"I think if someone like Bong says 'I'd like to work with you' once and then again, you just say yes," Daniel Henshall tells Concrete Playground. In the past decade, Bong Joon-ho has directed three films: Parasite, picking up the Palme d'Or at Cannes and four Oscars in the process, plus two pictures featuring an Australian actor who initially came to fame in Snowtown, aka one of the nation's most-haunting movies. In Okja, Bong and Henshall's first collaboration, the former tasked the latter with playing an animal-rights activist in a sci-fi action-adventure about battling the meat industry. Reteaming with the writer/director for Mickey 17, Henshall now portrays the righthand man to a wannabe dictator — an egomaniacal politician with clear real-life parallels — who is attempting to set up his own space colony, and cares little for the lives, human and other, that are lost in doing so. "I think I read it after I'd already said yes," Henshall continues. "So I was already on my way to doing it before I got to really appreciate how brilliant and bizarre and epic and fun this film is. I think it's really funny, this one." He's right: while there's darkness in every Bong picture, and the filmmaker's career-long cinematic exploration of exploitation in its many guises continues in Mickey 17, this is a comedy as much as it's a science-fiction flick. Adapting Edward Ashton's novel Mickey7, Bong ensures that humour flavours what's otherwise a bleak premise, with the movie's namesake (Robert Pattinson, The Batman) unwittingly signing up to die again and again and again — enough so he's lived at least 17 lives, hence the title — to assist the sinister Kenneth Marshall's (Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things) designs on an intergalactic empire march forward. This is a tale about expendables — a term that applies literally in Mickey 17, but could've been used to describe much else across Bong's filmography, be how a serial killer regards his victims in Memories of Murder, the way people considered lower-class in Snowpiercer and Parasite are treated, or the animals in the food chain in Okja. Mickey's job, which he didn't read the paperwork for before agreeing, is basically a human guinea pig and crash-test dummy. Death comes with the gig, as does being cloned each time that he says farewell. There's one key rule, however: there can only be one of Mickey, or of any expendable, at a time. Multiples are expressly forbidden. When the 17th Mickey is left for dead on Niflheim, the icy planet that Marshall is endeavouring to make his own, but survives, Mickey 18 is generated. Keeping the fact that there's two of them a secret; navigating his other self's different personality; fighting with himself over his security-agent girlfriend Nasha (Naomi Ackie, Blink Twice); feuding with frenemy Timo (Steven Yeun, Beef); avoiding scientists Dorothy (Patsy Ferran, Miss Austen) and Arkady (Cameron Britton, The Umbrella Academy); being stuck at the whims of Marshall and his sauce-loving wife Ylfa (Toni Collette, Juror No 2); communicating with Niflheim's indigenous creatures, which are nicknamed 'creepers': that's all now on Mickey's plate. Rarely far from Marshall's side, Henshall's Preston is the type of person who'll do anything for the man that he's pledged his allegiance to, including helping to shape his boss' image as fervently as he's constantly stroking his ego. Unlike Mickey of any number and his job, Preston is participating willingly. How did Henshall respond when Bong thought of him for the part? "The first reaction was 'this is more bonkers I'd ever experienced of his work'," he advises. "Parasite is proper bonkers, but this film was bizarre and excellent and unique and funny and humane and violent and scary, and all within this genre. And it was all the things that he brings to his work, all the commentary and the satirical nature of his work. I thought 'oh man, this is such a wonderful, delicious soup'. And Preston is a wonderful ingredient in that soup. What a strange character in this world, right? And from what he had said briefly about the character, it just seemed like a lot of fun — a lot of fun." [caption id="attachment_994744" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alex Vaughn[/caption] Henshall can thank Snowtown for plenty in his career. His performance as John Bunting in his first-ever film role — beforehand, single episodes of All Saints and Rescue Special Ops, plus a main part in soap Out of the Blue are on his resume — is that unforgettable, and everything from fellow Aussie movies These Final Hours, The Babadook, Acute Misfortune, Measure for Measure, A Sunburnt Christmas, The Royal Hotel and How to Make Gravy (which we chatted with him about in 2024) through to international productions Ghost in the Shell and Skin have followed. So too have TV roles at home in Bloom, Lambs of God, Clickbait, Mystery Road: Origin, Savage River and The Newsreader, and overseas in TURN and Defending Jacob. He can directly credit Justin Kurzel's debut crime drama based on the real-life South Australian murders for being cast in both Okja and Mickey 17, though, after Bong was on the Cannes Film Festival Camera d'Or jury in 2011 when Snowtown played at the prestigious festival, then approached Henshall after seeing the movie. How did that first meeting with the filmmaker lead to not one but two performances in front of Bong's lens? Having collaborated with him twice now, why does Henshall think that the South Korean director is so drawn to digging into humanity's penchant for exploitation? What energy did acting alongside Mickey 17's cast, with many of his co-stars turning in such distinctive portrayals, give him for his own performance? Alongside what gets him excited about a new project, what he makes of his career so far and more, our conversation with Henshall spanned all of these topics. On How Snowtown Led to Okja, and Then to Mickey 17 "So Bong was the head juror of the Camera d'Or back in 2011, which is a prize given to the what the jury deem is the best first film by a debut filmmaker at the Cannes Film Festival — and Snowtown played there. And so after the first screening of Snowtown, Bong waited around and he was very sweet, and came up and said hello, and gave me a card and said 'yeah, it'd be great to work with you'. There's a bit of protocol there that says they can't say much about the film or howthey responded to it, just because of the secrecy of the ballot at the end of the week and who wins what, but he said 'I'd like to work with you, very lovely to meet you' — and then he went on his way, and it was very lovely. I went back to an event at Screen Australia, I think, and Jennifer Kent — the writer/director of The Babadook and The Nightingale — was there. She with there with her producer, as she was selling The Babadook to get some international money before making it. And she taught me at acting school. She came up to me and she said 'I heard you met someone today'. And I said 'oh yeah, yeah' — and I was going through my mind who I may have met that she was so excited about. And I said 'oh yeah, there's this beautiful man from Korea'. And she was like 'yeah, I know who he is: director Bong Joon-ho'. And I was like 'oh yeah, yeah'. And she's like 'you don't know who he is, do you?'. And I'm like 'oh, no, no' — and she's like 'you're an idiot, you need to watch this, this, this, this, this and this'. And I was like 'okay, I will, I will'. [caption id="attachment_994759" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Okja, Netflix[/caption] So I went home when Cannes finished and I watched the films. And I was very happy that I didn't know who he was when I met him, because I think I would have been very shy because the films were incredible. Anyway, I was a bit naive. It was the first thing I'd ever been to outside of Australia to do with work, and I thought it was a nice gesture and nothing more. So years go by and we get a phone call, and he'd like to meet for me to work on Okja. I was on a plane the next day. He said 'I'm in LA, I'd love to meet you. I've got this film. I think you'd be great in it'. I'm like 'can I get there quicker?'. So I got on a plane and we met, and I think he'd already cast me in his mind, but he just was doing an energy check. He wanted to see, just to see, I think — he doesn't just cast the people he thinks are going to be great in the film, I think energetically he wants to put together an ensemble of people, not just in front of the camera but behind the camera, who are going to work best to make the film come to life. And I think he knew from meeting me that that might be a good thing. So, obviously you don't know until you do it, but I guess he trusted his intuition. And not long after that I got offered Okja. And then, I get a call out of the blue while I haven't had much work — it's 2022, I haven't had much work or I'm in-between jobs, and I think a couple of things have been pushed, and I'm about to go to start a job on a film. And I get this call from his American producer Dooho Choi, who was a friend of mine because we worked together on Okja, and he says 'hey, Bong wants to work with you again'. I thought he was joking and just having a laugh, and he was like 'no, no, I'm in London and you need to get here'. And I was like 'oh'. So then that happened, and I went to London a couple of months later and I got to do the thing — again. So I'm feeling very blessed and very grateful that I that I got to do it, not just once but twice, because I felt a lot more comfortable the second time working with him in the way that he works. And, of course, with the brilliant people that he brings together to make his very unique, excellent films. So I felt like part of the family the second time. There's a lot of co-collaborators that he worked with again, so I got to be part of that family again and we got to reunite and work together again, and I felt a lot more comfortable in my skin this time." On the Theme of Exploitation Continuing to Recur Across Bong's Career, Including in Okja and Mickey 17 "I think he's a very socially aware guy. I can't speak to what his reasons are, really — he's a very open and lovely human, but I haven't talked in-depth with him about how he came to do [this], because, as you say, there are themes that he, in every one of his films, these themes sort of show up. And I haven't really had a chance to talk in depth about that with him. So that, I couldn't speak to that, other than I think he sees the absurdity in humanity, and while it moves him to, I assume, sadness at times, he just sees the hilarity in the indifference. And I think what he's trying to do — and again this is my take on it — I think what he's trying to do is to show us there's a better way through the absurdity. I think that means a lot to him. I mean, he came out of — again, you'd have to speak to him, but this is my assumption knowing a little about the history — he came out of a military dictatorship, like in 1988 that was thrown over in Korea, and Korea came into this sort of industrial boom, which made people start having a bit more equity across the board and more finances to consume things. And he is the result of that, in that he can now comment on his experience through his art. And he does it so uniquely and so brilliantly. But I think the thing is, it's a lofty goal, but I think the hope when you make something and you spend so long doing it and you commit your life to doing it is to show people that there is a better way. That we can — because there are good people in every one of his films, right? And a lot of the darkness, he shows through absurdity. And you're right, there are some really dark moments in this film in the way that we treat the original habitants, the aliens, of this planet Niflheim, and the way that we treat the expendable, Rob Patterson's characters — character or characters — and the class system within this this spaceship. He's constantly making fun, not just of the people who are being awful, but the people down the scale. So I think that's the goal. Again, this is just me surmising. But that's what I receive when I see his work outside of the work that I've been involved in myself, is that you're pointing out to us that there's a better way — and look how silly we are as a race when ego and hubris and self-interest gets involved. And community is much better together rather than at odds." On Being Part of Such a Stacked Cast — and the Energy That His Co-Stars' Committed Performances Gave Henshall for His Own "It's so much fun, because those guys are so committed to what they're doing and what they're being asked to do by Bong, that it helps inform what you're supposed to do and where you're supposed to be as the character, and how you're supposed to respond to something — whether that be physically, emotionally or verbally. And so when people are giving you so much; I mean, Rob gives so much, Mark gives so much, Toni gives so much, Naomi gives so much. Everybody was coming to work wanting desperately to make this work. And everybody has such a different energy level. Everybody is such a unique, standout character for their moments. The scientists with Cameron Britton and Patsy Ferran, at odds with each other, that classic dynamic. Steven Yeun — Steven Yeun blew me away. Again, everybody's giving their personal story so much value. And our commitment that when you step into that soup or that mesh, you feel it, the energies are pushing and pulling you, and you know what you're there to do, what you're supposed to do there, what you've been asked to do and your intentions. So to play those intentions within that sort of tête-à-tête coming at you and you're responding to it, it's so much fun. You're in such good hands with the crew and Bong behind the camera. I can only speak positively about it. It's just so much fun. Even though he's very prescriptive and he has the film in his head — he only shoots the frames that he's going to use in the edit. So that might interrupt your speech or that might interrupt the dialogue. You only might get a chance to respond at one certain moment. You don't get to play the whole scene out on camera. And he knows exactly what he needs for that, so he might direct you in a certain fashion, and he'll show you the storyboard, and so you get an idea of what you're supposed to be physically — but within that he wants you to play and find something that's not within the storyboard, but you have to just hit those mark physically. And when you're getting the response from that you're getting from Rob — I just remember when doing the read-through and Rob was doing that voice, and I'm like 'this is so great, this is going to be so much fun to work opposite'. And then Mark was finding his voice, and I'm like 'these energies are just wild and within the Bong universe — I can't wait'." On What Excites Henshall About Getting to Skew in a Lighter Direction, Even If There's Still Darkness Evident, Than Projects Like Snowtown, The Royal Hotel and Acute Misfortune. "It doesn't have to be a dark turn for me to get excited to do the work, to flesh out of character. I think that's just the stuff that I've been lucky enough to have been thrown, and I really enjoyed investigating why men like those roles from those films that you mention, to question and investigate why these guys are the way they are and then try to portray that as best I can. But anything on any spectrum excites me. The thing with Preston in this film, Bong's world, there's always a sense of playfulness and absurdity and commentary, and you don't necessarily play that but you lean into the idea of it — and that's really exciting. And I cherish to be able to flesh something like that out in his world. Anything that comes along that is lighter or more comedic, too, that's a different type of challenge and a different type of investigation and curiosity. That's really fun to do, too, depending on who you're working with and the story and the context of the character within that story. But working with him — and his characters are arch at times, and you're fulfilling certain tropes within the story for him, but there's a menace to Preston. And an underlying nastiness, an ugliness that I think comes from an ideology that's dark, but it's portrayed in this sort of very humorous observation of people who can be like that, that end up working for or being part of a belief system. In Preston's terms, it's in with this sort of corporation church, and there are some uglier elements there that we don't delve into but are quite obvious if you look at them hard enough. And that's really fun and it's zany — you know, he's wearing a £2000 suit on a spaceship. Why does he look like that? Where did that come from? Who is he? Bong said to me, the first time we met and talked about this film and this character, he said 'I want you to be shiny and smell like shampoo. You've got no hair, but I want you to be shiny and smell like shampoo'. So that excites me. What does that mean? That's very fun, and inspires the imagination and your curiosity. And then at one point, he said to me 'you think you're Mick Jagger. Nobody knows this. You don't show it. But that's what's happening internally for you'. And again, whatever that means, that's a really fun, exciting thing to play within the context of the dynamics between Mark's character, my character, Toni's character, Rob's character. What a fun direction. What a fun note to give. And then there's the intentions, I think he's trying to influence heavily without offending someone who is obviously very intimidated and insecure but has a great deal of power. And I think he's trying to get in the ear of Marshall as best he can by inflating his ego so as to serve his own mission, which I think is to further his position. So there's a menace and a malice there, and an intention that isn't very light — especially when we're talking about the loss of life, whether it be creeper or human, to get to a certain place. And then you justify that because you have a certain belief in a certain, in god, but it's done in this very sort of absurd way. So all of that excites me." On What Henshall Looks for in a New Project at This Stage of His Career "Well, the people, really. I've been very fortunate to work with some really great people — not just incredible artists or practitioners or craftspeople, but good humans. And I've been taken to some really exciting places that, had I not been in this industry, had I not chosen this career, I wouldn't have gone to. And also the people that are in these places, I wouldn't have met. It's not just fellow film and TV folks — it's people that you meet on the ground wherever you are. So that's been incredible. What excites me about a new project is the possibility of new friendships and new collaborations, and also the possibility to apply everything that you've learnt from the past experiences. Every job is similar in context in many ways and you can rely on those things, but the variables are different — it's a different crew, perhaps, or different people that you don't know yet how they work, what makes them tick, how best to fit into the job, how best to form a relationship with them to get the best out of you and them. That's all very exciting and terrifying. Is it going to work? Who knows? We don't know until we're doing it and then when we're doing it, you can't really go back and do it again. I know you get the time to do multiple takes, but to really know someone you have to sort of do the time with them, whether it be a director or cinematographer, a crew member, or an actor, writer, producer. Many things. [caption id="attachment_983107" align="alignnone" width="1920"] How to Make Gravy, Jasin Boland[/caption] So that's all exciting. And to employ all the things that you've relied on in the past and then push yourself into new challenges — that could be location, that could be many things. The role, the people you're working with, opposite, as an actor, it's all new and exciting. So I enjoy that challenge. Also, obviously, the depth of the scripts and the role that you get to play — and what part of your experience do you get to employ or get to use? Hopefully it's something fresh. And as you grow, you have new experiences and new perspectives, so you get to play things differently, I suppose. [caption id="attachment_994760" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Okja, Netflix[/caption] And the opportunity to be working. Just working. It doesn't happen for all actors, as you know, and it's a very fickle thing. And you can be working a lot and then you don't work for a while or you don't work at all. So there's the joy of working, which I adore. And I adore what I do, so I really love all that. The chance to play something different, as you sort of intimated. Some of the stuff that I've done in the past has been very dark. I think more recently, I've done stuff that's been less dark. I've played less-troubled people or people who have exorcised some of the darker parts of themselves, have been better human beings, I'd say — or more-loving human beings. So that's been really fun. I played something quite comical recently, that's been really fun. I'm just enjoying the different parts of myself that I get to peruse, too, then put in place with whatever character presents. But yeah, the people and the challenge of the work and all the different variables, that's what excites me. I think it's a multi-faceted answer." [caption id="attachment_994745" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alex Vaughn[/caption] On What Henshall Makes of His Journey as an Actor So Far "I think I'm incredibly fortunate to have worked with the people that I've worked with and worked on some of the projects I've worked on. I've been taken all around the world. I've met some of the great, really great people, not just as practitioners but as humans. I've gotten to work on projects with director Bong. I've gotten to work with Justin Kurzel. I've gotten to work with Emma Freeman. Kitty Green. I've gotten to work on a television show in America for four years. I've gotten to play some really sinister people with some major issues, both mentally, physically and emotionally, and that's been an incredible exploration of perspective. And I've learnt a lot from that. I've learnt a lot from the people that I've worked with, young and old. It's just been brilliant. I feel very fortunate. I feel very fortunate that I can continue to do it. I feel very lucky. And I hope it continues, because I really enjoy it." Mickey 17 opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, March 6, 2025.
If you’ve been on Instagram, food blogs, Twitter, Facebook or the internet in general lately, you've probably heard the term 'clean eating’. What on Earth does it mean, you ask? Is it washing your hands really, really well? Well it's time to find out. We chat to Melbourne clean eating and nutrition queen Lola Berry about what clean eating is, how we do it and where she goes to get her fix. We even tried a few of the recipes out ourselves. All in the name of research, of course. 1. What is 'Clean Eating'? Clean eating essentially means eating foods that haven't been processed and are as close to their natural state as possible. Think vegetables, fruits, legumes and lean meats. "It's about eating foods that nourish your body, forget all the packet stuff. Our bodies aren't designed to thrive of chemicals, additives and numbers, we thrive of real, wholesome food," says Lola Berry. Now, don't think it has to be raw. That's a whole other can of worms (which, as a clean eater, would be a no-no). Cooked wholegrain wheat breads, brown rice dishes, chia bread and all sorts of other weird and wonderful concoctions are clean. 2. Why should we eat clean? What is the point of going to the trouble of eating clean when it seems like a little bit of hard work? "You become the best version of yourself," Berry told us. "It's that simple. Don't knock it it'll you've tried it, proof is in the pudding. Eat clean for two weeks and watch the dramatic changes that take place in every single aspect of your life. I promise being healthy will change everything." When it comes down to it, 'clean' foods have more of the good stuff that your body wants and needs and less of the bad stuff. Some of the benefits that can come from clean eating include blood sugar control, cholesterol control, more energy, better immune system, better sleep, better mood and an overall increased health. 3. How is 'clean eating' different from 'healthy eating'? Okay, so this all seems like a good idea right? Eating fruit and vegetables and making your body happy? But how is it different to healthy eating? One thing we run into here is the philosophy of everything in moderation — even moderation. While healthy eating allows you a chocolate brownie covered in chocolate sauce and ice cream for dessert, as long as you don't have it every day, clean eating suggests you start making you desserts and 'treats' out of clean ingredients. This introduces some troubling issues like obsession and rigidity in diet. While we're not experts, this idea, in a society fixed on body and image may run the risk of hurting not helping. Strictly clean eating doesn't allow for flexibility, which can bring guilt to meals — not ideal. It can also run the risk monopolising one's time and brain power. No one wants to go out for dinner and listen to someone talk all about why they can't eat the bread or drink the wine. Most health professionals will tell you that if you eat 'healthy' foods 80 percent of the time, you can indulge 20 percent of the time. The cheese loving, chocolate munching side of us loves this idea. 4. How to eat clean "Think simple," says Berry. "Try not to complicate things. Real food is so simple, easy to prep and most importantly, so tasty!" These are the principle foods in healthy eating: Fresh fruit and vegetable are a free for all. Go hard people. When it comes to protein, stick to the lean cuts of beef, pork, most fish, chicken, turkey and eggs. We didn't say bacon, we know, it’s depressing. Whole grains including oats, wholewheat pasta, brown rice, barley and the like. This is the same for flours. Stick to the wholewheat flours, coconut flours and almond flours where you can. Nuts! All of them. Raw is the way to go. Seeds. Now these bad boys are your best friends. Quinoa, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and chia seeds. What about flavouring up your meals? Again stick to natural things like spices and herbs, honey and pure maple syrup. Now dairy can get confusing. Raw milk is hard to find, so the easiest bet is organic. Plain unsweetened yoghurt is a star, as are your substitutes like almond milk, rice milk and coconut milk. 4. Buzz words 101 So if you do want to introduce some principles of healthy eating, you might stumble upon ingredients you've never heard of. Here are some goodies: Quinoa: This seed looks a little like couscous and a little like rice. What you might not know is it's a close relative to beets, spinach and tumbleweeds. Great for breakfasts and salads. Chia seeds: This ancient superfood from Paraguay is pretty much just a sprinkling of goodness. These are tiny black and white seeds packed with manganese, calcium and potassium. Goji berries: These little suckers have been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years and are said to boost one's life force of ‘chi’ — oh so yogi. They're a little sour and are great sprinkled on your breakfast. Raw cacao: This is like the chocolate of the clean eating family. Take the raw cacao product — what chocolate looks like before the Cadburys of the world get to it — and don't touch it. It's packed with antioxidants and has a bitter strong chocolate flavour. Agave Syrup: This is a naturally occurring sweetener found in the agave plant in Mexico. This plant is also used to make tequila (Margaritas anyone?). 5. Recipes to try Breakfasts and snacks are often filled with processed ingredients. A great clean breakfast can look like this: oats cooked in almond milk, just like normal porridge, topped with fresh fruit, chopped dates, walnuts, agave syrup and a sprinkling of chia seeds. This can be played around with, adding any fruits and nuts you like. It also works well with quinoa flakes. When it comes to snacks. There are some great brands out there making clean sweets like Loving Earth and Emma & Tom's, but if you're in the mood for whipping something up, give Lola Berry's chewy almond truffles a go. Dates, walnuts, almonds, coconut oil, goji berries and raw cacoa nibs blended together and rolled in coconut. 6. Best spots in Melbourne to buy and try clean products We turned this one over to Lola Berry: "I eat out lots and there's always something yummy for me to try. I love St.Ali south and north, and I'm lucky enough to write a few recipes which are featured on the menu, and they're all super healthy. I also love the raw foodie spots like Yong Green Food, Shokuiku and Monk Bodhi Dhama and, of course, Cumulus Inc for that amazing fine dining experience. "I love local farmers markets … Prahran market, and there are some awesome health stores around. Prahran Health Foods, The Staple Store, Pure Organics, The Fruit Peddler are all pretty amazing, such inspiring places to visit!" Berry told us. Well folks, at the end of the day it seems that all the fuss around clean eating is about taking things back to simplicity. We will propbably still be found eating Mars bars and drinking cocktails, but you never know, next time we're feeling the healthy vibe, we might whip up something clean. It's not for everyone, but hey, next time someone asks you at a dinner party, "So how do you feel on the clean eating front?", at least you'll be able to tell your chia from quinoa. Images courtesy of Lola Berry and Amy Collins.
"On a bitter, cold Christmas eve, one dark soul is selected for redemption by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come". So starts the narration for the trailer for new festive flick Spirited — and so starts another new take on A Christmas Carol, too. But this adaptation and updating of Charles Dickens' well-known tale has a few things that most others don't, plus a twist. First, there's tunes, because this movie is a musical, complete with plenty of big song-and-dance scenes in the just-dropped sneak peek. Also, it features Will Ferrell (The Shrink Next Door) and Ryan Reynolds (The Adam Project) leading the show. (Yes, you now have another Ferrell movie to add to your Elf-led festive binge.) Reynolds yet again plays 'ordinary guy that something unusual happens to'. Actually, he plays Clint Briggs — but thanks to films like Free Guy and The Change-Up, he has slipped into this kind of part before. Here, he's the "level-20 pain in the Dickens" who is selected by the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) to get a haunting visit, to hopefully spark him to reform his ways. As brought to the screen and stage countless times, transforming from curmudgeonly to compassionate is the aim of this spirited intervention, which also features Octavia Spencer (The Witches) as Clint's boss — and someone that the Ghost of Christmas Present is quite fond of. The twist with Spirited, other than the songs? The film unfurls A Christmas Carol's narrative from the perspective of the ghosts. Writer/director Sean Anders and his co-scribe John Morris say "bah humbug!" to the regular version of the story, clearly, with the pair reteaming after Instant Family, the Daddy's Home movies and Horrible Bosses 2 — and reuniting with Ferrell after Daddy's Home franchise as well. Apple TV+ will stream the end result, releasing Spirited on Friday, November 18, and adding it to the 'films based on A Christmas Carol' subgenre alongside everything from Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Scrooged. Check out the trailer for Spirited below: Spirited will be available to stream via Apple TV+ from Friday, November 18.
Inimitable frozen dessert guru Nick Palumbo is responsible for making gelato the hottest thing in Sydney served below 0°C. His revered Gelato Messina sets the benchmark for gelato in Australia, taking a traditional Sicilian craft (everything is made from scratch using raw, natural ingredients) and carefully folding in an avant-garde approach towards flavours (there are six to seven specials released each week, with even the most deceptively unassuming beige ones accumulating Facebook likes in the hundreds). Now he's been tasked with the duty of finding one Australian craftsman blending tradition with inspiration. Ketel One has snagged Nick to sit on the judging panel of their Modern Craft Project, which you might remember us talking about here and which you should probably enter if you have a traditional craft, an entrepreneurial spirit and a partiality towards $100,000 cash prizes. Before the competition kicks off we stole a few minutes out of Nick's busy schedule to get the scoop on his idiosyncratic approach to artisan gelati. Concrete Playground (CP): Why gelato? Nick Palumbo (NP): In Messina, Sicily (where we are from) there is a huge culture of gelato and I wanted to create a brand that used traditional craftsmanship but was flexible in the sense that there is no limit to how creative you want to be. CP: What flavours did you launch Gelato Messina with back in 2002? NP: We only had 20 basic flavours back then but there was always a focus on quality. The innovation started to come in about two years later once we gained the trust of our customers. Coconut lychee, which sounds boring now, was our first "experimental flavour" back then. CP: Why did you decide to do the Gelato Messina Lab? NP: Because in the gelateria, we thought we had taken the quality side of things to quite a high level and all we had now was innovation of flavours. We wanted to push the boundaries a bit and marry in the world of high end patisserie with gelato, and saw it as a huge challenge and something that, to our knowledge, no one had done before. CP: The cakes are incredibly intricate — which one is the most satisfying to assemble? NP: The Black Forest, there are lots of components and the end result looks amazing. CP: They also incorporate many ingredients that aren't normally found in frozen desserts. Which ingredient poses the most problems? NP: All the jellies, they are hard to make soft at -18°C! CP: How do you come up with new flavours? NP: Basically we look for inspiration everywhere, especially from the world of patisserie, but it's also about continually finding flavours that work together. CP: What flavour has been the biggest surprise for you in terms of popularity? NP: Salted Caramel and White Choc Chip. It's now our best seller yet but when it first came out I actually heard a few people saying they didn't like it. Now those same people love it. CP: Obviously coming up with flavours must involve a lot of trial and error. What have been some of the errors? NP: Tomato sorbet. CP: I read a story about the frontman of Amy Meredith turning to his Facebook fans to demand the return of this favourite flavour (Elvis the Fat Years, which was then reborn as Christian Skinny Jeans). Is there anyone else you would like to reincarnate as gelato? NP: My three-month-old boy! The Milky Bar Kid. CP: Why did you want to become involved with the Ketel One Modern Craft Project? NP: Because Ketel One is an amazing brand full of history, which is my dream for Messina, and because there is not much in the way of support in this country for young people with a passion to do good things so anything that will help support artisans is something I'd like to be a part of. CP: What is next for Gelato Messina? NP: We open in Bondi in the middle of next year and we open in China (Hangzhou) in April next year. CP: And finally, cup or cone? NP: Silly question, CONE!
If your ideal kind of getaway is one that's both comfy and minimalist — and doesn't skimp on majestic views — then Tiny Away's latest addition is destined to impress. The accommodation crew has once again expanded its stable of eco-friendly tiny house stays, this time unveiling a 155-square-foot studio nestled amongst the vine-covered hills of Toolleen near Victoria's Bendigo. The newly launched Vineyard Retreat has made its home on the lush grounds of winery and distillery Domaine Asmara, set on a secluded pocket of the property yet still easily accessed. Not only does it boast dreamy views of Mount Camel, plus nearby olive groves and farmland, but it's located right on the doorstep of much-loved regional spots like the O'Keefe Rail Trail, Axedale Tavern, the award-winning Gaffney's Bakery, Palling Bros Brewery and Peregrine Ridge winery. The tiny house itself is primed for switching off and unplugging from the daily grind of city life, without giving up any of those creature comforts. It's kitted out with a queen-size loft bed, fully stocked kitchenette with fridge and stove, additional convertible couch, and split-system air-con and heating. The private balcony is perfect both for stargazing sessions and sunset sips overlooking the vineyard. There's even a proper little ensuite complete with a gas-heated shower and a waterless composting toilet. And of course, if you're after a vino or two during your stay, Domaine Asmara's cellar door is only a quick stroll from your front door, offering spirit and wine tastings daily. You can even take one of the free distillery tours. Tiny Away's other Victorian escapes include an idyllic stay located in a Gippsland olive grove, while the company's first two Tasmanian houses launched in the middle of last year. Find Tiny Away's Vineyard Retreat at Domaine Asmara, 61 Gibb Road, Toolleen. Bookings are now open online, with rates starting from $179 per night. 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.
Melbourne treasure hunters — there might not be many of you but we know you're out there — how would you like to track down some actual treasure for once? A step up from the usual weekend scavenger hunt, this Saturday, December 6, TMC Fine Jewellers is hosting a citywide scavenger hunt for a very shiny and valuable prize. TMC is opening their first Melbourne showroom and inviting Melburnians to peer 'Through the Looking Glass' and take part in a hunt that hides clues in plain sight. And what better prize to offer up to eager hunters than a bespoke ring studded with lab-grown diamonds and valued at $10,000? The hunt begins at 6am sharp, with the first clue (the showroom's location) posted on TMC's social media pages and sent to registered participants via EDM slightly earlier. The hunt official begins at 8am and from there, you'll have to follow four printed riddle clues within a 5km radius of the store. If you get confused, TMC will be posting hints on its TikTok page. Collect all four, and you'll go into the running to win the prize ring. "Melbourne has always been a city of creativity and curiosity, so it felt only fitting to celebrate our first flagship store with an experience that brings those values to life," said Makayla Donovan, co-founder of TMC Fine Jewellers. TMC Fine Jewellers, founded by young couple Makayla and Tom Donovan, strives to deliver affordable, bespoke and ethically responsible engagement and wedding rings. Part of the growing industry shift away from mined diamonds to lab-grown, TMC has gone from a passion project to an established jeweller in just four years — now we can all get involved with the celebrations and win some jewellery of our own. For more information on TMC Fine Jewellers, visit the website.
If you liked choosing your way through Black Mirror: Bandersnatch — or telling Bear Grylls what to do in interactive series You vs. Wild — then Netflix has more where that came from. Come Tuesday, May 12, you'll be able to decide what happens to everyone's favourite kidnapping victim turned wide-eyed New Yorker in a one-off Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt special. While the Tina Fey co-created, 18-time Emmy-nominated comedy finished up its regular run with 2019's batch of episodes, which closed out the show's fourth season, it's coming back this month to put viewers in control. Netflix has actually been in the interactive game for a couple of years thanks to its children's shows like Puss in Boots, Buddy Thunderstruck and Stretch Armstrong; however this'll mark the streamer's first interactive comedy. Always wanted to curb Kimmy's (Ellie Kemper) ample enthusiasm? Keen to steer ex-socialite Jacqueline White (Jane Krakowski) towards a few sensible decisions? Think that landlord Lillian (Carol Kane) could be more eccentric and misanthropic? Just love everything that aspiring actor and singer Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess) does? Then this is for you, obviously. If you're fond of Jon Hamm's Reverend Richard Wayne Gary Wayne, too, you're also in luck — this interactive episode is called Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, after all. A whole heap of other famous faces co-star as well, including Daniel Radcliffe, Amy Sedaris, Fred Armisen, Chris Parnell, Jack McBrayer and Johnny Knoxville. Story-wise, as the just-dropped trailer shows, Kimmy is preparing to marry Radcliffe's Frederick in three days. Then she finds an old library book in her beloved childhood backpack, which sets her on a collision course with the Reverend — who just might have another bunker hidden away. Viewers can expect a wedding, a journey across three US states, explosions, an evil plan and potentially starting a war against robots. Along the way, you'll help Kimmy decide if she should make out with Frederick, and choose whether Titus should wait 4000 minutes for an Uber instead of walking — and they're just the two decision points shown in the trailer. Announcing the special last year, Tina Fey explained that "fans will be able to make choices on behalf of our characters, taking different story paths with, of course, different jokes," in a Netflix statement. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZWmRUxOj9g Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend will hit Netflix on Tuesday, May 12. Top images: Netflix.
2020 may be behind us, and 2021 might only be a few days old, but the idea that visiting the shops or heading out of the house might mean you need to pay special attention to your health afterwards isn't going away any time soon. Indeed, that scenario is now a normal part of life during a pandemic — and one that Victorian residents have been getting used to during the state's response to COVID-19. Naming locations and venues that positive coronavirus cases have visited is key element of Victoria's containment strategy via the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and the government has been listing quite a number of sites as part of the current new wave of cases in the state. Across the past few days — including today, Wednesday, January 6 — it has announced a few big and notable places that Melburnians should be wary of. The big ones: IKEA in Springvale, the MCG and Chadstone Shopping Centre. Anyone who went looking for affordable Swedish furniture between 4–6.30pm on Wednesday, December 30 is asked to get a test for COVID-19 immediately and then self-isolate until they receive a negative result. And, if you went to the onsite cafe and restaurant at IKEA Springvale on the same date, but between 5.30–6.30pm, you must get tested straight away and quarantine for 14 days from that exposure date, even if your initial test result comes back negative. Regarding the MCG, someone who attended the second day of the Boxing Day test has since been diagnosed with COVID-19. Where the person picked up the coronavirus isn't yet known, so DHHS is currently investigating. And, it has named the MCG as a possible acquisition site as a result — which means that folks who also went along on Sunday, December 27, and were seated in The Great Southern Stand, Zone 5, between 12.30–3.30pm, are required to get tested and quarantine until they get a negative result. https://twitter.com/VicGovDHHS/status/1346600759857582082 Chadstone Shopping Centre has also been listed as a possible acquisition site, specifically relating to Saturday, December 26 between 6am–2pm. Yes, that's during the Boxing Day sales. Ten stores within the centre have been named: Culture Kings, Huffer, JD Sports, Jay Jays, H&M, Uniqlo, Myer, Superdry, Footlocker and Dumplings Plus. If you were at any of these shops at Chadstone at the above times, you need to get tested and quarantine until you get a negative result. DHHS' current ongoing register of locations that have been visited by positive COVID-19 cases is lengthy, and is constantly being updated — with the newest additions handily placed at the top. The full list currently includes Bodriggy Brewing Company, Stomping Ground Brewing Company, Village Century City, Rockpool Bar and Grill, Fonda in Flinders Lane, Bunnings in Box Hill South and Mentone, Brighton Beach, Federation Square, Southern Cross station and several Metro train lines, among many other sites — and it's broken down into separate categories depending on whether anyone who went to these places at the specified dates and times needs to get tested immediately and self-isolate for 14 days, get tested immediately and self-isolate until they get a negative result, or monitor for symptoms and then get tested and self-isolate. You can check out the entire list on the DHHS website. And, if you need a reminder, the symptoms to look out for are coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste. You can find a rundown of testing clinic locations online as well. At the time of writing, Victoria has 41 active COVID-19 cases, with one new case acquired locally in the 24 hours leading up to Wednesday, January 6 and two new cases acquired overseas. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria, head to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services website.
Standing out as a pub in Richmond is no easy feat. But as there's no shortage of multi-level venues equipped with beer gardens, balconies and sports bars, perhaps it's time to mix up the mood with a drink at the inner east's smallest pub, Nixie Nox. But in a case of less being more, the tight space has seen Melbourne hospitality veterans Stu Bellis, Marilla Gair and Chris Dore cram enough personality into the venue to foster something akin to the neighbourhood pub experience of old. So, just how small are we talking? All up, the venue has capacity for 80 patrons, spread among the lively, 40-person public bar, the 25-capacity covered outdoor atrium, and an intimate upstairs dining room that seats just 25. While the kitchen fit-out required a little creativity, Nixie Nox's food punches above its weight, relative to the venue's size. Here, a menu by head chef Stacey Tuara (ex-Meatmaiden) showcases elevated pub classics, as well as dishes catering to vegetarians, vegans and diners with dietary restrictions — no easy feat on a list of just four share plates and four mains. Shares include six-hour beef burnt ends glazed with Wolf of the Willows Hazy Pale Ale and served with preserved chilli mustard and a refreshing green sauce and miso mushroom daikon cakes paired with crispy chickpeas and black vinegar reduction. Mains display similar thoughtfulness and reverence for classic pub fare — a silky and rich lamb ragu pappardelle is given some serious depth with the addition of smoked parmesan and basil oil, while the Hard Nox Parm sees crumbed sous vide chicken breast topped with fresh mozzarella and smoked sugo. The drinks list is similarly considered. Craft beers and hard-nosed brews are poured from a duo of taps or plucked ice-cold from the fridge in tinnies, stubbies and longnecks. Sure, there are complex IPAs and XPAs to mull over — or you can grab a no-nonsense staple like a VB or XXXX Gold. There's also a curated wine list that explores Australian and overseas labels — with almost all available by the glass — alongside an extended cocktail list spanning classic, house and 'elevated' creations like a millilitre-perfect dry martini served in a chilled Nick & Nora glass. "Nixie Nox is more than just a pub — it's a place where locals can come together, connect over great food and drinks, and feel at home," says Bellis. "We've poured our hearts into creating a welcoming space that reflects the spirit of Richmond, and we can't wait to share a drink and a story with everyone who walks through our doors." Nixie Nox is open Wednesday–Thursday from 4pm–late and Friday–Sunday from 2pm–late at 141 Swan Street, Richmond. Head to the venue's website for more information.
Come with us on now, on a journey through time and space, to the world of Behind The Boosh. You may not hear those words spoken aloud when you walk into the exhibition celebrating British comedy troupe The Mighty Boosh, but fans will think them. When you're peering at behind-the-scenes peeks into Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding's hilarious and surreal creation, as snapped by fellow group member Dave Brown, that's the very first thing that should come to mind. A part of all things Boosh since the troupe was first formed in the 90s, Brown played Bollo the Gorilla, Naan bread, Black Frost and Australian zookeeper Joey Moose. He's also taken care of tour posters, DVDs, set graphics and merchandise; compiled and designed The Mighty Book of Boosh; and had a hand in Boosh music and choreography. And, he's been snapping away with his camera — the results of which are gracing this photography showcase. There aren't enough elbow patches in the world for this exhibition, or shoes filled with Baileys. Whether or nor you can find either — or the black hair dye and strong hairspray needed to get Vince Noir-style locks, green Old Gregg-esque body paint or 60s-era suits that look like they've been taken straight from Howard Moon's wardrobe — heading to Sydney's M2 Gallery and Melbourne's North Gallery this August means getting a glimpse into the minds behind The Mighty Boosh's stage shows and radio series, and obviously the three-season TV gem also called The Mighty Boosh. Brown's two decades of images traverse a history that saw The Boosh become a live smash at the Edinburgh and Melbourne Comedy Festivals, then a 00s cult hit on the small screen. These days, Fielding might co-present The Great British Bake Off and do team captain duties on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, while Barratt has been playing a part in The Great, but they'll always been known for The Boosh. "These images are like children to me, badly behaved children with no manners but also beautifully funny, insanely dressed up children that are two dimensional and don't move," explained Brown of his Behind The Boosh photos. "I love these pics, incredible memories of a special time with my Boosh band of brothers and sharing them with our beautiful Aussie Boosh fans is long overdue." "The love The Mighty Boosh still has to this day is comparable to legendary acts such as Monty Python and continues to draw in people of all ages. It was such a bonus to have a great photographer who was part of the show; Dave never missed anything! I almost find it difficult to look at them because it takes me back immediately to that time, and because Dave was always taking photos, the snaps are genuine; they're not posed," said Fielding. "Dave is a lens with legs! Ever since I have known him, he's had a camera strapped to his face. I have a terrible memory which is why Dave is my saviour, if we are our memories then without Dave Brown I simply would not exist," added Barratt. Brown is also in Australia with the exhibition, which runs from Wednesday, August 2–Sunday, August 6 in Sydney and Wednesday, August 16–Sunday, August 20 in Melbourne. In both cities, on the Saturdays in each, he's doing an artist talk to chat through his work — and being part of a troupe, plus their various onstage and on-screen shows, where anything could happen. In Sydney as well, Brown will hit the decks at Redfern Surf Club's Surfapolooza festival on Saturday, August 5. BEHIND THE BOOSH AUSTRALIAN DATES: Wednesday, August 2–Sunday, August 6 — M2 Gallery, 4/450 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, Sydney Wednesday, August 16–Sunday, August 20 — North Gallery, Level 1/55-57 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne Behind the Boosh displays in Sydney and Melbourne in August 2023 — head to the exhibition website for further details. Images: Dave Brown.
They headed Down Under to give the town of Yass a makeover. They toured their first-ever standup show our way back in early 2020, too. Now, to make 2022 a whole lot more fabulous, Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness is again venturing to Australia and New Zealand — bringing their latest live show Imaginary Living Room Olympian to Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland in September and October. On the agenda: not just tales from the Emmy Award-nominated television personality, hit podcaster and hairstylist to the stars' life, which'll definitely be included, but also gymnastics as well. Their last tour was inspired by a lifelong goal of becoming a figure-skating prodigy in time for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, after all. Clearly, that's not something you shake easily, and Van Ness has a gymnastics routine to show audiences this time around. The overarching theme of the show: that's it's not about the destination, but the journey. That might sound like standard advice, but fans of the rebooted Queer Eye know that no nugget of wisdom sounds average or cliched when delivered by Van Ness. The Imaginary Living Room Olympian tour comes after a big few years for Van Ness, including not only Queer Eye — which has notched up six seasons already — but this year's fellow Netflix series Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, which is based on their podcast of the same name. And, there's Van Ness' publishing career, too, courtesy of 2019's Over The Top: My Story and this year's Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life (plus children's picture book Peanut Goes for the Gold, about a gender non-binary guinea pig). Expect Van Ness' new shows to be popular — their last tour, which played 40 cities worldwide, sold out theatres in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jonathan Van Ness (@jvn) JONATHAN VAN NESS' IMAGINARY LIVING ROOM OLYMPIAN TOUR 2022 DATES: Friday, September 23 — Riverside Theatre, Perth Sunday, September 25 — AEC Theatre, Adelaide Wednesday, September 28 — Plenary, Melbourne Thursday, September 29 — Aware Super Theatre, ICC Sydney Friday, September 30 — Convention and Exhibition Centre, Brisbane Sunday, October 2 — Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Auckland Jonathan Van Ness' Imaginary Living Room Olympian tour heads to Australia and New Zealand September and October 2022. For more information or to buy tickets from 2pm local time on Friday, May 13, head to the tour website.
Head north from the city towards Thornbury and, burrowed along High Street, you'll find Joanie's Baretto, an Italian wine bar and restaurant. Start with an Aperol or Campari spritz and then dive right into the Italian-style snacks. We recommend the veal and pork meatballs cooked in a Napoli sauce, perhaps followed by its rich veal ragu or broccoli orecchiette. Gluten-free pasta is available, too. On the first Sunday of each month, the bar does aperitivo afternoon where, for $20, you'll get a drink and a selection of cicchetti. Grab a seat at the bar, a table under the softly-lit yellow lights or in the spacious back courtyard. This place delivers on its food and drink and is all about having a good time in a relaxed atmosphere. Perfect for weekend drinks.
Standing proudly above St Kilda's Lower Esplanade is this seriously impressive reminder of St Kilda's status as one of Melbourne's premier entertainment districts. The Palais Theatre — the largest fully seated theatre in Australia — is St Kilda's premier venue for live music, with some of the biggest names in international music having taken to the stage of the 1927 art deco icon. Beyond music, the venue also hosts theatre, comedy, opera and ballet performances, with over 100 events taking place per year. The building's former life as a picture house is evident in the intriguingly eclectic design, with influences said to span from Spanish baroque to neoclassical. Image: City of Port Phillip
There is nothing quite like an international design competition to put the world's leading architecture firms into a bit of spin. And that is exactly what has happened since the Busan Metropolitian City Government in Korea sponsored a competition to find a design for Busan's new Opera House, set to begin construction in 2014. The brief was fairly straightforward - the winning design needed to completely reenvisage the Busan Opera House on the harbour of South Korea's second largest city, Busan, and create a new cultural landmark which would resonate with the residents of Busan and the surronding marine culture, yet would also put Busan firmly on the international stage. In practical terms, the brief also stipulated that the design had to include an Opera Theatre, a multi-purpose theatre, and provide areas for people to congregate and enjoy views of the city skyine and the ocean. The competition certainly has fired up the imaginations of architects worldwide The Swiss-based architecturel firm Kubota and Bachmann have put forward a design based on Korean traditions, featuring an impressive artificial body of water, while a German firm, Peter Ruge Architekten, have gained significant attention with their sustainable design. Sydney-based architects Lascoste and Stevenson have also weighed in with their pod-shaped design. The final decision on the design of the Opera House will not be known until the second stage of the competition. But whatever the result, it looks like post 2014 Sydney may not be the only harbour city with an enviable Opera House.
When 2020 ticked over to 2021, Australians were asked to direct their eyeballs towards a brooding mystery set against our dusty, yellow-hued landscape. We did just that, and in big numbers, too, with The Dry quickly becoming a huge box-office hit. A year later, when 2021 becomes 2022, we'll be tempted to do something similar — but this time it's a six-part Stan series that strands Jamie Dornan in the outback that'll be demanding our attention to start the new year. That show is The Tourist, which sees Dornan add another TV role to his resume alongside The Fall, Death and Nightingales, New Worlds and Once Upon a Time. The Irish actor boasts an eclectic filmography — he's highly likely to get nominated for an Oscar next year for his role in nostalgic drama Belfast, in fact, and he hit Aussie screens big and small in the vastly dissimilar Synchronic, Wild Mountain Thyme and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar this year. For this new part, he plays the titular character, who has no idea why he's in the middle of Australia or even who he is. Written by brothers Harry and Jack Williams (Angela Black), and hailing from the Emmy-winning production company behind The Missing and Fleabag, The Tourist is a mystery-thriller, so its just-dropped first trailer starts out with an uneasy air — as Dornan's character gets pursued by a tank truck trying that's trying to drive him off the road. Things don't get easier after he wakes up in hospital with no memory, unsurprisingly, or when he's chased by plenty of other folks. On-screen, Dornan is joined by a heap of familiar faces, including Aussie actors Danielle Macdonald (French Exit), Alex Dimitriades (Total Control) and Damon Herriman (Mindhunter), English-born Australian talent Shalom Brune-Franklin (Line of Duty) and Icelandic American Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Trapped). You'll be able to binge your way through The Tourist's twists and turns on Sunday, January 2, Check out the trailer below: The Tourist will be available to stream via Stan from Sunday, January 2.
Life is a bit of a rollercoaster ride at the moment. Yes, that's an understatement. Lockdowns, restrictions, new community cases, growing exposure sites lists — they're all providing quite the ups and downs, and have been throughout the pandemic. Prefer to ride the peaks and troughs on actual theme park attractions? We all do, and now Disney+ has a new series about just that. Across ten episodes — the first five of which will drop on the streaming platform on Wednesday, July 21 — Behind the Attraction covers exactly what's on the label. It heads to the Mouse House's sprawling theme parks, checks out some of the popular rides found within them and tells their tales. Disney loves an origin story, after all, and it has the Marvel and Star Wars movies to prove it, so of course it's now giving its real-life attractions the same treatment. Viewers can find out more about Disney's Haunted Mansion attraction and Space Mountain ride, as well as The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Star Tours that form part of the recently launched Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. And, Jungle Cruise also earns some attention, complete with Dwayne Johnson lending a hand — with the movie of the same name, starring Johnson, due in cinemas from Thursday, July 29 and on Disney+ on Friday, July 30. As well as talking heads expressing their enthusiasm for these attractions and explaining how they work, the series features archival and never-before-seen footage and photographs that step through the rides' histories. Explaining how they've evolved, and how technology has assisted, is a part of the show as well. Clearly, Behind the Attraction is basically an advertisement for Disney's theme parks. Physically hopping on a rollercoaster hasn't been high on most folks' to-do lists during the last year or so — and definitely isn't right now if you're a Sydneysider or Melburnian currently in lockdown — so consider this a way to scratch that itch from home. Check out the trailer below: The first five episodes of Behind the Attraction will be available to view via Disney+ from Wednesday, July 21.
Melbourne's Butterfly Club has entertained the public since way back in 1999. At one point, it was Melbourne's only full-time cabaret venue, with cabarets still regularly performed today. The venue itself, located on Carson Place, is small and full of hundreds of brightly coloured kitsch items to get you in the mood for a night of frivolity. Think fairy lights, old-school dolls, mismatched furniture and artworks from every era. The place screams fun and whacky, where the weird and wonderful are both invited to perform and spectate while drinking awesome cocktails and rolling around in laughter. There are shows on almost every day at The Butterfly Club, with sometimes two or even three a day. There is a weekly burlesque drawing show with feathers, fans, fishnets, and pens and paper. You'll be invited to watch and draw along with circus, drag, burlesque and sideshow performances. Every Friday, you'll find the Big HOO-HAA!, Melbourne's longest-running import comedy show. Two teams, the Hearts and the Bones, battle it out for improv supremacy while the audience is invited into the show by offering up suggestions. On Saturday nights, the regular gig is Laugh Later, a night of top-tier comedians, while there are regular one-off shows from visiting comedians who want to test out new material. As well as comedy, there is plenty of live music at The Butterfly Club, with piano nights, tribute shows, and the famous cabaret. As for drinks, the bar has received two "cocktail glasses", the equivalent of a Chef's Hat in the bar world, thanks to The Age Good Bars Guide. It's also a very queer-friendly space, with the team going to great lengths to ensure everyone feels safe and celebrated.
Worry not if you didn't manage to get a European summer this year, for the Arbory Afloat crew is bringing a slice of it to Melbourne in early September 2024 — this time modelling the floating bar after Italian beach clubs. This will be Arbory Afloat's ninth iteration, having drawn inspiration from Mexico in 2023, the Balearic Islands in 2022 and Turkey's Turquoise Coast in 2021. As it was with these past versions, the new Afloat Capri will have an entirely new look, food and drink lineup, and music and entertainment program. [caption id="attachment_881180" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arbory Afloat 2022 by Arianna Leggiero[/caption] We've been told to expect striped umbrellas with valances, plenty of lemon trees, colourful ceramic planters, terracotta tiled roofs and sorbet-hued walls covered in hand-painted illustrations. This will clearly be the number one destination for spritz-sippers in Melbourne this summer. And that's not only because of its new design and watertop location. The drinks menu is sure to hit all the right spots as well, thanks to HQ Group's Head of Cocktails Tom Younger. He has spent many a month dreaming up the new Italian-inspired beverage menu, pumping it full of citrus- and aperitif-driven drinks that will go down all too easily on a hot Melbourne day. [caption id="attachment_969800" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arbory Afloat 2019 by Simon Shiff.[/caption] "Each of the cocktails are designed for all-day drinking with friends and family. This includes a dedicated spritz section (think Aperol, Campari and Limoncello), over 30 different Negronis and a lineup of Pidapipo gelato-based frozen cocktails," shares Younger. The food menu will also be stacked with crowd-pleasing dishes, from pizza and pasta to seafood platters and antipasti medleys. There's no going wrong with classic Italian seaside bites, especially when the group's Executive Chef James Gibson is running the show. [caption id="attachment_927499" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arbory Afloat 2023 by Jake Roden.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_969801" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Arbory Afloat 2022 by Arianna Leggiero[/caption] Arbory Capri will reopen in early September 2024, and can be found at 2 Flinders Walk, Melbourne. For more details and to book seats from Monday, September 16, you can visit the venue's website. Top image: Arianna Leggiero
Art is a matter of life and death in the star-studded Velvet Buzzsaw, which might just earn the title of 2019's most out-there film so far. The movie marks the reunion of Nightcrawler writer/director Dan Gilroy and actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo — and if you've seen that 2014 standout, you'll know that you're in for a wild ride. Both an unhinged horror effort and a satire of the art world, the film is set to premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival, but general audiences won't have to wait long at all to see the flick for themselves. It'll hit Netflix worldwide on Friday, February 1, while Sundance is still running. While Nightcrawler took aim at tabloid news media and charted its deadly consequences, Velvet Buzzsaw has another realm in its sights. With Gyllenhaal playing an art critic, Russo an agent, and everyone from Toni Collette to John Malkovich to Stranger Things' Natalia Dyer among the cast, the film charts a spate of sinister happenings that are linked to a batch eye-catching paintings. The art collection in question is only found after an unknown elderly artist passes away, and comes with strict instructions to destroy the work; however, when that warning is ignored, everyone who profits from the pieces starts to suffer. Check out the trailer below, and add the movie to your streaming queue for your next fright-filled date with your couch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdAR-lK43YU Velvet Buzzsaw will be available on Netflix from Friday, February 1.
Almost three decades ago, before he had the world saying "thank you, thank you very much" to Elvis, before he explored the birth of American hiphop in Netflix's The Get Down, and before gave The Great Gatsby a spin and made Moulin Rouge! spectacular (spectacular), too, Baz Luhrmann achieved two not-too-insignificant things with his film version of Romeo + Juliet. Not only did the Australian director's vibrant take on the classic tragedy completely change the way everyone thinks about Shakespeare adaptations — it also delivered one of the killer soundtracks of the 90s, and one that many a movie has tried and failed to top since. The track list speaks for itself, really, featuring everything Garbage's '#1 Crush' to The Cardigans' 'Lovefool' to Radiohead's 'Talk Show Host'. Everclear, Butthole Surfers, Des'ree and Quindon Tarver's 'Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)' also pop up, with Luhrmann turning the greatest love story ever told into the greatest soundtrack ever sold. If you were around and of a certain age back in 1996, you definitely owned a copy. You probably still do. Even if you weren't loving it before the turn of the century, you should now as well. It's no wonder, then, that not just the picture but the tunes keep being celebrated as Romeo + Juliet nears its 30th anniversary in 2026. In London for more than a decade, concert screenings of the movie with a live choir and band have been wowing audiences and selling out. More than half-a-million filmgoers have attended. Now, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet: A Cinematic Experience is finally coming to Australia. Young hearts run free to The Astor Theatre in Melbourne, which is playing host to the Australian debut of this live experience from Tuesday, September 23–Sunday, September 28, 2025. New sessions have already been added due to demand, and there's no word yet if the shows will make their way to other Australian cities. "Audiences really feel like they're stepping into Verona as we don the theatre for a multisensory experience," said Dominic Davies, CEO of the UK's Backyard Cinema, which created the experience. "After sellout performances in London, we are thrilled that Sony Music Australia is bringing this production Down Under for the first time." "The Astor Theatre is such an iconic Melbourne venue and will provide a majestic backdrop for the immersive performance — it will be an experience like no other," added Sony Music Australia and New Zealand Chair and CEO Vanessa Picken. "The show has done incredibly well in London for a long time. We're really looking forward to adding a local slant with a well-known narrator to be announced soon." Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet: A Cinematic Experience runs at The Astor Theatre, 1 Chapel Street, St Kilda, from Tuesday, September 23–Sunday, September 28, 2025 — head to Ticketek for more details and tickets. Images: Andrew Ogilvy Photography.
To live in the US right now must be to live with a constant question: am I in a Nathan Fielder show? There are more pressing queries troubling America, but viewers of the Canadian comedian's The Rehearsal can be forgiven for wondering if he or his disciples are lurking over their shoulder. In this brilliant HBO doco-comedy, studying ordinary folks is a key part of the premise — as much as rehearsing life, the promise that's right there in the series' name. One goes with the other; how do you prepare for every outcome that might occur in a tricky IRL situation if you don't also examine the people who play into it, and their traits? Forget simulation theory, which has caused plenty to wonder if life is a computer program (especially after The Matrix franchise's popularity; see also: documentary A Glitch in the Matrix). Instead, The Rehearsal gives rise to Fielder theory. That needs both unpacking and working up to, but never quite knowing if anything could be one of Fielder's scenarios is a side effect of watching. Early in The Rehearsal's first episode — with season one available to stream in full via Binge in Australia now, and via Neon in New Zealand from Saturday, August 27 — Fielder meets Kor Skeete. A Jeopardy!-watching, trivia-loving New Yorker, he has an issue he's seeking help with, answering an ad asking "is there something you're avoiding?". Skeete has been lying to his bar trivia team about his educational history, claiming he has a master's degree, and wants assistance in coming clean. His biggest worry: how his pal Tricia might react, and if it'll end their friendship. That's The Rehearsal's opening problem-of-the-week setup, because Fielder is a problem solver — or that's the persona he portrays in his on-screen guise. Puppet master; a Wizard of Oz-type impresario; investigator of the human condition; Willy Wonka, which Skeete calls him: they all fit as well. Before he assists Skeete, Fielder asks if he's ever seen his past work. Skeete says no, despite saying television is his favourite trivia subject — and his response to what Fielder explains next will likely mirror anyone who comes to this with the same fresh eyes. First, some background: until now, Fielder was best known for Nathan for You, in which he helped companies and people using his business school studies. Fielder played a version of himself, and the result is a reality comedy. It's something that has to be seen to be truly believed and understood, and it's both genius and absurd. In The Rehearsal, Fielder is back as himself using his skills to help others. He's also starring in/writing/directing a reality comedy, this time letting his subjects rehearse big moments. Skeete wants to bare all to a pal, Angela is keen to explore parenthood and Pat is trying to resolve a family feud over an inheritance, for instance. The show's crew even build elaborate sets, recreating the spots where these pivotal incidents will take place, such as the bar where Skeete will meet Tricia. Fielder hires actors to assist, too. And, adding yet another layer, Fielder also steps through the same routine himself, including rehearsing his initial encounter with Skeete with an actor. So when he's asking Skeete if he's seen his work, he's already done so in a replica of Skeete's apartment, with someone else playing the man he's now talking to — and he's cycled through every possible reaction. If you've ever thought life was a big performance, and every single thing about interacting with others — and even just being yourself — involves playing a role, you'll find much to think about in this gripping, funny, often unsettling, quickly addictive series. There's reality TV, and then there's the way that the deadpan Fielder plays with and probes reality. While both can induce cringing, nothing compares to this. But in a true Fielder touch, rehearsals like Skeete's are rehearsals themselves. You could call the first season a rehearsal for the already-greenlit second season of The Rehearsal, but Fielder also uses his time with Skeete and Pat as trial runs for the big trial run that runs through five of the season's six episodes. That parental pondering? It's too big a social experiment to conduct in just one chapter, and there's too much to it for Fielder to simply orchestrate the whole experience. The Rehearsal's faux family scenario comes courtesy of Angela, who wants to give motherhood a test. Her biological clock is ticking, so she's keen to see if she should pursue being a mum. Staunchly Christian and conservative, she'd want to be married. She also only sees herself living the homesteader life and being self-sufficient in the country. Fielder sets her up in a farmhouse in rural Oregon. To condense 18 years of parenthood down into mere weeks, he has Angela's fake child age in three-year increments, jumping from a baby to a toddler and so on. And to make the process seamless, he hires a lineup of child actors to play the part, swapping them out in shifts as required by labour laws. Later, after a failed attempt to locate a co-parent, he steps in himself. At its entry level, seeing the extremes that Fielder and his crew go to in arranging each rehearsal is mesmerising (a hefty HBO budget assists). So is spying the detail on display, the flowcharts plotting out every potential response, and the rehearsals behind each rehearsal — and watching how the show's subjects react. But it swiftly becomes apparent that The Rehearsal isn't even primarily about the people Fielder is helping and interacting with, including actors he puts through his own acting school (dubbed 'The Fielder Method') and a child who takes the pretend parenthood situation to heart. Fielder's series is always concerned with human nature, how it can be constructed and interpreted, and the role that screens play in telling and manipulating stories; however, it's also about Fielder himself, and the way everyone interacts with the world. Fielder is an awkward presence, but also both candid and calming (has unease ever been this easy?). He's frank about not really feeling emotions the way he thinks he should, and that others don't respond to him the way he'd like. ("I'm not good at meeting people for the first time. I've been told my personality can make people uncomfortable," he offers early on, like a self-aware Larry David who's intrigued to do better.) He's pulling his own strings, in what he himself describes as "puzzles of my own devising" — and he's determined to test his own assumptions, the character he plays as himself, and the way that others see him. He unpacks reality TV in the process, especially by laying bare the process. He tests and probes social conventions, questioning what's real and what we happily manufacture. He makes viewers query what they do themselves, and why, along with him. The Rehearsal is all of that and more, and unfurling its layers, games and insights is one of 2022's finest television experiences. Check out the trailer for The Rehearsal below: The Rehearsal streams via Binge in Australia now, and via Neon in New Zealand from Saturday, August 27. Images: courtesy of HBO.
A drive to the airport in a rideshare is one of life's mundane experiences, whether or not you're en route to a wedding, and also regardless of if you're meant to be collecting your partner and their dry-cleaned suit along the way. In Fake, this routine journey on an average Melbourne day is a masterclass in tension, a portrait of an unravelling and an unwanted realisation unfurling with no escape. With journalist Birdie Bell (Asher Keddie, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart) sitting in the backseat as much that she's trusted melts down, it's a stunning episode of television, arriving five instalments into this eight-part Australian thriller that brings its page-to-screen and reality-to-fiction tale to Paramount+ in full from Thursday, July 4. Viewers spend the preceding four episodes of Fake waiting for a moment like this. For those who haven't read Stephanie Wood's memoir of the same name, charting her time dating a former architect-turned-grazier who pairs his grand romantic gestures with erratic behaviour, there's still no doubt that it's coming. It has to, and not just because series creator Anya Beyersdorf (The Twelve) and her co-scribes Jessica Tuckwell (Year Of) and Hyun Lee (Born to Spy) have Birdie's beau Joe Burt (David Wenham, Elvis) note in voiceover that she was onto him from the get-go. While Fake is a love- and lies-fuelled saga, it's also about how someone gets taken in not by the kind of tales that Joe spins but by the emotions that they prey upon, even when their intuition tingles at the outset — and how deceptions like this, from someone manipulating others and someone fooling themselves alike, always shatter. The words "Joe, 51, grazier" on a dating app introduce the ex-property big shot to Birdie; however, everything that he utters on their first date almost halts their romance there. When the pair meet at a sleek bar, he has a business acquaintance (Yuchen Wang, White Fever) in tow and talks only of himself, grandstanding with the recognisable arrogance of someone who refuses to believe (or simply hasn't stopped once to consider) that they aren't the most-interesting person in the room. She cuts and leaves quickly, despite his insistence to the waitstaff that they'll share more wine. Then she ignores his persistent follow-ups afterwards, until she doesn't. Stylistically, Beyersdorf, her co-writers, and also directors Jennifer Leacey (Prosper), Emma Freeman (The Newsreader) and Taylor Ferguson (Fires) adopt two approaches to bringing both Joe's flurry of messages and Birdie's inner questioning to audiences. The contents of texts and emails are written across the screen, overlaid upon the scene's ordinary background — train windows feature heavily — and also spoken aloud, as worries about being almost 50, single and heartbroken from a failed IVF experience are similarly given voice through repeated snippets of conversation. Sometimes, Birdie's own words haunt her. Sometimes, Joe's do. Sometimes, the judgement of her sniping mother Margeaux (Heather Mitchell, Ricky Stanicky) echoes. Combined, the impact is inescapable: when his indefatigable pursuit joins her lifetime of doubts, especially that she's being too fussy and will always be alone, relenting to his overtures and investing in his narrative is the inevitable outcome. Fake relays its story within this psychological space — a place where it's clear to everyone, including to Birdie, that little is right — to explore how a person who investigates for a living succumbs to fantasy over fact. Joe gleefully spins dreams, beginning with his quiet farm life, then escalating into bigger and bolder promises. He also ticks the basics, such as showing interest, sticking around, declaring his love and making Birdie feel like romance hasn't passed her by. But Joe equally has a tale for everything that always seems tall. He misses as many dates as he makes, his excuses mushrooming as well. His ex-wife receives ample blame, frequently with the smack of convenience. He's cagey about specifics, too, and vague and defensive when questioned. When Leacey, Freeman and Ferguson, plus cinematographer Sky Davies (House of Gods), devote Fake's frames to staring Birdie's way, they push Keddie's excellent performance to the fore — and it is exceptional. She's the lead in a yell-at-the-TV type of show, where viewers can't help but say aloud that Birdie is making the wrong choice again and again, and grounding those ill-fated decisions in relatable emotions isn't a simple task. The more that Fake peers, the more that it also turns the sight of its protagonist hoping yet fraying into a mirror. One of Birdie's potential articles at work is about homelessness, a situation that's never as far away as most would like to think — and one of Fake's throughlines is that being Birdie with Joe isn't beyond anyone's realm of possibility. Wenham, no stranger to on-screen shadiness and slipperiness but with memories of SeaChange's Diver Dan still imprinted in Australia's pop-cultural memory, is equally first-rate. His remit isn't straightforward, either, selling the charm that still wins Birdie over in tandem with the sketchiness that's lurking beneath Joe's striving facade — and the character is almost ceaselessly striving — which is a gig on par with both Joshua Jackson (Fatal Attraction) and Edgar Ramirez's (Wolf Like Me) efforts in season one and two of medical-meets-romance scam series Dr Death. Indeed, Wenham does such an unshakeable job as Joe that by the time that Fake spends the aforementioned fifth episode in a car with Birdie, his presence doesn't stop cutting deep, nor showing the scars that it's carving, even just over the phone. It's hardly astonishing, then, that Fake is impossible to stop binge-watching once its first instalment puts its pieces in place: that warning-sign initial date, Birdie's loneliness trumping her niggling uncertainty, society's conditioning that to be a woman of a certain age without a partner and kids is to be a failure, the disappointment that we can all direct at ourselves if we haven't met our own expectations and, of course, the clash of Joe's dubiousness and his magnetism, for starters. It's also far from surprising that when the route to the airport beckons, and one of 2024's best episodes of TV with it, Fake's audience is right there in the Uber with Birdie, riding and feeling the same bumps. Check out the trailer for Fake below: Fake streams via Paramount+ from Thursday, July 4, 2024.
Eiffel 65's 1998 hit 'Blue (Da Ba Dee)' doesn't play over the first trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water, but you're forgiven if you get it stuck in your head anyway. The 97-second clip comes with a sweeping score by composer Simon Franglen (a veteran of the first film) that's designed to set an ethereal and epic mood — but blue really is the colour of all that it wears. If you saw James Cameron's initial entry in this sci-fi franchise back in 2009 — and given that the original Avatar quickly became the highest-grossing film of all time, it's highly likely that you did, because seemingly everyone did — then all those shades of blue won't come as a surprise. They're splashed across the movie's CGI-filled waters, skies and Na'vi people, and across the first look at its long-awaited sequel as well. Yes, 13 years after the first flick became such an enormous hit, there really is evidence that the long-floated follow-up will reach cinemas this year. Avatar: The Way of Water is one of those movies that you might only truly believe exists once you're sat in a theatre watching it, though, because it has been in the works for that long. It's currently set to reach the silver screen Down Under this December, stepping back into the story of the Sully family, aka Jake (Sam Worthington, Fires), Neytiri (Zoe Saldana, The Adam Project) and their children, on the habitable moon Pandora. This time around, staying safe and alive remains a focus — and, from the just-dropped trailer, it looks like more battles are a-coming. The initial clip, which started screening in cinemas with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but has only just made its way online, doesn't spell out much in the way of plot, however. Given that Avatar wowed viewers mainly due to its imagery and special effects (and definitely not its "Dances with Wolves but in space"-style narrative), that too is hardly astonishing. Also set to feature amid all those pixels: Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Stephen Lang (Don't Breathe 2), Cliff Curtis (Reminiscence), Joel David Moore (Bones), CCH Pounder (Godzilla: King of the Monsters), Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Kate Winslet (Mare of Easttown) and Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement. And, obviously, James Cameron is back in the director's chair. If the sneak peek has you excited about re-entering Avatar's blue-heavy world, get ready for more where that came from. A third movie is due in 2024, a fourth in 2026 and a fifth in 2028. Also, the original Avatar will return to cinemas in September, in the lead-up to Avatar: The Way of Water. (And no, there's no word yet whether a team-up with The Smurfs, Sonic the Hedgehog and the Blue Man Group might ever be in the works.) Check out the trailer below: Avatar: The Way of Water releases in cinemas Down Under on December 15. Images: Photos courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Melburnians generally love to try new cuisines. We have a long history of warmly embracing flavours and cooking styles from all over the world, which has led to the creation of our vibrant multicultural food scene — something we are a bit smug about. But plenty of cuisines haven't made it to the mainstream here. One of them is Chifa — a fusion of Peruvian and Cantonese cuisines. Thankfully, hospo veterans Vincent Lombino and Jared Thibault (Lona Misa and QT's Rooftop) are now changing that with their Peruvian-Chinese restaurant and bar, Casa Chino. They already brought Chifa food to Brisbane in 2022 with Casa Chow — we're a bit gutted that Brissie beat us to this one — and the success of this spot has led them to create a similar version down in our fine city. Sharing plates are the name of the game here, with diners expected to order a heap of small and large dishes to fight over. Kick off with baos, raw dishes, skewers and dim sum treats before diving into the bigger wok-cooked plates. In just about every dish, you'll find a blend of both Chinese and Peruvian traditions. We also see quite a few Japanese influences throughout the menu. Check out how these cuisines combine in the tempura fish bao bun with aji amarillo peppers and fresh lime; the crab and prawn toast served with creamy rocoto, tobiko and bonito; and the lap cheong pipis with garlic chives, ginger and chipotle. Big and bold flavours are on show all over this menu. We don't expect that you'll be reaching for the salt or chilli when dining at Casa Chino. Drinks-wise, you can't miss the pisco. The team has a 20-strong list of piscos behind the bar, five different pisco sours and a plum and pisco negroni. Beyond that, there's a heap of signature cocktails that champion both Peruvian and Chinese flavours, plus a solid collection of beers, wines and other spirits. Either drop by for some cocktails and snacks or stick around for a Chifa feast at this Brunswick haunt.
Fans of classic racing games like Mario Kart are in for a real treat as the BattleKart crew prepares to bring a live-action version to Melbourne in February 2024. For the augmented-reality racing game, drivers will jump into a real electric go-kart and whiz around an empty 3000-square-metre shed in West Footscray that's lit up by projectors. But you won't just be driving around a lit-up racecourse — you'll be properly interacting with it as well. Pass over mystery boxes to get bonuses like speed boosters, missiles you can shoot at other drivers (using the triggers on your steering wheel), and oil that causes others to spin out. It's all very Nintendo 64 Mario Kart, just without the licensing. And if racing isn't your jam, you can try a bunch of different driving games at BattleKart. Get around an augmented reality soccer game where you 'kick' balls around the lit-up field — or an IRL version of Snake where you try to grow the longest tail while avoiding everyone else. These do sound cool, but the adrenaline-inducing races are sure to be the highlight. BattleKart already has 23 sites across Europe, with this being its first Australian venture. According to its team, this will be the first time technology like this will be available to the Australian public as well. BattleKart is set to open in February 2024 at 50 McArthur Street, West Footscray. For more information, check out the venue's website.
Infamously the craziest time of the year when it comes to discounts, Black Friday sales can be hard to navigate at the best of times. To help you get prepped, we've narrowed down some of the best bargains from Amazon. You can expect to see some epic deals across homewares, beauty, shoes, electronics and fitness with brands like Samsung, Maybelline, Hugo Boss and Garmin. It's time to get shopping and make the most of the deals while they last. Homewares Stocking up on things for around the house and grabbing some homewares for a gift is never a bad idea. And with these discounts, you'll finally get your hands on those top-quality frying pans you've been putting off or actually replace that pillow you've had for an embarrassingly long time to admit publicly. Corelle Dinnerware Set for $51.99 – 60% off. Tontine Allergy Sensitive Pillow for $17.89 – 61% off. TEFAL Non-Stick Induction Wokpan for $61.19 – 49% off. PetSafe Staywell Aluminium Pet Door for $109.62 – 49% off. Tontine Single All Seasons Quilt for $31.96 – 70% off. Electronics Whether you're a Samsung or a Google person, these Black Friday discounts on all your electrical necessities are enough to make you drop everything. Google Nest Cam Wireless Camera for $166.00 – 50% off. Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Wireless Earbuds for $104.99 – 47 % off. Yamaha TW-E3C True Wireless Earbuds for $45.00 – 65% off. JBL FLIP 6 Portable Waterproof Speaker for $99.99 – 41% off. Rocketbook Core Reusable Smart Notebook for $29.90 – 46% off. Beauty For all the beauty queens out there, we know how expensive it can be to get your hands on the best makeup, moisturisers, perfumes and all the other essentials to keep you feeling at your best. Our recommendation? Stock up while you can. Vera Wang Princess Eau de Toilette for $28.13 – 68% off. Hugo Boss Boss Bottled Eau De Toilette for $84.93 – 59% off. Maybelline New York Matte Lipstick for $8.91 – 58% off. Garnier Brightening Serum for $16.63 – 55% off. Aveeno Daily Moisturising Body Wash for $11.10 – 57% off. Maybelline Superstay Vinyl Liquid Lipstick in Peachy for $11.47 – 58% off. Maybelline Multi-Use Concealer for $9.77 – 58% off. Shoes Finding durable, hardy shoes at a low price can feel almost impossible. However, you can get your hands on everyone's favourite brands including Dr. Martens, Keen, Salomon and Tevas for almost half-price with these spicy Black Friday deals. Dr. Martens Unisex Embury Leather Chelsea for $139.99 – 50% off. Skechers Women's Sneakers for $78.99 – 47% off. Salomon Men's XA PRO 3D Trail Running and Hiking Shoe for $120.00 – 48% off. Teva Men's M Forebay Sandal for $79.99 – 53% off. Nike Sneaker for $44.88 – 55% off. KEEN Women's Waterproof Hiking Boot for $153.06 – 49% off. Timberland Men's 6-Inch Waterproof Boot for $179.99 – 48% off. MERRELL Men's Moab 3 Hiking Shoe for $101.99 – 49% off. Fitness Get active, running, swimming or whatever kind of movement you prefer with these nifty fitness accessories. With these kinds of discounts, there's really no excuse not to. Speedo Men's Endurance + Aquashort for $31.99 – 42% off. Garmin GPS Fitness Smartwatch for $998.00 – 46% off. Buzio 1180ml Insulated Water Bottle for $29.58 – 44% off. Step One Men's Bamboo Trunks for $17.50 – 50% off. TriggerPoint GRID TRAVEL Foam Roller for $23.98 – 60% off. This article contains affiliate links, Concrete Playground may earn a commission when you make a purchase through links on our site. Images: supplied.
Did you turn green with envy when Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger played the ultimate scavenger hunt, aka hunting down horcruxes? Have you always felt that you could use your magical skills in the same way? The City of Melbourne understands and — given that it's already in the grip of wizard fever thanks to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child — it's giving Potter fans quite the Christmas present. On Sunday, December 15, the Magical Christmas Quest will take over the CBD. At 9am, the first clue will be revealed on the quest website — and at 10am, it's time to start 'accio'-ing your heart out. You'll search your way around the city, heading to six Melbourne locations, solving riddles and completing missions at each stop. And as you've probably guessed, you'll be getting into the Harry Potter and the Christmas spirit all at once. [caption id="attachment_674451" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by Manuel Harlan[/caption] Expect to be rewarded for your efforts, too. Sorry, you won't win a trip to Hogwarts — but the major prize-winner will nab a hefty haul. On offer is a VIP Harry Potter and the Cursed Child experience, which includes a pair of tickets to the both parts of the show, backstage access, a night's accommodation and a pre-show dinner for two at Sofitel Melbourne, plus a $500 Myer gift voucher (which you can use at the magical new Harry Potter store). We can't all be the Boy Who Lived — or the Person Who Wins the Quest, more accurately — but ten runners up will score a $100 Gift Finder voucher. You can play as a team or individually and dressing up as your favourite HP character is, of course, encouraged. Everyone who participates will go in the draw to win. The Magical Christmas Quest takes place on Sunday, December 15, with the first clue revealed at 9am that day on the quest website. Image: Harry Potter & The Cursed Child at the Princess Theatre.
A lot can happen in 18 days. Relationships can crumble, local football teams can try to break the mould and huge celebratory balls can be held. If you're an avid cinephile, you've probably spotted the connection — they're what this year's Melbourne International Film Festival opening, centrepiece and closing flicks were all about. With the city's annual celebration of cinema taking over the town between August 2 and 19, film buffs also witnessed everything from zombie invasions and giant rock-climbing feats to unlikely heists and high-stakes rap battles. And Italian crime waves, pioneering female rockers and tense murder cases, too. Plus, they did so from the comfort of their cinema seats (although seasoned MIFF-goers will tell you that some chairs are more comfortable than others). From all of that and more, Concrete Playground film critics Sarah Ward and Tom Clift went, watched and came up with a wealth of highlights — movies that, if you didn't see them yourself, you should definitely pop on your must-see list. Many are downright wonderful. Others are weird in a heap of ways. Some couldn't be more surprising. And a few particularly ace flicks hit all three categories. BEST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCF5Y8dQpR4 FIRST REFORMED Ethan Hawke featured in four films in the 2018 MIFF program, and directed one of them. That's an impressive haul; however, only one of the above movies ranks among the highlights not only of his year, but his career. In First Reformed, the actor is at his devastating best as a lonely pastor grappling with the complexities of faith as one of his parishioners (Amanda Seyfried) asks for his help — and as his health woes and his general malaise escalate. With the intensity that's made him such a compelling screen presence for decades now, Hawke wears his character's growing uncertainty and unhappiness like a weathered second skin, one that hasn't felt a warm embrace for some time. He also hits every nuanced, delicate note in Paul Schrader's screenplay, which might just mark the writer/director's weightiest, most sombre and still most daring effort on a resume that includes scripting Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Last Temptation of Christ. — Sarah Ward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRF290gedLs SORRY ANGEL At last year's MIFF, BPM (Beats Per Minute) broke hearts and burrowed into souls with its depiction of 1990s Paris — a time when queer men loved passionately and fought proudly for their place in the world, but always found their existence lingering under a cloud. Consider Christophe Honoré's Sorry Angel not quite its successor, but its dance partner, with the two films sashaying through similar space while unleashing their own moves. Here, writer Jacques (Pierre Deladonchamps) meets student Arthur (Vincent Lacoste), and as a bond grows between them, the former's illness and the latter's idealism shape their relationship. Sublimely blue in its bittersweet mood and its exacting colour scheme, the end result is a layered, almost novel-like, always tender and touching study of life and love. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efz1ESCpcLo TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID An enchanting and empathetic debut from writer/director Issa López, Tigers Are Not Afraid tackles a familiar topic in an imaginative manner, seeing the Mexican drug war through the eyes of the children it leaves orphaned. Ten-year-old Estrella (Paola Lara) is one of them, proving at a loss when her mother disappears at the hands of the local cartel, and banding up with a group of similarly abandoned boys in an effort to survive. More than that, however, she's driven to track down the men responsible for their misery — driven by ghostly whisperings from her mum. Spanish-language cinema is thrillingly filled with dark fairytales that unpack the ills of childhood, as Guillermo del Toro has demonstrated more than once, but López's effort is a worthy, moving and mesmerising addition to the fold; one that's as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgE8e6QBtt0 BIRDS OF PASSAGE Drug warfare films sometimes feel like a dime a dozen, but this multigenerational crime saga couldn't be more distinctive. The latest feature from Embrace of the Serpent's Ciro Guerra — directing with producer, editor and first-time filmmaker Cristina Gallego — chronicles the choices and consequences when one of Colombia's indigenous Wayúu families wades into the illegal trafficking trade. And, it does so with the same ethnographic approach that shaped the helmers' previous effort; think strikingly vivid images that highlight traditional locations and costumes, plus a genuine desire to immerse viewers in a specific way of life that's rarely seen on screen. Following a cyclical battle for power and wealth that descends into death and bloodshed, it's a gorgeous gut-punch of a movie, almost like Gabriel García Márquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude tinted with bleakness and set in a unique gangster world. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCHx2m_hQc4 ACUTE MISFORTUNE On paper, it hardly sounds riveting: a young journalist profiles an acclaimed but controversial Australian artist. When Erik Jensen met Adam Cullen, it gave rise to a Sydney Morning Herald article, and then an offer to write a book — and now this astonishing, extraordinarily accomplished filmmaking debut from Thomas M. Wright. Even if you're familiar with both figures (the former is now the editor of The Saturday Paper; the latter won the Archibald prize and courted much attention before his death in 2012), nothing about Acute Misfortune sticks to the expected path. As excellent an Australian film as the country can claim in recent years, this is a fearless dissection of two men, their unconventional relationship, and the stories they both spun and starred in. It also features a powerhouse performance from Daniel Henshall as Cullen, who is as unnervingly, menacingly exceptional here as he was in Snowtown. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7TcFMkShpI APOSTASY In this intimate British drama, the titular term looms large over its three protagonists — a devoutly religious mother and the now-grown daughters she has brought up as Jehovah's Witnesses. There seems little chance that Ivanna (Siobhan Finneran) would ever abandon her faith, although two incidents test her devotion, and her family's: 18-year-old Alex's (Molly Wright) need for a blood transfusion, a procedure that's forbidden by their beliefs; and 21-year-old Luisa's (Sacha Parkinson) embrace of the secular world. Debut writer/director Daniel Kokotajlo was brought up in the church himself, and treads through this fraught territory with both authenticity and a no-holds-barred understanding of the complexities of the situation. Shot with clear-eyed naturalism befitting its premise, the film is also a showcase for its trio of actors, who each seethe with internalised conflict. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lqgxmq24qE SHOPLIFTERS Hirokazu Kore-eda has long been fascinated by questions of family. From Our Little Sister to Like Father, Like Son, the Japanese writer-director has probed and prodded at the indelible connection between siblings, spouses, parents and grandparents, crafting exquisite, often heart-wrenching dramas in the process. His latest film, Shoplifters, concerns an unconventional Tokyo family who must resort of petty theft in order to survive. We won't reveal where the story goes from there, but suffice it to say there's a good reason this funny, moving, quietly provocative film won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. — Tom Clift WEIRDEST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKsZlwq19mE MANDY Two words: cheddar goblin. That'll make more sense once you've seen Mandy, and if it doesn't make you want to watch this out-there genre effort, then the movie mightn't be for you. Starring Nicolas Cage at his most Nicolas Cage-like, the film sees the inimitable star play a lumberjack happily in love with his titular partner (Andrea Riseborough) until a cult and their demonic demon bikers decide to snatch her up. Needless to say, things get strange, bloody and unhinged, with director Panos Cosmatos (Beyond the Black Rainbow) making an 80s-set mind-bender that would've even seemed excessive if it came out three decades ago. We mean that in the best possible manner, with everything from the feature's colour-saturated visuals, to its ferocious score, to Cage's glorious performance all hitting the mark — and, perhaps surprisingly, the movie's melancholy tone as well. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLZQfnFyelTBOQ15kmHSgEbdjzLMWzZpL7&v=DTvdgwQfewM KNIFE + HEART It's 1979. Someone is savagely murdering gay porn stars, all of whom work for successful, ruthless producer Anne (Vanessa Paradis). And, as she tries to keep making movies while her actors keep dropping like flies, she's coping with the end of her relationship with her editor. Kudos to writer/director Yann Gonzalez for Knife + Heart's exceptional premise, which also features films within films, creepy legends, spooky woods and rather inventive weapons. Still, it's his lurid execution that makes this a weird and wonderful delight. In his hands, nothing is too much — and we mean nothing. The end result is an assault on the senses that's as brutal as its slasher set-up and as theatrical as its campy tone. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNp0jlfbgqM CLIMAX How do you follow a divisive relationship drama full of gratuitous 3D sex scenes? If you're writer-director Gaspar Noe, with a mesmerising cocktail of carnage, music and sangria. A late addition to this year's Sydney Film Festival line-up, Climax takes place at a dance rehearsal after-party, where petty squabbles and personal baggage spin violently out of control when somebody spikes the punch. Those who are familiar with Noe's previous films such as Irreversible, Enter the Void and Love will recognise all of his trademarks: a pulsating soundtrack, floating camerawork and sequences of exhilarating beauty that make subsequent moments that much more disturbing. Love it or hate it, you certainly won't forget it in a hurry. — TC MOST UNEXPECTED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfCqeoIP0bY THE DESERTED Forget everything you think you know about virtual reality. With The Deserted, the medium reaches its most immersive, all thanks to Taiwanese filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang. If you've seen the director's previous features, such as Journey to the West and Stray Dogs, then you'll know that he's known for his slow cinematic approach and penchant for patient long takes — touches that couldn't be better suited for his first VR effort. Across 55 minutes, you'll inhabit the same space as a lonely man and the spirits of his mother and neighbour. You'll peer around crumbling buildings and earthy gardens, and you'll even sit in the bathtub with the film's protagonist, too. Thanks to all of the above, you'll float along with this ethereal, intricate treatise on isolation, and you'll devour every stunning sight and sound. More than that, you won't want it to end. — SW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CDKr6n0KDE THE WORLD IS YOURS There are heist films, and there are heist films. The World Is Yours has earned comparisons to Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino's work; however it's no mere derivative take on a well-worn genre. Instead, it's a splashy, stylish, skilfully executed and supremely entertaining effort in its own right, and a mighty fun time at the cinema. Perhaps best known for making music videos for M.I.A., Simian Mobile Disco, Kanye West and Jay-Z, and Jamie xx, French filmmaker Romain Gavras turns this account of small-time gangsters dreaming big into a cool, comic and confidently engaging caper that drips with energy and charm from start to finish. Veterans Isabelle Adjani and Vincent Cassel take to their roles with glee, but it's A Prophet's Karim Leklou who stands out among the movie's stars — playing the son of a seasoned grifter who just wants to pull one last job so he can sell icy poles in North Africa. — SW A final note: if you're wondering why some of this year's other excellent MIFF efforts aren't on our list, that's because we've already showered them with love. We were keen on The Green Fog, Profile, An Elephant Sitting Still, Transit, Museum and Aga at Berlinale, plus Leave No Trace, The Rider, Burning, Searching, Cold War, The Guilty and Tyrel at Sydney Film Festival. Then, we fell head-over-heels for Let the Corpses Tan, You Were Never Really Here, Caniba and Zama at Queensland Film Festival, and adored Angels Wear White, Skate Kitchen, Lean on Pete and Strange Colours before MIFF even started.
On May 20, 2011, 500 people will explore the Stephen A. Schwarzman building of the New York Public Library (NYPL) from dusk 'til dawn in a new interactive game allowing players to become an author by sunrise. Find the Future is an overnight adventure where participants have specific missions and objectives to complete through the secret underground stacks of the library, where over 40 miles of books are housed. By the end of the excursion the group will have collaboratively written an entire book that will be published and entered into the permanent collection of the NYPL. Participants will observe over 100 objects of monumental significance to mankind and learn over 100 untold stories that are aimed to inspire creativity and encourage people to realize their dreams and goals for their own lives. The entry form to become one of the first lucky few to begin the Find the Future quest asks individuals to imagine a vivid picture of their future and then create a goal to achieve by the year 2021. The most original and determined entries will be selected for the overnight stay. Following the debut on the 20th, anyone can play the game during regular library hours at the NYPL, or online from anywhere in the world, to make history by finding their future.
Lately, the works of the Dutch masters are receiving some fabulously intense, borderline-OCD flattery from a man who takes the art of imitation to the next level. Creative genius and 17th-century portrait subject stalker Michael Mapes gathers very specific objects and uses them to form intriguing, almost sculptural 21st-century replicas of famous portraits. Look closely at one of Mapes' pixelated images of a face originally painted by Rembrandt or Nicolaes Eliasz Pickenoy, and you'll be rewarded with unexpected findings. The larger picture is composed of all manner of objects, from fragments of human hair to makeup samples, glass vials, gelatin capsules, costume jewellery, contemporary photographs and more. The variety of materials and attention to detail is quite astounding. But this is no random assemblage. Building on a 'pseudo-scientific method' developed for earlier works, after choosing a high-resolution scan of a painting from the archives of Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, Mapes researches the life of his subject to get a sense of their character. This will inform the eclectica that will make up the physical recreation, and the end result is akin to an entomological display of insect specimens, with many tiny items pinned to a plain backdrop for inspection. It's much like viewing a collection of preserved butterflies, raising an implicit question about how we scrutinise historical artwork, people and visual culture in general. Broader meanings are also embedded in the compositional material of the image — for example, we might ask, how is a gelatin capsule relevant to this character? — making these portraits into extreme meta-portraits. Three artworks from the series will be shown in Montana at Yellowstone Art Museum starting this March, in an exhibition of innovative forms of portraiture entitled Face to Face. See more of the artist's works at
If you're a fan of Gelato Messina and its sweet treats, the past couple of years have just kept on giving. That saying doesn't apply to much at all during the pandemic, but it definitely fits in this situation. The dessert chain has released all manner of one-off specials, launched a new range of chocolate-covered ice cream bars in supermarkets, dropped a merchandise line and brought back its Christmas trifle, for starters — and, as it did in 2021, too, it's also doing Easter cocktails. A collaboration with Cocktail Porter, Messina's DIY drinks kits let you whip up your own boozy beverages — and, because it's that time of year, you'll be doing so inside an Easter egg. Yes, you read that correctly. What's the point of being an adult at Easter if you can't combine sweet treats with alcohol? Basically, these kits answer a familiar dilemma, especially at this time of year. No one likes choosing between tucking into an orb of chocolate and having another beverage, after all. Flavour-wise, get ready to sip and eat a whole heap of salted caramel. These packs come with Messina's popular dulce de leche topping, as well as Baileys, cold-drip coffee and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur. You'll also receive chocolate Easter eggs, obviously, which you'll pour your mixed liquids into — as well as pieces of salted caramel popcorn to pop on top. You can pick between two different-sized packs, with the small kit costing $80 and making five drinks, and the large costing $145 and making 12. Fancy drinking Easter cocktails out of rabbit-shaped mounds of chocolate? That's on the menu as well. This kit doesn't actually feature Messina products, but espresso martinis served out Lindt milk chocolate bunnies should still tempt your boozy tastebuds. This one also comes with vodka, cold-drip coffee, sugar syrup and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, and the prices for both small and large batches are the same as the salted caramel kits. Cocktail Porter delivers Australia-wide, if that's your Easter drinking plans sorted. It's now doing pre-orders for both packs, which'll start shipping from mid-March. To order Cocktail Porter's Easter cocktail kits, head to the Cocktail Porter website.
After a night of festivities there's nothing worse than waking up to an abode with chip-trodden carpet, questionable wall smears and a never-ending sea of empties ultimately destined to inhabit your (and your neighbour's) rubbish bins for the weeks following. Such a scene is what initiated Morning-After Maids, a new Auckland startup set to take the hassle out of the weekend clean-up by delivering "an exceptional 'post-party' cleaning service". As well as the lesson in hygiene, the maids will go the extra mile by cooking up a quintessential fresh breakfast too. They have two menus available: one clean and one greasy. The blessed hangover angels also offer fast food runs, coffee, chocolate milk and all those little extras you always wish you'd thought of stocking up on the night before (blue Powerade, fried chicken, Panadol, etc.). The service is only available in Auckland at the moment, and seems like a more niche version of Airtasker or Sydney's Whizz. Their prices seem ridiculously cheap, with two cleaners costing just $30 per hour along with a mileage fee. Do note that you'll have to shell out $10 extra for every pile of vomit they have to deal with, and if you need an emergency clean up, it'll be $50 on top of other cleaning charges. Also, their price list mentions they can provide puppy cuddles free of charge. Puppies.
Meet Australia's next homegrown franchise: after 2019 film Top End Wedding proved a huge hit, striking a chord with lovers of big-screen rom-coms, Aussie fare, Miranda Tapsell (The Surfer) and seeing the Northern Territory splashed across cinemas, streaming series Top End Bub is set to give fans of the movie more on the small screen. And, the new series now has a trailer. When the newly engaged Lauren (Tapsell) and Ned (Gwilym Lee, SAS Rogue Heroes) made a whirlwind visit to Darwin in the successful flick, it was to get married. Six years later, the two key characters are now heading back to the Northern Territory capital. In Top End Bub, Top End Wedding's central couple enter their next chapter — and a child is indeed involved. Tapsell not only starred in Top End Wedding but co-wrote the script. With Top End Bub, she's in both roles again — and also co-created and executive produced the series with fellow returnee Joshua Tyler (100% Wolf: Legend of the Moonstone). Their new story: sending Lauren and Ned to the NT once more, away from their settled life in Adelaide, to become the guardians of their orphaned niece Taya (debutant Gladys-May Kelly). First confirmed in 2024, Top End Bub is set to span eight episodes — and you'll be watching it soon. The series hits Prime Video from Friday, September 12, 2025. Ursula Yovich (Troppo), Huw Higginson (Ladies in Black), Shari Sebbens (The Moogai), Elaine Crombie (Invisible Boys), Rob Collins (Austin) and Tracy Mann (Home and Away) are also making the leap from Top End Wedding to its new spinoff — and Sebbens and Christiaan Van Vuuren (The Office) direct Top End Bub. In a series that promises banding together for family, grappling with what it means to be a parent, onstage antics and even football — as seen in its just-dropped sneak peek — you'll be watching Brooke Satchwell (Triple Oh!), Guy Simon (The Secrets She Keeps) and Clarence Ryan (Territory) as well. Check out the trailer for Top End Bub below: Top End Bub streams via Prime Video from Friday, September 12, 2025. Images: John Platt / Prime Video.
"A pink, glittery, existential dance party in their heart." That's what Greta Gerwig hopes that audiences will find when her third film as a solo director splashes its rosy — and rose-hued — frames across the silver screen. The movie in question is Barbie, marking Mattel's six-decade-old doll's live-action debut. And, no matter how you feel about the toy itself, the feature boasts no shortage of reasons to get excited: the Lady Bird and Little Women filmmaker guiding the show; the fact that Gerwig co-wrote the film with her Frances Ha, Mistress America and White Noise helmer Noah Baumbach; Margot Robbie not only starring but producing and originating the project; a killer cast, including Ryan Gosling as Ken; and the self-aware sense of humour that's bounced through not one, not two, but three trailers before the picture hits cinemas Down Under on July 20. Gerwig and Robbie know that Barbie is a product with history. First reaching stores in 1959, as one of the first-ever dolls that weren't of babies, the plaything has sparked more reactions than the toy itself sports outfits — and this figurine in all of its many guises has never been short on wardrobe options. As a flick, Barbie aims to unpack those swirling responses and, yes, play with them. The feature's marketing tagline might be adamant that "if you love Barbie, this movie is for you" and also "if you hate Barbie, this movie is for you", but Robbie adds to it. "It's also a film for people who feel indifferent about Barbie. But when I pitched that to marketing, it didn't really roll off the tongue in the same way." The Australian Babylon, Amsterdam and The Suicide Squad actor shared her thoughts in Sydney, as did her Maggie's Plan, Jackie and 20th Century Women star-turned-filmmaker helmer Gerwig. In the leadup to the picture's release, Barbie is going global, with a trip Down Under one stop on the feature's promotional tour. Also visiting: Issa Rae and America Ferrera, with the Insecure and Superstore talents popping up on-screen alongside Robbie. Rae plays President Barbie, while Ferrera is Gloria, one of the film's few non-doll characters. Weeks out from Barbie hitting cinemas, the Gerwig-directed, Robbie-led, Rae- and Ferrera-costarring movie has already achieved a feat that would likely seem unthinkable if any other talents were involved: this is one of 2023's most-anticipated cinema releases. Actually, Barbie scored that status months out — years even, after the Gerwig-and-Robbie pairing was locked in back in 2021. Audiences are eager, but the folks that've been given the chance to bring this Barbie flick to them couldn't be more thrilled, too. Talking about the film at a beachside Bondi event at Icebergs, where the venue's famous pool even scored a temporary Barbie-themed makeover, the team's enthusiasm is palpable. "It's a movie that I think can really cut across generations and gender," notes Gerwig, who advises that the feature has been made for everyone aged eight to 108. Also covered at Gerwig, Robbie, Rae and Ferrera's Australian press conference: making a "wild, bananas Barbie movie", the huge opportunity to play with something so globally recognised, expanding the character, challenging stereotypes, following Wonder Woman's lead and breaking all of the Barbie rules. ON HOW IT FEELS NOW THAT BARBIE WILL SOON BE IN CINEMAS Greta: "At this very moment, just being in this setting and being with all of you — and the beach, and we're in Australia, and all these talented people — I really am feeling like what a spectacular life this is. It's overwhelming and amazing, and I just feel very grateful that Margot came to me almost four years ago and said 'do you want to you write a Barbie thing?'. And I'm grateful that in my postpartum haze four years ago, I said yes. It's just been such an extraordinary confluence of so many people coming together who are just outrageous and smart and talented — and that we got to make this wild, bananas Barbie movie is just an extraordinary blessing." ON WANTING TO MAKE A BARBIE MOVIE IN THE FIRST PLACE Margot: "I was aware that the Barbie IP was floating around, had gone up and running, and hadn't come to full fruition. So we've been keeping tabs on the property, and when there seemed like there was an opening, we jumped at the opportunity. We sat down with the Mattel CEO, Ynon [Kreiz], and that was five years ago, and pitched what we as our production company would want to do with a Barbie movie. And I knew even at that time that I would want to do it with someone like Greta Gerwig. She was the dream writer/director for it. I didn't know if she was going to say yes to it, but there are very few people in my mind that I want to make a Barbie movie with, Greta being the top of the list — and thank goodness she said yes. But the reason we went after the property is because it seemed like a very big and exciting and scary opportunity. It's globally recognised — the word itself is globally recognised. And not only that, people have very strong feelings about Barbie in a lot of cases. So it felt like a really exciting place to start a film, and start with the audience, where they already feel a certain way — perhaps that, at the very least, they have associated childhood memories with it. And it seemed like we could do something special with it." ON BEING A PART OF BARBIE'S ON-SCREEN WORLD Issa: "It was spectacular. Greta approached me and, just in our interview-slash-meeting, told me that she envisioned a world, a Barbie world, where I was President. I was super flattered by that, and also questioned her taste in political leaders. But it's a world that is perfect and beautiful — and seeing her brilliant writing, and the cast attached, it was a no brainer for me. So I was just honoured to to play in the world." America: "It was Margot and Greta's involvement that made me interested in what the script was. It was irresistible to be invited to — to take a peek into the world that these two incredibly talented and intelligent, respected women in our fields were going to do with Barbie. I never imagined myself in a Barbie movie, and I just opened the script and I was laughing on page one and then I was crying — and then I was laughing and crying. I had so many feelings and, truly, my first thought was 'are they even going to let Greta make this?'. I did not go into it feeling invested in Barbie — I didn't grow up playing with Barbies, I didn't feel represented in the world of Barbie — but Greta and Noah's brilliance created a world that made it relevant to me. And it is really exciting to get to be a part of a moment that is expanding such a dominant, influential female iconic character in our global culture, to include more of us. And also to include people with perspectives that aren't necessarily positive and kind toward the very long legacy and history that Barbie has." ON TACKLING A CHARACTER WITH SUCH HISTORY — AND BREAKING ALL THE BARBIE RULES Greta: "I grew up with a mum who didn't love Barbie, which only made me more interested in Barbie. So I had a lot of hand-me-down Barbies — a lot of Barbies who were Kate McKinnon's version, like their clothes were all on backward. That Barbie is very close to my heart. When we signed on to write it and I went to the Mattel headquarters, they opened up all the archives and took me through everything from 1959 till now, and the designers and the people who work there were just really fun to talk to and really interesting. But I would say that actually what we we did is, if there were rules, I think we broke all of them. That was part of it, in a way: 'tell me what your sacred cows are and I will do something naughty with it'. Margot, as a producer, was so instrumental in the whole process of just saying 'I want to make this. I want to make her version of this movie, her vision and and really protect it'. But yeah, if anything, it was an introduction to all the rules so they could be broken." America: "I remember when Greta and I first started speaking, she gave me a list of movies to watch to get in the vibe and the feel and the tone, and actually one of the movies I watched was a documentary called Tiny Shoulders about the expansion of the brand. I learned so much watching that. I did know a little, but through the making of this movie and the little bits of research that are either in the movie or that you caught researching it, it's really phenomenal to get a sense of how long the Barbie legacy has been — and how there have been times in the legacy where she was a revolution, and other times where she was behind her times and she needed to catch up. Just the mere fact that she was the first doll a girl could play with that wasn't a baby doll is something that I didn't really ever know. So there was there was an appreciation right from the start of how long her legacy is and how varied her place in our culture has been." ON CHALLENGING THE BARBIE STEREOTYPE Margot: "I definitely didn't want to portray Barbie as being vapid in any way. The thing about our how our story is constructed is that Barbie can be anything — Barbie can be president, Barbie can be a Nobel Prize-winner, you see all this stuff at the beginning of the movie that sets up how incredibly intelligent Barbie is. But at the same time, she hasn't been exposed to so many of the concepts that she's going to be exposed to in the real world. So it was a fine line between playing naivety without it coming across as unintelligent, because I didn't want it to seem ditsy— and that's just not interesting to play. It's not interesting to watch, either. There are times in the movie where we lean into stereotypes — we literally call my Barbie 'stereotypical Barbie' — so we're very much leaning into some stereotypes so that we can, in a way of being self-aware, play up the comedy, and also have a deeper conversation about some sort of issue. But then there are other times where you're like 'okay, if we play up that particular stereotype, it's going to be boring for people for the hour and 40 minutes that they're watching this movie'. It was an interesting challenge to find 'okay, what how do we portray the fact that she hasn't been exposed to certain things that she's going to learn along the way, but it doesn't mean that she's not intelligent?'." ON GETTING HELP FROM WONDER WOMAN — AND PASSING THAT HELP ON Margot: "Obviously I want the movie to do well because we all worked so hard and we love it so much. But I think it is important when a movie like this does do well — like, if Wonder Woman hadn't done what Wonder Woman had done, I don't know if people would have given us the budget we got to. And if this does well, then the next person who wants to make [something female-led]. It's so important." Greta: "We were just saying this the other day. I think all the time, I was like 'I'm so grateful that Patty Jenkins made Wonder Woman'. And yeah, whoever comes next, it will be..." Margot: "I remember when they were trying to come up with comps [comparable films] for this movie, and there's not that many. And it's important to have them. It makes a difference on the business side of things to have those comps, and have the proof in the pudding that they've made money and done well. Hopefully we can be an extra stepping stone for the next thing." Check out the trailer for Barbie below: Barbie releases in cinemas Down Under on July 20. Images: Barbie press tour photography by Caroline McCredie for Warner Bros/NBC Universal. Barbie film stills via Warner Bros.
Whether you watched along from 2009–15 when it was in production or you discovered its joys via an obsessive binge-watching marathon afterwards, Parks and Recreation is one of the 21st century's TV gifts — and the beloved sitcom cemented its stars, from its lead roles through to its supporting parts, as audience favourites. Plenty of those talents also share something else in common: a fondness for touring Down Under. Nick Offerman has done it, taking to Australia's stages. Amy Poehler has made multiple promotional Aussie trips for Inside Out and Inside Out 2. Henry Winkler even headed this way to chat through his lengthy career. Now, add the latter's on-screen son to the list. Ben Schwartz, aka Parks and Recreation's Jean-Ralphio Saperstein, has a date with Sydney and Melbourne in 2025. [caption id="attachment_968141" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Disney/Image Group LA[/caption] Don't be suspicious: Schwartz will be performing his Ben Schwartz & Friends live improv show, which begins with just a couple of chairs onstage. Where it goes from there, you'll only discover on the night — because that's the joy of improv. He's doing two gigs, one at the Sydney Opera House on Saturday, May 3 and another at Hamer Hall on Sunday, May 4. Schwartz isn't just known for Parks and Recreation, although that's the first thing on his resume that'll always come to mind for Parks fans. Since his time in Pawnee wrapped up — since he stopped being one of the woooooooorst people in the fictional Indiana town, that is — he's also starred in murder-mystery comedy The Afterparty, voiced a certain spiny blue mammal in Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, loaned his vocal tones to Star Wars: The Bad Batch and Invincible, and featured in Space Force and Renfield. You'll find Arrested Development, This Is Where I Leave You, The Interview, The Walk, House of Lies, The Lego Movie 2, BoJack Horseman, Bob's Burgers, DuckTales and Central Park on Schwartz's filmography, too, and a whole heap more. Does his resemblance to Stranger Things' Joe Keery come up in Ben Schwartz & Friends? Again, you'll need to attend to find out. [caption id="attachment_842850" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Afterparty, Apple TV+.[/caption] Ben Schwartz & Friends Australian Dates 2025: Saturday, May 3 — Sydney Opera House, Sydney Sunday, May 4 — Hamer Hall, Melbourne Ben Schwartz & Friends plays Australia in May 2025, with ticket presales from 10am on Wednesday, July 31 and general sales from 11am on Friday, August 2. Head to the tour website for more details. Top image: The Afterparty, Apple TV+.
Parties, art, music, performances, food, stripping bare for a swim to celebrate the winter solstice: that's the Dark Mofo way, and so is weaving its anything-can-happen vibe, its beloved regular highlights, and its array of expectation-exploding shows and events into a ritual as much as a festival. The Tasmanian winter arts fest is a place to commune, with attendees and with its boundary-pushing program alike. Challenge, confrontation, evoking a strong response: Dark Mofo is a place for that, too. The festival sat out 2024, spending the time to regroup for the future ahead instead. Late that year, it announced its return for 2025, however. The full program will be unveiled at the beginning of April, but organisers have already announced the first new work. When attendees look at Nathan Maynard's We threw them down the rocks where they had thrown the sheep, they won't forget it. Set to premiere at Dark Mofo 2025 — which runs from Thursday, June 5–Sunday, June 15, 2025, except for the Nude Solstice Swim on Saturday, June 21 — the new commission by the multidisciplinary Trawlwoolway artist will take over a Hobart CBD basement. Inside, expect a commentary on cultural theft and erasure via Maynard's mass installation, using sheep heads to make a statement. "Languishing in museums and their storerooms are the remains of ancestors of First Nations people from all around our globe. They have been stripped of identity and, without consent, treated like specimens for study and scientific inquiry," explains the artist. "We threw them down the rocks where they had thrown the sheep speaks to the sadistic power white institutions flex when they deny First Nations people the humanity of putting our ancestor's remains to rest in the physical and the spiritual." When Dark Mofo's 2025 comeback was first revealed, so were the returns of a number of its beloved festivities: the aforementioned Nude Solstice Swim; Night Mass, which fills downtown Hobart with art and music; culinary highlight Winter Feast, which popped up in 2024 despite the festival around it taking a break; and the Ogoh-Ogoh. If you're wondering if the world missed Dark Mofo, the response to Night Mass alone so far says it all. When 6000 pre-release tickets were made available late in 2024, they were snapped up in less than four hours. "Taking the year off in 2024 was a difficult decision, but Dark Mofo is back with renewed energy and focus, ready to deliver an enormous program spanning two packed weeks this June," notes Dark Mofo's new Artistic Director Chris Twite. "It was encouraging to sell over 6000 Night Mass tickets in less than four hours during our pre-release late last year, indicating that demand for the festival remains strong. We are hoping for a similar response when we release the full program on the 4th April." Back in November, Twite gave a few more hints at what's in store this year. "Dark Mofo is back. For our 11th chapter, once more we'll bathe the city in red and deliver two weeks of inspiring art, music and ritual," he advised when announcing the event's 2025 dates. "Night Mass is a beast, and this year it will evolve once more — worming its way through the city with new spaces, performances and experiences to dance, explore or crawl your way through." Dark Mofo returns from Thursday, June 5–Sunday, June 15, 2025 and for the Nude Solstice Swim on Saturday, June 21. Head to the festival's website for further details — and check back here on Friday, April 4, 2025 for the full lineup. We threw them down the rocks where they had thrown the sheep images: Jesse Hunniford, 2025. Image courtesy of Dark Mofo 2025. Night Mass images: Jesse Hunniford and Andy Hatton, 2023, courtesy of Dark Mofo 2023. Winter Feast images: Jesse Hunniford, 2023, courtesy of Dark Mofo 2023. Nude Solstice Swim images: Rémi Chauvin, 2023, courtesy of Dark Mofo 2023.
Entertaining takes a particular skill. Managing all the moving pieces for an evolving group of people, catering to all tastes and keeping everything running smoothly can be difficult even for hardcore party people. If you get it right, you've pulled together a great evening for your guests. Get it wrong, and it can be messy. You might screw up a key ingredient in dessert, three people might turn up with potato salad or you could forget that one friend who is going veg-o this month. We're not all made for it, and that's okay. What if we told you there's a way to have that winning success and have most of the work done for you? That's where Woodford Reserve comes in. This bourbon has been making waves and memories the world over since 1996. Now it's ready to bring the gold entertaining standard to your home on a mission to revolutionise the at-home cocktail party. We've teamed up with Woodford Reserve to offer one lucky winner the Woodford Reserve Whiskey Wagon, a complete evening of high-end whiskey tasting at home, paid for and stocked by Woodford Reserve. The prize includes a four-hour session for up to 40 people, with two professional bartenders preparing and pouring classic old fashioned cocktails, bourbon and sodas, lighter summery cocktails plus canapés to match, as long as the wagon can be parked on private property, you're eligible to win. Ten lucky runner-ups will receive a bottle of Woodford Reserve and a premium cocktail kit to craft the drink however they like. To enter this luxurious giveaway, all you need to do is fill out the form below before Monday, November 6. [competition]916881[/competition]
Ever wished you could be spirited away into a Studio Ghibli film? Stop dreaming and start making travel plans. Turning movie magic into a real-life wonder, Japan's beloved animation house is opening its own My Neighbour Totoro theme park. Set to liven up the space known as Expo Park in Nagoya's Aichi Prefecture, the 200-hectare site will recreate the world of the 1988 film, building upon an existing attraction. Since 2005, the park has boasted a replica of Satsuki and Mei's house, the home of two characters from the movie. It'll stay, of course — and be joined by other, yet-to-be-revealed Totoro additions. Yes, we're all hoping for a cat bus, some susuwatari (those gorgeous little balls of floating soot), something umbrella shaped and tiny seeds sprouting into giant trees, in a place that'll basically transform that cute video of Ghibli characters out in the world into a reality. Here's hoping it'll nod to a few other Studio Ghibli greats too, although their current focus is understandable. Just try to go into a gift store in Japan without coming across a treasure trove of soft, cuddly Totoros that you can call your own — it's impossible. The park is scheduled to open in 2020, however, in the interim, Ghibli-loving visitors to Japan can still get their dose of animated joy at Tokyo's Ghibli Museum. Plus, back in 2015, it was announced that co-founder and all-round Ghibli legend Hayao Miyazaki was building his own park on Kume Island in the Okinawa Prefecture. Designed to preserve and celebrate nature, it's set to launch in 2018. Via Anime News Network.
The Commune Group's (of Tokyo Tina and Hanoi Hannah) flame-driven Prahran restaurant, Firebird, is inspired by the smoky street food stalls of Vietnam and Southeast Asia, which rocks a distinctly Melbourne edge. The High Street haunt has capacity for over 100 diners and with interiors by Ewert Leaf, the space has a modern industrial feel with exposed beams, distressed concrete and soft timber pendants. Custom-built chargrill and woodfired ovens take pride of place in the open kitchen, and dictate the tastes and flavours of the menu. The vibrant and fresh menu is rich in smoky finishes and charred elements. For snacks and smaller plates, expect the likes of grilled scallops with calamansi butter, woodfired flatbread with whipped tofu and black garlic, beef carpaccio with finger lime and charred betel leaf, and smoked lamb croquettes. And we haven't even got to the 'from the fire' portion of the menu yet. From this fiery section, try grilled King prawns with broken rice and shellfish bisque, charcoal chicken with burnt chilli nuoc mam, or go big with a 500g ribeye served with lemongrass jus. One of Firebird's famed dishes is a reimagined duck l'orange, which features a 14-day dry aged roast duck, with orange, 'excellent sauce', and burnt ginger relish. If you're looking for something hearty, consider the smoked pork belly curry with charred pineapple, or the char siu fried rice with tomato and garlic shoots. Just in time for the change of seasons, Firebird has launched its Lunchbreak Special. This 90-minute share-style lunch experience, which is available on the weekends, includes free-flowing spritzs, prosecco, wine and beer, and a generous amount of food for just $76 per person (for a minimum of two people). The special menu features oysters with pineapple mignonette, fried rice and an epic skewer platter loaded with char sui pork, nuoc mam chicken and lemongrass sate prawn skewers, pickles, sauces and veggies. Images: Parker Blain and Jana Langhorst
Darling Group is best known for opening and acquiring some of Melbourne's top cafes (Higher Ground, Top Paddock, The Terrace, Kettle Black), while recently branching out into the restaurant scene (Token and Stringers). Like many of the larger hospitality groups in Melbourne, the Darling Group continues to expand (even if the industry is struggling right now). Most recently, it opened Cheri — a new all-day eatery located right across from South Melbourne Market. Cheri has taken over neighbouring sites Bibelot and Chez Dre, transforming them into one huge 150-seat venue that's open from 8am–5pm every day of the week. Darling Group's Executive Pastry Chef Michael Germanos is making sure Cheri is home to incredible pastries, cakes and bread, made on-site every morning to be exclusively sold here and across all of Darling Group's other venues. Expect an expansive collection of sweet and savoury croissants, classic eclairs, small and large tarts and cakes, sourdough loaves, baguettes, piadinas and focaccia sandwiches. It's giving full bakery energy throughout the morning, while also serving up an all-day dining menu that covers most of your breakfast and lunch bases. Brekkie bites include polenta porridge with confit spiced dates, mandarin, creme fraiche, cinnamon and pistachios; croissant loaf french toast with maple syrup and cultured butter; eggs benedict served on a croissant wheel; and a lamb merguez fry-up with poached eggs, za'atar yogurt, preserved lemon, mint and pita bread. This is a stacked morning menu that reads like those at Melbourne's best breakfast spots. For lunch, you've got ricotta gnocchi with pancetta, broad bean leaf verde, spring peas, stracciatella and green onion oil; chicken cotoletta with sprouting broccoli leaves, asparagus and cafe de Paris sauce; and seven different pizzas made with 72-hour fermented dough. Pair this all with some signature cocktails — you can never go wrong with a cheeky bloody mary — teas, shakes, sodas, and a decadent Cheri hot chocolate made with milk chocolate, whipped cream and crema di pistachio. You can drop by this spot for a quick takeaway pastry and coffee, or choose to sit in the main dining room or 50-person courtyard — when the sun is shining. We have high expectations for Cheri, not only because Darling Group has proven it knows how to cafe, but because this food menu looks like an absolute banger. Images: Julian Lallo.
Ethical shopping is really goddamn hard sometimes. On one hand, you don’t want clothes that have been painstakingly made by someone earning a dollar a day in a sweatshop. On the other hand are a bunch of shopping bags because you've no idea where to even start shopping ethically. Like everything, an ethical mindset happens incrementally and the first step you can take is here — the Good On You ethical shopping assistant app is seeking crowdfunding. Intended to help you make better consumer choices, the Good On You app amalgamates information on the ethical rating of fashion brands, either by search term or in your local area. The app also measures different production impacts and processes such as child labour, treatment of animals and contribution to climate change. Basically, the app tells you all the real ingredients that went into making your must-have leather jacket, leaving no stone unturned. At times, it may be a hard pill to swallow if your favourite brands don’t pass the test, but the GOY team don't want you to stop shopping — the app also feature alternative suggestions, based on your style, that do better ethically. And perhaps the feature with the greatest potential to catalyse change is the ability to directly message brands who don’t pass muster (fire up your emoji dictionary for maximum emotional impact). There are a few ethical shopping assistant apps on the market right now, however this is the first that systematically catalogues Australian fashion and beauty brands — and it’s about time. Ethical shopping needn’t be a time-consuming ordeal and with an app that creates brand transparency it hopefully soon won’t be. Image: Dollar Photo Club and Good On You. UPDATE DECEMBER 18, 2015: Thanks to awesome crowdfunded dollars, Good On You reached their target of $15,000 and the app is now live. You can download it from their website. Go team!
Finally, the Bloody Mary will have a breakfast bev companion. Bacardi has been cooking up what is thought to be the first spirit distilled from tea leaves, a new product they're calling Tang. Although we're pretty sure that's already a long-copyrighted drink name for a sugary orange fizz, Bacardi are running with it as inspired by the Chinese Tang Dynasty — when the country's obsession with tea really put down its roots. And with tea still the second most widely consumed beverage in the world (behind coffee, of course), it looks like Bacardi's capitalising on a still-travelling bandwagon. Someone at Bacardi obviously saw more than The Grim in their tea leaves. Apparently the company has been developing a brand new distillation process for four years, according to The Spirits Business. Releasing complex sugars from green tea leaves, the process makes the tea leaves fermentable — so able to become booze. Looks like someone at Bacardi left the leaves in their home teapot too long and had a Brilliant Idea. The fermented gloop then heads to distillation phase, before being blended to really get those tea flavours out. Then the whole thing is diluted with French spring water at Cognac's Grey Goose distillery and you've got yourself a 'tea spirit', designed to drink alongside Chinese food or dropped into cocktails. If you're all fired up to drop a little Tang in your morning cup, be warned; it's going to be exclusively distributed in China (initially only from DFS Hong Kong until May). Plus, it's not going to be cheap. Bacardi are only making small batches of 2000 500ml bottles a go (HK$1888 or AU$318), with the first 500 of the batch numbered, so you're going to see some pretty steep eBay prices on Tang. Via The Spirits Business.
One of Australia's most redeeming qualities is its ability to give good afternoon sun. There's something about its familiar glow that almost demands casual drinks — whether it's cracking open a cold beer after a long day, heading to the pub after work, or deciding on a whim that your backyard is perfect for having people over. Here in Melbourne, we love a drink in an inner city park. In the height of summer you'll see people of all ages chilling out in Fitzroy Gardens, Edinburgh Gardens or any other area where there's an expanse of green grass. The standard of our parks is off the chart. Here's a list of ten outdoor spots where you can BYO drinks in Melbourne. DIGHTS FALLS After a bike ride in the sunshine, head to the Merri Creek trail for a stroll past tree-lined banks and on to Dights Falls. The weir here is artificially made and was built in the 1840s to provide water to the 'Ceres' flour mill. After spending an afternoon lying in the sun here, saddle up your bike and head for home. They way home might include a stop in at Collingwood Children's farm for a chat with some pigs, and then a visit to all-round charity good guys Lentil As Anything for some post-ride sustenance. FITZROY GARDENS One of the most stunning parks in town, Fitzroy Gardens is home to Victorian-era design and pathways lined with shrubs. Don't you just love a good shrub? Get your fix here as you wander the diverse and picturesque grounds. You might explore the Fairie Tree or the model Tudor village, or you might just pull up a spot on the lawn and lie in the sun with a drink. It's completely up to you. [caption id="attachment_593161" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Instagram: @isa8486[/caption] TIDAL PARK Wilson's Prom is a classic camping spot, and Tidal River is the main spot within it for camping and accommodation. Norman Beach is only a walk away from your tent (or cabin) home, and even though there are 484 camping and caravan sites you won't feel like the crowds are too much, except on school holidays when you should probably choose to not come during that time and that'd be a-ok. Camping facilities are pretty comprehensive (such that you won't be far from a hot shower) and if you want to barbecue your dinner you can on the free gas barbecues. CUMBERLAND RIVER HOLIDAY PARK You want to make sure that you book well ahead to get a prime river spot at this popular holiday park. This uber-picturesque location is nestled on the mouth of the Cumberland River, and is a pretty hot location for wedding pics because of a very photogenic backdrop. Grab your tent, a few mates, an esky full of drinks and set off on a weekend out of town in one of the prettiest spots around. HALF MOON BAY A little bit further south on the ocean past St Kilda lies Half Moon Bay. This local's spot is protected by a rock wall, and has in the past played host to some impromptu beach parties. If there's not a spontaneous beach rave happening at the moment that you happen to be there that's okay – it's plenty of fun to frolic in the shallows as you spend a sunny afternoon here enjoying some rays. There's also a row of shops not too far away in case you run out of drinking and eating supplies. PRINCES PARK This sprawling green is home to approximately a million possums, mums jogging with prams, kids playing soccer and, if you're lucky, a bunch of die-hard fantasy fans doing a spot of Larping (prime people watching opportunity). With free barbecue facilities on site, Princes Park is the perfect spot for an afternoon get together with some mates. Keen for some friendly exercise? Hire a tennis court for a hit, and then cool off with a couple of cold ones in the afternoon sun. EDINBURGH GARDENS It's the spot to see and be seen, and if you head there on a sunny day you'll probably find that at least 20 percent of your friends have checked in here. Space is the only issue here – there's a risk of getting doinked in the head by a rogue frisbee. But that's a small price to pay for the possibility that the person chucking it might be incredibly good looking (it's Fitzroy). The all-round amazing supermarket Piedimonte is right around the corner. It's picnic location perfection. TURPINS FALLS We'll be honest. The water at Turpins Falls is cold, no matter what the season. But if you grab a spot in the sun to warm up like a lizard, you won't find it too bad. Pack up a cute picnic and hightail it outta town for a 70 minute drive north out of Melbourne. This stunning spot is always pretty packed in summer, but that only adds to the atmosphere of the place. PARLIAMENT GARDENS When you're riding the 86 or 96 trams (or any other tram that passes Parliament) you'll be greeted with the lovely sight of Parliament Gardens. This cute-as-a-button patch is recognisable for its fountains, palm trees, statues, and park weddings that often occur within it. It's a great spot to cool off on a hot day, and boasts a great view of Parliament House, Eastern Hill and St Patrick's Cathedral. Check out the bronze statues of Pastor Sir Douglas and Lady Gladys, two of Australia's most prominent Indigenous leaders, then relax on the grass as you watch the world go by. Top Image: Kimberley Low
If anyone has treated Melbourne to a contemporary taste of the Middle East, it's Joseph Abboud, who first opened Rumi on the Brunswick East end of Lygon Street back in 2006. With this hugely popular venture, he helped lay a path for plenty of other Middle Eastern restaurants in Melbourne to follow and expand upon. Then, at the end of 2023, he packed up Rumi and moved it around the corner to East Brunswick Village. Next door, he also teamed up with his wife Nat to create The Rocket Society — a small neighbourhood wine bar with next-level mezze. When we revisited Rumi in the new location, we quickly breathed a deep sigh of relief. The team hadn't tried to reinvent the much-loved restaurant. They didn't transform the menu or the friendly and highly personable style of hospitality. Instead, all that changed is that the team improved the wine menu, installed a new charcoal grill and designed a space that's altogether more polished and grown-up compared to its previous site. You'll still find the moreish sigara boregi — crispy pastry cigars filled with haloumi, feta and kasseri — the fried cauliflower; Persian meatballs; and incredible tiny Turkish beef dumplings that come doused in tomato sauce, kashk yoghurt and nutty butter. Think of the dish as a Turkish pasta. It's a must-order. The Rumi set menu remains, too, and is still really affordable. For $65 per person, you get a bunch of dips, bread, cheesy cigars and pickles to start. You then get meatballs, a selection of grilled and fried vegetables, a melt-in-your-mouth lamb shoulder (another longtime menu item), barbecue chicken wings and a couple of salads. Turkish delights finish off the feast. And while the food remains much the same, the drinks got a proper glow up in the new location. Pre-dinner sips include sherry, vermouth, amaro and arak — a Lebanese spirit made by extracting anise seeds in grape brandy. There's also a stack of local beers and signature cocktails made with a Middle Eastern edge. Then there are the wines. There are over 100 of them, hailing from Australia and around the Middle East, on the Rumi menu. They're split into the following categories: mates and local legends; the old, old world; funky trendy; and classic and conventional. So, whether you're into your orange wines and pét-nats, prefer your Aussie classics, or are keen to try something new from further afield, this bar's got the goods. Rumi remains a true Melbourne treasure. It even regularly books out on weekday nights, as locals flock here on the regular. Be sure to book ahead if you want to try some of the best Middle Eastern food in the city.
Paradise Alley is the latest addition to Collingwood's multi-faceted dining warehouse on Easey Street. The shared space includes a microbrewery, deli, art gallery, motorbike shop and, now, a 150-seater public bar and pool hall. Hospo vet and owner Laura Twomey (ex-City Wine Shop) maintains the warehouse's roots in this massive open space with polished concrete floors, original stained glass windows and exposed brick walls, along with eclectic furniture and a gorgeous handmade blonde timber bar. A separate pool room features a red table surrounded by hard-backed booths and the laneway doubles as a 35-seater beer garden, complete with potted plants and large-scale street art across every wall. The bar is serving up a rotating tap list of Australian craft beer, along with a small specialty cocktail menu and natural wines. For food, they're collaborating with neighbour Little Latin Lucy, who also resides in the warehouse and serves up Latin American street food with a Californian twist. Dishes can be ordered from the bar and include chipotle pork or smoked duck tacos topped with charred pineapple, lamb ribs and grilled whole fish. The bar also hosts weekly charity meat raffles and regular wine tastings. The co-op type space is also shared with Backwoods Gallery and Casati's Deli, the latter of which has begun brewing their own beer from the warehouse's microbrewery — which is visible from Paradise Alley and will make its way onto their taps soon enough. Images: Eduardo Vieira.
After a cocktail next door, don't be surprised if you find yourself on the doorstep of San Telmo, succumbing to the enticing pull of the Argentinean grill. Inside, carnivores congregate around the Parilla (the imported Argentine charcoal grill, pronounced par-ee-sha) — feasting on slabs of tender, smokey charred meat. Order by cut: short ribs, flank, rib eye and all the steaks of rump are on offer here. The menu is designed to share, which means that our vegetarian friends needn't miss out. The sweet-burnt carrots with thyme and goats cheese, provolone, charcoal roasted cabbage salad, or brussel sprouts with parsnip and chestnut puree will appease the non-animal eaters, while desserts like the dulce de leche creme caramel with salted peanut praline will have both tribes fighting over the fork. From the grill try the chorizo and morcilla to start, while the pasture fed lamp rump marinated in garlic thyme and rosemary is the perfect dish for the main event. Pair it with a bottle of 2017 Colome Altura Maxima Malbec for a truly unforgettable Argentinian experience at San Telmo.
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 — Frankie's Tortas and Tacos is now open for takeaway tacos, Mexican sandwiches and tinnies every Tuesday–Sunday, from 11.30am–3pm. This Mexican joint doesn't have a heaving tequila selection, a dinner menu, or a single cerveza in sight, but it is dishing up a lunchtime offering that'll keep you coming back for more. Opening on Smith Street just before Christmas in 2019, Frankie's Tortas & Tacos is located in a tiny car park kiosk most recently home to a kebab joint. It has chain-link fencing, a charmingly low-key vibe and room for not much more than 15 diners. The menu might be short and simple, but it's the stuff lunchtime regulars dream of, served speedily out of a busy streetside kitchen and best enjoyed perched on one of the venue's red plastic stools. You can leave the formalities at home — here, it's paper plates all the way. A trio of tortas — or Mexican sandwiches — features soft, white Vietnamese-style rolls, stuffed with beans, avocado, queso, lettuce and coriander, and served with house-made pickles. There's a classic al pastor starring marinated pork cooked on a shawarma-style spit, another with crumbed beef and a vegetarian-friendly mushroom number. Tacos play the simple game, too, with a lineup of just three options, each jazzed up with onion, coriander and a dollop of salsa. You'll find an al pastor with pineapple and another meat-free mushroom creation (both gluten-free), along with a beef asada. Add a squeeze of lime and a few splashes from the hot sauce collection and you're good to go. Just don't leave it too late to visit, as the kitchen only serves up limited portions each day. While you can't match this Mexican feast with a beer, Frankie's is slinging daytime-appropriate sips like Jarritos Mexican sodas, glass bottles of Coca Cola, horchata (a sweet rice milk drink) and a cold brew and filter from Abbotsford's Blume Coffee. Images: Tracey Ah-kee
There's plenty to love about newly-opened, vegan snack bar, Follies. Along with a food and beverage menu that's entirely plant-based, Follies pays homage to the classic pintxos bars found in Barcelona and San Sebastian. Everything on the menu comes in a bite-sized ration, served on toothpicks as a nod to its Basque Country heritage. Follies is the lockdown brainchild of Melbourne-born and bred Olivia Franklin, a young but eager hospitality veteran. A nostalgic ode to the 70s, Follies' fit-out has been brought to life with the help of retro wallpaper prints, bright orange table tops and the fuzzy, original carpet from the 70s. Patrons will find a reliable everyday menu of hot, cold, sweet and savoury pintxos priced at $5.50 for a small stick and $7 for a large. The pintxos bar choices run to the likes of peach and goats cheese crostini done with a balsamic glaze ($5.50), and cream cheese-stuffed peppers laden with walnuts ($7). Extra soft and juicy Italian meatballs are served coated in a rich tomato and red wine sauce ($7), while a Patatas Bravas with roast chickpeas ($7) is a must-try. Seasonal and event-themed specials are also promised to make appearances throughout the year. Drinks take the form of house cocktails, spritzes, local beers and an ever-evolving selection of vegan, low-intervention wines. The Frosty Fruit margarita contains a crowd-pleasing tequila, Cointreau, passionfruit and lime ($22), while a Porny Pom mixes vodka, vanilla, pomegranate liquor, molasses and prosecco ($22). Low-to-no alcohol drinks are given plenty of love too, with a range of iced teas, spritzes and pét-nat for guests looking for alternative bevvies. An enticing daily happy hour offers $18 cocktails, $10 spritzes, $9 wines and $7 schooners. Bottomless lunch comes in at an easy $75, including bottomless pintxos, spritz, beer and wine. Images: Genevieve Rankin
Cinderella horrifically mangled in a pumpkin car crash. Dodgem cars run by the Grim Reaper. Model boat ponds filled with dead bodies. Welcome to Banksy's Dismaland. Banksy has unveiled his biggest show to date, a family theme park that's highly unsuitable for children, a festival of "art, amusement and entry-level anarchism". Opened on a 2.5 acre site on the Weston-super-Mare seafront in the UK, Banksy's largest project has been kept under wraps for months, until today. According to the Guardian, locals and tourists were convinced the disused '30s lido space was being used for a Hollywood film set — fake crime thriller Grey Fox. Wander through cardboard airport security and you'll find a frankly terrifying theme park — a huge flip of the bird to Disneyland, even though Banksy banned any imagery of Mickey Mouse on site. Banksy personally selected 58 artists including Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, Julie Burchill, Jimmy Cauty (former KLF) and more, most of whom never met the elusive legend. The theme park's 'attractions' are another world of messed-up. Banksy's own ten works include Cinderella's pumpkin crashed in a large castle, a grisly recreation of the death of Princess Diana, surrounded by paparazzi (and you get a souvenir photo on the way out, lovely). The Grim Reaper rides the dodgems. There's a Punch and Judy show, rewritten with a nod to Jimmy Saville. Yeesh. There's a model boat pond, filled with dead bodies and overcrowded asylum seeker boats. There's cute little model village, swarmed by 3000 riot police following civil conflict. There's a Jeffrey Archer Memorial Fire Pit, locked in for daily book burnings, and an armour-plated riot control car used in Northern Ireland, with a slippery dip. For the kids, there's a 'pocket money loans' shop, handing out sweet sweet junk change with a 5000% interest rate to land them in debt for life. There's an 'advice bureau' where you can buy tools to break into bus stop ads and replace them with propaganda. "Are you looking for an alternative to the sugar-coated tedium of the average family day out? Or just somewhere a lot cheaper?" says Banksy. "Then this is the place for you. Bring the whole family to come and enjoy the latest addition to our chronic leisure surplus." #Dismaland #dismaland_park #banksy #streetart #dismalanbeamusementpark # A photo posted by Banksy (@dismaland_park) on Aug 20, 2015 at 6:21am PDT #dismaland #banksy A photo posted by Banksy (@dismaland_park) on Aug 20, 2015 at 8:39am PDT Dismaland Park #dismaland #banksy #dismaland_park #streetart #banksyart #disney #ladydi #paparazzi A photo posted by Banksy (@dismaland_park) on Aug 20, 2015 at 11:56am PDT Banksy's dismaland park #dismaland #banksy #dismalanbeamusementpark #disney #england #streetart A photo posted by Banksy (@dismaland_park) on Aug 20, 2015 at 5:20am PDT #streetart #dismaland_park #dismalanbeamusementpark #dismalandpark #dismaland #banksy #fuckthepolice A photo posted by Banksy (@dismaland_park) on Aug 20, 2015 at 5:53am PDT #dismaland #banksy @dismaland_park A photo posted by Banksy (@dismaland_park) on Aug 20, 2015 at 6:33am PDT Dismaland park #dismalandpark #dismaland #banksy #dismalanbeamusementpark #disney @dismaland_park A photo posted by Banksy (@dismaland_park) on Aug 20, 2015 at 5:36am PDT Dismaland bemusement park @banksy @dismaland_park A photo posted by Banksy (@dismaland_park) on Aug 20, 2015 at 5:02am PDT #dismaland #banksy A photo posted by Banksy (@dismaland_park) on Aug 20, 2015 at 6:47am PDT #dismaland_park #dismalanbeamusementpark #dismalandpark #Dismaland #banksy #england A photo posted by Banksy (@dismaland_park) on Aug 20, 2015 at 5:42am PDT Banky's Dismaland is open until September 27. There'll be 4000 tickets available each day at £3 each at dismaland.co.uk. Via Guardian, Huffington Post, NY Daily News. Top image: Yui Mok.
Hey kids, seems pizza does grow on trees, according to mightily-moustachioed, all-American comedian Nick Offerman. In a brand new Funny or Die video, the Parks and Recreation star takes you on a rip-roaring tour through his fictional Pizza Farm — where the team are hard at work "growing the ripe, juicy pizzas your kids love.” We wish. "What could be healthier than this? Acres of pizza, kissed by the sun, stretching as far as the eye can see." Offerman, or ‘food expert’ Daniel Francis, unearths Sloppy Joes from moist fields irrigated by cola, picks taquitos from the tree, wanders past fish finger vineyards, and eats a fresh slice of pepperoni pizza straight from the tree. “If it’s on a plant, it’s good for you, who cares how it got there.” According to TIME, Offerman’s genius Pizza Farm is apparently a big ol’ flip of the bird to idiotic protests against First Lady Michelle Obama’s huge campaign to change US school lunch regulations and get Congress to reauthorise the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 — which regulates the amount of unhealthy, high fat, high sugar, high salt food you can serve to school kidlets at lunch. Until then, most US school lunches will remain as cheaply-made and unhealthy as they can possibly can be. But as Offerman says, "French fries are practically salads, which is why I like mine with ranch." Pizza Farm with Nick Offerman - watch more funny videos Via TIME.
