Melbourne's arts calendar never fails to keep us busy, however, it's always had a bit of a lull in winter before Melbourne International Arts Festival and Melbourne Music Week take over the city in spring. But, from next year, that's all set change. The Victorian Government has this morning announced that it will launch a huge new citywide arts festival in the winter of 2020. It's a big shake-up to the Melbourne arts calendar as the new festival will merge the aforementioned Melbourne Festival and arts all-nighter White Night and move them into a winter timeslot. Since its inception, White Night has been held on a hot February night — however, in September last year, it was announced that it would move to August for 2019. Melbourne Fest, which was established in 1986, is usually held in October. [caption id="attachment_650235" align="alignnone" width="1920"] White Night Melbourne[/caption] Exact timings and details are yet to be revealed, but the new "global" festival — as it's being billed by the Andrews Government — will take over the city for several weeks, much like Melbourne Festival usually does in October. While it will no doubt combine the best bits of the two existing festivals, a new creative team will come on to develop a new program and vision. We're told the the 2020 program will feature a "diverse program of visual and performing arts" coupled with with "large-scale takeovers of precincts" after-dark. Hopefully that means more immersive installations like last year's Fire Garden at Melbourne Festival. The inaugural festival — which is yet to be named — will kick off with a 'transitional' year in the winter of 2020. It's set to support Melbourne's tourism and hospitality industries in the quieter months and, no doubt, provide a Melbourne equivalent to Sydney's popular Vivid festival, which kicks off this month. Both White Night and the Melbourne International Arts Festival will go ahead as planned this year, on the weekend of August 22–24 and October 2–20, respectively. The new winter festival will hit Melbourne in winter 2020. We'll keep you updated when new details or dates are announced. Image: Fire Garden from Melbourne International Arts Festival 2018, by Vincent Muteau.
For the past eight years, the annual MPavilion design commission has gifted Melbourne with a rotation of unique, architect-designed temporary structures, which each then play host to a summer-long festival of free events. This year, after 2020's COVID-related diversion from the norm, MPavilion will return to its usual setting at the Queen Victoria Gardens from December 2 — and it's kicking off a jam-packed five-month appearance to celebrate. Titled The LightCatcher, the new-season commission is the work of Venice's MAP Studio. It takes the form of an urban lighthouse, featuring a network of steel tubes and light-reflecting mirrored panels that appear to float above the earth. The structure will get quite the workout, too, playing host to a program of over 250 free talks, workshops, performances and installations, running until April 24, 2022. Each month will focus on a different theme, but there are events to delight music-lovers, design fiends, art nerds and everyone in between. Read on to get a preview of the fantastic program. [caption id="attachment_831152" align="alignnone" width="1920"] An event at MPavilion 2019[/caption] There'll be design-focused conversations with a swag of local and international names, from MAP Studio's Francesco Magnani and Traudy Pelzel with Grand Designs Australia's Peter Maddison, to globally-renowned design collective Space Saloon. MPavilion's supporting program of residencies, MProjects, will include the launch of Patricia Piccinini's hot air balloon sculpture Skywhalepapa, the return of Indigenous architecture forum BLAKitecture: The Manifesto, and a deep-dive into 'the salon', featuring a pop-up nail bar. The program's sonic delights include a slew of Melbourne Music Week events, as well as a series of meditative morning performances by Deborah Cheetham AO, and talks and DJ sessions led by Andee Frost. [caption id="attachment_831156" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Erik Yvon's uniform design, captured by Marie Luise Photographer[/caption] Elsewhere in the program, you can catch a seating installation by Castlemaine furniture studio Like Butter; experience author Monique Grbec's reinterpretation of Pink Floyd's iconic rock opera The Wall through an Indigenous lens; and learn about the ancient practice of astronomy within Indigenous Australian Nations in a chat with Gomeroi astrophysicist and host of 3RRR's Indigenuity, Krystal de Napoli. Plus, the MPavilion Wedding Day will host ceremonies for three lucky couples whose previous wedding plans have been smashed by COVID-19. Throw in a masquerade ball, a DJ program, and collaborations with the likes of Melbourne Fringe, TarraWarra Museum of Art and Melbourne Theatre Company, and your MPavilion calendar is looking very full indeed. And, with no detail left to chance, the specially-commissioned staff uniforms are the work of local fashion designer Erik Yvon. Find 'The LightCatcher' at Queen Victoria Gardens, Domain Parklands, St Kilda Road, Melbourne, from December 2–April 24. The supporting MPavilion program will feature alongside these dates, with an additional offering of online events from Tuesday, November 23. Head to the website to check out the full program and learn more about this year's commission. Top Image: Render of 'The LightCatcher' by MAP Studio, MPavilion 2021. Deborah Cheetham AO, by Wayne Quilliam.
Every year, once gifts have been given, turkey and prawns devoured, drinks sipped and backyard games of cricket played, the festive season delivers another treat. Whatever you spend your Christmas Day doing, Boxing Day is just as exciting if you're a movie buff — or even simply eager to escape the weather, and your house, to relax in air-conditioning and watch the latest big-screen releases. 2020 might've seen cinemas Down Under spend months empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading; however, the country's picture palaces are well and truly back in business. And, they're screening a wide array of Boxing Day fare as always — so at least one thing about this chaotic year is proceeding as normal. If you're wondering not only what's screening, but what's worth your time, we've watched and reviewed the day's slate of new titles. It spans superheroes, sublime dramas, documentaries about spectacular desserts, animated sequels, spy films and more, so don't say you don't have anything to see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSFpK34lfv0 NOMADLAND Frances McDormand is a gift of an actor. Point a camera her way, and a performance so rich that it feels not just believable but tangible floats across the screen. That's true whether she's playing overt or understated characters, or balancing those two extremes. In Fargo, the first film that earned her an Oscar, McDormand is distinctive but grounded, spouting midwestern phrases like "you betcha" but inhabiting her part with texture and sincerity. In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, her next Academy Award-winning role, she's an impassioned mother crusading for justice and vengeance, and she ripples with deep-seated sorrow mixed with anger so fiery that it may as well be burning away her insides. Now, in Nomadland, McDormand feels stripped bare and still a commanding force to be reckoned with. She's tasked with a plucky but struggling part — defiant and determined, too; knocked around by life's ups and downs, noticeably; and, crucially, cognisant that valuing the small pleasures is the hardest but most rewarding feat. It'll earn her another Oscar nomination. It could see her nab a third shiny statuette just three years after her last. Both are highly deserved outcomes because hers is an exceptional performance, and this is 2020's best film. Here, leading a cast that also includes real people experiencing the existence that's fictionalised within the narrative, she plays the widowed, van-dwelling Fern — a woman who takes to the road, and to the nomad life, after the small middle-America spot where she spent her married years turns into a ghost town when the local mine is shuttered due to the global financial crisis. A slab of on-screen text explains her predicament, with the film then jumping into the aftermath. Following her travels over the course of more than a year, this humanist drama serves up an observational portrait of those that society happily overlooks. It's both deeply intimate and almost disarmingly empathetic in the process, as every movie made by Chloe Zhao is. This is only the writer/director's third, slotting in after 2015's Songs My Brothers Taught Me and 2017's The Rider but before 2021's Marvel flick Eternals, but it's a feature of contemplative and authentic insights into the concepts of home, identity and community. Meticulously crafted, shot and performed, it truly sees everyone in its frames, be they fictional or real. Nomandland understands their plights, and ensures its audience understands them as well. It's exquisitely layered, because its protagonist, those around her and their lives earn the same term — and Zhao never forgets that, or lets her viewers either. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dINWTUPkLqs WONDER WOMAN 1984 When it hit cinemas three years ago, the first movie about Princess Diana of Themyscira — also known as Diana Prince — stood out. Even though the DC Extended Universe started five years after the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC bested its rival by focusing on a female character in its fourth film (for Marvel, it took 21 movies, only achieving the feat with 2019's Captain Marvel). DC didn't waste its opportunity, either. Wonder Woman isn't a mere cookie-cutter superhero flick, just focusing on a character of a different gender. It champions understanding and emotional intelligence, handles its engaging origin story with sincerity and warmth, and unfurls an adventure where both strength and vulnerability exist in tandem. It also relays a fulfilling tale; a sequel was inevitable, but the initial movie didn't just whet the audience's appetite for the next, plus all the other caped crusader films certain to follow. That second effort is now here but, sadly, it doesn't continue its predecessor's best achievements. No matter how much returning director Patty Jenkins and the powers-that-be behind the DCEU hope that Wonder Woman 1984's viewers sport an expression of wonder — and how much they believe that simply making a sequel to their 2017 blockbuster is enough to cause it — the movie doesn't earn much more than a resigned sigh. In Wonder Woman 1984, Diana (Gal Gadot, Justice League) tells everyone again and again that being truthful is far more important than anything else. That, and taking a more-is-more approach, are the feature's main driving forces. Jumping forward almost seven decades within the Wonder Woman films' timeline, Diana has taken up an anthropologist job at the Smithsonian, and turned swinging through malls on her Lasso of Truth to fight crime into her side hustle. But then insecure archaeologist Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig, Where'd You Go, Bernadette) starts working beside her, gets tasked with assessing a mysterious gem, and lets Donald Trump-esque infomercial salesman Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal, The Mandalorian) take the strange object home with him. It's no ordinary rock, however. It grants wishes, so Maxwell wants to take advantage of that power — and, unknowingly, both Diana and Barbara have already uttered their dreams aloud while holding the stone. These fantasies come at a cost, of course, even before Maxwell uses his to try to take over the world. Wonder Woman 1984 doesn't spin the most complicated story, but it's so repetitive and meandering across its 151-minute running time that it's needlessly bulky, muddled and weighed down. It also pushes Gadot to the side far too often; this sequel certainly knows how to trot out well-worn beats packaged as part-upbeat heroism, part-social satire, but it just doesn't realise where its true strengths reside often enough. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uan6MDxf3wU OTTOLENGHI AND THE CAKES OF VERSAILLES Marie Antoinette didn't actually say "let them eat cake", no matter how often the statement is misattributed to the 18th-century royal before her date with the guillotine. But New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art was surely hoping she would've approved of its hedonistic June 2018 food gala, which tied into the venue's Visitors to Versailles exhibition in the same year — and, in line with the place and period under the grill, put decadence on the menu. Overseeing the spread of desserts fit for a queen: renowned Israeli English chef and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi. He didn't make the Feast of Versailles' lavish cakes himself; instead, he trawled Instagram to source and select five pâtissiers known for delicious, innovative and aesthetically appealing wares. He found them, too, enlisting Dominique Ansel, the NYC-based French pastry chef who invented the cronut; Sam Bompas and Harry Parr, the London food artists known for their striking jellies and unique food events; architecturally trained Ukrainian Dinara Kasko, who approaches her desserts with the same design principles; Ghaya Oliveira, an award-winner and veteran at the Michelin-starred Restaurant Daniel; and Singapore's Janice Wong, who aims to turn chocolate into edible art. The exacting theme that views art and history through an untraditional lens, the melding of varying creative arenas, the roll call of significant names in their field, the theatricality on display, the iconic setting — if it all sounds a bit like a culinary version of The Met Gala, that was undoubtedly the intention, too. This was no ordinary serving of sugar. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that, as the venue's fashion-focused event did before it, Feast of Versailles has also earned the documentary treatment. Where The First Monday in May chronicled the preparations for 2015's Met Gala, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles does the same with the quest to recreate the Palace of Versailles' gardens with chocolate and multi-coloured fondant, whip up a tiered mousse cake that resembles the French castle's sculptured detail, and pair them all with swan-topped pastries, wobbling palace-shaped jellies and a cocktail-filled whirlpool fountain. Viewers of cooking-focused reality television will know what's in store. That may not be the comparison one expects with a doco about a Met event, but it fits, with documentarian Laura Gabbert (City of Gold) taking a superficial and straightforward approach. That seems to be what happens in docos about Met events, and it's always noticeable. Accordingly, Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles is glossy, gleaming eye candy for those with a sweet tooth. It never feels like a full meal, though. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEUWGWMsMQk HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE After starring in High Life, Who You Think I Am and The Truth, all in just the past two years, Juliette Binoche adds another eclectic role to a resume that has deserved that term for decades. How to Be a Good Wife takes its radiant star back to 1967, to Alsace in Eastern France, and to a school designed to mould bright-eyed teenage girls into dutiful and subservient future housewives. Binoche's casting is a sign, thankfully. The film starts out following her character, the prim and proper Paulette Van der Beck, as she runs Van der Beck's School of Housekeeping and Good Manners for her husband Robert (François Berléand, Someone, Somewhere). She preaches the seven pillars required to ensure all her pupils fit her ideal vision of womanhood, with her single sister-in-law Gilberte (Yolande Moreau, The Summer House) assisting as the facility's cook, and superstitious nun Marie-Thérèse (Noémie Lvovsky, The End of Love) helping keep the girls in check. Of course, with the school part of Robert's family for decades, it isn't actually Paulette's own picture of feminine perfection that she's espousing. She might not have realised that fact, however, if her current cohort of students — the site's smallest for years, arriving with the 60s in full swing and as protests are beginning to sweep the nation — weren't instantly bristling against the notion that their lives should be spent in service to men. An unexpected tragedy also complicates matters, with an uprising soon threatening not just France in general, but one of the places that has upheld and instilled the patriarchal status quo and the conservative stereotypes that go with it. As directed by Martin Provost (The Midwife), and co-written by the filmmaker with Séverine Werba (Spiral), How to Be a Good Wife flits between playfully satirical and earnestly rousing as it charts Paulette, Gilberte and their students' journey — and yes, the fact that two of the main characters have feminised versions of male names as their own is emblematic of the movie's knowing approach. Binoche is the lynchpin, stepping into Paulette's shoes with sincerity as well as winking, nudging spirit; she's well aware of exactly the kind of woman she's playing, and the attitudes she's parodying as well. But, while the talented actor is posed and poised in a purposeful and often amusing way, the film itself doesn't always strike the same balance. It's easy to smile and internally cheer along with How to Be a Good Wife (and to revel in its period costuming and decor, too), but it's also just as easy to see when and where it overplays its comedic hand. One such example: the film's out-of-left-field climax, which is both glorious and clunky all at once. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A49o54i3OGI END OF THE CENTURY Memories and dreams are our brain's version of time travel; escape into either, and you can relive the past and ponder a possible future without the need for a Delorean or a telephone booth. New York-based Argentinian poet Ocho (Juan Barberini, Penelope) experiences that sensation in End of the Century, a queer romance that takes Weekend's lusty meet-up, combines it with Call Me By Your Name and Monsoon's passion abroad, and turns it into an evocative contemplation of love, sex, connection, choices, and roads both taken and forsaken. After more than ten minutes of dialogue-free, naturalistically lensed footage, watching Ocho rove around Barcelona, check into his holiday rental, sun himself at the beach and notice Javi (Ramon Pujol, Gran Nord), the film jumps into a vacation romance. Ocho and Javi strike a chord quickly, both physically and emotionally, and get deep just as swiftly in their post-coital conversation. To Ocho, there's a familiarity about the situation, as there should be. First-time feature writer/director Lucio Castro then leaps back 20 years earlier — before Ocho was fresh into a break from his partner of two decades, and before Javi had a daughter with his husband of four years — with the two men also crossing paths at the prior time. From the outset, one certainty is apparent: End of the Century favours understatement. That's true in how it unfurls the different parts of its narrative, and how they connect together; in the movie's performances, including from the beguiling Barberini when he's alone and surveying Barcelona; and in the feature's choice to peer on at Ocho and Javi's multi-layered story, and find both intimacy and distance depending on whatever the mood and scene calls for. As a result, it's a film that can seem slight, but also heaves with feeling at every moment. Castro knows the difference between unnecessarily complicating a narrative, and mining a situation's inherent complexities. He puts that awareness to excellent use, and draws viewers further into the movie's tale as a result. And, he benefits from his excellent casting choices — because making a feature that's both stripped bare and has its own authentic twists requires much of the folks within its frames. There's a slipperiness to End of the Century, too, as Ocho's experiences play out in various time periods. As this tender movie moves seamlessly back and forward, the audience is so enraptured with Ocho that they take the emotional journey with him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbZgLKjrdnA A CALL TO SPY "I want you in charge of recruiting some ladies," Vera Atkins (Stana Katic, Castle) is told in one of A Call to Spy's early scenes. The film's title makes it plain exactly what her colleague is referring to, and this specific piece of dialogue — and many more like it — demonstrates just how overtly the movie intends to proceed. This isn't a nuanced drama. It's inspired by true stories, but it rarely even flirts with the type of depth and detail that reality serves up. Still, by telling the tales of three women who became British spies in France during World War Two, all as part of Winston Churchill's ongoing effort to use unexpected means within the government's newly created Special Operations Executive to defeat the Nazi regime as it strengthened across Europe, it plunges into an important part of history. This chapter from the not-too-distant past springs from a familiar pile, after all. If you haven't heard of Atkins, Virginia Hall (played by Sarah Megan Thomas, who also penned the screenplay) and Noor Inayat Khan (The Wedding Guest), that's understandable; their lives, like those of many other women who've achieved commendable and crucial feats, haven't received the attention they should. That feeling ripples through A Call to Spy and, while it can't lift this Lydia Dean Pilcher (Radium Girls)-directed movie alone, it definitely leaves an imprint. Initially, Atkins is A Call to Spy's focal point. Charged with enlisting women who are "passionate about stopping Hitler" (another of the movie's needlessly clumsy lines), she finds several. Because she has a Jewish Romanian background, Atkins also receives more scrutiny within her own organisation than she should — an experience shared with Hall, who has a prosthetic leg; and Khan, who is of Indian Muslim heritage; and also heightened because of stereotypical opinions on gender anyway. Pilcher follows her three determined protagonists as they are initiated into their new roles, and into the field, while always viewing the many obstacles in their way. In the process, her film doesn't overcome the usual war-movie tropes that countless others have relied upon over the past 75 years, but it always endeavours to see them through Atkins, Hall and Khan's shared and individual ordeals. Even though it lacks in subtlety, A Call to Spy is nonetheless workmanlike that way, recognising that the stories it's relaying are important and moving enough, and that it can convey plenty by honing in on its characters' professional activities. It helps that Katic, Thomas and Khan all turn in involving performances, although Thomas wrote herself the best role. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V6EXulQHjA THE CROODS: A NEW AGE Cavemen (and women) were people, too, and there was more to their lives than simply dwelling inside rocky crevices. That's an overly simplistic summary of 2013's animated hit The Croods, of course. Intricacy wasn't a big part of this big-screen successor to The Flintstones, though, or its messages of togetherness, seeing past immediate perceptions and rising to face all challenges. The film took a family of neanderthals — including teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone, Zombieland: Double Tap), her overprotective father Grug (Nicolas Cage, Color Out of Space), far more carefree mother Ugga (Catherine Keener, Kidding), siblings Sandy (debutant Kailey Crawford) and Thunk (Clark Duke, Veronica Mars), and grandmother (Cloris Leachman, Mad About You) — then disrupted their literally sheltered existence. Not only were the titular characters pushed out of their comfort zone, but they were thrust into the orbit of homosapien Guy (Ryan Reynolds, 6 Underground), who Eep quickly fell for with a teen's intensity. Everyone had to adjust, naturally, and an average all-ages friendly comedy ensued. So did big box office numbers, sparking sequel The Croods: A New Age, the return of its predecessor's high-profile voice cast, and a new storyline that stresses the same sentiments. This time around, in a film directed by feature first-timer Joel Crawford, (a storyboard artist on The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Trolls and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part), The Croods are well-acquainted with roaming the big, wide, wild and dangerous prehistoric world. But Eep and Guy start thinking about a different kind of life — one that doesn't involve sleeping on the family pile, for starters — so the still controlling Grug tries to find everyone a new permanent home. And he thinks he has done just that in the vast walled-in gardens inhabited by Phil (Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones) and Hope Betterman (Leslie Mann, Blockers) and their daughter Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker). Alas, this seeming paradise isn't everything that it appears. Once again, this franchise opts for narrative and thematic simplicity and even crudeness, and for a zippy pace and onslaught of colour and movement designed to excite younger viewers. Once more, it's a standard affair all-round, and delivers little other than Cage and Stone's to-type voice work for the adult members of the audience. It's entertaining to hear Cage's voice bellow from Grug, in the same way that it's entertaining to see and/or hear him to anything (like swear in Netflix's upcoming series), but it doesn't help an over-energetic, giddily lively rehash of a past hit exceed its basic template, or do more than merely hit its marks. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been throughout the year — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29; and November 5, November 12, November 19 and November 26; and December 3, December 10, and December 17. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Tenet, Les Misérables, The New Mutants, Bill & Ted Face the Music, The Translators, An American Pickle, The High Note, On the Rocks, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Antebellum, Miss Juneteenth, Savage, I Am Greta, Rebecca, Kajillionaire, Baby Done, Corpus Christi, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Craft: Legacy, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon, Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt), American Utopia, Possessor, Misbehaviour, Happiest Season, The Prom, Sound of Metal, The Witches, The Midnight Sky and The Furnace.
They may have proved a hit overseas, but here in Australia, dockless share bikes aren't about to win any popularity contests — at least not from the authorities. After making news for clogging up footpaths, sitting wedged up trees and being pulled out of waterways, the bikes are coming under some new rules in Melbourne. The City of Yarra, City of Port Phillip and City of Melbourne councils have signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding with one of the main companies, Singapore's oBike, in an attempt to address the problems these rogue bikes have brought to Melbourne. The new rules seem pretty straightforward, specifying oBikes must be parked upright, aren't allowed to block footpaths and have to be removed from any dangerous locations within two hours. Though with no more than ten oBike employees on the ground overseeing these three council areas, sticking to the rules won't necessarily be easy. Currently, the councils impound any rogue bikes for 14 days, before they're destroyed and turned into scrap metal, with oBike stuck with a $50 fee to reclaim each bike. According to Melbourne City Councillor Nicolas Frances Gilley, the share bike crackdown is about keeping Melbourne's streets safe. "At City of Melbourne, we are continually looking at ways to promote cycling and make it easier for people to use bikes," he said. "But the safety of all city users shouldn't be compromised in the process." It will be interesting to see if these new restrictions make a noticeable change to the way oBikes are managed, and if Sydney follows suit with both its bike sharing services, oBike and Reddy Go.
One of Australia's first big music festivals of 2024 is no longer going ahead as planned, with Rolling Loud announcing that it won't be returning Down Under in January as previously announced. Mere weeks after revealing that it'd hit our shores again for the first time in five years, but after several delays in unveiling its lineup, the world's biggest hip hop festival has postponed its next Aussie jaunt. "We appreciate the love from all of our fans who are looking forward to Rolling Loud's return to Australia. We were hyped to bring the full Rolling Loud experience to our Aussie fans. Sadly, due to circumstances beyond our control, we're unable to give you a show that lives up to the Rolling Loud standard, so we are left with no choice but to postpone the festival to a later date," said festival organisers in a statement. "To those of you who have already bought tickets, we appreciate you. All ticket holders will receive an automatic, full refund. If your details have changed, or you have any refund enquiries, please contact your point of purchase." "Australian fans, we still got you: Rolling Loud will still be hosting a variety of smaller arena shows in early 2024. More info on that coming soon." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rolling Loud Australia 🇦🇺 (@rollingloud.au) As the statement advises, exactly when Rolling Loud will roll out its full festival experience no longer has a date, but it won't be at at Sydney's GIANTS Stadium on Friday, January 26 or Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on Saturday, January 27. Also, details of the smaller arena shows that'll pop up instead haven't been revealed, either — including where, when and who'll be on the lineup. Rolling Loud last came to Australia in 2019 with a Future-led lineup in Sydney, which is the only time that it has made the trip. The 2024 tour was set to extend the festival's footprint to Melbourne as well. Since its first outing in Miami back in 2015, Rolling Loud has expanded to Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, and also to Thailand, Canada, Germany, The Netherlands and Portugal as well. Past sellout events have seen names like Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Post Malone and Migos all grace the festival's stage. At 2023's Miami event, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti led the bill, with Lil Uzi Vert, Ice Spice and 21 Savage also on the roster — and Turnstile becoming the first-ever rock band to hit the fest. Rolling Loud's postponement comes as The Weeknd just did the same with his Aussie tour, which was meant to kick off in November. Rolling Loud will no longer hold its full festival experience in Australia in January 2024, but has promised smaller arena shows in early 2024 instead. For more information, head to the festival's website. Images: Beth Saravo and Sebastian Rodriguez
The Melbourne Festival is back in all its singing, dancing and performative glory for another year. The 2016 program is out and all we can say is: start saving your simoleans now because you're going to want to see it all. As always, Melb Fest is delivering a lineup slammed with gigs, theatrical pieces, interactive installations, dances and so much more that defies classification. Over October 6-23 you can catch Singapore-born pianist Melvyn Tan's orchestral retelling of La Belle et la Bête (known to all of us as Beauty and the Beast), or a showing of the internationally acclaimed animated film The Triplets of Belleville. Paul Kelly is teaming up Camille O'Sullivan and Feargal Murray in their show Ancient Rain, a musical show based around the rhythmic poetry of W.B. Yeats. Or — and this is the one you won't want to miss — there's also a huge Melbourne Symphony Orchestra-backed David Bowie tribute show named David Bowie: Nothing Has Changed (*cries just a little bit*). The theatrical shows are going to be tough to choose between — there's so many phenomenal ones on offer. Director Enrique Vagras' The Echo of the Shadow is an interactive, solitary journey though the senses as you (literally) enter a labyrinth inspired by the mega-depressing Hans Christian Andersen tale of the traveler who lost their shadow. Ex Machina by writer/director/everything man Robert Lepage is showing for the first time in Melbourne at the Arts Centre's Playhouse, and we're intrigued by this offering from Scotland — Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, a play about six Catholic school girls and their trip to sinful Edinburgh for a choral competition (it's received consistently fantastic reviews). There's far too many to name individually but here's a wrap: a fluid stage production informed by the talents ofTourette's syndrome, a chilling, ambiguous play about the cultural significance of funerals, an interactive play, with money on the line, exploring altruism and greed, the story of two Chinese country boys moving to the big smoke…we could go but you might just have to read the full program. For those who're tightening the purse strings, Melb Fest have also scheduled some fantastic free shows. As well as the art trams you can catch trundling through the city, you can catch Tanderrum, an Indigenous dance ceremony that's part of the commencement address in Federation Square (October 5, 6.30pm) and Les Tambours De Feu, a display that's best described as 'drumming and fiery explosions' by Basque company Deabru Beltzak (October 6-8, also in Federation Square). Chiharu Shiota's The Home Within, a complex installation of red webbing, is also free to explore as it moves across various locations in the city. Or you can have your hair cut by an unsupervised child at Haircuts by Children (a risky comment on empowering youth) if you dare. Either way, it's going to be a big month. Image: The Home Within, Chiharu Shiota, by Yurrtas Tumer.
When it made the leap to the big screen in the movie that's currently in cinemas, Downton Abbey brought in a couple of very special guests. But the King and Queen aren't the only new folks staying at TV's favourite stately manor. Come November, you could be walking through the site's lavish halls, wandering through its 300-plus rooms and even bunking down for the night. In a move that's clearly timed to promote the film, Airbnb is giving two people the chance to spend the evening of Tuesday, November 26 at Highclere Castle — the 19th-century country house in Hampshire, England, where Downton Abbey filmed each of its six seasons, as well as the movie. It's a place with a considerable past, and not just because of the famous show. The act that led to the founding of Canada was drafted there; however, before the current abode was build there in the 19th century, remodelling an existing structure, it was also the site of a medieval palace. Of course, it's Downton Abbey's history that the two chosen guests will be most interested in. They'll explore the spaces made famous by the show, such as the drawing room and the library, via a private tour. Then, they'll sip cocktails in the saloon, and eat dinner in the state dining room with the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon — with the site sitting in their family since the 17th century. The visitors will also sleep in a gallery bedroom with views over 1000 acres of parkland, and be waited on by the castle's butler. [caption id="attachment_742688" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Airbnb[/caption] If you're eager to stay and pretend you're a member of Downton's Crawley family, you'll need to have a verified Airbnb profile filled with positive reviews, and be passionate about the series. You'll also need to hop online to make your request to stay at 9pm on Tuesday, October 1, Australian Eastern Standard Time (12pm British Summer Time the same day). Just how the lucky guests will be selected hasn't been revealed, but you will still need to pay just like any other Airbnb booking. The one-night stay will set the winner back £150, or around AU$270. For further information, visit Highclere Castle's Airbnb listing. The service will start accepting requests to stay at the venue from 9pm on Tuesday, October 1, Australian Eastern Standard Time (12pm British Summer Time the same day). Top image: Downton Abbey, Focus Features LLC.
Shut up and take my money: Futurama is continuing its latest return with even more episodes on its way. The animated hit made another comeback this winter, slipping out of stasis to riff on pandemics, vaccines, bitcoin, streaming, cancel culture and life's general chaos. That new stint with the Planet Express team was dubbed season 11, and season 12 was locked in at the same time — but now season 13 and season 14 will officially follow. The Matt Groening-created show about life in the 31st century was in vintage form when it dropped its recent batch of ten episodes, and embraced the fact that anything and everything can and will happen as it always has. When Futurama's return was first announced in 2022, it was for a 20-episode run, which has been doubled with the latest renewal. So, viewers are going back to the future for even longer. Yes, this is good news, everyone! And yes, Futurama will just keep coming back, baby. Streaming Down Under via Disney+, the added seasons will keep audiences saying hello to the 20th-century's Philip J Fry (voiced by Billy West, Spitting Image), distant uncle to Planet Express cargo company Professor Hubert J Farnsworth (also voiced by West), plus the rest of the outfit's crew. That means more antics with one-eyed ship captain Turanga Leela (Katey Sagal, Dead to Me); fellow employees Hermes Conrad (Phil LaMarr, Craig of the Creek), Amy Wong (Lauren Tom, Dragons: The Nine Realms) and Zoidberg (also West); and everyone from self-obsessed starship captain Zapp Brannigan (West again) and his amphibious 4th Lieutenant Kif Kroker (Maurice LaMarche, Rick and Morty) through to scheming corporation owner Mom (Tress MacNeille, The Simpsons). Bender Bending Rodríguez will be causing more mayhem as well, with John DiMaggio, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts also back with the cast when season 11 arrived. When the revival was first announced, that wasn't the case — but it wouldn't be Futurama without its constantly sauced robot exclaiming "bite my shiny metal ass!". You can put a beloved show into suspended animation, but someone is going to thaw it out one day — and more than once, as fans have experienced for decades now. Initially airing from 1999–2003, the futuristic series then returned from 2008–2013, before now being given another run. Hulu, which is behind the return in the US, called this first new comeback season 11 — even though Futurama spans a past seven seasons and four direct-to-DVD movies so far. Season 12 is expected in 2024, with seasons 13 and 14 after that. There's no trailer yet for Futurama's 12th, 13th and 14th seasons, but check out the sneak peek for Futurama season 11 below: Futurama streams Down Under via Disney+, with season 12 expected in 2024, then seasons 13 and 14 after that. Read our review of season 11.
Arts House in North Melbourne Town Hall is a venue mostly associated with the hectic weeks in spring when it becomes the Fringe Festival hub, but it's worth a visit at other times of the year too. If you had any questions on that score, take a look over the freshly released program for the second season for 2013. There'll be dance, from the fury of Whelping Box, in which theatricalised aggression takes place in a boxed off arena, to the elegant intricacy of A Small Prometheus, a work from Chunky Move regulars Stephanie Lake and Robin Fox, in which dancers perform alongside fire-driven kinetic sculptures. There'll be song, too, with a musical dedicated to murderess Jean Lee, the last woman hanged in Australia, featuring a former member of the Bad Seeds (who better for a murder ballad?) and '90s indie pop star Max Sharam as Lee. The limits of theatrical form will be challenged. The Confidence Man invites audiences to take part in the performance, wearing masks and receiving directions by headset, while in PROMPTER, a semi science fictional take on the world of online journalism, onstage actors interact with performers online, beaming in from Argentina, Britain, France and the USA. Closer to reality, indeed as close to reality as theatre gets, two compelling documentary theatre pieces from Belvoir's 2012 season will be having their Melbourne debuts. Beautiful One Day tackles the issue of Aboriginal deaths in custody through interviews with members of the Palm Island community, performed verbatim by actors. The verbatim theatre approach is also used to delve into the hidden side of competitive boxing in the exhaustively researched I'm Your Man. So don't wait til Fringe time to get down to Arts House. The cutting-edge theatre is already there.
It has been 87 years since Perry Mason first started sleuthing his way across the page, 86 since the defence attorney character initially hit the big screen, 77 since he made the leap to radio serials and 63 since he made his TV debut. In other words, this is a fictional figure with more than a little history — but 2020's version, starring Matthew Rhys, just might be the best yet. Brooding, moody, slinky, and making the most of thematically fitting, visually stunning inky black tones and lingering shadows, the HBO series heads back to 1932, when Los Angeles and the US in general are struggling with the Great Depression. Traumatised from World War I and grappling with a tough divorce, Mason is struggling as well. Then he's hired on a missing-child case as a private detective, and this star-filled series — think: John Lithgow, Robert Patrick and Tatiana Maslany, among others — kicks into quite the compelling gear.
Winter is here, meaning it's time to embrace all the stodgy carbs. And what better way to do that than with Eat Pierogi Make Love's bottomless pierogi deal? Every Monday night from now until the end of August, you can score two hours of unlimited Polish dumplings for a mere $39. There's no chance you'll be leaving hungry — trust us, you can get through a whole lot of pierogis in two hours. You'll be rotating through five different flavour combos throughout the night. On the menu, you'll find dumplings stuffed with potato and twaróg cheese, pan-fried mushroom and sauerkraut, beef and vegetables, smoked Polish sausage and cheese, and jalapeño, potato and vegan cheese. These bad boys will come out hot and fast, and are paired with sour cream and dill. And they're best paired with a cold beer, bottle of wine or cheeky shot of vodka. We can think of few better ways to spend a cold Monday night than at Eat Pierogi Make Love. Although, unlike the name suggests, we doubt you'll be up for making love after feasting on platefuls of dumplings. We expect dinner will be followed by a long TV bingeing session on the couch with lots of deep, slow breathing.
With social distancing and public gathering rules in place across the country, Mother's Day is going to look a little different in 2020. While the annual celebration of mums isn't usually associated with fried chicken, KFC is, this year, bucking the trend and launching a 'mum-umental' celebration of chook. This Mother's Day weekend, KFC is slashing 25 percent off its entire menu — and delivering it to your door. So, order some finger lickin' good chook and Zoom your mum to tell her you love her (and maybe send her a gift, if you haven't already). The limited-time offer is available from select KFC stores nationwide and runs from Saturday, May 9 till midnight on Monday, May 11. To get your hands on some cheap 11 secret herbs and spices, head to Menulog's website or use the Menulog app and enter KFC4MUM at checkout. The deal is only valid when you spend $30 or more. While your food is on its way, you can meditate with KFChill, a wellness website that lets you unwind to the sound of chicken frying, gravy simmering or bacon sizzling away in a pan. Yes, it'll make you hungry. You can't road trip to the world's first drive-thru-only KFC or marry your loved at the famed chicken chain this weekend, but 25 percent off a Zinger Burger, Original Recipe Chicken and potato and gravy is sure to lift your spirits. Plus, Popcorn Chicken is a pretty good snack for when you're binging Tiger King or streaming this year's Oscar-winning flick. KFC is offering 25 percent off its entire menu via Menulog from Saturday, May 9 to 11.59pm on Monday, May 11. To order, head to the Menulog website and enter KFC4MUM at checkout. The deal is only valid for orders of $30 or more.
It has been almost two years since a Marvel movie hit the big screen. If you're a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you've probably been feeling their absence. But, since the beginning of 2021, you've likely also been heading to Disney+ to check out a few new small-screen adventures. First came WandaVision, which focused on Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision's (Paul Bettany) story after Avengers: Endgame. It added something different to the MCU, overtly aping classic sitcoms such as I Love Lucy, Family Ties and Malcolm in the Middle as it puzzled its way through Wanda and Vision's small-town life — and had everyone wondering why Vision was even walking and talking post-Endgame at all. Now, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is also telling a story set after the last Avengers flick, this time with Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan's eponymous characters. Based on its first episode so far, it's much more conventional than WandaVision. It doesn't boast a fabulous performance by Parks and Recreation's Kathryn Hahn, either. But, it does explore the everyday existence of both Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, who'll team up over the rest of the show's six-episode season. It seems that plenty of people were keen to see what happened next for Wilson and Barnes, and to keep adding a new Marvel episode to their weekends after WandaVision wrapped up. Debuting last week, on Friday, March 19, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's first episode has become Disney+'s most watched premiere ever. Although the streaming platform hasn't given any actual numbers — which tends to be the case when such services boast about their viewership, as Netflix has also demonstrated — it has announced that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier earned the feat between Friday and Sunday, and was also the most-watched title overall globally over the three days. That means that more folks took a look than when WandaVision premiered, and when Star Wars series The Mandalorian did too, although those shows sit second and third on Disney+'s list of biggest opening weekends. Over The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's remaining five episodes, the series will bring back Daniel Brühl as Baron Zemo and Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter. As seen already, Wyatt Russell (The Good Lord Bird) is also joining the MCU as John Walker. And yes, the MCU's fourth phase will include more TV shows after this — such as Loki, which hits in June; Secret Invasion, starring Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury; and a series set in Wakanda. For now, if you haven't viewed the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier already, you can check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWBsDaFWyTE The first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is available to stream now on Disney+, with new episodes added each Friday for the next five weeks. Top image: Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Most of us have spent more time indoors this year than any other year. Which means, you might have been dreaming about upgrading your home — with a slightly comfier couch, perhaps, or a sleek dining table. Luckily, with Black Friday just around the corner, fancy furniture retailer Castlery is taking up to 35 percent off its range of furnishings for the rest of the month. At Castlery's online Black Friday sale, you can find beds, couches, rugs, tables and a whole range of goodies to help spruce up your home and achieve the aesthetic you've been envisaging in your head. Some of Castlery's best-selling items are included in the sale, such as the comfy Adams chaise sectional sofa, Theo round dining table and the Luna sideboard designed by award-winning Polish designer Krystian Kowalski. The sale runs from Monday, November 16 until Monday, November 30 and you can jump on now and start crafting a wish list of your favourite items as you plan your perfect pad. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Usually, for one week each September, Brisbane becomes Australia's live music capital — even if a Melbourne survey generally claims otherwise. When BIGSOUND hits the city, it typically seems like every venue in Fortitude Valley is packed to the rafters with bands, industry folks and music-loving punters, all enjoying the latest and greatest tunes and talent the country has to offer. There's nothing usual about 2020, though. And, yes, that applies to this beloved music-fuelled celebration. In fact, after announcing back in July that it would still forge ahead this year as a physical — but socially distanced, COVID-safe and scaled-down — event, BIGSOUND has just revealed today, Thursday, September 3, that it'll now proceed as a virtual-only affair. Rather than four days of conferences, live festival showcases, secret shows and official parties, music fans can look forward to keynote addresses, online workshops, panels, discussions and an Australian artist showcase called The BIGSOUND50, all across a condensed two-day online program. The lineup wont be revealed until the end of September, but the event will still happen next month — having already moved from its normal timeslot to Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22, the digital-only BIGSOUND is keeping the latter dates. Announcing the change in an emailed statement, BIGSOUND management advised that the shift in direction stems from "ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and domestic border closures"; however the festival will adjust. It'll also address the challenges of 2020 and what that means for the industry moving forward by focusing on three specific themes: community, survival and re-futuring. [caption id="attachment_636254" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Waax, BIGSOUND 2017. Image: Bec Taylor.[/caption] Overseeing the virtual program are Janne Scott, BIGSOUND's creative director (and Splendour In The Grass' senior creative manager); Alethea Beetson, the event's First Nations producer and programmer; and conference programmer Tom Larkin. Beetson, as well as festival co-programmers Dominic Miller and Ruby-Jean McCabe, will select the artists featured in The BIGSOUND50. Past BIGSOUNDs have showcased everyone from Gang of Youths, Flume, Tash Sultana and Courtney Barnett to San Cisco, Violent Soho, Methyl Ethel and The Jungle Giants, so its program is usually a very reliable bellwether of current and up-and-coming talent. BIGSOUND 2020 will run virtually on Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22, with further details set to be announced in late September. For more information — or to obtain a free online delegate pass — visit bigsound.org.au. Top image: Keynote speaker Mo'Ju at BIGSOUND in 2019
Australia is just getting accustomed to life without single-use plastic bags; however Europe is set to go one step further, backing a directive to ban a number of single-use plastic items within the European Union. The European parliament's plan was drawn up to specifically combat the growing amount of plastic that's clogging up the world's oceans, specifically targeting plastic cutlery, plates, stirrers and straws, as well as cotton buds and balloon sticks. And the target date for phasing out these products is soon: 2021. The EU's highlighted items rank among the top ten products found in the sea, the directive states, with reducing the consumption of food containers and beverage cups also on the agenda. By 2025, all EU members will also be required to collect 90 percent of single-use plastic beverage bottles for recycling, while awareness campaigns will ramp up for the likes of general plastic packets and wrappings, sanitary items such as wet wipes and sanitary towels, and cigarette butts. The draft legislation received overwhelming support, passing 571 votes to 53, although it's not yet law. It is, however, the latest recognition that the war on waste is one that needs serious attention. The British parliament announced plans to go plastic-free earlier in the year, France has banned plastic plates, cups and cutlery from 2020, while the Australian government has pledged to ensure that 100 percent of the country's packaging is recyclable, compostable or reusable in the next seven years. And that's on top of the flurry of supermarkets, big name brands, well-known food chains and furniture behemoths making their own commitments to reduce, recycle or eradicate single-use plastics from their operations.
Winter's almost done with its chilly bullshit, but before you can pack away your woolies just yet, Melbourne's cooking up some serious comfort food that's much better enjoyed in the crisp, colder weather. There's a handful of deliciously food-focused events happening this week, so we thought we'd put them all on one table for you. Pick one course, or make a degustation of them all. Or you could just go and inhale some popcorn watching Sausage Party. Your choice. By the Concrete Playground team.
Produce-driven menus aren't necessarily a rarity in Melbourne's restaurant scene. What is rare, however, is a venue so visibly devoted to the terroir of the produce it serves — from furniture constructed from recycled materials, to a specials menu displayed on a piece of reclaimed timber. As much as possible, everything in this venue is made either from or for the natural environment that surrounds it. Though one wouldn't necessarily describe From Here by Mike as a fine diner — elevated but grounded is more accurate — that is true of head chef Mike McEnearney's culinary pedigree. Having worked at Michelin-starred venues in London and as executive chef at Sydney's iconic Rockpool, McEnearney is no stranger to a technically complex menu. What makes his perspective unique, however, is his interest in low-waste, sustainable cheffery — his 2017 Real Food By Mike cookbook was explicitly divided into seasons, for instance. [caption id="attachment_1013609" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chef Mike McEnearney[/caption] Though this ethos means the From Here by Mike menu is subject to seasonal change, there are thematic consistencies; the offering would be best described as fusion, spanning European to Asian culinary influences and always ethically and hyperlocally sourced. There's woodfired flatbread with a surprising almond ricotta and shiitake XO twist, a luxurious twice-baked Meredith Dairy Goat's Cheese souffle with baked shallot, and rosemary cream, and roasted porchetta filled with raisin and hazelnut agrodolce. It's a choose-your-own-adventure of culinary influence kind of experience, designed to be mixed, matched and ultimately, shared. Dessert brings an element of nostalgia. In addition to a French-leaning selection of refined sweets, you'll find a little part of McEnearney's heart in recipe form: his grandmother's vanilla rice cream — a vanilla rice pudding topped with a brulee (to add a flourish). [caption id="attachment_1013611" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Meredith Dairy Goat's Cheese soufflé at From Here by Mike[/caption] The From Here by Mike drinks list is similarly curated. You'll find bottles from over 40 Victorian winemakers, in addition to overseas producers. The specifics of how each is produced are so important to McEnearney that the lineup comes with a detailed glossary — "MS" for minimal sulphites, "SP" for sustainable practices, "RM" for Recoltant-Manipulant. The (impressive) list goes on. Organic, grounded and generous are how you'd describe the overall experience. Most importantly, the legitimacy of McEnearney's (and indeed 1 Hotel's) dedication to sustainability is apparent. It's refreshing and authentic — and delicious.
"Kylie Minogue in her gold hotpants in 'Spinning Around'. That just came to my mind straight away. That was pretty amazing." Ask Celeste Barber to pick her favourite Australian fashion moment and she goes straight for an icon being an icon. In one of 2023's best trends, Barber has spent the year ushering everyone through the ins and outs of wellness and fashion. First came Wellmania, the comedian and actor's Netflix dramedy series about a 39-year-old journalist who copes with a health crisis by embracing prioritising her wellbeing, aka journeying through everything the self-care industry has to offer. Now arrives The Way We Wore, with Barber hosting the new three-part ABC documentary about a subject that she's been interested in since she was a child donning costumes as a dancer, and then a teenager collecting fashion magazines. Barber is no stranger to obsessing over threads in public — or, to be more accurate, parodying whatever's in vogue in the sartorial and celebrity realms. While her career began with acting, complete with an 87-episode stint on All Saints, her #celestechallengeaccepted social-media spoofs have helped make her a household name. If the internet has become fixated on a celeb look, snap or video, Barber has likely satirised it. Most recently, Kim Kardashian's Skims nipple bra launch has been in her sights, but that's just her latest skewering stint. The tone of The Way We Wore is light, but this docuseries isn't a comedy. Instead, as screening on ABC TV from 8pm on Tuesday, November 21 and streaming in full on ABC iView from the same date, it's a sincere and appreciative step through the history and importance of Aussie fashion. Barber didn't ever dream that her career would bring her here, but given that she's hosted The LA Fashion Awards in 2019, appeared on magazine covers and worked with Tom Ford at 2018's New York Fashion Week, it makes sense to her now. "No, no, never, never," Barber tells Concrete Playground about whether fronting a series like The Way We Wore ever seemed possible when she was starting out. "I've always thought I'd have a place in the entertainment industry, but not being someone to narrate documentary on the history of fashion, and it making sense that I did it. When I approached, I was like 'it makes absolute sense that I do this', but I would never have thought that when I was younger — no way." Unsurprisingly, Barber makes an engaging guide through Australian fashion's evolution. With Nel Minchin (Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra) directing, and everyone from Collette Dinnigan, Catherine Martin and Akira Isogawa to Charlee Fraser and Nakkiah Lui sharing their thoughts and experiences on-screen, she hosts an exploration of a sector that's anything but minor yet doesn't always get the appreciation it deserves. The country's need for something to score approval overseas before it can be embraced at home is something that Barber can relate to — "absolutely, and I have experienced that first hand," she advises — as is a process that she hopes all of The Way We Wore's viewers will experience: learning more about Aussie fashion prowess. The series' first episode filters its examination through Australian fashion media, a perfect topic for Barber as a self-described magazine lover. From there, it devotes its second instalment to the local pioneers taking Aussie threads to great heights, even if Barber didn't realise it as a kid growing up without the internet and thinking that Ken Done was the height of Down Under style. Then, The Way We Wore wraps up by pondering why Australian fashion hasn't been getting its due. Ahead of the show's premiere, we chatted with Barber about getting asked to host a fashion doco, her lifelong fascination with dressing up, becoming aware of Aussie designers, her relatable approach to the industry, what she learned from The Way We Wore and more. ON BEING ASKED TO HOST THE WAY WE WORE "I was approached — it was a while ago now — by Nel. She went to my agent to see if I had any interest in presenting this documentary. I love Nel, so I was like 'yes, I would love to do that'. It kind of just made sense to me that they wanted me to do it because I have such an opinion on the fashion industry. It was actually really interesting: I genuinely have an interest in this history of the fashion industry in Australia, and I think I know everything about everything, but it turns I really don't. So it was cool to discover things during the process of filming — and as I was reading the script, to learn things as well." ON ALWAYS LOVING FASHION "I've just always been aware of it. I've always loved fashion. My mum was quite a stylish person. My friends at school used to even say that about her. She's always been really stylish and that got me interested in it. I love magazines — when I was younger, I used to collect them. So, it's just always been around. I've enjoyed the theatre of it as well, the fun side of it, the expressive part of it. Because I danced when I was young, I used to have a room full of costumes that my dad built. My mum would make costumes and store them in this special little room. I've always dressed up and had fun, and I've always had a big fun imagination, and putting on different clothes helped express that. So, as I said before, it's always been a really fun, expressive experience for me." ON THAT AFFECTION FOR FASHION EVOLVING NOT ONLY ACROSS BARBER'S CHILDHOOD, BUT NOW "When I was older, I used to always get InStyle, and I used to collect them. It was fun to see the glossy side. I'd like pretend that I could possibly wear some of that stuff on them — I remember seeing Miranda Kerr with a cute crop top on, and I was like 'yeah, I can do that'. Turns out I can't. I absolutely cannot do that. But it's evolved for me over the years as I get older, like how the 90s fashions are back now. I'm having so much more fun with 90s fashions now than I did when I was younger. When you're a teenager, you're just scared of it. You're scared of putting that acid-wash jacket on the wrong way and then your friends would never talk to you again. But now I'm like 'I don't care, let's just see how we go'." ON BARBER'S EARLY AWARENESS OF AUSTRALIAN FASHION "There was no internet when I was growing up, so you think Ken Done is the biggest thing in the world. There's no other world out there. We went to America for a family holiday once, and I was rocking Ken Done because that's the only designer in the world, right, when you're a kid and there's no internet to tell you otherwise. I didn't go 'I know Valentino was predominantly in Rome, but you'll find that Tom Ford had started off in…'. I didn't have an understanding of that. It was just mum told me to wear that, so I wore that. I think in my InStyle days, when I was buying InStyles and cutting them all up and making my own little magazines out of them — they'd do features on international designers, and I'd be like 'oh, that's bigger, that's different'. But we always held our own. The Australian fashion industry has always held its own." ON STARTING BARBER'S SOCIAL-MEDIA FASHION PARODIES "Just seeing how social media can be toxic in making women feel that if they don't look a certain way that they don't deserve love — I like pushing against this idea of perfection, so I thought I just wanted to make fun of that idea of perfection. I've always just cut through bullshit. It's always been my thing. No one ever is unsure of where they stand with me. So what I saw that with these new apps, with these devices that we're all holding in our hands, was just a new way for women to hate themselves. I thought that I wanted play around with it a bit and see what happens. Turns out it went very well." ON STRIKING A CHORD BY SATIRISING TRENDS ONLINE, AND THE IMPACT UPON BARBER'S CAREER "I kind of always knew it was funny, and I knew that it would help get eyes on me. That's part of the reason why I did it. I always just thought I'd be okay. I've never ever given up. When it comes to my career, I've just never, ever given up — and I've tried to do as much as I can to work and get in the industry. And now it's happened, I guess it's not lost on me for sure. But people have only really known about me in the past few years — I've been at this for decades, so I really worked at it. Don't get me wrong, when I get a text message from someone super fancy, I'm like 'that's awesome'. Or, you know getting invited to things is still brilliant. I'm just enjoying the wave, enjoying the ride." ON BARBER'S APPROACH TO MAKING FASHION AND WELLNESS RELATABLE "It's just my experience in it. It's just my take on it. I don't really come at it by going 'this is super-relatable, I'm excellent' — and I think that's what makes it relatable. I'm like, well, this is just my experience in it, and if I'm experiencing it and I'm just an average lady, then there's a very good chance that someone else has also experienced it like that. Social media, media as a whole, just in general society, we have a handful of the types of women that we are happy to see. And I don't fall within that handful of women, and majority of women don't fall within that handful of women that are being celebrated publicly. So when you see someone like me who is now public and it's quite unusual for someone like me to be public it makes, I think, people feel more comfortable and more seen. That's always a nice feeling." @abciview 🤩🤩🤩 #TheWayWeWore #CelesteBarber @celestebarber #Fashion #Documentary #ABCiview #AustralianHistory #FashionTikTok #AustralianFashion #FashionDesign ♬ original sound - ABC iview ON WHAT BARBER LEARNED WHILE HOSTING THE WAY WE WORE — AND WHAT SHE HOPES THAT VIEWERS WILL LEARN, TOO "The main thing that stood out for me was how big the fashion industry is in Australia. It's a multi-billion-dollar industry and it actually employs more people than mining. I had no idea of that. I've always thought it was great and awesome, and I'm a contributor to the industry, but I had no idea that on an economic level it was so impactful. I hope that the series will open people's eyes to it because, as I say, I didn't know that. Even when I started, when I was reading through that sort of stuff — we actually do a bit of a joke in the doco where I'm like 'really, are you sure we fact-checked that?'. Because the fashion industry is seen as a female-dominated industry, I don't think it's always taken as seriously, and that has something to do with it. But you can't deny those numbers. So hopefully when people watch it, they realise how big and successful it is." The Way We Wore screens on ABC TV from 8pm on Tuesday, November 21, dropping episodes weekly — and streams in full on ABC iView from the same date. The Way We Wore images: Mark Rogers. Wellmania images: Netflix.
What does a group of pink guards do when they hit an Australian beach? That isn't likely to be a storyline in Squid Game when it returns for its second season on Boxing Day 2024, but we have been given the answer in the lead up to the show's much-anticipated comeback anyway. In Melbourne on the morning of Tuesday, December 10, 2024, St Kilda Beach welcomed 200 visitors, all kicking back on the sand — on towels, reading, sitting under umbrellas, throwing balls, flying kites and more — in eye-catching Squid Game attire. As announced on Monday, December 9, Netflix sent a continent of pink guards to the seaside patch of the Victorian capital to remind everyone that the show's second season is on the way — and soon — in an eerie fashion. There wasn't a green tracksuit in sight, but there were plenty of jumpsuit- and mask-wearing folks enjoying a morning out. This isn't the first time that the streaming platform has brought the South Korean sensation Down Under. When season one proved a massive success, the creepy Red Light, Green Light doll from the show towered over Sydney Harbour. Up at Sydney's Luna Park, you'll have another chance to get some IRL Squid Game action — without any murder, of course — when an immersive experience hits the tourist attraction to get you playing Red Light, Green Light from Monday, December 16, 2024. Three years have passed since Squid Game became an award-winning Netflix sensation — for viewers and, in the show itself when new episodes drop, for Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae, The Acolyte) as well. Audiences and Player 456 are alike are in for a new round of life-or-death matches when the streaming smash finally returns, although only the series' protagonist will be fighting for survival again while on a quest to shut down this chaos forever in season two. No one watching should ever want Squid Game to end; however, the show itself will wrap up in 2025 with season three. First comes the long-awaited second season to end 2024, though, where Player 456 is back in the game with new fellow competitors for company. Netflix has been dropping multiple early looks at season two, including a teaser trailer to kick off November — and it finished off the month with a new glimpse at what's to come. As the show's protagonist dons his green threads once more for the new season, his new fellow competitors are wary of his motives. Also part of the recent teases: Lee Byung-hun (The Magnificent Seven) as Gi-hun's nemesis Front Man, plus Wi Ha-joon (Little Women) also back as detective Hwang Jun-ho. For season two, Gong Yoo (Train to Busan) also returns as the man in the suit who got Gi-hun into the game in the first place; however, a show about a deadly competition that has folks battling for ridiculous riches comes with a hefty bodycount. Accordingly, new faces were always going to be essential — which is where Yim Si-wan (Emergency Declaration), Kang Ha-neul (Insider), Park Sung-hoon (The Glory) and Yang Dong-geun (Yaksha: Ruthless Operations) all come in. Squid Game's pink guards took over St Kilda Beach in Melbourne on the morning of Tuesday, December 10, 2024. Head to Netflix's social media for more details. Squid Game season two streams via Netflix from Thursday, December 26, 2024. Season three will arrive in 2025 — we'll update you when an exact release date for it is announced.
First, Black Mirror's Twitter account broke a four-year silence back in April. Next, Charlie Brooker's dystopian sci-fi hit dropped a sneak peek at its next batch of technological nightmares — aka the first trailer for the show's long-awaited sixth season — and confirmed that the show would return sometime in June. Now, the Netflix series has unveiled more details about what's in store, including which new technological nightmares it'll be spinning. It might be a streaming smash, but that doesn't mean that satirising streaming is off the agenda. Indeed, one of season six's five episodes, Joan Is Awful, will focus on an average woman who discovers that a global streaming platform has adapted her life into a prestige TV drama. Playing her on-screen? Salma Hayek Pinault (Magic Mike's Last Dance). This instalment will be packed with familiar faces, too, including Annie Murphy (Kevin Can F**k Himself), Michael Cera (Life & Beth), Himesh Patel (Station Eleven), Rob Delaney (The Power) and Ben Barnes (Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities). Also on its way: Netflix seeing the darker side of nature documentaries — which, like biographical dramas, it's mighty fond of making itself. In upcoming Black Mirror instalment Loch Henry, a sleepy Scottish town welcomes in a young couple, who are keen to follow in David Attenborough's footsteps. Then they learn of a shocking local story, in an episode with Samuel Blenkin (The Witcher: Blood Origin), Myha'la Herrold (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Daniel Portman (Game of Thrones), John Hannah (The Last of Us) and Monica Dolan (Empire of Light) in its cast. Viewers looking forward to Aaron Paul's (Westworld) return to Black Mirror after first being involved in 2017 will been keen on Beyond the Sea, where it's an alternative 1969, two men are on a high-tech mission and dealing with a tragedy's big consequences, and Josh Hartnett (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), Kate Mara (Call Jane), Auden Thornton (This Is Us) and Rory Culkin (Swarm) co-star. In Mazey Day, the paparazzi hounds a troubled starlet who is coping with the aftermath of a hit-and-run, with Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), Clara Rugaard (I Am Mother) and Danny Ramirez (Stars at Noon) featuring. And in Demon 79, it's 1979 and a sales assistant in Northern England is informed that she has to commit terrible acts or a disaster will occur — with Anjana Vasan (Killing Eve), Paapa Essiedu (Men), Katherine Rose Morley (The Syndicate) and David Shields (Benediction) starring. Brooker has penned all five new chapters, co-writing Demon 79 with Bisha K Ali (Ms Marvel). This season is being teased as "the most unpredictable, unclassifiable and unexpected season yet", which is saying something given everything that Black Mirror has thrown at the screen in past seasons (and in choose-your-own-adventure-style movie Black Mirror: Bandersnatch). And yes, Brooker does have quite the challenge this time around: making something that manages to be even more dispiriting than reality over the past few years. That's increasingly been one of the show's dilemmas — and noting that something IRL feels just like Black Mirror has become one of the cliches of our times — but this'll be the mind-bending effort's first round of episodes following the pandemic. Check out the first trailer and latest teaser for Black Mirror's sixth season below: Black Mirror season six will stream via Netflix some time in June. We'll update you when an exact release date is announced. Images: Nick Wall/Daniel Escale, Netflix.
Last year's food calendar had a big ol' hole where the Night Noodle Markets would usually be, with its smoky scents and the happy sounds of people feasting on a menu of Asian delights both absent from Birrarung Marr. But now, the wait is almost over, with the food festival set to make its much-anticipated return for 2021 — albeit in a slightly different format than Melburnians are used to. Running right through June, the new Night Noodle Markets At Home edition will bring all the flavour and fun straight to your house. Every night from Tuesday, June 1–Wednesday, June 30, the reimagined festival will see a lineup of eight Asian-inspired eateries offering their cult dishes — and some new hits — for home delivery. At a pop-up kitchen in Fed Square, festival favourites including Hoy Pinoy, Wonderbao, Indomie Mi-Goreng and Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart will be cooking up their finest eats and sending them to your door, so you can recreate the Night Noodle Market magic in the comfort of home. The food is being delivered via Doordash and, since the restaurants are all sharing one kitchen, you'll be able to pick and mix food from multiple menus in the one order. The offering is set to change regularly throughout the month, though you can get excited for bites like Hoy Pinoy's glazed pork belly and chicken skewers, Puffle's signature cheeseburger puffle, mi goreng-crumbed chicken ribs from Indomie, Thai Tide's tom kha mussels, Kariton Sorbetes' boozy trifle, Flying Noodles and Twistto's eponymous dishes. Puffle's signature cheeseburger puffle is on the menu, alongside Korean fried chicken and plain cheese versions. Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart will have seven different tarts on offer, including yuzu, salted caramel, chocolate and popcorn butterscotch. You'll even find two weekly rotating banquets, too — a vegetarian feed for two named 'Broc 'n Roll', and the 'I Love You Soy Much' date-night feast. Longtime festival partner Citi is offering its cardholders a tidy $20 off their Night Noodle Markets At Home order, while Doordash has some cheeky deals of its own in store for new users, including 25 percent off and free delivery. Plus, there's a strong chance you'll score a little something extra packed in with your food order, with giveaways like Ayam sauces and fortune cookies planned for throughout the month. Organisers have revealed a bunch of the suburbs that'll be able to take advantage of Night Noodle Markets At Home delivery, spanning Fitzroy, Collingwood, North Melbourne, Cremorne and South Melbourne, as well as the CBD, Southbank, West Melbourne, East Melbourne, Parkville, Carlton, Docklands and South Wharf. Parts of Abbotsford, Richmond, South Yarra, Albert Park and Port Melbourne will be covered, too, with more suburbs set to be announced soon. The Night Noodle Markets will run as part of Good Food Month, which takes place across the entire month of June, too, and announce its full program on Monday, May 3. Melbourne's edition of Night Noodle Markets At Home will run from Tuesday, June 1–Wednesday, June 30, with orders made exclusively through the Doordash delivery app. For more details, see the website. Top image: Night Noodle Markets by Bec Taylor
Warm weather, beach holidays and kicking back with a few cocktails all go hand in hand. But thanks to ever-changing border restrictions over the past few months — plus life during a pandemic in general — you mightn't have been able to enjoy this summertime routine recently. If you're the kind of person who can enjoy a few beverages and instantly feel like you're vacation, though, then you'll instantly want to add Four Pillars' latest tipple to your must-drink list. In collaboration with Melbourne venue Arbory Afloat, the highly awarded gin distillery is launching a new Beach House Gin. It comes in a cheery pink hue, and heroes citrus and fruit flavours — think lemon myrtle, grapefruit, orange, lemon peel, sweet strawberry gum, pineapple sage and davidson plums. The idea, as the name makes plain, is to make you feel like you're on holiday by the shore every time you take a sip. Melburnians will know that this isn't Four Pillars and Arbory Afloat's first joint venture, with the two pairing up in 2019 on a different – but still pink — limited-edition gin. This time around, however, the tipple won't just be available onboard at Arbory Afloat. It still will be, of course, including on tap in spritzes and mixed into G&Ts — but folks around the country can also order a bottle. If your gin shrine is screaming for a splash of colour, Beach House Gin goes on sale at 8am on Tuesday, February 9 for $90 a bottle — or you can get it with a four-pack of tonic for $100. While Melburnians can try the new gin at Arbory Afloat, bottles are only available to purchase from the venue's website. To complete the summery feel, Beach House Gin features a label from Melbourne design studio 21-19 and Finnish artist and illustrator Antti Kalevi, which uses shapes and textures to create an abstract beachy landscape. And, gin fans in Melbourne can also head to a launch party for the new drop on Thursday, February 4, with tickets costing $145, and gin cocktails, beer, wine, sparkling, oysters and canapes on the menu on Arbory Afloat's pool deck. Four Pillars x Arbory Afloat Beach House Gin is available on tap and in cocktails at Arbory Afloat, and to buy by the bottle via the venue's website from 8am on Tuesday, February 9.
Cafes, pubs, bars and eateries across Melbourne have once again swung open their doors. But one venue in particular has also made its grand debut with ambitious newcomer The Commons at Ormond Collective taking over the St Kilda Road site once home to the Belgian Beer Cafe Bluestone. This multi-faceted, mostly outdoor venue is the latest from The Big Group, which operates a suite of event spaces including The Glasshouse in Olympic Park and the Myer Mural Hall. Aiming for broad appeal, The Commons features an array of different elements set across its various al fresco spaces, including The Conservatory, The Kitchen Garden, The Garden Cafe and The Beer Garden. Throughout, expect a heady mix of gingham and floral prints, bold stripes, fresh flowers and wicker, with lots of Euro-style cafe chairs and park benches setting the scene. In keeping with the times, you'll also find quirky lily pad seating positioned 1.5 metres apart and multiple hand sanitiser stations. [caption id="attachment_787847" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marcel Aucar[/caption] There'll be slightly different food offerings available at each of the different spaces, though as a whole the menu's built around classic flavours, local produce and lots of ingredients picked fresh from the onsite kitchen garden. Think, crisp flatbread crowned with an assembly of confit artichoke, greens, mozzarella and edible flowers; a spring salad featuring seared salmon; and a classic chicken sandwich with lemon mayo and shredded broccoli. You might settle in with some craft brews and a burger, or while away an afternoon over snacks and rosé. Coffee comes courtesy of North Melbourne's Small Batch, while house-made sweet treats run to the likes of salted pretzel brownies and an Italian strawberry love cake. [caption id="attachment_787853" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marcel Aucar[/caption] Like any outdoor venue worth its salt, this one's also optimised for guests of the four-legged variety. We're talking doggy day beds, puppy parking and a dedicated food menu for pooches. And, while all Melbourne events are still at the mercy of restrictions easing further, The Commons has tentatively started planning a roster of pop-ups and activations to grace the site. Eventually, you can look forward to the likes of market stalls, gigs, live beekeeper demonstrations and other creative happenings featuring here every weekend. Find The Commons at Ormond Collective at 577 St Kilda Road, St Kilda. It's open 8am–5.30pm Monday–Wednesday, 8am–9.30pm Thursday–Friday and 11am–9.30pm Saturday–Sunday. Images: Marcel Aucar
It's only been a few years since these legendary burgers have been on the scene, but Melbourne is well and truly in love. Such brioche. Many pickles. A quick bite at the delectable Huxtaburger will leave you feeling as full and gluttonous as if you've just binged on a large Big Mac meal, while leaving you quietly satisfied that it was a touch more gourmet. Now you can pair this tasty offering with your next favourite activity — a beer and a band at the Curtin. After expanding their flagship Smith Street store to the CBD and Prahran, the dudes behind Huxtaburger are now popping up at The John Curtin Hotel on Lygon Street from Wednesday, October 1. The legendary pub will be surrendering its kitchen to a rotating selection of local vendors, and the burgers will be available during lunch and dinner in the bandroom for at least the next six months. In a similar set up to their restaurants, there won't be any table service. It'll just be you milling around in the moshpit with a fistful of brioche and beef. Better yet, the owners have told Good Food that there's the option of this becoming a long-term thing. Plans to open a new Huxtaburger restaurant on Glenferrie Road in Hawthorn have hit delays, and the burger crew are open to new possibilities. If enough of you hit up the Curtin, there's the possibility of this magical thing lasting all summer. To celebrate this latest venture, the team are also introducing a new item to the menu. The Clair Burger — named after the sassy, smart mother of the Huxtable family, of course — will be filled with Southern-style fried chicken, slaw and jalapeno mayonnaise. We're not sure that the '80s sitcom mum would necessarily approve of such indulgence, but we're happy to eat it up in her honour regardless. The John Curtin Hotel is located at 29 Lygon Street, Carlton (near the corner of Victoria Street). Get along from Wednesday, October 1 to scoff some fried chicken on the dancefloor. Images: Huxtaburger.
As music, spandex and glitter fans everywhere already know, the Eurovision Song Contest didn't go ahead this year. It's one of the many events worldwide that have been affected by COVID-19, alongside SXSW, Glastonbury, Coachella and Splendour in the Grass — but it's the only one to leave a huge Europop-shaped hole, of course. In Australia, broadcaster SBS attempted to make up for Eurovision's absence by spending a week celebrating the annual contest. And, globally, Netflix is also doing its bit. The latter is helping out in a much less serious fashion, however, all thanks to its new Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams-starring comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. Due to hit the streaming platform at the end of June — and just dropping its first trailer this week, too — the film follows two small-town Icelandic singers who've always wanted to represent their country at the famed sing-off. Lars Erickssong (Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir (McAdams) aren't particularly well-liked in their homeland, or considered popular. But when they're named as the next Eurovision contestants, they're determined not only to win but to show that chasing their lifelong dream was worth it. Directed by Wedding Crashers, The Change-Up and The Judge filmmaker David Dobkin, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga looks set to feature plenty of Ferrell's over-the-top comedy — as the initial sneak peek makes plain. It also boasts icy backdrops, a song called 'Volcano Man', a fierce rivalry between Fire Saga and fellow competitor Alexander Lemtov (Legion's Dan Evans), and a cast that also spans Pierce Brosnan and Demi Lovato. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q6Co-nd0lM Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga hits Netflix on Friday, June 26. Images: John Wilson and Elizabeth Viggiano, via Netflix.
Have you heard the rumour that we're heading into one of the coldest winters ever? While we're sad to say goodbye to lazy beach days and rooftop bars, we're (very) warmly embracing the news as a good excuse for indoor activities — think intimate dinners, house parties and plenty of gigs. To help with the seasonal transition, we've launched a new gig guide in partnership with JBL Link Speakers. Here, we'll give you the low-down on all of the best performers filling our fair cities with their tunes. And since we love doing the hard work for you, we'll also include a curated Spotify playlist of our recommendations for pre-gig study and post-gig reminiscing. To celebrate this new partnership, we're giving away three sets of JBL Link 10 speakers, valued at $229 each. As well as wireless connection, these mighty music boxes have hands-free voice control so Google Assistant becomes your personal DJ — simply shout "OK, Google" and your tune of choice and music will start streaming directly via Chromecast. With up to five hours of play time and high quality sound, the JBL Link 10 speakers are the perfect home accessory for music mavens. To enter, see details below. [competition]659863[/competition]
Before the pandemic, heading overseas for your end-of-year break — for Christmas, New Year's Eve, or just because you've got some time off — might've been part of your summer plans. That wasn't possible over the summer of 2020–21; however, it looks set to be back on the cards from this December, with Australia's Federal Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan announcing that the country's international border will open back up "at this rate, by Christmas at the latest." The Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister discussed international borders on Wednesday, September 22 as part of his National Press Club address, noting that "it's another reason why everyone should get vaccinated, and we have to stick to the national plan." Back in July, the Federal Government unveiled Australia's roadmap for dealing with the pandemic moving forward, which has been dubbed the National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response — and it includes allowing Aussies to travel overseas again without restrictions when 80 percent of the nation's eligible population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. "We continue to do all that preparatory work to make sure that when those international borders open, hopefully at the latest by Christmas," Tehan continued. "Australians will be able to travel with a QR code linked to their passport, which will be able to show a proof of vaccination." Providing documentation to show you've been vaxxed is set to become a standard part of Australian life moving forward, and is also highlighted in New South Wales and Victoria's roadmap out of their respective lockdowns. Under both plans, looser restrictions will apply to people who've been fully vaccinated in both states, who'll need to prove they've been double jabbed. Also on Wednesday, September 22, NSW announced that it's about to conduct a trial of a vaccine passport that'll link COVID-19 vax certificates to the existing Service NSW app. Exactly how reopening Australia's international borders will work is yet to be explained, including where the nation will open up to — and if it'll reopen to all of the globe at once, or in stages, or via bubble arrangements. Earlier in 2021, Australia and New Zealand implemented the trans-Tasman travel bubble, allowing quarantine-free travel between the two countries; however, it has been suspended due to COVID-19 outbreaks since July, and isn't set to resume until at least mid-November. The Australian Government has also floated the possibility of opening a similar arrangement with Singapore — and extending travel bubbles to some countries, such as Singapore and places in the Pacific, is specifically mentioned in the nation's roadmap. Unsurprising, just when Australia will reopen its international borders has been the subject of much discussion over the 18 months since the Federal Government implemented an indefinite ban on international travel, only allowing Aussies to leave the country in very limited circumstances. Last year's prediction that opening up to the rest of the world wouldn't happen in 2020 proved accurate — and, earlier this year, Australia's ex-Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy (now the Secretary of the Department of Health) said that we might not be going anywhere until 2022. Back in May, the Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister and Prime Minister Scott Morrison both advised that mid-2022 was the likeliest time for reopening. With Australia's vax campaign gathering speed, Qantas and Jetstar have begun selling tickets for overseas flights for trips scheduled from December, demonstrating hope that the country's international travel rules could ease by then. That said, the airlines did start selling the same types of tickets earlier in 2021, working towards a planned October date that was subsequently postponed. At the time of writing, 48.5 percent of Australians over the age of 16 have had both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
When it opens its borders in early March, Western Australia will allow travellers from interstate and international destinations to visit for the first time in nearly two years — and, if it's beaches you're after, you have plenty of reasons to make the trip. Already in 2022, WA's Misery Beach was named Australia's best beach for the year. Now, the state's Turquoise Bay has nabbed its own accolade, topping a list of best beaches in the South Pacific for 2022. In Tripadvisor's just-announced 2022 lineup of the region's best beaches, which ranks ten idyllic locations, seven Aussie spots made the cut — and two from New Zealand. In fact, the only patch of sand that wasn't from either country was Bora Bora's Matira Beach, which came in fifth. Yes, that means three Aussie beaches and one NZ spot pipped French Polynesia. Located in Exmouth, Turquoise Bay came in third in Tripadvisor's top ten list of beaches around the world, too, moving up a spot from sixth in 2021. So, if you're making beachy holiday plans, this WA locale has been given the tick twice over. [caption id="attachment_844142" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Greens Pool, Denmark, Western Australia[/caption] On the South Pacific list, Broome's Cable Beach, also in WA, came in second — followed by New Zealand's Kaiteriteri Beach at third, then Greens Pool in Denmark, WA at fourth. Norfolk Island's Emily Bay ranked sixth, Queensland's Mooloolaba Beach came seventh, Cape Le Grand National Park in Esperance, WA sits eighth and 2021 best beach in the world winner Whitehaven Beach in Queensland came ninth. Rounding out the rankings: Tahunanui Beach in Nelson, NZ. Clearly, WA beaches scored big — with most locations named this year also placing in 2021. [caption id="attachment_844140" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaiteriteri Beach, New Zealand[/caption] On the worldwide list, Grace Bay Beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands emerged victorious — moving up from fourth place in 2021 — followed by Varadero Beach in Cuba at second. Brazil's Quarta Praia in Morro de Sao Paulo came fourth, Aruba's Eagle Beach sits fifth and Radhanagar Beach on Havelock Island in India ranked sixth. They were followed by Baía do Sancho in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil at seventh; Trunk Bay Beach in the Virgin Islands National Park, US Virgin Islands at eighth; Baía dos Golfinhos in Praia da Pipa, again in Brazil, at ninth and Italy's Spiaggia dei Conigli in Lampedusa at tenth. The global list also named spots from 11th to 25th place, with Broome's Cable Beach coming in 11th. Across both the worldwide and South Pacific rankings, winners were chosen as part of Tripadvisor's Traveller's Choice awards, which is based on reviews and ratings left on the online platform across 2021. [caption id="attachment_844145" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Grace Bay Beach in the Turks and Caicos Islands[/caption] TOP TEN BEACHES IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC FOR 2022: Turquoise Bay, Exmouth, Western Australia Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia Kaiteriteri Beach, Kaiteriteri, New Zealand Greens Pool, Denmark, Western Australia Matira Beach, Bora Bora, French Polynesia Emily Bay, Norfolk Island, Australia Mooloolaba Beach, Mooloolaba, Queensland Cape Le Grand National Park, Esperance, Western Australia Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Queensland Tahunanui Beach, Nelson, New Zealand TOP TEN BEACHES IN THE WORLD FOR 2022: Grace Bay Beach, Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos Varadero Beach, Varadero, Cuba Turquoise Bay, Exmouth, Western Australia Quarta Praia, Morro de Sao Paulo, Brazil Eagle Beach, Palm, Eagle Beach, Aruba Radhanagar Beach, Havelock Island, India Baía do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil Trunk Bay Beach, Virgin Islands National Park, U.S. Virgin Islands Baía dos Golfinhos, Praia da Pipa, Brazil Spiaggia dei Conigli, Lampedusa, Italy To check out the full list of top beaches for 2022, head to Tripadvisor. Top image: Tourism Western Australia.
As a generation, we've watched the internet emerge from its fledgling beginnings to its modern state, where nearly a third of Earth's population is logged on. In mere decades, the internet has gone from nonexistent to a necessity. We are a population obsessed. And then came Facebook. The ever-expanding social network debuted in 2004, turning us all into Facebook-stalkers and using up any free time we had left. It's hard to remember the internet before Facebook, let alone any of the computer technology of yesteryear. Squirrel Monkey's video tutorial, which imagines Facebook if it had been designed in the 1990s, will bring you right back to the horrendous colour graphics and primitive Windows versions of the technology's start. The video, a humourous how-to, takes a new user through the nuances of "the Facebook". The concept of Facebook, set against the simplistic '90s graphics, suddenly seems very ridiculous. And perhaps that is just the point. The subsequent videos, which imagine Twitter in the '80s and Draw Something as an old PC game, similarly put social media into perspective, reminding us not to take our status updates and tweets all too seriously. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xrYRH3PYYT0 [via Flavorwire]
If you're a fan of dance music, fond of getting nostalgic, and reside in Australia or New Zealand, then you're living in booming times for the intersection of all three. Ministry of Sound is one of the reasons. When it's not throwing massive 90s and 00s parties that nod back to raves three decades back and club nights at the turn of the century, it's busting out Ministry of Sound Classical, the orchestral tour that gives bangers from the past 30 years a new live spin. Separate to the similar Synthony, Ministry of Sound Classical has been popping up Down Under for a few years now. Before 2024 comes to a close, folks in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Auckland will get another chance to attend. The tour has locked in dates in all four cities for prime party season — aka November and December. The brand that started as a London club night back in 1991 won't just get the Ministry of Sound Orchestra led by Vanessa Perica taking to the stage. Joining the fun this time around is DJ Groove Terminator, while the vocal lineup includes Reigan, Karina Chavez, Rudy, Lady Lyric and Luke Antony. Ministry of Sound Classical will head to Spark Arena first, with Tall Paul and General Lee in support. After that, it's Sidney Myer Music Bowl's turn, as accompanied by Tall Paul, John Course, Sunshine & Disco Faith Choir and Piero. Brisbane Riverstage is the next stop, which is where Stafford Brothers, Sgt Slick, Vinyl Slingers and Rousey will pop up. And at Kings Park & Botanic Garden, Perth, Stanton Warriors, Sgt Slick and Micah will feature. As it surveys tunes that've filled dance floors over the past three decades, the event provides the answer to a question you didn't know you had: what do classical renditions of Basement Jaxx, Darude, Röyksopp, Robin, Underworld, Moby, Fisher and more sound like played by an orchestra? And again, yes, it all sounds a lot like Synthony, which does the same thing — but who doesn't love getting multiple opportunities to hear dance-floor fillers given a classical spin? Ministry of Sound Classical Australian and New Zealand 2024 Dates: Saturday, November 9 — Spark Arena, Auckland, supported by Tall Paul and General Lee Saturday, November 16 — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, supported by Tall Paul, John Course, Sunshine & Disco Faith Choir and Piero Saturday, November 30 — Riverstage, Brisbane, supported by Stafford Brothers, Sgt Slick, Vinyl Slingers and Rousey Friday, December 13 — Kings Park & Botanic Garden, Perth, supported by Stanton Warriors, Sgt Slick and Micah 2024's Ministry of Sound Classical tour will pop up across November and December. For further details and tickets — with presales from Wednesday, July 3 at 12pm AEST/10am WST/12pm NZST, then general sales from Thursday, July 4 at the same times — head to the tour website. Images: Ruby Boland.
Hyrule is heading to the big screen, and Link and Princess Zelda along with it. After almost four decades of mashing buttons to save the magical land, fans of The Legend of Zelda will be able to see the game franchise make the leap to cinemas. Coming off a huge year for film adaptations of its titles thanks to box-office smash that is The Super Mario Bros Movie, Nintendo has announced that it's turning its beloved Ganondorf-battling action-adventure series into a feature. The Legend of Zelda will have something else in common with Nintendo's favourite plumbers: it's getting the live-action silver-screen treatment first. While animation worked well for Mario's latest date with picture palaces in 2023, Link, Zelda and the like will be flesh and blood. Just imagine how Hyrule's stunning landscapes will look. The Legend of Zelda's move into movies will boast Shigeru Miyamoto, Representative Director and Fellow of Nintendo, as one of its producers — alongside Avi Arad, whose resume includes all the Spider-Man flicks (live-action and animated), some X-Men films, early Marvel titles like Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, and also Ghost in the Shell and Uncharted. While it's too early for any news on stars, The Maze Runner filmmaker Wes Ball will be directing. And the film will indeed hit cinemas, with Sony distributing — and co-financing the movie with Nintendo. No details about the feature's storyline have been unveiled so far, either. Accordingly, if you're wondering which game or games it might follow — and if your favourite, be it the OG 1986 The Legend of Zelda, 1991 masterpiece A Link to the Past, 1998's Ocarina of Time or 2013's A Link Between Worlds, for instance, might get a nod — there's no answers as yet. "By producing visual contents of Nintendo IP by itself, Nintendo is creating new opportunities to have people from around the world to access the world of entertainment which Nintendo has built, through different means apart from its dedicated game consoles," said the company in a statement announcing the film version of The Legend of Zelda. "By getting deeply involved in the movie production with the aim to put smiles on everyone's faces through entertainment, Nintendo will continue its efforts to produce unique entertainment and deliver it to as many people as possible." Given that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom hit Nintendo Switch back in May, 2023 is clearly a big Zelda year, even if the film obviously won't release before 2024 hits. Exactly when it will start showing in cinemas is also among the details that haven't yet been revealed. The live-action The Legend of Zelda movie doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. Images: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Head into Sydney's Odd Culture in Newtown, or its new accompanying bottle shop and small bar SPON, and you'll be greeted with a stack of tasty wine and snack pairings. The venue's chicken liver pâté with potato chips and fish sauce caramel is one of the Harbour City's best bar snacks. The same can be said down in Melbourne, where Odd Culture's Fitzroy digs boasts the same addictive trio on its snack menu. And, all three offer charcuterie from LP's Quality Meats — all of which can be paired with a white, red, skin-contact, rosé or pét-nat. But, sometimes you're not on the hunt for something as extravagant as pâté and instead are hankering for a snack with a bit more nostalgic familiarity. Well, not to worry — we've asked Odd Culture Group's Beverage Manager Jordan Blackman (Odd Culture, The Duke of Enmore, The Old Fitz) for suggestions for the best wines to pair with schoolyard snacks, all of which are available in-store or online at SPON. (And, yes, SPON ships beyond New South Wales.) If you've ever craved a natty wine with a full box of cheese and bacon Shapes, or wondered what drop would partner well with a berry Roll-Up, we've got you covered. ROLL-UPS Jordan: "If we're talking Roll-Ups, then we simply can't go past grenache. Candied fruit with a lick of spice — a match made in heaven. Grab a bottle of 2021 Les Fruits Gonzo made from a blend of grenache and cinsault. Bright and crunchy with juicy red fruits (think strawberry, raspberry and cherry) and gentle tannin. Great chilled, great at room temp. It goes without saying we're talking about the best flavour of Roll-Ups here — and that's strawberry." OVALTEENIES Jordan: "Why do they call it Ovaltine? The mug is round. The jar is round. They should call it Roundtine. Anyway. Steering away from anything too hectic that might overwhelm the sweet, delicate chocolate malt of our precious Ovalteenies, I'd crack into some Ngeringa Altus from Mount Barker. Inspired by Vin Santo by way of Tuscany, it's sweet yet oxidative and insanely complex — crème caramel, Turkish delight, hazelnut and dried fruits drenched in honey." CHEESE AND BACON SHAPES Jordan: "My mind immediately gravitated towards Bandol rosé from the south of France — weighty, powerful and made from mourvèdre, often said to be quite 'meaty'. In the spirit of keeping things homegrown, I've gone with a longstanding favourite: 2022 Poppelvej Dead Ohio Sky Rosé which clearly draws inspiration from the Bandol. Organically grown Mourvèdre from McLaren Vale with texture turned up to eleven, it's serious, savoury and spicy all the while refreshing and moreish — kind of like cheese and bacon Shapes?" LE SNAK Jordan: "Cheese and crackers, but not just any ordinary cheese and/or cracker — elevate your lunchbox with Le Snak and a bottle of 2021 Harkham Aziza's Chardonnay. Hands down, one of my favourite cuvées — zero adds, clean as a whistle, alive! Naturally fermented and rested in seasoned French oak, these two play almost too well together coaxing out notes of fresh sourdough, vanilla biscuits and whipped cream while racy acidity keeps everything in check." JUMPY'S Jordan: "Apparently there are other flavours of Jumpy's than chicken? 2022 Trutta Pétillant Naturel Blanc is the obvious choice here. A blend of chardonnay and riesling, this organic fizz is brimming with energy, bright acidity and reminds us of another nostalgic Australian snack — oh, glorious Splice! Saline, zippy and ultimately refreshing — a perfect match for couch snacks of the kangaroo-shaped kind. We love salty snacks with our bubbles." Head to SPON's website — or in-store if you're in Sydney — if you want to get your hands on any of the mentioned wines. SPON is open at 256 King Street, Newtown 12pm–10pm Monday–Thursday, 12pm–12am Friday and 11am–12am Saturday.
When Dark Mofo announced its 2023 lineup, it promised a sleepover. The Tasmanian festival also promised everything from a Twin Peaks-inspired ball to Soda Jerk's latest film; however, slumbering at the gleefully weird, wild and wonderful winter event was always going to stand out. Usually, Dark Mofo attendees are doing anything but catching 40 winks, instead staying up all night and making the most of the jam-packed program — not popping on their pyjamas and bunking down for the evening. The sleepover comes courtesy of Max Richter's SLEEP, which returns to Australia for a new eight-and-a-half-hour overnight stint. The session kicks off on Wednesday, June 14, greets the day on Thursday, June 15 and, unsurprisingly, is already sold out. Fancy playing along — well, kipping along — at home in your own bed? Dark Mofo is now making that happening with a live broadcast of the entire Australian-exclusive performance. [caption id="attachment_659938" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Allan[/caption] If you're new to Richter's and to SLEEP, attendees get some shuteye while Richter's compositions play. The former usually happens on beds at venues around the world, and the latter is based on the neuroscience of nodding off. In the past, Richter's SLEEP performances have been held at the Sydney Opera House, Philharmonie de Paris and Grand Park in Los Angeles, as well as at New York City's Spring Studios, London's Barbican and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. There's even a documentary about it that'll instantly get you excited if you aren't already. [caption id="attachment_659957" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rahi Rezvani[/caption] Lucky Dark Mofo ticketholders will be dozing at MAC2, but everyone else can join in and get the SLEEP experience by tuning into Edge Radio for the night. The live broadcast will start at 11.59pm on Wednesday, June 14, running until 8am on Thursday, June 15, so don't go planning an early start at work that morning. What makes SLEEP so unique? It isn't just a case of Richter and the American Contemporary Music Ensemble performing all night in different spots around the globe. The piece is informed by the neuroscience of sleep and takes its moniker seriously. Accordingly, it features slow-paced movements to help listeners tune out everything but the music as they slip into slumber — and to slow down their own pace in general. Yes, it's basically a lullaby — and it's enchanting. Here's a glimpse of SLEEP from its stint at the Sydney Opera House in 2016: Max Richter's SLEEP will broadcast live from Dark Mofo 2023 from 11.59pm on Wednesday, June 14–8am on Thursday, June 15 via Edge Radio. Dark Mofo 2023 runs from Thursday, June 8–Thursday, June 22 in Hobart, Tasmania. For more information, head to the festival's website. You can also check out our wholesome-to-hedonistic guide, which'll help you stack your Dark Mofo itinerary based on the level of chaos you're after — and our Dark Mofo picks for last-minute planners. Top image: Max Richter - SLEEP im Kraftwerk Berlin am 15.03.2016. Foto: Stefan Hoederath.
The pointy end of this year's awards season is here. Every 12 months, and for months and months, the film industry celebrates the best and brightest movies that've graced cinemas — and now streaming as well — across a spate of accolades culminating in the Academy Awards. Exactly which movies the Oscars will shower love on is about to be revealed, with the gongs' 95th ceremony taking place on Monday, March 13, Australian and New Zealand time. Of course, sometimes the finest flicks, performances, directors and other talents truly do nab these coveted prizes, as seen with Parasite and Nomadland in recent years. Sometimes, movies initially considered surprises gather momentum, such as 2022's Best Picture win for CODA. And sometimes, the very best movie of the past year doesn't even get a look in — yes, Decision to Leave was criminally ignored among 2023's nominees, and no we'll never get over it. Whatever films you adored in 2022, some might end up with Hollywood's ultimate accolade — and plenty of deserving winners will be anointed. Will this be the year that Cate Blanchett earns a third Oscar? That the Academy shows how much it loves actors playing real-life people — again? That a Marvel movie wins an acting Oscar? That movies about donkeys steal the show? Could two categories, at least, make history? We've done some assessing and prognosticating; here are our predictions: BEST MOTION PICTURE The nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water The Banshees of Inisherin Elvis Everything Everywhere All At Once The Fabelmans Tár Top Gun: Maverick Triangle of Sadness Women Talking Should win: Everything Everywhere All At Once Could win: Top Gun: Maverick Will win: Everything Everywhere All At Once Every year delivers a heap of phenomenal movies — if you think otherwise, you're just not watching enough — and 2022 was no different. And, some of those films are competing in this very category, including the sublime and lingering The Banshees of Inisherin. Still, nothing else among the ten contenders boasts the energy that Everything Everywhere All At Once sports. Everyone remembers when they first saw Everything Everywhere All At Once. Not every film earns that feat, but this Michelle Yeoh-starring date with the multiverse is simply unforgettable. It should win. It will win. But, the Oscars do have a history of loving blockbusters such as Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King — and Top Gun: Maverick might ride its need for speed to the top spot. BEST DIRECTOR The nominees: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans Todd Field, Tár Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness Should win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once Could win: Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans Will win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once After awarding its Best Director prize to Chloé Zhao and Jane Campion over the past two years, tripling the number of women who've earned the award — from a paltry one to a just-as-dismal three — in 94 years, the Academy once again went back to deciding that ladies weren't among the past year's top helmers. To say that's disappointing is an understatement: Sarah Polley's Women Talking and Charlotte Wells' Aftersun both earned nominations elsewhere, but apparently directed themselves. The Daniels, aka Kwan and Scheinert, made a stunner with Everything Everywhere All At Once, and should be rewarded as a result. Don't discount Steven Spielberg for his supremely personal The Fabelmans, though — which, yes, we also said last year when he was competing for West Side Story. This'd be his first in almost a quarter-century (since Saving Private Ryan), and the Oscars do love sharing the love with this gong, awarding something that doesn't win Best Picture or get much else. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE The nominees: Cate Blanchett, Tár Ana de Armas, Blonde Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once Should win: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once Could win: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once Will win: Cate Blanchett, Tár Of course Cate Blanchett should 100-percent receive her third Oscar for Tár. Yes, she already has two, for The Aviator and Blue Jasmine. This isn't her last shot at adding another to her mantle, and she'll win more from here. But she genuinely is better than she's ever been playing this conductor drama's definitely not-real namesake. And, she likely will win. She deserves to. But in what'd be her first Academy Award — she's as the first nominee in the category who identifies as Asian, too — Michelle Yeoh also deserves the trophy for Everything Everywhere All At Once. It's a movie that knows how much of a star she is to the point that it even baked it into its concept, and a film that definitely wouldn't be what it is without her. Also, forget the controversy surrounding Andrea Riseborough's To Leslie nomination; she won't win, but she's earned her spot. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE The nominees: Austin Butler, Elvis Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin Brendan Fraser, The Whale Paul Mescal, Aftersun Bill Nighy, Living Should win: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin Could win: Brendan Fraser, The Whale Will win: Austin Butler, Elvis Play a real person, go home clutching a statuette after Hollywood's night at nights: that's how things have turned out for Colin Firth, Daniel Day-Lewis, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Redmayne, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gary Oldman, Rami Malek and Will Smith since 2010. And Austin Butler is that electrifying in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis as, of course, Elvis Presley. His onstage efforts in the concert scenes alone are goosebump-giving levels of spectacular. Colin Farrell's work in The Banshees of Inisherin is far less flashier, of course, but no less exceptional. In a movie filled with exquisite portrayals — three of his costars are nominated, too — he's never less than magnetic, especially at conveying pain and confusion. The Brenaissance may nab Brendan Fraser the accolade for The Whale, though, because Hollywood loves a comeback — even if Fraser hasn't ever been far from screens. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE The nominees: Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Hong Chau, The Whale Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All At Once Should win: Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin Could win: Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Will win: Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once Give the cast of The Banshees of Inisherin all the awards. Better Call Saul star Kerry Condon is heartbreaking in the Irish dramedy — playing the kind but frustrated sister who can see both sides to its central feud, and whose own wants and needs are always ignored by the either chatting or fighting men around her. And, she might capitalise upon Everything Everywhere All At Once's Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu competing against each other. That said, give the cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once all the awards as well. Curtis has momentum fresh off a Screen Actors Guild win, in what's somehow the acting veteran's first-ever Oscar nomination, but Hsu would be just as worthy a winner. Golden Globe-recipient Angela Bassett may just make history for winning as the first-ever Marvel performance, however — she is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's powerhouse. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE The nominees: Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once Should win: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once Could win: NA — because Ke Huy Quan will win. Will win: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once Last year, the Best Supporting Actress category was a lock for months. Ariana DeBose was always going to win for West Side Story, and she did. This year's equivalent is the Best Supporting Actor race, with Ke Huy Quan set to shine for one helluva return. As he's spoken about in plenty of speeches as he keeps collecting well-deserved trophies, the Everything Everywhere All At Once star went from childhood fame in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies to virtually nothing before The Daniels came along. Quan helps give Everything Everywhere All At Once its heart and soul, and he'll give the speech of the Oscars: mark our words now. If there is an upset, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan from The Banshees of Inisherin loom as the biggest threats, albeit vying against each other, and Brian Tyree Henry's nomination for Causeway should be the first of many. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY The nominees: The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh Everything Everywhere All At Once, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner Tár, Todd Field Triangle of Sadness, Ruben Östlund Should win: Tár, Todd Field Could win: Everything Everywhere All At Once, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert Will win: The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh Every year has them: the films that could earn a swag of Oscars, and would against different company, but only end up with a gong or two. In 2023, it looks as if Tár and The Banshees of Inisherin are those two movies. The latter should be rewarded for Martin McDonagh's layered original screenplay, and the former also deserves to be — Todd Field's Tár script is a masterclass in complexity. McDonagh has two screenwriting nominations before, for In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Field has the same for In the Bedroom and Little Children. The Daniels might just pip them both for Everything Everywhere All At Once — or, if Spielberg doesn't win Best Director, maybe this is where The Fabelmans gets the icon some love. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Rian Johnson Living, Kazuo Ishiguro Top Gun: Maverick, screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks Women Talking, Sarah Polley Should win: Women Talking, Sarah Polley Could win: All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell Will win: Women Talking, Sarah Polley Women Talking might've directed itself to a Best Picture nomination in the Academy's eyes, but it didn't write itself. Adapting Miriam Toews' 2018 novel of the same name, which draws on events in a Bolivian Mennonite colony from 2005–9, actor-turned-filmmaker Sarah Polley should earn her first win from two screenwriting nominations — the first was for 2008's Away From Her — for her powerful efforts, which do indeed make women talking the most important thing imaginable. Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell's work scripting All Quiet on the Western Front — adapting it again from the 1929 anti-war novel — should put up a fight, though. And who doesn't want to live in a world where Rian Johnson picks up a gong for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery? It won't happen, as it didn't with his Knives Out nomination either, but a win here would be glorious. BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM The nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front Argentina, 1985 Close EO The Quiet Girl Should win: Close Could win: Argentina, 1985 Will win: All Quiet on the Western Front Sometimes, the Academy recognises that movies in languages other than English are regular movies, too, nominating them for Best Picture as well as the field currently called Best International Feature Film. Obviously, that should just be standard, but this is one such year. In fact, All Quiet on the Western Front has scored recognition all over the place, notching up nods in nine categories. It'd be an immense surprise if the German-language flick doesn't garner the international prize. Still, courtroom drama Argentina, 1985 picked up the Golden Globe, and could repeat the feat at the Oscars. From the five nominees, sensitive, tender and stunning Belgian effort — and Cannes award-winner — Close is hauntingly exquisite from start to finish, and a standout among impressive titles. Again, as already mentioned, Decision to Leave should be here (and everywhere). BEST ANIMATED FEATURE The nominees: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Marcel the Shell With Shoes On Puss in Boots: The Last Wish The Sea Beast Turning Red Should win: Marcel the Shell With Shoes On Could win: Turning Red Will win: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio There's never a lack of Pinocchio films on our screens, and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio was just one in 2022. What a version it is; a feat of gorgeous stop-motion, and a movie that inescapably belongs to its Nightmare Alley and The Shape of Water director. It's also a spin on Frankenstein in its own way, marvellously so. And, it's a wonder that'll make an ace Best Animated Film winner — but so would the sweet, adorable, thoughtful, intelligent and meta Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, which is even better as a feature film than as a viral smash. Pixar is a heavy-hitter in this category, of course, so Turning Red is definitely in with a shot. BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE The nominees: All That Breathes All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Fire of Love A House Made of Splinters Navalny Should win: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Could win: Fire of Love Will win: Navalny What a year it is for documentary filmmaking when All That Breathes and A House Made of Splinters look unlikely to nab the Best Documentary Feature Oscar — and when Moonage Daydream wasn't even nominated. This field comes down to Navalny, Fire of Love and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, each of which are astonishing in their own ways. The scope of All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, and the empathy within it, means that this Venice Golden Lion-winner about photographer Nan Goldin really should emerge victorious. But, telling French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft's tale using wonderful archival footage, Fire of Love was one of 2022's best films. Expect Navalny to win, with this portrait of Vladimir Putin opponent Alexei Navalny also a gripping thriller. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE The nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front, Volker Bertelmann Babylon, Justin Hurwitz The Banshees of Inisherin, Carter Burwell Everything Everywhere All At Once, Son Lux The Fabelmans, John Williams Should win: Babylon, Justin Hurwitz Could win: The Fabelmans, John Williams Will win: Babylon, Justin Hurwitz More often than you might expect, a year rolls around where neither John Williams or Hans Zimmer get Oscar nominations. One of the Newmans — cousins Thomas or Randy — tend to fill the gap, or Alexandre Desplat. This year is Williams' turn as a contender again, earning his whopping 53rd nod. He's won five times so far from that, and The Fabelmans might be his sixth. This is a jam-packed field with no weak links, but Justin Hurwitz should add to his two La La Land wins. His score for Babylon is propulsive, vibrant, energetic and largely responsible for the film's mood. Yes, it's jazzy, naturally — his latest collaboration with jazz-loving director Damien Chazelle is set in Jazz Age Hollywood, after all. BEST ORIGINAL SONG The nominees: 'Applause', Tell It Like a Woman (Diane Warren) 'Hold My Hand', Top Gun: Maverick (Lady Gaga and BloodPop) 'Lift Me Up', Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; lyrics by Tems and Ryan Coogler) 'Naatu Naatu', RRR (music by MM Keeravaani, lyrics by Chandrabose) 'This Is a Life', Everything Everywhere All At Once (music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski, lyrics by Ryan Lott and David Byrne) Should win: 'Naatu Naatu', RRR (music by MM Keeravaani, lyrics by Chandrabose) Could win: 'Lift Me Up', Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; lyrics by Tems and Ryan Coogler) Will win: 'Naatu Naatu', RRR (music by MM Keeravaani, lyrics by Chandrabose) Maybe you're the kind of Oscars watcher that uses the song performances to grab a bite. Forget your usual routine — don't miss this year's rendition of 'Naatu Naatu'. The infectious and joyous track from RRR will win, and should, for a movie that should've had a better showing in the nominations. Despite Bollywood's stature, an Indian film has never been nominated outside of Best International Feature Film before, so this'll be a history-making victory. Still, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's 'Lift Me Up' could sweep in; Rihanna's slot at the Super Bowl didn't hurt its fortunes. And Lady Gaga's 'Hold My Hand' from Top Gun: Maverick is also in with a good chance. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY The nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front, James Friend Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, Darius Khondji Elvis, Mandy Walker Empire of Light, Roger Deakins Tár, Florian Hoffmeister Should win: Empire of Light, Roger Deakins Could win: Empire of Light, Roger Deakins Will win: Elvis, Mandy Walker Another field where every entry is excellent, the Best Cinematography category could also make history. Horrifically, it wasn't until the 2018 ceremony that a female cinematographer — Mudbound's Rachel Morrison — was even nominated. Australia's own Ari Wegner received the award's second-ever nomination to go to a woman in 2022 for The Power of the Dog, but didn't win either. Fellow Aussie Mandy Walker should go one better for Elvis; however, she has stiff competition. Cinematography great Roger Deakins does stellar work with Empire of Light; a movie about the power of cinema set in a cinema, it has to look perfect, and it does. And James Friend could sneak in for All Quiet on the Western Front, especially if it doesn't capitalise upon all of its nominations in other fields. BEST FILM EDITING The nominees: The Banshees of Inisherin, Mikkel EG Nielsen Elvis, Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond Everything Everywhere All At Once, Paul Rogers Tár, Monika Willi Top Gun: Maverick, Eddie Hamilton Should win: Tár, Monika Willi Could win: Top Gun: Maverick, Eddie Hamilton Will win: Everything Everywhere All At Once, Paul Rogers Thanks to editing wins at the BAFTAs, Critics Choice, Film Independent Spirit and American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Film Editing is Everything Everywhere All At Once's category to lose — but there's one caveat around Paul Rogers' likely win. Also at the ACE Awards, Top Gun: Maverick 's Eddie Hamilton won, because that ceremony gives out gongs for dramas and comedies separately. So, if Top Gun: Maverick takes the Academy's breath away, don't be surprised. Elvis, The Banshees of Inisherin and Tár also benefit from exacting splicing — indeed, everything in this field except The Banshees of Inisherin delivers a masterclass in overt editing with style and purpose. Wondering where to watch this year's Oscar contenders? We've put together a rundown for both Australia and New Zealand.
Future Totoros and Ponyos may not eventuate; Studio Ghibli have announced a hiatus to their animation feature film department. Surrounded by rumours of an outright closure, Studio Ghibli's general manager, Toshio Suzuki, announced the movements on Japanese television today as a "brief pause". Responsible for the likes of Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo and My Neighbour Totoro among many, many other beloved tales, the animation studio is reassessing its filmic future. The news comes just under a year after legendary, Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki announced his retirement in September 2013 and released his final film The Wind Rises in February this year. Differing translations of Suzuki's announcement caused minor havoc online (notably fuelled by so-called Ghibli insiders at Japanese website News Cafe and subsequently quashed by Kotaku). Although most thought the studio was closing its doors for good, newer, more accurate translations cleared things up. "On what to do with Studio Ghibli’s future, it is by no means impossible to keep producing [movies] forever," said Suzuki on the TBS program Jonetsu Tairiku. "However, we will take a brief pause to consider where to go from here." Producer and co-founder Suzuki stepped into Miyazaki's shoes and became general manager when the director retired from Ghibli last year, joining forces with other Studio half, director Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies). So why is Ghibli shutting up shop? It seems to be a matter of money, a fair reason to reassess in a Michael Bay-peppered, box office landscape. According to Anime News Network, Studio Ghibli's latest film,When Marnie Was There opened at number three over the first weekend (July 19 - 20) with 378,790,697 yen (US$3,721,297) on 461 screens. That seems like a whole bunch, but the international market isn't so kind to arthouse-designated Ghibli. Marnie is set to hit US cinemas some time next year, with Australian release dates still TBC. Ghibli haven't covered up their financial struggle, most notably considering 2013's The Tale of Princess Kaguya a flop with tiny box office numbers (a huge step down from 2002's Acadamy Award-winning hit Spirited Away, which took US$274,925,095 worldwide). Suzuki said the studio is considering "housecleaning" or restructuring internally. While this doesn't entirely rule out a future shutdown, it seems the pause is centred around rebuilding the studio, managing copyrights and trademarks and possibly freelancing out projects — a good sign for Ghibli fans. But Kotaku has assured fans that Studio Ghibli is not dead yet, so we'll keep those good vibes delivered via Kiki and keep fingers crossed. Via Anime News Network, Kotaku and Hypable.
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.
It might come as a surprise, given Australia's questionable internet speeds, but Melbourne has claimed the ranking of tenth smartest city in the world, with Sydney snapping at its heels in spot number 12. Headed up by international parking app company Easy Park, the 2017 Smart Cities Index analysed 500 cities worldwide, ranking the top 100. Other Australian cities that made the cut were Perth at number 41 and Adelaide at number 61. The key factors used in the study looked at digitalisation (including 4G connectivity, access to Wi-Fi hotspots and high smartphone usage) and knowledge-based mobility and transport (considering the prevalence of ride-share apps, smart parking and traffic sensors). Sustainability, online access to government services, and significant levels of citizen participation were also taken into consideration. Over 20,000 urban planning and technology experts were then asked to provide opinions about their own cities. Melbourne scored highest of all the countries for 4G connectivity, with Sydney and Perth making up the rest of the top three. Melbourne and Adelaide also ranked especially well when it came to citizen participation. Unsurprisingly, no Australian cities broke the top 20 for internet speed. While San Francisco topped the class with a perfect score of 10, Melbourne ranked number 26, with Sydney at 29 and Perth clocking in at 31. See the full table of results for the 2017 Smart Cities Index here. Photo via Wikimedia.
Prepare to have your funny bone well and truly tickled, because the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is upon us once again. From Wednesday, March 29 through to Sunday, April 23, hundreds of humorists from all around planet earth will descend upon dozens of venues around town to make you giggle, guffaw, snort, snicker and shoot milk out of your nose. Why you were drinking milk at a comedy show is a whole other question. This year's lineup is predictably packed, with big name international jokesters including Daniel Kitson, David O'Doherty, Jason Byrne and Paul Foot joining beloved locals including Aaron Gocs, Cal Wilson, Demi Lardner and Matt Okine. There'll also be musicals and debates and live podcast recordings, and even a silent comedy event inspired by silent discos. And that's to say nothing of the countless up-and-comers whose names you mightn't know yet, but who you'll no doubt be hearing a lot more from in festivals to come.
Good things happen when the minds behind Peters Ice Cream and Gelato Messina come together, as has proven the case multiple times now. In the summer of 2019 — centuries ago — the dessert experts unveiled a limited-edition line of gourmet Drumsticks. Fast forward to spring 2020, and they teamed up for a range of Messina X Peters gelato bars. Now, with spring 2021 in full swing, they've added a new lamington flavour to its in-supermarket lineup. Yes, next time you're hankering for a frosty sweet treat, you can nab one of Messina's takes on the best chocolate- and coconut-covered cake there is. The new creation, which has just landed in the freezer aisle of your local supermarket, comes filled with chocolate gelato mixed with desiccated coconut, plus raspberry sauce — a mix that might taste familiar if you're already a Messina fiend. Here, all that gelato is placed on a biscuit base, then covered in milk chocolate. The Messina lamington gelato bar joins the existing Messina X Peters choc hazelnut and espresso dulche de leche numbers. The former features layers of chocolate biscuit, cocoa gelato, a hazelnut sauce and a chocolate coating, while the latter pairs espresso gelato and dulce de leche, then covers it in milk chocolate. All three flavours are available at supermarkets around Australia. Each comes in pop art-style boxes of four, priced at $10 per box. On Tuesday, October 19, to mark the new lamington gelato bar's launch, Messina is also giving away boxes of them. To get your hands on one, you'll either need to make a purchase at a Messina store — or order from Messina via Uber Eats from 12pm onwards and tick the 'free box of lamington gelato bars offer' box. Both giveaways are while stocks last, so getting in early is obviously recommended. Gelato Messina X Peters gelato bars are available at supermarkets around Australia.
As far as crowd-pleasing music goes, it's hard to top a Fleetwood Mac playlist. Formed in the late 60s, the British American rock band cemented itself in musical history with now-classic tunes like 'Little Lies', 'The Chain', 'Dreams' and more. Sadly, the band members themselves have hung up their guitars, but that doesn't mean we can't continue to enjoy their hits live. Thanks is due to Concerts By Candlelight, the event series you've no doubt heard about on social media. The concert group is rolling out the 2025 event program and the first item on the agenda is The Music of Fleetwood Mac By Candlelight. With a live band and a cast of West End singers performing all the hits (and selling out shows in the UK), the tour is hitting Australia and New Zealand throughout February and March. After a series of shows across the ditch, The Music of Fleetwood Mac By Candlelight will kick off an Australia-wide tour. First up is QLD, with the concert hitting the Gold Coast and The Star Theatre on Friday, February 28. Then, on Friday, March 7, it's Sydney's turn at Darling Harbour Theatre — followed by a stop at Melbourne Town Hall on Tuesday, March 11. Later that week, it crosses the country to PCEC Perth for a show on Friday, March 14, before finishing at Her Majesty's Theatre for an Adelaide performance on Friday, March 28. The Music of Fleetwood Mac By Candlelight will tour across cities in Australia and New Zealand from Friday, February 14 to Friday, March 28. For more information or to book tickets, visit the website.
Editors fictional and real may disagree — The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun's Arthur Howitzer Jr (Bill Murray, On the Rocks) among them — but it's easy to use Wes Anderson's name as both an adjective and a verb. In a sentence that'd never get printed in his latest film's titular tome (and mightn't in The New Yorker, its inspiration, either), The French Dispatch is the most Wes Anderson movie Wes Anderson has ever Wes Andersoned. The immaculate symmetry that makes each frame a piece of art is present, naturally, as are gloriously offbeat performances. The equally dreamy and precise pastel- and jewel-hued colour palette, the who's who of a familiar cast list, the miniatures and animated interludes and split screens, the knack for physical comedy, and the mix of high artifice, heartfelt nostalgia and dripping whimsy, too. The writer/director knows what he loves, and also what he loves to splash across his films, and it's all accounted for in his tenth release. In The French Dispatch, he also adores stories that say as much about their authors as the world, the places that gift them to the masses, and the space needed to let creativity and insight breathe. He loves celebrating all of this, and heartily, using his usual bag of tricks. It's disingenuous to say that Anderson just wheels out the same flourishes in any movie he helms, though, despite each one — from The Royal Tenenbaums onwards, especially — looking like part of a set. As he's spent his career showing but conveys with extra gusto here, Anderson adores the craftsmanship of filmmaking. He likes pictures that look as if someone has doted on them and fashioned them with their hands, and is just as infatuated with the emotional possibilities that spring from such loving and meticulous work. Indeed, each of his features expresses that pivotal personality detail so clearly that it may as well be cross-stitched into the centre of the frame using Anderson's hair. It's still accurate to call The French Dispatch an ode to magazines, their heyday and their rockstar writers; the film draws four of its five chapters from its eponymous publication, even badging them with page numbers. But this is also a tribute to everything Anderson holds The New Yorker to stand for, and holds dear — to everything he's obsessed over, internalised and absorbed into the signature filmmaking style that's given such an exuberant workout once again. One scene, in the first of its three longer segments, crystallises this so magnificently that it's among the best things Anderson has ever put on-screen. It involves two versions of murderer-turned-artist Moses Rosenthaler, both sharing the boxed-in frame. The young (Tony Revolori, The Grand Budapest Hotel) greets the old (Benicio Del Toro, No Sudden Move), the pair swapping places and handing over lanyards, and it feels as if Anderson is doing the same with his long-held passions. Before Moses' instalment, entitled The Concrete Masterpiece, the picture's bookending story steps into Howitzer's offices in the fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé. Since 1925, he's called it home, as well as the base for a sophisticated literary periodical that started as a travel insert in his father's paper back in Kansas. Because Anderson loves melancholy, too, news of Howitzer's death begins the film courtesy of an obituary. What follows via travelogue The Cycling Reporter, the aforementioned incarcerated art lark, student revolution report Revisions to a Manifesto and police cuisine-turned-kidnapping story The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner is The French Dispatch's final issue turned into a movie — and an outlet for both Howitzer's and the director's abundant Francophilia. Watching travel correspondent Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson, Loki) wheel around Ennui — a place that isn't quite Paris, just as The French Dispatch isn't quite The New Yorker — comes complete with choirboy gangs rumbling seniors, rat-filled tunnels and bodies fished out of rivers. Anderson's love of quaint and quirky details initially shimmers before that, in Howitzer's workspace beneath his comical "no crying" sign, but doesn't stop gleaming for a second. It's there in Moses' success, as aided by his muse/prison guard Simone (Léa Seydoux, No Time to Die), fellow inmate/art dealer Cadazio (Adrien Brody, Succession), and journalist JKL Berensen (Tilda Swinton, Memoria), who relays the specifics. And, it's clear in the chronicle by political writer Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand, Nomadland) about a student uprising led by the suitably moody Zeffirelli (Timothée Chalamet, Dune) over accessing girls' dormitory rooms. Regardless of their amusingly monikered setting, there's nary a trace of boredom or indifference in any of these chapters, all of which ape real New Yorker stories and scribes. So too does Howitzer, as well as Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright, No Time to Die), author of the film's third major segment. The French Dispatch layers in themes and ideas as potently and deeply as its visual gems, tortured genius myths and "the touching narcissism of the young" (as the movie itself describes it) all included; however, its Roebuck-focused thread is exquisitely intelligent and affecting. On a TV set, the journalist relays his attempt to write about Nescaffier (Steve Park, Warrior), chef to the local police commissaire (Mathieu Amalric, Sound of Metal), which was derailed by a hostage situation involving the latter's son — and his piece also becomes an outsider's lament. Whether going monochrome in homage to the French New Wave, pulling off a bravura late-film long shot, or finding roles for Elisabeth Moss (The Invisible Man), Saoirse Ronan (Ammonite), Edward Norton (Motherless Brooklyn) and Willem Dafoe (The Card Counter) — plus Jason Schwartzman (Fargo), who also nabs a story credit with the director, Roman Coppola (Isle of Dogs) and Hugo Guinness (The Grand Budapest Hotel) — Anderson does his utmost at every turn. While aided by sublime work by his eight-time cinematographer Robert D Yeoman, regular production designer Adam Stockhausen and frequent composer Alexandre Desplat, the result feels like slipping not only into Anderson's head but his heart, and more so than any other feature he's made. The French Dispatch is a treasure chest for Anderson, his devotees, and lovers of words, France and inventive cinema alike, although it holds zero chance of converting his naysayers. "Just try to make it sound like you wrote it that way on purpose," is Howitzer's wise advice to his writers, but there's no doubting that every minuscule choice made in this remarkable delight is utterly and marvellously intentional.
"What we need is a hot, fresh dead body — preferably right here or very near to here." So declares Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) in the just-unveiled first trailer for Only Murders in the Building season four. Viewers of 2023's season three already know that exactly that is about to greet him, Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez , The Dead Don't Die) and Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated), aka the three New York City-residing podcasters who started teaming up to record audio when murders began occurring in their building. Being aware that there has again been a killing in the Arconia doesn't mean knowing what's in store in the sleuthing comedy's return, though — with season four now locked in to start streaming from Tuesday, August 27, 2024. Indeed, something different is afoot this time around, taking Only Murders in the Building into territory not seen in 2021's season one or 2022's season two, either. Get ready for a trip to Hollywood. Both Oliver, Mabel and Charles' investigation and the cinema business beckon in Los Angeles. A studio wants to turn their podcast — which is also called Only Murders in the Building — into a film. Again, Oliver has the right words for the scenario in the sneak peek: "pack your bags, bitches — we're going to the movies". Cue not only the return of Meryl Streep (Don't Look Up), who joined the cast in season three, but also the arrival of Molly Shannon (The Other Two), Eugene Levy (Schitt's Creek), Eva Longoria (Tell It Like a Woman), Zach Galifianakis (The Beanie Bubble), Melissa McCarthy (Unfrosted), Kumail Nanjiani (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) and Richard Kind (Girls5eva) joining the cast. Alongside Short, Gomez and Martin, fellow long-running Only Murders in the Building regulars Michael Cyril Creighton (American Fiction), Da'Vine Joy Randolph (a newly minted Oscar-winner for The Holdovers) and Jane Lynch (Velma) are also back. When it premiered in 2021, the series started with three residents of the same NYC apartment complex crossing paths after a death in their building, then bonding over true-crime podcasts. Next, they did what everyone that's jumped on that bandwagon knows they would if they were ever in the same situation: started their own audio series. Every season has given aspiring artist Mabel, Broadway producer Oliver and actor Charles another case to dive into, smartly and amusingly so. In the show's third batch of episodes, it was the murder of star Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem) at the opening night of Oliver's latest show that had them turning detective. Check out the first trailer for Only Murders in the Building season four below: Only Murders in the Building streams Down Under via Star on Disney+, and will return for season four on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. Read our reviews of season one, season two and season three.
Paris and Abu Dhabi might seem worlds apart in many ways, but come November they'll share a pretty significant cultural bond, as the Louvre Abu Dhabi opens its doors to the public. Set to launch on November 11, the museum will be unlike any other in the United Arab Emirates, pitched as "a universal museum that focuses on shared human stories across civilisations and cultures." It's a stunner, too, designed by acclaimed French architect Lean Nouvel and boasting a 7500-tonne, 180-metre high dome ceiling, set with close to 8000 metal stars. The intergovernmental project is globally significant, pulling together a diverse, 600-strong collection of artworks and artefacts from 13 of France's top cultural institutions, spanning prehistoric times to the present day. In a forward-thinking move, they'll be displayed chronologically, rather than with a focus on place, shining a spotlight on cross-cultural interconnectedness. According to the museum's director, Manuel Rabaté, the goal was to create "a place where visitors can come to understand their own and others' cultures. Its ground-breaking architecture complements a presentation of exceptional treasures that represent a snapshot of humanity's creativity, and paves the way for new discussions." Images: Mohamed Somji.
With free trams, great coffee, even better bearded men and now a potential smoking ban, Melbourne's really upping the stakes in its claim to become Australia's most progressive city. Melbourne City Council have today announced plans to make the CBD completely smoke-free by 2016. This would make Melbourne the first city in the world to implement such comprehensive measures. Of course, it would also make us home to the most disgruntled business types — sitting forlornly on a milk crate on Degraves just won't look the same if you don't have a durry in hand. This news comes after a successful bid to make The Causeway — one of the cheeky laneways between Bourke and Little Collins — smoke-free, alongside six similar bans."I think there's overwhelming support to progress smoke-free areas given the great success we had with The Causeway," city councillor Richard Foster told Fairfax Radio this morning. "I think we're going to actually attract people to Melbourne by being one of the first in the world to go smoke-free." Though Cr Foster maintains he has majority support on the idea, not all politicians are on board. Premier Denis Napthine strongly opposes the proposition, deeming it "totally unworkable" and "totally unreasonable". Similar disdain can also be heard from the city's street traders. After all, smokers still flock to outdoor seating in our city's cafes for the iconic coffee and cigarette combo. In its current imagining the plan would ban smoking for both pedestrians and footpath diners in the areas between Flinders Street, Spencer Street, Spring Street and Queen Victoria Market; though there would be designated smoking areas most likely in the form of shelters. Smokers seen breaking the ban would be met with on-the-spot fines, though the prohibition would be understandably difficult to police. The plan is similar to that which has recently been implemented in our inner-city universities. Both RMIT and the University of Melbourne are currently smoke-free and offer rather meagre designated areas for insistent smokers. The issue was debated widely by students as both a move towards a safer and healthier environment and an infringement on smokers' civil liberties. Of course, should the issue be taken city-wide the debate would only intensify. So far, public reaction on social media has been fairly positive. Even Lord Mayor Robert Doyle is on board so long as the changes are "incremental". If there's ever been a time to quit, this is probably it. Life as a smoker is getting more and more outlawed by the day. Via The Australian. Photo credit: Orin Zebest.
There's a reason this exhibition's title references a whole different world. Once you step inside the signature blue and white striped archways of the entry, you become enveloped in an alternate reality. Like stepping inside the mind of the infamous designer, you are now in the realm of spectacle, ferocity, drama and glamour. No matter what you're wearing, prepare to feel wildly underdressed. Featuring 140 garments, this exhibition is both a celebration of the ornate and original craftsmanship of the legendary French designer as well as a celebration of his outlandish philosophy in style. Separated into seven sections including The Boudoir, Muses, and Metropolis, The Fashion World gives you a thematic history of Gaultier's iconic work and his varied influences. You don't need to be a fashionista to appreciate it either. The world of JPG is entrenched in pop culture, film, celebrity, humour and eroticism. Because of this diversity, the exhibition feels a lot more like a regular art exhibit than a fashion show. There are fairytale dresses made out of nothing but pink silk ribbon. There's a tartan and leather clad section dedicated to the punk scene of Paris' outer suburbs. One dimly lit room is even set up as Amsterdam's infamous red light district — all velveteen and dirty. With such stark differences striking you on each section of the journey, the experience is much less didactic than you might imagine. There's a lot of history to be gleaned, of course, but the story is not so much about the man who made the clothes, but the worlds he created. Even if you know nothing of the fashion, you'll find significant touchstones in the way of celebrities. As you enter the space, you'll be greeted by wall-scale portraits of Cate Blanchett, Kylie Minogue, Andreja Pejic and Gemma Ward by local street artist Rone — some of the designer's most influential Australian muses. A chorus of 32 custom mannequins are among the first works on display. Using incredible projection technology, the faces speaking to you are recognisable as JPG himself and Melissa Auf der Maur of The Smashing Pumpkins. Drawing on his friends in the art world, some of the photography on display also includes work by Cindy Sherman and Andy Warhol. "I think the way people dress today is a form of artistic expression," reads a Warhol quote on display. "Art lies in the way the outfit is put together. Take Jean Paul Gaultier. What he does is really art." Like always, Warhol is right. JPG is a master. But, instead of oil paints and landscapes he deals in feathers, cone bras, and bejewelled pubic hairs.
Before the pandemic, compiling a travel bucket list was limited only to your imagination. Now, after years of international border closures, and also the shutting down of overseas travel into and out of many countries, it's also guided by COVID-19 rules, requirements, restrictions and entry procedures. But if you've been keen to add Bali to your itinerary, the Indonesian island has good news: it's now open to double-vaccinated Australian and New Zealand tourist without quarantine. Back in February, Bali started welcoming back select tourists — including folks from Down Under — but with a shortened isolation period, requiring arrivals to quarantine for five days once they hit the island. Now, since Monday, March 7, that rule has been scrapped. There's still mandatory testing, as well as a few other procedures to abide by, but you no longer have to factor in a lengthy stint confined to your hotel before your getaway genuinely kicks into gear. Firstly, the new rules only apply to travellers who have had at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine — and, in the 48 hours before you get to Bali, you also need to get a PCR test (and, obviously, it needs to return a negative result). Then, thanks to Bali's newly implemented Visa on Arrival program, you'll fill out the paperwork and pay the fee (around AU$50) when you hop off the plane, and also take another PCR test. You will need to isolate until you get a negative result from that one, but that's clearly better than spending five days in quarantine. Upon arrival, you'll also need to show proof of a paid hotel booking for four days/three nights, as well as health insurance that covers COVID-19 up to at least US$25,000. And, you'll have to download the Bali COVID app as well. Then, three days after you get there, you're required to take another PCR test as well — but there's no isolation requirement attached. Countries covered under Bali's Visa on Arrival program since Monday, March 7 include Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Qatar, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Italy, Turkey and UEA, with the scheme expanding to 42 nations on Monday, March 21. Indonesia has also just dropped its quarantine requirement nationwide, effective from the same date. That yearning you now feel? It's the need to pull out your dusty suitcase, get packing and book yourself a beachy Bali holiday. For more information about the requirements for travelling to Bali, head to the Indonesian Government's website.
Proof that a smart, snappy brunch menu needn't always mean going OTT, Bridge Road's Otto is heroing originality and technique, without going too nuts in the flamboyancy stakes. The space itself is a bright, minimalist edit of clean lines, strip lighting and metallic accents, inspired by the sleek fashion boutiques of New York. Taking pride of place on the counter is a state-of-the-art Slayer Espresso Steam LP coffee machine, which is serving Padre Coffee's chocolatey Daddy's Girl blend. Meanwhile, the food offering features interesting ingredients and clever reworkings of familiar brunch classics. A croque madame swaps bread for a croissant and is loaded with smoked ham hock, fried egg, bechamel and a celeriac apple salad ($18.90), while Otto's version of smashed avo ($18.50) is brought to life with white miso, torched cucumber, freeze-dried peas and gomashio (a salty Japanese seasoning). There's a hand-crumbed wagyu scotch fillet teamed with sauce gribiche, apple slaw and puffed wild rice ($26); a smoky dish of twice-cooked salmon with vongole and mussels in a tom yum broth ($25); a french toast with mango-soaked brioche, wine-poached peaches and frozen nougat ($18.90); and a fluffy hotcake with butterscotch sauce, blueberry gel and mascarpone ($18.50). Brought a date (or a mate)? Go for the share-friendly breakfast platter, starring a sprawling assortment of french toast, kaiserfleisch, fritters, soba noodle salad, scotch egg and mushrooms with egg custard.
Don't be alarmed, but we think super-schmick purveyors of cool Monocle might be staging an artfully curated coup for world domination, with a luxury cafe in the centre of London set to open on Monday. Considering the powerhouse now boasts this, a 24-hour radio station, a formidable online presence, offline stores in London, New York, Hong Kong and Toronto and even an eatery in a Tokyo department store — all in addition to the global affairs and culture print magazine that started the whole thing in 2007 — we're about ready to lie down and submit to Monocle founder Tyler Brúlé's totalitarian regime, inspired by the pursuit of a thoughtful, well-designed approach of life. "We wanted to create a relaxed space for a morning coffee meeting, a lengthy weekend lunch with the papers and a glass of prosecco after work too," said Brúlé of his vision in an interview with Qompendium. Ah yes, all those after-work glasses of prosecco we've been having. The place comes complete with low-hanging industrial lights, enough stark white paint and soothing leafy greenery to rival a sanatorium and embossed napkins that look worth as much as a latte, so who are we to fight it? Via PSFK
New restaurants and takeaway joints open every week in Melbourne — so much so that it's hard to keep up, let alone determine which ones to visit. But you know what gets our attention? Free stuff. That's why we're pleased to tell you that, to celebrate the opening of their first Melbourne store, in Moonee Ponds, Zeus Street Greek will be giving out free souvas to anyone who visits the new location on Saturday March 17. All you have to do is walk into the Hall Street store between noon and 3pm on Saturday and you'll score yourself a free pita. These are ZSG's version of a souvlaki, which you can get filled with chicken, pork, lamb, falafel, haloumi or soft shell crab. Only chicken and lamb varieties will be available for free on the day, but for each pita given away, ZSG will donate $2 to TLC for Kids, a charity that supports provides assistance for sick children and their families. In case you haven't heard of ZSG, they've been taking over the rest of the country at a steady rate. Melbourne marks their 20th digs, with the chain boasting 14 stores in New South Wales, three in Brisbane, and others in Canberra and Perth. Zeus Street Greek Moonee Ponds is now open at 21-31 Hall Street, Moonee Ponds. To celebrate the opening, they will will be giving away free pitas on Saturday, March 17 from 12–3pm. For more info visit zeusstreetgreek.com.au. Images: Zeus Street Greek / Dominic Loneragan.
