The Murray River is already looking forward to welcoming a luminous new addition, with Field of Light artist Bruce Munro set to descend upon the border region near Lake Cullulleraine with his new two-part installation Light/State. But before that, the river will play host to a different kind of dazzling showcase, lighting up the night around 450 kilometres further east. Award-winning arts festival Moama Lights will make its return from Friday, June 30–Sunday, July 23, blazing brightly across the Murray region that's home to both New South Wales' Moama and its Victorian neighbour Echuca. And when it comes time to plan your visit, you'll find a swag of deals on accomodation and experiences for the Murray and surrounds over on Concrete Playground Trips. Back for its third instalment, the event's showpiece is a luminous trail of light and sound that'll envelop Moama's Horseshoe Lagoon with a brand-new serve of large-scale projections and striking installations, all sharing stories from across the region. After dark from Thursday–Sunday each week, you'll be able to rug up and immerse yourself in the multi-sensory display, which is once again the work of renowned design studio Mandylights. But that's not all — this year's festivities will be even grander than usual, with an ice-skating rink popping up at the nearby Kerrabee Soundshell from Saturday, June 24 and running for the duration of Moama Lights. You can take a spin from $17 per person. What's more, the legendary beer garden at Echuca's American Hotel will be going off with a bang each night with festival programming of its own, and there'll be plenty of entertainment and food trucks to round out the winter fun. Moama Lights will return to Moama and surrounds from Friday, June 30–Sunday, July 23. Hit the website to see the program and buy tickets. Images: Murray River Council.
No-frills warehouse bar Lulie Tavern has joined the list of venues getting involved in bushfire relief efforts. The neighbourhood joint has teamed up with natural wine bottle-o Act of Wine to host a wine tasting for the cause. The wine afternoon will take place on Saturday, January 18 from 2–6pm. Tickets cost $30, with 100 percent of sales being donated to selected charities. Apart from doing some much needed good, the event will also put you in front of a range of Australia's best drops. Expect 19 producers and distributors all up, including Konpira Maru, Momento Mori, Jamsheed, Puncheon Bottles, Lo-Fi Wines, Good Intentions Wine Co. and Chateau Acid — to name a very few. Then, from 6pm, a selection of bottles will be go behind the bar — and if you buy a glass, that money will be donates, too. Raffle tickets and a silent auction are also on the docket that evening, and a portion of food sales will go toward bushfire relief, too. The funds raised will be split between several charity groups, including Fire Relief for First Nations Communities, NSW Rural Fire Service, WIRES, Country Fire Authority and Red Cross. This is another easy (and worthy) excuse to donate, so grab your tickets here.
When season five of The Crown arrives in 2022, it'll continue to explore a part of royal history that's been talked about for decades: the difficult marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles. As part of the show's latest change of cast, Tenet's Elizabeth Debicki will play the former, The Pursuit of Love's Dominic West will step into the latter's shoes, and the acclaimed Netflix series will tease out the details — but, on the big screen, the Kristen Stewart-starring Spencer will get there first. This isn't quite a twin films situation — where two movies about the same or similar topics appear around the same time, like Armageddon and Deep Impact in the 90s, Finding Nemo and Shark Tale in the animation space, and the two Fyre Festival documentaries in 2019 — but only because The Crown is a TV show and Spencer is a feature. Otherwise, there will indeed be two different takes on the tale hitting screens small and large in short succession. In Spencer's case, it hails from Pablo Larraín, the Chilean filmmaker who has never made a bad film — see: his recent masterpiece Ema — and also directed Natalie Portman to an Oscar nomination in Jackie. In both of these movies, he's honed in on complex women in difficult situations, one fictional and one factual, and shown a stunning eye for emotion and detail. And, based on the just-dropped teaser trailer for Spencer, that isn't going away in his next feature. After last appearing in films as varied as Underwater, Charlie's Angels, Seberg and Happiest Season, Stewart plays Diana in 1991, at a time where her relationship with Prince Charles (Jack Farthing, Official Secrets) is struggling, but the royal family has gathered together for Christmas. Spencer focuses on a few specific days, as rumours swirl about affairs and divorce, and Diana attempts to navigate the obviously complicated situation. Timothy Spall (The Party), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) and Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible — Fallout) also co-star, and the film will premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September ahead of its US release in November. When it'll hit Down Under hasn't yet been announced. Check out the trailer below: Spencer releases in US cinemas on November 5, and doesn't currently have a release date Down Under — we'll update you when one is announced.
With The Big Short and Nightcrawler still fresh in moviegoer's memories, Money Monster isn't the first film to ponder the impact of the global financial crisis, or peer into the television business in times of trouble. Nor is the best, boldest or even most star-studded contemplation of either topic. Instead, it's a solid thriller that may repeat a few statements we've already heard, but does so with a stellar command of tension and tone. If the pressure-fuelled dramas of the '70s combined with the beat-the-clock action efforts of the '90s, something like Money Monster would be the end result. Lee Gates (George Clooney), the host of the financial TV program that gives the movie its name, certainly seems like a remnant from another decade. His show would've been huge in the late '00s, and his exaggerated on-screen persona, loud proclamations, cheesy costumes and skimpily clad back-up dancers along with it. But a week after one of Gates' hot stock tips crashes, Money Monster's live broadcast is hijacked by the gun-wielding Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell). The Queens delivery guy has lost all his savings, wants answers, and is willing to strap a bomb to Gates' chest to get them — while the world, and the show's director Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts), watch on. Screenwriters Jamie Linden, Alan DiFiore and Jim Kouf are content to litter their script with more than a few convenient, predictable developments: Gates knows the failing company's head honcho (Dominic West), Budwell has a pregnant girlfriend at home, and Fenn is about to jump ship for a job at a rival network. However director Jodie Foster (The Beaver) proves determined to let the unease of the situation, and the performances it inspires, drive the film. The result is a film that's stressed and enraged from beginning to end, content in the knowledge that its audience feels the same. Foster endeavours to capture the incredulous, furious reaction the bulk of the population had to recent economic circumstances, channeling it into one heightened scenario and bearing witness to the fiery results. Every technical choice, be it the grey sheen of the film's visuals, the swift speed of its editing or the terse beats of its score, is calculated to promote a very precise mood. Even when the formula behind the film is obvious – and even with Foster offering a few humorous moments to lighten things up – Money Monster still delivers an urgent, edge-of-your-seat experience. She's aided in her efforts by the top work of her cast. Playing charismatic and controlled, Clooney and Roberts demonstrate why they've stayed at the top of the acting game for so long, though it's O'Connell that commands attention. Against his high-profile co-stars, he proves a bundle of raw, restless energy perfectly suited to the film's tone.
Part of feeling cosy is dressing the part, and Bungalow Trading Co. has got you covered in that department. The shop's selection of cable knit jumpers, coatigans (yes, they're a thing), flowing skirts and snuggly scarves are perfect for preparing for winter. A visit to the Brighton store alone is enough to make you feel more sleek, but if you're looking to take things to the next level, you can organise an interior update of your home with owner and designer Anna Chisholm.
UPDATE: June 29, 2020 — Honeyland is available to stream via Movie Night, At Home and iTunes — and is currently screening in some Australian cinemas. In Honeyland's opening moments, Hatidže Muratova performs feats that wouldn't be out of place in an action blockbuster. Against the craggy, sun-parched North Macedonian landscape — vistas that could easily provide the backdrop to a Star Wars movie or Mad Max: Fury Road — she scrambles over rocks and creeps along ledges, making her way from her stone and mud hut to the cliffs near her otherwise desolate rural village. There, with her green floral headscarf contrasting against pale walls, she tends to a hive of bees. Hatidže doesn't always wear protective gear, but the insects don't sting her. Pulling out the gleaming honeycomb, she's careful and respectful as she goes about her task. That also comes through in the phrase she repeats like a mantra: "half for me, half for you". Hatidže is the main point of focus in Honeyland, a multiple award-winner at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival that also became the first-ever movie to receive Oscar nominations for both Best International Film and Best Documentary earlier this year. In this intimate observational doco, she's worlds away from cinema's big-budget spectacles — but she's still a daring superhero. Dedicated to traditional apiary methods, Hatidže is the last female wild beekeeper in Europe. That mightn't mean much when audiences start watching Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov's debut feature-length film, but it will when the credits roll. As will those words that Hatidže keeps mentioning, which sum up her approach. When she removes honey from her hives, to bottle raw and sell at markets four hours away in the capital city of Skopje, she leaves as much as she takes so that her bees still have something to feed on. Filmed over three years, with Kotevska and Stefanov's team recording more than 400 hours of footage, Honeyland steps into Hatidže's daily life — and the bees aren't the only things buzzing. At first, the film's indefatigable protagonist splits her time between harvesting honey and caring for her bed-ridden, partly blind octogenarian mother Nazife, their banter brimming with both honesty and affection. Then, in a wave of movement and noise that's an omen for things to come, a family of nine moves in next door. Together, the Muratovas and their new neighbours are the only inhabitants of their village. But the Sams have completely different tactics for working the land, whether they're tending to the cows they trucked in with them or — initially under Hatidže's advice — beekeeping themselves. With so many mouths to feed and, as the movie conveys in its bee-on-the-wall fashion, a struggling existence to begin with, Sam patriarch Hussein has no time or concern for Hatidže's "take half, leave half" methodology. Kotevska and Stefanov's obviously didn't know that this clash would arise when they started filming Hatidže. They couldn't have predicted that the Sams would show up at all, in fact. However, in demonstrating how age-old practices and modern tactics come into conflict, they couldn't have stumbled upon a more pertinent situation. Hussein needs cash, and as much as he can make, with selling honey for €10 a jar seeming like a gold mine. Hatidže needs her beekeeping to remain sustainable, so she can continue on as she has been year after year, and as many an apiarist has before her. Unsurprisingly, the two approaches hardly complement each other. Honeyland explores an overwhelmingly specific feud, but it speaks to a universal conflict — between the old and new, tradition and contemporary thinking, and living with nature versus exploiting it. Hatidže's life is all about balance with the planet around her, and yet it's so easily turned upside down by someone who couldn't care less because there's desperately needed money to be made. As a result, this distinctive snapshot also speaks to much of the modern world's current problems, with Hatidže's experiences filled with obvious parallels. Kotevska and Stefanov don't judge Hussein and the Sam family, but their whirlwind of chaos inherently sits in stark contrast to the Muratovas' modest setup. The juxtapositions keep coming, there for viewers to see frame by frame — in the boisterous kids lassoing unhappy cattle, the tender way that Hatidže sings to her hives, the mess and mayhem of the Sams' property, and the peacefulness of Hatidže and Nazife's humble abode. There's more to Hatidže's story on a personal level, as slowly and meditatively unfurled in a documentary with many purposes, including presenting a detailed character study. Audiences need to understand her work and the problems she's facing to understand who she is — to truly glean the weight of her choices and regrets, too — and both facets of Honeyland are as gripping as they are fascinating. This is a compelling, clear-eyed portrait of a woman who is just as frank and unflinching, and who has taken each facet of her existence as it comes. The filmmakers want viewers to do the same, of course. Taking in their stunning drone-shot views of Hatidže in her formidable surroundings, peering closely at bees going about their business, listening to her candle-lit chats with her mother and simply watching her face, it's impossible not to. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dii0FMXXVvA&feature=emb_logo
After a top-secret operation goes horribly wrong, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is declared missing and assumed dead. As the identity of every active MI6 undercover agent is leaked onto the internet, M’s (Judy Dench) ability as leader is called into question, and she is put under the investigation of a government review. Soon, the fears of many become reality, and the secret service itself is attacked. Bond reappears, and M uses the opportunity to seek out a dangerous villain with connections to both of them, Raoul Silva (Javier Barden). 007’s search takes him from London to the South China Sea, a trail that sees his loyalty to M tested, as secrets from her past begin to emerge. Skyfall is, along with The Dark Night Rises and The Avengers, is surely one of the most anticipated movie's of 2012. It has been breaking box-office records overseas and will continue to be a hit once it is released this week. The twenty-third Bond film, and the third to feature Daniel Craig as the moody and rugged agent, marks just over fifty years since the release of Dr No and, because of that alone, it's bound to be amazing.
After a successful run last year, the Melbourne Theatre Company's adaptation of Hitchcock’s classic suspense film North By Northwest is back for two weeks this January — this time, in the hands of the Arts Centre Melbourne. The stage adaptation of the famous movie comes from director Simon Phillips and writer Carolyn Burns from MTC, and it looks to be as visually stunning as the original. For those who need a recap, protagonist Roger O. Thornhill is a savvy advertising exec who is kidnapped by gangsters who believe he's a man called George Kaplan. When Thornhill denies such allegations, the thugs relentlessly chase him across the country, and he meets a beautiful and mysterious blonde along the way. Starring Matt Day, Amber McMahon, Deidre Rubenstein and Matt Hetherington, prepare for all of the thrills and spills of the classic film, with heightened suspense played out in live theatre. In true Hitchcock style, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat.
Australia's annual Alliance Francaise French Film Festival marked its 30th year back in 2019, and celebrated the big occasion with no troubles at all. Proving that no one loves entering their 30s, however, the event hit a few struggles when it turned 31. That happened in March 2020, when Australia started to go into lockdown. The fest was already underway, so AFFFF had to stop screening, postpone its plans, then pick things up again in July and August after cinemas started reopening. Here's hoping that 2021, the fest's 32nd year, all runs smoothly. AFFFF has 37 films on its hefty lineup this time around, and it's touring them around the country from March 2–April 22. The event will be making its usual capital city stops, so French movie fans in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart can start blocking out time in their diaries. There'll also be seasons playing in Byron Bay and Parramatta as well. As for what you'll be seeing, AFFFF will open its 2021 lineup with Eiffel, a new biopic starring Romain Duris (All the Money in the World) as the civil engineer who gave Paris' most famous attraction its name. At the other end of its program, the fest will close out with rom-com #Iamhere, which follows a French chef who falls in love via Instagram. And, in-between its two big bookending events, viewers can look forward to a heap of movies starring recognisable faces — including Monica Bellucci, Lupin's charming Omar Sy, the incomparable Isabelle Huppert and Kristin Scott Thomas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXVezkYnDL0 Highlights include The Man Who Sold His Skin, a twisty tale about a Syrian refugee, a tattoo artist and an unusual bargain; Summer of 85, the latest film from acclaimed director François Ozon; and police drama Night Shift, which dives deep into not only law enforcement, but alsoits handling of immigration matters. Or, there's Fahim, the Little Chess Prince, about the Bangladeshi refugee who became a national French chess champion; The Godmother, which sees Huppert tussle with the drug game; and Aline, which is inspired by the life of Céline Dion. Elsewhere, the story of France's first restaurant hits the screen via 18th-century-set period drama, Delicious; Final Set sees an ageing tennis player try to win the French Open; Miss follows a boy who'd like to enter the Miss France beauty pageant; and delightful animated feature Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary imagines Calamity Jane's early years. Fans of Deerskin filmmaker Quentin Dupieux can also check out his latest, Mandibles — and, because AFFF always shows at least one absolute classic French flick, this year it's screening Jean-Luc Godard's 1959 masterpiece Breathless. Check out the festival trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBm8ztOVnC4 The Alliance Française French Film Festival tours Australia from March 2–April 22, screening at Sydney's Palace Central, Palace Verona, Palace Norton Street, Chauvel Cinema and Hayden Orpheum Cremorne from March 2–April 5; Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Westgarth, Astor Theatre, The Kino and Pentridge Cinema from March 3–April 5; Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Windsor Cinema, Luna on SX and Camelot Outdoor Cinema from March 10–April 11; Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace James Street from March 17–April 15; and Adelaide's Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas and Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas from March 23–April 22. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the AFFFF website.
As every Melburnian knows, 2020 was a time of sourdough starters, takeaway deliveries and zoom cocktail sessions — and testing your baking skills on absolutely anything and everything, too. Thankfully, 2021 has seen Melbourne's culinary scene enjoy a return to normality. And, if you needed a reminder that this year is much different to last, one of the city's huge food events is making a comeback — so get ready to spend June eating your way around town during Melbourne Good Food Month. Back in April, the popular month-long festival announced the 2021 return of the Night Noodle Markets — which is adopting an at-home format this year, and will bring everything from Hoy Pinoy's glazed pork belly and chicken skewers and Puffle's signature cheeseburger puffle to Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart's eponymous desserts to your door. But, that's just one part of the jam-packed program, with the event now revealing exactly what else you'll be eating, and where. To get things started, Flower Drum will be teaming up with Neil Perry on a one-night-only multi-course dinner, which'll feature his favourite dishes from the restaurant's menu. That said, you won't just be eating things that you can order every day — because some of them are only cooked for Neil when he visits. Also a highlight: Esmay, the travelling pop-up restaurant created by chef Alanna Sapwell, which is making a stop at Bar Liberty. It too is only making an appearance for one evening, and pairing its seasonally focused menu with the venue's beverages. For Esmay's Good Food Month stints in Brisbane, Canberra and Perth, tickets sold out quickly, so getting in early is recommended. Good Food Month will also be hosting a Young Chefs Lunch at new plant-based eatery Lona Misa, so you can check out a fresh addition to Melbourne's culinary scene and enjoy the talents of cooking up-and-comers. And, if you're a loyal fan of The Good Weekend Quiz, the event is hosting a live rendition of the weekend ritual — which will, of course, be food- and drink-themed. From there, the program spans a lengthy list of excuses to eat, drink and be merry — and in a hefty lineup of spots as well. If you head to Mister Bianco, you can choose between multiple meals that nod to Sicily's seaside, while visitors to Sake will enjoy a five-course nose-to-tail bluefin tuna menu. Or, over at Gingerboy, the lineup will take inspiration from Indonesia, Korea and the Philippines; at Rosetta, paying tribute to stomach-warming braises, stews and slow-poached dishes is on the bill; and, at Farmer's Daughters, Gippsland-sourced truffles are the hero ingredient during a five-course lunch. Throw in a spice solstice feast at Spice Temple, a gin-paired dinner at Estelle, a luncheon dedicated to prosecco and sparkling sake at Hemingway's, Thai street food and cocktails at Longrain, weekly taco flight nights at Mamasita and Italian yum cha at The Grand Hotel, and you definitely won't be hungry in June. Melbourne Good Food Month runs throughout June 2021, with tickets on sale at 9am on Thursday, May 6. Top image: Longrain, Eugene Hyland.
Cute creatures are never far from the silver screen, and neither are the loving bonds between pets and their people. From animated kids films to tear-jerking dramas, the connection between humans and animals is a movie staple — and yet, Heart of a Dog is unlike anything you've ever seen before. Thi personal, poetic and poignant cine-essay is a heartfelt love letter to a canine that made director Laurie Anderson's life brighter; an introspective yet expressive catalogue of her inner musings; and an examination of the mortality that stalks those with both two legs and four. It's also one of the ways that the artist and filmmaker tried to process her grief for not only the titular pooch, but for her husband Lou Reed, to whom the film is dedicated. That's a wide and vast array of content swirling around in one package, but swirl it does. It ebbs and flows, waxes and wanes, and bursts forward and then fades; seemingly shifting, switching and segueing whenever the mood strikes. Flitting between hand-drawn images, photographs, archival clips and even a canine's-eye view of the world, Heart of a Dog is as concerned with capturing and cultivating sensations and emotions as it is telling tales and exploring topics. Indeed, if ever there's been a movie equivalent of stepping inside someone's brain, then this is it. A rat terrier named Lolabelle, lovingly captured in home videos before her death in 2011, provides the starting point for the intimate excursion into Anderson's thoughts, feelings, worries and wonderings — and when you see the pooch, you'll understand why. There's a sparkle in her eye, just as there's a lift in Anderson's voice whenever she shares her recollections of the critter that was more than just part of the family. But, memories are like branches: they each reach out in a different direction. Lolabelle inspires many a new subject as Anderson's mind keeps wandering. In some moments, she dives deep into her childhood, including her relationship with her mother. In others, she ruminates upon the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and the broader, existential matters that it conjures. And in yet others she lets viewers watch as Lolabelle plays tunes on an electronic keyboard. Whatever she's stumbling across or putting on the screen, Anderson offers honest slivers of her life that prove astonishingly universal, while simultaneously making the weighty seem both intimate and personal. With all this in mind, it shouldn't surprise anyone that Heart of a Dog is something that you experience rather than simply view. In the process, gaining a thorough appreciation for both the artistry and just how hard Anderson and company worked to achieve it is all part of the package. It mightn't seem like it when you're roaming through her innermost thoughts and fears – in fact, the feature is so fluid that it appears rather effortless – but making a movie like this isn't easy to make. Nothing this earnest, resonant and revealing ever is.
Louise Hearman's distinctly cinematic paintings and drawings take on a dreamlike quality as they combine everyday imagery with dark and surrealistic impressions, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. Throughout her 25-year career, Hearman's works have remained nameless, choosing to let her audience attempt to decipher or give their own meanings to the scenes she puts forth. They've repeatedly returned to familiar settings such as the suburbs of Melbourne and the regional countryside, alongside more hallucinatory images of isolated stretches of road, the back of an anonymous heads and the illuminated face of a child floating in the sea. Mostly creating her works with oils on Masonite, Hearman produces her supernatural images on a relatively small-scale. Shown at the stunning TarraWarra Museum of Art in the picturesque surrounds of Healesville and the Yarra Valley, this is the first major review of Hearman's vast collection of works and runs until May 14. Image: Louise Hearman, Untitled #1118 (2005), oil on composition board.
Need a reason to make a date with Bluesfest in 2025, in what might be the event's last year? There's plenty. Ten-time Grammy-winner Chaka Khan and rains-blessing rock group Toto are two, and also showcase the Byron Bay festival's commitment to variety. There aren't many events in Australia where audiences will find the Queen of Funk and the yacht-rock favourites behind 'Africa' on the same bill. Khan is playing an Australian-exclusive set to celebrate 50 years in music, and returns to Australia two years after headlining the 2023 Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Among the Chicago-born singer's hits: 'I'm Every Woman', which was later covered by Whitney Houston; the Prince-penned 'I Feel for You'; and 'Ain't Nobody' with her funk band Rufus. As well as hearing the drums echoing tonight in 'Africa', Toto's discography includes fellow anthems 'Hold the Line' and 'Rosanna' — and its members are known for playing on a wealth of albums from other artists in the 70s and 80s, including 'Thriller'. [caption id="attachment_986631" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Michelle Brody[/caption] Across the Easter long weekend, so from Thursday, April 17–Sunday, April 20, 2025, Bluesfest will also welcome Crowded House, Ocean Alley and Vance Joy, plus Hilltop Hoods, Budjerah, Kasey Chambers and The Cat Empire — and Xavier Rudd, John Butler, Tones and I, Missy Higgins, George Thorogood & The Destroyers and many more. 'Sailing' and 'Ride Like the Wind' singer Christopher Cross is another yacht-rock inclusion. Before it started announcing its roster of talent in August 2024, the festival advised that it would bid farewell with its 2025 event, marking the end of an era — and coming at a time when Australian fests have been struggling and cancelling (see: Groovin the Moo, Splendour in the Grass and Spilt Milk, for just three high-profile examples). Bluesfest saying goodbye may no longer be happening, however, with reports that discussions are underway about the festival's future and also that artists are already being booked for 2026. Bluesfest 2025 Lineup: First announcement: Crowded House Vance Joy Ocean Alley Tones and I Gary Clark Jr Rag'n'Bone Man RY X Allison Russell Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram Brad Cox Here Come the Mummies The California Honeydrops Marc Broussard Pierce Brothers Taj Farrant Fanny Lumsden 19-Twenty WILSN Cimafunk Neal Francis Second announcement: Hilltop Hoods Xavier Rudd John Butler The Cat Empire Kasey Chambers Melbourne Ska Orchestra CW Stoneking Budjerah Lachy Doley Group Ash Grunwald Kim Churchill Miss Kaninna The Beards Velvet Trip FOOLS ROSHANI Sweet Talk The Memphis Three featuring Fiona Boyes, Jimi Hocking and Frank Sultana Third announcement: Missy Higgins George Thorogood & The Destroyers Rodrigo y Gabriela Nahko BJ The Chicago Kid Melody Angel Don West Fourth announcement: Chaka Khan Toto Christopher Cross Maoli Clarence Bekker Band Hussy Hicks Eric Stang The Steele Syndicate The Royals Bluesfest images: Joseph Mayers, LD Somefx and Roger Cotgreave.
Which cravings will Wonka inspire? Chocolate, of course, and also an appetite for more of filmmaker Paul King's blend of the inventive, warm-hearted and surreal. The British writer/director's chocolatier origin story is a sweet treat from its first taste, and firmly popped from the same box as his last two movie delights: Paddington and Paddington 2. Has the helmer used a similar recipe to his talking-bear pictures? Yes. Was it divine with that double dip in marmalade, and now equally so with creative confectionery and the man behind it? Yes again. While it'd be nice to see King and his regular writing partner Simon Farnaby (also an actor, complete with an appearance here) make an original tale again, as they last did with 2009's superb and sublime Bunny and the Bull, watching them cast their spell on childhood favourites dishes up as effervescent an experience as sipping fizzy lifting drinks. It's as uplifting as munching on hover chocs, too, aka the debut creation that Wonka's namesake unveils in his attempt to unleash his chocolates upon the world. Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet, Bones and All) has everlasting gobstobbers, golden tickets and a whole factory pumping out a sugary rush in his future, as Roald Dahl first shared in 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, then cinemagoers initially saw in 1971's Gene Wilder-starring all-timer Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Wonka churns up the story before that story, and technically before 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from Tim Burton (Wednesday) as led by Johnny Depp (Minamata) — but the less remembered about that most-recent adaptation, the better. There's no on-the-page precedent for this flick, then. Rather, King and Farnaby use pure imagination, plus what they know works for them, to delectable results. What they welcomely avoid is endeavouring to melt down Dahl's bag of tricks and remould it, and also eschew packing in references to past Chocolate Factory flicks like a cookie that's more chocolate chips than biscuit. Wonka is a prequel devoted to telling its own tale — and deliciously — instead of stretching itself like over-chewed bubblegum to stick again and again to all that precedes it. The nods are there, including in the type of villains that Dahl could've penned, and the turns of phrase. Visual minutiae harks backwards, top hat and all, while 'Pure Imagination' and the Ooompa-Loompa flute whistle get more than a single spin. In the worst of the throwbacks, obesity is used as a gag once more like over half a century hasn't passed since Willy Wonka was conjured up. But they're all the feature's sprinkles, not its main ingredients. Come to Wonka and you'll be viewing a film that values its own narrative, magic, whimsy and wonders by the bucketful. Swimming in its river of hopes, aspirations, enchantment and earnestness brings Barbie to mind, in fact, in how to bake something new and flavoursome from pre-existing intellectual property. The trailers largely hide it; however, Wonka is as much of a musical as pop culture's greatest sweet tooth's prior dances across the screen, opening with him singing as he sails to the unnamed European locale that's home to the Galeries Gourmet. Once back on land, he's soon spent his 12 silver sovereigns before a day has passed and his introductory number is over, but the eccentric's hat full of dreams — a Mary Poppins-esque item that contains all manner of physical marvels, too — hasn't come close to running out. Mere minutes in, Chalamet shows how magnificently he's been cast as the wide-eyed, eternally optimistic, crooning-with-cheer young Wonka, wearing sincerity as closely and comfortably as his character's go-to purple suits. He's a daydream made tangible, whether beaming with enthusiasm about every chance that comes Willy's way, speaking in sing-song rhymes or frolicking with a waved-around cane. Never trying to be previous versions of Wonka (no one can replicate Wilder, and no one should want to ape Depp), he's a pleasure at getting goofy as well, sans even a dash of the exquisitely played moodiness, vulnerability and cool that's served him so well in Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird, Little Women and Dune. At Willy's new home, three shops run by Slugworth (Paterson Joseph, Boat Story), Prodnose (Matt Lucas, DC's Legends of Tomorrow) and Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton, Ghosts) monopolise the sweets trade, but he wants to be the mall's next candyman. The chocolate cartel doesn't take kindly to newcomers, though, or making treats affordable to the masses. With assistance from a corrupt cleric (Rowan Atkinson, Man vs Bee) and chocoholic chief of police (Keegan-Michael Key, The Super Mario Bros Movie), the core trio has the power and influence to send their unwanted competitor's life's wish down the drain before it even gets a chance to set. Finding a place to stay at a washhouse run by Mrs Scrubbit (Olivia Colman, Heartstopper) and her offsider Bleacher (Tom Davis, Romantic Getaway), then getting landed with a debt that'll take 27 years of labour to pay off for just a night's slumber, also threatens to give his quest a sour taste. Then there's the orange-skinned, green-haired Oompa-Loompa (Hugh Grant, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves) stealing Wonka's cocoa morsels out of revenge. All innocence, charm, buoyancy and tenderness just like a certain Peruvian mammal, Chalamet's star turn is the acting equivalent of having dessert for dinner and relishing every second. That said, there's nothing insubstantial about the fellow talents that surround him, with King's knack for filling parts big and small getting another scrumptious whirl. If the filmmaker wants to continue providing Grant with the scene-stealing comedic supporting roles of his life, audiences will devour his presence. Bringing Sally Hawkins over from the Paddington films to play Wonka's mother in flashbacks is a joyously touching move. Joseph, Lucas and Bayton make entertainingly haughty villains, while Key, Colman and Davis (also a Paddington 2 alum) are all having a ball. Farnaby turns a silhouetted moment as a security guard feasting on Willy's big night out truffle into a gem. And among Scrubbit and Bleacher's other indentured workers, Calah Lane (This Is Us) invests feeling and pluck in the orphaned Noodle, with Jim Carter (Downton Abbey: A New Era), Rakhee Thakrar (Sex Education), Natasha Rothwell (Sonic the Hedgehog 2) and Rich Fulcher (Black Mirror) engagingly rounding out the rag-tag laundry crew. Fulcher's involvement, like Farnaby's, nods to another jewel that King helped gift the world: The Mighty Boosh. The director helmed all 20 episodes, plus the comedy troupe's live Future Sailors Tour special — and its phantasmagorical and heightened vibe, as well as its winning wit, offbeat humour, fondness for silliness and textured details, live on in the filmmaker's big-screen efforts so far. Much is made in Wonka of Willy's compendium of components for his ingenious chocolate, such as giraffe's milk, salty tears from a Russian clown and liquid sunshine. King crafts his own irresistible confection in the same way, with heapings of gorgeous spectacle via its lavish cinematography (by the OG Oldboy's Chung-hoon Chung), production design (Nathan Crowley, Tenet) and costuming (Paddington franchise returnee Lindy Hemming); everything that his actors splash in; and also the memorable score (Joby Talbot, Sing 2) and tunes (Talbot and Neil Hannon, who were both in Northern Ireland-born band The Divine Comedy). And the banding together to bring down capitalist bigwigs dotted in the plot? What a cherry on top it proves.
"Your nose like a delicious slope of cream / And your ears like cream flaps / And your teeth like hard shiny pegs of cream." Dîner en Blanc — like Howard Moon's poem — will have you in all white. But sorry Booshers: the third edition of this annual Melbourne event is just for the sophisticated. Dîner en Blanc began in Paris back in 1988 thanks to François Pasquier and friends. This year, 2800 of Melbourne's most dedicated dinner party guests will once again dress in all white on Saturday, February 24 for the event, which will be held at a suitably stunning location. That detail remains secret until the very last moment, but over the last few years, the Docklands waterfront and riverside in front of the Convention and Exhibition Centre have proved welcoming venues. Guests have to bring their own wares though — it's BYO table, chairs, glassware, dinnerware and white tablecloth as well as picnic (although you can order a hamper for pick-up on arrival). After the evening of fine dining and live music, the foodies then pack up their crystal, dinnerware, tables and litter. Like ghosts (white 'n' all), they leave behind no sign of their rendezvous — but don't get any ideas, a white sheet thrown over your figure will not do for an outfit. Ticketing happens in three phases. If you've attended a previous Dîner en Blanc, you can go right ahead and purchase one, otherwise you must be invited by a member from the previous year. Total newbie? Get on the ol' waiting list. Image: Mark Peterson.
When your nine-to-five plays out like a well-oiled machine, it can sometimes feel like each week is a little same-same. But Melbourne is brimming with a fine bounty of things to experience and explore each and every day. So aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing some adventure and spontaneity into your schedule. We've teamed up with Mazda3 to help you celebrate the little things that bring a sense of adventure to life. Shake things up, as we give you seven different detours to take each week in Melbourne. From Monday to Sunday, enrich your everyday with one completely achievable activity that inspires you to take the scenic route as you go about your daily routine. This week, dance in lycra, watch horror movies for 24 hours and count how many flaming hot wings you can eat in a sitting. Plus, we've got your future detours sorted for the new few weeks here. All require no more effort than a tiny break from the norm — what's your excuse for not trying them all?
It’s time to stock up for winter people! We'll soon be entering the part of the year where beds are akin to cocoons and hibernation starts to sound like a viable option. Get prepared for the season before the urge to get up in the morning entirely dissipates. Thankfully, the crafty kids over at Thread Den have you sorted with loads of nice things to keep your room bright and shiny over the months ahead. North Melbourne Market is a monthly collection of around 60 stalls in the cosy confines of The Lithuanian Club. Bursting with local fashion, accessories, designer, hand-made and vintage gear, it's almost enough to make those long winter months a little more bearable. Our picks of the bunch include South Paw corrugated cardboard cat scratch and snooze beds (cats!), quirky vintage inspired necklaces from Mecino and comfy and cool pillows from Two Lost Souls. Also, make sure you pick up some cheeky cards from Post Love Designs or Able and Game to send to everyone from your blanket fortress of solitude. We plan on having our home packed with enough jumpers, terrariums and organic candles to distract us from the blizzard outside all winter-long. For more information about monthly stallholders, check The North Melbourne Market website.
As most things did in 2020, Sydney Fringe Festival went digital last year, adapting to a period unlike any other in the event's history. In 2021, it's also following the prevailing trend — this time by returning with a physical month-long fest. That said, this festival isn't known for going with the flow. Its program always proves eclectic and varied and, when it drops in July, this year's is bound to be no different. For now, however, event organisers have detailed a few aspects of the fest that Sydneysiders can look forward to between Wednesday, September 1–Thursday, September 30. Performances, exhibitions, music, theatre, comedy, visual arts, film, dance, circus, literature and poetry — they'll all be covered when the complete lineup drops. If you're particularly interested in locally made theatre productions and cabaret, dance and musicals, though, you'll be heading to hubs dedicated to each. The Young Henry's Made in Sydney Hub will set up shop at PACT in Erskineville, and focus on works by independent Sydney theatre makers that are ready to tour. As for the City Tatts Musical Theatre and Cabaret Hub, it'll be based in the Segars Ballroom and Omega Lounge at City Tattersalls Club on Pitt Street, and also include a pop-up wine bar by Innocent Bystander. [caption id="attachment_812806" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Seiya Taguchi[/caption] A development program called Art in Isolation will be part of this year's Sydney Fringe Festival, too, featuring works that ruminate on life in the time of COVID-19. An ongoing initiative, it started commissioning and funding 20 artists back in September 2020, with the latest pieces set to premier at this year's fest — at another new hub that's all about experimental and cross artform programming, to be located at Mothership Studios in Sydenham. Other parts of the 2021 include weekly AUSLan-interpreted performances every Monday at Darlinghurst Theatre Company, plus a brand new program for kids — complete with a silent disco at Darling Quarter for young Fringe-goers. The Touring Hub will once again take over Fringe headquarters in Newtown to present must-see shows from international and interstate festivals, and the laughs will flow at Fringe Comedy at The Factory Theatre in Marrickville. Plus, the set-to-be-revamped Erskineville Town Hall will play host to the Emerging Artist Touring Hub. Sydney Fringe Festival 2021 will take place between Wednesday, September 1–Thursday, September 30, with the event's full program set to be announced in July. For further information in the interim, head to the fest's website.
Move over Muriel's Wedding — Australia's getting another homegrown comedy about life, love and tying the knot. That'd be Top End Wedding, which tells a completely different tale, but looks set to warm hearts all the same. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival this week among a record contingent of Aussie flicks, Top End Wedding follows the chaos that comes with popping the question, trekking across the country and trying to track down a runaway relative. At its centre sits newly engaged couple Lauren (Miranda Tapsell) and Ned (Gwilym Lee). Head over heels and heading off to Darwin to stage Lauren's dream wedding — in the super short timeframe of just ten days — they discover that her mum (Ursula Yovich) has gone AWOL. Tapsell not only stars in the movie, but co-wrote the script. She also reunites with The Sapphires filmmaker Wayne Blair, who sits in the director's chair again here. And if Lee looks familiar (and looks like he should be wearing a massive mop of curls), that's because he's just been seen in Bohemian Rhapsody as Queen guitarist Brian May. Fellow The Sapphires star Shari Sebbens also features in the new film, alongside a cast that includes New Zealand's Kerry Fox and The Bill alum Huw Higginson. Given the film's title, plenty of the Northern Territory's scenery looks destined for some screen time as well. It's not often that we get an Aussie rom-com that takes a road trip through the top end, after all. Check out the first feel-good trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=uoDBvGF9pPU&feature=youtu.be Top End Wedding will hit Australian cinemas on May 2.
The National Gallery of Victoria's 2019 program continues to pull in the big guns, with an ever-growing lineup of internationally acclaimed artists — including Keith Haring and Jean-Michael Basquiat — heading to the gallery. And from Friday, September 20, that list will include Brooklyn-based Kaws (aka Brian Donnelly), who's bringing his instantly recognisable pop-culture sculptures to Aus. Kaws is best known for his large-scale sculptures, vivid murals and distinctive, pop culture-inspired characters. You're probably familiar with his reinterpretations of iconic figures like Mickey Mouse, Snoopy and The Smurfs, all reworked with those signature Xs over the eyes. While it's a stable of work that's laced with a healthy dose of humour, this NGV exhibition, entitled Kaws: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness, is set to focus on the rest of those underlying emotions. You'll get a glimpse at how KAWS celebrates generosity and explores our need for companionship, offering up an antidote to the world's current 'Age of Loneliness'. [caption id="attachment_725831" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kaws, ALONG THE WAY (2013) photo by Jonty Wilde.[/caption] Off the back of solo exhibitions at the Yuz Museum Shanghai and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis in 2017, as well as the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Foundation earlier this year, Kaws' NGV presentation promises plenty of never-before-seen goodies. It'll feature a sprawling collection of his pop culture reworkings, human-size figures and collaborative pieces, while a newly commissioned monumental work will be the artist's largest bronze sculpture to date. The main event will be backed by KAWS: Playtime – an interactive, touch-focused installation centred around KAWS' bright blue BFF character, complete with soft sculptures and a hands-on multimedia game. While it's created for 'children', we'll sure you'll find a few kidults exploring it, too. Kaws: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness will run from September 20 2019–March 1 2020 at the NGV International, Melbourne. Top images: Kaws, CLEAN SLATE (2015) and SURVIVAL MACHINE (2015) photo by Jonty Wilde; Kaws, NEW MORNING (2012).
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, everyone's favourite friendly neighbourhood web-slinger still does whatever a spider can. (Don't expect the catchy cartoon theme song, though.) To be precise, Spidey's latest outing — starring Tom Holland (Chaos Walking), as every live-action film in the ever-sprawling Marvel Cinematic Universe that's featured the superhero has — sees him do whatever spider-men have for decades. The masked crusader shoots webs, flings them about New York and swings around the city. He helps people, battles crime, literally hangs out with his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya, Dune) and saves the world, too. As the movie's trailers revealed, Spider-Man also fights whoever his on-screen predecessors fought. The twist that isn't a twist because it's part of the flick's marketing: that villains from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's stints as Spidey show up here. Those familiar faces, including Willem Dafoe (The Card Counter) as the Green Goblin, Alfred Molina (Promising Young Woman) as Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx (Soul) as Electro, aren't Peter Parker's initial problem, as viewers of 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming and 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home will already know. No Way Home picks up immediately after the latter, after Spidey's secret identity has been blasted across the internet by online conspiracist J Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons, Ride the Eagle). The media swiftly make Peter "the most famous person in the world", the public get hostile and his college prospects — and MJ and Ned's (Jacob Batalon, Let It Snow) as well — take a hit. The only solution he can see: asking Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog) to cast a spell to make everyone forget who he is. With drastic magic comes drastic consequences, hence those recognisable nefarious folks who know Spidey — and definitely know that he's Peter Parker — yet don't recognise the MCU's version. Marvel's next flick after this one is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so the franchise is about to go big on alternate worlds, but No Way Home still doesn't actually jump into that domain first. It's a curious choice on the whole huge saga's part to take cues from the animated delight that is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which relished having multiple spider-realms, got inventive with both its concept and visuals, won an Oscar and is easily the best spider-flick to-date, all without sitting within the MCU itself. Indeed, the live-action franchise's third stand-alone Spider-Man movie can't shake the feeling that it's playing catch-up. Directed by Jon Watts, as all three recent web-slinging films have been, No Way Home does more than give flesh, blood and spandex to an ace idea already brought to the screen a mere three years back. It also delivers the heftiest helping of fan service that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever dished up. The franchise has long enjoyed hitting all the obvious crowd-pleasing notes, but Martin Scorsese's 2019 comment that compared MCU fare to theme parks rings particularly true here — unsurprisingly given this Spider-Man outing wants to elicit the loudest of screams and shouts from its audience. Buy the ticket, take the cinematic ride, ooh and aah over every clear spin and foreseeable twirl: amid the stock-standard CGI-packed action scenes and triple-layered Spidey nods to iterations past, not all that long ago and present, that's what No Way Home seeks from its viewers. And, it takes the rollercoaster approach to evoking that reaction, rolling its story down the most glaring of tracks. You can anticipate each jolt and shake on any given amusement ride, see every up and down coming, and still relish the experience — and that's what No Way Home is hoping for. It wants to be the fun flick that gleefully makes Spidey fans' dreams come true, and to coast on the buzz of all those fantasies fulfilled. That's all busy and nostalgic and undemandingly entertaining but, even though No Way Home isn't short on twists that haven't been laid out in the trailers, this is one of the least surprising MCU films yet. Three-time Spider-Man screenwriters Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna make every expected move they can with this greatest hits package, both within the usual Marvel formula and with the parts of their script that are meant to startle and astonish. As a result, No Way Home's best moments swing in one of two directions: weighty or silly. Much of the movie hovers in the middle, resembling the empty space between an arachnid's silky threads, but when it either burrows deep or keeps things goofy, there's enough that sticks. Pondering the cost of being Spider-Man, the film doesn't fling itself into new territory — and yet it manages to add extra strands to the 'being a superhero is tough' scenario by recognising how such woes keep recurring. Finding laughs in the whole situation isn't unique either, and No Way Home isn't as funny or as loose as Homecoming or Far From Home. Still, that's the vibe that suits Holland; in his stretch in the red-and-blue suit, he's always played Peter like an excited, awkward and overwhelmed teen who's daffily grappling with what it all means, which is particularly pivotal here. There is one brief glorious moment during No Way Home's climax — a trio of shots, all edited together rapidly and framed to match each other — that perfects what Watts is aiming for overall. It's astute, amusing, enjoyable and, although still undeniably obvious, thoughtfully taps into the existential Spidey struggle while simultaneously proving loving and playful. It's the full web, even spanning just seconds, but that term doesn't fit the bulk of the feature that sprawls around it. No Way Home isn't without its charms — Holland and Zendaya's chemistry still sparkles, it's a definite treat to see Dafoe and Molina back in the fold, and, as blasts from the pasts keep popping up, Watts cleverly juggles the varying tones of all three different web-slinging franchises — but this spider-sequel is always happiest when it's trying to catch the audience's claps and cheers just like flies.
In Steven Soderberg's hands, smooth criminals have fleeced casinos, a stripper with a heart of gold has strived for a better life, and unlikely underdogs have fought for the American dream. Now, the man behind Ocean's Eleven (and Twelve and Thirteen), Magic Mike and Erin Brockovich jumps into the hillbilly heist game. It's a welcome return to the familiar for someone who just pulled off a bait-and-switch of his own — supposedly retiring from cinema after Side Effects in 2013, only to make TV film Behind the Candelabra and stellar medical television series The Knick. Without giving too much away, his recent trajectory has more in common with his latest movie than it might initially seem. The fact is, changing one's fortune is a recurrent theme in Soderberg's stories, as are hard-working folks bucking against the system. Logan Lucky doesn't just happily join the fold, but does so with a knowing smile — at one point, a news report even refers to the caper as "Ocean's 7-11". Set in West Virginia, the charming film follows three siblings who decide that sticking up a big NASCAR race is the answer to their problems. Construction worker Jimmy (Channing Tatum) has the insider know-how from working on a site nearby, and the motivation after discovering his ex-wife (Katie Holmes) is moving across the state line with his daughter (Farrah McKenzie). Car-loving hairdresser Mellie (Riley Keough) has transport sorted, which just leaves one-armed Iraq war vet turned bartender Clyde (Adam Driver) to worry about the supposed Logan family curse. But the trio can't blow their way to riches without demolitions expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig), who happens to be incarcerated. So it is that Logan Lucky becomes a heist flick and a jailbreak film — as well as an exploration of blue-collar workers struggling to get by, a cops versus crims game of cat and mouse, and a touching story about the importance of family. Throw in plenty of affectionate Southern gags and perhaps the best Game of Thrones joke you're ever likely to hear, and the movie proves a jam-packed package of humour, thrills and feeling. Two things are particularly crucial in Soderberg's working-class pseudo-remake of his glitzy prior hits. Firstly, whether surveying shambling abodes, spying rust spots on well-worn trucks, or poking fun at someone's lack of computer skills, Logan Lucky approaches its characters and their socio-economic situation with warmth. Secondly, though it steps through the usual caper conventions — getting the gang together, resorting to backup plans and avoiding the law — it does so with such zest and vibrancy that you'll forget that you've seen this kind of movie countless times before. Ultimately, it all comes back to Soderbergh. There's a reason his return to the big screen is worth celebrating, and it's not just his penchant for characters making their own luck or his ability to pull together a killer cast. Tatum is never better than when he's being guided by the director, but Logan Lucky is a testament to Soderberg's own skills. Not just directing, but lensing and editing (under well-used pseudonyms) as well, he's a craftsman through and through. Come for the zippy comedy about ordinary people mastering their own destinies. Stay for the entertaining filmmaking masterclass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eqC27nxHJ4
Lasagne is a bit like lamingtons, even though they taste and look absolutely nothing alike. Their one big commonality: if there's an inventive way to twist either in any way, whatever that dish happens to be is definitely worth trying. Actually, the two foods share something else in common, because Australia's world-famous Lune Croissanterie has also given them both a whirl. It first served up lamington cruffins to kick off 2022, and now it's doing lasagne pastries to welcome in winter. Lasagne, but a pastry? Yes, that's now a real thing that exists — but only for this month, until Thursday, June 30, at all Lune stores around the country. That spans Fitzroy and the CBD in Melbourne, plus South Brisbane in Brisbane. While the brand also has three new outposts in the works — a third in Melbourne, a second in Brissie and its first ever in Sydney — none will be open in time to dish up this limited-time special. So, what are these instantly tastebud-tempting lasagne pastries? Prepare to meet, devour and love the lasagne escargot. It's the first time that Lune has whipped up this particular Frankenstein's monster of a bakery creation — and it's bound to set your stomach alive with deliciousness. Yes, it comes stuffed with bolognese and béchamel. There's also shredded mozzarella cheese, because of course there is. And, that pastry is then topped with parmesan before it goes in the oven. In Melbourne, you'll need to physically head into a Lune to get your mitts on this creative lasagne dish. In Brisbane, you can also order it online. The lasagne escargot leads Lune's June specials menu, which also features peanut pretzels and coconut pandan. For Brisbanites only, there's also cardamom buns, quince and vanilla danishes, and rhubarb and custard cruffins, too. Lune's lasagne escargot are available from all stores — Fitzroy and the CBD in Melbourne, and South Brisbane in Brisbane — until Thursday, June 30. In Brisbane only, you can also order them online.
"You wanna hear a story about how me and this bitch fell out?It's kind of long, but it's full of suspense." They're some of the first words heard in the just-dropped Australian trailer for Zola — and if they sound familiar, that's because this rollercoaster ride of a comedy is based on a lengthy 148-tweet Twitter thread that went viral back in 2015. That October, Aziah 'Zola' Wells tweeted out a hefty tale about a woman she met at Hooters. Zola was her waitress, and they hit it off quickly ("vibing over our hoeism or whatever" is how she explains it in the Twitter thread). Then, the next day, Zola received an invite to head to Florida with her new pal. Where it all goes from there is best discovered either by reading through the chaotic tweets — if you haven't done so already — and, soon, by seeing these OTT events play out in this eagerly anticipated new flick. Indeed, Zola, the film, might ring a bell for a couple of other reasons. It sparked plenty of buzz back at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival — yes, that long ago — but obviously the movie's release both in the US and locally has been delayed by the pandemic, as has proven the case with plenty of other films of late. Also, if you're in Sydney or Melbourne, Zola is one of the already-announced titles on both the 2021 Sydney Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival lineups. In fact, it's among the big drawcards at both fests so far. Viewers everywhere across the country will be able to watch the film come September 23, too, as that's when it'll release in Aussie cinemas. Based on the tweets alone, this is one of the year's must-sees. Once you've seen the trailer — which sports a retro aesthetic and a big Hustlers vibe — that feeling will only grow. Bring the story to the screen, Taylour Paige (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) plays Zola, while Riley Keough (The Lodge) co-stars as her new — and short-lived — friend Stefani. Meanwhile, filmmaker Janicza Bravo (Forever, Them, Mrs America) is behind the camera, guiding viewers on quite the journey. Check out the trailer below: Zola will screen at this year's Sydney Film Festival and Melbourne International Film Festival, before releasing in Australian cinemas on September 23.
My memories of jumping castles as a child usually involved too much birthday cake, nausea and weeks worth of mystery bruises. As an adult, I’d like to believe that there would be significantly less sugar and post-bounce vomiting if given the chance to relive the glory days of jumping like no one is watching. Thanks to the upcoming installation JUMP from UK artist Stuart Semple, we’re going to have the opportunity to double bounce our best friends like it’s Maddy Smith’s sixth birthday party all over again. The internationally-acclaimed artist will be installing a 10mx10m rubber surface, popping up in St Paul’s Court at Federation Square for two weeks in October. With his previous work featured in biennales, major art fairs, and many solo exhibitions across the globe, Melbournians will be fortunate enough to experience Semple’s giant bouncy floor thanks to Fed Square’s Creative Program, who commissioned the work with the aim of giving the public freedom to explore elevation both physically and psychologically. Of the intention behind this work Semple says, "I think that as we get older we tend to lose a connection to the fun, spontaneous child that we once were, finding reasons and excuses not to engage in activities that can elevate our spirit ... JUMP will re-ignite that inner fun-loving sense that we all have." Semple is no stranger to interactive works designed to excite and delight users. Having been in the industry for over 13 years, he is best known for an aerial installation entitled Happy Cloud, which involved releasing more than 2,000 smiley face pink foam ‘clouds’ over major cities such as London and Milan. The best part is that there is no height restriction or requirement, and you don’t even have to ask your mum if you’re allowed to play! Due to popular demand, JUMP remain open 'til October 20.
Socially awkward booze-hounds rejoice! After July, small Melburnian venues with a capacity of 200 or less will be able to apply for exemptions allowing them to serve alcohol past the previously instated 1am cut-off. For those of us who hate the throng of big crowds and waiting in line for hours to get served, our teeny, tiny hole in the wall bars just got that much more appealing. Eligible venues will also need to either offer live music (yes), serve food at all times (double yes) or offer accommodation (yes to the power of infinity). So petite venues with food, live music and accommodation are now able to offer booze into the wee hours, as if we needed more reason to stay out all night at our favourite small bars. The Labor Government is also going to temporarily loosen the freeze around important cultural events like New Year’s Eve and sporting events. Liquor regulation minister Jane Garrett says the original freeze on liquor sales past 1am was intended to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence but research shows small venues are in a low-risk category for this type of behaviour. It’s a positive step towards a more nuanced liquor licensing system that creates variety for revellers, and more importantly, a reasonable response to concerns that the freeze and lockout laws are hurting Melbourne’s entertainment industry. We just pray this doesn’t mean post-1am lines around the block for dinky venues where the booze is still running. Via The Age. Image: Union Electric.
In a time of great upheaval for Australian music festivals, it's rare to get a bit of good news. Which is why we're super-excited to hear that the Secret Garden festival completely sold out in just a few hours, despite having no advertising budget and the lineup not having been released yet. It's testament to the amazing work that the organisers have done over the first five years of this fledgling festival: they have created an event with a great vibe, full of good times and dress-ups (and yes, the occasional paint fight) and they work really hard to make sure everyone has an amazing time. This year's lineup — pulled together by FBi Radio host, GoodGod programmer and all-around great dude Adam Lewis — is full of really excellent Australian bands, all of which have been making serious waves in 2013. There's lots more to come; these are just the first handful of around 40 acts to be announced, not to mention the guerrilla arts performances that pop up all weekend and a huge Farmers vs Zombies battle planned for the first day. But without further ado, here is the first lineup. Bloods Client Liaison D.D Dumbo Donny Benet Elizabeth Rose Goldroom (DJ Set) Lancelot (Live) Little May Nantes Olympia Palms Papa Vs. Pretty Richard In Your Mind The Rubens Ryan Hemsworth Shining Bird Straight Arrows Sures The Trouble with Templeton World's End Press
It started with a celebrity sing-along. It ditched the usual grand stage setup for a white platform in the middle of the room. Seth Rogen freaked out about being with so many people in one place during the pandemic. Multiple actors screamed about Kate Winslet being Kate Winslet, as everyone really should. The comedy awards showed that kindness matters. When it came to pure joy at getting their time to shine, the cast of Ted Lasso matched the cast of Schitt's Creek last year — and, presenting awards this time around, the latter had fun grappling with the teleprompter. Kerry Washington gave a touching tribute to late, great Lovecraft Country and The Wire star Michael K Williams. Jean Smart got a standing ovation. Governors Award-winner Debbie Allen served up a powerful speech about telling your own story. They're just a few things that happened at the 2021 Emmy Awards, with Hollywood's night of nights for all things on the small screen anointing its winners for another year. While the 2020 ceremony went virtual, this celebration of TV and streaming excellence was full of famous faces feeling the love in the same auditorium — and, from host Cedric the Entertainer to presenters such as Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and The White Lotus' Jennifer Coolidge, they were all clearly thrilled to be there. Particularly excited: all the deserving folks who won shiny statuettes, obviously. Plenty of great shows demanded our attention over the past 12 months, and many of them nabbed some recognition here. That means that we're all winners, too, because these stellar series make quite the must-watch list. Here's seven you should binge — or re-binge — right now, plus one stage-to-streaming special that also picked up a well-earned gong. TED LASSO What it's about: A sports-centric sitcom that's been like a big warm hug from the get-go, Ted Lasso is the current cheerleader for comedies that focus on nice and caring people doing nice and caring things. It celebrates folks supporting and being there for each other, and the bonds that spring between them — and not just to an entertaining but to a soul-replenishing degree. As played by Jason Sudeikis (Booksmart), the series' namesake is all positivity, all the time. A small-time US college football coach, he scored an unlikely job as manager of British soccer team AFC Richmond in the show's first season, a job that came with struggles. The ravenous media wrote him off instantly, the club was hardly doing its best, owner Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham, Sex Education) had just taken over the organisation as part of her divorce settlement, and veteran champion Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein, Uncle) and current hotshot Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster, Judy) refused to get along. Ted's upbeat attitude does wonders, though, in the best sitcom that's currently in production. You definitely don't need to love soccer or even sport to fall for this show's ongoing charms, to adore its heartwarming determination to value banding together and looking on the bright side, and to love its depiction of both male tenderness and supportive female friendships. Won: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Jason Sudeikis), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Hannah Waddingham), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Brett Goldstein). Where to watch it: Apple TV+. Read our full review. MARE OF EASTTOWN What it's about: Kate Winslet doesn't make the leap to the small screen often, but when she does, it's a must-see event. 2011's Mildred Pierce was simply astonishing, a description that both Winslet and her co-star Guy Pearce also earned — alongside an Emmy each, plus three more for the HBO limited series itself. The two actors and the acclaimed US cable network all reteam for Mare of Easttown, and it too is excellent. Set on the outskirts of Philadelphia, it follows detective Mare Sheehan. As the 25th anniversary of her high-school basketball championship arrives, and after a year of trying to solve a missing person's case linked to one of her former teammates, a new murder upends her existence. Mare's life overflows with complications anyway, with her ex-husband (David Denman, Brightburn) getting remarried, and her mother (Jean Smart, Watchmen), teenage daughter (Angourie Rice, Spider-Man: Far From Home) and four-year-old grandson all under her roof. With town newcomer Richard Ryan (Pearce, The Last Vermeer), she snatches what boozy and physical solace she can. As compelling and textured as she always is, including in this year's Ammonite, Winslet turns Mare of Easttown into a commanding character study. That said, it's firmly an engrossing crime drama as well. Although yet again pondering the adult life of an ex-school sports star, The Way Back's Brad Ingelsby isn't just repeating himself by creating and writing this seven-part series, while The Leftovers and The Hunt's Craig Zobel takes to his directing gig with a probing eye. Won: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Kate Winslet), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Julianne Nicholson), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Evan Peters). Where to watch it: Binge. HACKS What it's about: It sounds like an obvious premise, and one that countless films and TV shows have already mined in the name of laughs. In Hacks, two vastly dissimilar people are pushed together, with the resulting conflict guiding the series. Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder, North Hollywood) and her new boss Deborah Vance (Jean Smart, Mare of Easttown) couldn't be more different in age, experience, tastes and opinions. The former is a 25-year-old who made the move to Hollywood, has been living out her dream as a comedy writer, but found her career plummeting after a tweet crashed and burned. The latter is a legendary stand-up who hasn't stopped hitting the stage for decades, is approaching the 2500th show of her long-running Las Vegas residency and is very set in her ways. They appear to share exactly one thing in common: a love for comedy. They're an odd couple thrust together by their mutual manager Jimmy (Paul W Downs, Broad City), neither wants to be working with the other, and — to the surprise of no one, including each other — they clash again and again. There's no laugh track adding obvious chuckles to this HBO sitcom, though. Created by three of the talents behind Broad City, Hacks isn't solely interested in setting two seemingly mismatched characters against each other. This is a smart and insightful series about what genuinely happens when this duo spends more and more time together, what's sparked their generational conflict and what, despite their evident differences, they actually share beyond that love of making people laugh. And, it's a frank, funny and biting assessment of being a woman in entertainment — and it's also always as canny as it is hilarious. Won: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Jean Smart), Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs and Jen Statsky), Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Lucia Aniello). Where to watch it: Stan. Read our full review. I MAY DESTROY YOU What it's about: Newly returned from a working trip to Italy, struggling to write her second novel after her first struck a sizeable chord and pushing up against a draft deadline just hours away, Arabella (Michaela Coel, Chewing Gum) takes some time out from an all-nighter to procrastinate with friends over a few drinks in a couple of London bars. The next morning, the Twitter-famous scribe is shaky, hazy and feels far from her normal self — and across the next 11 episodes of this instantly blistering 12-part series, I May Destroy You delves into the aftermath. Arabella realises that she was raped that evening, and that devastating event understandably rattles everything in her life. As she faces the situation, the series she's in is nothing short of phenomenal. Not only created and written by the unflinching and captivating Coel, but inspired by her own real-life experience with sexual assault, the result is as bold, raw and frank as it is sensitive and affecting. It also feels personal at every single moment. An immensely powerful show that intimately interrogates power on multiple levels and features an unsurprisingly potent performance by Coel, I May Destroy You was easily 2020's number-one must-see show, and its absolute best. It also sits among the best series of the 21st century so far as well, and won't be losing that title any time soon. Won: Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Michaela Coel). Where to watch it: Binge. HAMILTON What it's about: If you haven't been lucky enough to catch Hamilton on the stage — and, let's face it, most of us haven't — a filmed "live capture" version of the popular hip hop musical here to fill the gap. The story, for those who aren't intimately acquainted with US revolutionary history, chronicles the Caribbean-born eponymous "bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman" from his arrival in New York in the early 1770s. As the informative opening number explains, Alexander Hamilton will go on to become "the ten-dollar Founding Father without a father", with the production charting how he "got a lot farther by working a lot harder, by being a lot smarter and by being a self-starter." And, as shot on Broadway back in 2016, the results really are as exceptional as we've all been hearing for the past five years. The entire cast, including not only creator, writer and star Lin-Manuel Miranda but Tony-winners Daveed Diggs (Snowpiercer) and Leslie Odom Jr (Murder on the Orient Express), Mindhunter's Jonathan Groff and Waves' Renee Elise Goldsberry, is superb, as is every element of the production. Infectiously exuberant from its first moments, and not only lively but frequently funny, Miranda's rich, dense but always-accessible words and songs interrogate US history with passion, intelligence and energy. They'll also become firmly lodged in your head, too, so don't say we didn't warn you. Won: Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). Where to watch it: Disney+. Read our full review. THE CROWN What it's about: When we say that fans of The Crown had been particularly looking forward to the show's fourth season, that isn't meant as a criticism of anything that preceded it. No disrespect is directed towards the regal drama's previous episodes, or to the past cast that took on the program's main roles before an age-appropriate switch was made at the beginning of season three. But, now more than halfway through the program's planned six-season run, this latest chapter focuses on two big showdowns that changed the shape of the royal family in the 80s. Firstly, Queen Elizabeth II (Oscar-winner Olivia Colman) and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (The X-Files icon Gillian Anderson) don't quite see eye to eye, to put it mildly. Also, with Prince Charles' (God's Own Country's Josh O'Connor) marriage to Lady Diana Spencer (Pennyworth's Emma Corrin) a big plot point, the latter clashes with the entire royal establishment. Among a cast that also includes Helena Bonham Carter (Enola Holmes) and Tobias Menzies (Outlander), Colman, Anderson, O'Connor and Corrin are all astounding — and in a show that's always been buoyed by its performances, that's saying something. Won: Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Olivia Colman), Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Josh O'Connor), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Gillian Anderson), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (Tobias Menzies), Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (Peter Morgan), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Jessica Hobbs). Where to watch it: Netflix. THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT What it's about: In much of The Queen's Gambit, Beth Harmon sits at a chessboard. As a child (Isla Johnston), she demands that orphanage janitor Mr Shaibel (Bill Camp, The Outsider) teach her the game. As a teenager (Anya Taylor-Joy, Radioactive), she earns a reputation as a chess prodigy. As her confidence and fame grows, she demonstrates her prowess at tournaments around America and the globe, while also spending her spare time hunched over knights, rooks, bishops and pawns studying moves and tactics. None of the above sounds like innately thrilling television unless you're a chess grandmaster, but this seven-part miniseries proves that you should never judge a show by its brief description. Based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, written and directed by Oscar-nominee Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Logan), and dripping with lavish 50s and 60s decor and costuming to reflect its period setting, The Queen's Gambit doesn't expect that all its viewers will be chess aficionados; however, it's made with an acute awareness that anything can be tense, suspenseful and involving — and that every different type of game there is says much about its players and devotees. The series doesn't lack in creative and inventive ways to depict chess on-screen. It knows when to hang on every single move of a pivotal game, and when to focus on the bigger story surrounding a particular match or Beth path through the chess world in general. And it's especially astute at illustrating how a pastime based on precision and strategy offers an orphaned girl a way to control one lone aspect of her tumultuous and constantly changing life. Won: Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Scott Frank). Where to watch it: Netflix. Read our full review. HALSTON What it's about: American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, better known just as Halston, has already received the documentary treatment. But the wild tale of his successes, struggles, ups and downs, as well as his frequent presence at Studio 54, his list of celebrity friends and his ill-advised business decisions, similarly drives the five-part Netflix miniseries that also shares his name. Proving as chameleonic as ever, Ewan McGregor (Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)) plays the titular part. He's charismatic, dynamic and all-round fantastic, as he always is, and the series wouldn't be the same without him. Indeed, this is a case of a performance — and a vibe, because Halston embraces exactly the atmosphere you'd expect given that it's set from the 60s to the 90s — doing most of the heavy lifting. Still, that central portrayal and the mood around him makes this a must-see. Because Halston was famously pals with Liza Minnelli, Krysta Rodriguez (Lisey's Story) also steps into famous shoes and, off-screen, Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, American Crime Story, Pose, Glee) adds yet another series to his lengthy resume. Watching the doco as well is recommended, but this is entertaining viewing nonetheless. Won: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie (Ewan McGregor). Where to watch it: Netflix.
It has been a big year for fans of The Crown, and the show hasn't even released any new episodes in 2020 so far. At the beginning of the year, Netflix announced that it would end the royal drama after its fifth season. Then, it had a change of heart, revealing it would continue the series for a sixth season. That's quite the drama — and all of this before the show's fourth season has even aired. If you prefer your royal intrigue on-screen, however, the streaming platform has now just dropped its first teaser trailer for the aforementioned fourth batch of episodes. The clip only runs for 46 seconds, so it doesn't give very much away at all; however Oscar-winner Olivia Colman is back as Queen Elizabeth II. Fans also get the tiniest of glimpses of The X-Files icon Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and Pennyworth's Emma Corrin as Lady Diana Spencer, too. Also included is a rather pivotal tidbit for The Crown aficionados: just when the show will make a comeback this year. Block out Sunday, November 15 in your diaries, as that's when you can start binging. As Anderson's casting intimates, the fourth season is set to take place during Thatcher's time as Britain's prime minister — and as the sight of Diana in a wedding dress demonstrates, will feature the latter's wedding to Prince Charles (God's Own Country's Josh O'Connor). It'll also be the last chance for fans to enjoy seeing the current lineup on talent, with the series' fifth and sixth seasons — which are expected to follow the Queen in the 1990s and 2000s — switching out its cast again. The show already did exactly that after seasons one and two, of course. This time, after season four, Downton Abbey, Maleficent and Paddington star Imelda Staunton will don the titular headwear, and Princess Margaret will be played by Staunton's Maleficent co-star and Phantom Thread Oscar-nominee Lesley Manville. Also, Game of Thrones and Tales from the Loop's Jonathan Pryce will step into Prince Philip's shoes and Australian Tenet, The Burnt Orange Heresy and Widows star Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Diana. Check out The Crown's first season four teaser below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TGInHPoufg The Crown's fourth season will hit Netflix on Sunday, November 15. Image: Sophie Mutevelian / Netflix
Having launched in March of this year, Buxton Contemporary is the newest gallery on Melbourne's art-plenty block and it's pulling no punches when it comes to compelling shows. The first in an exciting annual series of international exhibitions, The Garden of Forking Paths sees Buxton Contemporary unite the distinctive practices of Melbourne-based artist Mira Gojak and Tokyo's very own Takehito Koganezawa. Curated by Melissa Keys and Shihoko Iida, the exhibition features large scale presentations and provocative works which highlight the parallels and contrasting elements between the two art practices. Like forking paths, there are both moments of connection and divergence between the artists' work. Taking place across both floors of the gallery, the show incorporates work from across Gojak's 20-year career, including drawing, sculpture, installation and photographs, with performative video drawings, improvisational works and paper creations by her Japanese contemporary Koganezawa. Located within the University of Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts at the Southbank arts precinct, The Garden of Forking Paths is on display from Wednesday, November 7 until Sunday, February 17, 2019. Buxton Contemporary is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am–5pm (Thursday until 8pm) and entry is free. Image: Installation view, The Garden of Forking Paths: Mira Gojak and Takehito Koganezawa, Buxton Contemporary, University of Melbourne. Photographed by Christian Capurro.
Covering a whopping 1000-square metres, Lost and Found Market can easily eat up a whole afternoon. Though it has since moved from its iconic space on Smith Street, the market is still replete with knick knacks, bric-a-brac, retro homewares, and vintage fashion in its new Brunswick home. Composed of 60 individual stalls at any one time, the market is curated by a collection of top scavengers. No more rustling around the racks at the local op shop — all the good stuff is already conveniently under this huge, warehouse roof.
No Child is a one-woman show about the challenges of being a teacher in New York’s toughest schools — think navigating ingrained generational poverty and crime, teenage pregnancy and hormone fuelled hyperactivity, all before the little lunch bell. Though the subject matter doesn’t exactly scream funny, when actualised by one-woman powerhouse Nilaja Sun, whose eight years spent teaching in the US school system informs the performance, the effect is at once hilarious, humanising and heartbreaking. Since premiering off-Broadway in 2006, the play has received international critical acclaim and returns to Melbourne after eight performances in last year’s Melbourne Festival. Amidst the public debate that surrounds the government’s implementation of the Gonski review, No Child offers a sobering portrait of what can happen to the individual when the system fails them. Image via theatreworks.org.au
A film about abstaining from alcohol probably shouldn't make its audience want a drink, but that's exactly what Ruben Guthrie does. On one hand, perhaps the desire to knock back the hard stuff after watching the film speaks to its intended commentary about Australia's booze-friendly culture. On the other, maybe it's just the natural reaction to a movie that is both slickly packaged and self-pitying. Either way, Ruben Guthrie doesn't let the topic of drinking wander far from anyone's minds, whether its titular advertising wunderkind (Patrick Brammall) is guzzling champagne then jumping off the roof of his waterside mansion — and breaking his arm when he almost misses the pool below — or talking about past benders at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting his mother (Robyn Nevin) swiftly drags him to. Often, he's just arguing about his consumption, first with his disapproving model fiancée Zoya (Abbey Lee), who gives him an ultimatum to stop, and then with his enabling father (Jack Thompson), boss (Jeremy Sims) and best mate (Alex Dimitriades), who can't accept his hiatus from partying. Transitioning from yelling "let's get smashed!" to looking longingly at half-filled bottles, it's the kind of scenario that feels like art imitating life — or a movie adapting a theatre production that was inspired by real experiences more accurately, because that's what it is. Brendan Cowell turned his own attempt to get sober after a big binge into a play, and now fashions it into his first big-screen full-length directorial effort. As a character, Guthrie's aim — and Cowell's before him — is to get through a year without beer, wine, spirits and other tipples. That's clearly a difficult feat for the ad man in the film, made more so by the brash manner in which both the situation and everyone involved in it is depicted. Guthrie feels sorry for himself and seeks redemption, but his behaviour warrants little understanding in return. He lives large, then mopes and yells, with Brammall doing his best to simultaneously channel Cowell and bring nuance to the role. The supporting players, meanwhile, become little more than one-note reminders of Guthrie's conflicting urges. Of course, the constant Aussie fondness for a pint, glass or shot that Ruben Guthrie highlights proves an interesting subject; here, it's just treated a little too superficially, and further suffers when the movie tries to conjure up too much sympathy. Stagey dialogue and travelogue-like shots of Sydney don't add any depth, nor do routine scenes of debauchery contrasted with outdoor activities. Also missing is comedy that does anything more than try to wring laughs out of stating the obvious — as well as the more satirical tone of the play, which might've made the feature and its protagonist feel like a statement. Instead, this cinema cocktail is shaken in its ingredients and, in its final blend of hedonistic excess, garnished with sober navel-gazing. You'll need a stiff drink will wash away the aftertaste.
Every Italian will tell you that no one cooks like their nonna — and to prove that claim true, some of Australia's best Italian chefs and their grandmothers are teaming up for a three-day festival of Italian deliciousness. Running from October 8–10, the Festival of Nonna will be a celebration of the traditional matriarchs of the Boot, with a series of three-course dinners at Collingwood's The Craft and Co. Presented by Sandhurst Fine Foods, it will show off the modern interpretation of Italian food coupled with the tried-and-tested traditions that make the cuisine so damn good. Luca Ciano of Milan's two Michelin-starred Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia and Massimo Mele of Woollahra's now-closed La Scala on Jersey, will, along with their mums, deliver hands-on demonstrations that show off the tradition and the techniques of crafting the perfect Italian meal. Tickets for the dinners are $65 a pop, which includes three courses with drinks and a sweet party bag.
UPDATE, April 21, 2023: Elvis is available to stream via Netflix, Binge, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Prime Video. Making a biopic about the king of rock 'n' roll, trust Baz Luhrmann to take his subject's words to heart: a little less conversation, a little more action. The Australian filmmaker's Elvis, his first feature since 2013's The Great Gatsby, isn't short on chatter. It's even narrated by Tom Hanks (Finch) as Colonel Tom Parker, the carnival barker who thrust Presley to fame (and, as Luhrmann likes to say, the man who was never a Colonel, never a Tom and never a Parker). But this chronology of an icon's life is at its best when it's showing rather than telling. That's when it sparkles brighter than a rhinestone on all-white attire, and gleams with more shine than all the lights in Las Vegas. That's when Elvis is electrifying, due to its treasure trove of recreated concert scenes — where Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) slides into Presley's blue suede shoes and lifetime's supply of jumpsuits like he's the man himself. Butler is that hypnotic as Presley. Elvis is his biggest role to-date after starting out on Hannah Montana, sliding through other TV shows including Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries, and also featuring in Yoga Hosers and The Dead Don't Die — and he's exceptional. Thanks to his blistering on-stage performance, shaken hips and all, the movie's gig sequences feel like Elvis hasn't ever left the building. Close your eyes and you'll think you were listening to the real thing. (In some cases, you are: the film's songs span Butler's vocals, Presley's and sometimes a mix of both). And yet it's how the concert footage looks, feels, lives, breathes, and places viewers in those excited and seduced crowds that's Elvis' true gem. It's meant to make movie-goers understand what it was like to be there, and why Presley became such a sensation. Aided by dazzling cinematography, editing and just all-round visual choreography, these parts of the picture — of which there's many, understandably — leave audiences as all shook up as a 1950s teenager or 1970s Vegas visitor. Around such glorious centrepieces, Luhrmann constructs exactly the kind of Elvis extravaganza he was bound to. His film is big. It's bold. It's OTT. It's sprawling at two-and-a-half hours in length. It shimmers and swirls. It boasts flawless costume and production design by Catherine Martin, as his work does. It shows again that Luhrmann typically matches his now-instantly recognisable extroverted flair with his chosen subject (Australia aside). Balancing the writer/director's own style with the legend he's surveying can't have been easy, though, and it doesn't completely play out as slickly as Presley's greased-back pompadour. Elvis is never anything but engrossing, and it's a sight to behold. The one key element that doesn't gel as convincingly: using the scheming Parker as a narrator (unreliable, obviously) and framing device. It helps the movie unpack the smiling-but-cunning manager's outré role in Presley's life, but it's often just forceful, although so was Parker's presence in the star's career. In a script by Luhrmann, Sam Bromell (The Get Down), Craig Pearce (Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby) and Jeremy Doner (TV's The Killing), the requisite details are covered. That includes the singer's birth in Tupelo, Mississippi, and extends through to his late-career Vegas residency — with plenty in the middle. His discovery by Parker, the impact upon his parents (Rake co-stars Helen Thomson and Richard Roxburgh), his relationship with Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge, The Staircase), Graceland, America's puritanical reaction to his gyrating pelvis, the issues of race baked into the response to him as an artist: they're all featured. Thematically, those last two points thrum throughout the entire movie. Elvis questions why any hint of sex was such a shock, and why it was so easy for a white man who drew his songs, style and dance moves from Black culture, via his upbringing, to be dubbed a scandal. Elvis also does what Luhrmann often does; he's never adapted a fairy tale (no, Moulin Rouge!'s green fairy doesn't count), but he adores larger-than-life stories that seem more than real. Like style, like narrative, clearly, and Presley's leap to the most famous man in the world and, sadly, to exploited, caught in a punishing trap, addicted, and then dead at just 42, has that touch to it here. Yes, that remains true even though this will always be a tragic story. That said, amid the visual flourishes that help cement the vibe — the filmmaker's usual circling images, split-screens, match cuts, frenzy of colour and visible lavishness, aided by cinematographer Mandy Walker (Mulan), plus editors Jonathan Redmond (The Great Gatsby) and Matt Villa (Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway) — there's an earthiness to Elvis. In fact, the ability to make everything both hyperreal and natural is one of the reasons the feature's live performance scenes have such a spark. There isn't a second of Elvis that doesn't play like a Luhrmann film, of course; crucially, it's always an Elvis movie, too. There's that balance at work, even if viewers won't walk away knowing much more about the man behind the myth-sized superstardom — feeling more, however, happens fast, frenetically and often. Most choices that could've been jarring, such as the musical anachronisms, have depth to them. Luhrmann connects Presley's songs and influence with music since and now in several ways. This is a film about influences in two directions, smartly — because noting that Big Mama Thornton (first-timer Shonka Dukureh) was the first to record 'Hound Dog', that artists like BB King (Kelvin Harrison Jr, Cyrano) shaped Presley, and that his musical roots trace back to gospel churches and revival tents, needed to be inescapable in an Elvis biopic circa 2022. Also inescapable thanks to its Gold Coast shoot: spotting almost every Australian actor around Butler and Hanks, including David Wenham (The Furnace) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) as carnival-circuit performers Hank Snow and Jimmie Rodgers Snow. Stranger Things' Dacre Montgomery plays director Steve Binder, who helmed Presley's 68 Comeback Special — the recreation of which is spellbinding. But Butler is always Elvis' force of nature. His physicality in the part, including as Presley ages, is stunning. The soulfulness baked into his portrayal is as well, and moving. That he acts circles around the prosthetics-laden Hanks, who ensures that the self-serving, one-note Parker is easily the film's villain, might sound fanciful in any other movie. But this is Elvis, and seeing Butler play Elvis is one for the money. Doing just that helped make Kurt Russell a star back in 1979, a mere two years after Presley's death, and that taking-care-of-business lightning bolt should strike again thanks to this exhilarating spectacle.
Yarra Valley winemakers Innocent Bystander have thrown open the doors to their new Healesville digs, taking over the lofty space once home to White Rabbit's brewing operations. Launching last week, the cellar door and winery looks set to hold its own amongst the region's many culinary hot-spots, with plans to showcase the label's own award-winning drops alongside a smorgasbord of other Yarra Valley delights. It's a relaxed space, with lots of natural timber and a plethora of seating options, lending itself to wine-tasting fly-bys and long, lazy lunches alike. A whopping, 15-metre stone bar boasts copper wine taps and a KeyKeg system, which means you can sample most varietals by the glass, by the share-friendly carafe or as part of a tasting paddle. There's plenty of local love on display, too, with liquid treats from the likes of Hargreaves Hill Brewery, Four Pillars Gin and Allpress Coffee balancing out all that wine. Meanwhile, an all-day menu is geared for sharing, running from grazing boards and a trio of paella dishes, to classically styled pizzas, fresh from the shiny new Marana Forni pizza oven. Innocent Bystander is open from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week. Find them at 334 Maroondah Highway, Healesville.
Dromana's industrial estate is one step closer to becoming more of a drinking destination than anything else, as it has added yet another small-batch booze outlet to its ever-growing collection. Jimmy Rum has opened the doors to its huge distilling operations and tasting bar. Launching to the public about 18 months after the first bottle of Jimmy Rum was distilled, the digs are roomy and impressive, set across 500 square metres. It's the latest labour of love from founder and head distiller James McPhearson, who jumped into making craft rum after a decades-long career as a marine engineer. As the only distillery in Victoria dedicated to rum, it's currently whipping up four different types of booze: the Barbados, the Silver, the Oaked and the super strength Navy. They're being crafted in a 4.5-tonne, 1500-litre copper still named Matilda, though still have a way to go before they can technically be called rum — Australian classifications require the base spirit to be aged in wooden barrels for at least two years before it's allowed to be technically called as such. With its coastal home, Jimmy Rum is out to spread some serious rum knowledge and shift a few perceptions in the process. This is a spirit worth taking as seriously as the local gins and whiskies Australia's currently obsessed with and McPhearson is more than happy to show you why. You can take an educational tour of the distillery, let the experts guide you through a tasting and nab some take-home rum from the cellar door. At the bar, just metres from the still where they were made, you can sample the full range of Jimmy Rum spirits while nibbling on toasties or charcuterie. Staff will take you through the different ways to taste rum — like sipping neat, with a few drops of water or over hand-cut ice — and you can try out your newfound appreciation on the two distiller's specials available. There's also a tidy range of rum-fuelled classic cocktails, like the Espresso Rumtini and a riff on the old fashioned, while on Saturdays the place comes alive with food trucks and a lineup of live tunes. Jimmy Rum joins a host of drink-slinging neighbours within the Dromana industrial estate, including gluten-free brewery Twøbays, gin distillery Bass and Flinders, and Jetty Road Brewery. That totals four reasons to get in the car and road trip to Dromana this weekend (with a designated driver, of course). The bar is open Thursday–Sunday, but you can stop by the cellar door to buy some rum every day from 9am–5pm. Images: C. McConville.
As Victoria's COVID-19 cases have started to increase again over the past couple of weeks — with 233 new cases recorded since June 25, and 64 in the past 24 hours — the State Government has extended its State of Emergency for four more weeks, launched a suburban testing blitz and tightened some gathering restrictions for all Victorians. Now, it's reintroducing strict stay-at-home orders for ten Melbourne postcodes that are experiencing the worst community transmission of coronavirus. Coming into place at 11.59pm tomorrow, Wednesday, July 1 until least Wednesday, July 29, the new rules are very familiar. They're what were in place at stage three of the state's COVID-19 restrictions in late March. So, if you're in one of the "hot zones" postcodes, you'll only be able to leave your home for one of four reasons: for work or school, for care or care giving, for daily exercise or for food and other essentials. You won't be able to have friends and family visit either — unless it's for care — but the Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said a decision about whether or not you can visit your partner will be announced tomorrow (before the rules come into force). Plus, businesses in these suburbs will need to revert back to stage three rules, too. Which means, restaurants and cafes must offer takeaway only, and gyms, galleries, beauty parlours, swimming pools, libraries and theatres will need to close. These rules will also effect all Victorians who usually go into these suburbs — you won't be able to enter an impacted suburb, unless it's for one of the four aforementioned reasons. The ten postcodes that will be required to return to stage three stay-at-home restrictions tomorrow are: 3012: Brooklyn, Kingsville, Maidstone, Tottenham and West Footscray 3021: Albanvale, Kealba, Kings Park, St Albans 3032: Ascot Vale, Highpoint City, Maribyrnong, Travancore 3038: Keilor Downs, Keilor Lodge, Taylors Lakes, Watergardens 3042: Airport West, Keilor Park, Niddrie 3046: Glenroy, Hadfield, Oak Park 3047: Broadmeadows, Dallas, Jacana 3055: Brunswick South, Brunswick West, Moonee Vale, Moreland West 3060: Fawkner 3064: Craigieburn, Donnybrook, Mickleham, Roxburgh Park and Kalkallo Premier Daniel Andrews said the restrictions were reintroduced as the recent COVID-19 figures are "unacceptably high" and "pose a real threat to all of us". "I know this will be terribly disruptive and difficult but if everyone sticks to the rules and we see transmission come down, then in four weeks the restrictions can lift," the Premier said in a statement released today, Tuesday, June 30. The Premier also said that Victorian Police will be actively enforcing the suburban lockdowns and on-the-spot fines, as in the initial lockdown, will apply. It's also possible, that if cases continue to rise, other Melbourne postcodes will also need to go back into lockdown, too. Stay-at-home restrictions will come into force in the above ten suburbs at 11.59pm on Wednesday, July 1. For more information, head to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website.
Let's be clear: it's fine for fictional movies to take certain liberties. Consider physics: bending bullets mid-flight was a playful idea in 2008's otherwise woeful Wanted, just as ducking them entirely provided an exhilarating and groundbreaking sequence in The Matrix. How does Superman actually fly? Air pressure and negative mass, apparently. Who really cares — it's fun and they commit to it. Really, the only time you have to take movies to task is when they just get something categorically wrong. Like, wrong wrong; the opposite of right. If you've seen the trailer for Liam Neeson's new movie Non-Stop, you'll have seen the condemnable shot. As a 737 plummets towards the ocean, the pilot dramatically pulls back on the yoke like it's some sort of fighter jet and levels out the plane, occasioning a handgun to float skywards into the accepting hands of Neeson. Yes, 'up'. The gun floats up. Anybody who's ever flown before, or been in an elevator before, or moved on a planet with gravity before, knows how inertia works. It's Newton's first law. Not his 118th, which you could be forgiven for skipping. Not his second. His first. Are we nitpicking? Is a movie to be disparaged because of a single shot? No; this is just a suitably representative case for illustrating why Non-Stop is largely non-good. It begins with a shot of a gruff looking Liam Neeson, essentially because: Liam Neeson. Gone are the days of the nurturing single parent from Love Actually; now Neeson is all about the embodiment of grumpy. That characteristic was the perfect ingredient to 2008's Taken, but since then has felt increasingly platitudinous, pigeonholing a fine actor with proven range into a painfully narrow set of performances. In Non-Stop he's an alcoholic air marshal who — mid flight — is forced to deal with an anonymous blackmailer threatening to kill a passenger every 20 minutes until they receive their ransom. Both the premise and its initial execution are actually quite compelling, handled in a way that's just plausible enough to be entertaining and even thrilling. The threatening text messages appear on screen a la the BBC's Sherlock series, providing a periodic 20 minute menace that gives Non-Stop its ominous momentum (Newton's 18th law, probably). There are also some decent performances put in by the supporting cast, including Julianne Moore and Corey Stoll (House of Cards) as passengers, and Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years A Slave) and Linus Roache (Batman Begins) as crew. It's a whodunnit at 40,000 feet, and for most of the film you're genuinely invested in the mystery. Such a shame, then, the way it ends. Fear not, there are no spoilers here, but suffice it to say the villain's motivation for the caper is stupefyingly illogical, and the final five minutes of dialogue contain just about every cliche in the book. There's an overwhelming sense of 'sure, why not?' to the writing; an unnecessary rush-job on what might well have been an excellent thriller had they just taken the time to imbue the finale with as much consideration as the setup. https://youtube.com/watch?v=nODrjQUR5YU
Prepare to spend more time scrolling through streaming queues — Apple is following in Netflix's and Disney's footsteps and releasing its own streaming platform. Called Apple TV+ and set to launch in spring this year — in the southern hemisphere — the new subscription service will feature a heap of new original television shows, movies and documentaries. They'll all be available ad-free and on demand, with access via the company's existing Apple TV app. While the platform's exact release date hasn't been announced, nor has pricing or the regions that it'll be available in, the company has revealed a sizeable lineup of new series it hopes will attract your TV-loving eyeballs. Fancy watching Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell navigate the world of morning television in the appropriately titled drama series The Morning Show? Jason Momoa in a new sci-fi show called See, which is set in a world where humans are born blind? A revival of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories anthology series? A new docu-series from Oprah — and the return of her book club? They're all on the way. So is Are You Sleeping?, which is based on a novel about true crime podcasts and featuring Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul; crime thriller Defending Jacob, starring Chris Evans; and a TV remake of Terry Gilliam's film Time Bandits, with a pilot directed by Taika Waititi. The list goes on, and includes a comedy set in a video game development studio from the folks behind It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a yet-to-be-named CIA undercover agent series starring Brie Larson, and new shows from both M. Night Shyamalan and La La Land director Damien Chazelle (separately, not together — although a collaboration between the two would certainly be interesting). In preparation for its new streaming service, Apple also announced an update to its existing Apple TV app, which'll be available from May. The app will also become available on Samsung Smart TVs in the second half of the year, and via Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony and VIZIO platforms sometime in the future — meaning that you won't need an Apple device to watch Apple TV+. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=Bt5k5Ix_wS8 Also on the cards: Apple Arcade, a paid gaming subscription service that'll feature more than 100 new and exclusive games on an all-you-can-play, ad-free basis — and, crucially, with no additional in-game purchases required. It's due to release in more than 150 countries around the same time as Apple TV+, and will be accessible via a new tab in the App Store. For news junkies, the company also launched Apple News+. Available now in the US and Canada, but not coming to Australia until later this year, it offers access to more than 300 magazines, newspapers and digital publishers in one spot. Titles included range from Vogue to National Geographic Magazine to The Wall Street Journal, for the US price of $9.99 per month. Apple TV+ is set to launch in spring 2019, Australian and New Zealand time. We'll keep you updated with further details when we have them.
With Game of Thrones finishing its run a few months back, there's currently a huge fantasy-shaped hole in the TV and streaming landscape. Of course, the beloved show is set to go on thanks to its own prequel; however plenty of networks and platforms are trying their hands at the genre in the interim — and giving television buffs plenty to watch. Amazon is hoping to fill the gap with its forthcoming Lord of the Rings series, although it isn't due until 2021. HBO's next contender arrives this month, courtesy of its adaptation of His Dark Materials. And, while Netflix already has its Dark Crystal prequel, which launched back in August, it'll soon drop new series The Witcher as well. In fact, the Henry Cavill-starring show will arrive on Friday, December 20, just in time for some Christmas break binge-viewing. As seen in both the initial trailer and the just-released new sneak peek, the witcher of the title is Geralt of Rivia (Cavill, sporting long blonde locks), a monster hunter who prefers to work — aka slay beasts — alone in a realm called The Continent. But life has other plans for the lone wolf, forcing him to cross paths with powerful sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra, Netflix's Wanderlust) and young princess Ciri (newcomer Freya Allan). The latter harbours a secret, because of course she does, with the series blending plenty of fantasy staples such as magic, royalty, fighting factions, battling hordes, fearsome creatures, a heap of sword-swinging and many a scenic location. After stepping into Superman's shoes and facing off against Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible — Fallout, The Witcher marks Cavill's return to TV a decade after starring in regal period drama The Tudors. As well as Chalotra and Allan, it also features Jodhi May (Game of Thrones), MyAnna Buring (Kill List), Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards) and Australian actor Eamon Farren (Twin Peaks). Behind-the-scenes, the show's eight-part first season is created, executive produced and co-scripted by Lauren Schmidt, who has everything from The West Wing, Parenthood and Power to Daredevil, The Defenders and The Umbrella Academy to her name. If the series' name sounds familiar, that's because The Witcher is based on the short stories and novels of writer Andrzej Sapkowski — and, as well as being turned into comics, it was adapted the video game series of the same name. A Polish film and TV show also reached screens back in the early 2000s, although they were poorly received. Check out the latest trailer for Netflix's The Witcher below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndl1W4ltcmg The Witcher will hit Netflix on Friday, December 20. Image: Katalin Vermes.
After introducing its cookie pies to the world last month, followed by serving up an OTT red velvet one, Gelato Messina is bringing the decadent dessert back again. This time, though, it's filled with a gooey choc-hazelnut spread the gelato chain calls Messinatella. Hang on, a cookie pie? Yes, it's a pie, but a pie made of cookie dough. And it serves two–six people — or just you. You bake it yourself, too, so you get to enjoy that oh-so-amazing smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through your kitchen. These pies are available for preorder from Monday, June 8 — so if you missed out last time, here's your chance to get yourself a piece of the pie. On its own, the indulgent choc chip pie will cost $20. But to sweeten the deal, the cult ice creamery has created a few bundle options, should you want some of its famed gelato atop it. You can add on a 500-millilitre tub for $28, a one-litre tub for $34 or a 1.5-litre tub for $39. To get your pie to your oven, you will have to peel yourself off the couch and head to your local Messina store between Thursday, June 11 and Sunday, June 14 to pick it up. Once you've got the pie safely home, you just need to whack it in the oven for 10-15 minutes and voila. You can preorder a Messina cookie pie from Monday, June 8 to pick up from all NSW, Vic and Queensland Gelato Messina stores (except The Star and Coolangatta) from June 11–14.
When The OA arrived on Netflix in December 2016, inspiring many a binge-watch and just as many conversations, four words came to mind: like story, like show. In the sci-fi mystery series, an enigmatic young woman told a strange, sometimes creepy tale to a willing audience, demanding their faith and trust in return — and the eight-episode first season did exactly the same with streaming viewers. Now the show is back, with The OA: Part II due to arrive on March 22. Across another eight installments, the series will once again delve into the plight of Prairie Johnson (Brit Marling), a blind woman who went missing for seven years, returned suddenly with restored sight, and started calling herself The OA. In the first season, she would only relay the details to a group of followers — and both her story and its retelling featured near-death experiences, Russian oligarchs, tinkering with space and time, and interpretative dance moves. In the second season, The OA finds herself in an alternative dimension where Barack Obama has never been president. Meanwhile, a private detective tries to track down a missing teen and The OA's original pals once again try to work out what's going on. Marling created the series with director Zal Batmanglij, with both co-writing several episodes as well — and their pre-The OA filmography gives an idea of the kind of space the pair likes to play in. Festival circuit flicks Sound of My Voice and The East each delved into close-knit groups with charismatic leaders and murky conspiracies, the former in a cult with a ringleader who claims to be from the future, and the latter in an eco-activist group. Whatever The OA: Part II has up its sleeves, it won't be straightforward, but it'll likely inspire plenty of out-there sci-fi theories. Check out the trailer below — and start pondering just what's going on in the show's weird vision. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlSXDaRR2bw The OA: Part II hits Netflix worldwide on Friday, March 22.
Australia has a long and illustrious history of banning, restricting or causing an almighty fuss over perfectly reasonable things. The newest incident is the banning of American director Travis Mathews' film I Want Your Love, which was brought to national attention this week when James Franco filmed himself sitting on a sofa in a Hawaiian shirt, declared the banning as "really silly" and posted it to YouTube. I Want Your Love, which was due to screen at both Brisbane and Melbourne's Queer Film Festivals was rubber stamped with the letters RC — Refused Classification — by the Australian Classification Board. The reasons for the board's decision were the film's depictions of explicit gay male sex. But the film is not pornographic, or extreme. Mathews explains that he "sought to capture honest and intimate depictions of modern gay life with everyday men". A film gets given an RC rating if it depicts scenes "in such a way that they offend against the standards of morality, decency and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults". Yet the Australian Classification Board can be wildly inconsistent in what they see as morally offensive. Last year, a documentary called Donkey Love screened at Sydney and Melbourne's Underground Film Festivals about the special love between Colombian men and their donkeys. Within the first five minutes, a man was having sex with a donkey. It wasn't refused classification. The board maintains that they don't censor, they classify. While this is true, it remains a fact that when the board gives a film, publication, or game an RC rating it cannot be distributed in Australia, effectively censoring it. In what follows, we walk you through some of the most infamous incidences of head-shaking and pearl-clutching in Australia's censorship history. Ern Malley In the 1940s, Sydney poets James McAuley and Harold Stewart wrote a series of poems and submitted them to the journal Angry Penguins under the name Ern Malley. The poems were written to embarrass the journal and 'prove' that modernist poetry was nonsensical. But in the meantime, the police had impounded editions of Angry Penguins and the poems, on the grounds that they were obscene. So commenced the most ridiculous obscenity trials Australia has ever seen. The police took issue with the poem Night Piece, for instance, because "apparently someone is shining a torch in the dark, visiting through the park gates. To my mind they were going there for some disapproved motive ... I have found that people who go into parks at night go there for immoral purposes." Lady Chatterley's Lover Many of the best pieces of 20th-century literature were banned in Australia, including — but by no means limited to — Ulysses, Portnoy's Complaint, Lolita, and everything ever written by Henry Miller, Jean Genet, and William S. Burroughs. One of the most infamous banned books was D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover, which describes scenes of explicit sex and delights in its use of the word 'cunt', seen as likely to cause the good ladies of Mosman and Toorak to collapse in a faint. In fact, not only was Lady Chatterley's Lover banned, but the book about censoring the book, The Trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover, was also banned. Salò, or The 120 Days of Sodom In 1975 Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini released Salò, a film inspired by the Marquis de Sade. Due to scenes of extreme sexual violence and sadism, the film was immediately banned in Australia, as well as many other countries. The cult arthouse film became a cause celebre for Australia's anti-censorship campaigners and was eventually deemed suitable for screening in 1993. Then, five years later, in the early years of the Howard government, the ban was reinstituted. It was only in 2010 that Salòwas given an R18+ classification and made available on DVD. Grand Theft Auto It was only at the start of 2013 that video games could be given an R18+ classification in Australia. Before, anything that exceeded MA15+ was automatically banned. Grand Theft Auto was continually subject to this problem. In 2002, Grand Theft Auto III was withdrawn because it allowed players to have virtual sex with virtual prostitutes, and then violently murder them. It was re-released when the ability to solicit sex was removed, but players were still perfectly free to violently murder prostitutes if they so wished. Explicit sex also caused the Vice City and San Andreas editions of the series to be withdrawn. Ken Park In 2003, Ken Park, an American arthouse film, was refused classification by the board. The film, which had been due to screen at that year's Sydney Film Festival, was banned because it portrayed real-life sex scenes involving characters that were supposed to be minors (the actors weren't actually minors). In defiance of the ban, Ken Park was given a public screening at Balmain Town Hall, but it was shut down by the police. Among those arrested was Margaret Pomeranz. They arrested Margaret Pomeranz. Need anything more be said? The Peaceful Pill Handbook In 2007 pro-euthanasia campaigners Philip Nitschke and Fiona Stewart published The Peaceful Pill Handbook, intended to give the elderly and seriously ill information about the legal and moral aspects of suicide as well as how-to instructions for painless and non-violent suicide methods. After an appeal by Right to Life, the book was pulled from the shelves. While The Peaceful Pill Handbook is available in other countries, there remains a ban on both importing and distributing the book in Australia. Bill Henson While Bill Henson's photography wasn't banned, the mainstream media gave it a red-hot go in 2008. The scandal occurred when the police shut down an exhibition at Sydney's Roslyn Oxley9 gallery after accusations that the images of young girls displayed in the exhibit were pornographic. Henson was cast as a paedophile by the likes of Miranda Devine and had Kevin Rudd declare the photographs "absolutely revolting". Despite the uproar, the Department of Public Prosecutions dropped the case after Henson's images were declared "mild and justified" and given a PG rating by the board, in one of the most sensible decisions they ever made. https://youtube.com/watch?v=-3rbDIsT4f0
They're the scenes every dog owner pictures when they leave their beloved pooch home alone. Maybe their loyal canine sits by the door, pining for human company. Maybe the crafty critter jumps on the furniture and makes a mess. Maybe it does a bit of both. With an excellent understanding of the bond between people and their furry companions, The Secret Life of Pets turns these imaginings into an animated adventure. If Toy Story swapped kids' playthings for the dogs, cats, birds and bunnies (and assorted other animals) that people of all ages adore, this highly entertaining movie would be the end result. Terrier Max (voiced by Louis C.K.) is the apple of his owner Katie's (Ellie Kemper) eye. Or least he is, until she brings him home a shaggy rescue mutt as a brother. Not only is Duke (Eric Stonestreet) bigger, he's determined to take Max's bed, his food bowl, and – the smaller dog worries – his place in Katie's heart. Before long, the tussle between the unhappy new housemates spills onto the streets during their daily walk, with the duo soon finding themselves scooped up by dog-catchers. Enter former magician's rabbit Snowball (Kevin Hart) and his motley crew of discarded beasts, who not only prove skilled at escaping to their secret underground lair, but are also plotting to overthrow humanity. There's knowing humour in everything Despicable Me director Chris Renaud and his co-helmer Yarrow Cheney assemble in this jovial animal jaunt, with the script from fellow Despicable alums revelling in anarchic but endearing comedy that trickles down to the smallest details. And it really is the little things that help The Secret Life of Pets showcase its modest charms, as demonstrated by the supporting characters. Both nodding to and twisting stereotypical traits and behaviours, the film features everything from a hamster (voiced by Renaud) who can't find his way out of a building's vents, to a pampered Pomeranian (Jenny Slate) who turns feisty when she discovers that Max is in trouble. More quirky creatures pop up, sporting recognisable celebrity tones, including Lake Bell as a cat, Hannibal Buress as a dachshund and Albert Brooks as a grumpy hawk. Each inspires a few funny sequences and sight gags, in a film that's otherwise content with the usual pop-friendly soundtrack, pop culture references and riffs on other movies. Indeed, with an action-packed homewards trek that's reminiscent of Finding Dory, and a wiener-oriented musical number that's better than anything in Sausage Party, much about The Secret Life of Pets feels familiar. There are no Zootopia-like musings about diversity and acceptance here — but there is a whole lot of awww-inducing love. Such fuzzy feelings will no doubt help viewers in overlooking the film's flaws. This is a movie that's as swift as a dog chasing a ball, as light as a budgie fluttering around an apartment, and as cute as an over-fed cat lounging in the sun. And, for its brief 87 minutes, that's mostly enough. Just make sure you leave time to visit a pet store after the movie, or scurry home to hug the four-legged friends you already have.
Sebastián Lelio's A Fantastic Woman has been unexpectedly popular with the pundits, which is great for two reasons. For starters, it's always encouraging when foreign language films are financially successful. But what's even better is that the film offers a sensitive, uplifting portrayal of a transgender protagonist. After taking home a deluge of awards, there's no doubt that A Fantastic Woman is a serious contender to win Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Academy Awards. Frankly, it's just a shame it wasn't nominated for Best Picture The story follows Marina Vidal, played by trans actress Daniela Vega. We meet her partner Orlando, played by Francisco Reyes, on the evening of her birthday, and get a glimpse into their tender, hopeful relationship before it all comes crumbling down. Orlando, who is a fair bit older than Marina, wakes up feeling sick – and although she rushes him to the hospital, it's all too late. The bulk of the film takes place in the aftermath of Orlando's death, as Marina is forced to deal with his family as they tear strips off her from all angles. It can't be overstated how wonderful it is to see transgender representation on the big screen (no offence Eddie Redmayne, but this is how it should be). Vega's performance as Marina feels authentic, in no small part because it is authentic. Every movement, every delivery is subtle, considered and real. To convey the character's mental state, Lelio oscillates between realism and magical realism, maintaining an elegant balance that ensures neither style feels heavy or overdone. And all the while, his leading lady is mesmerising in every scene. One of the most heartwarming elements of this film is the relationship between Marina and Orlando. It's sweet, romantic, sexy, like a healthy relationship should be. It's neither fraught nor kept secret – and while the depiction of it shouldn't feel remarkable, it absolutely does. A Fantastic Woman does great work capturing a spectrum of light and shade, love and grief, without relying on excessive violence or grim stereotypes that are so common in cinema about marginalised groups. That's not to say that this film doesn't contain disturbing scenes. Marina experiences more than her share of abuse and menacing microaggressions, enough to set your teeth on edge. And yet she's never portrayed as a helpless victim. Leilo's narrative realism and restraint, coupled with Vega's captivating performance, are proof that you don't need to use shock and awe tactics to have an impact. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJHex4ZitgA
It has played host to a staggering array of gigs and been the backdrop for countless different live music memories, but we reckon you've never seen the Sidney Myer Music Bowl quite like this. From May 26 to June 6, the inaugural Rising festival will see the iconic precinct transformed into a multi-sensory supernatural forest, inviting punters to immerse themselves in a captivating fusion of ice, art, sound and light. Held nightly throughout the festival's duration, The Wilds is set to deliver an interactive feast for all the senses. Traipse through its bamboo forest, marvel at large-scale sculptures and video works, and trip yourself out through mazes of mirrored illusions. In a nod to winter's past, the stage itself will once again become a working ice-skating rink (yes, that really was a thing), where visitors can glide around beneath the giant glowing orb that is Luke Jerram's Museum of the Moon installation. And when the appetite's piqued, you'll find both a fine dining offering in the atrium and a menu of snacks to enjoy fireside, under the stars. A pop-up restaurant and once-off culinary collaborations will also be set against The Wilds. [caption id="attachment_810754" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Museum of the Moon (2017) by Luke Jerram, courtesy University of Bristol[/caption] Yep, it's quite the lineup — organisers are recommending you set aside at least 90 minutes in order to properly experience the whole thing. General entry to The Wilds will set you back $15, or you can grab a $35 ticket to include a session on the ice at Rinky Dink.
He's directed a mockumentary about sharehouse-dwelling vampires in Wellington, one of the most offbeat and adorable fugitive films there is, and the best big-budget blockbuster about a certain cape-wearing, hammer-wielding Norse god- turned-superhero that's reached screens so far. Now, after winning hearts and laughs with not only What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Thor: Ragnarok, but New Zealand comedies Eagle vs Shark and Boy too, Taika Waititi has turned his attention to making fun of Hitler. His latest movie is called Jojo Rabbit, with the beloved filmmaker not only writing and directing, but starring as the Nazi. It's a satire, obviously, following a bullied but nationalistic young German boy called Jojo (newcomer Roman Griffin Davis) who discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie, Leave No Trace) in their attic. He doesn't quite know what to do, so he asks the obvious person for help: his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler. World War II-set films are a very common sight on the big screen, so if you feel like you've seen every possible take on that period of history, Jojo Rabbit is here to change your mind. As the movie's initial teaser and its just-released full trailer both show, this isn't your usual grim, serious war flick. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival this month, and based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens, it's being badged as an "anti-hate" comedy, should you need more of an idea of the tone that Waititi is going for. As well as the writer/director himself, the film co-stars the high-profile likes of Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant and Alfie Allen. It's not the only project that Waititi has in the works — it was just announced last week that he'll be directing the next Thor film, Thor: Love and Thunder — but it is the only one where he gets Hitler to call himself a lunatic and a psycho. Check out the new trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL4McUzXfFI Jojo Rabbit releases on December 26 in Australia.
With every Australian state and territory doing its own thing regarding borders during the COVID-19 pandemic, travelling around the country isn't a simple feat in 2020. But, if you're planning ahead, you might want to add Western Australia's Kalbarri National Park to your must-visit list — especially given that it has just opened a 100-metre-high skywalk perched atop Murchison Gorge, complete with mighty impressive views. Welcoming the public since mid-June this year — just WA residents so far, with the state's border currently closed to residents of the rest of Australia — the Kalbarri Skywalk features two cantilevered platforms over the 80-kilometre-long gorge. When you're standing on either of the two lookouts, you'll also be located 100 metres above the ground, with cliffs falling beneath you. The pair of platforms are within easy walking distance of each other, too, with one jutting out 17 metres from the cliffside and the other reaching out 25 metres. Built as part of a $24 million project, the Kalbarri Skywalk is also accompanied by an environmentally friendly kiosk that's designed to operate off the grid on low to no emissions, shade shelters, toilets and parking, as well as 22 kilometres of park roads, plus upgrades to existing tourist sites at Meanarra Hill and Z Bend. Also onsite: recognition of the region's Nanda Traditional Owners, their culture and stories, including via an entry sign emblazoned with 'kaju yatka' — the Nanda words for 'sky' and 'to walk' — and other artistic elements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZK7MtyuZNs&feature=emb_logo Located 150 kilometres north of Geraldton and almost 600 kilometres north of Perth, Kalbarri National Park welcomed more than 450,000 visitors in 2019 — so, when the rest of the country is permitted to enter WA again, expect to have company. If you're wondering about finding your way around the park, the WA Parks Foundation has just added Kalbarri National Park to its Smart Park mapping program, too, which allows you to download a park map, then navigate through the area offline and in real time. Find the Kalbarri Skywalk in the Kalbarri National Park, Kalbarri, in Western Australia's mid-west region. For further details, visit the park's website. Top image: Shem Bisluck/Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
Just over 12 months ago, in January 2023, Danny and Michael Philippou's Talk to Me screened at the Sundance Film Festival. From there, it was picked up by A24, released to hefty crowds and fanfare midyear, and collected 11 nominations from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards. Now, at the Aussie organisation's night of nights, the homegrown horror hit has won eight accolades, the most of any movie — including Best Film of 2023, plus Best Director for the RackaRacka YouTubers-turned-filmmakers. It's official: Talk to Me is the top Australian flick of the past year, a huge feat not only for a horror movie but for the Philippou brothers' first feature. In the film categories, it had company from Warwick Thornton's The New Boy, which picked up four awards from 12 nominations. A heap of other pictures collected a prize each: Noora Niasari's Shayda, with one win from nine nods; The Rooster, with one from four; Ivan Sen's Limbo, Carmen and John Farnham: Finding the Voice, each with one from three; and Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story and The Giants, with one from two apiece. That's an impressive spread, including the Best Actress accolade going to Talk to Me's Sophie Wilde, Best Actor to The New Boy's Aswan Reid, Best Supporting Actress to Deborah Mailman for the latter film and Best Supporting Actor to The Rooster's Hugo Weaving. The AACTAs aren't just about the big screen, however, also rewarding the year's best TV efforts. There, The Newsreader and Deadloch each picked up five awards — including Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan nabbing Best Screenplay in Television for writing Deadloch. Across the small-screen fields, they were joined by fellow big winners Colin From Accounts, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and Love Me. The hefty affair, which was held on Saturday, February 10 on the Gold Coast for the first time amid a four-day AACTA Festival, also found more than one way to give Margot Robbie and Barbie some love. Cue Robbie receiving the annual Trailblazer Award, plus the Audience Choice Award for Favourite Actress. Also among the public's picks was Barbie for Favourite Film. And, the list of gongs goes on — for Robbie and Barbie, and in general, with International Awards also handed out. Succession, The Bear, Oppenheimer, Poor Things: they all earned a shiny trophy or two as well. Here's the full rundown: AACTA Nominees and Winners 2024: Film Awards: Best Film Of an Age Shayda Sweet As Talk to Me — WINNER The New Boy The Royal Hotel Best Indie Film A Savage Christmas Limbo — WINNER Monolith Streets of Colour The Rooster The Survival of Kindness Best Direction Jub Clerc, Sweet As Kitty Green, The Royal Hotel Noora Niasari, Shayda, Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou, Talk to Me — WINNER Goran Stolevski, Of an Age Warwick Thornton, The New Boy Best Lead Actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Shayda Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Sweet As Cate Blanchett, The New Boy Julia Garner, The Royal Hotel Sarah Snook, Run Rabbit Run Sophie Wilde, Talk to Me — WINNER Best Lead Actor Elias Anton, Of an Age Simon Baker, Limbo Thom Green, Of an Age Phoenix Raei, The Rooster Aswan Reid, The New Boy — WINNER Osamah Sami, Shayda Best Supporting Actress Alex Jensen, Talk to Me Deborah Mailman, The New Boy — WINNER Tasma Walton, Sweet As Mia Wasikowska, Blueback Ursula Yovich, The Royal Hotel Selina Zahednia, Shayda Best Supporting Actor Mojean Aria, Shayda Eric Bana, Blueback Wayne Blair, The New Boy Rob Collins, Limbo Zoe Terakes, Talk to Me Hugo Weaving, The Rooster — WINNER Best Screenplay Kitty Green, Oscar Redding, The Royal Hotel Noora Niasari, Shayda Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman, Talk to Me — WINNER Goran Stolevski, Of an Age Warwick Thornton, The New Boy Best Cinematography Carl Allison, Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism Sherwin Akbarzadeh, Shayda Aaron McLisky, Talk to Me Katie Milwright, Sweet As Warwick Thornton, The New Boy — WINNER Best Editing Dany Cooper, Carmen Katie Flaxman, Sweet As Geoff Lamb, Talk to Me — WINNER Michelle McGilvray, Matt Villa, Courtney Teixera, Scarygirl Nick Meyers, The New Boy Best Casting in Film Run Rabbit Run Shayda — WINNER Sweet As The New Boy The Royal Hotel Best Costume Design Blueback Carmen — WINNER Seriously Red The New Boy The Rooster Best Original Score Blueback Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism Suka Talk to Me — WINNER The Big Dog Best Production Design Carmen Scarygirl The New Boy — WINNER The Portable Door True Spirit Best Sound Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism Scarygirl Seriously Red Talk to Me — WINNER Three Chords and the Truth Best Short Film An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It Ashes Finding Addison — WINNER Jia Mud Crab Not Dark Yet Documentary Awards: Best Documentary Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story Harley & Katya John Farnham: Finding the Voice — WINNER The Dark Emu Story The Giants The Last Daughter This Is Going to Be Big To Never Forget Best Cinematography in a Documentary Australia's Wild Odyssey Shackleton: The Greatest Story of Survival The Dark Emu Story The Giants — WINNER This Is Going To Be Big Best Editing in a Documentary Because We Have Each Other Folau Harley & Katya Queerstralia The Australian Wars — WINNER Best Original Score in a Documentary John Farnham: Finding The Voice Kindred Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey The Dark Emu Story — WINNER Under Cover Best Sound in a Documentary Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story — WINNER John Farnham: Finding The Voice Kindred Memory Film — A Filmmaker's Diary The Dark Emu Story Television Awards: Best Drama Series Bay of Fires Black Snow Bump Erotic Stories Love Me The Newsreader — WINNER Best Narrative Comedy Colin From Accounts — WINNER Deadloch Fisk Gold Diggers Upright Utopia Best Miniseries Bad Behaviour In Our Blood Safe Home The Clearing The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart — WINNER While The Men Are Away Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama Tim Draxl, In Our Blood Travis Fimmel, Black Snow Joel Lago, Erotic Stories Sam Reid, The Newsreader Richard Roxburgh, Bali 2002 Hugo Weaving, Love Me — WINNER Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama Kate Box, Erotic Stories Aisha Dee, Safe Home Bojana Novakovic, Love Me Teresa Palmer, The Clearing Anna Torv, The Newsreader — WINNER Sigourney Weaver, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Best Acting in a Comedy Celeste Barber, Wellmania Kate Box, Deadloch — WINNER Patrick Brammall, Colin From Accounts Harriet Dyer, Colin From Accounts Kitty Flanagan, Fisk Nina Oyama, Deadloch Helen Thomson, Colin From Accounts Julia Zemiro, Fisk Best Comedy Performer Tom Gleeson, Hard Quiz Jim Jefferies, The 1% Club Luke McGregor, Taskmaster Australia Rhys Nicholson, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Nina Oyama, Taskmaster Australia Charlie Pickering, The Weekly with Charlie Pickering Natalie Tran, The Great Australian Bake Off Cal Wilson, The Great Australian Bake Off — WINNER Best Supporting Actress in a Television Drama Alycia Debnam-Carey, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Marg Downey, The Newsreader Michelle Lim Davidson, The Newsreader Heather Mitchell, Love Me — WINNER Leah Purcell, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Brooke Satchwell, Black Snow Best Supporting Actor in a Television Drama Tim Draxl, Erotic Stories Alexander England, Black Snow William McInnes, The Newsreader Bob Morley, Love Me Hunter Page-Lochard, The Newsreader — WINNER Guy Pearce, The Clearing Best Direction in a Drama or Comedy Ben Chessell, Deadloch (episode one) Emma Freeman, The Newsreader (episode four) — WINNER Glendyn Ivin, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (episode one) Matt Moore, Colin From Accounts (episode six) Trent O'Donnell, Colin From Accounts (episode three) Best Direction in Non-Fiction Television Katie Bender Wynn, Matildas: The World at Our Feet (episode two) Stamatia Maroupas, Queerstralia (episode one) Josh Martin, Adam and Poh's Great Australian Bites (episode one) Rachel Perkins, Dylan River, Tov Belling, The Australian Wars (episode one) — WINNER Henry Stone, Aaron Chen: If Weren't Filmed, Nobody Would Believe Best Screenplay in Television Patrick Brammall, Colin From Accounts (episode six) Harriet Dyer, Colin From Accounts (episode three) Kate McCartney, Kate McLennan, Deadloch (episode one) — WINNER Adrian Russell Wills, The Newsreader (episode four) Lucas Taylor, Black Snow (episode one) Best Cinematography in Television Sam Chiplin, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (episode one) — WINNER Earle Dresner, The Newsreader (episode four) Aaron Farrugia, Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe (episode one) Tania Lambert, Erotic Stories (episode two) Katie Milwright, Deadloch (episode one) Best Editing in Television Peter Bennett, Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe (episode one) Danielle Boesenberg, Colin From Accounts (episode three) Angie Higgins, Deadloch (episode one) — WINNER Angie Higgins, The Newsreader (episode four) Deborah Peart, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (episode one) Deborah Peart, Dany Cooper, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (episode six) Best Entertainment Program Dancing with the Stars Eurovision Song Contest 2023 — WINNER Lego Masters: Grand Masters Mastermind The 1% Club The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition Best Comedy Entertainment Program Hard Quiz — WINNER RocKwiz Taskmaster Australia Thank God You're Here The Cheap Seats The Weekly with Charlie Pickering Best Factual Entertainment Program Alone Australia Gogglebox Australia Kitchen Cabinet Old People's Home for Teenagers — WINNER Take 5 with Zan Rowe Who The Bloody Hell Are We? Best Documentary or Factual Program Matildas: The World at Our Feet Ningaloo Nyinggulu Queerstralia The Australian Wars — WINNER War on Waste Who Do You Think You Are Best Children's Program Barrumbi Kids Beep and Mort Bluey — WINNER Crazy Fun Park The PM's Daughter Turn Up the Volume Best Standup Special Aaron Chen: If Weren't Filmed, Nobody Would Believe Celeste Barber: Fine, thanks Hannah Gadsby: Something Special — WINNER Jim Jefferies: High & Dry Lizzy Hoo: Hoo Cares!? Rhys Nicholson's Big Queer Comedy Concert Best Lifestyle Program Adam and Poh's Great Australian Bites Gardening Australia — WINNER Grand Designs Australia Love It or List It Australia Selling Houses Australia The Great Australian Bake Off Best Reality Program Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains FBOY Island Australia Hunted Australia MasterChef Australia — WINNER Real Housewives of Sydney RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Best Casting in Television Colin From Accounts Deadloch — WINNER Safe Home The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart The Newsreader Best Costume Design in Television Ten Pound Poms (episode one) The Claremont Murders (episode one) The Clearing (episode one) The Newsreader (episode four) — WINNER While the Men Are Away (episode two) Best Original Score in Television Bad Behaviour (episode one) Deadloch (episode one) — WINNER Fisk (episode four) In Limbo (episode one) RFDS (episode five) Best Production Design in Television Beep and Mort (episode two) Black Snow (episode one) Deadloch (episode one) Gold Diggers (episode three) The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (episode one) — WINNER The Newsreader (episode four) Best Sound in Television Black Snow (episode six) Last King of the Cross (episode four) The Clearing (episode one) The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (episode six) — WINNER The Newsreader (episode six) Best Online Drama or Comedy Appetite Latecomers — WINNER Me & Her(pes) Monologue The Disposables The Future of Everything AACTA Audience Awards: Audience Choice Award for Favourite TV Show Ginny & Georgia — WINNER My Life with the Walter Boys Outer Banks The Kardashians The Summer I Turned Pretty Young Sheldon Audience Choice Award for Favourite Film Barbie — WINNER Mean Girls Saltburn Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Wonka Audience Choice Award for Favourite Actress Jenna Ortega Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Lawrence Margot Robbie — WINNER Millie Bobby Brown Sydney Sweeney Audience Choice Award for Favourite Actor Adam Sandler — WINNER Chris Hemsworth Jacob Elordi Ryan Gosling Timothėe Chalamet Vin Diesel Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Media Personality Abbie Chatfield Chloe Hayden Em Rusciano Jimmy Rees Shameless Podcast Sophie Monk — WINNER Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Digital Creator Anna Paul @anna..paull Bridey Drake @brideydrake Georgia Productions @georgia Indy Clinton @indyclinton Kat Clark and family @katclark — WINNER Luke and Sassy Scott @lukeandsassyscott Maddy MacRae @maddy_macrae_ Sofia Ligeros @sofialigeros Audience Choice Award for Favourite Australian Sporting Moment AFL: Carlton reach the finals AFL: Grand Final Collingwood vs Brisbane F1: Daniel Ricciardo returns to F1 Netball: Australian Diamonds win Netball World Cup NRL: Grand Final Panthers vs Broncos Soccer: Matilda's World Cup run — WINNER AACTA International Awards: AACTA International Award for Best Drama Series Beef Succession — WINNER The Crown The Last of Us Yellowjackets AACTA International Award for Best Comedy Series Only Murders in the Building Sex Education Ted Lasso The Bear — WINNER The Marvellous Mrs Maisel AACTA International Award for Best Actor in a Series Kieran Culkin, Succession Matthew Macfadyen, Succession Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us Jeremy Strong, Succession Jeremy Allen White, The Bear — WINNER AACTA International Award for Best Actress in a Series Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown Helen Mirren, 1923 Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us Sarah Snook, Succession — WINNER Ali Wong, Beef AACTA International Award for Best Film American Fiction Barbie — WINNER Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Poor Things AACTA International Award for Best Direction in Film Greta Gerwig, Barbie Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon Bradley Cooper, Maestro Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer — WINNER Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things AACTA International Award for Best Lead Actor in Film Bradley Cooper, Maestro Leonardo DiCaprio, Killers of the Flower Moon Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer — WINNER Andrew Scott, All of Us Strangers Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction AACTA International Award for Best Lead Actress in Film Cate Blanchett, The New Boy Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon Carey Mulligan, Maestro Margot Robbie, Barbie — WINNER Emma Stone, Poor Things AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actor in Film Matt Damon, Oppenheimer Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer Jacob Elordi, Saltburn Ryan Gosling, Barbie — WINNER AACTA International Award for Best Supporting Actress in Film Penélope Cruz, Ferrari Vanessa Kirby, Napoleon — WINNER Julianne Moore, May December Rosamund Pike, Saltburn Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers AACTA International Award for Best Screenplay in Film Cord Jefferson, American Fiction Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, Maestro Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer Tony McNamara, Poor Things — WINNER The 2024 AACTA Awards were announced on Saturday, February 10. For further details, head to the awards' website.
