If you're the kind of person who is quick to take offence, you might want to give the latest play from writer Declan Greene a miss. Indeed, all you need to do is look at the title to know that The Homosexuals, or Faggots, is not the kind of show to pull its punches. On stage at the Malthouse Theatre from February 17 to March 12, Greene's blistering social satire follows Warren and Kim, a pair of wealthy gay men who find themselves in an awkward situation involving a politically incorrect costume party and an easily offended academic. What follows is a farce that takes the piss out of hypocrites on both the right and the left, and has been described by the playwright himself as one of the more provocative things he's ever written. Rehearsal image: Brett Boardman/Malthouse Theatre.
Snack on crispy pork belly bao while hunting for a bargain at the first ever outing of Market on High. The inaugural edition of this new monthly market will take over the band room at the much-loved Northcote Social Club this Saturday, where you'll find stallholders selling everything from jewellery to vintage clothing. Open from 11am to 3pm at the High Street watering hole, the market's organisers promise to feature an "eclectic range of stalls", and have been teasing some of the highlights via their Facebook page. Still, as excited as we are about the retail therapy, we're equally keen on the Market on High menu. You're sure to shop responsibly after a couple o' espresso martinis or a cheeky jug of Pimm's. And who could say no to cheddar and jalapeno croquettes, or sausage rolls made with confit duck?
One of our favourite food trucks, Ghost Kitchen, is teaming up with local urban winemakers Noisy Ritual to bring you a winter warming feast. Held at the winery's brand new Brunswick East cellar door, the specially-designed three-course dinner will champion Taiwanese cuisine. And, of course, each course will also be paired with Noisy Ritual's best drops. Running for one night only this Thursday, August 4, you'll be able to eat your way through rich, vibrant dishes like marinated pork belly with seasonal vegetables and sticky, sweet black sesame rice balls. It is the middle of winter after all, and we can't think of a better way to wait it out. Spaces are limited so book early. And good news: vegetarians can be catered for.
All it takes is the sight of a figure standing by a riverbank for Embrace of the Serpent to lure viewers in. The man, Karamakate (Nilbio Torres), isn't the only point of focus in the film's opening frames – in fact, the entirety of his dense, foliage-filled surroundings attract just as much attention, as does the stunning black-and-white photography that surveys every leaf and branch. It's his patient stance amidst such a thriving natural environment, however, that dares viewers to unearth more about him, the place he calls home, and the manner in which their stories intertwine. As a young shaman in the Amazon in 1909, Karamakate greets a canoe paddled by two men with caution. The local guide Manduca (Miguel Dionisio Ramos) doesn't worry him, but Theo (Jan Bijvoet), the German explorer with him, gives him pause. The outsider is ill, and only Karamakate knows how to locate the rare flower that could heal him, though it's a task that'll take the trio into the dangerous depths of the jungle. Later, as an older man in the 1940s, Karamakate (now played by Antonio Bolivar Salvado Yangiama) assists an American named Evans (Brionne Davis) on a similar voyage. Images of a slithering snake demonstrate the literal meaning of the movie's title, though writer-director Ciro Guerra and his co-scribe Jacques Toulemonde Vidal have the powerful squeeze of another predator on their minds. As the duo fashion a poetic road movie (or river movie, to be more precise) inspired by the diaries of real-life explorers Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Richard Evans Schultes, they ponder the impact of colonialism upon the traditional culture. Though their tone is peaceful and their images pristine, their condemnation of Western interference is clear. It's fitting that Embrace of the Serpent flits between past and present, since it also finds contrasts in a plethora of other pairs. As audiences watch Karamakate assist his two different companions, they don't just witness a film that compares the old and the new. They also traverse a blend of history and myth, broach the gap between the physical and the philosophical, dissect the clash between nature and technology, and discover what happens when the dreamlike and the devastating collide. It takes not just skill but artistry to craft a feature that's so loaded with potency and beauty. Every frame here leaves an impression, while still allowing viewers to soak everything in at an unhurried pace. Thanks to the visually wondrous efforts of cinematographer David Gallego, watching Embrace of the Serpent proves an experience that values just that. And while Guerra's underlying statement is never hidden, it's never shouted, either. Indeed, this is a film of waiting and uncovering something special. Sharing Karamakate's initial patience is recommended — and will be rewarded by one of the most distinctive movies in recent years.
When Jake Bugg's self-titled debut album hit the UK charts at #1, he was just 18. Fast forward three years and it looks like only a 'Lightning Bolt' would stop him. He's released another two full-lengths, the latest being On My One, which came out on June 17. Combining blues, folk, country and surprising dash of hip hop, its preoccupation, Bugg told iHeart Radio is loneliness. Naw. "Some of the songs, they are personal, and some of them, whenever I want to get away from personal things, I write stories to try and put myself somewhere else," he said. The last time we Aussies saw him was in 2015, when he supported Mumford and Sons in their wildly popular Gentlemen of the Road tour. There's more Splendour sideshow action where this came from. Check out our list of sideshows with tickets still available.
If you saw a giant on the street, you'd stare in wonder. Your jaw would drop, your eyes would pop, and you would marvel at the sight in front of you. Once the shock wore off, you'd also be more than a little bit scared. But, if the lumbering creature in front of you actually turned out to be rather nice, you'd probably want to be his friend. In fact, if he was so harmless that he was being bullied by his fellow behemoths, you'd want to help him. That's how orphan Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) reacts when she meets the individual she comes to call the Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance). Roald Dahl's 1982 novel The BFG told this tale, and now so does Steven Spielberg's years-in-the-making film. Given that one penned books that have brightened childhoods for decades, and the other has made movies that achieved the same feat, bringing the two together seems like a perfect fit. Add E.T. screenwriter Melissa Mathison to the mix, and The BFG should be primed to capture hearts and minds alike. Indeed, as the film revels in its state of dream-like awe — and explores the awe-inspiring dreams the titular giant disseminates to the sleeping masses — there's plenty of affection on display. And as it contrasts the friendly antics of the BFG with his cruel, carnivorous comrades with names like Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) and Bloodbottler (Bill Hader), it offers a sweet reminder that seemingly frightening figures can also be outsiders with their own problems. You don't run to the queen (Penelope Wilton) and her offsiders (Rebecca Hall and Rafe Spall) for assistance if you're not in a hefty spot of bother, after all. Alas, amidst the leisurely life lessons about identity and acceptance, gibberish-infused dialogue and more than a handful of fart jokes, there's also an air of calculation. The BFG thinks, dreams and renders everything it can in the biggest possible manner — but, more than doing the source material justice, the CGI-heavy effort also wants to stress its size. There's a difference between employing specific camera angles to ensure that audiences know they're supposed to be wowed, and actually causing that reaction. There's also a difference between contemplating vast emotions and genuinely inspiring warm, fuzzy feelings. Accordingly, while it provides servings of fantastical spectacle and heightened sentiments, The BFG strives a little too hard to capture the usual Dahl and Spielberg magic. Thank goodness, then, for Rylance, who anchors the entire feature with an endearing motion-captured lead performance. After winning an Oscar for his turn in Bridge of Spies, he's the best thing about a Spielberg movie for the second time in a row. Though young Barnhill proves more precocious than poignant, their shared scenes — and the gentle kindness that radiates from Rylance every time he's on screen — are worth the price of admission alone.
Enjoy the art of fine dining at a special one-off lunch at the National Gallery of Victoria. As part of their Degas: A New Vision exhibition celebrating the work of acclaimed painter Edgar Degas, NGV International has invited renowned French chef Philippe Mouchel to serve up a three-course feast beneath the Great Hall's stained glass ceiling. Guests will be greeted with a drink on arrival, before sitting down to enjoy the work of a master at the top of his game. Mouchel has trained under Michelin-starred chefs, and headed the kitchen at some of the top restaurants in Melbourne, including his brand new venture named after himself. Point is, while the $175 price tag may be a little on the steep side, rest assured you're paying for quality. Once you've had your fill of the culinary arts, you can wander through the exhibition, which features more than 200 works from the turn of the century impressionist. If you're feeling a little too full, you can come back another time. Entry is included in the cost of lunch, and is valid until the exhibition finishes on September 18.
Thirteen years ago, an orange-and-white clownfish swam away from his home and into our hearts. He wasn't alone, with his anxious father Marlin (Albert Brooks) just as endearing, and forgetful blue tang Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) an ideal comic offsider. Charting a child's adventurous first steps in the world and a parent's fear of the dangers that might come, their tale was always bound to strike a chord. Pixar know it as one of their biggest hits; you know it as Finding Nemo. If that film coined a catchphrase, it'd have to be "just keep swimming," which was Dory's favourite piece of advice. It is far from surprising that the line pops up again in the sequel to the animated feature, or that returning writer-director Andrew Stanton and co. have taken it to heart. Indeed, Finding Dory is the movie equivalent of paddling along and letting the current sweep you forward. Cheerfully content to ride in its predecessor's slipstream, it just keeps swimming, with the film's irrepressibly upbeat nature ensuring it stays bubbly and buoyant. Nemo (Hayden Rolence) going astray again would've been a stretch, so this time, it's Dory who wanders beyond the patch of ocean the central trio calls home. In fact, it turns out that she's done so before — not that she can really recall. When Dory starts getting flashbacks of her loving mother and father (Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy), she decides to follow her memories. Marlin and Nemo join her epic swim to the Marine Life Institute in California, where Dory believes her parents might be waiting. A crafty octopus (Ed O'Neill), near-sighted whale shark (Kaitlin Olsen) and some sun-loving sea lions (Idris Elba and Dominic West) pop up along the way. Still, Finding Dory belongs to its key trio. In fact, the strengths of the film spring from spending more time in their company — particularly Dory, who might be a bit absent-minded, but is never treated like a joke. Time and again, Pixar films find the right blend between emotional insight and character-driven comedy, and both are on display here. Brought to life by energetic voice work, bright CGI visuals and well-placed, action-packed interludes, the movie thoughtfully fleshes out the makeshift family at its centre. Of course, while Finding Dory represents the animation studio at its kind-hearted best, it also demonstrates their increasing fondness for rehashing old stories. There's much about this follow-up that feels a little too familiar. Returning to bathe in warm, well-known waters can certainly be fun, but for all its easy comforts and nostalgic pleasures, it's not quite as vibrant the second time around.
Head on down to the Batman Market, where things are getting exciting after sundown. Every Saturday evening in June and July, the market in Coburg will throw open its gates, enticing locals out into the cold with the promise of a feed and some bargains. They've got food trucks, stalls and live entertainment, plus a bar stocked with beer, wine and cocktails. Who needs summer anyway? Winter Nights at the Batman Market will run from 4-9.30pm each Saturday until July 30. Visitors can get their grub from a rotating roster of food trucks, including beef spare ribs from T Rex Bar-B-Que, slow-cooked lamb from Marinade, and gravy-smothered poutine from Le Petit Montreal. The live music lineup, meanwhile, includes a bunch of local favourites, such as acoustic trio Malcura and alt-Latin stars Funkalleros. Dancing will no doubt be encouraged, and shouldn't be too hard either — at least not after you've had a few White Russians from the public bar.
With Melbourne's winter Scorsese exhibition currently in full swing, there's never been a better time to delve into the master filmmaker's back catalogue. Sure, most of us have at least heard of Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, but in a career that spans more than five decades, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Screening select Friday nights at ACMI from June to September, Scorsese: Friday Night Cinema will explore a few of Marty's lesser-known gems, along with a pair of recent critical favourites. Each of the five films will screen twice throughout the season, beginning on Friday, June 17 with the film that won Scorsese his long-overdue Oscar, The Departed. That'll be followed on July 8 by his criminally underrated black comedy After Hours, and chased down by The Wolf of Wall Street on July 22. The season will take a break in early August during MIFF, before returning with a vengeance with two of Marty's celebrated music documentaries: The Last Waltz and Shine A Light. For more information and screening times, go here.
In Frances Ha, Greta Gerwig became the on-screen embodiment of a predicament most twenty-somethings can relate to: knowing what you don't want out of life, rather than what you do. In Mistress America, she offered a different side of failing to achieve your dreams, this time from a slightly older perspective. Now, in Maggie's Plan, she grapples with the fact that you can't control everything, no matter how hard you try. Consider it the next phase in her ongoing examination of the idiosyncrasies of quarter-life malaise. Written and directed by Rebecca Miller (The Private Lives of Pippa Lee) based on an unpublished novel by Karen Rinaldi, the film explores two schemes hatched by the eponymous Maggie (Gerwig), a college careers advisor whose life is...well...a bit of a mess. When the film opens, she's telling her married best pal Tony (Bill Hader) about her intention to become a mother using sperm donated by their high school classmate turned pickle entrepreneur Guy (Travis Fimmel). Cut forward three years and she instead has a daughter with John (Ethan Hawke), an anthropology professor and aspiring novelist who's struggling to cut ties with his imposing ex-wife Georgette (Julianne Moore). Although it may certainly sound like one, to simply call Maggie's Plan a romantic comedy doesn't quite do the film justice. While the situations the characters find themselves in are by no means unique, there's a level of intricacy to all the major players that ensures Miller's screenplay feels as authentic as it does amusing. When Maggie tries to muster a polite response to Guy's offer to help her get pregnant "the old-fashioned way", for example, her awkwardness feels ripped from reality. That's the gift that both Gerwig and Miller bring — an understanding of how to convey life's ups and downs in a way that's equally playful and relatable. The two prove as an apt a pair as Gerwig and Frances Ha filmmaker Noah Baumbach, — yet they're not the feature's only standouts. Adopting a severe Danish accent that she takes time to settle into, Moore proves both hilarious and surprisingly sympathetic. Of course, with its jaunty jazz score and New York setting, Maggie's Plan can't escape the shadow of other, similar films gone by. It's not only Baumbach that springs to mind, but Woody Allen — though any resemblance is likely by design. Miller has crafted a movie knowingly comprised of familiar parts, but cleverly filled with astute reflections that tell the tale from a fresh perspective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAoEoWrOe8g
Choose the conventional, or go with something else. It's a question Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) knows oh-so-well. Every time the former Edinburgh heroin addict turned Amsterdam accountant has unleashed one of his catchy "choose life" monologues — first in Trainspotting, now in the sequel — that's been his central dilemma. In the long-awaited follow-up to the 1996 cult classic that introduced him and his fellow layabout mates Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle), it's a choice that remains as relevant as ever. Initially, Renton chose skag. Then, he chose to fleece his friends after a lucrative drug deal so he could live life on the straight and narrow. Now, back in his old stomping grounds, he doesn't quite know which option to go for. Before long he crosses paths with the pals he hasn't seen for 21 years, finding Spud still struggling with his habit, and Sick Boy running both a failing pub and a blackmail racket with his Bulgarian girlfriend Veronika (Anjela Nedyalkova). At least Renton's safe from Begbie, who has long been locked up for his ultra-violent ways…at least, until he orchestrates a jailbreak. So it is that the characters reunite, in one way or another, and find themselves taking stock of their unfulfilling lives. But things are rather different than they were in '96. It was with the energetic drumbeat and aggressive drawl of Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" that the foursome made their debut all those years ago, back when they were young, searching for fun, spoiling for trouble, hooked on various substances and sensations, and nothing about them was clean, orderly or clear-cut. Two decades later, an air of chaos still prevails – but in trying to make sense of the past to cope with the present and face the future, messiness is the very thing the characters are trying to eliminate. From a narrative perspective, that's easier said than done. While T2: Trainspotting spins its story around the futility of reliving former glories, director Danny Boyle seems unable to resist the urge to replicate, redefine and retell. There's nostalgia here, and melancholy, but also a sense of indulgence, with many a phrase, situation, scene, shot, soundtrack choice and even snippets of old footage harkening back to the original. Sometimes the movie successfully interrogates its history. Sometimes it's an empty rehash. Mostly, Renton sums it up perfectly: "choose history repeating itself". Still, it's a pleasure to catch up with the iconic characters again, as well as with the actors that play them – although sadly, the first film's female stars Kelly MacDonald and Shirley Henderson get barely more than cameos. McGregor and Miller are rarely better than when they're just catching up and talking rubbish together, and Carlyle still plays psychopathic with brutal flair. But, it's actually Bremner who steals the show — and his tragicomic Spud who receives the most fulfilling storyline, while also suffering most from the film's need for neatness. Ultimately, the battle between the engaging and the all-too-easy is what you'll find coursing through T2: Trainspotting's veins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsozpEE543w
Ring in the Year of the Rooster at the Queen Vic Market with Chinese food and live entertainment over the next two and a half weeks. On Saturday, January 28 between 10am and 2pm, the market will play host to a variety of performances, including music acts and a martial arts show. There'll also be a free cooking demonstration by celebrity chef Elizabeth Chong, ahead of a three-course ($80 per person) Chinese banquet — featuring suckling pig, tea-smoked ocean trout and cumquat custard tarts — at Pickett's Deli and Rotisserie from 7pm that evening. The festivities will continue on the night of Wednesday, February 1 when the Summer Night Market takes on a distinctly Chinese flavour, complete with lion dancers and traditional drumming on the main stage. Finally, the market will host a two-day lantern festival starting February 11, where you can gorge yourself on delicious Chinese food all weekend long.
Celebrate the Year of the Rooster by feasting like a pig at Spice Temple this Chinese New Year. From January 23 until February 5, the restaurant will be offering a special banquet menu devised by Neil Perry and Head Chef Graeme Hunt, featuring ingredients meant to promote good fortune in the coming year. Priced at $120 per head, banquet dishes include lobster and pomelo salad with plum dressing ("prosperity"), chargrilled wagyu scotch fillet with black bean and chilli ("longevity"), red braised pork belly with enoki mushrooms ("harmony") and caramel chocolate and peanut parfait ("love"). Matching wines are also available, for an extra $55 per person. "Food is the cornerstone of Chinese New Year," said Hunt. "We've created the perfect celebratory menu featuring a range of new dishes and interesting flavours that are uniquely Spice Temple."
Cowboys, bucking bulls, flying mud: think of a rodeo, and all three come to mind. Setting Neon Bull in the thick of the Brazilian circuit, writer-director Gabriel Mascaro knows this. In fact, he invites it. With audiences' heads initially filled with the stereotypical sights and sounds that many an American movie has reinforced, he revels in revealing something different. Scene by scene, he immerses viewers in a version of the sport known as vaquejada, as well as the world that exists beyond the usual hats, boots, and attempts at grabbing cattle. In the process, he introduces us to the often overlooked people lurking behind the scenes. For Iremar (Juliano Cazarré), it's a modest existence as well as a tough one, with two dreams enlivening his otherwise routine days of transporting animals and chalking the bulls' tails before they enter the ring. Whenever and however he can, he bides his time through fashion — drawing outfits onto the naked women in the magazines his co-worker Zé (Carlos Pessoa) covets, and making costumes for their driver Galega (Maeve Jinkings) to wear when she moonlights as a dancer. With Zé, he also schemes to steal a prized horse's semen. Neon Bull isn't a quirky caper, as much as it might sound like it. Indeed, with scenes of Galega shimmying in the dark while wearing a giant horse mask, a subplot involving another worker's obsession with straightening his long locks, and yet another involving breaking into a textile factory, the film could easily be treated as a comedy. Mascaro doesn't avoid laughs, but rather than emphasise the humor, he lets any chuckles spring naturally and honestly. His characters and their lives are filled with lived-in eccentricity; all he and Cemetery of Splendour cinematographer Diego Garcia need to do is watch. Episodic and observational, it's the kind of approach a documentarian would take, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that most of Mascaro's career has been spent making factual films. As a result, although he's working with actors and there's never any doubt that his movie is fictional, even the most surreal and fanciful of sequences feel real. Galega's young daughter Cacá (lyne Santana) perhaps illustrates this best. Looking on with wide eyes, she's fascinated with Iremar, yet accepts everything ordinary and unusual that she sees. Here, in the heat and the dust, with the people who have become her makeshift family, that's just the way things are. Commentary about the film's country of origin shades Neon Bull's frames. Iremar and his pals show that life is changing in the rodeo realm, just as it is in broader Brazil. The movie also investigates the link between those who walk on two legs and those who walk on four. We care for, corral and try to conquer these animals, yet the film shows that in a lot of ways we're really not all that different. Laced with empathy, insight and more than a few narrative, visual and emotional surprises, Neon Bull proves a winner.
The latest artistic endeavour from experimental filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson, best known for his divisive features Ruin and Hail, Breaking Waves is a multi-screen installation that charts the life's work and obsession of a kindred spirit: Melbourne-born composer Percy Grainger. On display at the Ian Potter Museum of Art throughout the duration of this year's Melbourne Festival, the film combines fragments of Grainger's music along with high speed, close-up cinematography. The end result aims to provide "an impressionistic gateway into the motivations that drove a singular artist". Image: courtesy of the Grainger Museum collection, University of Melbourne.
The stars of the local and international jazz scene are getting ready to blow. Running from June 3 to 12, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival is back for another year featuring another stellar lineup. From concert performances to club sessions — as well as walking tours, workshops and artists in conversation — it's a copacetic celebration of jazz in all its forms. Standout shows on the jam-packed program include the free opening night concert on the stage at Federation Square, a reworking of Van Morrison classics by celebrated jazz singer Vince Jones, and a tribute to the legendary Billie Holiday from American vocalist José James. Those after something a little more intimate, meanwhile, can swing by Bennetts Lane, Uptown Jazz Cafe or Dizzy's Jazz Club, where you can catch a different festival show practically every evening. For the full Jazz Festival program visit melbournejazz.com. Image: Kim Densham.
Tauntauns and tequila might not seem like the most obvious match, but you can expect both this Friday night at Brown Alley on Lonsdale Street. In a week that boasts both Star Wars Day (aka May the Fourth) and Cinco de Mayo, the CBD nightspot is celebrating both with a Mexican Star Wars Fiesta. Costumes inspired by either theme are highly encouraged. We've always wondered what Darth Vader would look like in a sombrero. In addition to the costume competition (yes, there will be prizes), the night will feature a whole rebel squadron of live performers, including mariachis and a salsa orchestra as well as Mexican and Latin DJs. The full lineup can be found via the event page on Facebook. There'll also be a galactic piñata. Not entirely sure what that entails, but it sounds great.
A screen, multiple cameras and a pair of performers are the key ingredients in a new show from one of our favourite local dance companies. L U C I D is the latest work from Anouk van Dijk, the acclaimed choreographer and artistic director at Melbourne's own Chunky Move. Making its world premiere on Thursday, May 26 ahead of a two and a half-week run at the company's studio in Southbank, L U C I D will interrogate the way in which we imagine, construct and censor our own identity in the face of the hyperconscious modern world. Dancers Lauren Langlois and Stephen Phillips will shift from one persona to the next, expressing fear, control and desire throughout an intimate hour-long show. Those wanting to delve deeper can attend the performance on Thursday, June 9, which will be followed by a post-show Q&A.
Before Batman squared off against Superman and the Avengers started fighting amongst themselves, another group of not-so-average folks brought their battles to the big screen. Since 2000, the X-Men franchise has charted the many clashes and intermittent truces of Professor Charles Xavier, his friend-turned-nemesis Magneto, and their respective groups of disagreeing mutants. Sixteen years later, they've graced nine films, including the original trilogy, two Wolverine spin-offs, two other excursions into the characters' backstories and this year's smash hit Deadpool. With such a sizeable history, of course their latest conflict seems familiar. But it also feels every inch its own. Indeed, there has always been a specific vibe to the X-Men movies: outcast-oriented dramas mixed with bombastic action, while always retaining a distinctive emotional core. Director Bryan Singer is at the helm of his fourth instalment, while writer Simon Kinberg is back for script number three. It should therefore come as no surprise that the '80s-set X-Men: Apocalypse once again charts outsiders looking to find their place in a makeshift mutant family. Ten years after the main events of X-Men: Days of Future Past, Professor X (James McAvoy) yet again locks horns with Magneto (Michael Fassbender), with the recently unearthed Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) — an ancient, god-like being considered the first-ever mutant — the cause of their latest conflict. The former is intent on stopping the new threat, re-teaming with CIA agent Moira Mactaggert (Rose Byrne) and later shape-shifting mutant Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). The latter, in the wake of his own personal tragedy, once again embraces his destructive streak and sides with the fresh force of global devastation. With teenage incarnations of Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) also featured, X-Men: Apocalypse doesn't lack in subplots, characters or attempts to set up future sequels. Nor does it miss any opportunity to thrust a CGI-heavy fray to the fore, or to sprinkle in a few much-needed doses of humour – particularly when returning favourite Quicksilver (Evan Peters) is involved. Instead, the one thing absent is the added element the film so obviously strives for: a heightened sense of grandeur. Conveying the personal stakes motivating the main players may not be an easy feat in such a busy effort, yet it's something the movie achieves in a touching manner. Dialling up the gravity of the entire situation proves far less simple or successful. Sadly, the titular villain is the main culprit weighing the feature down. If X-Men: Apocalypse shines whenever the usual suspects share screen time, it lags when the newfound enemy starts making big speeches. In stark contrast to the actor's typical output, poor Oscar Isaac is barely allowed to make a mark, with his makeup and digitally altered voice sapping his natural charisma. Thankfully McAvoy and Fassbender continue their stellar form across their trio of prequel films, while Peters once again threatens to steal the show. When you're watching them, you're in vintage X-Men territory, even if the movie desperately wants to be something more.
While you're probably familiar with A Streetcar Named Desire, you never would have heard of it without The Glass Menagerie. After all, it was this highly personal stage play — about a faded Southern belle and her two dysfunctional adult children — that first launched playwright Tennessee Williams from obscurity into the spotlight. More than 70 years after their first appearance on stage in Chicago, Amanda Wingfield and her children Laura and Tom will trip the boards at Malthouse Theatre. Straight from a sold-out run at Sydney's Belvoir St Theatre, this updated take (directed by Eamon Flack) sees Tom look back on memories of his family, reimagined as scenes from an old black and white film. The reviews out of Sydney were stellar, with lead actress Pamela Rabe scoring a Helpmann Award for her troubles.
A film festival dedicated to American films? Bear with us here. Sure, Hollywood pumps out most of the movies that reach our screens, but don't expect to see superheroes battling for supremacy, transforming robotic cars saving the world or an endless parade of sequels at Essential Independents: American Cinema, Now. Instead, the brand new event is dedicated to the types of US flicks that don't usually make it to our shores. Here, smaller titles and character-driven fare share the spotlight with experimental efforts, intriguing docos and the kind of classics that you won't find on every retro lineup. Think revisionist westerns featuring gun-slinging gals and explorations of important American artists, plus the chance to see early work by the Coen brothers, Kathryn Bigelow, Richard Linklater and Sofia Coppola in a cinema. The festival will run from May 17 until June 8 at Palace Como on Chapel Street and Palace Westgarth in Northcote. You can find Melbourne session times here. Need help deciding what to see? Take a look at our top five films to see at the festival.
There's something uniquely fascinating about watching an actor play against type. Whether it's comedian Adam Sandler as a lonely introvert in Punch-Drunk Love, or perennial leading man Leonardo DiCaprio as a sadistic slave owner in Django Unchained, it's often the performances that challenge our perception of an actor that end up being their most memorable. The most recent example of this phenomenon comes courtesy of Jeremy Saulnier's Green Room, a viciously violent thriller starring veteran actor Patrick Stewart as the leader of a gang of murderous neo-Nazis. To call it the most unsettling performance of his career doesn't come close to doing it justice. Suffice it to say, you'll never think about Captain Picard in quite the same way again. Against the white supremacists Saulnier pits struggling punk band The Ain't Rights, whose members include Fright Night's Anton Yelchin and Arrested Development's Alia Shawkat. With money and petrol both in perilously low supply, the group takes a gig at a remote skinhead bar in Oregon, a decision that they may not live to regret. Their cover of the Dead Kennedys song 'Nazi Punks Fuck Off' doesn't exactly get the warmest of receptions, but that's nothing compared to what's in store for them after they find a freshly murdered corpse in the green room following the show. It's the worst possible case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and with club owner Darcy Banker (Stewart) intent on eliminating all witnesses, the band soon find themselves fighting for their lives. What follows is an exercise in excruciating tension in which the odds of a happy ending seem to diminish with every scene. Green Room is not for audiences with faint hearts or weak stomachs, with Saulnier executing some of the most gruesome, shocking and genuinely upsetting violence we've seen on the big screen in quite some time. Still, it's the moments in between the carnage that are the movies' most effective. Rarely has a film captured the terror of imminent bloodshed with this kind of frenzied, animalistic intensity – and for that, credit must go not just to Saulnier, but also to his cast. Playing scared isn't always the easiest thing to do, as the bad acting in countless horror films can attest. But Yelchin and Shawkat, along with their bandmates Callum Turner and Joe Cole, are never anything less than 100 per cent convincing. Their work also makes Stewart that much more frightening by comparison. There's something utterly chilling about the way he keeps his cool, coordinating his troupe of loyal thugs even as the body count rises. Whether or not Saulnier intended the film to have contemporary political undertones, it's hard not to read something into the way in which Banker so brazenly exploits his followers, inciting violence through rhetoric while keeping his own hands (mostly) clean. Either way, it's a phenomenal turn by the actor, and well worth the price of a ticket on its own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDpRB0XmbDw
Want to get away from the city? Then head along down the Great Ocean Road for three straight days of theatre, music, comedy and cabaret. Returning to the picturesque surf coast locale for its sixth incarnation, the Lorne Performing Arts Festival will once again set the whole town abuzz. This year's festivities kick off on Friday night with a sold out opening gala – the perfect way to launch a jam-packed program boasting talent from near and far. Tom Gleeson and Denise Scott headline the comedic contingent, along with comic music acts The Suitcase Royale Band and Hooting & Howling. But the rest of the music lineup is no laughing matter, with Sydney heavyweights All Our Exes Live in Texas featured alongside Rowena Wise, Miles & Simone and Mojo Juju. In between ticketed shows, you can also pay a visit to the festival hub, where you'll find free entertainment throughout the weekend.
Matthew McConaughey has been called quite a few things over the course of his career, but understated isn't often one of them. Whether he's grinning in one of the many rom-coms on his resume, gyrating in Magic Mike, or claiming that time is a flat circle in True Detective, he's the kind of actor that tends to make his presence known. But while that still proves the case in civil war drama Free State of Jones, what's most noticeable about McConaughey's efforts here isn't what he does, but what he doesn't do. As a conscripted Confederate medic who decides to desert his post, his portrayal here is far less flashy than we're used to. Of course, McConaughey's approach to playing real-life figure Newton Knight suits the movie he's in: a lengthy, slow-moving drama that's eager to stress the importance of its little-known true tale. If McConaughey displays a much more restrained brand of his usual charm, it's because writer-director Gary Ross (The Hunger Games) is determined to make the film as solemn as possible. Unfortunately, in doing so, the end result feels rather bland. Tired of seeing soldiers put their lives on the line for a cause that rewards the rich, Knight heads home to Mississippi while the conflict still rages. He's quickly labelled a deserter, hunted by the army and forced to hide out in swampland in Jones County – events that fuel his rebellion not just against the war and slavery, but against the government's excessive taxation of local farms. As word of his crusade spreads, others join his fight, sparking a new battle for equality between opposing factions of the Confederacy. Cue all the expected speeches about freedom and fairness, in a film that endeavours to highlight the varying levels of injustice and disillusionment that continue to haunt the United States to this day. And yet, though it does just that, there's no mistaking Free State of Jones' comfortable, cautious perspective. As Knight bands together with runaway slaves and falls for the kindly Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the film remains content to focus on what these developments say about its hero. The words 'white saviour' aren't uttered, but they'll definitely pop into your mind. Given that Ross plays it safe with his story, and tasks McConaughey with doing the same with his performance, it's hardly surprising that the film looks the same as it feels. Knight and his fellow characters might get muddy and bloody, but there's little that's untidy about the way the decidedly muted movie is put together. Here, a polished but decidedly mediocre narrative gets an aesthetic to match, and proves all the less powerful for it. That many of Free State of Jones' most interesting details are conveyed as text on screen says plenty about the finished film.
As always, this year's Melbourne Fringe program is packed full of great cabaret shows. But it's hard to go past the new solo effort from Bobby Blue, host of Karaoke Dance Party Go! and one quarter of Melbourne barbershop quartet Bobby and the Pins. In Self Esteem: The Soundtrack, Blue rides a wave of self-love and self-loathing backed by the best pop, rock and soul tracks about exactly that. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll cringe in recognition. And with a bit of luck, you'll leave feeling better adjusted than you did when the show began.
If you're going to run an annual genre festival, then you're also going to want to push some boundaries. Opening with a controversial film that has already caused fainting and walkouts overseas, this year's Monster Fest is challenging its audience right from the get-go — or catering to their extreme horror tastes, perhaps? In fact, if you have an interest in film festivals — or can't help stumbling across headlines about strange things happening in cinemas — then you might've already heard of Julia Ducournau's debut Raw. As well as inspiring buzz and picking up an award in Cannes in May, the French director's first film garnered plenty of attention in Toronto just this week. There, paramedics were called to a midnight screening after multiple people reportedly passed out while watching. Whether the reaction was genuine or a publicity stunt has already been questioned; however if you're not a fan of gory flicks, a coming-of-age effort about a young vegetarian participating in a carnivorous activities after enrolling in veterinary school just might cause you to feel a little queasy. Raw, which is set for a general release around Australia in March 2017, joins already-announced, similarly out-there closing night offering The Greasy Strangler as a high-profile highlight of this year's Monster Fest. The event will also host a selection of movies directed by veteran helmer Ted Kotcheff, including classic Aussie outback thriller Wake in Fright and dead body comedy Weekend at Bernie's, with the filmmaker attending the festival in person. A program of events and screenings focused on genre narratives made for the small screen will also feature — complete with a Nightmare VHS Board Game Party, much to the delight of anyone who grew up in the '90s — with the full lineup set to be revealed in the coming weeks. Monster Fest 2016 runs from November 24 to 27 at Melbourne's Lido Cinemas. For more information, visit the festival's website.
Feliz cumpleaños! Richmond's El Atino & Co. is on the cusp of turning one, and what better way to celebrate than by stuffing your face with food? On the evening of Thursday, September 29, the Bridge Road Latin restaurant and grocer will kick off the long weekend a little early with a taco and liquor-fueled Mexican fiesta. Doors to El Atino's first birthday party open at 6pm sharp – and you'll want to get there bang on the dot so you can spend as much time as possible in front of the taco buffet (yes, we said taco buffet). In addition to chef Martin Zozaya's finest tacos, guests will find plenty of liquid refreshment, including margaritas, beer and sweet, sweet tequila. There'll also be Mexican music and other entertainment. Not bad for just $35 per person. No door sales though — tickets need to be booked online.
First, it's the low, flat tone in his voice that does it. Then, it's the anxious but determined glint in his eye. It only takes a few seconds of screen time, a couple of words and a specific expression, for Joseph Gordon-Levitt to make his portrayal of Edward Snowden worth watching. He's the glare, grit, heart and soul of Snowden, from director Oliver Stone. Even as the filmmaker takes a clear-cut stance about the man considered a hero by some and a traitor by others, Gordon-Levitt brings the required conflict and complexity to the role. Snowden begins in June 2013, in a hotel room in Hong Kong, with one of the most significant and suspenseful events in recent history. The NSA contractor is meeting with filmmaker Laura Poitras (Melissa Leo) and journalists Glenn Greenwald (Zachary Quinto) and Ewen MacAskill (Tom Wilkinson), providing them with a wealth of documents about the US government's secret surveillance regime. The scene should feel familiar, particularly among viewers who have seen Poitras' Academy Award-winning documentary Citizenfour. Stone recreates parts of her excellent film as a starting point and a framing device, before setting out to unpack what it was that compelled Snowden to do what he did. What follows is a dramatic retelling that incorporates much of what you might have read in newspaper headlines, along with snippets of Snowden's life including his rocky relationship with his girlfriend Lindsay Mills (Shailene Woodley). He excels during his training, and works his way through various intelligence postings around the world. But with each new task, he grows increasingly concerned about America's intrusive espionage activities, and disillusioned with the country he had always believed in. It's an intricate story — and a fascinating one. Stone does an adequate job jumping between multiple time frames, weaving three distinct narrative threads and crafting a slick feature in the process. Yet it's the central performance — along with the inherently gripping subject matter — that keeps Snowden tense and thrilling. As the film cycles through relatively routine biopic territory, Gordon-Levitt even manages to make the frequent sight of searching through files and staring out of windows seem compelling. Unfortunately, while JG-L's portrayal is spot-on, it hurts that the narrative and filmmaking all feels so standard and straightforward. Indeed, it's the feature's conventional nature that never wholly satisfies, even if the story it relates remains engrossing. Snowden is filled with questions, but they're ones that the director quickly offers his own easy, ready-made answers to. On the whole, this is a far less probing effort than Stone's best – think Platoon, Wall Street and JFK. That said, with World Trade Centre, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Savages among his recent output, Snowden is his best film in some time, as well as his most topical. And if nothing else, it also gifts audiences a rare treat: Nicolas Cage actually acting — rather than chewing the scenery — as one of Snowden's early mentors.
Chess is best played calmly, with an analytical mindset and with an awareness of the many life lessons it can teach — at least as far as every film depiction of the strategic game is concerned. Based on the tale of Ugandan prodigy Phiona Mutesi, Queen of Katwe is certainly guilty of finding parallels between reality and moving pawns around a board, and even of tasking a kindly coach with pointing them out. Thankfully, in the hands of The Reluctant Fundamentalist director Mira Nair, embracing cliches and relying upon metaphors can't stand in the way of a great story. And what a rousing tale it is, not quite of the rags-to-riches kind, but one filled with fighting spirit and driven to discard the shackles of poverty and gender. When the film first offers a glimpse of teenaged Phiona (Madina Nalwanga), she's poised to win a national championship — making Queen of Katwe's end goal apparent, yet never downplaying her struggle to get there. Jumping back, we next see her as a nine-year-old spending her days selling corn to help her widowed mother Harriet (Lupita Nyong'o) support their family of six. Learning to play chess is the last thing on her mind; in fact, she only heads to the local club run by volunteer Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) to get a free cup of porridge. Even if you're not familiar with Phiona, or the magazine article turned book The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl's Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster that inspired Nair's film, you should know what you're in for. Phiona takes to her new hobby with gusto, with Robert's encouragement and despite Harriet's disapproval. The local boys aren't happy to be playing a girl — and they're even less impressed when she keeps beating them. And when the club raises the funds needed to play a tournament against wealthier students, they're hardly welcomed with open arms There's a game afoot in this film about a game: one side patiently tries to position the pieces necessary to paint a portrait of Phiona's impoverished life in a developing country, while the other happily tries to fit her tale into an established pattern. Mair alternates between fleshing out the location-specific details and brightly bouncing through the usual underdog sports movie elements. Yes, it seems that chess really is relevant everywhere, even when it comes to the way that Queen of Katwe handles its narrative. In terms of performance, everyone from newcomer Nalwanga to Oscar-winner Nyong'o to standout Oyelowo shines, enhancing the film's many uplifting charms. Add an end credits nod to the real-life figures behind the inspiring story, and joyful tears are more than likely. Sure, Queen of Katwe still proves the kind of movie that makes its plays known several moves in advance. But that doesn't diminish the moving end result.
Independent artists from all across Asia will present their work as part of Multicultural Arts Victoria's Mapping Melbourne. Now in its fourth year, this Asia-focused festival will feature a selection of free performances, music works and visual and live art installations by artists from China, Indonesia, Singapore, India, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and — of course — Australia. Mapping Melbourne will run from December 1-17 in various venues around the city. Standout events include Fire Monkey (a collaborative dance work inspired by the Chinese Zodiac), Desivolution (a photography exhibition about Melbourne's Indian diaspora) and Crossing, an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and large-scale installations that explore the visual and social culture of Bali. But you can check out the full program here. Image by Nachnicha Kongkatigumjorn.
Enjoying a glass of wine might come with a few supposed medical benefits, but having a tipple isn't typically an exercise-heavy pastime. You sit. You drink. You get up, top up your beverage and repeat. You usually don't walk particularly far, let alone run. At a new series of wine-tasting fun runs about to take place around Australia, however, you'll put in the hard yards before you get the boozy rewards. The Grapest 5K run consists of two sections. First, you sprint, jog or set forth at whatever pace suits you best, making your way through scenic vineyard surroundings. Then, you walk another kilometre — yes, in addition to the first five, or ten if you're feeling extra energetic — while stopping at tasting stations along the way and sampling the good stuff. Don't worry, if you're not up to the first part and you're simply keen on wandering and sipping, that's an option (although it does defeat the idea of combining fitness with throwing back drinks). The first run takes place on February 11 at Balgownie Estate in Bendigo, with a second scheduled on March 4 at Coolangatta Estate in Shoalhaven, south of Woollongong. Further events are mooted in the Hunter Valley, Brisbane, Margaret River in Western Australia, Langhorne Creek in South Australia and Canberra throughout the rest of the year.
The immersive gamers at Pop Up Playground are back with a brand new adventure. Taking place over two months all across inner city Melbourne, Outside: The Cloud blends the real world with the digital one, as players race to crack clues, uncover puzzles and find IRL passcodes each and every week. The game imagines a world in which a nefarious corporation is covertly testing a chemical weapon on the unsuspecting public. It's up to players to work together to unravel the conspiracy, with their actions in the game shaping where the story goes next. Entry into Outside: The Cloud costs $30 per month, or $50 for the full season. You can enter the game at any time, even if you missed the start or have to take a week off due to boring stuff like being a grown-up and having a job.
There's a reason that veteran British filmmaker Ken Loach likes to shoot his characters from afar, and frame his socially minded features in a way that makes audiences think they're peering at reality. The director behind the likes of Kes, My Name is Joe and The Angels' Share might've spent his five-decade career largely telling fictional tales, but there's nothing more interesting to him than getting to the truth. That's why, in this year's Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner I, Daniel Blake, viewers spend much of the movie watching the eponymous figure (Dave Johns) navigate his surroundings. Dan spends his days chatting with his neighbour, seeking assistance from the local welfare office, and helping a single mother, Katie (Hayley Squires), as she struggles to get by. And yet, through Loach's lens, this everyman's ordinary life couldn't be more revealing. Working with American Honey cinematographer Robbie Ryan, Loach observes things from a distance. At the same time, in collaborating once again with screenwriter Paul Laverty, he rifles through intimate details. As such, the film pulls off an illuminating and empathetic balancing act, exploring the minutiae of Dan's quest to receive financial support after having a serious heart attack on a building site, while placing his plight in the context of an uncaring system seemingly designed to punish rather than aid those in need. Accordingly, I, Daniel Blake starts with a scene that evokes both horror and humour, the two emotions that underscore every part of the film. The screen remains black as the opening credits roll and Dan answers questions from a woman about the state of his health. They're standard questions, read straight from a form, that ignore his individual circumstances and are clearly designed to deem him fit for work, despite his doctors' advice to the contrary. Dan gets frustrated and angry, and eventually starts joking around when it's clear that nothing else will work. By the time Loach pairs the sounds of their conversation with the corresponding imagery, the absurdity and the injustice of the situation is already clear. Whether they're charting Dan's conversations with unhelpful government employees, or chronicling Katie's efforts to start a new life for her kids, there's no doubting where the sympathies of Loach and Laverty reside. There's also no avoiding the passion and fury that drives I, Daniel Blake, or its attempts at shining a light where it's needed most. This isn't just a feature about the specific characters at its centre and the many others they represent. It's also a movie filled with small acts of kindness and amusing human antics that rally against the pervading culture of institutionalised cruelty and austerity. As always, Loach favours stark naturalism — in both the bleakly lit Newcastle offices and homes that provide the film its backdrop, and in the organic performances offered by his cast. It's an aesthetic choice that helps heighten the sense of despair, while also ensuring that every fleeting moment of on-screen happiness feels earned. As portrayed with grim pain, wavering determination and an intermittent sense of levity by Johns and Squires, this is ultimately a film about people; whether they're beaten down by bureaucracy, making the most of what they've got, or doing whatever it takes to claw their way back up again.
Think you've seen every underdog sports movie there is? Think again. The Golden Globe-nominated, Academy Award-shortlisted The Fencer doesn't quite thrust and parry its way into new territory, but it still does much more than offer an Estonian-set answer to The Mighty Ducks, or swap bobsleds for fencing foils. It's with tones of beige and grey that The Fencer tells its tale, made up of familiar components. Indeed, as a champion seeks a new life in a small town, largely by instructing eager students in the titular pastime, there's no escaping the been-there, done-that vibe that matches the film's colouring. And yet, feel-good sports films are typically shinier and more spirited as they work their way towards the uplifting outcome the audience knows is coming. Tempering Finnish director Klaus Härö's addition to the genre is the shadow of reality, with the film's narrative ripped from the plight of a man fleeing Soviet persecution in '50s-era Estonia. Part against-the-odds drama, part portrait of life after wartime, The Fencer doesn't attempt to brighten up the story of Endel Nelis (Märt Avandi). Instead, it offers a faithful depiction of a dark chapter in his life, coupled with hard-earned slivers of hope for viewers to hang on to. The bland shades that fill the film's frames reflect its quest to recreate a period and setting; however, emotionally, they couldn't be more fitting. Working with a script by first-timer Anna Heinämaa, Härö is keen to emphasise the dull drudgery that surrounds Endel in a place where fear or blind allegiance have become the only modes of thinking. The town is stifled, wearied and lifeless, and it's reflected in the film's visual palette. When Nelis takes a job as a sports teacher in Haapsalu, he's feeling much the same — and the way that his new headmaster (Hendrik Toompere) dismisses his fondness for fencing doesn't help. Add the fact that he's neither keen on children nor eager to get to know anyone, and he seems set for a dire time in hiding. Then he decides to start a weekend sports club, and is pleasantly surprised by the significant turnout. Standout pupils Marta (Liisa Koppel) and Jaan (Joonas Koff) prove particularly enthusiastic, welcoming the escape from their own respective troubles, and eventually pleading to participate in a national tournament in Leningrad. Despite its historical basis, there's little in The Fencer that doesn't play out as expected, but don't discount the impact a predictable tale can have when it's couched in empathetic performances and built from small, intimate moments. Even when the film threatens to overplay its hand — which is unsurprisingly often given the combination of a brooding protagonist, endearing kids, enduring hardship and a sporting competition — it still infuses recognisable scenes with intimacy and earnest affection. Here, seemingly simple exchanges between characters say more than clichéd training montages and climactic contests ever could.
It should've been so easy. Everybody loves Christmas films that revel in the raucous side of the season, as the likes of Bad Santa (forget the sequel) and The Night Before demonstrated. Everyone loves Office Space-style workplace comedies as well. Combine the two, throw in a host of funny folks, and the jokes should write themselves… shouldn't they? Perhaps that's the problem with Office Christmas Party — maybe directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck (The Switch, Blades of Glory), as well as the six different writers involved with conjuring up the story and screenplay, just assumed that's what would happen. They certainly thought that sticking to a formula as bland and straightforward as the film's title would work, and that mentioning beloved pop culture brands and figures such as Fast and Furious, Mad Men, David Bowie and Prince would rustle up some added affection. Alas, the last time office-based festive antics proved such a mess, it was in Die Hard. We all know how that turned out: fantastic as far as action flicks are concerned, but not so well for the people trapped inside Nakatomi Plaza. Here, a Chicago building inhabited by the local branch of a computing firm provides the site of the chaos. Head honcho Clay Vanstone (T.J. Miller) wants to throw the kind of annual party his dad, the former company head, would've been proud of — not the non-denominational holiday mixer with a gouda-stacked cheese platter that HR rep Mary (Kate McKinnon) is putting together. When his sister and interim CEO Carol (Jennifer Aniston) not only cancels the shindig, but threatens to lay off almost half of his staff, Clay and his chief technical officer Josh (Jason Bateman) spring into action. They plan to woo a possible big-shot client (Courtney B. Vance) by throwing an epic rager, with an inappropriate eggnog delivery system, a basketball star and all-round debauchery included. Great party movies, like the recent Tina Fey/Amy Poehler vehicle Sisters, make you wish you were there. Bad party movies usually make you cringe — and no, that's not what Office Christmas Party actually wants to do. Frankly, it's attempting too much already. With X-Men: Apocalypse's Olivia Munn, Workaholics' Jillian Bell, Saturday Night Live's Vanessa Bayer and The Neon Demon's Abbey Lee also among the cast, the film isn't short on subplots involving professional and romantic troubles. As if that weren't enough, a revolutionary new way to access the internet also plays a significant part in proceedings. Mixing an over-stuffed story, predictably bad behaviour, and Santa suits and Christmas lights aplenty, Office Christmas Party proves the type of supposedly outrageous comedy that feels like it was designed by committee. To be fair, that is how most real-life workplace gatherings of the sort come together, and they don't have the scene-stealing McKinnon to liven things up. Still, a party that's only enjoyable when one specific person pops up will always remain a drag, be it off-screen or on.
We're getting close to Christmas, a time for helping those in dire straits. And if you can do so while devouring copious amounts of gingerbread, then so much the better. Scheduled for this Saturday, December 10 the Gingerbread Demolition is your chance to stuff yourself full of sugar while raising money for children in need. Those who buy a ticket for $52 will be treated to a night of food, booze, dancing and cookie decorating, plus the chance to bid on a number of custom-built gingerbread houses at auction. And then smash the crap out of them. Proceeds from the event will go to Save the Children, which helps provide aid to vulnerable kids and young people around Australia and the world.
Summer is almost here, and for the citizens of the inner north that means eats, beats and bargains under the stars. Yes, the Coburg Night Market is coming back to Bridges Reserve with a brand new program of live music and assorted revelry. Taking over the heritage park for four consecutive Fridays, the latest edition of this summertime bazaar promises to be its biggest yet. Each week will welcome a selection of local music acts, from the eight-piece Papa Chango to the El Salvadorian rhythms of Mariachi Los Romanticos to the '50s style tunes of Bobby and the Pins. The market will also feature more than 30 different food vendors, serving cuisine from all around the world. Add to that various makers and market stallholders selling hand-crafted treasures, and you'll find yourself wishing summer could last forever.
The man behind the number four restaurant in the world is bringing his ceviche expertise to Melbourne. Virgilio Martínez, of Peru's acclaimed Central Restaurante, will be a guest of The Terrace in the Botanic Gardens on Friday, November 25. There, he'll spruik his new book and take ticketholders on a deep dive into the mouthwatering world of Peruvian cuisine. Presented by Good Food Month, and hosted by Pastuso chef Alejandro Saravia, this one-night-only event will feature nine separate ceviche dishes spread over a number of different tasting stations. They'll include a Japanese number featuring marlin, parsnip, shiitake mushrooms and ponzu dressing, and the la leche de tigre made with the fish of the day, diamond shell clams, octopus tentacles and fried calamari. Attendees will be able to interact with the chefs and get a feel for their technique. They'll also be greeted with pisco sours on arrival, and sip specially paired wines throughout the night. Tickets are $100 per person, or $145 if you want a copy of his book as well.
The 2013 Boston Marathon came to an end with the kind of bang that no one could've imagined. As spectators lined the streets on April 15, cheering and chatting while waiting for competitors to cross the finish line, two brothers detonated home-made explosives. Showing the strength that its inhabitants pride themselves on, the city banded together as victims were mourned, the injured treated and the culprits pursued. You know the details — they were splashed across the news around the world. Now, in their third collaboration based on true life events, writer-director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg dramatise the events in Patriots Day. After probing an unsuccessful military counter-intelligence mission in Lone Survivor, and gushing oil in the Gulf of Mexico in Deepwater Horizon, the pair once again offer an on-the-ground look at a tragic event in recent history. It's an ambitious task, particularly given the number of characters featured, as well as the intricacies of the post-bombing manhunt. Those complexities keep the procedural aspects of Patriots Day tense and involving. Unfortunately, they don't make Berg's fondness for easy sentiment any less obvious. Specifically, the film presents a case of patriotism versus terror — or us versus them — clear and simple. In the first camp sits cop Tommy Saunders (Wahlberg), an always-everywhere everyman drawn from several real-life people, who is trying to keep his boss (John Goodman) happy by working the marathon. Cautious but determined FBI agent (Kevin Bacon) oversees operations following the attack, while a local sergeant (JK Simmons) polices a nearby town. Their targets: Dzhokhar (Alex Wolff) and Tamerlan Tsarnaev (Themo Melikidze), whose deeds and paths overlap with plenty of others, including a couple watching the race, an officer guarding a university and a Chinese student proud of his new car. Using individual experiences to piece together a broader narrative isn't a new approach when it comes to stories like this. It's simple and it's effective – descriptors that could also be used to describe the docudrama shooting style, the frenetically paced editing, and the tense, pulsing score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It's not hard to appreciate the technical prowess on display as Berg turns much of the movie into an action-thriller. Nor can you fault him for wanting to pay tribute to the folks left to search and scramble in the aftermath of the bombing. And yet despite this, Patriots Day makes for uncomfortable viewing. The film was shot in early 2016, and therefore can't really be accused of intentionally pushing an agenda linked to recent political developments. Nevertheless, there's a lingering sense of awkwardness that springs from the way the film leans on easy cliches, stereotypes and emotions for entertainment — even though it's based on something that really happened, and even as it tasks Bacon's character with voicing a few token words of warning about needlessly perpetuating fear. That's where the complicated nature of the underlying story, and of bringing historic tragedies to the screen in general, proves most difficult for Berg.
The latest cookout at Melbourne's historic Prahran Market pays tribute to the humble snag. From 1pm on Sunday, January 29, some of the finest butchers and poulterers in town will offer up their very best wurst at the third annual Prahran Market Sausage Fest. Yeah, we're not sure we would have called it that either. Name aside, this post-Australia Day grill promises to be a tasty affair. In an epic sausage showdown, Melbourne's best butchers will put their best snags into the Harvest Hall arena to battle it out. Members of the public will taste and vote for their favourite. Last year's winners, J & L Butchers, won for their lamb, spinach and pine nut creation — and we're guessing they'll have some stiff competition this time 'round. As well as helping award the best sausage in Melbourne, you'll also be able to buy a half-dozen of your favourite snags for your next epic barbecue.
For the past five years, Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room and Bar) and Giovanni Paradiso (10 William Street) have won over Sydneysiders aplenty with a taste of all things Italian at their annual Italo Dining and Disco Club. Now, it's Melbourne's turn, as the legendary, disco-fuelled celebration takes over Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's House of Food & Wine hub on Friday, March 31. On the menu will be a modern twist on those classic Italian flavours so ingrained in On the menu will be a modern twist on those classic Italian flavours so ingrained in suburban Aussie culture, so expect to revel in expert iterations of tiramisu, backyard pizza, lasagna, calamari fritti, and much more. In true Italian style, it wouldn't be a party without some free-flowing drinks — here, in the form of Cynar, Rosso Antico, spritzes, and even some backyard-style drops from local winemaker Owen Latta. Rounding out the fun and sending you dancing through the evening, will be disco-heavy DJ sets from the likes of Andee Frost, András, Pjenné and Dreamcatcher.
If you've got a few things booked in for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, counteract all that vino with a spot of beer and cider appreciation. Gracing the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre's front lawn this Saturday and Sunday, the South Wharf Craft Beer Weekend will find you swapping your Shiraz and your Sav Blanc for a bunch of award-winning Aussie brews, as part of the festival's River Graze program. Kick back on the grass and launch your MFWF experience with the help of some expertly crafted sips, a lineup of live tunes, and a selection of gourmet fare.
A film about a man experiencing time in reverse shouldn't be forgettable. When it comes to The Death and Life of Otto Bloom, however, maybe it's somewhat fitting. The eponymous Aussie isn't Benjamin Button — in this curious case he ages normally, but was born with all of his memories, progressively losing them with each passing day. That means that he can remember everything that will happen, but not what has previously occurred. Alas, for viewers, this is a case of life imitating art, with the final film failing to stick in your mind for very long once the theatre lights come up. It's not that the underlying idea behind writer-director Cris Jones' first feature doesn't stand out. One of the great things about temporal trickery and mind-bending sci-fi is that new concepts just keep coming — and Aussie filmmakers have been heartily trying their hand at them recently, as the ambitious Predestination and the excellent The Infinite Man have shown. Sadly, Otto Bloom just doesn't do much with its premise other than wrap it up in faux-documentary packaging and attempt to tell a contemplative tale of life, death, love and loss. A cult figure who dabbles in art and gathers a following as a motivational speaker, Otto Bloom is called plenty of things over the course of his life. Jones begins the film with a whirlwind of news headlines and talking heads, and indeed, it seems there is no shortage of folks willing to offer their two cents about Bloom's strange existence. The most interesting and important of these is Dr Ada Fitzgerald (played by Rachel Ward in the interview segments and her daughter Matilda Brown in flashbacks). She first met Bloom in the '80s, named his unique condition "retrochronology", and swiftly fell for his charms. But romancing a man who only remembers your future, not your past or present, proves more than a little bit tricky. Both Ward and Brown thoroughly steal the show in their shared role, so much so that you may find yourself wishing that the film was more about Ada instead of Otto. When neither actress is on screen, we're left with Spin Out and A Few Less Men star Xavier Samuel, continuing his spate of underwhelming roles in similarly underwhelming local films. We're told over and over that his protagonist is supposed to be enigmatic. Unfortunately, he just comes off as dull. But that's The Death and Life of Otto Bloom in a nutshell: intriguing on paper, underwhelming in execution. Much of the film's struggles stem from its approach and structure, with the movie never making a convincing argument for pretending it's a doco. Well, maybe it does — without the repetitive to-camera chatter from the likes of the cop that first came across Bloom, his eventual manager, a fascinated philosopher and an art critic, the movie would've been even more short and slight. Either way, it's still thoroughly disappointing.
They say truth is stranger than fiction. The story told in The Eagle Huntress feels like a surreal cocktail of both. The impressive directorial debut by newcomer Otto Bell, the doco was the darling of last year's festival circuit. And while Bell may be green, he did manage to nab Star Wars star Daisy Ridley as both narrator and executive producer, so already his film has credentials. The documentary follows Aisholpan Nurgaiv, a very impressive 13-year-old Kazakh girl living in the severe Altai mountains in Mongolia. Her family are nomadic, travelling across the mountains and living on the land. As we're gradually introduced to her school, her friends and her responsibilities, we gain fascinating insight into the thoughts and experiences of a teenage girl in Mongolia. This alone would have made a unique documentary. But when Aisholpan gets home from school, she gears up and rides a horse out into the mountains with her father, where she trains golden eagles. With wingspans of up to 2.3 meters, the magnificent birds are used to hunt hares, foxes and even wolves. Aisholpan is in training to compete in the Golden Eagle Festival, an annual festival in the town of Olgii. There are seven generations of eagle hunters in her family, and her father is a two-time champion at the festival. She's the first woman to compete, and has every intention of being the first woman to win as well. The main tension in the film comes from the stinky old men who claim women can't be eagle hunters because of deeply entrenched, culturally reinforced sexism (and probably something about eagles smelling menstruation. Aisholpan faces an uphill battle with this one). The Eagle Huntress feels like both a documentary and a feature film, with one foot firmly in each camp. The stunning cinematography heightens the sense of drama, while candid interviews and Aisholpan's capriciousness keeps things feeling real. Bell's narrative approach can at times be a little jolting. We're conditioned to expect a certain amount of reminiscing and recapping, as most docos deal with the past and not the present. Still, all will be forgiven as you're swept up in the drama, the scenery and the determination of the plucky young girl at the film's centre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfi5JS6HTH0
The word 'immersive' gets thrown around a lot in dramatic circles these days. Still, in the case of the new show from critically acclaimed theatremaker Jessica Wilson, it really couldn't be more fitting. Created by Wilson in partnership with Ian Pidd and Nicola Gunn, Passenger takes place on a moving bus. Literally, a moving bus. Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne and the Footscray Community Arts Centre as part of this year's Women of the World Festival, Passenger takes audiences on a trip through Docklands — and again, we're not speaking in metaphors here. While on board, you'll eavesdrop on a private conversation as a mysterious woman entices a male passenger to turn on his corporate employer. "We wanted to create an experience of theatre that is moving and set in a real landscape," says Wilson. "Something that feels like being inside the drama rather than watching it from the outside."
Eat, shop, dance and be merry down by Merri Creek, at 2017's CERES Harvest Festival. Held each year at the beloved community centre and urban farm in Brunswick East, the Harvest Festival helps raise money for the centre, while bringing the neighbourhood together to celebrate the natural world. This year's festival will feature local music acts of a number of niche genres, including pirate folk and dance meditation. There'll also be a slew of market stalls selling things like macrame jewellery, vegan soap and kimchi, as well as a book launch, the annual cake baking competition and a battle of the giant vegetables. And, of course, there will be lots of food, including food from CERES's own Sri Lankan chefs, the team behind Tamil Feasts. The whole event runs from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, March 25.
Humanity's place in the natural world will be called into question at Carlton's LAB-14, as part of a brand new exhibition running from March 23 to April 12. On display at the Carlton Connect Initiative's exhibition space, Naturophilia combines the work of a pair of acclaimed Australian artists and examines the point where nature and technology intersect. Curated by the University of Melbourne's Dr Renee Beale, the free three-week show will feature painted, charcoal and sculptural works from Sydney's Peter Sharp, whose annual expeditions through the outback inform his ongoing exploration of our relationship with the land on which we live. Likewise, one of the country's leading print-makers, Melbourne's Martin King, will hit on similar themes, in what Beale describes as an exhibition that asks "whether we will use our tools, technology and imagination to reacquaint ourselves with the natural world".
Some of the sweetest food trucks in town are making their way north for a food truck dessert market. Hosted by Pacific Epping shopping centre, this two-day event will feature cooking demonstrations, wine and cheese tastings and live music as well as the main event: the jam-packed Dessert Market that looks like a dietician's worst nightmare. Among those tapped for the sugary souk are The Brûlée Cart, Sydney's Bearded Bakers (known for their knafeh), Dr Donut and Rue De Creperie, plus Epping's own cult burger favourite Laurie Dee's. Founder Lawrence Di Tomasso has created a limited edition dessert for the event, made with vanilla frozen custard, warm caramel fudge, toasted pecans, honeycomb and coconut flakes just for the occasion. The market is part of the complex's Festival of Foodies, which includes cooking demonstrations and free food tastings from local retailers. It all goes down this weekend on February 25 and 26 from 10am each day.
One of China's most critically acclaimed, in-demand dance companies is hitting the boards at Arts Centre Melbourne once more. After stunning audiences during last year's Supersense festival, Tao Ye's TAO Dance Theatre returns with a spectacular double bill, for a three-night-only engagement as part of Asia TOPA. On stage from Wednesday, February 22 until Friday, February 24, TAO Dance Theatre will present the fast-paced 6 along with its more sensuous accompaniment 8. Scored by Chinese indie-folk-rock composer Xiao He, the two works see Tao continue his exploration of the human form in motion, with the dancers maintaining precisely the same distance from one another as they repeat the same hypnotic motions again and again and again.
