Forgetting, fixating, flailing, fraying: that's The Father. Anthony's (Anthony Hopkins, Westworld) life is unravelling, with his daughter Anne (Olivia Colman, The Crown) springing the sudden news that she's about to move to Paris, and now insistent that he needs a new carer to replace the last home helper he's just scared off. He also can't find his watch, and time seems to jump suddenly. On some days, he has just trundled out of bed to greet the morning when Anne advises that dinner, not breakfast, is being served. When he brings up her French relocation again, she frostily and dismissively denies any knowledge. Sometimes another man (Mark Gatiss, Dracula) stalks around Anthony's London apartment, calling himself Anne's husband. Sometimes the flat isn't his own at all and, on occasion, both Anne (Olivia Williams, Victoria and Abdul) and her partner (Rufus Sewell, Judy) look completely different. Intermittently, Anthony either charms or spits cruel words at Laura (Imogen Poots, Black Christmas), the latest aide hired to oversee his days. She reminds him of another daughter, one he's sure he had — and preferred — but hasn't heard from for years. When he mentions his other offspring, however, everyone else goes silent. More than once, Anthony suspects that someone has pilfered his beloved timepiece, which just keeps disappearing. Largely, The Father remains housebound. For the bulk of its 97 minutes, it focuses on the cardigan-wearing Anthony as he roams around the space he calls home. But this is a chaotic film, despite its visual polish, and that mess, confusion and upheaval is entirely by design. All the shifting and changing — big and small details alike, and faces and places, too — speak to the reason Anne keeps telling Anthony they need another set of hands around the house. His memory isn't what it used to be. In fact, it's getting much worse than that. Anthony knows that there's something funny going on, which is how he describes it when his sense of what's happening twists and morphs without warning, and The Father's audience are being immersed in that truth. Anthony has dementia, with conveying precisely how that feels for him the main aim of this six-time Oscar-nominated stage-to-screen adaptation, which novelist and playwright turned first-time director Florian Zeller has helmed based on Le Père, his own play. In a looping, winding, structurally savvy screenplay by Zeller and Christopher Hampton (an Academy Award-winner for Dangerous Liaisons) that plays out like a puzzle, disorientation is the key tool. Sometimes the change in details is subtle, as one well-appointed, high-ceilinged abode with views of the street below gives way to another. At other times, the contrast is sharp and jarring, and Anthony reacts accordingly. The Father does an extraordinary job of placing its viewers in the octogenarian's head, making them endure the same jolts and jumps, and share the same disarray and loss. And make no mistake: to feel as though your grip on what's real and right in front of you is slipping is something to be mourned. Also superbly handled in the script, and in Hopkins' powerhouse performance, is the fact that Anthony is caught between two extremes. Not only to himself, but to Anne, Laura and that man that's sometimes present, he often seems enough like his old self that little appears wrong. That sensation can linger, but it can also pass in an instant — just as he can segue from fact to fantasy in the blink of an eye as he spins stories and reflects upon memories, and from merriment to menace in his mood as well. Bearing witness to Anthony's experience doesn't just inspire horror in an empathetic fashion. Feeling for anyone in such circumstances is an innate reaction, so it still does just that, but it also evokes a visceral response. Ageing is something that we all aspire to, given that the alternative is dying young — and the physical and mental deterioration that comes with the passing years is one of life's universal fears. The Father reflects this not only by putting its audience in Anthony's shoes, but also by observing how both of its two main characters handle this simultaneously evolving and devolving situation. While Anne bears the weight of her father's decline in a dissimilar way, obviously, her life has been equally affected. Balance is one of The Father's masterstrokes, getting its viewers thinking of their own futures as well as of those they love. No one can escape this subject matter, after all, and no one can evade the film's devastating and heartbreaking gaze, either. A titan of cinema for decades — with 2021 marking 30 years since he frightened his way into celluloid history as Hannibal Lecter — Hopkins is similarly unavoidable. He's an actor with physical presence, inescapable command, that booming voice and a way of demanding that every set of eyes peers his way, and his well-established talents and traits are all on offer in The Father. As Anthony's condition worsens, he also displays remarkable fragility and vulnerability. Aided by Ben Smithard's (Downton Abbey) incisive cinematography, he can tower over everyone in the room and then shrink into its corners. In one late shot — the movie's most haunting — he's infantilised by the scenario and the camerawork in tandem, and it's utterly shattering. In the film as a whole and in Hopkins' performance, sentiment has no place. Indeed, The Father and its star are ruthless in conveying Anthony's inner state and overall journey. The more recent Oscar-winner among cast (and a nominee this year again, alongside Hopkins), Colman is remarkable in a different manner. Her version of Anne is weary, plagued by sorrow and trying to soldier on all at once, and hers is the epitome of a layered portrayal. She weathers Hopkins' charisma, savagery and uncertainty, but she's unselfish in every scene. This is a generous film all-round, even in its darkest moments. As overwhelming as The Father can be as it wades through Anthony and Anne's lives, its unflinching and unsparing approach is anchored in kindness and compassion — because to truly see something as tough as this is to give it the attention and focus it deserves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0ox9ExOA1M&feature=youtu.be
Melbourne's love affair with the negroni may be a relatively new phenomenon, but the cocktail has actually been around for a full century. Legend has it that it originated in Florence's Cafe Casoni, when Count Camillo Negroni requested the concoction for the first time — that's one part gin, one part vermouth and one part Campari, garnished with an orange peel. For the cocktail's 100th anniversary, Campari is doing up its annual Negroni Week celebrations in style and venues all over the city are once again getting involved. Apart from all the negronis, the week doubles as a huge fundraiser, with most participating venues donating proceeds to a charity of their choice. It'll all go down from June 24–30, with some spots keeping the party going all month long. Here's our picks for the best ways to get your negroni fix this year. There's a Wes Anderson film night, a Four Pillars pop-up bar, magnums of negroni and a whole heap of specialty cocktails on offer — created by the best bartenders in the city, of course. And if you can't choose between them, our negroni finder will pick a place for you.
Melbourne's Asian rotating market HWKR is celebrating its one year anniversary with a four-day Chinese New Year blowout, featuring DJ sets, lion dances and a whole lot of food. It's happening from Thursday, February 7 through Sunday, February 10, when HWKR will offer a Chinese-inspired banquet, which has been curated by all its latest pop-ups. The collaboration dinner features five-to-six courses for, a rather reasonable, $50 per person. For mains, there's thit kho (pork belly casserole) by Ms Kim Vietnamese eatery, which is run by 2018 My Kitchen Rules grand finalist; Peking pork tacos and tofu 'dominos' by Kung Fu Burger; a poke bowl by Aburi sushi stall The Modern Eatery; and chilli prawns by Malaysian kitchen Junior Tan. For dessert, there's also a taro bingsu (Korean shaved iced) from Scoopy Milk Bar. Groups of four or more have the option to add a serve of traditional yee sang ($80), too — it's a vibrant 'prosperity salad' which is a staple at the family table during Chinese New Year, promising a successful year in the form of shredded vegetables, raw fish and sauces. Apart from the banquet, sponge dessert specialist HS Cakes will sell a special creation throughout the weekend, and not-for-profit bar Manymore is offering a specialty cocktail menu inspired by Asian flavours. Alongside the meal will be entertainment aplenty, including DJs on from 6–10pm each night, traditional lion dancers offering four performances (7pm Thursday, 1.15pm Friday, 1pm Saturday and 7pm Sunday) and a free photo booth to boot. Bookings and walk-ins are welcomed. For the full menu and to book, head to the website.
Warm, cosy, rosy, charming, feel-good: typically when a film spins its story during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, none of these words apply. But with Belfast, Kenneth Branagh has made a movie set in its eponymous city when the Protestant-versus-Catholic violence was a constant sight, and also helmed a feature that's about a childhood spent with that conflict as a backdrop. It's an approach that only works because Branagh draws from his own experiences — the film isn't a play-by-play memoir, but it's also clearly personal. Here, it's 1969, when the actor-turned-filmmaker would've been nine years old. The movie's protagonist, Buddy (first-timer Jude Hill), is that exact age, in fact. And with the beginnings of a three-decade-long sectarian fracas bubbling and boiling around him, he navigates the usual age-appropriate antics, such as school, crushes, doting grandparents with ailing health and a potential big move. The Troubles are a constant sight in the largely monochrome-hued film, too, and the reason Buddy's that parents are contemplating relocating to England, something they wouldn't have dreamed of otherwise. Pa (Jamie Dornan, The Tourist) already spends most of his time working there as a joiner, leaving Ma (Caitríona Balfe, Outlander) at home with Buddy and his elder brother Will (Lewis McAskie, Here Before) — with assistance from the boys' Granny (Judi Dench, Six Minutes to Midnight) and Pop (Ciarán Hinds, The Man in the Hat) — and he's been offered a new job that comes with a house. The violence swirling through Belfast has already made it to the family's street, to their hounded Catholic neighbours and, when Pa refuses to join the fray, put them on their fellow Protestants' hit list. Shifting to London (or perhaps further, to Sydney or Vancouver) would provide a new start and a safer future, but leaving all they've ever known isn't a simple decision. Belfast's adult characters are only known as Buddy would know them, such is Branagh's commitment to seeing this story, time and place through a child's eyes as he once did. And, while there's much debate to be had between Pa and Ma about whether to go or stay, the film is filled with its young lead's joys and worries — with the prospect of never again seeing the Catholic classmate he swoons over high among the boy's concerns. Belfast isn't short on context, however, though there's zero chance that it could be mistaken for a meaty interrogation of The Troubles. Branagh weaves in examples of how the push-and-pull of the conflict that's inescapable in his neighbourhood every day, Molotov cocktails, broken windows, blazes, riots and all, puts Buddy and his family in the middle. Still, a magical view of childhood remains, including when Buddy gets thrust into the thick of the fray — where, after he returns home with looted supermarket wares, his mother marches him back to return the stolen products amid the chaos. Branagh also indulges in an origin story, perhaps inspired by his stint in the Marvel Cinematic Universe directing the first Thor film back in 2011 (Buddy is even seen reading a Thor comic). Escaping The Troubles as much as anyone can in Belfast, the writer/director's on-screen surrogate adores seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and A Christmas Carol also features — scenes that come to life in colour, unlike the bulk of the picture around them. In the process, Branagh helps trace the early steps of his own desire to become a thespian and filmmaker, which has led to everything from Shakespeare adaptations such as Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet, to doing double duty in front of and behind the lens with Hercule Poirot duo Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. He's played Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' Gilderoy Lockhart, helmed Disney's live-action Cinderella, gotten villainous in Tenet, and of course, enjoyed an applauded on-stage career as well, all stemming from those first rapturous experiences watching when he was growing up. You could also call Belfast Branagh's Roma moment, after Alfonso Cuarón also gave cinema a black-and-white vision drawn from his own childhood, although that comparison fades quickly — even with Oscar love likely to come this film's way, in nominations at least, as it did for its predecessor. Here, the Dutch angles have it, with one of Branagh's go-to stylistic moves visually reinforcing Belfast's skewed perspective. Everything that viewers see is gorgeously lensed by his regular cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos (a mainstay on everything except All Is True since 2007's Sleuth), and also fondly nostalgic as cherished memories of formative years always are, with the lean firmly towards Buddy and his subjective view. As often set to a Van Morrison soundtrack, there's no doubting that this is a portrait of the big and small moments remembered and given a tender glow far more than it's about matters of politics and religion. As carefully and sentimentally conjured up and constructed as it is, Belfast's message remains timely as it gazes five-plus decades back. Horror and conflict stalk Buddy's working-class turf, his routine and life are shaken and upended, but hope — and the reality that life does go on — shines through. The opposing forces of comfort and change jostle around him, and this boy and his loved ones endeavour to make their way through it. Indeed, it should come as no surprise that this was Branagh's pandemic project, or that he peers back with such affection. In one of the movie's least successful touches, he even finds a way to convey that process on-screen, starting with a glossy shot of Ireland today, then literally peeking beyond a wall to venture into the past. Branagh's best choice: his magnificent cast, although an actor who also directs guiding marvellous performances out of his key players also doesn't surprise. What's especially glorious about Hill, Dornan, Balfe, Dench and Hinds is how much their portrayals tell us about their characters in the beats between dialogue, with wide-eyed enthusiasm radiating from wonderful newcomer Hill, and Dench and Hinds perfecting Granny and Pop's world-wise lived-in dynamic, for instance. Dornan and Balfe are also exceptional; whether bickering heatedly about tax debts and far-off places or taking to the dance floor — or, in Dornan's case, belting out a big-hearted rendition of 'Everlasting Love' to give his Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar crooning a companion — they're a picture of that unceasing emotion that Branagh infuses into every element of the film. Yes, as its showcase number trumpets, that's love, which leads to a sweet, neat and light but still vivid and soulful snapshot of growing up amid swelling uncertainty. Image: Rob Youngson / Focus Features.
One of the most significant fashion designers of the past century is the subject of one of Australia's most significant fashion exhibitions, with the National Gallery of Victoria dedicating its big summer blockbuster show to the late, great Alexander McQueen. For fans of pioneering, boundary-pushing threads, Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse's four-month season promises to be better than Christmas — complete with more than 120 garments designed by the icon, plus artworks, sketches, videos and photographic works that inspired him. First revealed back in May, and now on display from Sunday, December 11, 2022—Sunday, April 16, 2023, Mind, Mythos, Muse has taken over the NGV International. Inside the Melbourne cultural institution, fashion devotees will find walls and halls filled with a stunning display, as created in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). All things McQueen first graced LACMA, and now it's Australia's turn. While the LA venue organised the exhibition, drawing upon more than 60 garments and accessories from its own holdings, it contacted NGV about both contributing and running its own season. That's where 50 designs by McQueen from the NGV Collection come in, plus other artworks from each institution. The NGV has been hoping to put an exhibition like this together ever since the designer first made a splash in the early 90s, and Mind, Mythos, Muse does indeed venture back that far. The showcase features McQueen-designed items dating back to 1994, and 25 different seasonal collections — with 20 seasons covered from its the NGV's own holdings alone. Accordingly, attendees can check out examples from the autumn-winter 1995–1996 Highland Rape collection, the autumn-winter 2006–2007 The Widows of Culloden range, and spring-summer 2010's Plato's Atlantis, McQueen's final complete collection before his death in February 2010. Various sections of the exhibition dive into McQueen's oeuvre in different ways. With Mythos, for example, three collections inspired by mythological and religious belief systems sit together. Then, in Fashioned Narratives, four collections that showcase his knack for world-building are in the spotlight. Next comes Evolution and Existence, which hones in on his interest in life cycles and the human condition — and Technique and Innovation, which is rather self-explanatory. Finally, Dangerous Bodies is all about early collections with a focus on eroticism and empowerment. Helping pull together all of the above are behind-the-scenes snaps by photographer Robert Fairer, taking audiences backstage at McQueen's shows — because his parades were an event and an art — and 80-plus historical artworks spanning painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts and works on paper, all hailing LACMA and NGV's collections.
This September, the NGV is showcasing two exhibitions from celebrated Australian photographers: Polixeni Papapetrou and Petrina Hicks. While the exhibitions will be separate — and give you ample time to appreciate and mull over both artists' bosy of work — they will both be on display at the Ian Potter Centre from September 26 until March 2020. Bleached Gothic is the first major survey of Hicks's work, and includes over 50 photographs and motion works from the past 15 years. Hicks explores the complexity of the female experience through enigmatic and surreal photographs. Her work poses question into the visual and cultural representation of women throughout social climates in a series of photographs relevant to the experiences of today. You'll probably recognise Shenae and Jade, which depicts a young girls with a budgie in her mouth. Papapetrou's exhibition — Olympia: Photographs by Polixeni Papapetrou — is the first major retrospective from the Australian photographer, and includes works prior to her death that have never been exhibited in Melbourne. The series showcases photographs of her daughter Olympia, from her birth until her mother's death last year, and explores the representation of children in their contemporary settings. The dual exhibitions are a great way to get a glimpse of never before seen displays, and some of the best works, from two of Australia's best female photographers. Both exhibitions are free to attend. Image: Petrina Hicks, Shewolf I (2016) from theThe California Works series, courtesy of the artist, Michael Reid, Sydney, and This Is No Fantasy, Melbourne.
The work of three world class choreographers from disparate corners of the world will come together in Melbourne for an electric triple bill. With just a dozen engagements at the ornate State Theatre, The Australian Ballet presents Vitesse, a stirring celebration of movement and sound. The performance begins with Christopher Wheeldon’s DGVc: Danse à Grande Vitesse, a lightning-fast work set to music by Michael Nyman, which was composed for the inauguration of the TGV bullet train in France. Second up is Jiri Kylian's Forgotten Land, a fluid number that the Arts Centre program describes as "like an Edvard Munch painting come to life". The show will conclude with William Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, a groundbreaking work widely celebrated for pushing the limits of ballet technique.
Melbourne's hospitality lockdown looked set to claim one of its biggest victims yet, when John and Lisa Van Haandel announced in May that their 15-year-old restaurant Longrain would not be returning post-COVID. That is, until fellow star restaurateur Scott Pickett phoned them up to throw his hat into the ring. Pickett, the chef-owner behind such favourites as Estelle, Matilda, Lupo and Chadstone's Pastore, will now take the reins at the Southeast Asian diner. And he'll be sticking with Longrain's tried-and-true formula, with plans to keep things operating much the same as before, from the food right through to the crew. "It's a wonderful brand and venue, and I didn't want to see that disappear," Pickett said in a statement. "I am stoked that the team is staying on and we can continue this iconic Melbourne venue. Longrain 2.0, I call it." [caption id="attachment_775369" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tim Grey[/caption] While Pickett steps in as overseer, Chef Arté Assavakavinvong will continue heading up the kitchen he's called home for the past six years. Expect to see familiar faces cooking up signature Longrain favourites, which will star alongside a few new Thai-inspired creations — and perhaps a whisper of Pickett flair worked through the menu and produce list. The Van Haandels are backing the new owner and his plans, saying, "we pass the baton confident our baby is in good hands." As for sibling venue Longsong, which sits above the Little Bourke Street space, it'll kick on as an extra Longrain dining room while the pandemic does its thing, offering both a $65 and $95 banquet menu. The upstairs venue is then set to make its own return later in the year. The initial plan was to reopen Longrain 2.0 on Wednesday, July 29, but those plans have been put on hold with all of metropolitan Melbourne going into lockdown until at least Thursday, August 20. We'll let you know when a new date is announced. Longrain is set to reopen at 44 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne later this year. Images: Tim Grey
Sometimes it festers in the hearts of killers. Sometimes it's the reason that villains keep stalking heroes. Sometimes, otherworldly forces are at play. However it graces the big screen, evil is a complicated concept — but cinema also frequently handles it in a muddled and simplistic fashion. Increasingly, as seen in origin stories like Joker and Cruella, profound wickedness has a relatable, almost-excusable reason. Acknowledging that bad things can just happen and unpleasant people can just exist without explanation (so, opting for something far more sinister and also much more realistic) is becoming rare. The other frequently deployed movie rationale, especially in horror, sits at the heart of one of the biggest cash-earning current franchises there is. In The Conjuring films and their spinoffs, evil lurks because literal demons also lurk. Different tactic, same result. Starting in 2013 with The Conjuring, expanding with 2014's Annabelle, and also including The Conjuring 2, both terrible and much better sequels to Annabelle, the dismal The Nun and the formulaic The Curse of the Weeping Woman, The Conjuring Universe now spans eight evil-fighting flicks — and they're all as straightforward as it gets regarding battling the nefarious. Circling around real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, the franchise posits that the supernatural exists, darkness preys upon the innocent and its central couple usually has the tools to combat everything untoward. That template remains firmly in place in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. That said, the third Conjuring flick within the broader Conjuring realm does attempt a few changes. Rather than getting creeped out by haunted houses, it gets spooked by a kid and then a teenager who are both possessed. True to form, bone-shakingly horrific things can't simply occur without some kind of excuse and entity at play. The Warrens (Patrick Wilson, Aquaman, and Vera Farmiga, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) are first tasked with saving eight-year-old David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard, WandaVision) from a demon after his family moves to stereotypically sleepy Brookfield, Connecticut. Their efforts seem successful, even if Ed has a heart attack mid-exorcism, but the evil force they're fighting has really just jumped ship. Arne Johnson (Ruairi O'Connor, The Spanish Princess), the boyfriend of David's sister Debbie (Sarah Catherine Hook, NOS4A2), is quickly besieged by strange occurrences. He's soon also covered in blood after stabbing his landlord to Blondie's 'Call Me'. The death penalty beckons; however, the Warrens convince Arne's lawyer to plead not guilty by reason of demonic possession — the first time that ever happened in the US — and then commit to unearthing whatever paranormal details they can to save his life. The trailer for The Devil Made Me Do It teases legal thrills, but in a bait-and-switch way — because this film is barely concerned with Arne's court case. The true tale, which was previously dramatised in a 1983 TV movie starring Kevin Bacon, merely provides an easy setup here. Sticking to the facts hardly bothers director Michael Chaves (The Curse of the Weeping Woman) and screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (Aquaman). Instead, the pair focus on the usual bumps, jumps and scares that have haunted this franchise since day one. Taking their cues from James Wan, the Australian Saw and Insidious co-creator who helmed the first two Conjuring flicks, The Devil Made Me Do It has all the eerie noises and sudden frights down pat, in fact. More of them are just splashed across the screen, attempting to unnerve the movie's audience with the gusto of a well-oiled machine. As the series' creator and producer, if Wan had opted to call this one The Conjuring 3: Conjuring Harder, the title would've fit. There's a difference between nailing the technical basics and making them engaging, though. This many movies in, The Conjuring Universe should be aiming for more than the former. It definitely shouldn't be cribbing from The Exorcist as gleefully as The Devil Made Me Do It does. Chaves and Johnson-McGoldrick — and Wan, who has a story credit — also forget that if you repeat something too often, it stops being unsettling. In comedy, some gags grow the more they go on, such as The Simpsons' classic Sideshow Bob rake sequence, but the same doesn't prove true in horror when shadowy figures loiter, things keep moving that shouldn't and sounds blast suddenly. All three use the element of surprise, and yet there's no chance anyone watching will be caught unawares by the The Devil Made Me Do It's souped-up demonic antics. And, don't go expecting a meaningful examination of satanic panic, or the way that conservative sections of society need something to blame for life's ills. In this movie, it's just a given that some folks stray from faith, become evil occultists and commit dastardly deeds. As this series has done over and over, it's also a given that femininity draws the short straw. An accused witch, a Raggedy Ann doll, a nun and the ghost of a mother have all symbolised evil in The Conjuring Universe's eyes, but the franchise does look fondly at one woman: Lorraine Warren. As played by Farmiga, she's depicted as the unwavering maternal presence always by Ed's side, and almost the clairvoyant Scully to his demonologist Mulder. It's that dynamic, and the investment that Farmiga and Wilson put into their roles, that keeps prolonging the series. It gives the Conjuring films, including this one, a centre to clutch onto — no matter how much Hollywood sheen has been buffed over the real-life figures, which is plenty. The Devil Made Me Do It needs them, even emphasising their love story, but that feels as standard as everything in the movie. Nonetheless, alongside Australian actor John Noble (Fringe) as a priest, Farmiga and Wilson are the best things about this routine, happily by-the-numbers, never remotely terrifying threequel. Indeed, the fact that more flicks will undoubtably still follow is the scariest thing about the film.
In wrestling – of the competitive rather than staged variety – combatants trade in proximity, physicality and supremacy. They come in close, sizing up each other’s strengths through grabbing and grappling, and then exploiting weaknesses for their own glory. Sudden moves may be made, but little happens quickly. It takes time to push and shove into positions of power, and to feel out avenues for domination. Telling a tale of violence and sought-after victory that can only be ripped from reality, Foxcatcher mimics the sport at its centre, progressing slowly yet never relenting from its atmosphere of tension. Three men jostle for the spotlight: the Olympic Gold medal-winning Schultz brothers Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave (Mark Ruffalo), and wealthy and eccentric wrestling aficionado John E. du Pont (Steve Carell). Though both siblings shared success at the Los Angeles games in 1984, the awkward, lonely Mark remains in the shadow of charismatic family man Dave, their training sessions the highlights of his daily routine. Du Pont’s unexpected offer to finance his – and the American wrestling team’s – repeat shot at the top spot is the opportunity Mark has been waiting for, but his second chance serves his benefactor’s ego, not his own dreams. As Dave asks when Mark tries to convince him to come along at du Pont’s urging, “What does he get out of all this?” The outcome is the stuff crime reenactments are made of; however, 2014 Cannes Film Festival best director recipient Bennett Miller heightens the simmering anxiety of clashing personalities and motivations over the sensationalist result. Those familiar with the filmmaker’s previous two efforts, fellow true crime feature Capote and the baseball-oriented Moneyball, will be well versed in his approach. Once more, Miller’s film is studied and sparse on the surface but explosive underneath; inspired by history but unafraid to shape events to fit its own statement on masculinity, capitalism and America; and coloured by the purposefully unsettling shades of a chilly, blue visual look. Patient pacing — particularly in long shots framing each of the trio against the surroundings of busy training room, claustrophobic apartment and expansive country estate — allows the pressure to build, though what really blossoms is the Foxcatcher’s troika of obsession and aggression-laced character studies. Details are drip-fed horror-style, not only in the script’s unraveling of psychological unease, but in the intensity of the performances. With Oscar nominations apiece, Carell and Ruffalo command attention, albeit in vastly different ways. The affectations of the former, perfecting the control of the privileged yet paranoid, clash with the naturalistic caution of the ever-agreeable latter. It is Tatum, however, who steals every scene, lumbering, vulnerable, and always with the air of the loser even when Schultz is winning. His character might be an innocent initially easily manipulated, but his layered, internalised portrayal ascends to the apex of the against-type cast. Perhaps it is fitting that he has been eclipsed in the awards chatter — overlooked once again as life imitates art depicting real-life circumstances.
Tap dancing is a great excuse to make heaps of noise in a musical, art-approved way — it's also stacks of fun and very skilful when it comes down to it (although it's an activity that ticks the harder than it looks box). This Wednesday night, head down to East Richmond's Dance Factory, they offer classes for tap beginners, working on technique and musicality and making satisfying amounts of foot noise. Also, you'll have a beaut party trick if you've got your shoes on, you old Fred Astaire.
Anime, claymation, 3D stereoscopic and old-timey pen and paper will all be on display at Melbourne's inaugural celebration of all things animation. As its name suggests, the Melbourne International Animation Festival is basically about two things: (1) the entire gamut of what we might consider as animation and (2) its global-ness. With animation taken from such diverse corners of the world as Lithuania, Canada, Japan and the United States, the 11-day festival looks set to be an artistic tour of how animation has come to reflect different national and regional cultures. So what does the event actually involve? The short answer is a little bit of everything. There will be screenings and film galas, showcasing 200 or so of the best new animated films going around, exhibitions and collections of everything from music videos to Portland Claymation, forums and talks from some of the world's most celebrated indie animators and interactive workshops that look at such nostalgic treats as making your own flipbook. Head to their website if you're hoping to get a complete breakdown of their program and stock up on your favourite Lithuanian fairytales and children's anime because it's all set to be on show when the festival kicks off on June 20.
When Australian wine festival Pinot Palooza does the rounds each year, it's heaven for fans of the type of vino that's in its name. When dairy fest Mould pops up, cheese dreams are indeed made of this. The two initially ran as separate events, but that's been changing in some Australian cities in recent years. In 2025, Melbourne is on that list, getting the Mould x Pinot Palooza experience. It's a wine fest. It's a cheese fest, too. It's a celebration of an iconic pairing, clearly. Come winter, across Friday, July 4–Saturday, July 5, Melbourne gets a two-day stint at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton. Sessions run from 5–9pm on the Friday, and from 11am–3pm and 4–8pm on the Saturday. On the vino side, being spoilt for choice can be overrated. Sometimes, like when deciding which wine varieties you feel like at any given moment, it's easier to have someone else do the picking for you. With that in mind, Pinot Palooza goes all in on pinot noir — and here, the sound of a light- to medium-bodied red wine sloshing around a glass is the standard soundtrack. For cheese fiends, imagine a place where cheese reigns supreme, other than in your own kitchen. Imagine a wide array of different varieties on offer for the tasting. Imagine being able to sample whatever you liked from this dairy feast, too. And, picture just buying one ticket to devour all the cheddar, brie, camembert, raclette and whichever other cheeses take your fancy. Is this the real life? Yes — it isn't just a cheesy fantasy. Bringing Pinot Palooza and Mould together is both a stroke of genius and the result of the two events both being organised by the same company. Revel first starting clinking glasses filled with pinot noir in 2012, then turned its attention to cheese, cheese and more cheese in 2017. The full lineup of folks that'll be letting you sample their wares hasn't yet been revealed, but it will include Innocent Bystander, Vinteloper, Yering Station, Meadowbank Wines, Charteris Wines and Howard Vineyards on the wine front, plus Milawa Cheese and Bruny Island among the cheesemongers — and Bee One Third honey and Women's Work relishes, too. And yes, your $59 ticket still includes unlimited tastings at the fest's featured stalls. You'll also get a free cooler bag, wine glass and tote.
Phillip Island's ever-popular little penguin residents have scored themselves an upgrade, with the new-look, revamped Penguin Parade visitor centre opening its doors this week. The colony of tiny birds and their waterfront digs have long been one of Victoria's iconic tourist destinations, with the sunset penguin viewings pulling over 700,000 visitors each year. Now, with the help of $48.2 million funding from the Labor Government — along with an extra $10 million from the not-for-profit Phillip Island Nature Parks — the world-leading penguin research precinct has had a long-awaited makeover. In good news for its pint-sized inhabitants, the mammoth infrastructure project has restored over six hectares of penguin habitat, reclaiming the site of the former visitor centre building to create extra homes for up to 1400 breeding penguins. As for the new centre built in its place, it boasts a state-of-the-art theatre, a suite of interactive activities and educational installations, along with a selection of retail and dining options. Here, you'll be able to browse a range of commissioned penguin-themed designs, from bamboo tumblers to tea towels, along with a line of sustainability-focused products including reusable veggie bags and stainless steel straws. An onsite restaurant will be dishing up plates like slow-cooked lamb shanks and a classic chicken parma, while the cafe is your go-to for sandwiches, sushi and pies. On the educational side of things, you'll find a realistic habitat space offering a penguins-eye view of the world, a range of penguin statues for those selfie snaps and a display sharing the story of the Summerland Peninsula's historic buy-back scheme and restoration of the penguin habitat. You'll also score a close-up glimpse of the penguin life cycle, as told through the journeys of resident birds Pudding, Ava, Peter and Flynn. The interactive installation allows you to see what's likely happening in penguin world during various seasons and months. The building's design has also earned some serious street cred, being named as a winner at the recent 2019 International Architecture Awards. And, in a win for those penguins, the building is especially environmentally friendly, featuring 666 rooftop solar panels, low-carbon building materials throughout and a water filtration system that recycles rainwater for non-potable use. While the visitor centre is entirely new, the program of penguin-viewing experiences remains the same — including the popular underground viewing platform and the ranger guided tours. You can find the new Penguin Parade Visitor Centre at 1019 Ventnor Rd, Summerlands.
More dogs. That's it, that's our wish list. There can never be enough dog-friendly bars, dog-centric events, creative food for dogs, doggo movie screenings or just good ol' dog parks, and there never will be. Also, as the ABC's new Tony Armstrong-hosted three-part doco series A Dog's World with Tony Armstrong clearly realises, there can't be too many shows about these four-legged cuties either. Netflix already gave us two seasons of the docuseries Dogs, recent big-screen release Stray spent time with puppers in Istanbul and there's even a whole streaming platform made for woofers — as every pooch owner knows, they like to watch TV, too — but none of them enlist the former AFL player turned ABC News Breakfast sports presenter to explore the world of canines. Obviously, given its title, A Dog's World with Tony Armstrong definitely does. Across the three-part series, he won't just be surrounded by canines, but will also interview top canine researchers, step into the evolution of dogs, explore their senses and help provide advice for your own barking bestie. "When I was approached about the possibility of being involved in A Dog's World, I don't even think I got to the end of the email before I was agreeing to take part," says Armstrong. "It was amazing being involved in the project, I learned a lot and I hope everyone who watches enjoys it as much as we enjoyed making it!" The ABC has just dropped a trailer for the series and, yes, it looks as super-cute as it sounds. The dogs featured even just in the 100-second sneak peek firmly fit that description. If you're keen to watch, add 8.30pm on Tuesday, March 22 to your diary — which is when A Dog's World with Tony Armstrong will start airing on ABC TV and streaming via ABC iView. Check out the trailer for A Dog's World with Tony Armstrong below: A Dog's World with Tony Armstrong will be available to watch via ABC TV and ABC iView on Tuesday, March 22.
In the spirit of Grand Final footy fever, Saxe is celebrating the long weekend with an Aussie feast on the public holiday Friday (Friday, September 27) from 2–4pm. A free-flowing frenzy of Four Pillars cocktails will be available for the whole two hours, as will a sharing menu of reworked Australian classics from chef and owner Joe Grbac. For $75 per person, you and your mates can spend the afternoon sipping unlimited Four Pillars gin cocktails, and eating the Aussie-inspired menu. The latter includes pork Chiko Rolls with jalapeño sauce, crumpets with mushroom jam, beef tartare with macadamia and jerusalem artichoke, as well as a chicken, bacon and mushroom orecchiette. Cocktail-wise, the unlimited drinks will include the gin and juice (with Bloody Shiraz gin), a negroni spritz, the Melbourne Calling — with lemon, Four Pillars sherry cask gin and rosemary — and the Springtime, with lime, ginger, rare dry gin, soda and flower syrup. To ensure your spot at Saxe this Grand Final weekend, you'll need to head over to the website — or call 9089 6699 — to make a booking.
Maybe you lived through it. Maybe you were too young. Maybe you weren't even around yet. Whichever applies, we can still all agree that the '90s gifted the world with a host of wonders. The music, the clothing, the TV, the movies, the stars...if they were around in Australia two decades ago, then they probably make an appearance at NGV Australia's new exhibition. Popping up at the Ian Potter Centre from June 2 to October 1, Every Brilliant Eye: Australian Art of the 1990s celebrates the creativity of the period in question, featuring more than 100 works from the NGV Collection, plus selected pieces relating to various artist collectives, artist run spaces and subcultures that emerged during the influential decade. If the name sounds familiar, that's because it comes from a Died Pretty track. And if it doesn't, make hunting down the song your first piece of '90s fun. There's plenty on offer in the exhibition itself, including an entire room dedicated to club culture, including a music video and fashions from the era on display. Or, feast your eyes on all things grunge, check out the work of the three Indigenous female artists who represented Australia at the Venice Biennale of 1997 (Emily Kam Kngwarray, Yvonne Koolmatrie and Judy Watson), or enjoy an Unplugged Live conversation series complete with chats with '90s musos, as hosted by The Panics' singer-songwriter Jae Laffer. Images: Installation view of Every Brilliant Eye: Australian Art in the 1990s at NGV Australia, shot by Thomas Dallas Watson.
In May 2024, Mornington scored a luxe new cocktail bar that's bringing old-world luxury down to the coast. The Bon Vivant's Companion is all black finishes, brass trimmings, art deco pendant lights and marble counters, and makes for a moody and lavish setting for cocktail-sipping. Behind the bar, you'll find over 200 Australian spirits, with a particular focus on gin and whisky. These are served up as they are, or mixed into a collection of signature cocktails or reimagined classics. The Clarified Paper Plane made with whiskey, amaro, Aperol and lemon is a particular standout. As is the Manhattan, made using Hellyers Road pinot noir-cask whisky, rose vermouth, cherry glaze and chocolate bitters. But if you'd just prefer a dirty gin martini, you'll have no trouble getting a mighty good one here. When it comes to food, there are just a few snacking options. Expect small plates like coconut ceviche with pomegranate arils and chilli and smoked trout rillette with salmon roe and house-made chips. Platters of cured meats and cheeses are also easy choices for those looking to graze, but there isn't a whole heap to eat as this haunt is primarily a drinking destination. But make sure you don't just rock on into the front bar and leave it there. For there's a Japanese-inspired speakeasy bar hidden behind a false wall somewhere in the building. Either feel for it yourself, pushing every wall in The Bon Vivant's Companion, or ask the staff for 'Jane'. They'll take you to the secret bar with its huge whisky collection. If you're in Mornington and have a hankering for fine whisky, gin or luxe cocktails, this'll be your spot.
It has been eight months since The Handmaid's Tale dropped its first teaser for its upcoming fourth season, which, like plenty of other things over the last year, was postponed. Over that time, it was also announced that the dystopian series would bless our screens for even longer, with a fifth season green-lit before the fourth even airs. But fans keen to actually step back into the show's story, rather than just hear news about it, have been hanging out to do exactly that for quite some time. Thankfully, that delay is about to come to an end, with a US release date just announced for the next batch of episodes. The Handmaid's Tale will start its fourth season in America on April 28 — and while just when it'll air Down Under hasn't been revealed, you shouldn't expect that there'll be much of a wait. Hulu, the platform that airs The Handmaid's Tale in the US, has also just dropped a new trailer for the fourth season, so you can get another glimpse of what's about to hit. In its opening moments, the tense score and images of empty streets are accompanied by a radio broadcast‚ with the resistance in full swing. And yes, the show's protagonist, June (Elisabeth Moss), is still battling against Gilead after season three's cliffhanger ending. Toppling a totalitarian society that's taken over the former United States, tearing down its oppression of women under the guise of 'traditional values', and fighting for freedom and equality doesn't happen quickly, after all. If you're wondering what else in store in the award-winning adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1985, June's quest isn't likely to be easy — because everything in this series comes with risks and challenges. Check out the latest season four trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmcWPOH4Yqw The fourth season of The Handmaid's Tale will hit US screens from April 28, and it's likely it'll start airing on SBS in Australia around the same time. We'll update you with further details when they're announced.
The 21st-century has not been kind to the vampire. Between Stephenie Meyer's sparkling high schoolers, the leather-clad killers of the Underworld series and whatever the hell those things in I Am Legend were meant to be, the once noble creatures of the night have been reduced by pop-culture to cringeworthy caricatures. Bela Lugosi must be turning in his grave. Enter Jim Jarmusch, director of Dead Man, Ghost Dog and Broken Flowers, to name just a few. One of the enduring figures of the American indie film movement, Jarmusch has made a career out of minimally plotted, post-modern genre subversions, and his latest work is no exception. Mixing traditional vampire mythology with the director's distinctively aloof brand of cool, Only Lovers Left Alive is a handsome, compelling, meditative take on the lives of the eternal undead. An appropriately gaunt and pasty Tom Hiddleston plays Adam, a centuries-old bloodsucker living on the outskirts of Detroit. A reclusive figure, Adam's only human contacts are a crooked hospital doctor (Jeffrey Wright) who provides him with fresh batches of O-negative, and a wide-eyed rock 'n' roll fan (Anton Yelchin) from whom the vampire buys vintage guitars. Aside from his music, the one thing Adam cares about is his wife, Eve (Tilda Swinton), with whom he is reunited not long after the movie begins. For a while, the immortal lovers live in peace, only to find their solitary existence shattered by the arrival of Eve's impulsive younger sister (Mia Wasikowska). Like many of Jarmusch's films, Only Lovers moves along at a languid pace, with large stretches of the movie unfolding in which very little actually happens. Nevertheless, viewers willing to give the film their patience will be rewarded by its rich, intoxicating atmosphere. Synonymous both with rock 'n' roll and America's crumbling economy, Detroit's empty streets and abandoned buildings are the perfect stalking ground for Jarmusch's silent camera, which finds an eerie kind of beauty in moonlit vistas of urban decay. Electronic guitar chords flow despondently across the soundtrack, ringing in perfect harmony with the images projected on the screen. The protagonists are drawn with fascinating detail. Late-night musings, on music, art, science and the various historical figures that Adam and Eve once knew, are underlined by a sardonic sense of humour, informed by centuries of bitterness and disappointment. Detached from the world around them, there's an air of tortured disinterest to the duo, like ageing rock stars, or unkillable hipsters (and isn't that a terrifying concept?) Emphasising mood over story, Only Lovers Left Alive is the cinematic equivalent of one of Adam's melancholic rock songs. It washes over you, absorbing through your skin. Jarmusch has brought dignity back to the vampire, in his own unmistakable style. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ycOKvWrwYFo
While seeing fruit mince pies in your local shopping centre in October feels downright disturbing, there's one Christmas treat that no one ever minds arriving early: Four Pillars annual Christmas Gin. The latest iteration of the Healesville distillery's seasonal sip is coming in strong, set to hit shelves on Saturday, November 2. It's the delicious result of a yearly tradition that sees a bunch of Christmas puddings handmade with distiller Cameron Mackenzie's mother's recipe — the 1968 Australian Women's Weekly recipe, in fact — distilled with various festive botanicals to create a sought-after tipple that pretty much screams December 25. The flavours of an Aussie Christmas are captured in notes of cinnamon, star anise, juniper, coriander and angelica. The Christmas gin is then blended with some earlier gin that's been carefully ageing in 80-year-old muscat barrels. It's all finished with a hit of Rutherglen muscat for a bit of added richness and complexity. Each year, a new unique label is chosen to wrap up this Christmas creation, setting out to evoke that same festive spirit. The 2019's bottle design is the work of artist Tim Summerton, who lives on a property in the Southern Highlands where he grows hundreds of Indigenous Australian plants. The bottle is decorated with one of them: vibrant red Illawarra flame trees. The distillers recommend you sip the limited-edition gin straight over ice, mix it with ginger ale or whip up a Christmassy martinez with gin, vermouth, Benedictine and Angostura bitters. Or you can just splash a bit of it on your own Christmas pudding. If you want to nab a bottle, have your fingers poised over the 'buy' button when they go on sale online on November 2. Alternatively, you can stop by the Four Pillars HQ in Healesville, Victoria. Bottles are $100 a pop and would make stellar Chrissy pressies, if you're already thinking about that. Four Pillars Christmas Gin is available from November 2, in selected retail stores and online. But you'd best be quick — there's only a limited amount of bottles.
What's better than one new episode of Black Mirror in a six-month period? A whole new season. After Black Mirror: Bandersnatch dropped in the last few days of 2018, unleashing its movie-length choose-your-own-adventure mysteries upon the world, just when the show's fifth series would hit was anyone's guess. Now, all has been revealed. Mark Wednesday, June 5 in your diary and prepare for quite the unsettling night. Yes, if you're super keen on bleak technological tales that explore just how dystopian our world could become, you'll be able to knock the new season out in a single evening. While more Black Mirror is always a good thing — especially more Black Mirror arriving so soon — this run will only include three episodes, just like the show's first two seasons. Although specific storylines haven't been completely revealed, the series' first trailers do give away a few hints. Unsurprisingly, the pesky buzzing of mobile phones features prominently, as does the growing prominence of social media, artificial intelligence, smart technology and virtual reality. A police standoff, a lonely teen getting empowering feedback from a desktop robot and the troubles of stardom all earn a mention in the teaser's montage of clips, too. As always, that's certain to be just the beginning. Also familiar: a hefty lineup of familiar faces, with the Charlie Brooker-created series continually going above and beyond on the casting front. This time around, Miley Cyrus, Anthony Mackie, Topher Grace, Andrew Scott and Aussie actress Angourie Rice lead the way, alongside Nicole Beharie, Pom Klementieff, Madison Davenport, Ludi Lin, Damson Idris and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Check out the trailers below — including the overall series trailer, plus individual episode trailers for the three instalments, which are called Striking Vipers, Smithereens and Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bVik34nWws https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssr40U3-do0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SybklT8k1k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qIlCo9yqpY Black Mirror's fifth season drops on Netflix on Wednesday, June 5. Updated May 23. Images: Netflix / Pedro Saad.
With the spoils of Melbourne's world-class food scene sitting right at your fingertips, you'd be bonkers not to get amongst it every chance you get. If you're a CBD worker, today's the day to treat yourself to a slightly lengthier lunch break, so you can amble through the delectable Love Italy lunchtime set menu at Grossi Florentino. One of Melbourne's longest-standing culinary stalwarts, this Bourke Street beauty delivers standout, honest Italian fare, with its lunchtime set menu showcasing a different region of Italy each month. Opt for a two-course feed ($45) or three-course feast ($55), and roll back to the office plotting your next Italian getaway.
If you're craving some Bridgerton-esque charm in your life, Mary Eats Cake will host its first Scone Festival this June, offering a month-long celebration of both sweet and savoury bites. Each week from Saturday, June 1–Sunday, June 30, Mary Eats Cake will introduce a new and exciting scone flavour, such as decadent double chocolate, Italiano pizza, pumpkin spice and jalapeño popper. Guests can drop in to the Montrose or Brunswick venues to try the weekly flavour, or book in for a high tea experience with bottomless festival scones. For more details about the Scone Festival at Mary Eats Cake and to book your spot, visit the official website.
Treat yo self! It's a motto for a reason. The Parks and Rec team taught us that everyone deserves a day of total indulgence once a year, and given how this year is going, we say you should stretch that to two. Two weekend days in Sydney, to be precise. The most unabashedly glam of the state capitals, Sydney will take you to 1930s Shanghai, mid-century Paris and 2000s Hamptons — all without you leaving the city centre. This is also the home of megawatt art and performance. Base yourself in the CBD and explore these decadences on your doorstep. EAT AND DRINK If you have the luxury to plan your trip a few weeks in advance, seek out a booking at one of Sydney's quintessential fine-dining establishments and put it right at the heart of your itinerary. A meal at Bennelong under the Sydney Opera House sails, a blow-out degustation at legendary Tetsuya's, a spread at ever-confident and classy Bentley or a taste odyssey at Peter Gilmore's newly revamped Quay (reopening this month, sadly minus the Snow Egg) — these are experiences you'll remember for months to come, let alone when your colleagues ask you what you did on the weekend. For your other meals, take a risk on some sophisticated newcomers. Restaurant Hubert, located in a dark and delightfully atmospheric basement on Bligh Street, is the one all Sydneysiders will rave to you about. Literally: it was our pick of best new restaurant in 2016, and the people's choice. In looks and menu, it's a marriage of olde-worlde European charm and contemporary finesse — think duck parfait with maple syrup jelly, escargot with house XO sauce, and kimchi gratin. If you're more in the mood to share a couple of stir-fries — but like, really excellent ones — head to David Thompson's upmarket Thai venture, Long Chim, or Dan Hong's enduring Cantonese venture Mr Wong, inspired by 1930s Shanghai. When it comes to pre- and post-drinks, let the city's sensational skyline be your guide. Don't miss the Cuban-inspired 'vista bar' Hacienda Sydney, with views that stretch for days. It's a garden oasis within Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour where its always summer in the tropics, even in August. Afterwards, head to Henry Deane, the rooftop bar at pub The Palisades. Not only is it mostly enclosed, so you're sheltered from the winter winds, it manages an art deco-meets-Hamptons vibe, and its views are just insane. This is the spot to pop the top off a bottle of Louis Roederer Rosé Champagne from Rheims or put your trust in the bartenders to mix you a signature creation. The Opera Bar nearby is the ultimate in water's-edge drinking, while The Doss House in The Rocks lets whisky shine. Start your next day out in Sydney as if it were Paris — with a coffee and a pastry swiped from Bistro Guillaume. Owner Guillaume Brahimi is one of Sydney's fine-dining old guard, but his CBD venue is so relaxed it includes a takeaway patisserie. Hit him up for tarts, croque monsieurs and — of course — croissants. If it's a bigger morning fuel-up you're after, head further down George Street to The Grounds of the City — the CBD offshoot of Sydney's arguably most famous (and certainly most Instagrammed) cafe. DO A short break in Sydney's CBD is your chance to play art doyen for the day. Two of the state's main art institutions — the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) and Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) — are both parked here. Head to the AGNSW to catch the annual headline-making Archibald Prize exhibition, on all winter. You can make the most of the event by bundling your ticket together with a special themed high tea at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. At the MCA, the John Mawurndjul exhibition — I Am the Old and the New — is worth lingering over. The Kuninjku artist from west Arnhem Land is known for extremely detailed cross-hatching you'll want to study up close. If you make it into town on the last Friday night of the month, don't miss the MCA's after-hours event, Artbar. Between one gallery and the other, you'll find a trail of Sydney's finest shops. Start at the Galeries — home to style-makers Incu, Kinokuniya and Muji — before wandering through the historic Queen Victoria Building and The Strand Arcade, both lined with contemporary boutiques. Then, lose yourself in the higgledy-piggledy laneways of The Rocks — you might stumble on art, craft and jewellery finds. A night at the Sydney Opera House should follow. Opera is right there in the name, but the venue also hosts theatre, talks, contemporary music — if a cultural form is out there, the SOH has run it. This winter, look out for the Sydney Theatre Company's The Long Forgotten Dream, with real stars director Neil Armfield and actor Wayne Blair attached, as well as the no-holds-barred spectacle of Opera Australia's AIDA. Come September, you can go full 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' with the arrival of hit musical Evita, or balance out the weekend's indulgences with Antidote — that's the name of the talks festival that this year is bringing out Chelsea Manning, Ronan Farrow and Ta-Nehisi Coates. And just because Vivid is over, doesn't mean all the sparkle has gone out of the sails. Every night at sunset and 7pm, you can see the sides of the Opera House projected with Badu Gili, a seven-minute graphic work based on First Nations stories from the area. SLEEP The thing that's really going to kick your Sydney short break into treat-yo-self territory? That's the quality of your digs. The Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, near the State Library and Botanic Gardens, is true five-star indulgence. It has a pillow menu, for starters (yes, you get to choose your pillows). It also has elegant rooms, a courtyard garden, a health club and a breakfast you'll have to see to believe. This has couple's retreat written all over it. If hot-tub time is a holiday mandatory for you, on the other hand, the five-star Pullman Sydney Hyde Park has your name on it. Head to the rooftop pool for epic views out over Hyde Park and the city skyline — or enjoy them from your own window if you choose the right room. For luxury closer to the bustle of George Street — and to get those sweet, sweet spa treatments — choose the Swissotel Sydney. The hotel is home to the Spa & Sport day spa, as well as a sizeable gym and heated outdoor pool and jacuzzi. Lest you overdo the health kick, the hotel has just added fondue to its menu Thursday through Saturday nights. The dipping options include mac-and-cheese croquettes, potato rosti and nashi pear. Help. Go to the AccorHotels website to book your stay in the Sydney CBD, and to discover more of NSW, swing by Visit NSW.
Barbers of Brunswick doesn't do things by halves. Many barbershops offer clients a tipple with their trim, and though this spot does that too, it also has a dedicated space out the back that doubles as a lounge bar. There are worse places to wait for your appointment, that's for sure. When your name is called, you'll settle in to one of the vintage barbers chairs, get your hair washed in one of the brushed concrete basins and have a chat to your friendly barber as they get to work. More importantly, Barbers of Brunswick is passionate about ensuring their patrons feel good both in and out of the chair. And we're not just talking about giving them a sexy haircut that'll make them feel good about themselves — although it does that, too. But it also puts its money where its mouth is by supporting a number of charitable organisations, including Movember, Encompass Care Vic and Beyond Blue, via financial donations and volunteering.
Fries, mash, rösti, gnocchi, dauphinois — has ever a vegetable been as universal, as chameleonic in its deliciousness as the potato? Considering that you can't even eat one of these guys raw, it's amazing what the humble spud can do when it's given a tiny bit of love. That's why the Ballarat Potato Festival is such a draw. On for one day only this winter, the festival features some of the Ballarat foodie scene's best eateries, each putting their own spin on local taters pulled from nearby farms. Considering this is one of Victoria's main potato-producing regions, there'll be no shortage of material to go around. The festival will certainly be your main, if not only opportunity this year to try twice-cooked potato halwa. Other tastebud-tickling delights on the menu incluce potato pancakes, savoury spiced potato doughnuts and potato-stuffed naan bread. Traditionalists will not be left disappointed, either — if chips and gravy is your truest heart's desire, no one will stand in the way. Discover all the Potato Festival stalls with just a gold-coin donation for entry on Saturday, 30 June, at the Ballarat Mining Exchange. The event is part of the Ballarat Winter Festival, so once you've had your fill of potato knishes and knödels, you can head out and explore the Winter Wonderlights in Sovereign Hill (think White Night meets Christmas in July), jump on the pop-up ice-skating rink or contemplate Into Light, the exhibition of 19th- and 20th-century Parisian painting at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. Come back in July if you want to get in on more foodie events that celebrate the region, like the Salumi and Charcuterie Festival on July 21 or the Red Series back at the Ballarat Mining Exchange on July 28. To prep for the trip and discover more things to do in winter around Ballarat, visit the Wander Victoria website.
“We must rediscover”, wrote Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich, “the distinction between hope and expectation”. Jurassic World may now offer us that opportunity. Back in April, hopes were high that this would finally be the film to return the franchise to greatness, however — to paraphrase The Dark Knight — this is not the film we’d hoped for, but the one we should have expected. Why is it a giant disappointasaurus? Let us count the ways. IT’S ALL JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY REPEATED So, there’s a revolutionary dinosaur preserve on an island off Costa Rica. Two young children, relatives of the park’s chief administrator, visit and receive a VIP tour, only for an enormous dinosaur to escape its pen, trash the kids’ glass-roofed transport and begin killing park employees. The park’s innovators, InGen, only make matters worse, but, thankfully, there’s an old-school expert on hand to keep the kids alive, even when they're circled by three ravenous raptors in the climatic finale that sees a T-Rex come to the rescue right in the heart of the Visitor Centre. Don’t know which Jurassic film we're talking about? Exactly. SAFETY FIRST, PEOPLE In 1992 John Hammond tried to open Jurassic Park, but (unfortunately) some things went wrong and people died. His son tried again a few years later, but (unfortunately) some things went wrong and people died. Couple of years after that, Sam Neil went back to the islands and again, people died. It was very unfortunate. Point is: if you're somehow convinced that 'fourth time's a charm', you begin by ensuring that every single design aspect of your dinosaur theme park is grounded in the knowledge that things could go wrong and people might die. Now, I'm no structural engineer, but for me that at least means having: a. A bunker capable of securing every person on the island within minutes; and b. enough transportation off the island for every person who's on it. 'Lifeboats on the Titanic', and all that. Unfortunately, in Jurassic World, the definitive emergency protocol involves: keeping things quiet (because, money), having inexperienced teenagers herd everyone into an open-air Visitor Complex alongside the two largest dinosaurs on the island and then calling for a moderate-sized ferry to crawl back over from Costa Rica to pick up some of the people. SHE’LL BE RIGHT Early on in Jurassic World we hear the park’s operations manager, Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), complain that “this is the second time this month” that a dinosaur has breached its security perimeter, before dispatching a team to quietly fix it up. The second time. In a month. The fact that it was a herbivore is entirely irrelevant. Even if it had been nothing more than a prehistoric butterfly or an aggressively-growing shrub, you'd shut that entire park down in a heartbeat until there were no security breaches. Ever. The logic failings of Jurassic World are so glaring from so early on that you basically want everyone to die just to punish them for unbelievable stupidity. RECEPTION! RECEPTION! MY KINGDOM FOR RECEPTION! You know what would be a great twist in a movie? Someone whipping out their mobile phone and it having perfectly good reception. Sadly, though, for both the visitors and staff of Jurassic World, despite being in a state-of-the-art theme park that literally lets you ride glass orbs through herds of genetically engineered dinosaurs one full decade into the scientific era of ‘de-extinction’, nobody's yet figured out how to put a cell tower on top of a tall hill. WHO? 1993’s Jurassic Park was full of wonderfully crafted, three-dimensional characters whose names we still recall more than two decades later. John Hammond, Doctors Grant and Sattler, Ian Malcolm, Dennis Nedry, Timmy and Lex — heck, we even remember the names of the dinosaurs (did someone say dilophosaurus?). They’re all still memorable because of their distinct personalities and carefully selected attributes, both human and reptile. Lex knew UNIX. She knew UNIX. Jurassic World, by contrast, is more like the Star Wars prequels in that you refer to characters like you were giving police a vague description of the gang that mugged you. “Well, um, there’s the uptight redhead who never takes her heels off, her assistant (she’s British, I remember that she was British), the rich guy who was semi-charismatic, but then just died, those two kids (the younger one seemed to know some stuff about DNA but it never amounted to anything, so...), oh, and the hero! He was kinda cool, but we never really got to know what he wanted or desired, so he just sort of... stayed cool and did cool things”. Sorry folks, the only character you’re going to feel anything for in this film is a dying Apatosaurus. That indistinct gang stole your $20 and you’re never getting it back. KNOW YOUR STARS The stars of Jurassic Park were the dinosaurs, specifically the T-Rex and the velociraptors. All those memorable humans listed above — their excellent performances notwithstanding — were in supporting roles and that suited everyone just fine. In Jurassic World, there are at least loads of dinosaurs, including two fantastic new editions: the mosasaurus (a giant shark-eating sea creature) and the terrifying hybrid known as the ‘Indominus Rex’. The problem is, we see the Mosa the leasta, and the Indominus, despite sporting some amazing features like camouflage, scarcely uses them. In a movie full of branding, it almost seems incomprehensible that a dinosaur capable of going full chameleon doesn’t at some point blend into the park’s background with its skin adopting the Jurassic logo (or, you know, those of IBM and McDonalds). "IMAGINE IF WE’D HAD THESE IN TORA BORA" Vincent D’Onofrio’s character wants to weaponise raptors for the US military to use in the place of drones. It sounds pretty insane, but to be fair, the US Navy has already trained dolphins to protect its ships, recover gear and detect mines. Still, D’Onofrio's line was so terrifically stupid that the audience laughed. The mere mention of freedom-loving velociraptors hunting down bin Laden in Afghanistan like some sort of Squeal Team Six ought to have had his character institutionalised, but instead he somehow ended up Head of InGen security and given full licence to test out his theory. Also, his constant allusions to "65 millions years of instinct” fundamentally misunderstand the concept of ‘time', in that if something lived 65 million years ago, died and is then brought back to life today, it has not accrued aeons of life experience in the downtime. $700 MILLION ON DAY 1 Yes, it’s a blockbuster. In fact, it’s the blockbuster, breaking all opening day records in the US. Why? Because, dammit, we want to see dinosaurs and Jurassic World has dinosaurs. Big ones, cute ones, scary ones and familiar ones. It ultimately gives us exactly what we want, which is why — in the absence of a good story — it’s such a shame it couldn’t also give us what we’d hoped for.
This Christmas, Disney+ is giving us all a shiny new present, with the streaming platform adding another Home Alone movie to everyone's festive viewing rotation. Right now, it's also kickstarting the merriment early — by dropping the first trailer for Home Sweet Home Alone, the fifth flick in the holiday-themed franchise. Pick a number between five and 100, and that's the average number of times you've probably watched the first Home Alone. You'll note that we haven't dared to suggest you've only seen it once, or twice, or even just three or four times, because we know how unlikely that is. We're guessing you've viewed the first sequel to the 1990 favourite quite a bit, too, because we all have. If you haven't given Home Alone 3 and Home Alone 4 as much love, though, that's understandable. Here's an important question for you moving forward, however: how many times do you think you'll give Home Sweet Home Alone a whirl? Available to stream from Friday, November 12, Home Sweet Home Alone jumps back into the franchise that's all about being left behind by your family at Christmas. On paper, the overall concept doesn't sound all that jolly — but as we all know, these flicks have been an end-of-year staple for three decades. And the Mouse House is messing with its winning formula here, either. This time around, a kid called Max Mercer is the focus — as played by Jojo Rabbit's Archie Yates. Obviously, he's left at home while his family goes away. They head to Japan for the holidays, he gets forgotten, and soon he's fending off a couple that's trying to break into his house. We all know how the story is going to go from there, with this remake even giving a screenplay credit to the original's writer/director John Hughes. Filmmaker Dan Mazer is in the director's chair on Home Sweet Home Alone, after previously helming I Give It a Year and Dirty Grandpa, and writing Bridget Jones's Baby, Office Christmas Party and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. On-screen, Yates is joined by Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Rob Delaney (Wrath of Man) as the crooks trying to bust into Max's home, while Aisling Bea (This Way Up) plays his mother — and Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live), Tim Simons (Veep) and Chris Parnell (Rick and Morty) also feature. There have been rumours that Macaulay Culkin will make an appearance, too, but you'll obviously need to watch the full movie to see if that pans out. Check out the Home Sweet Home Alone trailer below: Home Sweet Home Alone will be available to stream via Disney+ from Friday, November 12. Images: courtesy of Disney+. © 2021 20th Century Studios.
The quiet backstreet setting of Thornbury's 3 Ravens Brewery has become a little rowdier this summer, with the launch of its new weekend pop-up, dubbed the Industrial Oasis Beer Garden. Out the front of the venue, a sprawling section of Theobold Street has been transformed into an openair drinking destination, serving up craft brews, food truck eats and DJ tunes every Saturday and Sunday until mid-April. On the brewery decks, you'll catch vinyl tunes from the likes of Rusty Brown Record Collective, Larry Quicksticks and Phizbert, in between challenging your mates to a few rounds of ping pong. A rotation of local food truck favourites will be rolling by as well — expect pizzas by Happy Camper, US-style sandwiches from Oh Boy! It's a Food Truck and plenty more to come. And of course, the 3 Ravens beer will be flowing, with the bar pouring limited-edition specialty brews alongside core drops like the Tropical Pale Ale and Thornbury Pilsner. Opened from noon each day, the new al fresco haunt is taking both bookings and walk-ins for its outdoor seating and picnic spots. And with zero time limits in place, you're able to kick back here in the sunshine for as long as you like. 3 Ravens Industrial Oasis Beer Garden is open from 12–9pm Saturday and Sunday.
Playa Takeria prides itself on being Sydney's authentic Mexican taqueria. So where better to spend Cinco de Mayo this year than under the gaze of their mural of saluting Frida Kahlo, where you can find cactus in your salad or corn smut (the delicacy/corn fungus also known as Mexican truffle) in your taco? Cinco de Mayo may originally have been a holiday celebrating Mexico whipping France back in the 1800s in the city of Pueblo, but it has become a day across the globe to celebrate all things Mexican and to ingest as much guacamole as you humanly can. For the festivities, Playa will be hosting a Cinco de Mayo Dinner Fiesta, with special edition tacos – including the Senioritas Taco, the Barbacoa and the My Hot Mexican — as well as $5 Coronas and $20 buckets of Corona. Head along between 11am and 3pm or stick around from 6pm until late and spend your Cinco de Mayo sharing an ice bucket of beers filled with limes and stuffing your face with some of the best Mexican fare in the city.
When a marquee theatre company attempts to reimagine a classic, fireworks are expected to ensue. It needs to be fresh and it needs to take the play in some sort of unexpected direction. And, furthermore, it tends to need a superstar's name to put up on the billboard. As superstars go, they don't come more much more super than Hollywood heavyweight David Wenham. Wenham takes on the iconic and notoriously difficult role of John Proctor, the morally conflicted farmer facing a world of damning accusations, in the Melbourne Theatre Company's much-anticipated production of The Crucible. While Wenham has some fairly sizeable boots to fill (and in terms of acting chops there are perhaps no larger boots than Daniel Day-Lewis's), his versatility in such critically and commercially acclaimed films as The Lord of the Rings, The Proposition and Oranges and Sunshine, emphatically prove Wenham as amongst Australia's finest thespians. Directed by Sam Strong, MTC's take on Arthur Miller's allegorical critique of the McCarthy-era witch hunts looks set to be one for the history books for Melbourne's premiere theatre company. Head to their website to get your hands on the hottest theatre tickets available this winter.
Bordering Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens lies The Tan, a 3.8-kilometre track surrounded by some of the city's greatest landmarks. Finish your day with a run or walk — or a mix of both, we don't judge — around the track, where you'll pass sites including the Shrine of Remembrance, AAMI Park and the Swan Street Bridge, which gives way to a stunning view of the CBD on a clear day. The Anderson Street incline busts quite a few calories, so you can afford to treat yourself after your exercise session. Post-light exercise session, hop over to Jardin Tan, Shannon Bennet's vibrant Vietnamese-inspired eatery for an early dinner — it's right in the middle of the Botanic Gardens, so plan your route accordingly. Image: Nic Allchin.
When you sign up to a league and begin the arduous process of choosing a team name via group chat, you can get swept up in the excitement and forget to plan important contingencies. You focus on questions like what colour should the jerseys be? Can we afford a professional mascot? Can we have a dog on the team, like in Air Bud? You forget to answer the most important question of all: what to do if we actually win? Hey, it could happen. Even in casual leagues, there's always a winner. Also, yes, you should totally have a dog on your team. We've teamed up with our sports-loving friends at Heineken to compile a list of the best venues to hit after a sporting victory — even if you were just a spectator (it counts). Capitalise on all that post-match adrenalin and celebrate with well-earned Heineken 3.
They're best known for their dance floor tunes, but the pair behind Peking Duk have now turned their talents to a very different sort of offering, gearing up to open their very own bar later this month. The well-known electro duo, Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles, has teamed up with Sydney's Steven Hiles — who transformed a tired Surry Hills pub into what's now The Horse — along with chef James McCall, to launch the interestingly named Talk To Me. Setting up shop on South Yarra's Commercial Road, in the space once home to Less Than Zero, the intimate bar will focus on quality bar snacks, booze and late-night partying — with, certainly, a banging music curation setting the tone. For this latest venture, the musicians have pulled inspiration from their many overseas jaunts, referencing favourite spots in New York and Asia to deliver a super comfy, chilled-out locals' haunt. This American-Chinese inspiration continues into the playful food menu, too, which also works to the same theme as the venue's name. Kicking off with 'Quick Chat', where you'll find king prawns with kampot pepper and cashew honey sauce and a spam and cheese hot dog with ketchup kimchi. You'll also spy a lineup of cheeseburger-inspired treats dubbed 'Cheesy One-Liners' — featuring fun bites like cheeseburger dim sim, cheeseburger springs rolls and a tempura nori cheeseburger teamed with ponzu ketchup — and swag of vegan-friendly fare, including jackfruit bao and twice-cooked cauliflower with a hit of furikake kewpie. And, while the menu won't feature any Peking du(c)k, it will feature a small bar-appropriate Fernet-Branca duck rillete with black ash lavosh. Talk To Me is slated to open at 153 Commercial Road, South Yarra in the last week of October.
UPDATE, March 18, 2022: Spencer is available to stream via Prime Video. With two-plus decades as an actor to her name, Kristen Stewart hasn't spent her career as a candle in the wind. Her flame has both blazed and flickered since her first uncredited big-screen role in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas but, by Elton John's definition, she's always known where to cling to. After jumping from child star to Twilight heroine and then one of the savviest talents of her generation, she's gleaned where to let her haunting gaze stare so piercingly that it lights up celluloid again and again, too. Spencer joins Stewart's resume after weighty parts in Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper, Certain Women and Seberg, and has her do something she's long done magnificently: let a world of pain and uncertainty seep quietly from her entire being. The new regal drama should do just that, of course, given its subject — but saying that director Pablo Larraín has cast his Diana well, pitch-perfect head tilt and all, is a royal understatement. Larraín also trusts himself well, making the kind of movie he's made three times now — not that Jackie, Ema and Spencer are carbon copies — and knowing that he does it phenomenally. Both essaying real-life figures and imagining fictional characters, the Chilean filmmaker keeps being drawn to tales about formidable women. His eponymous ladies could all be called strong female leads, but Larraín's features unpack what strength really means in various lights. Like her predecessors in the director's filmography, Diana faces searing traumas, plus ordinary and extraordinary struggles. She scorches away tradition, and values letting her own bulb shine bright over being stuck in others' shadows. Viewers know how this story will end, though, not that Spencer covers it, and Larraín is just as exceptional at showing how Diana's candle started to burn out. The year is 1991, the time is Christmas and the place is the Queen's (Stella Gonet, Breeders) Sandringham Estate, where the Windsors converge for the holidays (yes, Spencer is now prime seasonal viewing). As scripted by Peaky Blinders and Locked Down's Steven Knight, the choice of period puts Diana in one of the most precarious situations of her then decade-long married life, with her nuptials to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing, The Lost Daughter) turning into an "amicable separation" within 12 months. Spencer's focus is on three days, not all that defined the People's Princess' existence before or after, but she can't stop contemplating her past and future. The Sandringham grounds include the house where Diana was born, and those happier recollections — and time spent now with her children (debutants Jack Nielen and Freddie Spry) — give her a glow. Alas, all the monarchical scrutiny simmers her joy to ashes, unsurprisingly. Larraín is one of today's great detail-oriented filmmakers, a fact that glimmers in his approach to Spencer — and did in Jackie, too. Both character studies let snapshots speak volumes about broader lives and the bigger narratives around them, including when poised as "a fable from a true tragedy" as the title card notes here. 'Poised' is one word for this fictionalised imagining of real events, which builds its dramas in an immaculate chamber, lets heated emotions bounce around as it tears into privilege and power, and allows audiences to extrapolate from the meticulous minutiae. Specific tidbits are oh-so-telling, such as the demand that Sandringham's guests hit the scales upon arrival and leaving, their weight gains deemed a sign of how much they enjoyed themselves. Bolder flourishes are just as exacting, like the way the place is lensed to make the Princess of Wales resemble a doll being toyed with in a playhouse, as well as a Jack Torrance substitute trapped in her own Overlook Hotel The Shining-style. Often boldly and claustrophobically ominous in its vibe and visuals, and deliberately so — as equerry Major Alistair Gregory, overseer of every move made at the estate, Timothy Spall (The Last Bus) perfects the eerie mood — Spencer can be called a horror film and the label fits. Terror, distress, contempt and cruelty are all part of Diana's Sandringham experience, the first two emanating from the former Lady Spencer and the latter pair frequently flung her way. This is a slice-of-life biopic as well, obviously, and also a Princess of Wales time capsule thanks to its exquisite staging and costuming. Larraín does leap into lingering memories occasionally, which lets the movie survey an array of its central figure's famed outfits with a keen eye. The appearance of things, be it her crumbling marriage or herself, is the key tenet she's being told to uphold, after all — but the decreed version decided by others, not her own, down to dictating exactly what she's permitted to wear and when. Spencer's nightmare of not being able to be one's self, especially under an unyielding spotlight, sees Diana's inner turmoil manifest in multiple ways. Her bulimia and self-harming speak of tainting appearances, and forcefully; her hallucinations of fellow ill-fated royal Anne Boleyn and her general anxiety make her fragile emotional state plain. She's introduced getting lost en route, then earning ire for being late, rebellious and just someone the Windsors must deal with — and the anguish that Stewart wears like a second skin is given ample origins. Spencer's magnetic lead portrayal is smartly underplayed, though, even as the heft of Diana's evident woes, and fight for survival amid the ghosts of history, fame and expectation, fills rooms. In fact, Stewart is all the more powerful for her fine-tuned vulnerability and introspection than something bigger would've been, as past examples have shown. The Crown has done Diana well so far, but the less remembered about 2013's Naomi Watts-starring Diana, the better. Every technical choice on Larraín's part beams brightly, too — or, if dim, it's by design. Spencer looks the grey 90s British drama picture, with cinematographer Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) baking in grey tones even when the hue isn't visible. Continuing to do stellar things with tension-dripping film scores, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood adds this in alongside The Power of the Dog to his recent standouts. Spencer does capture warm moments, including sympathetic rapports with some estate staff (with compelling turns from The Shape of Water's Sally Hawkins and The Green Knight's Sean Harris, both ever-reliable), but it also ensures that the rarity of such exchanges in Diana's life is heartbreakingly clear. The upbeat 80s single "All I Need Is a Miracle" might set a glorious closing note, but this is always an equally bold and sensitive — and enthralling — portrait of England's rose wilting not from the sunlight she craves, but from the royal inferno.
On the lookout for a dope new denim jacket? Or do you want to be rid of that weird-looking lamp taking up space in the living room? Then, by golly, you're in luck. The Garage Sale Trail works with local council partners Australia-wide to get as many trash-and-treasure troves happening on the same day as possible. More than 15,000 garages are expected to open their doors to bargain hunters, selling two million items, when the event returns for its ninth time across the weekend of October 20 and 21. Aside from the retro goodies up for grabs, the Trail is all about sustainability. Instead of ending up in landfill, unwanted clutter becomes a fantastic find. So get that tight pair of sunnies for peanuts and help the environment at the same time. The Garage Sale Trail began humbly in Bondi in 2010 and is growing bigger every year. There'll be a right slew of sales happening all around Melbourne, so keep your eyes on the event website — or register online to make a quick buck from your old junk and hang out with the friendly folks in your hood.
"They're more scared of us than we are of them," many mothers have told their offspring, soothing fears of monsters, spiders and other scary forces — and in The Boxtrolls, the adage proves accurate. The village of Cheesebridge is intent on exterminating the cardboard-wearing, subterranean-dwelling titular creatures, driven by tales of child stealing, people eating, and rivers of blood. All the benevolent grey critters want, however, is to play with junk and tinker with machines. A lost baby is the source of the boxtrolls' bad reputation, after the villainous Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) convinces the townsfolk of their involvement. A decade later, the missing boy has been raised by his new pals and christened Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright), happy in his existence beneath the streets. Then Winifred (Elle Fanning) spots him, her morbid curiosity soon turning to affinity. Alas, Snatcher's pursuit continues, with the rest of the populace ambivalent to the girl's protests. From animators Laika, The Boxtrolls is steeped in the offbeat and styled in the eccentric; this is the stop-motion studio that brought Coraline and ParaNorman to life, after all. Adapted from Alan Snow's novel Here Be Monsters!, the film shares many aspects with their previous hits: gorgeously grotesque imagery, smart gags slipped amongst endearing detail, a winning blend of the sweet and surreal, and intelligent messages for young and old. With a steampunk aesthetic, directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi lovingly revel in their intricate world, complete with rusting metal, slops of mud, unattractive adults and more. They remain unafraid of letting the harshness of life manifest in the gothic look, albeit lightened by the sense of adventure, the cuteness of the boxtrolls, a celebration of cheese (food, not corniness) and a story concerned with acceptance outside the norm. The weighty themes don't stop there, nor does the studio's penchant for a specific type of material. Outcast children find fondness in things typically considered strange, looking beyond accepted bounds to discover their identities and values. Open-mindedness is championed, just as the blinkered view of most — Snatcher's coveting of social-climbing grandeur, and Winifred's father's (Jared Harris) preference for dairy over his daughter — is skewered. The thoughtful feature even contemplates self-determination and the outsourcing of immoral deeds to the poor through the comic conversations of Snatcher's employees, voiced by Richard Ayoade, Nick Frost and Tracy Morgan. Such high-profile casting tops the delightfully dark film, its talent deepening the characters rather than merely inciting the usual celebrity spotting (although Ayoade and Frost's banter is always a treat). Stitching together the sensibilities of Tim Burton and Roald Dahl, The Boxtrolls is a warm and witty excursion through the weird and wonderful, as well as a true slice of cinematic enjoyment for all ages. https://youtube.com/watch?v=uHfkJMILG4U
"Stop punishing me! Get your hands off me!" Egyptian-American reporter Adam (Hany Adel) yells. "Throw him inside," is the Egyptian police's reply, even after he tries to explain who he is and why he's there. The year is 2013, and the country is awash with conflict. Protests ended the 30-year presidency of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, but more began when the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi took power in 2012. Rallies and resistance became commonplace, culminating in millions of people taking to the streets, Morsi's eventual removal, and then more riots. As the days passed, Muslim Brotherhood supporters and opponents alike were rounded up in paddy wagons by the military, just like Adam and his photographer Zein (Mohamed El Sebaey). Getting comfortable within the scratched metal van is impossible — and, for Clash's 97-minute running time, viewers can't escape that fact. Writer-director Mohamed Diab sets his tense drama inside the vehicle, cramped in close quarters with a growing group of detainees. When they're not peering at the chaos outside through barred windows, or listening to the screams from others confined in a truck parked close by, they're forced to deal with each other over differences of ideology. With the camera never leaving the wagon, we're stuck in there with them as arguments arise and calls for help fall on deaf ears. Don't go thinking that the film's single location is a gimmick – even if movies such as Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat, the Ryan Reynolds-led thriller Buried, and the tank-set war effort Lebanon have toyed with the same idea before. While documentaries such as The Square have served up unflinching reality through on-the-ground footage, Clash uses it's claustrophobic locale to convey just how trapped its characters feel. Though it's easy to say that the narrative aims to offer a microcosm of a complex situation, it's a description Diab's film well and truly earns. Indeed, after exploring the sexual harassment of women in his debut feature Cairo 678, Diab once again chronicles the struggles of Egyptian society with an astute eye for the problems at its centre. It's not just the film's cramped setting coupled with its barely fictionalised take on actual events that makes Clash so compelling, drawing upon true tales of journalists rounded up in the dying days of the revolution. It's also the sense of balance Diab shows in heightened and horrific circumstances. His feature doesn't judge or pick sides. Instead, it takes a personal approach to looking at the country's tumultuous political troubles, focusing on the folks caught up in the fray. Help and conflict spring from both camps, providing a portrait of a divided nation united only by its anger. The concept and the content combine to capture the audience's attention, though cinematographer Ahmed Gabr deserves almost as much credit as Diab. Unsurprisingly, you won't find many patient, steady shots here. In fact, frenetic and erratic visuals couldn't be more appropriate. When the truck lurches, shudders and shakes, so does the frame. When fire lights up the sky outside, colour and shadows flicker inside the vehicle. As a result, it's impossible not to be immersed in the characters' harrowing ordeal, and to feel every bump, jump, fight and fear-filled moment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgvHd9ql7R0
You have to hand it to Peter Strickland, he doesn't make films like everyone else. The British-born, Hungarian-based writer/director makes features that are precise in both sound and vision, and use all aspects of both spectrums. If you didn't witness it in in his acclaimed second effort, Berberian Sound Studio, then you might not know quite what you're in for in his third and latest, The Duke of Burgundy. The movie's opening scene, featuring a woman ostensibly reporting for work at the stately home of her strict boss, gives a glimpse of what will follow. Strickland and his regular cinematographer Nicholas D. Knowland hone in on the details surrounding what looks to be a terse employment exchange, though apart from the meticulousness of the imagery, little is as it appears. It's soon revealed that the seemingly dutiful Evelyn (Chiara D'Anna) and the stern Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen) are actually in a relationship, and that this is the first step in their regular sensual role- and game-playing. They're trying to find fulfilment by indulging their fetishes and exploring the limits of submission and domination, though the ever-curious younger woman just might be looking for something beyond her caring homebody partner's comfort zone. If The Duke of Burgundy sounds like a puzzle waiting to be pieced together, that's because it is — as well as a study of the shifting boundaries of passion, and the way pursuing them can be both limiting and freeing. Crucial to mystery is Cynthia's real profession as an entomologist specialising in moths and butterflies, with Evelyn doubling as her student. Their shared field of interest offers much about the notion of transformation so central to the story. A puzzle similarly springs from Strickland's use of his influences, again steeping his work in the hallmarks of times gone by — and adhering to one of the filmmaker's repeated flourishes. Where his last offering both paid tribute to and appropriated the style of Italian giallo horror movies, this time around '70s European art cinema is in the spotlight. Think decadent surroundings and a seductive mood, plus ample prolonged shots at pivotal moments mixed with flourishes of frenetically edited butterfly wings. Think a sometimes-comedic tone as well. Yes, really. As it treads obsessively and feverishly through its tale, The Duke of Burgundy swiftly proves an accomplished and immersive work from someone who knows how to both achieve the unusual on screen and plunge viewers into a different world. It also proves a considerable showcase for the talents of his leading ladies, the former a veteran of Berberian Sound Studio, the latter perhaps best known for TV's Borgen. In lesser hands, their characters might've played as caricatures — and anyone who has watched Fifty Shades of Grey knows that that's an outcome no one wants to see. Thankfully, D'Anna, Knudsen and Strickland are as far from this year's other big screen account of erotic bondage as they can get. Once again, that's a good thing.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. YOU WON'T BE ALONE What's more terrifying: knowing that death is inevitable, because our fragile flesh will fail us all eventually and inescapably, or accepting that little we ever sense can truly be trusted given that everything in life changes and evolves? In horror movies, both notions stalk through the genre like whichever slasher/killer/malevolent force any filmmaker feels like conjuring up in any particular flick — and in You Won't Be Alone, the two ideas shudder through one helluva feature debut by Macedonian Australian writer/director Goran Stolevski. An expiration date isn't just a certainty within this film's frames. It's part of a non-stop cycle that sees transformation as just as much of a constant. You Won't Be Alone is a poetically shot, persistently potent picture about witches but, as the best unsettling movies are, it's also about so much that thrums through the existence we all know. Viewers mightn't be living two centuries back and dancing with a sorceress, but they should still feel the film's truths in their bones. First, however, a comparison. Sometimes a resemblance is so obvious that it simply has to be uttered and acknowledged, and that's the case here. Stolevski's film, the first of two by him in 2022 — MIFF's opening-night pick Of an Age is the other — boasts lyrical visuals, especially of nature, that instantly bring the famously rhapsodic aesthetics favoured by Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life, A Hidden Life) to mind. Its musings on the nature of life, and human nature as well, easily do the same. Set long ago, lingering in villages wracked by superstition and exploring a myth about a witch, You Won't Be Alone conjures up thoughts of Robert Eggers' The Witch, too. Indeed, if Malick had directed that recent favourite, the end product might've come close to this entrancing effort. Consider Stolevski's feature the result of dreams conjured up with those two touchstones in his head, though, rather than an imitator. The place: Macedonia. The time: the 19th century. The focus: a baby chosen by the Wolf-Eateress (Anamaria Marinca, The Old Guard) to be her offsider. Actually, that's not the real beginning of anyone's tale here in the broader scheme of things — and this is a movie that understands that all of life feeds into an ongoing bigger picture, as it always has and always will — but the infant's plight is as good an entry point as any. The child's distraught mother Yoana (Kamka Tocinovski, Angels Fallen) pleads for any other result than losing her newborn. You Won't Be Alone's feared figure has the ability to select one protege, then to bestow them with her otherworldly skills, and she's determined to secure her pick. That said, she does agree to a bargain. She'll let the little one reach the age of 16 first, but Old Maid Maria, as the Wolf-Eateress is also known, won't forget to claim her prize when the years pass. Nevena (Sara Klimoska, Black Sun) lives out that formative period in a cave, in her mum's attempt to stave off her fate — and with all that resides beyond her hiding spot's walls glimpsed only through a hole up high. Then the Wolf-Eateress comes calling, as she promised she would. From there, Nevena's initiation into the world — of humans, and of her physically and emotionally scarred mentor — is unsurprisingly jarring. Her transition from the care and protection of her "whisper-mama" to the kill-to-survive ruthlessness of her new "witch-mama" disappoints the latter, soon leaving the girl on her own. Still, the need to hunt, devour and mutate has already taken hold, even if Nevena is left fending for herself as she shapeshifts between animals and other humans. With Noomi Rapace (Lamb), Alice Englert (The Power of the Dog) and Carloto Cotta (The Tsugua Diaries) also among the cast, You Won't Be Alone turns Nevena's curiosity-driven experiences of life, love, loss, identity, desire, pain, envy and power into an unforgettable, mesmerising and thoughtful gothic horror fable — charting switches and the stories that come with them with each metamorphosis. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23 and June 30; and July 7, July 14, July 21 and July 28; August 4, August 11, August 18 and August 25; and September 1, September 8 and September 15. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear, Men, Elvis, Lost Illusions, Nude Tuesday, Ali & Ava, Thor: Love and Thunder, Compartment No. 6, Sundown, The Gray Man, The Phantom of the Open, The Black Phone, Where the Crawdads Sing, Official Competition, The Forgiven, Full Time, Murder Party, Bullet Train, Nope, The Princess, 6 Festivals, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Crimes of the Future, Bosch & Rockit, Fire of Love, Beast, Blaze, Hit the Road, Three Thousand Years of Longing, Orphan: First Kill, The Quiet Girl, Flux Gourmet, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Moonage Daydream, Ticket to Paradise and Clean.
In celebration of negroni week, Campari and The Everleigh are teaming up to present Sips On Screen: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. This iconic Wes Anderson film will be paired with a cosy night of cocktails, pizza and popcorn, all at one of Fitzroy's favourite bars. After grabbing a negroni on arrival courtesy, you'll find it very easy to settle into The Eveleigh's Elk Room. During the screening, you'll be able to sit back with popcorn, Connie's Pizza and three negroni-inspired mini cocktails, with everything included in the ticket price. Running from 6pm on Wednesday, June 26, the event doesn't just mark the annual negroni week — which launched in 2013, and has become a feature at more than 10,000 participating venues worldwide, raising around $2 million for charities in the process. It also helps mark 100 years of the beloved beverage, with The Everleigh donating $5 from every ticket sold to Australian food rescue organisation Oz Harvest.
This July, a groundbreaking exhibition will kick off at the Koorie Heritage Trust in Federation Square, with the main aim of smashing preconceptions of Indigenous design. Titled Blak Design Matters and curated by award-winning architect Jefa Greenaway, it'll be the first national survey of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander design, showcasing talent from across the country. Exploring everything from architecture and town planning, to interior and product design, the exhibition's out to celebrate Indigenous design within a contemporary context, instead of reinforcing the usual link to long-held traditions and eras past. It'll look at how Aboriginal-led design remains innovative, creative and contemporary, while still balancing a respect for history. On show will be a diverse spread of work, including jewellery from Maree Clarke, Haus of Dizzy and Grace Lillian Lee, graphic design from Balarinji Designs, Marcus Lee Designs and Galimbaa Designs, and fashion pieces by the likes of Lyn-Al Young and Teagan Cowlishaw's AARLI. "Think of the potential to appropriately and sensitively reference the depth of history that this country too often conceals," said Greenaway. "Indigenous-led design and designers have the tools to give voice to many compelling narratives that our rich culture holds".
Get fancy with canapés and matching frothies at Good Beer Week's Hopped High Tea. Hosted by The Metropolitan Hotel, this decadent affair will feature an array of delectable treats, including fried chicken ribs with jalapeño mayo, cocktail sandwiches with blue swimmer crab, chilli fried prawns with lime and mint, and chocolate and cardamom tarts with pecan toffee shards. The team from Mountain Goat will take care of the drinks, which will include a number of beer cocktails. Of course, it wouldn't be high tea without freshly baked scones, served here with Imperial Stout cream and lashings of blackberry jam.
If you were after any confirmation of Bruce Munro's talents, you need only look at the roaring success of his spectacular Red Centre installation, Field of Light. Experienced by more than 450,000 visitors during its first three years lighting up Uluru, the large-scale work's stay was extended twice, before it was confirmed it would be sticking around indefinitely. Now, the internationally acclaimed visual artist is bringing some of that luminous magic down south, by way of two new site-specific outdoor art installations set to grace the banks of the Murray River. Comprising one work on the Victorian side of the border and another in New South Wales, Light/State is a multimillion-dollar, two-part project that's anticipated to have visitors flocking in their hundreds of thousands. First up will be the Victorian phase of the production, known as Trail of Light. Making its home on the western banks of Lake Cullulleraine, this one takes the form of an immersive walking trail, guiding audiences through a stunning landscape featuring 12,550 glowing 'fireflies'. Work has already begun on the installation, which will feature a total of more than 301,200 flickering points of light once it's completed in late 2023. Across the river, the town of Wentworth will play host to sibling work, Munro's Fibre Optic Symphony Orchestra. Set to clock in at around 220 metres wide, the installation is made up of 108 fibre optic light columns, each arranged around a classic Hill's Hoist clothesline. The colour-changing lights will pulse and glow in time to the accompanying soundscape, translating music into a rainbow of hues. The work is slated for completion in mid 2024. Bruce Munro has created more than 45 large-scale installations worldwide, often pulling inspiration from the shared human experience and responding to the natural landscape. [caption id="attachment_744632" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Field of Light', by Mark Pickthall[/caption] Bruce Munro's 'Light/State' will comprise two parts — 'Trail of Light' is set to open at Lake Cullulleraine from late 2023, while 'Fibre Optic Symphony Orchestra' will launch in Wentworth in mid 2024. Top image: 'Field of Light', Tourism Central Australia
Trust a mockumentary about the undead to keep coming back in new guises. Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's What We Do in the Shadows first came to light as a short film in 2005, then made its way to cinemas in rib-tickling feature-length form in 2014, and currently has both a werewolf-focused sequel and a US television remake in the works. As first announced back in 2016, it's also getting a Cops-style TV spinoff named Wellington Paranormal — and SBS has just announced that it will air on Australian TV later this month. The first two episodes of the much-anticipated series will air on SBS Viceland (and be available on SBS On Demand) on Tuesday, July 31, with episodes airing weekly after that. We don't even have to wait too much longer than New Zealand audiences, either — it will air on TVNZ tonight. If you haven't watched the trailer, here's a little background info. Wellington Paranormal doesn't spend more time with everyone's favourite Wellington-dwelling bloodsuckers, even though Waititi and Clement conceived the six-part series. Instead, it follows police officers Karen O'Leary and Mike Minogue, who WWDITS fans might remember came knocking at the vampire share house's door. With the help of Sergeant Maaka (Maaka Pohatu), the cop duo will keep trying to keep the city safe from supernatural happenings — and we're sure viewers will keep watching. When Wellington Paranormal's existence was first revealed, Waititi described the show as "Mulder & Scully but in a country where nothing happens" on Twitter, should you need any more reason to get excited. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=WRO2QfESbEI
What had Amy Schumer advising that her hosting plan was "to stay present until I black out" and Troy Kotsur promising not to sign any profanity? Where did Timothée Chalamet opt not to wear a shirt, Tiffany Haddish declare that she's a superhero just for being herself, and anniversary tributes to everything from The Godfather, Pulp Fiction and Bond toWhite Men Can't Jump and Juno take place like an entertainment website had somehow come to life? That'd be the 2022 Academy Awards. Back in a March time slot, Hollywood's night of nights just handed out its gongs for this year — recognising films from last year — and plenty happened. Where did the first-ever live performance of Encanto's 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' occur, too? At the Oscars today, obviously. (We won't talk about a certain outburst that also took place, because it doesn't deserve any further oxygen.) While the ceremony always sparks conversation — great, bad or fine, the latter of which fits here apart from its violent interlude — the Academy Awards are always about celebrating top-notch movies. The body behind them made some incredibly questionable choices with its live event this year, including taking eight categories it didn't deem sexy enough out of the televised broadcast (including the one that none other than Hans Zimmer won, and understandably decided not to attend to collect), but a heap of worthy flicks still just picked up shiny trophies. As a result, CODA is now the reigning Best Picture winner, Jane Campion became just the third woman ever to win Best Director and Dune nabbed almost every technical award it could — and they're just some of this year's crop of recipients. From Drive My Car earning some Best International Feature love to Cruella's costumes getting the nod, if you're wondering what else emerged victorious, the full rundown is below. You can also check out our picks for the 11 winners you should watch right now as well — and our full lists of where most of this year's contenders are screening or streaming in both Australia and New Zealand. OSCAR NOMINEES AND WINNERS 2022 BEST MOTION PICTURE The Power of the Dog West Side Story Belfast Dune Licorice Pizza King Richard CODA — WINNER Don't Look Up Drive My Car Nightmare Alley BEST DIRECTOR Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog — WINNER Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza Steven Spielberg, West Side Story Kenneth Branagh, Belfast Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye — WINNER Kristen Stewart, Spencer Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Will Smith, King Richard — WINNER Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick... Boom! Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Ariana DeBose, West Side Story — WINNER Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard Judi Dench, Belfast Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog Ciarán Hinds, Belfast Troy Kotsur, CODA — WINNER Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog JK Simmons, Being the Ricardos BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson Belfast, Kenneth Branagh — WINNER King Richard, Zach Baylin Don't Look Up, Adam McKay (story by McKay and David Sirota) The Worst Person in the World, Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Power of the Dog, Jane Campion The Lost Daughter, Maggie Gyllenhaal CODA, Sian Heder — WINNER Dune, Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM Drive My Car (Japan) — WINNER The Worst Person in the World (Norway) Flee (Denmark) The Hand of God (Italy) Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan) BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Encanto — WINNER Luca The Mitchells vs the Machines Flee Raya and the Last Dragon BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) — WINNER Flee Ascension Attica Writing with Fire BEST ORIGINAL SCORE The Power of the Dog, Jonny Greenwood Dune, Hans Zimmer — WINNER Don't Look Up, Nicholas Britell Encanto, Germaine Franco Parallel Mothers, Alberto Iglesias BEST ORIGINAL SONG 'No Time to Die', No Time to Die (Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell) — WINNER 'Dos Oruguitas', Encanto (Lin-Manuel Miranda) 'Be Alive', King Richard (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Dixson) 'Down to Joy' Belfast (Van Morrison) 'Somehow You Do', Four Good Days (Diane Warren) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Dune, Greig Fraser — WINNER The Power of the Dog, Ari Wegner The Tragedy of Macbeth, Bruno Delbonnel Nightmare Alley, Dan Laustsen West Side Story, Janusz Kaminski BEST FILM EDITING Dune, Joe Walker — WINNER The Power of the Dog, Peter Sciberras Don't Look Up, Hank Corwin King Richard, Pamela Martin Tick, Tick... Boom!, Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Dune, Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsanna Sipos — WINNER Nightmare Alley, Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau West Side Story, Adam Stockhausen and Rena DeAngelo The Tragedy of Macbeth, Stefan Dechant and Nancy Haigh The Power of the Dog, Grant Major and Amber Richards BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Dune, Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, Gerd Nefzer — WINNER Free Guy, Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis, Dan Sudick Spider-Man: No Way Home, Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver No Time to Die, Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner, Chris Corbould BEST COSTUME DESIGN Cruella, Jenny Beavan — WINNER Dune, Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan West Side Story, Paul Tazewell Nightmare Alley, Luis Sequeira Cyrano, Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh — WINNER Dune, Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr Cruella, Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon Coming 2 America, Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer House of Gucci, Goran Lundstrom, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras BEST SOUND Dune, Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett — WINNER West Side Story, Tod A Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy No Time to Die, Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor Belfast, Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri The Power of the Dog, Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT Audible Lead Me Home The Queen of Basketball — WINNER Three Songs for Benazir When We Were Bullies BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM Affairs of the Art Bestia Boxballet Robin Robin The Windshield Wiper — WINNER BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM Ala Kachuu — Take and Run The Dress The Long Goodbye — WINNER On My Mind Please Hold Top image: Netflix.
Having a bad Wednesday? This will fix what ales you. The good people at Beer DeLuxe Federation Square are going to make your hump day easier to swallow with their summer-long Wednesday eve events. Spread over two levels and a beer garden, Beer DeLuxe are known for their excellent range of craft brews. The large beer garden will play host to kegfuls of local and international brews, as well as some of Melbourne's favourite food trucks every Wednesday throughout summer. Tapping into the post-work drinks market for hungry and thirsty city office workers seems like the perfect match for the venue, and should be perfect for balmy summer nights. Don't worry about those surprise cold Melbourne evenings though — if it gets drafty outside there's plenty of indoor seating available. The schooner you come down to try this hop-up event, the better. Good times will surely flow. Beer DeLuxe's Summer Hop Up will run every Wednesday from 6pm to late.
