The end of the year is hurtling closer, which means it's almost time for the fleeting annual lotus flower season to kick off once again. And, for the Blue Lotus Water Garden to throw open its gates and show off its brand new blooms. Open to the public only from December 26 until April 13, the lush landscaped grounds boast a collection of ponds, lakes and lagoons, which all come alive for these few months of the year, jam-packed with thousands of flowering lotus and waterlilies. You can wander the gardens through the lotus-filled waterways and flower beds in full-boom, with over three kilometres of pathways to explore. See the stunning 500-metre-long Monet lake, carpeted with over 70 varieties of water lily — including a collection of the artist's original flowers — then wander over the Japanese Pond's red bridge to catch a glimpse of flowers spawned from one of the world's oldest known lotus blooms. There's even an onsite cafe and ice cream kiosk to fuel your flower-filled adventures. Blue Lotus Water Garden is open from 10am–5pm daily.
UPDATE, January 29, 2021: 1917 is available to stream via Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies and Amazon Video. If you didn't already know that 1917's Sam Mendes directed the last two Bond films, then his new First World War drama makes that plain via its high-stakes plot. The premise: in the penultimate year of the conflict, with a generation of young men at battle, two British soldiers are dispatched into enemy territory to deliver a message. If they don't make it through No Man's Land, across lines of barbed wire, out of booby-trapped mines, over collapsed bridges and past ever-determined Germans — and do so by dawn the next day — 1600 men will charge into a battle that'll wipe them all out. Tragic on its own merits, that needless loss of lives would also severely hamper the Allies' overall efforts. In attempting their crucial task, 1917's central pair can't rely on exploding watches, missile-shooting cars or other 007-style gadgets, of course. Still, the film does sport a particularly action-packed idea in a genre — aka war flicks — that's typically filled with fights, gunfire and explosions anyway. Sending its heroes on a tumultuous journey in the most literal of senses, 1917 also spins a classic adventure narrative within its combat-riddled confines. But, co-scripting with Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Penny Dreadful) and dedicating the feature to his grandfather, a veteran of the war in question, Mendes can be forgiven for taking a minor leaf out Skyfall and Spectre's books. Charting the experiences of Lance Corporals Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George MacKay), his film endeavours to show the on-the-ground horrors of war through the duo's gruelling quest. The storytelling gimmickry is obvious, jamming in chaos and peril across a wealth of scenarios, but the overall impact is inescapably immense and heartbreakingly intense. What Dunkirk did for a pivotal World War II event, 1917 does just as commandingly for an entire earlier war. The date is April 6 in the film's eponymous year. First seen stealing a rare moment's rest in a flower-strewn northern France field, Blake and Schofield are soon sent on their not-so-merry way. "Pick a man. Bring your kit", the especially boyish Blake is told, chosen for the mission because his older brother is in the battalion about to chase the seemingly retreating Germans. As weighs heavily in the air during the ensuing trek, the warier, world-wearier Schofield is merely the friend in Blake's closest proximity when the latter receives his orders. Instantly, Thomas Newman's nerve-rattling score kicks into gear. Beginning their walk in the muddy British trenches, Blake and Schofield's hurried footsteps, breaths and snippets of small talk are accompanied by needling beats that echo with tension and urgency. The music sets the appropriate mood, although the movie's second overt piece of gimmickry does that as well — and strikingly. As lensed by Blade Runner 2049's Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (who, like Newman, also worked with Mendes in his Bond years), 1917 is crafted to look like it's shot in two long takes. Constantly roving and roaming, the film's visuals capture the two soldiers' every move, rarely letting either man's face out of sight. Accordingly, youth and eagerness, pain and sorrow, and carnage and death all flicker across the screen as Blake and Schofield try to make their way through a gruelling ordeal — one that plays out without any reprieve for them or for the audience. When a filmmaker leans so heavily upon such a self-imposed technical constraint, it's usually in the service of immediacy and immersion, with both evident in every exquisitely choreographed and staged second of 1917. Son of Saul, the Academy Award-winning 2015 holocaust film, used the same faux single-shot approach to the same emotionally devastating effect. Single-setting survivalist thrillers like All Is Lost deliver a similar emotional onslaught via restrained means as well. Both cast a shadow over 1917, because there's nothing more harrowing than being forced to stare into someone's eyes when they're enduring utter hell. MacKay, a certain future star going from strength to strength, conveys every iota of Schofield's grit and suffering. It's a performance on par with his second film screening in cinemas at present — True History of the Kelly Gang, where he plays Ned Kelly. Here, his character is an everyman, representing the many that went through the real-life ordeal. Indeed, he looks like he could've easily stepped out of Peter Jackson's recent World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old. But thanks to MacKay's quietly aching portrayal, the audience needn't know much about Schofield to see him as individual, rather than merely one of many. Amid a cast that also features Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Fleabag's Andrew Scott and Chapman's Game of Thrones co-star Richard Madden in bit parts, he's the face of the so-called 'war to end all wars' — and he's just as effective as Mendes' jam-packed narrative and Deakins' stunning cinematography. And, he helps makes 1917's unshakeable case. Whether scrambling along a Turkish hillside in Gallipoli, sailing into the jungle in Apocalypse Now, or meandering over piles of bodies and past despairing soldiers here, the strongest war movies always function as anti-war movies. As illustrated in visceral detail, this is one of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwRL0u87nbc
"You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?" Jack Nicholson's (How Do You Know) version of the Joker asked in 1989's Batman, just because he liked the sound of it. Here's another question: have you ever seen the Tim Burton (Wednesday)-helmed, Michael Keaton (The Flash)-starring classic caped-crusader movie on the big screen with a live orchestra playing its score? Whatever your answer to the first query, you can soon respond to the second with a hearty yes. To celebrate 35 years since the superhero classic initially reached cinemas, Batman is making a silver-screen comeback Down Under to see out 2024 and start 2025 — and in each of its six stops, including in Melbourne, it's giving the film's tunes the symphonic treatment. It's Batman in concert, with the movie playing the Victorian capital across Thursday, October 24–Saturday, October 26, 2024 at the Regent Theatre, complete with Foreman's Australian Pops Orchestra picking up their instruments as the flick screens. They'll be busting out Danny Elfman's Grammy-nominated score, which is just one of the feature's music highlights. The other: songs by the one and only Prince. As well as marking three-and-a-half decades since the picture debuted, these concert screenings also commemorate 85 years of the character on the page — and have been announced just as Burton and Keaton reteam again for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Keaton's stint in Bruce Wayne's slick suits by day and Batman's cape by night kicked off a big-screen four-movie series that ran from 1989–1997, and also saw Val Kilmer (Top Gun: Maverick) and George Clooney (IF) inhabit the role — a character played elsewhere by everyone from Adam West and Christian Bale (Amsterdam) to Ben Affleck (Air) and Robert Pattinson (The Batman). As part of a global tour of events, only Batman going the concert route so far, not Batman Returns, Batman Forever or Batman and Robin. If you're keen to dress up to attend, that's encouraged — and there'll also be merchandise on sale.
If you only know two things about South Korea's film and television industry, then you likely know that it's been responsible for Parasite and Squid Game over the past couple of years. The nation's big- and small-screen output spans much further than that, of course — and, since 2010, Australia has boasted a film festival dedicated to its cinematic prowess. That'd be the Korean Film Festival in Australia, which started out as a Sydney-only event, expanded to Melbourne in its second year, then hit Brisbane in its third outing. Since then, it has made its way to other cities, too, with the just-announced 2022 lineup heading to Canberra as well. Across August and September — starting in Sydney from Thursday, August 18–Tuesday, August 23 at Event Cinemas George Street, and then hitting Melbourne's ACMI from Thursday, September 1–Monday, September 5; Canberra's Palace Electric from Thursday, September 1–Saturday, September 3; and Brisbane's Elizabeth Picture Theatre from Thursday, September 8–Sunday, September 11 — KOFFIA will screen 13 impressive titles that showcase Korean filmmaking's finest. And while that lineup mightn't be huge numbers-wise, it's still filled with massive names, including two of the biggest movies from any country currently doing the rounds of the international and Australian festival circuits. If you haven't caught up with it at Sydney Film Festival, or don't have it on your Melbourne International Film Festival schedule, make a date with Broker, the latest release from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. The 2018 Shoplifters Palme d'Or-winner has made a movie in Korea — his first Korean-language film, in fact, and it's still exploring the director's favourite topics. That'd be the ties that bind and the connections of family, following two people who illegally take an abandoned infant from a 'baby box facility'. In another drawcard, Broker stars Parasite's Song Kang-ho, who won Cannes' Best Actor Award for his efforts. Also a must-see: Decision to Leave, a noir romance that saw Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook win Cannes' Best Director gong. Anything that the Stoker and Oldboy director helms is worth a look, but the fact that it has been six years since his movie — 2016's The Handmaiden — makes his latest even more exciting. The rest of the KOFFIA lineup spans opening-night pick Special Delivery, a crime-action film from Park Dae-min that stars Parasite's Park So-dam; mystery Hommage, which again features a Parasite alum — this time Lee Jeong-eun — and charts the searching for missing footage from one of the first feature films directed by a South Korean woman; and In Our Prime, with Oldboy's Choi Min-sik as a North Korean defector and mathematical genius working as a school security guard. Or, there's The Roundup with Train to Busan's Don Lee as a cop chasing a killer; the 80s-set Escape from Mogadishu; and Spiritwalker, about a man who loses his memory and wakes up in a different body every 12 hours — and the list goes on. KOREAN FILM FESTIVAL IN AUSTRALIA 2022 DATES: Thursday, August 18–Tuesday, August 23: Event Cinema George Street, Sydney Thursday, September 1–Monday, September 5: ACMI, Melbourne Thursday, September 1–Saturday, September 3: Palace Electric, Canberra Thursday, September 8–Sunday, September 11: Elizabeth Picture Theatre, Brisbane The Korean Film Festival in Australia runs across August and September, touring to Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the KOFFIA website.
Believe it or not, it's been 14 years since Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance saga first hit the big screen — and since tweens across the globe collectively fell in love with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, too. The pair's careers have rocketed since, with KStew hopping between everything from Clouds of Sils Maria and Personal Shopper to Charlie's Angels and Spencer, and RPatz going from The Rover and Good Time to Tenet and The Batman. They'll always have that undead franchise on their resumes, though. Forgotten what the five vamp films are like? Love them and want to see them on a big screen again? Just adore movie marathons in general? Whatever reason you have, the Twilight Saga Five-Movie Marathon wants you to sink your fans in. Stewart, Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and all-star supporting cast that spans Dakota Fanning, Anna Kendrick, Michael Sheen and Bryce Dallas Howard will all feature at Cinema Nova as the five blockbusters hit the silver screen once more. The lengthy journey of glorious supernatural light-erotica will kick off at 8.45pm on Saturday, July 30, and then again at 8.30pm and 9pm on Saturday, October 15 — all as Bella lands in Forks, Washington in the original Twilight film. From there, it's all love triangles, revengeful vampires, and half-human babies as New Moon, Eclipse and the two-part Breaking Dawn features run back-to-back. Tickets cost $45, and expect company — these sessions are proving popular. Also, you'll score breakfast in-between the two-part finale. Updated August 3.
It's barely a week old, but already Northcote's sweetest new addition is a resounding hit, proving a sell-out success on its opening weekend. Café and dessert bar Black Waffle launched on January 21 to epic queues, with scores of punters keen to snap up one of the 5000 free scoops of artisan gelato on offer. The High Street hotspot closed out the day having mowed through about 250 kilograms of house-made gelato, sold out of its signature activated charcoal-infused waffle cones, and donated all profits from its other products to charity. Back in action and fully restocked a few days later, Black Waffle is en route to becoming a firm neighbourhood favourite, pulling Northside sweet tooths in droves. Here, the hot-ticket order is one of those striking waffle cones, crowned with a scoop of creamy gelato, in flavours like lychee, fig and honey, or Ferrero Rocher. That said, the onsite kitchen is churning out plenty of other goodies too — swing by for a Proud Mary coffee, a fresh pastry, or perhaps something even more decadent, in the form of a loaded waffle, or gelato-filled croissant. Get your Black Waffle gelato fix on the daily, at 262 High Street, Northcote. Open Monday to Thursday 9am–10pm, Friday to Sunday 9am–11.30pm.
If you've ever seen Patricia Piccinini's Skywhale in full flight — or you've been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of its recent companion, Skywhalepapa — you won't have forgotten it. As these billowing balloons float across the sky, they bring the acclaimed artist's otherworldly creatures, and her fascination with the weird, the wonderful, and the lines between reality and science fiction, into the biggest arena there is. If you've been to one of her indoor exhibitions, you will have experienced the same feelings of awe, curiosity and intrigue, too. That's what her work conjures up with its hyper-real yet exaggerated forms that straddle the gap between art and science. Piccinini's latest such example: A Miracle Constantly Repeated, which was originally announced as part of this year's brand-new Rising Festival. The Melbourne arts event was impacted by Victoria's late-May lockdown; however, fans of Piccinini's inimitable art can now check out her current exhibition until Sunday, January 16, 2022. As announced today, Thursday, July 29, Rising has extended A Miracle Constantly Repeated's season for obvious reasons (since the exhibition opened, Melbourne has been through not just one lockdown, but two). When it has been able to welcome in punters so far, the Piccinini showcase has proven popular, attracting close to 20,000 visitors already. It's easy to see why folks have been flocking to the artist's latest creation. All of her signature touches are evident in its rooms of twisted flowers and eccentric bodies — and, whenever you walk through the former, it really does feel like stepping onto another planet. A Miracle Constantly Repeated also marks the Melbourne creative's first hometown show in almost two decades. And, it sprawls across the usually closed Flinders Street Station Ballroom. The venue hasn't been open to the public in more than 30 years, in fact. Now, both the ballroom and nine other surrounding rooms play host to Piccinini's pieces. This overall exhibition is designed to showcase the site, too, with the artist responding to the space as an organic environment. Accordingly, expect to see her critters placed amongst peeling paint and sat next to left-behind filing cabinets. [caption id="attachment_821137" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Patricia Piccinini[/caption] Announcing the extension — a welcome kind of extension for once, given how often that term applies to lockdowns and restrictions of late — Rising Co-Artistic Director Hannah Fox said that "in an era marked by cancellations, shortened seasons and sudden ends, we are so delighted by the degree to which audiences have embraced this stunning exhibition by one of Australia's foremost artists." She continued: "that we are able to extend the season for A Miracle Constantly Repeated, ensuring more people get to experience this incredible space, while continuing to draw visitors back to the CBD as the city continues to recover and rebuild, is all the more gratifying." Tickets to visit the exhibition from Wednesday, September 1 onwards will go on sale at 10am on Friday, July 30 — and attendees can also listen to a personal tour from Piccinini, via an audio guide, as they wander through the space. Patricia Piccinini's A Miracle Constantly Repeated is on display at Flinders Street Station Ballroom, Melbourne, until Sunday, January 16, 2022. Tickets for dates from Wednesday, September 1 onwards will go on sale at 10am on Friday, July 30. Images: Eugene Hyland.
Combining luxury camping with wine, vineyard glamping is the trend that no one can say a bad word about. Well, if they have, we haven't heard it — especially considering there are sites all over the country, from Bendigo to Mount Cotton just outside of Brisbane to a luxury pod-based version in South Australia's McLaren Vale. And now the Mornington Peninsula is set to score its own permanent winery glamping ground. Mornington Peninsula Glamping first popped up last year at Rosebud's Blue Range Estate Wines — memorable not only because it overlooks the vineyard, but because it also has views out over Port Phillip Bay. The outdoor accommodation will reopen for the warmer months on October 4 — but, this time, the tents will be permanent and able to be booked all year-round. The tents in question measure five-by-five metres and are all decked out with a queen-sized bed with 1000-thread-count sheets, two armchairs and a coffee table, plus solar power to keep your devices juiced. You'll also find an esky, a fan and mosquito spray in your tent, along with magazines and board games to keep you entertained. There will be ten tents on-site when it reopens in October; however, that should have increased to 20 by February next year. [caption id="attachment_740062" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Christian Melone on the glamping site.[/caption] You'll have to bring your own food and drinks — and there are barbecues and a cooking area to do some cooking — but antipasto boards and, of course, wine can be purchased on-site. Mornington Peninsula Glamping is the brainchild of Christian Melone, whose family own and run the vineyard, with his grandparents establishing the site back in the 80s. Unfortunately the winery's cellar door and restaurant are currently closed for renovations, but hopefully will be back up and running come summer. Find Mornington Peninsula Glamping at Blue Range Estate Wines, 155 Gardens Road, Rosebud, Victoria.
Is it a balloon? Is it a giant beach ball? No, it's (This is) Air, the National Gallery of Victoria's 2023 Architecture Commission. Thanks to the St Kilda Road arts institution's annual commitment to livening up its garden by celebrating design, a towering sphere is making Melbourne home until June 2024. This isn't just any old 14-metre-tall globe: as everyone can see while in its presence, it breathes, inhaling and exhaling to draw attention to air. When the NGV International hosts this yearly architecture commission, almost anything can grace the venue's grounds. In the past, that's meant a colourful mini Parthenon, a bright pink pool to wade through, a bamboo garden with its own deck and a pink carwash, all memorable. Among a series of pieces all literally designed to stand out, (This is) Air might just have them beat. A lofty sphere that expands with air, then releases it — doing so all day from Thursday, November 23 — isn't easily forgotten. One of (This is) Air's aims: to make the invisible substance that's there in its name visible. Australian architect Nic Brunsdon has joined forces with ENESS — the art and technology company behind public artworks such as Sky Castle, Airship Orchestra, Cupid's Koi Garden, Lost Dogs' Disco and more — on the work that promised to make quite the sight when it was announced back in July, and proves the case now that it has been installed. No one in the vicinity will be able to miss it, either, thanks to that 14-metre height when it's fully inflated. To get to that measurement, it uses air as a building material. And when it breathes out, it does so by releasing gusts, forming different cloud-like shapes, then filling back to capacity again. Brunsdon and ENESS also want everyone taking in (This is) Air to think about humanity's need for and relationship to air. While you're peering at the commission, you'll see air in action and notice how essential it is. Also highlighted: how dependent we all are upon the element, how finite it is and how its quality is being impacted. As (This is) Air gets viewers pondering, it's also designed to be uplifting. As is always the case with the NGV's yearly commission, it'll provide a place for accompanying performances and other public programs in the NGV Garden, too.
UPDATE Wednesday, April 6: The format for New Crush has changed slightly and the event will now run across one extended session, from 12–6pm on April 9. The following article has been updated to reflect this. For more details, see the website. It's no secret that in the drinks department, Victoria knows what's what, churning out a whole stack of top-notch sips, both boozy and alcohol-free. But in case you needed a reminder, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is hosting a party dedicated to showcasing the state's latest and greatest drops. Across one glorious session at the Queen Victoria Market on Saturday, April 9 (12–6pm), New Crush will see you sipping your way through hundreds of the freshest homegrown bevs, while enjoying snacks, tunes and a bumping dance floor. There'll be liquid offerings to tempt all palates, poured across five dedicated zones: wine, spirits, beer, cider and 'nolo' — booze-free or low-alcohol — drinks. Get acquainted with new brews from the likes of Bodriggy, Stomping Ground, Tallboy & Moose and Molly Rose; and sate your cider cravings with drops from Napoleone and Fin. Vinous offerings come courtesy of favourites including Kerri Greens, Rob Dolan and Dal Zotto; while distilleries like Patient Wolf, Starward and Jimmy Rum will be offering a taste of the local spirits scene. You'll also be able to dabble in a range of tasting paddles, score surprises from a lucky dip tinny bar, and level-up your skills and knowledge at the pop-up Sip School. Tickets come in at $40, which gets you entry, plus one tasting at each of the five drink zones. Further eats and drinks are available to purchase on the day. [caption id="attachment_847107" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Charlie Hawks[/caption] Images: Charlie Hawks
Commencing countdown, engines on, and prepare to blast off into the great unknown at Melbourne's first ever space festival. Organised by the University of Melbourne Space Program, the Final Frontier Festival will feature five days of talks, exhibits and hands-on workshops. It's like space camp — but for grown-ups. The festival is set to run from Wednesday, June 29 until Sunday, July 3 at the University of Melbourne campus in Parkville. The first two days are aimed at families and high school students, but you can still get in on the action from Friday. There'll be free talks on topics ranging from NASA's Jupiter missions to DIY space satellites to the science of Aboriginal star knowledge. The festival will also provide the backdrop to the 24-hour Melbourne Space Hack, in which teams of coders, designers, developers and entrepreneurs compete to solve space-related challenges. Think you've got what it takes? You can still sign up via the festival website for just $10 per person. Go on, embrace your inner (or outer) nerd.
Losing yourself in a giant Pac-Man-inspired maze may or may not be your idea of the ultimate reality break, but it is something you'll actually be able to pencil into the diary when The Pac-Maze hits Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane next year. Yep, someone has created a human-size version of the classic 80s arcade game that had you losing hours navigating tiny yellow Pac-Dots and avoiding ghosts. As with most immersive, themed experiences happening across Australia these days, this one's popping up in secret locations on unknown dates. At this stage, all we know is that it's only popping up for one day in each city — and that you can sign up for notifications and first dibs on pre-release tickets via the website. The Pac-Maze comes courtesy of the same masters of nostalgia that brought you the adults-only Lego bar, The Brick Bar, which means you can expect a bunch of interactive fun that'll delight both your adult self and your inner kid. Organisers are promising an immersive escape room-style experience, held within a 1.5-kilometre, LED-lit maze, with the chance to score prizes if you're quick enough to elude those multi-coloured ghosts (aka Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde). You can play solo or in teams of up to ten, though there are only 500 tickets in total up for grabs in each city. To stay in the loop and snag pre-release tickets, visit The Pac-Maze website.
The Fed Square Atrium will be bustling with activity this weekend, when Melbourne’s Mystery Market makes the space its own. Kicking off at 10am sharp this Sunday, June 28, more than 50 local designers will descend upon the pop-up bazaar’s latest temporary location, offering great deals on handmade craft products, vintage clothing items and more. With a focus on independent design and ethical production, confirmed stallholders include eco-friendly fashion brand Lauren & Angie, scented candle makers Bon Lux, paper bouquet artists Miss Poppins and ceramic-jewellery designers And O Design, as well as Twice Drunk glassware — a one-man operation that specialises in turning empty wine and spirit bottles into lamps. Just make sure you leave yourself enough money to buy lunch from one of the market’s many food stalls. The event hits Federation Square just a week after it hosted the Melbourne Design Market. Here’s hoping the city’s most avid shoppers aren’t feeling too fatigued (or broke). For more information about Melbourne’s Mystery Market, check them out on Facebook. Image: Miss Poppins.
The 2021 Tokyo Olympics will kick off after the game's official opening ceremony on Friday, July 23. If you've already binged your way through your favourite shows, swap the channel and sit down to watch our country's best and brightest athletes compete on the world stage. It'll also be great planning prep for 2032 when Brisbane will host the Olympic Games. Of course, when you're enjoying some world-class sport on TV, it's vital to have the perfect drink on hand. Here are six sports that you can catch over the next two weeks based on your favourite cocktail choice, which will perfectly complement these feats of athleticism. You can watch the 2021 Olympics via Channel 7, 7two and 7mate or stream it on 7plus. [caption id="attachment_755142" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Capitano, by James Morgan[/caption] NEGRONI & LONG JUMP On the surface, a negroni seems like a reasonably simple set-up — just mix gin, campari and vermouth. But it's incredibly easy to mess up the balance and finding the perfect mix takes a decent amount of bartending experience and skill. In a purely theoretical sense, long jump seems like the kind of event that should be easy. In theory. But anyone who's been tormented with high school athletics can attest to its difficulty and appreciate the sophistication that goes into perfecting what seems like a straightforward event. When can I catch it? The men's qualifiers kick off on Saturday, July 31 at 8.10pm, while the women's qualifiers begin on Sunday, August 1 at 10.50am. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, Brooke Stratton and Henry Frayne will both be competing. How can I get negronis delivered: Capitano, Above Board, Starward PIMM'S & TENNIS Pour yourself a Pimm's and pretend you're watching the tennis live from Tokyo. The light refreshing drink is a tennis staple for good reason, radiating warm summer energy, despite how gloomy the weather might be here at home. When can I catch it? The tennis kicks off at 12pm on Saturday, July 24 and runs until Sunday, August 1. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, world number one Ash Barty will be competing alongside nine other Australian competitors including Sam Stosur and John Millman. How can I get Pimm's delivered: Jimmy Brings, Tipple, BoozeBud [caption id="attachment_701670" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gareth Sobey[/caption] MARTINI & DIVING Sophisticated, elegant and a little dangerous. These are all words that describe both James Bond's signature martini and diving. Sip this classic cocktail as you watch the astonishing aerial acrobatics of the Australian divers. Plus, after a few of Sydney's best martinis, you won't know whether the drinks or the diver's backflips are causing you to feel a touch lightheaded. When can I catch it? The diving will run from Sunday, July 25 until Sunday, August 7. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, seven divers will represent Australia in this year's Olympics include previous medal winners Anabelle Smith and Melissa Wu. How can I get martinis delivered: Everleigh Bottling Co, Black Pearl, Byrdi ESPRESSO MARTINI & ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS If you feel like life is best enjoyed with a healthy mix of enthusiastic energy and class, you're bound to enjoy both an espresso martini and the range of gymnastics events on offer throughout the Olympic Games. Whether it's the beam, vault, bars or floor, Australia's top-tier gymnasts will inject a burst of energy to match the caffeine hit in your espresso martini. When can I catch it? The artistic gymnastics will begin at 11am on Saturday, July 23 and run until Tuesday, August 3. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, Australia has three artistic gymnasts competing this year as well as six rhythmic gymnasts and two athletes competing in the trampolining. How can I get espresso martinis delivered: Mr West, Melbourne Martini, Rosalita's A SHOT & 100 METRE SPRINT As the Olympics marquee event is over in under ten seconds, you'll need a drink that's consumed equally quickly. Luckily there's a Melbourne spot delivering shots to the doors of locals in an effort to bring a bit of fun into lockdown. Try a pickleback shot from Fancy Hanks, or nab a whole bottle of something fun from Jimmy Brings. When can I catch it? The women's 100 metre will take place on Saturday, July 31 with the final taking place at 10.50pm. The men's 100 metre will then take over next Sunday, August 1, with the final occurring at the same time. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, Hana Basic and Rohan Browning will both compete. How can I get shots delivered: Fancy Hanks, Jimmy Brings LONG ISLAND ICED TEA & MODERNS PENTATHLON The modern pentathlon is a mix of five different sports: running, swimming, fencing, shooting and show jumping. Just like the long island iced tea, it's the perfect event if you're a bit indecisive about what you want to watch (or drink) and are just happy to enjoy the experience. When can I catch it? Both the men's and women's modern pentathlon will run from Thursday, August 5 until Saturday, August 7. Can I catch any Aussies? Yes, we have two competitors in the modern pentathlon, Ed Fernon and Marina Carrier. How can I get long island iced teas delivered: Cheers Sweetie You can watch the opening ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics on Channel 7, 7two and 7mate or 7plus from 8.30pm on Friday, July 23. Top image: Kitti Gould
If your 2021 New Year's resolution is to make up for last year's lack of live music, then you've probably already started off strong. But now, that gig calendar's about to get even fuller, thanks to a brand-new two-week music festival headed to St Kilda next month. April Sun is here to brighten up your autumn in a big way, dishing up a swag of live tunes from G-Flip, Touch Sensitive, Hiatus Kaiyote, You Am I and more. Gracing the St Kilda Triangle (beside the Palais Theatre) from Friday, April 16 to Sunday, May 2, the new outing is set to deliver a diverse program of day parties, headline shows, mini-festivals and family-friendly fun, assembled by some of the country's best-loved curators and tastemakers. It'll be a COVID-Safe, outdoor affair, with tickets available for four different audience zones, ranging from grand stand seats, to an open lawn area smack bang in front of the stage. Indie label Future Classic kicks off the fun on Friday, April 16, with a lush evening soundtracked by internationally-acclaimed multi-instrumentalist G-Flip, self-confessed synth-freak Touch Sensitive, Brisbane favourite Sycco and rising indie-pop star Thomas Headon. [caption id="attachment_802165" align="alignnone" width="1920"] G Flip by Jo Duck[/caption] The inclusivity-focused party stars at Poof Doof are also on board, dishing up a hip-shaking day rave featuring tunes from dance floor veterans Sneaky Sound System, drag DJ act Jawbreakers, Electric Fields, Sgt Slick, Yo!Mafia and more. Elsewhere in the program, settle in for a sweet serve of neo-soul headlined by jazz-funk heroes Hiatus Kaiyote, funk synthesist Harvey Sutherland and Perth five-piece Grievous Bodily Calm. There'll be a rock-heavy night of sounds from You Am I, Geelong's Magic Dirt and Dallas Crane, along with a sparkly, pop-soaked session from the likes of Cosmo's Midnight and Eves Karydas. Throw in a big dose of house and techno curated by Thick As Thieves, and a couple of shows from Sydney grime-rap hero Chillinit, and those ears of yours are in for a very busy autumn. April Sun hits the St Kilda Triangle for a series of shows from April 16–May, with tickets on sale from 11am Friday, March 5. To see the full program and nab tickets, head to the website.
An expected 150,000 protesters will fill the streets of Melbourne's CBD this morning to march in a massive Change the Rules rally with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). Beginning at Carlton's Victorian Trades Hall on October 23 at 10.30am, protesters will then march along Russell and La Trobe streets before making their way down Swanston Street and finishing around 12.30pm at Flinders Street Station. As a result, commuters can expect closures down Lygon, Victoria and Swanston Streets and major disruptions to CBD public transport. Public Transport Victoria told the Age that there will be limited city trams from 9.30am until noon, with trams terminating outside the CBD limits during these hours, and buses will be affected in both directions along Lonsdale Street. Passengers are being told to catch the train instead where possible. The Change the Rules rally calls on the Federal Government to improve working conditions and ensure workers can keep up with the rising cost of living by increasing the minimum wage. The rally extends to 22 locations across the country, with protests also taking place in Sydney, Wollongong, Gladstone, Cairns, Mackay, Darwin, Rockhampton and Townsville today. "This political protest is aimed at making Scott Morrison and Federal politicians listen – our wages are going backwards, families are struggling [and] too many people are stuck in insecure work," says ACTU secretary Sally McManus in a statement. According to the ACTU website, wage growth is nearing a record low — with four-out-of-five workers unable to keep up with the cost of living due to lack of pay rise, more than 28,000 full-time workers currently homeless and 40-percent of workers employed with 'insecure work' (contract, labour hire, casual, hourly etc). Protesters are also calling for penalty rates to be restored, wage theft ended and to secure equal pay for women. Head to the PTV website for live public transport updates and to the VicRoads website for live traffic delays and road closure information. For more information on the Change the Rules movement and for the full schedule of rallies taking place across Australia on October 23, check the ACTU website. Image: Kimberley Low
To some she was a caregiver. To others, a recluse. Now, the world knows her as an artist. Vivian Maier had a lot of faces, all of which are revealed in a problematic new documentary releasing in cinemas this week. Directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, the film pulls back the curtain on the life of its titular subject, a woman who, in the years since her death, has gone from a total unknown to one of the most acclaimed street photographers in history. That's the premise of Finding Vivian Maier. The problem is that it appears she never wanted to be found. The documentary begins in 2007, when Maloof, an author and amateur historian, was doing research for a book about Chicago. On a whim, he purchased a box of old, undeveloped photographs at an auction — photographs that just so happened to have been taken by Vivian Maier. Blown away by her talent, Maloof stuck her name into Google, only for his search to turn up a blank. So over the next few years, he continued to look, slowly uncovering more about the artist while shining an ever brighter spotlight on her work. As it turns out, Maier spent most of her life working as a nanny. Interviews with the children she cared for, now adults, paint an eccentric portrait of a bold, opinionated woman with combat boots and a phoney French accent, who would take them on outings to the rough side of town just so she could get an interesting picture. She was also a prolific hoarder, collecting not just photographs, but letters, receipts and stacks and stacks of newspapers. She never married, never had kids and, despite her remarkable body of work, appears to have died penniless and alone. It's certainly an intriguing story, one that Maloof and Siskel milk for everything it's worth. But, as the documentary goes on, it also becomes increasingly clear that Maier herself would have been uncomfortable with the attention she's being given. She never made any significant attempts to showcase her work while she was alive, and appears to have gone to great lengths to keep her private life hidden. Throughout the film, various people speculate, often rather tastelessly, about her feelings and state of mind. Ultimately, without the participation of Maier herself, it's simply impossible to know. Maloof, meanwhile, comes across as extremely unlikable; a self-congratulatory little hipster poking his nose where it doesn't belong. There are obviously a whole stack of moral issues at play here, but whether or not you can justify viewing Maier's work without her consent, it's pretty clearly not okay to rummage through her personal life just to satisfy a tawdry curiosity. Finding Vivian Maier smacks of gossip and exploitation. Let the poor woman rest in peace. https://youtube.com/watch?v=2o2nBhQ67Zc
Having sat dormant for six years, since being bought by new owners Colonial Leisure Group in 2014, the 137-year-old Albert Park Hotel was set to reveal a grand makeover in March. But, just days before the big reveal, COVID-19 hit and the unveiling was delayed. Now, it's finally ready to show Melburnians its new look. Joining a stable of popular venues that includes the likes of Lucky Coq, Bimbo Deluxe, Brunswick's The Penny Black and the Portsea Hotel, The Albert Park Hotel is jumping back onto the scene with a contemporary new look. And it's dishing up a modern Chinese food offering in place of the classic pub grub. Headed up by Six Degrees Architects and stylist Anna Roberts, the full revamp has seen the once dark and enclosed space transformed into something bright and upbeat, with light pouring through the windows of a new four-storey atrium. The interiors cleverly blend old and new, with modern finishes bringing new life to the pub's original brickwork and historic features — from the front bar and restaurant to the streetside beer garden and through to a cosy upstairs lounge. [caption id="attachment_772310" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simon Shiff[/caption] The contemporary food offering from Head Chef Karloong Yee is available throughout the venue, but takes centre stage within the restaurant, Happy Valley. It's a menu heavy on familiar Chinese flavours, while celebrating modern technique and local ingredients. Expect dim sum aplenty, alongside the likes of san choi bao, peking duck pancakes, XO pipis and a kung pao chicken laced with facing heaven chilli. Crisp Eugowra quail is done with lashings of szechuan pepper salt; char siu salmon pairs with coriander, sesame and a soft fried hen's egg; and ice cream comes fried with a chocolate fortune cookie crumb. You can match snacks — barbecue pork buns, perhaps, or a Taiwanese-style Bunnings snag — with a few crisp brews and some footy in the front bar, or perhaps take advantage of the Aussie-led wine lineup and a reserve list that's at once high-end and affordable. [caption id="attachment_772311" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simon Shiff[/caption] Upstairs, a comfy hideaway awaits in the elegant lounge bar, where crafty cocktails come courtesy of Bar Manager Asher Spitz (Boilermaker House). Settle in with the likes of an Espresso Tropicale (vodka, szechuan spices, espresso, lime and coconut) or a Nightwatchman (gin, liquorice root vermouth and sesame oil). At the moment, Albert Park's capacity is limited — as per the government's COVID-19 restrictions — so if you want to ensure you'll get a table, we suggest you head online to book before heading in. Find The Albert Park Hotel on the corner of Montague Street and Dundas Place, Albert Park. It's open from 12pm–late Wednesday–Sunday. Images: Simon Shiff Until at least Wednesday, July 29, stay-at-home orders have been reintroduced in 12 Melbourne postcodes, which means their residents can only leave for one of four reasons: work or school, care or care giving, daily exercise or food and other essentials. For more information, head to the DHHS website.
How do you know that a new year is officially in full swing? If you're a movie lover, it's when Australia's film festivals start dropping their lineups. The Mardi Gras Film Festival jumped in first for 2023, and next to unveil its program is Sydney and Melbourne's Europa! Europa — aka the cinema celebration that's all about new and classic flicks from across the entire European continent, and will screen titles from 24 different countries in February and March. 2023 marks Europa! Europa's second year, after debuting in 2022 with an impressive lineup — a feat it aims to match in its sophomore run. This time around, there's 29 movies on the bill, showing at Sydney's Ritz Cinemas in Randwick, and Melbourne's Classic Cinemas in Elsternwick and Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn between Thursday, February 16–Tuesday, March 7, and covering everything from awards contenders to beloved masterpieces. Hailing from France, eco-thriller The Blaze will kick things off, while Europa! Europa 2023 will come to a close with the Judi Dench- and Jennifer Saunders-starring British drama Allelujah. In-between, the range of flicks includes fare from Italy, Estonia, Ukraine and Croatia, plus Georgia, Spain, Germany and Romania. The list goes on, with France particularly well-represented. Gallic cinema buffs, consider this your warm up for the upcoming Alliance Française French Film Festival. An absolute must-see, especially if you've never had the pleasure before on a big screen, is Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colours Trilogy. With Three Colours: Blue starring Juliette Binoche (The Staircase), Three Colours: Red led by Irène Jacob (The OA) and Three Colours: White focusing on Julie Delpy (the Before trilogy), this trio of masterpieces are among the most influential international films of the past three decades. Each one will show as a 4K restoration, too. Among the new titles, eight movies on Europa! Europa's bill were submitted as their country's entries for this year's Best International Feature Film Oscar. Highlights include Armenian documentary Aurora's Sunrise, which tells a 14-year-old genocide survivor's story; Safe Place from Croatia, which unfurls its story over 24 hours; and Moldova's dark comedy Carbon, about the effects of war. Or, there's Il Boemo from Czech Republic, which steps through opera composer Josef 'Il Boemo' Myslivecek's tale — and road-trip effort Orchestra from Slovenia. Elsewhere, illness drama More Than Ever stars Vicky Krieps (Bergman Island), alongside Gaspard Ulliel (Moon Knight) in his last role; La Vie En Rose director Olivier Dahan is still in biopic mode, with Simone: Woman of the Century telling French feminist icon Simone Veil's tale; Wunderschön, about five women in Germany, was the country's highest-grossing local film of the 2022 box office; and the Charlotte Gainsbourg (Sundown)-starring The Accusation heads Down Under after premiering at the Venice Film Festival. Europa! Europa will screen in Sydney and Melbourne between Thursday, February 16–Tuesday, March 7. For more information or to buy tickets, head to the festival's website.
Throughout the pandemic, treating ourselves to Gelato Messina's desserts has become a tasty self-care go-to, and the chain has been releasing quite the lineup of special sweet treats — its own takes on Viennettas and Iced Vovos included — to help. Now, after a chaotic few weeks weather-wise across Queensland and New South Wales, the gelato brand is putting its OTT dishes to great use in another way, raffling them off to raise cash for flood relief. Buy a $10 ticket, go in the draw to win Messina treats, gelato tubs, chocolates, vouchers and merchandise: that's what's on offer until 11.59pm on Sunday, March 20. The gelato chain is hosting its own raffle, with $5000 in desserts and prizes up for grabs — in 150 packs filled with more than 60 of the brand's limited-edition wares. Those aforementioned Messinettas and Iced Vovo bavarians are included, with 2o of each on offer — and 20 of Messina's Basque cheesecake hot tubs as well. There's also 20 1.5-litre gelato tubs, 30 sets of its pick 'n' mix choccies, and five $150 Messina vouchers. Messina socks, caps, hoodies, t-shirts, sweatshirts and balm — they're all on the list as well. Tickets can be bought online, with 100 percent of the profits to be split between Australian Red Cross and Vinnies flood appeals across NSW and Qld. Winners will then be notified on Monday, March 21. Eating gelato, assisting folks in need: that's the best and most helpful way to enjoy dessert. Gelato Messina's flood appeal raffle is selling tickets until 11.59pm on Sunday, March 20. Head to the Messina website for further information.
Less than a week after Melbourne was named the live music capital of the world, the city has scored itself yet another dedicated gig space, with The Hummingbird soon to launch downstairs at St Kilda's Newmarket Hotel. Making its nest within the St Kilda pub from next month, the intimate band room is set to play host to a genre-tripping lineup of acts, from jazz and soul funk to R&B and even comedy. The revamped space, brought to life by Heather Para, features a shiny new stage and sound system, a top-notch food offering from upstairs, and the kind of warm and friendly atmosphere we've come to expect from a great Melbourne live music venue. It's all kicking off with one heck of an opening night celebration on May 2, featuring performances by the likes of DJ and PBS radio favourite MzRizk plus local jazz vocalist Alma Zygier, with MC duties by the loveable Bev Killick. Grab tickets online to be part of the launch celebrations. The Hummingbird will host a bunch of shows each week, including two nightly shows on Fridays and Saturdays — a dinner-and-drinks show from 6-10pm, followed by a more dance-friendly situation from 10pm onwards. Find The Hummingbird downstairs at The Newmarket Hotel, 34 Inkerman St, St Kilda from May 2.
Family-run Middle Eastern venue Oasis currently holds a firm place in a whole lot of hearts. It's been 21 years since Emad and Marwa Makool first launched their pint-sized bakery and grocery store in Murrumbeena, and its popularity has spurred plenty of expansion along the way. In fact, the cult favourite has grown so much, it's opened the doors to a second outpost. This month, it has unveiled its new cafe, food store and cooking school in the heart of Fairfield. Marking an exciting new era for the long-running favourite, the Station Street space is a contemporary food-lover's haven, complete with a restaurant, an all-day wine offering and a sprawling retail selection. The restaurant space boasts room for 170 people across two levels, its contemporary fit-out cheery and inviting. Here, you can settle in over coffee and hearty breakfast plates, such as the orange blossom hotcakes with blood orange syrup, honey labneh and rose petal katifi, and a classic shakshuka eggs starring house-made tomato sauce and cilbir yoghurt. [caption id="attachment_725339" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gareth Sobey[/caption] Lunch and dinner might find you tucking into one of Oasis's famed shawarma wraps, a salmon burger showcasing its legendary 'yalleteef' spice mix, or maybe a share plate of roasted chicken wings elevated with chilli and pomegranate sauce. To match, there's a lineup of craft beers, wines from both Victoria and Lebanon, and classic cocktails available all day. Venture through to the grocery section to find a hefty range of Oasis's signature Lebanese pita bread, pizzas and pastries, baked at the original outpost in Murrumbeena. The rest of the shelves are stocked with a tidy curation of pantry staples, regularly adjusted according to what customers are loving. Find Oasis Fairfield at 92–96 Station Street, Fairfield. It's open from Monday–Thursday 7am–7pm, Friday 7am–9pm, Saturday 8am–9pm and Sunday 8am–7pm. Images: Gareth Sobey
It's been a month since the George Calombaris-led Made Establishment Group went into voluntary administration and announced the closure of twelve of its Melbourne restaurants and eateries. And while the future still looks uncertain for most of those venues, five have already been snapped up by new owners, including the Jimmy Grants in Fitzroy and the CBD, which have been purchased by the owners of 24-hour Greek institution Stalactites. As well as its legendary Lonsdale Street eatery, the hospo group also owns takeaway shop Hella Good, with the first store opened along Elizabeth Street in 2017, which it plans to replicate at these newly purchased sites. Hella Good has a simple menu, offering just four souvas, including marinated lamb and chicken sliced from the spit, plus veg and vegan options. The shop also has a Coeliac Australia accreditation (and is one of the only Greek restaurants in Australia that does) and all sandos can be made using gluten-free pita. Diners can also tuck into various snack packs and house-made dips, including the requisite tzatziki and hummus, plus tarama, babaganoush and spicy feta and chilli. With all souvlaki coming in under $15, snack packs sitting at $16 and desserts (baklava and rice pudding) both $5, Hella Good is a pretty affordable dinner option — and a good post-drinks option, too. The Elizabeth Street store is also open till 5am on Friday and Saturday and we're expecting the two new ones will also open equally late. The Emporium location of Hella Good is set to open in mid-2020, while the David Street digs are slated for a late-2020 launch. The new owners plan to rehire many of the existing staff from each store, too. At present, five other Jimmy Grants, as well as Made Establishment's Elektra Dining in the CBD and Hotel Argentina in Williamstown, remain unsold. But, the former Kew and Brighton Hellenic Republic outposts and the short-lived, vegetable-forward Crofter Dining in Brunswick East (previously the site of the OG Hellenic Republic) all have new owners. The latter is set to become the new home of The Que Club — a barbecue-focused eatery, cooking school and retail store currently located in Fitzroy North. The Made Establishment closures come after wage scandals shook many of its restaurants, with the group admitting to staff underpayments of up to $7.8 million. KordaMentha also highlighted the resulting huge dip in patronage, as well as a dive in consumer spending, rising food prices and competition with food delivery services as reasons for the group's financial woes. The two new Hella Good outposts are slated to open in mid and late 2020 at Emporium, 287 Lonsdale Street Melbourne and 113 David Street, Fitzroy. We'll keep you updated with these opening, as well as the news on The Que Club and the new Kew and Brighton venues. Top image: Hella Good
For 125 million film and television lovers around the world, Netflix's two-note intro sound is synonymous with one thing: settling in to watch an episode or movie on your TV at home (or on your computer during your lunch break, or on your phone during your commute, let's face it). Soon, however, it could also echo through cinemas, with the streaming platform apparently looking into buying its own theatres. First reported by The Los Angeles Times regarding the sale of one particular US chain — Landmark Theatres, which Netflix ultimately opted not to purchase — the potential move would assist the company in achieving two things. Firstly, it could give the company a bigger footprint within the entertainment landscape. Secondly, it'd provide a cinematic outlet for its films. And, as you might've noticed, there's no shortage of the latter. Indeed, whether it's snapping up flicks at festivals, funding them from the get-go or saving the day when traditional distributors want to back out of putting their movies in theatres — as happened with both The Cloverfield Paradox and Annihilation earlier this year — Netflix's slate of originals is only growing. It has released more than 20 so far this year, and will more than double that number by the time December comes to a close. In total, Netflix will spend up to $8 billion on content in 2018 alone, and CEO Reed Hastings has recently said that's not enough. You mightn't think screening their films in cinemas would be important to the streaming behemoth, but playing in theatres is absolutely essential for one thing: collecting Oscars and other industry accolades. And they're starting to do just that, with Netflix's Icarus picking up the Academy Award for best documentary this year, while drama Mudbound garnered four nominations. Both had a short cinema run, something that's a necessity to meet the Academy's criteria. But, unsurprisingly, few existing theatre chains are eager to screen flicks that are also available on the streaming platform at the same time or shortly afterwards. On the international front, it's a battle that saw Netflix withdraw its films from this year's Cannes Film Festival, after the fest announced it had banned flicks that wouldn't also play in French cinemas. Part of the prestigious event's requirements is that movies also screen locally; however France also stipulates that a film can't make its way to home entertainment platforms, be it DVD or streaming, for three years after its big-screen appearance. Obviously, that doesn't work for Netflix. Last year, Okja was available online a month after it premiered it Cannes, while the Noah Baumbach-directed, Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller-starring The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) released in October. Just how far Netflix will pursue their cinema prospects is yet to be seen, but the company isn't known for doing things by halves. At present, reports centre on opening theatres in the US, with no word on any international plans. Via The Los Angeles Times.
In Yiddish, the word 'Mensch' means a person of integrity and honour. Not exactly traits you'd associate with those in the entertainment industry, let alone the drug-addled hedonist who introduced the world to Alice Cooper. Yet despite his often outlandish lifestyle, talent manager Shep Gordon is by all accounts considered one of the nicest people working in the biz. Directed by Mike Myers (yes, that Mike Myers), Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon takes audiences through the agent's astounding career, from getting high with Jimi Hendrix to cooking breakfast for the Dalai Lama and amassing an astounding rolodex of friends along the way. Gordon got his start in the mid '60s, selling pot to the likes of Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin. Around that same time, he also forged what was to become one of his closest relationships with up-and-coming shock rocker Alice Cooper. Gordon's managerial strategy was simple: whatever parents hated, teenagers tended to love, and so he went about orchestrating scandal wherever he possibly could. Hoax calls to police. Paying-off paparazzo. Chickens torn to pieces live on stage. Listening to the documentary tell it, you could be forgiven for thinking Gordon was singlehandedly responsible for corrupting an entire generation of youths. Whether or not that's true, it's bizarre trying to reconcile his unashamedly sleazy tactics with the fact that no one seems to have a bad word to say about him. Myers, in his lively directorial debut, enlists the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Tom Arnold and Michael Douglas to testify to Gordon's generosity. In later years, the agent's million dollar Hawaii home became a safe haven for beleaguered celebrities; Myers himself spent two months living there while grieving the death of his father. Given that, it's hardly surprising that the movie paints Gordon in a benevolent light. Myers never even attempts objectivity about his friend, whose life, surely, has been far too eventful to be entirely free of skeletons. Nor does the film spend much time examining Gordon's self-reflexive claims that fame has no inherent worth, instead preferring to indulge in yet another A-list anecdote. Then again, when that anecdote is about how Gordon used to shared a cat with Cary Grant, or how Alice Cooper used to have nightly sleepovers with Groucho Marx, it becomes frightfully easy to forgive the film for its bias. Some of Gordon's stories are nothing short of flabbergasting — and ultimately, his kindness speaks for itself. His later years are filled with some incredible acts of altruism including essentially adopting the grandkids of an ex-girlfriend after their mother passed away. All things considered, the word Mensch doesn't seem so inappropriate after all. This film is being presented as part of ACMI's Summer of Sound Program alongside Super Duper Alice Cooper, Jimi: All Is By My Side, and Beautiful Noise. Head to the ACMI website for more information.
You've danced the night away to 'Good Luck', 'Do Your Thing' and 'Romeo'. Every time you hear it, you can't get 'Where's Your Head At' out of of your head — or the monkeys from the song's music video. But when it comes to electronic music duo Basement Jaxx, we're guessing there's one thing you haven't done. If you've never seen the British act play live with an orchestra, here's your chance. On Saturday, April 13, Basement Jaxx Vs The Metropolitan Orchestra will take over the Margaret Court Arena for a night of reimagined bangers. Expect all of the group's floor-filling hits, but expect them to sound rather different. And, as well as sharing the stage with Sydney's The Metropolitan Orchestra, Basement Jaxx will also have singers Vula and Sharlene Hector pumping out vocals.
In Dune, Josh Brolin jumped wholeheartedly into one of the best sci-fi subgenres there is: the space opera. When a movie follows a spice-war fought by feuding houses on far-flung planets, no other description fits the bill. And, the 2021 big-screen hit — and 2022 big-time Oscar-nominee — firmly did its slice of science fiction proud. But, as well showing up for next year's sequel Dune: Part Two, Brolin definitely isn't done with sci-fi just yet. Making a rare small-screen appearance — his first ongoing episodic role since 2003, in fact — the Milk Oscar-nominee leads Outer Range, the next trippy streaming series that you'll want to add to your queue. That recommendation is based on the just-dropped first teaser trailer for the eight-part series, which'll hit Prime Video from Friday, April 15, and promises quite the mind-bending supernatural western. The setup: on a ranch in Wyoming, Brolin's Royal Abbott is trying to keep his land, and ensure that his family stays together, after his daughter-in-law Rebecca goes missing. His neighbours, the Tillersons, are after his parcel of turf, and strange things start happening — including an eerie black void in the middle of the Abbotts' west pasture. So far, the show is keeping most of its small town-set storyline close to its sci-fi/western/thriller/mystery chest — but the sneak peek certainly sets an unsettling tone. And yes, it's shaping up to be a big year for unnerving stories set in vast expanses of US land, with Jordan Peele's latest horror epic Nope covering the same terrain. Outer Range will drop two episodes per week, so you'll spend around a month soaking in its mysteries, turf wars and wild revelations. If you've currently got a Yellowjackets shaped hole in your viewing schedule, this might just fill it. On-screen, Brolin is joined by an impressive cast that includes Imogen Poots (The Father), Lili Taylor (Perry Mason), Tamara Podemski (Run), Tom Pelphrey (Ozark) and Noah Reid (Schitt's Creek). Check out the trailer for Outer Range below: Outer Range will start streaming via Prime Video Down Under on Friday, April 15.
A brand new performing arts festival is on its way to Melbourne, featuring works by creatives from all across Asia. Running from January to April in 2017, the first ever Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts is a joint venture between various government entities, the Sidney Myer Fund, and a number of the city's leading cultural institutions — including the Arts Centre Melbourne, the NGV and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Suffice it to say, we've got big expectations. The inaugural Asia TOPA lineup includes 60 events and more than 350 artists, hailing from China, Japan, India, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and beyond. Standout shows include a special performance by the MSO featuring prolific Bollywood composer A.R. Rahman, a pop music pop-up and bar in the Immigration Museum courtyard, and the first ever Australian performance by the National Chinese Ballet of their most iconic work, The Red Detachment of Women. Many works on the program are the result of cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary collaboration. In One Beautiful Thing, acclaimed local circus company Circa will join forces with acrobats from India to showcase the centuries old gymnastic practice of mallakhamb. Meanwhile, Chunky Move choreographer Anouk van Dijk has teamed up with Singaporean visual artist Ho Tzu Nyen on the immersive new dance work ANTI GRAVITY. Also on the menu are a number of moving image works. These include a free exhibition at ACMI about the early days of Bollywood, a showcase of four episodes that reimagine urban mythologies and traditional Filipino folklore from Australian-Filipino collective Club Ate, and a special screening of Satan Jawa, the new film from Indonesia's Garin Nugroho, featuring a live score by the MSO and 20 gamelan players. Image: Balud (Jai Jai), Ex Nilalang (2015). Shot by Gregory Lorenzutti.
Borneo-born chef Esca Khoo made quite the splash during his stint helming the kitchen at Miss Mi, even earning it a Chef's Hat. But if you missed out on catching his playfully inventive neo-Asian fare in the CBD, you've got one final chance to get acquainted before Khoo jets off to launch his upcoming Malaysia restaurant venture. The Noma Sydney and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal alum is hitting Balaclava's Moonhouse for a one-night-only farewell feast on Tuesday, October 25. [caption id="attachment_856124" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moonhouse, by Parker Blain[/caption] Guests are in for a five-course spread built on Khoo's signature fusion of traditional Asian technique, and Malaysian and Australian flavours. Expect a healthy dose of Hong Kong influence throughout, across a menu that features a slew of exclusive new creations. We're talking the likes of caramelised boar san choy bow; a scallop, octopus and prawn chee cheong fun with kelp dressing; Spam fried rice starring grilled char siew pork chop; and Hong Kong-style French toast elevated with sesame and pecan butter. Tickets come in at $145, including a signature Moonhouse cocktail on arrival. You can make a booking online from 5.30pm. [caption id="attachment_856128" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Moonhouse, by Parker Blain[/caption]
2018 came and went without new episodes of two of television's most popular series. Thankfully, the same won't prove true of 2019. Game of Thrones' final season is coming in April — before winter — and Stranger Things will return mid-year. Mark your calendars accordingly. In the case of everyone's favourite 80s-set sci-fi/horror series, Stranger Things will drop its third season on Thursday, July 4. Prepare to return to Hawkins and face the demogorgon once more — and to find out what 1985 has in store for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Galen Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and the gang. Netflix unveiled the date as part of a brief teaser, which doesn't feature any new footage from the forthcoming eight-episode season, but does interrupt a New Year's Eve broadcast with cryptic government messages. It also reveals that the series will be set around the July 4 American holiday, continuing a trend of releasing new episodes to coincide with special occasions. The show's second season dropped in October 2017, with Halloween weaved into its storyline. While the streaming platform is yet to launch a proper trailer for season three of Stranger Things, it did reveal the season's episode titles in another teaser back in December. Feel free to ponder the meaning of names such as 'Suzie, Do You Copy?', 'The Mall Rats', 'The Case of the Missing Lifeguard' and 'The Battle of Starcourt' until July 4 rolls around. https://www.facebook.com/NetflixANZ/videos/366266914175965/?__xts__[0]=68.ARB6tA30GHZBliVxnjVfAQxVNsz_44Zuezt6075kSgJQk1NDr6kHK5hQSmwE2gCZIba35AqA010k8OC9d1oImVX3qqzIh89nRh4BIPIfRfFeZlosAB31BFi-mC6se4R0ibCnvdo3R9RSi4Ip36BjZ_j_UmOpbYQdZdlUPAYsg4kQhBxseS4PgzCL3nYHlLTru5XVDn1GV5dzbtMsMGjQmlmRqzND6gm9xeqit_zmru8SrmgqXGSOJhoL42UFS5cUGT45wf_7vlSdE0PcfB5WK0OfczrE8pUODXnX0KNVzBvIzICi_tw-Klap4ZgIDKKInsCSUU-lGzAkgFZMt42oackL8lqMKpVaedzLZA&__tn__=-R Stranger Things season eight will arrive on Netflix on Thursday, July 4.
Whether you watched along during its original 2010–12 run, or you've been hooked to repeats of old episodes over the past nine years, there's no denying the joys of SBS game show Letters and Numbers. It celebrates clever contestants doing word and number puzzles, each episode has an engagingly low-key vibe — all while still remaining tense as competitors try to work out the right answers, of course — and it's very easy and immensely enjoyable to play along with from home. The show didn't use a new format, though, with the Aussie series taking its cues from both French TV's Des chiffres et des lettres, which dates back to 1965, and also from Britain's Countdown, which has been on the air since 1982. So, now that Letters and Numbers is coming back — which is obviously fantastic news — it's doing so with a twist that also takes inspiration from overseas. Get ready to spend your time watching Celebrity Letters and Numbers. Yes, the change of focus is right there in the title, with famous folks rather than everyday people battling it out — to make words out of nine randomly selected letters, to use six also randomly chosen numbers in equations to reach a set figure, and to rearrange a jumble of nine more letters into one lengthty word in the final round. There's a big emphasis on comedians this time around, too, so this is basically SBS's Aussie version of the great 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (which SBS also airs, so it clearly knows that it's ace). Celebrity Letters and Numbers will start airing from 7.30pm on Saturday, October 2, with its twelve-episode first season dropping new instalments weekly on both SBS on TV and via SBS On Demand. You'll be getting twice as much puzzling this time, with eps running for an hour. Also, the series will air at least two seasons, with the second set to land in 2022. There is one other significant change, too, with comedian Michael Hing taking over hosting duties from Richard Morecroft. That said, Lily Serna will return to flip numbers and show off her maths skills, and David Astle will again tell contestants whether they've found real words or just made them up, all with his trusty dictionary in hand. And, if you're wondering who'll be competing, guests include Hamish Blake, Matt Okine, Merrick Watts, Jennifer Wong, Aaron Chen and Susie Youssef. They'll each be vying for a single book per episode, which is being sourced from a vintage 80s encyclopaedia collection that's been gifted by Michael Hing's parents (after they cleaned out their garage). Check out the trailer below: Celebrity Letters and Numbers will start airing on SBS and SBS On Demand from Saturday, October 2, with new episodes dropping weekly.
You might not be able to flit away to Europe this weekend, but you can soak up a taste of German festival culture right here in your own backyard. It's all thanks to electro production crew Flow Music, who have rounded up a top-shelf lineup of international dance acts for a rollicking party at North Melbourne's The Third Day. Kicking off from 1pm, this day festival promises a thumping dance floor guided by Berlin-born house sensation Madmotormiquel, German producer Seth Schwarz, Amsterdam-based DJ Franca and Dutch star Joep Mencke. Also hitting the decks will be Melbourne's own Deep Ghosh going back-to-back with Sriracha. It's a whole lot cheaper than a plane fare, too — tickets clock in at just $30. [caption id="attachment_887279" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sriracha[/caption] What's more, you'll be grooving for a great cause. The party was originally set to take place aboard floating club ATET before it was damaged in a fire earlier this week. In support of the venue, all profits from this event will now go towards helping ATET rebuild. Top image: Joep Mencke
Lune's legendary croissants have long been a weekend staple, the original Fitzroy bakery pulling its heftiest queues every Saturday and Sunday. But now, Kate Reid's internationally renowned, French-style pastries are set to become part of many a workday routine, too, with Lune's second store opening in the heart of the CBD this week. The standing-room-only Collins Street space will be open and baking buttery delights from 7am to 3pm weekdays, kicking off this morning, Tuesday, October 2. The ovens are set to keep firing right through each day, offering a selection of five Lune staples — the traditional croissant, a pain au chocolate, a ham and gruyère savoury number, a lemon curd cruffin and the cult-favourite, twice-baked almond croissant — along with a few surprise appearances here and there. But if you're worried about your weekend pastry fix, don't be — Reid assures it'll remain business as usual at the original store. At the new store, top-notch coffee will again come courtesy of Small Batch, with Patrick Janowicz (Patricia, Coffee Supreme) heading things up front of house. Visitors will be able to grab a coffee and croissant to go, or indulge in a bite at the espresso bar, while watching some magic unfold through the bakery's viewing window. Design-wise, Lune 2.0 takes plenty of inspiration from its sibling, referencing the sleek concrete and dramatic black accents, though the new semi-subterranean bunker space taps into plenty of its own personality as well. Swing by the CBD store during the first two weeks and you'll be able to see Reid herself working the new bakery, alongside what she calls "Lune's crack team" of pastry masters. Find Lune Croissanterie's new CBD space at Shop 16, 161 Collins Street, Melbourne (enter via Russell Street). It's open from 7am till 3pm (or sold out) Monday to Friday.
Thanks to the events of the past year, you've probably forgotten what an overseas holiday feels like — unless you've either already taken advantage of the newly opened trans-Tasman travel bubble with New Zealand, or you've made plans to hop across the ditch sometime soon. Don't go pulling out a map of the rest of the globe just yet, however, because the folks at Qantas and Jetstar have just announced a delay to their plans to start flying to other international destinations again. Initially, the airlines were hoping to begin soaring to a number of overseas spots in October. Qantas had outlined plans to recommence flights to 22 of its 25 international destinations — including London, Singapore and Los Angeles — while Jetstar was intending to resume trips to all of its 13 international routes by the same projected date. The Qantas Group, the company behind both carriers, has since updated that timeframe, announcing that it's now hoping to restart its international flights to places other than NZ in late December this year. The change follows recent forecasting by the Federal Government, which noted that Australia's borders wouldn't reopen to international travel until at least mid-2022 — as well as the fact that the nation's vaccine rollout hasn't been proceeding as quickly as originally advised. So, a lot still needs to go to plan for the two airlines to have you jetting off to foreign lands this summer. That's Qantas and Jetstar's current target date, though. It has been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic first forced Qantas and Jetstar to suspend international flights, which happened back in March 2020. There has been talk of other travel bubbles, however, including a possible one with Singapore — with Qantas Group saying that it remains "optimistic that additional bubbles will open once Australia's vaccine rollout is complete to countries who, by then, are in a similar position." The airlines will contact anyone who has already booked flights from October onwards, but notes that "recent levels of uncertainty meant international booking levels were relatively low." When overseas flights to spots other than NZ do resume, you might not be able to fly until you've received your jab, with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce previously stating the airline would only allow vaccinated passengers to travel on international flights. The airline is also currently trialling digital health pass apps, such as Common Pass and IATA Travel Pass, which contain information about a passenger's COVID-19 status, testing and vaccinations, on current international repatriation flights. Of course, even once international flights are up and running again, you can expect a much lower capacity than pre-COVID travel — Qantas previously said that it's not anticipating a full return to normality until 2024. To find out more about Qantas and Jetstar's international travel plans, visit the Qantas website.
If your days spent working from home and social distancing could do with a few more adorable animals, you'll be happy to know the internet is filled with many. Melbourne's zoos are live streaming their penguins, leopard cubs and giraffes, Sydney's aquarium brought us playtime with Pig the dugong and the Wild Life zoo is prepping for cuddles with quokkas. At a Queensland wildlife sanctuary, however, one of Australia's cutest native marsupials is the star of the show: the koala. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary has temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it does have 15 webcams running. Yes, 15. And eight of them are dedicated to observing the sanctuary's 130 koalas, 24/7. So, you can watch them eating, climbing, hanging out with each other and, mostly, sleeping. Koalas sleep for about 18-20 hours a day, so you will see many many sleeping furry boys and girls. https://youtu.be/6TYHWQt1YV0 While they are sleeping, though, you can tune into some of the other live-streams, which follow the sanctuary's dingo puppies (awww), reptiles, platypus and birds. There are also a few highlight reels if all the residents are particularly quiet. As the koala cams are running all day, every day, we can't promise this won't put a slight dent in your productivity, but we can promise that it'll help brighten up your day every so slightly. Check out Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary's webcams over here.
After heading to Australia earlier this year for a one-night-only show at the Sydney Opera House, Margaret Atwood is heading Down Under once again in early 2020. This time, though, she'll be hitting up six Aussie cities (Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart and Perth) as well as Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch. The Canadian writer also has some very exciting new material to discuss — her long-awaited sequel to 'The Handmaid's Tale', called 'The Testaments'. Released 34 years after the original, the novel is set 15 years after Offred's final scene and is narrated by three female characters. Since it's release in September, 'The Testaments' has already garnered one of the world's biggest literary awards, the Booker Prize, which it won jointly with Bernardine Evaristo's 'Girl, Woman, Other'. As well as discussing her award-winning new novel, the seminal 1985 book and the captivating TV drama it inspired, Atwood will chat about her life and career, and the rest of her very extensive body of works. While it seems this talk won't be quite as political as her SOH conversation, it's likely Atwood will dip into topics such as extremist politics, feminism and climate change — they are themes that are brought up time and time again in her fictional works, after all. It'll be an interesting, if not eyebrow-raising, talk — as well as being an obvious advocate for women's rights, Atwood has came under fire for her controversial take on the #MeToo movement and her reluctance to call The Handmaid's Tale feminist. It's said the talks will also have a Q&A segment, so putt on your thinking hats and get some questions ready. [caption id="attachment_751168" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Margaret Atwood via Wiki Commons, Image credit: Mauro Rico/Ministerio de Cultura de la Nación[/caption] IN CONVERSATION WITH MARGARET ATWOOD 2020 DATES February 10 — Wellington, Michael Fowler Centre February 11 — Auckland, The Civic February 12 — Christchurch, Christchurch Town Hall February 16–17 — Sydney, ICC February 19 — Canberra, Canberra Theatre Centre February 22 — Brisbane, QPAC Concert Hall February 23 — Melbourne, Arts Centre Melbourne February 24 — Hobart, Wrest Point March 1 — Perth, Riverside Theatre Tickets for In Conversation with Margaret Atwood go on sale Monday, November 25. Image: Jean Malek
Harrison Ford fans, rejoice: first came the legendary actor's debut regular small-screen role in western drama 1923 late in 2022, then arrived his second such part in comedy Shrinking, and 2023 will also deliver his fifth big-screen stint as Indiana Jones, too. But when Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny arrives midyear, complete with Ford donning the famous hat once more, his new co-star will prove just as exciting: Fleabag favourite Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Hitting cinemas in late June 2023, 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. And, as both the movie's initial trailer back in 2022 and its just-dropped new sneak peek during the Super Bowl both show, he has his goddaughter in tow — with Waller-Bridge's Helena even dropping in to rescue the hero archaeologist in the latest clip. Wondering what else is in store? As well as Ford, Dr Henry Walton 'Indiana' Jones Jr's famous headwear and that whip — two different looks at Ford, actually, including Indy in the film's present day and Indy in the past, with the movie using digital de-aging technology — there are Nazis to battle and the famous John Williams-composed theme soundtracking the action as well. The archaeologist's latest outing does bring in a few changes to the series, however. Firstly, Steven Spielberg isn't in 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. Cast-wise, expect the return of John Rhys-Davies as Sallah, too, plus Antonio Banderas (Official Competition), Mads Mikkelsen (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore), Thomas Kretschmann (Das Boot), Toby Jones (The English), Boyd Holbrook (The Sandman) joining the on-screen talent alongside Shaunette Renee Wilson (Black Panther), Oliver Richters (The King's Man) and Ethann Isidore (Mortel). When it crusades across the big screen from June, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will arrive a whopping 42 years after Raiders of the Lost Ark, 39 since Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and 34 since Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (and 15 years after Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull). And yes, if it's a big blockbuster franchise, it stars Harrison Ford, and it debuted in the 70s or 80s, then it's always coming back to the screen — as Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens and its sequels have, as well as Blade Runner 2049. Check out the latest teaser for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny below: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny releases in cinemas Down Under on June 29, 2023. ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
One for the bargain hunters: Northcote Social Club's NS-Flea Market is back on Sunday, October 23. After the success of the first iteration back in May, the market's are working with even more local creators and collectors for this second edition. From 12pm-4pm, creators will be slinging their wares — hoping to help the upcycling revolution. Plus, it's all indoors, so there's no need to fear the rain in the usual flea market carpark setting. Browse in peace. We recommend coming here to swap the online shopping life for something far more fun and fruitful. Expect all manners of items, ranging from jewellery and clothes, to art, plants and handmade goods. Who knows what you'll find at an event like this? There's even grub available in between shopping. Head to Northcote Social Club's pub to get a classic Sunday roast for $25, alongside all the beers and pub feeds you know and love.
A classic treat for young and old, a good choccy milk goes down just as nicely after a session in the playground, as it does after a long day of adulting. So, you can bet there are smiles across the board at the news that hot chocolate specialists Mörk and award-winning St David Dairy are ringing in autumn with a chocolate milk collaboration of their own. Made in small batches at the Fitzroy dairy and bottled in 300mL serves, the limited edition, dark chocolate drink boasts just three quality ingredients. Here, they've ditched the nasties and preservatives, for a simple blend of farm-fresh full cream milk, ethically-sourced chocolate, and organic coconut blossom sugar. Basically, worlds apart from the sugar-loaded choccy drinks you might have slurped as a kid. While it's the first collaboration of its type for both of these small, local companies, it's a bit of a no-brainer given their shared commitment to making natural, sustainable, and flavour-packed products. The Mörk x St David Dairy drinking chocolate will be available from tomorrow (February 28), only until the end of autumn. Grab yours from the Mörk Chocolate Brewhouse (150 Errol Street, North Melbourne), the retail space at St David Dairy (16-18 St David Street, Fitzroy), or a selection of chocolate-loving cafes across Melbourne.
From FernGully: the Last Rainforest to Moana — and including everything from Studio Ghibli's Pom Poko and Princess Mononoke to Pixar's Wall-E, too — many an animated movie has combined stunning frames with a stirring message about the environment. Add new Irish film Wolfwalkers to the list, with the gorgeous feature heading to Apple TV+ this year and likely to become your next favourite animated flick. Story-wise, the film follows a young wannabe hunter by the name of Robyn Goodfellowe (voiced by Honor Kneafsey). In a tale set centuries ago, she moves to Ireland with her father Bill (Sean Bean) when he's hired to eradicate the last wolf pack lurking in the woods. The locals, as overseen by an English Lord Protector (Simon McBurney), want to wipe out the wolves so that they can tear down the forest in the name of progress. But, after sneaking out to go exploring, Robyn befriends a girl called Mebh (Eva Whittaker) who just might be a member of a mythical tribe that's able to shapeshift into wolves while they're dreaming. As well as a rousing eco-conscious narrative, Wolfwalkers serves up distinctive, eye-catching animation — as its first teaser trailer makes plain. Expect earthy, natural colours, with greens, browns, oranges and yellows dancing across the screen. Expect a line-heavy animation style, too, which is almost reminiscent of woodblock prints. None of the above should come as a surprise given the film's roster of talent — including Tomm Moore, director of Oscar-nominated and equally stunning duo The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. He co-directs with a veteran of both movies, with Ross Stewart working as the art director of the former and a concept artist on the latter. Wolfwalkers is also the latest feature produced by the Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon, which also has the similarly Academy Award-nominated The Breadwinner on its resume. After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this month, just when Wolfwalkers will hit Apple TV+ is yet to be revealed, other than it'll drop sometime later in 2020. And, obviously, whether Game of Thrones star Bean will survive in his latest role is something that you'll only find out by watching. Check out the teaser trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj72cf3x5KM&feature=youtu.be Wolfwalkers is set to hit Apple TV+ sometime later in 2020 — we'll update you with an exact release date when one is announced.
Summer in Australia is hard to beat. With its enviable beaches, regularly sunny days and laidback vibes, our country does the warmer months well — very well. And while Melbourne has all these things in spades, it must be said that our city rival — Sydney — also does a pretty good job at it. We're not saying better (we'd never dare), but there are many places on that stretch of coastline that are synonymous with summer. With Sydney's best venues really coming alive in the sun — especially those with outdoor spaces and killer views — you could be having beers by the beach, vinos on a lush rooftop and cocktails at the Opera House. Though, with so much choice, it can be hard to narrow it down to the perfect spot for a weekday sundowner or Sunday session while you're on your Sydney vacay. That's why we've teamed up with top-notch tequila brand Patrón to bring you our pick of spots. These six watering holes serve up stunning Sydney vistas — and damn fine cocktails to boot. Grab your partner in crime and get stuck into a few of these on your getaway. MCA X PATRÓN POP-UP The Museum of Contemporary Art has once again opened its ground floor pop-up bar for summer. And this year, it's tequila-fuelled — thanks to Patrón. You'll find this airy, garden-inspired bar on the lawn in front of the museum. It boasts unrestricted views across Circular Quay and the harbour. Here, you can sip negronis, highballs and old-fashioneds, all with a tequila twist. Of course, summertime staples like margaritas, palomas and Patrón, lime and soda are available, too. There are also plenty of Mexican eats and live entertainment to pair with your drinks — the latter includes DJ sets, performances, art installations and even VR experiences. This pop-up bar is part of a bigger Patrón takeover of the Circular Quay precinct with activations also happening at Bar Patrón, Quay Bar and The Argyle. So you can turn a visit here into the beginning of a tequila-centric harbourside bar crawl. THE BUCKET LIST Bondi mainstay The Bucket List is a local favourite any time of year, but it really comes alive during summer. Here, the beach vibes are going strong — as you'd expect considering the proximity to the beach. You're nearly standing on the sand when seated at the outdoor terrace, so perch on one of the couches and watch the crowds and surfers do their thing. Meanwhile, you can split a cocktail jug and tuck into seaside-themed snacks sashimi bowls. There are also heaps of events on here, including weekend DJ sessions. Plus, between November 6–December 6, the bar is amping up the tropical vibes by hosting a Patrón pop-up with Tommy's margaritas, watermelon tequila spritzes and fish tacos. BATHERS' PAVILION With its brand new makeover, Bathers' Pavilion is a must-visit this season. The heritage-listed beachside spot now sports a fancy fit-out by award-winning design studio Luchetti Krelle (Manly Greenhouse, Verandah, Banksii) — and the newly installed floor-to-ceiling windows make every seat in the house an ocean view. The venue spans several spaces, including the bistro, the bar, the kiosk, the fine dining restaurant and, our favourite, the terrace. Here, you can indulge in refreshing drinks while snacking on a prawn cocktail, Spanish anchovy on focaccia and chicken liver pâté with fig compote. And did we mention the panoramic views of the ocean looking out across Balmoral Beach? COOGEE PAVILION ROOFTOP Once you've had enough of the Coogee sand and surf for the day, there's no better post-beach hang than up at the Coogee Pavilion Rooftop. Its conservatory-style fit-out is chockers with greenery, sketches of exotic birds and indoor greenhouse structures — as well as four indoor and outdoor bars and unrivalled views across the shoreline. This local oasis comes complete with Mediterranean-influenced food, like harissa-spiced lamb flatbread, burnt honey haloumi and baby squid with crispy capers and aioli. Or bring a group and enjoy the reasonably priced (and extensive) share menu for $44–54 per person, along with a few cocktails while you're at it. [caption id="attachment_696867" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nikki To[/caption] OPERA BAR With its sweeping Sydney views and good time vibes, Opera Bar remains a firm favourite among tourists and locals alike. And now that the warm weather has returned, the harbourside venue really becomes the place to be. Whatever you drink of choice is, you really can't go wrong here. Just make sure to add some of the bar bites curated by highly lauded chef Matt Moran to your order — you can snack on seafood platters, crispy chicken with jalapeño mayo and salt and pepper calamari, plus cheese and charcuterie aplenty. And those views really are unbeatable, especially at sunset. [caption id="attachment_659941" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cole Bennetts[/caption] BARANGAROO HOUSE For a different angle on Sydney's classic waterside view, it has to be Barangaroo House — and, more specifically, its top-level rooftop bar. Smoke's expansive timber deck offers both harbour and city skyline views and is exactly where you need to be for celebratory sundowners with your team after a rough day (or week) in the office. For that drink, there's an impressive by-the-glass wine list, alongside a selection of seasonally appropriate cocktails — we're eyeing up the Hacienda Spritz, which features Patrón Blanco tequila, aloe vera, agave, tonic and mint. For bar food, double wagyu cheese sliders and miso-glazed eggplant skewers sit alongside the usual oysters and charcuterie. The Patrón Pop-up will run from Thursday, October 31 through February 16 (excluding public holidays and New Year's Eve). It is open every Wednesday through Sunday from 4–10pm. Visit Patron's website for more details.
Discerning meat eaters, Southern-style food lovers and smoked meat savants, this is the event for you. Possibly the only event where you can get all dressed up, sit down at a shared table and then chow down on some slow-cooked brisket, the Carnivores Ball is a delicious ode to all things meaty. The ball comes after last year's events held both here and in Austin, Texas, with BurgerMary (Jess Pryles) curating three glorious Texan-inspired courses that all revolve around meat (yes, even dessert). With creations from some of Melbourne's best Southern chefs featuring on the menu, expect Rockwell & Sons' fried chicken and biscuits, smoked lamb and brisket from Silver Creek Smokers and a pork fat caramel doughnut with pork scratching and cinnamon sugar from Shaun Quade and Gavin Baker for dessert. If the thought of three courses of meat has you a bit hot under the collar, we suggest you book yourself a seat (and a day to recover). The Carnivores Ball will be held on both Friday 4 and Saturday 5 April at a country-clad Ormond Hall.
If Harry Potter and Singing in the Rain were mashed up, this gadget would be the key prop. It might look like a magic wand, but it acts like an umbrella. By sucking in air at one end and pushing it out at the other, the motorised head creates a jet airflow, pushing raindrops away from you. Hence, you’re kept dry, without the inconvenience of carrying around a soggy piece of fabric that will invariably whack your fellow pedestrians in the face. Created by Nanjing-based inventor Chuan Wang, the air umbrella is currently funding on Kickstarter. It began life as a prototype back in November 2012. Wang then spent time working with PhD graduates from the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics to reduce the size, while maintaining an effective level of airflow. A controller at the base of the handle enables the user to manipulate the umbrella’s force, to meet the rain’s intensity. With ten days to go, the Kickstarter campaign has exceeded its target goal, thanks to 97 backers pledging to the tune of $10,283. Three sizes are available, the ‘A’, which is selling for $88; the ‘B’, priced at $98; and the ‘C’ at $108. The smallest measures 30 centimetres and weighs in at 500 grams, while the largest is extendable, to a length of 80 centimetres, and weighs 850 grams. The invention has some weaknesses. For one, it looks dodgy as. Dyson should really put this sleeker concept into production. Two, it eats battery life faster than Facebook for iPhone. Despite the significant size of the rechargeable lithium pack, umbrella ‘A’ offers only 15 minutes of protection at a time, while ‘C’ provides 30 minutes. Via PSFK.
Victoria has just entered its fourth day of a snap five-day lockdown, in an attempt to stop Melbourne's Holiday Inn COVID-19 cluster from growing. But if you visited the Queen Victoria Market during a specific window of time back on Thursday, February 11, you'll need to get comfortable at home for a while longer — because parts of the venue have been added to the exposure site list. A confirmed COVID-19 case visited QVM's sheds A and B between 8.25–10.10am on the day in question, which covers the area also known as section two — including the market's fruit and vegetable setup. These parts of QVM are now classified as 'Tier 1', which means that anyone who visited them during the designated time is required to immediately isolate, get a test and remain isolated for 14 days, regardless of the test result. Three tram trips on the same morning have also been added to the Tier 1 list: the number 11 from Harbour Esplanade/Collins Street (stop D16) to William Street/Collins Street (stop 3), which made that journey between 7.55–8.10am; the number 58 from Bourke Street/William Street (stop 5) to Victoria Market/Peel Street (stop 9) from 8.10–8.25am; and the number 58 again, this time making the reverse journey from 9.40–9.55am. https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1360834414809255940 New exposure sites keep being added as new cases are confirmed, and you can find the full list of exposure sites at the Victorian Government Department of Health website. For those looking to get tested, you can find a list of testing sites — including regularly updated waiting times — also on the Victorian Government Department of Health website. At the time of writing, Victoria has 25 active COVID-19 cases, including two new locally acquired cases reported in the 24 hours to 12am today, Tuesday, February 16. Victoria had previously spanned 28 days without any new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, before a hotel quarantine worker at the Grand Hyatt Hotel tested positive to the virus on Wednesday, February 3. Just four days later, a second hotel quarantine worker, this time at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport also tested positive. For further details on the latest exposure sites and updated public health advice, see the Department of Health and Human Services website.
It seems strange that street art comes with a press release these days. Its creation was once banished to the darkest hours of the night to be carried out by wanted dudes in hoodies and runners; now it gets its own fanfare. Is it even still a crime? Regardless, it makes sense that this one was delivered to our inbox today. After being the star of zillions of Instagram posts in downtown LA, Colette Miller's Wings installation is coming to the streets of Melbourne and Sydney. Brace yourselves, this is sure to trend in no time. Originally created in 2012, the now-famous installation was imagined as a way for people to start interacting with art in urban spaces. As it encouraged people to take photos with it, this multi-colour paste-up was a hit — an instant classic to the growing list of must-see artworks around the streets of LA. Since then, it's been brought to Washington, Nairobi and now Australia. It appears that the desire to be a giant neon angel is universal. Melbournians and Sydneysiders can experience this strange privilege for a limited time this month. Flying over to Sydney first as part of Arts Brookfield, the wings will be plastered at World Square and King Street Wharf from September 5 'til October 9. At two metres high and three metres wide, they'll be hard to miss — not to mention the crowd of happy snappers that will invariably surround them. The wings will be appearing in Melbourne from September 15 to October 15 at Southern Cross Lane near the corner of Bourke and Exhibition Streets. And, with such a central CBD location, the artist's point is pretty clear. "Cities bring humans together and Wings is accessible art that aims to capture the imagination of workers as they transverse the city," said Miller. "My Wings are a universal archetypal symbol of humanity and its divine self." While we think the latter point is reaching a little far, we wholeheartedly agree with the former. Everyone deserves some sprawling, neon art to admire on their lunch break and it's well worth taking the time for a selfie.
In what may be the ultimate fusion of practicality and style, Brookstone are now selling cufflinks that offer both Wi-Fi when plugged into devices and two gigabites of storage. These magical miniatures will be perfect for frequent overseas travellers who need quick internet access, and nine-to-fivers will decrease their danger of leaving their most important work at home. Furthermore, if you ever need to undergo an investigative spy mission, these will be a perfect place for you to store all the secret documents and images you can collect. After all, nobody ever suspects your cufflinks of housing information. There are other products which offer just the USB storage, which hold up to four gigabytes. You can also engrave these for that personal touch. Sitting at around $250, these cufflinks will undoubtedly please fashionable tech geeks and businessman ballers. [via Mashable]
Every two years Melbourne’s inner western suburbs stage their very own Big West Festival. The 65 events that make up the festival sees work developed with local communities curated with an approach that reflects the area’s strong multiculturalism. The quality of the performance works alone demonstrate that Big West punches well above its weight as a suburban festival, including the return season of Melbourne Fringe favourite The Waiting Room by physical theatre collective Born in a Taxi, and the premiere of Stray at The Substation. Perhaps most anticipated of all is The Container, Clare Bayley’s immersive, challenging story of European asylum seekers travelling in a shipping container which played to sell-out seasons across the UK, where it was judged Best Show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Some other highlights of Big West include the festival’s Opening Night Party, featuring music by artists like Diafrix, as well as the coveted Footscray Street Art Prize.
Prahran is now home to the second outpost of Andrew McConnell's chic Euro-style food store, Morning Market. And locals have quickly embraced its lockdown-friendly curation of groceries, sandwiches and gourmet pantry items. In this bright corner spot on High Street, on-the-go diners will find seasonal options like a hot-smoked salmon melt with crème fraîche and comté ($15); a continental roll starring provolone, nduja and three styles of cured meat on Baker Bleu ciabatta ($14); and a winter vegetable salad loaded with spiced pumpkin and freekeh ($14). Coffee comes courtesy of a house-blend by Single Origin. There's plenty more of cult-favourite Baker Bleu's bread available to purchase, with fresh country-style loaves, ficelle and bagels sitting alongside a range of pastries, pies and sweet treats. You might be tempted by some pistachio-dusted escargot ($6), an apple and cinnamon bundt ($5), the signature Basque cheesecake ($12), or the house-made rum and vanilla caneles ($4). Those stocking their pantries will also find themselves spoilt for choice here, thanks to a top-quality selection of locally sourced fresh produce, gourmet staples and specialty food items — from organic dry goods and artisan pasta, to fancier things in cans and tins. And last-minute dinners are sorted, with Morning Market's signature range of ready-to-heat meals, as well as a selection of meat cuts, snags and charcuterie from sibling store Meatsmith. Elsewhere, you'll find a selection of food-related gifts and homewares, plus an abundance of freshly-cut blooms from local grower Guy McDermott. [caption id="attachment_809360" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jo McGann[/caption] Images: Jo McGann
