This Christmas, all you need is love — plus a festive little cabaret that showcases all of the hit tunes from Love Actually. It's the way to celebrate the season when you're not just leaving the seasonal favourite flick on repeat at home. Yep, that's Christmas Actually. Created by the folks behind Rumour Has It and Lady Beatle, Christmas Actually features all of the tracks that've become synonymous with this merry time of year — including Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You', naturally. Songs by Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, Eva Cassidy, The Beach Boys and The Beatles are all on the bill as well. Belting them out: Libby O'Donovan, Joshua Robson, Stefanie Jones, JD Smith, Stephen Ward, Craig Newman, Ben Kiehne and Fab Omodi. There'll even be more than one nativity lobster, plus a jolly mood and a whole room full of festive cheer. In Melbourne, that room is The Round, where Christmas Actually plays its 2023 season from Friday, December 15–Saturday, December 16. Get excited by revisiting Love Actually's trailer below. 'Tis the season, after all. Top image: Katy Bedford.
There's no shortage of ways to celebrate Halloween, whether scary movies, eerie art, a trick-or-treating stint, playing with Lego or themed mini golf is your thing. Here's a particularly tasty one: getting dressed up in costume and scoring a free Krispy Kreme doughnut. The chain is known for giving away its round treats, including handing out 100,000 of them each National Doughnut Day. For Tuesday, October 31, it isn't locking in an exact number of doughnuts that'll be on offer — but it will give one to everyone who turns up to a Krispy Kreme store dressed for the occasion. If that isn't an excuse to don your spookiest outfit, then what is? To snag yourself a signature glazed freebie, head to your closest Krispy Kreme store in Melbourne — there's nine locations from Chadstone to Collins Street — on Tuesday, October 31 while wearing a Halloween-appropriate costume. You'll receive one original glazed doughnut per person, and you don't have to buy anything else to nab the treat without paying a cent. Of course, Krispy Kreme is hoping that you will be possessed by the Halloween vibe while you're in-store — or beforehand — and treat yourself to something from its themed range. On offer until Tuesday, October 31: four different varieties.
In the decade since her gone-too-soon death in 2012, Whitney Houston has proven one of filmmaking's greatest loves of all. No fewer than five movies have told her tale, including documentaries Whitney: Can I Be Me and Whitney. And, that's without including a feature about her daughter Bobbi Kristina, a miniseries focused on her ex-husband Bobby Brown and dramas clearly based on her story. If she was still alive, a movie like Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody would've still reached screens at some point, though. Hollywood adores music biopics, especially lately, with Houston's latest stint in the celluloid spotlight following Elvis, Respect, The United States vs Billie Holiday, Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody in recent years alone. I Wanna Dance with Somebody even shares screenwriter Anthony McCarten with the latter — formula and inevitability combining, as is this genre's repeated refrain. All of that attention has been echoing around Houston for obvious — and patently well-documented — reasons. Her mezzo-soprano voice, which earned her the nickname "The Voice", soared to stratospheric and literally breathtaking levels. She still holds the record for the most consecutive number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, which she took from The Beatles and the Bee Gees, as her career zoomed skyward as well. Houston's list of hits is massive and varied, spanning ballads such as 'Saving All My Love For You', dancefloor-filling pop like 'How Will I Know' and the anthemic 'I'm Every Woman', to name a mere few tracks. That swift rise from New Jersey church choir member to one of the biggest bestselling music artists ever was matched by tabloid-fodder lows, however, and that tragic passing — and I Wanna Dance with Somebody charts it all. Taking its name from one of Houston's most exuberant singles isn't just a music biopic 101 move, although it's definitely that. Director Kasi Lemmons (Harriet) follows the standard Wikipedia entry-like genre template, piecing together all of the requisite details, but she wants those titular words to constantly make a statement. Houston does want to dance — one of the strengths of that 80s tune has always been how genuine it feels — with the phrase used here to reflect how Whitney (Naomi Ackie, Master of None) just wants to be herself, to be loved as such, and openly be with Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams, Black Lightning). While still dreaming of success, Whitney and Robyn meet and sparks fly, but the times, attitudes and the demands of fame don't treat their romance kindly. I Wanna Dance with Somebody doesn't shy away from their relationship, or from the disapproval of Whitney's gospel singer mother Cissy Houston (Tamara Tunie, Cowboy Bebop) and stern father John (Clarke Peters, The Man Who Fell to Earth). Whitney just wants to keep her hair short and wear jeans, too, but being a young Black woman in the 80s shooting for music stardom comes with demands. I Wanna Dance with Somebody is never so simplistic to equate having to don dresses and wigs with not being able to be true to her sexuality, but it paints a picture of a woman consistently forced to put others' expectations of her first. So, after being signed to Arista Records at 19 by producer and executive Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci, The King's Man), Whitney becomes America's princess next door. I Wanna Dance with Somebody doesn't ignore her willingness to play the game, either — to perform the part she's told to if it means she'll keep rocketing higher, as a scene recreating the 'How Will I Know' music video shows — but the film's thesis is plain: made to be someone she wasn't, and stripped of the support she always wanted, this tale was unlikely to have a happy ending. Joining the list of Lady Macbeth actors going on to huge things — the other: Florence Pugh — Ackie gives a commanding, multi-layered performance as the conflicted Houston. I Wanna Dance with Somebody is more concerned with attitude and emotion than strict physical resemblance, and it works. That the film is raw, heartfelt and moving in conveying Whitney's plight, including through her criticism for being too white, tumultuous relationship with Brown, moving into cinema with The Bodyguard, battles with her dad over his management and her substance-abuse troubles, all comes down to that pivotal portrayal. Indeed, such is the power in Ackie's efforts, she's still a tour-de-force while she's lip-synching. Smartly, Lemmons uses Houston's own vocals. When you're making a movie about "The Voice", you need to let your audience hear said voice. Visibly, is Ackie singing herself — the feature just dubs in the star she's playing over the top — and, unsurprisingly, the scenes where Whitney is on a stage or behind a microphone are high among I Wanna Dance with Somebody's standouts. In a film that's impassioned, too, serving up electrifying performance recreations is a wise move. Baz Luhrmann's Elvis turned concert scenes into a dizzying, multi-sensory, like-you're-there art, helping demonstrate why its subject had such an impact — an approach Lemmons and her cinematographer Barry Ackroyd (The Old Guard) apply to expressing Houston's immense vocal talent. Among the key Whitney moments restaged: singing 'Home' during her 1983 stint on The Merv Griffin Show shortly after being signed by Davis, her slowed-down version of the American national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl, busting out 'I Will Always Love You' at The Concert for a New South Africa in 1994 and her American Music Awards medley of 'I Loves You Porgy', 'And I Am Telling You' and 'I Have Nothing' that same year. Throughout the script, talk turns to breathing, challenges and the mechanics of crooning — belting out that above trio is dubbed "climbing Mount Everest without oxygen" — but seeing is believing. Spying Ackie's arms outstretched, spreading far and wide as Houston reaches for those high notes, is a potent and understandably repeated sight. Still, unlike the singer at its centre, I Wanna Dance with Somebody is content with staying in expected territory. That makes for a rousing yet routine addition to the music biopic canon — and, because Lemmons and McCarten are committed to covering as much as possible, a rushed one as well despite its 146-minute running time. As proves the case of many famous figures who earn dramatisations of their lives, there's so much to include here that multiple movies could've easily eventuated. Again, plenty of other films about Houston have already. This jam-packed on-screen dance wants to have it all and show where Houston's broken heart went, but it doesn't burn deep enough to last.
Slowly, Australia is starting to emerge from COVID-19 lockdown, which includes bars, pubs and venues — but life isn't back to normal just yet. That means that Isolation Trivia is still going strong and, on Saturday, June 13, going green as well. Yep, it's hosting a session dedicated to animated favourite Shrek. If you know why it really isn't easy being an ogre, you've watched the vibrant CGI animation more times than you can remember, and you've memorised the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz, well, this is for you. And, as no one who has ever seen Shrek before can manage to forget, a whole lot of Smashmouth — aka 'All Star' and their version of 'I'm a Believer' — will also likely feature prominently. No bookings or registrations are required — all you need to do it hit up the event Facebook page at 6.25pm. And if you're wondering exactly which parts of the Shrek franchise you'll be quizzed on, this trivia night will focus on the 2001 movie that started it all, plus 2004's Shrek 2. So, no need to worry about Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After, Puss in Boots, or all the Shrek short films, TV shows and TV specials. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwXOrWvPBPk
If you like your art vibrant, multisensory and immersive, you're going to get a real kick out of The Kaleidoscopic Turn. The NGV has scoured their archives, as well as acquiring numerous new pieces, to explore contemporary trends in art which play with colour, light, sound, movement and space. From Op Art to colourfield painting, the exhibition will include large installations, kinetic sculptures, video art, paintings and works on paper. With an exhibition title like The Kaleidoscopic Turn, you can expect some pretty wild and wonderful things. The works will range from pieces from the 1960s to now, where artists have experimented with pattern, repetition, light, colour, movement and space as well as various optical and kinetic effects. While there's a large focus on contemporary Australian artists, the exhibition will feature works from international figures such as Olafur Eliasson, Bridget Riley, Martha Boto and Zilvinas Kempinas. Find your happy place somewhere over the rainbow at this free NGV exhibition.
Auckland's Clap Clap Riot have a tendency to whip up a raucous, good-vibin' crowd; the dudes can't help it. Armed with catchy-as-blazes hooks, singalong singles and loud, loud amps, the foursome are rampaging across the Tasman for a short run of Australian dates down the east coast; stopping at Melbourne's Shebeen, The Brightside in Brisbane and Sydney's FBi Social for a genuine humdinger of a mini-tour. Showcasing their second album Nobody / Everybody released in February, the foursome have moved away from the more rock-steady sound of their wildly successful debut Counting Spins (which casually debuted at #1 on the Official NZ Album Chart). Produced and mixed by Kody Nielson (The Mint Chicks / Opossom) and engineered and mastered by Olly Harmer (The Naked and Famous), their second release is peppered with handclap-worthy singalongs and '60s throwbacks; a cleaner, catchier package all round. Hitting Shebeen with applauded singles 'Everybody' and 'Cold As Ice' and brand newie 'All About The Weather', Clap Clap Riot are a surefire live shindig for your Thursday. Supported by Pretty City + Five Mile Town. https://youtube.com/watch?v=h6Yk0jyoIlY
If you're of an age when you can remember burning your friend's So Fresh CD so you could stay up to date with the coolest songs of the season, congrats. You're old now. But also, congrats, because you will seriously enjoy this So Fresh shindig. The old-school get-together to end all old-school get-togethers is coming to Welcome to Thornbury on Saturday, November 23, and it'll be playing bangers strictly of the 2000s vintage. You can expect a disturbing percentage of Channel 10 alums (Australian Idol winners/losers and ex-Neighbours actors) as well as way too much Nickelback for polite company. Also, just throwing this out there: we're desperately hoping for a timely comeback of the Duff sisters duet 'Our Lips Are Sealed'. This time around, the retro tunes will come with plenty of party fun, with a ball pit, jumping castle, fireworks and face-painting, plus free fairy floss and lollipops. Entry starts from $15 for first release tickets, and of course it's obviously 18 and over — because if you're under 18 you definitely don't know what So Fresh is. Or CDs, probably.
Get ready, folk-rock fans, for a little something to spice up your musical repertoire from Okkervil River. The Texan-indie rockers have released their seventh full-length studio album, and you could hear it live this summer when they make their sixth tour of Australia. A nostalgic ode to the days of his New Hampshire-spent youth, The Silver Gymnasium is the autobiographical creation of frontman Will Sheff. Since the band members grew up in the 1980s, it's only fitting that the album stays true to the times with lots of pop influences. You probably wouldn't think of '80s pop and southwestern folk rock as a match, but Okkervil River makes it seem completely natural. Tracks like 'Stay Young' and 'Deep Down the Deep River' could be soundtrack-worthy of cult classics like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles with their catchy tunes and reflective lyrics. You'll find yourself humming along, fondly (or not so) reminded of the glory days of your high school years.
Australian cinephiles are well and truly accustomed to seeing the rest of the world via the big screen but, after the past year, 2021's Spanish Film Festival really couldn't be more welcome. And, it won't just transport movie buffs to the country that gives the annual filmic showcase its name. Twenty features from Spain are definitely on the bill, but so are nine from Latin America. That gives Melburnians plenty of movie-watching options come Thursday, April 22, when the fest kicks off its local season for this year. You'll have until Sunday, May 9 to head to The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Palace Balwyn and Pentridge Cinema, tuck into some popcorn, enjoy everything from award-winning rom-coms to twisty thrillers, and pretend that you're somewhere other than your own city. Highlights include road movie Wishlist, starring Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!'s Victoria Abril; romantic comedies Rosa's Wedding and The Wedding Unplanner, because matrimony seems to be a theme; Goya Award-winner Schoolgirls, which took out the gong for Best Film; and While At War, the latest film from The Others director Alejandro Amenábar. Heroic Losers serves up a charming heist comedy starring the always engaging Ricardo Darín (Everybody Knows), while the 1950s–70s-set The Moneychanger delivers a satirical twist on crime epics. If you're only going to see one movie, though, make it Ema — not just because it stars Gael García Bernal and is directed by No, The Club, Neruda and Jackie filmmaker Pablo Larraín, but because this tale about a dancer (Mariana Di Girolamo) is a simply stunning piece of cinema. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpt6Vffhtik&feature=emb_logo
It has been four years since Royal Stacks started slinging its burgers, fries and shakes in Melbourne, and you'd better believe it's celebrating that fact. To mark the occasion, the eatery is kicking back old school-style, throwing back to the 90s for a week-long party. All three of Royal Stacks' Melbourne stores will be serving up dishes at 90s prices — including a menu that nods to Eddie Murphy flick Coming to America, which actually inspired the whole chain in the first place. Sure, the movie was made in the late 80s, but we're sure you're willing to overlook that fact in the name of cheap burgs. From Tuesday, January 14–Tuesday, January 21, you can get your hands on a McDowell burger for $9.90, or a Prince Akeem mini burger with fries and a soft drink for the same price. Slurp down a Randy Watson Sexual Chocolate Milkshake — aka a triple-chocolate milkshake topped with crushed Tim Tams — for $5, and nab an ice cream cone for 30 cents, too. If you're eating with a pal, you can nab a Kicks Pack with two Single Stacks, two fries and two soft drinks for $19.90. At the Collins Street store, retro tunes will also be pumping through Royal Stacks' speakers — 90s bangers, obviously. And, the walls will be decked with 90s-themed decor, including movie posters, while staff will be sporting themed uniforms. Images: Giulia Morlando.
Many Melburnians are partial to a bottomless, boozy afternoon, but it's usually not the most virtuous way to spend a weekend. That's until now, thanks to the launch of The Wharf Hotel's brand-new 'cleaner' version: Guilt Free Garden Party. Grab your friends, nab a spot overlooking the Yarra River and enjoy a good Saturday afternoon session — without overindulging. For $49, you'll be sipping on free-flowing, low-sugar cocktails and enjoying nutritious (but still delicious) snacks. For drinks, there'll be cocktail jugs made with all-natural and seasonal ingredients — think tequila mixed with watermelon and basil; dark rum with spiced pineapple; vodka with mixed berries; and gin with lemon, lime and orange. Food-wise, you'll be grazing on a platter of healthy snacks. Because everything on the menu is made from naturally low sugar and low calorie foods, you won't have to worry about swaying too far from any diets or fitness goals. Even better? You can bring your fur baby along with you to enjoy an afternoon in the sunshine. The Wharf Hotel's Guilt Free Garden Party sessions kick off on Saturday, October 4 and then will run every Saturday, from 2–4pm and cost $49 per person. Bookings are essential and can be made here.
If you can't make it to Meredith over the weekend, but still feel the need to boogie down, James Holden's show at The Hi-Fi is where you should direct yourself this week. The music Holden makes defies genres by mixing them together, with anything from techno to psychedelia getting thrown into the mix. He also plays many different roles in the industry, from making his own music to producing, remixing, and being his own boss at Border Community. Holden's unique brand of electronic music is as explorative as it is danceable, and it's certainly more interesting than your average all-out doof-fest. While Holden has become renowned for his impressive DJ sets, experiencing this artist performing live is sure to be an adventure. The Oxford mathematics graduate brings something new to the well-worn world of synth and, if you’re looking to go on a musical journey while lacing up those dancing shoes, look no further.
There are many activities you can do in a two-hour time slot. You could watch all six episodes of the ABC's satirical beauty blog Sarah's Channel, cook 60 packets of 2 Minute Noodles or listen to Pink Floyd's 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' 4.6 times. But we think the tastiest way to pass 120 minutes is to spend it eating endless plates of tacos. And that's exactly what you can on Friday, October 4, when Fitzroy's El Camino Cantina celebrates 'World Taco Day' with two hours of unlimited tacos for just $25 a pop. Rock up anytime after midday and you'll be able to dig into bottomless tacos topped with cajun chicken and pickled cabbage; minced beef, cheese and lettuce (it's meant to taste a little like a cheeseburger); or mushrooms and chipotle coleslaw. If you want to spend a bit more on your feast, you can also splurge on a $10 lobster or wagyu taco. To redeem the bottomless offer, you will need to purchase a drink of sorts. You can choose from one of the restaurant's five frozen margaritas, a glass of sangria, a Dos Equis or, really, anything else on the extensive drinks menu. To book your spot, head to the El Camino Cantina website.
Bid farewell to the working week at Courtyard Cantina. Every Friday evening throughout February, the Immigration Museum is hosting an after-work shindig, complete with pop-up bar, mouth-watering street food and free live entertainment. Each Cantina event runs from 5pm to 9pm and will feature a rotating mix of musical and culinary guests. Expect food from the likes of Feast of Merit, Trailer Made, Burn City Smokers and Mankoushe while Blair Stafford, CC:DISCO! and Cocoa Noire are at the mic. There'll also be a number of special presentations, ranging from a cocktail tasting with Fred Siggins of Black Pearl to a local fashion display courtesy of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival. Cantina visitors will also get half price museum entry to view current exhibitions, including the Flyaway Print Exchange and Identity: yours, mine, ours. For the complete Courtyard Cantina schedule, go here.
For a single weekend this Spring experience the people, space, process and ideas that unfold within the private studios of the Yarra Valley art community. This year’s program includes 43 inspiring artists, and the not to be missed group exhibition at Oakridge Winery’s brand new beautifully designed restaurant and cellar door in Coldstream. Oakridge will open early for an Open Studios inspired breakfast on the weekend of the event, giving you a chance to view original artworks and plan your weekend studio visits using the YVOS guidebook or iPhone app. A secondary exhibition, 'Prelim' at The Memo in Healesville, also features a rare collection of preliminary sketches, studies, plans and visual diaries that artists use to inform their work. It’s a peak behind the curtain and a rare opportunity to find out more about the local artists not too far off from Melbourne’s front door. Find out more about the artists participating in this year's Yarra Valley Open Studios here.
The detection of gravitational waves was a watershed moment in astrophysics, with the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics awarded to the team responsible for confirming their existence. Now, their discovery provides the inspiration for an immersive multimedia experience at the Melbourne Planetarium as part of this year's Melbourne Festival. Directed by local writer, poet and broadcaster Alicia Sometimes, Particle/Wave will draw on the work of poets, musicians, scientists, and sound and video artists for a unique exploration of the forces that keep the universe spinning. Image: Andrew Watson.
Director Kip Williams has turned out an impressive, stylish Australian premiere of British playwright Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information at the Malthouse. Churchill’s 45th play is a fractured meditation on knowledge, relationships and identity that takes place over 60+ scenes. She gives some guidance as to how acts and sequences within the script are ordered, but within that framework creatives tackling the work have more or less carte blanche. With so many scenes on show, Paul Jackson’s lighting design takes on an important role in delineating the work’s many transitions. This, in combination with sound design by THE SWEATS — a combination of mostly original score and music by bands like Hot Chip — might initially come across as a over-convenient solution, but as the play progresses, it’s these elements of design which provide a constant spine to these disparate scenes. They impart a sense of coherency that encourages an audience to look at the bigger picture, and at the themes emerging in the gaps between scenes themselves. The content in these sometimes very brief exchanges is often explicitly geared towards a discussion of the nature and importance of memory, uncertainty and knowledge. As the action progresses, things begin to get more serious — references to terrorism, war in Tripoli, a young schizophrenic who has stopped taking his pills because “they make it hard to get the information”. One stunning scene is as good as theatre gets, with a patient suffering Alzheimer's playing the piano joined in harmony by his two nurses. Although it’s easy to look for the contemporary cues that might have spurred on the writer’s interest in this material — namely the impact of digital technology upon our ability to relate to one another and ourselves — even when engaging with notions of virtual life, Churchill seems to be speaking to a much deeper and timeless question of connection: what is taking place in any exchange between human beings? What part of ourselves is being lost, or found? The large ensemble cast is flawless, with Marco Chiappi, Harry Greenwood, Glenn Hazeldine, Anita Hegh, Zahra Newman, Anthony Taufa, Alison Whyte and Ursula Yovich making the play’s many set, character and costume changes look effortless. The play is a co-production with the Sydney Theatre Company; Melbourne audiences should book in now before it heads up the coast. Image by Pia Johnson.
Been there, done that, repeating it all over again: in cinemas and among direct-to-home movies alike, that's sequel territory. Not all second efforts, or third or fourth or 15th, retread the first flick. Some expand the initial story instead. Others take the OG concept in completely different directions. If there's a way to jump back into a hit — or even just capitalise upon a well-known movie name — however, then someone has tried it. With a handful of such films, Monster Fest Weekender III Part 2: The Spawning is celebrating the art of the sequel. As the event's 2025 name makes plain, it's having fun with its chosen theme this time around, too. Monster Fest Weekender initially popped up a few years back, giving fans of genre cinema a second chance to enjoy Monster Fest each year — and yes, the film festival itself is a sequel as well. Monster Fest's main festival will still return later in 2025 — it took place in October in 2024 — but this'll help tide you over until then. From I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and Return to Oz to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Robocop 2, the three-day Monster Fest Weekender III Part 2: The Spawning is jam-packed with follow-up flicks, all playing at Cinema Nova in Melbourne from Friday, March 28–Sunday, March 30. You can also check out Return of the Living Dead Part II, Phantasm II, Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh and Re-Animator 2: Bride of Re-Animator.
Whoever said games were for children have clearly never experienced the good times at Modern Parlour Games, hosted by Pop Up Playground. They're setting up shop for a residency at the Bella Union on the third Thursday night of every month, thereby busting another myth that you have to wait for the weekend for fun and frivolity. Games you can expect include office chair rallies, reinterpreted party games, story time with some of your favourite comedians and panel game shows. While Modern Parlour Games certainly appeals to those drama nerds amongst us who couldn’t get enough of improv games, they can be enjoyed by all, as they encourage participation, interaction and communication. If you’ve been thinking that perhaps you need to get out more lately, Modern Parlour Games will take you all the way out in the most playful way possible.
There's this wondrous thing about magic: it almost never fails to capture the imagination of even the most ardent cynic. It might just be for a split second, maybe even less, but in that fleeting moment as the card reappears or the coin vanishes or god knows what else, you can't help but ask yourself "...how the hell did they just do that?" Because of course we all know magic doesn't exist, not real magic, yet our inability to reconcile that which we know from what we've just seen needles away at our curiosity like a splinter under the skin. It's baffling and frustrating and utterly beguiling. But then there's this awful thing about magic in film: it almost never succeeds in capturing the imagination of even the most hopeful viewer. That's because film, unlike real life, already possess the ability to do everything the imagination can muster. The transformation of a pigeon into a pocket square can never hope to impress when space ships can warp into black holes, child wizards can drag race dragons and Hulks can smash. Good movies about magic (such as 2006's The Prestige) aren't about magic, they're about the magicians, and yet the problem with Now You See Me, is that it never really commits to being about either. At the start of the film (when the only genuine magic trick takes place and is legitimately good enough to elicit an audible response from the audience), we meet four magicians played by Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco and Woody Harrelson. All are performing independently until a mysterious benefactor brings them together with the challenge of executing the "greatest magic trick ever conceived". Fast forward a year and they pull it off: a live televised robbery of a French bank vault without ever leaving their stage in Las Vegas. With the promise of even greater robberies to follow, the FBI brings in cynical agent Mark Ruffalo to stop them, whilst professional 'debunker' Morgan Freeman sets out to expose the means behind the magic. There are some nice performances from Harrelson and Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds); however, the plot is utterly ridiculous and the magic isn't even remotely engrossing. It's a sort of 'pop heist movie'; an Ocean's Eleven for Gen-Y that's more concerned with looking cool than being it. https://youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc
If a fresh bread roll, an expertly grilled patty and a slice of melted cheese is your idea of a perfect meal, then you might just have September 18 permanently marked in your diary. Each and every year, that's when the world's most dedicated cheeseburger lovers celebrate their favourite food. We're not saying that burgs will taste better on that date — or that it's really a legitimate day of celebration — but if you just can't get enough of the them, it's definitely worth your attention. Especially if there are cheap burgers involved. Which, this year, there are. Good Times Milk Bar will be selling $5 cheeseburgers in its cafe and from its takeaway window on Wednesday, September 18. Head to Tucker Road between 11am and 4pm to bag a delicious bargain. For those new to the milk bar's take on an old fave, GTMB whips up a beef patty, layers it with pickles, lettuce, American cheese, then squirts on some secret sauce. Next, it's all placed between a soft sesame-crusted bun. And it tastes even better when it's less than half the regular price. $5 cheeseburgers are available from 11am–4pm. Image: Simon Shiff
Turning the cute and cuddly into the rude and crude isn't a new concept. Everything from Greg the Bunny to Meet the Feebles to Ted has been there and done that with varying degrees of success, while the irreverent Who Framed Roger Rabbit bounced through somewhat similar terrain as well. It's not a lack of originality that proves The Happytime Murders' undoing, however. Rather, it's failing to realise that an amusing (albeit well-worn) premise still needs some fluff in its felt. He might come from a puppetry pedigree, but almost every single joke in Brian Henson's new film offers a variation on the same thing: what if puppets drank, did drugs, swore and had sex? Henson, son of The Muppets mastermind Jim Henson and director of both The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, wasn't responsible for The Happytime Murders' script. That honour goes to Todd Berger (It's a Disaster, Cover Version), although there's little in the way that Henson executes the screenplay that extends past playing up the obvious. In fact, other than flesh-and-blood stars Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph and Elizabeth Banks, the movie's best touch actually springs from the writer's pen. In a film that endeavours to dive into nostalgic territory only to tear it apart in a sea of filthy fabric, having misbehaving puppets snort sugar as their substance of choice is a clever inclusion. Something sweet becomes something toxic, mirroring the picture's own gleeful approach. Made of blue material and sporting a gloomy attitude to match, Phil Philips (voiced by Bill Barretta) roams Los Angeles' streets as a wizened gumshoe. In short succession, two events change his life: he's hired by a seductive new client, and, working her case, he's found at the scene of a violent crime in a puppet porn shop. Before you can say "an octopus fondling cow udders" (something that happens in The Happytime Murders in graphic detail), another killing occurs, and Phil is teamed up with police detective Connie Edwards (McCarthy) to get to the bottom of it all. That the murder victims were all stars on 80s puppet TV show The Happytime Gang complicates matters, as does the fact that Phil was once the LAPD's first puppet cop (and Edwards' partner). While the puppet body count keeps climbing, little else in The Happytime Murders evolves across its mercifully brief running-time. From start to finish, it thinks that toys ejaculating silly string and having Basic Instinct moments is the height of humour. And let's be clear — we're not saying that puppets behaving badly can't be funny, just that it wears not just thin but threadbare here, and incredibly quickly. To give them credit, the filmmakers do try to branch beyond the Team America-style debauchery, setting their story in a world where the plush are treated like second-class citizens, dubbed 'felties' by their 'meat sack' oppressors and given no respect, in an attempt to parallel real-life racial discrimination. And yet, as well-meaning as that part of the story is, it's simply used to set up more debased jokes. It's also hardly unique, especially if the aforementioned Who Framed Roger Rabbit was one of your childhood favourites. Similarly working against the limp film is its unconvincing appearance, which never sells the idea that humans and talking pieces of cloth are actually interacting. There's an awkward, stilted feeling emanating from every scene, and it speaks volumes that the movie's most entertaining sequence involves Bridesmaids co-stars McCarthy and Rudolph and absolutely no characters fashioned from floppy material. Of course, a lot of hard work and skill went into making the furry figures come to life, as behind-the-scenes footage over the picture's closing credits shows. But, as the otherwise unseen green-suited puppeteers manoeuvre stitched-together toys, their efforts contribute to a stitched-together film that can't survive on a rote noir storyline, some human energy and too many gags about puppets gone wild. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ8R5xJeYfU
Given its title, audiences could be forgiven for thinking that The Promise is a Nicholas Sparks-penned romance. It's not, although in truth this tale of love in the time of the Armenian genocide isn't all that different from the sappy fluff the author of The Notebook, The Lucky One and The Choice tends to peddle. Indeed, the latest effort from writer-director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) has a one-track agenda: bringing an attractive couple together, tearing them apart and then forcing them to overcome horrific obstacles in an attempt to reunite. Oscar Isaac and Charlotte Le Bon play Armenians during the First World War. He's Mikael, a poor village apothecary who agrees to marry a local girl so he can use the dowry to pay for medical school in Constantinople. She's Ana, a well-off tutor who was raised in Paris. When sparks fly, there's plenty of complicating factors keeping them apart — including his betrothed back home and her boyfriend Chris (Christian Bale), an arrogant but fearless American journalist. Then there's the matter of the Ottoman Empire's campaign of violence against their people, which hinders Mikael and Ana at every turn. If it sounds as though we're downplaying the horrors inflicted on the Armenian population, that's because we're taking our cues from the film. The Promise never pushes the Turkish military's eradication efforts to the side — in fact, there's plenty of bleakness and brutality on display. Yet by using the conflict as a backdrop for a sweeping love story, the end result is the same. Given that the movie is billed as the first major feature to explore these particular events, that's obviously an problem. It really should go without saying that such an awful chapter of history doesn't need to be packaged as a grand romance to evoke an emotional reaction, and that it clearly deserves more considered, thoughtful treatment. Of course, filmmakers have been pairing love and war for as long as they've been making movies. The problem is that The Promise doesn't even try to find the right balance. Instead, it turns a rising death toll into a glimmer of hope that the central duo will find a way to be together. When you think about what that could mean for the other players in their overlapping love triangles, it all seems not only calculated, but highly disrespectful as well. Two factors at least help The Promise look the part, even if it struggles elsewhere. Handsome cinematography gives the movie the requisite epic sheen, while Isaac, Le Bon and Bale all put in solid performances. There's energy in their portrayals that isn't evident in the material otherwise, although sadly the trio can't completely enliven bland characters. Rather, they're stuck being the best things about a film that doesn't know the difference between having good intentions and actually following through on them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxjkuy3c3Lw
In just a couple of months, the days will be getting chillier and you'll be, once again, unpacking beanies and mitts — and cosy weekend getaways are likely already on your mind. Happily, this year sees the return of a popular pop-up accommodation option to regional Victorian, with the Wine Down Pop-Up Hotel heading back to two wineries this autumn. The two beautifully upcycled shipping container hotels are the work of Contained — known for crafting bars, restaurants, offices and hotels out of shipping containers — and are all at once comfy, luxuriously appointed and sustainably crafted. And they'll soon be well-travelled, moving across two of the state's best-loved wine regions between March and June. Designed to inspire some weekend adventures in your own backyard, the pop-up eco hotels will be making their home at Montalto and sister estate Tucks in the Mornington Peninsula (Monday, March 29–Monday, April 26), which has restaurants and even its own sculpture trail. Then, they'll be heading to the historic Rutherglen's All Saints Estate (Wednesday, May 5–Wednesday, June 2). Nestled among the vines, the self-contained Wine Down retreats come kitted out with a swag of high-end trimmings, boasting a plush queen-size bed with primo Cultiver linen, bathroom stocked with Australian-made toiletries, a minibar with a bottle of the property's finest vino, a breakfast hamper of local produce and floor-to-ceiling windows leading onto a deck. You'll also have access to your own private pizza oven, so you can cook up some fancy pies after a hard day of wine drinking. The Wine Down Pop-Up Hotel is heading to Mornington Peninsula from Monday, March 29–Monday, April 26, and Rutherglen from Wednesday, May 5–Wednesday, June 2. Prices start at $275 per night from Sundays through Thursdays and $375 per night on weekends.
It's a tale as old as time, again — but in an escape room-meets-scavenger hunt way. An interactive IRL game based on Beauty and the Beast will have fans running around the streets of Sydney in 2023. This new pastime hails from CluedUpp, which has already busted out CSI, Jack the Ripper, and witchcraft and wizarding-themed activities around Australia — plus Alice in Wonderland games, too. Here, the company wants you to be its guest to get sleuthing. Its Beauty and the Beast game involves roaming around outdoors on an adventure that takes its cues from the classic 18th-century fairy tale that's earned such a following, as combined with a whodunnit-style mystery. Beloved story? Tick. Inserting fans into said narrative? Tick again. Working in the ever-popular genre that is the whodunnit? Tick once more. Throw in the whole escape room and scavenger hunt elements, and it does sound like something that an algorithm would come up with — and a lot of fun. Hitting Melbourne on three Saturdays — July 15, August 12 and September 30 — this spin on Beauty and the Beast starts with the latter getting cursed again. Forget love — this time, there's challenges to complete, clues to crack and fairy tale characters for you and your mates to interrogate. Participants get involved in teams of up to six, roaming around outdoors with their phones to help. And yes, if you want to dress up to fit the theme, you can.
Back in 2018 for its 12th instalment, Opera Australia's popular Mazda Opera in the Bowl returns to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl for a wonderful night of opera under the stars — and it's absolutely free. Featuring some of Australia's top vocal talent in soprano Natalie Aroyan, mezzo-soprano Sian Pendry, tenor Virgilio Marino and baritone Luke Gabbedy, Opera in the Bowl will have you whistling along to famous tunes you didn't even know you knew. Gather the crew (and your trusty picnic basket) and settle in for a night of some of opera's most famous and most beautiful moments. But don't worry if you don't actually own a picnic basket — a whole heap of the city's best food trucks will be there cooking up a storm and the garden bar will be slinging all sorts of cusp-of-summer drinks. As for the soundtrack, a parade of famous arias, duets and overtures is sure to delight all music fans, whether you are an opera aficionado or you don't know Bellini from a bellini. If nothing else, it's a perfect cheap date idea.
Short, smart and sharp as a tack, The Party flies in the face of one of modern-day cinema's worst instincts. When we say it's short, we mean it, with this hilarious social satire clocking in at just 71 minutes. As an argument in support of concise, compact filmmaking (and against protracted running times with pointless meandering and overdone special effects), the movie really couldn't be stronger. Who needs to spend two to three hours watching '80s nostalgia, giant robots or whatever other bloated spectacle keeps coming our way when you can laugh heartily and frequently through this brief, biting take on Britain's bourgeois? Of course, we're generalising. Not all lengthy blockbusters overstay their welcome, but few do exactly what they need to in the exact right amount of time like The Party. That said, the latest film from writer-director Sally Potter (Ginger & Rosa) doesn't just win over viewers with brevity and succinctness. Among its considerable charms, the movie also boasts scathing humour and a stellar lineup of talent. The fast-paced shenanigans start with Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas) opening the door to her London home, staring directly at the camera and looking incredibly unhappy. Jump back to earlier in the evening, when she's just been appointed Shadow Minister for Health and is preparing to host friends to celebrate. Her husband Bill (Timothy Spall) seems to be getting into the mood with a few drinks, although he's rather maudlin given the occasion. Entering at their own leisure, the guests are a motley crew of emotions and moods. The snarky April (Patricia Clarkson) fights with her soon-to-be-ex Gottfried (Bruno Ganz); expectant couple Martha (Cherry Jones) and Jinny (Emily Mortimer) bicker over their approaches to motherhood; while banker Tom (Cillian Murphy) bides his time by doing cocaine in the bathroom — and trying to find somewhere to hide his gun. With The Party confining its characters to Janet's house and charting their actions almost in real time, things get heated rather quickly. Secrets are spilled, tempers seesaw, relationships threaten to unravel and acidic one-liners fly thick and fast – with a few earnest confessions thrown in for good measure. The specific surprises and revelations are best discovered by watching, but Potter and co-writer Walter Donohue (a story editor on much of the filmmaker's work) do more than just thrust seven people into close quarters and wait for them to erupt. As the conversation flows, the movie covers everything from class clashes to gender roles to political instability, in a manner that very much feels like a product of its post-Brexit timing. In what is perhaps a surprise for such a dialogue-heavy piece, the arguing and antics are shot in crisp black-and-white, with gorgeous roaming imagery that isn't afraid to get up close and personal. As a result, the movie sparkles not only in its comedy but in its visuals, which also helps overcome an obvious issue. Yes, The Party can sometimes resemble a play, albeit a particularly brisk and snappy one. Still, if Potter had plonked the same scenario and actors onto the stage, it'd still be an utter delight to watch. As for her cast, there are no weak links among the high-profile bunch — although Clarkson gets all of the best lines and Murphy will make you wish he flexed his comic chops much more often. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb4FF6lCqFw
Flight Facilities are mixing it up. Flying high from their Triple J House Party Tour, the Sydney-based duo will be performing their world-famous series of DJ mixtapes for the first time ever. The mixes, entitled Decades, will be performed over two nights. Friday will uncover the rhythmic prowess of 1972-1992, and Saturday will delve into 1992-2012. Given the band’s reputation for touring with flying goggles and aviator jackets, make sure you come dressed to impress. There are prizes for best costume each night, and the shows don't start 'til 11pm so you'll have the cover of darkness to hide your glitter on the way in. Mostly, just come prepared for some pretty vigorous dancing. If you’re craving an excellent night out, this is it.
Back in March 2020, Victoria implemented a State of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a move it has extended monthly since. So, while originally due to expire at midnight on Monday, April 13, the State of Emergency has been prolonged every time it has approached its end date. And, although it's now 2021, it has just been extended again. The state is currently working through its roadmap to ease out of lockdowns. That said, because things can change quickly where the coronavirus is concerned, the Victorian Government also recently implementing new restrictions in response to the most recent COVID-19 outbreak. Accordingly, extending the State of Emergency is hardly surprising news. It was prolonged from 11.59pm on Sunday, January 3, 2021, and now runs through until 11.59pm on Sunday, January 29, 2021 — although, of course, it could be continued again then. The State of Emergency declaration allows the state's authorised officers to "act to eliminate or reduce a serious risk to public health" as directed by Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. That means restricting movement, preventing entry to premises and venues, and detaining people — measures that have been in place for almost a year now as the state responds to the coronavirus. Victoria had also been in a declared State of Disaster since the beginning of August, which gives police additional powers to ensure that Victorians are complying with public health directions — but that was allowed to lapse in November. Fines continue to be handed out to folks who breach the restrictions — with the state's on-the-spot financial penalties spanning up to $4659 for individuals if you test positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms and are awaiting test results, but fail to isolate at home. People who repeatedly break the rules can also be sent to the Magistrates Court and fined up to $20,000. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria and how to protect yourself, head to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website.
The Social Network isn't a rowing film, but the Henley Royal Regatta sequence in David Fincher's (The Killer) 2010 triumph quickly became one of cinema's most-famous oar-sweeping moments. Prestige, money, tradition, opulence, power, competition, determination: they all wash through the tightly shot segment, which gleams with the water of the River Thames, the sweat on the crew's faces and, just as importantly, with status. Definitely a rowing film, The Boys in the Boat paddles into the same world; however, a commentator's line mid-movie sums up the focus and angle of this old-fashioned underdog sports flick. "Old money versus no money at all" is how the usual big and rich names in the field and the University of Washington's junior varsity team are compared. George Clooney's (The Tender Bar) ninth feature as a director doesn't just spot the class-clash difference there — his entire picture wades into that gulf. Drawn from 2013 non-fiction novel The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown, reuniting Clooney with his The Midnight Sky screenwriter Mark L Smith in the process, The Boys in the Boat is about the UW's rowing efforts, rower Joe Rantz and coach Al Ulbrickson, too — plus an against-the-odds quest, bold choices, the struggles of the Great Depression, the reality of an Olympics held under the Nazi regime and the looming shadow of war. But thrumming at its heart like a coxswain is setting the pace is the mission to keep afloat one stroke at a time, and not merely in the pursuit of glory and medals. What rowing means to Rantz (Callum Turner, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore), the character at its centre, as well as to the classmates-turned-crewmates catching and extracting with him, is pure survival first and foremost. Rantz is the engineering student who lines his shoes with newspaper to cover the holes in their soles, has no reliable place to sleep and hasn't been a stranger to going hungry for years. He's had zero family to support him since he was 14, thanks to his remarried dad, and he'll no longer be at college if he can't come up with his tuition fees. If the details weren't all true, and if The Boys in the Boat wasn't so matter-of-fact about them — patient in its overall pacing, handsome in its imagery, and clear-eyed about the dire and desperate situation its protagonist is in when everything changes — then the movie's plot might seem to be a Hollywood confection. Indeed, Clooney's current jump behind the lens feels like a throwback thanks to its sincerity, and its understatement along with it. Finding emotion in the specifics of Rantz's life and feats isn't hard, so there's no forceful poking and jabbing needed. That existence-shifting turn comes via trials for UW's JV rowers, not out of affinity for or interest in the sport but because his similarly doing-it-rough pal Roger Morris (Sam Strike, American Outlaws) mentions that there'll be lodging and pay for whoever gets picked. Hundreds show up. Only eight will make it. The gratitude in their eyes is the antithesis of the entitlement spied when The Boys in the Boat enrols them in races against competitors from cashed-up schools, and as The Social Network's time in racing shells splashed around so successfully. Where Rantz's journey glides from there isn't difficult to guess, as seen in training montages, rising passion for his new endeavour, gaining more confidence about falling for childhood friend Joyce (Hadley Robinson, Anyone But You), butting heads with the stoic Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton, I'm a Virgo) and receiving words of wisdom from boatbuilder George Pocock (Peter Guinness, Jack Ryan). And yet, in a move that separates it from the clumsy breeziness of the other underdog sports flick based on real-life hitting silver screens of late, Next Goal Wins, it's always told with the utmost earnestness. The Boys in the Boat is solid, then — an apt state for a film about securing sure footing atop a substance that's anything but. Clooney's fellow key craftspeople, including cinematographer Martin Ruhe (who shot The Tender Bar and The Midnight Sky), editor Tanya M Swerling (returning from The Tender Bar as well) and composer Alexandre Desplat (also back from The Midnight Sky), make their pivotal contributions just as reliably. Scenes with oars in hand are a particular thrill, contrasting the exertion, resolve and grit to persist within the UW boat with the shimmering water and scenic surroundings. Peering at Turner and Edgerton, their characters pitched as opposites who aren't really, proves equally revealing in conveying why Rantz and the crew's toils — and Ulbrickson's tough love — is all about persevering no matter what, too. As a filmmaker, Clooney started out making movies that he'd also act in, albeit regularly leaving the leading parts to his co-stars. In his 2002 directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, as in 2017's Suburbicon, 2021's The Tender Bar and now The Boys in the Boat, for example, he's been perfecting the art of enlisting other talents to play roles that he might've once (or easily could've, but has chosen not to). Edgerton's performance as Ulbrickson slides into that category. That said, he brings his own interiority and intensity to a figure who rarely cracks a smile, appears dedicated to winning above all else — putting the JV squad in races over their senior counterparts if it'll improve his chances of victory, in fact, and regardless of the uproar sparked — yet also clearly cares, even if his way of showing it is simply going about the team's business as usual. Evident in Edgerton's portrayal, and Turner's — the movie would sink if it wasn't — is tenacity that goes past the promise of prizes, fame and acclaim. As much as the film sees the desolation of the period, its push against the privilege, elitism and affluence that's often synonymous with rowing shines through strongest in its characters. This can't be called a scrappy picture in any sense but, as Turner and Edgerton ensure with help from Strike, Luke Slattery (New Amsterdam) as coxswain Bobby Much and Jack Mulhern (Pet Sematary: Bloodlines) as crew member Don Hume, it's filled with scrappers. While The Social Network will remain the pinnacle of rowing on-screen for now, telling a familiar tale well, The Boys in the Boat brings stirring depth.
From the shaken to the stirred and everything in-between — this May, the country's world-class mixology scene will be celebrated in a very big way at a brand-new month-long drinks festival. The inaugural Australian Cocktail Month is set to kick off Saturday, May 1, descending on venues across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide with a diverse lineup of crafty collaborations and exclusive concoctions. Here in Melbourne, 18 venues will help the event make its grand debut, including local favourites Nick & Nora's, The Everleigh, Black Pearl, Heartbreaker and Lover. They'll spend the month whipping up creative-charged festival cocktails (and mocktails) using drops from both local brands — think: Melbourne Gin Company, Brix Distillers, Mr Black and Starward — and international labels like Diplomatico Rum, Naked Grouse Whisky and Fords Gin. To get among the best of it, grab a $20 Australian Cocktail Month ticket and enjoy full access to all of the participating venues' cocktail creations. Alcoholic drinks will be priced at $14 a pop, with low-alcohol and booze-free options clocking in at $10. [caption id="attachment_719907" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Everleigh, Gareth Sobey[/caption] Top image: Nick & Nora's, Brook James.
Your mouth has never been more important in determining what other people should eat, thanks to The Village who are hosting a Food of Origin series over five weekends in August, showcasing cuisines from different continents. Each weekend, The Village (formerly the Belgian Beer Garden) will bring together some palate-packing delights from North America, Central & South America, Europe and Asia. Your role? Go famished. Get fuelled up. Then vote for your favourite. This weekend is the grand finale: when the four food trucks that were voted crowd favourite at the previous four week's Trailer Park get togethers come back for one big best-of. We don't know who will be there yet, but it will be a four of these tasty contenders who are battling it out for a spot in the showcase: August 1-2 - North America: Mr Burger, Smokin Barrys, TOASTA, Jay's Yogurt. August 8-9 - Central & South America: Taco Truck, Iv's Burritos, La Revolucion, Señor Churro. August 15-16 - Europe: Greek Street Food, Happy Camper Pizza, Jakob's Kitchen - Gourmet Sausages, The Brûlée Cart. August 22-23 - Asia: White Guy Cooks Thai, Hammer & Tong Food Truck, Nuoc Mama's, Gorilla Grill. August 29-30 - Best Of: The four chosen weekly winners will come back for the Trailer Park Showcase.
When we take that first sip of our barista-brewed coffee on a workday morning, a lot of us can't actually imagine living without coffee. But what about living without a roof over your head or a guaranteed meal? Unfortunately, this is what many homeless people around Australia face each day, but on Friday, August 4, you can help your fellow Aussies out simply by buying a coffee as part of CafeSmart. CafeSmart is an annual event from StreetSmart that raises money and awareness for the homeless and is back for its seventh year running. This year over 500 cafes will aim to raise more than last year's total of $160,523. So how does it work? From every coffee purchased on August 4 at a participating cafe around Australia, $1 will be donated towards local projects. So if your go-to local isn't participating, shake things up for a day and head to one that is. Prefer a hot chocolate? You can also donate at the counter. Simply by aiming for a bighearted cafe, you'll be helping some of our country's most in-need humans, so treat yourself to a third or fourth coffee guilt-free. There are a heap of cafes participating across the city, but some include: Seven Seeds Assembly Proud Mary Top Paddock Tivoli Road Bakery Dr Morse Barry Axil Earl Sensory Lab
Ring in the Year of the Monkey with a little bit of monkey business at Queen Victoria Market. From February 16 to 20, the market is hosting a series of Chinese New Year food, music and cultural events, along with a pair of artistic installations. See traditional lion and dragon dances, take part in a guided market tasting tour, and celebrate with Yuan Xiao Jie: a lantern festival complete with live entertainment and a variety of Asian food stalls. Whichever event you decide to attend, make sure you walk down Queen Street Parade — where 14 columns have been erected featuring traditional Chinese opera masks — and pay a visit to Shed A which will be lit up with 70 red lanterns.
Sweet tooths, assemble. Pastry chef Pierre Roelofs and his team of wicked enablers have packed up their summer soft serve pop-up and resurrected their legendary Dessert Evenings, shattering our halfhearted plans to cut down on the sweet stuff like the ears on all those chocolate Easter bunnies we devoured over the weekend. Oops. After five years at Cafe Rosamond in Fitzroy and a short stint at Adriano Zumbo's Fancy Nance in South Yarra last year, Roelofs' dessert extravaganzas are making the move to a new home: Milkwood in Brunswick East. Hosted every Thursday night at the cosy Nicholson Street cafe, diners can expect a four-course degustation — the catch being that all four courses are dessert. The menu is top secret and changes every time. We can tell you that previous evenings have involved ridiculous concoctions of mascarpone, strawberry, honey, orange, cardamom and speculaas, as well as a deconstructed bread and butter pudding served in one of Roelofs' famed dessert test tubes. The first dessert evening will kick off next week on Thursday, April 7 with sittings at 7pm, 8.20pm and 9.40pm. You'll need to book in advance — so for the love of the dessert Gods, do so right away.
With another woolly winter in full swing, red wine season is officially in play. And if you're hunting some new drops to put on rotation, you'll find them in force at Ballarat's regional wine celebration The Red Series. Taking over the Ballarat Mining Exchange on Saturday, July 30, the tasting festival is set to pour the best red drops from across Western Victoria's Grampians and Pyrenees regions. The reds will be flowing across two sessions (11.30am–2.30pm & 3.30–6.30pm) as 22 wineries show off their goods, including names like Mount Langi Ghiran, Blue Pyrenees Estate and Fallen Giants. [caption id="attachment_862984" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy of Grounded Pleasures & Settler and Sons Ballarat[/caption] While your palate trips between wines ranging from the full-bodied, to the mild and fruity, you'll also get to dig into grazing boxes from Vegas & Rose, a menu of gourmet wintry pies and live, local tunes. Tickets are $45 online ($50 at the door), which includes all your tastings and a souvenir tasting glass, plus a take-home bag with space for six bottles, ready to fill with your favourite picks of the day. [caption id="attachment_862979" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Courtesy of Grounded Pleasures & Settler and Sons Ballarat[/caption] Top Image: Vegas & Rose Photography
When you're a child it seems everyone is older than you: there's the nosey neighbour, the doting pseudo-grandma, the spiteful widow and the grumpy old man who sits on the patio, finger shaking erratically. Whether they like it or not each of them bear witness to your messy childhood: the bloody noses, the scraped knees and the broken windows. All the while your throwing arm gets stronger, your running strides get longer and your teeth, well they aren't really sure what they're doing. Fast-forward 20 years and look who you bump into. It's old Mr Shakes-his-finger: "Oh you haven't changed a bit,” he says. “You're still that scrappy little boy struggling to grow into his frames." You stare blankly, brow furrowed. Minutes later you’re rummaging through the old family albums only to realise the old bleeder is right. You're the spitting image of your former self. Just ask Buenos Aires artist Irina Werning whose ongoing photography series is all about going 'Back to the Future'. Through this modern-day venture Werning indulges her love for photos from the past by asking today's adult to recreate yesterday's child. The side-by-side visuals are an amazing insight into the magic of time, youth and the joys of trying to recapture it. Irina Werner
The gay marriage plebiscite, otherwise known as the Australian Government's Worst Ever Decision, has been a horrible storm of vileness for most. But the silver lining of this dark cloud is the outpouring of love and support for the LGBTQI community, and it's still going strong. The Yaasss! Marathon is a movie marathon showing an eclectic range of queer films at various cinemas across the city on November 5. You can catch the program at Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn or Cameo Cinemas in Belgrave. Running for a full day, from 10am to 11pm, the program for the marathon includes: The Queen of Ireland (2015) Carol (2015) Weekend (2012) Moonlight (2016) The Birdcage (1996) Tangerine (2015) Single film tickets are $15 or $45 for the full marathon. And all profits will be donated to Minus18, Australia's biggest network for LGBTQI youths. So, if exactly nothing good comes out of this plebiscite, at least we can curl up alongside a group of warriors and watch some damn fine cinema.
Winter has landed, the temperatures are icy and you've more than likely got a few Cup NoodleS lunches in your near future. Well, those sad supermarket versions can go take a hike, because Supernormal Canteen has brought back its cult favourite Sup Noodle Cup to see you through the frosty season in style. The solo serves of rich broth and noodles are on offer Wednesdays to Fridays all through winter, rotating through a new flavour each month. For June, the kitchen's dishing up a vegan concoction, July's base is an aromatic bone broth and August will see you slurping down a smoked fish soup. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx1kIt9A4wS/ A basic Sup Noodle Cup will set you back an easy $10, though there are plenty of add-ons to tempt you to get creative with some pimping. Think, charred seasonal vegetables, chicken thigh yakitori, Abrolhos Island scallops, a soy egg and more. If you're thinking you'll be downing a fair few of these this winter, you can grab a Sup Cup loyalty card in-store and enjoy your fifth cup completely free. Find Supernormal Canteen at 157 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. It's $10 Sup Noodles are available from 5pm Wednesday–Friday throughout winter. Image: Jo McGann.
The Mornington Peninsula might be best known for its wineries and beaches, but this month, you're encouraged to venture down to check out its creative side, too. As part of Drift Arts Festival, the region is currently playing host to a slew of sea-inspired visual delights for new multidisciplinary art project O_C_E_A_N. On Saturday, May 14, the waters off Point Leo Boat Club will host an exhibition with a twist, as the Floating Gallery showcases a curation of works, each displayed atop a boat. Swim, row, or SUP your way around the over-water gallery, to see works by artists like Alice Blanch, Hamish Donaldson, Judith Van Heeren, Leyla Bulmer, Warren Cooke and more. While that exhibition is a one-day-only affair, other O_C_E_A_N offerings have been extended and will be sticking around until Wednesday, June 1. They include a special presentation at Mornington Peninsula Regional Art Gallery showing Brett Whiteley's The Cloud Reader alongside Abdul Abdullah's work Thinking About Things, together pondering the question of who owns the ocean. Meanwhile, The Esplanade in Flinders plays host to a site-responsive sculptural work titled The Lookout (best enjoyed at sunrise or sunset), and ocean-inspired photographic art trail Saved has popped up along the Coolart Wetlands Walk. [caption id="attachment_853686" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bri Horne[/caption] Images: Bri Horne
We all know Melbourne loves a pop-up, especially one in a laneway. So, what better way to mark the City of Melbourne's latest campaign to celebrate the CBD's unique culture, than a limited-time-only pop-up program packed full of art, music, food, cocktails and coffee? Enter, Supermelbourne — a vibrant activation descending on Howey Place from Saturday, October 22–Wednesday, October 26, here to help kick off new CBD-focused campaign Only in the City. Three of the strip's shopfronts will be reimagined for five days of creatively-charged fun, complete with spot giveaways, plus prizes for the best-dressed guests. On the agenda, you'll catch a lineup of 10 local DJs spinning tunes across opening weekend, as well as a multi-sensory underground art and light installation courtesy of renowned creatives Drez, Kit Webster and George Rose. The city's culinary scene will be spotlighted with two special collaborations — one pairing Chancery Lane's famed macaron with caffeinated treats by The Alley Edition, and the other celebrating Serai's Filipino bites alongside an exclusive cocktail by acclaimed bar Byrdi. After a memento? Check out the signature Supermelbourne apparel collection dreamed up by illustrator Oslo Davis and homewares store KIP&Co. Supermelbourne is free to explore, though some events have limited capacity.
One of the strangest and most distinctive animated films in living memory is getting the live score treatment at this year's Melbourne Festival. The tale of a kidnapped cyclist, his plucky grandmother and a trio of music hall singers, Sylvian Chomet's The Triplets of Belleville is an absolute delight, not least of all thanks to Benoît Charest's wonderful musical score. The composer to will attend a pair of screenings at the Melbourne Recital Centre, where he'll conduct a live performance by his band Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville while the movie plays in the background. The group will also play a pair of gigs at The Toff in Town, if you want to hear what else it is they're capable of.
Three of Melbourne's culinary stalwarts are teaming up to reimagine Sunday brunch, for a very good cause. On July 22, Hanoi Hannah, Lune Croissanterie and Industry Beans will raise much needed funds for the Royal Children's Hospital, when they dish up a special Hanoi-meets-Melbourne brunch feast, at Hanoi Hannah's New Quarter site on Swan Street. Kicking off the Good Morning Vietnam feed will be one of Lune's legendary, buttery croissants — teamed either with one of Hanoi Hannah's signature, spring roll-topped bloody marys, or a specialty Viet-style coffee, designed especially for the event by your mates at Fitzroy specialty coffee roaster Industry Beans. After that, you'll get to choose between a classic egg and bacon banh mi, a congee of winter greens topped with a Chinese doughnut, or the banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) loaded with smoked trout, salmon roe and crème fraîche. The brekkie will set you back $40 and, as staff will be volunteering their time, 100 percent of proceeds will go to the Royal Children's Hospital. There are three sittings available on Sunday, July 22 — 9-10.30am, 10.30am-noon and 12-1.30pm — and tickets are on sale now.
Spring has sprung and the flowers are beginning to bloom again, but you don't have to be in the Botanic Gardens to experience some of the magic. To celebrate the exciting new season, the NGV are exploring the world of scent. Amidst 18,000 newly-planted flowers, manmade clouds of scent will be dispersed in the gallery's sculpture garden from September 25 - November 30. Curated by former New York Times perfume critic Chandler Burr — yeah, that's a real job — Hyper-Natural will explore the little-known process of scent design. Presented as a showcase from initial scent molecule to finished synthetic product, seven perfumes will be dispersed in the area as original scent artworks. Burr claims he wants visitors to "move beyond mere emotional responses and memories to recognise and thing critically about scent design". But don't worry, no one's going to stop you from obliviously wandering around the garden taking in all the pretty smells. Time to sedate that hayfever with some Coco Chanel. Photo credit: HereIsTom via photopin cc.
Melbourne musos are in for a treat next year. A massive new exhibition entirely dedicated to Ziggy Stardust himself is hitting ACMI in the middle of the year. Originally curated for the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, David Bowie Is takes visitors inside the life, career and intricate creative process of one of the most significant pop stars of the past 40 years. With hundreds of show props, rare photographs and characteristically elaborate costumes, it's a Bowie bacchanalia that looks guaranteed to be a big hit with fans. Of course, June 2015 is still quite a while away, and so in order to whet peoples' appetites, select cinemas are offering a sneak peak at the exhibition via an exclusive documentary walkthrough. Shot on the final evening of the exhibition's original showing in the UK, the 'movie' gives viewers a glimpse of some of the highlights, interwoven with interviews with various artists who have either worked with or been inspired by the big man himself. In other words, the film is basically one big, 100-minute promotional video, specifically designed to make the exhibition look amazing and convince people to buy a ticket. And in fairness, to that end, it's generally pretty successful. The exhibition does look great. On the other hand, if you're going to charge people $15 for a movie ticket, you really need to be doing more than just spruiking what's to come. Paying to be told about an opportunity to pay for something else is hardly a worthwhile investment. It wouldn't be so bad if the doco had a little bit more of that patented Bowie energy. But while the V&A curators, who act as our tour guides, are obviously knowledgeable, they're also far too dry and academic in their presentation to inspire any real level enthusiasm. Strategically placed vox pops with exhibition visitors do a better job in this regard, with many fans speaking about the personal impact the singer and his music has had on them. But there's also a distinct and, at times, rather cringe-worthy vibe of hero worship to these interviews, which ultimately just drives home the film's status as a tacky piece of marketing. Maybe just wait 'til June for the real thing.
If you love this French indie quintet, but aren't so keen on a full-on day at Future, we have great news! Phoenix will be bringing their undeniably catchy synth-pop to Festival Hall this March. Their fifth studio release Bankrupt! is everything you love about Phoenix, times 10. Skeptical? Give 'S.O.S. In Bel Air' a listen. While the latest release is certainly impressive, we hope lead singer Thomas Mars will be singing older favourites from previous albums too, including Alphabetical, It’s Never Been Like That and the hugely popular Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The support act, World's End Press, could not be a more perfect accompaniment for what is sure to be an evening of bright lights, boisterous sing-a-longs and uncontrollable dancing. Their own breed of synth rock is both joyous and thoughtful; it’s certainly worth getting to the gig on time to see both tremendous acts in all their glory.
Over the past few months, many Australians have been working from home, which means many of us are have been leaning on our bar carts a little more than usual. This has lead to a level of experimentation — whether that's ordering in cocktails, trying our hand at making our own fancy drinks or getting some fun wines delivered. Another way you could get creative is by ordering a bottle of Unico Zelo's yuzu vermouth. The tasty child of Adelaide Hills winery Unico Zelo and sister distillery Applewood, this second batch of untraditional (but ever-so-tasty) vermouth is made from a combination of Adelaide Hills merlot grapes, some native Australian botanicals (usually used to make Applewood's Okar bitter amaro) and yuzu from Mountain Yuzu — a 20-acre farm located in northeast Victoria, on the foothills of the Australian Alps. As you can see, its an all-Australian affair, unlike a lot of traditional vermouths, which are made in Italy and France. Eco-minded founders and winemakers Laura and Brendan Carter are committed to using native botanicals and sustainably produced grapes in their entire range of wines and spirits, aiming to create products that truly taste Aussie as. As it's not a traditional sweet vermouth — it's really quite far from it — we forgive you for not knowing exactly how to drink it. But, thankfully, we've done some testing for you. On the rocks? Yep. Instead of sweet vermouth in a negroni? Do it. With a splash of soda? Definitely. If you want something a little fancier, the Unico team has a couple of cocktail suggestions for you. Try your hand at the Natty-Cano, a spin on an americano, but with pét-nat instead of soda water. To make it, mix 45-millilitres of Unico Yuzu, 15-millilitres of Økar Island Bitter (or Campari) and 120-millilitres of pét-nat in a highball glass and garnish with an orange twist. Unico (the parent company of Unico Zelo and Applewood) has also been steadily dropping a heap of other exciting spirits throughout the year, too, including a pretty-in-pink coral gin. All of Unico's limited releases only available in very small batches, so if you want it, don't wait on it. Unico's Yuzu Vermouth is available to purchase via the website from Friday, July 17. Priced at $34.99 per bottle.
Alt-rockers Beach Slang and Spring King are travelling our way from either side of the Atlantic for this punk-rock, post-punk, double bill, Splendour sideshow Beach Slang, who hail from Philadelphia, smashed through ten high-powered shows at this year's SXSW, off the back of launching full-length album The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us. This will be their Australian debut, so let's show 'em a good time. Meanwhile, Spring King, from Manchester, caught the attention of Zane Lowe with 2014 single 'City'. Their debut album, Tell Me If You Like To, came out in June. There's more Splendour sideshow action where this came from. Check out our list of sideshows with tickets still available.
