What does Brisbane have in common with music superstars Beyoncé, Björk, Lady Gaga and Rihanna, and also Oscar-winners Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton? An appreciation for fashion designer Iris van Herpen. The avant-garde Dutch talent has dressed them all, including creating the breathtaking Heliosphere dress that proved a showstopper on Beyoncé's Renaissance tour. The latter gigs haven't made it Down Under, but the Australian-exclusive Sculpting the Senses exhibition at the Queensland capital's Gallery of Modern Art will take you into the world of the haute couture figure who played a part in it. Fashion lovers have until Monday, October 7, 2024 to explore one of GOMA's big showcases for 2024, which continues to plunge the South Brisbane site into an enchanting and ethereal realm after Fairy Tales, its huge summer exhibition, did the same. Pieces by van Herpen can't be mistaken for designs by anyone else, sitting at the intersection of couture, art and design, while also exploring technological advancements such as 3D printing. In that field, she's widely considered the first to make a garment this way. From gowns to accessories, a massive 130 of van Herpen's pieces are now on display in the River City. Across nine chapters — some nodding to the dreamlike sheen that accompanies the designer's pieces, others focusing on skeletal structures, inspirations, and how the sea and the cosmos are an influence — Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses steps through the work of a creative who boasts stints alongside Alexander McQueen and Claudy Jongstra on her resume. It was almost two decades back, in 2007, that the Maison Iris van Herpen came to life in Amsterdam. Evoking her studio, complete with a cabinet of curiosities, is also part of GOMA's celebration. In this section of the exhibition, attendees will also see a space dedicated to fashion shows and unpack the various development stages of a dress. [caption id="attachment_966403" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Installation view of 'Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses'. Iris van Herpen / Netherlands b.1984 / Daniel Widrig (Collaborator) / United Kingdom b.1977 / Materialise (Collaborator) / Belguim est.1990 / Crystallization top and skirt, from the 'Capriole' collection 2011 / 3D-printed polyamide using selective laser sintering, eco-leather, cotton, nylon thread / Purchased thanks to the patronage of Doctor and Madam Léon Crivain, 2018 / Collection: Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. Courtney Mattison / United States b.1985 / Malum Geminos 2019 / Glazed stoneware and porcelain / Courtesy: The artist. Iris van Herpen / Netherlands b.1984 / Nicholas Koscinski (Collaborator)/ United States b.1992 / Futurama gown, from the 'Meta Morphism' collection 2022 / 3D-printed Bluesint (upcycled polyamide) using selective laser sintering, silver, silk, organza, tulle / Courtesy: Iris van Herpen atelier. © The artists / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA.[/caption] Hitting Brisbane after a run in Paris, co-organised by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and boasting the organisation's Dr Cloé Pitiot and Louise Curtis on curatorial duties alongside QAGOMA's Nina Miall and Jacinta Giles, Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses takes its name seriously. This is a feast for the eyes, clearly, but also comes paired with a soundscape by Dutch sound artist Salvador Breed — not just a collaborator of van Herpen's, but her partner — to enhance the experience. Among the specific fashion gems featured, the exhibition draws from 2010's water-themed 'Crystallization' collection, which took its cues from water being splashed at models; 2020's 'Sensory Seas', with hydrozoa such as the bluebottle an influence; and 2012's 'Micro' and 'Hybrid Holism', each teeming with microscopic detail that mimics the natural world — just for starters. Elsewhere, van Herpen's designs use X-rays, MRIs, neuroscience, mythology, alchemy, biotech, NASA's James Webb space telescope and more as guides. Visitors will equally spy a range of complementary pieces surrounding van Herpen's designs, weaving in Yayoi Kusama, Cai Guo-Qiang, Japanese art collective Mé and Kohei Nawa, for instance. Megan Cope, Philip Beesley, Anne Noble, Damien Jalet, Casey Curran, Rogan Brown, Ren Ri and Courtney Mattison also have works in Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses, as does the Living Architecture Systems Group. Natural history objects add yet another layer. The dramatic staging, especially when van Herpen's work is set against a black background, achieves the same. Similarly featuring: installations, videos and photographs. [caption id="attachment_966407" align="alignnone" width="1917"] Installation view of 'Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses'. (l) Iris van Herpen / Netherlands b.1984 / Water dress, special project 2010 / Heat-moulded PETG / Collection: Groninger Museum, Netherlands / © Iris van Herpen. (r) David Spriggs / Canada b.1978 / Origins 2018 / PET film, acrylic Plexiglas, LED, acrylic paint, metal / Collection: Dr Pierre Miron / © David Spriggs. Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA.[/caption] Top images: Installation view of 'Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses' including (front l-r) Symbiotic asymmetric dress, from the 'Shift Souls' collection 2019 by Iris van Herpen; Fractal Flows dress, from the 'Sensory Seas' collection 2020 by Iris van Herpen with collaborator Perry Hall; and Cosmica gown, from the 'Shift Souls' collection 2019 by Iris van Herpen with collaborator Kim Keever / © Iris van Herpen / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA. Installation view of the Cabinet of Curiosities in 'Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses', Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane / © Iris van Herpen / Photograph: J Ruckli © QAGOMA. Iris van Herpen: Runway films 2017-23 (installation view, 'Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses') / Video, colour, sound, 57:51 minutes (total, looped) / Editor: Simona Gol / Music selection: Salvador Breed / Courtesy: Iris van Herpen Atelier / © Iris van Herpen / Photograph: C Callistemon © QAGOMA.
"Fan art" comes in a bizarre array of forms. Couch-dwelling admirers of films and television series have brought us such timeless works of art as Elvis murals made from burnt toast, life-size stormtrooper costumes and the burgeoning industry of "fan fiction". While this sort of fandom, at times bordering on obsession, tends to be fairly laughable, Spanish artist Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde has transformed her TV fixation into something truly fascinating, creating hand-drawn, blueprints of some of television's most beloved apartments. With these intricate aerial views fans can now take a virtual tour through the apartments of Sex and the City, The Big Bang Theory and Friends, while forever wondering how a bunch of characters that seem to divide their time fairly evenly between coffee houses and trendy bars manage to afford these fab pads. Friends - Chandler & Joey and Monica & Rachel's Apartments The Big Bang Theory - Sheldon & Leonard and Penny's Apartments Frasier - Frasier Crane's Apartment Sex and the City - Carrie Bradshaw's Apartment Original Batman TV series - Wayne Manor
Singapore's Changi Airport is going all out this holiday season and giving travellers a rare reason to get to the airport early. In collaboration with Warner Bros, the airport has created a full-scale Harry Potter world, now open from November 16 through mid-February. The Wizarding World Holiday exhibition is spread across all three of the airport's terminals and brings to life some of the most iconic backdrops in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films — think Hogsmeade Village, Diagon Alley, the Whomping Willow and Newt Scamander's Menagerie (which is depicted in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald). Wander through a snowy Hogsmeade Village where you'll catch sight of Zonko's Joke Shop, Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, the Owl Post and the Honeydukes sweets store. Or head to Diagon Alley, where visitors can dress up in Hogwart's school uniforms from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and create a GIF in front of a 'magical' mirror. There are also spell-casting lessons and Quaffle toss competitions — which let you 'ride' a broomstick and practise your Quidditch skills. Limited-edition Harry Potter-themed travel merch will be on sale in duty free, too. Plus, a snow and lights show will take place in terminal three each day. We reckon this is your best excuse to book a trip to Singapore (or organise a layover through Changi) these holidays. Wizarding World Holiday is located in Terminal 1-3 at Changi Airport until mid-February, 2019.
Well-loved and ever-cheerful family-run gift spot Think Thornbury is about to clock up six years of life — and you're invited to help celebrate with a weekend of discounts, cake and community. The colourful High Street store, founded by visual artist Maggie May and musician Joshua Moshe, has managed to weather a global pandemic and multiple lockdowns, not to mention some of the other tough bits life can throw one's way. And if that doesn't call for a party, we don't know what does. Head along to join the festivities from Saturday, April 29, when Think Thornbury kicks off its first-ever sale. Everything in store and online will be discounted by 10-percent for the weekend; plus if you head along in person, you'll find more goodies slashed by up to 40-percent off. There are even more excuses to head along on Sunday, April 30, when the store busts out the streamers and lets down its hair for a proper knees-up from 2pm, complete with bubbly, birthday cake and a bunch of lucky door prizes. Images: Marie-Luise Photographer
Being a fan of the world game means adjusting to world time zones, especially if you're keen to watch Australia's national women's soccer team take on the globe. When the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup took place Down Under, it was a rare tournament friendly to Aussie schedules. The 2024 Paris Olympics definitely don't fall into that category. Set your alarms, Matildas obsessives: the Tillies have qualified to chase a gold medal, but their first three games are all at 3am Australian time. The squad plays Germany, Zambia and the United States in the group stage. Their schedule from there depends on the results, aka if they make it through to the next rounds. First up is the Germany match on Friday, July 26 Aussie time. Then, come Monday, July 29, Zambia awaits. After that, on Thursday, August 1, the Matildas will take on the US. While they're competing at the Paris Olympics, none of these three games are actually in the City of Light. Instead, the first and third matches are in Marseille, while the second takes the Tillies to Nice. If you're watching along at home, Channel 9, 9Now and Stan Sport are your viewing destinations. Given the hour, that's definitely your cosiest option. But if you're keen to head out to watch the matches with a crowd, you do have some options thanks to Olympics live sites around the nation — although most won't be screening the action quite that early, so you'll be catching replays. In Sydney, the Tumbalong Park Sound Shell is your Olympics viewing spot, albeit only running from 12–11pm daily. In Melbourne, Federation Square is devoting its big screen to the games, normally running from 12–10pm daily but also showing the Tillies live — but you'll need to register for the latter. In Brisbane, head to South Bank; however, the screens will only be on from 6.30am–midnight. Yagan Square Amphitheatre in Perth will be celebrating green and gold from 7am–midnight. Some Westfield shopping centres are also getting into the action in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Western Australia. As the entire country has known for months, Sam Kerr is injured — and, unlike at the Women's World Cup, isn't in the team as a result. But the squad is filled with high-profile names, including Steph Catley donning the captain's armband, plus Ellie Carpenter and Emily van Egmond as vice captains. Also in France representing the nation: Kyra Cooney-Cross, Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, Katrina Gorry, Michelle Heyman, Hayley Raso, Cortnee Vine, Claire Wheeler and Tameka Yallop among the forwards and midfielders; Clare Hunt, Alanna Kennedy, Clare Polkinghorne and Kaitlyn Torpey among the defenders; and Mackenzie Arnold and Teagan Micah as goalkeepers. Sharn Freier, Lydia Williams, Charlotte Grant and Courtney Nevin are the travelling alternates — and Williams is retiring from international football following the Olympics. The Matildas Group-Stage Matches at the Paris 2024 Olympics: Friday, July 26 — v Germany at 3.00am AEST Monday, July 29 — v Zambia at 3.00am AEST Thursday, August 1 — v United States at 3.00am AEST The Matildas' Paris 2024 Olympics matches place from Friday, July 26 Australian time — and you can watch via Channel 9, 9Now and Stan Sport. Images: Tiffany Williams, Football Australia.
This month, The Lakes Festival celebrates its tenth birthday. The festival is designed in homage to the Central Coast's lakes, waterways and community with a stellar program of 30-plus events dotted along the coast. The majority of the program is free to enjoy, too. Each year, it brings a smack of music, colour and culture to the Central Coast. From November 7–16, we're all invited to head north and make the most of the lineup. The highlight of the festival takes place on Saturday, November 8 with Light Up the Lake. Headlined by Ruby Fields, she'll share the stage with Dear Sunday, Dizzy Days, Chloe Parché, and Elaskia. As the sun sets, the sky will erupt with fireworks to, as the name suggests, light up the lake. Away from the main stage, food trucks and local restaurants will be serving hungry festival goers between sets. Aside from great music, The Lakes Festival is about honouring the waterways through sustainability. Naturally, that means everyone's favourite gardener, Costa Georgiadis, will be making an appearance. You can catch him and Lottie Dalziel (NSW Young Australian of the Year) at the Sustainable Future Festival at The Entrance on Saturday, November 15. Over the ten days, make the trip north and you'll be able to experience everything from floating yoga to artisan markets. There's something for everyone at the festival—even Pelican Time. Join a free talk with local volunteers who rescue and care for the area's beloved pelicans. Or, join a cooking class and learn to cook with native ingredients like pepperberry and saltbush. Stop by The Entrance Artisan Markets for local artwork and homemade scones. Spend a day following the Soundscapes Story Trail throughout the Central Coast where local writers and creators have written stories with the coast as the muse. Drive up to Canton Beach for a day at Sea Food Fest and devour fresh prawns in the sunshine. You can even operate an underwater drone or rover to scope out underwater habitats in Tuggerah Lake. Or, head down to Avoca Beach and join a free surf lesson or group surf. Carve out some space in your November, The Lakes Festival is sounding like summer's place to be. Check out the full digital program here. Lead Image: The Lakes Festival
In its sixth year, the Gertrude Street Projection Festival is turning Gertrude Street into a hub of creativity, community and, of course, lights for 10 nights starting on July 19. Thirty sites, from buildings to shopfronts to squares on the pavement, will show the length of Gertrude Street in a way you're unlikely to see again. With each year a different story, it's bound to be a new experience each time. 'Illuminate' is the theme and illuminate they will. Artists include Melbourne-based video artist Alesh Macak; Amanda Morgan, who is exploring the relationship between the material and immaterial; and Yandell Walton, who will look at our emotional responses to our world. The Festival Hub, upstairs at Brown Couch, will house events made to complement the festival, from musicians to workshops to panel forums. Gertrude Street Projection Festival is one of those beautiful moments where participating in art consists of simply standing in the street and looking up.
A film festival that brings the best and brightest new Japanese movies to Australian cinemas each year is a film festival to cherish. Also ace: a film fest that features a solely digital lineup of flicks and TV shows from Japan that you can check out from your couch. So, while it isn't time for the IRL Japanese Film Festival for 2024 yet — it last hit locations around the country across September–November 2023 — the Japanese Film Festival Online will keep you entertained come winter. Both fests serve up a handy way to view the latest and greatest Japanese fare without hopping on a plane, but only the online version lets you do so from home. Running from Wednesday, June 5–Wednesday, July 3, 2024's version will feature 23 films and two TV dramas, the latter serving up 20 episodes. And, you'll be able to check out for four Japanese horror shorts, too, all of which initially debuted in 2023 at the first-ever Horror Film Competition in Japan. The other big drawcard: Japanese Film Festival Online screens its program for free. Accordingly, this lineup won't test your budget, whether you're keen on I Am What I Am, which stars Drive My Car's Toko Miura; Anime Supremacy!, about a new director and a hotshot facing off while making their own competing anime; Single8, a Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans)-influenced picture about Star Wars-loving teens making their own movie; or classic anime Kimba the White Lion from 1966. Film lovers will be catching the movies on the program between Wednesday, June 5–Wednesday, June 19. Fellow feature options include Father of the Milky Way Railroad, a biopic about poet and novelist Kenji Miyazawa; magazine drama Kiba: The Fangs of Fiction; Baby Assassins, where teen assassins are forced to give up the murderous life; and The Handsome Suit, about a magical outfit. TV fans will be tuning in from Wednesday, June 19–Wednesday, July 3, with 2017's Rikuoh starring Kôji Yakusho (Perfect Days), and stepping inside a traditional Japanese sock company — and 2015's Downtown Rocket based on Shitamachi Rocket novels about an ex-aerospace researcher who leads a factor that he inherited. While you won't pay a thing to watch, you do still need to register via the fest's website. Won't be in Australia at the time? The fest is available in 27 countries. "JFF Online 2024 is not just a film festival; it's a cultural bridge connecting fans of Japanese cinema across the globe," said The Japan Foundation in Sydney's Manisay Oudomvilay. "From the comforts of your home, you can traverse a wide array of genres — from heartfelt dramas and engaging documentaries to captivating anime stories. This festival celebrates the breadth and diversity of Japanese storytelling." "Our lineup includes films that challenge the norms, explore deep human connections, and celebrate the artistry of both seasoned and emerging Japanese filmmakers. We invite cinema lovers and Japanophiles alike from around the world to join us in this unique virtual celebration of Japanese cinematic artistry," continued Manisay. The 2024 Japanese Film Festival Online runs from Wednesday, June 5–Wednesday, July 3. For more information and to register to watch, visit the festival website. Top images: Single8 Film Partners / Jun Ikeido, TBS / Kenji Yamamoto / Anime Supremacy! The Movie Production Committee.
Bec Dean is co-director of Performance Space, one of Australia's leading development and presentation organisations for interdisciplinary arts. If you've ever marvelled at one of Carriageworks' stranger corners, you've seen their work. More than most, Bec spends her days seeking out the inventions, interjections and experiences that give colour to our lives. These are the five emerging artists she encourages us to keep a particular eye on. Michaela Gleave Jeff Khan (my co-director) and I just worked with Michaela Gleave on Our Frozen Moment, which was an installation of rain and light inside the gallery space here at Carriageworks. Michaela makes exquisitely beautiful, experiential work, but she undertakes her own fabrication of the complex system of pumps, pipes and reticulation required to make it rain on the inside. She also has an explosives license. She is true DIY. Eric Bridgeman Eric Bridgeman is a young artist from Brisbane, now working in Liverpool in the UK. We hope he may be back for our program SEXES in October. Eric head-on tackles issues that tend to simmer in our culture, from racism, to sexism, to homophobia…especially in sporting culture. He makes photos, performances and paintings that make everyone uncomfortable, and so they should be! James Brown James Brown is a composer and musician who has worked on many projects for Performance Space and PACT artists over the years. He is an artist that often gets credited as a part of new works but I think more and more that he should be the headline act. He is a brilliant and somewhat humble collaborator. Cigdem Aydemir Cigdem Aydemir is a photographer, performer and installation artist making difficult work that examines gendered and religious identity in Australia, and engages with certain right-wing attitudes about Muslim women and the burqa as a potential terrorist threat. We are hoping to commission a large-scale work by her later this year. Applespiel Applespiel is a collaborative team of eight young performers who premiered a new work with us at SHOW ON. It was a live rockumentary/rock concert called Applespiel Make a Band and Take on the Recording Industry. It’s pretty much what it says on the label, and they can write and play music too. I’ve never seen such a large group work together so harmoniously before. I expect way more shouting and discontent. It’s like they’ve all taken ego-supressing drugs…to make a performance that is all about an industry that thrives on fame, stardom and ego-mania.
Melbourne's CBD might be getting an overhaul to make it easier and safer to get around on foot, but that could mean saying goodbye to a few very familiar faces. As part of its Draft Transport Strategy unveiled last week, it turns out the City of Melbourne has plans to ditch a bunch of the CBD's long-standing footpath kiosks. Two are already on their way out and seven more will be decommissioned at the end of November this year. The kiosks that'll be removed are the rectangular 'street-trading' kiosks (that sell the likes of newspaper, gum and cigarettes), not the cylinder kiosks. Which, thankfully, means that Swanson Street's La Petite Crêperie kiosk is safe. The moves comes as part of the council's plan to tackle congestion and free up more space for pedestrians — it's estimated close to one million people walk around the CBD every day, and that this number will grow to 1.4 million in 17 years. It has identified the main footpath obstructions as being motorbikes, bicycle racks, construction hoardings and cafe equipment. While kiosks account for just a small portion of overall obstructions, they've been deemed unnecessary additions and are being given the boot. City of Melbourne Transport Portfolio Chair Councillor Nicolas Frances-Gilley said the kiosks simply take up too much space, and that declining cigarette and newspaper sales meant it was becoming tougher to find tenants for the streetside structures. "People have told us they feel overcrowded while navigating footpaths around the central city," Cr Frances-Gilley said in a statement. "The data backs up what we're hearing from pedestrians, so we're responding." The familiar kiosks won't be disappearing entirely, though. The council is looking to re-home them, with one heading to Collingwood Children's Farm and another gaining a second life as a ticket booth at Scoresby's Chesterfield Farm. The Draft Transport Strategy 2030 scored an unanimous thumbs up at the Future Melbourne Committee meeting earlier this week, and will be up for public consultation until Wednesday, June 19. CORRECTION: May 10, 2019 — This article previously stated that Swanson Street's La Petite Crêperie could be one of the kiosks closing. The City of Melbourne has since confirmed that the nine kiosks being removed are the rectangular street-trading kiosks, not the cylinder kiosks (which the crêperie is). The above article has been updated to reflect this.
Leave it to a stroll through Simon Johnson in Toorak to transform a midweek meal into a gourmet feast. Simon Johnson started his providore chain in Sydney in 1992, and with the namesake brand now boasting five retail stores across Australia, the company's Melbourne location is no less impressive than the others. The Toorak location is a modern space chock-full of products held in easily navigable floor-to-ceiling shelves holding bottles, jars and kitchenware. Selling products from its sister companies — Calendar Cheese, Black Pearl Epicure and Australia on a Plate — Simon Johnson has access to some of the finest gourmet products in the market. Di Martino in Dolce and Gabbana designed packaging, Valrhona french chocolates and British-made Montgomery's clothbound cheddar are just a few products provided in the popular hampers sold in-store and online. Like any notable providore, the staff are knowledgeable and eager to help you find just the right ingredients to elevate any recipe. If you're searching for a dinner party winner or special occasion treat, you'll be able to find it here.
Since opening in 2006, Lau's Family Kitchen has been a mainstay of St Kilda's culinary community. Located just off Fitzroy Street, next to Black Star Pastry St Kilda, Lau's has built a loyal following with its simple but flavoursome Cantonese menu. The restaurant has received praise from the likes of Marco Pierre White, while the restaurant's recipes have been featured in Gourmet Traveller. Now after 15 years of service, a global pandemic and multiple lockdowns, the Melbourne stalwart is closing shop. On Tuesday, March 2, Lau's Family Kitchen posted to Instagram to announce the move. "Dear friends, we regret to inform you that we have decided to close the restaurant at the end of March due to end of lease," it stated in the post. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lau's Family Kitchen 劉家小廚 (@lausfamilykitchen) The St Kilda spot is the latest long-running venue to close following what has been an insurmountably tough year for the hospitality industry. In the past six months, we've seen Melbourne favourite Hardware Societe close it's original CBD cafe after over ten years, Sydney mainstays like Freda's, Cafe Lounge and A1 Canteen close their doors and Sizzler close down nation wide. Lau's Family Kitchen will continue service for the rest of the month if you want to make the most of your last chance to enjoy the crispy chicken wontons or sweet vinegar pork loin. It's currently open for both dine-in and takeaway. Reservations are not available online so you can either take your chances with a walk-in or contact Lau's Family Kitchen at (03) 8598 9880. Lau's Family Kitchen is located at 4 Acland St, St Kilda. The long-running Melbourne restaurant will be closing at the end of March.
Need a little fantasy in your life? You'll find a healthy serve of it at Melbourne's Storyville — a bar inspired by fables, fairytales and all the fantastical things that captured your imagination as a little tacker. The Lonsdale Street spot is the brainchild of Steve and Keti Thomas, who've previously helped you escape reality at iconic themed drinking spots 29th Apartment and Pawn & Co. To bring the Storyville concept to life, they've tapped into the creativity of Josh Lefers (East 9th Brewing, Pawn & Co) for a fitout that includes a lofty gold birdcage, a novel-filled library, a Narnia-inspired lounge and a magical toadstool bar decked out with giant glowing funghi. The signature cocktail list comes sprinkled with literary nostalgia as well, with each crafty drink paying homage to a timeless favourite. Through The Looking Glass, featuring a boozy vanilla cream tea and served in a teapot with dry ice, is a nod to Lewis Carroll's iconic story, while Mr Pilkington's Neighbour, a combination of apple liqueur, candied bacon and pork fat-washed bourbon combine to transport you to the pages of George Orwell's Animal Farm. Harry Potter, Hunter S. Thompson, A Clockwork Orange and more also get a nod — and you might even find yourself face-to-face with a garnish of real insects. Meanwhile, the food situation runs from cheese to charcuterie and a selection of jaffles, inspired by stories like The Three Blind Mice and that Dr Seuss favourite, Green Eggs and Ham. Head in for a sip of polyjuice and a tumble down the rabbit hole. Images: Jean-Louis Carvalho.
If you thought Melbourne's hospo scene stood still when COVID-19 hit, think again. Bars shifted to delivering cocktails and many venues helped out those doing it tough by setting up soup kitchens and whipping up free meals for out-of-work hospo staff. The top restaurant in the country — Attica — even shook up its usual fine diner and launched a bake shop pop-up and home food offering. Some restaurants threw caution to the wind and actually opened during the pandemic. Rocco's Bologna Discoteca, an unapologetically kitsch takeaway-only sanga pop-up behind a boarded-up shopfront, was one of them. Now, taking over the Gertrude Street digs — sans scaffolding — is Poodle Bar & Bistro by the same fun-loving crew. Originally set to open in the Fitzroy space over the Easter long weekend, plans swiftly shifted when restaurants, bars and cafes had to close their doors in a bid to contain COVID-19. Instead of calling it quits, though, Chef Josh Fry (Marion and Cumulus Inc) turned part of the newly renovated venue into a sandwich shop. Now that most Melbourne restaurants are open for dine-in once again, the OG plan is back in full swing. Poodle is the first venture by husband and wife duo Zoë Rubino and Emilio Scalzo, with Fry still heading up the kitchen — but don't expect the same food as Rocco's. [caption id="attachment_774760" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Derek Swalwell[/caption] Step inside the double-fronted venue and you'll find much more than a deli and sandwich counter. The interior, designed by local firm Bergman & Co, has leather banquettes, art-adorned walls, dark timber accents and an art deco-inspired bar — think a much moodier The Grand Budapest Hotel and you're partway there. Downstairs houses the 40-seat dining room, public bar and large sunny courtyard; upstairs houses a cocktail bar with a roaring fire and private dining room. Instead of picking up a NY-style meatball sub, fried bologna, bone marrow garlic bread and a heap of deli supplies to-go, you'll now be sitting in to feast. Created to hero local farmers and sustainably sourced produce, Fry's menu is inspired by classic European fare, with nods to the mid-century hotels of Europe. Expect dishes like prawn cocktails, vol-au-vents filled with spanner crab, taramasalata and Yarra Valley salmon roe, and charred pencil leeks with tarragon vinaigrette to start. Then, opt for the spatchcock with braised Tuscan cabbage, Ballarat truffles and jus or the potato and celeriac pavé served with aged sheep milk custard and a watercress and shallot salad. If you're still craving a Rocco's sanga, there's the Poodle club sandwich with ham hock terrine, crispy chicken skin, tarragon mayonnaise, tomato and iceberg lettuce, served with a side of salt and vinegar crisps. [caption id="attachment_774765" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Emilio Scalzo[/caption] For drinks, expect a concise (but impressive) wine list, featuring Australian, French and Italian drops, plus a range of brews, amaros and cocktails. There's the Wet Poodle, with vodka, dry vermouth and pickled onion; the White Ferrari, a concoction of Cocchi americano, gin and Lillet Blanc; and a twist on the classic French 75, the Loire 75 with Vouvray sparkling, gin and lemon. Poodle is currently offering a $70 'sneak peek' set menu, with a la carte available from Sunday, July, 19. Poodle Bar & Bistro is located at 81–83 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy and is currently open from 4pm–midnight Tuesday–Thursday, 11am–midnight Friday and Saturday, and 11am–6pm on Sundays. Venue images: Derek Swalwell. Food images: Emilio Scalzo. Until at least Wednesday, July 29, stay-at-home orders have been reintroduced in 12 Melbourne postcodes, which means their residents can only leave for one of four reasons: work or school, care or care giving, daily exercise or food and other essentials. For more information, head to the DHHS website.
Over the past couple of weeks, Victoria has had a recent spike in new COVID-19 cases and community transmission levels. Since Wednesday, June 17, new case numbers have hovered around 20 per day, but, in the past 24 hours, 33 have been recorded from a record high 20,304 tests. As a result, the government has announced it's ramping up testing even more — and it's honing in on ten suburbs in particular. Called the Suburban Testing Blitz — because, knowing the Andrews Government's penchant for 'blitzes', of course it is — the ten-day effort will see 800 testers and mobile testing vans deployed to Melbourne suburbs that Premier Daniel Andrews says have "a community transmission problem" in a bid to test at least half of the suburbs' residents. The hotspot suburbs the government will be targeting are: Keilor Downs, Broadmeadows, Maidstone, Sunshine West, Albanvale, Hallam, Brunswick West, Reservoir, Pakenham and Fawkner. The government is hoping to test 10,000 people a day in these areas and will kick off the blitz in Keilor Downs and Broadmeadows, which it says are the two priority suburbs. "We're asking locals in these areas — particularly if you have symptoms — please come forward and get tested. See it as your civic duty. See it as your contribution to keeping your local area and our whole community safe," the Premier said in a statement. https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1275957610391449601 The Premier has previously said that lockdowns in specific hotspot areas — ie the above ten suburbs — could be reintroduced if community transmission continued to increase, but hopes the testing blitz will help to avoid this. "We don't want to have to move to local lockdowns. We know the impact that would have on businesses and on families," the Premier said. "But we do need to get a comprehensive sense of how this virus might be spreading." In conjunction with the suburb-specific blitz, the government is also ramping up testing across the state at its 135 testing centres. It has launched ten additional drive-through sites, as well as a mass-testing centre at the Melbourne Showgrounds, and has a team of 1000 doorknockers hitting the streets to educate the public about coronavirus. Before the naming of the ten hotspot suburbs today, the focus was on the six larger local government areas: Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin. The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has previously discouraged Victorians from visiting these areas, saying "the AHPPC strongly discourages travel to and from those areas until control of community transmission has been confirmed" in a statement released earlier in the week. Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services also has an interactive map of the state's confirmed cases by local government area, which it updates daily. This is what it looked like as of 6.52am on Wednesday, June 24. The rising Victorian case numbers have already sparked action at the state government level. Victoria's State of Emergency has been extended for four more weeks, and Premier Daniel Andrews also announced the tightening of some gathering restrictions — reintroducing smaller caps on at-home groups, gatherings out of the house and the numbers of patrons allowed in venues. At the time of writing, Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services advises that there have been 241 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Victoria that have been acquired through unknown transmission — and there are currently 141 active cases in Victoria. For more information about the state of COVID-19 in Victoria, head to the Department of Health and Human Services website.
It's official: silly season is here once again. And while it's always fun to give (and receive) gifts, the amount of people you're buying for can quickly stack up. Particularly if you're partaking in more than a few Kris Kringles and Secret Santas this year. Whether you scored your work bestie in your office pressie pool or got the formidable task of drawing your mum's name in the fam Kris Kringle even though she insists she doesn't want anything, you want to give great gifts. You also have to adhere to strict budgets, which can be both a blessing and a curse. In partnership with Cashrewards, we've tracked down some A-class items that will suit just about everyone on your gift list — and any budget. Better yet, if you're an ANZ cardholder, you could be eligible for even bigger cash back deals and extra benefits* as part of its Cashrewards Max program. All you have to do is sign in to your Cashrewards account (or sign up for one for free) and link your eligible ANZ debit or credit card. Once you've got your Cashrewards Max all set up, you can score a heap of cash back deals, including at all the retailers on this epic list. $20 AND UNDER Desktop Ping Pong Table ($15.75) A great shout for the office KK, this easy-to-assemble table tennis kit is available via Booktopia. It can be set up anywhere and easily tidied away when the boss walks past, too. Or, if you've got the balls (yes, pun intended), set up an office tournament and leave the memory of awkward Friday afternoon Zoom drinks far behind. This is an affordable, fun and easy option for your work bestie (or the office newbie) that offers just the right level of silliness for your end-of-year workplace festivities. Gingerbread Man Dig Toy ($19.99) There's bound to be at least one proud dog parent in your life — or maybe you want to bypass them and celebrate their adorable pooch directly. Either way, this festive chew toy is the perfect option for fur babies and their parents. Grab one from Petbarn for less than a lobster and voila! You're a thoughtful gift giver and bound to score some appreciative snoot-boopin' time with the pup. $50 AND UNDER Night Rescue Skincare Kit ($30) Got a skincare-obsessed friend? Or someone who just appreciates a good beauty regime? Surely after months spent in lockdown, we can all appreciate the relaxing indulgence of some self-care in the form of a face mask and a glass of wine. If you've got someone deserving of some TLC for Secret Santa, then nab this Laneige Night Rescue Skincare kit from Sephora. It includes three different types of nighttime face masks all designed to leave skin looking clean, refreshed and hydrated. Linen Napkins ($50) Chances are if you're in your late 20s or early 30s, you're already obsessed with Bed Threads. So, surely someone on your Christmas list is into it, too. If you're buying for a foodie then look no further than these lovely flax linen napkins. They're delicate, reusable and sustainable, plus they add a lovely touch of rustic elegance to any table setting. They also come in 11 different colours, so you can pick a hue that you think best suits your giftee's style. $80 AND UNDER Thumbs Up Retro Dance Mat ($60) We've all got that one mate who crushes DDR (that's Dance Dance Revolution for the uninitiated). So, you already know they'll be absolutely stoked with this gift. Essentially a light-up floor mat that lights up for you to follow a dance routine, the Thumbs Up Retro Dance Mat is always a hoot — and retro to boot. To make your life as simple as can be, the game is available from ASOS, too, so you can skip the Christmas shopping crowds all while knowing perfect gift is on the way. C&M James Nylon Cap ($80) There are some major normcore vibes going on with this C&M cap from Stylerunner, so if you know someone who loves Aussie-made minimalist designs, look no further. Lightweight, comfortable and stylish, this not-so-basic basic is perfect for beach days, bushwalks and brunches with the crew, making it a brilliant gift idea for pretty well anyone (including you). $100 AND UNDER [caption id="attachment_814550" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Smash Splash[/caption] Red Balloon Experiences ($99–100) If you're going all out and dropping a bit of cash for that special someone, then why not give them a gift they're sure to remember — an epic experience. Red Balloon has all sorts of great gift experience ideas lined up for thrill-seekers, or that person in your life who already has everything. Check out this Splash Room experience in Sydney or Melbourne, where they'll be covered in goggles and overalls, put in a room and given free rein to hurl paint balloons at the walls and create some amazing artistic explosions. If you're in Perth or Brisbane, why not check out one of Red Balloon's scenic helicopter tours so they can see some of the most beautiful parts of their city from way up in the clouds. Or, if you've picked out a wine lover, you can get them a Taste Your Birth Year winery tour in the Barossa (plane ticket's on them, naturally). For more information on Cashrewards Max and its current deals, head to the website. *Cashrewards Max is offered by Cashrewards, not ANZ. A Cashrewards account is not an ANZ account. T&Cs apply.
These days, Easter promises a whole lot more than just generic choccy eggs and old-school hot cross buns. Bakeries, chocolate brands and dessert shops across the city are getting more inventive with each passing year, whipping up all sorts of creative treats worthy of a spot in your own personal Easter hunt. Here, we've rounded up some of the coolest grown-up goodies to seek out, from decadent cocktail-filled Easter rabbits to hot cross bun-inspired bao and even giant gelato eggs. Which of these creations will the Easter bunny be bringing you this year? HOT CROSS CRUFFINS FROM LUNE CROISSANTERIE The croissant masters at Lune have brought back their legendary hybrid Easter treat, to the delight of anyone with a penchant for buttery glazed pastry. The Hot Cross Cruffin is the limited-edition love-child of the croissant, the muffin and the hot cross bun, and features a spiced fruit creme encased within a flaky golden shell. With a cross on top, of course. They're always hot property, but this year you'll need to be especially on the ball if you want them in your life — Lune is releasing a fresh batch of pre-orders each day for its Easter products, starting from Friday, April 8. Check the website for more details, or simply race in-store to nab whatever stock's available. HOT X DOUGHNUTS FROM RUSTICA It's no secret the pastry chefs at Rustica know their way around a brioche doughnut, having served up some of the city's finest. So you can imagine the goodness in store for you when you secure a six-pack of their latest seasonal release — the hot cross bun doughnut. It features a ball of that signature fried dough, filled with a creme patissiere of brandy, vanilla and cardamom, and spiked with dried fruit. A liberal dusting of cardamom sugar and a white chocolate cross over the top, and you've got yourself a pretty plush alternative to the usual fruit bun. You'll just need to remember to order yours two days before delivery or pick-up. MORK X BUNS FROM MORK CHOCOLATE These hot crossed creations from Mork Chocolate are fast becoming an annual favourite, reimagining the humble Easter bun as an orange-scented Swedish-style cinnamon roll. The Mörk X Buns are sticky and buttery, crammed full of the kitchen's secret spiced fruit blend, along with extra hits of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Best enjoyed warmed up, the signature treats are available now to pre-order and pick-up from the North Melbourne Brew House or the CBD store. And if you prefer your Easter treats in choccy form, Mork's also released a couple of new bean-to-bar eggs and 'morsels' that are well worth a taste test. BOOZY BUNNY HAMPERS FROM KOKO BLACK Renowned Aussie chocolate brand Koko Black has always had strong game when it comes to Easter treats. But this year, it's going one step further for its grown-up fans, adding a series of boozy hampers to its seasonal range. Each box comes packed with a selection of signature choccy eggs, plus a couple of hollow chocolate bunnies and a pack of jarred espresso martinis from Melbourne Martini. Combine the latter two, pop in a straw and you've got yourself an adult Easter concoction to beat them all. Choose from a dark chocolate pack, a milk chocolate version, or one starring three different varieties. GELATO EASTER EGGS FROM PICCOLINA Piccolina Gelateria is celebrating Easter in signature style — marking the occasion with a line of limited-edition gelato treats. Only this year, it's unveiled some brand new varieties of its much-loved, giant gelato Easter eggs (Uova di Pasqua). Available now in-store and online, you'll find the Caramello — filled with caramel popcorn semifreddo, crunchy chocolate pearls and sea salted caramel gelato — the hazelnut-centric Ferrerolina with its gianduja ganache core, and a riff on the classic Easter bun featuring hot cross bun gelato and raspberry jam. They're hand-wrapped and presented in cute retro tins, with each egg clocking in at $39 and designed to feed two to three people. If you can manage to share, that is. EASTER BONBONS FROM YUGEN TEA BAR South Yarra's contemporary tea bar Yugen has channelled its talents into creating a trio of limited-edition Easter-themed bonbons that are almost too pretty to eat. The dainty chocolates include a hot cross bun-inspired creation crowned with a tell-tale white cross; a lemon and vanilla treat decorated like an adorable baby chick; and a carrot, ginger and walnut bonbon emblazoned with a tiny carrot. A box of nine comes in at $31. If you're quick, there's also the Lily Tart ($16), crafted with spiced milk chocolate, coconut and mango jam, and created in the shape of a delicate Easter egg-filled nest. HOT CROSS BAO FROM DIN TAI FUNG Dumpling house Din Tai Fung is celebrating Easter with a multicultural mash-up that's sure to delight any sweet-toothed folk — these rather charming hot cross bun-inspired bao. A nod to the traditional Easter bun, the pillowy little beauties are made with steamed bread and filled with oozing molten Nutella, each one finished with a sweet white cross. Available for a limited time on the menu at Din Tai Fung's Emporium restaurant, they'll set you back $6.80 for a serve of two. Otherwise, you can extend the Easter vibes well into May by stocking up on a bag of three frozen hot cross bao, delivered to your door for $10. HOT CROSS DOUGHNUTS FROM SHORTSTOP One of Shortstop's best-loved seasonal treats is the one that makes an appearance every Easter — the smash-hit hot cross doughnut. A hole-y riff on the traditional bun, it's made using a spiced dough that's spiked with loads of brandy-soaked fruit, with each doughnut dunked in a sweet honey glaze and topped with the all-important cinnamon sugar cross. As always, these return favourites are here for a good time, but not a long time — the ovens are churning out fresh batches on the daily, only until Monday, April 18. Stock up in-store, or head to the website to pre-order a few for pick-up or home-delivery. Top Image: Mork X Buns
Famed Melbourne photographer Henry Talbot is the subject of a new show at NGV Australia. Running from Saturday, May 7 until Sunday, August 21 alongside the gallery's major exhibition 200 Years of Australian Fashion, the collection features more than 80 never-before-seen photographs by the celebrated artist, whose work in the '60s and '70s made him a leader in the fashion industry. A regular in the pages of Australian Vogue, Talbot's work could be recognised for its modern look, connecting emerging fashion trends with youth and popular culture. In addition to showcasing Talbot's groundbreaking work, NGV Australia will present a public program of talks and workshops with contemporary photographers, designers, curators and academics. Keep your eyes on the NGV website for further details.
Since late March, Australians haven't been permitted to leave the country. For much of the past few months, we haven't been allowed to travel much further than our own homes, either. But, while one of those situations won't be changing anytime soon — other than the possible implementation of a travel bubble with New Zealand — the other is starting to ease in many Aussie states and territories. Despite the political rhetoric of recent months, opening Australia back up to Australian residents isn't as easy as it sounds. Indeed, with Victoria's COVID-19 case numbers increasing drastically in late June and early July, resulting in the reimplementation of stay-at-home requirements for all of metropolitan Melbourne for at least six weeks, relaxing interstate borders is proving particularly complex. Just where you can travel to depends on where you normally live and where you'd like to head — and if you're wondering what it means for your next road trip or local holiday, we've broken down the current restrictions for you state by state. Details in this article are correct as at Friday, July 17, and will be updated as new information is announced. [caption id="attachment_775040" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Port Stephens by Destination NSW[/caption] NEW SOUTH WALES Throughout Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic to-date, New South Wales was one of only two states that didn't impose any border restrictions upon domestic travellers — until now. Due to the rising case numbers in Victoria, NSW has closed the border between the two states for the first time in more than 100 years (the last time was in 1919 during the Spanish Flu). Effective since midnight on Tuesday, July 7, NSW has only closed its border with Victoria. Its borders remain open with all other Australian states and territories. Victorians wishing to enter NSW must apply for a border permit to travel from Victoria to NSW. To obtain a permit — which is valid for 14 days — you need to fall into a number of set categories, such as cross-border residents, students or those employed to provide critical services. Also, permits are not available to Victorian residents who are prevented from travelling due to public health restrictions, which means everyone living in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire. Even with a permit, anyone who has been in Victoria in the 14 days before entering NSW will need to self-isolate for 14 days. You can do so at home — and the quarantine requirements apply not only to Victorians, but to NSW residents returning home. [caption id="attachment_751687" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lean Timms for Visit Canberra[/caption] AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY In the Australian Capital Territory, the border has also been closed to anyone travelling to the ACT from Victoria — unless you have an exemption. The closure came into effect at the same time as NSW's similar border restrictions. ACT residents can return home from Victoria, and must quarantine for 14 days; however, for everyone else, exemptions only apply in select circumstances: visiting a immediate family member who is critically ill or in palliative care, undertaking essential services work, attending a funeral of an immediate family member, providing urgent care to an immediate family member, receiving urgent medical care, and if you've left Victoria by air after transiting from another jurisdiction, but you did not leave the airport. The ACT does not have any restrictions in place for travellers from other Australian states and territories. VICTORIA Like NSW, Victorian has not closed its borders throughout Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic to-date. And, while other states and territories are closing off from Victoria, the state's borders are actually still open. That said, leaders of Australia's other states and territories have strongly advised that no one should be travelling to Victoria at present — and if you do, you may be required to quarantine on return to your home state. For Victorians looking to venture interstate, you aren't just restricted by the rules of whichever state or territory you'd like to travel to, but — if you live in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire — by Victoria's public health restrictions. As part of the reintroduced stay-at-home limits in place from 11.59pm on Wednesday, July 8, Victorians in these areas are only allowed to leave home for one of four reasons: for work or school (if you can't do this from home), for care or care giving, for daily exercise or for food and other essentials. Going on a holiday anywhere — locally, regionally in Victoria or interstate — is definitely not permitted. [caption id="attachment_743607" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Whitehaven Beach by Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] QUEENSLAND From Friday, July 10, after much debate and discussion over the past few months, Queensland officially reopened its borders to interstate visitors from all states and territories — except Victoria, which is considered a COVID-19 hotspot. On Tuesday, July 14, the state added the Campbelltown City and Liverpool City local government areas in New South Wales to its hotspot list, too, which means anyone who has been in Victoria or those two NSW areas in the past 14 days cannot enter Queensland. People visiting from South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory and other parts of NSW need to complete a border declaration form to obtain a Queensland border declaration pass. On it, you need to certify that you haven't travelled to Victoria or the aforementioned NSW spots in past 14 days — and the government has advised it'll be checking these statements, and that making a false statement will be an offence. And, you will need to agree to get tested for COVID-19 if you develop any symptoms within 14 days of arriving in Queensland. With the Queensland border closing back in March, the state has had a permit in place for some time for those wishing to cross the border; however previous permits issued before noon on Friday, July 3 are now invalid. Instead, everyone wanting to enter the state must apply for the aforementioned Queensland border declaration pass. If you have been in Victoria or the Campbelltown City and Liverpool City local government areas in New South Wales in the past 14 days, the state government advises that you should not come to Queensland. In general, you are not allowed to access or quarantine in the state, and you will be turned away at the border. Whether you live in the above areas or have visited them in the last fortnight, you'll only be allowed into Queensland if you receive an exemption "for essential specialist workers, as well as for health, legal or compassionate grounds", but Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk advises that "very few exemptions will be granted". If you do receive an exemption, you will be required to go into forced quarantine for 14 days, in a hotel, at your own expense. Queenslanders returning from Victoria, or the Campbelltown City and Liverpool City local government areas, will still be able to come home, but will also be required to go into forced quarantine for 14 days, in a hotel, at your own expense. [caption id="attachment_743719" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism WA[/caption] WESTERN AUSTRALIA At the height of Western Australia's COVID-19 restrictions, WA not only implemented a statewide border lockdown with the rest of the country, but internal travel restrictions within the state, barring travel from region to region. The latter have now largely been lifted for WA residents, who can mostly travel freely within the state — other than entering remote Aboriginal regions. Western Australia's statewide border lockdown is still in effect, however, with residents of all other states and territories banned from entering WA unless they fall into an exemption category, apply for a G2G Pass and, if approved, then self-isolate for 14 days. WA's roadmap to ease COVID-19 restrictions is currently in phase four — and, while removing the state's hard border was originally under consideration for phase six, which doesn't yet have a date, that plan was scrapped due to the situation in Victoria. At present, WA advises that "when an indicative date [for ending the border lockdown] is set in the future, it will be contingent on locally acquired infection rates in the eastern states. The WA hard border will only be removed when the WA Chief Health Officer is confident the spread of infection is controlled in the eastern states". [caption id="attachment_679107" align="alignnone" width="1920"] SATC[/caption] SOUTH AUSTRALIA After initially announcing in mid-June that it'd allow travellers from all interstate locations back in from Monday, July 20, South Australia has amended its plans in response to the situation in Victoria. As of midnight on Wednesday, July 8, it implemented a hard border with Victoria — only allowing Victorian residents to enter SA if they fall into the "essential traveller" category and agree to quarantine for 14 days. SA residents returning home from Victoria are still be permitted to enter the state, but also need to self-isolate for 14 days. Travel to SA from four Australian states and territories — Queensland, the Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia — is already unrestricted and doesn't require a period of quarantine, although all visitors must receive pre-approval by completing the online Cross Border Travel Registration form. Travel to SA from New South Wales and the ACT is currently permitted, but only if travellers quarantine for a mandatory 14 days of self-isolation. All visitors must receive pre-approval by completing the online Cross Border Travel Registration form, too. [caption id="attachment_722075" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Thalia Haven for Tourism Tasmania.[/caption] TASMANIA All non-essential visitors to Tasmania are already required to quarantine for 14 days at a Tasmanian government accommodation facility — and, before travel, to complete a Tasmanian Arrivals Form. Exemptions are available on compassionate or medical grounds. Tasmania has not advised when these restrictions will come to an end. New rules also came into effect from 12am, Thursday, July 9, for people travelling from Victoria. A hard border has been implemented, and "any visitors who have spent time in Victoria in the 14 days prior to travel are not permitted to travel to Tasmania. If visitors come from Victoria to Tasmania, they will be turned back". Exemptions apply for essential travellers and for compassionate reasons. Tasmanian residents who have spent time in Victoria in the 14 days prior returning to the state will also be required to quarantine in government-provided accommodation for 14 days, too. [caption id="attachment_769946" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Australia[/caption] NORTHERN TERRITORY In mid-June, the Northern Territory announced that it would end all mandatory quarantine arrangements for travellers from interstate from Friday, July 17; however, as has proven the case in other states, the NT has adapted its plans in response to the situation in Victoria and some areas of NSW. Anyone travelling to the territory from an identified COVID-19 hotspot — if you live in one, or have been to or travelled through one in the past 14 days — must still undertake 14 days mandatory supervised quarantine at your own cost. All Australians from other states, and other areas in NSW, can visit without going into mandatory quarantine for 14 days. All travellers must complete a pre-arrival border crossing application form up to 72 hours before you arrive, regardless of where you're visiting from. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Great Barrier Reef by Tourism and Events Queensland
Talk about living the dream: when Adelaide-born twins Danny and Michael Philippou unveiled their debut feature Talk to Me in 2023, a new Aussie horror sensation took the genre, and the world, by the hand to share its entertainingly eerie energy. After the movie's huge success, including for cult-favourite distributor A24, sequel Talk 2 Me was quickly greenlit. But the filmmakers who started out their careers behind the camera as YouTubers RackaRacka now also have something else in the works. Horror? Tick. A24 onboard? Tick again. The non-Talk to Me flick that'll combine the two, and also the Philippous (of course), is called Bring Her Back. Deadline reports that it will star The Shape of Water Oscar-nominee — and Wonka, Spencer, Paddington and Godzilla: King of the Monsters actor — Sally Hawkins. But that's about where the details end for now. The movie's plot hasn't yet been revealed, and neither have any other cast members. Expect to see the end result sooner rather than later, though, with production due to start during Australia's winter this year. Whatever Bring Her Back is about, it'll join not only Talk to Me and eventually Talk 2 Me on A24's horror slate, but also Beau Is Afraid, Bodies Bodies Bodies, X, Pearl, Men, Lamb and Saint Maud just from the 2020s alone. A24 have gone all-in on the Philippous after picking up Talk to Me in a Sundance Film Festival bidding war, when the Aussie flick about shaking hands with an embalmed palm, feeling the rush while being haunted, having your mates watch and film it, and dealing with the spooky consequences initially started getting global attention. Danny and Michael made their leap to the big screen after racking up a huge following with RackaRacka's viral videos, and via behind-the-scenes work on Australian films such as The Babadook. Their debut feature has proven a big box-office success, taking in US$10 million on its opening weekend in America alone, which placed it second among A24's films after Hereditary. There's obviously no trailer for Bring Her Back yet, but you can check out the trailer for Talk to Me below: Bring Her Back doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when more details are announced. Read our review of Talk to Me, and our interview with Danny Philippou. Via Deadline.
It feels like it whipped past quicker than you can pick up a pair of chopsticks, but 2019 is done and dusted. Thankfully, while it was here, it brought a huge collection of worthy new restaurants and culinary hotspots. We saw a lot of ground covered throughout the last 12 months — an unconventional Indian diner, a traditional Macedonian restaurant and even a debut Aussie outpost for one of China's most over-the-top sichuan hot pot brand were among the venues that opened their doors. Here's our wrap-up of all the best new Melbourne restaurants that impressed us in 2019. Make sure you tick them off before 2020's list starts shaping up.
Another day, another must-try food hybrid. That's the lamington vodka, Iced Vovo cruffin and lasagne pie-filled world we now live in. The latest such combo comes courtesy of two homegrown brands that likely had a hefty part in your childhood sugar highs: lolly company Allen's and soft drink purveyors Kirks. You can do the math from there — yes, Allen's is releasing a range of confectionery inspired by Kirks' classic drink flavours. The brand's Pasito, creaming soda and lemonade varieties are getting the lolly treatment, all via little bottle-shaped gummies, and all in the same pack. Kids birthday parties will never be the same again. Mark mid-August in your diary if you know what you'll be snacking on from now on — for nostalgic reasons, because Pasito and Kirk's creaming soda are still particularly delicious no matter how old you are, or just because these Frankenstein's monster-style culinary mashups always tempt your tastebuds. The lollies will hit major supermarkets and convenience stores, and retail at $3.60 for a 170-gram pack. Clearly, you already know what you need to wash them down with. Also, if you're more of a Kirks' lemon squash or ginger beer fan — or ginger ale in Queensland, or Sno Drop in South Australia — there's no sign of those tipples getting a lolly equivalent just yet. Cross your fingers, though. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kirks Originals (@kirksoriginals) Allen's new Kirks-inspired lollies will hit major supermarkets and convenience stores from mid-August, for RRP $3.60 for a 170-gram pack.
Spending more time at home is much easier to stomach with a hefty rage of desserts on hand, or at least that seems to be Gelato Messina's pandemic motto. Over the past few months, the gelato fiends have served up plenty of tasty specials, including cookie pies in choc chip, red velvet, choc-hazelnut, and peanut butter and jelly varieties; 40 of its best flavours; and full tubs of both Iced VoVo gelato and Messina's own take on the classic Viennetta ice cream cake. This past week, it even whipped up a batch of sticky lamington-scroll hybrids. Next up (because this is a weekly occurrence, so it seems): Messina's version of Italy's famed cremino dessert. It's recreated with gelato, naturally. And it's another of Messina's limited releases, with tubs of the eye-catching creation available at all its stores for a very short period. Wondering what exactly Messina's cremino entails? It combines salted caramel gelato, gianduia fudge, fresh meringue and amaretti biscuits, when adds a layer of freshly piped and torched meringue on top. And if you haven't come across the cremino before, it's a chocolate from Piedmont in the country's north, it dates back to the 19th century and it's made up of three layers, with gianduia chocolate featuring heavily. The latest release in Messina's new 'Hot Tub' series, the cremino gelato can only be ordered online on Monday, August 24, with a one-litre tub setting you back $30. You can then go into your chosen Messina store to pick up your tub between Friday, August 28–Sunday, August 30. If you're in Melbourne, remember that you can only venture to shops within five kilometres of your house — and only once a day — to get essentials, including food. Gelato Messina's cremino gelato tubs will be available to order on Monday, August 24, for pick up between Friday, August 28–Sunday, August 30 — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
Myers Place: That tiny laneway capillary between Bourke and Little Collins streets, flowing with booze and the aroma of exotic cooking. As one of Melbourne's original inner-city small-bar destinations, it's now home to a small fortune in restaurants, art venues and drinking holes — all within metres of each other. This time we move beyond the solid stuff, as Eat Streets shows you not only where to get fed but watered and cultured too. Lily Black's Boasting the 'largest collection of bitters in world', Lily Black's prides itself on the cocktail craft. The seasonal cocktail menu is testament to the claim, best attacked using their ingenious visual key — choose between bitter, boozy, dry, hot, refreshing, rich, savoury, smoky, sour or sweet flavours, and let your bartender do the rest. Take a seat in the speakeasy-style surrounds and watch the staff chisel hand-cut shards from the ice block and shake drinks like they're Ricky Martin with a set of maracas. On the last Sunday of every month, check out the Iron Bartender competition — an opportunity for Melbourne's best mixers and shakers to demonstrate their flair and brew up their cocktail best. Until then, drop by after dinner for a Hot Forest (Maker's Mark bourbon, maple, lemon and charred cedar; $19) or a Japanese Cigar (Courvoisier VS cognac, Ardbeg whisky, hickory-smoked orgeat and bitters; $19) — they're open late. 12 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9654 4887, lilyblacks.com.au San Telmo After a cocktail next door, don't be surprised if you find yourself on the doorstep of San Telmo, succumbing to the enticing pull of the Argentinean grill. Inside, carnivores congregate around the Parilla (the imported Argentine charcoal grill, pronounced par-ee-sha) — feasting on slabs of tender, smokey charred meat. Order by cut: short ribs, flank, rib eye and all the steaks of rump are on offer here. The menu is designed to share, which means that our vegetarian friends needn't miss out. The sweet-burnt carrots with thyme and goats cheese ($13), provolone, mozzarella, basil and capsicum empanadas ($6), or Brussels sprout, roasted shallots, hazelnuts and agave vinaigrette will appease the non-animal eaters, while desserts like the dulce de leche creme caramel with salted peanut praline ($14) will have both tribes fighting over the fork. 14 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9650 5525, santelmo.com.au The Waiters Club It's been around since 1947 and still resembles an old Coles canteen from the 70s, but, despite missing out on the neighbouring Meyers Place revolution, the Waiter's Club remains a city stalwart. Originally a members-only, after-work venue for Melbourne's new-Australian waiters, the restaurant now hosts a cross-generational legion of foodie fans. Tuck in to a welcoming bowl of pasta or a generous slice of tiramisu; fine dining it's not, but it's homely and dependable. In fact, its no-frills service, laminex tables and daggy curtains might remind you of Nan's kitchen as it remains immune to the evolving trends of the streetscape downstairs. Let's hope it never changes. 20 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9650 1508 Meyers Place Meyers Place was a pioneer of Myers Place when it first opened in 1994 (as one of the first on the scene, its owners probably didn’t realise how confusing their name would one day become). Part of Melbourne's original hole-in-the-wall bar revolution, the venue was first conceived by a group of mates who lived in the city and wanted somewhere nearby for a drink. From there, 6 Degrees Architects took responsibility for the build, using recycled materials such as ex-government office fittings, train armrests and timber panelling ripped from the old stage of Melbourne's town hall. Doubling as an art space, the regular program of exhibitions allows punters to feels cultural while imbibing in a $5 house wine. After all, it's all part of the arts experience — and there's nothing wrong with that. 20 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9650 8609, meyersplace.com.au Senoritas While Mexican food might not be as in-vogue as it once was (long surpassed by the dude food trend, food trucks, and science-lab gelato), people are still willing to queue down the street for a taste of taco, suggesting its popularity remains strong. Joining the likes of Touche Hombre and Mamasita, Senioritas gains a competitive advantage over their popular peers by allowing bookings — saving diners an agonising wait in the queue. This allows maximum time to sit back and try the tequila — perhaps matched to grazing the selection of tacos like the roasted pork shoulder with cinnamon, orange, thyme, frijoles and pickled red onion ($14), or the sweet potato, epazote and black bean taco with queso fresco and chipotle mayo ($12). Eating amongst the dramatic neon-lit interior and ghoulish, Day of the Dead-themed decor isn't as authentic as grabbing a quesadilla from the dusty Mexican roadside, but it sure makes for an entertaining night out. 16 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9639 7437, senoritas.com.au Unfortunately Senoritas has temporarily closed, but hopes to reopen again shortly. Loop Part bar, part performance venue, Loop provides a space for artists, film makers and live audiovisual performers (and fans of all the above) to share their creative energies — over a pizza and pot of beer. With an event calendar that offers something different almost every night of the week, expect film festival screenings, performances of buzzing electro-pop and DJs every weekend. Loop is also a pillar of the local filmmaking community, presenting Comfortable Shorts each month — a series of short films from local and international creatives. 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9654 0500, looponline.com.au Lane's Edge Fuss free, friendly and a bit of fun, Lane's Edge serves as casual entry point to the off-Bourke laneway. It takes a multidisciplinary approach to hospitality — the kind that warrants anything from a morning coffee with the paper, a lunch break with your work colleagues or a late night passed with a stranger on a loose night out. Accompany any of the above with a bowl of pumpkin soup. The bamboo-clad beer garden provides offers a discrete vantage point from which to enjoy sneaky lunchtime beers, while still keeping an eye on the laneway antics. Chances are you might catch a glimpse of your boss at the bar next door. 39 Bourke Street (cnr of Bourke and Meyers Place), Melbourne, (03) 9654 2409, lanesedge.com
From contemporary furniture and wall art to jewellery and modern decor, Ashburton's Kiss With Style is a one-stop shop for adding a tasteful touch to your home. The store is laid out as one big showroom, so when you pay it a visit you'll be able to explore how all the products mix and match, and imagine how they'll look within your own setting. Combining the best of design and functionality while still encouraging affordability, Kiss With Style is perfect for when you need to add a luxurious element to freshen up your space.
If you've got a hard earned thirst for some spiffy new beer merch, the folks at Victoria Bitter have you covered. The famed Carlton & United Breweries beer has released a new range of branded VB gear for your wardrobe, your head and even your bedroom wall. Dropped this week, the collection's got a definite retro edge, in a nod to the brew's lengthy history quenching the thirst of hardworking Aussies. There are crewneck jumpers, t-shirts, beanies and caps, all emblazoned with that instantly recognisable logo. And yep, these threads are sure to get a serious workout over the upcoming festival season. Alongside the clothes, you'll find a trio of old-school full-colour VB poster prints, vintage-inspired stickers and VB stubby coolers, both in regular size and ones big enough to hold your longneck. What's more, you can feel extra good about your purchase, knowing that the t-shirts and jumpers are all manufactured and printed in Melbourne, by an ethical clothing-accredited manufacturer. Victoria Bitter's new line of 'Big Cold Gear' is available for purchase online.
This week, your ultimate mid-week pick-me-up comes in the form of free pizza from one of the city's best-loved pizzerias. And it's all thanks to at-home pizza oven company Gozney, which is teaming up with Sydney's Grifter Brewing Co to celebrate doughy rounds for World Pizza Day. To get your mitts on some complimentary pizza, simply head down to Leonardo's Pizza Palace when it opens its doors from 5pm on Thursday, February 9. The Carlton spot is giving away hot, cheesy, full-sized pizzas to the first 50 customers that arrive on the day. You've even got a choice of dining in or getting your freebie packed up to take away. As part of the World Pizza Day festivities, Grifter is also unveiling its new pizza-inspired beer. Named Birra Quattro, the new brew is an Italian-style pilsner that celebrates the shared similarities behind the creation of both pizza and beer. [caption id="attachment_860514" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leonardo's Pizza Palace, by Natalie Jurrjens[/caption] "The inspiration behind Birra Quattro started when my co-founder, Glenn and I started cooking pizzas at home with the Gozney Roccbox. We saw the similarities between pizza and beer, both being made from fermented cereal grains," says Grifter's co-founder Matt King. Leonardo's will also have Birra Quattro available for purchase if you'd like to pair your cheesy meal with a can of the new drop. Rounding out the day's excitement is the chance to win a huge pizza-themed prize pack. If you're served a 'lucky slice', you'll score everything you need for an at-home pizza party — a Gozney portable pizza oven and a slab of Grifter's Birra Quattro. [caption id="attachment_888094" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alana Dimou[/caption]
Group hangs have just got a little more interesting, thanks to a couple of new entertainment experiences that have landed at Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq's Docklands outpost. In the heart of The District, Funlab's 'hospo-tainment' hub has unveiled two new immersive games that promise to tempt you and your crew off the couch this winter. First up, there's the Zero Latency Virtual Reality experience — a heart-pumping free-roam VR game that's built on the latest zero-latency tech, boasting 5K resolution graphics and 3D spatial audio to really mess with your sense of reality. Pop on a headset and take on one of eight different immersive game scenarios, using your controller to battle killer robots ('Singularity'), fight off zombies ('Undead Arena') or even defy gravity ('Engineerium'). Developed in conjunction with Taiwan-based tech giant and international VR masters HTC, and played in an arena the size of a tennis court, it's a gaming experience that's destined to impress. [caption id="attachment_694069" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Archie Brothers Docklands[/caption] For some slightly more reality-based thrills, you can hop around to the precinct's new laser tag, where you'll need to duck and dive away from your mates' laser attacks while maneuvering around an arena that's decked out like an abandoned carnival. The two new experiences join Archie Brothers' existing offering of arcade games, ten-pin bowling, bumper cars and other indoor entertainment. And if fending off all those virtual zombies leaves you in need of a refuel, there's a menu of sandos, burgers and riotous circus-themed cocktails to keep you going. Play the new Laser Tag and Zero Latency Virtual Reality games at Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, The District, 440 Docklands Drive, Docklands. Book online via the website. Images: Eugene Hyland
If there's one thing that's sure in life, it's that you can never have enough plants. Luckily for us, Greener House Nursery has all of the flora you need to create a tropical nook in every corner of your home. Inside, you'll be surrounded by creeping devil's ivy and lush peace lilies, plus gorgeous pots, hanging planters and accessories that would look perfect in your bedroom. All of the plants are grown by Aussie farmers and the staff are horticulturalist hunnies that are always willing to provide helpful advice — there's even a design and maintenance service that'll help you figure out exactly where to place your plants and how to keep them alive. Keep an eye out for the nursery's regular warehouse sales to snag some bargains.
Popularity and greatness aren't the same thing, especially in art, but it's always nice when one — or some — of the movies that are getting audiences flocking to cinemas are among the year's best. 2023 managed that feat with Barbie and Oppenheimer. Across 2024's first six months, Dune: Part Two is leading the charge, and spicily. So, if you did see the latest trip to Arrakis at your local picture palace, you saw one of the highlights of the year so far. The newest exploits of House Atreides and the Fremen fuel just one of 2024's standouts starring Zendaya. Tennis love-triangle drama Challengers, the other, is also merely one of the new flicks this year to feature Josh O'Connor, too — as folks who caught Italian gem La Chimera know. As with every year, this turn of the calendar has been filled with filmic variety, including among the movies that we should all be talking about well into the future. Some won Oscars. Others would've in different years. Some unpack icons. Others demonstrate why particular actors are icons. Some whisk audiences back to the past. Others feel like reliving a memory. Even at 2024's midpoint, whittling down the top silver-screen releases so far isn't an easy task. It's true now as it always is no matter the year: more than 15 excellent features have debuted on screens Down Under between January–June, whether they were brand-new around the world or just new to us after premiering elsewhere in 2023. The absolute best of the best demand an immediate rewatch. They delight, surprise, challenge and engage. Give them another spin — or, if you missed them to-date, a first look — and you're in for a helluva ace viewing experience. Perfect Days When Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day' enjoyed its initial sublime movie moment in Trainspotting, it soundtracked a descent into heroin's depths, including literally via the film's visual choices. For three decades since, that's been the tune's definitive on-screen use. Now drifts in Perfect Days, the Oscar-nominated Japan-set drama from German filmmaker Wim Wenders (Submergence). This slice-of-life movie takes its name from the song. It also places the iconic David Bowie-produced classic among the tracks listened to by toilet cleaner Hirayama (Kôji Yakusho, Vivant) as he goes about his daily routine. Fond of 60s- and 70s-era music, the Tokyo native's picks say everything about his mindset, both day by day and in his zen approach to his modest existence. 'Perfect Day' and Nina Simone's 'Feeling Good' each also sum up the feeling of watching this gorgeous ode to making the most of what you have, seeing beauty in the everyday and being in the moment. Not every tune that Hirayama pops into his van's tape deck — cassettes are still his format of choice — has the same type of title. Patti Smith's 'Redondo Beach', The Animals' 'The House of the Rising Sun', Otis Redding's '(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay' and The Rolling Stones' '(Walkin' Thru the) Sleepy City' also rank among his go-tos, all reflecting his mood in their own ways. If there's a wistfulness to Hirayama's music selections, it's in the manner that comes over all of us when we hark back to something that we first loved when we were younger. Perfect Days' protagonist is at peace with his life, however. Subtly layered into the film is the idea that things were once far different and more-conventionally successful, but Hirayama wasn't as content as he now is doing the rounds of the Japanese capital's public bathrooms, blasting his favourite songs between stops, eating lunch in a leafy park and photographing trees with an analogue camera. Read our full review. Love Lies Bleeding In Love Lies Bleeding, a craggy ravine just outside a dusty New Mexico town beckons, ready to swallow sordid secrets in the dark of the desert's starry night. Tumbling into it, a car explodes in flames partway through the movie, exactly as the person pushing it in wants it to. There's the experience of watching Rose Glass' sophomore film emblazoned across the feature's very frames. After the expertly unsettling Saint Maud, the British writer/director returns with a second psychological horror, this time starring Kristen Stewart in the latest of her exceptionally chosen post-Twilight roles (see: Crimes of the Future, Spencer, Happiest Season, Lizzie, Personal Shopper, Certain Women and Clouds of Sils Maria). An 80s-set queer and sensual tale of love, lust, blood and violence, Love Lies Bleeding is as inkily alluring as the gorge that's pivotal to its plot, and as fiery as the inferno that swells from the canyon's depths. This neon-lit, synth-scored neo-noir thriller scorches, too — and burns so brightly that there's no escaping its glow. When the words "you have to see it to believe it" also grace Love Lies Bleeding — diving into gyms and in the bodybuilding world, it's no stranger to motivational statements such as "no pain no gain", "destiny is a decision" and "the body achieves what the mind believes" — they help sum up this wild cinematic ride as well. Glass co-scripts here with Weronika Tofilska (they each previously penned and helmed segments of 2015's A Moment in Horror), but her features feel like the result of specific, singular and searing visions that aren't afraid to swerve and veer boldly and committedly to weave their stories and leave an imprint. Accordingly, Love Lies Bleeding is indeed a romance, a crime flick and a revenge quest. It's about lovers on the run (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's Katy O'Brian pairs with Stewart) and intergenerational griminess. It rages against the machine. It's erotic, a road trip and unashamedly pulpy. It also takes the concept of strong female leads to a place that nothing else has, and you do need to witness it to fathom it. Read our full review, and our interview with Rose Glass. The Zone of Interest Quotes and observations about evil being mundane, as well as the result when people look the other way, will never stop being relevant. A gripping, unsettling masterpiece, The Zone of Interest is a window into why. The first film by Sexy Beast, Birth and Under the Skin director Jonathan Glazer in more than a decade, the Holocaust-set feature peers on as the unthinkable happens literally just over the fence, but a family goes about its ordinary life. If it seems abhorrent that anything can occur in the shadow of any concentration camp or site of World War II atrocities, that's part of the movie's point. It dwells in the Interessengebiet, the 40-square-kilometre-plus titular area that comprised and surrounded the Auschwitz complex, to interrogate how banal genocide was to those in power; commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel, Babylon Berlin), even gloats that his name will be remembered and celebrated for its connection to mass extermination. Höss was a real person, and the real Nazi SS officer overseeing Auschwitz from 1940–43. His wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall) and five children are similarly drawn from truth. But The Zone of Interest finds its way to the screen via Martin Amis' fiction novel of the same name, then hones its interest down from the book's three narrators to the Höss family; a biopic, it isn't, even as it switches its character monikers back to reflect actuality. This is a work of deep probing and contemplation — a piece that demands that its viewers confront the daily reality witnessed and face how the lives of those in power, and benefiting from it, thrived with death not only as a neighbour but an enabler. Camp prisoners tend the Höss' garden. Ashes are strewn over the soil for horticultural effect. Being turned into the same is a threat used to keep the household's staff in line. All three of these details, as with almost everything in the feature, are presented with as matter-of-fact an air as cinema is capable of. Read our full review. Anatomy of a Fall A calypso instrumental cover of 50 Cent's 'P.I.M.P.' isn't the only thing that Anatomy of a Fall's audience won't be able to dislodge from their heads after watching 2023's deserving Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or-winner. A film that's thorny, knotty and defiantly unwilling to give any easy answers, this legal, psychological and emotional thriller about a woman on trial for her husband's death is unshakeable in as many ways as someone can have doubts about another person: so, a myriad. The scenario conjured up by writer/director Justine Triet (Sibyl) is haunting, asking not only if her protagonist committed murder, as the on-screen investigation and courtroom proceedings interrogate, but digging into what it means to be forced to choose between whether someone did the worst or is innocent — or if either matters. While the Gallic legal system provides the backdrop for much of the movie, the real person doing the real picking isn't there in a professional capacity, or on a jury. Rather, it's the 11-year-old boy who loved his dad, finds him lying in the snow with a head injury outside their French Alps home on an otherwise ordinary day, then becomes the key witness in his mum's case. Also impossible to forget: the performances that are so crucial in telling this tale of marital and parental bonds, especially from one of German's current best actors and the up-and-coming French talent playing her son. With her similarly astonishing portrayal in The Zone of Interest, Toni Erdmann and I'm Your Man's Sandra Hüller is two for two in movies that initially debuted in 2023; here, she steps into the icy and complicated Sandra Voyter's shoes with the same kind of surgical precision that Triet applies to unpacking the character's home life. As Daniel, who couldn't be more conflicted about the nightmare situation he's been thrust into, Milo Machado Graner (Alex Hugo) is a revelation — frequently via his expressive face and posture alone. If Scenes From a Marriage met Kramer vs Kramer, plus 1959's Anatomy of a Murder that patently influences Anatomy of a Fall's name, this would be the gripping end result — as fittingly written by Triet with her IRL partner Arthur Harari (Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle). Read our full review. Priscilla Yearning to be one of the women in Sofia Coppola's films is futile, but for a single reason only: whether she's telling of teenage sisters, a wife left to her own devices in Tokyo, France's most-famous queen, the daughter of a Hollywood actor, Los Angeles high schoolers who want to rob, the staff and students at a girls school in the American Civil War, a Manhattanite worried that her husband is being unfaithful or Priscilla Presley, as the writer/director has across eight movies to-date, no one better plunges viewers into her female characters' hearts and heads. To watch the filmmaker's span of features from The Virgin Suicides to Priscilla is to feel as its figures do, and deeply. The second-generation helmer is an impressionistic great, colouring her flicks as much with emotions and mood as actual hues — not that there's any shortage of lush and dreamy shades, as intricately tied to her on-screen women's inner states, swirling through her meticulous frames. Call it the "can't help falling" effect, then: as a quarter-century of Coppola's films have graced screens, audiences can't help falling into them like they're in the middle of each themselves. That's still accurate with Priscilla, which arrives so soon after Elvis that no one could've forgotten that the lives of the king of rock 'n' roll and his bride have flickered through cinemas recently. Baz Luhrmann made his Presley movie in Australia with an American (Austin Butler, The Bikeriders) as Elvis and an Aussie (Olivia DeJonge, The Staircase) as Priscilla. Coppola crafted hers in North America with a Brisbanite (Jacob Elordi, Saltburn) in blue-suede shoes and a Tennessee-born talent (Cailee Spaeny, Mare of Easttown) adopting the Presley surname. The two features are mirror images in a hunk of burning ways, including their his-and-hers titles; whose viewpoint they align with; and conveying what it was like to adore Elvis among the masses, plus why he sparked that fervour, compared to expressing the experience of being the girl that he fell for, married, sincerely loved but kept in a gilded cage into she strove to fly free. Read our full review, and our interview with Cailee Spaeny. Robot Dreams Heartbreak is two souls wanting nothing more than each other, but life having other plans. So goes Robot Dreams, another dialogue-free marvel from Spanish filmmaker Pablo Berger, who had audiences feeling without words uttered with 2012's Blancanieves — and showed then with black and white imagery, as he does now with animation, that he's a master at deeply expressive visual storytelling. His fourth picture as a director was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards. In most years, if it wasn't up against Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron, it would've taken home the Oscar. It earns not just affection instead, but the awe deserved of a movie that perfects the sensation of longing for someone to navigate life with, finding them, adoring them, then having fate doing what fate does by throwing up complications. Usually this would be a boy-meets-girl, boy-meets-boy or girl-meets-girl story. Here, it's a dog-meets-robot tale. The time: the 80s, with nods to Tab and Pong to prove it. The place: a version of Manhattan where anthropomorphised animals are the only inhabitants — plus mechanised offsiders that, just by placing an order and putting together the contents of the package that arrives, can be built as instant friends. Eating macaroni meals for one and watching TV solo in his small East Village apartment each evening, Dog is achingly lonely when he orders his Amica 2000 after seeing an infomercial. As he tinkers to construct Robot, pigeons watch on from the window, but they've never been his company. Soon exuberantly strutting the streets hand in hand with his maker, the android is a dream pal, however, this kismet pairing isn't what gives Robot Dreams its name. Read our full review. Civil War Civil War is not a relaxing film, either for its characters or viewers, but writer/director Alex Garland (Men) does give Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog) a moment to lie down among the flowers. She isn't alone among this stunning movie's stars on her stomach on a property filled with Christmas decorations en route from New York to Washington DC. Also, with shots being fired back and forth, no one is in de-stressing mode. For viewers of Dunst's collaborations with Sofia Coppola, however — a filmmaker that her Civil War co-star Cailee Spaeny just played Priscilla Presley for in Priscilla — the sight of her face beside grass and blooms was always going to recall The Virgin Suicides. Twenty-five years have now passed since that feature, which Garland nods to as a handy piece of intertextual shorthand. As the camera's focus shifts between nature and people, there's not even a tiny instant of bliss among this sorrow, nor will there ever be, as there was the last time that Dunst was framed in a comparable fashion. Instead, Civil War tasks its lead with stepping into the shoes of a seasoned war photographer in the middle of the violent US schism that gives the movie its name (and, with January 6, 2021 so fresh in everyone's memories, into events that could very well be happening in a version of right now). The US President (Nick Offerman, Origin) is into his third term after refusing to leave office, and the fallout is both polarising and immense. Think: bombed cities, suicide attackers, death squads, torture, lynchings, ambushes, snipers, shuttering the FBI, California and Texas inexplicably forming an alliance to fight back, Florida making its own faction, journalists killed on sight, refugee camps, deserted highways, checkpoints, resistance fighters, mass graves and, amid the rampant anarchy, existence as America currently knows it clearly obliterated. (Asking "what kind of American are you?" barely seems a stretch, though.) The front line is in Charlottesville, but Dunst's Lee Smith is destined for the White House with Reuters reporter Joel (Wagner Moura, Mr & Mrs Smith), where they're hoping to evade the lethal anti-media sentiment to secure an interview with the leader who has torn the country apart. Read our full review. La Chimera It's a film about searching for treasure, and it is indeed a treasure. La Chimera is also dreamy in its look and, while watching, makes its viewers feel as if they've been whisked into one. There's much that fantasies are made of in writer/director Alice Rohrwacher's fourth feature, which follows Corpo Celeste, The Wonders and Happy as Lazzaro — God's Own Country breakout and The Crown star Josh O'Connor leading the picture as a British archaeologist raiding tombs in 80s-era Italy chief among them. Thinking about Lara Croft, be it the game, or the Angelina Jolie (in 2001 and 2003 flicks)- or Alicia Vikander (2018's Tomb Raider)-led movies, is poking into the wrong patch of soil. Thinking instead about the way that life is built upon the dead again and again, and upon unearthed secrets as well, is part of what makes La Chimera gleam. Rohrwacher's latest, which also boasts her Happy as Lazzaro collaborator Carmela Covino as a collaborating writer — plus Marco Pettenello (Io vivo altrove!) — resembles an illusion not just because it's a rare mix of both magical-realist and neorealist in one, too (well, rare for most who aren't this director). In addition, this blend of romance and drama alongside tragedy and comedy sports its mirage-esque vibe thanks to being so welcomely easy to get lost in. As a snapshot of a tombaroli gang in Tuscany that pilfers from Etruscan crypts to try to get by, it's a feature to dig into. As an example of how poetic a film can be, it's one to soar with. The loose red thread that weaves throughout La Chimera's frames, intriguing folks within the movie, also embodies how viewers should react: we want to chase it and hold on forever, even as we know that, as the feature's 130 minutes tick by, the picture is destined to slip through our fingers. Read our full review. The Taste of Things Cooking is an act of precision. It's also one of feeling. On the movie that nabbed him the Best Director award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Trần Anh Hùng (Éternité, Norwegian Wood) helms with the same care, spirit and emotion that his characters display in the kitchen. The Taste of Things' audience has a front-row seat to both, as this 1885-set French picture begins with dishes upon dishes being whipped up and the feature's gaze, via cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg (Final Cut), lenses their creation intimately and sumptuously. The film's extraordinary opening 30 minutes-plus, as the camera is trained on the stove and counter with slight detours around the room to collect or wash ingredients, is meticulously crafted and at the same time instinctual. Think: the sensations of observing the finest of fine-dining chefs and being a child watching your grandmother make culinary magic, as nearly every kid has, all rolled into one appetising introductory sequence. In the home of gourmand Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel, The King of Algiers), and in its heart, his personal chef Eugénie (Juliette Binoche, The New Look) is so skilled and fastidious that she'd do small-screen hit The Bear proud; she's clearly a conjurer of the culinary arts, too. Hùng and Ricquebourg — the latter a well-deserving Lumiere Award-winner for his efforts here — are methodical with the choreography of setting the scene, while equally deeply immersed in the flow of the kitchen's tasks. As soundtracked by chirping birds, if this was The Taste of Things for 135 minutes and not just half an hour-ish, it'd remain a mesmerising movie. (A word of warning: eat before viewing, lest hunger pangs not just simmer but boil over.) Adapting 1924 novel The Passionate Epicure: La Vie et la Passion de Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet by epicure Marcel Rouff as he scripts and directs, Hùng does more than fashion among the most-handsomely staged and shot imagery of a meal coming to life, but his approach to this entrée establishes the flavour. Read our full review. Dune: Part Two Revenge is a dish best served sandy in Dune: Part Two. On the desert planet of Arrakis, where golden hills as far as the eye can see are shaped from the most-coveted and -psychedelic substance in author Frank Herbert's estimation, there's no other way. Vengeance is just one course on Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet, Wonka) menu, however. Pop culture's supreme spice boy, heir to the stewardship of his adopted realm, has a prophecy to fulfil whether he likes it or not; propaganda to navigate, especially about him being the messiah; and an Indigenous population, the Fremen, to prove himself to. So mines Denis Villeneuve's soaring sequel to 2021's Dune, which continues exploring the costs and consequences of relentless quests for power — plus the justifications, compromises, tragedies and narratives that are inescapable in such pursuits. The filmmaker crafts his fourth contemplative and breathtaking sci-fi movie in a row, then, after Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 as well. The vast arid expanse that constantly pervades the frames in Dune: Part Two isn't solely a stunning sight. It looks spectacular, as the entire feature does, with Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser (The Creator) back after winning an Oscar for the first Dune; but as Paul, his widowed mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson, Silo), and Fremen Stilgar (Javier Bardem, The Little Mermaid) and Chani (Zendaya, Euphoria) traverse it, it helps carve in some of this page-to-screen saga's fundamental ideas. So does the stark monochrome when the film jumps to Giedi Prime, home world to House Harkonnen, House Atreides' enemy, plus Arrakis' ruler both before and after Paul's dad Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) got the gig in Villeneuve's initial Dune. People here are dwarfed not only by their mammoth surroundings, but by the bigger, broader, non-stop push for supremacy. While there's no shortage of detail in both Part One and Part Two — emotional, thematic and visual alike — there's also no avoiding that battling against being mere pawns in an intergalactic game of chess is another of its characters' complicated fights. Read our full review, and our interview with Greig Fraser. The Promised Land The transfixing terrain of Mads Mikkelsen's face has been cast against formidably frosty and inhospitable climes before, weathering mirroring weathering. Sporting a piercing and determined glint in his eye, the Danish acting great has previously surveyed the Scandinavian landscape, too, seeing possibility where others spot peril. It was true in Arctic, in Valhalla Rising and now in The Promised Land: there's no stare as mesmerisingly resolute as his. When Ludvig Kahlen, Mikkelsen's latest character, insists that he can do what no one else has done — to begin with: settling the heath on the heather-covered Jutland moorland and building a colony for the king, a feat considered virtually impossible in the mid-18th century — doubting him isn't a possibility for anyone in the movie's audience. The BAFTA-nominated Another Round star has danced in historical drama territory for his countryman director Nikolaj Arcel in the past as well, with the pair reteaming after 2012's Oscar-nominated A Royal Affair. A different king sits on the throne in this film, Frederick V instead of Christian VII; however, the regal shadow remains inescapable. This time, Mikkelsen and Arcel tell not of a doctor influencing a monarch and a country, but of a soldier aligning his quest for a better future with a sovereign's wish, and learning what it means to chase a dream only to realise that you need something less tangible. Kahlen's attempt to farm land considered barren is equally a battle against entitlement and arrogance thanks to his clash with Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg, Borgen), a cruel local magistrate who contends that the king's land is his own — and feels far enough away from Copenhagen for there not to be any consequences for his claim. Read our full review. Challengers Tennis is a game of serves, shots, slices and smashes, and also of approaches, backhands, rallies and volleys. Challengers is a film of each, too, plus a movie about tennis. As it follows a love triangle that charts a path so back and forth that its ins and outs could be carved by a ball being hit around on the court, it's a picture that takes its aesthetic, thematic and emotional approach from the sport that its trio of protagonists are obsessed with as well. Tennis is everything to Tashi Duncan (Zendaya, Dune: Part Two), Art Donaldson (Mike Faist, West Side Story) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor, La Chimera), other than the threesome themselves being everything to each other. It's a stroke of genius to fashion the feature about them around the game they adore, then. Metaphors comparing life with a pastime are easy to coin. Movies that build such a juxtaposition into their fabric are far harder to craft. But it's been true of Luca Guadagnino for decades: he's a craftsman. Jumping from one Dune franchise lead to another, after doing Call Me By Your Name and Bones and All with Timothée Chalamet, Guadagnino proves something else accurate that's been his cinematic baseline: he's infatuated with the cinema of yearning. Among his features so far, only in Bones and All was the hunger for connection literal. The Italian director didn't deliver cannibalism in Call Me By Your Name and doesn't in Challengers, but longing is the strongest flavour in all three, and prominent across the filmmaker's Suspiria, A Bigger Splash and I Am Love also. So, combine the idea of styling a movie around a tennis match — one spans its entire duration, in fact — with a lusty love triangle, romantic cravings and three players at the top of their field, then this is the sublime end product. Challengers is so smartly constructed, so well thought-out down to every meticulous detail, so sensual and seductive, and so on point in conveying Tashi plus Art and Patrick's feelings, that it's instantly one of Guadagnino's grand slams. Read our full review, as well as what Zendaya, Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist had to say about the film when they were in Australia. All of Us Strangers As Fleabag knew, and also Sherlock as well, Andrew Scott has the type of empathetic face that makes people want to keep talking to him. Playing the hot priest in Phoebe Waller-Bridge's (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) acclaimed comedy, he was the ultimate listener. Even as the Moriarty to Benedict Cumberbatch's (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) Holmes, and with a game always afoot, conversation flowed. All of Us Strangers puts this innate air — this sensation that to be in Scott's company is to want to unburden yourself to his welcoming ears — at its tender and feverishly beating heart, this time with Paul Mescal (Foe) as one of his discussion partners. Dreamy and contemplative, haunting and heartfelt, and also delicate and devastating, the fifth film by Weekend and 45 Years writer/director Andrew Haigh, which is his first since 2017's Lean on Pete, is stunningly cast with Scott in seeing-is-feeling mode as its isolated screenwriter protagonist alone. That Scott is joined by Mescal, Claire Foy (Women Talking) and Jamie Bell (Shining Girls) gives All of Us Strangers one of the finest four-hander casts in recent memory. Awards bodies clearly agree, with nods going around for everyone (alongside wins for Best Film and Best Director, the British Independent Film Awards gave all four of the feature's core cast members nominations, with Mescal scoring the Best Supporting Performance trophy, for instance). Haigh isn't merely preternaturally talented at picking the exact right actors to play his on-screen figures, but it's one of his most-crucial skills, as every performance in his latest shattering picture demonstrates. It comes as no surprise that Scott, Mescal, Foy and Bell are all excellent. It's similarly hardly unexpected that Haigh has made another movie that cuts so emotionally deep that viewers will feel as if they've been within its frames. Combine these stars with this filmmaker, though, and a feature that was always likely to combine its exceptional parts into a perfect sum is somehow even more affecting and astonishing. Read our full review. How to Have Sex Movies don't have pores, but How to Have Sex might as well. Following a trip to Greece with three 16-year-old best friends who want nothing more than to party their way into womanhood — and to get laid, too — this unforgettable British drama is frequently slick with sweat. Perspiration can dampen someone when they're giddily excited about a wild getaway, finishing school and leaving adolescence behind. It can get a person glistening when they're rushing and drinking, and flitting from pools and beaches to balconies and clubs. Being flushed from being sozzled, the stickiness that comes with expending energy, the cold chill of stress and horror, the fluster of a fluttering heart upon making a connection: they're all sources of wet skin as well. Filmmaker Molly Manning Walker catalogues them all. Viewers can see the sweat in How to Have Sex, with its intimate, spirited, like-you're-there cinematography. More importantly, audiences can feel why protagonist Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce, Vampire Academy) is perspiring, and the differences scene to scene, even when she's not quite sure herself. How to Have Sex also gets those watching sweating — because spying how you've been Tara, or her pals Em (debutant Enva Lewis) and Skye (Lara Peake, Halo), or lads Badger (Shaun Thomas, Ali & Ava) and Paddy (Samuel Bottomley, The Last Rifleman) in the neighbouring resort unit, is inescapable. Walker has been there herself, with parts of her debut feature as a writer and director drawn from her own time as a Tara, Em or Skye while also making the spring break and Schoolies-like pilgrimage from England to the Mediterranean. When the movie doesn't lift details directly from her own experience, it shares them with comparable moments that are virtually ripped from western teendom. One of the feature's strokes of genius is how lived-in it proves, whether Tara and her mates are as loud and exuberant as girls are when their whole lives are ahead of them, its main character is attempting to skip her troubles in a sea of strobing lights and dancing bodies, or slipping between the sheets — but not talking about it — is changing who Tara is forever. Read our full review, and our interview with Molly Manning Walker. Drive-Away Dolls No one might've thought of Joel and Ethan Coen as yin and yang if they hadn't started making movies separately. Since 2018's The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, their latest feature together as sibling filmmakers, the elder of the Coen brothers went with Shakespearean intensity by directing 2021's The Tragedy of Macbeth on his lonesome — while Ethan now opts for goofy, loose and hilariously sidesplitting silliness with Drive-Away Dolls. The pair aren't done collaborating, with a horror flick reportedly in the works next. But their break from being an Oscar-winning team has gifted audiences two treats in completely different fashions. For the younger brother, he's swapped in his wife Tricia Cooke, editor of The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Man Who Wasn't There, on a picture that couldn't slide more smoothly onto his resume alongside the madcap antics that the Coens combined are known for. Indeed, spying shades of the first of those two features that Cooke spliced in Drive-Away Dolls, plus Raising Arizona, Fargo and Burn After Reading as well, is both easy and delightful. As a duo, the Coen brothers haven't ever followed two women through lesbian bars, makeout parties and plenty of horniness between the sheets, though, amid wall dildos and other nods to intimate appendages, even if plenty about the Ethan-directed, Cooke-edited Drive-Away Dolls — which both Ethan and Cooke co-wrote — is classic Coens. There's the road-trip angle, conspiracy mayhem, blundering criminals in hot pursuit of Jamie (Margaret Qualley, Poor Things) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan, Cat Person), dumb men (those crooks again) in cars and just quirky characters all round. There's the anarchic chases, witty yet philosophical banter and highly sought-after briefcase at the centre of the plot, too. And, there's the fact that this is a comedic caper, its love of slapstick and that a wealth of well-known faces pop up as the zany antics snowball. The Joel-and-Ethan team hasn't made a film as sapphic as this, either, however, or one that's a 90s-set nod to, riff on, and parody of 60s- and 70s-era sexploitation raucousness. Read our full review, and our interview with Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke.
The folks at the Astor Theatre have just released their latest program, and we've never been so happy to soak it in. In the wake of years of angst and uncertainty surrounding the future of the art-deco cinema, the new program marks the start of a veritable second age, after Palace Cinemas announced last month that they would be taking over the venue — guaranteeing its survival for (hopefully) many years to come. "As long as we're around, it's a cinema," says newly appointed general manager Zak Hepburn. "I think the main point of Palace getting involved with The Astor was so they could save it. To put the final word on it, and know that it won't be turned into a carpark or a high-rise apartment. It's all about preserving that legacy." Hepburn's involvement should help quash concerns about the legitimacy of The Astor's latest resurrection. A respected and enthusiastic figure in the Melbourne film scene, Hepburn has no shortage of cinema programming experience, beginning with the late night 'cult vault' sessions at Palace Westgarth, as well as a stint at The Shadow Electric. You might also recognise him from his weekly gig reviewing films on ABC News Breakfast. Like many local film buffs, Hepburn feels a particular connection with the cinemas he's now been charged with operating. "I grew up in Bacchus Marsh, where it was hard to access retrospective stuff," says Hepburn. "Then when I was probably around eight or ten, I heard of this place and asked my Mum to take me. I went to a matinee session of TYellow Submarine, and I thought it was just amazing... I'm 32 now, so I've been going steadily to The Astor, every calendar, for more than 20 years." Hepburn understands people's lingering sense of uncertainty, but is quick to assuage our concerns, including the idea that Palace might try and convert the cinema into a multiplex. "In the age of multiple exhibitors and Netflix and everything else, everybody is looking for a point of difference," says Hepburn. "The Astor is such a unique location, so to make it just like every other location would really defeat the purpose of investing in it. Palace has already got those multi-screen locations, so this is really the alternative pathway for fans of cinema." So what changes will Palace be making? In terms of the actual building, the answer is apparently very little. "There are absolutely no structural changes planned for the location," says Hepburn. "It's mostly maintenance... A bit of paint here, a few fixed seats, maybe some lighting. That's really about it." As for the candy bar, Hepburn says that we can expect to see a slight incorporation of Palace's coffee, wine and boutique beer range, before hastening to add that the famous (and delicious) Choc Ice ice-creams will still definitely be on the menu. Of course the most important thing — the thing that has always set The Astor apart — is the quality of the programming. In that regard, Hepburn promises it'll be business as usual, with calendars consisting of the theatre's typical blend of double bills and retrospectives, including screenings on 35mm and 70mm, along with a smattering of recent releases. A quick look at the new calendar confirms it, with everything from golden age Hollywood classics like The Maltese Falcon and Some Like It Hot, to iconic cult films including a double bill of Evil Dead and Carrie. There's also an Avengers double feature with prizes for best costume, as well as a 007 marathon on back-to-back weekends. "What I really want to do is have a curatorial kernel in each calendar," Hepburn explains. "So there'll be a sort of master film in there, and then strands hanging off. For example, in this first one, we have the gala premiere of the Gillian Armstrong documentary Women He's Undressed, which is based on the life of costume designer Orry-Kelly. So we've got quite a few Orry-Kelly films in the program, and are really touching on some classic Hollywood stuff." Ultimately, Hepburn considers The Astor "a destination cinema", one where "every cinema session should be an experience". Here's hoping that under Palace, it stays that way for a long, long time. The Astor Theatre officially reopens for business on June 7. To check out their latest program, visit their website. Image: Charlie Kinross Photography
Put your hand on your heart and tell us: how excited are you that Kylie Minogue has not only announced a new world tour, which is her biggest in 14 years, but that she's starting it in Australia? Headlining Splendour in the Grass 2024 mightn't have worked out after the Byron Bay music festival was cancelled mere weeks after revealing its lineup, but the Aussie pop superstar is ensuring that local fans will see her new Tension tour before anyone else on the planet. It's a 'Padam Padam' summer all over again, with Minogue kicking off her latest shows in February 2025, beginning with a one-night concert in Perth. From there, she's also playing Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney — plus Melbourne, of course, where she's putting on three gigs. The last time that Minogue embarked on a tour this big was back in 2011. The last time that she hit the stage Down Under was in 2023 to open Sydney WorldPride. In the Victorian capital, Minogue will get behind the microphone on Thursday, February 20–Saturday, February 22 at Rod Laver Arena. In what's proven a massive career since her Neighbours-starring, 'I Should Be So Lucky'- and 'Locomotion'-singing 80s era, it's been a big last few years for Minogue thanks to the huge success of the Grammy-winning 'Padam Padam', a brief return to Neighbours and a Las Vegas residency — and now the Tension tour keeps that streak running. Images: Erik Melvin. Updated: Monday, February 17, 2024.
Gelato Messina has whipped up a lot of of tasty specials in its time, and during the pandemic. Indulgent red velvet cookie pies, caramel scrolls with cheesecake gelato, Golden Gaytime-inspired Viennetta, 40 of its greatest gelato hits — they're just some of the OTT dishes that've been on the menu just over the past 18 months or so. Another that's proven particularly popular: Iced VoVo gelato. So, the dessert fiends are bringing back its frosty version of everyone's favourite childhood biscuit, and they're also turning it into a bavarian. What's better than turning an Iced VoVo into gelato? Taking that gelato and turning that into a bavarian, obviously. And, what's even better than that? Making something that can either be eaten frozen as a gelato cake, or defrosted as a mousse cake — or somewhere in-between if you'd like to go all semifreddo. Wondering what exactly an Iced VoVo bavarian entails? It layers coconut and raspberry mousse and raspberry gel over a coconut biscuit base, then tops it with raspberry marshmallow and desiccated coconut. And yes, the end result looks like the bikkies you know and love — but in frosty cake form. If you're keen to get yourself a piece — which'll cost you $38 — they're available to preorder online on Monday, September 20. And, because Messina's specials always prove popular, the brand is now staggering the on-sale times. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.30am, and New South Wales customers split across three times depending on the store (with pies from Circular Quay, Surry Hills, Bondi, Randwick and Miranda on sale at 10am; Brighton Le Sands, Tramsheds, Parramatta and Darlinghurst at 10.30am; and Darling Square, Newtown, Rosebery and Penrith at 11am). The catch? You'll need to peel yourself off the couch and head to your local Messina store to pick up your order. The pies will be available for collection between Friday, September 24–Sunday, September 26. Sydneysiders, remember to abide by lockdown restrictions when it comes to picking up your bavarian — with folks in most suburbs required to stick to their Local Government Area, or within five-kilometres from home, and a strict five-kilometre limit in place in LGAs of concern. Melburnians, under new eased lockdown rules that come into effect at 11.59pm on Friday, September 17, you'll be permitted to travel within a ten-kilometre radius to pick up food. Gelato Messina's Iced VoVo bavarians will be available to order from 10am on Monday, September 20, for pick up between Friday, September 24–Sunday, September 26. Head to the Messina website for further details.
This winter, the seaside town of Queenscliff will be anything but sleepy. Playing host to the inaugural Low Light Festival, the Victorian spot will be brought to life across a month-long feast for all of the senses. A celebration of music, food, art and culture delivered by a huge lineup of homegrown and international talent, the event takes place over four weekends, running from June 22 to July 14. And if anything's going to pull you out of hibernation and down to the beach in the heart of a frosty Melbourne winter, it's this. Teaming up with the Icelandic Dance Company, along with local groups the Lighthouse Arts Collective and Bellarine Lighthouse Films, Low Light is set to screen exclusive Aussie premieres of three exciting new films. Catch the hypnotic ÖRÆVI or Life in the Undergrowth, with music by the legendary Sigur Ros, as it's screened under the stars, or immerse yourself in Gabríela Friðriksdóttir's compelling film Des Irae. Or, enjoy the goddess tale Union of the North, a collaboration between Matthew Barney, Valdimar Jóhannsson and Erna Ómarsdóttir, Music lovers will find their festival happy place within the Queenscliff Town Hall, as it hosts a series of one-night performances from the likes of acclaimed singer-songwriter Dan Sultan, folk-pop four-piece All Our Exes Live In Texas, and American alt-country star Justin Townes Earle. A tasty program of one-off food events will also feature throughout the festival, with highlights including a Bastille Day dinner with a French musical twist, and a four-course progressive feast showcasing the region's best produce and chefs. And you'll get even more of a taste for this charming corner of the world with a series of local art exhibitions, creative workshops, gin and whisky tastings, and heritage walks. Queenscliff is located about a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, or you can catch the ferry across from Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. Low Light events feature Friday through Sunday across each week of the festival — perfect for a day trip or that winter weekend getaway.
As Melburnians, we're lucky to be situated so close to so many of Australia's most celebrated wine regions: the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, King Valley et al. Whether you're looking for organically produced wines, family-run operations or just a picturesque spot for a long, lazy lunch, we've got it all just a short road trip away. If you're a fan of the plonk and you're not taking advantage of Victoria's seriously kickass vineyards, it's time to get those engines revving. These following eight spots are all top-notch cellar doors and restaurants — meaning that you can taste the wine, order a bottle of something you like and settle in for a long lunch (and maybe even explore the property afterwards). That is to say, they're all road trip-worthy destinations that you can spend a whole afternoon at. Just make sure you designate a Dave before you leave home. As of 11.59pm on November 8, both the 25-kilometre travel limit, and the border between regional Victoria and metro Melbourne have been lifted. Which means you're free to enjoy the state's wineries once again. 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.
It's summertime, which means plenty of days hanging at the beach, or in the park, and relaxing in the sun. And while summer reads are an essential part of any good trip outside, some days we're left either squinting against the glare or fighting that inevitable sunglasses tan. On those days, reach for your headphones and check out one of these podcasts instead. From true tales of murderous doctors to mind-boggling stories of viral Reddit threads, these podcasts will keep you entertained and informed this summer — whether you're relaxing at the beach or commuting on a train. SERIAL SEASON THREE The cult-favourite podcast Serial returned for its third season in September 2018, having been silent since season two aired back in 2015. Season three focuses on the entire criminal justice system in the US — and, more specifically, on the inconsistencies and failures of the courts in Cleveland, Ohio. Host Sarah Koenig (This American Life) and her crew spent one year in the Cleveland courts, where they recorded not only in courtrooms but also in judge's chambers, prosecutors' offices and back hallways, plus outside the courthouse in family members' houses, streets and prisons. Koenig witnessed an onslaught of court offences, including extra charges, pressure to plead guilty, shabby police work, "eleventh hour" evidence and dozing jurors and a judge — all ending with outsized prison sentences. Again, the story unfolds week-by-week, but this time follows different cases each time in the nine-episode season. Listen to Serial Season Three here. SLOW BURN SEASON TWO A Slate Plus production, Slow Burn explores "subplots, strange details, and forgotten characters" of contemporary political history in the United States. While season one focused on Nixon's Watergate scandal of the 1970s, season two (released in August 2018) investigates the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton — during which Clinton was accused of having sexual relations with his intern Monica Lewinksy, and was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for lying about it under oath. Host Leon Neyfakh explores this story of political and sexual scandal in depth, finding modern-day parallels, including similarities to the #MeToo movement. Whether you remember the scandal or not, the podcast explores it in a new, 2019-appropriate, light. Listen to Slow Burn here. DR. DEATH Dr. Death follows the deeply disturbing true story of Christopher Duntsch, a Texas neurosurgeon who was convicted of gross malpractice and sentenced to life in prison in 2017. A whopping 33 of his patients were left seriously injured from his operations — two of which died on the operating table. Created by Wondery — the network behind another wildly popular podcast, Dirty John — and hosted by the award-winning health and science reporter Laura Beil, the ten-episode season finished this December. It explores a medical system that fails to protect patients and the horrors that can await in the operating room because of it. Listen to Dr. Death here. NO MAN'S LAND No Man's Land dives into stories of some of the most trailblazing and game-changing, yet lesser known, women of history. The first season aired in November, with five episodes out so far. Some of the women featured include mid-1900s poet Sylvia Plath; investigative journalist and civil rights activist from the late 1800s, Ida B Wells; and Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta. The latest episode examines the originators of women's social clubs, and the resulting groups' power and influence. Host Alexis Coe is also the in-house historian for the podcast's creators, The Wing — a networking company that runs community spaces for women. Listen to No Man's Land here. THE TEACHER'S PET A must-listen for fans of murder-mystery, The Australian-created podcast The Teacher's Pet looks into the 1982 disappearance of Lynette Dawson — the wife of rugby league player and teacher Chris Dawson. The podcast unveils large amounts of evidence that had not been previously collected or examined by police, including details of the couple's marriage, Lynette's disappearance and Chris Dawson's affair with a 16-year-old student. Late last year, the podcast was awarded the 2018 Gold Walkley Award, one of Australia's most prestigious journalism awards. Hosted by award-winning Australian journalist Hedley Thomas, the 14-episode podcast aired in May, with two additional episodes added at the end of December following Chris's arrest and release after being granted bail. More episodes are also expected to air as new leads are unearthed, so this is the ideal time to get into this podcast. Listen to Teacher's Pet here. THE WITCH HUNT SEASON TWO As the title indicates, The Witch Hunt investigates famous witch hunts in history, both "literal and metaphorical" — starting, of course, with Salem, Massachusetts in season one. In season two, which aired back in April 2017, the focus is on the 'satanic panic' of the late-1900s, when the imagined existence of satanic ritual abuse in the States led to a pandemic of fear and paranoia. The eight episodes feature interviews with the likes of award-winning investigative journalist Jordan Smith (The Intercept) and Historical Blindness podcast host Nathan Lloyd. The Witch Hunt explores scapegoating of all kinds, too, including topics like child abuse allegations and Dungeons and Dragons (yes, the board game). Listen to The Witch Hunt here. CALIPHATE The New York Times' podcast Caliphate follows reporter Rukmini Callimachi, whose career focuses on Islamic extremism. The investigative podcast centres around the fall of Mosul — when the Iraqi Army was defeated by the Islamic State in 2014. The ten-chapter season asks questions like "who is it that ISIS appeals to, and how?" and "who are we really fighting"? Callimachi speaks with recruits, former and returned ISIS members, and detainees, as well as enslaved victims of the Islamic State. Released in April 2018, the powerful series unveils the reality of being a terrorism reporter on the front line and sheds light on the nature of ISIS violence. Listen to Caliphate here. ENDLESS THREAD While some people like to focus on internet's ability to isolate, WBUR and Reddit have combined forces to explore the ways in which it creates shared experiences and connections between people — on all sides of the globe. Endless Thread digs through Reddit communities to uncover stories that reveal the true potential of the internet, and some of them are fascinating, hilarious and horrifying. The podcast is hosted by Ben Brock Johnson (Marketplace Tech, Codebreaker) and WBUR's producer Amory Sivertson (Modern Love: The Podcast). It launched in January 2018 and continues to air every Friday. It promises to be more than cat videos, but also full of cat videos, and covers everything from miraculous near-misses (including a pilot landing a plane sans windshield) to a viral flyer selling a Soylent sculpture. Whether you love or hate Reddit, this one is worth the listen. Listen to Endless Thread here. LADIES, WE NEED TO TALK Exploring topics of work, health and sexuality, Ladies, We Need To Talk is created by women for women. It's an ABC Radio Podcasts production and was the winner of the 2018 Australian Podcast Awards for Best Lifestyle and Heath Podcast. Hosted by Australian TV presenter Yumi Stynes, the ongoing episodes delve into topics like anxiety, hormones, being judged by looks instead of intelligence and society's obsession with youth. Styne — who's joined on the show by a lineup of influential female Aussies — shares personal stories and discusses the struggle for women to balance work and private life. Ladies, We Need To Talk also encourages listeners to call in and share their own stories. Listen to Ladies We Need To Talk here. HEAVYWEIGHT The award-winning podcast Heavyweight just completed it's third season in December and continues to be a firm favourite amongst audiences and critics alike. It's hosted by comedian and author Jonathan Goldstein (This American Life, WireTap), who considers himself something of a "therapist with a time machine". He presents an usual podcast that tells the stories of ordinary people who have a major regret in life. In each episode, Goldstein guides a different person back to a pivotal crossroad in their life and helps them confront and, hopefully, overcome it. For example, in the first episode, Goldstein attempts to reunite his 80-year-old dad, Buzz, with his older brother. Heavyweight also encourages email submissions for the show. So, if you have a moment in time you want to get back or change, might as well try your luck — who knows, we might be hearing you in a future episode. Listen to Heavyweight here.
In an art gallery next to a river in a nation girt by sea, Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art has water on its mind. That's hardly surprising — given the current impact of climate change in Australia, the recent lack of rain, and the widespread drought and bushfires, water should be a constant topic of contemplation for us all — but GOMA is pondering the subject in a distinctive and creative manner. As part of an exhibition simply entitled Water, the South Bank spot has filled its walls, halls and floors with pieces that examine the role of H20 in our lives. Water's importance to both humanity and the planet that we call home can't be underestimated, so this stunning showcase often goes big. It's impossible to ignore the eponymous substance when you're walking up and down a riverbed made out of 100 tonnes of rock, for example — or staring at animals of all shapes, sizes and species as they share a drink around a room-sized water hole. While art-lovers can't splash around in water itself, they can observe and interact with H20 in a variety of forms. A sculpture made out of foam from soapy water ebbs and flows thanks to natural forces, while a real-life snowman earns pride of place — in an industrial freezer to keep it safe from our sweltering climate, of course. Elsewhere, giant bubbles hang from the ceiling, ocean waves rush and crash on a screen, and an enormous blue tarpaulin represents the sea in a disarmingly serene fashion. Also on the bill: one of Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Nets. It's an exhibition designed to wash over you — and whether you live in Brisbane or are planning a trip there soon, it's one to soak in during its five-month run. There's much to see, so we've outlined five huge highlights that you won't want to miss. Let them sweep over you. [caption id="attachment_755179" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sarah Ward[/caption] RIVERBED — OLAFUR ELIASSON Exhibiting in the southern hemisphere for the first time — and for only the second time ever — Olafur Eliasson's Riverbed is an astonishing work. Recreating an Icelandic stream using more than 100 tonnes of rock seems so simple, but this piece is enormous in several senses of the word. Firstly, it fills a cavernous space at GOMA that has previously hosted entire exhibitions (the recent Quilty showcase, for example). Sloping upwards, and with an actual trickle of water snaking through its centre, it's also monumental in its impact. Treading over all those stones isn't easy, and requires ongoing thought and navigation. That means that you're constantly interacting, contemplating and engaging with the Berlin-based, Danish-Icelandic artist's creation — and its statement on the state of the natural world — both physically and mentally. Wearing flat, comfortable shoes is recommended, obviously. [caption id="attachment_755182" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sarah Ward[/caption] THE FACT OF THE MATTER — WILLIAM FORSYTHE The second of Water's big interactive pieces (and the second to require sturdy shoes), The Fact of the Matter treats visitors to a workout. The gymnastic sculpture is made of suspended rings hung at different heights, and encourages patrons to jump on and climb through. A word of warning, though: you'll need considerable co-ordination and core body strength to do so. In fact, GOMA doesn't expect that many people will actually make it all the way across this eye-catching piece by William Forsythe — which is partly its point. When folks attempt the immensely active feat, they move through the artwork with a sense of flow, and are forced to think carefully about each step and pathway. It mightn't have been immediately apparent otherwise, but this installation boasts a plethora of parallels with water — including encouraging everyone to get creative about solutions, and to realise their place in a unified system. [caption id="attachment_755177" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sarah Ward[/caption] HERITAGE — CAI GUO-QIANG Displaying at GOMA for the second time after its initial 2013 run, Cai Guo-Qiang's Heritage is another of Water's pieces that isn't done enough justice by a mere description. Inspired by the artist's trip to North Stradbroke Island in 2011, the artwork features animals lined up around a water hole, all sharing a drink, with zebras standing side by side with pandas — and other such unlikely combinations. Although smaller than its previous version, this new iteration still features 45 critters peering into a blue pond, and leaves a firm imprint. Visitors can walk around the perimeter, peer at it from different angles, sit and ruminate, and watch out for the drop of water that falls from the roof periodically, causing small but noticeable ripples in this otherwise peaceful utopian scene. [caption id="attachment_755192" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Peter Fischli. Switzerland, b.1952. David Weiss. Switzerland, 1946-2012. Snowman 1987/2019 (installation view, GOMA). © Peter Fischli and David Weiss, Zürich 2019. Courtesy: Sprüth Magers, Berlin/London/Los Angeles; Matthew Marks, New York/Los Angeles; Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zürich. Photograph: Natasha Harth, QAGOMA.[/caption] SNOWMAN — PETER FISCHLI AND DAVID WEISS Like much in Water, Snowman takes a straightforward concept and turns it into a thoughtful and impactful piece of art. Great creative works have always done that — the Mona Lisa is just a portrait, and Andy Warhol's pop art thrives on repetition, for example — and this playful piece delights and intrigues in a powerful way. Yes, it looks adorable, no matter whether its smile is firm or drooping. When you're looking at a snowman that's clearly out of its element, however, you're made to think about how it's out of place and what it represents. There's no avoiding the fact that, as the planet warms, the humble snowman's habitat is decreasing. Staring at three balls of snow housed in an industrial freezer and set against Brisbane's warm climes — with trees, greenery, the river and plenty of sunlight all visible behind the artwork — will do that. [caption id="attachment_754792" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] David Medalla. Philippines / United Kingdom. b.1942. Cloud Canyons No.25 (installation view) 1963/ 2015. Plexiglass tubing, motor pumps, porous stones, wood, water, detergent / Six tubes: 300 x 20cm (diam.), 250 x 20cm (diam.), 200 x 20cm (diam.), 150 x 20cm (diam.), 100 x 20cm (diam.), 50 x 20cm (diam.); basin: 200cm (diam.). © David Medalla. Pictured: Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia. Purchased 2014. Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art Foundation.Collection: QAGOMA. Photograph: Natasha Harth.[/caption] CLOUD CANYONS — DAVID MEDALLA There's a hypnotic rhythm to Cloud Canyons, the vibrant sculpture by David Medalla. Inspired by the weather in general and clouds specifically, it flexes and shuffles ever so slightly, but every breath-like movement is still noticeable. Given what the piece is made out of, its shifting form is to be expected. Piping detergent foam through plexiglass tubes will have that effect (and so will setting the white substance against a stark black background). Designed to represent a small part of a huge cycle, the soapy bubbles push up and down, twist around, then puddle and evaporate, with the temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and gravity all influencing their behaviour. Getting entranced by it is only natural, really. Water is on display at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art, South Bank, until April 26, 2020. For further information, visit the gallery website. Top images: Water. Exhibition no.2019.26. Organisation: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA). Start date: 7 December 2019. End date: 26 April 2020. Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA). Level 1. Installation views.
With The Studio, Seth Rogen draws upon his years in show business to both satirise and shower love on Hollywood and the filmmaking game. He also plays the Apple TV+ series' lead: Matt Remick, a film executive who has always dreamed of getting the head job at Continental Studios, and achieves that feat when season one begins. Newly installed in his coveted gig, Matt unsurprisingly starts discovering the stresses of running a studio, including the difficult balance between artistic and commercial objectives — aka making something that he can be proud of and making hits. As one of The Studio's guiding forces, Rogen has achieved that mix with the show, which is both excellent and a success. The streaming platform behind it are clearly fans, because they've given it the ultimate tick of approval: renewal for a second season while its first is still dropping weekly episodes. There was always going to be ample material for an inside-Hollywood comedy from Rogen and his long-time collaborator Evan Goldberg (see: Superbad, Pineapple Express, This Is the End, Bad Neighbours and its sequel, The Interview and The Night Before). Together, they've co-created, co-written, co-directed and executive produced The Studio, partly drawing upon their own Tinseltown experiences. In both the regular cast and among the show's guest stars and cameos, Rogen and Goldberg have also enlisted a heap of other familiar faces to navigate everything from trying to make the next Barbie, one-take shots, giving famous filmmakers feedback and casting choices to awards ceremonies and whether the movie industry is important work. Rogen (Mufasa: The Lion King) leads, with Catherine O'Hara (The Wild Robot), Ike Barinholtz (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along) and Chase Sui Wonders (City on Fire) joining him in the main ensemble as fellow execs — some displaced by Remick, some gunning for the same gig, others wide-eyed and bringing a new perspective among seasoned Hollywood veterans. The core group frequently have company — so when Bryan Cranston (Argylle), Zoë Kravitz (Blink Twice), Paul Dano (Fantasmas), Olivia Wilde (Don't Worry Darling), Charlize Theron (Fast X), Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Brave New World), Zac Efron (A Family Affair), Sarah Polley (Women Talking) Greta Lee (Past Lives), Ice Cube (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), Rebecca Hall (Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire), Adam Scott (Severance), Ron Howard (Jim Henson Idea Man) and Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon) aren't making appearances, then Dave Franco (Love Lies Bleeding), Jean Smart (Hacks), Johnny Knoxville (The Luckiest Man in America), Josh Hutcherson (The Beekeeper), Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Ramy Youssef (Poor Things), Steve Buscemi (Transformers One), Zack Snyder (Rebel Moon), Aaron Sorkin (Being the Ricardos) and Parker Finn (Smile and Smile 2) are. "We're thrilled to be making a second season of The Studio. We're looking forward to taking the lived experience of making season one and immediately putting it into season two, then repeating that loop for ten more seasons. And, we're excited to keep all our industry friends and colleagues guessing as to when one of their personal stories will stream on Apple TV+," said Rogen and Goldberg about the renewal. The Studio joins a number of fellow Apple TV+ series that have locked in their comebacks in recent months, after news arrived that Ted Lasso's fourth season is finally on the way and that Severance will return for season three. There's obviously no sneak peek at season two as yet, but check out the trailer for The Studio's first season below: The Studio streams via Apple TV+ — and we'll update you with more details on season two when they're announced. Read our interview with Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Chase Sui Wonders, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver.
When 10-year-old Ashley C. Williams took her very first acting job, as Tiger Lily in a local theatre production of Peter Pan, it was a safe bet that she had no idea where her acting career would land her. More than a decade later she found herself smack bang in the middle of one of the most controversial horror films to ever crawl its way across the screen. And yes, before you ask, we do mean the middle. For most people, being sewn lips-to-butt into a makeshift Siamese triplet isn't the sort of thing you'd want to include on your resume. But in Williams' case, the success of director Tom Six's notorious stomach-churner was a boon for her career, transforming her from an aspiring screen actress to sought-after horror film star. The old saying may well be true: there really is no such thing as bad publicity. Williams recently made the trip down to Melbourne to promote her newest film, Julia, which recently screened at Cinema Nova as part of Monster Fest. A violent thriller about a gang-rape victim who takes revenge on her attackers one by one, the film seems guaranteed to stir up controversy — although whether it can outdo Williams' most infamous performance still remains to be seen. Ahead of the screening, Williams spoke to Concrete Playground about the trajectory of her career, from Peter Pan to The Human Centipede, Julia and beyond. So when did you start out acting? I started acting at the age of 10. My mother noticed that I had all this crazy energy in the house, and decided to take me on auditions for local community theatre plays. I auditioned for Peter Pan and got the role of Tiger Lily, and had an absolute blast. I loved every second of it, diving into somebody else. At age 19, I moved to New York City to go to acting school at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Around the early 2000s, I started doing more and more theatre, off Broadway, and eventually booked the role in The Human Centipede, my first film. How did your casting in that film come about? It was towards the end of 2008. I didn't have an agent, so I was submitting myself to a lot of the online breakdowns. They were looking for two Beverly Hills-type American actresses to be in a "controversial European film", which is how it was described to me. So I ended up submitting myself. That it was going to be shot in Europe was very enticing. I really wanted to get out of the city and go and be a part of something really crazy. When you first got involved in The Human Centipede, did you expect it to turn into the crazy phenomenon that it ended up becoming? Not at all. We had no idea what anyone was going to think of the film. I never saw any of Tom's previous work ... I knew that it was a lower budget European film, and especially because it was shot in Amsterdam, it was like "well, we'll be lucky if American audiences ever see this". And especially with the controversial, disgusting content, you just have no idea. I thought when I took the film that it would either make or break my career. So I took that chance, and luckily it ended up becoming a cult phenomenon. Whether people hated it or loved it, they knew about it and talked about. So for me, that was extremely exciting. And is it on the back of that film's notoriety that you've been able to book other film roles? For sure. In that genre, definitely. After that film came out I was offered a lot of lead roles in other horror films. I ended up turning down a lot of them because in the horror genre, scripts can be really similar. There's not a lot of original material out there. So I told myself that, because I was a part of Tom Six's very unique vision, that if I were to do another horror film, I would want it to be very unique and original. So then how did you become involved in Julia? I was living in New York City still, and a former manager that I worked with recommended me for the lead role of Julia. I was sent the script and two of the director's short films that he had previously shot ... When I read the script, I was just floored. I loved every page and the whole journey that Julia goes on ... I felt very in tune with the character. With the recent release of Gone Girl, there's been quite a bit of discussion regarding women in genre cinema, and the idea of female revenge stories. Do you feel like Julia fits into that category? It's definitely interesting. When I read the script I wasn't thinking "oh, this is a feminist revenge movie where this girl ends up hating men". This journey that she goes on, it's more of this ecstatic, beautiful, evil spiritual awakening where she comes into her true self. And that's the controversial part of it ... [her] being catapulted into taking back control of her life. That was what interested me the most. Obviously this film contains some pretty brutal violence. What's your approach to shooting scenes like that? Because I had to get to a very deep, dark place in the character, I had to find the beauty in the evil that I was doing. I had to find the ecstasy, the orgasmic sexiness of how it made me feel to take control — complete control — over myself and situations that I found myself in. So I threw myself into those situations completely fearlessly. So what's next for you? Do you see yourself taking more roles in horror movies? Surely you must deserve a comedy by now? I'd definitely love to be part of more light-hearted genres. But Julia's not technically a horror film; it's more like a psychological thriller with horror elements. That's why I was drawn to it. Not just the horror elements, but everything — the beauty, the darkness, the ecstatic energy. I think now, if I were to do another horror film, the script would have to be impeccable. I'm gearing more towards wanting to be a part of mainstream films, so anything that elevates my career towards more mainstream is what I'm looking for. Though Ashley's new film already screened over the weekend, there's a bunch more gory madness going down at Melbourne's Monster Fest this week. Check it out here.
Bottoms up, public servants. Capital Brewing Co. is the newest addition to the ACT craft beer scene, with Canberra becoming more of a craft beer capital by the day. Pun intended. Officially launching in Canberra on Thursday, April 21, Capital will see the hospitality, brewing and festival industries join forces — starting with mates Tom Hertel and Laurence Kain (owners of Hippo Co and ex-owners of Honky Tonks) and Rich and Sam Coombes (founders of Batlow Cider Co). "We knew Tom and Laurence from supplying cider to their venues and ended up drinking a lot of beer together," says Coombes. "We would talk about how cool it would be to open our own brewery in Canberra and produce great beer for the region and inspired by the region." The Capital team is seven-strong, comprising of Hertel, Kain, and the Coombes brothers, alongside operational partners Ian Stott and Nick Hislop (who've worked with both Aussie and US breweries and cider companies), head brewer Wade Hurley and Secret Garden Festival director Clare Downes. What. A. Team. The brewery's range of so-called "good natured brews" starts with their Coast Ale, a California style beer created by head brewer Hurley, who hails from San Diego mega-breweries Coronado Brewing Co and Green Flash and recently moved to Australia to take on the local craft market. With the intention to get Canberrans celebrating their natural, outdoorsy surrounds, the entire range of Capital brews will pay homage to the region's trails, lakes and mountains. Apart from the Coast Ale, the 'natural' core beers will include a sessionable Trail pale ale and the four-hopped 'Evil Eye' IRA, which uses seasonal cascade hops grown in Batlow. "Our red IPA is inspired by the autumn season, both in colour and in the seasonal nature of the hops used for the beer" says Coombes. Homegrown hops will be supplied, when possible, by the Batlow Fruit Co-op, which also supplies the apples for Batlow Cider. Hop growing is a relatively new venture for Batlow's orchard manager Andrew Despre, who has recently traveled to major hop growing regions across the US and New Zealand. The Capital brews will be officially released on Thursday, April 21 and hopefully reach bars and restaurants Australia-wide shortly after. With plans to open a brewery in the Fyshwick district sometime in 2016, Capital will be contract brewing out of Sydney breweries Wayward and newcomer Hairy Man Brewery until then. We can't wait to see (and taste) what these nature-loving brewers have in store.
Sometimes, you just need to get away from it all. And what better way to do that, than by escaping to your own private luxury villa, floating offshore from Sydney's famed Palm Beach? Lilypad, the northern beaches' lavish floating accommodation is reopening from February to the public, following a series of upgrades and refurbishments. The villa, which first opened in 2019, has been fitted out with a whole new design that pulls from Spanish and Mediterranean coastal villas. The spot has also scored some exciting new additions, including a completely solar-powered, on-board sauna. The new design is a pretty vast change from the previous look of the floating home, according to owner and designer Chuck Anderson. "We've made better use of the space to create a whole new feeling when onboard and I know returning guests, along with new guests will absolutely love it," Anderson says. The floating paradise has been built with respect for its natural environment, running entirely off solar power. And, it's been cleverly engineered to remain stable, while still embracing the natural movements and rhythms of the water below. After all, a bout of seasickness doesn't exactly scream 'luxury'. Inside you'll find all the comforts of a luxe home-stay from a full modern kitchen and king bedroom, to a wine cellar with access to a collection of Las Vino and Veuve Clicquot wines. The living space opens onto a deck on which you can sit and look out over the surrounding ocean while you eat or with a drink in hand. Topping off your time at the Lilypad is added resort-style luxuries like included meals with a private chef on request, champagne on arrival, a private boat for use to and from the villa, paddle boards and access to onboard massages. Bookings are available for one to five nights stay, with accommodation packages starting at $1800. Bookings are now open for Lilypad from February 2022 via the accommodation's website.
Ólafur Arnalds, the BAFTA Award-winning Icelandic composer and pianist, is returning to the Melbourne Recital Centre. But, this time he is bringing two self-playing pianos along with him. Arnalds, who has collaborated with the likes of Nils Frahm, performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre back in 2014. His new performances, taking place in December, will feature eerie, atmospheric and electronic works from his yet-to-be released fourth album re:member. The album, which will be released on August 24, was produced in collaboration with hip-hop producer BNGERBOY and features Arnalds' ground-breaking new piano software. A two-year project by Arnalds and audio developer Halldór Eldjârn, the software uses an algorithmic device to control two self-playing pianos. A central piano is also played by Arnalds. While Arnalds used the software to create the album, he'll be performing with it for the very first time during this Australian tour. You can delve deeper into Arnalds' new software, too, as he has posted two videos (here and here) that explain it all in great depth. If you haven't listened to much of Arnalds' music before, his melancholic musical project Islands (2016), which features seven songs recorded across seven locations in Iceland, is a good place to start. Alternatively, you could watch the television series Broadchurch, which Arnalds composed the award-winning soundtrack for, snagging him a 2014 BAFTA for Best Original Music. Ólafur Arnalds tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday, August 3. Pre-sale tickets will be released at 9am, Wednesday, August 1 — to get access, head to the Melbourne Recital Centre website.
While many states and territories have closed their borders and all Australians are advised against any non-essential travel, Australia's Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham has said now is the time to start "dreaming of" and "planning" domestic holidays. During an interview on Sunrise this morning, Monday, April 13, Birmingham thanked Australians for staying at home, saying, "it has been critical for slowing the spread of the virus and it will remain critical for some time to come". Just when these restrictions will be eased, though, is up to Australia's "medical officials and health experts", Birmingham said. But in between studying and "bingeing Netflix", Birmingham is encouraging Australians to: "undertake a little bit of dreaming, a bit of little planning, so those who can afford to, who will be in a position to, can get out and help an Australian tourism business when we get to the other side of this." Because of COVID-19, Australia's tourism industry — an industry that was already hit hard by this year's bushfires — is losing out on an estimated $9 billion a month, according to Tourism and Trade Forum. https://twitter.com/sunriseon7/status/1249481159714590720 Birmingham said state travel restrictions could be lifted before international travel ones, which he has hinted may be in place until 2021. When asked by the ABC about booking a hypothetical overseas trip in December, Birmingham said: "I wouldn't put any guarantees that you could undertake that overseas trip in December". https://twitter.com/BreakfastNews/status/1249464202978156545 For now, both the international travel ban and local non-essential travel regulations remain in place, with police in NSW, Victoria and Queensland handing out fines for those leaving home without a valid reason. You can currently only leave your home to shop for food and other essential supplies; for medical care or compassionate reasons; to exercise, in-line with the two-person limit; and for work or education if you cannot work or learn remotely. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Image: Tourism Events Queensland
Become the most mindful version of yourself at Melbourne's new multidisciplinary meditation studio. Now open on Glasshouse Road in Collingwood, A—SPACE is a place where busy professionals can escape from the pressures of everyday life. "It's a nourishing environment," says co-founder Josh Lynch, "that allows people to slow down, take a breath and feel like they're part of a community." Both Lynch and his business partner Manoj Dias have a background in marketing and know full well the difficulties of maintaining work/life balance. "I know what it's like to feel the weight of your working life pile up on your shoulders and not know how to remove it," says Dias. "Drinking more coffee than your body can handle, taking on more and more tasks and feeling like you can't switch off." "We wanted to create a space for people to slow down, breathe and engage in meaningful connections," he adds. To that end, A—SPACE offers a range of classes and workshops, from mindfulness meditation to pranayama techniques to yoga nidra. Classes start at $20, or you can invest in a membership. A—SPACE also has a number of corporate options for employers and their teams. With meditation having been found to make people happier and more productive, it seems like a worthwhile investment. Find A—SPACE at 5 Glasshouse Road, Collingwood. For more information visit www.a-space.com.au
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. A QUIET PLACE PART II When every noise you make could send savage aliens stalking, slashing and slaughtering your way, it's the waiting that gets you. When you're watching a nerve-rattling horror film about that exact scenario, the same sentiment remains relevant. In A Quiet Place, the Abbott family went into survival mode after vicious creatures invaded, hunted down every sound and dispensed with anyone that crossed their path. For the characters in and viewers of the 2018 hit alike, the experience couldn't have screamed louder with anxiety and anticipation. Evelyn and Lee (Wild Mountain Thyme's Emily Blunt and Detroit's John Krasinski) and their children Regan (Millicent Simmonds, Wonderstruck), Marcus (Noah Jupe, The Undoing) and Beau (Cade Woodward, Avengers: Endgame) all silently bided their time simply trying to stay safe and alive, but their continued existence lingered under a gut-wrenching shadow. The critters were still out there, listening for even a whisper. It was a matter of when, not if, they'd discern the slightest of noises and strike again. That type of waiting drips with tension and suspense, and also with the kind of inevitability that hovers over everyone alive. A certain bleak end awaits us all, a truth we routinely attempt to ignore; however, neither the Abbotts nor A Quiet Place's audience were allowed to forget that grim fact for even a moment. Initially slated to arrive in cinemas two years later, then delayed by the pandemic for 14 months, sequel A Quiet Place Part II isn't done with waiting. Written and directed once again by Krasinski, the film doesn't shy away from the stress and existential distress that marking time can bring, but it also tasks its characters with actively confronting life's inevitabilities. After an intense and impressive tone-setting opening flashback to the first day of the alien attack, when the Abbotts' sleepy hometown learns of humanity's new threat in the cruellest fashion, the storyline picks up where its predecessor left off. It's day 474 — the earlier film spent most of its duration around day 472 — and Evelyn, Regan, Marcus and the family's newborn are grappling with their losses. That said, they're also keenly aware that they can't stay in their Appalachian farmhouse any longer. After spotting smoke on the horizon and setting off in that direction, they reconnect with Emmett (Cillian Murphy, Peaky Blinders), an old friend who has been through his own traumas. Evelyn sees safety in numbers, but he's reluctant to help. Then Regan hears a looping radio transmission playing 'Beyond the Sea' and decides to track down its source — and a film that's less thrilling, potent and unsettling than its predecessor eventuates. Read our full review. CRUELLA A killer dress, a statement jacket, a devastating head-to-toe ensemble: if they truly match their descriptions, they stand the test of time. Set in 70s London as punk takes over the aesthetic, live-action 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella is full of such outfits — plus a white-and-black fur coat that's suspected of being made from slaughtered dogs. If the film itself was a fashion item, though, it'd be a knockoff. It'd be a piece that appears fabulous from afar, but can't hide its seams. That's hardly surprising given this origin tale stitches together pieces from The Devil Wears Prada, The Favourite, Superman, Star Wars and Dickens, and doesn't give two yaps if anyone notices. The Emmas — Stone, playing the dalmatian-hating future villain; Thompson, doing her best Miranda Priestly impression as a ruthless designer — have a ball. Oscar-winning Mad Max: Fury Road costume designer Jenny Beavan is chief among the movie's MVPs. But for a film placed amid the punk-rock revolution, it's happy to merely look the part, not live and breathe it. And, in aiming to explain away its anti-heroine's wicked ways, it's really not sure what it wants to say about her. Before she becomes the puppy-skinning fashionista that remains among Glenn Close's best-known roles, and before she's both a wannabe designer and the revenge-seeking talk of the town played by Stone (Zombieland: Double Tap), Cruella is actually 12-year-old girl Estella (Tipper Seifert-Cleveland, Game of Thrones). In this intellectual property-extending exercise from I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie, she sports two-toned hair and a cruel that streak her mother (Emily Beecham, Little Joe) tries to tame with kindness — and she's also a target for bullies, but has the gumption to handle them. Then tragedy strikes, an orphan is born, loss haunts her every move and, after falling in with a couple of likeable London thieves, those black-and-white locks get a scarlet dye job. By the time that Estella is in her twenties, she's well-versed in pulling quick heists with Jasper (Joel Fry, Yesterday) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser, Songbird). She loves sewing the costumes required more than anything else, however. After years spent dreaming of knockout gowns, upmarket department stores and threads made by the Baroness (Thompson, Last Christmas), she eventually gets her chance — for fashion domination, as well as vengeance. Read our full review. MY NAME IS GULPILIL Lengthy is the list of Australian actors who've started their careers on home soil, then boosted their fame, acclaim and fortunes by heading abroad. Some have won Oscars. Others are global household names. One plays a pigtailed comic book villain in a big film franchise, while another dons a cape and wields a hammer in a competing blockbuster saga. David Gulpilil doesn't earn any of the above descriptions, and he isn't destined to. It wouldn't interest him, anyway. His is the face of Australian cinema, though, and has been for half a century. Since first gracing the silver screen in Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout, the Yolŋu man has gifted his infectious smile and the irrepressible glint in his eye to many of the nation's most important movies. Indeed, to peruse his filmography is to revel in Aussie cinema history. On his resume, 70s classics such as Mad Dog Morgan and The Last Wave sit alongside everything from Crocodile Dundee and Rabbit-Proof Fence to Australia, Goldstone and Cargo — as well as parts in both the first 1976 film adaptation of Storm Boy and its 2019 remake. The latest film to benefit from the Indigenous talent's presence: My Name Is Gulpilil. It might just be the last do to so, however. That sad truth has been baked into the documentary ever since its subject asked director Molly Reynolds and producer Rolf de Heer — two filmmakers that Gulpilil has collaborated with before, including on Another Country, Charlie's Country, Ten Canoes and The Tracker — to make something with him after he was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. That was back in 2017, when he was given just six months to live. Gulpilil has been proving that diagnosis wrong ever since. Cue this heartfelt portrait of an Australian icon like no other, which celebrates a star who'll never be matched, reminds viewers exactly why that's the case, but is never a mere easy, glossy tribute. Anyone could've combined snippets of Gulpilil's movies with talking heads singing his praises. In the future, someone probably will. But Reynolds is interested in truly spending time with Gulpilil, hearing his tale in his own words, and painting as complete a portrait of his life, work, dreams, regrets, spirit, culture and impact as possible. Read our full review. FIRST LOVE When a filmmaker has more than 100 movies to their name and shows no signs of stopping, do they constantly branch out in new and untested directions — or do they keep doing what they already know and clearly love? If you're Takashi Miike, you tick both boxes depending on how the mood strikes you, although First Love plays to the prolific Audition, Ichi the Killer and Yakuza Apocalypse director's established strengths. Pulp violence, a twisty crime tale and the Japanese auteur's gonzo energy all combine in this Tokyo-set noir-thriller. A decapitated head makes an appearance within minutes, and gangsters blasting, slashing and fumbling their way around the city are a key part of the story. Late in the piece, when the frenetic action kicks into another gear, a vibrant animated sequence is also threaded into the film. At this point, why not? Miike's features can't be confused for anyone else's, and First Love is no different; however, even with its hyperactive mood, hectic score, and steep swerves into romance, comedy and slapstick, this is also one of his most straightforward works of late. It's no less fun, inventive, dynamic, enjoyable or brilliant, though, and Miike can never be accused of painting by numbers. Perhaps it's just that everything here fits and works as it should, and that the inimitable filmmaker has found and embraced his wavelength. When boxer Leo (Masataka Kubota, Diner) receives news that no one wants to hear — he has a brain tumour, it's inoperable and he doesn't have much time left — he takes it as gloomily as anyone would. But when he subsequently crosses paths with sex worker Monica (Sakurako Konishi, Colorless), his evening takes another unexpected turn. She's fleeing the yakuza gangsters who forced her into prostitution, including one particularly scheming underling (Sometani, Detective Chinatown 3) who plans to use her in a ploy with a crooked cop (Seiyô Uchino, 13 Assassins) to eradicate a Chinese triad gang. They start off as strangers, but Leo swiftly becomes Monica's only friend amidst the bloody mayhem. Working with a script from Masa Nakamura, who co-penned Sukiyaki Western Django with him back in 2007, Miike knows that he's playing with a raft of familiar elements. As well as the swathe of touches he rolls out from his own wheelhouse, his protagonist is decked out like James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, for instance. But there's a distinctive brand of Miike magic in the movie's blending of gleefully cartoonish mania with a poignant outsiders-against-the-world narrative, and in everything from its jazz-rock score to its immaculately executed hardware store showdown as well. FINAL ACCOUNT How did something so heartbreakingly, gut-wrenchingly, soul-crushingly abhorrent happen? Why did an entire nation accept what was happening in its name? Wouldn't decent people have spoken out in protest, especially when they saw others being rounded up and taken to their deaths? They're some of the trains of thought that the Second World War has inspired for decades, because humanity so desperately wants to believe that the Holocaust and its atrocities are aberrations in our history. But during the past decade — and the past four years in American politics, particularly — it has been impossible to keep simply wondering how rotten leaders command unquestioning allegiance while they're committing horrendous acts. That recent reality, complete with the rise of hatred-fuelled ideologies and violent deeds carried out as a result, only makes Final Account more grim and potent. Over the course of more than a decade, making what would become his last film, director Luke Holland (I Was a Slave Labourer) set himself a task: to interview the last generation of surviving Germans and Austrians who lived through World War II. Their memories and recollections are chilling, including when they're claiming ignorance, or contending that opposing the Third Reich was impossible, or shrugging off their collaboration with a murderous regime. For most of the film's octogenarian and nonagenarian interviewees, living with what happened is no longer something they struggle with. That truth is unnerving, and it's on display again and again. Some, but only a few, veer in opposing directions — uttering their disgust, admitting that everyone knew and describing how the smell of burning bodies would linger for kilometres around concentration camps; or calling the Waffen SS heroes, polishing their medals and other Nazi insignia, and voicing their agreement with Hitler. Each admission either way, and the multitude of opinions in-between, remains haunting. Some come from soldiers and camp guards, others from Hitler Youth members, and others still from bystanders. The quality, both of the discussions and the footage capturing it, wavers from clip to clip, but nothing can temper the overall impact. Also distressing: the journey that Final Account takes through the sites of former concentration camps such as Sachsenhausen, Mauthausen and Auschwitz. Even merely via the screen, each location seethes with pain and torment. Holland could've made a far larger work, perhaps on par with Shoah. He could've fine-tuned his focus here, too. Still, the end result delivers an equally unsettling and essential testament not just about one specific chapter of history, but about the kinds of people who let it happen. KING OTTO With a title like King Otto, this documentary about soccer player-turned-coach Otto Rehhagel wears its celebratory spirit on kit sleeves. That doesn't dull its impact, however, because director Christopher André Marks (Tiger Hood) understands that an against-the-odds underdog story told well is one of the most engaging narratives there is. For the unacquainted, the German-born Rehhagel was a star footballer in his homeland from the late 40s until the early 70s. Then, a managerial career beckoned, also on home turf. In 2001, he was appointed to lead the Greek national team — a squad that had never won a tournament match and were considered one of the weakest in Europe. The fact that this film even exists instantly signals that there's a tale worth relaying here. Rehhagel's time at the helm started with a big loss, then a period of rebuilding, but when the team qualified for the 2004 Euro Championships, they weren't expected to do well. That assumption only grew when they were drawn to play powerhouse host nation Portugal first up, and yet the surprises kept arriving from there. Even if you know how it all turned out, King Otto is alway rousing. Even if you've seen every similar sports story there is — and there are plenty, both fictional and true — that remains the case. And even if you're rarely moved by such antics, this film is still bound ot strike a chord. Marks doesn't do anything revolutionary in terms of his style and approach. Talking heads feature prominently; interviewing the forthright Rehhagel in a space that looks like a palace is one of the documentary's flashiest touches. The film surveys players such as Giorgos Karagounis, Traianos Dellas and Antonios Nikopolidis, plus other officials like administrator Vassilis Gagatsis and assistant coach Ioannis Topalidis, too, hearing their thoughts and recollections about the roller coaster period — and makes heavy use of archival footage of the Greek national team's matches, including at their best and their worst. Savvy editing maximises the anticipation and suspense, though, as well as the excitement and eagerness. After hearing about how poorly the squad was regarded, spanning negative comments from opponents such as France's Thierry Henry in advance of their game and the soccer-covering media regarding Rehhagel's defensive-first tactics afterwards, even the most sports-ambivalent viewers will be hoping for and investing in their wins. And as the feel-good trajectory inches closer and closer, so does the film's warmth, sense of catharsis, and respect for its subject and his achievements alike. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25; March 4, March 11, March 18 and March 25; and April 1, April 8, April 15, April 22 and April 29; and May 6, May 13 and May 20. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Nomadland, Pieces of a Woman, The Dry, Promising Young Woman, Summerland, Ammonite, The Dig, The White Tiger, Only the Animals, Malcolm & Marie, News of the World, High Ground, Earwig and the Witch, The Nest, Assassins, Synchronic, Another Round, Minari, Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, The Truffle Hunters, The Little Things, Chaos Walking, Raya and the Last Dragon, Max Richter's Sleep, Judas and the Black Messiah, Girls Can't Surf, French Exit, Saint Maud, Godzilla vs Kong, The Painter and the Thief, Nobody, The Father, Willy's Wonderland, Collective, Voyagers, Gunda, Supernova, The Dissident, The United States vs Billie Holiday, First Cow, Wrath of Man, Locked Down, The Perfect Candidate, Those Who Wish Me Dead, Spiral: From the Book of Saw and Ema.
Beloved local spirits producer Four Pillars is known for innovation. Its inventive collaborations and tasty creations like the rare dry and bloody shiraz gin ranges have earned it the title of World's Best Gin for two years running now. The distillery is now looking to elevate your sunny days with an esky in hand with a new range of ready-to-drink gin and tonic cans. In an effort to take the RTD game to the next level, Four Pillars is squeezing all the goodness of its rare dry gin into a convenient can. The RTD is made using a special rare dry gin that is hyper-concentrated using twice as many botanicals as its bottled gin. The Melbourne distiller also created its own tonic for the cans in order to get the mix just right and ensure the flavour is just as good as a G&T you'd make using a bottle of Four Pillars. "We set out to make a gin and tonic, not a tonic and gin, so the ratios were really important," distiller Cam Mackenzie said. With summer on its way and restrictions beginning to roll back for states that have been in lockdown over winter, Four Pillars has launched the cans just in time for all your future picnics and trips to the beach. Each 250-millilitre can will be 5.1-percent alcohol and will come in four-packs for $27.99. If you want to get your hands on some, you can expect to see them begin to pop up throughout October and they'll be available from Four Pillars' Healesville and Surry Hills outposts, plus all the classic bottle shops you'd expect like Dan Murphy's, BWS, Liquorland, and independent sellers. Head to the Four Pillars website to read more about the new G&T RTDs. Images: Benito Martin
The returning Fantastic Film Festival Australia isn't just about celebrating cult-classic movies. This cinema showcase is one of several in Australia that wears its love for the weird, wild and wonderful — the strange and surreal, too — on its screens, and that means going heavy on the latest flicks that fit that description. But when the Melbourne event includes beloved retro titles on its lineup, it usually does something special with them. So, in 2023, as part of its just-announced program, it has particularly attention-grabbing plans for Zoolander and the OG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action movie. Ben Stiller's comedy about the world of modelling might be all about donning clothes, but FFFA's session of the film is going in the opposite direction, joining the fest's growing spate of nude screenings. The event debuted the concept in 2021, then brought it back in 2022 for the 25th anniversary of The Full Monty. Now, patrons are asked to wear nothing but their best blue steel look — or magnum if they prefer — while watching a really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking movie. Clothes are required at FFFA's showing of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but don't worry about eating pizza beforehand — you'll be able to smell it during the session. The fest is going with a scratch-and-sniff experience, in what it's calling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Stink-O-Vision and will be a world-premiere. As you watch Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael (and Sam Rockwell in a blink-or-you'll-miss-it part), you'll be told to scratch a card at certain moments to get smelling. Some scents will be tasty. Some definitely won't. Running from Friday, April 14–Sunday, April 30 at Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn, FFFA's 2023 bill also features a 2K restoration of Takashi Miike's Audition, but mostly it's serving today's fresh flicks that'll be tomorrow's cult favourites. Opening the fest is Polite Society, about a martial artist-in-training endeavouring to save her sister from an arranged marriage — and a hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Closing it: LION-GIRL, a futuristic, post-apocalyptic sci-fi film about saving humanity (aren't they all?) that boasts character design by manga artist Go Nagai. Elsewhere on its 2023 program, Fantastic Film Festival Australia will screen the 1997-set Zillion, the highest-grossing film in Belgium in 2022, which tells of a computer whiz who creates the biggest discotheque in the world; Evil Dead Rise, the latest title in the ongoing zombie franchise, and prime fodder for a midnight slot; and Holy Shit!, which is completely set in a portaloo rigged with explosives. Or, there's a movie that FFFA is calling An Untitled and Perfectly-Legal Coming-Of-Age Parody Film — it isn't naming it because it was surrounded by controversy at its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, but you can easily work out by a quick online search, especially if you're fond of comic-book characters. It'll screen with the director in attendance, in what'll be one of its rare public showings so far. A number of Australian efforts are also on the lineup, starting with Rolf de Heer's The Survival of Kindness, which recently proved a hit at the Berlin International Film Festival. There's also Beaten to Death, a new-wave Ozploitation thriller set in remote Tasmania; the giallo-style Blur, about an investigation into a strange entity; and The End of History, about Australian techno producers Darcy and Pat as they chase their creative dreams in Berlin.
Even vegetarians and vegans need a filthy food option sometimes — and Lord of the Fries is one of few fast food joints that really gets this. Now, Australia's homegrown vegetarian chain is expanding their offering to include all-day vegan breakfast. The photos may look like Maccas knock-offs, but the brekkie options — like the rest of the Lord of the Fries menu — are 100 percent vegan. Think BLTs, sausage and hash brown muffins, and a fried chicken and waffle bun with bacon, butter and maple syrup. Plus, there's also an English muffin stuffed with the holy trinity of 'bacon', 'egg' and 'cheese'. All made without any animal products, of course. The idea of vegan eggs might make some people squirm, but the mere fact that vegan fast food breakfast options are readily available is roof-raising news for those who like to keep their hangover cures cruelty-free. The all-day breakfast is now available nationwide and in all stores. Check out the full menu here.
Arts Centre Melbourne is opening its summer season with the hit Broadway musical Evita and it's bringing the show's Buenos Aires setting to life with Stomping Ground La Boca — a pop-up beer garden that will take over the Forecourt from December 4 through February 24, 2019, showcasing Argentinian booze, food and music. As the name suggests, Collingwood's Stomping Ground will be manning the beer side of things. On tap, the brewery's core range will be joined by an Argentinian-inspired lager — brewed exclusively for the beer garden — and a range of Argentinian wines, too. For food, Argentinian eatery Asado (the brand new venture by the San Telmo team) will be slinging a menu of classic street eats, such as beef and cheese empanadas, steak sandwiches and choripan (chorizo and chimichurri on a roll). Plus, a coal-roasted vegetable salad with chickpeas and ancient grains will be available for vegos, and dulce de leche-spiked soft serve and cookies will be up for dessert. The colourful fit-out will be accompanied by lively Argentinian bands that channel the sounds of Caminito in Buenos Aires, with tango lessons and cultural performances also on the docket. It will be open from 11am till late every day of the week. Though the beer garden is open to both theatregoers and non-theatregoers alike, the space is best enjoyed before or after a show — especially, before or after Evita. The award-winning musical, by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, stars Tina Arena and follows the extravagant life of Eva Perón, the wife of Argentinian director Juan Perón. It's a worthy summertime excursion and it opens on Wednesday, December 5.
Yayoi Kusama's dots, obliteration rooms and pumpkins are rarely far Australia's shores, whether via kaleidoscopic solo exhibitions, pieces in other showcases, infinity rooms popping up in multiple places or documentaries about the Japanese artist. Your next way to get your Kusama fix on home soil is going big. Huge, in fact. Towering, even. And it's putting one of her giant pumpkin sculptures in the best place possible: a garden. When this gourd is normally found among the greenery, it doesn't usually measure three metres in length. Pumpkins aren't typically red, either, or covered in black spots. The Kusama Red and Black Pumpkin that's joining Pt Leo Estate is all of those things, however, as well as a massive new drawcard for the Victorian venue. "I am very pleased to showcase my work in such a wonderful place. The magical fusion of nature and my work is something special that can only be seen in each location," said Kusama about one of her pumpkins taking up permanent residence on the Mornington Peninsula. "At three metres wide, the monumental work is much larger than Kusama's iconic Naoshima sculpture and enjoys a spectacular Victorian coastal vista as backdrop," added Pt Leo Sculpture Park Consultant Curator Geoffrey Edwards. The Naoshima pumpkin has attracted a crowd to the Japanese art island since being installed in 1994, but was washed out to sea in a 2021 typhoon. A new piece that keeps with the same yellow and black design joined the site in 2022, and still gets tourists flocking. Or, you can now head to Victoria. Kusama's Red and Black Pumpkin is made out of bronze and stainless steel, and covered with Kusama's beloved dots, a recurring motif across her work. She's been making pumpkins for decades to nod to her childhood experience on a small farm. Art lovers around the world have been feasting their eyes on the results ever since. At Pt Leo Estate, Kusama's giant and colourful work joins more than 50 fellow works across the grounds, including pieces by KAWS, Jaume Plensa, Inge King and Reko Rennie. When you're not peering at art while wandering around the 134-hectare estate, you can enjoy a meal at the Pt Leo Estate Restaurant, fine-diner Laura and the Wine Terrace, plus some vino from the cellar door and wine shop. Find Pt Leo Estate at 3649 Frankston-Flinders Road, Merricks, with Yayoi Kusama's Red and Black Pumpkin available to see from Saturday, November 25. Head to the venue's website for further information. Images: Chris McConville.
