When a new festival is announced, it brings several rounds of excitement. First discovering that you have a new excuse to party? Getting drip-fed the details? Diving into the full lineup? The event itself actually rolling around? They're all thrilling. That's the path that Melbourne's new Now or Never fest has been taking since it was initially announced in November 2023, with that journey now at the complete program drop stage — unveiling exactly what'll be filling the Victorian capital for 17 days from Thursday, August 17–Saturday, September 2. If you're a fan of Melbourne's other citywide festivals, both past and present — such as White Night, RISING and Melbourne Fringe — then you'll be primed to hop around town to enjoy everything from art to tunes. The whole Now or Never bill spans the work of more than 300 local and international artists, composers, change makers and innovators. It also includes 18 Australian premieres and 20 commissions exclusive to the fest. And, it's expected to attract north of 200,000 people. [caption id="attachment_907551" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Michaela Gleave. 'Messages of hope, messages of love' 2020, as part of 'Archie Plus', 2020 © Michaela Gleave. Photo: © AGNSW, Diana Panuccio.[/caption] Before now, organisers had revealed that Melbourne's historic Royal Exhibition Building will host its first large-scale live music performances in over 20 years. And, Never Permanent — a one-day Semi Permanent spinoff that'll be headlined by Roman Coppola — was also announced. From there, get ready for a 1.2-kilometre art trail through Docklands, a 360-degree cinema dome in the Melbourne Museum forecourt, 70-plus music performances in two days in a heap of other notable Melbourne spots, sculptural illuminations and projections over the Shrine of Remembrance, and more. The art trail is being curated by the Southbank-based Experimenta, which hones in on the future of art. So, unsurprisingly, it describes the outdoor gallery as aiming "to spark ideas and conversations around the challenges, possibilities, and complexities of imagining and shaping a world of tomorrow and our place in that future". Seven Australian and international artists will provide pieces — think: public storytelling, text-based animation and floating fog-filled bubbles — all backdropped by the promenade's lights, each blurring the boundaries of the physical and digital, and the whole thing paired with food trucks and brews by Moon Dog. That cinema dome? Meet the Neversphere, which'll play full-dome films about everything from the cosmos to labyrinthian streets — and Indigenous Australian song and dance as well — on its massive curved surface. To watch, you'll sit in beanbags, look up and revel in a screen that isn't a rectangle. Or, for the kind of meal you definitely can't get every day, you can head to the same orb for a four-night 360-degree dining spread. It'll feature unique dishes and cocktails by Supernormal, projections from Ryoichi Kurokawa, and a collaboration between electronic music producer Pantha du Prince and video and installation artist Natalia Stuyk. Those 70-plus gigs — which are in addition to the Royal Exhibition Building's music program — have been dubbed NONSTOP WKND. Sites like Miscelania, Sub Club, The Toff, Section 8, John Curtain Band Room and Max Watts will get in on the action, their stages welcoming in artists after artists after artists. And Now or Never's time at the Shrine of Remembrance? It's a world-premiere work by Hungarian artist and 3D-mapping pioneer Laszlo Bordos. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the design competition behind the spot, the piece will highlight its cultural significance. Also included: a sonic landscape designed by Czech composer Ondřej Skála. If that's not enough to get you out of the house in the last few weeks of Melbourne's winter — and greeting the first two days of spring as well — Now or Never will also span Dr.David Suzuki livestreaming into IMAX from Canada for National Science Week, a fusion of live and digital dance at ACMI, virtual reality that'll transport you to England's 80s-era rave scene, and Nap Bishop Tricia Hersey spruiking the benefits of rest. "Now or Never is an unmissable addition to our enviable events calendar this winter — cementing Melbourne's reputation as Australia's cultural capital while also boosting our local economy through a traditionally quiet time of year," says Lord Mayor Sally Capp. "This inaugural festival will showcase Melbourne as a place to discover, learn and play — with daytime programming seeping into late-night culture, digital musings, adventurous performances, one-of-a-kind culinary experiences and more." Now or Never runs from Thursday, August 17–Saturday, September 2 around Melbourne — head to the festival website for further details and tickets.
If the last couple of years in pop culture are to be believed, it mightn't be a great idea to go away with a character played by Cristin Milioti. In three of the always-excellent actor's most recent high-profile roles, she has decamped to idyllic surroundings, only to find anything but bliss awaiting. Palm Springs threw a Groundhog Day-style time loop her way in its titular setting. Made for Love saw her trapped by sinister futuristic possibilities. In The Resort, which hails from Palm Springs screenwriter Andy Siara, she now has the ten-year itch — and a getaway to Mexico that's meant to soothe it slides swiftly into a wild mystery. In this instantly twisty comedy-thriller — which brings its first three episodes to Stan in Australia on Friday, July 29, and TVNZ On Demand in New Zealand, then drops the remaining five weekly — Miloti plays Emma, spouse to William Jackson Harper's (The Good Place) Noah. After a decade of marriage, they're celebrating at the Bahía del Paraíso in the Yucatán, but they're really trying to reignite their spark. At this stage in their relationship, he recoils at her bad breath, she makes fun of him falling asleep on the couch, and they're rarely in sync; even when they're floating along the resort's lazy river, cocktails in hand, they want different things. And, they each tackle their matrimonial malaise in wildly dissimilar ways. She wants to find herself above all else, while he's desperate to reconnect. What they both find is a missing-persons case from 15 years ago, after Emma goes tumbling off a quad-biking trail, bumps her head and spies an old mobile phone. It belongs to Sam (Skyler Gisondo, Licorice Pizza), a guest at the nearby but now-shuttered Oceana Vista Resort, who was on holidays over Christmas 1997 with his parents (IRL couple Dylan Baker, Hunters, and Becky Ann Baker, Big Little Lies), as well as his girlfriend Hannah (Debby Ryan, Insatiable). As Emma learns via Sam's photos and text messages, all wasn't rosy in his romantic life. After running into fellow guest Violet (Nina Bloomgarden, Good Girl Jane), his SMS history skews in her direction. But the pair promptly disappeared, and any potential clues were lost when a hurricane struck and destroyed their getaway spot. Initially, Emma and Noah could've waltzed right out of The White Lotus, which also saw a sunny and sandy holiday turn sour — and surveyed couples looking to reignite their love, or solidify it, but getting caught up in thorny feelings and a murky death, too. When Emma takes to solving Sam and Violet's disappearance with the kind of enthusiasm she clearly hasn't shown towards Noah for years, she could been on loan from Only Murders in the Building as well. And, the more that the obsessed Emma and the reluctant Noah investigate, the more than The Resort has in common with Palm Springs. No one relives the same day again and again, but showrunner, writer and executive producer Siara displays the same sense of playfulness. Can bonding over a 15-year-old cold case fix a flailing marriage? Did a holiday romance end in tragedy all that time ago? They're The Resort's two key questions. It has more, many uttered by Emma and Noah as they track down every tidbit they can, but they're not the only people interested. In the series' flashback timeline, Oceana Vista Resort's head of security Baltasar (Luis Gerardo Méndez, Narcos: Mexico) tries to get to the bottom of things, while Violet's father Murray (Nick Offerman, Pam & Tommy) is understandably frantic. Also part this layered tale: Gabriela Cartol (Hernán) as knowing concierge Luna, Ben Sinclair (Thor: Love and Thunder) as erratic resort owner Alex, plus Parvesh Cheena (Mythic Quest) and Michael Hitchcock (Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar) as two married Teds dissecting their own long-running nuptials. The Resort's three main threads — a marriage in peril, holidays gone wrong and crime-inspired sleuthing — are as familiar as scenarios get on-screen in the past few years. Indeed, picturesque vacations taking turns for the worst have become a pandemic-era staple, as M Night Shyamalan's Old, the Tim Roth-starring Sundown, the aforementioned The White Lotus and fellow TV series Nine Perfect Strangers have all demonstrated. Siara moulds his addition to the landscape knowingly, though. He approaches all three of his well-worn setups with an understanding of why they're popular, and with a roguish eagerness to zig and zag all over the place. One of the show's biggest thrills comes from seeing just where it'll veer off to next, even while working with such recognisable beats. Surprises arise not just for Emma, Noah, Sam, Violet and company, but for The Resort's audience. Something that won't astonish: how quickly bingeable the series becomes, even though it's drip-feeding out its later episodes. Like Emma and Noah, getting drawn deep into the mystery is easy. Like Sam and Violet, too, getting caught up in the excitement comes just as naturally. The need to piece together puzzles kicks into gear while watching — something that Siara also cultivated on the tonally similar, criminally cancelled-too-soon Lodge 49, and rang true of producer Sam Esmail's Mr Robot as well. It helps that The Resort always looks enticing, not just via locations bound to inspire travel yearnings, but in the detail that resonates in its jungles, caves, hotel bars and lavish penthouses alike. The show's four directors, including Sinclair (High Maintenance), Australian filmmaker Ariel Kleiman (Partisan), and Daniel Garcia and Rania Attieh (Two Sentence Horror Stories), ensure that everything seen on-screen is lively, fascinating and probing in tandem. As guides through The Resort's many turns — as audience surrogates as well — Milioti and Harper are supremely well-cast, even if both have played these types of characters before (for the latter, see: season two of Love Life). The series could've focused solely their way and unearthed ample treasures, stirring insights into love and loss among them. That said, the same is true of the reliably engaging Gisondo (who keeps building on a resume that also spans Santa Clarita Diet and The Righteous Gemstones) and Bloomgarden as Sam and Violet find their own riddle to solve. Offerman's determined father adds poignancy, plus another excellent turn to his his name, but it's Méndez who best embodies The Resort. Sometimes he's tasked with teasing out minutiae and intrigue, sometimes he's delightfully goofy, and he's always impossible to look away from. Check out the trailer for The Resort below: The Resort is available to stream in Australia via Stan and in New Zealand via TVNZ On Demand. Images: Marisol Pesquera / Peacock.
Disneyland might have called dibs on being the happiest place on earth, but New York is certainly one of the tastiest. The city's culinary spread has long drawn visitors from far and wide, and it's now amassing a hefty collection of food museums. First came the Museum of Food and Drink. Then, the Museum of Ice Cream joined the mix. The only thing that could come close to topping that is a place dedicated to chocolate, right? French-born, US-based chocolatier Jacques Torres certainly thinks so, expanding his chocolate-making empire to include New York's first museum dedicated to everyone's favourite sweet treat. The 5000-square-foot Lower Manhattan establishment takes visitors through the entire choc experience. Yes, that involves learning about its history — and, it also includes eating the tasty, tasty substance in question. On the educational side of things, Choco-Story New York: The Chocolate Museum and Experience with Jacques Torres details the origins of all things chocolate dating back to Mayan and Aztec civilisations, and explains the method behind turning cacao beans into the delectable morsels we know and love. As for snacking — aka the reason everyone wants to stop by — nine premium tastings, other samples, hand-ground hot chocolate, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffles and chocolate-making workshops are all on offer. This isn't the world's first-ever chocolate museum, however. Among the array of weird and wonderful odes to edible delights (yes, a currywurst museum really exists), plenty of others have done the same thing. Basically, Homer Simpson's dream of a land of chocolate is slowly becoming a reality, with other choc havens found in Canada, London, Bruges, Hamburg, Vienna, Spain, the Netherlands, New Zealand and even Tasmania. Unsurprisingly, it's a long list.
This January marks the launch of the South Melbourne Night Market's 12th summer season, and its program is bigger and tastier than ever, jam-packed with treats suitable for you and anyone you want to bring along. Making the move from Thursday to Wednesday evenings, the twilight markets will run weekly from January 8 until February 5 with a summer-perfect mix of eats and drinks, so you can take full advantage of those balmy nights. There'll be 30 food trucks and stalls serving up vegan gelato, Mexican ice creams on sticks, Taiwanese street snacks, melty raclette cheese, cones of calamari, Nepalese dumplings, Jamm'd desserts (a cross between pancakes and doughnuts) and American-style barbecue from Smokin Barry's. Pair all this with drinks from ice-cold drinks from pop-up bar Cecil. Once you've had your fill of eats and drinks, you can browse artisanal wares from the likes of local jewellery label Perlu, organic skincare brand Redhelm and eco-friendly household product makeres Blue and Sunny, while listening to live tunes. There's even a kids club, so if you're bringing littlies along, you can keep them entertained with workshops and art and craft projects of their own. Entry and rooftop parking is free, with the markets opening from 12–9.30pm each week.
Did you know that it's illegal to store an ice cream in your back pocket in Alabama? One dare not imagine the horrifying tragedy that must have engendered this law. The destruction of such a very fine pair of acid-wash Levi's. The cruel, undeserved fate of the ice cream. Ludicrously entertaining, yes, but this is just one of infinite madcap laws that have been passed in the US over time, and now a young photographer is cleverly drawing attention to them through a series of images titled I Fought the Law. Recent School of Visual Arts grad, 22-year-old Olivia Locher, is working through every American state in turn, selecting the weirdest law of each to express as a photograph. Known for her colourful work and currently seeking Kickstarter funding for a fairly bizarre and intriguing cult-inspired film featuring lean girls in matching underwear, Locher has chosen the literal route for representing the unusual laws, and you can scope them all out here. Below we have included some of Locher's chronicle of what's verboten, to act as a kind of visual warning manifesto. Back that fixie away from the diving board, hombre, because in Cali it's absolutely forbidden to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool. Enjoying more than two dildos in the privacy of your own Arizonan home? The cops are onto you. (But this instructional video may prove helpful, should you choose to defend your hobbies). Meanwhile, in enlightened Wisconsin, serving apple pie without cheese is an illegal act. Why? Why should this be so? Does cheese even taste any good with apple pie? The boys in blue don't care for your existential line of inquiry. Coins can't legally be placed in human ears on the island of Hawaii, and Texan children are denied the legal right to get a weird haircut. Little Bobby wants a groovy mullet? Cuff 'im. Via PSFK
They've changed the home entertainment landscape and monopolise our couch time, but streaming platforms still like to keep everyone guessing. Surprise drops have become the latest trend, especially when it comes to blending movies and music — such as Beyonce's Homecoming documentary and The Lonely Island's Unauthorised Bash Brothers Experience on Netflix, and Donald Glover's Guava Island on Amazon Prime. And that's just this year. Announced this week and hitting your queue in mere days — on Thursday, June 27 — add Anima to the list. It too has a significant pedigree. Sharing the same name as Thom Yorke's third solo album, which'll drop on the same day, it's scored by the Radiohead frontman and directed by Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood and Phantom Thread filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson. Netflix is calling Anima "a short musical film" and a "mind-bending visual piece" which is "best played loud" — and considering it also stars Yorke, it's safe to consider it a 12-minute music video. In the just-released teaser, the film is dubbed a "one-reeler", which the clip then goes on to define as "a motion picture, especially a cartoon or comedy, of 10–12 minutes duration and contained on one reel of film; popular especially in the era of silent film". Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNYJ_BJJbzI This isn't Anderson's first Radiohead-linked collaboration, with his films There Will Be Blood, The Master, Inherent Vice and Phantom Thread all featuring scores composed by the band's lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood. He also helmed 2015 documentary Junjun, about the making of Greenwood's album of the same name, and directed Radiohead's 'Daydreaming', 'Present Tense' and 'The Numbers' videos. Yorke has also been working in film lately — on the score for last year's Luca Guadagnino's 2018 remake of Suspiria. Anima drops on Netflix on Thursday, June 27. Images: Netflix / Darius Khondji.
As anyone who's seen the doco Amy knows, during Amy Winehouse's troubled final years, the media was excruciatingly obsessed with her drug and alcohol issues. But, a new exhibition, arriving in Melbourne later this year, is bringing us another perspective. Titled Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait, the show covers four concepts: faith, fashion, music and London life. Expect to see loads of never-before-seen-in-public objects, such as family photos, dresses (including the dazzling Luella Bartley number that Winehouse wore at Glastonbury 2008), cookbooks, stories, records and musical instruments. Acting as soundtrack will be a mixtape Winehouse put together at the age of 13. The exhibition was conceived and curated by Amy's brother, Alex, and sister-in-law, Riva, in collaboration with the Jewish Museum of London. Since premiering in London in 2013, it's travelled to San Francisco, Vienna, Tel Aviv and Amsterdam, and, right now, it's at the London museum, Camden. Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait arrives at the Jewish Museum of Australia, St Kilda, on October 22 and will show until March 22, 2018. Image: Rama via Wikimedia Commons.
The trailer for the fourth instalment of George Miller’s Mad Max franchise was released at Comic-Con in San Diego this weekend, and it's a total, jaw-dropping attention hog. Mad Max: Fury Road sees Tom Hardy take the reigns as 'Mad' Max Rockatansky, with appearances from Charlize Theron, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Zoe Kravitz, Megan Gale, Abbey Lee Kershaw and Nicholas Hoult thrown into the high-speed mix. From what we can gather the film revolves around a huge car chase sequence set in an unmerciful desert, complete with all the trimmings of daredevil motorbike jumps, rolling car crashes and explosions. Lots of explosions. There's some captivating end-of-days imagery going on, showing this classic Australian franchise has not been left to idle in the '80s. The fourth Mad Max has had film fans on tenterhooks for decades. It has a potted production history, having spent 25 years in what is known as "development hell". Most recently, filming was moved from Broken Hill to Namibia, after unexpected heavy rains turned the necessary desert landscape into inappropriate lush wildflowers. It's looking formidable from the trailer, so let's hope the movie — due for release on May 15, 2015 — delivers on the impact promised.
It's been almost five years and a cool $88.1 million in the making, but Swanston Street's iconic State Library Victoria is finally just weeks away from unveiling the finished product of its ambitious makeover. As Australia's oldest and busiest public library, the historic site was well due for a revamp, and a mix of donations, public contributions and support from the Victorian Government has seen it finally come to fruition. The library's slated to open its doors and show off its new look on Thursday, December 5, sporting a big increase in public space and around 70 percent more seating than before. Which means it'll be a whole lot easier to wrangle a table and hit the books. [caption id="attachment_744439" align="alignnone" width="1920"] A render of what The Ian Potter Queen's Hall would look like at night.[/caption] The site's set to enter its next phase of life armed with a suite of new features and services, headlined by a striking new Swanston Street entrance, complete with modern foyer and plenty of digital upgrades. The library's many spaces have been refurbished and reimagined for public use. The original heritage reading room is now The Ian Potter Queen's Hall, and will be a library space by day and an events space by night. Hansen Hall will act as a space that can be used for meetings and projects, and, courtesy of the John and Myriam Wylie Foundation, a new exhibition space known as the Victoria Gallery is set to launch at the end of October. The building will also be separated into newly named quarters. If you're a small business owner, you'll want to make use of StartSpace in the Ideas Quarter, a new service featuring co-working spaces, free support for start-ups and business-oriented meet-up events. You might also find yourself attending lectures, conferences and workshops in the new Conversation Quarter. The other two quarters are for kids — talks and events will take place in the schools-focused Create Quarter, and the Pauline Gandel Children's Quarter is specifically for families and children. The first stage library's revamp opened in September last year, including a new Readings bookstore, a new cafe called Guild and a revitalised Russell Street entrance. Anyone who spend their lunch breaks on the State Library lawn will be happy to have the front facade and entrance back up and running. The redevelopment, dubbed Vision 2020, has been brought to life under the guidance of Australasian design firm Architectus, along with Scandinavia's Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects. The State Library Victoria is set to reopen to the public on Thursday, December 5.
Owned by brother and sister Paul and Jessica Ghaie, Blackhearts & Sparrows is a favourite amongst locals all over the city. Though they deal in top quality drops and boutique craft offerings, you won't find any wine snobbery in any of their five stores around Melbourne. Instead, Blackhearts & Sparrows is all about accessibility and knowledge sharing. After selecting all the stock themselves, staff are more than willing to help you, and the store is always full of new tastings and events. Mark an end to your goon-swilling days by picking up a bottle you can be proud of. As well as their Brunswick East location, Blackhearts and Sparrows can be found in Fitzroy, Fitzroy North, St Kilda East, Kensington. Richmond and Windsor. For more information, visit their website.
For nearly three decades, horror movie lovers have fallen into two categories: those who've dared to say the word 'candyman' five times while staring into a mirror, and those who haven't. That's the kind of impact this spooky supernatural franchise has had over the years, with the film about a fictional urban legend almost becoming an urban legend itself. To the joy of slumber party-throwing teens everywhere, the 1992 original sparked follow-ups in 1995 and 1999 — and, thanks to a new 22-years-later third sequel, that's no longer the end of the story. Given that everything old just keeps coming back again, and that 90s nostalgia is the gift that keeps on giving, another Candyman flick was always going to happen eventually. This one was supposed to release last year, in fact, but then the pandemic scared us all instead. If you're still a little wary — despite its cult status, the initial movie is hardly a masterpiece, and Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh and Candyman: Day of the Dead won the series absolutely zero new fans — Candyman circa 2021 has a few tricks up its sleeves. Firstly, it's directed by Nia DaCosta, whose Tessa Thompson-starring 2018 film Little Woods deserved more attention. Secondly, it's produced and co-written by Jordan Peele, who adds another frightfest to his resume alongside Get Out and Us. And last but by no means least, it features the OG Candyman, Tony Todd, among its cast. As the first trailer back in 2020 initially explained — and now the just-dropped latest trailer expands upon — the new flick focuses on an artist called Anthony McCoy (Aquaman and Watchmen's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). He decides to start exploring the Candyman legend through his art, a decision that obviously isn't going to turn out well. His girlfriend Brianna (If Beale Street Could Talk's Teyonah Parris), who also runs a gallery, thinks the story is just that. But as Anthony starts investigating the tale, the bee-covered figure starts wreaking havoc again. We all already know why, because that's what happens when folks say his name while looking at their own reflection, but the new sneak peek does offer some more background to the on-screen legend. For Candyman aficionados, Anthony's own name should ring a bell — he's the son of one of the first film's main characters, which might explain just why he's so obsessed with the eponymous ghoul. That said, while he might think he knows what he's getting himself into, Candyman still knows how to unsettle and unnerve. Check out the latest trailer below: Candyman will now open in Australian cinemas on August 26, 2021.
Victoria's hot springs and wellness scene is eagerly awaiting the arrival of some huge new additions, including Alba Thermal Springs & Spa, East Gippsland's Metung Hot Springs and the luxe Aurora Spa & Bathhouse, opening soon within the Continental Sorrento. But one of the state's existing wellness destinations is also set to make some big improvements, with the Peninsula Hot Springs nabbing a cool $3.3 million investment to expand its accommodation and other facilities. Announced last week by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos, the precinct has scored the funding boost courtesy of the Regional Tourism Investment Fund (RTIF). The money will be used to build a trio of new eco accommodation lodges, three outdoor massage pods and an undercover cafe dining space, as well as a new relaxation and sleep lounge in the Spa Dreaming Centre. Complementing the Peninsula Hot Springs' onsite glamping facilities, which launched in late 2020, the new lodges will each feature a plush 60-square-metre suite complete with wifi, room service, a mini bar, and split-system heating and cooling. They'll also open out onto their own garden and private hot spring bathing pool. Then, you've got the freestanding massage pods, immersed in the natural landscape near the precinct's accommodation offerings. They'll each be decked out with solar panelled roofing and hydronic heated flooring, ideal for private pamper sessions amongst the trees. Three pods are being built to start with, but there are plans to roll out 44 of them in total. Meanwhile, the Spa Dreaming Centre will soon be home to a new multi-purpose 16-person lounge zone overlooking the natural surrounds and open 24 hours a day. It'll be used as a relaxation space, as well as playing host to performances, workshops and other events. Part of the new funding will also go toward creating a new all-weather roofed dining area at the Amphitheatre cafe, to help ensure it's able to be enjoyed all year round. [caption id="attachment_790886" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Peninsula Hot Springs' existing glamping accomodation.[/caption] For more details on what's coming to the Peninsula Hot Springs, see the website.
If all you want for Christmas is a trip to a part of Australia like no other, then there's no need to ask Santa for tickets in your stocking. You can, of course, but for five days from Thursday, December 8—Monday, December 12, discounted fares to the Northern Territory are on offer as part of Jetstar's big pre-Christmas flight sale. Treat yo'self to an early festive holiday booking and get a jump on your 2023 vacation planning all at once, with $89 flights to Uluru up for grabs. That's how much it'll cost to get to the Red Centre from Melbourne, but you'll also only pay $109 one-way from either Sydney or Brisbane. [caption id="attachment_840264" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism NT[/caption] For NT visitors keen on scoping out Darwin instead, all fares are under $150, with prices varying depending on the departure point. For Brisbanites, the starting price is $109, while Adelaide residents can get $129 fares, and Sydneysiders and Melburnians can book $149 flights. If it feels like these kinds of sales pop up often, that's because they have been lately. 'Tis the season after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, after all. That said, no travel aficionado will ever complain about too many opportunities to nab cheap flights. The usual Jetstar caveats apply: all sale fares are one-way, and they don't include checked baggage — so you'll need to travel super light or pay extra to take a suitcase. [caption id="attachment_813586" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Darwin Festival, Elise Derwin[/caption] And if you're wondering what to do when you're there, fares are on sale for trips between May and September 2023, which means checking out Darwin's BASSINTHEGRASS music festival headlined by Tones and I, Baker Boy, Amy Shark and Ocean Alley — or enjoying the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, Country to Couture, the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards, the National Indigenous Music Awards and Darwin Festival. Or, obviously, there's Uluru itself, all of the tours and experiences around the sacred spot, and Bruce Munro's dazzling Field of Light. [caption id="attachment_847444" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Central Australia[/caption] Jetstar's 'post-Chrissy recovery' sale runs from 12am AEDT on Thursday, December 8 till 11.59pm AEDT on Monday, December 12 — or until sold out, if snapped up earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Mockumentaries tend to get a bit of a bad rap in critical circles. 'Lazy filmmaking' is the most common smear, and — to be fair — they are a far gentler form of screenwriting than an out-and-out screenplay. They've also experienced massive growth in recent years, most notably in television, with the likes of Modern Family, The Office and Summer Heights High all achieving both popular and critical success. In film, This Is Spinal Tap set the benchmark way back in 1984 and has reigned supreme ever since — an 11 out of 10, if you will. The newest edition in the genre is What We Do In The Shadows, a collaboration between writer/directors Taika Waititi and Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement. Billed as "a couple of interviews with a couple of vampires", it's a fly on the wall 'documentary' about four vampires sharing a flat in present-day New Zealand and is, quite simply, hilarious. The subjects of the film are: Viago (Waititi), an 18th-century dandy whose anal retentiveness makes him 'that' flatmate; Vlad (Clement), a legendary Lothario and formerly prolific hypnotist; Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), the self-proclaimed 'sexy one'; and Petyr (Ben Fransham) an ancient vampire from the early days. Key to its appeal is the way What We Do In The Shadows presents the needs, problems and activities of vampires as entirely commonplace. It makes them immediately relatable, treating something like the accidental puncturing of a victim's jugular and subsequent living room mess with no more pomp or fanfare than a spilled drink on a beige couch. The flatmates cruise the clubs of Wellington seeking victims like others seek a one night stand, they jeer each other on when a back-alley argument descends into a 'bat fight', and they projectile vomit blood when they absentmindedly eat actual food. Yes, they've their share of 'vampire' problems (sunlight, vampire hunters, etc), but also more normal ones, like having to tell your best friend you're the undead and suppressing the unceasing desire to kill him. What We Do in the Shadows also comes in at the welcome length of just 87 minutes, but its brevity doesn't come at the expense of jokes. It's packed with laughs, both visual and scripted, as well as offering a decent dose of improv (a common trait for mockumentaries). There's also more than a bit of horror and gore (so much so that with minimal tweaking this could easily have been reshaped as a solid B-grade scary film), yet there's no fear of fear thanks to the unbroken procession of gags. If this is lazy filmmaking, then bring on the trackies and couch surfing, because it suits us just fine. Check out Concrete Playground NZ's interview with Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Cv568AzZ-i8
Whether it be reluctant landlords, a busy schedule or allergic flatmates, the predicament of every city-dwelling cat-lover is not being able to have one. But Yarraville couple Anita and Myles Loughran are offering hope to these frustrated feline fanatics. They have quit their uninspiring jobs in pursuit of the dream: opening Melbourne's first cat cafe. The first cat cafes opened their doors in Japan and Taiwan in the early 2000s. Since then it has been a steadily growing phenomenon, with similar establishments popping up in Europe and Asia. The Loughrans plan on housing a number of ex-stray cats, and have launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise the necessary funds to provide the best possible environment for these loveable rescues. As well as offering Melburnians a much-needed kitty fix, the venture is aimed at raising awareness and will accept donations to various shelters and welfare programs. Unlike the traditional cat cafe, to comply with Australia's food safety regulations, there will be a glass screen separating the main cat area and the cafe area, providing a fur-free space to enjoy coffee and cake. Not to worry, customers will still be able to interact with the cats; in fact, this model of 'feline therapy' has been scientifically proven to help lower high blood pressure, stress levels and anxiety. If you're keen to see Australia's first cat cafe come to fruition in Melbourne, you can donate online at Indiegogo. How could you say no to those cute little faces? https://youtube.com/watch?v=kHjpSiJ8gfY
"We're in a war. You wanna fight?" If you've watched 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, then season one of Andor — the Disney+ prequel series to the big-screen spy thriller — then hearing those words uttered by Diego Luna (La Máquina) won't come as a surprise. Viewers know where this tale is headed, but watching the best small-screen addition to a galaxy far, far away lead us there has already proven gripping TV once. The show's namesake makes the above statements in the just-dropped first teaser trailer for Andor's long-awaited second season — and more rebellion and fighting for revolution awaits. Almost three years have passed since the Mouse House's streaming platform stepped into this story — three years that've been filled with Ahsoka, the sadly short-lived The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew. When it returns in April 2025, Andor will be just the second of Disney+'s live-action Star Wars shows to extend beyond a single season (the other: The Mandalorian), although Ahsoka is also locked in for more episodes. If you missed it the first time around, Andor takes a favourite big-screen character and steps back into their story before the events that viewers have already seen — so, like Obi-Wan Kenobi. As its title makes plain, the show focuses on its namesake, Cassian Andor, with Luna reprising his Rogue One role. Star Wars fans have already seen him as a Rebel captain and intelligence agent, and also watched how his story wraps up, hence the show's need to jump backwards. The focus: following Andor as he discovers how he can play a part in battling the Empire. Indeed, charting the rebellion, and how people and planets joined in, is the series' whole remit. In season two, as the end we all know is coming gets closer, expect higher stakes — and also Ben Mendelsohn (The New Look) as his Rogue One character Orson Krennic, plus Alan Tudyk (Grimsburg) as K-2SO. The first season of Andor saw filmmaker Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Legacy) — who co-wrote the screenplay for Rogue One — rejoin the Star Wars franchise as the series' creator and showrunner. He's back for season two. On-screen, so are Stellan Skarsgård (Dune: Part Two), Genevieve O'Reilly (Tin Star), Denise Gough (Who Is Erin Carter?), Kyle Soller (Bodies), Adria Arjona (Blink Twice), Faye Marsay (Ten Pound Poms) and Forest Whitaker (Emperor of Ocean Park) . Release-wise, the 12-episode season — which is not just Andor's second, but its final season — is being unveiled in four chapters comprising of three episodes a piece. A new chapter will hit your streaming queue each week from Wednesday, April 23 Down Under. Check out the first trailer for Andor season two below: Andor season two streams via Disney+ from Wednesday, April 23, 2025 Down Under. Read our review of season one. Images:©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
The design festival kicks off on March 14 and will see creatives from Melbourne and around the world showcase and discuss their ideas which this year focus around the question: how can design shape the future? Now in its third year, Melbourne Design Week has a reputation to live up to – one that only seems to be growing both in scope and ingenuity. In 2019, its biggest year yet, standout exhibitions, talks, and tours are showing an exciting tilt towards sustainable design while maintaining art-focused exhibitions like the immersive Sensory Experiments. With panels such as Toxic City? Symposium, exhibitions like Welcome to Wasteland, and informative conversations from the Waterfront: Reconnecting with Birrarung series, it's apparent that Melbourne Design Week will drive home the message that design is about much more than what meets the eye — it's laying the groundwork for a promising and sustainable future.
Flick through the pages of any issue of National Geographic and the planet comes to life in all of its natural glory, particularly the colour, movement and all-round splendour of the animal world. Indeed, the magazine has been taking eye-catching wildlife photographs since 1888, and first featured one such image — a snap of a reindeer — on its cover back in 1903. From that huge 130-year history, the publication has picked out the absolute best photos in its archive for a brand new exhibition, which will make its world premiere at the Melbourne Zoo from September 8 to November 30. 50 Greatest Wildlife Photographs will showcase exactly what it sounds like — 50 breathtaking snaps of the earth's animal inhabitants, as curated by famous nature picture editor Kathy Moran, and featuring the work of iconic National Geographic photographers such as Michael 'Nick' Nichols, Steve Winter, Paul Nicklen, Beverly Joubert and David Doubilet. If last year's Photo Ark exhibition has you staring in wonder, then this promises that and more as patrons not only view the stunning sights captured, but the way that photography has evolved over the course of more than a century. Displaying as an outdoor gallery in Melbourne Zoo's Carousel Park, 50 Greatest Wildlife Photographs will be accompanied by augmented reality experience Air, Land & Sea. The interactive installation transports viewers to a watering hole where animals — hailing from Africa, the Arctic and more — graze, drink and interact with the environment around them. As well as giving patrons a glimpse at wildlife photography at its finest, Melbourne Zoo hopes the exhibition will bring attention to the plight of animals around the world. "Our hope is that, after viewing these stunning images and connecting with the wildlife at Melbourne Zoo, visitors will be compelled to remember that all animals deserve our greatest respect, awe and preservation," says Melbourne Zoo director Kevin Tanner. National Geographic's 50 Greatest Wildlife Photographs will be on display at Melbourne Zoo from September 8 to November 30. Entry to the exhibition is included in the zoo admission price. For more information, visit the website. Image: Gray Whale Hands by Thomas P. Peschak, San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico, April 2015.
Paperlinks, a savvy Los Angeles-based QR code company, are allowing customers to explore what's on offer at a restaurant via their smartphone. The operation was launched earlier this month and has been put to trial in several restaurants. Once the code has been scanned, customers can browse the menu of the restaurant and order food on their phone. When they check out, Paperlinks then contacts the restaurant via e-mail to relay the order to the kitchen. This smooth operation not only adds convenience for customers, but also gives businesses a little novelty and an exciting new means of interacting with customers. Furthermore, Paperlinks allow you to create QR codes with customised colours and designs. If you happen to own a vegetarian restaurant, you might want to present a lush green QR code at the front of your business. Paperlinks have already worked with high-profile clients including Nestle and GNC. With a plethora of food-based iPhone apps now available for purchase, and with companies like Beat The Q popping up locally, it will be interesting to see the impact that this will have on businesses in Australia and New Zealand. [via PSFK]
Espionage intrigue, explosions, chases, fights, Tom Cruise wearing masks: that's all heading back to cinemas, and soon, with Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning — Part One on its way in July. The seventh instalment in the spy franchise will also task viewers with the usual mission, should they choose to accept it. Since the saga's first big-screen outing back in 1996, watching Cruise work his way through all manner of stunts is a given in each and every movie — and the just-dropped full trailer for the series' latest entry enthusiastically keeps the trend going. That said, at this point in his career, all new Cruise movies seem to belong to a broader saga: "one of the world's biggest stars does death-defying stunts to lure audiences into cinemas" (see also: Top Gun: Maverick). The Mission: Impossible flicks have been keeping those daredevil flames burning for almost three decades now, and its leading man just keeps upping the ante. And yes, he's still committed to doing as many dangerous feats as he can himself, including riding a motorcycle off a cliff this time around. Hitting cinemas Down Under on July 13, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning — Part One has Cruise's Ethan Hunt and his Impossible Missions Force team on the trail of a new humanity-threatening weapon. As usual, the fate of the world is at stake. And, saving the day means hopping around the globe and putting everything on the line, all while facing off against Esai Morales (How to Get Away with Murder) as the film's villain. This latest sneak peek comes after a first glimpse back in 2022, more than a year before the movie's release. Both trailers cover plenty of other familiar faces, of course, including the characters of Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg, The Boys), Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson, Silo), Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames, Father Figures), and Alanna Mitsopolis (Vanessa Kirby, The Son). Also in Dead Reckoning — Part One's cast: Hayley Atwell (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Cary Elwes (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre), Rob Delaney (The Power), Indira Varma (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Shea Whigham (Perry Mason), Mark Gatiss (Operation Mincemeat) and Charles Parnell (Barry). Five years after helming the series' sixth film, aka 2018's Mission: Impossible – Fallout, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie returns for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning — Part One — his third M:I flick in a row after also doing the honours on 2015's Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. And yes, as the name makes plain, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning — Part One will have a sequel, which is set to release on June 27, 2024. Check out the full trailer for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning — Part One below: Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning — Part One releases in cinemas Down Under on July 13, 2023. Images: Paramount Pictures and Skydance.
It was the sweet treat chain that rose faster than yeasty baked goods, then sunk like your stomach when you've eaten too much sugar. After closing down its 30 stores earlier this year during the collapse of then-owner Damien Griffith's hospitality empire, Doughnut Time is now set to return — under new owners and managers, with six new shops on the horizon. Doughnut Time will start slinging its wares across Australia's east coast, the brand announced on Facebook. Expect decadent circles of baked and fried dough to pop up in the Myer Centre and at South Bank in Brisbane; Degraves Lane, Hawthorn and Fitzroy in Melbourne; and Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. That's just for starters — Sydney is also expected to nab a new store or two in 2019, and Melburnians can expect a couple more as well. Since announcing the comeback, the company has pushed the original August opening date to the end of September, but still no stores are open. With any luck, the mint green doors will fling open before the end of the year. With the chain now overseen by Queensland entrepreneur Peter Andros, Doughnut Time is eager to put the brand's past behind it — a situation that not only saw its previous stores shuttered without warning, but left many of its staff unpaid. "We think what happened to past employees is unacceptable," the company wrote on Facebook. "We encourage any previous workers who have not yet done so to reclaim unpaid wages by contacting the Department of Jobs and Small Business. We believe many Australians missed Doughnut Time and when we saw it was up for sale, we jumped at the opportunity to bring it back." Fans and sugar fiends should prepare their tastebuds for a dose of the old and the new when the fresh batch of stores start cooking up a storm. Hit flavours like the Cate Blanchett (a milk chocolate doughnut covered in Tim Tam pieces) have been teased on social media, as have new vegan, gluten free, high protein, low sugar and keto options. For more information, keep an eye on Doughnut Time's website and Facebook page. Updated: October 10, 2018.
This is the way: after starting out on the small screen as the very first live-action Star Wars streaming series for Disney+, The Mandalorian is making the leap to cinemas. This news might be about as surprising as a trip to a galaxy far, far away that features lightsabers, but it still means that the bounty hunter played by Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) and Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, have a date with the big screen. Disney has revealed that it's making a movie about Din Djarin and Grogu, which is set for a theatrical release. There's no date yet as for when you'll be able to head to your local picture palace, nor any cast announcements. The Mouse House has unveiled the film's director, however: Jon Favreau, who created The Mandalorian series to begin with. And, the picture will go into production in 2024. "I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," said Favreau, announcing the movie. "The prospect of bringing The Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting." Favreau will also produce the flick with LucasFilm President Kathleen Kennedy and The Mandalorian writer/director/executive producer Dave Filoni, with the latter also behind 2023's Ahsoka. Filoni is set to be busy thanks to Disney's other just-dropped piece of Star Wars news: a second season of Ahsoka. No other details have been advised there yet either, including a release date, other than the fact that more of the Rosario Dawson (Haunted Mansion)-led series about Anakin Skywalker's former padawan is in development. If you're new to Star Wars' small-screen adventures, The Mandalorian follows its namesake; however, it's his encounter with a fuzzy little creature first known as The Child, affectionately named Baby Yoda by everyone watching and officially called Grogu that's always had everyone talking. As for Ahsoka, it saw Dawson return to the eponymous role after playing the part in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. As well as sporting those ties to Anakin from before he became Darth Vader, Ahsoka Tano is now an ex-Jedi Knight battling threats to the post-Empire galaxy — and the series is Disney+'s first series focused on a female Jedi. There's no trailer for the movie about The Mandalorian and Grogu yet, or for Ahsoka season two, but you can check out sneak peeks of The Mandalorian season three and Ahsoka season one below: The movie about The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn't yet have a release date, and neither does Ahsoka season two — we'll update you when more information is announced. The Mandalorian and Ahsoka both stream via Disney+. Read our review of Ahsoka season one. Images: © Lucasfilm Ltd & TM. All Rights Reserved.
When The Social Network arrived in cinemas in 2010 with its can't-look-away performance from Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain) as Mark Zuckerberg, David Fincher's (The Killer) steely direction and Aaron Sorkin's (Being the Ricardos) incisive script, it was firmly an origin story. As the world knew even then just six years after Facebook's founding, however, the platform was only just getting started. As a result, a sequel to the three-time Oscar-winning movie — including for Sorkin's screenplay — has always felt like a matter of when not if. Cue The Social Network Part II, which is now reportedly in the works. Deadline has revealed that the follow-up looks set to move forward, with Sorkin back to lead the charge. This time, he's not just writing but also directing. While Fincher is also in sequel mode at the moment, he's stepping into Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's realm, helming the Brad Pitt (F1)-starring follow-up to Quentin Tarantino's also Oscar-winning picture. It's expected that The Social Network Part II will use the Wall Street Journal's 'The Facebook Files' article series from October 2021 as its basis — which means that the platform's impacts, and those of fellow Meta-owned social-media service Instagram, could be in the spotlight. There's no word yet on a release date, so when you'll be seeing the film on the big screen is yet to be revealed. In the same category: The Social Network Part II's cast. Whether Eisenberg will step back into Zuckerberg's shoes — and into a role that's among the most pivotal in the early days of his career, as also proved true for co-star Andrew Garfield (We Live in Time) — is not yet known, then. Alongside creating the small screen's Sports Night, The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Newsroom, Sorkin has directed three films so far: Molly's Game, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Being the Ricardos. The first two on that list also saw him nominated for screenwriting Oscars. Among the initial The Social Network's accolades: the Oscar for Best Original Score for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. There's no word yet whether The Social Network Part II will boast their efforts again to help cement an unsettling tone. There's obviously no trailer so far for the The Social Network Part II — but check out the trailers to The Social Network above, plus its first ten minutes below: The Social Network Part II doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you with more details when they're announced. Via Variety/Deadline.
There are few film festival experiences as fun as spending four days camped out at Marrickville's Factory Theatre during the Sydney Underground Film Festival. Attending this fest in-person involves hopping in and out of its makeshift cinemas, watching all manner of out-there and indie movies you won't see elsewhere, and spending plenty of time at the bar chatting about what you've just seen — and, whether you're a diehard cinephile and festival devotee, you're just sick of watching mainstream fare or it purely sounds like a great way to spend a weekend, it's a total and utter delight. SUFF isn't playing out quite like this at the moment, however, for obvious reasons. Moving online for the second year in a row, it's hosting its 2021 edition virtually. Thankfully, while no one can enjoy the physical side of the fest between Thursday, September 9–Sunday, September 26, SUFF has brought its usual anarchic vibe to its 30-film program — all of which is now available to stream, and nationally as well. Get ready for affectionate documentaries, weird and wild features that just keep getting weirder and more wonderful, and pretty much everything in-between, all while getting cosy on your own couch. And if you've not sure where to start, we've watched, picked and reviewed seven highlights from SUFF's 15th annual program. There's your viewing sorted for the next fortnight or so. POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ Add Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché to the list of exceptional music documentaries — and yes, that observation can end there and prove 100-percent accurate. That said, this excellent film also belongs among the ranks of standout docos about famous musicians that serve multiple purposes. For existing fans of Marianne Elliott-Said, the punk singer who fronted late-70s band X-Ray Spex, this is an unflinching love letter that dives into every facet of her life. Covered here: her rise to stardom at a pivotal time in music history, the way she was treated as a British Somali woman, her efforts to subvert every standard that applied to women and public figures, and the toll it all took. As co-written, co-directed and guided on-screen by her daughter Celeste Bell — as an act of embracing everything her mother was and stood for — the film also demonstrates again and again why its title couldn't be further from the reality. For newcomers to the woman best known under her stage name Poly Styrene (which she picked from the phone book), this loving feature acts as an entry point, too. Like fellow outstanding music doco The Sparks Brothers, it'll give some of its audience a new obsession. Via voice snippets rather than talking heads, the likes of Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore also offer their memories of and insights into all things Poly, but Bell and her co-helmer Paul Sng (Sleaford Mods: Invisible Britain) understandably push their bold, rebellious and inimitable central figure to the fore at all times — including via riveting archival footage, as well as potent and emotional snippets from her diaries and poems. WONDERFUL PARADISE No one will finish Wonderful Paradise wondering what writer/director Masashi Yamamoto (The Voice of Water) and co-screenwriter Suzuyuki Kaneko might've left out of their script. The pair throw everything they can into this absurdist Japanese comedy, and it shows — because this is the type of movie where giant coffee beans get ravenous, children segue from projectile vomiting to transforming into branches, pregnancies last around 20 minutes, and parties become funerals, then turn into big song-and-dance numbers. The premise: at a house in suburban Tokyo, Akane (Mayu Ozawa, The Happy Prisoner), her father (Seikô Itô, We Are Little Zombies) and her brother (Soran Tamoto, I Turn) are packing up their belongings. For financial reasons that involve big debts and shady figures who are keen to collect, they're moving out of the sprawling abode. But Akane decides to host one last party and, after she tweets out the details, friends, relatives and strangers alike — including her estranged mother Akiko (Kaho Minami, Oh Lucy!) — all start popping up. From there, anything that can happen does. Indeed, sharing the same kind of manic energy that also made fellow low-budget Japanese flick One Cut of the Dead a delight, this plays like a hallucinatory mind trip more than a movie. That isn't a criticism of Wonderful Paradise; this is just a film that sweeps you along for a strange and surreal ride, satirises everything it can while also making plenty of savvy statements, careens off in weird and wonderful directions, and also makes you adore every minute. LORELEI Following an ex-felon who has just been released from a 15-year prison stint, as well as his former teenage sweetheart, Lorelei isn't in a rush to unfurl its dramas and dive to its deepest depths. Marking the feature debut of Sabrina Doyle, it's the type of film that needs that space and 111-minute running time to grow and breathe, and to build up to its surprises — and to earn the emotional journey that its standout lead performances slowly but commandingly convey at every moment. Orange Is the New Black's Pablo Schreiber plays Waylan, a small-town biker who didn't snitch when he was sent up for armed robbery. Keeping quiet cost him not only a decade and a half of his life, but his romance with Dolores (Jena Malone, Antebellum). His incarceration has saw their shared dreams dissolve, too, and led Dolores to have three children with other men since. The pair reunite after Waylan is released, crossing paths purely in passing. Quickly, staring into each other's eyes brings back old feelings, and also conjures up new regrets about the existence they always thought they'd lead together. Doyle is as concerned about the precarious situation that Dolores and her children Dodger (first-timer Chancellor Perry), Periwinkle (fellow newcomer Amelia Borgerding) and Denim (debutant Parker Pascoe-Sheppard) have endured over the years as she is with Waylan's route forward, and much of Lorelei thoughtfully dwells on the stark realities facing all of its characters. Indeed, there's not just empathy but a sense of rawness here — including when the film endeavours to leap into sunnier waters. ALIEN ON STAGE It's one of the greatest science fiction movies ever made, and always will be. It spawned three sequels and two prequels over the course of four decades and, while many of those have been stellar themselves, it still remains the best film there is with xenomorphs at its centre. It made Sigourney Weaver not just a star but a legend, too — and, thanks to an amateur stage version of the iconic flick that was initially staged in Dorset, then hit London's West End, it gave a group of British bus drivers their time in the spotlight as well. The movie in question: Alien. It mightn't seem suited to the theatre, but that didn't stop Dave Mitchell and his friends. When they decided to turn the film into a stage production, they put their hearts and souls into it, and Alien On Stage tells their story. The show turns out exactly as you'd expect with a non-professional cast and crew at the helm, and with homemade props recreating the Nostromo and its unwanted stowaway. The same description applies to his loving documentary — because this is a movie made by fans, about a stage show made by fans, and the end result leans into all of those layers of affection. Back in 1979, Ridley Scott mightn't have ever imagined that his sci-fi/horror film could spawn this level of devotion, or give this much happiness to folks trying to follow in his footsteps — and to a room full of immensely entertained Leicester Square Theatre attendees, too. That's just one of the things that Alien has spawned, and everyone can hear this movie's screams of joy. SWEETIE, YOU WON'T BELIEVE IT When Arman (Azamat Marklenov) and Murat (Erlan Primbetov) pick up Dastan (Daniar Alshinov, A Dark, Dark Man) for a day of fishing in Sweetie, You Won't Believe It, they're just trying to gift him one last moment away from his responsibilities. His girlfriend Zhanna (Asel Kaliyeva, The Secret of a Leader) is about to give birth to his first child, and this film subscribes to the idea that parenthood means kissing goodbye your old self. But, the trio have never cast a line into the water before. That's the excuse they've used to head away, though, so they decide to stick with it. They're soon fashioning a boat out of blow-up sex toys, but that's far from the worst that their day trip to regional Kazakhstan has in store. As they're floating and not really fishing, they witness gun-slinging gangsters (Alamat Sakatov, Yerkubulan Daiyrov and Rustem Zhaniyamanov) attempting to squeeze information out of another man in a violent fashion — and, soon, Dastan and his pals find themselves being pursued by the ruthless criminals as well. Then, complicating matters even further, a one-eyed, jaw-ripping psychopath (Dulgya Akmolda) on a quest for vengeance starts targeting everyone in sight. Sweetie, You Won't Believe It doesn't take any of its various parts seriously, thankfully. It's one part buddy getaway comedy, one part western slapstick, one part secluded horror and one part gory gangster flick, and it loves seesawing back and forth between all four. It also has ample fun satirising prevailing ideas of masculinity amidst the blood, guts and over-the-top silliness. CANNON ARM AND THE ARCADE QUEST When The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters chronicled Steve Wiebe's attempt to earn Donkey Kong's highest score ever — and oust Billy Mitchell from retaining that title in the process — it turned a slice of the gaming world into one of the must-see documentaries of the early 2000s. Well over a decade later, Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest mashes similar buttons, this time focusing on the eponymous Danish Gyruss devotee and his dream of clocking up 100 consecutive hours playing the 80s game. If successful, Kim aka Cannon Arm won't just claim the world record for his favourite shoot-'em-up title. Standing in an arcade for more than four days straight (with some canny plans around how to eat, nap and go to the bathroom, if you're wondering how that all works), he'd smash the existing feat by a whopping 41 hours. Sporting a greying mullet and noted for his lack of conversation, Kim himself approaches the possibility with few words; however, his friends and fellow games are eager to do anything they can to assist his quest. As this doco charts, achieving this kind of milestone isn't straightforward. Yes, Kim's health is considered in detail as first-time feature filmmaker Mads Hedegaard — who narrates as well — explains. All that gaming isn't the only focus of the documentary, though, with Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest smartly diving into what draws Kim and his Bip Bip Bar mates to their preferred pastime, what else they're fascinated with in their lives, and how gaming both parallels their other interests and provides a respite from their daily lives. DANNY. LEGEND. GOD. If there's one thing that Bulgarian councillor Danny (Dimo Alexiev, A Hidden Life) isn't lacking, it's confidence. He isn't short on arrogance, either, or on the impulses needed to take the most corrupt, abhorrent, self-serving option at any possible juncture — and he's extremely unpleasant to be around even in small bursts. Danny is also the titular figure in mockumentary Danny. Legend. God., so he demonstrates his worst traits over and over, and for an extended period. First-time filmmaker Yavor Petkov wants viewers to feel uncomfortable, in fact, because that's the natural reaction to seeing someone who's little more than a crook throw their weight about in a position of power, care only about themselves and have zero regard for the long-term repercussions for everyone in their orbit. In other words, this is a film that proves particularly piercing given the current global political climate. It's darkly humorous, but in a savage, biting, only-two-degrees-removed-from-reality way. And if you're wondering why Danny is in the spotlight — and why Alexiev puts in quite the committed performance in the part — that's because the film revolves around a news crew visiting the character's home town to capture and ideally expose his wrongdoing. What starts out as an attempt to make a documentary about money laundering soon gets hijacked by their subject, though, as Danny demands that his freewheeling life is captured exactly how he wants it — no matter what he's doing, or snorting, or the cost of his actions. The 2021 Sydney Underground Film Festival runs from Thursday, September 9–Sunday, September 26. For further details, or to watch online, head to the festival's website.
Fresh from the success of their recent debut album, If You Wait, English indie-pop trio London Grammar are coming to Oz for Falls Festival, and even better, they're playing a couple of sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. Sick of listening to the same playlists? Looking for a new band to fall in love with? This could be it. They’ve already generated a lot of praise for their singles 'Wasting My Young Years' and 'Strong'. Perhaps most recognisable by the brooding vocal soarings of frontwoman Hannah Reid (whose ethereal yet earthy voice is like a melding of Adele and Florence Welch), they are definitely a band to watch. I’d advise you to see them for cheap(ish) while you still can. Tickets for both the Sydney and Melbourne sideshows go on sale at 10am, Wednesday, 9 October, at Metro Theatre and Ticketek for Sydney and at the Prince Bandroom site for Melbourne. Tour dates: Sydney: Tuesday, January 7 – Metro Theatre Melbourne: Thursday, January 9 – Prince Bandroom
Queensland-born cult burger joint Betty's Burgers & Concrete Co. is expanding its empire yet again, announcing it will launch its second Melbourne outpost in Windsor this year. Since opening the Shake Shack-style burger shop back in 2014, founder David Hales has turned his humble Noosa business into an Australian-wide favourite — having opened up shops in Brisbane, Sydney and one in Melbourne's CBD. Famous not just for its no-frills, well-priced burgers (the Classic will only set you back a tenner), the "Concrete" side of its name refers to its popular custard ice cream dessert. Packed with the likes of banana pudding, toffee marshmallow and hot fudge, it isn't just your savoury stomach the Betty crew are looking after. The new store will also have a packed drinks lineup, serving up boutique beers and local wines alongside soft drinks and its signature thick shakes. The 1950s-inspired burger shack on Elizabeth Street often sees quite a crowd, of both burger lovers and shake fans, and Betty's Burgers hopes the Windsor store will be the same suggesting locals 'brace for large queues'. We also suggest priming both stomachs, savoury and sweet, for its opening — it looks like you'll be needing both to tackle Betty's. Betty's Burgers & Concrete Co is set to open its doors at 129-131 Chapel Street, Windsor this year.
UPDATE: APRIL 7, 2020 — This Brunswick East joint is now selling boxes of locally sourced fresh fruit and veg and, of course, Texan-style smoked meats, as well as booze and ready-to-eat barbecue. They're all available to pick up from 12–9pm daily. Check out the menu on Instagram and call (03) 9972 1815 to order. If there has been a Bluebonnet Barbecue-shaped hole in your life since the cult meat eatery shut up shop in North Fitzroy in early 2018, then we're happy to tell you that is has been filled. The next iteration of Bluebonnet has opened its doors in Brunswick East. The Lygon Street venue is its new permanent home after a string of super-popular pop-ups — and a fiery short-term residency in Collingwood — and the original crew of 2014 are back together to mark the occasion: pitmaster Chris Terlikar, sous chef Eric Baird and bar manager Nate White. And they're throwing down their signature low 'n' slow Texan-style barbecue, with crafty cocktails to match. It's serving up a mix of old favourites and new creations, in a menu that matches expertly smoked meats with clever revamps of traditional sides. The famed beef brisket makes its return, along with the likes of porter-braised beef cheeks and pork ribs, while supporting acts include fried green tomatoes on whipped goats feta and a black garlic cornbread. And night owl carnivores will find plenty to love about the solid menu of late-night bar eats. The drinks offering has been amped up, now running to a three-part cocktail lineup — classics, lighter signature sips to complement the meat, and a produce-driven rotation of seasonal drinks — backed by a ten-strong Victorian tap list. The space itself is laid-back and rustic, with reclaimed railway sleepers, big retractable front windows and a separate pool room, for those after-dinner sessions.
Victorians, it's roadmap time. It's déjà vu time as well. Today, Sunday, September 19, Premier Daniel Andrews announced how the city will gradually ease out of its current (and sixth) lockdown, just as he did around this time last year during Melbourne's prolonged 2020 stint of stay-at-home conditions. On the cards is a four-phase removal of restrictions, taking place from when 80 percent of eligible Victorians have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine — but, unsurprisingly, life isn't going to be returning to normal any time soon. Melbourne first went into this lockdown at the beginning of August — just nine days after the previous lockdown ended — and has seen the stay-at-home rules extended multiple times so far, and a nighttime curfew implemented as well. In regional Victoria, the rest of the state started this lockdown with Greater Melbourne, then came out of it just a few days later. Regional areas of the state then re-entered lockdown in the middle of August, but some regions exited stay-at-home conditions earlier in September. Accordingly, the roadmap applies to all areas under lockdown across the state, but it's Melbourne that's been under stay-at-home rules the longest. The current restrictions — which just eased slightly regarding outdoor social interaction and the distance you're permitted to travel away from home for those outdoor gatherings, exercise and to shop — will remain in place until that 80-percent single-dose target is reached in over 16s. That's actually expected to happen soon, on around Sunday, September 26. Then, things will start changing at other jab targets. So, more restrictions are slated to ease when 70 percent of the state's residents aged over 16 have been fully vaxxed, which is when lockdown will end. After that, in the final two steps — so when 80 percent of over 16s have been double jabbed, and when 80 percent of over 12s have been fully vaccinated — more rules will relax as well. Today we are releasing our roadmap. As well as laying out how we will deliver the National Plan, the roadmap lets Victorians know when we can catch up with friends and family, and get back to the things we love. pic.twitter.com/ogMuUGrdGA — Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) September 19, 2021 "The last 20 months have all been about buying us time to get the community vaccinated. We know there will be a pandemic of the unvaccinated. If we open everything up now with just 45 percent of people double-dosed, we would have a catastrophic number of people who would be very very ill, many many thousands of people would be in intensive care, and that is not what success looks like," the Premier said, announcing the roadmap. "If however, we open steadily, gradually, but open, as we get to 70- and 80-percent double dose, then our nurses, doctors, ambulance workers will come under intense pressure, it will be incredibly difficult to our health system, but we will be able to pass through a gateway, an important gateway, we will be able to normalise this," continued Andrews. "We cannot permanently suppress this virus. Lockdowns have been about buying time to get to 70- and 80-percent vaccination. We are fast approaching those milestones. At that point we have got to open the place up, because remaining closed for ever has its own cost in every sense of that word. This is a very difficult balancing act." Accordingly, Victorians in places currently under lockdown will still be staying at home under the present restrictions for the time being, but some changes are expected in around a week when that 80-percent single-dose target is reached. That's when you'll be able to play basketball, golf, tennis, cricket and other outdoor activities with your mates, under the same picnic rules that are in place now. So, that includes one person who isn't from your household if you aren't fully vaxxed, and up to five adults from two households, plus their dependents, if all adults have had both their jabs. And, personal training will be back for five fully vaxxed people outdoors. [caption id="attachment_818582" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Julia Sansone[/caption] Also under the first phase, schools will start reopening in stages. Due to school holidays, this'll start happening from Tuesday, October 5, but still under the first step in the plan. It's the second phase, when the 70-percent double-jabbed mark is met in over 16s, that'll get everyone most excited. Expected around Tuesday, October 26, that'll see the reasons to leave home ditched, the curfew end and the travel radius go up to 25 kilometres. Also, ten fully vaxxed people will be allowed to gather outdoors, and outdoor community sport will return. Plus, pubs, clubs and entertainment venues can open to 50 double-jabbed people — but outdoors only — and weddings and funerals can do the same. And, for the fully vaccinated, five people can go to a hairdressers at once. After that, at the 80-percent double-dosed threshold for over 16s — which is expected on around Friday, November 5 — groups of ten, including dependents, will be allowed in homes. Groups of 30 fully vaxxed people can gather outdoors, too. Dining indoors at hospitality venues will resume, with up to 150 double-vaxxed folks allowed, and the cap will go up to 500 outside. There'll be no travel radius, so intrastate travel will be back with no limits. Indoor community sport will return as well, there'll be a 150-person cap on hairdressing for the fully vaxxed, and all retail stores will reopen. Indoor entertainment venues, plus weddings and funerals, will follow those 150 and 500 caps mentioned above. And, masks will only be required inside from this point. Finally, around Friday, November 19, when 80 percent of Victorians over 12 are completely vaccinated, the state will align with the rules under Australia's new 'National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response' that was announced in July. That's when double-jabbed Australians are expected to be able to travel overseas again without restrictions, when there's set to be no lockdowns, and when vaxxed Aussies will be free from domestic restrictions anyway. The Federal Government is expected to flesh out these rules in the coming months. Also, Victoria has committed that for Christmas, 30 people will be permitted inside homes. Exactly when that'll kick in — obviously before December 25 — hasn't been revealed. A stepped approach will also apply to regional Victoria's path out of COVID-19 restrictions — for areas that aren't in lockdown — but with different rules in place at different stages until 80 percent of over 16s are double-vaxxed. That's when the entire state will be on the same pathway and under the same conditions. It's worth noting that the national plan requires all of Australia to reach each vaccination threshold overall before an individual state or territory that's met that milestone can ease restrictions — but that hasn't been mentioned in Victoria's roadmap, other than at the final phase. Wondering where you can currently get vaccinated? There's a handy online map that helps you find your nearest clinic. Keen to keep an eye on vaccination rates? A heap of online resources will help you do that as well. For further information about Victoria's reopening roadmap, head to the Victorian Government website. For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health website.
Kick-Ass is back. The self-made masked crusader (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has bulked up and is ready to deliver a bigger punch of vigilante justice to the criminals of New York City in Kick-Ass 2. He isn't the only one who has come back for more either; old friend Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) will join Dave Lizewski's heroic alter ego as they take on their nemesis Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who has restyled himself as The Mother Fucker in another bout of Hollywood comic book violence. There is also a gluttony of new superheroes and villains entering the good vs bad fray, most notably Jim Carrey, who is almost unrecognisable as the patriotic Colonel Stars and Stripes. Whilst the sequel is unlikely to hit the controversial heights of an 11-year-old Moretz hilariously dropping the C-bomb, the trailer suggests that it has lost none of its quirky humour, and if Jim Carrey's post-production Twitter reaction is anything to go by, we can look forward to a flurry of stylised screen violence that is set to make this another (kick ass) cult classic. Kick-Ass 2 is in cinemas August 22 and to celebrate we have ten double in-season passes to give away thanks to Universal Pictures. To be in the running, subscribe to our newsletter (if you haven't already) and then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
The latest Asian culinary venture to hit Melbourne aims to bring fine dining-quality dishes to a casual dining atmosphere. Opening on Friday, July 11, Lucy Liu draws influences from all corners of Asia; expect to see traditional Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine on the menu. Michael Lambie (The Smith and Circa), Scott Borg and Zac Cribbes are the masterminds behind Lucy Liu, and they’re excited to bring a fast and flavoursome menu that will suit the desires and dining trends of Melburnians. “I’ve worked with the flavours of Asia for many years. They inspire me, and sometimes they infuriate me, but they are my infatuation,” says Lambie. “Here I get to create upbeat street food with an intriguing mix of authentic Asian influences and flavours." Just to clarify, the name was apparently not influenced by the third of a Charlie's Angel currently playing Joan Watson on Elementary, though the association seems pretty unavoidable. All the dishes are new creations sprung from the inventive minds of Lambie and Cribbes. We’re licking our lips just thinking about crispy fried Szechuan duck with watercress salad and tamarind sesame dressing. Other dishes to look forward to include Korean crisp pork hock with apple, spring onion jam and spicy hoi sin, and a red curry of king prawns bouillabaisse style. The cocktail menu here will also be Asian inspired, so expect a lot of fresh and vibrant flavours. We’re certainly intrigued by the coconut mojito, and apparently they’ve got their own spin on the reliable Mai Tai. Lucy Liu opens Friday, July 11, at Oliver Lane (off Russell Street) in the CBD.
If you've been looking for a reason to get away for the weekend, block off a couple of days (or more) in March and head to Canberra for Enlighten Festival 2020. From February 28–March 15 2020, the city will light up with live music, free performances, events, exclusive exhibitions and access to national attractions after hours, plus pop-up bars, beer gardens and after-dark food markets. So, you can expect Canberra's Parliamentary Zone to be transformed into a buzzing hub of neon activity. A highlight of the festival is Enlighten Illuminations (February 28–March 9), where large-scale projections will bring to life iconic Canberra buildings, including Australian Parliament House, the National Gallery of Australia and Questacon. You'll find the Night Noodle Markets nearby, too, so you can pick up a snack while still viewing the projections. And, of course, one of Canberra's most anticipated events, Canberra Balloon Spectacular, will return each morning, from Saturday, March 7 to Sunday, March 15. On Friday, March 6, you can head to Canberra's answer to Tropfest: the Lights! Canberra! Action! short film festival. Here, you'll be watching the top 12 finalists on a massive outdoor screen while sitting under the stars. Or, if you're a fan of music, you can catch a live orchestra performing popular hits as the sun goes down at Symphony in the Park (Sunday, March 8). Then, on the festival's penultimate night, you'll see fireworks lighting up the night sky above Lake Burley Griffin for the Hit 104.7 Skyfire event. Enlighten Festival 2020 is taking place between Friday, February 28 and Sunday, March 15. The festival is free to attend, with some selected ticketed events. For the full program, head here.
It's been a tumultuous month for Melbourne's public transport system — and it's far from over. Today, it was announced that the entire tram network will shut down for four hours on Friday, August 30. The strike will run from 10 am until 2pm as the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) makes good on its threat of industrial action in response to failed negotiations with Yarra Trams. Last week, it was revealed that 98 percent of RTBU members had voted in support of the strike, though there were questions surrounding what sort of action might take place. Now we know: a total tram stoppage, for four whole hours. Best dust off that ol' bike and get set for some two-wheeled travel. The RTBU has been negotiating a new wage deal and improved working conditions with Yarra Trams for months, with the existing agreement expiring on June 30. "Yarra Trams have pushed drivers to breaking point to meet impossible targets, it's no wonder they are mad at their further attempts to strip away conditions," said RTBU Secretary Luba Grigorovitch in a statement. https://www.facebook.com/RTBUVic/photos/a.486088274788960/2553921588005608/?type=3&theater While the off-peak strike is designed to "minimise any inconvenience to commuters", this month's stoppage could just be the start, with industrial action expected to escalate if negotiations continue unresolved. Meanwhile, Melbourne's train network is working through some industrial disputes of its own, with a four-hour city-wide rail likely on Tuesday, August 27. Similarly to the tram strike, the RTBU's train strike is a response to failed negotiations with Metro Trains over contract agreements. With negotiations still under way, it's possible neither strike will go ahead. We'll let you know either way. Image: Josie Withers for Visit Victoria
For Victorian fans of BrewDog, the wait is finally, almost over. After years of hints and speculation, the Scottish craft beer giant has confirmed its arrival into Melbourne, revealing plans to open a hefty new venue in the historic Pentridge Prison precinct this spring. Following the launch of its first Australian brewery and taproom in Brisbane back in 2019, BrewDog confirmed some lofty ambitions to also expand into other Aussie cities. Now, thanks to a new partnership with Australian Venue Co (AVC) — the group behind spots like Harlow, The Smith, Kewpie and State of Grace — the Melbourne-based part of those plans is finally coming to life. Already the world's largest craft beer bar operator, BrewDog's next Aussie project will feature a two-level pub complete with an indoor dining room and lounge bar, plus a sprawling beer garden sporting its own BrewDog container bar, big screens and dedicated games area. Interiors will pay homage to the Coburg site's heritage, with an upper level playing host to a suite of event spaces. While further details are yet to be revealed, the 1100-square-metre venue is on track to become a go-to craft beer destination. The original Brisbane venue boasts 28 taps pouring both house creations and guest brews, alongside a menu that's known for its burgers, pizza and wings. [caption id="attachment_800310" align="alignnone" width="1920"] BrewDog DogTap Brisbane[/caption] The new BrewDog and AVC partnership is also a win for interstate beer fiends, with the duo confirming they'll be opening more of these bars across Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and beyond in the coming years. BrewDog currently operates 102 beer bars worldwide, having recently launched outposts in Mumbai and New Albany (USA), and with huge flagship bars coming soon to Las Vegas and Waterloo (London). Find BrewDog Pentridge in the E Division building at Pentridge Prison, 1 Champ Street, Coburg, from spring 2022. We'll share more details as they drop.
Never meet your heroes. Kill your darlings. A murderous rampage through the Hundred Acre Wood — a slasher take on a childhood favourite, too — Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey sticks its paws in both pots. Based on AA Milne's famed creation, which initially appeared in kids' poetry book When We Were Very Young in 1924, this schlockfest is exactly what a headline-courting low-budget horror flick about a homicidal Pooh and Piglet seemed sight unseen, and in its trailer. Blood and Honey is all about that high-concept idea, and splashing around as many instances of bloody bother as possible, to the point of repetition. It slathers on well-executed gore, but isn't anything approaching good or so-bad-it's-good. That said, it's also a reminder that everything changes, even a cute, cuddly stuffed animal revered by generations — and that carving away cosy notions about comforting things is a fact of life. Commenting on ditching one's safety blankets and inevitably being disappointed by one's idols is an unexpected — and perhaps unintended — bonus here. With so little plot and character development to writer/director/producer Rhys Frake-Waterfield's (The Killing Tree) script, making a statement is hardly Blood and Honey's main meal. This is a film of opportunity. Milne's loveable bear of very little brain entered the public domain at the beginning of 2022, which is what gave rise to this gruesome spin on figures seen on the page, in plenty of cartoons, and also examined in recent movies such as Goodbye Christopher Robin and Christopher Robin. As sure as the titular teddy's historical love for ditching pants and palling around with Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Kanga and Roo, this Texas Chainsaw Massacre-style Pooh twist primarily exists because the premise was too irresistible thanks to copyright laws. Now gone all lumberjack, Pooh does don dacks in Blood and Honey. He's also fond of sadistically ripping people apart with a range of weapons, particularly inflicting head traumas. Why? To satisfy bloodlust that's sprung from feeling abandoned by Christopher Robin (Nikolai Leon, also Frake-Waterfield's The Killing Tree) when he went off to college, then having to carnivorously rely on a friend to survive. Unsurprisingly, much of the picture is filled with stalking and killing, as the bear and his porcine companion dispense with anyone who dares go down to the woods on any day. Just as much focuses on lingering shots of Pooh and Piglet in all their human-sized, fully clothed glory — their faces rubbery, twisted, grinning and grotesque, and never resembling anything but two guys (Craig David Dowsett and Chris Cordell, both alumni of Frake-Waterfield's The Area 51 Incident) in masks. Often, they lurk in the background like they're Michael Myers, waiting to strike cinema's go-to throwaway victims: out-of-towners on a rural vacation, and women at that. Blood and Honey uses illustration-style animation to set the scene before getting cold-blooded, and to establish not only Christopher leaving the Hundred Acre Wood crew, but also the latter's decision never to speak again after the hunger, resentment and tough decisions that follow. Dubbed "abominations" by the opening narration anyway, they maintain their mute promise even when their former friend returns brimming with excitement to show his boyhood haunt and its residents to his disbelieving spouse Mary (Paula Coiz, Tooth Fairy Queen of Pain) — and when that reunion turns feral, when they spark the torture-porn onslaught. Blood and Honey isn't the product of many savvy decisions past its central idea, and can't even decide whether Mary is Christopher's fiancée or wife in its early dialogue; however, removing the possibility of ill-fitting voices for Pooh and company slicing the mood to pieces is at least one smart move. What's a man-shaped bear and pig to do when Maria (Maria Taylor, Mega Lightning), Jess (Natasha Rose Mills, Return of Krampus), Alice (Amber Doig-Thorne, Summoning Bloody Mary 2), Zoe (Danielle Ronald, Shockwaves), Lara (Natasha Tosini, Quarantine Leap) and Tina (May Kelly, also Mega Lightning) mosey their way not long after Christopher's comeback? Get kill-happy, complete with slaughtering a few other folks who stumble along in Frake-Waterfield's straight-faced, by-the-numbers affair — and prolific producer Scott Jeffrey's latest cheap horror effort, including almost every film mentioned above in the Blood and Honey's cast's previous credits. How are any of the movie's humans supposed to stand out, or make an imprint beyond being grist for the grindhouse mill? They can't, although Maria is introduced as the victim of a prior attack, a background detail that's barely explored and then utterly ignored. Otherwise, two of her friends are a couple, and one likes taking bikini-clad selfies — which is all that the feature shares about them. How's a director meant to find tension in the monotonous array of deaths, and with dispatching with such one-dimensional, forgettable prey? Frake-Waterfield can't, especially given there's zero doubt from the outset that Pooh and Piglet are deranged and demonic, the body count and accompanying splatter will be high, and a sequel will be on the way based on the viral response to the feature's existence alone. Blood and Honey's creative forces are indeed planning a second jaunt for violent Pooh and his pals, as revealed before the first movie hit cinemas. More than that, they have their sights set on other children's favourites now in the public domain, such as Bambi and Peter Pan, all in their own Marvel Cinematic Universe-esque interconnected realm. Like the MCU, DC Comics Extended Universe and the like, they're also clearly fine with filler in their franchise. Perhaps future serial-killer Pooh flicks will find more to bother with. To keep audiences coming back now the 'beloved character gets unhinged' bit has been so dully done, they'll need to. More nods to Milne's pages would be a start, because Blood and Honey plays like a generic slasher with familiar names and a heap of honey thrown in (using Eeyore's detachable tail to get whipping is a rare and welcome touch). Perhaps whatever returns to the Hundred Acre Wood from here will give viewers a reason to care about someone — anyone — and their fates. Maybe there'll be dialogue that actual people would genuinely say, or a much-needed sense of OTT humour. Ideally, there'd be some weight behind the slaying of childhood innocence. If 2023's other big bear-focused release is a hit, though, maybe the best that can be hoped for is Winnie-the-Pooh meets Cocaine Bear — a notion that doesn't sound bad on paper, but neither did Blood and Honey before the movie started rolling.
After a few years absent from screens, the Guardians of the Galaxy are back in a big way. First, they popped up in this year's Thor: Love and Thunder, although Marvel's ragtag space-hopping superhero crew only made a brief appearance. Then, they scored their own — and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first-ever — Disney+ holiday special. Next comes the long-awaited Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which'll soar into cinemas in 2023, and just unveiled its first trailer. When this threequel hits, it will have been six years since 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Vol. 3 knows it. "We've been gone for quite a while," Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt, Jurassic World Dominion) says in the just-dropped sneak peek — and yes, the film is set to have a sense of occasion about it. Not only do Quill, Mantis (Pom Klementieff, Westworld), Drax (Dave Bautista, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), Groot (Vin Diesel, Fast & Furious 9), Nebula (Karen Gillan, The Bubble) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper, Nightmare Alley) arrive back in cinemas in their own flick, but this might be their last mission. "We'll all fly away together one last time, into the forever — that beautiful sky," says Rocket, which might be the calmest thing he's ever uttered. There's no Kevin Bacon in the trailer, or likely in the movie, but there is the return of another familiar face — because Vol. 3 is serious about getting the team back together. Off-screen, that includes usual writer/director James Gunn (The Suicide Squad), after a chaotic few years that saw him fired by Marvel, then make the switch to the DC Extended Universe — where he's now actually co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios. Gunn returned to the MCU, however, for the holiday special and Vol. 3. The new film picks up after the festive episode, after the rest of the MCU's mayhem over the past few years, and with Quill still coping with big events. But, the Guardians still need to defend the universe, including on that possibly last quest that could lead to their end. Also back is Sean Gunn (The Terminal List) as Kraglin, while Bodies Bodies Bodies and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan's Maria Bakalova voices Cosmo the Spacedog as she did in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Plus, Will Poulter (Dopesick) joins the cast as Adam Warlock — and Chukwudi Iwuji (Peacemaker) as The High Evolutionary. Check out the trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 below: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 releases in cinemas Down Under on May 4, 2023.
After an extended pandemic-driven hiatus, Prahran's Grand Lafayette shifted gears in a big way, reopening in May 2022 with a brand-new chef and refreshed food direction. Now with chef Jonny Wu (Misschu) at the helm, the 100-seat all-day eatery celebrates classic Japanese flavours reimagined with a modern accent, and even boasts a dedicated tempura station. Embrace the crunch with delicately battered morsels ranging from mixed mushrooms ($26.5), to kingfish ($29.5), to oysters served with yuzu maple ponzu and rose salt (4pc, $25.5). Elsewhere on the new a la carte menu, an expansive lineup of raw bites and sushi features the likes of beef tataki ($26.5), soft shell crab roll elevated with broccolini and sweet corn miso (8 pc, $23.5) and scallop carpaccio with a black wine glaze ($29.5). Deeper in, expect a mix of familiar favourites and new creations — plump salmon bao ($12), chicken or prawn katsu served with an ume and prune sauce ($14.5), and crab croquettes finished with a spicy jalapeño miso (3pc, $22.5). There's also a range of rice bowls, noodles and udon soups, including a tempura-topped number made with chicken dashi soy broth ($22). Meanwhile, fans of Grand Lafayette's earlier days will appreciate the dessert offering, which includes four variations on the oh-so-photogenic signature raindrop cake ($9). [caption id="attachment_854403" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Griffin Simm[/caption] Images: Griffin Simm
In Netflix's Ugly Delicious, acclaimed chef David Chang explored the history of different dishes and occasionally caught up with a celebrity friend — such as Aziz Ansari, Steven Yeun and Ali Wong. With Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, he's doing pretty much the same, just focusing on specific global cities rather than specific foods. And, yes, once again he has some high-profile company. The four-episode food and travel show sees the Momofuku founder head to various corners of the world and eat three meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner, of course — with the famous person who happens to be by his side. In Vancouver, he spends a day with Seth Rogen. Over in Marrakesh, he eats and chats with Chrissy Teigen. Laughing through Phnom Penh with Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon and kicking back in Los Angeles with Master of None's Lena Waithe are also on the agenda. The aim is not to only focus on cuisine, but to explore the variety of cultures and experiences that the planet has to offer — although, naturally, plenty of food is going to be consumed. Chang and his guests devour tasty doughnuts, dumplings, burgers and (accidental) bowls of oil, share stories, learn new things and (as is always the case with these kinds of shows) make viewers hungry and envious that they're not there with them. Netflix seems increasingly fond of these types of culinary-focused series, as the star-studded The Chef Show also demonstrated earlier this year. While that program is presented by filmmaker Jon Favreau and chef Roy Choi, Chang popped up on two episodes — and so did recurrent foodie fan Rogen, too. If you want to catch Chang in the flesh, he'll be hanging out and cooking at Western Australia's Gourmet Escape this November. Otherwise, check out the trailer for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner below and start watching here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Foc0I0CACY You can stream Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner on Netflix now.
If there's one thing a city can't have too many of, it's rooftop bars. Especially rooftop bars designed by the guys behind Arbory and Arbory Afloat, with plates of barbecue Thai food and epic views of Melbourne's CBD. Welcome to HER Rooftop, Melbourne's newest sky-high hospo joint. This is the top floor of the hotly anticipated HER – a four-storey mega-venue from the Arbory guys, which has been in development since December 2020 and officially opened this month. [caption id="attachment_843584" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain[/caption] There's an all-day French diner on the ground floor. A dedicated 'listening bar' on Level 2. A sizzling Thai BBQ canteen above that. And finally HER Rooftop, a cocktail bar-slash garden terrace designed by Melbourne-born, Sydney-based Tamsin Johnson. HER Rooftop looks like an old-world European garden party that's been plonked down on a Melbourne rooftop. There are wrought-iron tables and chairs, a geometric Italian marble floor, lush green planter boxes everywhere and colour-packed wall tiles. Even the bar at the back is speccy, with a custom zinc coating, brass detailing and three arched rose-tinted mirrors (so you can check yourself out while waiting for your handmade digestif). "The sun-washed hues embody the mood of HER; a scene that might define the mood of our guests with an evocative sense of romance and light-heartedness, like players on a stage," says Johnson. You can squeeze 120 guests up here, and there's plenty for them to drink. HER Rooftop will be open till 1:00am every night, slinging a carefully curated mix of cocktails and spirits. The focus seems to be on boutique tequila and gins, which is a recipe for a big night right there, but you can also order burnt pineapple margaritas, pink grapefruit Palomas, or a mix of Euro aperitifs. [caption id="attachment_843573" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain[/caption] To soak up the booze, you've got Thai barbecue from BKK downstairs. Expect hulking fried chicken sandwiches with Som Tum and sweet chilli, a selection of laab (the vegan laab with crispy eggplant is our personal fave), and southern rice salad. "HER Rooftop could be a gorgeous terrace in Europe, miles away, yet it's in the heart of Melbourne. We want to transport guests, in our playful European-inspired interiors, whether it be over a cocktail, lunch or sunset session," says Matt Thomas, HER's General Manager. HER and HER Rooftop are open for business. You can find them at 270 Lonsdale Street in Melbourne, inside the old Federation Building. HER Rooftop is open from 11:30am to 1:00am, seven days a week.
Just like fashion collections, gallery exhibitions are all about seasons — and summer at the National Gallery of Victoria is set to be a stunner. To cap off 2022, the Melbourne cultural institution will fill its walls and halls with an Australian-first showcase dedicated to designer Alexander McQueen. Boundaries will be pushed, as they always have been in the late, great fashion icon's sartorial work. Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse will take over the NGV International between Sunday, December 11, 2022—Sunday, April 16, 2023 — heading straight to Australia after displaying at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), where it's running now. LACMA organised the exhibition, drawing upon 60 garments and accessories from its own holdings, and contacted NGV about both contributing and running its own season. That's where 50 designs by McQueen from the NGV Collection come in, plus other artworks from each institution. The aim: going deep and broad, rather than stepping through McQueen's career and life in a birth-to-death fashion. Indeed, it's a showcase that the team at the NGV has been hoping to put together since the designer first made a splash in the early 90s. [caption id="attachment_854685" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Installation photograph. Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, April 24–October 9, 2022. Photo © Museum[/caption] "In a bigger picture way, we started thinking about Alexander McQueen when we first acquired his work. So, the first examples we acquired came directly from the designer's studio back in 1996 — so over 25 years ago," explains Katie Somerville, the NGV's Senior Curator of Fashion and Textiles. "In a sense, the desire to represent his work and the recognition that he was someone really significant started back then." Celebrating McQueen's artistry and impact isn't just about placing an impressive array of his pieces on display, though. At Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, understanding its namesake involves understanding what inspired him. "This exhibition is not a retrospective, in that it's not a go-to-whoa examination of him from a more biographical point of view," advises Somerville. "It really does do a wonderful job of exploring him as a creative soul. So, looking at not only his capacity technically — and of course he was astonishingly accomplished in tailoring, cut, dressmaking; his foundation was learning on the job, on Savile Row, in theatre costuming companies in his late teens, and he's known for that incredible craftsmanship and technique, and being very hands-on in his designs. But the overarching premise of the exhibition is really about trying to get an appreciation for all the different sources of inspiration that came to inspire Alexander McQueen." [caption id="attachment_854686" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alexander McQueen backstage at Pantheon as Lecum collection, autumn–winter 2004–05 show. Courtesy the photographer. Photo © Robert Fairer.[/caption] That spans "a myriad of sources throughout art history, ancient history, popular culture, music and cinema across the board," says Somerville, with the NGV's showcase reflecting upon the whole picture. "By using works from our art collection, and the collection at LACMA, we're able to effectively bring together and illustrate some of the sources of his inspiration, so that you can see these incredible works alongside some of the works and artists and references that would've inspired Alexander McQueen. It's a very deep look at his working methodology, but also at his legacy, and why he was so profoundly successful at shifting the nature of how we understand fashion in this contemporary era." Thanks to the NGV's pieces, Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse includes McQueen-designed items dating back to 1994, and features 25 different seasonal collections — with 20 seasons covered from its own holdings alone. That includes examples from the autumn-winter 1995–1996 Highland Rape collection, the autumn-winter 2006–2007 The Widows of Culloden range, and spring-summer 2010's Plato's Atlantis, McQueen's final complete collection before his death in February 2010. While charting McQueen's story in a linear fashion isn't on the cards, the exhibition will dive into his oeuvre via various sections. So, with Mythos, three collections inspired by mythological and religious belief systems will sit together. Then, in Fashioned Narratives, four collections that showcase his knack for world-building will be in the spotlight. Next comes Evolution and Existence, which hones in on his interest in life cycles and the human condition — and Technique and Innovation, which is rather self-explanatory. Finally, Dangerous Bodies will highlight early collections with a focus on eroticism and empowerment. [caption id="attachment_854687" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alexander McQueen. Look 38, Look 40, Look 41, The Widows of Culloden collection, autumn–winter 2006–07. Courtesy the photographer. Photo © Robert Fairer. © Alexander McQueen. Models: Natasha Poly, Querelle Jansen, Tanya Dziahileva.[/caption] Another must-see part of all of the above: behind-the-scenes snaps by photographer Robert Fairer, taking audiences backstage at McQueen's shows — because his parades were an event and an art. If it sounds huge, that's because it is. The NGV is no stranger to big summer fashion exhibitions, with Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse following its massive celebration of Coco Chanel's work from December 2021–April 2022. Sitting in between the two couture-focused spreads: The Picasso Century, which'll see the NGV International hone in on Picasso — and his pals — across its winter season. Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse runs from Sunday, December 11, 2022—Sunday, April 16, 2023 at the NGV International, 180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne. For more information, or to buy tickets, head to the gallery's website. Top images: Alexander McQueen. Look 38, Look 40, Look 41, The Widows of Culloden collection, autumn–winter 2006–07. Courtesy the photographer. Photo © Robert Fairer. © Alexander McQueen. Models: Natasha Poly, Querelle Jansen, Tanya Dziahileva. Installation photograph. Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, April 24–October 9, 2022. Photo © Museum.
Anyone who makes it acceptable to eat pudding for breakfast is okay by me, which is precisely why Twenty & Six Espresso have me here before 9am on a crisp, fingertip-freezing Melbourne morning. The lines are blurred as to whether black sticky rice is technically a breakfast food or a dessert, but it's best not to ask questions — particularly when it tastes this good. There's no chill in here, especially after you've popped a few spoonfuls of the warm, creamy, sugary coconut milk concoction into your mouth. This dish is a staple for Twenty & Six and — after a brief hiatus — it's back on the menu topped with lychee, pear, toasted coconut and a sesame snap ($15). But rice pudding isn't the only thing that keeps people coming to this North Melbourne cafe, now over two years since opening. Amongst other things, there are the personable owners (Nedim and Madja), the excellent coffee (Seven Seeds and a rotating weekly blend) and an inventive menu in that rivals — if not surpasses — Auction Rooms around the corner. The Queensberry Street shopfront is small, but the most is made of the space with a minimal design, and a striking use of storage. Wooden crates affixed to the wall hold back issues of Dumbo Feather; tables for two are divided by hanging exposed lights. It's nice and light and, as you might expect, it's hard to get a table on the weekend — particularly one of the coveted spots in their quaint, sunny courtyard out back. The menu is excruciatingly hard to choose from, which, considering how small it actually is, is a good indicator of the quality of the food. The apricot, coconut and fig granola with poached quince ($12) is made in-house and, if you know your muesli, it's certainly worth a try. Braised mushrooms, asparagus, ricotta, salsa verde and a poached egg sit atop a crisp beacon of fried polenta ($18), and makes for a perfect blend of produce for breakfast or lunch. After something super sweet? Go for the apple and rhubarb brioche French toast with house made honeycomb parfait and vanilla labne ($17). Both sweet and savoury are toyed with at Twenty & Six, so whether you're into to rice pudding or polenta for breakfast (or not), you'll still have plenty of options — choosing will be your only dilemma.
When any city becomes home to a brand-new art gallery, it's big news. Thanks to the NGV Contemporary, that's about to be the case in Melbourne. First announced back in 2018, and unveiling how it'll look just last month, the new 30,000-square-metre site at Southbank is set to be huge — adding a new landmark to the Victorian capital, complete with over 13,000 square metres of display space, plus a rooftop terrace and sculpture garden. Also hefty: the cash donation the in-the-works gallery has just received, as gifted by trucking magnates Lindsay and Paula Fox. Building up almost 20 years of supporting the National Gallery of Victoria, the pair has pledged $100 million to the NGV Contemporary. Yes, that's an enormous sum — the largest cash donation ever made to an Australian art museum by a living donor, in fact. As a result, the gallery now has a new name: The Fox: NGV Contemporary. When it opens its doors at 77 Southbank Boulevard in the coming years — with an exact launch date yet to be announced — that's what you'll see gracing the walls. Well, that and a whole heap of eye-catching modern art, of course. "We are truly astonished by this extraordinary act of giving from the Fox family and we are overwhelmed by the incredible generosity and support of Lindsay and Paula Fox. The Fox family should be commended on their leadership in this sector and for the real, tangible impact that their giving has, and will continue to have, on the lives of so many," said NGV director Tony Ellwood, announcing the news. "This awe-inspiring donation will ensure that Victoria remains a centre of artistic excellence for many generations to come and that The Fox: NGV Contemporary will be a source of community pride for all Victorians, as well as a meaningful cultural legacy for the Fox family," he continued. The Fox family's donation comes after the Ian Potter Foundation also committed $20 million to the NGV Contemporary — and it is hoped that both gifts will encourage more philanthropic support. "Philanthropy can transform cities and NGV Contemporary will be a true game-changer — one of the largest galleries dedicated to contemporary art and design in the world and a global architectural icon," said Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson. That money will go towards giving Melbourne a new must-visit gallery filled with the best and brightest in creative works, and a space that doubles as quite the spectacular site itself. Thanks to a multidisciplinary team led by Australian architect Angelo Candalepas and Associates, the NGV Contemporary will feature stunning arched entryways, as well as a spherical hall that reaches more than 40 metres in height. That arresting-looking hall, dubbed 'omphalos' (the Ancient Greek word for the centre of the earth), will spiral upwards through all levels on the building, too. So, visitors will then be able to walk around it to scope out art — like New York's Guggenheim Museum — and get up to the rooftop. Outside on that sky-high terrace, in addition to perusing the sculpture garden, patrons will be scoping out vistas over the CBD, parklands and the Yarra Ranges — views never seen by the general public before. Also among the highlights: a large cafe that'll connect to an expanded public parkland, a multi-level veranda on the building's eastern side, a new NGV design store, a restaurant and member's lounge, and educational spaces, studios and laboratories focused on conserving artwork. And, of course, there'll be large and flexible exhibition spaces that'll allow the NGV to host international blockbuster exhibitions — although with Chanel and Picasso showcases at NGV International in 2022, it hasn't been doing too badly in that department. Also, the new gallery spaces will also enable the NGV to present programs drawing upon its permanent collection of Australian and international contemporary art and design as well. The Fox: NGV Contemporary will be located at 77 Southbank Boulevard, Melbourne. For more information, head to the NGV website. Images: Renders of winning concept design for NGV Contemporary by Angelo Candalepas and Associates, by Darcstudio and Secchi Smith.
It's time to break out those picnic rugs 'cause The Peninsula Picnic is back for its annual celebration of food, wine and good times. Taking over the Mornington Racecourse on Saturday, March 30, this year's lineup promises to be as impressive as ever, showcasing the region's finest epicurean delights, alongside a rather nifty musical offering. Showing off their goods on the day — and ensuring bellies and wine glasses stay happily full — will be a hand-picked selection of local producers. Expect offerings from renowned wineries like T'Gallent, Quealy and Prancing Horse, and dining hot-spots like Jackalope Hotel's Rare Hare, Max's Restaurant, Green Olive and Montalto. There'll also be brews from Wild Yak and cocktails from Pimm's, plus a series of wine masterclasses and market stalls. Topping it all off, The Peninsula Picnic has landed a cracking lineup of live tunes, headlined by Sydney band The Rubens. The five-piece rockers — who've just dropped their third album Lo La Ru — will be joined by loved Aussie singer Sarah Blasko, alt-indie artist Tia Gostelow, emerging local act Fraser A Gordon and Latin music performers San Lazaro.
Come May, there'll be more than a splash of colour added to your daily commute, with six of the city's trams transforming into giant, moving artworks. They'll be hitting the city's public transport network for the latest edition of Melbourne Art Trams, and they'll be breaking new ground in 2021 — because, for the first time, the trams will only be decked out with designs from First Nations artists. Four of 2021's trams will feature art from creatives who identify as Traditional Owners of Victoria, while two trams will showcase pieces from First Peoples artists who live in the state. The artworks will "respond to Melbourne and the multiple layers of history, country, diverse community and connections across Victoria", and Expressions of Interest submissions are now open, closing at 6pm AEDT on Monday, February 1. Whichever designed emerge victorious, the trams will hit the tracks earlier than usual, too, with their timing coinciding with the new Rising festival — the event that merges Melbourne International Arts Festival and arts all-nighter White Night — which starts on May 26. One tram will launch to mark the fest's opening, while the other five will debut over the following weeks, with each decked-out tram doing the rounds for a 12-month period. "It is exciting that for the first time in Melbourne Art Trams history, the project will be focusing on the talent of First Peoples artists from across Victoria. This shift to celebrate and support First Peoples artists with the iconic program is a recognition of our stories and deep connections to the city and that reach out to the regions," said Art Trams curator and Rising Artistic Associate, Kimberley Moulton. "The representation of First People's culture and voice in public art and celebration of the cultural strength of community is something I am passionate about, so I am particularly proud to be involved in the curation of this project and look forward to working with the community in realising their works in this way for all of Victoria and our visitors to enjoy." Melbourne Art Trams is a collaboration between Rising, Creative Victoria, Yarra Trams and Public Transport Victoria, allowing local artists submit their own original tram-inspired designs — and has run as part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival in previous years. The first of Melbourne's art trams will hit the tracks from May 26, with the rest of the fleet joining them in the following weeks and running for 12 months. For further details, or to submit your own design if you're a First Nations artist, head to the Rising website. Images: Melbourne Art Tram, Reko Rennie/James HH Morgan.
The Auburn Hotel's beer garden has been a favourite among the stacked Hawthorn pub scene for years. And, this winter, it's being transformed once again into an igloo garden and it's here to stay for a while — keeping things cosy right through 'til September. To make the snug arrangement even better, the Auburn Hotel has teamed up with Wild Turkey American Honey Whiskey to create a selection of belly-warming drinks and sweet treats to enjoy once inside, including three specialty cocktails — the old-fashioned with honey, bitters, and honeycomb ($18), a hot toddy with lemon and honey ($16) and a pineapple and mint julep ($18). There are two igloo packages available. Groups of eight or less can book the small igloo package for $49 per person. Expect a tasting board piled high with cured meats, cheeses, hummus, pickled vegetables and chutney to start, followed by a decadent chocolate and honey fondue. The dessert will be accompanied by strawberries, marshmallows, biscuits, popcorn and honeycomb for all your dipping needs, plus your choice of an American Honey cocktail, espresso martini, wine or Hawthorn pint. If your crew is a little bigger, opt for the large igloo package ($79 per person). It caters for up to 28 people and features a three-course meal with canapes on arrival. You'll be served a large grazing board to start, followed by braised lamb and roast chicken with a selection of roast vegetables — or eggplant stuffed with couscous and vegetable risotto for vegetarians. You'll also get to finish things off with the chocolate fondue as well. There are also American Honey-glazed doughnuts ($12) and peanut butter parfait ($12) on offer, too. Setting the wintery mood, the beer garden will be landscaped with wild plants and lanterns at each igloo entrance. Meanwhile, the igloos — decked out with lights, plush cushions and blankets — will be transparent, allowing for plenty of stargazing opportunities, minus the winter chill. The Winter Igloo Garden will be open from Thursday, May 2 to Sunday, September 1. To secure your spot in the igloo, head over here.
If you've got a soft spot for playful hidden messages and food that's almost too cute to eat, this Shepparton-born, Collingwood spot is making a play to be your new lunchtime go-to. A cheery wellness cafe, health food store and sushi bar, Nourish is capturing plenty of hearts with its unique 'sushi art' and its Aussie-first customised sushi service. Nourish's signature hand rolls and nigiri all have floral patterns carved into them, done using a laser etching machine imported from Germany. For custom cuteness, owners Freddy Raftellis and Michael Whelan also do sushi designs to order, etching various messages and graphics into the nori rolls' seaweed. Think, 'Congratulations' for your mate who's just had a bub and can finally eat raw fish again, or maybe a 'Will You Be My Bridesmaid' number for your sushi-obsessed bestie. Alongside the wide array of sushi, Nourish is whipping up a range of sweet and savoury smoothie bowls ($16.50), plus sippable smoothies, juices and a daily-changing rotation of fresh salads. You'll also find a range of hearty sangas stuffed between locally-made sourdough — perhaps featuring the likes of Sriracha-roasted pumpkin with zucchini and pickled red onion ($13.50), or lemon oregano chicken finished with mayo and avocado ($13.50). Images: Lumea Photo
On the hunt for some new CBD coffee destinations to add to your rotation? Handily enough, we've just scored two welcome additions, as specialty spots Peddler Espresso and Sergy Boy both move into One Melbourne Quarter. Making their home within the building's striking lobby, the duo sits beneath the new Collins Street Sky Park, bringing a new double-whammy coffee offering to that oft-forgotten pocket near Southern Cross Station. Rocking an impressive Woods Baggot fit-out, complete with punchy red Levanto Italian marble countertops, Peddler is the latest creation from Abbotsford's designer caffeine haven Kitty Burns. The newcomer has a European lean to both its food and espresso offering, the menu crafted almost entirely on produce from South Melbourne's Emerald Hill Deli. Expect crafty grab-and-go options, such as toasted sandwiches stuffed with bacon, gruyère, blackberry jam and jalapeño, classic baguette combinations, and croissants filled with sopressa and provolone. [caption id="attachment_709019" align="alignnone" width="1919"] Piers Fitton[/caption] Meanwhile, new neighbour Sergy Boy comes from the minds behind fellow CBD spots Sargon House of Coffee and Urban Deli, featuring Christina Kotsiris design work and a boutique coffee offering. There's a whole lot more to come, too, with around 40 food, beverage and lifestyle retailers set to call this precinct home once complete. Find Peddler Espresso and Sergy Boy at One Melbourne Quarter, 699 Collins Street, Melbourne. Images: Peddler Espresso by Piers Fitton.
Heads up, Mother's Day is just around the corner. (It's happening on Sunday, May 9, in case you temporarily forgot.) You can frantically message your siblings later, because there's pressie planning afoot — and we've found a showstopper for your dear ol' mumsie this year thanks to Gelato Messina. Never one to miss an opportunity to experiment with new ways to inhale sweets, Messina has been cooking up quite the delicate novelty dessert for Mum since 2015: an Italian-inspired box of chocolates. These brownie point-winners have been selling out every year since, and they're sure to bring it home again in 2021. An important note, though: while these chocolate bon bons were filled with gelato to begin with, Messina went for an all-chocolate version in 2020. And, that's what's on offer again this Mother's Day. They're made from single origin Ecuadorian chocolate, no less — and, with Messina recently stepping up its in-house chocolate-making capabilities, you'll be tasting some of the gelato chain's new varieties. Each box comes with nine handmade chocolate bon bons in nine different flavours — Davidson plum, earl grey, alfajores, lamington, mandarin white choc, Messina Rocher, strawberry pate de fruit, 80-percent dark chocolate and yuzu white chocolate. So, your mum will have quite the variety to feast on. And hey, if she doesn't like one of the flavours, maybe she'll share it with you. The Mother's Day boxes are going for $49 a pop, and will be available to order from 9am, Thursday, April 22. This year, you'll need to pick them up, too, with the bon bons available for collection between Friday, May 7–Sunday, May 9. Gelato Messina's Mother's Day Bon Bons will be available to order from 9am, Thursday, April 22 for pick up between Friday, May 7–Sunday, May 9.
Rustica Sourdough, the Melbourne institution and baker of all things sour and delicious, has opened a new bakery and cafe in Melbourne Central. It's the bakery's fourth location, with its original cafe in Fitzroy, and shops on Hawthorn's Power Street and in Rialto Towers both opening last year. This means there are now two CBD locations, and twice the likelihood of you nabbing something sweet or sourdough-y on your lunch break. Located on level two of the shopping precinct (next to Country Road), the new Rustica is — like its siblings — a cafe-bakery hybrid, with options for those who are looking for a leisurely brunch, a quick bite for lunch, or just a comforting hot cross bun on their way through to the train station below. It will have the most extensive menu of any Rustica cafe yet, with everything from sourdough loaves (obviously) to chocolate lamington french toast, baba ganoush and pickled eggs, and a matcha panna cotta. We expect a whole heap of trains are going to be missed by those who've wandered in and gotten distracted by cronuts. Rustica is now open at Level 2, Melbourne Central. It's open seven days a week, from Monday to Wednesday, 8am–6pm; Thursday to Saturday, 8am–9pm; and Sunday 10am–6pm.
Bendigo was once the richest city in the world, but you don't need huge chunks of gold seeping out of the ground to justify your visit. The Goldfields region is home to an impressive collection of cultural destinations, dining institutions and boundless natural landscapes, meaning you'll undoubtedly return home from this historic region with more than a few nuggets to share with your pals. Whether venturing deep underground or lazing away an afternoon at a sprawling winery, you're spoilt for choice when it comes to loading up a weekend here with awesome activities. With the help of our Victorian road trip partner RACV, we've picked out some of the must-dos to ensure you experience a countryside cruise like no other. And don't forget — if you're planning on having a drink, make sure there's a designated driver to keep you safe on your travels. [caption id="attachment_843468" align="alignnone" width="1920"] David Mitchener, Visit Victoria[/caption] HEAD BACK TO THE GOLD RUSH ERA Like many of Central Victoria's great communities, Bendigo was founded as a booming gold rush town in the 1850s following the discovery of gold. You can take in this alluring history with a trip to the Central Deborah Gold Mine, a fascinating underground mine that sees brave souls delve 61 metres below the surface. The charming town of Maldon (pictured above) showcases even more of this wonderful history. Situated 40 kilometres southwest of Bendigo, this community serves as a portal back into the gold rush era, with splendidly preserved period-specific homes and shopfronts lining the streets. But with many gourmet experiences housed in and around this age-old streetscape — like the monthly farmers markets showcasing local growers and producers — Maldon offers far more than just nostalgia. RELAX IN A ROCKPOOL Whether you've delved into the region's subterranean mines or spent the day completing a section of the epic Goldfields Track, ending the day at The Cascades will leave you feeling positively rejuvenated. Located in Metcalfe — a tiny town 50 kilometres from Bendigo — this series of rockpools and swimming holes adjacent to the Coliban River is a great al fresco escape. With hiking trails and picnic tables running alongside this serene spot, this pocket of countryside is best enjoyed with a freshly packed lunch. If you're seeking another scenic swimming destination, Turpins Falls is just a 15-minute drive away in Langley and features a spectacular natural pool where the Campaspe River crashes over a 20-metre-high cliff face. [caption id="attachment_843469" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] DISCOVER BENDIGO'S CULINARY PLAYGROUND Bendigo isn't just about history and nature — it's now one of Victoria's best places to eat. If you're willing to splash out, Masons of Bendigo's use of small-scale local produce is delightful. Housed inside an old glass factory, the restaurant's stripped-back decor is an elegant contrast to the kitchen's artful dishes. A short walk away, The Dispensary is the ideal spot to get your fix of modern Australian cuisine, and boasts a standout beer, wine and cocktail list that is perfect for pairing. For fans of smoked meats, The Woodhouse, which lays claim to being Bendigo's only dedicated steakhouse, partners with the region's top producers to serve sumptuous cuts prepared on a redgum chargrill. [caption id="attachment_843471" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Visit Victoria[/caption] EXPLORE GOLDFIELDS' WINE COUNTRY It's not just gold that the ground in this part of Victoria is good for. With the area's soil renowned for its volcanic basalt and sandy gravel, Central Victoria has produced some of the country's top bottles of shiraz and cabernet sauvignon, with the first grapevines planted here in 1856. The Goldfields is home to over 60 cellar doors but, for arguably the most luxurious experience in the region, head to Balgownie Estate (pictured above). This sprawling estate features a 33-hectare vineyard alongside modern accommodation, exceptional dining and a day spa. Also found in these rolling hills is the Sandhurst Ridge Winery, a long-standing vineyard with a heritage that traces back to the sunny valleys of northern Italy. [caption id="attachment_843466" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Michelle Jarni - Visit Victoria[/caption] VISIT A VIENNESE COFFEE HOUSE The clue is in the name at Das Kaffeehaus, a Viennese-style coffee house that presents hearty Central European flavours direct to the streets of Castlemaine. Led by Edmund Schaerf and Elna Schaerf-Trauner, who are continuing a decades-old family history of coffee roasting and blending, Das Kaffeehaus is where you can find Teutonic temptations like schnitzel, goulash and wurst served with fresh sauerkraut and pickles. Naturally, the coffee here is also unbeatable, with the on-site small-batch roastery delivering a satisfying blend. With marble countertops, Thonet chairs and dark wood accents decorating this captivating space, Vienna's culinary customs are well and truly alive on the streets of Castlemaine. DIVE INTO BENDIGO'S MULTICULTURAL HISTORY You can't appreciate Bendigo's extensive history without understanding the influence of Chinese migrants. With miners and merchants arriving from all corners of the globe throughout the 19th century to strike it rich on the goldfields, the significant Chinese community played a crucial role in shaping the city's foundations that remain so beloved today. The Golden Dragon Museum captures this proud chapter of region's multicultural history through a 30,000-strong collection of artefacts, textiles, photographs and more. The site also houses a lovely tearoom, a gift shop and the Yi Yuan Gardens, a peaceful oasis based on Beijing's Imperial Palace. [caption id="attachment_843472" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rob Blackburn - Visit Victoria[/caption] RIDE THE BLUES TRAM The music scene in Bendigo is a lively one, thanks to its wealth of homegrown talent as well as the popular Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival, which launched in 2011. Road trippers who love a foot-tappin' sing-along can experience the region's best talent in an entirely new setting, with a ride through town on the historic Blues Tram. Departing from Central Deborah Goldmine, your journey on this old-fashioned streetcar lasts for 2.5 hours, with cold beers and tasty snacks served while local performers play up a storm. With stops at storied destinations like Joss House, this unique experience is a great way to take in the cultural side of Bendigo. The next sessions aren't happening until November but, before then there are a number of other tours you can take while riding Bendigo's historic tramlines. RELAX IN STYLE AT RACV GOLDFIELDS RESORT Bendigo and the wider Goldfields region are overflowing with activities, so you're bound to feel pretty worn out once you reach the end of the day. The RACV Goldfields Resort ensures you have the ideal place to rest your head, with this countryside retreat placing you in the thick of nature's beauty. Thanks to its prime location, you're easily within reach of the region's top destinations, with Ballarat, Castlemaine, Daylesford and more only a quick drive away. Alongside refined accommodation and great dining, you'll also find first-class amenities ranging from a golf course and mountain bike trails to a wonderfully relaxing heated outdoor pool. Planning a road trip? Get RACV Emergency Roadside Assistance before you head off. Top images: Visit Victoria
