A few months ago, Federation Square's Skyline Terrace was a winter wonderland filled with pop-up igloos and an ice-skating rink. But come January 3, the openair space above Flinders Street Station's eastern railway tracks will be whacking on the sunscreen and shades, and transforming into a warm-weather paradise for the debut of Summertime Social. Sticking around until early April 2020, the huge al fresco summer playground will take over the rooftop space with whole swag of sun-soaked fun. For those after a break from their own backyard, Summertime Social's grassy communal lawn is the place to be. It'll host a stack of free lawn games, including giant Jenga, though it's also your go-to for picnics and sunny chill sessions, as you make the most of the pop-up's food and drink offering. On Sundays, punters can duke it out for prizes and glory at the lawn's weekly giant games battle, while Fridays and Saturdays promise a lineup of sunset DJs spinning from 5–10pm. More games, from bocce to shuffleboard, will be going down in the games lane. These ones you'll need to book when you're there and are $10 for a 20-minute session. For a more private summer do, nab your crew one of the comfy huts or converted caravans. The huts can be booked for up to 20 people, while the boho-style caravans have space for 10, customised with your choice of picnic eats, boozy ice cream, beer-filled eskies and board games. Pop-up bars throughout Summertime Social will be serving up tap cocktails, booze-infused slushies (including mango daiquiris and margaritas), beer, wine, spirits and even stocked mini-eskies. Meanwhile, a weekday happy hour means $6 Furphy, cocktails, rosé and prosecco from 4–6pm. As for the food, you'll be able to settle in with woodfired pizzas; Dirty Birdie's fried chicken, salad bowls and burgers; and boozy frozen treats from a pop-up ice cream cart. If you fancy making a day of it, a range of picnic baskets are also up for grabs, including the two-person Classic Basket, loaded with cheeses, party pies, chicken tenders and potato salad. On Saturdays, you can enjoy Summertime Social's bottomless brunch, offering 90 minutes of free-flowing beer, prosecco, mimosas and tap cocktails and your choice of brunch dish for $49. To eat, you can choose from a PBJ ice cream sanga, a BLT, a veggie burger or calzone. Find Summertime Social at Federation Square's Skyline Terrace. It's open from 11am–10pm Monday–Sunday.
If you live in the inner city, next time rubbish collection day rolls around, you could be wheeling out three bins to the kerb — and one of them could be filled with food waste. The City of Melbourne announced today that it's considering trialling compost bins in a bid to reduce the amount of local waste sent to landfill. While the trial still needs to be voted on at a council meeting next Tuesday, April 16, if it goes ahead it will see new bins rolled out to 700 Kensington homes before the end of the year. The bins could be filled with garden and food waste and would be collected once a week. At the moment, food scraps make up 50 percent of the council's household waste, with an estimated 12,000 tonnes of the stuff heading to landfill between 2016–17. So, if the trial is successful and rolled out to all council residencies, it could see the amount of waste sent to landfill halved. https://twitter.com/cityofmelbourne/status/1116505044772196352 Th council hasn't announced how it'll use the food waste just yet, but similar trials in the city have seen the scraps processed and transformed into compost for use in Victorian agricultural and horticultural projects. The food waste bins are part of the council's plan to be zero waste by 2030, which is outlined in its broader Waste and Resource Recovery Strategy. Other measures it's looking to implement this year include shared waste hubs for businesses in the city and the removal of some commercial bins, freeing up laneways and allowing for the launch of community events and businesses in them instead. The City of Melbourne's announcement follows similar trials in City of Darebin and Perth in 2017 and a more recent trial by the Moreland City Council. The City of Sydney will also be trialling food waste collection later this year. Glen Eira and Hume councils already allow for food scraps to be places in their green waste bins. Food waste is not just an issue for Australians, either, with OzHarvest reporting that around 1.3billion tonnes of food is lost or wasted around the world each year. The food waste trial will be voted on at a City of Melbourne council meeting next Tuesday. If successful, the food waste bins will be rolled out to 700 residents in Kensington later this year.
If, like most people at the moment, you can't get enough of matcha, Piccolina Gelateria has a treat for you. The Melbourne artisanal gelato store is launching a one-off Matcha Gelato Sandwich made with Hikuu ceremonial grade matcha that will satisfy the meanest of matcha cravings. The matcha sandwich combines matcha blondie with strawberry jam and matcha gelato, dipped in matcha white chocolate glaze and finished with a generous coating of matcha white chocolate crumble. And that's not all. The much-loved Hikuu Matcha Sundae will also be making a comeback. If you haven't been lucky enough to try it yourself, this jam-packed treat includes a scoop of matcha gelato with strawberry jam, matcha blondie, matcha snow and whipped cream topped with caramel sauce, matcha rocks and a maraschino cherry. The delicious matcha-infused desserts are made from scratch using only the finest ingredients. Hikuu Matcha is the cream of the crop, sourced directly from Japan and crafted by tea masters. The Matcha Sandwich and Matcha Sundae are available across all eight Melbourne stores, as well as via delivery and on the Piccolina Gelateria website. These limited-edition treats will be available from Monday, July 14, until sold out.
For those who like their comedy tinged with a little melancholy, Michael Workman is the stand-up for you. Over the past couple of years, the West Australian comic's strange and occasionally bleak (but always entertaining) sets have been amongst the best things on offer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. His latest routine is titled Nothing You Do Means Anything, and is billed as "manic", "frightening" and "the most iconoclastic show" of his career. In other words, don't expect his outlook to have gotten any sunnier. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll question your place in a cold, unfeeling world. Sounds like a fun night out, right?
When winter begins to thaw, with leaves growing back on trees and flowers coming into full bloom, we want to celebrate the warmer weather and the world's annual rebirth. And, come September — which is just around the corner — Australia's biggest festival of spring will once again roll around. Floriade has been drawing crowds for decades — and its 32nd year will be marked with the theme 'World in Bloom'. A celebration of all things floral, the festival will fill Canberra's Commonwealth Park with more than one million blooms. But this month-long flower festival is more than just smelling the tulips. From Saturday, September 14 until Sunday, October 13, Canberra will be filled with music, food, vino, locally crafted brews and spirits, entertainment, markets and cultural happenings galore. Those with green thumbs can also take part in workshops, while live music and markets will be open for art lovers and bargain hunters alike. To top it all off, festival entry is free. For one day only (Sunday, October 13), you'll also be able to take your four legged friend along for Dogs' Day Out. Expect to pat lots of pooches and some pup-themed food, too. Floriade runs from 9.30am until 5.30pm each day. Plus, after the sun goes down between October 3–6 (hello, long weekend in Canberra), you can wander through the gardens at Floriade's after-dark counterpart, NightFest. While you're in town, you may as well take the time to check out Canberra's best microbreweries, cafes and cultural hotspots, too. Start looking at accomodation ASAP. We're also giving you the chance to visit Floriade's NightFest for free. To be in the running, enter your details below. [competition]742011[/competition]
Why send all your unwanted wrapping paper to landfill, when you could use it to start a vegie garden? That’s what the forward thinkers at UK innovation company BEAF want to know. Last Christmas, in the UK alone, enough wrapping paper was discarded to reach around the world nine times. The statistic inspired the BEAF team to come up with a solution: a 100 percent plantable alternative called Eden’s Paper. They’re hoping to raise enough money on Kickstarter to be able to print and distribute the first run by Christmas this year. Five different types of paper are on the menu at the moment: carrots, tomato, broccoli, chilli and onion. BEAF is hoping that, in the long run, this will expand significantly, to include more edibles, as well as flowers and herbs. Eden’s paper is made from 100 percent recyclable materials and is totally environmentally friendly. Each sheet includes 700 seeds, embedded in biodegradable tissue paper — seven layers of it, in fact, interlocked by an embossing process that avoids the use of nasty glues. Plus, the ink used for printing is vegetable-based. In developing the product, BEAF worked in close collaboration with a seed supplier and a printing company. Over the past 12 months of testing, assessing and refining, they’ve planted enough wrapping papers to feed 5000 people. If you want to get behind Eden’s Paper in time to see your seeds sprout in January, then you’d better be quick. The Kickstarter campaign finishes up on Monday, 16 December. A five pound pledge will buy you one sheet, 14 pounds will buy three and 20 pounds will buy five. Shipping is available anywhere in the world.
Counting down to see legendary electronic music duo Groove Armada perform in the Auckland Domain during Spring City next month? You're not alone. The festival's new inner-city setting and exciting headliners have already seen most tickets snapped up — and now we know who'll be joining the superstylin' duo on stage. A lineup of epic local and international dance acts will bring the vibes on Saturday, November 26, so you can groove for all eight hours across the Domain's expansive lush lawns. Adding to the international setlist are electro-synthpop group Hot Chip and Californian rapper and house producer Channel Tres. You might know the latter from such house hits like 'Controller' (a 2018 Triple J favourite) or 'Fuego' with Tyler the Creator. To check out how his tunes go down on a sunny afternoon, check out his rooftop set below. Aotearoa will also be nicely represented — industry icon and ex-Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe is popping in off the back of interviewing some of the biggest names in the business like The Arctic Monkeys and Fred Again to perform a DJ set. He'll be joined by fellow locals like George FM host and DJ SIN, Indie artist Ladyhawke and Auckland rock/pop band Coast Arcade. So yeah, it's a pretty stacked lineup and one you're going to want to make the most of — so do it in the best way possible. If you want to enjoy the full celeb-worthy experience including press-lane access into the festival, entry into the VIP tent, premium toilets and access to the VIP bar you'll probably want to check out this epic CP Trips Package — it's the only way you can still get your mitts on a VIP ticket which have already sold out individually. The celeb-worthy package also includes accommodation at uber-chic inner city accommodation Hotel Britomart (including a delish daily brekkie to line the tum), lunch on Waiheke and more. If you're a local looking to party with the other normies, there are still a few final release tickets available too — head to the website to find out more. Spring City kicks off at 1.30pm at Auckland's Domain on Saturday, November 26 — for full event info head to the website. To check out our CP Trip Spring City package, head here.
If you don't mind waiting 97 minutes for a really cute little animation at closing credits, then check out Filth. If waiting annoys you, then give this one a miss. If you must see it, do yourself a favour and read the book first. That might help. Adapted from the acclaimed novel by iconic author Irvine Welsh, Filth falls short of even the most casual of expectations. Directed by Jon S. Baird from his own screenplay, Filth stars James McAvoy with a supporting cast including Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, Imogen Poots and Eddie Marsan. McAvoy is Bruce Robertson. He's a tormented, bigoted cop who snorts, smashes and sleazes his way through the festive period. What he really wants for Christmas is a promotion and he'll do whatever he needs to get it — screwing wives, exposing secrets and trampling self-esteems is all in a day's work. The problem is, well, just about everything. Take Bruce. There's no descent into despair, no spiral out of control, no ride for us to belt up for and settle in. When we meet him he's an asshole, and he stays an asshole, with a few tears and moments on stairs with understanding colleagues thrown in. I laughed twice, once about a boat and once because the c-word was very well-placed. The characters are half-baked and predictable — when the next line is in your head before its spoken then something has gone very wrong. Any aspect of Bruce's personality or past we're even vaguely interested in gets resolved in a lazy tell-all monologue revealing just what we had figured out 80 minutes and two buckets of popcorn ago. And this is no Trainspotting situation; the violence is lame and without context, the sex is nothing to hang your hat on, the madness is stereotyped and disjointed and there's next to no opportunity for us to even begin to understand any of the two-dimensional characters or why they do all the annoying things they do. Except for the little piggy, right at the end, who is not annoying, and is completely adorable. Filth gets one small point for the smashing soundtrack and the animation and McAvoy's beard, which is very neat and coped well with all the jaw clenching. https://youtube.com/watch?v=tymWDB7gtK4
When you're a film festival that's all about the best cinema from Spain and Latin America, and you've been showcasing flicks from the two regions for a quarter century, how do you mark the occasion? If you're Australia's annual Spanish Film Festival, you put together a hefty 25th-birthday festival filled with 32 movies. That's the just-announced plan for 2023's event, which will take over screens around the country across June and July complete with Spanish box-office hits, stars from beloved series, a focus on female directors and plenty more. As usual, this year's Spanish Film Festival is taking its show on the road, launching first in Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane from Wednesday, June 14, and then a day later in Melbourne, Perth and Byron Bay. Sydney's season will commence on Tuesday, June 20, avoiding a clash with Sydney Film Festival, aka the Harbour City's other huge excuse to spend winter in a darkened theatre. Kicking off this fellow SFF is the Australian premiere of culinary comedy Two Many Chefs, which follows a father-and-son pair reuniting in the high-cuisine scene in Bilbao. Also a high-profile must-see is the festival's centrepiece selection Alcarràs, the winner of the Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear in 2022. It popped up at a few local fests last year, and is now finally being made available to a wider Aussie audience. Other highlights include five-time Goya Award-winner Prison 77, a smash in its homeland starring Miguel Herrán from Netflix's Money Heist; The Kings of the World, which focuses on five Medellín teenagers; and Four's a Crowd, the latest from The Bar, Witching and Bitching and As Luck Would Have It filmmaker Álex de la Iglesia. Plus, there's thriller A Singular Crime, about a wealthy businessman's disappearance in Argentina in the 80s — and Staring at Strangers, where The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent's Paco León spies on a family from inside a closet (and yes, sounds like it takes its cues from Parasite). Film lovers can also look forward to rom-com My Father's Mexican Wedding, about two Spanish siblings travelling abroad for the titular nuptials; Mighty Victoria, which sees residents of a small town try to build their own steam train in 1930s Mexico; black-and-white horror film History of the Occult; and feminist Argentinian western The Broken Land. The 2022 fest boasts an Australian link as well via Greg Mortimer, about the passengers and crew on the Australian cruise ship that left for Antarctica just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic being declared. And, the Spanish Film Festival's survey of prominent Spanish and Latin American women directors includes seven movies, while its five-title 2023 retrospective is dedicated to iconic Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura, who passed away earlier in 2023. SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL 2023 DATES: Wednesday, June 14–Wednesday, July 5: Palace Electric Cinema, Canberra Wednesday, June 14–Wednesday, July 5: Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Adelaide Wednesday, June 14–Wednesday, July 5: Palace James Street and Palace Barracks, Brisbane Thursday, June 15–Wednesday, July 5: The Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Palace Balwyn and Pentridge Cinema, Melbourne Thursday, June 15–Wednesday, July 5: Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville and Luna on SX, Perth Thursday, June 15–Wednesday, July 5: Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay Tuesday, June 20–Wednesday, July 12: Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema, Sydney The 2023 Spanish Film Festival tours Australia in June and July. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the festival's website.
Two Spiegeltents, two labyrinths and close to two hundred events are part of the program for Sydney Festival 2015, announced today. A happy 85 of the events are free this year, so it's looking like a long, wallet-friendly summer. "What’s really special about Sydney Festival is the diverse programming, with the best local and international artists from high arts — opera, theatre, and contemporary dance — to circus and family shows," says festival director Lieven Bertels. "Sydney Festival gives audiences the perfect excuse to celebrate the city in summer." Music Music at Sydney Festival has doubled this year, with Domain concerts, Spiegeltent gigs and late-night parties dominating the program. Latin and South American tunes take centre stage, from The Life Aquatic-popularised Brazilian legend Seu Jorge to Afro-Brazilian hip hop powerhouse Karol Conka and Argentinian WTF genre-spanners Frikstailers. Beats stake their claim as festival favourites this year, from Warp Records legend Nightmares on Wax to Young Turks’ Oneman, while strummers like #1 Dads and Kim Gordon’s Body/Head take things up a notch from the myriad of female folk artists on the bill — Alela Diane, Olivia Chaney, Jessica Pratt, Tiny Ruins. Anna Von Hausswolff takes to the Sydney Town Hall grand organ supported by NZ’s Aldous Harding, Moroccan trance dancers Fez Hamadcha explore Sufi sounds, co-founder of The Saints Ed Kuepper delves into a retrospective, while Ben Frost and Tim Hecker team up for a co-headline show at the Opera House. Then Tex Perkins plays Johnny Cash tunes at the historic Parramatta Gaol (check out the Parramatta program, announced yesterday over here), while Gotye realises the music of William Onyeabor with members of LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip, among others. Sydney Festival’s love for the eclectic ‘who the hell?’ wildcards shines once more, from frenetic Barcelona multi-layering duo ZA! to the unexpected J-pop-meets-noise-pop team-up of Salyu and Cornelius. International hype cards How to Dress Well, Omar Souleyman, Wye Oak and return SydFester Dan Deacon are sure to get punters' paws rubbing. Giving local artists a sophisticated SydFest high-five, one third of the program features Australian musicians. Raise a plastic cup to the likes of Client Liaison, Kirin J Callinan and Firekites among the big Tex Perkins/Gotye guns. Public art Home to much of the festival's music, two Spiegeltents will be anchoring the expanding Festival Village, one of the real successes of last year and a true hub for hanging out in. Also within it will be a huge-scale art work from Ireland's answer to Banksy, street artist Maser. The maze-like, colour-splashed, two-storey-high installation, called Higher Ground, is said to be "a dream come true for those who always wished they could step inside a painting", and will be the focus of everyone's Instagramming this festival (which for the first time in two years, is Rubber Duck-less). Maser will be the artist-in-residence at the Village, though as he operates in anonymity, we don't expect to see too much of him. Other highlights among art installations include the must-ride Waterfall Swing at Darling Harbour, a giant swing that sends you flying towards a curtain of water that, thanks to the work of sensors, parts just before you hit it. Over at Carriageworks is another super-enticing labyrinthine experience, Inside There Falls (by UK-based Mira Calix), an immersive, tissue-paper environment you walk through, guided by haunting audio and the occasional glimpse of dancers. Also at Carriageworks, you can watch the meditative, 45-minute SpongeBob SquareTimes, an accidentally shot video of a man in a SpongeBob suit trying to make friends in Times Square. Performance Another big pillar of the festival is international theatre, dance and performance works. This year the big draws are Belgium's Kiss & Cry, a cinematic romance performed by two hands (yes, hands); India's The Kitchen, a spectacle of cooking and drumming from the creator of The Manginyar Seduction; France and the UK's The Night Dances, a celebration of the words of Sylvia Plath and music of Benjamin Britten, performed by Charlotte Rampling; and France's On the Harmful Effects of Tabacco, a Chekov one-act comedy performed by Theatre Des Bouffes du Nord (former home of Peter Brook) with costumes by Christian Lacroix. These join the already announced Tabac Rouge, a festival centre piece from another French innovator, circus performer James Thierree. On the smaller and more experimental side, there's one-woman memory mission I Guess If the Stage Exploded and, told entirely through the contents of one man's shoebox, Wot? No Fish!!. There's plenty of Australian contributions too, of the likes of Kate Mulvany's Masquerade, Force Majeure's Nothing to Lose, ambitious multimedia ethical exploration The Experiment and the return of the folks from Alvin Sputnik for Falling Through Clouds. On the circus side of things, the new Aurora Spiegeltent will be home to both last year's Limbo and new minimal circus artists A Simple Space, while the USA's Wau Wau Sisters lead the cabaret lineup. Those still holding a torch for the iconic Festival First Night will have to keep holding it; there's no sign of its return any time soon. Absent that inclusive and accessible event, hit up Sounds in the Domain, the Festival Village and the POP Parramatta Opening Party for free outdoor shenanigans. The 2015 Sydney Festival is on from January 8-26. Multipack tickets go on sale on October 24 (tomorrow!) at 9am, and will get you nice discounts. Single tickets go on sale on October 27 at 9am. To buy tickets and check out the full program, see the festival website. By Rima Sabina Aouf and Shannon Connellan.
UPDATE, June 10, 2021: Before the lockdown ends, the Victorian Government has changed the mask rules that'll come into effect from 11.59pm on Thursday, June 10. Under this change, which stems from updated public health advice, masks will still be mandatory outdoors. Face masks have been compulsory again in Melbourne, both indoors and out, for a few weeks now, with the mandate coming back into effect in late May in response to the city's latest COVID-19 outbreak. That requirement has remained in place during the city's two-week lockdown, in fact — but with stay-at-home conditions set to ease, mask rules are changing as well. You'll still be covering up indoors, with masks remaining mandatory inside. From 11.59pm on Thursday, June 10, however, the rules are changing outdoors. So, you won't have to wear them outside if you can maintain a 1.5-metre distance from other people while you're getting some fresh air. If you can't, you'll need to keep masking up. Obviously, you'll still always need to have a mask with you — even if you're heading out for a stroll and no one else seems to be about. You can expect to see more folks around, too, given that the city's five reasons to leave the house are being scrapped when lockdown ends. https://twitter.com/JamesMerlinoMP/status/1402444545082593281 While you're venturing out of the house for whatever reason you like — and possibly going mask-free if there's no one around you outside — you will still need to stick to a 25-kilometre radius. Yes, the bubble is expanding. Other changes that are coming into effect include gathering outdoors with up to ten people, and being able to eat in at hospitality businesses again. You still can't have anyone over to your house, though. If you're wondering where to grab a fitted mask, we've put together a rundown of local companies making and selling them. For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health and Human Services website.
"I’m preoccupied of late with the possibilities of shrinking," Phillip Adams says of his latest work. Thumb is a cross-disciplinary performance piece that stretches the limits of dance, theatre and visual art. Though this artistic director has achieved significant success at home and abroad over the past 25 years, his company are calling this Adams’ first solo work. Drawing on classic shrink-themed cinema like Fantastic Voyage, as well as strong elements of participatory theatre (with part of the performance offering optional hypnosis) Thumb interrogates its audience's psychology of scale by toying with space and perspective. These genre-bending ambitions, together with the opportunity to see Adams in action, makes Thumb a promising piece not just for fans of contemporary dance but lovers of art of all shapes – and sizes.
Ever woken up from a deep sleep, only to forget what you were dreaming about? Well the problem may be that your dreams just aren't memorable enough. A new iPhone app can solve this problem, as it apparently allows sleepers to control their own dreams. The app, named Yumemiru (translates to "see the dream" in English), uses a microphone to somehow detect when you are in your deepest sleep and most prone to mental influence. It then plays a soundtrack according to which dream scenario you have selected. Yumemiru currently offers eight different scenarios for users to choose from. These include a walk through the forest, a lazy day at the beach, getting rich, flying, and falling in love. Importantly, the romantic scenario has options for both men and women. Although this is a fascinating concept, I think that some of these scenarios are pretty pedestrian. If I'm going to stimulate my own dreams, I want my subconscious to come out with both guns blazing. There should be an option that allows you to become Godzilla or rob a bank. Regardless, give this app a try and see if your sleeps become any more exciting. After all, they may be so enjoyable that you'll never want to wake up. [via PSFK]
One of North Fitzroy's most legit barbecue houses, Bluebonnet Barbecue, is taking their show on the road after launching their very own food truck. The truck, a 1970s C1300 named 'Mabel' by previous owners, was salvaged by Bluebonnet owner Chris Terlikar after years of neglect in an open paddock. Mabel has gone through many reincarnations, most recently acting as a delivery vehicle for Princess Laundries. Now, hand-painted with barbecue mantras, the old girl is back in action and ready to serve up some damn tasty barbecue plates and sides. Mabel will tow one of Terlikar's hand-built smokers, turning out a menu that will focus, not surprisingly, on barbecued meat plates — think black Angus brisket, oak smoked chicken and Berkshire pulled pork. And since you can't have barbecue without the requisite sides, they're serving up some Bluebonnet classic like their apple and kohlrabi slaw with a poppy seed vinaigrette and their russet potato salad with blackened jalapeno crème fraiche. If you can't get enough of the house-made barbecue sauces, they'll also be available to purchase by the bottle (or two) at the truck. For Mabel's big unveiling on Saturday April 1, at Melbourne's permanent food truck park Welcome to Thornbury, the team gave away fifty free barbecue plates. If you're now kicking yourself because you missed it, the truck will all around town this month, including back at Welcome to Thornbury this Sunday, April 9, at the Four Pillars cellar door April 7-9 and the Boogie Festival April 14-17. Unfortunately, the freebies were a one-time only event, but this barbecue is certainly worth paying for.
The Victorian Government's designs for an elevated rail on the Cranbourne/Pakenham train line have brought plenty of controversy; however, once the $1.6 billion Skyrail project is completed, it looks like they'll also bring a hefty increase of open spaces to Melbourne's south east. Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan yesterday revealed plans to use the area freed up by the line's elevation to create "11 MCGs worth of new open space." Included in the proposal is a 17-kilometre walking and cycling track running from Caulfield to Eastlink, as well as multi-purpose sports courts, rock climbing walls, skating facilities, parks and play areas. Clayton and Noble Park will also each score a fenced dog park, while an extra 4000 trees are set to be planted in the area as well. The proposed plans come as the government prepares to remove nine level crossings between Caulfield and Dandenong. "By removing the most dangerous and congested level crossings we are making our communities safer," the minister said. "And, by providing more open space we're making them a better place to live." The government says the plans are the result of extensive consultation from a Community Open Space Expert Panel, which was chaired by Director and Chief Executive at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Tim Entwisle.
Museum lovers, we know you miss visiting your favourite galleries and taking in all the beautiful art the world has to offer, so we have some good news for you: you can now join The Museum of Modern Art's top curators every Thursday (or Friday, Down Under) to explore the famed museum's exhibitions. Different gallery tours will be uploaded to the museum's website every week, ranging from film exhibitions to deep dives into the work of some of America's most iconic artists, including Great Depression photographer Dorothea Lange and sculptor Donald Judd. If you prefer to get a bit more hands-on with your art, the gallery is also offering a heap of free online courses, covering everything from postwar abstract painting to fashion and photography. Top image: MoMA by Gorup de Besanez for WikiCommons
Stormwater drains do not immediately spring to mind as the most likely of subjects for a photography exhibition. Dank, dark and deliberately hidden from view, the humble drain is generally seen as a necessity of modern life but one that should be left in the deep underground recesses beneath our feet. Sydney artist Oliver Hopes begs to differ. After a boyhood adventure gone awry left Hopes stranded in the blackness of one of Sydney's innumerable stormwater drains, surrounded on all sides by an army of swarming cockroaches, his "most hated of animals", Hopes developed a permanent fascination with this unseen world of underground mazes. "I had a bunch of mates that would go and explore stormwater drains, and I don't know how they got the idea," Hopes told us. "We built a flaming torch out of a stick and torn T-shirt and kerosene ... and that was the first time I went down the drain." It certainly wasn't his last. These days, the artist finds himself lost in Sydney's drain system as often he can. Unlike this first encounter, which was inspired more by a sense of boyhood adventure than artistic expression, Hopes now always makes sure he has his digital camera with him and his latest exhibition is on display as part of the Head On photo festival at the Robin Gibson Gallery. Yet Hopes' art is no accident; it's the work of a man who knows how to find incredible beauty in the most unexpected of locations. The images are a cinematic delight, bathed in an evocative contrast of light and dark. If it weren't for the subtle details of the drains — the water stains and faded graffiti — the photographs could easily be mistaken for location shots from a Godfather film. Despite the grandiosity of the images, Hopes' process is amazingly DIY. Having experimented with elaborate camera set-ups, studio lights and plenty of work in the editing studio, Hopes found that often the most effective approach was also the most simple. Just a digital camera and then "it's basically me and what I see down there." "Most of them have a pretty natural cinematic quality, that special something that needs very little manipulation," Hopes said. "They are pretty powerful spaces naturally, which is what inspires me more to keep going. They are just so amazing and different and powerful." Thankfully for us, these atmospheric chiaroscuros hide some of the less appetising aspects of drains — though Hopes describes seeing everything from bats to rats to eels to cats. "You name it, it's down there," he says. Check out some of our favourite drains from Hopes' amazing collection of photographs below. Images courtesy of Robin Gibson Gallery and © Oliver Hopes.
UPDATE, February, 5, 2021: Malcolm & Marie is available to stream via Netflix. Where everything from Blue Valentine and the Before trilogy to Marriage Story have previously gone, Malcolm & Marie follows: into the fiery heat and knotty struggles of a complicated relationship. Like the heartbreaking Blue Valentine, it charts ecstatic highs and agonising lows. As Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight did, it relies upon dialogue swapped frequently, passionately and with chemistry. And stepping in Marriage Story's territory, it follows a director and an actor as their career choices highlight issues they've plastered over with sex, smiles and their usual routine for far too long. Still, while assembled from familiar pieces — the aforementioned movies aren't alone in stripping bare complex amorous entanglements, as the likes of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Scenes From a Marriage demonstrated first — Malcolm & Marie slinks into its niche. It's devastatingly stylish thanks to its black-and-white colour palette, elegant costuming and luxurious single-location setting. It glides by almost entirely on the strength of its ferocious performances. But it's also indulgent and obvious, as well as clumsy in its handling of many of its conversation topics. Like most relationships, it soars at times and sinks at others. Shot in quarantine in mid-2020, the romance drama meets its eponymous couple on a momentous night, with filmmaker Malcolm (John David Washington, Tenet) all abuzz after the premiere of his latest feature. The critics gushed to him in-person so, arriving back at the flashy house that's been rented for him, he's drunk on praise and eager to celebrate with Marie (Zendaya, Spider-Man: Far From Home). As she cooks him mac 'n' cheese, he pours drinks and relives the evening's highlights. But Marie isn't as enthusiastic, or as willing to cast everything about the premiere in a rosy glow. The catalyst for her simmering discontent, other than just the state of their relationship: as Malcolm & Marie writer/director Sam Levinson admits he did himself at the premiere of his 2017 movie Assassination Nation, Malcolm forgot to thank Marie. Levinson's wife only brought it up once, he has said; however, the moment the subject comes up on-screen, Marie isn't willing to accept Malcolm's claim that he simply forgot. Cue oh-so-much arguing, mixed in with cosier banter, broader chats about art and politics, Marie's frequent escapes outside to smoke and Malcolm's impatient waiting for the first reviews of his film to drop. Marie bathes, slipping out of her shimmering dress. Malcolm dances, and also thinks that playing the right song at the right time will patch over all of his girlfriend's worries. Again and again, their discussion circles back to their history. Malcolm's movie is about a 20-year-old addict, and Marie once was that woman. She feels as if her real and painful experiences have hoovered up by him, without any appreciation or recognition — without casting her in the role, too — a contention that his lack of public acknowledgement has only solidified. In response, he easily spits back all the ways he didn't raid her life, and all the other women from his past he also used for inspiration. It can get repetitive, as wars of words are known to in the intensity of the moment, and yet Malcolm & Marie is at its best when its characters fight specifically about their relationship. That's when the film stings with authenticity; Levinson's own situation mightn't have turned out the same way, but no one is a stranger to quarrelling with their nearest and dearest, and his script shows it. When Malcolm & Marie works other affairs into the back-and-forth, though, it overplays its hand. It threatens to forget that it's about people rather than about ideas. Levinson takes aim at the current state of cinema and the discourse it inspires — including increasing calls for authenticity in bringing stories to the screen, the response that it's the craft rather than the experience that truly makes filmic art, and the way movies by talent from marginalised backgrounds are viewed through that lens — but his navel-gazing feel muddled and hollow at best. Case in point: the feature also has Malcolm delight in being fawned over by critics, rage against writers he doesn't think understand his work and complain about anyone who reads his films in a way he doesn't approve. Thankfully, even in Malcolm & Marie's least necessary scenes, it boasts Zendaya and Washington. No one else is seen in the film, in fact. Zendaya won an Emmy in 2020 for TV series Euphoria — which Levinson created, writes and has directed the bulk of, and is also based on his own experiences — and she's in blistering form here as well. When Marie is still glammed up from the night's festivities, Zendaya wears a mask of composure and determination atop her flawless makeup. When the character changes, then pads around in her underwear, the exacting performer lets her facade drop in favour of a more relaxed but still just as raw brand of pain and fury. She's impossible to look away from, but Washington is no slouch. He's given the least sympathetic but also more overtly showy part, and wears it like a second skin. Indeed, he sells Malcolm's arrogance, privilege, never-wavering confidence and volatile anger that comes out in his rants as convincingly as he sold the ruse that was crucial to his role in BlacKkKlansman. Zendaya and Washington's performances are so strong and compelling — hers especially — that when the two-hander's material lets them down, it's noticeable. The screenplay's lack of resonance and texture, key traits evident in all the best relationship dramas, is evident, too. As a result, the film easily leaves viewers wondering what might've eventuated if it hadn't been cooked up in a pandemic, designed to work within COVID-19 restrictions and scripted in six days. Cracks in even the most blissful romances take time to expand. Malcolm and Marie's central love affair has clearly never been all sunshine and roses, but the movie they're in lacks the weightiness that might've come if it had been the product of a longer gestation process. Levinson's sultry and gorgeous visuals also call attention to the movie's hastiness. From leisurely tracking shots peering in at its key duo from outside their lush abode to the many exquisite-looking ways it frames Zendaya and Washington together, Malcolm & Marie is designed to look timeless, and yet the substance that's supposed to anchor that style continually feels rushed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGZmwsK58M8 Image: Netflix.
While it doesn't always feel like it, Melbourne is closing in on the home-stretch of this latest lockdown. A handful of restrictions were eased from 11.59pm on Sunday, October 18 and Premier Daniel Andrews has also confirmed the state's on track to November 1. But just in case you were thinking there'd be some wiggle room during step two, the Victorian Government is cracking down hard on rule-breakers and bumping up the penalties for any illegal gatherings. Break the rules now and you could cop a hefty fine of almost $5000. The Premier has warned that the penalties for flouting current restrictions on public and private gatherings will now be increased to match the fines given for travelling into regional Victoria without a valid reason: $4957, to be exact. The no-nos include having a picnic with more than ten people, or people from more than two households, and having anyone over to your house that isn't an intimate partner or in your 'single social bubble'. You can brush up on all the gathering rules over here. Victoria Police has also confirmed it'll maintain a strict approach in enforcing the rules. In a press conference, Chief Commissioner Shane Patton urged the public to help police by phoning in any suspected rule-breakers to the Police Assistance Line. And, ahead of the balmy picnic weather forecast for this weekend, he warned police would be stepping up its presence, keeping an eye on busy parks and even knocking on doors. "We will be out and we will be enforcing," he said in the Facebook video. "We'll be doing everything we can to make sure that people are adhering to these guidelines." If you are caught doing the wrong thing, it seems there'll be little chance of walking away with just a slap on the wrist, with the Chief Commissioner saying, "The use of discretion will be only in the most extreme circumstance and very rarely applied". While the penalty increase was announced on Sunday, September 27, Victoria Police today confirmed it's doled out over 67 fines to individuals for breaching the Chief Health Officer directions in the past 24 hours. They included penalty notices issued to six men gathered at a home in Greater Dandenong, with police tipped off after multiple cars registered to different addresses were seen in the driveway. For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health and Human Services website — and for further details about Victoria's steps for reopening, head to the roadmap itself. Updated October 20, 2020.
Ivan Sen has always gone it alone. In the world where we live, filmmakers have set decorators, editors, production managers, post-production technicians, concept artists, storyboard artists and legions of other scurrying assistants. Not Ivan Sen. He's an Australian filmmaker who does it all himself, and his outsider approach has so far taken him from his native rural New South Wales to places like Sundance, Cannes and Berlin film festivals. This directive — hands-on, honest, thoughtful, singular filmmaking — now stretches into the guts of his latest film, an outback murder case, Mystery Road. It's a quiet, steady yet thrilling film, held together by Aaron Pedersen's staggering performance as a lone, Aboriginal detective. To talk about Ivan's films, you have to talk about equality. In Sen's film worlds (Toomelah, Beneath Clouds), as in this world, some people are more equal than others. When Julie Mason, an Indigenous girl, is found with her throat cut off Mystery Road near Massacre Creek, no one gives a shit — not the cops, not anyone. This is the crime genre plot-point that opens up to a chasm of inequality. Underneath the high skies and low plains of Mystery Road, something else surfaces — a frighteningly beautiful, dead-on look at a troubled country. THE START OF MYSTERY ROAD "It's been a bit of a journey, this film," says Ivan. "I first mentioned it to Aaron in 2006 in Kings Cross, around midnight. We were passing like ships in the night, and I said, 'brother, I got an idea for you'. And he said, 'alright'. Then five years later, I ring him up and say, 'here's this idea, here's the script, it's time to do it'. It's a story that's come from my own experiences, my own heart, from my family and their experiences. So everything you see in some way comes from reality. The whole thing about Jay Swan being this cop caught between two worlds is something that's very close to my heart, coming from a small town, growing up, not quite belonging to the Aboriginal part of town, and not quite belonging to the white part of town. That's what I've always been fascinated by: the turncoat, the black tracker, the black trooper, the Native American scout. The person who's got a foot in both worlds, walking along the edge." Mystery Road comes at the crest of a wave of Indigenous storytellers making movies for all audiences — films like Bran Nue Dae and The Sapphires. "There are all kinds of young warriors trying to change the face of the industry, trying to tell our stories," says Aaron. "I've done a lot of mainstream material before on television. People used to always tell me, 'you play too many coppers!' Not now, because all those cops got me this job! Ivan wrote the role for me. It's something I'll never forget and a job I'll never get again." "I think [the murder storyline] is something that affects a lot of Indigenous families," says Ivan. "A distant cousin of mine was found underneath the roadway in very similar circumstances, a long time ago now. The killer has never been brought to justice. If you actually pursue reality in a film, that can make things more interesting and suspenseful than all this artificial and contrived conditioning." Adds Aaron, "This film is important to this country, the lessons of healing and understanding. It's about our lives. There are a lot of cold cases in this country, a lot of people left behind after murders." THE ONE-MAN BAND What's behind the all-encompassing role of director, writer, camera operator, editor and composer? "It's just easier to do it yourself," Ivan says. "I just started doing it a long time ago, back in the 1990s. And now technology's caught up and I can edit on the laptop, soundtrack on the plane, write in a cafe. For me, why should film production be the way Hollywood says it is? What right do they have to define all these things?" "Let's hope he doesn't learn how to act, because then there'll be no work for actors!" Aaron's having a go, but you suspect he might be right. "Ivan had all these hats that he'd been wearing [on set], but I'll keep saying 'till the day I die, if he was stressed out, you wouldn't have known. Incredible leader. I was so glad to be part of the project on this big scale — not just as a hired gun, but as someone who helped implement the operation. It was kind of like ceremony in a way. It was really beautiful, really personal. You don't usually have that relationship with a director. We became brothers." SEN GOES SCI-FI I've heard Ivan's next film is a science-fiction epic set in China, his new home. "Yeah, sci-fi," says Ivan. "Set in the future. Big action, romance. Commercial." At first it seems worlds away from the art-film vibe of Mystery Road. How do you cater for the largest possible audience without turning your film to shit? "Someone like Christopher Nolan is in massive demand," Ivan continues. "He puts his heart and soul into what he does, and really wants to give the audience something unique. There's not many other guys with the talent and heart trying to give the masses something special. Because it's all controlled by suits. Chris Nolan's not a suit, but he wears one. He gets the deals without losing any freedoms or destroy his personal approach." It's true — you see a big budget movie with heart and talent and intelligence (Robert Zemeckis's classic space movie, Contact, springs to mind), and you think, hey, that's what Hollywood could be for, that's what all those big budgets and beautiful faces could be doing all the time. They could have big ideas, too. "There's a big hole there, in the commercial arena, for quality," says Ivan. "There's so many shit films for big audiences. You go to the cinema and it's like, 'which crap movie do I have to pick?'" "I actually don't go to the movies very much 'cause of that," admits Aaron. "Too many people are spoon-fed their opinions in this world. That's another audience [than the one for Mystery Road]." Ultimately, for Ivan, leaping into sci-fi just makes sense to him as a filmmaker. "I don't want to make the same film over and over. It's boring. I'm a lover of cinema. Watching cinema gave me emotions that I'd never felt before in my whole eight-year-old life. I'd never felt that connection before." Mystery Road carries this sensibility — beyond being a genre piece, is cuts to the emotional heart of a country that's been torn by dysfunction for too long. At a screening of the film in Sydney's inner west, Aaron spoke plainly, and passionately. "History did not start 225 years ago in this country ... This role is more than a job, it's a chance for me to show my ancestral trauma. This film is larger than this script: it's a cinematic campfire. Sit around it. Take something from it. Be smarter for it. Be a better nation for it."
UPDATE, March 15, 2021: Deerskin is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. You've heard the first words uttered in Deerskin before, but it's unlikely that you've heard them in this specific order: "I swear never to wear a jacket as long as I live". In the film's opening moments, three people exclaim the phrase as they dump armfuls of clothing into a car boot. Watching on, Georges (The Artist Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin) makes sure that they say the sentence in exactly the right way. The film offers no further explanation at this point, as if these dramatic declarations are the most normal thing in the world. Next, though, it shows Georges putting his own brown corduroy jacket in a public toilet, flushing, and leaving the bowl clogged and overflowing. His subsequent destination finally helps clarify what's going on, at least in part — with Deerskin's protagonist buying himself a new secondhand jacket made from the eponymous material. How far would you go for the perfect piece of clothing? And can one ideal fashion item completely change your life? They're two completely relatable questions that Deerskin ponders, after aspiring filmmaker Georges takes a strong liking to said Italian-made vintage fringed deerskin jacket. And, we mean strong. Obsessed, fanatical and passionate, even. In the way that anyone can, but that vain, middle-aged, just-divorced men are stereotypically known to, Georges is certain that this one luxurious object is perfect for him. In fact, he thinks he just can't live without it. It doesn't matter that said coat costs him nearly €8000, a price tag that most would stumble over. Similarly irrelevant: that the jacket looks just a tad too small while he's wearing it. Instead, how it makes Georges feel is far more important than any logical drawbacks — to him, at least. Also pivotal is how it catches the attention of small-town waitress and wannabe film editor Denise (Portrait of a Lady on Fire's Adèle Haenel). The latest feature by the inimitable Quentin Dupieux (also known, in his electronic music guise, as Mr Oizo), Deerskin luxuriates in Georges' devotion to the newest addition to his wardrobe. Again, that's putting it mildly. The film revels in this fixation to a purposefully absurdist, always amusing and even sometimes comically unnerving extent, especially when it comes to the character's ultimate goal: that his will be the only jacket remaining in the world, and he'll be the only person wearing it. When Georges is told that it's the jacket of his dreams before he makes the hefty purchase, it's one of many similar statements to come. When two women at a bar comment on it, he says that "it's no ordinary jacket", for example. Later, when one of them remarks on his overall appearance, he asks "don't you see my killer style?". And in bed that night, playing with the video camera that came with the coat as a package deal, he vocally and effusively lavishes praise upon the inanimate item. The above paragraph stresses the point, but so does Deerskin. If you're going to make a movie about a man's crazed fetish for a jacket, his willingness to do anything for it and his belief that it's the only jacket that should exist from this point forward — and his outlandish, even violent actions to make sure that's the case as well — there's no room for being subtle. This is a concept that requires the same level of commitment as Georges' to his beloved possession, and Dupieux doesn't hold back. That's his nature anyway, with Deerskin the latest of the writer/director's movies to fixate on an inanimate object. If you saw the French filmmaker's 2010 cult hit Rubber, about a homicidal car tyre, then you'll know just what kind of weirdness he both relishes in general and unfurls here. Dupieux makes films that instantly seem ridiculous, yet both express and interrogate their central idea with smarts as well as a sense of humour, and Deerskin couldn't better fit the bill. Still, while this French Alps-set horror-comedy is a typical Dupieux movie through and through, a few things particularly stand out. Indeed, from a resume that also includes 2012's Wrong, 2013's Wrong Cops and 2014's Réalité, this might just be the filmmaker's most accessible film to-date. The deadpan performances, including from a fantastic Dujardin, are a delight. The commentary about consumerism, male egos and the potential brutality of both at their most over-the-top proves as funny as it is astute — and even though it's also rather obvious, it's constantly entertaining. Also, the fact that the movie well and truly knows that it's stretching a thin basic idea to its most overblown extreme means that everything is a joke, and the film is all the better for it. Then there's the visual symbolism, the lingering shots, the beige-hued colour palette and the editing, too, all of which follow their own rhythm as much as anything Dupieux has ever made. But, perhaps the most impressive element of this warped, weird, always beguiling movie is that — despite the all-round offbeat premise — Dupieux never forgets that he's actually fashioning a love story here. Yes, it's a twisted, troubled romance between a man and his jacket (and, later, his deerskin hat, shoes and pants as well), but it's a romance nonetheless. In a feature that'd make a great double with Peter Strickland's In Fabric, every element of this sublimely silly, sometimes savage, 100-percent suede-coveting film is crafted with that in mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_u4YDiGH3k
Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman are Eric Lomax and Patti Lomax, lovers at the centre of a world torn apart by Eric's repressed memories as a prisoner of war in The Railway Man. Marcus Costello spoke with the film's Australian director Jonathan Teplitzky, who also made a big impression with 2011's Burning Man. The life of Eric Lomax, a quintessentially British man from another generation, set between Scotland and South-East Asia. How does an Australian director's perspective lend itself to this story? Going into this production, I thought the code of silence thing was a distinctly English POW character trait. I soon realised that it doesn't matter where you're from, if you were part of WWII, you come home with stories you will never share. Is that still the case for soldiers today? Yeah, sadly, I think it is. The irony is that we send young, impressionable people to war under morally dubious reasons, morally bankrupt, even, and we hold them to account for every moral decision they make when they're out there. If you think about how young these guys actually are, it's almost a 'Lord of the Flies' situation. No wonder they come home confused and reluctant to talk about it. I was talking with journalists at the Dubai Film Festival the other week and they were saying how important this film is for that part of the world as it struggles to deal with the warfare surrounding it. To that end, did you think about how your film would be received by present-day soldiers? Absolutely. In so many the face of warfare has changed beyond recognition since WWII, and yet, completely ineffective techniques like water-boarding are still used today. We live in a tell-all age of social media. Presented with an intensely private character, Eric Lomax, how do you expect/hope young people to respond? That's a really interesting question. The core audience we had front-of-mind when we were making the film was men above 35. In the test screenings we've noticed that younger people are genuinely interested in it. For all the negative press that the social media generation gets, I actually think it's a very inquisitive, socially aware group. The film looks beautiful. But war isn't beautiful. Can you talk me through your aesthetic choices? Sure. As a 20-year-old, going to War — to Thailand no less! — was a big adventure for Eric, so mixed up in fear and anxiety was a genuine sense of excitement. Of course we know the story of WWII — it was no exotic holiday — but to portray it like that wouldn't have been an accurate view of the world through his eyes. The heat, the incredible lushness of South-East Asia's forests was unlike anything this young Scot had ever experienced or really known about. To convey that wonder we heightened the contrasts between the countries: we sought out blues and greens when we where in Scotland, and hot colours when we where in Thailand, for example. I ask because there were a couple of moments during the film where I was in there with Eric then he'd see something like an explosion framed by silhouetted palm trees, and all of a sudden I was made aware that I'm looking at a representation. Did you ever feel a need to hold back because Thailand is just so photogenic? But I relish those moments! I try to do it as much as I can in the films I make! For me, the visual irony is key. It brings into question the absurdity of what's happening. Naturalism isn't always the only or the best way to give an authentic impression, as strange as that may sound. Given that taste for flourish, where there times when you felt constrained by having to tell a true-to-history story We were very lucky to have such a good relationship with Eric and Patti who were both so open but even still, I never felt obliged to tell something a certain way. I honestly never felt constrained. I can say that because I don't think getting every factual detail perfect is the aim of this kind of story. I think it's about capturing an essence and finding a way of expressing that. The Railway Man is in cinemas now. Read our review here.
Imitation may be considered the sincerest form of flattery, but when one movie spends its duration seemingly trying to ape another, it also proves one of the most grating methods of filmmaking. Staring at its grey colour scheme, listening to its moody score, jumping along with its shifting timeline and unpacking its narration-heavy, twist-filled story, there's little doubt that The Girl on the Train is trying to follow in the footsteps of another recent adaptation of a page-turning novel. Alas, this movie is no Gone Girl — although thanks to its own stylistic choices, the comparison isn't going to go away any time soon. Working from Paula Hawkins' best-selling book, The Girl on the Train intertwines the plights of three women in a whodunnit thriller, while attempting to dissect — and find commonality within — the many roles women are forced to play in life. Sadly, with a flimsy script by Erin Cressida Wilson doing the source material few favours, director Tate Taylor fails to live up to expectations with this hotly anticipated adaptation. Instead, the film alternates between serious and trashy, without finding the right balance between the two. So it is that alcoholic divorcee and New York-based Englishwoman Rachel (Emily Blunt) rides the train every day, staring out the window at people she assumes are happier than she is. In the case of her ex-husband Tom (Justin Theroux), his new wife Anna (Rebecca Ferguson) and their baby, she knows that's the case. When it comes to their neighbours Megan (Haley Bennett) and Scott (Luke Evans), she's just guessing. But when Megan goes missing on the very same day that Rachel spots her on her porch with another man, questions start being asked. Before long, some of the hardest ones are directed at Rachel herself, who was seen drunk in the area but can't piece her memory together. Characters peering into the seemingly perfect lives of others is a concept that has fuelled many a movie in years gone by. And yet, you can add a distinctive lack of Hitchcockian intrigue to the list of ways that The Girl on the Train disappointments. Narrative developments are clearly foreshadowed, clichés fly thick and fast, and attempts to bust gender stereotypes remain superficial at best. In this light, even appreciating the film's place in voyeurism-obsessed cinema history offers little solace. Thank goodness for the quality cast. Whether acting erratic like Blunt, suspicious like Ferguson or furtive and discontent like Bennett, none of the picture's lead actors are quite at their best, but at least they're reliable, which makes them the best thing the film has going for it. That said, when paying close attention to how Blunt plays boozy becomes more interesting than the story itself, you know something has gone seriously wrong. There's an interesting-enough thriller at the heart of The Girl on the Train. Unfortunately, we never get to see it.
If you haven't done it before, flying solo can be a little daunting — especially to something like the opera. But, hey, you shouldn't have to miss out on indulging your operatic passions just because your mates aren't huge Puccini fans. That's presumably why Opera Australia has come up with a nifty solution for its solo guests. The new initiative, named Opera for One, offers a a special package for those going it alone at select Sydney and Melbourne shows. No more standing awkwardly in the foyer before the performance or during interval, wishing you had someone to dissect the show with. Under the new scheme, solo punters will get access to a discounted B Reserve ticket (at a tidy 10 percent off), then kick off their evening at a complimentary pre-show drinks and nibbles session. An expert from Opera Australia's creative team will give a casual talk about the show and you'll have the chance to mingle with other solo opera fans, before heading in to take your seats together. To help take some of the edge off, guests will also score a handy guide before the show, packed with conversation starters, information about your chosen opera and insights into what you can expect on the night. If you're keen to give it a whirl, Opera for One is currently taking bookings for a handful of Sydney and Melbourne shows. NSW fans can see the likes of the compelling Salome or Puccini's Turandot, while Melburnians can access Il Viaggio a Reims, Mozart's Così fan tutte, and beloved classic Rigoletto.
The Big Green Idea is an initiative of the British Council, and it's all about treasuring Australia's creative people and and people who want to make the world a better place. The project is aiming to attract and encourage local entrepreneurs to develop new sustainable projects which will help people adapt to the effects of climate change in cities. It's all a part of a region-wide initiative begun by the British Council to encourage environmental sustainability across East Asia and the Pacific. And they have some very attractive grants up for grabs. This year up to six grants will be awarded to environmentally conscious kids which have the potential to make a dramatic impact on the country's environmental future. You can apply for either a $10, 000 or $20, 000 cash grant. The successful applicants will also get project mentoring by business and sustainability leaders, as well as the British Council, to help the projects have the greatest and widest positive impact they can. Applications are open now. They can address issues such as resource efficiency, travel, water, sustainable design, communications campaigns and the effects of climate change on disadvantaged communities. So if you've been inspired by the upcoming Earth Hour, get your idea submitted for a chance to make a real change.
Plans, pathways, roadmaps, rollouts: no matter which state you live in, Australians have heard these terms more than a few times over the past year and a half. As the country has grappled with COVID-19, our state and federal leaders have unveiled all types of outlines that run through what we can do, what we can't do whenever restrictions are in place, how we're getting vaccinated, where we can travel and how life might someday return to normal. Following the latest National Cabinet meeting between state and territory leaders and Prime Minister Scott Morrison, which was held today, Friday, July 2, the latter has just announced a new plan — 'a National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response', to be precise. It steps through four phases that Australia will now work through to get life back to normal in this pandemic-affected world. Timeframes haven't been noted, so really it's just a list of things that should happen at some point; however, it's a plan nonetheless. Now 16 months since the country first introduced lockdowns and border restrictions due to the pandemic, Australia is currently in the first phase. Here, the aim is to suppress the virus to minimise community transmission, and much of it either sounds familiar or plans to tweak existing arrangements. Lockdowns will be used as a last resort, caps on incoming passenger arrivals will be cut in half to help stop the possible spread of the Delta variant, and the Commonwealth will run more repatriation flights to Howard Springs. Hotel quarantine is set to be reviewed, too, and alternative options — such as home quarantine for returning vaccinated travellers — will be trialled. In this first stage, everyone will be offered their chance to get vaccinated — which, given how slow the rollout has been progressing so far, might explain why no hard dates have been attached to this overall roadmap. Also in the initial phase, the Medicare Vaccination Certificate will be rolled out, Australia will work out how to authenticate digital vaccination status at our international borders and the vaccine booster program will be prepared. Whenever that's all achieved, the nation will move into phase two. That's when restrictions will be eased on folks who've had the jab — including around lockdowns and border controls. It's aimed that, by then, lockdowns will only happen "in extreme circumstances" if needed to prevent increasing hospitalisation rates and deaths. Also in phase two, inbound passenger cabs for unvaccinated returnees will go up, and more vaccinated returning travellers will be allowed to come home. If you're a vaccinated Aussie and you're coming back into the country, there'll be reduced quarantine arrangements. And, this is when the vaccine booster program should be rolled out, too. Up next: a third phase that has absolutely no lockdowns, and frees vaccinated Aussies from all domestic restrictions — and allows them to travel internationally as well. At this point in the plan, there'd be no caps on returning vaccinated travellers at all, and more travel bubbles, like the one floated with Singapore, would open. Also, vaccine boosters would keep being delivered. Finally, phase four sees COVID-19 just treated like other infectious diseases. It'd still be around, but it'd get the same kind of response as the flu. So, there'd be no lockdowns or domestic restrictions ever, vaccinated folks could come and go as they like, and non-vaccinated travellers would just have to get tested before they depart and when they arrive. Again, there are no timeframes attached to any of these phases as yet. That's dependent upon setting vaccination targets for each phase of the plan, based on modelling. And, if Australia's pandemic response so far is any guide, this could all change, take forever or simply not happen — but, if nothing else, it's the stated plan at the time of writing. For further details about the National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response, head to the Prime Minister's website.
Back in July, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Australia will tie its efforts to manage COVID-19 to vaccination rates moving forward. As the country reaches certain jab milestones — 70 percent of Aussies over the age of 16 receiving two doses, and then 80 percent — the way that Australia handles the pandemic will evolve. Restrictions will start to ease, lockdowns will be less likely, international travel will open back up and people who've been fully vaxxed will live life under loosened rules. As both New South Wales and Victoria have dealt with COVID-19 outbreaks over the past few months, vaccination rates have continued to be thrust into the spotlight. Both NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her Victorian counterpart Daniel Andrews have highlighted specific jab thresholds, and announced that lockdown rules will begin to change when they're met — at 70-percent fully vaxxed in NSW and 70 percent with at least one dose in Victoria. So, that means that we're all now paying extra attention to those vaccination figures. They're mentioned at each state's daily COVID-19 press conferences, of course, but you can also check out how your state is going and how the nation overall is faring thanks to a heap of online resources. Wondering why you might be interested in the Aussie rate, and not just vax numbers in your own state or territory? As part of that plan announced by the PM — the National Plan to transition Australia's National COVID Response — vaccination rates have to reach the 70-percent and 80-percent fully jabbed marks across the entire country before an individual state or territory can start easing the rules. That state or territory also has to reach those thresholds itself before it can do anything, of course, but that isn't the only important figure. This daily infographic provides the total number of vaccine doses administered in Australia 🇦🇺 as of 6 September 2021 📅 💻Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccine information here: https://t.co/lsM33j9wMW pic.twitter.com/XTydxJH0sK — Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) September 7, 2021 For Australia-wide data, the Federal Government Department of Health issues several daily reports on the vaccine rollout, complete with handy infographics if you like looking at diagrams more than numerals. You can see the total doses administered, how many people are fully vaccinated, and the breakdown state by state — and, nationwide, also a breakdown of doses by age group and gender. Vax rates among Indigenous Australians, people with disability and the disability workforce, and in residential aged care are also singled out. Or, there's also the COVID Live website, which collates information on new cases, tests, hospitalisations and vaccinations, and lets you dive further into each. With jabs, it gives a breakdown by state and then by day, and also counts down how many days remain until the country and each state and territory hits 60-percent, 70-percent, 80-percent and 90-percent first doses and fully vaxxed, as based on the seven-day average. [caption id="attachment_824786" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] COVID Live as at Wednesday, September 8.[/caption] Each state and territory also has its own online resources, with different details on offer depending on the state. In NSW, for instance, you can access a COVID-19 vaccination dashboard that highlights the number of doses that've been given, or you can check out a nifty map that breaks down jabs by postcode and Local Government Area. Victoria's COVID-19 vaccine data portal lists doses given over the past 24 hours, and also links to a weekly report that tracks the state's progress. Here, you'll find overall and weekly rates, a breakdown via vaccine type and dose — so listing first and second doses of AstraZeneca and of Pfizer — and also breakdowns by age and gender. For Queensland, the overall stats can be found on Queensland Health's COVID-19 page, with further detail on offer if you click through to its statistics summary. Vaccinations are then listed by vaccine site area, including both overall and hospital/vax hub-specific figures. You can see how many doses were administered the day prior and in total so far. Queensland #COVID19 update 7/09/21 Today we have recorded 0 new cases of COVID-19. Detailed information about COVID-19 cases in Queensland, can be found here: https://t.co/kapyXpSIAP pic.twitter.com/G4J57unlPc — Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) September 7, 2021 In Western Australia, there's a vaccination dashboard filled with infographics about doses, rates and age breakdowns. In South Australia, you'll find an overall daily vaccination figure on the state's overall COVID-19 dashboard. Tasmania has a statistics section on the government's COVID-19 website, and includes both a cumulative tally and the daily increase — and both the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have their own COVID-19 dashboards with relevant figures. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
In what would have been his 100th year, the late Nelson Mandela will be honoured in a travelling exhibition set to make its world debut in Victoria next September. Hosted by Melbourne Museum, MANDELA My Life is expected to be the most comprehensive collection of the human rights icon's memorabilia ever to be shown outside South Africa. Alongside a huge assortment of artefacts, including warrants of committal for Mandela's 27-year stint in prison, the exhibit will explore the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's life through a series of film and audio archives. Some of the other confirmed artefacts that will be featured in the exhibit include a boxing glove signed and gifted by Muhammad Ali, Mandela's shoes, walking cane and some of his vibrant Madiba shirts. Alongside these, there will also be images, sound and film footage of one of Mandela's earliest interviews — which took place during the 'Treason Trail' of the late 1950s. MANDELA My Life is supported by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which is the custodian of most of the revolutionary's personal photographs, documents and memorabilia. After premiering in Melbourne, the exhibition will embark on a five-year world tour of up to 20 international cities, expected to be seen by as many as 2.7 million visitors globally. Boxing Glove image: Jon Augier, courtesy of Museums Victoria
In 2011, Ian Strange recreated a full-scale replica of his family home as part of an installation in Turbine Hall at Cockatoo Island, accompanied by a film featuring the powerful destruction of three Holden Commodores. In his new body of work, Suburban, Strange films and photographs (amongst other things) violently burning a house in the suburbs to the ground. Whether or not this is a particularly creative way to work out some childhood angst, we should be grateful that Strange has art as an outlet. Initially gaining recognition in Australia’s early street-art scene from the late 1990s under the moniker Kid-Zoom, Strange is one of the few who have successfully transitioned from the canvas of the streets to internationally recognised contemporary exhibitions. In a body of visually stunning and emotionally compelling photography and film work, the Australian-born, New York-based artist explores the notion of the family home as an icon of Western post-war idealism in the United States and Australia. Travelling across Ohio, Michigan, Alabama, New Jersey, New York and New Hampshire with a film crew and volunteers for two and a half years, he has produced a recreation of eight site-specific interventions incorporating suburban homes. Surrounding you with three screens in a pitch-black room, the video installation work is particularly arresting and immersive and feels as monumental as a moving cinematic experience. Shots of eerily lit house facades branded by a red X or a large circle as though by alien intervention combined with an equally ominous soundtrack challenges the association of warmth and comfort in a home, and paints a distinct wash of unease over the energy of these otherwise cookie-cutter moulds. As the music builds, so too does the imagery, climaxing in wide-scale shots of homes being burnt to the ground, sitting in a unclear emotional place somewhere between devastating and mesmerising. This was in fact the tone of the entire exhibition, imparting upon the viewer the confusing fusion of an iconic symbol of comfort with a mysterious, dark energy.
Australian farmers are currently doing it rough. Really rough. Some areas of the country have been struggling with a years-long drought, and, this morning, the NSW Government announced that 100 percent of the state is currently in drought. While the government has pledged more than $1 billion in drought relief, there's still a lot to be done. And you can help. Early this week a 'Parma for a Farmer' campaign launched, encouraging pubs across the country to donate dollars from every parmigianas sold to charities helping drought-affected communities. Spearheaded by Amanda Kinross, the campaign — and the Parma for a Farmer Facebook group — quickly garnered the support of pubs and hotel groups, including the Australian Hotels Association. Whether or not you agree it should be parma (or, really, parmi), it's a great and tasty campaign to get behind. A slew of pubs have already committed to the cause, including hospitality group Australian Venue Co. For all of August, many of the group's pubs are donating $1 from every parma bought to the Buy A Bale initiative. The initiative, part of the charity Rural Aid, provides essentials — such as, yes, hay, as well as water, diesel and hampers — to farmers doing it rough. Australian Venue Co. has pubs located across the country, including Surry Hills' The Forresters and Petersham's The Oxford Tavern in NSW; Prahran's College Law and Richmond's Prince Alfred Hotel in Vic; and Brisbane's Fridays. You can see the group's full list of participating venues here. For the full list of venues participating in NSW, Vic and Qld, head to the Parma for a Farmer Facebook page. Image: Giulia Morlando
UPDATE, October 30, 2020: Melbourne's outdoor cinemas are now reopening — including the Coburg Drive-In, and the Lido, Classic and Cameo outdoor cinemas. Antebellum opens with a sprawling, roving and weaving single-take shot that's designed to garner attention from the get-go. Constantly roaming — and saturated with both sunlight and colour, in case you aren't instantly glued to its vivid sights — it surveys a stereotypical-looking plantation in America's south. This is where resident belle Elizabeth (Jena Malone) lives. A troop of Confederate soldiers under the leadership of Captain Jasper (Jack Huston) also call it home, too. And when the latter aren't in combat, they join Elizabeth in imposing their might on the property's other residents: its enslaved Black workers. Watching this conspicuously eye-catching introduction, it helps to know what Antebellum's title actually means. The term refers to a time before a war, and is typically used in relation to the American Civil War — but, in the movie's first sequence, it certainly seems as if that historical conflict is raging away. Indeed, that'd explain the soldiers' presence, as well as the cruelty and brutality meted out to the plantation's slaves for daring to speak while picking cotton, refusing to acquiesce to every single order or trying to escape. First-time writer-directors Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz haven't chosen Antebellum's moniker by accident, though, and that clash between the word's definition and the sights seen on-screen is crucial to their movie. Yes, Antebellum hinges on a twist, endeavouring to use the horror genre to explore US race relations in the manner that Jordan Peele has recently perfected. Alas, this copy-cat flick consistently proves far less surprising, powerful and clever than it thinks it is. Here's the setup: attempted runaway Eden (Janelle Monáe) is one of the property's enslaved workers, and subject not just to beatings, brandings and forced labour, but also raped regularly by the general (Eric Lange) who has claimed her as his own. She's planning another escape; however, thoroughly unexpectedly given the surroundings, a mobile phone suddenly rings. Now Monáe's character is called Veronica Henley, and she's a well-known activist and author. Also, everything about her life — including the conference in New Orleans she attends, meeting up with her outspoken best friend Dawn (Gabourey Sidibe) while she's there — is firmly set in the 21st century. Obviously, how Monáe's dual roles intertwine is best discovered by watching, as is the reappearance of Too Old to Die Young's Malone as a modern-day caller for Veronica. But even if you'd hardly call yourself a horror or thriller fan, or even just a movie buff, the big shift here isn't hard to guess. Bush and Renz rely so heavily on their one twist that the film resembles M Night Shyamalan's more forgettable works more than Get Out, Us or TV series Lovecraft Country, and suffers noticeably as a result. Their aim is undeniably bold, smart and timely, unpacking systemic racism by not only looking at how Black Americans have been treated both in the present and in the country's history, but by finding a way to firmly, unmistakably connect the two. And yet, Antebellum feels more like an exercise in making a provocative genre film than a feature that actually says something substantial about engrained prejudice in the US — a topic that sadly continues to remain relevant, but is treated here as stock-standard horror fodder. Take the movie's always-lurid, often-violent imagery as an example. Visually, Antebellum isn't easily forgotten, but its parade of grim frames is a double-edge sword. On the one hand, it reinforces how horrific the idea of slavery is, and shows the audience exactly why in graphic detail. Of course, viewers already know this, even without such heavy-handed reminder. Accordingly, Bush and Renz seem to revel in startling sights almost for the sake of it. If its main victim didn't seem so much like a symbol — more than a fleshed-out character, that's for sure — Antebellum might've succeeded in getting viewers to stare unflinchingly at her pain, experiencing it with her like Australian standout The Nightingale did so expertly, but it really just appears to put her through the wringer to evoke shocks rather than emotion. Most of Antebellum's cast are only asked to fit a specific type, too, as Malone, Huston and Lange all demonstrate. In fact, although Kiersey Clemons (Hearts Beat Loud) pops up as a new arrival at the plantation and Tongayi Chirisa (iZombie) also features among the property's fellow captives, the film tasks them with little more than being present and distraught. The exception is Monáe, with the Moonlight and Hidden Figures star turning in a masterly performance. That's a credit to the musician-turned-actor and her all-round excellence more than the material, though. And if everything around her didn't feel so formulaic and calculating, this'd be a far better film — rather than just an ambitious one that mistakes jumping on a bandwagon for actually making a meaningful statement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nf--afqelY
The largest-ever showcase of living Australian artists has landed in the budding cultural hub that is Ballarat, with the inaugural Biennale of Australian Art (BOAA) in town until Tuesday, November 6. The epic exhibition includes 150 artists from all corners of Australia, making this a once-in-a-lifetime art extravaganza that's not to be missed. Lucky for you artsy folk, we've got your trip sorted. In partnership with Visit Ballarat, we're giving away the ultimate art lover's escape, which includes a double pass to BOAA plus a night's stay and dinner in Ballarat. Taking place in more than 14 different venues across Ballarat, with up to 65 solo exhibitions, BOAA's colour and culture will take over the town. The event will reflect on what it means to be Australian and tell stories of our country's past, present and future. It's also a celebration of Australia's heritage, with BOAA boasting a strong focus on Indigenous talent. In addition to the great art, the BOAA Band Wagon will be making the rounds and pumping great tunes. There'll also be a living sculpture fashion parade, an evening program called BOAA Dark — the Victorian version of a mini Dark Mofo — and a lake sculpture walk that will see Lake Wendouree transform into an outdoor gallery featuring 26 sculptures. Once you're tuckered out from all that art, enjoy a top-notch dinner and a glass of wine, or two, then spend the night in one of Ballarat's finest hotels — and don't worry, we'll pick up the bill. [competition]693738[/competition] Top image: Gerwyn Davies
So long Saigon Sally — after more than four years in business, the popular Vietnamese eatery in Windsor is set to close its doors next month. But diners won't be mourning long, with the venue set to reopen as a Thai joint just a few weeks later. "We have a very loyal clientele and we want to keep them stimulated and inspired," said Saigon Sally co-owner Simon Blacher in a statement announcing the news. "This is why we have decided to re-invent the restaurant offering." Named after the bustling Thai capital, BKK will be headed by head chef Sean Judd, previously of Longrain and Chin Chin, as well as Bangkok's Nahm. Under his direction, menu highlights will include gai yang (turmeric and lemongrass chicken cooked over smoke) and som tam tod (a crispy papaya nest salad). The refurbished space will also feature a cocktail bar and function space, both of which are expected to open before Christmas. As for Sally, her spirit will live on at sister Vietnamese venue Hanoi Hannah, on whose menu Blacher says we can expect some of Sally's signature dishes to pop up before too long. He's also teased the possibility of resurrecting the beloved lady in the CBD, or maybe even interstate. You can also visit the team's Japanese restaurant Tokyo Tina just around the corner. The restaurant relaunch is something that quite a few Melbourne venues are testing at the moment. Just this week Green Park announced it would become Park Street, while, just around the corner in Prahran, Toko has closed to make way for new karaoke bar tokosan. Saigon Sally will continue to operate as normal at 2 Duke Street, Windsor until September 3. BKK is expected to begin service later that month. For more information or to make a booking before they close, visit saigonsally.com.au.
Get out your inner kitsch, embrace your inner quirk and head to the Fine Design Market for your fix of arts and crafts. Celebrating independent Australian designers, the Fine Design Market boasts a range of boutique crafts, art, music and tasty, tasty food. What's more, it's indoors — meaning that dastardly weather is no longer an excuse not to head to a market. Head to MC Square in Doncaster from 10am – 3pm this Sunday, August 10, Sunday, September 12 and perhaps for a Chrissy pressie on Sunday, December 7. Or if you're interested in running a stall of your very own, check out the website and apply now. Keep an eye on their Facebook page too, as they update it regularly with sneak peeks of stall items. Happy market-ing.
When Toto unleashed their single 'Africa' upon the world back in 1982, the drums echoed. Given the song's enduring success, it seems that everyone heard them. Now one particular patch of the Namib desert will hear the percussive reverberation for eternity, with a new art and sound installation playing the track on a never-ending loop. Toto Forever isn't just something screamed by die-hard fans of the American band. It's not merely the thinking behind one-night events that play the beloved tune over and over, such as an annual party in Brisbane. It's now the title of Max Siedentopf's new project, which the artist has set up as a "tribute to probably the most popular song of the last four decades". As seen on Siedentopf's site for the artwork, Toto Forever consists of seven plinths, arranged in a circle with one sat in the middle. Speakers sit atop the six boxes on the outside, with an MP3 player on the seventh. There's only one song loaded onto the device, so that's all that it can play. And if you're wondering about power, it's all attached to solar batteries. While Siedentopf has revealed the installation's general location — in the desert that stretches for 2000 kilometres along the Namib coastline — he's keeping the exact spot to himself. Whether he succeeds in gifting future generation some old forgotten words and ancient melodies will likely depend on the weather and environment, given that, as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti, electronic equipment isn't designed to be left in a sandy expanse until the end of time — whether or not they're blessed by the rains. Image: Toto Forever by Max Siedentopf.
Men, Women and Children is no glossy Hollywood rom-com. There are no vacuous high school dramas, nor are there any cheesy family clichés. It's a film that looks at the paradox of connecting in the digital age: the persistent preoccupation with being active online, contrasted with difficulty remaining present in person. Directed by Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno and Labor Day), the film features a pretty impressive cast including Ansel Elgort, Jennifer Garner, Adam Sandler and Rosmarie DeWitt. Throughout the interweaving story lines of the eleven main characters, the film dissects the impact that technology has on our relationships — dealing with pertinent issues such as video game culture, anorexia and infidelity. Men, Women and Children is in cinemas November 27. Thanks to Paramount Pictures, we have ten double passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
Summer is here, so keeping cool means heading to the beach, hiding under the air-con or knowing a moneyed mate with their own pool. However, you can now create your own backyard bliss — with the food to match — thanks to El Jannah's latest limited-time promo. Available for one weekend only, from Saturday, January 10—Sunday, January 11, the Lebanese-Australian charcoal chicken legends invite customers to score their own chilled-out pool. And all you have to do is order an OG Charcoal Chicken Meal, featuring two whole chickens, large chips, large garlic sauce and Lebanese bread. There are no tricky hoops to jump through, either. Redeemed on a first-come, first-served basis, customers simply need to snap a photo of their receipt and email it to El Jannah's team. If you're fast enough, you'll be lounging in the pool with your pals in no time at all. "Summer in Australia has always felt a little Lebanese at heart, family everywhere, food in the middle, and everyone talking over each other," says El Jannah Chief Marketing Officer, Adam Issa. "So this year, we wanted to make it even easier for Aussies to take those El Jannah moments wherever the day leads."
From Monday, February 21, Australia will say goodbye to its remaining international border ban on double-vaccinated travellers and hello to plenty of overseas tourists. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that the country will allow all visa holders to head our way — including folks simply coming out for holidays, and business travellers — as long as they've had two COVID-19 vaccine jabs. When the border fully reopens to all double-vaxxed visitors in two weeks, it'll do so just a month shy of the two-year anniversary of Australia's indefinite international border closure back in March 2020. Plenty has changed since then, and the nation — and the world — has seen various lockdowns and other restrictions come and go, and faced multiple new variants. Since November 2021, Australia has been slowly reopening its borders, too, but this new change will allow back anyone that's double-vaccinated, including tourists and business travellers, from all countries. Announcing the news, the Prime Minister said that "the condition is: you must be double-vaccinated to come to Australia. That's the rule. Everyone is expected to abide by it. And it's very important that people understand that requirement if they're seeking to come to Australia." He continued: "but if you're double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia — and I know the tourism industry will be looking forward to that. And over the next two weeks they'll get the opportunity both for visitors to be coming and for them to be gearing up to welcome international visitors back to Australia." Exactly how many tourists and business travellers will be able to fly into Australia will still depend upon state-based caps — and on state-specific rules as well. Western Australia's border is still set to remain closed to not just international travellers but the rest of the country and, after delaying its last plan to reopen this past weekend, it hasn't yet set its new reopening date. Unjabbed travellers — which includes anyone who has only had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination — will still need to apply for permission to enter Australia, unless they can "provide proof that there is a medical reason that they cannot be vaccinated", said Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews. They'll also need to go into hotel quarantine if they are permitted to enter. If you have pals or colleagues eager to make the trip Down Under, this'll be fantastic news. Whether airlines will increase their flights to Australia as a result hasn't yet been revealed, but it wouldn't come as a surprise. Australia will reopen its international borders to all double-vaccinated travellers from Monday, February 21. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Nearly 100 years after the Titanic plunged into the freezing waters of the Atlantic, artist and inspirationalist Dodo Newman will commemorate the legendary journey and lives lost with the Titanic Project, a tribute that will combine the sorrowful history with the newest marvels of design. The project will erect a monument of the Titanic designed with luxury that the regal ship itself would not match. Newman's vision for the monument has a diamond and Swarovski crystal surface, 300 kg of jewelry and LED lighting all on a pyramid-shaped aquarium base structure. To add to the designer detail, over 50 luxury brands will be incorporated into the monument, the displays intertwined with sea life in the underwater enclosing. Newman has always been fascinated by the story of the Titanic, and has been hoping to finish the plan for the commemorative installation for the past several years. The project is intended to be finally completed by 2012, just in time to honour the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking in 1912. [via Extra Vaganzi]
With all this time indoors, we're sure you've had your fair share of at-home raves by now. You've got to let your hair down after a week of WFH, after all. And, now that you can have five friends around with sensible social distancing in place, you can make it a real party, too. Luckily, if you're looking for your next excuse to cut some serious shapes, look no further because there's a new one-off party with pumping tunes and bad fashion is hitting screens across the country on Saturday, May 23. Canadian Club's annual Bad Sweater Party is going virtual. So, cancel whatever non-event plans you had, push your furniture aside and start a makeshift dance floor with five of your nearest and dearest. Bringing the dance-inducing tunes in spades will be Hot Dub Time Machine. For about a decade, he's been ripping up stages the world over with his rolling crossfades of pop music from the last six decades. And during lockdown he's been bringing the good times to your living room. Expect everything from 50s rock 'n' roll tunes to disco hits like ABBA's 'Gimme Gimme Gimme' and Earth, Wind & Fire's 'September'. Once you hit the more recent decades, there's often glam rock, a bit of 90s grunge, Darude's epic 'Sandstorm' and 'Toxic' by Britney. You get the idea — it's nonstop bangers all night long. Hang on, a Bad Sweater Party? The major point of difference for this party is that you've got a dress code. Don an ugly jumper — it's OK, you're partying at home. And, yes, you'll get pretty sweaty with all those killer moves you'll be busting. Kicking off at 7pm, the event will be live streamed via Hot Dub's Twitch account, with a live chat going so you can socialise with other partygoers. You may want to dust off that disco ball and find that old lava lamp, too. As you'll working up a sweat as you dance your way through the decades (in a sweater, remember), you'll want some cold ones on hand. To really get in the spirit of things, mix up some CC 'n' drys. Or save yourself the trouble and grab a case of the stuff. Canadian Club's Bad Sweater Party is going down on Saturday, May 23, from 7–9pm. You can tune in here — just don't forget your ugly jumper.
Almost three full decades after the departure of the old Valhalla Theatre, a brand new pop-up is set to turn Richmond into Melbourne’s home of cult cinema once again. Operating just a few blocks away from its namesake’s original location on Victoria Street, The Val Cinema is part of the suburb's newly minted food and cultural precinct, the Swan Street Chamber of Commerce. Running Thursdays through Sundays, the 42-seat cinema has lined up an awesome program of classic and eclectic film titles, several of which qualify as absolute must-sees. Fittingly, the season begins with The Blues Brothers, which screened at the original Valhalla – first in Richmond and then at its subsequent home in Northcote – every Friday night for more than 20 years. Other highlights include Martin Scorsese’s The King of Comedy, William Friedkin’s Sorcerer and Robert Zemeckis’ Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, as well as a more recent would-be cult film in Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers. For the first part of The Val’s summer line-up, visit their website.
You would think that having access to all of humanity's collective knowledge — from our darkest failures to our wildest successes — would make us, generally, smarter. Instead, we've just become overwhelmed — collectively. We've essentially somehow failed upwards, in that uniquely human way we have of doing things. But, who can blame us? Nearly half of us feel stressed all or most of the time (nice to know it's not just me), and we've all felt the deep financial, physical and emotional impact of living in a pandemic for more than 18 months. Most days, that uncertainty makes a lot of things scary. Slightly nerdy fun fact (stay with me here): A common term for the press and journalism is the Fourth Estate. It harks back to days in early modern France, just before the French Revolution, when there were three broad social hierarchies. The three estates were known as the First Estate (the clergy), the Second Estate (the nobility) and the Third Estate (commoners and bourgeoisie). The Fourth Estate is a term that recognises the not-insignificant power the media holds in influencing conversation, opinion and action in society. That power has even more weight in today's world. That's why Concrete Playground has committed to bringing you news and information about COVID-19 and vaccinations that is relevant, accurate, useful and actionable. And, without the doomsday spin. We've even teamed up with a group of other publishers on this — BuzzFeed, Junkee, The Latch, Man of Many, Urban List and Zee Feed. Together, we've committed to keeping harmful headlines and messages off our pages and to only publish COVID-related stories and information that will help inform Aussies and open up Australia. The industries, businesses and individuals that are essential to Australia's culture and lifestyle and all the things you like reading about on this website — the arts, events, live music and hospitality — are among those most impacted by the ongoing effects of the pandemic. We want those industries to get back to thriving and for the rest of us to be able to enjoy them again. Our part is to help young Australians feel informed in a way that makes them comfortable and confident in taking the steps to get vaccinated — but also alleviate some of the anxiety caused by alarmist headlines. So, expect everything from the latest information on mask-wearing rules to expert commentary on vaccines; couch potato recommendations and being a cheerleader for the little guys. This is your spot for feel-good stories, COVID-safe recommendations and informative news. We're thrilled to have you here. Concrete Playground is part of an Australian Publishers Partnership in a joint COVID mission and coverage pledge which includes: putting science first, standing for healthy headlines, considering image choices, avoiding triggering imagery and not partaking in alarmist headlines. The joint mission will be in effect until Australia gets 50% of the under 40s population vaccinated.
Keen for a sneak-peek at tracks from The Strokes' new album, 'Angles'? Not due for release until March 22, you cynically reply? Think again. Thanks to a glitch in the iTunes UK store, 30-second previews of every track from the album were prematurely uploaded. They've since been taken down, but not before being ripped by fans eager to hear what the band have been up to for the last couple of years. 'Angles' has been five years in the making. Check out snippets of the new songs, compiled conveniently into one YouTube video. https://youtube.com/watch?v=hjyIxgiryHo [Via Addict Music]
Before the pandemic, when a new-release movie started playing in cinemas, audiences couldn't watch it on streaming, video on demand, DVD or blu-ray for a few months. But with the past few years forcing film industry to make quite a few changes — widespread movie theatre closures and plenty of people staying home in iso will do that — that's no longer always the case. Maybe you've had a close-contact run-in. Perhaps you haven't had time to make it to your local cinema lately. Given the hefty amount of films now releasing each week, maybe you simply missed something. Film distributors have been fast-tracking some of their new releases from cinemas to streaming recently — movies that might still be playing in theatres in some parts of the country, too. In preparation for your next couch session, here's 15 you can watch right now at home. NIGHTMARE ALLEY Don't mistake the blaze that starts the exceptional Nightmare Alley for warmth; in his 11th film, Guillermo del Toro gets chillier than he ever has. A lover of gothic tales told with empathy and curiosity, the Mexican The Shape of Water filmmaker has always understood that escapism and agony go hand in hand — and here, in a carnival noir that springs from William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel and previously reached cinemas in 1947, he runs headfirst into cold, unrelenting darkness. That burning house, once home to the skulking Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper, Licorice Pizza), is surrounded by America's stark midwestern landscape circa 1939. Still, the terrain of its now-former occupant's insides is even grimmer, as Nightmare Alley's opening image of Stan dropping a body into a hole in the abode's floor, then striking a match, shows. From there, he descends into the carny world after being given a job by barker Clem Hoatley (Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man: No Way Home) and doing whatever's asked, including helping clean up after the geek act — although, even with his ambiguities evident from the outset, stomaching a cage-dwelling man biting the heads off live chickens to entertain braying crowds isn't initially easy. While set in an already-despondent US where the Depression is only just waning, the shadows of the First World War linger and more are soon to fall via World War II, Nightmare Alley still gives Stan flickers of hope. Adapted from the novel by del Toro with feature debutant Kim Morgan, and filled to the brim with outstanding performances, the movie doesn't ever promise light or virtue, but kindness repeatedly comes its protagonist's way in its first half. In fortune-teller Zeena the Seer (Toni Collette, Dream Horse) and her oft-sauced husband and assistant Pete (David Strathairn, Nomadland), Stan gains friends and mentors. He takes to mentalism like he was born to it, and his gift for manipulating audiences — and his eagerness to keep pushing the spiritualism further — is firmly a sign. Soon, it's 1941 and he's rebadged himself as 'The Great Stanton' in city clubs, claiming to speak to the dead in the pursuit of bigger paydays, with fellow ex-carny Molly Cahill (Rooney Mara, Mary Magdalene) as his romantic and professional partner beyond the dustbowl. But then that scam attracts the attention of Dr Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett, Don't Look Up), and this drifter-turned-grifter gets caught in someone else's plan. Nightmare Alley is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. KING RICHARD In King Richard, Will Smith does more acting than expected with his back to the on-screen action. He does more acting in general — while the Ali and Concussion star can be a transformative performer, here he feels like he's overtly playing a part rather than disappearing into a role — but the way his eponymous figure handles his daughters' matches instantly stands out. Richard Williams is a tennis parent who despises the usual tennis parent histrionics. At the time the film is set, in the early 90s, he has also coached Venus (Saniyya Sidney, Fences) and Serena (Demi Singleton, Godfather of Harlem) since they were four years old, and penned a 78-page plan mapping out their futures before they were born. He's dedicated his life to their success, alongside family matriarch Oracene (Aunjanue Ellis, Lovecraft Country); however, he's so restless when they're volleying and backhanding that he can't bring himself to watch. These scenes in King Richard are among Smith's best. As directed by Joe Bell helmer Reinaldo Marcus Green — making another movie about a real-life person that makes his male eponymous figure the centre of someone else's story — he's anxious yet determined, and lives the feeling like he's breathing it. They're some of the movie's least blatantly showy and most quietly complex scenes as well. The Williams patriarch has wisdom for all occasions, forged from a tough childhood in America's south, plus the hard work and hustle of turning Venus and Serena into budding champions, so he'd likely have something to say about the insights gleaned here: that you can tell oh-so-much about a person when they're under pressure but nobody's watching. If he was actively imparting this lesson to his daughters — five of them, not just the two that now have 30 Grand Slam singles titles between them — and they didn't glean it, he'd make them watch again. When they see Cinderella in the film, that's exactly what happens. But his courtside demeanour is teachable anyway, recognising how all the preparation and effort in the world will still see you tested over and over. King Richard is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. SPENCER With two-plus decades as an actor to her name, Kristen Stewart hasn't spent her career as a candle in the wind. Her flame has both blazed and flickered since her first uncredited big-screen role in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas but, by Elton John's definition, she's always known where to cling to. After jumping from child star to Twilight heroine and then one of the savviest talents of her generation, she's gleaned where to let her haunting gaze stare so piercingly that it lights up celluloid again and again, too. Spencer joins Stewart's resume after weighty parts in Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper, Certain Women and Seberg, and has her do something she's long done magnificently: let a world of pain and uncertainty seep quietly from her entire being. The new regal drama should do just that, of course, given its subject — but saying that director Pablo Larraín (Jackie, Ema) has cast his Diana well, pitch-perfect head tilt and all, is a royal understatement. The year is 1991, the time is Christmas and the place is the Queen's (Stella Gonet, Breeders) Sandringham Estate, where the Windsors converge for the holidays (yes, Spencer is now prime seasonal viewing). As scripted by Peaky Blinders and Locked Down's Steven Knight, the choice of period puts Diana in one of the most precarious situations of her then decade-long married life, with her nuptials to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing, The Lost Daughter) turning into an "amicable separation" within 12 months. Spencer's focus is on three days, not all that defined the People's Princess' existence before or after, but she can't stop contemplating her past and future. The Sandringham grounds include the house where Diana was born, and those happier recollections — and time spent now with her children (debutants Jack Nielen and Freddie Spry) — give her a glow. Alas, all the monarchical scrutiny simmers her joy to ashes, unsurprisingly. Spencer is available to stream via Prime Video. Read our full review. WEST SIDE STORY Tonight, tonight, there's only Steven Spielberg's lavish and dynamic version of West Side Story tonight — not to detract from or forget the 1961 movie of the same name. Six decades ago, an all-singing, all-dancing, New York City-set, gang war-focused spin on Romeo and Juliet leapt from stage to screen, becoming one of cinema's all-time classic musicals; however, remaking that hit is a task that Spielberg dazzlingly proves up to. It's his first sashay into the genre, despite making his initial amateur feature just three years after the original West Side Story debuted. It's also his first film since 2018's obnoxiously awful Ready Player One, which doubled as a how-to guide to crafting one of the worst, flimsiest and most bloated pieces of soulless pop-culture worship possible. But with this swooning, socially aware story of star-crossed lovers, Spielberg pirouettes back from his atrocious last flick by embracing something he clearly adores, and being unafraid to give it rhythmic swirls and thematic twirls. Shakespeare's own tale of tempestuous romance still looms large over West Side Story, as it always has — in fair NYC and its rubble-strewn titular neighbourhood where it lays its 1950s-era scene. The Jets and the Sharks aren't quite two households both alike in dignity, though. Led by the swaggering and dogged Riff (Mike Faist, a Tony-nominee for the Broadway production of Dear Evan Hansen), the Jets are young, scrappy, angry and full of resentment for anyone they fear is encroaching on their terrain. Meanwhile, with boxer Bernardo (David Alvarez, a Tony-winner for Billy Elliot) at the helm, the Sharks have tried to establish new lives outside of their native Puerto Rico through study, jobs and their own businesses. Both gangs refuse to coexist peacefully in the only part of New York where either feels at home — but it's a night at a dance, and the love-at-first-sight connection that blooms between Riff's best friend Tony (Ansel Elgort, The Goldfinch) and Bernardo's younger sister María (feature debutant Rachel Zegler), that sparks a showdown. West Side Story is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. HOUSE OF GUCCI For the second time in as many movies, Lady Gaga is caught in a bad romance in House of Gucci. Yes, she's already sung the song to match. The pop diva doesn't belt out ballads or croon upbeat tunes in this true-crime drama, unlike in her Oscar-nominated role in A Star Is Born, but she does shimmy into a tale about love and revenge, horror and design, and wanting someone's everything as long as it's free. Eschewing the earthy naturalism of her last film performance and tapping into her famed on-stage theatricality instead, she's perfect for the part of Patrizia Reggiani, aka Lady Gucci, aka the daughter of a trucking entrepreneur who wed into one of the world's most prestigious fashion families, helped unstitch its hold on its couture empire, then went to prison for murder. She's exceptional because she goes big and lavish, and because she knows that's the type of feature she's meant to be in: a soapy spectacle about money and power that uses its depiction of excess as an interrogation technique. Complimenting Gaga for nailing the brief — for acing it so dazzlingly that she's sauntering down her own catwalk as most of her co-stars virtually watch from the floor — gives House of Gucci a tad too much credit, though. Ridley Scott's second film in mere months following The Last Duel, and his third in a row to examine wealth and influence after 2017's All the Money in the World, this fashion-world saga skews large, lush and luxe with each choice, too, but doesn't land every sashay with quite the outsized lustre of its crown jewel. If House of Gucci's veteran director was picking an outfit instead, he would've chosen a killer gown, then wavered on the accessories. Some of his other decisions gleam, as seen in the movie's knowingly maximalist and melodramatic air, and in Adam Driver's (Annette) casting as Patrizia's ill-fated husband Maurizio Gucci. Others prove fine, like its jukebox-style soundtrack of 70s and 80s bangers. A few moves are so cartoonish — Jared Leto's ridiculousness, and the Super Mario-style accents sported by almost everyone on-screen — that they play like cheap knockoffs. House of Gucci is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. THE SCARY OF SIXTY-FIRST When Succession roves over New York's skyline — in its opening credits, as set to that bewitching theme tune, or just during its episodes — it gleams with wealth and privilege. Depiction doesn't equal endorsement, however, with the stellar HBO satire sharply cutting into its chosen world at every chance it gets. As one of the show's supporting cast members, Dasha Nekrasova slides into that realm, too, but that's not her only dalliance with the city's architecture, power brokers and all that both represent. The Scary of Sixty-First, the Red Scare podcast host's feature directorial debut, also savages the rich and seemingly consequence-free. It clasps onto a real-life story that's made that case inherently, abhorrently and monstrously. There's no gentle way to put it, but the fact that Nekrasova plays a woman investigating if a bargain Upper East Side duplex was one of Jeffrey Epstein's "orgy flophouses" says much about this purposefully provocative conspiracy thriller horror-comedy. College pals Addie (Betsey Brown, Assholes) and Noelle (the film's co-screenwriter Madeline Quinn) can't believe their luck when they find the cheap property, even if it does visibly need a clean — and have mirrored ceilings, as well as some questionable lock choices — and even if they don't appear completely comfortable with committing to live together. But from night one, the literal nightmares begin. Soon they're spying blood stains, scratched walls and eerie tarot cards, and feeling unsettled in a variety of ways. Enter Nekrasova's stranger, who comes sporting a dark-web rabbit hole's worth of paranoia and bearing the Epstein news. Addie and Noelle take the revelation in vastly different fashions, with the former seeming possessed by one of Epstein's child victims, and the latter diving deep into potential theories with her unnamed new friend. The Scary of Sixty-First is available to stream via Google Play and YouTube Movies. Read our full review. SCREAM Twenty-six years ago, "do you like scary movies?" stopped being just an ordinary question. Posed by a wrong-number caller who happened to be a ghostface-masked killer with a fondness for kitchen knives, it was the snappiest and savviest line in one of the 90s' biggest horror films, and it's now one of cinema's iconic pieces of dialogue. It gets another whirl in the Scream franchise's fifth movie, which is also called Scream — and you'd really best answer it now with the heartiest yes possible. Taking over from the late, great Wes Craven, who also directed 1997's Scream 2, 2000's Scream 3 and 2011's Scream 4 but died in 2015, Ready or Not's Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett task their next generation of slasher fodder with showing their devotion to horror with all the subtlety of a masked murderer who can't stop taunting their prey. That'd be a new Ghostface, who terrorises today's Woodsboro high schoolers, because the fictional spot is up there with Sunnydale and Twin Peaks on the list of places that are flat-out hellish for teens. The same happened in Scream 4, but the first new attack by the saga's killer is designed to lure home someone who's left town. Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera, In the Heights) hightailed it the moment she was old enough, fleeing a family secret, but is beckoned back when her sister Tara (Jenna Ortega, You) receives the feature's opening "do you like scary movies?" call. Soon, bodies are piling up, Ghostface gives Woodsboro that grim sense of deja vu again, and Tara's friends — including the horror film-obsessed Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown, Yellowjackets), her twin Chad (Mason Gooding, Love, Victor), his girlfriend Liv (Sonia Ammar, Jappeloup), and other pals Wes (Dylan Minnette, 13 Reasons Why) and Amber (Mikey Madison, Better Things) — are trying to both survive while basically cycling through the OG feature again, complete with a crucial location, and sleuth out the culprit using their scary movie knowledge. Everyone's a suspect, including Sam herself and her out-of-towner boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid, The Boys), and also the begrudging resident expert on this exact situation: ex-sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette, Spree). The latter is the reason that morning show host Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox, Cougar Town) and initial Ghostface target Sidney Prescott (Skyscraper) make the trip back to Woodsboro again as well. Scream is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN Start how you mean to go on is common-sense filmmaking advice. It's the medium's obvious first step, but it's also an elusive achievement. And, it's a feat that's usually only evident in hindsight — when a viewer can see if a stellar introduction really did signal just as sublime things to come, or vice versa. Never Gonna Snow Again perfects the concept, however. In its arresting opening moments, a man walks out of a forest and into a gated community in eastern Poland, and everything about the scene ripples with moody intrigue. The grey fog infusing the film's setting, the enigmatic look on the mysterious protagonist's face, the feeling that anything and everything could happen: filmmakers Malgorzata Szumowska (Mug) and Michal Englert (also the movie's cinematographer) deliver it all at the outset, and then back it up over their feature's 116 minutes. In Never Gonna Snow Again's initial images, that inscrutable man is Ukrainian masseur Zhenia (Alec Utgoff, Stranger Things), who walks out of a forest and into a gated community in eastern Poland. His destination is lined with lavish identical houses — the kind that the song 'Little Boxes' has satirised for almost six decades now — but he's about to be its most extraordinary visitor. His hands can help knead away physical troubles, a must for everyone with his profession. But as he works his physical magic, his touch can soothe minds as well. Trundling his massage table from well-appointed home to well-appointed home, he quickly builds up a devoted client list of well-to-do residents desperate for his help. He steps into their worlds, spying their outward gloss — the similar wreaths on each door, the doorbells chiming with snippets of classic music — and palpating away their inner pain. Never Gonna Snow Again is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET On a fictional New York street that's home to a cross-section of the city's multicultural population, young and old alike, and also to boisterous muppets, sunny days have been sweeping the clouds away since November 1969. Eager to educate preschoolers, Sesame Street has taught multiple generations of children the alphabet, to count — with help from Count von Count since 1972, of course — and about life in general, and both its longevity and the beloved turf it holds within popular culture speak to its enormous success. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street knows that it's profiling a seminal piece of television, and that virtually everyone born in the past half-century grew up watching the adored series; however, it's also keen to tell the story behind that story. Nostalgia drips through this behind-the-scenes documentary, gleefully so, but so too does a chronicle of how Sesame Street became the icon it is — and against the odds. The show's backstory starts with TV producer Joan Ganz Cooney and psychologist Lloyd Morrisett, and with a dinner-party conversation that saw them float the idea of a television series that might help American children prepare for school — particularly kids of colour. The path to Sesame Street reaching the air wasn't smooth from there, or plain sailing once it got to screens (its focus on racial integration didn't go down well in parts of Mississippi, for instance), but education-meets-entertainment history was nonetheless made. Inspired by Michael Davis' 2008 non-fiction book Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, documentarian Marilyn Agrelo (An Invisible Sign) fashions her film as an insider's window into a miraculous program, blending informative details about how it came to be and its early years with clips of its muppet-fuelled magic. Both elements of the movie engage, as do its recent and archival interviews. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. SHANE Paul Kelly named a song after him. Eddie Perfect went one better and wrote an entire musical. But if Shane Warne had lived out his childhood dream, he would've played AFL for St Kilda instead of becoming a tune- and stage show-inspiring star cricketer. That tidbit isn't new news; however, Warne talks it through in new Australian documentary Shane — an early inclusion that demonstrates the film's handling of its well-known central figure. Warne's sporting career rose spectacularly from his failed attempt at Aussie Rules, which he also chats through. It dipped via several scandals, professional and personal alike, which he takes to with considerably less glee. Warne is a candid and engaging interviewee and, while joined by other cricketing and celebrity figures in recounting his life to-date, he's Shane's main source of information, but the film still spins the story that he's happy to share. There's no shortage of details for directors David Alrich (Griff's Great Australian Rail Trip), Jon Carey (Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story) and Jackie Munro to cover, all of which they unfurl in chronological order. Warne was an AFL-obsessed kid who played under-19s and one reserves game, only to be told he wouldn't make it at the top level. He then considered tennis, but found his calling — and global renown and acclaim — in spin-bowling wickets. Even to viewers unfussed by cricket, Warne's achievements are common knowledge, as are his decades in the spotlight. So too are his controversies; the bookmaker situation, the match-fixing proposition put to him by Pakistani captain Salim Malik, the year-long suspension for taking a banned diuretic and the breakdown of his marriage all get a mention, and all earn Warne's current thoughts. He's also especially eager to discuss his prowess for sledging. Shane is available to stream via Prime Video, Google Play and iTunes. Read our full review. THE KING'S MAN When something shows you its true colours, believe it. The Kingsman franchise certainly did when it debuted in 2014, as viewers have been witnessing ever since. That initial entry, Kingsman: The Secret Service, gave the espionage genre an irreverent and energetic spin, and landed partway between update and parody. But, while making Taron Egerton a star and proving engaging-enough, it didn't know when to call it quits, serving up one of the most ill-judged closing moments that spy flicks have ever seen. Since then, all things Kingsman haven't known when to end either, which is why subpar sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle arrived in 2017, and now unnecessary mostly World War I-centric prequel The King's Man — all from filmmaker Matthew Vaughn, Another year, another dull origin story. Another year, another stretched Bond knockoff, too. It's in a prologue in 1902 that Ralph Fiennes (No Time to Die) makes his first appearance as Orlando Oxford, a duke travelling to South Africa during the Boer War — and soon made a widower, because The King's Man starts with the tiresome dead wife trope. Twelve years later, Oxford is staunchly a pacifist, so much so that he forbids his now-teenage son Conrad (Harris Dickinson, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) from enlisting when WWI breaks out. But the duke hasn't completely given away serving his country himself, overseeing an off-the-books intelligence network with the help of his servants Shola (Djimon Hounsou, A Quiet Place Part II) and Polly (Gemma Arterton, Summerland). That comes in handy when a nefarious Scottish figure known only as The Shepherd interferes in world affairs, with King George V of England, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (all cousins, and all played by Bohemian Rhapsody's Tom Hollander) his targets. The King's Man is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE After more than a few pandemic delays, Ghostbusters: Afterlife has finally reached screens — and it floats into a world that's made worshipping previous glories one of the biggest cash-spinners show business could've ever dreamed up. The fourth feature to bear the Ghostbusters name, but a new legacy sequel to the original 1984 film, this reanimated franchise entry certainly sports a fitting subtitle; treating its source material like it's nirvana is firmly filmmaker Jason Reitman's approach. To him, it might've been. Although he established his career with indie comedies such as Thank You for Smoking and Juno, he's the son of director Ivan Reitman, who helmed the OG Ghostbusters and its 1989 follow-up Ghostbusters II. To plenty of fans, those two initial comedy-horror flicks were something special as well; however, acknowledging that fact — and trying to recreate the feeling of being a kid or teen watching the first Ghostbusters nearly four decades ago — isn't enough to fuel a new film. To be fair, the younger Reitman isn't particularly interested in making a new movie; Be Kind Rewind's "sweded" Ghostbusters clips are more original than Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Instead, he directs a homage that sprinkles in links to its predecessor so heartily that it's probably easier to name the scenes and details that don't scream "hey, this is Ghostbusters!" as loudly as possible. The focus: Phoebe (Mckenna Grace, Malignant), a new inhabitant of the cringingly titled Summerville, Oklahoma. With her mother Callie (Carrie Coon, The Nest) and brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard, The Goldfinch), she's made the move because the granddad she never knew just passed away, leaving a dilapidated rural property to his estranged family. The townsfolk speak his nickname, "dirt farmer", with mocking and intrigue, but his actual moniker — and all that equipment he's left behind — brings big changes Phoebe's way. While being Dr Egon Spengler's granddaughter doesn't initially mean too much to her, other than giving her love for science a genetic basis, she's soon segueing from testing out ghost traps with local teacher Mr Grooberson (Paul Rudd, The Shrink Next Door) to cracking Egon's secret efforts to stop a world-shattering supernatural event. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. BLACKLIGHT In most movies, Liam Neeson's Blacklight character wouldn't be the protagonist. Secret FBI fixer Travis Block likely wouldn't even be given a name. Instead, he'd merely be a brief presence who popped up to help other on-screen figures — the federal agents he gets out of tricky situations, for instance — as they went about their business and connected the script's necessary plot points. Turning someone who'd usually be seen as disposable into its lead is this action-thriller's one good idea, but the flattened henchman scene in Austin Powers gave the notion more thought than the entirety of Blacklight demonstrates. There's a difference between thrusting a character to the fore and fleshing them out, especially when a film is happy to define them solely by the actor in their shoes. Here, Travis Block is another prosaic entry on Neeson's action resume first and foremost. The film he's in is directed by Neeson's Honest Thief writer/director Mark Williams, too, who doesn't stretch himself or his star in their second collaboration. When Blacklight begins, Block has spent his career doing whatever FBI Director Gabriel Robinson (Aidan Quinn, Elementary) has asked. Typically, that's assisting on-the-books operatives struggling with off-the-books missions — and Block is great at his job. But when he's tasked with aiding the suddenly erratic Dusty Crane (Taylor John Smith, Shadow in the Cloud), he begins to see more in the rogue agent's story than his old Vietnam War pal Robinson wants to share. Crane has quite the wild tale to tell, tied to the assassination of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-style politician Sofia Flores (Mel Jarnson, Mortal Kombat) and filled with dark government secrets, and he's eager to share it with scoop-chasing reporter Mira Jones (Emmy Raver-Lampman, The Umbrella Academy). That's exactly what Block is supposed to stop, with his new crisis of conscience putting his daughter Amanda (Claire van der Bloom, Palm Beach) and granddaughter Natalie (debutant Gabriella Sengos) in peril. Blacklight is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. SING 2 Star voices, a jukebox worth of songs, anthropomorphic animated critters, cheesy sentiments: that's the formula fuelling far too many all-ages-friendly films of late. Back in 2016, Sing used it to box office-smashing success by doing little more than spinning a colourful version of American Idol but with zoo animals doing the singing. It wasn't the worst example of this kind of flick, but perhaps the most interesting thing about it was the skew of its soundtrack, which favoured songs that the adults in its audience would like more than the pint-sized viewers entranced by its bright hues, talking lions and koalas, and frenetic pacing. It should come as no surprise, then, that Sing 2 doubles down on that idea by not only mining the discography of U2, but by also casting Bono as a reclusive ex-rockstar. For the Irish frontman, the double payday must've been nice. Returning writer/director Garth Jennings begins Sing 2 with a saccharine rendition of Prince's 'Let's Go Crazy', but that song choice isn't instructional or descriptive; nothing here departs from the expected. This time around, after already gathering a gang of music-loving animals via a singing contest in the first flick, koala Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey, The Gentlemen) has a hit show filling his theatre — but he still wants to make it big in the bigger smoke. Alas, Suki (Chelsea Peretti, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), a dog and a talent scout, advises that Buster's ragtag crew don't have what it takes. He's determined to prove otherwise, taking pigs Rosita (Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show) and Gunter (Nick Kroll, Big Mouth), gorilla Johnny (Taron Egerton, Rocketman), porcupine Ash (Scarlett Johansson, Black Widow), and elephant Meena (singer Tori Kelly) to Redshore City to pitch directly to wolf and media mogul Jimmy Crystal (Bobby Canavale, Nine Perfect Strangers). Sing 2 is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. THE ADDAMS FAMILY 2 As 2019's stop-motion The Addams Family did, The Addams Family 2 boasts a few stellar strokes of voice casting, but that can't save a film that's distressingly eager to be as bland, flat and lazy as possible. Once again, returning directors Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon (Sausage Party) — who team up with first-time co-helmers Laura Brousseau and Kevin Pavlovic — only manage to make viewers wish that Oscar Isaac (Dune) and Charlize Theron (Fast and Furious 9) could've played Gomez and Morticia in a new live-action film, instead of lending their voices to this mess. The lines they're tasked with uttering, as penned by screenwriters Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit (Pokémon: Detective Pikachu) along with Ben Queen (Cars 2) and Susanna Fogel (Booksmart), have less life (and inspire fewer laughs) than a corpse. And, as with the first animated movie, they're still caught up in a flick that has Snoop Dogg cast Cousin Itt so that it can drop in his songs (and yes, that's supposed to be funny, apparently). Story-wise, The Addams Family 2 focuses on Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz, Tom and Jerry), who feels she doesn't fit in with her relatives even before she's told she might've been switched at birth. But forget the dark humour that's always been the backbone of all things Addams since its first days on the page. Forget any sense of personality that isn't just "ooh, they're odd and they like grim things" — and forget anything that you wouldn't see in any other all-ages film, too. The script could've been written for any old characters, then had Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley (Javon 'Wanna' Walton, Utopia), Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll, Sing 2), Thing and company shoehorned in, although its family vacation setup does take all the wrong cues from the aforementioned Addams Family Reunion. It hardly helps that the animation style looks ghoulishly unpleasant, but at least the character designs nod to Charles Addams' original cartoons. Nothing else about this unwanted sequel even comes close, in a feature that proves the antithesis of its characters: mundane, safe, routine and only unnerving in how terrible it is. The Addams Family 2 is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Read our full review. Looking for more at-home viewing options? Take a look at our monthly streaming recommendations across new straight-to-digital films and TV shows.
Ellen took a temporary break from her hosting duties to take and tweet a (slightly blurred) selfie Hollywood would be proud of, roping in a big bunch of willing A-listers including JLaw, Bradley Cooper, Brad and Angie, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep. After a bit of contention about who was going to actually take the photo (Meryl was the first choice but she seemed a little uncertain and admitted that she'd never tweeted before) and a sneaky late entry to the group (Jared Leto jumped in out of nowhere, apparently still riding a high from his best supporting actor win), it was Bradley Cooper who took the matter in hand and snapped the shot. The result was slightly surreal, with the Guardian's live Oscar coverage commenting on the spookiness of seeing "the most photographed people photographing themselves, live on camera, watched by millions". The pic was retweeted over 500,000 times in less than 30 minutes. Then temporarily crashed Twitter. Woah. After what was arguably an expectedly tame opening monologue, Ellen also wins big points for stirring things up a bit by ordering pizza and then distributing slices to the first few rows of smartly dressed stars, who she assumed must be pretty hungry after weeks of dieting to fit into their gowns and suits. Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Martin Scorsese were among those getting in on the action, with a bemused Leonardo DiCaprio firmly declining. Perhaps the best part was when, pizza devoured, Ellen announced she had no money for a tip and suggested that Sandra Bullock cover the costs. Keep up the good work, Ellen.
Yesterday, Sunday, August 2, Premier Daniel Andrews announced stage four stay-at-home restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne, including an 8pm curfew and new limits on exercise and shopping for essentials. Today, Monday, August 3, the Premier has announced what impacts these new restrictions will have on businesses. Businesses in metropolitan Melbourne will be split into three categories: those that can continue functioning as they were under stage three restrictions; those that will need to close for six weeks; and those that will be able to continue operating, but with significantly less employees and output. STAYING OPEN The first category — businesses that will be allowed to stay open — includes supermarkets, grocery stores, bottleshops, pharmacies, petrol stations, banks, news agencies and post offices, plus businesses involved in the state's frontline response. The Premier says this means Melburnians "don't need to go out and buy six weeks' worth of groceries". When heading out to buy essentials from one of these stores, Melburnians must remain within five kilometres of their homes, as outlined the Premier yesterday. CLOSING FOR SIX WEEKS In the second category, retail stores, plus some manufacturing and admin businesses, will need to close for six weeks from 11.59pm from Wednesday, August 5. But, they will be able to run contactless 'click and collect' and delivery services, as long as they have strict safety protocols in place. An example of a retail shop that will be required close for six weeks is Bunnings. The Premier said, "you will no longer be able to go into a Bunnings store but you will be able to collect goods without making contact with anybody." The Premier also said you'll no longer be able to have cleaners and tradespeople in your house unless there is an emergency. "There'll be no cleaners going to your house. There'll be no-one mowing your lawns," the Premier said. "There'll be no-one providing anything other other than emergency support. If you need a plumber because a pipe has burst, then yes, you can have a plumber come and do that work." OPERATING WITH SIGNIFICANT RESTRICTIONS For the third group of businesses, the Premier says they'll be moving into a "pilot light phase". "Not being turned off completely but they are dramatically reducing the number of people they have working for them and their output over the next six weeks," the Premier said. From 11.59pm on Friday, August 7, businesses that come under this umbrella will need to have a new COVIDSafe plan in place with requirements including "extra personal protective equipment, staggering shifts, staggering breaks, health declarations and more support for sick workers to ensure they stay home". These businesses include warehouses and distribution centres, which will need to drop back to two-thirds of their regular workforce; and construction sites, which will be able to have no more than 25 percent of staff at major sites and a maximum of five people at small sites. Abattoirs and meat-works will also sit in this list. https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1290159942612029440 With many industries running at reduced capacities, the Premier says that Melburnians may not be able to get the exact products they want, but there is no need to start panic buying. "You may not be able to buy every single item that you want in the quantities you normally would, but people will have everything they need," the Premier said. "There'll be more to go around if people buy what they need, when they need it, rather than going and buying four trolleys' worth of groceries and enough chicken or beef to last you until Christmas. That's not necessary. That is simply not necessary." Outside of metropolitan Melbourne, businesses in regional Victoria will be moving into stage three restrictions, which means the closures of beauty parlours, gyms and entertainment venues, and restaurants and cafes moving back to takeaway-only. To help businesses survive these closures, the Victorian Government will be giving out $5000 grants to businesses in regional Victoria and $10,000 to those in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, which have been impacted for longer. The Premier says these changes will result in around one million Victorians no longer moving around the state for work. "This will be hard. It'll be frustrating. It'll be confusing. For a lot of workers and their families, it'll be heartbreaking," the Premier said. More details about the closures, COVIDSafe plans and penalties are expected to be announced this week. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria and stage four restrictions, head to the Department of Human Health and Services website.
Society has drilled it into our heads that it's unethical to capitalise on the youthful vitality of small, underprivileged children, but Soccket might make you see things differently. A small company called Unchartered Play has developed a soccer ball that doubles as a portable generator, providing both fun and power to those who play with it. The Soccket uses Unchartered Play's patent-pending technology to capture the kinetic energy generated by a game of soccer, storing it in the ball for later use as an off-grid power source. Powering an LED lamp requires 30 minutes of play. The immediate advantages are threefold: Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world, one in five people around the globe are without power, and most kids think soccer is fun — particularly kids who have never heard of Angry Birds and who are often denied the opportunity to be kids due to more pressing issues such as survival. It is hoped to bring particular relief to developing countries reliant on kerosene lamps, which can lead to severe health problems and are responsible for huge amounts of carbon dioxide emissions. The ball is currently produced very labour intensively in North America, but Unchartered Play have launched a Kickstarter campaign to take things to the next level. $75,000 will help Unchartered Play (a team of just eight people) bring on board more employees, purchase more tools and equipment, automate parts of the assembly process, and up their output of Soccket Balls from a few hundred to thousands per week. They've almost reached half of their goal with 24 days to go. $1 is the minimum, but pledging $89 or more will get you one standard Soccket Ball and lamp if the campaign is successful. You've then got the option of keeping it for a sweet-as camping gadget or, you know, giving it up to a child in need. Via Inhabitat.com.
Sample the very best the Barossa Valley has to offer at a day-long food and wine event in North Melbourne this July. Billed as a showcase of one of the country's greatest wine regions, Barossa: Be Consumed is being put together by the folks at Bottle Shop Concepts, the same team behind Game of Rhones and Pinot Palooza. More than 40 different wineries are expected to take part, including Sons of Eden, Henschke, and Hentley Farm, showcasing over 140 styles of tipples. In addition to the boozers — which will include beer, gin and cider from the region, too — a number of food producers will take part, slinging everything from pickles to cured meats to ice cream. They'll also participate in a number of free 'conversation sessions', designed to give punters a new found appreciation for what the region has to offer. Barossa: Be Consumed will take place on Saturday July 22 at Meat Market, 5 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne. Early bird tickets are $55 and include a Plumm wine glass.
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on, A Space Oddity is the latest exhibition to don the walls of the Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts. Also spilling onto the nearby streets of St Kilda, the exhibition is curated by Jan Duffy and Matthew Perkins as an exploration of the changing human condition in an increasingly online environment. Arguing that there’s still a human need for tangible engagement is artists Adad Hannah, Denys Arcand, Darren Sylvester, Masato Takasaka, Antoinette Citizen, Dominic Redfern, Akira Akira and Philip Samartzis, who each produce artworks that discuss the need for us 21st Century folk to navigate both virtual and physical spaces. Including found objects, video works, an urban walking trail, sound works, and artworks that require viewing through the exhibition’s smartphone app, A Space Oddity is looking pretty exciting. So commence the countdown, engines are gearing up from Friday, September 27, and the show will be on till November. Image credit: Adad Hannah and Denys Arcand, Safari, 2011, HD Video 7 min 7 secs.
In January 2023, the Elton John farewell tour to apparently end all Elton John farewell tours will return to Australia and New Zealand, playing its last round of shows Down Under before the singer says farewell to live concerts. Haven't nabbed a ticket? Can't go? Went last time he came our way, in what was then meant to be John's goodbye gigs? Whichever fits — or if you are heading along to see the music star next year — you can always stream his final-ever North American performance live on Monday, November 21. Make plans to knock off early: Disney+ is livestreaming the concert at 2pm AEST / 3pm AEST / 5pm New Zealand time. The show has been badged Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium, and will run for a hefty three hours, complete with Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee and Brandi Carlile as guests. Yes, that means that John and Lipa's hit single 'Cold Heart' is guaranteed to get a spin, as is 'Simple Things' by John and Carlile — both of which featured on John's 2021 album The Lockdown Sessions. And, yes, you can expect to hear John and Dee's 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' from 1976, with the concert's lineup of guests showcasing John's enormous longevity and range. Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium forms part of the musician's global Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which has been taking him around the world since September 2018, and spans more than 300 concerts across five continents. In Australasia, his first stops here during the tour saw over 705,000 tickets sold to gigs across a three-month period that spanned 34 Australian and six New Zealand dates from November 2019. During the livestreamed performance, fans can expect to feel the love through all of his hits, including 'Rocket Man', 'Tiny Dancer' 'Bennie and the Jets', 'Crocodile Rock', 'I'm Still Standing' and 'Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting' — even though it's happening on a Monday Down Under. John's tour also features never-before-seen images and videos show from his 50-year career — well, never seen before the tour — which are displayed throughout each gig. And, on Disney+, the Dodger Stadium concert will be paired with Countdown to Elton Live, a special featuring John's famous friends wishing him well, and also including interviews with John and David Furnish. When the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour does indeed come to an end, John will retire from touring after five decades on the road. If that all sounds rather massive, that's the star's career in a nutshell. He's played more than 4000 shows across in his time, sold more than 300 million records worldwide and holds the record for the biggest-selling single of all time thanks to the 1997 version of 'Candle in the Wind'. The singer has clearly enjoyed a huge past few years, too, with his life story hitting the big screen in biopic Rocketman. Check out the trailer for Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium below: Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium will stream via Disney+ at 2pm AEST / 3pm AEST / 5pm New Zealand time on Monday, November 21. Images: Ben Gibson.
