Nigella Lawson, Adam Liaw or David Chang? When all this time inside, at home, away from bars, pubs and restaurants comes to an end, which culinary whiz will you most resemble? We know you're getting plenty of practice, hopefully making something other than just sourdough — and we're betting your kitchen skills are stepping up a level with each iso meal you whip up. We're also certain you're eager for culinary inspiration. This isn't the time to live on two-minute noodles, grilled cheese on toast or that one dish that's always been your speciality ever since you moved out of home, after all. Whether you're eager to emulate one of the aforementioned chefs, focus on a certain type of food or just have some fun with your cooking, there's plenty available to stream to help — not only tempting your tastebuds, but your cooking abilities, too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ1Rd5HOEK4&list=LLV8ReLqD50OV_hnTTQgFFZg&index=417 NIGELLA AT MY TABLE AND NIGELLA FEASTS More than two decades since Nigella Lawson published her first cookbook and hosted her first cooking show, Britain's kitchen goddess is still going strong. That means she's racked up more than two decades worth of fantastic recipes and excellent culinary TV series — so you could probably make a different Nigella dish for every day you spend in quarantine. It also means there's plenty to watch, whether you fancy heading back to 2006 for Nigella Feasts or catching her most recent series, 2017's Nigella at My Table. The former will give you dinner, leisurely weekend and all-day brekkie ideas, while the latter features puddings, brownies, waffles, lamb kofta and chicken marsala. Nigella at My Table is available to stream via ABC iView, while Nigella Feasts is streaming via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wKIOTJtLdQ CHEF'S TABLE Scrolling through Netflix, you might start feeling hungry. While the streaming service is known for many things, it has also become a hub for culinary-themed docuseries over the past few years. There's nothing quite like the original though: Chef's Table, the platform's first step into the foodie game. Created by Jiro Dreams of Sushi filmmaker David Gelb, each of the series' 30 episodes to-date focuses on a different chef, a different restaurant and a different place around the world — taking your stomach on a global tour. Watch Massimo Bottura do what he does best, spend time behind the scenes with Attica's Ben Shewry, and journey everywhere from Argentina and Sweden to Slovenia and Turkey. The US also features heavily, but this acclaimed show never repeats itself. Chef's Table is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxlVVL-Hzks DESTINATION FLAVOUR Once, he was a lawyer. Now, Adam Liaw is one of Australia's top culinary talents. The winner of MasterChef Australia's second season back in 2010, he's become a mainstay on TV and in various publications' recipe pages for a good reason: his dishes aren't just delicious and creative, but they ensure that even the most complex-seeming meals are a breeze to make at home. And, he celebrates international cuisine, as his SBS program Destination Flavour demonstrates. While the first series, as co-hosted with Renee Lim and Lily Serna, kept a local focus, Liaw has since taken the show to Japan, Scandinavia, Singapore, China, and then back to Australia and New Zealand — and it's the perfect travel/food series hybrid. Destination Flavour's original season, as well as its Japan, Scandinavia, Singapore, China, and Australia and New Zealand-focused seasons, are all available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb7CBZ952zs NAILED IT! Admit it: while you've been spending all your time indoors, you've put your oven to good use. And, you've whipped up more than just bread — because who hasn't been hankering for cakes, brownies, muffins and all manner of other sweet baked goods? If you've been trying to take your cake-making to elaborate extremes, or you've always wanted to, then Nailed It! is the show for you. In each episode, the competitive Netflix series tasks three amateur bakers with creating complex cakes, then watches as they succeed and/or fail. As hosted by comedian Nicole Byer and pastry chef Jacques Torres, the show proves particularly fun when the contestants don't hit the mark. In fact, ensuring that the series is incredibly relatable, Nailed It! focuses on bakers who definitely aren't going to be jumping over to MasterChef anytime in the near future. Nailed It! is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxKrJYsZnCU THE PIZZA SHOW AND THE ICE CREAM SHOW One can be topped with almost any ingredient you can think of, tastes divine when it's fresh out of the oven and also goes down mighty well eaten cold for breakfast. The other is the ultimate in frosty, creamy desserts — and it's just as versatile. Obviously, we're talking about pizza and ice cream. Yes, they pair nicely together, too. Thanks to the aptly named Viceland duo that is The Pizza Show and The Ice Cream Show, you can devote your hours to learning all about each dish. Spend your time feasting your eyes on everyone's favourite Italian meal, and you'll be hanging out with Brooklyn Pizzeria owner Frank Pinello as he ventures across the US and Italy. Opt for a chilled sweet treat, and you'll follow third-generation ice cream maker Isaac Lappert around America as well. The Pizza Show and The Ice Cream Show are available to stream via SBS On Demand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eyFq3addMs UGLY DELICIOUS Food and travel: if there's a combination that's better suited to today's current situation, we're yet to find it. Any TV show that combines both not only provides viewers with a whole heap of culinary suggestions, but lets everyone cooped up at home indulge their wanderlust. That's the case with Ugly Delicious. It's the case with the bulk of Netflix's cooking shows, including fellow David Chang-hosted series Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner; however Ugly Delicious' focus on a different type of food per episode is a winner. Chang also weaves in the history of each dish in the spotlight, so prepare to learn more about tacos, Korean barbecue, fried rice and Indian cuisine — as well as steak, fried chicken, skewered meat, and shrimp and crawfish. Ugly Delicious is available to stream via Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4fx6V7ura0 DISHMANTLED Given that Dishmantled's episodes clock in at less than ten minutes each — it's a Quibi show, and that's what the new streaming platform specialises in — don't expect a step-by-step walkthrough explaining how to make each dish in detail. Instead, this amusing spin on the culinary TV genre's competitive strand literally throws food at its blindfolded competitors, forces them to guess what kind of meal they're now covered in, and asks them to make said dish in 30 minutes. Expect quick meal ideas, an entertaining and enjoyably over-the-top concept, and plenty of attitude, with the latter coming from host Tituss Burgess. If his Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt character Titus Andromedon hosted a silly cooking show in bite-sized pieces, it'd look exactly like this (although it could use more pinot noir). Dishmantled is available to stream via Quibi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzSTqVUWEzU THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF Fifteen years ago, if someone had suggested that Noel Fielding host a cooking show, you would've started laughing. Or, you would've thought that they were dreaming up a hilarious scenario for a new episode of The Mighty Boosh. But co-hosting The Great British Bake Off is exactly what Fielding has been doing since 2017. He's great at it, too. And, if watching British cooks compete for glory by baking up a storm isn't entertaining enough for you, then Fielding's involvement will be. Combined, though, you're in for a big dose Fielding being Fielding, plus oh-so-many delicious-looking baked goods that you'll instantly want to whip up at home. The Great British Bake Off is available to stream via Foxtel Now. Top images: Chef's Table, Ugly Delicious and Nailed It! via Netflix; Destination Flavour: China via SBS.
If you've seen A New Zealand Food Story then you'll already know the backstory behind new downtown restaurant Ahi. The eight-part online series follows acclaimed chef Ben Bayly and his team as they set out to discover what local cuisine is all about and where our produce comes from. It sees him enter rough Fiordland waters to harvest paua and crayfish, stalk deer through the Avon Valley, join a hook-to-plate fishing expedition in Foveaux Straight, and munch an absolutely enormous fig in Marlborough. The end goal is to create a truly unique New Zealand restaurant for the 28 March deadline. Five months later, in this year from hell, it's finally here. Ahi, translating from te reo Māori to 'fire', opened its doors for the first time on 31 August inside the new Commercial Bay precinct. Inside, Bayly and co-founder Chris Martin expand on the concept of fire with an open hearth in the kitchen. The 120-seat, hyperlocal space also features a woven oak ceiling to represent traditional Māori kete baskets, handmade plates from a West Auckland potter and an abundance of native timber which was salvaged by Bayly during the course of construction. Bayly says that Ahi's menu has been devised as a "culinary representation of what it means to be home, celebrating the diversity of the New Zealanders who bring produce to our tables." From whenua and moana, the land and the sea, diners can enjoy oysters by way of Waiheke Island, buffalo cheese from Whangaripo, speared butterfish from Cook Straight and cauliflower from Pukekohe. Snack items include tahr tartare with wild garlic and fermented hot sauce, hāngī pāua with kahawai, sour cream and kawakawa, and an interpretation of the 'Trumpet' made with buffalo ice cream and chocolate from Auckland's Miann. The larger courses complete the nationwide food tour. There's Fiordland crayfish soup with kūmara and saffron ravioli, Gisborne butternut with toasted harakeke flax and māhoe shoots, and 'Boil-up Toast' made with Berkshire pork, watercress and egg. From A New Zealand Food Story comes Bayly's wild-shot fallow deer in loin and cheek form, while the half crayfish you may have seen being charcoaled on the rugged Fiordland coast now comes with green onion and ginger sauce and lemon-sorrel salad. The restaurant comes complete with picturesque views out over the Waitematā Harbour — something which Bayly says is essential so diners know that they are in Aotearoa. Find Ahi on the second floor of the Commercial Bay precinct at 7 Queen Street. It's open 11.30am til late, seven days a week. Images: Manja Wachsmuth.
Keeping a beef-slinging diner running, transforming it into an upscale fine-diner, launching that new restaurant to the world: that's The Bear story so far. In the first, second and third seasons of hit series, those challenges awaited Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, The Iron Claw), plus his colleagues and his loved ones, including fellow chef Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri, Inside Out 2) and the Berzatto family's lifelong pal Richie Jerimovich Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Hold Your Breath). Next, in season four, keeping the show's namesake fine-diner in business is the focus. There's even a literal countdown clock ticking down to the eatery's possible demise in its fourth run, as the just-dropped trailer for the series features. "That clock is telling you how much money we have left," Cicero (Oliver Platt, Chicago Med), The Bear's key investor, advises in the sneak peek. "When that shows zero, this restaurant needs to cease operations". Accordingly, "chaos and turmoil" are still being plated up in this award-winning favourite, so much so that they're specifically mentioned by Syd. "It's hard and it's brutal, and that's what makes it special," notes Carmy. Also part of the trailer: reviews calling out concerns about the restaurant's consistency, new menus, ample food shots, advice not to hide from things, the return of Carmy's mother (Jamie Lee Curtis, The Last Showgirl), and everyone from Carmy's sister Natalie (Abby Elliott, Cheaper by the Dozen) to eatery staff Marcus (Lionel Boyce, Shell), Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas, Cat Person), Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson, Unprisoned) and Fak (IRL chef Matty Matheson) dealing with the pressure in their own ways. As announced earlier in May, The Bear returns in June 2025 for prime winter binge-viewing. The date for your diary: Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Australia and New Zealand. As in past years, season four will drop its entire season — ten episodes this time — in one hefty helping. The fourth season of the series has been in locked in since before season three even aired and, while throwing new challenges at its characters, is set to continue to raise a perennial question along the way: what should you cling to when you're chasing greatness, and in life in general? If you need more details about The Bear to date, its debut season jumped into the mayhem when Carmy took over the diner after his brother's (Jon Bernthal, The Accountant 2) death. Before returning home, the chef's resume featured Noma and The French Laundry, as well as awards and acclaim. Then, in season two and three, Carmy worked to turn the space into an upmarket addition to his hometown's dining scene, with help from the restaurant's trusty crew. Check out the trailer for The Bear season four below: The Bear season four will stream via Disney+ in Australia from Thursday, June 26, 2025. Read our reviews of seasons one, two and three. Images: FX / Disney+.
You're likely going to want to touch everything in Muku and no one would blame you. This humble Ripponlea store stocks all kinds of natural products that look and feel lovely — think soft linen cushions and warm cashmere scarves. Since opening in 2008 with a focus on organic clothing and toys for babies and kids, the boutique expanded to cover women's fashion and homewares, taking over the space next door to create twin stores covering all ages. Where possible, the Muku team aims to champion fair trade and eco-friendly products, handmade by local artists, encouraging its customers to embrace a natural and organic lifestyle. Images: Tracey Ah-kee.
The year is 1987. One way or another, the residents of Hawkins, Indiana that viewers know and love will have their last experience with the eeriness that's been plaguing their town for years. That's the promise of Stranger Things' long-awaited fifth and final season, even if the hit Netflix show saying goodbye won't be the end of the franchise's universe. Audiences, start looking forward to 2025. More than two years after season four's arrival — a wait extended due to 2023's Hollywood strikes — the streaming platform has confirmed that Stranger Things will be back in 2025. More than that, it has revealed a few key details. The first: that the new season will be set in the fall of 1987, which means a jump from the fourth season's spring 1986 timing. The second: the titles of the eight upcoming episodes. [caption id="attachment_978610" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix © 2024[/caption] There's no specific release date yet, other than 2025 — and nothing more in terms of a storyline, either. But if you feel like obsessing over the episode monikers for clues, you've now got eight hints. The season will kick off with 'The Crawl', then deliver 'The Vanishing of ...', 'The Turnbow Trap' and 'Sorcerer'. Next comes 'Shock Jock', 'Escape From Camazotz' and 'The Bridge', before it all ends with the enticingly named 'The Rightside Up'. Netflix unveiled the titles with a teaser video that's just text on-screen, plus the familiar — and always-welcome — sounds of the Stranger Things theme. Wondering who or what vanishes? The details are also part of the episode name, but the spoiler part has been blurred out to keep everyone guessing. Fans already know, however, that this season features Terminator franchise icon Linda Hamilton, jumping from one sci-fi hit to another. That said, there's no news yet on who she'll play, where she'll fit in, what relationship that she'll have with the usual Hawkins crew, how many episodes that she'll feature in or if she'll be visiting the Upside Down — or how pivotal she'll be to the show's big farewell. And as for more Stranger Things-related antics after season five, when creators Matt and Ross Duffer revealed that their sci-fi show was working towards its endgame back in 2022, they also said that they had more stories to tell in this fictional realm. Instantly, we all knew what that meant. Netflix doesn't like letting go of its hits easily, after all, so the quest to find a way to keep wandering through this franchise was about as surprising as Jim Hopper's (David Harbour, Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) usual gruff mood. Check out the title tease video for season five below: Stranger Things season five will arrive some time in 2025 — we'll update you when an exact release date is announced. You can stream the first four seasons now via Netflix — and read our review of season four. Images: Netflix.
St. Cloud may sit on a dilapidated part of Burwood Road, but with neon pink graffiti wall art and an industrial-style outdoor deck, it's by no means a difficult task to find. And it's lucky that it isn't, as this particular culinary cloud boasts some of the best contemporary Vietnamese food in Melbourne's east. Inside, it's all old-school rustic dark timber, raw concrete, plants and low-hanging lightbulbs. The rooftop garden (available for private functions) features a vast amount of greenery and pale, summery timber. Add these two spaces together, and St Cloud is one of the finest looking eating houses in the east. The venue comes from trio James Klapanis (owner of Toorak's Quaff), Franky Pham (who's worked in Vietnam for two years) and Shaunn Anderson (ex-Feast of Merit). In its past life, it was a furniture store, meaning that everything from infrastructure to the brickwork and painting needed to be redone — and everyone was involved. "We're all very hands-on people. We all helped out painting walls — even though we probably made more of a mess for the painter than anything," Pham jokes. "We know every nook and cranny of this place." The menu at the Eating House is split between between lightning fast lunch meals and share-style dinner plates. It's a mix of bright, bold dishes and quieter meals that may not stay in your memory for long, so if it's your first visit, snag a friendly waitress to point you in the right direction. The banh khot, or mini Vietnamese pancakes ($12-20), are a biting combination of turmeric and coconut with spring onion oil, herbs and nuoc mam (a salty-sweet Vietnamese dipping sauce made from fish sauce). For something heartier, their caramel pork belly with soft egg, pickled chilli, spring onion, black pepper and crackling ($38) is a surefire stomach satisfier. However, if you're swinging by for lunch, pair a delectably light and well-seasoned Vietnamese slaw ($8) with some charred grass-fed beef, lemongrass, honey and sesame ($8) for a fresh feed. St Cloud's warm space means that, whether you're running on a 30-minute lunch break at the bar or are in need of a table for ten, you'll be well looked after — and well fed. Images: Kate Shanasy
The sourdough masters at Rustica might be best known for their cult-favourite breads and pastries, but they've also got a soft spot for great coffee. So much so that the team launched its own specialty coffee roaster, First Love Coffee, which has been pouring at the brand's local cafes for the past few years. And now, it's got its very own home, with the opening of First Love's flagship store in Collins Arch. Sporting a chic fit-out full of peach- and green-hued terrazzo by Fiona Drago Architect, the pint-sized standing room-only espresso bar is both a caffeine pit-stop and retail space, heroing First Love's globe-trotting menu of beans. The coffee lineup features single origins from Brazil, Ethiopia and Nicaragua, alongside the popular house-blend Polaroid, while the food menu runs to a selection of easy grab-and-go items. Swing past for the likes of a classic brekkie roll ($9.50); a smoked mushroom sanga loaded with taleggio, baby spinach and truffle mayo ($14.50); and a poached chicken salad with Vietnamese slaw, toasted coconut and a nam jim dressing ($15). Rustica's signature breads feature throughout, too, and, if the mood calls for something sweet, the brand's legendary pastries will always be in strong supply. Images: Rebecca Newman
Thanks to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child gracing both the stage and the page, and the film adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them making its way to movie screens, 2016 has offered plenty of opportunities to step back into the magical world of everyone's favourite wizard. Of course, there's a difference between eagerly heading to the theatre, ripping through a book or rushing off to the cinema, and entering a real-life Hogwarts-style school. HP fans, you might want to book a flight to Utah. Blackburn Academy of the Magical Arts is the passion project of Springville artist Benjamin Lee Roche, as inspired by J.K. Rowling's finest creations. And, as he puts the finishing touches on the kind of Harry Potter-themed home makeover that even the most enchanted among us would need an army of house elves to pull off, he's opened the abode's Gryffindor-centric bedroom to Airbnb travellers. Yes, you can spend a night or several in a room decked out like a cross between the Gryffindor common room and Harry Potter's dorm room — and you won't even have to exclaim "alohomora!" to get in. You'll also be able to access what's described as "an immersive environment meant to inspire imagination," complete with "multiple exotic animals that are available to see and potentially interact with". Decor-wise, the house includes hanging candles to mimic Hogwarts' Great Hall, as well as spaces dedicated to different magical arts. In addition to Airbnb bookings, it's currently open for tours and parties, with actual classes teaching divination, potions, calligraphy, care of magical creatures and more on the horizon. Via Daily Herald.
When Sydney Film Festival unveils its complete lineup in May each year, it lets Australian movie lovers know which features are on the way to the Harbour City just before the cinema-adoring world turns its eyes to Cannes. Consider the Aussie fest a cure for film FOMO, then. Plenty of the movies that are set to wow audiences in France this month will head Down Under next month. SFF always adds more such titles just before it kicks off, as late additions to the program, but 2025's roster of flicks already boasts 15 entries in the direct-from-Cannes camp. Here's a few, all playing between Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15: Josh O'Connor (Challengers) and Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza) in heist-thriller mode in filmmaker Kelly Reichardt's (Showing Up) 70s-set The Mastermind; It Was Just an Accident, the latest feature from acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi (No Bears), who is also the subject of one of SFF's 2025 retrospectives; and Dangerous Animals, hailing from Australian helmer Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones, The Devil's Candy) and telling a tale of a shark-obsessed serial killer on the Gold Coast. Musing on its eponymous author as only filmmaker Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) can, Orwell: 2+2=5 is also taking the Cannes-to-Sydney route. So is coming-of-age story Enzo from BPM (Beats Per Minute)'s Robin Campillo; Mirrors No 3, which sees German director Christian Petzold reteam with his Transit, Undine and Afire star Paula Beer; Nigeria's My Father's Shadow, the first-ever movie from the country to be selected to play on the Croisette; The Secret Agent, led by Wagner Moura (Dope Thief) for filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho (a Sydney Film Festival Prize-winner for Aquarius); and Vie Privée with Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country). Some of the aforementioned titles are vying for this year's SFF prize, in the competition's 17th year — where opening night's already-announced Together, a new body-horror by Australian filmmaker Michael Shanks (The Wizards of Aus) starring Alison Brie (Apples Never Fall) and Dave Franco (Love Lies Bleeding) is also in contention. A few movies that the festival announced back in April, when it started giving sneak peeks at its 2025 lineup, are equally on that category. Will DJ Ahmet, a Sundance-winner after collecting its World Cinema — Dramatic Audience Award, emerge victorious? Or will that honour go to 2025 Berlinale Grand Jury Prize-winner The Blue Trail? They're in the running, with The Narrow Road to the Deep North filmmaker Justin Kurzel, one of his recent stars in Thomas Weatherall, the latter's Heartbreak High co-star Rachel House, plus Hong Kong-based producer Winnie Tsang and Marrakech International Film Festival director Melita Toscan du Plantier all doing the judging. What features Tom Hiddleston's (Loki) newest performance as well, with The Life of Chuck directed by The Fall of the House of Usher's Mike Flanagan and based on a Stephen King novella? What also boasts Jacob Elordi (Oh, Canada), Daisy Edgar-Jones (Twisters) and Will Poulter (Warfare) in queer romance On Swift Horses, plus Richard Linklater's (Hit Man) Blue Moon with Ethan Hawke (Leave the World Behind), Margaret Qualley (The Substance) and Andrew Scott (Ripley) — alongside Carey Mulligan (Spaceman) in music-fuelled comedy The Ballad of Wallis Island, the Dylan O'Brien (Saturday Night)-led Twinless and Pike River with Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets) getting its world premiere? This year's Sydney Film Festival. Which event is adding to its screening venues in 2025 in a spectacular way by showing films at Sydney Opera House, too? And which fest has 201 movies from 70 countries on its lineup, with 17 world premieres, six international premieres and 137 Australian premieres among them? The answer is still the same. How does long-term Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley characterise this year's program, the event's 72nd? "The 2025 Festival offers a bold and expansive view of cinema today, with films that confront the urgent realities of our world, while also revelling in the power of imagination and storytelling," he advises. "From astonishing Australian debuts to daring new works by global auteurs, this year's program is a celebration of creative risk, personal vision and artistic resilience. We invite audiences to explore this thrilling lineup, connect with filmmakers from around the world, and share in the transformative joy of cinema." Other 2025 highlights include Berlin's Golden Bear-winner Dreams (Sex Love); Aussie effort Death of an Undertaker, the directorial debut of actor Christian Byers (Bump), who uses an IRL Leichhardt funeral parlour as his setting; Dreams, with Jessica Chastain (Mothers' Instinct) reuniting with her Memory helmer Michel Franco; satire Kontinental '25, from Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World and Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn's Radu Jude; and What Does That Nature Say to You, the latest from South Korea's prolific Hong Sang-soo (In Our Day). Or, there's the near-future Tokyo-set Happyend, the Luca Guadagnino (Queer)-produced Nineteen, Tibetan-language anthology State of Statelessness (the first ever, in fact), Naomi Watts (Feud) and Bill Murray (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) in page-to-screen dramedy The Friend, Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar collaborator Kahlil Joseph's BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions, and Vicky Krieps (The Dead Don't Hurt) and Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things) tackling grief and possession in Went Up the Hill. Among the standouts on the festival's documentary slate, Jennifer Peedom (River) turns her focus to the quest to make the world's deepest cave dive by Thai cave rescue hero Dr Richard Harris in Deeper, 20 Days in Mariupol's Mstyslav Chernov works bodycam footage from the Ukrainian frontline into 2000 Metres to Andriivka and All I Had Was Nothingness features unused material from iconic Holocaust documentary Shoah 40 years on. Plus, Floodland is focused on Lismore, Journey Home, David Gulpilil charts the iconic actor's journey to be laid to rest, Prime Minister shines a spotlight on Jacinda Ardern and trying to open a Tokyo restaurant is at the heart of Tokito: The 540-Day Journey of a Culinary Maverick. Fans of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, take note: it's up for discussion in Chain Reactions from Alexandre O Philippe (Lynch/Oz). If you miss the video-store era, Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell) understands, and has made Videoheaven about it — a film essay solely comprised from movie and TV clips. A New Leaf, The Heartbreak Kid, Mikey and Nicky and Ishtar director Elaine May earns SFF's second 2025 retrospective, while the fest's lineup of restored classics includes the Aussie likes of Muriel's Wedding, Somersault and Mullet, plus Angel's Egg from Ghost in the Shell director Mamoru Oshii. For viewers of all ages, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon is also on the program. SFF's 2025 announcements until now were already impressive, so there's not only more joining the above flicks courtesy of the full program — they already have great company. Barry Keoghan's (Bird) new Irish thriller Bring Them Down; the Australian premiere of homegrown animation Lesbian Space Princess; music documentaries One to One: John & Yoko and Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao e Rua — Two Worlds; Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door)- and Michael Shannon (The Bikeriders)-starring post-apocalyptic musical The End; intimacy coordinators getting the doco treatment; Ellis Park, about Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds collaborator, Dirty Three founder and frequent film-score composer Warren Ellis: they're on the lineup, too. So is the one-film movie marathon that is 14-hour picture Exergue — on documenta 14, which is set inside the 2017 edition of the documenta art exhibition in Germany and Greece. Audiences will watch it in four- to five-hour segments — because, if it wasn't already apparent, there's no such thing as too much time spent in a cinema at Sydney Film Festival. [caption id="attachment_1002690" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Photo by Christian Schulz/ Schrammfilm[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1002697" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Screenshot[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1002698" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Greg Cotten[/caption] Sydney Film Festival 2025 runs from Wednesday, June 4–Sunday, June 15 at cinemas across Sydney. Head to the festival website for further information and tickets.
Croissants aren't easy to make, and no one in Australia knows that better than Kate Reid. For a decade, she's been the face of Lune Croissanterie, the bakery acclaimed by everyone from Yotam Ottolenghi (who called its flaky wares "the croissant that should act as the prototype for all others") to The New York Times (who anointed them "the finest you will find anywhere in the world"). The Melbourne-born chain's pastries didn't just luck into that effusive praise, however. Drawing upon her background as an ex-Formula 1 aerodynamicist, Reid took to the task of making the perfect croissant with scientific precision back when she changed fields. Lune's climate-controlled glass cubes, where its croissants are made and baked, have also become famous — adding even more complexity to an already-intricate pastry-creating process. After ten years spent crafting its titular treat, and also expanding the brand across Melbourne and Brisbane (plus Sydney in 2023), Lune has its croissants down to an art — and a science. Australia's pastry fiends clearly agree, spanning the chain's classic OG number through to its rotating array of monthly specials; head to any Lune location and the lines are proof enough. But Reid doesn't want croissant aficionados to only covet Lune's baked goods by heading in-store, not that anyone needs much encouragement there. Cue recipe book LUNE: Croissants All Day, All Night, which endeavours to share and demystify the croissant-making method — the butter, layers and laminating all included — across its hefty 272 pages. [caption id="attachment_871783" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lune's Kate and Cam Reid[/caption] Reid hasn't found a croissant-making shortcut for the masses, but she has reworked Lune's greatest hits to whip up at home. "Making croissants is really hard, and there's a reason why it's normally a bakery with commercial equipment," she tells Concrete Playground, chatting while touring the country launching the book. When it came time to write the tome, the pandemic struck. Reid describes herself as "a hermit" as a result, but put the situation to good use. "It was coincidental that we ended up in a lockdown, and I was basically stuck in my kitchen at home," she explains. "I was like, 'okay, well what I'm surrounded by is what everyone who buys the book is going to be surrounded by'. So I basically rewrote the recipes from scratch with the home baker in mind." Yes, while everyone else was trying out sourdough, Reid was creating the world's next home-cooking obsession. (When Concrete Playground suggests that perhaps readers will approach Reid's recipes Julie & Julia-style, baking their way through them all from start to finish, she laughs approvingly.) If that commitment sounds like the act of a perfectionist, it is, and Reid freely uses the label to describe herself. You don't get to be an Australian who's globally renowned for a French pastry — so much so that LUNE: Croissants All Day, All Night is being snapped by up folks with bakeries in Wales and Prague, Reid advises — without being diligent and meticulous. You also don't get there without learning plenty. When Reid founded Lune, she did "honestly just want to make the best croissant". She was dedicated to that task — starting work at 5am and putting in 10–12-hours-plus a day rolling croissants up until just a couple of years ago — but didn't once dream of having "five stores around Australia, soon to add to Sydney to the mix (which we're all super-excited about), a book, 170 staff and a wine bar", as she itemises. She credits that modest initial outlook and the genuine passion behind it for Lune's success. It might seem surprising for someone clearly so detail-oriented, but she also champions discovering when to not sweat the small stuff, as she talked through in a chat about croissant dreams, cookbook essentials and the best advice she's ever received. ON STARTING LUNE TO CHASE THE PERFECT CROISSANT "The story's well known about leaving Formula 1 and coming back to Australia, and being interested in being a baker or a pastry chef. But it was going to Paris and spending the time at Du Pain et des Idées, and working exclusively in their raw pastry kitchen. Prior to that, I'd been working in cafes, and making cakes and tarts and biscuits — and while I enjoyed that, I needed something that presented far more of a technical challenge. Discovering that at a bakery in Paris, I finally felt like every single one of the receptors that I needed to be stimulated to feel fulfilled in my work were. I was working in a bakery in France where I had to speak French, and learn new techniques that are physically challenging. I came back from Paris so inspired by what I'd learnt — and then wanting to find a croissant in Melbourne that had matched what I'd been eating and making in Paris. I couldn't really find anything that came anywhere near it, so I guess that was where the idea for Lune was born." [caption id="attachment_668102" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Peter Tarasiuk.[/caption] ON SWAPPING A CHILDHOOD DREAM FOR A PASTRY-FILLED FUTURE "I think I'd turned 30 the year I started Lune. For 20 years just preceding that, I'd been laser-focused about a career in Formula 1. I'd literally planned out my retirement. I was going to be the first female technical director of an F1 team, and wanted to retire in Scotland. When I got sick and came back to Australia, the thought of planning too far ahead scared me, because planning so far ahead had put me in a pretty dark place and things hadn't panned out the way I'd thought. So Lune was a bit more of a one-step-at-a-time approach. Like, 'okay you've discovered this new thing that you love, and you've got an ideal to open a little wholesale bakery in Melbourne — let's start there'. Maybe that's been one of the keys to the success of Lune, in that I didn't have a hard and fast outcome that I needed to achieve other than continuing to hone and perfect this pastry, and therefore it has grown in quite an organic direction. The right people have come along at the right time. Cam [Reid's brother and co-owner] came along 18 months in and he's been instrumental. And Nathan [restaurateur Toleman, of Dessous, Hazel and Common Ground Project] came onboard another year or so later, and he's been instrumental as we've been growing in Victoria and interstate. And then there's the chefs that've crossed our paths over the years. We didn't even know that we were going to go to Brisbane up until two years ago, when the opportunity presented itself. I think now where we are, it's important for us to have a growth plan and a vision, but I think all of us — myself, Cameron and Nathan — are all aware that you don't know what life's going to throw at you, or what your business or you are personally going to have to face, and what challenges are going to come. And it's better to be open-minded, as doors will open when you don't expect." ON WRITING A LUNE COOKBOOK TEN YEARS ON — AND CATERING FOR ALL BAKERS "I've had experiences, not just with bakery books but cookbooks in general, where you follow a recipe to the letter in a book and somehow the end result isn't exactly what it promises to be in the photo or the inscriptions. You always blame yourself, because you're like 'well I'm not a professional chef that wrote that recipe, and I don't work in that restaurant, so I must've done something wrong'. I really wanted to write a book that, short of having me in the kitchen with you, the person who bought it and wanted to cook from it really felt like I was like coaching them through the process in a very detailed way. So, the recipes had to be achievable by a home cook. In order to do that, I discovered over probably six or seven weeks of pretty frustrating trials at home last year that I couldn't just replicate what we did at Lune, obviously, because no one in their home kitchen has all the commercial bakery equipment that we have at Lune. I make no bones about it: there's a reason that we don't make croissants at home. But I think especially over the past few years — and with thanks to people like Chad Robertson from Tartine, who's really normalised and championed more technical baking at home, especially with the understanding of making sourdough bread — people out there want a bigger challenge. Especially over the last couple of years with going in and out of lockdown, people got really savvy in their own kitchens making things that otherwise they might've just wandered down to the local bakery to get. There will be many people who read the recipes I've written and, at the start it tells you you've got to dedicate three days to it —there's managing of temperatures, and pulling batches of pastry in and out of the fridge to make sure the butter's the right consistency; it's very technical. The technical home baker will absolutely dive into the recipes. But for those people who don't want to dedicate three days of life to try to make them from home, there's a couple of chapters in the book dedicated to twice-baked recipes that are cult-classics at Lune — like our coconut pandan or the carrot cake, the mocha, the choc-chip cookie-slice bake — and then there's also a leftovers chapter. Those chapters mean that you can just walk down to your local bakery, buy half-a-dozen plain croissants, then engage with the book and cook from it in a couple of hours of cooking in the kitchen, rather than three days." ON PICKING THE RECIPES — AND PLAYING FAVOURITES "I actually compiled a list of every single special we've ever done at Lune, and the list is hundreds long. Then I looked through it, and basically went and picked out my 60 favourites. The book had to come from my heart, and I needed to make sure that there was a really lovely story behind each recipe included. I also wanted it to be a good balance of sweet and savoury, of simple and complex, and pastries that Lune customers remember from the last ten years. It'd be very hard for me to go past the traditional croissant, and just the challenge of mastering the plain croissant at home. Anyone who embarks on that recipe is going to have a great amount of satisfaction when they pull them out of the oven on day three. But in terms of what to do with the croissant pastry and be creative with it, there are so many recipes in the book. The fish pie one is genius because it uses the scraps of the scraps, so nothing needs to get thrown in the bin. And then with the kouign-amann recipe, which isn't a cult Lune recipe — it's a classic French pastry — even if you've stuffed up your lamination a bit in the raw pastry, you are going to get the most delicious pastry you've ever made at home." ON THE BEST ADVICE REID HAS EVER RECEIVED "It's probably been from Cam, my brother. I am absolutely a perfectionist, maybe to my detriment, and had Cam not come along I potentially could've gotten really stuck in the detail of perfecting the croissant — and at the expense of making a viable business. I'm a control freak as well, so it took me a long time to be able to step back and let go of control of elements that ultimately I didn't need to have control of. The advice is to let go of the things that don't matter, and let other people take hold of things, because somebody's always better at something than you are. If you can find someone that's better at it than you, it's going to be to the benefit of the business and the product, and ultimately you as well. And trusting in people. I think my biggest learning is that to grow a business, 100-percent the most important thing is to have a really good recruitment program, because to get the right people involved in your business is the only way for a business to grow and succeed." AND SOME ADVICE FOR LUNE: CROISSANTS ALL DAY, ALL NIGHT READERS "Source really good ingredients to start with, because you can't make something great from bad ingredients – you just can't. They're your foundation, your good ingredients. If you live in a really hot, humid environment and you don't have air-conditioning, it's probably going to be the most frustrating recipe of your entire life. It's really not designed for warm environments, and if you don't have the ability to control the room that you're doing the pastry in, then you're not going to have a great time. And please tag me on Instagram if you try to make it, because I'm so excited to see everyone's results. That's not advice — that's a request!" LUNE: Croissants All Day, All Night is available at Australian bookstores and online, with the hardback edition retailing for $55.
BUS Projects' next exhibitions are two shows that propose to take you away from a gallery frame of mind. Entertaining the Environment is the third Drift Agency show to own to that name, after an experimental first incarnation at Deakin Uni and a second just finished up in Bendigo. The exhibition aims to make literal art for art's sake — art that entertains itself — though there doesn’t seem to be any objection to entertaining you along the way. Keira Brew Kurec’s Myself as an Island runs alongside, trapping viewers in the vertiginous centre of two opposing screens. Each shows a friendly New York City island receding, dropping you in a moment of infinite regress. BUS Projects is open Wednesday to Saturday, 12-6. Still from Kiera Brew Kurec's Myself, as an Island.
It's not often that you are able to get an inside look at a living legend's life and career. Paul Kelly – Stories of Me is a film about the Australian icon himself, directed by Ian Darling. The much loved singer-songwriter has provided the soundtrack to many Australian's lives with classics such as 'To Her Door' and 'Before Too Long'. Now, he has opened the doors to his private life and speaks candidly about his music and interesting life. This feature length film is running for one night only, and features live performances, interviews and never-before-seen footage. As an added treat, the man himself and Darling will make a special appearance after the film is screened. Don't miss this opportunity to get up close and personal with one of Australia's music legends.
The word 'squelch' is not usually one I'd use to summarise something in a complimentary way, but Andrea Arnold's adaptation of Wuthering Heights definitely squelches, and does so wonderfully. This latest version of Emily Brontë's doomy frustrated romance presents the obsessive relationship between Cathy (Kaya Scodelario) and Heathcliff (James Howson) in disturbing intensity, removing the framing device of the traveller to observe the story directly and with a greater focus on the traumatic childhood through which the two bonded. Allowing the viewer to actually see how they ended up the way they did is a powerful choice that brings a psychological believability to the story that hasn't always been evident in other versions, and the representation of the physical setting of the story conveys how integral it is to the events taking place within it, as well as being cinematically beautiful. It's fairly generally accepted now that Wuthering Heights is not really a very romantic story, that it is cruel and strange and its central lovers are neither of them particularly nice people. What gets less play, though, is that the landscape which forms such a part of the story and characters is as crazy as they are: it's very easy to take all the talk of the moors and isolation and even wild storms as romantic, but this film manages to convey the inconvenience and discomfort of the severity of the conditions as well as the grandeur and beauty of all that howling space. We see and — courtesy of wonderfully evocative sound design by Nicolas Becker — hear rain falling relentlessly and mud gripping at footsteps. That's one kind of squelch, where the land is holding onto the characters and making it hard for them to move forward. Another squelch is the sickening and distressingly regular sound of someone being hurt: If the landscape is as crazy as its inhabitants, its population is as violent as the weather. Heathcliff, particularly, comes in for horrible brutality and the depiction of the abuse is unflinching, with crunches and squishes prefiguring contusions. The physical violence and the violence of the landscape are given a corollary in the violence of will that seems to be the thematic driver of the film, from the rigid Christianity of Mr Earnshaw (Paul Hilton) to the sullen resentment of Hindley (Lee Shaw) to the contrasting malleability and thus weakness of Edgar (James Northcote) and Isabella Linton (Nichola Burley). This is a hard film to watch but one that is hard not to admire, where you don't really like anyone but have sympathy for them all, and the horrible and the beautiful are of the same materials. https://youtube.com/watch?v=kUWOCd894-Q
The Iranian Film Festival Australia has returned for its second year to The Brisbane Powerhouse and aims to showcase the best in modern Iranian cinema. This years feature film, Ali Mosaffa's The Last Step ponders the heartbreak of lost love. Other stunning films that will be showcased include the award-winning, Facing Mirrors, a movie about challenging social expectations as it tells the story of transgender Adinah who crosses paths with Rana, a young mother working as a taxi driver while her husband is in jail. The Iranian Film Festival also offers discussions, seminars as well as a long list of films that span the genres, such as comedies and drama. The films are directed and feature actors who are both fresh to the film industry and established professionals. Immerse yourself in Iranian film and culture for this three day festival.
Home-grown indie-punk outfit Last Dinosaurs are taking The Satellites Tour to Alhambra Lounge for an Under 18 show. They’ve returned from their first European adventure, having unleashed their unrelenting sound on a host of boutique festivals; their debut album In A Million Years has gained momentous attention both locally and abroad. Ticket holders will be given the opportunity to purchase an exclusive EP of remixes, as well as their album at a discounted price. Along for the ride will be fellow Brisbanites, The Jungle Giants. This foursome have been making strides with their infectious pop sound, demanding to be noticed for all the right reasons. While this show is sold out, their 18+ show at the Hi-Fi on October 19 still has tickets available. This is one act you do not want to miss!
For almost two decades, Regurgitator have been entertaining and exciting audiences, and now they’re back with a new string of shows, this time playing their albums ‘Unit’ and 'Tu Plang’ back to back. It will be a must-see for longtime fans, with previous shows having been described as “feeling like your head is trapped inside a stereo”. The retrospective shows are set to have a new twist but will maintain the high-energy of classic ‘Gurge. Along for the ride will be Indonesian duo act SENYAWA, affixing the traditional within a contemporary framework of “experimental music practices”, as they have done at the Melbourne Jazz Festival among other prestigious events. An extra performance has been added to the bill for September 27 - get in quick.
Each year, at the turn of winter to spring, Hindus celebrate Holi, a festival exalting colour that leaves participants saturated in bright hues. Holi serves as the inspiration behind the Color Run, a unique 5k race that has taken the U.S. by storm and is now headed to Australia. Runners are invited to join the "3.1 miles of color madness" that comprise the untimed Color Run purely for the sake of a good time. The only race requirements are that all participants wear a white t-shirt and be willing to be greeted with a blast of coloured pigment upon completing every leg of the race. The pigment, made of 100% natural food-grade cornstarch, is colour-specific for each portion of the race. After the first kilometre, runners are splattered with yellow; after the second, they are doused in blue. And so it continues until the end of the 5 kilometres, when each runner is covered head-to-toe in a brilliant mish-mash of every hue imaginable. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZWsfHC-0d6A
Sitting on my couch is a soft toy called Little Friend, made by the very brilliant late artist Mike Kelley. He's a blue, furry abject creature the size of a pillow with big googly eyes and pale pink appendages. When you smack his bottom, he says things like "don't play with your genitals, play with me" and "when you do naughty things, I see you". My favourite phrase, however, is emitted in a low, needy whisper, "hug me... foreverevereverever...". A similarly creepy breathiness is intoned throughout the latest film from Harmony Korine (Gummo, Trash Humpers), Spring Breakers. "Spring Break foreevvvveerrr" over the top of gratuitous bare breasts jiggling, "spring break foreevvvveerrr" in the dorm room, on the beach, on a murderous rampage. Whereas Little Friend is confined to the living room, the sirens of Spring Breakers are not terribly interested in staying put. There's nothing subtle about this film. Three bored, blonde college girls who may as well be nameless (Vanessa Hudgens, Rachel Korine and Ashley Benson as Candy, Cotty and Brit respectively) put the pressure on their tamer brunette Christian pal Faith (Selena Gomez) to ditch deadsville and head to the beach for a change of hedonistic pace. When Faith can't cough up enough money, the remaining trio hastily rob a chicken restaurant and they're all on their way. PARTAY! Once there, it's everything they ever hoped it could be and perhaps nothing they really wanted. A drug bust at a party gets them all landed in jail — in their bikinis — until they're bailed out by a limply horrifying bruiser named Alien (James Franco nailing it in cornrows and grills). Hilarity actually does ensue, surprisingly, but so does that sickening feeling that will make you want to stop off for a quick washbasin shower in the cinema bathroom when it ends. So that's the plot, but who really cares. Spring Breakers is about the delusion of the American dream, excess (Alien will tell you all about that one) and objectification with a hazy outlook on racial divisions (cue: Gucci Mane). Yes, the women in the film hardly ever wear clothes but they do possess a kind of unrealistic power we don't see very often on film. There are scenes of compromising sexual situations, but Korine doesn't err on that most vile of cliches, rape fetishisation — in fact it's flipped. The body shots are gratuitous — as they should be, given the vile Girls Gone Wild subject matter — but they're also tempered by Korine’s idiosyncratic beauty-out-of-garbarge long shots. It's of note that the cinematographer is Benoît Debie, most famous for his work on Gaspar Noé’s extreme Irreversible. After repeated viewings, my mind's still not made up on its complexity. That world is so ripe for a truly subversive, artistic reading and I would have liked Spring Breakers to be a bit more radical than it is. With an R rating already in place though, it's a morally obscure fever dream that is worth seeing on a big screen. Especially if you like Britney Spears. Image Spring Breakers
British singer/producer Ghostpoet, aka Obaro Ejimiwe, is coming Down Under to tour his latest record Some Say I So I Say Light. A record that mystifies listeners with its post-genre electronic production featuring loose and stretched out raps (in his sunken British accent). He captures a dark moodiness that brews amongst contagious hip hop beats. It's a treat to listen to, and hard to compare to anything else, really. Ejimiwe has a way of creating forward-thinking music. His distinct and uncategorised style puts him on his own pedestal. The unique artistry present in his latest record follows on from his debut Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam, which received a Mercury Music Prize nomination in 2011. He'll be bringing all these sounds and more as he takes a spin around Australia in September. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ABkQ96dh0eQ
Pixar certainly has a formula, and much like Coca-Cola, they won't share what it is. Nevertheless, whatever creative ingredients they are putting into their delicious movie soda is working — with their 13 major features to date averaging 89 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes. The company continues to make creative, moving and visually stunning family-friendly films that allow us to unashamedly enjoy a children's movie. The animation entrepreneurs have recently come under scrutiny, though, from critics who argue that the tried and tested formula is beginning to tire. They point to Pixar's production of sequels such as the Toy Story franchise, Cars 2 and the announcement of Finding Dory to contend that the company is no longer reaching for infinity and beyond. What they are neglecting, though, is that the magic of Pixar derives from their great storytelling that children and adults across the globe can relate to. And the newest addition to this Pixarpedia is Monsters University, the company's first foray into the prequel world, and this brilliant film will silence whoever wants to argue that this is an example of filmmaking fatigue. It tells the tale of how Monsters Inc. stars Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) became friends and went on to be employed together at Monsters Incorporated. Whilst audiences who saw the original may know the final outcome, the getting there certainly serves up some unexpected and enjoyable twists right up until film's end. The focus is on some typically university-centred life lessons, such as defining oneself and sustaining friendships in the face of unforeseen roadblocks. They've sidestepped the other, more adult content of college life; this is a clever, G-rated version. Then again, who needs alcohol when you have friendship, right? Of course, being a Pixar movie, it is largely about the aesthetics and Monsters University expertly showcases the company's stellar attention to detail. From the monstrous architecture of the campus buildings to the fang zips on students' backpacks, no stone is left unturned. There is also an incredible variety of monsters — with the visual standout being Art — and this vast populous ensures that the film never stagnates as new monsters appear throughout as well as some excellent cameos from the original. As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it, and there is certainly nothing broken at Pixar. If they continue making visually beautiful, surprising and compelling stories like Monsters University then I will happily see robot Billy Crystal voicing Monsters Retirement Home in 100 years time. Also, stick around until the cinema lights come on for the most entertaining post-credits scene in Pixar history.
Tequila gets a bad wrap; there is no denying that. TOMA Tequila from the Australian owned tequila brand Tromba Tequila is here to teach us a little bit about just how it's made and how we should be drinking it — no lick, sip, suck in sight. 'Toma tequila' means drink tequila, and that is all these sessions are really about. And learning a thing or two along the way. Spend two hours at Little Blood on Brunswick Street, tasting a range of tequilas and chasers made to highlight their qualities as well as making some cocktails while you're at it. The team at Kodiak downstairs will whip up some Mexican snacks, and you've made a night of it. There is no hard sell here either, folks; Tromba won't even be available to purchase after the sessions. It's purely about tasting and enjoying one spirit that people often don't know how to handle. From May, TOMA sessions will run on the last Thursday of each month
There should be a name — or at the very laziest, a portmanteau — for the kind of the film that instills a sense of dread in its audience from the outset and just lets it sit, collecting in the base of one's stomach until the very final moments. Thomas Vinterberg's new film, The Hunt, would then appear at the top of a wiki entry for that term, alongside keywords: intense, powerful and great-bone-structure. Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a resolute divorcee with a strong jaw (keyword) who's rebuilding his life in a small Danish township, trying to win back some time with his somewhat estranged teenage son while working as a kindergarten aide. Lucas is that classic infants teacher — equal parts stern disciplinarian and schoolyard fool. When his best friend's young daughter, his student Klara, makes an offhanded remark suggesting he's been sexually inappropriate towards her, his good community standing is suddenly upended, no good against the chilling fear of innocence lost. From the outset, the case is handled appallingly by Lucas's colleagues. Klara is provoked with leading questions and when she tries to recant, her uneasiness is taken for truthful shame. As the lie spreads through the school and then the town and beyond, Lucas becomes resolutely calm towards the situation, outraged to the point of passivity. As his friends, family and lover question his integrity, he doesn't directly deny the charge, though you wish, agonisingly, that he would. Instead he poses the question back to the accuser, leaving open a small window of hope as a gust of hysteria blows right on through. There's violence, fear and a deep sense of dread as Lucas's community all but takes to him with a pitchfork. This is Vinterberg's best since his dogme 95 blazer Festen (1998) which also touched on some of the same issues of abuse and family, though with a more sickeningly farcical touch. Much of The Hunt's success lies in Mikkelsen's stoic performance, which rightfully won him the Best Actor gong at Cannes in 2012. The Hunt is a taut, unpleasantly bristling drama and one of the best and most precisely directed films we'll see this year. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0KwzEQPMppI
The City of Melbourne’s CultureLAB is a creative development program that offers emerging (and already well-hatched) artists a chance to work through a structured development program of ongoing collaboration and mentorship within the historic Arts House venues. This weekend CultureLAB welcomes the curious with UNDONE, an open day showcasing participants' works-in-progress at the Arts House Meat Market and North Melbourne Town Hall. Featuring dance, movement, theatre and puppetry by an array of artists including I'm Trying to Kiss You, Mish Grigor and Collaborators, Natalie Abbott and Angus Cerini, attendees have the chance to observe open rehearsals and hear from the artists themselves in a panel discussion and Q&A. It’s a great opportunity to get a look at the raw materials before they’re all polished up and ready for public consumption — our hypothesis is that they will be just as intriguing at this early test tube stage. No arty function is complete without a drink or two, so stick around after 6pm for a schmooze 'n' booze with the CultureLAB folk and if you’re an artist, don’t forget to pick their brains about next year’s intake. Image: Aphids' Game Show
Earlwolf is the amalgam of Odd Future (or Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, or OFWGKTA) alumni Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt, two of the most talked about hip hop artists of the decade. Whilst that talk is often based around the controversy they create, with Tyler's most recent artistic foray into commercial curation causing heated debate, there is no denying that when it comes to music the two are innovative virtuosos changing the sound of the genre with their subversive aural experiments. Their Australian tour is their first visit to our shores since Tyler's most recent release, Wolf, and with 19-year-old Earl's follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut, Earl, to be released so soon — and with it promising to be very tidy indeed if his new single 'Whoa' is anything to go by — there is no better time to catch the two most prestigious talents of Odd Future. Be aware, though, that whilst the two are excellent at what they do, this is probably not for you if you are offended easily. The hip hop duo are bringing their explosive sound to Melbourne on June 7, so get in quick and witness the future of hip hop.
When we think of dance performances, we usually think of watching a cast on stage from the comfort of a theatre seat. Action/Reaction, a part of Dance Massive Festival 2013, is breaking that mould and taking dance to the streets of North Melbourne — Errol Street to be exact. Over two nights, 20 artists will come together to create a series of dynamic performances that will explore interaction, conversation and the act of collaborative experience. Dance will be coupled with visual arts and sound while taking inspiration from the words of writers Ramona Koval and Chris Johnston. Curator Hannah Mathews explores movement and presents common everyday actions in a new and contemplative manner. Errol Street will become a playground for action, with something unexpected taking shape at every turn. Image by Laresa Kosloff
Texan rockers The Black Angels are bringing their psychedelic music Down Under, fresh off the back of releasing their fourth album, Indigo Meadow. The band that was instrumental in raising the profile of the genre along with heavyweights such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were here for Harvest Festival last year, and their fans have demanded a solo show, a cry The Black Angels somehow heard over their pulsating guitars and driving drums. The Velvet Underground inspired band will be gracing the Palace Theatre on June 14 with their cathartic style and will be supported by Australian rockers The Laurels and The Murlocs. If you are unfamiliar with the band, then take a listen to their most recent single, 'Don’t Play with Guns', which encapsulates their sound. It will be a kaleidoscopic evening that harks back to the much-hyped sound of a decade ago.
The School of Life, brainchild of modern philosopher Alain de Botton, offers students a different kind of learning. Having started in London in 2008, de Botton's unconventional classrooms have recently opened their doors here in Melbourne, kicking off for a summer term. This isn’t your usual curriculum. Here you’ll learn things like how to think more about sex, have better conversations, and find a job you love. According to de Botton, work and love create the most problems for people in everyday life, thus the school aims to offer new and insightful tools to help students overcome these problems and better their worlds. On top of classes, the school is set to host a number of events and talks. Craig Sherborne takes a Sunday sermon on being ordinary, you can feast on both food and heated discussion at dinner with Simone de Beauvoir, and the Breakfast Club will serve up philosophical ideas over your morning pastry. Forget the textbooks, just take an open mind. Image by David Michael.
With paedophilia now the throwaway punchline of every joke involving Catholic priests, Alex Gibney's Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God is a sobering reminder of the personal impacts of child sex abuse within an interminably sacrosanct organisation. Gibney has a way with scandal, having previously explored the USA's policy on torture in Taxi to the Dark Side and big business cover-ups in Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. His assured, forthright documentary style is at its best in Mea Maxima Culpa, following both personal accounts of victims and the much larger problem at work. Much of the film's focus rests on a group of vulnerable young boys under the care of Father Lawrence Murphy at a school for the deaf in Milwaukee in the '60s. Deliberately using their disability and disconnectedness from their families, Murphy regularly molested the boys in secrecy. One victim describes Murphy as a "ravenous wolf", often singling out children whose parents could not sign, thus minimising any chance of speaking out. It would take decades before they were able to. Father Murphy, who died in 1998 defended his actions with the sickening reasoning of nobly taking their sins upon himself to disrupt their "rampant homosexuality". Though eventually removed from the school, Murphy was largely protected by the church, which prompts the film to investigate this as not a distressing one-off incident, but as a widespread, hushed-up problem. According to Vatican correspondent Marco Politi, the first documentation dates back 1700 years ago, although the state refuses to make their archives public. Interviews with victims, lawyers, progressive clergymen and journalists mixed with archival footage supports Gibney's thesis of a conspiratorial protection offered by the Vatican — to the perpetrators, rather than the victims. The lucidity and openness of the subjects are only slightly let down by a few unnecessary re-enactments early on in the film. The defiant interviews with the men who have dedicated their adult lives to take their uncomfortable truths not just to their local archdiocese but all the way to the Vatican is what will stay with you. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God is an incredibly gripping report of a papacy that remains largely above the law. With the recent election of Pope Francis, it couldn't have come at a better time. https://youtube.com/watch?v=lLZDLp7lx28
It's time to shake your arts and help launch Next Wave's newest initiative, Next Wave Collective, at the ultimate summer soiree on Saturday at the Northcote Town Hall. Hobnob with artists and soak up the sunshine in the courtyard with an ice-cold bevy from Mountain Goat or Raw Wines from 2-8pm to celebrate the initiative, which will give artists, art lovers, volunteers, collectors, philanthropists, and local businesses an oppurtunity to get involved. There will be roving outdoor performances and pop-up galleries from Next Wave artists, while White Guy Cooks Thai, Mr Burger, and Yogurddication will keep the grub coming all day. The social is set to get sexy after dark, when Melbourne band's The Harpoons and Playwrite will take centrestage. Special performances by the artists who make up Next Wave’s Kickstart 2013 program and tonnes of prizes to be won will round out the fiesta. Woopa!
Tucked away above a dusty fabric shop on Sydney road, Brunswick, lies the Mr Kitly shop and gallery. Catering to the artful homemaker, the space is serene and full of natural light — a quiet haven in the midst of surrounding chaos. From February 8, Mr Kitly plays host to the work of a group of Japanese masters of design — the TORAFU Architects. The exhibition features designs by Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro, who offer up an assortment of furniture, block and magnet sets, and the intriguing air vase. The TORAFU designs are minimalist and playful at once, with their use of clean lines, basic shapes, and bright colours working to inspire one's inner child. This is the first time these designs have been displayed in Australia, and they will remain so only until February 24. Catch them while you can.
It has proven to be a massive year for Big Scary, who have released their highly anticipated follow-up record to 2011's debut, Vacation, and now have a freshly announced national tour that will see the Melbourne duo popping into every corner of Australia. Not Art, the band's second record, saw Tom Iansek and Jo Syme shift into a new direction in terms of sound and production. Though they're primarily known for their alt-rock aesthetic, Iansek has this time sought out new influences from the likes of Kanye West and has thus produced a record that dips into hip hop whilst still maintaining elements of their signature pop sensibilities. On tour, the duo will expand into a four-piece live band — something they've never tried before — in order to fulfil the complex and lush textures heard throughout their record, most prominent in lead singles 'Luck Now' and 'Phil Collins'. Kicking off the proceedings will be Melbourne singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett, whose latest musical adventure and stellar songwriting can be heard in the form of her new single, 'Avant Gardener'. https://youtube.com/watch?v=K_EjSuYWzxA
Melbourne International Film Festival artistic director Michelle Carey admits that she is "especially excited about the MIFF 2013", and we can see why. Three years ago Wentworth Miller's Stoker was voted one of 2010's best unproduced screenplays, and now the rest of us finally have a chance to see what all the fuss is about. The unnerving tale is centred on 18-year-old India, who, fresh from burying her father, meets the mysterious uncle her mother has invited into the family home to fill their void. The cast includes a trifecta of Australian talent, with Nicole Kidman, Jacki Weaver and Mia Wasikowska breathing life into the Stoker family. To add to the hype, it is also the English language debut of celebrated South Korean director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy). Other movies on the radar include the world premiere of Tim Winton's The Turning (starring Cate Blanchett); festival patron Geoffrey Rush's turn as an eccentric art auctioneer in Italian box-office smash The Best Offer; Shane Carruth's highly anticipated follow-up to cult time-travel puzzler Primer, titled Upstream Color; and US gore-fest of a horror flick You're Next. The documentary contingent looks set to more than hold its own this year. The Act of Killing, probably the most original lens on genocide you'll ever see, is one screening not to miss (also not to miss is our interview with director Joshua Oppenheimer). Australia's almost-rock legend Jeremy Oxley's battle with schizophrenia and alcoholism takes centrestage in The Sunnyboy, while UK director Ken Loach looks to the England of old in The Spirit of '45. Loach's exploration of British domestic policy pre- and post-Thatcher is a rallying call to UK politicians to reject austerity and remember that great 20th-century experiment, the welfare state. What would a film festival be without something to call the next Woody Allen? MIFF fills that category with the black-and-white comedy Frances Ha. Star Greta Gerwig (To Rome with Love) co-wrote the film with director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale). It contains dialogue like this: Guy: What do you do? Frances: It's kind of hard to explain. Guy: Why, is what you do really complicated? Frances: Because, I don't really do it. So it looks like they are onto a good thing. An annual event, the MIFF runs from July 25 to August 11. For more information, head to the website and keep an eye out for the full program, which will be released on July 2. Image: Festival patron Geoffrey Rush as Virgil Oldman in The Best Offer
Get ready for some incredible parties and cracking cabaret at this year’s Midsumma festival. Celebrating queer culture for two solid weeks, Midsumma will entertain and amaze with live music, performing and visual arts, community events and sport. Opening night party Confetti, featuring The Presets and World’s End Press, looks to be a smashing start to the festivities. Whether you’re heading to the larger events like Carnival or Miss Gay and Miss Transexual Australia, or checking out individual shows like The Vaudevillians starring Jinkx Monsoon, you’re bound to witness some stellar performances. Check out the full program here, and our top ten picks here.
Straight up: this is not your average electro festival. Let Them Eat Cake has three distinct elements working in their favour which include an exceptional line up of musical talent, visual and performance artists who will bend your mind (and bodies), and last but not least the Food Rave. Melbourne’s finest food and drink establishments such as Ladro, Storm in a Teacup, Captain Melville and Phat Brats will be providing the much needed sustenance to help you recover from the night before, and to keep you going all day long. Get excited for the likes of Julio Bashmore, James Holden, Soul Clap and Bicep as they kick off the first day of 2014 on the right foot.
If Falls seems a little too large for your liking, but you’re still looking for a sweet escape from the city, then NYE on the Hill might be just what you need. Brought to you by the legends behind the equally awesome The Hills Are Alive festival, this boutique NYE experience is small on scale but big on good vibes. 48 hours of freedom never looked so blissful, with the likes of Loon Lake, Wagons, Money for Rope, Playwrite and many more dropping in to help you welcome 2014.
Russian cinema was relatively unknown in Australia until the Russian Resurrection Film Festival came along. This year the largest festival of Russian cinema outside of the mother country is celebrating a decade of cinematic offerings, returning to silver screens across the nation this July and August. Whilst originally appealing primarily to Russian expats, the festival has grown immensely in popularity, now fascinating a broad audience of cinephiles and Russophiles. The line up for this year's anniversary event features a collection of Russian cinematic riches, intricately blending the contemporary and the classic. It will showcase 18 new films, including two world premieres, Marathon and The Geographer. Other contemporary highlights include the animated delight The Snow Queen, which tells the heartwarming tale of a quest to save family, art and the hearts of people everywhere; Legend No. 17, the highest grossing Russian film in history, which explores the life of ice hockey legend Valery Harlamov and how he captivated a nation; Metro, Russia's first big-budget disaster blockbuster, which keeps the audience in suspense as a flood rages through the Russian underground; and the romcom Love With an Accent, an optimistic and slightly absurd film in which love knows no borders as Russia and Georgia bury the hatchet. If you prefer a classic take on Russian cinema, then the two retrospective programs on offer at the festival are for you. The first takes a look at the work of the celebrated producer/director Valery Todorovsky and features his cult hits My Stepbrother Frankenstein, Vice and Hipsters, among others. The second takes a nostalgic tour through 'Comedies from our Childhood' and features Beware of the Automobile, Gentlemen of Fortune and the timeless Ivan Vasilievich – Back to the Future. Cinema lovers in Melbourne will be able to experience the festival from July 3 until July 14. Peruse the programme and see what makes you want to don your ushanka and journey to the cinema. Image from Hipsters. https://youtube.com/watch?v=jpfcuU6taTE
From humble beginnings to a hugely successful career spanning two decades, You Am I have become veritable legends of Australian music. Their hall-of-fame-calibre resume reads like this: three No.1 albums, seven albums reaching the Australian top ten, countless tours and sold out shows and numerous accolades to go along with it all (despite still being labelled as 'cult favourites'). Tim Rogers, Andy Kent, Russell Hopkinson and David Lane are bringing the jams that made them a classic act, a show for the dedicated fan, performing their albums Hourly, Daily, and Hi Fi Way in their entirety. They are taking the show across Australia and the response has been massive already. Their first Brisbane show sold out, a second has since gone on sale — we wouldn't be surprised if that sold out, too. You'd best make sure it isn't the same in your city (it probably is), so you can score a ticket in time. For long-time fans of the band, this is an opportunity that cannot be missed, for there is no telling if it will come around again soon. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Nwsyr5gAEuM
The Canadian electro-pop group Austra caused a sensation at the 2012 Laneway Festival, with their exhilarating fusion of riveting vocals and electronic synth. That performance was just from their debut album, and since then they've added two new members and dropped a fantastic follow-up album. 2013's Olympia is the perfect combination of indie rock and new wave. Katie Stelmanis, the main songwriter, rings a bell of Florence Welch and London Grammar's Hannah Reid with her operatic voice. Her songwriting talents have shone as well in this second album, which is a beautiful collection of lyrically personal tracks. But perhaps it's been her ability to expand the band's range of sounds — which encompasses many dimensions of trance, electro and pop — yet stay true to the feeling of their first album that have made Austra so successful. They've recently had a crazy touring schedule, sharing the stage with big-timers such as The xx, Grimes and The Gossip. This summer, Austra will be returning to the Corner alongside their Perth Festival appearance.
Sofia Coppola has made her career by highlighting that being young or famous (and often both) does not protect anyone from existential crisis, no matter how blessed their life may outwardly seem. While previously Coppola has mocked this up in stylised versions of other times and places, her newest feature, The Bling Ring, picks at the designer threads of youth and celebrity in a city very close to her heart: Los Angeles. As the film opens, a circle of Hollywood teenagers are charged with breaking and entering the homes of TMZ royalty, including Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, and sashaying away with millions of dollars worth of luxury goods, clothing and cash. The seeds of their downfall are found one year earlier, when Marc (Israel Broussard) arrives at his new school with adolescent awkwardness slung over his otherwise fashionable shoulders. It is here that he casually befriends Rebecca (Katie Chang) and her posse of light-fingered, self-absorbed pals (including Emma Watson and Taissa Farmiga). Though based on actual events (Coppola has changed the names), The Bling Ring does not feel like a true crime film. It is dream-like, with Rebecca and Marc skipping through empty mansions in the hills, tossing diamonds and shoes at one another in an hour-long montage. Details of the characters' lives — and of the real identities behind these characters — are lost in the glitter, and as a result the plot unspools to hit certain moral milestones before the end credits roll. There are no twists and, ultimately, if you want a good story, you should seek out details of the real teenagers (and the Vanity Fair article that inspired the film) online. The Bling Ring then is a film essay on the experience of desire and lack of privacy in the fame economy. It is hard not to want everything that appears within the 90 minutes of the film, as clothing, money, drugs, young bodies and modernist mansions are showcased beneath a heaving soundtrack of Azealia Banks, Phoenix, M.I.A and Kanye West. By the end, when the teens' spree is brought to a halt, their only unforgivable mistake is the hubris of being so boastful about their crimes in a world of security cameras and social media. Most people otherwise would happily take a punt were they to know that Paris Hilton kept her keys under the doormat. https://youtube.com/watch?v=r4c6hmrwba0
Leaping into the spotlight this year, Jagwar Ma have been busy creating a buzz overseas and back home in Australia. Their recent Glastonbury set brought in waves of acclaim from prominent music publications like NME, who listed Jagwar Ma as the #1 Must See Act, and the Independent, who labelled the Sydney trio as "the ideal Glastonbury band". The outfit even received a nod of approval from Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher, who proclaimed his love for the Australian rock band in a recent interview. With their debut album, Howlin' now unleashed to the masses, the duo continues to impress. Their trippy, blissed-out sound is a perfect marriage between pulsating dance rhythms and gritty guitar riffs. To celebrate the release of the record, Jagwar Ma will be heading out on a national album launch tour with two Sydney shows at The Standard, the first of which has already sold out, before taking a spin around Europe and The States. Supporting duties for both evenings go to solo electronic producer Guerre and DJ Angelo Cruzman. https://youtube.com/watch?v=K8KCPw9kYpo
The Plinth — or the old-school base-type structure that columns used to be built on back in the day — that is still found in the centre of Edinburgh Gardens is being given new life by the artist-run initiative Plinth Projects. The statue which once sat on this plinth was lost (under mysterious circumstances), making it an unexpectedly jazzy but empty spot, recently filled by a schedule of temporary, outdoor exhibitions. On a monthly rotation during the warmer months, Plinth Projects will kick off with Oscar Perry’s Harvest Showdown/ Early Classics, Hits and Rarities, an insight into the life and untimely death of Mike Edwards, the cellist in '70s progressive rock band Electric Light Orchestra, who was also a devotee of Indian mysticism. On the first Sunday afternoon of each month, the exhibitions will be opened up to one and all with a celebratory picnic. Like choosing the stairs over the escalator, it could be the perfect opportunity to get some incidental art into that punishing schedule. Image courtesy of http://plinthprojects.com
If you haven’t seen slam poetry before, the Victorian State Final is a good place to start. A raucous, audience-focused evening of live entertainment that sits somewhere between stand-up and socially-conscious rap, going to a slam is something to try, even if poetry’s not your bag. Who knows, you might even be one of the audience members randomly selected to be a judge. This year’s final, hosted by last year’s winner Simon Taylor, has already done the hard work for slam fans who want to check out the cream of the local crop without having to sit through any inevitable, cringeworthy stuff. If you’re looking for a cheap night of clean fun that’s a bit off the beaten track, this one’s a goer.
Brooklyn psych experimentalists and Laneway sophomores Yeasayer will play a headline show at the Hi-Fi when they head back this way in February. The band spent summer here last year after the release of their last album Odd Blood, and now have a brand new 11-track offering crammed with sounds ranging from Italo-pop to warped electronica and R&B. That offering is called Fragrant World, and each track is a different unconventional yet accessible blend of wide-ranging influnces — "No Bones" is an excellent amalgam of astral spasms and glitchy synths that is still strangely danceable. Yeasayer's live performances are equally captivating, whether you're blissing out under the midday sun or in the entrancing darkness of the Hi-Fi. If you won't be doing the former, get your licence to do the latter here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ml9oNH4UjzQ
Parachute Youth present their Count To Ten Tour! This duo have become one of Australia’s most sought-after acts, with their debut single Can’t Get Better Than This shooting to the coveted #1 spot as most played and requested on Triple J, while taking over the AIR charts. They’ve now got the award for Best New Act under their belts as presented by In The Mix, and have been nominated for Best New Act and Best Australian Single by AIR. The flattery isn’t restricted to their homeland of Oz, with the UK and US signing the boys, as well as Europe proving to be a solid fan base. As such, this could be the last opportunity to see Parachute Youth in an intimate environment, and where better than the Corner Hotel. Supported by Clubfeet, this is a show that will prove an absolute treat. The early bird tickets have already flown the coop, so get in quick for the remaining General Admissions.
The world is awash with revamped versions of fairytales these days; Snow White is now a warrior princess, Rapunzel is actually about a thief, and Hansel and Gretel... well let's not get into that. But there's one twist we haven't seen yet: what if Prince Charming was gay? The Prince's Quest, on as part of Midsumma, aims to redress the imbalance in the fairytale kingdom by bringing you a queer-positive version of the classic witches, wizards, and princesses tale. Throw in a few original musical numbers from the adorable Rosie Burgess, and you have a pretty sweet lo-fi theatre package. Though the full version of the show promises to come good with the nudge-nudge wink-wink jokes, there's a clean version for the kids on Wednesday, January 23, because although the message is for everyone, it's the kids who need to know that fairytale romance is not always between a man and a woman.
It is very easy, tempting even, to hoist up Samsara as a repeat reminder of how fevered we've grown in our lust for quick-cut edits, elevator-pitch plots and uncomplicated relationships. This latest film by director Ron Fricke and producer Mark Magidson (previously partnered in 1992's Baraka) is a non-verbal meditation on our planet and the billions who share it with us, and while only 99 minutes long, Samsara stares you in the eye for longer than most find comfortable. Casually moonlighting as the name of an exotic scent or clothing range, samsara is Sanskrit for "the ever-turning wheel of life", and it is this motif that led Fricke and Magidson through a five-year shoot in twenty-five countries on five continents. Samsara is the wheel of life, death and rebirth, but it is also the grinding wheels of commercial labour, of fickle trends, and of the literal vehicles that the production crew commandeered in their often gruelling efforts to obtain 70mm footage for a few seconds of screen time. This herculean dedication to cinematography has certainly returned great wonders. Samsara flows from one luscious image to the next, carried by intuitive editing rather than plot, and is supported by an original score from Michael Stearns, Lisa Gerrard and Marcello De Francisci that perpetually slips away from defining the meaning of a scene (while almost always evoking a whiff of patchouli and chai). One of the driving concepts of Samsara are the portraits. These are sustained takes of people staring at the camera, their charged gazes a tribute to the eternal expression found on Tutankhamun's sarcophagus. A simple theme, but one that perfectly captures the sense that we are all occupants of this "mudball spinning in space", as Fricke terms it, no matter how varied our style, home or eye colour. It is interesting to note that these are the obvious moments of stillness — the fluttering lives — while the longer-living landscapes and architecture we inhabit are shown in dynamic time-lapses, as if it is the mudball that is sloughing away faster than our flesh. Perhaps here there is a point of concern about the motivations behind Samsara. Fricke and Magidson are keen for the film to be a guided meditation, "not about right or wrong...[but] about how it is now". Mostly the images and sequences allow viewers to reflect and ruminate on their own thoughts; however, there are certain footage choices throughout Samsara that it is naive to declare free of political weight. A significant section of the film plays witness to the immense production lines, for instance, rendering machines, humans and livestock into commodities at a rate and volume that is staggering to witness. While Fricke and Magidson may not have nailed a manifesto to the projector, there is no denying how charged this footage is in light of our daily dialogues on scarcity and peak economics. Whether or not there is a polemic actually behind its majesty, Samsara is a film that provides a great counterpoint to the usual Boxing Day fare at cinemas. For those who are overfed on the sugar and fat of blockbusters, prepare to cleanse your mind and heart with another kind of richness. https://youtube.com/watch?v=qp967YAAdNk
For the summer season Opel Moonlight Cinema offers advance previews, and contemporary, cult and classic movie screenings on the darkened lawns of the Royal Botanical Gardens. With onsite catering offering everything from pulled pork to nachos and steak sandwiches, the open air environment offers cinema goers a refreshing alternative to the cramped and stuffy theatres in town. Over the next few months a varied program of movies will be offered, with great films like Skyfall, Ted, Looper, The Hobbit, Taken 2 and The Master. You can even bring along (well behaved) dogs, provided they're on a short leash. So, if your shih tzu enjoys the comedy of Seth MacFarlane, or your great dane can’t get enough Daniel Craig, they're as welcome as you are.
Rose Revolution is a celebration of textural rose wine and will engage a number of events in capital cities and regional areas around Australia. The launch of Rose Revolution is going to involve tastings and gatherings to bring rose lovers together throughout the summer months. On 14 November, Feddish Cafe Bar and Restaurant will host a tasting with a side of Yarra Valley view. You'll mingle with local winemakers and gear up for the hotter months ahead with your deepened knowledge of rose. Bookings: bookings@feddish.com.au
If you're setting off on a day-long walk through the Atlas Mountains, who better than Viggo Mortensen to act as your guide? That certainly proves true in Far From Men, first in a story that sees an accused murderer trek towards an execution, and then in a film that goes on an existential wander towards the true meaning of courage and honour. With plenty of empathy lurking beneath his penetrating gaze and no-nonsense attitude, Mortensen is the ideal candidate for both journeys. His rural schoolteacher, Daru, displays the kind of patience that clearly stems from a complex past — and the type of fortitude that will serve him well for any future troubles. At the beginning of the Algerian struggle for independence from the French in 1954, he finds the latter when a lawman deposits Mohammed (Reda Kateb) into his care, asking Daru to escort him to court to face the consequences of his actions. First, Daru refuses, not wanting to be complicit in the fate everyone knows awaits. When Mohammed won't leave on his own, he reluctantly agrees to the deed, leading his charge over rocky terrain and through opposing troupes of fighters. Based on Albert Camus' The Guest, Far From Men might turn a short story into a stately adventure of sorts, assembling an episodic series of encounters as it does; however this always thoughtful, often tense film never shies away from the complicated emotions at the heart of what becomes a North Africa-set western. Indeed, it's in expressing the stoic sympathy of the feature that Mortensen demonstrates his worth, proving perfectly suited to playing a tough guy with a softer centre. Of all the roles the actor has taken since The Lord of the Rings trilogy in an attempt to steer clear of mainstream movies, this might just be his most subtle and stirring — and his finest. Making only his second feature, writer/director David Oelhoffen doesn't just rely upon his star to sell his feature, as great a feat of casting as the filmmaker has pulled off. The slow-building interplay between Mortensen and the equally excellent Kateb is never less than captivating, as is the camaraderie these two strangers eventually cultivate. But the visuals that surround them are even more so. Lingering looks at furrowed faces and steely stares abound, as do long shots of the stark, dusty, scrubby plains. Each provides their own style of landscape — as marked by their own worries — that the eyes of the audience feel compelled to explore. Oelhoffen matches such striking images with a similarly sparse yet rousing score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, ensuring Far From Men haunts in its soundscape as much as it does in its performances and cinematography. As a result, when it comes to intelligent updates of the western that contemplate the stark realities of conflict in intimate detail, this delivers the full package — along with the best actor to lead you through it.
Shebeen is by far one of our favourite social enterprises; a kick-arse bar and band room right in the city centre that sends 100% of their profits to important projects in the developing world. This Wednesday night they're throwing a fundraiser in order to help them keep doing what they do best. Fashion label Pai, artist Sankghara, music management folk Good Manners and Solitaire Records are taking over the joint for the night, throwing open the doors to both the bar and the band room. Stellar musical acts for the evening include Good Morning and Wabz (Live), as well as DJ sets from Banoffee, Kirkis, I’lls, Planete and Klo. Ticket sales for the evening will go to capital works on the establishment, so we can continue to have a good time at Shebeen for a long, long while. It also means that profits from the bar can keep going where they're needed most. If that's not worth caring about, what is?
