The Lego Ninjago Movie is the third Lego-based feature in a franchise that shows no signs of slowing down. It's also the first to take place entirely within an original Lego trademarked setting – the city of 'Ninjago' – and for its first half-hour feels like little more than an extended, big-budgeted commercial. Indeed, with the appearance of each new character, don't be surprised to see kids jumping out of their seats and pointing at the screen with gleeful recognition Still, while the film does its job as a marketing exercise from the get go, in terms of plot it takes a while longer to find its feet. Every day the evil Lord Garmadon (Justin Theroux) launches attacks upon the city from his evil villain volcano, and every day he's repelled by the colourful school-kids-cum-ninjas, the leader of whom is secretly Garmadon's own son Lloyd (Dave Franco). It's only once the lad's secret identity is revealed that the story shifts gears into something of a father/son reconciliation story – and while that's pretty familiar territory for the Lego franchise, it also provides the best material for the remainder of Ninjago. As with The Lego Movie and Lego Batman, this third movie utilises remarkable technology wherein almost everything on screen is assembled from computer-generated Lego pieces. Like the previous films, too, Ninjago is very self-aware, particularly regarding the Lego-ness of things like the absence of fingers and the way a Lego head can become stuck in the base of a Lego foot. It's these little flourishes that immediately feel familiar to anyone who's played with the toys before and, especially for adults, spark a pleasing nostalgia-based smile whenever they arise. The characters themselves, however, are noticeably less nuanced this time around, with only Lord Garmadon (played as a none-too-subtle parody of Donald Trump), Lloyd and Master Wu (Jackie Chan) offering any semblance of depth. The other five ninjas do provoke the occasional laugh but seem well below the calibre of the actors voicing them (Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Woods, Michael Peña, Abbi Jacobson and Fred Armisen). And yes, for those playing at home, you did count that correctly: six heroic ninjas, five of them male, which raises the age-old LEGO question: "uh...where are all the girls at?" It's a problem with which Lego is all too familiar. An internal review conducted by the company in 2008 revealed the damning statistic that 90% of its sales were directed towards boys rather than girls. Lego's response was to launch Lego Friends in 2012 – a toy line specifically intended for girls. Pretty smart move as it happens, with the company's annual profits shooting up by around 15 percent ever since. It's therefore both surprising and extremely disappointing that that same approach isn't being seen in the films. The Lego Movie's most kick-arse character was Elizabeth Banks' Wyldstyle, yet she was the only notable female in an otherwise male-driven story whose live action component centred upon a father/son bonding experience. Lego Batman, too, included only one notable female character in Rosario Dawson's Batgirl, and focused on the relationship between Bruce Wayne and the orphan boy Dick Grayson. Now we have Lego Ninjago, which not only suffers from a dearth of female characters but again deals largely with the father/son relationship between Garmadon and his estranged kid Lloyd. The only bright light in this situation is the announcement that The Lego Movie sequel will focus specifically on gender issues and the way boys and girls play with the toys in different ways. Solid fun for the kids and amusing enough to keep adults interested, whilst The Lego Ninjago Movie is the weakest entry in the franchise, it's still entertaining enough to satisfy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJBS1ogEVHE
A black comedy about neighbours fighting over a tree. A harrowing recreation of the worst incident on Norwegian soil since World War II. A gothic interpretation of a well-known folk tale. A film about an infatuated college student who discovers she has unusual abilities. These are just some of the Nordic films headed to Australia as part of the 2018 Scandinavian Film Festival — and yes, it's shaping up to be a great year for movies hailing from the colder parts of Europe. All of the above titles — the opening night's Under the Tree, Berlinale hit U – July 22, the gorgeously shot Valley of Shadows and the empathetic thriller Thelma — head to the festival after amassing quite the buzz at overseas events, and they have plenty of company. Across the Scandinavian Film Festival's almost month-long tour of the country, between July 10 and August 5, 21 features will grace Australian screens, showcasing everything from the latest award-winners to the career output of one of the region's late master filmmakers. In the first camp falls Border, which is based on a short story by author John Ajvide Lindqvist and just won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes; high-school comedy Amateurs, the recipient of the best Nordic film award at this year's Goteburg Film Festival; and Winter Brothers, a flick about siblings living in a remote region that nabbed nine Danish Academy Awards. In the latter category, viewers can celebrate the life and career of renowned Swedish director Ingmar Bergman in the 100th anniversary of his birth, with six Swedish figures — including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy's Tomas Alfredson — making shorts inspired by the influential filmmaker for compilation effort Bergman Revisited. Other highlights include a semi-scripted cross-cultural comedy about two Danish men trying to set up a dog breeding business in China, aka The Saint Bernard Syndicate, SXSW-standout Heavy Trip, a film about a heavy metal muso spearheading a music festival in a small Finnish town, and The Real Estate, which attacks the chasm between the rich and the not-so in an unflinching fashion. In short: if it hails from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland and it popped up over the past year, it's probably on the lineup. The Scandinavian Film Festival tours the country between July 10 and August 5, screening at Sydney's Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona and Palace Central from July 10–29; Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay and Palace Westgarth from July 12–29; and Brisbane's Palace Barracks from July 19 to August 5. For the full program, visit the festival website.
Part of the crew that brought you the much talked about Armadale cafe Mammoth have unveiled their latest hospitality venture. Today they open the doors to Gilson, an all-day diner overlooking the Royal Botanic Gardens on Domain Road. Just as Mammoth pushed the envelope with edgy café fare (like the doughnut lobster burger), Gilson is going about things a little differently to most, with owners Loren and Jamie McBride eschewing modernity and "of the moment" in favour of something much more timeless. The couple are involved in Mammoth and Northcote's Barry, and have most recently opened pizza place Primo. Open from 6am until midnight daily, Gilson is a riff on those deeply engrained, old-world European cafes; it's been built in the hopes of becoming a neighbourhood stalwart, right from the get-go. And, given it'll be slinging fresh flowers on weekends, offering take away pizzas, and hosting aperitivo sessions in the afternoons, there's little doubt Gilson will be winning over its South Yarra locals pretty darn quickly. A classic bistro menu — put together by chefs Emma Jeffrey and Pippa McLeod — has been crafted around local, seasonal produce, and the star of the show, Gilson's custom-built wood oven. This beaut will be working its own magic on the masses, turning out creations like wood-fire pizzas, and peach tarte Tatin. A brunch menu will be available until 3pm before the evening offering kicks in, which includes the aforementioned pizzas as well as a selection of sandwiches, small plates and dishes like spaghetti and meatballs and lamb osso bucco. Meanwhile, the enduring fit-out comes courtesy of Projects of Imagination, who've previously left their stylish mark on such foodie faves as Chin Chin and Supernormal. With their prime location across from the gardens, it looks set to be a prime posi to sit on the sidewalk with a spritz this summer. Gilson opens today, Tuesday, December 6 at 171 Domain Road, South Yarra. They'll be open from 6am until midnight seven days a week. For more info, visit gilsonrestaurant.com.au. Images: Emily Weaving.
Prepare yourself, folks — this year, Australia's launching into summer with the help of a huge new music festival. The brainchild of industry big guns Onelove (Stereosonic), Live Nation (Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival) and Hardware (Piknic Electronik, Babylon), Festival X will shoot onto the scene from Friday, November 29, touring Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The large-scale music party is pulling no punches when it comes to its debut lineup, headlined by international heavyweights including Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, the Grammy-nominated Armin van Buuren, Steve Aoki and our own Alison Wonderland. Spanning multiple stages, it's set to deliver a world-class serve of hip hop, pop and electronica. US rapper Lil Pump will make his own Aussie debut, joined on the all-star bill by the likes of British DJ duo CamelPhat, Ohio-based rapper Trippie Redd, Denmark's Kölsch and German techno king Paul Kalkbrenner. Meanwhile, there'll be plenty flying the flag for the local scene, with sets from favourites including bass and dubstep star Godlands, Australian-raised trance DJ MaRLo, Sydney act Sunset Bros and singer-songwriter Thandi Phoenix. The inaugural Festival X tour is set to hit Brisbane Showgrounds on Friday, November 29, Sydney Showgrounds on Saturday, November 30, and Melbourne Showgrounds on Sunday, December 1. Presale tickets are up for grabs from 1pm on Wednesday, July 31, with general tickets on sale from noon on Thursday, August 1. Top image: Stereosonic
It seems there's nothing like a pandemic to chuck most daily routines and good habits out the window. But, hey, at least your planet-friendly endeavours can continue on strong, because there are still plenty of easy ways to keep living that green life. If you're aiming to put a dent in your plastic waste, you'll now find another helping hand in Melbourne-born initiative One Less Bottle. Specifically, the group's vending machine-style refill station, which dispenses liquid household and personal care products by the millilitre. Simply bring along your reusable containers to fill with the likes of dishwashing soap, surface spray and laundry detergent, stocking up on essentials while nixing that pesky single-use packaging. One Less Bottle's original station is located at Brunswick's Barkly Square shopping centre, where you'll find it hanging out next to the ATM machines. Since debuting there in March, it's saved an estimated 650 single-use plastic containers from heading to landfill. In fact, the concept has been so popular, the company is gearing up to launch more locations across Melbourne in the next few weeks. Plus, new products, with hand and body wash, shampoo and conditioner set to be available in the near future. All of the refill products are vegan and eco-friendly, clocking in at just $4.99 for 500 millilitres, or $8.99 for a one-litre pour. And, as an extra win for right now, you'll score an extra 20 percent off that price while Melbourne's current lockdown is in effect. An automated dispense system makes for speedy, accurate filling, with minimal mess — just line up the nozzle with your container, press a button and you're good to go. What's more, the station can be accessed 24/7, with fast payment via smart phone, debit or credit card. Just don't forget about Melbourne's 8pm to 5am curfew, or the five-kilometre travel bubble in place during stage four lockdown. Founded by Melbourne local Dale Marchetti, One Less Bottle is determined to change everyday behaviours, not just through its low-waste products, but also via an oddly therapeutic Tik Tok account. Over at @one.less.bottle you'll find videos of the refill station in action, oozing dishwashing liquid neatly into containers. One's already racked up over 87,200 views. Find the One Less Bottle refill station at Barkly Square Shopping Centre, 1/90–106 Sydney Rd, Brunswick. You can find out more about the company and get a heads up on new locations over on the website.
Want to test your chess skills this weekend? On Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27, the ground floor of the Immigration Museum will be hosting Chess Without Borders: a celebration of chess, migration and diversity in our community. Whether you're a grandmaster or you still call knights the 'horse ones', it doesn't matter – there's a game here for you. Come and battle it out on beautiful, handcrafted chess dhurries (woven rugs), enjoy live DJ sets, join in tournament festivities and dabble in some Lego chess building. On Saturday afternoon there'll also be a panel discussion, Chess in Our Communities, where you can hear from some of Melbourne's oldest and most beloved chess clubs. See how this 1500-year-old game can transform lives and break down barriers. The event is entirely free, but it doesn't cover entry to the Immigration Museum, and you'll need to register for specific events via your booking confirmation email. If you want to head down on both days, make sure you grab a Friday and Saturday ticket. If nothing else, you'll probably learn how that en passant thing works. Images: supplied.
Unpaved Songwriter Sessions #27 at the Old Bar is coming up on June 17. Yes, it's on a school night. No, it isn't free. But for a mere $5 you can see the likes of waywardbreed, Larrisa Tandy (Strine Singers), Zoe Ryan, Melanie Wilkinson, Ed Wirgman and more. We're talking sweet gothic folk rock, earnest country pop songs, acoustic storytelling with alluring harmonies, and $15 jugs all night long. There was an unpleasant rumour doing the rounds last week that the Old Bar — a Melbourne institution — may close this winter. Get aboard the gravy train while it's still in town and go down to the Unpaved Songwriter Sessions. All being well, there'll be six new talented musicians performing next week. Just make sure you get there early to grab a good seat and get a bite to eat along the way: Old Bar doesn't do food, although they do feed unicorns.
Somewhere at the intersection of old-school and new-school Chinese lies Flinders Lane newcomer Tian38, the latest venture from Nic Soon (Sydney's Ms. G's) and Masterchef's Kha Nguyen (Jamu Dining). The stylish space pays homage to the traditional, while wholeheartedly embracing the contemporary, sporting a assembly of neon, fish tanks and luxurious banquette seating courtesy of Elvin Tan Designs. Sticking to a similar approach, the menu offering is considered with a touch of playfulness, starring creations like a prawn toast-inspired sando stuffed with minced prawn, black tobiko and citrus mayo ($12), and a flavour-packed Hainan chicken rice ($32/$52). Cheesy jaffles loaded with chilli crab are destined for cult status ($15), while traditionalists are sure to lap up classics like the signature laksa (from $17), dan dan noodles ($16) and peking duck ($39/$69). There's an express lunch menu and a solid choice of banquet options, though weekends were made for Tian38's boozy yum cha brunch. This one's just $69 a head (or $49 sans drinks) for 90 minutes of free-flowing yum cha plates, espresso martinis, mandarin mimosas and rosé, on offer from 11.30am–3pm Saturdays. Created by Diageo World Class Top 100 bartender Kane Clayfield, the drinks list is packed with gems of its own, reworking classic cocktails with an Asian-inspired twist. Team those dumplings with the likes of a lychee-infused Maotini ($18), or the Tian Sling: a blend of chilli and shiitake vodka, Grand Marnier, pineapple and bitters ($18). Images: H. Trumble
Underground Cinema — Melbourne-born innovators of secret immersive film experiences — have announced their latest instalment: La Guerre. These are the people who take cinema out of the cinema and into boatyards, beaches and Donkey Wheel House, creating a world in sync with the evening's film though real-life actors, evocative food, intricate sets and costumes. It's all themed to set the scene and get guests guessing, because the film, of course, is a secret. So what do we know? We know that UGC La Guerre will transport guests back to the 1940s, for a cinema event that's more like walking onto a film set than anything else. Think World War II, sepia tones, pin curls and la Resistance. Wear your '40s best. The dates confirmed for Melbourne are Thursday, July 10; Friday, July 11; and Saturday, July 12, at 7pm. There's also a 4pm session on Sunday, July 13. Whatever the film is, viewers can expect immersion bordering on camp. In the past they've taken toga-clad cinema-goers to ancient Rome (for Life of Brian) and given out white jumpsuits, student cards and medical examinations before filing people into a snow-covered Swedish academy (Let the Right One In). Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, June 17, at 1pm sharp. There's a cash bar and hot food on site, and all ticketholders will be sent details of the location via SMS on the day. Keep an eye on the UGC Facebook page for more details.
As one of comedy’s most prolific writers and performers, Aziz Ansari is set to leave Melbourne choking on overly priced pick 'n' mix on his 'Buried Alive' tour of Australia. Counting Kanye West, Jay-Z and The Flight Of The Conchords among his circle of friends, Ansari has appeared in films such as Get Him To The Greek, Funny People and School For Scoundrels, as well as putting in likeable TV performances in Scrubs, Reno 911! and Parks And Recreation. With perfectly constructed, hilarious routines and cutting edge material, Ansari focuses on aspects of his personal life in his comedy routines. “I like talking about things that are going on in my life, because that’s always going to be different and original” he says. “No one else is going to be talking about my personal experiences”.
Do you have the time to listen to Green Day live? Do you now have 'Basket Case' from the California-born band's iconic 1994 album Dookie stuck in your head? To celebrate three decades since releasing one of the records that defined the 90s, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool are returning to Australia to play it in its entirety — and to also bust out their American Idiot album from 2004 in full as well. If you're a Green Day fan, welcome to paradise come Saturday, March 1, 2025, when the band will hit up Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. We hope you have the time of your life getting a blast of 90s and 00s nostalgia, complete with 'When I Come Around', 'Longview', 'She', 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams', 'Wake Me Up When September Ends', 'Holiday' and, yes, 'American Idiot' echoing. [caption id="attachment_972774" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alice Baxley, Apple Music[/caption] While the visit is part of the group's global The Saviors Tour, which is named for their 14th studio album Saviors, they're clearly happy to keep working through their best-known tunes — and, while they aren't on either Dookie or American Idiot, 'Minority', 'Brain Stew' and 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' have been on Green Day's recent setlist overseas. In support, also bringing the 90s and 00s to mind, fellow California-born group AFI will share the stage on Green Day's 2025 Aussie tour. [caption id="attachment_972777" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Raph_PH via Flickr.[/caption] Top images: Raph_PH via Flickr, Alice Baxley.
For a month-long event, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival always seems to go by in a flash. You catch the Gala on TV, intend to book tickets, forget, get flustered when young comedians approach you outside Town Hall with flyers, then miss it all completely. To keep you in the loop, our team is out every night catching the best acts of the festival. Check in and see what's happening — we'll be updating regularly. Colin Lane: Presents Melbourne Town Hall, 8.30pm, $22-$28 Speaking as someone who saw an awful lot of MICF, this was easily one of the best shows at this year's festival. As his first in four years, Colin Lane Presents is less a traditional stand-up routine and more of a dynamic and self-reflexive character piece. Nervous and moody, Lane takes the stage as an experienced but jaded performer — a perfectly played version of himself. Sweating under the house lights, he runs though awkward audience banter, small musical pieces and pitch-perfect dad jokes all in an effort to reignite his career. Lane tells his audience he's been inspired by the immortal words of Gwen Stefani: "Take a chance, you stupid ho". It's a concept that's equal parts heartwarming and cringeworthy in a show that teeters on the knife edge of hilarious and unbearably awkward. All in all, a perfect demonstration that Lane doesn't need Frank Woodley by his side to get some decent laughs. - Meg Watson, Arts & Culture editor Stephen K Amos: What Does the K Stand For? Athenaeum Theatre, 7.20pm, $40-$49 For a headlining international act, Stephen K Amos is one of the most familiar faces on the MICF circuit. No stranger to our shores, Amos has found his comedic niche in our niggling self-deprecating Australianisms and it doesn't look like he's letting up any time soon. In his latest show we see familiar forays into our accent, our bogan pub life and our "casual racism"— seriously, did everyone else know Chicko packets feature a black baby with one tooth nailed to a piece of wood? The sell-out crowd is clearly full of faithful fans and even small quips get a roaring reception. He's not shy about a bit of audience participation either, and the audience get decent mileage out of unsuspecting young art students while he's at it. All in all, it's not a new show but it's not a bad one either — it delivers the same comforting belly laughs you might get from your dad at Christmas dinner. - Meg Watson, Arts & Culture editor FanFiction Comedy Melbourne Town Hall, Performing at various times, $18-$24 Fan fiction, for those that aren’t sure, is when stories are created using existing fictional characters and settings, but their original creators do not write them. In other words, Harry Potter can end up with Hermoine (or Draco) or — in tonight’s case — Sherlock Holmes can solve mysteries with Steve from Blues Clues. This is FanFictionComedy’s third year at MICF, and it appeared there were many in the audience who had seen them before. The show is presented by Wil Anderson who was not present this evening, but guest star Tom Ballard was, and he did an excellent job of describing in magnificent detail what Charmed: The Movie might look like if it ever gets the green light. Other fictional characters to make an appearance this evening were Iron Man and Thomas the Tank Engine — not in the same story, but certainly as you’ve never seen them before. It's astounding to think these stories will not be repeated again during the festival — every night that this talented troupe performs they bring with them a new story. Everyone who participated tonight was a creative storyteller who had perfect comedic timing and inflection as they read out their twisted tales. If you want to see some obsessively nerdy imagination translate into some vivid and hilarious stories, get onto FanFiction Comedy. - Hannah Valmadre, writer Late Night Letters and Numbers Melbourne Town Hall, Mondays, 9:45pm, $17 Beloved by word nerds, numbers wizards and my parents, the short-lived SBS game show Letters and Numbers gets a low-rent revival at the Melbourne Town Hall, as some of the brightest stars of this year’s comedy fest put their dignity on the line. With what appears to be only a vague grasp of the original program’s rules, host Nick Caddaye tries in vain to keep his contestants on track through seventy minutes of word jumbles and maths problems, while a pair of dictionary wielding assistants chime in with helpful definitions to words like “slut” and “bath-poop.” A decidedly laid-back affair, Late Night Letters and Numbers is the perfect show for punters after something a little bit different, as well as anyone who enjoys the smug feeling of solving anagrams faster than the guy next to you. On once a week, with a rotating roster of competitors, no two editions will be the same. Audience members can also win free tickets to other shows at the festival by out-spelling the comedians on stage. - Tom Clift, writer Frank Woodley: Fool's Gold Melbourne Town Hall, 8.20pm, $28 - $39.50 There's no denying that Frank Woodley is funny. His charming dopiness has become a trademark to the point that it's even mentioned in the show. "People often describe me as pathetic," he says. His physical comedy is endearing and well-timed, but his newest outing Fool's Gold won't deliver much more than the familiar schtick. There are definite highlights in the form of musical "whimsy" and a makeshift play performed by two audience members (pick your seat wisely). Surreal stories about the end of the world and his best friend — a horse with a human hand — also provide definite chuckles, but the show overall lacks a consistent theme or pace to make it memorable in its own right. Fool's Gold will satisfy punters that want to witness Woodley's brilliant character comedy in the flesh, but not those that want much else. - Meg Watson, Arts & Culture editor David O'Doherty: David O'Doherty Will Try To Fix Everything The Forum, 9pm, $28.50 - $39 David O'Doherty has been a fixture of the MICF for the better part of the last decade and his work is only getting better with age. Even though the title of his latest show outwardly sets the bar pretty high, this loveable Irishman definitely makes good on his promise; David O'Doherty Will Try To Fix Everything is a surefire cure for any type of impending winter blues, and a perfect example of simply joyous stand-up (or sit-down) comedy. Exploring the pursuit of happiness through the small pleasures and problems of life, O'Doherty is consistently inventive, compassionate and earnest in both his confessions and advice. Songs about why Lance Armstrong is a douchebag are in fact cautionary tales about worshipping false prophets; a story about finding the perfect noise-cancelling headphones or internet provider is really a deterrent to investing happiness in material goods. Of course, O'Doherty himself is humble and no morals are plainly stated, but the messages still stand. This is a must-see show for both lovers of Casiotone keyboards and anyone having a tough week at work. - Meg Watson, Arts & Culture editor Cal Wilson: It Could Have Been Me Melbourne Town Hall, 7.15pm, $26 - $32 Cal Wilson has recently turned 43, and it appears she’s been pondering her life decisions. What if she had done things a little differently? Her incredibly overactive imagination (a good quality to have if your line of work is stand-up comedy) ran wild and the show tells the story of her potential alter egos. What if she was a really misogynistic man who lived in London and wrote (fantastically graphic) erotic science fiction? Or if she became a safety obsessed children’s entertainer called Fairy Robot Sparkle? Thankfully the Cal Wilson we have today is just a straight-up sweetheart. Her show was enjoyable, creative, and cute in an occasionally disturbing way. - Hannah Valmadre, writer Tom Ballard: Un-Australian(ish) Melbourne Town Hall, 8.30pm, $22 - $28 Tom Ballard has made the grand leap to pursue comedy full-time after leaving his radio gig at Triple J late last year, so it’s just as well that he was bloody awesome! Tom took us on an outback adventure, telling the story of his three-month family trip around Australia during his primary school years. Original diary entries from both his and his brother Gavin’s workbooks helped set the scene, which were both adorable and mortifying. That being said, it wouldn’t be a Tom Ballard gig without digging into the sorry state of Australian politics, and true to form, he doesn’t hold back. Tom’s vivid storytelling and fearless social commentary always make him a pleasure to watch. - Hannah Valmadre, writer Celia Pacquola: Let Me Know How It All Works Out Swiss Club, 8.15pm, $25 - $30 What does the future hold for me? Will everything be okay, or will it turn to shit? Is there a fated, master plan behind everything we do, or are we just bags of bones making bad decision after bad decision? Everyone asks these questions, but rarely does anyone have answers to them that are even remotely funny. Thankfully, Celia Pacquola does. What starts as a story about visiting a palm reader in a field at a hipster arts festival continues through hilarious bits about break ups, reinventing yourself, adult decisions and drunk emailing. The biggest laughs of the night probably came from jokes about the heatwave — a peculiar, relatable, subset of Melbourne-based humour. You will come out of this excellent show wanting Celia Pacquola to be your best friend, even though she’s a little bit terrifying. She may not have all the answers to the above questions, but the ones she does have are hilarious. - Jess O'Callaghan, writer Matt Okine: Happiness Not Included Swiss Club, 7.15pm, $19 - $29 While Matt Okine's been on the festival circuit for a few years, his recent appointment as Triple J breakfast co-host replacing Tom Ballard has definitely shot him up onto the national stage. Happiness Not Included, his first show since joining Triple J, sees Okine in a period of flux. He's reaching the end of his 20s and is examining his life with an all too familiar judiciousness. All the cups in his house are mismatched, he can never offer guests a clean towel, and the best his Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) has gotten him is a bit in a McDonald's ad grunting "Chicken!". If you're a 20-something who doesn't have their shit together (please say that's all of us), the show is relatable to say the least. However, and I know it's an ironic criticism, but the structure of the show seems a little aimless. Some stories are wandered into almost accidentally for little payoff, and the really big laughs only come when he's getting worked up over things in a manner reminiscent of Jerry Seinfeld. "What is up with those utensils in the second drawer down?" Ultimately this is what makes him great on radio, so I'm sure we'll see more of it in the years to come. Besides, being likened to this guy can hardly be a bad thing. - Meg Watson, Arts & Culture editor Lewis Hobba: Backs to the Wall Fort Delta, 6.30pm, $15 - $20 It must be difficult to do a show about people who complain too much without coming across as a major league whinger yourself. Thankfully, Lewis’ self-deprecating nature steers the show out of this potential danger zone. Lewis is speaking directly to his generation for most of the show, discussing Facebook complaints, Upworthy, hipsters and the atrocity that is Tough Mudder. He is at his best when discussing his "hippy parents" and his childhood, from eating carob easter eggs to rocking up to the first day of school in a tutu. This is Lewis’ first solo comedy show, and I think he’s off to a strong start. - Hannah Valmadre, writer 2014: When We Were Idiots Meet at the corner of Collins & Swanston Street, various times, $10 - $20 A historical walking tour of the CBD hosted by a giant, talking, anthropomorphic penguin, Xavier Toby’s When We Were Idiots probably isn’t the funniest show you’ll see this festival season, but scores major points for thinking outside the box. After handing out high-vis safety vests, the guide launches into his pitch: the year is 2114 — an enlightened era in which everything is recycled and all tools of warfare have been replaced with hilarious alternatives. The one exception to this global utopia is Melbourne, lost a century prior beneath a mountain of coffee-cups and hipsters. Uncovered by future archaeologists, the city exists now only as a testament to the stupidity of the past. Punters are treated to morsels of popular trivia about Melbourne’s original settlement, along with outlandish anecdotes from the twenty-second century and jabs at contemporary politics and pop-culture. Unfortunately, even more so than in a regular live show, there are certain factors outside of Toby’s control. These might include but are not limited to: noisy streets, the B.O. and/or chain-smoking habits of your fellow festival-goers, or, worst of all, someone in the audience who thinks they’re the comedian (shout out to 'Damo': you’re a total fucking wanker). Nevertheless, for those looking to for less traditional options this Comedy Festival, When We Were Idiots is a thoroughly entertaining experience. There’s also a free beer coaster in it for you at the end, so really, how could you go wrong? - Tom Clift, writer Hannah Gadsby: The Exhibitionist Melbourne Town Hall, 7pm, $28 - $37.50 Hannah Gadsby’s latest show The Exhibitionist is an exploration of art history and selfies, and where the two worlds meet. And, while the thought of going through a comedian's childhood photos and selfie experimentation is admittedly not an appealing exercise in theory, in reality it was downright hilarious. When a facial expression in one of Gadsby’s press photos is self-described as "shelving a wasabi pea" you know that all self-consciousness has gone out the window. In short, The Exhibitionist makes art history fun. It proves that vanity has been around for centuries, and Justin Beiber and Valdimir Putin have more in common than you might think. - Hannah Valmadre, writer Sam Simmons: Death of a Sails-man The Famous Spiegeltent, 8.30pm, $24 - $32 "It's like this for the next hour, so you may as well get into it." Sam Simmons — dressed in wetsuit, wig and bumbag — is being humped in the head by a cardboard dolphin and understandably not all the audience are into it. While most comedians will describe themselves as polarising because they have strong political opinions, Simmons can really lay claim to the title when half the crowd see him as a crazed sex pest, and the other deem him a comic visionary. Either way, this show perfectly enables Sam to do his thing, and fans of his work will leave totally satisfied (if not a little violated). Unlike its Pulitzer Prize winning namesake, Death of a Sails-Man follows a muesli bar entrepreneur's descent into madness while lost at sea. In what is essentially a one man show (if we exclude the beleaguered stagehand who holds up cardboard cut-outs of Vin Diesel), Simmons truly shines. As he battles a sadistic internal monologue and frequently bursts into songs about lime jellyfish and space grandmas, the show is a surreal playground of the kind you won't find in any other MICF show. Whether that's a good or bad thing, just depends who you're talking to. - Meg Watson, Arts & Culture editor "Oh wait... this isn't Red Symons." The couple in front of me must have had a weird time at @samsimmonss last night. #MICF — Meg Watson (@msmegwatson) March 30, 2014 Doc Brown: Of Mic and Men Victoria Hotel, 8.15pm, $27 - $35 Doc Brown has had massive success in his native UK, supporting Ricky Gervais and winning praise for his unique brand of incisive stand-up and hip-hop. It's the songs which intersperse his Melbourne show that make it shine. An early highlight sees Brown skewering the cookie-cutter nature of modern rap, imagining lyrics available by mail order, complete with square brackets for you to fill in your name. But as hilarious and inventive as his perversion of rap's arrogance and chauvinism can be, he's at his best in his passionate and breathless meditations on race and racism. Drawing on his upbringing by Jamaican and Irish parents in Kilburn, he explores and savages the misconceptions he's faced because of his "caramel" complexion. - Eric Gardiner, writer Headliners Melbourne Town Hall, 9.45pm, $26.50 - $35.50 If a sampling plate of North America’s tastiest up-and-coming comedic talent sounds enticing to you, then Headliners is going to be your jam this Comedy Fest. The show has eight comedians participating overall, but each night only four perform, so it’s a bit of a lucky dip who you will get to see. First cab off the rank for us was Jen Kirkman, with her husky voice and a genuine concern for the idiots who walk among us. Interestingly, she covered topics like divorce and dating a younger man without bitterness or gloating; she was a brilliant start to the night. Dave Hill was next and his comedic timing was a thing of beauty. He certainly made an entrance by snapping the microphone stand before he’d even uttered a word, and he left us giggling at his erotic short stories. Brooke Van Poppelen followed with one disaster story after another; she got my laughs and my sympathy. Highlight of the night was closing act Seaton Smith who was bursting with energy, excitedly telling us about his new love and trying to grasp how Australian politics works. The collection who performed were all very strong performers with incredibly different styles to their comedy. I am tempted to go later in the festival to see what the other Headliners comedians have to offer. - Hannah Valmadre, writer Wil Anderson: Wiluminati Comedy Theatre, 9pm, $30 - $49.90 Wiluminati is aggressively Australian. In this latest offering from the comedy stalwart, Anderson steers away from his once political roots and latches on to the 'Aussie larakin’ image we might expect from his ex-Glasshouse co-host Dave Hughes. Though Wil is the master of familiarising himself with an audience and making us feel like old friends laughing over a pint (though in this case I just sat there thirsty as he downed three), this change in style ultimately limited his ability to show intelligence or depth and the comedy fell a bit flat. There are moments of well-spun storytelling, rapid-fire audience interaction and endearing jokes about Anderson’s arthritis, sex life and a run in with Matt Damon. But where it would have been good to hear some harder hitting topical humour, he plays it safe. The show finds its strength in the moments of personal honesty but these are often short lived among outlandish and forced impersonations of Australian life. - Bonnie Leigh-Dodds, writer Max and Ivan: The Reunion Melbourne Town Hall, 8.30pm, $26 - $33 Friendless, shy and allergic to everything under the sun, Brian Bollingsworth is the unlikely hero in The Reunion, a hilariously staged two man show from UK comedians Max and Ivan. When the performance begins, Brian is headed to his 10-year high school reunion, where he hopes to be reunited with his old crush Jessica. Instead, he finds himself faced with her arrogant Swedish boyfriend Cal (“spelled with a K…instead of the A”), who’s on the verge of popping the question. Max (tall, gangly and clean shaven) and Ivan (the opposite – he’s told at one point he looks like “a chubby Hitler”) nail the show’s physical comedy, running around the stage playing dozens of different characters across subplots, flashbacks, fantasy sequences, fight scenes, a geography-themed seduction and one brilliant moment of audience participation. An appropriate level of daggy self-awareness runs through the entire production, which is buoyed by an unassuming sweetness. You’ll fall in love with Brian and Jessica before the end, as will you their madcap comic creators. - Tom Clift, writer That moment your boyfriend becomes the subject of a heterosexuality test at a Paul Foot show... #frontrow #micf — Meg Watson (@msmegwatson) March 28, 2014 Paul Foot: Words The Hi-Fi, 8.15pm, $26.50 - $35.50 "Don't worry, Paul Foot's not the kind of comedian who calls on the audience." I reassure my boyfriend of this as we take a seat in the front row. It's not until the eccentric Brit is off the stage, straddling my date and stroking his face that I realise my mistake — Paul Foot's stand-up is anything but predictable. Yes, he has a signature crazed walk and a constantly cheeky look in his eye, but the general thrust of his shows are difficult to decipher even after sitting through one. And, frankly that's what's so great. Words — a self-conscious journey through "disturbances", "madness", and "rookery-based humour" — is a testament to the artistry of Foot's skill as both writer and performer. While he gets deserved laughs through more conventional and cerebral set-ups about homosexuality and bigotry, he also seems to stumble across accidental comedy by declaring nonsensical statements about "horse jesus" or grabbing his foot at a 90 degree angle for no particular reason. Straddling the boundaries of political, physical and surrealist humour Foot is undoubtedly one of the most unique and talented comedians at the festival. Just maybe steer clear of the front row. - Meg Watson, Arts & Culture editor Wolf Creek The Musical Trades Hall, 9.30pm, $15 - $22 If songs about wristies, murder and rape sheds don't strike your fancy, this isn't the show for you. I realise that's a strange way to start a review, but it's also entirely necessary to state. This low-budget re-make of the classic Australian horror film, Wolf Creek, is a total pisstake (in the best way possible). Pushing both genre and character into the absolute absurd, the show offers up deadpan black humour with perfect timing and original writing that hits every mark. Written by comedian James McCann and RAW Comedy winner Demi Lardner, this is a show for those that appreciate the unconventional. It's like the best primary school play you've ever seen (assuming all the children involved had serious social and behavioural problems). - Meg Watson, Arts & Culture editor Umbilical Brothers: Kidshow (Not Suitable For Children) Arts Centre, 7pm, $34 - $39 As the lights go down, a French woman behind me says something to her companion. “These men, they do the physical very well, not so much the talking.” But as the much-loved comedians launch into (what they think) is a show for kids, their trademark brand of warp-speed slapstick is matched by whipcrack writing and dialogue. (The French woman ended up talking enough for the two of them throughout the show – “Who is this Tony Abbott?” — she’ll be joining the guys who colourised Citizen Kane in a special circle of Art Hell). The brothers are utterly committed to performing their show for a young audience, even as they start to have doubts about the "bearded 5-year-olds” in the front row. When they realise that there’s only one group of adults who would all come to a kids’ show, they try and appeal to the pervert market with an inspired sketch that sees them wreaking Tarantino-style ultraviolence on each member of an incestuous Brady Bunch: “Don’t worry Greg, I’m not your real mother!” All in all, it's a brilliant show, one that manages to weave together a complex meta-narrative with unadulterated laughs, all delivered at a frantic pace. - Eric Gardiner, writer Khaled Khallafalla: Fresh Trades Hall, 9.30pm, $15 - $20 It’s clear from the get go that no topic is too taboo for Khaled. From stoner escapades to accumulating outrageous financial debt to impressions of other races we’re not sure we should have laughed at — he goes there. Yes, Khaled brought his political incorrectness to the table, but he brought a whole lot of heart with it too. He also has some newly acquired rap skills that he’s pretty keen to bust out. Above all, it's Khaled’s endearing personality and boyish charm that makes him so engaging and extremely likeable. If he keeps that up, he can get away with pretty much anything. - Hannah Valmadre, writer Bryony Kimmings: Sex Idiot Melbourne Town Hall, 10.45pm, $25 Five minutes into Sex Idiot I had to put my pad and pen away — halfway through scribbling the immortal lines “pre-cum doesn’t count”. Bryony Kimmings has brought Melbourne a show that’s so tender, sly and warm that it’s impossible to look away. It’s a deceptively simple premise: Kimmings gets an STI test, discovers a common sexual disease and gets in contact with her former partners. On the surface it might sound like a familiar formula, but Kimmings stretches the stale traditions of stand-up in every direction at once, making a work that straddles (and grinds) the line between comedy and her background in performance art. For instance, while most comedians like a bit of audience involvement, Kimmings leaves them all for dead in Sex Idiot’s inevitable climax. After inviting audience members to harvest their pubic hairs, she gathers them all up and sticks them to her face as a moustache. See? Impossible to look away. - Eric Gardiner, writer Simon Taylor: Funny Imperial Hotel, 9.15pm, $20 Our first night of the festival was not spent amongst the confetti and champagne of the Allstars Supershow, but in a cosy upstairs room at the Imperial with a pint of beer. It's raining, and we're perched at the top end of Bourke Street with a comedian we don't know much about. Simon Taylor popped up at last year's Fringe, and has been in the US working as a writer for The Tonight Show, but somehow he's not that well-known on the local comedy circuit. Because of this, you may think the name of his show sets expectations too high. It doesn't. Though Funny doesn't have a cohesive plot or theme, Taylor's tightly scripted jokes about Aussie accents and rambling stories of failed romance are somehow tied together by the fact he's just so downright likeable. His observational jokes are as sharp and smart as you expect from a writer on the late-night circuit, and his storytelling is relaxed and relatable — exactly the kind of thing you want from a rainy weeknight spent in the back room of a city pub. - Meg Watson, Arts & Culture editor Five Things You Didn't Know About Comedian Paul Foot You wouldn't think a comedian who bases his act around shire horses, cheese, and the etiquette of eating cake would find a big audience in Australia. But Paul Foot, one of Britain's quirkiest, and most loyally followed comedians, is on his way down to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for his fourth consecutive year. With his distinctive haircut, frenetic stage presence and impressive collection of neckties, there's definitely a madness to Foot's style of comedy. We had a chat to him ahead of his MICF show, Words, to see if there's a method to it. - Hannah Valmadre, writer The Ten Best Things to See at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2014 The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is one of those truly democratic moments in our city's cultural calendar. While the Melbourne Festival always seems a little high-end, and Melbourne Music Week is just a bit too hip, MICF is a place for all — from bogans watching Dave Hughes to hipsters hanging out at the Festival Club waiting to catch the latest show you totally haven't even heard about yet. This year's lineup is a strange one. Big international names have been replaced by a cast of familiar regulars and there's a much larger focus on local talent. This is a welcome move for an industry that doesn't get much love over the rest of the year, but a devastating blow for those of us who are still waiting for the likes of Louis CK to come down under. Regardless, check out our picks of the litter. From the most innovative internationals to the stuff that downright defies classification. - Meg Watson, Arts & Culture editor
Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn does not court consensus. His highly violent, highly stylised, almost stream-of-consciousness films can be read many different ways. But more than that, they seem to prompt responses from the gut — be they captivation or revulsion. His latest film, Only God Forgives, was last month awarded the Sydney Film Festival prize but also famously drew boos at Cannes (and from the SFF audience I was in, a lot of nervous laughter). Only God Forgives bears the hallmarks of Refn's 2011 hit Drive — uber violence, musical motifs (synth, where possible), Ryan Gosling, neo-Noir, bright lights, big cities — though it's a more abstract picture. It begins when an American called Billy (Tom Burke) rapes and murders an underage prostitute in Bangkok. He is then murdered himself, at the hands of the girl's father, who is encouraged by the rogue police officer and 'Angel of Vengeance' Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm). The hero of the story, however, is a man weaker by most measures, Julian (Gosling), low-life brother of Billy. By classic eye-for-an-eye decree — and that of his frightening mother, Crystal (Kristen Scott Thomas), a Cruela de Vil type in velour — he should kill those responsible for his brother's death. But he can't, and he doesn't really want to. Instead, he and Chang circle each other, enacting lateral acts of violence. Refn has described Only God Forgives, like Drive, as being "based on real emotions, but set in a heightened reality. It's a fairytale." And that might be part of why these films 'work' on some but not on others. You have to recognise the emotions and get swept up in the fantasia. More than most, the films work a spell. If you're caught in the spell, everything holds together. But if it glances off you, it's hard to walk away with anything from watching the film. I really want the view from the former camp, but so far I haven't been able to gain admittance. So what I saw was Refn create some tartly beautiful images (one that stands out is a torture sequence in a nightclub full of motionless doll-women) that are balanced out by others more forced, silly and self-parodying. With Only God Forgives' ambitious aesthetic goals only semi-realised, it begs the question, what did we sit through all that sadism for? You can see why it's set so many critics off on their own moral crusade, with Refn as the target. https://youtube.com/watch?v=FP_zO9jQjVc
Dazzling lights brightening up the Harbour City. Must-see gigs filling venues big and intimate around town. Fascinating talks musing on ideas, innovation and technology. That's the standard Vivid Sydney format, not that there's ever anything standard about the creativity-fuelled annual festival's yearly program. In 2023, however, it'll have a brand-new addition to that trusty template: Vivid's first-ever food fest, Vivid Food. Prepare your stomachs for a delicious time spanning both bites to eat and drinks to sip, all in an array of venues across the Sydney CBD. Today, Wednesday, February 15, marks 100 days until Vivid kicks off in 2023 — running from Friday, May 26–Saturday, June 17 — and fest organisers have started releasing a few details. If you're fond of Sydney's dining scene, Vivid Food is clearly now at the top of your must-attend list. [caption id="attachment_889194" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vivid Sydney 2022[/caption] Vivid Food will have two main aims. Firstly, it'll activate the Sydney CBD's venues after a tough few pandemic-afflicted years — a period that saw Vivid cancelled in 2020 and 2021, in fact, before returning in 2022. And, it'll go all in on Sydney's culinary creativity and innovation, aka two of Vivid's main fascinations. The details are still scarce, but the event will span everything from pop-up restaurants to haute cuisine, involving chefs, producers, restaurateurs and more, and including one-of-a-kind menus from renowned figures heading to Sydney for the fest. And, there'll be multi-sensory degustations, food along the returning Vivid Sydney Light Walk, and mixologists and bartenders literally getting things shaking. [caption id="attachment_797353" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Maybe Sammy, DS Oficina[/caption] "We are proud to have curated an impressive collection of local and international artists and food creatives to provide Vivid Sydney audiences with new and exciting experiences," said Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini, announcing 2023's first highlights. "We have expanded and evolved the festival further this year and have curated an amazing lineup for 2023. The festival offering includes some significant new and Vivid-first experiences, as well as Vivid Food to deliver world-class culinary talent, events and activations as part of the program." [caption id="attachment_889195" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Destination NSW[/caption] The theme for Vivid overall in 2023: Vivid Sydney, Naturally. Also on the bill so far: the return of that aforementioned (and understandably super-popular) Vivid Sydney Light Walk, this time with 49-plus light installations and 3D projections along its illuminated eight-kilometre stretch; Barerarerungar from First Nations artist Maree Clarke, which will be projected across the Museum of Contemporary Art; and Jen Lewin's The Last Ocean, which hits Sydney after premiering at Burning Man in 2022. There's also light festival Lightscape — yes, a light fest within a light fest — which has proven a huge hit internationally and in Melbourne. It'll take over The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney for its Sydney debut. The full Vivid 2023 lineup will be announced mid-March, but you can also look forward to spending time elsewhere in the Sydney CBD, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, The Goods Line, Central Station, Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Museum of Contemporary Art and more — as is always the case when Vivid unfurls its wonders. "Vivid Sydney is NSW's biggest annual event and makes a vital social and economic contribution to our state. From our creative industries to entertainment and hospitality venues, accommodation and retailers, it supports and creates jobs across the NSW economy," said NSW Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin. "Last year Vivid Sydney was attended by over 2.5-million people and injected $119 million into the NSW economy. With internationals borders fully reopening, we're anticipating this year's festival to be our biggest and best yet. Vivid Sydney 2023 promises to be a significant driver for domestic and international visitors to travel to NSW and attend Australia's brightest event and immerse themselves in our city," Franklin continued. [caption id="attachment_889193" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Glenn Turner[/caption] Vivid Sydney 2023 will run from Friday, May 26–Saturday, June 17. We'll update you with the full lineup when it's announced in mid-March — and for further information in the interim, visit the event's website. Top images: Destination NSW.
You know what's better than seeing Cloud Control perform an acoustic set at your local pub? Seeing Cloud Control perform an acoustic set at your local pub for free. It's a crazy dream, but it's one that the band and beer barons Corona have dared to make come true. The Blue Mountains alt-rock jammers' sophomore 2013 album, Dream Cave, was an experimental shift from their first offering, and the acoustic sound should be a cool twist again. As part of the March and April tour through bars, pubs and hotels all along the east coast, the guys are also releasing Dream Cave Unplugged, featuring stripped back versions of the whole album. Although they've won awards, and been nominated for a whole heap of others, Cloud Control stick to the Aussie music penchant for bringing as much music to as many people as possible. Thanks to Corona, we all get the chance. https://youtube.com/watch?v=G2VX2PAD0gU
It's mid-August, so you should probably start getting your New Year's Eve plans in order. Victorian NYE festival Beyond the Valley has just announced the lineup for its celebrated four-day festival in Lardner Park, Victoria and it's pretty bloody good, so could be a solid option. At five festivals old, starting out in 2014, Beyond the Valley has become a regular fixture on the Victorian New Year's circuit. And, once again, it has managed to secure a rather colossal lineup. Chart-topping American rapper Tyler, The Creator, will heading to Australia — for the first time since releasing his highly lauded album IGOR — as will the ARIA Award-winning three piece, Rüfüs Du Sol. Joining them will be techno and house legend Green Velvet, gold masked German DJ duo Claptone, British rapper Skepta and genre-blending producer Honey Dijon. From the local contingent are Hayden James — fresh off the back of dropping his latest album Between Us — alt-pop group Cub Sport, dance floor regulars Bag Raiders and soulful singer Meg Mac. Beyond the Valley will once again take over Lardner Park, Warragul, Victoria from December 28 to January 1. Anyway, here's what you came for: BEYOND THE VALLEY 2019 LINEUP Tyler, The Creator Rüfüs Du Sol 16BL Bag Raiders CC:Disco! Chris Lake Claptone Confidence Man Cub Sport Dena Amy Denis Suita DJ Seinfeld Dom Dolla Floating Points Green Velvet Hayden James Heidi Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers Honey Dijon I Know Leopard Jordan Brando Kettama Lastlings Late Nite Tuff Guy Lion Babe London Topaz Made in Paris Mallrat Matt Corby Meg Mac Methyl Ethel Motez Noir Owl Eyes Patrice Bäumel Rebuke Sama Set Mo Shoreline Mafia Skepta Snakehips The Veronicas Beyond the Valley is happening from December 28 to January 1 at Lardner Park, Warragul, Victoria. Pre-sale tickets are available from 3pm on Monday, August 12, with general tickets on sale at midday on Tuesday, August 13, from beyondthevalley.com.au.
Life is one long list of shindigs. We pop a cork on New Year’s Eve, don a tinsel wig for Mardi Gras, throw confetti all over our houses to warm them properly; each a shining story to embellish and revel in down the track. Immortalising these chapters of celebration in the visual equivalent of being blasted in the face with a confetti cannon, Sydney designers Romance Was Born have launched their very first exhibition, Reflected Glory, teaming up with kinetic sculptor and installation artist Rebecca Baumann. Launching in time for Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week Australia, Reflected Glory sees designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales veer off the runway and make a temporary, kaleidoscopic home within the industrial walls of Carriageworks. Rather than staring out the window and sobbing all over the past, RWB and Baumann seize the party blowers and celebrate the milestones that make our lives that extra bit spesh. Life, Death, It’s One Big RSVP Each piece in the collection represents a unique celebration, rite of passage or circled calendar date, from Mardi Gras to white weddings to that unavoidable final soiree, the wake. A sherbet-paletted, butterfly-beaded sweet sixteenth descends Baumann’s candy-coloured staircase, a Picnic at Hanging Rock-meets-Christina Ricci in Casper wedding dress hovers in a fairy floss pink haze, while a slowly revolving, truly magnificent mirrorball of a silver jacket triggers hazy New Year’s Eve memories. There's a metaphoric reflectiveness to the garments, as well as literal. “[I] really like the idea of reflecting back on the past,” says Sales. “The way we celebrate different milestones and the memory that can bring back.” Sales likened the process to a big night out, forgotten the morning after but slowly and (for the most part) fondly pieced back together over time. Sales points to one of the most striking pieces in the collection, an ode to Mardi Gras, a reflective hootenanny of a party dress. Shingled with the same multicoloured plastic making up Baumann’s kaleidoscopic disco floor nearby, the piece is fringed by a shaggy, shiny rainbow skirt that looks suspiciously like… wigs? “Yeah, tinsel wigs,” he triumphantly confirms. “And that’s New Year’s Eve, so it’s meant to be like a mirror ball. This is a house party, with the curtains and that t-shirt I was wearing the first time I met Anna at a house party.” The pair met at said house party in 2005 while students at East Sydney Technical College. Plunkett and Sales have since gained an international reputation for their unmistakable RWB swag. The T-shirt in question sports a nautical Madonna, a sentimental relic found in the back of Sales’ wardrobe now emblazoned with the pair’s thematic, tightly packed sequins. Plunkett sees the garment as a perfect representation of the pair’s fused ideology, “We embellished the garment in clear sequins and now this piece embodies the creative spirit between the both of us,” she says. Fashion, Meet Art. Art, Fashion. Regularly blurring distinctions between fashion and art, Sales and Plunkett are no strangers to the spoils of influence and collaboration. Before paying tribute to legendary Marvel Comics artist Jack Kirby in their hugely popular Summer 2012 collection, Berserkergang, Plunkett and Sales celebrated the treasured memories of a small-town Australian childhood with Archibald Prize winner Del Kathryn Barton, employing her exclusive digital ‘eye’ and ‘magic’ prints for their Spring/Summer ‘06/07 collection Regional Australia. It was in their Summer 2014 collection, Mushroom Magic, that the pair used a print from Rebecca Baumann’s work ‘Improvised Smoke Devise’. Scales and Plunkett met up with Baumann after the show and checked out some snaps of her installation works. Carriageworks had already commissioned RWB to create a work for their 2014 artistic program, timing the launch for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, thus the perfect opportunity to let their palettes blend. Reflected Glory is a fusion of Baumann’s celebratory installation style and RWB’s whimsical experimentation with detail. Where an RWB embellished T-shirt starts, Baumann’s signature gold tinsel ends, her 2010 work ‘Untitled Cascade’, playfully making a cameo in an epic train to the ‘House Party’ piece. Baumann’s popping candy-like projections set a prom-night stage for RWB’s sparkling moments of nostalgia, a fusion RWB embraced within their designs. “It’s very collaborative, like, super organic. Elements just kind of fell into place and we went with it,” says Plunkett. “[It’s fun] to use an artist’s influence, like, directly influencing our prints. We’ve reinterpreted her artwork too, so it’s a lot more interactive.” Every print in the exhibition comes from the Reflected Glory ready to wear collection, to be unleashed down the track. If there weren’t enough actual sequins sewed meticulously into each sleeve and bodice, the prints are magnified, saturated fields of photographic sequins. Each print was shot in direct sunlight for “maximum reflection” as Sales puts it. Leave The Models Out Of This Models have been left at the Carriageworks door for this exhibition. Working with mannequins instead of models, you’re working with a few advantages — the pieces aren’t bound by human restrictions like walking ability, plus mannequins don’t have homes to go to. In Reflected Glory viewers aren’t bound by their runwayside seats; instead, they are able to wander through the space and let the mirrorball motors unveil every last garment inch. Plunkett says working in an exhibition space as opposed to sending pieces down a runway can be a welcome change. “It’s kind of refreshing. It’s fun to be able to explore clothing but spatially, with light and through texture and kinetics.” But Sales and Plunkett insist the design process would be the same, models or not. “In the beginning I thought we wouldn’t design dresses so much — it would be more like objects with bigger shapes, more sculptural. But I feel like that’s not really who we are,” says Sales. “We’re designers not artists, we’re not trying to make sculpture.” A kinetic sculptor by trade, Baumann was a perfect partner in the duo’s quest to keep things moving. Baumann’s kaleidoscopic projections, bold geometric installations and carefully aimed lighting give each handsewn sequin, elaborate ruffled collar and tinsel-woven bodice its own glinting moment. “We didn’t just want to put mannequins in amongst some art and call that the exhibition,” says Sales, backed up by Plunkett. “We’re really interested in it not being a static thing,” she says. “The whole idea of suspending the garments with mannequins … We really wanted to be able to interact with the space, light and the eye.” Don't Design For The Industry With mirrorball outfits, oversized white sequins and embellished Madonna T-shirts supported by '80s love songs and candy store lighting, RWB definitely don’t create to please the fashion crowd. Both Sales and Plunkett see the shortcomings of an industry that can often suck the fun out of an essentially playful medium. “I guess we kind of have a bit of a sense of humour with what we do,” says Sales. “We don’t try and get too serious with fashion and I think, for me, fashion’s not about that. Fashion’s about expressing yourself and being fun and having fun with who you are and trying to communicate who you are to people.” “In a way, it feels like we’ve kind of gone back to our roots a bit more, working together, hand-sewing the garments together, draping it on the dummy and stitching it together,” he says. “It’s a bit more organic.” “I hope that people do take away that it is as uplifting as our usual runway show,” says Plunkett, pausing for a moment to consider the crowd attending. “Hopefully, but the fashion crowd can be very critical… Actually, bring it on.” Reflected Glory runs April 9 to May 11 at Carriageworks. Images by Zan Wembley and Lindsay Smith.
This week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the country could start relaxing some COVID-19 restrictions as early as mid-May, if certain conditions were met. But, according to one public health expert, festivals and big concerts could be off the cards until late 2021. In an interview with The New York Times Magazine in which five experts discussed what the reopening of America could look like, Dr Ezekiel Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives and chair of the department of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, said he thinks larger gatherings "will be the last to return". "Larger gatherings — conferences, concerts, sporting events — when people say they're going to reschedule this conference or graduation event for October 2020, I have no idea how they think that's a plausible possibility," Emanuel said. "I think those things will be the last to return. Realistically we're talking fall 2021 at the earliest." This doesn't bode well for Californian festival Coachella, which has rescheduled for early October 2020. While the US has so far reported a total of 632,548 cases compared to Australia's 6468, it could still mean mass-gathering restrictions may not be lifted in time for the 2020 festival season Down Under. Australia's ban on non-essential mass gatherings of over 500 people was one of the first restrictions implemented — way back on March 13, 2020 — so could, if we're to work backwards, be one of the last lifted. [caption id="attachment_636279" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Bec Taylor[/caption] Splendour in the Grass, which was meant to take place this July, is currently hoping to go ahead on October 23–25. Canberra's Spilt Milk, NSW's Lost Paradise, Vic's Meredith and Falls Festival all usually take place in November and December, too. And, even if Australia's mass-gatherings ban is lifted in time, festivals could be impacted by headliners not being able to enter the country, with Australia's borders currently closed. Splendour, for example, is set to host headliners The Strokes (US) and Tyler, The Creator (US). If festivals are impacted by COVID-19, it'll be the third year running in which the season has been marred. In early 2019, some NSW festivals were forced to cancel due to costs associated with the State Government's strict festival licensing regime, then, this summer, festivals — including Falls, Lost Paradise and Rainbow Serpent — were stopped by the country's devastating bushfires. Top image: Bluesfest by Andy Fraser
Continuing its (highly successful) quest to separate the world of art from elitism, The Other Art Fair is back in Melbourne for 2022. The boundary-pushing multi-day exhibit is bringing the works of more than 110 artists to the heritage-listed Meat Market digs. Expect accessible art (read: affordable, starting at just $100), good-time vibes (courtesy of live DJs, diverse street eats and a fully stocked bar) and the chance of your chosen piece ending up on your arm, not your wall (via a hand-poked tattoo). Whether your love of art is long-held and you've curated a collection to rival the best, or you simply appreciate creative expression and are looking to discover emerging and independent artists (and perhaps procure your first forever-piece), The Other Art Fair will have thousands (literally) of impressive pieces for you to discover. Taking it one step further, the creative collective is giving away an arty night out — the perfect prize for anyone looking for an 'other' way to enjoy a Thursday evening. The winner will score a double pass to opening night, two Bombay Sapphire cocktails on arrival and a $250 voucher to spend on artwork (bought directly from the artist) to take home (and make all your friends jealous). Not loving your odds? The Other Art Fair is keeping another 40 people happy, too, with 20 double passes up for grabs for entry to the Fair from Friday, May 27 to Sunday, May 29. Ready to raise a glass to curious encounters? Enter your details below. [competition]850151[/competition]
UPDATE, March 25, 2022: The Worst Person in the World is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. When Frances Ha splashed a gorgeous portrait of quarter-life malaise across the screen nearly a decade back — proving neither the first nor last film to do so, of course — its titular New Yorker was frequently running. As played by Greta Gerwig, she sprinted and stumbled to David Bowie's intoxicating 'Modern Love' and just in general, while navigating the constantly-in-motion reality of being in her 20s. It takes place in a different city, another country and on the other side of the globe, but The Worst Person in the World's eponymous figure (Renate Reinsve, Phoenix) is often racing, too. (Sometimes, in the movie's most stylised touch, she's even flitting around while the whole world stops around her.) Norwegian writer/director Joachim Trier (Thelma) firmly understands the easy shorthand of watching someone rush — around Oslo here, but also through life overall — especially while they're grappling with a blatant case arrested development. Capturing the relentlessly on-the-go sensation that comes with adulthood, as well as the inertia of feeling like you're never quite getting anywhere that you're meant to be, these running scenes paint a wonderfully evocative and relatable image. Those are apt terms for The Worst Person in the World overall, actually, which meets Julie as she's pinballing through the shambles of her millennial life. She doesn't ever truly earn the film's title, or come close, but she still coins the description and spits it her own way — making the type of self-deprecating, comically self-aware comment we all do when we're trying to own our own chaos because anything else would be a lie. The Worst Person in the World's moniker feels so telling because it's uttered by Julie herself, conveying how we're all our own harshest critics. In her existence, even within the mere four years that the film focuses on, mess is a constant. Indeed, across the movie's 12 chapters, plus its prologue and epilogue, almost everything about Julie's life changes and evolves. That includes not just dreams, goals, fields of study and careers, but also loved ones, boyfriends, apartments, friends and ideas of what the future should look like — and, crucially, also Julie's perception of herself. As the ever-observant Trier and his regular co-screenwriter Eskil Vogt track their protagonist through these ups and downs, using whatever means they can to put his audience in her mindset — freezing time around her among them — The Worst Person in the World also proves a raw ode to self-acceptance, and to forgiving yourself for not having it all together. They're the broad strokes of this wonderfully perceptive film; the specifics are just as insightful and recognisable. Julie jumps from medicine to psychology to photography, and between relationships — with 44-year-old comic book artist Aksel (Anders Danielsen Lie, Bergman Island), who's soon thinking about all the serious things in life; and then with the far more carefree Eivind (Herbert Nordrum, ZombieLars), who she meets after crashing a wedding. Expressing not only how Julie changes with each shift in focus, job and partner, but how she copes with that change within herself, is another of The Worst Person in the World's sharp touches. At one point, on a getaway with friends more than a decade older than her, Julie is laden with broad and trite generalisations about being her age — which Trier humorously and knowingly counters frame by frame with lived-in minutiae. A place, a person, the chaos that is being an adult (and, with the latter, the truth rather than the stereotypes): across three thematically connected films, spanning 2006's Reprise, 2011's Oslo, August 31st and now The Worst Person in the World, that's been Trier's formula. Calling it a pattern or recipe does the trio an injustice, though, because each feature is as individual as any person. Here, Trier is clearly aware of how romantic dramedies like this typically turn out, and ensures that his movie never simply parrots the obvious — unless it's unpacking the chasm between the standard big-screen story we've all seen too many times and the tangled reality. This isn't the usual cliche-riddled affair, and that commitment to transcend tropes, and to truly contemplate what growing up, being an adult and forging a life is really like (including at both the sunniest and the most heartbreaking extremes), both feeds and enables Reinsve's astonishing work. Sometimes, a performance just flat-out shakes and startles you — and Reinsve's falls into that category. That's meant in the greatest of ways; she won the 2021 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress award for her efforts, and turns in a complex, layered and no-holds-barred portrayal that's one of the finest of the year. She could've waltzed into the film straight out of any twentysomething's circle of friends. She plays her part with exactly that air, and she's magnificent. In a movie that proves a discerning and disarming character study above all else, and a masterpiece of one, her performance soars with heart and soul when Julie is at her best, sparkles with chemistry with both Danielsen Lie and Nordrum — both of whom are terrific, too — and seethes with both pain and growth in the character's hardest moments. It shouldn't come as a surprise given how much bobbing around it does — between chapters and the parts of Julie's life they cover, between all the things earning her attention at any given moment, and within Reinsve's multifaceted performance — but The Worst Person in the World is also a tonal rollercoaster. Again, that's a positive thing. As a snapshot of an age and life stage, Trier helms a film that's canny and incisive, also perfects the sensation of constantly zipping onwards even when it seems as if you're stuck, and knows how to find both joy and darkness in tandem. That kind of duality also graces the screen visually, in a feature that can be both slick and naturalistic, which is another deft touch. There's an enormous difference between telling viewers what it's like to be Julie and showing them — and The Worst Person in the World makes sure its audience not only feels it, but feels like they're running through it with Julie as well.
The term "passion project" is usually thrown around when a filmmaker tries to make something near and dear to them, but doesn't quite achieve the success they'd hoped for. Fences clearly meets the first half of that definition, with Denzel Washington directing and starring in a stage-to-screen adaptation of the play he previously won a Tony award for on Broadway. With the aid of his co-star Viola Davis, who also follows the project from the theatre to film, Washington crafts a picture full of commanding lead performances and blistering drama. And yet, like so many passion projects, it's never quite everything that it could be. Just why that's the case is apparent from the outset, when Pittsburgh garbage collector Troy (Washington) returns home on a Friday afternoon with both his pay packet and a bottle of gin in his hand. The working week is over, and so he's jovial, tipsy, talkative, and cheekily playing up for his dutiful wife Rose (Davis) and his long term friend and work colleague Jim Bono (Stephen Henderson). It's the type of performance-centric opening scene designed to make an impact, and in a theatre it would certainly cause an immediate splash. On film, it simply offers the first of many reminders of the movie's origins on the stage. In a script written by the late August Wilson based on his own Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Troy unleashes his thoughts, problems and memories upon Rose, their teenage son Cory (Jovan Adepo), his first son from a previous relationship Lyons (Russell Hornsby) and his brother (Mykelti Williamson). He wants to become a driver, while Cory yearns to pursue a football career against his father's wishes, and Rose remains suffering but still poised in the middle. The more Troy talks as time passes, the more revelations are in store. Slowly, his bravado and bluster fades. The almost constant chatter continues, only quieter, with the characters weighed down by their mounting troubles. If that sounds like a whole lot of arguing, that's because Fences doesn't shy away from the spoken word. The script serves the film's cast well, and each player delivers their lines with passion and conviction. Above all else, this is an actor's showcase. Washington perfects the transformation from confident to wearied, while Davis charts the opposite trajectory. The space where they collide is the place where pride is undone, legacies are shattered, hearts are broken, and racial and socio-economic truths are exposed. Distilling all of that into their performances, it's almost enough just to watch them circle around each other for 139 minutes. Of course, the key word there is almost. As a filmmaker, Washington obviously believes in the strength of the scenario and the acting it inspires. In a way, that's the problem, since it means his direction ends up feeling rather stagey. Given that the film's characters are both fenced in and trying to burst beyond their confines, a sense of constraint comes with the territory. And yet, for all its attempts at intimacy, the end result still keeps viewers at a distance. Fences feels more like a great play captured on camera, rather than a great movie in its own right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtkjUJoSPa4
They're taking the hobbits to Amazon — and, later this year, fans of Lord of the Rings will be able to see the end result. You should already have Friday, September 2, 2022 marked in your diary, as the premiere date for Amazon Prime Video's new LOTR show was announced last year. But if you've been wondering exactly what you'll be watching, the streaming platform has just provided a few new details. While the series has just been referred to as The Lord of the Rings since it was first announced it back in 2017 — including when it was given the official go-ahead in mid-2018 and confirmed that it wouldn't just remake Peter Jackson's movies, and also when a few other concrete details regarding what it's about were revealed, its full title is officially The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. And if you're wondering why, Amazon has dropped a title release video (yes, we now live in a world where there are trailers for announcing what a show will be called) which includes some of JRR Tolkien's most famous lines. If you're a big LOTR fan — on the page and thanks to the films — you should be familiar with Tolkien's Ring Verse, which outlines who was intended to receive the rings of power. Elven-kings, dwarf-lords, mortal men and the Dark Lord all get a mention, and you can hear the key lines in the video below: "This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to JRR Tolkien's other classics. The Rings of Power unites all the major stories of Middle-earth's Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men," said showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay, announcing the news. "Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring – but before there was one, there were many… and we're excited to share the epic story of them all." In a series that'll make ample use of New Zealand's scenic landscape in its first season — and so greenery abounds, naturally, as the first image from the show illustrates — The Rings of Power will spend time in Middle-earth's Second Age as Payne and McKay explained, bringing that era from the LOTR realm to the screen for the very first time. According to show's official synopsis, it'll follow "the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history," with the action set thousands of years before the novels and movies we've all read and watched. The series will also "take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien's pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness." If you're a little rusty on your LOTR lore, the Second Age lasted for 3441 years, and saw the initial rise and fall of Sauron, as well as a spate of wars over the coveted rings. Elves feature prominently, and there's plenty to cover, even if Tolkien's works didn't spend that much time on the period — largely outlining the main events in an appendix to the popular trilogy. Naturally, you can expect Sauron to feature in the new show, and to give its main figures some trouble. "Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth," the official synopsis continues. "From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone," it also advises. In terms of stars, The Rings of Power will feature an unsurprisingly large cast — and some impressive talent behind the scenes. Among the actors traversing Middle-earth are Tom Budge (Judy & Punch), Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud), Ismael Cruz Córdova (The Undoing), Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (The Accountant), Maxim Baldry (Years and Years), Peter Mullan (Westworld), Benjamin Walker (The Underground Railroad) and comedian Lenny Henry. And, the series is being overseen by showrunners and executive producers JD Payne and Patrick McKay, while filmmaker JA Bayona (A Monster Calls, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) directs the first two episodes. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be available to stream via Amazon Prime Video from Friday, September 2, 2022.
Cutesy name, likeable stars, stylised brutality, a familiar revenge scenario: blend them all together, and that's Gunpowder Milkshake. There's one particular ingredient that's missing from this action-thriller's recipe, though, and its absence is surprising — because much about the film feels like it has jumped from the pages of a comic book. That's one of the movie's best traits, in fact. The world already has too many comics-to-cinema adaptations, but although Gunpowder Milkshake doesn't stem from a graphic novel, it actually looks the part. Its precise framing and camera placement, hyper-vibrant colours and love of neon could've easily been printed in inky hues on paper, then splattered across the screen like the blood and bullets the feature sprays again and again. Writer/director Navot Papushado (Big Bad Wolves) and cinematographer Michael Seresin (War for the Planet of the Apes) have made a visually appealing film, and a movie with evident aesthetic flair. All that gloss is paired with a generic assassin storyline, however, and a half-baked feminist thrust. It's Sin City meets John Wick but gender-flipped, except that the Kill Bill movies and Atomic Blonde have been there and done that. Gunpowder Milkshake is entertaining enough, but largely in a mechanical way. Its look hits the mark, with every colour popping a shade or two brighter than might otherwise be expected. Its action choreography is impressive, albeit nowhere near as kinetic as the pictures it is patently aping. With Avengers: Endgame's Karen Gillan leading the charge, Game of Thrones' Lena Headey playing her on-screen mother, the impressive trio of Angela Bassett (Black Panther), Michelle Yeoh (Last Christmas) and Carla Gugino (a Sin City alum) also featuring, and child actor Chloe Coleman (Big Little Lies) holding her own, the movie's key women all do what's asked of them. And, when it comes to female-fronted action fare, there's no such thing as too much. But Gunpowder Milkshake's cast is also only tasked with navigating an inescapably clear-cut scenario, and the film's girl-power credentials are only skin deep, too. The focus on motherhood couldn't be more stereotypical, and the movie undercuts its empowering vibe by using its older women far too sparingly. Papushado and co-scribe Ehud Lavski (a feature first-timer) attempt to complicate their narrative, as opening narration explains, but the basics are hardly complex. As skilled killer Sam (Gillan) notes, she works for a group of men called The Firm, cleaning up its messes with her deadly prowess. It's an inherited gig, in a way. Fifteen years earlier, she was a fresh-faced teen (Freya Allan, The Witcher) with a mum, Scarlet, who did the same thing. Then her mother abandoned her after a diner shootout, leaving Sam to fend herself — and, to ultimately get her jobs from Nathan (Paul Giamatti, Billions), one of The Firm's flunkies. It's on just that kind of gig that Sam kills the son of a rival crime hotshot (Ralph Ineson, Chernobyl), and he wants revenge. Soon, her employers are also on her trail, after she takes another assignment in an attempt to sort out her first problem, then ends up trying to save eight-year-old Emily (Coleman) from violent kidnappers. Bassett, Yeoh and Gugino play librarians, and that term could be capitalised as a code name. They're surrounded by books, but they're also assassins themselves who trade in supplies for their fellow hitwomen. Running their business in an eye-catching dome-shaped Berlin building — which is where the film was shot, although it never mentions where it is set — they basically oversee Gunpowder Milkshake's equivalent of John Wick's The Continental. And, they have links to Scarlet, and to Sam's childhood, but they're used as weight and texture rather than given meaty parts. It's almost unforgivable for a movie that's all about formidable ladies to waste Bassett, Yeoh and Gugino in such minor roles, in fact. Again, they do all that's asked of them. They do it well, obviously. Still, they're both the most interesting aspect of the narrative and the least utilised. A secret society of killer women that camouflage their strength behind their knowledge, pass down skills through generations, and blush to no one in a male-dominated realm? Now that's a great premise. A kick-ass heroine who grew up with mummy issues, but now must care for a girl who also doesn't have a mother, all while actually reconnecting with her own and simultaneously laying waste to villainous men? That's clearly far more standard. Even when it's at its most engaging, Gunpowder Milkshake always leaves viewers wishing that it'd taken another path and spent more time with characters it mostly leaves in the background — unsurprisingly given what it pushes to the fore, and what it lets sit on the side. Wanting Bassett, Yeoh and Gugino to play bigger parts isn't a criticism of Gillan, or of her time with Headey and Coleman — even if cracking the facade of a stone-cold killer by getting them palling around with a kid is now a genre cliche (Coleman also had a similar role in espionage comedy My Spy). Gillan takes to her character with stony efficiency. That too is a trope — see: oh-so-many movies in your streaming platform of choice's "strong female lead" category — but she's been doing it swimmingly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well. What might've served her better, however, is a female filmmaker behind the lens. For all the style that Papushado brandishes, he's lacks the same fun, frenetic and fluid touch Cathy Yan gifted 2020's Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), and the same poignancy and smarts that Cate Shortland has given this year's Black Widow. Of course, that's the thing about making a movie that looks like a comic book flick, and that also tries to set up its own franchise, too: it's always going to earn and suffer from those comparisons.
He's one of Sydney's most in-demand chefs, as well as the award-winning seafood maestro and sustainability guru behind celebrated Paddington restaurant Saint Peter. And in January, you can get a front-row seat to hear from the man himself, with Josh Niland zipping into Melbourne to join the Australian Open 2023's stacked food program. Niland's sustainable fish and chipper Charcoal Fish will be making its Melbourne debut, popping up at the AO Beach Bar to treat locals to goodies like the rotisserie Murray cod roll with gravy and crispy skin, plus the cult-favourite double yellowfin tuna cheeseburger. [caption id="attachment_826360" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Charcoal Fish[/caption] And on Tuesday, January 17, the chef will take the stage for an intimate chat as part of the AO Talk Series. Audiences will hear about Niland's game-changing zero-waste, whole-fish philosophy, and the approach to sustainability that's earned him international applause. He'll share big ideas, a solid dose of culinary wisdom and plenty of inspiration along the way. Tickets to the 8.30am talk clock in at $69, which also includes a Ground Pass to hit the AO for the rest of the day. The session will take place at the AO Beach Bar, near Gate 1–3 of Melbourne Park. [caption id="attachment_826357" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sydney's Charcoal Fish[/caption] Top image: Rob Palmer.
Your Sunday afternoon drinking session is sure to go down extra smoothly when you know it's raising much-needed cash for Aussies affected by the recent bushfires. Which is why a group of the city's best-loved boozers are joining forces for good, hosting a night of cocktails to drum up funds for Red Cross Australia and its bushfire relief efforts. On Sunday, January 19, bartenders from Heartbreaker, Black Pearl, Ends & Means, The Rum Diary Bar and Hats & Tatts will descend on The Mill House for a one-night collaboration event, pouring up a storm for our fire victims. The cover charge will be pay-what-you-can and each bar will be shaking up one of their signature cocktails for $16 a pop. You'll also find $16 boilermakers, along with a selection of $9 beers and wines. [caption id="attachment_684812" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Heartbreaker by Visit Victoria/Julia Kingma[/caption] All proceeds from the night will be donated, plus you can drop off any donations of toiletries, canned food and medical supplies at the bar, to be delivered to the local Red Cross centre. Drink Up runs from 3–8pm.
It's been an absolute age since it was first announced back in January 2018, but Chadstone Shopping Centre's much-hyped five-star hotel is finally open. Dubbed simply Hotel Chadstone Melbourne, it's the work of MGallery by Sofitel — and it has hosted its first guests this weekend. The latest drawcard for Australia's biggest shopping centre, the $130 million hotel has 250 rooms and suites, a sleek rooftop pool and conservatory bar, its own day spa and wellness retreat, an LED-lit yoga studio, a lounge bar and a couple of top-notch restaurants. It's also set to be Melbourne's only five-star hotel located outside the city centre. The suites are all kinds of opulent, too, featuring a clever design by multiple world-leading studios, including Australia's own Bates Smart. Think, contemporary blush pink and teal hues, custom lighting and a range of specially commissioned designer furniture inspired by trunks from luxury European fashion labels. The ritziness continues upstairs on the roof, where you'll spy private cabanas, a pool ringed with loungers and incredible panoramic views to match. At rooftop bar and lounge Altus, you can sip classic cocktails beneath a custom-made, seven-tier wine glass holder chandelier, while the dining room is set to be a striking vision of mirrored arches and plush velvet banquettes. In a win for foodies, Hotel Chadstone is also home to Pastore, the latest venture from acclaimed chef Scott Pickett (Estelle, Matilda, Lupo). Fusing the classic flavours of Italy with a distinct Australian edge, this contemporary all-day diner and bar has a menu that heroes woodfired dishes and handmade pasta. Expect sophisticated plates like the wood-roasted king prawns with fermented tomato, 'nduja and capers, and an 1.2-kilogram, 35-day dry-aged bistecca alla fiorentina, served against a plush backdrop of dusty pink hues, warm timber and brass. Meanwhile, the wine list favours Italian varieties from local producers and a cocktail lineup reworks Italian classics with Australian botanicals and spirits. We expect it'll be a popular go-to for post-shopping snacks and drinks. If you're staying in the hotel, you'll also be able to have Pastore favourites delivered to your room, too. Find Hotel Chadstone at 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone. Rooms start from $269 a night.
Whether hustling those last-minute party beers, or scouting a bottle of vino for that after-hours couch session, getting booze to your doorstep just got even easier. Alcohol delivery service Jimmy Brings, who'll deliver drinks to your door in thirty minutes until 10.30pm, has expanded its offering, this week adding a swag of new areas to its coverage. In an era of harsh lock-out laws, the platform has been embraced launching in Sydney back in 2012. But for all the buzz, its popularity's been limited by the stable of suburbs it services. Now, having entered the Melbourne market earlier this year, Jimmy Brings has again stepped things up a notch, expanding to 49 new suburbs in Sydney and an extra 31 in Melbourne; conveniently enough, just in time for the party season. In NSW, places like Collaroy, North Ryde, Mona Vale and Newport can now enjoy a slice of the Jimmy Brings action, while the likes of Thornbury, Essendon, Brighton East and the generally dry suburb of Surrey Hills have joined the party in Melbourne. To celebrate the new and improved lineup, all first-time Jimmy Brings customers can score themselves a $10 discount by downloading the free app and plugging in the code LAUNCH10 at the checkout.
He's soft and cuddly, has a hankering for honey and hibernating, and believes that doing nothing leads to the very best something. With wisdom like that, he could be a wellness guru — but instead, Winnie-the-Pooh is a walking, talking teddy bear. There are many reasons to love the best-known inhabitant of the Hundred Acre Wood. Taking inspiration from a stuffed toy cherished by his son Christopher Robin, author A.A. Milne crafted the cute creature with ample affection, making him feel like the best friend that every kid always wanted. With dashings of black ink on white paper, illustrator E. H. Shepard also brought the bear to life with grace and care in drawings that felt like they could wander off the paper. Thanks to an array of short films, features and television shows over the past six decades, Pooh did mosey beyond those pages. That said, he has never taken a stroll in quite the fashion seen in Christopher Robin. With director Marc Forster (World War Z) mixing live-action and CGI, Pooh is an adorable ball of fluff that couldn't look more realistic. He's covered with tufts of naturalistic fur that viewers will instantly want to run their fingers through and, thanks to special effects that give him a well-worn appearance, it looks like plenty of people already have. Courtesy of a script by Alex Ross Perry (Golden Exits), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) and Allison Schroeder (Hidden Figures), Pooh is also actually dispensing wellness advice to a now-adult Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor, charming even when he's haunted by stress). Indeed, if there's one thing that Christopher Robin takes seriously, it's the idea of not taking life too seriously. In a movie with the sweetness of Pooh's preferred food — but a dose of melancholy too — the childhood character pops into Christopher Robin's life when he least expects it. (Not that anyone expects a living teddy bear to find them in a London garden, follow them home and start putting their sticky paws on everything.) It has been years since Christopher farewelled Pooh, with boarding school, the Second World War, and now work and his family all monopolising his attention instead. But trying to balance his personal and professional lives, or failing to, has left Christopher in a spot of bother. While his wife Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael) head out to the country, he's stuck at home alone working for a luggage company. Then Pooh shows up, searching for the missing Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Owl and Rabbit, and making Christopher realise exactly what he's missing. Much of Christopher Robin follows its two central characters as they roam around the Hundred Acre Wood. It's a hangout movie — viewers not only hang out with characters they love, but watch them hang out as well. While the drama about meeting work deadlines feels somewhat flimsy as a result, just soaking in the film's scenic surroundings and loveable figures offers enough to enjoy. Forster certainly thinks so, with the movie never as buoyant as when it's focusing firmly on Christopher Robin, Pooh and their green sanctuary. Intricate production design assists, ensuring that every swaying tree and meadow of grass is as eye-catching as a certain bear of very little brain. As viewers rove their eyes over Christopher Robin's splendid sights, they're doing just what the film espouses: slowing down, enjoying the moment, and switching off from the hustle and bustle. Still, as you're clearing space in your head thanks to this nice little movie — and it's truly the epitome of nice, soothing, cosy and comfortable — you might notice a few familiar elements. Forster has dallied with a beloved childhood story before in Finding Neverland, while the idea of a fictional animal character coming to life smacks of Paddington and its sequel, and Hook told overworked men to reconsider their priorities more than two decades ago. You may also recall 2017's forgettable Goodbye Christopher Robin, but thankfully Christopher Robin doesn't underestimate its audience or smother anyone in treacly sentiment. In imagining a new adventure for Pooh and his human pal rather than revisiting their beginnings, the film simply wants viewers to delight in the big-hearted pleasures of its gorgeous world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PakpWVOK37Y
Every actor has one, albeit in various shades, lengths and textures, but sometimes one single hairstyle says everything about a film. Wildly careening in whichever direction it seems to feel like at any point, yet also strikingly sculptural, the towering reddish stack of curly locks atop Penélope Cruz's head in Official Competition is one such statement-making coiffure. It's a stunning sight, with full credit to the movie's hairstylists. These tremendous tresses are both unruly and immaculate; they draw the eye in immediately, demanding the utmost attention. And, yes, Cruz's crowning glory shares those traits with this delightful Spanish Argentine farce about filmmaking — a picture directed and co-written by Mariano Cohn and Gastуn Duprat (The Distinguished Citizen), and also starring Antonio Banderas (Uncharted) and Oscar Martínez (Wild Tales), that it's simply impossible to look away from. Phenomenal hair is just the beginning for Cruz here. Playing filmmaker Lola Cuevas — a Palme d'Or-winning arthouse darling helming an ego-stroking prestige picture for rich octogenarian businessman Humberto Suárez (José Luis Gómez, Truman) — she's downright exceptional as well. Humberto decides to throw some cash into making a movie in the hope of leaving a legacy that lasts, and enlisting Lola to work her magic with a Nobel Prize-winning novel called Rivalry is quite the coup. So is securing the talents of flashy global star Félix Rivero (Banderas) and serious theatre actor Iván Torres (Martínez), a chalk-and-cheese pair who'll work together for the first time, stepping into the shoes of feuding brothers. But before the feature can cement its backer's name in history, its three key creatives have to survive an exacting rehearsal process. Lola believes in rigorous preparation, and in testing and stretching her leading men, with each technique she springs on them more outlandish and stressful than the last. As Lola, Cruz is a 'find yourself someone who can do both'-kind of marvel. She's clearly starring in a comedy, and her timing, rhythms and line delivery are as fine-tuned as any acting great who has ever tried to amuse an audience — and serve up a hefty reminder that viewers rarely get to see her in such a role — but she perfects the drama of the situation, too. The latter stems from Lola's male leads, who are caught up in a clash of egos, and from the director herself as she keeps eagerly but purposefully pulling their strings. Light, fluid, sharp, smart: they all fit this savvily portrayed character, and never for a second does Cruz feel like she's seesawing too easily, needlessly or temperamentally from comic to serious and back. Earlier in 2022, she was nominated for an Oscar for her sublime performance in Parallel Mothers — an award she deserved to win, but didn't — and although Official Competition couldn't be a more different film, she's just as much of a force to be reckoned with within its frames. Cohn and Duprat might have a little of Lola in them, as well as conjuring her up with fellow scribe Andrés Duprat (My Masterpiece). The Argentine filmmaking duo's rehearsal methods aren't part of the movie, obviously, and it's likely that they didn't wrap their cast in cling wrap as their protagonist hilariously does — but, whatever mechanisms they deployed, they obtain outstanding performances from their key players. This is Cruz's film, but Banderas revels in the chance to cleverly and cannily satirise his profession and industry as much as she does, with the two teaming up yet again after featuring side by side in plenty of Pedro Almodóvar's movies (see: Pain and Glory most recently). The playful teasing is ramped up a level, and there's a greater emphasis on his killer stare, which can flip from brooding to charming to pouting in an instant; however, the result remains remarkable. Martínez plays it relatively straight in-between his co-stars, but is no less compelling; Iván has his own ego battles. Getting Cruz, Bandereas and Martínez bouncing off of each other was always bound to spark something special. They're acting in the service of unpacking acting, and their pitch-perfect portrayals perceptively probe and parody in tandem. The arrogance that comes with fame, the quest for constant validation, the ridiculousness of being a celebrity — they're all targets for laughs, as is the gaping chasm between acting megastardom and everything else. None of these spark new revelations, but Official Competition isn't merely content to get three top talents turning in ace performances to merely state the blatant. Cohn and Duprat's work relies upon acting, and they clearly treasure it as an artform, even as they poke fun at it. The jokes land, but their film also has time to appreciate the emotional toll that goes into a dynamite performance and the sincerity summoned up by the best of the best, all as Lola wrings everything she can out of Félix and Iván. Her tactics, unfurled across their nine-day pre-shoot period, and designed to get the two men to discard their senses of self and become one with their characters, would do Wile E Coyote proud. They're more mischievous than torturous, though — and they're also shrewd and very funny. In one, Félix and Iván argue beneath a giant rock, suspended precariously above them, heightening their anxiety while Lola is thoroughly nonplussed. Another gets them practicing their kissing techniques in front of a bank of microphones so that every sound can be heard and critiqued, with their director ruthless in her scrutiny. In yet another, getting wrapped in plastic together, which both Félix and Iván unsurprisingly abhor, is part of a bold and drastic plan to get the pair to relinquish their reliance upon external approval. What images these three scenarios, and others like them, spark — capturing Cruz and that hairdo, naturally, and so much more. Plenty about Official Competition sounds surreal, and it's certainly how this spectacularly staged and shot feature looks at every moment. Eccentric and meticulous are words that describe Lola and, of course, her coif; they couldn't sum up the movie's production design or cinematography better, too. Here's another that fits: magnificent. Director of photography Arnau Valls Colomer (Lost Transmissions) operates on a Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul level of visual precision, spanning where the camera is placed, the angles it peers on from, the painterly composition of each and every image, and what that level of detail says about an industry that's all about detail. Like the gem it is, everything about this film gleams.
From 11.59pm on Wednesday, July 1, until at least Wednesday, July 29, stay-at-home orders have been reintroduced in ten Melbourne postcodes, which means their residents can only leave for one of four reasons: work or school, care or care giving, daily exercise or food and other essentials. For more information, head to the DHHS website. Life can feel like it's getting more and more hectic, but, thankfully, clever Melburnians keep coming up with new, creative ways to de-stress. You'll find places where you can hurl an axe at a target, smash ceramics to bits in a private room and sweat it out to some techno beats at a nightclub-inspired spin class. And now, Melbourne's latest high-powered stress reliever has arrived, allowing you to get messy and wild with a supply of colourful paints and some white walls. In addition to a classic smash room — where punters can unleash their destructive tendencies on unsuspecting glassware and breakables — Oakleigh's Smash Splash also plays host to Melbourne's first 'splash room', inspired by an offering that's gone gang-busters across the USA. Here, you're invited to tap into your inner Jackson Pollock and get gloriously messy at your own private paint party. The splash and smash rooms need to be booked separately. If you go for a splash session, you'll get half an hour with a friend to paint the room (and yourselves) by hurling cups of paint, smashing or batting paint-filled balloons or simply going to town with your hands or some paintbrushes. Smash rooms can be booked for ten minutes at a time — you'll don your protective gear and go to town on a crate of crockery. Prices range from $47.50–50 per person. Other electrical items can be bought for an extra fee. It's open on Friday 6–8pm, Saturday 11am–6pm and Sunday 11am–6pm. Best of all, there's not a scrap of cleaning up involved.
It's that time again, gelato fiends: time to kick off 2024 with Messina's first decadent special for the year, and time to start thinking about Valentine's Day as well. The cult-favourite dessert brand is taking care of both will one brand-new OTT creation: a hot tub version of its Mr Messina flavour. If you haven't tried this coveted scoop as a regular Messina gelato variety as yet, it features fior di latte gelato with baked cheesecake smashed in, as well as pretzel fudge and a pretzel crust. Now, think that but as one of Messina's hot tubs, aka the chain's extra-special, always limited-edition, online-order-only treats. No, the word 'hot' doesn't reflect the required temperature. Indeed, in this case, the tub comes with layers of fior di latte gelato, pretzel fudge and pretzel clusters, plus baked cheesecake and cheesecake mousse, all to be eaten cold. On top: red chocolate crack and piped vanilla chantilly. While the dessert is timed for the supposedly most romantic day of the year, who you share it and your Messina love with is up to you. Grab a spoon with your significant other, go all in for Galentine's Day instead, or treat yo'self to multiple days of red-topped gelato — the choice is obviously yours. Tubs cost $45 each, and you'll need to place your order online on Wednesday, January 24. Because Messina's specials always prove popular, the brand staggers its on-sale times. So, folks in Queensland, the ACT and Western Australia are able to purchase at 12pm AEDT / 11am AEST / 9am AWST — and Victorians at 12.15pm AEDT. New South Wales customers are split across three times depending on the store (with tubs from Bondi, Circular Quay, Miranda, Randwick and Surry Hills on sale at 12.30pm AEDT; Darlinghurst, Brighton Le Sands, Manly, Parramatta, Tramsheds and Marrickville at 12.45pm AEDT; and Darling Square, Newtown, Norwest, Rosebery and Penrith at 1pm AEDT). Wherever you live, you can then pick up the Mr Messina hot tubs between Monday, February 12–Wednesday, February 14. Fans of Messina will know that the gelato brand is quite fond of making these kinds of indulgent — and supremely tasty — specials, after previously serving up everything from mango Iced Vovo tubs and the Neapolitan Messinetta (aka its take on the Viennetta) to a hazelnut-heavy tub topped with rocher crack and honey joy sticky scrolls. Gelato Messina's Mr Messina hot tub will be available to order from on Wednesday, January 24 from 12pm AEDT, with times varying per state and store — head to the Messina website for more information.
In the sleepy suburb of Lower Plenty, a chef with Michelin-star pedigree has quietly opened a refined bistro and diner. Head chef and owner Paul Cooper snagged the venue earlier this year, which is tucked into a leafy block on a Lower Plenty hillside. Stix Restaurant and Bar embraces the art of charcoal grilling, with a custom-built woodfired grill for smoking vegetables, seafood and meat. The Euro-leaning offering is a nod to Cooper's culinary exploits, spanning London's modern French restaurant Pied à Terre, Barcelona's contemporary hotspot Àbac and Paris' Bras. "I'm very passionate about woodfired cooking. It's very romantic to cook over wood and coals. There's a primitive element in using something so old to create something so beautiful — to me it's a wonderful thing," Cooper says. Hyper-local produce selection at Stix Restaurant and Bar sits alongside a mindful approach to nose-to-tail cooking. Broccoli stalks might be tossed on the grill and lathered in kasundi, or ethically-sourced pork may be smoked and served up throughout the week, then reimagined as croquettes. A recent favourite featuring cheesecake with beer jelly also made clever use of excess beer from the bar. Alongside rotating specials, there's an all-day menu featuring handmade pasta, woodfired steak and bistro classic including a chicken parma and a pan-fried barramundi number, served with red pepper piperade and salsa verde. An expertly curated cocktail menu and elegant wine lineup also means you can wash down your feed with some top-notch drops. "It's a place where people come and enjoy themselves— where we can produce a product that we're so proud of in a little suburban restaurant. I'm pretty excited that we can showcase this food at the price point it is," Cooper says. Stix Restaurant and Bar is now open at 410 Main Rd, Lower Plenty. It's open from 12–9pm Wednesdays–Thursdays, 12–10pm Fridays–Saturdays, and from 12–9pm Sundays. Images: supplied.
Calling all girls who want to longboard: Melbourne longboarding community Sunset Skate Sessions is hosting a free lesson for beginners. The Sunset Skate Sessions are free and run every weekend, but this is a series aimed specifically at women new to the sport. It's never too late to learn — Jesslyn, creator of the events, started skating when she turned 30. "I never, ever thought I would skate as I didn't grow up with the culture or have friends who skated. So when I got my longboard in the USA, I was determined to convert my friends to skate with me and have a more active lifestyle," she says. For some more femme power inspiration, check out icons like Hyojoo Ko in South Korea and Parisienne Cassandra Lemoine tearing up the longboard game. For the next session, bring your own board and meet at the entrance of Luna Park in St Kilda on March 4 from 4pm.
When you're after some live comedy in Melbourne, you don't have to wait for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to roll around. There are pubs and comedy clubs all over the city that host local and international acts all year long. Some of them give newbies the opportunity to try and make strangers laugh for the very first time, while others prefer showcase more experienced performers who are either putting on a proper show or just warming up for something bigger. At these Melbourne comedy spots, you'll likely be a part of some awkward silences and come across a few ill-advised amateur hopefuls who should maybe call it quits, but that's a part of the whole experience. Great comedy takes some time to finesse, and watching comedians workshop shows can be great fun — especially when you're with a few mates and you've got a beer in hand. But to help you find the best Melbourne comedy, we've rounded up the organisers that gather together some of the funniest people around. Read on to find where you'll get your next full belly laugh here.
"Your nose like a delicious slope of cream / And your ears like cream flaps / And your teeth like hard shiny pegs of cream." Dîner en Blanc — like Howard Moon's poem — will have you in all white. But sorry Booshers: the third edition of this annual Melbourne event is just for the sophisticated. Dîner en Blanc began in Paris back in 1988 thanks to François Pasquier and friends. This year, 2500 of Melbourne's most dedicated dinner party guests will once again dress in all white on Saturday, March 4 for the event, which will be held at a suitably stunning location. That detail remains secret until the very last moment, but over the last few years, the Docklands waterfront and riverside in front of the Convention and Exhibition Centre have proved welcoming venues. Guests have to bring their own wares though — it's BYO table, chairs, glassware, dinnerware and white tablecloth as well as picnic (although you can order a hamper for pick-up on arrival. After the evening of fine dining and live music, the foodies then pack up their crystal, dinnerware, tables and litter. Like ghosts (white 'n' all), they leave behind no sign of their rendezvous — but don't get any ideas, a white sheet thrown over your figure will not do for an outfit. Ticketing happens in three phases. If you've attended a previous Dîner en Blanc, you can go right ahead and purchase one, otherwise you must be invited by a member from the previous year. Total newbie? Get on the ol' waiting list — just register before January 27.
You put up the money. You helped stomp the grapes. Now, the people-powered winemakers at Noisy Ritual are inviting you back to put a cork in 2015 — literally. After getting off the ground earlier in the year with crowdfunding support from a group of wine-loving locals, the Brunswick-based urban winery has produced six batches of homemade vino which they're now about to bottle. So naturally, they're using it as an excuse to throw a party. Cracking open their barrels on the evening of Saturday, November 21 in a Brunswick East warehouse space, the Noisy Ritual Bottling Party will be your very first chance to try their 2015 vintage – straight from the bottle you helped pour it into. In addition to the wine, there'll be food by Forge Woodfired Pizza and music from Broadway Sounds, Pink Tiles and a number of local DJs. We'll drink to that. Tickets to the Noisy Ritual 2015 Bottling Party are $10 on the door, and bottles will be available to purchase on the night. But if you want to secure a half dozen straight up, we're giving one reader the chance to win six bottles of Noisy Ritual 2015 vintage. Plus, you'll also get two tickets to the Bottling Party on Saturday, November 21 — so you can head along and pick up your booze in person. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven’t already), then email win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au with your name, phone number and address. Entries close Wednesday, November 18.
Now and then you see a piece of theatre which is so powerful it's like taking a bullet. Grounded is like taking two — one to the head and one to the heart. A haunting depiction of modern warfare, Grounded follows a character known simply as The Pilot, a woman working for the American airforce, flying combat missions over Iraq. She is taken off active duty after becoming pregnant but that’s only the beginning. When she returns to work, she finds herself posted to a different kind of job altogether: piloting drones, remotely, from a base in America. By day she controls killing machines in the skies of the Middle East, then she commutes home to her husband and daughter. This work was written by American playwright George Brant and has rocketed him to fame. Previously, Brant’s work had been played mostly in regional America but Grounded has had an explosion of interest both in his home country and abroad, notching up some serious accolades, including being listed on The Guardian’s top 10 plays of 2013. In this, the show’s Australian premiere, you can see why. In addition to being a well-researched piece on a compelling and uniquely modern issue, it uses the scenario of robotised warfare to make broader statements about contemporary life, work and relationships. You don’t need to be working with drones to empathise with Brant’s view on modern alienation. Kate Cole as The Pilot is magnificent. Both indomitable and vulnerable, passionate and disaffected, bursting with bravado and simmering with repressed sensitivities, her performance presents a complex and highly believable weave of contradictions. It’s only her on stage for 80 minutes and she owns the audience the entire time. Red Stitch has pulled no punches in staging the show either. The lighting is like a visual art piece in its own right, Matthew Adey’s design is starkly effective. A soundtrack by Elizabeth Drake, who scored films such as Japanese Story, works on your subconscious in subtle ways, heightening both the emotion and the growing sense of disconnection. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the play is that the central emotional relationship is not really between people but between the Pilot and the sky. Her love for the open air is palpable and from the moment she is taken off active duty you feel the pain of her separation from it keenly. However much she achieves in life and work, that sense of loss won’t leave her. Progress overshadowed by the sense of loss: if any sensation epitomises modern life it is that. Unsettling and heartbreaking, yet uplifting and amusing in all the right places too, Grounded is an absolute tour de force. Photo credit: Jodie Hutchinson.
UPDATE, December 23, 2021: Last Christmas is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. At the end of each year, when 'Last Christmas' gets stuck in your head for months, you probably don't spend too long thinking about it. George Michael's soft tones echo through your brain, his romantic lyrics roll off your tongue and the song's gentle beat becomes the rhythm of your life — but we're guessing you've never added a backstory to the classic 80s festive track, pondered its words in-depth or taken it literally. Clearly, you're not Emma Thompson. Asked to turn the tune into a screenplay, the Oscar-winning actor and writer has expended her brain cells on this task — and the film that results clearly states that it's "inspired by the song 'Last Christmas'". Given that movies based on games, toys and amusement park rides are now commonplace, a Wham! track is as good a starting point as any. Plus, with Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters and A Simple Favour director Paul Feig at the helm, Last Christmas comes with a solid comedy pedigree. It's highly contrived, as plenty of end-of-year movies are. It's also schmaltzy, as is the song. But, splashed across the screen with a sea of red, green and tinsel, the Christmas flick boasts enough warm-hearted charm to light up this sweetly engaging seasonal affair. Feig, Thompson and co-writer Bryony Kimmings (the performance artist behind I'm a Phoenix, Bitch) have another trick up their sleeves, with Last Christmas taking its entire soundtrack from George Michael's back catalogue. On paper, a Christmas rom-com based on a beloved pop song, featuring a jukebox worth of tracks by the same artist and unfurling its Yuletide hijinks in London sounds like the work of an algorithm in overdrive. If the world's December playlists joined forces with everyone's Love Actually-heavy festive streaming queues, this premise would be the end result. The film's casting, letting a post-Game of Thrones Emilia Clarke channel her inner Fleabag and deploying a post-Crazy Rich Asians Henry Golding as a tender dreamboat, seems like it has sprung straight from social media posts, too. In short, Last Christmas feels engineered to incite as cosy a feel-good glow as it can — and, in-between evoking a few eye rolls, it manages that feat. On the subject of eye rolls, the plot details might as well spring from a rom-com handbook. Kate (Clarke) is a down-on-her-luck aspiring singer who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas store, Tom (Golding) is an unrelentingly optimistic bicycle courier who doesn't have a phone and devotes his spare time to helping the homeless, and, despite ostensibly having nothing in common, they're drawn to each other. One of their early run-ins involves a bird shitting on Kate, lest viewers forget that her boozy life moving between various friends' couches and spare rooms is a mess. Befitting this incident, Tom's wisdom-laced catchphrase — because, yes, he has one — is "look up". As Last Christmas' chalk-and-cheese duo get closer, with Tom's kindness rubbing off on the cynical Kate as she tries to figure out her life, nothing unexpected happens. That's especially true if you do actually spend a few seconds thinking about the song behind the movie's moniker, but Thompson and Kimmings' script has such a heartfelt tone — and an awareness of the tropes it's gleefully adopting — that the film mostly works. It's the cinematic equivalent of drinking eggnog; it might not be your beverage of choice, but, when it's in front of you, you'll genuinely enjoy it all the same. Two weightier aspects of Last Christmas' narrative also help it go down smoothly, the first involving Kate's recovery from a major health scare and the impact it has had on her life, and the second stemming from her family heritage. With the picture set in 2017, and with Kate and her relatives (including Thompson as her broad-accented mother) immigrating from the former Yugoslavia two decades earlier, this is very much a Brexit-era festive romantic comedy. The film's other key elements — Feig, Clarke and Golding — all hit their marks. Feig's penchant for odd-couple comedy, Clarke's bubbliness behind her usual Mother of Dragons on-screen persona and Golding's innate charisma each sparkle, particularly when the movie begins to lean on its formula (and when the predictable twist, which viewers have been guessing since the trailer first dropped, pops up). Elsewhere, the latter's Crazy Rich Asians mother, Michelle Yeoh, steals her scenes as Kate's boss Santa (yep, that's her name). Naturally, Thompson does the same in the picture's most overtly comic role. Consider them the extra ingredients in this Christmas pudding of a picture — a film that's designed to complement the full meal that 'tis the season, and proves sweetly satisfying enough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co5jWMYsr34
Make the most of the summery Melbourne weather with a twilight visit to the Heide Museum of Modern Art. Giving you an after-hours to explore Mirka Mora's Pas de Deux — Drawings and Dolls and Danica Chappell's Thickness of Time exhibitions, the gallery is extending its opening hours until 8pm and hosting a couple of laidback shindigs as the sun goes down. From 5pm — on Friday, January 25 and Saturday, February 16 — visitors will be able to scope out the exhibitions, wander through Heide's beloved sculpture park, and enjoy music from percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson and experimental music producer Martin Ng. There'll also be food and wine available to purchase, because no jaunt through a gallery is truly complete with a glass of bubbly in hand. That's just a straight-up fact — and, if you're organised, you can also bring your own picnic. Entry in Art by Twilight starts at $10 for Heide members, $15 for concession holders and $20 for adults. Image: Jeremy Weihrauch
You may have thought your days of hanging out in car parks were over, but this Melbourne music event aims to change that. Play On brings a unique combination of live classical and electronic music to the underground car park at the Collingwood Housing Estate and, after launching late last year, they are back for three Friday nights on March 24, March 31 and April 7. The event presents classical music outside of traditional performance venues, making it both an accessible and pretty magical experience in a space that welcomes music lovers from all walks of life. The first event will see Tchaikovsky's joyful 1980 work Souvenir de Florence played by the Play On Collective, followed by a DJ set from local producer Prequel. Tickets are $15 presale or $20 on the door. Images: Alan Wheedon.
Forget the trashy mags conveniently placed just near supermarket checkouts, and forget whatever the real-life royals are up to, too. These days, if you're keen on regal intrigue, then you're hooked on Netflix drama The Crown. And, after two eventful seasons, you're definitely eagerly awaiting the show's third batch of episodes — following the same characters but with an all-new cast. Since 2016, The Crown has peered inside both Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street, unpacking the goings-on behind Britain's houses of power. Set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the series has charted her wedding to Prince Philip, her coronation and the birth of her children (aka Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward). As well as delving into the monarch's marital ups and downs, The Crown has also explored the romantic life of her sister, Princess Margaret, plus the major political events throughout the late 40s, entire 50s and early 60s. During all this, viewers have become accustomed to seeing Claire Foy as Elizabeth, Matt Smith as Philip and Vanessa Kirby as Margaret. In the third season, however, they've all been replaced to better reflect the passing of time. Fresh from winning an Oscar for The Favourite earlier this year, Olivia Colman steps into ol' Lizzie's shoes, while Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter do the same with Philip and Margaret. Also joining the show is Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles, Erin Doherty as Princess Anne and Marion Bailey as the Queen Mother. Given the change of cast, and the fact that The Crown's last episodes hit Netflix at the end of 2017, the show's third season has been eagerly anticipated. While the just-dropped teaser doesn't include much at all in the way of detail, it does offer a 20-second glimpse at Colman as the Queen — and reveal that the series will return this November. A full trailer is bound to follow, giving fans a better look at the show's new stars. And, hopefully, touching upon the third season's storyline, which'll chart the years between 1964–1977, including Harold Wilson's (played by The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and The Children Act's Jason Watkins) two stints as prime minister. If you're waiting for the Margaret Thatcher era, and the arrival of Princess Diana, they're expected to be covered in The Crown's fourth season. For now, check out the third season's first teaser below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXrEnmracYw The Crown's third season will hit Netflix on November 17.
If you missed Gelato Messina's degustation bar the last two times, you're in luck because they're coming back to Melbourne for two weeks this August — and this time it will be all about truffles. In conjunction with Madame Truffles, Messina's Creative Department is returning to the secret room behind their Windsor store, this time with a seven-course gelato-meets-gourmet mushrooms degustation. So what kind of truffle-gelato goodness have the masterminds come up with? There's a pine and eucalyptus gelato that's a mix of 67 percent chocolate and black truffle cremeux, salted caramel, Jerusalem artichoke crisp and caramelised honey served with a ginger and lemon myrtle infusion. Using ingredients from the Dominican Republic, Japan, Tonga and NSW, Messina will take your tastebuds on a sweet and savoury journey. There are also two kinds of sorbet on the special Truffle Week menu: apple and nasturtium sorbet, and black truffle oil and vanilla oil sorbet. Sorbets are paired with a finger lime tonic and a spiced chai latte. Tickets are $130 per person and, with just eight seats available at each of the three sittings each night, you can book for groups of two, four, six or eight of your gelato-loving mates. And based off of previous events, you'll want to grab your tickets ASAP before Melburnians book out the event (most probably in record time again). Head to the Messina Creative Department page to nab a seat. The Messina Creative Department will pop-up from August 2-12 at their Windsor store, 171 Chapel Street, Windsor. For more info, visit their website.
Think about Broken Hill and movies, and one of three films likely comes to mind. Mad Max 2 is one of them. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is another. Wake in Fright should be the third. Before road warriors and drag queens helped bring the outback city to the big screen, this stone-cold classic got there first. It was back in 1971 that the iconic Australian page-to-screen thriller turned the remote patch of New South Wales — well, the fictional Bundanyabba in the narrative — into a hotbed of small-town small-mindedness, toxic masculinity and a dim view of outsiders. If you've never thought that ochre soil as far as the eye can see could be a vision of claustrophobia, then you haven't seen this, which sits on Canadian director Ted Kotcheff's extremely diverse resume alongside everything from First Blood to Weekend at Bernies. Here's your next change to redress that: a Hear My Eyes session at the 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival, where the movie-and-music series will give Wake in Fright a new soundtrack. For Hear My Eyes first-timers — so, those who've missed Hellraiser, Good Time, Pan's Labyrinth, Chopper, Two Hands, Drive, Girlhood and Suspiria sessions in the past, to name a few prior shows — the event brings a must-see flick back to the big screen accompanied by a live, all-new and completely original score that's played while film lovers sit, watch and listen. Doing the musical honours for Wake in Fright is Surprise Chef, who'll be playing to a freshly unveiled 4K restoration of the feature. Hitting up Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne on Friday, August 16, the MIFF Hear My Eyes screening narks the world-premiere of the 4K version of the film. Whether they pop up as part of festivals or on their own — and no matter the movie, too — these events are always popular, so getting tickets quickly is recommended.
If the smack-in-the-face chill of Melbourne town is getting you down — and we haven't even got halfway through winter yet — here is some small solace for you. Melbourne's new Boho Luxe Market (their words, not ours) is determined to make you remember those times when you could dip your toes in the ocean without them falling off and take you to a sun-dappled place of dreamcatchers and flower crowns. Because these things are apparently synonymous with Byron Bay, the market's goal is to bring "that Byron Bay vibe to Melbourne" — so expect all of the above except for the beach bit. It'll be in town on Sunday, July 9, when you can treat yourself to a day of 'winter wanderlust' in the Atrium at Federation Square. There'll be heaps of stalls featuring bohemian fashion, jewellery, homewares and kids stuff for tiny people too. There are even some complimentary workshops on offer for idle browsers and live music will amp up the anti-winter vibes.
A resident who lives near Melbourne's iconic Cherry Bar has recently been labelled "fuckwit of the year" for complaining about the venue's noise levels. Opening themselves up to unrelenting criticism from music lovers citywide, this neighbour wrote a small letter to the live music venue which has now been mocked and shared everywhere over the weekend. In the age of social media, it's almost always a bad idea, but in principle — do neighbours likes this really have a right to complain? In Melbourne in particular, this has been a huge problem. Earlier this year, many of the city's major venues were in dire financial straits as a result of noise complaints made by surrounding residents. Just one complaint could have seen the council stepping in and enforcing major renovations to soundproof the venue. For many smaller sites, this would put them at risk of bankruptcy. There were even concerns about this affecting the music scene at large — if this kept happening, surely the best venues would just move away? As a loud and proud bastion of hard rock in Melbourne's CBD, Cherry Bar is very familiar with this kind of trouble. As plans were going ahead to erect a 12-storey apartment building next door, the small venue was under pressure from the council to comply with noise regulations. Turning to crowdfunding from their loyal clientele, they raised over $50,000 in under 24 hours to go towards soundproofing the venue. This has now changed. And, as most venues aren't as blessed as Cherry, it's a very good thing. After years of arduous legal battles, Victorian parliament passed new Agent of Change laws last month which put the onus of soundproofing on the developers of residential complexes rather than inner-city venues. It was a momentous win for live music that guaranteed the future of many bandrooms on the brink. The City of Yarra then jumped on the back of this and offered $25,000 worth of funding to these venues in the name of good will. Go Melbourne! With all this in mind, it's a wonder this person bothered to get in touch. Shit's already getting done, right? "The noise made by your bar is affecting my sleep and work, especially since it lasts beyond midnight," the complaint read. "May i suggest u guys to reduce the noise made by at least a half ? [sic] There are many working adults and students living in this apartment, so the noise produced by your bar made it very difficult for us to rest at home after a long day of work." Then they get serious. "I have read about the noise restrictions in the CBD, and will consider reporting to the City of Melbourne or the Victoria Police if this matter is not solved within the next week." And that's where it all began: Fuckwit moves next door to Cherry Bar and complains about noise: http://t.co/2bYQZ3TBCq — Wil Anderson (@Wil_Anderson) October 18, 2014 Cherry Bar owners have since got back to the neighbour expressing their side of the story. "Cherry has been successfully operating for 14 years as a late night live music venue. We have never had a noise complaint," their letter read. "The good news for you is that we are proactively investing in $100,000 worth of soundproofing presently. We are approximately 3 weeks into the 4 week process." The moral of this story: you probably shouldn't move onto a street named after AC/DC if you don't like loud music. But in general, even if you live and breathe live music, it's easy to see the points these kind of neighbours are making. How many drunk trespassers and sleepless nights would it make to turn you into a fuckwit too? Via Tone Deaf and Music Feeds. Photo credit: Scootie via photopin cc.
Melbourne's massive celebration of all things contemporary dance is back for 2019. Stomping and shaking its way into venues across the city — including Arts House, Malthouse Theatre and Abbotsford Convent — the latest edition of this biennial dance festival is packed with original performances, talks, installations and even a dance battle. So you better hurry up and get moving. Running from Tuesday, March 12 to Sunday, March 24, this year's Dance Massive will showcase new works from acclaimed companies and choreographers including Chunky Move, Force Majeure, Stephanie Lake and Lucy Guerin — as well as Indigenous company Marrugeku and many more. Meanwhile, the Massive++ program features everything from Cinematic Experiments, a multi-media installation combining early film techniques with digital dance choreography, to Sensorial Experiences, a series of workshops that guides audiences through the moves of a dance themselves before they see it performed. Image: Bryony Jackson.
Gone are the days of sidling into bottle shops and covertly trying to identify the second cheapest wine on the shelf. The brainchild of The Iconic founder and former managing director Cameron Votan, Spokewine is the brand new online wine store that may well revolutionise the way you think about your drinking — with a unique customer rating system. The online equivalent of a well-stocked cellar door, Spokewine features wine options from more than 70 different Australian wineries, many of which have never before been available to buy on the web. With a focus on boutique producers, customers can browse by wine type, region or individual winery, or simply take a look at what's trending with their fellow oenophiles — which, let's face it, is basically just a fancy word for knowledgeable alcoholic. Once you've found the wine that suits your palate, you can order by the case and have it delivered to you absolutely free. Shipping should take between 4-10 days, and you'll need someone over 18 to sign for it on arrival. Sorry kids, there's no gaming the system. What makes Spokewine unique is their democratic review process, which takes the power away from snooty wine critics and puts it back into the hands of the people. Basically, it's like IMDb, but for your liver. After logging in through Facebook, you can choose between 'love', 'like' and 'not for me', or get more in depth feedback through tasting notes and written reviews. After you've rated the vino, your score and everyone else's get aggregated into two separate rankings — the 'approval' rating counts the percentage of positive votes, while the 'passion' rating calculates the number of 'love' votes as a percentage of people who ranked it positively. The Spokewine venture may prove a new mode of doing business for the former Iconic head and his partners Nicholas Turner, Michael Larsen and Victor Garcia. Votan told BRW the move was a "real partnership" with winemakers, as opposed to the set-up with labels: arguing over rebates, charging fees for lost custom. Looks like Votan is going to do things a little differently this time. "Not just The Iconic but any retailer I’ve ever been involved with, whether through consulting or an operational role, is that merchants are by nature in an adversarial relationship [with suppliers],” Votan told BRW. "It would be impossible to do that with the set of vendors that we’re working with now. They just don’t work like that. They’re up for partnerships for life. They want you to come and look them in the eye, walk through their vineyard with them, understand their story and at the end shake hands and say let’s do business." Now if you'll excuse us, we've got some user-reviewed wine to order.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. SPENCER With two-plus decades as an actor to her name, Kristen Stewart hasn't spent her career as a candle in the wind. Her flame has both blazed and flickered since her first uncredited big-screen role in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas but, by Elton John's definition, she's always known where to cling to. After jumping from child star to Twilight heroine and then one of the savviest talents of her generation, she's gleaned where to let her haunting gaze stare so piercingly that it lights up celluloid again and again, too. Spencer joins Stewart's resume after weighty parts in Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper, Certain Women and Seberg, and has her do something she's long done magnificently: let a world of pain and uncertainty seep quietly from her entire being. The new regal drama should do just that, of course, given its subject — but saying that director Pablo Larraín has cast his Diana well, pitch-perfect head tilt and all, is a royal understatement. Larraín also trusts himself well, making the kind of movie he's made three times now — not that Jackie, Ema and Spencer are carbon copies — and knowing that he does it phenomenally. Both essaying real-life figures and imagining fictional characters, the Chilean filmmaker keeps being drawn to tales about formidable women. His eponymous ladies could all be called strong female leads, but Larraín's features unpack what strength really means in various lights. Like her predecessors in the director's filmography, Diana faces searing traumas, plus ordinary and extraordinary struggles. She scorches away tradition, and values letting her own bulb shine bright over being stuck in others' shadows. Viewers know how this story will end, though, not that Spencer covers it, and Larraín is just as exceptional at showing how Diana's candle started to burn out. The year is 1991, the time is Christmas and the place is the Queen's (Stella Gonet, Breeders) Sandringham Estate, where the Windsors converge for the holidays (yes, Spencer is now prime seasonal viewing). As scripted by Peaky Blinders and Locked Down's Steven Knight, the choice of period puts Diana in one of the most precarious situations of her then decade-long married life, with her nuptials to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing, The Lost Daughter) turning into an "amicable separation" within 12 months. Spencer's focus is on three days, not all that defined the People's Princess' existence before or after, but she can't stop contemplating her past and future. The Sandringham grounds include the house where Diana was born, and those happier recollections — and time spent now with her children (debutants Jack Nielen and Freddie Spry) — give her a glow. Alas, all the monarchical scrutiny simmers her joy to ashes, unsurprisingly. Larraín is one of today's great detail-oriented filmmakers, a fact that glimmers in his approach to Spencer — and did in Jackie, too. Both character studies let snapshots speak volumes about broader lives and the bigger narratives around them, including when poised as "a fable from a true tragedy" as the title card notes here. 'Poised' is one word for this fictionalised imagining of real events, which builds its dramas in an immaculate chamber, lets heated emotions bounce around as it tears into privilege and power, and allows audiences to extrapolate from the meticulous minutiae. Specific tidbits are oh-so-telling, such as the demand that Sandringham's guests hit the scales upon arrival and leaving, their weight gains deemed a sign of how much they enjoyed themselves. Bolder flourishes are just as exacting, like the way the place is lensed to make the Princess of Wales resemble a doll being toyed with in a playhouse, as well as a Jack Torrance substitute trapped in her own Overlook Hotel The Shining-style. Read our full review. NIGHTMARE ALLEY Don't mistake the blaze that starts Nightmare Alley for warmth; in his 11th film, Guillermo del Toro gets chillier than he ever has. A lover of gothic tales told with empathy and curiosity, the Mexican filmmaker has always understood that escapism and agony go hand in hand — in life, and in his fantastical movies — and here, in a carnival noir that springs from William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel and previously reached cinemas in 1947, he runs headfirst into cold, unrelenting darkness. As The Shape of Water movingly demonstrated to Best Picture and Best Director Oscar wins, no one seeks emotional and mental refuge purely for the sake it. They flee from something, and del Toro's life's work has spotted that distress clearly from his first dalliance with the undead in his 1993 debut Cronos. The Divinyls were right: there is indeed a fine line between pleasure and pain, which del Toro keeps surveying; however, Nightmare Alley tells of trying to snatch glimpses of empty happiness amid rampant desolation. That burning house, once home to the skulking Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper, Licorice Pizza), is surrounded by America's stark midwestern landscape circa 1939. Still, the terrain of its now-former occupant's insides is even grimmer, as Nightmare Alley's opening image of Stan dropping a body into a hole in the abode's floor, then striking a match, shows. From there, he descends into the carny world after hopping on a bus with only a bag and a radio, alighting at the end of the line and finding a travelling fair at this feet. Given a job by barker Clem Hoatley (Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man: No Way Home), he gets by doing whatever's asked, including helping clean up after the geek act — although, even with his ambiguities evident from the outset, stomaching a cage-dwelling man biting the heads off live chickens to entertain braying crowds isn't initially easy. While set in an already-despondent US where the Depression is only just waning, the shadows of the First World War linger and more are soon to fall via World War II, Nightmare Alley still gives Stan flickers of hope. Adapted from the novel by del Toro with feature debutant Kim Morgan, the movie doesn't ever promise light or virtue, but kindness repeatedly comes its protagonist's way in its first half. In fortune-teller Zeena the Seer (Toni Collette, Dream Horse) and her oft-sauced husband and assistant Pete (David Strathairn, Nomadland), Stan gains friends and mentors. He takes to mentalism like he was born to it, and his gift for manipulating audiences — and his eagerness to keep pushing the spiritualism further — is firmly a sign. Soon, it's 1941 and he's rebadged himself as 'The Great Stanton' in city clubs, claiming to speak to the dead in the pursuit of bigger paydays, with fellow ex-carny Molly Cahill (Rooney Mara, Mary Magdalene) as his romantic and professional partner beyond the dustbowl. The tone may be blacker than del Toro's usual mode — positively pitch-black in the feature's unforgettable ending, in fact — but Stan is just doing what the director's main characters tend to: trying to find his own place as he runs from all that haunts him. "My whole life, I been lookin', lookin' for somethin' I'm good at — an' I think I found it," he says, his elation palpable. Although his first altercation with Dr Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett, Don't Look Up) starts with a public scene at one of his swanky gigs, he's equally as thrilled that his crowd-pleasing act attracts her attention, and by the psychologist's suggestion that they team up on wealthy mark Ezra Grindle (Richard Jenkins, Kajillionaire). But here's the thing about being a grifter, even one who was so recently a drifter: if you're fleecing someone, you're likely being fleeced back in turn. Read our full review. BELLE When Beauty and the Beast typically graces the screen, it doesn't involve a rose-haired singer decked out in a matching flowing dress while singing heart-melting tunes atop a floating skywhale mounted with speakers. It doesn't dance into the metaverse, either. Anime-meets-Patricia Piccinini-meets-cyberspace in Belle, and previous filmed versions of the famed French fairytale must now wish that they could've been so inventive. Disney's animated and live-action duo, aka the 1991 musical hit that's been a guest of childhood viewing ever since and its 2017 Emma Watson-starring remake, didn't even fantasise about dreaming about being so imaginative — but Japanese writer/director Mamoru Hosoda also eagerly takes their lead. His movie about a long-locked social-media princess with a heart of gold and a hulking creature decried by the masses based on appearances is firmly a film for now, but it's also a tale as old as time and one unafraid to build upon the Mouse House's iterations. At first, there is no Belle. Instead, Hosoda's feature has rural high-schooler Suzu (debutant Kaho Nakamura) call her avatar Bell because that's what her name means in Japanese. That online character lives in a virtual-reality world that uses body-sharing technology to base its figures on the real-life people behind them, but Suzu is shy and accustomed to being ignored by her classmates — other than her only pal Hiroka (Lilas Ikuta of music duo Yoasobi) — so she also uploads a photo of the far-more-popular Ruka (Tina Tamashiro, Hell Girl). The social-media platform's biometrics still seize upon Suzu's own melodic singing voice, however. And so, in a space that opines in its slogan that "you can't start over in reality, but you can start over in U", she croons. Quickly, she amasses an audience among the service's five-billion users, but then one of her performances is interrupted by the brooding Dragon (Takeru Satoh, the Rurouni Kenshin films), and her fans then point digital pitchforks in his direction. Those legions of interested online parties don't simplistically offer unwavering support, though. Among Belle's many observations on digital life, the fact that living lives on the internet is a double-edged sword — wielding both opportunities to connect and excuses to unleash vitriol, the latter in particular when compared to the physical experience — more than earns its attention. That said, all those devotees of Suzu's singing do rechristen her avatar as Belle, and she starts living up to that fairytale moniker by becoming fascinated with the movie's Beast equivalent. He's mysterious to the point that no one in U or IRL has been able to discern who he really is, but the platform's self-appointed pseudo-police force is desperately trying. Suzu is also mortified about the possibility of anyone discovering that she's Belle, although she's drawn to Dragon because she can sense his pain. Hosoda has repeatedly proven an inspired filmmaker visually — one just as creative with his stories and storytelling alike, too — and Belle is no exception on his resume. After the likes of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children and Mirai, he's in especially dazzling form in a movie that wields its images in two distinctive modes. In U, Belle is an epic onslaught for the eyes, its animation lively, busy and hyper-real in a way that cannily mirrors the feeling of wading through always-on online realms. This is where that whale swims through the air, concerts are held in what appears to be a hollow planet and Disney-style castles turn gothic. When it's in Suzu's reality, the film opts for naturalistic tones in a look that notices the everyday beauty in the flesh-and-blood world, even amid daily routines in fading small towns filled with average teens and their families. Hosoda revels in the contrast between the two, in fact, because that clash constantly sits at the film's core. Read our full review. ONE SECOND Any new film by Zhang Yimou deserves eyeballs the world over, but One Second, the Raise the Red Lantern, Hero and House of Flying Daggers director's latest, hasn't charted the smoothest route to screens. Pre-dating the filmmaker's Cliff Walkers, which reached Australian cinemas in 2021, it was originally scheduled to show at the 2019 Berlinale. But after the festival began, it was removed from the lineup — and while a "technical problem" was cited as the official reason, Chinese censorship was floated as the real cause. One Second eventually surfaced on home soil late in 2020, and elsewhere around the globe in the last few months of 2021. It's now an immensely timely movie, although purely by coincidence. Every great feature by a great director inherently pays tribute to the medium of film, so that's hardly new for Zhang — but celebrating the silver screen, and the pandemic-relevant yearning to bask in its glory when life conspires to get in the way, isn't just a side effect here. It's 1975 when One Second begins, and crowds are flocking to makeshift small-town picture palaces to see propaganda films. The specific movie drawing in the masses: 1964's Heroic Sons and Daughters, which prison-camp escapee Zhang Jiusheng (Zhang Yi, Cliff Walkers) is desperate to catch. Alas, after finding his way into one village through mountains of sand that wouldn't look out of place in Dune, the fugitive discovers that he's already missed the showing that the night. Worse still, the film's canisters are being packed onto a motorbike to be driven to their next destination. And, he isn't the only one keen to make the movie's acquaintance, with the orphaned Liu (Liu Haocun, another Cliff Walkers alum) swiftly stealing its sixth reel before it departs town. An unlikely pair seeking the same thing for different reasons — he's heard that his estranged daughter appears in newsreel footage in the feature, while she wants the celluloid to make a lamp for her younger brother — Zhang and Liu are soon following the rest of the film through the desert to its next stop. That's where Mr Movie (Fan Wei, Railway Heroes) awaits, courting profit and glory compared to Zhang's desperation to glimpse his family and Liu's resourcefulness (that said, sporting a mug calling himself the 'World's Greatest Projectionist', the man behind the travelling cinema that's screening Mao-approved fare to entertainment-starved locales does still love his a clear fondness for his job). But the reels don't return intact, sparking a homemade restoration campaign that needs the entire town's help. Yes, loving film is also a tactile experience here. Zhang has always been able to make any kind of movie he's put his mind to, and has the four-decade-long resume to prove it. With 2009's A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop, he even remade the Coen brothers' Blood Simple. One Second sees him masterfully blend film-adoring melodrama with a Cultural Revolution-era portrait that's laced with just the amount of commentary that managed to escape the censors. He revels in sight gags and chases that could've been lifted out of silent comedy greats from a century back as well, giving cinema yet another ode. The end result mightn't be Zhang's absolute best — his resume isn't short on highlights — but it easily ranks among his most endearing. One Second makes exceptional use of its dust-swept setting, too, and its trio of chalk-and-cheese main players; plus, in celebrating an artform that's both tangible and an illusion, Zhang still makes a clear statement. One Second is currently screening in Sydney and Brisbane, after opening in Melbourne in December 2021. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on September 2, September 9, September 16, September 23 and September 30; October 7, October 14, October 21 and October 28; November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; December 2, December 9, December 16 and December 26; and January 1, January 6 and January 13. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Streamline, Coming Home in the Dark, Pig, Big Deal, The Killing of Two Lovers, Nitram, Riders of Justice, The Alpinist, A Fire Inside, Lamb, The Last Duel, Malignant, The Harder They Fall, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Halloween Kills, Passing, Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter, The Lost Leonardo, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up, Dear Evan Hansen, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter, The Scary of Sixty-First, West Side Story, Licorice Pizza, The Matrix Resurrections, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Worst Person in the World, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, House of Gucci, The King's Man, Red Rocket, Scream, The 355, Gold, King Richard and Limbo.
Now in his tenth year of making music, Nicolas Jaar was previously known for his 'blue-wave' minimal techno. But at a young 24 years, Jaar has already progressed in style. Darkside moves away from anything he's created on his lonesome. Collaborator Dave Harrington, a multi-instrumentalist from Brooklyn, might have previously said he prefers making music that's sad. But speaking from his hotel room in icy Oxford, Jaar concedes that Darkside isn't dark at all; it has an electro-psyche-jazz sound all of its own. Right now, Darkside are in the UK as part of the Psychic world tour alongside their recently released debut album of the same name. Receiving rave reviews from both critics, and, well, ravers, Psychic scored two 'Best New Track' slots with Pitchfork after the 11-minute opener 'Golden Arrow' was released as a free download in August. But Jaar refuses to get carried away by critics and their reviews. Because, as he says, there'll always be those who love your music and others who hate it. For Jaar, it's about taking fans to a new place. "The only hope for musicians is that we're communicating something," says Jaar, coming over all Alice in Wonderland. "I just hope that people are able to fall into the small worlds that we try to create." Harrington originally played with Jaar as part of his touring live band. But after jamming together between gigs, the duo quickly morphed into Darkside back in 2011. Now they're back to where it all began — on tour — and Sydney and Melbourne are next on their list of places to wow. Darkside are at their best when heard live. but there's no use in predicting how their sets will pan out. Though their drawn-out electronica is likely to have us fall down the rabbit hole, each of their performances are different. "We try to improvise every night because we're doing this so much, and we're playing so many shows," says Jaar of their live performances. "We feel like, if we change it up here and there every night we'll slowly get to a better understanding of what we're trying to say. And as musicians we're getting better and better." Darkside's Psychic world tour has sold out shows across Europe. And since Jaar sold out his solo gigs at 2013's Sydney Festival, their Hi-Fi and Palace Theatre gigs are expected to go the same way. After all, in the year that's passed, the duo's evolving sounds have only garnered more fame. And don't expect that to slow down any time soon. It appears we can expect even more from Darkside over the coming year. "We're hoping to write a new record," says Jaar. Sadly, they've not as yet begun writing: "We're thinking about it." For now we'll have to settle with Psychic and their upcoming live shows. But who are we kidding; we couldn't ask for more. https://youtube.com/watch?v=d8NaWT0WvEE
If the end times were coming, and the antichrist as well, how would an angel and a demon on earth cope? That's the question that fantasy authors Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman explored in 1990 novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, winning awards and plenty of fans as a result. Now, what'd happen if Michael Sheen (Quiz) was that heavenly figure and David Tennant (Doctor Who) his demonic counterpart? That's exactly what the Good Omens streaming series dived into when it initially arrived back in 2019. Four years later, the Prime Video show is finally returning for season two. With Sheen back as Aziraphale and Tennant as Crowley, that key casting remains intact. Jon Hamm (Confess, Fletch) also returns as Gabriel, this time showing up at Aziraphale's bookshop with zero memory of who he is — sparking the show's new mystery. Cue hiding the archangel from all interested parties — below and above — and, as is Good Omens' custom, getting Aziraphale and Crowley leaning on each other. Cue jumping from before The Beginning through to modern times as well, including stops in the biblical and Victorian eras, and the Blitz in 1940s England. As the trailer for season two shows, divine chaos ensues, even though Aziraphale and Crowley thwarted the apocalypse in season one. How it all turns out, other than amusingly, will be revealed when the series hits streaming again on Friday, July 28. Also back for a second go-around are Doon Mackichan (Toast of Tinseltown) as archangel Michael, plus Gloria Obianyo (Dune) as archangel Uriel, while Miranda Richardson (Rams), Maggie Service (Life) and Nina Sosanya (His Dark Materials) return as well — but in different parts. They're all joined by series newcomers Liz Carr (This Is Going to Hurt), Quelin Sepulveda (The Man Who Fell to Earth) and Shelley Conn (Bridgerton), the latter as Beelzebub. And Neil Gaiman is back as executive producer and co-showrunner, helping guide a season that now expands past its source material. Check out the trailer for Good Omens season two below: Good Omens returns for season two from Friday, July 28 via Prime Video.
