Since the end of May, Melburnians haven't been able to venture far from home. First came a week-long statewide stint off stay-at-home conditions, followed by a further week of lockdown just in metropolitan Melbourne. And, while leaving the house for whatever reason you like has been back on the cards for the past week, the 25-kilometre rule made a comeback. But all of those limits on how far from home you can travel are finally set to lift — at 11.59pm on Thursday, June 17, in fact. When Friday, June 18 hits — because, realistically, few folks are going to be bolting beyond their 25-kilometre bubble at one minute to midnight the day before — Melburnians will be able to venture anywhere they like, regardless of the distance from their house. You'll also be able to visit regional Victoria, too, with the ban on travelling outside of metropolitan Melbourne also being scrapped. As announced by Acting Premier James Merlino today, Wednesday, June 16, a heap of other rules are changing as well. Many will be familiar given that Melbourne has cycled through pretty much every variation of caps and limits there is thanks to its four lockdowns over the past 15 months or so. As proved the case with the last set of amended restrictions last week, these new changes largely mirror the settings that have been in place in regional Victoria of late. And, like the last batches of rules, they'll be in place for a week, with another announcement expected on Wednesday, June 23 to announce the requirements beyond then. https://twitter.com/JamesMerlinoMP/status/1404987181295280134 So, for the next week, Melburnians will be able to welcome two people over to their house — that's two people per day, too, plus dependents — and also gather outdoors with up to 20 people. You'll also be able to head back to gyms, indoor entertainment venues and electronic gaming venues, as they'll now be allowed to reopen with density caps in place. Also, food and hospitality businesses will be able to welcome in 25 people before the current density limits into effect — with a cap of 150 people per venue and a maximum of 75 people indoors. Offices can welcome in 50 percent of their employees, too — or 20 people at a time, whichever is greater — although Melburnians should continue to work from home if they can. Funerals will be able to have 75 mourners as well, and weddings can be held with up to 20 people. And, while masks will still remain mandatory indoors, the rules are changing outdoors. You won't have to wear them outside, but only if you can maintain a 1.5-metre distance from other people. Unlike last week, when this exact change was announced and then retracted a day later, here's hoping it stays in place this time around. https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1404927287917637632 Announcing the easing of current restrictions, Acting Premier Merlino said that the government still wants "to keep regional Victoria free of this virus, which is why the public team have recommended stronger settings for metropolitan Melbourne as extra protection as we run down these remaining cases." So, the state's regional areas will also see its restrictions changed, putting them in a more relaxed situation than the capital. Also part of that Melbourne/regional Victoria divide: requiring Melburnians travelling to the snow this season to get a COVID-19 test within 72 hours of departing for the state's alpine resorts. Victoria now has 55 active COVID-19 cases as at midnight last night, although the state's exposure list has been growing again. Melbourne's restrictions will ease again at 11.59pm on Thursday, June 17. For more information about the rules that'll be in place from that time, head to the Victorian Department of Health website. Top image: Visit Victoria.
In the whimsical 2001 film that bears her name, Parisian waitress Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) decides to devote her life to bringing happiness to others in the quirkiest, sweetest, most charming ways possible. The results earned the Jean-Pierre Jeunet-directed effort five Oscar nominations, a slew of other awards and box office success around the world, and turned the movie into everyone's favourite French flick. We know you've seen it more than once. Now, Amélie is back — and the folks behind her latest incarnation clearly want to keep following in her footsteps by spreading joy wherever they can. No, they aren't returning prized childhood possessions, helping people find romance or taking a garden gnome around the world. However, given that they've adapted the beloved film into a stage musical, they're still achieving that aim. The song-filled theatre production will make its way to Broadway in April 2017, with previews the month prior, following its world premiere in Berkeley, California back in 2015, and another run in Los Angeles this December. Hamilton's Tony-nominated Phillipa Soo will jump from one hot hit to what's sure to be another to play the titular role alongside a cast of veteran performers, as directed by Tony-winning Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? helmer Pam MacKinnon. Amélie joins everything from Moulin Rouge to The Bodyguard in making the leap from the screen to the stage — and into must-see theatre lists as well. Just as it's a good time to be a film-loving TV watcher with the likes of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and What We Do in the Shadows making their way to television, it is also an excellent to be a movie-obsessed musical attendee. Groundhog Day, Matilda, Singin' in the Rain, Heathers and Carrie have all also received the singing, dancing theatre treatment after all, just to name a few, with musicals of True Blood and SpongeBob SquarePants also slated in the near future. Via Variety.
If you're looking for an excuse for your next getaway, new Australian airline Bonza has plenty, including cheap airfares on 25 routes. First announced in 2021 and planning to take to the skies this year, the soon-to-launch carrier has announced the locations it'll be flying to, as well as the legs it'll take between them — with a big focus on regional destinations. When it hits the air, Bonza will service 16 different spots, spanning nine in Queensland, four in New South Wales and three in Victoria. For those heading to the Sunshine State, get ready for trips to Bundaberg, Cairns, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, the Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Townsville and the Whitsundays. NSW's list covers Albury, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle and Port Macquarie, while Victoria's features Melbourne, Avalon and Mildura. Given that Melbourne is the only state capital that Bonza will be servicing, the airline's routes largely connect regional spots — heading from the Sunshine Coast to Coffs Harbour or Port Macquarie to Melbourne, for instance. Indeed, the Sunshine Coast and Melbourne both feature heavily, with the airline set to run 37 flights weekly to the former and 22 to the latter from its roster of locations. Bonza will also base its headquarters on the Sunshine Coast, too. Opening up routes to more of regional Australia was stated as Bonza's aim back when it first revealed its existence last year. "Bonza's mission is to encourage more travel by providing more choices and ultra-low fares, particularly into leisure destinations where travel is now often limited to connections via major cities," said Bonza founder and CEO Tim Jordan, who comes to the airline with 25-plus years experience in low-cost carriers such as Virgin Blue, Cebu Pacific in The Philippines and central Asia's FlyArystan. An exact date that the carrier will start flying its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft around the country still hasn't been revealed as yet, but it hopes to put flights on sale within the next two months. Those fares won't include baggage and seat selection, which'll you need to pay extra for — and it'll be cheapest to do so when you make your booking, rather than afterwards. When it launches, the carrier will take to the skies with the backing of US private investment firm 777 Partners, which also has a hand in Canada's Flair Airlines and the Southeast Asian-based Value Alliance. Bonza is set to start flying in 2022 — we'll update you when an exact date is announced. For more information, head to the airline's website. And for its full list of routes, you'll need to download the airline's app for Android and iOS.
For the much of the second half of 2020, the Sunshine State has been off limits to Victorians. Over that period, the status of Queensland's borders has changed multiple times — as it has throughout much of 2020 — including shutting out all of NSW, then reopening to all of NSW except Greater Sydney, then recently closing to Adelaide residents. But, finally, Victorians will be able to make the journey north from Tuesday, December 1. Today, Wednesday, November 25, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on ABC News Breakfast that Queensland will reopen its border to all of Victoria from the first of next month — which is less than a week away. The move was flagged in yesterday's similar announcement about reopening to all of New South Wales on the same date, but was contingent on the southern state not recording a new case in the past 24 hours. Victoria has now had 26 consecutive days with zero new cases and yesterday hit the milestone of zero active COVID-19 cases for the first time since February. The Queensland Premier called the announcement "very, very good news" — and said the lack of community transmission of COVID-19, plus testing rates and sewerage testing results, all played a part in the decision. She also noted that the Sunshine State now expects an influx of visitors over the summer holidays. Of course, this is also good news if you're a Queenslander now keen on a Victorian getaway, as you'll be able to head to Melbourne and not have to worry about quarantining on return. The Sunshine State will continue to keep its borders closed to 20 South Australian LGAs for the foreseeable future. Whichever way you're heading, though, you will still need a border pass. It isn't required to leave the state, but you'll need one to enter, regardless of whether you're a tourist or returning resident. To obtain a pass, you'll need to apply online, with each one valid for seven days. For more information about Queensland's border policies, head to the Queensland Government website.
Semi-Permanent is the leading global design event, a creative experience by creatives for creatives. The design world descends on Darling Harbour each year and for 2 days the Sydney Exhibition Centre becomes a showcase for the cream of the world's design, art and media communities. Now in its ninth year of bringing together interesting speakers with interested audiences, this year's speakers are continuing the trend of exceptional local and international speakers, including musician/artist Reg Mombassa, designer Annie Sperling, photographer Corey Arnold and illustrator Kelly Thompson. We're partnering with Semi-Permanent again this year and have 5 x two-day passes to give away (worth $310 each). To win, simply subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. Entries close Tuesday, 10th May at 5pm. You won't want to miss out.
It's funny, you might think the crossover between people who love geek stuff and people who love art stuff would be small, but not so. GRAPHIC Festival at the Sydney Opera House has been proving the crude stereotypers of the world wrong for four years now with its melange of comics, animation, illustration, music, multimedia and storytelling. Not only does the festival pull audiences, it puts on some of the most new and daring events in the country, which in past years have included Gotye's live animated album preview for Making Mirrors and Elefant Traks' Dr Seuss-inspired concert. The headliners are here in abundance in 2013, and they're mainly drawn (ha) from the world of comics. The man most credited with introducing comics as a 'serious' medium and Pulitzer Prize winner for Holocaust-themed Maus, Art Spiegelman, will present a hybrid of slides, talk and music in a performance specially commissioned for the festival. The event, called WORDLESS!, will see Spiegelman share his own history while expounding on the depth comics are capable of. Same room, same day: Grant Morrison — legendary writer of such titles as Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Invisibles, New X-Men and All-Star Superman — will be in conversation with Gerard Way (former My Chemical Romance frontman, now award-winning comic artist). Morrison's not the only Arkham Asylum alumnus either; there's idiosyncratic artist Dave McKean. Best known for his collaborations with Neil Gaiman, he also designed the beasts in two of the Harry Potter films and created more than 150 album covers. And he makes music — six songs of which appear with three stories and a stack of images and film in 9 Lives, his Australian premiere performance during GRAPHIC. Also in the mix are Seth Green (Oz! Scott Evil!) and Matt Senreich of Robot Chicken; Wolverine and Swamp Thing co-creator Len Wein leading a workshop; The Incredibly Short Film Festival (it's GIFs, of course); The Cinematic Orchestra in full flight; and Radio National's Radio with Pictures team-up of homegrown artists and storytellers. They don't say it on their promo material, but what you should understand is that GRAPHIC is like arty Comic-Con, and you don't need to be an uber-fan to feel part of the party. There are few events quite like it in the world. The festival runs from October 4-7 and tickets are on sale on Friday, August 2, at 9am from the Sydney Opera House website.
When it comes to happy hours in Melbourne, Baby Pizza is always right up there with the best — with its autumn, winter and spring aperitivo sessions featuring discounted drinks and cheap (or free) snacks. But for summer this year, the crew has switched it up a little, swapping out aperitivo experiences for spritzes. Drop by any day from 4–6pm, and you'll be met with $9.50 cocktails, plus a $7.5o wine and $6.5o beer (Peroni Rossa). On the cocktail front, you've got the choice of three spritzes: Baby's elderflower spritz, limoncello and basil spritz, and Chandon spritz, which comes with sparkling wine and orange bitters. The food menu is the same usual — offering up some of Melbourne's best pizzas — but things do change up a little on Fridays and Saturdays. From 12–4pm on these days, guest DJ will be bringing some bigger vibes — best enjoyed out on the terrace. This deal is running all summer long, so you've got plenty of time to take advantage of Baby's spritz- and pizza-filled summer.
Our society seems to be developing an obsession for sleeping in places that are not our beds. Are our lives so busy and so constantly on the go that the notion of getting your 8 hours in the quiet comfort of your bedroom sometime between dusk and dawn is becoming impractical, unrealistic and just plain outdated? A range of designs over the past few years seem to be pointing to our desire to harness modcon's to make going to sleep - the concept, the verb - unnecessary and obsolete and instead, in its place, enable us to take sleep with us wherever we go. it seems survival of the fittest is all about adaptation, with new designs allowing our weary bodies to adapt to our demanding lifestyles. Athanasia Leivaditou has added a new incentive to staying late at the office through her latest offering - an office desk that can convert into a bed. The white, seemingly innocuous, everyday office desk masks deep within its belly a 2m x 0.8m x 0.73m escape to the Land of Nod complete with a small flat screen TV. Leivaditou pointed to the contraction of our lives to fit into the walls of our office as the inspiration for her design. If your occupational allegiance is tied not to an office but to mobility, you may want to invest in an OSTRICH. Designer Kawamura Ganjavian states that it is a combination of a pillow, cushion, bed and garment that offers "a micro environment in which to take a warm and comfortable power nap at ease" with a "soothing cave-like interior" into which we bury our heads and hands in mimicry of the habits of the aforementioned large flightless bird. If you want to take the concept of portable sleep vessel one step further, perhaps try out Forrest Jessee's Sleep Suit, which, for all intents and purposes, transforms you into a walking sleeping bag. It was designed as a facilitatory aid to the adoption of an alternative sleep cycle whereby you take frequent naps over the course of a day rather than having a big greedy sleep at night. The pleated foam construction enables the user to hear, eat, breathe and see, as well as, at the user's discretion, keel over whenever and wherever for a comfortable and safe snooze. Mixing literal instrumentality with aesthetic absurdity, these designs simultaneously allow us to adapt to our evolving circumstances as well as, possibly, making us question whether the need for such adaptations is an indication that it is our lifestyles themselves that need changing.
Wearing your heart on your sleeve might not be all that cool, but wearing your love of ramen proudly emblazoned on your chest? Well, that's completely acceptable. In fact, the designers at Japanese casual-wear retailer Uniqlo wholly encourage the idea, who've just released a line of covetable ramen-print t-shirts. The fresh designs are part of the label's latest spring/summer t-shirt drop, working the theme 'wear your world' with authentic pop culture images from around the globe. The ramen collection is a nod to Japan's most iconic ramen joints, including Ippudo, Menya Musashi, Setagaya and Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. Some, like the t-shirt for Ebisoba Ichigen, feature bright bowls of noodle soup, while others are printed with recognisable restaurant logos. Other Uniqlo pop culture collections to hit Aussie stores include one called 'The Brands', one devoted to 80s American movies and an art-meets-fashion tribute, SPRZ (Surprise New York + Eames). The t-shirts are retailing for $19.90, but if you're in Brisbane or Sydney, you can try and nab a free one at the collection launches. Brisbane's Queen Street Mall store will be running giveaways tomorrow — Saturday, October 6 — from 11am–3pm, while Sydney's Pitt Street location will do the same the following weekend, at Saturday, October 13. Uniqlo's Wear Your World ramen t-shirts are available now for $19.90 each. You can purchase them from all Australian stores or online here.
It's that time of year again. The bargain-filled Click Frenzy sale return for its next online shopping riot, kicking off at 7pm on Tuesday, March 17 — and, this time around, it's focusing on Aussie businesses in need. The site's inaugural Places in Need event arrives on the heels of Australia's devastating bushfire season and amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This double-whammy has hit the travel sector hard, and Click Frenzy plans to aid local businesses through its quarterly sale. As of 7pm, you'll have access to the usual array of bargain deals on airfare, holiday packages and accommodation, as well as on experiences, tours, car hire and travel insurance. Over 500 deals will be on offer, with big names like Virgin Australia, Travel Online, Flight Centre and Klook all on board. Those deals will specifically focus on a combination of lesser-known Australian gems and well-traversed destinations where tourism is especially low. Of course, in this period of uncertainty, it's not expecting travellers to book a trip for next week. Instead, there'll be flexible dates and cancellation terms — with the intention that consumers will hold onto their vouchers or book for future dates. Now for the deals: expect 70-percent-off Flight Centre packages, 50-percent-off Travel Online destinations, 20-percent-off Hamilton Island stays and 25-percent-off Metro Hotels across Australia. [caption id="attachment_765150" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Shotever Jet Boat[/caption] A few of the New South Wales-specific offers include $400-off luxury stays at White Sand Jervis Bay, a free private tour of biodynamic vineyard Lark Hill Wines, a $100 voucher in Bundanoon (when staying at Fulford Folly) and one-night-free accommodation at Redleaf Carriages in Fitzroy Falls. There's also $30 off Sydney-based experiences via Klook, including the Harbour Bridge Climb, skydiving and hot air balloon bookings. Now may be a time to tick these off your bucket list. Other featured deals around the country include one-night-free stays at Waverley House Cottages in Lake Entrance, Yarranungara Yurt Retreat in Oxley and Aurora Ozone Hotel on Kangaroo Island (which was devastated by the bushfires. And the Mansfield Zoo in Victoria is offering adult camping for child prices. And if you're a member (or want to register for free), you get additional benefits, including early access to all of the deals. There's no official 'end' time to the sale this year, either so you'll have extra time to explore and book. Choose wisely. Click Frenzy's Places in Need kicks off at 7pm on Tuesday, March 17. You can find all the tasty travel bargains here. Check each individual deal for exact terms and conditions. Top image: Kangaroo Island by Isaac Forman
Bring any group of people together in a family home, mode of transport or lavish vacation setting, and one thing just might happen: a murder, at least if whodunnits of the page and screen are to be believed. Agatha Christie loved that exact setup, as book-to-film adaptations Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile have shown. The author's play The Mousetrap and recent flick See How They Run, which riffs on it, make the same point. And, so does the clearly Christie-inspired Knives Out franchise. Yes, the latter is a franchise now, with sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery due in cinemas for one week only mid-November, then on Netflix on Friday, December 23. Once again, Daniel Craig (No Time to Die) returns as Blanc, Benoit Blanc, in the first of two followups planned by the streaming platform — and after a first teaser trailer back in September, the film has just dropped its latest sneak peek. "Alright, when's the murder-mystery start?" is still a fabulous line, as it was in the initial trailer; however, this time there's a bit more context. The movie's cast — Craig, obviously, plus Edward Norton (The French Dispatch), Janelle Monáe (Antebellum), Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Leslie Odom Jr (The Many Saints of Newark), Jessica Henwick (The Gray Man), Madelyn Cline (Outer Banks), Kate Hudson (Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon) and Dave Bautista (Thor: Love and Thunder) — are in Greece, and they're about to play a murder-mystery party game. Then, there's an actual real dead body complicating their fun. If you saw the original — or any murder-mystery involving a motley crew of characters brought together in one location when someone turns up dead — then you'll know how it works from there. There's a lavish setting, that aforementioned big group of chalk-and-cheese folks, threats aplenty and just as much suspicion. Is the culprit Bautista's Duke Cody on the yacht? Hudson's Birdie Jay in the games room? Hahn's Claire Debella by the pool? You'll have to watch to find out, with the film getting sleuthing in cinemas between Wednesday, November 23–Tuesday, November 29 — a month before the movie heads to streaming. And, you'll want to get in quick, as it's only showing on the big screen for that one week. After that, you're back to waiting for an early Christmas gift at home. Just like its predecessor, Glass Onion is both written and directed by Rian Johnson, with the filmmaker moving onto the franchise after 2017's Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi — and still indulging his love of on-screen puzzles, as shone through in Brick and Looper as well. Check out the full trailer for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery below: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will hit Australian and New Zealand cinemas from Wednesday, November 23–Tuesday, November 29, then become available to stream via Netflix from Friday, December 23. Images: John Wilson/Netflix © 2022.
Each year, the advertising world's mad men and women descend on Cannes for a week-long jaunt on the Riviera. Aside from likely providing the world with more instances of cocaine use by aged executive creative directors than any other event in the world, the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival showcases the world's best commercial creativity across a variety of mediums, including TV, print, outdoor, PR and online. The proliferation of new media channels and the growth of social media has made an already cluttered marketing world a dangerous place to be for cowardly chief marketing officers and the brands they steward. Last year, Old Spice made headlines for their ability to engage consumers in a campaign that repositioned a tired brand in one fell swoop via innovative use of social media. But what lay at the heart of the campaign was its ability to make an emotional connection with audiences through humour. Ads, after all, are a like people: the ones you love and hate are the same ones you remember. This year's best 15 ads were decided over the weekend, with the Grand Prix being awarded to the 'Write The Future' campaign launched by Nike during last year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Here they are, ordered according to how they impressed us here at Concrete Playground HQ. https://youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0 1. 'Force' by Volkswagen Agency: Deutsch Los Angeles https://youtube.com/watch?v=dBZtHAVvslQ 2. Cannes Grand Prix 2011: 'Write The Future' by Nike Agency: Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam https://youtube.com/watch?v=xdOoJjvr0GM 3. 'Braids' by H2OH! Drink Agency: BBDO Argentina https://youtube.com/watch?v=CoxCF1xZ7Pk 4. 'After Hours Athlete' by Puma Agency: Droga5 New York https://youtube.com/watch?v=2qD_PiZAz6k 5. 'Premature Perspiration' by Axe Agency: Ponce Buenos Aires https://youtube.com/watch?v=TLgetLmlggA 6. 'The Entrance' by Heineken Agency: Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam https://youtube.com/watch?v=VFFnfHQhg-s 7. 'Shoelace' by Otrivin Nasal Spray Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Geneva https://youtube.com/watch?v=DtCU43MteYY 8. 'Slo Mo' by Carlton Draught Agency: Clemenger BBDO Melbourne https://youtube.com/watch?v=8I550mx8QlI 9. 'See The Person' by Scope Agency: Leo Burnett Melbourne https://youtube.com/watch?v=T3guZ7dMAkc 10. 'Born Of Fire' by Chrysler Agency: Wieden + Kennedy Portland https://youtube.com/watch?v=BKnhyhm3GdQ 11. 'Office' by Mexican Insurance Institution Association Agency: Ogilvy Mexico https://youtube.com/watch?v=nCgQDjiotG0 12. 'Chrome Speed Tests' by Google Agency: Google Creative Lab New York https://youtube.com/watch?v=Oech5Rpom2g 13. 'Cage Cop' by Skittles Agency: BBDO Canada https://youtube.com/watch?v=lZqrG1bdGtg 14. 'Dead Island Trailer' by Deep Silver Agency: Deep Silver https://youtube.com/watch?v=k0fm3JS4p8U 15. 'Demo Slam: Chubby Bunny' by Google Agency: Google Creative Lab New York [Via Mumbrella]
If your ideal weekender involves art, design, good eats, beautiful beaches and minimal driving, make tracks to Red Hill. Located just an hour's drive from Melbourne — in the centre of the Mornington Peninsula — this tiny rural community puts the tranquil waters of Port Phillip Bay on one side of you and the wild Bass Strait on the other. Get your art fix at the stunning Pt Leo Estate Sculpture Park and Montalto in between dining on hatted fare and trying a pinot noir or two among the Peninsula's 50 or so cellar doors. To help you plan, we've partnered with Mitsubishi in celebration of its new Eclipse Cross to bring you an art-filled itinerary for a weekend escape to Red Hill. [caption id="attachment_684423" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pt Leo Estate.[/caption] SEE AND DO Your arty escapade begins at Pt Leo Sculpture Park, on the southeast coast, around 15 minutes drive from Red Hill. Opened in October 2017, this epic wonderland has large-scale works dotted among 135 hectares of vineyards, flowers and fields backdropped by the sea. It's the collection of multi-billionaires John and Pauline Gandel — owners of Chadstone Shopping Centre. Look out for Horizons (1988) by late Australian sculptor Anthony Pryor, which looks like a stairway that vanishes into the sky, and the shiny blue conical forms of Cosmic Resonance by Melbourne-based Augustine Dall'ava. There's also a bunch of international works, including the meditative Ma'aseyahu by late Israeli-American artist Boaz Vaadia and Luke by Britain's Tony Cragg. An interactive app lets you choose between 30- and 60-minute self-guided walks — with or without a glass of wine in your hand from the single-vineyard, hand-harvested drops on offer at Pt Leo Estate's cellar door. [caption id="attachment_641330" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pt Leo Estate.[/caption] Continue your sculptural spree just five minutes' drive away at Montalto. The one-kilometre trail meanders around the Estate's picturesque grounds — from open spaces with monumental works that dominate the horizon, to vineyards and wetlands where smaller pieces are on show. The collection is made up of 30 permanent sculptures, so there's plenty of art to keep you entertained. If you're travelling between February and October, you'll also get to see the Montalto Sculpture Prize Exhibition, an annual acquisitive award worth $16,000. [caption id="attachment_690382" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Montalto.[/caption] Beyond the grand estates and sculpture parks, Red Hill and surrounds are home to an array of indoor galleries. Make your first stop the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, 15 minutes' drive north in Mornington. Check out the permanent collection, which includes Margaret Preston's Tank Traps (1943) and Arthur Boyd's Lovers in a Boat, Hastings (1955), among works by Brett Whiteley, Russell Drysdale and Charles Blackman. Find out what local artists are getting up to along the Peninsula Studio Trail and at the Cook Street Collective, in Flinders — near the coast, ten minutes' drive south of Pt Leo Sculpture Park. This artist-run space exhibits paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, jewellery, woodcrafts and design. [caption id="attachment_659517" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Laura.[/caption] EAT Pt Leo champions art not only in its park but also at the onsite restaurant, Laura. Named after the Estate's Jaume Plensa sculpture, headed by Phil Wood (ex-Rockpool Bar & Grill) and affording panoramic water vistas, this spot offers divine tasting menus. Start with seafood pie with roast Arnotts Farm onions and Heritage Farm duck egg sabayon, followed by coffee-glazed pork with mustard, hoshigaki, salad onion, cheese and parsnip. The matching wines are an international journey, journeying from Pt Leo Estate pinot noir 2016 to Pietradolce 'Archineri' Carricante 2016 from Etna, Italy — and passing Rutherglen, France and Japan on the way. [caption id="attachment_659528" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Flinders Island mussels, seaweed butter and dehydrated tomatoes with polenta at Laura.[/caption] Also hard to miss — visually and gustatorily — is Port Phillip Estate's Dining Room, whose magnificent curved limestone building looks like a modern castle. Among the hatted dishes are roasted Humpty Doo barramundi with wood-roasted celeriac and lemon caper sauce and Great Ocean Road duck breast with leg cannelloni, parsnip and fermented pear. [caption id="attachment_641446" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Port Phillip Estate.[/caption] For a more casual lunch that's all about letting local produce do its thing, swing by Foxeys Hangout. Your best bet is to put yourself in the chef's hands by ordering seasonal share plates. One weekend, you might be feasting on braised leeks with goat curd, blood orange and mint, and the next, mushroom sausage rolls with smoked tomato sauce. The dishes are complemented by Foxey Hangout's excellent cool climate wines, so do be tempted to sample your way through the pinot noir, pinot gris and chardonnay. Another laidback cellar door is Quealy, where you can try its out-of-the-box Pobblebonk (a field blend) and Friulano, an Italian varietal seldom grown in Australia. [caption id="attachment_645761" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jackalope.[/caption] STAY The artiest stay in the area has to be Jackalope in Merricks North, ten minutes' drive east of Red Hill. This super-luxe boutique hotel boasts its own art collection, including a seven-metre high sculpture of a jackalope — the mythical horned rabbit from which the stay takes its name. Expect a room with vineyard views, floor-to-ceiling windows, a private terrace, deep Japanese bath and handcrafted bespoke furnishings. Back in Red Hill, sleep among a 25-acre working winery at Polperro. Each of the four light, roomy studios afford vineyard views, which you can soak up from your king-sized bed or private deck. On cool nights, get cosy in front of your own fireplace or relax in the spacious spa. If it's a sauna you're after, request Number Four. [caption id="attachment_685523" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Iluka Retreat.[/caption] Meanwhile, glampers and campers can get back to nature at Iluka Retreat, just a stone's throw from Pt Leo Sculpture Park. You'll find yourself immersed in 36 acres of nature, overlooking wetlands backdropped by hills. Each spacious bell tent comes with comfy cushions, rugs, mattresses and linen, as well as an optional private fireplace. If you have your own tent, you're welcome to pitch it instead. Where to next? Make the most of every week with Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross and navigate to your next destination here.
Some Pixar movies bring childhood obsessions to big screen, as seen in the Toy Story and Cars films. If you loved monsters as a kid, the Monsters, Inc flicks definitely also count. Other features made by the beloved animation studio explore exactly what it feels like to be a child — as seen in the wonderful Inside Out, of course, and now in the company's upcoming release Turning Red. We say 'upcoming', and that is indeed accurate — but after both Soul and Luca hit streaming over the past six months, the studio's next movie won't release until March 2022. So, you'll be waiting a while to get another dose of heartwarming animated cuteness. Based on its just-dropped first trailer, Turning Red looks like it'll be worth it, though. Marking the first feature from writer/director Domee Shi, who won an Oscar for her delightful 2018 short Bao, Turning Red takes its moniker literally. Many Pixar flicks do, of course (see also: Finding Nemo, Up, Brave and Onward, for instance). Here, 13-year-old Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang, also making her movie debut) is an ordinary teen who gets embarrassed by her mum Ming (Sandra Oh, Killing Eve) fairly often, and can find adolescent life a bit overwhelming. So far, so relatable — but when she's overexcited by all of the above, Mei Lee also happens to turn into a fluffy red panda. If you're thinking about the Hulk but red, female, younger and more adorable, that's the kind of vibe the trailer gives. Disney does own both Pixar and Marvel, so that isn't a big leap. Just how Mei Lee copes with her sudden transformations is exactly what the flick will cover, obviously — and, at this stage, viewers will be able to see the end result in cinemas next year rather than on streaming. Check out the trailer below: Turning Red is slated to release in Australian cinemas on March 31, 2022. Top image: © 2021 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Since Wednesday, July 22, residents of metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire — which is currently in lockdown — have been required to wear face masks or face coverings whenever they leave their homes. From 11.59pm, on Sunday, August 2, the same rule will apply for all of regional Victoria. The announcement comes as Victoria today, Thursday, July 30, records 723 new COVID-19 cases — the state's highest-ever daily total. While most of the new cases are concentrated in the metropolitan and Mitchell Shire regions, regional Victoria currently has 255 active cases. To help keep these numbers relatively low, Premier Daniel Andrews is making face masks mandatory for all. "We have low numbers in regional Victoria, and we want to jealously guard that," said the Premier. "These are preventative steps, they're an abundance-of-caution approach, if you like. It will be inconvenient for some, but at the end of the day, keeping those numbers very, very low is about protecting public health, protecting vulnerable people, protecting every family, but also protecting the economic benefits that also come from having regional Victorian case numbers very low." Under the new rules, residents in regional Victoria will be required to wear a mask whenever they leave home. There are a small number of exemptions when face masks are not required — such as for children under 12, when doing strenuous exercise and when hosting a live broadcast — which we've broken down in detail over here. If you don't have a mask or covering on, you could be slapped with a $200 fine. https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1288649745309696000 As well as masks, a second restriction is being introduced for six local government areas surrounding the 'Geelong corridor'. From 11.59pm tonight (Thursday, July 30), residents of Colac-Otway, Greater Geelong, Surf Coast, Moorabool, Golden Plains and the Borough of Queenscliffe will no longer be allowed any visitors in their homes, which is down from five. For the metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, the areas under lockdown, the Premier has reiterated that you must stay home if you have symptoms and you must stay home after you've been tested. "Too many people are still going to work when they have symptoms. Too many people are going to work, even some when they have a positive test result," the Premier said. "People that are between having the test taken and getting the results, they are still presenting to work. And for so long as that continues, then we will continue to see numbers go up." The Victorian Government is currently offering both $300 and $1500 hardship payments for workers isolating after a test who won't have any income while they do, and aren't entitled to paid sick leave, special pandemic leave or other income support. For more information about the status of COVID–19 in Victoria, head to the Department of Health and Human Services website.
The director of Seven, Fight Club and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher has made a career out of stylish, devilishly entertaining pulp. His latest film, Gone Girl, is absolutely no exception. Adapted from Gillian Flynn's bestselling novel of the same name, it's a dark and twisting tale that presents itself as both a biting commentary on relationships and media frenzy, and a subversion of procedural film conventions. And at the same time, it fully embraces the sleaze and exploitation of that which it critiques. Despite his superhero physique, Ben Affleck looks decidedly schlubby as Nick Dunne, an out-of-work writer from a small town in Missouri whose wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), goes missing on their five-year anniversary. Signs of a struggle indicate she might have been abducted, and before long the entire country is following the case. But as more and more evidence comes to light, including a six-figure life insurance policy and a string of expensive credit card purchases, suspicion is soon cast upon her husband. And as a series of flashbacks told from Amy's perspective expose a marriage that had begun to turn sour, we're forced to confront to possibility that Nick may be a killer. Of course, it's nowhere near as simple as all of that. Gone Girl is the sort of movie that is very difficult to review, because so much of what makes it interesting lies in its second and third act revelations — each more deliciously silly than the last. Viewers unwilling to suspend their disbelief may struggle with the film, which really pushes the boundaries of plausibility. Then again, lurid, outlandish plot twists go part in parcel with the genre, as Fincher fans would well know. Although the movie plays fairly straight, there is definitely an element of subversion here, along with a jet-black sense of humour that manifests itself in unexpected ways. For example, it's hard not to snort when Nick complains, with a completely straight-face, that he's tired of "being picked on by women." The film's representation of gender and marriage could be the subject of an essay in and of itself. Suffice it to say, any movie that can be read as both a bloody tale of female empowerment and a twisted fantasy that implicitly exonerates domestic abusers is worthy of critical attention. Affleck, to his credit, gives what is probably the best performance of his career. One suspects that the casting choice was a self-aware one, given how much of the actor's life has been scrutinised in the tabloids. In a film full of unlikeable characters, the most repugnant are the likes of talk-show host Ellen Abbott (Missi Pyle), quick to condemn Nick's awkward, emotionless television appearances as evidence of his guilt. The film is very much a double-edged sword though. It condemns us for our obsession with violence while funnelling it down our throats. Once again, Fincher is dressing up trash as serious art, wanting to have his cake and eat it too. And frankly, we wouldn't take it any other way. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2-_-1nJf8Vg
Winter's rolling in, but if you're not ready to let the warm days slip away just yet, a summery whisky cocktail could be your answer. Normally, the belly-warming properties of whisky call for a cosier setting. See: dimly lit bars, roaring fires, snuggle sessions. But this season, that's all changing. Ardbeg, makers of one of the world's smokiest whiskies, is getting ready to release a summer carnival-inspired drop, Ardbeg Drum. This special blend has been created by taking the traditional Ardbeg drop from ex-bourbon casks and then resting it in rum casks, adding a uniquely Carribean note to the already complex favourite. This limited-edition drop will be released in stores on Saturday, June 1, coinciding with the brand's annual party, known as Ardbeg Day. Yep, it seems that Ardbeg — and whisky fans — have a lot to celebrate. So, in the lead-up to this big day, Ardbeg has teamed up with a bunch of Melbourne bars to keep the warm weather vibes going. Across the entire month of May, the bars will be slinging the salty, smoky tones of Ardbeg 10 Years Old in a selection of cocktails. From the aromatic essence of a fine Cuban cigar to the spice of barbecue jerk seasoning, here are four ways bars will infuse the spirit of Caribbean summer into their menus.
After two weeks in lockdown in a bid to stop the latest COVID-19 outbreak — including an initial seven-day circuit-breaker action, and a second week to keep cases under control — Melbourne emerged from stay-at-home conditions at 11.59pm on Thursday, June 10. The change came just in time for the Queen's Birthday long weekend, although it would've been excellent news even if an extra day off wasn't on the agenda. Gone are the five reasons to leave your home, and the ten-kilometre travel radius. That said a new 25-kilometre bubble is in effect, venturing to regional Victoria is of the cards and face masks are still mandatory. The list of restrictions can be a bit overwhelming, so we've broken down just what you can and can't do. This information is correct as of Monday, June 14. For what reasons am I allowed to leave the house? Remember those five reasons announced back at the end of May? They're no longer in effect. So, after two weeks of only being able to leave home to purchase groceries and other essentials, for care and caregiving, for permitted work, for outdoor exercise and recreation, and to get vaccinated, you can now leave for any reason you like. For how long can I leave the house? The two-hour limit on time spent out of the home has now been lifted. You may now leave your house for any amount of time — and for any reason — as long as you're abiding by all other restriction. Is there a curfew this time? No, there is no curfew. You are allowed out of your house at any hour — and for any reason and for as much time as you like, too. [caption id="attachment_776562" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Heroes mask[/caption] Do I still have to wear a mask? Yes, masks or face coverings are still compulsory whenever you leave home. Initially, the rules were going to be relaxed in outdoor spaces; however, the Victorian Government changed its mind based on new health advice — so masks must still be worn both indoors and outside whenever you're anywhere other than your own home. How far can I travel? You can now travel up to 25 kilometres from your home — more than double as far as you were allowed to venture during the second week of lockdown. However, if you live in Metropolitan Melbourne, you are still not allowed to travel into regional Victoria even if it is within 25 kilometres from your home. If this newfound freedom is a little overwhelming, there's a website that help you determine what fits in your 25-kilometre radius — and another that helps you work out where your 25-kilometre bubble overlaps with your mates'. Can I see friends and family? Yes, but there are a few caveats, so bear with us. You can catch up with up to ten people, but only outside of your home. You can exercise with them, have a picnic — socially distanced, of course — or do whatever else you like, but not at anyone's house. And, you cannot travel more than 25 kilometres from your home. Inside your home, the "single social bubble" rule is still in place — allowing a single person living alone or a single parent with children under 18 to nominate one person to be in their bubble. You are allowed to have this nominated person over to your home and you can go to their home — and you can travel more than 25 kilometres to visit them, but you must stay within metropolitan Melbourne. You can also stay overnight. The same rule still applies for intimate partners, too. Can I have a session with a personal trainer in a park? Yes, groups of ten — plus the trainer — are allowed to meet up for personal training and bootcamp sessions. Can I have a picnic in a park? Yes, as long as it's with up to ten people (including yourself) — and within 25 kilometres of your homes. Here are some of our favourite spots. [caption id="attachment_651722" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] St Kilda Beach by Josie Withers for Visit Victoria[/caption] Can I go to the beach? Yes, if there is a beach within 25 kilometres of your home. You can only go with up to ten people (including yourself). Can I drive to a park or beach? As long as it's within 25 kilometres of your home, yes. Can I go to a pool? Indoor? Now. Outdoor? Yes. Up to 100 people may swim in an indoor pool, but there's a one person per four-square-metre capacity limit. So, you'll want to check out the pool's website before throwing on your togs. You can check out some of our favourites over here. Can I visit a regional town? If you work or study in regional Victoria, or you need to visit the area for care or caregiving reasons, you can travel there — otherwise no. You can travel more than 25 kilometres from your home to see someone in your "social bubble", but you cannot enter regional Victoria for this reason. Can I go shopping? For any reason, yes. But not all shops are open and some have altered hours, so check before you head off. And do make sure you stay within 25 kilometres from your home. How about to a restaurant or cafe? Yes, you can head to a hospitality venue located within 25 kilometres of your home, but capacity and density restrictions are in effect. Only 50 people are allowed indoors per venue and 100 in total including outdoors, with a one person per four-square-metre capacity limit. And, the maximum group size is ten. If you're getting takeaway, you can also only travel to a venue within 25 kilometres of your house. Can I go to gyms or other recreational services? Indoor gyms are currently closed, but outdoor sports and recreation facilities can open with a one person per four-square-metre capacity limit and a 100-person cap. Can I attend a funeral? Yes, however funerals are limited to 50 mourners, plus those required to conduct the funeral. Can I attend a wedding? Yes, however weddings are limited to 10 people, including the couple and two witnesses. The celebrant and photographer don't count in the cap. If you have more questions, the Victorian Government has an extensive rundown on its website. Top image: Visit Victoria
This mouthful of a show is an ambitious attempt to stage the first psychotic episodes of a mother and son. Its creators, UK company Ridiculusmus, have carved out a position as one of England's most exciting independent outfits. Here, they draw on a Finnish method of treatment called 'Open Dialogue'; one that holds that psychosis exists "between" people, rather than "within" individuals, and picks apart the nebulous web of relationships in which it lives. Co-creator David Woods might be familiar to local audiences from his star turn as the "director" in Back to Back’s acclaimed 2011 Melbourne Festival offering Ganesh Versus The Third Reich. Just like so much of Back to Back's work, this sounds like the kind of show that only theatre can do; one that inhabits the form's unique ability to show multiple voices and bodies moving through both space and time — giving full expression to psychotic confusion and hallucination through split staging and polyphony. If you think The Eradication of Schizophrenia in Western Lapland sounds a bit heavy, take some solace in the fact it's garnered rave reviews in its native England. Ridiculusmus were praised for their ability to find humour and tenderness in this darkest of subject matter.
UPDATE, February 8, 2021: The White Tiger is available to stream via Netflix. Adapted from Aravind Adiga's 2008 Man Booker Prize-winning debut novel, The White Tiger shares an animal metaphor in its name. It works it into the story, obviously, and mentions it in dialogue as well. As a boy, after proudly demonstrating that his reading abilities eclipse those of his classmates in his poverty-stricken village, young Balram Halwai (Harshit Mahawar) is likened to the titular jungle cat by a teacher. He's "the rarest of animals that comes along once in a generation," he's told. That statement arrives within the movie's opening minutes and is meant to linger over the film, which it does. That said, another animal metaphor, also uttered early but pondering roosters and coops, truly cuts to this biting picture's core. Like poultry in a cage awaiting slaughter, India's poor are kept in their place as servants, explains Balram (Adarsh Gourav, Hostel Daze) as an adult. At the mercy of cruel and ruthless masters, the country's workers are well aware that they're being treated thoughtlessly at best, and watch on as everyone is stuck in an unending cycle of drudgery. But, ever-dutiful at every moment, they're unwilling to break free or even mildly defy their employers. That's the compliant life that Balram is supposed to lead, as he notes in the always-pacy, often-winking narration that drives this smart and savage thriller. Balram's existence does play out that way, too, at least for a time. He ingratiates his way into a driver position for Ashok (Bollywood star Rajkummar Rao) and Pinky (Baywatch's Priyanka Chopra Jonas), the American-educated son and New York-raised daughter-in-law of the rich landlord (Mahesh Manjrekar, Slumdog Millionaire) who owns his village and demands a third of all earnings from its residents. But The White Tiger starts with a car accident outside Delhi involving Balram, Ashok and Pinky, then unfurls in flashbacks from an unapologetic Balram in the future. As a result, it's immediately apparent that he won't always be kowtowing to those considered above him in his country's strict caste system. It's also instantly evident that his tale, as cheekily told via a letter penned to 2003–13 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, will take the audience on quite the wild journey. Balram's plan to work for the man who rules over his home stems from his burning ambition to enjoy a life far removed from his struggling childhood. So does his scheme to supplant the family's first driver, as well as his efforts to later forge his own path. When he is given the white tiger label as a kid, he is also advised that "any poor boy in any forgotten village can grow up to become Prime Minister of India". Politics isn't on his agenda, though. During his time with Ashok and Pinky, he starts thinking bigger. He doesn't just want to win "a million-rupee game show" either — the film's wink to fellow rags-to-riches saga Slumdog Millionaire. As viewers watch Balram evolve from an attentive servant to the self-made entrepreneur who unfurls the movie's twist-filled tale with a sense of mischievous glee — and a clear feeling of accomplishment, too — one truth haunts every moment: that the vast chasm between the wealthy and not-so has wide-reaching consequences, and not just those that the rich, powerful and blinkered foresee. The White Tiger's framing device is a little clumsy, and its overt, blackly comic observations about the well-off taking advantage of everyone they consider inferior definitely aren't new. Nonetheless, this is still a ferocious, compelling and entertaining film with something sharp and accurate to say, and an engaging way of conveying its central perspective. As long as the world remains beholden to the few at the expense of the many, eat the rich-style tales will never get old — Oscar-winner Parasite certainly felt anything but — and this one also skewers globalisation and its ramifications, especially as new technologies are supposed to be bringing everyone closer together. Thanks to 2005's Man Push Cart, 2007's Chop Shop and 2015's 99 Homes, Iranian American writer/director Ramin Bahrani is no stranger to street-level stories about everyday folks trying to survive and thrive under capitalism's boot, or to the twisted power dynamics that can ensue in society at large and in close quarters. Accordingly, he's a perfect fit for the material here. Whether he's focusing on a ponytailed, moustachioed Balram as he narrates away, or following the character from dusty shacks and crowded markets to the basements of Delhi's sky-high apartment blocks, Bahrani brings a constantly probing eye to Adiga's tale in both a storytelling and visual sense. (He's was also one of the author's college classmates.) Also ideal is Gourav, so much so that it's almost impossible to imagine the movie being as captivating without him, or as slick yet scathing. The actor is in excellent company, with Rao and Chopra Jonas each finding multiple layers in their characters' lives of privilege, and their eagerness to regard Balram as a friend while it suits — but, as a bright-eyed but still calculating young man trying to work his way up, and then as a cynical experienced hand who has seen much, endured more and knows how he wants the world to work, Gourav is electrifying. It's a performance that's bound to catapult him into other high-profile roles, and it's also the likeable and empathetic yet also hungry and slippery portrayal this rollercoaster ride of a story hinges upon. Or, to put it in Balram's words, Gourav plays his part as "straight and crooked, mocking and believing, sly and sincere, all at the same time", and it's never less than riveting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35jJNyFuYKQ Top image: Tejinder Singh Khamkha/Netflix.
Every five years, Australia undertakes a national census to collect information about everyone in the country. It focuses on people, obviously. But a similar annual initiative takes a snapshot of the nation's birdlife — and, in the perfect event for a year that's seen us all literally spending plenty of time in our own backyards, you can take part. It's called the Aussie Backyard Bird Count, a descriptive moniker that tells you exactly what you'll be doing. From Monday, October 19–Sunday, October 25, all you need to do is head outside — into your yard, out on your street, at your local park, at the beach or wherever else you're likely to spy some birds — and spend 20 minutes counting all the winged creatures you can see. You'l need to note not only the number of birds, but also the types of each species. By spotting everything from magpies, rainbow lorikeets and kookaburras to whatever that bird is that sits outside your window and trills noisily to wake you up each morning (we've all been there), you'll be helping out BirdLife Australia, the country's largest bird conservation organisation. In its effort to stop bird extinctions and protect birdlife in general, the charity is committed to better understanding which flapping critters are found where throughout the nation. So, with that in mind, it has been running the Aussie Backyard Bird Count since 2014. To participate in the countrywide bird survey, you can either submit your count online via the event's website, or download the free Aussie Bird Count app and provide your data that way. BirdLife Australia asks that you only count birds that you can identify, rather than guessing what type of bird is fluttering around your yard — but both the website and the app include a field guide to help. [caption id="attachment_786211" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Sydney Park Wetlands, City of Sydney[/caption] The Aussie Backyard Bird Count runs from Monday, October 19–Sunday, October 26. For more information, visit the event's website.
And just like that, The Cure are 40. What's more surprising is that they haven't been to Australia since 2007. This year, Robert Smith and the gang are back on tour and reports coming out of the US are that the performances are not only as far off the wall as it's possible to get, but that they're also thoroughly fantastic. Sure the hits are there, but it's the emergence of rarer gems that have fans excited. As well as a smattering of new material, the band have mined their back catalogue, blowing the dust off songs like 'Screw', 'The Exploding Boy' and 'Bloodflowers', that haven't been performed live in a couple of decades. If you're just hanging out for 'Friday I'm in Love' or 'Let's Go to Bed', you're not going to be denied. But with a two-hour run-time and no aversion to encores, The Cure's Splendour sideshow also promises a glimpse of lesser-known wonders. There's more Splendour sideshow action where this came from. Check out our list of sideshows with tickets still available.
Since 1995 Chunky Move has consistently been at the cutting edge of contemporary dance in Australia. It Cannot Be Stopped is a chance to see some of the country’s most exciting emerging choreographers in action, appearing as part of the company’s Next Move program. It’s the first time the program’s showcased the work of three choreographers, and Chunky Move couldn’t have found a more diverse trio. Ben Hancock was most recently seen in action in Neil Armfield’s Ring Cycle, the NGV’s Melbourne Now and Tassie's MONA FOMA, while Atlanta Eke’s work is grounded in political performance art. They’re joined by Paea Leach, whose practice centres firmly on dance. All the choreographers are appearing in their own pieces in the program, with the works separated across three distinct spaces in the company’s studios. It Cannot Be Stopped will be performed from June 20-29. Book you tickets here.
If you've seen and loved the show Girls, then you know what a character Lena Dunham is. Her work on the big screen is equally amusing. The one-woman-wonder wrote, directed and starred in Tiny Furniture, a clever and amusing coming-of-age dramedy about a bright but lost young woman coming to terms with her stagnant life. In Tiny Furniture, 22-year-old Aura (Dunham) moves back into her artist mother's Tribeca loft after graduating from university. With a useless film degree, a boyfriend who's left her for Burning Man, a dying hamster and no job, Aura is a desperate for someone to tell her what to do. Luckily, her imprudent childhood friend (Jemima Kirke from Girls) and some feckless love interests (including Alex Karpovsky, also from Girls) are thrown in the mix for plenty of roguish escapades. Through gritted teeth and a forced smile, Aura puts her self out there, lands a job at a crummy restaurant and tries to make something of her life like any other twenty-something in New York City. With a witty cast of characters — including her real-life mother, sister and best friend — Dunham's story hits close to home (and was actually filmed in her parents'). Winning Best Narrative Feature at South by Southwest and Best Screenplay at the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards, this indie darling has all the salty, satirical and sardonic humour that captivated us even before Girls. Tiny Furniture is available on DVD and digital download on October 23. Thanks to Transmission Home Entertainment, we've got five DVD copies to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=GuD6wF_GPOY
Before Monday, March 28 comes to a close Down Under, Hollywood will have anointed a new batch of winners. After months of chatter — almost two since the nominations were announced, in fact — and even longer still of speculation, the Academy Awards will shower accolades upon its 94th round of recipients. Sweeping revisionist westerns, heartwarming animated hits, sci-fi spectacles, history-making documentaries: amid the gorgeous gowns, snappy monologues and sweet speeches that'll inevitably come with 2022's Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes-hosted ceremony, they're all in the running. Yes, the list goes in. And, in a bonus for movie lovers in Australia, you can watch 36 of this year's nominated features right now. Some are showing in cinemas, others are streaming, and a few give you options for either big- or small-screen viewings — and here's your pre-Oscars binging rundown on where to see them all. ON THE BIG SCREEN: BELFAST Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Kenneth Branagh), Best Supporting Actor (Ciarán Hinds), Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Our thoughts: Warm, cosy, rosy, charming, feel-good: typically when a film spins its story during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, none of these words apply. But with Belfast, Kenneth Branagh has made a movie set in its eponymous city when the Protestant-versus-Catholic violence was a constant sight, and also helmed a Jamie Dornan, Caitríona Balfe and Judi Dench-starring feature that's about a childhood spent with that conflict as a backdrop. Where to watch: Belfast is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. CYRANO Nominations: Best Costume Design Our thoughts: Love can spring quickly, igniting sparks instantly. Or, it can build gradually and gracefully, including over a lifetime. In the sumptuous confines of Cyrano, all of the above happens — and, with director Joe Wright helming a handsome, detail-laden, rhythmic piece of cinema starring a fantastic Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett and Kelvin Harrison Jr, this musical adaptation of Edmond Rostand's 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac truly sings. Where to watch: Cyrano is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. DRIVE MY CAR Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Ryusuke Hamaguchi), Best International Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay Our thoughts: Forget Green Book and Driving Miss Daisy, American Oscar-applauded films similarly about drivers, passengers and unexpected camaraderie — Drive My Car is in a lane of its own. Filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi takes his central pair and his audience on a patient, engrossing and rewarding trip that cuts to the heart of dealing with life, love, loss, pain, shame and despair, and also sees how fickle twists of chance unavoidably dictate our routes. Where to watch: Drive My Car is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. FLEE Nominations: Best International Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Animated Feature Our thoughts: Pairing animation with factual storytelling is still rare enough that it stands out, but that blend alone isn't what makes Flee special. Writer/director Jonas Poher Rasmussen has created one of the best instances of the combination yet, all to share the story of an Afghan refugee who was once a kid in war-torn Kabul, then a teenager seeking asylum in Copenhagen, and now talks through the astonishing ups and downs in his tale. Where to watch: Flee is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. LICORICE PIZZA Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Original Screenplay Our thoughts: Paul Thomas Anderson's ninth feature births two new on-screen talents, both putting in two of the past year's best performances and two of the finest-ever movie debuts. In this sublime tale of friendship, romance, hanging out and navigating the 70s in San Fernando Valley, that's evident from the first grainy 35-millimetre-shot moments, as Alana Haim (of Haim) and Cooper Hoffman (son of Philip Seymour Hoffman) do little more than chat, stroll and charm. Where to watch: Licorice Pizza is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. PARALLEL MOTHERS Nominations: Best Actress (Penélope Cruz), Best Original Score Our thoughts: Parallel Mothers is classic Pedro Almodóvar, but nothing about that description ever simply unfurls as expected. Once again, he puts Penélope Cruz at the centre of his frames, paints with the vibrant-toned costume and set design that make his movies such a blissful sight for colour-seeking eyes, and focuses on mothers of all shades navigating life's many difficulties — and the result is one of his best films so far. Where to watch: Parallel Mothers is currently screening in Australian cinemas. Read our full review. IN CINEMAS OR AT HOME: DUNE Nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Our thoughts: A spice-war space opera about feuding houses on far-flung planets, Dune has long been a pop-culture building block. It's always been something special, too — but as he did with Blade Runner 2049, writer/director Denis Villeneuve has once again grasped something already enormously influential, peered at it with astute eyes, built it anew and created an instant sci-fi classic in the process. Where to watch: Dune is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies and Prime Video. Read our full review. ENCANTO Nominations: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score, Best Song Our thoughts: Five years after Lin-Manuel Miranda and Disney first teamed up on an animated musical with the catchiest of tunes, aka Moana, they're back at it again with Encanto. To viewers eager for another colourful, thoughtful and engaging film — and another that embraces a particular culture with the heartiest of hugs, and is all the better for it — what can the past decade's most influential composer and biggest entertainment behemoth say except you're welcome? Where to watch: Encanto is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Disney+,Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. HOUSE OF GUCCI Nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Our thoughts: For the second time in as many movies, Lady Gaga is caught in a bad romance in House of Gucci. Yes, she's already sung the song to match. The pop diva doesn't belt out ballads or croon upbeat tunes in this true-crime drama about the titular fashion family, unlike in her Oscar-nominated role in A Star Is Born, but she does shimmy into a tale about love and revenge, horror and design, and wanting someone's everything as long as it's free. Where to watch: House of Gucci is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. KING RICHARD Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Will Smith), Best Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing Our thoughts: Stepping into Venus and Serena Williams' childhood as aspiring tennis stars, King Richard mostly lobs around smaller moments — and it's a tale about imperfections, struggles and contradictions in the pursuit of excellence, too. It spies the sporting greats' formative years through their father (Will Smith), but still steps through life-defining events for the entire family — and the end product is an easy win, though, rather than an all-timer Where to watch: King Richard is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. NIGHTMARE ALLEY Nominations: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design Our thoughts: Don't mistake the blaze that starts Nightmare Alley for warmth; in his 11th film, Guillermo del Toro gets chillier than he ever has. A lover of gothic tales told with empathy and curiosity, the Mexican filmmaker has always understood that escapism and agony go hand in hand — and here, in a carnival noir that springs from William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel and previously reached cinemas in 1947, he runs headfirst into cold, unrelenting darkness. Where to watch: Nightmare Alley is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SPENCER Nominations: Best Actress (Kristen Stewart) Our thoughts: Spencer joins Kristen Stewart's resume after weighty parts in Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper, Certain Women and Seberg, and has her do something she's long done magnificently: let a world of pain and uncertainty seep quietly from her entire being. The new regal drama should do just that, of course, given its subject — but saying that director Pablo Larraín has cast his Diana well, pitch-perfect head tilt and all, is a royal understatement. Where to watch: Spencer is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Prime Video. Read our full review. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME Nominations: Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: Spider-Man: No Way Home isn't without its charms; Tom Holland and Zendaya's chemistry still sparkles, it's a definite treat to see Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina back in the fold, and, as blasts from the pasts keep popping up, director Jon Watts cleverly juggles the varying tones of all three different web-slinging franchises. But this spider-sequel is always happiest when it's trying to catch the audience's claps and cheers just like flies. Where to watch: Spider-Man: No Way Home is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. WEST SIDE STORY Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose), Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Our thoughts: Tonight, tonight, there's only Steven Spielberg's lavish and dynamic version of West Side Story tonight — not to detract from or forget the 1961 movie of the same name. With this swooning, socially aware remake of one of cinema's favourite stories about star-crossed lovers, the veteran filmmaker pirouettes back from the atrocious Ready Player One by embracing something he clearly adores, and being unafraid to give it rhythmic swirls and thematic twirls. Where to watch: West Side Story is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD Nominations: Best International Feature, Best Original Screenplay Our thoughts: Capturing the relentlessly on-the-go sensation that comes with adulthood, as well as the inertia of feeling like you're never quite getting anywhere that you're meant to be, The Worst Person in the World is filled with running scenes that paint a wonderfully evocative and relatable image. Those are apt terms for Norwegian writer/director Joachim Trier's latest gem overall, actually, which meets Julie as she's pinballing through the shambles of her millennial life. Where to watch: The Worst Person in the World is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and is also available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. VIA STREAMING: ASCENSION Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: Starting with factory recruitment on the streets, then stepping into mass production, then climbing the social hierarchy up to the rich and privileged, Ascension explores employment, consumerism and the everyday dream in China. Observational to a mesmerising degree, it lets its slices of life and the behaviour, attitudes and patterns they capture do the talking — and what a smart, telling, incisive and surreal story they unfurl. Where to watch: Ascension is available to stream via Paramount+. ATTICA Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: Half a century after the infamous Attica uprising at the New York jail — which ended with 33 inmates and 10 correctional officers dead, all most all at the hands of law enforcement — this intelligent, compassionate and powerful documentary asks prisoners who were there to share their stories. Entwined with archival footage, it isn't an easy watch, but it's not just grim and infuriating but gripping and essential during every second. Where to watch: Attica is available to stream via Paramount+. BEING THE RICARDOS Nominations: Best Actor (Javier Bardem), Best Actress (Nicole Kidman), Best Supporting Actor (JK Simmons) Our thoughts: If Aaron Sorkin's name is attached to a project, film or TV alike, plenty of talk always ensues. That's no different in this Sorkin-written and directed biopic about Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) — which focuses on a difficult time in their marriage, and in their sitcom I Love Lucy, but largely just makes viewers wish that they were watching that television series and the real-life Ball instead. Where to watch: Being the Ricardos is available to stream via Prime Video. CODA Nominations: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur), Best Adapted Screenplay, Our thoughts: CODA, the sophomore feature from writer/director Sian Heder (Tallulah), takes its cues from 2014 French hit La Famille Bélier — and it's a rare example of the remake bettering the original. Following 17-year-old Ruby Rossi's (Emilia Jones, Locke & Key) struggle to balance her commitments to her family, all of whom are deaf, with her dreams of attending music school, it's filled with warmth, naturalism, engaging performances and a welcome lack of cheesiness. Where to watch: CODA is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review. COMING 2 AMERICA Nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Our thoughts: Coming 2 America might make knowing jokes about pointless sequels made decades after original hits, but that winking attitude doesn't make this 33-years-later sequel to Coming to America any better. This time around, Eddie Murphy's Prince Akeem of Zamunda has to grapple with becoming king, finding out he has a 30-year-old son and realising that his country's patriarchal traditions need dismantling, and laughs are thin from start to finish. Where to watch: Coming 2 America is available to stream via Prime Video. CRUELLA Nominations: Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling Our thoughts: A killer dress, a statement jacket, a devastating head-to-toe ensemble: if they truly match their descriptions, they stand the test of time. Set in 70s London as punk takes over the aesthetic, live-action 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella is full of such outfits — but if the Emma Stone-starring affair was a fashion item itself, though, it'd be a piece that appears fabulous from afar, but can't hide its seams. Where to watch: Cruella is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. DON'T LOOK UP Nominations: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing Our thoughts: On paper, Don't Look Up sounds like a dream. Using a comet hurtling towards earth as a stand-in, Adam McKay parodies climate change inaction and the circus that tackling COVID-19 has turned into in the US, spoofs self-serious disaster blockbusters and enlists a fantasy cast. But he's still simply making the most blatant gags, all while assuming viewers wouldn't care about saving the planet, or their own lives, without such star-studded and glossily shot packaging. Where to watch: Don't Look Up is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE Nominations: Best Actress (Jessica Chastain), Best Makeup and Hairstyling Our thoughts: Not for the first time, the eyes have it, but then they always have with Tammy Faye Bakker. The second film called The Eyes of Tammy Faye to tell the 70s and 80s televangelist's tale, this biopic, frequently puts its namesake's OTT and instantly eye-grabbing peepers in focus. That's apt, given the Jessica Chastain-starring flick hones in on perspective; however, it'd be a better film if it pondered what she truly saw, or didn't. Where to watch: The Eyes of Tammy Faye is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. FOUR GOOD DAYS Nominations: Best Original Song Our thoughts: Based on a true tale and coming to the screen via a Washington Post article, Four Good Days isn't subtle — but Mila Kunis and Glenn Close's performances still hit the mark with power and empathy. They play a mother and daughter, the former a ten-year heroin addict trying to get clean for the 15th time, the latter her long-suffering mother, and both wading through a lifetime of woes in search of a brighter future. Where to watch: Four Good Days is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. FREE GUY Nominations: Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: Free Guy is a big-budget, star-led movie that primarily exists to answer two not-at-all pressing questions: what would The Truman Show look like if it starred Ryan Reynolds, and how would that 1998 classic would fare if it was about massive online video games instead of TV? In the process, it's firmly Hollywood's equivalent of mass-produced soft furnishings emblazoned with self-help platitudes and designed to sit on as many couches as possible. Where to watch: Free Guy is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE HAND OF GOD Nominations: Best International Feature Our thoughts: The Hand of God isn't a Diego Maradona biopic; however, Paolo Sorrentino's film takes its name from the soccer star's move during a 1986 World Cup match, where he used his hand to score a goal and helped win the game. Based on the filmmaker's own youth, it also tells of a time when the player was a deity to the not-yet-movie-obsessed future Italian cinema great — and the life-changing personal dramas that occurred with that soccer worship in the background. Where to watch: The Hand of God is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. THE LOST DAUGHTER Nominations: Best Actress (Olivia Colman), Best Supporting Actress (Jessie Buckley), Best Adapted Screenplay Our thoughts: Watching Olivia Colman play a complicated woman is like staring at the ocean: it's never the same twice; it couldn't be more unpredictable, no matter how comfortable it appears; and all that surface texture bobs, floats, swells, gleams and glides atop leagues of unseen complexity. The Lost Daughter is the latest example, and it's exceptional, with actor-turned-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal making a bold directorial debut bringing Elena Ferrante's novel to the screen. Where to watch: The Lost Daughter is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. LUCA Nominations: Best Animated Feature Our thoughts: Even when Pixar makes a minor delight, like Luca, its usually swims well beyond most of the other family-friendly fare that gets pumped in front of young eyes. Set in Italy over a resplendent summer, this coming-of-age tale might be the closest that Pixar ever gets to making a Frankenstein movie. Forget the whole coming back from the dead part; instead, teenage sea monsters Luca (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) just want to belong. Where to watch: Luca is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES Nominations: Best Animated Feature Our thoughts: Fighting the robot apocalypse has rarely been as fun on-screen as it is in this feel-good, family-friendly (and family-loving) animated delight. Artificial intelligence takes over, the world's technological gadgets enslave humans, and it's up to a film-obsessed teenager and her quirky family to save the day, work through their baggage and ensure that humanity has a future — all of which makes for smart, funny, warmhearted and savvily playful viewing. Where to watch: The Mitchells vs the Machines is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. NO TIME TO DIE Nominations: Best Original Song, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Our thoughts: James Bond might prefer his martinis shaken, not stirred, but No Time to Die doesn't quite take that advice. While the enterprising spy hasn't changed his drink order, the latest film he's gives its regular ingredients both a mix and a jiggle. The action is dazzlingly choreographed, a menacing criminal has an evil scheme and the world is in peril. But, there's more weight in Daniel Craig's performance, more emotion all round, and a greater willingness to contemplate the stakes. Where to watch: No Time to Die is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. THE POWER OF THE DOG Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Jane Campion), Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Supporting Actor (Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee), Best Supporting Actress (Kirsten Dunst), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Our thoughts: Jane Campion has never helmed anything less than stellar, and she's immensely capable of unearthing rich new pastures in well-ploughed terrain. With The Power of the Dog, the New Zealand director is at the height of her skills trotting into her latest mesmerising musing on strength, desire and isolation — this time via a venomous western that's as perilously bewitching as its mountainous backdrop, and is also teeming with stunning performances. Where to watch: The Power of the Dog is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON Nominations: Best Animated Feature Our thoughts: Featuring a vibrant animated spectacle that heroes vivid green and blue hues, a rousing central figure who is never a stock-standard Disney princess and lively voice work, Raya and the Last Dragon boasts plenty of highlights. It embraces southeast Asian culture with a warm hug; it's always detailed, organic, inclusive and thoughtful, and never tokenistic; and it benefits from the pitch-perfect vocal stylings of Awkwafina as the playful, mystical half of the film's title. Where to watch: Raya and the Last Dragon is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS Nominations: Best Visual Effects Our thoughts: In Marvel's 25th film, Simu Liu anchors a film about history and destiny, too — one that's about breaking free from the past and committing to the future — and he heartily embraces the occasion. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings itself flits between offering up a lively picture that strives to carve out its own space in the series, and simply serving up more of the usual Marvel template but in enticing packaging, however, but it's always entertaining. Where to watch: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) Nominations: Best Documentary Feature Our thoughts: Much of Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) involves stunning archival footage, as recorded more than five decades ago and never seen since, capturing live performances by an astonishing lineup of musicians at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Directed by Questlove, consider this glorious documentary an act of unearthing, reclamation and celebration, then. It's a gift, too — and a phenomenal one. Where to watch: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Read our full review. TICK, TICK... BOOM! Nominations: Best Actor (Andrew Garfield), Best Film Editing Our thoughts: Lin-Manuel Miranda's filmmaking directorial debut, Tick, Tick… Boom! charts theatre composer Jonathan Larson's (Andrew Garfield) path to the autobiographical one-man-show that shares its name — before he went on to make a little production called Rent. It's a loving ode, albeit an inescapably overexcited one. And it's also clearly a case of art imitating life, with Larson's enthusiasm for the art form he cherished so feverishly coming through strong. Where to watch: Tick, Tick... Boom! is available to stream via Netflix. Read our full review. THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH Nominations: Best Actor (Denzel Washington), Best Cinematography, Best Production Design Our thoughts: Bringing Shakespeare to the big screen is no longer just about doing the material justice, or even letting a new batch of the medium's standout talents give their best to the Bard's immortal words. For everyone attempting the feat (a list that just keeps growing), it's also about gifting the playwright's material with the finest touches that cinema allows — and this version of Macbeth, directed solo by Joel Coen, bubbles not only with toil and trouble but with all of the above. Where to watch: The Tragedy of Macbeth is available to stream via Apple TV+. Read our full review.
They're acting icons with four decades of work to their names. They also each played a part in the delightful Paddington movies — but in different films. We're talking about Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, who finally share the screen in six-part mini-series The Undoing. As married couple Grace and Jonathan Fraser, a renowned psychotherapist and a celebrated children's oncologist respectively, they seem to have the perfect New York City life. The drama's title tells you that change is coming, though. When a woman connected to the ultra-expensive school attended by their teenage son Henry (Noah Jupe) turns up dead, the Frasers' existence begins to unravel. Or, as Big Little Lies writer David E Kelley and The Night Manager director Susanne Bier make clear, perhaps it was already unfurling but Grace and Jonathan just didn't realise. Also starring Donald Sutherland as Grace's father and Edgar Ramirez as the police detective with many a suspicion about the Frasers, The Undoing serves up twist after twist as it investigates not only a crime and a marriage, but the lives of the wealthy and privileged.
Prepare to get hopelessly devoted — again — to Rydell High, summer lovers reuniting at school, leather jackets and Pink Ladies, all across Australia's stages in 2024. Because giving Grease a prequel streaming series isn't enough, the 50s-set musical is returning to its original home, with a brand-new multimillion-dollar theatre production of the five-decade-old show set to be the one that local audiences want next year. Grease is shaping up to be Melbourne's big summer hit, zipping into the Victorian capital's Her Majesty's Theatre like lightening in January. Then, from March, it'll take its retro stylings to Sydney's Capitol Theatre. If you live elsewhere in the country, cross your fingers that these two initial seasons are only the beginning. Everyone knows Grease's plot by now, given how popular the 1978 movie adaptation of the musical rom-com still is, especially Down Under. It is about an Australian transfer student, after all, who falls in love with an American high schooler in California. After it sped from the stage to become a silver-screen classic, it spawned a 1982 Michelle Pfeiffer-starring sequel, too, then this year's Paramount+ show Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Exactly who'll be slipping into John Travolta (Paradise City) and the late, great Olivia Newton-John's (The Very Excellent Mr Crocodile Dundee) leathers as Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson in the new Aussie production has yet to be revealed, nor has any casting — T-Birds, Pink Ladies and teachers alike. But whoever gets the gig, obviously they'll be belting out all the famous tunes, including the titular 'Grease' and fellow earworms 'Summer Nights', 'Sandy', 'Hopelessly Devoted to You', 'You're The One That I Want', 'Greased Lightnin' and 'Beauty School Dropout'. "I am thrilled that Grease, one of the world's all-time favourite musicals, is returning to Australia in a brand-new production featuring an all-Australian creative team," said producer John Frost announcing the new tour, which is presented by John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia. "Grease has always been about having fun and, coupled with the much-loved songs and choreography, I know that this will be the party musical that everyone is talking about for a long time to come." GREASE 2024 AUSTRALIAN TOUR: From January 2024 — Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne From March 2024 — Capitol Theatre, Sydney Grease will tour Australia in 2024, starting in Melbourne in January. For more information or to sign up for the ticket waitlist, head to the musical's website.
There are more than a couple of covert events taking place in the Tasmanian wilderness right now. But as of 2017, there is one less. Two revolutionaries — aliases Spinifex and Dr. Gesundheit — have left the cover of the canopy to declare they're constructing a contingency for the ailing human race. Starting today, they're calling for potential crew members who know — or want to learn — a thing or two about rebuilding societies from the ashes up. So as not to raise suspicion or alarm, the training/selection process has been given the moniker of Newkind Festival. The immersive event purports to be presented by UpUpTrampoline, a group known for creating live art events that pursue social change. The lie is a necessary one. For four days from March 17-20 in a secret location in eastern Tasmania known only as 'base camp', participants will become initiates of the future — the Newkind — and imbued with the skills to navigate the ascent out of the cataclysm. The Newkind are split into six categories — farmers, scouts, healers, administrators, engineers and artists — depending on the contribution one wants to make to the new world. Each group will camp together over the course of the weekend, taking part in lectures and classes on assisting a chastened humanity in rebuilding. For those with skills to share, Spinifex and the good doctor are still accepting applications for volunteers here. At $400 a pop, tickets are pricey. Then again, it includes all meals and the promise of calm acceptance should anarchy begin to shred the lie we call society. The reckoning isn't far off now. Will you be the one left in the desert still searching for phone reception or leading a small band to the only drinkable water for miles? Newkind Festival could be the difference. Newkind Festival will take place in a secret location in eastern Tasmania from March 17-20. Tickets are on sale and can be bought at newkindfestival.com.
It has been a tumultuous month for Melburnians. First came a week-long statewide stint off stay-at-home conditions, followed by a further week of lockdown just in metropolitan Melbourne. Then, although leaving the house for whatever reason you like was allowed again, the 25-kilometre rule made a comeback. Next, all those limits on how far from home you can travel finally lifted — and now a number of other rules are being eased as well. When Friday, June 25 hits — because, realistically, few folks will be taking advantage of the new relaxed restrictions at one minute to midnight the day before — Melburnians will be able to have more folks over to their house, gather outside with more people, and spend time in more public places with bigger crowds. As announced by Acting Premier James Merlino today, Wednesday, June 23, the new rules will kick in at 11.59pm on Thursday, June 24. They'll be in place for two weeks, too, not one week like previous eased restrictions. So, for the next fortnight, Melburnians will be able to welcome 15 people over to their house per day and also gather outdoors with up to 50 people — with those rules coming into effect statewide. Funerals and weddings will also be able to have 300 attendees, although the one person per four-square-metres density limit still apples. https://twitter.com/JamesMerlinoMP/status/1407512554377605121 For food and hospitality businesses, they'll also be able to welcome in 300 people per venue — but still only for seated service. Small venues can have up to 25 patrons inside before the density requirement kicks in, and venues less than 600 square metres in size can operate with a density quote of one per two-square-metres or a venue cap of 150 people, as long as they have a COVID check-in marshal. For larger venues, the one person per four-square-metres rule is still in effect. Entertainment, cultural and sporting venues will be able to see bigger crowds through the doors as well — and nightclubs also, although dance floors are still banned. There's a general 300-person cap at indoor spaces, with the one person per four-square-metres rule operating, too, while outdoor spaces can have up to 1000 folks in attendance. For stadiums, they'll have 50-percent limit up to 25,000 people. Offices can welcome in 75 percent of their employees, and there is no work from home requirement. Mask rules aren't changing, so they'll still remain mandatory indoors — and will also need to be worn outdoors if you can maintain a 1.5-metre distance from other people. https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1407463806792577027 As mentioned above, these rules will be in effect for two weeks — except when it comes to theatres and stadiums. The Acting Premier advised that, subject to epidemiology and the advice of the Chief Health Officer, they'll be able to host even bigger crowds from 11.59pm on Thursday, July 1. Theatres will go up to 100 percent, and stadiums to 85 percent. Announcing the latest changes, the Acting Premier said that new steps were "a big step forward so that every Victorian can get together and spend more time together." Victoria now has 50 active COVID-19 cases as at midnight last night. Melbourne's restrictions will ease again at 11.59pm on Thursday, June 24. For more information about the rules that'll be in place from that time, head to the Victorian Department of Health website.
Sure, it's the middle of winter and most of those planned tropical getaways have been put firmly on hold (and relegated to the realm of dreams), but that hasn't stopped the folks behind renowned Sydney distillery Poor Toms from releasing their most holiday-worthy concoction yet: a bright and vivacious piña colada gin. The new drop is a labour of love that's been in the works for a while, taking the team two years to perfect thanks to hero ingredients like pineapple and coconut being notoriously tough to distill. There's freshly juiced pineapples in there, along with some dehydrated fruit, toasted coconut — that's been both distilled and fat-washed in coconut oil — and lots of aromatic extras like pandan, lime and allspice. https://www.instagram.com/p/CDN6gDvDHoy/ As such, there are only a total of 5000 bottles up for grabs, available now at select bottle shops, or from the online store. So, you'll want to be quick if you want to inject some boozy sunshine into your 2020. Fun and fruity, the newly dropped gin is like some international beach vacation, distilled into a bottle. "Our philosophy is about bringing surprise and pleasure to people's lives, however we can," Poor Toms Co-Founder Jesse Kennedy said in a statement. "You may not be able to travel overseas, but you can still have a holiday in your lounge room." The distillery's tasting notes describe a "toe-dip of milky coconut rough" and a "welcome tidal wave of brine-soaked juniper and lime peel". And, obviously, it pairs perfectly with Rupert Holmes' 'Escape (The Piña Colada Song)'. If that's not exactly the kind of vibe we need right now, what is? Poor Toms' Pina Colada Gin is available now at select Victorian and NSW bottle shops, or for Australia-wide shipping via the online store. The 700-millilitre bottle comes in at $77.
International hotel giant Mantra Group has entered into an agreement to purchase the Art Series Hotels for a cool $52.5 million. The agreement will see the seven Art Series Hotels join the Mantra's ever-expanding family, which currently holds 128 properties and more than 21,500 rooms across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Hawaii. Each of the seven boutique Art Series Hotels is dedicated to and inspired by iconic Australian artists, meaning each location has a distinct personality and aesthetic — some of them even made it into our best boutique hotels feature. There's The Cullen in Prahran, The Larwill Studio in North Melbourne, The Olsen in South Yarra, The Blackman on St Kilda Road, Melbourne, The Chen in Box Hill (currently in the final stages of construction and set to open in November 2017), as well as The Johnson in Spring Hill, Brisbane and The Watson in Walkerville, Adelaide. "This is a rare opportunity to acquire a collection of exceptional hotels and one which is expected to make a significant contribution to Mantra Group's business," says Mantra group chief executive officer Bob East. "These hotels have been operated to the highest standards by a passionate and dedicated team, and we are delighted to welcome such iconic and favoured properties to our growing network of hotels and resorts." The acquisition is expected to be settled later this year.
Typewriters are probably the most-sought after and treasured piece of redundant technology in the sweeping landscape of once lame and now cool thingamajigs, including the cassette tape, the Holga camera and the record player. Typewriters are both beautifully designed and encourage a completely different, more permanent, mode of writing - one which has no 'delete' key. Ardent hipster poets, typography fetishists and Cormac McCarthy are all proponents of the humble typewriter, and with the hysterical wave of appreciation has come a range of design innovations. We've seen artists using the typewriter's punctuation keys to create art and the creation of typewriter apps for your iPhone. We've also seen some terrible, terrible poetry. The latest innovation takes the typewriter to a whole new level. American painter Tyree Callahan has created The Chromatic Typewriter, the world's first fully-functional painting typewriter. The typewriter has been built and submitted for the 2012 West Prize Competition, an annual art prize determined by popular vote. Callahan took a lonely and unused 1937 Underwood Typewriter and replaced the letter keys with colour pads and hue labels. This means that each time a key is pressed, you don't get a letter appearing on the page but a small rectangular pixel of colour. So far the typewriter has been used to create abstract landscape works on paper. The West Prize is still open, so if you feel like giving props to the Chromatic Typewriter you'll need to download the app to the iPhone we're assuming you have and vote there. [Via PSFK]
Hello Sunshine is a collective of three Melbourne creatives — Erika de Vos, Jessie Ford and Stacey Bennett — whose illustrations interrogate notions of love, beauty, and queer culture. Like previous work, their exhibition From the Ilk is designed as a provocation to the viewer; one that asks questions about the boundaries that govern our behaviour. This show was one of our top picks for Midsumma 2014, see our full list here.
Long before the pandemic hit, all manner of books, movies, self-help websites, Instagram feeds and slogan-emblazoned homewares told us that we should all value the little things in life. That message has probably felt particularly relevant over the past year — or, right now, given the spate of lockdowns that have recently swept through most of Australia's state capitals. So, even though it's the very definition of a s small win, scoring a free packet of Tim Tams likely seems especially appealing at the moment. Locked-down residents of Sydney — and folks in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra, too — can nab a chocolate biscuit fix on Wednesday, July 7. The occasion: World Chocolate Day. Yes, it's one of those food-focused celebrations that pops up all the time, but it's also an excuse to indulge your sweet tooth. Deliveroo and Tim Tam have teamed up to give away 5000 packets of bikkies. You'll need to order some food for delivery, you'll have to spend at least $25, and you'll need to pick from one of 100 participating restaurants nationwide, too. Also, you'll need to get in early, because the freebies are available until stocks last. Eateries taking part include Bar Luca, the Rashays chain and Johnny Bird in Sydney; Boss Burger Co, Peach's Fried Chicken and Royal Stacks in Melbourne; and Arrivederci Pizzeria, Gnocchi Gnocchi Brothers South Brisbane and The Yiros Shop Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. In Perth, Charco's The Flaming Chicken and Kitchen Inn Express are on the list, while Adelaide's Lukuomades and The Potato Project are also taking part — and so are Fricken Fried Chicken and Mama Dough Pizza Shop in Canberra. On Wednesday, July 7, if you order a meal that costs at least $25 from 100 different restaurants, you can score a free packet of chocolate biscuits. For further details, head to the Deliveroo app. Top image: Bilby via Wikimedia Commons.
When 2023 sweeps in, it will have been two decades since composer Stephen Schwartz and playwright Winnie Holzman took a book inspired by The Wizard of Oz, put it to music and turned it into one of Broadway's biggest hits of the 21st century. When next year arrives, it'll also mark Australian musical theatre fans' latest chance to see that very show right here at home — because Wicked is flying into Sydney next August. Even if you haven't seen the blockbuster show before, including on its past Aussie run from 2008–11, then you've likely heard of it. Following the Land of Oz's witches — telling their untold true tale is the musical's whole angle, in fact — Wicked has notched up more awards than you can fit in a hefty cauldron over the years. That includes three Tonys from ten nominations, a Grammy, an Olivier Award and six Drama Desk Awards. Also huge: its worldwide footprint, playing in 16 countries around the world since its 2003 debut. And, when it makes its way to Sydney Lyric for its latest Aussie run, it'll do so after enchanting itself into fourth place in the list of longest-running Broadway shows ever — even surpassing Cats. Story-wise, Wicked starts before The Wizard of Oz and continues its narrative after Dorothy Gale lands, adapting Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The text itself has sold 5.5 million copies, including five million since the musical first opened. Here, before Dorothy blows in, two other women meet in the Land of Oz: Elphaba and Galinda. One will later be known as the Wicked Witch of the West, while the other will become Glinda the Good Witch. Exactly why that happens, and how, and the pair's relationship from rivals to unlikely friends to grappling with their new labels, fuels the show's tale. Wicked is being brought to Australia by John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia, Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B Platt and David Stone — and will also take to the stage again before the in-the-works two-part film adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo (Pinocchio) as Elphaba and Ariana Grande (Don't Look Up) as Galinda, and directed by Jon M Chu (In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians), is due to start reaching cinemas in 2024. Back to the stage show, it's too early for cast announcements — and so far, only a Sydney season has been locked in. Pop on your ruby slippers and click your heels three times in hope that Wicked will tour the country — and defy gravity in Melbourne, Brisbane and more — afterwards. View this post on Instagram A post shared by WICKED in Australia & NZ (@wickedinoz) Wicked will play Sydney Lyric from August 2023, with exact dates yet to be announced. We'll update you with further details when they're revealed. For more information or to join the ticket waitlist ahead of sales starting sometime in November, head to the production's website. Images: Joan Marcus.
"Take a picture of a picture from the past in the present." This directive is the basis for a great new Tumblr project, Dear Photograph. Just a few weeks old, the blog is a collection of photos of people holding up old photographs in the original location the photograph was taken, thereby showing what has changed over the years to striking effect. The idea and execution is relatively simple. In fact, Sergey Larenkov flashed us back to WWII in a similar fashion a few months ago. The end result though is incredibly enjoyable - a sense of pure nostalgia and a chance to look at time passing right before your eyes. Hopefully, with some increased attention more people will be inspired by the project, go out and take their own photos, and build up the collection.
Perpetually moody rockers Sonic Youth are selling some of their vintage equipment and gear in order to raise money for Shelter Box USA, a charity devoted to responding "instantly to natural and manmade disasters by delivering boxes of aid to those who are in most need." The band has already put several items up for sale on eBay with more expected to come in the next few days. For those interested there is a xylophone that was used in the recording of Daydream Nation's 'Kissability', a 1970s Rhythm Ace Drum Machine, a very odd looking glockenspiel, an array of guitar road weary guitar cases complete with band stickers and even a custom-made mixer that was built for the band and used on stage by bass guitarist and vocalist Kim Gordon. So far the best buy looks like the xylophone, which is by far the cheapest item going for just $50. But then again it is hard to go past a vintage 1970s drum machine. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rK9QkjXm0I8
Ethical and sustainable womens label Kowtow is popping up in Melbourne for one month this winter. Founded by art director Gosia Piatek, the New Zealand label's clothing is made entirely from certified fair trade, ethically-sourced organic cotton, making it a real champion among local boutique producers. The brand creates six collections per year and their newest collection, Dreamscape, focuses on figurative elements from folk tales and traditional fisherman workwear. The pieces feature quilting, textured knitwear and a natural colour palette that aims to accentuate the versatility of cotton without compromising on ethics or sustainability. All fabrics are also exclusively designed in-house and packaged with sustainable material — and, we must say, look incredibly comfy. Kowtow's international presence spans showrooms in New York, Copenhagen, Venice, Melbourne and Auckland, with Dreamscape available online and across 200 retailers worldwide. The pop-up will kick off with a launch party on Thursday, May 18 and, following that, will be open Monday to Saturday from 10am–6pm and Sunday from 11am–5pm until June 18.
Sustainable dining gets a fun, tiki-style twist, for Rice Paper Scissors' lively Good Food Month banquet menu. On Tuesday, June 22, and Tuesday, June 29, the Fitzroy restaurant is dishing up a five-course Southeast Asian feast that's focused on minimising waste. They're honing in on local, sustainably-sourced ingredients, while ditching the plates and cutlery in favour of things you can eat with your hands. For $49, you'll tuck into a planet-friendly five-course feed, starring creations like locally-foraged mushroom banh mi, rice crackers topped with kingfish ceviche in a pomelo coconut dressing, and coconut cups with caramelised pork and Clarence River king prawns. True to form, there'll be a full menu of excellent vegan alternatives on offer, including bites as tempura eggplant steamed buns and smoked pineapple ceviche. To match, the bar will be slinging a range of brews, wines and tiki-inspired drinks to purchase on the night — including a few 'edible' cocktails. [caption id="attachment_638752" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rice Paper Scissors[/caption]
In a couple of months, when it's time to see how 101 Dalmatians' Cruella De Vil came to be such a villain, moviegoers will have two choices. When the end of May hits, you'll be able to see the Emma Stone-starring Cruella on the big screen — or you'll be able to sit on your couch, jump onto Disney+, pay an extra fee and check it out from home. More of a Marvel kind of film fan? Been looking forward to Black Widow, which was originally supposed to release in cinemas last April but has been delayed several times due to the pandemic? You'll have the same pair of options when that flick releases in July, too — a couple of months later than was last slated, but still in the very near future. Disney has announced that the two big movies will go the same route as Raya and the Last Dragon, which made its way to cinemas and Disney+ at the same time at the beginning of this month. The news is hardly surprising, given that theatres in different parts of the world are at different stages of reopening — or, in some cases, still closed. Indeed, after over a year of holding off from making move with Black Widow, the Mouse House just might be setting the template for its releases moving forward. So, you can expect to see Cruella in cinemas on Thursday, May 27 and on Disney+ the next day, on Friday, May 28. As for Black Widow, it'll hit the silver screen on Thursday, July 8 and then become available to stream on Friday, July 9. Because neither film will be included in your regular Disney+ subscription, just how much extra you'll pay to watch them at home hasn't been revealed — but Raya and the Last Dragon costs $34.99 on top of your monthly or annual fee, so that's a good guide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmRKv7n2If8 If you'd been looking forward to Pixar's next flick, the Italian-set Luca, you'll also be able to watch that at home from Friday, June 18. In this case, though, it's completely bypassing cinemas, and it won't cost you anything extra to see on Disney+. The animation studio's last movie, the gorgeous and moving Soul, did the same last Christmas — so again, this isn't unexpected in the slightest. Last year, Disney moved Pixar's Onward to streaming when cinemas started closing, then did the same with the terrible Artemis Fowl, the phenomenal filmed version of Hamilton and the visually impressive live-action Mulan, too — so yes, this is becoming a trend. Recognising that viewers want choice when it comes to watching big-name new-release movies was always bound to happen, of course, but the pandemic has certainly sped up the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdAIBlPVe9s Cruella will release in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, May 27 and on Disney+ on Friday, May 28. Black Widow will hit the big screen on Thursday, July 8 and then become available to stream on Friday, July 9. And Luca will hit Disney+ on Friday, June 18. Top images: Black Widow, photo by Jay Maidment. © Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved / Cruella, photo by Laurie Sparham. © 2021 Disney Enterprises Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If it's ethereal indie folk you're after, Dustin Tebbutt is your man. The New England native's music is described by his record label as "the music for your autumns and winters" which, in our opinion, couldn't be more accurate. The haunting isolation that comes through his high echoey vocals and crisp acoustic guitar certainly create feelings of isolation and introspection. Well, it's a good thing he's coming to town as the temperature is starting to drop. Tebbutt's latest national tour is for his latest EP, Bones, and it's gorgeous. First single 'Bones' is much like what we saw on debut EP The Breach; incredibly entrancing music that has the ability to transport its listeners far away from anyone or anything. If you enjoy the thoughtful sounds of Bon Iver or Sigur Rós, then Dustin Tebbutt is a local boy you definitely shouldn't miss. The Armidale local had a good ol' chat to Concrete Playground about roasting coffee, living in Sweden and working with Oliver Tank, right smack in the midst of his national tour. So you're on tour at the moment, and all of your shows are pretty much sold out. How has it all gone so far? It's been really great. We've got a really good crew and they're all people I know really well, so it's just like hanging out with friends really! The shows have been really nice, it's a big difference selling out shows and knowing there'll be a lot of people there to see you, as opposed to driving halfway across the county and ending up with 20 people in a room. It's been amazing and everyone has been really receptive so far, so it's good. Is this your first time performing with a band? What has that been like for you? We did Falls Festival with the band and a festival in March in Sydney with the guys, but they were really just warm up shows to get it all up and running. This is the first tour that we have headlined and the first time we've been on the road together. We've got a chance to do a few shows back to back, which has been really good. It has allowed us to have a closer look at the songs and workshop stuff a bit too. You have also done some international touring earlier this year, how was the reception to your music overseas? I was really surprised actually! I've been really lucky here to have the support of triple j and FBi that have allowed me to get in front of a lot of people quite quickly. Overseas that hasn't really been happening, it's just been word of mouth over the internet. The London show sold out and the New York show sold out, and the one in Amsterdam was packed, so it was really surprising to see that. It's kind of weird because it's very passive, going to these far away places and people happen to know about you! It's strange but it's nice. This tour is showcasing your recently released second EP Bones. Did the songs come together in a different way to your debut EP The Breach? It was a similar process in a way. Quite a few of the songs on Bones started out in the same place as The Breach, and they were kind of the ones I started writing a bit closer to the end of that period overseas. I wasn't quite finished with them when I got back but they all came from a very similar place — a lot of the themes are pretty similar as well. I think I learned a lot with The Breach EP production-wise and my own writing process, and I think Bones was more of a way to experiment with that and refine it a bit more. In a way I think they are both from the same chapter of my life, we'll have to see what the next one is. https://youtube.com/watch?v=FzdxNjwsoAI There is a wonderful remix of The Breach by Oliver Tank on the Bones EP. You two seem like a match made in heaven, how did that collaboration come about? I had seen him when he was supporting James Blake at the Opera House in Sydney, and when he first put out his EP years ago was when I just got back to Australia and I was listening to it a lot up in Armidale. It just kind of captured me straight away, I just sent him an e-mail just to see if he was interested and we just took it from there. I gave him a lot of creative control and said, "There's no agenda here, I just want you to make something that you're happy with." He took his time with it and when I heard it back for the first time it blew my mind, it was so stunning. I'm really happy that we got the chance to work together. So let's go back a bit, you moved to Sweden for two years and that is where song from The Breach EP were conceived. What drew you to Sweden and how did living their influence your music? Originally I was living in Melbourne just before that and I was playing in a few bands and roasting coffee, and my life was very sorted and on a trajectory. I just felt the need to shake it up a little bit. I had a friend who had grown up in Sweden and he was out here as well making music at the time. He told me about the scene over there and how the music is a bit different and I started to get intrigued by that, to the point where I had to go and check it out for myself. When I got there I didn't have any preconceived notions of what it would be like, so I was a bit of a sponge. Spending a lot of time with a small group of people writing music in winter, we stayed in this little country town an hour south of Stockholm for three months and it was insane. It was like the images you see on the Sigur Rós covers. It was such a beautiful place and to be so far away in a different environment was pretty inspiring. You came home to produce and record The Breach in your home studio that you built in Armidale. Do you prefer this set up to a fully-equipped professional sound studio? I really do. I actually did a lot of the drum tracking within a bigger space, which was really good because it's efficient and easy and there's not really anything logistically getting in your way. But the studio that I built was tiny; I could only just fit an office chair in there. But it made you solve problems differently, maybe instead of setting up a new microphone or getting a new guitar, because that would take you eight minutes to change everything over, you didn't. Or you couldn't fit the instrument in the room properly, so you'd play it upside down. The whole set up made me make all of these interesting choices that contributed to the overall sound of the record. If you go to a big studio where a lot of bands have tracked you risk sounding like every other record that has been made in that room. I didn't want to do that, I wanted to do my own thing and it might not have been the easiest way to do it! But I'm really happy with how it worked out. https://youtube.com/watch?v=OysNiYXWga0 Your music is very distinctive; ethereal and complex. Who would you say are your musical influences? Laura Veirs, a Canadian-born singer-songwriter, she and her husband have made six albums together now and he is one of my favourite producers. She was a geologist and she has this amazing vocabulary for songwriting and she tells the most beautiful stories through geographical metaphors. It's just stunning; she's one of my all time favourites. I guess I listened to a fair bit of Bon Iver when that first record came out, and Jeff Buckley when I was growing up, that's probably where the falsetto comes from. You've produced two wonderful EP's, any plans on releasing a debut LP album this year? I'm working really hard to make that happen. At the moment there's not a deadline, I don't want to put anything out that I'm not completely happy with. I'm just writing as many songs as I can and trying to finish them off when they feel ready. It would be really nice to get something out this year, but I'm not making any promises (laughs). What else has this year got in store for you once you've finished the Bones tour? We're heading up to Splendour in July, which will be awesome. Going to drop in to Armidale on the way back — I haven't been there for a few months so that will be good to catch up with some people there. In August there will be a festival in Port Hedland so we'll head up there for a few days. Missy Higgins is playing and the Kite String Tangle, and a few other people I'm looking forward to sharing the stage with so that will be nice. A lot of song writing this year I think, it should be a lot of fun. TOUR DATES: WED 14 MAY - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (SOLD OUT) THU 15 MAY - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (SOLD OUT) FRI 16 MAY - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (SOLD OUT) TUE 20 MAY - Newtown Social Club, Sydney (SOLD OUT) WED 21 MAY - Newtown Social Club, Sydney (SOLD OUT) THUR 22 MAY - Newtown Social Club, Sydney (SOLD OUT) FRI 23 MAY - Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane SAT 26 JULY - Splendour in the Grass, Byron Bay
Sport and the internet seem to have a love-hate relationship. The extra exposure can make athletes more human, but a mis-placed tweet can land them in hot water; the web can open up new audiences, but illegal streams of event coverage can encourage fans to stay home. Sony Ericsson, the US Open and foursquare have teamed up to see what tech can bring to tennis. The 2011 US Open is set to become the first integrated foursquare sporting event. Fans will be encouraged to check-in at each of the courts, unlocking prizes, and if they become mayor of a court, the chance to do the pre-match coin toss. Sounds like a neat idea to encourage attendance, but perhaps foursquare will be the real winners in the deal, gaining a partnership that puts them one up against other check-in apps, and providing prime exposure to the 300,000 tennis fans expected to attend. Hopefully the web-sport crossovers won't stop there. Perhaps clubs will do away with expensive managers and just use the fantasy league picks of their fans? Or perhaps CrickiLeaks will be the source of all new cricket scandals? Let's just stay away from chatroulette while Warney is still around though...
What sits at the heart of European storytelling? That's a question that one of Australia's must-attend film festivals has been pondering for three years. It was back in 2022 that Europa! Europa initially started showcasing the breadth of cinema from across Europe — surveying as many countries as it can fit into each annual program, and swinging from the latest to the greatest pictures from across the continent. 2025's event kicks off in February to explore that idea again. Attending Europa! Europa's opening night this year means discovering what makes a French box-office hit, for starters. A Little Something Extra, directed by comedian and actor Artus, was its nation's highest-grossing homegrown movie of 2024. When it kicks off this Australian film fest in Sydney and Melbourne on Wednesday, February 12, it'll start the celebration of cinema with a tale about jewel thief and his son at a summer camp for young adults with disability. Returning to Classic Cinemas Elsternwick and Lido Cinemas Hawthorn in Melbourne for a month, running until Wednesday, March 12, Europa! Europa has compiled a roster of 44 movies from 26 countries. Accordingly, its latest program lets viewers dig into what drives filmmaking from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark and Estonia, and also Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine. Titles from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Georgia, Montenegro, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom are on the list, too. Unsurprisingly, the largest contingent comes from France. Indeed, Gallic cinema provides Europa! Europa with its centrepiece film as well — and it's an Australian premiere, with Once Upon My Mother stepping back to the 60s. The festival's headliners bring big-name talents, as well as touching documentaries to Sydney and Melbourne. In Another End from The Wait director Piero Messina, Gael García Bernal (La Máquina) plays a mourning widower exploring tech-enhanced ways of facing grief, with Renate Reinsve (Presumed Innocent) and Bérénice Bejo (Under Paris) co-starring. The Dardenne brothers (Tori and Lokita) co-produce the Belgian tennis academy-set Julie Keeps Quiet, while Sweden's 2025 Oscar submission The Last Journey hails from Swedish journalists and TV hosts Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson, and focuses on a trip to France with the former's father. Still on familiar faces, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Academy Award-nominee Maria Bakalova (The Apprentice) leads the satirical Triumph, French standouts Daniel Auteuil (An Ordinary Case) and Sandrine Kiberlain (November) get farcical in Love Boat, and Mélanie Laurent (Freedom) and Guillaume Canet (All-Time High) portray Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI in their final days in The Flood. Other highlights from the fest's slate of new titles include Spain's I Am Nevenka, about an IRL MeToo case; U Are the Universe, a Ukranian sci-fil film made during the current war; the Sundance-premiering Sebastian, about a writer who is also a sex worker; Anywhere, Anytime, a modernisation of Italian masterpiece Bicycle Thieves; and Loveable, from the producer of The Worst Person in the World — and the list goes on. Europa! Europa's annual retrospectives keep proving a drawcard, too. After shining the spotlight on Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness director Yorgos Lanthimos in 2024, the festival is jumping back into French film history by heroing the iconic François Truffaut. Four of the French New Wave filmmaker's movies are on the lineup, all showing as new 4K restorations: Shoot the Piano Player, The Soft Skin, Two English Girls and Finally, Sunday!.
In Her's almost certainly near future, Joaquin Phoenix plays Theodore Twombly — a gentle, retiring man who works at BeautifulHandwrittenLetters.com penning heartfelt correspondence between people he's never met. In his personal life, his wife (Rooney Mara) has left him and now communicates exclusively via their lawyers. In short, nobody really talks anymore. Then one day he buys and installs a new operating system called 'OS1' — an artificially intelligent construct that names herself, or rather itself, 'Samantha' (voiced to perfection by Scarlett Johansson). At first Samantha simply streamlines Theodore's life, triaging his emails and encouraging him to get out more, but gradually, as she evolves and learns more from their interactions, they begin to fall in love. It seems ridiculous, yes, but thanks to Spike Jonze's masterful script and direction, it never really feels it, and that's what makes HER the first must-see film of 2014. it is a beautiful, imaginative and provocative offering by Jonze that asks some fascinating questions about the direction love is taking in the technological age. Read our full review here. Her is out on DVD, Blu- ray and digital download on May 22, and thanks to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, we have 15 DVDs to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email us with your name and address. Sydney: win.sydney@concreteplayground.com.au Melbourne: win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com.au Brisbane: win.brisbane@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=1awGTPsEmiU
Sometimes you just need a little escape. You need cuddles, you need adventure, you need wine. In those times, both Queenstown and Wanaka are perfect backdrops in which to drink and dine at world-class eateries, stay at some very cosy accommodation, have some adventure-filled antics and spend time with the person who makes you feel like thousands of years of romantic poets have. Queenstown is an all-embracing renaissance city with more on offer than any holiday or pocket can stand. Although it is known as a ski town it also offers every other kind of activity – from wine tours on bike to sky diving. Its eclectic streets are packed equally with Lacoste-clad preppy folk as well as dreadlocked backpackers. Over the hill, Wanaka is a more easy going, quirky alternative where you can go watch films in an old drive-in inspired cinema, hike in one of the most beautiful national parks and go horseback riding. Eat Inside its neat little 4 x 4 town centre, Queenstown packs a culinary punch. It would take a decent part of a season to eat one's way through it all in order to write about all of the noteworthy eateries. Nevertheless, we definitely picked up a few new favourites on our most recent trip. Should you want to break your steak glass ceiling – and have the best steak you will possibly ever try in your lifetime – you'll want to promptly book yourself a table at Jervois Steak House. There you will be served with juicy, tender steaks that could be cut with a butter knife, practically. Steaks range in price from $39 for a petite eye fillet to $140 for a beautifully marbled, well-massaged, grain-fed, Japanese Wagyu beef. Jervois Steak House's excellent steaks fall in line with its culinary mission to properly pay homage to and reintroduce customers to traditional English and New Zealand food – many menu items read like the kind of garden variety dishes you'd be able to construct out of a shop from a supermarket near you (onion rings, brocollini, creamed spinach, croquettes etc.). The difference is the absolute quality of the ingredients used by Jervois and the sheer passion infused into the meals which plucks the meals from banality and converts them into something completely fresh. For example, the Yorkshire pudding – which was originally invented to be a first course meal filled with thick, cheap gravy so that guests wouldn't eat too much of the more expensive second course – here becomes a beautiful, interactive DIY pie with bacon, beef and the finest of fillings. Other (more typically fancy) dishes, like the buttered crayfish are executed amazingly as well, and still with that same warmth and passion mentioned before (the crayfish tasted like a buttery embrace from an old friend). Jervois Steak House is basically the love child of high-end dining and a casual steak house. This idea permeates not just the menu but the entire setting. Waiters, for example, are trained in silver service but dress in butchers' aprons and sneakers. It's a dichotomy that works and one you should definitely experience first-hand. Another lovely restaurant to visit in Queenstown central is Madam Woo. Established by the Michelin-starred Josh Emmett, the sassy Malaysian-inspired lady is an approachable, charming local favourite. Looks-wise Ms Woo is a total keeper. She's fresh without being annoyingly trendy and incorporates her heritage without being stuffy and archaic. With meals designed to be shared, you're looking at getting about three to four dishes between the two of you. Highlights of the menu include the eggplant hawker roll, which is a heap of fresh mint, cucumber, shredded lettuce and eggplant piled into a taco-shaped pie (or for those with a more enlightened food vocabulary, a roti). The hawker roll manages to nail all sorts of cravings in each mouthful – spicy meets fresh meets salad meets the pie-esque roti. The honey and soy tossed squid is also quite a crowd pleaser, especially for those of the sweet tooth persuasion. Lastly, No5, which is situated below the incredible suites at The Spire, is a good, classy little cocktail bar to visit. Cocktail options range from the likes of the Absinthe Mansinthe – a traditional absinthe which was commissioned by Marlin Manson, to the Burning Man – a showmen's drink consisting of Woodford Reserve bourbon, grapefruit, burn sugar and smoke. The drinks menu is a niche, well-designed and unique mixture of cocktails, but should your regular favourite not be featured, the very capable and talented bartenders can easily make you an amazing custom cocktail from scratch. No5 is also a restaurant and does a pretty well-priced mezze which follows the Greek/Turkish custom of serving many small dishes simultaneously or in succession for the entire table. The mezze is priced at either $50 (dishes only), $60 (includes dessert) or $100 (includes three matching local wines). A little bit further out of town is my absolute favourite of the region, Arrowtown's Saffron. It is a well established fact that the best ideas are sketched out on napkins, which is exactly how Saffron started. The restaurant which specialises in beautiful, seasonal and local fare serves what can be best described as hunter's food with a quirky bowtie on. The incredibly well thought-out, intuitive, visionary meals that Saffron dish up reduced this reviewer into a primal gurgle on her visit (albeit a quiet one – it's a pretty upmarket place after all). It's hard to write about the restaurant even now without feeling my mouth salivating. The paua tortellini, for example, was just a creamy beautiful symphony of flavours while their tender lamb was soft enough to swallow after one chew. Another favourite was the goat's cheese sorbet with amaretto-soaked dates which was served as a dessert. Sweet, warm, cold, fresh, comforting – it was pure genius. Although we only tried a handful of meals, I would venture that every single meal on the menu would be able to make the culinary equivalent of those Greatest Hits albums we all had in the '90s. I do not throw around the word 'must-do' lightly, but this is definitely one. Oh, and be sure to drop in to the Blue Door next door after dinner for a drink inside a cosy, cavernous bar. Over the hill, Wanaka has been developing some great restaurants too. Kika, the newly opened younger sister to Francesca's Italian Kitchen, is a notable mention. Serving Italian shared meals such as tea-smoked duck salad and patata fritte the trendy eatery accommodates all appetite sizes. Stay In order to soak in the most impressive bathtub in town, a stay at The Spire is imperative. With a perfectly crafted, wide and deep bowl, the bath has a way of letting hours pass in a steamy sigh of relaxation. Open the bathroom shutters up to a glorious view of the Remarkables for an even higher level of perfection to your bathtub experience. There really is nothing like it. Afterwards, clad with a complimentary, fluffy bathtub and slippers sit back into the leather armchair with a cup of tea (whichever type you prefer from the wide selection) and a sense of satisfaction that won't leave you for the duration of your stay. In fact, the only downside to this level of comfort offered by The Spire is the fact that it makes it near impossible to leave the room to enjoy the rest of Queenstown's offerings and eateries. With a cosy fireplace lit and cloud-like bedsheets to sink into, bunkering up with the significant other and never leaving the room – not even for food (room service is available) – is an easy choice, but for those who wish to stretch their legs just a little bit without hitting Queenstown's sometimes biting cold, the downstairs No5 is always there as a halfway house. The Spire is an absolute accommodation favourite and definitely something special for the two of you to enjoy together – even if you have to save up for it. Nearby, Arrowtown House Boutique Hotel also offers an excellent, deep bowl of a bathtub which is almost swimmable. Although the Arrowtown House, as the self-explanatory name states, is in Arrowtown– which is about a 15-minute drive from Queenstown – it is incredibly close to Arrowtown's central district which offers its own little collection of unique eateries, making a night-time food-motivated hike to Queenstown redundant. Breakfast at Arrowtown House is another highlight: a three-course meal with homemade pastry dishes and seasonal produce from award-winning chef and co-owner Jeanette. A little bit further out of town, a stay at the historic vineyard Kinross Cottages is a beautiful escape where a raft of chatty ducks – Jemima, Crispy, Pancake and l'Orange – will welcome you upon arrival. The ducks have so much personality that they've become quite Instagram famous and co-manager Adam Ross has even been dubbed The Duckfather. The cottages are all self-serviced, with pictures of the original Kinross family who ran a trading post on the site in 1860s decorating the walls. Kinross still has an on-site general store, but nowadays it also houses a cellar door where you can sip on five of the nearby Gibbston Wines. For those wanting to see the vines where the local wines' grapes were grown from up close, bikes can be hired from Kinross in order to take on the 8.7km Gibbston River Ride (which forms part of Queenstown trail) nearby. A post-bike hot tub session near the duck pond finishes off the day perfectly. For those who'd like a little bit more of an intimate host-to-guest experience, a small bed and breakfast such as the Riverview Terrace in Wanaka is quite a nice option. Run by a local winemaker, James McElrea (who just recently started his own delicious label called Black Peak) and hospitality veteran, Nicky McElrea, guests at the Riverview are no sooner welcomed than small, delicious nibbles are placed within arms' reach and glasses of wine hug their hands. The private hot spa overlooking Albert Town and the nearby Mount Burke makes for a pretty little spot to relax in. Do While skiing or snowboarding is a stalwart winter activity in Queenstown and Wanaka, many snow virgins find their initiation a little bit unnerving – which is why The Remarkables (alongside Coronet Peak) have assembled a four-day beginners pack for a steal at $499. For those who fall in love with the snow, an upgrade to a season pass is just another $100 extra. The Remarkables ski field, which is the closest skiing turf to Queenstown (about half an hour's drive) is a laid-back ski field geared at intermediate and beginner snowboarders looking to have a good time.* *Ice bar included. Another good ski field to try out currently is Cardrona, a park and blue skiers' paradise and the the highest ski field in the area at 1670m - 1860m in altitude, making snow coverage guaranteed from season start to finish – even during this pretty hot winter the region's having. While the weather gods (in particular those in charge of the snow department) might still not be fully cooperating with the wishes of thousands of locals and snow carvers alike, there are also plenty of off-mountain activities to fill your calendar with. For one, Skyline Stargazing offers lovers an opportunity to give gazing into each others' eyes a miss in order to take in the skies above. Secondly, if you're going to go and fall in love (with all the trappings that come with it: fear, vulnerability, learning how to trust, excitement etc.), you might as well replicate those emotions and fall out of a plane as well. NZONE Skydive offers packages for the latter. With over 25 years of experience – which translates to up to 25,000 dives in experience for the most experienced tandem jumpers – you're in safe hands. They are New Zealand's first Tandem Skydiving operation too, after all. You've also got what is probably the best skydiving view in the country, which you can appreciate while hurtling at 200km/hour towards a little farm nestled between the Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu. Skydiving is honestly one of the most surreal experiences a human can have and couples visiting Queenstown should definitely make some time in-between candlelit dinners and hot spas to try it out together. Thirdly, taking some time to go on foot through the Mount Aspiring National Park near Wanaka is well, erhum, inspiring. The DOC visitor centre in Wanaka can provide you with detailed maps, assurance and advice for which tracks to follow to find awe-inspiring beauty compliments of nature. The Rob Roy Glacier track would be my pick. For those who prefer to explore nature on hoof, Backcountry Saddle Expeditions offers a two-hour horse trek near Cardrona through high country farming plateaus and a historic gold mining valley. Another Wanaka favourite is a visit to the drive-in themed Cinema Paradiso, for a more relaxed night out. After all your adventuring together, a session at the well-known and very romantic Onsen Hot Pools in Arthurs Point near Queenstown rounds off any full-on trip nicely.
Belgian artist Jan Fabre seems to have made a career out of being relentlessly strange, from burning money and drawing pictures with the ashes to encrusting a palace ceiling with glittering beetle shells. So it's hard to know exactly what to expect from one of his plays, but odds are it'll be, well, odd. Fabre's Wake Up Hate is being performed at La Mama by Paulo Castro, a Portuguese-born performer who has toured the show to various cities in Europe, including Berlin, Reykjavik, Lisbon and Paris. It’s a solo show, a fierce monologue from a protagonist who claims to have freshly come back from the dead. From an armchair in the ruins of a destroyed house, he launches a scathing attack on the voyeurism of contemporary society, a voyeurism he is part of because his eyes have become cameras. Yup, sounds odd alright. But perhaps, like a beetle shell ceiling, gloriously so. Image by Rodeo.
A lot can happen in a couple of years — or, as 2020 has taught us, in less than 12 months. So if you've forgotten that Melbourne will soon be home to a big new contemporary art gallery and huge public garden around it, that's understandable, as the former was announced back in June 2018 and the latter in February 2019. The Victorian Government would now like you to remember, however, as it has just committed a hefty chunk of funding to both projects, and to the revamp of Melbourne's Arts Precinct in general. In the 2020–21 Budget, as announced on Tuesday, November 24, $1.46 billion has been earmarked for quite the hefty transformation. And, when it's done, it'll see the city become home to Australia's largest gallery dedicated to contemporary art and design. We've said it before, but it bears repeating: this is a pretty big deal. The new gallery — dubbed NGV Contemporary — will be part of the NGV, but it'll also be a standalone gallery. It'll be built around the corner on the site of the old Carlton & United Breweries building on Southbank Boulevard, and will feature both local and international contemporary art, design and fashion. The idea is to not only attract locals, of course, but tourists — and compete with other big art galleries interstate as well. NGV Contemporary also plans to give everyone something to look at outside too, with the government set to launch a design competition for the new building. It'll be looking for an Australian architectural team, who'll be tasked with turning the site into a new landmark for Melbourne. Around NGV Contemporary will sit 18,000 square metres of public space, all via a hefty and sprawling garden. The Victorian Government says it'll be the equivalent in size to the MCG — but focused on outdoor performances and public art, and featuring cafes and restaurants, rather than being dedicated to sports. It'll also link the new gallery to Arts Centre Melbourne and NGV International on St Kilda Road, to Southbank Boulevard and Sturt Street, and to the Yarra as well. As previously announced, the project will include theatre upgrades as well — but its first phase is firmly about NGV Contemporary. Just when construction will begin, or when the gallery and garden will open, hasn't yet been revealed. Announcing the new funding as part of the 2020–21 Budget, Premier Daniel Andrews calling the redevelopment and NGV Contemporary a "generational project that will bring people to our state and support jobs now and for decades to come. It's a game changer." The big chunk of money is one of the initiatives designed to lure folks to Melbourne — after the state has also set aside cash to get Victorians to head to regional areas, including through a voucher scheme, to head to a new photography centre in Ballarat, and by creating new coastal walking tracks, campsites and a hot springs resort. For more information about NGV Contemporary, keep an eye on the NGV website. For further details about the 2020–21 Victorian Budget, visit the government's dedicated website.
In Australia, it's common to think of theatre as a safe diversion for a small elite. Not so in Belarus, where theatre is dangerous, and the political ensemble Belarus Free Theatre is outlawed. Instead of performing for their countrymen, then, they travel the world, doing works like Minsk 2011, a combo critique of and love song to their home city. With a particular focus on underground subcultures and sexual policing under a dictatorship, their work is renowned for being inventive rather than polemic, and of striking a note of hope. This is theatre on the edge.
