Those currently working from home have probably seen two major changes to their routine: less shoes and more snacks. To help with the latter, Australia's much-loved biscuit maker Arnott's is opening its vault and releasing some of its coveted recipes — for the first time in history. For week one of the snack expert's Big Recipe Release it unveiled its Monte Carlo recipe. Next up is the always reliable Scotch Finger. This recipe has been adapted for home bakers by Arnott's Master Baker Vanessa Horton and has only four ingredients — much easier than the 11-ingredient Monte — so if you're looking for something relatively simple to test out your baking skills with, it might be a good one to start with. As you'd expect, one of those ingredients is, in fact, flour, but we've rounded up some of the spots selling the essential ingredient across the country, which aren't supermarkets. Australia's oldest baker will continue to release a new recipe for one of its famous biscuits every week until social distancing regulations are lifted. Next up, will it be the Tim Tam? Mint Slice? Pizza Shapes? We'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, though, here's the Scotch Finger recipe: ARNOTT'S SCOTCH FINGER 170 grams salted butter, softened 90 grams soft icing sugar 1 cup (165 grams) plain flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder Method Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a 30 x 20 centimetre rectangular slice pan and line base and sides with baking paper, extending paper two centimetres above edge of the pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar for two minutes or until pale and creamy. Sift the flour and baking powder over the butter mixture and mix on low speed or with your hands until combined. Press mixture into slice pan and smooth over with a pallet knife. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and using a small sharp knife, immediately slice five centimetres crossways and 7.5 centimetres lengthways into rectangular pieces. Then run the knife gently ½ way into the shortbread pieces, not touching the bottom, to make the finger indent. Let the biscuit cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Note: If you would like to imprint SCOTCH or your NAME into the biscuit, this should be done before the biscuit cools. Trim edges, if desired, before serving.
‘There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening’, reads the opening line of Anthony Burgess’s scandalous novel, A Clockwork Orange. How ringleader Alex and his band of teenage delinquents do eventually spend their night — on a rampage of brutal assault and rape which ends in the murder of an elderly lady — propels the audience of Action to the Word theatre’s contemporary reimagining of Burgess’s seminal text, directed by Alexandra Spencer-Jones, into an exploration of testosterone fuelled boredom gone awry. Those who may have attempted the novel but baulked at its unfamiliar, somewhat jarring ‘Nadsat’ dialect (an English and Russian hybrid language invented entirely by Burgess and later, in a case of life imitating art, employed by real life gangs following the success of the text) will be grateful for the physicality of the dynamic, all male cast. Where it may be easy to verbally miss what it means to ‘tolchock a chelloveck in the kishkas’, the actualisation of Alex (Martin McCreadie) senselessly brutalising those unfortunate enough to fall under his malicious gaze when he’s looking to break up the monotony of it all cannot be lost in translation. Although a fascination with violence is inherent to the performance, a stylistic emphasis on dynamic dance sequences, accompanied by a modern, high-energy soundtrack, allows some of the more shocking portrayals to remain implied, rather than descend into self-serving vulgarity. This is no coincidence — unlikely Stanley Kubrick’s highly graphic film adaptation, Action to the Word’s stage performance has auctorial integrity, having been developed in association with Burgess, who sought to rectify misconceptions of the text as being designed as an invitation to the disillusioned youth of the world to mirror the rage of his fictional droogs. Unlike the originally published and widely circulated American version of the novel, Spencer-Jones’s stage adaptation remains true to Burgess’s original ending. By privileging the author’s intended sequence of closure, a protagonist whose behavior is undeniably animalistic and barbaric throughout the performance is ultimately humanised — it turns out it was all a case of ‘boys will be boys’ and what Alex really wants is the wife, kid and white picket fence, just like the rest of us. Where Burgess may have intended this to suggest an innate potential for goodness in even the most seemingly depraved members of society, it simultaneously highlights the audience's ability to feel empathy for, and identify with, a violent murderer. When played by the achingly charismatic McCreadie, despite his propensity for kicking heads in and pillaging innocent women, Alex is strangely mesmerising and even appealing — what might be most interesting is what that implies about our own attitude towards aggression, manhood and ‘that old ultra violence’. Just what that wider societal attitude might be remains unclear, although just shy of two years on from the London riots, audiences of A Clockwork Orange will feel that its depictions of the human propensity for violence, aggression and brutality remain as scandalously relevant today they were when first published as a text 50 years ago. While it may leave you unsure of whether whether to take up adult dance classes, attempt (probably feebly) to kick down a street sign or run for cover from the mad, bad world outside, A Clockwork Orange is an immersive triumph of modern theatre that will confront, then refuse to neatly providing answers to all of the terror it raises — real horror show, in all senses of the term.
Sydney Film Festival is swapping indie films for an Indy film for one big night to close out its 2023 event. Heading to the Harbour City straight from premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, and featuring Harrison Ford back in the hat, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will officially wrap up the New South Wales capital's annual cinema tribute when this year's festival wraps up on Sunday, June 18. SFF is no stranger to big Hollywood flicks, of course — Pixar's Elemental is one such title already in the 2023 lineup — but it's going the action blockbuster route with its closing-night slot. The latest and fifth Indiana Jones entry will enjoy its Australian premiere at the fest, ahead of opening in Aussie cinemas on Wednesday, June 28. "Indiana Jones has held a special place in the hearts of audiences around the world for over 40 years," said Sydney Film Festival Director Nashen Moodley, announcing the fest's closer for 2023 two weeks after the event's full program was unveiled. "We are thrilled to close on such a high note and offer Australian audiences the first chance to experience this incredible sequel to a cinematic classic." Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny arrives 42 years after Raiders of the Lost Ark made archaeologist Indiana Jones one of the most famous big-screen characters there is, 39 years since Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom gave it a sequel, 34 years after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade initially seemed to wrap things up and 15 years since Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull got things going again. As well as bringing back its legendary star fresh from proving a cantankerous delight in streaming comedy Shrinking, in what's been dubbed his final appearance as Indy, the new film also makes a few fresh stellar casting moves. Getting Fleabag favourite Phoebe Waller-Bridge onboard is clearly one of them. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny heads back to the 60s, and uses the Space Race between the US and the Soviet Union as a backdrop. Story-wise, the also supremely well-cast Mads Mikkelsen (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) leads a group of Nazis trying to use the movie's titular trinket to change the past and claim power — a gadget that Helena (Waller-Bridge), Indy's goddaughter, has her own plans for in the name of capitalism. The archaeologist's latest outing brings in a few changes to the series, with Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) out of the director's chair for the first time ever, handing over the reins to Logan and Ford v Ferrari's James Mangold. And, George Lucas doesn't have a part in the script, either, with Mangold co-scripting with Ford v Ferrari's Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth. That said, the famous John Williams-composed theme will soundtrack the action again — and echo through Sydney's State Theatre. Check out the full trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny below: Sydney Film Festival 2023 runs from Wednesday, June 7–Sunday, June 18 at various Sydney cinemas — head to the festival website for further information and tickets. After closing the Sydney Film Festival, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny releases in cinemas Down Under on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Images: © 2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Ngaiire, Mojo Juju and Ali Barter will headline a diverse lineup of artists at next year's Gaytimes music festival. Set to take place over three days and two nights at the Lake Mountain Alpine Resort an hour and a half outside of Melbourne (where Paradise is held), the LGBTQI-friendly event will feature more than 35 local and international music acts, as well as art shows, film screenings, speed dating and more. As the organisers put it: it's the camping festival "of your big gay dreams." The 18+ festival runs from February 17 to 19. Other standout acts who'll take the stage include New York DJ JD Samson, Unearthed High winner Gretta Ray, Berlin House act Fritz Helder and psych pop group Broadway Sounds. In addition to the tunes, the festival will feature an array of additional action, from performance and visual art to yoga. The festival is BYO but will also boast an on-site cocktail bar, while food and coffee will also be on sale. In keeping with their inclusive approach, Gaytimes will offer gender neutral bathrooms, and will enforce a no tolerance policy for anti-social, homophobic, transphobic or racist behaviour. Don't be a jerk, and you should be A-OK First release tickets and VIP glamping packages went on sale today. The festival is limited to 1000 entries, so snap them up quick. For more information and tickets visit Gaytimes' website.
We all have one: a friend who immediately makes a beeline to any cat they see, tries to become its best friend and can't focus on anything else while it's in the vicinity. Plenty of us don't just have pals like that, but fall into the same category ourselves. And, sadly, not everyone can share their home with their own furry feline. Have a mate who absolutely adores meowing mousers? Can't think of what to get said friend for Christmas? The Cat Protection Society of Victoria has the answer. Giving someone else an animal is a big move — a pet is lifelong commitment, and pet ownership shouldn't be undertaken lightly — so, instead, you can gift them a 30-minute cat cuddling session. Your pussy-loving pal will get a gift voucher for a Cat Cuddling VIP Session, which covers two adults and two kids, one adult and three kids, or just two adults if you don't have children in tow. Whoever goes along, you'll spend half an hour at the Society's adoption shelter in Greensborough, first getting a tour of the place, and then meeting and greeting — and cuddling and snuggling — some of the kittens and cats awaiting adoption. Yes, if you'd like to treat yo'self to this gift rather than give it to someone else, that's perfectly understandable. The voucher also includes a coffee or hot chocolate at the Society's Purrfect Paw Cafe, but obviously that isn't the main attraction. The cat cuddling vouchers cost $25, so they're a super-affordable gift as well as being super cute — and that money goes to helping the Society look after and rehome the cats in its care. For more information about the Cat Protection Society of Victoria's cat cuddling sessions and gift vouchers, head to its website.
Before social media, the local milk bar was usually where youngsters went to socialise. Though there's still a few of them about (including 2223 in Sydney and Rowena Corner Store in Richmond), they're fast becoming a thing of the past. That's why Melbourne-based artist Callum Preston has gone to painstaking lengths to recreate one, detail by detail. You'll find his incredibly realistic, immersive artwork Milk Bar in Hamilton Gallery, from Wednesday, August 15 though Sunday, September 16. Walking in, it'll be easy to imagine you're in a bona fide corner shop. But take a closer peek and you'll notice the chocolate bars, magazines and soft drink cans aren't what they seem. They're pretend versions of themselves — more than 500 of them — that Preston has created by hand. "For most of us, these simpler times might have passed," Preston said. "Sure, the memories may be a little blurry now, but it's my hope that when all the elements are recreated you can be transported right back to 'when going down the shop' was an experience of pure joy." To meet Preston, head along to the exhibition's opening party at 2pm on Wednesday, August 15, where he'll be hosting a talk and a free workshop. This isn't Preston's first venture into nostalgia. In 2015, he revisited Back to the Future via his artwork Bootleg to the Future, which featured a life-sized replica of a DeLorean. And late last year his Milk Bar exhibited at the RVCA Corner Gallery in Collingwood.
In the ballad of the Barden Bellas, it's time for another verse. That gang of college pals is back — aspiring record producer Becca (Anna Kendrick), group stalwart Chloe (Brittany Snow) and outspoken Australian Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) included — and they're trying to sing their way to supremacy once more. Is their second outing a toe-tapping rehash of their catchy debut tune, or does it drag on past the natural fade-out point? The answer is both. Pitch Perfect 2 alternates between the cinematic equivalent of the catchy melody you don't mind having stuck in your head, and the earworm you quickly grow tired of. Just three short years ago, an a cappella comedy was considered a gamble, but now we don't just have a repeat effort — we have a ready-made formula to follow as well. With mashups of songs old and new, rivalries getting heated, against-the-odds challenges to overcome, and one-liners a plenty, there's not much that's different, save for a new character setting up for a potential third instalment. That'd be freshman Emily (Hailee Steinfeld), a wannabe Bella since birth thanks to her ex-member mother. Fresh blood aside, everyone is older this time around, given that three years have passed in the film as well. They're also clouded in scandal, after an important show exposes too much of Fat Amy, leaving the Bellas banned from performing as punishment. Chloe finds a loophole that will see them on stage again, but only if they can beat their stereotypically tough-talking German counterparts at the world championships. Becca's focus is elsewhere, though, as she's thinking of life beyond study and competitive singing. It was the jukebox-like playlist of tracks and the loveable cast playing quirky characters that helped Pitch Perfect hit the high notes the first time around, so here, it isn't surprising to see a whole lot of doubling down on both. Expect an eclectic compilation of Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus tunes, as well as '90s hiphop jamz and songs about butts. Expect Kendrick and the group cycling through sing-offs, fall outs, bonding sessions and realisations about what's really important — and copious amounts of harmonising. What you shouldn't expect is anything beyond a more is more approach — more music, actors, complications and reminders that it's all about a singing sisterhood, that is. If it sounds routine, that's because returning screenwriter Kay Cannon, once again taking inspiration from the book Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory, doesn't stretch anything very far. Pushing boundaries is left to Wilson, who steals the show all over again. In a lineup that includes Arrested Development's David Cross, Key and Peele's Keegan Michael-Key, Snoop Lion and the Green Bay Packers (yep, the American footballers), it helps that she's the only one who doesn't seem like she's just going through the motions. Of course, it's always difficult for a sequel to a breakout hit to pave its own way, a problem Pitch Perfect 2 clearly struggles with. Sitting in the director's chair as well as popping up again as sarcastic commentator Gail, Elizabeth Banks bubbles over with enthusiasm, but not with flair. She's pitch-slapping audiences and staying in key; however, her film isn't a fun new must-listen track — it's more like movie karaoke. The verdict (sing it with me): aca-average.
It kicked off more than four decades ago with one of the best horror movies ever made; however, the Halloween franchise has been through quite a few ups and downs over the years. Clocking up ten follow-ups and 11 movies in total so far, the slasher series initially created by the great John Carpenter has delivered excellent and terrible sequels, veered into remake territory, both killed off and brought back its heroine, and completely erased parts of its own past several times. And, like its mask-wearing villain Michael Myers, it always finds a way to go on. Since 2018's Halloween, that's been especially great news — with the Jamie Lee Curtis-starring, Jason Blum-produced 11th flick in the franchise proving a smart, thrilling horror delight, and ranking second only to the movie that started it all. Indeed, the film was such a success that two more sequels are set to come from the same team (aka Blum, writer/director David Gordon Green and co-scribe Danny McBride): Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends. Originally, Halloween Kills was due to hit screens last year, in October — when else? — but, as announced in 2020 by franchise creator John Carpenter, it moved back its release to October this year. That's now fast approaching, with fans soon able to make a return trip to Haddonfield. Yes, that means that Curtis' spirited Laurie Strode will have another altercation with her lifelong nemesis, too — because, when it's at its best, that's what this franchise is all about. Picking up where its immediate predecessor left off, Halloween Kills will also take a few cues from another movie in the series, as its just-dropped first trailer shows. Not one but two sneak peeks last year set the scene for the saga's 12th entry, but this full trailer dives deep into the storyline. Following the events of the last film, Laurie ends up in hospital with life-threatening injuries just as Michael starts stalking through Haddonfield again — which is the same storyline that Halloween II followed exactly 40 years ago. Thankfully, if the last flick is any guide, Halloween Kills shouldn't prove a needless remake. Green and McBride did a stellar job of nodding to the past while finding a new way forward with 2018's Halloween, after all — and leaving horror fans definitely wanting more. This time, too, Laurie and her daughter Karen (Judy Greer, Valley Girl) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak, Son) team up with other survivors of Michael's rampages and decide to hunt down their attacker. Check out the full Halloween Kills trailer below: Halloween Kills will release in Australian cinemas on October 14, 2021. Top image: Ryan Green/Universal Pictures.
Fee-fi-fo-fum, Hollywood's sure giving our childhood a run. In the last two years alone we've had Mirror Mirror, Snow White & the Huntsman, Oz the Great and Powerful, Alice in Wonderland and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Now it's Jack and the Beanstalk's turn, with Valkyrie director Bryan Singer giving the beloved English folktale the full-blown 3D treatment in Jack the Giant Slayer (not to be confused with 'Jack the giant SLAYER', telling the story of an aspiring thrash guitarist from the '80s). The plot here is much as you'd remember it: Jack (Nicholas Hoult) is a kind but naive farm boy who sells his horse in exchange for some magic beans. Those beans rapidly pullulate and explode towards the heavens with tremendous force, launching both Jack's house and its precious royal inhabitant high into the sky where the fabled giants reside. A rescue mission ensues under the leadership of the fearless Elmont (Ewan McGregor) during which Jack must conquer his fear of heights and overcome the giants in order to save his earthly kingdom and its beautiful princess (Eleanor Tomlinson). Hoult makes a likeable Jack, and Tomlinson is sufficiently Brave-esque in her portrayal of the rebellious and reluctant royal prone to assertions like "a princess is such a useless thing". Ian McShane makes for an endearing king, whereas Stanley Tucci pales in his performance as the machiavellian Lord Roderick and Bill Nighy is entirely unrecognisable as Fallon, the leader of the giants. The clear standout performance belongs to McGregor, whose valorous royal guardsman is as engaging as he is disappointingly underused. One scene in particular, during which he's trapped inside a giant pastry fold, captures all the magic, drama and tension we've come to expect from an entire Pixar movie but that here merely represents the best of a precious few moments. Overall it's far more "kids movie" than adult or hybrid, although several of the giants' scenes will doubtless leave more than a few children diving for cover behind their hands. It's fun enough throughout to maintain at least some level of interest and the third act certainly provides some excellent action pieces; however, an excessive reliance upon CGI and not enough time spent on the script leaves Jack the Giant Slayer something of a charmless picture. Suffice to say, the book was most certainly better.
If you're a fan of Chinese Australian artist Zhong Chen, here's some good news. You can sleep with his works. The Art Series Hotel Group's latest venture is a five-storey, 100-room number dedicated to him. Named The Chen, the hotel is in Box Hill, 14 kilometres east of Melbourne, within Whitehorse Towers, which, at 36 storeys, is the tallest development outside of the Victorian capital's CBD. Architects Peddle Thorp have taken care of the design, inspired by Chen's King Fu series and, as you'd expect, fun, bold, bright colours rule. There's a bunch of digital archival fine art editions of Chen's works, as well as a stack of originals, including Rooster, fitting because Chen was born in the Year of the Rooster (1969) and the hotel will open in the Year of the Rooster (that's this year). There's a yum cha restaurant, as well as a gym, events space and rooftop pool (which is, unfortunately, only for guest use). You can also count on the Art Series' usual arty facilities and activities, including tours, libraries, television channels and documentaries, as well as Art Series-branded smart cars and Lekker bicycles available for guests. Image: Lucas Allen
As other festivals fall by the wayside, St. Jerome's Laneway Festival just keeps on keeping on. Just a couple of weeks ago Laneway debuted in Detroit, bringing that Melbourne laneways vibe to the Motor City, and now we are thrilled to announce the 2014 lineup for Australia. As we've come to expect from Laneway, it's an intriguing mix of established names, up-and-comers and best-kept secrets, as well as a number of crowd favourites from previous Laneways making a return appearance. The organisers have also forecast a bunch of tweaks to all the venues so that you can get from the mosh to a gozleme in record time, and grab a cider on the way back from the toilets without missing half the festival. Laneway has gone from strength to strength over its 11 years, adding dates in New Zealand and Singapore as well as Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth from its humble beginnings in the back of a bar in Melbourne. It's a festival that knows exactly what it is trying to do, and who its audience wants to see, and I reckon this lineup is going to blow a few minds. In alphabetical order: Adalita Autre Ne Veut Cashmere Cat Cass McCombs Chvrches Cloud Control (no sideshows) Danny Brown Daughter Dick Diver Drenge Earl Sweatshirt Four Tet Frightened Rabbit Haim (no sideshows) Jagwar Ma Jamie XX King Krule Kirin J Callinan Kurt Vile Lorde (no sideshows) Mount Kimbie MT Warning Parquet Courts Run The Jewels (EL-P & Killer Mike) Savages Scenic The Growl The Jezabels (no sideshows) Unknown Mortal Orchestra (no sideshows) Vance Joy Warpaint XXYYXX Youth Lagoon TICKETS PRESALE: Laneway Festival fans with Visa Credit, Debit or Prepaid cards can get tickets first through Visa Entertainment. Visa Entertainment presale starts noon on Monday, 30 September, through to noon on Tuesday, 1 October (local time), or until tickets sell out at www.visaentertainment.com.au. Visa presale: Noon, Monday, 30 September – Noon, Tuesday 1 October (local time) GP on sale: Thursday, 3 October, 9am (local time) Saturday 25 January 2014 SINGAPORE The Meadow, Gardens By The Bay Monday 27 January 2014 AUCKLAND Silo Park Friday 31 January 2014 BRISBANE RNA, Fortitude Valley Saturday 1 February MELBOURNE Footscray Community Arts Centre (FCAC) and the River’s Edge Sunday 2 February SYDNEY Sydney College of the Arts (SCA), Rozelle Friday 7 February ADELAIDE Harts Mill, Port Adelaide Saturday 8 February FREMANTLE Esplanade Park and West End
Launched in 2010, Blackbird and Fox is not your average homewares and gift shop. Independent owner Kate's experience in both creative arts and museum studies ensures that the space is always filled with top-tier locally sourced products. Some of our favourite bits and pieces include bright art prints from Printspace, handmade and candy-inspired bracelets by Lauren Hinkley, and Angus & Celeste's elegant vases and vessels inspired by the flora and fauna of the Dandenong Ranges. The store's range is always changing, so there's something new to be found with every visit. Images: Tracey Ah-kee.
Everyone remain calm. There are robots at the NGV. Real life robots. Robots that look disutrbingly like Daleks in dresses. A well-known purveyor of the absurd, Dr. Wade Marynowsky is an Australian artist and researcher who specialises in experimental and emerging art forms. As a researcher, Marynowsky's topics of interest include contemporary art, media and technology in art, and experimental performance work. So really, it's unsurprising that his work reflects his research. His recent projects have included There Goes the Neighbourhood where Marynowsky mixed computer games and urban spaces with a dead kangaroo, and The Acconci Robot which featured a shipping crate robot which followed you every time you turned away from it. Much like robots themselves, his work is unnerving, funny, self-aware and occasionally very confronting. Marynowsky has made a name for himself as a leading artist in the field of experimental digital art and has been exhibited all across Australia. In this latest show at the NGV, he's letting his dolled up Daleks (note: not actual Daleks) loose in the NGV foyer while treating us to audiovisual installations, performances and sound sculptures. If there's one robot-themed contemporary art exhibition you go to this year, make it this one.
One scrap of detail sums up much about the new Superman reboot, Man of Steel: He doesn't wear underpants. The 75-year-old character's red underwear, worn on the outside, is among the silliest ensembles ever dreamed up, but it's also iconic. To take on the role of Superman is sometimes called 'donning the red underpants' for that reason. The modern Superman interpreter can go one of two ways with this: 1. Keep the red undies, finding a self-aware spin on old anachronisms (we'll call this the 'Marvel way'), or 2. Ignore the undies, because contemporary superheroing is serious business (aka the Dark Knight way). So when you see Henry Cavill on the promo posters, looking pretty and pumped and decidedly sans contrast knickers, you should have a fair idea of what kind of Superman you're in for. And sure enough, it's Dark Knight's Christopher Nolan and David S Goyer who are behind this story, along with director Zack Snyder (Sucker Punch, Watchmen). The costume is not the only beloved bit of camp that's gone: this Clark Kent is not yet trying to keep up his dorky cover as a Daily Planet reporter, and this Lois Lane (Amy Adams) won't be unable to recognise him just because he puts on some specs (that last change, at least, is way overdue). Of the sprawling Superman mythos, Man of Steel tries to fit in the origin story and the bit immediately after. It opens on Krypton, as the planet is being torn apart following the over-mining of its natural resources (relevance!). General Zod (Michael Shannon) has also chosen this time for a military coup. Baby Kal-El's father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe), and mother, Lara (Ayelet Zurer), save him — and, with him, they hope, Kryptoniankind — by putting him on a shuttle bound for Earth. We next see Kal-El as a young man, drifting around the globe trying to find clues as to his real identity. In a spaceship buried in the Arctic, he finds the answers, recounted to him in detail by a hologram of his father. It's all ready-made, including his suit, and the film quickly moves on to its bulkier second part: The hero working out whether his place is with the human or the alien. And General Zod is on his way back from the Phantom Zone to help with that quandary, by invading Earth. Ahead of the screening, I thought there was no way the Dark Knight approach could work for Superman. Or any approach, nearly; he's a hard character to make interesting. He's not conflicted, he doesn't have a dark side and he's not funny. He's never going to have a battle 'with himself' or one that's morally ambiguous. His powers are perfect. He has no hubris. Like Captain America, he's just kinda lame. As it happens, the team does surprisingly well with portions of the material. They find an involving moral question without descending into darkness, and their 'scientific' explanations of a lot of the mythology work well. Cavill is super-handsome but also reasonably charismatic, which is the more important draw. In many ways, this is the strongest Superman reboot for a long time. Unfortunately, the story manages to be both rushed and overlong — because Clark finds the tell-all hologram in 30 minutes, there is no sense that he's struggled. The pace, afterwards, is flat. But Man of Steel has a bigger problem: director Snyder has no taste. Again and again, he's come up with some amazing visual styling and action sequences, but he doesn't know when to say stop. When to pull back. The fight scenes between super-strong characters, who destroy rows of buildings with a single punch, are repeated to the point of exhaustion. The final battle should have been two battles earlier. Lois isn't a 'strong female character'; she's superhuman herself. Exposition is heavy. It's all very loud. So there you go: a Superman with both strengths and weaknesses. It's rumoured an Avengers-style team-up of dour DC heroes will follow, which isn't hugely thrilling. But with his own sequel, this Man of Steel could yet firm up. https://youtube.com/watch?v=T6DJcgm3wNY
If last summer was the summer of seltzer, we're ready to call the upcoming season the summer of canned cocktails. And if the seltzer wave showed us anything, it was that convenience will almost always win out over taste. So the next natural step? A convenient sip that tastes great. Here at CP, we think the espresso martini is an ideal canned candidate. The frothy, caffeine-infused libation holds a special place in the cocktail canon. While it's not considered a classic in the traditional sense — legend has it that it was created in the 1980s by a London bartender who was asked by a young female patron for something that would "wake me up, and then fuck me up" — a case could certainly be made that it is perhaps the most influential of cocktails. Think of the last time you had one when you were out and about — chances are, you spotted someone else with one in hand and decided it would be a good idea to have one yourself. Then, your crew decided it would be a good idea too, and so did the crew next to yours, and all of a sudden it was espresso martinis all round. Does any other cocktail have this kind of effect on people, friends and strangers alike? Unlikely. Beloved though it is, the espresso martini is notoriously tedious to make. Enter Mr Black — that equally beloved Australian producer of the eponymous coffee liqueur — which is bringing your dreams of espresso martini o'clock that much closer to reality with its new canned version. This velvety smooth blend of Mr Black, vodka and cold brew arabica coffee is supercharged with nitrogen, meaning that just a couple of shakes is all it takes to have a picture-perfect pour every time. The only question: where will you be having your canned, ready-to-serve espresso martini this summer? We've asked our editors for how they'll be enjoying theirs, so read on for inspo on how to drink yours. [caption id="attachment_872385" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Declan Blackall[/caption] AT A DINNER PARTY A beautifully set table, salty snacks to start, multiple courses, delightful company: the recipe for a stellar dinner party. Honestly, I'll live a happy life if it's filled with good food and good company. Add an expertly balanced espresso martini — that sits pretty in the fridge till the minute I want its frothy topped pour in my hand — and we're talking peak enjoyment. Whether you're hosting or attending, you'd be a goose to miss a minute of the tableside vibes. Measuring nips and the risk of spills? Trust me, stay seated with a coffee-laden tinny. Be it for the ease of the sip or the few extra hits of caffeine you'll squeeze into your day. (Or, level up the experience with a martini glass kept icy in the freezer till the second you're ready for it — a serve that's still miles easier than the 'real' deal.) Grace MacKenzie, Branded Content Manager [caption id="attachment_871106" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dave Kan[/caption] AT A MUSIC FESTIVAL For the first time since 2019, festival season is here. I had the privilege of enjoying a couple of espresso martinis at this year's Festival of the Sun, taking full advantage of the fest's BYO policy to enjoy a cold can of Mr Black in the campsite before heading off to catch Middle Kids. If you're heading to any of this summer's BYO events — whether that's Victoria's Meredith Music Festival or Jungle Love in Queensland — I highly recommend doing the same. If you're not one for camping, you could also pick up a four-pack of espresso martinis to enjoy as the perfect pre-festival tipple for any one-day gatherings you might be heading to. You best believe I'll be cracking a can before catching Fred again.. at Laneway, TISM at Good Things and the Boiler Room stage at Mode Festival on Cockatoo Island. Ben Hansen, Junior Editor [caption id="attachment_872384" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Declan Blackall[/caption] AT A GAMES NIGHT My friends and I are not the types to stay out late — we prefer a reserved night of dignified card games that, inevitably, devolve into screaming at each other over a Monopoly board. Personally, I find that the tactical and economic strategies of board games need an energised and level head. That's when a good espresso martini comes in handy. But, why bother making one when I can keep an emergency reserve in my fridge? That way, there's more time for me to clearly present my case as to why I should be the new owner of the Kings Cross Station card. Alec Jones, Junior Writer [caption id="attachment_872387" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jael Rodriguez (Unsplash)[/caption] ON A HOT-GIRL WALK The post-work, summer-evening hot-girl* cocktail walk is a wordy but delightful concept I now have down to an artform — after years of practice — so let me share my secrets. This divine intersection between exercise and cocktail hour is a way to decompress after work and celebrate summer — while still hitting those steps, getting a little fresh air and soaking up some Vitamin D. I like to pop a chilled canned espresso martini or two into my fanny pack, along with sunglasses, keys and phone (tip: this one from Kmart is the perfect size), and trot along with a friend discussing the week's scandals. If possible, find a nearby hill to scoot up so that when you reach the peak, you're perfectly glowing for golden hour. (We are always glowing darling, sweating). Find a grassy spot to park up, crack your bevvies, watch the sunset and cheers to being healthy — but not too healthy. That's balance, baby. *hot-boy and general hottie walks also firmly encouraged, all other aspects remain the same. Sarah Templeton, Aotearoa New Zealand Editor [caption id="attachment_872388" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Declan Blackall[/caption] AT HOME WITH A GOOD BOOK For me, one of the few good things that came out of two years in and out of lockdown was the discovery that I really appreciate my own company. And maybe it's a sign that I'm getting older, but I've come to realise that solo time can be a genuine indulgence. My favourite way to spend time on my own: switching off my phone and sitting down with a good book for an uninterrupted afternoon of losing myself in a fictional world of my own choosing. This process will also involve making myself a fresh pot of coffee in my French press and taking long, slow sips — but, next time I'll be trading out the beans for a velvety smooth and perfectly frothy espresso martini poured from the can. This way, I can get the caffeine buzz I need with far less effort and a little extra kick — I'm already indulging after all, so I may as well go all out. Nik Addams, Branded Content Manager For more info on Mr Black Espresso Martini, head to the website. Top image: Declan Blackall
Bartenders are the new rockstars — if their touring habits are anything to go by, anyway. In the past few years, more and more cocktail bars and their helmsmen have joined musicians for fly-in, fly-out visits to Australia — but instead of touring records, they're touring killer drinks lists. Last year saw Asia's best bar 28 Hongkong Street and hidden New York City jaunt Attaboy both do a quick stops in Melbourne and Sydney, while Mace popped up at Sydney's PS40 just the other week and PDT was in town a little while back too. And now another NYC bar is making its way to our shores for a cheeky cocktail pop-up. The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog will come to Australia for three nights only, spreading its shaking skills across the east coast with one night at Melbourne's Black Pearl, one night at Sydney's Baxter Inn and one night at The Gresham in Brisbane. Dead Rabbit will be sending their finest drink makers to work in collaboration with the host bars to create a one-night-only menu that will showcase their skills and signature drinks and food items (like their Scotch egg). Their cocktail menu is pretty extensive, but we're hoping they bring their Hong Kong Phooey with them — it blends rum with Aquavit, grapefruit, pistachio and avocado. Although we've had a few bars pass through our major cities by now, this one's pretty special as Dead Rabbit, which is permanently located in lower Manhattan, took out the top spot on last year's World's 50 Best Bars list. So if you can't get to the Lower East Side anytime soon, this is your next best option. Tickets to the pop-up have already sold out in Melbourne for April 18, but are still available in Brisbane on April 19 and Sydney on April 23. Tickets are a little pricey at $40 (plus booking fee) — that includes a cocktail on arrival and one of Dead Rabbit's signature Scotch eggs. You'll then be able to purchase extra drinks on top of that.
If you're guilty of assuming the so-called 'rock star lifestyle' is one of grandeur, dolla dolla bills and Nyan Cat-emblazoned Purraris, or have ever accused a band of 'selling out' for working alongside a commercial brand, you might want to see this. The Truth About Money in Music is a brand new mini-doco featuring the likes of Remi, James from Violent Soho, Hey Geronimo, Millions, KLP, The Cairos and many other Australian artists who are doing tremendous work on minimal budgets. Brisbane-based film director, Dan Graetz, is at the helm of this operation. The idea came to life after Graetz pitched the idea to Jack Daniels, who were looking to support creative music projects. "I pitched this documentary around musicians, brands and honesty," says Graetz. "It was great they liked it and even better that they gave me the freedom to stay true to the concept. This is the result." https://youtube.com/watch?v=XR-RA-vpm8s Graetz knows the musician's financial struggle all too well, not only through working closely with artists on music videos but also through his own creative pursuits. "In creating music videos over the past four years, my team and I have made fireworks, gutted cars, cloned humans and more — usually on a shoestring — to help new talent stand out against cute kittens, dancing babies and big budgets," Graetz says. The film interestingly sees artists like Kate Miller-Heidke talk about her move from a major label and the restrictions that came from it, in comparison to working with brands who facilitate collaboration and creative possibilities. The overarching message seems to be that if a company wants to back you because they like what you're about as you are, then why the hell not let them give you a hand. Obviously, no one was born yesterday and a JD-shaped product is being plugged here, but it's hardly 'selling out' when the bigwigs don't want you to change a thing. This is just the first chapter for the Jack Daniels Future Legends project. Expect to see the likes of Bloc Party's Kele Okereke, Sable, Motorik, The Griswolds, and The Cairos feature in instalments further down the track. JD is encouraging trailblazers and creative to get in touch if they have a bold and independent music idea that needs support. Pitch your project in 300 words or less to jackdaniels.au@gmail.com. For now, watch The Truth About Money in Music right here and hold off on those rants: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MgZJFu3SHVs
There's the naturalism you know, and then there's the immersive, mythic, sensorial and heady naturalism of Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue Is the Warmest Colour (known in its native France as Adele: Chapters 1 & 2). The director boldly sticks his camera in the face of actor Adele Exarchopoulos and lets it linger there for three hours, watching intensely as the ingenue lives and loses her first love, while several years roll by. It's an extreme viewing experience that garnered high praise in Europe and won the most prestigious independent film award on the planet, the Palme d'Or. Yet as much as a Cannes-adored French coming-of-age movie (based on a graphic novel, by author Julia Maroh) appeals to my personal proclivities, I found Blue Is the Warmest Colour to be more of an interesting film than a great one. By far its biggest charm lies in the understated yet giving and uninhibited performances of its leads, Exarchopoulos as Adele and Lea Seydoux as her worldlier girlfriend, Emma. We see Adele as a whole person discovering the world, not just her sexuality. She waxes lyrical about her favourite classic novel, joins in song at a political demonstration, fools around with a sweet boy who only makes her depressed, and eats spag bol with her mouth open at an incommunicative family dinner table. She's from a plain, working-class household, and her world opens up when she meets art student Emma, who floors her from across the street with her blue-streaked hair and white-hot insouciance. Their love is explosive, total and immensely physical. But first loves don't often last, and that's probably a good thing. Captured in extreme close-up, Blue Is the Warmest Colour lets you feel the beauty and the pain of it, really feel it, for a few blessed minutes. However, not all of the three hours' worth of scenes deserve to be there, and Kechiche's execution seems haphazard and uncompromising. Since Cannes, there's been growing criticism of the hetero director's imaginings of a lesbian romance, and the camera's gaze does seem to cross a line from luscious into lascivious at times. Eschewing the usual press tour conventions, Exarchopoulos and Seydoux have been pretty frank in interviews about what it was like to work with the director — "horrible", uncomfortable, possibly exploitative and endlessly drawn out past schedule. It especially matters as the movie includes a hardcore seven-minute sex scene that took apparently ten days to shoot. The actors say they're happy with the results, but it doesn't seem like a methodology we should accept. Fortunately, Blue Is the Warmest Colour's Palme d'Or, for the first time in history, was jointly awarded to the director and the film's two stars. Their idiosyncratic performances are very worth seeing. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y2OLRrocn3s
Three seriously dramatic acts are joining forces for French Baroque, a show that promises to turn your preconceived notions of circus and baroque music inside-out, upside-down and back-to-front. The first is acclaimed acrobatic troupe Circa, who have been travelling the world with their take on circus as stunning, mobile contemporary art. The second is French soprano Claire Lefilliâtre, who has been starring on stages all over Europe. And the third is the five-time ARIA Award-winning Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, home to some of our nation’s best interpreters of 16th- and 17th-century music. With the music of French composers Rameau, Lully and Marais as inspiration, Circa’s artistic director, Yaron Lifschitz, describes the pasticcio of selected music as combining “the longing of the night with the playful side of French baroque”. He's choreographed a performance to meet this mood. “I have responded by creating a river of moonlight that divides the stage, reflecting singer and acrobat, musician and vocalist,” he says. “In the interplay between delight and desire, between pleasure and abandonment, we see a world created where bodies seamlessly meld into song, where lives and loves intermingle and where the simple magic of singing speaks clearly to the heart.”
The beloved Cameo Cinema will once again showcase some of the summer's most talked-about films on its magnificent outdoor movie screen under the stars. From Friday, November 2 right through summer, audiences will get the chance to relax in deckchairs and beanbags, with craft beer, homemade choc-tops and freshly popped popcorn in hand. If that's not worth the drive out to Belgrave, then we just don't know what is. Featured on the big screen will be a selection of new flicks and concert films, as well as a 30th-anniversary edition of Goodfellas and a dog-friendly session of Lassie Come Home as part of the Children's International Film Festival (but kidults are definitely welcome, too). David Fincher's new black-and-white flick Mank and the new Russell Crowe film Unhinged are also on the lineup. Those itching to head back to a live gig can relive some of the best with Stop Making Sense, a 1984 film of a live Talking Heads performance and Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace, the new concert film from the acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter produced during lockdown. It doesn't hurt that the Cameo concessions are a cut above what you'll find at your local shopping centre multiplex. It has craft beer and boutique wines — and dogs are welcome here, too. In line with current COVID-19 restrictions, masks are mandatory and capacities are limited. Films starts at 9pm.
Lonely Hunter is the monthly market that's beautified Sydney's inner west with needlepoint and ultra-funky tights in recent times. But in the grand tradition of the Melbourne vs. Sydney cool-shit-to-do comp, Melbournites won't have their shopping bags left empty. Yep, Sydney's fave indie-design market – that showcases the best in local handmade fashion, accessories, art, homewares and jewellery – is making its Melbourne debut. Lonely Hunter creators Claire and Courtney will be launching the Melbourne markets on Saturday December 14 at The Cape Lounge on Johnston Street in Fitzroy. From then, the markets will be returning to the Cape every second Saturday of the month from noon till 5pm. Just imagine a real-time Etsy with your fave beverages (dangerous). On top of being a go-to destination for all your prezzies (just in time for Christmas, too!) and introducing punters to up-and-coming talent, Lonely Hunter is bringing DIY workshops from Lost In The Craft along. So head to the Cape on December 14, and if you're a known crafty — apply for a stall ASAP.
C3's recently opened Exhibition 55 sees the gallery's six spaces play host to six independent exhibitions — Alison Kennedy's Paintings Without Heads, Emma Langridge, Bruce Rowe and Nicholas Ryrie's Process/Ritual, Malcolm Lloyd's Phink Fish, Mariana Jandova and Tony Cran's The Messenger, Margaret McIntosh's Dog House and Penelope Trotter's Looking For Charlie. The diverse artworks are tied together by an overarching interest in the repetitive art making process and the apparent disconnect between what people seek and what they find. The dog house, a grandmother's long lost love, tattle tales and a fated voyage to outer space might be just around the corner, but in the spirit of the exhibition, leave your preconceived notions at the door. Image Malcolm Lloyd, Phink Fish.
Want to up your culinary game, but don't want to shell out on a whole heap of exxy kitchen gear? Well, the newly hatched Carlton Kitchen Library has your back. The volunteer-run hub operates like a regular library, only, instead of books, it's loaning out a broad catalogue of kitchen utensils, appliances, bakeware and glassware. And all those cool culinary gadgets you've been adding to cart, but hesitant to buy? There's plenty of them here, too — from slow-cookers to pasta machines and deep fryers. Headed up by food security not-for-profit Cultivating Community, the Kitchen Library hopes to encourage locals in their home cooking endeavours, while also saving them from dropping money on one-off purchases and racking up more stuff for landfill. It's a big win for new residents and those moving into their first homes who haven't had the funds or time to set up their own kitchen. An adult yearly membership will set you back just $40 — it's $20 for concession card holders and $50 for businesses — with proceeds used to maintain the library, beef up the equipment inventory and fund a program of community workshops. In the library, you'll find bamboo steamers, blenders, baking trays, bowls, flour sifters, ice cream machines and even event kits stocked with plates, platters and glasses from $20 (for those keen to keep their next party or celebration low-waste). And there are plenty of cookbooks to borrow, too, if you're looking for dinner party inspo. You can suss out the full inventory over here. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7p4_8BAoIY/ Members are allowed to check out five items at a time, to keep and use for two weeks. And if there are still a few recipes to tick off your list when that due date rolls around, borrowed items can even be renewed one at a time. Obviously, you'll also need to make sure loans are nice and clean upon giving them back. The team is always on the look-out for new volunteers to help run the library and they'll happily take donations of pre-loved kitchen gear, as long as it's in good nick. Before you take in your pre-loved utensils, check out the library's wishlist. Find Carlton Kitchen Library at 480 Lygon Street, Carlton. It's open from 3–6pm Tuesday and 9.30am–12.30pm Friday. Images: Cassandra Hogan and Reusable Nation
It's impossible to watch a movie directed by Wong Kar-Wai and mistake it for the work of another filmmaker. As he has kept proving over his 32-year career to-date, his work is just that distinctive. And while the opposite isn't true, either — no one will ever confuse a movie helmed by someone else for one of Wong's efforts — his influence on cinema and his peers is evident in every neon-hued tale of yearning, every mesmerising and aching love story that says as much through its imagery as it does with dialogue, and plenty of martial arts fare as well. Wong makes films to luxuriate in — to truly feast your eyes upon — and, unsurprisingly, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image and Sydney Film Festival want to celebrate that fact, and his work. Accordingly, they're teaming up to present touring program Love & Neon: The Cinema of Wong Kar-Wai. It showcases 11 of the filmmaker's titles, surveying his entire career, and will screen in Melbourne from Thursday, February 11–Saturday, February 27. And, it'll mark ACMI's big reopening as the first physical film season at the revamped Federation Square venue. In the Mood for Love is on the bill, of course, but it isn't the only movie worth checking out on the silver screen. You can also see his debut feature As Tears Go By; Chungking Express, which is inspired by a Haruki Murakami short story; and the touching Happy Together — plus the rebellious Days of Being Wild, the gorgeous 2046, and Wong's first English-language film My Blueberry Nights. Or, there's also his two martial arts epics: Ashes of Time: Redux and The Grandmaster. You'll be watching restored versions of most of the above, too, including glorious 4K restorations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfbLJh7-hQY
It's hard to ignore the glistening sails of the Sydney Opera House or the star-studded sands of Bondi Beach when compiling a bucket list of must-visit sites in New South Wales. But these beloved icons are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to jaw-dropping landmarks in the state. Whether carved by hand or etched out by the elements over millennia, there is a bounty of awe-inspiring sites across NSW. A trip to these destinations could see you trekking through the desert or meditating in secluded gardens, so match your adventure to your mood and map out a mission to these ten glorious landmarks.
Hophaus Bavarian Bier Bar Grill is hosting its annual charity dachshund race once again this October — and, frankly, you shouldn't need any more information to understand why that's a thing you should care about. Returning to the Southbank German restaurant, the teckelrennen is an Oktoberfest tradition, and will see sausage dogs from far and wide pumping their stubby little legs for gold and glow. The first heat kicks off at 11am on Saturday, October 13, with the grand champion expected to be crowned later that afternoon. There'll also be a costume competition, because the only thing better than dachshunds is dachshunds in tiny adorable outfits. It isn't just all for the fun of it though — all money raised from entry fees paid by competitors will be donated to Dachshund Rescue Australia. Since the first race in 2015, the event has raised over $10,000. To get you even more excited for the event, here's a video of the inaugural event in 2015: https://player.vimeo.com/video/139814129
Each year, the National Gallery of Victoria commissions a new temporary structure to evoke a fresh perspective on the gallery. Previous years have seen a pink car wash and an openair maze pop up in the NGV's Grollo Equiset Garden, but 2018's Architecture Commission will be a direct reflection of the gallery itself. A collaborative effort between Melbourne firm Muir and landscape architecture studio Openwork. Doubleground draws inspiration from past and present aspects of NGV International. The design is centred on a dramatic maze-like passageway that recalls the triangular patterns found within the NGV's Great Hall glass feature wall and on the gallery's roof. Elements of the NGV Garden will literally be raised up as sections of the garden become sharp embankments, creating canyon-like passageways below. The Sir Roy Grounds-designed building also provided inspiration for Doublegrounds decking area, which echoes the NGV International's foyer, while a bamboo garden reflects the building's former bamboo courtyard. Architect Amy Muir used her memories of visiting the gallery as a child to compose a blueprint for the new commission. "The 2018 Architecture Commission provides an intervention that challenges the role of the NGV Garden," Muir said of her studio's designs. "Acknowledging the intent and architectural language of the original Roy Grounds building, the Commission seeks to bring the memories of place back into play." Promoting the positive relationship between architecture, landscape and civic space, Doubleground was chosen ahead of 73 other entries from around Australia due to its collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach. As 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the NGV International, gallery Director Tony Ellwood explained the new commission "offers visitors a unique opportunity to reflect upon and re-examine the history and design of the Gallery as an integral part of Melbourne's public realm". You'll be able to visit the commission between 10am and 5pm daily.
Maybe viewing old episodes of Aerobics Oz Style helped you stay active during 2020's first long lockdown. Perhaps you've been obsessed with the now-iconic Key & Peele aerobics meltdown sketch for years, as everyone should be. Or, you might've watched the excellent Kirsten Dunst-starring On Becoming a God in Central Florida and got bitten by the water aerobics bug. Whichever fits — or even if none of the above applies to you — leotards, exercise and all things 80s haven't been far from our screens in recent years. And, they'll feature again in a big way in Apple TV+'s new ten-part dark comedy series Physical. Set in the decade that's always going to be synonymous with leg warmers, Physical sees Rose Byrne make the leap from hanging out with talking CGI rabbits in terrible book-to-screen adaptations to getting hooked on aerobics. She plays Sheila Rubin, a San Diego housewife with a husband that's running for California's state assembly. While playing her dutiful part as expected, she struggles with her self-image. Then, the only form of exercise that TV shows and movies seem to think that anyone did back in the 80s suddenly enters her life. Cue a journey that brings Sheila success, and turns her into a lifestyle guru. Obviously, she won't be posting about her daily life on social media — but this show is set in the peak VHS era, so expect videotapes to play a part in the story. Physical is set to start streaming on Friday, June 18, and will drop its first three episodes in one hit before releasing the rest weekly afterwards. Naturally, big hair and spandex abound in the just-dropped, supremely 80s trailer for the series. Alongside Byrne, the show stars Rory Scovel (I Feel Pretty), Dierdre Friel (Second Act), Della Saba (Ralph Breaks the Internet), Lou Taylor Pucci (American Horror Story), Paul Sparks (The Lovebirds) and Ashley Liao (Fuller House). Desperate Housewives and Suburgatory's Annie Weisman created, wrote and executive produced Physical, and serves as its showrunner, while I, Tonya's Craig Gillespie, Dead to Me's Liza Johnson and Love Life's Stephanie Laing all enjoy stints in the director's chair. Check out the teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQaHAy7r660 Physical starts streaming via Apple TV+ on Friday, June 18.
You can never have too many occasions to eat cheese, but this Melbourne cheese festival isn't just keen to shower cheese fiends with creamy goodness. A collaboration between Bruny Island Cheese Co. cheesemaker Nick Haddow and the organisers of Pinot Palooza, Mould wants dairy lovers to explore and devour the mild, hard and soft bites that Australia's best cheese wizards have to offer. Returning for a third year, the festival will paint North Melbourne's Meat Market yellow on Friday, August 16 and Saturday, August 17. Alongside unlimited tastings of Australia's best cheeses — there will be over 50 types, with the lineup still be to announced — it'll feature flavoursome fare from other food vendors. Think of it as a cheese tasting trip around Australia without leaving Blackwood Street. Of course, snacking on samples and purchasing slices and slabs to take home with you are just two ways to enjoy cheese. The fest will have cooking demonstrations, masterclasses and talks so you can stretch your cheese knowledge as well as your cheese stomach. And it wouldn't be a cheese festival without beverages to wash it all down with, so expect a bar serving Aussie wines, whisky, beer and sake — all of which match nicely to a bit of cheese. There will be an evening session on Friday from 4–8pm and two sessions (from 11am–3pm and 4–8pm) on Saturday. Tickets cost $40–45 + booking fee, which includes tastings.
Director Sam Raimi is no stranger to reboots. His 1981 horror flick The Evil Dead just received the reboot treatment this year, and last year's reboot of the Spiderman franchise (The Amazing Spiderman) marked a mere decade since Raimi's own version of story came out. It's no surprise, then, that Raimi was the one tapped to direct Oz the Great and Powerful — a prequel to 1939's beloved Wizard of Oz. Nor is it a shock that he's now supposedly attached to direct a remake of 1982's Poltergeist. Basically if you want something done right, again, then Sam's your man. And he'd need to be, since tackling The Wizard of Oz — a film often ranked in the 10 best of all time — has traditionally been a fool's errand fraught with difficulties. Just consider 1978's The Wiz, an African American version starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow (...if he only had a nose...). Then came Disney's terrifying attempt at a sequel, Return to Oz, in 1985. The opening scenes alone, depicting a frenzied Dorothy, strapped to a gurney and receiving electroshock therapy in a crumbling mental asylum, somehow failed to charm the hearts and minds of families in quite the same way as its predecessor — a task not helped by later scenes featuring masked murderous gangs with wheels for hands or a queen who froze people and wore their heads. You know, a children's movie. Finally in 2003, the Tony- and Grammy-winning musical Wicked opened on Broadway and has since become the 12th longest-running show in its history. Of all the reinterpretations, it's Wicked that fits most comfortably with the original, and so its story (the explanation of why the wicked witch became wicked) was the logical choice for Raimi's prequel, along with the 'how and why' of the Wizard becoming their great but mysterious leader. That man, Oscar Diggs (or 'Oz'), is played by James Franco, and his story begins as a lying, cheating carnival con man in Kansas. In a delightful homage to the 1939 version, Raimi also begins his film in black and white, and just like the original, that device makes Oscar's subsequent arrival into the fantastically colourful world of Oz all the more spectacular. Once there, he meets three beguiling but feuding witches named Theodora (Mila Kunis), Glinda (Michelle Williams), and Evanora (Rachel Weisz). Each claims the other is the 'wicked one' and begs him to save the land and its people by killing their rival. Oz the Great and Powerful isn't a film whose enjoyment is predicated upon knowledge of the original; however, its frequent tips of the hat definitely add an extra layer of enjoyment to the experience. And just like the original, Oz's journey along the yellow brick road leads to several chance encounters with some wonderfully creative, tender and amusing companions, including a small china doll and a wisecracking flying monkey (voiced by Zach Braff). Being Disney, it's obviously very much a children's movie, but one whose respectful treatment of the original still offers adults a chance to enhance, rather than replace, one cherished Wizard of Oz story with another. https://youtube.com/watch?v=yyywumlnhdw
Modern Japanese restaurant Tokyo Tina is bringing big noodle energy to Windsor this winter, with a brand new ramen menu running until the end of August. It follows the success of the Commune Group's Rubbish Ramen Soup Shop, an experimental pop-up that transformed produce originally destined for landfill into a ramen feast. Head into Tokyo Tina from Sunday to Thursday to slurp on a soy-rich shoyu ramen number, served with a soy egg and spring onion, or a vegetarian-friendly miso ramen paired with mushrooms, corn and bamboo. Other new, limited-edition menu favourites include a pork, char-siu don with kimchi rice and pickled carrots, or a mushroom-loaded bibimbap. Expect classic add-on extras like pork belly char-siu, nori, soy eggs and extra noodles for an easy $3. Images: supplied.
Maybe your house needs the kind of colour and flair that only art can bring. Perhaps you're keen on supporting artists. If the first applies, the second should as well. Whichever fits, one event has you covered without requiring you to bust your budget to enjoy art on your walls. Even better: Affordable Art Fair is doing the rounds of Australia's east coast again in 2025, including popping up for a four-day run in Melbourne in winter. Everyone should be able to fill their home with art no matter their bank balance. That's the idea behind this event, and has been since 1999. Back in the 20th century, Affordable Art Fair initially popped up in London to share eye-catching pieces with the world at manageable prices, and then started spreading its art-for-all ethos around the world. Clearly Melburnians are fans, given that it's returning again in 2025. This year, you'll be heading to the Royal Exhibition Building from Thursday, August 28–Sunday, August 31. On offer: original artworks by the thousands, with prices starting from $100. If you do happen to be flush with cash, however, costs will max out at $10,000 per piece. Alongside London and its three Down Under host cities, Affordable Art Fair has brought its budget-friendly wares to Brussels, Hamburg, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Berlin in Europe; Singapore and Hong Kong in Asia; and New York and Austin in the US. Unsurprisingly, democratising art has been proving the hit as Affordable Art Fair notches up the years. Up to 2024 across its stops worldwide since 1999, the event had sold 568,000 artworks at a value of over AU$820 million.
No one in Australia expects to feel cold in January. Summer is in full swing, after all. It's prime beach and pool season, obviously — and, even though the festive period is over and everyone is settling back into the year after the holidays, thoughts of lazing around by or splashing around in a body of water aren't ever too far from anyone's minds. Whether you're fond of cooling down with a refreshing dip, or you prefer to escape to the vicinity of the nearest fan or air-conditioner, you might want to put those plans into action across the rest of this week. From today, Thursday, January 21, temperatures are expected to be mighty hot all around the nation, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's latest major cities forecast. As per BOM's city-specific forecasts, some of those temps are due to stick around a bit longer than that, too. After an expected top of 27 degrees on Thursday, Sydneysiders can expect a few sweaty days, with temps staying at 30 or above from Friday until mid-next week. Still in NSW, Newcastle will hit 34 on Sunday, while Wollongong will get to 31. That isn't as warm as Canberra in the ACT, though — with the Australian capital forecast to hit 38 on Sunday and 39 on Monday. Sunday and Monday will be warm in Melbourne, too, with tops of 35 and 37 forecast. They'll come after a 31-degree Thursday, then expected maximums of 26 and 27 on Friday and Saturday. Thankfully, a drop to 22 is forecast for Tuesday. https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1351781371715477504 Brisbane will get to 27 on Thursday, 29 on Friday, and 30 from Saturday–Monday, and 33 on Tuesday and Wednesday — so it'll be warm, but also usual summer weather. In Adelaide, the mercury will rise to 35 on Thursday, dip down to 32 on Friday, then soar to 39 on Saturday and a whopping 41 on Sunday. Also in the centre of the country, Alice Springs can expect its maximum temperature to stay between 35–39 degrees for four days from Thursday, while Darwin's will sit at 32-33 across the same period. In Perth, it'll actually get a tad cooler over the weekend — starting with a 34-degree maximum on Thursday, then going up to 36 degrees on Friday, before dropping to 26 on Saturday and Sunday. And down in Hobart, a top temperature of 27 is forecast for Sunday, with 30 expected on Monday — following other maximums of 22, 23 and 25 in the days prior. Of course, while these are BOM's forecasts as issued at 6.05am on Thursday, January 21, conditions may change — so keep an eye on the Bureau's website for the most up-to-date information. For latest weather forecasts, head to the Bureau of Meteorology website.
Located in a historic blue-stone chapel dating back to 1858, Prahran's Chapel Off Chapel has long been an institution for emerging Melbourne creatives. It has hosted independent productions of musicals, many of which were premiers, including the likes of Is There Life After High School?, Songs for a New World, Putting it Together and The Colour Purple. There have been over a million punters through its doors since it opened in the early 90s, and it has played host to more than 20,000 creatives. The venue is famous for a lot of things, from dance to live musicals, and to this day, it continues to nurture and give a stage to emerging artists. Chapel off Chapel is also renowned for its regular comedy shows, often hosting big names who use the stunning space to record gigs that'll be streamed online.
When Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) returns to the world of fashion, very few people care. In Zoolander 2, the male model finds that everyone has moved on during his 15-year absence; in fact, upon his arrival at the Rome airport with his rival turned best buddy Hansel (Owen Wilson), the paparazzi barely give him a second glance. The dim-witted character's on-screen comeback appears to subvert the film's off-screen reality, given that audiences have been clamouring for a follow-up to Zoolander ever since the 2001 feature became a cult favourite. Alas, it actually proves a sign of things to come, with the sequel rendering its central figure utterly forgettable. The Derek Zoolander of today might still boast shiny hair and his famous facial expressions, but he's now a recluse who gave up his career and son after a tragedy. Only an invitation to sashay down the runway for superstar seamstress Alexanya Atoz (Kristen Wiig) lures him back into the spotlight, though his trip to Italy also thrusts him into the thick of another conspiracy plot. This time, celebrities are dropping like flies, leaving pouting, blue steel-style selfies behind. Enter Interpol fashion division agent Valentina (Penélope Cruz), who needs Derek's help to put an end to the assassinations. Like many sequels, Zoolander 2 knows that viewers liked the first film, and isn't willing to stray far from that winning formula for its second outing. That means not just a similar story, the same levels of sartorial silliness and ample stupid dialogue, but plenty of overt nods to its predecessor. Indeed, spotting the references, repeats and rehashes — a familiar face here, a recycled line there — is perhaps the most enjoyable part of the movie. If you think that's a bad sign, you'd be right. If you think that everything else feels stretched, with countless twists and gags about obvious pop culture targets, you'd be right there too. That sense of déjà vu you're feeling is by design. What sets the two films apart, other than the sequels bloated narrative, is their respective strike rates. Zoolander might've been little more than a collection of exaggerated sketches and quotable dialogue, but at least its jokes landed more often than they didn't, whether skewering the fashion industry or taking aim at society's obsession with superficiality. Here, the recognisable content raises a smile, but attempts to contemplate loyalty, legacy and longevity come across as cheap and easy. Everything else — taking down hipsters, packing in cameo appearances, literally killing off Justin Bieber, and having Hansel date an orgy — falls flat. At least Stiller, as co-writer, director and star, can't be accused of lacking enthusiasm either in front of or behind the lens. Zoolander 2 is left wanting in the surprise and subtlety departments, however it forges ahead with the same energy he brings to his performance. Acting-wise, he's pulling the same faces and hitting the same beats — as is Wilson and scene-stealing fellow returnee Will Ferrell as devious designer Mugatu — but he doesn't seem as strained as the material he's working with. Ultimately though, Stiller's eagerness isn't enough. Just like there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking, there should be more to a long-awaited sequel than blatantly reliving past glories.
Hawker-style dining is nothing new for Melbourne, but it has finally made its way to the Bayside suburbs, with Ms Elwood opening her doors this week. Helmed by Dan Dixon (of Elwood cafe The Joinery), this newcomer takes over the Ormond Road space originally destined to become a second Hanoi Hannah outpost. Opening yesterday, it's promising all the fun, buzziness, and double entendres of Melbourne's other mod-Asian offerings, along with a covetable list of new-school cocktail creations. The bold-flavoured food menu invites punters to 'stay saucy' with its mix of well-loved classics and inventive delights. Soft shell crab pancakes and brisket banh mi head up a selection of quick hits, while the likes of a kombu kingfish bowl, Cape Grim flat iron teriyaki, and shichimi chicken tempt heartier appetites. At the pointy end, sweet treats like matcha doughnuts with yuzu curd and chocolate chilli sauce, and banana sticky rice with honeycomb, offer a modern interpretation of those Asian dessert flavours you know and love. But perhaps most exciting for thirsty Baysiders this summer is Ms Elwood's very nifty cocktail list, a collaborative effort with Yarra Valley's Four Pillars Gin that'll make the whole frosé trend seem so 2016. Expect a genius mash-up of Aussie botanicals and oriental ingredients that stands up beautifully to those bold flavours on the menu. Here, they're upping the ante with a watermelon-laced gin and tonic number, infusing their frosé with gin, and throwing down a frozen G&T creation that'll see you battling those summer sweats in style. Ms Elwood is now open at 24 Ormond Road, Elwood. For more information, visit mselwood.com.
Navigating the turbulent world of dating can be tough enough as is, let alone while juggling COVID-19 restrictions and stay-at-home orders at the same time. So, there's sure to be some lovers out there who are itching to get back into the game after steering clear across Melbourne's lockdowns for the past 18 months. Handily enough, the city has scored the exclusive launch of a new hospitality-based dating app called Boop, which offers some tasty food and drink incentives to be used on future date nights. It's aimed at enticing you off the couch and back out into experiencing the best of Melbourne's hospitality scene, with special deals available to all users — from first date-ers to long-time lovers. Four years in the making, the app's more about the IRL experience of going on a date, than it is about being glued to your phone swapping banter via the ol' DMs. To kick things off, Boop has teamed up with Australian Venue Co, initially offering its date discounts across all of the group's local bars and pubs. Think, Fargo & Co, The Imperial, The College Lawn, State of Grace, The Smith, The Provincial and stacks more. You can use the free app to browse profiles and match with like-minded folk, as well as planning dates once you've found a winner. There's a function that allows users to 'create a date', by setting a time, date and location, and then sending their match an invite. Then, you simply use the app to check in to your chosen date night destination to score access to special offers, such as a cheeky 15 percent off your total bill. Not in the market for a new date? You can still use Boop to just organise a date with your existing squeeze or even your bestie, by sharing your profile with them directly. It's also possible to switch off your discoverability on the app, if you'd rather not rack up matches. Given Melbourne's current roadmap restrictions, the app even has a 'vaccinated' badge users can add to their profile and use as a filter option when searching for potential date matches. Only Australian Venue Co venues are involved for now, though others will have the opportunity to sign up soon. Boop has launched exclusively across Melbourne's AVC venues. It's available to download for free via the App Store and Google Play.
If you're an inner west fan of God's gift to vegetables — that is, chips — boy, do we have some news for you. Melbourne own ethical fast food institution, and promoter of some of the best chips in the universe, Lord of the Fries is opening a new store in South Yarra. The much-loved Aussie chippery first hit the streets in 2004 as a food truck in Melbourne and has since opened a tonne of stores both here and interstate. The Lord's offerings sit atop a 100 percent vegan menu, using oil free of chemicals, preservatives and animal products. In addition to the addictive fries, menu items include plant-based patties, hot dogs, nuggets and shakes, as well as its recently launched all-day breakfast and vegan ice cream sandwiches. To celebrate the opening of the Toorak Road street store, it'll be giving away free burgers and fries on Friday, August 30. The first 50 customers that stop by at midday will receive a free mini burger, and anyone who pops in between noon and 7pm will snag a free cup of fries.
The road back to music festivals in a post-COVID world has been long and bumpy. Many festivals attempted to be among the first to return, announcing dates and lineups before being forced to postpone. One event that has managed to succeed, despite restrictions on mass gatherings, is the new Summer Sounds Festival. Back in November, it was revealed that Splendour in the Grass organisers Secret Sounds — with the help of the Australian government — were working on a new music festival. An announcement for the Adelaide edition of Summer Sounds Festival followed shortly, with the SA leg of the fest taking place across January with a lineup full of local Australian talent, including Ball Park Music, Bernard Fanning, Mallrat and Ruel. Now, as the debut edition of the festival wraps up this weekend, Summer Sounds has announced that it's coming to Melbourne. It'll set up shop in the Sidney Myer Music Bowl as part of the summer-long Live at the Bowl event series. Taking place over four nights, the Melbourne lineup features Ball Park Music, Bernard Fanning, Something for Kate and Spacey Jane — all returning after sets at the Adelaide edition. They'll be joined by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Thelma Plum, Tropical F Storm and Rat!hammock. The current lineup of gigs runs from Thursday, February 24–Thursday March 4, with more shows to be announced. In order to comply with COVID-safe protocols, attendees can book tickets at the private decks, stall tables and balcony seats for groups of two, four or six. This means you're saved the pain of rubbing up against sweaty strangers in the crowd, plus you'll be able to have a dance with your closest friends. Image: Bernard Fanning by Saige Prime SUMMER SOUNDS FESTIVAL, MELBOURNE Thursday, February 25 — Ball Park Music and Thelma Plum Friday, February 26 — King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Tropical F Storm Saturday, February 27 — Bernard Fanning and Something for Kate Thursday, March 4 — Spacey Jane and Rat!hammock Summer Sounds Festival Melbourne will take place at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl as part of Live at the Bowl from Thursday, February 25–Thursday, March 5. Registration for the presale is now open, with presale tickets available from 12pm AEDT on Friday, January 29 — and general ticket sales opening at 9am AEDT on Monday, March 1. Top image: Summer Sounds Festival Adelaide by Morgan Sette
Another week, another film, another hero clad in spandex. For the past decade and a half, Hollywood has churned out an unrelenting stream of superhero movies. Some, like Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight or Joss Whedon's first Avengers film, manage to rise above the pack. Others, like the laughably self-important Man of Steel or the disastrous new Fantastic Four, scrape the bottom of the barrel. The rest, for the most part, are merely okay. More to the point, almost all of them stick to the same predictable playbook in which everything is taken way, way too seriously. That's where Deadpool promises to be different. This long awaited film about the popular Marvel antihero arrives in cinemas on the back of an absolutely ingenious marketing campaign, one that stresses to punters unfamiliar with the character that he is anything but your typical superhero. Decked out in red, wielding katanas and a big ass gun, Deadpool swears, cracks jokes and murders his enemies with glee. Not only that, but he knows he's in a movie, and frequently delivers his X-rated quips directly to the camera. Most importantly, he's entertaining. He doesn't mope about his dead parents, or whinge about how great power means great responsibility. In an era of increasingly reluctant and angst-riddled crusaders, he makes being a superhero look fun. That's not to say that director Tim Miller has reinvented the wheel. The same familiar narrative formula is still very much at play here, even if the specifics are different. Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) is a low-level mercenary whose life with his prostitute girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) seems doomed after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer. A lifeline comes in the form of an offer from a shady organisation, who promise to make Wilson indestructible. Unfortunately, the process also leaves him horribly disfigured, looking roughly akin to – in his own words – "a testicle with teeth." And when the people behind his transformation inevitably betray him, he's left with no choice but to become the one thing he never thought he'd be: a hero. So yeah, Deadpool isn't exactly the second coming of the genre. Luckily, it's also so relentlessly enjoyable that its flaws are easy to forgive. The script, by Zombieland co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, is absolutely brimming with knowing, foul-mouthed humour – indeed, this is much more a rude, crude, fourth-wall breaking comedy than it is a standard action film. There are dick jokes and pop-culture gags aplenty, but the biggest laughs come from references to Deadpool's fellow superheroes. When a couple of ancillary X-Men try and convince Deadpool to meet with Professor X, he asks whether they mean James McAvoy or Patrick Stewart. The writers also lay mercilessly into the recent Green Lantern movie, which of course starred none other than their own film's leading man. Frankly, it's hard to fathom that Reynolds ever wore another costume, since it feels like Deadpool is the role he was born to play. His performance is the other big reason the movie works as well as it does, his irreverent, snark-laden line delivery helping keep us on side with a protagonist whose behaviour is totally reprehensible. Not that you'd want him any other way. Hell, we'll take this nutcase over that bland boy scout Superman any day of the week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIM1HydF9UA
Our favourite thought-provokers over at The School of Life are gifting us with a two-week community festival of philosophy, culture and ideas. Set to take over Melbourne's western suburbs this November, the Think West program will be all about expanding your mind and stimulating your thinking, delivered in the organisation's trademark open-minded style. With over 40 workshops, classes, tours and events on offer across the inaugural festival, the School of Life team has rounded up a host of interesting westside partners. They've got an impressive list of venues too, with the likes of Yarraville's iconic Sun Theatre, the Planetarium at Scienceworks, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Two Birds Brewing and co-working space The Dream Factory in Footscray hosting events. The full Think West program is set to drop on October 5, but you can expect highlights to include a night of stargazing and perspective-shifting at Melbourne Planetarium, a talk on the art of resilience by Meshel Laurie, and, of course, a memorable and engaging launch party, during which you'll learn how to up your conversation game and become a boss communicator. And if you simply can't wait to get those mind cogs working and want a hands-on sneak peek of the festival action, there's also a Think West 'taster program', running from October 6-16. In a purpose-built creative space at Highpoint Shopping Centre (one of the presenting partners), you'll be able to get a preview of what's to come, with one-hour sample classes covering topics like How To Be Resilient, How To Find A Job You Love, and How To Have Better Conversations. Think West will run from November 6-20 at various venues in Melbourne's inner west. The full program will be announced on Wednesday, October 5. For the more details, visit thinkwest.com.au.
It's a very specific genre — that'd be documentaries about Britney Spears, her life over the past 13-plus years under a conservatorship and her efforts to free herself from the arrangement — and it's about to hit viewers one more time. After Hulu's Framing Britney Spears quickly became everyone's must-see doco earlier in 2021, Netflix's Britney vs Spears is stepping back into the case. And, it'll be doing so very soon. Block out Tuesday, September 28 in your diary, as that's when the Erin Lee Carr (How To Fix a Drug Scandal, Dirty Money)-directed film will hit the streaming platform. If you watched its aforementioned predecessor, or you've paid any attention to news stories over the years, you'll know that Britney vs Spears will cover quite the tale — and Netflix has just dropped a trailer for the doco as well. "I just want my life back," says Britney in the sneak peek's first seconds. "I've worked my whole life. I don't owe these people anything," she continues. Since early 2008, when she was first put under a conservatorship, the pop star's choices haven't been her own — and that's an arrangement she's been fighting against for years, and the whole reason that the #FreeBritney movement has sprung up. Drawn from investigative journalism over several years, Britney vs Spears will explore Britney's life — both public and private — and her quest to be rid of the conservatorship. It also promises new documents and interviews, some of which are teased in the trailer. And, with Carr working alongside journalist Jenny Eliscu to unpack exactly what the situation has meant for Britney, who has been involved and what the star has been doing behind the scenes, it also charts her path from teen stardom to battling for legal autonomy. This year marks 23 years since '...Baby One More Time' rocketed up Australia's charts, and made sure that everyone in the country knew who Britney was. Before then, she'd been in the spotlight since her time on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club in the early 90s; however, it was that blockbuster pop song that truly catapulted her to megastar-level fame. In the decades since, the singer has enjoyed a slew of other hits, thanks to everything from 'Sometimes', '(You Drive Me) Crazy' and 'Oops!... I Did It Again' to 'Toxic', 'Everytime' and 'If U Seek Amy'. Yes, you now have at least one of these songs stuck in your head (or, let's be honest, a medley of all them). Britney vs Spears will also arrive on Netflix a day before the next court date in Britney's ongoing quest to end the conservatorship. Just yesterday, on Wednesday, September 22, one of her lawyers told a Los Angeles judge that he expects her conservatorship will finish "completely and inevitably" during the American fall. Check out the Britney vs Spears trailer below: Britney vs Spears will be available to stream via Netflix on Tuesday, September 28.
So your local music store is basically out of business, the chain stores are full of crappy pop on overpriced CDs, and op shops are clueing to the fact they can charge a lot more than $1 for that quality Ziggy Stardust LP — where are we supposed to snag our vinyl these days? The answer will surprise and sadden you (of course we don't yet have this store in Australia). Buzzfeed has today named Urban Outfitters as the biggest seller of vinyl in the world. A hip stockist of quirky homewares, ironic t-shirts and boyfriend jeans, Urban Outfitters is like a more affordable version of every designer concept store you window shop in. But music definitely doesn't seem like its beat. This is because, instead of stocking shelves with dusty records and turning into a modern-day Championshop Vinyl, they offer most of their catalogue online. For around US$20 you can order any of the latest indie releases and old classics, and delivery is free for orders over $50 (because who just buys one album at a time?). Unlike CDs and iTunes downloads — may they rest in peace — vinyl is experiencing a huge resurgence at the moment. Sales have increased by more than 40 per cent in the last year alone and are hitting the highest numbers seen since the early '90s. As online streaming options increase in the same way, our new listening practices are becoming more and more apparent. We want to listen to everything for free on Spotify and Pandora then treasure the albums we really like on vinyl. And why wouldn't we? With the rest of our kit from Urban Outfitters, these records make our lives just that little bit closer to a Wes Anderson film. Via Buzzfeed and Stereogum.
So, you manage to keep yourself pretty well entertained between the wine festivals, gallery exhibitions and bottomless brunches. But what about that four-legged mate of yours? Well, you'd better clear his or her schedule too, because this OTT pop-up doggy theme park is descending on Melbourne once again for its second iteration. This winter on Saturday, August 12 at Port Melbourne Industrial Centre for the Arts (PICA), Theme Bark promises the dog's day out your pooch has been dreaming of all their life. So just what can Luna expect from this paw-some puppy playground? Well, there'll be a big ball pit playpen, complete with slide, and a giant obstacle course for ducking, diving and clamouring around in a floofy cloud of ecstasy. Talented pooches can try their luck in the Pup Pageant or the Doggy Dash, while the afternoon's dog yoga sessions promise to fill up fast. Meanwhile, the pop-up Barkery Lane market will have retailers slinging everything from dog accessories to toys, plus, they'll be puppacinos and pooch-friendly ice-creams for your bestie. Images: supplied.
The title SONG kind of sells local group Ranters Theatre's latest work short. A collaboration between Brazilian visual artist Laura Lima, songwriter and performer James Tyson, production and lighting designer Stephen Hennessy and grand-scale perfumer George Kara, the hour-long piece is an immersive experience which leaves no sense forgotten. The audience are invited into an entirely created version of the natural world, one in which everything from the smell of the ocean to the colour of sunset at day's end is experienced at a heightened level. The experience of the individual is both privileged and forgotten, as one moves between moments of hyper sensory awareness and the joy of being completely lost in the moment throughout the piece. Got a short attention span or prone to mid-show popcorn cravings? The audience is free to come and go as they please and the Astroturf lounge setting means no awkward jostling past raised knees to do so. Image credit Sarah Walker
Saying goodbye to 2025 at Lost Paradise means farewelling the year with a jam-packed lineup of tunes. Ben Böhmer, Chris Stussy, Confidence Man, Duke Dumont, I Hate Models, KETTAMA, Marc Rebillet, Maribou State, Underworld, X CLUB: they're all headlining the annual end-of-year music festival in Glenworth Valley on the New South Wales Central Coast this year. So, mark Sunday, December 28, 2025–Thursday, January 1, 2026 on your calendar — and prepare for a huge few days. Other acts on the bill include Anna Lunoe, BIG WETT, Channel Tres, Fcukers, DJ Heartstring, Hot Dub Time Machine, Omar+, VTSS and plenty more. Some people love last-minute New Year's Eve plans, going wherever the mood takes them. Others can't start planning early enough. If you fall into the latter category, this December is for you. For Lost Paradise newcomers, the multi-day event turns a slice of its setting — which is located an hour out of Sydney — into one helluva shindig, complete with live music and DJ sets spanning both international and Australian talents. This year, organisers are promising newly reimagined versions of the festival's Arcadia, Lost Disco and Paradise Club stages. Tunes are just one part of the Lost Paradise experience, though. Here, art, culture, wellness, and food and drink also get a look in. And, at Shambhala Fields, you can hear talks and take part in workshops — so that's where you'll find the likes of Dr Karl, Eric Avery, Deano Gladstone, Lara Zilibowitz, Kath Ebbs, Sez, Tom Carroll, Simon Borg-Olivier, Gwyn Williams and others. Since first unleashing its specific flavour of festival fun back in 2014, Lost Paradise has become a go-to way to wrap up one year and welcome in the next — including if you're keen to camp for its duration. Lost Paradise 2025 Lineup Ben Böhmer Chris Stussy Confidence Man Duke Dumont I Hate Models KETTAMA Marc Rebillet Maribou State Underworld X CLUB Anna Lunoe Baby J Bad Boombox & Mischluft Balu Brigada Bella Claxton BIG WETT Blusher Bullet Tooth Cassian Channel Tres Dameeeela DJ Heartstring Dombresky presents Disco Dom Dr Banana Fcukers Folamour Heidi Hot Dub Time Machine INJI Jazzy Josh Baker Juicy Romance Kilimanjaro Luke Alessi Merci, Mercy Narciss Notion Odd Mob Omar+ Pegassi Prospa Riria Ross From Friends presents Bubble Love Sex Mask Silva Bumpa Sim0ne Sumner Swim (live) Two Another VTSS Wolters Alex Dowsing Badassmutha Bella Backe Caleb Jackson Couch Mechanic Cricket Dayzzi B2B Daug Disco Dora Elijah Something GMOZ Grooveworks Kai Kawai Large Mirage LAYTX Lily FM Lost Soundsystem Madame Reve Maina Doe Mash Middle James Mina Tonic Oscill8 Pamela Penelope People's Party Roxy Lotz Salarymen Selve Siila Silly Lily Sim Select Tia Lacoste Tokyo Sexwale Tseba Waxlily Yasmina Sadiki Shambhala Fields: Benny Holloway Catriona Wallace Chanel Contos Deano Gladstone Dr Karl Eric Avery Gwyn Williams Kath Ebbs Lara Zilibowitz Plastic Free Mermaid Sez Simon Borg-Olivier Tom Carroll Lost Paradise mages: Jess Bowen, Jordan K Munns, Byravyna and Amar Gera.
The first few months of the year now done and dusted can only mean one thing in Melbourne: the footy's back. And this month, with our homegrown code now back home, Melbourne is in for the grittiest, toughest, edge-of-your-seat, double-header period on the calendar: the final round of the thrilling 2022 NAB AFLW season and the return of the Toyota AFL Premiership Season. To mark the occasion, the AFL is throwing a massive Festival of Footy. With 12 matches across ten days — and crowd capacity back up to 100 percent — you can experience the pure adrenaline (both yours and the stellar lineup of players), see hard-hitting tackles (that'd be the players') and plenty of family-friendly activities to keep even the most reluctant of footy fans happy. [caption id="attachment_845691" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Graham Denholm (AFL Photos/Getty Images)[/caption] As well as unmissable matches being played at the MCG, Marvel Stadium and Arden Street Oval, the MCG-adjacent Yarra Park will transform into a Festival of Footy live site – a lively hub of camaraderie and healthy competition fit for your whole gang. Head down to the green for food trucks serving up both classic and adventurous bites, a pop-up barber shop, organised games and live performances. Combined with generous giveaways and free entry, it's the perfect scene for a footy-fuelled day out. Signalling the start of the final round of this year's AFLW home-and-away season, the footy-lovers' playground will officially open at 6pm on Friday, March 11, and hold strong til 9pm. It'll also come alive every game day of the final round of the women's league, and the first round of the men's. For more information about the Festival of Footy, head to the website. Top images: Michael Willson (AFL Photos), Graham Denholm (AFL Photos/Getty Images)
Melburnians, prepare to get hopelessly devoted — again — to Rydell High, summer lovers reuniting at school, leather jackets and Pink Ladies. Because giving Grease a prequel streaming series wasn't enough, the 50s-set musical is returning to its original home, with Australia's brand-new multimillion-dollar theatre production of the five-decade-old show set to be the one that local audiences want from Sunday, December 31, 2023–Sunday, March 10, 2024. Grease is shaping up to be Melbourne's big summer hit, zipping into the Victorian capital's Her Majesty's Theatre like lightening in January. Everyone knows the plot by now, given how popular the 1978 movie adaptation of the musical rom-com still is, especially Down Under. It is about an Aussie transfer student, after all, who falls in love with an American high schooler in California. After Grease sped from the stage to become a silver-screen classic, it spawned a 1982 Michelle Pfeiffer-starring sequel, too, then streaming's Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. Cast-wise, Joseph Spanti (Friends! The Musical Parody, Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical) and Annelise Hall (The Marvellous Elephant Man, Aspects of Love) are slipping into John Travolta (Paradise City) and the late, great Olivia Newton-John's (The Very Excellent Mr Crocodile Dundee) leathers as Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson. Also featuring: Patti Newton as Miss Lynch, Jay Laga'aia as Vince Fontaine and Marcia Hines as Teen Angel. The above stars, plus their fellow T-Birds and Pink Ladies, will obviously be belting out all the famous tunes — including the titular 'Grease' and fellow earworms 'Summer Nights', 'Sandy', 'Hopelessly Devoted to You', 'You're The One That I Want', 'Greased Lightnin' and 'Beauty School Dropout'.
We're a long way from New York City's Lower East Side, but it'll feel a whole lot closer (for at least one night) when celebrated speakeasy-style cocktail bar Death & Co hits Down Under. The NYC team will be visiting three much-loved venues across Australia for a series of cocktail-fuelled dinners. Out to offer locals a taste of their contemporary drinks mastery, Death & Co's David Kaplan and Alex Day are swinging past Perth's Wolf Lane on January 29 and 30, before heading east to hit The Winery in Sydney on Sunday, February 2. They'll wrap things up with two dates at Melbourne laneway bar Trinket: a sold out session on February 5 and a newly added one on Tuesday, February 4. Launched in 2006, the NYC bar is considered something of a pioneer in the world of modern cocktail bars, having scored a slew of big-time awards, played host to a roll-call of bartending legends and birthed its share of now-iconic cocktail creations. Each of the Aussie dinners will see the team showcase five crafty concoctions, matched with five courses from the host venue. The tour's a collaboration with US label Aviation Gin, which just so happens to be owned by your good mate Ryan Reynolds, so you can expect lots of gin. There will be sips like the Have At It welcome shot, blending Dry Sack Sherry, gin, lemon juice and grapefruit, and the Trust Fall: a fusion of Aviation gin, pisco and vermouth, finished with lychee liqueur, raspberry, absinthe and Peychaud's Bitters. At The Winery, the booze is carefully paired with dishes like 'drunk mussels' done with gin, absinthe and tomato, spanner crab toast with stracciatella and caviar, and a deep-fried carrot cake to finish. While, at Trinket's dinner, you'll find the booze carefully paired with dishes like a wallaby tartare with Davison plum and gin jam, fried quail with Yarra Valley caviar, and a lamington-inspired take on a Magnum ice cream for dessert. Tickets to each event clock in at $95 per person (or $145 if you also want a signed copy of Death & Co's own book, Cocktail Codex). All that should leave you feeling pretty inspired to try out some drinks wizardry in your own home bar. Death & Co hits Wolf Lane at 321 Murray Street, Perth on January 29 and 30. Tickets are on sale now here. The Winery at 285a Crown Street, Surry Hills, on February 2. You can grab those tickets here. The pop-up ventures to Trinket at 87 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, on February 4 and 5. Tickets here.
