Like lots of Melburnians this year, Fonda will be celebrating its birthday month in lockdown. But fiestas will still be in strong supply regardless of restrictions, thanks to the restaurant group's newly dropped takeaway offering. In honour of its tenth birthday, Fonda has launched a menu of DIY taco kits and bottled margaritas that are primed for nights in and sunny picnic sessions alike. At $60, the taco kit comes packed with everything you need to make eight tacos — corn tortillas, fresh fillings, guacamole, pico de gallo and chipotle aioli, plus your choice of the signature chicken, slow-cooked beef brisket or roasted sweet potato. To wash it all down, you'll find a range of pre-batched margaritas in house flavours like Coconut, Makrut & Chilli, Watermelon & Lime and Chilli Mango. Grab a mixed four-pack of 100ml serves for $60, or try any flavour by the share-friendly half-litre bottle for $65. What's more, the Fonda folk have put together the ultimate playlist to soundtrack your festivities, sure to transport you to a night out at the OG Richmond restaurant — find it here. The taco kits and margaritas are available for pick up from Fonda Hawthorn, Windsor, Richmond, Collingwood and its Bondi outpost in Sydney. Pre-order online.
You've heard of farmers markets, Christmas markets, street markets and second-hand markets. But have you ever heard of a distillers market? Melburnians who enjoy a hearty sip of a strong spirit may want to make their way to Preston, and to the former shoe factory, the Northside Food Hall on Saturday, December 3, when it'll be the home of the first-ever Northside Craft Distillers Market. You read that right – an entire market dedicated to craft distilleries from around Australia. Melbourne spirit-seekers may already be familiar with the flavours of local faves like Saintlier, Naught, Loaded Barrel and Hillmartin distilleries. But it's less likely you've sampled the work of Tan Lines distilling, coming from tropical Townsville, Fossey's distillery from far-north Mildura, Mates Gin distillery in Wonthaggi or Noble Bootleggers from Bendigo. You'll be able to sample the products of these distillers and more in a seated tasting event. Once you've enjoyed your samples, distillers will be selling their products and merchandise in person, so you can hear about each drink from the maestro that brewed it and load up on gin, whiskey and vodka alike. And to help absorb the sips of spirits, the Northside Food Hall has foods for all moods. Fried chicken, pizza, salads and pub feeds await to pair with your spirits of choice. What better way to welcome in the summer than with a strong drink and a hearty feed? The Northside Craft Distillers Market will be open from 12pm to 3pm on Saturday, December 3. For more information and to buy tickets, visit the website.
Hotel stays might be off the cards for now, but boutique hotel group Lancemore is helping to fill that void with a new series of at-home experiences. Or at least, it's got the culinary side of things sorted, anyway. Amongst the multi-venue offerings is an at-home edition of the famed high tea from Joseph's Restaurant & Bar at the stunning Lancemore Mansion Hotel Werribee Park. Primed for a fancy lockdown backyard picnic, this indulgent spread features an array of sweet and savoury morsels to feed two adults ($120), or a family of four ($165). You'll enjoy bites like freshly baked earl grey-infused scones with clotted cream, and a rhubarb, strawberry and pepper jam; roast chicken and tarragon sandwiches finished with crisp chicken crackling; dainty chocolate madeleines; macaroons; and Champagne-macerated strawberry cream puffs. There's also a kid-friendly menu starring fun things like chocolate crackle cake and gingerbread men. The high tea menu is available every Friday and Saturday, with pre-orders taken online up until 12pm the day prior. You can click-and-collect from the hotel, or opt for $20 home delivery if you live within 25 kilometres. From September 18, the high tea will also be available to pre-order and pick up from the Lancemore Crossley Street Hotel in the CBD every Saturday afternoon. Order via the same online menu. [caption id="attachment_825279" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Rhiannon Taylor[/caption] Images: Rhiannon Taylor
If the last 12 months hadn't been affected by COVID-19, the Australian Museum in Sydney would currently be playing host to Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, a blockbuster exhibition of more than 150 objects from the ancient boy king's tomb. That isn't the case due to the pandemic — and, in bad news for anyone interested in history or eager to find out more about one of its most famous figures, the huge showcase will now no longer be displaying at the venue at all. Today, Thursday, March 18, the Australian Museum announced the exhibition's cancellation, advising that it has been informed by IMG, the company responsible for staging the exhibition, that Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh would no longer be coming to the venue. Originally, the tour had just been postponed; however, now it has been completely shuttered. If it had gone ahead — with an original launch date of February 2021 — the hefty showcase would've been on display for six months, and featured golden jewellery, elaborate carvings, sculptures and ritual antiquities from King Tut's treasure-laden resting place. And, it would've been available for Australians to see just shy of a century after the tomb was first discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter back in 1922. Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh was also set to include 60 pieces that had never previously left Egypt. Revealing the cancellation, Australian Museum Director and CEO Kim McKay said that "the Australian Museum is saddened that the Tutankhamun exhibition has been cancelled due to the pandemic", but noted that the venue is working on a replacement. "We are already negotiating for a new touring Egyptian exhibition and hope to announce details soon. We know our visitors are fascinated by ancient Egypt and in the next three years, the Australian Museum will open its first-ever permanent Egypt Gallery to display our remarkable collection of historical artefacts," McKay said. Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh's was set to display in the Australian Museum's newly revamped space, with the venue reopening in November 2020 after a $57.5 million makeover. As part of its renovations, the site added more than 3000 square metres of public space to its layout, to provide more room to host blockbuster exhibitions. Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh is no longer set to display at the Australian Museum. To see the venue's current exhibitions, head to the Australian Museum website. Images: AP Images / King Tut: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh at the California Science Centre.
"Imagine you're tracking a terrorist" begins the unseen voice in the opening shot of Dror Moreh's unnerving documentary The Gatekeepers. "You know they're planning an imminent attack and you know they're in a car that your teams have finally located." As he narrates, the clouds on the screen part to reveal footage from a drone flying high above a city. "What you don't know, though, is where they're going to be an hour from now, or who else is in the car with them. So…what do you do?" Moments later there's a flash, an explosion, and the car is destroyed in what you realise is real-world footage of an assassination. In the corner of the screen, an injured bystander slowly attempts to crawl away from the flaming carnage. This is the story of the Shin Bet — Israel's highly secretive internal security service — as told by all six surviving leaders, past and present (and, notably, the only members whose identities are ever made public). Divided into seven sections with austere headings like: 'Collateral Damage', 'Forget About Morality' and 'Victory Is to See You Suffer', The Gatekeepers offers an extraordinary insight into one of the most clandestine organisations in living history. Like 2003's Academy Award-winning film The Fog of War, these interviews reveal both the strategic and philosophical considerations behind some of the organisations most famous (and infamous) operations; however, unlike Robert S. McNamara, the disclosures of these men are remarkably unsentimental and make little attempt at any justification. With their stewardship spanning decades of momentous upheaval, including the 6-Day War, the hijacking of the 300 bus, the invasion of Lebanon, the two Intifadas and the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, there's no shortage of material for the narrators to delve into despite the large pockets of history that remain classified. Rarely do the scenarios veer even close to black-and-white morality, and, not surprisingly, it's questions of assassination and torture that prove most compelling. "What's unnatural is the power you have" , explains the Shin Bet's most recent chief Yuval Diskin, "the power you have to take three people, terrorists, and take their lives in an instant." In all, The Gatekeepers is a candid, revelatory and at times disturbing film that represents one of the 'must-sees' of 2013. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Kpk71yrQUQM
If your vino collection is looking a little sad and you're in need of some fresh inspiration, Northside Wines has gone and done all the hard work for you. On Sunday, May 2, the Northcote wine bar is serving up a smorgasbord of vinous choice, all thanks to the next edition of its popular wine market. Pick a session (1–3.30pm or 4–6.30pm), grab yourself a $15 ticket and get ready for some serious wine shopping. On the day, you'll have the chance to sample and purchase over 100 different drops, and to chat to the producers about their latest and greatest. Local winemakers including Trofeo Estate, Mount Avoca, Soumah and Giammarino Wines will be in attendance, along with top Melbourne-based distributors like Vigorous Brothers and Eurocentric. You'll score a glass for all those tastings, plus there'll be snacks and nibbles to enjoy in between sips. And we probably don't have to remind you that this is all happening the week before Mother's Day — presents and brownie points, sorted.
He was a champion boxer, a fierce activist, and fittingly dubbed The Greatest more than once. Whether he was strapping on his gloves for a match or crusading for a cause outside of the ring, he floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee. He was Muhammad Ali. In addition to all of the above, Ali was also the subject of When We Were Kings, one of the best sporting documentaries ever made. With the great man passing away on June 3, The Astor Theatre is screening the Oscar-winning effort to commemorate his life and achievements, and donating $1 from each ticket to Parkinson's Australia in his honour. Released in 1996, but chronicling the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight championship bout between Ali and George Foreman in 1974, the behind-the-scenes doco shows the iconic fighter at his charming and flamboyant best, while also charting the rise of promoter Don King and featuring footage from the music festival that preceded the fight. Compiled from over 250 hours of footage, it's a knockout tribute to the man, sporting hero and all-round icon. Bring tissues.
You'll have to look beyond the big smoke to catch one of Victoria's most exciting cultural events this spring, as ROAM Geelong takes over the premier regional hub with multi-sensory art, performance, music and storytelling. Held from 4–10pm on Saturday, October 11, the city's arts and culture precinct will radiate with acclaimed and emerging talent — over 60 percent of participants are from the Greater Geelong area. Johnstone Park will host one of the evening's headline events — Tomorrow Blooms — which sees Superficial Studio's Andrew Kupresanin and Belinda Chen fuse art, nature and technology for a digital botanical experience. Presented as an ever-evolving sculpture, the piece explores a botanical future in hyperdrive. Meanwhile, Falcon features a stunning four-metre-tall puppet roaming through the parkland to a light show and immersive soundscape. Platform Arts will also transform Geelong's streets into a living exhibition space through a trio of shows. Head to After Walter Hopps Exhibition to experience the gallery teeming with first-come, first-served installation art. Then check out Dr Anindita Banerjee's Arranged Marriage as it lights up Little Malop Street with Bollywood beats, costumes and satire. Plus, Australian comedian and design advocate Tim Ross will take a deep dive into our obsession with housing in The Australian Dream? — a lighthearted talk based on 18 months of research. "ROAM is a destination event that will transform Geelong's arts and cultural precinct into a creative playground, combining everything our award-winning venues and talented artists have to offer," says City of Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM. "We're thrilled to bring acclaimed performers and local voices together — showcasing the incredible depth of talent in Greater Geelong for all the world to see."
That last proper pub feed you had at an actual pub is fast turning into a distant memory. And the glorious day your local can once again throw open its doors can't come soon enough. But if you're desperate for a pub fix to see you through these last few weeks of pub-less purgatory, solace has arrived in the form of a new food delivery service called Hand Picked. Launching this week, it's the latest offering from Australian Venue Co (AVC), which owns 30 well-known Melbourne boozers and eateries — including Richmond's Harlow, The Provincial in Fitzroy, The College Lawn Hotel and Footscray's The Station. It's out to help punters recreate that pub experience at home, with two curated menus featuring hit dishes from across all of the group's local venues. There's the Hand Picked Fan Favourites lineup, headed up by Executive Chef Christian Abbott, which is delivering ready-to-eat pub meals on the daily. Addresses within seven kilometres of the CBD's Imperial Hotel can get their mitts on much-loved signature dishes including Fargo & Co's Dirty Birdie fried chicken burger, cheeseburger spring rolls from Hopscotch and even The Newmarket Hotel's dog-friendly Puppy Parma. Booze is sorted, too, with a selection of craft beers, cocktails and DIY spritz kits from the likes of Beer Deluxe, State of Grace and The Smith. There's a $5 flat-rate delivery fee on Fan Favourites orders, which are available from 5–9pm daily, or you can pick up your grub directly from the Bourke Street pub. Meanwhile, fellow Executive Chef Telina Menzies is helming the Hand Picked At Home menu, featuring family-style pub feasts dropped to your door, ready to heat and serve. Delivered every Friday afternoon, you'll find a selection of hearty shared pies — perhaps a creamy seafood and herb number — and lasagne varieties, including one crafted with 18-hour braised wagyu cheek and Tasmanian truffles. [caption id="attachment_784410" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hand Picked Footy Feed snacks[/caption] And to see you well-fed through the next few weeks of AFL finals season — while you're watching at home, obviously — there's Hand Picked's Ultimate Footy Feed menu, starring grazing options like lobster mac and cheese bites, ramen-fried chicken nuggets and sausage rolls with boozy barbecue sauce. These footy mates are also available for delivery each Friday, with a choice of six snacks starting from $30 per person. To celebrate its arrival, Hand Picked is slinging you 20 percent off all Fan Favourites and At Home orders this weekend. See the website for details. AVC's Hand Picked Fan Favourites menu is available daily from 5–9pm, for $5 delivery within 7 kilometres of The Imperial Hotel, CBD. Pick-up is also available — order online. The At Home and Ultimate Footy Feed menus are being delivered between 2–5pm Fridays, to suburbs within 5km of The Park in Albert Park. Weekly order cut-off is 12pm Thursdays — place yours online.
Summer might be officially over, but there are still a bunch of sunny afternoons and balmy evenings to come. And if you want to make the most of them, you'll find a tasty situation awaits on the banks of the Yarra (in front of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre), at food-focused pop-up Melbourne Street Eatz. Running every Wednesday through Sunday, until Sunday April 4, the returning favourite is dishing up a rotation of much-loved local food trucks, with bites from the likes of Taco Station, Primo Street Pizza, Athens Voice, Pasta Face, doughnut specialists St Gerry's and loads more. In between stuffing your face, you can enjoy the program of live entertainment and DJ sets, challenge your mates to a few classic lawn games, or catch some sport on the supersized screen. And if you're thirsty, treat yourself to the bar's $69 bottomless booze package, featuring two hours of free-flowing tap wine, beer and cocktails, including the prosecco-infused Ginsecco and a 'jacked' peach iced tea. Get the pooch excited, too — this pop-up's dog-friendly. Melbourne Street Eats is open from 4–11pm Wednesday–Friday and 12–11pm Saturday–Sunday.
The Makers and Shakers Market is cooking up a big return to Melbourne this March, complete with more than 100 stalls filled with handmade goods — spanning everything from clothing to candles. Shoppers at the two-day market at the Seaworks Maritime Precinct will be able to peruse stalls featuring Australian-made wares, and also participate in creative workshops and product tastings. And, you can listen to DJ sets and have a drink at the outdoor bar as well. Vendors include sellers like Tiny Pots, a quarantine-conceived business that creates functional ceramics between one and four centimetres tall; and East Forged, which makes organic nitrogen tea that mimics the look and taste of beer. Obviously, the list goes on. This edition of Makers and Shakers is a joint venture with The Slow Fashion Market, an event dedicated ethical and sustainably made clothing. And, it has been certified by the Australian Made campaign, which means that it will showcase only genuine locally made products. It all takes place from 10am–5pm on Saturday, March 26–Sunday, March 27, with entry to the market costing $4 for adults.
Hump day is the best of times and the worst of times. Sure, it marks the halfway point of the week, but it also serves to highlight a) just how tired you are, b) how many more hours there are before Friday, and c) how the email chain you're in with your client has now reached 50+ replies. Hump day is good for one thing, though, and that's for taking a kind-of long lunch to congratulate yourself on surviving 2.5 days in the office. It's all about celebrating the small things. So, where to, for this lunch? We've partnered with Heineken 3 to find the best spots in Melbourne where you can down a couple of beers and still be back in time for your arvo meeting.
It's common for restaurants and bars to offer discounts to their own staff, but it's even better when they extend deals to anyone working in hospitality. Owners of such joints know how hard it can be to enjoy luxe nights out when working on these wages, so it's great when they can make their spaces more accessible to those who actually work in the industry. The latest spot to do this is Purple Pit, home to one of the city's best martinis. Seriously, anytime we have a hankering for a dirty gin martini, this is where we head. And now, the team offers a generous 20% discount to service industry workers every Wednesday night. This includes hospo staff, as well as anyone working in healthcare, social services and education industries. It's a huge win. Either treat yourself to a few classic Euro-centric cocktails and call it a night, or go all out by ordering caviar bumps, aperitivo-style dishes and a heap of martinis. Aussie hospo mainstay Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, RE and Jackson on George) and Joe Jones are the minds behind this outstanding basement bar. And this Wednesday night deal is the perfect excuse for service workers to visit. You'll find Purple Pit at 380 Collins Street, Melbourne. Its 20% discount runs every Wednesday night and applies to anyone who works in the hospitality, healthcare, social services and education industries. You can find further details on the venue's website.
If you're after a few chuckles for your weekend, we've got a circus-infused street-theatre show with your name written all over it. Appearing at Prahran Square for two free daily performances from Friday, April 1–Sunday, April 3 (4pm, 6.30pm), Raven' Mad is delivering the laughs for Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Presented by the National Institute of Circus Art, the show tells the absurd tale of two rival groups — the local raven-like bureaucrats, and a suburban family of bowerbird-esque eccentrics obsessed with collecting blue hard rubbish as they travel across Melbourne in search of greener pastures. A battle ensues as the ravens swoop in to put a stop to the collectors' endeavours and threaten to send them packing. And what a battle it is, unfolding via a spectacular display of foot-juggling, hula-hooping, acrobatics, skipping, slapstick, improv and more. Expect plenty of audience interaction, too. The work's directed by Mike Finch (Artistic Director Circus Oz 1997–2015) and designed by Emily Barrie, with a cast featuring some of Australia's most celebrated circus performers.
For its latest culinary adventure, the crew behind Tokyo Tina and Hanoi Hannah is once again tackling the flavours of southeast Asia. Its new flame-driven Windsor restaurant Firebird. Inspired by the smoky street food stalls of Vietnam, while rocking a distinctly Melbourne edge, the High Street haunt is here to dish up a taste of two worlds. With room for 110 diners and 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 you'll spy splashes of green and 70s-style tiling throughout. Here, Head Chef Steven Ngo (Long Chim) heads up a modern menu celebrating the traditional flavours of his native Vietnam, abundant with smoky finishes and charry elements. Expect snacks like black pepper crab with green mango, charcoaled squid skewers and beef carpaccio, leading into a slew of rice and noodle dishes. You might find the likes of a wood-roasted wagyu green curry with kaffir lime, or a whole fish grilled with turmeric and galangal matched with rice noodles. [caption id="attachment_764368" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain[/caption] A reimagined duck l'orange features a half or whole slow-roasted bird with burnt orange and a punchy sauce, while fire-tossed pipis are done in a sour tomato broth and paired with pieces of grilled Chinese doughnut. You can jump into a four-course chef's selection for $58 a head, or a vegan version for $48. To match, there's a tight, but well-travelled wine selection and a handful of crafty brews. You can stay right on theme with something from the smoke-driven lineup of cocktails, too — try the burnt grapefruit paloma or the Spiced Pineapple Rum — a heady blend of charred pineapple, white rum and spiced pandan syrup. Find Firebird at 223 High Street, Windsor. It's open from 12–11pm daily. Images: Parker Blain and Jana Langhorst
Melbourne winters can be tough, but there are a few things that we can really enjoy in the colder months that don't quite hit the same in summer. Winter dining is truly something to look forward to. There's heart-warming comfort food with rich flavours, plus darker drinks like smokey whiskey and creamy stouts that are best served in a cosy pub when the wind is blowing outside. So, it's no surprise that Captain Melville, one of Melbourne's oldest and cherished pubs, will be host to a winter feast come Thursday, July 27. Captain Melville joins forces with renowned rye whiskey distiller The Gospel plus Tasmanian brewery Moo Brew to present 'The Captains Table' Rye July Dinner. The exclusive four-course dining event promises a night of rich flavours, to help us embrace winter in all its glory. Captain Melville chefs are putting together a carvery-style menu with each dish paired with a range of rye whiskey cocktails and dark stouts. While you feast, distillery and brewing experts will share insider knowledge and take you through a unique boilermaker experience. The event is part of the Gospel's Rye July, a clever homage to the often-underappreciated hero of whiskey. So expect to walk out with some rye whiskey knowledge to flex. Tickets will set you back $100 and are limited, so get in quick.
After taking a year off in 2021, the folks behind much-loved electronic music festival Let Them Eat Cake have announced that the one-day festival will return to Melbourne on New Year's Day in 2022. On Saturday, January 1, the event will unfold at Werribee Mansion and is set to utilise the sprawling grounds in new and exciting ways including a potential new layout to improve traffic flow. Plus, the food, art and music will be more integrated to create an even more immersive experience for punters. The 2022 lineup has been announced with a distinct focus on championing live and local acts. At next year's festival you'll catch live shows from Confidence Man, Northeast Party House, Close Counters and Tornado Club. Plus, DJ sets from festival favourites Young Franco, Papa Smurf, Adi Toohey and CC: DISCO!. If that's not enough, you'll also find AROHA, Ben Fester, Merve, FOURA, Bella Claxton, Dr Packer, Late Nite Tuff Guy and others setting the dance floor alight. Let Them Eat Cake hopes to be the antithesis to the topsy turvy two years we've just had, and with a lineup this good, it's on its way to being just that. Them Eat Cake will descend on Werribee Mansion on Saturday, January 1, 2022. The first and second ticket releases have already sold out. Hit the website for details and to grab yours now.
While Easter will look a little different this year, the Easter Bunny is still set to hop across state boarders. Another tradition you won't have to forego is scoffing hot cross buns because, thankfully, one of Melbourne's top dessert spots Glacé is selling its first-ever Easter bun packs for you to mix up yourself and throw in the oven. And, let's face it, we actually have time to bake our own this year. With acclaimed dessert chef Christy Tania designing the recipe, these pre-measured mix packs aren't your standard Betty Crocker-type deal. You can choose either a traditional fruit hot cross bun pack or a chocolate one — or get one of each. In your pack, you'll receive spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, dried fruit or choc chips, dry yeast and flour, including a cross flour mix, and an instruction booklet. All you need is some oil in the cupboard. If you want some extra guidance, you can also watch Glacé's free step-by-step video class online, which is set to drop on Wednesday, April 8. Then, once they come out of the oven all golden, fluffy and plump with fruit or loaded with chocolate, slather them in a healthy amount of butter and you're good to go. The hot cross bun pre-measured packs cost $17 and are available for pick up — from Glacé's Windsor store from Thursday, April 9 till Monday, April 13, between 8am–2.30pm — or for delivery to select Melbourne suburbs on Thursday, April 9 and Saturday, April 11 from 5pm. You'll need to order 24 hours a head for both, which you can do so over here. If you can't be bothered baking, Glacé is also selling its own ready-made hot cross buns ($18 for six, $30 for 12) for pick up and delivery, as are these seven Melbourne bakeries. To order your Glacé hot cross bun packs, head to the Glacé website.
With winter fast approaching, we've realised (yet another) thing we're missing out on this year: those change-of-season warehouse sales where you can nab high-end designer threads and accessories at insanely discounted prices. Luckily, Bondi eyewear favourite Local Supply is taking its annual warehouse sale online this year — and offering up to 70 percent off to boot. The brand's prices are hard to beat on a regular day, but from Wednesday, May 27 until midnight on Monday, June 1, you'll be getting Local Supply goods for a serious bargain. A whopping 70 styles are up for grabs at ridiculously reduced prices — that's sunnies starting at just $24 dollarydoos. Want to see the world through rose coloured lenses during these especially difficult times? You can nab a pair of Arena PMP20s with plum coloured lenses for $26.99. Or, for those long hours sitting in front of your laptop, some blue light protective lenses for about $45 bucks. Polarised lens are also on the docket from around $60. As the name suggests, the independently owned brand is all about keeping it local — and keeping prices attainable, too. Opened in 2013, it's run by former Dior eyewear designer Petra Ekborn, so you know you're getting some seriously schmick sunnies. Plus the brand uses zero waste manufacturing techniques and the frames are BPA-free and hypoallergenic, too. Local Supply is currently offering free delivery across Australia on all orders over $100, and a flat rate of just $5 for smaller purchases. The Local Supply online warehouse sale will run from Wednesday, May 27 until midnight on Sunday, May 31, with 70 percent off select styles. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Sydney and Melbourne's rivalry is notorious. We've all witnessed heated battles over which city has the best food, transport, beaches or general vibes. Molly Rose, however, is keen to stoke the flames of another interstate feud this winter, pitting Melbourne against Darwin. And it's doing so through its inaugural YUMMO! Laksa Festival. For one day only, on Sunday, July 7, the Collingwood brewery is teaming up with the Darwin International Laksa Festival to host some of the best laksa chefs from the Northern Territory and Victoria under one roof. The Top End will be represented by 2023 Darwin International Laksa Festival Hall of Fame recipient Jason Chin (CHOK's Place) and 2023 Golden Bowl winner Jason Hanna (CHOW!). Chin will be cooking up a rendition of his award-winning laksa, while Hanna is delivering some laksa-inspired dishes that will perfectly complement his fellow Territorian's curry. Mischa Tropp (Toddy Shop) will be fighting it out for Melbourne, serving a laksa spiked with South Indian flavours. The Molly Rose kitchen will also support Tropp, creating a menu of tasty southeast Asian bites. With each spicy, creamy bowl of soupy noodles purchased, punters will be given a token they can use to vote for their fave laksa of the day — with all-time bragging rights going to the winning city. The Darwin vs Melbourne grudge match is just the start of the fun the YUMMO! Laksa Festival has in store. During the day, there will also be a laksa-eating competition, with prizes going to whoever can slurp down their bowl fastest. Visitors can also fish the name of a random dish out of a bowl, which will then be presented to them to try. The Darwin cohort will be flexing their creative talents with laksas inspired by Italian arancini and Basque cheesecake — so prepare to have your tastebuds utterly confused with this one. Molly Rose will even be running a couple of intimate gin masterclasses throughout the day. Molly Rose's Founder and Brewer Nic Sandery will help folks create their own laksa-inspired bottle to keep, while also giving out some tasters. Places for this activity are limited and need to be booked ahead of time at a cost of $125 per person. On top of all this, Molly Rose will be slinging specially brewed beer, sodas and a handcrafted gin for anyone thirsty for a drop that pairs beautifully with their laksa. Darwinians like to think they have the greatest laksas, but we reckon Melbourne's best laksas give them a run for their money. Whatever the case, you can expect some damn good eating at Molly Rose's YUMMO! Laksa Festival.
If sparkling wine puts some extra fizz into your life, then you'll want to drink your way through this Melbourne event. Across Friday, April 29–Sunday, April 29, the Bubbles Festival is coming to town to celebrate the most effervescent boozy beverages there are. You'll sip, you'll chat, and you'll meet the folks who make and distribute the tipples in question as well. You'll also eat canapes — no one wants to down champagne, prosecco and other sparkling drinks on an empty stomach — while you're sampling and tasting across two hours. At least ten different wines will be on offer, and your $94 ticket also includes a champagne tasting glass to take home with you. The venue: Bells Hotel in South Melbourne. You can take your pick of three sessions: from 6–8pm on Friday, and at either 12–2pm or 3–5pm on Saturday. If you're feeling like really treating your sparkling-loving self, you can pay an extra $65 for a VIP ticket, which gets you access to a special cuvée tasting before the regular doors open — and two tasting glasses, rather than one.
A mainstay of Australia's film festival scene for 22 years, the Moro Spanish Film Festival doesn't just celebrate a single country. It also celebrates a language. With Spanish ranking as the globe's second most popular tongue, this showcase of cinema broadens its gaze across the world — not only highlighting movies from the festive European nation that gives the fest its name but, by joining forces with the Cine Latino Film Festival in 2019, screening flicks from Latin America as well. Consider the end result the biggest bargain there is in the film fest world: two festivals for the price of one. Consider it a hefty lineup of new Spanish-language movies, too, with 32 titles touring the country until mid-May. Overseas award-winners? New voices making their debut? A focus on female filmmakers? They're all on this year's program. So are existential thrillers, queer standouts and classic romps — which each claim a place among our five must-sees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ5qPWgG1H0 ANA BY DAY Seeing double is one of cinema's favourite tropes — from creepy twins to stalking lookalikes to cases of mistaken identity, doppelgängers are all common film fodder. In Ana by Day, the eponymous Madrid woman (Ingrid García Jonsson) finds her life turned upside down when her double arrives, takes over and leaves her to her own devices. It's a tantalising notion, especially when Ana decides to lean into the situation and live the existence she's always wanted. As conveyed by first-time filmmaker Andrea Jaurrieta as well as exceptional star García Jonsson, at the core of the concept sits a simple truth: the struggle to realise who we really are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO_PZqilExE CARMEN & LOLA Premiering at last year's Cannes Film Festival, picking up two gongs at this year's Goya Awards, and earning plenty of praise on the queer festival circuit, Carmen and Lola brings an observant, empathetic eye to a tale of romance versus prejudice. The movie's two paramours are also its two victims — and while the setup might feel somewhat familiar, this film has its own spark. Here, a pair of Roman women (Zaira Romero and Rosy Rodríguez) in a Catholic gypsy community defy tradition by falling for each other. Drawing upon her documentary background, writer/director Arantxa Echevarría uses her non-professional cast perfection, conveying the heart-swelling love and heartbreaking oppression that mark the titular characters' lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKdTPuCgqkU ROJO He mightn't be a household name, but Dario Grandinetti boasts quite the resume, with the Argentinian veteran featuring in everything from Pedro Almodovar's Talk to Her and Julieta to twisty anthology Wild Tales. He's also a multiple film festival best actor award winner for his work in Rojo, playing a lawyer navigating the corruption and crime of Granada in the 1970s. Murky, paranoid thrillers were a staple during that decade, and movies both set in and styled after the period keep reaching screens for a reason, as this complex and compelling affair demonstrates. As the film follows its protagonist's entry into a shady world, it delves into the fractured, fraying reality of pre-coup Argentina. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0paBosD04mM THE GOOD GIRLS Peering at the lives of the wealthy isn't just about indulging envious fantasies, dreaming of a different existence or watching a cashed-up trainwreck, Real Housewives-style. Rather, whether in satirical or melodramatic mode — and this Mexican comedy-drama operates in both — it's about examining the inner workings of the upper echelons and laying bare a society from the top down. Expect all of the above in Alejandra Márquez Abella's second feature, which follows the wives of her country's richest men in 1982. A wife to Fernando (Flavio Medina) and a mother to three children, Sofia (Ilse Salas) is accustomed to a charmed life, until her and her pals experience the other side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PypMOEKJuh8 WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN Breakups, breakdowns, breaking free, blending sleeping pills into gazpacho — that's actor Pepa Marcos' (Carmen Maura) life when she's dumped by her fellow thespian boyfriend Iván (Fernando Guillén). It's also just the beginning of the always spirited, often farcical story that drives this masterful 1988 comedy from Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar. One of the filmmaker's deserved early hits, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is also the film that helped introduce the world to Antonio Banderas' charms. It wasn't the pair's first collaboration; however, this Oscar-nominated, multiple Goya-winning film thrust both the director and his star to greater attention, and it's easy to see why. The Moro Spanish Film Festival tours Australia from April 16, screening at Sydney's Palace Norton Street, Palace Verona and Palace Central from April 16 to May 8; Melbourne's Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Balwyn, Kino Cinemas and The Astor Theatre from April 18 to May 8; Brisbane's Palace Barracks and Palace James Street from April 24 to May 15; and Perth's Palace Cinema Paradiso from April 24 to May 15. For more information, visit the festival website.
Melbourne has certainly seen its fair share of frosty mornings and rainy days. And it's not quite the show-off that Sydney is when it comes to sheer volume of sunny days. But, don't despair — they do come around occasionally. And while the sun usually visits between nine-to-five, while most of us are at work, sometimes it even pokes its head out on the weekends. You need to strike while the iron — or sun — is hot and make full use of any rare sunny days. Cancel the rest of your weekend plans immediately, and head out to one of these beer gardens or rooftop bars. Pump class can wait — the sun is equally as good for you. Have a beer or two now, and worry about the gym on the next rainy day.
Brunetti Oro is teaming up with coffee heavyweights Lavazza for a four-day Festival of Coffee from Thursday, September 28– Sunday, October 1 (International Coffee Day). Here's the part you'll want to add to your calendar: there'll be 100 free coffees on offer every day from 8–10am. So don't sleep in, as the early bird gets the cortado. It's not just free coffee. Brunetti is going all in for the Festival of Coffee. Expect limited-edition desserts like the espresso martini tart made with vodka-infused espresso martini ganache, as well as coffee cocktails including Long Island iced coffee and coffee negroni. For those who like their coffee with a side of knowledge, Lavazza's roastmasters are hosting coffee-roasting masterclasses. And if you're just there for the vibe, the Summer Jazz Sessions have you covered, with the outdoor terrazza playing host on Friday and Saturday from 5–7pm. Smooth jazz and smooth coffee (or coffee cocktails): perfetto. So if you're looking to add a little extra buzz to the grand final weekend, head down to Brunetti Oro. Go on, life's too short for bad coffee.
A free coffee is rarely a bad thing but a free coffee made by the Australian International Coffee Awards' reigning Champion Australian Coffee Roaster? Now that's a very good thing indeed. That's exactly what's up for grabs this month as Campos Coffee celebrates its new Chapel Street flagship with a week of caffeinated giveaways. From Saturday, January 28–Saturday, February 4, the South Yarra cafe is handing out a stack of complimentary coffees with guests entitled to two free coffees at once. Perfect if you've got a coffee-loving mate in tow, or are simply in desperate need of a back-to-back caffeine infusion. You don't have to purchase anything to score your freebie, but if you're after a bite to eat while you're there, you will find cabinets laden with sandwiches and sweet treats courtesy of AM Bakehouse, plus plant-based goodies from Mahadeva's Kitchen. Best of all, your freebie can be any size and style you like — even if you're in a double oat milk latte kind of mood. The free coffees are available during opening hours each day from 7am weekdays and 8am on weekends. Images: Jana Langhorst
Let's call it the sitcom effect: when you watch enough episodes of a TV comedy and suddenly get inspiration to change your life. Maybe you binged Friends and started hanging out in coffee shops more often. Perhaps you saw Parks and Recreation and became obsessed with breakfast foods, working for the parks department, whisky and tiny horses. Or, Schitt's Creek might've had you wanting to open your own motel or apothecary, or star in a horror movie about attacking crows (or just saying "eww" a lot). Whichever fits, we've all been there. Taking a few cues from upcoming sitcom Killing It mightn't be the best idea, though — unless you want to start hunting snakes. That's exactly what the series is about, because TV comedies really can be about anything. And if you're wondering why it should pique your interest beyond its concept, we're sure its off- and on-screen talent will do just that. The last time that Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici made television together, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was the end result — with Goor one of its co-creators and Del Tredici an executive producer. If that's not enticing enough, their new reptile-focused show also stars The Office's Craig Robinson (another B99 alum, too), as well as Aussie comedian Claudia O'Doherty (Love, Sarah's Channel, Our Flag Means Death). Robinson keeps his first name on-screen here, playing a man with a dream — chasing the American dream, in fact — but very little luck. Then he gets in a rideshare driven by O'Doherty's Jillian, and is quite shocked when she stops mid-trip to casually swing a hammer at a python, as you do. It's a lucrative business, she informs him in her Aussie accent, and he's soon as intrigued as you likely will be while watching the series' first trailer. Killing It isn't just about snake hunting, though. Like most shows and movies that ponder the American dream, it's also about class and capitalism. And yes, it's just the kind of series that was always likely to land in this post-Tiger King world — because the combination of critters, cash and entrepreneurship is rife with possibilities, and also has plenty to say about the US today. Stan subscribers will be able to watch the results from Friday, April 15, which is when Killing It starts streaming — arriving at the same time locally as it does in the US. Also, whatever premise it had, any series that teamed up Robinson and O'Doherty was always going to be a must-see — slaying snakes or not. Check out the trailer for Killing It below: Killing It will start streaming in Australia via Stan on Friday, April 15. Images: Skip Bolen/Peacock.
UPDATE, October 8, 2021: Supernova is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth aren't lazy, bad or bland actors. The former has an Oscar nomination for The Lovely Bones, the latter won for The King's Speech, and neither can be accused of merely playing the same character again and again. And yet, whenever either pops up on-screen, they bring a set of expectations with them — or, perhaps more accurately, they each instantly remind viewers of the traits that have served them so well over their respective four-decade careers. In features as diverse as The Devil Wears Prada and the Hunger Games films, Tucci has given a distinctive sense of flair and presence to his many parts, as well as his innate ability to appear bemused and sarcastic about life in general. Whether as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice or as Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones movies, Firth has enjoyed immense success playing reserved, introverted, dry-witted men who are more likely to ruminate stoically than to outwardly show much emotion. Teaming up in Supernova, both talents draw upon these characteristics once more, as writer/director Harry Macqueen (Hinterland) wants them to. But here's the thing about this pair of stars, who shine particularly bright in this affecting drama: far from ever settling into their own comfortable niches, they're frequently delving deeper, twisting in different directions and offering up untold surprises. A famed novelist less interested in putting pen to paper than in peering up at the stars, Tucci's Tusker knows how to defuse any scenario with his charm in Supernova, but it's apparent that he often uses that canny ability to avoid facing a number of difficulties. An acclaimed musician with an eagerly anticipated concert in the works, Firth's Sam often says little; however, the fact that he's grappling internally with feelings he can't quite do justice to in words always remains evident. Travelling around England's Lakes District, they're not just on an ordinary campervan holiday. Neither man has simply been whiling away their time before their long-awaited returns to performing and writing, either. With stops to see Sam's sister (Pippa Haywood, Four Kids and It) and her family, and to reunite with old friends, the couple are making the most of what time they have left together. Tusker is unwell, with early-onset dementia increasingly having an impact on not only his everyday life, but upon the shared existence they've treasured for decades. Tucci and Firth serve up big performances in Supernova, but never overt ones. Actors can command the screen and the audience's attention while delivering disarmingly intimate, delicate and intricately drawn portrayals, which is what this stellar pair manage here repeatedly. Indeed, viewers can feel the force behind their heartbreaking efforts — as is to be expected in a film about life, love, loss, mortality, ageing and illness — but these aren't forceful turns. Rather, they're so detailed, textured and lived-in that they fill every frame and scene, and every room and wide-open space that Tusker and Sam find themselves in. Both Tucci and Firth are in career-best form here, and continually referring to them together comes naturally. Their rapport is as lively, thorough and authentic as anything in the movie, with Tusker and Sam's relationship always in Macqueen's view. This isn't just a feature about one man's experiences as his mind starts to fail him, he faces the end that awaits as all and he tries to claim what control he can over a situation that keeps stripping any sense of agency away; it's a devastating portrait of a couple confronting the waning of their life together far sooner than either had ever wanted or imagined. From its early scenes of Tusker and Sam beneath the sheets to the tough moments and conversations that arrive later, when dementia proves a topic that can no longer be ignored on their otherwise cosy road trip, Supernova is a thoughtful and tender love story through and through. Given the subject matter, that really isn't a standard feat. Unlike some films about sickness — too many, in fact — Supernova doesn't render its unwell figure a supporting player in his healthy partner's story. Similarly and welcomely, it doesn't posit that Sam's ordeal at Tusker's side is the true tragedy. In his warm, intuitive and compassionate screenplay and in his graceful direction as well, Macqueen has time for both men, their circumstances and their expectedly complicated emotions. But, in repeatedly showing how Tusker feels when he can't remember words and starts to forget where he is, conveying how his uncertain future is already taking a heavy toll upon his lucid moments and expressing the weight he feels in being acutely aware that he's losing his sense of self, the film never even dreams of sidelining its ailing point of focus. Awards and nominations typically follow dramas that wade through comparable terrain; for Michael Haneke's shattering Amour, Julianne Moore's superb performance in Still Alice and this year's Anthony Hopkins-starring standout The Father, they have in the past decade alone, for example. A plethora of shiny trophies and nods haven't yet come Supernova 's way, though — it is sometimes a little too neat and literal in its story, and in its stylistic choices as well — however, this is always a beautifully conceived, observed, performed, shot and executed film. Its leading men make the last flourishes of Tusker and Sam's romance, and of Tusker's mind, feel as explosive as the astronomical event that gives the movie its name. Cinematographer Dick Pope (Peterloo, Mr Turner) ensures that starry skies, green fields and cramped caravans alike all hover between the commonplace and the otherworldly. That contrast of the everyday and the ethereal sums up Supernova perfectly, and encapsulates every grand romance, too. Falling in love and spending your life with someone feels like entering into another universe, after all — and when that threatens to turn to stardust, it does so with a bang. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SEoi8r1Z4Y
Two-hatted gourmet restaurant Navi plans to help ease the winter blues with a series of Winter Warmer events. From May to July, local drinks producers will set up camp in the restaurant's neighbouring bar, Navi Lounge, mixing custom cocktails and designing pairing experiences. Each month will feature a distinct partnership. The series launches in May with a collaboration with Western Australian distillery Republic of Fremantle. Navi's Bar Manager Miriam Wahlhütter will create a specialty cocktail featuring Republic of Fremantle's gin, paired with a house-made sweet persimmon vermouth, daikon brine and lemon juice. On Wednesday and Thursday nights in May, Navi Lounge will also be hosting a 'sips and snacks' menu of mini martinis and small bites for $25, including a dill and daikon martini, a sake and rose martini, and a green strawberry and winter citrus martini. Walk-ins are welcome, or reservations are available at the website.
Capitalism sucks. Most of us are overworked and underpaid. And burnout is coming for us all. This is what four performers seek to explore in Burnout Paradise, running as part of RISING 2024 from Thursday, June 13–Saturday, June 15. During the one-hour show, each of the artists is given a series of tasks to complete — some pleasurable, some painfully difficult, some requested by the directors of RISING themselves — all while running on treadmills. They take you from the joys of success through to the physical and emotional effects of burnout, all the while having a proper workout. For many, this is comedy. For those who find the metaphor too real, it might just incite more anxiety. But no matter where you sit on the spectrum, we could all benefit from watching a long-form mockery of our attempts to establish boundaries in life and work — for better or for worse. [caption id="attachment_950611" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Damien Raggat[/caption]
It was a sad day for Melbourne brunch fans when beloved Brunswick East cafe Pope Joan announced its closure last May, shutting its doors to make way for a new apartment development. Happier news came when the legend fleetingly reentered our lives this January, hosting a summer pop-up in The Mayfair's former Collins Street digs. Now, it's back for good, returning to the CBD space as a permanent venture. Again helmed by founder and chef Matt Wilkinson, Pope Joan 2.0 is an evolution of the original, but one that should keep original fans happy all the same. Expect an offering that celebrates old favourites alongside contemporary creations, with the doors (and kitchen) open weekdays from 7am all the way through till 9pm. On offer until 11am daily, a modern breakfast menu features classics like the rice pudding and signature baked beans, joined by the likes of devilled eggs on sourdough with bacon, and sardines teamed with wild greens and fennel. [caption id="attachment_726364" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Annika Kafcaloudis[/caption] Across lunch and dinner, the kitchen is plating up a both snacks and heartier dishes. Find creations like the assembly of whipped cheese curds, pickled kohlrabi and grilled bread; croquettes stuffed with corn, cheddar and jalapeño; and a riff on the humble salt and vinegar crisps starring Four Pillars Gin. Larger plates might include a Milawa chicken schnitzel matched with garlic and mustard butter and a cheesy parsnip and Jerusalem artichoke gnocchi. Or you can forego the decision-making altogether and settle in with the $55 'feed me' menu. Of course, Pope Joan's legendary sandwiches are also making a comeback, with combinations such as the pastrami, smoked mozzarella and red kraut reuben (and the bacon and egg roll with brown sauce) available until 4pm daily. The pop-up cake trolley will also make its return, while a 4–7pm happy hour offers specials on oysters and bubbly. You'll also find a strong selection of cocktails, spritzes, craft beer and wine to round out the fun. Find Pope Joan at 45 Collins Street, Melbourne (in the Sofitel driveway). It's open from Monday–Friday, 7am–9pm. Image one: The Mayfair by Kristoffer Paulsen. Food images: Annika Kafcaloudis
Over the past week, we've been hurtled into the throes of winter. While Australia sweltered through a warmer-than-average autumn, it's now appropriately windy and rainy. The gloves and beanies are out of storage and it's time to start loading up on sweets and carbs. To help us do this, Krispy Kreme has announced it's giving away an extremely excessive number of doughnuts. How many? 100,000, to be exact. The giveaway is running in conjunction with 'World Doughnut Day', and while we're not a big fan of food 'days' we are big fans of free food. Especially free doughnuts. To snag yourself a signature glazed freebie (Original Glazed doughnuts are being given out) head to your closest store in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth. Sydneysiders have ten stores — stretching from Penrith to the CBD — to choose from, while Victorians have eight, including a Collins Street store. Queenslanders can pick from five different doughnut shops, with the most central in the CBD Myer Centre, and Perthians can head to one of three Krispy Kreme stores or some Jesters. The 100,000 doughnuts will be spread across all Aussies stores, which means there'll be about 3000 free 'uns available at each. So, you'll want to get in relatively early if you want to kick off your Friday with a free sweet and doughy treat. Most stores open around 7am and there's a limit of one glazed doughnut per person. The free doughnuts are not available at BPs or 7-Elevens. Krispy Kreme's free doughnut giveaway is happening nationwide on Friday, June 7. To find your closest store and check its opening hours, head to the Krispy Kreme website.
Christian McCabe and Dave Verheul's Russell Street wine bar Embla scored a sibling and neighbour when the team opened Lesa right upstairs in 2018. Now, the family has welcomed another new addition, this one making its home in the sunny openair space atop the Melbourne Theosophical Society next door. Embla Rooftop Bar & Cinema is the city's new destination for wining, dining and big screen movie magic, aiming to level up your usual dinner-and-a-show scenario. Up here, yellow-striped deck chairs, picnic tables and a vibrant aquamarine paint job set something of a breezy Mediterranean tone to match the food offering of seasonal share plates and snacks. While the enormous five-metre screen fires up as the sun goes down, both the kitchen and bar are open from 3pm (5pm on weekends) right through, for anyone wanting to sate their appetite and kick back with a tipple or two. Get ready to tuck into bites like raw kingfish with cucumber, cumquat and a pumpkin seed miso; snapper rillettes with fennel toast; or perhaps the veal rump tartare finished. Meanwhile, the bar's got that summer thirst quenched with a 50-strong lineup of wines, a range of cocktails — such as negronis and margaritas — and tinnies from Bodriggy. [caption id="attachment_800522" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kelly Thompson[/caption] While the bar operates on a walk-in basis, you can snap up cinema tickets in advance over on the website. Once each evening's flick starts rolling after sunset, guests can settle in and enjoy candy bar treats like cultured butter and sea salt popcorn, house-made pineapple lumps and Piccolina Gelateria gelato pops delivered straight to their chair. The folks from events company District Agency (Gourmet Cinema) are taking care of the film programming, with weekly themes running from high school-themed flicks to classic Euro titles and classics such as Pulp Fiction and The Big Lebowski. Coming up, you've got favourites like Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Pretty in Pink, Whiplash and more. Unfortunately, Embla Rooftop Bar & Cinema is here for a good time, but not a long time. The pop-up will run temporarily until the site is shut and developed into a boutique hotel. Embla Rooftop Bar & Cinema is open for drinks and snacks from 5pm-7pm Mon-Thu & Sun and 3pm-7pm Fri-Sat Images: Kelly Thompson
El Camino Cantina's approach to margaritas is like Gelato Messina's to frozen desserts, taking inspiration far and wide from other beloved foodstuffs. In the past, the lively Tex-Mex chain has served up candy-flavoured margs, Long Island iced tea-flavoured ritas and soft drink-influenced tipples. Next on the list: Vodka Cruiser versions. On offer at the chain's Fitzroy venue: nine flavours of its beloved ritas that pay tribute to the ready-to-drink staple. You'll be able to knock them back until Saturday, September 30 — in 15-ounce ($21) and 24-ounce ($25) glasses topped with a Grand Marnier float, and as happy-hour specials from 4–6pm Monday–Friday (costing $12.50 and $15). Flavours on offer include Summer Peach, Lush Guava, Pure Pineapple and Wild Raspberry — and also Ripe Strawberry, Sunny Orange Passionfruit and Bold Berry. Or, you can sip Juicy Watermelon and get some tang with Zesty Lemon Lime. If you're a fan of its margs, you'll probably have noticed that El Camino mixes up its menu regularly with specials like these — which gives you more excuses to try more flavours.
The classic Greek dish of saganaki, featuring ingredients fried up in a small pan, is a hard one not to love. Especially in its most popular form: hot, salty, fried cheese. So we're forecasting plenty of visitors to Windsor's contemporary Greek spot Rebel Blue this month, when it celebrates the good stuff with a limited-edition month-long saganaki menu. Launching on Tuesday, February 12, and on offer for exactly one month, the 'Saganaki 9' lineup showcases a whole assortment of variations on the classic. And seven of the nine dishes hero cheese. We're talking crushed slow-roasted tomatoes fried with capsicum, prawns and feta, kefalograviera fried with fresh and candied figs, or the same firm Greek cheese cooked simply with a classic combination of lemon and oregano. Meanwhile, sweet-toothed diners are sure to be won over by the version teaming kefalograviera with fairy floss and quince, or matched with a decadent combo of salted caramel, sesame and popcorn. Best of all, your wallet will love this feast as much as your tastebuds, with all dishes priced between $14 and $16. Feast your eyes on these three fried cheeses: With less than 12 months under its belt, Rebel Blue has earned itself quite the following for its innovative, yet thoughtful spin on modern Greek fare. Big flavours star throughout both the food menu and cocktail lineups, while the bright, blue-washed interiors nod to the eatery's namesake characters — a group of Greek troublemakers and toughs that called Melbourne home in the 1930s. We bet they'd be all over this month's saganaki menu. Get your saganaki fix at Rebel Blue, 127 Chapel St, Windsor. The new menu is available from February 12 until March 12.
For most of us, a block of chocolate rarely goes astray. However, if you're the kind of chocoholic who takes their sweet treat seriously, the Australian Chocolate Festival is bound to earn its place in your calendar. Back for a second year at Seaworks in Williamstown, this expansive two-day event showcases some of the best in the business through an immersive bean-to-bar experience. Running Saturday, July 5–Sunday, July 6, expect wall-to-wall chocolate bliss as the festival presents 35 ethical chocolate-making experts from 10 countries. With genuine masters making the trip from as far as Japan and Ecuador, the Australian Chocolate Festival might just be the only place where you can meet the people producing the cacao beans that make each nibble such a pleasurable experience. With over 70 samples to compare and contrast throughout the festival, this year features a host of well-known craft chocolate names, with the likes of Mörk Chocolate, Cuvée Chocolate and Wellington Chocolate Factory setting up stalls for the event. Joining these renowned brands are up-and-comers on the bean-to-bar scene, like Spencer Cocoa — handmade in Mudgee, NSW — and Living Koko, a small-batch, guilt-free treat using cacao from the Samoan Islands. While this all sounds rather indulgent, the Australian Chocolate Festival is stepping things up even further by presenting an optional Chocolate & Wine Tasting Session. Offering visitors the chance to mix and match their ideal flavour combos, tickets for this tantalising upgrade cost $80. Hosted by Finn Doyle of Cacao About Town, you'll get to take home your favourite bar from the pairing.
Melbourne has scored a serve of 80s French-chic flair, with the opening of Garçon Paris Steakhouse last month. Taking over the space previously home to the CBD outpost of Entrecôte, the restaurant is a trendy take on the classic Parisian bistros and steakhouses of yesteryear — with white tablecloths, walls lined with bottles of wine, cosy booths and orb-like lights hanging from the ceiling — and your new inner-city go-to for oysters, Champagne and some really good beef. The menu, designed by chef Matt Franklin, previously at Geelong's Le Parisien, pays homage both to the classic and the contemporary — and heroes top cuts of grass-fed Aussie meat. Go for the classic steak frites, which stars a 250g Cape Grim porterhouse with café de Paris butter, or try the lunchtime mitraillette — an elevated steak sandwich, teamed with herb butter and loaded onto a fresh baguette. Other French favourites include the signature steak tartare, a twice-baked goats cheese soufflé, and escargots — bien sûr. Oysters come shucked to order, with shallots and an aged red wine vinaigrette, and there's a host of proper French bubbly to match. A coffee window caters to the fly-by crowd, while after-work visitors will be all about the daily 4–6pm happy hour, offering $13 glasses of Heidsieck Champagne, $2.50 oysters and a chic snack menu. Find Garçon Paris Steakhouse at 6 Alfred Place, Melbourne.
If you're keen to glam things up a little this New Year's Eve, nab yourself a table at Melbourne's opulent 1930s-inspired cocktail bar, Nick & Nora's. Yes, the same haunt that celebrated with a big, late-night party the very second lockdown restrictions lifted at 11.59pm on October 27. Now, it wants to help you kick off 2021 in style, too, with a luxurious evening of bubbly, canapes and cocktails. It's a sit-down affair, with a range of seating options to choose from — an early two-hour sitting will set you back $100 per person and see you in and out before midnight, while the four-hour sittings (either 8.30pm–12.30am, or 11pm–3am) will have you ringing in the new year for $250 per person. Whichever package you opt for, the ticket price is redeemable against your total food and drink bill for the evening, with the venue set to serve up its regular menu on the night. Get excited for oysters, caviar, champagne and swanky cocktails like the French Cannon — a blend of Hendricks, Cocchi Americano, bay leaf, yuzu, elderflower, French white wine and passionfruit pearls.
Richmond yakitori and sake bar Eazy Peazy has relocated its hibachi grill to the curb for a lockdown-friendly streetside yakitori pop-up. It's running daily, with a rotating menu of skewers available for $5 a pop, or your choice of three for $12. The regular food menu is also being offered to go, along with a whole slew of daily specials — think, panko-crumbed eggplant with kewpie mayo and tonkatsu sauce. And if you're thirsty, there's a range of takeaway cocktails served in bags. [caption id="attachment_731290" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Carly Ravenhall[/caption]
Birds chirp, rainbows form and the sun shines a little brighter when the Melbourne Dog Lovers Festival comes around. And in 2023, it's returning for another year of pats, licks and parades on the weekend of Friday, October 13–Sunday, October 15. Once again, it'll take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre — and yes, the dedicated puppy cuddle zone is returning. The Melbourne Dog Lovers Festival will see thousands of dedicated pooch fans celebrating the noble four-legged monarch of human companionship. There'll be dozens of furry friends available for adoption from dozens rescue groups across Victoria in the adoption zone, where you can learn up on what's actually involved with the process. Plus, DockDogs will be back, featuring a competitive long jump and high jump for talented dogs who want to flop into a pool of water. Dogs, amiright? But hold up — you came here to cuddle pooches. We're getting there. Punters can make their way to the Pat-a-Pooch zone to cuddle up to a wide range of Australia's most loveable and popular breeds from puppy to adult dogs — we're talking uppity dachshunds to fluffball samoyeds. This has undeniably been the main attraction of previous year's events, and gives kitten cafes a run for their money. There's plenty more happening over the two days of furry friended fun, including appearances from celebrity vet Dr Katrina Warren. Not sure which type of pooch is perfect for you? Sign up to find your pawfect match, at sessions where you'll be paired with your ultimate dog breed. Already found your tail-waggin' soulmate? Get some expert tips on training, behaviour, first-aid and nutrition in handy seminars.
UPDATE, November 25, 2020: The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, SBS On Demand, Google Play and YouTube Movies. Has there ever been a filmmaker more suited to a story than Terry Gilliam and Don Quixote? In trying to get his adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes' 16th-century novel off the ground for three decades, the Monty Python alum shares many a trait with the literary hero — they're both dreamers driven to persevere, and to see the world as they choose, regardless of the factors stacked against them. Given that Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has been in and out of production since 1989, the odds were rarely in the film's favour. Given that he turned a past failed shoot into making-of documentary Lost in La Mancha, it seemed like this movie would never come to fruition. But Gilliam kept toiling as funding came and went, and cast members too. Everyone from Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor and Jack O'Connell to Jean Rochefort, Robert Duvall, Michael Palin and John Hurt have been attached to the project at various points. Starring Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote now definitely exists, as if Gilliam willed it into being with the sheer force of his undying dedication. If you still feel like you need to see the film with your own two eyes to believe that it has finally been unleashed onto the world, that's perfectly understandable. Awaiting in this comic adventure is an obvious passion project — the clear product of a single-minded talent with a specific vision, boundless enthusiasm and the willingness to devote a big chunk of his life to a particular cause. It's also gleefully anarchic, a missive on both making and being transformed by movies, and a romantic ode to the unflinching combination of fantasy and fortitude. A straightforward version of the tale, this isn't. Instead, Gilliam steeps his filmmaker protagonist, Toby Grisoni (Driver), in several layers of Don Quixote connections. (If you're wondering how much humour the writer-director brings to the movie, he co-wrote the screenplay with his Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas scribe Tony Grisoni, who, yes, has an immensely similar name to The Man Who Killed Don Quixote's main character.) In Spain shooting a Quixote-themed commercial and sleeping with his boss' (Stellan Skarsgård) wife (Olga Kurylenko), Toby is reminded of his last visit to La Mancha, when he made a black-and-white version of the classic story for his student film. Alas, journeying down memory lane, and reuniting with shoemaker-turned-leading man Javier (Pryce), has repercussions. As Toby discovers, Javier has spent the past decade or so thinking that he really is the chivalrous knight. Spying the director's familiar face doesn't snap him out of it; rather, he believes that Toby is his squire and sidekick Sancho Panza. When Pryce's Javier bellows "you think you can hide from me?" while immersing Toby in his fanciful quest, it doubles as The Man Who Killed Don Quixote's statement of intent. This flick spent so many years eluding audiences, and now it's determined not only to exist, but to go forth and prosper on its own terms. Go forth, Gilliam does — with the feverish inventiveness that made his early greats such as Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen such delights, and with a sense of spectacle and occasion to go with it. But there's no mistaking that the filmmaker has much in common with the movie's cynical on-screen filmmaker, too. He knows the reality of his chosen business, and how difficult and convoluted it can be. He also knows what's at stake when you don't follow your dreams. Perhaps that's why The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is so joyous, even when it's ambling about and feeling more than a little shambolic in sections. The film is the product of a guiding hand who's pursuing his passion, is aware of the costs and challenges, and knows that anything worth having is worth working and fighting for. More than that, he's decided that the fruits of his sacrifice and labour are worth sharing as well. As a result, every frame, whether rollicking across dusty plains or literally tilting at windmills, is infused with a can-do, must-do, never-say-die attitude. And while they mightn't have been the director's original choices, Driver and Pryce's intensely committed performances possess the same spirit. After spending so long lost in La Mancha, Gilliam has found his way out, and he's in great company. The twist: even when this loony labour of love proves unsurprisingly indulgent, audiences will still want to get lost in the madcap epic along with him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pf17xRtthc
UPDATE: July 17, 2020: Wild Rose is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. Beneath her shock of red hair, Americana-themed clothing and fringed white leather jacket, a string of words adorns Rose-Lynn Harlan's (Jessie Buckley) arm. Her tattoo hails back to her real-life namesake, veteran US songwriter Harlan Howard, who coined an eloquent and evocative phrase to explain country music. "Three chords and the truth" isn't just the definition of a great song in the genre, however. It's the mantra that Rose-Lynn lives by in Wild Rose — and an apt way to describe the film itself. A music-driven movie in the same vein as A Star Is Born, this rousing picture plays plenty of familiar notes. But it also pairs them with such a rich and resonant spring of honesty that the screen lights up like an emotional symphony. Rose-Lynn believes in country music. She listens to it, croons it, loves it and is firmly convinced that it's her gateway to a better future. Feeling as if she was born in the wrong part of the world, the spirited Glaswegian has visions of Nashville in her eyes, as well as a melodic voice that could take her there. Alas, the twenty-something has just been released from a year-long prison sentence, and has two children that she had when she was still a child herself. Her ankle monitor and daily curfew are hardly conducive to chasing star-studded dreams, or for getting her singing job back at Scotland's version of the Grand Ole Oprey. Nor is her concerned mother Marion (Julie Walters), who wants her to do the right thing by her kids, or the daily cleaning gig for the wealthy Susannah (Sophie Okonedo) that Rose-Lynn needs in order to prove that she can be responsible. More than once throughout Wild Rose, its wayward songstress is asked if she writes her own songs — if she's belting out her own truth, or borrowing someone else's. While the script by first-time feature writer Nicole Taylor takes Rose-Lynn down a recognisable path that's part kitchen-sink drama, part stars-in-their-eyes quest for fame, this recurring question is a savvy touch in a film that's all about being true to yourself. That's the reality at the heart of many of the aching ballads that country music is known for; these songs aren't just about love, sorrow, longing, affairs of the heart and everyday problems, but about discovering, understanding and accepting one's place in the world. Indeed, more than simply charting Rose-Lynn's efforts to shake off her troubled life and warble her way to success, Wild Rose follows a lost young soul discovering who she really is one heartfelt tune and performance at a time. With that in mind, perhaps the film could've been called A Person Is Born. Actually it shouldn't because that's an awful title, but the underlying idea remains valid. While director Tom Harper (TV's War & Peace) has the misfortune of unfurling Wild Rose in A Star Is Born's celebrated slipstream, his is a different movie. If the Lady Gaga vehicle was a case of watching both fantasies and tragedies come true, this is a minutiae-filled chronicle of life lived in the shadow of a dream. Narrative details aside, Wild Rose's many differences are evident just from looking at it, with cinematographer George Steel (another War & Peace alumni) giving every frame a quiet, gritty, gloss-free sheen. The movie also boasts moments of expressive, subjective beauty, conveyed in intimate close-ups of Buckley's radiant face, red-lit scenes that channel her inner fire and the striking sight of her taking to the stage — although there's no mistaking that they're the exception, not the rule. No one is being swept off their feet by a rockstar, getting picked up in limousines, playing huge festivals and releasing pop songs about butts here. Of course, were Buckley to croon a peppy tune about attractive derrieres as Lady Gaga did, there's no doubt that she'd similarly do a stellar job. It'd be easy to call the actor a revelation, except that she's been consistently fantastic across her evolving screen career to date, including in TV series War & Peace, Taboo and Chernobyl, as well as the excellent 2018 crime drama Beast. It's fitting, too, that her off-screen story actually began in a not-too-dissimilar fashion to Wild Rose's charismatic, cheeky protagonist. Just over a decade ago, Buckley unleashed her pipes on British competitive TV show I'll Do Anything, singing her way not only to a second-place spot, but into acting studies. The classes paid off, as she demonstrates in a series of disarmingly intimate scenes with both Walters and Okonedo. Her vocal talents pay dividends as well, including in the moving finale. But like the woman she's playing, there's a spark to Buckley that's infectious, inimitable and irrepressible. The title Wild Rose, conjuring up visions of sprawling, messy, rebellious splendour, proves pitch-perfect for a plethora of reasons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke_OYBAc7J4
UPDATE, May 28, 2021: Free Solo is available to stream via Disney+, Google Play and YouTube Movies. Soaring 900 metres tall, its craggy edges and sheer surfaces jutting into the sky, El Capitan is one of earth's monsters. A granite cliff in Yosemite National Park, it's a formidable sight, striking fear into the heart of anyone averse to heights, making even the steadiest on their feet feel shaky, and casting a long shadow over the world below. To stand at the bottom of the mammoth monolith is to stand at the base of a giant. To scale its heights is to ascend into the heavens. But you don't need to have experienced El Cap's eye-catching expanse in person to feel its inescapable power. Even on the big screen, the glorious rock formation is staggering — and it gets plenty of screen time in Free Solo. In a film that can't stop looking at El Cap, Alex Honnold does more than stare at the cliff's lofty size and gaze at its vertical terrain. A professional climber with 20 years experience and the centre of this stellar documentary, he's determined to scamper up the intimidating structure. He's not the first to scale the sheet of rock, but he is the first to do so without any ropes or support — and, just to make the deed even more difficult, he does it alone. That's free soloing. While the outcome of his attempt is now common knowledge, Free Solo steps through the process from start to finish, chronicling his setbacks and successes in a methodical manner. From contending that the climb is just too scary, to training through an injury that'd make anyone else quit, to facing his girlfriend Sanni's fretful feelings about his death-defying dream, the movie delves deep into Honnold's quest. The latest high-altitude, high-stakes picture from Meru filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin — and a newly minuted Oscar nominee for this year's best doco prize — Free Solo is the tale of a cliff, a climber, and the latter's desire to conquer the former. But it's the story of humanity's yearning to explore, interrogate and brush up against our environment as well. Charting Honnold's unwavering commitment to his task, it's also an account of his preference for hanging precariously above the world instead of planting his feet firmly on the ground. The film shows how the possibility of dying can't deter someone so dedicated from pursuing their passion, and that the thrill of a seemingly impossible challenge is as intoxicating as any drug. This nerve-wracking movie also details the intense preparation and planning required not just to make such a climb, but to capture it on camera. And, it examines the toll of documenting Honnold's feat, pondering whether the picture immortalises history or jeopardises his life. In short, Free Solo has as many angles as El Cap's ledges and crevices, however Honnold is the film's own towering presence. Vasarhelyi and Chin can't claim to lay bare their subject's psyche — he's a man of action more than talk — but they can and do reveal plenty about the wiry thirty-something. The documentary acts as a coming-of-age narrative of sorts, tracking Honnold's transformation from living in a van, eating slapped-together dinners out of a frying pan and dedicating every waking minute to climbing, to buying a house, finding room for someone else in his life, and experiencing the ups and downs of being in a serious relationship. And yet, it's never more revelatory than when it's simply staring at his face while he's gripping a slab of granite, his precariously placed fingertips the only things keeping him from plummeting down a nearly one-kilometre drop. Of course, that's not to say that Free Solo doesn't boast plenty of other spectacular sights. Seeing Honnold suspended against his surroundings will stick with audiences long after watching, as will the stunning Yosemite scenery. Indeed, the exceptional footage compiled by Vasarhelyi, Chin and their dedicated team (all mostly climbers themselves) proves nothing short of a technical and visual marvel, as edited to precision by veteran Bob Eisenhardt. But the calm, focused, assured gleam in Honnold's eye still says more than any other image can — and more than words as well. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, every second that the film spends on his zen-like expression paints a picture of pure intensity and exhilaration. What's more astonishing, dazzling and ultimately life-affirming than witnessing someone so relaxed and confident in the face of such extreme danger? What's more tense and thrilling, too? Butterflies in the stomach, fidgeting fingers and a near-unshakeable case of the jitters all spring from Free Solo as well, with the movie hitting several nerves. It's never easy to accept one's mortality. In fact, it's the hardest thing we're ever tasked with doing during our time alive, even when we're just sitting in a cinema watching someone else put their existence on the line. That's the crux of this equally insightful and scary documentary, which serves up more suspense than most horror flicks. As well as chronicling an awe-inspiring story, every frame of Free Solo offers a palpable, visceral reminder of life's enormous risks and immense rewards — and to the filmmakers' credit, you're all but certain to feel the impact in your constantly sweaty palms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XhsuT0xctI
UPDATE, December 23, 2021: Don't Look Up released in select Australian cinemas on Thursday, December 9, and will be available to stream via Netflix on Friday, December 24. Timing may be everything in comedy, but it's no longer working for Adam McKay. Back when the ex-Saturday Night Live writer was making Will Ferrell flicks (see: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Step Brothers), his films hinged upon comic timing. Ensuring jokes hit their marks was pivotal to his scripts, crucial during editing, and paramount to Ferrell and his co-stars. Since 2015, McKay has been equally obsessed with timeliness. More so, actually, in his latest film Don't Look Up. As started with The Big Short, which nabbed him a screenwriting Oscar, his current breed of politically focused satires trade not just in laughs but in topicality. Skewering the present or recent state of America has become the filmmaker's main aim — but, as 2018's Vice so firmly illustrated, smugly stating the obvious isn't particularly funny. On paper, Don't Look Up sounds like a dream. Using a comet hurtling towards earth as a stand-in, McKay parodies climate change inaction and the circus that tackling COVID-19 has turned into in the US, and spoofs self-serious disaster blockbusters — 1998's double whammy of Deep Impact and Armageddon among them — too. And, he enlists a fantasy cast, which spans five Oscar-winners, plus almost every other famous person he could seemingly think of. But he's still simply making the most blatant gags, all while assuming viewers wouldn't care about saving the planet, or their own lives, without such star-studded and glossily shot packaging. Although the pandemic has certainly exposed stupidity on a vast scale among politicians, the media and the everyday masses alike, mining that alone is hardly smart, savvy or amusing. Again, it's merely stating what everyone has already observed for the past two years, and delivering it with a shit-eating grin. That smirk is Don't Look Up's go-to expression among its broad caricatures — in the name of comedy, of course. Trump-esque President Orlean (Meryl Streep, The Prom) has one, as does her sycophantic dude-bro son/Chief of Staff Jason (Jonah Hill, The Beach Bum). Flinging trivial banter with fake smiles, "keep it light and fun" morning show hosts Brie Evantee (Cate Blanchett, Where'd You Go, Bernadette) and Jack Bremmer (Tyler Perry, Those Who Wish Me Dead) sport them as well. But PhD student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence, X-Men: Dark Phoenix) and her astronomy professor Dr Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) aren't smiling when she discovers a Mount Everest-sized comet, then he realises it's on a collision course with earth and will wipe out everything in six months and 14 days. And they aren't beaming when, with NASA's head of planetary defence Dr Teddy Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan, The Unforgivable), they try to spread the word. The world is literally ending, but no one cares. Conjuring up the premise with journalist/political commentator David Sirota, McKay turns Don't Look Up into a greatest-hits tour of predictable situations bound to occur if a celestial body was rocketing our way — and that've largely happened during the fights against climate change and COVID-19. The President's reactions stem from her clear-cut inspiration, including the decision to "sit tight and assess" until it's politically convenient or just unavoidable, and the later flat-out denial that anything is a problem. The character in general apes the same source, and bluntly, given Orlean is initially busy with a scandal surrounding her next Supreme Court nominee, and that her love life and the porn industry also spark headlines. The insipid media and social media response, favouring a rocky celebrity relationship (which is where Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi come in), is also all too real. The list goes on, including the memes when Dibiasky gets outraged on TV and the worshipping of Mindy as an AILF (Astronomer I'd Like to Fuck). A Steve Jobs/Jeff Bezos/Elon Musk-style tech-company head (The Trial of the Chicago 7's Mark Rylance, putting in the movie's worst performance) also gets involved — poking fun at putting capitalism ahead of the planet's best interests — as does a stoner skater (Timothée Chalamet, The French Dispatch) enamoured with Dibiasky. The list goes on here as well, because Don't Look Up is as overstuffed as it is toothless. Satire is meant to use irony and exaggeration to highlight failings and flaws, but McKay pads out the bulk of his 138-minute film with first draft-style sketches and figures that say the bare minimum, then hops quickly from one to the other in the hope that something lands. Yes, amid its on-screen text explanations, montages of stock clips, a superfluous pop song and overactive editing, Don't Look Up has a comic timing problem, too. And the scenes it does hover on, including the grating White House confrontations, could've easily been cut in half. McKay has zero faith in the world's ability to face existential and apocalyptic threats (understandably), and no hope his audience would notice if he didn't slickly spoon-feed surface-level commentary (insufferably), but he places plenty of responsibility upon DiCaprio, Lawrence and Morgan. The film's key trio aren't given much to work with, but everyone else — aside from the underused Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets) as Mindy's wife June — plays a one-note gag. Mindy is sweaty and swayed by attention; Dibiasky is defined by her two nose rings, flame-hued hair and the Wu-Tang Clan lyrics she's introduced singing; and Oglethorpe is the only competent government employee. It's a credit to all three actors that they turn in convincing performances and make their characters the most compelling part of Don't Look Up, although no one is anywhere near their best. The entire planet definitely isn't at its finest in Don't Look Up, which is the whole overstressed point; however, in weakly holding up a mirror to truths everyone's already painfully familiar with, it didn't need to embody the same concept itself. Forget following in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb's footsteps, or Wag the Dog's, or mustering up an iota of Succession's astuteness (McKay is one of the latter's executive producers) — Anchorman felt shrewder and more incisive. Maybe Don't Look Up might've worked if it had pre-dated the pandemic. It undoubtedly would've been improved by ditching the puffed-up snark, as its closing scenes demonstrate; it's a far better movie when it switches to earnestness and even takes a few cues from Lars von Trier's immensely superior Melancholia, as unearned as the tonal change proves. Perhaps a humanity-is-damned flick that crashes itself is McKay's ultimate joke, though, because that's just the doomed world we find ourselves in. Don't Look Up releases in select Australian cinemas on Thursday, December 9, and will be available to stream via Netflix on Friday, December 24. Image: Nico Tavernise/Netflix.
There are many key components to a great Christmas movie and music is often one of them, no matter how you feel about the usual carols. Who hasn't had the Home Alone music stuck in their head since the 90s? No one who's ever watched it. Who doesn't know all the words to Love Actually's 'Christmas Is All Around'? Again, the same category applies. It's that fact that helped make Love Actually in Concert screenings a) a thing and b) a huge hit, but that isn't the only festive favourite that you can see on the big screen with a live score this December. In Melbourne, at 7pm on Friday, December 16 at Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne, a three-decade-old gem is getting the same treatment: The Muppet Christmas Carol. It's time to play the music, light the lights and see Charles Dickens' classic play out in felt — and with Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge — accompanied by a live score. This is the first time that the film will play in Australia this way, after debuting in the UK last year. Sure, you might've watched it a thousand times when you were a kid, but you obviously haven't seen it like this before. The movie follows Dickens's tale, with the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge given a change of perspective by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come. Here, however, Jim Henson's beloved creations join in, with Kermit the Frog playing clerk Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy as Emily Cratchit, Gonzo narrating the story as Dickens (with help from Rizzo the Rat), Fozzie Bear as Fozziwig and Robin the Frog as Tiny Tim. Other Muppets show up, because of course they do. The live orchestra will perform the feature's original score as composed by Miles Goodman (Little Shop of Horrors), with songs by Oscar-winning songwriter Paul Williams ('Rainbow Connection').
For almost two decades, Love Actually has been everyone's go-to British rom-com with festive flavour. This year, Last Christmas wants to give the star-studded classic a run for its money. And, given that it pairs Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke with Crazy Rich Asians' Henry Golding, is directed by Bridesmaids and A Simple Favour's Paul Feig, and features the music of George Michael — including the Wham! tune that shares the movie's title, obviously — this new dose of cinematic sweetness might just achieve that aim. Admittedly, Last Christmas sounds a little like the result of overlapping Venn diagrams mapping things that absolutely everyone loves. Its leads hail from one of the biggest shows of this century and one of the huge film hits of the past year, respectively. Its director has a following of his own. Even folks who aren't all that fond of Christmas manage to find a soft spot for festive flicks. And, there's never a bad time for George Michael's music — or, as Always Be My Maybe demonstrated earlier this year, for upbeat rom-coms that take their title from a beloved pop track. But, based on the just-released first trailer, this Christmassy movie doesn't just hit obvious crowd-pleasing beats. It also has plenty of charm. The fact that it's co-written by Emma Thompson, who has an Oscar for screenwriting (for Sense and Sensibility) and also co-stars in the flick, clearly helps. And, if Michael's existing hits didn't provide enough of a soundtrack, the film will also feature new, previously unreleased tunes by the late singer. Story-wise, the movie follows the cynical, Scrooge-like Kate (Clarke), who works as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop but has a distinct lack of seasonal cheer herself. She has ample reasons for her unhappy demeanour, including her stern boss (Michelle Yeoh), although she might also have some motivation to start feeling more jovial when she keeps running into the endearing Tom (Golding). Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9CEIcmWmtA Last Christmas releases in Australian cinemas on November 7.
Like a Hump Day bright spot nestled in between the Queen Vic's Winter and Summer Night Markets, the precinct's springtime Europa Night Market is back to brighten up Wednesday nights from September 21–October 26. For six weeks, the market will play host to a vibrant Euro-style bazaar, with entertainment and wafting food aromas promising to transport you to a different European destination each week. You can feast your way through over 25 food and drink vendors, shop an array of market stalls, and catch roving entertainers and live tunes, all designed to whisk you away to some far-flung locale. Kicking things off on September 21, the market will be saying 'ciao' to the flavours and sounds of Italy, with bites like Sicilian-style fried arancini and woodfired 400 Gradi pizza, plus entertainment by Siesta Cartel and Elvira. The following week will take you on a trip to Central and Eastern Europe, by way of pierogi and traditional dance performances; while October 5 is your ticket to Oktoberfest, with a German-inspired beer hall serving up sausages, Oompah bands and European brews. The Iberian Peninsula gets a look-in on October 12, with paella and Casa Nata's Portuguese tarts, before the following week serves up a Mediterranean affair. A French celebration wraps up the series on October 26 with an evening of oozy raclette, croissants and entertainment from French mime artists. The Europa Night Market returns 5–10pm Wednesdays, from September 21–October 26.
Listening bars are going off in Melbourne right now, including the likes of Waxflower, Music Room and Bahama Gold — while stacks of other drinking dens are giving that extra bit of love to the tunes played of an evening. W Melbourne's omakase joint Warabi is leaning into this trend throughout September, pairing its innovative multi-course seafood-focused feeds with old-school R&B and hip hop beats. [caption id="attachment_940665" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dasha Kud[/caption] DJ Prequel is spinning the records every Thursday night while the chefs work behind him to craft each of the intricate bite-sized dishes. Warabi has also teamed up with gin brand Ki No Bi to provide a complimentary gin cocktail on arrival. The evening will set you back a mean $195 per person, but that's in line with most of Melbourne's best omakase restaurants. If you're looking to treat yourself — or a food- and music-loving mate — this ain't a bad way to do it.
Last Easter, when social distancing and public gathering rules were in place across the country, KFC did everyone a solid by offering up free home delivery for the first time ever Down Under. While this year's four-day break will look quite different for much of the country — and hopefully for Brisbanites, with the city's current lockdown due to end at 5pm on Thursday, April 1 — the fried chicken chain is bringing back the deal anyway. Yes, joining the Easter Bunny this year to spice up this long weekend is another famous figure: The Colonel. So, it's time to round up your housemates again and tuck into those 11 secret herbs and spices. The limited-time offer is available nationwide and kicks off on Friday, April 2, then runs through until Monday, April 5. To get your hands on some finger lickin' good chook with no extra cost, head to Menulog's website or use the Menulog app. No promo code is needed this time — and there is no minimum spend either. And, while your food is on its way, you can meditate with KFChill, a wellness website that lets you unwind to the sound of chicken frying, gravy simmering or bacon sizzling away in a pan. Obviously, it'll make you hungry. KFC is offering free delivery across Australia on all orders via Menulog from Friday, April 2–Monday, April 5. To order, head to the Menulog website or app.
As part of the flurry of streaming services always competing for our eyeballs, FanForce TV joined the online viewing fold during the COVID-19 pandemic as a pay-per-view platform. The service runs all year round, of course, but it goes the extra mile for both National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week, which is when it hosts the First Nations Film Festival (previously known as the Virtual Indigenous Film Festival) — yes, twice each year. In 2023, the fest enjoys its second run between Sunday, July 2–Monday, July 31, stretching the celebrations across almost an entire month — all solely online. The returning event will show six features that you can view whenever you like, plus three shorts, pairing the latter with a live discussion on one specific night. On the features bill: Ella, a powerful documentary about Ella Havelka, the first Indigenous dancer to be invited into the Australian Ballet in its half-century history; The Saltwater Story, following Bundjalung canoemaker Kyle Slabb taking a group of men to North Stradbroke Island by sea; and Homeland Story, which heads to the small Indigenous community of Donydji in northeast Arnhem Land. Or, there's also Etched in Bone, Angels Gather Here and Journey West. The first focuses on Washington DC's Smithsonian Institution returning stolen human bones, and the Aboriginal elder who crafts a ceremony to restore his ancestors' spirits afterwards; the second charts Jacki Trapman's trip to Brewarrina for her parents' 60th wedding anniversary; and the third sees a walk that hadn't happened for almost three decades reenacted. 2023's NAIDOC Week theme is 'for our elders, which drives this film fest's selections as well. Viewers can tune in on a film-by-film basis, or buy an all-access pass to tune into everything. And for the First Nations short film program, it livestreams at 8pm AEST on Wednesday, July 5, with actor, broadcaster, comedian and musician James Williams chatting with The Fred Hollows Foundation's Director of Social Justice and Regional Engagement Jaki Adams afterwards. Top image: The Australian Ballet Production Vitesse with Ella Havelka and Christopher Rogers-Wilson. © Jeff Busby
