Ministry of Crab began in 2011 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as an ode to the country's legendary mud crab. The brand was so successful that it subsequently opened seven additional outposts across Asia. Now, the internationally renowned restaurant can be found at 226 Flinders Lane. The Sri Lankan restaurant found its Melbourne Home inside the historical Invicta House, bringing an exciting new chapter to the building. The team have also taken over the subterranean space of the building, opening II.II.VI (or 'two two six' for those less well-versed in Roman numerals), a charcoal-fuelled, fiery diner, which also happens to sport an impressive seafood selection. Ministry of Crab, co-founded by Dharshan Munidasa and cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, is loved across continents, for you guessed it, its crab. First, sample crab across an array of starters such as baked crab, crab liver pate, avocado crab salad, and kaphrao crab, a signature dish of mud crab stir-fried with garlic, chilli and Thai basil. For the main event, you choose your size of crab — ranging from medium (700-799 grams) all the way up to Crabzilla (two kilograms) — and which fragrant sauce to accompany it. Options include pepper crab, garlic chilli crab, and Sri Lankan curry crab. While eating crab is messy work, this is no finger-lickin' beachside shack. The globally acclaimed restaurant has been included in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants List for delivering a multi-sensory, impeccable dining experience with quality ingredients, bold flavours and excellent hospitality. Images: Supplied.
Whether it's an elaborate escape act or a simple piece of sleight of hand, when it comes to magic audiences want two things. They want to be fooled into believing that what they're seeing is real, but they also desperately want to know how it's really done. It's the same principle behind heist films, with viewers keen to watch criminals execute high-stakes robberies, and then discover how they pulled it off. It's hardly surprising, then, that Hollywood decided to blend the two with 2013's Now You See Me – and when it proved a hit, a sequel was all but inevitable. Of course, easy and obvious isn't the same as interesting or enjoyable, a fact that the Now You See Me films seem to forget. Director Jon M. Chu spends the bulk of the movie showcasing slickly shot and quickly choreographed tricks, in the hopes that we won't notice that the script by writer Ed Solomon doesn't really make any sense. For those with short memories, the first film followed the Four Horsemen, a magic troupe that mesmerised crowds and fleeced banks at the same time. A year later, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) remain in the group, with newcomer Lula (Lizzy Caplan) filling the female quota. FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) calls the shots, throws law enforcement off of their trail and helps set up a big gig at a mobile phone product launch. Alas, when the Horsemen take to the stage, they soon find that they're caught up in someone else's game. As Lula, Caplan acts excited and mentions what the gang is up to as much as she can — and that's Now You See Me 2 in a nutshell. She doesn't ever look at the screen and say, "I'm having fun with magic, and you should be too," but she may as well. For a time the film's over-the-top eagerness to entertain is somewhat effective, especially when former boy wizard Daniel Radcliffe shows up as a villainous inventor. Over the course of 115 minutes, however, the setups get more absurd, the attempts at misdirection more laboured, the backstory more clumsy and the returning cast (particularly Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine) less enthused. In short, it all wears thin. Indeed, no matter how flashy it gets, Now You See Me 2 can't distract from a simple truth: at a certain point, seeing the same tricks over and over again is going to lose it's appeal. Eventually, people stop buying into the patter, grow tired of the parade of deceptions and explanations, and want more from a movie than a nod, a wink and a gimmick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I8rVcSQbic
If you love American Football or just enjoy watching live sports, or if you're simply looking for something fun to do on Monday, February 10, the NFL Super Bowl LIX is likely on your radar. This year, the teams will battle it out for the Vince Lombardi trophy at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. With the NFL usually attracting an audience of hundreds of millions of viewers across the world, what better way to get among it than watching it surrounded by other NFL fanatics? With some help from The Pass, we've rounded up some of the best Melbourne Pubs to catch The Superbowl — we're you'll also be able to enjoy delicious American-inspired feeds. The Duke of Wellington The vibes are always high at The Duke, but especially on game day. The much-loved three-story pub and rooftop bar in the heart of Melbourne's CBD will be serving up both Coors and Bloody Marys alongside a range of American eats. You can watch on from the buzz of the ground floor or head to Level One for a more relaxed setting with the game on in the background. Book your spot here and get ready to celebrate Super Bowl Monday in style. Garden State Hotel Another pub in the CBD hosting all the Super Bowl action, Garden State Hotel is going all out for the festivities this year. With plenty of big screens, it's almost impossible not to get a good spot here. Don't let the early morning kick-off stop you – the beer garden and public bar will be serving classic American bites and drinks from 9.30am. Book your spot here. Hawthorn Hotel For a bit of sunshine as well as the game, hit up The Hawthorn Hotel to watch Super Bowl LIX, with all the action streaming live both indoors and on the rooftop. While we're keen for the game, the all-American menu the iconic Melbourne pub is offering is almost on par with the live action. You can expect hotdogs, wings, nachos and plenty of Coors to keep you going. Secure your spot by booking here. The Victoria Hotel Yarraville Why not watch this year's Super Bowl at everyone's favourite The Vic? With their mega-screen (if you know you know) in the beer garden showing all the action, it's set to be a pretty good vibe, to say the least. There will also be an American-themed food menu alongside the usual à la carte options, so there's something for everyone. Gather your mates and reserve your table before they get booked out. Prince Alfred The Prince Alfred in Port Melbourne is putting on the ultimate all-day Super Bowl experience. The pub will be opening its doors at 9am, so you can settle in for a day of $12 hotdogs, $1 wings and $20 beer and cider jugs. Depending on how your team plays, you could even stick around for Happy Hour from 3pm to 6pm and keep the party going. Book early to secure the best seat in the house. Hopscotch If you're stationed southside, head to Hopscotch to watch the match unfold. Watch the game on the many big screens around the pub and enjoy a delicious menu of Super Bowl snacks, brekkie specials and, of course, American beers. The best bit? There's live music after the game – we can't think of a better way to spend a Monday. Book your spot here. Beer DeLuxe, Federation Square Besides quality craft beer, Beer DeLuxe in Fed Square is set to be one of the most lively places to watch the Super Bowl this February. From 9am, indulge in an American menu featuring Buffalo wings, hot dogs and our personal favourite, Reuben sandwiches, plus 3L beer towers and all your usual Beer DeLuxe classics. Book your spot. Provincial Hotel Head to The Provincial Hotel in Fitzroy for a Super Bowl extravaganza, with the game playing across every level of the venue. Another one of Melbourne's top pubs to catch The Super Bowl, there will be an American-inspired menu – you know the drill – hot dogs, nachos, wings, cheesesteaks and beer. Make sure to book a table so you and your mates don't miss out. The Prince If you're an early bird, art deco hotel The Prince is probably one of the earliest places open on the big day, with the action kicking off at 7am. The pub also has some unique offerings, like a bottomless package priced at $79pp that includes one main American-inspired meal along with select bottomless drinks. Sound too good to be true? We recommend booking before the tickets sell out, this one's set to be a goodie. Skinny Dog Hotel Experience the Super Bowl live at the Skinny Dog Hotel in Kew. Things kick off bright and early at 8am, with a menu including brekkie burgers and wings to help wake you up in time for the game. If you're a Kew local or a visitor, book to ensure a spot on the big day. The Swan Hotel There's something about The Swan that makes it the perfect watch live sport – whether it's the beer garden or the classic pub feel, we're not sure. But what we do know is that this Richmond pub will be buzzing come Super Bowl day, and you're going to want to snag a spot. For more information on these venues and to claim credit for your order, download The Pass app. Images: Supplied.
For years, Melbourne has proudly worn its culinary credentials. Newcomers queue wide-eyed at cult institutions like Lune Croissanterie and Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, while long-time locals who have already curated their favourites still stumble across surprises tucked away in laneways. From homestyle Palestinian dishes at Beit Siti to three floors of Italian nosh at Il Mercato Centrale, you can eat your way around the world without leaving the tram network. [caption id="attachment_1037185" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Sarah Pannell[/caption] Now, Lonely Planet has made it official: the Best in Travel 2026 guide has ranked Melbourne's food scene as one of the world's best 25 travel experiences. Now in its 16th edition, the guide forecasts unmissable destinations and experiences around the world for the year ahead. Australia scored three spots on the list: Victoria's 900km bathing trail from Daylesford to Mornington made the cut, while South Australia's Ikara-Flinders Ranges sits among the best 25 places. The guide shouts out the smorgasbord of dining options in Melbourne — there's something worth eating, no matter where you go. Cruffins from Lune and piccolo lattes from Maker Coffee are the recommended breakfast. Afterwards, head south of the river to South Melbourne Market, where Lonely Planet's food trail will bring you to Juju's Deli for chicken schnitty sangas, Aptus Seafoods Oyster Bar for a shuck stop and Claypots Evening Star for a killer seafood marinara. Venture further southwest for excellent Vietnamese fusion at Hanoi Mee Kitchen and Bar, a lesser-known local gem in Port Melbourne that left a lasting impression on the writer. [caption id="attachment_922464" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image supplied[/caption] The city's European influence shines at Italian marketplace Il Mercato Centrale and Italo-Aussie spins at Bottega, plus a wave of Mediterranean-inspired venues. Specialising in Cameroonian dishes, the now-shuttered Vola Foods in Brunswick West was the guide's pick for African cuisine — and you can still catch them at pop-ups, which they announce on Instagram. Over in the neighbouring Coburg, find Palestinian soul food from food truck Beit Siti. If you're in Collingwood, check out Hotel Jesus for some serious tacos. Drinks aren't an afterthought either. Collingwood brewery Molly Rose is a craft beer haven, while Waxflower Bar in Brunswick sets the mood for sipping lo-fi vinos with live vinyl sets. Want to read the full guide? Head to the Lonely Planet website for more.
At Suntory, the spirit of "Yatte Minahare" — "You never know until you try" — remains as strong now, as it did 126 years ago. It has led to the creation of Japan's first whisky distillery, the reimagining of classic cocktails like the highball, and it now houses some of the world's finest brands –Yamazaki, Hakushu, Toki Whisky, Roku Gin, Haku Vodka, Maker's Mark, Jim Beam, -196 and BOSS Coffee to name a few. As Suntory looks to the future, let's travel back 126 years to the very beginning, when Shinjiro Torii, Suntory's first Master Blender, saw an opportunity and "went for it." Where it All Started Over a century ago, in a small store in Osaka, Japan, Shinjiro Torii had a dream: to create an authentic whisky in Japan. Having saved enough from his early Akadama Port Wine successes, Torii, with much resistance from family and colleagues, invested his whole fortune into the establishment of the Yamazaki Distillery in 1923. He didn't know it then, but this uncharted move transformed the spirits industry in Japan and changed the whisky-drinking world. Since then – despite some challenges along the way – the brand has grown into a global leader of drinks, with products found in countless venues across Australia and the world. Shaping how Japan drinks and what the global community knows about flavour and innovation. Successive leaders have carried forward Torii's legacy, future-proofing Torii's vision while staying true to the company's founding values of Yatte Minahare: Giving Back to Society and Growing for Good. The Recipe for Success Suntory's ability to innovate while staying grounded in its Japanese roots is a testament to the brand's vision. Take Suntory Whisky Kabukin, for example. Launched in 1937, it was Japan's first big foray into the whisky business, helping to cement Suntory's reputation as a trailblazer in the industry. The whisky's signature square bottle (Kakubin means "square bottle") became an enduring icon, and today, it remains a beloved part of Japanese drinking culture — particularly in the form of the highball, a whisky-soda cocktail that Suntory helped popularise. But Suntory's innovation continued beyond whisky. In 1992, the brand launched BOSS Coffee, a flash-brewed cold coffee in a can designed to keep Japan's workforce fuelled. This product quickly became a hit, and even today, BOSS Coffee remains a go-to drink for coffee lovers (and tradies) seeking convenience without sacrificing quality. The company's relentless pursuit of innovation led to another groundbreaking product with -196 — a vodka based ready-to-drink beverage that's taken the world by storm with its flavour and the bold process by which it's made. The 'Freeze Crush Technology' involves freezing and pulverising whole fruits in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196°C. While Suntory has a significant global presence, its inspiration remains true to its founding philosophy: to inspire the brilliance of life. From the pristine water used at its distilleries to the careful selection of ingredients for its products, Suntory's emphasis on nature and tradition flows through everything it creates. The House of Suntory line, which includes celebrated names like Suntory Whisky, Toki, Roku Gin, and Haku Vodka, exemplifies this approach and its connection to nature. Each product in the collection pays homage to something unique from Japan's rich cultural heritage. For Roku Gin, this is done by using six carefully selected Japanese botanicals, while Haku Vodka is crafted from 100 percent Japanese white rice for an exceptionally smooth finish. [caption id="attachment_1017676" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jiwon Kim[/caption] The Spirit of Suntory in a Glass If you've walked down the bar-lined streets of Japan or even visited one of Australia's top whisky bars, you would have encountered the highball cocktail. A balanced combination of whisky and soda (and a wedge of lemon), it has long been a fixture of Japanese drinking culture, and Suntory has played a vital role in its revival. While the highball originated in the UK, Suntory perfected the drink, rolling out Tory's Bars in the 1950s, where patrons could sip highballs after a long day at work. Today, the highball is trending. Sipped by young folk in bars, paired and reimagined by the best bartenders in the world. Celebrating 126 Years As Suntory celebrates its 126th anniversary, it remains deeply rooted in the values that Shinjiro Torii instilled over a century ago. "We have grown from our roots in Japan to become a truly global company," says Greg Hughes, president and CEO of Suntory Global Spirits. [caption id="attachment_1017677" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Jiwon Kim[/caption] From the first drops of Akadama Port Wine to the pioneering Japanese whisky and beyond, Suntory's history is marked by a continuous drive to innovate. Whether perfecting the highball or creating products like Minus 196, the company's story is one of bold experimentation, guided by a deep respect for tradition. As Suntory moves into the future, one thing is clear: it will continue to shape how the world drinks, one glass at a time. The best time to sample Suntory's work will be when Suntory Bar takes over Whisky Thief inside Sydney's Prefecture 48. Running from Friday, August 8 to Saturday, November 8, Suntory will be serving refreshing highballs and signature Suntory and experimental cocktails alongside select snacks for three months. Find out more about Suntory's legacy and full range of products at the website.
Inspired by the urban grunge of St Kilda's roots, the Newmarket Hotel combines retro funk with modern sophistication. Known for its fairy-light speckled beer garden, fresh take on Australian pub classics, striking interiors and dedicated gig space, this St Kilda resident is one to check out. Having undergone extensive renovations in recent years, Newmarket Hotel has been revitalised from the ground up. Offering a range of pub classics, alongside some Newmarket twists, the menu compliments Melbourne's ever-changing climate. Complimenting the top-notch menu is a wine and beer list to match, with over 17 beers on tap. Plus, like us, the pub believes that even our four-legged friends deserve a decent pub meal. So, every Tuesday the pub is serving up dog-friendly parmas for just $5 a pop. The mini chicken schnitzel comes topped with shaved ham and bocconcini, and is served with a side of 'chips' and 'salad' (well, dog treats and kibble). Humans will find parmas here, too, with the dish available every Tuesday for just $15 (compared to the usual $21) including a side of beer-battered chips and salad. If you rock up between 4–7pm, you'll also be able to score some happy hour drinks, with $5.50 draught beer, house wine and spirits, and $12 cocktails. Newmarket's newly revamped dedicated gig space, the Hummingbird, is host to a genre-tripping lineup of acts, from jazz to soul funk to R&B and even comedy. The intimate band room features a shiny new stage and sound system, hosting a bunch of shows every week.
Over the past few years, Gelatissimo has whipped up a number of creative flavours, including frosé sorbet, gelato for dogs, and ginger beer, Weet-Bix. fairy bread, hot cross bun, cinnamon scroll and chocolate fudge gelato. Most recently, it made a bubble tea variety, too. For its latest offering, the Australian dessert chain is taking inspiration from another beloved foodstuff — in case you can't choose between slathering Belgium's Lotus Biscoff cookie butter spread over bread or licking your way through a few scoops of ice cream. Yes, that very combination is now on the menu, with Biscoff gelato earning the honours as Gelatissimo's August flavour of the month. Now on sale, it starts with buttery cinnamon biscuit gelato — which is then layered with slabs of cookie butter, then topped with crunchy biscuit pieces. If you're only just learning about Lotus Biscoff cookie butter spread, it's made from the crumbs of Lotus Biscoff caramelised biscuits, and is basically a cookie-flavoured version of peanut butter or chocolate spreads like Nutella. Understandably, it has picked up quite a following — and, in its spreadable form, comes in creamy and crunchy varieties. At Gelatissimo, the Biscoff gelato will only be available for the month of August at all stores Australia-wide — and only while stocks last. That includes via delivered take-home packs via services such as UberEats, Deliveroo and DoorDash. Gelatissimo's Biscoff gelato is available from all stores nationwide for the month of August.
Those hobbits will go on. In JRR Tolkien's pages, they went on perilous Middle-earth adventures. On screens big and small for decades so far (and into the future, with more TV episodes and movies on the way), they've trekked, ate second breakfasts and attempted to project precious jewellery. Onstage in Australia in 2025, they'll also be marking an eleventy-first birthday, receiving a gold ring, taking a quest to Mordor and attempting to fight evil, all in The Lord of the Rings — A Musical Tale. Dating back to 2006, just after the original live-action movie trilogy, this stage musical was revived in the UK in 2023, opened in the US in July 2024 and will hit New Zealand this November. After that, it'll then take the hobbits to Australia from January 2025. First stop: Sydney's State Theatre. The Market Street venue will host the only Aussie season announced so far, kicking off on Tuesday, January 7, with how long it'll be playing yet to be revealed. Lord of the Rings fans elsewhere across the country, take note, too: you might need to go there and back again to discover what happens when Middle-earth gets melodic. Your guides for the show are the hobbits, of course, as Frodo and company celebrate Bilbo Baggins, then depart The Shire upon a life-changing journey. Thanks to Tolkien, what occurs from there has enthralled audiences for 70 years now, with The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers initially hitting bookshelves in 1954. There's been no shortage of ways to indulge your Lord of the Rings love since Peter Jackson's features — including his Hobbit trilogy — helped fan the flames of pop culture's affection for Frodo, Samwise, Pippin, Merry and the franchise's many non-underground-dwelling characters. Cinema marathons, visiting the Hobbiton movie set, staying there overnight, hitting up pop-up hobbit houses, sipping hobbit-themed beer: they've all been on the agenda. Only The Lord of the Rings — A Musical Tale is combining all things LoTR with tunes and dancing, however, in a show that sports a book and lyrics by from Shaun McKenna (Maddie, La Cava) and Matthew Warchus (Matilda the Musical, Groundhog Day the Musical), plus original music by Slumdog Millionaire Oscar-winner AR Rahman, folk band Värttinä from Finland and Matilda the Musical alum Christopher Nightingale. The Lord of the Rings — A Musical Tale will make its Australian premiere at the State Theatre, 49 Market Street, Sydney, from Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Head to the production's website for further details and to sign up for the ticket waitlist. Images: Liz Lauren.
In Melbourne we are known for our coffee and our laneway cafes. The latter, which can often be very tricky to find, regularly serve up the aforementioned tasty coffee. Here, we select our favourite laneway spots to grab a latte or two in the shade. League of Honest Coffee From the team behind Padre and the Brunswick East Project, these guys know a thing or two about coffee. You can expect a few choices when deciding on your single origin for the morning. The menu is small, offering a range of noisette pastries for a start. But the real drawcard here is the brew and the relaxed atmosphere that the staff and the space offer. 8 Exploration Lane, Melbourne, padrecoffee.com.au Silo by Joost Joost Bakker, the passionate eco-entrepreneur that he is, has created Silo by Joost and has done so with no waste. Food scraps and napkins don’t go into the bin here, they go into the on-site dehydrator out the back. The menu is small and to the point. Toast, oats, and coddled hens eggs sum it up. Snacks and local alcohol are served into the night. If you are looking to do your part for the environment, you can start with a breakfast at Silo. 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne, byjoost.com Journal Cafe Located in the same building as the City Library, this little cafe is sure to make you want to delve into some Austen or Fitzgerald as you sip your espresso. It’s very cozy here, and with the big communal table in the middle it can feel like everyone is a friend of a friend. The menu offers simple breakfast fare done well. They also have six bruschettas on offer, both sweet and savoury. 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, journalcafe.com.au Bar Americano Known for its serious cocktails, little sister of Der Raum – and we do mean little – is also a great stop for a quick coffee and bite to eat. There is only standing room for 10 so don’t plan to linger here. As homage to Harry’s Bar in Venice, Bar Americano embraces the Italian way of sipping on the run. If you can find it, down not one but two laneways; they will sort you out, day or night. 20 Presgrave Place, Melbourne, baramericano.com Hardware Societe Hardware Lane is nothing if not bursting with cafes and restaurants, and down the end on Hardware Street, you’ll find Hardware Societe. With a French and European influence, you’ll find more than just your typical breakfast fare. You are likely to have to wait on the weekends, as this bad boy is no well-kept secret. Get there early if you’re in a rush. 120 Hardware Street, Melbourne Jungle Juice This one is small, and as the name suggests they do know their juices. Changing regularly, you’ll often land something different. If you can get a seat, grab a bagel with your juice, or takeaway if all the seats in this little one are occupied. 20 Centre Place, Melbourne Manchester Press Good coffee, serious legroom and delicious bagels, what more could you want really? Manchester Press, once a gallery is open and spacious and a great retreat from the chaos that is Little Bourke Street. With about 10 bagel varieties to choose from, they are your best bet. Venture through the roller door and take your time. 8 Rankins Lane, Melbourne Chez Dre Laneway cafes don’t always have to be found in the CBD. Chez Dre, located in a converted warehouse down a little alley at the rear of Coventry Street in South Melbourne, is where you can find some of the best pastries in Melbourne. With a pastry chef who spent years in Paris honing her art, expect a French influence. If you’re not in the mood for something sweet, hot breakfasts and a range of baguettes are also available. Rear of 285-287 Coventry Street, South Melbourne, chezdre.com.au View all Melbourne Cafes.
When Studio Ghibli was first formed back in 1985, the Japanese animation house came about thanks to three parties: filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and producer Toshio Suzuki. While Miyazaki has become synonymous with the company in the three decades since and Suzuki is now one of Japan's most successful producers, Takahata deserves just as much acclaim and attention. Indeed, it was his first stint behind the camera that helped establish Ghibli on the international stage. Further, his most recent movie earned him an Academy Award nomination for best animated feature. Before his passing this week at the age of 82, Takahata's career also spanned a busy stint in television during the '60s and '70s, as well as producing roles on three important animated titles — Miyazaki's pre-Ghibli flick Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, his first studio effort Castle in the Sky, and the company's gorgeous collaboration with Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit, The Red Turtle. As a filmmaker himself, he may have only helmed five features, but they're all Ghibli classics. In fact, if you're a fan of the beloved outfit, they're definite must-sees that demonstrate the studio's visual, emotional, thematic and narrative range. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vPeTSRd580 GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES The most heartbreaking animated film ever made — and one the most heartbreaking films ever made in any format, too — Grave of the Fireflies proved Studio Ghibli's first masterpiece. In fact, it's a movie the studio has never come close to matching since, even though the company's stellar flicks continually enchant and delight. Given the war drama is a rare Ghibli effort that plunges into dark territory, telling the tale of two siblings desperately struggling to survive in the last days of the Second World War, that's completely understandable. Takahata's handling of the film's moving and sorrowful story couldn't be more astonishing, from the fleshed-out characters tussling with life and death, to the striking visuals, including the titular glowing bugs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfkQlZArxw0 ONLY YESTERDAY Like his filmmaking debut, Takahata's second directorial effort doesn't resemble much of Studio Ghibli's output. Based on the 1982 manga of the same name, Only Yesterday eschews child-focused fantasies for the incredibly relatable inner turmoil of 27-year-old Tokyo worker Taeko. Rather than entering fanciful worlds, the film follows its protagonist's attempt to reconcile her childhood dreams with the life she's now living. It's a mature, thoughtful effort — and one that was only re-released two years ago, with an English-language voice cast of Daisy Ridley and Dev Patel. Upon its initial stint in cinemas in Japan in 1991, it became the highest-grossing Japanese film of the year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7cowIHjCD4 POM POKO Another box office hit — in fact, Pom Poko was the highest-grossing Japanese film in Japan in 1994 — Takahata's next flick introduced the world to mischievous racoon-like critters. Called tanuki and finding their basis in folklore, the creatures can transform into almost anything; however their habitat outside of Tokyo is under threat from developers. With ecological matters a common thread in Ghibli movies, this touching delight proves a quintessential addition to the fold, combining magical wonder with a message. It's an endearing fable, and one that matches its narrative with memorable imagery, as always. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C9ujuCPlnY MY NEIGHBOURS THE YAMADAS My Neighbours the Yamadas is the studio's most visually distinctive effort. Based on the manga Nono-chan, it's the company's first fully digital film, but it favours the look of a hand-drawn, watercolour-painted comic strip over the usual Ghibli aesthetic. The stylistic choice suits the content perfectly, not only immersing audiences into the series of vignettes about the Yamada family, but offering a visible reminder that nothing is ever as simple as it appears. That's a statement that keeps bubbling to the fore as the quirky flick delves into recognisable situations with humour and heart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9QnebAVHVk THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA In The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, the eponymous girl blossoms within a bamboo shoot. She's not the only thing that blooms in this hand-drawn beauty, which marked Takahata's first film as a director in 15 years. Rumoured at the time to be his last feature and sadly proving to be case now, it's a gentle, elegant and entrancing story that charts the princess' growth, depicts her turmoil as her own desires clash with everyone else's expectations, and evolves from a seemingly standard setup into something subversive and meaningful. And, like almost everything throughout the filmmaker's career, it's a movie that no one else could've made in the same way.
Co-Studio is a contemporary space located in Collingwood, its aim is to break from the mould of traditional salons and foster a supportive working environment. Ellen opened the studio in October 2020 as one of the first co-working salons in Melbourne, creating a safe space for hairdressers to work independently while still having the support of a team. The interiors are light and warm with a central communal table for colouring which allows guests to relax during their treatment and work from the salon. Co-Studio currently hosts three hairdressers with a range of specialties and a newly opened beauty room upstairs.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from May's haul. Brand-New Stuff You Can Watch From Start to Finish Now Hacks Sometimes you need to wait for the things you love. In Hacks, that's true off- and on-screen. It's been two years since the HBO comedy last dropped new episodes, after its first season was one of the best new shows of 2021 and its second one of the best returning series of 2022 — a delay first sparked by star Jean Smart (Babylon) requiring heart surgery, and then by 2023's Hollywood strikes. But this Emmy- and Golden Globe-winner returns better than ever in season three as it charts Smart's Deborah Vance finally getting a shot at a job that she's been waiting her entire career for. After scoring a huge hit with her recent comedy special, which was a product of hiring twentysomething writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder, Julia), the Las Vegas mainstay has a new chance at nabbing a late-night hosting gig. (Yes, fictional takes on after-dark talk shows are having a moment, thanks to Late Night with the Devil and now this.) At times, some in Deborah's orbit might be tempted to borrow the Australian horror movie's title to describe to assisting her pitch for a post-primetime chair. That'd be a harsh comment, but savage humour has always been part of this showbiz comedy about people who tell jokes for a living. While Deborah gets roasted in this season, spikiness is Hacks' long-established baseline — and also the armour with which its behind-the-mic lead protects herself from life's and the industry's pain, disappointments and unfairness. Barbs can also be Deborah's love language, as seen in her banter with Ava. When season two ended, their tumultuous professional relationship had come to an end again via Deborah, who let her writer go to find bigger opportunities. A year has now passed when season three kicks off. Ava is a staff writer on a Last Week Tonight with John Oliver-type series in Los Angeles and thriving, but she's also not over being fired. Back in Vanceland , everything is gleaming — but Deborah isn't prepared for being a phenomenon. She wants it. She's worked for years for it. It's taken until her 70s to get it. But her presence alone being cause for frenzy, rather than the scrapping she's done to stay in the spotlight, isn't an easy adjustment. Hacks streams via Stan. Read our full review. Bodkin When podcasting grasped onto IRL mysteries and the world listened, it started a 21st-century circle of true crime obsessions. First, the audio format dived into the genre. Next, screens big and small gave it renewed attention, not that either ever shirked reality's bleakest details. Now, movies and TV shows are known to spin stories around folks investigating such cases to make podcasts, turning detective as they press record. And, as Only Murders in the Building did, sometimes there's also a podcast venturing behind the scenes of a fictional affair about podcasters sleuthing a case. While Bodkin mightn't come with an accompanying digital audio series stepping into its minutiae, it does take its fellow murder-mystery comedy's lead otherwise. Swaps are made — West Cork is in, New York is out; deaths pile up in an Irish village, not an apartment building; three chalk-and-cheese neighbours give way to a trio of mismatched journalists — but the shared format is as plain to see as blood splatter. Call that part of the 21st-century circle of true crime obsessions, too, as one hit inspires more. Bodkin is easy to get hooked on as well, even if it's not as guaranteed to return for additional seasons. Siobhán Cullen (The Dry), Will Forte (Strays) and Robyn Cara (Mixtape) give this seven-part series its investigating threesome: Irishwoman-in-London Dove Maloney, a hard-nosed reporter who just lost a source on a big story; American Gilbert Power, who capitalised upon his wife's cancer for his first podcast hit; and enthusiastic researcher Emmy Sizergh, who wants to be Dove and, much to her idol's dismay, is fine with following Gilbert's lead to get there. They're thrown together in the show's titular town not by Dove's choice, but because she's bundled off by her editor. Gilbert and Emmy are well-aware that she's not there willingly — Dove isn't the type to hide her disdain for anything, be it her latest assignment, Gilbert's medium of choice and his approach, and Emmy's eagerness. Bodkin beckons courtesy of a cold case from a quarter-century back when the village gathered for its then-annual Samhain festival (an influence upon Halloween). Three people disappeared, which Gilbert is certain is a killer hook for the next big hit he desperately needs for the sake of both his reputation and his finances; however, Dove is adamant that there's much more going on than the narrative that Gilbert has already decided to tell. Bodkin streams via Netflix. Read our full review. Outer Range It was true of season one of Outer Range and it doesn't stop proving the case in season two: thinking about Twin Peaks, Yellowstone, Lost, The X-Files, The Twilight Zone and primetime melodramas while you're watching this sci-fi western series is unavoidable. In its second go-around, throw in Dark, too, and also True Detective. Here, an eerie void on a Wyoming cattle ranch sends people hurtling through time, rather than a cave beneath a nuclear power plant — and that concept, time, is dubbed a river instead of a flat circle. The idea behind Outer Range, as conjured up creator Brian Watkins for its debut season in 2022, has always been intriguing: what if a tunnel of blackness topped by a mist of floating energy suddenly opened up in the earth? Also, where would this otherworldly chasm lead? What would be the consequences of taking a tumble into its inky expanse? What does it mean? It isn't literally a mystery box Dark Matter-style, but it also still is in everything but shape — while contemplating what effect such a phenomena has on a rancher family that's worked the land that the ethereal cavern appears on for generations, as well as upon the broader small-town community of Wabang. Getting trippy came with the territory in season one, in an entrancing blend of the out-there and the earthy. Season two doubles down, dives in deeper and gallops across its chosen soil — a mix of the surreal and the soapy as well — with even more gusto. Just like with a vacuum that materialises on an otherwise ordinary-seeming paddock, no one should be leaping into Outer Range's second season unprepared. This isn't a series to jump into with no prior knowledge, or to just pick up along the way. It isn't simply the premise that Outer Range takes its time to reveal in all of its intricacy, a process that remains ongoing in season two; the characters, including Abbott patriarch Royal (Josh Brolin, Dune: Part Two), his wife Cecilia (Lili Taylor, Manhunt), their sons Perry (Tom Pelphrey, Love & Death) and Rhett (Lewis Pullman, Lessons in Chemistry), and stranger-in-their-midst Autumn (Imogen Poots, The Teacher), receive the same treatment. Outer Range streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. Jim Henson Idea Man Making a documentary about Jim Henson can't be a difficult task. He's the man who created The Muppets, co-created Sesame Street, co-helmed The Dark Crystal and directed Labyrinth — and stepping through all four, complete with footage from them and behind-the-scenes clips as well, could fuel several portraits of the iconic puppeteer. Jim Henson Idea Man features plenty from that key Henson quartet, all teeming with insights. When viewers aren't getting a peek at The Muppet Show being made, they're exploring the technical trickery behind Kermit singing 'Rainbow Connection' in the swamp in The Muppet Movie. Or, if you're not hearing about how the Bert and Ernie dynamic was fuelled by Henson and Frank Oz's real-life personalities, you're being taken through the first version of The Dark Crystal where little was in any known language, then hearing from Jennifer Connelly (Dark Matter) about the picture that made "dance, magic dance" one of the most-famous lines from a movie song. Ron Howard (Thirteen Lives) has a dream job, then. He also makes the most of everything that a tribute to Henson needs. But, affectionate as it was always going to be — Henson is that rightly beloved, and always will be — his doco also dives deeper. Talking heads, including Oz (Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker), other colleagues and Henson's four surviving children, are on hand to chat through the man behind the on-screen magic amid the treasure trove of material. Again, this Cannes-premiering documentary is a tribute and an authorised one, but it also examines the impact of its subject's devotion to his work on his marriage, as well as on his wife and fellow puppeteer Jane's career. Howard and screenwriter Mark Monroe (The Beach Boys) are loving but clear-eyed in their approach — and wide-spanning in their range for anyone who hasn't delved into much of Henson's work beyond The Muppets, Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. As it hops through a birth-to-death timeline, the attention given to Henson's experimental films is essential and a delight. For 1965's Time Piece, he was nominated for an Academy Award, with the short held up here as a key to understanding the inner Henson beyond his public persona. Getting viewers discovering or rediscovering that piece, and what it conveys about its creator, is high among Jim Henson Idea Man's many gifts. Jim Henson Idea Man streams via Disney+. Eric In the space of a mere two days to close out May, two tales of two puppeteers have popped up on streaming. Eric is pure fiction, but it's impossible not to think about Jim Henson while watching it, regardless of whether you also have a small-screen date with Jim Henson Idea Man. Creator and writer Abi Morgan — who has previously penned the likes of Shame, The Iron Lady, The Invisible Woman, Suffragette, River and The Split — puts a Henson-esque figure with his own hit TV show for kids at the core of her six-part miniseries. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) in a performance that's bound to receive awards attention, Vincent Anderson even physically resembles the man behind The Muppets and Sesame Street, but he definitely isn't Henson. Firstly, Anderson is an abusive alcoholic. Secondly, his nine-year-old son Edgar (debutant Ivan Morris Howe) goes missing one morning on his walk to school. And thirdly, the eponymous Eric is a seven-foot-tall monster muppet who his boy scribbled to life on the page and then starts following Vincent as his mental health struggles after Edgar disappears. As a series, the 1985-set Eric is ambitious — and, as well as exceptionally acted, also instantly involving and deeply layered as it ponders how a sunny world can turn unkind, cruel and corrupt. It's an ordinary day when Edgar trundles out his New York City door alone, and routine even in the fact that Vincent and his wife Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann, C'mon C'mon) have been fighting. But soon the Anderson family is plunged into crisis. As he frays visibly, Vincent still can't tear himself away from work, becoming obsessed with turning Eric into his show's newest character. Cassie is certain that reward money from her husband's rich parents, who he's estranged from, will help rustle up information on her son's whereabouts. At the NYPD, detective Michael Ledroit (McKinley Belcher III, One Piece) is working the case while handling his own baggage. He's still trying to find another missing kid from 11 months ago, too, but with far less support because that child is Black. Ledroit is also a closeted gay Black man in a workplace and at a time that's hardly welcoming, with a dying partner at home. Eric streams via Netflix. Read our full review. The Veil It's simple to glean how and why Elisabeth Moss (Next Goal Wins) was cast as The Veil's Imogen Salter, the MI6 agent whose speciality is complex undercover gigs, even if the part in this six-episode miniseries initially seems like the opposite of her recent work. In The Handmaid's Tale, Shining Girls and The Invisible Man, trauma and abuse came her characters' ways — but the flipside, of course, is persisting, enduring and fighting back. The inner steeliness that it takes to survive dystopian subjugation, domestic violence and an assault isn't far removed from the outward resolve that Imogen wears like a second skin. The more that The Veil goes on, the more that the show and Moss unpack why its key intelligence agent sports such armour, plus the emotional underpinning that's definitely familiar territory for the actor. The role by the end of the series screams her name, in fact, but the cool, calm, collected and ass-kicking Imogen does as well. Watching Moss as a top-of-her-game spy who puts everyone in their place is the kind of idea that should always get an immediate green light. The Veil is gripping from start to finish, and also a better show because it has Moss at its centre. Imogen isn't her character's real name, a detail that's par for the course in espionage antics and also symbolic of someone trying to construct a new facade atop pain that won't fade. Her latest gig puts Adilah El Idrissi (Yumna Marwan, The Stranger's Case) in her sights, a woman who similarly mightn't be who she says she is. At a snowy refugee camp (Australian Wakefield actor Dan Wyllie plays its man in charge) on the border of Turkey and Syria, the latter is attacked for her purported ties to ISIS — not just as an operative but as a mastermind, which she denies. Working with French DGES agent Malik Amar (Dali Benssalah, Street Flow 2) and American CIA agent Max Peterson (Josh Charles, The Power), Imogen's task is to obtain the truth out of Adilah, who says that she just wants to get back to her young daughter. It's also plain to see why creator and writer Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders, SAS Rogue Heroes), plus directors Daina Reid (a Shining Girls and The Handmaid's Tale alum) and Damon Thomas (The Big Cigar), put Moss and the also-excellent Marwan together for much of the series. The Veil streams via Disney+. The Idea of You He's just a boy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him. The Idea of You doesn't use specific those words, aka a gender-flipped version of the Notting Hill quote that became entrenched in popular consciousness a quarter century ago, but it follows the same broad tale and conveys that exact sentiment. He is Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine, Mary & George), the twentysomething pop idol who fronts British boy band August Moon. She is divorcee Solène Marchand (Anne Hathaway, Armageddon Time), an art dealer hitting her 40s who's a mother to teenage Izzy (Ella Rubin, Masters of the Air). And as they meet-cute — not at a bookstore but at Coachella, where Solène is escorting her daughter and her friends to see August Moon, including a VIP meet-and-greet with Hayes and his bandmates backstage — there's no avoiding thinking about Hugh Grant (Unfrosted) and Julia Roberts (Leave the World Behind). Thanks to the internet, although author Robinne Lee has rebuffed the idea that she wrote the novel The Idea of You as fan fiction, there's no escaping Harry Styles popping into your head, either. Actor-turned-writer Lee (Kaleidoscope) knows a thing or two about fanfic: she featured in the movie adaptations of the Fifty Shades books. But the potential Styles of it all doesn't matter when the style of the tale, especially on-screen, is a rom-com about a woman being seen at a time in her life when traditionally the opposite happens. There shouldn't be an air of wish fulfilment to this story in a perfect world, or a race to join the dots to connect it to a celebrity and make that the crux of the narrative's importance. Writer/director Michael Showalter (Spoiler Alert) and co-screenwriter Jennifer Westfeldt (The First Lady), both of whom are actors themselves, thankfully don't opt for that path. Instead, while the movie's characters could've used more flesh in the script and cliches remain apparent, The Idea of You gets layered performances out of Hathaway and Galitzine to make its setup feel emotionally authentic. The details: that cute meeting, her reluctance, his perseverance, chasing their hearts on August Moon's tour of Europe, then navigating the reality behind the fantasy. The Idea of You streams via Prime Video. The Tattooist of Auschwitz How do you bring a tale of the holocaust's horrors and the human spirit's tenacity to the screen when it's as complicated as The Tattooist of Auschwitz? Many of complexities surrounding Heather Morris' book aren't on the page, but rather in the story's dialogue between truth and fiction — with the narrative based on a real-life concentration camp survivor's recollections, but questions raised about inaccuracies in the text's account. As a six-part miniseries, The Tattooist of Auschwitz confronts the queries surrounding its contents, which reached shelves in 2018, by constantly noting how unreliable that memories can be. Each episode opens with "based on the memories of holocaust survivor Lali Sokolov" before sections of the phrase fades, leaving just "the memories of Lali Sokolov" lingering. Backtracking as the elderly Lali (Harvey Keitel, Paradox Effect) recounts his time at Auschwitz to probe how true the specifics are, offer different versions, revise the minutiae and sway the perspective is also an element of the show, as are other figures — such as Stefan Baretzki (Jonas Nay, Concordia), an SS officer overseeing the younger Lali (Jonah Hauer-King, The Little Mermaid) — appearing like ghosts to put forward another viewpoint. Screenwriters Jacquelin Perske (Fires), Gabbie Asher (Sanctuary) and Evan Placey (Soulmates) — and also director Tali Shalom-Ezer (The Psychologist), who helms the entire miniseries — frame The Tattooist of Auschwitz as a portrait of a man looking back at his life and an examination of the fact that every recounting is always guided by storytelling choices. It's a canny move, recognising that Lali's experiences as a Slovakian Jewish prisoner during World War II can only be filtered through his eyes, especially as gutwrenching horror surrounds him but love still springs. Being enlisted with the titular job, which brings a sliver of benefits and freedoms within the camp; falling for fellow detainee Gita (Anna Próchniak, Unmoored) while he's inking; the fraught nature of their fight to be together in such grim circumstances; the reality of death everywhere around them; his relationship with the volatile Baretzki: as Lali at age 87 chats through it with aspiring writer Morris (Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets), that this is his journey and that his recounting isn't infallible remain constantly in mind. Keitel is particularly excellent, but the most haunting element of the compelling series, unsurprisingly, is the moments that it spends with the dead — moments where there's no possibility of different perceptions — who stare straight to camera when they pass. The Tattooist of Auschwitz streams via Stan. New and Returning Shows to Check Out Week by Week Colin From Accounts When Colin From Accounts arrived for its first season in 2022 with a nipple flash, a dog and strangers committing to take care of a cute injured pooch together, it also began with a "will they, won't they?" story. Ashley (Harriet Dyer, The Invisible Man) and Gordon (Patrick Brammall, Evil) crossed paths in the street in Sydney when she gave him a random peek, then he was distracted behind the wheel. Thanks to the titular pet, the pair were soon intricately involved in each other's lives — and a delightful small-screen Aussie rom-com was the end result as they endeavoured to work out what that actually meant. In season two, which picks up after the duo gave Colin From Accounts to new owners and then immediately regretted the decision, a couple of things are different from the outset: Gordon and Ashley are on a quest to get their pup back and they'll stop at almost nothing for their family to be reunited, and this award-winning series is now in "should've they or should've they not?" territory about its central romance. Falling in love is easy. Being in the honeymoon period, whether or not you've actually tied the knot — Colin From Accounts' protagonists haven't — is clearcut, too. Taking a relationship further means peeling away the rosy and glowing surface, however, which is where the series follows its medical student and microbrewery owner in its second season. Accordingly, through surprising news, meeting family members, historical baggage and more, Ashley and Gordon are still trying to navigate the reality of intertwining their lives, and also who they are as a couple. Creators, writers and stars Dyer and Brammall keep performing their parts to perfection; given they're married IRL and no strangers to working together (see: No Activity), the chemistry and naturalism isn't hard to maintain, but they're not just playing themselves. They're also particularly gifted with dialogue, ensuring that everything that the show's characters are saying — be it amusing, heartfelt, acerbic, insightful or all of the above — always feels authentic. Colin From Accounts streams via Binge. Read our full review. Dark Matter When an Australian actor makes it big, it can feel as if there's more than one of them. Joel Edgerton, who has been on local screens for almost three decades and made the leap to Hollywood with the Australian-shot Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, is such a talent. He's usually everywhere and in almost everything (such as The Stranger, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Thirteen Lives, Master Gardener, I'm a Virgo, The Boys in the Boat and Bluey in just the past two years), and viewers would follow him anywhere. Dark Matter wasn't written to capitalise upon that idea. Rather, it hails from the page of Blake Crouch's 2016 novel, with the author also creating the new nine-part sci-fi series that it's based on. But the show's lead casting leans into the notion that you can never have too much Edgerton by multiplying him in the multiverse. For the characters in Dark Matter, however, the fact that there's more than a single Jason Dessen causes considerable issues. The series' protagonist is a former experimental physics genius-turned-professor in Chicago. He's married to artist-turned-gallerist Daniela (Jennifer Connelly, Bad Behaviour), a father to teenager Charlie (Oakes Fegley, The Fabelmans) and the best friend of award-winning college pal Ryan Holder (Jimmi Simpson, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). And, he's been happy living the quiet family life, although pangs of envy quietly arise when he's celebrating Ryan's prestigious new accolade. Then, when another Jason pops up to pull off a kidnapping and doppelgänger plot, he's soon navigating a cross between Sliding Doors and Everything Everywhere All At Once. Everything is a multiverse tale of late, but Dark Matter is also a soul-searching "what if?" drama, exploring the human need to wonder what might've been if just one choice — sometimes big, sometimes small — had veered in a different direction. While a box is pivotal mode of transport like this is Doctor Who, as are all manner of worlds to visit, this is high-concept sci-fi at its most grounded. Neither version of Jason wants to hop through parallel worlds in the name of adventure or exploration — they're simply chasing their idea of everyday perfection. Dark Matter streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. Excellent Recent Films You Might've Missed on the Big Screen Anatomy of a Fall A calypso instrumental cover of 50 Cent's 'P.I.M.P.' isn't the only thing that Anatomy of a Fall's audience won't be able to dislodge from their heads after watching 2023's deserving Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or-winner. A film that's thorny, knotty and defiantly unwilling to give any easy answers, this legal, psychological and emotional thriller about a woman on trial for her husband's death is unshakeable in as many ways as someone can have doubts about another person: so, a myriad. The scenario conjured up by writer/director Justine Triet (Sibyl) is haunting, asking not only if her protagonist committed murder, as the on-screen investigation and courtroom proceedings interrogate, but digging into what it means to be forced to choose between whether someone did the worst or is innocent — or if either matters. While the Gallic legal system provides the backdrop for much of the movie, the real person doing the real picking isn't there in a professional capacity, or on a jury. Rather, it's the 11-year-old boy who loved his dad, finds him lying in the snow with a head injury outside their French Alps home on an otherwise ordinary day, then becomes the key witness in his mum's case. Also impossible to forget: the performances that are so crucial in telling this tale of marital and parental bonds, especially from one of German's current best actors and the up-and-coming French talent playing her son. With her similarly astonishing portrayal in The Zone of Interest, Toni Erdmann and I'm Your Man's Sandra Hüller is two for two in movies that initially debuted globally in 2023; here, she steps into the icy and complicated Sandra Voyter's shoes with the same kind of surgical precision that Triet applies to unpacking the character's home life. As Daniel, who couldn't be more conflicted about the nightmare situation he's been thrust into, Milo Machado Graner (Alex Hugo) is a revelation — frequently via his expressive face and posture alone. If Scenes From a Marriage met Kramer vs Kramer, plus 1959's Anatomy of a Murder that patently influences Anatomy of a Fall's name, this would be the gripping end result — as fittingly written by Triet with her IRL partner Arthur Harari (Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle). Anatomy of a Fall streams via Stan. Read our full review. May December A line about not having enough hot dogs might be one of its first, but the Julianne Moore (Sharper)-, Natalie Portman (Thor: Love and Thunder)- and Charles Melton (Riverdale)-starring May December is a movie of mirrors and butterflies. In the literal sense, director Todd Haynes wastes few chances to put either in his frames. The Velvet Goldmine, Carol and Dark Waters filmmaker doesn't shy away from symbolism, knowing two truths that stare back at his audience from his latest masterpiece: that what we see when we peer at ourselves in a looking glass isn't what the rest of the world observes, and that life's journey is always one of transformation. Inspired by the real-life Mary Kay Letourneau scandal, May December probes both of these facts as intently as anyone scrutinising their own reflection. Haynes asks viewers to do the same. Unpacking appearance and perception, and also their construction and performance, gazes from this potently thorny — and downright potent — film. That not all metamorphoses end with a beautiful flutter flickers through just as strongly. May December's basis springs from events that received ample press attention in the 90s: schoolteacher Letourneau's sexual relationship with her sixth-grade student Vili Fualaau. She was 34, he was 12. First-time screenwriter Samy Burch changes names and details in her Oscar-nominated script — for Best Original Screenplay, which is somehow the film's only nod by the Academy — but there's no doubting that it takes its cues from this case of grooming, which saw Letourneau arrested, give birth to the couple's two daughters in prison, then the pair eventually marry. 2000 TV movie All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story used the recreation route; however, that was never going to be a Haynes-helmed feature's approach. The comic mention of hot dogs isn't indicative of May December's overall vibe, either: this a savvily piercing film that sees the agonising impact upon the situation's victim, the story its perpetrator has spun around herself, and the relentless, ravenous way that people's lives and tragedies are consumed by the media and public. May December streams via Binge and Prime Video. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March and April this year, and also from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 2023. You can also check out our running list of standout must-stream shows from last year as well — and our best 15 new shows of 2023, 15 newcomers you might've missed, top 15 returning shows of the year, 15 best films, 15 top movies you likely didn't see, 15 best straight-to-streaming flicks and 30 movies worth catching up on over the summer. Top image: Christine Tamalet / FX.
Melburnians got their first taste of South Yarra's $800 million Capitol Grand development (and its star-studded food precinct) when Omnia opened its doors in mid-2019. And the crew here — led by award-winning chef Stephen Nairn — has been knocking it out of the park ever since. From the kitchen comes a lineup of European-inspired favourites reimagined with a focus on top local ingredients — from a steak tartare made at the table and plenty of individual snacks to a luxe steak frites and absolutely next-level dry-aged honey roasted duck. This fat and juicy duck (sourced from the Macedon Ranges) is made for two, coming with plenty of succulent an crispy breast meat, as well as a generous side of confit duck leg. Pair it with a potato rosti topped with chives, sour cream and shallots as well as a few seasonal greens for a truly decadent feed. A matching 100-plus-strong wine list shines a spotlight on producers from all corners of the world, while the signature cocktails are worth visiting Omnia for alone. Perch up at the bar, sipping your way through several unique takes on the classic martini, a saffron-infused negroni and a lemon myrtle gimlet. Omnia is split into a few distinct sections: you've got the light- and plant-filled dining room overlooking Chapel Street, the bar surrounded by stools and the back room consisting of several banquettes and booths located by the large open kitchen. The back room has more of a romantic and secluded feel to it, decked out in timber finishes and exposed brickwork, while the front is brighter and gives brilliant daytime bistro vibes. As a Euro-inspired fine-diner, Omnia is ticking all the right boxes, from incredible food and wine to top-notch service and sleek interiors. And if you stop by for anything, make sure it's the duck.
Feeling bold to start 2023? Brave? Fearless? Ready to take on a new year, embrace life and show your spirit? That's the standard January vibe, but this year has a colour to match: Viva Magenta, aka the hue of the year according to the Pantone Colour Institute. Each year, Pantone's colour experts pick a tone for the 12 months ahead. As announced back in December 2022 but supremely relevant now that 2023 is actually here, its latest selection is Pantone 18-1750. This hue from the red family — a colour that Pantone says "vibrates with vim and vigour" — is meant to both set the trend for and sum up the year ahead. Pantone is never short on words for its picks of the year, and has also dubbed this tone as "a pulsating colour whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration, writing a new narrative". Viva Magenta is meant to be powerful and empowering, too, and a colour that "revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint — an electrifying and a boundaryless shade that is manifesting as a standout statement". View this post on Instagram A post shared by PANTONE (@pantone) "Viva Magenta welcomes anyone and everyone with the same verve for life and rebellious spirit. It is a colour that is audacious, full of wit and inclusive of all," Pantone's announcement continues. Explaining the decision, Pantone Colour Institute Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman said that the tone has a natural, primordial, galvanising feel to it. "Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known." Expect to see all things Viva Magenta popping up around the place throughout 2023, with Pantone suggesting how it can be used in fashion and accessories, home decor, design and beauty, too. The new shade takes over from 2022's Very Peri, and 2021's Ultimate Gray and vibrant yellow Illuminating before that. In 2020, Pantone went with Classic Blue, while 2019's colour was Living Coral, 2018's was Ultra Violet and 2017's was Greenery. To find out more about Viva Magenta — and to check out all the previous Colours of the Year — head to the Pantone website.
Long before Sculpture by the Sea, SWELL Sculpture Festival and the Lorne Sculpture Biennale, there was the Mildura Sculpture Triennial. It was Australia's first-ever event for large-scale contemporary sculptures — and, in the 1960s and '70s, drew thousands of artists, students and travellers to Mildura, a town on the edge of the outback, 600 kilometres northwest of Melbourne. Inspired by open skies, endless plains and the mighty Murray River, these artists pushed the boundaries of sculpture as we then knew it, delving into earth art, performance, site-specific works and ephemeral installations. Today, the Biennale's legacy lives on in Mildura's art scene — through galleries, public art and big events. In April 2025, English-Australian artist Bruce Munro arrived with Trail of Lights. To experience this legacy for ourselves, we escaped to Mildura for a few days. Along the way, we long lunched on the river, cruised on a 19th century paddle steamer, wandered around pretty satellite villages, stayed at a California-inspired hotel, and ate more than our fair share of juicy oranges — Mildura is famous for growing them. [caption id="attachment_1016549" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Supplied[/caption] Feasting on Arts, Culture and History Our adventures began on the Murray, which runs through Mildura. Just downstream, it meets the Darling, forming the fourth biggest river system in the world. So, it makes sense that Munro — who loves significant sites from Uluru to Salisbury Cathedral — would choose Mildura for one of his monumental works. We crossed the river at sunset onto Lock Island. As the sky darkened, thousands upon thousands of tiny lights started to flicker among the grass and rocks and trees — each gradually dimming, then brightening, like fireflies. A web of pathways let us walk beside them, while the weir gushed eerily in the distance, then through them, where they seemed to continue beyond the horizon into infinity. Unlike other, more sensational light spectacles, Trail of Lights was a dreamy, meditative experience — made all the more powerful by having the island more or less to ourselves. "People react in all kinds of different ways; some people have told me it made them cry," a hotel owner later told us. Soon, Munro will bring a second work – Fibre Optic Symphonic Orchestra – to the nearby ancient Perry Sandhills. [caption id="attachment_1019599" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Mildura Arts Centre Facebook[/caption] Lock Island is ten minutes' walk from Mildura Arts Centre, where the Sculpture Park lets you travel back in time to the Triennial. Highlights include Ron Robertson-Swann's Beethoven, Simon Hopkinson and Gary Willis's Work–Art, and John Robinson's Mortality. While you're there, wander through Rio Vista, a 19th century mansion built by WB Chaffey and his wife, Heather. Chaffey and his brother, George, were Canadian engineers who brought irrigation to Mildura, so we have them to thank for most of Australia's supply of grapes and oranges. Other spots to get your art fix in and around town include NAP Contemporary, the Mural Walking Trail, and, for silo art, the nearby rural localities of Werrimull and Walpeup. [caption id="attachment_1019908" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Discover Mildura[/caption] The Great Outdoors – from the Murray River to Mungo National Park For artists – or for anyone, for that matter – it's impossible to ignore Mildura's extraordinary landscapes. Our explorations started on the Murray River, with a cruise on the paddle steamer P.V. Rothbury. Built in the 1880s, she used to tow wool barges, but now she's dedicated to taking visitors on two-hour trips downstream, where Mildura's township gives way to gumtrees and birdsong. Another way to get to know the river is on foot, following one of many waterfront trails, such as the 3.5-kilometre stroll from the CBD to the Arts Centre or the 4.9-kilometre track to Lock 11. [caption id="attachment_1021367" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Supplied[/caption] Keen to go further afield? Consider a day trip to Mungo National Park — where Mungo Lady and Mungo Man were found — with Discover Mildura. In the company of a family that's lived locally for generations, you'll travel through the awe-inspiring plains to Mildura's northwest, be treated to homemade morning tea (pray for the banana bread!), walk among the Walls of China (one of NSW's most well-known landmarks), visit Mungo Woolshed and go deep into Mildura's history. Other tours explore wineries, farm gates, nearby villages, the Murray River and more — plus, there's the option of booking a private adventure. [caption id="attachment_1019909" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Discover Mildura[/caption] Other spectacular stops to add to your itinerary include Orange World (a 50-acre working citrus farm), the Australian Inland Botanic Gardens (for 2,500-year-old trees), Perry Sandhills (400 acres of moving dunes), the Murray-Darling River Junction, the Murray-Sunset National Park (for stunning pink salt lakes) and Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (for freshwater lakes thriving with birdlife). [caption id="attachment_1019930" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Mildura Boathouse Facebook[/caption] Where to Eat and Drink Having boated and strolled beside the river, we were ready to eat beside it. So, we headed to the Mildura Boathouse Eatery & Bar, a big, bright space splashed in aquamarine and white on the waterfront. For the best views, claim a table on the deck under a big umbrella. Our favourite on the local produce-fuelled menu was the mushies topped with goat's cheese, truffle mousse and poached eggs on bread baked 15 minutes' drive away at Gio's in Redcliff. But the brekkie roll packed with egg, bacon and cheddar and slathered in secret sauce came a close second. [caption id="attachment_1021369" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Supplied[/caption] Another beautiful place for riverside feasting is Trentham Estate, a winery on the Murray, 20 minutes' drive east of the CBD. Whether you sit in the glass-walled dining room or on the verandah, you'll be gazing over dreamy water views, foregrounded by green grass and shady gums. We settled in for a long lunch, travelling from a baked scallop-prawn tart, to pan-fried salmon with basil pesto on sweet potato mash, to an exquisite lemon meringue tart with berry coulis and vanilla ice cream. To get even closer to the water, opt for a picnic on the lawn, with a cheese platter followed by chocolate fudge cake. Either way, there's plenty to explore on the wine list, from the budget-friendly The Family range to the award-winning Reserves. [caption id="attachment_1019964" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: 400 Gradi website[/caption] Back in town, we loved 400 Gradi, a Melbourne export which opened in Mildura in 2022, for its flash-fried calamari, light prawn and zucchini white pizza, rich mushroom pappardelle and irresistible tiramisu — all served in a slick, grand space, with excellent service. Also worth checking out are SteamPunk and BLK MLK for coffee, Brother Chris and Twenty Seven for brunch, Oak Valley and Capogreco for wine tasting, The Spanish Grill for top-notch steaks, Baghdad Kitchen for charcoal-grilled delights, and, for a legendary multi-course dinner, Stefano's. [caption id="attachment_992001" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Supplied[/caption] Where to Sleep A drive down Mildura's main street gives the impression the town is home to more motor inns per capita than maybe any other town in Australia. We don't have any stats on that, but we can tell you we were happy with our decision to opt for Kar-Rama. Opened in February 2025, it takes inspiration from California, in its breezy palm trees, white deck chairs and sparkling heated pool. The rooms — decked in pastel shades — come with king-sized beds draped in top-shelf linen, excellent showers, comfy Bemboka robes, a complimentary minibar, Nespresso coffee machines and Leif toiletries. Hot tip: for extra space and light, ask for a room on the first floor and consider paying a bit extra for a deluxe studio. Other inviting sleepovers in and around town include Indulge Apartments (for a touch of luxury), All Seasons Houseboats (for more time on the river) and Mungo Lodge (for deeper exploration of Mungo National Park). [caption id="attachment_992008" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image credit: Supplied[/caption] Concrete Playground travelled to Mildura with the support of Visit Victoria.
The United States Transport Security Administration has found a new use for Instagram. As of last month, they're displaying photographs of a selection of the goods that have been confiscated at the U.S. border. The online album is certainly not designed to put the mind at ease. Already photographed are a stun gun posing as a Marlboro packet, a knife disguised as a credit card, several knives, a range of guns, a selection of hand grenades and a collection of fireworks. The Instagram account is an addition to the TSA's blog, which provides a weekly 'review' of prohibited items discovered in luggage in various US airports. In the week leading up to July 5th, the authorities claim to have seized 30 firearms, 27 of which were loaded. Advice is also on offer. For example, 'What Not to Say at an Airport: "Take care of my bag; it might blow up"' and 'You can travel with firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline.' Gun laws, anyone? [via PSFK]
Across 2021's cooler months, locations around Australia will transform into winter wonderlands, celebrating the chilly season in all of its frosty glory. From May through until September, The Winter Village is returning after its debut run in Melbourne two years back — and this time it's dropping by several other cities as well. Modelled on your typically picturesque European winter market — and giving Aussies a taste of a winter experience that we don't really have otherwise — The Winter Village comes complete with an ice rink, an igloo village, daily snow showers, and a food and drink lineup. Think of it as your quaint wintery escape in the very heart of Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Parramatta. Melbourne is the pop-up's first stop again, with The Winter Village bringing its frosty fun to Skyline Terrace at Federation Square (aka the top of the carpark) from Thursday, May 13–Sunday, August 29. But this event is actually running concurrently around the nation, rather than making its other destinations wait their turn. So, it'll set up at Torrens Parade Ground in Adelaide from Friday, May 14–Sunday, September 5; at Northshore's Riverfront event site in Brisbane from Thursday, June 3–Sunday, August 29; and at Northbridge's Ice Cream Factory in Perth from Friday, May 28–Sunday, September 19. A Parramatta stopover is also listed on The Winter Village's website, although no dates or locations have been provided as yet. So Sydneysiders had best cross their fingers that the event will make its way to the city. Attendees will be able to dust off their skates and hit the ice, and hire a private igloo where you can wine and dine in cosy solace — either with up to five people in a smaller space, or in a six-metre-wide igloo that can cater for 14. Folks spending their time in The Winter Village's igloos will feast on grazing plates of chips, dips, mini pretzels, cured meats, fried chicken bites, mac 'n' cheese croquettes and more, drink their choice of wine or beer, and tuck into a chocolate ice cream sandwich for dessert. That's the $49 package, with the $69 option including espresso martini-flavoured chocolate fudge dipping sauce, berries, brownies, marshmallows, cookies and your choice of an Aperol spritz, espresso martini, wine or beer. Or, get festive over brunch instead — which includes a 45-minute skate session and a meal afterwards for $35. There'll also be pop-up bars and outdoor seating throughout the village, should you be keen on heading along without spending time in an igloo. The latest venture from hospitality group Australian Venue Co, the frozen oasis will be open daily and free to enter. That said, ice skating, igloo hire and a couple of winter warming beverages will come at a cost. The Winter Village will head to Skyline Terrace at Federation Square in Melbourne from Thursday, May 13–Sunday, August 29; Torrens Parade Ground in Adelaide from Friday, May 14–Sunday, September 5; Northshore's Riverfront event site in Brisbane from Thursday, June 3–Sunday, August 29; and Northbridge's Ice Cream Factory in Perth from Friday, May 28–Sunday, September 19 — and with details of its Parramatta visit still to be revealed. Head to the event's website to book igloos and skating sessions. Top images: Mazloum J.
The suburbs are twinkling. Yes, it's that time again: the merriest time of the year. If December to you means luminous festive decorations — November as well, or basically the second that Halloween is over — then simply driving through your neighbourhood can be jolly enjoyable. Wherever you look, there just might be a glowing set of Christmas lights sharing its seasonal merriment and brightening up the suburban streets. Of course, these lit-up displays really shouldn't cause such a fuss. They pop up everywhere every year, after all, and we're all well and truly aware of how electricity works. But glowing bulbs are just so hard to resist when it's the happiest portion of the calendar. Keen to scope out the best and brightest seasonal-themed houses and yards? An Australian website called Christmas Lights Search is likely to pique your interest, especially given that it has been updated for 2024. [caption id="attachment_882324" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Donaldytong via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Christmas Lights Search is as nifty and handy as its name suggests, covering festive displays all around the country. To locate all the spots that you should head to, it's as easy as entering your postcode or suburb — or those of places nearby — and letting the site deliver the relevant options. Plus, it also rates the lights displays, if you want to either go big or stay home. It's constantly being updated as well, so, like the best combos of glowing trees, sparkling bulbs and oversized Santas, you might want to check it out more than once. When you pick an individual address listed on the site, you'll be greeted with some key information, too. The level of detail varies per listing, but expect to potentially peruse photos, the ideal hours to swing by, a date range and a description of what's on offer. All that's left is to get searching, plot out where you'll be heading every night between now and Christmas Eve, and get ready to see oh-so-many reindeer, candy canes and snowmen. Putting up your own Christmas lights for the neighbourhood to see? Spotted something in your travels that you think everyone else would like to check out? You can add both to Christmas Lights Search as well. [caption id="attachment_882325" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] To find festive displays near you, head to the Christmas Lights Search website.
"It wasn't so much about antagonising Nicolas Cage, for me," Julian McMahon tells Concrete Playground. "It was more about getting him to face his demons — to truly look at himself and evaluate who he has been in life, who he is now and who does he truly want to become?" That's how the Australian actor describes his task in The Surfer, in which he stars opposite the inimitable Cage (Longlegs) in the latest film to ride the Ozploitation wave. The two portray men caught in a battle at a scenic Australian beach. Cage's eponymous figure is an Aussie expat returning home after living in the US since he was a teen, and is fixated upon purchasing his old childhood house as the ultimate existence-fixing dream. McMahon (The Residence) is Scally, the local Luna Bay surf guru who decrees who can and can't enjoy the sand and sea, complete with a band of dedicated disciples enforcing his decisions — and who doesn't give the besuited, Lexus-driving, phone-addicted blow-in a warm welcome. It was true when the trailer for The Surfer arrived and it remains that way after watching the full film: Wake in Fright-meets-Point Break parallels flow easily. Director Lorcan Finnegan (Nocebo) and screenwriter Thomas Martin (Prime Target), both Irish, are purposefully floating in the former's wash, adding a 2020s-era Ozploitation flick with an outsider perspective to the Aussie-set canon, just as Canada's Ted Kotcheff did with his 1971 masterpiece — and as British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg similarly achieved with Walkabout the same year (the two premiered within days of each other in competition at Cannes). With Point Break, though, if the OG version was instead about a middle-aged man returning home rather than an FBI agent chasing bankrobbers, and if that character found himself taunted by rather than accepted into the crew that rules its specific coastal turf, then that'd be The Surfer's starting point. Adding to a resume that's seen him use jiu-jitsu against alien invaders (Jiu-Jitsu), voice a prehistoric patriarch (The Croods: A New Age), battle demonic animatronics (Willy's Wonderland), hunt down the folks who kidnapped his porcine pet (Pig), step into his own IRL shoes (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), get his gunslinger on (The Old Way), give Dracula a comic bite (Renfield), don Superman's cape (The Flash), pop up in people's dreams (Dream Scenario), face the end of the world (Arcadian) and turn serial killer (Longlegs) in the 2020s so far alone — alongside more roles — Cage begins The Surfer waxing lyrical about the pull and power of the waves, including their origins, plus the result when you attempt to conquer them. "You ever surf it or you get wiped out," the film's protagonist, solely credited as The Surfer, tells his high school-aged boy (Finn Little, Yellowstone) as they approach his preferred patch of oceanside paradise. "Locals only" is the response from Scally's gang, however, when the father-son duo head to the water, but that isn't a viewpoint that The Surfer can roll with. The Yallingup, Western Australia-shot movie, which itself debuted at Cannes in 2024, is then firmly a Finnegan flick as its namesake gets caught in a nightmare under the blazing sun courtesy of a few simple decisions, and equally thrust into an experience that questions reality. The director has made four features in nine years: 2016's Without Name, 2019's Vivarium, 2022's Nocebo and now The Surfer. In every one, the lead is plunged into a type of purgatory or hell. The first also sets its protagonist against the elements at times. Trying to buy a house equally turns surreal in the second. The past haunts, too, in the third. All four have more than a little time for peering at the trees as well. Asked what interests him about making psychological thrillers in this mould, Lorcan responds "good question: is there something wrong with me?". He continues: "I think it arrives, from a filmmaking point of view, because it allows a lot of creative freedom — because if you're delving into somebody's mind and their experience and their interpretation of events and reality from a very subjective point of view, it really allows a certain amount of elasticity in terms of visualising that and interpreting that for the audience, and for the audience to almost feel like the character feels entering into that world. Particularly with this film, because it's such a subjective experience for Nic Cage's character. And the audience goes on that journey with him and discovers what he discovers and feels what he feels — and starts tripping out when he's tripping out. So it's a weird experience." McMahon was familiar with Finnegan's output when he signed on for The Surfer. What appealed to him about this project? "I think, in this particular case, it was how well-written the entire piece was," he advises. "That, accompanied with Lorcan's previous films, is a recipe for a well-earned match; they fit each other perfectly. And regarding his approach to psychological thrillers, I was intrigued by his novel and unique vision of this piece. His movies are like something I've never seen before, and that is inspiring." Did Finnegan's penchant for toying with reality influence how McMahon tackled portraying Scally — a character who is so key in the feature's querying of what's genuine and what's all in The Surfer's head? " I think you leave that up to the filmmaker," he notes. "Play your part and allow him, Lorcan, to create the sense of reality." In 2025, audiences are witnessing McMahon at two different extremes when it comes to portraying Australian characters — first as the Aussie Prime Minister in Netflix murder-mystery dramedy The Residence, and now as Scally here, with The Surfer in local cinemas since Thursday, May 15 before heading to streaming via Stan from Sunday, June 15. "I'm looking for variety. I'm looking for characters that allow me to feel challenged, maybe even a little uncomfortable," he shares. Only The Surfer brings him back to Aussie films for the first time since 2018's Swinging Safari, though, after spending much of his career working internationally (see: Profiler, Charmed, Nip/Tuck, the two 00s Fantastic Four movies, the FBI franchise and plenty more). "I love working in Australia; however, it's more about the piece and the characters I'd like to play," McMahon reflects. An American star who couldn't be more unique on-screen, an Australian actor with decades of overseas success, two Irish friends and filmmakers layering an outsider vantage onto Aussie localism, nodding to Ozploitation classics, taking inspiration from 1968 American great The Swimmer, digging into masculinity and materialism alongside identity and belonging: it all adds up to mesmerising viewing. Somehow, as prolific and wide-ranging as Cage's filmography is, putting him in this beachside scenario wasn't already on his resume, but he gives it the full glorious Cage treatment. His energy is pivotal to the movie, as it was to McMahon and Finnegan as his co-star and director, respectively — which we also chatted to the pair about, plus everything from trapping characters and humanity's yearning to belong to quintessential Aussie beaches and recurring themes in Australian cinema. On Why Being Just One or Two Decisions Away From Getting Stuck in Your Own Purgatory, Losing Everything or Both Fascinates Finnegan Lorcan: "I suppose we're all like that, really. We're all a couple of steps away from losing it. And I think a lot of the time, the characters in my films are trapped in some way, whether that's in a physical place or mentally, or in their behaviours or relationships, whatever. It's something universal, though, that we all feel we're trapped in some way — whether that's with our routine or jobs or lives or physically inside, like a fleshy trap of meat and the only release is death. I suppose all of that is quite existential and fascinating. And in some ways, films are a reflection of our subconscious. Stories reflect our inner fears, and going crazy and all that kind of thing. So, to me, it's just fascinating to explore all that." On What Excited McMahon About Collaborating with Nicolas Cage — and About Stepping Into Scally's Shoes Julian: "I've been an admirer of Nicolas' since as long as I can remember. His work is always entertaining, inspiring and unique. I also really love the energy that he puts into everything that he does. And I was excited to develop a character that would fit well with his on-screen persona as The Surfer. There's a few things you need to accomplish in fulfilling the character of Scally. You need to fill the requirements of the movie itself, and what it is asking from your particular character, and as an entire piece. You need to develop the relationship between Nicolas' character, as well as all the other characters. And then you need to be sure that you are filling the requirements of who Scally truly is. With Scally, there was no room to waiver — the more definitive he was, the more strength he had. And I thought that was particularly important." On Why Taking Inspiration From The Swimmer and Ozploitation, Then Digging Into Ideas of Masculinity, Materialism, Belonging and Identity — in Australia, as an Irish Filmmaker with an Irish Screenwriter — Appealed to Finnegan Lorcan: "When I read the outline, what struck me was it was going to be about this man of a certain age, at a certain point in his life, where he'd amassed success, I suppose — what would be deemed success. He has a nice car. He has his suits. He's got some money. And he wants this one last thing, to buy back his family home, and then that will fix all of the problems that are manifesting over the years. So his relationship with his wife has fallen apart. His son has no interest spending any time with him. But he still thinks 'if I just have this one thing, if I can just buy this house, that will fix everything'. But then, of course, over the course of a few days he loses everything bit by bit — all his material wealth, his watch, his phone, his shoes, his suit, his car. And it's like he needed to shed all of that in order to actually, almost like therapy or something, to actually find what it is that he needs as opposed to what he believed he wanted. So that just fascinated me as a way into a story. And then both Tom and I have a love of New Wave Australian film. And then we were talking about the tradition of non-Australians, with Ted Kotcheff being Canadian and Nic Roeg being British, non-Australian filmmakers making a film in Australia as the outsider view — and this could be a continuation of that, because there hadn't been, from our point of view, there hasn't really been any of those kinds of films in a long time coming out of Australia. So we wanted to go and make one. And this was the perfect vehicle, basically." On Making a 2020s-Era Take on Exploitation with an Outsider Perspective, as 70s Greats Wake in Fright and Walkabout Did Half a Century Ago Julian: "This story could take place in many locations around the world. It could also be embedded in many different types of developed societal cultures. It could be California, could be Hawaii, could be the UK and places around Europe. I think what's interesting to note is that this particular surf culture can be found, almost identical, anywhere in the world." Lorcan: "All of the themes around identity linked to place — and also Cage's character being an outsider, that was sort of our way in, really, or my way in, particularly in terms of thinking about how to direct a film like this. Because he's an outsider returning to a place that he hasn't been in over 40 years. He's lost his accent, and he's got this weird, nostalgic, rose-tinted-glasses view of the place from his childhood. So it's almost like he remembers it from the 70s. So that was the way of making it, the look and feel of the place, that it's all from his weird point of view. Ozploitation films from that period, there would always be these very masculine men drinking beer, Broken Hill-style. So we were updating all of that, though, to show the surf community. But they're not just like Point Break surfers. These guys are all the doctors, hedge-fund managers, wealthy yuppies. Julian McMahon's character, he plays this guy Scally, who's almost like a weird shaman version of a Joe Rogan or Jordan Peterson kind of guy, who's lecturing these younger guys on masculinity — and they could be tribal and animalistic down below on the beach, but when you're up above, you behave differently. So all of that felt like perfect updates of previous themes around masculinity in these Australian films from the 60s and 70s, and even 80s — to update it now in a much more contemporary way, talking about masculinity, but it is still classic examination of it in a way." On Why Nicolas Cage Was The Surfer's Eponymous Figure to Finnegan — and Getting Him Onboard Lorcan: "I remember reading the script through from beginning to end before we offered it to him, imagining him in every scene. And I just thought he'd perfect, because there's not that many people who can play drama, action, comedy, all of these things, and have this physicality to the performance that Nic can do. So once he came onboard, it made The Surfer's character come to life, in a way. Also, as we were shooting it, we were finding that we were seeing the humour of these scenes bubbling up, too — which is good fun, because Nic's funny. He'd seen the previous film of mine, Vivarium, which he liked. And so when he got the script, he was already familiar with the filmmaker, which was helpful. And then he loved the title The Surfer, he told me recently — that was one of the things, because he grew up in California and he's familiar with surf culture, and thought that was intriguing. And he read the script and he just really liked the material. He thought it had a kind of Kafka-esque kind of vibe to it, and the character would be very challenging to play. And then he also loved the idea of going off to a little town Australia to make this film, the adventure that would bring." On McMahon Approaching Scally and His Offsiders in Terms of Them Trying to Find Their Way — and How Else He Built the Character On-Screen Julian: "I wanted to let Scally evolve in his own manner. And so while I was developing the character, I put no restrictions, thoughts or preconceived ideas that I might usually put into the development of a character, and let it come to me. It was an interesting approach, and what it allowed for was development right up until the end of shooting. Most of Scally was developed on set, in the environment, with all the other players present, your director and, of course, the largely influential location. I decided to not research anything, to just allow the character to speak to me from the written word on the page. I gave myself no limitations, no boundaries and the ability to feel comfortable with not really knowing exactly what I was doing all the time. I wanted to be more willing to allow the time and space of the moment to fill the development of the character." On the Energy That You Get From a Nicolas Cage Performance When You're Working with Him — Both as an Actor and as a Director Julian: "That is one of the reasons I looked at this as a great opportunity to challenge my own concept of performance. I love the energy that Nicolas brings to his work. And now the question is 'how do I contrast that energy, that delivery, that performance, so that when we see the two of them on screen, we know that we are dealing with two completely different individuals? And then let that play?'. Lorcan: "A lot of it is in conversation before shooting. We talk about scenes, we talk about what point he's going to — his character changes, his voice changes at certain points in the film, and he's hobbled at certain points of film, then his foot gets a little better, all those sort of things were tracked in prep. And then, when we're shooting, in terms of directing, a lot of the time it was just Nic — so we could do silent movie-style directing. The scene where he completely breaks down and he's crying, sobbing, and then that turns into rage — shooting that, we're shooting on the long lens, slowly zooming in on him. And then I'd be saying 'you've lost everything, you're crying, everything's falling apart, you're never going to get the house'. And you're like 'and now you're starting to get angry, you're getting angrier, you snap'. And he loves that actually, being directed off-camera, and he can just give that performance and time it to the movement of the camera then as well. So all that was really good fun. But I think there was an element of trust between us as well, that he trusted that I just use all the best pieces to put it together in the edit, which allowed him the freedom to give a few different types of performance throughout the film — that we would just use the best of." On Finding a Balance of Charisma and Menace for Scally — and Digging Into Humanity's Yearning to Belong, and the Rules and Hierarchies That We're Willing to Enforce and Abide to, Along the Way Julian: "There may not be a perfect balance — and I believe, quite definitively, that there is no real way to play charisma, and then perhaps menace. He is who he is and he does what he does, and it's up to the viewer's discretion as to how that should be interpreted. Being present to each moment would be my only way to find balance. Scally has his own discomforts, and he is very much still finding his way. Even though he would never expose that side of himself, he knows he's a work in progress. Scally's position is one of such that if he waivers, it is very likely that he will lose the love and devotion of those who see him as someone worth listening to, someone worthy of following." On Finding the Exact Right Quintessential Australian Beach for the One-Location Film Lorcan: "That was the biggest challenge. And actually, although it might seem like it — and I thought the same, 'oh yeah, there will there be loads of them' — it was really hard to find a car park that's raised quite high above the beach with a view down, and the beach being a certain scale, and all that kind of thing. We settled on Western Australia early on, which is obviously, as you know, it's gigantic — it's not exactly a small place. And we scouted north of Perth, as far as Kalbarri, I think. And then we scouted south of Perth. And, actually I think Yallingup was the last place we stopped when we were going south. And as soon as I saw it — I first saw the beach, and I thought it looked perfect, that kind of crystalline turquoise water which is very evocative of memories and dreams. And this golden sand. And then the car park above it was perfect size, and surrounded by bush. There's a national park area right behind it. And then it has a great vantage point, like a viewpoint down to the beach. So it has all the elements. So we're trying to match the staging of the script to the location. And then once we found the location that was perfect for the film, we tweaked the script to match it better as well. But it's harder than you think to find this sort of car park that is perched above a beautiful beach‚ with good surf as well. Nice breaks. And Western Australia, as well, has these amazing sunsets, that you get this really long twilight kind of lighting, which we took advantage of as well." On Why Localism, Plus the Manifestations of Masculinity and Aggression That Can Come with It, Are Common Themes in Australian Cinema Julian: "That's a tricky one to answer. I guess the simplest answer would be that Australian cinema is still challenged by those concepts, and is perhaps looking for a way to flush that out and understand it. That said, if you've read anything from Thomas Martin, he very specifically notes that his ideas and concepts were developed in many places. Californian surf culture was a heavy influence, as an example." Lorcan: "I suppose Western Australia, anyway, still has a very masculine kind of energy to it. I think it's because it's a lot of mining, a lot of very physical jobs that men perform there. And they can also make a lot of money very quickly, and then also lose it very quickly. It's one of the most-remote cities of the world — the most-remote city in the world — Perth, isn't it? And so I think although Australia has changed a lot since the 70s, in terms of becoming more liberal, I suppose, and less chaotic, there's still elements of that. And it was interesting to see the culture between, even from Perth down to Margaret River. Margaret River is a beautiful wine region and everyone was actually really welcoming — and there's a winery called Bacchus Family, who invited the entire crew up to their estate, their vineyard, and wined and dined us. And I suppose, this is similar to Ireland, in a way. Ireland has sort of grown in parallel with Australia, in terms of we used to be very Catholic, and there was a very kind of patriarchy in Ireland, that still exists but has evolved over the years. And I feel like it's the same with Australia. But there's still interesting things — like the way that masculinity has evolved over the years has almost come full-circle. Now there's these guys who are lost and looking for something, looking for belonging. And that whole male cult is forming around the world, I think, not even just Australia." The Surfer released in Australian cinemas on Thursday, May 15, 2025, then streams via Stan from Sunday, June 15, 2025. Images: David Dare Parker / Radek Ladczuk.
In the late 60s, a decade after first slinging slices in America's midwest, Pizza Hut started taking the second part of its name seriously. Thanks to a design by architect Richard D Burke, who agreed to a $100 fee for each location that opened — a hugely lucrative deal, it turned out — everyone knows the fast-food chain's famous silhouette. From 70s, 80s and 90s childhoods in particular, that angular roof instantly brings to mind family feasts, birthday parties and all-you-can-eat pizza specials that gave Sizzler a run for its money in Australia, dessert bar included. Brooklyn-based Aussie filmmakers Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker, who previously made Barbecue and We Don't Deserve Dogs, are well-are of this history. In fact, they've made a documentary that's partly about it: Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts. They're equally cognisant of the nostalgic feeling that old Pizza Huts bring. "I kept thinking back to the soft-serve machine. As a kid, I was just drawn to that machine. I just wanted the soft serve with the sprinkles, the coloured sprinkles on top — my Pizza Hut dream was the soft-serve machine," Tucker tells Concrete Playground, chatting about the film that'll premiere at 2024's SXSW Sydney in October. Audiences will indeed remember their own experiences in Pizza Hut's distinctive buildings while watching Slice of Life. Craving pizza comes with the territory, too. Salleh and Tucker haven't tucked into Pizza Hut while making the movie, purely "because they're not in New York", Salleh advises, but they still understand the urge. "Occasionally we're editing and we'll see shots of pizzas, and I'll be like 'we need pizza'. Luckily, living in Brooklyn, you only have to walk about 150 metres to find some pretty awesome pizza. So if anything, it's just made me eat a lot more pizza in New York," he continues. Recalling times gone by for a global chain is just one of this doco's ingredients, however. Consider it a topping; at its heart, this film's main focus is right there in its title. While they weave in the Pizza Hut origin story, and that of those huts known around the planet, Salleh and Tucker are interested in how such immediately recognisable structures have lived on in new guises in the US once the brand left plenty of those buildings. Be it a Texan karaoke bar, a LGBTQIA+ church in Florida or a cannabis dispensary in Colorado, what made-over former Pizza Huts say about the pursuit of the American dream today is also as pivotal to their documentary as dough is to the world's most-beloved Italian dish. The pair boast a tried-and-tested approach, as their first two feature-length films also capitalised upon. Take one thing — barbecue cooking, canines, ex-Pizza Huts — then dive deep, building a portrait of what humanity's interaction with said subject explains about the world, people in general and/or a specific country. All three titles have also enjoyed a relationship with SXSW. Barbecue premiered at SXSW Austin in 2017, and was picked up by Netflix as a result. Then, We Don't Deserve Dogs was selected for the pandemic-affected US event in 2020. Now, after being one of the first films announced for this year's lineup, Slice of Life will bow at SXSW Sydney's second year. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) If there's a spark of familiarity to Salleh and Tucker's latest concept, that's because the Used to Be a Pizza Hut blog has also been operating in this territory. It was a helpful resource for them, with its founder Mike Neilson among their interviewees. Wondering if the duo ever thought of expanding their remit beyond US Pizza Huts, as the site covers? They've dubbed their American focus "geographical discipline". Explains Salleh: "this is our documentary version of the great American road movie, I guess. We were tempted to to make this thing global, but then we knew we'd be probably making it for the next 20 years." Adds Tucker: "we really could, they built these things all over the place." What does having SXSW's support mean to the pair? "It's amazing. As an independent filmmaker, it's really, really tough to even get into a festival, so to do it with SXSW now three times is pretty special," says Tucker. "We're basically independent DIY, and so to be able to go to a festival that also has a little bit of a market and business side to it as well, and tries to bring those elements together is, I guess, what we try to do on a daily basis — bringing together the business of what we do and the creativity of what we do. So it's been a good fit over the years," advises Salleh. When you hone in on a specific topic per documentary, where does inspiration come from? Also, how do you know that you're onto a winner of an idea, and then get your subjects onboard? From the way that they handle to on-the-road projects to finding their former Pizza Huts and what they learned about America while making Slice of Life, we chatted through the details with Salleh and Tucker. On Where Salleh and Tucker Find Inspiration Rose: "I guess you could say we're just chronic people-watchers, and we're just interested in things that people get passionate about. So with Barbecue, that one's a fairly obvious one: people get really fired up about cooking and gathering with their family. There's a little bit of patriotism involved in that as well — everyone thinks they have the best barbecue — so it's a thing that gets people talking and gets people passionate. And similarly with dogs. People love their dogs and that's a global phenomenon." Matthew: "We have a scribble board of hundreds of ideas, and it's a survival of the fittest. It's when we can see that an idea will play out in a in a whole film, rather than be a short or something like that. I often say there's a taxi or Uber driver test, where an Uber driver will ask what you do for a living and you explain the film you're making, and they go 'ohh you have to go interview my best friend' — or if they know someone or if they can tell their passionate story. It was a similar thing with this new film, we would talk about it with people and they go 'ohh back in my town, the old Pizza Hut used to be ...'. There was either nostalgic remembrance of what it used to be or 'ohh now it's a mattress store', 'now it's a Hertz car rental' or any sort of interesting thing. So it seems to have really gotten people interested in talking passionately. And it's interesting as well, because there's a lot going around at the moment with people re-examining pop culture nostalgia and stuff like that. But then it just presented this amazing opportunity for us where we were actually able to go 'well, here's something pop culture and nostalgic, but it still exists in this strange way now'. So it was a way that we could combine the nostalgic memories of old Pizza Huts with this entrepreneurial spirit of people starting up businesses potentially in buildings they never thought they would, but making it work somehow." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Rose: "There's this idea of community that flows through these buildings. So when they're a Pizza Hut, they're a community hub. And it would be a really big deal if your small town got a Pizza Hut. It was a big, big deal. Then when they close down, that hub goes away. But now they're sprouting up again in these second, third, fourth, fifth lives, and those places are now similarly hubs for the community. They're the places that we were really focusing on trying to find — those places that still are that gathering point, or that third place that that people are drawn to and want to spend time with people in." Matthew: "And in a world where those sort of places are dying away, making this film coming out of the pandemic, where we had to eliminate that third place, those gathering places in the community‚ and even the fact that a lot of these businesses survived through some of those tougher times so that they can flourish now — that was very much part of our mind when we were making this. It's places where people can just get together, whether it's a church or whether it's a restaurant …" Rose: "Or a karaoke bar." Matthew: "… and just be part of their community." On Finding Slice of Life's Old Pizza Huts in Small Towns Across America Where Having the Chain in Town Was Originally a Source of Pride Rose: "We were actively seeking small towns. The most-rural town we visited is Walsenburg, Colorado — and that is in the middle of the country, small town, and it was a big deal. From memory, I think that the only other fast food they currently have is a Subway." Matthew: "Much less romantic." Rose: "But it was a huge deal to get this big building, this big Pizza Hut, that was right on the edge of town — it was a massive deal. And it was where all the sports teams would go on the weekend after finishing their game, it's where kids would go after their prom for their after party. Like, this was the place." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Matthew: "And I think it was this idea that the town over didn't get the Pizza Hut — we got the Pizza Hut. We're all very hip and cosmopolitan now, we might almost chuckle a little at a chain store having meaning, something important to a community — but back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, when towns, especially towns across America, were trying to grow and trying to be something, these were the test of having made it, as it were. So that seemed to be a big part of it. And then there's also a practical consideration, because we basically had to become world experts in these old Pizza Hut buildings — and they survive more in small towns, because I think the ones that were in big cities have just gotten levelled with the passage of time." Rose: "Or they were never built in the first place. This is a building that worked in suburbia and out on the highways. I don't think there were any traditional Pizza Hut buildings built within New York City, where we live at the moment. So you're not going to find one here. But you go out a little bit, you go down into Long Island, suddenly they start popping up." On Salleh and Tucker's Two-Person Approach to Filmmaking Matthew: "The main thing is the incredibly small footprint. It's basically just myself and Rose, and we do pretty much the whole movie. So I direct and Rose produces. I do the shoot. I do the cinematography. Rose does the sound. We both edit it. We do a surround-sound mix and picture work on the film in our one bedroom apartment." Rose: "In the room we're sitting at now." Matthew: "We just basically do the whole film from a technical point of view by ourselves. And, one, it makes it cheaper and more versatile — but the most-important thing is that versatility in that we don't need to have bosses that we get approval from when we come up with an idea, and we can just stay in a place until we get the story, and we can move around and be this very intimate film crew. When we film, it's not this giant truck with 20 people turning up. It's me and Rose and a backpack. And that familiarity that people have with us it just gives a gives our film something else, I hope." On How Having Such a Small Filmmaking Footprint Helps Get Subjects Onboard Rose: "We love the intimacy that we can create with it just being the two of us. The fact that we're a couple as well, I think a lot of the people we're working with, a lot of people running these businesses are little husband wife teams as well. So there's definitely a connection that we just have. We run our own business. We understand the challenges of running a small business, and we like to think we're quite entrepreneurial as well. I think we have a lot in common with the people who we are filming with." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Matthew: "When you run your own business, when you want to be sustainable and have your arts career that works as a business, you have to know as much about cinematography as you do about filing tax returns. We met with a lot of people that had a passionate thing they wanted. I think instantly of Ed running Big Ed's BBQ, who had this passion for barbecue and then instantly realised he was in over his head — and that very much resonated with me as a person that got way in over my head when I decided to start a film company however many years ago. That part of the storytelling also reminds me of my dad, who started his own business after working in government for many years. I think everyone that knows someone that's an entrepreneur, a sort of self-starter, it's a sort of crazy type of person. It was a lot of fun to hear those stories." Rose: "But we definitely had to win people over. And we'd always have a few conversations over the phone before we turn up with cameras and really explain what we were trying to do. I think particularly in this day and age, people can be a little hesitant with documentary, like 'ohh, are you making fun of me or is this a hit piece?'. And we would have to assure people that was not the case." Matthew: "Something we weren't sure about: people operate their businesses and lives out of these former Pizza Huts, and it's kind of a humorous concept. I'm like 'do they think it's humorous as well?'. And they certainly did. I remember our first phone call with everybody from the church in Boynton Beach that we filmed, and the first thing they wanted to tell us is that they'd given themselves a nickname of the Church of the Pepperoni. They think it's very funny as well. There's something about that sense of humour, it's a little wry smile when they know that they run out of an old Pizza Hut. But then you go beneath that and you go look through the window, effectively, and there's these amazing lives, and these really powerful and interesting people. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) I would say that with a lot of pop culture and nostalgia, people try to remember the old thing. But for us to be able to actually go into those buildings, it was fascinating that you have a really diverse set of people — and America's an incredibly diverse country — and all of these people had one thing in common: the floor plan of their businesses were exactly the same. And it was kind of odd. A few months into filming, we'd be walking into like the fifth Pizza Hut and there'd be this weird déjà vu that would kick in — and I'd be like 'ohh, in Colorado, they put the door over that side, but I see you guys put it over here'. And there's this one bit where some of the old Pizza Huts, they always leak in the same spot — and they all go 'oh yeah, the leak'. Maybe there's something comforting in knowing that people around the world might have a common experience with you, even though you will never meet them. So that was very powerful for us." On the Research Process and Criteria for Picking the Former Pizza Huts Featured Matthew: "There were a couple that we'd heard about. You start Googling, and lots of people have documented a lot of these old buildings. But only the building. It was hard to know anything more about it. So we'd start with that process — it just started with conversations." Rose: "I would dive in and take a look at a business. You can tell a lot from their social media and things like that. You can tell when a place is a community hub, and they were the places we were looking for. And honestly, I would just shoot them a message or an email, and get on the phone and chat. I remember we called the owner of the Bud Hut in Colorado, and we talked to her for I think two hours. She was just so clearly so passionate and cared so much about her community, and we were like, 'well, that's an instant yes'." Matthew: "This is something that we've always believed as a core part of the films we make, that everyone's got an interesting story to tell. So in a way, I wasn't even really worried, because I'm like 'well, everyone's got an interesting story to tell'. Our job is to listen and find those stories. We try not to have too many preconceptions. We had ideas — as soon as we heard that there was a church down in Florida, we're like 'well that sounds amazing'. So there's ones like that. One of the interesting ones was Taco Jesús, a Taco restaurant in in Lynchburg, Virgina — not necessarily a place known for its Mexican cuisine. But funnily, that restaurant didn't even exist when we started shooting the movie. We only shot that a few months ago because we were looking back over some notes, and one of them was something that was closed down." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Rose: "I have a list of addresses and every few months I would sweep through them just to see if a new place had popped up. I was looking at this place in Lynchburg, Virginia, which, after it was a Pizza Hut, it was a another pizza restaurant — and I noticed they were permanently closed. And I was like 'that's interesting, I wonder who's going in there?'. I did a little online research and realised it was going to be this brand-new taco restaurant, and it looked beautiful." Matthew: "I think we saw a story that Jesús and his father-in-law were running it together, and I'm like 'there's a story that'. Then just your journalistic instincts kick in and you go 'oh, there's something interesting there'. I think, to be honest, as we spoke to people, it confirmed more than anything that all these are really fascinating stories that we have to capture." Rose: "There'll always be a few on the wishlist that we didn't get to, mainly just because we felt like we had a complete film. But there's always be the long list of places that maybe we could have visited — like there is a funeral home in Texas which would have been pretty interesting." Matthew: "There's actually two." Rose: "We could've kept filming forever." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Matthew: "It's interesting when we talk about when you're completely independent and you've got to do it yourself, how do you get started — but how do you finish? That's almost as much the challenging question and it's usually, with us, through exhaustion. Usually it's desperately editing into the night. I remember with We Don't Deserve Dogs and a little bit with this film, you just stop eventually and go 'I think the movie is finished'. And you almost don't want to admit it's finished, because then you've got to work out what to do next. You've got to distribute and market the film, and all the rest of it. But this one was definitely one where we had a lot of the film down, and then we took a bit of a break. Then we went and filmed with Taco Jesús, and we just slotted that in." Rose: "It was the missing thing." Matthew: "It was the different side of the story that brought it all together. So it's nice, it's been a lot of fun, because at the moment we're doing all the technical stuff, the sound and the music and all of that, and it's really lovely to be able polish up this thing that we've been putting together for a few years now." On What You Learn About the US Today on a Cross-Country Road Trip That Examines How an Incredibly Nostalgic Symbol Has Been Reborn Rose: "I think we managed to capture a pretty hopeful version of humanity. I'd like to think that. I think you realise that if you watch the news a lot …" Matthew: "Which we all do." Rose: "… which everybody does, there's maybe an impression of America and what middle America is like, and I think we wanted to challenge that expectation a little bit. There definitely are, I think, more good people than bad everywhere we went. We were met with open arms in communities of all shapes and sizes and political persuasions." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Matthew: "And we're just a bunch of hipsters from New York, so they should be very guarded. But no, to be serious, I think it's this thing where we came in to listen and hear their story, and so we didn't come in with this ulterior motive of 'we want to set up the story'. That's been a really important thing about the films we do. We film with multiple subjects, multiple locations and people, and we don't have this scribbled-out script that we want to fit. We go where the story takes us. If the story revealed a much angrier America, then we would have gone 'okay, well, what is that story?'. But for us, everyone was quite hopeful, quite proud — quite proud of being American, quite proud of their entrepreneurial side — which, by focusing just on that, was really interesting. We had this criteria for this movie: we want to meet people from all across America, but they have to be operating out of an old Pizza Hut restaurant. That limits you a little bit, and yet we found such diversity, such different people, different opinions, different lives, different stories. So it was nice, even with such limitations on your sample size, you can still find a very diverse America." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Urtext Films (@urtext) Rose: "I think Mark from the Yupp's Karaoke in Fort Worth, Texas, puts it best: 'our diversity is our strength'. And this is coming from a bartender in Fort Worth, Texas. It's pretty beautiful stuff. " Matthew: "I must admit that Yupp's Karaoke Bar was a lot of fun to film." Rose: "It was raging on a Tuesday night. It was just packed. And from what I understand, they now have lines on Saturdays — you can't get in. They are going absolute gangbusters." Slice of Life: The American Dream. In Former Pizza Huts. premieres at SXSW Sydney 2024, which runs from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details.
Remember those hastily scrawled notes of yesteryear, slipped to your friend just as the teacher's back was turned? The folks at Moleskine do. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the text message, Moleskine has reintroduced the concept of 'shooting' your friend a message with their classic notebooks. Featuring a graduated cover, these Moleskine editions let you measure how far you can catapult a note, using the notebook's band as a makeshift slingshot. Created by Italian designer Pietro Corraini, the SMS (Shooting Method System) tribute packs also include a set of pre-written notes, including a coy 'Call me', to use as ammunition. Think of it as the grown up version of the 'I like you' note you sent your 3rd grade crush. https://youtube.com/watch?v=IxKRpjv51AI
Six seasons and a movie. That's how long everyone who loved sitcom Community — its cast and crew included — hoped that the community college-set comedy would run. Alas, when the show wrapped up after 110 episodes in 2015, it only achieved the first part of that goal. And while a film doesn't appear to be in the works in the immediate future, the Greendale gang are all reuniting for a virtual table read. After Parks and Recreation banded its cast together for a new one-off special episode to raise money for charity during the COVID-19 pandemic, Community is following in its footsteps — although its cast and crew won't be performing fresh material. Instead, they'll be reading through the season five episode 'Cooperative Polygraphy', Variety reports. Cast members will join forces via an online video call, stepping back into their old roles. That means that Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong will all be present. Fresh from hosting the Tiger King post-series special via video chats, Joel McHale will be involved as well. And, in news that'll have all Community fans singing "Troy and Abed in the morning", Donald Glover will be, too. Glover left the series partway through the fifth season. They'll be joined by Community creator (and Rick and Morty co-creator) Dan Harmon, as well as a special guest: Game of Thrones and Narcos actor Pedro Pascal. The latter will read the part originally played by Walton Goggins when the episode aired. Screening in full via Sony Pictures TV's Community YouTube channel at 7am AEST on Tuesday, May 19 (2pm Pacific Time on Monday, May 18 in the US), the reunion will also feature a Q&A with the cast — and fans will be asked to donate to José Andrés' World Central Kitchen and Frontline Foods. If you're now in the mood to binge your way through Greendale antics in the lead up, all six seasons of the series is now streaming on Netflix, too — and on Stan in Australia. Check out the Community season one trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4W4L9TLJa8 The Community virtual table read will air via Sony Pictures TV's Community YouTube channel at 7am AEST on Tuesday, May 19 (2pm Pacific Time on Monday, May 18 in the US). Via Variety. Image: Netflix.
Since 1989, Sweden's Icehotel has given travellers a decidedly cool place to stay each winter. December hits, and the site reveals its new super-chilled rooms — the kind that are carved out of ice and only around for a short time, as they'll melt once the weather gets warmer. They're not just any old slabs of ice and snow in the village of Jukkasjärvi, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, however. As part of its annual tradition, the accommodation provider calls for designers and artists to unleash their chilly ideas — then unveils their wondrous creations to travellers. In the 2019–20 crop? A pride of lions chiselled out of cold substances, an icy depiction of Santorini, a frozen cabin in the woods and a space that resembles a grand theatre. Or, perhaps you'd like to climb into a cat's lair, sleep in a room filled with giant ice bones, stare at a frosty version of a kaleidoscope, be watched over by huge hands or curl up in a book in a more literal sense than usual. The 'Golden Ice' room certainly stands out among the new additions, too — it shimmers with its titular hue. [caption id="attachment_755983" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] ICEHOTEL 30 | Art Suite The 6th Feeling | Design Ekaterina Barsukova and Vladimir Barsukov | Photo Asaf Kliger | © ICEHOTEL[/caption] Now open until April 2019, the fresh blend of ice and creativity features 35 one-of-a-kind rooms in total, as crafted by 33 artists from 16 different countries. They're made from more than 30,000 cubic metres of snice — that's a mix of snow and ice — from the local Torne River. As well as places to sleep, the new iteration also includes an ice bar, a 75-metre-long ice ceremony hall, a four-metre-tall outdoor ice sculpture that people can enter and an icy observation deck with views of the northern lights. [caption id="attachment_755986" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] ICEHOTEL 30 | Icebar by Icehotel Torneland | Design Mathieu Brison & Luc Voisin | Photo Asaf Kliger | © ICEHOTEL[/caption] If you're a fan of the kind of coldness that the southern hemisphere doesn't see at this time of the year (especially at the moment), but you can't make it to Icehotel's cold climes during the northern winter, don't worry — in addition to its annual slate of artistic suites, Icehotel is open all year round. It includes 20 permanent suites, an ice bar, plus private saunas and spas for an added touch of warmth in such cold surroundings. Icehotel 30 runs until April 14, 2020. For further information, visit www.icehotel.com. Images: Asaf Kliger.
Bypass Victoria Street's seemingly endless spots for cheap eats and duck down one of the nearby alleyways to find Jinda Thai Restaurant. Since opening in 2013, Jinda has gained a strong following. Sure, there are spots on the strip that cost less money, but the authentic, high-quality food on offer here makes this undoubtedly one of the best-value restaurants in the area. There are all the Thai classics that'll take you back to Patong Beach, but you shouldn't look past the deep-fried barramundi fillet with tamarind sauce, fried shallots and coriander or the traditional yellow curry with grilled chicken. This particular dish showcases Grandma Jinda's recipe, crafted from many years spent serving customers along Bangkok's canals. If it's noodles that get you salivating, then it offers classics like pad thai and pad see ew with your choice of pork, chicken, beef or tofu as well as pad see mao. There are number of fun drinks here to help soothe the spice as well, including a crushed lychee concoction and an iced-lemon and iced-milk tea. The space has an industrial warehouse feel, with exposed brick walls, large windows, lanterns hung throughout and a mish-mash of furniture. Despite its enormous space, Jinda is full of hubbub pretty much every night of the week, with queues flowing out the door, so get down early or book in advance. Images: Visit Victoria Appears in: The Best Thai Restaurants in Melbourne for 2023
Thomas M. Wright, director of Doku Rai (you, dead man, I don't believe you), prefaces our interview with a disclaimer. "The difficult thing to begin, with talking about Doku Rai, is to acknowledge that we can only ever scrape the surface," he asserts, caffeine-eyed after "seven hours' sleep over the past four days". "Talking to me about this production is like talking to one angle of a cut stone. You're only going to see it through my prism. Every time I talk with others involved, the number of refractions is just infinite. You'll hear every event from a different perspective. The stories are limitless." Doku Rai is a collaboration between Melbourne's Black Lung Theatre and Whaling Firm and "East Timorese rock gods" Liurai Fo'er and Galaxy. It opened last year at Darwin Festival, Melbourne Arts House and Adelaide Festival. Having appeared at Brisbane Festival last week, it will come to Carriageworks on 25-28 September. As well as being a co-founder of the Black Lung and renowned theatre actor, you might remember Wright for his role as Johnno Mitcham in Jane Campion's Top of the Lake, for which he received a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2013 US Critics' Choice Awards. AN ABANDONED HOTEL, A REMOTE ISLAND Doku Rai is the first ever international theatre production to emerge from Timor-Leste. Conceived in 1999 when Wright met East Timorese actor, rock star and ex-guerrilla fighter Osme Gonsalves on the set of Balibo, it came to fruition 18 months ago. For 60 days, 30 Australian and East Timorese creatives holed themselves up in an abandoned colonial motel on the volcanic island of Atauro. Their mission: to create an epic work of cross-cultural collaboration; their method: undecided. "The word confronting doesn't even begin to describe the process of making this work," Wright says. "The writing was very complex. It took a lot of different forms — slabs of text from anecdotes, personal conversations, improvisation, individuals' writing, writing that already existed — interwoven in a way that an audience can only sense, and not really know, because there are so many circumstances, histories, myths and real events. But that's what gives it its sense of depth." TWO BROTHERS, A CURSE AND A DEATHLESS MURDER At Doku Rai's core is the "mythical structure" of two brothers, a curse and a man who is killed but cannot die. "A doku is a curse — a weapon — that has been used through the past twelve generations or more of occupied Timorese," Wright explains. "It's a tool by which, in a ceremony, you take all the coherence from a person, you rob them of their faculties, and that makes them vulnerable for you to do what you will with them. "Literally, the act of doku is 'turning over'. So, you set a table for a meal, with a place set for the absent person. You all share in the food, and at the end, you perform a ceremony. You cut open the liver of a chicken to get an augury and then turn the absent guest's plate, bowl and glass upside down. That is the acting of the curse. 'Rai' means earth, soil, so Doku Rai means 'to curse the earth', or 'the turning of the earth'." SHATTERING PATERNAL ASSUMPTIONS With this imagery at its dark heart, Doku Rai is driven by the personal, rather than the political. Unconfined by a linear narrative or governing aesthetic, it combines rock music, multimedia, unexpected dashes of black humour and a surprise guest, in the form of a live rooster, in an indefinite setting. "It has moorings in the world of East Timor and echoes of the Portuguese colonial past, but it's a fictional reality," Wright explains. "It has, certainly not aesthetic echoes of the Australian engagement, but thematic ties ... In Australia, we do have a very condescending, very paternal relationship with a lot of our neighbours. And we wanted to shatter that — to make something on purely personal terms. We know that the political implications and political realities are all there; we don't need to foreground them. They take care of themselves, just by dealing with personal stories. Beyond [Doku Rai] is a three-dimensional, constantly evolving life, with a past that goes back a long way and a future that also extends outward. There is certainly a responsibility with the audience to invest - to place themselves into scenarios and to consider the real people and the circumstances behind the making of the work. No matter how interesting and taut and strong a work we make, it's only ever going to be as interesting as the process of making it, at best." REHEARSING THROUGH BLACK OUTS AND GUN BATTLES That process was about as "interesting" as it gets. Wright and his team battled black outs, water shortages and gun battles. "When we did the show in Dili," he recalls, "we had to do it in very reduced circumstances, because there was a total 'no movement' order issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Violence had broken out following an election, which was very, very frightening. Half of us were stranded on the island and half of us were in lockdown in a house which was isolated down a corridor of gangs in Dili. Our producer, Alex Ben-Mayor, had to drive through a gun fight. Two of the students of our production members were shot in the head and killed by police." That's but a microcosm of what daily life in East Timor can entail. "To be honest, and to be clear, their stories are screaming to be told," Wright asserts. "We've told our stories for years and years and years." Doku Rai (you, dead man, i don't believe you) will show at Carriageworks between Wednesday September 25 and Saturday September 28, 2013. Shows start at 8pm, plus there's an additional 2pm matinee on Saturday September 28. Tickets, $35, are available online.
If you are not yet familiar with the bold and vibrant flavours of Mauritian cuisine, a visit to Manzé in North Melbourne will remedy that. For chef and co-owner Nagesh Seethiah, Manzé is a celebration of childhood memories of tropical flavours and island living, and a way to continue his family's connection to culture through food. With a charming shopfront on Errol Street, the petite space (with about 25 seats) overflows with convivial warmth and often sees diners go from visitors to regulars. With each visit, you'll likely get to experience a new Mauritian flavour or cooking technique as Nagesh's set menu is seasonally based and centred around locally farmed and fished produce. One might start by snacking on mussels with chilli vinegar and apple or grilled daikon with Mauritian coconut chutney, before trying Manzé's goat curry (if you're lucky). The latter has been years in the making, with the team patiently waiting for retired Meredith Dairy farm goats to be available for purchase. Marinated in Manze's masala and braised with potatoes, the hearty dish is served with woodfired Mauritian flatbread and fresh kohlrabi. Other goodies out of the kitchen may include octopus vindaye, a pickled dish with turmeric, lemon and mustard, or fried fish served with lemon pickle, lentil soup and rice. It is also not unusual to find a DJ set up on the kitchen pass while refreshing Mauritian rhums are being served up from the bar. Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday, with the option of a three or four-course set menu, and lunch is available Thursday through Saturday for two or three courses. Given the size and popularity of the restaurant, reservations are recommended. There are a few seats reserved for walk-ins — if you're feeling lucky. Images: Supplied.
By almost every conceivable metric, 2020 wasn't great. It was downright terrible, in fact. We know that you already know this, but let us share a sliver of good news: it was still a fantastic year for cinema. That's true even with picture palaces across Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the world closing for considerable periods. Indeed, when silver screens reopened again Down Under, and everyone was able to once again sit in darkened rooms and stare at celluloid dreams blown up big just as they're meant to be, we all remembered why the term 'movie magic' exists. And, in those theatres with their popcorn smells and booming sounds, we were able to see truly exceptional films. Every year delivers a treasure trove of movies — so much so that, here at Concrete Playground, we always put together multiple lists of film gems. As part of our end-of-year wrap-ups for 2020, we've already highlighted ten excellent movies that hit cinemas but sadly didn't set the box office alight, as well as 20 other standout titles from this year that really you owe it to yourself to have seen. From everything that flickered through a projector in general release in 2020, we're now down to the pointy end. Each year delivers awful, average and astonishing movies, and we've picked the cream of the crop when it comes to the latter. Some released pre-pandemic, in what seems like another life. Some are yet to hit cinemas, but will before the year is out. From movies that'll have you dancing in the aisles to unsettling head trips, these are the ten absolute best films of 2020 that made their way to the big screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSFpK34lfv0&feature=youtu.be NOMADLAND Frances McDormand is a gift of an actor. Point a camera her way, and a performance so rich that it feels not just believable but tangible floats across the screen. That's the case in Nomadland, which will earn her another Oscar nomination and could even see her win a third shiny statuette just three years after she nabbed her last for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Here, leading a cast that also includes real people experiencing the existence that's fictionalised within the narrative, she plays the widowed, van-dwelling Fern — a woman who takes to the road, and to the nomad life, after the small middle-America spot she spent her married life in turns into a ghost town when the local mine is shuttered due to the global financial crisis. Following her travels over the course of more than a year, this humanist drama serves up an observational portrait of those that society happily overlooks. It's both deeply intimate and almost disarmingly empathetic in the process, as every movie made by Chloe Zhao is. This is only the writer/director's third, slotting in after 2015's Songs My Brothers Taught Me and 2017's The Rider but before 2021's Marvel flick Eternals, but it's a feature of contemplative and authentic insights into the concepts of home, identity and community. Meticulously crafted, shot and performed, it's also Zhao's best work yet, and 2020's best film as well. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsWV2qTX21k NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS When some movies mention their titles, they do so via a line of clunky dialogue that feels forced, overstressed and makes viewers want to cringe. Never Rarely Sometimes Always isn't one of those films. It does indeed task a character with uttering those exact words, but the scene in which they're voiced is the most devastating and heartbreaking movie scene of the year. Given the premise of writer/director Eliza Hittman's latest feature, that perhaps comes with the territory. It shouldn't, which is one of the points this layered film potently makes, but it does. Upon discovering that she's expecting — and being told by her local women's centre that she should go through with the pregnancy — 17-year-old Autumn (first-timer Sidney Flanigan) has no other choice but to take matters into her own hands. With her cousin Skylar (fellow feature debutant Talia Ryder), she hops on a bus from her Pennsylvania home town to New York to seek assistance from Planned Parenthood. Given that Skylar has stolen the funds for Autumn's abortion out of the cash register at work, and that they don't have enough to cover a place to stay, this isn't a straightforward quest. Hittman's naturalistic style, as previously seen in 2014's It Felt Like Love and 2017's Beach Rats, makes every second of Autumn's ordeal feel intimate, real and unshakeably affecting, as does Flanigan's internalised but still expressive performance as well. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97nnV0fNd30 AMERICAN UTOPIA On paper, American Utopia's concept doesn't just sound excellent — it sounds flat-out superb, stunning and spectacular. A new David Byrne concert film, capturing his acclaimed American Utopia Broadway production, as directed by Spike Lee? Sign the world up, and now. In the most welcome news of the year, the execution matches the idea in this instant masterpiece (and wonderful companion piece to 1984's Stop Making Sense). It'd be hard to go wrong with all of the above ingredients, but Lee's second film of 2020 (after Da 5 Bloods) makes viewers feel like they're in the room with Byrne and his band and dancers like all concert movies strive to but few achieve in such engaging a fashion. Every shot here is designed with this one aim in mind and it shows, because giving audiences the full American Utopia experience is something worth striving for. Byrne sings, working through both solo and Talking Heads hits. He waxes lyrical in his charming and accessible way, pondering the eponymous concept with an open and wise perspective. And he has staged, planned and choreographed the entire performance to a painstaking degree — from the inviting grey colour scheme and the open stage surrounded by glimmering chainmail curtains to the entire lack of cords and wires tethering himself and his colleagues down. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-fxRXzfi0U KAJILLIONAIRE Awards bodies don't tend to recognise performances like Evan Rachel Wood's in Kajillionaire, but they should. It's a career-best effort from an actor with an array of terrific work to her name (most recently in Westworld), and it operates so firmly on the same wavelength as the film she's in that it's impossible to imagine how it would work without her. Kajillionaire is filmmaker Miranda July's latest movie, following Me and You and Everyone We Know and The Future, so it was always going to stand out. It was always going to need a knockout portrayal at its centre, too. Wood plays a 26-year-old con artist called Old Dolio Dyne, who has spent her whole life working schemes and scams with her parents Robert (Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water) and Theresa (Debra Winger, The Lovers) — to the point that it's all that she knows, and it has made her the closed off yet still vulnerable person she is. But when her mother and father take lively optometrist's assistant Melanie (Gina Rodriguez, Annihilation) under their wing, Old Dolio is forced to reassess everything. That might sound standard, but July has never made a movie that's earned that term and she definitely doesn't start now. Kajillionaire is a heist-fuelled crime caper, and an eccentric and idiosyncratic one; however, it's also a rich and unique character study, an astute exploration of family and a love story — and Wood is essential at every turn. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqCTIdF7rs POSSESSOR The possibility that someone could hijack another person's brain, then use their body as a vessel to carry out corporate-sanctioned murder, is instantly distressing and disturbing. Whatever your mind has just conjured up reading that sentence, it has nothing on Brandon Cronenberg's vision of the same idea — as Possessor, his sophomore feature, illustrates in a brilliant and brutal fashion. As chilly and also as mesmerising as his first film, Antiviral, this horror-thriller spends its time Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough, The Grudge). It's her job to leap into other people's heads and carry out assassinations, and she's very good at it. When the movie opens, however, she experiences difficulties on a gig. Then she takes on another, infiltrating Colin's (Christopher Abbott, Vox Lux) brain, and struggles to maintain control over his personality and actions as she attempts to kill his fiancé (Tuppence Middleton, Mank) and her business mogul father (Sean Bean, Snowpiercer). Possessor's writer/director is the son of David Cronenberg, of Shivers, Scanners, Videodrome and The Fly fame, so exploring unnerving body horror has been implanted into his own head in a way, too. He certainly carries on the family name in a daring, determined and expectedly gruesome manner. Also striking and unforgettable here: the concepts that Possessor probes, including present analogues to Possessor's body-jumping technology. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLNXHJB5Mto BABYTEETH Filmmaker Shannon Murphy made her feature debut with Babyteeth, but she shows no signs of merely cutting her chompers on this heartwrenching film. Based on the Rita Kalnejais-penned play of the same name and scripted for the screen by the writer as well, this Australian drama tackles a well-worn premise — that'd be: terminally ill teen falls in love as she endeavours to manage her grim health situation — with such shrewdness, vivacity and understanding that it puts almost every other movie about the same concept to shame. Milla (Eliza Scanlen, Little Women) is the cancer-afflicted high schooler in question. When she meets and clicks with 23-year-old small-time drug dealer Moses (Toby Wallace, Acute Misfortune), it takes her pill-popping mother Anna (Essie Davis, True History of the Kelly Gang) and psychiatrist father Henry (Ben Mendelsohn, The Outsider) time to adjust. Their struggles have nothing on Milla's own, though, because Babyteeth sees its protagonist as a person rather than an illness, and as someone with their own hopes, dreams, troubles and disappointments instead of the reason the folks around her have their lives disrupted. That's such an important move, but's just one of the many that the movie makes. Aided not only by superb (and AACTA Award-winning) performances all round, but also by arresting visuals and clever but realistic dialogue, Babyteeth proves both raw and dynamic from start to finish. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFOrGkAvjAE SOUND OF METAL It's one thing to tell viewers that the character they're watching is losing their hearing. It's another entirely to ensure that they understand exactly how that feels. Sound of Metal adopts two methods to achieve the latter feat — one expected but still extraordinary, the other truly earning the usually overused term that is 'immersive'. Firstly, Riz Ahmed (Venom) gives his all to the role of heavy metal drummer and ex-heroin addict Ruben Stone. Realising that one of his senses isn't just fading but disappearing obviously upends every facet of Ruben's life, which Ahmed conveys in a powerfully physicalised performance (and his second portrayal of a musician coping with health struggles after this year's festival hit Mogul Mowgli, too). Just as crucial, however, is the soundscape created by debut feature director Darius Marder and his team. It mimics what Ruben can and can't hear with precision, and it couldn't be more effective at plunging the audience inside his head. Both choices — lead casting and the film's audio — invest weight and depth into a story that isn't lacking in either anyway. Putting his tour with his bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke, Ready Player One) on hold, Ruben reluctantly moves to a rural community for addicts who are deaf to learn to live with his new situation, does whatever is necessary to rustle up the cash for a surgically inserted cochlear implant and faces more than few hard truths along the way. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gOs6gKtrb4 THE LIGHTHOUSE It initially hit cinemas pre-pandemic, but The Lighthouse might just be the most relatable movie of 2020. There are no prizes for guessing where it is set, but The Witch filmmaker Robert Eggers has zero time for scenic seaside escapades, turning his attention to two men holed up in the coastal structure, unable to leave and going stir-crazy (to put it mildly) instead. Those lighthouse keepers are played by Willem Dafoe (At Eternity's Gate) and Robert Pattinson (Tenet), who both commit to the narrative with gusto. The former steps into the shoes of cantankerous sea dog Thomas Wake, while the latter endures quite the uncomfortable welcome as eager newcomer Ephraim Winslow — and, as anyone could predict given their talents and respective filmographies, they're gripping to watch. That sensation only increases when a storm sweeps in, with the fact that Winslow frequently fondles himself while holding a mermaid figurine marking just the beginning of The Lighthouse's claustrophobic chaos. Shooting in black and white, and boxing the film in via the 1.19:1 Movietone aspect ratio that's a throwback to a century ago, Eggers dives right into a vivid and entrancing nightmare that simultaneously unpacks masculinity, unfurls a manic head-trip and explores how people react when they're thrust together in a heightened scenario. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU-Z90SEqGQ CORPUS CHRISTI An Oscar nominee this year — losing the Best International Feature Film category to Parasite — Corpus Christi examines faith with blistering and unflinching intensity. This quietly powerful Polish drama doesn't just contemplate what it means to believe, but how the supposedly pious actually enact their convictions (or don't, as the case often proves). Freshly released from reform school, Daniel (Bartosz Bielenia) is drawn to the seminary after connecting with the facility's head priest, Father Tomasz (Lukasz Simlat), during his sentence. Alas, his record instantly excludes him from following that calling, even though he's only 20 years old. Then, through a twist of fate that always feels organic, he's given the opportunity to act as the new spiritual advisor in a rural town after its residents mistake him for a man of the cloth. Given that this is an imposter tale, Corpus Christi proves inherently tense and bristling from the outset; however, just as much of that mood and tone stems from the way that Daniel's new community say one thing but act in a completely different manner involving a recent tragedy. Warsaw 44 and The Hater filmmaker Jan Komasa willingly steps into thorny territory as he tells the young man's tale (with top-notch help from Bielenia), and wonders why it's so easy for so many to cling to centuries-old concepts and stories, but so hard for most to put them in a modern, realistic and everyday context. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzqevBnUUZU THE ASSISTANT Charting an ordinary day in the life of a junior staff member at a film production office, The Assistant is as unsettling as anything else that reached screens in 2020. Jane (Julia Garner, Ozark) has the titular position, working an entry-level job for a demanding head honcho who everyone in the office indulges — although viewers never get to meet him. She arrives at work before daylight, trudges through menial tasks and is treated poorly by her male colleagues. She's expect to anticipate everything that her boss could ever need or want, or face his wrath if she doesn't. And, as the day progresses, she realises just how toxic her workplace's culture is and how deep its inappropriate conduct burrows. Seeing how predatory the man she works for acts on a daily basis, and how his behaviour has a significant impact, she also learns how those who even try to speak out can still be powerless to effect change to stop it. If you've kept abreast of the #MeToo movement over the past few years, you'll know exactly what has inspired The Assistant, of course. However, Australian filmmaker Kitty Green wants her audience to experience this devastating scenario via Jane, rather than merely read about it. She doesn't just succeed; although she's working in fiction here, she directs a film as searing and perceptive as her last project, the excellent documentary Casting JonBenet.
Sweet Christmas alert: when festive season gets into full swing for 2023, Wonka will bring its treats to the big screen. Here, Roald Dahl's chocolatier gets an origin story from writer/director Paul King and his co-scribe Simon Farnaby, who were also behind the wonderful Paddington films — with Timothée Chalamet making the goods and Hugh Grant getting bantering as an Ooompa-Loompa. He's had his heart broken during a lusty Italian summer, romanced Saoirse Ronan in a Greta Gerwig film not once but twice, spiced up his life in a sci-fi saga and sported a taste for human flesh. Now Chalamet is singing and dancing into a world of sugar. For everyone keen to see a new take on a childhood favourite starring one of the internet's boyfriends, Wonka will hit cinemas Down Under on Thursday, December 14 — and both the initial trailer and the just-dropped latest sneak peek are big on whimsy and pure imagination. First gracing the page almost six decades back, in 1964 when Charlie and the Chocolate Factory initially hit print, Willy Wonka has made the leap to cinemas with Gene Wilder playing the part in 1971, then Johnny Depp in 2005. The difference this time: not just Chalamet making sweet treats, but a film that swirls in the details of Wonka's life before the events that've already been laid out in books and filled two movies. The picture's main man has a dream — and, after spending the past seven years travelling the world perfect his craft, he's willing to get inventive to make it come true. Starting a chocolate business isn't easy, especially when the chocolate cartel doesn't take kindly to newcomers, selling choccies at an affordable price and sharing their wares with the masses. From there, brainwaves, optimism, determination, wild and wonderful Wonka inventions, and life-changing choices all spring, plus big vats of chocolate, chocolate that makes you fly — and Willy's dedication to making "the greatest chocolate shop the world has ever seen". Also accounted for: a mood of wonder, and not just due to the umbrella-twirling dream sequences and cane-whirling dance scenes in the first trailer, or the leaps through fairy floss and chats with Grant's (Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves) Lofty. Indeed, the magical tone doesn't just fit the tale; it's exactly what King and Farnaby spun when they were celebrating a marmalade-loving bear. King helmed and penned both Paddington movies, while Farnaby also did the latter on the second (and acted in each). The duo worked together on wonderful and underseen 2009 film Bunny and the Bull as well, and on The Mighty Boosh, of which King directed 20 episodes. On-screen, Wonka's cast is as jam-packed as a lolly bag, with Chalamet and Grant joined by Farnaby (The Phantom of the Open), as well as Olivia Colman (Heartstopper), Sally Hawkins (The Lost King), Keegan-Michael Key (The Super Mario Bros Movie), Rowan Atkinson (Man vs Bee), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey: A New Era) and Natasha Rothwell (Sonic the Hedgehog 2). Yes, you'll want a golden ticket to this. Check out the latest trailer for Wonka below: Wonka releases in cinemas Down Under on December 14, 2023.
Spoiler warning: this interview incudes specifics about Materialists if you haven't watched the film before reading. Honesty. Authenticity. Anyone who has seen, swooned over and fallen head over heels for Past Lives, aka one of 2023's very best movies, already knows that these two traits beat at the heart of Celine Song's films. What's present in the writer/director's sophomore feature Materialists more than her Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated, Gotham- and Independent Spirit Award-winning debut, however, is frankness — especially about people approaching relationships as an arrangement and a transaction, even, and about coupling not just driven by love, fluttering hearts and racing pulses. As it plunges into the New York City life of Lucy (Dakota Johnson, Madame Web), Materialists is submerged in a matchmaker's existence. That's her job. For those looking for love and willing to pay her high-end employer — so, usually folks with ample cash to splash in the service of meeting their perfect partner — Lucy works her magic. She knows how to woo new clients. She also knows how to seal the deal, with nine marriages springing from her services so far. And, she's well-aware that her gig isn't simply to make sparks fly. With her like with no one else, the Big Apple's bachelors and bachelorettes are unvarnished about their wants and must-haves in a soul mate. They have exact height parameters, and acceptable salary ranges as well. Some sport lengthy lists that go much further. None are particularly willing to budge. Materialists is a direct film, then, about the objectification and commodification of people that can be layered into the search for someone to spend one's life with, plus the materialistic values that can often become part of that process. Yes, that's weighty for a romance. Song's movie is still both deeply affectionate and genuinely comedic, though — smartly, sharply, astutely and wonderfully so. And, even if its characters sometimes might be, Materialists is never cynical about love, its marvels, and the joys of truly finding someone that makes you instantly imagine your older self next to theirs decades into the future. Is Materialists saying the normally quiet part about modern love and dating maths, the motivations and reasons that aren't necessarily normally voiced, out loud? "Oh, interesting that you feel that way," is her first response to the question. "I feel like there are fully people who speak this way about love and dating. You go on TikTok, you know," she tells Concrete Playground. "I think that it is actually so much more common — and not only is it common, it is actually the way that my clients would speak." With Past Lives, Song adapted her own experience. She too had a Korean childhood sweetheart. She has an American husband. The movie in its entirety isn't autobiographical, but it grew from that kind of place. With Materialists, Song instead draws upon her own time endeavouring to assist others with their love lives. She was only a matchmaker for around half a year, but that stint has informed her second film that's centred on the emotional journey of a woman torn between her past and her future. Consequently, when Song says that people tackle the quest for a partner like they're putting in a drinks order (a coke and a beer is Lucy's) or making a deal, it's because she has seen it firsthand. "And also, people will just — like people in my life now, if you ask them what they're looking for, sometimes they will speak that way," Song continues. "And I do think that it is something where it's the quantifying or the turning into numbers, that it is, it gets that literal in that way. As in 'well, even if you're five-two, I still want somebody who's over six-feet tall'. And you're like 'why? Can they be five-ten?'. And they're like 'no'." Lucy faces this situation day in, day out. Chatting with Song about it, it's clear how intricately that her own time in the same day job while she was starting out as a playwright has fed into Materialists. The romantic options of Lucy's clients aren't the film's key concern, of course, but their attitudes have made an imprint on her own. So, when she has two choices — Harry (Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us), the tall, successful, distinguished, handsome and ultra-wealthy brother of someone that she's just married off; and John (Chris Evans, Red One), a struggling actor making a buck as a cater waiter that she has a past with — this proves a picture about how her personal reality and beliefs about love come to collide. Upon exiting her matchmaking days, Song knew that it'd play a part in her work at some point. She felt that compulsion immediately. Why? We also explored that in our chat about this seductive and significant — and masterful and meaningful — interrogation of relationships with its guiding force. Do people appraising romance in economic terms consciously realise that they're treating marriage like a transaction, or do they think that that's just a relic of history? How do you approach casting for chemistry, especially when a luminous Johnson, debonair Pascal and never-better Evans are your stars? They're some of the other directions that our discussion with Song charted. On Song Leaving Her Short Stint as a Matchmaker Knowing That It Would Somehow Inform Her Work — and How Materialists Came About From There "I think that I walked into that job thinking that it was going to be a day job, but I think I learned more about people and what their hearts desire than almost any other six-month period of my life. And I think that I did walk away from that job feeling like I'm going to make something about it. I was like 'I'm going to devise something about it, I just know it'. And I think that it's because I'm dealing with people, encountering people, every day who want to find love. But when you ask them what they're looking for, everything that they say about the person that they intend to love are things like height, weight, salary, lifestyle — things that are quantifiable, things that are concerns of an insurance salesperson or somebody at the morgue. So I think in that way, I was just always so shocked by how different the way everybody's talking about the dating side of the pursuit of love versus what I knew about love. And love is this amazing ancient mystery. It's a complete miracle when it happens. And it's the most beautiful, most dramatic thing that we do in our lives. So it's an amazing thing to just watch such a gap, huge gap, between what is the answer to 'who are you looking for?' and then what it is actually like to be in love and to fall in love. And I think that that gap, and then the tension in that gap, the contradiction of those two things, I think that was what really made me want to make a movie about it. It just felt like such a powerful mystery and a powerful thing to deal with." On Whether People Consciously Realise That They're Approaching Marriage Like a Transaction — or If They Think That That's Just a Relic of History, Such as Victorian Romances "We're not very far from the way that Victorian romances were talking about marriage, because I feel like still this economic pressure, especially as the economic anxieties and financial anxieties are such a fundamental part of our lives, the relief we want from it is, I think, at the heart of our fundamental desires, right? We're starting to be like 'I would like to be relieved of financial troubles. I would like to be relieved of it'. So part of that relief, desire for relief, is, of course, something that was a fundamental part of the Victorian romances. It's so much about that relief. And I think that we have not come that far from feeling like that's a very good reason to marry someone. I think that, of course, it's less of a total choice. And then, of course, women make money. So it's kind of like 'of course it's changed a lot in that way'. But how amazing that women are able to make their own living? And so in that part of this, of course, so far improved — but it still hasn't changed the otherwise very difficult thing, which is that marriage is still seen as a very specific contract. And I think that that is a very reasonable and a normal thing. But as Lucy says in the film 'but love has to be on the table', right? You can't walk away, right? Like you can't actually have a business partner for your spouse. Your spouse is your spouse. You're going to have to change that person's diaper. That person would change your diaper — whatever, one of you is changing the other person's diaper. And the thing is, that's the most romantic thing about marriage, and therefore love has to be on the table." On Song's Approach to Casting for Chemistry — Especially When Casting Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans "I think that when it comes to chemistry, some of it is just purely instinctual. But it's also so much work that's coming from the actors — as in, it is something that we're working on together as part of the performance, the chemistry. I think that sometimes people think chemistry is just flirting on-screen, but it's really not about flirting at all. Chemistry is something that you build by having two characters who want different things from each other, and the two of them trying to find a resolution. So what I mean by that is, for example, that loading dock scene between John, Chris Evans' character, and Lucy, Dakota Johnson's character, is that the chemistry in that scene is being built by me telling Chris 'you're doing your darndest, you're doing your best, to not kiss her'. And when it comes to Dakota, I'm telling her 'I think that she already knows that she probably will kiss him at some point'. So to me, I'm like 'well, you have two contradicting desires, right?'. And in that, that's where the tension is going to be and that's where the chemistry is going to be. So that's how it gets built. And the thing is, it's not just that these two people who are flirting with each other and then somehow there's going to be chemistry — there's not. It's all beautifully make believe. So, much of it I would want to credit the acting, the work that we're doing on it. And this is what I've always believed about chemistry. Chemistry is about erotic desire. And what is erotic desire? Wanting something that you don't have. That's where you can have chemistry. So I think, to be honest, that's the truth of it. And when it comes to those actors, I think building the chemistry, some of that is just about just knowing it — just knowing that they're going to, all three actors, are going to feel something for each other. That they're going to like each other, and even like just actually feel something for each other in such a deep way as humans. So I think it's really that. And of course, if they're the right people for each role, and these roles are romantically entangled and have chemistry with each other, they are going to have chemistry with each other. So to me, that's how I would really describe the way to find chemistry." On the Film Exploring Not Only Lucy's Clashing Romantic Options, But the Conflict Between Her Personal Reality and Her Beliefs About Love "I think the funniest part of it is that she's a matchmaker and she's having trouble finding a match for herself. And that's kind of an amazing dramatic problem — a matchmaker who is looking for love. So I think that in that way, it was always so important that we're meeting Lucy at the peak of her power and the peak of her feeling that she's the expert, that she knows everything. And then throughout the film, to unravel her until she is somebody who was able to not only accept that she doesn't know, but to also say 'I completely surrender. I completely surrender to love'. So I think that because that is her journey throughout this film, it was absolutely, yes, exactly what you're describing is the reason I wanted to make this movie. It was very important for Lucy to start as somebody who is presenting as just the smartest girl ever, and then to end the film making a decision that is with her heart. And it's not going to seem smart to a lot of people — even though the truth is we know that she's making the only smart decision in the whole film, right? Which is to say 'deal' to the one deal that you cannot say 'no' to. That's the only deal that is worth saying 'yes' to. And she does it. And in fact, that's the beautiful thing. It's like by making a decision that I'm sure, to herself in the beginning of the film, may seem like a stupid decision, she's making the wisest decision she can make about her life — which is to go where love is." Materialists opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Images: Atsushi Nishijima, A24.
If you're looking for a relaxed bar promising rooftop views of the surrounding city and plenty of whisky cocktails and food until 3am, look no further than Hats and Tatts in Melbourne's CBD. This dive bar relocated from its South Melbourne digs to its new two-level spot in the heart of the city, offering up good tunes, great drinks and American comfort food in the realm of hand-held classics like burgers, fried chicken and more. If you're in a particularly playful mood, Hats and Tatts also has a collection of retro arcade games including an Addam's Family pinball, and a billiards table so you can flex your hand-eye coordination as you keep the good times rolling. There's also a Selfie Mirror bathroom if you're feeling the desire to show off your Insta-best (although after the aforementioned whisky cocktails, sometimes we find it's better to resist the urge).
There's no end to innovative musical apps, but one of the most successful we've seen must be John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes, a new iPad app that gorgeously visualises the creative process of a true legend. Made with input from Yoko Ono and with all proceeds going to the Imagine No Hunger campaign, the app is an interactive musical journey resurrecting Lennon’s unreleased demos from his mysterious trip to Bermuda in 1980. Here, he began writing material for the first time in five years and reworking earlier demos, cultivating inspiration from his new surroundings. It is this inspiration that director Michael Epstein has sought to harness, inviting you to steer Lennon’s yacht as he battles thrashing waves solo (in fact, he almost lost his life voyaging through these treacherous waters). Perhaps venture through Bermuda’s gardens and record your own musical fancies, or witness Lennon’s moment of realisation when he recognises Ono’s wailing vocals influencing the music of the B-52’s, pumping through '70s disco speakers. What has been referred to here as 'The Bermuda Tapes' blossomed into John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s final studio album, Double Fantasy. Released in 1980, the album received largely negative reviews for its perceived lapse into sentimentality and familial bliss. However, the shock murder of Lennon three weeks after the album’s release swiftly transformed these criticisms into tributes and reflections on a staggeringly influential career cut short. The fact that the album became coloured by the murder is something Epstein hopes to counter, aiming to reclaim some of the music and spark fresh appreciation untainted by the tragic circumstances. Contemplating what makes a successful album app, Catherine Moore, an associate professor of music business at New York University, told Time magazine.,“My feeling is that unless the app is visually really engaging, really fits with the music, that there’s better ways to spend your creative resources.” It may just be that John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes meets this criteria. It is an impressive feat of digital storytelling, consisting of six chapters driven by interviews with Lennon and Ono, who comment on their being apart and how this impacted their artistic process. It is a searing portrait of the intimacy and dynamism of their relationship. The app errs more on the side of interactive storytelling than gameplay. There is a profound sense of nostalgia imbued in the gentle and harmonious rhythm of images constantly forming and reforming. Epstein has also achieved a skillful balance between narration, music and interaction — there is no one component that feels intrusive or overbearing. It is an appropriately exploratory aesthetic in accommodating these fragments of lost music and commentary. Epstein also insists upon the need to experience music in a new way, telling Fast Co.Create, "I think this is the logical evolution of the digital platform for music." John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes offers the industry a much-needed injection of warmth and vitality. It is a technological revival and revamping of one of our most beloved artists and musicians — the best of the past and the future moulded into one. See more of Yoko Ono's works at her exhibition War Is Over! (If You Want It) is on at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art Australia until February 23, 2014. Via Fast Co.Create.
In The Accountant 2, Christian Wolff is back, as is Ben Affleck (Air) in the role. Jon Bernthal (Daredevil: Born Again) returns as the numbers-whiz character's killer-for-hire brother Braxton, too. The first film's Cynthia Addai-Robinson (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) and JK Simmons (Juror No 2) also reprise their parts. Behind the camera, director Gavin O'Connor not only helms the follow-up to his own 2016 release, but makes his third movie in a row — including The Way Back, which isn't part of the franchise — with Affleck starring. Screenwriter Bill Dubuque (Ozark) is among the familiar folks backing up for another The Accountant flick as well. With so many tried-and-tested talents onboard, this thriller sequel's return to the world of its titular figure — a forensic accountant with autism who started the initial picture fixing the books for criminal organisations — could've just taken rinse-and-repeat approach. That wouldn't have meant making a movie that's as much an odd-couple buddy comedy, however, by playing up the chalk-and-cheese relationship between Affleck and Bernthal's characters. Balancing intense action scenes with line dancing likely wouldn't have been in the mix, either. Also, Addai-Robinson's Marybeth Medina, who is now a Deputy Director in the Treasury Department, may not have been so central — indeed, Affleck calls her "the lead in the movie". No one involved in The Accountant 2 was interested in making a comeback just to do what they've already done. That's particularly true for Affleck, who so rarely steps into a character's shoes twice — except as Batman and Bruce Wayne in the now-defunct DC Extended Universe, and also as Holden McNeil in the View Askewniverse. Boot scootin' to 'Copperhead Road' as a way of flirting is also a brand-new development for him, and one that not everyone was convinced would make the final cut. "I was like 'this scene will never work'," advises Bernthal. "I was like 'there's no way that's going to work. Like, why is he? Like, what? How is this — what does this scene have to do with anything?'. And as soon as I saw him go out there, I was singing that song. I love that song. I love that. It was so good." "If you asked Jon before we shot that scene, he was saying 'this is going to get cut from the movie'," adds O'Connor. "There's no way. I was like 'why are we even here?'," responds Bernthal. The moment does hit its mark, and also perfects what The Accountant 2 is shooting for character-wise with Christian and Brax. One is trying to connect with others, including romantically — this isn't the only sequence in the film about Christian's love life — and finds that his penchant for numbers and patterns is an unexpectedly ideal fit for line dancing. The other is attempting to assist his brother to embrace more than just his routine. Together, the siblings are also endeavouring to repair their long-fractured relationship. [caption id="attachment_1001142" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eric Charbonneau/Amazon MGM Studios via Getty Images[/caption] When The Accountant 2's team get together to chat about it at a press conference for the movie — returnees Affleck, Bernthal, O'Connor and Addai-Robinson, plus franchise newcomer Daniella Pineda (Cowboy Bebop) — they're animated and enthusiastic. The film benefits from their passion, even as it combines its comic turns, dancing and brotherly bonding with the fact that it's still an action-thriller that plunges into dark territory. This time, Christian's skills are needed, as are Brax's, after an acquaintance's murder. In a narrative that involves human trafficking, Marybeth is on the case, enlisting the brothers' assistance as she searches for the culprit, and also investigating how the situation connects to a family from El Salvador. Why was Affleck keen to return? When did O'Connor start thinking about which elements of the first film he wanted to pick up in a second flick, and where things would be different? How did humour work its way in — and what was Bernthal's response to the buddy-comedy aspect? The group answered these questions, too, while also digging into why Affleck sees Addai-Robinson's Cynthia as the movie's protagonist, the movie's action scenes and emotional arcs, and, yes, the line dancing. On Why Affleck Was Keen to Add a Very Rare Sequel to His Resume Ben: "This is a movie where, after the first one, it was successful and I was really proud of it, but it had a longer life in terms of the just real-life feedback that I get from people, what movies they would mention when they come up to me. And so I definitely was aware 'oh wow, that movie seems to still be being watched'. I think it's also a function of the fact that streaming really started to take off after this movie, so people had the opportunity to pick what movie they're going to watch, that sort of thing. And also I just love this character. I really enjoyed playing it. Gavin and I both very much were drawn to the idea of bringing Jon back and expanding on that, because we both really were like 'this guy's fabulous and we love it' — and I think we both felt like there was a lot more to do. And the only thing that I think, that I would rephrase from your question, is they really brought me back. Bill and Gavin spent a lot of time in the intervening years developing and putting together, in a quite typical-of-Gavin, meticulous, patient, detail-oriented, character-driven way, what it could be. Because both were quite mindful of not wanting to repeat it, not wanting to just 'oh hey, they like the first one, let's just figure something out and do another one'. So everything about it was appealing to me." On When O'Connor Started Thinking About Which Aspects of The Accountant He Wanted to Bring Back for a Sequel — and What to Change Up Gavin: "Just a lot of conversations with Bill in regard to — there's certain DNA that it was important to preserve. And then after that, it was a lot of left turns and just try to refill the tank in a very different way. And I in no way wanted to recycle the same thing that we did in the first film, so it was it was just a matter of 'how do we just start recreating the character in a way that is putting them on a different journey, integrating Brax, wanting to bring Cynthia back?'. We knew the key in the ignition was to kill Ray, because I wanted it to be personal for both of these guys. And most importantly, and we had these conversations, I just want to make a movie that was fun and entertaining — and put people in the seats, and go to a movie theatre and the lights come down, and have a communal experience where they can walk out of the theatre and go 'man, that was a fucking ball. That was just a great. That was a great time at the movies'. And that's really what we were going for." On Playing Up the Odd-Couple Buddy Comedy — and When Bernthal Found Out That That Would Be the Case Jon: "I don't know that I was ever really told that. I don't know that." Ben: "It was bait and switch." Jon: "Look it was — it was, yeah, little bit, a little bit. I was like 'what?'. But Bill's writing is so unbelievably strong. And Gavin and I, we're very close. And you work with Gavin, he's always going to whittle it down and try to get to the truth of the character, and there's no stone left unturned. It was a real thrill for me to get back. And I think with Ben, it just kind of happened that way. I mean it's there, it was very much supported by Gavin to let moments linger and let it exist naturally, and play the moments in between the beats. He's unbelievably funny and he has such a — it sounds corny, he's just mastered this character in such a way that there's just so many little moments of truth that are going on that you love, but can also drive you crazy from the right point of view. And I feel like we were really — I was really — let off the leash to have a real opinion about that." [caption id="attachment_1001143" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eric Charbonneau/Amazon MGM Studios via Getty Images[/caption] Gavin: "I don't think we ever said like 'oh, it has to be funny', when I say I wanted the movie to be fun and entertaining. Jon and I had so many sitdowns were we would just be dissecting the character, and 'what's the intention of this scene?' — but once you just put these guys together, they both have specific wants. And if you're not getting your wants — and both these guys are slightly, the characters are slightly bonkers, right, in certain ways, so if they're not getting their wants, if you just let them do their thing, it was such a fertile environment for them just in the scenes that it just created. They weren't trying — the reason I think it works is because they weren't trying to be funny. No one was trying to be funny. They were so engrained in their characters and they had very specific wants. And if you're not getting that, it's like banging your head against the wall." Ben: "And also Jon took pleasure in torturing me. So that was really just funny." On What Addai-Robinson Was Able to Explore in Her Role the Second Time Around Cynthia: "I think I always viewed Marybeth as the entry point for the audience, because she's observing and seeing all these things unfold around her and reacting in kind. And myself as an actor, same thing. I think back to working on the first movie: I was nervous and I was kind of out of my depth in a way, just trying to present as if I wasn't, which I think, for Marybeth, it was a similar type of situation. And here we are, eight years later, when we started on the sequel — and Marybeth has evolved, grown. She's in this elevated position within the Treasury Department. And for myself as a person and an actor, I felt like I had also grown, and it was like 'all right, I'm going to be returning to a situation that's familiar. I feel a little bit more comfortable, a little bit more confident'. And so that was really nice for me to feel like 'okay, I'm feeling like I can handle what I'm now getting thrown at me' — which is, again, this dynamic with Ben and Jon's characters. And just again being, for the audience, that point of entry. So all of their shenanigans, I also got to just bear witness to and be like 'all right, these guys are kind of crazy and they're also kind of challenging my view of how to serve justice', really." [caption id="attachment_1001144" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eric Charbonneau/Amazon MGM Studios via Getty Images[/caption] Ben: "The secret of this movie is that Cynthia is the protagonist, really. She's the lead in the movie — she's the entree for the audience, which means we get to play character parts. And there is a kind of relief from not having to carry a certain — there a whole bunch of expectations and stuff that go with being the lead in the movie, because as Cynthia says, the audience is really projecting themselves onto you. And so we're like a dual aggravant in some ways to her. And if you look at the math of the story, it's about her being brought into this, seeing this person be killed, trying to find out what it was and what she has to go through to get there, and the resolution of her story. And that's something that I find very artful and interesting, where this person is the lead of the movie and you have these dual character actors in there. So that affords Jon and I the luxury of doing this two-hander odd couple. " On Bringing a Heightened Level of Female Action to the Film Daniella: "I would say this is definitely next-level. I mean, it's not necessarily a character you see all the time. I feel like it's kind of changing a bit. I saw a video the other day of these two American eagle chicks in a nest, and one of the siblings just takes out the littler one, takes out the nest, and I was like 'oh hey, I know that girl. That's all nice'. But at the same time, you want to see that eagle hunt and you want to see that eagle fly — and there is something really compelling about watching a predator do their thing. At the same time, I felt like there's more to her. There's more layers there. So she's not just a stone-cold killer. It's the type of role that I would like to see more women get to play. They're certainly here in the real world. And I love to beat the shit out of Cynthia — but we were hugging, we were hugging in-between takes, and it was nice. I got really lucky. I had a good partner. It was fun, it was fun — but as she'll tell you, it was brutal." Cynthia: "It is pretty good — and what's very satisfying is we've now had opportunities to see the movie with audiences, and when you hear an audience audibly gasp, then you know you're doing something right. Because it means that the stakes and how invested people are in these characters, they are literally leaning forward, and with each blow, each hit, it's like 'aaaahhh'. So I think that's a nice vote of confidence to hear those gasps." On How The Accountant 2's Action Stands Apart From Affleck and O'Connor's Past Projects Ben: "To me, what makes it interesting, and what made me think that we could do something that would actually connect with an audience in the sense that they feel something for what's happening, is because Gavin's approach is not about 'this is a shot where visually it looks cool because of XY and Z elements, and we're going to construct it in such a way', and then you have to reverse-engineer why in the world you would be doing something that would lead you to that place. It's always driven from 'what does each character want? Why are they doing this?'. There's a grounded reason for it. And then his gift is to take that and make that visually compelling." Gavin: "Yeah, and not try to make it feel stunt-y — or some of these, we can cite action movies that are great, but it just feels like the action is in front of the characters. And for us, and the same with the girls, we were always coming from character. So what we were always tracking when we got to the third act was like 'how were these guys working together? How are they now united?'. We knew what the stakes were. We knew what they wanted. So inside of the action and the choreography, really, it was about the emotional line between the two brothers and how are they going to try to accomplish this together? And that was really what the conversations were about. The action is like dance, right? It's just doing it in beats. But action isn't emotional — and disposable violence, who cares about it, right? So it was really evoking emotion because you care about the characters." On How Bernthal Approached His Character's Emotional Arc — and Balanced It with the Demanding Action Sequences Jon: "You can't lie in a fight. You just can't lie — it's all, what you want is right there. And so if you're going for it, you've just got to know what you're going for and why you're going for it. I think more than any director I've ever worked with, Gavin has an appetite and an availability, and a hunger, to go back and to really get into what makes these guys tick. He'll talk to you as long as you want to talk to him about where these guys came from. And what's so beautiful about this being a second film — I think for me with Braxton, he's really shrouded in mystery in the first one. There was a point, you really don't know too much about him, but you have these amazing flashbacks to see how these two boys were raised and what their relationship was with their dad. And it really is the crux of what is really bothering both of them, and what's really bothering Brax: the roles that we've always filled for each other, getting each other's back, having to be there for each other, the lack of being there for each other. So then for it to culminate — it just doesn't culminate just in a gunfight, it culminates in 'hey, I'm there for you. I'm getting your back. You're getting mine. We're joined forever'. And it's a way, for lack of a better word, of showing how much you love somebody — and violence can actually be that sometimes." On Affleck's Line-Dancing Scene Ben: "That was one of the fun things about this thing, was the idea that here's a guy who's trying to figure out — he wants to have a relationship with a woman, he's trying to figure out how to do that, how to put yourself out there. He's not comfortable extending himself. He doesn't really know how to flirt exactly. He's not comfortable, like so many of us — it's not easy for anyone figuring out relationships, particularly the very early part where you're trying to gauge 'what does this signal mean? Is this person looking at me? Do they like me? Am I going to humiliate myself if I go over there?'. And what he does is kind of a lovely thing, which is he uses something that he's comfortable with — which in that case is the ability to recognise and identify the pattern of line dancing, because it is so structured and patterned — to participate in this. And it's the perfect way that he's comfortable to stand next to this woman who he's attracted to and wants to connect with, because it's kind of like parallel play with little kids. You don't have to look at somebody and engage them, but you get to be with them and do something next to them, and he finds a way that he's comfortable doing that. And it required, yeah, a lot of me. I probably am not going to get a lot more demands for my line-dancing work. I don't know. The phone hasn't rung yet. But it was really fun to — I think what's charming about it is when somebody puts himself out there to do something, at least I hope, that they're not necessarily great at, but they're trying. And I mean, really at the end of the day, that's sort of all any of us can do. Some of us are great at things — like Jon, the fighting comes easy to him. The action scenes with him are like playing in a basketball movie and this guy, you're like 'oh, you played professional basketball — okay, great'. And whereas these women of action, like you said then Danielle, they trained like crazy and brought incredible aptitude. Those fight scenes are a function of tremendous commitment and dedication and emotional perseverance that was astonishing. And for me, I'm coming at this line dancing thing like 'I don't really have the natural gifts but I'm willing to try.' I would say they did a hell of a lot better with the action I did with the line dancing. Luckily for me, it wasn't supposed to be good." Gavin: "The other thing about the scene that we were trying to accomplish, that was really important, is obviously there was that happening but we just left the plot of the movie. It was like 'we're going to leave the plot for a while', because that whole scene is really about the brothers. They've been in all this conflict driving up to that scene, and then at the end of the scene on the Airstream he says 'let's go get drunk'. And then that scene became 'they're still kind of in conflict trying to figure it out' — but once he goes to dance, Brax is like, that started to unite the two brothers, and it was just baby steps to get these guys there. So that was the other thing." Ben: "And it anchors the audience, having him celebrate for his brother, like that's who you're connecting to." Gavin: "Totally. Totally, yes. 'Yeah, 'that's my big brother up there'. It's beautiful." The Accountant 2 opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, April 24, 2025. Film stills: courtesy of Warrick Page, Amazon MGM Studios / Prime Video © Amazon Content Services LLC.
If you didn't see The Fall Guy, Twisters, Deadpool & Wolverine, Challengers, Inside Out 2, The Wild Robot, The Substance, Kneecap, It Ends with Us or Despicable Me 4 on the big screen already in 2024, here's the perfect way to catch up with them: under the stars, while sprawled out on a picnic blanket or sat on a bean bed, at the latest season of Moonlight Cinema. And if watching Christmas films is one of your festive traditions, here's a scenic way to do that, too, with this annual opportunity to enjoy a movie outside packing its just-dropped first lineup for this year with seasonal flicks. As it does every summer, Moonlight Cinema is returning for another run of films in the open air, locking in its dates, venues and first program details for its 2024–25 stints in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. While the outdoor picture palace is synonymous with the warmest season of the year, it kicks off at the end of spring in most cities, and runs through to the end of the first month of autumn in some as well. The projector will start rolling in Brisbane first, with the River City's season taking place across Thursday, November 21–Sunday, February 16 in Roma Street Parklands. Next up is Sydney, in Centennial Parklands from Friday, November 22–Sunday, March 30. Then comes Adelaide and Melbourne a week later, the former from Thursday, November 28–Sunday, February 16, 2024 in Botanic Park and the latter across Friday, November 29–Sunday, March 30 in Royal Botanic Gardens. Perth movie lovers can get their fix in Kings Park and Botanic Garden from Thursday, December 5–Sunday, March 30. Lineup specifics always vary per location, so not all of the aforementioned titles — or the ones below — show in every city. But the program still gives patrons a mix of recent, new and classic fare wherever they're sitting on the grass while soaking in the evening, the fresh air and a movie. Among the brand-new titles, Gladiator II and Wicked are also on the bill, as are advanced screenings of the Hugh Grant (Unfrosted)-starring horror film Heretic and Robbie Williams biopic Better Man. When Paddington in Peru gets the same treatment, you'll want marmalade sandwiches in your picnic basket. The OG version of Mean Girls will grace Moonlight Cinema's screens, too, as will 2023's smash-hit Barbie. And for a merry time at the movies — a jolly one as well — the roster of Christmas fare spans the new Red One, as well as classics Elf, Love Actually, The Holiday, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and How The Grinch Stole Christmas. If you're wondering what else Moonlight will show across its full season, it now drops its program month by month, so watch this space for more announcements. As always, the films and the setting are just two parts of the cinema's experience. Also on offer: the returning Aperol spritz bar. Nosh-wise, the event will again let you BYO movie snacks and drinks (no alcohol in Brisbane, though), but the unorganised can enjoy a plethora of bites to eat onsite while reclining on bean beds. There'll also be two VIP sections for an extra-luxe openair movie experience, a platinum package with waiter service in Sydney and Melbourne only, and a beauty cart handing out samples. Plus, dogs are welcome at all sites except Perth — there's even special doggo bean beds. Moonlight Cinema 2024–25 Dates Brisbane: Thursday, November 21, 2024–Sunday, February 16, 2025 in Roma Street Parklands Sydney: Friday, November 22, 2024–Sunday, March 30, 2025 in Centennial Parklands Adelaide: Thursday, November 28, 2024–Sunday, February 16, 2025, 2024 in Botanic Park Melbourne: Friday, November 29, 2024–Sunday, March 30, 2025 in Royal Botanic Gardens Perth: Thursday, December 5, 2024–Sunday, March 30, 2025 in Kings Park and Botanic Garden Moonlight Cinema kicks off in November 2024, running through until March 2025. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the cinema's website — and we'll update you with further program details when they're announced.
Back in the late 90s, there was a period when every second film was a disaster film, or so it seemed. Independence Day, Daylight, twin volcano flicks Dante's Peak and Volcano, Hard Rain, duelling death-from-above movies Deep Impact and Armageddon: they all kept unleashing chaos upon the earth on the big screen. Also among them, and proving a whirlwind box-office hit: Twister. Come July 2024, that tornado-chasing picture starring Helen Hunt (Blindspotting) and Bill Paxton (The Circle) will no longer be a once-off. Cue Twisters, a sequel that arrives 28 years after the initial feature to turn it into a franchise — because everyone knows that if this followup swirls up huge audience interest, more will likely follow. Alongside Deadpool & Wolverine and Wicked: Part One, Twisters unveiled its first trailer during the 2024 Super Bowl, introducing Glen Powell's (Anyone But You) character as a "tornado wrangler" in the process. There's also twin twisters, plenty of chasing them and a whole heap of fellow familiar faces getting swept up in the action Story-wise, the film follows an ex-storm chaser played by Where the Crawdads Sing's Daisy Edgar-Jones, who has to join forces with a cavalier colleague (Powell) thanks to an intense season that sparks weather that no one has seen before. They each have teams by their side, and both end up on a path to central Oklahoma, where the bulk of the chaos looks set to converge. Also featuring on-screen: Anthony Ramos (Dumb Money), Kiernan Shipka (Totally Killer), Sasha Lane (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Daryl McCormack (Bad Sisters), Brandon Perea (Nope), Nik Dodani (Atypical) and Maura Tierney (The Iron Claw). The fact that Lee Isaac Chung is behind the lens is no small detail, either, marking the filmmaker's first feature since Minari, which nabbed him Oscar nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Check out the trailer for Twisters below: Twisters will release in cinemas Down Under on July 18, 2024.
This article is sponsored by our partners, Wotif.com. If you’ve been thinking that tropical island holidays are all lazing on the sand and drinking cocktails by the pool, think again. Sure, you can make them an excuse to read every book in the Game of Thrones series or catch up on the 200 hours of sleep deprivation that you’ve clocked up over the past year, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Even if you’ve been to the Whitsundays before, there’s never a shortage of adventures to be had: from taking to the skies on a scenic flight to sailing on an old-school ship to spending a night sleeping under the stars on the Great Barrier Reef. Choose your own adventure. HIGH FLYER: SCENIC SEAPLANE FLIGHT Once you’ve seen the Great Barrier Reef from underwater, from the deck of a boat and from the land, there’s only one way left to the see it, really — from the sky. A scenic seaplane flight carries you soaring into the air, treating you to 60 solid minutes of bird’s eye views. Sights that will make you ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ like it’s New Year’s Eve all over again include the swirling sands of Hill Inlet, which look a bit like Impressionist artworks created by some enormous Druidic paintbrush; Bait Reef’s magical stepping stones; and Hardy Lagoon, the most photographed spot in the entire Great Barrier Reef National Park (and there’s some mean competition!). But they’re just the starting gun; the itinerary includes a sizeable list of other gobsmacking spots: Shute Harbour, Daydream Island, Hayman Island, Hook Island, the Molle Group of Islands, Whitsunday Island and the Whitsunday Passage. What’s more, it’s not all macroscopic panoramas. At various points, the seaplane descends to 500 feet, giving you the chance to partake in some turtle and ray spotting. Between June and October, you’re highly likely to see humpbacks, too. And for some added excitement, the pilot makes a touch-and-go water landing at the reef. Scenic flights carry between four and ten people each and depart from Airlie Beach. ALL-ROUND ADVENTURER: 3-DAY SAIL, SCUBA DIVE AND KAYAK Here’s the choose your own adventure option for indecisive types and commitment-phobes: the all-rounder. Why settle for one activity when you can take on the whole kit and caboodle? During this three-day extravaganza, you get to sail, snorkel, scuba dive, kayak and bush walk. Here’s how it works: for 72 hours or so, you live aboard the Summertime, a beautiful, traditional-style sailing vessel built in 1947, complete with rustic timber square rigging. But the good news is you don’t have to do any traditional living — if you don’t want to. You can get as olde worlde and Sailor Jerry-ish as you like, but you’ll still have the option of jumping into a freshwater hot Jacuzzi, turning on the air conditioning and dissolving in front of a DVD whenever you feel to. Nine luxurious berths make up the accommodation. The same goes for the action-packed itinerary. As the Summertime carries you from one secluded cove or silky-sanded beach to another, you can get involved in as many or as few activities as you like. Some travellers jump at every chance while others opt to spend every ounce of their precious energy moving between the Jacuzzi and the deck. It’s up to you. OUTDOOR NATURE LOVER: OVERNIGHT SLEEP ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF If you still haven’t recovered from reading Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe or perhaps Life of Pi, this one's for you. Pack your list of ‘top-five-items-I’d-take-with-me-to-a-desert-island’ and turn your long-cherished childhood survival fantasy into a reality. Given that the Great Barrier Reef is heritage listed, not to mention one of the world’s natural wonders, you can’t just go around sleeping on any old coral bed of your choosing; in fact, there’s only one place on the reef where you’re able to catch some shut-eye, and this adventure — dubbed Reefsleep — is it. A high-speed luxury vessel transports you for an 11am arrival. You spend the day doing as you please — be it swimming, grabbing a massage, snorkelling, diving, catching a heli-scenic flight or checking out the local underwater viewing chamber. Then, at 3pm, the ship splits the scene, leaving you, your fellow adventurers and the crew all on your lonesome. The only guests you can expect are some turtles who drop by at dusk for a seaweed feast. A maximum of 12 overnighters is permitted at any one time and accommodation is in the form of good ol’ Aussie swag — available in single or double sizes. Food is included in the deal. ISLAND EXPLORER: WHITSUNDAY ISLAND HOPPER PASS Do you have an aversion to strict timetables and pre-planned activities? Island hopping is the way to go. With this pass, you can travel The Whitsundays at your own pace and according to your own itinerary. It gives you access to high-speed vessels that spend all day travelling between Daydream Island and Long Island, dropping off and picking up guests at their whim. Between the two islands, pretty much any tropical activity is on the cards. While the time away sunbaking and swimming or get deep with a dose of snorkelling or scuba diving. Alternatively, stay terrestrial with long beach strolls, rainforest walks or a round or two on Daydream Island’s 19-hole mini golf course. There’s also a variety of restaurants, cafes and cocktail bars. The Whitsunday Island Hopper boats leave from Abel Point Marina throughout the day. You’re advised to take your toothbrush and credit card with you, just in case you miss the last ride back and wind up island-bound for the night. Book your Whitsundays escape now via Wotif.com.
Fan art has been deemed the domain of the obsessive. Whether that is reserved for the creator or extends to the viewer is still undecided. Nevertheless, Seinfeld - the show about nothing that graced our television screens for 9 years and 180 episodes - is being remembered in a unique way in Newcastle's ArtHive. During the month of May and thirteen years after the show ended, ArtHive, an artist-run initiative, will be home to a new exhibition, Art Vanderlay. The showcase, curated by Jessica Louttit, will showcase art inspired by the show's 9-season run and feature works from local artists including Mike Foxall, Ry Wilkin, Sarah Mould and "many sponge-worthy others in one huge Seinfeld fan flaunt." The opening night on May 27 will see the exhibition come to life with episodes of the hit television show being beamed onto the walls, prizes awarded for the best character costumes, as well as catered to the brim with your choice of muffin tops, black & white cookies, Junior Mints and Pretzels. To get in contact, share your ideas, get more details, yada yada yada, keep an eye on the gallery's blog at subjecthive.blogspot.com https://youtube.com/watch?v=t_nCmj9IyLo [via Lost at E Minor]
When March 18 hits, it will have been 12 months since the Australian Government implemented an indefinite ban on international travel due to COVID-19, only allowing Aussies to leave the country in very limited circumstances. Accordingly, just when jetting overseas will be back on the agenda has been the subject of much discussion. Last year's prediction that opening up to the rest of the world wouldn't happen in 2020 proved accurate — and, earlier this year, Australia's ex-Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy (now the Secretary of the Department of Health) said that we might not be going anywhere until 2022. Whether that last forecast comes true is obviously yet to be seen but, thanks to a new extension of the human biosecurity emergency period under the Biosecurity Act 2015, Australians definitely won't be travelling overseas until at least mid-June. Yesterday, Tuesday, March 2, Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt announced that the emergency period now spans until June 17, 2021, which'll mark 15 months since it was first put in place. The extension comes on the advice of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, with the former advising "the Australian Government the COVID-19 situation overseas continues to pose an unacceptable public health risk to Australia, including the emergence of more highly transmissible variants". So, it means that the current rules regarding international travel will remain in place for at least another three months, restricting Aussies wanting to fly overseas and folks wanting to return home, and also cruise ships keen to enter Australian territory. It also extends current limits on trade of retail outlets at international airports, and requirements for pre-departure testing and mask-wearing for international flights. This isn't the first time that the emergency period has been lengthened, following several moves in 2020 — however, the government has noted that they "can be amended or repealed if no longer needed". With vaccinations starting to roll out around Australia, Qantas and Jetstar have begun selling tickets for overseas flights for trips scheduled from October, demonstrating hope that the country's international travel rules might ease by then. Of course, the fact that you can book a trip doesn't mean that you'll actually be able to take it — because the current border closure may get extended again — but if you're keen for an overseas getaway, you might want to cross your fingers. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website.
Australia mightn't be home to any of the globe's top restaurants for 2023, but love is pouring out for our wineries. Among the many lists of the world's best — which also includes bars and steak joints — the World's Best Vineyards ranking names the planet's top wine destinations. Earning a spot this year: three South Australian winemakers. From the Aussie contingent, McLaren Vale's d'Arenberg nabbed the highest placing, coming in at 17th. Sprawling around a giant cube might've helped. That five-storey square is quite the centrepiece, but the Osborn family's organic and biodynamic tipples score plenty of attention on their own. The awards also praised the vineyard for living "up to its billing as 'more than just a cellar door'". Next on the list: Henschke in Eden Valley, which boasts a vineyard that was planted more than 150 years ago, and nabbed 26th spot. Then comes Magill's Penfolds Magill Estate, which dates back to 1844 and is particularly known for its shiraz, in 44th place. None of these wineries were anointed the best in Australasia, however. That honour went to New Zealand's Rippon, in Central Otago, which also sits in 11th spot in the top 50. The awards heaped praise onto the Southern Alps favourite for producing "a highly lauded range of pinot noir from this magnificent landscape and its biodynamically farmed vineyards". While Down Under was well-represented among the Best 50 Vineyards, 23 vineyards in this year's list hailed from Europe. France alone scored nine spots, the highest number for any single country. That said, the top placing went to Argentina's Catena Zapata, which also won overall South American vineyard. Next came Europe's first listing, for Spain's Bodegas de los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal, followed by Chilean vineyard VIK in third, Creation in South Africa in fourth, and France's Château Smith Haut Lafitte in fifth. Completing the top ten: Bodega Garzón in Uruguay, Montes in Chile, Germany's Schloss Johannisberg, and both Bodegas Salentein and El Enemigo Wines in Argentina. If you plan your getaways around vino, consider this list a handy piece of travel inspiration. If you're just interested in the drops, consider it a guide for your next trip to the bottle shop. The World's Best Vineyards also names a 51–100 list, which saw New Zealand's Craggy Range come in at 58th, Man O' War at 77th and Kumeu River Wines at 81st, plus Australia's Seppeltsfield Barossa at 98th. To check out the full World's Best Vineyards Top 50 and 100 lists, head to the awards' website. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Josh Niland has achieved a lot. He's opened many of Australia's top restaurants, written two acclaimed books (and just dropped a third), challenged how we see seafood in the kitchen and been named in the world's top 100 best chefs. Now, he's taking his success to the world, opening his first international restaurant at The Singapore Edition hotel. Niland's new opening will be the signature restaurant at the soon-to-open 204-room hotel, Edition's first foray into Southeast Asia. At the core of its offerings will be the chef's distinct passion for sustainable seafood — but, unlike Niland's Sydney openings, the hotel venue will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. After initially making a splash with Saint Peter, Josh and his partner Julie Niland have taken the Sydney culinary scene by storm with a series of openings including Fish Butchery, Charcoal Fish and Petermen. The duo are also revamping The Grand National Hotel, moving Saint Peter from Oxford Street into the pub. Niland's Singapore outpost will be one of five restaurants and bars that are set to open inside The Singapore Edition. The lavish accommodation is located in the downtown Orchard district and also promises to offer a rooftop pool, a spa and a fitness centre. [caption id="attachment_910017" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Petermen[/caption] The menu will be a la carte, featuring fish cut to order including rib on the bone, crown roasts and cutlets. As with all of Niland's operations, the restaurant will work with world-class ethical producers and suppliers — and minimising waste will be a top priority, with the menus at the restaurant and lobby bar working in unison to ensure all produce is used to its fullest. The Singapore restaurant doesn't have an exact open date quite yet, but it's expected to swing open its doors in November of this year. [caption id="attachment_771911" align="alignnone" width="1920"] by Rob Palmer, from Josh Niland's The Whole Fish Cookbook[/caption] If you want to get a taste of this world-class sustainable seafood operation without venturing over to Singapore, you have a few options. Book a table at the intimate Saint Peter for the classic Niland experience, or head to Charcoal Fish for a more casual takeaway-style offering. And, you can venture over to St Leonards for his newest offering Petermen, which just launched a weekly pescetarian-friendly Sunday roast. [caption id="attachment_826817" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Saint Peter[/caption] Josh Niland's new Singapore venue will open at The Singapore Edition, 38 Cuscaden Road, Singapore — it's expected to launch in November 2023. Top image: Alan Benson.
If you're a Harry Potter fan keen to relive the wonder of your favourite book-to-film series, you don't need to cast a spell or wind your time turner to get some wizarding fun. Pottermore, Fantastic Beasts spinoffs and The Cursed Child might've followed the original franchise, but JK Rowling's boy-who-lived and his pals are never far away from a big screen — or a concert hall. After doing the honours with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, it's hardly surprising that this piece of prime movie and music magic for muggles has now turned its wand to the third flick in the series. From April 2018, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will be heading to the Sydney Opera House, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre to screen the film while the score is played live by each city's symphony orchestras. Prepare for John Williams' Oscar-nominated music to echo through your ears as you watch Harry, Hermione, Ron and company meet Sirius Black, realise that they shouldn't believe every dark tale they hear, learn something new about their new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and tussle with Peter Pettigrew. That means dogs, wolves, rats and Dementor's Kisses are all part of the action, plus Buckbeak the hippogriff, and trips to The Leaky Cauldron and the Shrieking Shack. It's arguably the best movie in the series, as directed by a pre-Gravity Alfonso Cuarón, and it's certain to prove even more enchanting with live music. We've said it before and we'll say it again — will sell like pumpkin pasties, so get in quick or spend eternity griping about it like some Moaning Myrtle-type character. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert teams up with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House from 18 - 20 April 2018, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre for two shows on 19 May 2018, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 8 - 9 November 2018. For more information, head to the SSO, QSO and MSO websites.
We've all heard the term 'airport novel', which refers to fast-paced, easy-to-devour fiction that's perfect to read when you're on a long flight and you've watched everything on the onboard entertainment system — or, to flick through while you're waiting to hop on the plane. If you're the kind of traveller who always starts your trip with a visit to the airport newsagency to pick up new reading material to help while away the hours, then you probably have a stash of paperbacks that fit the bill. And, because its name and premise are oh-so-perfect for the genre, you might even have The Flight Attendant on that pile. Chris Bohjalian's novel was first published in 2018. Two years later, at a time when we'd all love to be flying far more than we've been able to of late, it makes the leap to the screen as an eight-part miniseries. On the page and on streaming platform Binge, The Flight Attendant unfurls a pulpy, twisty tale that starts high in the sky, bounces around the globe and delivers a hectic murder-mystery — all with the eponymous Cassie Bowden (The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco) at its centre. Cassie likes sipping mini bottles of booze as much as she likes pouring them for the travellers on her flights — and she also loves her jet-setting lifestyle. When she's at home in New York between trips, she parties away her time in bars and via her vodka-packed fridge. When she's stopping over in overseas cities between legs, she's known to do the same. In Bangkok, though, she does something that she's not supposed to. After flirting with first-class passenger Alex Sokolov (Game of Thrones' Michiel Huisman) throughout the flight, she makes an excuse to ditch drinks with her coworkers and takes up his dinner offer. The next morning, she feels the repercussions. Also, she finds herself confronted by a dead body, trying to outsmart the authorities both in Thailand and back in the US, and endeavouring to work out just what's going on. The Flight Attendant's many ups and downs are best discovered by watching, of course, with the series aligning viewers with Cassie as she embarks upon a very turbulent ride. Her life in general fits that bill — it's chaotic and, in depicting that reality as Cassie slowly begins to explore why she's so drawn to her job and to boozy benders, the show itself is as well. Think sudden revelations and reversals, multiple points of interest playing out across a split-screen setup, and cliffhangers to end every episode (and keep viewers keen to watch more). Also noticeable, and crucial: the fact that Cassie is unreliable in general, and was blackout drunk on the night in question so she can't remember what happened. This is a tightly and glossily made whodunnit; however, it's also a thorny thriller that tasks its key figure with scrambling around not only trying to investigate the case, but also to work out her role within it. In topic, themes and tone, Cuoco leaves The Big Bang Theory far behind. She's still engagingly erratic as Cassie, though — but in a different and deeper way. As the character's personality, background and present situation calls for, she finds the fine line between messy and likeable, and poignant and even slapstick on occasion. Cassie makes so many terrible decisions that they become her defining trait but, thanks to Cuoco in career-best form, she never feels like she's just being driven by the plot's many machinations. The always-charming Huisman gets more screen time than viewers might initially expect, too, and the series is better for it. Plus, post-Girls, Zosia Mamet is also a welcome inclusion as Cassie's steely, no-nonsense best friend and lawyer Annie, who eventually calls out her pal on her baggage. Airport novels frequently require readers to simply go with the flow. As a slick, swift-moving TV series that knows exactly the kind of story it's telling and goes for broke, The Flight Attendant is no different. The fact that it's filled with intrigue, often of the implausible and even ridiculous yet still instantly addictive type, will surprise no one — it's what such tales are supposed to serve up, after all. But there's darkness, weirdness, pathos and plenty of twisty comedy on offer here as well. It's easy to get immersed in, and to be entertained by. And, it'll help vicariously indulge your wanderlust and plunge you into a bingeworthy mystery at the same time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rWnlXbnQLk&feature=youtu.be The Flight Attendant is available to stream via Binge — with the first seven episodes online now, and the series finale available from the evening of Thursday, December 17. Images: Phil Caruso, HBO.
Pick up a new pair of kicks, show your favourite band some love and help Aussie communities recovering from devastating floods: yes, just by adding some shoes to your wardrobe, you can do all of the above. If you're a Dune Rats fan, you'll already be mighty excited about the Brisbane band's just-launched Volley collection — but the fact that both Volley and Dune Rats are donating funds from each pair of sneakers to flood relief helps make a great thing even better. First, the shoes. Two different styles are available: a black pair of hightops decked out with the Dunies' logo, which'll set you back $99.99; and a white pair of heritage-style sneakers with red and yellow touches, which cost $74.99. Whichever you choose, $10 will be donated to folks in need after the catastrophic weather across Queensland and New South Wales, via both the Red Cross Flood Appeal and GIVIT. "We would normally be so stoked to announce a partnership with such an iconic brand as Volley (we are very proud of this collab), but what is happening right now in our home city of Brisbane and neighbouring towns down in the northern rivers has been devastating," said the band on Facebook. "To do help do our part, Volley is donating $5 from each pair of shoes sold to the Red Cross Flood Appeal and we will match that dollar for dollar ($10 a pair). We ask everyone to do what you can to help these communities. The music industry over the last two years has been decimated, but pales in comparison to loss these great communities are going through. Our hearts are with you," the statement continued. If you're keen to green light some new Dunies shoes for your cupboard right now, and do a great deed in the process, the limited-edition Dune Rats x Volley range also spans three different types of socks ($19.99 each) — including a black pair with lightning strikes — and a Dunies backpack ($69.99). And, this is just the first drop, with the band and brand launching an ongoing partnership. For more information about Dune Rats' Volley range, or to buy a pair of shoes, socks or a backpack online, head to the Volley website.
Trumpy is a surprise. And everyone loves surprises. In fact, the only indication there's a bar behind the heavy wooden doors on High Street is the unmistakable beacon that is the brightly lit Cooper's sign hanging overhead. Judging by the inconspicuous entrance of this large brick warehouse you'd expect a loud, cavernous space to lie beyond, but instead you'll find an inviting bar with a warm interior and sophisticated neighbourhood vibe. This is a bar that will serve you equally well whether you're having dinner with a friend, cocktails with a group, or a first date wine. It's cosy, warm and intimate (hence the date suitability), despite the warehouse factor with lofty ceilings and exposed beams. I was, however, left wondering how they might water the plants, sitting by the dozen up in the pitch of the roof. Trumpy is a purveyor of beer, wine, cocktails and tapas — with the odd live gig or DJ set thrown in for good measure. The food is modest in selection, but confident in execution. Pea, zucchini and mint arancini with orange yoghurt ($12), 'fancy' fish fingers with hand cut chips ($19) and prawns with spring bean salad ($16) are great for sharing, and the perfect complement to the drinks list — one that features cocktail jugs, no less. The Pimms Cup ($35) has summer written all over it, whereas the Fish House Punch ($40) should come with a warning instead. If it's not that kind of occasion, perhaps a specialty brew such as The Hills Cider Company cloudy apple cider would be more appropriate. While this area has been bombarded with great bars recently, Trumpy seem to have hit the coveted sweet spot: always busy, consistently enjoyable, and perfectly located for residents of the north to make it their new go-to meeting spot. Images: Julia Sansone
The glittery night sky has long been a source of mystery and wonder, but, surprisingly, there aren't too many exhibitions or events across Melbourne that let you explore its depths—until now. Enter Discover The Night Sky, the Melbourne Planetarium's new monthly astronomy series hosted by renowned astronomer Dr Tanya Hill. Blending science and storytelling with awe-inspiring visuals, this immersive five-part, after-dark program dives into a different cosmic theme each month. Each session is projected across a captivating 16-metre domed screen, paired with a powerful 7.1 surround sound system. Settle into a plush, reclining chair as you journey through the universe to uncover the science behind eclipses and exoplanets, the Milky Way and mind-boggling black holes. Looking for a fun date night idea? Or something a little more inspired than the usual post-work pub beers? Discover The Night Sky is the antidote to midweek monotony. Stargaze through telescopes guided by amateur astronomers while sipping drinks and enjoying snacks from the Galaxy Bar. Host Dr Tanya Hill says looking up at the beautiful night sky—especially shared with others—can force you to slow down and open up to new perspectives. "What I'm really excited about is sharing with people the things we can't plan for. There's always something new that's being discovered about the universe, and I want to take people behind the headlines. We'll do a deep dive into the research and details of any new discoveries—what we've learnt, how they come about, and what mysteries still need to be figured out." Whether you're a space enthusiast or simply curious about the cosmos, the Melbourne Planetarium's Discover The Night Sky offers an engaging, educational, and beautifully immersive experience. 'Discover the Night Sky' will run on the last Thursday of the month from Thursday, July 31–November 27. Tickets are limited, to secure yours, visit the website. By Elise Cullen, images by Eugene Hyland (courtesy of Melbourne Planetarium)
If Game of Thrones has taught us anything, it's that no one is ever happy. After all, this is a world where weddings end in slaughter, kings are poisoned mid-feast, queens casually mention that they wiped out your entire family, killing a zombie leader still can't save a girl from dragon fire, and finally finding love usually comes with betrayal — and the discovery of new relatives. But if every fictional Stark, Lannister and Targaryen has seemed less than chipper across the hugely popular HBO show's eight seasons, they've got nothing on a group of disgruntled fans who absolutely hate the last batch of episodes. These GoT watchers don't just dislike the five episodes of season eight so far. Rather, these folks despise them so much that they're demanding for all of them to be remade. The idea of agreeing to disagree, realising that wrapping up nearly ten years of storytelling was never going to please everyone, recognising that endings are always tricky or just accepting that a few disappointing episodes of your favourite show won't spark a white walker-filled apocalypse is clearly lost on some. The uproar spiked after GoT's latest instalment, the carnage- and dragon-heavy The Bells, which is also the series' second-last episode ever. Plenty of viewers have plenty of opinions about the show's narrative arc, its soaring body count, character development and how the expected showdown between Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) turned out, sparking a Change.org petition to "remake Game of Thrones season eight with competent writers". The petition was actually launched after the preceding episode, but took off in the past week. Thanks to darkly lit battle sequences and a quick glimpse of a modern-day takeaway coffee cup, GoT gripes have been coming in thick and fast this year. At the time of writing, more than 900,000 people have signed up — because "there is so much awful crap going on in the world, people like me need to escape into things like Star Wars and Game of Thrones," explains the petition's originator, Dylan. The main source of misdirected ire are showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, who were tasked with conjuring up the show's storylines when it overtook George RR Martin's books. And if you're wondering about the Star Wars reference, that's the pair's next gig, overseeing a new trilogy that'll launch after this year's Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. There's even a second petition now, directed towards Disney, asking for Benioff and Weiss to be pre-emptively removed from the space opera franchise. Online tantrums and outlandish fan service demands like this aren't new, as the backlash to the female-led Ghostbusters and to most women characters in big-name series have shown. Unsurprisingly, both Game of Thrones and Star Wars have specifically been plagued by the latter kind of ridiculous complaints. DC Comics fans also tried to shut down Rotten Tomatoes when they didn't like Suicide Squad reviews, too — before said fans had even seen the film themselves. There are countless more examples, but just because these entitlement-fuelled hissy fits are popping up regularly, doesn't mean they should be considered normal behaviour. Unless Game of Thrones ends with a dragon on the throne, it's never going to make everyone happy. Okay, that idea won't thrill a lot of people either. But not only whining loudly and incessantly because a movie or TV show doesn't meet your specific personal hopes, dreams and expectations, but insisting that it be remade to suit you, is as silly as GoT wrapping up with a resurrected Ned Stark (Sean Bean) as king or everyone learning that they're just a figment of the Three-Eyed Raven's imagination. Game of Thrones' final episode arrives on Monday, May 20, Australian and New Zealand time. Images: Helen Sloan/HBO.
Inimitable frozen dessert guru Nick Palumbo is responsible for making gelato the hottest thing in Sydney served below 0°C. His revered Gelato Messina sets the benchmark for gelato in Australia, taking a traditional Sicilian craft (everything is made from scratch using raw, natural ingredients) and carefully folding in an avant-garde approach towards flavours (there are six to seven specials released each week, with even the most deceptively unassuming beige ones accumulating Facebook likes in the hundreds). Now he's been tasked with the duty of finding one Australian craftsman blending tradition with inspiration. Ketel One has snagged Nick to sit on the judging panel of their Modern Craft Project, which you might remember us talking about here and which you should probably enter if you have a traditional craft, an entrepreneurial spirit and a partiality towards $100,000 cash prizes. Before the competition kicks off we stole a few minutes out of Nick's busy schedule to get the scoop on his idiosyncratic approach to artisan gelati. Concrete Playground (CP): Why gelato? Nick Palumbo (NP): In Messina, Sicily (where we are from) there is a huge culture of gelato and I wanted to create a brand that used traditional craftsmanship but was flexible in the sense that there is no limit to how creative you want to be. CP: What flavours did you launch Gelato Messina with back in 2002? NP: We only had 20 basic flavours back then but there was always a focus on quality. The innovation started to come in about two years later once we gained the trust of our customers. Coconut lychee, which sounds boring now, was our first "experimental flavour" back then. CP: Why did you decide to do the Gelato Messina Lab? NP: Because in the gelateria, we thought we had taken the quality side of things to quite a high level and all we had now was innovation of flavours. We wanted to push the boundaries a bit and marry in the world of high end patisserie with gelato, and saw it as a huge challenge and something that, to our knowledge, no one had done before. CP: The cakes are incredibly intricate — which one is the most satisfying to assemble? NP: The Black Forest, there are lots of components and the end result looks amazing. CP: They also incorporate many ingredients that aren't normally found in frozen desserts. Which ingredient poses the most problems? NP: All the jellies, they are hard to make soft at -18°C! CP: How do you come up with new flavours? NP: Basically we look for inspiration everywhere, especially from the world of patisserie, but it's also about continually finding flavours that work together. CP: What flavour has been the biggest surprise for you in terms of popularity? NP: Salted Caramel and White Choc Chip. It's now our best seller yet but when it first came out I actually heard a few people saying they didn't like it. Now those same people love it. CP: Obviously coming up with flavours must involve a lot of trial and error. What have been some of the errors? NP: Tomato sorbet. CP: I read a story about the frontman of Amy Meredith turning to his Facebook fans to demand the return of this favourite flavour (Elvis the Fat Years, which was then reborn as Christian Skinny Jeans). Is there anyone else you would like to reincarnate as gelato? NP: My three-month-old boy! The Milky Bar Kid. CP: Why did you want to become involved with the Ketel One Modern Craft Project? NP: Because Ketel One is an amazing brand full of history, which is my dream for Messina, and because there is not much in the way of support in this country for young people with a passion to do good things so anything that will help support artisans is something I'd like to be a part of. CP: What is next for Gelato Messina? NP: We open in Bondi in the middle of next year and we open in China (Hangzhou) in April next year. CP: And finally, cup or cone? NP: Silly question, CONE!
In this or any other galaxy, whether here, near or far, far away and a long time ago, Star Wars streaming shows can't all be Andor. In cinemas, the franchise's movies can't all be Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, either. So, in both formats, they aren't always the weightiest and most grounded instalments that the series has ever delivered, all while demonstrating about as much interest in nostalgia as Jar Jar Binks has in not being annoying. The latest TV effort in the George Lucas-started space-opera saga, Ahsoka doesn't want to follow exactly in the last new Star Wars small-screen entry's footsteps, however, even if it's another sidestep tale about battling evil that champions folks who are rarely thrust to the fore. Instead, it has intertwined aims: serving up a female-led chapter and drawing upon the franchise's animated realm. For many, Star Wars is 11 live-action movies, the bulk of which arrived in three trilogies that splashed around Roman numerals aplenty. For those with a Disney+ subscription, the pop-culture universe covers the streaming platform's live-action shows, too, with not just Andor but three seasons of The Mandalorian, 2021–22's The Book of Boba Fett and also 2022's Obi-Wan Kenobi connected to those flicks. Star Wars has always expanded further since its 70s beginnings, though, via TV specials and films, books (Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope's novelisation actually released before the feature) and animation. So, from the latter — and specifically from animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the TV series it spawned, plus fellow animated shows Star Wars Rebels and Tales of the Jedi — springs Ahsoka and its eponymous ex-Jedi padawan Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson, Clerks III) from Wednesday, August 23. Ahsoka appeared in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett as well, with the series that the character now anchors also spinning off from the former. The show's inter-franchise Star Wars links are strong, then, but it isn't just for fans who've watched every frame that the saga has ever sent hurtling across screens — thankfully so. Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni has given himself a tricky task, diving deeper beyond the obvious Star Wars fodder while still engaging more-casual franchise viewers. Nods and references abound for diehards, and to key figures and beloved creatures alike, yet so does a supremely well-cast spin on the space opera's well-loved formula. As Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill, The Sandman) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness in the original 1977–83 big-screen trilogy), Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen, Obi-Wan) and Kenobi (Raymond & Ray's Ewan McGregor since the 1999–2005 prequel trilogy), the latter and Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson, Marlowe), and Rey (Daisy Ridley, Chaos Walking) and Leia Organa Solo (Carrie Fisher, Catastrophe) have all demonstrated — such pairings go on — Lucas and his successors in steering all things Star Wars love a master-and-apprentice story. Ahsoka provides two tied to the force, with its namesake once a pupil to Anakin before he went to the dark side, and also a mentor to her own student in rebellious, flame-haired Mandalorian Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Guns Akimbo). Thanks to the man who became Darth Vader, Ahsoka is wary about the Jedi order and unsurprisingly cautious in general. Via her prior time with Sabine, she knows the difficulties of being a guide to a headstrong protégée. While the show gives its central figure nefarious foes to battle, it also has her grappling with her past traumas, mistakes and regrets. She's guarded there, too; when rebel crew member and now-New Republic general Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)) suggests that the way forward might involve enlisting Sabine's help, Ahsoka is reluctant. But only the youngest of the main trio can unlock a pivotal orb that holds a map that could lead to exiled Imperial officer Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen, The Kingdom) and Ahsoka's fellow one-time padawan Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi, The Inspection). With just the 2015–19 sequel trilogy and animated series Star Wars Resistance set after it, Ahsoka's plot hones in on fending off the fallen Empire's attempts to rebuild and strike back again. Hoping otherwise: Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto, The Last Tour), who starts the program imprisoned but is swiftly freed thanks to former Jedi-turned mercenary Baylan Skoll (the late Ray Stevenson, RRR) and his own his trainee Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno, The Reunion). Bringing back Thrawn from banishment is their next step, putting them on a collision course with Ahsoka, Hera and Sabine — amid early Indiana Jones-style treasure hunting, vivid lightsaber duels, reminders of how insidiously that greed can lure people in, a stunning hoverbike race, a loth-cat's cuteness, a tad too much exposition and droid Huyang (Good Omens' David Tenant, lending his voice again as he did in The Clone Wars) hanging around, all in the first two episodes. If the storyline sounds all Star Wars 101, that's because it is, yet a change of perspective and a stacked cast ensure that Ahsoka never feels like it's lazily sticking to a template. Filoni, who also worked on both the film and TV versions of The Clone Wars, as well as Rebels, Resistance, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Tales of the Jedi and more, clearly knows the drill — and how to make this take on it stand out. It isn't just that this is the first series focused on a woman connected to the Jedi, and one of the few within its ranks. Ahsoka cares about the way that conflict has scarred and wearied its hero and her colleagues, and shaped them and stretched their bonds in the process. It could easily be called Ahsoka, Hera and Sabine, which would suit three of its core performances. Still, beneath the character's head tails, Dawson turns in a portrayal to build a show around — serene, wry, fierce, thoughtful, purposeful, formidable, haunted and determined — which Ahsoka wisely does. Perhaps a Sabine offshoot will join the Star Wars fold in the future, with Bordizzo that magnetic in her stubborn, impulsive and daring role. In one of his final performances given his passing in May, the reliably commanding Stevenson is similarly arresting — and Sakhno, too, even if largely through her presence, a killer glare, and pitch-perfect costuming and lighting that helps her instantly look the entrancing part. Ahsoka gets that last aspect right throughout and across the board, taking as many visual cues from Star Wars' animated forays as its live-action jaunts, yet always sporting its own glow. This isn't Andor, but after those franchise-best heights it's still a series that intrigues, engages and often soars. Check out the trailer for Ahsoka below: Ahsoka streams via Disney+ from Wednesday, August 23. Images: ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd & TM. All Rights Reserved.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's 22nd film might be called Endgame, but we all know there's more where it came from. Of course there is. In July, Spider-Man: Far From Home will swing into cinemas, continuing the MCU and the story of everyone's favourite friendly neighbourhood web-slinger (the Tom Holland version — sorry Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield fans). If you haven't seen Endgame, and you're averse to spoilers, we're not going to tell you anything that isn't already widely known. Far From Home has been in the works since 2017's immensely fun Spider-Man: Homecoming proved a hit, it released its first teaser back in January and it's officially considered the end of the MCU's phase three. But if you don't want to know what follows on from the huge Avengers showdown that's currently in cinemas, then you definitely won't want to watch Far From Home's new trailer. Consider this an official spoiler warning — something that the trailer itself includes at the start. Yes, really. By getting Holland to deliver the caution to camera, Marvel and Spider-Man distributor Sony shows it clearly has a sense of humour, especially since the young star is known for being loose-lipped with important MCU details. Picking up where Endgame left off, Far From Home sees Peter Parker pondering what the end of its immediate predecessor means, all while he's headed to Europe with his friends. Step up for the good of the world, or pursue his crush on MJ (Zendaya)? They're some of Spidey's options. Once again directed by Jon Watts, who helmed Homecoming, the movie also features Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio — as well as familiar faces in the form of Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, Jacob Batalon as Parker's best friend Ned, and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan. Oh, and because it's an MCU film, Samuel L Jackson as well. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFoz8ZJWmPs Spider-Man: Far From Home releases in Australian cinemas on July 4.
If a trip to SXSW has always been on your bucket list, here's an alternative much closer to home: Australia's own — and first — huge five-day technology and music festival. Called Sound West, the new event is headed to Sydney's west in early 2022, and will combine a two-day conference at CommBank Stadium with three days of live music events. Networking, workshops, mentoring, big tech brands and music industry leaders, performances by local, national and international talent — that's all on the bill. Mark Wednesday, March 30–Sunday April 3 in your diary, as that's when Parramatta will play host to an event that's been three years in the making — after the team behind Sound West conceived of giving Greater Western Sydney its own landmark fest. The end result will take over venues large, small and unique, bring together the music and tech industries, and both recognise and develop the next generation of talent in the two fields. Exactly what'll be on the entire lineup won't be revealed until February — which is when tickets will also go on sale — but Dylan Alcott OAM, L-Fresh The Lion, Khaled Rohaim and Serwah Attafuah will all pop up among Sound West's presenters and performers. Alcott will chat about his accessibility-focused music festival Ability Fest, L-Fresh The Lion will collaborate on a number of singer-songwriter initiatives, Rohaim will discuss his work with Rihanna, Ty Dolla $ign and The Kid Laroi (including working from his western Sydney bedroom), and Attafuah will cover her moves in the NFTs and their relevance to the music industry. [caption id="attachment_831234" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Khaled Rohaim[/caption] The program will also feature keynote addresses, panels, one-on-one sessions, live podcasting and interactive activations. SXSW has been known to get creative in the latter space, so fingers crossed that proves the same at Sound West. And, brand-wise, plenty of big music and tech names will be represented, such as NEC Australia, TikTok, Shopify, Warner Music, Universal Music Australia, Live Nation, Apple Music, ARIA and APRA AMCOS. "This region is going from strength to strength through industry development, investment in research and innovation, and a rich cultural foundation that makes for a dynamic city to live, work, visit and host events," said Stuart Ayres, NSW Minister for Tourism and Western Sydney, announcing the festival. "Sound West is the first of its kind in Australia and will bring together brilliant minds, industry leaders and music enthusiasts to share ideas, network and enjoy the creativity of home-grown artists." Sound West Technology and Music Festival will run from Wednesday, March 30–Sunday April 3, 2022, in Parramatta. The full event lineup will be revealed in February — we'll update you with further details then.
