That most wonderful of foodstuffs is getting two nights to call its own, as the Melbourne Dumpling Festival returns for another year. Taking over the 206 Bourke Street development, this dumpling dine-in will feature dumps from some of Melbourne's best Chinese chefs, along with booze and other dumpling-related festivities. It all kicks off at 5pm on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16 – meaning you'll have all Sunday to lounge around in a food coma. On the ground floor, more than 50 varieties of dumplings will be on offer across the weekend from Tim Ho Wan, China Red, China Chilli, House of Delight and Dragon Boat. And when you buy some, you'll score a free bubble tea or wine from the Riot Wine Co. pop-up laneway bar. Plus, there will be a silent disco, live music and a ball pit filled with prizes and the chance to win free dumplings for a year. But you'll want to also book yourself in for a dumpling and wine pairing 'experience' up on level one. For just $10, you'll be treated to five dumplings (one from each of the vendors) and three tastes of wine. Not bad. There'll be five sittings each night, and you can book in here.
Since Victoria's second COVID-19 lockdown began in July, dreaming of spending a night somewhere other than your own home has become a regular part of pandemic life. Thankfully, that dream looks set to become a reality early next month, with Premier Daniel Andrews revealing earlier this week that Victorians will be able to travel regionally — and stay overnight — from 11.59pm on Sunday, November 8. Premier Andrews made the announcement earlier on Monday, October 26, when he ran through the next phases of eased restrictions for the metropolitan Melbourne area. Understandably — given that they came into effect this week — the bulk of the focus has been on heading back out to bars and restaurants, and having folks over to your house. But prepare for more things to change at the end of next week, too. On the travel front, the hard border between metro Melbourne and regional Victoria will be scrapped. And, so will the 25-kilometre travel limit — so "the state will be one again" as the Premier said. Crucially, accommodation sites will be allowed to reopen; however, there are rules about bookings. You can only book with members of your household, with your intimate partner, or with your household and two adults and their kids from another household. https://twitter.com/VicGovDHHS/status/1320588908862803969 From this November date, a heap of other changes will also come into effect. In metro Melbourne, gyms and fitness studios will be allowed to reopen, with a maximum of 20 people per space. At hospitality venues, they'll move to 40 people indoors and 70 outside. Religious gatherings will move to 20 people indoors and 50 outdoors, and indoor pools will also be allowed to open. As with all of Victoria's plans for future changes to its COVID-19 limits, the easing of the above restrictions on November 8 is contingent on case numbers. At the time of writing, Melbourne has reported four cases in the past 24 hours, three the day prior, two on the day before that, and zero cases for two days in a row before that — a trend that'll hopefully continue. For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health and Human Services website — and for further details about Victoria's steps for reopening, head to the roadmap itself. Top image: Nightingale Orchard by Emily Godfrey via Visit Victoria
In the 70s and 80s, it was Countdown. In the 90s and early 00s, it was Recovery. Now, the ABC is adding The Set to its roster of music-focused TV shows. Like its predecessor, the new television series will feature live music performances in front of a live studio audience — with triple j's Linda Marigliano and Dylan Alcott as the program's hosts. Kicking off on both ABC and iview at 9.30pm on Wednesday, October 31, The Set will feature a different main band each week, who'll then invite two guest acts to perform live as well. To end each show, the week's artists will all team up in a one-off musical collaboration. And with the whole thing taking place on a purpose-built share house set, which also includes a backyard, 250 folks will be there, in person, enjoying the gig. Headliners include Angus and Julia Stone, Vera Blue, Ball Park Music and The Presets, while the likes of Illy, Odette, Baker Boy, Wafia, Mallrat, Angie McMahon, Tia Gostelow, LANKS and Kult Kyss have been named among The Set's guests. The series will actually air twice each week — with a 30-minute episode running each Wednesday evening, and then an extended hour-long version screening on Saturdays at 10pm from November 3.
Wool Modern will open to the public this ANZAC Day, Wednesday, April 25, in a celebration of one of Australia's top industries. This year's exhibition aims to dissolve any preconceptions about the wool industry by demonstrating the new, fashionable 21st century platform for the natural fibre. Featuring the "modern, innovative, and avant garde" use of wool throughout today's creative industries, Wool Modern promises to upstage your thick winter socks. Prominent Australian fashion and interior designers (including Collette Dinnigan and Akira Isogawa) will display their creations among industry greats such as Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood. The exhibition was the highlight of the 2011 Campaign for Wool, and was visited by the Prince of Wales himself last year. Wool Modern will be held on Pier 1 & 2 in Sydney from April 25 to Tuesday, May 1. From there, it will be transplanted to the nearby Queen Victoria Building on George Street, where it will remain through June. Josh Goot Emma Elizabeth Gorman https://youtube.com/watch?v=0-QpsFLpoB8
Before the pandemic, when a new-release movie started playing in cinemas, audiences couldn't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the past few years forcing film industry to make quite a few changes — widespread movie theatre closures will do that, and so will plenty of people staying home because they aren't well — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Perhaps you've been under the weather. Given the hefty amount of titles now releasing each week, maybe you simply missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here are 12 that you can watch right now at home. ASTEROID CITY In 1954, one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest thrillers peeked through a rear window. In Wes Anderson's highly stylised, symmetrical and colour-saturated vision of 1955 in Asteroid City, a romance springs almost solely through two fellow holes in the wall. Sitting behind one is actor Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson, Black Widow), who visibly recalls Marilyn Monroe. Peering through the opposing space is newly widowed war photographer Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), who takes more than a few cues from James Dean. The time isn't just 1955 in the filmmaker's latest stellar masterpiece, but September that year, a month that would end with Dean's death in a car crash. Racing through the movie's eponymous setting — an 87-person slice of post-war midwest Americana with a landscape straight out of a western, the genre that was enjoying its golden age at the time — are cops and robbers speeding and careening in their vehicles. Meticulousness layered upon meticulousness has gleamed like the sun across Anderson's repertoire since 1996's Bottle Rocket launched the writer/director's distinctive aesthetic flair; "Anderson-esque" has long become a term. Helming his 11th feature with Asteroid City, he's as fastidious and methodical in his details upon details as ever — more so, given that each successive movie keeps feeling like Anderson at his most Anderson — but all of those 50s pop-culture shoutouts aren't merely film-loving, winking-and-nodding quirks. Within this picture's world, as based on a story conjured up with Roman Coppola (The French Dispatch), Asteroid City isn't actually a picture. "It is an imaginary drama created expressly for the purposes of this broadcast. The characters are fictional, the text hypothetical, the events an apocryphal fabrication," a Playhouse 90-style host (Bryan Cranston, Better Call Saul) informs. So, it's a fake play turned into a play for a TV presentation, behind-the-scenes glimpses and all. There Anderson is, being his usual ornate and intricate self, and finding multiple manners to explore art, authenticity, and the emotions found in and processed through works of creativity. Asteroid City is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — DEAD RECKONING PART ONE Pick your poison, action-franchise edition circa 2023: balletically choreographed carnage; cars, kin and Coronas; or Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick) constantly one-upping himself in the megastar stunts stakes. Hollywood loves them all. Screens keep welcoming them all. So, after John Wick: Chapter 4 and Fast X comes Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One to deliver the kind of movie spectacle that always looks best on the biggest and brightest of viewing formats. And, as its lead actor's gleaming teeth do, the seventh instalment in the TV-to-film spy series shines. Like Cruise himself, it's committed to giving audiences what they want to see, but never merely exactly what they've already seen. This saga hasn't always chosen to accept that mission, but it's been having a better time of it since 2011's Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, including when writer/director Christopher McQuarrie jumped behind the lens with 2015's Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. Rubber masks so realistic that anyone on-screen could rip off their face to reveal Cruise's Ethan Hunt? Of course they're present and accounted for. Espionage antics that involve saving the world while traversing much of it? Tick that off ASAP. The saga's main Impossible Missions Force operative doing whatever it takes, including sprinting everywhere and relentlessly exasperating his higher-ups? Check. A trusty crew faithfully aiding the always-maverick Hunt, plus slippery adversaries to endeavour to outsmart? Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One gives them a hefty thumbs up as well. Shady forces with globe-destroying aims, being able to trust oh-so-few folks, wreaking slickly staged havoc, those jaw-dropping stunts, top-notch actors: Cruise and McQuarrie, the latter co-writing with Erik Jendresen (Ithaca), feel the need to feed it all into the flick, too. They're also rather fond of nodding to and reworking the franchise's greatest hits. Happily playing with recognisable pieces while eagerly, cleverly and satisfyingly building upon them isn't the easiest of skills, but it's firmly in this team's arsenal. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BLUE BEETLE Buzzing at the heart of Blue Beetle are two contrasting notions: fitting in and standing out. Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña, Cobra Kai) wants to feel at home not just in his own slice of El Paso-esque Texan spot Palmera City, but beyond his neighbourhood. When he assists his sister Milagro (Belissa Escobedo, Hocus Pocus 2) working at the well-to-do's houses, he searches for opportunities, especially given that he's in need of a steady job to help his family save their home as gentrification swoops in. Thanks to a run-in with Kord Industries, its warmongering CEO Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon, Maybe I Do) and an ancient artefact known as the scarab, however, the recent Gotham Law University graduate will soon be his hometown's most distinctive resident. Getting covered in blue armour, being able to fly — wings and other bug appendages come with the suit — and hearing a robotic voice (Becky G, Power Rangers) chatting in your head will do that, as will having a multinational company try to swat you down because it wants to deploy the technology RoboCop-style. So scampers the latest entry in the DC Extended Universe — a movie that grapples with the same concepts as the ever-earnest Jaime beyond its storyline. It slots into its franchise while providing something new 14 entries in, before the DCEU comes to an end with the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (under fresh DC leadership, a different silver-screen saga is coming, which might still link in with Blue Beetle). Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings), this is the superhero genre's first live-action flick with a Latino lead, be it from DC or Marvel. It's a family drama as much a caped-crusader affair. It's a story about immigrants striving to thrive and retain their own culture. And, it revels in an 80s sheen and sound. Blue Beetle battles enthusiastically to claim its own space, then, as almost constantly seen and felt. Alas, that doesn't stop it from getting generic as well, as much save-the-world fare is. Blue Beetle is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BLACKBERRY There's rarely a still moment in BlackBerry. Someone is almost always moving, usually in a hurry and while trying to make their dreams come true everywhere and anywhere. Those folks include Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel, FUBAR) and Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson, who also directs and writes as he did with The Dirties and Operation Avalanche). The pair created the game-changing smartphone that shares this movie's name. Also always frenetic: Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the executive they pitch to, get knocked back by, then hire as co-CEO. That near non-stop go-go-go look and feel — cinematography that's constantly roving and zooming to match, too — isn't just a stylistic, screenwriting or performance choice. It's a case of art imitating the impact that the BlackBerry handsets and their tiny QWERTY keyboards had on late-90s and early-00s life. Before the iPhone and its fellow touchscreen competitors took over, it was the key device for anyone with a work mobile. The big selling point? Letting people do their jobs — well, receive and send emails — on the move, and everywhere and anywhere. Should you blame Research in Motion, the Canadian technology company that Lazaridis and Fregin founded, for shattering work-life balance? Dubbed "crackberries", their phones played a significant part in extending the office's reach. Is anyone being inundated with after-hours emails on a BlackBerry today? Unless they have an old handset in their button-pressing hands, it isn't likely — and BlackBerry the film explains why. Spinning on-screen product origin stories is one of 2023's favourites trend, as Tetris, Air and Flamin' Hot have demonstrated; however, history already dictates that the latest addition to that group doesn't have a happy ending. Instead, this immersive and gripping picture tells of two friends with big plans who achieved everything they ever wanted, but at a cost that saw the BlackBerry become everything, then nothing. Like its fellow object-to-screen flicks, it follows a big leap that went soaring; this one just crashed spectacularly afterwards. BlackBerry is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. CHEVALIER "He is the most accomplished man in Europe in riding, running, shooting, fencing, dancing, music." Writing in his diary in 1779 about Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, American Founding Father and future second US President John Adams didn't hold back with his praise. But the world has barely taken his cue in the nearly two-and-a-half centuries since, letting the tale of this gifted French Creole violinist, conductor and composer slip from wider attention. Within a sumptuous period drama that's charmingly, confidently and commandingly led by Kelvin Harrison Jr — with the Waves, The High Note, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Cyrano star full of mesmerising swagger, and also endlessly compelling as a talent forced to struggle as a person of colour in a white aristocratic world — Chevalier endeavours to redress this failing of history. Veteran television director Stephen Williams (Watchmen, Westworld, Lost) and screenwriter Stefani Robinson (Atlanta, What We Do in the Shadows) begin their Bologne biopic boldly, playfully and with a front-on confrontation of the "Black Mozart" label that's surrounded their subject when he has been remembered — even if they also commence Chevalier with likely fiction. In pre-revolution Paris in the late 18th century, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Joseph Prowen, Father Brown) has an enraptured crowd in his thrall as he both plays and conducts. He pauses, then prompts his audience for requests. The response comes as a surprise: Bologne striding down the aisle, asking if he too can pick up a violin, then getting duelling with the musical instrument against the acclaimed maestro. Williams and Robinson start their film with a statement, announcing that they're celebrating a life that's been left not only ignored and erased — especially in a realm that's so often considered old, stuffy and definitely not culturally diverse — but also been stuck lingering in someone else's shadow. Chevalier is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SANCTUARY Succession with BDSM. A reminder that love can sear. A slinky two-hander that's sometimes about only having one free hand. Sanctuary is all of the above, plus a psychosexual battle and a romp of a twisty erotic thriller-meets-romantic comedy — and also a reminder that there's something about Christopher Abbott in chic hotel rooms being teased out of his comfort zone by blonde sex workers (see also: Piercing). There's something about the actor in confined settings in general (see there: Possessor, The Forgiven and Black Bear), but only this supremely confident affair about a significantly complicated affair pairs him with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood breakout Margaret Qualley. As they verbally tussle and sometimes physically tumble, unpacking class, control, chemistry, intimacy and authority along the way, they're a chamber-piece dream. Sanctuary's chamber: a sleekly appointed suite decked out in saturated colours and ornate patterns at one of the 112 hotels that share Hal Porterfield's (Abbott, The Crowded Room) surname. And the piece's point? The thorny, horny relationship between the born-to-privilege heir and Rebecca (Qualley, Stars at Noon), who enters his room with a sharp knock, a no-nonsense stare, business attire and a briefcase filled with paperwork. Hal's father has just passed away, and he's now Kendall Roy awaiting the anointing that he's been promised since birth. His companion runs through background-check questions, veering into the highly personal. Soon, after drinks, dismay and a snappy debate, he's on his hands and knees scrubbing the bathroom while she watches on. Now he's Roman Roy, complete with dirty-talk banter, but in a film directed by sophomore helmer Zachary Wigon (The Heart Machine) and penned by Micah Bloomberg (Homecoming). Sanctuary is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. BIOSPHERE If an apocalypse ever brings humanity so close to extinction that there might only be two people left, one thing is certain: if that duo is together and can communicate, they'll spend most of their time nattering about nothing. They'll talk. They'll argue. They'll fill the days, months and years by talking and arguing. They'll still be human, in other words, doing what humans do. Biosphere sets up house within this very scenario, and in that exact truth. Here, lifelong pals Billy (Mark Duplass, Language Lessons) and Ray (Sterling K Brown, This Is Us) are the only folks left after the planet has met a catastrophic fate — one that, because he was the US President when things went dystopian, Billy likely had a hand in — and they're now confined to the movie's titular structure. So, they talk. Sometimes, they argue. When first-time feature-length filmmaker Mel Eslyn plunges the audience into this situation, her characters have been talking and arguing, then arguing and talking, for so long that it's just what they do. Working with a script that she co-penned with Duplass, Eslyn introduces Biosphere's viewers to a self-contained ecosystem of discussing and disagreeing. In the abode designed and built by Ray, a scientist and Billy's former advisor, this pair has no other choice. "Self-contained" perfectly sums up the sensation when the film begins flickering, too — as Ray and Billy go for their daily jog around the sphere, talking and arguing as they trot, their dynamic and their routine is conveyed with such efficiency that it feels like you've been watching for longer than you have. Biosphere doesn't drag, though. Rather, it's excellent at constructing a lived-in world with Billy and Ray as they live through what could be the end of the world. It's ace at storytelling as well, but the talking, the arguing, and the immersive and relatable air all smartly say plenty about a movie that recognises from the outset how adaptable people are. Biosphere is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. EGO: THE MICHAEL GUDINSKI STORY Post-viewing soundtrack, sorted: to watch Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story is to take a trip down memory lane with the Australian music industry and hear homegrown standouts from the past five decades along the way. Unsurprisingly, this documentary already has an album to go with it, a stacked release which'd instantly do its eponymous figure proud. His tick of approval wouldn't just stem from the artists surveyed, but because Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story's accompanying tunes comprise a three-disc number like Mushroom Records' first-ever drop, a 1973 Sunbury Festival live LP. To tell the tale of Gudinski, the record executive and promoter who became a household name, is to tell of Skyhooks, Split Enz, Hunters & Collectors, Jimmy Barnes, Paul Kelly, Kylie Minogue, Archie Roach, Yothu Yindi, Bliss n Esso, The Temper Trap, Gordi and Vance Joy, too — and to listen to them. Need this on-screen tribute to give you some kind of sign that the Gudinski and Mushroom story spans a heap of genres? Both the film and the album alike include Peter Andre. Any journey through Michael Gudinski's life and career, from his childhood entrepreneurship selling car parks on his family's vacant lot to his years and years getting Aussie music to the masses — and, on the touring side, bringing massively popular overseas artists to Aussies — needs to also be an ode to the industry that he adored. The man and scene are inseparable. But perhaps Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story plays as such an overt love letter to Australian music because it's an unashamed hagiography of Gudinski. Although the movie doesn't deliver wall-to-wall praise, it comes close. When it begins to hint at any traces of arrogance, moodiness or ruthlessness, it quickly does the doco equivalent of skipping to the next track. Australian Rules and Suburban Mayhem director Paul Goldman, a seasoned hand at music videos as well, has called his feature Ego and there's no doubting his subject had one; however, the takeaway in this highly authorised biography is that anything that doesn't gleam was simply part of his natural mischievousness and eager push for success. Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. DRACULA: VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER In the Bram Stoker vampire novel that's inspired almost all other vampire novels, Dracula is undead. In popular culture since and forever, the fictional Transylvanian bloodsucker will never die. Regardless of his fate on the page back in 1897, the most-portrayed character in horror movies ever keeps baring his fangs on-screen, rising again and again like the sun that this creature of the night can never bask in. 2023 brings two new Dracula films, which isn't overly notable, but this crop of Stoker-influenced flicks doesn't simply retell the usual 126-year-old tale. Leaning into comedy and action, Renfield sunk its teeth in by giving the vampire's long-suffering familiar some love. Now the dread-dripping Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter hones in on one chapter of the book that started it all, detailing the captain's log from the neck-munching fiend's journey to London via ship. Starring for Trollhunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark director André Øvredal: Corey Hawkins (In the Heights) as physician Clemens, Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale) as stowaway Anna and Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones) as Captain Eliot. The former hops onto the latter's ship in Eastern Europe, where a promised job falls through due to his race, forcing a pivot onto the Demeter's crew to return to England. Clemens isn't the only new boarding, with the vessel also welcoming 50 unmarked crates from the Carpathian Mountains. Given that the film is named Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter Down Under — elsewhere, it's known as just The Last Voyage of the Demeter — there's no surprises about what's among the cargo. So, as initially told in Dracula's seventh chapter, in the epistolary format of letters, journals and clippings that Stoker's tome deployed across the entire novel, the key contents of those mysterious wooden chests soon begins offing fellow seafarers. Dracula: Voyage of the Demeter is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. GRAN TURISMO: BASED ON A TRUE STORY Speeding onto screens with instant brand awareness is 2023's big trend. Air, Tetris, The Super Mario Bros Movie, Flamin' Hot and Barbie: they've all been there and done that already. Now it's Gran Turismo's turn, albeit with a film that isn't quite based on the video game of the same name. Directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium, Chappie), and penned by Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard), it also doesn't tell the racing simulator's origin story. Rather, this pedal-to-the-metal flick focuses on the real-life Nissan PlayStation GT Academy initiative from 2008–16, and the tale of British racer Jann Mardenborough specifically. The overall program endeavoured to turn the world's top Gran Turismo players into IRL motorsports drivers — and the Cardiff-raised Mardenborough is one of its big success stories. The ins and outs of GT Academy receives hefty attention in Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story, plus Mardenborough's (Archie Madekwe, Beau Is Afraid) life-changing experience along with it; however, much is also made of a massive marketing push. Here, Nissan executive Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom, Carnival Row) wants to attract new customers, ideally those leaping from mashing buttons to hitting the road. Accordingly, he conjures up the console-to-racetrack idea to help make that sales boost happen, even if racing veteran Jack Salter (David Harbour, Violent Night) is skeptical when asked to come onboard as a trainer. You don't see it in Gran Turismo the feature, but surely taking the whole situation into cinemas if the underlying concept proved a hit was part of that initial plan as well. Amid the ample product placement anywhere and everywhere that the film can slide it in, that certainty thrums constantly. Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. STRAYS Canines are so beloved in cinema that the Cannes Film Festival even gives them a gong: the Palm Dog, which has been awarded to a performing pooch (sometimes several) annually since 2001. Among the past winners sit pups in Marie Antoinette, Up, The Artist, Paterson, Dogman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood — most real, one animated, some anointed posthumously and none scoring their prize for a quest to bite off someone's penis. That genitals-chomping journey belongs to the four-legged stars of Strays alone. They're played by actual animals, with CGI assisting with moving lips and particularly raucous turns, and they're unlikely to win any accolades for this raunchy lost-dog tale. The pooches impress. They're always cute. Also, they're capable of digging up laughs. But Strays is a one-bark idea that's tossed around as repetitively as throwing a tennis ball to your fluffy pal: take a flick about adorable dogs, and talking ones at that, then make it crude and rude. Games of fetch do pop up in Strays, but via a version that no loving pet owner would ever want to play. This one is called "fetch and fuck", with stoner and constant masturbator Doug (Will Forte, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) doing the pitching. He isn't a kindly human companion to Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell, Barbie). He's cruel and resentful — and constantly drives Reggie to various distant spots, sends him running and ditches the pooch. With unwavering affection, plus the naivety to only see the good in his chosen person, Reggie thinks that it's all meant to be fun until he's abandoned in a city hours away. There, he meets Boston terrier Bug (Jamie Foxx, They Cloned Tyrone), Australian shepherd Maggie (Isla Fisher, Wolf Like Me) and great dane Hunter (Randall Park, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania). Realising the truth about his relationship with Doug, he's sent by Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar director Josh Greenbaum and American Vandal creator/writer Dan Perrault on a canines-gone-wild revenge mission with his new dog squad trotting along to help. Strays is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. HAUNTED MANSION There's almost nothing that's bold about Haunted Mansion, but making the Disney family-friendly horror-comedy about moving on from the past is downright audacious. What the film preaches, the company behind it isn't practising — with this specific movie or in general. This flick isn't the first that's based on the Mouse House's The Haunted Mansion theme-park attraction, thanks to a 2003 Eddie Murphy (You People)-starring feature. In 2021, the entertainment behemoth also combined the Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland highlight with The Muppets in streaming special Muppets Haunted Mansion. And, no matter how Haunted Mansion circa 2023 fares at the box office, there's no doubting that the idea will get another spin down the line. Nearly everything Disney does; this is the corporation that keeps remaking its animated hits as live-action pictures (see: The Little Mermaid), revelling in sequels even decades later (see: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), and getting franchises sprawling as films and TV shows alike (see: Marvel and Star Wars). When Dear White People and Bad Hair filmmaker Justin Simien begins his Haunted Mansion, it's with backstory that explains why astrophysicist Ben Matthias (LaKeith Stanfield, Atlanta) is himself so unwilling to embrace the future. He meets Alyssa (Charity Jordan, They Cloned Tyrone), falls in love, then understandably falls apart when he's suddenly a widower — and, once he's consumed by mourning he's committed to staying that way. Then priest and exorcist Father Kent (Owen Wilson, Loki) ropes him into a gig at the movie's central abode, enlisting not just his help but the use of his specially developed camera that photographs dark matter and, ideally, spectres. The gadget was a labour of love for Alyssa, who worked as a ghost tour guide around New Orleans, a job that Ben has swapped science and the lab for after her passing. Now, he needs his invention to assist Gabbie (Rosario Dawson, Ahsoka), a doctor who has just relocated with her son Travis (Chase W Dillon, The Harder They Fall) — while calling in psychic Harriet (Tiffany Haddish, The Afterparty) and college historian Bruce Davis (Danny DeVito, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) to also lend a hand. Haunted Mansion is available to stream via Disney+, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. Looking for more at-home viewing options? Take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows — and fast-tracked highlights from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August and September, too. You can also peruse our best new films, new TV shows, returning TV shows and straight-to-streaming movies of 2023 so far
¡Viva el cine español! Australia's carnival of Spanish-language cinema is on the verge of adulthood and is celebrating the occasion in style. Commemorating its 17th birthday in 2014, the Spanish Film Festival will once again showcase the best of the Spanish and Latin American film industry, from twisting crime tales to slick ensemble love stories, heart-warming comedies and searing social dramas. This year's festivities will be bookended by two big favourites from Spain's prestigious Goya awards. Opening night features the sixties-set road-trip movie Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed, winner of six statues including Best Picture, Director and Actor. Two-a-half-weeks later, the macabre comic fantasy Witching and Bitching, featuring Best Supporting Actress Terele Pávez, will bring the festival to a close. Other highlights on the 30-film program include The Golden Cage, which won Best Cast at the Cannes Film Festival, and Scorpion in Love, a boxing drama in which Javier Bardem plays a neo-Nazi gang leader. (Not such a heartthrob now, is he ladies?) For the full Spanish Film Festival lineup, visit the festival website Image: Still from Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xAPS2uPFNkY
For playwright David Greig, Norwegian Anders Breivik's shooting of 69 young people at a summer camp in 2011 stuck a chord too deep to ignore. Translating emotions into art certainly isn't a new notion, but his socially aware play The Events has really got us thinking about the aftermath of these tragic experiences. While gun-related violence is a huge global issue affecting countless lives, individual people turn to art to help them understand such heinous acts on a personal level. When it comes to The Events, we're focused on one woman and her story. Written with reference to the Anders Breivik case of 2011, the play won over crowds at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival for its delicate contemplation of community and compassion in the face of gun-related violence. Closer to home, director Clare Watson brings The Events to life for Australian audiences. Fresh from Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre, it will show at the Malthouse Theatre from June 21 until July 10. This powerful play explores theatre as a medium for social commentary and a means to personalise the events we see splashed across the headlines. Set in the halls of a fictional community centre, Catherine takes to the stage as Claire, a church minister responsible for leading the local community choir. After a young gunman tears the fabric of this group apart, Claire is forced to rebuild herself and her band of singers. We caught up with actress Catherine McClements, the lead in The Events.
It's always the way that on the one day you've got one bar of battery left, you forget your phone charger. A Universal Phone Charger is a clunky solution to such a problem, but here's something more elegant: a mobile which can recharge from ambient heat, even when it's sitting in your pocket! It's a clever concept from London-based designer Patrick Hyland. The Nokia E-Cu (E for environment, Cu for copper) creates a current from the smallest of energy sources like the heat from your pocket. The outer copper casing receives thermal energy and transforms it into battery power. It's still in concept-stage, with no plans from Nokia to develop it yet, but Hyland is keen to collaborate with anybody to get it off the ground. Hyland aims to create a charger-free cell phone future, noting that "annually, unwanted phone chargers produce 51,000 tons of waste in addition to the greenhouse gases created by the production of the electricity needed to charge them." [Via Good]
By this point, Archie Rose needs little introduction. One of Sydney's first distilleries in 160 years has reignited many an Aussie's appreciation of spirits since opening in 2014 thanks to its diverse range of premium whiskies, gins, vodkas and rums showcasing native ingredients. Along the way, it's become the nation's most awarded distillery, and it's also given us one-off collaborations, limited releases and interactive spirits experiences from masterclasses to fascinating distillery tours. If that weren't enough, now Archie Rose has only gone and created what it's calling its best-ever gin. Bone Dry Gin is a limited-edition run that's the brand's first from its new Banksmeadow distillery and its one-of-a-kind copper vacuum stills. The spirit extracts the diverse flavour profile of hand-foraged juniper berries from North Macedonia through hot and cold distillation, and it is lifted with notes of Australian coriander seed, Tahitian lime and lemon-scented gum. The result is a tipple with a supple start on the palate that gives way to bold citrus and herb notes that leads to a pine-accented, bone-dry finish. To celebrate the release of Bone Dry Gin, we've teamed up with Archie Rose to give two lucky readers the chance to win the ultimate Archie Rose prize pack. Enter below to go into the running to win a case of Bone Dry Gin (six bottles), a pack of Caperberry Martini cocktail bottles (two bottles) and a pair of tickets to an Archie Rose Blend Your Own Gin masterclass in Sydney (valid for three years). That's nearly $1000 worth of Archie Rose goods, on us, for you to enjoy the ultimate gin experience — including the chance to make your very own. [competition]828345[/competition]
UPDATE Thursday, June 3: In light of Melbourne's snap lockdown being extended, the Doughnut Festival has been pushed back to Sunday, July 4. But in the meantime, you can score yourself free doughnuts courtesy of the Market's iconic American Doughnut Kitchen. To celebrate National Doughnut Day this Friday, June 4, simply order a bag of hot jam doughnuts for delivery or click-and-collect via Queen Vic Market Online if it's within your ten kilometer radius, and you'll receive an additional bag of the treats on the house. If you go nuts for doughnuts, there's only one place to pop on your itinerary for Sunday, June 6: Queen Victoria Market is throwing a celebration dedicated to the world's favourite holey treat. The Doughnut Festival is set to showcase a diverse array of doughnuts and other closely-related sweet treats, from old-school dough balls oozing hot jam, to choc-centred bites and sugar-coated churros. There'll be plenty of vegan and gluten-free goodies among the lineup, which is set to star names like Bistro Morgan, St Gerry's and Shortstop. A matching drinks offering will feature coffee and hot choccy, alongside nostalgic 50s-style shakes. All to enjoy while feasting your ears on the day's live tunes. If your doughnut obsession is particularly strong and your appetite large, you can try your luck in the main event — a doughnut-eating competition hosted by renowned pastry chef Darren Purchese (Burch & Purchese). Competitors will have two minutes to down as many doughnuts as possible in an attempt to win a year's worth of hot jam doughnuts from QVM's iconic American Doughnut Kitchen. That, plus complete and utter glory, of course. [caption id="attachment_812578" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shortstop Doughnuts[/caption] Top image: American Doughnut Kitchen at the Queen Victoria Market.
Good Food Month is almost upon us. The month-long festival of food and drink has finally decided to travel south to our lovely city for November. If you're anything like us, the enormous program of events has left you feeling slightly overwhelmed. There are too many things to go to, too many dishes to eat, and choosing is difficult. But, don't let it deter you — we've sorted through the long list of happenings and picked out some of our favourites. Night Noodle Markets The Alexandra Gardens will be turned into a market place across November for the Night Noodle Markets. Food stalls from the likes of Longrain, Mamak and Wonderbao will serve up everything from roast pork bao to freshly made roti. And, dessert will be taken care of by none other than Gelato Messina, among others. There will also be live music, bars and an all-round market atmosphere. Melbourne, you're in charge of the weather. November 18-30, Mon-Tue 5pm - 9pm, Wed 5pm - 10pm, Thurs-Fri 5pm - 11pm, Sat 4pm - 10pm, Sun 4pm - 9pm, Alexandra Gardens, 1 Boathouse Drive, Melbourne, goodfoodmonth.com/nightnoodlemarkets Lunch Above the Rooftops at Union Dining As part of the Surprise Saturday Lunch section of the festival, Union Dining will be putting on a once-only three-course menu each Saturday throughout November that will be highlighting some of the state's best produce. One week may feature the Yarra region, while another may focus on the best the King Valley has to offer. November 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 at 12-3pm, $45 includes a glass of wine and tea or coffee, Union Dining, 270 Swan Street, Richmond, bookings: (03) 9428 2988 Supper Club at Mamasita Taking full advantage of Melbourne's love of the night, Supper Club will see a range of Melbourne restaurants plate up a special dish for the late comers. This may be your chance to avoid the queues at Mamasita. And, for $14, after 10pm, you'll get three soft-shell crab tacos. Cheers to that. November 9, 11-16 & 18-23 at 10-11.30pm, $14, Mamasita, Level 1, 11 Collins Street, Melbourne, bookings: (03) 9650 3821 A Spice Trail at B’Stilla As part of the Good Food Month World Dinner series, B'Stilla, South Yarra's mighty fine Moroccan restaurant, will be dishing up an eight-course degustation menu that will highlight Moroccan cuisine and the Arab, Moorish and Mediterranean influences it draws upon. One word: flavour. November 3 & 17 at 6-10.30pm, $80 or $140 with matching drinks, B'Stilla, 30B Bray Street, South Yarra, bookings: (03) 98262370 Bar Hop at The Understudy Over 20 of Melbourne's best bars will be whipping up a cocktail with a matched bite for just $20 in the Good Food Month Bar Hop. The Understudy, below 1806 in the CBD, will be serving a molecular twist on a Classic Martinez — Tanqueray gin, Cinzano Rosso, maraschino and angostura sweet served with haloumi, mint, walnut and honey bites. They had us at gin. And haloumi. Available all month, $20, The Understudy, 169 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, bookings: (03) 9663 7722 Gelato Messina hits Melbourne Yes, we've all heard on the grapevine that Gelato Messina is coming to town. As part of the Talk & Taste sessions, Gelato pioneer Simone Panetta will take guests through a range of flavours as she teaches the ways of gelato at the new Gelato Messina store on Smith Street This might be a good way to avoid the lines that will no doubt start once the doors open. November 9, 16, 23 & 30 at 9.30-11am, $60, Gelato Messina, 237 Smith Street, Fitzroy, $60, bookings: (02) 8354 1223 The Nine Nights of Rekorderlig Forget matched wines, matching cider to your meal is the next big thing. Over nine night in November, Rekorderlig will collaborate with the Albert Park Hotel to bring the ciders distinctive flavours to life. Head chef Andrew Beddoes has created a bespoke menu with seasonal ingredients, which will include five courses, inspired by and paired with the nine different flavours in Rekorderlig's profile. One of the more interesting dinners on the Good Food Month program, this one has us doubled over with curiosity. November 15-24 at 7-10pm, $100 including cider and wine, Albert Park Hotel, cnr Montague Street & Dundas Place, Albert Park, eventbrite.com.au High Tea with a difference at Saigon Sally As part of the Ultimate High Tea, Windsor's favourite Vietnamese sister, Saigon Sally, will be serving up high tea with a little bit of a difference. Ditch the finger sandwiches and scones for grilled lobster and green papaya rice paper rolls, and Golden Gaytime lamingtons. We can only hope the Tira-mi-sally is on the menu. November 10 & 24 at 12-4pm, $45 includes a glass of sparkling, Saigon Sally, 2 Duke Street, Windsor, bookings: (03) 9939 5181 Rene Redzepi lands in Melbourne Across the festival, Melbourne will be a temporary home to some of the world's most celebrated chefs. Rene Redzepi from Noma in Copenhagen will present a rare evening where guests will get to hear Rene speak at The Wheeler Centre. Rene Redzepi: A Work in Progress will see him speak frankly about his career, his book A Work in Progress (Phaidon) and how he maintains his creativity. October 30 at 6.15 & 8.15pm, The Wheeler Centre, wheelercentre.com Enjoy an 'Everyday' Lunch with Karen Martini The Prahran Market will host Karen Martini as she celebrates her new cookbook Everyday. Guests will munch on some of her favorite dishes, aimed at everyday cooking, like the tuna nicoise and pork belly. November 19 at 1-3.30pm, $100 includes cider and wine, Prahran Market,163 Commercial Road, Prahran, bookings: (02) 9285 9155
And sell it. Mostly sell it. But you'll actually earn some money too. Despite original fears that digital music downloads would kill the industry and steal artists' royalties, the new distribution channel has been welcomed by many and often brings artists and their fans closer together. Some have even experimented with the medium and how to sell music online: Radiohead let fans pay what they want, and online concerts are now nothing out of the ordinary. Kaiser Chiefs have come up with an ingenious way of involving their fans in their new album The Future Is Medieval, asking them to create their own customised version of 10 tracks from the 20 on offer, and create the cover art. If you think your producing/artwork is pretty awesome, you can put your version up for sale on their Album H.Q. and if others buy it, you'll earn a portion of each sale. Gimmick? Perhaps. A clever way to get fans to pay for an album twice? Definitely. But the band could really be on to something here. Giving fans a role in the creation of the album, however token, gives them a sense of ownership and connection with the band/brand; the Album H.Q. provides a space for the community; and the cash reward means that fans get to share in the band's success. If the experiment proves a success, expect others to follow suit or push the envelope even further. The world of print media, whose death has often been falsely predicted, could perhaps take a leaf out of music's book when it comes to competing in a digital world. [Via PSFK]
If you live in Victoria and you're craving a doughnut right about now, there's a very good reason for those hunger pangs. Just weeks after Melbourne's latest COVID-19 cluster — the one that saw the city go into lockdown for a fortnight — the entire state has recorded zero new locally acquired cases for a whole seven days. Yes, it's been a week of doughnut days for Victorians, all while outbreaks have been popping up in much of the rest of the country — including in Sydney, which is currently in lockdown, and in Brisbane, which spent four days in lockdown last week. Twelve months or so ago, if you uttered that term, you were probably using it in the literal sense between mouthfuls. Thanks to the chaos of the past year, however, the phrase now refers to this welcome COVID-19 milestone. As reported today, Wednesday, July 7, the past 24-hour reporting period actually saw doughnuts on three fronts — with no locally acquired cases, no cases from interstate and none from overseas, either. Those numbers cover up until midnight last night, which is when Victoria's reporting cuts off each day. https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1412539944560730119 At the time of writing, Victoria does still have 24 active cases; however, so soon after lockdown, notching up an entire week without any local spread is definitely excellent news. Of course, this doesn't mean the war is over in the state, or around Australia, especially while the country's vaccination campaign is rolling out so slowly. Just yesterday, Melbourne's Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix was cancelled for 2021 — after also being scrapped in 2020 — because the pandemic isn't done impacting our daily lives just yet. For more information about COVID-19 in Victoria, head over to the Department of Health website.
James Bond might have no time to die in the espionage franchise's upcoming 25th instalment, but audiences now have plenty time to wait until they see the film. Originally slated to hit cinemas worldwide in early April, No Time to Die's release has been pushed back seven months, with 007's latest action-packed antics — and Daniel Craig's last stint as the suave spy — now reaching the big screen in November. In a Tweet, studios MGM and Universal, as well as Bond producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced that the movie has been delayed "after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace". The film will now drop seven months after its original release date, releasing in the UK and Australia on November 12, and the US on November 25. https://twitter.com/007/status/1235248760260874241 The brief statement doesn't mention the specifics behind the decision, but the move comes amid growing concerns about the impact of the coronavirus, COVID-19, on the film industry. With the virus continuing to spread around the world, cinemas in some countries have been temporarily shuttered in an attempt to stop mass gatherings and help contain the infection. While that's currently only the case in China, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Italy and France, it's a tactic that could be rolled out elsewhere. Just this week, two Bond fan sites wrote an open letter calling for No Time to Die's postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic — in the name of public safety. Of course, there's clearly a financial motive behind MGM and Universal's decision to follow suit. Cinema closures, especially in huge markets such as China, obviously affect a movie's box office earnings. Although nothing else has been announced as yet, don't be surprised if other big movies take No Time to Die's lead and shift their release dates for the same reason. Plenty of other huge titles, such as Black Widow, Fast and Furious 9, Wonder Woman 1984 and Top Gun: Maverick are all currently scheduled to release in the upcoming months — and therefore face the same public health and financial concerns. Revisit the No Time to Die trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rohdh1I3efY&t=13s No Time to Die was originally due to release in cinemas on April 8, but will now release in Australia on November 12. Top image: Nicola Dove © 2019 DANJAQ, LLC AND MGM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Do you like doughnuts? Of course you do. And even though you think your love is peak right now, you're probably going to like them a whole lot more when you taste what Doughnut Time has to offer. That's right — one of Queensland's favourite sources of doughy deliciousness is heading down south. A Doughnut Time pop-up has just opened in Topshop in Sydney's Market Street, which is just the start of their interstate venture. New stores in Newtown, Bondi and Chippendale will soon be serving up the likes of the Cate Blanchett (with milk and dark chocolate glaze, Tim Tams and white chocolate curls) and the Wake Me Up Before You Vovo: a doughy with a light strawberry glaze, jam and coconut marshmallows. After that, a couple of Melbourne-based pop-ups and standalone shops in Fitzroy and Hawthorn will follow suit. So pretty. A photo posted by DOUGHNUT TIME (@doughnut_time) on Oct 29, 2015 at 4:01pm PDT Of course, the full rotating range of delectable iced, filled bites will be on offer, so prepare to devour the Melon Degeneres with watermelon and sour green glaze, the pretzel-topped George Costanza and the Fruit Loop-laden Cereal Killer, among others. Picking something based on its name alone is completely acceptable. Branching into New South Wales and Victoria caps off what has already been a massive year for Doughnut Time — they only started trading in Queensland earlier in 2015, after all. Since that first Fortitude Valley store opened its doors to lines down the street, three other Brisbane outlets have been added to the mix, plus two on the Gold Coast and a roving Doughnut Time van. Yes, it's a good time to love those damn fine orbs of pastry goodness. For the moment, you can find Doughnut Time's pop-up at Topshop at 45 Market Street, Sydney. For more information about their upcoming openings in Sydney and Melbourne, keep an eye on their website and Facebook page. Via Good Food.
UPDATE, January 29, 2021: Joker is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. Lonely, isolated and struggling with a lifetime of trauma, a man exorcises his demons through violence. Plagued by troubling memories and mental health issues, but devoted to caring for his ailing mother, he finds catharsis in wreaking havoc on others. When Joaquin Phoenix played this part to perfection in Lynne Ramsay's You Were Never Really Here, he explored the burdens of a crusading hitman who rescued violated children — saving them from the pain he still suffered, and punishing the abusers who treat kids as carelessly as he once was himself. And while he steps into similar shoes in Joker, the exceptional actor is now on a completely different mission, crossing the threshold from noble vigilante to deranged villain. It's impossible to watch Joker without thinking about You Were Never Really Here; by casting Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, the man who becomes one of Batman's worst enemies, that's an intended effect. It's impossible to see director Todd Phillips' (The Hangover) take on Gotham's clown prince of crime without thinking of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy as well. Phillips cakes his influences on thick and, if the connection wasn't already apparent in the film's 70s look and feel, he also enlists Robert De Niro as Arthur's favourite television host. It's a purposeful move, filtering one of popular culture's most infamous antagonists through such blatant touchstones — and, it ensures that viewers won't be contemplating the character's past guises, be it Cesar Romero's TV version, Jack Nicholson's unhinged late-80s spin, Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning portrayal or Jared Leto's cartoonish work in Suicide Squad. Focusing audiences firmly on the Joker at hand, this origin story asks a probing question: if the world's ills were to shove a tormented man over the edge in a volatile socio-political climate, what would that look like? In other words, how would You Were Never Really Here play out if its assassin killed to avenge a cruel, uncaring city's failings, rather than protect its victims? Or, what shape would Taxi Driver take if its cabbie was a bullied clown-for-hire? Phillips stops short of lifting the latter movie's dialogue, but it's easy to imagine Arthur uttering one of Taxi Driver's well-known lines: "here is a man who would not take it anymore". First seen grinning into a mirror as he puts on his makeup (and signalling the film's allegiance with his fraying mindset in the process), Arthur doesn't have much to smile about. He's beaten by street punks on the job, loses his mental health care due to citywide budget cuts and watches his mother (Frances Conroy) fruitlessly try to contact her ex-employer turned mayoral candidate, aka billionaire Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen). An aspiring comedian, Arthur is also taunted and jeered whenever he steps onstage. Basically, his life is one huge kick in the face after another. But his mum has always told him that he was put on this earth to spread joy and happiness, which he takes to heart. As Gotham descends into riots and widespread violence, Arthur finds a drastic way to put this belief into action. When Joker isn't shoehorning in undoubtedly necessary but still distracting Batman references (including yet another re-do of a scene that's been done to death), it just keeps inspiring questions. Is Arthur an inevitable product of a crumbling city that's failed its citizens in general, and its most vulnerable in particular? Or, clinging to his downtrodden status, does he capitalise upon his powder-keg surroundings, using it to excuse his psychopathic behaviour and demand that he's finally paid the attention he's certain he deserves? Penning a deliberately thorny narrative, Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver (The Fighter) keep both of these perspectives in their sights. Alas, the pair sometime struggle to juggle the opposing notions, or to flesh them out beyond the obvious. Indeed, for all the controversy that Joker has sparked since it nabbed the top prize at this year's Venice Film Festival, it's mostly happy to stick to the murky middle ground. The movie paints a thoroughly nightmarish image of modern-day capitalism and its devastating imprint on the 99 percent — one that instantly rings true — but remains content to dance along its surface rather than burrow meaningfully into its dark heart. Specifically, it calls out the conditions that lead to the Joker's rise, yet never quite decides if it's condemning, celebrating or commiserating with him. Joker is unflinchingly bold and brilliant in one inescapable fashion, though, as it was bound to be when it cast its lead. All skin, bone and sinew as he cavorts, frolics and chortles, Phoenix is in stunning, mesmerising, awards-worthy form yet again. His raspy cackle isn't easily forgotten; neither is his off-kilter demeanour, whether Arthur is connecting with his neighbour (Zazie Beetz), taking a stand against the latest folks to push his buttons or leaning as far into his crazed impulses as possible. When, towards the end of the film, Lawrence Sher's (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) textured cinematography peers up at Phoenix as he struts down some stairs, its hypnotised gaze doesn't feel out of place. In fact, it feels natural. That said, that the scene is accompanied by 'Rock and Roll, Part 2' by convicted sex offender Gary Glitter says much about a movie that's often as thematically muddled as it is emotionally and visually striking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr-Lg-_KFHU
Former Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning has announced a huge, 17-date national tour — including several all-ages shows — to promote his debut album, Battleships, out June 7 on Dew Process/Universal. It's been a long wait for Fanning fans (which, in keeping with the precedent set by Beliebers and Directioners, we'll henceforth be calling Fan-nings), with this tour their first opportunity to see the great man since Powderfinger's farewell tour in 2010. He'll be traversing the country, from Nambour to Hobart, along with his special guests, Big Scary and Vance Joy. And if you're in Townsville on August 17, you'll get a special mini-festival when that already-awesome lineup is bolstered by The Rubens, The Medics AND Snakadaktal. With Fanning also announced for Splendour in the Grass following hot on the heels of the release of the album's debut single (and title track), it's sure to be a busy few months for one of Australia's favourite songwriters. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, May 7, via an exclusive fan club presale through bernardfanning.com. The Telstra Thanks presale is available from Wednesday, May 8, before the public on-sale kicks off on Friday, May 10. Concert dates below: Sunday 14 July: Nambour Civic Centre, Nambour (18+) Tuesday 16 July: Empire Theatre, Toowoomba (All Ages) Thursday 18 July: The Tivoli, Brisbane (18+) Friday 19 July: Arts Theatre: The Arts Centre, Gold Coast (18+) Friday 26 – Sunday 28 July: Splendour In The Grass Tuesday 30 July: Newcastle Civic Theatre, Newcastle (All Ages) Thursday 1 August: Anita's Theatre, Wollongong (18+) Friday 2 August: Enmore Theatre, Sydney (All Ages) Sunday 4 August: Royal Theatre – National Convention Centre, Canberra (All Ages) Friday 9 August: Palace Theatre, Melbourne (18+) Saturday 10 August: Geelong Performing Arts Centre – Costa Hall, Geelong (All Ages) Tuesday 13 August: Wrest Point, Hobart (18+) Thursday 15 August: Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide (All Ages) Saturday 17 August: Kuranda Amphitheatre, Cairns (All Ages) With Additional Special Guests: The Rubens, The Medics and Snakadaktal Sunday 18 August: The Venue, Townsville (18+) Tuesday 20 August: Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton (All Ages) Wednesday 21 August: Entertainment Convention Centre – Plenary Halls, Mackay (18+) Sunday 25 August: Astor Theatre, Perth (18+) https://youtube.com/watch?v=Fi8OciiVIA4
Before he was navigating innies and outies in stunning new 2022 streaming series Severance, and before he was working for the City of Pawnee in Parks and Recreation as well, Adam Scott popped up on our TV screens in another workplace scenario. His uniform: black pants, a crisp white shirt and a pink bow tie. His gig: serving drinks and slinging hors d'oeuvres as cater waiter Henry Pollard in 2009–10 cult-favourite comedy Party Down. Although its first two seasons only spanned 20 episodes all up, Party Down is one of the very best sitcoms of the 21st century, and proved a must-see right from the get-go. It's the show that Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas started after that also-beloved 00s series was initially cancelled, and came about in a collaboration with writer/producer John Enbom and producer Dan Etheridge — two other former Veronica Mars staff — and none other than Paul Rudd. And, just like Thomas' detective show, Party Down is also making a comeback. Are we having fun yet indeed. If you're instantly giggling at "are we having fun yet", then you saw Party Down's first two seasons. And, you'll know that Scott uttered that phrase more than once — or had it shouted at him. His character, Henry, was an actor famous for saying that line in a TV commercial. But in-between gigs, and because acting wasn't turning out as he planned, Henry was also working for Party Down's titular catering company. Scott made the jump over to Party Down after also appearing in Veronica Mars, as did plenty of his co-stars, including Ken Marino (The Other Two) as the catering outfit's oh-so-eager (but always-bumbling) manager, plus Ryan Hansen (A Million Little Things), Martin Starr (Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities) and a pre-Glee Jane Lynch as fellow waiters. Rounding out their gang of unhappy serving staff the first time around: Lizzy Caplan (Fleishman Is in Trouble), Jennifer Coolidge before she was winning awards for The White Lotus and Scott's Parks and Recreation co-star Megan Mullally. Party Down's long-awaited six-episode third season will start streaming via Stan in Australia from Friday, February 24, and sees most of the cast return — including Scott, Marino, Hansen, Starr, Lynch and Mullally. Caplan had scheduling issues making the also-excellent Fleishman Is in Trouble; however, Jennifer Garner (The Adam Project), Tyrel Jackson Williams (Brockmire) and Zoë Chao (The Afterparty) join the cast instead, plus James Marsden (Dead to Me) in a recurring part. Story-wise, this new 13-years-later go-around sees Marino's Ron Donald still running the Party Down team despite his past big dreams. And, as the trailer makes plain, plenty of other familiar faces are back in the bow ties as well, catering party after party. Hilarity ensues again in this sneak peek, because of course it does. Check out the trailer for Party Down season three below: Party Down's third season will start streaming via Stan from Friday, February 24.
As part of her first headlining tour of Australia, Solange (also known as Solange Knowles, aka Beyoncé’s baby sister) has announced Falls Festival sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. This will be the first time the Texan-born Knowles has ever treated fans Down Under to a live performance of her 2012 dance-friendly EP, True. This comes in the context of eager anticipation of her long-coming third studio album, on which she apparently collaborated with Aussie dudes Midnight Juggernauts. It's due for release sometime next year. Perhaps as famous for being the offspring of the fabulous Mrs. Carter as for her music, Solange has steadily been earning cred as a singer-songwriter in her own right. She certainly can churn out a catchy pop hit, as her successful single 'Losing You' proved last year. Recalling her elder sibling vocally, it managed to step away from her stylistically and embraced a much splashier, synthy '80s pop feel. The sideshows should be a fun choice for anyone craving a night of uncomplicated, playful, upbeat music.
It's been a booming season for Preston locals. As well their own gourmet cheese toastie drive-through, a swathe of cute new café and restaurant openings and an enviable local BBQ game, Preston Market has just announced a new market hall expansion that will have everyone flocking to the north: the Preston Fresh Hood Market. The market in Melbourne's north has teamed up with The Space Agency – who were the brains behind last year's Swan Street Chamber of Commerce food precinct activation in Richmond — to transform the old hall that sits between the market and Preston Station into a free-form, open-plan food mecca and arts space. "The whole aim is to be like a food truck park, but indoors and with no food trucks," says The Space Agency's Crag Carrick. "You can walk around, you can grab a beer, grab a bite to eat and sit where you like — everywhere is a seating area." The building — which has been empty for the last few years — was recently given a new lick of paint by 17 street artists, who've coloured the walls with large-scale pieces. Inside, the redesign pays tribute to the original use of the building, which once housed permanent stalls for a fishmonger, butcher, baker and a fruit and veg vendor, amongst others. "We're maintaining a lot of those elements," says Carrick. "For example, the fishmonger will become the central bar, Beermonger, which will serve craft beer and oysters. The beer taps will be where the fish would normally be displayed…[and] we're using the original cabinetry." A lot of the old infrastructure is being retrofitted for similar uses. The old poultry shop will become the second location of Henrietta's Chicken Shop (and will retain the original signage), while the butcher will be taken over by Hoy Pinoy and their pig-on-a-spit Filipino BBQ offering. The bingo hall upstairs will become an event space and band room with a 500 person capacity. Other confirmed vendors include 3 Ravens Brewery and Meet Patty, a new burger venture from St Ali chef Andy Gale. "We want to bring something cool to Preston Market," Carrick says. "It's really old school and hasn't changed much in 45 years, but we think Preston itself has changed a lot over the last three years." The Preston Market, with its 200 vendors and artist market, will stay the same — but the Preston Fresh Hood Market (a tongue-in-cheek title that refers to Preston's status as an up-and-coming place to live) will open on Saturday, July 16. In the meantime keep you peepers peeled for more vendor announcements and details on the launch party. [embed]https://vimeo.com/171854602[/embed] The Preston Fresh Hood Market will open at Preston Market (22-26 Cramer Street, Preston) on Saturday, July 16. It will trade Wednesday to Sunday from 10am til 10pm. For more info, visit their Facebook page.
If you've spent any part of the past two decades dreaming about being a fabulously dressed New York writer who seems to do very little work but can still afford a fantasy wardrobe — or if you've just spent it drinking a lot of cosmos — then Christmas is coming early for you in 2022. Seventeen years after Sex and the City wrapped up its HBO run, the hit series is getting a spinoff, which'll start airing in mid-December. As an early present, it's just dropped a full trailer. That show is And Just Like That..., which was first announced back at the beginning of 2021, and is set to start streaming Down Under next week. The ten-part series reunites Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon more than a decade since they last shared a screen in the terrible 2008 and 2010 Sex and the City movies. And, if you're wondering what's in store, the new trailer expands upon the first glimpses seen when the show's release window was announced, and in the first teaser trailer a few weeks back. Once again, Parker's Carrie Bradshaw narrates the sneak peek. And yes, she's still waxing lyrical about life, love, friends, family, sex, New York and all her favourite topics. The famed fictional New Yorker also spends time looking at her shoes, because, as Manolo Blahnik devotees know, it really wouldn't be a Sex and the City-related series otherwise. Also featuring: glimpses of Carrie, Miranda (Nixon) and Charlotte (Davis) going about their lives — and of plenty of other familiar Sex and the City faces as well. The series' main trio don't have Kim Cattrall's Samantha for company this time, but Chris Noth, Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler and the late Willie Garson all return. Yes, that's Big, Anthony, Steve, Harry and Stanford all accounted for. If you're already planning what you'll be wearing while you watch — we know what you'll be drinking — you'll be able to stream the first two episodes on Thursday, December 9 via Binge in Australia, with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays afterwards. In New Zealand, it'll air on Neon and Sky Go from Friday, December 10, with new episodes dropping at 1pm each week. It'll also head to SoHo from 9.30pm on Mondays from December 20. Due to Cattrall's absence, And Just Like That... is being badged as a "new chapter' in the Sex and the City story, rather than an additional season of the existing 1998–2004 program. Parker, Davis and Nixon are also named as producers on And Just Like That..., alongside Michael Patrick King, who worked as a writer, director and executive producer on the original (and on the two movies). Check out the full trailer below: And Just Like That... will start streaming in Australia via Binge from Thursday, December 9. In New Zealand, it'll air via Neon and Sky Go in New Zealand from Friday, December 10, and also on SoHo from 9.30pm on Mondays from December 20.
We rang in the year of the ox (goodbye year of the rat, go sleep it off) on February 12, but the festivities are continuing throughout the month. And what's the best way to partake in the celebration? We've got it right here and it'll make you happier than a hungry bullock. Dumpling master Din Tai Fung is offering new limited edition 'Masked Ox Buns', and they are some the cutest dumplings we've ever seen. Just look at them. Din Tai Fung is famous for its dumplings and is known to release beautiful and novelty dumplings for special occasions (check out these adorable little monkey buns from 2016 and pig bao from 2019). The ox buns are filled with a sweet filling of molten chocolate, which oozes out when you squeeze them. And, in line with the times, they're decked out with little masks — because of course they are. The ox buns are available at Din Tai Fung restaurants and food court outlets in Sydney, so you'll want to hit up its World Square, Westfield Chatswood, Westfield Miranda, Westfield Sydney, Broadway Shopping Centre, Gateway Sydney, The Star, Greenwood Plaza and MLC Centre venues. In great news for Melburnians under lockdown, they're also available for delivery via Deliveroo — and in the chain's big frozen Lunar New Year hampers, which you can get brought to your door. The only problem we can foresee with the cute Din Tai Fung dish? Eating those sweet little pig faces may be hard… but we'll probably manage it. Masked Ox Buns are available for $8.80 for two at Din Tai Fung's World Square, Westfield Chatswood, Westfield Miranda, Westfield Sydney, Broadway Shopping Centre, Gateway Sydney, The Star, Greenwood Plaza and MLC Centre stores. They're also available via Deliveroo — and, in Melbourne, in the chain's frozen Lunar New Year hampers, which cost $98 .
Opinions may be divided on what is truly the best medium of entertainment, but there's no denying the simple pleasure of going to a musical. The feeling of being swept off your feet by a particularly memorable tune, doubled over laughing or drenched in your own tears, its a stagecraft that's captured the love of millions around the world. This year is is no exception for killer musicals, so we partnered with Destination NSW to curate a guide to the biggest musicals coming to stages in Sydney in 2023. Whether you want to laugh, sing or cry, there's a stage show below for you.
Missed out on tickets to the hugely popular Day of the Dead 3.1 warehouse project, announced last month? You're in luck. An immersive El Dia de los Muertos-inspired experience curated by a group of Mexican visionaries and artists, the Day of the Dead announced plans to visit Sydney on October 24, then Melbourne on October 31 before ending in Brisbane on November 7. While all three cities sold out within hours, and the organisers were inevitably inundated with hundreds of emails requesting tickets, so the Day of the Dead team twisted some arms and managed to increase the event capacity. There'll be a new and final ticket release happening on Saturday, September 26 at 12.30pm, with tickets at $95. Tickets will sell out within hours, so be ready. Get tickets here. Currently sold-out, the Day of the Dead warehouse project takes cues from some of the world's most celebrated immersive spectacles, everything from Burning Man to Sleep No More. The one-off event will immerse ticketholders in a temporary world of interactive art installations, light projections, extravagant costumes, murals created by renowned street artists and an exclusive lineup of local and international DJs and musicians. Pop-ups by a handpicked bunch of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane's go-to local Mexican eateries, like Playa Takeria, have been selected to create special Dia de los Muertos menus. Plus, there'll be Mexican cervezas and tequila/mezcal cocktails from the newly announced principal sponsor Tequila Herradura and major sponsor Tequila Jimador to provide you with enough sustenance to dance the night away. With instructions being sent to ticketholders just one week before the event, and locations revealed just one day before the party, this is secret warehouse party business at its best. Honour the dead, celebrate the living. Be ready on Saturday. The Day of the Dead 3.1's new and final ticket release is happening on Saturday, September 26 at 12.30pm. Tickets are $95 and are expected to sell out within hours. Get tickets here. By Kimberley Mai and Shannon Connellan.
Barbecue and smoked meat experts Fancy Hanks are at it again — after their highly successful pop-up, Majestic Hawker, where food was cooked over an open flame, they've decided to bring their stoveless concept back to Bourke Street. The Fancy Hanks team (Kent Bell, Mike Patrick, Daragh Kan and Myles Munro) have named this huge new Chinatown establishment Heroes. Opening early next year, it'll be inspired by their travels around the Malay Peninsula, and their experiences dining in Singaporean and Malaysian eating houses and beer gardens. The hawker-style food includes wings, skewers and barbecued meats, while the decor will mirror the high-energy design they fell in love with on their travels. Alicia Cheong, who grew up in the region's Singaporean and Malaysian food culture, will take on the role of chef and food advisor at the new venue — a throwback to her previous stints with Fancy Hanks and Majestic Hawker. Between devouring Cheong's dishes, you'll be able to sit back with a drink in the brightly coloured, rooftop beer garden, which will boast views over Chinatown. Heroes will also have an underground function space and four private karaoke rooms. Yep, it looks like you'll be able to enjoy your entire night out here without leaving the building. Heroes opens early next year. The exact address has not been disclosed, but it'll be on the Chinatown end of Bourke Street — we'll keep you updated as further details become available.
The beloved Irish comedian and his casio keyboard are back. The new show from David O'Doherty at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is a bit of a mouthful, but then what else would you expect? Jumping back and forth between standup and original songs, the award winning comic's dorky, self-deprecating humour never ceases to entertain, whether he's coming up with app ideas or singing about Grand Designs. It's basically impossible to leave one of O'Doherty's shows without a giant grin plastered across your face. He'll also be performing excerpts from his children's book Danger Is Everywhere in a separate show aimed at audiences aged five to eleven.
While we're certainly not suggesting that a little frosty weather would be enough to keep you away from any culinary adventures, if you were prone to a bit of winter hibernation, we've found the perfect way to snap out of it. Introducing Chapter 53, a trio of passionate hospo heads who've banded together with the mission of shaking up Melbourne's food scene. They're here to get us thinking about what's on our forks with a series of themed wining and dining pop-up events, the first of which is happening this Sunday, August 21. The dream team of chef (Nicola Romano), sommelier (Osvaldo Tognella) and writer (Mandy DelVecchio) are embracing the concept of "mindful dining", dishing up thought-provoking dinners that will dive deep into the produce and techniques used, rather than just treating diners to some great food. The launch event — dubbed Winter's Burial — is set to be a corker, especially for any food-loving local who's well and truly ready to kick winter to the curb. Taking over multi-faceted Fitzroy space Something More, Chapter 53's degustation dinner will give this gloomy season a delicious send-off by celebrating some of its brightest produce. Expect six adventurous, yet minimal dishes, matched with top-notch wines from the Mornington Peninsula's Quealy Winemakers and a swag of insight, conversation and foodie knowledge, to boot. Image: Matt Jones.
Keeping up to date with contemporary architectural trends is like watching a science fiction movie. Leaning towers, spiral buildings, the world's longest skyscraper, a structure that hangs from an asteroid — what's next? Add super skinny towers to the list, and expect to see them popping up soon. Sure, not the most earth-shattering idea ever, but they're tall, thin, and there are plans to build one on the Gold Coast. A development application has been lodged for a new $200m project at 2 Wharf Road, Surfers Paradise, aiming to place a block of narrow apartments as close to the beach as possible. The 42-floor building would include a detached three-storey townhouse, 35 single-floor units, a two-storey sub-penthouse and a three-storey penthouse. A space called a 'neighbourhood store' will also feature. For those pondering aerodynamics — a reasonable concern when you put a skinny structure in a place where it'll be constantly battered by the sea gusts — the application claims that the design has been "optimised to reduce wind loads on the tower". It's proposed that the building's diagrid exoskeleton will "add torsional stiffness", aka make sure it doesn't twist and bend. You'd hope so. Don't go thinking that popping a huge grid over the outside will infringe on the apartments' scenic vistas, however, as every floor boasts two balconies. Sure, the tower looks like it could get knocked over by a breath of air at any moment, but it'll have one heck of a view. Via Brisbane Development. Images: Rothelowman.
One minute we were basking in what felt like an endless summer, the next, winter whipped in, bringing icy winds, downpours and frosty mornings. But that's no excuse to hibernate. In fact, the best way to cope with the cold is by donning your mitts, embracing it and heading outside. After all, getting out and about in winter has its advantages. Instead of sunburn, sweat and crowds, you get cool days made for bushwalking, crackling fires perfect for drinking by and moody seas for whale watching. Plus, you avoid turning into a stir-crazy, caged-up creature. All you need is your favourite winter jacket and a reason more enticing than Netflix to cross the threshold into the chilly outdoors. So, we've teamed up with Hahn to come up with a few ideas for some winter enjoyment. Do them all without leaving the city limits. WARM BEER GARDENS Going outside doesn't have to involve strenuous physical activity — or any physical activity, for that matter. Got the strength to drag yourself off your couch and to your nearest pub? Job done. You might normally associate beer gardens with long summer nights, but when winter rolls around, loads of pubs turn theirs into cosy spaces. After all, it doesn't take much — toasty gas heaters or a log fire and a few fairy lights will do the trick quite nicely. Then, of course, there's the warming impact of beer. As author Dave Barry once observed, "When I heated my home with oil, I used an average of 800 gallons a year. I have found that I can keep comfortably warm for an entire winter with slightly over half that quantity of beer." Check out Sydney's best city oasis bars and beer gardens. Check out Melbourne's best city oasis bars and beer gardens. Check out Brisbane's best city oasis bars and beer gardens. BUSHWALKS If you are keen to be active — maybe before hitting the pub — then go for a bushwalk, or three. In fact, cold days are often ideal for tackling trails, especially tough, hilly ones that send your heart rate skyrocketing, and aren't so attractive on 40-degree summer days. In winter, there's no need to worry so much about sunburn, bushfires or snakes, either. What's more, walking, like beer, warm the body and spirit. Why not take advantage of the vivifying effects of both, and pack a brew to drink at a pretty spot along the way? Did someone say winter? What winter? Discover the top walks in Sydney. Discover the top walks in Melbourne. Discover the top walks in Brisbane. NIGHT MARKETS Over the past few years, Aussie cities have developed many impressive and creative takes on the classic night market, which have helped lure the not-so winterly inclined out of their homes. It also helps that these markets celebrate our multicultural make-up, meaning they play host to a slew of chefs devoted to all kinds of deliciousness — from Asian stir fries straight out of sizzling woks, to melting French fondues, to piping-hot Greek doughnuts. At most markets, live music or performance art is on the agenda, too. So, put a pause on your hibernation, call a mate or two, and go a-wassailing around the markets for an evening. Visit the Carriageworks Night Market in Sydney. Visit the Queen Victoria Night Market in Melbourne. Visit Eat Street Markets in Brisbane. WHALE WATCHING One of the best things about being on the east coast during winter is that it's whale watching season. Fun fact: nearly 60% of the planet's whale population is found in Australian waters, and our humpback numbers are increasing by 11% per year. Also, in autumn, they head north to breed and calve in warm waters and, in spring, they return south, often with babies in tow. So, rug up in your warmies, pack a picnic (don't forget the beer) and head to the easternmost headland you can find. For an even bigger adventure, jump aboard a whale watching cruise. Find the best whale watching spots on the east coast. FOOTY GAME If you're not so interested in getting physical yourself, but find it quite warming to watch someone else red-faced and working up a sweat, then grab your mates and book some tickets to a footy game. After all, winter is footy season. Invest in your team's jersey and scarf — or choose based on your favourite colours if you're undecided — and make tracks to an official match in a major arena, surrounded by thousands of fellow fans. Alternatively, you can keep things close, and cheer on your local team at the club down the road. You never know, you might work up enough enthusiasm to sign yourself up for the next training session. Post-match drinks — be they victorious or consolatory — are a must (see Warm Beer Gardens). Watch the footy at these sports bars in Sydney. Watch the footy at these sports bars in Melbourne. Watch the footy at these sports bars in Brisbane. Grab your mates, grab some Hahn and get out there this winter.
It was 35 years ago in the original 1977 Star Wars film that Princess Leia called for the help of Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi through holographic messaging. At the time we thought anyone would be out of their mind to think such a thing would be possible. We were wrong about a lot of things back in 1977. Educated as an industrial design engineer but always fascinated by lights, Japanese artist Makoto Tojiki turned his head to creating art in 2003 and for five years has worked on his life sized light sculptures. Through the medium of thousands of LED lights and optical fibres, the futuristic celestial like sculptures approach the idea of 'physical presence' in an illuminating way. Tojiki explains his stunning 'No Shadow' light installation sculptures: "An object is seen when our eyes capture light that is reflected from the object. If we extract just the light that is reflected from ‘something,’ are we still in the presence of that 'something?' Using contours of light, I try to express this 'something.' Playing with perception and space, Tojiki encourages the audience to interact with his sculptures from different angles and distances, in turn altering viewer experience. Despite the international success of Tojiki's artworks, his talents are not limited to LED sculptures. Dabbling in interior design and jewellery, Tojiki hopes to see his artworks integrated with fashion brands and featured at events, stores or showrooms. For all you Harry Potter fans, check out Tojiki's 'Horse with No Shadow' installation. Created for Hermes, and probably with no connection to the wizarding world whatsoever, I can't help but see a comparison to Harry Potter's Petronus charm. [Via The Cool Hunter]
The Gold Coast is roughly 12,000 kilometres from Mexico, but that won't stop holidaymakers from enjoying a tequila-soaked vacation in Coolangatta. Forget paying for an airfare to the other side of the world — head to the Glitter Strip instead for a getaway at The Herradura Hacienda, the new margarita-inspired room that's now open for bookings at The Pink Hotel. With its eye-catching exterior and beach views, The Pink Hotel is a Coolie icon anyway, but a stay there can now come with agave spirits. As the new suite's name makes plain, this margarita wonderland is a collaboration with Herradura Tequila, aka Mexico's last tequila-producing hacienda. The vibe inside: 'cosmic disco' meets 'neon jungle'. As well as colourful decor — neon signs, leafy prints, disco balls and a wall of mirrored titles do indeed feature, as well as plants, plus various pink, green and sparkling hues — a night here includes bespoke Herradura margaritas. For an extra fee, you can also get an hour with a bartender to mix your 'ritas in your room. The suite's hero marg is a watermelon and pink pepper number, but Herradura and Capi palomas and boozy pink lemonades help fill out the drinks menu. Unsurprisingly, this package is around for a good time, not a long time. Costing $389 on weeknights and $489 on weekends, it's on offer until Sunday, June 4; however, the revamped room itself isn't going anywhere afterwards. That said, if you can't make it along till then, you will need to pay extra for your margs and other Herradura Tequila trimmings, rather than getting them included in your room rate. "We are extremely proud of the unique offering our hotel brings to the Gold Coast and are thrilled for our guests to experience The Herradura Hacienda pop-up," said Freya Frenzel, General Manager at The Pink Hotel Coolangatta. "The room has all elements of The Pink Hotel that people know and love, with a fun twist!" Getting in quick is recommended, with The Herradura Hacienda available to book via The Pink Hotel, Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, Agoda, Qantas, Trip.com, Hotels.com, Hotel Network and Yonda. And whether or not you're a tequila fiend, a trip to The Pink Hotel involves kicking back in a refurbished boutique accommodation spot that dates back to the 50s, reopened in 2018, and combines Scandinavian and mid-century design. Guests can enjoy being opposite the beach, too, and just a three-minute walk from Coolangatta's shops and bars. Or, you can hit up the rooftop, and the onsite restaurant and bar. The Herradura Hacienda is available to book The Pink Hotel, 171 Griffith Street, Coolangatta, with all the Herradura Tequila trimmings until Sunday, June 4 — and with them available at extra expense afterwards. Head to the hotel's website for further details and bookings. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips — including at The Pink Hotel — with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Something wicked this way comes: the first trailer for the 29-years-later sequel to Hocus Pocus. Yes, The Sanderson sisters are back in this follow-up to beloved 1993 favourite, with the trio wreaking havoc in modern-day Salem. For viewers, they'll be getting witchy on Disney+ in the lead up to Halloween. The Mouse House's streaming platform sure does love dropping seasonal-themed movies at the appropriate times. Here's hoping this one turns out better than last year's Christmas-focused Home Sweet Home Alone, though, when it hits the platform on Friday, September 30. Three things that Hocus Pocus 2 instantly has in its favour: original stars Bette Midler (The Addams Family 2), Sarah Jessica Parker (And Just Like That...) and Kathy Najimy (Music), all returning as Winnie, Sarah and Mary Sanderson. In the new film's first sneak peek, the magical trio make a reappearance thanks to a different threesome — a trio of teenage pals who, early in the teaser trailer, are told that "it's on the 16th birthday that a witch gets her powers". Cue a black cat, a book of spells, chanting in a graveyard and big The Craft vibes. Soon, cue Winnie, Sarah and Mary as well. Story-wise, Hocus Pocus 2 obviously follows what happens next, as the Sandersons try to unleash their child-eating ways — and the high schoolers who conjured them up attempt to stop them before dawn on All Hallow's Eve. It's been 29 years since someone last lit the black flame candle which resurrects the 17th-century sisters in the movie's world, just as it has in our own, and the witches aren't happy about it. "Lock up your children," Winnie cackles, of course. Yes, Midler makes the line count. Hocus Pocus 2 also features Sam Richardson (The Afterparty), Doug Jones (The Shape of Water), Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl), Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories), Lilia Buckingham (Dirt), Froyan Gutierrez (Teen Wolf) and Tony Hale (Veep). While the original film was directed by Kenny Ortega — before the filmmaker gave the world the High School Musical movies — this one has Dumplin', Hot Pursuit and The Proposal's Anne Fletcher behind the lens. Check out the trailer for Hocus Pocus 2 below: Hocus Pocus 2 will be available to stream via Disney+ on Friday, September 30. Images: courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Melbourne's oldest licensed pub, The Duke of Wellington has been entertaining locals for more than 160 years. Built in 1850, the two-storey venue is positioned close to much-loved city hotspots such as the MCG, Rod Laver Arena and The Forum, making it an ideal spot to get together with friends for a hearty meal and drinks. As summer wraps up for another year and we get ready for autumn, the pub is launching some extra special food and drink offerings. Stepping outside your standard Melbourne pub fare, two meal deals kick off the new season — the first being a tasty cooked-to-order whole suckling pig. It's big enough to serve ten people and need to be ordered four days in advance — but you'll need that time to prepare your stomach for what's to come. Speaking of needing extra space — the Duke is also serving up an audacious four-kilogram meat pie ($75), which, if you've got what it takes to finish it by yourself in under 45 minutes, they'll let you have for free. To help all that meat and pastry go down, you're going to need a drink. And, luckily, there are specials for those, too. Every Thursday there'll be half-priced bottles of wine at the Level One bar, and $19 wine flights are available all the time. The flights comprise of three glasses of wine and showcase a different theme or region each month. March kicks off with three of Mornington Peninsula's finest — a white, a rosé and a red.
End times really are upon us — end times for Good Omens, that is. The beloved series about an angel and a demon teaming up to stop the apocalypse has locked in a third season; however, this'll finish its on-screen story, with Prime Video revealing that the Michael Sheen (Best Interests)- and David Tennant (Ahsoka)-led show will return for one final run. "I'm so happy finally to be able to finish the story Terry and I plotted in 1989 and in 2006. Terry was determined that if we made Good Omens for television, we could take the story all the way to the end," said Neil Gaiman, with the series based the 1990 novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch that he wrote with fellow fantasy author Terry Pratchett. "Season one was all about averting armageddon, dangerous prophecies and the end of the world. Season two was sweet and gentle, although it may have ended less joyfully than a certain angel and demon might have hoped." "Now in season three, we will deal once more with the end of the world. The plans for armageddon are going wrong. Only Crowley and Aziraphale working together can hope to put it right. And they aren't talking," Gaiman continued. Exactly when the series will stream its final season hasn't been revealed as yet, but filming is set to start in Scotland soon, Prime Video advised. So, that should mean that fans won't be in for a four-year wait to see Sheen as the angel Aziraphale and Tennant as the demon Crowley again, as happened between season one and season two. Who else will return among the cast also hasn't been announced — but Jon Hamm (Fargo), Doon Mackichan (Toast of Tinseltown), Gloria Obianyo (Dune), Miranda Richardson (Rams), Maggie Service (Life) and Nina Sosanya (His Dark Materials) have been key parts of the show since season one. Neil Gaiman is back as executive producer, writer and co-showrunner, helping guide yet another season that expands past its source material. "Good Omens has checked every box for a clever, witty and funny comedy that not only made it a success on Prime Video, but also made 'goodness' watchable and fun thanks to Neil and Terry's immense creativity. The final season is sure to be packed with the same dynamic energy that our global customers have come to enjoy," said Vernon Sanders, Amazon MGM Studios' Head of Television. "We're delighted to see Crowley and Aziraphale returning after breaking our hearts in season two. Seeing award-winning duo David and Michael reunited will be such a joy. We only wish Terry was here to enjoy the ride with us," added Rob Wilkins, Good Omens' executive producer. There's no sneak peek at Good Omens season three yet, but you can check out the trailer for season two below: Good Omens doesn't yet have a release date for season three, but streams via Prime Video. Read our review of season two.
Much of 2017 might seem like it has been ripped from an episode of Black Mirror, but the real thing is about to show us just how grim the future could be. The Charlie Brooker-created TV show is set to return for its fourth season later in the year, and it has dropped its first sneak peek. Spoiler: things really do look grim. Headed to Netflix at a yet-to-be-revealed date, the new Black Mirror will consist of six instalments filled with more unnerving satire about humanity's relationship with technology. Although the new clip is really just that, announcing the series' episode titles with suitably moody snippets, expect snowy peaks, spooky blonde-haired kids, Star Trek-style space jaunts, monstrous robots and more. Each new chapter's moniker is certain to pique plenty of interest, with names such as 'Arkangel', 'Black Museum', 'Crocodile', 'Hang the DJ', 'Metalhead' and 'USS Callister'. In addition, the new season's directors and main cast members have also been revealed. Brooker himself wrote every new instalment, while the likes of Jodie Foster, Australian filmmaker John Hillcoat (The Road, Triple 9), Peaky Blinders' Colm McCarthy and American Gods' David Slade are sitting in the helmer's chair. On screen, expect a cast that includes La La Land's Rosemarie DeWitt, Nocturnal Animals' Andrea Riseborough and Fargo's Jesse Plemons getting up to the kind of sci-fi antics that no one wants to dream of. Check out the trailer below in preparation for a whole new round of futuristic bleakness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH85obU350E
Instragram has launched their first official account dedicated to music and musicians. The new, internally-run @music account will post on a variety of music-related content, and feature profiles of emerging and established musicians from all around the world. The move marks an interesting new direction for the photo-sharing service, which for the first time appears to be actively cultivating a community based on the specific interests of its users. Operated by Instagram music editor Alex Suskind, the newly-minted account will post six times a week, with content divided between a series of designated hashtags. #LocallySourced will shine the spotlight on unsigned acts, #DoubleTrack will cover musician’s interests outside of music, and #15SecondLessons will feature video tutorials on "everything from riffs to drumbeats". Posts so far include brief interviews with social media-fiend DJ Questlove and up-and-coming Japanese rock band Tricot. The account will also feature the work of music photographers, album illustrators, instrument makers and fans. An official music account does seem like a good fit for the service, with many of its most popular accounts belonging to famous musicians. According to a statement by Instagram founder and CEO Kevin Systrom, "For the past four years, we have become the home for artists big and small — a place where people across the musical spectrum come to share stories, reveal their creativity and connect directly with fans." Assuming the account is successful — and 27,000 followers in less than a day suggests that it might be — it could potentially open the door for a whole range of official channels covering things like food, movies, fashion and of course, cat photos. It also seems like a smart way for the service to attract targeted advertising — although according to coverage at TechCrunch, there are currently no plans to include ads in the @music account.
Whether you're a big nature nerd or err on the indifferent side to the science of it all, chances are you've seen at least some of Sir David Attenborough's Planet Earth. The BBC nature documentary series — narrated by the man himself and accompanied by an epic score from Hans Zimmer — first aired back in 2006, and its follow-up second season, Planet Earth II, was released just two years ago. But the bits you've seen on TV or YouTube are sure to be belittled when the BBC brings the live show to Australia this April. Like the performances of Harry Potter and Star Wars we've seen in recent months, Planet Earth II Live in Concert will see the documentary screened in all its glory accompanied by a live orchestra. And it's a big sore. The music for Planet Earth II was composed by none other than Hans Zimmer (responsible for epics like The Lion King, Gladiator, The Dark Knight Rises and Inception) alongside Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe. In Australia, the score will be performed by four of the country's leading orchestras with conductor Vanessa Scammell and, in lieu of Attenborough, Eric Bana will be narrating in real time. The show will travel around Australia from April 27 until May 4, visiting Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney for just four shows all up. Tickets go on sale next week. In the meantime, you can watch ehe first season of Planet Earth on Netflix. PLANET EARTH II LIVE IN CONCERT TOUR DATES April 27 — Perth Arena (with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra) April 29 — Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (with the Melbourne Pops Orchestra) May 1 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre (with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra) May 4 — International Convention Centre, Sydney (with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra) Planet Earth II Live in Concert will tour Australia from April 27 – May 4, 2018. Presale tickets will go on sale at 10am tomorrow, Friday, February 16. The rest will go on sale at 3pm on Tuesday, February 20. For more info, visit ticketek.com.au.
It may sound like a sci-fi gimmick every time you read about it, but virtual reality is truly almost in your hands. From high-end military training software to 360° porn, VR technology has come a long way since the Nintendo Virtual Boy in the ‘90s. Tech giants including Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Sony have all bought into the craze and are working frantically on commercially viable hardware. Now lightweight camera manufacturer and BFF to extreme sports GoPro is getting in on the action well. Snowboarding videos will never be the same. The American company has confirmed it's set to purchase Kolar, a small French software startup that specialises in panoramic video. GoPro already makes a multi-directional camera mount capable of shooting 360° video, footage that the Kolar software can then stitch together. As part of their announcement, GoPro released a video of what that looks like — although unless you want to give yourself a serious headache, you’ll need to watch it in Google Chrome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMBDA-Our4w According to a statement by GoPro CEO Nicholas Woodman, "GoPro's capture devices and Kolor's software will combine to deliver exciting and highly accessible solutions for capturing, creating and sharing spherical content." Spherical content. The immersive video will initially be compatible with Google Cardboard — Google's ultra low budget cardboard mount that turns your smartphone into a kind of DIY virtual reality headset — before being expanded to work with other, higher end systems such as Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR. Via Quartz. Top images: GoPro.
However many pieces of Lego exist in the world, they're generally associated with younger fans, although everything from adults-only Lego nights to bars built out of connecting bricks have been testing that idea recently. Now, the Danish brand itself is not only embracing its adult Lego aficionados, but has created a set specifically designed to reduce stress. Think of the company's new Lego Forma line as its version of adult colouring books. Crowdfunded via Indiegogo but definitely a legitimate Lego endeavour, Forma is all about encouraging adults to get creative. The fish-themed set consists of a base koi model, which customers build from 294 pieces, including a gear system that lets the finished model move in a life-like way. While each set comes with a basic snap-on koi skin, Lego fans can also add one of three others: a shark skin, a colourful 'splash' koi skin and a black-and-white 'ink' koi skin. The foil skins are also customisable (so you can break out your colouring pencils and markers if you like), and the whole thing takes a couple hours to put together. At the moment, Lego Forma is in the pilot stage, which is one of the reasons that Lego has opted to release its first model via Indiegogo — and in the US and UK only. The limited short-run batch "is primarily designed to learn whether there is an appetite and market for the product, more so than driving revenue", explains the company. After feedback on the first run, a more global approach to releasing sets like Lego Forma is planned. Lego Forma follows in the footsteps of Lego's new sustainable, plant-based pieces, with the brand clearly keeping an eye on environmental concerns — and on the fact that everyone plays with Lego as a kid, and still retains a soft spot for its hard brick pieces as an adult. Fingers crossed that Lego Forma expands its range and makes its way Down Under in the future. For more information, visit the Lego Forma Indiegogo site. Images: Lego.
After pledging to introduce a container deposit scheme by 2023, and to ban single-use plastics by the same year, the Victorian Government has announced its next big eco-conscious policy. This time, it's tackling climate change by committing to reduce the state's carbon emissions — and it has set ambitious targets for the next four, nine and 29 years. By 2025, the government plans to slash carbon emissions by up to a third (28–33 percent, to be exact). When 2030 rolls around, it's aiming to have cut them by half (or between 45–50 percent). And, after that, it has set a zero net emissions goal for 2050. The new emissions plan was revealed this week as part of the current Labor government's climate change strategy, which also highlights some of the strategies in place to meet those targets. On the cards: putting more than $100 million towards transforming the transport sector, working towards zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) comprising 50 percent of all new car sales by 2030, and giving Victorians who buy ZEVs up to $3000. The latter was announced on Saturday, May 1, and has already come into effect — and will cover more than 20,000 new ZEVs initially. The government has also outlined its intention to invest around $20 million in the agriculture sector — to work with farmers to make their farms more sustainable, and to research and trial new feed options to reduce emissions from livestock. It's putting another $15.3 million towards helping farmers store more carbon in shelterbelt trees, and to engage in agroforestry as well. By 2025, the government's own operations — which includes schools, hospitals, police stations and metro trains — will be powered with 100 percent renewable electricity. It's also aiming to have 40 percent of the entire state do the same by the same year, and 50 percent of the state by 2030. The government's targets are based on 2005 levels, with the state already cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 24.8 over the past 16 years. For more information about the Victorian Government's climate change strategy, head to its website.
It's a truth universally acknowledged that dads are absolutely, 100 percent, without a doubt the hardest people in our lives to buy gifts for. They don't really want or need much — and they tend to buy whatever they do need for themselves anyway. If you're like us, you probably have a default roster of generic items that you keep on rotation for special occasions. But let's be real: Dad doesn't really need another pair of socks. And he still hasn't cracked the cover of the last book you bought for him. So, we're here to help you out. Together with Maker's Mark, we're giving away an excellent whisky-themed gift pack that'll take Dad's after-dinner tipple to the next level. Valued at $450, this prize pack has a bunch of liquor cabinet essentials, including a bottle of Maker's Mark, an ice stamp, two glasses and a barrel head. And if you really want to cement that coveted favourite kid status, fix him a drink after he's unwrapped the gift — keep an eye out for our recipe guide, which is coming soon. To be in the running, enter your details below. [competition]779157[/competition]
It's clear that more Londoners want to ride their bikes more often than ever before. In fact, between 2001 and 2011, the number of them cycle commuting to work doubled. The problem is, though, that the city's rabbit warren-like infrastructure doesn't always mean there’s enough room for two-wheelers, taxis and regular vehicles to share the road harmoniously. A $1.4 billion, 24-kilometre cycle super highway, initiated by Lord Mayor Boris Johnson, has made many a journey much smoother. But, to many bicycle-inclined minds, it’s just the beginning. Earlier this year, architect Lord Norman Foster put forward SkyCycle: an elevated, car-free bike path that would see cyclists cruising around above London, E.T.-style (kind of). And now, there’s a new proposal in the works: the Thames Deckway. It’s a 12-kilometre long cycle path that would float on the River Thames. Created by a group of engineers, architects and artists who’ve named themselves the River Cycleway Consortium Ltd, it would start at Battersea in the West and stretch all the way to Canary Wharf in the east, sitting quite close to the river’s south bank. So it would be well out of the way of the barges, ferries, rowers and paddlers who travel along the primary navigation channel. Cyclists would be able to hop on and off the route at various points via embankment ramps, where kiosks would offer refreshments in the way of snacks and beverages. The path would cater, not only to commuters, but also to those out for a leisurely recreational ride, and would be designed to rise and fall according to tidal changes. To minimise potential dangers, an elaborate system of sensors and satellites would alert the land-bound world to threats and hazards. "London needs to think outside the box of conventional solutions to solve its deep-seated traffic and pollution problems," a spokesperson said in a media statement. "The Thames offers vast, untapped potential to ease and improve London's infrastructure problems. What is needed is imagination to unleash it." The Consortium, which was established by London-based artist Anna Hill and architect David Nixon, and includes engineering company Arup and Hugh Broughton Architects, would need to raise 600 million GBP from private investors to put the plan into action. Cyclists would be charged 1.50 GBP per ride, to go towards maintenance. Via Dezeen.
Byron Bay's Stone & Wood and Three Blue Ducks are headed to Melbourne for one of Good Beer Week's hot-ticket items on Friday, May 18. The dinner will see head brewer Caolan Vaughan team up with Three Blue Ducks chef and co-owner Darren Robertson to showcase sustainable produce in a six-course beer degustation at Vue de Monde. The two interstate heavy-hitters are combining their passions for locally sourced and produced beer and food and are bringing it to a fine-dining restaurant that is known to do the same. Guests will sit at communal tables and eat course-after-course of ethical eats — with a vegetarian option available — paired with six craft brews from Vaughan's independently owned brewery. In between bites, you'll have the chance to chat with the award-winning brewer and renowned chef. It's certainly a pricey night, but one that's no doubt well worth it.
I don't know about you, but I usually don't associate Russia with summer homes. In fact, 'Russian summer home' seems a bit of an oxymoron. However, Moscow-based architect Peter Kostelov has created this all-white 'origami house' for Russia's reality show, Dachniy Otvet. His only guidelines were to create a summer home where the family could enjoy athletic activities outdoors and host gatherings for friends. The house has no doors or windows, allowing guests to get some of that Russian sunshine (catch it while you can) whilst still being protected from Russia's often unpredictable weather. Built with sustainably-sourced timber, the origami house also uses a solar battery to heat water. The design folds and wraps, representing an origami-like structure. Check out some photos of this unique contemporary design.
Rejoice, gin enthusiasts of Melbourne, as a series of juniper-fuelled cocktail classes is coming to town so you can take your mixology to the next level. Teaming up with German distillery Monkey 47, riverside bar Ocean 12 will host classes every Thursday from March to May on its terrace, which will be transformed into a lush forest with glowing mushrooms, wild vines and plenty of greenery. Running from 6.30–8.30pm, the classes include a free G&T on arrival, food and expert tips of the trade — all for $79. You'll be shaking and stirring cocktails, including a cucumber-infused gin martini that even a tux-wearing 007 would want to knock back, as well as other impressive tipples using Monkey 47 dry gin and Monkey 47 sloe gin. Afterwards, keep the good times going by taking advantage of the bar's happy hour from 8–10pm, where select beer, wines and spirits are a cheeky $8 while Monkey 47-based cocktails will be $12 a pop.
Think Apple gives the most visionary tech demos? The man whose 1968 'Mother of All Demos' showed us computer technology we'd still be using today passed away this week at the age of 88. Douglas Carl Engelbart was an inventor and engineer best known for creating the mouse. But he and his team at the Stanford Research Institute (now known as SRI International) actually showcased an eerie amount of still-familiar technology at their oN-Line System presentation in 1968. Video still exists of the entire 1 hour, 40-minute of it, but perhaps the coolest moment is this, in which he demonstrates the basics of word processing, copy-and-pasting, hypertext and something of a graphical user interface. In the next video, you can see the mouse in action. ("I don't know why we call it a mouse, I apologise. I started that way and we never did change it.") Theirs is a boxy thing with two wheels. In patent terms, an "X-Y position indicator control for movement of the hand to move a cursor over the display on a cathode-ray tube." Later, he demonstrates video conferencing. Seriously. It's like he made up the future, and then it all went ahead and happened. Engelbart's inventions never made him particularly rich — SRI didn't really realise the value of the mouse when they patented it — but he's regarded as a visionary in the industry.
In the coming years, works by Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya, Brett Whiteley and Arthur Boyd will find a new home on the New South Wales south coast. The pieces will form part of an art gallery that's set to spring up on the Bundanon property at Riversdale in the Shoalhaven region, with the New South Wales government committing more than $8.5 million to revamp the site. A quarter of a century since the 1100-hectare property was gifted to the Australian public by artist Arthur Boyd and his wife Yvonne Boyd — becoming a haven for creativity, arts and education, as well as remaining a working farm — it'll welcome a new space to house the Boyds' other gift: over 3800 items, including with more than 1300 works by Arthur Boyd himself. At present, hundreds of pieces can be viewed in the existing Bundanon Homestead, as well as in Arthur Boyd's studio; however the forthcoming expansion will see the construction of a gallery and storage facility for the huge art collection, which is valued at $43 million. While the new plans centre around the gallery itself, which will built into the site's hillside and boast windows that frame the artwork with glimpses of the natural splendour outside, that's not the only addition as part of the project. A 140-metre-long by nine-metre-wide structure will branch out of the gallery, into a bridge spanning across the Bundanon bushland and parkland, and across to 34 bedrooms, a teaching and dining space, and a public cafe. Stepped terraces, an openair arrival hall and an outdoor learning space are also mooted. The NSW government's contribution has been allocated through the state's Regional Cultural Fund, with $28 million required in total to complete the project — and an opening date yet to be announced. "Arthur Boyd's extraordinary works live on as enduring inspiration for the many passionate and talented artists across regional NSW," commented NSW Minister for the Arts Don Harwin. "This new facility housed on this famous landscape will pave the way for the Bundanon Trust's revered $43 million collection to be housed and presented for all visitors to enjoy." Images: Kerstin Thompson Architects.
The nine to five can be tough. Sometimes there's just too much to do, and not enough time to do it — and sometimes you just struggle to put a sentence together without any typos. But before heading to the cafe next door for another short black, you might want to consider Silicon Valley's pick-me-up alternative: psychedelics. Yep, acid is the new caffeine. It's called 'microdosing' and apparently it's the new thing for overachieving, overworked Silicon Valley yo pros to partake in when they're having a bit of an off one. It involves taking about a tenth of the 'normal' dose of a psychedelic drug (usually LSD or mushrooms) which has an energising and insightful 'subperceptual' — rather than a tripping — effect on the body. And, according to this Rolling Stone article, it's helping them concentrate, and be more productive and creative at work. The concept itself isn't entirely new. Author of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide James Fadiman introduced microdosing into the mainstream when speaking at a psychedelic research conference back in 2011. Since then, however, the practice has become more widespread, particularly with twenty-something professionals in the San Francisco area, according to Fadiman. Although the dose of the (illegal) drugs is minute, their effects are still hard to predict. So for now, perhaps stick to your single origin coffee beans and a selection of cat GIFs to get the creative juices flowing. Via Rolling Stone.
If the waning temperatures have got you feeling frosty about the cooler months to come, here's something that'll warm up your outlook: Naarm's (Melbourne's) major citywide arts festival RISING is back. As always, it promises to be the bright spark in Victoria's winter. From Wednesday, June 7 till Sunday, June 18, a blockbuster 185-event program is transforming the city streets — and it's set to be a monumental affair. More than 400 artists are assembling for almost two jam-packed weeks of art, culture, music, performance and culinary goodness. There are 35 works commissioned exclusively for the festival and an impressive 12 world premieres set to happen. Alongside the already-announced Euphoria, which will take over Melbourne Town Hall with an immersive multi-screen film installation starring Cate Blanchett (as a tiger on the hunt, no less), the program is filled with a hefty and diverse array of happenings. Large-scale events abound, not least of which is Shadow Spirit — a showcase of First Peoples-led projects across the realms of art, performance, music, food and more — which takes over abandoned rooms in Flinders Street Station. Another large-scale offering is The Rink, which fantastically will be sticking around for longer than RISING's residency. From Thursday, June 1 till Saturday, July 8, it's the place for carving icy laps in Birrarung Marr on the banks of the Yarra. There's warming snacks (like pizza courtesy of Fugazi) and even more bevs (like boozy Mörk hot choccies and mulled wine). The Rink's precinct is free to enter and is kept toasty by fireplaces, so even if you're not lacing your skates, it's a magical spot to hang. Then on Saturday, June 10, a mass participatory work by composer Ciaran Frame will hit Federation Square. The free experience will see 10,000 biodegradable kazoos played simultaneously by eager locals (like you). While Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde's SPARK takes the form of a wondrous floating light show, animating thousands of 'fireflies' crafted from biodegradable materials from Wednesday, June 7 till Saturday, June 10. On the music front, there's a bunch of shows with tickets still available (you're too late for Ethel Cain or Thundercat, sadly). Catch Flying Lotus on Saturday, June 17; Paul Kelly on Tuesday, June 6 and Wednesday, June 7; and many more. Gigs are hitting the Forum, Max Watt's and the Melbourne Recital Centre for the duration of the festival. RISING's free festival hub Night Trade is taking over the grounds of St Paul's Cathedral for the duration of the spectacular fest. It comes to life with super-sized surrealist art from Poncili Creción, live performances, hawker-style dining by Free to Feed, patio bars with bevs and sans-booze sips aplenty, and even a smattering of drag karaoke. Gather here with your group, get fed and plan the rest of your festival explorations. RISING will take over Melbourne from Wednesday, June 7 till Sunday, June 18. To plan your visit, head to the website.
