By now, there's no question that 400 Gradi is Melbourne pizza royalty. Back in 2014, owner and founder Johnny Di Francesco's margherita was famously crowned best in the world at the Campionato Mondiale Della Pizza (Pizza World Championship), beating 600 competitors from across the globe. And now, having added a swag more pizzerias to the family in the years since, 400 Gradi has claimed yet another huge glory, last night taking out the title of Best Pizza in Oceania at the second annual 50 Top Pizza Awards in Naples. The Melbourne pizzeria was secretly judged against almost 1000 others from across Italy and the globe, and secured both a place among the world's 50 best and reigned supreme over all other pizzerias in Oceania. "I am truly honoured, and almost speechless, to be honest," said Di Francesco at the event. "Never did I think that my beginnings in pizza as a twelve year old would lead me here." Other Aussie restaurants named finalists in the Oceania category include Sydney's Verace Pizzeria (Macquarie Park), La Disfida (Ashfield) and The Dolphin Hotel (Surry Hills), along with fellow Melburnian, Guy Grossi's Ombra. Best book a table now — we have a feeling these pizzas will be pretty darn popular in the coming weeks. You can check out the full lineup of award-winning pizzas here.
Spilling out from World Science Festival, Curiocity Brisbane (22 March–2 April, 2023) takes over the wider city of Brisbane. Art meets STEM in a landscape of experiences and installations designed to challenge and enlighten urban explorers. Use augmented reality to bring memory fragments to life, encounter kinetic art through an intense colour spectrum in a changing parabolic curve, interact with playful cybernetics and help teach AI in real time. Take a free curator tour to take a deeper dive into the meaning behind the artworks, which includes the interactive "sound sculptures" T.H.E.M (that's The Handmade Electric Machines, if you're curious — a collection of six sound and lighting mechanisms brought to life by musicians, artists and designers). The free Curious Conversations program offers discussions on topics such as the future of AI, our role in the natural world and First Nations artists' relationship with history, culture and traditional knowledge. [caption id="attachment_804118" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Curiocity 2021, Markus Ravik[/caption] But, Curiocity Brisbane isn't just for the daylight hours. Art installations will be scattered along the streets and South Bank, disrupting the reverie of the river city with thought-provoking displays and unexpected intrusions, both visual and auditory. Curiocity Brisbane pops up around Brisbane from Wednesday, March 22–Sunday, April 2, 2023.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION When Jurassic World Dominion was being written, three words must've come up often. No, they're not Neill, Dern, Goldblum. Those beloved actors reunite here, the trio appearing in the same Jurassic Park flick for the first time since the 1993 original, but the crucial terms are actually "but with dinosaurs". Returning Jurassic World writer/director Colin Trevorrow mightn't have uttered that phrase aloud; however, when Dominion stalks into a dingy underground cantina populated by people and prehistoric creatures, Star Wars but with dinosaurs instantly springs to mind. The same proves true when the third entry in this Jurassic Park sequel trilogy also includes high-stakes flights in a rundown aircraft that's piloted by a no-nonsense maverick. These nods aren't only confined to a galaxy far, far away — a realm that Trevorrow was meant to join as a filmmaker after the first Jurassic World, only to be replaced on Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker — and, yes, they just keep on coming. There's the speedy chase that zooms through alleys in Malta, giving the Bond franchise more than a few nods — but with dinosaurs, naturally. There's the plot about a kidnapped daughter, with Taken but with dinosaurs becoming a reality as well. That Trevorrow, co-scribe Emily Carmichael (Pacific Rim Uprising) and his usual writing collaborator Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed) have seen other big-name flicks is never in doubt. Indeed, too much of Dominion feels like an attempt to actively make viewers wish they were watching those other movies. Bourne but with dinosaurs rears its head via a rooftop chase involving, yes, dinos. Also, two different Stanley Kubrick masterpieces get cribbed so blatantly that royalties must be due, including when an ancient critter busts through a door as Jack Nicholson once did, and the exact same shot — but with dinosaurs — hits the screen. What do Star Wars, Bond, Bourne and The Shining have to do with the broader Jurassic Park film saga, which started when Steven Spielberg adapted Michael Crichton's book into a box-office behemoth? That's a fantastic question. The answer: zip, zero and zilch, other than padding out Dominion as much as possible, as riffs on Indiana Jones, The Birds, Alien, Mad Max: Fury Road, Austin Powers, the Fast and Furious movies, cloning thrillers, disaster epics and more also do. In nearly every scene, and often at the frame-by-frame level, another feature is channelled so overtly that it borders on parody. And, that's on top of the fact that recycling its own history is just Dominion 101. There's no theme park, but when it's mentioned that dinosaurs are being placed in a sanctuary, everyone watching knows that the film's human characters will get stranded in that spot, trying not to be eaten by a Tyrannosaurus rex and the like. From all of the above, a loose narrative emerges — an overstuffed and convoluted one, too. A few years on from 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, people are endeavouring to co-exist with dinosaurs. Unsurprisingly, it's going terribly. Run by Mark Zuckerberg-esque entrepreneur Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott, WeCrashed), tech company BioSyn owns that safe dino space in the Italian Dolomites, although palaeobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern, Marriage Story) and palaeontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill, Rams) also tie the firm to giant dino-locusts wreaking existence-threatening havoc. Plus, ex-Jurassic World velociraptor whisperer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt, The Tomorrow War) and his boss-turned-girlfriend Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard, Rocketman) head BioSyn's way when the adopted Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) — who links back to the first Jurassic Park thanks to Forbidden Kingdom's ridiculous storyline — is snatched. Oh, and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum, Search Party) works there, as does cloning whiz Henry Wu (BD Wong, Mr Robot). Read our full review. A HERO With apologies to Bonnie Tyler, cinema isn't holding out for a hero — and hasn't been for some time. The singer's 80s-era Footloose-soundtrack hit basically describes the state of mainstream movies today, filled as screens now are with strong, fast, sure and larger-than-life figures racing on thunder and rising on heat. But what does heroism truly mean beyond the spandex of pop-culture's biggest current force? Who do we hold up as role models, and as feel-good champions of kind and selfless deeds? How do those tales of IRL heroism ebb, flow and spread, too? Pondering this far beyond the caped-crusader realm is Asghar Farhadi, a two-time Oscar-winner thanks to A Separation and The Salesman. As is the acclaimed Iranian filmmaker's gambit, his latest movie is intricately complicated, as are its views on human nature and Iranian society. As Farhadi has adored since 2003's Dancing in the Dust — and in everything from 2009's exceptional About Elly to his 2018 Spanish-language feature Everybody Knows as well — A Hero is steeped in the usual and the everyday. The 2021 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix-winner may start with a sight that's the absolute opposite thanks to necropolis Naqsh-e Rostam near the Iranian city of Shiraz, an imposingly grand site that includes the tombs of ancient Persian rulers Xerxes and Darius, but the writer/director's main concerns are as routine, recognisable and relatable as films get. One such obsession: domestic disharmony, aka the cracks that fracture the ties of blood, love and friendship. A Hero sprawls further thematically, wondering if genuine altruism — that is, really and wholeheartedly acting in someone else's interest, even at a cost to oneself — can ever actually exist. But it charts that path because of the frayed and thorny relationships it surveys, and the everyman caught within them. When A Hero begins, calligrapher and sign painter Rahim Soltani (Amir Jadidi, Cold Sweat) is no one's saviour, victor or ideal. While he definitely isn't a villain, he's just been given a two-day pass from an Iranian debtor's prison, where he's incarcerated over a family financial feud. Owing 150,000,000 tomans to his ex-wife's brother-in-law, he's stuck serving out his sentence unless he can settle it or his creditor, copy shop owner Bahram (Mohsen Tanabandeh, Capital), agrees to forgive him. The latter is unlikely, so with his girlfriend Farkhondeh (debutant Sahar Goldust), Rahim hatches a repayment plan. She has stumbled across a handbag filled with 17 gold coins, and together they hope to sell it, then use the proceeds to secure his freedom — except, when they attempt to cash in, they're told that their haul won't reach anywhere the sum they need. Instead, with a mixture of guilt and resignation — and at Farkhondeh's suggestion — Rahim decides to track down the coins' rightful owner. Cue signs plastered around the streets, then an immensely thankful phone call. Cue also the prison's higher-ups discovering Rahim's efforts, and wanting to cash in themselves by eagerly whipping up publicity around their model inmate's considerate choice. The media lap it up, as do the locals. Rahim's young son Siavash (newcomer Saleh Karimaei), a quiet boy with a stutter that's been cared for by his aunt Malileh (fellow first-timer Maryam Shahdaei), gets drawn into the chaos. A charity that fundraises to resolve prisoners' debts takes up the cause, too. Still, the stern and stubborn Bahram remains skeptical, especially as more fame and attention comes Rahim's way. Also, the kind of heroism that's fuelled via news reports and furthered by social media is fickle above all else, especially when competing information comes to light. Read our full review. BENEDICTION To write notable things, does someone need to live a notable life? No, but sometimes they do anyway. To truly capture the bone-chilling, soul-crushing, gut-wrenching atrocities of war, does someone need to experience it for themselves? In the case of Siegfried Sassoon, his anti-combat verse could've only sprung from someone who had been there, deep in the trenches of the Western Front during World War I, and witnessed its harrowing horrors. If you only know one thing about the Military Cross-winner and poet going into Benediction, you're likely already aware that he's famed for his biting work about his time in uniform. There's obviously more to his story and his life, though, as there is to the film that tells his tale. But British writer/director Terence Davies (Sunset Song) never forgets the traumatic ordeal, and the response to it, that frequently follows his subject's name as effortlessly as breathing. Indeed, being unable to ever banish it from one's memory, including Sassoon's own, is a crucial part of this precisely crafted, immensely affecting and deeply resonant movie. If you only know two things about Sassoon before seeing Benediction, you may have also heard of the war hero-turned-conscientious objector's connection to fellow poet Wilfred Owen. Author of Anthem for Damned Youth, he fought in the same fray but didn't make it back. That too earns Davies' attention, with Jack Lowden (Slow Horses) as Sassoon and Matthew Tennyson (Making Noise Quietly) as his fellow wordsmith, soldier and patient at Craiglockhart War Hospital — both for shell shock. Benediction doesn't solely devote its frames to this chapter in its central figure's existence, either, but the film also knows that it couldn't be more pivotal in explaining who Sassoon was, and why, and how war forever changed him. The two writers were friends, and also shared a mutual infatuation. They were particularly inspired during their times at Craiglockhart as well. In fact, Sassoon mentored the younger Owen, and championed his work after he was killed in 1918, exactly one week before before Armistice Day. Perhaps you know three things about Sassoon prior to Benediction. If so, you might be aware of Sassoon's passionate relationships with men, too. Plenty of the film bounces between his affairs with actor and singer Ivor Novello (Jeremy Irvine, Treadstone), socialite Stephen Tennant (Calam Lynch, Bridgerton) and theatre star Glen Byam Shaw (Tom Blyth, Billy the Kid), all at a time in Britain when homosexuality was outlawed. There's a fated air to each romantic coupling in Davies' retelling, whether or not you know to begin with that Sassoon eventually (and unhappily) married the younger Hester Gatty (Kate Phillips, Downton Abbey). His desperate yearning to hold onto someone, and something, echoes with post-war melancholy as well. That said, that sorrow isn't just a product of grappling with a life-changing ordeal, but also of a world where everything Sassoon wants and needs is a battle — even if there's a giddy air to illegal dalliances among London's well-to-do. Benediction caters for viewers who resemble Jon Snow going in, naturally, although Davies doesn't helm any ordinary biopic. No stranger to creating on-screen poetry with his lyrical films — or to biopics about poets, after tackling Emily Dickinson in his last feature A Quiet Passion — the filmmaker steps through Sassoon's tale like he's composing evocative lines himself. Davies has always been a deeply stirring talent; see: his 1988 debut Distant Voices, Still Lives, 2011's romance The Deep Blue Sea and 2016's Sunset Song, for instance. Here, he shows how it's possible to sift through the ins and outs of someone's story, compiling all the essential pieces in the process, yet never merely reducing it down to the utmost basics. Some biopics can resemble Wikipedia entries re-enacted for the screen, even if done so with flair, but Benediction is the polar opposite. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; and June 2. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching and Mothering Sunday.
There are many reasons to thank Mike White, creator and writer of The White Lotus, for bringing the hit HBO series to our screens. He's responsible for one of the best TV shows of both 2021 and 2022 — a program that has weaponised luxurious settings, helped set travel itineraries, thoroughly eaten the rich, spun twisty murder-mysteries, and kept viewers guessing throughout each and every episode of both season one and season two. He's also helped shower affection and attention upon the one and only Jennifer Coolidge, a screen icon who always deserves such love. Indeed, if it wasn't for White and The White Lotus, the world wouldn't have had the joy that is Coolidge's various awards speeches for playing Tanya McQuoid. For folks in Sydney on Saturday, June 10, worshipping the White-and-Coolidge pairing — hearing Coolidge talk about her time on The White Lotus, too — won't just involve checking out Emmy and Golden Globe clips. In huge news in general, and for the Vivid Sydney lineup, the duo is coming to the Harbour City for what's set to be the biggest in-conversation session of the 23-day, 300-plus-event festival. [caption id="attachment_891047" align="alignnone" width="1920"] HBO[/caption] While Vivid dropped its program back in March, it has been making additions since, including literally underground light and laser show Dark Spectrum and now this. Unsurprisingly, the Vivid team has dubbed its latest addition one of the biggest announcements in the festival's 13-year history — which is no small feat for an event that's seen everyone from The Cure to Robert Pattinson and Spike Lee grace its bill in past years. Coolidge and White won't just chat about The White Lotus, McQuoid's utter lack of luck in love and a certain fateful boat ride — and, on White's part, likely skirt around answering where the third season will be set (the word so far: Thailand). They'll also discuss their full careers, and both have plenty to dive into. Coolidge has been a screen presence for years, thanks to parts in everything from American Pie, Best in Show and the Legally Blonde franchise through to Party Down's original run, Joey and Promising Young Woman. As for White, he's written the screenplay for School of Rock, and acted in it — and given the TV-watching world the Laura Dern-starring Enlightened, which he also appeared on. He has Year of the Dog and Brad's Status on his directing resume as well, and penned and produced episodes of Dawson's Creek and Freaks and Geeks. Also, he was famously an Amazing Race and Survivor contestant. Benjamin Law will be asking the questions at this in-conversation event, which takes place at Aware Super Theatre, ICC Sydney. Tickets are on sale now — and they'll get snapped up quicker than McQuoid falls in love. "We're thrilled to share that The White Lotus creator Mike White and star of the series Jennifer Coolidge will join this year's Vivid Sydney lineup. Securing these huge megastars cements Vivid Sydney 2023 as the biggest and most culturally relevant program yet," said Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini, announcing the addition to the fest's program. "This exclusive event will allow audiences to see behind the curtain on what has become a massive cultural zeitgeist and hear from two of the hottest figures in the creative industries right now." Vivid Sydney 2023 will run from Friday, May 26–Saturday, June 17, with Mike White and Jennifer Coolidge in Conversation taking place on Saturday, June 10 at Aware Super Theatre, ICC Sydney. For further information and tickets, head to the event's website. Top image: HBO.
After two weeks in lockdown in a bid to stop the latest COVID-19 outbreak — including an initial seven-day circuit-breaker action, and a second week to keep cases under control — Melbourne emerged from stay-at-home conditions at 11.59pm on Thursday, June 10. The change came just in time for the Queen's Birthday long weekend, although it would've been excellent news even if an extra day off wasn't on the agenda. Gone are the five reasons to leave your home, and the ten-kilometre travel radius. That said a new 25-kilometre bubble is in effect, venturing to regional Victoria is of the cards and face masks are still mandatory. The list of restrictions can be a bit overwhelming, so we've broken down just what you can and can't do. This information is correct as of Monday, June 14. For what reasons am I allowed to leave the house? Remember those five reasons announced back at the end of May? They're no longer in effect. So, after two weeks of only being able to leave home to purchase groceries and other essentials, for care and caregiving, for permitted work, for outdoor exercise and recreation, and to get vaccinated, you can now leave for any reason you like. For how long can I leave the house? The two-hour limit on time spent out of the home has now been lifted. You may now leave your house for any amount of time — and for any reason — as long as you're abiding by all other restriction. Is there a curfew this time? No, there is no curfew. You are allowed out of your house at any hour — and for any reason and for as much time as you like, too. [caption id="attachment_776562" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Heroes mask[/caption] Do I still have to wear a mask? Yes, masks or face coverings are still compulsory whenever you leave home. Initially, the rules were going to be relaxed in outdoor spaces; however, the Victorian Government changed its mind based on new health advice — so masks must still be worn both indoors and outside whenever you're anywhere other than your own home. How far can I travel? You can now travel up to 25 kilometres from your home — more than double as far as you were allowed to venture during the second week of lockdown. However, if you live in Metropolitan Melbourne, you are still not allowed to travel into regional Victoria even if it is within 25 kilometres from your home. If this newfound freedom is a little overwhelming, there's a website that help you determine what fits in your 25-kilometre radius — and another that helps you work out where your 25-kilometre bubble overlaps with your mates'. Can I see friends and family? Yes, but there are a few caveats, so bear with us. You can catch up with up to ten people, but only outside of your home. You can exercise with them, have a picnic — socially distanced, of course — or do whatever else you like, but not at anyone's house. And, you cannot travel more than 25 kilometres from your home. Inside your home, the "single social bubble" rule is still in place — allowing a single person living alone or a single parent with children under 18 to nominate one person to be in their bubble. You are allowed to have this nominated person over to your home and you can go to their home — and you can travel more than 25 kilometres to visit them, but you must stay within metropolitan Melbourne. You can also stay overnight. The same rule still applies for intimate partners, too. Can I have a session with a personal trainer in a park? Yes, groups of ten — plus the trainer — are allowed to meet up for personal training and bootcamp sessions. Can I have a picnic in a park? Yes, as long as it's with up to ten people (including yourself) — and within 25 kilometres of your homes. Here are some of our favourite spots. [caption id="attachment_651722" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] St Kilda Beach by Josie Withers for Visit Victoria[/caption] Can I go to the beach? Yes, if there is a beach within 25 kilometres of your home. You can only go with up to ten people (including yourself). Can I drive to a park or beach? As long as it's within 25 kilometres of your home, yes. Can I go to a pool? Indoor? Now. Outdoor? Yes. Up to 100 people may swim in an indoor pool, but there's a one person per four-square-metre capacity limit. So, you'll want to check out the pool's website before throwing on your togs. You can check out some of our favourites over here. Can I visit a regional town? If you work or study in regional Victoria, or you need to visit the area for care or caregiving reasons, you can travel there — otherwise no. You can travel more than 25 kilometres from your home to see someone in your "social bubble", but you cannot enter regional Victoria for this reason. Can I go shopping? For any reason, yes. But not all shops are open and some have altered hours, so check before you head off. And do make sure you stay within 25 kilometres from your home. How about to a restaurant or cafe? Yes, you can head to a hospitality venue located within 25 kilometres of your home, but capacity and density restrictions are in effect. Only 50 people are allowed indoors per venue and 100 in total including outdoors, with a one person per four-square-metre capacity limit. And, the maximum group size is ten. If you're getting takeaway, you can also only travel to a venue within 25 kilometres of your house. Can I go to gyms or other recreational services? Indoor gyms are currently closed, but outdoor sports and recreation facilities can open with a one person per four-square-metre capacity limit and a 100-person cap. Can I attend a funeral? Yes, however funerals are limited to 50 mourners, plus those required to conduct the funeral. Can I attend a wedding? Yes, however weddings are limited to 10 people, including the couple and two witnesses. The celebrant and photographer don't count in the cap. If you have more questions, the Victorian Government has an extensive rundown on its website. Top image: Visit Victoria
There's still a sprinkling of sunny days left to come before we're entrenched in the depths of winter, and you definitely want to make the most of them. So today, instead of handing over your lunch break to a sad desk sandwich, load up on endorphins and fresh air with a few restorative lunchtime laps at the historic Fitzroy Pool. The 50-metre outdoor pool is a whole lot less crazy at this time of year than in the middle of summer, so you shouldn't have too much of an issue nabbing a lane all to yourself. Plus, at just $6.50 for a casual pass, it's downright affordable. Oh, and did we mention the pool's heated? Fire up those muscles, have a splash beneath that legendary Aqua Profonda sign and head back to work feeling invincible.
During its eight-season run between 2011–19, Game of Thrones served up more drama than several fire-breathing dragons could whip up. It also delivered HBO huge ratings, plenty of advertising dollars and free-flowing acclaim, so the US cable network is understandably keen to keep the franchise going — and it looks like it has three more GoT-related TV shows in the works. We say 'more' because HBO already has three others in various stages of development. Indeed, just which new programs will spin off from the world created by George RR Martin has been a hefty source of drama in itself over the past few years. Before GoT even finished, there was chatter about what would come next, with the network first announcing that it was considering five different prequel ideas. It then green-lit one to pilot stage, scrapped it and later decided to adapt Martin's House Targaryen-focused Fire & Blood for the small screen as a show called House of the Dragon instead. Next, it opted to also give novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg the TV treatment — and to work on an animated GoT show as well. Now, The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that fans might be able to look forward to 9 Voyages, 10,000 Ships and a third show set in Flea Bottom, the King's Landing slum. So, like residents of Westeros hoping that summer (or at least autumn) will last for ever, you don't need to let go of this highly successful fantasy world anytime soon. Hailing from Rome creator Bruno Heller, 9 Voyages plans to focus on Lord Corlys Velaryon, who is also known as The Sea Snake, Lord of the Tides, Master of Driftmark and head of House Velaryon. If he doesn't yet sound familiar, that's because he's set to appear in House of the Dragon, where he'll be played by Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin). As for 10,000 Ships, it'll be about Princess Nymeria, an ancestor of House Martell who started the kingdom of Dorne. If it goes ahead, the show will tell a tale that takes place around 1000 years before the events in GoT. Then there's the the Flea Bottom series, which doesn't yet have even a working title. But, viewers can expect to spend time in the spot where Davos Seaworth and Gendry Baratheon were born. So far, only House of the Dragon — which will star Olivia Cooke (Pixie), Emma D'Arcy (Misbehaviour), Paddy Considine (The Third Day), Rhys Ifans (Official Secrets), Matt Smith (His House), Sonoya Mizuno (Devs) and Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) — is confirmed to be forging ahead. You can probably pencil in 2022 in your diary, if you're wondering when you might be able to see it. As for the other five GoT-related shows, they're just in various stages of development, so it's too early to say when they might pop up or who'll star in them. As the scrapping of the first proposed prequel illustrates — as mentioned above — the fact that HBO is pondering making new Westeros-set programs doesn't mean that they'll end up coming to fruition. At some point, Martin's saga will also live on in his books, whenever the author finally publishes the long-awaited next instalment of his A Song of Ice and Fire series. Until any of the GoT prequels and spinoffs actually drop, you can always rewatch the original — which is streaming in Australia via Binge — or revisit a trailer from its eighth and final season below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuLUyJdRvSU Via The Hollywood Reporter.
Dessert fiends love Christmas. If you have a sweet tooth, December 25 is just as exciting for the treats as for the presents. And since 2017, celebrating the occasion with something sugary and edible has also included Gelato Messina. That's when it launched its own version of a certain quintessential Australian dish: the trifle. In 2023, The Christmas Coma will return again — and this one is a blast from the past. Messina is throwing it back to its first-ever version of the dessert by bringing it back this year. Trifles are already about layers, but this one just earned a few more that aren't in the bowl. So, 2023's Christmas Coma will once again feature level upon level of everything that is good about Christmas — but instead of being soggy and slightly regrettable, this one will have you licking the glass container. What's in it? Well, Messina is going with strawberry and marsala jelly, vanilla chantilly cream and raspberry swiss rolls, as well as vanilla custard gelato, blood peach sorbet and passionfruit gel. There's also raspberry meringue, plus chocolate versions of cherries on top that come stuffed with amarena cherry ganache. The trifle will come with some Messina brandy custard, too, to douse all over the mess. And, it all serves 20–30 (or less if you really commit). All of the above is available in a Christmas Coma mega pack, which can be pre-ordered from Wednesday, November 1 — with times varying depending on your state, as the gelato chain has does with its specials now. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am AEDT, then Victorians at 9.15am, with New South Wales customers split across three times depending on the store (from 9.30–10am). You'll then be able to pick up your Christmas Coma between Thursday, December 21–Sunday, December 24, all within regular store opening hours — and from all Gelato Messina stores across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. It comes in a Messina cooler bag and, if you keep it in there all sealed up, can survive for up to one hour. In each of the last few years, the trifle sold out ridiculously fast, so we suggest you don't wait on this one. Gelato Messina's 2023 Christmas Coma will be available to order from Wednesday, November 1. Head to the Messina website for further details.
When French stage actor Sarah Bernhardt performed in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, posters helped spread the word. The art that featured is as famous as the star herself. Responsible for the designs: Czech-born painter and illustrator Alphonse Mucha, who is virtually synonymous with Paris in the art nouveau period as a result. He's also the subject of the Art Gallery of New South Wales' huge 2024 winter showcase. AGNSW has unveiled its program for the year ahead, and its biggest-name exhibition is impressive. It'll also be exclusive to Sydney. Running from Saturday, June 15–Sunday, September 22, Alphonse Mucha: Spirit of Art Nouveau will be the most-comprehensive showcase of the artist's work that Australia has ever seen, in fact. Posters for Bernhardt and others will feature, alongside illustrations, photographs, jewellery and interior decoration. Surveying Mucha's five-decade career, created in collaboration with the Mucha Foundation in Prague and featuring pieces from the Mucha Family Collection, Alphonse Mucha: Spirit of Art Nouveau will also include a digital component. There, his painting cycle The Slav Epic from 1912–26 will get the immersive treatment. [caption id="attachment_942045" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alphonse Mucha 'Reverie' 1898, colour lithograph, 72.7 x 55.2 cm © Mucha Trust 2024 // Alphonse Mucha 'The Seasons: Summer' 1896, colour lithograph, 103 x 54 cm © Mucha Trust 2024. // Alphonse Mucha 'Princess Hyacinth' 1911, colour lithograph 125.5 x 83.5 cm © Mucha Trust 2024[/caption] "Thanks to the close and generous collaboration with the Mucha Foundation in Prague, this extensive exhibition brings many of Alphonse Mucha's exceptionally important works to Sydney, revealing an artist and designer whose powerful influence remains with us today, some 85 years after his death," said Art Gallery of New South Wales Director Michael Brand, announcing the exhibition. "Mucha was a prolific and versatile artist whose work spanned many areas of design, from the iconic theatrical posters that made his name, to design and advertising, to jewellery, sculpture and interior design, book illustration and, of course, painting." "As an artist, activist and philosopher, Mucha moved beyond art nouveau in his search for an art to elevate the human spirit, coming to focus attention on the socio-historical issues affecting the Slavic peoples then under the domination of the Austro-Hungarian Empire," Brand continued. [caption id="attachment_942047" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lesley Dumbrell 'Solstice' 1974, Liquitex on canvas, 173 x 296 cm, Art Gallery of New South Wales, purchased with funds provided by the Patrick White Bequest 2019 © Lesley Dumbrell.[/caption] Alphonse Mucha: Spirit of Art Nouveau sits on AGNSW's 2024 lineup alongside a wealth of other reasons to hit the Sydney gallery. The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes will be back, of course, displaying across winter as well. The Volume festival, which debuted in 2023, will also return — albeit with dates and details to be confirmed. And the site is a venue for the 24th Biennale of Sydney from March–June, too. The abstract art of Australian talent Lesley Dumbrell, paintings and sculptures by South Korea's Lee Ufan and stepping into Wendy Sharpe's creative process are among the other highlights, from a list that goes on. One particular must-see: What Does the Jukebox Dream Of?, where the gallery will go big on defunct media — complete with Susan Hiller's large-scale installation Die gedanken sind frei (Thoughts are free), a customised Wurlitzer jukebox, which will hit Australia for the first time and play 100-plus anthems spanning centuries. [caption id="attachment_942046" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Susan Hiller 'Die gedanken sind frei (Thoughts are free)' 2012, 102 songs on customised Wurlitzer walnut jukebox, vinyl lettering, books, benches, sound, overall display dimensions variable, Art Gallery of New South Wales, gift of Geoff Ainsworth AM and Johanna Featherstone 2017 © Estate of Susan Hiller, courtesy Lisson Gallery, photo: Jack Hems.[/caption] Art Gallery of New South Wales' 2024 Exhibitions and Events: Until Sunday, March 10 — Kandinsky and Georgiana Houghton: Invisible Friends Until Sunday, April 28 — Louise Bourgeois: Has the Day Invaded the Night or Has the Night Invaded the Day? Until Sunday, April 21 — ARTEXPRESS 2024 Saturday, March 9–Monday, June 10 — 24th Biennale of Sydney: Ten Thousand Suns Saturday, March 9–Sunday, September 22 — What Does the Jukebox Dream Of? Saturday, March 9–Sunday, June 2 — Jelena Telecki: Mothers, Fathers Saturday, May 25–Sunday, August 11 — Wendy Sharpe: Spellbound Saturday, June 8–Sunday, September 8 — Archibald, Wynne and Sulman prizes 2024 Saturday, June 15–Sunday, September 22 — Alphonse Mucha: Spirit of Art Nouveau Saturday, June 22–Monday, October 7 — Emily Hunt Saturday, July 30–Sunday, October 24 — Lesley Dumbrell: Thrum Saturday, August 31–September 2024 — Lee Ufan Saturday, September 14–Sunday, January 12 — Dobell Australian Drawing Biennial 2024 Saturday, September 21–mid 2025 — Angelica Mesiti: The Rites of When Saturday, November 2–Sunday, February 16 — Leyla Stevens Saturday, November 9–Sunday, February 9 — Nusra Latif Qureshi TBC — Volume 2024 [caption id="attachment_942048" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sampa the Great performing at the 2023 Volume Festival at the Art Gallery of NSW, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Daniel Boud.[/caption] For more information about the Art Gallery of New South Wales' 2024 exhibitions — all of which will occur at The Domain, Sydney — visit the venue's website. Top image: excerpt of Alphonse Mucha 'Reverie' 1898, colour lithograph, 72.7 x 55.2 cm © Mucha Trust 2024 // Alphonse Mucha 'The Seasons: Summer' 1896, colour lithograph, 103 x 54 cm © Mucha Trust 2024. // Alphonse Mucha 'Princess Hyacinth' 1911, colour lithograph 125.5 x 83.5 cm © Mucha Trust 2024
Attenzione! Fitzroy's beloved Italian sandwich bar Rocco's Bologna Discoteca has opened a new upstairs bar. Vince's Bar, named after the father of one of the owners, is a more relaxed and intimate space than downstairs, and boasts a focus on cocktails and snacks. Open since early September, the bar operates from 6pm till late every Friday and Saturday, and has a varied drinks menu featuring a selection of wines and cocktails. The cocktail menu features a mix of classic and modern, heroing Italian ingredients. Some of the highlights include the pandan negroni, made with gin, vermouth and pandan syrup; Vince's martini, which whips together vodka, grapefruit bitters and chamomile oil; and the Spaghetti Western No. 2, which uses mezcal, mango, rose vermouth, bitters and prosecco. The snack menu is also Italian-inspired, with small plates like oysters, mortadella mousse tartlets, and crescetina with Cantabrian anchovies and goat ricotta. As the weather only continues to get nicer (grazie Dio), Vince's Bar, with its cute patio, has timed its opening perfectly. Walk-ins are welcome, so if you find yourself strolling down Gertrude Street on a balmy Friday or Saturday evening, pop in and say ciao. Find Vince's Bar above Rocco's Bologna Discoteca at 15 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy — open from 6pm–late every Friday and Saturday.
Melbourne-born lingerie label Kat The Label emerged from founder Kate Nixon's love for lace. In 2015, the then-fashion design grad started handsewing vintage-inspired lace bralettes in her Byron Bay home and sharing them on Instagram — leading to her designs being worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner. After trading solely online for all that time (apart from the brand's head office and small retail space in Cremorne, Victoria), Kat The Label is finally getting a flagship store as gorgeous as the lingerie it houses, and you can find it on High Street, Armadale. Stepping into the Armadale boutique is like being enveloped in an intimate bubble. Velvet drapes, brushed aluminium and carpeted surfaces give the space a soft feel, courtesy of Angus Edward Interior Design. On the opening weekend of 7–8 November, browse the collection while sipping on complimentary iced lattes and matchas in Daily Iced takeaway cups — available from 10am–1pm. Brides-to-be can book a dreamy, powder-blue bridal boudoir for one-on-one fittings, complete with bubbles and bespoke accessories — a little indulgence to get you ready for the big day (or night!). Kat the Label stylists are on hand to help you find the perfect lace or silk set that you can personalise with a playful embroidery service; think something cheeky like initials or the wedding date. Alongside signature designs, find lacy black and white delicates from a bridal collab with influencer Jacquie Alexander, plus spicy options like garters and fishnets. Images: Supplied
Despite some Australian weather maps saying the contrary this week, summer is officially on our doorstep. And what better way to celebrate than with a brand new range of creamy, ice cold treats from the legends at Gelato Messina? The famed gelateria's chefs have been hard at work over the past three months, creating an all-new line of its beloved cakes, all of which are set to hit stores across the country this week. The Dr. Evil's Magic Mushroom cake, with its recognisable polka dot shell, will be the only creation to carry over from the previous range, which has been winning fans and sweetening up group celebrations since way back in 2012. This is also the first time Messina's done a near complete overhaul of its cake offering all at once. In keeping with the usual Messina vibe, the newcomers are as whimsical as they are expertly crafted, and almost too good looking to destroy. Five follow the style of the classic gelato cake, while three "trans cakes" are designed to be enjoyed either from the fridge or straight from the freezer. In the lineup, you'll find intricate delights like The Golden 8 — featuring a Ferrero Rocher-inspired ball of hazelnut gelato, mousse and fudge, encased in a smooth chocolate orb — as well as more classic designs, like the coffee-infused Tiramisu Tart. There's also a big focus on using great local produce, too. The vibrant Strawberries & Cream cake features fruit from Messina's own strawberry farm in Dural, NSW, while the cow-like How Now teams house-made dulce de leche with jersey milk-soaked sponge and vanilla cream. As with the rest of the products, each cake's infused with creamy jersey milk from Messina's own Victorian dairy farm. Keep them in mind if you find yourself in charge of desserts for any impending festive celebrations. The nine new Gelato Messina cakes start at $58 and are available online or in-store from next week.
This spring, Yo-Chi stores across Australia are transforming into a Fun House, filled with games, surprises, activities, and prizes to be won. Taking place from Friday, September 19, through to Sunday, October 12, the Fun House is targeted towards kids and teens on school holidays. At the centre of the festivities is the launch of Yo-Chi's new Bestie Testie card game. Packed with questions from your last Google search to your most regrettable social post, it's designed to spark conversation between Yo-Chi enjoyers. You can play in-store or take a pack home for $12. Each venue will also have its own Chi-E-O, who is responsible for running a rotating lineup of activities, including colouring in and Chi Pong. Then, at random points during the day, a secret song will play across every venue nationally, signalling the ultimate froyo treat: Yo-Chi on the house for whoever's inside at that moment. Yo-Chi is also rolling out a limited-edition strawberry and mango swirl, alongside new toppings like rainbow mochi, sour clouds, wafer discs and choc cone bits. So make sure to try the new flavour and toppings while you explore all that the Yo-Chi Fun House has to offer. The Yo-Chi Fun House runs nationwide from September 19 to October 12. Find out more via the Yo-Chi website.
The Standard Store on Gertrude Street is anything but standard. From eccentric pins made by graphic designer Georgia Perry to uber-trendy tops from Commune de Paris and bright, geometric dresses by Henrik Vibskov, owners Orlando and Nicola Reindorf know how to create a store filled with the kind of items that make you feel unique. There's no fast fashion to be found. Instead, the pair make bi-annual overseas trips to ensure that anything they source from over the pond is of the same quality as the homegrown brands they consistently back. Image: Caitlin Morahan.
Upstate has taken Melbourne and surrounds by storm, with its trademark high-energy fitness studios now spanning 13 locations with the recent launch of its Elsternwick studio. Now the brand is looking north to the Gold Coast, opening its first-ever interstate studio in Palm Beach. For those living in Goldy, expect the same vibrant design, feel-good vibes and fitness-focused sessions that have made Upstate such a hit down south. Situated just steps from the sand and surrounded by a host of top-notch cafes, the brand-new Palm Beach studio is headlined by Upstate's biggest reformer studio yet, featuring 29 beds primed for huge group workouts set to burst with upbeat energy. Speaking of workouts, Upstate is bringing its signature 45-minute full-body sessions to GC, offering a choice of Power, Burn or Strength classes, where you're invited to focus on your strength, endurance and mindset. "We're so pumped to bring the Upstate vibe to the Gold Coast," says Upstate Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Gail Asbell. "Palm Beach has the perfect energy for us — laidback yet vibrant. We can't wait to share our high-energy workouts and create a buzzing community here. This studio is a huge milestone for us, and we couldn't think of a better place to make our first Queensland debut." Launching in the heart of Palm Beach, just off the Gold Coast Highway, this outpost's radiant design reflects the bright and positive attitude synonymous with its studios. Immersed by the brand's iconic bursts of yellow, neon lights and steel finishes, it's basically made for setting up shop on the sun-soaked Gold Coast. "This year is a really exciting one for Upstate," continues Asbell. "We've launched our own Pilates Instructor Training program, introduced our first interstate retreat, and added Greece to our list of international retreat destinations for 2025. We're proud to be growing in ways that genuinely support our community, while working alongside incredible brand partners to create experiences that uplift and inspire." Upstate Palm Beach is expected to open soon at 4/1172 Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach. Head to the website for more information.
When Australians are able to enjoy overseas holidays again, plenty will feel familiar. Booking tickets, planning itineraries, packing suitcases, rushing to the airport because almost no one arrives early — we'll all recognise these steps, and we'll love them. But, more than a few things about hopping on a plane will have changed, too. That'll include wearing masks, using copious amounts of hand sanitiser, social distancing in the airport and verifying our vaccine status. Some airlines, such as Qantas, have already mentioned that they're likely to only allow passengers who've been fully jabbed to take to the air. The Aussie carrier has also announced that it'll be using a digital health pass to check who is vaxxed. And, for everyone coming into the country — Aussies, tourists and other travellers alike — the Australian Government is set to launch a new Digital Passenger Declaration. Remember the physical incoming passenger cards we all filled out pre-pandemic when we were heading back home? (Aka the reason you always needed to have a pen in your bag when you were flying?) They're being ditched, and the new DPD will replace them. So, the new digital pass will capture all the same info, plus your coronavirus jab status. The declaration will also replace the COVID-19 Australian Travel Declaration web form that's been in use during the pandemic. When it's up and running — with Accenture winning the tender to create and operate the DPD, and testing now underway — it'll be able to be filled out 72 hours before you hop on your flight Down Under. And, you'll be able to complete it either on a computer or on your phone, the latter of which will obviously be immensely handy while you're travelling. "The DPD will support the safe reopening of Australia's international borders, by providing digitally verified COVID-19 vaccination details," said Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews in a statement. "This will help us to welcome home increasing numbers of Australians, and welcome the tourists, travellers, international students, skilled workers, and overseas friends and family we've all been missing during the pandemic." Wondering when you might get to use the new digital pass? The Federal Government has already announced that international travel is earmarked to return when 80 percent of eligible Australians have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Further details on how that'll work, and where you'll be able to go, haven't yet been revealed — but Qantas has announced plans to resume its international flights to places with high jab rates from December. Eager to keep an eye on Australia's vaccination rates? We've run through how to do just that. For more information about the new Digital Passenger Declaration, head to the Australian Home Affairs website.
A hotel quarantine worker from Melbourne's Grand Hayatt Hotel returned a positive test result for COVID-19 on Wednesday, February 3. In response, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced the state will reintroduce restrictions on gatherings and face masks. As of 11.59pm on Wednesday, February 3, the number of people allowed to gather in a household has now been reduced from 30 to 15. Members of the household and children under 12 are not included in the 15 visitors limit. Face masks are now mandatory in public indoor spaces and it's strongly recommended that you wear a face mask when visiting someone at their house or when having visitors over. In addition to the reintroduction of these restrictions, the states plan to reintroduce 75 percent of both the public and private sector to their workplaces on Monday, February 8 has been placed on hold. Instead, the current cap of 50 percent will remain. Up to 100 people can still gather in outdoor places and there has not yet been any changes to restrictions surrounding hospitality, weddings or funerals. The worker last worked at the hotel on Friday, January 29 and returned a negative result at the end of their shift before developing symptoms and being retested on Tuesday, February 2. Premier Andrews said while there was no need for people to panic, "we have to assume that this person has in fact infected others". A full list of exposure sites is available on the Victorian Health website. Anyone who attended these venues at the specified times is required to get tested immediately and self isolate for 14 days. https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1356930162391015424 For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria and current restrictions, head to the DHHS website.
UPDATE, March 28, 2023: Nope is available to stream via Netflix, Binge, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Kudos to Jordan Peele for giving his third feature as a writer/director a haters-gonna-hate-hate-hate name: for anyone unimpressed with Nope, the response is right there. Kudos, too, to the Get Out and Us filmmaker for making his third bold, intelligent and supremely entertaining horror movie in a row — a reach-for-the-skies masterpiece that's ambitious and eerie, imaginative and expertly crafted, as savvy about cinema as it is about spectacle, and inspires the exact opposite term to its moniker. Reteaming with Peele after nabbing an Oscar nomination for Get Out, Daniel Kaluuya utters the titular word more than once in Nope. Exclaiming "yep" in your head each time he does is an instant reaction. Everything about the film evokes that same thrilled endorsement, but it comes particularly easily whenever Kaluuya's character surveys the wild and weird events around him. We say yay to his nays because we know we'd respond the same way if confronted by even half the chaos that Peele whooshes through the movie. As played with near-silent weariness by the always-excellent Judas and the Black Messiah Oscar-winner, Haywood's Hollywood Horses trainer OJ doesn't just dismiss the strange thing in the heavens, though. He can't, even if he doesn't realise the full extent of what's happening when his father (Keith David, Love Life) suddenly slumps on his steed on an otherwise ordinary day. Six months later, OJ and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer, Lightyear) are trying to keep the family business running; he does the wrangling, she does the on-set safety spiels, which double as a primer on the Haywoods' lengthy links to the movie industry. The first moving images ever presented, by Eadweard Muybridge of a galloping horse in the 1800s, featured their great-great-great grandfather as the jockey, Emerald explains. His image was immortalised, but not his name — and, although she doesn't say it directly, that's a fate she isn't eager to share. In fact, Emerald ends her patter by proclaiming that she's available for almost any Hollywood job that might come up. Unsurprisingly, OJ is horrified about the hustle. Her big chance is indeed tied to their ranch, but not in the way that Emerald initially realises either — because who'd predict that something would be lurking above the Haywoods' Agua Dulce property? Just as Get Out saw Peele reinterrogate the possession movie and Us did the same with doppelgängers, Nope goes all in on flying saucers. So, Emerald wants the kind of proof that only video footage can offer. She wants her "Oprah shot", as well as a hefty payday. Soon, the brother-sister duo are buying new surveillance equipment — which piques the interest of UFO-obsessed electronics salesman Angel Torres (Brandon Perea, The OA) — and also enlisting renowned cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott, Veni Vidi Vici) to capture the lucrative image. Cue plenty of faces staring up in shock and wonder, as Steven Spielberg has made a mainstay of his films — and cue a movie that nods to Jaws as much as Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Peele makes smartly and playfully cineliterate flicks, which aren't content to merely wink and nudge, but instead say "yep" themselves: yep to all the tropes and symbols that the comedian-turned-filmmaker can filter through his own lens, and his determination to unearth the reality of living in America today, just as he did when he was making some of this century's best skits on Key & Peele. Indeed, Nope is keenly aware of the lure and power of spectacle, especially the on-screen kind, which also echoes through in the picture's other pivotal character. Ricky 'Jupe' Park (Steven Yeun, Minari) isn't involved in the Haywoods' attempts to snap upwards, but the former child star runs a neighbouring theme park called Jupiter's Claim, which cashes in on his big hit role in a movie called Kid Sheriff. He's known for short-lived 90s sitcom Gordy's Home, too, starring opposite a chimpanzee, and moments of the show also pop up in Peele's film. A creepy glimpse at Gordy's Home actually opens Nope, starting the feature with a cryptic teaser that couldn't be more potent. Menace hovering above, sprawling vistas and the clouds that pepper them, galloping horses, rampaging apes, waving skydancers, cheesy Wild West shows, predators versus prey, the quest for fame and its self-destructive toll, cashing in: that all earns Peele's attention, weaved together in one jaw-droppingly impressive and unnerving package. This is the filmmaker's clever and compelling stab at a monster movie as well, which applies in a variety of manners. Here's one that doesn't give too much away: the way that animals have been exploited for entertainment, coupled with humanity's pursuit of bigger and better spectacles no matter the consequences, has long proven an act of monstrousness to be battled. Here's another: chasing visual thrills isn't innocent, a truth that resounds unshakeably in today's always-filming times. Nope is a pics-or-it-didn't-happen flick, too, and explores the price that people are willing to pay to keep getting those images. Perfect shots and the industry that relies upon them aren't without their cost, Peele posits — while also filling his frames with a sublimely surreal sci-fi-western vision lensed with rich detail by Hoyte Van Hoytema, Christopher Nolan's recent cinematographer (see: Tenet, Dunkirk and Interstellar). A movie can call attention to cinema's usually ignored ills and equally demand the utmost attention to its stunning array of sights, of course, and Nope is one such feature. Its sound design and score, courtesy of Johnnie Burn (Ammonite) and Michael Abels (Us, Get Out) respectively, are also both staggering and loaded, finding the ideal balance between haunting quiet and symphonic screaming. Nope is many things. It's a reminder that Hollywood's historical approach to race — its blatant lack of diversity, and its willingness to erase the contributions of people of colour, to be accurate — has proven a monstrosity as well. It's an examination of the power of images, for better and for worse. It sees the dark side of courting celebrity as a supposed way of improving our lots in life. Nope takes Peele's The Twilight Zone fascination, after reviving and hosting the 2019–20 version, to its next level. It's also a cowboys-and-aliens flick, and it's as dazzling as a blockbuster that blends science fiction, western, comedy and horror can be. Nope is frequently a daylight nightmare, boasts this year's second-best use of the wide blue yonder after Top Gun: Maverick, and is so terrifying in one barn-set scene that chills follow. Throw in that exceptional cast, including the pitch-perfect chalk-and-cheese double act that springs from Kaluuya's subtlety and Palmer's energy, and it's a downright marvel, as well as another Peele winner. The yeps keep coming — and yep, you'll never look at the clouds the same way afterwards.
Aptly given its title, new Apple TV+ sitcom Loot doesn't look cheap — or sound it. It's partly filmed in one of America's biggest private homes, an enormous mansion with 21 bedrooms, five pools, a bowling alley and a cinema. It's filled with well-known needle drops that come quickly and often, with one episode featuring three Daft Punk tracks alone. It couldn't scream louder or drip harder with excess; the series is about a mega-rich tech whiz's wife who gets $87 billion in their public and messy breakup, after all. And, it is inescapably made by a company that's a big technology behemoth itself, and has been splashing stacks of cash to build its streaming roster (see: The Morning Show, Ted Lasso, Severance, Physical, Prehistoric Planet, Foundation, The Shrink Next Door, Shining Girls, Slow Horses, Lisey's Story and more). Loot is also clearly a satire. Across its ten-episode first season — with the first three episodes dropping on Friday, June 24, and the rest following weekly — it parodies all that wealth, the people who have it and the lives lived in bubbles due to it. It also lampoons the idea that the lavishness that money can and does buy for the one percent can be balanced by giving a fraction of it to worthy causes. Yes, Loot is the latest entry in the eat-the-rich genre, alongside The White Lotus, Succession, Squid Game and Killing It of late. Hailing from creators Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard, both former Parks and Recreation writers, it also spins an immensely entertaining workplace sitcom around its pointed premise. The setup: amid being gifted a mega yacht for her birthday, then jumping to a party in that aforementioned sprawling home, Molly Novak (Maya Rudolph, Big Mouth) discovers that her husband John (Adam Scott, Severance) is cheating on her. Post-divorce, after that huge settlement and a stint of partying around the globe with her assistant Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster, Fire Island), she gets a call from Sofia Salinas (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Pose), the head of the foundation she's forgotten bears her name (and even exists). With Molly's drunken decadence all over the news, the charity is finding it difficult to do its work. So, the organisation's namesake decides to ditch the revelry — and her married moniker, becoming Molly Wells — and put all that dough to better use. She also commits to playing an active role in how her funds can truly help people. As workplaces in workplace comedies always do — Yang also has The Good Place on his resume, which became a workplace comedy in its own way; Hubbard has written for 30 Rock and Superstore as well — Molly's foundation is staffed by a motley crew. Sofia is tough and wholly dedicated to making people's lives better. Following Molly over to the new gig, Nicholas is cutting in his comments and cut about the change in his lifestyle. Then there's Howard (Ron Funches, AP Bio), the sweet and supportive cousin that Molly barely remembers at first; mild-mannered divorced dad and accountant Arthur (Nat Faxon, Our Flag Means Death), who starts to hope his boss will become something more; and Ainsley (Stephanie Styles, Bombshell) and Rhonda (Meagen Fay, Dopesick), the requisite TV office oddballs. Re-entering the working world after two decades is quite the culture shock for Molly, unsurprisingly, and so is being part of a team again. Loot is always the show it instantly seems it will be: a workplace sitcom with a clear target in its sights, and a comedy with as much warmth as humour. It directs its scathing digs towards moneyed indulgence and ridiculousness — in Molly's life and the attitudes that come with it, there's obviously plenty to poke fun of — and its heart towards her coworkers and their efforts. It tries to swing both ways with Molly herself, pointing out that the life she's become accustomed to is patently absurd, but also endeavouring to demonstrate how she's trying to learn and grow. Here, a running gag has David Chang playing himself as Molly's overworked personal chef, for instance. Also, when Rudolph breaks out her Beyonce impression again, it's when Molly couldn't be in a more inappropriate, tone-deaf and cringe-inducing setting. But Loot's protagonist is also never one-note; that she keeps swinging between cashed-up extravagance and genuinely attempting to do better makes her a far more fleshed-out character. Molly is also a showcase part for the always-wonderful Rudolph, who really should've had a sitcom like this on her resume by now. She's featured in a few in her post-Saturday Night Live career, but in supporting parts, including stealing every scene she's in in both The Good Place and Up All Night. She's also glorious in the exceptional Forever, the 2018 existential comedy that similarly stems from Yang and Hubbard, yet sadly only lasted one season. But while Amy Poehler had Parks and Recreation, and Tina Fey had 30 Rock, this kind of series has eluded Rudolph. TV has been worse for it — and Loot wouldn't have worked for a second without her. It already navigates such a delicate tightrope, satirising the ultra rich while embracing Molly's quest to be more than just an affluent caricature. Indeed, it takes Rudolph's adaptability, her willingness to play the joke and also unpack it, her presence, and her charm to anchor the show's parody and empathy in tandem. If this entertaining must-see returns for a second season, it might be a different program, though. That's also a great thing. Loot's initial batch of episodes is a little like a Rorschach test: some viewers will see what it's trying to savage while still being a warmhearted workplace comedy, others will mostly notice that it doesn't chomp down as hard as Succession and its wealth-eviscerating brethren. The show is happy to sit in the first category for now but, still with its upbeat vibe, it makes bigger moves towards the other camp by the time its debut run wraps up. Seeing how it builds is one of Loot's thrills — alongside the tour de force that is Rudolph, including in Molly's Hot Ones appearance; Booster and Funches repeatedly proving a joy, playing to their strengths separately and together; Scott at his smug best among a well-rounded ensemble; and the series' deeper skewering and throwaway gags alike, of course. Check out the trailer for Loot below: Loot is available to stream via Apple TV+.
It's the little things that count at Eydie's — like the 1950s water jugs and glasses that make you feel classy, and the repurposed vinyl presses, salvaged from Brunswick-based Zenith Records and now serving as drink coasters — that give you them jazzy, ethical feels. Eydie's is a favourite among hospitality workers for its late-night happy hour (we're talking $12 negronis, 9–11pm), and its secluded garden courtyard that works seasonally, thanks to gas heaters and part roofing. In terms of food, ask for the local list. Eateries nearby deliver most of your cravings, and Lygon Street has plenty.
As first announced back in 2018, Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image will soon look rather different, with the screen culture-focused Federation Square site currently undergoing extensive $40 million renovations. When it reopens in 2021, visitors can expect revamped exhibition spaces, new immersive experiences and added interactive activations, including a permanent ode to Mad Max. Also part of the huge makeover: increasing the ways that everyone can engage with ACMI digitally, both when heading by in-person and from home. As revealed back in October, ACMI will usher in a heap of new ways for folks to interact with its exhibitions. That includes giving visitors a handheld device made out of compressed cardboard, which they'll be able to while they're wandering around the place — and when they go home as well. ACMI's fresh additions also span online exhibition space Gallery 5, which is up and running already, and its own video-on-demand service called Cinema 3. Of course, 2020 has already seen a very lengthy list of new streaming and VOD options hit the market, all competing for film and TV fans' eyeballs in a year that's seen us all spend more time on the couch — such as horror streamer Shudder, architecture and design-focused platform Shelter, short-form platform Quibi (which'll actually call it quits in December), female-focused service Femflix, and platforms from cinemas such as Palace and Golden Age, plus the team behind Sydney's Ritz and Melbourne's Lido, Classic and Cameo venues. Accordingly, ACMI joins a very busy space, but it's doing so with a tightly curated range of classics and new movies that's selected by its Director of Film Programs Kristy Matheson, and is updated fortnightly. Available since Thursday, November 19, Cinema 3 currently features a digital restoration of Claire Denis' 1999 standout Beau Travail, plus 2019's acclaimed Romanian flick The Whistlers — neither of which you can currently watch in Australian cinemas. In the classic camp, it has grouped a number of movies into themes. So, you can check out 'fine films for grown-up tastes' such as The Two Faces of January, Our Little Sister, The Deep Blue Sea and The Third Wife, or opt to delve into cinema history via Berberian Sound Studio, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, Last Man in Aleppo and Parasite. Cinema 3 also presently features an Aussie-focused section as well, showing Noise, The Darkside, and documentaries Jill Billcock: Dancing the Invisible and Defiant Lives. The idea is that each area of the service acts as a shelf — for you to peruse and pick from at your leisure, depending on what piques your interest. Films are available on a pay-per-view rental basis, with the current titles ranging from $4.99 to $14. To check out ACMI's Cinema 3 video-on-demand service, head to the platform's website.
Come 2021, you'll have one very convincing reason to book a trip to Sydney (or a Sydney staycation) — the city will be home to the first very Australian outpost of trendy US chain Ace Hotel. Founded in 1999, the boutique chain currently has its signature luxe-vintage hotels in Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Pittsburgh, Portland and Seattle. Its first international location opened in London in 2013, and its next is slated to open in Kyoto in spring next year. Known for their great bars, pools, cool branding and merch, and quirky locations — such as a converted Denny's and a historic YMCA building — each Ace Hotel is individually designed to reflect its surroundings. The Ace Hotel in Downtown LA is in a 13-storey 1920s former movie theatre, and has art deco furnishings, a rooftop pool and three bars, while the Palm Springs outpost is swathed in white, and has swim club and an attached diner. For the local outpost, Ace's in-house design team — Atelier Ace — will be working alongside an Australian firm to design the hyper-local hotel. While exactly what that will look like both inside and out is still under wraps, it'll take inspiration from the food, art, architecture, design and culture of Surry Hills when it opens in an 18-storey building (formerly Tyne House) on Wentworth Avenue. [caption id="attachment_745633" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Render of Ace Hotel's proposed Surry Hills facade.[/caption] The Ace Hotel site was purchased two years ago by Australian property development group, Golden Age Group, who will also have a hand in the hotel. As well as 264 rooms, guests can look forward to a ground-floor lobby bar, a gym, restaurant, cafe, and rooftop bar and eatery. We'll keep our fingers crossed for a potential rooftop pool, too. It's just the latest boutique hotel to open in Surry Hills, which has seen the hyper-local Paramount House Hotel — complete with rooftop wellness centre — launch in March last year, and the 35-room Little Albion House (which you can book through Airbnb) follow in July. Real estate developer Cienna Group also has plans in the works to open a 12-storey laneway hotel on the corner of Riley and Campbell Streets. The Ace Hotel Sydney is slated to open at 49–53 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney in 2021. We'll update you with a specific launch date when one is announced. Top images: Ace Hotel London / Ace Hotel Downtown LA.
Brook Andrew has spent much of his extensive career exploring the dominant narratives and histories around colonialism through large-scale gallery interventions and immersive installations. One such major installation is The Cell, a work that was first shown at Sydney's Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation and is now temporarily installed at The Substation in Newport. It invites audiences to take part in a jumping castle experiment, which muddies the distinction between 'sanctuary and detention'. Adorned with traditional Wiradjuri patterns, the inflatable space creates a stimulating juxtaposition with its light-hearted format meeting a sense of anxiety as Andrew conjures the illusion of shrinking and constricting whilst inside. Over a long and successful career, Andrew's interdisciplinary talents have seen him exhibiting internationally since 1996, where he often works closely with diverse communities along with public and private collections. The Cell is on display now for a short time only, closing Saturday June 10.
Daylesford is a haven of spa retreats, friendly pubs, roaring fireplaces and mountainous beauty. Nestled into the foothills of the Great Dividing Range and just a stone's throw from the healing powers of Hepburn Springs, it's lovely at anytime of year, but winter brings a special kind of magic. Rather than feeling like you should be out, relentlessly doing, you can shamelessly surrender to warm, cosy, heartening indulgences — from soaking in hot tubs filled with nutrient-rich mineral water to sipping craft ales by a roaring fire. Here's your guide to winter decadence in Daylesford and its neighbouring towns. Winter slips by quicker than you think, so make plans soon. WHERE BREAKFAST MEETS DESSERT The French sure know how to do a winter's breakfast: with hot chocolate. Follow their lead at the Chocolate Mill, a strawbale marvel 7km north of Daylesford that produces handmade chocolates. Peer into the open kitchen to witness the creators in action before claiming a table at the Hot Chocolate Cafe. Next stop, real breakfast. You'll get it with a stone fireplace at Moto Bean Coffee Roasters in Malmsbury, about 30 kilometres' north-east of Daylesford. Formerly a farmer's barn, this epic, industrial-inspired cafe is dotted with classic motorbikes and dedicated to roasting coffee beans. Tuck into an apple hotcake with whipped honey mascarpone, walnut crumbs and baby herbs. FUEL UP BY THE FIRE Come lunchtime, head to the Farmers Arms, where you can hide away in a booth or soak up some rays in the beer garden, accompanied by your dog. The menu is all about fancied-up pub classics, such as roasted pork belly with mash, broccolini, Harcourt apple cider jelly and red wine jus. Another spot where it's easy to while away a winter's afternoon is the Cosmopolitan in Trentham. This gorgeous 1866 pub, encircled by weatherboard verandahs, was rebuilt in 2009 following a 2005 fire. The extensive craft beer and local wine lists will keep you sampling for hours, plus, on Sundays, there's live music. Eats are gastropub-style — think smoked duck breast with grilled witlof, beans, kipflers, hazelnuts, sherry vinegar and maple dressing. If you want to treat yourself, then swing over to Kyneton – about 30km north-west – for dinner. At Source Dining, owner-chef Tim Foster serves up hatted creations, accompanied by a wine list that holds two Australian Wine List of the Year Glasses. Try the local beef tartare, with pickled farm beetroot, beetroot mayonnaise, cured yolk, fresh horseradish, salt and vinegar kale, and potato chips. Most produce comes straight from the kitchen garden. Alternatively, there are excellent woodfired pizzas at Olive Jones in Macedon. SOAK AND SINK INTO SPAS Every visit to Daylesford should involve a long, long soak in Hepburn Springs' warm, nutrient-rich mineral waters. Victorians have been onto this since 1895, when Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa was built. The complex, which scored a $13-million revamp in 2008, hosts two social pools, as well as private tubs for those keen to rejuvenate in peace. Once you've bathed, try drinking the waters: various springs are dotted around Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve. Alternatively, at Salus Day Spa at Lake House Hotel, sink into a deep tub in a treehouse, surrounded by blonde timber and lush greenery. Also in Hepburn Springs is Shizuka Ryokan, a Japanese wellness retreat, inspired by ryokans: ancient inns where samurai warriors would go to rest and reflect. Don a kimono and wander around the minimalist grounds before settling in for a spa treatment – be it a Geisha facial based on 1200-year-old techniques or a shiatsu massage. FINE INDOOR PURSUITS Now that you're thoroughly relaxed, it's time to get arty at the Convent Gallery, a mansion turned convent turned gallery. Or get your hands dirty with a sourdough-making workshop at RedBeard Historic Bakery, Trentham, where the results will be baked in a massive 19th-century oven. If that sounds like too much thinking, get even more relaxed with a wine tasting session at Passing Clouds' stunning cellar door in Musk, just five minutes' drive from town, before continuing to Daylesford Cider Company for mulled ciders, made with organic apples, by the fire. THE COSIEST SLEEP SPOTS One of the hands-down best things about winter is snuggling in bed, ensconced in doonas, woollen blankets and piles of pillows. Add a roaring fire, and there's no going anywhere. Luckily, Daylesford and its surrounds are packed with dreamy retreats. At the luxe end of the scale is Clifftop At Hepburn, where private villas come with spectacular views, spas, stone hot tubs, massage chairs and fireplaces. Another collection of beautiful villas surrounded by bushland is Kudos. These architect-designed wonders offer fireplaces and spa areas that open onto private decks. To step back in time, sleep over at Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel, built in 1935. There's a day spa onsite, with mineral water baths, heated to 37 degrees Celsius, stunning Italian gardens and Stuart Rattle-designed lounges, splashed with marble, leather and polished wood. Rooms vary from cosy classics to a four-bedroom villa built in 1864. For a stay in downtown Daylesford, book at Frangos. Think high ceilings, spa baths and quirky touches, such as hand-embroidered pillows, mirror walls and velvet bed heads. There's also an in-house Endota Spa. To explore more winter indulgences in the Daylesford region and get booking, visit the Wander Victoria website. Top image: Peppers Mineral Springs Hotel.
Since 2015, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) has enjoyed playing games with classical music lovers, putting on live gigs in secret locations all over the city. It posts sneaky clues on its social pages in the weeks leading up to the performance, hinting on what will be played and where the orchestra will be playing. And its next Secret Symphony will be a part of RISING 2024. We don't know the location. We don't know the setlist. But we do know it will take place sometime on Thursday, June 6. [caption id="attachment_958588" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Laura Pemberton[/caption] You'll need to follow the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's Instagram page to get all the hints and book tickets ($19) ahead of time through RISING. As you are pre-purchasing tickets, we're pretty sure the team will actually let you know the location a couple of days before the show — but you best get sleuthing nonetheless. Top image: Laura Pemberton.
If all a horror movie needed was a killer concept, then Lights Out would sit at the top of the spooky cinematic heap. At its core is an idea that's equally obvious, ingenious and universal: the unsettling feeling that springs in children and adults alike when a flick of a switch plunges a room into darkness. In fact, when Swedish filmmaker David F. Sandberg first toyed with the notion in his two-and-a-half-minute short film of the same name, it became a viral sensation, catching the eye of horror producer James Wan in the process. Three years later, Sandberg has fleshed out the attention-grabbing effort into his feature film debut. In Lights Out, stressing about whatever sinister presence just might lurk in the shadows isn't simply a sign of anxiety or an overactive imagination, as Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) and her ten year old brother Martin (Gabriel Bateman) come to realise in the wake of a family tragedy. Initially, Martin isn't overly concerned when his grief-stricken mother, Sophie (Maria Bello), starts speaking to someone who isn't there. But then he spies a ghostly figure that only appears when his lamp turns off. When he flees his dimly lit home to stay in Rebecca's apartment, she starts seeing the apparition too. It's enough to make them jump, run and scream repeatedly, in a movie that knows how to make the most of its unnerving moments. Indeed, although writer Eric Heisserer seems fairly content to keep playing in formulaic territory after penning the recent remakes of both A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Thing, Sandberg perfects the ominous look, uneasy mood and expert sense of timing that a film about things going bump in the dark requires. More specifically, Sandberg's spot-on directorial choices include a focus on the obvious but essential: if you're going to call a film Lights Out, you have to master the many flickers and silhouettes that tend to come with luminous bulbs and the like. From the glow of exterior lighting shining down on an eerie-looking warehouse in the film's opening shot, to the contrast of every high- and low-wattage source of brightness you can think of against gloomy interior surroundings, the movie becomes a striking exercise in setting a specific tone through lighting and cinematography. As a result, what it lacks in narrative surprises, it makes up for in successful scares and inventive imagery. Thankfully, the small but spirited cast follows suit, even though they're largely saddled with cookie-cutter horror roles. No time is wasted on jostling for laughs or taking things too seriously, with the 81-minute feature proving an example of economical yet mostly effective filmmaking. Accordingly, even as Palmer's heroine makes more than a few predictable choices, and Bello's frazzled parent does the same, they're both pitched at just the right, relatable level.
If you didn't see The Fall Guy, Twisters, The Substance, Kneecap or It Ends with Us on the big screen already in 2024, here's the perfect way to catch up with them: under the stars, while sprawled out on a picnic blanket or sat on a bean bed, at the latest season of Moonlight Cinema. And if watching Christmas films is one of your festive traditions, here's a scenic way to do that, too, with this annual opportunity to enjoy a movie outside packing its just-dropped first lineup for this year with seasonal flicks. As it does every summer, Moonlight Cinema is returning for another run of films in the open air, including at Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens from Friday, November 29, 2024–Sunday, March 30, 2025. Among the brand-new titles, Gladiator II and Wicked are also on the bill — and when an advanced screening of Paddington in Peru graces the screen, you'll want marmalade sandwiches in your picnic basket. The OG version of Mean Girls will grace Moonlight Cinema's screens, too. For a merry time at the movies — a jolly one as well — the roster of Christmas fare spans the new Red One, as well as classics Elf, Love Actually, The Holiday, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Come January, A Complete Unknown has your Timothée Chalamet (Dune: Part Two) fix covered and the OG Freaky Friday will give you a blast from the past before the sequel arrives later in 2025. Plus, We Live in Time, Heretic and Mufasa: The Lion King will also play under the stars. Other highlights include Gladiator II, Moana 2, Paddington in Peru and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, giving franchises plenty of love; Better Man joining the music-fuelled picks; the Jesse Eisenberg (Sasquatch Sunset)-starring, -written and -directed A Real Pain; and Conclave's tension in the Vatican. Among the retro fare, Bridget Jones's Diary, Shrek and The Princess Diaries will get you looking backwards. As always, the films and the setting are just two parts of the cinema's experience. Also on offer: the returning Aperol spritz bar. Nosh-wise, the event will again let you BYO movie snacks and drinks, but the unorganised can enjoy a plethora of bites to eat onsite while reclining on bean beds. There'll also be two VIP sections for an extra-luxe openair movie experience, a platinum package with waiter service and a beauty cart handing out samples. Plus, dogs are welcome — there's even special doggo bean beds. Updated: December 12, 2024.
A 19-year-old woman was found unconscious and convulsing at yesterday's Harbourlife festival at 4.40pm. After being assessed by paramedics, she was taken to St Vincent's Hospital where she was later pronounced dead of multiple organ failure. It's believed that drugs played a role in her death. Though an autopsy is yet to be carried out, friends of the deceased teenager have told police she had taken one-and-a-half pills during the day. The coroner will attempt to find out what was in the pills, but police are taking the opportunity to warn people of the general dangers of illegal drugs. "There's little to no quality control in the production," said Inspector Stewart Leggat in a statement this morning. "Quite simply, you don't know what you are getting — seeking a synthetic high could result in a serious injury or death." Of the 5,200 people in attendance yesterday, 78 were arrested for drug offences. Police are urging anyone with information about illegal substances to come forward. "We don't need to know who you are; all we need is the information you have," said Inspector Leggat. "The information you provide could save someone's life." Via NSW Police and SMH. If you have more information contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the online reporting page.
For forty years, Melbourne Fringe has celebrated artists from all walks of life — and successfully worked to democratise their work, increasing accessibility and visibility of the creative spheres. The Rest Is Up to You is a free exhibition currently on display at the State Library Victoria. It explores the previous 40 years of the Fringe Festival — how they started, how they changed and what fun was had — while looking forward at the next 40. This immersive experience includes video and sound installations; archives of posters, flyers and artworks; and interactive talks and conversations with artists, teams and audiences that are excited to share their stories and inspire emerging talent. Running until July, this exhibition proves just how fundamental the people are to festivals like this — spotlighting how they've shaped Fringe and reminding us all that that everybody has a place here. 'The Rest Is Up to You' is on at the State Library of Victoria until Tuesday, July 11. Entry is between 10am and 6pm daily, and no bookings are required. For more information, head to the website. Images: Nick Roberston.
Melbourne's southside is undoubtedly one of the most stylish parts of the city. And when it comes to men's fashion, there's a pretty good chance that Robinson Man has something to do with the most up-to-the-minute looks hitting the streets. The brand focuses on high-quality men's knitwear, with its fine hand-combed cashmere coming all the way to Prahran's High Street from the steppes of Mongolia. Robinson Man's architecturally designed space also features a host of like-minded brands that produce similarly stunning menswear, so you can quickly level-up your style game.
It's been six months since we first heard the goss on the latest plans for The Continental Sorrento, as the pub's owners revealed details of a hefty makeover, complete with an overhauled food and drink offering helmed by Scott Pickett (Estelle, Matilda) and Craig Shearer (The Terminus Fitzroy North, Brisbane's The Plough). Fast forward to now, and we're just weeks away from seeing parts of this grand, six-level redevelopment in action — the first phase of the new-look Conti is gearing up to open its doors from late March. A whole suite of new hospitality spaces are joining the bill here on Ocean Beach Road, with options for post-beach pints, special occasion dinners and everything in between. Named in a nod to Pickett's own grandmother and cooking muse, is Audrey's — a fine diner that fuses old-world charm with contemporary sensibilities. The signature restaurant is set to boast enviable bay vistas, an impressive wine program and a chic seafood-driven menu, even rocking its own marble raw bar. Taking a more casual approach to coastal wining and dining are the modern Public Bar; an all-weather, greenery-filled beer garden; and a sprawling outdoor space dubbed the Promenade. This trio will be heroing Pickett's contemporary spin on classic pub grub, as well as showcasing Shearer's flair for and experience in creating top-notch pub spaces. [caption id="attachment_823638" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Craig Shearer & Scott Pickett; by Parker Blain[/caption] Yet more adventures await you amongst the foliage of greenhouse-inspired diner The Atrium, and the plush surrounds of Coppins Lounge, with its refined booze offering and lobby bar energy. Meanwhile, the late-night crowd will find their haven within the Conti's speakeasy-style haunt, Barlow, which is serving up elevated bar snacks, crafty sips and a diverse program of live entertainment. The heritage-listed site is also set to play host to luxury 108-room hotel the InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula, and an assortment of function spaces will be led by Pickett and Shearer's teams. They range from the grand to the intimate, including the beautifully restored Grand Ballroom, Halcyon Hall, al fresco Sunset Terrace and The Gallery. Hotel guests will also have exclusive access to the Pool Deck, where it's all about holiday-style snacks and fun cocktails enjoyed in poolside cabanas. And, as a bonus for cocktail-lovers, the Speakeasy Group (Eau de Vie, Nick & Nora's) will be serving a slew of its own seasonal concoctions across the entire precinct. Find The Continental Sorrento at 1-21 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento. Its spaces will open in stages over the coming months, starting from late March. We'll share more details as they drop. Images: Renders courtesy of The Continental Sorrento; photos by Jeremy Wright
These days, we're all on the hunt for cheap eats in Melbourne. And Brunswick East is already home to plenty of good spots — CDMX, Wild Life Bakery, Mankoushe, Nico's Sandwich Deli and Thaila Thai are all affordable faves. But there's always room for more. Enter Tawooq, the casual Lebanese spot on the buzzy Brunswick East end of Lygon Street. The tight menu consists of just nine items — spanning wraps, baguettes and burgers — and the most you'll pay for one is $14. The wraps come stuffed with either falafel, beef shawarma, fries or the signature chicken tawooq (grilled chicken covered in a creamy yogurt-based marinade), while baguettes are loaded with either spicy sausage (makanek or sujuk), tomatoes, pickles and sauces, or succulent asbe (grilled chicken liver). Pair your lunch or late-night meal (Tawooq is open till 2am on Friday and Saturday nights) with a soft drink or something a little more substantial from Tawooq's sister brand Laiimoon, located within the same space. Try a traditional Lebanese sahlab (milk pudding) or a smoothie packed with fresh fruit. It's a small selection of food and drink, but you've only got to master a few to become a true food destination in Melbourne.
Victorians are being urged to stay safe, be prepared and look after each other today, Monday, January 25, with temperatures expected to soar past 40 degrees in parts of the state. Along with the scorching heat and windy conditions comes a total fire ban for six of Victoria's fire weather districts, as Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp warns we're headed for "one of the most challenging 24 hours that we've seen in relation to fire risk for our state". The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast severe fire danger for the districts of Mallee, Northern Country, North Central and North East, with the Country Fire Authority declaring a day of total fire ban for these regions, as well as for East Gippsland and Wimmera. In a press conference yesterday, CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan warned that significant winds coupled with heatwave conditions would cause increased fire danger right across the state. Many areas could see gusts of up to 50 or 60 kilometres per hour, increasing bushfire risks rapidly. As a result, the CFA is urging residents to have a bushfire survival plan ready and to download the Vic Emergency App (for iOS and Android) in order to stay informed. https://twitter.com/CFA_Updates/status/1353438333012242432 After scoring minimal relief from last night's temperatures, which hovered in the high twenties, Melbourne is today forecast to creep to around 39 degrees, before an expected gusty cool change hits southwestern Victoria at 5pm. It's anticipated that some of Melbourne's outer suburbs could clock 41 degrees before the day's out, while northern parts of the state are due for temperatures in the low-to-mid forties. Today's steep temperatures have prompted the Chief Health Officer to issue heat health alerts for the whole of Victoria, except for South West and Wimmera. Residents are being urged to pay attention to the heat levels, wear light-coloured lightweight clothing, keep out of the heat at the peak of the day and stay hydrated. For more details on today's forecasts and weather warnings, see the BOM website, and for health advice on hot weather, head to the Victorian Government's Better Health Channel.
Here's a winter short break to warm the heart and fire up the mind. Less than two hours' drive from Melbourne, Bendigo is one of this country's main hubs of arts and culture outside of the state capitals. Although it might be best known for its mining history, these days this is a town that embraces its arty side, whether it be through galleries, arts precincts, events or craft classes. There's even a tram covered in yarn from top to tail. Winter is the perfect time to get among all of Bendigo's intellectual indoor pursuits — and that cosy tram and a hot drink will aid your admiration of the area's historic exteriors too. So pull on your parka and explore the true wealth that lies in inner Victoria. GALLERIES THAT ENTICE The first stop on any culture-led trip to this area has to be the Bendigo Art Gallery. Established in 1887 and now sporting a highly Insta-worthy Karl Fender-designed extension, the gallery regularly hosts blockbuster touring exhibitions, like the current Australian exclusive, Marimekko: Design Icon 1951 to 2018, on until June 11. After that, it will host Another Day in Paradise, a gripping retrospective of work by Bali Nine member Myuran Sukumaran. The gallery is part of a cluster of venues making up the View Street Arts Precinct, including the La Trobe Art Institute, so make sure to have a proper poke around the area. From August 10–12, it will be the hub of the annual Bendigo Writers Festival, so particularly lively, with more than 150 writers appearing across 100 events. Another must-do institution is Bendigo Pottery, on the outskirts of town. This is actually Australia's oldest working pottery, and not only is it a stellar place to browse and buy ceramics, it's somewhere where you can get properly hands-on with clay. Casual lessons go for a sweet $18 per half hour, perfect for anyone who's been curious to test their talents at on a potter's wheel. They'll even post your creations to you after they've been fired in the kiln. [caption id="attachment_669916" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] by Elise Gow Photography[/caption] THE COSY OUTDOORS You didn't really think we were going to advocate you stay indoors the whole time, did you? You're on holiday; YOLO and all that. Fortunately, Bendigo knows how to make even outdoor activities in winter conspicuously cosy. A lot of the credit for that belongs with its Yarn Bomb Tram, which runs various routes through town. The olde-worlde no.302 tram has been kitted out by the Bendigo Yarn Bombers — with full permission from Bendigo Trams — for several years running. Festooned inside and out in daygo yarn blankets, bunting and blooms, it's been described by some as looking like a giant tea cosy. And you get to sit inside the tea cosy. What could be more comfortable? Outside of the tram, a wander down the streets and laneways of Bendigo's historic centre is a necessity, as is Rosalind Park behind the Bendigo Art Gallery. Ward off any chill breezes by doing this with a takeaway hot drink in hand — the coconut chai from laneway cafe El Gordo is made for a mission like this. ART ON A PLATE You've seen art. You've made art. You've ridden art. Now it's time to eat some art, at Bendigo's hatted restaurant, Masons of Bendigo. Run by partners in life and cheffing Nick and Sonia Anthony, Masons serves share plates with a near-Heston-level attention to presentation. Their globe-trotting menu varies with the seasons, but in winter you can expect the likes of jicama and shiitake mushroom spring rolls with fermented chilli, banana blossom, and hot and sour sauce and McIvor Farm Foods Berkshire pork belly with apple pudding, morcilla, black garlic, fennel and crackle pinwheel. Don't hesitate to leave yourself in the chefs' hands by getting the mystery 'Roaming Menu' for $65 per person. Pair your feast with a shiraz from nearby organic winery Jasper Hill — an unirrigated, minimal-intervention vineyard that hasn't seen synthetic chemicals or foreign composts since pre-1975. To try the region's finest beef (and it really is fine around here), there's no destination better than The Woodhouse. The fireplace-warmed restaurant cooks its dishes on a redgum chargrill, which imparts a deep, smokey flavour on cuts like an on-the-bone Porterhouse from Cohuna Wagyu and 28-day Inglewood dry-aged eye fillet from Kiabella Farm. The sides are lush, too. HERITAGE BUILDINGS TO WARM THE HEART It's not just the Bendigo town centre that's steeped in history — the nearby towns hide heritage buildings that are still being put to brilliant use. Start in Maryborough with a visit to the grand train station — which these days serves as the 60-seat Railway cafe, bar and art gallery — before heading on to Castlemaine. There, take a wander through The Mill, the site of an 1875 wool mill whose factories have been adapted into a hub for coffee makers, brewers, food producers and artisans. Look out for Libre Hem's epic mural, honouring the workers who once spun wool here with their hands. In nearby Ravenswood, retire for wine tasting at Killiecrankie Wines' perfectly cosy cellar door, set in an 1880s red-brick workers cottage with two cranking fireplaces. Then, back in Bendigo proper, Wine Bank on View is your ticket for a trip back in time. The 1876 building was once the city's main bank, but it's now the ultimate spot to savour a wine and cheese in stately, fire-lit surrounds. PEACEFUL SLEEPS TO RECHARGE THE MIND To percolate on all the sights and ideas you've absorbed in a day in Bendigo, you'll need a proper country manor to lay your head. The best option, if you've got enough friends to fill it, is All Saints Bendigo, an 1887 red-brick home right on View Street across from the Bendigo Art Gallery. The five-bedroom property boasts four-poster beds, Wi-Fi throughout, a pool table — all the creature comforts. If you've got a car and are happy to stay out of town, consider The Stables at Byronsvale. The 160-acre farmland boasts three self-contained apartments with one or two bedrooms, overlooking some of Bendigo's earliest vineyards. This was built as a weekend home for one of Bendigo's first mayors, so you know you're in illustrious company. Meanwhile, if it's just you and your boo, and you want the comfort of a hotel in the centre of town, the Quest Schaller Hotel is for you. New and slick, it wears its art on its sleeve, with 120 rooms inspired by the vibrant paintings of Mark Schaller. To plan your winter adventure in Bendigo and the surrounding areas, visit the Wander Victoria website.
This plush venture from Nick and Daniel Russian (founders of Eve Bar) has taken over the revered rock 'n roll site that once housed Cherry Bar. You can push aside all thoughts of the four-legged Disney character — the venue's in fact named after and inspired by a bar the duo's Nonno owned in Trieste, Italy, 80 years ago. Here on AC/DC Lane, they're paying homage to their heritage while delivering Melbourne a dazzling late-night party joint. It's a sumptuous lounge bar filled with glam vintage touches, nodding to the drinking dens of LA and Europe. Curved banquettes and staircases, and a healthy appreciation for the colour pink are the work of awarded designer David Hicks. Italian share plates rule the menu, with familiar favourites alongside some contemporary surprises — including a loaded carbonara toastie ($19) and a tiramisu cannoli ($12). Elsewhere, you'll find rigatoni done with wagyu bolognese ($29), a spicy vodka pasta ($32) and pork cotoletta on the bone ($38). A solid antipasti offering is primed for snacking, as is the dedicated bar menu, featuring the likes of lobster pizza ($65), wagyu bresaola ($24) and ice cream sandwiches ($18). A well-matched drinks offering favours spritzes and negronis, with options galore and large-format serves available for each. If you're game, try yours by the one-litre carafe or arrange your own negroni fountain ($2200). They're backed by a slew of other classic Euro cocktails, a spread of Italian and Aussie wines, and an after-dinner bottle service. Expect a diverse program of extra fun running into the wee hours, from DJs, to piano singers, to live performances gracing the front stage. [caption id="attachment_833180" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Roper[/caption] Images: Mark Roper
These days, most design markets let you peruse their goods with a drink in-hand. The Design and Drink Market, however, goes one step further — it's held inside a pub. So you know running out of alcohol won't be a problem. The pub in question is The Rochester on Johnston Street. It will transform from boozer to boutique design market from 11am–4pm on Saturday, December 15 to host some local designers and artists. They'll be hawking things like ceramics, custom t-shirts, local honey, art and indoor plants. Basically all the things you (and hopefully your family and friends) want for Christmas. The pub has this year had a menu makeover, so it's worth sticking around for some of Mischa Tropp's South Indian nosh, too.
One of the most stylish hotel chains there is has finally opened its doors Down Under, ready for sleek-as-hell winter Sydney staycations and interstate getaways. Ace Hotel has built itself up a cult following since opening in 1999, with the boutique chain going for a luxe-vintage vibe — and now, after announcing its first Australian site back in 2019, dropping a sneak peek in 2021, and revealing its food and drink lineup earlier this year, the brand's 18-storey Surry Hills outpost is open for business. This isn't just the US chain's first Aussie location. It's also its first in the Southern Hemisphere. The brand kicked off in Seattle, then spread to Portland, New York, Los Angeles, London, Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Chicago in the US, and opened its first international location in London in 2013. And, before the pandemic, it was probably on your must-stay list thanks to its great bars, pools, cool branding and merchandise, and quirky locations — such as a converted Denny's and a historic YMCA building. Each Ace Hotel is individually designed to reflect its surroundings. In Sydney, its new venue has been designed in partnership with Flack Studio — and it's making the most of its Surry Hills location. That spot: the site of Australia's earliest kiln discovery, where convict potter Jonathan Leak produced domestic pottery as early as the 1820s. It then became the Tyne Building, with the brick structure constructed in 1916 as the factory and distribution centre of Washington H Soul Pattinson Chemists. Decor-wise, think: minimalist designs, warm and earthy tones, and cues aplenty taken from them Australian landscape. Standout touches include an ochre-red marble staircase reaching up from the lobby, burnt orange and tan hues in the ground-floor sunken lounge and a heap of greenery. And, an impressive art collection. On display, you'll find pieces by everyone from Tony Albert, Sydney Ball, Glenn Barkley, Karen Black, Barbara Cleveland, Laith McGregor and Sanné Mestrom through to Julia Gutman, Nadia Hernandez, Joanna Lamb, James Lemon, Nabilah Nordin, Jahnne Pasco-White, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran and Justene Williams. The venue also boasts an artist-in-residence program, which'll launch soon, as curated by Nina Fitzgerald of The Impact Lab. Ace clearly boasts plenty to look at as soon as you walk in its doors — and it's also home to a number of spaces to hang out in, too. Open now is the site's lobby cocktail bar in that aforementioned sunken lounge, plus ground-floor neighbourhood restaurant Loam. In the coming weeks and months, they'll be joined by laneway cafe and bar Good Chemistry; Kiln, a rooftop restaurant and bar by chef and partner Mitch Orr; and a wine program by P&V Wine's Mike Bennie. Obviously, staying in impressive surroundings is the main drawcard — and the cosy yet chic rooms here fit the bill. There's 257 of them, with some allowing pets. Among the features: custom lighting, furniture and fixtures; an in-room vinyl collection curated by Efficient Space's Michael Kucyk; Deiji Studios robes; and minibars packed with wares from local providers. Already planning for your first Ace Hotels experience? Under high-season rates, rooms start at $359. Find Ace Hotel at 47–53 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney.
You can see Oprah, and you can see Oprah, and you can see Oprah: Oprah Winfrey has announced a December 2025 trip Down Under, including bringing her latest in-conversation events to Melbourne. At Plenary, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Thursday, December 11, you'll be able to see the famed talk-show host get chatting — in an intimate session rather than on TV, where The Oprah Winfrey Show ran for 25 years. This is Winfrey's first jaunt this way in a decade — and that tour sold out, so expect this one to be popular as well. Authenticity and resilience will be among the topics of conversation, in what's designed to be an inspirational natter. [caption id="attachment_1015691" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Disney/Eric McCandless[/caption] "One of the things I have always enjoyed is sitting down for real, honest, enlightening conversations, and this experience is all about that," said Winfrey, announcing the tour. "The energy, warmth and spirit I feel in Australia and New Zealand have stayed with me, and returning will be an opportunity to reconnect, reflect, and be reinspired — together. I look forward to sharing stories, ideas, and meaningful connection about what's possible in our lives moving forward."
For over 20 years, the waterfront Steampacket Gardens has played host to a combined creative and gourmet market on the first Sunday of every month. Head to the shores of Eastern Beach for top-quality local produce, as well as beautiful art and handcrafts by makers from the region. There's also live music and delicious, ready-to-eat food, so be sure to make a morning out of it. It's all for a good cause, too: proceeds from the market go to the Geelong Central Rotary Club, and supports its community initiatives.
They're words every hungry stomach likes to hear: all you can eat. And, they're words that echo a little bit louder when gyoza are involved. After all, who hasn't sat down to a plate of them, finished it quicker than they thought they would and wished someone would keep magically refilling it? We all have, and that's just what'll happen at Bosozoku on Wednesdays. It's all rather simple: you venture in after 5pm, choose from pork or vegetarian, and settle in for an hour of power. The best part? It'll cost you only $25. Usually the gyoza cost $2 each, so you'll have to eat at least 13 to get your money's worth. So come with an empty stomach.
The National Gallery of Australia's newest exhibition invites you to trip back in time to American art's post-war era for a visual celebration of some of the 20th century's printmaking superstars. Opening on Saturday, September 7 and running through until Monday, March 9, 2020, Lichtenstein to Warhol: The Kenneth Tyler Collection showcases standouts from back in that heyday of America's printmaking renaissance, as it dives into renowned US master printer Kenneth Tyler's artistic collaborations with an array of iconic talent. Spy candid images of Tyler and these legendary artists taken in his famed workshop, displayed along with one-off proofs and drawings, plus works from some of the greats he's influenced over the years. The impressive collection features pieces by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Joan Mitchell, Claes Oldenburg and more, covering minimalism, maximalism and every genre between. Tyler's grand, groundbreaking contribution to art put him at the forefront of the USA's printmaking renaissance and, when he opened a series of his own print workshops after the Korean War, they became incubators and collaborative settings for some of the era's defining artists. Lichtenstein to Warhol: The Kenneth Tyler Collection documents much of the magic. Image: Roy Lichtenstein, Reflections on Crash 1990. Prints, lithograph, screenprint, woodcut, metalised PVC plastic film collage and embossing printed in colour inks from eight aluminium plates, three screens, one woodblock with irregularly-shaped, inlaid magnesium plate and one assembled plate made from four magnesium plates. 150.2 h x 190.5 w cm. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Purchased 1991. © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein/Copyright Agency
The southern stretch of Collingwood's Smith Street has scored an inviting new arrival in vibrant, globally-inspired bar and eatery, Sixty Smith. Opening its doors in late 2020, it's the latest venture from Indy Weerakoon and Sam Silva, co-owners of Fitzroy Beer Garden. Sixty Smith is a warm, eclectic venue boasting four distinct areas. A cosy front bar greets you straight from the street, while further in, a light-filled dining room features cushion-filled banquette seating and an abundance of greenery. Out the back, a covered beer garden is filled with neon street art and upcycled pallet furniture. For quieter drinks and intimate, private celebrations, The Attic awaits upstairs — an old-world-inspired space with gold accents and inky blue hues. The Attic will also play host to a series of monthly dance parties. Sixty Smith's menu draws on a range of global influences, shaped by Head Chef Three Phadungkarn's own experiences — from growing up in Bangkok, to seven years spent cooking Spanish tapas at MoVida and more recently creating classic European fare in the kitchen of Syracuse. The lineup kicks off with lunch plates like the roasted spatchcock with potato salad, a mushroom, truffle and parmesan spaghetti, and a pulled pork burger starring pickled zucchini and spicy mayo. Meanwhile, the dinner offering features bites for appetites small and large, starting with 'graze' snacks like eggplant popcorn, school prawns matched with a tom yum mayo, and lamb spare ribs done with kipflers and capsicum salmorejo (a Spanish-style cold soup similar to gazpacho). The 'gorge' section of the menu might see ox cheek teamed with parsnip puree, braised onion and a hit of horseradish, while grilled broccoli is elevated with harissa and a sunflower seed mole. Otherwise, the decision-saving chef's tasting menu delivers a parade of seasonal hits for $65 per person. You'll spy a couple of rotating tap brews, a lineup of tinnies and a largely local wine selection with plenty of options by the glass. And if cocktails are the mood, there's an impressive rotation of crafty concoctions on offer, from an espresso martini made with vegan dulce de leche, to the fruity yuzu-spiked Tatsu Fizz. Complementing Sixty Smith's artfully plated food and beautifully executed sips is a rotating art exhibition called The Hook, curated by art collective Fort Heart. A dedicated wall within the venue will showcase diverse works from a lineup of local talent, available to buy, plus you can stay tuned for a calendar of supporting art events. Find Sixty Smith at 60 Smith Street, Collingwood. It's open from Tuesday–Thursday 4pm–11pm, Friday–Saturday midday–1am and Sunday 4pm–11pm.
At Bob Hair, just off bustling Toorak Road, things are done a little differently. For starters, all products are zero-waste and eco-friendly, with an enduring focus on ethical and sustainably-sourced materials. This careful and considered approach extends to the dreamy, light-filled salon space, which feels more airy and relaxed than your typical hairdresser. "What we are doing at Bob is simplifying healthy and sustainable living, without it coming at the cost of a great cut and colour," founder and director Charlotte Archer says. "We love sharing knowledge with women and showing them that colouring their hair doesn't need to be an eye-watering, headache-inducing experience." Here, you're invited to reconnect with your best self (and your best-ever hair), free from parabens, ammonia, sulphites and waste. Hair trimmings are repurposed to help soak up oil spills in the Great Barrier Reef, while composting and repurposing means Bob Hair is one of Melbourne's rare zero-waste salons. Yet, there's no compromise when it comes to style. The boutique salon offers the full spectrum of cutting, blow-drying, colouring and treatment services, with cuts for women starting from $130 and for men from $85 — each including a full personalised consultation. Alongside your usual cuts and blows, Bob Hair also offers gentle all-natural colouring which leads to long-lasting results. Escape to this sustainable paradise the next time you're looking for a refresh that's better for you and the environment. Your hair will thank you for it.
Melbourne's seaside suburbs had a bit of a foodie glow-up in 2024. Sushi Baby got a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Brighton, D.O.C landed in St Kilda, Southall moved to a bigger and better site in Hampton, and Moon Dog has announced it will open up a new brewery bar in Frankston. Bayside locals have cried out for more great places to eat and drink. And their calls are slowly being answered — with Hampton's Bang Bang being the latest to do so. The Bang Bang crew already has a site in Mordialloc, but they saw demand for a new location further out in Hampton. Here, fans of the original outpost can find most of the same dishes that span cuisines all over Asia — focusing on Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea and India. The kitchen is plating up prawn toast with tonkatsu and bonito; bao buns stuffed with 12-hour short ribs; a Balmain bug and pork larb; snapper ceviche; chicken satay served with roti; a beef cheek massaman curry; and a spicy fried Sichuan eggplant. Like most new restaurants in Melbourne, the menu is made for sharing, and the team offers up a chef's selection of dishes ($57.50 and $89) for those overcome by choice paralysis. Drinks include a stack of Asian-inspired cocktails, Victorian beers and cider, a tight selection of wines and sake, and a smattering of mocktails. The team even has a fab happy hour to entice folks over to Bang Bang Hampton. Every weeknight from 5–6pm, diners can tuck into $2 fresh oysters, a $35 raw tasting plate and a heap of $15 cocktail specials. Nabbing one of these deals ain't a bad way to give Bang Bang a go. Stop by for some cheap seafood and cocktails and see if you want to stick around for a flavour-packed pan-Asian feast. Images: Jessie B Evans
Following the massive success of its Hokusai exhibition in 2017, the NGV will once again look to the cultural influence of Japan with an exploration of the country's widespread impact on Western modern art. Running from May 25 to October 28, Japonisme: Japan and the Birth of Modern Art considers the crucial period of time following the reopening of international trade from Japan in 1854. As artworks began to flow from Japan into Europe and America, a cultural revolution of sorts was set in motion as Western artists became exposed to the artworks and visual language of Japan for the first time. Influencing artists like Vincent van Gogh and other legends of the day, this moment in history is considered one of the crucial events that lay the foundations of Western modern art. Japonisme (which will be free to attend) delves into the NGV's huge Asian arts collection, showcasing examples that demonstrate Japan's influence of much of the world's art throughout the last 150 years. Western decorative arts, paper works, paintings, fashion and textiles, photography, as well as Japanese art will be on display. Specific highlights include Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's much-loved Divan Japonais poster, examples from the 1866 Bracquemond-Rousseau dinner service, and an undulating art nouveau cabinet designed by Louis Majorelle, demonstrating the influence of Japanese styling on French furniture. Japonisme will show just how the Japanese respect for the environment influenced European artists, and you'll notice just how many examples of European art highlight the reworked organic forms, rich colours and gentle textures typically associated with Japanese aesthetics. Japonisme: Japan and the Birth of Modern Art will run from May 25 to October 28 at the NGV International. Find more info at ngv.vic.gov.au. Image: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Divan Japonais (1893).
With living costs still through the roof, many venues around Melbourne are coming up with special deals to help you get out and about. Cuff in the CBD is doing bottomless drinks for $35 with Saturday brunch; Lucia in South Melbourne will sling you a mid-week main and a drink for $40; and Bang is offering three courses of Thai delights with Chandon Garden Spritz for $66. Now, if you head along to Moonhouse in Balaclava on a Wednesday evening, you'll find yourself at Fish Night. For $30, you'll be feasting on a market-fresh catch, either steamed or pan-fried, alongside your pick of two broths: the hot and spicy Firewater or the more relaxing and fragrant Shaoxing. On top of that, you and your dining partner can choose two sides to share: Chinese broccoli with sesame, kung pao Brussels sprouts, fried rice or steamed rice. Should Fish Night be so tasty that you can't wait to get back to Moonhouse, return on a Thursday night for $2 oysters and $10 sparkling, happening every week from 5.30pm.
For more than a century, watching a movie has involved staring at either a rectangle or a square. They're the shapes that the silver screen is known for, and the small screen as well. But catch a film at the planetarium and everything becomes circular — which makes fulldome flicks, as they're called, something particularly special. Melbourne Planetarium plays movies on its dome via regular programs — films specifically made to take advantage of the different screening format — and the Melbourne International Film Festival has included fulldome showcases in its annual lineup. But Australia only boasts one film fest that's solely all about hemispherical views. That event: the Dome Under Film Festival, which debuted in 2020, returns to the Victorian capital from Friday, January 30 to Sunday, February 1, 2026. Dome Under Festival's latest outing once again showcases the best new fulldome releases from around the world at Scienceworks. With sessions dedicated to family-friendly titles, astronomy, art, world stories and the future, the program features plenty of highlights — covering everything from Earth's orbit, our place in the Milky Way, the secrets of an Italian forest, Mount Everest, Colombian constellations and a series of mind-bending art films designed specially to be screened on the dome. In total, 39 films from around the world will grace the dome, as handpicked by the Dome Under team. Each one will fill every inch of the planetarium's 16-metre domed ceiling — and play with 5.1 surround sound. Each film will only be screened once, with multiple films organised by theme in each session across the three-day period. This year, the festival will include a competitive section judged by a panel of three experts, awarding films for their storytelling and technical prowess. Warik Lawrance, festival founder and Museums Victoria curator, said, "Fulldome cinema is evolving at an incredible pace, and the Dome Under Film Festival has become a place where that innovation truly shines." Dome Under Fulldome Festival 2026 will run from Friday, January 30 to Sunday, February 1, 2026. For more information or to book tickets, visit the website. Images: 'One Step Beyond', 'Encounters in the Milky Way', 'The Rift' — supplied by Museums Victoria
Led by the opening of the NGV's annual winter masterpieces show, the month of May looks bright as another host of must-see art exhibitions take place across Melbourne. Head to Melbourne Museum to catch a glimpse of Mick Jagger's stage costume soundtracked to songs of the 60s, get deep in ancient tattoo customs at the Immigration Museum, and get a rare glimpse at what's been called the 'eighth' wonder of the world. Covering topics as diverse as climate change to generational change in China, these seven exhibitions will more than satiate your art and culture cravings this month. Drop by a gallery after work or make a day of it and an exhibition on the weekend — there's great art happening everywhere from Newport to Bendigo.
Australia's hospitality scene has endured a tough couple of years, cycling through lockdowns, restrictions and stints where almost everyone in town seemed to be in isolation. But for diners keen for restaurant dishes without heading out, Providoor arrived with some sweet relief: an innovative new meal delivery platform that hit Sydney and Melbourne in 2020, and Brisbane earlier in 2022. Even now that being mandated to stay at home is a thing of the past, the service can still give you an eating-out level meal without leaving the house — and, as of Monday, October 17, on the same day that you order. Don't like planning too far ahead? As long as you place an order by 1pm daily, you'll be tucking into restaurant dishes in your own dining room that very evening. You do need to live within 15–20 kilometres of the city centre; however, if that's you, you can now enjoy a same-day feast from spots such as Manta, Gourmet Life and Lotus in Sydney; The Everleigh, Lona Misa and Maha in Melbourne; and Phoenix, Naim and Siffredi's in Brisbane. Providoor works with some of each city's best dining institutions, stepping up the takeout game by dropping high-end dishes to customers' doorsteps. The brainchild of Maha Chef-Owner Shane Delia, it drops off its chef-prepared meals via cold-freight within its service area. Then, once the dish is in your kitchen, you'll follow the supplied instructions to add the finishing touches: heating up a red pepper sauce, perhaps, popping some brisket in the oven for its final minutes of cooking or getting crafty with the plating up process. After that, voila! — the end result is a pretty close replica of what might arrive at your restaurant table, hot off the pass. No soggy dumplings or lukewarm potato in sight. "We are delighted to be able to expand the remit of Providoor's mission by offering same-day delivery to our customers. Our aim has always been to help the hospitality industry by opening new avenues of sales, and same-day delivery does just that by increasing consumer convenience," said Delia. "With this update, diners can take meal planning out of consideration, and simply decide what they feel like on the day, straight from the menus of their favourite restaurants." The lineup of venues taking part is impressive — and broader delivery areas include Sydney Metro, regional New South Wales including the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Newcastle and Wollongong, and Byron Bay and Tweed Heads in NSW; Melbourne, Mornington Peninsula, Bellarine Peninsula, Gippsland, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and greater Geelong in Victoria; and Brisbane Metro, Gold Coast, Noosa, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba in Queensland. Providoor has also updated its website so that you can only see restaurants relevant to where you are, and also filter dishes according to dietary requirements, allergens and preparation time. For more information about Providoor, or to order via the service, head to its website.
