A staple of Melbourne's cultural calendar for 80 years and counting, the Sidney Myer Free Concerts are back for another year. Held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, the latest of this long-standing favourite will, as always, feature a trio of performances from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Whether you're a classical music buff or just want to stretch out with a picnic on the grass, there's a good reason these concerts have become a summertime tradition. After kicking off on February 7 and keeping the fun going on February 10, Melburnians can enjoy the last evening in the series on February 14. Making the most of the date, the MSO will perform a series of love-inspired music, opening with Richard Strauss, and followed by several pieces by Giacomo Puccini and others. Performances begin at 7:30pm however gates are open at 4:30pm — be sure to arrive promptly with your picnic basket in hand.
Over the past few years, Gelatissimo has whipped up a number of creative flavours. It's a hefty list, spanning everything from frosé sorbet to gelato for dogs, plus ginger beer, Weet-Bix, fairy bread, hot cross bun, cinnamon scroll and chocolate fudge varieties. You might've tried its Biscoff, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey's Kisses scoops, too, or its gingerbread cookie dough version. That's a lot to choose from — but its Caramilk-inspired flavour was always going to stand out. Back in early 2021, the Australian dessert chain delivered a Caramilk Hokey Pokey-inspired gelato, and we're betting that your tastebuds were instantly thankful. It was a limited-time offering, however, but Gelatissimo has done us all a solid by bringing back its caramel milk version — sans Hokey Pokey — right now. This flavour is as simple as it sounds: caramelised white chocolate gelato, plus a burnt caramel sauce, all ready for you to lick either in a cone or a cup. And yes, it's the perfect option if you can't choose between devouring some Caramilk chocolate or opting for a few scoops of ice cream. Gelatissimo isn't revealing how long the caramel milk gelato is sticking around for this time, so it's the kind of dessert you want to make a date with sooner rather than later. The chain has brought it back because it's popular, understandably — and with that in mind, it's also scooping up its beloved bubble tea gelato again as well. That brown sugar bubble milk tea number starts with milk tea gelato that's infused with organic black tea, then swirls through brown sugar syrup and tops it with brown sugar pearls. And, giving everyone three past faves, Filipino ube cheesecake gelato — ube gelato topped with chunks of jiggle cheesecake — is back on the menu as well. You'll find the trio in all Gelatissimo stores Australia-wide, and only while stocks last. That includes via delivered take-home packs via services such as UberEats, Menulog, Deliveroo and DoorDash. Gelatissimo's caramel milk gelato, brown sugar bubble milk tea and Filipino ube cheesecake gelato are available from all stores nationwide while stocks last.
Did you know that it's illegal to store an ice cream in your back pocket in Alabama? One dare not imagine the horrifying tragedy that must have engendered this law. The destruction of such a very fine pair of acid-wash Levi's. The cruel, undeserved fate of the ice cream. Ludicrously entertaining, yes, but this is just one of infinite madcap laws that have been passed in the US over time, and now a young photographer is cleverly drawing attention to them through a series of images titled I Fought the Law. Recent School of Visual Arts grad, 22-year-old Olivia Locher, is working through every American state in turn, selecting the weirdest law of each to express as a photograph. Known for her colourful work and currently seeking Kickstarter funding for a fairly bizarre and intriguing cult-inspired film featuring lean girls in matching underwear, Locher has chosen the literal route for representing the unusual laws, and you can scope them all out here. Below we have included some of Locher's chronicle of what's verboten, to act as a kind of visual warning manifesto. Back that fixie away from the diving board, hombre, because in Cali it's absolutely forbidden to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool. Enjoying more than two dildos in the privacy of your own Arizonan home? The cops are onto you. (But this instructional video may prove helpful, should you choose to defend your hobbies). Meanwhile, in enlightened Wisconsin, serving apple pie without cheese is an illegal act. Why? Why should this be so? Does cheese even taste any good with apple pie? The boys in blue don't care for your existential line of inquiry. Coins can't legally be placed in human ears on the island of Hawaii, and Texan children are denied the legal right to get a weird haircut. Little Bobby wants a groovy mullet? Cuff 'im. Via PSFK
You could celebrate International Tea Day (Sunday, May 21) the obvious way, by downing a nice hot cuppa. Or, you could sate your sweet tooth instead and mark the occasion with a tea-inspired treat. Or hey, why not double down and do both at once? This year, the innovative dessert masters at Tokyo Lamington are teaming up with iconic tea brand Lipton to deliver a limited-edition collaboration that's sweet as can be. From Friday, May 19–Friday, May 26, it's serving up a specialty (or special-TEA) lamington creation inspired by the go-to hot drink that is Lipton's Quality Black Tea. The new dessert features a base of black tea sponge, with boba-spiked tea custard and a biscuit crumb to finish. If that sounds like something you'd like to get your mitts on, simply head into Tokyo Lamington's Carlton store and nab a limited-edition pack for $15. Each one contains one of the Lipton-inspired treats, as well as an OG signature lamington and 15 Lipton tea bags — so you can really make a great afternoon of it.
Earlier this year, Scotland's BrewDog created the world's first craft beer hotel at its US base. Of course, if you're keen to head to Ohio for a boozy holiday, you'll need to get there somehow. Enter the world's first craft beer airline, which the beer fiends have aptly named BrewDog Airlines — and yes, it's all about drinking craft brews at 30,000 feet. In fact, BrewDog has also created its own beer that tastes better at a flying altitude. If you hop on board its airline, you'll be among the first to try it out. Cathay Pacific did something similar back in 2017, launching a bottled beer that was made to taste as great in the air as it does on the ground — but that's not the only brew-focused flourish on BrewDog Airlines. Boarding a Boeing 767, passengers will also enjoy a spot of beer tasting, tuck into a BrewDog-inspired menu that's paired with matching beers, watch the brewery's BrewDog Network — its own streaming platform — and receive a branded eye mask and blanket. More brews will be served during the flight, obviously. And, once the plane lands, you're in for a tour of BrewDog's Columbus facility, as well as a brewery-hopping day trip to Cincinnati. You can also stay at The DogHouse, the brewery's hotel, for an extra fee. If you're keen to take the trip, it's only flying from the UK to America on February 21, 2019, then making the return leg on February 25, 2019. You'll also need to be of BrewDog's Equity Punks, which is what it calls its shareholders — and pay £1,250 per person (or £2,250 for two people sharing a room). That said, the brewery is also giving away ten spots, if you're feeling lucky. With BrewDog also opening an Australian base in Brisbane in 2019 — albeit without a hotel — here's hoping it brings this idea with it. Image: BrewDog.
UPDATE, October 23, 2020: On the Rocks is available to stream via Apple TV+. Not once, not twice, but three times now, Sofia Coppola has given the Bill Murray-loving world exactly what it wants. One of the great comedic talents of the past half-century, the Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day star is also a greatly charismatic talent — and, understandably, viewers want to spend more time in his inimitable company. In Lost in Translation, Coppola found a way to take this idea literally, in a fashion. With Scarlett Johansson's unhappy twenty-something doubling as the audience's on-screen surrogate, everyone watching was able to vicariously pal around with Murray's character, a high-profile actor, while taking in quite the tour of Tokyo. In 2015 Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas, the filmmaker let Murray play himself, get jovial and ooze charm. And now in On the Rocks, he steps into the shoes of a debonair playboy art dealer who is determined to help his New York-dwelling adult daughter discover if her husband is being unfaithful. On the Rocks' premise really isn't far removed from Lost in Translation. The film's female protagonist is a decade older this time, her romantic troubles are complicated by both marriage and children, and another bustling city provides the backdrop, but the basic idea remains mostly the same. With Murray as the lively Felix and Rashida Jones as his overstressed offspring Laura, the movie takes them hopping around NYC as they endeavour to ascertain if the latter's workaholic other half, Dean (Marlon Wayans), is cosying up to his attractive young colleague (Jessica Henwick) while Laura is raising their two young daughters. In the process, Felix and Laura chat about anything and everything, covering topics both important and trivial. They eat and drink, and do so in luxe spaces while Felix naturally captivates everyone in his orbit and turns everything into an adventure. Over the course of their investigative escapade, Felix helps Laura work through her struggles, too — although here, their own complicated relationship is actually one of them. There's an immense sense of joy to Murray and Jones' pairing, and not just for Parks and Recreation fans pleased to see the sitcom's Ann Perkins and Mayor Gunderson share screentime (Jones also featured in A Very Murray Christmas as well). Felix and Laura's father-daughter bond has endured years of ups and downs, and nothing between them is perfect, but the actors' rapport makes every warm exchange and awkward moment feel authentic. That's one of the key aspects of On the Rocks, a film that serves up an instant-classic Murray performance on a platter, but never forgets that its story actually belongs to its female protagonist. Viewers spend time with Felix, and therefore Murray, because the movie's main character does — and enjoying the ebbs and flows of the duo's time together, whether cracking open caviar on a stakeout in a convertible or downing cocktails where Humphrey Bogart once proposed to Lauren Bacall, is all the more engaging because it's a back-and-forth tête-à-tête rather than a one-man show. Another way to describe the central dynamic here: lived-in. As proved the case with Lost in Translation, that's as much a credit to Coppola as not only a screenwriter, but as a perceptive creative willing to strip bare her own life experiences, fictionalise them, and create something both thoughtful and moving. The daughter of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now's Francis Ford Coppola, she clearly knows a thing or two about flitting around town with a father with the world at his feet, and it shows — and she's not afraid to admit that she's been cast in her own dad's shadow. When Laura watches on as Felix is pulled over by the police, sweet-talks his way out of a ticket and even enlists their help giving his vintage Alfa Romeo a push-start, in fact, it's easy to imagine the real-life Coppola family equivalent. Of course, this isn't the first time that the younger Coppola has drawn upon what she knows. Lost in Translation took ample cues from her experiences, including time spent feeling listless in Japan, plus the strain with her then-husband Spike Jonze. And, the Los Angeles-set Somewhere's focus on a Hollywood star and his pre-teen daughter found inspiration in her own childhood. Accordingly, On the Rocks follows their lead by tapping into rich personal depths. It may initially seem to tell a slight story, but that appearance is deceptive. The filmmaker is famously fond of relaying tales about comfortable lives and their corresponding problems — see also: Marie Antoinette and The Bling Ring — but she has always been savvy to the ways that women are forced to respond to the men and the world around them. The Virgin Suicides and The Beguiled make this point more forcefully; however, even with a wavering ending, it still lingers here as well. On the Rocks is a film with layers of resonance and insight, but it is also a caper — and a sparkling, banter-filled, often screwball one at that. In other words, it's a delight that blends intimate truths with entertaining moments, and finds poignancy and comedy in daily routines, idle chats with other mothers (including with fellow Parks and Rec alum Jenny Slate), low-key spy antics and sudden getaways to Mexico alike. Murray's general Bill Murray-ness and all-round presence is crucial, obviously. So is the affectionate, glimmering lensing by Philippe Le Sourd (The Beguiled) that makes New York seem like a playground, and the upbeat but still contemplative soundtrack by Phoenix. Indeed, combine all of the above, and this is a Sofia Coppola movie through and through. It's a big call, but if she was ever going to remake the great German father-daughter film Toni Erdmann, this just might be the end result. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4p0vjj_C8s
Days after winter has officially landed, HBO has gone and announced something totally off The Wall. Just as we were prepping to find alternate means to secure Game of Thrones for another Monday night, the giants of television have announced that Game of Thrones: The Exhibition will open in Sydney in July 2014. And now they've confirmed the venue and dates: the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia from July 1-5. Presented by Google Play, the immersive exhibition will highlight all key GoT locations, characters and narrative ERHMAGHERD moments, with nearly 100 props, weapons, costumes and bits and pieces from the show — season four included. Because they're Stark raving mad legends, Game of Thrones: The Exhibition will be open to the public FO FREE. It's been confirmed that the exhibition is the same one that has been touring the globe of late, so we're in for a big ol' dragon-sized treat. The existing HBO exhibition started in New York in January then moving to Mexico City, Austin, Rio de Janeiro, Oslo, Toronto and Belfast and Vancouver. Included are cloaks galore, an Iron Throne you can sit on and an interactive virtual reality experience powered by Oculus Rift. If the exhibition saw numbers anything like those from the Powerhouse's past Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars blockbusters, Google Play and HBO will rub some gleeful paws in the merchandising aftermath. With the amount of gore and boobery in GoT, however, major kiddie target markets are almost totally ruled out. For all the details, check out the exhibition website. Updated June 17, 2014.
Along with the Tokyo fish market, Kyoto during cherry blossom season and eating as much ramen as possible, spying Mout Fuji ranks highly on most traveller's Japanese to-do list. Actually getting a glimpse of the mountain isn't always as easy as it sounds, however. If the weather isn't right, even someone staying in a hotel specifically built to give visitors the iconic view they're after might be greeted by clouds rather than a towering peak. One such hotel, Yamanashi prefecture's aptly named Hotel Mt Fuji, has come up with a solution. If you visit between January 9 and 19, and you're unable to enjoy the sight of Mount Fuji for more than a minute between checking in and checking out — including at night — then you'll receive a free night's stay next time you return. And, while you're sitting, waiting and trying to see the mountain, you can do so in their semi-openair hot water bath. There are a few conditions, understandably. The deal is only available to guests who checkout after 7am, so anyone who leaves before the sun comes up the next day isn't eligible. It won't be offered to people who book a stay either the same day, or the day prior, to avoid folks purposefully planning to visit in bad weather conditions. And, it is being offered during a window of time considered to be peak Mount Fuji-viewing season. Still, if spending a night with a stellar vantage of the enormous landmass is in your short-term future, it's a decent backup plan. Better than simply buying some of the plentiful Mount Fuji merchandise on offer anywhere you look, or trying your luck seeing it from quite the distance from Tokyo Tower. Via PR Times.
A third birthday party may not be your ideal Saturday night scenario, but we bet downing some bao with beer and ice cream is. If that just made you shiver a little, get your bao-loving self down to Wonderbao on Saturday. August marks three years since they started steaming buns in a city laneway, and they're holding a party to celebrate. This Saturday, instead of turning off the steamers and closing the doors at 5pm, Wonderbao will be cranking up the music and getting the party started. For one night only, the little laneway restaurant will be licensed, meaning you can enjoy your bao with some Mountain Goat beer or wine from Kooyonga Creek. The classic bao and gua bao will be available, as well as some special birthday creations. And because it's a birthday, there's cake too, in the form of bao ice cream sandwiches. Wonderbao's Cream Supreme creations — a deep fried gua bao filled with Messina ice cream — will making a special appearance, in flavours like black sesame, green tea and coconut. If you haven't managed to get your hands on one of these babies yet, now is your chance.
It has been said that describing Burning Man Festival to a person who has never been is like trying to explain what a particular colour looks like to a person who is blind. But perhaps this is no longer the case. Aerial footage has been released of the recent 2013 Festival, taken from a drone. Held two weeks ago, Burning Man was captured on camera by San Franciscan filmmaker Eddie Codel. Taken from a DJI Phantom Quadrocopter — a pilotless mini-aircraft with four propellers — fitted with a GoPro camera, the impressive HD footage is currently one of the best and fastest available introductions to the famous festival. This 360-degree tour pans slowly over the festival during the daytime, functioning to communicate a snapshot of the immense size and sparsity of the constructed city. It reveals close detail of the installations and artworks set up in the desert and at times comes very close to people. Held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, Burning Man draws in a crowd of approximately 50,000 each year. First established in 1986, the seven-day event welcomes attendees from all over the world, encouraging radical art and self-expression through the construction of a temporary community. The city is built the week before Labor Day, on an ancient lake bed, 100 miles north of Reno. Perhaps it's true that to truly understand Burning Man, one must participate. In the meantime, however, the drone tour certainly gets you very close. https://youtube.com/watch?v=m2ThTb6iffA Via Mashable.
Already home to stunning sights across its coastal landscape, Victoria's Great Ocean Road is set to welcome a new attraction: a 50-acre nature park dedicated to observing and learning about native animals in their natural setting. Called Wildlife Wonders and expected to commence construction this year, the site will sit just outside Apollo Bay, overlooking the ocean — and will offer guided walking tours conducted by qualified conservationists. Under their guidance, visitors will stroll through bushland to see Australia's native critters living freely — and predator-free — in their own habitats. Expect to spot the area's animals like you've never been able to before, spying koalas sleeping in trees, bandicoots scampering through the foliage and kangaroos hopping wherever they please. More than that, patrons will mosey through an experience designed by Brian Massey, the art director on the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films. If you're thinking "wasn't he blessed with great landscape on those flicks?", well, you're not wrong — but he also turned landscape designer with New Zealand's Hobbiton tourist attraction. Here, he'll be involved in a site that includes a themed field-research base, a visitor arrivals building, and a cafe and retail outlet that'll highlight local products. The Victorian Government will support Wildlife Wonders via a $1.5 million grant to the Conservation Ecology Centre, while the Federal Government has already $2 million to the project. When it's up and running, the park's profits will be used to further the centre's conservation efforts, including ecosystem restoration, ecological research, species recovery programs and community education programs. For more information, visit the Conservation Ecology Centre website.
There's nothing small about Dark Mofo, the wintry music and arts festival hosted by the Museum of Old and New Art. With everything from rainbows to the Chernobyl score played live in an immersive industrial setting on its initial 2022 program — a doll house, The Kid LAROI, tunes from Candyman, Jónsi from Sigur Rós and 100 artists from 30 countries, too — that's definitely the case this year. But its hefty lineup so far just wasn't enough, it seems, so the fest has gone and added a slew of new shows. Among the newly announced additions: an afterparty following the Reclamation Walk on opening night, headlined by Briggs and Emma Donovan & The Putbacks; Japanese quartet Chai, busting out euphoric live tunes neo kawaii-style; queer dance party Club Mince, which'll take over two floors at Hobart's Altar; and three-night dance party Night Garden at the fest's In The Hanging Garden venue. [caption id="attachment_854706" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image courtesy of the artist, and Dark Mofo 2022.[/caption] Or, there's also a special tribute gig focusing on Ukraine — called With Ukraine, in fact — by musician and Mona's resident composer Dean Stevenson with his Arco Set Orchestra. It'll commit commit $10,000 of proceeds from the performance to charity Voices of Children, which assists Ukrainian children and families affected by the Russian invasion. And, the aforementioned Chernobyl score performances will also donate funds to the people of Ukraine, too. Other new highlights on the bill span more Mona Up Late, rapper Birdz sharing the stage with DENNI and her synth-driven hip hop, Shady Nasty with 208L Containers and Threats, and Import Export: The Dark Sessions — a showcase of Tassie talent presented by Ben Salter. [caption id="attachment_800593" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jesse Hunniford[/caption] Arriving unexpectedly — think of it as Dark Mofo bonus — this is the third batch of program announcements for the fest, after it dropped the first highlights for this year's fest back in March. Accordingly, all of the above also joins the previously announced Kim Gordon, who'll bust out songs from her 2019 solo release No Home Record; Berlin-based composer and producer Nils Frahm playing Music For Hobart; and Spiritualized, Deafheaven and American multi-instrumentalist Lingua Ignota. And yes, that's just a taste of what awaits at the Tasmanian festival. Dark Mofo will run from Wednesday, June 8–Wednesday, June 22 in Hobart, Tasmania. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the festival website. Top image: DarkLab/Jesse Hunniford, 2019. Image Courtesy DarkLab, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
If you were planning on catching an Uber to work or uni this morning, you may need to think again. Thousands of drivers have logged off the app — during Monday's peak hour — in a bid to curb upfront pricing and penalties. At present, drivers receive an upfront amount instead of being paid for time and distance travelled and are penalised for opting out of UberPools. Drivers also want rates increased by 15 percent, which were reduced back in 2016. The strike comes amid strong competition from Ola and Taxify, both which offer cheaper fares for riders and take a smaller commission cut compared to Uber — Taxify takes a 15 percent cut compared to Uber's 20-25 percent. The drivers will strike until 9.30am today in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. via news.com.au
We all follow that one Instagrammer who seems to share everything they eat — from decently presented but poorly lit cafe brunches to the monochromatic mac and cheese they're scoffing at home on a Wednesday night while watching Offspring with their poodle. So you may be pleased to know Virgin Mobile Australia is launching a new initiative that will put those somewhat annoying, always frivolous and only occasionally applause-worthy food 'grams to actual good use. Every time foodstagrammers take a photo of a meal, share it on social media and use the hashtag #mealforameal, Virgin will donate to food rescue organisation OzHarvest — absolute legends who collect surplus food from commercial outlets and deliver real meals to people who need them. The company is jumping on the 'foodporn' bandwagon but using it to give back to vulnerable people around the country. And now you and your compulsion for food snapping can get involved. To help launch the project in Sydney, Gelato Messina is serving up a new flavour made of food scraps. Really. Head to a Messina store on July 19 and try out the flavoursome experiment (which is only made from food scraps and apparently doesn't taste like food scraps). This is one situation in which you're practically required to take a photo of your food (just don't forget to tag it #mealforameal). With public opinion on foodstagramming being that it is serious business — when it's good it's highly celebrated, and when it's bad it's lambasted (even when you're Martha Stewart) — the trend isn't predicted to die out any time soon. For those who thought they'd rather never see someone else's cronut or shakshuka eggs on their feed again? Well, now there's good reason to get off your high horse and get your lens on your ceviche.
The red light man never gives us much joy in life. Holding us up from catching the train or making us that crucial extra bit late for work, he is the cause of much frustration and general bad vibes in your day. Faced with his staunch neon presence we must choose to stand and stare at his mocking little face or dangerously make our way through oncoming traffic. Tough call. To combat this frustration and make the streets a whole lot safer, Smart — the people behind the Smart car — found a way to keep us satisfied at the lights. Operating at an intersection in Lisbon, Portugal earlier this year, The Dancing Traffic Light put an interactive and entertaining spin on the red man — he danced. Made in real-time, the dancing red man was controlled by the movements of other pedestrians nearby. Let loose inside a little dancing box with their own choice of soundtrack, passersby could manipulate the red man into all manners of disco, hip hop and salsa moves. Those waiting at the lights were then treated to the bizarre sight of a twerking pedestrian signal. Produced as part of a Smart advertising campaign promoting safety, the experiment was designed to keep people entertained enough to not jaywalk. And, for the most part, it worked. The ad claims that 81 per cent more people stopped at the lights to watch. Though there are no plans to bring the dancing red man to other parts of the world, those seem like the kind of figures we should listen to. Imagine if we could not only bring the number of pedestrians injuries down next to nil, but also provoke daily dance mobs every morning. Forget about elaborate motorways and public transport ticketing that doesn't ever work, the next state election is all about dancing red man. Via Mashable.
After months of research, experimentation and taste testing (not to mention the Instagram updates that have left us all salivating), Shortstop Coffee and Donuts finally opened yesterday. Partners Anthony Ivey and Sinye Ooi chose a small space down a side street off Little Lonsdale for their new venture, where the sleek glass and blonde wood fitout lets the simple menu do the talking. They do donuts and they do coffee — promising to revolutionise our perceptions of both. Inspired by the simplicity of the American approach to coffee, and using a Market Lane blend, Shortstop has paired back their coffee menu to two options: white (with organic milk) or black (filter or espresso). In contrast, their donut menu offers up innovative and, at times, totally unexpected flavour combinations. Choose between the honey and sea salt, the rhubarb and ginger, the red velvet with beetroot and dark chocolate or the Earl Grey tea and lemon myrtle with rose water icing (both pictured), or go all out with the Bourbon spiked creme brulee. Though ridiculously Instagrammable, these confections aren't just pretty on the outside; Shortstop has perfected their dough-making technique so not only will you find a faultless 'raised' doughnut with its classic fluffy centre, but more unusual varieties as well. Think cake donuts and French cruller donuts, made from handpiped choux pastry. The word is already spreading about Shortstop. To avoid the queues, take advantage of their clever preorder service online the day before you drop in. Find Shortstop Coffee and Donuts at 12 Sutherland Street Melbourne, 3000. Open Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4:30pm.
It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. Thanks to Black Mirror, it's about to become the bleakest. A release date for the fourth season of Charlie Brooker's dystopian TV show hasn't yet been announced, but it is expected to drop on Netflix sometime this month. In the interim, the streaming platform has been ramping up the excitement by revealing episode-specific trailers. With each approximately hour-long instalment of Black Mirror standing alone in the story department — while always tying into the anthology series' satirical musings about humanity's relationship with technology — the individual sneak peeks offer a glimpse of just what's in store. Four have been released so far, stepping into areas such as the evolution of surveillance, high-tech misdeeds and dating apps. The clips join the previously revealed whole-of-season trailer, and once again, things look grim. It's likely two more will follow, given that full season will consist of six episodes: 'Arkangel', 'Black Museum', 'Crocodile', 'Hang the DJ', 'Metalhead' and 'USS Callister'. Brooker himself wrote every new instalment, while the likes of Jodie Foster, Australian filmmaker John Hillcoat (The Road, Triple 9), Peaky Blinders' Colm McCarthy and American Gods' David Slade are sitting in the helmer's chair. On screen, expect a cast that includes La La Land's Rosemarie DeWitt, Nocturnal Animals' Andrea Riseborough and Fargo's Jesse Plemons getting up to the kind of sci-fi antics that no one wants to dream of. Check out latest trailers below, and prepare for more bleak thrills before the year is out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5N_Tq1EtRQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV0J3Bq3BIc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-NCySETRIc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yef_HfQoBd8
It's meant to be a relaxing getaway go-to — gathering the gang, hightailing it to an impressive spot, getting into party mode and ignoring all your troubles, that is. But what happens if there's a hurricane, then a power outage, then a series of murders? As new Pete Davidson (The Suicide Squad) and Amandla Stenberg (Dear Evan Hansen)-starring horror-comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies shows, you can instantly forget that all bliss. That's the setup behind this slasher satire, which sees a group of twentysomething friends — and one of the gang's 40-year-old boyfriend — celebrating a big storm. They've got the company, drugs, glow sticks and massive mansion for the occasion, and the party game that gives the movie its title, too. Here's how Bodies Bodies Bodies, the game, is meant to work: everyone picks a piece of paper, one of which marks the person who has it as the murderer. The lights then go out, the victim gets tapped on the shoulder, and everyone starts guessing who's behind it. It's supposed to be fun — but it depends on who the crew's finger is pointing at. Making this on-screen stint of Bodies Bodies Bodies more chaotic is those actual bodies, bodies, bodies, and plenty of blood. As the just-dropped new trailer shows, no one handles the situation well — with the cast also including Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Oscar-nominee Maria Bakalova, Shiva Baby's Rachel Sennott, Generation's Chase Sui Wonders and Industry's Myha'la Herrold. And, playing that two-decades older interloper is Pushing Daisies and Halt and Catch Fire favourite Lee Pace. Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn (Instinct) directs, and the result looks brutal, wild and hilarious all at once. Something that makes everyone's efforts to survive a murderer a struggle: bickering among themselves, digging up old baggage and not being able to get past their simmering resentments. If you're keen to sleuth (and laugh) along with it, the film will hit Australian cinemas on September 15. And yes, Bodies Bodies Bodies joins a hefty list of recent movies and TV shows that don't find getaways all that enjoyable, including The Resort, Sundown, Old, Palm Springs, The White Lotus and Nine Perfect Strangers. None of the above are also slasher flicks, though. Check out the latest Bodies Bodies Bodies trailer below: Bodies Bodies Bodies opens in Australian cinemas on September 15. Images: Erik Chakeen / Gwen Capistran.
Prepare to feel stressed, movie lovers. Prepare to be plunged into an on-screen nightmare, too. That's Ari Aster's gambit, as the US filmmaker demonstrated with two of the eeriest, creepiest movies of the past five years: 2018's Hereditary and 2019's Midsommar. So, of course the trailer for his long-awaited new flick Beau Is Afraid is unsettling. In fact, it'd probably be even more distressing if it wasn't. Move over Toni Collette and Florence Pugh — this time, Joaquin Phoenix is getting the disquieting works thrown at him, in the actor's second film since picking up an Oscar for Joker. He plays the eponymous Beau, who just wants to go home to see his mother when the just-dropped trailer for the April-releasing movie starts. Then he gets run over by a woman and shackled with an ankle monitor by a doctor (aka Only Murders in the Building costars Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane). The latest US release by adored studio A24, which is currently even more abuzz after Everything Everywhere All At Once's Golden Globes wins, Beau Is Afraid doesn't saddle its namesake with hauntings and cults. Its trailer isn't as grimly dark as Hereditary, either, or a sunshine-filled daylight horror show like Midsommar. But it does paint a picture of Beau as a lonely, paranoid man — his phone's recent-call list is heavy on chats with his mum, therapist, landlady and pharmacy — dreaming about past family holidays, popping medication, and eating Hawaiian and Ireland-themed TV dinners before he ends up being held hostage. Once again, Aster writes and directs, with viewers able to see the end result in April — with the US getting an April 21 release date, and Down Under distributor Roadshow locking in an April 20 date. Also part of Beau Is Afraid's first trailer: an epic journey, multiple versions of Beau, whimsical dreamscapes and Beau not having any idea what's going on. And, also among the cast: Patti LuPone (American Horror Story), Denis Ménochet (The French Dispatch), Kylie Rogers (Yellowstone), Parker Posey (The Staircase), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Causeway), Hayley Squires (The Essex Serpent), Michael Gandolfini (The Many Saints of Newark), Zoe Lister-Jones (How It Ends) and Richard Kind (The Watcher). Check out the trailer for Beau Is Afraid below: Beau Is Afraid opens in cinemas Down Under on April 20.
Thirty-four-metres long, more than twice as big as a regular hot air balloon and ripped straight from Patricia Piccinini's inimitable mind, Skywhale might just be one of Australia's most recognisable recent pieces of art. It's a sight to see, and the largest-scale example of the artist's fascination with the thin line that separates nature and technology — and it's about to meet its match. Come February, the National Gallery of Australia will unveil Piccinini's new Skywhalepapa, which is designed to form a family with Skywhale. It was originally scheduled to premiere in 2020 — but, after joining the list of things that didn't turn out as planned last year, it'll take to the sky on three mornings in 2021 instead. Both Skywhale and Skywhalepapa will float above Canberra at 5.30am on Saturday, February 6, then again on Monday, March 8, and finally on Saturday, April 3, as part of an event called Skywhales: Every Heart Sings — with the second bulbous sculpture commissioned as part of the gallery's Balnaves Contemporary Series. Although art lovers can check out the event for free, you do need to register if you'll be in Canberra on any of those dates, and fancy getting up early and going along. Of course, that's hardly surprising in these COVID-19-safe times. [caption id="attachment_751759" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Skywhalepapa, 2019/20 (artist's sketch), Patricia Piccinini. Courtesy of the artist.[/caption] Just how big Skywhalepapa will be is also yet to be announced but, given the impressive size of its companion, expect it to be hefty. And if seeing two Skywhales isn't enough, the NGA has been hosting Patricia Piccinini: Skywhales, an exhibition dedicated to them, since March 2020. It'll wrap up on August 1, 2021. If you can't make it to Canberra to see the growing Skywhale clan, it'll also head around the country for an NGA touring exhibition. Locations and dates haven't been announced as yet, and are set to be confirmed in the future. Skywhales: Every Heart Sings takes place at the National Gallery of Australia, Parkes Place East, Parkes, ACT — with the floating sculptures taking to the sky at 5.30am on Saturday, February 6, then again on Monday, March 8, and finally on Saturday, April 3. For further information, visit the NGA website. Top images: Skywhale, 2013, Patricia Piccinini. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Gift of anonymous donor 2019, Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program. Photo: Martin Ollman Photography.
Midway through summer each year, mollusc madness descends on the quaint coastal town of Portarlington, as punters flock in their thousands to celebrate its most famous produce: fresh, juicy mussels. This year, the long-running Portarlington Mussel Festival hits the bayside hub on Saturday, January 14 for another huge day of local eats, drinks, tunes and ocean-fresh seafood. Mussels will be the undisputed stars of the show, featured in a swag of different ready-to-eat dishes, as well as a range of take-home packs. You can also pick up all the tips and tricks needed to recreate mussel magic at home. On top of that, you'll find more than 200 market stalls slinging produce and other local goodies, a program of cooking demonstrations, an art show, and lots of beer and wine tastings. And the tunes will be flowing, too, with live sounds from the likes of Yacht Rock Revival, ABBA tribute band Bjorn Again and stacks more. And if you fancy travelling there in style, you can snap up one of Port Phillip Ferries' VIP packages — the ferry will zip you from Docklands to Portarlington Pier in 70 minutes, with tickets from $41. Entry to the festival is an easy $5 for adults.
If you’re keen on your gin but not so passionate about the fake flavours that too often creep into your mixer, Karolina Partyka has a solution. She's the brains and brawn behind Blood Moon: an Australian, handcrafted tonic syrup that hit its $10,000 Pozible target in just three days and is now well on its way to a $20,000 stretch goal. Partyka has spent countless hours in her kitchen, grinding spices with an old-school mortar and pestle and mixing batch upon batch of tonic syrup, to come up with a winning recipe. She's also been digging up some ancient brews — and the rituals to go with them. Blood Moon is a non-alcoholic, concentrated syrup that's made to be diluted with either soda or still water and then matched with your favourite gin. Its key ingredient is cinchona bark — a 17th century answer to malaria and (most importantly) a natural source of quinine. This is what gives tonic its characteristically bitter hit, one far too often achieved via synthetic means. According to Partyka's Pozible campaign, one of Blood Moon’s early samplers described it as 'the difference between a single-origin cold-drip coffee and instant'. Not only does the syrup provide quinine as created by Mother Nature, it also delivers a rich, complex flavour profile — and therefore mixes well with tequila and whiskey too. Three variations will be released: Traditional Cinchona, which contains a combination of cinchona bark, citrus, herbs, spices and floral hints; Australian Native, which is the Traditional blend revamped with native fruits, seeds and leaves; and Unsweetened, which features all the goodness of the Traditional syrup, but without any sweeteners (real or artificial) at all. It's one for the sugar-quitters. To get yourself a bottle, get on board with Blood Moon’s Pozible campaign, which will run for another sixteen days.
Ah, the bottom end of Australia – 'tis the land of many a trail to be traversed by ferry, car, foot….or mouth. It turns out Tasmania, especially, is the place to head if you wish to eat and drink your way around the land. We at Concrete Playground know this, having teamed up with Spirit of Tasmania to curate a smorgasbord of cellar doors, breweries, wineries and markets to more than wet your whistle if you're having a spell off the mainland, via our foodie road trips in Tasmania's east, northwest and northeast. Now, we're offering you the chance to get amongst all of the goodness of the latter. We're giving away a bonanza of tastings, accommodation and lunch, all for two people – so word your friend or partner up and enter. Up for grabs is a return sailing for two (and your car) on Spirit of Tasmania in your own personal cabin, a Premium Arras tasting for two (including a bottle of sparkling) at Bay of Fires Wines, one night's accommodation at The Trig — in a fancy solar-powered studio, with an outdoor bath overlooking the rolling valleys and farms — organic brekky at the hotel and lunch for two at Christmas Hills Raspberry Farm Cafe. Basically prime fodder for the most romantic mini-getaway of your life (what says "romance" more than sailing the seas and cheersing your glasses of bubbly?), this is one you're going to be crossing your fingers and toes to get on – plus, the whole escapade is valued at over $1500. And it's not just for Melbourne folk either, if you live up in the lands of the north you could road trip down via this route – what's wrong with a little more indulging on the way? To enter, see details below. [competition]667967[/competition]
Pirates of the digital kind will be well aware of Village Roadshow's quest to rid the country of internet plundering, with the film company stepping up their efforts in the last year or so. This time twelve months ago, they commenced legal action against one movie streaming site. In October, co-chief executive Graham Burke announced plans to start suing illegal downloaders. A successful bid to stop Australians from accessing The Pirate Bay and four other sites followed in December — and they're just getting started. In their latest move, the folks responsible for releasing films such as the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises, The LEGO Movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and more on our shores have filed a Federal Court application to block 41 additional piracy-enabling culprits. Torrent sites, streaming portals and direct download sites are included, spanning the likes of Demonoid, EZTV, ExtraTorrent, LimeTorrents and Torrent Downloads, as well as CouchTuner, 123Movies, Putlocker, WatchFree and WatchSeries. In many cases, multiple URLs are included for each site. Given their success last time around, Roadshow wants the next round of bans to be modelled on the last, which didn't include rolling injunctions — that is, the ability to add proxy and mirror sites to the list as they spring up. To combat that inevitable occurrence, they're proposing that ISPs file and affidavit and pay $50 per domain name whenever a new site arises. For anyone with access to a VPN, this news probably won't drastically alter your content acquiring behaviour. Or, the awareness that the driving force doesn't always keep in step with the rest of the globe when it comes to releasing big films. Indeed, one of Roadshow's most eagerly awaited titles of the year — The LEGO Batman Movie — arrives on Aussie screens more than a month and a half after most of the world. In a nation already known to swashbuckle when it comes to timely access to new films and TV shows, that might just send them flocking to their computers rather than the cinema. Via Computerworld. Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
As the weather gets colder it makes more sense to stay indoors and watch movies than to brave the icy winds. So, for your viewing pleasure, we've put together out top five trailers for this week to help you into hibernation mode. From directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson and Sam Mendes, we are sure you will find a film of your choice in our five favourite trailers this week. Hyde Park on Hudson Hyde Park on Hudson stars the great Bill Murray as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR. The film is based on FDR's love affair with his distant cousin Margaret Stuckley and a weekend when the King and Queen of England visited his upstate New York property in 1939. Tapping into an era which is all the rage at the moment, this film is definitely worth a look. Dark Blood An unfinished film featuring the late River Phoenix which was thought to never be shown, Dark Blood is a film by George Sulzier which was only days from being completed when Phoenix died of a drug overdose. Sulzier has now decided to share Phoenix's final performance, alongside co-stars Jonathan Pryce and Judy Davis who have aged almost twenty years since the film was first made. Anchorman: The Legend Continues This trailer is more of a teaser for the film as it doesn't give much away, except for the fact that you can't help but laugh. Anchorman fans have been waiting a long time for this sequel and it's almost here. It will be interesting to see what the Channel 4 News team have to say this time around. Skyfall Directed by Sam Mendes, this is Daniel Craig's third performance as James Bond. Co-starring Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem, the film is action packed and tests James Bond's loyalty to M, keeping 007 fans on the edge of their seat. The Master The Master boasts an incredible cast - Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Laura Dern. A drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film discusses the idea of a a young drifter who becomes the right hand man for a post World War II religious organisation known as 'The Cause'.
Game of Thrones might be coming to an end, but hope's not all lost for fantasy fans, with news that a Lord of the Rings television series is in the works. According to Variety, the folks at Warner Bros. Television and the estate of author J.R.R. Tolkien are in talks with Amazon Studios, and and are planning to make all your binge-watching dreams come true with a TV adaptation of the legendary novels. Sources have told Variety that the Tolkien estate and Warner Bros. have already been playing around with ideas for a series and apparently Amazon wants to be the studio to make it happen. The move comes just weeks after Amazon Studios farewelled three key executives, as it overhauls its programming in favour of large-scale shows with broader international appeal. Warner Bros' involvement is especially interesting, with the company recently ending its huge legal dispute with the Tolkien estate over the use of Lord of the Rings film characters in online games. No deal has been made and the talks appear to be in the very early stages. But we'll keep our eye on this precious tidbit and wait for confirmation from Warner Bros. or Amazon. Via Variety.
This is the way: after starting out on the small screen as the very first live-action Star Wars streaming series for Disney+, The Mandalorian is making the leap to cinemas. This news might be about as surprising as a trip to a galaxy far, far away that features lightsabers, but it still means that the bounty hunter played by Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us) and Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, have a date with the big screen. Disney has revealed that it's making a movie about Din Djarin and Grogu, which is set for a theatrical release. There's no date yet as for when you'll be able to head to your local picture palace, nor any cast announcements. The Mouse House has unveiled the film's director, however: Jon Favreau, who created The Mandalorian series to begin with. And, the picture will go into production in 2024. "I have loved telling stories set in the rich world that George Lucas created," said Favreau, announcing the movie. "The prospect of bringing The Mandalorian and his apprentice Grogu to the big screen is extremely exciting." Favreau will also produce the flick with LucasFilm President Kathleen Kennedy and The Mandalorian writer/director/executive producer Dave Filoni, with the latter also behind 2023's Ahsoka. Filoni is set to be busy thanks to Disney's other just-dropped piece of Star Wars news: a second season of Ahsoka. No other details have been advised there yet either, including a release date, other than the fact that more of the Rosario Dawson (Haunted Mansion)-led series about Anakin Skywalker's former padawan is in development. If you're new to Star Wars' small-screen adventures, The Mandalorian follows its namesake; however, it's his encounter with a fuzzy little creature first known as The Child, affectionately named Baby Yoda by everyone watching and officially called Grogu that's always had everyone talking. As for Ahsoka, it saw Dawson return to the eponymous role after playing the part in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. As well as sporting those ties to Anakin from before he became Darth Vader, Ahsoka Tano is now an ex-Jedi Knight battling threats to the post-Empire galaxy — and the series is Disney+'s first series focused on a female Jedi. There's no trailer for the movie about The Mandalorian and Grogu yet, or for Ahsoka season two, but you can check out sneak peeks of The Mandalorian season three and Ahsoka season one below: The movie about The Mandalorian and Grogu doesn't yet have a release date, and neither does Ahsoka season two — we'll update you when more information is announced. The Mandalorian and Ahsoka both stream via Disney+. Read our review of Ahsoka season one. Images: © Lucasfilm Ltd & TM. All Rights Reserved.
The weather has been very newsworthy this year — and very unpredictable. We've been hit by devastating drought and had more than our fair share of heatwaves, including the hottest day in two years in January. And that was before we had lots of rain up north, with Sydney getting 70mm of rain in just one night. But it seems that Melbourne's emerged from November's weird weather and launched right back into scorching territory, as the city is set to get a minor heatwave this week. The Bureau of Meteorology reports that a pool of hot air is currently making its way down south and — as you've probably noticed — it's raising the temperature considerably in Victoria and SA. Melbourne is expected to maximum of 35 degrees today and 38 degrees tomorrow, Friday, December 7. That's around 14 degrees over the average at this time of year. The Bureau of Meteorology is even calling it a low-intensity heatwave. Low intensity #heatwave developing over much of #Victoria for Thu-Sat, locally severe along the northern border as day/night time temps soar 🌡️📈. Becoming milder, humid and unsettled on the weekend. https://t.co/B1vmgSuReQ pic.twitter.com/SmQuwcZ6Cc — Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) December 4, 2018 The heat is going to stick around overnight, but should fade on Friday night. For many, the hot temps signals the start of after-work swimming season — although, if you're going to St Kilda, remember that you can't drink on the beach anymore — but this heat in early December never bodes well for the rest of the season. Better buy that fan now, fam. Image: udeyismail via Flickr.
Let's face it: we're a fast-paced, high-stress society — and although we would like life to slow down for a second (or for Internet to go down just for a few days, at least), it's not going to let up. To manage your physical and mental health in this crazy world, UK-based startup Vinaya have created a bracelet that is wholly concerned with tracking your emotional wellbeing. The wearable device — the first of its kind — is the first to measure sleep and fitness, as well as happiness, stress and mindfulness. It even tracks fertility (kind of creepy, we know). The wearable, named Zenta, was 100 percent crowdfunded on Indiegogo in record time this week, raising a whopping $137,191 USD in just 41 hours. The product looks like a more stylish version of a Fitbit, and is available with a sports band ($119 USD) or a leather band ($149 USD). And while you can purchase one now, the bracelets won't ship until mid-2017. Here's how it supposedly works. The biometric sensors track your heart rate, movement and perspiration, as well as respiration, electrical activity and oxygen levels. These patterns will then be cross-referenced with the information (like your calendars, meeting schedules and social media use) from your smartphone — though you only share as much (or as little) as you want. The Zenta app is essentially meant to 'learn' your patterns and determine your normal emotional state, as well as decipher any variations from your norm and indicate what caused those variations. As Zenta learns, the idea is that it will require less input from you and get smarter about shifts in your emotional state. Vinaya is already talking with research institutions, mental health organisations and mindfulness experts to make sense of the Zenta data. We must admit, we're sceptical about where this data will end up — the thought it landing in the hands of advertisers, marketers or Google is a pretty frightening concept. Still, if the device helps bring some sense of calm to the stressed-out masses, we would like to see it in action. Zenta is currently available for purchase through Indiegogo. The estimated shipping date is mid-2017.
In the first season of Severance, which was one of the best new shows of 2022, celebrations were marked with waffle parties, egg bars and melon bars. In the upcoming second season of the Apple TV+ sci-fi mindbender, there must be more festivities on the way. The streaming platform has finally unveiled its debut glimpse at the series' return, with Adam Scott's (Loot) Mark — well, his innie — holding blue balloons in Lumon Industries' labyrinthine hallways. There's no full trailer for Severance season two as yet, but snippets of footage are included in a just-dropped compilation trailer for Apple TV+'s upcoming slate. While the segments relating to the series don't give away much about what's going on in the biotech company that has a drastic way to enforce work-life balance, they do represent a step closer to the show returning. No release date for the second season has been locked in so far, however. Science fiction has proven one of Apple TV+'s strengths, with Silo in 2023 also one of the best new shows of that year. The first new footage from the Rebecca Ferguson (Dune: Part Two)-starring dystopian series' second season is also included in the platform trailer, putting a big focus on Tim Robbins' (Castle Rock) IT head Bernard addressing a crowd inside the titular structure. As with Severance, there's no confirmed release date for Silo season two, but you can start getting excited about another plunge into an underground chamber with 10,000 inhabitants anyway. Apple TV+'s new teaser covers the second season of page-to-screen drama Pachinko as well, and of Shrinking with Jason Segel (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) and Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny). The first will return in August, with the second still yet to reveal when it'll be back. Season four of Gary Oldman (Oppenheimer)-led British spy dramedy Slow Horses also received a sneak peek. Among the service's upcoming new shows, Bad Monkey and Lady in the Lake both feature. Vince Vaughn (Curb Your Enthusiasm) leads the former an ex-Miami cop who is now a health inspector, but thinks he's found a way back to his old job. Natalie Portman (May December) stars in the latter, which puts the disappearance of a young girl in Baltimore in 1966 at its centre. Also scoring a glimpse: movies Fly Me to the Moon with Scarlett Johansson (Asteroid City) and Channing Tatum (Magic Mike's Last Dance), Wolfs with George Clooney (Ticket to Paradise) and Brad Pitt (Babylon), and The Instigators with Matt Damon (Drive-Away Dolls) and Casey Affleck (Oppenheimer). The first two have a date with cinemas before making their way to Apple TV+, while The Instigators will be available to stream in August. Check out Apple TV+'s new trailer for its upcoming slate below: New TV shows and movies will continue to hit Apple TV+ throughout 2024 — head to the streaming platform for its current catalogue.
Why is it the most controversial topics that make us laugh the hardest? Perhaps it's catharsis. Perhaps it's because we dare not make the jokes ourselves. In either case, Sacha Baron Cohen's latest film The Dictator requires no introduction. But let's just say, Baron Cohen's newest creation - supreme leader General Aladeen - is on a mission to safeguard his beloved (oppressed) nation from the clutches of democracy. That's right. The man behind Borat and Bruno is no stranger to controversy; to promote his upcoming release he famously turned up to the 2012 Academy Awards (despite being initially banned from attending) bringing with him "the ashes of Kim Jong-il". Later spilling those "ashes" (reportedly pancake mixture) over well-known American TV host, Ryan Seacrest. Don't call that funny? Then it's likely that The Dictator may offend. Starring Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley and John C. Reilly alongside Baron Cohen, and loosely based on Saddam Hussein's novel Zabibah and the King, the film is hitting cinemas on May 16. Concrete Playground has 20 double passes to give away. To get your hands on a pair of tickets, make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground, then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
Now, more than ever, bees need friends too. Like Frankenstein’s monster, they might seem scary and potentially aggressive from the outside. But the truth is, wild bees are more concerned with keeping out of your way than with launching a mega sting attack. Plus, as you probably know by now, bee populations are on the down and down, which for us may well lead to diminished food supplies. So, Netherlands-based artist AnneMarie van Splunter has conjured up a public sculpture that’s all about helping humans and bees to get to know one another better. Dubbed the Buzzbench, the gorgeous artwork is a park bench, but not of your usual rectangular variety. Made of cane and bamboo stalks, placed between curved boards, it takes the shape of an enormous flower. For humans, the Buzzbench provides a dreamy place to sit, which looks like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland. For bees, it offers teeny-tiny, cosy crevices, where they can rest while taking a break from their busy pollinating activities. "Wild bees spend a large part of their lifespan looking for a suitable place to lay their eggs — providing a nesting opportunity really helps them," van Splunter explained to Co.EXIST. "We tend to keep our distance from bees because we are afraid to get stung. But actually, the chances you get attacked by wild bees are nil." The sculptor hopes to install the Buzzbench in a park in Amsterdam and has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help raise funds and build awareness. Van Splunter says that once it’s in place, she’ll be able to maintain it for at least a decade, by replacing the cane and bamboo whenever necessary. "It's important to maintain it to make it work," she says. "I would like it to be a place that many people feel involved with, for example as an educational tool, or as a place of research for experts, or just as a place for park visitors to rest." Via Fast Company.
The best of Czech and Slovak cinema will once again make its way to Melbourne, as part of the fourth annual Czech and Slovak Film Festival of Australia. From Wednesday, September 14 through to the following Friday, an eclectic mix of classic and contemporary titles will light up the screen at ACMI, showcasing the unique, sometimes strange perspective of filmmakers from Bratislava to Prague. This year's festival features nine new release films that will compete for a cash prize awarded by members of the Australian Film Critics Association. Features in competition include opening night horror film The Noonday Witch, big screen fairy tale The Seven Ravens and the FIPRESCI prize-winning Eva Nova. Completing these films is an intriguing selection of films from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Of these, some of the most intriguing include the strange, pulpy, Little Shop of Horrors-inspired comedy Adele Hasn't Had Her Dinner Yet, and the seminal adaptation of Dobroslav Chrobák's novel Dragon's Return. For the full program, go here. Disclaimer: Tom will serve as an AFCA jury member at this year's CaSFFA.
When Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi invited the world to experience the vampire sharehouse mockumentary genre, one of the best comedies of the decade wasn't the only result. Every film seems to spawn sequels, remakes, spinoffs and the like these days, but no one's complaining about spending more time in the What We Do in the Shadows universe. A follow-up, We're Wolves, is in the works, focusing on the undead bloodsuckers' Rhys Darby-led lycanthrope enemies. So is six-episode television spinoff Wellington Paranormal, following the movie's cops (Mike Minogue and Karen O'Leary) as they keep investigating the supernatural, and expected to air in New Zealand mid this year. Add a US TV remake of the original flick to the pile as well, but withhold any "do we really need a remake?" judgement. First revealed by Waititi last year and now moving ahead, the pilot has been written by Clement, and is expected to shoot this year. He won't appear on camera, however; speaking to Indiewire as part of the Television Critics Association press tour for Legion, which he stars in, Clement said the series will be about a documentary crew in America. With What We Do in the Shadows actually starting its life as a short back in 2005, the concept of flatting members of the undead arguing about bloody dishes has taken quite the journey since those early beginnings. If any idea was going to come back in multiple guises, it's this one. Of course, so have Clement and Waititi. Clement also revealed that he'll be filming a Flight of the Conchords TV special for HBO later this year to coincide with their new US tour, while Waititi just directed a little superhero-filled box office blockbuster called Thor: Ragnarok. Via Indiewire. Image: Kane Skennar.
You know exactly what it’s like. There you are, staring at the big screen, popcorn in hand, but all you can think is ‘How good would it be to go there right now?’ Even with passports full of stamps gathered the globe over, boutique travel experts Mr & Mrs Smith aren’t immune to the allure of the world’s most beautiful destinations when they appear larger than life on the big screen. Here, we’ve reviewed the new releases and flipped through the DVD cabinet to bring you ten jaw-dropping locations sure to inspire your own memorable moment. 1. Il Palazzetto Where: 8 Vicolo del Bottino, Rome, Italy Inspiration: Woody Allen’s latest, To Rome With Love Some of Woody Allen's personal decisions leave us a little perplexed, but he sure knows how to make a movie. On a roll with stories told outside his native New York, he’s now focused on the Eternal City. Within staggering distance of the Spanish Steps, Il Palazzetto is a serene dream at the heart of the tourist beast. With just four quiet and airy rooms, it can almost feel like you’ve moved into your own 18th-century villa complete with winding staircase (the exact staircase that appeared in Bertolucci’s Besieged). A prime spot is the rooftop terrace, a sun-drenched respite from the Roman chaos below. 2. La Belle Juliette Where: 92, rue du Cherche Midi, Paris, France Inspiration: Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge While the theatrics of the film may not sit completely comfortably in luxe lodgings, there’s something about the colours and fabrics at La Belle Juliette, located in Saint Germain des Pres, that connects it to the celluloid Moulin Rouge. Lolly-sweet hues embellish many of the 34 rooms, although room 306 has more masculine tones. In the salons you may want to bring the cabaret, because it’s here you’ll find a baby grand and golden harp. 3. The Spire Where: 3–5 Church Lane, Queenstown, New Zealand Inspiration: The wild landscape of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Jackson famously shot his epic fantasy trilogy at more than 150 locations around his native New Zealand. Thankfully, you don’t have to go that far to get a wide-format view of those craggy snow-capped peaks eventually tamed by Frodo and friends. As well as those incredible vistas, each of the ten suites at boutique hotel The Spire has iconic midcentury furniture, fur throws, minimalist fireplaces and rich autumnal tones. After a long day on the mountain, raise a glass downstairs in the city’s only champagne bar. 4. Neri Hotel & Restaurante Where: Calle Sant Sever 5, Gothic Quarter, Barcelona, Spain Inspiration: The sun sheer romance of another Woody Allen classic, Vicky Cristina Barcelona You can’t help but drool over Vicky Cristina Barcelona's sun-drenched Spanish scenarios and abundance of vino tinto and flamenco guitar. In the midst of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter – all narrow cobbled lanes emptying on to buzzing squares – Neri Hotel & Restaurante is the epitome of classic meets contemporary. In an 18th-century palace, original Gothic architecture and features have been updated with super-modern features. Romance your own Javier Bardem or ScarJo in one of the 22 rooms decked out in velvet and silk and sporting grey slate tubs, before heading to the hotel’s private rooftop terrace to sip on cava. 5. Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas Where: 3752 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, USA Inspiration: The debauchery of The Hangover Who wouldn’t be tempted by the hedonism of the neon kingdom. Luckily, once the slots and shows have lost their shine, the chic digs at Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas can revive your spirits. Its 397 airy, Asian-inspired rooms tower over the Strip with nary a slot machine in sight. Soak up some natural light – so often nullified in sin city – at one of the four pools, and eat like a king at Twist by Pierre Gagnaire. The Michelin-starred chef creates three- or six-course tastings in an otherworldly room. Feeling refreshed? All the better for hitting the town again. 6. Zeavola Where: 11 Moo 8, Laem Tong, Koh Phi Phi, Thailand Inspiration: The remote exoticism of The Beach Yes, things really went tits up for Leo and the gang, but before that happened you couldn’t help but be enchanted by the perfection of Koh Phi Phi. At first, boutique hotel Zeavola may seem like a tiny village of thatched huts perched on the sand, but get closer and the level of luxury becomes more obvious. Each of the 52 freestanding villas is fashioned entirely from teak, with outdoor showers and all mod cons hidden within Thai-inspired furniture. Surrender your shoes and stroll barefoot along pristine Leam Tong beach, book an early-morning boat tour to Koh Phi Phi Lai – where The Beach was filmed – and give yourself over to soothing ministrations in the spa. As the sun sets, ask the staff to set a table by the water and dine with a soundtrack of gently lapping waves. 7. Bamurru Plains Where: Humpty Doo, Northern Territory, Australia Inspiration: Nic and Hugh’s over-the-top outback romance in Australia It may not be the most critically acclaimed flick ever made, but you can't help but be swept up in the grandeur of Australia. With big skies and vast plains, Bamurru Plains is the Australian version of a safari lodge. Nine bungalows, artfully kitted out in timber and corrugated iron, are enclosed in mesh that allows sheer views over the wetlands. The main lodge, with dining room, lounge room and pool, is the centre of activity, but the real action is out there in the wild. Cruise around in an open-top jeep or an airboat in search of buffalo, wallabies, magpie geese and, of course, crocs. 8. Chateau Marmont Where: 8221 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, USA Inspiration: Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, where the digs had equal billing with Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning We’re not sure that a stay here will have you re-examining your life – as the aimless Johnny Marco was inspired to – but a few days at the Chateau Marmont will make you appreciate the history of the City of Angels. Surprisingly, for a place where the stars glitter ever-so-brightly, this boutique hotel is understated and elegant. Built in 1920 in the arts and crafts style, each of its 63 rooms is midcentury cool. Pop on your Raybans for parading by the pool, jag a garden table at Chateau Restaurant, or order an old-fashioned at Bar Marmont. 9. The Modern Honolulu Where: 1775 Ala Moana Boulevard, Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, USA Inspiration: Russell Brand’s rogue rockstar, Aldous Snow, taking a break from touring in Forgetting Sarah Marshall The Modern Honolulu’s rooms are decked out in minimalist white, with ukuleles and orchids to bring the Hawaiian vibe, and seem to reflect all that amazing Hawaiian sunshine. The rooms with views of the ocean are the pick, particularly Room 911, an Ocean Front Suite with a balcony facing the sea and another over the pool. Bust a move at the hotel’s own nightclub, Addiction, and make sure you’ve made a day-after detox appointment at the spa. 10. Goldeneye Hotel & Resort Where: Oracabessa Bay, Oracabessa, Jamaica Inspiration: Bond. James Bond. (Of course) Author Ian Fleming penned all 14 of his Bond novels in the villa that is now the centerpiece of this island hideaway. Things have changed quite a bit since then: there are now 20 cottages at Golden Eye Hotel & Resort surrounding a four-acre cerulean lagoon, as well as a swim-up hillside spa, watersports area and treetop restaurant. It really is the Caribbean paradise you’ve always dreamed of, complete with shaken or stirred rum cocktails from the resort’s Bizot Bar. The owner of this idyllic locale is Island Records supremo Chris Blackwell and some of the personal touches have rockstar written all over them: every room has an iPod loaded with reggae and island tunes, and each guest is given a hip flask of Blackwell’s rum on arrival.
Apple has set its fair share of technology trends, but today it seems more accurate to say they're chasing one — Apple has today announced HomePod, a seven-inch wireless speaker which acts as your voice-activated DJ and home assistant. Their newest product will be available just in time for the December holidays in the Australian, US and UK markets, but, at around $470 AUD a unit, this gift will be reserved for your nearest and dearest. HomePod will feature an Apple-designed upward-facing woofer with A8 chip, a custom array of seven beam-forming tweeters, automatic room-sensing technology, a six-microphone array with advanced echo cancellation, siri waveform, automatic detection and a balance of two speakers using both direct and reflected audio. To put it in plain terms, this means the speaker can sense its location in a room and automatically adjust audio. The six microphones allow users to control the speaker from across the room, as Siri can supposedly distinguish your voice among even the loudest music. Apple's new nuts and bolts should make for distortion-free, quality sound and means this tiny speaker can get seriously loud. Of course, this one is designed to work with an Apple Music subscription and Siri can track your personal music preferences for different moods, as well as handling advanced searches within the music library — meaning users can ask specific questions about the musicians they're listening to or create an 'up next queue'. As a home assistant, HomePod can provide remote access throughout the house, even if you're not home, including turning on lights and closing shades, sending messages and getting all internet updates or searches read out to you. In typical Apple fashion, there's a catch — HomePod is only compatible with iPhone 5s or later and must run on iOS 11. We wouldn't quite call HomePod the "breakthrough" they're positioning it as, with multiple home speakers already on the market that serve nearly identical functions at a much cheaper price point — HomePod is nearly double the price of Google Home and Amazon Echo and even more than Sonos' Play:3, which was previously the more expensive home speaker at $300 USD. As with any Apple device, it looks great, but with so much competition, they'll need more than looks to sell this one. Image: Apple.
Every time one of your friends has posted something incredibly sad on Facebook and you've 'liked' it? Things are about to get a little more appropriate on the social media IV drip. After Facebook co-founder and known hoodie-wearer Mark Zuckerberg announced the possibility of a 'dislike' button in September, the site has now launched a set of Facebook 'Reactions' which shake up the mere 'like' function. There are now six new little emojis Facebook users can use to react to posts, alongside the OG 'like' button. Users can now respond to posts with love, laughter, happiness, shock, sadness and anger. We're sadly going to have to wait a teeny spell before we can branch out into Facebook's new set of emotions, with the new feature starting out as a test in just two markets, Ireland and Spain — according to TechCrunch, these two countries have been picked mainly because their national user bases have mainly limited international friend networks, so they make a more concentrated test group. If the test is a success, Facebook will roll it out worldwide. Yep, they look exactly like emojis — which is why this will probably immediately work for Facebook. We've been using them this whole time. Via TechCrunch. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
One great thing about the scorching summer is the music festival season. It is the time where Melbourne’s music lovers come out of winter hibernation and get ready to party – and this year is going to be no exception. Parklife is the first warm weather music festival to hit Melbourne's stages. The touring dance festival hits all major cities, with Melbourne set to dance the night away on Saturday, The line-up includes killer acts like The Presets (pictured), Passion Pit, Robyn and Chairlift, with a host of other international and national acts in support. Break out your summer clothes and your dancing shoes, summer music is here at last.
Every year, when spring hits Toowoomba, the regional city becomes the brightest place in southeast Queensland. Blooms blossom, greenery sprouts and flora reaches towards the sun — that's right, it's Carnival of Flowers time. Running from Friday, September 20 to Sunday, September 29, the annual event showcases all of the gorgeous florets, growths and gardens around town — usually including everything from park tours to ikebana displays to specific shows for orchids, bonsai, clivia and bromelaids each year. Outdoor dwellers can also expect daily live music in bloom-filled parks, while pub and dinner walks are also on the agenda. In total, more than 1100 hectares of public parks and private gardens will be on display in 2019. And, they'll boast more than 180,000 blossoming bulbs and seedlings. The event also kicks off with a three-day food and wine festival across September 20–22, and features an illuminated night garden between September 26–28, so there's no bad time to visit — and you might want to make the trek more than once. Indeed, when it comes to scenic spring sights, there's no prettier place to be. And, given it takes less than two hours to head up the mountain from Brisbane, it's perfect for a weekend day trip. Make a playlist, take a picnic and there's your Saturday or Sunday sorted. Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
If the phrase 'cheap beer' is music to your ears on a stinkin' hot day, then the bartenders at the Abbotts Hotel are about to become your favourite musicians in the city. The Waterloo pub has started offering beer prices based on the barometer or 'beer-o-meter' as they're calling it. When the temperature reaches 38 degrees — on the Bureau of Meteorology app, not your dodgy car thermometer — schooners are knocked down from $6 to $3.80. As the temperature continues to rise, the prices keep dropping until it hits 45 degrees (otherwise known as 'hell'). At this point, your beer is free. Yep, that's right, free. You'll never complain about the weather again. Abbotts will be honouring these discounts if anywhere in greater Sydney is sweltering, so keep an eye on your app and keep the bar accountable. The offer will run for the foreseeable future (with whispers of the beer-o-meter swapping in winter to sling cheap stouts when the temp drops) so we'll be crossing our fingers for a steamy March. Abbotts Hotel is located at 47 Botany Road, Waterloo. In the event of free beer, it will be limited to one per person, per day.
Let’s take a moment to talk about destruction. Scales of destruction, to be precise. For earthquakes, we use the ‘Moment Magnitude Scale’, for tornados it’s the ‘Fujita Scale’ and hurricanes are classified according to ‘Saffir-Simpson’. There’s no official system for classifying destruction in movies per se (the ratings system is too broad), but if we were to put a name to it, the ‘Marvel Scale’ might be a good place to start. -A ‘5' would be the most severe: your full-blown, blown-up world situation, where entire planets are either destroyed or critically imperilled (see: Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: The Dark World, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer). -A ‘4’ would cover city-wide destruction, where entire skyscrapers tumble like box office records, generally with little or no regard for their hapless occupants (see: The Avengers, The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron). -A ‘3’ is a shocking amount of destruction localised to a single area, such as a small town or neighbourhood, otherwise known as ‘a standard fight’ in just about every Marvel movie (see: Thor, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man 2, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and anything with a Hulk). -A ‘2’ would cover destruction on the human scale, where countless pawns (ideally ‘baddies’, then soldiers/cops and, when permissible, innocent bystanders) are mowed down by alien weapons, unwieldly superpowers or falling debris (see: Blade: Trinity, X-Men: The Last Stand). What, then, is a ‘1’? The answer is Ant-Man, where the violence is kept to such a minimum that the most meaningful casualty is an actual ant. An ant named ‘Antony’. What we get instead is a family-friendly Marvel movie where humour and dialogue offer a refreshing respite from all the usual, unimaginable carnage. Marvel actually frames Ant-Man as a heist movie, and that’s a good way to look at it. When an unscrupulous scientist (played by House of Cards’ Corey Stoll) perfects the science of atomic manipulation – allowing humans to be shrunk to the size of an ant whilst capable of enormous feats of strength – his former mentor and the original inventor of the technology (Michael Douglas) recruits a cat burglar named Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) to steal the prototype military suit and destroy all related records, believing it to be a threat to global security. Lang is given his own special suit, one that allows him to shrink back and forth as he pleases, then trained both in martial arts and the ability to communicate with insects. Think 'Honey I Shrunk The Doctor Dolittle', combined with a little Matrix and a lot of Oceans 11. The implications of a ‘Marvel-1’ movie cut both ways. The downside is that the stakes feel significantly lower, with ‘end of the world’ being replaced by ‘might get caught’ as the biggest threat for most of the film. Generally, though, it’s all upside, with the smaller-scale storyline (and unavoidably concomitant puns) allowing for a funnier and more intimate superhero tale. The size-related jokes are predictably frequent, but thankfully also creative enough to surprise, and apportioned evenly to allow for more general comedy as well. As the title character Rudd is perfectly cast, allowing his boy-next-door charm to deliver Tony Stark level wise-cracks without the ego or arrogance to sour them. It’s the Peter Parker model, where self-deprecation reigns supreme and heroism is steeped in humility. Coupled with the comedic offerings of his ex-con buddies (led by a scene-stealing Michael Peña), and bouncing off the dry wit of his instructor/love interest Hope (Evangeline Lilly), Rudd simultaneously leads Ant-Man as confidently as any of his comic book compadres whilst downplaying it to a point that almost parodies the Marvel world in which it exists. Funny, charming and very family friendly, Ant-Man is unquestionably light fare, but also a solid debut for what will almost certainly develop into a meatier and more assured trilogy.
Fitz (Jason Priestly), a devilishly handsome low-life of a used car salesman, is missing something. After years of womanising and substance abusing, he's on the hunt for his long-lost conscience. Fitz just didn't think he'd find him sitting at the office desk opposite his. Never much concerned with ending his sleazy ways, Fitz has a change of heart when, during a test-drive he is sure will secure him 'Employee of the Month' status, he crashes. The accident unleashes something with Fitz, a twinge of guilt and emotion we didn't know he had, that comes embodied in his conscience-turned-business partner, Larry (Ernie Grunwald). Now forced to face Larry each and every day, Fitz must (unwillingly) reexamine his dodgy ways. The hilarious pair and their bickering antics lend a humourous twist to this black comedy of a 'buddy' TV series. To win one of four Season One Call Me Fitz DVDs, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address through to hello@concreteplayground.com.au https://youtube.com/watch?v=MKEZS6DoX3E
Chances are you already know something about Tonya Harding. Even if you don't know her name off the top of your head, you've probably heard it used as a punchline. Oh yeah, Tonya. She's that figure skater who took a police baton to her arch-rival's leg, right? That Tonya? Well, yes. But also, not quite. The infamous incident that made headlines around the world almost 25 years ago has been the subject of more misinformation than whether or not you can actually swallow chewing gum. In I, Tonya, filmmaker Craig Gillespie does his best to unpack the myth while crafting a darkly humourous and ultimately tragic narrative about a brilliant skating career gone irreversibly awry. Gillespie and screenwriter Steven Rogers want you to know for certain that Tonya Harding is not a joke. Nor is she a violent bludgeoner who schemed to take out her main competition, fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan. The way they tell it – albeit in a film they admit up front is based on "wildly contradictory interviews" – Harding was a troubled skater who perhaps surrounded herself with the wrong type of person, and ended up caught in something she couldn't stop; a fateful scenario which could have been avoided had she made different choices, but which has defined her public image ever since. Margot Robbie offers up an incredible performance, playing Tonya right through from teenage years in all her redneck, tough girl, middle-fingers-up glory. The Australian learnt to skate specifically for the role, and the months she put in certainly paid off. Credit must also be given to stunt doubles Heidi Munger and Anna Malkova. Harding is one of the only female skaters to ever pull off the triple axel – and the editing, stunt work and special effects that go into recreating the notoriously difficult manoeuvre are likewise superb. Also clever is the format of the film itself: we are introduced to Tonya and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) via documentary-style talking heads. It's years after the fact, and both parties tell a very different story of what happened and who was responsible (Jeff and his friend Shawn Eckhardt were ultimately accused of colluding to hire an assailant to attack Kerrigan; both men served time in prison). We then jump back to the 1970s as a three-year-old Harding is put into skating lessons by her abusive mother LaVona Golden (Allison Janney), and watch as she quickly makes a name for herself on the ice. It isn't long before Harding is a teenager and competing at a national level. But while her technical ability is close to flawless, her image soon proves to be a problem. Not ladylike or sweet enough for the world of skating, she constantly runs up against judges who she sees as not marking her how she deserves. Spectacular choreography sees Harding's routines recreated down to the very last detail. Just as spot on is the film's casting, with Allison Janney particularly brilliant as Golden – complete with fur coat, perpetual cigarette and a bird perched on her shoulder. Where the film stumbles is in its tonally inconsistent depiction of the physical abuse allegedly inflicted on Harding, first by her mother and later by her husband. In a number of stomach-churning scenes, we watch as she is slapped, punched, thrown against a wall and has her head smashed into a mirror. At one point Harding breaks the fourth wall, addressing the abuse as it is happening to her – she thought it was normal, she says rather glibly. But that's all that is said, and there needed to be more. Gillespie and Rogers simply don't give the brutality the time or the serious treatment it deserves, pushing past the shocking violence in order to keep the plot moving forward. In doing so, they fail to explore the way Harding was made to feel everything was her fault – by her mother, by her husband and ultimately by the entire country. I, Tonya seems intent on reversing the popular consensus around its title character. The real Harding appeared at premieres of the film in the US, standing alongside Margot Robbie on the red carpet. But while she might finally have gotten the chance to prove she's not just the butt of a joke, you can't help but feel that the filmmakers – intentionally or not – treat her abuse as exactly that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXZQ5DfSAAc
Gone are the days of crashing on your own filthy camp stretcher at Splendour, padlocking up every tenty inch at Falls or nursing a crick floor-torn neck at Meredith. Belgian music festivals have changed the festival accommodation game with this brand new pop-up hotel design, so you'll never want to take the townbound shuttle again. Structured around a Japanese-style capsule hotel design, the prototype pods have been popping up at Belgian music festivals of late, prompting winsome looks from poor ol' regular stuck-in-the-mud campers. Adorably dubbed B-and-Bee, the design is the winner of a recent competition in Belgium that sought out sustainable entrepreneurship bright ideas. Often also the case at Australian festivals, Belgian festival campers aren't the most environmentally friendly of guests; leaving their cheap tents in a heap post-festival for someone else to deal with. The B-and-Bee team, led by Diana Schneider, Raf Schoors, Tim Ruytjens and social entrepreneurs at Compaan and Labeur, wanted to combat this regular trashing of resources. "It’s an ecological nightmare," Schneider told Wired. "We wanted to provide a sustainable sleeping option." The B-and-Bee honeycomb structure kicks a few goals, both sustainably and as a space-saving device. Attempting to reduce the spatial footprint, maintain cushiness and privacy while accommodating as many festivalgoers as possible is no mean feat. Using a stacked, tesselated design was the key. "We were looking for the most effective way to stack cells so they strengthen each other," says Schneider. "If you stack a square on top of each other the structure won't strengthen itself, whereas if you stack hexagons, they fit into each other and stabilise the structure." Slipping into a tiny, capsule space might sound a tad claustrophobic for some campers, but the B-and-Bee pods actually measure 1.7 metres wide by 1.45 metres tall, with a king-sized bed that's able to transform into a seat. You've also got power in your pod to charge that receptionless phone of yours, along with a light — camping's most underrated ally. While the combs are still in prototype phase, the team are hoping to have the structures geared up for next year's northern hemisphere summer festival season. Fingers crossed for a southern export, these little hives would go down a treat with yoga mat-weary Australian festivalgoers. Via Wired.
Due to open in Newport in the coming weeks, the new Australian Islamic Centre promises to be like no other mosque in Melbourne. Designed by award-winning architect Glenn Murcutt, who has spent close to a decade on the project, the modern centre embraces contemporary design in an attempt to create a community centre capable of fostering intercultural conversation and cooperation. To that end, NGV Australia's new exhibition, Glenn Murcutt: Architecture of Faith, lets visitors go behind the scenes of Murcutt's design process, and gain unique insight into his unconventional use of material, geometry and colour. The gallery will also host a pair of related public discussions. On the evening of Tuesday, August 9, Murcutt and his design partner Hakan Elevli will recount the story of the building's ten year design and construction process, while on Saturday, August 13 Elevli will join project builder Mohammed Haddara and Newport Islamic Society representative Dr Abdul Kamareddine, to discuss the centre in relation to the new dialect of Islamic architecture in Australia. Image: Installation view of Glenn Murcutt: Architecture of Faith at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, 9 August 2016 – 19 February 2017. Photo: Sean Fennessy.
When it comes to fashion, the key to achieving an effortlessly cool aesthetic is nailing your basics. Having a few quality cuts of denim in your selection that transition between seasons and transcend trends makes choosing what to wear each day a whole lot easier. And denim doesn't really get much better than that available from Aussie label Ksubi. The brand has been producing its edgy designs for close to two decades and has built up quite the reputation both at home and abroad. Normally, Melbourne shoppers can only get their hands on Ksubi online or via General Pants, but this weekend Ksubi will be hosting a warehouse sale with some pretty epic discounts to boot. From Friday, April 13 to Sunday, April 15, the brand will take over Prahran Town Hall hawking its premium denim, tees and dresses for as little as $30. The pop-up sale will be open on Friday from 9am–8pm, Saturday from 9am–4pm and Sunday from 10am–4pm. Nothing will be over $100, so find those gaps in your wardrobe and move quickly.
This Sunday session sees Sydney's Wayward Brewing Company bring its smash hit Sydney Beer Week event down to Two Birds Brewing's nest bar for the second instalment of Fempocalypse on May 13. The day brings together female brewers, musicians and artists in an arvo that celebrates the boss women of the hospitality and creative industries. For Melbourne's Good Beer Week, expect beers from both breweries on tap, along with four live music sets (Nimbus Trio, Old Hat Jazz Quartet, The Hosies and Alison Ferrier) and two DJ sets (Whiskey Houston and Renee Delay), plus circus, dance and burlesque performances. Female-operated food stalls will sit next to artisan craft stalls by the likes of local illustrator Hannakin, shoemaker Betty Bossy Boots and graphic designer Refiloe Khobane's African-inspired wares. Included in the $15 ticket price is a half-pint on arrival, a brewery tour voucher for two and special release brews, along with a full day of tunes. Images: Simon Shiff
We all work hard so when the weekends roll around, you want to make them count. That could mean enjoying a bottle of vino or a craft beer over some quality eats. Perhaps you hot-foot it out of the city to explore our beautiful country. And then on the rare (or perhaps not so rare) occasion, it will be spent tearing up the d-floor. So, what if we told you that you could enjoy all three activities in one epic weekend? Wine Machine promises just that. Now in its second year, the event is returning to the Yarra Valley on Saturday, March 24, 2018, to throw the ultimate dance party amongst the grapevines. Proceedings will kick off in the early afternoon with Australian acts including The Kite Street Tangle, Touch Sensitive and Sneaky Sound System all taking to the stage. DJ Tom Loud will end the evening with one of his now-legendary Hot Dub Time Machine sets, which will see audiences dancing their way from 1954 to today, as he mixes an iconic song from each year. And it's all set within the picturesque fields of Rochford Estate with top-notch bites and drinks — including plenty of wine — to keep you going. This year, there'll be a pop-up cellar door — slinging sangria and frosé — a caravan selling prosecco and a heap of stalls, offering face-painting, henna tattoos and the like. It'll be a weekend that's hard to top but we're going to try: we're offering you the chance to win double AAA passes to the festival. You and a mate will spend the evening in the Artist Bar rubbing shoulders with the musos before they head onstage, snacking on free antipasti and wine from the restaurant and meeting and greeting Hot Dub Time Machine himself. To enter, see details below. [competition]660832[/competition]
If you thought yesterday was literally The Coldest Day Ever, it turns out you weren't being too dramatic. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne yesterday shivered through its coldest June day since 1983 (and coldest overall in almost two years), maxing out at 9.6 degrees around 3.30pm. Most parts of the state were 3–7 degrees below average for this time of the year, with the highest recorded temperature a frosty 14 degrees in Gippsland. Mt Hotham dipped as low as -6 degrees. https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1142583652041273344 The city also copped some pretty fierce fog, which hung around well into the day in some northeastern suburbs, the Yarra Valley and parts of Port Phillip Bay. The fog extended into the morning but has since cleared up. https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1142684173360082949 That said, today's temperatures are looking a little cosier than the weekend's, with a maximum 15 degrees forecast for Melbourne today and the haze and fog clearing to a healthy serve of sunshine this afternoon. The rest of the week is also looking up, with peaks of 15 and 16 degrees, before Friday and Saturday each reach a sunny top of 17. Classic Melbourne.
With the rise of the mp3 and the gathering of the cloud, the concept of physically owning your music has gradually begun to disappear. Yet for many music lovers, the tactile nature of analogue media still holds a powerful nostalgia. How else do you explain last year's record-breaking vinyl sales? But while the record may have experienced a bit of a resurgence as of late, what about the humble audio cassette? Well, it turns out there may be a market for that too. Inspired by the success of Record Store Day, Cassette Store Day is a celebration of all things magnetic tape and plastic. Its third iteration is set for October 17 — and for the first time, the southern hemisphere is getting in on the action. Australian label Rice Is Nice and New Zealanders Arch Hill Recordings will join Germany’s Mansions & Millions, America’s Burger Records and original UK founders Suplex Cassettes, Kissability, and Sexbeat in organising the 2015 edition, an international party marked by a slew of events, sales and releases. Last year saw such big name artists as Karen O and There Might Be Giants drop tapes for the occasion, among more than 300 others. Of course, not everyone is so enamoured with these chunky slabs of plastic. Last year Tone Deaf penned an article titled ‘Why International Cassette Store Day is Stupid’, arguing that the event is simply nostalgia taken too far. And look, the killjoys may have a point. Although vinyl fans insist that records sound ‘warmer,’ it’s a lot harder to make that argument for the compact cassette. Still, anything that gets people supporting local music stores is okay by us. Besides, who doesn’t secretly want an actual mixtape from their crush? CASSETTE STORE DAY AUSTRALIAN RELEASES Courtney Barnett — Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit Summer Flake — Time Rolls By EP Bloods — Work It Out Ocean Party — Light Weight Step-Panther — Strange But Nice Dollar Bar — Paddington Workers Club Dollar Bar — Hot Ones Red Riders — Drown In Colour Demos The Finks — Lucklaster Fraser A. Gorman — Slow Gum Ouch My Face — Bunyip Raindrop — Crowded Brain EP Rice Is Nice Records — Vol. 3 Mixtape (various artists) Ft. Blank Realm (unreleased), Black Zeros, Tired Lion, Lowtide, The Living Eyes, Pearls, Love of Diagrams, Day Ravies, Us The Band, Zeahorse, White Dog, Weak Boys Wonrowe Vision — Triple Cassette Mortification — Scrolls Of The Megaloth Double Cassette Barrow-man — Dog Tales Betty & Oswald — King Of Bohemia Tutu and the Bodyrockets — The Ballad of Bonnie Bigfish Hills Hoist / Piqué — Cool Change / Kitty Australian labels and store owners that want to be part of this year’s Cassette Store Day can apply via Rice Is Nice starting from July 11. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
