Give yourself over to both the unknown and the unnerving, as Realscape Productions' DARKFIELD returns to Arts Centre Melbourne from Friday, October 24–Sunday, January 4, 2026. Featuring two multi-sensory and downright daunting works — FLIGHT and INVISIBLE — the latter is making its Melbourne debut after wowing audiences in Australia and around the globe. Designed to cause havoc with your senses, INVISIBLE sees visitors step into a blacked-out, 40-foot shipping container disguised as a theatre. Amid complete darkness, a mysterious voice moves through the space, delving into the irresistible temptations of invisibility. Yet as we learn more about this dark world, a slightly more sinister tone brings new meaning to the experience. FLIGHT is a little more upfront with its fear factor. Boarding an imagined plane, would-be passengers trip through dual worlds, causing them to wonder what it would feel like if the cabin suddenly lost pressure. Not for the aerophobic or claustrophobic, this nerve-jangling experience plays on ideas like quantum mechanics and the multiverse. "Following a record-breaking tour across the country, we're thrilled to be returning to Arts Centre Melbourne with INVISIBLE and can't wait to see how audiences respond to this latest work," says Amy Johnson, Realscape Productions. "INVISIBLE and FLIGHT are ideal for anyone who loves the thrill of multi-sensory entertainment, and immersing themselves in the unknown." [caption id="attachment_739297" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mihaela Bodlovic[/caption] Top image: Alex Purcell.
If you're after the real deal when it comes to a Sichuan hot pot feast, you'll find yourself in expert hands with a visit to much-loved CBD restaurant, David's Hot Pot. Originating in hot pot's heartland of Chengdu, the brand made its way to Melbourne in 2017 and has since spawned three local outposts (plus one in Brisbane), which see the crowds flocking for big, fresh flavours and traditional Sichuan-style broths. It's buzzy, colourful and primed for group feeds, with a rainbow of lanterns strung from the ceiling and steam wafting from the fragrant pots atop each table. The kitchen's boldly flavoured soup bases marry classic ingredients with top-quality Australian beef tallow, with options ranging from the fiery Signature Spicy Character broth ($36), to a laksa-style number ($29.80), to a dried fish maw and chicken soup ($48.80). There are four levels of heat to choose from, and a vast array of add-ins to pimp your hot pot — including beef slices, house-made lobster balls, enoki, pork belly, braised short rib and sweet potato noodles. Plus, a slew of things to suit more adventurous diners, too. Round out your feast with some classic snacks — maybe some fried rice cakes or prawn dumplings — and a few crisp Tsingtao brews ($8.80) or local wines to calm any lingering spice. Appears in: The Best Restaurants in Melbourne for 2023
Frozen has done it. Beauty and the Beast and Shrek, too. The Lion King is set to again in 2026. We're talking about animated movies making the leap from the screen to the stage Down Under, as another childhood favourite will before 2025 is out. With Anastasia, Russian history first inspired a 90s hit, which then became a Broadway stage production since 2017. When the musical treads the boards in Melbourne from December, it'll mark the show's Australian debut. The Victorian capital's Regent Theatre will host Anastasia's Aussie premiere, but it isn't the only venue — or city — that'll welcome the production. So far, John Frost for Crossroads Live and Opera Australia have also locked in seasons in Perth and Sydney, the former from March 2026 at Crown Theatre and the latter from April 2026 at the Lyric Theatre. At each stop, the Tony-nominated musical will unveil an all-ages-friendly tale inspired by Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov during the Russian Revolution, as the 1997 movie also charted. Accordingly, accompanied by songs such as 'Journey to the Past' and 'Once Upon a December' — both from the big-screen release — theatregoers can get ready to spend time with a young woman named Anya on her journey to discover her past, and to unearth a story that some in the narrative don't want revealed. Audiences have writer Terrence McNally and songwriting team Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens to thank for Anastasia's existence as a stage musical — and between its Broadway run and its Aussie stint, Anastasia has also toured North America, and hit the stage in Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Brazil, Mexico and Japan. "The legend of Anastasia has intrigued the world for many years and I've been wanting to bring this musical to Australia since it premiered on Broadway in 2017. It's a story full of mystery and romance with a magnificent score that I know Australia is going to fall in love with," said producer John Frost AM. "Opera Australia is thrilled to be once again partnering with John Frost to bring another world-class musical to Australian theatres. We expect the glorious music, spectacle and intrigue of Anastasia will captivate audiences around the country," added Opera Australia's Acting CEO Simon Militano. Anastasia Australian Dates From December 2025 — Regent Theatre, Melbourne From March 2026 — Crown Theatre, Perth From April 2026 — Lyric Theatre, Sydney Anastasia will premiere in Australia in Melbourne from December 2025, then head to Perth from March 2026, then Sydney from April 2026. Head to the musical's website for more details, and to join the waitlist for tickets. Images: Roy Beusker.
It's been a few years since Brunetti split in two, becoming Brunetti Classico and Brunetti Oro — with brothers Fabio and Yuri Angele assuming sole ownership of each arm. Since then, both brands have maintained the same old-school Italian sensibilities that made the Brunetti name so beloved, while also expanding independently. Brunetti Oro now has sites in the CBD and Brunswick, and you can find Brunetti Classico in Carlton, Moonee Ponds, Melbourne Airport, and now Coburg. This two-storey Newlands Road concept store is home to the brand's classic mini cakes, paninis, arancini, calzones and signature coffee. But unlike the Carlton flagship that has ample seating, this new venture is mostly a takeaway situation. Rather than easing into a long coffee and cake session with mates, drop by the new northside spot to grab a quick lunch or a box of small cakes to take back to the office or home. Alternatively, you can take your pick of large, ornately decorated cakes from the fridges that line the walls, ideal for last-minute cake-requiring events. But those seeking something more special are in for a real treat at the new Brunetti Classico store. Here, you can skip the pre-made celebration cakes and book your own cake consultation upstairs. During your session, a personal cake consultant will talk you through all the options, whether you want to keep it simple or go rogue with design and flavour combos. "This is a VIP-style service, our cake consultants are experts in their field, and can create custom cakes for any special occasion, including weddings and significant birthdays," says Fabio. Either drop by to simply nab your favourite Brunetti torta, or team up with an expert cake consultant to dream up your own delicious masterpiece.
We all joke about pulling a 'don't you know who I am' card on a joint, but when Big Time rockers pull it on a tiny, tiny Seattle cafe there's some dramatic head-shaking to attend to. After finishing a gig this weekend in Seattle, Rage Against the Machine's guitarist Tom Morello attempted to skip the queue at Seattle's 5 Point Cafe — to no avail. According to Grub Street, 5 Point was at capacity when the Rage legend waltzed up to the front of the line and demanded entrance, after the cafe team "who's told bigger rock stars than him no," gave him the ol' hell no. Like any self-respecting, hospitality-burned celeb, Morello decided to get on his 4am Twitter soapbox. Having long supported worker's rights and wage raises, Morello thought now was the perfect, out-of-context time to drop this rant: Five Point restaurant in Seattle is the WORST. Super rude & anti-worker. Shittiest doorman in the Northwest. Prick. Spread the word. — Tom Morello (@tmorello) September 27, 2014 After his early-morning "so, ner" went rampaging online for a spell, restaurant owner David Meinert didn't let the guitarist have the last say, taking to Facebook with a response to the "tweet from our pal": "For the record Tom Morello — The 5 Point is totally pro-worker. We try to pay more than any other small restaurant, and on top of the higher pay, we offer health insurance, paid sick days, paid time off, retirement and profit share. Sorry if you had an issue with our staff, but typically our staff is awesome, and when they are not, it's usually a reflection of the customer. Act like a prick = get treated like a prick. "I have to say, your attacking a small business without knowing anything about it, or addressing your problem with them directly before you go on a public rant, pretty much sucks. Just lost a ton of respect for you, and I've been a fan for years, both of your work in Rage and your work for workers rights since. "PS — rock stars don't get special treatment at The 5 Point. We couldn't give less of a shit. Sorry. "And PSS — I'm the owner of the 5 Point and have worked to raise the minimum wage in Seattle and support the same nationally, worked to get paid sick days law in Seattle, and am supporting a City sponsored retirement plan for employees of small businesses. I hope you do the same for your employees on the road..." "PSSS — turns out he and his crew didn't get let in as the place was at capacity and there was a line. No one was being let in. According to our doorman who I totally trust, Tom and his crew were all totally rude. Quote from the door guys "I knew who he was, we had no room, his whole party was being rude. He wanted a special room in the back. Clearly had no ideas what it is like inside. I've told bigger rock stars than him no." Since his kneejerk reaction, Morello had time to come up with some kind of 'forgiveness' — with conditions. Willing to forgive the Seattle Evil (Egg) Empire 5 Points Cafe doorman powertrip if good guy owner D Meinert fully embraces #15Now min wage — Tom Morello (@tmorello) September 29, 2014 Meinert has somewhat relented and offered this on Facebook an hour ago: "Hey all, about this Tom Morello thing... I think Tom was in the wrong, and his tweet was offensive and pissed us off, BUT, Tom stands up for workers and uses his fame for some very good causes, almost always for those most in need. Yes he's very rich, yes he was on a big corporate record label. But every other interaction I've had with him has been cool. I would far rather people be enraged about the issues Tom is trying to bring up than wish Tom ill. So if you want to get pissed, be pissed that companies like iHop or Darden are spending millions to fight raising the minimum wage, and are supporting politicians who want to oppress women, minorities and workers, in order to get higher corporate profits. If everyone spent as much time posting about these issues as they have about Tom, we'd all be better off." Pancake Gate update: Luv&respect the workers.Glad to sit down w/owner next time in Sea, happy about his commitment to pay raise for workers — Tom Morello (@tmorello) September 30, 2014 So Morello's put his manners back in and Meinert's smoothed things over. And we can absolutely get behind Morello's famously Damn The Man activism, any day of the week. Perhaps next time ranting about workers' rights and equality is best done when you're not rock-starring your way past a queue? Via Grub Street and Stereogum.
What's better than Australia being home to 11 of the 101 best steak restaurants on the planet, as proved the case in 2024? Upping that number to 17 in 2025. Last year, more than a tenth of the top spots for a steak worldwide were located Down Under according to the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants List. This year, that number gets closer to a fifth of the eateries around the globe. As in 2024, you'll find every single one of 2025's ace Aussie steak joints in Sydney and Melbourne. Most of the Australian restaurants that made the cut last year did so this year — and one, Neil Perry's Margaret, not only made the top ten for the second year running but jumped from third to second place. Yes, that means that the Double Bay venue is now the second-best steak eatery in the world. [caption id="attachment_1001992" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Petrina Tinslay.[/caption] "We're absolutely thrilled that Margaret has been named one of the best steak restaurants in the world. For our family-run restaurant to receive this recognition is an incredible honour. It's a testament to the passion we've poured into our meat program — from working with exceptional producers like Blackmore Wagyu and CopperTree Farms to ensuring every cut served is perfectly dry-aged and cooked," said Perry. "It's also fantastic to see 17 Australian restaurants featured on the list this year, a reflection of the outstanding quality of our beef producers." Which global restaurant took out the number-one spot, sitting above Margaret? Buenos Aires' Parrilla Don Julio seared itself into first place again, as it did in 2024 and in 2023 before that. After Australia's highest placement, Laia Erretegia in Hondarribia in Spain came in third, then I due Cippi in Saturnia in Italy in fourth and Singapore's Burnt Ends in fifth. Bodega El Capricho in Jiménez de Jamuz in Spain, last year's number two, ranked sixth, with Casa Julian in Spain's Tolosa, Lana in Madrid, AG in Stockholm and Cote in New York rounding out the top ten. Australia's next showing came at number 12 courtesy of Rockpool in Sydney — followed by four more spots in the top 20, giving the nation six of the 20 best steak joins in the world. Sydney's The International ranked 14th, then the Harbour City's Firedoor came 16th (after placing third back in 2022), followed by Victor Churchill in Melbourne at 18th and Porteño in Sydney in 20th position. From there, the remainder of Sydney's 11 places on the list arrive courtesy of The Gidley at 32, Aalia at 36, Shell House at 51, The Cut Bar & Grill at 62, 20 Chapel at 93 and Bistecca at 99. In Melbourne, Steer Dining Room ranked 37th, Gimlet at Cavendish House sits 45th, Matilda 159 is 57th, Meatmaiden came in at 91 and Grill Americano took out 92nd spot. 2025's selections where whittled down to 101 from 900 restaurants, each evaluated against 28 comprehensive criteria, such as the quality of the meat, its sourcing, ageing techniques and cooking precision, as well as service, wine expertise, ambiance and authenticity. Alongside Australia's huge showing, another good news story comes from Japan, which scored eight restaurants in the Top 101 for the first time ever. [caption id="attachment_1001993" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Petrina Tinslay.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_699842" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] [caption id="attachment_844448" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Christopher Pearce[/caption] [caption id="attachment_956587" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dominic Loneragan[/caption] [caption id="attachment_675814" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dominic Loneragan[/caption] [caption id="attachment_860199" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Earl Carter[/caption] For the full rundown of the World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants for 2025, head to the list's website. Top image: Petrina Tinslay.
When you're starring in a survivalist drama about humanity's attempts to keep life going 219 years after nuclear bombs destroyed existence as everyone knows it, do you start thinking about how you'd cope in a similar situation? As Fallout's three leads tell Concrete Playground, the answer is yes. But for Walton Goggins, Ella Purnell and Aaron Moten, that question always comes back to their characters — as disparate a trio that anyone could ever imagine trying to eke it out in post-apocalyptic times, ranging from the literally sheltered to the centuries-old and mutated, and also a wannabe soldier in a military where robotic armour is the best protection against a living nightmare. Goggins (I'm a Virgo) helps usher the game-to-screen series, which dropped its eight-episode first season on Prime Video Down Under on Thursday, April 11, into its premise. First he's seen as Cooper Howard, an actor who was once a western star, but is initially introduced getting paid to show up a a child's birthday party. That's where he is, alongside his young daughter Janey (Teagan Meredith, The Calling), when Los Angeles is devastated. Next, what should've been several lifetimes have passed and Goggins is now The Ghoul, with a look to suit his name (including a hole where his nose should be) and the fact that his character is still kicking after so much time. In her latest series with a survivalist angle — see also: her turn as Jackie in Yellowjackets — Purnell plays Lucy MacLean, who wasn't even a twinkle in anyone's eye when life was a picture of retrofuturistic normality for Howard. Her status quo is Vault 33, one of several underground facilities where a blue uniform-clad mission to keep civilisation alive is underway. Her first goal is simply to marry and help perpetuate the species; a wedding to a neighbouring vault dweller, as overseen by her father and Vault 33's leader Hank (Kyle MacLachlan, Lucky Hank), is her initial fate. Soon, however, she's venturing out into wasteland, where there's more going on than she's been taught to believe — and a place that both The Ghoul and Maximus (Aaron Moten, Emancipation) have no choice but to call home. The latter has a clear aim, too, when Fallout begins: becoming a knight for the Brotherhood of Steel, which means donning Pacific Rim and Gundam-esque suits. Even being a squire for a knight would be a step up from being terrorised by his fellow trainees. As brought to streaming by series creators and showrunners Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Graham Wagner (The Office, Silicon Valley) — plus Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy as executive producers — Lucy, The Ghoul and Maximus' journeys will see them cross paths, of course, but nothing is simple in the show's hellish realm. Fallout has the three lead performances to make that plain, and both the vibe and the world-building design (plus no shortage of carnage, whether from people doing battle or mutated animals leaping out of toxic waters). [caption id="attachment_950361" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Anna Webber/Getty Images for Prime Video[/caption] Goggins, Purnell and Moten are each sublimely cast. For viewers, enlisting Goggins as The Ghoul is especially perfect, after a three-decade career that spans everything from The Shield, Justified, Sons of Anarchy and The Hateful Eight to Vice Principals and The Righteous Gemstones. No one has the same kind of swagger, or flair with dialogue. He's just as mesmerising when he's stepping into Howard's past, too, where his soft-spoken tones match his own in-person. Purnell's Lucy and Moten's Maximus both navigate coming-of-age stories amid Fallout's dystopian realm, albeit from vastly different beginnings. Plucky from the get-go, Maleficent, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Sweetbitter's Purnell segues from perennial optimism to toughened-up realism. Haunted from the outset, The Night Of, Mozart in the Jungle and Next's Moten is tasked with searching for somewhere to belong, but stops letting his yearning cloud reality. Fallout is about ascertaining who you want to be — what you're willing to do, and face, and put up with — in such grim times as well, with its main trio constantly unpacking that weighty idea. What does it take to step into Fallout's wasteland, and to bring a gaming series beloved since 1997 to television? How do the show's stars see the heart of its survivalist story? What does the inimitable Goggins look for in a part, and what appealed to him about taking on The Ghoul? We chatted to Goggins, Purnell and Moten about all of the above, and also found out how much they adored the job at hand, how Goggins saw the setup as a "good, the bad and the ugly" situation, and the fact that this marks Moten's first-ever project shot on celluloid. On Whether the Fallout Cast Think About How They'd Respond in the Same Dystopian Situation — and How That Influences Their Take on Their Characters Aaron: "I think sometimes." Ella: "Yeah." Walton: "Yeah." Aaron: "I do think that, I feel like we all have specific details that are different, actually, about that answer, though. Because as Maximus, I'm playing a person who was born and raised in the wasteland, versus a person born and raised in a vault underground, and a person who lived before the bombs happened. So for me, yes, I think there's an essence of 'what would I do in this moment?'. But at the same time, I think Maximus has lived a harsh reality. A major challenge for me is how to change my thought pattern to match one of someone who would have been born and raised in the wasteland. What that means, usually it's about his moral compass; how survival has, I guess, evolved people; and their choices, and their right and wrong parameters. That to me, there's an element of 'what would I do?' — but I usually then am using that as a springboard, and sometimes landing on the 180 opposite then, as of what to do in in a situation." Walton: "I think we would all go about it in a very different way. The thing about the question that sparked a thought in my mind is what I love about this show — I think so often over time, over the last eight decades, shows that dealt with this type of end-of-the-world event, so much of the time is dedicated to showing the end of the world, right. That happens in the first five minutes of this experience. And the moderator last night [at Fallout's London premiere] brought up the fact that there's an inherent kind of hope and optimism even in this bleak landscape — whether that's coming from Lucy, or whether that's built into the show. For me, I was thinking about that today, and I thought last night after she asked it, and I thought 'well, no', because really, the world that we knew is over. So the only thing that we have left to do once you know the deck has been reshuffled is to build. It's about recreating the world. And Maximus brings that up in a in a just a great line in the pilot. And I think at the onset of any great human endeavour, hope or optimism springs eternal — and that's a cool part of this show. I like it. I'm watching it. It's really exciting to me." On Unpacking Fallout's Survivalist Themes Ella: "For me, one of the most exciting parts about the role was you take this very — at the start of the show — privileged, sheltered, innocent, clean (literally) young woman, and put her in this horrible, horrific situation that you would never hope to be in. And you really see her explore the extent of what humans are capable of. She gets to the very brink of her limits. I think that she really gets put through it, and you see this deterioration happening in front of your eyes. And I think she has to dig really deep inside her to find that place of wanting to survive. Because you want to give up. And there has to be a point where you make the choice that 'I am a survivor, I am going to get through this no matter what it takes'. And then that's where the theme of morality and identity come in. I find survival stuff really interesting, just seeing how desperate a human can get — how they pave the way, how they put one foot in front of the other." Walton: "I think the relationship between the two of us [The Ghoul and Lucy], I was thinking about that, too, after that conversation last night. The Ghoul in some way is a metaphor for life and tragedy. And he's saying in our relationship between Lucy and The Ghoul, it's as if he's sadistically saying: 'Come with me. Let me show you what the world is really like. You'll see this and you'll see this'. And that loss of innocence is tragic, but inevitable in life." On What Gets Goggins Excited About a Role, Including Playing Cooper Howard/The Ghoul Walton: "For me, it's just money at this stage of my life. I'm just kidding. I'm joking. That's a very big joke." Ella: "I always wanted someone to answer a question like that." Walton: "It's just money. No, no, no. I've never taken a job for money, actually. I've believed in everything that I've been a part of. I think all of us would say this — I don't want to speak for anyone else, but Jonathan Nolan is number one. Geneva, who's an old friend of mine, and we did Tomb Raider together. Graham, I've been a fan of for a very long time. And so you get that out of the way. And then you look at the story. [caption id="attachment_950363" align="alignnone" width="1920"] JoJo Whilden/Prime Video ©Amazon Content Services LLC[/caption] When I read the first two scripts, I was blown away by my journey, by The Ghoul's journey — but also blown away by Lucy's journey and Maximus' journey. And really saw it as kind of this good, the bad and the ugly, this strange configuration of these three people that come from very, very different backgrounds, and the way in which they meet up. But the thing that got me more than anything is Cooper Howard is two people at different parts of the story, and understanding Cooper Howard — Cooper Howard was a movie star, a western kind of movie star. And he was the perfect protagonist, if you will, or the perfect hero for a time of eternal American optimism, for that specific time and the history in our country. And in some ways, I think The Ghoul is not an anti-hero. I think he's the perfect hero in a cynical fallen world. He is someone who survived for 200 years. And for those of us that were left on the surface, it's a game of struggle, of daily survival. And I think it was the juxtaposition between those two different journeys that was most fascinating to me." On the Responsibility of Bringing Fallout to the Screen Given the Enormous Fandom for the Games Aaron: "I think we feel a great deal. There's a weight to it, for sure. I know that, for myself, it comes from care as well. You cherish the material and you want to do it justice. A big part of acting, ultimately, I think for all of us is about getting yeses sometimes in a world of moving through scripts. And so there's a validation that you do hope to achieve taking on something that is beloved. But at the same time, every day for me — and [turning to Walton and Ella], I don't know if you guys were different — Howard Cummings [Fallout's production designer] and his team, and what they were building and putting together, and the detail that they were just preparing every set, every location, really made a lot of that fall away. It was just such a joy to get such a great playground. It's like being the kid that's nervous to go to school, but then 'ohh man, they've got a swirly slide!'. It really felt like how could I not just jump in and enjoy it and really just go there. Jonah [Jonathan Nolan] as well, helped a lot with that. And getting to shoot on film, just real celluloid, which is the first time for me. But hearing that camera." [caption id="attachment_950367" align="alignnone" width="1920"] JoJo Whilden/Prime Video ©Amazon Content Services LLC[/caption] Walton: "Amazing." Aaron: "Yeah. First time." Walton: "Wow. I never heard that." Aaron: "A life of digital. A life of 'it's rolling, just play'." Walton: "I didn't know that. Wow." Aaron: "It makes us more economical, I think. You hear the rolls start, and you know we just reloaded, we've got seven or eight minutes." Ella: "Yeah." Aaron: "And if action is called, I'm doing it." Ella: "Yeah, more intensely." Aaron: "We're going for it." Ella: "I'd say it's also the anticipation that's the scariest part. I don't know about you guys [turns to Aaron and Walton], but the two weeks leading up to beginning, I think I lost my mind. And then as soon as you start, it's, like you say, you get taken in by the characters and the costumes and the collaboration and the sets — and all of that goes away because it's fun. It's just so fun. We're so lucky." Walton: "Yeah, we really are." Fallout streams via Prime Video from Thursday, April 11, 2024. Read our review. Images: courtesy of Prime Video.
It has been twenty years since James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet recreated one of the deadliest ship disasters in modern history — you know the one. Titanic also launched a lifetime of folks standing at the bow of boats and exclaiming "I'm the king of the world", and made the world endure a Celine Dion song that, as the lyrics promised, would go on. As well as snag a huge bag of Oscars and big, big bucks at the box office, the film did something else: reignite public fascination with the 1912 sinking. If you've ever watched and wondered what it'd be like to see the real thing, then wonder no more. You'd just better have a cool $137,000 sitting in your bank account. Commencing in 2018, travel company Blue Marble Private will be taking nine fascinated seafarers down to the famous ship on an eight-day journey. Departing from the coast of Newfoundland in Canada, they'll dive four kilometres down into the North Atlantic Ocean in a titanium and carbon fibre submersible — accompanied by experts, of course — to cruise around the passenger liner's deck, glide over its grand staircase and wander through the vessel that went down on its maiden voyage, taking more than 1500 people with it. The hefty price tag is supposed to reflect the cost of a first class ticket on the RMS Titanic 105 years ago, although it's hardly surprising that plunging deep into both the ocean's depths and a historical wreck costs a massive stack of cash and then some. This isn't the first time tours have been offered — indeed, presumably using some of the loot his romantic drama pulled in, James Cameron has made the journey three times — but it's still estimated that only 140 people have seen the site in person since it was first discovered in 1984. Via: The Australian. Image: OceanGate.
Before Game of Thrones ended its eighth-season run, HBO spent years telling the world that the end of the hit show wouldn't actually be the end. Firstly, the American cable network announced that it was considering five different prequel ideas. It then green-lit one to pilot stage, scrapped it and later picked a contender to run with: the upcoming House of the Dragon. It also opted to give novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg the TV treatment, too, and to work on an animated GoT show. And, it's been reported that another three prequels are also under consideration. Throughout all of this, GoT fans have been told one thing over and over, even without it being explicitly said. Our days of watching fiery fights between famous Westerosi names — and games over who gets tot sit on the Iron Throne — are far from over, clearly, and won't be for quite some time. And, now that House of the Dragon is getting nearer, dropping teasers and setting release dates (releasing in winter Down Under, when else?), that's glaringly apparent. HBO has just unveiled a new sneak peek at its first GoT spinoff and, yes, all of the basics are covered, including men being unhappy about the idea of a woman on the throne. Focused on House Targaryen — and including flame-breathing scaly creatures, naturally — House of the Dragon promises to dive into the chaotic family's past. That's intertwined with the entire history of the Seven Kingdoms, though. And, as the new footage makes plain, the prequel knows that everyone watching are all well aware of how things turned out when Daenerys Targaryen claimed power (even if this series — which is based on a George RR Martin book, Fire & Blood, of course — is set a couple of hundred years earlier). Cast- and character-wise, House of the Dragon stars Emma D'Arcy (Misbehaviour) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first-born child of King Viserys; Matt Smith (His House) as Prince Daemon Targaryen, the King's brother; Rhys Ifans (The King's Man) as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King; Olivia Cooke (Slow Horses) as Alicent Hightower, Otto's daughter; and Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin) as Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka 'The Sea Snake', a nautical adventurer from a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. These Westerosi folk all grace a tale that harks back to Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of the Seven Kingdoms — which is what started the hefty 738-page first volume in Fire & Blood's planned two-book series — and then works through the family's backstory from there. Aegon I created the Iron Throne, hence the returning favourite's prominence. Also, you don't have to be the Three-Eyed Raven to know that fighting, battles for supremacy and bloodshed are always a part of every GoT narrative. Popping up on camera as well: Paddy Considine (The Third Day) as King Viserys, Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon and Sonoya Mizuno (Devs) as Mysaria, Prince Daemon's paramour. Behind the scenes, Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal are acting as the series' showrunners. Sapochnik has a hefty GoT history, winning an Emmy and a Directors Guild Award for directing 'Battle of The Bastards', helming season eight's 'The Long Night', and doing the same on four other episodes. As for Condal, he co-created and oversaw recent sci-fi series Colony, and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2018 film Rampage. The latest trailer follows an initial sneak peek back in October last year. Given there's still a few months until House of the Dragon's ten-episode first season starts airing, expect more to follow. That dance with dragons will arrive on Monday, August 22 Down Under, if you don't already have it in your calendar. Foxtel and Binge in Australia and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand will be doing the honours, if you're wondering where to direct your eyeballs. Check out the latest teaser trailer for House of the Dragon below: House of the Dragon will start airing on Monday, August 22 Down Under via Foxtel and Binge, in Australia and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand. Images: Ollie Upton/HBO.
In the world of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, fighting for power and glory is a lifelong quest, and one shared far and wide across Westeros. In bringing the fictional realm created by author George RR Martin to the small screen, US network HBO seems to have adapted the same mindset — because this hugely popular franchise is only going to keep expanding in its hands. News about what follows the initial page-to-screen show has been bubbling for years now. Indeed, before Game of Thrones even came to an end back in 2019, HBO was looking at spending more time in Westeros. Of course, House of the Dragon has already aired its first season and been renewed for a second, which mightn't arrive till 2024. Chatter about what else might arrive spans a Jon Snow-focused spinoff with Kit Harington (Eternals) reprising his famous role, novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg and an animated GoT show. Beyond that, another three prequels are also reported to have been under consideration. To farewell 2022, Martin himself advised that there actually may not be as many GoT spinoffs on the way; however, now comes word of a brand-new candidate. Variety is reporting that HBO is contemplating another prequel — and another show to focus on the Targaryens, this time exploring how Aegon I took over Westeros with his two sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys, plus three dragons, then became its first king and the first to ever sit on the Iron Throne. There's no confirmation from HBO so far, and obviously nothing in the way of a title, timing or casting. But Variety also advises that this prequel could even start as a movie, then return to the episodic format. And if there's one thing that HBO adores when it comes to Game of Thrones, it's House Targaryen and their complicated history. Wigmakers, rejoice — if this series gets the go ahead, there'll be an even bigger need for artificial blonde mops. Special effects crews will also get plenty of work creating those dragons. Whether this show ends up eventuating or not, our days of watching fiery fights between famous Westerosi names — and games over who gets to sit on the Iron Throne — are definitely far from over. Game of Thrones was that much of a hit, and House of the Dragon has proven the same so far. Until House of the Dragon season two hits, or any other on-screen dances with dragons are confirmed, check out the season one trailer below: The latest proposed Game of Thrones prequel doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you if and when more details are confirmed. House of the Dragon streams Down Under via Foxtel and Binge in Australia, and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand. Read our full review of season one. Via Variety. Images: HBO.
Your brain knows it as well as your stomach: food tastes a certain way after midnight. And that way is generally very good. Something happens to your tastebuds (and appreciation for food) after a night out. One minute, you're happily wandering up Swanston Street on your way to get a tram home, and the next, you're hit with a craving for noodles or dumplings. Or you're suddenly incapacitated in the middle of Lygon Street with a need for pizza or pasta. Instead of doing a futile (and probably ineffective) search through Google Maps when you're after the best Melbourne restaurants and bars for late-night eats, bookmark this page to come back to when hunger strikes. We see you and your late-night food cravings — and give you the best late-night eats in Melbourne. Recommended reads: The Best Restaurants in Melbourne The Best Bars in Melbourne The Best Bars for Dancing in Melbourne The Best Cheap Eats in Melbourne
In A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet stepped into Bob Dylan's shoes in the 60s and charted his rise to fame. A trip to the past and aspiring to greatness is also on the actor's agenda in his next film. Instead of folk music, Marty Supreme's eponymous figure is passionate about ping-pong — and he's certain that it's going to be the next big thing. "I know it's hard to believe, but I'm telling you: this game, it fills stadiums overseas. And it's only a matter of time before I'm staring at you from the cover of a Wheaties box," Marty advises in the A24 movie's just-dropped teaser trailer. Welcome to your first sneak peek at the second of two features that are filling a very specific niche: 2025 releases (in the US, at least) directed by a Safdie brother solo and focusing on sports. Josh Safdie helms Marty Supreme. His Daddy Longlegs, Lenny Cooke, Heaven Knows What, Good Time and Uncut Gems co-directing sibling Bennie has The Smashing Machine on the way, starring Dwayne Johnson's (Red One) as IRL MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Could 2025 nominee Chalamet and Johnson find themselves going head to head come awards season for different Safdie films? That's firmly a possibility. As Marty Supreme's Marty Mauser, Chalamet's task (or obligation, as his character puts it) is chasing the dream that is ping-pong success — for himself and for the game his loves, which no one else seems convinced of in the 50s-set flick's first sneak peek. Gwyneth Paltrow (The Politician) pops up in the Marty Supreme trailer as a famous movie star, while the eclectic cast also includes fellow actors Fran Drescher (A Tooth Fairy Tale) and Odessa A'zion (Until Dawn), rap star Tyler, The Creator, filmmaker Abel Ferrara (Turn in the Wound) and magician Penn Jillette. In America, Chalamet's latest film is a Christmas treat, releasing on Thursday, December 25. That's two years in a row that the merriest day of the year and Chalamet have gone hand in hand in the US, as A Complete Unknown also dropped on the same date. When Marty Supreme will hit cinemas Down Under hasn't yet been revealed. Josh Safdie co-wrote the movie with Heaven Knows What, Good Time and Uncut Gems co-screenwriter Ronald Bronstein, and helms a feature on his lonesome for the first time since 2008's The Pleasure of Being Robbed. Check out the first teaser trailer for Marty Supreme below: Marty Supreme releases in US cinemas on Thursday, December 25, 2025 — we'll update you on Down Under release details when they're announced.
Sometimes, when a TV show is a hit, giant dolls pop up by Sydney harbour. At other times, when a movie is a must-see, one of its key locations makes its home on Little Bourke Street in Melbourne. Right now is one of the latter occasions, all to celebrate Everything Everywhere All At Once — aka the multiverse-hopping, mind-bending delight starring the one and only Michelle Yeoh that everyone is rightly talking about at the moment. In the flick, the Crazy Rich Asians, Last Christmas, Boss Level, Gunpowder Milkshake and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor plays middle-aged Chinese American woman Evelyn Wang, who runs a laundromat with her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom's Short Round and The Goonies' Data). That might sound straightforward, but the feature was written and directed by the Daniels, aka Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. If you saw Swiss Army Man, which cast Daniel Radcliffe as a farting corpse who doubled as a jetski, you should have some idea of the kind of wild and wacky on-screen chaos the filmmaking duo is capable of conjuring up. For Evelyn in Everything Everywhere All At Once, she takes a trip to her local tax office — and her tale soon goes hurtling through other dimensions from there. The full details are best discovered by watching; however, the end result is exactly what big-screen multiverse-focused fare should look like. While following in Evelyn's footsteps isn't something that anyone can truly do, Roadshow Films has set up a pop-up that'll let you pretend — only if you're in the Melbourne CBD from 1–8pm daily between Friday, April 22–Sunday, April 24. At Corrs Corner at 132–138 Little Bourke Street, you'll find the Everything Everywhere All At Once multiversal laundromat. Step inside, see crucial spots from movie right there before your eyes and feel like you've leapt into the film. While you'll enter a space that, yes, resembles a laundromat, that's just the beginning. From there, you'll find a spliced and angled mirror room as well, and different nods to places and moments in the movie. Having your senses overwhelmed comes with the territory — as it does, at least with your eyes and ears, while watching Everything Everywhere All At Once. Make sure that you peer inside the washing machines onsite, too, as they're designed to spin with a kaleidoscopic array of moving imagery — and make you feel like you're time-travelling between different dimensions. Obviously, taking snaps is a big part of the fun, so that's what you'll be seeing on Instagram all weekend. Find the Everything Everywhere All At Once laundromat at Corrs Corner, 132–138 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne from 1–8pm daily between Friday, April 22–Sunday, April 24. Everything Everywhere All At Once is currently playing in Australian cinemas — read our full review.
Muggles, something very magical has landed in Melbourne. While the city has already had a wizarding hotel, a Harry Potter escape room, a magical train trip and a potion-filled rooftop bar, it seems our love for The Boy Who Lived is insatiable — because, the country's biggest Harry Potter shop has today swung open its magical doors and started welcoming in wizards, witches, goblins, centaurs and even mere muggles. Located on the basement level of Myer Melbourne on Bourke Street, the 500-square-metre store is home to a Platform 9 3/4 — so you can finally achieve your dream of heading off to Hogwarts, even if you're much older than 11 — and an Ollivanders with over 20 different wands. As the store is a collaboration between Myer and Warner Bros, it's also home to tonnes of official merchandise, homewares, apparel, stationery, toys and more. We're told there's a heap more 'photo opportunities' from The Wizarding World, and Lego, too — so bring your smartphone and a patient mate. JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child theatre production is still playing at Princess Theatre and you'll be able to snag tickets for that here, too, at a dedicated booth. And to celebrate the Harry Potter at Myer store's opening, the play's cast performed hit track 'Wand Dance' on Bourke Street at midday on Friday, October 18. Of course, the opening of the Harry Potter store coincides with the lead-up to another magical event (which is, mind you, only ten weeks away), so we're sure Myer and Warner Bros are hoping to collect a few galleons from muggles doing their Christmas shopping. But, we're not complaining — the more Harry Potter, the better. The Harry Potter at Myer store will be disappearing — evanesco! — in December 2020, so we suggest if you're located interstate, to book in a trip to Melbourne ASAP. Find Harry Potter at Myer at the basement level, Myer Melbourne, 314–336 Bourke Street. It's open Monday–Thursday 9.30am–7pm, Friday 9.30am–9pm, Saturday 9.30am–7pm and Sunday 10am–7pm. Updated on October 18, 2019.
If you've ever fantasised about sleeping over in the hallowed grounds of the MCG, get ready to make those dreams a reality. For one night only — and for just two lucky guests — the iconic sports stadium will moonlight as a unique overnight stay. It's all thanks to booking.com, which is transforming one of the MCG's lofty guest boxes into the Unforgettable Legends Lounge — a special private guest suite for two, which is popping up for just one night to coincide with the final match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022. Two guests will get to experience the stay on Sunday, November 13, enjoying a full VIP package with all the trimmings. That includes return flights to Melbourne, an indulgent pre-game massage in the suite, and a top-shelf food and drink offering courtesy of a personal bartender (making cocktails on demand) and personal chef. Guests will also score a gift pack featuring personalised cricket merchandise for the ultimate memento. The suite itself is a little slice of sophistication, overlooking the ground from on high. It's decked out with a large double bed, a kitchen and a living area with sweeping views across the famed turf below. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — but of course, you'll have to put up a fight to make it yours. The exclusive stay will go to the first person to jump online and book with their speedy little fingers from 9am AEST on Friday, October 28. So yes, you'll want to be quick — cue the madness. The Unforgettable Legends Lounge and VIP experience is available to book exclusively for one person and their guest, for $30, with reservations opening at 9am AEST on Friday, October 28 at booking.com. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
The last time I saw so many polygons so ingeniously fitted together was when I handed in my year six major geometry project. Except that they only amalgamated in my imagination, rather than according to the laws of mathematics. Lord (and advanced engineering) only knows how Frank Gehry got this thing to stand up and stay standing, but done it he has. Behold, ye faithful readers, BioMuseo. Its 4,000 square metres of exhibition space tells the story of the Isthmus of Panama — the curvy wisp of land that separates the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic and binds the mighty Americas as one (to the consternation of both North and South, more frequently than not). It’s also home to the tiny nation of Panama and the legendary Panama Canal. After a construction process that’s involved ten years and US$60 million plus, BioMuseo is soon expected to open its doors. The official ceremony date hasn’t yet been announced, but test visits are happening this month. Gehry’s mission was to design an icon that Panamanians could identify as their very own — in the way that Sydneysiders see the Opera House, Coffs Harbourians view the Big Banana and Goulburnians admire the Big Merino. The architect’s signature geometrical style blends with local aesthetics. Exhibition coordinator Darien Montanes describes BioMuseo as a “very loud and visible building, appropriate for Panama’s loud and visible culture”. Bright colours and the application of plaster to a concrete substrate reference native construction methods. Inside, an expansive central open-air atrium serves as the building’s heart. Eight Bruce Mau-designed galleries house permanent exhibitions, each worked out in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The interior design pursues an ongoing dialogue with each exhibition and the overarching story: how a 50km-wide strip of land that emerged 4.5 million years ago changed the world. Via designboom.
Luxury spas and wellness clubs are popping up all over Australia right now, but more affordable alternatives are a little more difficult to find. Most of us can't fork out hundreds of dollars a month to relax our stressed-out minds and restore our tired bodies. Enter P3 Recovery, a not-so-spenny Queensland-based wellness brand that's got big expansion plans across the country's east coast. It currently has four locations — two in Brisbane, one on the Gold Coast and now, one in Port Melbourne — but there are over ten more in the works, in big cities and regional towns all along the eastern seaboard. No venue is exactly the same, but you'll likely find infrared saunas, hyperbaric chambers, hot and cold baths, and a range of therapy treatments — from compression therapy and IV therapy to breathwork classes and contrast therapy. These are available to those recovering from injuries, training to be fitter or simply looking to unwind. Compared to the luxury spas that dominate this kind of comprehensive wellness scene, weekly memberships and individual sessions are somewhat cheaper — but prices do vary from site to site. The entry-level memberships give you access to wet therapy spaces (from about $25–$35 a week), while the incrementally more expensive options let you try more and more of the technologies available — these can get a lot pricier. You can also just book a one-off session if that's more your jam, either by yourself or with mates. P3 isn't as swish as the best spas in Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney, but you don't necessarily need all the bells and whistles when seeking that self-care life. Current P3 Recovery wellness centres can be found in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Melbourne, with plenty more locations to come. For more information, head to the brand's website.
First we got word of the Yoncé skyscraper, then the elevated park. Melbourne's CBD is on the receiving end of a wealth of weird and wonderful architectural riches recently — and there's more to come. Although this announcement leans more towards the embarrassment side of things. Introducing the 'pantscraper', which is indeed not a weird product brought to you by Danoz Direct, but the popular name of the recently approved 41-storey tower project of developers Cbus Property. The building is so named because of the bizarre double tower design and denim blue colour scheme that combine to look remarkably like a bland pair of baggy pants fit for a giant. The pantscraper design was knocked back a few times and not, as you would assume, for its slightly ridiculous aesthetic, but because the huge tower cast a shadow on both the north and south banks of the Yarra River. However, after negotiations with the Andrews government — which saw them agree to lop six storeys off the top — the new design has been approved. Construction will begin at the Collins Street site by September. Although it may seem like just another bloody skyscraper, this particular bloody skyscraper comes with a perk. They're closing off Market Street and will convert the extra space into a council-run public park — that's a new park right in the middle of the CBD. What could be more relaxing than kicking back in a lush, green park while a giant pair of pants looms over you, watching your every move? Nothing, that's what — and we, for one, welcome our new pant overlords. Via The Age.
When lockdowns started sweeping the globe at the beginning of the pandemic, the entertainment industry responded in different ways. With in-person events off the cards for a significant period, streamed gigs and performances kept creatives and audiences alike busy. New at-home audio experiences popped up, too — so, between making jigsaws and baking sourdough, you might've spent some time listening to eerie radio plays. For the team at immersive entertainment company Swamp Motel, the situation inspired a new three-part online project that turns a night at home — or three — into a sleuthing experience. That series: Isklander. It's proven such a hit in the UK and US that it has been optioned by Gaumont UK, the studio behind Lupin and Narcos, to be turned into a TV show. In its current playable digital and format, however, it'll be available in Australia and New Zealand from Thursday, September 23. Isklander is designed to be played in groups, but everyone can be in their respective houses. It also unfurls a different mystery in each of its different chapters. So, with Plymouth Point, you're tasked with searching for a missing person. In the titular locale, Ivy Isklander has disappeared, and you need to work through clues, solve puzzles and crack codes to get to the bottom of it. Then, in The Mermaid's Tongue, you're sent looking for the eponymous ancient artefact, which could bring about doom if the wrong person gets hold of it. Finally, there's The Kindling Hour, which is described as "a corporate espionage thriller". Accordingly, you'll need to work your way into a powerful organisation to bring it down from the inside. If you're wondering how it works, Swamp Motel is all about blurring the lines between theatre, film and gaming — and turning the results into a shared live experience. Isklander is never the same twice, and it features everything from live-action performances and newsreel footage to fourth-wall breaking research (that is, the kind you do yourself). And, while it'll have you and up to five pals using the internet to investigate as part of the game, it also resembles a film at times and an escape room at others. The fact that the cast includes Dominic Monaghan (The Lord of the Rings, Lost), Dino Fetscher (Years and Years) and theatre performer Bathsheba Pipe helps nudge Isklander in the direction of a movie, but you won't just be sitting and watching. No, this isn't like another night glued to your streaming queue. You'll be playing a part — including hacking into emails, scouring social media posts, making phone calls and looking at websites — which means that you'll be experiencing a series that's part puzzle game and part scavenger hunt as well. To keep things running, each session is also directed live by an in-character aid, with Swamp Motel's team of 30 stage managers guiding you through all three chapters of Isklander — whether you choose to play them all, or just pick one or two. And, the whole experience unfurls in real time, with a ticking clock, so you'll definitely feel a sense of urgency while you're puzzling. Check out the trailer below: Isklander will be available in Australia and New Zealand from Thursday, September 23. Images: Matt Hass.
After the disrupted and predominantly domestic-only ski seasons in 2020 and 2021, thrill-seekers from both sides of the ditch could be hitting New Zealand's pristine slopes from as early as June. That means it's less than 70 days until some of our major fields, including Coronet Peak and The Remarkables in Queenstown and Canterbury's Mount Hutt, are up and running for winter. If you're making the trip across the ditch, you're in luck: there's plenty set for this season, including new trails and night-skiing events. Mount Hutt is set to be the first to open from Friday, June 10 until Sunday, October 16. It will be open seven days a week, with capacity on the mountain having increased thanks to the last year's recently opened Nor'west Express eight-seat chairlift. With a ride time of only two minutes, the lift has the capacity to carry up to 3000 skiers per hour. It also features a loading carpet to assist those who are new to using chairlifts. The field's full moon skiing event will also return on Saturday, June 11. [caption id="attachment_849337" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NZSki[/caption] Coronet Peak will be open from Friday, June 17 right through until Sunday, September 25. The ski field plans to operate its popular after-hours night skiing nights every Wednesday and Friday from June 22 onwards. The 48th dog derby is also on the cards. Fellow Queenstown favourite The Remarkables will be open every day of the week from Saturday, June 18 through to Sunday, October 16. The mountain's Sugar Bowl development includes two recently opened trails and a new snowmaking system, which means better snow coverage on the Serpentine side of the mountain. [caption id="attachment_849335" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NZSki[/caption] Cardrona Alpine Resort's Olympic-sized superpipe will be open from Saturday, June 11 until Sunday, October 16. The ski field also added another chairlift to its network last year, which opened up a new major section of skiable terrain on the southern face. Sibling ski field Treble Cone is scheduled to open from Saturday, June 25 until Sunday, September 25, and for cross-country skiers and snow-shoers, Cardrona's Snow Farm is intending to open for the 2022 winter from mid-June — dates are yet to be confirmed. The largest ski area in the nation, Mt Ruapehu, is preparing to open its Happy Valley (Thursday, June 23), Turoa (Saturday, July 9) and Whakapapa (Friday, July 8) fields, too, which will give skiers and snowboarders access to the mountain's natural pipes, steep chutes and a vertical drop of 722 metres. The alpine village says the opening will be subject to snow conditions. With the borders set to open, quarantine-free, to Australian tourists from Tuesday, April 12, this ski season will definitely see a rise in visitor numbers across all the country's fields. Tourists will be required to test negative for COVID-19 with a PCR or RAT before leaving for New Zealand, then provide negative tests on day one and day five of their stay. If you need a refresher on the rules, check out the Government's COVID-19 website. All ski field 2022 season plans are dependent on snow conditions, as well as COVID-19 guidelines and expectations set out by the New Zealand Government. Images: NZSki.
It's time to bid farewell to 2024, and if you're seeking a celebratory rendezvous in Melbourne's southside, you've come to the right place. Some of the area's top venues will be hosting New Year's parties, from live DJs at The Espy to uninterrupted views of the midnight Fireworks from Public House Rooftop. Deciding what to do on New Year's can often feel like one of the hardest decisions of the year, so with some help from The Pass, we've rounded up some of the best New Year's Eve events south of the CBD. The Prince Celebrate New Year's Eve at the beach at St Kilda's The Prince. Arrive in the afternoon and kick back with delicious food and plenty of drinks before the DJ sets to start up at 7pm and into the evening. To book your spot to enjoy New Year's at one of St Kilda's coolest pubs, make sure to grab tickets. Plus, keep an eye on socials for the announcement of the rooftop deck party. The Espy Head down to The Espy in St Kilda for the full New Year's Eve experience. The lively pub will be offering a three-and-a-half-hour drinks package plus a spread of roaming canapés and grazing bites to keep you fueled. Each room will have DJs and guaranteed good vibes. Tickets and special early bird deals are available here. Louey's Farewell 2024 at Louey's with an Italian-inspired celebration. Housed within The Esplanade, this intimate haunt is perfect if you prefer to spend your New Year's indulging in a decadent Italian feast, paired with a four-hour drinks package featuring a classic Italian spritz on arrival. Plus, resident DJs will be spinning Italo Disco to keep you grooving into 2025. Tickets are available here. Fargo and Co Ring in the new year at Fargo and Co, a two-story bar nestled in a historic bank. Along with ambience, you can expect a 4-hour beverage package, delicious canapes to keep you fuelled and DJs spinning all night. FYI – this is not a seated event, so for tables, it's first in, best dressed. Tickets can be purchased online. Mya Tiger For an elegant evening, head to Mya Tiger. Sitting atop The Espy's grand staircase, Mya Tiger will be serving up a delicious Cantonese banquet in the Mya dining room, perfectly complemented by a four-hour drinks package to while the night away. Grab your tickets here. Village Belle Celebrate New Year's Eve at Village Belle Hotel. Choose from two exciting packages. Opt for the 'All Access Pass' where you can expect a three-hour bottomless beverage package with roaming canapés in the Atrium from 7pm to 10pm. Or, the 'Party Starter Ticket' offers access to the upstairs club and Mezzanine from 9pm, with DJ tunes and two complimentary drinks. Get your tickets here. The Ghost Do you love oysters? The Ghost may be the place for you. Against a backdrop of stunning views of St Kilda pier, this intimate cocktail bar will offer a mouth-watering spread of canapés and an oyster station, all paired with a three-hour drinks package. We recommend buying tickets for the VIP experience which gives you access to The Ghost's intimate space, along with entry to all other rooms at The Espy. Harlow Everyone's favourite rooftop, Harlow is another top pick to see out 2024, with a front-row seat to the fireworks at midnight. You can expect 4 hours of bottomless seltzers and tasty canapés, as well as roaming champagne for the countdown. Head down to the basement from 8pm for a killer DJ lineup to take you into the New Year. Buy tickets here. Public House If you want views of the midnight CBD Fireworks, you can't get much better than Public House. With four levels, including a rooftop, Public House is throwing one hell of a party. Enjoy a four-hour drinks package with roaming canapes while resident DJ spins tunes until 2am. Grab your tickets before they run out. The Gardiner Malvern's newest rooftop, The Gardiner is set to put on quite the show this New Year's Eve. Indulge in the full menu alongside exclusive Chef's specials, all while soaking up the good vibes that come with spending the final hours of the year at a pub with friends and family. Tickers can be purchased here. The Smith If there's one thing we know, it's that The Smith knows to throw a damn good party. Taking bottomless to the next level, Prahran's favourite local will be serving up two fierce bottomless sessions at 4pm and 7pm. The best bit? There will be jaw-dropping drag performances from legendary DJ duo, The Jawbreakers. All that's left to do is get your hands on the tickets before they sell out. Images: Supplied.
In 2025, wellness is no longer confined to day spas, gyms and yoga studios. With the rise of health clubs that combine every facet of wellness under one roof, self-care is becoming as much about who you do it with as how you do it. You can now head to a holistic wellness hang-out with your coworking colleagues, or flex your membership to an exclusive private club. Now, a 5000-square-foot destination in Eltham is joining the fray in October — and it's bringing a fresh take onto the scene. Gut health gets top billing here — THERAPY's sprawling 60-seater cafe and restaurant isn't your average whole foods spot. The menu ticks the boxes (hormone- and blood sugar-balancing meals with all the nutrient groups, plus all the "-free" options you can think of), but it's the mealtime rituals that make it interesting. Kick off with an extra-virgin olive oil shot — great for antioxidant intake and even better for the beneficial gut bugs. Or sneak in some hydrogen therapy and Pulsett vagus nerve stimulation between bites, so you'll leave not just well-fed, but also destressed, recovered, digested and in a very good mood. For a quick sip, there are smoothies, fatigue-fighting adaptogen elixirs or tea blends promising more than hydration. The onboarding process at THERAPY is more than just a tour of its state-of-the-art facilities. Set time aside for a detailed Brain-Body diagnostic that produces a personalised treatment plan tailored to each guest's current needs. For example, a prescription for digestion issues might be a signature 12-week Nervous System Reset designed to get your gut-brain connection back on track. Plans at THERAPY will also include serious mental and spiritual wellness services like psychology, EMDR therapy, cognitive training, sound healing and more — alongside fun recovery treatments like cryotherapy, infrared saunas, hyperbaric oxygen and IV drips. When you're not in one of the 14 service rooms (and counting) getting pampered, sink into one of the plush lounge areas or check the board for activities. It's not all small talk here — the centre also hosts wellness circles, guest speaker events and evening book club dinners to round out the week. THERAPY is set to open in October, and you can find out more about what the wellness centre will offer via the website. Images: Supplied.
Permission to come aboard, captains: RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under is back for 2023. Those first five words spring from RuPaul's very owb lips, not only announcing the show's return in July, but also unveiling this year's queens. Ten new fierce, fabulous, bright, bold and sassy competitors will sashay before the show's cameras for glory this winter, and showcase drag in Australia and New Zealand in the process. "Australasian drag is filled with heart and humour, and I'm thrilled to share my season three queens with the world, for all to see their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent," said RuPaul. From Friday, July 28 via Stan and TVNZ, seven Aussies and three New Zealanders will do their utmost to become the next Down Under Drag Race Superstar: Amyl, Hollywould Star and Ivory Glaze from Sydney; Melbourne's Ashley Madison, Bumpa Love and Isis Avis Loren; Gabriella Labucci from Ballarat; Auckland's Flor and Ivanna Drink; and Rita Menu from Hamilton. Each will endeavour to follow in Kita Mean and Spankie Jackzon's footsteps — after Mean took RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under's first season and Jackzon did the honours in season two. Obviously, the show's first go-around worked a charm. The second did as well. And, there's no doubt that the third will be, after the series was renewed for its latest run on Stan in Australia and TVNZ+ Aotearoa in 2022. RuPaul is back on on hosting duties, of course. Fans already know the format, which features fashion challenges, workroom dramas and lip sync battles aplenty. If you're a newcomer to all things Drag Race, however, you'll watch the next batch of Australian and NZ competitors work through a series of contests to emerge victorious, and join the likes of Mean, Jackzon, and US contenders Jinkx Monsoon, Sasha Velour and Sharon Needles in being crowned the series' winner. Before it made the leap Down Under in 2021, the US version of RuPaul's Drag Race had already been on the air for more than a decade, first premiering in 2009 — and wholeheartedly embracing its mission to unearth the next drag superstars ever since. The original US series aired its 15th season earlier in 2023, so this is a program with proven longevity. It has also spun off international iterations before, including in the UK — where it's also hosted by RuPaul — plus in Thailand, Holland, Chile and Canada. Meet Drag Race Down Under's season three queens below: RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under season three will stream via Stan and TVNZ from Friday, July 28.
A resurrected Tupac stunned Coachella audiences at the conclusion of the music festival's first weekend. Holographically appearing on stage alongside Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, the murdered rapper greeted fans with a "What up, Coachella?" before beginning his classic single 'Hail Mary'. Digitally generated, Tupac's holographic double is the brainchild of longtime friend Dr. Dre. Dre sought the permission of the late rapper's mother before pursuing his vision, which was brought to 'life' by San Diego-based AV Concepts and James Cameron's Oscar-winning digital production company Digital Domain. The project is estimated to have dipped deep into commissioners' pockets, and took around four months to create. The likeness was eerie, successfully replicating everything from the rapper's bared abs, to his Timberlands, to his tattoos. The hologram performed classics '2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted', 'Come With Me', and 'Gangsta Party' before slipping back into the otherworld. Audiences and fans received the performance with mixed emotions. Some were thrilled to witness Tupac 'live' after his 1996 murder, and others found the hologram morbid and exploitative. Twitter was ablaze with fans on either side of the issue, causing 'Tupac' to continue trending in Australia through this morning. Opinions aside, the digital stunt may mark the beginning of a new era for on-stage performance. AV Concepts has already dabbled in holographic concert performances; the company was behind the 2005 Grammys performance featuring Madonna and the holographic members of the Gorillaz, as well as digital apparitions used in concert by Celine Dion and the Black Eyed Peas. It was the dead that stole the show at the live music festival this weekend. No one can keep Tupac down. https://youtube.com/watch?v=pRLUAVs4sR4
When Cocaine Bear made its leap from a true tale to a movie that was always bound to fall short of reality, it arrived with a promotional online game where a bear chomps on cocaine, plus people who get in its way, in a playful riff on Pac-Man. Called The Rise of Pablo Escobear, the game is more entertaining than the film, but it isn't the best low-fi button-clicking tie-in of 2023. That honour now goes to Feed Eggs, which anyone that's seen I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson season three will immediately want to play. How does a sketch comedy where assholes take centre stage work in a game about feeding eggs to a bigger egg? The answer to that is sublime, impossible to foresee, and completely in tune with the show's obsession with office culture at its most grating — and people being oh-so unbearably irritating. Eat-the-rich stories are delicious, and also everywhere; however, Succession, Triangle of Sadness and the like aren't the only on-screen sources of terrible but terribly entertaining people. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson has been stacking streaming queues with appalling folks since 2019, as usually played by the eponymous Detroiters star — and long may it continue. In season three, which dropped in full on Netflix on Tuesday, May 30, the show takes its gallery of assholes literally in the most ridiculous and unexpected way, so much so that no one could ever dream of guessing what happens in advance. That's still this sketch comedy's not-so-secret power. Each time that it unleashes a new batch of six episodes, all screaming to be binged in one 90-minute sitting, there's no telling where Robinson, co-creator and co-writer Zach Kanin (Saturday Night Live), and their committed colleagues will venture. Three key constants: Robinson giving his rubbery facial expressions a helluva workout, memes upon memes flowing afterwards and a fresh round of quotable lines that'll never get old — even if you used to be a piece of shit slopping up steaks, and babies know it. Each of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's skits tend to hone in on someone being the worst in some way, doubling down on being the worst and refusing to admit that they're the worst (or even that they're wrong). And, while everyone around them might wish that they'd leave — that feeling is right there in the name — the central antagonist in every sketch is never going to. Nothing ever ends smoothly, either. In a comedy that's previously worked in hot dog costumes and television shows about bodies dropping out of coffins to hilarious effect, anything can genuinely happen to its parade of insufferable characters. In fact, the more absurd and chaotic that I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson gets, and the more unpredictable, the better that the show gets as well. It should come as zero surprise, then, that no description can do I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's sketches justice. Almost every one is a comedic marvel that has to be seen to be believed, as again delivered in 15-minute episodes in the series' third run. The usual complaint applies: for a show about people overstaying their welcome, the program itself flies by too quickly, always leaving viewers wanting more. Everything from dog doors, designated drivers and novelty venues to HR training, street parking and wearing the same shirt as a stranger are in Robinson's sights this time, plus people who won't stop talking about their kids, wedding photos and proposals, group-think party behaviour, paying it forward and boss-employee beefs as well. Game shows get parodied again and again — an I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson staple — and gloriously. Season three also finds time to skewer viral videos and folks desperate to make them, obnoxious audiences not once but twice, one-note pundits enamoured with the sound of their own voices and the kind of competitive romantic shows that reality TV is filled with. Indeed, although the nine-to-five grind has always been a treasure trove for I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's jerks, so have the screens that are as deeply entrenched in our lives. That innocent idea that every kid has about the people beamed into their homes, how wonderful they must be and wanting to be just like them? Robinson douses it with vodka shots. The series also makes plain that a camera is just a magnifying glass, especially when it comes to vexing traits. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson may thrive on being erratic, but it's easy to see its evolution from the cancelled-too-soon Detroiters. In the 2017–18 sitcom, Robinson and I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson regular Sam Richardson (The Afterparty) play best friends, next-door neighbours and colleagues, the latter at a Detroit advertising agency specialising in low-budget ads that are frequently OTT and ludicrous. Kanin co-created the series with Robinson and Richardson, plus Joe Kelly, who went on to co-develop Ted Lasso. Sans moustache, Jason Sudeikis also executive produced and gave Detroiters its first big guest star — someone dealing with over-eager characters who weren't assholes, but also wouldn't take no for an answer. In its instant-gem debut season, its equally wild and wonderful second season in 2021, and now the just-released season three, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson has kept evolving. More often than before, Robinson lets his co-stars play the asshole, too. Some have been here and done that magnificently before — Richardson, of course, plus the also-returning Will Forte (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), Patti Harrison (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), Conner O'Malley (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Tim Heidecker (Killing It) and Biff Wiff (Jury Duty) — while some pop up as they do in seemingly every comedy ever made, which is where Fred Armisen (Barry) and Tim Meadows (Poker Face) come in. Among the newcomers, when Jason Schwartzman (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) join in, they're also on the pitch-perfect wavelength. Social awkwardness and awfulness is infectious within I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's frames. It's also the driving force behind Netflix's best-ever comedy, and the best way that anyone can spend an hour and a half — or four-and-a-half hours now, to be honest, because watching one season of this sidesplitting series always sparks the need to re-binge the others ASAP. Check out the trailer for I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson season three below: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson streams via Netflix. Images: Netflix.
Since it premiered at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, earning Nicole Kidman the event's Best Actress prize in the process, two scenes from Babygirl have received the internet's ample and avid attention. In one, intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson, The Iron Claw) orders CEO Romy Mathis (Kidman, The Perfect Couple) a glass of milk, unprompted on her part, in a public bar at after-work drinks with their colleagues, keeping his eyes affixed in her direction from across the room as she sips it. In another, George Michael's 'Father Figure' soundtracks a slinky hotel-suite dance — a romp that's equal parts seductive and awkward — that's given by Samuel as Romy watches on. As it charts the duo's heated affair, and the yearning for satisfaction that's driving it so deeply, Babygirl is filled with moments that linger. It's teeming with sequences that other movies to follow are bound to nod to, remake, covet and wish that they had conjured up first, too. It starts with one, with Romy and her theatre-director husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas, Paddington in Peru) getting intimate at home in bed, then Romy rushing to another room to finish the job alone. Another pivotal scene arrives early, as the picture's central pair initially meet on a New York City street. They're both headed to the same place — it's Samuel's first day at Romy's robotics automation company, in fact — but before she knows who he is or that he's working for her, she's spellbound by how he calms down a dog that lunges her way. With her third feature behind the lens — her debut, 2019 Dutch drama Instinct, inspired Kidman to get in touch; 2022's Bodies Bodies Bodies, her second, saw the filmmaker give horror-comedy a delightfully entertaining spin — writer/director Halina Reijn clearly knows how to get viewers to submit. Watching Babygirl means surrendering swiftly to a smart and savvy exploration of desire, identity, control and vulnerability. It means being plunged into Romy and Samuel's thorny relationship, and all of the emotions that it swirls up, as Kidman and Dickinson turn in magnetic, raw and fearless performances. It also means being taken in by a reimagining of the erotic thriller with an unyielding female gaze. And yes, Reijn is well-aware, as viewers also should be, that a film like this, that addresses the orgasm gap and follows a woman seeking sexual fulfilment, mightn't feel so bold and rare in a perfect world where more such movies existed. Part of Babygirl's complexity is the dynamic of submission and domination between Romy and Samuel. Often daring, confident, assertive and brazen, he's largely in the latter role, but he can also be vulnerable and uncertain. At the office, in their professional realm, at the business that she founded and now leads, she has the power. One thing is certain chatting with Reijn and Dickinson, however: making a picture that's not just an erotic thriller, but a comedy of manners in its own way, a clear fantasy, a relationship drama, a kinky romance and a workplace thriller as well, they both happily submit to Kidman worship. When he chats with Concrete Playground, Dickinson has his pile of discs from the Criterion Closet, aka every cinephile's dream location, within reach. Taking us through his picks, he holds each DVD up: "one of them is our dearest Nicole," he beams with To Die For in his hand. Reijn's admiration for Kidman started as an actor herself, with her performing career dating back to the 90s. For challenging theatre parts, the Black Book and Valkyrie star would think about the Aussie talent, and attempt to channel her bravery. "She's god," Reijn tells us. Dickinson's role in Babygirl joins a resume that features one of the all-time great big-screen debuts, with his also-hypnotic turn in 2017's Beach Rats instantly marking him as a certain star. His filmography since constantly proves that true; after parts in TV's Trust and as a Disney prince in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, the 2020s have kept him busy. See: everything from franchise entry The King's Man and the page-to-screen Where the Crawdads Sing to whodunnit See How They Run, Palme d'Or-winner Triangle of Sadness, Emma Corrin (Nosferatu)-led TV must-see A Murder at the End of the World and the World War II-set Blitz. With Beach Rats, The Souvenir: Part II, Scrapper and now Babygirl, he's also enjoyed a stellar run working with female filmmakers. "I've always been really lucky with the films that have come my way and the directors that have come my way, and a lot of them being women, and I've just been grateful for that," Dickinson advises. "Whether it's coincidence or not, I think that a lot of these women you're talking about have a deep access to a certain sensitivity, and an understanding and a humour, that maybe other people don't have. I guess I'll go where they go — and I'll go where they lead me." A couple of trends pop up with Babygirl for Reijn as well. Kidman sits at the heart of them. Casting her female lead in a New York-set, and Christmas-set, erotic thriller about a complicated marriage, Reijn sees the film as a female-skewed response to Eyes Wide Shut, which ticks all of the same boxes. As Australian viewers can't avoid noticing, there's more than just one Aussie touch to Babygirl, too, with Talk to Me's Sophie Wilde playing Romy's assistant Esme and 'Never Tear Us Apart' by INXS on the movie's soundtrack. "It is coincidental, but I don't think it is coincidental," Reijn notes. How did the writer/director shape Babygirl from hearing from a story about another woman from a friend? How did she purposely invert the status quo of 80s and 90s erotic thrillers — and also approach juggling her movie's eager mix of tones? Why was Dickinson initially a little reluctant to sign on, and what did he tap into as Samuel? What goes into a great dance scene for him? We also spoke with Reijn and Dickinson about all of the above, plus much more. On How Babygirl Evolved From Reijn Hearing From a Friend About a Woman Who Had Been Married for 25 Years Without Orgasming with Her Husband Halina: "Honestly, what happened was my response to it. Which was 'what, that's insane!' — something like that. And I went home and I was like 'wait, why did I react like that?'. It was almost like I was judging it. I was like 'no, that can't be true'. Then I started to think about my own experiences that I often had thought about in the past, that it took too long for me to orgasm at the hands of a man — and that I was very insecure, and that I had faked it on occasion just to make him feel better or to just get it over with, or because I was so ashamed and I didn't dare to really ask for him to change the way he was doing it or whatever. Then I started to talk to other women. I was losing it because I was so afraid to do it, but I just forced myself to talk to my girlfriends, to ask them like this, like 'can I ask you something?'. And then it turned out that a lot of my friends had similar stories. Then I started going online to research it, and then I just found out there's a huge orgasm gap. And we're not talking about it. Not enough, not in Hollywood movies. And part of the problem is that the stories that we see, for all the pornography that we see, but also the Hollywood movies — TV is a little bit ahead of us — Hollywood movies are letting women have orgasms in ways that are not possible physically. Even movies that are arthouse, even movies that are supposed to be half produced by women. So I felt it was time to really talk about that — and as a symbol for women in general, for women not orgasming or women not daring to ask for what they want on a deeper existential level, and women not having space enough to even explore themselves." On the Run of Projects That's Led Dickinson to Babygirl — and What It Means to Enjoy Such a Diverse Range of Work Harris: "It's been just a dream, and I've been so lucky that people have let me do this as a job still. I pinch myself every day with the realisation that I get to act and play all these different people, and get to do it with people that I admire. Triangle of Sadness was a huge thing for me. Being part of that was a real turning point. And same with Scrapper and The Iron Claw — all of those things you mentioned are just all in such different worlds. That's the goal for me, is to step into really different, unusual worlds that challenge me as a performer and force me into new versions of myself as well — new skins. Not to sound pretentious, but that's all I ever wished for, is just to have a versatile set of experiences and roles. And I've really been able to, I've been offered that, so I'm grateful." On How Reijn Fleshed Out Babygirl's Narrative Around a Woman in a Sexually Unfulfilling Long-Term Marriage Halina: "I think it all came from the question that I had, because I felt as women, we are so conditioned to become what others — or what we think others — want, and want us to be. So what society expects of us: that we should be perfect mothers and perfect career women and perfect daughters and perfect lovers, and have a perfect vagina and a perfect face. And look young. I felt that all of that, and the idea that we're playing all these different roles and that we're performing all of these different roles and forget to be our authentic self, that made me ask the question: is it possible to love all the different layers of myself? Because if I would accept the darker sides of myself, I would maybe be able to be more my authentic self and let go of all these ideas of perfection. So that is where all the ideas came from. I just thought 'what is the best profession, then, for her to have?'. It's all about chaos and control, really, and so I thought it would be very appropriate for her to be a CEO of a robotics company. Because she's a product of the sexual revolution, she grew up in cults and communes, she was named by a guru — and her whole life is an answer to that, which is the white picket fence, total control. And I thought it's kind of like the beast against machine, if you want to exaggerate it. And the whole movie is informed by that contradiction between control, surrender — the beasts, the civilised layer of ourselves." On What Dickinson Drew Upon to Play a Character Swinging Between Control and Surrender Harris: "Everything. Insecurity and pain and anger and love, it's all part of it, isn't it. It all boils down to what it means to be a human — and I think just normal everyday stuff as well. But the stakes for them, the stakes for them were higher. The stakes of the relationship and the affair, they were high. Confusion as well. Navigating something that you don't understand. Navigating feelings of your own that you don't understand." On How Reijn Knew That Dickinson Was Babygirl's Samuel Halina: "The moment that Nicole said 'I want to do this', first I couldn't sleep for joy and I was overexcited and full of adrenaline. But the next thing is, of course, who's going to play that young man opposite her? Who's going to be able to not only be challenging her as an actor, but be dominating her in these scenes? Someone like her, a total icon and one of the best actors on the planet, how are you going to find a young person to be able to match that? And then, weirdly, during that time I saw Triangle of Sadness. And I had never seen him before. I was so intrigued. And then I went home, and that night I saw Beach Rats, and I was mesmerised. Already Triangle of Sadness had me completely intrigued. But Beach Rats — and then I just saw all of his work, anything he did, the shortest movies, the old movies, everything. I a) got obsessed — and then I also found out that he was very tall, which might sound weird, but it is very important me. As an actress, I've had so many scene partners where I didn't feel that I could show my full strength because I was afraid that they couldn't hold it, not only physically but also emotionally. And so I felt 'this is just a perfect guy, he is the perfect age'. I was lucky enough to get a Zoom with him after he read the script, and and that only made me more confident that I had to have him. But it took me a couple of conversations with him because he was quite — he's very British, he's a very strong-willed person, and I really had to convince him that my movie would be an exploration of consent and power and surrendering control in a layered, complex way, and it was not going to be 50 Shades of Grey. And then he said 'yes', and both me and Nicole knew, even without — she didn't even meet him — we both knew it was going to work out. They met at the most-crazy place, they met at the Met Gala, because they were both there. I texted them both, I was like 'try to find each other'. And I was like a mother sitting here in my apartment — 'aaah, I hope it's going to work out'. Then they both texted me that they felt the other person was amazing, and then we were off to the races." On What Convinced Dickinson After His Initial Reluctance — and What He Was Keen to Explore Harris: "I think it was that initial fear that made me want to do it. And Halina, Halina, I trusted Halina, talking to her and understanding her vision for it and her approach. It made me trust her. It made me intrigued. I wanted to be in her world. I think the character itself was really complex. The opportunity to play someone that was kind of unreliable in their approach, they share information that is unreliable, I liked that. I liked that there was unanswered questions around who he was and where he came from and how he got there. I enjoyed those ambiguities. Also his manner and his directness, and his chameleon-like capabilities. They were all qualities that intrigued me about him. And getting to have fun within those scenes, play the humour and play the embarrassment, I thought it was all very nuanced and human stuff — so always exciting for an actor to jump into." On Reijn Casting Her Long-Held Source of Inspiration in Kidman Halina: "She contacted me after my first movie and that was, of course, a moment of total insanity for me. I thought I was having a psychosis when she contacted me, because I literally carried her around in my heart for so long as a torch against fear. Because I was part of a theatre group that made very, very radical theatre, so I had to do very scary things and I would always channel her. So it was insane to me when she called me. And then we just immediately hit it off, because I think what really connects us — and I mean, for me she's god, so I would never compare myself to her — but what is similar is that we both, however, in life we all have ego, we all have fear, we all have vanity, we all have all these worries about small things, but when she starts to act, or when she embarks on a creative journey, her vanity and ego is at the door; I think that is for me exactly the same. So whatever I am in my daily life, which is a totally a flawed, weird clown, when I start to be creative, there's ego death. There's complete ego death. And that is what connects us and makes — it's almost like a twin soulmate feeling. She calls it sometimes that we communicate through telepathy. And so working together became this really strange, almost-spiritual experience, in which we both just felt such an urgency to tell this story, and such dedication — and also to the humour of it and the playfulness of it and the lightness of it. And to bring warmth to this story, and to hopefully inspire women to liberate themselves a little bit more. That's what I think connects us." On What Excited Dickinson About Collaborating with Kidman Harris: "She's just got such an incredible body of work. She's so impressive. And everything that she's done, she's worked with some of our finest directors. I just was massively excited to get to watch her work, but also work alongside her and really get a chance to be close to that as a performer. But separate to that, she's just a lovely person. She makes everyone around her feel very encouraged and collaborative and creative, and that's just all you could ever ask for in this scenario. It's a difficult subject and it's some vulnerable stuff, and you want someone that's going to go there all the way with you." On Reijn's Embrace of the Eyes Wide Shut Connection, Knowing That Audiences Would Bring Their Knowledge of Kidman's Filmography to the Movie Halina: "When she came onboard, when she said 'I want to play this character' — and what also happened, so first of all, that, of course that it was going to be her, but then the strike happened. And I wrote the whole movie for summer, so I wrote that the second home is going be in The Hamptons, and they were going to be swimming in the ocean. It was completely, in that sense, a very different energy field. Then, because of the strike, we had to reschedule to Christmas. And A24 called me and said 'after the strike, the moment the strike ends, you need to rewrite, you need to rewrite the whole thing. It needs to be Christmas'. And then, of course, I thought Eyes Wide Shut, because it's the best Christmas movie ever. [caption id="attachment_652177" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eyes Wide Shut[/caption] But I also thought about Eyes Wide Shut that it was funny that, if you look at Eyes Wide Shut, of course it has a lot of similar themes about midlife crisis, about sexual exploration, about monogamy versus polygamy, and all of these things — but she only tells him her fantasy, then we go on the whole journey with him, almost as a revenge, as a kind of Pandora's box is opened and now he has to go on this journey. It's an amazing journey but what is her journey? We don't know. We don't go there. We just hear her talk about it. We get some flashes. So I thought it is actually an answer in a way, but I only thought this after the fact, to be honest with you — it's an answer to Eyes Wide Shut. It is a female's journey into what is sexuality, what is monogamy, what do I really want and how hard is it to talk about that in an intimate, very long-term relationship, and how easy, weirdly, is it to be with a stranger and to reinvent myself with this young, strange man? That paradox is amazing to me. I am very grateful that there is some sort of strange magical connection between those movies." On How Dickinson and Kidman Brought Both Chemistry and Awkwardness — and Attraction and Uncertainty — to Romy and Samuel Harris: "Well, we didn't do loads of work. We had some rehearsals, but we really tried to focus on just getting the reality there and finding the nuance. But mostly it just came from not discussing stuff and just trying it. And we didn't talk a bunch. We didn't get to know each other loads. We just did it and tried it and didn't get in the way of ourselves too much, and I think that ended up working out for the best." On the Babygirl's Tonal Balancing Act Harris: "It's always tricky figuring out the tone, what kind of thing you're in. But it starts to fall into place, especially when you have a very strong, assertive voice with a director like Halina — you end up just trusting them and trusting their vision for it, and you fall into place. And it becomes the film it's supposed to be. All of that stuff that you try, it gets mixed up into the pot and then the dish gets made. You throw it all in, you throw the ingredients and you see which ones come out the other side." Halina: "I thought it was incredibly hard to — I really, as an actress, I'm retired now, but I got so many scripts in my life that I didn't understand the tone. It was like 'what do they want?'. So I felt it was my duty to make it very clear, especially because I take this challenge of 'oh, I'm going to make my own genre' —well, then you better know what you put on the page. So I really try to capture the tone in my writing — and on purpose, because this is how I feel. This is where we stand, I feel, as women. We just got the right to vote. Until 1987, we had to have a male guardian with us to get a business loan. It's still proven that if we lose ten pounds of weight, that we get a promotion in our work easier than if we get a master's degree. We're nowhere. So I wanted to show that in how I use genres. So I start out with these very masculine sexual thriller references,of the 90s. And then I venture into a world where everybody turns out to be ambiguous, and it's way more relatable and human and complex and nuanced. I'm using, on purpose, I'm swapping gender — like the scene in 9 1/2 Weeks where Kim Basinger is stripping to a Joe Cocker song and Mickey Rourke is sitting there watching her, I wanted to really copy that scene, but then reverse the gender, swap the gender, where Nicole is sitting there and he's dancing to 'Father Figure'. And all these little Easter eggs, so that you can continually be confused about who has the power, who's chasing who, who's blackmailing who — and is the woman in control, or is she the mascochist, or is her masochism super dominant? And that is where the comedy of manners element steps in and it becomes more of a fable and a fairy tale. And yes, what was hard about it is that I wanted it to be funny. And sex and humour is not always easy to connect, just like horror and humor in Bodies Bodies Bodies was a hard balancing act. But I just love that kind of challenge. Not everybody gets it, because some people feel that when people are laughing in the audience at Babygirl, they feel they don't want that. They want people to not laugh about it because they take it so seriously. But it's meant to make you laugh. It's meant to show you how we're all helpless as humans. We're just trying to control the chaos, but we can't. And that's what my movie is about, it's about pure vulnerability. So it was a balancing act, but I really enjoyed it." On What Goes Into a Memorable Dance Scene, Such as Babygirl's Seductive-Yet-Awkward Hotel Moment, for Dickinson Harris: "Well, I think you said it: seductive, awkward. You don't want it to be too rehearsed. You want it to be silly. You want it to be meaningful. You want it to be awkward. You don't want to be like some Magic Mike planned thing — it's got to feel authentic to the character. But also, I think in that particular scene – well, there's the two dance scenes. There's the rave, which is something different, that's just total hedonism. And then in the hotel, it's almost like a little mating call. He's feeling it out. He's performing to her a little. He's embarrassed. But he's also kind of enjoying the freedom of it. It's like a little bit of liberation for him as well. So there was a lot a lot going on in that scene." Babygirl opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, January 30, 2025.
A glass of bubbly is always a pleasure, but the return of World Champagne Day provides ample excuse to add a little more sparkle to your upcoming weekend. Taking over QT Hotels & Resorts across Australia from Friday, October 24–Sunday, October 26, the brand's lineup of luxe off-beat stays have teamed up with true-brut style Perrier-Jouët for a cork-popping experience. To mark the occasion, guests are invited to double-down on their love of champagne, as your first flute purchase scores a second pour of top-quality champers on the house. Just swing through any of QT's signature restaurants — like Gowings & Parlour at QT Sydney, Pascale Bar & Grill at QT Melbourne and Yamagen at QT Gold Coast — to toast yourself with a fizzy encore to match.
Road-tripping along the border of Victoria? Mildura's Kar-Rama Hotel probably isn't the kind of stay you'd expect to encounter this far from the big smoke. Yet as the town's newest boutique accommodation, it offers the sleek design and effortless comfort you're likely looking for after a long drive. Whether checking in for work or spending the weekend exploring Mildura's wine and dining scenes, this choice spot is ripe for unwinding. The 34 chic rooms strike a modern interpretation of mid-century design, with pastel tones reflecting the region's sun-drenched landscape. Each offers a plush king-sized bed with premium linen, high-end Leif botanical amenities, Nespresso coffee machine and inviting Bemboka robes, ensuring your stay is a relaxing one. Then, it's just a short trip to the lobby lounge, aka Chill Haven, where you can enjoy a drink and soak up the poolside perspective. That's right – this boutique motel has a heated butterfly-shaped pool, making it easy to cool off with a refreshing dip. Find a spot in the sun on a lounge and suddenly Mildura feels a little more Mediterranean. Surrounded by retro furnishings, this urban oasis in the countryside is the perfect sun-drenched retreat if you're seeking a little serenity on your trip. When you're ready to explore, Kar-Rama is ideally located. Those keen to roam the outdoors will find stellar swimming spots and eco-adventures along the Murray River, just a short drive away. There are also cultural attractions that offer a deeper insight into the local region, such as the Mildura Arts Centre and the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens. Meanwhile, award-winning cellar doors like Oak Valley Estate, Capogreco Winery Estate and Trentham Estate are all easily within reach. Speaking of dining, you're welcome to grab a continental breakfast from Kar-Rama's reception. Alternatively, the team is happy to guide you to the best spots in town. Head to Blk.Mlk Specialty Coffee or Kaffenio for caffeinated goodness, then dine on top-notch cuisine at restaurants like Andy's Kitchen, Brass Money and The Italian Mildura. With the local scene on the rise, you're never far from a stellar feed. "We are excited to see Kar-Rama Hotel open its doors in Mildura, bringing a high-quality accommodation offering to the region," says Andrew Bullock, CEO at 1834 Hotels, the hospitality group behind the property. "We look forward to working closely with the owners to drive its long-term success, strengthening the region's hospitality landscape and providing guests with a seamless and memorable stay." Kar-Rama Hotel is open at 153 Deakin Ave, Mildura. Head to the website for more information.
Good oysters don't have to obliterate your budget. Don't believe that? Stokehouse Pasta and Bar in St Kilda is ready to prove you wrong. Get down there any day of the week from 3–6pm and you'll be sampling the small but mighty molluscs for just $2 a pop. They're not just any old oysters, either, but NSW Pacific Nuggets, which aren't usually on the Stokehouse menu. They're known for their impressive size — being bigger than Sydney Rock oysters — and their smooth, creamy finish. Before you ask, they do go well with a glass of champagne or a cocktail, especially the Amalfi Spritz (rosemary-infused Tanqueray gin, Italicus Bergamotto, Tommy's limoncello, Mediterranean blood orange soda and prosecco) or the Lychee Fizz (Ketel One vodka, granny smith apple, lychee, rivermint and green tea). While you're slurping them down, you'll be soaking up stunning views of St Kilda Beach. Thanks to the colder weather, sunsets are more beautiful right now than at any other time of year.
The Whitsundays is a stunning holiday destination. Thanks to its gorgeous natural surroundings, vacationing at the Sunshine State spot is rarely solely driven by wanting to dine at a particular restaurant, then; however, on Hamilton Island, that might be the motivation now. If any eatery and bar is worth planning a getaway around, it's the brand-new Catseye Pool Club. First announced in 2024 and open since late April 2025, it's Josh and Julie Niland's latest venture — and their first ever in Queensland. When the pair revealed that they were launching their debut Sunshine State restaurant on Hamilton Island, it was huge news. Indeed, this is one of the big culinary openings of 2025. Catseye Pool Club is part of The Sundays, the also brand-new 59-room hotel at Catseye Beach's northern end that's all about luxury, but also boasts being family friendly as part of its point of difference. This Niland venture stands out from the duo's other restaurants for a few reasons. There's the location, of course — and eating here does indeed mean dining at an oceanfront tropical destination. Then there's the fact that Catseye Pool Club isn't a seafood joint. Whenever Josh and Julie's names come up, it's usually in the same breath as their preferred form of protein. Acclaimed Sydney restaurants, award-winning cookbooks, global kudos, a sustainable seafood restaurant in Singapore: championing a fin-to-tail approach to the ocean's finest, their footprint spans all of the above. Whole-fish cookery remains a feature at Catseye Pool Club, but it's just one part of the menu. This restaurant and bar heroes Australian ingredients and celebrate shared dining, with dishes designed to be tucked into communally. Taking your time in the sun, making the most of the fact that you're on an island and relaxing in general are also key aspects of the vibe — and the pool club part of the restaurant's name says plenty. Yes, the eatery is by the pool, so expect to peer at water from multiple sources. "Whilst 'family-style' or 'share-style' dining is very much a way restaurants have operated for many years, the Catseye Pool Club approaches its menu with each item very much designed to be enjoyed as a whole table, with all the trimmings coming with each dish," explained Josh back in March. The opening food and drink lineup spans 14 pages, starting with rock oysters with pepperberry mignonette, pizza bread, and a selection of wild raw fish and scallops for two. Almost everything edible from there is for at least a pair of diners, whether battered and fried wild fish tacos, Tweed Heads rock lobster, roast pork, Bowen mud crab pie, sirloin on the bone, lamb cutlets or line-caught trout tempt your tastebuds — or raspberry and coconut trifle, chocolate cake or flambé pineapple tart among the desserts. The one exception: the neapolitan sundae is just designed for one. Catseye Pool Club is also serving up breakfast just for hotel guests — and patrons can be enjoy its range of meals if they're hanging out by the pool rather than sitting at a table. At a hotel run by Hamilton Island Enterprises, which is also behind qualia, guests can also make the most of that oceanfront swimming pool surrounded by private cabanas, alongside a pickleball court and tropical gardens. Room options include balcony and terrace, plus interconnecting family rooms, all decked out in calming hues. "The Sundays brings something truly special to Hamilton Island — an elevated boutique escape that welcomes families and reflects the warm, laidback, uniquely Australian style of hospitality Hamilton Island is known for," advises Hamilton Island CEO Nick Dowling. "The Sundays is part of Hamilton Island's ongoing evolution — reimagined for today's traveller on the site of one of the island's original hotels. Over the years, we've evolved our accommodation, dining and experiences to reflect what our guests are looking for. Those who've been returning for decades know that you don't need to travel far to tick off a bucket-list destination — the Great Barrier Reef is right here on our doorstep.' Find Catseye Pool Club at The Sundays, Catseye Beach, Hamilton Island — and head to the hotel's website for more details.
Head south of Sydney or north of Victoria and you're sure to find quaint towns complete with awe-inspiring national parks and world-class wineries. The NSW south coast and southern highlands provide just this, plus an idyllic mix of rolling hillsides and romantic beachside homes perfect for you and your partner's next getaway. If you're looking to get out of the big city, there is an abundance of secluded stays scattered across southern NSW ready to serve as your landing pad to unwind and explore some of the most beautiful landscapes the state has to offer. We've done the hard work for you and found these one-bedroom (or more — in case you wanted to bring your favourite couple, too) cabins, lakeside stays and bushland cottages so that you can live out all your rom-com fantasies surrounded by rustling trees and ocean breezes. Recommended reads: The Best Places to Go Glamping in NSW The Best Tiny Houses You Can Book Around NSW The Best Hotels in Sydney The Best Places to Stay in the Blue Mountains The Bower, Mount Kembla This two-story bungalow allows you to live among the trees for the period of your stay. Just fifteen minutes outside Wollongong, you can experience the slow-moving small-town lifestyle with the nearby comforts of the city. From $350 a night, sleeps five. Bawley Point Cottage, Bawley Point Combining the best of both worlds, this south coast stay is part bushy cottage, part beach house. You can use the provided kayaks and head on an action-packed trip or just sit and read among the trees. From $220 a night, sleeps four. Soul Wood, Termeil Wake up to views of the bushland from this wooden tiny house. The dreamy outdoor bathtub is surrounded by tall native trees that will have you feeling completely immersed in the natural surroundings. From $300 a night, sleeps two. Beachfront Glamping, Bawley Point To say you're going glamping is an insult to this luxury beachfront tent. Soak up the great outdoors from the tent-style bedroom while enjoying the luxuries of a private kitchen and bathroom from the attached unit. From $320 a night, sleeps two. The Lakeside Barn, Wildes Meadow An architectural gem on the south coast, this waterfront barn was created in the 90s from the wood of old Darling Harbour wharf buildings. The barn contains a modern bathroom and kitchen, spacious living areas and a top-floor bedroom that looks out onto the lake. From $333 a night, sleeps two. Creekside Tiny House, Foxground Wake to the sounds of the gurgling creek at this modern tiny house. Located just outside of Kiama and Gerringong, the quaint stay places you nearby a variety of local hiking trails and beaches. From $298 a night, sleeps two. Studio Barn, Nowra This transformed barn somehow packs in a spacious living and kitchen area, a bedroom, a newly fitted bathroom and a private garden out back. It's a cute and affordable spot for those looking to explore the natural wonders of Kangaroo Valley. From $300 a night, sleeps two. Fig Tree Cabin, Moruya This pet-friendly cabin welcomes all of your non-human friends with open arms. From the pugs to great danes and even horses, the property will save you paying any expensive kennel fees while on your romantic adventure. From $140 a night, sleeps two. Lyra, Kangaroo Valley Relax in style with this lush Kangaroo Valley house, overlooking the Barrengarry Mountain range. The house is built from locally sourced timber and rocks and is flooded with light thanks to the large front windows and glass roof panels, bringing as much of the surrounding rainforest into your stay as possible. From $690 a night, sleeps six. Buru, Pebbly Beach Buru is more of a group couples retreat than a solo getaway — so find a couple of other lovebirds and book out this stunning, secluded stay. The renovated 1960s house backs onto a idyllic white sand beach and contains both an indoor and outdoor fireplaces perfect for cosy nights after a day of swimming, surfing and exploring. From $1164 a night, sleeps eight. New Atlas, Meroo Meadow Gaze out onto Cambewarra Mountain from the back porch of this bright beachy home just outside of Berry and less than 20 minutes drive from Seven Mile Beach. From $309 a night, sleeps four. The Old Schoolhouse, Milton This sun-drenched one bedroom loft sits on farm land just a couple minutes outside of the rural town of Milton. Sip coffee from the balcony overlooking the farm or pay a little extra and take your relaxation up a notch by sending a masseuse to the loft thanks to the accommodation's Indulgence Package. From $316 a night, sleeps two. The Lazy Curl, Woodburn This minimalist cabin will provide you with a simple and serene stay in the heart of the south coast. Its eco-friendly design generates energy through solar and collects rainwater and its indoor fireplace will keep you feeling toasty even on cold winter nights. From $245 a night, sleeps four. Monga Mountain Retreat, Reidsdale Stay in Monga National Park while living out your cottage-core dreams at this lovely bushland cabin. Comfy chairs sit on a patterned rug and quaint appliances are scattered around the wood-laden kitchen. From $155 a night, sleeps two. Tawillah Luxury Retreat, Milton This countryside couples retreat has serene views of the Milton countryside and the nearby Budawang Range. Just a two minute drive from town, enjoy a seclude getaway with a beautiful deck, sun lounges and a fire pit. From $460 a night, sleeps two. All photos courtesy of Airbnb. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. 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Your favourite restaurant's wine list might be impressive, but if the best drops are only available by the bottle, you've got to be willing to pay up to get a taste. However, Coravin has come up with a range of nifty products that allow wine-lovers to pour by the glass without popping the cork. Throughout May, they're spreading the gospel around the globe with the Coravin World Wine Tour. Taking over five much-loved wine bars around the country, every bottle on their menus will be poured by the glass. Returning to previous destinations including Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, the tour is also adding Perth and Noosa to its stops for the first time. Making the most of the brand's by-the-glass tools, vino fans will have the chance to indulge in rare and diverse bottles without having to stump up for the full cost. Held from Thursday, May 1–Saturday, May 31, there's a good chance a sophisticated wine bar near you is getting involved. In Sydney, the Coravin World Wine Tour touches down at Love, Tilly Devine. Tucked away in a Darlinghurst laneway, this cherished spot is bursting through the week with wine-lovers who know their stuff. With 300 bottles to choose from, guests can sip their way through the list, or pair a glass or two with dishes from a highly seasonal food menu highlighting local farmers, growers and makers. In Melbourne, Richmond's Clover is where you can celebrate a shared love of natural vinous pleasures, complemented by fire-cooked delights. "It's really going to, quite literally, open up the possibilities for our guests to try something new, and allow our team to open more and more of their favourite wines; some a little unusual, and all delicious," says James Griffin, Beverage Manager at Love, Tilly Devine. "A few to look out for are the incredible skin contact wines of Staffelter Hof, the world's oldest working winery at nearly 1,200 years old, Patrick Sullivan's superb Victorian single-vineyard chardonnays, and the irresistible Poppelvej wines of Uffe Deichmann, McLaren Vale's best lo-fi Danish winemaker." Meanwhile, Adelaideans are invited to Jennie Wine Bar to experience its refined wine collection, where each bottle has a story to tell, from its environmental origins to its grower's personality. More than just a wine bar, you can roam the walls to find the perfect bottle to take home. Shadow Wine Bar is Perth's debut host, where a sleek industrial space comes to life with cuisine and wine delivered with a special nod to Italy. Lastly, Noosa's 16-seat Atelier Wine Bar offers a contemporary cellar-like space primed for indulging in 150 world-class vintages and elegant European-inspired small plates. "A new generation of wine drinkers are increasingly curious, adventurous, and willing to experiment with new varieties and styles. Offering more wines by the glass allows drinkers to find their new favourite variety, region, or style, without taking the risk of buying a whole bottle," says Coravin Founder, Greg Lambrecht. "We are delighted to be working with five iconic Australian wine destinations to bring our World Wine Tour to five states, giving Australian wine lovers an unparalleled level of choice for wine by the glass." The Coravin World Wine Tour takes place across multiple venues around Australia from Thursday, May 1-Saturday, May 31. Head to the website for more information. Images: Kera Wong, Jack Fenby, Jacqueline Jane.
Ministry of Crab began in 2011 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as an ode to the country's legendary mud crab. The brand was so successful that it subsequently opened seven additional outposts across Asia. Now, the internationally renowned restaurant can be found at 226 Flinders Lane. The Sri Lankan restaurant found its Melbourne Home inside the historical Invicta House, bringing an exciting new chapter to the building. The team have also taken over the subterranean space of the building, opening II.II.VI (or 'two two six' for those less well-versed in Roman numerals), a charcoal-fuelled, fiery diner, which also happens to sport an impressive seafood selection. Ministry of Crab, co-founded by Dharshan Munidasa and cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, is loved across continents, for you guessed it, its crab. First, sample crab across an array of starters such as baked crab, crab liver pate, avocado crab salad, and kaphrao crab, a signature dish of mud crab stir-fried with garlic, chilli and Thai basil. For the main event, you choose your size of crab — ranging from medium (700-799 grams) all the way up to Crabzilla (two kilograms) — and which fragrant sauce to accompany it. Options include pepper crab, garlic chilli crab, and Sri Lankan curry crab. While eating crab is messy work, this is no finger-lickin' beachside shack. The globally acclaimed restaurant has been included in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants List for delivering a multi-sensory, impeccable dining experience with quality ingredients, bold flavours and excellent hospitality. Images: Supplied.
Whether it's an elaborate escape act or a simple piece of sleight of hand, when it comes to magic audiences want two things. They want to be fooled into believing that what they're seeing is real, but they also desperately want to know how it's really done. It's the same principle behind heist films, with viewers keen to watch criminals execute high-stakes robberies, and then discover how they pulled it off. It's hardly surprising, then, that Hollywood decided to blend the two with 2013's Now You See Me – and when it proved a hit, a sequel was all but inevitable. Of course, easy and obvious isn't the same as interesting or enjoyable, a fact that the Now You See Me films seem to forget. Director Jon M. Chu spends the bulk of the movie showcasing slickly shot and quickly choreographed tricks, in the hopes that we won't notice that the script by writer Ed Solomon doesn't really make any sense. For those with short memories, the first film followed the Four Horsemen, a magic troupe that mesmerised crowds and fleeced banks at the same time. A year later, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) remain in the group, with newcomer Lula (Lizzy Caplan) filling the female quota. FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) calls the shots, throws law enforcement off of their trail and helps set up a big gig at a mobile phone product launch. Alas, when the Horsemen take to the stage, they soon find that they're caught up in someone else's game. As Lula, Caplan acts excited and mentions what the gang is up to as much as she can — and that's Now You See Me 2 in a nutshell. She doesn't ever look at the screen and say, "I'm having fun with magic, and you should be too," but she may as well. For a time the film's over-the-top eagerness to entertain is somewhat effective, especially when former boy wizard Daniel Radcliffe shows up as a villainous inventor. Over the course of 115 minutes, however, the setups get more absurd, the attempts at misdirection more laboured, the backstory more clumsy and the returning cast (particularly Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine) less enthused. In short, it all wears thin. Indeed, no matter how flashy it gets, Now You See Me 2 can't distract from a simple truth: at a certain point, seeing the same tricks over and over again is going to lose it's appeal. Eventually, people stop buying into the patter, grow tired of the parade of deceptions and explanations, and want more from a movie than a nod, a wink and a gimmick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I8rVcSQbic
If you love American Football or just enjoy watching live sports, or if you're simply looking for something fun to do on Monday, February 10, the NFL Super Bowl LIX is likely on your radar. This year, the teams will battle it out for the Vince Lombardi trophy at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. With the NFL usually attracting an audience of hundreds of millions of viewers across the world, what better way to get among it than watching it surrounded by other NFL fanatics? With some help from The Pass, we've rounded up some of the best Melbourne Pubs to catch The Superbowl — we're you'll also be able to enjoy delicious American-inspired feeds. The Duke of Wellington The vibes are always high at The Duke, but especially on game day. The much-loved three-story pub and rooftop bar in the heart of Melbourne's CBD will be serving up both Coors and Bloody Marys alongside a range of American eats. You can watch on from the buzz of the ground floor or head to Level One for a more relaxed setting with the game on in the background. Book your spot here and get ready to celebrate Super Bowl Monday in style. Garden State Hotel Another pub in the CBD hosting all the Super Bowl action, Garden State Hotel is going all out for the festivities this year. With plenty of big screens, it's almost impossible not to get a good spot here. Don't let the early morning kick-off stop you – the beer garden and public bar will be serving classic American bites and drinks from 9.30am. Book your spot here. Hawthorn Hotel For a bit of sunshine as well as the game, hit up The Hawthorn Hotel to watch Super Bowl LIX, with all the action streaming live both indoors and on the rooftop. While we're keen for the game, the all-American menu the iconic Melbourne pub is offering is almost on par with the live action. You can expect hotdogs, wings, nachos and plenty of Coors to keep you going. Secure your spot by booking here. The Victoria Hotel Yarraville Why not watch this year's Super Bowl at everyone's favourite The Vic? With their mega-screen (if you know you know) in the beer garden showing all the action, it's set to be a pretty good vibe, to say the least. There will also be an American-themed food menu alongside the usual à la carte options, so there's something for everyone. Gather your mates and reserve your table before they get booked out. Prince Alfred The Prince Alfred in Port Melbourne is putting on the ultimate all-day Super Bowl experience. The pub will be opening its doors at 9am, so you can settle in for a day of $12 hotdogs, $1 wings and $20 beer and cider jugs. Depending on how your team plays, you could even stick around for Happy Hour from 3pm to 6pm and keep the party going. Book early to secure the best seat in the house. Hopscotch If you're stationed southside, head to Hopscotch to watch the match unfold. Watch the game on the many big screens around the pub and enjoy a delicious menu of Super Bowl snacks, brekkie specials and, of course, American beers. The best bit? There's live music after the game – we can't think of a better way to spend a Monday. Book your spot here. Beer DeLuxe, Federation Square Besides quality craft beer, Beer DeLuxe in Fed Square is set to be one of the most lively places to watch the Super Bowl this February. From 9am, indulge in an American menu featuring Buffalo wings, hot dogs and our personal favourite, Reuben sandwiches, plus 3L beer towers and all your usual Beer DeLuxe classics. Book your spot. Provincial Hotel Head to The Provincial Hotel in Fitzroy for a Super Bowl extravaganza, with the game playing across every level of the venue. Another one of Melbourne's top pubs to catch The Super Bowl, there will be an American-inspired menu – you know the drill – hot dogs, nachos, wings, cheesesteaks and beer. Make sure to book a table so you and your mates don't miss out. The Prince If you're an early bird, art deco hotel The Prince is probably one of the earliest places open on the big day, with the action kicking off at 7am. The pub also has some unique offerings, like a bottomless package priced at $79pp that includes one main American-inspired meal along with select bottomless drinks. Sound too good to be true? We recommend booking before the tickets sell out, this one's set to be a goodie. Skinny Dog Hotel Experience the Super Bowl live at the Skinny Dog Hotel in Kew. Things kick off bright and early at 8am, with a menu including brekkie burgers and wings to help wake you up in time for the game. If you're a Kew local or a visitor, book to ensure a spot on the big day. The Swan Hotel There's something about The Swan that makes it the perfect watch live sport – whether it's the beer garden or the classic pub feel, we're not sure. But what we do know is that this Richmond pub will be buzzing come Super Bowl day, and you're going to want to snag a spot. For more information on these venues and to claim credit for your order, download The Pass app. Images: Supplied.
For years, Melbourne has proudly worn its culinary credentials. Newcomers queue wide-eyed at cult institutions like Lune Croissanterie and Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, while long-time locals who have already curated their favourites still stumble across surprises tucked away in laneways. From homestyle Palestinian dishes at Beit Siti to three floors of Italian nosh at Il Mercato Centrale, you can eat your way around the world without leaving the tram network. [caption id="attachment_1037185" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Sarah Pannell[/caption] Now, Lonely Planet has made it official: the Best in Travel 2026 guide has ranked Melbourne's food scene as one of the world's best 25 travel experiences. Now in its 16th edition, the guide forecasts unmissable destinations and experiences around the world for the year ahead. Australia scored three spots on the list: Victoria's 900km bathing trail from Daylesford to Mornington made the cut, while South Australia's Ikara-Flinders Ranges sits among the best 25 places. The guide shouts out the smorgasbord of dining options in Melbourne — there's something worth eating, no matter where you go. Cruffins from Lune and piccolo lattes from Maker Coffee are the recommended breakfast. Afterwards, head south of the river to South Melbourne Market, where Lonely Planet's food trail will bring you to Juju's Deli for chicken schnitty sangas, Aptus Seafoods Oyster Bar for a shuck stop and Claypots Evening Star for a killer seafood marinara. Venture further southwest for excellent Vietnamese fusion at Hanoi Mee Kitchen and Bar, a lesser-known local gem in Port Melbourne that left a lasting impression on the writer. [caption id="attachment_922464" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image supplied[/caption] The city's European influence shines at Italian marketplace Il Mercato Centrale and Italo-Aussie spins at Bottega, plus a wave of Mediterranean-inspired venues. Specialising in Cameroonian dishes, the now-shuttered Vola Foods in Brunswick West was the guide's pick for African cuisine — and you can still catch them at pop-ups, which they announce on Instagram. Over in the neighbouring Coburg, find Palestinian soul food from food truck Beit Siti. If you're in Collingwood, check out Hotel Jesus for some serious tacos. Drinks aren't an afterthought either. Collingwood brewery Molly Rose is a craft beer haven, while Waxflower Bar in Brunswick sets the mood for sipping lo-fi vinos with live vinyl sets. Want to read the full guide? Head to the Lonely Planet website for more.
At Suntory, the spirit of "Yatte Minahare" — "You never know until you try" — remains as strong now, as it did 126 years ago. It has led to the creation of Japan's first whisky distillery, the reimagining of classic cocktails like the highball, and it now houses some of the world's finest brands –Yamazaki, Hakushu, Toki Whisky, Roku Gin, Haku Vodka, Maker's Mark, Jim Beam, -196 and BOSS Coffee to name a few. As Suntory looks to the future, let's travel back 126 years to the very beginning, when Shinjiro Torii, Suntory's first Master Blender, saw an opportunity and "went for it." Where it All Started Over a century ago, in a small store in Osaka, Japan, Shinjiro Torii had a dream: to create an authentic whisky in Japan. Having saved enough from his early Akadama Port Wine successes, Torii, with much resistance from family and colleagues, invested his whole fortune into the establishment of the Yamazaki Distillery in 1923. He didn't know it then, but this uncharted move transformed the spirits industry in Japan and changed the whisky-drinking world. Since then – despite some challenges along the way – the brand has grown into a global leader of drinks, with products found in countless venues across Australia and the world. Shaping how Japan drinks and what the global community knows about flavour and innovation. Successive leaders have carried forward Torii's legacy, future-proofing Torii's vision while staying true to the company's founding values of Yatte Minahare: Giving Back to Society and Growing for Good. The Recipe for Success Suntory's ability to innovate while staying grounded in its Japanese roots is a testament to the brand's vision. Take Suntory Whisky Kabukin, for example. Launched in 1937, it was Japan's first big foray into the whisky business, helping to cement Suntory's reputation as a trailblazer in the industry. The whisky's signature square bottle (Kakubin means "square bottle") became an enduring icon, and today, it remains a beloved part of Japanese drinking culture — particularly in the form of the highball, a whisky-soda cocktail that Suntory helped popularise. But Suntory's innovation continued beyond whisky. In 1992, the brand launched BOSS Coffee, a flash-brewed cold coffee in a can designed to keep Japan's workforce fuelled. This product quickly became a hit, and even today, BOSS Coffee remains a go-to drink for coffee lovers (and tradies) seeking convenience without sacrificing quality. The company's relentless pursuit of innovation led to another groundbreaking product with -196 — a vodka based ready-to-drink beverage that's taken the world by storm with its flavour and the bold process by which it's made. The 'Freeze Crush Technology' involves freezing and pulverising whole fruits in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196°C. While Suntory has a significant global presence, its inspiration remains true to its founding philosophy: to inspire the brilliance of life. From the pristine water used at its distilleries to the careful selection of ingredients for its products, Suntory's emphasis on nature and tradition flows through everything it creates. The House of Suntory line, which includes celebrated names like Suntory Whisky, Toki, Roku Gin, and Haku Vodka, exemplifies this approach and its connection to nature. Each product in the collection pays homage to something unique from Japan's rich cultural heritage. For Roku Gin, this is done by using six carefully selected Japanese botanicals, while Haku Vodka is crafted from 100 percent Japanese white rice for an exceptionally smooth finish. [caption id="attachment_1017676" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jiwon Kim[/caption] The Spirit of Suntory in a Glass If you've walked down the bar-lined streets of Japan or even visited one of Australia's top whisky bars, you would have encountered the highball cocktail. A balanced combination of whisky and soda (and a wedge of lemon), it has long been a fixture of Japanese drinking culture, and Suntory has played a vital role in its revival. While the highball originated in the UK, Suntory perfected the drink, rolling out Tory's Bars in the 1950s, where patrons could sip highballs after a long day at work. Today, the highball is trending. Sipped by young folk in bars, paired and reimagined by the best bartenders in the world. Celebrating 126 Years As Suntory celebrates its 126th anniversary, it remains deeply rooted in the values that Shinjiro Torii instilled over a century ago. "We have grown from our roots in Japan to become a truly global company," says Greg Hughes, president and CEO of Suntory Global Spirits. [caption id="attachment_1017677" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jiwon Kim[/caption] From the first drops of Akadama Port Wine to the pioneering Japanese whisky and beyond, Suntory's history is marked by a continuous drive to innovate. Whether perfecting the highball or creating products like Minus 196, the company's story is one of bold experimentation, guided by a deep respect for tradition. As Suntory moves into the future, one thing is clear: it will continue to shape how the world drinks, one glass at a time. The best time to sample Suntory's work will be when Suntory Bar takes over Whisky Thief inside Sydney's Prefecture 48. Running from Friday, August 8 to Saturday, November 8, Suntory will be serving refreshing highballs and signature Suntory and experimental cocktails alongside select snacks for three months. Find out more about Suntory's legacy and full range of products at the website.
Inspired by the urban grunge of St Kilda's roots, the Newmarket Hotel combines retro funk with modern sophistication. Known for its fairy-light speckled beer garden, fresh take on Australian pub classics, striking interiors and dedicated gig space, this St Kilda resident is one to check out. Having undergone extensive renovations in recent years, Newmarket Hotel has been revitalised from the ground up. Offering a range of pub classics, alongside some Newmarket twists, the menu compliments Melbourne's ever-changing climate. Complimenting the top-notch menu is a wine and beer list to match, with over 17 beers on tap. Plus, like us, the pub believes that even our four-legged friends deserve a decent pub meal. So, every Tuesday the pub is serving up dog-friendly parmas for just $5 a pop. The mini chicken schnitzel comes topped with shaved ham and bocconcini, and is served with a side of 'chips' and 'salad' (well, dog treats and kibble). Humans will find parmas here, too, with the dish available every Tuesday for just $15 (compared to the usual $21) including a side of beer-battered chips and salad. If you rock up between 4–7pm, you'll also be able to score some happy hour drinks, with $5.50 draught beer, house wine and spirits, and $12 cocktails. Newmarket's newly revamped dedicated gig space, the Hummingbird, is host to a genre-tripping lineup of acts, from jazz to soul funk to R&B and even comedy. The intimate band room features a shiny new stage and sound system, hosting a bunch of shows every week.
Over the past few years, Gelatissimo has whipped up a number of creative flavours, including frosé sorbet, gelato for dogs, and ginger beer, Weet-Bix. fairy bread, hot cross bun, cinnamon scroll and chocolate fudge gelato. Most recently, it made a bubble tea variety, too. For its latest offering, the Australian dessert chain is taking inspiration from another beloved foodstuff — in case you can't choose between slathering Belgium's Lotus Biscoff cookie butter spread over bread or licking your way through a few scoops of ice cream. Yes, that very combination is now on the menu, with Biscoff gelato earning the honours as Gelatissimo's August flavour of the month. Now on sale, it starts with buttery cinnamon biscuit gelato — which is then layered with slabs of cookie butter, then topped with crunchy biscuit pieces. If you're only just learning about Lotus Biscoff cookie butter spread, it's made from the crumbs of Lotus Biscoff caramelised biscuits, and is basically a cookie-flavoured version of peanut butter or chocolate spreads like Nutella. Understandably, it has picked up quite a following — and, in its spreadable form, comes in creamy and crunchy varieties. At Gelatissimo, the Biscoff gelato will only be available for the month of August at all stores Australia-wide — and only while stocks last. That includes via delivered take-home packs via services such as UberEats, Deliveroo and DoorDash. Gelatissimo's Biscoff gelato is available from all stores nationwide for the month of August.
Those hobbits will go on. In JRR Tolkien's pages, they went on perilous Middle-earth adventures. On screens big and small for decades so far (and into the future, with more TV episodes and movies on the way), they've trekked, ate second breakfasts and attempted to project precious jewellery. Onstage in Australia in 2025, they'll also be marking an eleventy-first birthday, receiving a gold ring, taking a quest to Mordor and attempting to fight evil, all in The Lord of the Rings — A Musical Tale. Dating back to 2006, just after the original live-action movie trilogy, this stage musical was revived in the UK in 2023, opened in the US in July 2024 and will hit New Zealand this November. After that, it'll then take the hobbits to Australia from January 2025. First stop: Sydney's State Theatre. The Market Street venue will host the only Aussie season announced so far, kicking off on Tuesday, January 7, with how long it'll be playing yet to be revealed. Lord of the Rings fans elsewhere across the country, take note, too: you might need to go there and back again to discover what happens when Middle-earth gets melodic. Your guides for the show are the hobbits, of course, as Frodo and company celebrate Bilbo Baggins, then depart The Shire upon a life-changing journey. Thanks to Tolkien, what occurs from there has enthralled audiences for 70 years now, with The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers initially hitting bookshelves in 1954. There's been no shortage of ways to indulge your Lord of the Rings love since Peter Jackson's features — including his Hobbit trilogy — helped fan the flames of pop culture's affection for Frodo, Samwise, Pippin, Merry and the franchise's many non-underground-dwelling characters. Cinema marathons, visiting the Hobbiton movie set, staying there overnight, hitting up pop-up hobbit houses, sipping hobbit-themed beer: they've all been on the agenda. Only The Lord of the Rings — A Musical Tale is combining all things LoTR with tunes and dancing, however, in a show that sports a book and lyrics by from Shaun McKenna (Maddie, La Cava) and Matthew Warchus (Matilda the Musical, Groundhog Day the Musical), plus original music by Slumdog Millionaire Oscar-winner AR Rahman, folk band Värttinä from Finland and Matilda the Musical alum Christopher Nightingale. The Lord of the Rings — A Musical Tale will make its Australian premiere at the State Theatre, 49 Market Street, Sydney, from Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Head to the production's website for further details and to sign up for the ticket waitlist. Images: Liz Lauren.
In Melbourne we are known for our coffee and our laneway cafes. The latter, which can often be very tricky to find, regularly serve up the aforementioned tasty coffee. Here, we select our favourite laneway spots to grab a latte or two in the shade. League of Honest Coffee From the team behind Padre and the Brunswick East Project, these guys know a thing or two about coffee. You can expect a few choices when deciding on your single origin for the morning. The menu is small, offering a range of noisette pastries for a start. But the real drawcard here is the brew and the relaxed atmosphere that the staff and the space offer. 8 Exploration Lane, Melbourne, padrecoffee.com.au Silo by Joost Joost Bakker, the passionate eco-entrepreneur that he is, has created Silo by Joost and has done so with no waste. Food scraps and napkins don’t go into the bin here, they go into the on-site dehydrator out the back. The menu is small and to the point. Toast, oats, and coddled hens eggs sum it up. Snacks and local alcohol are served into the night. If you are looking to do your part for the environment, you can start with a breakfast at Silo. 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne, byjoost.com Journal Cafe Located in the same building as the City Library, this little cafe is sure to make you want to delve into some Austen or Fitzgerald as you sip your espresso. It’s very cozy here, and with the big communal table in the middle it can feel like everyone is a friend of a friend. The menu offers simple breakfast fare done well. They also have six bruschettas on offer, both sweet and savoury. 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, journalcafe.com.au Bar Americano Known for its serious cocktails, little sister of Der Raum – and we do mean little – is also a great stop for a quick coffee and bite to eat. There is only standing room for 10 so don’t plan to linger here. As homage to Harry’s Bar in Venice, Bar Americano embraces the Italian way of sipping on the run. If you can find it, down not one but two laneways; they will sort you out, day or night. 20 Presgrave Place, Melbourne, baramericano.com Hardware Societe Hardware Lane is nothing if not bursting with cafes and restaurants, and down the end on Hardware Street, you’ll find Hardware Societe. With a French and European influence, you’ll find more than just your typical breakfast fare. You are likely to have to wait on the weekends, as this bad boy is no well-kept secret. Get there early if you’re in a rush. 120 Hardware Street, Melbourne Jungle Juice This one is small, and as the name suggests they do know their juices. Changing regularly, you’ll often land something different. If you can get a seat, grab a bagel with your juice, or takeaway if all the seats in this little one are occupied. 20 Centre Place, Melbourne Manchester Press Good coffee, serious legroom and delicious bagels, what more could you want really? Manchester Press, once a gallery is open and spacious and a great retreat from the chaos that is Little Bourke Street. With about 10 bagel varieties to choose from, they are your best bet. Venture through the roller door and take your time. 8 Rankins Lane, Melbourne Chez Dre Laneway cafes don’t always have to be found in the CBD. Chez Dre, located in a converted warehouse down a little alley at the rear of Coventry Street in South Melbourne, is where you can find some of the best pastries in Melbourne. With a pastry chef who spent years in Paris honing her art, expect a French influence. If you’re not in the mood for something sweet, hot breakfasts and a range of baguettes are also available. Rear of 285-287 Coventry Street, South Melbourne, chezdre.com.au View all Melbourne Cafes.
When Studio Ghibli was first formed back in 1985, the Japanese animation house came about thanks to three parties: filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and producer Toshio Suzuki. While Miyazaki has become synonymous with the company in the three decades since and Suzuki is now one of Japan's most successful producers, Takahata deserves just as much acclaim and attention. Indeed, it was his first stint behind the camera that helped establish Ghibli on the international stage. Further, his most recent movie earned him an Academy Award nomination for best animated feature. Before his passing this week at the age of 82, Takahata's career also spanned a busy stint in television during the '60s and '70s, as well as producing roles on three important animated titles — Miyazaki's pre-Ghibli flick Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, his first studio effort Castle in the Sky, and the company's gorgeous collaboration with Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit, The Red Turtle. As a filmmaker himself, he may have only helmed five features, but they're all Ghibli classics. In fact, if you're a fan of the beloved outfit, they're definite must-sees that demonstrate the studio's visual, emotional, thematic and narrative range. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vPeTSRd580 GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES The most heartbreaking animated film ever made — and one the most heartbreaking films ever made in any format, too — Grave of the Fireflies proved Studio Ghibli's first masterpiece. In fact, it's a movie the studio has never come close to matching since, even though the company's stellar flicks continually enchant and delight. Given the war drama is a rare Ghibli effort that plunges into dark territory, telling the tale of two siblings desperately struggling to survive in the last days of the Second World War, that's completely understandable. Takahata's handling of the film's moving and sorrowful story couldn't be more astonishing, from the fleshed-out characters tussling with life and death, to the striking visuals, including the titular glowing bugs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfkQlZArxw0 ONLY YESTERDAY Like his filmmaking debut, Takahata's second directorial effort doesn't resemble much of Studio Ghibli's output. Based on the 1982 manga of the same name, Only Yesterday eschews child-focused fantasies for the incredibly relatable inner turmoil of 27-year-old Tokyo worker Taeko. Rather than entering fanciful worlds, the film follows its protagonist's attempt to reconcile her childhood dreams with the life she's now living. It's a mature, thoughtful effort — and one that was only re-released two years ago, with an English-language voice cast of Daisy Ridley and Dev Patel. Upon its initial stint in cinemas in Japan in 1991, it became the highest-grossing Japanese film of the year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7cowIHjCD4 POM POKO Another box office hit — in fact, Pom Poko was the highest-grossing Japanese film in Japan in 1994 — Takahata's next flick introduced the world to mischievous racoon-like critters. Called tanuki and finding their basis in folklore, the creatures can transform into almost anything; however their habitat outside of Tokyo is under threat from developers. With ecological matters a common thread in Ghibli movies, this touching delight proves a quintessential addition to the fold, combining magical wonder with a message. It's an endearing fable, and one that matches its narrative with memorable imagery, as always. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C9ujuCPlnY MY NEIGHBOURS THE YAMADAS My Neighbours the Yamadas is the studio's most visually distinctive effort. Based on the manga Nono-chan, it's the company's first fully digital film, but it favours the look of a hand-drawn, watercolour-painted comic strip over the usual Ghibli aesthetic. The stylistic choice suits the content perfectly, not only immersing audiences into the series of vignettes about the Yamada family, but offering a visible reminder that nothing is ever as simple as it appears. That's a statement that keeps bubbling to the fore as the quirky flick delves into recognisable situations with humour and heart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9QnebAVHVk THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA In The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, the eponymous girl blossoms within a bamboo shoot. She's not the only thing that blooms in this hand-drawn beauty, which marked Takahata's first film as a director in 15 years. Rumoured at the time to be his last feature and sadly proving to be case now, it's a gentle, elegant and entrancing story that charts the princess' growth, depicts her turmoil as her own desires clash with everyone else's expectations, and evolves from a seemingly standard setup into something subversive and meaningful. And, like almost everything throughout the filmmaker's career, it's a movie that no one else could've made in the same way.
Co-Studio is a contemporary space located in Collingwood, its aim is to break from the mould of traditional salons and foster a supportive working environment. Ellen opened the studio in October 2020 as one of the first co-working salons in Melbourne, creating a safe space for hairdressers to work independently while still having the support of a team. The interiors are light and warm with a central communal table for colouring which allows guests to relax during their treatment and work from the salon. Co-Studio currently hosts three hairdressers with a range of specialties and a newly opened beauty room upstairs.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from May's haul. Brand-New Stuff You Can Watch From Start to Finish Now Hacks Sometimes you need to wait for the things you love. In Hacks, that's true off- and on-screen. It's been two years since the HBO comedy last dropped new episodes, after its first season was one of the best new shows of 2021 and its second one of the best returning series of 2022 — a delay first sparked by star Jean Smart (Babylon) requiring heart surgery, and then by 2023's Hollywood strikes. But this Emmy- and Golden Globe-winner returns better than ever in season three as it charts Smart's Deborah Vance finally getting a shot at a job that she's been waiting her entire career for. After scoring a huge hit with her recent comedy special, which was a product of hiring twentysomething writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder, Julia), the Las Vegas mainstay has a new chance at nabbing a late-night hosting gig. (Yes, fictional takes on after-dark talk shows are having a moment, thanks to Late Night with the Devil and now this.) At times, some in Deborah's orbit might be tempted to borrow the Australian horror movie's title to describe to assisting her pitch for a post-primetime chair. That'd be a harsh comment, but savage humour has always been part of this showbiz comedy about people who tell jokes for a living. While Deborah gets roasted in this season, spikiness is Hacks' long-established baseline — and also the armour with which its behind-the-mic lead protects herself from life's and the industry's pain, disappointments and unfairness. Barbs can also be Deborah's love language, as seen in her banter with Ava. When season two ended, their tumultuous professional relationship had come to an end again via Deborah, who let her writer go to find bigger opportunities. A year has now passed when season three kicks off. Ava is a staff writer on a Last Week Tonight with John Oliver-type series in Los Angeles and thriving, but she's also not over being fired. Back in Vanceland , everything is gleaming — but Deborah isn't prepared for being a phenomenon. She wants it. She's worked for years for it. It's taken until her 70s to get it. But her presence alone being cause for frenzy, rather than the scrapping she's done to stay in the spotlight, isn't an easy adjustment. Hacks streams via Stan. Read our full review. Bodkin When podcasting grasped onto IRL mysteries and the world listened, it started a 21st-century circle of true crime obsessions. First, the audio format dived into the genre. Next, screens big and small gave it renewed attention, not that either ever shirked reality's bleakest details. Now, movies and TV shows are known to spin stories around folks investigating such cases to make podcasts, turning detective as they press record. And, as Only Murders in the Building did, sometimes there's also a podcast venturing behind the scenes of a fictional affair about podcasters sleuthing a case. While Bodkin mightn't come with an accompanying digital audio series stepping into its minutiae, it does take its fellow murder-mystery comedy's lead otherwise. Swaps are made — West Cork is in, New York is out; deaths pile up in an Irish village, not an apartment building; three chalk-and-cheese neighbours give way to a trio of mismatched journalists — but the shared format is as plain to see as blood splatter. Call that part of the 21st-century circle of true crime obsessions, too, as one hit inspires more. Bodkin is easy to get hooked on as well, even if it's not as guaranteed to return for additional seasons. Siobhán Cullen (The Dry), Will Forte (Strays) and Robyn Cara (Mixtape) give this seven-part series its investigating threesome: Irishwoman-in-London Dove Maloney, a hard-nosed reporter who just lost a source on a big story; American Gilbert Power, who capitalised upon his wife's cancer for his first podcast hit; and enthusiastic researcher Emmy Sizergh, who wants to be Dove and, much to her idol's dismay, is fine with following Gilbert's lead to get there. They're thrown together in the show's titular town not by Dove's choice, but because she's bundled off by her editor. Gilbert and Emmy are well-aware that she's not there willingly — Dove isn't the type to hide her disdain for anything, be it her latest assignment, Gilbert's medium of choice and his approach, and Emmy's eagerness. Bodkin beckons courtesy of a cold case from a quarter-century back when the village gathered for its then-annual Samhain festival (an influence upon Halloween). Three people disappeared, which Gilbert is certain is a killer hook for the next big hit he desperately needs for the sake of both his reputation and his finances; however, Dove is adamant that there's much more going on than the narrative that Gilbert has already decided to tell. Bodkin streams via Netflix. Read our full review. Outer Range It was true of season one of Outer Range and it doesn't stop proving the case in season two: thinking about Twin Peaks, Yellowstone, Lost, The X-Files, The Twilight Zone and primetime melodramas while you're watching this sci-fi western series is unavoidable. In its second go-around, throw in Dark, too, and also True Detective. Here, an eerie void on a Wyoming cattle ranch sends people hurtling through time, rather than a cave beneath a nuclear power plant — and that concept, time, is dubbed a river instead of a flat circle. The idea behind Outer Range, as conjured up creator Brian Watkins for its debut season in 2022, has always been intriguing: what if a tunnel of blackness topped by a mist of floating energy suddenly opened up in the earth? Also, where would this otherworldly chasm lead? What would be the consequences of taking a tumble into its inky expanse? What does it mean? It isn't literally a mystery box Dark Matter-style, but it also still is in everything but shape — while contemplating what effect such a phenomena has on a rancher family that's worked the land that the ethereal cavern appears on for generations, as well as upon the broader small-town community of Wabang. Getting trippy came with the territory in season one, in an entrancing blend of the out-there and the earthy. Season two doubles down, dives in deeper and gallops across its chosen soil — a mix of the surreal and the soapy as well — with even more gusto. Just like with a vacuum that materialises on an otherwise ordinary-seeming paddock, no one should be leaping into Outer Range's second season unprepared. This isn't a series to jump into with no prior knowledge, or to just pick up along the way. It isn't simply the premise that Outer Range takes its time to reveal in all of its intricacy, a process that remains ongoing in season two; the characters, including Abbott patriarch Royal (Josh Brolin, Dune: Part Two), his wife Cecilia (Lili Taylor, Manhunt), their sons Perry (Tom Pelphrey, Love & Death) and Rhett (Lewis Pullman, Lessons in Chemistry), and stranger-in-their-midst Autumn (Imogen Poots, The Teacher), receive the same treatment. Outer Range streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. Jim Henson Idea Man Making a documentary about Jim Henson can't be a difficult task. He's the man who created The Muppets, co-created Sesame Street, co-helmed The Dark Crystal and directed Labyrinth — and stepping through all four, complete with footage from them and behind-the-scenes clips as well, could fuel several portraits of the iconic puppeteer. Jim Henson Idea Man features plenty from that key Henson quartet, all teeming with insights. When viewers aren't getting a peek at The Muppet Show being made, they're exploring the technical trickery behind Kermit singing 'Rainbow Connection' in the swamp in The Muppet Movie. Or, if you're not hearing about how the Bert and Ernie dynamic was fuelled by Henson and Frank Oz's real-life personalities, you're being taken through the first version of The Dark Crystal where little was in any known language, then hearing from Jennifer Connelly (Dark Matter) about the picture that made "dance, magic dance" one of the most-famous lines from a movie song. Ron Howard (Thirteen Lives) has a dream job, then. He also makes the most of everything that a tribute to Henson needs. But, affectionate as it was always going to be — Henson is that rightly beloved, and always will be — his doco also dives deeper. Talking heads, including Oz (Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker), other colleagues and Henson's four surviving children, are on hand to chat through the man behind the on-screen magic amid the treasure trove of material. Again, this Cannes-premiering documentary is a tribute and an authorised one, but it also examines the impact of its subject's devotion to his work on his marriage, as well as on his wife and fellow puppeteer Jane's career. Howard and screenwriter Mark Monroe (The Beach Boys) are loving but clear-eyed in their approach — and wide-spanning in their range for anyone who hasn't delved into much of Henson's work beyond The Muppets, Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. As it hops through a birth-to-death timeline, the attention given to Henson's experimental films is essential and a delight. For 1965's Time Piece, he was nominated for an Academy Award, with the short held up here as a key to understanding the inner Henson beyond his public persona. Getting viewers discovering or rediscovering that piece, and what it conveys about its creator, is high among Jim Henson Idea Man's many gifts. Jim Henson Idea Man streams via Disney+. Eric In the space of a mere two days to close out May, two tales of two puppeteers have popped up on streaming. Eric is pure fiction, but it's impossible not to think about Jim Henson while watching it, regardless of whether you also have a small-screen date with Jim Henson Idea Man. Creator and writer Abi Morgan — who has previously penned the likes of Shame, The Iron Lady, The Invisible Woman, Suffragette, River and The Split — puts a Henson-esque figure with his own hit TV show for kids at the core of her six-part miniseries. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) in a performance that's bound to receive awards attention, Vincent Anderson even physically resembles the man behind The Muppets and Sesame Street, but he definitely isn't Henson. Firstly, Anderson is an abusive alcoholic. Secondly, his nine-year-old son Edgar (debutant Ivan Morris Howe) goes missing one morning on his walk to school. And thirdly, the eponymous Eric is a seven-foot-tall monster muppet who his boy scribbled to life on the page and then starts following Vincent as his mental health struggles after Edgar disappears. As a series, the 1985-set Eric is ambitious — and, as well as exceptionally acted, also instantly involving and deeply layered as it ponders how a sunny world can turn unkind, cruel and corrupt. It's an ordinary day when Edgar trundles out his New York City door alone, and routine even in the fact that Vincent and his wife Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann, C'mon C'mon) have been fighting. But soon the Anderson family is plunged into crisis. As he frays visibly, Vincent still can't tear himself away from work, becoming obsessed with turning Eric into his show's newest character. Cassie is certain that reward money from her husband's rich parents, who he's estranged from, will help rustle up information on her son's whereabouts. At the NYPD, detective Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III, One Piece) is working the case while handling his own baggage. He's still trying to find another missing kid from 11 months ago, too, but with far less support because that child is Black. Ledroit is also a closeted gay Black man in a workplace and at a time that's hardly welcoming, with a dying partner at home. Eric streams via Netflix. Read our full review. The Veil It's simple to glean how and why Elisabeth Moss (Next Goal Wins) was cast as The Veil's Imogen Salter, the MI6 agent whose speciality is complex undercover gigs, even if the part in this six-episode miniseries initially seems like the opposite of her recent work. In The Handmaid's Tale, Shining Girls and The Invisible Man, trauma and abuse came her characters' ways — but the flipside, of course, is persisting, enduring and fighting back. The inner steeliness that it takes to survive dystopian subjugation, domestic violence and an assault isn't far removed from the outward resolve that Imogen wears like a second skin. The more that The Veil goes on, the more that the show and Moss unpack why its key intelligence agent sports such armour, plus the emotional underpinning that's definitely familiar territory for the actor. The role by the end of the series screams her name, in fact, but the cool, calm, collected and ass-kicking Imogen does as well. Watching Moss as a top-of-her-game spy who puts everyone in their place is the kind of idea that should always get an immediate green light. The Veil is gripping from start to finish, and also a better show because it has Moss at its centre. Imogen isn't her character's real name, a detail that's par for the course in espionage antics and also symbolic of someone trying to construct a new facade atop pain that won't fade. Her latest gig puts Adilah El Idrissi (Yumna Marwan, The Stranger's Case) in her sights, a woman who similarly mightn't be who she says she is. At a snowy refugee camp (Australian Wakefield actor Dan Wyllie plays its man in charge) on the border of Turkey and Syria, the latter is attacked for her purported ties to ISIS — not just as an operative but as a mastermind, which she denies. Working with French DGES agent Malik Amar (Dali Benssalah, Street Flow 2) and American CIA agent Max Peterson (Josh Charles, The Power), Imogen's task is to obtain the truth out of Adilah, who says that she just wants to get back to her young daughter. It's also plain to see why creator and writer Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, SAS Rogue Heroes), plus directors Daina Reid (a Shining Girls and The Handmaid's Tale alum) and Damon Thomas (The Big Cigar), put Moss and the also-excellent Marwan together for much of the series. The Veil streams via Disney+. The Idea of You He's just a boy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him. The Idea of You doesn't use specific those words, aka a gender-flipped version of the Notting Hill quote that became entrenched in popular consciousness a quarter century ago, but it follows the same broad tale and conveys that exact sentiment. He is Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine, Mary & George), the twentysomething pop idol who fronts British boy band August Moon. She is divorcee Solène Marchand (Anne Hathaway, Armageddon Time), an art dealer hitting her 40s who's a mother to teenage Izzy (Ella Rubin, Masters of the Air). And as they meet-cute — not at a bookstore but at Coachella, where Solène is escorting her daughter and her friends to see August Moon, including a VIP meet-and-greet with Hayes and his bandmates backstage — there's no avoiding thinking about Hugh Grant (Unfrosted) and Julia Roberts (Leave the World Behind). Thanks to the internet, although author Robinne Lee has rebuffed the idea that she wrote the novel The Idea of You as fan fiction, there's no escaping Harry Styles popping into your head, either. Actor-turned-writer Lee (Kaleidoscope) knows a thing or two about fanfic: she featured in the movie adaptations of the Fifty Shades books. But the potential Styles of it all doesn't matter when the style of the tale, especially on-screen, is a rom-com about a woman being seen at a time in her life when traditionally the opposite happens. There shouldn't be an air of wish fulfilment to this story in a perfect world, or a race to join the dots to connect it to a celebrity and make that the crux of the narrative's importance. Writer/director Michael Showalter (Spoiler Alert) and co-screenwriter Jennifer Westfeldt (The First Lady), both of whom are actors themselves, thankfully don't opt for that path. Instead, while the movie's characters could've used more flesh in the script and cliches remain apparent, The Idea of You gets layered performances out of Hathaway and Galitzine to make its setup feel emotionally authentic. The details: that cute meeting, her reluctance, his perseverance, chasing their hearts on August Moon's tour of Europe, then navigating the reality behind the fantasy. The Idea of You streams via Prime Video. The Tattooist of Auschwitz How do you bring a tale of the holocaust's horrors and the human spirit's tenacity to the screen when it's as complicated as The Tattooist of Auschwitz? Many of complexities surrounding Heather Morris' book aren't on the page, but rather in the story's dialogue between truth and fiction — with the narrative based on a real-life concentration camp survivor's recollections, but questions raised about inaccuracies in the text's account. As a six-part miniseries, The Tattooist of Auschwitz confronts the queries surrounding its contents, which reached shelves in 2018, by constantly noting how unreliable that memories can be. Each episode opens with "based on the memories of holocaust survivor Lali Sokolov" before sections of the phrase fades, leaving just "the memories of Lali Sokolov" lingering. Backtracking as the elderly Lali (Harvey Keitel, Paradox Effect) recounts his time at Auschwitz to probe how true the specifics are, offer different versions, revise the minutiae and sway the perspective is also an element of the show, as are other figures — such as Stefan Baretzki (Jonas Nay, Concordia), an SS officer overseeing the younger Lali (Jonah Hauer-King, The Little Mermaid) — appearing like ghosts to put forward another viewpoint. Screenwriters Jacquelin Perske (Fires), Gabbie Asher (Sanctuary) and Evan Placey (Soulmates) — and also director Tali Shalom-Ezer (The Psychologist), who helms the entire miniseries — frame The Tattooist of Auschwitz as a portrait of a man looking back at his life and an examination of the fact that every recounting is always guided by storytelling choices. It's a canny move, recognising that Lali's experiences as a Slovakian Jewish prisoner during World War II can only be filtered through his eyes, especially as gutwrenching horror surrounds him but love still springs. Being enlisted with the titular job, which brings a sliver of benefits and freedoms within the camp; falling for fellow detainee Gita (Anna Próchniak, Unmoored) while he's inking; the fraught nature of their fight to be together in such grim circumstances; the reality of death everywhere around them; his relationship with the volatile Baretzki: as Lali at age 87 chats through it with aspiring writer Morris (Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets), that this is his journey and that his recounting isn't infallible remain constantly in mind. Keitel is particularly excellent, but the most haunting element of the compelling series, unsurprisingly, is the moments that it spends with the dead — moments where there's no possibility of different perceptions — who stare straight to camera when they pass. The Tattooist of Auschwitz streams via Stan. New and Returning Shows to Check Out Week by Week Colin From Accounts When Colin From Accounts arrived for its first season in 2022 with a nipple flash, a dog and strangers committing to take care of a cute injured pooch together, it also began with a "will they, won't they?" story. Ashley (Harriet Dyer, The Invisible Man) and Gordon (Patrick Brammall, Evil) crossed paths in the street in Sydney when she gave him a random peek, then he was distracted behind the wheel. Thanks to the titular pet, the pair were soon intricately involved in each other's lives — and a delightful small-screen Aussie rom-com was the end result as they endeavoured to work out what that actually meant. In season two, which picks up after the duo gave Colin From Accounts to new owners and then immediately regretted the decision, a couple of things are different from the outset: Gordon and Ashley are on a quest to get their pup back and they'll stop at almost nothing for their family to be reunited, and this award-winning series is now in "should've they or should've they not?" territory about its central romance. Falling in love is easy. Being in the honeymoon period, whether or not you've actually tied the knot — Colin From Accounts' protagonists haven't — is clearcut, too. Taking a relationship further means peeling away the rosy and glowing surface, however, which is where the series follows its medical student and microbrewery owner in its second season. Accordingly, through surprising news, meeting family members, historical baggage and more, Ashley and Gordon are still trying to navigate the reality of intertwining their lives, and also who they are as a couple. Creators, writers and stars Dyer and Brammall keep performing their parts to perfection; given they're married IRL and no strangers to working together (see: No Activity), the chemistry and naturalism isn't hard to maintain, but they're not just playing themselves. They're also particularly gifted with dialogue, ensuring that everything that the show's characters are saying — be it amusing, heartfelt, acerbic, insightful or all of the above — always feels authentic. Colin From Accounts streams via Binge. Read our full review. Dark Matter When an Australian actor makes it big, it can feel as if there's more than one of them. Joel Edgerton, who has been on local screens for almost three decades and made the leap to Hollywood with the Australian-shot Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, is such a talent. He's usually everywhere and in almost everything (such as The Stranger, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Thirteen Lives, Master Gardener, I'm a Virgo, The Boys in the Boat and Bluey in just the past two years), and viewers would follow him anywhere. Dark Matter wasn't written to capitalise upon that idea. Rather, it hails from the page of Blake Crouch's 2016 novel, with the author also creating the new nine-part sci-fi series that it's based on. But the show's lead casting leans into the notion that you can never have too much Edgerton by multiplying him in the multiverse. For the characters in Dark Matter, however, the fact that there's more than a single Jason Dessen causes considerable issues. The series' protagonist is a former experimental physics genius-turned-professor in Chicago. He's married to artist-turned-gallerist Daniela (Jennifer Connelly, Bad Behaviour), a father to teenager Charlie (Oakes Fegley, The Fabelmans) and the best friend of award-winning college pal Ryan Holder (Jimmi Simpson, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). And, he's been happy living the quiet family life, although pangs of envy quietly arise when he's celebrating Ryan's prestigious new accolade. Then, when another Jason pops up to pull off a kidnapping and doppelgänger plot, he's soon navigating a cross between Sliding Doors and Everything Everywhere All At Once. Everything is a multiverse tale of late, but Dark Matter is also a soul-searching "what if?" drama, exploring the human need to wonder what might've been if just one choice — sometimes big, sometimes small — had veered in a different direction. While a box is pivotal mode of transport like this is Doctor Who, as are all manner of worlds to visit, this is high-concept sci-fi at its most grounded. Neither version of Jason wants to hop through parallel worlds in the name of adventure or exploration — they're simply chasing their idea of everyday perfection. Dark Matter streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. Excellent Recent Films You Might've Missed on the Big Screen Anatomy of a Fall A calypso instrumental cover of 50 Cent's 'P.I.M.P.' isn't the only thing that Anatomy of a Fall's audience won't be able to dislodge from their heads after watching 2023's deserving Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or-winner. A film that's thorny, knotty and defiantly unwilling to give any easy answers, this legal, psychological and emotional thriller about a woman on trial for her husband's death is unshakeable in as many ways as someone can have doubts about another person: so, a myriad. The scenario conjured up by writer/director Justine Triet (Sibyl) is haunting, asking not only if her protagonist committed murder, as the on-screen investigation and courtroom proceedings interrogate, but digging into what it means to be forced to choose between whether someone did the worst or is innocent — or if either matters. While the Gallic legal system provides the backdrop for much of the movie, the real person doing the real picking isn't there in a professional capacity, or on a jury. Rather, it's the 11-year-old boy who loved his dad, finds him lying in the snow with a head injury outside their French Alps home on an otherwise ordinary day, then becomes the key witness in his mum's case. Also impossible to forget: the performances that are so crucial in telling this tale of marital and parental bonds, especially from one of German's current best actors and the up-and-coming French talent playing her son. With her similarly astonishing portrayal in The Zone of Interest, Toni Erdmann and I'm Your Man's Sandra Hüller is two for two in movies that initially debuted globally in 2023; here, she steps into the icy and complicated Sandra Voyter's shoes with the same kind of surgical precision that Triet applies to unpacking the character's home life. As Daniel, who couldn't be more conflicted about the nightmare situation he's been thrust into, Milo Machado Graner (Alex Hugo) is a revelation — frequently via his expressive face and posture alone. If Scenes From a Marriage met Kramer vs Kramer, plus 1959's Anatomy of a Murder that patently influences Anatomy of a Fall's name, this would be the gripping end result — as fittingly written by Triet with her IRL partner Arthur Harari (Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle). Anatomy of a Fall streams via Stan. Read our full review. May December A line about not having enough hot dogs might be one of its first, but the Julianne Moore (Sharper)-, Natalie Portman (Thor: Love and Thunder)- and Charles Melton (Riverdale)-starring May December is a movie of mirrors and butterflies. In the literal sense, director Todd Haynes wastes few chances to put either in his frames. The Velvet Goldmine, Carol and Dark Waters filmmaker doesn't shy away from symbolism, knowing two truths that stare back at his audience from his latest masterpiece: that what we see when we peer at ourselves in a looking glass isn't what the rest of the world observes, and that life's journey is always one of transformation. Inspired by the real-life Mary Kay Letourneau scandal, May December probes both of these facts as intently as anyone scrutinising their own reflection. Haynes asks viewers to do the same. Unpacking appearance and perception, and also their construction and performance, gazes from this potently thorny — and downright potent — film. That not all metamorphoses end with a beautiful flutter flickers through just as strongly. May December's basis springs from events that received ample press attention in the 90s: schoolteacher Letourneau's sexual relationship with her sixth-grade student Vili Fualaau. She was 34, he was 12. First-time screenwriter Samy Burch changes names and details in her Oscar-nominated script — for Best Original Screenplay, which is somehow the film's only nod by the Academy — but there's no doubting that it takes its cues from this case of grooming, which saw Letourneau arrested, give birth to the couple's two daughters in prison, then the pair eventually marry. 2000 TV movie All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story used the recreation route; however, that was never going to be a Haynes-helmed feature's approach. The comic mention of hot dogs isn't indicative of May December's overall vibe, either: this a savvily piercing film that sees the agonising impact upon the situation's victim, the story its perpetrator has spun around herself, and the relentless, ravenous way that people's lives and tragedies are consumed by the media and public. May December streams via Binge and Prime Video. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March and April this year, and also from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2023. You can also check out our running list of standout must-stream shows from last year as well — and our best 15 new shows of 2023, 15 newcomers you might've missed, top 15 returning shows of the year, 15 best films, 15 top movies you likely didn't see, 15 best straight-to-streaming flicks and 30 movies worth catching up on over the summer. Top image: Christine Tamalet / FX.
Melburnians got their first taste of South Yarra's $800 million Capitol Grand development (and its star-studded food precinct) when Omnia opened its doors in mid-2019. And the crew here — led by award-winning chef Stephen Nairn — has been knocking it out of the park ever since. From the kitchen comes a lineup of European-inspired favourites reimagined with a focus on top local ingredients — from a steak tartare made at the table and plenty of individual snacks to a luxe steak frites and absolutely next-level dry-aged honey roasted duck. This fat and juicy duck (sourced from the Macedon Ranges) is made for two, coming with plenty of succulent an crispy breast meat, as well as a generous side of confit duck leg. Pair it with a potato rosti topped with chives, sour cream and shallots as well as a few seasonal greens for a truly decadent feed. A matching 100-plus-strong wine list shines a spotlight on producers from all corners of the world, while the signature cocktails are worth visiting Omnia for alone. Perch up at the bar, sipping your way through several unique takes on the classic martini, a saffron-infused negroni and a lemon myrtle gimlet. Omnia is split into a few distinct sections: you've got the light- and plant-filled dining room overlooking Chapel Street, the bar surrounded by stools and the back room consisting of several banquettes and booths located by the large open kitchen. The back room has more of a romantic and secluded feel to it, decked out in timber finishes and exposed brickwork, while the front is brighter and gives brilliant daytime bistro vibes. As a Euro-inspired fine-diner, Omnia is ticking all the right boxes, from incredible food and wine to top-notch service and sleek interiors. And if you stop by for anything, make sure it's the duck.
Feeling bold to start 2023? Brave? Fearless? Ready to take on a new year, embrace life and show your spirit? That's the standard January vibe, but this year has a colour to match: Viva Magenta, aka the hue of the year according to the Pantone Colour Institute. Each year, Pantone's colour experts pick a tone for the 12 months ahead. As announced back in December 2022 but supremely relevant now that 2023 is actually here, its latest selection is Pantone 18-1750. This hue from the red family — a colour that Pantone says "vibrates with vim and vigour" — is meant to both set the trend for and sum up the year ahead. Pantone is never short on words for its picks of the year, and has also dubbed this tone as "a pulsating colour whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative". Viva Magenta is meant to be powerful and empowering, too, and a colour that "revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint — an electrifying and a boundaryless shade that is manifesting as a standout statement". View this post on Instagram A post shared by PANTONE (@pantone) "Viva Magenta welcomes anyone and everyone with the same verve for life and rebellious spirit. It is a colour that is audacious, full of wit and inclusive of all," Pantone's announcement continues. Explaining the decision, Pantone Colour Institute Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman said that the tone has a natural, primordial, galvanising feel to it. "Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known." Expect to see all things Viva Magenta popping up around the place throughout 2023, with Pantone suggesting how it can be used in fashion and accessories, home decor, design and beauty, too. The new shade takes over from 2022's Very Peri, and 2021's Ultimate Gray and vibrant yellow Illuminating before that. In 2020, Pantone went with Classic Blue, while 2019's colour was Living Coral, 2018's was Ultra Violet and 2017's was Greenery. To find out more about Viva Magenta — and to check out all the previous Colours of the Year — head to the Pantone website.
Long before Sculpture by the Sea, SWELL Sculpture Festival and the Lorne Sculpture Biennale, there was the Mildura Sculpture Triennial. It was Australia's first-ever event for large-scale contemporary sculptures — and, in the 1960s and '70s, drew thousands of artists, students and travellers to Mildura, a town on the edge of the outback, 600 kilometres northwest of Melbourne. Inspired by open skies, endless plains and the mighty Murray River, these artists pushed the boundaries of sculpture as we then knew it, delving into earth art, performance, site-specific works and ephemeral installations. Today, the Biennale's legacy lives on in Mildura's art scene — through galleries, public art and big events. In April 2025, English-Australian artist Bruce Munro arrived with Trail of Lights. To experience this legacy for ourselves, we escaped to Mildura for a few days. Along the way, we long lunched on the river, cruised on a 19th century paddle steamer, wandered around pretty satellite villages, stayed at a California-inspired hotel, and ate more than our fair share of juicy oranges — Mildura is famous for growing them. [caption id="attachment_1016549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Supplied[/caption] Feasting on Arts, Culture and History Our adventures began on the Murray, which runs through Mildura. Just downstream, it meets the Darling, forming the fourth biggest river system in the world. So, it makes sense that Munro — who loves significant sites from Uluru to Salisbury Cathedral — would choose Mildura for one of his monumental works. We crossed the river at sunset onto Lock Island. As the sky darkened, thousands upon thousands of tiny lights started to flicker among the grass and rocks and trees — each gradually dimming, then brightening, like fireflies. A web of pathways let us walk beside them, while the weir gushed eerily in the distance, then through them, where they seemed to continue beyond the horizon into infinity. Unlike other, more sensational light spectacles, Trail of Lights was a dreamy, meditative experience — made all the more powerful by having the island more or less to ourselves. "People react in all kinds of different ways; some people have told me it made them cry," a hotel owner later told us. Soon, Munro will bring a second work – Fibre Optic Symphonic Orchestra – to the nearby ancient Perry Sandhills. [caption id="attachment_1019599" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Mildura Arts Centre Facebook[/caption] Lock Island is ten minutes' walk from Mildura Arts Centre, where the Sculpture Park lets you travel back in time to the Triennial. Highlights include Ron Robertson-Swann's Beethoven, Simon Hopkinson and Gary Willis's Work–Art, and John Robinson's Mortality. While you're there, wander through Rio Vista, a 19th century mansion built by WB Chaffey and his wife, Heather. Chaffey and his brother, George, were Canadian engineers who brought irrigation to Mildura, so we have them to thank for most of Australia's supply of grapes and oranges. Other spots to get your art fix in and around town include NAP Contemporary, the Mural Walking Trail, and, for silo art, the nearby rural localities of Werrimull and Walpeup. [caption id="attachment_1019908" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Discover Mildura[/caption] The Great Outdoors – from the Murray River to Mungo National Park For artists – or for anyone, for that matter – it's impossible to ignore Mildura's extraordinary landscapes. Our explorations started on the Murray River, with a cruise on the paddle steamer P.V. Rothbury. Built in the 1880s, she used to tow wool barges, but now she's dedicated to taking visitors on two-hour trips downstream, where Mildura's township gives way to gumtrees and birdsong. Another way to get to know the river is on foot, following one of many waterfront trails, such as the 3.5-kilometre stroll from the CBD to the Arts Centre or the 4.9-kilometre track to Lock 11. [caption id="attachment_1021367" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Supplied[/caption] Keen to go further afield? Consider a day trip to Mungo National Park — where Mungo Lady and Mungo Man were found — with Discover Mildura. In the company of a family that's lived locally for generations, you'll travel through the awe-inspiring plains to Mildura's northwest, be treated to homemade morning tea (pray for the banana bread!), walk among the Walls of China (one of NSW's most well-known landmarks), visit Mungo Woolshed and go deep into Mildura's history. Other tours explore wineries, farm gates, nearby villages, the Murray River and more — plus, there's the option of booking a private adventure. [caption id="attachment_1019909" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Discover Mildura[/caption] Other spectacular stops to add to your itinerary include Orange World (a 50-acre working citrus farm), the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens (for 2,500-year-old trees), Perry Sandhills (400 acres of moving dunes), the Murray-Darling River Junction, the Murray-Sunset National Park (for stunning pink salt lakes) and Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (for freshwater lakes thriving with birdlife). [caption id="attachment_1019930" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Mildura Boathouse Facebook[/caption] Where to Eat and Drink Having boated and strolled beside the river, we were ready to eat beside it. So, we headed to the Mildura Boathouse Eatery & Bar, a big, bright space splashed in aquamarine and white on the waterfront. For the best views, claim a table on the deck under a big umbrella. Our favourite on the local produce-fuelled menu was the mushies topped with goat's cheese, truffle mousse and poached eggs on bread baked 15 minutes' drive away at Gio's in Redcliff. But the brekkie roll packed with egg, bacon and cheddar and slathered in secret sauce came a close second. [caption id="attachment_1021369" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Supplied[/caption] Another beautiful place for riverside feasting is Trentham Estate, a winery on the Murray, 20 minutes' drive east of the CBD. Whether you sit in the glass-walled dining room or on the verandah, you'll be gazing over dreamy water views, foregrounded by green grass and shady gums. We settled in for a long lunch, travelling from a baked scallop-prawn tart, to pan-fried salmon with basil pesto on sweet potato mash, to an exquisite lemon meringue tart with berry coulis and vanilla ice cream. To get even closer to the water, opt for a picnic on the lawn, with a cheese platter followed by chocolate fudge cake. Either way, there's plenty to explore on the wine list, from the budget-friendly The Family range to the award-winning Reserves. [caption id="attachment_1019964" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: 400 Gradi website[/caption] Back in town, we loved 400 Gradi, a Melbourne export which opened in Mildura in 2022, for its flash-fried calamari, light prawn and zucchini white pizza, rich mushroom pappardelle and irresistible tiramisu — all served in a slick, grand space, with excellent service. Also worth checking out are SteamPunk and BLK MLK for coffee, Brother Chris and Twenty Seven for brunch, Oak Valley and Capogreco for wine tasting, The Spanish Grill for top-notch steaks, Baghdad Kitchen for charcoal-grilled delights, and, for a legendary multi-course dinner, Stefano's. [caption id="attachment_992001" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Supplied[/caption] Where to Sleep A drive down Mildura's main street gives the impression the town is home to more motor inns per capita than maybe any other town in Australia. We don't have any stats on that, but we can tell you we were happy with our decision to opt for Kar-Rama. Opened in February 2025, it takes inspiration from California, in its breezy palm trees, white deck chairs and sparkling heated pool. The rooms — decked in pastel shades — come with king-sized beds draped in top-shelf linen, excellent showers, comfy Bemboka robes, a complimentary minibar, Nespresso coffee machines and Leif toiletries. Hot tip: for extra space and light, ask for a room on the first floor and consider paying a bit extra for a deluxe studio. Other inviting sleepovers in and around town include Indulge Apartments (for a touch of luxury), All Seasons Houseboats (for more time on the river) and Mungo Lodge (for deeper exploration of Mungo National Park). [caption id="attachment_992008" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Supplied[/caption] Concrete Playground travelled to Mildura with the support of Visit Victoria.
The United States Transport Security Administration has found a new use for Instagram. As of last month, they're displaying photographs of a selection of the goods that have been confiscated at the U.S. border. The online album is certainly not designed to put the mind at ease. Already photographed are a stun gun posing as a Marlboro packet, a knife disguised as a credit card, several knives, a range of guns, a selection of hand grenades and a collection of fireworks. The Instagram account is an addition to the TSA's blog, which provides a weekly 'review' of prohibited items discovered in luggage in various US airports. In the week leading up to July 5th, the authorities claim to have seized 30 firearms, 27 of which were loaded. Advice is also on offer. For example, 'What Not to Say at an Airport: "Take care of my bag; it might blow up"' and 'You can travel with firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline.' Gun laws, anyone? [via PSFK]
Across 2021's cooler months, locations around Australia will transform into winter wonderlands, celebrating the chilly season in all of its frosty glory. From May through until September, The Winter Village is returning after its debut run in Melbourne two years back — and this time it's dropping by several other cities as well. Modelled on your typically picturesque European winter market — and giving Aussies a taste of a winter experience that we don't really have otherwise — The Winter Village comes complete with an ice rink, an igloo village, daily snow showers, and a food and drink lineup. Think of it as your quaint wintery escape in the very heart of Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Parramatta. Melbourne is the pop-up's first stop again, with The Winter Village bringing its frosty fun to Skyline Terrace at Federation Square (aka the top of the carpark) from Thursday, May 13–Sunday, August 29. But this event is actually running concurrently around the nation, rather than making its other destinations wait their turn. So, it'll set up at Torrens Parade Ground in Adelaide from Friday, May 14–Sunday, September 5; at Northshore's Riverfront event site in Brisbane from Thursday, June 3–Sunday, August 29; and at Northbridge's Ice Cream Factory in Perth from Friday, May 28–Sunday, September 19. A Parramatta stopover is also listed on The Winter Village's website, although no dates or locations have been provided as yet. So Sydneysiders had best cross their fingers that the event will make its way to the city. Attendees will be able to dust off their skates and hit the ice, and hire a private igloo where you can wine and dine in cosy solace — either with up to five people in a smaller space, or in a six-metre-wide igloo that can cater for 14. Folks spending their time in The Winter Village's igloos will feast on grazing plates of chips, dips, mini pretzels, cured meats, fried chicken bites, mac 'n' cheese croquettes and more, drink their choice of wine or beer, and tuck into a chocolate ice cream sandwich for dessert. That's the $49 package, with the $69 option including espresso martini-flavoured chocolate fudge dipping sauce, berries, brownies, marshmallows, cookies and your choice of an Aperol spritz, espresso martini, wine or beer. Or, get festive over brunch instead — which includes a 45-minute skate session and a meal afterwards for $35. There'll also be pop-up bars and outdoor seating throughout the village, should you be keen on heading along without spending time in an igloo. The latest venture from hospitality group Australian Venue Co, the frozen oasis will be open daily and free to enter. That said, ice skating, igloo hire and a couple of winter warming beverages will come at a cost. The Winter Village will head to Skyline Terrace at Federation Square in Melbourne from Thursday, May 13–Sunday, August 29; Torrens Parade Ground in Adelaide from Friday, May 14–Sunday, September 5; Northshore's Riverfront event site in Brisbane from Thursday, June 3–Sunday, August 29; and Northbridge's Ice Cream Factory in Perth from Friday, May 28–Sunday, September 19 — and with details of its Parramatta visit still to be revealed. Head to the event's website to book igloos and skating sessions. Top images: Mazloum J.
The suburbs are twinkling. Yes, it's that time again: the merriest time of the year. If December to you means luminous festive decorations — November as well, or basically the second that Halloween is over — then simply driving through your neighbourhood can be jolly enjoyable. Wherever you look, there just might be a glowing set of Christmas lights sharing its seasonal merriment and brightening up the suburban streets. Of course, these lit-up displays really shouldn't cause such a fuss. They pop up everywhere every year, after all, and we're all well and truly aware of how electricity works. But glowing bulbs are just so hard to resist when it's the happiest portion of the calendar. Keen to scope out the best and brightest seasonal-themed houses and yards? An Australian website called Christmas Lights Search is likely to pique your interest, especially given that it has been updated for 2024. [caption id="attachment_882324" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Donaldytong via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Christmas Lights Search is as nifty and handy as its name suggests, covering festive displays all around the country. To locate all the spots that you should head to, it's as easy as entering your postcode or suburb — or those of places nearby — and letting the site deliver the relevant options. Plus, it also rates the lights displays, if you want to either go big or stay home. It's constantly being updated as well, so, like the best combos of glowing trees, sparkling bulbs and oversized Santas, you might want to check it out more than once. When you pick an individual address listed on the site, you'll be greeted with some key information, too. The level of detail varies per listing, but expect to potentially peruse photos, the ideal hours to swing by, a date range and a description of what's on offer. All that's left is to get searching, plot out where you'll be heading every night between now and Christmas Eve, and get ready to see oh-so-many reindeer, candy canes and snowmen. Putting up your own Christmas lights for the neighbourhood to see? Spotted something in your travels that you think everyone else would like to check out? You can add both to Christmas Lights Search as well. [caption id="attachment_882325" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] To find festive displays near you, head to the Christmas Lights Search website.
