent the pooch as it recovered. As a relationship blossomed beyond more than just taking care of the titular canine, little has gone smoothly — with the adorable Colin, and also with the pair's romance. As well as proving an Australian hit — complete with AACTAs and Logies to prove it — for real-life couple and No Activity stars Dyer and Brammall, the show has earned fans overseas, with Foxtel Group licensing it to 150 territories globally. There's no word yet as to exactly when Colin From Accounts will return, what the narrative will follow, and who among the rest of the cast and past guest stars will be back, but renewing the series comes at a crucial time for Binge. With Max launching in Australia at the end of March 2025, the latter has lost its initial big selling point: HBO's content. Here's hoping that more homegrown shows like this charming hit will get the green light to help fill the gap. There's no trailer for season three of Colin From Accounts yet, but check out the trailers for seasons one and two below: Colin From Accounts streams via Binge — we'll update you with a release date for season three when one is announced. Read our review of season one and our review of season two, plus our interview with Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall. Images: Lisa Tomasetti / Tony Mott / Brook Rushton.
When Sunset Song opens, Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn) reclines in a field of wheat, her golden locks matching the crops around her. The young Scottish woman both stands out and blends in — and as her gentle narration tells of her heart beating in this land, it's clear that no other option is possible. Just as the ground around her will be plucked bare during the harvest and then grow another bounty, repeating the same cycle over and over again, so will her tale continue to wither and blossom. Chris is the daughter of a farmer, and as resilient as the rural patch of earth she can't tear herself away from. It's that concept of strength and endurance that sits at the heart of Terence Davies' latest feature, which the writer-director adapts from the 1932 Scottish novel of the same name. Time passes, as the filmmaker stresses in the changing colours of his nature-filled visuals, in circular shots that sweep around the property, and in elegant transitions between pivotal moments. And still, as both tragedy and happiness flavour Chris' days, she remains. Set in the early 1900s, the particulars of the plot test that notion, starting with Chris' cruel father (Peter Mullan). When he's not imposing his might upon Chris' brother (Jack Greenlees), he's forcing himself upon her mother (Daniela Nardini) and creating more mouths to feed as a result. After a series of tragedies, it's his shadow Chris tries to escape – not by giving up her home, but by bringing it back to prosperity. Then she starts to notice local lad Ewan (Kevin Guthrie). But just like everything around them in a time characterised by poverty and blighted by the Great War, their romance will change with the seasons. With the quiet, devastating The Deep Blue Sea the last listing on Davies' resume, the British filmmaker is no stranger to simmering stories that whisper their emotions. In fact, his 40-year career is full of them. Sunset Song doesn't shy away from its condemnation of the ways in which men shape Chris' existence, nor from celebrations of her determination to fight to make her own choices. Nevertheless, his approach remains as subtle and low-key as ever. Indeed, it's his masterly way of drawing strength from episodic events and understated sentiments that makes the sensitively crafted film seethe with such potency. The patient pace and painterly images mark the feature as one of Davies' best, but it's his perceptive casting choices that likewise prove pivotal. Better known as a model, Deyn brings a composed but never passive or impenetrable air to her protagonist that couldn't encapsulate the underlying narrative better. Guthrie's previous screen credits may be similarly sparse, but there's a sense of rawness simmering within his character's struggle to choose strength over weakness. Never dwarfed by Mullan's intensity, together their performances capture just the balance of harshness and beauty that this moving tale demands.
This weekend the world was brought to a standstill by a horrific attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Fifty people were tragically killed and another 53 injured in the shooting. Vigils have sprung up the world over, with everywhere from New York to Paris to Tel Aviv paying their respects to the victims and the LGBTQI community. Last night, Australia held its own countrywide tribute. Vigils were held in Sydney's inner-west suburb of Newtown and the rainbow corner of Gertrude and Smith Streets in Melbourne, and landmarks were lit up in all our capital cities. Below, we've collected some of the best photos of Australian landmarks lit up in support of the victims and LGBTQI pride. SYDNEY We offer our condolences to those affected by the Orlando attack. The Sydney Harbour Bridge now has rainbow colours. pic.twitter.com/rNOpLIClq5 — Sydney Water (@SydneyWaterNews) June 13, 2016 We grieve and stand with you #Orlando pic.twitter.com/7jXxdekv0T — Mike Baird (@mikebairdMP) June 13, 2016 Here's our pink Sydney Town Hall as it gets darker #Orlando pic.twitter.com/7kKOueTQ0E — Clover Moore (@CloverMoore) June 13, 2016 MELBOURNE As a mark of respect for those touched by the attack in Orlando. Town Hall is lit in the rainbow #LoveIsLove. pic.twitter.com/awcHsgdFVr — City of Melbourne (@cityofmelbourne) June 13, 2016 In honour of the #Orlando victims & LGBTI people everywhere, our Spire will be lit in rainbow colours tonight. pic.twitter.com/y7cV2EIaah — Arts Centre Melb (@artscentremelb) June 13, 2016 BRISBANE Bloody sensational work Brissy, what a joint. Wonderful people and wonderful sentiment. #LoveWinspic.twitter.com/IN43f4gEXb — Dan Anstey (@Dan_Anstey) June 13, 2016 ADELAIDE A photo posted by Cetina Illies ♏️ GypsyAtHeart (@missci17) on Jun 13, 2016 at 6:58am PDT Top image: Sydney Water News via Twitter.
No one expects to find good things floating ashore from the East River. Separating mainland Manhattan from New York's outer boroughs, the river is best known for its freezing temperature, its poor hygiene, and its propensity for housing dead bodies. At best, you might find some old fast food refuse; at worst, you become embroiled in a murder trial with the mob. That was until this week when a mysterious grand piano emerged from the water. After being spotted on the Manhattan side of the river, under the Brooklyn Bridge, the piano became an instant hit on social media. New Yorkers showed no hesitation to wade on into the water and give it a spin, and it's basically become a rotating shoot site for Instagram users across the city. Unfortunately (yet understandably) the piano no longer works as it's completely waterlogged. But to focus on that would be to miss the point. If a beautiful grand piano floating mysteriously in the world's nastiest river isn't contemporary art, I quite frankly don't know what is. No details have emerged yet on the piano's origin, and in the absence of anything else we've come up with what we see as the most logical explanation. After a swift fall in album sales and overall relevancy sometime in the last decade, Vanessa Carlton threw her prized piano off the Brooklyn Bridge in a fit of super-human rage and strength. We welcome other theories, but really this is the only thing that fits. Perhaps it's a marketing stunt for her return tour. If that's the case, can we push it back into the tide and forget this whole thing ever happened? Via Gothamist. Lead photo credit: Lauren Yap. Instagram credits: chisophoto and laurenyap.
There's a fair amount of turmoil in the Australian craft beer scene at the moment, with a host of takeovers, shutdowns and reopenings regularly making news. In late March, Deeds Brewing announced it was shutting its Glen Iris taproom after the business entered voluntary administration in mid-2024. However, the good news is that Stomping Ground Co-Founder Steve Jeffares has snapped up the impressive space for a new venture. It's early days, but Jeffares plans to extend the yet-to-be-named venue with an all-weather beer garden, and aims to champion many of the best indie breweries, beverage producers and food suppliers from Melbourne and across Victoria. "I have loved promoting indie beer and beer-related experiences for more than 20 years and, while the industry has evolved and been challenged of late, I'm convinced there are still exciting opportunities," explains Jeffares. "I've been a big fan of what Pat, Dave and the Deeds team achieved, so I'm looking forward to building on the site's reputation as a beacon for independent beer in Melbourne's inner southeast." Jeffares has plenty of pedigree in the area beyond his work with Stomping Ground, where he remains a significant shareholder. He's also the Co-Founder of St Kilda's The Local Taphouse, which he opened 18 years ago and continues to operate. Meanwhile, he's also the Co-Founder of GABS Festival, aka The Great Australasian Beer Spectapular, and the GABS Hottest 100 – an annual people's choice award featuring 400 or so of the country's best craft breweries. After recently stepping away from being actively involved in Stomping Ground, Jeffares expects to have more news in the near future, as he figures out the details required to bring his newest venture to life. For now, he's adopted Paran Place Project as a working title, with ambitions to relaunch in the second half of 2025. "The plan is to build a hospo A-team to help run the venue day-to-day. I then hope to create, collaborate and consult on other fun and creative projects, both in the indie beer and hospo industries, but also in other areas I'm interested in, like events." The Paran Place Project is located at 4 Paran Place, Glen Iris. Head to the website or check back here for updates as they're released. Deeds Brewing images: Architizer.
What will open with a Melbourne-set drama that won an Audience Award at Sundance for telling a Tehran-born, Australian-raised writer/director's autobiographical tale? What'll then pay tribute to Australian record executive and promoter Michael Gudinski in its centrepiece slot? And, what will feature everyone from Hugo Weaving to Michael Cera, a satire about a smartphone, and documentaries about vinyl cover art and the Australian Open, too? That'd be the 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival, with MIFF adding 20 more movies to its 2023 lineup. Cinephiles, get excited. MIFF announced opening night's Shayda as well as the world premiere of Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story back in May, but its program was only getting started. Given that the Victorian capital's annual cinema showcase spans almost a month including both its in-person and online runs — this year playing in cinemas in Melbourne from Thursday, August 3–Sunday, August 20; at regional Victorian locations from Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 13 and Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20; and also bringing back online platform MIFF Play from Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 27 — the number of flicks on its yearly bill runs into the hundreds. So, even the just-revealed new 20 movies on its list is still only the beginning. Weaving (Love Me) will pop up in The Rooster, a thriller about a hermit and a cop who form a bond during a crisis, starring opposite Phoenix Raei (The Night Agent). Shot in regional Victoria, it's the feature directing debut of actor-turned-writer/director Mark Leonard Winter (Elvis), and it's also one of the MIFF Premiere Fund titles on the festival's 2023 program — aka homegrown movies that the fest has financially supported. Also in that camp this year: the aforementioned Shayda; The Slam, a standout for tennis aficionados from director Ili Baré (The Leadership); cine-poem Memory Film: A Filmmaker's Diary; and This Is Going to Be Big, about Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School in Bullengarook staging a John Farnham-themed musical. After appearing in Barbie in July, Cera will grace MIFF's screens in August in The Adults. Yes, he'll be awkward — of course he will be — this time as a thirtysomething heading home. That film sits within the festival's international contingent, which is overflowing with impressive names and titles. Indeed, MIFF will also screen the latest feature by acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who won a Venice Special Jury Prize for No Bears. The Iranian great directs and stars, playing a fictionalised version of himself as he's fond of doing (see also: Tehran Taxi), and blending truth and fiction to examine how artists can too easily become scapegoats. After wowing audiences in Park City earlier this year, there's also Celine Song's debut feature Past Lives, telling a bittersweet romance about two childhood friends (Russian Doll's Greta Lee and Decision to Leave's Teo Yoo) who briefly reunite after decades apart. And, the lineup also includes Bad Behaviour, the feature directorial debut of actor-turned-filmmaker Alice Englert (You Won't Be Alone) starring Jennifer Connelly (Top Gun: Maverick); BlackBerry, which delves into the smartphone's rise and fall — and satirises it — with Jay Baruchel (FUBAR) and Glenn Howerton (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) among the cast; Passages, from Love Is Strange's Ira Sachs; environmentalist tale How to Blow Up a Pipeline; and the competitive hairdressing-focused Medusa Deluxe. Plus, fans of settling in for the long haul can also see four-and-a-half hour disappearance mind-bender Trenque Lauquen. MIFF will screen The Kingdom Exodus, Lars von Trier's latest followup to 1994's miniseries The Kingdom and its 1997 second season, too. Béla Tarr's 2000 drama Werckmeister Harmonies, a slow-cinema great, will also play the fest thanks to a new 4K restoration. Lovers of movies about music can add Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), which hails from Control's Anton Corbijn and hones in on the titular photo-design company and its contribution to record cover art, to their MIFF schedule. Louder Than You Think is similarly part of the same program strand, with Gary Young from Pavement at its centre. Throw in documentaries The Disappearance of Shere Hite (about the 70s sexologist), The Echo (about rural Mexican life) and A Storm Foretold (about Roger Stone, adviser to Donald Trump), and MIFF 2023 is already off to a massive start for its 71st edition. As for what else is in store — including which movies will compete in the festival's Bright Horizons Competition, which launched in 2022 — that'll be unveiled on Tuesday, July 11. For now, MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar is teasing "essential, incredible, unexpected cinema from the whole world before us, far beyond the streamers, far beyond the multiplex – hotly anticipated works by iconic filmmakers, alongside new and breakthrough voices waiting to be discovered". [caption id="attachment_904296" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zan Wimberley[/caption] The 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 3–Sunday, August 20 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 13 and Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide with MIFF Play from Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 27. For further details, including the full program from Tuesday, July 11, visit the MIFF website.
Generally when you order a burger, it doesn't come flying to you at 100km an hour. The thought of that doesn't actually sound very fun or delicious; it sounds a lot like copping a pickle to the eyeball. But at Christchurch's C1 Espresso, high-speed sliders are a reality that doesn't hurt or impede your vision, thanks to an impressive overhead air suction system that delivers your chow straight from the kitchen to your table via pneumatic tube. It's the future, as owner Sam Crofskey puts it. And there is something very Fifth Element about food travelling through clear plastic tubes to get to your mouth, but this system is actually more in tune with the past than the future. Originally operating as a bank — and taken over by C1 after their previous site was destroyed in the February 2011 earthquake — the High Street building was already fitted with old-school pneumatic tubes. After using the vacuum-like system to transport handwritten orders to the kitchen, the next step, naturally, was to stick food up there and see what happened. With the existing tubes not quite big enough for edibles, new, slider-sized ones had to be fitted. They run from the kitchen and along the ceiling before dropping down to arrive at tables that sit up against the walls (and there's even talk of expanding delivery to outside tables through underground tubes). This means the cafe is always whirring, moving and buzzing; people's eyes flicker as they see a cylinder fly past up above and then grin in delight when said cylinder arrives at their table, holding three sliders and piping hot curly fries. "We just thought it was very Willy Wonka or something, and we had to do it," says Crofskey. "It was really important that when people talked about us after the earthquake, that they connected with us in the same kind of way as before ... We had to make sure that people would make the effort to come back." And with most of the city shut down — particularly when they initially reopened in November 2012 — C1 didn't just need a novelty; they needed to do something unique that fit in with their already-established brand and the community. Pioneering the second wave coffee movement since their beginnings in 1996 (back when no one knew what a barista was, according to Crofskey), C1 has always been known for great coffee and breakfast and details like their customised sugar packets that look like crayons and the sparkling water on tap from an old sewing machine. The pneumatic burgers and the decision to open for dinner are another extension of the C1 culture, and a good reflection of Crofskey's approach to hospitality. "We had a chance to reinvent ourselves and, when we reopened, we were deciding who we wanted to be," says Sam. "We didn't want to deviate from our brand — it's still warm and inviting, and a place for the community to come together." But offering breakfast, lunch and dinner isn't the only thing on Crofskey's agenda. Along with the cafe, he also works with a Samoan community to create a sustainable coffee industry in partnership with Women in Business, he bottles and sells OK! fruit nectars that also originate from the region, and he produces his own honey from the building's rooftop beehive and garden. And, with the cafe sharing real estate with a video store, art house cinema and, temporarily, the Christchurch Art Gallery, the space is so much more than somewhere to eat. "We had this idea that we wanted to have this space that people could get lost in for a while, so you can go here and go to the movies, come out and go to the art gallery," says Crofskey. And with plans to turn the upper levels into a boutique hotel, C1 will be like an island for the people of Christchurch. One where the room service is delivered at 100km an hour, of course.
Gone are the days when film buffs got their fix in one of three ways: at the cinema, via the video shop and thanks to whatever happened to pop up on TV. Lately, streaming platforms have become a cinephile's best friend — especially with COVID-19 restrictions keeping everyone at home. We say 'platforms', plural, because there's just so many to choose from. Netflix may be the industry's big gun, but Aussie audiences can also subscribe to Stan, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, DocPlay, iWonder, Quibi and OzFlix, too. And, as even the most casual movie fan probably knows, that isn't even the end of the list. Feeling spoiled for choice? Can't pick which platform to splash your cash on? There is an easier way. Australian viewers can also access a number of free streaming services such as SBS On Demand, Tubi and Kanopy — which don't skimp on film options, but won't cost you a cent. And in the interests of budget-friendly movie marathons, we've rounded up ten excellent flicks you can stream for free right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLdhN4oMxCQ BAD GENIUS Mark our words: in the next couple of years, an English-language version of this Thai thriller will reach our screens. A high-stakes high-school exam flick, it's smart and slick, funny and fast-paced, as well as tautly made and tension-filled — and it turns a situation we can all relate to into a nail-biting heist caper. Straight-A student Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) is the misbehaving high-achiever of the title, who first hatches a plan to make money by feeding her classmates test answers, and then bands together with her customers to cheat at the biggest test there is. The premise was taken from reality, and part of the movie was shot in Sydney, but the real highlight is Bad Genius' lively style and thoroughly entertaining narrative. Bad Genius is available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8oYYg75Qvg YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE In Lynne Ramsay's long-waited fourth feature, an ex-soldier and former FBI agent grapples with his own trauma while trying to save others from theirs. Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) rescues children abducted and abused by pedophile rings — and if that sounds like an astonishing story, just wait, because You Were Never Really Here isn't done yet. Indeed, it's hard to pick what's more stunning here: Ramsay's empathetic and expressive direction, which keeps making unexpected choices to immerse viewers in Joe's headspace, or Phoenix's internalised performance, which won him the best actor prize at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Call it a tie, and call this film an exceptional achievement that isn't easily forgotten after watching. Phoenix might've won an Oscar this year for Joker, but this is his best performance. You Were Never Really Here is available to stream via Kanopy. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg9nzOFVwtQ THE FIFTH ELEMENT The 90s didn't shy away from big-screen sci-fi, but there's nothing quite as entertaining as The Fifth Element. Forget Independence Day, Armageddon and Men in Black — if you're eager for a film about humanity battling aliens and trying to save the planet, Luc Besson's action-packed flick is the best pick. Come for Bruce Willis and a pre-Resident Evil Milla Jovovich at their kick-ass best. Stay for the eye-popping set and costume design, with the latter by Jean-Paul Gaultier. And, story-wise, get immersed in an ambitious and entertaining futuristic tale about a taxi driver saddled with finding four mystical stones to fend off an intergalactic attack. The Fifth Element is available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36iHKZmeH60 BRIMSTONE & GLORY It's human nature to stare at the sky whenever fireworks ascend to the heavens. We hear the popping sound, spy the bright flashes of light and simply can't help ourselves. Set in Tultepec, the tiny town at the heart of Mexico's fireworks industry, Brimstone & Glory captures that feeling more effectively than anyone could've expected. Indeed, the gorgeous documentary commits the vibrance of watching colourful explosions twinkling above to film as it charts the locale's National Pyrotechnic Festival, explores the lives of those both working and watching, and proves as spellbinding as the substance at its centre. Brimstone & Glory is available to stream via Kanopy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKD0sMntjWE THE TRIBE Writer/director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky's first feature was always going to be a hard sell. The film runs for more than two hours without a word of dialogue, a hint of music or even any subtitles, with its characters — a group of classmates at a Ukrainian boarding school for the hearing impaired — communicating only through sign language. And it's not just a difficult concept; in an effort that becomes both violent and haunting — all the more so because it demands audiences pay the utmost attention to what they can see — it's also difficult to watch. Reports of fainting are widespread, but those who can stomach its brutal sights will find a movie completely unlike anything else they've ever seen before. The Tribe is available to stream via Tubi. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-70r7GkiBGM HEATHERS These days, Heathers is a stage musical, a TV series and (in Brisbane at least) a regular dance party theme. If you've ever wondered why this dark high school-set tale just keeps spawning new adaptations and celebrations, then you owe it to yourself to watch or rewatch the original 1988 movie. For Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder), every day at Westerburg High School is hell. Even though she's part of the popular clique — with her three closest friends all called Heather — that still proves the case. Then brooding loner JD (Christian Slater) arrives at school, instantly shaking up the status quo. The result: murder, mayhem, teen angst and one incredibly acerbic, sharp and amusing satire. Heathers is available to stream via Kanopy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVsAixfCL4Q HOLY MOTORS Cinematic mind-benders don't get much better — or more strange, eccentric and surreal — than Leos Carax's Holy Motors. Following a man called Oscar (Denis Lavant) who rides around in a limousine, attends unusual appointments in various costumes and plays an array of different parts, it's the type of film that can't be neatly summarised. Indeed, as Oscar goes about his day, anything could happen. Sometimes, he's dressed up as a beggar in the Parisian streets. Later, he's an old man listening to Eva (Kylie Minogue) sing. As it hops between kaleidoscopic vignettes, Carax's vibrant film ponders and probes identity and individuality, all while serving up dazzling visuals, exuberant performances and constant surprises. Holy Motors is available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9QrvLd2pbY RIVER OF GRASS Kelly Reichardt boasts quite the filmography. She explored the companionship only a pet can bring in Wendy and Lucy, delved into the western genre in Meek's Cutoff and contemplated eco-activism in Night Moves. Then, she brought Michelle Williams, Laura Dern and Kristen Stewart together for contemplative triptych Certain Women, and stepped back to 19th-century America for her stellar latest film First Cow. Before all that, though, Reichardt spun a story of social isolation and disconnection in the Florida suburbs, all thanks to her debut feature River of Grass. And as with every entry on the director's resume, this not-quite road movie couldn't feel more authentic or keenly observed. River of Grass is available to stream via Kanopy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzp2HP4gaJ0 PURPLE RAIN 'Purple Rain', the song, is one of Prince's all-time greats. Purple Rain, the album, ranks just as highly. And Purple Rain, the 1984 film, is exactly the kind of movie that a Prince-starring rock musical should be. Focusing on an aspiring musician trying to balance his troubled home life with his band and his girlfriend, the storyline is straightforward — but when you plonk a charismatic star like Prince in the middle of it, bathe the flick's frames in plenty of purple, and crank up the killer soundtrack, sparks fly. Given the narrative, the array of live concert scenes also work a treat. And while the sequel, 1990's Graffiti Bridge, doesn't reach the same heights, this is a mighty entertaining, toe-tapping way to spend 111 minutes. Purple Rain is available to stream via Tubi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-_LxiRETWA THE CONVERSATION In 1974, Francis Ford Coppola directed a little film called The Godfather Part II. Yes, everyone has heard of it. But that was just one of his movies that year — and with zero scorn aimed towards the Oscar-winning crime flick, which is rightfully considered one of the best sequels ever made, The Conversation is actually even better. Winning the Cannes Film Festival's top gong, this Gene Hackman-starring thriller delves into a topic that's still very relevant today: the moral dilemma around surveillance. Hackman is fantastic as the film's conflicted protagonist, while Coppola crafts a tense, moody and brooding masterpiece. Keep an eye out for a young pre-Star Wars Harrison Ford, too. The Conversation is available to stream via SBS On Demand.
The Emerging Writers' Festival this year looks to be stuffed to the brim with great minds, events, and ideas. Taking place from June 19–29, many different disciplines and venues will to unite to host the voices of the Australian writing world, both established and emerging. For just a few bites of what's on offer, there will be masterclasses and intensives on everything from poetry to podcasting; a dinner 'speakeasy' on money, sex and death; Pan Afrikan Poets, which will bring Afrikan artists and First Nation and Pasifika artists together in conversation; and Translation Nation, a roaming look through different disciplines and languages exploring ways of saying. The National Writers' Conference will take place during the weekend, bringing together ambassadors such as Isobelle Carmody, Michael Mohammed Ahmad and Ellen van Neerven to share their experience and advice, while also allowing emerging writers to pitch to industry professionals. It's not all serious stuff, though — there are parties on the agenda, too. Amazing Babes is a constant favourite of the festival, and will again celebrate the women who uplift and better others (aka, babes that are amazing) at Northcote Town Hall. The Queer Icons Party will be a big ol' bonanza celebrating queer stories and lives, and Further from the Sun is the winter solstice party featuring words, dance and song at the Footscray Community Arts Centre. More than 50 percent of the program is free – best start booking yourselves in. More information and full program here.
Forget the trashy mags conveniently placed just near supermarket checkouts, and forget whatever the real-life royals are up to, too. These days, if you're keen on regal intrigue, then you're hooked on Netflix drama The Crown. And, after two eventful seasons, you're definitely eagerly awaiting the show's third batch of episodes — following the same characters but with an all-new cast. Since 2016, The Crown has peered inside both Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street, unpacking the goings-on behind Britain's houses of power. Set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the series has charted her wedding to Prince Philip, her coronation and the birth of her children (aka Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward). As well as delving into the monarch's marital ups and downs, The Crown has also explored the romantic life of her sister, Princess Margaret, plus the major political events throughout the late 40s, entire 50s and early 60s. During all this, viewers have become accustomed to seeing Claire Foy as Elizabeth, Matt Smith as Philip and Vanessa Kirby as Margaret. In the third season, however, they've all been replaced to better reflect the passing of time. Fresh from winning an Oscar for The Favourite earlier this year, Olivia Colman steps into ol' Lizzie's shoes, while Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter do the same with Philip and Margaret. Also joining the show is Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles, Erin Doherty as Princess Anne and Marion Bailey as the Queen Mother. Given the change of cast, and the fact that The Crown's last episodes hit Netflix at the end of 2017, the show's third season has been eagerly anticipated. While neither last month's first teaser nor the just-dropped new sneak peek provide much at all in the way of detail, they both offer a glimpse at Colman as the Queen — with the latest teaser making fun of Her Majesty's transition from young woman to "old bat", in the words of the royal herself. Eventually, a full trailer is bound to drop, giving fans a broader look at the show's new stars. And, hopefully, touching upon the third season's storyline, which'll chart the years between 1964–1977, including Harold Wilson's (played by The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and The Children Act's Jason Watkins) two stints as prime minister. If you're waiting for the Margaret Thatcher era, and the arrival of Princess Diana, they're expected to be covered in The Crown's fourth season. For now, check out the third season's latest teaser below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_TE8yi58S8 The Crown's third season will hit Netflix on November 17. Image: Des Willie / Netflix.
Few individuals cut to the heart of American society with the same degree of wit or insight as author Gore Vidal. And for a man who once said, "there is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise," he didn't have much humility about it either. Highly outspoken on all the issues you're never meant to talk about — sex, politics, religion — and capable of savaging conservatives with either his pen or acid tongue, Vidal was one of America's foremost public intellectuals, until his passing in 2012 at the age of 86. A friend of Vidal's nephew, Burr Steers, Australian-born filmmaker Nicholas Wrathall first sat down to interview Vidal in 2005, laying the foundations for what would eventually become the documentary Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia. In anticipation of the film's release at Melbourne's Cinema Nova, we spoke with Wrathall about the making of the film and his impressions of the man himself. MEETING VIDAL "I really started to taking notice of Gore again after 9/11," says Wrathall. "I was living in New York, during that horrible chaos, and Gore was one of the only people in the media landscape who seemed to be speaking sensibly to how the US should be reacting, and speaking out against the drumbeats to war and the media propaganda and the Bush administration's rush into the Middle East." "Then a few years after that, in 2004, I had the opportunity to meet him in LA in a casual way with Burr and the family," Wrathall continues. "One of the first conversations I had with him was actually about Australian politics. He was very interested in an update in what was going on in Australia, and was asking me for an update on Bob Carr … I didn't realise at the time that he was actually friends with Bob, and also knew Gough Whitlam quite well. That was probably one of the bonding conversations where I gained his trust a little bit, in that it was something that I could actually speak intelligently to." Certainly, one wouldn't want to look stupid in front Vidal. "You can be quite out of your depth with Gore in a serious conversation," says Wrathall. "It can be very intimidating. He certainly doesn't suffer fools. But he's also very generous, and loves to inform, and share his knowledge and experience. So he's very kind, in my experience, especially to younger people... you wouldn't want to get into an argument with him though." MASTER OF THE MEDIA Famous for saying he never missed a chance "to have sex or appear on television," part of Gore's rise to prominence, Wrathall asserts, came from his ability to play to the camera. "He really knew how to work the media," says Wrathall. "He was always being interviewed and being invited on talk shows, and because of his humour and his wit, I think he was a great guest for someone like Johnny Carson or Dick Cavett to have on dick their show. "He loved to push the envelope, and say the things that other people might think, but wouldn't dare to say. He was very outspoken. I think you can see in a lot of the clips [in the film] from the 50s and 60s that many of the things that he said were ahead of their time … he was a great guest in the media landscape at the time, which was maybe less afraid, and less conservative than it is today, and was willing to have these sorts of public debates and issue-based conversations more openly." POLITICS AND POWER Vidal was never shy about his opinions, particularly when it came to politics. "I think he was very pragmatic," says Wrathall. "He was brought up a lot by his grandfather, who was a senator, and a great orator himself. He had people like [Senator] Huey Long coming to his house for dinner, and he'd see their conversations. And then he'd take his grandfather to the senate the next day, and he'd see the same speech that Huey had rehearsed at the dinner table on the senate floor. So he realised that there was a lot of showmanship, and a lot of strategy … He was very clued into that even as a teenager. He came to politics, and to writing about politics, in a very informed way. And that's really his power." Of the current administration, Wrathall believed Vidal had "great hope," but that he also "measured that hope," because "in reality, there are so many compromises that had to made to get to that position". Perhaps Vidal put it best himself when he said that "any American who is prepared to run for President should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so." Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia opens at Cinema Nova on March 6.
Chocolates and flowers may be Valentine's Day staples, but they're also among the easiest gifts you can give your special someone. Booking a getaway doesn't require too much additional effort; however, it's certainly more exciting — and it doesn't have to fall on February 14. No one has been travelling far to take a romantic vacation over the past year, so you and your significant other have probably spent the majority of 2020 in your own state — and much of 2021 so far, too — thanks to interstate border restrictions. But if you're keen to take your date somewhere other than your own backyard, Virgin Australia is selling flight deals for couples. They're available to multiple destinations around the country, with the cheap flights starting at $69 each for a one-way ticket. Hang on, Virgin? Yes. The same airline that, less than 12 months ago, entered voluntary administration. It has since been sold to US private investment firm Bain Capital, launched a comeback sale in early July and its voluntary administration officially ended on Tuesday, November 17. Virgin's current Say 'I Do' to Valentine's Day sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 17 — or until sold out. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights on a number of routes to destinations across the country, with travel dates spanning May and June this year. If you've been waiting to book your first getaway of 2021, now might be the time. The discounted economy flights include seat selection and checked baggage. Some of the routes on offer include Sydney to the Gold Coast, Byron Bay or Coffs Harbour; Melbourne to Launceston or Hobart; Adelaide to Melbourne; and Brisbane to the Whitsundays. [caption id="attachment_785976" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Whitehaven Beach in The Whitsundays[/caption] As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers. Wearing masks on flights became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin is also waiving change fees and allowing unlimited booking changes for reservations made before April 30, 2021 for travel before January 31, 2022. Virgin's Say 'I Do' to Valentine's Day sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 17 — or until sold out. Find out more about current interstate border restrictions over here.
If a certain 70s-made, 50s-set musical rom-com about an Australian transfer student falling in love with an American high schooler in California is the one that you want — always — then you'll know that Grease isn't just about the hit 1978 movie. Before it became a silver-screen classic, it was a popular stage musical. After its movie success, it spawned a 1982 Michelle Pfeiffer-starring sequel, too. And now, in 2023, it'll span a prequel streaming series as well: Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Welcome back to Rydell High, but before Danny (John Travolta) and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) were hopelessly devoted to each other. Rise of the Pink Ladies is set in 1954, four years prior to the events of Grease. Clearly, there's no prizes for guessing which group of students earn the new show's focus. Here, in a ten-episode series set to stream via Paramount+ in Australia on Friday, April 7 — with New Zealand airing details yet to be revealed — the eponymous girl gang gets an origin story. Yes, even Grease is jumping on the bandwagon, with explaining the stories behind already proven hits pop culture's favourite thing of late. In the just-dropped first trailer for the series, the titular young women are given words of warning about appropriate behaviour. "Ladies, you must be careful with whom you associate," Assistant Principal McGee (Jackie Hoffman, Only Murders in the Building) tells them. "A girl's reputation is all that she has." Pink jackets, T-Birds, dance scenes (including while wearing mechanics' overalls), a new take on a familiar track advising that Grease is indeed the word: they're all included in the debut sneak peek, which also promises that "things are about to get wild". Cast-wise, Marisa Davila (Love and Baseball), first-timer Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Ari Notartomaso (Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin) and Tricia Fukuhara (Loot) play the four teens who start the Pink Ladies, and are joined on-screen by Shanel Bailey (The Good Fight), Madison Thompson (Emergency), Johnathan Nieves (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels), Jason Schmidt (FBI: Most Wanted) and Maxwell Whittington-Cooper (The Photograph). This isn't the last time that all things Grease will pop up again, either — not including the stage musical and OG movie's enduring popularity, of course — with a Danny and Sandy-focused prequel flick Summer Lovin' also in the works. Check out the first trailer for Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies below: Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies starts streaming via Paramount+ in Australia on Friday, April 7. New Zealand release details haven't yet been revealed — we'll update you when further information comes to hand.
Mystery Road's Jay Swan has always been a man of questions. With his penetrating gaze, the Indigenous detective glares a thousand enquiries whoever's way he's staring, and has for almost a decade now. But ever since the fictional character first reached cinemas in 2013, with Aaron Pedersen in the role, the exceptional big- and small-screen crime saga he anchors has also kept sparking a key query: how do you follow that up? The answers keep coming in what's now Australia's best film and TV franchise — in multiple ways, just like this gripping series itself. How do you follow up a stellar politically charged Aussie neo-western about an Indigenous detective excavating the nation's small-town woes, as well as the impact that its colonial past has on its First Nations inhabitants? With 2016's Goldstone, which doubled down on and deepened that on-screen quest. How do you then follow up that fellow silver-screen gem? By moving to television, where Mystery Road retained the same setup but revelled in a lengthier running time. Following up the show's first hit season meant making a second, and following that up has now resulted in a third. But how do you keep digging in further with each and every followup? Right now, the answer resides in Mystery Road: Origin. Origin stories: everyone's getting them. Caped crusaders like Batman and Spider-Man have several; Hercule Poirot's moustache even has its own. Jay Swan doesn't particularly need one, given that plenty about why he's the man and detective he is, and the balancing act he's forced to undertake as an Indigenous cop as well, has already been teased out. But Mystery Road: Origin isn't jumping on a trend, repeating itself or prolonging a long-running saga. It isn't trying to justify having someone else play Swan, either. Debuting via ABC iview from 8.30pm on Sunday, July 3 — and also airing weekly on ABC TV on Sundays at 8.30pm — it leaps backwards because this franchise has always danced with history anyway. It has to; you can't explore the reality of life in Australia today, the racial and cultural divides that've long festered across this sunburnt country, and all that Swan encounters and tussles with, otherwise. In Mystery Road: Origin, it's 1999 — and, when its six episodes begin, Swan isn't quite a detective yet. He's passed his exam, though, and is awaiting the official paperwork. He still sports the same intense glint in his eye, topping the character's now-famous stern expression and as inescapable a part of the saga as Australia's rust-hued terrain. He's already a man of weighty thoughts and few words, too, as viewers have witnessed in every previous instalment. Here, he's played by Mark Coles Smith (Occupation: Rainfall), who couldn't do a more impressive job of stepping into Pedersen's (High Ground) shoes. The two actors worked together on 2007–10 series The Circuit, before Jay Swan entered either's worlds, and Coles Smith has visibly internalised everything that makes Pedersen one of Australia's greatest screen presences. His younger version of Swan always feels like exactly that, crucially, and never an impersonation. Mystery Road: Origin first spies Swan as he's driving along sweeping salt plains. His destination: Jardine, his Western Australian home town, population 1000. Resident sergeant Peter Lovric (Steve Bisley, Doctor Doctor) welcomes Swan back eagerly, but his return isn't all cheers, especially when he stumbles across a robbery en route and gets cuffed by senior constable Max Armine (Hayley McElhinney, How to Please a Woman). Tensions also linger with Swan's estranged dad Jack (Kelton Pell, another The Circuit alum), the town's old rodeo hero, and with his hard-drinking elder brother Sputty (Clarence Ryan, Moon Rock for Monday). Indeed, that initial stickup, the crimewave waged by culprits in Ned Kelly masks that it's soon a part of, and those persistent family struggles will all define the detective's homecoming. As much as each addition to the Mystery Road canon always places Swan at its centre, every new entry also paints a portrait of outback Aussie life. Just like its similarly dusty predecessors in movies and TV seasons gone by, Jardine boasts a motley crew of inhabitants and its fair share of long-simmering troubles. Local prosecutor Abe (Tony Leonard Moore, Mank) claims that the town is hardly a murder capital, but killings keep popping up alongside holdups. Thanks to newly arrived Legal Aid lawyer Anousha (Salme Geransar, Clickbait), old secrets bubble up as well, including the past death of a teenage boy. Swan's return also sees him cross paths with Mary, with Tuuli Narkle (All My Friends Are Racist) as the younger version of the character previously played by Tasma Walton (Rake). Every time that Mystery Road takes another spin, another who's who of Aussie film and TV fills its frames. Here, A Sunburnt Christmas' Daniel Henshall and Blacklight's Caroline Brazier also feature as siblings from a wealthy mining family, while first-timer Grace Chow leaves an imprint as fresh-faced constable Cindy Cheung. There are no weak links among the cast, but Mystery Road: Origin easily belongs to double denim- and Akubra-clad Coles Smith as its new Swan. That's on-screen, and if more chapters were to fill in the gaps between this and the OG movie with him leading the charge, they'd be welcome. Off-screen, there's also a passing of the torch, with Finke: There & Back and Robbie Hood filmmaker Dylan River in the director's chair. He follows on from his father, Sweet Country and The Beach's Warwick Thornton, who helmed half of Mystery Road's second season. That Mystery Road: Origin has an eye firmly on the future isn't just nice or apt; it's essential. As the franchise surveys Australia's past and present landscape of racial injustice, it probes the country that's existed since white settlement, while also pondering where the nation is heading. The constantly smart, thrilling and well-written on-screen examination that results revolves around another question, actually. Swan is asked if he's a policeman or a blackfella, a query that all things Mystery Road have continued to delve into ("why can't I be both?" is his answer here), but a different line of inquiry also sits at the saga's core. A now five-entry series about the crimes that rock outback communities already rocked by engrained and historical inequality, prejudice, oppression, exploitation and land grabs, Mystery Road interrogates which horrific misdeeds and atrocious attitudes Australia is and has been willing to look past — and the grave ramifications. No one should be looking past any of Mystery Road's chapters, of course, Mystery Road: Origin included. Check out the trailer for Mystery Road: Origin below: Mystery Road: Origin is available to stream via ABC iview from 8.30pm on Sunday, July 3 — and airs weekly on ABC TV on Sundays at 8.30pm. Images: David Dare Parker.
