Long before getting cosy on the couch meant living the streaming dream, not all movies made it to cinemas, just as happens now. Back then, though, that's where the term 'straight to video' came in. Then, it was 'straight to DVD'. At the moment, if a film doesn't flicker in a picture palace, it's a straight-to-streaming release. Some such movies do receive a big-screen run, but only at a film festival. Others were only ever bound for watching at home. Either way, just because they didn't light up your local multiplex or arthouse go-to for weeks on end, that doesn't mean these flicks aren't worth a look. Indeed, some of 2023's viewing highlights are straight-to-streaming films — whether you're fond of Oscar-nominated documentaries, Aubrey Plaza-led heist flicks, walk-and-talk rom-coms, unsettling horror gems or intimate portraits of famous faces. With 2023 now into its second half, we've made our picks of the year's best straight-to-streaming gems from January–June. Obviously, you can watch them all now. ALL THAT BREATHES Pictures can't tell all of All That Breathes' story, with Delhi-based brothers Nadeem Shehzad and Mohammad Saud's chats saying plenty that's essential. In the documentary's observational style, their conversation flits in and out of the film — sometimes, there's narration, too — giving it many meaningful words. Still, the images that Shaunak Sen (Cities of Sleep) lets flow across the screen in this Sundance- and Cannes-winner, and also 2023 Oscar-nominee, are astonishing. And, befitting this poetic meditative and ruminative doco's pace and mood, they do flow. All That Breathes' main pair adore the black kites that take to India's skies and suffer from its toxic air quality, tending to the creatures' injuries. As Sen watches, he adores them as well. Viewers will, too. Indeed, if there wasn't a single syllable uttered, with the movie just leaning on cinematographers Ben Bernhard (Talking About the Weather), Riju Das (14 Phere) and Saumyananda Sahi's (Trial by Fire) sights, plus Niladri Shekhar Roy ('83) and Moinak Bose's (Against the Tide) sound recording, the end result still would've been revelatory. This film trills about urban development, its costs and consequences, and caring for others both animal and human — and it says oh-so-much. It notes how everything that the earth's predominant inhabitants do has environmental impacts for the creatures that we share the planet with, including quests for economic dominance and political control. All That Breathes peers on as its subjects' tasks get harder even as they earn global attention, receive more funding and build their dream hospital. It sees how they put the majestic kites' wellbeing above their own, even as the numbers of birds needing their help just keeps growing. This is a documentary about animals falling from the skies due to pollution, two siblings trying to help them soar again, why that's so vital and what the whole situation says about life on earth — and it's vital and spectacular viewing. All That Breathes streams via Binge. EMILY THE CRIMINAL Enterprising, astute, intelligent and accepting zero garbage from anyone: these are traits that Aubrey Plaza can convey in her sleep. But she definitely isn't slumbering in Emily the Criminal, which sees her turn in a performance as weighty and layered as her deservedly Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated portrayal in the second season of The White Lotus — something that she's been doing since her Parks and Recreation days anyway. Indeed, there's more than a touch of April Ludgate-Dwyer's resourcefulness to this crime-thriller's eponymous figure. Los Angeles resident Emily Benetto isn't sporting much apathy, however; she can't afford to. With $70,000 in student loans to her name for a college art degree she isn't using working as a food delivery driver, and a felony conviction that's getting in the way of securing any gig she's better qualified for for, Jersey girl Emily breaks bad to make bank when she's given a tip about a credit card fraud ring run by Youcef (Theo Rossi, Sons of Anarchy). Her simple task: purchasing everything from electronics to cars with the stolen numbers. Writer/director John Patton Ford makes his feature debut with this lean, sharp, keenly observed and tightly paced film, which works swimmingly and grippingly as a heist thriller with plenty to say about the state of America today — particularly about a society that saddles folks starting their working lives with enormous debts, turning careers in the arts into the domain of the wealthy, and makes even the slightest wrongdoing a life sentence. Emily the Criminal is angry about that state of affairs, and that ire colours every frame. But it's as a character study that this impressive film soars highest, stepping through the struggles, troubles and desperate moves of a woman trapped not by her choices but her lack of options, all while seeing her better-off classmates breeze through life. As she usually is, Plaza is mesmerising, and adds another complicated movie role to a resume that also boasts the phenomenal Ingrid Goes West and Black Bear as well. Emily the Criminal streams via Binge and Netflix. HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN The sound of cracking knuckles is one of humanity's most anxiety-inducing. The noise of clicking bones elsewhere? That's even worse. Both help provide Huesera: The Bone Woman's soundtrack — and set the mood for a deeply tense slow-burner that plunges into maternal paranoia like a Mexican riff on Rosemary's Baby, the horror subgenre's perennial all-timer, while also interrogating the reality that bringing children into the world isn't a dream for every woman no matter how much society expects otherwise. Valeria (Natalia Solián, Red Shoes) is thrilled to be pregnant, a state that hasn't come easily. After resorting to praying at a shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in desperation, neither she nor partner Raúl (Alfonso Dosal, Narcos: Mexico) could be happier, even if her sister Vero (Sonia Couoh, 40 Years Young) caustically comments that she's never seemed that interested in motherhood before. Then, two things shake up her hard-fought situation: a surprise run-in with Octavia (Mayra Batalla, Everything Will Be Fine), the ex-girlfriend she once planned to live a completely different life with; and constant glimpses of a slithering woman whose unnatural body movements echo and unsettle. Filmmaker Michelle Garza Cervera (TV series Marea alta) makes her fictional narrative debut with Huesera: The Bone Woman, directing and also writing with first-timer Abia Castillo — and she makes a powerfully chilling and haunting body-horror effort about hopes, dreams, regrets and the torment of being forced into a future that you don't truly foresee as your own. Every aspect of the film, especially Nur Rubio Sherwell's (Don't Blame Karma!) exacting cinematography, reinforces how trapped that Valeria feels even if she can't admit it to herself, and how much that attempting to be the woman Raúl and her family want is eating away at her soul. Solián is fantastic at navigating this journey, including whether the movie is leaning into drama or terror at any given moment. You don't need expressive eyes to be a horror heroine, but she boasts them; she possesses a scream queen's lungs, too. Unsurprisingly, Cervera won the Nora Ephron Award for best female filmmaker at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival for this instantly memorable nightmare. Huesera: The Bone Woman streams via Shudder. ROBE OF GEMS In the very first moments of her very first feature as a director — after working as an editor on films such as 2012's Post Tenebras Lux and 2014's Jauja — Natalia López demands her audience's attention. She earns it and ensures it as well, and looking away while Robe of Gems unfurls its story is impossible afterwards. To kick things off, a patient and painterly glimpse at the rural Mexican landscape comes into sight, fading up and bringing more and more dusty grey details with it with each second. Then, without the frame moving, a frenetic man is seen bashing and slashing through the plants. Next, it becomes apparent that there's a reflection as part of the image. And, it's also quickly evident that viewers are seeing someone else's vantage as they look on at the landscape. In fact, a couple peers out, in the middle of getting intimate (and immediately before flinging wooden furniture around, strewn pieces flying everywhere). With the 'start as you mean to go on' maxim in mind, it's a helluva opening. López does indeed begin as she goes on, in a film that scored her 2022's Berlinale's Silver Bear Jury Prize. The pivotal villa belongs to Isabel's (Nailea Norvind, Julia vs Julia) family, and offers somewhat of a respite from a marriage that's splintering like that thrown-about furniture, with the clearly well-to-do woman settling in with her children Benja (first-timer Balam Toledo) and Vale (fellow debutant Sherlyn Zavala Diaz). But tension inescapably lingers, given that the onsite caretaker María (newcomer Antonia Olivares) is unsettled by the disappearance of her sister, a plot point that makes a purposeful statement. The police are investigating, the cartel has a local presence, corruption is an ever-present force, and the gap between the wealthy and not-so is glaring. Progressing carefully from that powerhouse opening, Robe of Gems quickly seeps under your skin — and as its first visuals make abundantly clearly, every second is a marvel to look at. Robe of Gems streams via Prime Video and Madman on Demand. RYE LANE When Dom (David Jonsson, Industry) and Yas (Vivian Oparah, Then You Run) are asked how they met, they tell a tale about a karaoke performance getting an entire bar cheering. Gia (Karene Peter, Emmerdale Farm), Dom's ex, is both shocked and envious, even though she cheated on him with his primary-school best friend Eric (Benjamin Sarpong-Broni, The Secret). It's the kind of story a movie couple would love to spin — the type that tends to only happen in the movies, too. But even for Rye Lane's fictional characters, it's a piece of pure imagination. Instead, the pair meet in South London, in the toilet at an art show. He's crying in a stall, they chat awkwardly through the gender-neutral space's wall, then get introduced properly outside. It's clumsy, but they keep the conversation going even when they leave the exhibition, then find themselves doing the good ol' fashioned rom-com walk and talk, then slide in for that dinner rendezvous with the flabbergasted Gia. It's easy to think of on-screen romances gone by during British filmmaker Raine Allen-Miller's feature debut — working with a script from Bloods duo Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia — which this charming Sundance-premiering flick overtly wants viewers to. There's a helluva sight gag about Love Actually, as well as a cameo to match, and the whole meandering-and-nattering setup helped make Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight an iconic trilogy. That said, as Rye Lane spends time with shy accountant Dom, who has barely left his parents' house since the breakup, and the outgoing costume designer Yas, who has her own recent relationship troubles casting a shadow, it isn't propelled by nods and winks. Rather, it's smart and savvy in a Starstruck way about paying tribute to what's come before while wandering down its own path. The lead casting is dynamic, with Jonsson and Oparah making a duo that audiences could spend hours with, and Allen-Miller's eye as a director is playful, lively, loving and probing. Rom-coms are always about watching people fall for each other, but this one plunges viewers into its swooning couple's mindset with every visual and sensory touch it can. Rye Lane streams via Disney+. DUAL New movie, familiar query: what would you do if you physically came face to face with yourself, and not just by looking in a mirror? Films about clones, including all-timer Moon and the recent Mahershala Ali (Alita: Battle Angel)-starring Swan Song, have long pondered this topic — and so has the Paul Rudd-led series Living with Yourself. In Dual, there's only one legal option. This sci-fi satire shares Swan Song's idea, allowing replicating oneself when fate deals out a bad hand. So, that's what Sarah (Karen Gillan, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) does when she's told that she has a rare but terminal disease, and that her death is certain. Cloning is meant to spare her boyfriend Peter (Beulah Koale, Shadow in the Cloud) and her mother (Maija Paunio, Next of Kin) from losing her, making a difficult situation better for Sarah's loved ones. But when she doesn't die after all, the law states that, just like in Highlander, there can be only one. To decide who lives, Sarah and her doppelgänger must fight to the death in a public dual — with Trent (Aaron Paul, Better Call Saul) helping train the OG version. Even with its twist, on paper Dual sounds like a feature that any filmmaker could've made — one that any actor could've starred in, too. But this is the meaty, meaningful and memorable movie it is thanks to writer/director Riley Stearns and his excellent lead Gillan. With his penchant for deadpan, the former pondered working out who you truly are through an unlikely battle in 2019's very funny The Art of Self-Defense, and does so again here. He's also fond of exploring the struggle to embrace one's personality, and confronting the notion we all have in our minds that a better version of ourselves exists. That said, Dual plays like a sibling to The Art of Self-Defense, rather than a clone itself. It'd certainly be a lesser flick without Gillan, who sheds her Nebula makeup, wades out of the Jumanji franchise's jungles, and turns in two powerful and nuanced performances as Sarah and Sarah 2.0. And while Paul is in supporting mode, he's a scene-stealer. Dual streams via Netflix. TETRIS The greatest game in the world can't make the leap to screens like most of its counterparts, whether they involve mashing buttons, playing campaigns or attempting to sink ships. A literal adaptation of Tetris would just involve four-piece bricks falling and falling — and while that's a tense and riveting sight when you're in charge of deciding where they land, and endeavouring to fill lines to make them disappear, it's hardly riveting movie viewing. As a film, Tetris is still gripping, however, all while telling the tale behind the puzzle video game that's been a phenomenon since the 80s. Did you have your first Tetris experience on an early Game Boy? This is the story of how that happened. Starring Taron Egerton (Black Bird) as Henk Rogers, the man who secured the rights to the Russian-born title for distribution on video game consoles worldwide, it's largely a dramatised account of the fraught negotiations when the west started to realise what a hit Tetris was, Nintendo got involved, but Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov had no power over what happened to his creation because that was life in the USSR. Egerton is perfectly cast as the resourceful, charming and determined Rogers, a Dutch-born, American-raised, Japan-residing game designer who stumbles across Tetris at a tech conference while trying to sell a version of Chinese strategy game Go. First, his assistant can't stop playing it. Soon, he's seeing blocks in his dreams, as everyone does after playing (and then forever). Director Jon S Baird (Stan & Ollie) and screenwriter Noah Pink (Genius) have a games licensing battle to unpack from there, something that mightn't have been as thrilling as it proves — and certainly is no certainty on paper — in other hands. Stacking up this real-life situation's pieces involves becoming a savvy takedown of shady business deals, a compelling Russia-set spy flick and an exploration of daily existence in Soviet times, plus an upstart underdog story. And, Tetris does all that while gleefully and playfully bringing in the game's aesthetic, and blasting an appropriately synth-heavy soundtrack. Tetris streams via Apple TV+. GUY RITCHIE'S THE COVENANT Announcing his cinematic arrival with a pair of slick, witty, twisty and fast-paced British heist flicks, Guy Ritchie achieved at the beginning of his career something that many filmmakers strive for their whole lives: he cemented exactly what his features are in the minds of audiences. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch made "Guy Ritchie movie" an instantly understood term, in fact, as the writer/director has attempted to capitalise on since with differing results (see: Revolver, RocknRolla, The Gentlemen and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre). Ritchie's third film, the Madonna-starring Swept Away, has also proven just as emblematic of his career, however. He loves pumping out stereotypical Guy Ritchie movies — he even adores making them Sherlock Holmes and King Arthur flicks, with mixed fortunes — but he also likes leaving his own conventions behind in The Man From UNCLE, Aladdin, Wrath of Man and now Guy Ritchie's The Covenant. Perhaps Ritchie's name is in the title of this Afghanistan-set action-thriller to remind viewers that the film does indeed boast him behind the lens, and as a cowriter; unlike with fellow 2023 release Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, they wouldn't guess otherwise. Clunky moniker aside, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant is pared down, gripping and intense, and home to two excellent performances by Jake Gyllenhaal (Strange World) as Master Sergeant John Kinley and Dar Salim (Tatort) as his interpreter Ahmed. As the former leads a team that's looking for IED factories, the pair's collaboration is tentative at first. Then a raid goes wrong, Ahmed saves Kinley's life, but the recognition and support that'd be afforded an American solider in the same situation doesn't go the local's way. Where Afghan interpreters who aid US troops are left after their task is complete is a weighty subject, and treated as such in this grounded and moving film. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant streams via Prime Video. STILL: A MICHAEL J FOX MOVIE Anyone who lived through the 80s and/or 90s spent a large portion of both decades watching Michael J Fox. Thanks to Family Ties on TV and the Back to the Future movies in cinemas, he was everywhere — and courtesy of Teen Wolf, Doc Hollywood, The Frighteners and Spin City as well. The list of the beloved star's work from the era goes on. Forgotten one or some? Watch Still: A Michael J Fox Movie and you'll be reminded. This intimate documentary steps through the star's life, career and Parkinson's Disease diagnosis using three main modes: splicing together clips from his resume to help illustrate his narration, chatting with Fox now in candid to-camera segments, and hanging out with him and his family as he goes about his days. Each aspect of the film adds something not just important but engaging; however, all that footage from his time as Alex P Keaton, Marty McFly and more offers firm proof, if any more was needed, that Fox was an on-screen presence like no other three and four decades back. Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth documentarian Davis Guggenheim both shows and tells, always letting Fox's own words do the talking. Still: A Michael J Fox Movie takes the birth-to-now route, observing that its titular figure was always a kid on the go, then a teen who found himself in acting — a place where he could be anyone, regardless of his short stature — and then an aspiring actor slogging it out in Hollywood until he scored not one but two big breaks. The film also examines the fame and success, Fox's thinking that this'd now be his status quo, the moment his life changed and everything that's followed since. Yes, it notes that this story would've been completely different if Eric Stoltz had kept his Back to the Future job. Also, as Fox's memoirs are on the page, it's supremely self-deprecating. Still: A Michael J Fox Movie is unflinchingly honest, too, especially about his relationship with his wife Tracy Pollan — who, when asked how she is, Fox replies "married to me, still". Still: A Michael J Fox Movie streams via Apple TV+. NIMONA Bounding from the page to the screen — well, from pixels first, initially leaping from the web to print — graphic novel-to-film adaptation Nimona goes all in on belonging. Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal) wants to fit in desperately, and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. In this animated movie's medieval-yet-futuristic world, there's nothing more important and acclaimed than being part of the Institute for Elite Knights, so that's his aim. Slipping into armour usually isn't possible for someone who grew up on the wrong side of this realm's tracks, as he did, but Ballister has been given a chance by Queen Valerin (Lorraine Toussaint, The Equalizer), who says that anyone can now be a hero. Alas, just as he's about to have his sword placed upon his shoulder with all the world watching, tragedy strikes, then prejudice sets in. Even his fellow knight-in-training and boyfriend Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang, Star Wars: Visions), who boasts family ties to legendary monster-slaying heroine Gloreth (Karen Ryan, Under the Banner of Heaven), believes that Ballister is responsible. His only ally? Nimona's namesake (Chloë Grace Moretz, The Peripheral), a shapeshifter who offers to be his sidekick regardless of his innocence or guilt. Nimona usually appears as a human girl, but can change into anything. The shapeshifter also wants to belong — but only by being accepted as she is. Unlike Ballister's feelings of inferiority about being a commoner, Nimona is happy with morphing from a kid to a rhinoceros, a whale to a shark, then between anything else that she can think of, and wouldn't give it up for anyone. Indeed, when Ballister keeps pestering her for reasons to explain why she is like she is, and asking her to remain as a girl, she's adamant. She already is normal, and she rightly won't budge from that belief. Animated with lively and colour animation that sometimes resembles Cartoon Saloon's Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers, Nimona is a family-friendly adventure and, as penned as a comic by ND Stevenson (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), also a clear, impassioned and sincere allegory for being true to yourself. As a film, directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (who also teamed up on Spies in Disguise) and screenwriters Robert L Baird (Big Hero 6) and Lloyd Taylor (another Spies in Disguise alum) ensure that it remains a thoughtful delight. Nimona streams via Netflix. PAMELA, A LOVE STORY If you weren't aware of Pamela Anderson's recent Broadway stint, bringing the razzle dazzle to a production of Chicago in 2022, Ryan White (Good Night Oppy)-directed documentary Pamela, A Love Story will still feature surprises. Otherwise, from Playboy to Playbill — including Baywatch, sex tapes and multiple marriages in-between — the actor's story is well-known around the globe. Much of it played out in the tabloids, especially when she married Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in a white bikini after four days together. She also graced what can easily stake a claim as the internet's first viral video, after intimate footage of Anderson and Lee was stolen, then sold. And that very experience was dramatised in 2022 limited series Pam & Tommy, including the misogynistic way she was treated compared to her spouse, how her rights to her image and privacy were considered trashed due to her nude modelling days, and the unsurprising fallout within her relationship. No matter how familiar the details are, Pamela, A Love Story does something that little else on-screen has, however: it lets Anderson tell her story herself. Much of the doco focuses on the Barb Wire and Scary Movie 3 star in her childhood home in Ladysmith on Canada's Vancouver Island, watching old videos, reading past diaries and chatting through the contents. She's recorded and written about everything in her life. Sitting in front of the camera without a trace of makeup, with her sons Brandon and Dylan sometimes talking with her, she gives her account of how she's been treated during the highs and lows of her career. The film coincides with a memoir, Love, Pamela, so this is a tale that Anderson is currently on the page and in streaming queues — but it's still a powerful portrait of a woman made famous for her appearance, turned into a sex symbol to the point that male interviewers in the 90s could barely talk about anything else, then cruelly judged and discarded. She's frank and sincere, as is the movie amid its treasure trove of archival footage. Pamela, A Love Story streams via Netflix. WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY If you've seen one music biopic, or some of the flicks that've earned actors Oscars or nominations in recent years for playing well-known rock stars — think: Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis — then you know how this genre usually plays out. So does Weird Al Yankovic, who is strongly involved in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, co-writing, producing and even popping up on-screen. He doesn't give himself a solemn screen tribute, though. For decades, he's found pop music rife for satirising, and now his career spent spoofing hit songs gets sent up as well. The soundtrack is already hilarious, filled as it is with everything from 'My Bologna', 'I Love Rocky Road' and 'Another One Rides the Bus' to 'Eat It', 'Like a Surgeon' and 'Amish Paradise'. The casting is brilliantly hilarious as it is hilariously brilliant, too, with Daniel Radcliffe (The Lost City) sporting a mop of curls, grasping an accordion and wearing Yankovic's Hawaiian shirts like he was born to. Silly, happily self-mocking, not serious for a second: that's this joke-packed flick, which isn't quite as stuffed with gags as a typical Weird Al song, but is still filled with laughs — and still immensely funny. Unsurprisingly, much of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story plays like a collection of skits and sketches, whether visiting his childhood, showing how he scored his big break or charting his fame (which is Westworld's Evan Rachel Wood as a comical Madonna comes in), but it works. Yankovic co-writes with director Eric Appel, a parody veteran thanks to NTSF:SD:SUV, and they're joyfully on the same goofy, go-for-broke wavelength. So is Radcliffe, who keeps demonstrating that he's at his best when a certain Boy Who Lived is relegated to the past, and when he's getting as ridiculous as he possibly can. Forget the wizarding franchise — he's magical when he's at his most comic, as Miracle Workers keeps proving, and now this as well. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story streams via Paramount+. CONFESS, FLETCH Since Mad Men had Don Draper want to buy the world a Coke to end its seven-season run back in 2015, comedy has been Jon Hamm's friend. He's the ultimate TV guest star, building upon stints in 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation while Mad Men was still airing with Toast of London, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Curb Your Enthusiasm, on a resume that also includes The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Childrens Hospital, Medical Police, Angie Tribeca, The Last Man on Earth and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp as well. So, casting him as the new Irwin Maurice 'Fletch' Fletcher couldn't be an easier move. Having fellow Mad Men standout John Slattery (The Good Fight) also appear in the latest flick about the investigative reporter, and the first since the Chevy Chase-led movies in the 80s, is another winning touch. Even if that reunion wasn't part of the film, Hamm is so entertaining that he makes a killer case for a whole new Fletch franchise — on whatever screen the powers-that-be like — with him at its centre. Hamm clearly understands how well he suits this type of character, and the genre; he's a comic delight, and he's also one of Confess, Fletch's producers. Superbad and Adventureland's Greg Mottola directs and co-writes, scripting with Outer Range's Zev Borow — and ensuring that Hamm and Slattery aren't the only acting highlights. Working through a plot that sees Fletch chasing a stolen artwork, discovering a dead body, and both looking into the crime and considered a suspect himself, the film also features engaging turns by always-welcome Twin Peaks great Kyle MacLachlan and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar gem Annie Mumolo. There have been several attempts to revive Fletch over the past three decades, including separate projects with Ted Lasso duo Bill Lawrence and Jason Sudeikis — on the page, the character spans nine novels — but viewers should be thankful that this is the action-comedy that came to fruition, even if it skipped cinemas everywhere but the US. Confess, Fletch streams via Paramount+ and Binge. HUNGER Let's call it the reality TV effect: after years of culinary contests carving up prime-time television, the savage on-screen steps into the food world just keep bubbling. The Bear turned the hospitality industry into not just a tension-dripping dramedy, but one of 2022's best new shows. In cinemas, British pressure-cooker Boiling Point and the sleek and sublimely cast The Menu have tasted from the same intense plate. Now Hunger sits down at the table, giving viewers another thriller of a meal — this time focusing on a Thai noodle cook who wants to be special. When Aoy's (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, One for the Road) street-food dishes based on her Nanna's recipes get the attention of fellow chef Tone (Gunn Svasti Na Ayudhya, Tootsies & the Fake), he tells her that she needs to be plying her talents elsewhere. In fact, he works for Chef Paul (Nopachai Jayanama, Hurts Like Hell), who specialises in the type of fine-dining dishes that only the wealthiest of the wealthy can afford, and is as exacting and demanding as the most monstrous kitchen genius that fiction has ever dreamed up. There's more to making it in the restaurant trade than money, acclaim and status, just like there's more to life as well. As told with slickness and pace, even while clocking in at almost two-and-a-half hours, that's the lesson that director Sitisiri Mongkolsiri (Folklore) and screenwriter Kongdej Jaturanrasamee (Faces of Anne) serve Aoy. She's tempted by the glitz and recognition, and being steeped in a world far different from her own; however, all that gleams isn't always palatable. Plot-wise, Hunger uses familiar ingredients, but always ensures that they taste like their own dish — in no small part thanks to the excellent casting of Chuengcharoensukying as the film's conflicted but determined lead. A model also known as Aokbab, she proved a revelation in 2017's cheating heist thriller Bad Genius, and she's just as compelling here. The two movies would make a high-stakes pair for more than just their shared star, both sinking their teeth into class commentary as well. Yes, like The Menu before it, Hunger is also an eat-the-rich flick, and loves biting into social inequity as hard as it can. Hunger streams via Netflix. VENGEANCE When Vengeance begins with a New Yorker journalist who's desperate to start his own podcast, Soho House hangouts and relationship advice from John Mayer as himself, it begins with rich and savvy character details. Writing, starring and making his feature directorial debut after helming episodes of The Office and The Mindy Project, BJ Novak instantly establishes the kind of person that Ben Manalowitz is. He shows the East Coast world that his protagonist inhabits, too — and, by focusing on the only guy in NYC without their own audio outlet, or so it seems, plus that romantic guidance, it splashes around its sense of humour. This is a sharply amusing mystery-comedy, and a highlight on Novak's resume in all three of his guises. It's also about subverting expectations, and lampooning the first impressions and broad stereotypes that are too often — and too easily — clung to. Indeed, Vengeance bakes in that idea as many ways as it can as Ben (Novak) does the most obvious thing he can to convince his producer (Issa Rae, Insecure) that his voice is worth hearing: bursts his Big Apple bubble. The Mayer bit isn't just a gag; it helps set up Ben as the kind of person who is dating so many women that he doesn't know which one has died after he gets a bereaved phone call from Texas in the middle of the night. On the other end is Ty Shaw (Boyd Holbrook, The Sandman), brother to Abilene (Lio Tipton, Why Women Kill), who insists that Ben head southwest immediately to attend her funeral — she claimed that they were serious enough that she's his girlfriend, after all. Upon arrival, the out-of-towner initially regards his hosts as jokes, and their lives and Abilene's death as content. Ty thinks she was murdered, and Ben couldn't be giddier about getting it all on tape and calling the series Dead White Girl. The journo's self-interest is up there with his obliviousness about anything that doesn't fit into his NYC orbit; however, this isn't a culture-clash comedy — thankfully — but a clever, self-aware and ambitious satire. It's also strikingly shot and features a standout performance by Ashton Kutcher (That '90s Show) as a suave record producer. Vengeance streams via Netflix and Binge. Looking for more viewing highlights? Check out our list of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly. We've also picked our top 15 movies that hit cinemas in the first half of 2023, as well as the 15 best new TV shows and 15 best returning TV shows of the year so far.
Regina George and the Plastics told us that Wednesdays are for wearing pink. In fact, they've advised us of that more than once. But on Wednesday, February 7, the middle of the week is for eating doughnuts without spending a cent, too, to promote the latest Mean Girls film. All day, Donut King is handing out freebies — and keeping Australians happy with their eponymous blend of sweets and carbs. The chain is known for its hot cinnamon doughnuts, and that's exactly what it'll be giving away at participating stores across Australia. Donut King hasn't advised exactly how many doughnuts are up for grabs, and it is a while-stocks-last affair. The big caveat, other than the first-in-best-dressed rule: there's a limit of one free hot cinnamon doughnut per person. Also, you do have to hit up a Donut King shop in-person, with the giveaway not available for deliveries. The brand's locations include everywhere from Chatswood and Top Ryde to Leichhardt and Hurstville in Sydney; Northcote, Sunshine, The Pines and Southland Westfield in Melbourne; Brisbane's Indooroopilly, Carindale, Chermside and Mt Gravatt; Perth's Ocean Keys and Midland Gate; and Adelaide's Glenelg, Tea Tree Plaza and more. But, you will need to check if your local Donut King outpost is taking part. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Donut King (@donutking_au) The new Mean Girls movie adapts the stage musical based on the OG 2004 movie, stars Australian actor Angourie Rice as Cady Heron and hit cinemas in January. Check out the trailer below — before, during or after tucking into a free doughnut: Donut King is giving away free doughnuts on Wednesday, February 7 at the chain's participating stores around the country. To find your closest shop and check its opening hours, head to the Donut King website.
When Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt got bantering while presenting a tribute to stunt performers at the 2024 Oscars, they weren't just there to playfully riff on the Barbenheimer phenomenon, or ignite a Barbie versus Oppenheimer rivalry. They had a film to spruik, aka the Sydney-shot The Fall Guy — and while that Academy Awards stint might've been the best promotion any movie needs, a new trailer has dropped for the flick anyway. For much of his career, Gosling has perfected on-screen smouldering. He's the kind of actor who can utter few words and still convey everything, as movies such as Drive and Only God Forgives demonstrated so well. But Gosling is also exceptional at comedy, which Barbie reminded the world in 2023 with glorious ballad-crooning, beach-loving Kenergy. Next, cinema's baby goose is getting into action-comedy mode in The Fall Guy. Based on the 80s TV series of the same name, the film follows stuntman Colt Seavers (Gosling), whose career isn't what it used to be. After taking time off, he's back at work getting set on fire for a living — but the fact that his ex Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer) is directing brings chaos. That's just the first dose of the movie's mayhem. Also complicating matters: that megastar actor Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bullet Train), who Seavers is meant to be doubling for in Moreno's flick, has gone missing. So, the stunt professional now has another task: work out what's going on by solving a conspiracy. If you're thinking "wasn't Gosling in the stunt game in Drive?", you're correct; however, The Fall Guy couldn't be in more different territory tonally. That said, when Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham tells Gosling "you're a stuntman — nobody's going to notice you, that's your job", in The Fall Guy's trailers (the first arrived back in late 2023), you'll already know that his casting means that's never going to prove true. As well as finding a missing actor, getting immersed in action intrigue to unravel a criminal plot, saving his latest movie and doing his regular job, Seavers is on a mission to win back Moreno — but IRL stuntman-turned-filmmaker David Leitch, who also helmed Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, puts stunts to the fore as much as rom-com banter in the initial sneak peek. Written by Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw scribe Drew Pearce, The Fall Guy co-stars Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar-nominee Stephanie Hsu, plus Winston Duke (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever). Also a big feature in its trailers so far: its Sydney shooting location, including George Street, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Everyone in Australia knows that Gosling was in the country to make the movie — and we all know that any flick shot here will show off that fact in its footage, as seen in the also Sydney-made Anyone But You recently as well. On the small screen, The Fall Guy ran for 113 episodes from 1981–86, starring Lee Majors after his best-known role in The Six Million Dollar Man. Check out the latest trailer for The Fall Guy below: The Fall Guy releases in cinemas Down Under on Wednesday, April 24, 2024.
When you're fresh from donning armour and sparking an international frenzy in one of TV's biggest franchises, what comes next? For Ryan Corr, following up his stint as Ser Harwin Strong in House of the Dragon means sliding into a six-part Brisbane-shot ABC dramedy about loss and mental health. In its themes, tone, scale and budget, In Limbo is in another world to Game of Thrones and its prequel series — it's about a thirtysomething man struggling with the sudden death of his best friend and his mental health in general, and it's also a supernatural buddy comedy — but the Australian star wouldn't have that contrast of parts any other way. "I guess subconsciously, I try to get them as different as possible, like going from a bikie to a man in a suit," Corr says of picking his roles two decades into his career. "I think that I do that because I've done this since I was a kid, and I'm in pursuit of that challenge, and knocking down boundaries that I didn't think I could necessarily do." Corr has done plenty since earning his first screen credit as a teenager in Aussie series The Sleepover Club. Most homegrown TV shows since have featured the charismatic actor, from Blue Heelers, Neighbours, Underbelly and Tangle to Love Child, Cleverman, Hungry Ghosts and Wakefield — and, of course, his 60-plus-episode run on Packed to the Rafters. On the big screen, he made his movie debut in the film adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, then added everything from rom-com Not Suitable for Children and horror sequel Wolf Creek 2 to biopic Holding the Man and bikie drama 1% to his resume, plus Ali's Wedding, Mary Magdalene, Ladies in Black and High Ground as well. Across a body of work with no shortage of highlights, his two most recent projects still stand out. House of the Dragon had Corr playing the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms and, amid the global attention that followed, sparked an onslaught of 'Six Things You Might Not Know About Ser Harwin Strong' and 'Ryan Corr Has Gone From Blue Water High to Westeros'-style articles. "I don't see myself as a six-foot-five strong knight, and sure as hell not the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms," he says. "But the challenge was how do I replicate that in my idea of what strength is and what the essence is? And can I portray that?" In Limbo, which is streaming now on ABC iView and airing weekly on ABC TV, swaps physical brawn for emotional vulnerability. After crane operator Charlie loses his lifelong best mate Nate (Bob Morley, Love Me), everything unsurprisingly changes, but Nate remains a presence in his life from the afterlife. "When I got the script, it really moved me. I found it laugh-out-loud funny, and really upsetting at times — and I thought it was really fresh. I don't think we've tried to deal with themes like this in quite this way before," Corr advises. There's a sense of responsibility that comes with a series like In Limbo, as well as that challenge that Corr is always seeking. Thanks to its subject matter, the show always felt personal while he was making it, too. Corr chatted with Concrete Playground about all about the above, having a profound reaction to the project, balancing In Limbo's tones and themes, his past year and his career highlights so far. ON MAKING A COMEDY THAT'S THOUGHTFUL AND WEIGHTY — AND IN LIMBO'S PERSONAL FEEL "There was a much longer rehearsal process than usual, where we just got to sit down together, weigh in and talk about what we were about to tackle subject-wise — and there were safety networks all around us while we did so — and also start to share and open up about our own lives and experiences, both direct and indirectly, to do with loss, so that we could develop trust together as people while we navigate these ideas. Because I think the series has to have heart. I found that everyone in the making of it — the crew all up in Brisbane, everyone that read this script — had a profound reaction to it and said 'I want to be a part of this'. I think you can feel everyone leaning into it in the final product. I hope so. I've, of course, experienced loss, as have most people that I know. I think it's a very personal tale. I very much based Charlie's relationship with Nate on some of my early childhood friends, who are a bridge past that now — we're not friends anymore, they're more like brothers and sisters, they are my family. So I very much know where that relationship lives, and the idea of losing one of them is the earth-shattering. We all actively worked through it, communicating with each other, personalising what we've been through and were going through, so that we could trust each other — and so you can invest the series with that heart and that meaning. I don't think it's possible if you don't." ON DRAWING UPON REALITY TO INFORM IN LIMBO'S MIX OF TONES AND GENRES "When I lost my grandfather, I was sitting around with a group of my friends and family, and we're all holding hands as he was literally leaving. And he did something funny in some of his final breaths, he made a funny noise or something. And so I found that my family were all holding each other and crying, and then laughing all of a sudden. We were saying goodbye to someone we love, and all of a sudden he made one of the funny noises and we laughed, and there was a wonderful lesson in that — it had both. And I think in life, it has both. And what In Limbo tries to explore is that — I think In Limbo is more about life than it is about death. Strangely, in the losing of Nate, Charlie discovers more about himself in the pursuit of trying to find answers about Nate. He becomes closer to his family, and it exposes things, it brings things to the forefront that he may have not been dealing with previously. And in a strange way, Nate guides Charlie through — in death, Nate helps Charlie through his life. And it's about the way that the people that are left continue to live, the way they come together, and the way they support each other and water those relationships and friendships, and help each other grieve and process. And that's what life is, you know? And within that, within this thing that we call life, there are often — at least I've found — moments of hysterical laughter, of mundane things that make you lose your shit laughing." ON PREPARING FOR IN LIMBO "Like with all characters, there are some parts that you research and some parts of yourself. I have some experiences with mental health myself personally, and with my family and with my friends. So it's not hard for me to go to places where I was in darker spaces with my anxiety and depression, and knowing what that felt like, and not being able to see the light. One the things that In Limbo brings up is that it's not always visible. In fact, it's very, very rarely visible. And I remember, just simply for me personally, that it wasn't until I was going through some shit for a couple of years until I was like 'oh, I don't think I'm happy right now' or 'I think what I'm feeling is muted. I don't feel the highs. I don't feel the lows'. I remember that being rather confronting, like 'oh [how long] have I felt like this for?". One of things that In Limbo tries to do is shed a bit of light on that. You ask more often if people are okay. When they say that they are, it's not always necessarily the full story. And it's about just trying a little further, it's about asking a little more and it's about checking on yourself. Everyone in In Limbo, we all have to pull from our personal worlds. This is an intimate story, and it's about family and it's about loss. So researching things like this, you have to draw from things in your own life, and then have an environment where you can leave that at the door and feel safe to expose it with other people and be safe going home afterwards. I think they very much made that environment for us." ON THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT COMES WITH TACKLING MENTAL HEALTH "It's not our responsibility to give answers or to hammer over the head any of our ideas around this — it's about starting a conversation, and I think that everyone in the creative process very much took that responsibility on board, and tried to keep that close through the shooting of it as our as our main drive. Our number-one prerogative was to take that responsibility seriously. You have responsibility to all characters you play. If you're doing it properly, it has to cost you something — and particularly with something like this, there's no phoning it in. So we made sure that being comfortable around dealing with these things, both as performers and as people, was right the forefront. And that we weren't trying to hand people any simple answers." ON WHAT CORR LOOKS FOR IN A PART "It can be a number of things, but usually something that challenges me or that I don't think I can do initially — something where I go 'all right, now we're gonna go over here'. It's about challenge and primarily it's about chase. It's about the pursuit of great writing and great directors. When you have language on your side, when you have great ideas on your side, that's the pursuit of this industry. It's raising to those writers and it's raising to those ideas — not making it about yourself and saying 'this is how it is when I feel', it's about trying to play your part in the whole of the narrative. It's really the pursuit of writing that excites me — and directors that, when you sit down and have meetings with them, the way they talk about their ideas gets you excited and inspires you, and you can see it as they talk. It's working with creatives who have a similar pursuit as I do." ON JUMPING FROM HOUSE OF THE DRAGON TO IN LIMBO "Obviously there's a difference in the scale and the reach, but honestly there's not a big difference between In Limbo and Thrones. There's more people, but it's ultimately always the same job. In fact, if anything, I find that the the bigger they get and the more expansive, the less personal they become, and the less involved with the people you're working with. You can shoot a scene over half a week [on House of the Dragon] — one scene of a sequence over half a week. On In Limbo, we're shooting 16 scenes the day and then waking up at 4am to do it again the next day. And we had bugger all time to do it in, like five weeks, so it becomes a completely different exercise in trusting each other. [With House of the Dragon] you just expand upon that. Instead of going into a house that we've decked out in Brisbane, it's a giant setpiece that is an operational castle — you can walk up the stairs, and there's 30 people teaching someone dance for next week, teams and teams of people. It's the same thing extended upon, obviously, because there's huge amounts of money involved, and because the shows are so big. I just tried to go in and fill Harwin's shoes the best way I knew how. There wasn't a huge amount of him in the book, so I had to fill in the lines. That part of it was exactly the same as sitting in the lounge room with In Limbo… working through these scenes, mining them for the best ideas, workshopping the best ways to do it, rehearsing it and then getting out there and trying to give it our all." ON THE PROJECT ON CORR'S RESUME THAT STANDS OUT "Honestly, every one — but two things. Kevin Jackson is my acting mentor who's just recently passed away — he was the acting teacher at NIDA for many, many years, and is responsible for framing the lives and artistry of many people that I know, including myself. I went at 17. I'd done teen shows, and I made the decision at that age — I was like 'I want take this seriously and I want to study it'. So I took myself out of the industry, went to drama school and that's where I met a man in Kevin that taught me what great writing was and how what we did was above ourselves. Like I say, he is 'the writer is God'. He's the reason that I pursue writing the way that I do. It's not about how you feel, it's not about bringing it down to you. It's about pain reaching these ideas. Can you make something of these ideas? And therefore it's universal. When I was growing up, I took a lot of my lessons, my understanding of emotion, my understanding of love, my understanding of grief, from a lot of the films that I inhaled. That was my go-to, that's what spoke to me and that felt important to me. And so, if I'm going to do it as my career, Kevin was very much a pivotal part of helping me understand what it is that we do. Also Holding the Man, I would say as an experience, as a film, working with [director] Neil Armfield, working with Tommy [playwright and screenwriter Tommy Murphy]. And having for the first time the yardstick of what I was doing, as my job slightly changed. It wasn't just 'here's my version of a character and I hope it's good' — it was someone's family. And I met that family, and I had them hand over their journals and their personal belongings, and I had his friends reach out from all throughout Melbourne. And we had the Victorian AIDS Council say, 'hey, can we can we do rehearsals here?'. I was just overwhelmed with the amount of compassion and the amount of love that reached towards us in doing it. And it made me realise that my job here wasn't to do a good job — it was to represent a real person's memory and their legacy and their love to the absolute nth degree that I possibly can. That felt important and, like with In Limbo, I felt a responsibility to the people that I was playing and to what it meant, and that really resonated with me throughout the years. It's not like you can have jobs like that all the time, but it really did entrench what this industry, what this thing that I call a job, what the arts can be and what it can do and how important it is." In Limbo streams via ABC iView. Read our full review. House of the Dragon streams via Binge. Read our full review.
It's the most wonderful time of the year, a time when it's socially acceptable to eat as much ice cream as humanly possible under the guise of "staying cool". And while ice cream on its own is delicious, it's almost always better when surrounded by crunch and more sugar — in other words, as an ice cream sandwich. To help you eat maximum ice cream this summer, we've put together a list of our favourite ice cream sandwiches in and around Melbourne. So if you do one thing during the warmer months, make it a culinary tour of the city's most creative and delicious ice cream sangas. BILLY VAN CREAMY Starting as an organic gelato truck rolling around Melbourne, Billy van Creamy opened at bricks-and-mortar store in Fitzroy North two years ago. A passion project from two Perth-born brothers, Billy van Creamy is all about making authentic and ethical ice cream by hand. With their permanent digs sorted, the boys started to experiment with some new inventions, including one of our favourite collaborations of all time — the BillyBing. A scoop of gelato sandwiched by two dark chocolate Butterbing cookies, the sweet sanga can be found at their store and their still-functioning truck. Let the Billybing addiction begin. MILKCOW Soft serve might seem like the something reserved for children and late-night Maccas runs, but Milkcow is out to prove that it's still cool. The South Korean soft serve joint creates epic desserts centred on the icy treat, and its latest creation has taken Melbourne by storm. It's a watermelon wedge filled with vegan and dairy-free watermelon ice cream and sprinkled with Himalayan pink salt. If that wasn't enough, the seeds adorning the outside are made from chocolate chips. Your Instagram followers will thank you for sampling (and snapping) this treat, available at both the St Collins Lane and Swanston Street stores for a limited time. MY TWO MUMS The two talented ladies behind My Two Mums have created some of the best ice cream sandwiches going around. Rolling around Melbourne in a bright blue truck, the ladies source local, free range and organic ingredients to create eco-friendly and delicious ice cream sandwiches. Cookie flavours include M&M, pistachio and cardamom, and of course classic chocolate chip, while ice cream can be anything from strawberry to choc mint, white chocolate to raspberry, depending on the day. Head to My Two Mums' social pages to find the truck and choose your very own flavour combo. HUXTABURGER While it may be better known for its epic savoury creations, burger-haunt Huxtaburger also creates a pretty divine ice cream burger. For only six bucks you can enjoy a vanilla ice cream patty rolled in Huxtacrunch (crushed pastry flakes) and drizzled in your choice of chocolate or caramel sauce. It's then encased in a slider-sized brioche bun. While it might not be a classic ice cream sanga, it's still a pretty great way to cool down on a hot summers afternoon. Available at Huxtaburger stores across the city. DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE You'll have to venture out of the city for this one, but it's well worth the trip to Templestowe. Falling somewhere between badass breakfast and divine dessert, Down the Rabbit Hole's waffle ice cream sandwich is held together by a lemon and blueberry semifreddo. Held together by two gingerbread waffles and finished with tangy lemon curd, blueberry gel and crunchy meringue, the Maxi John is an ice cream sandwich on steroids — and it's certainly not for the faint of heart. CODA While it might not be the first venue that springs to mind when you hear "ice cream sandwich", Coda, hidden away on Flinders Lane, actually makes one of the city's best. A creation from head pastry chef Kay-Lene Tan, the chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich contains banana sorbet and is served with salted caramel pearls. It might be a little fancier than your average ice cream sanga, but it's certainly worth making a reservation to sample this delectable dessert. BISTRO MORGAN If, when it comes to ice cream sangas, you share the mentality of a 16-year-old, Bistro Morgan's offering may be just for you. Founded by teenager Morgan Hipworth, this South Yarra doughnut emporium serves ice cream sandwiches that you can essentially build from scratch. It's pretty simple – first you pick a doughnut, next choose an ice cream and finally you add any mix-ins or drizzles your heart may desire. While it sounds easy, it's certainly not boring, with doughnut flavours ranging from Hershey's cookies and cream to strawberry jam and drizzles including Fruit Loops and Gaytime crumbs. THE MEATBALL & WINE BAR The only way to finish a meal at the Meatball & Wine Bar is with one of its famous Whoopie Macs – a Meatballs twist on a classic ice cream sammie. First you choose your cookie – pick from ginger, chocolate, lemon shortbread or pistachio meringue — then select either salted caramel, fig and almond, cherry or chocolate and hazelnut. And voila — an ice cream sandwich will be delivered to your table before you can say "whoopie". CUPPA TURCA Once you've tried a Turkish-style ice cream sandwich, you may never go back to a "regular" one. Using stretchy Turkish ice cream, or dondurma, Northcote cafe Cuppa Turca serves the icy treat between two slices of crispy hand-rolled baklava. It's then topped with hot pink Persian fairy floss. For those who are after something a little less extra, there's a more tame version served between two thin wafers. Whichever sandwich you pick, order it with a cup of coffee made on hot sand – a true Turkish delight.
Smith Street’s record haven is unpretentious and laidback, leaving you to browse uninterrupted. Music is separated by genres and major artists at The Searchers, who also keep their newer releases separate for those who aren’t interested in trawling through the second-hand section (their loss). We’ve had a surprising win in their hip hop and rap sections before, but it’s the old school rock 'n’ roll and disco sections that are particular goldmines.
We take travelling seriously at Concrete Playground. Whether you're planning luxury getaways abroad, interstate camping trips, weekend jaunts to a city or bathing beachside, our team of avid travellers and destination-obsessives like to think we've got all the necessary tips for where to eat, drink, stay and hang out to get your itineraries in the best possible shape. But it has come to our attention that we've lapsed in our advice when it comes to what to put in your luggage. So, what must-have travel essentials should you be bringing with you on your next trip to make packing for your holiday a simple and stress-free task? In partnership with the folks at Kmart, we're going to share our top tips for packing, depending on what kind of adventure you are about to embark on. Carry-on Connoisseurs If you are attempting to eschew those ever-increasing checked luggage bag fees but aren't quite keen on stuffing a pillowcase with all your belongings, it might be time to assess what you are actually packing. If you've committed to confining yourself to cabin baggage alone, pack items that can do multiple jobs. A simple button-up shirt can be casual with jeans and a tee, a throw-on layer over swimwear, or be dressed up by buttoning it up and tucking it into your pants. Dresses are the ultimate outfit saviour if you favour a single-item outfit. With a simple hairstyle or accessories, a dress can take you from chill brunch to a luxe wine-tasting or fine-dining experience. Don't put yourself out, and ensure you are always looking your best, whether you are sipping on sparkling next to the Riviera or exploring food markets in Japan. Luxury Lovers There's nothing more luxurious than having options for everyday activities on your five-star getaway. But with all your outfit choices, how can you keep tabs on your belongings? Easy, get yourself organised with luggage organisers. Packing cubes are excellent for all kinds of travellers, whether you're hiking the Great Dividing Range or booking yourself into a relaxing retreat. Keep your items organised, from your electronics to your toiletries, your swimwear to your evening wear. With the right travel accessories, you'll never have to worry about where your perfect evening outfit or super luxurious sunhat is. International Explorers If you're that person who is constantly returning from an overseas trip and planning the next one, you probably need new luggage. All that travelling plays havoc on your baggage. From the usual wear and tear of being pulled through the terminals to the stress of being chucked around on baggage chutes, bus racks, taxi boots and more. Before you start planning your next vacation, make sure your bags are in good nick for overseas travel. You don't want to have to be scouring local supermarkets for duct tape. Get yourself sorted with a stylish new set, and you're basically halfway ready for your next adventure. Weekend Warriors Do you keep your eyes peeled for budget-friendly interstate flights or car hire sales for your next weekend escapade? Much like the Carry-on Connoisseurs above, you're only going for the weekend, so make sure you pack lightly (so you can fill your car/suitcase with all the local goodies you can). Whether you're heading for the hills or journeying to a dense metropolis, walking shoes are a must. No matter if you are a guy planning a luxe trip to the south Pacific or a gal heading to the mountains, the ratty trainers you've been rocking to the gym simply won't do (and neither will that stylish new pair you're yet to break in). Get comfy, versatile walking sneakers or boots that match your fave 'fit for city exploring or countryside wandering and wear them on the way to your weekend destination. Adventure Seekers If you love spending your weekends exploring the bush or hiking up mountains, it's important to be prepared and get your camping gear in order. A sturdy shoe, head torch and waterproof pack can make or break a weekend — so be prepared for every kind of weather and dress for the elements to change. Remember: it's cold at night, even during an Aussie summer. If you're a keen camper, stock up on gas fuel for your stove and a first aid pack (with sunscreen and bug spray). It's the times that you need it that you don't have it. Don't put yourself in that position and get prepped for adventure. Foodie Fanatics Do you spend your holidays sampling wines, tasting local produce and snagging the best dinner reservations in town? Dress to impress and pack a skirt that can bring you from the market to the restaurant in an instant. Whether you're more of a mini, midi, or maxi skirt kind of person, a stylish skirt can elevate your outfit for the perfect look for embarking on your epicurean adventure. Discover more of your must-have travel essentials over on Kmart's website.
Joining a stable of popular venues that includes the likes of Lucky Coq, Bimbo Deluxe and the Portsea Hotel in 2023, the Albert Park Hotel jumped back onto the post-COVID scene with a contemporary new look and a modern Chinese food offering. The full revamp has gifted the space with a new four-storey atrium and old-meets-new interiors bringing new life to the venue's original brickwork and historic features. A contemporary food offering from Head Chef Karloong Yee is available throughout the venue, but takes centre stage within the restaurant, Happy Valley, with a menu that fuses familiar Chinese flavours with modern technique and local ingredients. Expect dim sum aplenty, alongside the likes of san choi bao, peking duck pancakes and a kung pao chicken laced with facing heaven chilli. Char siu pork pairs with black pepper and honey, and ice cream comes with a five-spice doughnut. You can match snacks — perhaps barbecue pork buns or seafood spring rolls — with a few crisp brews and some footy in the front bar, or take advantage of the Aussie-led wine lineup and a reserve list that's at once high-end and affordable. For cocktails, signatures include spins on palomas, sours, old-fashioned's and plenty of original pours. Images: Simon Shiff Appears in: The Best Pubs in Melbourne for 2023
What do The Simpsons, Star Wars and Shrek have in common? They've all graced the big screen, they clearly share a love for the letter S and they're each huge hits. Oh, and they've all inspired their own firmly adults-only stage parodies, as pop-culture favourites starting with the 19th letter of the alphabet happen to do in Australia, it seems. Somebody once told us that Shreklesque is the burlesque and drag take pop culture's favourite green ogre that you didn't know you needed — and we're telling you that now. (And no, nobody informed you two decades ago that the animated hit would turn out like this, because no one could've predicted it.) On the bill at the aptly named show: the kind of irreverent and raunchy take on all things Shrek that The Bad Collective will be serving up with its upcoming The Stripsons, too — and, while Shreklesque has been around for a couple of years now, earning awards and acclaim in the process, the Aussie production is hitting the road for a national and New Zealand tour in 2022. That means that it's time to make a date with a production that might share a general storyline and a fondness for the colour green with the much less satirical — and actually family-friendly — Broadway hit Shrek the Musical, which came our way a year or so back, but couldn't be more different in a heap of ways. If you're wondering who had the brainwave to turn Shrek into a burlesque show, that'd be Trigger Happy as Shreklesque's creator and director. For this tour, the show's cast includes Bebe Gunn, Rainbow, Tugboat Tiffy, Baron Von Envy, Henny Spaghetti, Barbie Banks, Selin Tian, Rosaline DeRussi, Indea Sekula and De La Vinx. Wearing green is obviously recommended — although you'll be seeing plenty of it on-stage anyway. And if this is exactly your sense of humour when it comes to beloved pop-culture commodities, all that glitters is gold, naturally. SHREKLESQUE AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2022 DATES: February 18–20: The Flamingo at Gluttony, Adelaide June 3–4: Enmore Theatre, Sydney June 11: The Princess Theatre, Launceston June 15–18: The Tivoli, Brisbane June 24: The Astor, Perth June 29–July 2: Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne July 8–9: The Opera House, Wellington July 16: Entertainment Centre, Darwin Shreklesque tours Australia and New Zealand throughout 2022, starting in Adelaide in February, then picking back up again in June and July. Head to the show's website for further details and tickets. Images: SomeFX.
Take an everyday pastime, then add drinks — so far, that's been Funlab's kidulting way. It worked with bowling, as Strike has shown. It proved a smash at the chain's Holey Moley mini golf bars. With arcade and carnival games, it's been a hit at Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq and B Lucky and Sons as well. And, when the brand opened its first Hijinx Hotel in Sydney this winter, the same idea met escape rooms — or challenge rooms, as is Funlab's spin. This summer, Melburnians will also get to experience the latter, with Hijinx launching its first Victorian location. Setting up shop at Chadstone at a yet-to-be-revealed date, Hijinx will join the shopping centre's new entertainment and dining precinct, which has been dubbed The Social Quarter. Also set to settle in: fellow Funlab brands Strike Bowling, Holey Moley and Archie Brothers, for knocking down pins, tapping around 18 pop culture-themed greens, getting a sideshow experience and, at Archie Brothers, mashing buttons in a 4D XD theatre. The big drawcard is Hijinx Hotel, of course. And if you're new to the concept, it's basically an OTT nostalgia bomb. Willy Wonka would've been proud to dream it up if the fictional character branched out beyond making chocolate and candy — and the Chadstone site will come with ten game rooms filled with challenges. When is a hotel not really a hotel? When it's a hotel-themed bar that decks out its interiors like somewhere you can stay — taking a few cues from Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shining's Overlook Hotel, in fact — but doesn't actually include slumbering in its rooms. And when is an escape room bar not at all an escape room bar? When it takes the escape room concept of theming different spaces — those aforementioned hotel-style rooms — and decks them out with challenges instead. Yes, the premise behind Hijinx Hotel needs a bit of explaining. It also gleans inspiration from all those supremely Instagrammable pop-up installations that include ball pits, but this one is sticking around Chadstone permanently. Plus, it'll jam in bars for cocktail-sipping opportunities, nod to New York hotels in its facade, and overflow with homages to movies and board games from the 80s and 90s. Escapism is clearly the name of the game here, and partying like you would've before you were old enough to drink alcohol — but with the hard stuff definitely on offer. Wondering what that entails? If Melbourne's Hijinx Hotel mimics its Sydney counterpart, you'll enter via the faux hotel lobby bar that's full of colour and surrealist touches. Instead of merely checking in, though, you'll down cocktails in a neon-lit space and hang out in booths. As for the not-quite-hotel rooms themselves, you'll gain access by heading to reception t0 pick up a swipe card. And if you're wondering about the theming, Sydney's spot features games inspired by Twister, Scrabble and Tetris — called Poke A Dot, Scrambled and Shape'n Up — as well as a Big-style piano room with a giant keyboard across the floor. Exactly what'll be included in Melbourne hasn't bee confirmed, but the Sydney venue also has a Draw Me Like One Of Your French Girls room, which is designed to make you feel like you're in the middle of a sinking ship; a pastel ball pit that resembles a huge bowl of cereal; a room that releases balls from the top of the wall like you're in a life-sized pinball machine; and another that's all about shooting hoops. Find Hijinx Hotel at Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone, Victoria, from a yet-to-be-confirmed date this summer. We'll update you when an exact opening date is announced. For further information in the interim, keep an eye on the venue's website. Images: Hijinx Hotel Sydney.
This Brunswick Street mainstay packs a visual punch from the moment you peek through the front window, lush and brimming with that renowned collection of greenery and fresh blooms. Founded way back in 1989, the business has won itself a stack of awards and pulled scores of high-profile clients, known both for its sharp curations and innovative work. Supplies from some of the country's leading specialist growers ensure some truly impressive bouquets and arrangements, whether you're shopping for something small or mighty — like the endlessly dramatic Rouge creation. Keep an eye out, too, for some unique floral species grown in founder Cherrie Miriklis' own grand Dandenong Ranges garden.
Masters of Aussie-made juniper spirits of the rare and unusual kind, small batch distillery Four Pillars have added another offering to their tasty, boozy range. While their rare dry, spiced Negroni and bloody Shiraz varieties remain favourites for plenty of reasons, they're now serving up their first pre-mixed bottled cocktails. Meet the Improved Hanky Panky, an amber concoction that screams warm weather drinks — that is, the type that go down smooth and easy while you're sitting back in the sun. It's a collaboration between Shaun Byrne of Maidenii and Gin Palace, and Four Pillars' own Sam Ng. After Byrne gave the distillery a few Maidenii vermouth barrels, they used them to age a batch of Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin, then aged the results in old chardonnay barrels, and finally added in vermouth, Fernet-Branca and absinthe. Yes, that's quite the alcohol-filled creation, and it's now available for $32 per 200ml bottle — which holds three cocktails — or $90 for a three-pack. Four Pillars suggests serving it neat over ice with a few slices of orange as a garnish. We suggest that it's the excuse to down a few refreshing beverages, not that gin lovers need a reason.
When Sydney Film Festival looks backwards in 2025, as it does every year with a featured retrospective, it'll be following in its own footsteps several times over. The work of Iranian director Jafar Panahi has graced its screens again and again over the fest's history. More than a decade ago, in 2011, a retrospective just like this also highlighted some of his movies alongside those of his compatriot Mohammad Rasoulof, in fact. Long may this trend continue; a filmmaker this bold and daring should always be in the spotlight. Panahi's body work speaks for itself — and also speaks to his ongoing fight to chronicle contemporary Iran and the reality of life for its people, a battle that he's kept waging despite repercussions regularly coming his way. By his nation's ruling regime, the writer/director has been banned from filmmaking, and also from travel. He's been arrested and imprisoned as well. Indeed, it isn't just his movies that send a message of resistance; his quest to make them, to retain the right to do so, and the pursuit of freedom that goes with that ceaseless campaign, is also a statement. SFF's 2025 Jafar Panahi: Cinema in Rebellion program is celebrating its namesake with a program of all ten of his features, all screening across the festival's dates of Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15. From 1995's The White Balloon to 2022's No Bears, audiences can witness Panahi's progression as a filmmaker — and how his exploration of existence in Iran, especially for women and others suffering oppression and censorship (including himself), has evolved and solidified over almost three decades. With every one of his titles, SFF attendees will also watching be award-winning pictures. The White Balloon gave Panahi his first Cannes accolade, for best first film. Then 1997's The Mirror took home the Locarno International Film Festival's Golden Leopard, 2000's The Circle nabbed Venice's Golden Lion, 2003's Crimson Gold earned an Un Certain Regard prize back at Cannes and 2006's Offside collected a Silver Bear in Berlin. More Cannes love came for 2011's This Is Not a Film (the Carrosse d'Or at the Director's Fortnight) and 2018's Three Faces (for best screenplay), plus more Berlin recognition for 2013's Closed Curtain (another Silver Bear) and 2015's Tehran Taxi (the Golden Bear), and more again from Venice for No Bears (a Special Jury Prize).
Australia's just scored what looks set to be its most inclusive music festival yet, with sports and radio legend Dylan Alcott announcing a strong lineup for the debut of his event Ability Fest. Helping to launch the Paralympian's charity, the Dylan Alcott Foundation, next month, the festival's being co-helmed by Untitled (the entertainment group behind Beyond The Valley and Pitch Music & Arts) and it's one that caters to everyone, regardless of gender, disability, age or race. With Ability Fest, Alcott's set out to both normalise disability and help boost inclusivity across all areas of the music industry. With 20 percent of Aussies living with a physical or intellectual disability, it's high time an event like this was added to the festival calendar. A massive lineup — including Zimbabwean-born singer-songwriter Tkay Maidza, disco guy Harvey Sutherland and a back-to-back DJ set with Flight Facilities and Client Liaison — has dropped today, with all artists donating their time. Melbourne's Coburg Velodrome is being transformed into a fully accessible live music venue for the event, complete with a bunch of viewing platforms for those in wheelchairs and AUSLAN translators for all acts on the main stage. Ability Fest is hoping to raise $300,000 through ticket sales and donations, with all of it headed directly to the Dylan Alcott Foundation. This will then be used to offer mentoring, scholarships and grants to marginalised young Australians with disabilities. Image: LR Photography.
Mona has never shirked attention. Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art has welcomed it, in fact, whether it's bringing in 80 tonnes of sand, is allowing music fans listen to the sole copy of Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon a Time in Shaolin or is part of a TV show about potentially eating Australia's invasive animal species — and that's just in the past year. Also part of the venue's story over the past 12 months or so: the legal proceedings around Ladies Lounge, the feminist installation created by artist and curator Kirsha Kaechele, which was taken to court due to an anti-discrimination complaint. Two big developments impacted Ladies Lounge in 2024: first, in April, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled that it must start letting men enter; then, a September decision by the state's Supreme Court upheld Mona's appeal, permitting it to reopen for women only to continue to make its statement about the lack of opportunity historically offered to ladies by such spaces. Kaechele did indeed relaunch the installation, but only briefly, while flagging that it could go on tour. So, after ending its run at its original home in January 2025, Ladies Lounge is now headed to the Gold Coast. Each year, the coastal Sunshine State spot turns over much of the city to Bleach*, its annual arts festival. This year, Ladies Lounge is on its lineup. This is the first time that it will pop up beyond Mona, and therefore also beyond Tasmania, with the Gold Coast's HOTA, Home of the Arts playing host to the feminist space. "Yes, some boys may be allowed in for domestic arts lessons and reparations," the fest advises. Bleach* 2025 runs from Thursday, July 31–Sunday, August 10, also covering music, opera, drama, food and more, all at festival hubs a HOTA, Kurrawa Park and Emerald Lakes. It has more big art names attached, too. Australian visual artist Michael Zavros is the festival's guest Artistic Director for the year, curating a program that spans 100-plus events. Among them, Patricia Piccinini's Skywhale and Skywhalepapa are on the lineup, and will float through the Gold Coast's skies. That's how Bleach* will kick off at sunrise on its first 2025 day. "It's such a thrill to come on board as guest Artistic Director and launch Bleach* 2025. We've been shaping this festival for some time now, and it's incredibly rewarding to see the program come to life and finally share it with our audiences," said Zavros, announcing this year's bill. "We've dreamed big this year — pushing for bold, ambitious moments — and it's exciting to see those ideas realised in such powerful ways. Bleach* continues to play a vital role in the Gold Coast's arts and culture scene, and this year's program is a true reflection of the city's creative spirit and growing artistic ambition." Among the festival's three world premieres of works created on the Gold Coast, plus five Queensland premieres and plenty of other must-sees, other highlights include opera, classical music and dancing horses taking over Kurrawa Beach; artist Jeff Koons getting chatting at an exclusive in-conversation event; and Selve's new album Breaking Into Heaven performed in full with lasers, Karul Projects dancers and the Australian Session Orchestra outdoors at HOTA. Or, there's also Drum As You Are, a family-friendly Nirvana tribute — one of the iconic band's albums is called Bleach, after all — that'll feature both professional and community drummers. Unsurprisingly given that he's steering this year's festival, you can also see Zavros' Drowned Mercedes, the sculpture that was first unveiled in Brisbane in 2023 and, yes, features a 1990s Mercedes-Benz SL convertible filled with water. Zavros is also taking part in life-drawing sessions, Melissa Spratt and Tal Fitzpatrick are teaming up to showcase how textiles can be comforting in public space, and Josh Cohen's Radiohead for Solo Piano II will be in the spotlight. Bleach* 2025 runs from Thursday, July 31–Sunday, August 10 at various locations around the Gold Coast. For further information, head to the festival website.
A few months back, US TV network NBC announced news that definitely wasn't noice, tight or cool cool cool: that Brooklyn Nine-Nine would end after its next (and eighth) season. That revelation sparked plenty of questions, all of varying degrees of importance. How will it all wrap up? What does this last batch of ten episodes have in store for Brooklyn's fictional 99th police precinct? How many more times will Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) say "title of your sex tape"? Will Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) make a final appearance? And how much more yoghurt can Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) eat? Come August in America, all those queries will be answered. Earlier this month, NBC announced that Brooklyn Nine-Nine's last season would launch following the Tokyo Olympics — and, via a just-dropped first teaser trailer, it has revealed that that'll start happening from August 12. Based on the past few seasons, it's hopeful that viewers Down Under will be able to watch the police-focused comedy come to an end at the same time. In Australia, SBS has fast-tracked recent seasons, so fingers crossed that that happens again. The first sneak peek at the new season doesn't reveal much else, though. It's more of a sizzle reel for the show's last hurrah — but it does remind us that there have been seven Halloween heists and 32 sex tape titles so far, information that every B99 devotee needs to know. Something that it doesn't tell us: how many times Die Hard will get a mention before the series says "yippee-ki-yay" for the last time. Whatever else Peralta, Jeffords (Terry Crews), Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz), Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio), Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), and Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) get up to, we're guessing that the final season will direct even more love towards the 80s action flick that Peralta so openly adores. As the season seven finale revealed, the show's latest character is named after the Bruce Willis movie, after all. Check out the teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRFDHqFiYoE&t=3s Brooklyn Nine-Nine's eighth and final season is set to start in the US on August 12. We'll update you when an air date Down Under is confirmed.
A library's not a place you'd usually associate with a rocking nine-day music festival. So, it was surprises all 'round as the State Library of Victoria was announced as the hub for this year's Melbourne Music Week. Yep, the grand dame of Swanston Street is about to crank up the volume. Of course, MMW is no stranger to weird and wonderful venues; in previous years, the festival has held gigs in abandoned hospital basements, derelict buildings and underground train stations. Which makes a library seem quite tame, really. Running from November 11 to 19, the festival aims to throw a spotlight on Melbourne's world-renowned music scene — and this year they're promising a diverse array of gigs and events that's even bigger than last year's 110-strong lineup. The full program is yet to drop, though the Melbourne Music Week crew have thrown out a couple of tasty crumbs. Tickets for Zola Jesus' performance are already on sale, while Andrew Jervis, Anthony Fantano, and Nai Palm are just some of the speakers announced for the festival's Face The Music summit, to be held on November 17 and 18. And of course, there's the tantalising news that The State Library will play host to big slice of the action, swapping the usual studious silence and quiet time for some big beats, gigs, and high-energy dance parties. The full program will be announced on October 4 — so stay tuned. Image: Pascal via Flickr.
It’s 1982, Amsterdam, and tough economic times are hitting hard. So what’s a ragtag gang of close-knit friends to do to make a living — especially when they can’t get a bank loan to pursue legitimate business interests? Abducting a beer baron might not be the obvious answer, but it is the course of action Cor Van Hout (Jim Sturgess) and his brother-in-law Willem Holleeder (Sam Worthington) take. They’ll need to rob a bank to finance their ingenious get-rich-quick idea, and they’ll need the help of some pals (fellow Aussies Ryan Kwanten and Thomas Cocquerel, plus Dutch actor Mark van Eeuwen) to put their plan into action. Welcome to Kidnapping Mr Heineken, a snatch-and-grab caper that can only tell a true tale. This isn’t the first time these circumstances have earned the big screen treatment, with 2011’s De Heineken ontvoering from The Netherlands doing the same. The capture of Alfred Heineken for what was the largest ransom ever at the time made headlines in its day; however, that was three decades ago. Now, it’s a footnote in history, and even with several movies reliving the saga, that’s likely the way it will stay. Journalist Peter R. de Vries turned the entire affair into a book in 1987, his investigative attitude coming through in the film adaptation. Kidnapping Mr Heineken maps the planning and the aftermath in standard crime procedural fashion, more concerned with the perpetrators and their fraying friendship — 35 million Dutch guilders is a lot of money to share, after all — than the plight of their victim. Perhaps director Daniel Alfredson, a veteran of The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, just wanted to showcase his younger stars, all strangely keeping their native accents. Perhaps it’s just because, apart than the initial abduction and the inevitable downfall, not much happens — other than squabbling and sitting around waiting. As is often the case, what Van Hout and Holleeder thought was a sure path to easy money quickly proves otherwise. After capturing Heineken (Anthony Hopkins) and his driver (David Dencik), neither the police nor the beer company plays ball. Cue an average dramatisation of actual events, with the usual backstories and complications. Everyone has issues: Holleeder’s father previously worked for Heineken, his sister (and Van Hout’s wife) is pregnant, one of the group has a family to care for, no one really likes another of their so-called friends. Alfredson is workman-like in bringing it all together, ensuring the movie looks sleek while matching the 1980s period, and even throwing in a few great car chases. His cast does the same, each hitting their marks, though nothing bubbles under the surface of their characters — or the film. It’s a fitting approach for a feature that doesn’t try to be anything more than a faithful, sometimes emotional retelling of real-life circumstances, but it is also unfulfilling. Alas, Kidnapping Mr Heineken is content with just showing us what happened, rather than telling us anything that inspires more than a passing interest.
This Victorian boutique hotel takes a weekend on the Mornington Peninsula to a new level of luxury. Jackalope Hotel is smack-bang in the middle of the Peninsula's wine region in Merricks North, just next to Red Hill. The hotel is the 'passion project' of 28-year-old entrepreneur Louis Li, who worked with architecture firm Carr Design Group and Fabio Ongarato Design studio to design the hotel, which is his first. The impressive exterior maintains a modern austerity while naturally fitting into the rolling landscape. At the entrance to the hotel, guests are greeted by a seven-metre-tall sculpture of a Jackalope, the mythical horned rabbit of North American folklore the hotel is named after, which does seem overdone — but then, that also seems to be the point of the hotel's 'extravagance to surreal proportions' mindset. The 46 rooms offer terrace or vineyard views, with their double-the-size 'lair' suites offering the best views in the house. Each room boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, private terraces and hand-crafted bespoke furnishings. If you're one for a good bath, the deep-soak, black Japanese tubs and exclusive Hunter Lab bath products will keep you utterly relaxed while you admire your fabulous self in the double vanities. It's a bathroom well deserving of a nice glass (or bottle) of local wine, that's for sure. If your private bath isn't quite enough, the landscaped gardens include a 30-metre infinity pool with an adjacent pavilion for spa treatments. The hotel also houses an extensive art collection, commissioned and installed specifically for the space for anyone looking to soak up some culture instead of sun. Yes, it's incredibly luxe. [caption id="attachment_641969" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Doot Doot Doot[/caption] And to be certain they are not outdone, Jackalope is also home to not one, but two restaurants, headed by chef Guy Stanaway. The fine dining option, oddly named Doot Doot Doot, centres around a menu of seasonal, local produce, while the cellar door, Rare Hare, is set amongst the hotel's winery and offers the requisite wine and food pairing. If you somehow get bored in this lap of luxury, the Peninsula is already home to over 50 cellar doors and restaurants, not to mention golf courses, natural hot springs, national parks and bay beaches. You can use our weekender's guide to the area to navigate. Of course, all this will cost you a pretty penny — rooms start at around $650 and go up to over $1000 per night. But for those looking to give themselves a little (or a lot) of pampering, Jackalope is the ideal spot for it.
If you're the kind of restaurant-goer who picks their places to eat based on accolades, acclaim and applause, then you'll be familiar with France's Mirazur. The three Michelin-starred eatery sits in the French Riviera near the Italian border, calls an old 1930s villa home, and is the work of Argentinian-born chef and owner Mauro Colagreco, who takes culinary inspiration from his Italian grandparents. It's also a former winner of the World's Best 50 Restaurants' top spot, and it should be high on everyone's food bucket list. For three weeks in autumn, from Friday, March 10–Friday, March 31, Mirazur is also visiting Australia. Its destination: the hatted The Gantry at Pier One Sydney Harbour, where the coveted restaurant will put on its first-ever Harbour City residency. That'll make ticking off a visit a whole lot easier — no overseas plane ticket required. [caption id="attachment_728308" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mirazur, Nicolas Lobbestael[/caption] Swapping one waterfront locale for another, Colagreco is making the trip Down Under from Menton near Nice on the Cote D'Azur, accompanied by a sizeable portion of his team. That includes Mirazur's Chief Operating Officer Maria Tancredi and Executive Chef Luca Mattioli, as well as front-of-house and kitchen staff, plus sommeliers. Silvina Dayer, its agronome — aka garden scientist — will also head our way with the crew. Heroing Australian ingredients, the Mirazur cohort will serve up a multi-course tasting menu, plus snacks, which won't come cheap — $685 per person, in fact, with wine pairings starting from an extra $210. [caption id="attachment_888022" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Matteo Carassale[/caption] The specific focus: using the best Aussie wares they can source, working with producers who are respectful and passionate about the land and sea, to whip up an original menu that showcases the restaurant's commitment to sustainability, nature and biodiversity. Taking inspiration from different cultures and cooking environments, and highlighting their ingredients and suppliers, is what the Mirazur Beyond Borders project is all about — which this residency slots into. "Mirazur Beyond Borders is the opportunity for us to enrich our knowledge, philosophy and commitment. I have visited Australia a few times and what excites me is that it is a country where there is a huge diversity of nature, landscapes, and species," said Colagreco, announcing the Sydney jaunt. "It's very important for me and my team to learn from and experiment with the ingredients we find in the country we visit, and to learn from all the people and products we encounter on the way. Although we are coming to Australia for a few weeks, I already know we will leave with something that lasts forever," he continued. "I am thrilled to cook in Sydney, as it's such a diverse Australian city, where many cultures and foods coexist. What I love about Australian gastronomy, and particularly Sydney's, is that it has been influenced by many different cultures, from Asian to European, and a large range of produce to create its own gastronomy, and reinvents itself constantly." [caption id="attachment_650654" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Gantry, Alana Dimou[/caption] Mirazur will temporarily take up residence in Sydney just a few months before three Michelin-starred English restaurant L'Enclume, from British chef Simon Rogan, does the same in July and August. Mirazur Beyond Borders at The Gantry, Pier One Sydney Harbour, will run from Friday, March 10–Friday, March 31 — operating for lunch and dinner Wednesday–Sunday. Head to the residency's website for bookings from 12pm AEST on Tuesday, February 13, and to register for the priority list in advance.
Honestly? I've never considered a cruise holiday before. So when an opportunity came up to see New Zealand by boat I jumped at the opportunity, but given that my only reference for travelling on water was a round trip on a Sydney ferry, I truly didn't know what to expect. In the end, it turned out to be the voyage of a lifetime — being greeted by bottlenose dolphins as we coasted by Milford Sound's soaring cliffs at sunrise, sipping Aperol Spritz while gazing at ocean sunsets from the ocean, and eating our weight's worth of meals on the ship's many restaurants. Here's an account of how the trip went down here. FIRST IMPRESSIONS When me and my partner boarded the ship, we made a beeline straight to our new home-away-from-home: a surprisingly spacious room with a luxurious king size bed, cosy living space, fully stocked mini bar and private verandah which served as home base for many room service breakfasts and sunset drinks. After settling in, we were ready to explore the labyrinth of amenities. If you're anything like me (a complete cruise novice), you probably hazard a guess that a cruise ship is akin to a large resort with a pool, some snazzy restaurants and a few shops. What you might not realise — and what I quickly discovered on board the Celebrity Eclipse (the vessel I traveled on, one of many from the Celebrity Cruises fleet) — is that the inside of a cruise ship is more comparable to a mini floating city. It had everything from a giant broadway theatre, spacious grass lawn, basketball court, and more pools, spas, restaurants, bars and shops than you could count on your fingers and toes. CRUISE CUISINE When it came to its dining options, the Eclipse really blew my expectations out of the water (pardon the pun). From immersive 3D concept dining at the Le Petit Chef, to ocean-fresh sashimi and caramelised gingerbread with wasabi gelato at Sushi on 5, to the fully stacked and ever-changing buffet that you'd anticipate on a cruise. The Le Petit Chef 3D projection dining experience was a strange highlight — watching a tiny 3D-animated chef prepare tomato tartine in front of you while you are 100km away from land was a surreal experience to say the least. Another culinary highlight was Murano, a restaurant where chefs masterfully prepared traditional recipes like lobster bisque in front of your very eyes. This is clearly a difficult thing to express in words and kind of just needs to be experienced. The all-inclusive dining options were also well worth writing home about. Between the crowd-pleasing menu at the chic Moonlight Sonata with well-executed retro classics like prawn cocktail, creme brulee and New York cheesecake, to the clean eating options at Blu, which boasted biodynamic wines and dishes like Beyond burgers, black truffle gnocchi and tuna tataki with spicy mango scallions. [caption id="attachment_900893" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Room service breakfast on the balcony of a Celebrity Cruise cabin[/caption] And when it came to drinks, you couldn't find a more picturesque place to sink back a beverage. From the breezy Sunset Bar with sweeping ocean views, to the cosmopolitan Martini Bar with top-notch bartenders, or the premium concoctions at Blu with names like Nightfall Elixir and Garden Breeze and tasting notes of fresh crushed strawberry, maple and Veuve Clicquot. (We had the classic drinks package which entitled us to unlimited drinks in the 'classic' category, which included everything from beers to bubblies). ENTERTAINMENT AT SEA (AND LAND) If you've ever wondered what one does on a 12 day cruise besides eating and drinking, I was surprised to discover it's a whole lot more than you might expect. Cruise guests are encouraged to download an app that surfaces a menu of entertainment and experiences for each day of the journey. The seemingly endless list of activities included everything from Broadway shows with acrobatics to rival Cirque Du Soleil, to an endless supply of luxury treatments and massages at the spa and salon. If you want to get your daily steps in, the Eclipse features a substantial running track, a premium gym and fitness centre and plenty of workout options from barre to boxing. Which brings me to my next point, which everything that happens onboard it's surprisingly easy to forget that you actually get to visit the incredible travel destination that is New Zealand. We had a whole host of New Zealand cities on our cruising agenda - from the staggeringly beautiful Milford Sound, to the cultural hub of Wellington - and each city we saw came with a curated list of Celebrity's shore excursions. Our most memorable excursion saw us hopping on board a WWI-era train through New Zealand's wine country, beginning in Picton and travelling through Marlborough's lush hills and valleys where 85% of New Zealand's wines are made. We enjoyed complimentary wine tasting, lunch and views that could only be described as cinematic. This was definitely one for the proverbial picture books, or Instagram Story highlights. [caption id="attachment_900843" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The view from on board the train during the shore excursion in Picton[/caption] WOULD I CONSIDER FUTURE CRUISES? Overall, going on a cruise was one of the most unique and memorable holidays I can recall. While being away from land was something I'd never experienced, the whole encounter made being away from home feel very homely indeed from the ultra lush rooms to the endless entertainment, and some of the kindest hospitality and staff I've encountered on any type of holiday. If you want to be the main character on your next trip, satisfy your wanderlust without having to pack and unpack your bags, and eat and drink to your heart's content a cruise holiday is an option I would definitely consider again. If you're curious about doing some cruise-based exploring of the Southern Hemisphere yourself, Celebrity Cruises has announced the arrival of one of its most luxurious ships yet: the Celebrity Edge which will debut Down Under in late 2023 or early 2024, allowing you to traverse the coastlines of Australia, New Zealand and the tropical South Pacific including Bali. Set to rival the world's most luxurious land-based resorts, the 2023/24 intake promises to reimagine cruise travel with some of the world's most indulgent on board amenities. Concrete Playground travelled as a guest of Celebrity Cruises. Main image: The view from Celebrity Eclipse near Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand
The Mornington Peninsula now has its own gluten-free brewpub thanks to Twøbays Brewing. The public tasting room in Dromana is set amongst the production brewery, which began operation in 2017. It's stainless steel tanks are visible from the brewpub side, and the entire facility overlooks the picturesque Arthur's Seat. Founder and beer enthusiast Richard Jeffares was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2016 and became inspired by similar gluten-free taprooms found in The States. Jeffares signed on head brewer Andrew Gow, whose resumé boasts 20 years in the business, including at Mornington Peninsula Brewery, Mountain Goat and Five Islands in Sydney's Wollongong. While most beers use gluten-containing malted barley, Twøbays instead uses gluten-free millet, rice and buckwheat — imported from Colorado and California — in all its beers. The brewpub boasts a range of core and specialty tap beers, from a lager and an XPA, to limited-edition creations like the Ball Park Bloom Belgian witbier. To try a few at once, patrons can nab a four-pony tasting paddle. Apart from brews, there's locally produced Quealy wine and Ten Sixty One cider to enjoy. And, adding to theme, there's also a wood-fired oven slinging gluten-free pizza. The taproom is a cash-free environment, though, so make sure you come with card in hand. Twøbays sells a selection of its beers online — all of which are Coeliac Australia certified — so keep an eye on the brewery's website for updates. If you're a keen home-brewer, Twøbays is also selling and shipping its gluten-free brew packs and malts across Australia.
Many museums say they're taking you 'travelling in time', but New York's adventurous New Museum has found an unusual way to displace you by 20 years. Their new project titled Recalling 1993 is transforming 5000 of the city's pay phones into time machines where people can escape reality and make calls 20 years into NYC's past. Until May 26, city dwellers and visitors can easily pick up any pay phone, dial 1-855-FOR-1993 and hear a recording about what was happening 20 years ago in that specific location. The installation was proposed by ad agency Droga5 and was inspired by the museum's exhibition NYC 1993 Experimental Jet, Set, Trash and No Star, which encapsulates the year in art. They describe it as "a pivotal year that began to shape the New York we know today". The stories on these geolocated time machines are told by New Yorkers to New Yorkers, including WNYC's Brian Lehrer, the Village Voice's Michael Musto, renowned chef Mario Batali, iconic trash TV presenter Robin Byrd and many others. You can hear a few select samples at the Recalling 1993 website. It's always great to see initiatives that take museum-goers beyond the building and into the streets. But this project's single masterstroke must be the way it revives the near-obsolete pay phone for one last hurrah. We'd be so bemused to pick up the receiver of one these days, it seems right there'd be a voice from the past waiting inside to connect. Via Inhabitat.
Tilda Swinton said it to the NY Times a few years ago, "I live on another planet, fortunately, and we do things differently there." They might be her words, but I doubt many of us can imagine her living next door. She is, amongst whatever else, expectation defying — a quality that makes her particularly handy for those in the celebrity hoax business. Last April Fools' Day might have gone unnoticed if it was not for the screaming of White Stripes fans; for a few hours their favourite band was back with Ms Swinton replacing Meg White and a new LP on the way. Sure, Facebook has been covered (more than once) with cries of "RIP Morgan Freeman" and Bieber/KStew/RPatz leaks that turn out to be hot air are a dime a dozen, but they are also (sorry, Morgan!) not completely unlikely. So what makes something as bizarre as an Academy Award-winning actress resurrecting an abandoned (and divorced) husband-and-wife rock duo so believable? Simple: It is Tilda. This is the woman who was notorious for living with her husband and lover and never bothered to correct anyone. Here are five random reasons we now believe anything anyone tells us about Tilda. 1. She went to school with Princess Diana Now I realise that logically people must have gone to school with Princess Diana, but there is still something otherworldly about it. 2. She slept for eight hours in a glass box For The Maybe, an art installation at New York's Museum of Modern Art. And she did it once years before, too. https://youtube.com/watch?v=gH7dMBcg-gE 3. The David Bowie video clip rumours turned out to be true Giving the Tilda Stardust Tumblr a crazy level of credence. 4. She wore centipedes on her face for fashion The Stranger than Paradise photo shoot for W Magazine, photographed by Tim Walker, was a stunner that only Tilda could carry off. 5. She founded a film festival you can attend by paying in cake It's called the Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams. This is the rarer, cuddly brand of Tilda kook.
How do you make a blockbuster ancient Egypt exhibition even bigger? At the Australian Museum's upcoming Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs, adding the royal coffin that provided the resting place for the showcase's namesake will do the trick. Already set to feature more than 181 rare artefacts and treasures, the Sydney event has now confirmed that the sarcophagus of Ramses II will also be on display Down Under — giving audiences a rare treat. It isn't often that the coffin is permitted to leave Egypt; however, it will head to the Harbour City after also recently displaying at the exhibition's stop in Paris. When that happens, Sydney will become just the second city in the world outside of Egypt to show the 3000-plus-year-old item. "The beautiful sarcophagus of Ramses II will be the star attraction in the Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition and is a wonderful opportunity for Australian audiences to see this rare, fragile artefact in real life," said Australian Museum Director and CEO Kim McKay AO. "Ramses' coffin is a work of inestimable value and a powerful symbol of one of the greatest leaders of the ancient world. Egyptians worshipped their pharaohs, and their devotion to Ramses II can be seen through the craftsmanship of the coffin." "The coffin of Ramses II was one of the most popular objects in Ramses & The Gold of the Pharaohs in Paris, so we anticipate Australian audiences will find this priceless artefact equally enthralling. Shown in Australia for the very first time, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs and the extraordinary loan of the coffin direct from Egypt, highlights how dynamic international relationships develop across the globe," added World Heritage Exhibitions CEO John Norman. This piece of history is carved from cedar, and discovered with the pharoah's body more than two centuries ago, in 1811 within the Royal Cache at Deir el-Bahari. If you need a reminder on your Egyptian history, Ramses II ruled over the country from 1279–1213 BCE. When Saturday, November 18 rolls around this year, a collection of items from the pharaoh's rule will gleam in Australia, as first announced back in 2021 — including animal mummies, royal masks, jewellery, amulets and other golden items from the ruler's tomb, plus now Ramses II's coffin. Focusing on Egypt's third pharaoh from its 19th dynasty — a ruler also known as Ramses the Great, who enjoyed the second-longest reign of any pharaoh, and is considered a symbol of the country's prosperous ancient New Kingdom period — the overall showcase is set to be big. The Australian Museum has dubbed it the largest cultural collection Down Under in more than a decade, in fact. While the hefty number of objects featured is impressive, so is their rare status; some of the pieces included haven't ever left Egypt before. Bringing a slice of history to Australia's shores, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs will be filled with items from museums and historical sites in Egypt, which are being loaned to the exhibition by Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. Also available for an additional fee when booking: letting attendees enter two of the ruler's monuments — the Tomb of Queen Nefertari, and the temples of Abu Simbel — virtually. [caption id="attachment_908641" align="alignnone" width="1920"] World Heritage Exhibitions[/caption] Presented in partnership with World Heritage Exhibitions, Neon and the Houston Museum of Natural Science, with support by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and also funding from the NSW Government's Create NSW Blockbusters Funding initiative, Ramses & the Gold of the Pharaohs heads to Australia after showing in Houston and San Francisco in the US, as well as its recent season until September in Paris. Australia will also play host to another huge exhibition about ancient Egypt in 2024, with Pharaoh set to feature at Melbourne's NGV International from June. Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs will display at the Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney, from Saturday, November 18, 2023–Sunday, May 19, 2024 — head to the exhibition's website for further details and tickets, with booking well in advance highly recommended.
When you consider the lush green streets of Albert Park, it's only appropriate that there's a stellar nursery on-hand to freshen up your garden or indoor space. Located in the old Albert Park Railway Station, The Garden of Eden Nursery has been around for more than 20 years, welcoming visitors into its green haven of gardening inspiration. From fruit trees to cacti and terrariums, everything at The Garden of Eden Nursery is handpicked from reputable growers so you can be sure you're buying the best quality plant life available.
In self-portrait after self-portrait, Frida Kahlo was no stranger to giving the world a window into what made the artist tick. The Mexican painter didn't just create art — she bared her soul, especially in pieces where she stares back at audiences. Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image has a similar intimate aim in mind, as aided by some of the icon's depictions of herself, as well as a treasure trove of her personal belongings. This is Australia's latest celebration of Kahlo after the Art Gallery of South Australia's 150-work Frida & Diego: Love & Revolution showcase of Mexican modernism in 2023, and also Sydney Festival's multi-sensory Frida Kahlo: Life of an Icon the same year. That's quite the spread of places around the country that've been dedicating walls and halls to the artist, with Bendigo now joining them. Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image displays at the Bendigo Art Gallery from Saturday, March 15–Sunday, July 13. Many of the artworks and items that feature have never been seen in Australia before. In fact, some were sealed for 50 years in her family home when Diego Rivera ensured that the site would become a museum after Kahlo passed away in 1954, and that her most-personal items were stored in the bathrooms away from public eyes. Objects such as clothes and makeup have made the journey to regional Victoria, as have mementoes and photographs. Accordingly, attendees can peer at traditional Mexican garments, including a headdress from the Oaxaca region, that were worn by Kahlo; Revlon cosmetics, such as lipstick, nail polish and an eyebrow pencil; and hand-painted medical corsets that she donned following spinal surgeries. Appearances Can Be Deceiving, a self-portrait drawing that provides a view through her clothing to her corset x-ray style, is also a highlight. Arriving direct from the Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico, Frida Kahlo: In Her Own Image is exclusive to the Bendigo institution, so you'll need to make the trip if you're keen to explore what the artist's belongings and style says about her art. Updated: Monday, March 24, 2025. Images: Bendigo Art Gallery.
Proving you're never too old for a makeover, the 167-year-old building at 127 Brunswick Street has enjoyed a swift shake-up and hit reset, entering a whole new phase of life. Vince Sofo and Paul Adamo's three-storey site has switched out some former tenants for a couple of brand-new residents and been reborn as the multi-faceted Hotel Fitzroy, featuring an Italian accent and a kitchen headed up by the renowned Maurizio Esposito. Ground floor Japanese restaurant Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya remains, though it'll soon share its street-level space with a public bar and outdoor dining area, slated to open by the middle of the year. As for the level above, it has this week reopened as Cappo Sociale — a 150-seat modern Italian diner, complete with a bar, terrace, lounge and private dining room. As executive chef, Esposito (Cecconi's, Il Bacaro, Esposito at Toofeys, Stokehouse) is steering the contemporary Euro food offering, revamping classic Italian flavours with some modern flair and plenty of local ingredients. [caption id="attachment_801379" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Juan Plazas[/caption] Up here, you'll find yourself snacking on top-quality salumi alongside your after-work vino, or settling in to feast on plates of handmade pasta. An antipasti selection runs to the likes of seared scallops with pumpkin purée, eggplant-stuffed zucchini flowers and grilled quail wrapped in pancetta and sage. Heartier plates might include the likes of a wagyu ragu pappardelle, seared cuttlefish linguine finished with a squid ink crumble or veal cotoletta with baby capers. And there's pizza aplenty, ranging from the margherita-style La Regina to the Roman Love, which is topped with pork and fennel sausage and rosemary potatoes. To match, expect a healthy mix of local and Italian vino, a wide range of brews, and cocktails, both classic and creative. Try and squeeze out a few final summer vibes with the Venetian Sunset, blending Ballantine's, Campari, Antica Formula, orange and orgeat. Also opening its doors this week is the newly reimagined rooftop bar, where you can kick back soaking up city views while enjoying eats and drinks from any of the levels below. And stay tuned for a program of live music, entertainment and local DJ sets, kicking things up a notch on various nights throughout each week. Find Hotel Fitzroy (Cappo Sociale, Ichi Ni Nana Izakaya and The Rooftop) at 127 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. The Hotel Fitzroy Public Bar is set to open by the middle of the year. Images: Juan Plazas
Midsumma Festival returns to Melbourne this month, bringing together communities and artists in the LGBTQI+ from across the state for its annual cultural festival. It spans from January 19 through February 10 and takes place in venues all over Melbourne. The massive program kicks off with a bang at the Midsumma Carnival, on Sunday, January 20, in the Alexandra Gardens. There'll be 11 hours of live music and entertainment on the main stage, heaps of food stalls and bars, plus the return of the Midsumma Dog Show which is just an absolute delight. Then, once the sun starts to set, the park is transformed into one enormous dance floor, with DJs and artists performing well into the night. And it's 100 percent free. Other program highlights include Dancing Qweens, a social history of queer dance by James Welsby; a live show by Nocturnal (featuring Nakhane), a South African, queer rights musician at the Melbourne Museum; a visual art installation by Melbourne artist Debris Facility, titled De/Afficiency, at North Melbourne's Art House; and BodMod Salon, a body casting workshop that explores identity. Arts House is hosting a range of shows, from Beast by Krishna Istha (a mix of stand-up comedy and performance art) to Habits and Friends, a late-night party with 'dark-techno' by HABITS and famed Italian intersex artist Silvia Calderoni. Premieres include the brand new ballet-opera Orpheus — a retelling of the ancient Greek myth that follows an unexpressed gay relationship. And returning this year is Little Ones Theatre, award-winning theatrical sketches based on the writings of author Christos Tsiokas. In film, The Movies in My Mind by Cazeleon (winner of Best Emerging Artist at Adelaide Fringe) will show alongside the artist's live cabaret at The Melba Spiegeltent. No Vacancy Gallery will again host the Midsumma and Australia Post Art Prize, which will award up to $10,000 to the winning artist for a production in next year's festival. Images: Midsumma Carnival, Jackson Grant.
Melbourne's CBD is now home to KNDRD — a drop-in mindfulness and meditation studio which has taken up residence along Block Place. It's open weekdays and caters to busy nine-to-fivers who need a quick, introspective destress session before, during or directly after the workday. The aim is to make meditation more accessible and, to this end, your first class is absolutely free. What is mindfulness, exactly? KNDRD defines it as "the practice of bringing your awareness and intention to the present moment, without judgement." It's that bit usually at the start and end of your yoga class, but extended for an entire 30-minute session. The classes start with breathing exercises and move into guided meditation. You're encouraged to sit, stand or lie in any position that is comfortable and wear any clothes that suit you — so you don't really have to change out of your work clothes, either. All of the instructors are certified at an internationally recognised training program and the studio has been approved by a scientific advisory board — so you know the practice has a scientific basis, too. For now, the primary instructor is Jossy Jimenez, who has an extensive resumé within the field, including a masters in Human Development and certifications in mindfulness facilitation (TMF) and mindfulness awareness practices (MAPs) from UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour. While drop-ins are of course the expected, you can also book your cushion ahead of time here, with your first class on the house. Going forward, a single class costs $15, or you can nab a five-class pass for $69 and 10-class pass for $129. If you're really keen to jump into mindfulness practice, the studio is also hosting a three-hour masterclass this Saturday, October 27. If all goes well, you'll likely see more KNDRD studios pop-up around Melbourne and across Australia, too. KNDRD is now open at Level 3, 34–36 Block Place, Melbourne. Opening hours are Monday through Friday from 8am–7pm. To book your class, head over here.
Chef Pierre Khodja will draw inspiration from his native Algeria, as well as the lessons he learnt from his mother, at his brand new restaurant Camus. Opening this week on High Street, the 100-seat eatery takes its name from Albert Camus, a French-Algerian who lived under French colonial occupation. The name reflects Khodja's desire to return to his roots and celebrate the food of his homeland. "For many years I've worked for other people, cooking with one hand tied behind my back," said Khodja. "Finally, with Camus, I get to cook with both hands." The chef also paid tribute to his mother, who fed eight children on a shoestring. "She was my first inspiration and my teacher," said Khodja. "To this day, I still revisit those meals that take me back to where my passion was born." Blending North African flavours with classical French cooking techniques, the menu will place an emphasis on hearty share dishes like steamed and seared goat shoulder with sweet onion and raisins, and ras el hanout-marinated organic chicken with green olives, saffron and preserved lemon. Camus will also offer a number of vegetarian options, such as spinach, kale, cinnamon and feta lasagne, and blue cheese and broccoli macaroni. Dessert options, meanwhile, will include Turkish delight soufflé and pistachio ricotta doughnuts, the latter of which will be served with lavender honey and preserved lemon ice cream. The multi-storey restaurant will boast ample indoor seating as well as a bar, an outdoor garden area for al fresco dining, and a private dining room for special events. Camus is now open at 61 High Street, Northcote. For more information visit camusrestaurant.com.au.
The sounds of Dune, Interstellar, Gladiator, The Dark Knight, The Lion King, The Last Samurai and Pirates of the Caribbean will soon be echoing through Australia, with Hans Zimmer returning Down Under with his latest tour. If you've seen him live before, you'll know that this is quite the sonic experience, especially for movie lovers. And if you haven't caught him yet, you'll want to fix that at his April gigs — which have now doubled their dates in Sydney and Melbourne. Due to demand for presale tickets, second and final shows in the New South Wales and Victorian capitals have joined Zimmer's tour itinerary, on Sunday, April 27 at Qudos Bank Arena and Monday, April 30 at Rod Laver Arena, respectively. Both new dates are the day after the Oscar-winning composer's first gigs in each city. In Brisbane, he's still just playing one night, on Thursday, April 24 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. [caption id="attachment_990221" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Suzanne Teresa[/caption] Zimmer last performed in Australia in 2019 — and since then, his score for Dune won him his second Academy Award and his work on Dune: Part Two earned him his fifth Grammy. Over that period, he's also given everything from No Time to Die, Wonder Woman 1984, Top Gun: Maverick and The Creator to Prehistoric Planet and Planet Earth III their tunes. One of the biggest names in big-screen music, he's clearly been busy, but he's not too busy to also perform his compositions live. For more than four decades now, Zimmer has given screens big and small a distinctive sound. He's helped put the bounce in The Lion King's score and the droning in Inception's memorable tunes, and has loaned his talents to everything from Thelma & Louise to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy to Blade Runner 2049. It's an impressive list that just keeps going and growing — see: above — and it sounds even more impressive when played live and accompanied by an orchestra. [caption id="attachment_990222" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lee Kirby[/caption] The latest trip Down Under for the man who has worked his music magic on a wealth of titles — Hidden Figures, The Boss Baby, Dunkirk, Widows, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, The Lion King remake and The Crown are just a few more of his recent-ish credits — comes not only after his 2019 visit, but after he toured his Hans Zimmer Revealed concert series in 2017, including to Australia. His 2025 shows see the return of his Hans Zimmer Live gigs, complete with a 19-piece live band and full orchestra, as well as a huge stage production that features a luminous light show and other eye-catching visuals. While the Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy and Tony-winner obviously isn't going to perform every single one of his iconic film scores, expect to hear plenty of your favourites from a newly arranged lineup of tunes that includes Dune, Gladiator, Interstellar, The Dark Knight, The Lion King, The Last Samurai and Pirates of the Caribbean. Onstage, Zimmer will have Australian singer Lisa Gerrard for company, with some of the songs that she co-penned with him featuring in the set — so, tracks from Mission: Impossible, King Arthur, Black Hawk Down, Tears of the Sun and more. [caption id="attachment_724856" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Frank Embacher Photography[/caption] Hans Zimmer Live Australian 2025 Dates Thursday, April 24 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre Saturday, April 26–Sunday, April 27 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Tuesday, April 29–Monday, April 30 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne [caption id="attachment_990220" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Suzanne Teresa[/caption] Hans Zimmer Live is touring Australia's east coast in April 2025. For more information, and for tickets — with general sales from 12pm local time on Wednesday, February 12 — head to the event's website. Top image: Suzanne Teresa.
Chances are, you've got a fondness for taking the odd selfie snap, but would you consider it a mental condition? A recent study by Nottingham Trent University psychologists Mark D. Griffiths and Janarthanan Balakrishnan has explored the idea of 'selfitis' — that is, a disorder that's diagnosed as obsessive selfie taking. After the term first appeared in a series of hoax news stories back in 2014, the pair decided to put it to the test with some actual empirical research. They interviewed 400 Indian university students about their selfie behaviours, asking questions like 'what compels you to take selfies?', and discussing affecting factors like social competition and mood modification. According to the research, titled An Exploratory Study of Selfitis and the Developmentof the Selfitis Behavior Scale, there are three different levels of the disorder. Borderline sufferers are those snapping at least three selfies a day without posting them on social media, acute sufferers would be taking at least three selfies and sharing them, and those with a chronic level of the disorder have an "uncontrollable urge to take photos of one's self around the clock" and post more than six times a day. Others in the field of psychology are yet to be convinced selfitis is a real thing, though Balakrishnan told Business Insider Australia he hopes their study will pave the way for a deeper look into the disorder. "Now the existence of the condition appears to have been confirmed, it is hoped that further research will be carried out to understand more about how and why people develop this potentially obsessive behaviour, and what can be done to help people who are the most affected," he said. While there's no doubt that body image, anxiety and other issues can be exacerbated by social media, we'll wait to see some corroborating studied before we start slinging the term around. Via Business Insider Australia.
Home to the biggest pizzas in town, the team at Shawcross bring a little slice of New York City to the streets of Fitzroy — pun very much intended. These are the gents behind Phat Brats the gourmet hot dogs, so they are tried and tested in taking something old and making it new again. Pizzas are available by the whole pizza (12") or by the ‘slice’ (from a massive 22" pie). Polish off a large one by yourself, and you can win yourself a free t-shirt. The Fat Tony is a classic, with tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil, while the Bloody Vegans is hummus, spinach, tomato, red onions, green olives, and lemon. ‘Kick-ass’ salads see the carb-conscious diners among us sigh with relief with well, due to combinations like chicken, spinach, edaname, avocado, red onion, and quinoa.
Ever the champion of top local produce, Bill's Farm has cemented its status as one of Queen Victoria Market's go-to cheese traders. Let your cheese hunt lead you here and you'll find a hefty selection of renowned varieties, sourced from both across the world and closer to home. Alongside a tempting array of deli meats, dips and antipasto offerings sit award-winners like Berry's Creek Tarwin Blue and Holy Goat's La Luna cheese. That's Amore, Meredith Dairy Milawa Cheese and The Vegan Dairy all fly the flag for the local scene, or you can dive into international waters and grab a decadent hunk of Brillat-Savarin triple cream brie, as endorsed by world famous cheese guy Will Studd. It's an expert lineup, curated by leading Melbourne cheesemonger Bill Tzimas, alongside owners Malcolm McCullough and Mark Scott. You're welcome to pop past the stall to taste, browse and buy your favourites, or leave the hard work up to those in the know and let the Bill's crew tailor a lavish meat, cheese and antipasto platter for your next get-together. The store even has those extra special occasions sorted with customisable cheese towers. Consider these decorated cheese wheel stacks the ultimate cake alternatives for true cheese lovers. Images: Bill's Farm
After being reimagined as a dynamic after-dark exhibition for Rising Festival, Chinatown's Golden Square Carpark is once again set to moonlight as a multi-storey pop-up art gallery. This time, it's coming alive with a cacophony of sound, light and visuals for a multi-sensory experience by renowned digital artists, Artists in Motion. Running daily from Thursday, September 1–Sunday, October 2, Wisdom & Light explores the life, work and teachings of Venerable Master Hsing Yun; famed Buddhist monk and founder of international Buddhist organisation Fo Guang Shan. As you make your way through the precinct's upper levels and rooftop space, you'll find yourself wandering amongst lush green forests, wild ocean storms and centuries old villages, all brought to life by immersive visual projections and soundscapes. Featured throughout will be striking displays of ancient calligraphy, capturing one of Hsing Yun's lifelong practices. And if you're feeling peckish after your art immersion? The exhibition will also play host to the Wisdom & Light Vegetarian Café — a meat-free pop-up eatery helmed by a former Nobu Melbourne head chef.
It's the source of many a childhood argument, and plenty more between adults as well. Thanks to its ever-growing range of themed versions, it has let players buy everything from Game of Thrones' King's Landing to AFC Richmond's Nelson Road Stadium from Ted Lasso. And, it's now rolling into its own IRL bricks-and-mortar space Down Under, letting everyone pass go and soak in all things Monopoly at a brand-new Melbourne theme park called Monopoly Dreams. Monopoly Dreams already exists in Hong Kong, but now it's Australia's turn. The Monopoly-loving space will unfurl its pieces at Melbourne Central, located across 1700 square metres in the CBD shopping centre's lower ground level, and opening in September to kick off spring with board-game love. If you're wondering what a Monopoly theme park entails, that's hardly surprising — and the answer isn't just a life-sized version of the game that everyone has played more than once. Rather, the venue is taking a chance on bringing Monopoly elements beyond the board, building a Monopoly city that includes water works, the electric company, the bank and Mr Monopoly's mansion. And yes, there's a jail. Presumably you don't go directly there upon entering, but you can get your mugshot taken within its walls. When you walk through the doors, you'll also find carnival games. It wouldn't be a theme park based on a board game if playing games wasn't a big part of the attraction, of course. Expect challenges as well — and, in the mansion, there'll also be a vault and gallery, alongside a 4D cinema screening a movie about Mr Monopoly and his dog Scottie touring Melbourne locations — as well as the opportunity to create your own customised Monopoly title deed. For bites to eat, patrons can hit up the Monopoly cafe. And if all this Monopoly talk has you wanting to play Monopoly or buy Monopoly merchandise, Monopoly Dreams will also feature Australia's first and only dedicated Monopoly store, too. Catering for audiences of all ages — so, you'll have kids for company, but it's open for adults without children in tow — Monopoly Dreams will take visitors around 60–90 minutes to enjoy the full experience. Monopoly Dreams will open in September at Melbourne Central, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. Head to the venue's website for further details.
The obsession with Messina's creamy desserts has spread far and wide. Originally located in Sydney, Messina quickly gained a reputation among Melbourne sweet-tooths for their fresh, innovative gelato. So when the store finally moved interstate, Melburnians warmly welcomed Victoria's first Gelato Messina with steady queues out the door. More than a year later, they've barely budged. The Fitzroy store is Messina's largest to date. Clearly, Donato Toce and Simone Panetta, Melbourne's Messina champions, came prepared. Our excessive fondness for Messina is perhaps the most accurate reflection of the real, honest work that goes into preparing the gelato. From every doughnut to brownie, peanut fudge to jam, Messina uses raw ingredients to make every single element of every flavour you taste. Their revered gelato is then pasteurised and churned fresh in-store to keep it perfectly creamy whether you visit in hailing winters or sweaty summers. "Every gelato we are selling today we made yesterday," Simone said. "At Messina we have a strong focus on quality, not fast pace." And given the amount of genuine love and effort which goes into every cup and cone, we'd have to agree. Like it's Sydney sister, Melbourne's Messina offers 40 different permanent flavours. As if that's not enough to leave you floundering at the freezer, there are also limited edition releases — and they're released every week. One limited edition is revealed every weekday, and each special lasts a maximum of one week. According to Simone, Messina has a backlog of about 1000 limited edition gelatos. Some notable editions include the Robert Brownie Jnr and Hodor, which occasionally reappear for their cult fans. The stores interior fits snugly on Smith Street. Between homely exposed brick and pressed metal, you can watch staff behind a glass window diligently preparing every component for Messina's popular cakes. In the words of Simon, it's "classy, but not too fancy". "The store is just a container for the two main characters: the gelato cabinets with all its colour and the kitchen where we show off our creations everyday." If you're going to be overwhelmed by the mosh pit that is often inside Messina, their best selling salted caramel and white chocolate is a great first choice. If you're in the mood for a more fruity dessert, the pear & rhubarb is perfectly delicate and definitely worth a try. Don't forget to check the specials board (and to ask for a taste if you want to make a considered decision). Modern with an oddball charm, nowadays if you visit Fitzroy you'll find Messina's signature patterned green and orange cups wandering around the suburb, as reflection of our insatiable need for their creamy gelato.
A buzzy new hub of creativity and New York-style pizza has landed in Brunswick, and it's out to kick some big goals for Melbourne's emerging music scene. Fittingly dubbed Small Time, the multi-faceted venue throws open its doors this Friday, acting as both a music accelerator, studio, performance space, pizza joint, bar and coffee window. At its core is an accessible artist development program, championing up-and-coming local musicians of all genres. Under the Small Time Program, five onsite studios and workspaces will host up to ten artists a month, who'll enjoy guidance from mentors, produce their own tracks and gain access to a valuable network of industry players, in a process designed to help shoot them along the path to success. The musicians will also feature throughout a diverse program of Small Time gigs — both ticketed and free — while Small Time TV will live-streams shows, interviews and expert advice on Facebook and YouTube. Punters can head into the Albert Street venue to catch a gig, or swing by independently to soak up the rest of the offerings. Playing a strong supporting act to the tunes, the kitchen's dishing up hefty 55-centimetre pizzas, available by the slice or the pie. It's a classic US-style menu, starring flavours like the Super Cheesus and Oh Pep! Peroni crafted with mozzarella imported from the States, and the plant-based Viva Las Vegans made with vegan cheese from Hello Friend Foods. To match, there's a tight curation of local wines, beers including the collaboration Small Time brew by Abbotsford's Bodriggy Brewing Co and coffee from your mates at Allpress. These drinks and slices can be enjoyed in the main bar, lounge (where there's also a piano), in the Green Room or outdoors in the plant-filled patio. Find Small Time at 271–273 Albert Street, Brunswick from Friday, February 28. It's open from 11am–1am Thursday–Saturday and 11am–11pm Sunday to Wednesday.
You've heard of sky-high restaurants and rooftop bars; however if the latest proposed addition to New York goes ahead, it could put every other elevated eating and drinking spot to shame. As the name suggests, The Floating Restaurant won't just take over the top floor of a building. Instead, it'll be suspended by steel cables 60 metres above a historic landmark. And, not content with literally lifting diners up to another level, the eatery will also give patrons one mighty fine view. Hovering above the century-old former Glenwood power plant in Yonkers, The Floating Restaurant will boast all-glass walls that look out over the Hudson River thirty minutes north of Manhattan, and spy the city skyline as well. Blending the old with the new is the project's aim, and blending architecture with nature too. The design includes three floors including the kitchen, which is encased in greenery that further brings the outside in. Given all that, the fact that the cube is small — measuring little more than 13 metres long, and housing 11 tables — is hardly surprising. Yep, this place is going to be mighty exclusive. If it comes to fruition, expect a lengthy waiting list for a reservation. The idea comes from NY-based outfit Big Foot Developers, and while it's just in the planning stage, The Floating Restaurant is still a breathtaking concept. Of course, you're certain to inhale sharply if you ever get to dine inside the space. In fact, it's already being called a new future icon of the city. Via AWOL / Inhabitat. Image: Big Foot Developers.
Dig out those once-a-year novelty gumboots, Groovin the Moo has unveiled its 2020 lineup. Taking the large-scale music festival out of the city and into regional centres for another year, GTM will kick things off on Friday, April 24 in South Australia and travel through Canberra, Bunbury, Bendigo and Townsville before finishing up in Maitland on Saturday, May 9. This year sees local talent new and established taking the stage, with the lineup spanning recent Hottest 100 favourites San Cisco, Dope Lemon, E^ST, Slowly Slowly, Tones and I and Mallrat to up-and-comers like Kira Puru, Ruby Fields and WAAX. International talent like Bhad Bhabie, Kelis, Clairo, recently reformed 90s rock band Supergrass and Darude — who'll you'll most likely recognise from his hit track 'Sandstorm' — will take to the stage alongside Aussie legends Gang of Youths, The Cat Empire and The Veronicas. After hosting Australia's first (and second) ever pill-testing trial in Canberra, Groovin the Moo's ACT festival will take place in Exhibition Park for a second year. Despite many protests and petitions supporting it, pill testing is still a much-debated topic around the country. Here's the full lineup: GROOVIN THE MOO 2020 LINEUP AJ Tracey Bhad Bhabie Blanco Brown The Cat Empire Channel Tres Clairo Darude Dope Lemon E^ST Gang of Youths Hayden James Kelis Kira Puru Mallrat Manu Crooks Maxo Kream Ruby Fields San Cisco Slowly Slowly Sugarhill Gang Supergrass Tones and I The Veronicas WAAX YBN Cordae GROOVIN THE MOO 2020 DATES & VENUES Friday, April 24 — Adelaide Showground, Wayville (SA) Saturday, April 25 – Exhibition Park, Canberra (ACT) Sunday, April 26 — Hay Park, Bunbury (WA) Saturday, May 2 — Prince of Wales Showgrounds, Bendigo (VIC) Sunday, May 3 — Murray Sports Complex, Townsville (QLD) Saturday, May 9 — Maitland Showground, Maitland (NSW) Tickets for GTM in Bendigo, Bunbury and Canberra will go on sale at 8am on Tuesday, February 11, and Maitland, Wayville and Townsville will be released the day after at 8am on Wednesday, February 12. For more info, go to gtm.net.au. Image: Mackenzie Sweetnam
Before it introduced anxious teen sex counsellor Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield, Flux Gourmet), his fellow-therapist mother Jean (Gillian Anderson, The Great), his ever-exuberant best friend Eric Effiong (Ncuti Gatwa, the next Doctor Who), and his whip-smart and rebellious crush Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey, Emily), Sex Education's very-first episode started with trembling lights. With that debut back in January 2019, depictions of adolescent sexuality on-screen earned a welcome shake up as well. Horny high schoolers struggling with life, love and lust are such a pop culture staple that they inhabit their own genre, which this British series has always recognised. But when a show bursts onto streaming queues with a roll in the sheets that ends with a guy (Barbie's Connor Swindells as Adam Groff) faking an orgasm with his girlfriend (Living's Aimee-Lou Wood as Aimee Gibbs), it's clearly not interested in sticking with the usual tropes — and it wants its audience to know it. Candidly and enthusiastically subverting well-worn cliches about growing up and exploring all things carnal has always been Sex Education creator, lead writer and executive producer Laurie Nunn's focus in her first major project beyond the stage and shorts, as seen in that attention-grabbing premiere run, then 2020 and 2021's equally excellent second and third seasons, and now the show's big finish. Another key element right through to the series' fourth and final go-around, which hits Netflix from Thursday, September 21 to cap off its tale with as much charm, heart, humour and maturity as ever: knowing that it's far more relatable to be open, honest, warm, authentic, inclusive and diverse than to just spill out the same old coming-of-age story. Here's a third factor that's also long been crucial to Sex Education: understanding that life doesn't begin or end with surging hormones. When the series arrived with bulb-jostling sex, it pushed viewers into the thick of an existing relationship in a situation that couldn't be more intimate, and yet it didn't need to get neat or overly definitive to reach that point. That approach has thrived throughout the show, and not merely in fellow opening scenes in following episodes that've laid bare other residents of Sex Education's English village setting in various steamy states. It's there in its handling of romances, friendships and getting erotic, and in every subject that comes with each. And, when the beloved hit comes to its last-ever climax, it does so by recognising that an array of futures await Otis, his friends and his family members — even if the program they're in is saying goodbye. In other words, as it spends time with Moordale Secondary School's students, parents and teachers — and, in season four, the pastel-hued and progressive Cavendish College cohort instead — Sex Education embraces being in the moment while also appreciating that lone moments rarely define anyone forever. That's among the lessons that its characters keep learning in their own ways, all while listening to their hearts, yearning over crushes, uncovering their preferences, pondering priorities, making mistakes, amassing regrets, grappling with history and dreaming about possibilities. Also, in a series with a Degrassi-esque list of topics covered — a show that could've been called Relationship Education, except that it isn't as pithy — as Otis and company touch upon everything from pregnancy, pleasure, body image, masturbation, asexuality and addiction to assault, faith, gender identity, transitioning, mental health and prejudice. Although no longer a virgin scared of self-love who gets talked into giving his peers advice, which is how Sex Education began his tale, Otis is still as uncertain as ever when season four kicks off. With his old school shuttered and snapped up by developers, he's forced into a new start, as well as a new bid to become the on-campus sex therapist — competing with existing student O (Thaddea Graham, Wreck). While Eric doesn't want them to be dubbed outsiders from the get-go, he fits in easily when he sees "all the gays everywhere", in his excited words. The fact that Maeve is at university in the US just after they've just come to terms with their feelings for each other was always going to hold Otis back, of course. The pair are finally more than friends, but also on different continents. Sex Education's fourth season isn't short on chaos for everyone, with Maeve being overlooked by her professor (Schitt's Creek favourite Dan Levy) for a well-to-do classmate, then coping with heartbreaking loss; Eric tussling with what it means to be queer and Christian, and not wanting to hide either; Adam attempting to find a path beyond school; Jackson Marchetti (Kedar Williams-Stirling, Small Axe) confronting both his health and past; and Aimee getting closer to Isaac Goodwin (George Robinson, Perfect) as she discovers new ways to work through her trauma. Viv Odusanya (Chinenye Ezeudu, The School for Good and Evil) makes a connection that turns dark, Cal Bowman (singer Dua Saleh) is six months into taking testosterone and desperate for top surgery, and Ruby Matthews (Mimi Keene, Tolkien) is trying to carve out a new status quo now that she's no longer the resident queen bee. Also, newcomers Abbi (debutant Anthony Lexa) and Roman (fellow first-timer Felix Mufti) beam with positivity as Cavendish's golden couple but have intimacy issues, while Aisha (Alexandra James, Backstage), who is deaf, helps fight for better treatment of pupils with disability. Among the adults, Jean finds being a new single mum to an eight-week-old baby filled with challenges, especially when her sister Joanna (Lisa McGrillis, Last Night in Soho) visits with good intentions but plenty of drama. After separating, Adam's parents Michael (Alistair Petrie, Funny Woman) — also Moordale Secondary's ex-headmaster — and Maureen (Samantha Spiro, The Pentaverate) are still working on who they each want to be. With such a wealth of folks familiar and fresh filling its frames — even with adored faces such as Ola (Patricia Allison, His Dark Materials) and Jakob Nyman (Mikael Persbrandt, Foundation), Lily Iglehart (Tanya Reynolds, Emma), Olivia Hanan (Simone Ashley, The Little Mermaid) and Anwar Bakshi (Chaneil Kular, Atlanta) absent — Sex Education's swansong has much to juggle. Balancing its various players and their plights has never been this astute and engaging series' problem, though, and neither has fleshing out its characters, their emotions, and their ups and downs. In fact, Nunn and her writers, directors and exceptionally cast actors have always taken the opposite route. The more amusingly and affectionately rendered mess that has surrounded Otis, Eric, Maeve and the like, the more realistic, resonant, sincere and meaningful they've all proven. This crew will be deeply missed, but perhaps the biggest compliment that season four inspires springs from the show's legacy: its young stars are already popping up everywhere (not just Swindells but also Gatwa and Mackey were in Barbie), and the series that thrust them to fame won't ever be forgotten. Check out the full trailer for Sex Education season four below: Sex Education season four streams via Netflix from Thursday, September 21. Images: Samuel Taylor / Netflix.
It's long been an inner-northwest favourite for eats and drinks, but come Saturday, April 2, food truck park the Ascot Lot will be showing off its creative side as well. From 12pm, it's firing up to host the inaugural North West Arts Fest — a jam-packed day of live art, installations and design pop-ups celebrating local creative talent. Head along for free to check out digital art from the likes of BBJ and Loughie W, along with live mural installations by artists including Kitt Bennett, Danny Koles, and Digable Goods x Another Good Studio. Plus, fashionable folk can shop a range of vintage threads at a Hand-Me-Down Heat pop-up store. As always, the day will be soundtracked by tunes from The Lot's resident spinners, multiple bars will be serving a range of liquid offerings, and there'll be a slew of food trucks for when that appetite kicks in. [caption id="attachment_848718" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hand-Me-Down Heat[/caption]
Get your fill of the best vegan food in town at the fifth annual Vegan Day Out. Come September 2 and 3, The Cruelty Free Shop is putting together a walking tour of vegan cafes, restaurants and retailers, many of which will be offering discounts, deals and free samples to anyone who stops by. For one weekend only, socially conscious eaters can stop by The Cruelty Free Shop on Johnson Street, and grab a map outlining their route. From there, it's all about making your way to to plant-based delights aplenty — and making a day (or two) of it. Whether you're a dyed in the wool vegan or just giving it a go, you'll find a whole world of retailers catering to animal-free eating, offering meal deals, two-for-ones, complimentary coffee, wine tastings and savings on vegan groceries. The Cruelty Free Shop will also be running its own tastings throughout the day, as well as offering discounts on more than 300 different products.
With their clean style, strong classics and kooky prints, Vanishing Elephant may as well be the uniform for all of Melbourne. Though the brand actually originated in Sydney, they chose the QV as the location for their very first stand-alone store. Catering to both men and women, it's been balancing high-quality, on-point fashion with prices that won't break the bank for the past three years now. Though you won't find a wide selection in store you can trust that each piece has been expertly curated for the collection. You're in good hands.
Get ready for 18 days of around-the-block queues and arguing with people who refuse to put away their phone. That's right, Melbourne movie lovers: the Melbourne International Film Festival is here, and the lineup is as diverse and enticing as ever. Of the more than 300 films and 52 countries represented on this year's MIFF program, the Australian contingent looks particularly impressive. The festival kicks off on July 31 with the world premiere of Predestination, a time travel thriller starring Ethan Hawke and Noah Taylor. Tony Ayres' period crime film Cut Snake has been tapped for the centrepiece gala, while closing night will feature Joel Edgerton and Melissa George in the Melbourne-set police drama Felony. Other local highlights include SXSW's Aussie darling The Infinite Man; Amiel Courtin-Wilson's grim but beautiful new drama Ruin; a destined-to-offend reboot of the classic Ozploitation film Turkey Shoot; and the latest cine-centric documentary from Not Quite Hollywood director Mark Hartley, Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films. American indie cinema will also have a strong showing this year, with major titles including Richard Linklater's 12-year passion project Boyhood, Kelly Reichardt's lauded environmental thriller Night Moves and James Gray's fourth consecutive Palme d'Or competitor The Immigrant. Nicholas Cage, meanwhile, proves he still knows how to act as the titular character in David Gordon Green's new character piece Joe, while Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig give rare dramatic performances in The Skeleton Twins, which also won a screenwriting award at Sundance. Speaking of major festival winners, MIFF patrons can look forward to not one but two new films from Quebecois enfant terrible Xavier Dolan, in the form of the breathtaking mother-son drama Mommy and the tense psychological thriller Tom at the Farm. The former film shared the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival with Goodbye to Language, a 3D experimental work from the 83-year-old Jean Luc-Godard. The tense, strikingly shot Czech drama Honeymoon won Jan Hrebejk directing accolades at his native Karlovy Vary last July, while a little closer home, the Dardenne Brothers' Two Days, One Night deservedly took the top prize at this year's Sydney Film Festival. Melbourne's programmers have also continued their impressive run of Asian cinema, with standouts including Wong Kar-wai's long awaited martial arts epic The Grandmaster and the immaculately photographed Chinese neo-noir Black Coal, Thin Ice. More daring MIFFers might also want to check out the latest blood-soaked opus from Japanese provocateur Sion Sono, Why Don't You Play in Hell, described by Film.com critic David Ehrlich as "quite possibly mankind's greatest achievement". From the documentary section, no film buff should skip Jodorowsky's Dune, a fascinating and often hilarious look at what many people consider the single greatest movie never made. Also on tap: master documentarian Errol Morris probes the mind of former US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld in The Unknown Known, while Michel Gondry animates a series of interviews with Noam Chomsky, posing the question Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?. Alternatively, if all that sounds too challenging, maybe try I Am Big Bird, a no-holds-barred expose about Sesame Street's resident yellow pigeon. MIFF 2014 runs from July 31 until August 17. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 11am on Friday, July 11. For more information, visit the MIFF website
For over 25 years, Geelong's creative set has flocked to Goose for its eclectic yet considered edit of apparel, footwear, homewares, gifts and more. Stocking brands like Rollie, Citta, Maison Blanche, Kip & Co, there's always something to discover here thanks to the constantly evolving range curated by owner Kristen Murphy. Want to surprise someone special? Goose's online store offers shipping Australia-wide.
Touring to Australia for the first time in more than five years for your first Aussie festival headlining slot since 2011 is one way to celebrate 35 years as a band. The group: Tool. The fest: Good Things. For 2025, Maynard James Keenan and company lead the fest's big names. Also on the bill: Weezer and Garbage. Get ready to hear 'Sober', 'Forty Six & 2', 'Buddy Holly', 'Island in the Sun', 'Vow' and 'Only Happy When It Rains' like it's the 90s and early-00s again — all on Friday, December 5 at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. The rest of the bill includes All Time Low, Machine Head and The All-American Rejects, as well as Knocked Loose, Lorna Shore, Refused, New Found Glory and Make Them Suffer. And, you can catch Dayseeker, James Reyne, Kublai Khan TX, Cobra Starship, Goldfinger, Tonight Alive and more. Good Things 2025 Lineup Tool Weezer Garbage All Time Low Machine Head The All-American Rejects Knocked Loose Lorna Shore Refused New Found Glory Make Them Suffer Dayseeker James Reyne Kublai Khan TX Cobra Starship Goldfinger Tonight Alive Bad Nerves Civic Dead Poet Society Fever 333 Gwar High Vis Inertia Palaye Royale Scene Queen South Arcade Wargasm Windwaker Yours Truly Top Tool image: Scott Moran. Good Things images: Kane Hibberd.
Independent bottle shops are the heart and soul of fine liquor, as you'll often come across small-run wine and craft beer that you'll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. For the last 40 years, Camberwell South Cellars has played an important role in showcasing the best beverages from around Victoria and Australia, as the store has become renowned for championing lesser-known wine estates and regions that produce some spectacular vino. Head inside and you'll be presented with a huge collection of wines from the Yarra Valley, the Barossa and beyond. There are also some unconventional spirits such as Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin and Japanese Roku Gin. Visit one of its regular free tasting sessions and stock up on a few local bottles of red. Images: Tracey Ahkee.
Mid-morning croissant cravings will no longer require a trip into the CBD or to Fitzroy — if you're in Melbourne's south and hankering for Lune Croissanterie's finest, that is. A decade after first launching and forever changing the way Melburnians think about flaky, buttery pastries, the beloved bakery is now adding its third homegrown location in Armadale. Set to open sometime this winter, Lune's latest Melbourne venue will serve up all those baked goods that fans know and love — traditional French croissants which take three days to prepare, of course, as well as everything from lemon curd cruffins and morning buns to its rotating range of monthly specials. Exactly where in the suburb it'll sit hasn't yet been revealed, but the chain announced the new store on its Instagram feed and is currently recruiting for a number of roles. "Friends south of the river, we know you've been dark on us ever since we packed up shop, crossed the Yarra and moved to Fitzroy. How about if we told you we were coming back? VERY SOON," the Instagram post advises. "Before the winter is out, the leafy streets of Armadale will have a buttery breeze care of Lune!!" View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lune Croissanterie (@lunecroissant) If you're still new to Lune's croissants, they've been described as "the finest you will find anywhere in the world" by The New York Times — and expect its Armadale spot to be busy when it does fling open the doors. Lining up for baked goods is a regular part of the Lune experience, including at its Brisbane outpost up north. Melbourne is scoring a third Lune location before Sydney even gets one, with the chain finally due to open in the NSW capital sometime in 2023. Lune is also setting up a second Brisbane venue this July, too. Wondering why Lune's tasty pastries are so coveted? Founder Kate Reid is an ex-Formula 1 aerodynamicist, and brings scientific precision to her craft. That includes the climate-controlled glass cube that Lune croissants are made and baked in, and the time-consuming process used to perfect each flaky pastry. It has been a big decade for the brand, which Reid co-owns Lune with her brother Cameron and restaurateur Nathan Toleman (Dessous, Hazel, Common Ground Project). The company's journey started back in 2012 with a tiny store in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood. Since then, Lune has grown into a converted warehouse space in Fitzroy (with those perpetual lines out the front), opened a second store in the Melbourne CBD and earned praise aplenty — including that aforementioned rave from The New York Times. Find Lune Croissanterie's third Melbourne store in Armadale, opening sometime this winter — we'll update you with an exact location and opening date when they're announced. Images: Marcie Raw.
