This two-day event is the ultimate sweet-tooth heaven, featuring a line-up of masterclass presentations from top local and international sugar maestros. Get the lowdown from the likes of dessert wizards, Pierre Roelofs and Philippa Sibley, the soft-serve masters behind USA's Big Gay Ice Cream, and Sydney's Katherine Sabbath. The $20 ticket gets you into all masterclass sessions, a glass of Redbank Emily Brut Cuvée and entry to the Sweetfest marketplace: a magical spot where you can load up on take-home sweet treats, or enjoy cocktails and grown up spiders at the bar.
It's been 11 years since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio decided to fill a Melbourne alleyway with tunes in 2005. Heading back to their collection of unconventional venues for another year, Laneway Festival has announced its 2016 lineup. Returning to Singapore, Auckland and the five established Australian Laneway go-to cities, Laneway will raise a plastic cup to the middle of summer with one heck of a killer lineup. Following the previously leaked Hudson Mohawke and Purity Ring headliner announces, Laneway will see one heck of a crew on their unconventional stages. Odd Future's super outfit The Internet will be here, alongside Ninja Tune's bass monarch Thundercat and the return of Grimes (start losing your collective shit). Epic Scottish electronic crew CHVRCHES are headed back to Australia, with a few fellow return trippers — Baltimore dreamboats Beach House, American math rockers Battles are back with their new album, as well as Brooklyn's atmospheric foursome DIIV. Plenty of love for the onstage return of Big Scary after Tom Isanek finished up with #1 Dads, and there's sure to be a big ol' ruckus for Sydney wonderkid Flume back on stage. You'll be hard pressed to find a spot at Las Vegas hypecard Shamir's set, watching young Washington rapper GoldLink or the pretty, pretty Beatles-y Tobias Jesso Jr. Odd Future's Vince Staples is headed here too, following his OFWGKTA bud Tyler the Creator's ban from Australia. With beloved local artists like Hermitude, Violent Soho, The Smith Street Band and DMA's, this year's lineup is more eclectic than a Jenny Kee jumper. Enough talk, here 'tis. LANEWAY FESTIVAL 2016 LINEUP: Ali Barter* Banoffee Battles Beach House Big Scary Blank Realm** Chvrhces DIIV DMA’s East India Youth FIDLAR Flume GoldLink Grimes Health Hermitude High Tension Hudson Mohawke Japanese Wallpaper Majical Cloudz Methyl Ethel METZ Purity Ring QT Shamir Silicon Slum Sociable** Sophie The Goon Sax*** The Internet The Smith Street Band Thundercat Tobias Jesso Jr. Vince Staples Violent Soho * Exclusive to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne only ** not playing Fremantle *** Exclusive to Brisbane only Tickets on sale from Laneway Festival. Image: Andy Fraser. Here's one for getting psyched up.
It's the kind of music event every pet lover dreams of, and it's back for another year of cute puppies and pumping sounds. That'd be Dogapalooza, of course. It does have a rather excellent name — and that merry moniker is just the beginning. After wowing crowds with its first four fests, the dog-friendly shenanigans are bound to get tales wagging again at Richmond's Burnley Park on Sunday, November 10. While the music lineup hasn't dropped just yet, the food truck menu has. Expect everything from gluten-free doughnuts to brews from Moon Dog Brewery, veggie burgers, woodfired pizza, waffles, shakes and plenty of dog-friendly treats, too. Dogapalooza isn't just a day of music-oriented bliss in the sun with your pet pooch, either. All proceeds raised will go towards helping canines in need via Oscar's Law and Melbourne dog rescue groups such as Stafford Rescue Victoria, Melbourne Animal Rescue, Puppy Tails Rescue and Greyhound Rescue Victoria. Early dog tickets are now on sale, with full-price tickets dropping when they sell out.
UPDATE, August 15, 2020: I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story is available to stream via DocPlay, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. For many teenage girls, love has a name. It's not their schoolyard crush, or that boy who keeps teasing them in class. Depending on the decade, it's Harry Styles, Nick Carter, Robbie Williams or Paul McCartney. Their great loves sing to them, stare back at them from posters on their walls, and soulfully look their way at packed-out concerts. They croon tunes about holding hands, wanting them back and inner beauty, and — crucially — declare they'll never break any hearts. Whether it's The Beatles in the 60s, the Backstreet Boys in the 90s or One Direction earlier this decade, such is the power of boy bands. Many come together in the most calculated of manners, specifically engineered to appeal to as many swooning girls and sell as many records as possible. But the sentiments they're uttering feel real to their fans. Take 16-year-old Long Island resident Elif, for example. When she talks about One Direction, her face could light up Zayn Malik and company's world like nobody else. She screams at their videos, calls them "the boys" like they're kids that she goes to school with, and bursts into tears when a friend suggests that a band member might deliver their pizza. Alongside 25-year-old San Francisco journalist Sadia, 33-year-old Sydney band strategist Dara and 64-year-old Melbourne TV producer Susan, Elif is one of four boy band aficionados featured in I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story. Each has fallen hard for a different group and it's changed their life, with the documentary exploring, analysing and celebrating their fandom. Well aware that loving a boy band is so often seen as the domain of silly young girls, filmmaker Jessica Leski examines the phenomenon with joy, affection and irreverence, and with an open heart and mind. She knows a thing or two about the topic herself, having become a devoted Directioner at the age of 31. Cue a delicate balancing act, but one that I Used to Be Normal manages with the skill of a carefully choreographed *NSYNC dance routine. As the bright, upbeat, quick-paced film delves deep into its subjects' thoughts, emotions, hopes and desires, it also dissects the broader allure of manufactured male pop groups and the catharsis they can offer. Dara gives viewers a Boy Band 101 lesson to help cover all angles, however its her own personal story — and Elif, Sadia and Susan's too — that comprises the beating heart of the doco. Set to an appropriate soundtrack, their love of cute men belting out pop ballads is always intimate and genuine, and handled with thoughtfulness and insight. For Turkish immigrant Elif, One Direction connects her to her adopted country and helps unleash her dreams of becoming a musician. Growing up in a conservative Muslim household, Sadia's obsession with the Backstreet Boys helped her explore her teenage urges — and still helped when she suffered from depression in college. Dara's affinity for Take That's Gary Barlow shaped her identity and her sexuality, while Susan's Beatlemania has been a crutch to lean on through decades of ups and downs. Even if you don't know New Kids on the Block from East 17, and even if you'd never want to, these tales are instantly relatable. It's passion that unites I Used to Be Normal's four women, and unites them with everyone watching, too. On good and bad days alike, these ladies filter their lives through something that feels larger than life, which is exactly what sports nuts, comic book-lovers, Game of Thrones tragics and Potterheads do as well. While exposing this truth, Leski acts in much the same way from behind the camera. That's a key aspect of her documentary: she doesn't judge or dismiss or play up stereotypes, because everyone is a fangirl (or boy) for something, including the director herself. There's humour in the film, but it comes from someone who knows what her subjects are going through — and knows that everyone watching knows the same loving feeling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSQBPzGL8EI
You've played the video games, bought the toys, collected the trading cards, enjoyed the anime and watched Pokémon: Detective Pikachu. When Pokémon Go was the only reason that everyone was picking up their phones, you caught 'em all then, too. So, we're guessing that Netflix's upcoming Pokémon series will jump straight into your must-watch list — with the streaming service reportedly working on a new live-action take on everyone's favourite pocket monsters. Yes, Detective Pikachu also combined all things Pokémon with flesh-and-blood humans, and it proved a big box office hit to the tune of $433 million worldwide. So, it is far from surprising that Netflix wants to give the concept a spin. The platform already streams a few existing animated Pokémon titles, with Indigo League, Sun and Moon: Ultra Legends and Journeys currently available via the service Down Under. And, it is known to like padding out its catalogue with, well, pretty much everything it can get its hands on. As reported in Variety, the new live-action Pokémon series doesn't yet have a name — and if or how it might tie into Detective Pikachu is also unknown. That said, writer and executive producer Joe Henderson is expected to be behind the project, hopping over from Lucifer, which is set to end this year following its sixth and final season. When the inherently nostalgic new series might turn up, how many episodes it will span and who else could be involved also hasn't been revealed, because that's how early-stage the show is. But Netflix does love bringing back childhood favourites, as it has previously done with She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and the just-released Masters of the Universe: Revelation — not that Pokémon has gone anywhere since first debuting in the 90s. Obviously, there's no trailer yet for Netflix's potential live-action Pokémon show, but you can check out the trailer for Detective Pikachu below: Netflix's live-action Pokemon series doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when further details are announced. Via Variety.
It's no secret that we live in a digital age. Most of the things we do involve staring at some form of a screen: replying to emails, reading news, Facetiming friends on the other side of the world, binge-watching Netflix on the train. Take away our screens and what are we? Lost! Fortunately, there's a simple solution to the problem of spending so much time online, and that is making sure you're getting paid for it. If you spend more time online than you'd like to admit, it's worth making sure you have the skills to make it your profession. Love playing video games? Learn how to design them. Always find yourself correcting people's Instagram post? A Bachelor of Communications will give you complete grammatical bragging rights. As it turns out, you can complete all of these courses, and more, online. Open Universities Australia (OUA) helps you find a degree to fit your goals and study it online with leading Australian universities. So, no matter your physical proximity to the university running the course, or your life commitments, you can make it happen. Check out these degrees that can help you carve a profession out of your screen loving ways — and they won't interfere with the time you spend online. YOU SPEND LOTS OF TIME: READING THE NEW YORKER ONLINE Consider studying: A Bachelor of Arts in either Creative Writing or Internet Communications and Professional Writing and Publishing with Curtin University. Have you ever imagined yourself sitting in a villa somewhere in southern France, fingers poised over a typewriter as you ponder your next plot twist? Fancied yourself the next J.K Rowling, or perhaps a modern-day Jane Austen? Do what E.L James never did and enrol in a writing course that's sure to get those creative juices flowing. Curtin University's Creative Writing degree will allow you to explore a range of writing styles, as you study everything from the poetry of Walt Whitman to the screenplays of Alfred Hitchcock. And, if you study through OUA, you can access online support at all hours of the day, so no matter when you're squeezing in your study time, you'll have someone to help you along the way. YOU SPEND LOTS OF TIME: IN YOUTUBE HOLES Consider studying: A Bachelor of Digital Media with the University of South Australia. Is keeping on top of digital trends your thing? The University of South Australia's Bachelor of Digital Media will help you curate your passion into an employable skill set. Always watched National Geographic documentaries with envy? This course will teach you everything to do with video and documentary production as well as digital humanities, so you'll be equipped to travel the globe with little more than a camera and a laptop. Perhaps design is more your forte? You'll have a front seat (figuratively) to the creative process of creating web design, coding, and multimedia and graphic design. If you've always wanted to live inside the digital world and have the skills to manipulate it, this course is for you. YOU SPEND LOTS OF TIME: LATE-NIGHT GAMING Consider studying: A Bachelor of Information Technology in Game Design and Development with Murdoch University. The saying 'do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life' has never been more true. If you find it hard to tear your eyes away from Call of Duty, Fortnite or Mario Kart (hey, whatever tickles your fancy) this degree is definitely for you. Have you ever shouted out when you spot errors in your favourite games, even when no one is around? Here's your chance to be the brains behind the screen, building a solid foundation in IT — as well as getting creative with new game ideas. YOU SPEND LOTS OF TIME: LIVE TWEETING ABOUT TV SHOWS Consider studying: A Bachelor of Communication with Griffith University. If you're that friend who narrates each episode of The Bachelor non-stop, claiming you can see through their fake words and even faker smiles just from their body language, you're perfect for a career in communciations. Griffith University's Bachelor of Communication can help you spend the rest of your life investigating, critiquing and gathering knowledge about all kinds of comms. It opens a realm of possibilities to sink your teeth into. You might work towards becoming the next Miranda Priestly (except, you know, nicer), or learn about communications in other countries so that you can spend your days travelling the globe helping people connect. Perhaps your new digital media skills can help you edit and produce video campaigns, or become a PR wizard and get loads of free stuff. The possibilities are endless. YOU SPEND LOTS OF TIME: SILENTLY CORRECTING PEOPLE'S GRAMMAR ON FACEBOOK Consider studying: Graduate Diploma of Writing with Swinburne University. Think you're pretty good at writing, but could stand to fine-tune your skills? Ever find yourself wanting to comment on grammatical errors on Facebook? It's no surprise. When we're online, we're absorbing information. After reading so many reviews on new restaurants or articles dissecting the latest Queer Eye episodes, no wonder some of us are drawn to the written word. Fortunately for you, a Graduate Diploma of Writing from Swinburne University is a surefire way to turn surfing the web into full-time employment. Whether you use your newfound skills to write press releases for the next big tech startup or to review every cafe that serves turmeric lattes in your city — well, that's up to you. Explore hundreds of degrees from leading Australian universities — available online through Open Universities Australia. You could get paid to spend more time on the internet before your know it.
Each individual member of How I Met Your Mother seems to do something cool. Jason Segel resurrected the Muppets. Neil Patrick Harris produces interactive theatre and dresses his adorable babies in adorably elaborate Halloween costumes. Alyson Hannigan was Willow freakin' Rosenberg. When you break it down, the omnipresent sitcom might be less than the sum of its parts. Josh Radnor, the personal pronoun of How I Met Your Mother, follows suit by being an indie film writer and director of some repute, having won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for 2010's happythankyoumoreplease. His newbie, Liberal Arts, is about a 35-year-old demi-achiever, Jesse (Radnor), who works a dull job as a university admissions officer and reads dead-tree books constantly, while walking even. When he visits his alma mater to honour his retiring former professor, Peter (Richard Jenkins), Jesse also starts a romance with sparky 19-year-old student Zibby (Elizabeth Olsen). Between her exuberance for new knowledge and the campus's leafy, Midwestern nourishment, he rediscovers some of the wide-eyed optimism of his own college days — and also learns why he can't have them back. Really, you can't blame anyone for falling a bit in love with Olsen. She elevates the whole movie, bringing a flood of beauty and intelligence to a character already written to be quite beautiful and quite intelligent. She's not a manic pixie dream girl, although the film pales from being made in an MPDG world. The story of 'unremarkable pre-middle-aged male seeks shaking up, via female, into remarkable life' is a little tired. Sure, seedy, equivocating men deserve our empathy, but arguably they've already had their time in the sun. We know you shouldn't sleep with the girl; we don't need to see your working out. There are other flaws in the film that follow on from all this obviousness: One character, Dean (John Magaro), a random student among thousands, appears in front of Jesse 'by coincidence' with such frequency he'd have to be a ghost stalking our protagonist (he's not), and his arc becomes too foreseeable. Perhaps Liberal Arts would have meant something more if all these other characters didn't so perfectly serve Jesse. They awaken him, confront him, absolve him, and release him. That said, arts graduates will nod in recognition of post-modern theory references, and Allison Janney fans will delight in her cameo as an ironically hard-hearted Romantics professors. There are several estimable bon mots. Liberal Arts may make a forgettable thesis, but you'd still find a couple of passages within it to highlight.
As summer kicks off in Victoria, the Victorian music industry is gearing up for its biggest event for the year: ALWAYS LIVE. This festival celebrates the diversity of music in Victoria, with a mix of international headliners and local musicians alike taking to stages statewide from Friday, November 22, to Sunday, December 8. When the festival nears its conclusion on the final weekend, some of the most anticipated events will be taking place. One of those is Garage Band, or rather the culmination of Garage Band since it's a longer-term initiative running as a part of ALWAYS LIVE, coming together for a free concert at Bunjil Place and Federation Square on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8. Since its inception in 2021, the program has run yearly to find and elevate young musicians from across Victoria with professional coaching. The 2024 class of Garage Band includes 30 artists and bands, and as usual, every musician is between 16 and 21. The artists will refine their skills through workshops and mentorship during the festival. Ten artists will perform at Bunjil Place on Saturday, December 7, while twenty artists will be found on multiple stages in Fed Square on Sunday, December 8. With individual artists and after-school indie bands in equal amounts, it's the perfect chance to get up close with the next generation of Aussie musicians, and it's free, so really, there's no reason to miss it. Garage Band will take over Fed Square on Sunday, December 8. For more information, visit the ALWAYS LIVE website.
As first announced back in 2018, Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image will soon look rather different, with the screen culture-focused Federation Square site currently undergoing extensive $40 million renovations. When it reopens in 2021, visitors can expect revamped exhibition spaces, new immersive experiences and added interactive activations, including a permanent ode to Mad Max. Also part of the huge makeover: increasing the ways that everyone can engage with ACMI digitally, both when heading by in-person and from home. Yes, that sounds like a very 2020 move; however, the decision to implement a new experience operating system, or XOS, pre-dates the pandemic. The idea is to give visitors an integrated, multiplatform visitor experience, including before they arrive, as they're wandering around onsite and after they've left. And while some of ACMI's new additions will be familiar — an online exhibition space and its own video-on-demand service, for example — it has one particularly creative initiative up its sleeves. That'd be The Lens, a handheld device made out of compressed cardboard and featuring an NFC tag. Visitors will use it while they're physically moseying through ACMI's galleries, and can take it home with them as a keepsake. As you walk around and view the museum's exhibitions, you'll tap the device at around 200 different touchpoints to collect objects of interest — which'll then be available for you to explore on any device afterwards, no matter where you are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=ez82jLMVpmM&feature=emb_logo Explaining ACMI's new push to combine the physical and the digital, Director and CEO Katrina Sedgwick notes that "we often consume the same stories via different platforms; we might read the comic book then watch the film adaptation and later play the videogame. Each platform brings out something new in the story. We have taken this concept of multiplatform storytelling and applied it to our museum. Thanks to our XOS, what we can now offer is a deeply integrated journey that extends, expands and enriches your visit, be that in person, or online". While no one will be able to get their hands on The Lens until next year, with ACMI's exact relaunch date yet to be revealed, the museum is unveiling some of its new digital additions before it opens. Online right now is The Story of the Moving Image, a multimedia exhibition currently focused on three main topics — Australian television, video games, Australian film — with additional sections on digital art, social video and Black women on-screen to come. It expands one of the site's forthcoming permanent physical exhibitions. Also, in November this year, ACMI will unveil its aforementioned online exhibition space and online viewing platform. Arriving first is Gallery 5, which will stream artwork and performances from November 11, launching with the premiere of Delusional World by Shanghai-based video, installation and performance artist Lu Yang. Then, on November 19, Cinema 3 will start rolling, with the VOD service streaming a curated range of classics and new movies. It'll kick off with a digital restoration of Claire Denis' 1999 standout Beau Travail, plus Toshio Matsumoto's 1969 Japanese drama Funeral Parade of Roses and 2019's acclaimed Romanian flick The Whistlers. The Australian Centre for the Moving Image will reopen its doors sometime in 2021, with an exact date yet to be revealed. Its The Story of the Moving Image exhibition is currently available to view online, while its Gallery 5 digital exhibition space will launch on November 11, 2020 — with its Cinema 3 video-on-demand service following on November 19, 2020. Top image: Field Carr.
UPDATE, March 4, 2021: God's Own Country is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. When God's Own Country begins, it's with a quiet Yorkshire farmhouse swiftly disturbed by the sound of retching. Johnny Saxby (Josh O'Connor) has had yet another boozy night out, and he's suffering the consequences. Unfortunately for him, the land and the livestock won't wait for his hangover. It's an appropriate opening to a film that looks like a gritty, austere, social realist drama, but contains much that cannot be constrained. The after-effects of drinking have nothing on lusty, bubbling emotions. The first feature film from writer-director Francis Lee, God's Own Country pairs its struggling farm setting with surging desire, and asks its characters to weather hardships with both. Shot in the part of England the filmmaker grew up in, on a property much like his own father's, the movie follows Johnny's reaction when handsome Romanian Gheorghe (Alec Secareanu) arrives to assist during lambing season. Initially, Johnny's reluctant and even rude, though he can't help being impressed by the newcomer's skills with the job at hand. But cold nights spent in the countryside eventually warm up more than his appreciation for hard work. As something physical blossoms into even more, Gheorghe proves a positive influence on Johnny's self-destructive tendencies. If that description reminds you of another movie, you're certainly not alone. The phrase "British Brokeback Mountain" has been used to describe Lee's film since it premiered at Sundance in January. More than just a convenient way to describe a rural queer romance, it's a comparison that's well and truly earned. Men working the land and making a connection; concerns about the response of Johnny's unwell father (Ian Hart) and stoic grandmother (Gemma Jones); scenic sights and swelling feelings: the commonalities are all there, although God's Own Country ultimately follows its own path. More importantly, both films present a raw and affecting love story teeming with honesty and emotion. One thing's for certain: this isn't a restrained affair. Instead, it wears its heart proudly on Johnny and Gheorghe's muck-covered sleeves. It's a film that's unafraid to depict the harsh realities of farm life, or delve into the frustrations and troubles that come with it. Nor does it shy away from the heated passion of its erotic scenes. Blood, spit, mud, rough tumbles and tender moments all wash across the screen, drawing viewers into a realistic, resonant account of the two men's growing intimacy. In the process, God's Own Country does what every romance endeavours, but can't always manage: it ensures that every stolen glance, hard-earned smile, quiet gesture and clenched hand is felt by more than just the people on the screen. Pitch-perfect performances by O'Connor and Secareanu help, of course, with the actors giving their characters both texture and sincerity. So too does the fond but still clear-eyed way that cinematographer Joshua James Richards lenses everything from the sparse, sprawling hills to Gheorghe and Johnny's breathless encounters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-N_tdBhCjI
One could argue that the Queen's Birthday public holiday falls in June (when Her Majesty's actual birthday is actually in April) to give Aussies the chance to experience the joys of a wintery holiday. It's not entirely true, but we're running with it — and using it as an excuse to plan a cosy getaway with lots of wine. And one spot that delivers this is Winter Wine Fest. The exhibition, held on the Saturday of the June long weekend each year, marks the start of Winter Wine Weekend — a weekend-long fiesta of cellar door tastings and other vineyard events across the Mornington Peninsula. Hosted in the no-frills locale of a large tin shed at Red Hill in the Mornington's hinterland, the Winter Wine Fest is your, one-stop vino hotspot — a meeting of winemakers and wine lovers alike. This year, there'll be over 150 premium wines from 47 of the region's winemakers to sample, matched by a special menu created by chefs from the Mornington Peninsula's top restaurants. Plus, there'll be live music. Sip on textural, biodynamic drops from Staindl Wines, savour a classic, cool climate pinot noir or chardonnay from local winery Myrtaceae or head to one of the top winemakers in the region — Montalto — and sample some of its award-winning pinots. Local winemakers use the event to unveil a bunch of their new release wines, making it an ideal way to work your way through Mornington Peninsula's top drops, chat to some of the winemakers and keep your vino education going. If you wanted to make a weekend of it, continue the Winter Wine Weekend's celebrations and visit some of the peninsula's top cellar doors. For a full list of wineries and activities, visit here. Winter Wine Fest will run from 11am–4pm on Saturday, June 8. Pre-booked tickets cost $75 ($80 on the door), which includes all tastings, a Riedel wine glass, a tasting book (which features all wines on exhibition) and two entree size dishes. To book tickets, head this way. Image: Montalto, courtesy of Visit Victoria.
“Industry has moved abreast of art & we now trade culture as capital, Enthusiasm is currency, and here is no better Petri-dish for new forms & expressions of the contemporary than the warehouse. ...a return to the village ...except the candlestick maker, the butcher & the blacksmith are now the zinester, the permaculturalist & community theatre director.” While the vast majority of us get up every morning, go to work, and earn money to pay the rent or mortgage, some others opted out. Inspired by artistic ideals and the bohemian movements of days gone by, artists, performers and assorted creatives have been reclaiming warehouses and setting up counter-cultural enclaves where they can work among like-minded souls, and by the looks of things, throw some pretty awesome masquerade balls. Bohemianism is thriving, especially in Melbourne. This City Speaks To Me is the work of British music photographer Luke David Kellet, who spent several years living among Melbourne's bohemian community. Inspired by the artists and their lifestyle, Kellet has created a photobook which is both a documentary of, and dedication to the raw, wild energy and enthusiasm of the culture and its characters. The fluid, gonzo-esque text from poet Si complement the images and give them a hallucinatory life of their own. It’s good to see that alternative art and culture are thriving, and even better to see it portrayed so eloquently. As well as the full, print version, a shorter version of the book is available as a free download (NSFW). This City Speaks To Me
Early in Phoenix, Nelly (Nina Hoss) wakes up after facial reconstruction surgery and follows another bandaged woman into an office. There, she spots a noticeboard featuring a few photos from her past — and discovers that she's not only trailing someone in a hallway, but confronting the ghost of her former self. Yes, the film tells a tale of duality and doppelgangers, but it's not quite what that description might lead you to expect. Set amidst the rubble of post-war Berlin, it is haunted by the difficulties of moving forward when the past remains ever-present. Of course, getting a makeover, righting previous wrongs, seeking revenge and starting life anew are all familiar film tropes. Luckily, there's little that's routine or commonplace about the way writer-director Christian Petzold and his frequent co-scribe Harun Farocki bring Hubert Monteilhet's 1961 detective novel The Return from the Ashes to the screen. Their effort is part atmospheric drama, part slow-burning thriller. Phoenix is composed and compelling, rather than pulpy or clichéd. In other hands, it might've been exaggerated and cheesy; here, it's understated and moving. WWII is over and cabaret singer Nelly has survived not just a German concentration camp but a bullet to the head, though her nearest and dearest — including her husband Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld), who might've sold her out to the Nazis — think otherwise. Despite her friend Lene (Nina Kunzendorf) urging her to escape her troubles and move to Palestine, Nina is determined to return home. Alas, when husband and wife cross paths at the nightclub that gives the film its name, Johnny doesn't recognise her; instead, he thinks she merely resembles Nelly, and asks for her assistance in obtaining his wife's hefty inheritance. Forget Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, and Wes Anderson and Bill Murray: Petzold and Hoss are this generation's quintessential director-star duo. Here they reteam for their sixth film together and once again make movie magic, conjuring up strong reminders of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo in the process. His choices — the smoke and shadows that linger around Nelly, the repeated sounds of the song 'Speak Low', the gradual build to a quietly powerful ending — are masterful. Her performance — conveying so much conflict with little more than a look or a gesture — is equally as commanding. Indeed, taking your eyes off of Hoss proves close to impossible, though Phoenix is a polished affair all round. Zehrfeld, who also co-starred in Petzold and Hoss' last pairing, Barbara, is equally hypnotic in a far less sympathetic but just as complicated role. Together, they help convey two sides of a nation struggling with its identity in the aftermath of a great tragedy — a recurrent topic for Petzold. That's not a cause for concern; his characters might be toying with the past, but his layered, lingering film does much, much more than just recreate his former glories.
Melbourne artist Sayraphim Lothian doesn't make art that hangs on walls in galleries. You're more likely to find her work hiding in a tree, resting on a bench or nestled under a bush. She likes to leave people little gifts, just to make their day that little bit more special and fun. This March Sayraphim's mission is to bring guerrilla kindness to Christchurch, which is still rebuilding following the horrific 2011 earthquake. Journey - The Kakapo of Christchurch is a two-week public art project that uses the Kakapo's journey to recovery as a metaphor for Christchurch's journey to regeneration. A native of New Zealand, the Kakapo is the world's heaviest flightless parrot. It's population dwindled to a mere 18 in the 1970s, and since then, the Kakapo has been on its own journey of healing thanks to conservation group Kakapo Recovery. Even though the Kakapo is still endangered, there are now 124 birds alive and well in the wild. "I want to do this project to celebrate the resilience and unity of the people of Christchurch after the earthquakes and the recovery of the Kakapo from near extinction," Sayraphim says. "Neither of these things could have happened without the resourcefulness and kindness of the people involved." From March 13-23, 2014, the artist will travel to Christchurch to install 124 soft sculpture Kakapos around the city. These birds will be left for people to find and move, hide, remove, adopt or throw away. Part participatory art project, part game, part scavenger hunt and part social media check in, Journey invites people to get involved with an art project on a personal level. Each soft sculpture bird will have a tag attached, introducing it to the finder as well as having Journey's website address to provide more information about the project. There will also be a hashtag for social media so people can follow the Kakapos' journey around the city. You can help make this project happen by contributing your own act of guerrilla kindness. In exchange for your pledge you will receive a reward, which could include your very own handmade Christchurch Kakapo.
Musical theatre fans just keep getting more reasons to celebrate Jonathan Larson. In the past few years, none other than Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda took one of the composer, lyricist and playwright's works and turned it into a movie. After tick, tick…BOOM! hit screens, a stage production toured Australia as well. Next, Aussie audiences can catch the show that made him an icon: Rent. In 2024, it too will do the rounds Down Under, including to Melbourne. Larson created and composed the smash-hit production. Also, his Rent journey comes with quite the heartbreaking behind-the-scenes story. In the 90s, Larson passed away at the age of 35 on the day that that now-huge show premiered its first off-Broadway preview performance. So, he didn't get to see the Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning phenomenon that it would become. Plenty of other people have — when it first hit Broadway, Rent ran for 12 years, making it one of the famed theatre district's longest-running shows. And among those prizes is the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer for Drama, all for a tale about seizing the moment, facing adversity and finding one's community. Loosely based on Puccini's La Boheme, and written to include real-life locations and events, the rock musical will bring tunes including 'Seasons of Love', 'Take Me or Leave Me' and 'La Vie Bohème' to Arts Centre Melbourne's State Theatre from Saturday, February 17—Thursday, March 7. If you need a refresher on the story — or you're coming to Rent for the first time, having missed past performances and the 2005 film version — then prepare to step back to New York in 1991. Over the course of the year, as their neighbourhood is being gentrified and HIV/AIDS casts a shadow, a group of friends chase their dreams and strive for their place in the world. Images: Pia Johnson Photography.
Legos: the colourful building blocks that adults pretend they don't miss. They began as toys for children to use their imagination to create miniature houses and spaceships, but have become tools for the construction of life-size sculptures across the world. Who claims the glory of building the largest Lego masterpiece? Brazil, as of April 10, has triumphed over cities across the world in building the tallest Lego tower. In a shopping centre parking lot in San Paulo, Brazil, over 6000 children and parents spent four days putting together the tower, which now stands at 102 feet and three inches, breaking Chile's latest record set in 2008 by 9.8 inches. Children assembled over 500,000 individual Lego pieces which were later stacked together by a crane and held together with wire supports for stability against strong winds. The World's Tallest Lego Tower has come a long way since London's first attempt in 1988, which resulted in a 50 foot structure. Since then, Toronto, Moscow, Tokyo, Munich and our very own Sydney have held the coveted title. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qvRIcASivqQ [via Nerdist]
Throughout the history of Australian film and television, plenty of movies and shows have thrust their characters into the Aussie outback. That's exactly why the country's sunburnt expanse is so recognisable, with our dusty ochre-hued deserts common on-screen fodder. Upright follows the trend, but it also carves its own path through a crowded field — with Lucky Flynn (comedian Tim Minchin) trying to take his family's upright piano from Sydney to Perth, and crossing paths with runaway Meg (Milly Alcock) in his eventful travels. Minchin also helped develop Upright, co-wrote the eight-episode show and co-directed two episodes, so he's part of the series in a big way. He's in stellar company behind the scenes, too, with Upright created and co-written by Chris Taylor from The Chaser, and co-directed by Noise, Felony and A Month of Sundays filmmaker Matthew Saville.
Family dramas are always told best with a bit of humour, especially when wrestling is involved. Set in New Jersey, Win Win director Tom McCarthy delivers an offbeat comedy-drama about Mike Flaherty (played by Paul Giamatti), a family man who tries to stay afloat of financial and familial woes by volunteering as a wrestling coach at the local highschool. Flaherty attempts to keep his law practice from going under by posing as the legal guardian of an elderly client Leo Poplar (Burt Young) while coaching a team of high school wrestlers. But when the client's grandson Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer) shows up looking for somewhere to stay, Flaherty's plans are altered; Timmons proves to be an asset to his wrestling team. But things take another turn when Timmon's mother turns up to claim him. McCarthy's directing caliber includes indie films The Station and The Visitor and critics are calling his latest installment a funny and humane portrayal of American suburbia. Win Win opens on August 18. Concrete Playground has twenty double passes to giveaway to our readers courtesy of Fox Searchlight. To get your hands on one, simply make sure you're a CP subscriber then email us at hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ci_I6n2j5Uw
Are you the type of person who comes up with names for the animals you spot on your daily travels? Does the list of monikers you have for your pets outnumber the actual four-legged critters currently scampering around your house? Have you picked out titles for every dog, cat, bird, fish and lizard that could possibly share your home for the next five decades or so? Would you like to put your penchant for naming things to good use to support a worthy cause? Picking monikers for fluffy, feathered and scaly pals isn't a straightforward task, but it is fun — and, if you're particularly skilled at it, you can deploy your talents to help Assistance Dogs Australia. The not-for-profit organisation has teamed up with flea and tick treatment brand Bravecto to launch a 'name the pup' competition. You'll put forward your name for one of its puppies, obviously — and if your name is chosen, you'll win access to one of the organisation's puppy training sessions, a $500 Visa voucher and a one-year supply of Bravecto for your own doggo. Assistance Dogs Australia provides support dogs for people with disability, and trains them before they go out into the world. All of their pups are given names, usually chosen by ADA, before they're placed with a family to look after for around a year. After that, the dogs move on to their advanced training at ADA's national training school in Sydney, then graduate and become helpful four-legged companions. A few caveats apply to ADA's naming competition, unsurprisingly. The name you choose needs to start with the letter B, and have two syllables — so Boaty McBoatface (or Doggy McDogface) is out. You're also required to write a 25-word explanation outlining why your name should be selected, so you'll need to put more than a couple of seconds of effort into your submission. And, you'll need to follow the Bravecto Facebook page, too, and like the entry post. Then, you'll have to enter your suggestion via a comment on the post, and do so before 12pm AEST on Wednesday, May 19. To enter Assistance Dogs Australia's name the pup competition, head to the Bravecto Facebook page before 12pm AEST on Wednesday, May 19.
Queenslanders The Cairos are sitting pretty in the vanguard of a resurgent Brisbane music scene, one populated by bands like Violent Soho, Millions, Ball Park Music and Dune Rats, and revitalised by new music venues like The Triffid, run by Powderfinger’s John Collins. The Cairos might sit at the more conventional, indie pop-rock end of Brisbane’s musical spectrum, but their recent recordings yield deceptively complex pop songwriting, recalling the sophistication that underpins the music of legendary bands like The Cure. Although they’ve previously released two EPs, it took The Cairos six years to release their first full-length album in May this year, Dream of Reason. It's an increasing trend for emerging artists who sign with major labels — in this case mega-brand Universal’s Island Records — but the strategy seems to have paid off for the band, who are treating their Melbourne fans to an early Christmas show at the Northcote Social Club. Supported by Foreigh/National + Redspencer.
Bennetts Lane used to be where you'd head for a little late-night saxophone and moonshine. The laneway's Jazz Club, which closed in mid-2017 after 25 years, was one a Melbourne jazz institution, hosting gigs by locally and internationally renowned artists — including, even, Prince. Now, the laneway is about to be home to a fancy new jazz era-inspired boutique hotel. A collaboration between Aust Global Investment and designers Breathe (who recently design Sydney's award-winning Paramount House Hotel) and Plus Architecture, the hotel will seek to retain a little of the art deco moodiness of the original jazz club. It'll be home to 44 rooms across 13 levels as well as – in perhaps the best news – a speakeasy in the basement from which we can only hope the strains of Miles Davis will echo. Initial designs of the hotel show jazz-inspired architecture, brass features, curved forms referencing instruments, and a general vibe of the hidden underground side of Melbourne. Using locally sourced furnishings and fittings, Plus Architecture's design will see reception and a cafe area on the ground floor spilling out onto the laneway, prime real estate for sipping an espresso. The design might be just about done but the next step is finding the drivers that have the oomph to run the place. Putting the call out for a hospitality provider, the hotel is currently calling for expressions of interest. The prospective operator would be stepping into some pretty big shoes — Bennetts Lane Jazz Club was a fiercely loved Melbourne institution and an integral part of the city's jazz scene. Here's hoping for more late nights spent sipping whisky and listening to smooth jazz, even if it's in a hotel bar. The Bennetts Lane Hotel is slated to open in mid-2020.
The master cocktail makers at Eau de Vie are teaming up with the folks at Perth's Feral Brewing, for a three-hour, one-night-only dinner and beer cocktail degustation. This returning Good Beer Week event will see diners served five extravagant courses from the Eau de Vie kitchen, each of which will be paired with a different cocktail made with one of Feral's award winning beers. At $175, tickets aren't exactly cheap, so consider our expectations peaked.
Calling all craft beer lovers. Goose Island Beer Co. has brought its frothy concoctions to Australia. The Chicago Goose brewers have set up shop in Tasmania to brew their Midway and IPA, delivering the award-winning beers to our bars and pubs nationwide. So to celebrate its antipodean landing, the brewery is throwing a Flock Party in Melbourne, where you can enjoy a pint (or a couple) of the Chicago-born brew while snacking on American fare to the tunes of Bootleg Rascal. The Goose Island gaggle lands on August 7 at Paradise Alley in Collingwood, pairing their Midway and IPA with the restaurant's Latin American street food to make one tasty combo. Want to be part of it? We have ten double passes to give away, so you and a mate can join the flock in celebration of Goose Island's arrival. Don't be a goose, enter to win below. [competition]629480[/competition]
It's not exactly news that a beer and a barbecue represent one of the holiest unions known to man. But having a cold one in-hand while rotating the snags in the other isn't the extent of the pairing. It goes a whole lot further than that, my friend. We've already explored the beautiful possibilities of battering, stewing and baking with beer and made one killer beer, bacon and cheddar dip — and now, we're spiking our marinades. Yep, this summer we'll be making beer marinades for our barbecued meats. After all, the ultimate way to make your food more beery is to soak it in beer (come on, we know you've thought about it before). Not only does beer add a depth of flavour to your cooking, it also contains enzymes that break down the fibres in your meat, giving it that sweet, sweet melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. Willing to give it a go? We've collected four of the best beer-based marinades for you to try at the next barbecue you're hosting, collated by the crew at James Squire. [caption id="attachment_555155" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dollar Photo Club[/caption] CHICKEN: GARLIC BEER MARINADE This little beauty from The Slow Roasted Italian is relatively quick and easy to whip up — but its true value comes from how long you leave it to marinate. While even half an hour will get you a decent flavour, if you can manage to wait a whole day like the recipe recommends, your tastebuds will reap the rewards when it comes to dinner time. Try pairing this one with a James Squire Swindler Ale; the light fruity aroma pairs well with lean meats like this, as the delicate flavours of each don’t overpower each other. [caption id="attachment_555157" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dollar Photo Club[/caption] BEEF: BEER AND BROWN SUGAR MARINADE This recipe from Yummly is 100% guaranteed to get your mouth a little watery. With a mixture of sugar, teriyaki, salt and pepper, the marinade is sweet and salty with the added caramel of a dark beer. It's easy as anything to whip up, and will take your average barbecue steak to the next level. [caption id="attachment_555156" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Dollar Photo Club[/caption] SALMON: BEER AND LIME MARINADE If you really want to impress your mates, you can’t go past this beer and lime salmon from Food.com. Using the usual salmon marinade suspects — lime, soy sauce, ginger and garlic —this one steps it up a notch with the addition of your favourite beer. Chuck it on the barbie like it's a shrimp, cook for ten minutes and reap the rewards when you tuck in. These recipes were originally published by James Squire. Head to the James Squire website for more recipes.
Set amongst every food critic's favourite street is The Meatball and Wine Bar, Flinders Lane's artisan meatball venue. The past year has seen almost half a million beef, pork, chicken, fish and vegetable balls leave swilling with wine in the stomachs of satisfied customers, and now that a second venue has made its debut in Swan Street (and a third is in the works), it's time we showed thanks to the one-year-old. That's right, CityBalls has kept the ball rolling all year and is set to blow out the candles in celebration. Thursday, 26 September, will see 135 Flinders Lane in party-mode. $40 will get you through the doors from 6pm for a welcome drink and meal. But if you're lucky, you might just nab one of two double passes we're giving away. To be in the running to win tickets for you and a friend, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already) and email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. But the ball's in your court.
Poodle Bar & Bistro's famed Patio Party is returning for its ninth instalment on Sunday, November 3, and this one's set to be one of its best. For this Poodle Patio Party, Sam Medeiros (Rocco's Bologna Discoteca) will be plating up tacos out in the back while plonk experts Mahmood Fazal and Ibrahim Khudeira will be running the wine program. [caption id="attachment_894032" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Michael Pham[/caption] The star of the show will no doubt be the tunes (as always). Throughout the day, there'll be rolling DJ sets by Claddy and Colette, Edd Fisher (Waxo Paradiso), Dawn Sports and KHB. Tickets are priced at $10 a pop, with food and drinks available to purchase as you go.
It all gets a bit much sometimes, doesn't it? With global warming, economic collapse in America, riots in London, population explosions in India, the destruction of forest in Indonesia, the cost of housing in Sydney (in fact, the cost of everything in Sydney), even the optimists among us would have to agree that we have some serious challenges to meet, and we will need some seriously good ideas to meet them. So it is nice to know that there are people like Polish architect Aleksander Krasinski, a man whose foresight might prove to be as far reaching as his imagination. Krasinski, who already has a enviable architectural career, has developed and designed the concept of the floating artificial island in response the potential threats of rising sea levels. The artificial island, which resembles a giant skyscraper, would be approximately 1000 metres in height and diameter and would include luxury apartments, office spaces, an airport, a sea port, gardens and pubic areas, all of which would centre around inner atrium, which would be dedicated to commercial and recreational pursuits. It is also remarkably beautiful. Housing up to 52,096 people, the artificial island might be the antidote to some of the world's future potential geographical and ecological problems. And while realistically, it may not be something we see in our lifetime, it nice to know the grandkids might have somewhere nice to live.
Catching public transport can be frustrating at the best of times, but there could be even more painful commutes ahead as Victoria's public transport union gears up for two big ol' strikes. The Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) has voted to proceed with industrial action, with 98 percent of members in favour of the strike, in response to ongoing, failed negotiations with Yarra Trams. A strike could see frontline and back-of-house tram staff taking industrial action for up to 48 hours, refusing to wear uniforms, make last-minute changes to timetables (including short shunting), accept roster changes or do voluntary overtime — which could lead to some serious tram chaos. https://www.facebook.com/RTBUVic/photos/a.486088274788960/2539626552768445/?type=3&theater The RTBU has been negotiating a new wage deal and improved working conditions with Yarra Trams for months, with the existing agreement expiring on June 30. "Yarra Trams have pushed drivers to breaking point to meet impossible targets, it's no wonder they are mad at their further attempts to strip away conditions," said RTBU Secretary Luba Grigorovitch in a statement. There's no word yet on when this would happen, though it'd likely take place in the next 30 days. And, if you're a public transport regular, you'll know for sure it won't be pretty — especially since it could coincide with another public transport strike. Melbourne's train network is about to be affected by its own strike, with the RTBU set to kick off industrial action on Monday, August 12. On the Monday — and the following Monday, August 19 — all train travel will be free for commuters as RTBU members keep ticket barriers open and refuse to sell, upload or check Myki cards, all day long. Commuter-facing train employees will also scrap their uniforms indefinitely from August 12, too, and workers will refuse to participate in any training for Melbourne's soon-to-launch high-capacity trains between August 12–18. Between these dates, drivers will also refuse to operate any train that doesn't have fully operational public address systems and passenger emergency intercoms. And there'll be no skipping stations, alternate services running, or announcements by drivers to alert when their trains are running late. The industrial action could carry over to V/Lines, too, with an RBTU Victoria member commenting on the above Facebook post: "V/Line has only just come to the table to start bargaining. Their day will come if they don't take the talks seriously." We'll keep you updated with that. For the moment, no date has been set for the tram strike, but we'll let you know as soon as there is. Image: Josie Withers for Visit Victoria
Signature Style, the title of Craft Victoria's latest exhibition that shares the space with Caroline Phillips' Enmeshed, refers to an elusive and attractive concept creative folk have been consciously trying to achieve since loincloths were en Vogue. It’s about finding that one quality the narcissist within us all hopes we will be forever remembered for. As I am writing this in the peak of Melbourne’s heatwave, one could be forgiven for assuming my signature style is a sweat moustache and clammy hands — unintentional, but sometimes beauty is that way. Sweat pools aside, the creative practice behind developing an identifiable signature style is often a very insular, independent experience. Signature Style eschews the idea of individual artistic creativity, exploring models of collaborative practise in contemporary jewellery. Occupying half of the bright, light-filled Craft Victoria space, the exhibition brings together some of Melbourne’s most innovative emerging creatives, resulting in a widely varied collection of work, using equally unusual mediums. After all, everybody knows you can’t have a contemporary jewellery show without some human hair and teeth involved, right? Particularly striking is Cosmic Elevator, an installation piece by Karla Way and Dylan Martorell. An ambiguous form lies in an ornate tiki-esque structure, decorated by flowers and heavily adorned in colourful beads and found objects, as though an offering to tropical gods. Elsewhere artist Natalia Milosz-Piekarksa and contemporary dancer Katherine Doube have created a minimal and refined video work. Dance and movement inform the film, which features a wearable shoulder piece that clings like barnacles and moves with the dancing model like a lurking, deep-sea creature. Flexing the muscles of Gen Y, an iPad showing footage of attractive hoodlums recklessly putting Mentos into their soft drinks and proceeding to dribble all down their nice, clean clothes while wearing various pieces of jewellery accompanies a display of pieces by Dan Bell et al. Nearby cosmic rocks hang from a frame of knotted ropes and brightly beaded chains that seem to scream, “I am fun and flirty but don’t touch me for I am also art” — or something along those lines. Image via Craft Victoria.
A photography, light, sound and dodgem car experience will take over a secret Melbourne location this month when local photographer p1xels unveils Alpha Beta Gamma. Running from August 9–16, the immersive exhibition will transport visitors to the site of Ukraine's 1986 Chernobyl disaster (without the radiation, of course). The artist visited the site of this well-known nuclear explosion in June (and even spent the night there). Located near the city of Pripyat, the disaster took place at the height of the Cold War. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from a 30-kilometre radius to the plant, and this 'exclusion zone' is still one of the most radioactively contaminated areas in the world — with scientists expecting it to remain uninhabitable for a whopping 20,000 years. The photography on display in Alpha Beta Gamma examines nature's reclamation of the deserted town. Alongside the photographs, visitors will walk through a dodgem car installation — which mimics the images from Pripyat's abandoned amusement park — and be immersed in a light and sound show that will make you feel as if you are standing inside the exclusion zone. There'll also be a pop-up bar, so you can sip a beer or wine while exploring the immersive exhibition. If you've been extra curious about the nuclear disaster since binge-watching HBO's chilling series Chernobyl, this may be the exhibition for you. The exhibition is free to the public, however you must register over here or follow @p1xels to find the secret location — which will be released 24 hours prior to opening night on Friday, August 6 at 6pm.
For not the first time in his career, Steven Spielberg deserves some serious credit. Lincoln is not only the director's most accomplished, audacious, and affecting film of perhaps the past 20 years but also his most surprising given the focus of the story he chose to tell. It's actually hard not to envisage the faces of the DreamWorks executives as he walked into their offices and said: "I'm ready to make another film". Jackpot. "And I want to do it about Lincoln." Double jackpot. Our most beloved president — bring on the inevitable Oscars and fortunes! "But instead of focussing on the Civil War=" ...uh-huh... "-and rather than looking at his assassination" ...yeeeeah… "-I want to spend three hours talking about the passing of some legislation by the House of Representatives." …Okay, umn…Steven, are you SURE you don't want to do it about the War? Because the War was VERY interesting…I mean there were explosions and everything. Well, screw that imaginary Dreamworks executive, because it's precisely that specificity and lack of action that makes Lincoln such an unexpectedly compelling biopic. It's also a notable counterpoint to 2011's Iron Lady in that, instead of covering the president's entire life, it essentially focuses on just a few weeks in January 1865 when Lincoln attempted to enact the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to abolish slavery. The traditional challenge for any historical narrative is that the audience already knows how it ends, meaning tension must be sought elsewhere, in the emotions rather than the events. Apollo 13 is a fine example of this. We all know Lovell and his crew made it back safely, but those final few minutes remain impossibly tense because we're so invested in the characters that didn't know. Hence the drama in Lincoln comes not from 'Would the anti-slavery bill pass?' but rather 'How did it pass, and at what cost?' The result is a beautifully nuanced film about statesmanship, quiet contemplation, and — above all else — principle. After years of devastating Civil War, Lincoln (in another mesmerising performance by Daniel Day-Lewis) finally finds himself presented with an opportunity to end the bloodshed subject only to the southern states' right to maintain slavery. With even his own children on the battlefield, the decision to make peace seems obvious, and yet, so too does equality — something deemed so obvious as to be self-evident. "We are stepped out upon the world stage now," he declares to his cabinet amid fierce opposition to the bill, "with the fate of human dignity in our hands." That he persisted and triumphed is why history reveres him, but how he did it and with whose help is why it's so worth watching.
If you're a West Melburnian and have places to be this weekend, make sure you leave time to get there on foot — art's taken your parking space. From noon till 4pm this Sunday, December 18 the carpark of the new West End development on Rosslyn Street is being commandeered by four artists, DJ Django and a small legion of food trucks. The aim is to transform the concrete-grey gloom of a city carpark into a vibrant 'urban gallery' in just four hours. Artists George Rose, Phibs, Georgia Hill and Ken Taylor will fight the clock to jazz up the space you disconsolately park your Corolla each night (well, hypothetically). Rose will be upping the ante by running two half-hour lettering workshops throughout the afternoon, while local DJ Django changes everything you thought you knew about carpark acoustics. The event only runs for four hours, but on the off-chance you're skin and bone after two, Gorilla Grill, Nuoc Mama's Food Truck and The Grace Caravan will be on standby to dispense emergency victuals.
The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular, better known as GABS, returns to Melbourne for its for its seventh year over the weekend of May 19–21. After humble beginnings right here in Melbourne, the festival has now expanded to cover three cities, two countries, and is rightfully considered by most as the best craft beer and cider festival in the Asia Pacific region. Creators Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone (The Local Taphouse, Stomping Ground Brewing Co.) are making 2017 the biggest year yet, upping the offering to a whopping 180 festival beers and ciders by introducing a third festival bar into the mix. These exclusive and often wacky specialty brews are created just for the event and are generally the festival's main draw, giving attendees the rare chance to try brand spanking new beers while meeting the brewers behind them. This year's festival brews include, strangely enough, three Thai inspired beers, a mango lassi IPA by 3 Ravens Brewery, a Pinot Grigio wild ale by Yulli's Brews and — possibly the most jarring — a 'mother's milk' beer from Brisbane Brewing Co. GABS Melbourne is the culmination of the city's Good Beer Week, and, since Melbourne is the GABS's original home, it is always the biggest (and, frankly, the best) of the bunch. Add in the 18-metre-high Yenda Ferris Wheel of Beer, wandering performances and food stalls from some of the best producers in the city and you've got yourself one hell of a party. The event is categorised in five sessions over three days, with tickets to multiple sessions also available. Tickets to all five sessions are already sold out — we wish those ticket holders the best of luck.
There are a few different ways you could celebrate the start of summer. But if you fancy ringing in the new season with a couple of glasses of something fruity, fizzy and free, then we've got just the thing. On Sunday, December 1, the good folk at Moon Dog are treating fans to the ultimate summer starter: free serves of its Fizzer alcoholic seltzer varieties. Roll into either Moon Dog World or Moon Dog Wild West on the first day of summer with a BYO vessel in tow, and you can have it filled for free with takeaway Fizzer poured fresh from the taps. These two sites will also be hosting DJs throughout the arvo, making both of them damn good Sunday sesh destinations. And again this year, there's a heap of other Melbourne venues participating in the BYO Cup Day. You can also grab your free seltzers from Arcadia Hotel in South Yarra, The Pinnacle in Fitzroy, Railway Club Hotel in Windsor and more. In total, 16 Melbourne venues will join the Brew Dog crew for the giveaway. You can bring any old drinking vessel you fancy to the spots, be it a watering can, water bottle or, heck, even a hollowed-out upside-down pineapple — but keep in mind they'll only fill it up to 1140 millilitres (a standard jug amount). You'll also want to ensure your container is clean and water-tight to avoid any nasty leaks. Check out the venue's website to find all the participating venues where you can score some free seltzer on Moon Dog's Fizzer BYO Cup Day.
Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck trying to save the world from an asteroid? That's so 1998. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence attempting to stop a comet from wiping out life as we know it? That's the premise of Netflix's new disaster comedy Don't Look Up, which thankfully isn't a sequel to the aforementioned Armageddon. Instead, it's the latest film from The Big Short and Vice director Adam McKay — and it's set to hit the streaming platform in December. If it sounds familiar, that's because Don't Look Up was one of the big-name movies on Netflix's lengthy list of new flicks heading its way in 2021, as it start teasing back in January. And yes, while plenty of the films named back then have already hit the platform given the year is now nine months in — movies such as Malcolm & Marie, The White Tiger, The Dig, The Woman in the Window, Army of the Dead and Moxie — the streamer really is making us all wait for its starriest picture of 2021. DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Lawrence (X-Men: Dark Phoenix) play astronomy professor Dr Randall Mindy and his grad student Kate Dibiasky, who discover that a Mount Everest-sized comet is orbiting our solar system — and that it's on a direct collision course with earth. So, with just six months left until impact, they endeavour to tell everyone they can about the planet's impending demise, all by embarking upon a media tour. But the President (Meryl Streep, The Prom) and her son and Chief of Staff (Jonah Hill, The Beach Bum) barely seem to care, and neither does the public. Also featuring on-screen as the former "king of the world" and Katniss Everdeen try to save the world: Timothée Chalamet (Little Women), Cate Blanchett (Where'd You Go, Bernadette), Mark Rylance (The Trial of the Chicago 7), Tyler Perry (Those Who Wish Me Dead), Ron Perlman (Monster Hunter), Himesh Patel (Tenet), Melanie Lynskey (Mrs America), Kid Cudi (Bill & Ted Face the Music) and Ariana Grande. Yes, as seen in the just-dropped teaser trailer, this film does have quite the cast. Don't Look Up will hit Netflix just in time for your Christmas break, dropping on Friday, December 24. It'll also screen in some cinemas before that, if you'd like to see it on the big screen. And if you're wondering how the film will fare tonally, McKay looks like he's in The Big Short and Succession mode, rather than harking back to his Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers days. That said, Blanchett does play a TV host, so maybe the filmmaker will have audiences thinking about Anchorman as well. Check out the teaser trailer for Don't Look Up below: Don't Look Up will be available to stream via Netflix on Friday, December 24, and in selected cinemas earlier in December. Image: Nico Tavernise/Netflix.
To the surprise of exactly no one: many of us are looking to upgrade our home comfort level at the moment. Aussie furniture brand Koala is keen to help you do just that, with its sixth birthday sale. Nab up to 20 percent off mattresses, sheets, sofas, desks and armchairs to help you upgrade your pad or improve your night's sleep. A heap of products from across the brand's range are on sale from Monday, September 20 through until Sunday, September 26, including Koala's new range of mattresses. You can take your pick from the freshly unveiled range of mattresses which are 15 percent off and have your new sleep set up delivered to you later that day with free express delivery. Also on offer is the WFH desk, which is made from Forest Stewardship Council certified wood, easy to assemble and designed with a home office in mind. If your home office set isn't quite doing the job, you can pick up the desk for a sweet 15 percent off. Comfy Koala armchairs, sofas, silky bed sheets, dining tables and more are going with a 20 percent discount, too, so you can give your whole house a makeover. And everything comes with a 120-night trial — though, it might be hard to give any of these up after four months of comfort. The party doesn't stop at the sale though, with Koala collaborating with Jimmy Brings to put on a birthday giveaway, hosting a cupcake class and a whole bunch more on the brand's Instagram account.
Welcome to Brunswick will accommodate both your stomach and your flaming sinuses at the day-long event that is the Hot Sauce and Chilli Festival. If spice is your mate and you think you can handle some of the hottest chilli situations Melbourne can throw at you, now's your time to prove your mettle. Some you'll even have to sign a waiver to taste, so you know they'll be life-affirming. There'll be sauce offerings from stalls such as Melbourne Hot Sauce, Hells Breath and Blair's Death Sauce. If you've come for the actual food side of things, you're in luck, too — if this year's fest is anything like past years, you won't go hungry. And drinks? Well, the bar team will be serving 'hot pocket' shots. That's what you'll need a waiver for (and maybe some milk, too). Brews will also be on the menu, if that's your tipple of choice. Head along from 12pm on Saturday, April 17.
There are plenty of reasons to run at night. It might be the only time you can get some exercise into a busy schedule, or maybe you prefer the cooler air and the opportunity to wind down after a full-on day at work. Whatever the reason, if you're a fan of pounding the pavements at night, you're going to need the right gear to keep you safe, warm and looking good. So, we've teamed up with Adidas to bring you some essential activewear that'll help motivate you to keep moving, even when the days get shorter and cooler. ADIDAS ULTRABOOST 21 ($270) No matter when or where you're running, you're going to need good support while you do it. That's where Adidas has your back — and foot — with the brand's new performance running shoe, Ultraboost 21. Made with high-performance recycled material (created from plastic found in the ocean), each pair of runners is designed to cushion impact, giving you a more responsive run with every step. Choose between cloud white, core black or solar yellow — we recommend the latter for amplified visibility at night. These super lightweight shoes will make you want to lace up and hit the streets with added vitality. FAEBELLA NOVA SERPENT LEGGINGS ($109) Just because you're running at night doesn't mean you can't look good while doing it. Grab yourself a pair of Faebella Nova Serpent Leggings, made in Brisbane from recycled lycra by a company that's wholly Indigenous owned. Part of the brand's Clarence River Serpent collection, the Nova Serpent design was inspired by the artwork of Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl woman 'Jingalu' Melissa Craig. They're super bright, making you more visible on your night run, and long enough to keep you warm. Plus, when you buy a pair, you'll be supporting artist Melissa Craig; Faebella ensures its artists receive sweet royalty fees for their work as well as an initial fee for the design. REFLECT360 ARM/ANKLE BANDS ($30) To truly make sure you're seen in the dark, strap on some reflective gear before you head out. We've picked these REFLECT360 arm and ankle bands as an easy accessory to add to your outfit that will reflects vehicle headlights or other lights you pass along the way. The bands come as a pair and you simply strap them on using the velcro fastening. They're also waterproof and durable, so if you find yourself in a little rain you'll still stay nice and visible to other runners, cyclists or traffic without the bands loosening or damaging over time. RED DUST ACTIVE REVERSIBLE HEADBAND ($29.89) This headband, made from a merino wool blend, will keep your ears warm on those colder nights and keep any long hair out of your face as you move. Plus, it'll absorb the sweat off your brow, keeping you dry too. It's also breathable, antibacterial and odour resistant so you don't have to worry about any pong as you fly past. The Australian company, Red Dust Active, designed the headwear with temperature regulation in mind — and, as it's reversible, you can wear it however you please. FITBIT FITNESS TRACKER ($179.95) A fitness tracker is a great way to keep a log of your running routes and fitness levels, especially if you're working towards any fitness goals. There are heaps to choose from, but we like the compact Fitbit Inspire 2, which fits snuggly around your wrist and connects to your phone's GPS to track real-time pace and distance. It'll buzz to let you know when you're entering your target heart rate, so you know how you're tracking while keeping a firm eye on the ground in front of you, which is especially important when you are running at night. NIMBLE RUNNING BUM BAG ($29) When running after dark, you're going to want to take your phone with you — and, it's a good idea to pack ID too. You'll also probably need an array of other essentials like cards, keys and maybe some chapstick. A running bum bag, like this one by Aussie activewear brand Nimble, will help you store all your goods around your waist and stay tight around your body, keeping in place while you hill sprint. It's small and sleek too, and comes in black, navy or taupe to suit your activewear wardrobe. Find out more about the new Ultraboost 21 runners and order your pair here.
After late night frivolities southside, duck into the cheap and cheerful Lucky Coq for an equally as cheap and cheerful pizza. With dim-lighting, electronic tunes and kitsch furniture, it's a pleasant venue to stop and recharge the batteries by hoeing into some greasy tucker. While the pizzas triple in price from their dirt cheap $4 price tag earlier in the evening, it's still the best place in Prahran for a vegetarian, meaty or seafood pizza right up until 2.30am.
If the extensive Asian food offerings at Box Hill Central weren't yet enough for you, the addition of DIY hot pot joint Little Sichuan will surely sate your need for noodle soup. Instead of ordering from the menu, you'll be given a large silver mixing bowl and tongs so you can out together your hot pot. You can choose your type of noodle — udon, egg or two-minute noodles — as well as your protein, veggies and any other additions. You pay by weight, so after filling up your bowl, step up to the front counter to weigh your food — it's costed at $3.28 per 100 grams. Then you can choose your broth, which is where you can choose your spice level, from the chilli-less chicken soup to the intense top-level 'sichuan spicy'. Just be prepared if you choose that last one. If you're looking for small snacks, why not try the Chinese burger, a fried homemade thin bao bun filled with your choice of minced beef or pork ($7.80 each), or the fried leek pie, a pan-fried dumpling dish with a unique pie folding ($4 for two pieces). Other options include the bean curd dumpling ($7.80), or the pan fried buns ($10.80 for six). Designed by EAT Architects, this restaurant incorporates light timber and lighting that takes you away from the crowds of the shopping centre and instead creates a busy dining experience. Over a steaming pot of noodle soup, it's the perfect place to warm up and people watch.
Melburnians, your weekend plans just got bigger and better, because the Victorian Government will scrap density limits in hospitality and entertainment venues from this weekend. Premier Daniel Andrews announced today, Thursday, February 17, that the current restrictions on venue capacities that have been in effect since early January will end at 6pm on Friday, February 18. For more than a month, the hospo and entertainment industries have been operating under a one person per two-square-metre density requirement, as you've no doubt noticed whenever you've left the house for a bite to eat or just for something to do. And, also in mid-January, the Victorian Government shut down dance floors, too — but Victoria will also no longer resemble the town from Footloose, Health Minister Martin Foley confirmed as well. Basically, get ready to do more things in more places with more people — including make shapes — from this weekend onwards, all thanks to the decreasing community transmission and hospital admission numbers. Victorian residents will also be able to stop checking in via QR codes in retail stores, schools and when going to work at many workplaces; however, that requirement isn't changing in hospitality and entertainment venues. [caption id="attachment_705595" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jake Roden, Visit Victoria[/caption] "We always said these measures wouldn't be in place for a minute longer than they are needed, and with hospitalisation numbers decreasing and less pressure on our health system, now is a sensible time to make changes," said the Premier. "These are safe and sensible measures which balance the need to support our health system with the benefits of easing restrictions across a range of settings," added the Health Minister. More rules are likely to ease next week, too, which Andrews and Foley both advised they hope to announce by next Friday, February 25 if the current trend of cases stabilises and continues. That'll ideally involve lifting mandatory mask-wearing in offices, and considering if it's appropriate to remove the recommendation that Victorians work from home. Victoria currently has 50,042 active COVID-19 cases, including 8501 new cases reported today, Thursday, February 17. Victoria's density, dance floor and QR check-in rules will ease at 6pm on Friday, February 18. For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the state's rules and restrictions, head over to the Department of Health and Human Services website. Top image: The Lame Duck, Jess Middleton.
Fresh from the success of their recent debut album, If You Wait, English indie-pop trio London Grammar are coming to Oz for Falls Festival, and even better, they're playing a couple of sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. Sick of listening to the same playlists? Looking for a new band to fall in love with? This could be it. They’ve already generated a lot of praise for their singles 'Wasting My Young Years' and 'Strong'. Perhaps most recognisable by the brooding vocal soarings of frontwoman Hannah Reid (whose ethereal yet earthy voice is like a melding of Adele and Florence Welch), they are definitely a band to watch. I’d advise you to see them for cheap(ish) while you still can. Tickets for both the Sydney and Melbourne sideshows go on sale at 10am, Wednesday, 9 October, at Metro Theatre and Ticketek for Sydney and at the Prince Bandroom site for Melbourne. Tour dates: Sydney: Tuesday, January 7 – Metro Theatre Melbourne: Thursday, January 9 – Prince Bandroom
Obsession-worthy desserts and Gelato Messina go hand in hand, whether you can't get enough of the brand's revolving ice cream lineup or you're especially fond of its one-off treats. Here's one of the latter to tempt your tastebuds, and take you all the way back to your tuckshop days: a new cookie pie, this time in a honey joy version. No need to eat cereal for breakfast — instead, you can get your fix in this indulgent dessert, which'll also clearly serve up plenty of nostalgia. It features a choc chip cookie base, vanilla custard and crunchy honey joys. The word you're looking for? Yum. It's been a couple of years since the gelato chain first introduced its cookie pies to the world in 2020, and it sure does love bringing the OTT dessert back over and over. No, we're not complaining. We all need an extra dose of sweetness every now and then, clearly, including during a particularly frosty winter. Hang on, a cookie pie? It is indeed a pie, but it's made of cookie dough. And it serves four-to-six people — or just you. You bake it yourself, too, whacking it in the oven for 20–25 minutes at 160–180 degrees , so you get to enjoy that enticing smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through your kitchen. This time around, the Frankenstein's monster-style honey joy cookie pie really is exactly what it sounds like — and you can buy it by itself for $28, or in kits with some of the cult ice creamery's famed gelato to go along with it. You can opt for a 500-millilitre tub for an extra $12, a one-litre tub for an additional $21 or a 1.5-litre tub for an extra $23. If you're keen to get yourself a piece of the pie, they're available to preorder online on Monday, August 1. And, because Messina's specials always prove popular, the brand staggers its on-sale times. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.15am, and New South Wales customers split across three times depending on the store (with pies from Surry Hills, Bondi, Randwick and Miranda on sale at 9.30am; Brighton Le Sands, Tramsheds, Parramatta and Darlinghurst at 9.45am; and Darling Square, Newtown, Norwest, Rosebery and Penrith at 10am). The catch? You will need to peel yourself off the couch and head to their local Messina store to collect your order. The pies will be available to pick up between Friday, August 5–Sunday, August 7. You can preorder a Messina honey joy cookie pie from Monday, August 1, to pick up from all NSW, Victoria and Queensland Gelato Messina stores.
Food and drink substitutions are generally associated with 'healthy' changes. But that doesn't always have to be the case — they can make the dish (or drink) more sustainable, less ordinary, or just more fun. On this list, we've highlighted some of the most unusual food and drink swaps that really shouldn't work, but do. They push the skill of chefs and cocktail makers into new territory and shake up classic dishes and drinks, all while maximising sustainability in the food industry by using up kitchen waste. We've partnered with Patrón to reveal that traditional isn't always best. By mixing things up, you may develop a love of a whole new flavour profile that — like with tequila — meets you at the intersection between refinement and craftmanship. [caption id="attachment_642741" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Chris Middleton[/caption] MAKE AN OLD FASHIONED WITH PATRÓN TEQUILA INSTEAD OF WHISKY Why not make your next old fashioned with Patrón? The Patrón Añejo — a blend of silver tequilas aged for at least one year — gets the same high-quality treatment as your favourite whiskies but offers a different flavour depth that complements the citrus of the orange zest we all know and love in an old fashioned. Just take 60 millilitres of Patrón Añejo, add ten millilitres of simple syrup and a dash of bitters. Make sure to squeeze the oils from two strips of orange and stir with the biggest ice cubes you can find. [caption id="attachment_666149" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matinee Coffee by Arlo Pyne[/caption] LEAVE OUT THE EGG FOR VEGAN (AND NOT-SO VEGAN) ALTERNATIVES More and more we're seeing egg being replaced in popular dishes for unusual trade-offs. Don't worry, your favourite cafes will still serve eggs on toast — brunch is sacred — but sometimes it doesn't hurt to give an alternative a try. Sydneysiders can try it out at Marrickville's Matinee Coffee — the cafe does vegan and gluten-free takes desserts you might find at a milk bar or diner, like the traditional lemon meringue pie made with aquafaba (that's the juice from chickpea cans, foamed up like egg whites). Or, swinging the other way, try the very un-vegan, pasta at Peter Gilmore's Quay, which uses bone marrow in the pasta instead of egg yolk. [caption id="attachment_601484" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Nikki To[/caption] EAT CARAMEL SLICE MADE WITH COD FAT (YES, REALLY) Here is one food swap that we bet has never crossed your mind: a caramel slice made with fat from a Murray cod. Chef Josh Niland from Saint Peter in Paddington, the revered fish restaurant enjoyed by Nigella Lawson and Jaime Oliver, has redefined the very genre of desserts with this luxurious caramel treat. The top layer of the dish sees the salty caramel's butter component switched with cod fat, and the accompanying biscuit is made with Hapuka roe, to create an unexpected delicacy that really is impressive. An added factor that will make you feel even better about the swap is the promise of waste-reduction — the chefs are using every part of the fish. POP YOUR BACON AND EGGS IN A BOWL OF RAMEN Newtown's Rising Sun Workshop is in itself — the cafe is situated inside a motorbike workshop. That means you can bring your wheels in and enjoy coffee and brekkie at the same time. But the real treat at Rising Sun Workshop is the breakfast ramen. Ditch the avo toast for delicious noodles swimming in buttered toast broth, topped with bacon and fried egg. SWAP GIN FOR PATRÓN SILVER IN A NEGRONI As with the old fashioned, swapping out tequila as the hero alcohol profile in your favourite cocktails can shake things up a little. Try Patrón Silver instead of gin. The smooth, clean spirit uses 100 percent of Weber Blue Agave, and is a number one tequila for bartenders across the world — you'll be set to impress your friends at your next dinner party. For the negroni, trade-in gin for Patrón Silver, and simply add equal measures of Martini Bitters and Martini Riserva Rubino Vermouth. Stir with ice and strain over fresh ice cubes in your favourite tumbler, and add an orange twist. BE DONE WITH BORING JAFFLES There was a time when a jaffle was about simplicity — ham, cheese, maybe baked beans if you were feeling fancy. But times have changed, and the jaffle has been reinvented with depth and flavour profiles that'll match even Patrón tequila cocktails. We first fell in love with the idea with Super Ling's ma po tofu jaffle in Carlton. More recently, Cavalier 2.0 in Sydney has popped a beef tongue bolognese lasagne-inspired jaffle on its menu. And you must take a visit to Potts Point for Ms.G's curry puff jaffle, complete with Malaysian-style chicken. [caption id="attachment_738008" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Shanasy[/caption] SWAP YOUR MARGHERITA FOR A SLICE TOPPED WITH CHINESE BOLOGNESE Tucked away on Grattan Street in Carlton is the ultimate food mash up, combining Chinese food, pasta and pizza. Chef Nick Stanton first married bolognese with the flavours of Hong Kong in a Chinese pasta dish at the now-closed Ramblr, but he's taken that beef-based sauce with him to Leonardo's Pizza Palace, and popped it on a chewy, doughy pizza base together with a creamy white sauce. The team used gochujang — a fermented chilli paste — Shaoxing wine, and stock infused with soy sauce for the oozy bolognese that'll go down in Aussie food history. Vegans can grab a plant-based version at sibling venue Leo's By The Slice at the old Ramblr site in South Yarra. Top image: Chris Middleton.
Designer stationery company Moleskine are getting into the hospitality game, with the launch of their first ever café, library, retail store and art gallery in Milan. With an aesthetic inspired by the brand's iconic notebook (think clean layout and plenty of neutral colours), the Moleskine Café is split into two levels. The ground floor will be home to the café and exhibition space, along with shared seating areas and an 'experience table' (yeah, alright guys) laden with various Moleskine products. The mezzanine level will be more secluded, featuring private seating and sofas for reading and studying. "We will provide our guests with an innovative retail experience, bringing the socialising dimensions of food, creativity and shopping to a single space designed to reflect the distinctive, clean aesthetics of Moleskine," said Moleskine CEO Arrio Berni. "I believe this vision fully reflects the growing interest people show for retail formats that go beyond the sheer act of shopping and I look forward to validating this concept for global expansion." The café in Milan comes on the back of a trial café in Geneva Airport. The brand is planning to open a number of other locations in major cities around the world, although they're remaining tight-lipped as to exactly which. Via Daily Coffee News and Design Week. Image: Moleskine/Interbrand.
The hit rock musical based on Green Day's iconic album American Idiot returns to Australian shores in 2018 for a national tour, which will see it visit Melbourne and Sydney for the first time. Following a hit season in Brisbane earlier this year, this next run of Green Day's American Idiot will see Grinspoon frontman Phil Jamieson reprise his lead performance as St Jimmy — a role played internationally by the likes of Melissa Etheridge, Chris Cheney and Green Day's own Billie Joe Armstrong. The acclaimed Aussie musician will again be joined on stage by Phoebe Panaretos, whose performance as Whatsername during the show's Brisbane run scored her a Helpmann nomination. Hailed as a bold and explosive production, the Tony and Grammy award-winning show features every song from the band's eponymous album, along with a number of tunes from Green Day's follow-up record, 21st Century Breakdown. It's the tale of three lifelong mates, torn between remaining in their safe, aimless ruts, and challenging the status quo to embark on a journey of self-discovery. The American Idiot 2018 tour will begin with a brief season at the Sydney Opera House, before runs in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane. AMERICAN IDIOT 2018 TOUR Sydney — Sydney Opera House, January 11–14 Adelaide — Adelaide Festival Centre's Her Majesty's Theatre, January 18–28 Perth — Crown Theatre, February 2–11 Melbourne — Comedy Theatre, February 23 – March 11 Brisbane — Playhouse Theatre, QPAC, April 13–21 Tickets to Green Day's 2018 American Idiot tour go on sale from next Monday, October 9. For more info visit americanidiotlive.com.au. Images: Dylan Evans.
A restaurant that takes bookings basically has unicorn status these days. Not that we're fully against this walk-ins only business — it's been known to work in our favour — but sometimes you just want to be confident you'll be able to take your Dad to dinner without a grumpy one-hour wait. For those times, you'll need to find a restaurant you can book. Helping out with that conundrum will soon be San Fransisco-based restaurant booking service OpenTable, which will be launching in Australia later this month. OpenTable has been around since 1998, and while it's an international service — they're present in Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico and the UK — they take up the most space in the North American market, where it supposedly facilitates 52% of restaurant reservations through its mobile app. The app is something of a cross between restaurant finder Zomato and reservation site Dimmi, which was bought out by TripAdvisor earlier this year. The OpenTable desktop site and mobile app lets you search restaurants with available tables, view the restaurant's menu, user reviews, and any other restaurants nearby you might be interested in. And while it isn't all too different to Dimmi in terms of functionality, it certainly looks a lot nicer and has some handy integrations for the hospitality industry, such as the Guest Centre booking management app for front-of-house staff. "Whether it’s at a cafe, neighbourhood bistro or hatted restaurant, Aussies love to dine out and we're committed to empowering what that experience means for people," says APAC VP and Managing Director Adam Clarke. "OpenTable's growth has been driven by our ability to develop products that cater for the changing needs of restaurants and diners. Here in Australia, we will continue to innovate by providing insight into dining trends and behaviours, and building on all we have learned over the past two decades." The OpenTable app is set to go live mid-December, and will allow you to make bookings at restaurants including Rockpool and MoVida. Of course, this service only works if your restaurant of choice doesn't work on a no-bookings system — no one can help you there, I'm afraid.
If you love locally-brewed craft beer The Alehouse Project is where you need to park yourself come midnight. This year, 13 breweries are making one-off event beers (and one cider) just for the night. Breweries on the bill include 3 Ravens, 7 cent, Bacchus, Black Dog, BrewCult, Cavalier, Holgate, Kaiju!, Make Beer, Masked, Moon Dog, St Ronan's Cider and Temple. Doors open at 5pm and DJs will play until 1am, and you won't be want for nibbles — there'll be canapes available until 10pm. A cool $99 ticket will get you access to all 13 taps, house wine and spirits — if beer isn't your jam.
Utopia is a concept often put into words and images, but if you've ever wondered what it would look like food-wise, the Social Food Project has the event for you. Running as part of Melbourne Knowledge Week, Utopian Foods will imagine what our food system will look like in 50 years and what we might be putting in our mouths by then, all through an interactive dinner on Thursday, May 4 hosted by chef and creator of the Social Food Project, Ben Mac. The glimpse of the future will take place in a little section of the past; those who partake will pull up a seat in Melbourne's beautiful old Drill Hall, opposite the Queen Victoria Market. The dinner will explore concepts such as sustainability, ecological diversity, ocean health and cultural diversity, so you can expect the small talk during dinner to be of a pretty high standard. You'll be served a five-course meal featuring surprise bonanzas such as bone broth, edible insects and fermented beverages (no surprises there). Bring your most adventurous mate and an empty tum.
Sustainable Table is a not-for-profit organisation that wants to turn our money into a more sustainable and responsible system of food consumption. From October 7-14, they’re inviting you, and some big-name restaurants near you, to Give a Fork!. The inaugural event's focus ingredient is seafood, and over 150 dinner parties have been registered, at which each diner will donate what they would normally spend on food to Sustainable Table. Given that "60% of our personal eco-footprint [is] embodied in the food that we buy", a number of restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne are also throwing their hat into the sustainability ring, donating a portion of profit from selected dishes to the organisation. Some restaurants have even gone the whole hog, writing menus specific for the occasion. Participating eateries include The Commons in Sydney and Lamaro's in Melbourne. Longrain in both Sydney and Melbourne will be cooking up fishy delights and giving away a bit of dosh for the cause. By encouraging people to host their own sustainable seafood shindig, or enjoying a delicious meal at certain, ethically aware restaurants, Sustainable Table are inviting us to help save the environment, before it gets too forked up. To register, find out more about the restaurants involved or simply discover more about the cause, visit Sustainable Table's website.
