If you're a fan of twisty TV shows about wealth, privilege, power, influence, the vast chasm between the rich and everyday folks, and the societal problems that fester due to such rampant inequality, then 2021 has been a fantastic year. The White Lotus fit the bill, and proved such a hit that it's coming back for a second season. Squid Game, the high-stakes Korean horror-thriller absolutely everyone binged over the last month, ticks the box as well. And, so does Succession, with the much-acclaimed HBO drama finally returning for a third season. No series slings insults as savagely as this Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Writers Guild and Directors Guild Award-winner. No show channels feuding and backstabbing into such an insightful and gripping satire of the one percent, either. Succession isn't just whip-smart, darkly piercing and frequently laugh-out-loud funny about its chosen milieu; it's the best drama on TV, one of the best-written shows on television, and among the best series all-round in general as well. So, here's two pieces of good news: firstly, Succession's third season is as biting, scathing and entertaining as viewers have come to expect, and might just be its finest yet; and, secondly, HBO has just renewed the show for a fourth season. Neither of these revelations is particularly surprising, but they're still excellent. Announcing the renewal, HBO noted that in the US, the series' third-season premiere was its most-watched episode to-date. It did herald Succession's return after a two-year wait — a gap that left viewers with quite the cliffhanger, as well as a huge hankering for more of its witty words. Indeed, before the series first graced TV screens back in 2018, you mightn't have realised exactly how engaging it is to watch people squabbling. Not just everyday characters, either, but the constantly arguing — and ridiculously well-off and entitled — family of a global media baron. Those power plays and the verbal argy-bargy make Succession compulsively watchable, and so do the pitch-perfect performances that deliver every verbal blow. Of course, as created by Peep Show's Jesse Armstrong — someone who knows more than a thing or two about black comedy — the idea that depiction doesn't equal endorsement is as rich in Succession and its brand of satire as its always-disagreeing characters. [caption id="attachment_830169" align="alignnone" width="1920"] David Russell/HBO[/caption] In season three, all those Roy family antics and the bitter words they inspire are in full swing yet again. Succession has always riffed on a scenario that also sits at the heart of fellow hits Arrested Development and Game of Thrones — families clashing over their empire — but this version doesn't need dragons to be ruthless. That feeling only heightened at the end of season two, when Kendall (Jeremy Strong, The Trial of the Chicago 7), the son always seen as the natural successor to patriarch Logan (Brian Cox, Super Troopers 2), decided to publicly expose the family's dark business secrets. Now, the series is wading through the fallout, with Logan's other children — Connor (Alan Ruck, Gringo), Shiv (Sarah Snook, Pieces of a Woman) and Roman (Kieran Culkin, Infinity Baby) — caught in the middle agin. This brood's tenuous and tempestuous relationship only gets thornier the more the show goes on, and its examination of their privileged lives — and what that bubble has done to them emotionally, psychologically and ideologically — only deepens in season three. All four Roy children are still trying to position themselves as next in line at Logan's company, of course, with the future of the business in jeopardy not only due to his advancing years, or the takeover bids and government interest that've been a big part of its two seasons so far, but thanks to all the in-fighting. When they pop up in the third season, Alexander Skarsgård (Godzilla vs Kong) and Adrien Brody (The Grand Budapest Hotel) complicate the Roys' precarious situation even further. That's this show's bread and butter, and it's glorious — and it just keeps finding the ideal cast members. With season three only two episodes in at the time of writing, exactly when season four will hit screens hasn't been revealed. For now, you can check out the full Succession season three trailer below: The first two episodes of Succession's third season are available to view via Foxtel, Binge and Foxtel On Demand, with new episodes dropping weekly. Exactly when the series' fourth season will drop hasn't yet been revealed. Top image: Macall B Polay/HBO.
When the newly engaged Lauren (Miranda Tapsell, The Surfer) and Ned (Gwilym Lee, SAS Rogue Heroes) made a whirlwind visit to Darwin in 2019 film Top End Wedding, it was to get married. Six years later, the two key characters from the hit rom-com are heading back to the Northern Territory capital. Meet Top End Bub, which is extending the world of the flick by picking up again with its central couple — this time with an added child, and by unfurling the next chapter in the pair's tale via a streaming series. Tapsell not only starred in Top End Wedding but co-wrote the script. With Top End Bub, she's in both roles again — and also co-created and executive produced the series with fellow returnee Joshua Tyler (100% Wolf: Legend of the Moonstone). Their new story: sending Lauren and Ned to the NT again, away from their settled life in Adelaide, to become the guardians of their orphaned niece Taya (debutant Gladys-May Kelly). First confirmed in 2024, Top End Bub is set to span eight episodes — and you'll be watching it soon. The series hits Prime Video from Friday, September 12, 2025. Ursula Yovich (Troppo), Huw Higginson (Ladies in Black), Shari Sebbens (The Moogai), Elaine Crombie (Invisible Boys), Rob Collins (Austin) and Tracy Mann (Home and Away) are also making the leap from Top End Wedding to its new spinoff, while Brooke Satchwell (Triple Oh!), Guy Simon (The Secrets She Keeps) and Clarence Ryan (Territory) are among its fresh additions. "Words can't describe how excited I am to bring Lauren, Ned and the Top End back to your screens. We all love a happy ending, but what happens after happily ever after? We can't wait for you to find out!" said Tapsell back when Top End Bub was initially announced. "It's been fun to dive back into the world of Top End Wedding, a world that means so much to us and to our audience. A romantic setting full of funny characters who face heartbreaking challenges in heartwarming ways. I am thrilled to be collaborating with such an incredible team," added Tyler. There's no sneak peek at Top End Bub yet, but you can watch the trailer for Top End Wedding below: Top End Bub will stream via Prime Video from Friday, September 12, 2025. Images: John Platt / Prime Video.
Ice skating is one of those idyllic winter time activities that goes hand in hand with hot chocolates, sitting around a fireplace, and rugging up in coats, gloves and scarves until you're feeling like a big walking ball of wool. With all of that in mind, you can hit a ten on the winter feels scale these cold months with Winter Fest, a fiesta of coldness coming to Moonee Valley in June. First up, take a spin on the Moonee Ponds ice skating rink, which runs from June 30 to July 15. Bookings are necessary, and each session will run for 45 minutes — and when you leave the ring, you'll feel like an ice dancer ready for the 2022 Winter Olympics. There's a whole host more on offer too, like free music events and live theatre at the Clocktower Centre. The Clocktower will also hold $8 movie nights throughout the festival, and there's nothing cosier than a winter night at the movies — especially for less than a tenner.
When Australia's international borders reopen to the world in November — and when Aussies are permitted to fly overseas for holidays again from Monday, November 1 — that'll only fix one problem when it comes to travelling the globe. Obviously, being allowed to leave the country for a getaway is a big step, especially after more than 18 months of doing exactly that being banned. But being permitted to enter whichever destination you're heading to is obviously just as important. Different countries have different rules about who can visit — and, crucially, the requirements also vary regarding vaccination status. Also, once you've made it into your destination, the conditions might also vary regarding showing you're vaxxed to step inside venues and attend events. Accordingly, proving that you've been double-jabbed isn't something you'll only need to do at home — in New South Wales and Victoria under their reopening roadmaps, for example. So, the Australian Government is launching an international travel certificate that shows if you've been double-vaccinated. It'll become available for use from Tuesday, October 19. As announced on Sunday, October 17, the 'International COVID-19 proof of vaccination' certificate will be provided to Aussies and Aussie visa holders — as long as you have a valid passport, and also your COVID-19 vaccination has been recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). You will still need to request one, though, which you can do either by accessing your Medicare account through My Gov or using the Medicare Express app. If you're wondering how it'll work when you're travelling, the new certificate includes a secure QR code that border authorities around the world can access, letting them confirm your COVID-19 vax status. It'll also be marked with a visible digital seal for security purposes, and has been designed to meet the new global standard for these types of passes — as specified by the International Civil Aviation Organization and conforms with World Health Organization guidance. For more information about showing your vaccination status for international travel, visit the Services Australia website.
The fact that it took 50 years to bring Misbehaviour's true tale to the screen is nothing less than remarkable. Following the protests staged by the women's liberation movement at the 1970 Miss World Pageant in London, it harks back to a noteworthy and important chapter of history — so much so that you would've expected filmmakers to have been clamouring to give it the cinematic treatment. A plethora of compelling topics are baked into this story, after all, including calling out the gross sexism inherent in objectifying women and ascribing their worth according to their looks, questioning society's narrow view of beauty and making plain the racial prejudice that's also frequently in play. But you don't need a movie about all of the above to tell you the obvious, and also the probable reason that a film about this incident hasn't existed until now. Much may have changed in the past half-century, but the feminist quest for recognition, fairness and equality in every way isn't over yet. Indeed, it's galling how many of Misbehaviour's observations about the way women are treated — and how women of colour fare on top of that — continue to ring true in 2020. Also rather telling: that, of the two big controversies that surrounded the pageant that year, this is the one that has finally reached movie-watching audiences. Again, Misbehaviour focuses on crucial events. It's a tale that should be told, about a battle that isn't over yet, and focusing on women who helped kickstart the progress that has been made over the last five decades. Still, the uproar that arose afterwards in response to the pageant's winner also speaks volumes. The result was questioned, for reasons this review won't give away even though it's a simple matter of record, and the extent of the narrow-minded attitudes cultivated and encouraged by such exercises in objectification couldn't have been more blatant. This film comes to a conclusion before then, however, simplifying what deserves to be a complex and multifaceted examination of the entire affair. Audiences might've endured a hefty wait to see the 1970 situation get any big-screen attention, but they don't have to wonder why Misbehaviour favours the approach its does for very long. Director Philippa Lowthorpe (Swallows and Amazons) and screenwriters Rebecca Frayn (The Lady) and Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest) are eager to pay tribute to pioneering feminists, but they're also very keen to make a feel-good, cheer-inducing movie that fits a clear formula. So it is that a seemly mismatched group comes together, united by the shared goal of improving how women are regarded by society, and decides to target the giant, glitzy and televised spectacle that is the Miss World Pageant — which 100 million people will watch. The two main instigators, aspiring history academic Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley, Official Secrets) and graffiti-spraying anarchist Jo Robinson (Jessie Buckley, I'm Thinking of Ending Things), are initially worlds apart, but squaring off against a common enemy has a way of bringing people together. Making a TV appearance after the protestors make their plans publicly known, Sally stresses one huge point: they're not rallying against the Miss World contestants themselves, but at the institution they're interacting with. Misbehaviour takes that view too, splitting its time — not in equal portions, though — between Sally, Jo and their pals, and also the women vying for the sash and crown. Jennifer Hosten (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Farming), aka Miss Grenada, receives the lion's share of attention among the contenders. That said, Swedish favourite Maj Johansson (Clara Rosager, The Rain), US entrant Sandra Wolsfeld (Suki Waterhouse, The Broken Hearts Gallery) and 'Miss Africa South' Pearl Jansen (Loreece Harrison, Black Mirror) — a late addition after a journalist constantly questions why South Africa's competitor is always white — also get their moments. The film spends time with pageant founder Eric Morley (Rhys Ifans, Berlin Station) and the year's host Bob Hope (Greg Kinnear, Strange But True) as well, serving up two prime examples of the kinds of attitudes that Sally and Jo are trying to tackle. The result is exactly the type of rousing, overt and easy movie that Lowthorpe and her colleagues set out to make — a film that ticks all the boxes it has placed on its own checklist, but doesn't do anything more. That makes Misbehaviour spirited, heavy-handed and well-intended in tandem, and also immensely straightforward. Anyone familiar with the likes of Calendar Girls, The Full Monty and Swimming with Men will able able to spot the template at work, for instance, even though the narrative specifics vary significantly. Misbehaviour has the same shine and energy, too, and the same crowd-pleasing nature. Its recognisable cast all do what's asked of them as well, as seen in Knightley and Buckley's fight against the patriarchy, Mbatha-Raw's quiet determination to give women of colour more prominence, Ifans and Kinnear playing the slimy villainous roles, and Keeley Hawes (Rebecca) and Lesley Manville (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) as the latter pair's other halves. In other words, being caught up in Misbehaviour's plot, purpose and impressively staged climax is almost a foregone conclusion. Being happy that it's hitting screens and telling this tale at all after all of these years is as well. But so is knowing that this is the most standard and clearcut rendering of this story possible — and noticing that, even as it completely avoids one big part of the pageant's aftermath, the film always keeps viewers well aware that there are other tales related to these events it could and definitely should be exploring and unpacking in more detail. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp3WjuJJYB8
Friday lunchtime is the perfect excuse to ditch that sad desk sandwich in favour of a cheeky feed and glass of wine at your local. And for the rest of Good Food Month, Poodle Bar & Bistro is offering just that. On June 18 and 25, the Fitzroy restaurant will be serving up a special Friday lunch situation, featuring an array of signature snacks, a main dish, tea and coffee, and a wine or beer for just $45. You'll kick things off with the likes of spanner crab and taramasalata vol-au-vents, and house-made coffee ground sourdough, before moving onto your pick of mains. We're talking pan-roasted garfish with clams and beurre blanc, the grilled Bundarra pork chop, or Parisian gnocchi with green goddess sauce and taleggio. Wrangled a little extra time away from the office? Add on a dessert course — like the chocolate, prune and gingerbread ice cream sandwich — and an extra glass or two of vino from Poodle's exceptional drinks list. [caption id="attachment_774766" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Poodle[/caption]
In today's cafe game, serving a stock standard latte with a slice of undercooked banana bread just isn't going to cut it. Things have to be done properly, thoroughly, and with extra, indefinable zest; a cafe should be a 'creative space', a coffee an 'experience'. And while cafe kingpins are scattered high and low around Melbourne, there's one humble jack-of-all-trades that sits comfortably off Brunswick's Sydney Road: Acustico. Snuggled on Union Street, so close to the train tracks you'll feel like the fat controller while snacking on breaky, Acustico is a cafe well worth veering off the main strip for. It's a sustainable environment in both its direction and delivery, designed by Mike Sharp and Jessica In from The Summer Office. The interior has been constructed using recycled materials, and its intimate, yet open plan setting encourages conversation as well as shared eating. This is a real bonus given the coffee here is extra mean, and the food is so good you'll want to be showing it off to those around you. Whether or not there's something on the main menu that takes your fancy, be sure to scope out the specials. Their lemon ricotta pancakes with caramel, hazelnuts and strawberries ($15) are light, fluffy, and will have you pleased and perplexed at how one simple ingredient can strangely enhance a century-old breakfast staple. Otherwise, the chorizo baked eggs ($16) are a solid go-to, and their range of toasties are addictively perfect — you can safely order one and know it's going to be hearty and absolutely crisp, cheese-laden, and cholesterol-spiking. Second to a cafe, Acustico may as well sell itself as an artistic space. Its tables are wide and sturdy, the wifi is strong, and the music and conversation of other patrons never tends to be intrusive. Almost always at Acustico, there's a cafe-goer hard at work, headphones in, typing away on a Mac — usually sharing a table with someone doing the same. The space is just as welcoming for families; the menu and wait staff are super accommodating to tots, and there's even a little playroom out back. If you can overlook all the lights and allure of Sydney Road, Acustico is a safe and satisfying detour for a coffee and a meal. Whether you're with friends, family, flying solo or just catching up on some work, let Acustico show you what fine coffee, food and eco-ethos is all about.
They may have proved a hit overseas, but here in Australia, dockless share bikes aren't about to win any popularity contests — at least not from the authorities. After making news for clogging up footpaths, sitting wedged up trees and being pulled out of waterways, the bikes are coming under some new rules in Melbourne. The City of Yarra, City of Port Phillip and City of Melbourne councils have signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding with one of the main companies, Singapore's oBike, in an attempt to address the problems these rogue bikes have brought to Melbourne. The new rules seem pretty straightforward, specifying oBikes must be parked upright, aren't allowed to block footpaths and have to be removed from any dangerous locations within two hours. Though with no more than ten oBike employees on the ground overseeing these three council areas, sticking to the rules won't necessarily be easy. Currently, the councils impound any rogue bikes for 14 days, before they're destroyed and turned into scrap metal, with oBike stuck with a $50 fee to reclaim each bike. According to Melbourne City Councillor Nicolas Frances Gilley, the share bike crackdown is about keeping Melbourne's streets safe. "At City of Melbourne, we are continually looking at ways to promote cycling and make it easier for people to use bikes," he said. "But the safety of all city users shouldn't be compromised in the process." It will be interesting to see if these new restrictions make a noticeable change to the way oBikes are managed, and if Sydney follows suit with both its bike sharing services, oBike and Reddy Go.
Ready player one, for a music festival unlike any you've ever been a part of. Taking over Fitzroy's Evelyn Hotel on March 3 and 4, Square Sounds is Australia's only event dedicated to chipmusic — that is, tunes inspired by and/or made using video game consoles. It may sound rather niche, but that's where you'd be wrong – as it happens, you can wrangle quite a bit of sound out of an old Game Boy. Whether you're into prog rock or deep house, the eclectic Square Sounds program should have something to fit your taste. Indeed, this year's festival will welcome chipmusic artists from the US, Japan, France and Sweden, as well as right here in our own backyard. Punters can even get in on the action themselves via 7bit Hero, an audiovisual experience that turns your phone into a joystick while Brisbane-based musician Hans van Vliet provides the live soundtrack.
When winter rolls around, it can be mighty tempting to just spend the entire season holed up at home in front of the telly. But we did enough of that last winter. This year, it's all about getting out and exploring everything our country has to offer in the cooler months. Roasting marshmallows in front of an open fire. Foraging for truffles, then enjoying your spoils in a decadent long lunch. And escaping the outdoor chill in one of the country's best art galleries. You'll find all this — and much more — in Canberra this season. We're here to help you carve out your ideal winter itinerary to the capital city. Please stay up to date with the latest ACT Government health advice regarding COVID-19.
Since 2019, witnessing David Tennant utter the word "angel" has been one of the small screen's great delights. Playing the roguish demon Crowley in Good Omens, the Scottish Doctor Who and Broadchurch star sometimes says it as an insult, occasionally with weary apathy and even with exasperation. Usually simmering no matter his mood, however, is affection for the person that he's always talking about: book-loving and bookshop-owning heavenly messenger Aziraphale (Michael Sheen, Quiz). With just one term and two syllables, Tennant tells a story about the show's central odd-couple duo, who've each been assigned to oversee earth by their bosses — Crowley's from below, Aziraphale's from above — and also conveys their complicated camaraderie. Also since 2019, watching Tennant and Sheen pair up on-screen has been supremely divine. The actors clearly realised it themselves, spending lockdown making comedy Staged as versions of themselves, which they then continued for two more seasons. Great double acts feel like they've always been a twosome. They seems so natural that you expect them to continue the same routine off-screen as innately as breathing. They can be playfully parodied by themselves, as Staged does, and still just as winning. And, they're often the heart and soul of whatever project they're in. Good Omens, which hails from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's award- and fan-winning 1990 novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, was always going to be about Aziraphale and Crowley. And yet, including in its second season on Prime Video from Friday, July 28, it's always been a better series because it's specifically about Sheen as the former and Tennant as the latter. In the first season, the end of the world was nigh (the fact that Good Omens debuted the year before the pandemic arrived and life began to feel ominous in reality was pure coincidence). In the show's narrative, Aziraphale and Crowley faced their biggest test yet after observing humans since biblical times: the always-foretold birth of the antichrist and, 11 years later, cosmic forces rolling towards snuffing out the planet's people to start again. Hell, where Beelzebub (Anna Maxwell Martin, The Duke) led the forces, was primed for a fight to claim power. As guided by the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm, Confess, Fletch), heaven was up for the fray, too. But in a comedic fantasy involving satanic nuns, witch hunters, prognostications, hellhounds, the four horsemen, seances, and also the simple pleasures of two pals bickering and bantering, the crisis to end all crises was ultimately averted. In the long-awaited second season, neither Aziraphale nor Crowley are beloved by their higher-ups or lower-downs thanks to their thwarting-the-apocalypse actions. One fussing over his store and remaining reluctant to sell any of its tomes, the other continuing to swagger around like Bill Nighy as a rule-breaking rockstar, they've carved out a comfortable new status quo, though, until a naked man walking through London with nothing but a cardboard box comes trundling along. He can't recall it, but that birthday suit-wearing interloper is Gabriel. He knows he's there for a reason and that it isn't good, but possesses zero memory otherwise. And, in the worst news for Aziraphale and Crowley, he has both heaven and hell desperate to find him. Returning for a second season saddles Good Omens with a considerable obstacle: when you've already told the tale that was laid out in print, what comes next? Thankfully, Gaiman is back as executive producer and co-showrunner, building upon his text with the late Pratchett by enlisting John Finnemore (That Mitchell and Webb Look) as his new co-scribe — and with director Douglas Mackinnon (a Doctor Who veteran) again helming every episode. The approach? A mystery, as Aziraphale and Crowley try to discover what's behind Gabriel's terrestrial visit. Gaiman crafts a missing-person search as well, including by the demon Shax (Rams' Miranda Richardson, switching into a new role from season one), and archangels Michael (Doon Mackichan, Toast of Tinseltown) and Uriel (Gloria Obianyo, Dune). Good Omens season two also takes a few sizeable trips elsewhere, spending time with Job (Peter Davison, Gentleman Jack) in the Land of Uz, during the Victorian era when robbing graves was a key way that surgeons advanced medicine and among undead Nazis in the Blitz in 1940s England (Finnemore solely scripts the Job segment, Ten Percent's Cat Clarke the body stealing, and Ghost Stories' Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman the zombies.) Also crucial: a few romances, commencing with Aziraphale and Crowley trying to get coffee shop proprietor Nina (Nina Sosanya, His Dark Materials) and record store owner Maggie (Maggie Service, Life) to fall in love by cribbing from Jane Austen and Love Actually filmmaker Richard Curtis. Any future season of Good Omens that purely regales audiences with Aziraphale and Crowley's past escapades would be a certain winner, but weaving such jaunts into season two still works a treat. For all of the show's drawcards — the irreverent battles for the fate of the universe, the heaven-versus-hell hijinks, the gleeful satirising of organised religion, the Paddington-esque aesthetic, the fact that anything and everything can occur (and does) in a comedy about angels and demons — Gaiman knows that Sheen and Tennant are its biggest. Cue more eager digging into Aziraphale and Crowley's bond, and more of Sheen and Tennant bouncing off of each other brilliantly. In the process, cue more unpacking the fact that Aziraphale isn't just pious and dutiful beneath his halo, nor fallen angel Crowley simply evil. And, also cue more examining what Aziraphale and Crowley mean to each other as an ever-wonderful chalk-and-cheese pair. Sheen and Tennant are visibly having a ball again, with both expressing oh-so-much through gazes, glorious line readings and the vibe that sparkles during their patter. They aren't the only ones enjoying their Good Omens stints, with Hamm leaning into his comic side — see also: 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Toast of London, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Childrens Hospital, Medical Police, Angie Tribeca, The Last Man on Earth, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and Confess, Fletch — with gusto. Richardson is as much of a scene-stealing marvel as she's kept proving since her Blackadder days, Bridgerton's Shelley Conn relishes playing Beelzebub's new guise and Quelin Sepulveda (The Man Who Fell to Earth) is joyous as a daffy lower angel. Indeed, even when season two overtly puts the wheels in motion for a third spin, its cast ensure that too is a great and welcome omen. Check out the trailer for Good Omens season two below: Good Omens streams from Friday, July 28 via Prime Video.
If there's one thing that you can count on at MONA's arts festivals, it's that they never deliver the exact same experience twice. That's doubly true of next year's Mona Foma, which is making the huge move to Launceston — and doing so with a seriously noteworthy lineup. After hosting part of the 2018 event, the entirety of 2019's Mona Foma will take place across the Tasmanian city, shifting from its previous home of Hobart. Arriving in town from January 13–20, it'll bring everything from music legends to thumping beats to new Aussie heroes to the stage. Attendees can also expect a sensory blend of music, theatre and art, an exhibition that combines creativity with scientific specimens, and oh-so-many onesies. Of course, the list goes on. Headlining this year's bill are Swedish star Neneh Cherry and Welsh electronic music icons Underworld, so prepare to get in a buffalo stance and get born slippy. They'll be joined by Mona Foma's big Aussie premiere and exclusive: a four-part performance by producer and composer Oneohtrix Point Never and the MYRIAD ensemble. Also called Myriad, it's framed from the perspective of an alien intelligence that has absorbed earth's entire history, and mixes the seemingly unlikely combination of medieval folk, dance music, R&B, and sci-fi imagery. Music-wise, Mona Foma-goers can also catch Courtney Barnett on her return to Tassie, as well as Mulatu Astatke and the Black Jesus Experience as they blend Ethiopian music with jazz and Afro-Latin. Or, there's Finland's Satu Vänskä playing her 292-year-old violin with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Aussie stoner rockers Bansheeland doing their psychedelic grunge thing and Central Niger's all-female Les Filles de Illighadad with their inimitable brand psychedelic Saharan desert rock. On the arts side of things, Art of the Body: Health, Beauty and Desire brings together a heap of artists to respond to medical body part specimens — and the actual body parts will be on display as well. Then there's Onesie World 2.0, a new iteration of Adele Varcoe and Self-Assembly's onesie extravaganza, with the designer and label whipping up 2000 DIY all-in-ones. Other highlights include morning meditation sessions in Cataract Gorge, endurance performance artist Ben Landau's 24-hour attempt to keep humming non-stop, as well as a rather curious inclusion from British composer artist Nick Ryan: a machine that tracks the position of 27,000 pieces of space junk, then transforms them into sound as they pass overhead. And, with Mona Foma committed to inviting a new audience to experience the festival each year, they're focusing on the Amish of Lancaster County for 2019 — which means putting up a bunch of billboards around Pennsylvania and letting the local Amish into the festival for free. For everyone else, tickets go on sale from midday on Monday, October 15. Mona Foma runs from January 13–20, 2019, in Launceston, Tasmania. For more information or to grab tickets from midday on Monday, October 15, head to mofo.net.au
Last month the National Gallery of Victoria launched the first ever major survey of Australian fashion. Featuring over 120 works from more than 90 designers, 200 Years of Australian Fashion not only had us wowed with the scale, diversity and sheer beauty of the threads on display, but also contemplating the thread that runs through each product born of the Australian fashion industry. It's quite a unique industry to be in — isolated, out of season and catering to a completely different market to the global fashion players. But out of this, a new innovative and creative approach to fashion has been born. It's certainly seen successes, from Collette Dinnigan being the first Australian invited to show at Paris Fashion Week in 1995 to Dion Lee, who last year showed his fifth season at New York Fashion Week. Is it our position in the global market that defines our aesthetic? We asked local designers Perks and Mini and Pageant as well as the NGV's Curator of Fashion and Textiles Paola De Trocchio to define how they see Australian fashion. [caption id="attachment_566323" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: Tom Ross[/caption] AMANDA CUMMING AND KATE REYNOLDS, PAGEANT Do you think there is an Australian aesthetic in fashion? There is a casualness and subtle eclecticism about the way Australian's dress. It's offbeat and relaxed! Do you think Australia's distance from the rest of the world has influenced our fashion? As designers, this distance can be challenging but it also gives us the freedom to create our own rules. The fashion industry in Australia is still young and not set in tradition, which we feel creates more flexibility and creativity through design. Is there a designer or particular time period that defines Australian fashion for you? We really admire Dion Lee and feel that he has helped to shape the global image of Australian fashion. His designs always push the boundaries and his textile development is impressive! What would you like to see local designers doing? As designers we feel it's important to be aware of your surroundings and reflect on current culture. It's really important to be authentic, as originality is key to a strong vision. [caption id="attachment_566350" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: Perks and Mini[/caption] SHAUNA TOOHEY, PERKS AND MINI Do you think there is an Australian aesthetic in fashion? No. But I do think there is a uniquely Australian attitude to fashion. I think it tends to be more relaxed, it doesn't follow rules and is more forgiving. Do you think Australia's distance from the rest of the world has influenced our fashion? Yes, distance and also seasonal difference has had a big effect on Australian fashion. However, as the world be comes more global, seasons drop earlier and climate change affects weather, I think this will have less influence. Is there a designer or particular time period that defines Australian fashion for you? Growing up with rave and street culture, the stand outs for me are Galaxy Abyss and Funk Essentials both by Sara Thorn and Bruce Slorach. What would you like to see local designers doing? My favourite designers are ones where you can see their unique signature in there clothes. Too often you see garments where the neck label could be lots of different brands/designers and it would be believable. I would love to see designers finding their own unique vision and expressing that in their clothing so well that each piece is recognisably theirs. [caption id="attachment_566322" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Image: Wayne Taylor[/caption] PAOLA DI TROCCHIO, CURATOR, FASHION AND TEXTILES AT THE NGV Do you think there is an Australian aesthetic in fashion? What Australian designers have in common is a sense of adventure, resilience, and courage. This can translate to bold, sophisticated and innovative design with a streak of rebellion. Do you think Australia's distance from the rest of the world has influenced our fashion? I think it has caused our designers to be incredibly innovative with their business systems and structures. For example, recognising that they could not compete with and did not even desire to fit into established fashion conventions from the context of Australia, DI$COUNT UNIVER$E launched their brand online through their blog, redefining the rules of what a fashion label could be. MaterialByProduct's engagement with the concept of luxury and artisanal hand production can be seen as suited to systems of production in Australia, where the majority of the businesses are small-scale enterprises with low-production capacity. Is there a designer or particular time period that defines Australian fashion for you? Australian fashion is evolving as we are as a nation. The earliest dress in the exhibition is from c.1805. Its raised waist and slim skirt are known as the empire line. Its Indian muslin fabric acknowledges the immediate network of trade between India, Australia and Britain. It situates the origins of Australian fashion within the broad context of Britain's aspirations towards the Empire and within a network of international trade. Since then Australian designers have continued a dialogue with the wider world that has echoed politics, trends, social movements, trade and identity. I think what is fascinating about Australian fashion is how Australian designers look inwards to find within them their unique voice, whilst looking out and engaging with the wider world. What would you like to see local designers doing? Thriving. I think they are doing incredibly well and I look forward to seeing them reach greater heights. 200 Years of Australian Fashion is now showing at NGV Australia until July 31. For more information, visit ngv.vic.gov.au. Top image: Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee wearing Linda Jackson's Tutti Frutti dress, 1975. Photograph by Ann Noon.
What will open with a Melbourne-set drama that won an Audience Award at Sundance for telling a Tehran-born, Australian-raised writer/director's autobiographical tale? What'll then pay tribute to Australian record executive and promoter Michael Gudinski in its centrepiece slot? And, what will feature everyone from Hugo Weaving to Michael Cera, a satire about a smartphone, and documentaries about vinyl cover art and the Australian Open, too? That'd be the 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival, with MIFF adding 20 more movies to its 2023 lineup. Cinephiles, get excited. MIFF announced opening night's Shayda as well as the world premiere of Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story back in May, but its program was only getting started. Given that the Victorian capital's annual cinema showcase spans almost a month including both its in-person and online runs — this year playing in cinemas in Melbourne from Thursday, August 3–Sunday, August 20; at regional Victorian locations from Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 13 and Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20; and also bringing back online platform MIFF Play from Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 27 — the number of flicks on its yearly bill runs into the hundreds. So, even the just-revealed new 20 movies on its list is still only the beginning. Weaving (Love Me) will pop up in The Rooster, a thriller about a hermit and a cop who form a bond during a crisis, starring opposite Phoenix Raei (The Night Agent). Shot in regional Victoria, it's the feature directing debut of actor-turned-writer/director Mark Leonard Winter (Elvis), and it's also one of the MIFF Premiere Fund titles on the festival's 2023 program — aka homegrown movies that the fest has financially supported. Also in that camp this year: the aforementioned Shayda; The Slam, a standout for tennis aficionados from director Ili Baré (The Leadership); cine-poem Memory Film: A Filmmaker's Diary; and This Is Going to Be Big, about Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School in Bullengarook staging a John Farnham-themed musical. After appearing in Barbie in July, Cera will grace MIFF's screens in August in The Adults. Yes, he'll be awkward — of course he will be — this time as a thirtysomething heading home. That film sits within the festival's international contingent, which is overflowing with impressive names and titles. Indeed, MIFF will also screen the latest feature by acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who won a Venice Special Jury Prize for No Bears. The Iranian great directs and stars, playing a fictionalised version of himself as he's fond of doing (see also: Tehran Taxi), and blending truth and fiction to examine how artists can too easily become scapegoats. After wowing audiences in Park City earlier this year, there's also Celine Song's debut feature Past Lives, telling a bittersweet romance about two childhood friends (Russian Doll's Greta Lee and Decision to Leave's Teo Yoo) who briefly reunite after decades apart. And, the lineup also includes Bad Behaviour, the feature directorial debut of actor-turned-filmmaker Alice Englert (You Won't Be Alone) starring Jennifer Connelly (Top Gun: Maverick); BlackBerry, which delves into the smartphone's rise and fall — and satirises it — with Jay Baruchel (FUBAR) and Glenn Howerton (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) among the cast; Passages, from Love Is Strange's Ira Sachs; environmentalist tale How to Blow Up a Pipeline; and the competitive hairdressing-focused Medusa Deluxe. Plus, fans of settling in for the long haul can also see four-and-a-half hour disappearance mind-bender Trenque Lauquen. MIFF will screen The Kingdom Exodus, Lars von Trier's latest followup to 1994's miniseries The Kingdom and its 1997 second season, too. Béla Tarr's 2000 drama Werckmeister Harmonies, a slow-cinema great, will also play the fest thanks to a new 4K restoration. Lovers of movies about music can add Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), which hails from Control's Anton Corbijn and hones in on the titular photo-design company and its contribution to record cover art, to their MIFF schedule. Louder Than You Think is similarly part of the same program strand, with Gary Young from Pavement at its centre. Throw in documentaries The Disappearance of Shere Hite (about the 70s sexologist), The Echo (about rural Mexican life) and A Storm Foretold (about Roger Stone, adviser to Donald Trump), and MIFF 2023 is already off to a massive start for its 71st edition. As for what else is in store — including which movies will compete in the festival's Bright Horizons Competition, which launched in 2022 — that'll be unveiled on Tuesday, July 11. For now, MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar is teasing "essential, incredible, unexpected cinema from the whole world before us, far beyond the streamers, far beyond the multiplex – hotly anticipated works by iconic filmmakers, alongside new and breakthrough voices waiting to be discovered". [caption id="attachment_904296" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zan Wimberley[/caption] The 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 3–Sunday, August 20 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 13 and Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide with MIFF Play from Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 27. For further details, including the full program from Tuesday, July 11, visit the MIFF website.
In news that everyone already knew, no one will be dancing in North Byron Parklands this winter, with Splendour in the Grass moving to November this year instead. Thanks to New South Wales' current COVID-19 outbreak, the lockdown to prevent its spread and the growing number of cases in other Australian states, no one will be making shapes in Sydney this July, either. That's when the fest was planning to host Splendour in the City, a nine-day Sydney pop-up slated for SITG's usual midwinter spot — but organisers have announced that the event has now been cancelled. In a statement on Monday, June 28, the festival's team pulled the plug on the mini fest, which was set to take place at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal from Saturday, July 10–Sunday, July 18. "With Greater Sydney currently in lockdown until 9 July and COVID-19 outbreaks now evolving in other states, it has become impossible to progress with plans to move artists and staff around the country, and also to build the event in Sydney," the Splendour crew noted. "Organisers also acknowledge the health and safety of staff, volunteers and ticketholders is the foremost consideration in line with the health advice from authorities." Splendour in the City has been completely cancelled, rather than rescheduled, too — a decision made due to "uncertainty around venue and artist availability in coming months, and IRL Splendour in the Grass scheduled for November." Ticketholders will start receiving refunds automatically via Moshtix from today, Tuesday, June 29. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Splendour in the Grass (@splendourinthegrass) Splendour's virtual festival Splendour XR will still run online across the weekend of Saturday, July 24–Sunday, July 25 — and, at this stage, Splendour in the Grass itself is slated for Friday, November 19–Sunday, November 21. It's been a rough year or so for the music and events industry, for festivals in New South Wales and for Splendour. 2020's SITG was postponed from July until October, then completely scrapped. Also, plans to proceed in July 2021 as usual were pushed back, leading to the current November date. Splendour in the City was planning to host an array of beloved Australian artists such as SITG mainstays like Violent Soho, Illy, Vera Blue, Dune Rats and Tash Sultana, as well as two stacked nights of stand-up comedy and a whole heap of extras — all aiming to recreate as much of the OG Splendour experience as possible. If the full-sized Byron Bay edition of SITG goes ahead in November, it's set to do so with headliners Tyler, The Creator, The Strokes and Gorillaz; however, that's obviously all reliant upon COVID-19 restrictions allowing the event to take place. Splendour in the City will no longer run from Saturday, July 10–Sunday, July 18 at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal. Ticketholders will start receiving refunds automatically via Moshtix from Tuesday, June 29.
In yet another southward-bound international fashion expansion, Uniqlo has just announced that it'll be opening in Australia for the first time come autumn 2014. Melbourne's Emporium, located on Lonsdale Street in the CBD, will be home to a four-level, 2180 square metre megastore selling the Japanese brand's quality yet affordable apparel. Heattech underwear, bold collaborations with designers and Ultra Light Down are among their signature products. "We are very excited to be opening our first store in Melbourne, Australia," Uniqlo's Australian CEO Shoichi Miyasaka commented. "The city is a great centre of style and we hope to make Uniqlo an essential stop for for fashion-conscious Melbourne shoppers looking for high quality, affordable clothes. "Our goal is to build a loyal customer base by offering every visitor the outstanding level of customer service that Uniqlo is known for within Japan, in a comfortable and welcoming shopping environment." Owned by Japan's Fast Retailing Co. (the globe's fourth biggest clothing retail giant), Uniqlo first opened in 1984 and now runs 1200 stores across 14 different countries. It's been moving steadily south for four years, having set up in Singapore in 2009, Malaysia and Thailand in 2010, the Philippines in 2012 and Indonesia earlier this year. Fast owns six other major brands: Theory, Princess tam.tam, J Brand, Helmut Lang, GU and Comptoir des Cotonniers, and sold a whopping 928 billion Japanese Yen (AU$10 billion) worth of goods during the 2011-2012 financial year. Via Daily Life
It's the huge exhibition that took the world by storm, sending David Bowie's lightning bolt-adorned face everywhere from London and Berlin to Tokyo and Melbourne. His Ziggy Stardust costumes, various handwritten lyrics, an assortment of album artwork, rare photographs and even the magic orb he fondled as Jareth in Labyrinth, too. Organised by London's Victoria and Albert Museum, David Bowie is showcased hundreds objects from the David Bowie Archive, visiting 12 cities over six years and attracting more than two million visitors — and while it finished its final run in Brooklyn earlier in 2018, it's coming back in a new format. From Tuesday, January 8 — aka what would've been the music icon's 72nd birthday — David Bowie is will exist as a digital recreation that you can access on your phone. As first announced back in July, fans can expect to tour the Bowie bonanza as an augmented reality (AR) experience, which will feature a sequence of audio-visual spaces highlighting artifacts from Bowie's life. In total, there'll be more than 500 high-resolution images of Bowie-related items, including 60 new objects that weren't included in the touring exhibition. Available on iOs and Android platforms, David Bowie is' AR version won't just involve looking at 2D representations, either, with 3D scans used to preserve and present the artist's costumes and objects in detail. And, there's more to come, with a virtual reality version still in the works. Here's hoping that Bowie obsessives will be able to virtually step into one of his out-of-sight outfits and see themselves in one — yes, this might be your chance to turn and face the strange or experience some ch-ch-changes. A collaboration between Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc, the David Bowie Archive and the V&A, "the augmented reality adaptation of David Bowie is enables you to explore the entire exhibition in the intimacy of your own environment, without glass barriers, vitrines or throngs of visitors," according to the exhibition website. How much it will cost is yet to be announced, but a portion of the profits will be donated the V&A and Brooklyn Museum. David Bowie is will become available on iOs and Android platforms on Tuesday, January 8, 2019. For further information and to sign up for updates, head to davidbowieisreal.com.
Were you planning on spending the long weekend wrapped in a blanket cocoon with a season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and a packet of Malteser mini eggs? Well, even if you weren't, here's a good enough reason to do just that: an all-reality TV streaming service is launching in Australia on Tuesday, March 22. hayu is the latest subscription video on-demand service to launch in Australia, and it's essentially Netflix but purely for reality TV. The service is part of NBCUniversal International, and will pull from their massive back catalogue of content to offer full 'box sets' of over 3000 episodes of shows like the Kardashians, Real Housewives and Made in Chelsea. Most new episodes will be available on the same day as their US release, and the platform will allow you to share snippets (i.e. Kardashian quotes) directly to your Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. It's either your worst nightmare or a vision of heaven you never thought would be socially realised. "We're excited to be unveiling March 22 as the launch date for hayu in Australia," said NBCUniversal's Jay McNamara, EVP Strategy Development and Analysis. "Curated by reality experts for reality fans, hayu is fully integrated with news feeds and social media and, uniquely, its next-generation functionality will enable Australian fans to share some of the content they love." Binge watchers of reality TV will be ecstatic (if not just secretly) over this news. As for all the haters.. hayu will launch on Tuesday, March 22. You'll be able to get a 30-day free trial, with the subscription costing $5.99 per month thereafter. For more info, visit hayu.com.
Never a brand to do things like anyone else, Melbourne-based skincare label Aesop has just launched their first collection of room sprays as a multi-sensory experience. With fragrance said to evoke some of the strongest emotional responses (it's the sense most associated with memory), the modern-day alchemists asked composer and musician Jesse Paris Smith (daughter of Patti and Fred 'Sonic' Smith) to create three unique tracks to 'narrate the journey' of each scent. It's pretty poetic. As with Aesop's fragrances, each track has been deconstructed, with top notes (ones that are perceived immediately), heart notes (the ones that emerge just before the top notes dissipate) and base notes (the lingering finale). Smith's three compositions are ambient and perfectly calming — and available to download for free off the Aesop website. It's like being at a health spa in the comfort of your own home. Each scent is named after an ancient Greek city and is distinct without being overpowering — there's no sickeningly sweet vanilla here. Rather, Aesop has developed three characteristically sophisticated scents. Istros combines pink pepper, lavender and tobacco, while Cythera embraces geranium, patchouli and Myrrh, and Olous is a citrusy burst of botanicals, cedar and cardamom. Aesop's aromatic room sprays retail for $60 each and and can be bought here. [embed]https://vimeo.com/224417380[/embed]
Winter is great for getting cosy, wearing every piece of warm clothing you own and enjoying hearty foods. It's also an ace time to plan your next getaway for when spring and summer hit. Dreaming of a sunny vacation somewhere in Australia? Just keen to explore this continent we call home? To help with that, and any other domestic trip that's on your agenda in the near future, Virgin has dropped an Aussie flights sale with 500,000 discounted fares up for grabs. Prices are starting low, at $49, which will get you from Sydney to Byron Bay — the usual cheapest fare in any Aussie flight sale — and vice versa. From there, the sale spans everywhere from the Sunshine Coast, Hobart and Broome through to Cairns, Canberra and Proserpine. The 72hr See Australia sale runs until 11.59pm on Wednesday, July 19 — unless sold out earlier, with fares to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide also covered. That means paying $69 one-way from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, $79 from Melbourne to Hobart, $99 for a trip from Brisbane to Cairns and $109 to get from Canberra to the Gold Coast. Or, still on local deals, the specials also cover $69 from Melbourne to Launceston, $119 from Adelaide to Sydney, $149 from Brisbane to Darwin and $209 from Melbourne to Perth. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, the fares cover between August 16, 2023–March 26, 2024, all varying per route. Inclusions also differ depending on your ticket and, as usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick if you're keen to stack the rest of 2023 and the start of 2024 with holidays. Virgin's 72hr See Australia sale runs until 11.50pm AEST on Wednesday, July 19 — unless sold out earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
In case we didn't have enough endangered phenomena to worry about, what with the encroaching extinction of the Black Rhino, the disappearance of the Barrier Reef, and the centralisation of indie culture, the United Nations has thoughtfully added a new category to the list. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has this week released a fresh batch of the world's endangered 'intangible cultural traditions'. French-style horse back riding, Chinese shadow puppetry, and poetic dueling in Cyprus were amongst the newly endangered traditions added to the 250-strong list compiled last year. The new additions encompass rituals and art forms passed down orally from generation to generation, lacking any formal documentation system. Recipes and food preparation methods can also be found amongst the UNESCO's list of disappearing acts, including the Japanese ritual of transplanting rice, and the ceremonial Turkish meat dish, Keskek. Those recipe books brimming with scrawled post-it notes and hand-written recipes born of the mind of your Great Great Grandmother just got even more precious. These 'intangible' traditions provide the cultural glue for some of the world's smallest communities, encouraging unity in a world of increasing globalization and cultural dilution. Hopefully awareness generated by the UNESCO list will stop these traditions from pulling a Houdini any time soon.
Back in 1976, author Anne Rice asked a simple question: if a vampire agreed to an interview about their bloodsucking life, what would they share? The answer to that query sparked a bestselling novel — the late writer's debut tome, in fact — and helped thrust her to fame. It also started a literary franchise, The Vampire Chronicles; was turned into a comic; hit the big screen in the 90s; and, soon, will play out as a streaming series as well. That book/comic/film/upcoming show: Interview with the Vampire. And yes, in its current leap from cinemas to the small screen, it follows in the footsteps of fellow undead fare Buffy the Vampire Slayer and What We Do in the Shadows. It also hops on a second trend that shows no signs of dying: reviving 90s movies as a series, as the new TV version of A League of Their Own also has recently (without the vampires, of course). Even if you haven't enjoyed Interview with the Vampire on the page or seen the 1994 flick, the concept is right there in the name — as both the initial teaser trailer back in July and the just-dropped full sneak peek make plain. "So, how long have you been dead?" probing interviewer Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian, Succession) asks Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson, aka Game of Thrones' Grey Worm), the New Orleans resident who can't resist the offer to live forever. Then, quite the tale unfurls. Naturally, if you're a vampire being interviewed, that's the kind of opening enquiry that's bound to come your way. More follow, but it's a helluva ice-breaker. Louis' story includes fellow vamp Lestat de Lioncourt (Australian actor Sam Reid, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson), who he describes as "my murderer, my mentor, my lover and my maker" — and child vamp Claudia (Bailey Bass, Psycho Sweet 16), who joins their bloodthirsty family. How this new take on Interview with the Vampire will turn out will be revealed in October — in Australia via AMC+ from Sunday, October 2, with New Zealand details still to be announced. If you remember the movie — the film that helped push Dunst to fame as a child, well before she was an Oscar-nominee for The Power of the Dog — you'll know that it steps through its key undead trio's not-quite-lives (being eternally undead might be the better way to describe it), with tension oozing after Louis decides he doesn't want to kill. Check out the full Interview with the Vampire trailer below: Interview with the Vampire will start streaming in Australia via AMC+ from Sunday, October 2. We'll update you with New Zealand details when they become available. Images: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC.
Back in 1988, a heap of Australian galleries banded together to get everyone looking at and supporting art in Melbourne. That event wasn't just a once-off. More than three decades later, Melbourne Art Fair is marking its 17th edition in 2024, this time with 60-plus galleries and Indigenous art centres taking part. At Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Thursday, February 22–Sunday, February 25, the numbers will paint their own picture. More than 100 artists are involved. Over 50 events are on the program. The lineup includes six performances, two major new commissions and four large-scale installations as well. And, it'll all fill 7500 square metres of space — which means art everywhere you look for four summer days. Focusing on the theme "ketherba/together", 2024's Melbourne Art Fair bill has been overseen by a group of female curators that includes Tamsin Hong, Exhibitions Curator at London's Serpentine Galleries; Shelley McSpedden from Melbourne's Australian Centre for Contemporary Art; and Performance Review director Anador Walsh — and will welcome its first commissioned contemporary dance work, with Lucy Guerin Inc's one-hour performance installation NEWRETRO among the event's must-sees. Also created specifically for the event is SOMOS (Standing On My Own Shoulders), a life-sized bronze sculpture by Julie Rrap, which features a cast of the artist's own body. After its debut, it'll make the Art Gallery of Western Australia its home. Expect to spend time exploring pieces by Melbourne-born artist Howard Arkley in another of Melbourne Art Fair's big 2024 highlights. The exhibition will hone in on rare works hailing from the 70s–90s, complete with Arkley's last painting — which the public hasn't ever seen before. Other talents featured include South-African multimedia artist Buhlebezwe Siwani, plus poet and artist Jazz Money — and galleries involved span not only a wealth of Melbourne sites such as Anna Schwartz Gallery, Void_Melbourne, Station, Sutton Gallery, Neon Parc and Gertrude, but also Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart, Adelaide, Lisbon, and Singapore institutions. And if you're looking for more reasons to head along, an array of video works, honeycomb-esque paper sculptures, Melbourne performance artists pushing boundaries and a series of talks should do the trick — plus a pop-up whisky bar. Melbourne Art Fair 2024 takes place from Thursday, February 22–Sunday, February 25 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre — head to the event's website for more information. Melbourne Art Fair 2022 images: Marie-Luise Skibbe.
How do you make a huge Charli XCX-headlined festival lineup even bigger? If you're Laneway Festival 2025, you add a piece of Stranger Things to the bill. Before general tickets for next year's events go on sale, organisers have added Joe Keery to the lineup as Djo, who'll be performing live in Australia and New Zealand for the first time ever. When the roster of acts initially dropped, it sparked a question: how much green will be seen at 2025's Laneway Festival given that it's bringing Brat summer Down Under? Now, here's another: how glorious will Keery's hair be when the 'End of the Beginning' talent takes to the stage? [caption id="attachment_728611" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Netflix[/caption] Laneway has also announced another change, with the Sydney event moving locations. Instead of taking place at Sydney Showground, the fest's Harbour City stop is settling in at Centennial Park. For company when the event kicks off in Auckland on Thursday, February 6, the hits Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, Charlie XCX and Djo will be joined by Beabadoobee, Clairo, Barry Can't Swim and Remi Wolf. Also on the list: BICEP doing their CHROMA AV DJ set, Olivia Dean, Eyedress and Skegss — and STÜM, RONA, Hamdi, Joey Valence & Brae, 2hollis, Fcukers, Ninajirachi, Julie, Girl and Girl, and more. [caption id="attachment_975321" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Harley Weir[/caption] The event started by Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio in the mid-00s is playing Western Springs in Auckland, then hopping over the ditch to Brisbane Showgrounds, the aforementioned Centennial Park in Sydney, Melbourne's Flemington Park, Bonython Park in Adelaide and Wellington Square in Perth. Laneway joins the list of festivals locking in their comebacks after a tough year of cancellations across the live music scene, alongside Golden Plains, Bluesfest (for the last time), Wildlands, Good Things, Lost Paradise, Beyond The Valley and Meredith. Laneway Festival 2025 Lineup Charli XCX Beabadoobee Clairo Barry Can't Swim BICEP present CHROMA (AV DJ set) Djo Remi Wolf Olivia Dean Eyedress Skegss STÜM RONA Hamdi Joey Valence & Brae 2hollis Fcukers Ninajirachi Julie Girl and Girl + Triple J unearthed winners Laneway Festival 2025 Dates and Venues Thursday, February 6 – Western Springs, Auckland / Tāmaki Makaurau Saturday, February 8 — Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane / Turrbal Targun Sunday, February 9 — Centennial Park, Sydney / Burramattagal Land & Wangal Land Friday, February 14 — Flemington Park, Melbourne / Wurundjeri Biik Saturday, February 15 — Bonython Park, Adelaide / Kaurna Yerta Sunday, February 16 — Wellington Square, Perth / Whadjuk Boodjar St Jerome's Laneway Festival is touring Australia and New Zealand in February 2025. Head to the festival's website for further details, and to get tickets in general sales from 10am local time on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. Top Djo image: Guido Gazzilli. Laneway images: Charlie Hardy / Daniel Boud / Maclay Heriot / Cedric Tang.
Where would we be without movies during the pandemic? Even when cinemas were closed during lockdowns, we all still sought out the joy and escapism of watching a flick — and truly appreciated how cathartic it is. Still keen to queue up a big heap of movies, and a hefty dose of couch time, even though heading to the big screen is well and truly back on the agenda? Enter Movie Frenzy, the returning week-long online film rental sale. From Friday, February 10–Thursday, February 16, it's serving up a sizeable lineup of popular flicks from the past year, all from $3 per movie onwards. On the lineup: Jordan Peele's latest standout horror effort Nope, Tom Cruise indulging a new (and better) need for speed in Top Gun: Maverick, Baz Luhrmann's hip-shaking bio Elvis and star-studded rom-com Ticket to Paradise. Or, if you like scares, you'll find plenty in Smile, Bodies Bodies Bodies and Orphan: First Kill. The action-packed Bullet Train, adventure-romance The Lost City and game-to-screen sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are also on the list — and while some of these flicks are more worth your attention than others, we'll let you do the choosing. You can nab the cheap movies via your digital rental platform of choice, including Apple TV, iTunes, Fetch, Google Play, the Microsoft Store, Prime Video, Fetch and YouTube Movies — although just what's available, and the price, will vary depending on the service. And you won't need a subscription, unless you decide to join in the fun via the Foxtel Store.
On most days of the year, a film festival is in full swing somewhere in Australia. In plenty of places at plenty of times, more than one is competing for cinephiles' eyeballs and spoiling movie buffs for choice. But there's nothing quite like the Melbourne International Film Festival. In terms of duration, it's the country's longest, treating film fans to 18 cinema-filled days of big-screen gems. Naturally, it boasts the biggest program as a result — a lineup that, in 2019, spanned everything from powerful documentaries about racism in Australia, to Oscar-winners fighting zombies, to huge Sundance hits. It's the kind of festival that couldn't be more immersive — whether you're camping out in one theatre, enjoying the comfortable chairs and giant screen, for as long as you can; or rushing around the inner-city between multiple venues day-in, day-out. And, it's the type of fest that's full of surprises too, with many of its highlights lurking beyond its best-known names. As always, we went, we watched and we survived. Now, we're here to report back. After many, many hours spent feasting on films, here are our picks of the bunch. If they weren't on your viewing list before MIFF, add 'em to your pile to chase down whenever and wherever they next pop up. BEST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td0oBCWO_I4 THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE The streets aren't safe for accountant Casey Evans (Jesse Eisenberg) and, in Riley Stearns' caustically funny satire The Art of Self-Defence, toxic masculinity isn't safe either. Leaning into machismo in order to tear it apart in a devastatingly dark, effective and hilarious fashion, this offbeat gem charts the aftermath of an eventful stroll to the corner store, with its mild-mannered protagonist — who already feels out of place amongst his constantly posturing male colleagues — brutally attacked while walking home one night. So, he does what plenty of folks might, enrolling in a karate class overseen by a charismatic sensei (Alessandro Nivola) and formidable second-in-charge (Imogen Poots). Taking to his subject with zero mercy, Stearns' blows prove as sharp as they are savage, with a knowing Eisenberg oh-so-instrumental in making it all work. And, work it does. LES MISERABLES Lady Ly's crime-thriller takes its name from a very obvious source, and its Montfermeil setting and exploration of class clashes as well. In the process, it openly invites comparisons to Victor Hugo's famous, much-adapted work, all while twisting its various components into its own compelling and confronting piece of cinema. Taking to the banlieues of Paris, Les Misérables spends its time flitting between cops, kids and gangs, as tensions between all three reach boiling point — over the usual prejudices, long-held beefs, stolen lions, a wrongful shooting and some highly sought-after drone footage. Unrelentingly terse, deftly choreographed and unafraid to filter real-world unrest through every frame, it's not always subtle; however, given the complicated terrain that it traverses, Ly's film needn't be. What it occasionally lacks in nuance, it feverishly makes up for both emotional and visceral power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoncL357qsA LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT One of cinema's most polarising inventions, 3D movies have always proven a mixed bag. When they work, they're astonishing. When they don't, they can instantly turn you off the entire gimmick. When Chinese director Bi Gan deploys the technique in Long Day's Journey Into Night, however, it's a sight not only to behold, but to luxuriate in. The poet-turned-filmmaker ends his contemplative drama with a 3D scene that's also a 55-minute single take, and it couldn't be more glorious. The rest of the movie, which traces a man's return to China's Guizhou province to search for the woman he loves, is just as entrancing in its patient narrative and striking images. Both otherworldly and dreamlike, it demonstrates that Gan's debut Kaili Blues was hardly a one-off — but watching the feature's protagonist roam around his hometown, and following the camera along with him, is truly a 3D cinema experience that isn't easily forgotten. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO5Q6MiUdPI A BROTHER'S LOVE Amusing, delightful, awkward and relatable all at once, A Brother's Love doesn't just understand the state of existential turmoil that bears down on most of us — it happily, savvily dwells in it. Sophia (Anne-Élisabeth Bossé) has hit her mid-30s, has just received a PhD that won't get her a job, and has no choice but to move in with her older brother Karim (Patrick Hivon), whose life is as orderly as hers is chaotic. When he starts dating her gynaecologist, Sophia goes into freefall. Well, she plummets further. The pair have always been close, but this new development completely unsettles her sense of self. Writing as well as directing, French-Canadian actor-turned-filmmaker Monia Chokri clearly learned a thing or two from featuring in Xavier Dolan's breakout hit Heartbeats. In her first stint behind the lens, she blends spot-on insights with an energetic style (not to mention an outstanding performance by Bossé), resulting in a film that always feels both unique and universal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Hz_I_Y1Hus BEANPOLE Picking up two prizes in the Un Certain Regard section at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Beanpole delves into the minds and lives of two women trying to find their place in post-World War II Russia. Nothing is easy in Leningrad in 1945, but for nurse Iya (Viktoria Miroshnichenko) and returning soldier Masha (Vasilisa Perelygina), everything is fraught with danger and complexity. That proves true whether the noticeably tall Iya is trying to cope with the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder, or endeavouring to raise an orphaned baby — and when they're both attempting to negotiate a city and a society that's been blown apart as well. Possessing talent, wisdom and a meticulous approach to the art of filmmaking that ranges beyond his age, 28-year-old Russian director Kantemir Balagov crafts a drama that's equally heart-wrenching and exquisite, descriptions that also apply to the movie's exacting visuals and stunning performances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXl1vjK4040 THEM THAT FOLLOW Matters of faith sit at the heart of Them That Follow, a superbly acted exploration of expectations and opportunities in a mountainside religious community. Overseeing his Appalachian flock, pastor Lemuel Childs (Walton Goggins) devoutly adheres to his Pentecostal beliefs, which focus on worshipping and handling snakes. But, caught between the man she loves (Thomas Mann) and the one she's supposed to marry (Lewis Pullman), preacher's daughter Mara (Alice Englert) begins to question their way of life and its strict requirements, especially when it comes to her own agency, as well as matters of living and dying. In their feature debut, writer/directors Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage balance slow-burning thrills with an exceptional handling of mood and an intimate devotion to their characters — with assistance not only from the stellar Goggins and Englert, but from Oscar-winner Olivia Colman and Booksmart star Kaitlyn Dever, too. WEIRDEST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9KCx60RMB8 VIOLENCE VOYAGER The result of one Japanese filmmaker's determined and distinctive vision, Violence Voyager is a movie like few others. Writer/director/cinematographer/editor Ujicha spins a story about two school kids who wander into a seemingly abandoned theme park, only to discover human-like robots wandering around doing nefarious deeds, as well an evil scientist plotting, scheming and experimenting behind the scenes. That might sound fairly familiar; however this mixture of sci-fi and body horror comes to life via seemingly innocent, innocuous-looking paper puppetry — aka intricate 2D animation — with more than a few spurts of real liquids and fumes added for good measure. It's inventive, entertaining and best watched late, in a darkened room, with an audience in the exact right mood for its weird and wonderful delights. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FsaTqbGR7A VIVARIUM Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots join forces again. In fact, they get stuck together. Playing a young couple trying to navigate the housing market and buy their first home, the pair are strong-armed into checking out a new suburban development by an immensely odd salesman (Jonathan Aris). Once they tour the place — and rightfully find its template-like design creepy, as well as its exact resemblance to every other house in the estate — they then realise that they can't leave. Where writer/director Lorcan Finnegan takes his characters from there is best discovered by watching, but it's an imaginative, madcap ride that has plenty to say about the kinds of supposedly perfect lives society pushes us towards. If you think settling down in a bland street, devoting your life to the next generation and getting caught in a repetitive routine is the stuff of nightmares, Vivarium knows the feeling. Never overplaying its hand, this impressive, economical genre piece also benefits from excellent performances from its two stars. MOST SURPRISING THE GRAND BIZARRE A vibrant collage of stop-motion imagery that's wholly focused on textiles, The Grand Bizarre trades in immersion. Each of its 16mm frames bursts with colour and texture, as first-time feature director Jodie Mack follows swathes of fabric around the world — and, while time is spent in factories where said materials are fashioned by machines but designed to look handmade, this isn't a standard documentary. Rather, the film twists its visuals into a sensory piece of art, and does the same with its assemblage of beat-fuelled tracks and everyday sounds as well. This is cinema at its most experimental and hypnotising, while also asking viewers to confront the ins and outs of the global fabric trade, and reassess and recontextualise items so instrumental in our lives but often given so little thought or attention. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSALRP1mZNQ THE BEACH BUM Matthew McConaughey plays a perennially stoned poet. Harmony Korine makes his first film since Spring Breakers. Yes, it's quite the match. Charting the Florida-set misadventures of bedraggled slacker Moondog, The Beach Bum works to the strengths of both its star and its director, following its roguish protagonist as he tries to get by — and rendering his rebellious, anarchic exploits in the vivid hues and expressive visuals that Korine used so well in his last movie. The filmmaker gets ample help from his returning director of photography, Benoît Debie, with the pair at their most indulgent here. So is McConaughey, in a role that he was clearly born to inhabit. And yet, even as The Beach Bum ebbs and flows, weaving through a narrative that's purposefully unfocused, it remains perceptive and effective in probing and satirising the hedonism and materialism it gleefully steeps itself in. If your favourite film isn't on our list, that could be because we've raved about it before. Before the fest, we saw and loved Monos, Memory — The Origins of Alien, I Was At Home, But, Extra Ordinary and Los Reyes — and Share made our streaming recommendations for last month as well. From our rundown of Australian titles to check out this year, The Nightingale and Emu Runner both screened at MIFF. And, from our Berlinale highlights, so did The Souvenir, Amazing Grace, Ghost Town Anthology, Skin and Buoyancy as well. Back at the Sydney Film Festival, we couldn't recommend In My Blood It Runs, In Fabric, Scheme Birds and Happy New Year, Colin Burstead highly enough. Once that fest was over, we also added Pain and Glory, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Judy and Punch, Ray & Liz, Bacurau, Come to Daddy, Dirty God and The Dead Don't Die to our picks.
When Jamie Campbell wore a dress to his high school dance, he couldn't have known what would come next. In 2011, his story hit the small screen thanks to TV documentary Jamie — Drag Queen at Sixteen. In 2017, it became an acclaimed West End stage musical, nabbing five Olivier Award nominations in the process. And in 2020, the show is finally heading to Australia for a huge national tour. Premiering at the Sydney Opera House in July before hitting up Western Sydney, Wyong, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide between September 2020–February 2021, Everybody's Talking About Jamie tells Jamie's coming-of-age tale, complete with an upbeat pop score by The Feeling's Dan Gillespie Sells. Drawn from reality but universal in its emotions and resonance, it's a story of friendship, being yourself and overcoming obstacles such as bullies and prejudice. Here, Jamie New is a 16-year-old living in a council estate in Sheffield in Northern England. He's teased about his sexuality by his classmates, but dreams of attending prom in drag. And, despite the taunting and the small-minded attitudes around him — except from his supportive mum and his loyal friends — he's determined to make that dream a reality. In the Australian production, Fan Girls' James Majoos will play Jamie and Helen Dallimore will play his mother, with the rest of the cast including Simon Burke, Elise McCann, Shubshri Kandiah, Christina O'Neill and Harry Targett. The musical's Aussie run couldn't be better timed, too, with a movie adaptation of Everybody's Talking About Jamie due to hit local cinemas in early December. EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE 2020-21 AUSTRALIAN SEASON Sydney — Saturday, July 18–Sunday, August 30, Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House Western Sydney — Friday, September 4–Sunday, September 13, Sydney Coliseum Theatre, West HQ Wyong — Monday, September 28–Sunday, October 4, The Art House Melbourne — Friday, October 9–Sunday, October 25, Arts Centre Melbourne Brisbane — Friday, November 13–Sunday, November 29, QPAC Canberra — Friday, December 11–Sunday, December 13, Canberra Theatre Centre Perth — Friday, January 22–Sunday, January 31, 2021, His Majesty's Theatre Adelaide — Friday, February 5–Sunday, February 14, 2021, Her Majesty's Theatre Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3mjSUeOg5g&feature=youtu.be Everybody's Talking About Jamie's Australian season will premiere at the Sydney Opera House's Drama Theatre between Saturday, July 18–Sunday, August 30, before touring to Western Sydney from Friday, September 4–Sunday, September 13; Wyong from Monday, September 28–Sunday, October 4; Melbourne from Friday, October 9–Sunday, October 25; Brisbane from Friday, November 13–Sunday, November 29; Canberra from Friday, December 11–Sunday, December 13; Perth from Friday, January 22–Sunday, January 31, 2021 and Adelaide from Friday, February 5–Sunday, February 14, 2021. To join the ticket waitlist, visit the production's website — with Sydney ticket pre-sales starting at 9am on Wednesday, March 11 before general public sales open at 9am on Tuesday, March 17. Top images: Alistair Muir / Johan Persson.
In July, four years after Beijing authorities confiscated his passport and banned him from leaving China, Ai Weiwei got back his right to travel. And this week he'll be using it, as he travels to Melbourne to speak at the opening of the National Gallery of Victoria's Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei exhibition. Yes, that’s right — Ai Weiwei will be appearing in the flesh. In Australia. You'll find him at the NGV on Monday, December 7 at 6.30pm, where he'll be having a mighty chat with the ABC's Virginia Trioli. Needless to say, Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei is the NGV's summer blockbuster. The gallery developed the exhibition in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh and, of course, Ai Weiwei himself. The show aims to explore the concepts that inspired both artists. Gear up for more than 300 works, including never-before-seen pieces by Warhol, brand new commissions from Ai Weiwei and installations that’ll devour you. Pretty much every medium you can think of comes into play – from painting and sculpture to film and photography to music and social media. Tickets for Ai Weiwei's talk will go on sale to the public at 10am on Wednesday, December 2. And we reckon they'll sell out at Tay Swift speed — so you're going to have to be quick on the uptake. If you're a lucky, lucky member of the NGV, you can get in early in their members pre-sale, from 10am the day before. Ai Weiwei in Conversation at The National Gallery of Victoria will take place on Monday, December 7 at 6.30pm at NGV International. You can buy tickets here.
New voices, same interdimensional chaos: that's what Rick and Morty will start beaming in October. The sci-fi animated sitcom has locked in its return date for season seven, hitting on Sunday, October 15 in America. That's Monday, October 16 Down Under, where it gets schwifty in your streaming queue via Netflix. If you're wondering what kinds of chaos are in store this time around, Adult Swim — which airs the series in the US — isn't giving much away as yet. "We ride together. We die together. We're buried in the backyard together," it teased in a first poster for the new season. And if you're also wondering how the show's titular chaotic scientist and his grandson will sound the new episodes, that hasn't yet been announced. Earlier in the year, the network dropped Justin Roiland due to domestic violence charges. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rick and Morty (@rickandmorty) Anything can happen in Rick and Morty, with a change of vocal tones for Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith one of the least out-there developments within the show's narrative. Given that the show clearly gleaned inspiration from Back to the Future, there's some obvious dream casting right there just waiting to happen — but whoever gets the gigs will be lending their tones to a genius scientist going on wild adventures with a high schooler. Viewers can still expect the show's eponymous pair to keep wreaking havoc, and the series to keep zipping between as many universes as it can. And, for Rick and Morty's hijinks to still draw in Morty's mother Beth (Sarah Chalke, Firefly Lane), father Jerry (Chris Parnell, Archer) and sister Summer (Spencer Grammer, Tell Me a Story). Spanning ten episodes, season seven will hit everywhere that it can in this dimension — in more than 134 countries, and also in 38 languages. If you're keen to rejoin the smartest Rick and Morty-est Morty in the universe, start getting excited. There's no trailer for Rick and Morty's seventh season yet — we'll update you when one arrives. Rick and Morty's seventh season will premiere globally on Monday, October 16 Down Under. It streams via Netflix in Australia and New Zealand.
Living up to its splendid first date with audiences has never been a problem for Starstruck. When the Rose Matafeo (Baby Done)-starring BBC and HBO series first strode into streaming queues in 2021, its initial episode was an all-timer in the charming stakes, as was the show's entire six-instalment debut season. When Starstruck returned for a second run in 2022, its next go-around instantly proved as much of a smart, savvy and charismatic delight. Streaming via ABC iView from 9.30pm on Wednesday, September 6 and in New Zealand via TVNZ+ since 8.30pm on Saturday, September 2, season three continues the trend — and keeps demonstrating that no romantic rendezvous, no matter how idyllic, can just keep repeating itself. Plot-wise, Starstruck has always had one couple at its centre: New Zealander-in-London Jessie (Matafeo) and British actor Tom (Nikesh Patel, Four Weddings and a Funeral). Frequently, however, they're not actually together, with the show charting the ins and outs of a complicated relationship that started with a New Year's Eve meet-cute and one-night stand. The hook from the get-go: that Tom is an A-list star, which Jessie doesn't know until after they've hooked up. So, Starstruck asks what it's like to live the Notting Hill life. In season three, more accurately, it ponders what comes after that's been and gone. Season two might've finished with a scene right out of The Notebook, and with echoes of Bridget Jones' Diary as well, but its follow-up quickly establishes that Jessie and Tom didn't get their happy-ever-after ending — they're no longer together, and haven't been for some time. Starstruck season three starts with a bold move, spending a few minutes zipping through Jessie and Tom's romance since season two via a heartbreaking montage. That choice is also deeply fitting for a show that's exceptional at endings. One of the best newcomers of its debut year and best returning series of its second, Starstruck's excellence is like a perfect bouquet, with vibrancy blooming everywhere — in Matafeo's lead performance, the show's ability to unpack a genre it clearly loves, its glorious nods to rom-coms past, and its astute insights into 2020s-era dating and life, to name a mere few. How its star, creator and co-writer wrapped up both season one and two was equally as sublime, though. So, season three goes all in on something cherished and blissful approaching its conclusion. If that train of thought has you wondering if this is it for Starstruck itself, a fourth season hasn't yet been locked in. The green light for season three came four months after season two dropped, so not having a future confirmed so far isn't an ominous sign for fans. Matafeo and co-scribes Alice Snedden and Nic Sampson have always treated their series as something to treasure there and then, too; it's the epitome of revelling in the here and now, as anyone in love should. No one knows where life will take them, including Starstruck's guiding hands. So, every season could put a bow on the tale and say farewell — but unboxing more after each finale, whether it involves a The Graduate-style stint on a bus or frolicking in a pond, wouldn't destroy the storytelling, either. Thanks its rush through Jessie and Tom's attempts to make their relationship work, then its huge leap forward afterwards, as much time has passed in Starstruck's world as it has for viewers. Two weddings now loom over the narrative: Jessie's now-pregnant best friend Kate's (Emma Sidi, Black Ops) to Ian (Al Roberts, What We Do in the Shadows), and Tom's to his fellow-actor fiancée Clem (Constance Labbé, Balthazar). It's at the first set of nuptials that Jessie and Tom cross paths again, sparking a torrent of emotions that neither has worked past (some knowingly, some not). While awkwardly trying to avoid her ex and endeavouring to make it appear that she has powered on happily without him, Jessie also connects with kindly Scottish electrician Liam (Lorne MacFadyen, Operation Mincemeat). Chronicling Jessie's blossoming bond with someone other than Tom might seem like another of Starstruck's bold season-three moves, but it's a vintage choice for a series that's obsessed with tearing into rom-com tropes. The idea that there's only one big, sweeping, heart-aflutter, existence-defining affair in anyone's life is foundational in the romantic-comedy genre, and yet that's rarely a guaranteed outcome. In a six-episode batch that's as bingeable as ever, Starstruck grapples with grappling with that fact. Jessie and Tom keep tumbling back into each other's orbits, finding themselves caught between yearning for yesterday, wishing today was different and forging a fresh tomorrow — and tossing and turning over which outcome they want. Deepening their dilemma is Starstruck's focus on reaching that late-20s, early-30s stage where committing and picking a way forward is the norm. Indeed, instead of the tension between the celebrity realm and everyday existence, this season's main clash arises from the contrast between getting settled and still feeling like you'll never have it together. There Starstruck goes, interrogating rom-com conventions again, including the notion that falling in love immediately solves or smooths life's other messes. It's no wonder that the sitcom has become one of the most-relatable romantic comedies there is — and best all round. In the show's writing, performances and directing alike, Matafeo and company understand why their chosen genre spins the fantasies it does. They're well-aware why audiences swoon over such tales as well. And, they're eager to face the reality, but with warmth, humour and empathy. Starstruck's version of laying the truth bare: a sidesplittingly frank chat directed Jessie's way, where she's told that her life mightn't be living up to her wildest dreams but, given that she has a house and a job — and she's "not even that bad of a person" — it's actually not awful. There goes Starstruck's main season-three takeaway again, as given voice: "just appreciate what you have while you have it". Being grateful for this wonderful sitcom as a whole, and for Matafeo's luminous turn at its centre, isn't just easy — it's automatic. Season after season, Starstruck keeps painting a portrait of love, life, friendship and chaos that's both clear-eyed and rosily affectionate, complete with fleshed-out and lived-in performances that embrace the fact that every person and every romance has flaws and joys in tandem. This far in, Jessie, Tom, Kate, their pals and partners are as rich and resonant as any group of long-term friends and acquaintances on-screen and -off. Matafeo, Patel, Sidi and their co-stars' efforts are also that emotionally honest. Everything about Starstruck keeps evolving, too, other than how stellar it has always been. Check out the trailer for Starstruck season three below: Starstruck season three streams in Australia via ABC iView from 9.30pm on Wednesday, September 6, and in New Zealand via TVNZ+ from 8.30pm on Saturday, September 2. Starstruck's first and second seasons are also available to stream in Australia via ABC iView and in New Zealand via TVNZ+. Read our full review of Starstruck's first season — and our full review of its second season, too. Images: Mark Johnson/HBO Max.
Maybe Sammy is no stranger to winning an award. The Sydney bar has been named in the top 50 bars in the world every year since 2019 and took out the Best International Bar Team at the Tales of the Cocktail 2022 Spirited Awards. Now, all of those accolades have culminated in it taking out the top spot in the data-driven Top 500 Bars list for 2023. The international award compiles its list based on over 2000 sources, including hospitality experts, journalists, online reviews, search engine results and social media. It announced the list in Paris on the morning of Monday, November 13, Australian time, and the boundary-pushing Harbour City cocktail bar Maybe Sammy came out on top, being named the number-one bar in the world. [caption id="attachment_639976" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Black Pearl (#119)[/caption] Maybe Sammy was listed at number 17 in the 2022 list, jumping all the way to the top spot following another busy year for the inner-city haunt. Maybe Sammy Venue Manager Sarah Proietti and Bar Manager Hunter Gregory were in attendance to accept the award, with the venue beating out acclaimed bars around the world for the title. New York's Double Chicken Please, Barcelona's Paradiso, Paris' Little Red Door and Singapore's Jigger & Pony rounded out the top five, while 22 other Australian bars made the top 500. [caption id="attachment_707971" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Baxter Inn (#87), Leticia Almeida[/caption] The next highest spot on the list from Down Under was The Baxter Inn at 87, followed by Black Pearl at 119, Re- at 122, Cantina OK at 132 and Dean and Nancy on 22 at 134. The Gresham Bar was Brisbane's top-ranked venue, clocking in at number 475, while Adelaide's Maybe Mae snuck into the list at 485. "To be named number-one bar in the world by the Top 500 Bars feels very surreal," said Maybe Sammy co-founder Stefano Catino. "It's such an honour for our bar team to be recognised for the time and effort they put into making the experience at Maybe Sammy exceptional, and for that to be acknowledged on a global scale is so humbling." It follows a huge year for Maybe Sammy, which included the opening of the team's Paddington tequila bar El Primo Sanchez, a new Maybe Frank outpost at The Federal, and the launch of Maybe Cocktail Festival featuring guest bartenders from international cocktail bars — many of which also made the Top 500 Bars list. [caption id="attachment_795641" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Gresham (#475), Millie Tang[/caption] For the full Top 500 Bars list for 2023, head to the ranking's website.
If you've ever watched a David Attenborough documentary about the planet and wished it was sillier and stupider, to the point of being entertainingly ridiculous and ridiculously entertaining alike, then Netflix comes bearing wonderful news. Actually, the BBC got there first, airing history-of-the-world mockumentary Cunk on Earth back in September 2022. Glorious things come to waiting viewers Down Under now, however — and this gleefully, delightfully absurd take on human civilisation from its earliest days till now, spanning cave paintings, Roman empires, Star Wars' empire, 1989 Belgian techno anthem 'Pump Up the Jam' and more, is one of the best shows to join Netflix in Australia and New Zealand in 2023 so far. This sometimes Technotronic-soundtracked five-part series' beat? Surveying how humanity came to its present state, stretching back through species' origins and evolution, and pondering everything from whether the Egyptian pyramids were built from the top down to the Cold War bringing about the "Soviet onion". The audience's guide across this condensed and comic history is the tweed-wearing Philomena Cunk, who has the steady voice of seasoned doco presenter down pat, plus the solemn gaze, but is firmly a fictional — and satirical — character. Comedian Diane Morgan first started playing the misinformed interviewer in 2013, in Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe, with Black Mirror creator Brooker behind Cunk on Earth as well. Over the past decade, Cunk has brought her odd questions to 2016's one-off Cunk on Shakespeare and Cunk on Christmas, and 2018's also five-instalment Cunk on Britain. Then, in Brooker's Death to 2020 and Death to 2021, two annual looks back at life during the pandemic, Morgan played Cunk-like everywoman Gemma Nerrick — aka the spoof specials' average person among its comic experts. That's Cunk's remit as well. She poses enquiries and makes observations that academics on various branches of history, plus archaeologists, biologists, engineers and others, wouldn't expect to be asked by their peers or serious interviewers. In fact, they wouldn't anticipate being asked Cunk's questions by anyone, really, except perhaps very young children. "If you want to talk about Russian Soviet vegetables, we can," is one response that Cunk's incorrect queries garner, this one after accusations of mansplaining when she's told she likely means the Soviet Union. When she isn't uttering outlandish questions, she's often simply demanding OTT statements that'll help the show go viral, such as an exchange with another boffin where she requests a pithy soundbite stating that Jesus Christ was "the first celebrity victim of cancel culture". Or, in classic history doco style, Cunk is walking and talking, her eyes trained on the camera and scenic and/or important locales stretching out behind her — and, elsewhere, narrating while remaining unseen over the same type of images. Much of Cunk on Earth's hilarity comes from its take on the past, and on humanity, as well as the series' love of the ludicrous — as delivered with Cunk's dry, droll and unflappable demeanour (unless she's learning that Laika, the first dog in space, didn't make it home). She posits with the straightest of faces that the human brain is made of pipes, and that Beethoven's 'Symphony No 5' has lyrics that just repeat the word "dumb" over and over. She has thoughts on the worst Romans, in ancient times and now; connects hieroglyphics to emojis and likens mummification to Gwyneth Paltrow's spa treatments; and asks "was early man made out of the same sort of meat as us?" while then wondering if human flesh ever had a pork- or beef-like moniker. Morgan's performance is a marvel, and a perceptive portrait of couldn't-care-less arrogance, ignorance and certainty that plays as an easy-but-still-smart caricature of a growing attitude prevalent online today. With one character, she's as much of a canny and cutting comedic force as Sacha Baron Cohen has proven with Ali G, Borat, Bruno and the various figures in 2018 mockumentary series Who Is America?. Cunk, in all of her on-screen appearances, adopts the same basic format as Baron Cohen's alter egos — proposing the absurd to both parody and interrogate. Her throwaway comment about the pyramids being designed the way they are to "stop homeless people from sleeping on them" says plenty about society's treatment of folks doing it tough, and she skewers the overuse and misattribution of quotes by stating that Aristotle said "dance like no one is watching". As brilliant as Morgan's deadpan turn is, and as committed as the Inside No 9, Motherland and Mandy actor is, Cunk on Earth is equally reliant upon its interviewees. They each take their task seriously — the real-life experts aren't here to court laughs — but they're also willing to use Cunk's silly queries and comments as a jumping-off point. The question about the brain's pipes inspires a considered and accessible explanation of two different schools of philosophical thought, for instance. Often, Cunk's naive musings spark tidbits and corrections that do exactly what an Attenborough-style show like this sincerely and earnestly would: inform. Of course, for every enlightening answer offered — whether recounting something that's common knowledge anyway or diving deeper — Cunk on Earth has Cunk being Cunk. She asks about ancient Greeks before declaring she couldn't give a shit, segues off on tangents about her ex-boyfriend Paul to counter her panel of experts, and pronounces words incorrectly to humorous effect (even if nothing beats her butchering of Camelot in Cunk on Britain, which begets questions about King Arthur's semen production). A series like this is a masterclass in juggling, with everything from a Black Mirror-leaning skit about Beethoven resurrected inside a smart speaker to a recreation of a Dark Ages fray purely through sound also thrown in. Here, this very series is flat-out masterful — and tremendously funny. Check out the trailer for Cunk on Earth below: Cunk on Earth streams via Netflix. Images: Jonathan Browning.
From the ruthless world of magazine publishing to the blood and guts of an Aussie hens weekend gone supremely wrong: that's been Aisha Dee's journey of late. There's far more to the Gold Coast-born actor's career so far, of course, including coming to fame as a teenager back in 2008 courtesy of The Saddle Club, subsequent parts on Dead Gorgeous and Sweet/Vicious, and showing up in St Vincent-starring satire The Nowhere Inn. Still, on screens big and small alike, she's been garnering attention for navigating pressure-filled situations — and revelling in them. In Sissy, her latest role and her return to Australia after years working in the US, Dee is in positively savage territory. She plays the titular character, better known as @SincerelyCecilia on Instagram to the tune of 200,000-plus followers. Liking and subscribing is what her devotees do all day, responding to her calming and inspiring missives about being yourself and finding your bliss, and Cecilia's whole sense of self is built on that online adoration. Sissy is a comedy, too, with writer/director duo Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes having ample fun parodying the wellness and influencer industries. That said, when the movie's namesake attends a bachelorette shindig for her long-lost childhood BFF, old torments resurface and this proves firmly a horror flick as well. Dee wasn't initially approached to play Cecilia. When the script came her way, she was earmarked for Fran, fiancée to Emma, Cecilia's primary school bestie. But Dee felt an instant bond with Sissy's eponymous figure. She felt protective of her. "Honestly, I read the script and immediately I felt like I had to defend Cecilia," she tells Concrete Playground. "I cared so deeply for her. I really felt really connected to her and had a lot of empathy for what she was experiencing in the moment, and how easy it would be under those circumstances to kind of just slip and fall." Once you've seen Sissy, Dee's words obviously come with a caveat: clearly, she hasn't found herself in the exact same situation, behaving in the exact same way. But in a film that happily, smartly and entertainingly rips into a whole heap of targets — with humour and as a slasher flick alike — she makes Cecilia a compelling protagonist amid all the chaos. It's a bold performance, because The Bold Type isn't just an entry on Dee's resume. The international film festival circuit heartily agrees, with Sissy premiering at SXSW 2022, enjoying its Australian premiere in June at the Sydney Film Festival, and doing the rounds everywhere from Melbourne and Perth to South Korea and Scotland since. Dee hit the Harbour City midyear with the movie, which is now in cinemas across Australia — and chatted to us about social media, knowing that she had to play Cecilia, preparing for the part in hotel quarantine, making a different kind of Aussie movie and getting an opportunity she didn't think would happen. ON SOCIAL MEDIA'S PREVALENCE — AND SILLINESS "The film doesn't offer solutions, but I do think it poses questions and forces us, in a way that feels quite uncomfortable, to question our own relationship with social media and how we interact with it. I think it's hard to be a human in the world right now and not have some kind of relationship with social media, because it is such a prevalent part of our society now. Personally, I don't use social media in the same way [as Cecilia] — I wish I was better at it, it's not something that comes super naturally to me, to be posting on Instagram all the time. My relationship with social media has always been really about creating boundaries, because I find it a very triggering environment in terms of even just having the confidence to post something. I second-guess myself a lot, and I get very existential. Every time I post something, I'm like, 'well, what's the point? What is Instagram? What is a telephone?'. It's all pretty silly." ON NEEDING TO PLAY CECILIA "It was towards the end of 2020 — and, you know, we were all there for 2020. I had been in LA for most of that year, really only seeing a select few people and kind of feeling quite isolated socially, a bit awkward, and reexamining a lot of my relationships. And my manager sent me this script. Initially they wanted me for the role of Fran, and I could see that, because Fran felt really similar to a couple of characters I had played before. But literally, I couldn't shake the feeling that I felt like Cecilia was my little sister or my best friend, or just someone that I loved so deeply and cared so deeply for. It wasn't something that I planned or knew was going to happen when I read the script, but I felt like I had to honour it. I called my manager and I said 'please tell them that I really love the script, but I just don't feel connected to Fran as a character — but I feel really connected to Sissy, tell them that I love Sissy'. I said that knowing it was kind of presumptuous but not expecting them to ask to meet me at all, but they were really into the idea. I think they had had someone very different in mind — she was described as having blonde hair and being very petite and pale, and I am none of those things — but I just felt like something felt right. ON DRAWING ON 2020'S CHAOS FOR THE PART — HOTEL QUARANTINE AND ALL "There's the year of 2020 as a whole. But then, in order to get back home to Australia, I had to do two weeks of quarantine in hotel quarantine where you literally see no one. It is the most extreme version of isolation. I was on a really low floor in this big tall building, and every day at like 12pm, I would lose the sun. I would be out my window — like I needed the sun and I needed the fresh air, and I felt like I was going absolutely insane. So while I was in quarantine, I was actually sending Hannah and Kane, the writers and directors of the film, I was sending them videos as Cecilia. Just every morning I would wake up and do a different kind of like sermon or meditation or something, just because I did't really have anything to do. Getting out of quarantine, I definitely felt like Bambi on ice a little. I felt very awkward. I'm an awkward person to begin with, but having those two weeks alone in a room — it wasn't intentional but I do think it kind of leant itself to getting into some kind of headspace." ON RETURNING HOME TO MAKE A DIFFERENT KIND OF AUSSIE MOVIE "Something that jumped out to me when I was reading it was the way that there was this really heavy female gaze on the movie — which I think is rare for genre films to have such a strong female gaze. And beyond just Cecilia the character, you had a very small cast that consisted of an interracial lesbian couple, a gay man with disability and an Asian woman. And the only man that you really saw was a queer man." I loved this this. I just loved the world that I could see imagining it and reading it. It didn't feel like any other Aussie movie that I had seen. It really reflected the colourful, diverse, beautiful Australia that I know. I think unfortunately, up until kind of recently, Australian film and television really hasn't reflected that same colourful melting pot that like we all know actually exists here — so that was another big reason why I wanted to be a part of it." ON GETTING AN UNEXPECTED OPPORTUNITY "I definitely had hoped that I would be able to play a character like this. But, being realistic, opportunities like this don't come up every day for someone who looks like me, especially in the Australian film space. So I had always hoped that maybe I would be able to play a role like this, but the fact that the opportunity was actually presented to me is really, really, really cool. I guess it kind of was on my bucket list. But when I think about it, I don't know that I ever could've anticipated that this would be an opportunity that I would've had. And to me, it really meant nothing whether people were going to see it or they weren't, it didn't matter to me — because with independent film, you really are rolling the dice, chances are nobody's going to see it. The fact that like it's doing such big things is really cool. I think that honestly it's a testament to what can happen if the Australian film industry embraces diversity the way they should." Sissy released in Australian cinemas on November 3. Read our full review.
After a false start earlier in the month (thanks, Lockdown 5.0), Fireside Yarra Valley 2021 kicks off this weekend celebrating the wine region's finest winter offerings. The timing couldn't be better if you're looking for the perfect excuse for a post-lockdown, out-of-town jaunt. Running from Friday, July 30–Sunday, August 8, the program is set to plate up a slew of events for all palates from dinner feasts and pizza parties, to overnight stays and fireside brunches. There will also be scores of opportunities to sample some of the Yarra Valley's finest vino. Settle into a French-style prix-fixe Sunday lunch at the renowned Dominique Portet Winery (August 1), join mates at Stefani Estate for an afternoon of sangiovese and sausage (July 31), and indulge in the chicest of brunch sessions courtesy of Domaine Chandon (August 2 & 3) complete with blood orange mimosas, sparkling wine and a lavish four-course spread. This year's fun wraps up on Sunday, August 8, with A Fiery Feast presented by celebrated wine labels Jayden Ong and Handpicked. Here, expect top local produce cooked over charcoal, live tunes and free-flowing wine, all enjoyed fireside at the Jayden Ong property in Healesville.
If you've already meandered through Melbourne's alleyways and sipped your way through the big city wine bars, it's about time you discovered something more outside the busy heart of the big smoke. Only 15 kilometres from Melbourne's CBD, Kingston combines expansive greenery and beaches with a vibrant coastal community. Here, you can go from one of eight pristine beaches to cycling through local parks and woodlands, learning to fly at the local airport, creating your own artwork, seeking out the local gems of transformed industrial precincts or unwinding in a sauna that overlooks the ocean. Together with Kingston, we've come up with a well-rounded itinerary for a beaut of an R&R itinerary, just in time for the flurry of the festive season. The Great Outdoors Take advantage of the sunshine and trade the hustle of the city for some fresh air at one of Kingston's natural sights. Spread across 15 hectares, Karkarook Park is home to a sprawling lake, scenic picnic areas and a series of walking and cycling trails. The former sand mine-turned-lake is an ideal place to while away the day with the whole family (including any fur babies) — try your hand at catching a Rainbow Trout or Murray Cod from the jetty, go for a leisurely float on a canoe or kayak, spotting native plants and wildlife in the surrounding bushland, and close out the day with sunset views. If you're still keen on green, head to Braeside Park for a full day of family fun. From trails through woodlands and wetlands to an adventure playground and free electric barbies, the massive park is chock-full of activities for all ages. You can also get a feel for the local community there, whether you're wandering through the community garden, admiring tree carvings of local celebs and murals of the area's cultural history, or participating in community activities like plant propagation or bird-watching. For more of a splash, cruise the coast from Mentone Beach to Carrum Beach. The 13-kilometre stretch spans eight beaches, including Mentone, Parkdale, Mordialloc, Aspendale, Edithvale, Chelsea, Bonbeach and Carrum, so there's plenty of options to cool off with a dip if you're exploring by bike or on foot. Local Experiences Get to know the area like a local by getting stuck into Kingston's community and cultural scene. An airport might not seem like a typical stop on your day trip itinerary, but there's more than meets the eye at Moorabbin Airport. Jump on a scenic flight for a sky-high tour above Melbourne's skyline, or crank the thrills up a notch with an aerobatic flight across the region — think barrel rolls, loops, tail slides and even air racing. Once you're back on land, you can visit the Moorabbin Air Museum, which dates back to 1962, or try your hand at flying with a real-life flight training course. Prefer to keep your feet on solid ground? Head to the Kingston Arts Centre for a dose of creativity, from art exhibits to film screenings to weekly workshops like spoon carving, mosaic tiling and macrame weaving. Whether you're a spectator or a participant, you'll be inspired by Kingston's artistic talent and craftsmanship. From farmers markets rich with local produce to antique markets dealing in hard-to-find vintage goods, Kingston loves a market.If you're lucky enough to be in town on the second Sunday of the month, check out Bonbeach Farmers Market at Bonbeach Primary School. From 8.30am–12.30pm, you can fill up on fresh produce, bread, honey, desserts and drinks from over 60 stalls to enjoy there or bring home as souvenirs. Show your support for the primary school by snagging a bacon and egg roll or visiting the Green Thumbs Stall, featuring garden fertiliser made by the school's worm farm. Wellness and Relaxation It wouldn't be a proper getaway without some time for self-care. Recharge your body before you return to your bustling routine with a sauna session, cold dip or exercise class. Situated in Mordialloc Sailing Club with views across the water, SeaSoul Sauna is an idyllic thermowood barrel sauna that seats up to six people. Guests have the option to share a 90-minute session with members of the public or book it out for complete privacy and are encouraged to cool off with swim breaks in the sea. Each session will be led by a sauna guide, with light refreshments and towels provided. For a more bespoke experience, join along for Silent Tuesdays, Men's Mondays or Women's Wednesdays, which include aromatherapy, breath work, towel waving and ocean dips. [caption id="attachment_975446" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Julieanne Perara[/caption] Also part of the SeaSoul Sauna community are the Mordi Sea Dippers — a group that meets weekly to connect with old and new faces while championing mental and physical wellness. Drop in at Mordialloc Pier on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 6.45am for a meditation and ocean dip, and keep an eye on their Instagram page for additional events. Level up your health at Wild Soul Wellness, which combines pilates and yoga classes with wellness treatments. The studio offers reformer and mat pilates, as well as hot pilates and yoga in an infrared-heated space. Follow this up with an on-site infrared sauna, hot and cold plunges, red-light and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, Normatec compression boots, or even a naturopath consultation. There's so much more than just nature and serenity in Kingston. Whether you're looking for the perfect beach to chill on, a big feed at a local hidden gem or a good old fashioned figure it-out adventure, you'll find it in Kingston. Find out more and start planning your Kingston adventure at This is Kingston's Instagram or website. Images courtesy of This is Kingston
The London Riots have left us all a bit gobsmacked. On the 6th of August in Tottenham in the North of London what started out as peaceful demonstration against a recent police shooting turned into something quite different and unexpected — an outbreak of violence and the destruction of cars and homes and local businesses. And then the looting began. Over the next two to three days copycat riots and looting broke out over London, most notably in Peckham, Clapham and Brixton and then around the country in Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham resulting in five related deaths and the worst rioting the country has seen since the 1980s. As large parts of the city were shut down and boarded up, the rest of the world looked on in shock as footage and information streamed out via mainstream and social media. The mainstream media questioned the politicians, the police response and the rioters motivations. A YouTube video, which has received in excess of four millions hits, was uploaded of a Malaysian student, bleeding and distressed, being 'helped up' by the crowd around him only then to be mugged by his supposed 'helpers'. A Tumblr site, Photshoplooter, sprang up, providing some much needed humour in a time which is anything but funny. In the aftermath of the riots, as the public, the politicians and the newspapers debate everything from increasing police powers to the impact the government's recent austerity measures have had on young people, the good people of London (and yes, there are quite a few of them) have got down to the business of cleaning up and rebuilding. RiotCleanup started as a twitter account in the early hours of the 9th of August and by the morning it was a website helping to organise an army of volunteers who wanted to help with the clean up. Building on its success, two recent architecture students, Lee Wilshire and Nick Varney, have set up Riotrebuild, which is dedicated to connecting people who have been affected by the riots with professional architects, builders and handyman to assist them to rebuild their homes, business and communities.
Kumiko (Rinko Kikuchi) is a superfan. Joel and Ethan Coen's Fargo is the object of her excessive attention, and she doesn't just fixate over it, she believes it. In particular, she believes there's a briefcase filled with money buried in the Minnesota snow. To understand why she's so intent on thinking the movie is more than fiction is to understand her largely solitary existence in Tokyo. Kumiko is 29 years old and still working as an office lady, a position her boss thinks she should've well and truly outgrown. Her mother only calls to scold her about her dismal personal life, and her only friend is her pet rabbit, Bunzo. So when she happens across a VHS copy of Fargo, embracing its tall tale as truth adds purpose to her days, and trekking across America to find the stack of cash it tells of becomes her destiny. Filmmakers David and Nathan Zellner delve into an urban legend that sprang up around the death of a Japanese woman in the US, first chronicled in 2003 documentary This Is a True Story. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter makes its own fable out of diving into the strangeness that can stem from both truth and fiction, as well as the tenuous relationship between the two. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is in select cinemas on April 29, and thanks to Palace Films, we have 15 double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter and then email us with your name and address. Read our full Kumiko review here. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au
Just because summer's over and the temperatures are dipping, that doesn't mean you can't fill your weekends with long lazy lunches by the beach. In fact, Captain Baxter's new dining series invites you to round up your mates and do just that. The buzzy beachfront haunt has kicked off a weekly feast dubbed Baxter's Long Lunch, which is on offer from 12pm every Friday–Sunday for table bookings of four or more. For an easy $45 per person, you'll get to kick back for three hours, lingering over a parade of snacks, starters and main dishes while you watch the waves crash outside. You're in for crafty, pan-Asian plates, such as miso waffles with smoked salmon and yuzu cream, hoisin-laced duck sausage bao, gochujang potatoes, and a riff on charcoal chicken featuring black pepper sauce and miso. There's a slew of food add-ons available if you're feeling extra peckish, while a $44 beverage option will see you matching your long lunch with three hours of free-flowing beer and wine.
Just over two weeks ago, the Australian Government announced a ban on non-essential mass gatherings of more than 500 people. Tonight, Sunday, March 29, that number has dropped to two. During an announcement made after the latest national cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that any public gatherings should be limited to two people, excluding family members. If you're not with those you live with — your parents, children or partner, for example — you should only be with one other person. The previous limit was ten. States and territories will decide if this is an enforceable limit. On-the-spot fines are currently in place in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, for individuals and businesses not following other COVID-19 containment regulations, such as self-isolation and unlawful mass gatherings. It was also announced that public playgrounds, outdoor gyms and skate ramps will close from Monday, March 30. The new two-person limit on public gatherings does not apply to weddings (which have a current limit of five people) and funerals (which have a limit of ten), but it does apply to group bootcamps. The Prime Minister also reiterated that Australians should only be leaving their homes for one of four reasons: shopping for what you need — such as food and other essential supplies — "as infrequently as possibly"; for medical care or compassionate reasons; to exercise, in-line with the new two-person limit; and for work or education if you cannot work or learn remotely. Another new announcement made tonight and set to be expanded on by individual states and territories over the coming days is a moratorium on evictions for the next six months. Which means that individuals and businesses cannot be evicted from their residential or commercial properties for not paying rent. The Australian Government also urges anyone that does leave their house to follow its social distancing guidelines. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Kimberley Low
When Sydneysiders want to spend a day carving up the snow, they usually have to jump in a car for at least five hours and head to one of NSW's ski resorts. But, in a few years, it might be as easy as jumping on a train to Penrith, thanks to a new $300-million indoor Winter Sports World that's been proposed for the city — and has just received Penrith Council's official endorsement. Set to be built in Jamisontown on the corner of Jamison Road and Tench Avenue, the centre will include a 300-metre indoor ski slope, an Olympic-size ice skating rink, and both ice and rock climbing facilities. If executed to plan, the proposal claims the ski slope will be one of the top ten high-performance training centres in the world. And yes, it'll use real snow. A food and drink precinct featuring bars, restaurants and cafes, and a 120-room hotel have also been included in the proposal. One of those eateries will be a revolving fine diner, too, and everything will have snow views. A snow play area is also part of the plan, alongside conference and function rooms. Visitors will be able to learn to ski onsite, as part of the resort's positioning as a feeder site to outdoor snow fields. The idea: that you'll learn the ropes indoors, then later head out of town to try the real thing. The development, which sought public feedback last year and is being put forward as a new major attraction for the area, is part of the Penrith City Council's plan to double visitors and tourism revenue in the area by 2025. If it goes ahead, Winter Sports World is expected to contribute $80 million to the NSW economy each year. Once built, the facility is hoped to provide a boost to Australia's Winter Olympians and their training, providing a venue for alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboarding and figure skating, as well as ice hockey, speed skating and curling (and possibly cross country and biathlon as well). The Winter Olympics haven't traditionally been one of Australia's sporting strong suits — the national team first competed in 1936 and didn't win its first medal until 1994. The proposal has been in the works since November 2018, and in development for the past seven years in total. Site owner and developer Peter Magnisalis will now finalise the plans with the council and the NSW Planning Department, with an aim to start construction in 2022 ahead of a 2024 target opening date — in winter, of course. If construction does kick off, it certainly won't be the only big new development happening in Western Sydney, with Badgerys Creek set to become home to Sydney's next major airport. For more information about Winter Sports World, head to the proposed venue's website. Images: artists' impressions of Winter Sports World.
Forbidden love — so much more appealing than ordinary, feasible love. Centuries ago a Frenchman called Racine adapted a play by Euripides which British poet laureate Ted Hughes later spent the last few months of his life translating, perhaps as a sort of self imposed penitentiary act for not protecting his partner in poetry, Sylvia Plath, from her own passionately wrought fantasies. Hughes' highly regarded free verse translation of Phèdre has been adapted for the stage by the Bell Shakespeare Company. The plot is a psychologically compelling, proper Greek tragedy complete with pathos, jealousy and screaming frustration. The character Phèdre is a cursed, cougar-esque queen afflicted with an all-consuming passion for her stepson Hippolytus — ignore the name, he's a handsome if diffident 'objet d'adoration'. Fatefully, Phèdre's husband Theseus is missing, presumed dead. At the encouragement of her well-meaning nursemaid Oenone, Phèdre decides to confess her dangerous and libidinous obsession to the boy in the hopes that he will respond with equal passion. Instead, Hippolytus backs away from the raving madwoman in her stilettos and tight pants in horror, as his pursuer stumbles across the stage, half-crippled by her unrequited lust. It's an unfortunate time for Theseus to return unexpectedly home – literally from Hell – and hell hath no fury like a woman forced to think on the spot of how she became so visibly distressed. Phèdre accuses Hippolytus of rape and Theseus promptly invokes the power of Neptune to curse his son, who retreats quite understandably to the blonde and bare-footed Aricia with a view to intertangling limbs and lives. Director Peter Evans highlights how our lives can become defined by destructive relationships – both with ourselves and with others – if we allow them to. From the scratchy heartbeat of the fitful soundscape to the frenzied intensity of an apparently powerful woman seeking control in a world where female control just isn't possible, it's easy to identify with her quest and subsequent failure to achieve fulfillment. Her powerlessness turns love into mania and passion into a destructive force. The male characters are victims, too; Theseus too readily believes his son is a rapist, perhaps because of his own philandering history. His realisation that he’s got it fatally wrong comes much, much too late. Some stories transcend space and time and Phèdre remains a remarkably compelling psychodrama in the context of contemporary life. Anna Cordingley's set is as damaged as the characters hearts and Hughes' translation is lean, mean and lyrical. The most tragic thing about Phèdre is that she realises how the contamination of her consciousness is self-induced: the foregone conclusion of forbidden love. Photo by Rush.
If you've been contemplating a little summer romance, you're in good company. The folks at Melbourne's Immigration Museum have the same idea. To celebrate the coming of warm days, they're swinging open the doors of their next exhibition, LOVE. Kicking off Saturday, December 1, this show is as simple — and as complex — as it sounds. After all, "the course of true love ne'er did run smooth," according to Mr William Shakespeare. In collaboration with the Heide Museum of Modern Art, the Immigration Museum has brought together multiple stories of love, desire, friendship and longing within one swoon-worthy room. Whether you're brokenhearted or deep into a marriage, you'll find one for you. LOVE will run concurrently with two other exhibitions. Kahlil Gibran: The Garden of the Prophet, which opened on Wednesday, November 28, tells the story of the Lebanese poet whose 1923 work, The Prophet, has sold millions of copies around the world, while Grow, Gather, Share is a celebration of food and gardening in Victoria. Special events spanning all three shows are planned throughout summer, beginning on Sunday, December 2 with Summer of Love. This afternoon shindig features Melbourne-based DJ MzRizk, gardening workshops run by Cultivating Community, curator talks and Gather & Share picnic hampers, with tickets costing $15. Image: Museums Victoria.
Waiheke is an island of rolling hills, gorgeous vineyards and white sandy beaches — a glittering jewel in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf. As it's only a short hop from Auckland's CBD on a ferry and easy to get around, it should definitely be on your list of places to visit when planning that next short break over the pond. Once there, it's not hard to see why Waiheke regularly appears in travel polls as one of the most beautiful islands in the world. It has a great reputation for relaxation and, most importantly, good food and wine. With over 20 vineyards to choose from, in the place locals affectionately call the Island of Wine, we've narrowed down some of the finest. Flights to Auckland from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are super short — around three-and-a-half hours on average — and Air New Zealand offers great everyday fares from all three. That means you could be nestled up by the fire at one of these top spots in no time at all. MAN O' WAR VINEYARDS Located on the far east of the island, Man O' War vineyard definitely delivers the wow factor both for its location and its wine. The vineyards are set on slopes that surround the tasting room and restaurant, which sits at the edge of the water. It's the only beachfront cellar door on Waiheke and has amazing views over to the Coromandel Peninsula. The tasting room is a lovely place to sip and hear about the flagship and single-vineyard drops. Plus, there are platters and sharing plates available to make the most of the experience. From the big robust winter warming Dreadnaught syrah to the softer summer styles of the Pinque rosé and the Exiled pinot gris, there is something for all palates on offer at Man O' War. OBSIDIAN VINEYARD Located in Onetangi and hidden away in an amphitheatre amongst the vines, Obsidian's cellar door is a simple but beautifully relaxed setting. The 30-minute tastings are led by passionate, knowledgeable staff, and the wine is sublime. Obsidian is known for its deep and delicious Bordeaux-style reds, though it also makes a delightful rosé and chardonnay, too. Yields are deliberately kept low to maximise quality and, as a result, only a limited number of cases are produced each year. The vineyard runs a wine club membership and, as an 'Obsidianado', you'll get access to three tasting packages during the year, with each containing at least one bottle of exclusive vintage and variety. BATCH WINERY The Thomas family's vineyard restaurant and cellar door has one of the best views on the island, with stunning views across to the Coromandel and Auckland's Sky Tower. Let the crew know you're coming over and they'll pick you up from Matiatia Ferry to transport you to the beautifully designed Batch Winery. It was built with reverence — both of the relaxed Kiwi way of life and the traditional winemaking process. The restaurant offers a relaxed ambience to dine with friends and family. The menu takes its inspiration from Waiheke favourites, offering fish 'n' chips, locally sourced oysters and a take on the classic Kiwi onion dip served with potato sourdough. It's a wonderful place to while away an afternoon, drinking a glass or two of Fizz rosé and gazing out over Waiheke island. PASSAGE ROCK WINERY Passage Rock is Waiheke's most awarded winery, with over 60 gold medals earned since 2001, including 18 gold for its reserve syrah. As well as producing magnificent wine, it's also in the most picturesque setting, with Orapiu Bay in the background. After your wine tasting, make sure you spend an hour or two in the bistro, which serves delicious platters and woodfired pizzas. PODERI CRISCI Poderi Crisci offers a little slice of Italy on Waiheke with its old world-style restaurant full of Tuscan charm. A great believer in the Italian tradition of eating and drinking, Poderi Crisci has a four-hour Sunday long lunch that's well worth making the time for. But if you only have a few hours to spare, then the degustation or 'trust the chef' menu will suit you well. The wines are definitely European-influenced — highlights include the cheeky white Arneis and the red blended Viburno. These are produced in a beautiful cellar room that also hosts an annual opera night, which alone is well worth making the trip for. CASITA MIRO Situated above Onetangi beach, Casita Miro is a relaxed, vibrant place where you can take your time to enjoy some seriously delicious food and wine. The restaurant specialises in Spanish and Mediterranean sharing plates, with fine Iberian cured meat, cheeses, local oysters and melt-in-your-mouth pork belly. The outdoor area also runs with the Spanish theme, featuring an evolving mosaic inspired by Gaudi's famous Parc Guell, not to mention views out across the Hauraki Gulf. The tasting room sits outside the restaurant in a colourful garden space, and here you can try a flight of five for $15, including the delightful fortified blend, the Madame Rouge. Book your flights to Auckland with Air New Zealand and start planning your next long weekend away. Plus, Vinomofo has released a case of wine featuring six delicious wines representing the diverse and unique sub-regions of Waiheke, Kumeu and Matakana. Every case has a one in 50 chance of winning return flights to Auckland (from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane). T&Cs apply.
Nick Cave remains one of Australia's most mysterious music raconteurs, maintaining an enigmatic presence on the music scene via a number of various band incarnations since the 70s. There's been The Birthday Party, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Grinderman, not to mention his solo work and various collaborations with other artists. He also writes screenplays, scores films, and has popped up in acting roles too. There's not much the man can't do (he has seen some things and been some places) and Thornbury Picture House is ready and raring to celebrate this. Dedicating an entire week to the legendary man, the cinema will screen various tributes to his work between June 29 and July 6. Documentaries, film scores, music videos, short films will all feature, including The Proposition, One More Time with Feeling, Wake in Fright and a 90-minute 'visual mixtape' of everything from Grinderman to footage of his first high-school band. If you're a fan of his music, you won't want to miss some of the rare footage on display. Some sessions are already sold out, so best book tickets in advance.
The breakfast menu at Magic Mountain Saloon sets it apart from other venues. The Thai-inspired breakfast menu is controversial, to say the least. Set your alarm clock early and make a date with a new way to do brekkie. You'll be asked to extend your tastes beyond eggs and bacon to a range of fairly substantial Thai options, both sweet and savoury. If you're feeling a little groggy, try the black sticky rice, strawberries, banana, coconut yoghurt and dried mango granola. And if you're feeling brave, go for the coddled egg and chicken ball congee, a traditional Thai choice complete with a hint of chilli that leaves you with the feeling of goodness coursing through your veins. Image: Letícia Almeida.
Calling all Amy Poehler fans — the beautiful tropical fish, powerful musk ox and noble land mermaid of Netflix flicks is here. The Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation star has directed her first film, a comedy that'll hit the streaming platform in May. Here's hoping it'll earn all of the unusual compliments that Leslie Knope has showered upon Ann Perkins. Turning a vino lover's dream weekend getaway with the gang into a movie, Wine Country follows a group of friends who head to Napa to celebrate Rebecca (Rachel Dratch)'s 50th birthday. Poehler plays Abby, the organiser of the gang; Maya Rudolph co-stars as a worn out mother desperate for a break; and fellow Saturday Night Live on-screen alum Ana Gasteyer, plus ex-SNL writers Paula Pell and Emily Spivey, all round out the besties. Also featuring: Tina Fey (of course) and Jason Schwartzman. If you've had a Parks and Recreation-shaped hole in your life since the acclaimed sitcom ended, adored Sisters or just can't get enough of these funny ladies in general, prepare to chuckle and celebrate as the film shows just what happens when a boozy break, lifelong friends and facing a huge milestone all mix. The first trailer has just dropped, and it comes with plenty of laughs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW_0MO-XKog Wine Country releases on Netflix on Friday, May 10. Image: Colleen Hayes.
Earlier this year, Australia's caffeinated booze expert Mr Black gave fans of alcohol and coffee the premixed beverage they definitely wanted, with the company's bottled coffee negroni marking its first-ever pre-batched cocktail. Now, it's adding another tipple to the range, and it's another big hitter: the cold brew old fashioned, or cold fashioned. Yes, there's a time for coffee and there's a time for cocktails — but, sometimes, there's a time in the day when you want both and you don't want to do any of the mixing yourself. The cold fashioned is made with Mr Black coffee liqueur, rye whiskey and bitters, and you can expect both coffee and chocolate flavours to come through, as well as a bit of spice. Each bottle is going for $49 and can be used to make five cocktails (yes, that's a very reasonably $9.80 a drink). To make said cocktail, you just need to pour 100 millilitres of the sweet stuff into a glass over ice and garnish with a citrus twist — if you want to get a little fancy. It's the third new product that the Mr Black team has released during lockdown, with the company also launching a hand sanitiser in late March. As well as selling thousands (and thousands) of bottles to the public, the team donated hundreds to front-line medical workers, not-for-profits, testing clinics and medical centres. To get your hands on a bottle of cold fashioned, which, knowing Mr Black's track record, will sell out fast, head over to the Mr Black website. It's currently offering free shopping on all orders over $80. Mr Black's cold fashioned is on sale now for $49. Top image: Guy Davies.
My yoga studio has a basketball court below it. During a calming session of yoga, it is not uncommon to hear the piercing screech of a whistle, frequent cheering and the intermittent shrieks of "Great shot Mike!". One time, I kid you not, there was a marching band procession going down, and the instructor had to calmly try and talk over the incessant drumming. Quite un-zen. Flow After Dark Silent Disco Yoga seeks to give yoga enthusiasts the exact opposite experience. How exactly does one silent disco yoga? Quite easily with the introduction of wireless headphones. These bad boys give participants a one-on-one with instructor, Flow Athletic co-founder Kate Kendall, while simultaneously pumping out beats from Sydney DJ James Mack. Also, they're neon. This one-off, 90-minute Vinyasa yoga session will see a whopping 700 yogis come together at Melbourne Park Function Centre. It's probably your best (possibly only) chance to show off your best warrior pose while simultaneously jiving to some seriously smooth music. Silently.
A new opera penned by Damon Albarn (frontman of Blur and Gorillaz) will premiere as part of the English National Opera's 2011/2012 season. Doctor Dee, Albarn's second opera, follows the life of 16th Century advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, John Dee, whose claim to fame includes dalliances with alchemy, astrology and espionage. Albarn's debut opera, Monkey: Journey To The West, was an adaption for the stage of a 16th Century Chinese novel. This year, despite a recent funding freeze from Arts Council England, the ENO is treating its audiences to 11 new productions, four of which are by living composers. https://youtube.com/watch?v=XT0tBKB2_PA
For years, you've probably sat at pubs or parties, listened to your pals tell boozy stories and found yourself laughing heartily. In fact, you've likely spun a few tales in a liquored-up state yourself — because we've all been there. And, since 2008, you've might've chuckled along to the US TV show based on that very idea, too. Indeed, it's easy to understand exactly how Drunk History came about, because the entire concept is just so relatable. While, in America, the show's run has just come to an end, Australian television is now hopping on the Drunk History bandwagon. It shouldn't escape anyone's attention that, at a time when we're all spending less time hanging out in bars talking with our mates for hours and hours over several rounds of drinks, Aussie TV has decided to deliver the next best thing. Called Drunk History Australia, the local version spans a six-episode first season, with each instalment tackling a couple of chapters of Aussie history. If you've ever wanted to watch James Mathison and Osher Günsberg reenact Burke and Wills' expedition, listen to Matt Okine explore the history of 'Waltzing Matilda', or hear Becky Lucas tell the tale of the country's first female detective — all with beverages involved — well, here's your chance. Also getting the Drunk History Australia treatment are Don Bradman, Dame Nellie Melba, Dawn Fraser and Gough Whitlam, in case you want to relive your primary school history lessons in a far boozier manner. And, the show also touches upon cannibal convicts, a war with emus and the first female bushranger, among other topics. The cast is similarly lengthy, featuring everyone from Anne Edmonds, Nikki Osborne, Em Rusciano and Tex Perkins to Stephen Curry, Joel Creasey, Steph Tisdell and Brendan Fevola. Drunk History Australia will start screening on Network 10 at 9.30pm on Monday, September 14; however, if you're keen to stream the whole thing right now, it's also already available via 10Play. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4iMnOEGI7c Drunk History Australia is now available to stream via 10Play, and will start airing on Network 10 at 9.30pm on Monday, September 14.
