While Christmas is undoubtedly one of the best holidays of the year for most, pulling off said celebration ain’t the easiest of tasks. You’ve done the presents, sent the cards, but this year there’s 15 coming over, two are vegetarian and uncle James is big into wine. Like crazy big. The Solution? WineMarket has made playing sommelier easier than convincing yourself to pop the champers at 11am on Christmas morning, with a wide range of drops to match any menu and suit even the fussiest sniff and swillers. TURKEY:EVANS & TATE CLASSIC SEMILLON SAUVIGNON BLANC Leaving aside the vegetarians for a moment, ain't no one going to say no to some turkey. Similarly, a semillon sauvignon blanc blend is a people-pleaser. The perfect middle ground between semillon structure and weight, and the herbal, punchy fruit highlights of Sav Blanc, it's perfect with white meat and lighter condiments. Try the take on it from Margaret River's Evans & Tate. $150 for a case from www.winemarket.com.au. BBQ PRAWNS: TEMPUS TWO PROSECCO Nothing complements a juicy, flame-grilled prawn or yabby off the barbie like a glass of something cold and sparkling. Prosecco is your go-to here. Try the cool-climate, lemon-zesty Adelaide Hills Tempus Two variety to match seafood. Oh, and don’t forget this fresh and clean Italian-style bubbly makes the ideal pre-dinner tipple, so be sure to stock up. $89.94 for a six-pack from www.winemarket.com.au. CHRISTMAS HAM: BLEASDALE SPARKLING SHIRAZ Unless, of course, you’re super into pork, that hunk of scrumptious piggy steaming on the table usually only comes out once a year. So why not go with the flow and crack open a bottle of sparkling shiraz to give it that extra special-occasion kick? Aussie legends Bleasdale have a great sparkling shiraz (their drops regularly score 90+ points), but it’s not exactly surprising seeing as they’re Australia’s second oldest wine growing family. $135 for a six-pack from www.winemarket.com.au. TURDUCKEN: ALEXIA BY JANE COOPER PINOT NOIR A hybrid of turkey, duck and chicken, this big meaty beast is probably best suited to a slightly lighter bodied red (especially on a hot summer’s day). Jane Cooper's 'Alexia' Pinot Noir will suit game meats with its earthy, dark cherry flavours, plus a dozen of these babies comes in at just $11 a bottle. $132 for a case from www.winemarket.com.au VEGAN TURDUCKEN: GEMTREE GREEN JADE ORGANIC CHARDONNAY Anyone going for a vegetarian or vegan roast (yes, it’s a thing) should think about a chardonnay. We know this poor ol’ drop somewhat went out of fashion, but the pesticide-free, medium-bodied dry Gemtree Green Jade Organic Chardonnay, with a whole bunch of pure fruit flavours sans oak, will add delicious textures to the vego’s delight on your plate. $99 for a case from www.winemarket.com.au. POTATO SALAD: BALLAST POINT 'BIG EYE' INDIA PALE ALE Of course, sides shouldn’t be forgotten, and neither should beer. In the hotter months you’re gonna want something bitter and hoppy (and cold, obvs), and a frosty Ballest Point 'Big Eye' India pale ale has your name, and those creamy carbs, written all over it. $79.99 for a case from www.winemarket.com.au.
Soaking up Melbourne's dynamic cultural scene and getting on top of your spending can seem at odds. But this balancing act is made a little easier when you make the most of the countless discounts and wallet-friendly hacks that our fair city serves up on the reg. We've teamed up with Great Southern Bank to track down eight surefire ways to save your bucks while you get a big ol' dose of culture. After so many months at home, it's time to rediscover our city — from after-dark art events to raucous drag shows. If you've got big saving goals, Great Southern Bank has a range of clever tools to help you hit that financial figure sooner rather than later. For those who want to live their best lives — and top up their funds — The Boost lets you add to your savings every time you spend, while The Vault helps impulse buyers curb their instincts. So, hit the pavement and experience the city's cultural best — and keep your accounts ticking over — with this budget friendly hit list. [caption id="attachment_821535" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NGV Friday Nights, Ben Swinnerton[/caption] CHECK OUT SOME AFTER-HOURS ART You don't have to spend a fortune to immerse yourself in Melbourne's world-class arts venues. Running over several seasons throughout the year, NGV Friday Nights lets you saunter through the institution's latest exhibitions with a soundtrack to match, thanks to a weekly lineup of local DJs and indie acts. Just be sure to check the NGV website for the latest information to avoid any disappointment. Down the road, the Melbourne Cinémathèque at ACMI presents screenings of acclaimed films and obscure cinema on Wednesday nights. Grab a Mini Membership for $32 and explore the world of film for three consecutive weeks. Or, head to the Immigration Museum after dark. The superb cultural institution highlights fascinating perspectives on our shared humanity, and it costs less $20 for entry. So, hit up one of its regular after-hours events that celebrate Australia's multicultural make-up. To see what's coming up, head to the Museum's website. [caption id="attachment_760381" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Hamer Hall[/caption] BANK ON LAST-MINUTE TICKET DEALS A night at the theatre is a smashing idea, but it doesn't quite fit the definition of bargain hunting. Fortunately, several cut-price ticket sellers specialise in eleventh-hour deals on the city's unmissable shows. TodayTix lists discounts for headline productions like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and performances from The Australian Ballet. Or, you can experience outstanding events at Arts Centre Melbourne venues, including Hamer Hall and Sidney Myer Music Bowl, for $30 thanks to Tixatsix. The ticket platform promises a minimum of 20 discounted tickets per show every single night. Meanwhile, Halftix Melbourne has been helping punters see shows for less since 1983. You can browse a selection of tickets online or head into the store at 208 Little Collins Street post lockdown to secure a last-minute deal. [caption id="attachment_691296" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Melbourne Theatre Company[/caption] USE YOUTH TO YOUR FINANCIAL ADVANTAGE Under 30? You can easily save some dough when attending some of Melbourne's leading performing arts institutions. The Melbourne Theatre Company lets anyone aged 29 or under secure premium tickets or a season subscription at a 50 percent discount. People in this age bracket, as well as full-time students, can also soak up the best independent productions at St Kilda's renowned Red Stitch Actors' Theatre for just $29. If incredible sopranos and booming basses are more your thing, under 30s can also catch glass-shattering performances at Victorian Opera for a markdown rate of $30 per ticket — that's up to 70 percent off usual prices. [caption id="attachment_827197" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Comedy Republic (Supplied)[/caption] SIT DOWN AND WATCH SOME STAND-UP Melbourne is home to some of the most celebrated comedy clubs in the country. Whether you prefer one-liners or absurdists, you won't have a problem finding cheap laughs across a variety of top-notch stages. North Melbourne's The Comic's Lounge is perhaps the best known, with nightly showcases of newbies and professionals that you can catch for as little as $15. There's also the newly opened Comedy Republic. Founded by much-loved comics Alex Dyson, Kyran Wheatley and Rhys Nicholson, the CBD venue is purpose-built for intimate stand-up routines, with tickets usually in the $20–30 range. Or, for a New York-style underground space, the Basement Comedy Club takes over the European Bier Cafe on Thursday nights. Head here to see local and international talent for a steal, with tickets for some shows starting at just $10. [caption id="attachment_764005" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Koorie Heritage Trust, Artra Sartracom[/caption] GO ON A CULTURAL TOUR As the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation, Melbourne's city streets are overflowing with cultural significance. You can learn from some wonderfully insightful guides on Koorie Heritage Trust's Aboriginal Walking Tours. Here, you'll be informed about the city's history as a meeting place and have an opportunity to reflect on this deep connection. On the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria's Heritage Walk, a guide will reveal how numerous native plants can be used for food, medicine and tools, as well as teach you about the ongoing connection to Country. Want to venture further afield when you can? Deep in the lush Yarra Ranges, Bullen Bullen Cultural Tours invites guests to take part in a welcome ceremony and appreciate the link between people and Country. CATCH A CHEAP FLICK Catching the latest blockbuster, indie flick or foreign film is a great time. But, if you're a dedicated movie buff, the cost can start adding up quickly. Fortunately, pretty much every cinema in town has a cheap night, which means you either head home with more cash — or have extra to spend on snacks. At Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn, you can score tickets for $12 on Tuesdays. Plus, students can pay just $8 on Wednesdays with a valid ID. If you sign up to a yearly membership (for $21), you can also access a $1 ticket upon signing up or renewing, as well as $8 tickets on Tuesdays. Lido's super-popular rooftop cinema is set to return next month, too, should you wish to catch an al fresco flick. Across participating Palace Cinemas, tickets are $10 on Tuesdays. There's also a free and paid membership program that gives you access to discounted tickets year round at participating theatres around town. You can take advantage of this offer at The Kino Cinema, too, or head to the Collins Street picture house on a Monday to nab tickets for just $8.50. BE DAZZLED AS YOU DINE AT VAU D'VILE DINNER AND SHOW Dinners don't come much more ravishing than at Vau d'vile Drag Cabaret. Head to this Johnston Street spot to dine on delightful tapas as The Vixens, a troupe of some of Melbourne's beloved drag queens, strut through comedy skits, choreographed dances and lung-busting solos. Friday and Saturday nights are the headline evenings, with tickets costing $69, $89 or $115 depending on how glamorous you want to get. There's also a strictly limited number of $37 show-only tickets for those watching their wallet. For a cheaper but just as playful alternative, Bingo a la Vau is on Thursday nights, with tickets starting from $19 per person. The winner takes home tickets for a Friday night show and dinner for two, so prep accordingly. EXPLORE OLD MELBOURNE WITH AN AUGMENTED REALITY WHODUNNIT Think you've got what it takes to solve a century-old crime? This is the premise behind the augmented reality app Eastern Market Murder, which takes users on a 2.5-kilometre journey through the city streets to crack the case. As you visit the actual crime sites involved in the 1899 whodunnit, your smartphone camera will discover 3D scenes and characters on the streetscape, gradually revealing vital evidence and witnesses to question across ten historical CBD sites. Available for iOS and Android for just $4.99, this low-cost activity doubles as a captivating history lesson. Result. Great Southern Bank is empowering Aussies to get clever with their banking. Whether you want to stick to your savings goals with The Boost or hide your house deposit fund from yourself with The Vault, Great Southern Bank helps you get there. For more information on its savings tools and home loan plans, head to the Great Southern Bank website. Top image: NGV Friday Nights
They played the first game of their 2023 Women's World Cup campaign in Sydney. They took on Denmark there in the round of 16, then England in the semi-final loss. The next reason that the Matildas will hit the Harbour City: a match against China PR on the way to the 2024 Paris Olympics, and also for goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and coach Tony Gustavsson to take to the Vivid stage. The duo have just joined the already-packed Vivid Sydney 2024 lineup for a Vivid Ideas session at Sydney Town Hall on Monday, June 10. At Champions of Change: Mackenzie Arnold and Tony Gustavsson, the pair will have plenty to talk about — all things Matildas, of course, including the team's achievements over the past year, the challenges along the way, the squad's impact, the pressures and the coach-athlete dynamic. "This Vivid Sydney event is an awesome opportunity to connect with fans and reflect on the incredible ride we've had with the Matildas over the last couple of years. The highs and lows, the pressure and the triumphs, what it means to represent your country on the world stage — this is more than just a game. It's a chance to inspire the next generation and make a difference for women and girls on and off the field," said Arnold about the session. "The Matildas have had an incredible journey over the last 12 months, and it's a proud moment for me as a manager to celebrate and reflect on this at Vivid Sydney alongside Mackenzie," added Gustavsson. "I want to shed light not only our achievements on the field but also the incredible spirit and resilience behind the scenes, how much each of these players gives to this game. This conversation is also a chance to delve into the strategies that shaped our team's success and to touch on the broader implications of our journey for women's sport and society at large." Arnold and Gustavsson's addition to the Vivid lineup comes after Amy Poehler recently also joined the bill, to discuss her career and the upcoming Pixar sequel Inside Out 2. "We're so proud to be bringing two modern-day superstars of sport to the Vivid Sydney 2024 program. This discussion with Mackenzie and Tony will explore humanity through the lens of sport and bring a relatable and inspirational touch to their world class achievements on the field. You do not want to miss this opportunity to hear from two of Australian football's most influential and inspiring figures," said Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini. Champions of Change: Mackenzie Arnold and Tony Gustavsson takes place on Monday, June 10, 2024 at Sydney Town Hall, with tickets on sale from 9am on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Vivid Sydney runs from Friday, May 24–Saturday, June 15 at various locations around Sydney. Head to the festival website for further details and tickets.
Cue the nostalgia and prepare to feel positively ancient — Brisbane's last remaining video store is shutting its doors for good. As reported by the ABC, Oxley's Network Video has taken to social media to farewell its legion of loyal customers, many of whom have been trekking from all over Brisbane on the regular (and evidently still own DVD players). Owner Brenton Snell revealed the store's set to close this month, due to family issues. Even still, the old girl held her own longer than anyone anticipated. When Snell bought the store in 2010, the concept of video rentals was already taking a dive, fast succumbing to the popularity of online streaming services. He expected to sell up just a few years later, but DVD fans just kept rolling in and business boomed despite stiff competition from the internet. Those keen for a memento of the good old days — or to snap up a few titles for their home collection — should pay a visit in the coming weeks. Snell plans to start clearing out his 14,000-strong movie collection from Saturday, February 17. After Network Video's graceful departure, the nearest walk-in video stores will be those out in Ipswich and Logan. Network Video is located at Shop 4, 121 Oxley Station Road, Oxley, Brisbane. Its last official date of trade will be Wednesday, February 14 and it will start selling its collection on Saturday, February 17. For more info, visit the Facebook page. Via ABC.
In what was probably the biggest celestial (and perhaps social media) event of 2016, last night the supermoon rose majestically in the sky, like a beacon reminding that, yes, the world will keep turning even if certain world events have us feeling like it will stop dead in its tracks. Token stargazers turned out to coastal and elevated vantage points around the country to catch a glimpse of the bigger-than-normal moon, which would come over the horizon Melancholia-style to take or save us all. Well, perhaps it wasn't quite as dramatic. The moon — while 13 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than usual — looked sort of normal. And that was just to those who could see it. Many parts of Australia had their view of the big piece of cheese obstructed by some very unconsiderate clouds. So if you didn't see it, here's the best photos from Australia and around the world. They should be enough to tide you over until 2034. SYDNEY A photo posted by T Vaclavek (@wayfarerphoto) on Nov 14, 2016 at 1:29am PST A photo posted by Jon Bader (@jon_bader) on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:52pm PST MELBOURNE A photo posted by D. (@ogonbatosan) on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:41pm PST BRISBANE A photo posted by Thiago Pacheco (@thiagopacheco) on Nov 14, 2016 at 3:51am PST A photo posted by Christopher Dakers (@chrisdakers) on Nov 14, 2016 at 12:22pm PST A photo posted by Daily Mail (@dailymail) on Nov 14, 2016 at 10:26am PST UTAH A photo posted by Jonathan Irish (@jonathan_irish) on Nov 14, 2016 at 10:24am PST epa editor's choice 14 November 2016 - https://t.co/XCGNo4r46z pic.twitter.com/MGvfpoS5Sx — epaphotos (@epaphotos) November 14, 2016 LONDON Outstanding photo of the #supermoon & a plane over London (📷 by @photogator96) pic.twitter.com/JgNbcZHKdV — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 14, 2016 SOMERSET, UK A photo posted by Pearl Lowe (@pearllowe) on Nov 13, 2016 at 9:42am PST A photo posted by GreekGateway.com ® (@greekgateway) on Nov 14, 2016 at 9:26am PST Top image: thiagopachec via Instagram.
2022 isn't over yet, but it has been filled with a huge array of stellar television and streaming shows so far, including both new and returning series. If you're looking ahead to the new year already, though, HBO has just confirmed your first big small-screen obsession of 2023: the game-to-TV adaptation of The Last of Us. Right now, we all fall into two categories. Firstly, there's the hefty group of people who are already devoted to The Last of Us, the hit video game that's been a button-mashing favourite since 2013 and spawned a sequel in 2020. Then, there's the folks that are about to start obsessing over its new HBO adaptation when it arrives on January 16. Whichever camp you fall into, this is bound to be 2023's first big show — and if you're wondering what you're in for, the initial teaser trailer from September sets a moody, creepy, action-packed scene, as expected of a story that dives into a tense and fraught post-apocalyptic version of the US. For The Last of Us newcomers, here's the premise: 20 years after modern civilisation has been destroyed, survivor Joel is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a tough and oppressive quarantine zone. There wouldn't be a game, let alone a television version, if that was an easy task, of course — and if the pair didn't need to weather quite the brutal journey, as well as a nightmarish quest for survival. So far, so intriguing — and while the debut sneak peek does indeed conjure up memories of The Walking Dead, that just comes with the basic concept. The Naughty Dog-created PlayStation game wouldn't be the huge hit it's proven for almost a decade now if it simply cribbed from that TV show, obviously. As a series, The Last of Us also boasts a heap of impressive names — starting with star Pedro Pascal (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) as Joel, plus Game of Thrones' alum and recent Catherine Called Birdy standout Bella Ramsey as Ellie. Fans of the game will note that Ashley Johnson (Blindspot) and Troy Baker (Young Justice), who voiced the two characters in the source material, will indeed pop up in the HBO show. They'll clearly be playing different characters, however. Also pivotal to HBO's adaptation: co-creator, executive producer, writer and director Craig Mazin, who already brought a dystopian hellscape to the US network (and to everyone's must-watch list) thanks to the haunting and horrifying Chernobyl. He teams up here with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, who also penned and directed The Last of Us games. Alongside Pascal and Ramsey — and Johnson and Baker — the series also boasts Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate) as Joel's younger brother and former soldier Tommy, Merle Dandridge (The Flight Attendant) as resistance leader Marlene and Aussie actor Anna Torv (Mindhunter) as smuggler Tess. And, Nico Parker (The Third Day) plays Joel's 14-year old daughter Sarah, Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) and Nick Offerman (The Resort) feature as isolated survivalists Frank and Bill, Storm Reid (Euphoria) pops up as Boston orphan Riley, and Jeffrey Pierce (Castle Rock) plays quarantine-zone rebel Perry. As seen in the trailer, Yellowjackets' Melanie Lynskey also guest stars. Check out the teaser trailer for The Last of Us below: The Last of Us will start streaming Down Under from Monday, January 16, 2023 — in Australia via Binge and New Zealand via Neon.
In the name of its protagonist, and the pain and fury that threatens to parch her 12-year-old existence, Del Kathryn Barton's first feature scorches and sears. It burns in its own moniker, too, and in the blistering alarm it sounds against an appalling status quo: that experiencing, witnessing and living with the aftermath of violence against women is all too common, heartbreakingly so, including in Australia where one woman a week on average is killed by her current or former partner. Blaze has a perfect title, with the two-time Archibald Prize-winning artist behind it crafting a movie that's alight with anger, that flares with sorrow, and that's so astutely and empathetically observed, styled and acted that it chars. Indeed, it's frequently hard to pick which aspect of the film singes more: the story about surviving what should be unknown horrors for a girl who isn't even yet a teen, the wondrously tactile and immersive way in which Blaze brings its namesake's inner world to the screen, or the stunning performance by young actor Julia Savage (Mr Inbetween) in its central part. Savage also has a fitting moniker, impeccably capturing how ferociously she takes on her starring role. Blaze, the Sydney schoolgirl that she plays, isn't always fierce. She's curious and imaginative, happy dwelling in her own dreamy universe long before she flees there after witnessing a rape and murder, and then frightened and fraying while also fuming. In how she's portrayed by Savage, and penned by Barton with co-screenwriter Huna Amweero (also a feature first-timer), she's intricately fleshed out, too, with every reaction she has to the assault proving instantly relatable — especially to anyone whose life has been touched by trauma. We don't all see dragons made out of fabric, felt, feathers, papier-mâché and glitter, helping us through times good and bad, but everyone can understand the feelings behind that dragon, which swelter like the creature's fiery breath. Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, Blaze isn't — although Jake (Josh Lawson, Mortal Kombat), who Blaze spots in an alleyway with Hannah (Yael Stone, Blacklight), has his lawyer (Heather Mitchell, Bosch & Rockit) claim that his accuser knows nothing. With the attack occurring mere minutes into the movie, Barton dedicates the feature's bulk to how her lead character copes, or doesn't. Being questioned about what she saw in court is just one way that the world tries to reduce her to ashes, but the embers of her hurt and determination don't and won't die. Blaze's father Luke (Simon Baker, High Ground), a single parent, understandably worries about the impact of everything blasting his daughter's way. As she retreats then acts out, cycling between both and bobbing in-between, those fears are well-founded. Blaze is a coming-age-film — a robbing-of-innocence movie as well — but it's also a firm message that there's no easy or ideal response to something as awful as its titular figure observes. The pivotal sequence, lensed by cinematographer Jeremy Rouse (The Turning) and spliced together by editor Dany Cooper (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson) to be as jarring and unflinching for Blaze's audience as it is for Blaze, is nightmarish. Avoiding agony and anguish isn't Barton's way — and it can't be with this subject matter. While never as harrowing in the same manner again, Blaze is styled by its artist-turned-writer/director in the same expressive, impressionistic way from start to finish, so that watching its frames flicker feels like diving inside its lead character's heart and mind. That internal realm is a place where a pre-trial proceeding erupts into flames spat from Blaze herself, via a tiny white dragon figurine she places between her teeth. Unsurprisingly, that's a spectacular and gloriously cathartic sight. Barton isn't afraid of symbolism, but she's also allergic to emptiness; not a single image in her kaleidoscopic trip through her protagonist's imaginings is ever wasted. As set to a soundtrack that's soulfully moody and brooding as only Nick Cave can be one minute, then psychedelic and soaring with The Flaming Lips a short time afterwards, the contents of Blaze's brain and soul is where cogs turn — not literally, not once, but in processing everything that the pre-teen has seen and felt. It's where she glimpses a corpse turned mesh and material, then spies a tiny girl climb a ladder out of its mouth, in one of the movie's many mixed-media moments. It's where tiny kissing ceramic animal figurines morph into something more, fleshy tongues waggling, and where putting her feet in a sandbox transports her to the beach. And, it's where thoughts and emotions can better be distilled through surreal stop-motion animation and puppetry, and via that towering pink-hued dragon that any child would want as their pal and confidant, and with hallucinogenic collages that everyone who has seen Barton's other art will immediately recognise as springing from her head. If Barton took on Where the Wild Things Are, Pete's Dragon or A Monster Calls, all of which deal with sadness and tragedy through fantasy as well, it'd look like this — well, as a starting point. As brilliant and deeply affecting as all three of those films are, Blaze is always bolder and darker. It's more enraged, audacious, unsettling and astounding. It stresses that hardship is what shapes us but not what solely makes us, but it's a gut-punch rather than a heartstring-tug of a feature (by design; facts and figures about femicide are purposefully worked in). Barton emphasises that surviving is both a battle and a feat, that coping through art is a balm, and that seeing and speaking are pivotal acts. In other hands, though, Blaze might've resembled another recent feature that plunged into distress, and a headphone-wearing adolescent feeling it, that's also helmed by a big-name Aussie debuting as a director after coming to fame in a different medium. Thankfully, however, similarities with Sia's Music end are superficial. Big things deserve to await Savage, who never lets Blaze forget that it's about a living, breathing, hurting, loving person, and about the screaming, receding, dreaming, needing and steaming that characterises her response to such an ordeal. In support, Baker offers a sublimely judged mix of care, stress and uncertainty, playing a dad who knows he doesn't have all the answers, because no one can — and Stone, in her crucial and devastating part, is phenomenal. Big things have already come Barton's way in the art world, but they deserve to shower over her for this also, which comes after short films The Nightingale and the Rose and Red. Blaze is brutal and beautiful, blunt and labyrinthine, and a trip, a heartache, an escape and a release. When its namesake asks why she ends up temporarily institutionalised but Jake hasn't been, the movie makes one of its points as loudly as it can, but every inch of every frame already says everything.
NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all people of Australia to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In the past, the "National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee" were responsible for organising the events of NAIDOC Week, and since then the acronym has become the name of the event itself. The theme of NAIDOC Week this year is 'Heal Country!'. Grounded in Country, this theme calls for the recognition, protection and maintenance of all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. But in order to achieve this, it's essential that historical, political and administrative settings adapt in order to empower and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Did you know the Aboriginal flag is currently under copyright? Clothing The Gaps are leading the campaign to have the Aboriginal flag freed. Join them for this lunchtime yarn to learn about the Aboriginal Copyright issue and the progress of the Free the Flag campaign. Head to Clothing the Gaps Instagram to keep up-to-date with everything the organisation is doing this NAIDOC Week and view its 'Heal Country!' collection. [caption id="attachment_817386" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Supplied by Clothing The Gaps.[/caption]
Watch out, it’s the October arts festival pile-up! With Fringe still kicking, the seriously big acts are already rolling into town for the Melbourne Festival and outgoing artistic director Brett Sheehy has made his last year one to remember. The program has everything from Dutch child actors playing out visions of their future adult lives inside a room of one-way mirrors, to Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo laying down live soundtracks to avant garde cinema, to an interactive art piece for babies. There’ll be an art-themed film program too this year, curated by former MIFF director Richard Moore, alongside cutting edge dance and experimental theatre plenty. With the guest list including impressive names like Thomas Ostermeier, back from Germany to remix Ibsen again, Antony and the Johnsons and even Billy Bragg, it’s one of the biggest festivals yet. Could this possibly be more art than even Melbourne can handle?
For gin lovers, it's always an exciting time when the legends at Four Pillars drop a new booze release. So you can bet there are some eager sippers itching to try the brand's latest tipple, a green apple and rhubarb number made in collaboration with renowned UK distillery Warner's. The new drop launched this week and the Four Pillars crew will be taking it on an Aussie tour over the next couple of weeks. But first, they're celebrating its bright, fruity freshness with a pop-up market and party at their Healesville HQ. Head along from 10.30am on Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23, and you'll find a heaving array of produce and wares showcasing the best of the Yarra Valley. This is your chance to feast your way through stalls from the likes of Rikki's Biccis, Yarra Valley Dairy and Bear's Bagels, plus more. Of course, the Four Pillars Green Apple & Rhubarb Gin will be the star of the show and visitors here can be among the first to try it. From 12–4pm each day the team will be pouring free tastings, while from 1–5pm the Gin Garden is your go-to for free mini cocktails starring the new spirit. Mini versions of the classic G&T are also on offer. [caption id="attachment_897459" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Benito Martin[/caption] Top image: Benito Martin
Just when you finally upgraded to the Spotify premium package, Apple announces they're bringing iTunes Radio to Australia. In its first international release after a wildly successful run in the US, this goliath music streaming platform is throwing its hat in the ring against already popular services such as Pandora and Spotify. Boasting a wealth of scientific algorithms to curate personalised listening streams, Apple are basically asking you to, please, for the love of God, start using your iTunes again. The main drawcard Apple has here is its huge catalogue. No longer will the infuriating words 'artist not found' pop up under your search bar; iTunes has pretty much everyone on board. There are over 100 stations programmed including both basic genre offerings ('Dance Radio', 'Pop Hits Radio') as well as specific artist streams (the universal: 'Beatles Radio', the good: 'Yeah Yeah Yeahs Radio', and the meh: 'Bruno Mars Radio'). But, as Apple said in a statement yesterday, "The more you use iTunes Radio and iTunes, the more it knows what you like to listen to and the more personalised your experience becomes." That being said, the service still doesn't have the capacity for music on-demand that Spotify offers. Once you skip tracks, iTunes will take note and avoid that genre of music, but ultimately playlists are curated for you according to what's already in your music library. Like its competitors, the service is free with interspliced ads between tracks, with the option of upgrading. An annual subscription will set you back $34.99, as compared to $39 with Pandora or $11.99 per month with Spotify (although that also includes the capability to download music and listen offline). Also, you can guarantee that every track you listen to will have that guilt-inducing 'buy' button hovering right next to it. While many will stick to their current platforms, it's comforting to see a major player like Apple get on board with such services. At the very least, it's an acknowledgement that our listening habits have changed — a step in the right direction for an industry that's been failing for far too long. iTunes Radio was made available to Australians on February 11. You can access it via your iTunes account.
In 2001, Rolling Stone writer Guy Lawson published the extraordinary article: 'The Stoner Arms Dealers: How Two American Kids Became Big-Time Weapons Traders', and the response was predictably one of outrage and surprise. The entire story seemed preposterous, impossible, far too crazy to believe. As it turns out, it was precisely that quality that enabled its two subjects to get away with the impossible for so very long. David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, two Miami-based Jewish boys in their mid-twenties, had become high-end international arms dealers, most famously landing what came to be known as The Afghan Deal – an exclusive USD$300 million contract to supply the US-backed Afghan forces with weapons, equipment and one hundred million rounds of soviet-era AK-47 ammunition from Albania. Two guys, mid-twenties, and Packouz's previous job was as a part-time masseuse. Such is the subject matter of War Dogs by director Tod Phillips (The Hangover), chronicling Packouz (Miles Teller) and Diveroli's (Jonah Hill) astounding ascent to the big leagues of international weapons trading, as well as their inevitable fall. The title, War Dogs, refers to the nature of their particular profession: scrambling for small-scale arms contracts posted by the Pentagon to help redress the constantly undersupplied forces in the disastrous Iraq and Afghan theatres. Described as "eBay for weapons dealers", these contracts were sourced off a website containing tens of thousands of Pentagon requests for tenders. By focussing on the jobs too small to interest the major players, Packouz and Diveroli were able to amass a small fortune in a remarkably short space of time. Broken up into chapters with names like "God Bless Dick Cheney's America", War Dogs is at pains to show us the corruption of the American Ideal and the toxicity of unrestrained capitalism – both decades-old points long since made in every form of media, and laboured here with an especially heavy hand. With its Americana rock soundtrack, freeze frames and bro-tasctic dialogue, the film plays like a wannabe Big Short or Wolf of Wall Street, yet lacks the emotional drive or dramatic tension to ever really deliver. Neither funny enough to be a comedy, nor serious enough to land as a drama, it instead ends up somewhere in the middle (a fate similarly suffered by the recent Tina Fey project Whiskey Tango Foxtrot). Overall, far too much time is spent on the overtly amusing and entertaining elements of the boys' earlier days, leaving the heart of this remarkable real-life tale – a deal gone awry, double-crosses and a friendship in free fall – to the final stages only. As an indictment on the arms trade, it likewise barely scratches the surface, opting instead to focus on the absurdity and corruption of the political system that enables it. Admittedly, that narrative is a compelling one, revealing a level of bureaucratic absurdity not known to most members of the public. Still, when compared to 2005's Lord of War, which dealt with similar material, this more recent offering emerges as the undisputed weaker of the two. Bland, unimaginative and ill-befitting the extraordinary story behind it, War Dogs feels like an amazing opportunity gone begging. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwh9c_E3dJk
Whether it's dropping Golden Gaytime-inspired Viennettas, cookie pies, Mint Slice-style biscuits, dulce de leche balm or its most-beloved gelato flavours — or just the usual frosty sweets lining its freezer cabinets — Gelato Messina sure does love giving dessert fiends a whole heap of treats. Come December, however, it's busting out 24 of them in the lead up to Christmas. Well, to be precise, you'll be busting them out of Messina's first-ever advent calendar. 'Tis the season to be jolly, and to enjoy opening tiny doors and eating the goodies within. First, the sad news for ice cream lovers: Messina's advent calendar won't need to be stored in your freezer, because it isn't filled with gelato. Next, the still-tasty news: it does come stuffed with Messina's delicious chocolate bites. (And it is recommended that you keep it in a cool, dark place, or in the fridge.) That means that this year, you can spend the first 24 days of December eating your way through mini waffle cone bites, salted cashew brittle, coconut rough, Messinatella biscuits, panned Panettone and other Messina wares. That's all that the chain is officially giving away, because part of the whole advent calendar setup is getting a surprise daily. That said, you can also expect to find little chocolate snowmen figures among the sweets. Handmade by Messina's in-house chocolatiers, every chocolate in the custom advent box is different — and, like all Messina specials, there's only a limited number available. In this case, only 300 calendars have been made. Christmas fiends (and chocolate lovers) will need to order on Wednesday, October 19, for pick up from Friday, November 25–Sunday, November 27. (Yes, that does mean you'll need to exercise some self-control for a few days, to stop yourself breaking open the calendar as soon as it's in your hot little hands.) Also like the brand's other limited-edition treats, this one is doing staggered on-sale times. Accordingly, folks in Queensland and the ACT are able to purchase at 9am, Victorians at 9.30am, and New South Wales customers are split across three times depending on the store (with calendars from Surry Hills, Bondi, Randwick, Circular Quay and Miranda on sale at 10am; Brighton Le Sands, Tramsheds, Parramatta and Darlinghurst at 10.30am; and Darling Square, Newtown, Norwest, Rosebery and Penrith at 11am). Gelato Messina's advent calendar goes on sale on Wednesday, October 19, for pick up from Friday, November 25–Sunday, November 27. For more information, head to the Messina website.
If you've been looking for an excuse to eat cake, don't wait around for the next office birthday. Gelato Messina thinks every day is a good day to eat an entire cake by yourself, which is why the frozen treats expert has just launched a new range of its single-serve gelato cakes. Messina Monoporzione (or Monos for short) launched in three Aussie stores on Wednesday October 9. Available at Sydney's Rosebery and Darling Square outposts and Melbourne's Fitzroy, these single-serve cakes are just as gorgeous as Messina's usual creations, but you don't have to share them. The six adorable mini cakes include the brand's signature Dr Evil's Magic Mushroom (dark chocolate mousse with dulce de leche and peanut butter, placed atop edible grass) and the Bombe Alaska (marsala-soaked sponge cake, vanilla gelato, strawberry mousse and compote, wrapped in torched meringue). [caption id="attachment_745192" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ballin'[/caption] There's also a striking bubble tea-shaped number — the white chocolate 'cup' is filled with earl grey and lychee mousse, topped with lychee compote and finished with a red and white striped chocolate 'straw'. Then there's the all-black Lamington³, with milk chocolate mousse, raspberry gel, coconut gelato and almond crunch. For nut lovers, the final two in the Monos range are the spherical malt and peanut praline Ballin' and the Seymour Nuts: a disc of chocolate hazelnut ganache and hazelnut gelato, finished with caramel glaze and cocoa nibs. These beautiful babies will cost you $12 a pop or, if you still have it in your mind to share, you can also nab a box of three or six for $33 and $63 respectively. Gelato Messina's Monos are available in-store at Sydney's Rosebery and Darling Square outposts and in Melbourne's Fitzroy.
It's been 15 years since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio decided to fill a Melbourne alleyway with tunes in 2005. Thankfully, Laneway Festival has just confirmed it will be heading back to its collection of unconventional venues for another year, revealing its jam-packed 2020 lineup. Returning to Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Fremantle in February, Laneway will raise a plastic cup to the middle of summer with one heck of a lineup. This year's eclectic program is headlined by dance-pop powerhouse Charli XCX. The British songwriter's latest album Charli — which dropped just last week — features everyone from Lizzo to Troye Sivan and Sky Ferreira. It'll be her only Aussie show, as it'll also be for fellow international heavy hitter, American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. They'll be joined onstage by Canadian electro artist — and TikTok sensation — BBNO$, New Zealand's Benee, London crooner Col3trane and Irish post-punk band Fontaines DC. On the local front, you'll be able to get down to DMA's, Hatchie, Stella Donnelly, Hockey Dad, King Gizzard and the Lizard Gizard and this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winners, Ocean Alley. This year, the Sydney leg of the festival will be heading to its new inner-city location for the first time: The Domain. According to organisers, it'll allow the festival to have bigger stages and better sound — and it will be a bit more accessible by public transport. The Melbourne festival will be heading back to Footscray Park for its second year, too. But, enough chit-chat — here's the full 2020 lineup. LANEWAY 2020 LINEUP The 1975 Charli XCX (exclusive) Ruel Earl Sweatshirt (exclusive) Ocean Alley DMA's JID Tones and I King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Hockey Dad BBNO$ The Chats Mahalia* KAIIT Benee Stella Donnelly Oliver Tree Fontaines DC Omar Apollo Col3trane Hatchie* Spacey Jane Kucka Pist Idiots JessB* The Lazy Eyes** *East coast only ** Sydney only LANEWAY 2020 DATES Brisbane — Brisbane Showgrounds, Saturday, February 1 Sydney — The Domain, Sunday, February 2 Adelaide — Hart's Mill, Friday, February 7 Melbourne — Footscray Park, Saturday, February 8 Fremantle — Esplanade Reserve and West End, Sunday, February 9 Laneway Festival pre-sale tickets are available from Tuesday, September 24 — you can sign-up for access over here. Top image: BCS Imaging
Beer and yoga. An unlikely combination, but one that's gone gangbusters across the world. And after a few trials of the concept — including a class at Sydney's Wayward Brewing — Australia looks set to see the trend come out in full force with the launch of BierYoga. Having held weekly sessions across Berlin over the past 12 months, BierYoga has launched an Australian tour, announcing a string of dates for their beer-focused yoga classes in Melbourne and Sydney. Each hour-long session will see punters getting bendy while knocking back brews, with beer-drinking incorporated into each classic yoga pose. Think sun salutations and reverse warriors, interspersed with sips of your favourite ale. BierYoga's team of qualified yoga instructors (and, we're sure, seasoned beer drinkers) will get you loose, limber, and having fun — whether you're a total yoga novice, or a well-practiced pro. Each session's priced at a budget-friendly $10 — just bring a towel or yoga mat and you're good to go. You'll need to buy a beer at the bar separately. Classes are happening throughout January and February at the locations below. And while it's just in Melbourne and Sydney for now, we're betting this bizarre beery combo will catch on in other cities real soon. SYDNEY January 20, 6.30pm — The Sheaf, Double Bay January 22, 2pm — The Sheaf, Double Bay MELBOURNE January 26, 12pm (Australia Day Special) — Speakeasy Kitchen Bar, South Yarra February 8, 6pm — The Village, St Kilda Road February 15, 6pm — The Village, St Kilda Road February 22, 6pm — The Village, St Kilda Road
What do BHP Billiton, Dolce & Gabbana and Andrew McConnell have in common? Come next year they'll be housemates in 171 Collins Street, Melbourne. Big business and office space feels like an odd backdrop for Andrew McConnell to open a new restaurant. But as owner and operator of Cumulus Inc, Cutler & Co, Golden Fields, Moon Under Water and The Builders Arms Hotel, he is one of those lucky and talented few who seems to nail it every time. Maybe he's the guy who can make large corporations sexy. The McConnell effect, you might say. Early 2014 is the timeframe surrounding this new venture, and there is little in the way of information being released. But what is known is that 171 Collins Street is going to be the place to be come early next year. Tucked in the Flinders Lane tenancy of the space, maybe can we expect Melbournian charm alongside McConnell's known and loved modern produce-driven food. When it comes to the cuisine to expect, a trip to Tokyo is sparking rumours that Japanese may be on the cards, but this is just speculation. Development partners Cbus Property and Charter Hall are, unsurprisingly, thrilled at McConnell's involvement in this new project and hope it will secure the building as a place for quality and style. We’ll be watching this one with a keen eye. Drive-by of 171 Collins anyone? Images: Artist's renders of 171 Collins Street.
Paperlinks, a savvy Los Angeles-based QR code company, are allowing customers to explore what's on offer at a restaurant via their smartphone. The operation was launched earlier this month and has been put to trial in several restaurants. Once the code has been scanned, customers can browse the menu of the restaurant and order food on their phone. When they check out, Paperlinks then contacts the restaurant via e-mail to relay the order to the kitchen. This smooth operation not only adds convenience for customers, but also gives businesses a little novelty and an exciting new means of interacting with customers. Furthermore, Paperlinks allow you to create QR codes with customised colours and designs. If you happen to own a vegetarian restaurant, you might want to present a lush green QR code at the front of your business. Paperlinks have already worked with high-profile clients including Nestle and GNC. With a plethora of food-based iPhone apps now available for purchase, and with companies like Beat The Q popping up locally, it will be interesting to see the impact that this will have on businesses in Australia and New Zealand. [via PSFK]
We bet you've at least got one Jamie Oliver cookbook in your cupboard — and, with all this home time lately, you've probably nailed most of the recipes. So, you'll need some new material. Thankfully, the affable UK chef is using his time at home to bring you a new cooking series: Keep Cooking and Carry On. How very British. The series covers everything from eggless chocolate cake to homemade bread, cauliflower mac 'n' cheese, dumplings and carbonara. Each is relatively quick and super-simple to make. It's heartwarming cooking, which is perfect as the weather's getting colder — plus aren't all need a little comfort right now? Keep Cooking and Carry On features the cooking whiz whipping up dishes in his home kitchen, offering up a bunch of handy tips and tricks along the way. While it airs on UK television, clips are also posted on the culinary legend's Facebook page. And, if you'd rather skip the preamble, you can access all the recipes in the series here. https://www.facebook.com/jamieoliver/videos/2623850727724925/
Written, directed by and starring Dax Shepard (Ashton Kutcher's wingman on MTV's Punk'd), Hit & Run is a romantic action-comedy that'll make you laugh just by watching dreadlocked Bradley Cooper as crazed gang member Alex Dmitri. Unable to escape their past, former getaway driver Charlie Bronson (Dax Shepard) jeopardizes his witness protection identity in order to get his girlfriend (Kristen Bell) to an important job interview. However, things don't go according to plan. Hit & Run is in cinemas from September 6. Concrete Playground has 10 double passes to giveaway to see Hit & Run. For a chance to win, make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
UPDATE: JULY 10, 2020 — The Gertrude Contemporary is temporarily closed to the public, following the latest public health directions from the Victorian Government. Hope in the Dark will continue to be on display as a street-facing exhibition, however in-gallery viewing has been postponed until further notice. For more information, head to the Gertrude Contemporary website. With its latest exhibition, Gertrude Contemporary set out to capture the messy, unprecedented craziness 2020 has thrown our way, pulling together a collection of recent works from a lineup of local artists. Titled Hope in the Dark, the show came to life in late-March in an unconventional format — an ever-evolving, street-facing exhibition that could be viewed from outside the Fitzroy gallery's windows. Now, the venue has announced it'll open its doors from Thursday, July 23, when visitors will be able to catch the show from inside the gallery spaces for the first time. Featuring pieces from names like Amrita Hepi, Sarah Brasier and Kiron Robinson, Hope in the Dark serves up a multi-faceted reflection on a world in lockdown mode. Expect installations embracing ideas of anxiety, confusion and vulnerability, threaded with a much-needed dose of humour — from a weathered playground slide suspended ominously from the ceiling for Lewis Fidock and Joshua Petherick's piece Tongue, to Simon Zoric's tongue-in-cheek neon work. https://www.instagram.com/p/CBeO9KdD2k6/ Top image: Christian Capurro
The latest of great things to happen at CERES is the Doggy Christmas Market. Not just a market where your four-legged friend is welcomed, this is a market that's is all about them. Presented by the Treasure Exchange, the market — which happens every Saturday morning at the environmental park — will have a special focus on things for pups, including dog treats, dog bandanas, blinged-up dog collars and dog kennels. Your dog can even get a massage — because they need to treat themselves too, okay? Humans aren't forgotten, and there will be snacks and an organic food market. Get yourself and your pooch there sometime between 9am and 4pm on Saturday, December 12.
We're lucky to have access to Clarice Beckett's work today. Beckett painted hundreds of paintings during the 1920s and 30s, before passing away in 1935 at the age of 48. Following her death, her artworks disappeared for decades before being rescued by Dr Rosalind Hollinrake, who salvaged 369 of Beckett's paintings from a shed in rural Victoria. From Saturday, February 27 until Sunday, May 16, the Art Gallery of South Australia is presenting the most comprehensive Clarice Beckett retrospective ever, exhibiting nearly 130 of the artist's works, including pieces from the private collections of Russell Crowe and Ben Quilty. Beckett's work focuses on capturing the everyday world through muted and pastel tones and with a focus on natural light. In The Present Moment, these works are thematically displayed to chart the chronology of one single day — starting with sunrise and ending with nightfall. Accompanying the exhibition is an workshop for those wanting to learn about Beckett on Saturday, March 27 and a series of mindfulness workshops offering tai chi, yoga and relaxation classes while surrounded by artworks every Wednesday in April. Tickets to the exhibition run from $20, while the workshops will set you back $35. Images: Installation view: Clarice Beckett: The present moment, Art Gallery of SouthAustralia, Adelaide, 2021. Photo: Saul Steed.
There's a new kind of passenger cruising around Melbourne's public transport network — and you might just find yourself taking one of them home with you. A new movement called Books on the Rail has seen a diverse collection of books set loose on the city's trains, trams and buses — kind of like a roving public transport library. The initiative was started back in April by two Melbourne ladies, Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus, as a local interpretation of London's Books on the Underground project. It's intended to reignite Melburnians' passion for reading and turn passengers' eyes from their iPhone to a page in a book. About 300 books have already infiltrated the transport system at the hands of local 'book ninjas', each tome bearing a Books on the Rail cover sticker and a flyer explaining the ins and outs of the initiative. Travellers who happen upon one of the books are invited to take it home and read it, and then return it to a service for the next lucky bookworm to do the same. If you find a page-turner the world (or, more specifically, Melbourne's commuters) simply needs to know about, you can become a book ninja yourself. Simply email hello@booksontherail.com to request a sticker, whack it on a book and set it free to be discovered by countless other local literary fiends. So next time you're battling it out with Melbourne's public transport system, you might want to put down that iPhone and keep your eyes peeled — who knows which well-worn tram seat your new favourite novel is hiding under? Via ABC News.
While the NSW Government attempts to improve music festival safety by introducing a tough new licensing regime and jacking up costs for event organisers, its ACT counterpart is throwing its support behind pill testing. As reported by the ABC, the ACT Government has given the green light for a pill-testing trial to go ahead at the Canberra leg of this year's Groovin' The Moo festival, held at Exhibition Park in April. It'll be only the second time Australia has seen a trial like this, allowing festivalgoers to have their illicit substances tested for dangerous ingredients. The first took place at the same festival last year, when 85 substances were tested and some potentially deadly components were found, as well as plenty of hidden extras like toothpaste, paint and lactose. Now, the government's on board for round two, with ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr Tweeting after the decision, "Governments have a responsibility to not only try and prevent drug use but also to support initiatives that reduce the harms associated with drug use." https://twitter.com/ABarrMLA/status/1097411427709509634 The upcoming trial will be headed up by harm reduction advocates Pill Testing Australia. In its ACT Drug Strategy Action Plan released last year, the ACT Government stated it would continue to support pill testing and be "examining further opportunities to expand pill testing at events in the ACT". In the wake of a spate of festival deaths from suspected drug overdoses, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her government have remained staunchly opposed to the idea of pill-testing, despite international research and the success of last year's local pill-testing venture. Let's see if Canberra's controversial move to host a second trial makes them any more likely to change their minds. Via: abc.net.au Image: Jack Toohey.
Anytime's a good time for oysters, but there's only one occasion where it's perfectly acceptable to gorge on them to the point of no return: the Oyster Frenzy. You probably heard of the Oyster Frenzy back when it was held at the Albert Park Hotel (and, later The Prince) — it gained quite a reputation as the night where Melbourne's biggest oyster lovers could converge to eat as many of the molluscs as they could humanly handle. Well, it's back. One of the organisers of the OG Oyster Frenzy, Tom Walker, is reinstating the night of mollusc madness at the Bleakhouse Hotel on Thursday, September 12. Here's how it will go down. Tickets are $85. As well as all-you-can-eat freshly shucked oysters — yes, all-you-can-eat — from SA, Tassie and NSW, there will also be lots of barbecued mussels, crab and other canapés. You'll also get unlimited wine and craft beer for the night, which wraps up at 9pm. It's at the same time the fanciest and the messiest buffet we can imagine. Previous frenzies have seen over 20,000 oysters shucked and swallowed, so do what you need to prepare. And maybe try and get Friday off work. Images: Brook James.
If a stint of shopping is on your weekend agenda, expect to see plenty of smiles while you're browsing and buying. Victoria's mask rules are easing again come 6pm on Friday, March 26 — and you'll no longer need to cover your face while you're perusing the aisles. Donning masks indoors at shopping centres, and in retail stores inside shopping centres — including department stores, electronics stores, furniture stores, hardware stores and supermarkets — will no longer be compulsory. Nor will wearing them at indoor markets. That'll be the case no matter the size of the space, too. Instead, you'll just have to wear masks on public transport, and when using ride shares or other commercial passenger vehicles, such as taxis. They're still mandatory in these situations, and in aged care facilities and hospitals as well. As has proven the case when mask requirements have eased in the past, you will need to carry one with you at all times, though. And, if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or you're suspected of having it, you have to mask up if you're leaving your house for an allowed reason — such as getting medical care. Your close contacts will have to pop masks on as well. Acting Premier James Merlino said made the announcement about masks today, Tuesday, March 23, as part of a press conference about eased COVID-19 restrictions in general. A heap of current rules are changing, including allowing more people to gather in homes, in public and at venues. If you're still wondering where to grab a mask, we've put together a rundown of local companies making and selling them. For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health and Human Services website.
When Sauron lurks, no good can come. If you've ever read or seen anything Lord of the Rings-related, you'll know how true this statement keeps proving again and again. It sits at the heart of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, too, aka the prequel series that started jumping into Middle-earth's history back in 2022 — and it's accurate again in the full trailer for the show's upcoming second season. Prime Video already dropped a teaser trailer for season two, and announced that it'll take the elves, dwarves, orcs, wizards and harfoots to your streaming queue again from Thursday, August 29, 2024. Now arrives a full sneak peek at what's to come. Contentious jewellery, talking and walking trees, giant spiders, Sauron's chaos: they're all covered. Set in the fantasy realm conjured by up JRR Tolkien — as The Hobbit movie adaptations and OG live-action Lord of the Rings films were — and telling a tale in Middle-earth's Second Age, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power boasts familiar names among its key figures. In season one, a young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark, Saint Maud) had a mission to hunt the enemy, after her brother gave his life doing the same. She saw fighting for fate and destiny as the work as something greater. A young Elrond (Robert Aramayo, The King's Man) was part of that journey, and the big bad who needed staving off was indeed Sauron (Charlie Vickers, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart). With the show charting how the rings were forged, Sauron's rise and the impact across Middle-earth, season two brings the latter back after he was cast out by Galadriel. So, it's a battle between good and ascending evil, then, as the Dark Lord keeps pushing his shadowy influence — and sporting a different appearance. Also, more rings will be created. Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur , Coffee Wars), Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova, Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities) and Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards, Under the Vines) are among the returning characters on the Prime Video hit, which was unsurprisingly huge when season one debut, attracting more than 100-million viewers. The platform first announced the show back in 2017, then gave it the official go-ahead in mid-2018 — so if it feels like this series has been hovering around for several ages even though it only has one season so far, that's why. If you're a little rusty on your LOTR lore, the Second Age lasted for 3441 years, and saw the initial emergence and fall of Sauron, as well as a spate of wars over the coveted rings. Elves feature prominently, and there's plenty to cover, even if Tolkien's works didn't spend that much time on the period — largely outlining the main events in an appendix to the popular trilogy. The Rings of Power remains separate to the big-screen Lord of the Rings revival that was first announced in 2023 and now has new movie Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum in the works. If you're a LoTR fan, there's no such thing as too much for this franchise, though — like breakfast for hobbits. Check out the full trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two below: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season two will be available to stream via Prime Video from Thursday, August 29, 2024. Read our review of season one.
When life gives you an Italian husband, an intriguing tale about more than meeting-cute, and a scenic backdrop, what do you do? If you're first-time Australian filmmaker Ruth Borgobello, you don't just enjoy your good fortune — you make a movie out of it. The first ever Italian-Australian co-production, The Space Between proves every bit as personal and picturesque as turning your overseas love story into a motion picture should. And while the premise might seem tried and tested, don't discount the way that sincere emotions ripped from reality can cast fresh light on even the most familiar-sounding story. Indeed, if there's one thing that Borgobello understands in drawing upon her own experiences, it's that similar events can and do happen to plenty of people. It's not the boy-meets-girl narrative that stands out here, or the globe-trotting soul searching, or the idea of two lost folks finding something they're missing. Instead, it's the honesty that The Space Between thrusts to the fore — including about the fact that life isn't always clear-cut. Avoiding the urge to sugar-coat or throw in a Hollywood ending, Borgobello embraces the messiness of heading abroad and connecting with someone new. When Italian chef Marco (Flavio Parenti) and wannabe Australian designer Olivia (Maeve Dermody) first cross paths in Udine in Northern Italy, he's working in a factory and overseeing a bookstore, and she's searching for her Italian heritage as well as her true sense of self. Sparks fly, though theirs is more a gentle journey than a whirlwind romance. He has an ailing father to worry about, as well as his own squandered culinary career. She has taken a break from her routine existence back home, but doesn't know if she has the courage to follow her heart. Thanks to first-rate casting, as well as astute writing by Borgobello and co-scribe Mario Mucciarelli, The Space Between paints Marco and Olivia as the uncertain figures they should be — and what a difference authentic characters can make. Clunky dialogue can't dampen Parenti and Dermody's ability to convey the lived-in woes and worries felt by their protagonists. Nor can a few obvious plot developments erase the central duo's chemistry. If Parenti and Dermody help ensure that The Space Between doesn't simply feel like another lovey-dovey finding-yourself travelogue, then Aussie cinematographer Katie Milwright guarantees that it doesn't look like one either. Whether it's strolling down tree-lined paths or spying gorgeous vistas, this is an eye-catching film to be sure, although there's a certain moodiness to its visuals that you wouldn't find on a postcard. Clear yet soft, the movie seems as if it is caught between a memory and real life. In fact, that's probably an appropriate description of just what Borgobello is bringing to the screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sYLibWZrRs
If a certain bespectacled boy wizard and two best friends have taught us anything, it's that life really is magical sometimes. Take the latest Harry Potter-themed event, which we're certain is going to become the next big pop culture/fitness craze craze. Who doesn't want to bend and stretch in a HP yoga class? Yep, on October 30, the folks at Circle Brewing Co in Austin, Texas did something even more wonderful than make delicious alcoholic beverages; they made many a Harry Potter fan's dreams come true. It's part of their Pints & Poses series (which seriously sounds like our kind of exercise), and was held as both a fun Halloween and Dia de los Muertos-esque shindig, and a celebration of the life of Lily and James Potter on the eve of the anniversary of their passing. Attendees worked Slytherin cobra and Whomping Willow poses, wielded wands to summon a Patronus and cast off Dementors, and were told to "imagine you're sitting on the Hogwarts Express," according to Cosmopolitan in the US. They also ate sorting hat-shaped cookies, visited a potion station, and, afterwards, everyone had a pint of Circle (non-butter)beer. Of course they did. The class was so popular that two more are now slated for November, should you happen to be in the vicinity this month. Given that we already have silent yoga, silent disco yoga, cat yoga, blindfolded yoga, hip hop yoga, brewhouse yoga, rooftop yoga, Beyonce yoga, Drake yoga and stand-up paddleboard yoga on our fair shores, it really is the kind of thing that someone in Australia ought to conjure up, and fast. Accio fitness, and all that. Images: Circle Brewing Co.
Pidapipo has heard your cries: the gelateria's famed hot chocolate has been given a plant-based twist, making it perfect for vegan and non-dairy drinkers. However, it won't last long, as it's available at the Fitzroy Laboratorio this long weekend only. With the OG becoming a much-loved winter tradition for many locals in recent years, this vegan-friendly alternative remains as indulgent as ever. Hitting much the same notes as the original, this new creation replaces the dairy base with soy milk. This decadent creation also goes a step further, topping the drink with Pidapipo's ever-popular vegan pistachio gelato. Then, a light dusting of Australian pistachios rounds out this winter-warming beverage. If you're keen to get a sip, know that Pidapipo's vegan hot chocolate is available for a strictly limited time and in strictly limited numbers. Served from Friday, June 6–Monday, June 9, the team is only producing 100 cups across the long weekend. So, if you've been hanging out for a taste since Pidapipo co-founder Lisa Valmorbida and head of production Nicola Totaro created this headline-grabbing hot chocolate in 2023, head along to the Fitzroy Laboratorio early to avoid missing out. Primed for a sweet treat on a chilly Melbourne morning, warming up is made easy with this steamy plant-based drink grasped firmly in your hands. Score a cup of Pidapipo's vegan hot chocolate and satisfy your curiosity for $10.50. Pidapipo's vegan hot chocolate is available at the Fitzroy Laboratorio store from Friday, June 6–Monday, June 9. Head to the website for more information.
You will rue the day that you balded your Barbie's golden locks and 'dyed' the remaining tufts rainbow with highlighters. You will regret dismembering her in the imagined fire that plagued her doll house in the summer of '96. One day she'll be crawling her way up and out of the rubbish bin that you tossed her in a la The Ring’s Samara and seek the vengeance that is rightfully hers. Ew. But seriously, how creepy are dolls? The answer is very, and if you're like me, many a horror film has seen you stare with terror through fingers as a doll turns its head 360 degrees. Yep, Sydney's famous 100-year-old Doll Hospital is a horror writer's dream, and in Sean Izzard's case, a photographer’s inspiration. Izzard, who has been working as a professional photographer for 25 years, initially expected his series, entitled 'Doll House', to consist of portraits of the owner and staff. But once he’d stepped foot into the Bexley hospital, which recently celebrated its 100th year, he-was-never-the-same-again. Not really, but his approach to the photographic series certainly wasn’t. The dolls had the artist question whether they're alive or dead (dead, plz dead), because they aren't just inanimate: they are personified, clothed, the embodiment of their owner. But it’s all kinds of enchanting, really. Most of the images are portraits and seem to give each and every one of those (predominantly maimed) dolls a personality and a backstory. View the full Doll House series in the fourth issue of The Pool Collective app, out now. The Pool Collective app is a free quarterly publication created exclusively for the iPad featuring photography, short film, interviews, music and more. See more photos in the The Pool Collective app.
If you like your cinema experiences shaken, not stirred, then the 2022 British Film Festival has just the thing for you. Taking its array of Brit flicks around the country between Tuesday, October 18–Wednesday, November 16, this year's fest is turning itself into a big 60th birthday party — not for the Australia-wide cinema showcase itself, which only dates back around a decade, but for all things Bond, James Bond. 2022 marks six decades since Dr No, the first movie in the 007 franchise, first graced cinemas — and yes, it'll be the British Film Festival's screens to commemorate the occasion. Also hitting picture palaces in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Byron Bay: You Only Live Twice, because two Sean Connery-starring Bond films are better than one; On Your Majesty's Secret Service with Australia's Bond George Lazenby; and Daniel Craig doing his brooding Bond in Skyfall. They're just some of the titles among the fest's first lineup announcement, with the full British Film Festival program set to drop on Thursday, September 29. Can't wait till then? A handful of other flicks have already been announced — and, as always at this cinema showcase, they're filled with familiar faces. Arriving Down Under after wowing the global festival circuit, The Banshees of Inisherin marks the reunion of In Bruges writer/director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and his stars Colin Farrell (After Yang) and Brendan Gleeson (The Tragedy of Macbeth). This time around, the latter pair star in a story about two lifelong friends who go for a pint everyday until a dispute gets in the way, with their feud also impacting the entire village. Also on the bill: an Emily Brontë biopic, aptly named Emily, directed by Australia actor-turned-filmmaker Frances O'Connor (The End); more sea shanties in song-filled sequel Fisherman's Friends 2: One and All; the Bill Nighy (The Man Who Fell to Earth)-starring Living, about a terminally ill man in the 1950s; and The Lost King, which takes inspiration from the IRL discovery of King Richard III's remains beneath a Leicester car park. And, opening the fest is Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, set in the world of French fashion, with Oscar-nominated Phantom Thread actor Lesley Manville in the titular role. BRITISH FILM FESTIVAL 2022 DATES: Tuesday, October 18–Wednesday, November 16 — Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas and Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas, Adelaide Wednesday, October 19–Wednesday, November 16 — Palace Norton, Palace Verona, Palace Central and Chauvel Cinema, Sydney Wednesday, October 19–Wednesday, November 16 — Palace Electric, Canberra Wednesday, October 19–Wednesday, November 16 — Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor, Melbourne Wednesday, October 19–Wednesday, November 16 — Palace James Street and Palace Centro, Brisbane Wednesday, October 19–Wednesday, November 16— Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX and Windsor Cinema, Perth Wednesday, October 19–Wednesday, November 16 — Palace Byron Bay, Byron Bay The 2022 British Film Festival tours Australia between Tuesday, October 18–Wednesday, November 16. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the festival website. We'll update you with the full program on Thursday, September 29.
If you're a Queenslander with a trip to Melbourne in your future — or vice versa — the pandemic has just interrupted your plans. With the Victorian capital about to start a seven-day lockdown in an attempt to contain the northern suburbs COVID-19 cluster, the Sunshine State is declaring the state a coronavirus hotspot. And, as a result, Queensland will close its borders to all of Victoria. The change was announced today, Thursday, May 27, and will come into effect at 1am tomorrow, Friday May 28. It applies to the entire state — unlike the last declaration back in February, which only covered Greater Melbourne. Accordingly, folks who've been in Victoria will no longer be permitted to enter Queensland, unless they receive an exemption and then go into government quarantine for 14 days. This affects anyone coming into Queensland who has been to Victoria in the past 14 days. And, if you arrive in the Sunshine State from Victoria during the remainder of today, you'll be required to go into a seven-day lockdown at home, just as if you were still down south. Queensland's Border Declaration Passes are also currently in effect for folks who've been in Victoria in the past fortnight, too. https://twitter.com/AnnastaciaMP/status/1397768245503877124 Earlier in the week, Queensland made a similar move, but limited to the City of Whittlesea local government area. Under that hotspot declaration, which came into effect at 1am on Wednesday, May 26, anyone who has been in the local government area since Tuesday, May 11 and enters Queensland is required to go into hotel quarantine For more information about southeast Queensland's COVID-19 border restrictions, or about the status of COVID-19 in the state, visit the Qld COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. For more information about COVID-19 in Victoria and the state's current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health website.
In sweet, sweet news for southside pastry fiends, seasonal bake sale Flour Market is finally venturing across the Yarra, set to host its next pop-up pastry showcase at the Prahran Town Hall, on April 8. It's the first southside foray for the cult event's Melbourne arm, which assembles the most coveted of the city's emerging, underground, and artisan bakers for an all-out sugar fest every three months. This Southside Slice edition will offer a condensed version of the usual bake sale extravaganza, though with debuting vendors like Penny for Pound, Shortstop, and Cremorne Street Bakers joining old favourites like Butterbing, All Day Donuts, and 5 & Dime Bagels, it looks set to be as much of a crowd-puller as ever before. As always, entry to the Flour Market will cost just $2 at the door. That said, if you're keen to avoid the guaranteed queues, grab a $10 early bird ticket for skip-the-line privileges and an extra half-hour of pastry perusal before the event opens to the general public at 9am.
After weeks of protest and a snowballing boycott by artists, the Biennale of Sydney has cut ties with its longtime sponsor Transfield. Philanthropist and Transfield Holdings director Luca Belgiorno-Nettis stepped down from his position as chair of the Biennale board, which went on to end the partnership agreement, effective immediately. Until it happened just now, this was a moment that seemed pretty unlikely. However, a point was reached where the negative publicity was doing neither brand Biennale nor Transfield any favours, with nine artists having withdrawn from the event and many art fans considering staying away. These artists have 'imagined what they desired', in keeping with the theme of the festival. "I hope that blue sky may now open up over this 19th Biennale of Sydney," said the departing Belgiorno-Nettis. This does nothing to fix Australia's repulsive treatment of refugees in detention, of course, but it means the focus of protest can shift, and Sydneysiders can enjoy and engage with the Biennale in full. Here's the statement from the Biennale: Today the Board of the Biennale of Sydney received the resignation of its Chairman, Luca Belgiorno-Nettis. With deep regret, the Board reluctantly accepted the decision of the Chair to resign. We gratefully acknowledge the personal contribution of Luca as Chair over the past 14 years. We also acknowledge the enormous contribution of the Belgiorno-Nettis family over 41 years. The Board also discussed its relationship with its founding partner Transfield. We have listened to the artists who are the heart of the Biennale and have decided to end our partnership with Transfield effective immediately. The Board and the extended Biennale community owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Luca and his family. Luca Belgiorno-Nettis said: ‘I wear two hats: one as Chair of the Biennale of Sydney and the other as a Director of Transfield Holdings; both organisations conceived by my father and nurtured by my family over many decades. I am deeply thankful to the many friends of the Biennale, and my personal friends who have supported me and the teams throughout my tenure, especially in recent weeks. I also express my gratitude to my Directors and Marah Braye and her beautiful team, and Juliana Engberg for their unequivocal allegiance to the Biennale. ‘I hope that blue sky may now open up over this 19th Biennale of Sydney: You Imagine What You Desire and its future incarnations.’ Deputy Chair Andrew Cameron will be interim Chair until the Biennale appoints a new Chair following the close of the 19th Biennale of Sydney. The Board look forward to working with Juliana Engberg and the Biennale team to realise an enormously successful 19th Biennale of Sydney.
Prepare for a mesmerising experience as Broad Encounters has brought When Night Comes bacchanalia to Melbourne this winter. Offering a unique blend of immersive theatre and delectable drinks, this is one event you must add to your calendar. This hedonistic-themed experience caters to small groups, taking you on a journey through multiple rooms filled with otherworldly characters and delicious deviances. You may be invited to interact with the performers but you can always watch from a distance. Choose a VIP ticket for the best spots and extra treats, or opt for a standard ticket. Either way, you will enjoy the multi-room adventure in a small group and be in the centre of the action. Savour cocktails (or mocktails) and scrumptious treats—options for alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages are available at booking. The stellar cast, co-directed by Kirsten Siddle, Mike Finch, and Scott Maidment, features faces new and returning, including Meg Hickey, Gina Tay Limpus, Elizabeth Dawson-Smith, Jeremy Lloyd, and Kristian Šantić. You might recognise some from Broad Encounters' past large-scale, free-roam productions Love Lust Lost (2023) and A Midnight Visit (2019). With a limited nightly capacity and the season closing August 24, this show is selling fast and limited tickets remain. Don't miss this chance to experience a night of tantalising surprises. For more information and to book your tickets head to the website. Images: Jeff Busby and Broad Encounters
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to watching anything, we're here to help. From the latest and greatest to old favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from August's haul of newbies. (Yes, we're assuming you've watched Clickbait already.) BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL RIGHT NOW CODA When CODA screened at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, it made history. Film distributors always clamour to snap up the event's big hits, and this four-time award-winner — which received the fest's US Grand Jury Prize, US Dramatic Audience Award, a Special Jury Ensemble Cast Award and Best Director — was picked up by Apple TV+ for US$25 million. Even though the sophomore feature from writer/director Sian Heder (Tallulah) remakes 2014 French hit La Famille Bélier, that's still a significant amount of money; however, thanks to its warmth, engaging performances and a welcome lack of cheesiness, it's easy to see why the streaming platform opened its wallet. Fans of the earlier movie will recognise the storyline, which sees 17-year-old Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones, Locke & Key) struggle to balance her family commitments with her dreams of attending music school. She's a talented singer, but she's only just discovered just how skilled she is because she's also the child of deaf adults (hence the film's title). At home, she also plays a key part in keeping the family's fishing business afloat, including by spending mornings before class out on the trawler wither her dad Frank (Troy Kotsur, No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie) and older brother Leo (Daniel Durant, Switched at Birth). Heder helms this still sweet and moving feature with a distinct lack of over-exaggeration, which plagued its predecessor. The fact that Kotsur, Durant and Marlee Matlin (Entangled), the latter as the Rossi matriarch, are all actors who are deaf playing characters who are deaf really couldn't be more important. Their portrayals are naturalistic and lived-in, as is much about this rousing but gentle crowd-pleaser — including tomboy Ruby's blossoming romance with fellow wannabe musician Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Sing Street). CODA is available to stream via Apple TV+. HACKS It sounds like an obvious premise, and one that countless films and TV shows have already mined in the name of laughs. In Hacks, two vastly dissimilar people are pushed together, with the resulting conflict guiding the series. Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder, North Hollywood) and her new boss Deborah Vance (Jean Smart, Mare of Easttown) couldn't be more different in age, experience, tastes and opinions. The former is a 25-year-old who made the move to Hollywood, has been living out her dream as a comedy writer, but found her career plummeting after a tweet crashed and burned. The latter is a legendary stand-up who hasn't stopped hitting the stage for decades, is approaching the 2500th show of her long-running Las Vegas residency and is very set in her ways. They appear to share exactly one thing in common: a love for comedy. They're an odd couple thrust together by their mutual manager Jimmy (Paul W Downs, Broad City), neither wants to be working with the other, and — to the surprise of no one, including each other — they clash again and again. There's no laugh track adding obvious chuckles to this HBO sitcom, though. Created by three of the talents behind Broad City — writer Jen Statsky; writer/director Lucia Aniello; and Downs, who does double duty in front of and behind the lens — Hacks isn't solely interested in setting two seemingly mismatched characters against each other. This is a smart and insightful series about what genuinely happens when this duo spends more and more time together, what's sparked their generational conflict and what, despite their evident differences, they actually share beyond that love of making people laugh. And, it's a frank, funny and biting assessment of being a woman in entertainment — and it's also always as canny as it is hilarious. The first season of Hacks is available to stream via Stan. Read our full review. THE CHAIR In its first episode of its six-instalment run, The Chair sports a breezy, effortless tone, while still managing to ripple with always-thrumming tension. Newly appointed in the titular position at Pembroke University's English department, Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh, Killing Eve) has much to juggle — as excited as she is about the role. The college dean (David Morse, The Good Lord Bird) has given her a list of faculty members with high salaries and low class enrolment rates, and made it clear that something needs to change. Kim wants to champion a new rising star among the teaching cohort (Nana Mensah, Queen of Glory), but knows that that'll require challenging the engrained establishment. So too does another fight, this time against one veteran professor's (Holland Taylor, Bill & Ted Face the Music) unceremonious move to a basement office. Kim also has responsibilities at home thanks to her adopted daughter Ju-Hee (Everly Carganilla, Yes Day), and struggles with work-life balance. And, there's the not-at-all-minor matter of her predecessor, the school's rockstar literature academic (Jay Duplass, Search Party), who can only be described as a mess following the death of his wife and the fact that his daughter has just left for college — and, including in the lectures he never prepares for, leans into that characterisation. In a smartly written series, and one that is acutely aware of how to make the best use of its 30-minute episodes, The Chair charts the dramas that ensue as all these facets of Kim's existence coincide. As created by Amanda Peet (Dirty John) and debutant Annie Wyman, the result is instantly engaging, as well as ambitious in its exploration of academia, of battling a system that's hardly been historically welcoming to women and people of colour, and of cancel culture. It also draws strongly from the always-excellent Oh, and from the rest of its top-notch ensemble cast. The Chair is available to stream via Netflix. VIVO When it comes to making a splash on-screen, Lin-Manuel Miranda hasn't been throwing away his shot. In just the past year alone, the phenomenal filmed version of Hamilton reached streaming, then the cinema adaptation of In the Heights finally hit cinemas — and now animated musical Vivo joins them. Co-written by In the Heights' Quiara Alegría Hudes with co-director Kirk DeMicco (The Croods), it both stars Miranda and features toe-tapping new tunes by him. He voices the eponymous kinkajou, which has spent its life living and making music in Havana with the now-elderly Andrés Hernández (Buena Vista Social Club musician Juan de Marcos González), and would be happiest if their comfortable routine never ended. But then fate shakes up their status quo, including via a letter from famous singer Marta (Gloria Estefan, One Day at a Time), who Andrés worked with — and pined for — before she moved to Florida decades back. Soon, Vivo is determined to make the trip to Miami for Marta's last-ever show, even if that means buddying up with Andrés' music-loving, fiercely individualists, often chaotic niece Gabi (first-timer Ynairaly Simo). Unsurprisingly, the film's soundtrack is a delight, brimming as it is with catchy tunes enlivened by Miranda's now-trademark witty wordplay. His vocal performance, and that of a cast that also includes Zoe Saldana (Avengers: Endgame) as Gabi's mother, echoes with emotional complexity in what's both an upbeat and wistful movie. The blue-soaked animation stands out as well and, while this is a firmly family-friendly affair, so does the feature's commitment to entertaining viewers of all ages. Vivo is available to stream via Netflix. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK KEVIN CAN F**K HIMSELF There's never been a show on TV quite like Kevin Can F**k Himself, but there have been too many series that resemble half of this clever and cutting dark comedy. Whenever Allison Devine-McRoberts (Annie Murphy, Schitt's Creek) is around her manchild of a husband Kevin (Eric Petersen, Sydney to the Max), she's clearly in a sitcom. The lights glow brightly, her home looks like every other cosy abode in every other apparently amusing show about an obnoxious man and his put-upon wife — including all the ones starring Kevin James — and multiple cameras capture their lives. Also, canned laughter chuckles whenever something supposedly funny (but usually just cringeworthy) occurs between Kevin, his ever dimwitted best pal and neighbour Neil (Alex Bonifer, Superstore), Neil's one-of-the-guys sister Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden, The Righteous Gemstones) and Kevin's ever-present dad (Brian Howe, Chicago Fire). We've all seen this setup before, and Kevin Can F**k Himself's creator Valerie Armstrong (Lodge 49) definitely knows it. But, whenever Allison is blissfully free from her horrible hubby, murkier tones and a much more realistic vibe kick in. Just one camera films her struggles, and she's clearly in a premium cable drama. This is when Allison starts trying to do something about her terrible marriage, including a plot not just to leave Kevin, but to ensure that she'll be free of him forever. On paper, the creative decisions behind Kevin Can F**k Himself's two halves are a high-concept gimmick, and purposefully so. They're deployed devastatingly on-screen, however, in what proves one of the best new shows of 2021. Thankfully, Kevin Can F**k Himself has just been renewed for a second season, too, so more of its savvy charms and astute social commentary — and Murphy and Inboden's memorable performances — await. The first three episodes of Kevin Can F**k Himself's first season are available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes dropping weekly. Read our full review. RESERVATION DOGS Not content with just having two of the best current sitcoms on his resume — that'd be Wellington Paranormal and What We Do in the Shadows — Taika Waititi has gone and added a third. If you didn't know that he was one of Reservation Dogs' creators, executive producers and writers, you'd likely guess from the laidback tone; however, this is firmly a case of Waititi helping to get an exceptional show off the ground, and also lending his star power to assist emerging voices and under-represented communities. The 'reservation' part of this comedy's title is literal. In rural Oklahoma, that's where Indigenous American teenagers Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Beans), Elora (Devery Jacobs, Rutherford Falls), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis, also seen in Beans), and Cheese (debutant Lane Factor) live, spend their days and meander about while dreaming of being somewhere else. Their ideal destination: California. Their number-one pastime: rustling up cash by whatever means they can to fund their big getaway, including by hijacking a delivery van filled with potato chips in the show's first episode. It's that heist and the aftermath that gives this quartet their Quentin Tarantino-style nickname, but Reservation Dogs isn't about bold and flashy moments. It's about the daily reality as Bear and his pals navigate their present existence and hope that they can soon escape it. In other words, this is a series that's deeply steeped in conveying the small details in its characters' lives, and giving audiences the chance to spend time with them. It's a show that's as much about hanging out as propelling a plot forward and, in the hands of Waititi and fellow co-creator/executive producer/writer Sterlin Harjo (Mekko), it's a coming-of-age gem. The first four episodes of Reservation Dogs are available to stream via Binge, with new episodes dropping weekly. THE NEWSREADER The hair: big. The wardrobe: teeming with shoulder pads. The attitude towards women, and anyone who isn't a blokey Aussie male: abysmal at best. That's the slice of 80s-era Australia that The Newsreader recreates with meticulous period detail, with this six-part ABC drama stepping into the world of TV news. It's 1986, and Paul Hogan has just won the Australian of the Year award, which budding reporter Dale Jennings (Sam Reid, Lambs of God) covers (after a swift fix when a tape machine chews up some crucial footage moments before the segment goes to air). He'd rather be sitting at the big desk as an anchor, though, but that's veteran Geoff Walters (Robert Taylor, The Meg) and the hardworking Helen Norville's (Anna Torv, Mindhunter) job. Dale gets his chance before the first episode is out, however — although blustering newsroom head honchoLindsay (William McInnes, Total Control) needs persuading, and nothing proves smooth-sailing from there. Deftly and convincingly weaving in real-life events, including the Challenger explosion, to ground the fictional interplay, The Newsroom hones in on its two ambitious, frequently cast-aside figures. Dale and Helen have both become accustomed to being ignored, overlooked and talked down to by their colleagues, and to having to work harder than anyone else to get ahead, and the series plots out exactly what it takes for them to chase the careers they've always dreamed of. Indeed, one of the show's key strengths is seeing how these layered characters unfurl — and unite — thanks to both Reid and Torv's multifaceted portrayals. The first three episodes of The Newsreader are available to stream via ABC iView, with new episodes dropping weekly. BROOKLYN NINE-NINE Beloved by audiences for seven seasons so far (even if its original TV network didn't always feel the same way), Brooklyn Nine-Nine faced a dilemma moving into its eighth — and final — batch of episodes. After the murder of George Floyd, the long history of police violence in the US and the poor treatment that law enforcement has historically afforded people of colour, as well as the reckoning with all of the above that has sprung up across America, how does a sitcom keep pushing a 'comedic cops' angle? Season eight of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is still as funny as fans expect. It still follows all of the same characters, and most of them are still police officers. It still finds plenty of time for silly gags, including a competition between Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews, Deadpool 2) and Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio, Reno 911!) to sell the most candy to Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller, Big Love), too. That said, it's now as interested in interrogating what it means to truly uphold the badge in a way that protects and serves everyone — and what its characters can do to both to achieve that, and to stamp out anything "uncool, uncool, uncool" that fails that aim — as it is in palling around with its beloved detective squad. Six episodes in, this last run of episodes has the feeling of a farewell as well as an awakening, all while also seeing Rosa Diaz (Stefanie Beatriz, In the Heights) become a private investigator, Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg, Palm Springs) and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero, Diary of a Future President) endeavour to balance work with being parents to baby McClane, and Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher, Spirit Untamed) navigate marital troubles. The first six episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's eight season are available to stream via SBS On Demand, with new episodes dropping weekly. NINE PERFECT STRANGERS Lavish locations just screaming to fill Instagram feeds, wealthy clientele whiling away their hours in luxury, a significant chasm between the haves and the have nots: like The White Lotus, that's the setup behind Byron Bay-shot thriller Nine Perfect Strangers. Here, in the latest collaboration between Nicole Kidman (The Prom) and writer/showrunner David E Kelley (Big Little Lies and The Undoing), an upmarket resort called Tranquillum House welcomes in a new group of clients; however, they get more than just R&R. Among those seeking their bliss under the care of Masha Dmitrichenko (Kidman) and her offsiders Delilah (Tiffany Boone, Hunters) and Yao (Manny Jacinto, The Good Place): school teacher Napoleon Marconi (Michael Shannon, Knives Out), his wife Heather (Asher Keddie, Rams) and their daughter Zoe (Grace Van Patten, Under the Silver Lake); plus novelist Frances Welty (Melissa McCarthy, Thunder Force), ex-footballer Tony Hogburn (Bobby Cannavale, Superintelligence), influencer Jessica Chandler (Samara Weaving, Snake Eyes: GI Joe Origins) and her husband Ben (Melvin Gregg, The United States vs Billie Holiday), the newly divorced Carmel Schneider (Regina Hall, Breaking News in Yuba County) and journalist Lars Lee (Luke Evans, Crisis). Nine Perfect Strangers draws out its mysteries, but it also lets its audience start guessing from the outset. Casting Kidman as a Russian-accented wellness guru who wades in and out of her clients' days at random, and also happens to be getting death threats via text messages, will do that. This Jonathan Levine-directed (Long Shot, Snatched, The Night Before) show is ensemble piece, though, and knows how to lure its audience in and keep them watching. The first four episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers are available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, with new episodes dropping weekly. Read our full review. A RECENT MUST-SEE YOU CAN (AND SHOULD) STREAM NOW MONOS Set in a camp of teen guerrillas, Alejandro Landes' Sundance's Special Jury Award-winning third film Monos follows gun-toting rebels that have barely said goodbye to childhood, but are still tasked by their unseen leaders with holding an American woman (The Outsider's Julianne Nicholson) hostage. Unsurprisingly, even with nothing around but fields, jungle, a cow to milk and occasional enemy fire, little goes according to plan. The relentlessness of modern life, the ongoing unrest in Colombia, and the ceaseless trials and tribulations that plague all teens facing adulthood — they all sit at the centre of this stunning South America-set thriller. Echoes of William Golding's Lord of the Flies are evident (and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the book that inspired Apocalypse Now, too), but Monos firmly tells its own story. Engagingly lingering between a dark fairytale and a psychological treatise on war, combat and humanity's dog-eat-dog nature, the result is one of the definite standouts of recent years (of 2019, when it premiered overseas and did the rounds of the local festival circuit, and of 2020, when it finally released in Aussie cinemas). That status is assured thanks to everything from the eye-popping landscape cinematography to the needling tension of Mica Levi's (Under the Skin) score and the commanding performances from the young cast. Monos is available to stream via SBS On Demand. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March, April, May, June and July this year — and our top straight-to-streaming movies and specials from 2021 so far, and our list of the best new TV shows released this year so far as well.
Just about every video clip Mumford & Sons have ever made follows a fairly predictable pattern, and their latest for 'Hopeless Wanderer' isn't much different. Mottled light shining through golden leaves? Check. Impossibly whimsical vests? Check. Banjo-led hoedowns in Ye Olde Barns? Check. Jason Bateman and SNL's Will Forte wearing fake beards and thrusting their crotches at each other? Check. Hang on. What? That's right — Mumford & Sons have procured the services of some of the world's funniest comic actors for a pitch-perfect parody of their own pastoral proclivities in a move that suggests M&S might not take themselves too seriously after all. Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, Jason Bateman and Ed Helms go all out here, and their utterly straight-faced commitment to the bit is amazing. I couldn't keep a straight face watching it, so goodness knows how they were able to while filming. Truly, you haven't lived until you've seen Sudeikis fall to his knees on a dusty road because of all the feelz, and Bateman's furious banjo shredding is the most metal thing you'll ever see. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rId6PKlDXeU
Big things come in small packages. It’s a familiar adage, but one that feels perfectly suited to an innovative new housing movement gathering momentum around the world. Built no larger than caravans, with wheels to circumvent construction codes, tiny houses emphasise clever design and efficient use of space, minimising the structure’s environmental impact while saving homeowners house-loads of cash. Inspired by the growing real estate phenomenon, Tiny: A Story About Living Small follows the attempts of director Christopher Smith to build a miniature residence of his own. Originally envisioned as a two or three month project, the enormity of building even a tiny house soon becomes apparent, as the year blows by rapidly. But Smith and his girlfriend (and co-director) Merete Mueller remain committed, soldiering on through financial constraints, the weather and the scepticism of family and friends. In addition to chronicling their own journey, Smith and Mueller also reach out to other tiny house owners, exploring the various reasons — both practical and philosophical — that inspired them to start thinking smaller. Certainly, in the wake of the global recession, the movement makes a certain amount of sense. Not only are tiny houses cheaper to purchase, they also cost less to heat, power and maintain. Moreover, in a society where we’re conditioned to define ourselves based on our possessions, there’s something rather liberating about the idea of living with less. Truthfully, the conversations with the tiny townsfolk are more engaging than Smith’s building project, which, despite being an intriguing starting point, lacks the weight to really anchor an entire documentary. The amateur builder reflects on his motivations in voiceover — born into a military family, Smith lived in more than a dozen different houses as a child, never in one place long enough for it to really feel like home. Yet as the movie stretches on, the narration grows rather repetitive. At just over an hour in length, Tiny exists in a weird middle ground between full length feature and short film. Given that the movement it documents is all about the efficient use of resources, one wonders if it couldn’t have been condensed. Ultimately though, while Smith and Mueller’s vision has a few more rooms than are necessary, the tiny house movement itself ensures the film is still an interesting watch. Who knows: it may it even inspire you to draw up some floor plans of your own.
Fantasy fans, and lovers of small-screen trips to wondrous other worlds in general, the past few months have been your time to shine. First, Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon arrived, wigs, fire-breathing creatures and terrible family relationships all included. Next, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power magnificently recaptured Middle-earth's magic, also by hopping back into the beloved franchise's past. And, although it's sci-fi as well, Andor has been sweeping Star Wars fans to a galaxy far, far away again. Two of those shows have already ended their first seasons, however. And, by the time November comes to a close, all three will be off the air following their debut runs. Thankfully, arriving to fill that gap is the new season of His Dark Materials — returning for the first time since 2020 with its long-awaited third batch of episodes. First premiering late in 2019, and then dropping its second season in 2020, His Dark Materials is one of HBO's additions to small-screen fantasy — the one that popped up in the period between Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, in fact. It's based on Philip Pullman's award-winning young adult trilogy of books of the same name: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. And if it sounds familiar, and not just because you watched the first two seasons, that's because The Golden Compass was already turned into a movie back in 2007. HBO has been keeping things simple with its adaptation by sticking with the franchise name, instead of individual book monikers — hence the His Dark Materials title. But when season three arrives in December in the US (with Australian and New Zealand dates to be confirmed), it'll tell the tale covered in The Amber Spyglass, which sees Lyra (Dafne Keen, Logan), aka the show's prophesied child, journey somewhere that no one has ever returned with Will (Amir Wilson, The Secret Garden). The third season will drop its eight episodes over four weeks, with two a week — and it's bringing back the rest of its hefty cast. That includes James McAvoy (The Sandman), Ruth Wilson (See How They Run), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and Andrew Scott (Catherine Called Birdy), for starters. If you're new to His Dark Materials, Keen plays an orphan by the name of Lyra Belacqua, who initially seems just like everyone else, but hails from an alternate universe where a person's soul manifests as a shape-shifting animal called a daemon. In the show's first season, as Lyra looked for a kidnapped friend in the Arctic, she discovered a church-run stolen children ring, learned about mysterious particles known as Dust and ventures through different worlds, including the one we all know. McAvoy pops up as a powerful aristocrat, Wilson is his ex, and Miranda plays a balloonist and adventurer. Check out the trailer for His Dark Materials season three below: His Dark Materials' third season will start airing from Monday, December 6 Australian time in the US — and streams via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Images: HBO.
Chvrches are back again with all music guns a blazing, Crystal Fighters will make you feel so special and Will Smith reminds the world that he is once was the coolest human being on the planet. 1. 'GUNS' - CHVRCHES The band who spell churches wrong this week unveiled their newest track 'Guns' and it is a veritable feast of sensational synth, fierce beats and glorious hooks that combine for a tune best described as huge. This is pop in its purest, most enjoyable form and gives Australian fans yet another reason to get excited for their upcoming August tour. 2. 'CAPE TOWN' - CLUBFEET Melbourne five-piece Clubfeet dropped this track earlier this month and released the accompanying video this week, providing a perfect opportunity to showcase this brilliant track. The clip itself was filmed in Cape Town, a favourite haunt of the quintet, and the method actors look like they are having a pretty great time. Not suprising really, as when you strip back the visual aesthetics 'Cape Town' is a classic jam for all party times. 3. 'NATURAL LOVE' - CRYSTAL FIGHTERS This track comes from Cave Rave, the album released this week by the half Spanish, half English, all fantastic band named Crystal Fighters. The entire album provides an endless selection of tracks that put a smile on your face and a hop, a skip and a jump in your step, triple jump style. This is the most jovial of the songs and if you put it on you may just have the most delightful weekend of your life. 4. 'TWISTED' - FRACTURES Fractures is incredibly just a one man band comprising the multi-talented Mark Zito. He is all about experimentation and as such is almost impossible to classify into a genre. The track title 'Twisted' could be appropriate though as he twists his fragile voice amongst a haunting melody to create an atmospheric auditory stimulant. 5. The Fresh Prince Reunion It's the little things in life we need to appreciate, but this week we were treated to a great, big, whopping thing. Having watched this on repeat I have concluded that the primary purpose of creating the Internet was for the spreading of this video to the masses. What the world thought was an ordinary interview between Graham Norton, Will and Jaden Smith turned into the Fresh Prince stealing the show just like last time, as himself and Jaden surprised us all by bringing out DJ Jazzy Jeff, and if that wasn't enough we then got treated to Carlton in all his dancing glory. If you have not seen this yet, you are welcome. If you have, watch it again and again and again.
If December to you means luminous festive decorations, then simply driving through your neighbourhood can be a jolly good time. Wherever you look, there just might be a glowing set of Christmas lights sharing its seasonal merriment and brightening up the suburban streets. Of course, these lit-up displays really shouldn't cause such a fuss. They pop up everywhere every year, after all, and we're all well and truly aware of how electricity works. But twinkling bulbs are just so hard to resist when it's the happiest portion of the calendar. Perhaps you're a casual Christmas lights fan, and you're completely fine just checking out whichever blazing displays you happen to pass in your travels. Maybe you have a few tried-and-tested favourite spots, and you return to them every year. Or, you could want to scope out the best and brightest seasonal-themed houses and yards. Whichever category you fall into, an Australian website called Christmas Lights Search is likely to pique your interest. [caption id="attachment_882324" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Donaldytong via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Christmas Lights Search is as nifty and handy as its name suggests, covering festive displays all around the country. To locate all the spots that you should head to, it's as easy as entering your postcode or suburb — or those of places nearby — and letting the site deliver the relevant options. Plus, it also rates the lights displays, if you want to either go big or stay home. It's also constantly being updated, so, like the best combos of glowing trees, sparkling bulbs and oversized Santas, you might want to check it out more than once. [caption id="attachment_882325" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] When you pick an individual address listed on the site, you'll be greeted with some key information, too. The level of detail varies per listing, but expect to potentially peruse photos, the ideal hours to swing by, a date range and a description of what's on offer. All that's left is to get searching, plot out where you'll be heading every night between now and Christmas Eve, and get ready to see oh-so-many reindeer, candy canes and snowmen. To find festive displays near you, head to the Christmas Lights Search website.
After nearly a decade of Westerosi power struggles, obsessed fans and soaring ratings, HBO found itself with a Game of Thrones-sized gap to fill last year. The network isn't completely saying goodbye to the world created by George RR Martin, with at least one spinoff in the works — but it's also eager for something else to help pick up where GoT left off, fantasy-wise. First debuting late in 2019, and due to return for a second season in November, His Dark Materials is one of the US network's prime candidates. It's based on Philip Pullman's award-winning young adult trilogy of books of the same name: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. And if it sounds familiar — and not just because you watched the initial batch of episodes — that's because one of the tomes, The Golden Compass, was already turned into a movie back in 2007. HBO is keeping things simple with its adaptation by sticking with the franchise name, other than individual book monikers — hence the His Dark Materials title. It has also bet big on star power, with the series boasting a hefty cast. James McAvoy, Ruth Wilson, Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda, Da 5 Bloods' Clarke Peters and Logan's Dafne Keen all feature, while Fleabag's Andrew Scott and Phoebe Waller-Bridge will also pop up in the second season. Yes, it'll be a reunion for the two series newcomers, although you'll be seeing Scott on-screen as Colonel John Parry and hearing Waller-Bridge's voice as Parry's daemon. What's a daemon? It's one of the key parts of His Dark Materials. Here, Keen plays an orphan by the name of Lyra Belacqua — who seems just like everyone else, but hails from an alternate universe where a person's soul manifests as a shape-shifting animal called a daemon. In the show's first season, as Lyra looks for a kidnapped friend in the Arctic, she discovers a church-run stolen children ring, learns about mysterious particles known as Dust and ventures through different worlds, including the one we all know. McAvoy pops up as a powerful aristocrat, Wilson is his ex, and Miranda plays a balloonist and adventurer. If you're eager for the next season, HBO dropped its first sneak peek a few months back, releasing a trailer as part of this year's Comic-Con at Home — and it has just revealed a new trailer as well. As for when you'll be watching it, it returns to screens on Tuesday, November 17, Australian and New Zealand time. In Australia, it airs on Foxtel. Check out the latest trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CdQm6gLHUM His Dark Materials' second season will start airing from Tuesday, November 17 on Foxtel in Australia, and will also be available to view on-demand. Images: HBO.
Believe: it's the one-word slogan that helped a fictional football club change its mindset and its fortunes on the turf, and truly become a team. IRL, it was even adopted by the AFL's Brisbane Lions on their way to winning the 2024 premiership. It's also what Ted Lasso fans have been doing since 2023, having faith that the kindhearted Jason Sudeikis-starring Apple TV+ hit would return after its third season seemed to wrap up the show's storyline. That belief has proven well-founded: Ted Lasso is officially returning for season four. And yes, lead and executive producer Sudeikis (Hit-Monkey) will be there with it, stepping back into his two-time Emmy-winning role, donning the American-in-London coach's moustache again and presumably continuing to improve the character's knowledge of soccer. Keen to know what's in store? Other details are scarce for now, including who else among the cast will be returning. Brendan Hunt (Bless This Mess), aka Coach Beard, has been named among the new season's producers, however — a behind-the-camera role he also held in the first three seasons — so fingers crossed that he'll be back on-screen, too. Announcing Ted Lasso's fourth season, Sudeikis did provide broad details about the theme in the spotlight this time around. "As we all continue to live in a world where so many factors have conditioned us to 'look before we leap', in season four, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to leap before they look, discovering that wherever they land, it's exactly where they're meant to be," he shared. "Ted Lasso has been nothing short of a juggernaut, inspiring a passionate fanbase all over the world, and delivering endless joy and laughter, all while spreading kindness, compassion and unwavering belief. Everyone at Apple is thrilled to be continuing our collaboration with Jason and the brilliant creative minds behind this show," said Apple TV+ Head of Programming Matt Cherniss about the fourth season. Bill Lawrence, who co-developed Ted Lasso with Sudeikis, Hunt and Joe Kelly (Detroiters) — and who has been busy on the also-warmhearted Apple TV+ comedy Shrinking, which he co-created with its star Jason Segel (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) and Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein (The Garfield Movie) — will be back for season four as an executive producer as well. How will Ted Lasso pick up from the end of season three? Will Goldstein return — and be here, there and everywhere — as Roy Kent? Is everyone from Juno Temple (Venom: The Last Dance), Hannah Waddingham (The Fall Guy), Jeffrey Swift (Sweetpea) and Nick Mohammed (Renegade Nell) to Phil Dunster (Surface), Toheeb Jimoh (The Power), Cristo Fernandez (Sonic the Hedgehog 3), Kola Bokinni (Foresight), Billy Harris (The Outlaws) and James Lance (The Famous Five) also coming back? Hopefully more will be revealed soon, although recent reports have mentioned Goldstein, Waddingham, Swift and Mohammed's involvement, as well as possibly Hunt and Temple. There's no trailer yet for Ted Lasso's fourth season, understandably, but check out the trailer for season three below: Season four of Ted Lasso will stream via Apple TV+ — we'll update you when a release date is announced. Read our full review of season two and season three, and our interview with Brendan Hunt.
This article is sponsored by our partners, Rekorderlig. Whether you want to board in your bikini in Californian sunshine, conquer some of the most extreme territory in the European Alps or rehearse your newly acquired Snowboarding 101 skills on friendly slopes, there’s a snowboarding spot somewhere on this planet of ours that’s made just for you. Here’s our pick of the world’s ten most exciting, beautiful and terrifying destinations. MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, CALIFORNIA, US If you fancy hitting the slopes in your boardies or bikini, Mammoth Mountain is the place to do it. You can realistically expect 300 days of sunshine and clear skies out of every 365. Plus the snow season lasts ten months, kicking off in October yet not seeing the final flakes melt until July. While you’re cruising around Mammoth’s 3,500 or so acres or testing your prowess on the 6.7 metre Super Duper Pipe, there’s a chance you’ll catch snowboard champ Shaun White in action — it’s his preferred training ground. NISEKO UNITED, JAPAN Welcome to the second snowiest resort on the planet. The first, if you’re wondering, is Mount Baker, which you’ll find in Washington state. Most seasons, the slopes of Niseko United (situated on Hokkaido Island) are covered in a minimum of 15 metres of the white stuff. The Japanese skiing authorities are astoundingly relaxed about their guests going back country, so freeriding is the order of the day. That said, it’s an awful lot safer with a guide leading the way. Boarders of all levels will find a trail to keep them keen and floodlights mean Niseko is open until 9pm. ST ANTON, AUSTRIA For freeriders, St Anton is Europe’s holy grail. There are 180 kilometres of marked off-piste possibilities, featuring challenging steeps, open tree-lined glades and powder to die for. If, however, your preference is to stick to tried and tested trails, you have 280 kilometres to play on. That said, St Anton is certainly a destination for boarders of intermediate ability and above. Novices are likely to find it scarier than a Freddy Krueger movie. THREDBO, AUSTRALIA For a world-class experience that doesn’t involve long-haul flight prices, there’s Thredbo. The beginningest of beginners can rehearse their moves on the utterly non-threatening, 12 degree-angled Friday Flat before stepping things up on the resort’s gloriously wide, tree-fringed intermediate trails. And for hardcore carvers, there’s the rest: vertical drops, naturally formed jumps, wind lips, sizeable powder bowls and some of the finest off-piste terrain this side of the equator. If your muscles ache after a day on the slopes, a swim in the Rekorderlig Hot Pool should put you right. VERBIER, SWITZERLAND For some of Switzerland’s most extreme snowboarding, Verbier is your destination. To get the most out of it, you need to be on top of your game — you’ll be boarding alongside some of Europe’s most passionate and skilled riders. One lift pass enables access not only to Verbier but also to four other linked resorts — Val de Bagnas, La Tzoumaz, Veysonnaz and Nendaz — meaning 400 kilometres of trails. For beginners, Nendaz is the best bet. TIGNES, FRANCE This resort, situated at 2,100 metres, was one of the first in France to roll out the red carpet for the snowboarding community. While skiers in other places were warily guarding their territory, the Tignes crew was begging baggie-panted ones to come carve it up. The variety of terrain — both in terms of piste action and sheer visual beauty — is mind-blowing. There’s a glacier, a lake and runs to suit all shapes, sizes and ability levels. MOUNT BACHELOR, US Mt Bachelor might not have the steeps necessary to thrilling adrenalin junkies, but what it does have is some of the cruisiest, most enjoyable freeriding in to be found anywhere — which means that you can revel in the freedom of going off-piste without having to be as wary as you do in other places. Plus, if you want to brush up on your freestylin', there are three terrain parks and a half pipe to keep you happy. CHAMONIX, FRANCE For rugged mountain tops and that je ne sais quoi, Chamonix is the one. It's one of France's oldest resorts and was the site of the very first Winter Olympics back in 1924. Rough and ready is the vibe — there's less infrastructure in comparison with other places — but if you're keen on atmosphere and some opportunities for wild adventure, it's hard to beat. WANAKA, NEW ZEALAND Boarding on New Zealand’s expansive, uncluttered snow fields is a bit like surfing on an impossibly white, open sea. It’s often rather surreal, ridiculously fun and incredibly liberating. Rather than having to follow fellow boarders and skiers down particular trails, you can choose your own adventure. Plus you’re nearly always treated to the stunning backdrop of the Southern Alps. From Wanaka, you can reach Cardrona, Treble Cone and Snow Park NZ easily, meaning you can pack three resorts into one mighty vacation. WHISTLER-BLACKCOMB, CANADA This one comes as no surprise, right? The thing is, it’s not exactly possible to compile the world’s top ten snowboarding spots and leave out Whistler-Blackcomb. As far as North America goes, it’s the jewel in the Snow Queen’s crown. Between them, the two mountains offer 8,171 acres of snowboardable land. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re a newbie or a pro. For views worthy of a Peter Jackson trilogy, Whistler’s got the goods. For more Narnia-esque tree-lined runs, the world-famous Nintendo Terrain Parks and the second biggest vertical drop on the planet (at 5,222 feet), head for Blackcomb.
If you've ever thought about professionally recording those tracks you've been working on in your bedroom, you probably haven't. That's because getting studio time can be difficult when you don't have the contacts, the cash or any real knowledge about what you're doing (but just wanna lay down some sick tracks). But studiotime.io is aiming to change all that with their Airbnb-like listing platform for musicians, producers and recording studios. The site works in the same way as any in the sharing economy. Recording studios will advertise their availabilities, details and daily rates, and then musicians and producers can contact the studios for more information and to book in a time. Just like Airbnb, you book and pay through the website, and you can leave feedback on the listing's page. Booking in studio time in this way is beneficial to both parties, as musicians now have an easy way to lock in a day in the studio, and the studios can advertise last-minute availabilities to ensure they're always booked. It might even mean you can snag a bit of a discount if you're lucky. The website initially launched last year in LA, New York and London, but it's quickly spread to other cities across the world. You can search for studios in Australia too, with listings spanning everywhere from Bondi to St Kilda to Wollongong. Image: Dollar Photo Club
New York may have The Sartorialist and Paris may be the home of the most recognised (albeit staged) street photo of all time, but Melbourne too has a rich collection of street photography. Posted on blogs, published in weekend newspapers, uploaded to Instagram, each photo captures a different moment in the heart of the city. Shot in the Heart of Melbourne is a curation of those fleeting images, showcasing street photography and photojournalism captured in the CBD and surrounding pockets. Back for it’s second year, the collective exhibition features the work of local artists who endeavour to capture their experience of the city in photographs. As well as the local photographers who, between them, self-curate and cooperatively manage the project, the exhibition welcomes international guest artist, Berns Gilna-Murphy. A renowned photographer on the streets of Valencia, Spain, she will share the beauty of her own city through a selection of black and white images. These photos are not just street style; they capture ephemeral moments — raw, unrehearsed and completely unique. Shot in the Heart of Melbourne is an artistic, candid homage to the people that bring this city to life each day. Image via Rhoufi
When Australia's international border reopens and holidaying overseas resumes, a long list of experiences we've all been missing will be back on the agenda. Some of those are great, such as being somewhere other than our own backyard. Some just come with the territory, like spending all that time in the air. And others will probably seem more exciting than they really are after such a long period without them, such as hanging out in airports, sipping drinks at the bar before your flight and browsing through gift shops. We all have our own balance when it comes to all of the above elements, how we handle tham and what we prefer. But if you're the kind of traveller who likes fewer stopovers and can cope with spending almost a whole day on a plane non-stop, you're probably a fan of — or dreamed of hopping on — Qantas' direct Perth-to-London route. It launched back in 2018, and it takes around 17 hours each way. It's certainly an experience, from the layover time you'll spend in the Perth airport if you're starting out from another city, through to what it feels like to sit on a plane (or get up and walk the aisles every now and then, for exercise) for that very lengthy spell. That flight won't be on the itinerary when Qantas restarts its international trips, however, with the airline opting not to resume the leg straight away due to Western Australia's strict border rules. Instead, the carrier is aiming to recommence the Perth-to-London route from April 2022 — and, if you think that means more stopovers in the interim, it's also looking into doing non-stop flights from Darwin to London over that gap period. "At this stage, WA doesn't intend to open to international travel until sometime next year, so we'll unfortunately have to temporarily move our Perth-London service until at least April 2022," said Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce in a statement. "Instead of operating from Melbourne to Perth and then on to London as it usually does, this flight will operate from Melbourne to London via either Darwin or Singapore, depending on conversations we're having with the NT in the coming weeks. We look forward to operating this flight via Perth again when circumstances allow." So, only needing to hop on one plane to get to the UK from Australia will ideally remain a reality. But, for that super-long flight, there'll be a different starting point. If you're currently thinking about your travel plans — when that's possible, of course — the Northern Territory is doing discounts of up to $1000 on trips if you're fully vaccinated and coming from an area of Australia that isn't considered a hotspot. Yes, that means that starting with a NT holiday and then heading overseas could be an option if your budget allows it. You might remember that, pre-pandemic, Qantas was contemplating starting non-stop routes from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to both London and New York, too. In fact, it had even run two trial journeys, and was poised to announce whether it was feasible in March 2020. We all know what happened to international travel then, though, so clearly the topic hasn't been a priority since. For more information about Qantas's plans for non-stop flights from Australia to London when Australia's international borders reopen, head to the Qantas website. Images: Qantas
Many Melburnians have childhood memories of lining up at Queen Vic Market's American Doughnut Kitchen van to get a bag of freshly made hot jam doughnuts. It's been kicking around since 1950, and still has masses of locals and tourists lining up every weekend to score a serve of the goods. The team has always managed the small space well, cramming a heap of staff into the van and pumping out hundreds of doughnuts each day. But, ahead of its diamond anniversary next year and no signs of slowing down, an upgrade was calling. The result: American Doughnut Kitchen officially opened its first-ever bricks-and-mortar store at Prahran Market on Saturday, July 6. The new shop has been cleverly designed to give off the same look and feel as the famous van. You'll find the signature white-and-blue colour scheme, plus a similar open workstation where customers can watch the doughnuts be cut, cooked and filled with that famous raspberry plum jam before being tossed in sugar. Like the van, these are the only doughnuts that will be available. The family running the shop see no need to experiment with new flavours and offer different varieties — truly, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. However, one change is coming, with American Doughnut Kitchen's southside spot also selling coffee. That means you can get your sweet treat and caffeine fix all in one spot. "Our handmade doughnuts that we still make using the same original recipe have been a favourite among Melburnians for generations," said American Doughnut Kitchen Managing Director Belinda Donaghey. "The opening of our Prahran Market shop represents another exciting milestone in the American Doughnut Kitchen legacy. We look forward to serving our delicious doughnuts to new and existing southside customers for years to come." You'll find American Doughnut Kitchen at Prahran Market, 163 Commercial Road, open every day of the week except for Mondays and Wednesdays. For more information, head to the venue's website.
