Tarts Anon and Koko Black are both huge names in Melbourne's food scene, as are the folks who dream up all their delicious creations. Pastry Chef Gareth Whitton built Tarts Anon into one of the city's top cake shops, won Dessert Masters, is working on a new cookbook and even created a pressure test for MasterChef Australia. He's a household name, having also worked with teams at Mill Brewery, Gelato Messina, Al Dente Enoteca and Kori Ice Cream. Koko Black's Head Chocolatier Remco Brigou has been working in the world of chocolate since the age of 18, and has been an innovative tour de force at Koko Black for nearly eight years. He's also no stranger to partnering with other chefs, having worked with Lune, Connoisseur, Black Star Pastry and Tokyo Lamington. Now, these two giants in the sweet-toothed sphere of Melbourne's hospitality industry have come together for World Chocolate Day, creating a limited-edition chocolate and leatherwood honey tart. This decadent treat is only available from Friday, July 5–Sunday, July 7, at a few Koko Black stores across Melbourne and Sydney, and at both of Tarts Anon's Melbourne locations. We chatted with both Whitton and Brigou about collaborating on the new tart, and how valuable that these partnerships can be for both chefs' personal growth and the success of their businesses. We also touched upon the role that collaborations can play in helping hospitality companies stay afloat during these incredibly difficult times. On Coming Together to Create a Limited-Edition Chocolate Leatherwood Honey Tart Brigou: "World Chocolate Day is a very important day for us at Koko Black. It is the day that truly celebrates what we do, and for this special occasion we like to work with like-minded brands to create something amazing. The entire Koko Black team, myself included, have always been big fans of Tarts Anon — we'd often discuss how amazing the tarts are and how we would love to work with Gareth and the team one day. So, this was the perfect opportunity, and we reached out. After the first introduction call, we knew straight away that both our brands share the same values, beliefs and spirit for innovation and excellence. We knew straight away that this was going to be a great collaboration." Whitton: "We were asked to join forces with the team at Koko Black as part of their annual celebration of World Chocolate Day. After being such big fans of theirs as well as seeing the elite execution of their previous WCD activations, we were thrilled with the opportunity to work together. Remco and I got together after piecing together a few rough ideas, and chatted out some of these napkin sketches and how we could bring them to life. I had a format that I had in mind, we knew it had to involve chocolate, and we then fell on the idea of using the leatherwood honey honeycomb as inspiration. We also pulled from Remco's Belgian heritage with the peperkoek, plus a couple of textures and recipes that we use quite regularly at Tarts Anon." [caption id="attachment_925594" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Whitton's previous collaboration with Gelato Messina[/caption] On Why It's So Great to Work with Other Chefs Brigou: "For me personally, I love working on collaborations. It is a great way to meet amazing like-minded people in the industry, but it is also a great way to stay inspired. The richness that comes from sharing knowledge and ideas is very valuable to me, and it is something that I will always be thankful for." Whitton: "I always try to work with people who are either very similar to us, or completely opposite. Kinda like matching colours of clothing. Not similar enough, and it's hard to find a connecting point, but if it's either easily interchangeable or very complimentary, then it doesn't seem forced. It opens you up to new environments where you perhaps aren't as confined with your creativity, and also allows you to explore things that you wouldn't see day to day." On the Power of Partnerships to Help Businesses Get Through These Tough Times Brigou: "I think it is important for brands to work together, not only so we can all leverage from each other, but more importantly so we can create an experience to both our customers and maybe introduce our customers to a different brand that they maybe never heard from before." Whitton: "[Collaborations] are a (relatively) low-cost way of exploring new ventures, and keeping outgoings low is of the utmost importance in times like these. Particularly in branches of the industry that rely on seasonal trade (like ice cream, for example) it helps to collaborate with brands that thrive in cooler months to keep revenue coming in. The underlying issue that the industry faces is that the market is becoming so unbelievably saturated right now, which feeds the staffing crisis and the high turnover of businesses. There's a new competitor emerging every other week, so the revolving door of what's 'hot' is moving faster than ever. Collaborating is a good way to stay relevant and be ahead of the game." [caption id="attachment_833241" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brigou's previous collaboration with Connoisseur. Image by Julia Sansone.[/caption] On What's Holding the Industry Back Right Now Whitton: "It's hard to be too optimistic in times like these, there are too many motivated and passionate people trying to grab a hold of a dwindling number of opportunities. The emergence and prevalence of the food blogger is giving a platform that previously only the passionate and culinarily educated had access to, to anyone with an opinion. Now Google reviews and social media are rife with ill-informed and sharp-tongued critics single-handedly destroying businesses, and politics are creeping deeper and deeper into our dining rooms. It seems nihilistic to say, but I fear that most people are too concerned about staying afloat themselves that we're all treading water right now. The amount of tax that small businesses pay is frankly obscene. This is the big killer — wages will always take the biggest chunk, but that is an investment in people. When significant amounts of money are routinely taken from you and continually hinder any opportunity to grow, you are faced with the grim reality of choosing between success in your business or compromising your values to solely chase revenue." On the Best Advice That Brigou and Whitton Have Ever Received From a Collaborator Brigou: "I have had the privilege to work with a lot of amazing people and all of them have taught me so much, whether it is techniques, flavour combinations, or the passion and determination to deliver a beautiful product. I also like to think I have inspired them as well and maybe even taught them something, because that is the beauty of collaborations. It is a two-way street and I feel that sharing knowledge and letting people discover new things is the heart of our industry." Whitton: "The best thing I have learnt from someone I've collaborated with is to understand what it is you want to get out of the partnership. Having a game plan instead of trying to just feature two representations of your brand side by side will always triumph. Quality over quantity." Gareth Whitton and Remco Brigou's limited-edition chocolate and leatherwood honey tart is only available from Friday, July 5–Sunday, July 7 at a few Koko Black stores across Melbourne and Sydney, and at both of Tarts Anon's Melbourne locations. For more information on where to get the tart, visit the collaborations's website.
Imagine that you're 22, you're settling into your chosen career and you're suddenly the name on everyone's lips. Imagine you've gone from never seeing an episode of the past decade's biggest TV sensation to starring in its prequel, in fact. In other words, imagine that you're Australian actor Milly Alcock, who has had a better, brighter and more chaotic 2022 than the rest of us. Before August, the Sydney-born talent was best known for an impressive resume of homegrown parts. Now, she's forever the young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in HBO's Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. Ask Alcock what the year has been like and she's candid. "It's all weird. One day you're you, and then suddenly someone places value on you," she advises. "And you're like 'why me? Why me? Okay, I guess I'll take it. I guess I'll run with it'. So life's been weird, wacky and wonderful, basically, but yeah, it's been such a big year. This year feels like the longest year of my life but in the best possible way." Alcock is chatting with Concrete Playground on the phone from the UK, where she shot House of the Dragon in 2021, and where she's now based as her international career takes off. But after working her way through roles on Australian shows such as Wonderland, Janet King, A Place to Call Home, Pine Gap, Fighting Season and Les Norton, she knows the part that made 2022's dreams happen: her AACTA-nominated role on Upright. Created by Chris Taylor from The Chaser, the show's' first season cast her as Meg, a 13-year-old pretending to 16 who literally collides with Tim Minchin's Lucky while she's running away across the country. An odd-couple dynamic ensues, and so did one of 2019's Aussie TV standouts. Three years later, a second season is here. This time, the headstrong, whip-smart Meg is 17 and no longer speeding across the desert. But Upright wouldn't be Upright if it didn't send Meg and Lucky on another soul-searching, life-defining road trip, this time to Far North Queensland to find Meg's mum. The old adage proves true once again: it isn't just about the destination but the journey. At the heart of the show is a sense of connection and solace, as two lost souls forge a bond that helps them process their individual struggles. That means that Upright's lead performances couldn't be more pivotal; indeed, without Alcock and Minchin as Meg and Lucky, it wouldn't be the success it is, let alone have returned for season two. With Upright's second season now airing on Foxtel and streaming via Binge, Alcock fills us in on the series that helped bring her to attention, making the leap to 2022's biggest TV blockbuster, playing determined young women and handling everything that House of the Dragon's fame has brought her. ON INITIALLY GETTING CAST IN UPRIGHT "You just read the audition scene for Meg and you're like: 'I want to play this character'. You don't even usually see those types of characters on Australian telly at all, and I felt such a kinship with her as soon as I read her on the page. Then when I met Tim, I was like 'please hire, please hire me, this is incredible!'. I owe my Upright my career, because it gave me such a beautiful body of work at such a young age." ON MAKING UPRIGHT'S FIRST SEASON "It was incredibly exciting. I was 18, I just dropped out of school, and I went and travelled around Australia for three months shooting a TV show. I'd never worked like that in my life — I'd never gotten a part like that ever, and I just wanted to do it so well. I just remember being like 'I can't fuck this up, I have to do it right, I have to do it right, I have to nail it, I have to make sure I'm making all the right choices and looking after myself and everything'. I was travelling around and I was without my family, and it got a bit difficult, but it was a massive learning experience." ON RETURNING FOR UPRIGHT'S SECOND SEASON "I didn't think that a second season was going to happen because of the way the story wrapped up — and the time passes. I was like, 'oh it's been three years, we're not going to do another one'. But we did. Meg is such a beautiful person and I'm always excited to talk about Meg, and play Meg." ON CO-LEADING UPRIGHT WITH TIM MINCHIN "We're friends; we just get on and act. And we just go 'these people have chemistry, let's give them the kind of chemistry that this scene warrants because of where they're at in their heads'. I think that Lucky is a bit of a mentor to Meg without her wanting to admit it. He's the only parental figure in her life that kind of guides her in any way. I think Tim and I's relationship reflects that narrative a bit, and we pull from that." ON JUMPING FROM AUSTRALIAN TV TO A HUGE HBO PRODUCTION "It was incredibly daunting. It was the most amount of fear I've felt in my entire life because I was like 'if you fuck this up, you're not going get to another chance'. It really felt like I had to prove myself very quickly, and I wanted to. I was Australian. Everyone was British. It was the pandemic. I didn't get to see my family while we were shooting. I didn't know anyone in London. So I really focused on my work because it was why I was there. I was there to do a job. But quickly, you realise that it's all the same, people are lovely and they're the same — and just the way that it functions is different and bigger because there's more cogs in the machine than there is in a smaller production like Upright, and like other jobs I've done before. I met a lot of amazing people and a lot of beautiful people, and they saw me and were like 'okay, we've got to look out for this one because she's a long way from home'. I was mortified for the first three months, basically. Yeah, absolutely mortified." ON NOT WATCHING GAME OF THRONES UNTIL BOOKING HOUSE OF THE DRAGON "When Game of Thrones is like 'we're doing prequel auditions', and you haven't really done a lot of acting before like I had, you're like 'oh yeah, of course I'm going to audition for this'. It's a massive show — not only a big show, but a very well-written show. It had great characters, and a great story, too. I was like 'yeah, of course'. But I hadn't seen the show before. I knew of it. I knew the accolades, I knew the reputation it had, I knew the status of it, but I hadn't seen it until I booked the job. It was incredibly exciting but also incredibly daunting, because I was like 'oh fuck, I have to do this. I have to live up to that. I don't know if I can do that'. It was exciting and scary. It was a rollercoaster, but you just keep going up. I haven't gone down yet. Then I read a bit of Fire & Blood. I wanted to really get an understanding of what was at stake in this world and be able to contextualise it into the world that we live in on earth. I would go to the library and just kind of study, basically. I would make graphs on what the houses are, what that means, what their titles were, what their status was like in our kind of world — all to understand it." ON PLAYING STRONG, DETERMINED YOUNG WOMEN "That's the way the jobs have landed because until House of the Dragon, I haven't been able to pick and choose — I still can't really pick and choose. I'm so young, I'm still starting out. With House of the Dragon, I was working against amazing actors — Paddy Considine and Rhys Ifans and Matt Smith — who have had a very big and beautiful and broad careers that I admire. I think that it's difficult because on one side, I want to play everyone. But then on the other hand, I know I'll read a script and be like 'this is a great part but I know I'm not that girl'. You just read a part and you're like 'I just can't play her, I'm just not her. In my heart and in my soul, I know I'm not her'. Unless you're a phenomenal character actor like Paddy, like Meryl Streep, like all those kind of legends, you kind of have to lean into parts of who you are. I think that I've been so lucky that there's parts of me that people have picked out and been like 'you can play that role'." ON THE CHANGE THAT HOUSE OF THE DRAGON HAS BROUGHT "I didn't expect anything. I didn't go in expecting anything with this. I think I was protecting myself, because everyone was like 'it could be a flop because it's a prequel'. But I think very early on, we realised that it had a lot of potential just from reading the script alone — but no, I didn't prepare myself at all. I just thought that if nothing comes of this, my life stays exactly the same. If something comes of it, everything changes. I think that for me to be able to do the work while we were shooting, I needed to not get swept up in what could happen because I needed to really focus. The opportunities have changed massively. People around me have changed. A Pandora's box has been opened, and I got to have a little peek inside. I think that just the way that people treat me is a bit different, which is the hardest thing to grapple with. It's weird. One day you're just you and then you're not. And you're like 'why am I chosen, what made me so special?'. I don't see it because I see me every day, I can feel the good bits and the ugly bits — especially the ugly bits, because you're stuck with yourself. It's just tricky. I mean, I'm 22 — I still can barely use a washing machine, let alone [process] what all of this is. But the most important thing is just keeping the right people around me and keeping my head on my shoulders, having that screwed on right — which I think I'm doing." Upright screens on Foxtel and streams via Binge, with both seasons available to watch in full. House of the Dragon's first season is available via Foxtel and Binge. Read our full review.
UPDATE Friday, September 3: Victoria is currently under stay-at-home orders, with all venues restricted to offering takeaway and delivery. Right now, you can get your Sonny's fix by ordering takeaway here, or hitting up UberEats or Doordash for delivery. You can stay up to date with the developing COVID-19 situation in Victoria, as well as current restrictions, at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website. Making its home within legendary rock 'n roll pub The Curtin, Sonny's is a finger-lickin' casual eatery specialising in proper old-school, US-style burgers and fried chicken. Here, in the front bar, red-and-white gingham and red plastic baskets work as a fitting backdrop to a menu of American classics, served alongside a lineup of Aussie tap beers. Southern-style chook is brined for 24 hours and then pressure fried to crisp perfection, while the burgers are unashamedly beast-like. Stock up on napkins before you dive right on into options like the four-piece feed — 1/2 a Bird ($16.50) — loaded bacon or vegan fries ($15), a classic cheeseburger ($13.50), or the standout spicy fried chicken burger piled high with zesty slaw and whole-egg mayo ($14.50). To match, you'll find all the southern favourites, including an ultra-creamy mac 'n cheese ($7), iceberg wedge salad ($7) and gravy-drenched mash ($7). Be sure to add on some deep-fried pickles ($9) and popcorn cauliflower ($9) for full effect. It's delightfully far from virtuous, though if you're feeling guilty, you can always burn off some of your feed with an energetic session in the band room next door.
For half a century, no trip to the Sunshine Coast has been complete without visiting a 16-metre-high pineapple. In 1983, even Princess Diana and the then-Prince Charles went there, as throngs of tourists have before and since. Stop by now and you'll still see a giant piece of tropical fruit, but one that's had a revamp, with the Queensland big thing officially reopening after undergoing renovations. Plenty of changes have been floated for The Big Pineapple and its 165-hectare site over the years, with a craft brewery, water park, and places to stay via an RV park, an eco resort and a hotel all among the ideas under the attraction's master plan. For now, however, owner Peter Kendall and his company CMC Property have focused on repairing and restoring the main highlight itself, as well giving the location's train the same treatment. The Big Pineapple has also scored a new cafe, new viewing platform and new children's playground. If the towering sight looks extra shiny — and ready to gleam in the obligatory snaps that everyone takes while they're in its presence — that's thanks to sandblasting, repairs and marine paint by the hundreds of litres. To get a good glimpse, that's where the new viewing platform comes in. Dating back to the 50s, the train now has a similar sheen after a restoration process, including to its carriages and track. "We are awaiting some final certification for the train and hope to start public train rides soon, providing rides across the property including access to Wildlife HQ," said Kendall, also mentioning the zoo with 200-plus species of animals that's been onsite since 2014. Stopping by The Big Pineapple hasn't just been about its fibreglass namesake for some time, given that TreeTop Challenge Sunshine Coast and its high-ropes courses and ziplines also calls it home. So does coconut foods producer COYO, as well as Sunshine & Sons distillery. Come October, The Big Pineapple Festival — the locale's music festival — will return for the first time since 2021. The fest started in 2013, then ran annually surrounded by pineapple fields until its present three-year break. Getting a ticket isn't just about seeing live tunes in the location's natural amphitheatres in such close proximity to The Big Pineapple, but also pitching a tent at event's 4000-person campground. [caption id="attachment_944026" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Big Pineapple, Alpha via Flickr[/caption] "The Big Pineapple is undoubtedly the most-recognisable tourism icon of the Sunshine Coast and so I am very proud of the team's work to restore the pineapple to its original glory," said Kendall. "This is just the first stage of the regeneration project. Our number-one priority was to reopen the main pineapple structure and cafe, and to get the train running again." "Our next priority is to complete the renovations to the inside of the pineapple structure itself and we hope to reopen it for tours later on." [caption id="attachment_698027" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Anne and David via Flickr[/caption] Find The Big Pineapple at 76 Nambour Connection Road, Woombye, Queensland — open 8.30am–4pm daily. For more information, visit the attraction's website.
When Andor begins, the new Disney+ series digs into the Star Wars franchise's past, tussling with its history. Starring Diego Luna (If Beale Street Could Talk) as its titular figure, the show is a two-season prequel to 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, telling the tale before that tale. Luna reprises his role from the movie — a feature that was the first official Star Wars side story to reach cinemas, and unfurled the events that led to 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. Yes, that makes Andor a prequel to a prequel. Yes, starting to stream its first season from Wednesday, September 21, it's also the latest example that this George Lucas-created realm will never stop sprawling across this, any or every galaxy. Long gone are the times when the space-opera saga's films were infrequent, and the main way to experience its ups and downs. A relic, too, is the idea that Star Wars is a rarity, or something that occurs every decade or so. And, absent is all traces of belief that huge sci-fi and fantasy hits won't take over every space they can, be it screens big or small, as Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings also have of late. That's a lot of baggage for Andor to carry — and shoulder it, it does. The result: a thrilling, confident and gloriously gritty addition to an on-screen world that viewers now either unquestioningly adore or feel like they've already seen every story ever from. An antidote to that second train of thought, Andor is a complex gem and a must-watch. With Star Wars fatigue in mind — five movies, five animated series and three prior live-action Disney+ shows have vied for wannabe Jedi and rebel eyeballs over the past decade alone, including Obi-Wan Kenobi already in 2022 — it's fitting that Andor's first moments actually recall another sci-fi franchise. Prepare to think about a different pop-culture favourite that dates back decades, recently made its own jump from cinemas to television screens and has its own debut live-action streaming series on the way, in fact. The Blade Runner aesthetic is as instantly recognisable as Star Wars' TIE Fighter roar, but Andor brings the former to the fore first, saving the latter for a few episodes down the track. That move makes a statement: there's more to Andor than being slavishly beholden to its own universe. Of course, when it arrived between Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Rogue One also sent that message in its own spy-slash-heist flick way. It felt earthier and murkier, more urgent and complicated, and far more steeped in everyday reality — within its science-fiction confines, of course — and more concerned with the here and now of its specific narrative than the bigger saga picture. It was certainly and unshakeably bleaker, and felt like a departure from the usual template, as well as a welcome risk. The same proves true of Andor, which slips into its namesake's routine five years prior. The Galactic Empire reigns supreme, the Rebel Alliance is still forming and, when the series opens, Cassian is a wily thief living on the junkyard planet of Ferrix. The Blade Runner-esque sheen hovers over a different place, however: the industrial-heavy, corporate-controlled Morlana One, which couldn't be further under the boot of the Empire if it tried. As Monos-style flashbacks to Cassian's childhood aid in fleshing out, he's searching for his sister, but his latest investigatory trip results in a confrontation and the Preox-Morlana Authority on his trail. Back on Ferrix, he endeavours to hide with the help of his friend/presumed ex/mechanic/black-market dealer Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona, Morbius) and droid B2EMO (Dave Chapman, Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker), while keeping his latest antics a secret from his adoptive mother Maarva (Fiona Shaw, Killing Eve). But, even after being told to drop the case, persistent Imperial Deputy Inspector Syril Karn (Kyle Soller, Poldark) and higher-ranking officer Dedra Meero (Denise Gough, Under the Banner of Heaven) aren't willing to give up. Also vital on-screen: Stellan Skarsgård (Dune) as the charismatic Luthen Rael, who Cassian first crosses paths with while trying to sell a still-packaged Imperial Starpath Unit (aka Andor's MacGuffin) to fund his getaway; and Genevieve O'Reilly (The Dry) as the returning Mon Mothma, a senator with a key part in the Rebel Alliance. Andor has a mission, after all: showing how Cassian evolves from pilfering whatever he can steal from Imperial ships, seeking out his lost sibling and eking out the only existence he can to discovering how he can fight the Empire, firstly; and also charting the beginnings of that rebellion, including how its pieces, people and planets come together in response to such a fraught political climate. If Morlana One plays like 'Blade Runner but make it Star Wars', Ferrix does the same with WALL-E. As the series progresses through its first three episodes (all of which debuted to kick off the show), plus the fourth episode that follows, it's easy to think of Fast and Furious and The Lord of the Rings at times, too. There's also a taut and intense spy-thriller vibe that's right out of creator Tony Gilroy's playbook, given that he has four Bourne screenplays to his name and helmed The Bourne Legacy before co-writing Rogue One. Crucially, though, Andor doesn't ever feel as if it's borrowing from elsewhere because it doesn't have its own strengths, sources of intrigue or direction. While its initial two instalments take their time, this series is too gripping, smart, meaty and fleshed out — and too bold and ambitious — for that. Also in 2022, Jurassic World Dominion showed how dire something can be when it stitches in elements from other movies (riffing on whole scenes, too) to make up for its own glaring lack of interest, but that's never Andor for a second. It helps that Andor has a magnificent cast, perhaps the best that Disney+ has assembled for its Star Wars series so far, even with The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi already in its catalogue. Also assisting immensely: that its main talents relay a grounded yet impassioned story, as the plight of folks teaming up to stop nefarious influences that've turned their existence into a dystopian nightmare should be. That Luna is mesmerising, always weighty in the emotions he's conveying, and that the look of angst that's so often on his face speaks volumes about what it takes to strive to resist when the wrong forces are lingering (and they're firmly against you), couldn't be more important. And, that Andor knows the grim end that awaits — and knows that its audience knows it — is just as essential. Stepping backwards hasn't always worked for Star Wars, as Episode I — The Phantom Menace, Episode II — Attack of the Clones and Episode III — Revenge of the Sith demonstrated, but Andor isn't driven by easy nostalgia and connecting obvious dots. Rather, it interrogates and re-emphasises what the entire space fight has truly always been about anyway, and why it matters. Check out the trailer for Andor: Andor streams via Disney+ from Wednesday, September 21. Images: ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Having snapped up much of Melbourne's infamous King Street strip between Collins Street and Flinders Lane, developer Lorenzo Grollo is making good on his promise to revitalise the area, announcing plans for an ambitious 400-capacity live music venue. Part of the Grollo Group's planned King Street Revival (KSR), the Geddes Lane Ballroom will completely transform the 170-year-old site that was once home to the notorious Showgirls Bar 20, turning it into a sprawling ground-level bar and first-floor band room. Music will be the main focus, in a nod to another of the bluestone building's past lives, when it played host to names like Tina Arena, INXS, John Farnham and Daryl Braithwaite as The Grainstore Tavern. Pitching to a new era of live music lovers and filling the gap left by some pretty significant venue closures, Geddes Lane Ballroom will feature world-class sound systems and a broad lineup of acts, booked by Ben Thompson and Ashlea O'Loughlin (The Venue Collective, 170 Russell, East Brunswick Club). The food situation is set to be another huge drawcard, headed up by renowned Vue De Monde chef-owner Shannon Bennett. Expect fast food that's fun, yet sustainable, with cameos from favourites like Bennett's own Benny Burger and the Lui Bar's legendary sausage rolls. The team's been busy customising special food vending machines, which'll serve things like salad bowls and snacks, to enjoy alongside retro cocktails and local beers. They're also looking at incorporating cashless technology throughout the venue, so you won't have to fumble around with notes at the bar while wasting precious gig time. As for the fitout, Grollo says, "but for the removal of some 'choice' objects and elements from its former use, we're deliberately embracing the wonderful bones of this 1850s Melbourne icon." We can only assume that means the heritage elements are staying put and the stripper poles are getting turfed. The adjoining Geddes Lane will also be a part of the fun, playing host to a hefty program of food vans, street art, projections and pop-ups. Geddes Lane Ballroom is slated to open at 46 King Street, Melbourne, in the coming months. Image: Jason Edwards.
Adulting is a real struggle lately, with not much relief in sight. Go back to a time when your weekends weren't all grocery shopping, never-ending loads of laundry and trying to afford a cocktail and reconnect with your inner (or actual) child at The Funderdome. Rediscover your sense of fun at a place where there's absolutely no pressure to be the best (or even remotely good) at it all — with activities such as mini golf, karaoke and arcade games, the home of unprofessional sport is about letting loose and embarrassing yourself in front of family and friends while you're at it. Whether you're there with the little ones or there to throw down with your mates, there are a range of affordable individual and group packages for kids and adults alike. You can even get $150 worth of games for only $49 with the All-Access Pass for your kids these school holidays, which includes all 18 holes of mini golf, 30 minutes of karaoke and a children's meal. Delight the whole family and ditch the responsibilities for an afternoon with a few (if not all) of the unprofessional sports below. PLAYAS CRAZY GOLF The star of the show at The Funderdome — you actually have to walk through a series of illuminated stars to get there — is Playas Crazy Golf. Spread across two levels, the mini-golf course was designed in collaboration with leading London-based architectural designer Zachary Pulman. Choose to start off tame with nine holes or go big with the full 18. Putt-putt novices and pros alike will be challenged by holes like 'I'm Stumped,' 'The Punisher' and 'Loop-the-Loop.' Keeping in line with the retro Coney Island theme, some of the trickier holes require manoeuvring around props such as a carousel horse, foosball table and even a rotating ferris wheel. BOOM BOX KARAOKE If you'd rather challenge your vocal range than your hand-eye coordination, jump into one of the two karaoke rooms. Each 70s-themed room is spacious enough for a large group and equipped with lounge seats, a sizable screen, a small stage area and even disco balls twinkling overhead, so you'll truly feel like the star of the show. Don't worry; both rooms are private, so no one will overhear you belting out your best ABBA or Beyoncé. And with food and drinks available in your room, there's really no excuse not to hit that high note. ARCADE GAMES Go from gaming OGs to cutting-edge virtual reality experiences at The Funderdome's two arcades. Relive your childhood and introduce your kids to pre-Mario Brothers gaming heroes like PacMan, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders. Then, you can test your reflexes with classic arcade games, including claw machines, pinball and Ice Ball. If you'd rather ditch the joystick, the New School Arcade boasts all the latest in gaming. Joining VR experiences like King Kong and Jurassic Park, the newest arrival is The XD Dark Ride — a 4D virtual reality game for up to eight people with motion seats, wind, immersive sound and 3D visuals on a curved screen. You won't want to go back to a Nintendo after this. THE CLUBHOUSE Need a break to tally wins? The Clubhouse is the heart of The Funderdome. Huddle up in a booth for a drink and much-needed bite, catch your breath by the fireplace, get inspired by real athletes on the big screen or keep up your winning streak at activities such as giant Jenga and Connect Four, Atari pong, shuffleboard, foosball or air hockey. Make the next round of games a little more interesting — and that kid's birthday party more tolerable — with a wine, beer or cocktail at the fully licensed venue. The kitchen serves diner favourites such as corn dogs, mac and cheese balls, buffalo chicken tenders and onion rings. More substantial offerings include clubhouse sandwiches, woodfired pizzas and hot dogs. There are chicken tenders, fish and chips, toasties or cheese pizza for the little ones. And in case you need a sugar high to get through another round of mini golf, there are churros, a warm cookie skillet or chocolate brownie for dessert. After 8pm, The Funderdome becomes an 18+ venue. The Clubhouse slings drinks with a DJ spinning until midnight on Fridays. Find out more and book your spot at The Funderdome's website. The All-Access Pass can only be purchased in-venue from Saturday, September 16, to Sunday, October 1.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. THE QUIET GIRL When Normal People became the streaming sensation of the pandemic's early days, it made stars out of leads Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones, and swiftly sparked another Sally Rooney adaptation from much of the same behind-the-scenes team. It wouldn't have been the hit it was if it hadn't proven an exercise in peering deeply, thoughtfully, lovingly and carefully, though, with that sensation stemming as much from its look as its emotion-swelling story. It should come as no surprise, then, that cinematographer Kate McCullough works the same magic on The Quiet Girl, a Gaelic-language coming-of-age film that sees the world as only a lonely, innocent, often-ignored child can. This devastatingly moving and beautiful movie also spies the pain and hardship that shapes its titular figure's world — and yes, it does so softly and with restraint, just like its titular figure, but that doesn't make the feelings it swirls up any less immense. McCullough is just one of The Quiet Girl's key names; filmmaker Colm Bairéad, a feature first-timer who directs and adapts Claire Keegan's novella Foster, is another. His movie wouldn't be the deeply affecting affair it is without its vivid and painterly imagery — but it also wouldn't be the same without the helmer and scribe's delicate touch, which the 1981-set tale he's telling not only needs but demands. His focus: that soft-spoken nine-year-old, Cáit (newcomer Catherine Clinch), who has spent her life so far as no one's priority. With her mother (Kate Nic Chonaonaigh, Shadow Dancer) pregnant again, her father (Michael Patric, Smother) happiest drinking, gambling and womanising, and her siblings boisterously bouncing around their rural Irish home, she's accustomed to blending in and even hiding out. Then, for the summer, she's sent to her mum's older cousin Eibhlín (Carrie Crowley, Extra Ordinary) and her dairy farmer husband Seán (Andrew Bennett, Dating Amber). Now the only child among doting guardians, she's no less hushed, but she's also loved and cared for as she's never been before. Clinch is another of The Quiet Girl's crucial figures, courtesy of a downright exceptional and star-making performance. If you were to discover that she was a quiet girl off-screen, too, you'd instantly believe it — that's how profoundly naturalistic she is. Finding a young talent to convey so much internalised, engrained sorrow, then to slowly blossom when fondness comes her way, isn't just a case of finding a well-behaved child who welcomes the camera's presence. Clinch makes Cáit's isolation and sadness feel palpable, and largely does so without words: again, this is The Quiet Girl in name and nature alike. She makes the comfort and acceptance that her character enjoys with the instantly tender Eibhlín feel just as real, and kicks into another still-composed but also visibly appreciative gear as a bond forms with the tight-lipped Seán. Pivotally, Clinch plays Cáit like she's the only lonely girl in Ireland, but also like she's every lonely and mostly silent girl that's ever called that or any country home. That astonishing performance, and the empathetic and absorbed gaze that beams it into the film's frames, tap into the lingering truth at the heart of this soulful picture: that overlooked and disregarded girls such as Cáit rarely receive this kind of notice on- or off-screen. The warm way that the movie surveys her life, and is truly willing to see it, is never anything less than an act of redress — and, even with dialogue sparse, The Quiet Girl screams that fact loudly. It gives the same treatment to loss, which is an unshakeable force in Eibhlín and Seán's home despite remaining unspoken. "There are no secrets in this house," Eibhlín tells Cáit, but that doesn't mean that the type of pain that defies speech doesn't haunt the place, as it does the lives lived in it. Grief, too, is usually pushed aside, but The Quiet Girl sees how it persists, dwells and gnaws even when — especially when — no one is talking about it. Read our full review. FLUX GOURMET Flickering across a cinema screen, even the greatest of movies only inherently activate two senses: sight and hearing. Audiences can feel the seats they nestle into in their favourite picture palaces, and savour both the scent and flavour of popcorn while they watch, but no one can touch, taste or smell films themselves as they're playing — even if adding scratch-and-sniff aromas to the experience has become a cult-favourite gimmick. British director Peter Strickland knows all of the above. And, he hasn't ever released a feature in Smell-o-Vision, Smell-O-Rama or Odorama. But his work still conjures up sensations that viewers know they can't genuinely be having, such as running your fingers over an alluring dress with In Fabric, detecting the flutter of insect wings against your skin via The Duke of Burgundy and, courtesy of his latest movie Flux Gourmet, relishing the fragrances and tastes whipped up by a culinary collective that turns cooking and eating into performance art. If you've seen his features before, Flux Gourmet instantly sounds like something that only Strickland could make — and from its first frame till its last, it proves that with every moment. While spinning this innately sensory tale, which he both helmed and penned, it does indeed literally sound like something that only Strickland could've come up with, in fact. As the acoustics-focused Berberian Sound Studio demonstrated, the filmmaker's audioscapes are always a thing of wonder, too. His movies may manage to magically engage senses that cinema's sound-and-vision combination intrinsically shouldn't, but they also make the utmost use of every echo. The same applies to each image; unsurprisingly due to his strong and distinctive sense of style and mood, everything about Flux Gourmet looks and feels like pure Strickland. His films can't actually be injected into anyone's veins, but the director's devotees will instantly want this delirious farce pumping through their system. The setting: The Sonic Catering Institute, a conservatory specialising in blending sound and cuisine, as its name makes plain. The "institute devoted to culinary and alimentary performance" is overseen by the couture-coveting Jan Stevens (Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones), and regularly welcomes in different groups to undertake residencies. Those visiting artists collaborate, percolate and come up with eye-catching blends of food, bodies and creativity. Hosting OTT dinners, role-playing a trip to the supermarket, getting scatalogical and turning a live colonoscopy into a show: they're just some of the menu items that Jan's latest guests cook up. In Elle di Elle (Strickland regular Fatma Mohamed), Lamina Propria (Ariane Labed, The Souvenir: Part II) and Billy Rubin's (Asa Butterfield, Sex Education) case, however, that unique kind of kitchen virtuosity only springs when they're not broiling in messy bickering. Chaos bubbles through and troubles the trio's troupe, who stir up mayhem among themselves as heartily as any chef stirs their dishes. But Elle, Lamina and Billy aren't the Institute's only current visitors. Watching and chronicling is journalist Stones (Makis Papadimitriou, Beckett), who is also suffering from gastrointestinal struggles that he worries might be something more. As his subjects keep riffing on the human digestive system, or trying to, he can't control his own. Endeavouring to withhold his flatulence 24/7 is his constant struggle. Somehow, keeping a straight face as everything gets absurd around him is a far easier task, but Flux Gourmet's viewers shouldn't want to share that achievement with him; this purposefully strange, silly and surreal film is far too deliciously hilarious. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23 and June 30; and July 7, July 14, July 21 and July 28; August 4, August 11, August 18 and August 25; and September 1. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear, Men, Elvis, Lost Illusions, Nude Tuesday, Ali & Ava, Thor: Love and Thunder, Compartment No. 6, Sundown, The Gray Man, The Phantom of the Open, The Black Phone, Where the Crawdads Sing, Official Competition, The Forgiven, Full Time, Murder Party, Bullet Train, Nope, The Princess, 6 Festivals, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Crimes of the Future, Bosch & Rockit, Fire of Love, Beast, Blaze, Hit the Road, Three Thousand Years of Longing and Orphan: First Kill.
A lot can happen in 13 years — and for the cast of 2010's page-to-screen favourite Scott Pilgrim vs the World, much has. Michael Cera kept returning to Arrested Development's George Michael, and made a stunning appearance in the Twin Peaks revival. Mary Elizabeth Winstead added everything from Fargo and 10 Cloverfield Lane to Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) to her resume. Chris Evans became Captain America, Kieran Culkin has been killing it with insults in Succession and Anna Kendrick had the whole Pitch Perfect franchise. Brie Larson slipping into Captain Marvel's shoes, Aubrey Plaza's The White Lotus stint, Jason Schwartzman still showing up in Wes Anderson films aplenty — that's all occurred as well. One new thing about to come all of the above actors' way, too: more Scott Pilgrim. The movie that started off as a series of graphic novels, and also hit video games, is next making its way to the small screen as Scott Pilgrim: The Anime. Of course, when a film becomes a streaming series, that doesn't always mean that the OG cast return with it — but, thankfully, it does in this case. Netflix is behind the show, and announced that the anime adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's graphic novels will feature the voices of Cera as Scott, Winstead as Ramona Flowers, Culkin as Wallace Wells, Kendrick as Stacey Pilgrim, Larson as Envy Adams and Plaza as Julie Powers. And, yes, Evans, Schwartzman, Satya Bhabha (Sense8), Brandon Routh (The Flash) and Mae Whitman (Good Girls) are all back as Ramona's evil exes. The list doesn't stop there. Amid shouting "we are Sex Bob-Omb!", Alison Pill (Hello Tomorrow!) as Kim Pine, Johnny Simmons (Girlboss) as young Neil, Mark Webber (SMILF) as Stephen Stills, Ellen Wong (Best Sellers) as Knives Chau are all back, too. The story will still follow the titular bass player, in what's set to be more than just a do-over. "I knew that a live action sequel was unlikely, but I would usually defer by suggesting that perhaps an anime adaptation was an interesting way to go," the original film's director Edgar Wright told Netflix. "And then, lo and behold, one day Netflix got in touch to ask about this exact idea. But even better, our brilliant creator Bryan Lee O'Malley had an idea that was way more adventurous than just a straight adaptation of the original books," Wright continued — and he's back as an executive producer. Scott Pilgrim: The Anime doesn't yet have a release date, or a trailer; however, you can check out Netflix's cast announcement clip below: Scott Pilgrim: The Anime is headed to Neflix, but doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced.
Track closures are the pre-Christmas gift that no commuter wants, but when they arrive on three Melbourne lines, they'll come with free public transport. With sections of Melbourne's Cranbourne, Pakenham and Gippsland train lines set to shut down temporarily during December, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced free travel in those areas for the first 23 days of the month. Trains won't run between Westall Station and Pakenham and Cranbourne to allow for rail works to enable the city's new high-capacity trains, which can carry 1100 passengers and are set to hit the tracks in mid 2019. "You've put up with a lot of disruption already while we've been re-building our train network," said Andrews. "It's the least we can do to thank you for your patience." Buses will replace trains across the closed sections. When you get on the bus, you won't be required to touch on with your Myki. If you're travelling onwards into the city, you'll be given a 'free travel token' that's valid for the entire week. Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan told The Age that the move is expected to cost the Victorian government "around $1 million". It's the latest transport-related development in what has proven a very busy year — and an election year at that. In addition to preparing for the new fleet of high-capacity trains, the government has been removing level crossings and opening new rail lines. It has also announced several other initiatives, including a high-speed train from the Melbourne CBD to Geelong, an airport rail link (with a 'super train' that can make the journey in 20 minutes also floated by a private consortium) and an underground network connecting the city's suburbs. Find more information on the free travel period here and check for updates on the PTV website. Updated: December 2, 2018.
Regional holidays in Victoria are back on the cards from today, Monday, June 1, but if you're not ready (or able) to leave the city just yet, you can still treat yourself to a fancy staycation. And Element Richmond has just the prescription. The eco-conscious Westin brand hotel has just launched a new hot tub and silver screen package. You'll spend the night one of the two luxe King Spa Balcony rooms with your own private outdoor hot tub, which has been conveniently positioned right in front of big screen — so you can have your own movie night. You can, in fact, have a movie marathon, with the screen hooked up to an Ipad loaded with a heap of streaming services and a selection of classics and new flicks. Prepare for wrinkly fingers. When you're sick of looking at the screen, you can gaze out over the Melbourne skyline, too. The package starts from $280 a night for two people and for an extra $50 you can add on a snack pack with a bottle of bubbles, popcorn, ice cream and chips. It's important to note that your four-legged friend can come along for this staycation, too, as Element is a pet-friendly hotel. Comfy dog beds are available for any four-legged guests, though there is a maximum of two dogs per room and they can't weigh more than 20 kilograms each — apologies to all those particularly leggy hounds and hefty pooches. If you are bringing along your canine mate, there's an $80 pet cleaning fee per room, per stay. Element also offers free on-site parking with any package booking and, if you can fit your pooch in your basket, it's also easily accessible via bike. And it has a hand sanitiser bar — with sannies from the likes of Mr Black and Four Pillars — that you can peruse. Element Richmond's hot tub and silver screen package starts at $280 a night for two and is available from June 1 to December 31, 2020.
Queen Victoria Market's legendary summer night market series has wrapped up for another season, and there's still a while to wait before its winter counterpart begins. But QVM is here to fill the void in between, as it stacks your next few Wednesday nights with bold Asian flavours for its Hawker 88 Night Market. The return favourite kicks off its next five-week instalment on Wednesday, April 12, embracing a different Asian-inspired theme each week. You'll find yourself immersed in other cultures and cuisines as you feast your way through a lineup of street food stalls, with live entertainment and market stalls rounding out the fun. Hawker 88's launch night is set to span offerings from right across the continent, featuring dragon dances and a wide program of tunes, while the following week (April 19) zeroes in on the flavours of Malaysia, paying special homage to the not-so-humble durian. On April 26, you'll take a spin through Japan and Korea, enjoying martial arts demonstrations, K-pop gigs and traditional drumming performances; before diving into a celebration of Bollywood culture on May 3, complete with DJs and dance workshops. A hop around the Asian islands of Vietnam, Bali, Thailand and The Philippines wraps up the series on May 10. Along the way, you'll find a generous spread of Asian dishes to sink your teeth into — including Malaysian nasi lemak from Bawang, Shallot Thai's peking duck pancakes, soft shell crab dumplings courtesy of Miss Wonton, crispy Korean fried chicken from Lui Boss and stacks more. There'll even be long communal tables set up hawker-style, so you can enjoy your eats just like you would on the buzzing streets of Asia. The Hawker 88 Night Market runs Wednesday nights from April 12–May 10, at Queen Victoria Market, Queen Street, Melbourne.
The crew behind Pilgrim Bar and The Boatbuilder's Yard have kicked open their latest venue with a bang. Located in the old Caulfield Rifle Club building, the fittingly named Bang Bang at the Rifle Club is a cafe, bar and Asian-style eatery all rolled up in one. Open 6am 'til late, seven days a week, and situated within shooting distance of Elsternwick Station, Bang Bang is the brainchild of the Riverland Group's Richie Ludbrook and Dave Sharry. In turn, they've tapped ex-Longrain chef Matthew Dunbar to craft a menu inspired by the flavours of Southeast Asia. "Travelling through most of Southeast Asia has really simplified my approach to food," said Dunbar in a statement. The stripped back approach is on display in Bang Bang's selection of bar snacks, which include chargrilled king prawn with lime and roasted shallot, pork scratching with green chilli, lime and spring onion, and crispy chicken ribs with house spice and sriracha. Those after something a little more substantial can opt for one of the large share plates, such as the whole steamed snapper with Chinese cabbage, or the roasted pumpkin curry with cinnamon and kipfler potato. Bang Bang also offers a range of tasty desserts, including sago, coconut and pineapple with chocolate chilli crumble, and black sticky rice with pandan sweet cream, mango and coconut sorbet. Designed for sharing #datenight. 🙌 Ocean trout & crisp pork salad with lemongrass all inside a banana flower. 🍃 #BangBang3185 🌶 #coffeetococktails ☕️ #Elsternwick 🍹 #Indochine A photo posted by Bang Bang RC (@bangbangrc) on Jan 20, 2017 at 9:12pm PST The day menu, meanwhile, features a number of delectable breakfast and lunch options, including French toast with grilled banana, passionfruit ice cream, palm sugar caramel and freeze dried berries, a turmeric omelette with bean shoots, prawns and pork; and jasmine rice bowls with satay vegetables, tofu and egg. Finally, we get to the beverages. Bang Bang's coffee comes courtesy of Seven Seeds, and their tea courtesy of Larsen & Thompson. They also offer an array of milkshakes, in chocolate, strawberry, salted caramel and fresh young coconut. As for booze, they've got a variety of wines, beers and ciders and a small but impressive mix of summery cocktails. The basil cucumber smash includes Thai basil and cucumber (duh) along with Plymouth gin, pineapple juice and lime. We're also quite taken with a watermelon-based cocktail kicked with chilli salt and pepper-infused vodka. Find Bang Bang at the Rifle Club at 294 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick. For more information vist them on Facebook, Instagram or at www.bangbang.com.au.
Buildings that feed on pollution, skyscrapers constructed from rubbish – what's next for the future of the world's trash? North American environmental solutions company Waste Management has recently made significant investments in energy companies Agnion, Enerkem and Agilyx, all of which provide solutions to turning waste into something more useful. Enerkem can produce transportation fuel from garbage, and Agilyx creates crude oil from unwanted plastics. A small-scale device created by Agnion could be used by supermarkets, hospitals and shopping centres to make the most of the waste they create. The technology can transform trash (affectionately known as "solid biomass feedstock") into gas, which in turn can be used to provide heating.
It's that time again for 2024: time for Australia's Red Centre to glow with other hues, including across ranges dating back 300 million years, thanks to giant puppets and on the ochre earth. Every April, Parrtjima — A Festival in Light returns to the Northern Territory with art, music, talks and an all-round celebration of First Nations culture. This year's event is on now, kicking off on Friday, April 12 and running till Sunday, April 21 — and if you're not there or on your way, this is what you're missing out on. When Arelhe Urrperle strolls along, people take notice. A six-metre-tall puppet that weighs 600 kilograms wandering around draws attention. Seeing it mosey through Alice Springs Desert Park, sharing Arrernte stories and language, is a main attraction at 2024's Parrtjima — A Festival in Light, in fact — and just one of the highlights of this Indigenous arts festival. Erth, which has also brought dinosaurs and sharks to life around the country in the past — and held prehistoric picnics featuring puppets — is behind Arelhe Urrperle. In New South Wales, Marri Dyin, which also reaches six metres in height, has taken a stroll at Vivid Sydney 2018 and 2019, plus at the Nights on Crown Festival in Wollongong in 2019. Arelhe Urrperle is specific to the Red Centre, however, with Erth's puppeteers training local Indigenous performers to operate the roving puppet for Parrtjima's 2024 run. Representing Arelhe matriarchs, Arelhe Urrperle is one of this year's signature installations — and a new addition to Parrtjima for 2024. Fancy feasting your eyes on illuminated cars that form a collage of work celebrating Eastern, Western and Central language groups? Walking through an immersive passageway that pays tribute to late Arrernte leader Dr MK Turner? Thanks to fellow installations Arrernte and Honouring, they're also on the festival's program right now. One of the Northern Territory's annual highlights — and one of its dazzling sights, alongside natural features Uluru, the Tjoritja gorges and Kings Canyon, plus nightly light show Wintjiri Wiru, as well as Bruce Munro's Field of Light and Light Towers — this arts, culture and storytelling event takes place against the MacDonnell Ranges. 2024 marks the ninth Parrtjima, with its lineup focusing on the importance of interconnectedness across First Nations culture for this year. That's partly happening through two things that are always on the bill: two of the festival's regular annual attractions, aka a huge artwork that transforms a 2.5-kilometre stretch of the majestic ranges, showering it with light each night of the festival; and Grounded, the installation projected over the red dirt at tourism and conservation facility Alice Springs Desert Park. The Ranges Light Show has taken over additional projection space in 2024, while Grounded has become more interactive. Over its opening weekend, the program also included a three-night marketplace for the first time in the fest's history. The Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network (NTIBN) Buy Blak Market featured both food and other products from local Aboriginal businesses. On the music roster across the entire event, Troy Cassar-Daley, Shellie Morris, Miiesha and Mulga Bore Hard Rock are taking to the stage. Cassar-Daley and Morris are also on the talks lineup, alongside Floyd Doyle and Dr Josie Douglas. Parrtjima – A Festival in Light runs from Friday, April 12–Sunday, April 21, 2024, at venues around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. For more information, visit the festival website. Images: Parrtjima – A Festival in Light. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Following in the footsteps of Toshiro Mifune, the Japanese acting icon and frequent Akira Kurosawa collaborator, isn't an easy job. But enlisting Hiroyuki Sanada (John Wick: Chapter 4) to tread where the Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Yojimbo star once did is a genius move in television's second adaptation of Shōgun. James Clavell's bestselling 1975 novel has reached the small screen before, in 1980. Back then, with Mifune as war hero Lord Yoshii Toranaga, it told its tale in five movie-length parts. Now, boasting the resolute and restrained Sanada in the role (and also as one of the show's producers), it returns 44 years later as a sweeping, dazzling and thrilling ten-episode miniseries — streaming on Disney+ Down Under from Tuesday, February 27 — that perfects many things, its casting high among them. Sanada has equally well-chosen company; picking him, Cosmo Jarvis (Persuasion) and Anna Sawai (Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) as Shōgun circa 2024's leads is a masterstroke. The 17th century-set series makes plenty of other excellent decisions, but getting its core trio right is still pivotal. Richly detailed, the samurai series knows how to thrust its viewers into a deeply textured world from the outset, with complex performances at its centre an essential anchoring tactic. Sanada's Toranaga is among the political candidates vying to steer the future of the country. Jarvis is John Blackthorne, a British Protestant sailor on a Dutch ship that has run aground in a place that its crew isn't sure is real until they get there. And Sawai is Toda Mariko, a Japanese noblewoman with her own complicated history, who is also tasked with translating for the Englishman. Each of Shōgun's three key characters encompasses much more than their basic descriptions, of course. The portrayals that bring them to the screen make that plain from the moment they're each first seen. Weight and heft have long lingered in Sanada's layered performances — be it in his turns in J-horror's original Ringu films, or in Sunshine, Lost and Westworld — which befits a regent with his own plans for his nation, separate from his fellow council members, a year after of the death of the last supreme ruler. He cuts a contemplative but determined figure, who is as canny with strategy as with seizing opportunity; Blackthorne's arrival sees him in both modes. Reminiscent of Tom Hardy (Venom: Let There Be Carnage), Jarvis brings raw bluster and astonishment to his part at first, then slowly dawning understanding. As for Sawai, she exudes duty, stoicism, shrewdness and sorrow as a woman whose choices are so rarely her own. When it opens, Shōgun finds feudal Japan in crisis mode given its heir is to young to rule, Toranaga facing enemies and Blackthorne among the first of his compatriots that've made it to the nation, the latter much to the alarm of Japan's sole European inhabitants, all Catholic and from Portugal. While it is indeed still a story where a Westerner enters as an outsider, then becomes enmeshed in the daily goings-on, this Shōgun doesn't ever present Blackthorne's as the only or chief perspective. Sanada is the show's first-billed talent. The series' devotion to unravelling its narrative with Toranaga, Mariko and Blackthorne evenly at its heart never wavers. And, nor does its exploration of perspective — because what a splintering Japanese society means to one of its leaders, an interloper fresh to its shores and someone accustomed since childhood to be at its whims ("we live, and we die; we control nothing beyond that," Mariko says more than once) is completely different. Early in, creators Justin Marks (Top Gun: Maverick) and Rachel Kondo (on her first TV credit) don't let the fact that "barbarian" is flung around by almost everyone escape attention. Usually it refers to Blackthorne, as used interchangeably with "anjin", the Japanese term for pilot. Toranaga swiftly gleans how handy the Brit's 500 muskets and 20 cannons will be if the acrimony directed his way by his regent counterparts results in war. His new vassal lives at his direction, then, as does Mariko. She'd prefer to surrender her life than exist without her disgraced family or stay with a warrior husband (Shinnosuke Abe, Keiji Shichinin) that she feels nothing warm for, but honour dictates otherwise. It's obligation, too, that has her convince her spouse's niece-by-marriage Usami Fuji (Moeka Hoshi, Turn to Me Mukai-kun) to submit to a heartbreaking decree, which is how Mariko is introduced. In another of the dialogue's aphorisms, people are compared to pebbles that are pushed here, there and everywhere by the elements. It isn't just the metaphor that lands, but also the granularity; Shōgun looks and feels intricate, and is staged and plotted to match. Spies, love, loyalty, courtesan life, gardening practices, earthquakes, rabbit stew, duplicitous allegiances, ambition in a variety of forms, how gravely one's word can be taken: they're all weaved in. In its overarching narrative, Toranaga is beckoned to Osaka, where his main rival Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira, Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story) wants to put him in his place to snatch up overseeing the country for himself. That's truly the framing, however, as is Blackthorne initially washing up in a fishing village. Although Toranaga declares several times that he's not after the titular position, Shōgun is another series for the streaming pile that's about fighting for supremacy, as Game of Thrones and Succession both famously were. As with just the former, it's another grand and gripping epic. While it's impossible not to see those links, knowing that both battling over who'll grasp power and traversing sprawling worlds are among pop culture's favourite things right now (and for some time) doesn't make Shōgun any less impressive. Rather, Marks and Kondo's spin on Clavell's book is a reminder of how magnificent and mesmerising such efforts can be when they're at their very best. The scale is immense, and yet there's no skimping on intimacy. With authenticity as its guide, the minutiae is meticulous, demanding that the utmost notice is paid to everything at all times. The scenery alone is so exquisitely and sumptuously shot that it'll doubtless inspire tourist pilgrimages. Shōgun is visceral, too; gore is also no stranger from the get-go, when being boiled alive proves one way to deal with Japan's newcomers — and frequently from then on, including via seppuku. This is potent, thoughtful and immediately engrossing viewing, and lavish and precisely made also. As skilled at giant setpieces as it is at plunging into political scheming and emotional yearning, Shōgun makes getting drawn in instantaneous. Check out the trailer for Shōgun below: Shōgun streams via Disney+ from Tuesday, February 27. Images: Katie Yu/FX.
Have you heard? There's a great, wide world waiting for you out west. A place where the sun sets over crystal blue oceans, rivers cut through hills and valleys are stocked full of agricultural abundance, vineyards and gourmet artisan goods. A place of fascinating early convict history and an even deeper Aboriginal presence running through millennia right up to the vibrant culture of the present day. A place of unfamiliar flavours and exhilarating experiences, where you can get away from it all on an island paradise or immerse yourself in the hustle and bustle of beachside locales. For the foodies and wine-lovers, seasiders and surfers, adrenaline junkies and wildlife-seekers — together with Western Australia, we've curated a definitive guide to an exceptional trip to Boorloo (Perth). There's a list of standout activities plus some standout dining digs and a few luxe accommodation options. Pack your bags and book your tickets: we've curated your next holiday. And it's a big one. [caption id="attachment_896158" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Duncan Wright[/caption] DINE DELICIOUSLY First things first, all your adventuring is sure to work up an appetite — so it's lucky that Perth is a top foodie destination. Before you plan how to spend your time, plan where you're going to eat. Teeter Bakery, run by pastry wizard Natasha Brownfield, is brand-spanking new but already making waves, with the spot dishing out hand-crafted specialty cakes — like a light-as-air grapefruit and olive oil chiffon or scorched-top basque cheesecake. Swing by on a Friday or Saturday when the pastry-shop door is open for all your viennoiserie and gourmet sandwich needs. Chubby Boy is a Japanese-influenced cafe and bar. Think sandos, matcha lattes and sweet and savoury shokupan toppings like garlic and cheesy corn or salted caramel. In the middle of traditional wine country, Nieuw Ruin is boldly "packed to the rafters with weird wine". Fun, unusual, rare and just damn delicious drops are paired with the seasonal wine-bar fare, alongside classic and house cocktails. Lucy Luu brings Asian fusion to the Perth scene. Here, you can expect local produce and playful twists, like a kinilaw-topped tostada bite, a spicy tiger-prawn toast on brioche, truffle fried rice and the umami-sweet bite of miso parfait. Plus, of course, more cocktails. If you're a craft beer fan, make the trip to Gage Roads Brew Co in Freo. Open seven days a week for all your frothy desires, the brewpub's got a solid menu of fresh seafood, tacos, empanadas and pizzas — essentially, everything you'd want alongside good beer by the water. For a menu that taps into a Mediterranean summer, go to Bathers Beach House. White sands, white walls, blue sky, blue sea — the backdrop to olives, oysters, seafood platters and pasta. Perfect. [caption id="attachment_893737" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] DISCOVER ROTTNEST ISLAND One word: quokkas. If that's somehow not enough to convince you to book flights immediately, Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) has plenty of other wildlife-adjacent attractions making a visit worth your while. Just a short ferry ride (or an air charter, if you're feeling particularly flush with cash) brings you to this renowned island paradise. A nature-soaked haven, it's also home to some of the most pristine crystal-clear waters in the west. Snorkel, swim, scuba, surf or hire a boat and take to the seas on your own adventure, getting up close to marine life. Alternatively, you can get around the island by bike, peddling from art exhibitions to clothing boutiques, restaurants and enviable spots for epic views. Stay at the campgrounds, and cottages or opt for something swanky with beachside accommodation at Samphire. The next morning? Start with breakfast at Dôme or old-school baked goods at Rottnest Bakery, and finish your day's explorations with sunset cocktails at Pinky's. [caption id="attachment_893738" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] TAKE A CRUISE DOWN THE SWAN RIVER What's better than food and wine? A curated tour of both on a Swan Valley river cruise. Opting for this stellar package will see you depart Perth on a gastronomic cruise with an award-winning tour operator as your host. You'll see the beautiful Swan Valley by boat, disembarking to visit some of the area's most exciting wineries. Learn about everything from vine to grape to glass as you sip your way through a guided tasting — with snacks, of course — before lunch at Homestead Brewery. No gourmet foodie tour would be complete without dessert, so expect to stop in at The Margaret River Chocolate Co for sugar-sweet tastings and the chance to grab a few treats on the way out (might we suggest Chokka the Quokka?). On the ride back, settle in for a leisurely journey serenaded by live music. [caption id="attachment_893730" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] EXPLORE THE HISTORIC STREETS OF FREMANTLE Once an industrial centre, Fremantle (Walyalup) or 'Freo' as the locals affectionately call it, is now a delightful little port city, just 30 minutes from Perth. You'll find street food, microbreweries and buskers throughout this bustling spot. As well as exquisite fresh produce and artisan goods at Fremantle Markets (established in 1897; pictured above) and an entirely caffeinated zone known as Cappuccino Strip. While you're here, why don't you book a tour of Running with Thieves on South Beach — the largest operational independent brewery and distillery in WA? It might be big, but it still crafts everything on-site and by hand: that's beers, gins, cocktails and seltzers. Discover convict history at the World Heritage-listed Fremantle Prison, with day tours, night tours and journeys into the winding tunnels below. We'll admit, that barely scratches the surface of Freo — there are all kinds of excursions on offer, from a shipwreck museum to a working fish market and even a place to flex your cocktail-making muscles. Can't decide where to start? Trust a knowledgeable local on the Two Feet & A Heartbeat tours. [caption id="attachment_893735" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] GET UP CLOSE WITH LOCAL WILDLIFE Want to dive into an award-winning dolphin swim? Absolutely. Perth Wildlife Encounters is the biz that's been giving people the opportunity to swim with wild dolphins in their natural habitat since 1989, spending years building a relationship with this pod, and promoting ethical, respectful eco-tourism. Just 45 minutes from Perth, you'll be hopping off your boat on an underwater adventure to encounter a community of more than 200 wild dolphins. During the three-to-six-hour swim, you'll be immersed in the salty environment of these truly special creatures — they might even come up close and play, tumbling and twirling under the water. No snorkel? No worries. Take a lesson beforehand and borrow the gear. Itching for more close contact with the wild? There are penguin encounters and sea kayak tours, too. DISCOVER THE AREA WITH AN ABORIGINAL GUIDE Discover the oldest living culture and the true flavours of Australia. A proud Wardandi Bibbulmun woman, Dale Tilbrook (pictured above) leads on-Country cultural experiences in bush tucker, art and spirituality. The bushfood experience is more than just ingredients: you'll learn about the six seasons of nature plus the unique qualities and medicinal properties of native fruits, seeds, nuts and herbs — like quandong, sandalwood nuts and greens foraged from the coast nearby. Touch and sniff the fresh produce from the onsite garden and taste fresh bushtucker dishes. Warrang-Bridil — meaning 'enlighten to acknowledge' in the Nyoongar language — is the tour business helmed by Mervyn (Nick) Abraham. With connections to the Whadjuk, Yued, Ballardong, Wilmen, Wardandi and Binjerup peoples, he aims to close gaps in Australia's knowledge of First Nations culture and bring people closer to the Nyoongar way of life. On a 60-minute walking tour through the traditional country along the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), you'll learn about pre-colonial ways of living, traditional language and present-day cultural survival. [caption id="attachment_893733" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] CLIMB HIGH ABOVE THE CITY See the Swan River differently — perhaps from 72 metres above? Matagarup Zip+Climb is not for the faint of heart, but well worth the effort of scaling a bridge. Yep, it's a proper climb up Matagarup Bridge to reach the Skyview platform. Not just steps and ladder — climbing gear, grappling, shimmying, the whole shebang. Reach Skyview for, well, a true sky view looking out over the sprawling expanse of Perth and the shimmering river through the glass floor below. All that before jumping on a 400-metre-long zipline that can see you reach speeds of up to 75 kilometres per hour. Epic. The full experience takes two hours and includes free pics of your adventure. There are three ways to complete the climb: Zip and Climb (you climb 314 steps up to the 72m high SkyView glass viewing platform and then zipline back to the start from the 35m high zipline launch and viewing platform), Express Zip (you climb 150 steps up to the 35m zipline launch and viewing platform and zip back), or the Bridge Climb where you forget the zipline and climb. up to the 72m SkyView glass platform and walk down the other side (and watch as others speed down the zipline). Want an extra challenge? Go by night instead and climb through the darkness. [caption id="attachment_893727" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Western Australia[/caption] HEAD TO THE BEACH Perth's beaches are legendary, some of Australia's most pristine. Check out the white sands and clear blue waters of Cottesloe — or 'Cott', as it's known — just a 15-minute drive from the city. Spend the whole day swimming and snorkelling, taking pine-shaded walks and stopping in at cafes along the strip for coffee and brunch (or for an evening bev at a stellar bar or restaurant). If you're out Fremantle way, visit Bathers Beach in the West End. It's a gentle little protected swimming bay perfect for a day of relaxation — and the on-sand cocktail service from Bathers Beach House definitely adds to that. Leighton Beach is famous for its dog-friendly north side if you find yourself with a pup in tow. Here, you can snorkel or kitesurf the glassy waves, or hang out with a picnic. Fifteen minutes from Perth's streets you'll find City Beach, which owes its calm, idyllic waters to the fact that it's sheltered by two purpose-built groynes. Play volleyball, splash around, hit the beachside restaurants then watch the sun go down over the glistening sea. STAY SOMEWHERE LUSH A stay at QT Perth (pictured above) offers a boutique, designer base for your getaway that's perfect for those who love to travel in style. Luxe design features, elegant furnishings, warm tones and plush fabrics, all with a sleek mid-century aesthetic. For another gorgeous view, head to the Rooftop Bar to gaze over the city, cocktail in hand. For something with a bit more history, stay in the limestone cottages of Warders Hotel. As the name suggests, these were built in 1851 for prison warders. Now, they're the epitome of cottage comfort, with a modern minimalist fit-out and rustic original timbers. It's also smack bang in Freo's cultural district — just moments to all the galleries, cafes and bars you could want. Or, you could head to Gimlet — the spot's bar, or the courtyard of Emily Taylor — the onsite restaurant. If you'd rather be in wine country, and only half an hour from the city, The Colony is the luxury accommodation overlooking the 19th century vines of Mandoon Estate. Staying right near the cellar door, you'll find it easy to live the good life. Whichever part of Western Australia beckons you over, Concrete Playground Trips is the ideal place to start planning. Ready to go? Head to the website. Top images: Tourism Western Australia, Little Salmon Bay; QT Perth; Duncan Wright, Teeter Bakery; Tourism Western Australia, Quokka; Tourism Western Australia, Fremantle Prison (fifth, last); Tourism Western Australia, Perth Wildlife Encounters.
This dapper new cocktail bar in Southbank from the Neil Perry-helmed Rockpool Dining Group shouldn't be judged on face value. With plenty of art deco stylings, R Bar is inspired by the 1920s and is an homage to the world's best-loved and most celebrated hotel lobby bars, such as the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel Singapore and Venice's Harry's Bar. Taking all of this into account, you'd assume great cocktails, right? Yes, you get those. But would you also think you'd be able to order hot chip butties and giant deli-like sandwiches? No? Well, it's got those, too. Sitting adjacent to Rockpool Bar & Grill in the Crown Towers, R Bar has space for 110, including an intimate 16-seat private bar. Its Great Gatsby-inspired fit-out features lots of dark timber, rich velvet and bronze mirror panelling, with a show-stealing chandelier of handblown glass and sculptural pendants hung from the soaring ceiling. Throw in a hefty wall of bottled cocktails and spirits ageing in barrels and you've got one seriously luxe hangout. As you'd expect, the booze offering heroes hotel bar classics (such as the singapore sling, manhattan sour and bellini) alongside modern cocktails with plenty of native ingredients and local spirits. The bar has a dedicated martini service, too – expect an all-Australian spirits lineup, and drinks poured and garnished at your table – as well as a serious barrel-ageing program, which is apparently one of the largest in the country. Concoctions including negroni, manhattan, old fashioned, boulevardier, sazerac and vieux carre are all being aged in house in a variety of barrels, sourced from some top Aussie wineries and American distilleries. To eat, there's an equally impressive food offering, with menus for all hours of the day. Breakfast might mean a superfood bowl, fresh pastries or house-made crumpets, or brunch-appropriate cocktails like the strawberry and rhubarb bellini. Or panini stuffed with the lots of different cheeses and cured meats. Come 11am, you can sit down to the likes of oysters and caviar, crab cakes, crostini and charcuterie — and one of eight different sandwiches. As well as the aforementioned hot chip butty (with Heinz tomato sauce, of course), you can pick from a cheesy meatball sandwich, a salad roll, a salted beef and slaw number and the God Mother: a mega-sandwich with seven cold meats, lettuce, tomato and hot sauce, which is inspired by Santa Monica's Bay Cities Italian Deli. On weekends, an afternoon tea service features either a spread of finger sandwiches, savouries and pastries teamed with coffee and tea, or a more decadent collection boasting caviar and champagne.
Following a sell-out launch event in May, Red Rock Deli is putting together its second secret supper — and this time it's bringing one of Adelaide's most renowned chefs to host an exclusive dinner for some very lucky Sydneysiders. Duncan Welgemoed (Africola) is behind the next mouth-watering feast which will be inspired by Red Rock Deli's new limited-edition flavours. All the details are very much under-wraps, including what he'll be cooking up, but given Africola is famed for its North African-inspired woodfired meats and veggies, you can expect this three-course meal to be filled with flame-grilled delights. Despite everything being very hush-hush, here's what we can reveal: Welgemoed will be flying up for the supper on Thursday, June 20, and his dinner will be inspired by Red Rock Deli's flame-grilled steak and chimichurri flavour. We can also tell you that this experience will involve more than just the dishes — after arriving at the collection point in Sydney's CBD, you'll be whisked away to a mystery location where you can expect everything from the decor to the food to have a fiery theme — although the menu will remain a secret until you arrive. There are two sessions of this lavish dinner, with room for just 20 guests at each. Tickets to Duncan Welgemoed's secret supper cost $110 per person. Enter the ballot below to be given the chance to purchase tickets. The lucky winners will receive a secret link to buy tickets to the evening on Tuesday, June 11th. Please note, the Secret Supper menu will not cater to ANY dietary requirements or allergies. There are strictly no changes to the menu. [competition]717901[/competition] Image: Simon Bajada
Early in The Super Mario Bros Movie, pop culture's go-to red-capped plumber (Chris Pratt, Thor: Love and Thunder) sits down to dinner with his brother Luigi (Charlie Day, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and the rest of their family. Pasta is on offer for the Italian American brood, but it comes with something that the Nintendo favourite and gaming mainstay since 1981's first-ever Donkey Kong title quickly advises that he hates: mushrooms. Fans know that more fungi are in his future. In this animated take on the beloved character, his sibling, and their pals and adversaries, a trip to the Mushroom Kingdom is inevitable. And, while there, Mario will meet Toad — a pint-sized humanoid with a toadstool for a head, who is part of a whole race of such folks also called Toads. From the titular brothers through to Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Menu), the fire-breathing Bowser (Jack Black, Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood) and even big gorilla Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen, The Fabelmans), The Super Mario Bros Movie stacks together the bulk of the gaming franchise's best-known figures — and Toad is one of them. It also assembles an impressive voice cast to help bring its players to life, including Keegan-Michael Key as its main mushroom man. Here, the actor and sketch-comedy great's tones prove as elastic as his face and limbs long have, especially in iconic skit series Key & Peele. How do you voice a diminutive critter who is as perky as he is tiny? Someone who Key likens to a golden retriever? With ample energy, as The Super Mario Bros Movie's viewers hear. While fellow Key & Peele namesake Jordan Peele followed up that five-season 2012–15 show with a jump behind the lens, helming Get Out, Us and Nope — and earning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the former — Key has remained a constant on-screen. The pair also share Fargo, Keanu, Toy Story 4 and Wendell & Wild on their resumes, teaming up in front of the lens or through voice work on all four; however, Key's list of credits spans everything from Parks and Recreation and Schmigadoon! to The Predator and Dolemite Is My Name. He's broken out his vocal talents in Archer and Bob's Burgers, too, and in the photorealistic version of The Lion King as well. But signing on for The Super Mario Bros Movie couldn't have been an easier choice for the OG Donkey Kong aficionado. That instant enthusiasm comes through in a perky, peppy performance — a voice that's squeakier than viewers are used to from Key, but slides easily into a career that keeps bounding in every on-screen direction possible. During his Key & Peele days, he brought audiences President Obama's anger translator Luther, substitute teacher Mr Garvey and his creative pronunciations, a "Liam Neesons"-loving valet, one of the brilliant 'Aerobics Meltdown' sketch's fierce lycra-clad competitors and more. Of course he's been bouncing here, there and everywhere since. With The Super Mario Bros Movie now in cinemas, Concrete Playground chatted with Key about jumping at the part, finding his Toad voice, preparing for the part, drawing upon his improv background and what he looks for in a role. ON TURNING DONKEY KONG FANDOM INTO A SUPER MARIO BROS ROLE Do you need to be a Super Mario Bros fan to press start on being in one of the game's leaps to the screen? Bob Hoskins, who played the titular character in 1993's live-action movie, famously wasn't. But Key was — and instantly said yes to being involved in the second film bringing Mario and the game's characters to cinemas. "I was a fan of Super Mario, or Mario Bros in the beginning, from Donkey Kong. I was a big Donkey Kong fan way back in the day," Key advises. "So when they approached me and asked me to do Toad, I was like 'I'd be more than happy. I don't even need to see the script! I'm happy. I'm in. I'm your guy. Whatever you want, whatever you need, I'm your guy'." ON FINDING THE RIGHT VOICE FOR TOAD While Key sits among The Super Mario Bros Movie's well-known names, his vocal work stands out from Pratt, Day, Taylor-Joy, Black, Rogan and company. Listen to Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser and DK, viewers immediately recognise the actor behind them. That isn't the case with Toad and Key. "What I did is, I was impersonating a friend of mine and trying to get his vocal patterns and vocal rhythms. And I brought that to the table, and then the directors [Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic] and I both worked on the pitch, and trying to find where the right pitch would be — and if I could get the voice higher and higher, then higher and higher," Key notes. "And I finally got him some place up here [Key's voice gets higher], until we then got him even higher than that [Key's voice returns to its usual pitch]. Then, mostly the biggest trick was trying to figure out how to maintain that voice while I was in the booth — because sometimes you'd be in the booth for three-to-six hours, and you're trying to figure out how do you maintain that." "So I would just pretend I was — you know, I'm like: 'what would it be like if I was sucking on a helium balloon? How do I make my voice sound like that?'. And then I'm like: 'what else can I do? I don't know — wear tight pants? I'll wear tight pants!'. Anything to keep that voice at that high register." ON PREPARING FOR PLAYING A HUMANOID WITH A MUSHROOM FOR A HEAD The Super Mario Bros Movie starts in reality — animated reality, but in Brooklyn. Here, there aren't mushrooms as far as the eye can see, or coin blocks, or rainbow roads to race on Mario Kart-style. And there definitely aren't mushroom men like Toad. All it takes is a warp pipe to transport Mario and Luigi into the realm seen in Nintendo games for four decades now. That's where Toad comes in. Asked how you prepare for such a part — playing a toadstool-topped humanoid, specifically — Key is all about creativity and being upbeat (and one of humanity's favourite pets). "I think it's just making sure that you're sparking your imagination on any given day. Because what I did — I knew what Toad looked like, but I would just sometimes look at pictures of him and just go 'what am I getting from this picture? What am I getting about how I can portray this?'," he says. "There's something about him that's snappy and positive. He's also like a mushroom-man version of a golden retriever. I wanted him to have that kind of sensibility when I portrayed him." ON DRAWING UPON HIS SKETCH-COMEDY BACKGROUND In the sketch-comedy game, Key is a legend. Before Key & Peele, he spent six seasons on Mad TV, too, also often opposite Peele. And, prior to that, he's among the long list of comedy names to have come through improv troupe The Second City — as Peele also did, and Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Catherine O'Hara, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as well. That background came in handy with The Super Mario Bros Movie, including getting into character. "I did get to improvise. I got to improvise quite a bit. A lot of it ended up on the cutting-room floor, but I like to use the improvisation to get into the spirit of it more than anything else," Key explains. "Sometimes I would just improvise right before the line and then jump into the line, and that would give the line the feeling I wanted it to have, the sense and the spirit that I wanted it to have." "Sometimes, you can just use improvisation in that way and it still helps." [caption id="attachment_896345" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] ON WHAT HE LOOKS FOR IN A PART Key's time on-screen dates back a couple of decades, including a one-episode stint in ER in 2001, plus 00s roles in Role Models and Due Date. What appeals to him now, after Pitch Perfect 2, Tomorrowland, Win It All and The Disaster Artist as well, and also Friends From College, Veep, No Activity and Reboot? Movies and TV shows that stand out. "I look for something in the project that's a little different. Something that catches my eye is always going to be something that I've never seen before. So, if you take a project like Schmigadoon!, I go 'oh god, I've never seen anything like that — if they're interested in me doing that, I want to do that'," Key says. "And the same thing with Super Mario Bros. I figured it would make a lot of sense — I understand what the movie looked like in 1993, when they made the live-action one, but I'm like 'what would it look like if it were this animated movie with the technology that we have today to make animation?'. I thought 'this thing's going to look amazing'." "So I try to jump onboard things that have a little twist to them — some kind of fun, clever twist that makes them different than whatever your run-of-the-mill project might be." The Super Mario Bros Movie released in cinemas Down Under on Wednesday, April 5. Read our full review.
There's no need to shake off that Swiftmania, Australia. The world's biggest pop star right now has hit the country, unleashed the first three nights of the Aussie leg of her Eras tour, broken records and given everyone an enchanted time. There's no way that you could not know that Taylor Swift has arrived Down Under, with Melbourne her first stop. That trio of initial gigs even means that she makes more appearances at the MCG in 2024 than most AFL teams, in fact. So, you went along and it was gorgeous, and you're still keen to get your Swiftie on. Or, you're hitting the Sydney concerts at Accor Stadium from Friday, February 23–Monday, February 26 and want to get the full lowdown. Missed out completely? Eager to figure out how to cope? We can help you with that as well. We were lucky enough to hit up an Eras show in Melbourne, so we have the details. We've outlined logistical tips if you're watching Swift's three-hour spectacular in Sydney, too — plus Swift-related events across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. And yes, the Eras concert film will help fill that blank space in your calendar. Here's our Australian Eras tour 101: [caption id="attachment_941681" align="alignnone" width="1920"] TAS Rights Management[/caption] The Show (and Yes, It's as Sensational as You've Heard) Before even getting to the show, most fans have memorised the setlist, seen most of the performances on social media and created perfect recreations of Swift's Eras tour costumes. They know what's to come. But are they ready for it? Absolutely not. From the moment that Swift enters the stage — emerging from the giant flower petals that everyone has seen in countless videos of already — the MCG loses its shit. It's the feeling of being a part of the international tour that's been obsessed over for so many months that draws up the excitement. We don't need to be surprised. We just want to be a part of these legendary moments. Swift doesn't disappoint, on any level, for none of the three-hour show packed with hits. She runs through each of her albums, spanning 18 years of music, ticking off the bangers as the crowd screams the lyrics along with her — no matter what era they come from. She doesn't lose breath or miss a beat for a moment. She's done this show god knows how many times now and knows exactly what she's doing. She's a total pro. [caption id="attachment_941679" align="alignnone" width="1920"] TAS Rights Management[/caption] But while Swift soars in her most upbeat hits, the more-emotional ballads show her real vulnerability. The walls seem to really come down for a few moments. This is best seen in her ten-minute version of 'All Too Well', captivating the audience for the entire song while it's just her on stage with a guitar in a stunning red-and-black sequinned coat. She gets visibly angry, is particularly pointed with some harsh lyrics and takes the audience with her on the journey of hating the celeb we all know this song is about. From start to finish, Swift repeatedly reminds you why she is an icon — and that she's got plenty of more eras to come. Let's just hope that she brings them back Down Under to smash some more records and give us another (or first) chance to see her IRL. [caption id="attachment_941680" align="alignnone" width="1920"] TAS Rights Management[/caption] Tips to Help Make Hitting the Gigs as Gorgeous as Possible When it comes to the kit you'll be wearing, most Swifties go down one of two routes. You can sequin the house down and be inspired by her tour looks, or try to recreate one of her iconic music-video ensembles. Glitter is almost a must, even if it covers your bathroom at home for months afterwards. And friendship bracelets. You've got to invest in some if you want to participate in those sweet community feels at the concert, when everyone is swapping bracelets with one another, sharing their excitement for what's to come. It couldn't be more wholesome. While heels might go with your outfit, flats are probably the smartest choice. Everyone gets a seat, but you'll be standing and dancing for over three hours. Everyone in the crowd tries to sit down in between eras when the stage gets changed over and Swift quickly swaps into a new outfit, but it's not enough to save your poor feet (especially as there isn't that much time between albums). Beyond that, be sure to bring a portable battery for your phone. Even if you say you won't take videos, you likely will. And there are plenty of times during the night when fans turn on their camera lights and sway along to the slow jams. For most of us, this will kill our batteries in an hour. [caption id="attachment_940691" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ronald Woan via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] If you're heading to one of the four Sydney shows, it's time to start planning your journey. Gates open at 4.30pm, and everyone has assigned seating, so there's no need to camp out overnight to secure the best spot. The show will kick off around 6.20pm, with Sabrina Carpenter handling opening duties. Get down early to see what she rhymes with Sydney during her iconic 'Nonsense' outros. While there is car parking available, it's almost fully booked up already, so public transport is the optimal option for heading in. Travel on PT is included in your ticket, and both express trains and major event buses are running each night to deal with the masses of Swifties making the pilgrimage to Sydney Olympic Park. If you're attending on the Friday or Saturday, leave yourself some extra time — Blink-182 is performing at Qudos Bank Arena on both these days, so there will be two lots of music lovers travelling to the same spot. Everyone's journey in will be a little different, of course, but if you head to Central, Redfern or Strathfield Station, you'll be able to get a direct train. While there are a couple of spots to eat near Accor Stadium, it's not exactly a cornucopia of food and drinks. Consider hitting up a venue near one of these key stations for an early dinner or a couple of celebratory cocktails. City Oltra is a perfect pitstop for a few slices of some of the city's best pizza and a glass of orange wine just metres from Central Station. If mimosas on a rooftop are more of the vibe, consider stopping over at The Old Clare Hotel. As for Redfern, The Sunshine Inn, RaRa Ramen, Redbird and BrewDog are all stellar options for a pre-gig feed. Or, if you're just after a few top-notch drinks, Arcadia Liquors always does the trick. Plus, Strathfield is filled with plenty of standout dining options. Our picks for a cheap and cheerful meal: Korean fried chicken and a bottle of soju from the no-frills CC Train, or a big brothy bowl from Hansang. Not Going? How to Play Along Elsewhere Look what you made Australia do, Swifties: put on Taylor Swift-themed festivities everywhere and anywhere, to prolong the lavender haze swirling not just around Melbourne and Sydney, but Brisbane as well. From candlelight tributes and colourful cocktails to painting pottery and showing off your knowledge of Swift trivia, you have options. Sydney: Sydney well and truly has Swift fever, so if you're a Lover lover but you're not heading to Accor Stadium, there are plenty of Taylor-themed events happening all across the Harbour City. There's Taylor Swift bottomless brunch at both Harry's by Giuls and Above 319, Eras-themed doughnuts at Miss Sina, and limited-edition cocktails at Moxy Sydney and Alibi Bar and Dining. Crown Sydney is hosting a Swiftie High Tea at Teahouse until Sunday, February 25. The extravagant afternoon activity features a lineup of sweet treats representing some of Swift's most beloved albums — like the 1989, a lavender ganache with yuzu and almond streusel — as well as some savoury mouthfuls like whisky teriyaki wagyu and Sichuan miso-baked toothfish. If you want to flex your knowledge, Taylor Swift Trivia is popping up across Western Sydney, including Guildford on Sunday, February 25 and Penrith on Wednesday, February 28. The Argyle is getting in on the action with a Taylor Rave on Thursday, February 22 and, if you think you'll be full of energy after the show and you're looking to kick on with some more big TS sing-alongs, Oxford Art Factory is hosting a series of unofficial afterparties on the nights of the Friday, Saturday and Sunday shows. [caption id="attachment_940473" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Paolo Villanueva via Wikimedia Commons.[/caption] Melbourne: While most of the Taylor Swift-themed parties and events in Melbourne took place just before or during her time in the city, there is one way to still join in the fun in the week following: Candlelight: A Tribute to Taylor Swift. The hour-long concert features Swift's music played by a string quartet. It's running at Collingwood Town Hall on Saturday, February 24 at 6.30pm and 8.30pm. The moody candlelit performance is a brilliant chaser for any Swiftie who went to the shows, or even those who couldn't nab the hotly fought-over tickets. Brisbane: Every Brisbane Swiftie, and most Brisbanites in general, is well aware that T-Swift isn't bringing Eras to the Queensland capital. To commiserate, you can calm down in a number of ways — including at Fritzenberger South Bank's Swift-themed trivia night on Wednesday, February 21, then at a tribute party on Saturday, February 24 at Fortitude Valley's The Sound Garden, where a DJ will be spinning all the requisite tunes. Also on Saturday, February 24, head to Clontarf's The Craft Haven to make and paint Taylor Swift-inspired pottery. Then, on Sunday, February 25, Fluffy is taking its cues from the singer back in Fortitude Valley. And, come March and April, Candlelight: A Tribute to Taylor Swift will help you embrace your Swift love story at Grand on Ann, too. [caption id="attachment_922251" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trafalgar Releasing[/caption] How to Enjoy Eras Whenever You Want Back in October 2023, singing and dancing along to the Eras tour without actually attending the Eras tour became possible. That's when Swift released concert film Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour, which took in over $260 million at the worldwide box office when it hit the big screen. It also got everyone excited when it arrived on digital. Its next stop, if you're ready for it: Disney+ from Friday, March 15, complete with five extra tunes — 'cardigan' and four acoustic tracks — that haven't featured in other versions of the movie. You don't need to be a Swiftie to enjoy the film. In fact, watching it might turn you into one no matter how you feel about the pop superstar going in. There's no denying that the singer knows how to put on a helluva show — and the cinematography on display, plus the energetic direction by Sam Wrench (Billie Eilish Live at the O2), gives viewers an intimate experience across 169 minutes while also stressing how massive the Eras tour gigs are. The feature was shot over three concerts at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium in August 2023 — so, not at Swift's largest-ever gigs of her entire career at the MCG across Friday, February 16–Sunday, February 18, 2024 — and everything about it is dazzling. That includes the costume changes, choreography and setlist, and the fact that the tour and the film both exist as an ode to Swift's knack for reinvention. Check out the trailer for Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour Concert Film below: Taylor Swift's Eras Tour plays Australia until Monday, February 26. Head to the tour website for further details. Taylor Swift: The 'Eras' Tour will stream via Disney+ from Friday, March 15, 2024. Read our review. Taylor Swift Australian Eras tour images: TAS Rights Management.
Long gone are the days when fries meant, simply, fries. Now, that classic fast food side of golden shoestring chips is up against some pretty tough competition, as kitchens everywhere get a little crafty in the potato department. From fat sweet potato wedges to cheesy haloumi chips to those classic tater tots, piled high with toppings, we've embraced the humble spud in a whole bunch of delicious forms. But not all fries are made equally, so we've teamed up with Zeus Street Greek — makers of traditional Greek fare and exceptional haloumi chips — to find the best in your city. We've rounded up Sydney's best poutine, Melbourne's crunchiest sweet potato chips, Brisbane's favourite kimchi fries and, at the top of the proverbial chip pile, Zeus Street Greek's standout wintry loaded fries — topped with slow-cooked beef brisket, lashings of harissa aioli, feta and fresh — which are available in all three. Ditch the plain ol' shoestring for something a little more special — these fries are a whole lot more than just fries. [caption id="attachment_674236" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zeus Street Greek, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane[/caption] HALOUMI CHIPS It's safe to say that salty cheese sensation haloumi has become a staple of the Aussie brunch menu, as at home at your local cafe as the ubiquitous smashed avo or chilli scrambled eggs. But why stop there? We're here to tell you that haloumi's true culinary calling might just be in chip form, as the ultimate cheesy snack. Aussie favourite Zeus Street Greek is dishing up a winning example of haloumi fries, as part of a modern menu that mingles traditional Greek flavours with top local ingredients. A cult favourite at the group's stores nationwide, these haloumi chips are the kind you'll dream about — lengths of that Cypriot cheese are tossed in tapioca flour, lightly fried and teamed with a smoky house-made yoghurt. A few bites of these and you'll wonder why you ever wasted your time on cheese-free chips. [caption id="attachment_676400" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The Thirsty Wolf, Sydney[/caption] POUTINE Born in Quebec and often touted as Canada's national dish, poutine is that glorious mess of mess of french fries, cheese curds and gravy. And while the original concept has sometimes got lost in translation venturing to other parts of the world, we know of a few cracking interpretations to be found right here in your own backyard. For the real deal, pay a visit to Sydney bar and eatery The Thirsty Wolf, where the kitchen is doing those Canadians proud with its traditional offering of chips smothered in real curds and gravy. They'll even let you take things to the next level, loading up on bacon bits or extra cheese for a couple more dollars. Down south, Melbourne's Belleville is dishing up a menu of global-inspired street eats, where poutine sits happily alongside the likes of southern-fried cauliflower and miso-glazed chicken. This reworking of Canada's classic dish features a decadent assembly of beer battered fries, melty cheese and rich chicken gravy, finished with a kick of hot sauce. And while Brisbane's 5 Dogs is best known for its classic American-style hot dogs, you'll find it hard to pass up a go at the poutine chips — here, featuring hot, crisp fries, doused in both cheese and a house-made gravy. [caption id="attachment_676874" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Howler, Melbourne[/caption] SWEET POTATO FRIES As plenty of you will agree, those regular spuds ain't got nothing on sweet potato. Especially when they're cut into fries, salted and deep fried to perfection, with that crisp outer and soft potato middle just begging to be dipped and devoured. The fact they're supposedly a whole lot healthier than the other kind, full of beta-carotene and vitamins — well, that doesn't go astray at all. Luckily, food haunts across the country are coming to the sweet potato party, offering tasty creations that are sure to impress. Up in Sydney, inner west pub The Erko is whipping up fat sweet potato wedges that come drenched in sour cream and sweet chilli sauce — just try and find a better match to a few weekend arvo pints. Brisbane's Newstead Brewing Co is also embracing the humble sweet potato species at its Newstead headquarters, here served in fry form and teamed with a creamy aioli. And at Howler in Melbourne, the kitchen's beloved burger creations are made even better when devoured alongside a serve of their crisp sweet potato fries and chipotle mayo. [caption id="attachment_677570" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zeus Greek Street (for a limited time only)[/caption] LOADED FRIES The overachievers of the chip family, loaded fries are the kind of dish you go for when only jazzed-up eats will do. And we love seeing just how creative people can get with their toppings. Zeus Street Greek's signature Yia Yia's Chips have a Grecian twist and come topped with oregano and crumbled feta. Until September, you can catch the tweaked version, too: Loaded Yia Yia's Chips. They're decked out with slow-cooked beef brisket, lashings of smoky yoghurt and harissa aioli, and a tumble of feta and fresh chilli to finish. In Melbourne, the Animal Fries at South Yarra burger joint Hello Sam certainly live up to its name, topped with grilled onion, bacon bits, spring onions, grated cheese and a good drizzle of the house McSam sauce. Meanwhile, the supercharged fries at Brisbane's Nom Nom Korean Eatery pays homage to the restaurants Asian roots, decked out with a cream cheese sauce that's cut through with a spicy kick of kimchi. And at the aptly named Loaded by BL in Sydney, a customisable menu means you're faced with a whole lot of choices when it comes to those loaded fries. From potato variety and cheese style to meat toppings and sauces, it's all up to you. But for a super nostalgic treat, take a swing at the porky tots — potato gems topped with liquid cheese, pulled pork, onion, barbecue sauce and a sprinkle of chilli flakes. To find more great traditional Greek fare in your city, head to zeusstreetgreek.com.au.
With a distinctly Chinese club culture only emerging in relatively recent times, acclaimed Chinese photographer Chen Wei's first Australian solo exhibition captures the enigmatic scene. The end of the country's Cultural Revolution saw many western influences and pastimes begin to flow into China, with the 1980s and '90s seeing the rise of nightclubs and electronic music. This brought young artists and intellectuals together in a previously unknown expressive environment — one that, at the time, was considered to be rebellious and progressive. While nightclubs are commonplace in China nowadays, Chen Wei set out to document the unique subculture and comment on societal changes that are taking place across the country. As nightclubs have become widespread, through his photo series, Wei argues that nightclubs reflect a culture that has accepted western influence and is now unsure of what the future holds. Running until May 7, The Club is presented at Fitzroy's Centre for Contemporary Photography. Image: Chen Wei In The Waves #5 (2013).
Fans of outdoor art, scenic walks and excuses to mosey around Sydney have spent the past few weeks rejoicing about the upcoming return of Bondi's Sculpture by the Sea. But it's not the only event set to give locals and tourists alike an excuse to soak in the Harbour City's waterside splendour, and soon — and see a heap of impressive creative pieces in the process. Slated to run between Thursday, August 11–Saturday, September 24, Waterfront Whale Tales is a new addition to the New South Wales capital's arts calendar. Yes, that name is a big clue. The free outdoor exhibition will feature 30 two-metre-tall whale tail sculptures, as created by 30 Australian artists, with each piece inspired by its location and the land. Creatives set to do the honours include 2022 Archibald prize winner Blak Douglas, illustrator and animator Chris Yee, and artist, author and illustrator Sha'an d'Anthes, aka Furry Little Peach. Curated by prolific curatorial group Art Pharmacy, the full range of sculptures will span a six-kilometre trail along Sydney's Western Harbour waterfront, reaching from Barangaroo to Sydney Fish Market. That means that it'll stretch past Crown Sydney, King Street Wharf, Darling Quarter, ICC Sydney, the Powerhouse Museum, the Australian National Maritime Museum and The Star. While visitors will be able to walk the full trail in a single stroll, there'll also be mini trails for shorter walks. And, there'll be an app that'll provide details of each, plus stories about the waterfront's past, present and future. Also available via your phone: freebies, discounts and prizes from local businesses along the trail, as well as a major prize for checking out all 30 tails. As well as aiming to get folks checking out the waterfront — attempting to attract up to 500,000 visitors, in fact — the trail has enlisted Indigenous Curatorial Advisors Uncle Graham Toomey and Aunty Joanne Selfe to help connect the artists to the Whale Story, as well as to the Gadigal and Saltwater Country that the exhibition will grace. "Traditionally, the whale holds within it intricate Aboriginal knowledge systems, a complex tapestry of science, of knowledge that interweaves with cultural and social practice," said Aunty Joanne. "The sculptures will feature the ancient tracks that connect the clans to each other and the sharing of stories and culture," said Uncle Graham. [caption id="attachment_804445" align="alignnone" width="1920"] James Horan; Destination NSW[/caption] After the event's six-week run, the sculptures will be auctioned, with net proceeds given to The Kids Cancer Project. If you're keen on one while you're taking the walk, you can also put in an expression of interest during the trail's dates. Sydney's Waterfront Whale Tales will run between Thursday, August 11–Saturday, September 24 along the city's Western Harbour waterfront from Barangaroo to Sydney Fish Market. For more information, head to the exhibition's website.
Warwick Thornton, Cate Blanchett, Deborah Mailman, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis: name a better Australian quintet. The director of Samson & Delilah and Sweet Country, the two-time Oscar-winner and recent Tár tour de force, the local screen mainstay, and the Bad Seeds bandmates and seasoned film composers all combine not for the ultimate Aussie dinner party, but for The New Boy. None are debuting in their jobs. All are exceptional. They're each made better, however, by the luminous and entrancing Aswan Reid. As well as playing the titular part, the 11-year-old first-time actor lives it among such a wealth of acclaimed and experienced talent — and he's such a find in such excellent company, while saying little in words but everything in every other way, that Thornton's third fictional feature owes him as much of a debt as its applauded and awarded household names. There's a spark to Reid from the moment that he's first spied grappling with outback law enforcement under blazing rays as Cave and Ellis' (This Much I Know to Be True) latest rousing score plays. His sun-bleached hair couldn't be more fitting, or symbolic, but it's the confident way in which he holds himself as New Boy, plus the determined look on his face, that sears. Wily and wiry, the feature's eponymous figure is toppled by a boomerang, then bagged up and transported to the remote Catholic orphanage doted on by Sister Eileen (Blanchett, Nightmare Alley) in the 1940s. The cop doing the escorting notes that the kid is a bolter, but the nun is just as fast in her kindness. She sees what Thornton wants his audience to see: a boy that beams with his presence and through his sense of self, even though he's been snatched up, taken from his Country and forced into a Christian institution against his will. Sister Eileen is as drawn to him as the movie, but — and not just due to the red wine she likes sipping and the subterfuge she's keeping up about the resident father's absence — she isn't as certain about what to do. The path that any new arrival at the monastery is supposed to follow is preordained: uniforms, a dorm bed, porridge, helping in the fields, obedience and church. New Boy barely subscribes, donning only shorts, sleeping on the floor and cutting in front in the food line, which Sister Eileen permits. The abbey's two other adults, the nurturing Sister Mum (Mailman, Total Control) and farmhand George (Wayne Blair, Seriously Red), are welcoming yet know the reality that's facing all of the boys in their care, particularly the First Nations kids. In the priest's name, Sister Eileen might write letters to the government urging them not to send her charges away when they're considered old enough to work — the endgame to the state, especially with the Second World War impacting labour — but Sister Mum and George are lived proof that acquiescing and assimilating is the only outcome that will be accepted. There's a spark to the new boy, too, and literally. He's meant to pray away his Indigenous spirituality in the name of dutiful conformity, and in favour of Christianity, but the faith and culture that's as old as Australia's Traditional Owners glows. He's curious, though, including about the ornate, life-sized wooden cross that's sent from France for safekeeping during the war. He wants to undo its nails, free Jesus from crucifixion and give it the property's snakes as gifts. As Thornton peppers in religious imagery, New Boy displays more in common with its carved figurine than Sister Eileen knows how to handle. This is a tale of survival and, while always its namesake's story first and foremost, it also sees two sides to it: the First Nations lad ripped away from all he knows, as well as the nun that's gone renegade within a system that sees her as lesser because she's a woman. Writing and directing — as he did with Samson & Delilah, but not Sweet Country — Kaytetye man Thornton takes inspiration from his own experience as a child sent to a missionary boarding school ran by Spanish monks. In the process, he makes a moving and needfully blunt statement about the clash that's too often been enforced upon the country's First Peoples since colonisation. Indeed, simmering with anger but also hope, The New Boy is a clear, unshakeable rebuttal of the perennially ridiculous idea that only one faith, culture or way of life can exist. And, crucially, it feels as personal as Thornton's work gets; he isn't in front of the lens as he was with the also-remarkable The Beach, where he charted his own escape away from the incessant hustle and bustle of modern life, but the sensation that emanates from the screen is overwhelmingly the same. Thornton works as his own cinematographer on The New Boy, another trademark touch — see also: anthology film The Darkside, documentary We Don't Need a Map, plus the episodic Mystery Road and Firebite — which allows him to load every inch of every immaculate frame with deep and blistering emotion. There's no such thing as a passive image anywhere in any film by any director, but Thornton's beautifully shot movies ensure that his viewers can't evade the landscape that's been forever changed by white settlement. Here, he roves over the plains outside of South Australia's Burra, where every structure for the feature was erected from scratch, and where shimmering yellow fields of wheat grow atop the ochre earth that's been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for thousands of years. He sees how the terrain has been reshaped, but never forgets who was there first. With his oh-so-perceptive eye, Thornton's visuals stunningly do what New Boy does: expresses everything with little speaking necessary. In her first on-screen role in a solely Australian film since 2013's The Turning, Blanchett talks, of course. Where much of the picture around her bubbles with loaded patience, and Reid's innate naturalism, The New Boy's biggest star is the storm amid the deceiving calm. Consumed by her struggles with her own faith while tasked with instilling it into her charges, and also now challenged by the new boy that defies her sense of logic, Sister Eileen rarely stops moving, fretting, surveying, asserting, preaching and confessing — and Blanchett is magnetic to behold. That said, it's a performance with a needed counterbalance. Without Reid's serenity, Blanchett might've come on too strong. Without Reid, too, the fact that the eponymous character's quest to endure is tinged with hard-won optimism amid its palpable fury mightn't have shone through. No matter what happens, or how rarely he's accepted for who he is, New Boy always persists.
This is the only place in Australia you can dive headfirst into the French chic of A.P.C. Well-respected purveyors of stylish yet work-appropriate clothing, A.P.C. are a leading designer for both men and women. Plus, they collaborated with Kanye. So that's something. While only distributed through concept stores like Incu in the past, Melbourne's QV space is A.P.C.'s only dedicated store in Australia. Stocked to the brim with navy knits and iconic horizontal stripes, this is the place to go if you've ever wanted to look like a lead in a Jean-Luc Godard film.
Over the past decade, streaming has become a firm part of every film and TV fan's life — providing more viewing choices, more places to find movies and television shows, and more excuses to spend hours and hours on the couch. But, it has also sparked a familiar dilemma. Too often, thanks to all of the options available, it's easy to while more time deciding what to check out next than actually watching something. Netflix is planning to release a solution to this problem in 2021, via a new feature. Due to rollout globally across the platform in the first half of the year, it's basically a shuffle function — and will automatically pick something for you to watch, rather than letting you keep scrolling and scrolling (and scrolling) trying to make a decision. The streaming platform revealed the news as part of its latest update to investors about its 2020 earnings, noting that the feature "gives members the ability to choose to instantly watch a title chosen just for them". Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer Greg Peters said that the function would allow Netflix subscribers to indicate "that they just want to skip browsing entirely, click one button and we'll pick a title for them just to instantly play". Obviously, it seems that Netflix will be drawing upon its algorithm — as aided by your past viewing choices — to take your viewing choices out of your hands. It won't be called "I'm feeling lucky", Peters also noted, but that's the approach it'll be asking subscribers to go with in terms of finding something to watch next. The company has been testing this type of functionality in various forms over the past few years — and the concept is hardly new, as users of music streaming services know. In France at the end of 2020, Netflix also trialled a linear channel, which just played films and shows one after the other in the way that broadcast television does; however, Peters said that it is currently "unclear how that's going to work out". The idea behind these new features — whether they're just being trialled, or they're due to become permanent — is to keep people watching and encourage more folks to join up as subscribers, of course. More and more new streaming services pop up all the time, all vying for your eyeballs, or so it feels at least. That's also the reason that Netflix introduced its Top Ten lists in 2020, if you've been wondering why the platform started telling you that everyone was watching Tiger King, The Queen's Gambit and The Midnight Sky. Netflix's new shuffle feature is due to launch sometime in the first half of 2021 — we'll update you when more details are announced.
It's with vibrant detail that Coco bursts onto cinema screens. A tale of following your heart while honouring your family, Pixar's latest effort is both a colourful sight to behold and an exuberant journey; a film exploding with dazzling visual and emotional fireworks. Within frames heaving with intricacy, there's never a dull moment as the movie sashays from modern-day Mexico to the Land of the Dead during the country's Dîa de los Muertos celebrations. Often it's the little things that stand out, from the grain of the many flowers never far from view, to the weathered skeleton bones that literally dance through the streets, to the melancholy look on an old woman's face. That's the animation studio's forte, of course. It's the reason their talking toys filled us with joy, that their rodent chefs charmed us, and their feelings with feelings left us in tears. As Toy Story, Ratatouille and Inside Out all demonstrated, their films might paint with pixels rather than living people, but they vibrate with the texture of reality. Coco fits the mould perfectly, at once a lovingly realised venture into several new worlds and a familiar mosey through Pixar's usual terrain. What if the dead had feelings is just one of the questions it asks. What if we confronted our own feelings about death is another. Helmed by studio veteran Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) with writer and first-time co-director Adrian Molina at his side, Coco takes its name from the grandmother of 12-year-old Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez). While she sits quietly through the last phase of her life, still yearning for the father she lost when she was a girl, he dreams of being a musician, but is forbidden by his music-hating family. Their reasons for this stem from personal tragedy, but it's not enough to stop Miguel from strumming his guitar. His desperation to retrace the footsteps of his entertainer hero (Benjamin Bratt) eventually leads him beyond the mortal coil, on a quest to find his great-great-grandfather and win his musical blessing. If Alice in Wonderland had followed a Mexican boy chasing his dreams, or if Marty McFly had taken the DeLorean through the barrier between life and death, Coco might very well have been the end result. The spirit of these youthful adventures seeps through this film, in a manner that proves delightful rather than derivative. Indeed, this is a story about remembering your past even as you step into the future. As well as following Pixar's own tried and true template, the script weaves its influences into a moving escapade bearing the expected touches, but never failing to surprise. That remains true even if you've seen The Book of Life, the outwardly similar 2014 animated effort that also sees its characters frolicking through the Mexican afterlife. It mightn't be the first family-friendly feature to play in this territory, or the first to explore the conflict between ambition and responsibility. Nevertheless, Coco enchants with warmth and authenticity from start to finish. In fact, as bright as its images shine, as high as its heartfelt emotions soar, and as perfectly as its voice cast fill their roles — including Gael García Bernal stealing scenes as a dead prankster — it's the film's embrace of its setting and culture that truly makes it sing. This isn't Pixar playing tourist south of the border, but paying tribute: to people, songs, lives and beliefs. The gorgeous detail that infuses every frame is a testament to seeing what others often don't, and it couldn't encapsulate Coco's beauty better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DIm1PyBSwc
One tells of a woman seeking passion instead of a loveless marriage. The other follows star-crossed lovers held back by their respective families' long-simmering feud. Beloved on the page, and rarely far away from a screen or stage, they're two of the most famous stories of the past few centuries. And, both Anna Karenina and Romeo and Juliet are among the big highlights of the Australian Ballet's just-announced 2022 season. Anna Karenina will kick off the Australian Ballet's year with stints in Melbourne (from February 25–March 9) and Sydney (April 5–23). Here, in a co-production with the Joffrey Ballet that had its world premiere in Chicago in 2019 and then debuted locally in Adelaide this year, Leo Tolstoy's masterpiece comes alive with ex-Bolshoi Ballet dancer Yuri Possokhov's choreography. The story remains the same, with its eponymous figure seeking happiness but finding ruin — but you can expect quite the sweeping and sensuous production. Dancing with the Bard, the Australian Ballet's version of Romeo and Juliet will then close out its 2022, with Shakespeare's most famous duo also taking to the stage in Melbourne (October 7–18) and Sydney (December 1–21). Clearly, there's nothing like bookending a year with two stone-cold classics. John Cranko's production has been regular in the company's repertoire ever since it premiered back in 1974, in fact, and will again turn medieval Verona into a sumptuous onstage realm — all set to a score by Sergei Prokofiev that dates back to 1935. [caption id="attachment_830095" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pierre Toussaint[/caption] Both Anna Karenina and Romeo and Juliet were originally meant to be highlights of the Australian Ballet's 2021 season, but we all know how this year has turned out. Also in the same camp: Harlequinade, a comedy by Marius Petipa, who choreographed Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. It'll bring its story of young lovers Harlequin and Columbine to Melbourne only (from June 17–25). As well as this rescheduled trio, plenty of other highlights will pirouettes across the stage, including Kunstkamer, which was created at Nederlands Dans Theater and has never before been performed by another company; and triple bill Instruments of Dance, which includes a nine-part ballet designed for 25 dancers and set to a score by Sufjan Stevens. And, there's also Counterpointe, which'll take its focus on ballet's extremes to Adelaide only — plus a regional program that'll tour Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. [caption id="attachment_830092" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pierre Toussaint[/caption] THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET 2022 SEASON: Anna Karenina: February 25–March 29 at Arts Centre Melbourne; April 5–23 at the Sydney Opera House. Kunstkamer: April 29–May 15 at the Sydney Opera House; June 3–11 at Arts Centre Melbourne. Harlequinade: June 17–25 at Arts Centre Melbourne. Counterpointe: July 7–13 at Adelaide Festival Centre. Instruments of Dance: September 23–October 1 at Arts Centre Melbourne; November 10–26 at the Sydney Opera House. Romeo and Juliet: October 7–18 at Arts Centre Melbourne; December 1–21 at the Sydney Opera House. Season packages for the Australian Ballet's 2022 Sydney and Melbourne performances go on sale from 12.01am on Wednesday, October 27. For further details, head to the Australian Ballet website. Top image: Simon Eeles.
If your sandwich obsession is rivalled only by your love of a top-notch cuppa, you'll find plenty to like about one recent culinary addition to Melbourne Arts Precinct. Having made its home on Kavanagh Street at the end of last year, OlMate's is a new sanga and coffee joint that's already earned itself a loyal following of brekkie and lunch fans. This one's the brainchild of Reverence Coffee Roasters' Andreas and Annie Martinu, along with Martin Mcevoy and Nicholas Tan. And with Palermo Head Chef Michael Dalton helping steer the menu, it's got some chops. Decked out in fresh green and white, OlMate's is celebrating the beauty in simplicity with a short-but-sweet food offering matched to quality Reverence coffee. Sandwich fiends can expect well-crafted, refreshed classics like the Big Tuna — a riff on the tuna melt featuring nori aioli and provolone on Tuscan-style flatbread — plus the plant-based roast cauliflower roll with green chilli sauce, and a hot egg salad brekkie muffin. The roast beef sanga heroes spice-crusted meat, mint and coriander chutney, and comes paired with a rogan josh dipping sauce. And a hefty salad sandwich teams beetroot, sprouts and other goodies with either lemon roast chicken or vegan-friendly crushed chickpeas. Sips by Reverence showcase the roaster's Lion Tamer blend alongside a rotating single-origin batch brew, with a fun illustration of co-owner Andreas gracing the statement green takeaway coffee cups. Otherwise, you can match your feed with an icy beer from the likes of Bodriggy, Hop Nation or Balter. Find OlMate's at 20 Kavanagh Street, Southbank — open from 7am–2.30pm weekdays and from 8am–2.30pm Saturdays.
With international borders regulated — and looking to stay that way for a while — a trip to Europe is a pipe dream at this point, but you don't actually need to leave Australia to feel like you've left the country. Right here in our own backyard, we have white sand beaches rivalling those on the Mediterranean, wineries that wouldn't be out of place in the rolling hills of Tuscany, quaint fishing towns similar to port villages you'd find in Ireland (and Normal People) and hotels in underground caves like those in Turkey. Go ahead and start dreaming, these trips may not be as far off as you think. [caption id="attachment_720252" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vasse Felix by Tourism WA[/caption] FOR TUSCAN WINERIES, VISIT MARGARET RIVER IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA While Australia is home to heaps of wine regions, one of the most idyllic is Margaret River. Located a three hours' drive from Perth, it's one of the most isolated wine regions in the world. And, its maritime-influenced climate and rich soils make it perfect for grape growing, as well as feel like the old-world vineyards of Italy and southern France. Margaret River's principal grape many varieties you'd find in French terroirs, include cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, chardonnay, semillon and sauvignon blanc; while a number of wineries also use Italian grapes such as vermentino, sangiovese and fiano. The region is home to over 90 cellar doors and has wineries ranging from the well-established Vasse Felix to the rule-breaking Blind Corner. To add to the European atmosphere of your trip, rent a villa set among those rolling vineyards. [caption id="attachment_782264" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adam Bruzzone via SATC[/caption] FOR TURKEY'S CAVE HOTELS, VISIT COOBER PEDY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA The desert surrounds of Coober Pedy are best known for two things: opals and villages located underground. After the discovery of opals, many miners descended on the outback town and dug their homes into the landscape to escape the heat. It's unlike anything else you've ever seen — unless, of course, you've been to the Turkish region of Cappadocia. Also known for its cave dwellings and impressive rock formations, Cappadocia bears an uncanny resemblance to this South Australian counterpart. Which makes a lot of sense — approximately 60 percent of Coober Pedy's tiny 2500 population has southern and eastern European heritage. To this day, about half of the opal capital's population live in homes that are excavated into hillsides. When you visit, you can stay in one, too, thanks to plenty of underground cave accommodation, including this Airbnb stay. [caption id="attachment_782390" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Robert Blackburn via Visit Victoria[/caption] FOR QUAINT IRISH VILLAGES, VISIT PORT FAIRY IN VICTORIA Live out your Normal People fantasies at the charming fishing village of Port Fairy. Think old stone churches, cottages built in the 1800s and greenery abound. Set along the Great Ocean Road, this coastal town reminds you of Ireland for a reason. The town's original name was actually Belfast, named after the hometown of one of the early European settlers. Many Irish immigrants settled here in the mid 19th century and their influence is still evident today thanks to over 50 heritage buildings that are protected by the National Trust. And, much like the Republic of Ireland's coastal town Sligo, the filming location of Normal People, you'll find rolling green hills, quiet beaches and buildings rich in history. [caption id="attachment_784301" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] FOR GREEK ISLAND BEACHES, VISIT GRANITE BAY IN QUEENSLAND Warm turquoise waters, secluded swimming holes and long stretches of sand await you at Granite Bay, located within Noosa National Park. You could easily use that exact same description to depict the stunning coastal beaches of Greece, but since you can't make it to the likes of Zakynthos or Milos right now, opt instead for Noosa's fairy pools. These natural tide pools lie between basalt rock and are as dazzling as any you'll find on the Greek Islands. There are also sandstone caves, walking tracks and lookout points to enjoy here. Granite Bay has one perk over Greece, too: its renowned surf. [caption id="attachment_784203" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tilba Festival[/caption] FOR OLD-WORLD UK TOWNS, VISIT CENTRAL TILBA IN NEW SOUTH WALES The National Trust-classified village of Central Tilba is nestled in the foothills of Mount Gulaga and will transport you back in time — or to the many old-world villages that dot the rural areas of the United Kingdom. The lush backdrop is matched by the town's heritage-listed cottages, artisan shops and quaint growers markets. The region's architecture and bucolic landscapes will make you think you're road tripping around Scotland, not New South Wales. And it also has the added benefit of striking coastal views. FOR BAVARIAN BIER HALLS, VISIT HAHNDORF IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA Few Aussie locations hit the European vibes as on the nose as the South Australian town of Hahndorf. It's Australia's oldest German settlement, made rather obvious by the Bavarian name. Settled in the 1800s by Lutheran migrants, the small town's German-style architecture is matched by its many German pubs, restaurants and shops. If you want to learn more about the town's history and culture on your visit, head to the Hahndorf Academy, which houses the German Migration Museum. Or travel a bit north of town where you can find the artist studio of German-born painter Sir Hans Heysen. The entire region feels like something out of a folktale. [caption id="attachment_797856" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Vijay Chennupati via Flickr[/caption] FOR PROVINCIAL BLOOMS, VISIT BRIDESTOWE LAVENDER FARM, TASMANIA You don't need to travel to Provence, France to explore the famed lavender fields found there. Tasmania is home to its very own bucolic lavender offering, and it was founded with proper French blossoms at that. That's thanks to London perfumer CK Denny, who migrated to Tasmania in 1921 with a packet of French Alps lavandula angustifolia seeds in his pocket. Bridestowe Estate is set on 260-acres of Nabowla farmland, about 45-minutes' drive northeast of Launceston. The region's climate is rather similar to Provence, and now produces some of the finest lavender the world has to offer. If the expansive, bright purple views aren't enough to draw you here, the soothing bath products will. FOR THE AZURE WATERS OF MALTA, VISIT FOR COCOS KEELING ISLANDS OFF THE COAST OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA Why go to the blissful Mediterranean archipelago of Malta when you can find true paradise right here in Australia? The Indian Ocean boasts its own group of islands that you'll never want to leave. Instead of overlooking the North African Coast, embrace the azure waters of the Cocos Keeling Islands, an Australian territory roughly a six hours flight from Perth. Both locations offer some of the best diving in the world, with abundant marine life unique to the area. Not to mention plenty of other water sports to choose from and, in Cocos Keeling's case, 25 uninhabited islands to explore. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy. Top image: Vijay Chennupati via Flickr
Melbourne's summer might not last forever, but you can bank on some year-round tropical feels at The Luwow's new CBD tiki bar. After five years shaking colourful cocktails and playing retro tunes on Fitzroy's Johnston Street, followed by a bit of a hiatus, the much-loved venue moved into new digs in the city late last year. It's now bringing the party vibes to Little Collins Street, in a space that's a little more intimate, but every bit as lively as the original. Here, owners Skipper Josh Collins and Barbara Blaze — also behind Perth's Hula Bula Bar and Devilles Pad, and new Sunshine Coast resort The Luwow Lodge — have created yet another high-voltage, kitschy hideaway. It's filled with hand-carved totem poles, jungle plants, leopard print and bamboo, as well as treasures picked up from across the South Pacific. Vintage sounds plucked from the duo's own collection of vinyl deliver a toe-tapping mix of rock 'n' roll, ska, surf, exotica and 60s garage, while DJs work the decks each weekend. [caption id="attachment_762096" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tracey Ah-kee[/caption] Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, The Luwow 2.0 is whipping up a bold cocktail menu of rum-heavy drinks, many crafted with natural sweeteners like organic coconut blossom nectar. You'll find concoctions like a gutsy mai tai, the flaming share-sized Voodoo Volcano and the Don Zombie — a blend of rum, pink grapefruit, star anise, pomegranate and cinnamon. Fancy some holiday-style drink prices? The daily happy hour (4–6pm) offers a slew of $10 tiki cocktails, along with pints of Red Stripe lager for an easy $7 a pop. Like the space itself, the food offering here comes chock full of pan-Pacific flavour. Try corn tortillas topped with the likes of slow-roasted pork shoulder and salsa verde, an Oaxacan cheese quesadilla or the mulitas — a crispy corn taco sandwich loaded with cheese, guacamole and your choice of fillings. [caption id="attachment_762095" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tracey Ah-kee[/caption] Of course, the tiki bar concept isn't without controversy. With cultural appropriation, colonial nostalgia and exploitative use of First Nations peoples' iconography and tradition at its core, the concept is often seen as exploitative, offensive and problematic. In many Pacific Islander communities, a tiki is a deity. In tiki-themed bars, it's a kitschy drinking vessel. Others insist, however, that tiki bars aren't meant to be taken too seriously — that we should instead focus on its fun side and drink that mai tai. Perhaps 2020 will be a turning point for how we view tiki bars, collectively. Find The Luwow at 212 Little Collins Street, Melbourne. It's open 4pm—midnight Monday—Thursday and 4.30pm–1am Friday–Saturday. Images: Tracey Ah-kee
It has finally happened, Melburnians. After two prolonged periods spent empty this year, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Melbourne picture palaces are back in business. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made over the past three months, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer from this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_jjELPpKkk HAPPIEST SEASON Heading home for the holidays and stepping into a sea of interpersonal dramas is a familiar on-screen set-up, as a new movie every Christmas or so reminds us. By now, then, we all know the formula. Adult children make the pilgrimage to their parents' place, rivalries and animosities flare up, secrets are spilled, chaos ensues and, by the end of the film's running time, everyone has learned something. Happiest Season fits the template perfectly. With the merriest time of the year in full swing, the Caldwells converge on the Pennsylvanian family home, with their celebrations given an extra edge due to patriarch Ted's (Victor Garber, Dark Waters) mayoral campaign. His fastidious wife Tipper (Mary Steenburgen, The Book Club) insists on snapping every moment for his Instagram feed, all as stern eldest daughter Sloane (Alison Brie, GLOW) arrives with her husband (Burl Moseley, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), two children (Asiyih and Anis N'Dobe) and plenty of unspoken tension in tow; zany middle sister and aspiring fantasy writer Jane (Mary Holland, Between Two Ferns: The Movie) is largely ignored; and Pittsburgh-based political journalist Harper (Mackenzie Davis, Irresistible) returns with the girlfriend, Abby (Kristen Stewart, Charlie's Angels), that none of her relatives know about because she hasn't come out to them yet. If someone other than The Faculty, Girl, Interrupted, Veep and The Handmaid's Tale actor-turned-filmmaker Clea DuVall had made Happiest Season, the above paragraph would accurately reflect the feature's character hierarchy — because Sloane would take centre stage, and Harper and Abby would hover around the narrative's edges. But DuVall did make Happiest Season and, with co-writer Holland, she flips the movie's focus, even while still sticking with a well-worn general premise. Accordingly, this festive flick resembles a comfy sweater that often gets a wear, but seems welcomely different on this particular occasion. It shouldn't be so subversive to take an overused genre that's heavy on recognisable tropes, then strip away the engrained heteronormativity, but it is. Amid the sibling struggles, the re-emergence of old flames both male (Jake McDorman, What We Do in the Shadows) and female (Aubrey Plaza, Parks and Recreation), and the always hectic whirlwind that surrounds every seasonal family affair — and every attempt to run for political office, too — Happiest Season also explores two crucial themes in a meaningful way. First, it unpacks the performative nature of human existence, where too often we're all trying to match other people's perceptions and expectations without consistently remaining true to ourselves. And, it also interrogates how coming out isn't a simple or straightforward act, even in seemingly loving circumstances. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97nnV0fNd30&feature=youtu.be AMERICAN UTOPIA There may be no catchier lyric in music history than "same as it ever was", the five words repeated in Talking Heads' 1981 single 'Once in a Lifetime'. As uttered again and again by the band's inimitable frontman David Byrne, it's a looping phrase that burrows into your skull and never leaves. So when American Utopia opens with the musician sat at a table holding a brain and talking about what its various parts do, it feels as if Byrne is acknowledging what everyone already knows in the deepest recesses of their consciousness: that Byrne long ago got cosy in our craniums and has been nattering away to us ever since. As he stares at grey matter while wearing a grey suit — a perfectly fitting one, unlike the famed big number he wore in iconic 1984 Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense — he has something else on his mind, however. American Utopia starts with the part of our bodies where we all mentally reside, but slowly and smartly evolves from the cerebral to the communal. It segues from one man alone on a stage lost in his own thoughts to 12 people singing, dancing, playing instruments and connecting, and also pondering the state of the world and how to better it in the process. And it takes its titular concept seriously along the way, confronting America's political and social divisions in Byrne's witty, wise and impassioned between-song chats, but never satirising the idea that the US could be improved to the benefit of everyone. American Utopia is a concert film like its predecessor but, as that masterpiece proved, the whole notion means more to Byrne than merely standing in front of a camera and busting out well-known hits.From the sublimely soothing 'This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)' to the punchier 'Burning Down the House', plenty of Byrne's best-known songs do grace American Utopia. 'Once in a Lifetime' is among them, of course, as are 'Road to Nowhere' and 'Everybody's Coming to My House', with the film's playlist spanning his career with Talking Heads and solo. Across a range of styles and tempos, each track is a wonder, and not just in the way that fans already know. As should be obvious from the way in which Byrne has conceptualised this stage performance — which he toured in 2018, then adapted for Broadway in 2019, and has now turned into this standout movie directed by Spike Lee — this is a meticulously crafted work. Basking in the glory of Byrne and his band is inevitable and would happen regardless, but soaking in everything that American Utopia does is another marvel entirely. Before the film forces you to do so, you probably won't have realised how enlivening, wondrous and cathartic it is to see the act of connecting so firmly thrust to the fore. It takes an incredible amount of work to make something so tightly constructed seem so loose and natural, and that's just one of the reasons that American Utopia is yet another of the star's masterpieces. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFqCTIdF7rs&feature=youtu.be POSSESSOR In Possessor, technology permits assassins to hijack the bodies of people close to their targets, letting them assume not just their identities but their physical presence to fulfil their murderous missions. Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough, The Grudge) is one such killer, and she is so exacting and accomplished at her job that her no-nonsense boss and handler Girder (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Annihilation) keeps trying to push her further. Such work comes with consequences, though, with Tasya slowly estranging herself from her husband (Rossif Sutherland, Catastrophe) and young son (Gage Graham-Arbuthnot, Becky). During the luridly shot undertaking that opens the movie and the assignment that the often neon-hued flick spends the bulk of its time on, Tasya also begins to realise that separating herself from the folks she's temporarily inhabiting is becoming difficult. In the first job, Tasya's consciousness takes over a woman called Holly (Gabrielle Graham, On the Basis of Sex) to gun down a high-flying lawyer at a swanky hotel party. Every mission should end with extraction via suicide — the possessed person's, as forced by the possessor, who then returns to their own bag of bones, flesh and blood — but Tasya can't pull the trigger on her host body. When she's later sent into Colin (Christopher Abbott, Vox Lux), the fiancé of the daughter (Tuppence Middleton, Mank) of a ruthless business mogul (Sean Bean, Snowpiercer), she similarly struggles to retain control. As depicted in gory detail, being able to stick a probe into your head and mind-hop into someone else's may be pure science fiction, but writer/director Brandon Cronenberg intentionally apes The Matrix when he shows how the tech behind his premise operates. Our present analogues to Possessor's body-jumping concept exist in the online world, virtual reality, avatars, catfishing, trolling and even just anonymous commenting while you're tapping at your keyboard or phone, and this film makes it ferociously clear that it all has a significant cost. Cronenberg isn't just taking cues from his father David — whose 1999 film eXistenZ, also starring Jason Leigh, toyed in somewhat similar territory — or from a beloved sci-fi franchise. As many works that reflect upon humanity's true nature via dystopian futures tend to, the writer/director adds an entry to both the body horror and science fiction canons that seems like it might've appeared in a feverish dream after a life spent consuming those exact types of tales. But Possessor also always feels like a unique creation, and never a film puppeteered by its influences in the same way that Tasya pulls the strings of her marks. Cronenberg's feature boasts far too much of its own chilliness, daring and determination, as well as the filmmaker's fondness for particularly gruesome imagery, to merely be the sum of its various sources of inspiration. Possessor also has its own wellspring of nihilism pumping through its veins, not only tackling big notions in a bold and ultra-violent way, but proving deeply, gut-wrenchingly, existentially dark. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp3WjuJJYB8 MISBEHAVIOUR The fact that it took 50 years to bring Misbehaviour's true tale to the screen is nothing less than remarkable. Following the protests staged by the women's liberation movement at the 1970 Miss World Pageant in London, it harks back to a noteworthy and important chapter of history — so much so that you would've expected filmmakers to have been clamouring to give it the cinematic treatment. A plethora of compelling topics are baked into this story, after all, including calling out the gross sexism inherent in objectifying women and ascribing their worth according to their looks, questioning society's narrow view of beauty and making plain the racial prejudice that's also frequently in play. But you don't need a movie about all of the above to tell you the obvious, and also the reason that a film about this incident hasn't existed until now. Much may have changed in the past half-century, but the feminist quest for recognition, fairness and equality in every way isn't over yet. Indeed, it's galling how many of Misbehaviour's observations about the way women are treated — and how women of colour fare on top of that — continue to ring true in 2020. Director Philippa Lowthorpe (Swallows and Amazons) and screenwriters Rebecca Frayn (The Lady) and Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest) are eager to pay tribute to pioneering feminists, but they're also very keen to make a feel-good, cheer-inducing movie that fits a clear formula. So it is that a seemly mismatched group comes together, united by the shared goal of improving how women are regarded by society, and decides to target the giant, glitzy and televised spectacle that is the Miss World Pageant — which 100 million people will watch. The two main instigators, aspiring history academic Sally Alexander (Keira Knightley, Official Secrets) and graffiti-spraying anarchist Jo Robinson (Jessie Buckley, I'm Thinking of Ending Things), are initially worlds apart, but squaring off against a common enemy has a way of bringing people together. Also earning the film's attention: contestant Jennifer Hosten (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Farming), pageant founder Eric Morley (Rhys Ifans, Berlin Station) and the year's host Bob Hope (Greg Kinnear, Strange But True). The result is a rousing, overt and easy movie that ticks all the boxes it has placed on its own checklist, but doesn't do anything more — and it definitely could. Getting caught up in Misbehaviour's plot, purpose and impressively staged climax is almost a foregone conclusion. Being happy that it's hitting screens and telling this tale at all after all of these years is as well. But so is knowing that this is the most standard and clearcut rendering of this story possible. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tibarzGOUSk LET HIM GO Hell hath no fury like a grieving mother and grandmother in Let Him Go, an involving drama that shows that few actors can convey quiet anger and unflinching determination quite like Diane Lane. The Unfaithful and Under the Tuscan Sun star plays Margaret Blackledge, a Montana rancher with a way with horses, and with strong, silent ex-sheriff George (Kevin Costner, Yellowstone) for a husband. Soon after the family's rural idyll is first established, she not only loses her adult son (Ryan Bruce) to a tragic accident but, just a couple of years later, is shocked to discover that her newly remarried daughter-in-law Lorna (Kayli Carter, Bad Education) has left the local town in a hurry one night with Margaret's three-year-old grandson Jimmy (Bram and Otto Hornung). Determined not to see more of her family members ripped away, she convinces George that they should set off on their trail. Complicating their plans is he fact that Lorna has wed into the Weboys, who hold significant — and criminal — influence over their patch of America's north. As the Blackledges learn after finally tracking down their new relatives-via-nuptials, brash Weboy matriarch Blanche (Lesley Manville, Misbehaviour) isn't keen to relinquish her claim on the only link Margaret has left to her dearly departed child. Adapted by writer/director Thomas Bezucha (screenwriter of 2018's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society) from the novel of the same name, Let Him Go follows a straightforward narrative with a smattering of hits and misses — but its two main female roles are so superbly cast, and the film's handling of tension so finely tuned, that it proves gripping for the bulk of its running time. The last time that Bezucha dabbled with complicated family antics, in 2005's The Family Stone, he was in far lighter territory; however, he's more than adept at handling the fierce confrontations, simmering and overt suspense, and pulpy revenge-fuelled setpieces that are pivotal here. And, he does so in a fittingly pared back but forceful manner; Let Him Go takes its time and doles out only the necessary details, butt does so with maximum emotional impact in mind. While Costner is also solid as a man trying to deal with his own heartache and disappointment in his own way, and Booboo Stewart (The Twilight Saga) leaves a lasting impression as a Native American teen the Blackledges cross paths with on their journey, Let Him Go is at its best when it cedes the screen to the potent Lane and the gloriously overt Manville. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU-Z90SEqGQ&t=20s CORPUS CHRISTI No one wants to live in a world where Parasite, the best movie of 2019, doesn't exist. But if it didn't for some reason, it's highly likely that Corpus Christi would've been this year's Best International Feature Film Oscar winner, rather than just a nominee. This Polish drama also focuses on people pretending to be something they're not. As directed by Warsaw 44 and The Hater's Jan Komasa, and written by the latter's screenwriter Mateusz Pacewicz, it casts a wry eye over much about life in its homeland today, too. And it isn't afraid to call out hypocrisy, societal divisions and greed, either — literally, in the latter case, with its protagonist making a speech about it at the local sawmill. There are few other similarities between Corpus Christi and the movie it lost to, but perhaps the only one that really matters is how blisteringly and rousingly it unfurls its on-screen gifts. Well that, and how striking every second of the film looks, pairing its grey, hazy aesthetics with its complicated account of an ex-juvenile delinquent who poses as a small-town priest. The imposter's name is Daniel and, as played with soulful intensity by Bartosz Bielenia, he's a complex figure. First seen serving out the final days of his reform school sentence, he has made a fan out of the facility's head priest Father Tomasz (Lukasz Simlat). In fact, if his criminal record didn't preclude it, he'd follow in the elder man's footsteps and join the seminary. Instead, he's released to work in a sawmill. Through a series of events that never feels convenient or strained, however, he's soon welcomed by the locals as their new spiritual advisor. Daniel genuinely has faith and believes in his task, so the jump from playing lookout as his fellow inmates dispense a brutal beating to endeavouring to help his congregation is easy. Loosely inspired by real-life details, Corpus Christi gifts its young protagonist an unexpected second chance — and an unlikely opportunity to follow his heart and make a difference to an insular community — but he's not the only figure within its frames with a troubled past to overcome. As a film about a masquerading cleric, tension and foreboding seethes through every second, but it's the bubbling and brooding movie's contemplation of what redemption and benevolence really means that hits the most potent notes. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THXebxAFCzY THE TRANSLATORS Like Agatha Christie and Knives Out before them, the makers of The Translators know that a good whodunnit serves up two major joys. That'd be the puzzle and the journey — because whichever intriguing narrative is being thrust their way, audiences want to sleuth along with the characters, piecing clues together in their heads; and, they want to enjoy each and every one of the story's many ins, outs, twists and turns as all the details unravel, too. In fact, this French film embraces those truths heartily. Writer/director Régis Roinsard (Populaire) and his co-scribes Romain Compingt and Daniel Presley even go a little heavy on convoluted minutiae and attempts to keep everyone guessing. Still, they mostly deliver an entertaining thriller — and, as always proves the case in this genre, if you enjoy the game and the ride enough once, it doesn't really matter if you won't be clamouring for a second helping The Translators' premise is killer — in a film that doesn't shy away from a body count, but is actually more concerned with stolen pages from the yet-to-be-released last book in the bestselling The Man Who Did Not Want to Die series. The latest novel has only been seen by its secretive author, arrogant French publisher Eric Angstrom (Lambert Wilson, The Odyssey) and the nine translators the latter has assembled to prepare the text in multiple languages for a simultaneous worldwide debut. The enlisted team of experts are working in a bunker under stringent conditions, however, so when Angstrom receives an email threatening to leak the new book unless a huge ransom is paid, he's both perplexed and angry. Also starring Olga Kurylenko (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote) as a Russian translator who purposely dresses to resemble the fated heroine in the novel the group is working on, as well as Alex Lawther (The End of the F***ing World) as a noticeably young Brit, The Translators isn't big on depth but still keeps viewers engaged. Hurtling forward like someone furiously thumbing through an airport novel, and offering a slick, swift-moving affair that ticks all the whodunnit basics (even as it gets a little too carried away with the exaggerated drip-fed clues, surprise reveals and reversals) will do that. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTxobgjD3hE CITY OF LIES It has been almost a quarter-century since Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka the Notorious BIG/Biggie Smalls) were gunned down in separate incidents within six months of each other — and, over that time, fewer films about either or both have reached screens than one might expect. Known not only for their music but for being the focal points of the supposed East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, the pair's plights have inspired exactly zero worthwhile movies, though, and that includes the long-delayed City of Lies. Based on the non-fiction book LAbyrinth by Randall Sullivan, this conspiracy thriller views the deaths of two of the 90s' biggest stars through the efforts of LAPD detective Russell Poole. There is real-life grounds for that angle, and the on-screen Poole (Johnny Depp) is constantly noting and fighting against the racial prejudice that existed in the Los Angeles police department at a time just after the Rodney King assault, trial and riots, as well as the OJ Simpson case. But there's no escaping the fact that the film approaches some of the most momentous events in rap history through a white cop. In 1997, Poole is assigned to another shooting — of a black officer by a white officer — just days after Notorious BIG's death. Soon, however, his investigation of the former leads him to the latter, and to the conclusion that the LA police were involved in killing Biggie, all as his superiors demand he ignore the evidence. Decades later, long after he has resigned from being a cop, a journalist (Forest Whitaker) wanders into Poole's apartment for a 20-year piece on the rapper's murder — and the writer might've been accused of dredging up the past if Poole's walls weren't covered in case details and materials. Where director Brad Furman turned legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer into a slick and entertaining affair, almost everything about City of Lies is misjudged, and it drags on rather than drawing viewers into its theories or even the cases it covers. Depp plays crusading but hard done by with little discernible effort, and the decision to film the movie's 90s scenes with the same type of hues and lighting usually reserved for 70s-set features smacks of the same. And while Whitaker is the best thing about City of Lies, his determined performance isn't enough to salvage the film. If you're wondering what else is currently screening around Melbourne, we've also picked the 12 best flicks that started gracing the city's silver screens when indoor cinemas were given the green light to reopen. When outdoor cinemas relaunched before that, we outlined the films showing under the stars, too. And, we've run through all the pictures that opened in the city on November 12 and November 19 as well. You can also read our full reviews of The Personal History of David Copperfield, Waves, The King of Staten Island, Babyteeth, Deerskin, Peninsula, Les Misérables, Bill & Ted Face the Music, An American Pickle, On the Rocks, Antebellum, Kajillionaire, The Craft: Legacy, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Radioactive, Brazen Hussies, Freaky, Mank, Monsoon and Ellie and Abbie (and Ellie's Dead Aunt) all of which are presently showing in Melbourne. And, you can check out our rundowns of the new films that released in other cities over the past few months — on July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23 and July 30; August 6, August 13, August 20 and August 27; September 3, September 10, September 17 and September 24; October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22 and October 29; and November 5 — as a number of those movies are now showing in Melbourne as well.
By the beard of Zeus, everyone's favourite TV newsman is back — in podcast form. Not content with his regular job at KVWN Channel 4, or with being the star of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Ron Burgundy is giving another medium a whirl. Announced late in 2018, The Ron Burgundy Podcast is now staying classy on the iHeartRadio platform. His new show released its first episode on February 7, and will drop new instalments each Thursday. In total, two 12-episode seasons on their way, with the second batch due to hit mid-year. Yes, it's kind of a big deal, as is the fact that Will Ferrell reprises his role as the fictional San Diego newscaster. The entire show is co-produced by Funny or Die, which Ferrell co-founded, so it was always likely that he was going to be involved. While The Ron Burgundy Podcast could've just featured the anchorman chatting while sipping scotchy scotch scotch and talking over his beloved dog Baxter, that's not the finished product. Rather, the character tackles a different topic each week, starting with a subject that no one can get enough of: true crime. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u_jcTy3JHM Serial, this isn't — but If you've ever wanted to unlock Burgundy's glass case of emotion about the Zodiac Killer, all of your favourite true crime binges and whether obsessing over the genre is a little bit creepy, now you can. In true Ron Burgundy style, he had some words about his new venture. "Listen, I don't know what a podcast is, but I currently have a lot of time on my hands and a lot to talk about. I am also broke. Therefore, I am very excited to do this podcast. It is literally saving my life." The first episode of The Ron Burgundy Podcast is now available on iHeartRadio, with new episodes dropping every Thursday.
Across four seasons of Stranger Things so far, entering a rift to the Upside Down hasn't transported anyone Down Under. But jumping into the hit Netflix series' world keeps proving a reality in Australia — first via one of those portals popping up in Bondi back in 2022, and next courtesy of Stranger Things: The Experience, which has just locked in its Aussie debut at Luna Park Sydney as part of Vivid's just-unveiled 2025 program. Luna Park Sydney and immersive experiences based on Netflix shows keep going hand in hand of late; since the end of 2024, the Harbour City tourist attraction has been hosting Squid Game: The Experience, letting small-screen fans dive into another streaming smash. At the time of writing, playing Red Light, Green Light with Young-hee in Luna Park's big top is on the agenda until late April. Stranger Things: The Experience will run from Friday, May 23–Saturday, June 14. The must-attend event falls into the Ideas portion of Vivid's lineup. Get ready to visit 1986 — and also Hawkins, Indiana, of course — in what promises to be an interactive stint of Stranger Things-loving fun. Locations from the show are part of the setup, as is a supernatural mystery. And yes, you can expect to feel nostalgic, even if you don't have your own memories of the 80s because you hadn't been born yet. Stranger Things: The Experience isn't just about visiting recreations of settings that you've seen while watching Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown, The Electric State) and the gang. The installation features its own storyline, where playing along means trying to save Hawkins from yet another threat. And yes, you will take a trip to the Upside Down. You'll also be able to drink themed cocktails. Based on its time in other cities, Demogorgons and/or Vecna might await, too, along with Christmas lights, Scoops Ahoy and Surfer Boy Pizza. The experience initially opened in New York in 2022, and has enjoyed dates with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle, Toronto, London, Paris and São Paulo since, with a Rio de Janeiro stint also on the way. "The rift is open and we're excited that our Stranger Things fans will get to jump into the magic once more," said Greg Lombardo, Head of Experiences at Netflix, back when the New York iteration launched. "This time they will take on the challenges themselves and work alongside Eleven, Mike, and the rest of the gang to fight the evil monsters plaguing Hawkins. As Dustin would say, you always say we should never stop being curious, to always open any curiosity door we find," Lombardo continued. Hanging out for new Stranger Things back in your Netflix queue? That's due to happen in 2025, when the show's fifth and final series arrives — although there's no exact release date as yet. Stranger Things: The Experience arrives at Luna Park Sydney, 1 Olympic Drive, Milsons Point from Friday, May 23. For more information, head to the Vivid Sydney website. Vivid Sydney 2025 runs from Friday, May 23–Saturday, June 14 across Sydney. Head to the festival website for further information. Images: Netflix.
Want to get back to nature without actually having to rough it? Lucky for you, you can now take in the rolling hills of Mudgee in New South Wales, all thanks to the region's first ever luxury glamping service. First opening in 2017, Sierra Escape is located 20 minutes drive from Mudgee's town centre and some 260 kilometres north-west of Sydney. It boasts spectacular views, and is home to wildlife including kangaroos, deer and a variety of native birds — so yeah, basically it's paradise. Campers clearly agree, with its decadent accommodation unsurprisingly proving popular, and the 280-acre property adding two new tents to cater to demand. While the site's original tent — if you can even call something this opulent a tent — is still going strong, its two newcomers kick things up a few notches. One sleeps seven in a space that features two queen beds, a single trundle and a second bedroom with a double bed. The other is a secluded hilltop getaway for two that comes with a complimentary bottle of local bubbles and local chocolate, and a breakfast pack. For $450 per night, groups staying in Dulili will also enjoy their own designer kitchen, wood fireplace, floor-to-ceiling windows, glass sliding doors, large indoor and outdoor dining tables, plus a firepit area and a bathroom with a shower and flushing toilet. Or, those wanting a romantic jaunt away from the big smoke will spend $550 per night for all of the above, as well as a king bed — naturally — and indoor and outdoor freestanding bathtubs. All three of Sierra Escape's tents, including the $290-per-night Carinya, are insulated for all seasons, and include outdoor areas where you can kick back and watch the sunset. The new tents are available to book from June 1. For more information visit www.sierraescape.com.au.
Tokyo Tower's stunning views, Studio Ghibli's theme park, various Godzilla statues, Mount Fuji, ramen everywhere, all of the temples, taking the shinkansen, karaoke on a ferris wheel, the Rainbow Bridge, cherry blossom season, the best sushi you'll ever eat, becoming addicted to Pocky: these are some of the highlights of a trip to Japan. In fact, when it comes to dream vacation itineraries, they're just the beginning. Something else that should be on your list: Suganuma Village. The World Heritage-listed site sits on the Shō River, and is known not only for its stunning scenery — think: spectacular mountains and forests — but for its Gasshō-style thatched-roof houses. Usually, visitors to the town can only appreciate them by looking, not staying within them, with the village normally only open to residents after dark. Indeed, that's been the case for decades, and it's the reason that the locale is considered a hidden spot; however, via Airbnb, that's changing for two lucky travellers for a two-night stay. Add a once-in-a-lifetime getaway to this nine-home spot to the list of unique experiences that the accommodation platform has offered up in recent years, alongside the Ted Lasso pub, Hobbiton, the Paris theatre that inspired The Phantom of the Opera, the Bluey house, the Moulin Rouge! windmill, the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, The Godfather mansion, the South Korean estate where BTS filmed In the Soop and the Sanderson sisters' Hocus Pocus cottage, to name just a few. The Suganuma stay boasts something else special, though: it's free. As with all Airbnb specials, the service's price — here, $0 — only covers accommodation and the specific inclusions listed. Travelling there and back isn't part of the deal, so you'll be paying to fly to Japan and home. Still, this is the type of experience that doesn't come up often (or, before now, ever). And, you'll be hosted by the Nakashima family, who are fifth-generation locals, under their 170-year-old thatched roof. During your two-evening trip, you'll be immersed in the area's cultural traditions while marvelling at those distinctive buildings, which boast the style they do to last — as the Nakashimas' home clearly has — and because of winter's heavy snow. "I am delighted to open my family's home for a unique stay that will enable guests to enjoy the traditional life of our beautiful village of Suganuma. Through our collaboration with Airbnb, my family and I look forward to providing guests with unique experiences that have been part of our village for centuries," commented Mr Shinichi Nakashima. "We are honoured to offer a truly unique experience in Suganuma village, a World Heritage Site, through our collaboration with Airbnb. The rich history and vibrant culture of this charming small town, coupled with the warm hearts of the people who live there, will make for a fascinating and restorative stay. We hope this campaign brings attention to this beautiful destination for both Japanese residents and guests from around the world," stated Mr Mikio Tanaka, Mayor of Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture. If you're keen, you'll want to try to score the only booking at 10am AEST / 12pm NZST on Friday, June 30 — and if you're successful, you'll be having a money-can't-buy stay across Monday, July 17–Wednesday, July 19 this year. The reservation includes a welcome tea, plus Gokayama tofu, mountain vegetables and fish caught from the local river, as prepared by Mr Nakashima; a guided bike tour around the village and its surroundings; a hands-on workshop to learn about crafting thatched roofs; and also finding our more about the town's traditions such as making washi and sasara, a paper made of local fibre and a traditional instrument, respectively. And, you'll also be treated to a light show with folk songs one night, Suganuma Village's residents illuminating their homes. For more information about the Nakashima family's Gasshō home listing on Airbnb, or to apply to book at 10am AEST / 12pm NZST on Friday, June 30, head to the Airbnb website. Images: Satoshi Nagare. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
When trouble strikes, tragedy gets a catchphrase: "life goes on." You might hear it from well-meaning acquaintances, or even loved ones. As accurate as those words may be, however, the reality is far less simple. In the case of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) in Manchester by the Sea, pain and heartbreak become like a second skin, numbing him to the outside world. As he goes about his job as a Boston janitor he encounters complaints, advice and even awkward romantic advances, and yet he can barely bring himself to react. "You're rude, you're unfriendly, you don't say good morning," his boss tells him after a complaint is lodged. Lee remains unfazed. Manchester by the Sea tackles heavy subject matter as Lee is forced to return to his hometown and take custody of his teenage nephew (Lucas Hedges) after the death of the boy's father (Kyle Chandler). From this relatively simple dramatic premise, writer-director Kenneth Lonergan (Margaret) masterfully pieces together fragments of past trauma, present malaise and future uncertainty, delivering a complex portrait of a haunting but rarely acknowledged reality. Whether we've charted the same journey as Lee or endured ordeals of our own, most of us are broken in our own way. Surviving that pain, rather than fixing it, is perhaps all we can really ever hope to manage. Lonergan stresses this idea in a number of different ways. Stellar performances from Hedges and Michelle Williams (as Lee's ex-wife) seethe with inner turmoil. The snowy Massachusetts setting, meanwhile, provides further obstacles. And then there's the filmmaker's approach to filling in Lee's backstory, via flashbacks that slip into the main storyline so seamlessly that it takes a moment to realise that the timeline has changed. Of course, that's how everyday pain manifests itself. It coats life with an extra layer, even when things otherwise appear fine. It intrudes seemingly at random, even when you're not expecting bad memories and heartache to rear their ugly head. In an Oscar-nominated performance, Affleck broods, frowns and furrows his brow. Don't think he's just serving up his own version of Sad Affleck though. Here, despair runs much deeper than a bad interview about a superhero flick. Conveying the deep-seeded misery that can only come from years of suffering and regret, Affleck plays Lee with naturalistic agony of the festering variety, while also providing a glimpse at something more. An exploration of grief and loss, Manchester by the Sea is undeniably bleak. But don't be surprised by the movie's sense of humour, either. Laughter is a necessary cathartic device even in the darkest of situations, and here it makes the drama feel that much more real. Combined with the movie's commitment to laying bare inescapable inner struggles, and Lonergan's latest proves both devastatingly relatable and sincerely affecting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsVoD0pTge0
We all know and love chewy sourdough pizzas. US-style versions sold by the slice are also everywhere these days. And dirty Aussie pizzas with strings of processed ham will always hold a special place in our food-loving hearts. But Flour Child in St Kilda has popularised another kind of pizza: pinsa romana. This Roman-style pizza's dough is made with a combination of soy, rice and wheat flour, and is left to prove for at least 48 hours. What you get is a healthier (sort of) dough that's a whole lot airier and crispier than your usual variety. Usually, you'd have to travel out to St Kilda to sample this Roman treat. But now, as of Thursday, August 29, you can get it from Flour Child's new Richmond pizzeria and cocktail bar. Naples-born Executive Chef Alessandro Bellomunno is overseeing the new site's pinsa romana-making, and is adding plenty of other contemporary Italian eats to the menu. The sip and snack crowd can get around the stacked antipasti menu, often served with plain pinsa romana bread, while the burrata bar sees the beloved cheese transformed into several different versions of itself. You can bite into a deep-fried and battered burrata ball, try it with a few different purees, have it atop a caponata tartare, or pair it with beef bresaola and confit cherry tomatoes. Gnocchi, porchetta, salads and meatballs round out the offerings at Flour Child Richmond, but the pizzas really are the stars of the show — with about 22 different flavour combos on the cards. The team also considers the site to be a cocktail destination, with Bar Manager Lachlan Grant designing a stacked menu for spring and summer. It includes Italian favourites like negronis and americanos, plus a few signature sips which feature theatrics like bubblegum clouds and wonderfoam. Looking at the space lined with cabinets full of over 10,000 bottles of liquor, it should be no surprise that you can also sample stacks of digestifs and aperitifs. The new spot also boasts a large terrace with a retractable roof, making Flour Child Richmond a pretty stellar spritz spot during the warmer months. You'll find the new Flour Child Richmond at 432 Church Street, Richmond. For more details, check out the venue's website. Images: Arianna Leggiero.
From a flaky raclette cheese and bacon croissant tart to a light honey-hojicha number, Head Chef Gareth Whitton is always dreaming up new specials for the pastry cabinet at Tarts Anon. His latest creation is herbaceous and comes from an unlikely source of inspiration — the forest green Birkenstock kitchen clogs that he's worn throughout most of his career. This weekend, Tarts Anon's Richmond bakery has joined forces with Birkenstock to create an exclusive $12-per-slice thyme, chocolate and verjus tart. The tart nods to Whitton's Birkenstock Boston clogs in Thyme with swirls of thyme-chocolate mousse and dusted with cocoa in Birkenstock's signature tread pattern. It also mirrors the green found throughout the venue — a fit-out designed alongside Nathan Toleman, the hospo heavyweight behind gems like Top Paddock, Lilac Wine Bar and Hazel. Plus, three Golden Tickets will be hidden beneath lucky slices, each worth a $250 Birkenstock Australia online voucher. Tarts Anon will be serving up its limited edition thyme, chocolate and verjus tart with the chance to win a $250 Birkenstock online voucher from September 12–14. Images: supplied
Joining Melbourne's recent burst of rooftop bar reveals this winter is Lonsdale Street Spanish haunt Bomba, with its revamped upper level. Reopening last week after a hefty three-month makeover, the space now boasts a fresh fitout, a gin-inflected drinks list and a standout new Spanish jaffle. The rooftop is sporting an all-weather retractable roof and a second terrace space. The space, refitted by Ola Architecture Studio, is complete with a central copper bar, lots of high tables and a projector screening 70s Spanish flicks onto the building opposite. The reimagined drinks list shows lots of love for gin, featuring a careful selection of Australian and Spanish distilleries and a gin-centric lineup of house cocktails — like the Dewy Dilligence, crafted on dill gin, fino sherry, beetroot and apple cordial, and lemon. You'll also spy Central Victoria's Animus Gin starring in a few of those signature sips. A bigger, eight-strong tap list throws its weight behind indie Melbourne breweries, while the wine selection's focused both on organic and small Aussie producers, and lesser-known Spanish gems, brought in by the owners' Armada Imports. There's also a range of tap cocktails, including a classic sangria and a spiced wintery blend of Melbourne Moonshine Apple Pie, brandy and pear, dubbed All Things Nice. Meanwhile, the food situation leans to the snacky, featuring a tapas menu of old favourites and new creations, a covetable selection of Spanish cheeses, and the soon-to-be-legendary 'bikini' — a Catalan riff on the toastie, stuffed with fillings like jamón ibérico and truffle, or smoked ham hock, mahón cheese and mozzarella. Find Bomba Rooftop at 103 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, open daily from 3pm. Images: Peter Tarasiuk and Fiona Hamilton
Carlton North's Babajan Eatery has become a local go-to over the past two years, and the cafe has even been given an international nod by The New York Times. Now, the Turkish and Middle Eastern restaurant is opening for weekend dinner service, too. Friday and Saturday will see the cafe reopen from 6pm with both a la carte and set menu options. The latter will cost just $40 per person and centres on barbecued dishes — think 12-hour braised lamb shoulder and crispy skinned snapper with tomato, kalamata olives and tahini. If you opt for a la carte, there's also the pickled and barbecued octopus ($15) and lamb kofte ($24) on mains. Or guests can go for small shared dishes, including barbecued sucuk (spicy dried sausage) and shaved pastrami snacks ($6 each), plus Turkish bread and olives ($8); or small plates like the pan-fried keflagraviera (hard Greek cheese) and oven-baked eggplant with garlic yoghurt ($14 each). To accompany your meal, Babajan offers booze from 11am each day. The drinks menu includes local and European wines by the glass and bottle, locally brewed beer from Moon Dog and Two Birds and a range of middle eastern-themed cocktails for $16 a piece — from the Lady Sultan (Turkish raki liquor, black raspberry liqueur, ruby red grapefruit, blueberry and rose) to the Grand Bazaar (gin, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, ginger and lime). Of course, the brekkie everyone loves is still available, with a focus on Turkish pastries and egg dishes like the baked eggs with pistachio dukkah ($22), and the crab and halloumi omelette ($26). The cafe slings Brunswick's Code Black coffees and a specially-made tea blend from Tea Drop, too. Images: Ben Christensen.
The northern suburb of Preston is set to farewell four of its existing railway level crossings as part of the government's extended Level Crossing Removal Project. In their place, locals will score a giant green gift: an additional 60,000 square metres of public open space, equivalent to the same size of three MCGs. Removing the four crossings by creating an elevated train line over the roadways will make way for this new green space. The designs for the additional space were unveiled this week, featuring two new nature-based playgrounds, more than 700 trees, and an infusion of around 150,000 shrubs, grasses and groundcover plants. Locals can also expect a shared walking and cycling path linking the new Preston and Bell stations, and a new fitness zone with outdoor exercise equipment to be installed near Preston Oval. A range of other planned multipurpose facilities includes a barbecue area, casual seating and an amphitheatre located close to Bell Station. [caption id="attachment_825516" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Render of the new amphitheatre — artist impression only, subject to change, supplied by the Level Crossing Removal Project.[/caption] The designs were created in collaboration with the Preston Open Space Advisory panel, off the back of community feedback and consultation that was undertaken last year. Construction on the project is currently underway, though it'll be a while before residents can enjoy their suburb's new green addition. The removal of the boom gates and opening of the new stations are both slated for completion by the end of 2022, with the open space set to be ready for use sometime in 2023. The Level Crossing Removal Project has already seen similar green upgrades launched in other parts of metropolitan Melbourne. Find out more about the Preston Level Crossing Removal Project and the program as a whole at the website. Renders: Artist impression only, subject to change, supplied by the Level Crossing Removal Project.
When it comes to winter family getaways, Sydney is often overlooked in favour of snowier spots further south. But the Harbour City is full of unexpected wintry delights—both indoors and out. Think cosy corners, hearty pub fare, awe-inspiring exhibitions, and close-up wildlife encounters. Add kids into the mix, and it becomes even more magical. From spotting humpbacks along the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk and soaking up Harbour views aboard the iconic Manly Ferry to sampling global eats at Hay St Market, we've rounded up some of the best family-friendly activities to help you plan your next escape. Plus, if you're keen to stay in the city, Marriott Bonvoy is offering 10% off your stay across six hotels—all you need to do is sign up (for free). It's also the perfect excuse to extend your stay. Pack your puffer and rally the little ones—here are nine top family-friendly things to do in Sydney this winter. Wander Through Hay St Market If the weather turns grizzly or you're facing decision paralysis over what to eat, Hay St Market—Sydney's newest hawker-style foodie hub—is an ideal spot for the whole family to explore. Bringing together 48 traders and over 25 international cuisines under one roof, the market buzzes with lively, aromatic stalls serving everything from freshly-baked sourdough and creamy cannoli to juicy citrus, melt-in-your-mouth sashimi, and premium cuts of meat. To keep the food adventure going, walk across to Spice Alley in Chippendale—just a short stroll from Four Points By Sheraton Sydney, Central Park. Picnic In the Royal Botanic Gardens While many botanical gardens around Australia boast magnificent, manicured grounds, few compare to Sydney's historic Royal Botanic Garden. Home to more than 27,000 plant species and boasting uninterrupted views of Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge, it's the ultimate spot to roll out a picnic rug and absorb some precious winter rays. There are plenty of things to keep the little ones entertained, too. Wander through the aromatic herb garden, the vibrant wildflower meadow, and the sun-drenched succulent garden—or book the kids into a nature-inspired craft workshop. Spot Whales Along Bondi To Coogee Coastal Walk Revered as one of the most picturesque walks along Australia's east coast, the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk is a year-round favourite—but it's especially popular from May to November during the annual humpback whale migration. The walk stretches about six kilometres one way, is suitable for all fitness levels, and offers vantage points aplenty, including Ben Buckler Point, Clovelly Beach, Waverley Cemetery, and Gordon's Bay. Mornings and late afternoons are the best times to spot whales, which often breach close to shore—but bring a pair of binoculars to get an even closer view of the action. Ride Sydney's Iconic Manly Ferry Keen to check out one of Sydney's iconic beaches? Jump aboard Sydney's historic Manly Ferry. Departing regularly from Circular Quay, the 30-minute journey is packed with spectacular Sydney Harbour views, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, and Kirribilli House. A must on any first-timer's Sydney itinerary, Manly offers plenty to explore once you arrive, with viral eateries like Norma's Deli, Butter Boy, and Chica Bonita regularly drawing crowds daily. Plus, the ferry terminal is just a quick stroll from Sydney Harbour Marriott, Circular Quay making it the perfect day-trip if you're staying close by (and scoring 10% off your stay). Run Amok at Luna Park Speaking of ferries, hop aboard the Milson's Point Wharf ferry at Circular Quay and spend a day exploring Luna Park—one of Sydney's most iconic amusement destinations. The heritage-listed theme park blends vintage carnival charm with modern thrills like the sky-high Coney Island Devil's Drop, the gravity-defying Rotor, the classic Ferris Wheel, and The Big Dipper—the world's first-ever double-launch single-rail rollercoaster. Get Up-Close with the Animals At Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo is a playground for all ages that rolls education and fun into one, and has offered unforgettable wildlife encounters for over 100 years. Committed to wildlife conservation, the zoo is home to 4,000 animals across 350 species, including majestic African lions and Western Lowland gorillas, playful fairy penguins, and adorable pygmy hippopotamuses. To kick the adrenaline up a notch and see some wildlife from a new perspective, strap in for a climb on the zoo's thrilling high ropes course. Adventure Underwater at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium Home to over 4,000 animals across more than 300 species, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is a sample of the seven seas right in the heart of the city. With immersive themed zones like Jurassic Seas, Shark Valley and Penguin Expedition, it showcases the world's largest variety of Australian aquatic life—and has become a rite of passage for Sydneysiders and young visitors alike. Highlights include Pig, the resident rescue dugong, up-close shark scuba encounters, and a walk-through tunnel where rays and sharks glide overhead. Plus, it's just moments away from W Sydney, making it well within reach for an easy yet exciting day out. Tour Sydney's Historic Cockatoo Island Once a convict gaol and shipyard, Cockatoo Island is now a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site just nine minutes by ferry from Barangaroo Wharf. The largest island in Sydney Harbour, it offers a fascinating mix of historical tours suitable for all ages, plus regular cultural exhibitions and events. After exploring, pull up a seat at one of the family-friendly waterfront cafes and watch a flurry of boats glide past—and if you're staying at Pier One Sydney Harbour, take the scenic route back and wander through Barangaroo. Get Inspired at Sydney's Art Galleries The Art Gallery of NSW is a cultural cornerstone and arguably one of the most significant art galleries in the state — if not the country. While it's known for showcasing a program of both local and internationally acclaimed artists, it also offers a mix of compelling creative activities for the little ones, including Australia's first children's art library on lower level 3, weekly Storytime sessions, and interactive exhibitions. This winter, check out the annual Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prize (on display until August 17), and the Young Archie finalists. Down by the Harbour, The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia is the only public museum dedicated exclusively to contemporary art in the country. A must-visit for modern art lovers, it hosts a rotating lineup of globally acclaimed artists—including Cerith Wyn Evans' monumental light sculptures, on display from June until October. Families can also enjoy drop-in drawing classes, and unstructured creative art play for kids under five. Ready for a jam-packed family adventure? Book your Sydney escape before September 30 to access 10% off your stay and dining with Marriott Bonvoy. All you have to do is sign up as a member—and it's completely free. With access to exclusive member rates, your stay will also earn points towards free nights at over 30 hotel brands around the world. Book your stay here. T&C's apply and vary by participating hotels including blackout dates, cancellation restrictions and more. Offer may not apply in properties not participating in the award and redemption of Marriott Bonvoy.
They're the stories we all lapped up as kids, telling us about enchanted creatures, magic and more. They're behind plenty of movies that still grace our screens, too. And, they're the focus of a huge Australian-exclusive exhibition at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) across the summer of 2023–24. Yes, we're talking about fairy tales. The entrancing showcase is indeed called Fairy Tales and, taking over GOMA's entire ground floor, it explores how these folklore-, myth- and legend-related narratives have fascinated audiences through art and culture over not just years and decades, but centuries. If creepy woods have influenced sculptures, or tales of princes and princesses have inspired painters, expect to see it here, in a blockbuster showcase that runs from Saturday, December 2, 2023–Sunday, April 28, 2024. [caption id="attachment_758872" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Yayoi Kusama[/caption] Also included: everything from drawings and installations through to fashion, as well as films and filmic elements, such as props, and costumes. There's also an accompanying movie program in GOMA's Australian Cinematheque, of course, so you don't need to wish for big-screen wonders as well. Wicked witches, magic animals (fierce and friendly alike), coming-of-age tales, shifting gender roles, bravery, loyalty, castles, coaches, pumpkins — they all feature. Artists involved include GOMA favourites Yayoi Kusama and Patricia Piccinini, plus Jana Sterbak, Kiki Smith, Abdul Abdullah, Ron Mueck and Charles Blackman. The list goes on, like breadcrumb trails. And, if you like huge site-specific installations, the South Brisbane gallery has commissioned something special from Henrique Oliveira. The Brazilian artist has transformed the exhibition's first piece into a stunning gnarled and twisted woodland that you won't want to stop wandering through. Exhibition images: Sarah Ward.
Come 2026, almost a decade will have passed since Qantas proposed changing the way that Australians travel to two of the world's biggest cities — and most-popular holiday destinations — from the east coast. That plan: Project Sunrise, the initiative that's making non-stop flights from Sydney to London and New York a reality. It was first announced in 2017, ran trial flights in 2019 and has undergone delays since, including moving a 2025 start date to mid-2026. With its launch date now just two years away, Qantas is speeding ahead with the lengthy journeys, which'll join the Perth-to-London flights that began in 2018. (From Western Australia, the carrier also boasts straight-to-Rome routes, and just implemented Perth-to-Paris legs as well.) If spending all of that time on a plane sounds like it'll be an experience — the aircrafts are capable of staying in the air for up to 22 hours — the airline understands. Indeed, part of the Project Sunrise development process has been dedicated to ensuring that passenger wellbeing doesn't suffer, and also working out how to combat jetlag. Here's one solution, or at least a tactic to help: Qantas has revealed that its 238-person Project Sunrise A350-1000 planes will feature cabin lighting inspired by the Australian landscape, which will cycle through phases to help travellers adapt to the ultra long-haul voyage — and to the time zone when they disembark. The airline has been making the most of Hamburg's Airbus Customer Definition Centre, using a mockup of the A350 cabin to test lighting patterns and sequences, after the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre conducted research during the Project Sunrise test runs on the inflight experience and reducing jetlag. Those learnings noted that some light spectrums work better to get circadian rhythms adapting. Cue plenty more testing, resulting in 12 lighting scenes for Project Sunrise's trips. Among them: using a broad-spectrum glow enriched with blue hues as an awake setting, which can also be softened; cycling through the tones of the sunset as it turns into a moonlit night, complete with clouds, to get travellers ready to go to sleep; and replicating an Aussie sunrise, starting at the front of the aircraft and rolling out to the back, when it's time to greet either London or NYC. Boarding, taxiing, take-off, sleep, landing and disembarking also have their own lighting modes. The planes will feature wellbeing zones that'll sport the colours of a daytime sky, clouds and all, when the flight is in its daytime setting. The same space will move to moonlight and water rippling during the journey's evening phase. And for those flush with cash, the enclosed first-class suites will let passengers fully customise their own lighting. As advised back in 2023, those wellbeing zones on the stopover-free hauls will sit between the 140-seat economy and 40-seat premium economy cabins. Inside, stretch handles and an exercise program guided via screens will get you active, while refreshments will be on offer at the hydration station. As for the cabins themselves, every seat will have free wifi, USB-C charging ports and also wireless charging and bluetooth connectivity so that you can use your own headphones — and, they'll feature in good news for your body, Qantas' most-generous seat pitches yet, plus ergonomic leg and foot rests. Qantas' direct flights from Sydney to London and Sydney to New York are set to take to the air in mid-2026. For more information, head to the Qantas website.
Australians under the age of 40, it's time to roll up your sleeves — because the country's slow-moving vaccine campaign is finally opening up the Pfizer jab to all Aussies between 16–39. If you're in that age group, you don't fall into the high-risk or high-priority categories outlined by the Australian Government and you'd prefer to get Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, you've been spending all of this year waiting to get vaxxed; however, come Monday, August 30, it'll now be your turn. In a press conference today, Thursday, August 19, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that "the cabinet met today to affirm that we will be moving to opening up 16–39-year-olds for the balance of the program and intend that to commence on 30 August." That doesn't mean you can book just yet, though. "I want to stress, do not make a booking yet. We will advise when bookings can be made. It isn't today. We will advise when the time will come over the course of the next week," the Prime Minister continued. The Pfizer jab is the recommended COVID-19 vaccine for all Australians under the age of 60, but the country's vaccination rollout has been targeting high-priority and high-risk groups first, and then working backwards in terms of age range. In New South Wales only, folks aged 16–39 who live in Greater Sydney's 12 Local Government Areas that are currently under tighter lockdown conditions have been able to get the Pfizer vaccine since today, but that's the only part of the country that's been giving that specific jab to adults under 40 that aren't considered high-risk. So, before the month is out, around 8.6 million Australians will get their chance to receive the Pfizer shot, which will obviously give the nation's vaccination numbers a considerable boost. At the time of writing, 21.9 percent of Aussies are fully vaccinated, which includes 27.29 percent above the age of 16. And, as announced by the Prime Minister, 50 percent of Australians have now had their first dose. The AstraZeneca vaccine has been available to Australians of any age since late June, and will still be available — but, until the end of this month, Pfizer has only been open to under 40s if they're of of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent; work in quarantine, border or healthcare roles; work or live in an aged care or disability facility; work in a critical and high-risk job such as defence, fire, police, emergency services and meat processing; have an underlying medical condition or significant disability; are pregnant; or participate in the NDIS, or care for someone who does. From September, there'll also be a third type of COVID-19 shot available to Aussies, with the Moderna jab just getting local approval this month. If you're eager to look for vaccination clinics — to plan ahead for when you can get vaxxed — you can check out a handy online map that collates vaccination hub, clinic and GP locations. It covers all Australian states and territories, including New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Australia's Pfizer vaccination rollout will open to all Aussies aged between 16–39 from Monday, August 30. For further information, head to the Australian Government Department of Health website.
Elton John summed it up perfectly: when Marilyn Monroe died in 1962, her candle burned out long before her legend ever would. Six decades since her passing, the actor remains a Hollywood icon. Like Elvis, she may as well be mononymic. Her face is instantly recognisable, and still everywhere. Ana de Armas just received an Oscar nomination for playing her, after Michelle Williams earned one back in 2012 for also stepping into her shoes. And, the Some Like It Hot, Gentleman Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire star is also the subject of a sizeable exhibition heading to Australia for the first time: Marilyn: The Woman Behind the Icon. This Marilyn celebration will make its Aussie premiere at Sydney Town Hall, in the Lower Town Hall, from Saturday, July 1–Sunday, September 24. On display: more than 200 artefacts spanning Monroe's life, including handwritten notes, personal letters and other possessions. This is the largest Marilyn collection of its kind. Indeed, the objects set to grace the showcase stem from Ted Stampfer, owner the world's largest range of Marilyn items. With Marilyn: The Woman Behind the Icon, he's aiming to share insights into Monroe as a person, not just a celebrity — spanning her time in the spotlight, of course, but also back when she was Norma Jeane Mortenson. [caption id="attachment_905881" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Joseph Jasgur, Ted Stampfer[/caption] Stampfer will be on hand on opening day providing a curator's tour, as part of an events program accompanying the three-month memorabilia exhibition. Friday-night sessions will feature music and entertainment, and film screenings will also be part of the lineup, letting attendees experience Marilyn's movie magic for themselves. As it celebrates the woman who scaled the heights of fame, became a household name, but received horrific scrutiny for her sex-symbol status and her love life — focusing on her hard work, not the stories spun about her — this'll be the only time that Marilyn: The Woman Behind the Icon will open to the public in this form. [caption id="attachment_905878" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ted Stampfer[/caption]
Ian Pidd and Sue Giles started out performing theatre cabaret in the '90s under the moniker Shaken and Suspicious. Since then, the couple have made their names as some of Australia’s top directors — Giles with acclaimed international children’s theatre company Polyglot and Pidd with Men of Steel and Snuff Puppets, as well as Falls Festival fixture The Village. This year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival sees them return to where it all began: Dead Set at La Mama was one of their most successful shows. Pidd plays a shy maths teacher with a hidden double life as a musical writer. After turning to the internet for a writing partner, he meets a compulsive liar Verity Charity (Giles). The two go on to collaborate on the next Great Australian Musical, but Charity’s fondness for lies threatens to overwhelm the pair. 20 years ago Dead Set played to packed houses around Australia on a five-star tour, so Melbourne audiences should get cracking on snapping up tickets now; it’s a venue that’s as cramped as it is iconic.
