Another week, another cookie pie. That's how it feels sometimes thanks to Gelato Messina's beloved desserts — and no, we're not complaining. After the gelato chain first introduced its cookie pies to the world in 2020, it has kept bringing the OTT dessert back. We all need an extra dose of sweetness every now and then, obviously, including while both Sydney and Melbourne are in lockdown. So, it should come as no surprise that Messina is serving up the decadent dessert yet again. This time, though, it's quite the Frankenstein's monster of a dessert. This version is also a returning favourite — and, if you like fairy bread, cookie pies and Messina's gelato, prepare to get excited. Hang on, a cookie pie? Yes, it's a pie, but a pie made of cookie dough. And it serves two-to-six people — or just you. You bake it yourself, too, so you get to enjoy that oh-so-amazing smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through your kitchen. Now that you're onboard with the overall cookie pie concept, the fairy bread version really is exactly what it sounds like. That crunchy, crumbly cookie dough is filled with milk and dark Messina chocolate chunks, as well as vanilla custard. It's then topped with more 100s and 1000s than you've probably seen since your childhood birthday parties. It wouldn't be a fairy bread version otherwise, of course. You can only buy this pie in kits, which means that you'll get some of the cult ice creamery's famed gelato along with it. You can opt for a 500-millilitre tub for $38, a one-litre tub for $44 or a 1.5-litre tub for $48. If you're keen to get yourself a piece of the pie, they're available to preorder from 9am on Monday, July 19 — with pick up between Friday, July 23–Sunday, July 25 from your chosen Messina store. Once you've got the pie safely home, you just need to whack it in the oven for 30 minutes at 160 degrees and voila. You can preorder a Messina fairy bread cookie pie from Monday, July 19, to pick up from all NSW, Vic and Queensland Gelato Messina stores except The Star.
With a title that speaks of next generations, The Son is a film about second efforts, including off-screen. For writer/director Florian Zeller, it marks the French novelist and playwright's sophomore stint behind the camera, and notches the list of movies he's helmed based on his own stage works up to two as well. After dual Oscar-winner The Father, which earned Zeller and co-scribe Christopher Hampton the Best Adapted Screenplay award and Anthony Hopkins the much-deserved Best Actor prize, it's also his second feature with a family member in its title. And, it's his second largely confined to interior settings, focusing on mental illness, exploring complicated father-child relationships within that intimate domestic space and driven by intense dialogue spouted by a committed cast. Hopkins pops up once more in another psychodrama, too, as a dad again. Within its frames, The Son follows New York lawyer Peter Miller (Hugh Jackman, Reminiscence) as he's happily starting over with his second wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman) and their newborn Theo, his second son. Here's the thing about second chances, though: sometimes your first shots can't simply be forgotten, no matter how eager you are to move on. Peter confronts this truth when his ex-spouse Kate (Laura Dern, Jurassic World Dominion) unexpectedly knocks at his door one day, distraught about learning that their 17-year-old Nicholas (Zen McGrath, Red Dog: True Blue) has been ditching school long-term. The teen hasn't been a contented presence around her home since his dad left, either, with depression setting in after such a big upheaval to his status quo. So, Peter and Kate agree to a parental rekindling, with Peter giving being an active dad to Nicholas — having him come to live with him, Beth and Theo, in fact — a second go. Can lightning strike twice, for Zeller and for Peter? Once again co-writing with Hampton (who nabbed his first Oscar for adapting 1988's Dangerous Liaisons, and another nomination for his work on Atonement), The Son's creative force wants that to be a complicated question — and it is. In his layered narrative, Zeller keeps playing up doubles and playing with duality, including the varying ways that Peter treats his two boys, the push and pull of work and home as a new career opportunity arises, Nicholas' mood and attitude with two differing maternal figures, and the impact of Peter's own fraught relationship with his hard-nosed father (Hopkins, Armageddon Time). The latter is a dynamic that Peter doesn't have fond feelings about and is desperate not to reprise, but we all know what they say about history repeating. Accordingly, for The Son's increasingly exasperated patriarch, lightning striking twice is a double-edged sword. In all of the above, from the moment that it begins with Peter, Beth and Theo at home, then talks about Nicholas, his troubles and mental state before introducing him, The Son is firmly aligned with Peter. Consequently, it's also stressed by a big struggle: truly comprehending Nicholas. The Father, whose shadow the often-clinical The Son will always be under — yes, the connection between Zeller's first two movies mimics the connection between the characters in his second flick — was the masterpiece it was by bringing its namesake's mindset to the screen. Zeller surrounded Hopkins' brilliant performance with immersive cinematography that plunged his audience into the confusion, disruption and distress of experiencing dementia. With The Son, teen anxiety, truancy and the scarred arms that indicate suicidal ideation are things to talk about, brood over and saddle with Chekhovian logic rather than attempt to deeply understand. Set to a solemn score by Hans Zimmer (Prehistoric Planet), Zeller's latest film is filled with pain, hurt and devastation, clearly, but also distance from the person who's meant to be so pivotal that the picture is literally named after him. That said, the movie's moniker is revealing — because it's barely interested in fleshing out Nicholas as a person beyond being a son that Peter has to deal with due to the bonds of blood and the weight of regret. One of the feature's big emotional arcs charts Peter's growing realisation that being a parent is about genuinely seeing and accepting your child for who they are, and working to help them be the best version of themselves that they want to be instead of who you envision. It culminates in a stunning payoff sequence, but if only The Son paid more attention more often to who Nicholas is beyond his cutting anger, physical cuts, and Peter, Beth and Kate's reactions to him. If only The Son also spent more time showing rather than telling — indeed, with its talk-heavy screenplay always betraying the story's stage origins, it devotes almost all of its efforts to telling. Again, even with cinematographer Ben Smithard lensing both here and for The Father, his current work for Zeller peers on rather than dives in. It's a testament to Jackman and McGrath's performances that The Son is as engaging as it is, however, and as dripping with raw emotion. Both Australian talents, one famous for decades at home and abroad, the other an impressive up-and-comer to watch, their duel of words, heartache, expectations and internalised dismay is finely tuned and gripping. Alongside Jackman's one-scene face-off with Hopkins, their still-stagey but compelling one-on-ones are the film's showpieces. On the stage, The Father and The Son are the two parts of a thematic trilogy, completed by Zeller's The Mother — which, in its off-Broadway run in 2019, starred incomparable French icon Isabelle Huppert (an Oscar-nominee herself for 2016's Elle). Whether it too will make it to the movies is yet to be seen, but the two mums of The Son are sadly pushed aside. The always-great Dern and Kirby make the most they can of thin parts, though always deserving better, the two actors conveying a mother's and a stepmother's fears, anguish and hopes, respectively. They also share one of the film's key tussles: appreciating and unpacking its characters, Peter, Beth and Kate alike, and Nicholas especially, as more than their familial labels.
Do you wanna know the latest big Australian tour news? Yes, if you're an Arctic Monkeys fan, you do. Already slated to head Down Under for Falls Festival and Lost Paradise, the Sheffield rockers have just gone and added three huge standalone — and outdoor — gigs to their tour itinerary. We bet you'll look good on the dance floor when January 2023 rolls around, obviously. 2022 marks two decades since the band first formed in their Yorkshire home town, and they'll see out the year in Australia, then start next year here as well. For their solo shows, Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders will hit Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl and Brisbane's Riverstage, both with Mildlife in support, before heading to The Domain in Sydney with DMA's & The Buoys. Arctic Monkeys' last tour to come our way, 2019's Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino World Tour, was massive. Actually, every tour they've brought Down Under has been. Given their career to-date — including scoring the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history when Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not released in 2006 — that's hardly surprising. (Nor are the Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday shirts always spotted in the crowd whenever the band makes the trip Down Under, with Aussie supporters of the group's two hometown soccer teams routinely coming out in force.) It's been four years since the Monkeys' last album, the aforementioned Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino — but they won't be short of hits to play. Expect plenty of fun when the sun goes down, and not just a number-one party anthem on the set list. And if you're somehow not already excited, snap out of it. ARCTIC MONKEYS 2023 AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES — STANDALONE SHOWS: Wednesday, January 4 — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, with Mildlife Wednesday, January 11 — Riverstage, Brisbane, with Mildlife Saturday, January 14 — The Domain, Sydney, with DMA's & The Buoys Arctic Monkeys are touring Australia in January 2023. Tickets go on sale online at 12pm local time on Friday, June 17, with pre-sales via the band from 10am AEST on Wednesday, June 15 and through Frontier from 10am AEST on Thursday, June 16. For more information, head to the tour website. Top image: Raph_PH via Flickr.
Autumn's here, which means less time at the beach and more time doing indoorsy things like art and theatre and music. Luckily, a stack of bands and singer-songwriters are gearing up to tour the east coast during the next few months, helping to ease your transition into cooler weather. Narrowing them down into a top five has been no mean feat, but, in partnership with JBL Link Speakers, we've come up with these recommendations to kickstart your gigging adventures. And while you're waiting for the gigs to roll around, we curated a handy Spotify list to get you pumped. Listen to it on some JBL Link 10s — anywhere you like because these babies are portable and last you five hours — and you'll feel as if you're almost (we said almost) at the gig already. Here they are, the five gigs to add to your calendar this autumn. All shows are likely to sell out quickly, so don't dilly-dally: get your mitts on tix as soon as your wallet will allow. CAMP COPE This year, Camp Cope's second album, How to Socialise and Make Friends, nabbed a coveted 7.8 review on Pitchfork. A follow-up to their 2016 self-titled debut, the sophomore continues to address misogyny, sexual assault and sexism in the music industry via songwriter Georgia Maq's clever blending of the personal and the political. Lead single 'The Opener', with its quotable lines like "Yeah, just get a female opener, that'll fill the quota", came in at number 58 on the 2017 triple j Hottest 100. On the back of this commercial and critical success, the outspoken Melbourne-based folk-punk-rock trio is gearing up to take its fierce live act across Australia. WHERE AND WHEN — Thursday, March 15 and Friday, March 16: Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne — Saturday, March 17: The Tivoli, Brisbane — Friday, March 23: Metro Theatre, Sydney — SOLD OUT ALEX THE ASTRONAUT AND STELLA DONNELLY Two young Aussie songwriters who aren't afraid of tackling the big issues are teaming up for a joint tour this April. One is Sydney-born, Alex The Astronaut, whose single 'Not Worth Hiding', about openly owning your sexuality, became a bit of an anthem for the 'yes' campaign in the lead-up to the same-sex marriage postal survey. The other is Perth's Stella Donnelly, whose 'Boys Will Be Boys' deals with victim blaming following sexual assault and rape. WHERE AND WHEN — Saturday, April 14: Festival 2018 in South Bank, Brisbane (free) — Wednesday, April 18: Oxford Art Factory, Sydney — Wednesday, April 25: The Corner Hotel, Melbourne THE SMITH STREET BAND It's been almost a year since Melbourne's The Smith Street Band treated us to a national headline tour. But that's not to say they've been resting on their laurels. In 2017, the boys rocked out at several major festivals, including Groovin' the Moo and Splendour in the Grass, supported Midnight Oil and gigged all over the US and Europe. Plus, their new album More Scared of You Than You Are of Me entered the ARIA Charts at number three. Over the next few months, they'll be appearing pretty much everywhere in Australia with support from Bec Sandridge, who toured the UK and Europe last year on the back of new single 'I'll Never Want A BF', and Press Club, who've been basking in big love following the release of their debut single 'Headwreck'. WHERE AND WHEN — Saturday, March 24: Enmore Theatre, Sydney — Monday, April 16: The Tivoli, Brisbane — Saturday, May 12: Hawthorn Arts Centre, Melbourne — SOLD OUT ALEX LAHEY Alex Lahey's catchy melodies and honest lyrics have been scoring airplay ever since she released 'You Don't Think You Like People Like Me' in 2016. Last year, she followed up with debut album I Love You Like a Brother — which made the 2017 Triple J Listeners' Album of the Year list — before touring the UK and the US (including an appearance on Late Night with Seth Myers) and returning home to scoop up the Levi's Music Prize. She's spending March gigging around the UK and Europe, before kicking off the Huge and True tour here in Australia. WHERE AND WHEN — Friday, April 6: Factory Theatre, Sydney — Saturday, April 7: The Triffid, Brisbane — Wednesday, April 17: 170 Russell, Melbourne DZ DEATHRAYS If you're keen to thrash your way through autumn, then get along to one of DZ Deathrays' shows. The Queensland-based duo, who cut their teeth at house parties around Brisbane, are heading out on the road to launch their newest album Bloody Lovely, which is all about solid, old-fashioned party rock songs. Providing support will be up and coming bands Clowns, These New South Whales and Boat Show. Several gigs have already sold out, but new dates have been added, so you've still got a chance if you get onboard and grab a ticket ASAP. WHERE AND WHEN — Wednesday, May 9: Metro Theatre, Sydney — Wednesday, May 23: 170 Russell, Melbourne — Thursday, May 24: The Triffid, Brisbane Get your tix and amp yourself up for the gig with our Spotify playlist — played on some swish JBL Link speakers, of course. And if you don't have wifi and Bluetooth-enabled, voice-activated, durable, long-lasting and, most importantly, high-quality speakers in your possession, we've got some to give away here. https://open.spotify.com/user/concreteplayground/playlist/2k4LuQ65AP4xn0ekGTH1qM
UPDATE: FEBRUARY 12, 2019 — This winter, we'll be able to return to Margaret Atwood's unsettling dystopian realm, with the announcement that the third series of The Handmaid's Tale will hit SBS and SBS On Demand at 8.30pm on Thursday, June 6. Lucky for us Down Under, this is the same time as it'll be dropping on Hulu in the States, so hopefully no spoilers will crop up. The 13-episode series will follow June's (Offred's) continued struggle against the controlling regime. While details are scarce, a teaser was dropped during this month's Super Bowl — which you can watch below. Under his eye. Praise be, Handmaid's Tale fans. The series' third season is due to hit the small screen sometime this year, and US streaming platform Hulu has just released the first sneak peek during the Super Bowl. Blessed be not only the fruit but the football, we guess. If you've been immersed in this world from the absolute beginning and can remember the show's first trailer, then this initial look at the next season will feel somewhat familiar. Of course, that's by design. How better to show just how creepy the fictional society of Gilead is than to start with a dose of recognisable propaganda — and then dive deep into the chaos that awaits Offred/June (Elisabeth Moss) and her fellow subjugated women? As the fiery clip tells us, it's time to wake up. Otherwise, details about the third season are about as scarce as a happy woman in red. The series' regulars are expected to return, and given how the second season wrapped up, expect the story to get even darker, too. While the current trailer may be brief, there's plenty more Handmaid's Tale bleakness to enjoy this year (well, not that enjoy is necessarily the right term). Margaret Atwood, author of the original 1985 novel that started it all, is coming to Sydney next month. And, she's also releasing a long-awaited sequel, called The Testaments, which'll hit bookshelves comes September. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=PuWg6AyzETg The Handmaid's Tale's third season will screen on SBS in Australia at 8.30pm on Thursday, June 6.
For one week each September, Brisbane becomes Australia's live music capital — even if a Melbourne survey generally claims otherwise. When BIGSOUND hits the city, it seems like every venue in Fortitude Valley is packed to the rafters with bands, industry folks and music-loving punters, all enjoying the latest and greatest the country's music scene has to offer. And given this year's newly announced lineup, expect that to be the case once again. Unveiling its first 76 acts for 2019, BIGSOUND will play host to a stacked pack of musos, spanning everything from pop, electronic, rock and rap to metal, hip hop and folk. Topping the bill so far is the likes of Bad//Dreems, Electric Fields, SCABZ, Outright, Milan Ring, LOSER, Tones & I and Tasman Keith, plus yergurl, EGOISM, Stevan, Laura Imbruglia and Concrete Surfers. Yes, the list goes on. A swag of other acts, reaching more than 150 in total, will be announced closer to the event. That said, the current lineup joins a host of previously revealed speakers — including keynote speaker Terry McBride, CEO and co-founder of Nettwerk Music Group, which includes Canada's largest independent record label, artist management and music publishing company; and British TV and radio presenter Abbie McCarthy, from BBC Music Introducing, Radio 1 & 4 Music, and Good Karma Club. [caption id="attachment_727168" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] I Know Leopard at BIGSOUND 2018. Image: Bianca Holderness.[/caption] Previous BIGSOUNDs have showcased everyone from Gang of Youths, Flume, Tash Sultana and Courtney Barnett to San Cisco, Violent Soho, Methyl Ethel and The Jungle Giants, so its program is usually a very reliable bellwether of current and up-and-coming talent. Even better — the festival's four-night $85 (plus booking fee) Rainbow Pass nabs you access to 270 music showcases at 18 venues. And, they're all held within three blocks of each other. Here's the full lineup of music acts so far: 100 3K Ainsley Farrell Alana Jagt Approachable Members Of Your Local Community Aquila Young Bad//Dreems Being Jane Lane Black Rock Band Bobby Alu Butter Butternut Sweetheart Chakra Efendi City Rose Concrete Surfers Deline Briscoe DREGG DRMNGNOW Dulcie EGOISM Electric Fields Fan Girl First Beige Fletcher Gull Flossy FRITZ Future Haunts Gordon Koang Hannah Blackburn Hemm Hope D Johnny Hunter Kat Edwards Kobie Dee Kymie Laura Imbruglia LOSER Louis Baker Love Deluxe Lucy Peach Mambali Marco Mariam Sawires Mermaidens Mickey Kojak micra MID CITY Miiesha Milan Ring Nerve Outright PINCH POINTS P-UniQue Raj Mahal Rebecca Hatch Reija Lee Reliqa RINI Royal And The Southern Echo Ruby Gilbert Ryan Fennis SCABZ Shady Nasty Spacey Jane Stellie Stevan Sycco Tasman Keith Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers THE DEAD LOVE The Money War Temgazi Tones And I Wolfjay yergurl ZĀN BIGSOUND 2019 runs from September 3–6 at various venues around Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. For further details or to buy tickets from 9am on Monday, June 27, visit bigsound.org.au. To discover what to do, see, eat and drink while visiting Brissie for the annual event, check out our weekender's guide to Brisbane during BIGSOUND. Image: Bianca Holderness.
UPDATE, September 4, 2020: High Life is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Another unique, distinctive and thrilling film by a stellar director. Another movie so impressive, it's instantly among the decade's standouts. And, another exceptional Robert Pattinson performance. We'd say that it's becoming a welcome trend, however this pattern has been recurring since RPatz stopped wearing sparkly makeup and fake fangs. Complain all you like about the Twilight series — we don't have much that's positive to add — but the vampire romance saga gave two of today's best young actors an enormous platform, as well as the currency to choose their next roles wisely. So both Pattinson and Kristen Stewart keep doing just that, and cinema is all the better for it. In the former's case, see the likes of Cosmopolis, The Rover, The Childhood of a Leader, The Lost City of Z, Good Time and now High Life. With his latest film, Pattinson rockets into space under the guidance of director Claire Denis, which proves a match made in movie heaven. In recent years, the future Batman star has increasingly cornered the market on existential yearning, a feat that the inimitable French auteur has also been pursuing since she first stepped behind the camera thirty years ago. There's a philosophical angle to both Pattinson and Denis' work, not just depicting the quest for purpose that drives us all, but delving into the intricacies and horrors of searching and struggling — as explored across multiple settings, stories and genres. Of course, there's no more apt a place than a spaceship to grapple with life's meaning, or lack thereof. Perhaps that's where Pattinson and Denis, either together or apart, were always headed. As their vessel charts a course for a black hole, Monte (Pattinson), Tcherny (Andre Benjamin), Boyse (Mia Goth) and the ship's other inhabitants bide their time doing what they're told. They're prisoners jettisoned into the great beyond in the name of punishment, redemption and science, although resident doctor Dibs (Juliette Binoche, star of Denis' last release Let the Sunshine In) has her own plans for the captives. That's the bulk of High Life's narrative, in a broad and linear sense. The film begins with Monte roaming the halls with just a baby named Willow for company, and pressing buttons every 24 hours to stay alive, adding a palpable sense of hellish foreboding to its already moody, brooding atmosphere. Also amplifying the movie's tone is its carnal obsession, and not just in the name of necessary procreation (a room dubbed the 'Fuck Box' is also onboard). With scripting assistance from both credited and uncredited co-scribes, including novelists Nick Laird and Zadie Smith, writer-director Denis teases out High Life's tale. Sometimes, the film gets caught in the minutiae of Monte and Willow's monotonous but happy-enough lives. Sometimes, it flashes back to the ship's busier, darker, more populous and tumultuous times. Sometimes, it ventures into memories on firm soil — recollections so steeped in nature, including thriving plant-life and scurrying animals, that the otherwise space-bound film always retains an earthy feel. Of course, it's that juxtaposition that sits at the heart of this immensely intelligent, ambitious and rewarding movie. To wrestle with human existence, and with our very purpose, is to realise that we're all careening forward in a state of constant chaos, hurtling towards inescapable darkness, all while trying to grasp onto whatever we can. Quiet moments spent chatting and contemplating in the ship's own garden; lustful encounters, both alone and with others; the need to connect, whether by sex, violence or love: as they each pop up on screen, they illustrate High Life's point. 'Illustrate' is a key word when it comes to Denis' work, as she has proven across her French-language career. High Life may be the director's first film in English, but her visuals have always transcended dialogue with their probing, patient stare — as well as the sensation that they're scrutinising everything in sight as deeply and carefully as possible. Here, clinical, institutional surfaces say so much when contrasted with babbling streams and sprouting leaves. They say even more when placed opposite bodies and fluids in all of their icky, sticky glory, and against ruminative faces with furrowed brows and eyes all a-flicker as well. While the movie boasts other acting highlights, including a no-holds-barred Binoche in her steeliest guise yet, it won't come as a surprise that Pattinson's restless gaze provides the film's favourite canvas. That said, Denis and her cinematographers Yorick Le Saux (Personal Shopper) and Tomasz Naumiuk (Nina) don't simply glare, but rather stalk, circle and glide around the picture's leading man. Denis's movie doesn't do much that similar science-fiction fare has, would and will, for that matter. But while shooting into the stratosphere to ponder what it all means has become a genre of its own, High Life proudly stands in its own space boots. Perhaps that's why both the film and Pattinson seem like such a perfect fit, and why the final product both soars high and burrows deep: you won't catch either meekly treading where everyone else has before. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZeIHrx7Oyc
There's no doubt many of Melbourne's favourite restaurants have some of the best interior design around, but there's just something extra special about having a great meal in the sun. When the city's weather turns it on, there's nowhere we'd rather be, and we're fortunate enough to have a plethora of choice when it comes to hanging out under the clear blue skies. From Parisian-style street dining to rooftop decks, beachfront eateries and some modern takes on the beer garden, there's a place in Melbourne where the food, drinks and sunlight will have you in heaven. To help find the ideal place for you even easier, we've dug deep into our directory and handpicked some top restaurants and bars where you can also kick-back in the sun. Whether it's by yourself, with your mates or a significant other, we've got a venue for you. Teaming up with our friends at American Express, we've chosen some of our favourite places that'll accept your Amex Card and keep you tanned — but not necessarily trim — from all across town. Got yourself in another dining situation and need some guidance? Whatever it is, we know a place. Visit The Shortlist and we'll sort you out.
Last year Melbourne-based artist Rushdi Anwar returned to his homeland of Kurdistan to work inside Iraqi refugee camps, which more than 1.5 million people currently call home. During this visit, from October 2016 to January 2017, Anwar created The Notion of Place and Displacement, a photo series that explores the daily lives of those living in the camps and reveals the difficulties faced by people suffering from forced displacement and dislocation. Anwar's Kurdish heritage allowed him a unique insight into the lives of those living here — and while his photographs present the upsetting realities for those in the camps, he also portrays their courage and hope and shines a light on the socio-political struggles faced by the region in an effort to evoke compassion. The Notion of Place and Displacement is presented at MARS Gallery in Windsor and can be seen from Thursday, June 8 until Saturday, June 24. Image: Rushdi Anwar, Unprotected (2017).
The passata making classes hosted by modern Italian restaurant Tipico have always proved popular because, let's face it, who wouldn't want to learn to whip up nonna-worthy tomato sauce whenever they please? But for those who haven't made it along just yet, this weekend's dishing up the next best thing. You can score some of that expert kitchen tutelage for nada, when the Windsor eatery returns to Prahran Market for a series of free pop-up passata making sessions. On Sunday, February 27, across a run of free 30-minute classes, Head Chef Daniele Colombo will take to the market display kitchen to demonstrate how he makes primo passata using market-fresh produce. Sessions will kick off every half hour between 10.30am and 1pm, with anyone welcome to drop in and learn how to prepare, mince, season and cook those tomatoes to perfection. To really get you in the zone, there'll be serves of fresh pasta available to buy and eat on the spot, and, for added inspiration, $10 bottles of Tipico passata to take home. Tipico's free passata making demos will be held every half an hour between 10.30am–1pm. Registrations are encouraged — you can do so for free over here.
You can pick a Judd Apatow film from a mile off. Bromantic plot-lines, improvised dialogue and gross-out humour are his unmistakable calling cards, to say nothing of his vow to include at least one penis in every project. It’s just that, Trainwreck is also a Judd Apatow film, only you don’t realise it until his name appears in the final credits. From start to finish, it feels like an Amy Schumer film, and that’s a credit to both of them. If you don’t know who Amy Schumer is, you probably don’t have the internet. The current queen of comedy has had an amazing few years, including her own sketch show on Comedy Central, a sold-out stand up tour, countless guest spots and a hosting gig for the 2015 MTV Movie Awards. Trainwreck, which Schumer both wrote and stars in, is her first foray into film, and it’s a solid (if also circumspect) debut. Schumer plays Amy Townsend, a relentless party girl and writer for the trashy magazine S’nuff who's assigned to write a profile on celebrity sports surgeon Dr Aaron Conners (SNL’s Bill Hader). Amy soon finds herself in a serious, committed relationship with the doctor, one that flies in the face of her lifelong dedication to polyamory, making Trainwreck a traditional romcom with an entirely untraditional difference: a female lead playing the ‘guy role’ – drinking, swearing and laying waste to one sexual conquest after the next. To call it refreshing is a giant understatement. In the lead, Schumer falls short of an assured performance, but hits enough high notes to carry the film through its weaker moments. Her trademark honesty-bordering-on-overshare is evident throughout, proving endearing even when her character’s words and actions are anything but. Amy Townsend isn’t a particularly likeable person, but like her you do all the same. Opposite her, Hader is pleasantly reserved as the good doctor and greater man, whose goofy grin and sexual naiveté nicely round out the ‘opposites attract’ motif. But by far the most pleasant surprise is the performance by NBA superstar LeBron James as Aaron's former patient-cum-best friend. A few years back, Gary Oldman and Jimmy Kimmel teamed up for an amusing short called “Actors Against Acting Athletes”, in which Oldman railed against the influx of sportspeople in film – particularly basketball players. Cameos aside (e.g. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s turn in Flying High), it’s an entirely reasonable rant, especially since you’d be hard pressed to name many classics amongst Shaquille O’Neal’s twenty-three listed acting credits, let alone the twenty-six boasted by Dennis Rodman. James, however, is a terrific comic presence in Trainwreck, gleefully presenting himself as a Cleveland-obsessed romantic with a profound investment in Aaron’s love life and Scrooge-like stinginess, insisting on splitting every check despite his estimated net worth of $325 million. The scene between him and Aaron playing some casual one-on-one whilst discussing commitment and intimacy is arguably the finest in the film. There are many other cameos in Trainwreck. Some are clever (Daniel Radcliffe as himself in an art film called The Dogwalker, and WWE star John Cena as Schumer’s erstwhile boyfriend), but most are either unnecessary or downright bad (none more so than Matthew Broderick and Marv Albert in a bizarre intervention scene). Schumer’s the hottest ticket in town right now, so it’s understandable that Hollywood would be queuing up to get in on the action, but successful cameos require the deftest of touches to avoid completely breaking a film’s flow and reeking of ‘why not?’ stink – which wafts in more than a few times here. With a shorter run time and a tighter third act, Trainwreck might have proven itself a terrific romcom. As it stands it’s still a solid comedy that even boasts a few serious moments to tug at the heartstrings. Without question, Schumer’s only getting started, and we eagerly await the next instalment from this spectacularly funny comic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_KP9x80Z9Q
In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) strides through a Hogwarts classroom, teaching his students to thwart the dark arts. They're asked to summon their worst fear and then vanquish it, an exercise that's cathartic for some and terrifying for others. If he tasked Harry Potter fans with doing the same, the results would likely fall into the latter category. Potterheads needn't conjure up nightmares about awful Wizarding World flicks, however — with The Crimes of Grindelwald, that torment becomes a reality. The spell has been broken with this sequel to 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the tenth instalment in the franchise first started with 2001's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The magic has run out, the charms have worn off and JK Rowling's enchanting abilities are fading. For more than two decades, the British author has splashed wizarding wonders across both the page and screen, but The Crimes of Grindelwald proves a busy drag of a film. It's a movie where plenty happens yet it all feels like filler, and where the rampant spectacle leaves an empty sensation. The Harry Potter pictures had their ups and downs too, but the series' latest chapter is about as entertaining as spending time with the Dursley family. Picking up where its predecessor left off, The Crimes of Grindelwald finds the wizarding world waving their wands over the future of the villainous Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp). He solves that problem by escaping to Paris to rile up his supporters with anti-Muggle rhetoric, and to find orphan Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller). Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) also heads to France, doing a favour for Dumbledore and trying to reignite his romance with American auror Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston). Enchanted beasts might be Newt's specialty — whether they're tiny saplings that can pick locks, gold-digging platypus types, or giant cat-like creatures — but he's soon tracking down a different kind of monster. From portkeys to Diagon Alley-esque laneways to a pre-serpent Nagini (Claudia Kim), this is a Wizarding World flick through and through. Good faces off against bad, allegiances are tested and tragic backstories remain a staple as well. The film might take place in 1927 with flashbacks to years prior, but nods abound to names and details established in the 90s-set Harry Potter movies. Some references even ignore existing HP lore and logic, much to the dismay of dedicated aficionados — and this seemingly haphazard approach cuts to the crux of The Crimes of Grindelwald's struggles. As penned by Rowling herself and directed by six-time franchise veteran David Yates, the movie adheres to the superhero school of filmmaking. It's less concerned with serving up an engaging new chapter that stands on its own merits, and more interested in prolonging the series. Rendered with visible gloom and shadow, this dull rather than vibrant film is a placeholder, doing what it must to keep things going and little else. Specifically, The Crimes of Grindelwald does what it needs to to keep everyone waiting for the three sequels that'll hit cinemas in 2020, 2022 and 2024. When a movie is content to replace Colin Farrell with Johnny Depp, doing only what it deems necessary is clearly its modus operandi. In a picture that's happy to go through the motions, the cast change is just one of the many missteps. Hectic yet also overextended, The Crimes of Grindelwald is filled with contrasts. The film's story is both jam-packed and flimsy, layering subplots upon subplots yet never delving too deeply into any of them. Characters are barely fleshed out, even when they're accompanied by solid performances, such as Zoe Kravitz as Leta Lestrange and Miller as Credence. Furthermore, the social commentary that's baked into the story — not only paralleling the rise of fascism between the First and Second World Wars, but nodding to today's fractured Europe — may set the scene for the next instalments, but adds little to the current film. As for the action set-pieces, while handsomely staged and teeming with technical wizardry, they hardly leave a lasting imprint. As he proved many times for the Boy Who Lived, Dumbledore is the movie's saviour. Or, more accurately, Law's young pope Dumbledore is. Channelling his inner Michael Gambon, Law is easily the best thing about The Crimes of Grindelwald, oozing the energy and intrigue that the film otherwise lacks. Viewers can be forgiven for wishing they were simply watching The Young Dumbledore without any beasts, fantastic or otherwise, with Law upstaging Redmayne's sensitive Newt and Depp's sinister villain. It goes without saying that he upstages the minor parts given to Waterston and fellow Fantastic Beasts returnees Alison Sudol and Dan Fogler, too. And while The Crimes of Grindelwald's ending is among its worst inclusions, it does at least guarantee one thing: we'll be seeing more of young Dumbledore in future films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfMsZrrQ5Vo
If you're a fan of Gelato Messina and its sweet treats, 2020 and 2021 have been years that just keep on giving. That saying doesn't apply to much at all of late, but it definitely fits in this situation. The dessert chain has released all manner of one-off specials, launched a new range of chocolate-covered ice cream bars in supermarkets, dropped a new merchandise line and brought back its Christmas trifle, for starters — and, after taking care of your summer drinks list, it's now moving on to Easter cocktails. Teaming up with Cocktail Porter, Messina has a new DIY kit that'll let you make your own boozy beverage — this time using its dulce de leche, and pouring it inside an Easter egg. Basically, it's the answer to a familiar dilemma, especially at this time of year. No one likes choosing between tucking into an orb of chocolate or having another boozy beverage, after all. The Messina dulce de leche and coffee cocktail packs come with the brand's popular topping, as well as Baileys, cold-drip coffee and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur. You'll also receive chocolate Easter eggs, which you'll pour your mixed liquids into, as well as pieces of salted caramel popcorn to pop on top. You can pick between two different-sized packs, with the small kit costing $80 and making five drinks, and the large costing $140 and making 12. A second type of seasonal kit is also available, without Messina products, but featuring espresso martinis served out Lindt milk chocolate bunnies. This one also comes with vodka, cold-filter coffee, sugar syrup and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, and the prices for both small and large batches are the same. Cocktail Porter delivers Australia-wide, if that's your Easter drinking plans now sorted. To order Cocktail Porter's Easter cocktail kits, head to the Cocktail Porter website.
With apologies to William Shakespeare, all the world isn't just a stage in French farce Murder Party. Instead, it's a game, then another one, then yet another after that. This candy-coloured murder-mystery takes perhaps the ultimate high-concept setup and hones in on a crucial fact: that audiences love whodunnits, whether they're watching them on the screen or reading them on the page, because charting the unravelling details entails sleuthing along. In other words, when we're wondering who killed who in which room and why (and with what weapon), we're playing. The board game Cluedo also nailed this truth, as have murder-mystery parties, plus the increasing array of other interactive shows and events that thrust paying participants into the middle of such puzzle-laden predicaments. And while Murder Party acknowledges this idea in a variety of manners, here's the first and simplest: it's set among a family famed for making best-selling board games themselves. First-time feature writer/director Nicolas Pleskof and his co-scribe Elsa Marpeau (Prof T) kickstart the film with a killer setup: that eccentric crew of relatives, their brightly hued home on a sprawling country estate, an usual task given to a newcomer and, naturally, a sudden passing. Architect Jeanne Chardon-Spitzer (Alice Pol, Labor Day) is asked to pitch a big renovation project to the Daguerre family, transforming their impressive abode so that living there always feels like playing a game (or several). Patriarch César (Eddy Mitchell, The Middleman) already encourages his brood to enjoy their daily existence with that in mind anyway, including dedicating entire days to letting loose and walking, talking and breathing gameplay. But he's looking for a particularly bold next step. He's unimpressed by Jeanne's routine proposal, in fact. Then he drops dead, the property's doors slam shut and a voice over the intercom tells the architect, plus everyone else onsite, to undertake a series of challenges to ascertain the culprit among them — or be murdered themselves. Also thrust into the high-stakes game, which'll dispense with anyone who refuses to take part or guesses incorrectly: César's son Théo (Pablo Pauly, The French Dispatch), daughter Léna (Sarah Stern, Into the World) and nudgingly named youngest boy Hercule (Adrien Guionnet, Le Bazar de la Charité). Yes, sibling rivalry complicates the hypothesising, as well as the attempts to stay alive. Théo is particularly friendly towards workaholic Jeanne, adding another complexity to the already-chaotic situation. Similarly at hand is the dead man's younger wife Salomé (Pascale Arbillot, Haute Couture) — a mystery writer herself — and his no-nonsense offsider sister Joséphine (Miou-Miou, The Last Mercenary). And, because a home this immense was always going to have some help hovering around, butler Armand (Gustave Kervern, Love Song for Tough Guys) gets drawn in, too. If Amelie and Knives Out combined, the end result would look like Murder Party. If Wes Anderson and Agatha Christie joined forces, the outcome would be the same. It's highly unlikely that Pleskof was ever going to call his feature Murder in the Game-Filled Mansion or Death While Rolling the Dice, but that's the overwhelming vibe. There's an escape room element, too — thankfully, though, nodding towards the Escape Room franchise isn't on the agenda. Murder Party's characters get stuck in intricately designed locked spaces and forced to piece together clues to secure their freedom, and are only permitted to remain breathing by keeping their wits about them, but no one's in a horror movie here. There's also a penchant for twists upon twists, including toying with the film's premise. Those zigs and zags are obviously best discovered by watching, but Pleskof and Marpeau know the genre they're diving into — and its tropes, customs and drawcards. They know the kind of flicks they're parodying as well, nodding and winking at everything from Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers to cutesy Gallic comedies. That isn't the same as making the most of their influences, or thoughtfully satirising stereotypical on-screen French quirkiness, however. It doesn't result in a game-changer of a mystery-comedy, either. To Murder Party's misfortune, the small screen has been awash in excellent comic whodunnits in the past year, spanning Only Murders in the Building, The Afterparty and The Resort. If you've seen even just one of those three shows, it'll linger in your mind while watching Jeanne navigate the Daguerre family's mayhem. Still, there's an enticing air to Murder Party's aesthetic, with production designer Jérémy Duchier (Perfumes), art director Jean-Baptiste Rodet (Agatha Christie's Criminal Games) and costume designer Dorothée Guiraud (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) showering the featuring in a rainbow's worth of shining shades. The film colour-codes its characters just as Cluedo always has — in their outfits, rather than their names — and also turns its vibrantly decorated labyrinth of a mansion into the game-playing version of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Visually, Murder Party is exactly what it's meant to be: a sweet treat. And, just like in Roald Dahl's beloved book and the movies that've brought it to the screen, exactly who endures and who gets eliminated is guided by personality, and by riddles and quests that know their players' strengths and weaknesses. Fluffy, flashy, sugary, elaborate — yes, Murder Party is the dessert of whodunnit flicks in several ways. In-depth characterisations aren't a particular murder-mystery strength (see: the recent versions of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile), but for everyone except Jeanne, the film remains especially light. There's a reason behind that, linked to the plot's biggest twist of all. Still, in the overall puzzle, that's also too much of a telltale sign. Murder Party wants to ponder the fun and escape of moving tokens, shuffling cards, making guesses and other frivolous trivialities, but getting immersed in the sleuthing, and also invested in each character's fate, proves a slipperier and trickier prospect when it's instantly clear that almost everyone is just a pawn.
Some of the biggest stars of this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival are coming together for a truly important cause. Proceeds from these two benefit gigs will go to Youth Projects, a Melbourne-based charity dedicated to helping young people in Melbourne who are sleeping rough. Host Tom Ballard of ABC Comedy's Tonightly will be joined by a cavalcade of comedic stars — past participants include Judith Lucy, Daniel Kitson, Tom Gleeson, David O'Doherty and Cal Wilson. Image: Jim Lee.
Those keen to jump in their car — or on a plane — and explore another Australian state or territory may be able to do just that this winter, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison hinting that interstate travel could be back on the cards by early July. After a national cabinet meeting today, Tuesday, May 5, the Prime Minister said he was hopeful interstate travel would be a possibility by the next end-of-term school holiday, which is June 26 in Queensland and Victoria, and July 3 in the ACT and NSW. "It's part of the road back that national cabinet is considering," the Prime Minister said in response to a question about interstate travel. "Hopefully, by the end of term school holiday, if [Australians] are able to go and have a holiday on the Gold Coast or in South Australia or in — wherever it happens to be out of one's home state — let's hope that is possible because that will be great for those places in terms of the tourism impact." This does, of course, depend on some Australian states and territories reopening their borders. Queensland, Tasmania, WA, SA and the NT have all suspended non-essential cross-border travel and require interstate arrivals to quarantine for 14 days. The possibility of interstate travel resuming this winter was a sentiment echoed earlier today by Qantas, too. In a statement released this morning, the Australian airline group said, "the initial easing of government restrictions suggests some domestic travel may start to return before the end of July". When domestic travel does ramp up, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said Melbourne-Sydney flights on Jetstar could drop as low as $19. The airline also announced that it had extended flight cancellations from the end of May through to the end of July, but that "some capacity can be added back in if domestic and Trans-Tasman restrictions ease in coming weeks". New Zealand is another travel possibility that's been flagged for Australians the near future, with Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy previously saying it could be allowed by within the next three-to-four months. The Prime Minister also said that he'd been discussing a Trans-Tasman travel bubble for "several weeks" with NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who joined today's national cabinet meeting, and that, in terms of international travel, it was "the most obvious place to start" but that was "still some time away". It's expected a clearer look at the "road out" and some possible easing of restrictions will be announced on Friday, May 8, after this week's second national cabinet meeting. Top image: Numbananga Lodge by MVandavee for NPWS.
Looking to escape winter? We hear you. That's why we've teamed up with the wild child of luxury Cairns hotels, Crystalbrook Flynn, to give one lucky CP reader — and a plus one — the chance to win the ultimate tropical getaway. If you're looking for a big dose of sunshine and the rush of adventure, pop your details below to go into the running to score a Thrill and Chill package. The getaway includes two nights in the spacious Flynn's Suite (which features unbeatable views of the Coral Sea) with a Wolf Lane negroni on arrival; return private transfer between the airport and the hotel; daily breakfast for two at Flynn's Italian; a scenic helicopter flight over the Great Barrier Reef or Wet Tropics rainforest; 60-minute signature spa treatment for two at Eléme Day Spa; and a fully stocked cabana for a seriously lavish pool day including champagne, charcuterie, fresh seasonal fruit, poolside lunch and bottomless sparkling water and soft drinks. To sweeten the deal, we'll also throw in a $500 flight voucher to get you there and back. The five-star hotel is located in the heart of Cairns, just footsteps from Cairns Esplanade. And with so many incredible ways to experience Tropical North Queensland, you'll be perfectly positioned for the ultimate escape from winter — if you even want to leave the hotel. It's time to channel your inner thrill-seeker, and jet set to the tropics. [competition]859968[/competition]
UPDATE: April 20, 2020: The Guilty is available to stream via SBS On Demand, Google Play and YouTube. Some time in the not-too-distant future, Jake Gyllenhaal will sit in a nondescript cubicle, strap on a headset and try to save a woman's life. He'll do so while playing a police officer who's been demoted to phone duties, tasked with taking emergency calls, who suddenly finds himself talking to a kidnapping victim as her abduction is in progress. The camera won't move from his grey office location as he frantically attempts to resolve the fraught situation, and the movie will be all the more gripping for it. But no matter how effective this forthcoming flick is (or not, depending on how it turns out), exceptional Danish actor Jakob Cedergren and stellar thriller The Guilty will always have gotten there first. An English-language remake of Gustav Möller's Oscar-shortlisted debut was always bound to happen. It's the kind of high-concept film that Hollywood loves, regardless of where the idea came from. Tense Ryan Reynolds vehicle Buried, the involving, Tom Hardy-starring Locke, and Halle Berry's awful The Call have all played with aspects of the same concept, however The Guilty might just be the best of the talk-heavy bunch. With claustrophobic visuals and an uneasy mood, it's not simply smart, savvy and suspenseful, although each of those descriptions apply. More than that, this single-setting, real-time screw-turner is downright masterful in achieving its aim — that is, ensuring that one guy making and taking phone calls ranks among the most intense 85-minute periods in cinema history. In a standout role that deserves to bring Cedergren to broader attention, the Danish TV mainstay plays Asger Holm, a short-tempered, nearly-axed cop who couldn't be unhappier with his current assignment. One call virtually bleeds into the next in his frustrated mind, until a particularly fearful plea for assistance stands out. Iben's (Jessica Dinnage) story is distressing from the outset, involving domestic violence, being whisked away from home against her will, and two young kids left behind to fend for themselves. And so Holm springs into action, doing everything he can without leaving the phone to track down the kidnapped woman, as well as her reportedly explosive ex-husband (Johan Olsen), before it's too late. The immense skill required to not only engage and excite an audience's imagination, but to truly activate it, can't be underestimated. While the printed word achieves the feat with frequency, cinema typically prefers to be more explicit. Even when mystery is involved, movies tend to avoid relegating their most thrilling moments to spectators' heads — the same is true for the bulk of their action and drama, for that matter. Streamlined without ever proving simplistic, The Guilty takes the opposite approach, forcing its viewers' minds to fire on all available cylinders. The details shown on screen are far from sparse, including the range of emotion on offer from the picture's controlled but expressive leading man, and more subplots than one might expect given the movie's premise. But even as cinematographer Jasper Spanning spends much of the film's running time honing in on Cedergren's piercing, pensive eyes, the tale that's literally told via snippets of conversation couldn't be more vivid. Thank Möller's tight, taut script, as penned with economical but evocative precision with co-writer Emil Nygaard Albertsen. Thank their star as well, once again. And, with hearty enthusiasm, thank the craftspeople responsible for creating the film's fine-tuned soundscape. The fields of sound editing and sound mixing can confuse even the most dedicated cinephiles come Oscars time each year, with the former referring to finding and assembling individual sources of audio, and the latter involving the act of stitching them all together. Here, both disciplines are on show, although experienced sound editor Oskar Skriver has done a particularly astute job of finding the right sound for every single moment — and making audiences hang on each and every voice and noise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qYyTJM6Kvo
Roman Polanski's story is an extraordinary one. His life has been marked by tragedies, victories, and traumas of filmic proportions, from his survival of Nazi occupation in his native Poland to the cult murder of his pregnant movie star wife Sharon Tate and his Oscar win for The Pianist in 2003. Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir is an extended conversation between the auteur and his longtime friend Andrew Braunsberg, who produced several Polanski films. The interview took place while Polanski was under house arrest in Switzerland in 2010, following his second trial for drugging and raping a thirteen-year-old girl in 1977. The production itself is pretty undergraduate — shoddy sound, unimaginative camerawork, and cheap iMovie-style effects. It turns out the director, Laurent Bouzereau, makes his living producing 'making of' documentaries for movies like Jaws and Back to the Future, and he's clearly riding on Polanski's incredible story. Polanski, who trained as an actor, is a gifted storyteller and his earlier hardships in the Krakow ghetto during World War II are truly amazing. His retelling is cut with footage from The Pianist to show how his formative experiences manifested in his movies, and this is where the film is strongest. But the biggest problem, and one which I can't overlook, is the treatment of Polanski's 1977 crime. The word 'rape' is never mentioned. Instead, the filmmakers focus on corruption in the justice system and offer an argument that goes along the lines of 'well, hasn't Roman been punished enough already?' It's a blatantly dishonest approach considering the enormity of the crime and Polanski's guilty plea. That Braunsberg, the key interviewer, is a close confidant and associate of Polanski's means that there is no veil of anything close to objectivity or distance, which is especially troubling given the film's already creepy mandate of setting the record straight, of advocating for a convicted rapist. There's no doubt Polanski is a major artist, and his fans will probably get a lot out of his recollections of his childhood and early career, but don't expect any keen insights or rigorous attention to the ethics of documentary-making. Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir is a personal exercise in public atonement. Quite frankly, I left the cinema feeling infected.
When winter blows her icy breath on our pale, dressing-gown-clad bodies, it can be all too tempting to stay indoors on the couch with a cup of tea and some mindless TV. Put down your Earl Grey because getaway experts Mr & Mrs Smith want you to embrace the chill and explore your own extended backyard with these ten deals and one killer competition celebrating Victoria's hidden charms. Whether you're keen to wander the countryside or draw near to the beating heart of the city, Mr & Mrs Smith will get you out of your Ugg boots and knee-deep into Victoria. As the frost sets in, Melbourne comes into its own, enchanting you with an abundance of cosy cafes and busy bars nestled in cool hidden laneways. Get your warm winter wardrobe at the unique boutiques and fashion strips on Chapel Street or get a healthy dose of culture at the many art, music and theatre shows on offer. Venture just an hour or two out of the city and you'll be swept away in the beauty of the Victorian countryside. Sip a batch of the freshest cider from the Yarra Valley and go on a tasting trail on your bike of locally grown wine and produce. Explore the natural beauty as you hike through the Grampians. Get your wetsuit on and forget about your goosebumps as you surf some world-famous beaches along the Great Ocean Road or be treated like royalty in the luxurious hotels of Daylesford. Mr & Mrs Smith have selected only the most standout boutique hotels and smart self-catering stays to tempt you off your couch and get you ensconced in a Victorian winter getaway. Win the Ultimate Victorian Adventure Mr & Mrs Smith are offering a chance to win the ultimate Victorian winter wonderland holiday for two. You'll be spoiled in the city with two nights at the Prince in St Kilda, where you can treat yourself to dinner at the top-rated Circa restaurant. Then head to Daylesford, spending two nights in the luxurious spa at the Lake House. Finish your trip off with two nights at the Mornington Pensinula’s beachside Big Blue Backyard and get the blood pumping with a dip in the ocean. You'll feel like a rockstar with a BMW X Series car ride to get up close and personal with the sights of Victoria. Return Qantas flights for two will get you to Melbourne from your closest Australian capital city. Enter the competition via their website. Exclusive Offers from Mr & Mrs Smith Can't wait? Check out all of Mr & Mrs Smith’s exclusive offers for Concrete Playground readers. 1. Big Blue Backyard, St. Andrews Beach Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; Stay three nights but only pay for two on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula. 2. The Cullen, Melbourne Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; save 20 per cent on Studio Suites and experience all the sights of trendy Prahran and Chapel Street. 3. Lake House, Daylesford Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; stay three nights but only pay for two and soak up Daylesford and the spectacular spa country. 4. Lyall Hotel and Spa, Melbourne Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; discover the secrets of South Yarra and the sights and delights of Chapel Street and save 20% off the usual rates. 5. Mansion Hotel & Spa, Melbourne Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; savour the historic surrounds, wine delights and zoo experience all within reach of this iconic hotel and save 20% off the usual rate. 6. Mollisons, Kyneton Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; stay three nights but only pay for two and experience historic Kyneton and surrounds. 7. Mt Sturgeon, The Grampians Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; stay three nights but only pay for two in the beautiful Grampians. 8. Ovolo Hotel Melbourne Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; visit Melbourne during winter and save 20% off rates. 9. The Prince, Melbourne Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; trendy St Kilda is yours to explore on this special winter offer and save 20% off the usual rates. 10. Royal Mail Hotel, The Grampians Exclusive to Mr & Mrs Smith and Visit Victoria travellers; stay three nights but only pay for two in the beautiful Grampians. To take advantage of these exclusive offers, book through the Mr & Mrs Smith website. Top image courtesty of Mr and Mrs Smith. Other images courtesy of Tourism Victoria.
Whether you’re an avid truffophile or you're still wondering what all the fuss is about, Truffle Melbourne wants to share the delights of the truffle with you. With Australia as the fourth largest producer of black truffles after France, Spain and Italy, it seems only fitting that we celebrate these little gastronomic nuggets here. Prahran Market will be transformed for two days of truffle paradise. Find out how to make great truffle dishes at home, and discover the truffle secrets of Melbourne's best truffle chefs and artisan food producers. If tasting your way around the market on the Taste the Truffle Trail sounds like you, then get in quick — there are limited tickets for $45, which include six truffle tasting plates and a drink. Otherwise, wander down and watch some demonstrations, see a truffle hunt in progress and allow all five senses to be assailed by the wonder of the truffle.
What do Vue de Monde executive chef Justin James, critically acclaimed floral artist Hattie Malloy, and the structural engineering team behind the Sydney Opera House have in common? They all collaborated on Sensory Experiments, an astounding, ambitious, one-of-a-kind social experiment-performance art cross that's guaranteed to challenge your mind and engage every one of your senses. Billed as both a "manifesto for sensory intelligence" and a "fleshy live experience", the hyper-immersive work will be open for a single day at the heritage Norla Dome in Dockland as part of Melbourne Design Week. So what can you expect? Upon entering the silent, cold room, you will be me with an elaborate floral installation specially designed to captivate eye and nose alike. From there, you'll be led deeper into the installation to taste edible art (petals are on the menu) and witness (and participate in) a series of performances choreographed to soundscapes designed by the team behind the most iconic venue in Australia. It's set to be a real journey — so come prepared.
In the misfire that's always been 1996's Space Jam, basketball superstar-turned-unconvincing actor Michael Jordan is asked to hurry up. "C'mon Michael, it's game time! Get your Hanes on, lace up your Nikes, grab your Wheaties and your Gatorade, and we'll pick up a Big Mac on the way to the ballpark," he's told. Spoken by go-to 90s schemester Wayne Knight (aka Seinfeld's Newman), this line couldn't better sum up the film or the franchise it has now spawned. The Space Jam movies aren't really about the comedic chaos that springs when a famous sportsperson pals around with cartoons. That's the plot, complicated in the original flick and now 25-years-later sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy by evil forces that turn a basketball game into a battle ground; however, it's also just a means to an end. These features are truly about bringing brands together in a case of mutual leveraging, as product placement always is. Connect Looney Tunes with the NBA, and audiences will think of both when they think of either, the strategy aims. It has worked, of course — and with A New Legacy, the approach is put to even broader and more shameless use. Everyone who has ever even just heard of Space Jam in passing knows its central equation: Looney Tunes + hoop dreams. The first Space Jam's viewers mightn't also remember the aforementioned product name-drops, but Warner Bros, the studio behind this saga, hopes A New Legacy's audience will forever recall its new references. All the brands shoehorned in here are WB's own, with its other pop culture franchises and properties mentioned repeatedly. The company also has Harry Potter, The Matrix, the DC Extended Universe flicks such as Wonder Woman, and Mad Max: Fury Road in its stable. Its catalogue includes Game of Thrones, Rick and Morty, The Lord of the Rings, and Hanna-Barbera cartoons like The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, too. And, it holds the rights to everything from The Wizard of Oz, Metropolis and Casablanca to A Clockwork Orange and IT. A New Legacy wants to forcefully and brazenly impress these titles into viewers' minds so that they'll always equate them with the studio. In other words, this is just a Warner Bros ad with LeBron James and Looney Tunes as its spokespeople. You don't need to be a cynic or have zero nostalgia for the OG Space Jam to see A New Legacy as purely a marketing exercise. Bringing brands together is what the movie literally focuses on. James takes over from Jordan as the flesh-and-blood figure who hops onto the court with the Tune Squad, including Bugs Bunny (Jeff Bergman, Our Cartoon President), Lola Bunny (Zendaya, Malcolm & Marie), Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Teen Titans Go!'s Eric Bauza) — and he's plunged into the game by Warner Bros itself. On-screen, the studio is run by an algorithm unimaginatively named Al G Rhythm (Don Cheadle, Avengers: Endgame), which wants to capitalise upon the Los Angeles Lakers star's popularity. The plan: digitising James' likeness and inserting it into some of WB's best-known fare, all via a computer realm called the Warner 3000 Serververse. While there's also a subplot involving the sportsman's fictional son Dom (Cedric Joe, Loving Him), who'd rather be coding than dribbling, is pushed towards the latter by his dad, but creates the basketball video game the elder James and his animated teammates eventually find themselves playing, that always comes second to Warner Bros doing exactly what LeBron condemns in the flick itself. Perhaps we're all supposed to be too distracted by constantly spotting the likes of the Iron Giant, Austin Powers, King Kong and the Gremlins to notice that A New Legacy makes corporate synergy the bad guy while also epitomising the concept. Perhaps we're meant to be so overwhelmed not just by the pointless intellectual property onslaught, but by the frenetic visuals and domineering soundtrack favoured by director Malcolm D Lee (Girls Trip, Night School), that we just succumb. Maybe, given that Wreck-It Ralph and Ready Player One have charted similar reference-heavy territory before — the first engagingly, the second to puff up a terrible movie — we should all be accustomed to blatant advertising passing itself off as films by now. Maybe Warner Bros just thinks that saying "hey, all these other well-known movies and shows exist" constitutes a narrative, even if it takes six credited screenwriters to come up with an abysmal script. A New Legacy operates as if all the above is true, and also tries to convince itself that it has genuine emotions at its core, but it's impossible to see this as anything other than a commercial. WB's parent company also owns US streaming service HBO Max and, wouldn't you know it, many of the pop culture titles referenced in A New Legacy are available on the platform. Now kids will link them all together, and to Warner Bros; advertising mission accomplished. Again, the original Space Jam is beloved only through the lens of nostalgia — it's a mess of a Nike ad, and little more — but A New Legacy didn't have to be like this. James was a genuinely funny scene-stealer in Trainwreck. Looney Tunes fare is too rarely seen these days, and the tiny snippets of the cartoon's old-school antics that do feature here, including with a cartoon James, are among A New Legacy's best moments. (That the toons' 1996 big-screen outing inspired 2003's Looney Tunes: Back in Action isn't as widely remembered, but everyone needs some animated slapstick in their lives every now and then.) A New Legacy really should've trusted its basic elements; however, that would've been bucking the trend established by the saga's initial flick. At least the new film does deploy one obvious but nonetheless excellent joke regarding Space Jam's original hoop shooter, although in a better movie, that wouldn't be as much of a highlight as it proves. It doesn't involve basketball, but a far better option than this designed-by-algorithm shambles is to just rewatch Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which remains the pinnacle of live-action/animated hybrids.
Shelly is a normal girl. Normal enough, that is, until she finds herself starting to become more and more fish-like every day. Staying true to her piscine transformation, she takes refuge in the sea, alone. But the sea is no place for a human girl — even a scaly, gilled amphibian-type one who's taken a liking to blowing bubbles. The Sound of Waves is a fictionalised account of performer Jodie Harris' true story of losing her hearing and getting a cochlear implant. Written bespoke for her to perform solo by Gareth Ellis, the production is a whimsical, affirming tale six years in the making. Harris, a deaf actor, admits she was worried about performing it. But the oh-so-precious, encouraging words of the Weedy Seahorse — one of her multitudinous characters in the play — got her through that: "I can do this, and that — check it out! I can do this."
Most people know the tonal nuances of Ira Glass' voice better than they know they know their own family's birthdays, but, chances are, they don't know him like this. The prolific This American Life host and producer is coming to Sydney and Melbourne this July — but not to do a live broadcast of the seriously popular NPR show or to speak in conversation. He'll be performing as part of a contemporary dance stage show. Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host combines live radio with dance. You may think that these two disciplines have "no business being on stage together" (Glass' words, not mine), but somehow the public radio king manages to pull it off. Collaborating with veteran dancers Anna Bass and Monica Bill Barnes, the 90-minute, three-act performance pulls in Glass' knack for storytelling, staging radio interviews as dance pieces and weaving in anecdotes from the performers' own lives. "I know this whole thing sounds a little nuts but I swear it's pretty great. Huge laughs. Big emotions," said Glass. "Dance is all visuals, no talking. Radio's all talking, no visuals. But what the stories on This American Life have in common with dance is music." The radio-dance spectacular will visit both Melbourne and Sydney this July, with two shows at both the Sydney Opera House and the Arts Centre's State Theatre. After initially debuting as a ten-minute test run back in 2013, the show has gone on to be performed all over the U.S. It will tour through California, New Hampshire, Alabama and North Carolina, before finishing up in Australia. Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host will visit the State Theatre at the Arts Centre Melbourne on July 14 and 15, before going to the Sydney Opera House for two performances on July 17 and 18. Tickets for the Melbourne show go on sale on Friday, March 11 at 9am here, while the Sydney show will go on sale at 9am on Friday, March 18 here. Image: David Bazemore.
It's been an unusual year, and so it would make sense that one of the annual events we look forward to each year is shaking (or stirring) things up in 2020. Negroni Week, sponsored by Campari, is back from September 14–20 — and this year you can support your local bar from a distance, by learning to make your own at home. Campari has collaborated with 50 leading bartenders across Australia — including Black Pearl's Matt Linklater, PS40's Michael Chiem, Nick & Nora's Kayla Reid and Old Mate's Brittany Rowe — to create a free Negroni Cocktail Book that you can download and follow to recreate some of your favourite twists on the classic negroni. The Negroni Cocktail Book is a gift from the bartenders who've invented new ways to serve us during lockdown. There are two parts to the book; the first has ten classic recipes, like an americano, a coffee negroni and a kingston, and the second has 50 cocktail recipes from the masters, think one influenced by the bullet coffee trend, one that tastes like french toast, and heaps of others inspired by the cocktails in the negroni family. And, as those bartenders have done so much for us over the years, it's also good to give something back. This year's Negroni Week is raising a glass to the hospo industry, which has faced months of legislation, uncertainty and waves of financial instability, by partnering with Help Out Hospo. You can pay it forward to those workers hit hard by the pandemic by making a donation to Help Out Hospo, here. The initiative was created during the pandemic with all profits going to out-of-work hospitality staff. So far it's raised nearly $60,000. Download the free Negroni Cocktail Book here. Remember to Drinkwise.
At the beginning of 2020, Melbourne welcomed a new summer pop-up: The Exchange Beach Club, which was only around for a month. With the weather heating up, it's returning for another bout of drinks by the sea — once again bringing private cabanas, umbrella-covered outdoor seating, day beds, refreshments and entertainment right onto the sand of Port Melbourne Beach. You can enjoy an ice-cold boozy beverage — think passionfruit caprioskas, spritzes, prosecco, hard seltzers and more — while kicking back by the ocean. You can also tuck into fish and chips, a lobster roll or a burger as the sun goes down. There'll be ice cream doughnut sandwiches for when those sweet cravings hit, too, plus an ice cream cart for more frosty goodness. Need more motivation? On Tuesdays, it's doing $2 oysters — and on weekends from 10.30am–12pm, the club will be hosting bottomless brunch sessions with 90 minutes of drinks for $49 per person. Private cabanas will be available for up to four people. Oh, and puppies are welcome as well, with water bowls and free dog treats provided. The beach bar will be return from Friday, December 4–Sunday, March 21 — running from 12–10pm Monday–Thursday, 10am–10.30pm Friday–Saturday and 10am–10pm Sunday.
Australia's most famous sporting arena will play host to a mini music festival as part of this year's Melbourne Music Week. The Delta Riggs and Pierce Brothers will headline a slew of local talent rocking out on the MCG. Let's just hope they do a better job than Meat Loaf. Set to take place on Sunday, November 13 — just a few short weeks after a Grand Final pre-show featuring Sting, Vance Joy and The Living End — the Love Live Music event will welcome the likes of Woodlock, The Pretty Littles, The Vanns and Brooke Taylor to perform on the stadium's hallowed turf. According to the MCG website, punters can expect "a mix of Melbourne musicians playing everything from acoustic tunes and smooth jazz to upbeat pop and indie rock". Tickets to the event will cost $55 (plus booking fee), with doors open at 2pm for a 2.30pm start. In between the acts, ticketholders will be able to tour parts of the 'G that are normally off-limits, including the player change rooms and the Robert Flower Terrace with views of the CBD. Love Live Music is one of a number of Melbourne Music Week headline events. Other highlights include a set by The Drones at the Melbourne Town Hall that will incorporate the venues' massive Grand Organ, as well as a showcase of women in music featuring Julia Stone, Ella Hooper, Mama Kin, Montaigne, Mojo Juju, Elizabeth Rose and more. The full program will be announced on October 4. Image: Sascha Wenninger.
This is an adult and kid-friendly show, but just elbow the little tykes out of the way and you'll be privy to a magical little work that unfolds in the dimly lit little Fringe hub (specifically: The Lithuanian Club in North Melbourne). From New Zealand company Trick of the Light Theatre, The Bookbinder is an amalgamation of forms and DIY special effects — you'll find shadowplay, paper art, puppetry and musical interludes intertwined in a mystery and cautionary tale of what happened to the bookbinder's last, overly cocksure apprentice. This event was chosen as one of the top ten things to see at this year's Melbourne Fringe Festival. See the full list here.
Alcoholic champagne icy poles might've been 2016 and 2017's must-eat frosty treat, but they just might have a challenger for the summer of 2018–19: boozy frosé sorbet. National ice cream chain Gelatissimo has launched the new flavour to mark the first official day of the season, with the chilled dessert made using Chandon Sparkling Brut Rosé and strawberries. Why drink pink while eat fruit when you can combine the two in this icy pink concoction, clearly. The gelato fiends have also launched a second summery variety, this time pairing with Aussie swimwear brand Speedo and taking inspiration from the ocean. Yes, that means Eyre Peninsula sea salt and plenty of it, in a sea salt butterscotch blend that's a creamy blue shade. Gelatissimo's new flavours are available at all of the ice creamery's stores around the country throughout December, unless they sell out before the end of the month. For more information, visit Gelatissimo's website.
If you're equal parts foodie and trivia nut, consider this MFWF event your true calling. With wine writer Max Allen and food writer Richard Cornish as the night's savvy hosts, teams will engage in a battle of culinary smarts, through an interactive, multi-sensory quiz. Feast on an offering of specialty libations and tasty snacks, as you and your crew work through a side-splitting series of questions, challenges and memory testers. Expect surprise appearances from some special guests and a swag of giveaways throughout the night, including a primo meat tray that'll guarantee your status as a barbecue master. Start hitting those cookbook and don't forget to bring your A-game — the champion team will be heading home with the coveted Golden Tongue Award. Tickets are available for individuals and groups of four or six. MasterQuiz is part of Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Check out more of the festival's events here.
UPDATE, April 29, 2021: Judas and the Black Messiah is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. The last time that Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield appeared in the same film, Get Out was the end result. Their shared scene in Jordan Peele's Oscar-winning horror movie isn't easily forgotten — if you've seen the feature, it will have instantly popped into your head while you're reading this — and neither is Judas and the Black Messiah, their next exceptional collaboration. With Kaluuya starring as the Black Panther Party's Illinois Chairman Fred Hampton and Stanfield playing William O'Neal, the man who infiltrated his inner circle as an informant for the FBI, the pair is still tackling race relations. Here, though, the duo does so in a ferocious historical drama set in the late 60s. The fact that O'Neal betrays Hampton isn't a spoiler; it's a matter of fact, and the lens through which writer/director Shaka King (Newlyweeds) and his co-scribes Kenneth Lucas, Keith Lucas (actors on Lady Dynamite) and Will Berson (Scrubs) view the last period of Hampton's life. It's 1966 when O'Neal falls afoul of the law for trying to impersonate an FBI agent to steal a vehicle. With J Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen, Grace and Frankie) directing his employees to "prevent the rise of a 'messiah' who could unify and electrify the militant black nationalist movement" — his real-life words — the car thief is offered a deal by actual FBI Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons, I'm Thinking of Ending Things). If O'Neal cosies up to Hampton, then reports back on his comings, goings, political moves and general plans, he'll avoid jail. Initially apprehensive, he acquiesces to keep his freedom. With Hampton's raging speeches earning him a firm following, and his charisma and canny strategies broadening the crowds hanging on his words, O'Neal's task isn't minor. And the further he ingratiates himself into Hampton's confidence, becoming his head of security, the more he's torn about keeping tabs and doing the government's increasingly nefarious bidding. The magnetic Kaluuya has already won a Golden Globe for his performance, and is bound to be nominated for and likely win an Oscar — but his Best Supporting Actor categorisation is misleading. Judas and the Black Messiah spends ample time with Hampton, as it needs to. While O'Neal works his way into his orbit, Hampton meets and falls for fellow Black Panther Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback, The Deuce), with their romance surviving arrests, other informants, prison, police shootouts and various underhanded law enforcement tactics. This isn't just a story about one young Black man coerced into bringing down a rising leader and revolutionary, but also of the figure mobilising the masses as Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X had, until he was shot while he slept at the age of just 21. And, it's a tale about the powers-that-be's abject fear of progress, equality, and the crusaders willing to put their lives on the line to fight for justice and a better world. As the twin film phenomenon has shown since the dawn of the medium, movies about the same topic or premise often reach screens concurrently. With Seberg, The Trial of Chicago 7 and now Judas and the Black Messiah, Hollywood has delivered three dramas within just over 12 months that examine the efforts of those supposedly upholding the law as they actively work to suppress anyone who doesn't suit their vision for America, all based on truth and all drawing upon the same period (Hampton also pops up in The Trial of Chicago 7, played by Waves' Kelvin Harrison Jr, in fact). The arrival of this trio in such short succession isn't a coincidence. Made by different filmmakers, they aren't connected or part of a purposeful approach, but US cinema is rightly reckoning with the imbalance that has been entrenched into its society. Alongside phenomenal documentary MLK/FBI, which steps through the concerted campaign by America's intelligence agencies to surveil and attack its eponymous subject, these politically charged and downright enraged pictures are deservingly carving out their own space and insisting that viewers pay attention to events that remain of immense relevance today. Managing to make everything look and feel equally slick, visceral, urgent and relentless (with vivid help from Widows' cinematographer Sean Bobbitt and his eye for colourful period detail, and from the production and costume design teams, too), King directs Judas and the Black Messiah like he's doing more than chronicling history. He is, of course. It's impossible to watch this film in the wake of America's particularly divisive past four years, and of the Black Lives Matter movement and its quest for fairness, and not see parallels. But Judas and the Black Messiah doesn't just use its narrative to reflect the present. Doing what only the best movies that look back at the past and its many problems achieve, it roves its eyes over times gone by, shines a spotlight on rampant oppression and the struggle against it, and condenses a wealth of information into a gripping feature — but it also revels in the minutiae of both O'Neal and Hampton's stories. Both are state-sanctioned ones tragedies, and they're as scalding and searing as they still should be. Alluding to the bible in its title might seem bold, but the reality here should be known as far and wide as any religious text. Also demanding notice: those two fierce performances by returning co-stars, each of which stand out in their own ways. Black Panther and Queen & Slim's Kaluuya commands the screen during every single one of his real-life character's speeches, and brings thoughtfulness and texture to a man who is never simply lionised. As for Sorry to Bother You, Uncut Gems and Knives Out's Stanfield, he plays conflicted with a raw, nervy air — and with the vulnerability and confusion of someone manipulated into a cause he genuinely wants to be a part of, yet required to double-cross the people he believes in. So much about Judas and the Black Messiah scorches itself into memory, although fans of its central duo will find themselves left with a distinctive dream. If Kaluuya and Stanfield can keep acting in movies this invigorating, ardent, resonant and essential, audiences will keep basking in their greatness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ivHf4ODMi4
Calling all lovers of vino: the new app FreeWines offers up a free bottle of award-winning wine when you dine at participating restaurants across Australia. Currently, FreeWines is working with 200 restaurants to reward you with quality tipple and the list of participating restaurants grows weekly, with the aim of reaching 500. This is no attempt for restaurateurs to get rid of their less-than-desirable drops, either. All wines featured have either won international wine awards or have scored highly with James Halliday — think Hugh Hamilton 'The Rascal' Shiraz, Elephant Hill Syrah and First Creek Verdelho. The restaurants already involved are a mix of hatted venues, local favourites and popular spots, including The Hill Eatery, Boscage and Red Lantern on Riley in New South Wales; Chow City, Ebenezer and Romulus & Remus in Victoria; and Cove Bar and Dining, Deer Duck Bistro and Mecca Bah in Queensland. So if free, delicious wine sounds like something you can get down with (so, that’s most of us?) the first step is to download their app (also free and available on iOS and Android devices). Once you have found a participating restaurant, mention that you are a FreeWines member on arrival and when you order. Then select your desired bottle via the app, and Bob’s your uncle, free wine for you. The wine is compliments of both the vineyard and the restaurant to say thanks for dining, although to be honest, we feel that we should be thanking them at this point. Like most great clubs, membership is limited for this app, so make sure you get on board sooner rather than later. For more information head to their website and download the app. Here’s to top-quality wine and fantastic food.
Spending more time at home is much easier to stomach with a hefty rage of desserts on hand, or at least that seems to be Gelato Messina's pandemic motto. Over the past few months, the gelato fiends have served up plenty of tasty specials, including cookie pies in choc chip, red velvet, choc-hazelnut, and peanut butter and jelly varieties; 40 of its best flavours; and full tubs of Iced VoVo gelato. Up next: a Messina version of that vanilla and chocolate-layered ice cream cake everyone considered the height of extravagance as a child. Yes, we're talking about Viennetta. If you've been indulging your sweet tooth over the past few months — frozen desserts were subject to strict item limits back in March, so plenty of folks clearly went big on sugary comfort food — then consider your tastebuds primed for this super-fancy take on the nostalgic favouritte. It's another of Messina's limited releases, with tubs of the rippled gelato creation available at all its stores for a very short period. Wondering what exactly Messina's Viennetta — or Messinetta, as it has been dubbed — entails? It combines fior di latte gelato with choc chips and chocolate fudge, then covers it all with piped vanilla chantilly as well as a chocolate velvet spray. And yes, the end result looks like the dessert you know and love. If it didn't, it just wouldn't be as exciting. The latest release in Messina's new 'Hot Tub' series, Messinetta gelato can only be ordered online on Monday, August 10, with a one-litre tub setting you back $30. You can then go into your chosen Messina store to pick up your tub between Friday, August 14–Sunday, August 16. If you're in Melbourne, remember that you can only venture to shops within five kilometres of your house — and only once a day — to get essentials, including food. Gelato Messina's Messinetta gelato tubs will be available to order on Monday, August 10, for pick up between Friday, August 14–Sunday, August 16 — keep an eye on the Messina website for further details.
Condensing the life story of Nelson Mandela into a single film is a daunting task. This is not just because the man went from being an agitator to a political prisoner to the first black president of South Africa (spoilers), but because the emotional connection the entire world has with one of the most significant anti-racism warriors is not a light one for a film to take on. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is not exactly up to the task. If this film is undone by anything, it's the biopic form itself. No film exists in a vacuum, and it's impossible to ignore that this biopic possesses basically the same narrative structure as most other activist/musician/politician/author biopics: begins, falls, rises. Which was the tagline to the Dark Knight trilogy, now that I think about it. The problem isn't that the film is reductive in its portrayal of Mandela's life — especially as it at least appears willing to show him at both his best and his worst — but that it is too reverential of its form. Director Justin Chadwick, best known for 2008's The Other Boleyn Girl, does not take any strong stylistic liberties with Mandela's story, but given the film feels frustratingly familiar, I rather wish he had. Idris Elba is very good in the role, and looks far more like Mandela than you might initially think. Oddly, he seems more comfortable playing the aged Mandela than the youthful one; the film itself echoes this feeling, significantly more at ease with Mandela the Forgiving Leader than Mandela the Righteous Terrorist. Winnie Mandela, who has, in many quarters, been retroactively painted as a villain in Nelson Mandela's life story, is given a much fairer shake here, in what is one of the film's better decisions. Although Winnie is depicted in the same generic strokes as everything else in the film, it at least acknowledges her best and her worst aspects, and that fairness is Mandela's saving grace. It doesn't hurt that Winnie is played by Naomie Harris, one of the UK's best actors, although her natural charisma is not given much room to shine through. The best thing that can be said of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is that it refuses to play in the same sandpit that the media did following the man's death last year, refusing to engage exclusively with the picture of Mandela as the genial statesman. The film is prepared to explore the elements of Mandela's past that would see him labelled a terrorist, and even if these are dealt with only perfunctorily, this sandpapering comes across as a result of the storytelling form rather than a politicised motivation. The worst thing that can be said of the film is that it is only superficially illuminating, briefly informative; the drama is only mildly engaging, the imprisonment distantly horrific. It insists upon keeping us at an arm's length for its not inconsiderable running time. Like a sign language-faking impostor at a funeral, the moves all look right to the untrained eye, but are, ultimately, devoid of all meaning. https://youtube.com/watch?v=hmm-aazQQKA
For 31 years, the Woodford Folk Festival has been a staple of south-east Queensland's event calendar, gifting the region with an annual array of music, arts, culture, creativity, camping and mud. As other festivals have come and gone around the country, it has remained an end-of-year mainstay, as well as a must-attend event for fest lovers; however that might not always be the case. Just days after the 2016/17 event wrapped up, Festival Director Bill Hauritz has announced that Woodford faces an uncertain future as a result of the strain being placed on the fest's infrastructure. This year saw audiences grow by more than five percent to reach 132,000 patrons over six days, with patrons flocking to see more than 2000 acts, performers and speakers across 438 events, including Paul Kelly, Gang Of Youths, Adalita, Amanda Palmer and Methyl Ethel. "It has been a most beautiful festival in almost every way but our future is unclear," said Hauritz in a statement. "This festival is becoming a hub for creativity attracting some great minds. It's been an inspiration for many of us," he continued. However, with growing crowds comes growing problems, as he also explained. "Raw water storage, and dusty and broken roads took the edge off what was a truly wonderful event. Dust was a big problem we have to fix, and the roads – they're just not up to required standards. That's just the beginning of our infrastructure issues." What happens next is yet to be determined, though given the massive amount of love and support Woodford Folk Festival receives — including from interstate attendees, with a third of festival visitors hailing from outside of Queensland — it's certain that everyone involved will be working to ensure the fest continues. The festival certainly has the backing of Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland, who has called for more government funding. "With such a successful year of festival attendance and camping numbers – it has never been more important for all levels of Government to provide funding support and certainty to Woodfordia Inc. to turn Woodfordia into a destination worthy of ongoing national and international acclaim," he said. "Funding will be vital to ensure this site receives much needed infrastructure upgrades including permanent staging, toilets and amenities, dust control, roads, and camping space for this iconic Australian festival and Woodfordia itself to grow and flourish." Image: Woodford Folk Festival.
A neighbourhood landmark dating back to 1854, Brunswick's Sarah Sands Hotel is the classic locally loved pub — with a distinctly modern twist. The two-level watering hole has that old-school feel with weekly specials, a generous happy hour and trivia, plus a menu of reimagined pub classics, including vegetarian and vegan options. But if you head upstairs, you'll find a trendy, light-filled oasis perched above Brunswick and Sydney Roads, where you can mingle late into the night with a cocktail in hand. If you're looking for your next late-night go-to, then Bar 3056 is the perfect place for a drink and a dance. There are live DJs every Friday and Saturday from 9pm, with a thriving dance floor until late. And, with a cocktail menu that celebrates native Australian ingredients — as well as towering cocktail trees, topped up with the spritzes of your choice — you can be sure you'll be sipping on some quality booze as you dance the night away. With puffy, Naples-style pizzas on the menu — with or without gluten — you're sure to be sustained well into the wee hours. For more information, visit the website.
The Bright Autumn Festival is a ten-day celebration of the changing of the seasons and the explosion of colours and flavours that accompany it. The festival, on from April 27 to May 6, brings together a programme of events dedicated to the autumnal produce of the High Country's valleys and the alpine scenery as the trees change from green to vivid gold and amber. Are you nuts about nuts? Then the Wandiligong Nut Festival is your opportunity to join in with the growers celebrating the harvest. On April 28 you can wander their market stalls picking up new-season nuts, fruit, wines, oils and other treats. It's the only nut festival in Australia, and the smell of the ultimate autumn nut — the chestnut — fills the air as it roasts on open cookers. Not sure what to do with your Wandi nut haul? The festival also hosts talks on how to peel and cook chestnuts, how to make chestnut hummus and pancakes, and lots of other nut-related topics. Any good road tripper knows you need souvenirs for family, friends and your fine self. For that, the Wandiligong Autumn Craft and Produce Market has got you covered. Open every day of the festival between 10am and 4pm, it showcases locally grown produce and handcrafted goods — think hand-dyed scarves, cushions, blankets, handmade cards and jewellery, along with edible souvenirs (which somehow never seem to make it home?) like homemade jams, preserves and fudges. For a real country experience, get along to the Gala Day on Saturday, May 5, when the streets of Bright are closed for one of the region's biggest community festivals, or wander 17 of the area's usually private gardens, which are opened up from April 27 to May 6 so you can appreciate their autumnal aesthetic. To plan your trip to the Bright Autumn Festival and the High Country region beyond, head to the Wander Victoria website and explore what's on this season.
Argh! Cannibals! Aargh! Clowns! Both of these things are horrible, who thought it would be a good idea to make a show that combines them? And why did I think it would be a good idea to see it? It’s not like it didn’t give due warning. The show’s name stems from the phrase 'long pig' — said to be the euphemism Polynesian cannibals used for human flesh — and every poster for the show has leering clown faces on it. It promises cannibal clowns and that’s exactly what it delivers. Three of them in fact, in butcher’s garb, with their clown noses black instead of the usual red. They scuttle round a murky stage, squabbling as they alternate between processing cannibal meat — in this context, red clown noses — and performing slightly warped versions of traditional clown acts. Despite the grotesque possibilities of the premise, the show is actually quite pedestrian. The cannibal theme has little bearing on the action for most of it, apart from informing the overall gloomy aesthetic and bleak energy-sapping soundtrack. Those expecting something visceral will not find it here. Nor is the clowning anything out of the ordinary, dependent on a familiar repertoire of slapstick, squeaky noses, silly sound effects, novelty size props and goofy facial expressions. There’s a lot of what you might call 'silly business': trivial onstage activity that looks quirky but doesn’t really advance anything. There are a few decent visual set pieces, such as a scene where a clown gives birth to a banana or one in which the trio briefly try to reclaim the persona of happy clowns in inflatable suits but find their dream literally deflating around them. They also get a bit of audience mileage with an extended parody of the crucifixion — though why cannibal clowns are being analogised to Jesus is anyone’s guess. One gets the feeling that there is a message intended here, about the tarnishing of the once jolly image of the clown into an icon of horror, or of people striving against their base natures or something of that order. It doesn’t come across though. The stronger visual scenes are disconnected without enough to tie them together and overall the show achieves neither the horror nor the poignancy it seems to be aiming for. It does seem to get enough laughs from the audience, so clearly the old bag of clown tricks still works for some. If seeing someone getting hit repeatedly on the head with a comically large hammer sounds like a good time to you, then you may well eat this show up as there’s plenty of that kind of thing. For me, the outlandish premise calls for something more adventurous in terms of comedy and dressing up stale gags in cannibal makeup doesn’t make them fresher. I would not have thought cannibal clowns could be anything other than horrible but it turns out they can in fact be simply dreary. Less "argh", more “ehh.”
Along with delivering quintessential Southern hospitality, Memphis is the destination that allows you to walk the brick-lined streets that witnessed the astronomical talent — and unprecedented ascent to fame — of Elvis Presley. The birthplace of rock 'n' roll, and home of blues and soul, is all electrifying energy and originality. This June, Baz Luhrmann is bringing the bright lights, creative flair and distinct directorial prowess he's known for to the euphonious history of Memphis with Elvis. The energetic and emotionally charged film charts the rise (and rise) of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), celebrating the inimitable musician's music and life against the backdrop of an evolving cultural climate in 1950s and 60s America. Using the lens of Presley's relationship with his enigmatic manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks), the bold picture tells a story of musical self-expression and monumental stardom — and the coinciding loss of innocence that was broadcast on a global stage. As hips shook, money was made and a rock 'n' roll icon immortalised. https://youtu.be/xSbQ_ERfmFQ To celebrate the release of Elvis in cinemas Thursday, June 23, Memphis Tourism is giving you the chance to win two tickets to the Australian premiere on the Gold Coast — which is where the feature was shot — on Saturday, June 4. To be in the running to rock and roll your way to the red-carpet experience, enter below. [competition]851551[/competition] Top images: Hugh Stewart (first two); Courtesy of Warner Bros Pictures (third) © 2022 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved.
As part of a recycling makeover for the state, Victoria is finally going to score its own container deposit scheme — but don't go holding your breath just yet. Although first announced back in February this year, the scheme isn't set to kick off officially until 2023. So, you may have to hold stash that lockdown collection of tins and bottles if you'd like to trade it in for coin. That said, the Victorian Government has just revealed what the container deposit scheme might look like, running through the details in an announcement made yesterday, Monday, November 2. It appears that you'll be exchanging your empty bottles, cans, cartons and juice boxes for ten cents a pop, with the scheme accepting containers between 150-millilitres and three-litres in volume (that is, those that tend to become litter rather than bigger and smaller sizes that are typically consumed at home). And you'll be dropping them off at a variety of different collection points, including automated reverse vending machines in public places, drive-through depots, over the counter in shops, at bag-drop points, and at pop-up collection points at events and festivals. Again, don't expect the above to come to fruition until 2023, after the system has been designed and implemented in close consultation with councils and industry. The Victorian Government is also currently asking for community feedback until Monday, November 30, which you can offer by heading online. You can give your thoughts on topics spanning how containers should be received, how refunds should be processed, what kinds of containers will be eligible and how often you think you'd use the scheme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=VxtjIl3J3d4&feature=emb_logo The move has already been a long time coming, with Victoria the only Aussie state that hadn't already committed to one — Queensland's Containers for Change program launched in late 2018, while South Australia led the charge by introducing its version way back in 1977. The container deposit scheme is just one of the Victorian Government has announced grand plans to overhaul the state's waste and recycling system, with a $300 million suite of initiatives to be rolled out across the next few years. One of the key initiatives will see homes switch from three to four different colour-coded bins, in an effort to better sort waste. A purple lid bin would be used for glass recycling; a green lid for food and garden organics; a yellow lid to recycle plastic, metal and paper; and a red lid for all other household waste. But, it's predicted the bins won't be rolled out to most households until 2030. For more information about Victoria's proposed container deposit scheme, and to provide your feedback until Monday, November 30, visit the Victorian Government website.
It's official: Melbourne now has its own rooftop brewery bar overlooking the city skyline, and you can thank former Aussie Rules football player David Neitz for making it happen. He established Brewmanity back in 2015, alongside fellow brewery lovers Jamie Fox and Paul Hopgood, to not only bring great craft beer to Melburnians but to also raise money to fight motor neurone disease — which Neale Daniher, Neitz's friend, fellow ex-footballer and coach when he was playing for Melbourne, has. To date, Brewmanity has raised nearly $970,000. And now, the trio behind it are taking things to the next level by setting up a huge 400-person, three-storey, 34-tap brewery bar in South Melbourne. The venue opened its doors on Friday, March 22, ready to fill your autumn with beers with a view. The ground floor houses the beer hall, where visitors can drink the team's craft brews surrounded by stainless steel tanks in which new creations are slowly fermenting. Head up the stairs to find another bar with a large terrace overlooking the city. But when the sun is shining, we're pretty sure punters will be racing for the rooftop, where they'll find even better vistas across Melbourne's skyline. And if Melbourne does decide to throw a surprise shower (which will inevitably happen), the venue has retractable awnings ready and waiting. Each level has a bar pumping out Brewmanity beers alongside some local independent wines, spirits and cocktails. Food comes courtesy of Chef Suman, who's serving up a selection of share plates and bar bites to hungry beer drinkers. This includes a beer braised lamb shoulder that feeds up to six people, DIY taco platters, cheeseburger sliders and mushroom arancini. There'll be no need to scale the stairs to go get a feed — just order and wait for it all to come to you. "We are proud with what we have achieved so far and there is so much more to come. We have proved that you can make a good beer that does good deeds and we hope to pour out the goodness for many years to come," said Neitz. Find Brewmanity at 44–50 Tope Street, South Melbourne. For more information, head to the venue's website.
Both Nicola Gunn and David Woods are impressive performers and creators in their own right: Gunn has carved out a well-established indie career in Melbourne under the moniker SANS HOTEL, while Woods has appeared to acclaim in productions for Australian companies like Back to Back Theatre’s Ganesh Vs The Third Reich and a string of smash hits with his own group, Ridiculusmus. For this Malthouse Theatre production, the two have come together to make A Social Service, a satire that sees Gunn as an artist developing a work within a housing commission. Woods takes on a range of characters, from the KeepCup-wielding impresario, making wispy declarations of his love for a Punchdrunk-style performance of Macbeth in a housing estate, to the bullish president of the residents’ committee. One of the play’s central conceits is fascinating: after a while you realise that the conversation between 'Nicola' and a young, community-engaged artist from the flats (with script in hand) is itself being framed as a rehearsal or performance; a very subtle 'play-within-a-play'. It’s through this exchange that A Social Service offers its most interesting moments, as the young artist (played in this performance by Shaan Juma) starts to gently probe the aversion of this “artist-in-residence” to anything “earnest”, which she says is “something of a dirty word in my circles”. Seeing A Social Service on the night after opening, the laughter in the audience is thin on the ground. It’s not as if the play’s language is couched solely in insider jokes that only artists can understand. Gunn’s well-meaning, idealistic but ultimately naïve character is a broad enough archetype for an audience to engage with. As she writes in the show’s program, A Social Service is “a critique of the model of commissioning works intended to activate public spaces”. While that’s certainly an interesting idea — one that operates at the sticky nexus between art, money and appearances — it doesn’t seem like it can sustain the narrative as the biggest focus of an hour-long satire. Image by Pia Johnson.
From moving road trip dramas and joyous concert documentaries to passionate anthologies and wondrous animation, plenty of excellent films reached screens large and small throughout 2020. Indeed, the past 12 months were filled with cinematic delights — even when we've been watching them at home while movie theatres were closed — but, sadly, they can't all be great. Each year delivers its fair share of exceptional and awful movies, of course. And, both the best and the worst of the bunch can all score awards. The Oscars and the Golden Globes rank among the accolades that recognise the former, while the Golden Raspberries devotes its attention to the other end of the spectrum. After announcing its nominees from the past year's films last month, the Razzies has just revealed its latest batch of winners. Leading the pack from the 41st Razzie Award recipients is the terrible Sia-directed Music, which picked up three of the four categories it was nominated for: Worst Director (for Sia), Worst Actress (for Kate Hudson) and Worst Supporting Actress (for Maddie Ziegler). It didn't take out the Worst Picture field, though, with that gong going to Absolute Proof. Peddling conspiracy theories about the 2020 US election, it also picked up the Worst Actor award for Mike Lindell as himself. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm similarly picked up two awards. Also linked to the election, it deserves its nods in a different way. The film is smart, funny and savage, and definitely not awful, but scored dual wins for Rudy Giuliani (for Worst Supporting Actor, and for Worst Screen Combo with his pants zipper). Although Polish erotic drama 365 Days nabbed six nods and became the awards' first-ever contender in a language other than English, it only won one, for Worst Screenplay. Dolittle, the Robert Downey Jr-starring remake that hit cinemas before the pandemic, also only received one award from its six nominations, emerging victorious in the Worst Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel category. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEf412bSPLs Reflecting the past year's general chaos, the Razzies also handed out a special trophy to the 2020 overall, naming it 'the worst calendar year ever'. Check out the full list of winners and nominees below: GOLDEN RASPBERRY NOMINEES AND WINNERS 2020: WORST PICTURE 365 Days Absolute Proof Dolittle Fantasy Island Music WORST ACTOR Robert Downey Jr, Dolittle Mike Lindell, Absolute Proof Michele Morrone, 365 Days Adam Sandler, Hubie Halloween David Spade, The Wrong Missy WORST ACTRESS Anne Hathaway, The Last Thing He Wanted and The Witches Katie Holmes, Brahms: The Boy II and The Secret: Dare to Dream Kate Hudson, Music Lauren Lapkus, The Wrong Missy Anna-Maria Sieklucka, 365 Days WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR Chevy Chase, The Very Excellent Mr Dundee Rudy Giuliani, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Shia LeBeouf, The Tax Collector Arnold Schwarzenegger, Iron Mask Bruce Willis, Breach, Hard Kill and Survive the Night WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy Lucy Hale, Fantasy Island Maggie Q, Fantasy Island Kristen Wiig, Wonder Woman 1984 Maddie Ziegler, Music WORST SCREEN COMBO Robert Downey Jr and his utterly unconvincing Welsh accent, Dolittle Harrison Ford and that totally fake-looking CGI dog, Call of the Wild Rudy Giuliani and his pants zipper, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Lauren Lapkus and David Spade, The Wrong Missy Adam Sandler and his grating simpleton voice, Hubie Halloween WORST DIRECTOR Charles Band, All three Barbie and Kendra movies Barbara Bialowas and Tomasz Mandes, 365 Days Stephen Gaghan, Dolittle Ron Howard, Hillbilly Elegy Sia, Music WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL 365 Days Dolittle Fantasy Island Hubie Halloween Wonder Woman 1984 WORST SCREENPLAY 365 Days All three Barbie and Kendra movies Dolittle Fantasy Island Hillbilly Elegy
In 2013, after 17 years on the air, Richard Mercer played his final love song dedication. Now, Tom Hogan and Bonnie Leigh-Dodds are picking up where the Love God left off. Billed as equal parts lecture, dance party and late-night cab ride home, Love Song Dedications (without Richard Mercer) is the ultimate love letter to a broadcasting icon, as Bonnie and Tom duke it out in their quest to find the perfect ballad. The pair also host a podcast on the subject. So, if nothing else, you know they're qualified to comment on it.
Dishing up desserts across Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland the Australian Capital Territory, Gelato Messina obviously specialises in frosty sweet treats. But, because the chain has amassed quite the following, it also has a range of merchandise. Over the past couple of years, it has released gelato-scented candles and decked out a line of clothing with pictures of its towering ice cream cones — and now it's collaborating with Lanolips on a gelato-flavoured balm. You can't spend all day every day eating Messina's desserts (sorry); however, you can slather your lips in its new salted caramel and mango coconut lip balm. Presumably, like those aforementioned candles, this'll give you a constant craving for a few scoops — so if you start eating more gelato as a result, you'll know why. The Messina x Lanolips collab takes its cues from Messina's most popular coconut milk sorbet — a flavour that features Murray River salt and Australian Kensington Pride mango salsa. In balm form, it's made with lanolin from local sheep's wool, vitamin E, natural coconut oil and mango fruit extract. You'll find the lip-smacking new product in all Messina stores, Messina's online store, at Lanolips' website and at Mecca. Head to Messina to pick some up before Tuesday, November 2 — or buy one from Messina's website — and you'll also nab a free scoop while stocks last. For more information about Gelato Messina's new Lanolips balm — and to buy some — head to the chain's website.
Your flights are booked, your bags are packed and your holiday excitement/anxiety has begun. And the last thing you want to be doing is dropping a stack of spending money on getting to the airport, either in a cab or — for those lucky enough to have an airport rail link this century — on the train. So, you'll be happy to know that, this month, ride share service Ola is offering its customers a pretty sweet deal, dropping the price of trips to and from major Australian airports to a flat $25. Customers in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and the Gold Coast can score the budget-friendly flat fare on rides right throughout April. The flat fare will only be applied on trips 20 kilometres or less. If a trip clocks in at over 20 kilometres, the extra distance will be charged at the usual price and added onto the $25 deal. Tolls will also be at an extra cost. No idea what 20 kilometres from the airport looks like? In Sydney, you could get Ola's $25 deal from as far as Bondi or North Sydney, while down in Melbourne, it reaches north and west suburbs including Thornbury and West Footscray (it's about 23 kilometres to and from the CBD). In Brisbane, the offer stretches to places like West End or Greenslopes, and over in Perth, customers can travel from as far as Canning Vale or Stirling. To take advantage of the offer, you'll need to sign up to Ola and download the app, and use the codes OLAPICK (for pick-up) or OLADROP (for drop-off). Depending on where you live, it promises some pretty tidy savings. Ola's $25 flat fare offer is valid up until April 30. You can use it up to ten times before then.
Cinephiles, picnic-lovers and everyone in between, rejoice — the annual combination of movies, outdoor eating and park hangouts that is Moonlight Cinema is back for another round. After locking in their dates back in September, Australia's biggest outdoor cinema has confirmed their full 2026-17 summer program — and it's a goodie. Kicking off on the first day of summer (how fitting) in Melbourne's Royal Botanic Gardens, this year's setup boasts all the regular features that make this one of the country's most popular summer events. Big screen shimmering beneath the stars? Check. Food trucks serving the ultimate movie munchies? Check. Letting super-organised patrons BYO their own snacks? Check. A huge lineup of new releases and cult classics? You betcha. Expect all the big summer releases, like sci-fi thriller Passengers, the much-anticipated La La Land with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, and Lion, based on the true story of Saroo Brierley who found his birth mother in India via Google Earth after 25 years of separation. Naturally, they'll also be playing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (which was released today) as well as the yet-to-be-released Star Wars: Rogue One and game-turned-film Assassins Creed. As always, they'll also throw in a few cult favourites — this year it's Grease and Back to the Future — and some Doggie Nights, which will kick off with The Secret Life of Pets. Of course, heading to Moonlight isn't just about the movies shown, as fun as getting a sneak peek of upcoming flicks or sharing the joyous glow of watching iconic favourites on a big screen is. It's also about the experience, which is why you're allowed to start getting excited without knowing which films you'll be watching — and why you should be blocking out December through to April in your calendar. Tickets are on sale now. UPDATE JANUARY 17, 2017: Moonlight Cinema have just announced their February program, which includes new new releases such as the much anticipated T2 Trainspotting, Australian book adaptation Jasper Jones, Cannes favourite Loving, and Hidden Figures, which tells the story of three brilliant African-American women at NASA. You can buy tickets for Feb here. UPDATE FEBRUARY 15, 2017: Moonlight Cinema have now announced their March program, which includes awaited Japanese manga adaptation Ghost in the Shell starring Scarlett Johansson, the live-action remake of Beauty and The Beast starring Emma Watson, haunting thriller A Cure for Wellness, WW2 Bill Nighy jaunt Their Finest, plus Aussie films like the sequel to the worldwide success A Few Best Men, A Few Less Men. Plus, cult films like Point Break and Ferris Bueller's Day Off roll out on Thursdays. Tickets for March are available here.
Take a journey through working life over the years at the Immigration Museum's My Working Life: Stories From the Collection exhibition. Showcasing objects and projected images from the Museums Victoria collection, this installation explores the nine-to-five experiences of a range of individuals, tapping into an array of different professions, and representing cultural and social diversity within their respective fields. The exhibition primarily focuses on showing how working experiences have shaped the way society perceives culture, sexuality and gender. Accordingly, the collection showcases snake-wrangling Scottish jillaroo Bernice Kopple, Gammin Threads Design founder Tahnee Edwards, and 1940s mum and professional pattern maker Violet Morgan — as well as Laverton pigment workers, post-WWII Italian migrant and model maker Domenico Annetta, plus former refugee and human rights lawyer Nydaol Nyuon. [caption id="attachment_876625" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Laurie Richards[/caption] "This installation reflects the Immigration Museum's ongoing exploration of identity and its ever-evolving nature based on a myriad of experiences in our journey of life," explains Rohini Kappadath, Immigration Museum's General Manager. Dive into the stories of these diverse communities at My Working Life: Stories From the Collection, which will run until September 2023. [caption id="attachment_876185" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Museums Victoria - Supplied[/caption] Top image: Museums Victoria.
