UPDATE, December 23, 2022: Barbarian is available to stream via Disney+ from January 4, 2023. "Safe as houses" isn't a term that applies much in horror. It isn't difficult to glean why. Even if scary movies routinely followed folks worrying about their investments — one meaning of the phrase — it's always going to be tricky for the sentiment to stick when such flicks love plaguing homes, lodges and other dwellings with bumps, jumps and bone-chilling terror. Barbarian, however, could break out the expression and mean it, in a way. At its centre sits a spruced-up Detroit cottage listed on Airbnb and earning its owner a trusty income. In the film's setup, the house in question is actually doing double duty, with two guests booked for clashing stays over the same dates. It's hardly a spoiler to say that their time in the spot, the nicest-looking residence in a rundown neighbourhood, leaves them feeling anything but safe. Late on a gloomy, rainy, horror-movie-101 kind of night — an eerie and tense evening from the moment that writer/director Zach Cregger's first feature as a solo director begins — Tess Marshall (Georgina Campbell, Suspicion) arrives at Barbarian's pivotal Michigan property. She's in town for a job interview, but discovers the lockbox empty, keys nowhere to be found. Also, the home already has an occupant in Keith Toshko (Bill Skarsgård, Eternals), who made his reservation via a different website. With a medical convention filling the city's hotels, sharing the cottage seems the only option, even if Tess is understandably cautious about cohabitating with a man she's literally just met. Ambiguity is part of Barbarian from the get-go, spanning whether Keith can be trusted, what's behind their double booking and, when things start moving overnight, what's going on in the abode. That's only the start of Barbarian's hellish story. Canny casting plays a considerable part in Barbarian's early unease; if you rocked up to a place that's meant to be yours alone for the evening only for Pennywise from the recent big-screen version of IT and its sequel lurking within — sans red balloon, luckily — you'd be creeped out. Skarsgård's involvement isn't the only reason that the movie's first act drips with dread and uncertainty, but it's a devastatingly clever use of him as a horror-film talent, and the Swedish star leans into the slippery and shifty possibilities. Still, after taking a photo of his ID and being wary of drinking beverages he's made, Tess warms to Keith over wine and conversation. He's having a loud nightmare on the couch, too, when her bedroom door opens mysteriously. When she gets stuck in the locked basement the next day, he's out at meetings. Then he returns, and they'll wish that a reservation mixup really was the worst of their troubles. Clearly made with affection for old-school horror, especially films by genre great Wes Craven, Barbarian feels like a well-crafted take on a familiar premise while it's laying its groundwork. Foolish is the viewer who thinks that they know where the movie is heading from there, though — or who ignores the instant bubblings of potential to zig and zag, plus the lingering inkling that something beyond the easily expected might stalk its frames. Indeed, watching Barbarian recalls watching scary flicks from four and five decades back for the first time, a rite of passage for every horror-loving teen no matter the generation, and being gripped by their surprises. Cregger bundles in twists, but he also establishes a vibe where almost anything can shift and change. Two cases in point: when Justin Long (Giri/Haji) shows up as a smug and obnoxious Hollywood player with #MeToo problems, and when the 80s isn't just an influence in scenes lensed in a tighter aspect ratio. Keeping audiences guessing is chief among Barbarian's games, and one it plays with glee and skill on Cregger's part. That's true when the film is nodding to other horror greats, as also seen in its Psycho nudges (side note: Skarsgård would make a great Norman Bates if anyone was to try remaking Alfred Hitchcock's classic again). It's also accurate when Barbarian is going all in on unnerving frights and inducing fear — the moment you think you know where the plot sits, it careens sharply, and the moment you think you know when the next shock or source of apprehension will arrive, and how, it flips just as boldly. He's co-helmed Miss March and The Civil War on Drugs before, but it's the filmmaker's background in sketch comedy (as a cofounder of New York-based troupe The Whitest Kids U' Know, in fact) that might underline his ability and willingness to turn wildly, and to make each pivot and leap pay off. Jordan Peele took a similar jump and that's going swimmingly, as Get Out, Us and Nope attest. But Cregger opts for what might seem an unusual choice in these elevated horror times: he flirts with topical subjects and helms a movie with things to say, but layers in his many points rather than makes any one the main focus. It isn't by accident that Barbarian is set in Detroit, or in its Brightmoor area. The way suburbia can boom, change and falter under capitalism is firmly in the film's sights, as are the inequities in income in general, and at the heart of the short-term rental market — plus the fact that such services can virtually snap up entire neighbourhoods, price plenty of folks out of them, and see homes turned into cash cows at the expense of any sense of community. Cregger also muses just as savvily and bitingly on toxic masculinity and the roles it forces women into, such as victims, villains and simply constantly being on high alert, as Tess always is. Splashing around an eagerness to keep challenging itself — including visually, with cinematographer Zach Kuperstein (The Eyes of My Mother) rarely using the obvious shot, and also ensuring every frame is taut and precise — Barbarian is deeply, gloriously and entertainingly sinister. It's meticulously and impressively executed, and also innately unsettling. It knows all the tropes and horror conventions that've filled films both spectacular and terrible before, and it knows how to toy with and subvert them, when to let them run their course, and how to make a movie that feels fresh no matter which of the above it's doing. And, in the process, it deserves to boost not only Cregger's career, but also the excellent Campbell's. Playing a memorable potential final girl takes fortitude (see: Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode again and again), and playing a character that's smart, determined, resourceful but keeps making questionable horror-movie decisions for understandable reasons requires commitment. Believing in Campbell as Tess, and in the attention-grabber of a flick she's in: now that's a move that's safe as houses.
Step into the light and embrace your own mortality at the unsettlingly-named Festival of Death and Dying. Curated by artist and scholar Peter Banki along with festival dramaturge Victoria Spence, this two-day event will feature a mixture of workshops, talks and performances in order to examine the western fear of death while celebrating all that life has to offer. Standout events on the program include Share My Coffin, a role-playing workshop in which participants will be cast in the role of both mourners and the deceased and End of Life Dreams, a discussion with palliative care physician Dr. Michael Barbato about the experiences of dying patients. Mortality Performance Night will see an evening of long and short performance works from artists including Alice Cummins, Alan Schacher and WeiZen Ho. The Festival of Death and Dying will be held at Dancehouse Studios in Melbourne on September 9-10. Image: 'Free falling No.1' from the series Death Suits Me Fine by Paula Mahoney.
Twelve months is a long time to wait between film festivals. Don't worry — the folks behind Melbourne's annual queer cinema showcase feel your pain. With the Melbourne Queer Film Festival hopping around in terms of dates and formats over the past few years due to the pandemic, the event is giving LGBTQIA+ movie buffs a little something extra in 2022, thanks to a three-day feast of flicks between Friday, April 29–Sunday, May 1. Called Melbourne Queer Mini Film Festival, this bite-sized bonus festival will serve up 12 features and documentaries at Cinema Nova. And, while it's definitely a brief affair, it's all about quality rather than quantity. MQFF's program includes Tramps!, which heads back to Britain's New Romantic scene in the 80s; Shall I Compare You to a Summer's Day?, a must-see for its blend of Arab folktales and Egyptian pop music; Canadian flick Wildhood, about a rebellious teen who runs away with his half-brother; and Benediction, a moving exploration of First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon's life by filmmaker Terence Davies (Sunset Song). Also among the highlights: Taiwan's Fragrance of the First Flower, Hong Kong coming-of-age effort The First Girl I Loved, France's The Divide and Spanish docu-drama Sediments, with the latter about the lived experiences of six trans women who are actors.
Two decades ago, Bill Nighy won two BAFTAs in the same year for vastly dissimilar roles: for playing a rock 'n' roll singer belting out a cheesy Christmas tune in Love Actually, and also for his turn as a journalist investigating a political scandal in gripping miniseries State of Play. The beloved British actor has achieved plenty more across his career, including collecting an eclectic resume that spans an uncredited turn in Black Books, a pivotal part in Shaun of the Dead, and everything from Underworld and Pride to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (plus stepping into David Bowie's shoes in the TV version of The Man Who Fell to Earth). Somehow, though, Nighy made it all the way into his 70s before receiving a single Oscar nomination. He didn't emerge victorious at 2023's ceremony for Living, but his recognition for this textured drama isn't just a case of the Academy rewarding a stellar career — it's thoroughly earned by one of the veteran talent's best performances yet. Nighy comes to this sensitive portrayal of a dutiful company man facing life-changing news with history; so too does the feature itself. Set in London in 1953, it's an adaptation several times over — of iconic Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's 1952 film Ikiru, and of Leo Tolstoy's 1886 novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich, which the former also takes inspiration from. That's quite the lineage for Living to live up to, but Nighy and director Oliver Hermanus (Moffie) are up to the task. The movie's second Oscar-nominee, Nobel Prize-winning screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro, unsurprisingly is as well. Also the author of The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, he's at home penning layered stories with a deep focus on complicated characters not being completely true to themselves. When those two novels were turned into impressive pictures, Ishiguro didn't script their screenplays, but he writes his way through Living's literary and cinematic pedigree like he was born to. A man of no more words than he has to utter — of no more of anything, including life's pleasures, frivolities, distractions and detours, in fact — Williams (Nighy, Emma.) is a born bureaucrat. Or, that's how he has always appeared to his staff in the Public Works Department in London County Hall, where he's been doing the same job day, week, month and year in and out. He's quiet and stoic as he pushes paper daily, overseeing a department that's newly welcoming in Peter Wakeling (Alex Sharp, The Trial of the Chicago 7). It's through this fresh face's eyes that Living's audience first spies its central figure, adopting his and the wider team's perspective of Williams as a compliant and wooden functionary: a view that the film and its sudden diagnosis then challenges, as Williams does of himself. As Ikiru was as well, and as The Death of Ivan Ilyich's name made so apparent, this is a tale of a man dying — and, while confronting that fact, finally living. In Hermanus and Ishiguro's hands, sticking close to Kurosawa and his collaborators before them, this story gets part of its spark from a simple request by local parents for a playground. Before learning that he has terminal cancer, Williams behaves as he always has, with the women making their plea sent from department to department while he does only as much as he must. Afterwards, grappling with how to capitalise upon the time he has left, he wonders how to leave even the smallest mark on the world. Living isn't about a big, impulsive response to one of the worst developments that anyone can ever be saddled with during their time on this mortal coil, except that it is in Williams' own way; when your reaction to hearing that you have mere months left to live is "quite", any break from routine is radical. This isn't a cancer weepie, not for a second. It also isn't an illness-focused film where someone's health struggles come second to the feelings and changes experienced by those around them. Williams' colleagues notice his absence when he stops showing up to the office, of course. One, the young Margaret Harris (Aimee Lou Wood, Sex Education), accompanies him on unexpected away-from-work outings and advises that she'd nicknamed him 'Mr Zombie'. Living is about those instances — the fancy lunches that Williams treats himself to, the nights out drinking with new pals (Tom Burke, The Wonder) he never would've contemplated before, the flouting of his lifelong monotonous routine, and the efforts to go above and beyond that he's now willing to take — rather than about an ailing man's family and acquaintances facing loss. Indeed, given that Williams doesn't want to interrupt his son (Barney Fishwick, Call the Midwife) and daughter-in-law (Patsy Ferran, Mothering Sunday) with his condition, Living is firmly invested in someone navigating their swansong on their own terms. At the heart of this ruminative film, and Williams' post-diagnosis behaviour, sits one of the most fundamental existential questions there is. Knowing that death is looming so soon and so swiftly, what can possibly provide comfort? That's a query we all face daily, most of us just on a longer timeline — context that makes Williams' way of coping both resonant and highly relatable. Life is filling each moment with anything but reminders that our here and now is fleeting, albeit not in such a conscious and concerted manner. Living's boxed-in imagery, constrained within Academy-ratio frames and gifted a handsome, period-appropriate but almost-wistful sheen by Hermanus' Moffie and Beauty cinematographer Jamie Ramsay (also the director of photography on See How They Run), helps visually express a crucial feeling: of being anchored within a set amount of space and discovering how to make the most of it. When Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo and Ran great Kurosawa stepped through this terrain, he did so with one of his frequent players: Takashi Shimura. There's a particular sense of potency in telling this tale with a familiar figure, as Nighy also is, hammering home how truly universal this plight is no matter the specifics. Nighy's performance toys with what viewers have come to know and expect from him, however. He's in reserved rather than twinkling and instantly charming mode — still, muted and melancholy, too — a facade for his character that says oh-so-much about the dedicated life that Williams has weathered, the solace he's found in it, his handling of his current situation and also the film's post-World War II setting. Conveying the difference between being and relishing so effortlessly and also so heartbreakingly, Nighy is a marvel, and one that the movie around him lives for.
Fans of caffeinated cocktails, your time to shine has arrived. The Ascot Lot is bringing back one of its most popular drinks fiestas, dedicated to the humble espresso martini. Running from Saturday, June 11–Sunday, June 12, the Espresso Yourself festival is set to dish up a caffeine-charged celebration showcasing no less than five signature espresso martini varieties. The team's been hard at work creating coffee cocktails for all tastes; from the orange-infused Jaffa Smasher, to the blend of coconut, chocolate and espresso they call the Bounty Hunter. Swing by the food truck park from noon to sample all five varieties, including an expertly crafted traditional version, of course. The cocktails will be going extra cheap at just $12 a pop all weekend, or you can grab a $49 Espresso Yourself Pass to sample the whole lot in one sitting. As always, there'll be plenty of food trucks on hand and stacks of dogs to pat, plus DJ's dishing up tunes right through the day. Espresso Yourself will run till 10pm on Saturday and 9pm on Sunday.
Fresh air. Food trucks waiting to fill your hungry stomach. Live music. Outdoor cinema. Sounds like summer in Australia, doesn't? Add in aerial circus, medieval performance fighting and Mexican wrestling, too, and it also sounds like Melbourne's new four-day arts and food truck festival. Taking over Coburg's Velodrome from January 26 to 29, 2017, the rather descriptively named Velodrome Food Truck Festival promises all of the above and more. And the best part? Not only can you bring your pet pooch, but the whole event is free. While the specifics in terms of performers and purveyors of meals-and-wheels won't be announced until January, eager attendees can expect an eclectic lineup on both fronts, including a sideshow circus, roaming talent, workshops, visual art installations, a market stall village, eating competitions and more than 30 food trucks. Also slated: several bars selling beers and craft cocktails, as well as a month-long open air cinema series screening new and old favourites. "We're dubbing it 'the Glastonbury' of food truck festivals. It's a mixed bag of performance and entertainment," said Velodrome events director, Chris Mitchell. He's one of guiding hands behind the drive to turn the site into a cultural event precinct — and given that, with his partner Gareth Holt, he also helped turn Chapel Street venue Red Bennies into an internationally renowned arts intuition, he certainly knows what he's doing. Velodrome Food Truck Festival takes place from January 26 to 29, 2017, at Coburg Velodrome, 30 Charles Street, Coburg North. For more information, or to register for a free ticket, visit the festival website.
As one of Melbourne's most lauded fine diners, Attica has become quite the shapeshifter of late. Earlier this year, Ben Shewry's Ripponlea restaurant executed a classic COVID-19 pivot, launching a pop-up bakeshop in the space next door and diversifying with its first-ever take-home food offering. Last week, it was announced its post-lockdown comeback would take the form of a month-long venue pop-up called Attica In Between, hosting intimate ten-person dining experiences with a brand-new menu. Now, the team's revealed plans for the biggest shake-ups yet: a whole new Attica restaurant. Embracing fresh air and open skies, Attica Summer Camp is set to descend on the Yarra Valley from this December. At this stage, the finer details are still being plotted, though we're told to expect a casual, all-day affair, popping up for a five-month stint at dedicated site in Seville. Labelled "a significant departure from Attica", the new venture will feature a playful, informal vibe, as well as a sprawling countryside setting that nods to the rural backdrop and camping adventures of Shewry's own childhood. "It's going to be a super fun, high-energy, casual place that's been inspired by this time we've all been through," Shewry told Concrete Playground. "And wanting to just break free from that feeling, and look towards something that's more optimistic and positive." Yes, it's worlds apart from the globally renowned fine-diner concept, and the chef admits, "I never would have done this before". But with hospitality restrictions and capacity limits posing a challenge to the OG Attica, he's accepted that rolling with the punches will call for some big moves. "It's another step in saving Attica, our restaurant and our staff's livelihoods," he says. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ben Shewry (@benshewry) Above all, Shewry wants Attica Summer Camp to be somewhere "playful and fun" — an out-of-town destination where people can bask in some goodness after a less than idyllic year. There'll be a feel-good lineup of simple food and drinks, with a menu full of local produce enjoyed across the site's various indoor and outdoor spaces. The wine offering looks set to feature some collaborative efforts from long-time Attica friend and renowned winemaker Mac Forbes, who Shewry says has been an integral part of the whole project. Huge covered outdoor dining pavilions are ready for whatever Melbourne's sketchy weather decides to throw down, and a vine-covered pergola sounds primed for private picnic lunches. An on-site retail store will even be slinging goodies like Attica merch, house-made produce and take-home picnic hampers, so you won't be leaving empty-handed. Rounding out the offering is what the team's calling "the best and most uplifting soundtrack that a restaurant has ever heard". After the year Melbourne's had, that all sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered. Find Attica Summer Camp at 45 Davross Court, Seville from this December. We'll share more details as they drop and you can register your interest over at the website.
Steak lovers are in for a real treat this spring. Melbourne's much-loved steakhouse Meatmaiden is gearing up to host a three-night feast in collaboration with Sweden's acclaimed Restaurang AG. This event marks the Australian debut of The Rare Tour, an international dining series that brings together world-renowned chefs from the globe's top steak restaurants. Running from Tuesday, April 29 through Thursday, May 1, the two restaurants will combine their signature styles to create a Scandinavian-Melburnian mash-up with a charm that's all its own. A Stockholm heavy-hitter, AG is ranked number nine on the The World's 101 Best Steak Restaurants 2024 list. Meanwhile, Meatmaiden has long been considered one of Mebourne's go-to steak spots; and with a decade under its belt, it is also shortlisted for a spot on the World's Best list for 2025. Rankings will be released in April, just in time for this collab event. "We're thrilled The Rare Tour is coming to Melbourne and honoured to have been chosen as the host for its Australian debut," says Meatmaiden owner Neil Hamblen. "This menu will be a rollicking, fun experience full of contrasting styles and energy — a beautiful way for people to experience two distinct steakhouses with a shared passion for quality produce." The six-course, shared menu may put you back $240 per person, but you're guaranteed to leave stuffed to the brim. Highlights include collab twists on AG's bone marrow with beer braised onions; charred octopus with Nashville hot sauce; and Meatmaiden's lobster mac and cheese croquettes. Also on the docket is, of course, one helluva steak — in this case, expect a seventy-day, tallow-aged, stone axe, Australian wagyu rib eye to sit front-and-centre. It's served alongside a beef-fat béarnaise and smoked potatoes with pickled mustard dressing. If you can manage another bite, a chocolate mud cake rounds out this incredibly rich dinner. The Rare Tour dining series will take place from Tuesday, April 29 through Thursday, May 1. Tickets cost $240 per person and are available for purchase on the Meatmaiden website.
When Palace launched its 15-screen Pentridge Cinema in the revamped Coburg prison site back in 2020, it didn't just give Melburnians a new spot to see films indoors. Thanks to its pop-up outdoor setup, it also gifted the city another space to watch movies under the stars while the weather is warm. That sibling venue, aka Pentridge Open-Air Cinema, returns for its 2022–23 season from Thursday, December 15 with quite the lineup. Launching the program is what's set to be one of the biggest films of the year, even though it only opens in mid-December, with James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water screening alongside a trivia session and a best-dressed — read: blue-heavy — contest. It'll show for three nights in a row, in fact. but only the first one will feature the extra festivities. So far, the venue has revealed its lineup through until the end of February. Its season will run until Sunday, March 26; however, the rest of the bill won't be unveiled until closer to the date. The list of titles so far remains impressive, however, including Golden Globe-nominated Irish comedy The Banshees of Inisherin, 2022 blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, the Cate Blanchett-starring Tár, 1920s Hollywood-set Babylon and the certain-to-be-steamy Magic Mike's Last Dance. As we predicted before the cinema opened, this is clearly a great spot to watch prison flicks, with The Shawshank Redemption also on the new roster. Also either celebrating a theme or turning a night at the pictures into a party — or both — Moonage Daydream is screening on David Bowie's birthday, a session of Aliens includes sci-fi trivia, Titanic plays on Valentine's Day and the Isle of Dogs session is pet-friendly. Among the throwback titles, a heap are scoring best-dressed contests, plus more trivia. Start planning your outfits for Die Hard, Romeo + Juliet, Twilight, Grease, Clueless, Friday the 13th, Pulp Fiction, Scream, The Princess Bride, The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Labyrinth now. Whatever you head along to see, you'll sit outside on a deck chair in the grassy courtyard, stare up at a big screen, soak in the summer evening air, and be surrounded by the precinct's 1850s-era walls. Palace will run a pop-up bar outdoors each night, selling snacks and drinks. You can also BYO picnic if you'd rather, but not booze. Pentridge Open-Air Cinema runs from Thursday, December 15–Sunday, March 26 at 1 Champ Street, Coburg. Head to the Palace website for further details and tickets.
If you're into theatre, Poppy Seed is a festival to keep an eye on. It's one of only a few events that support and fund theatre in Melbourne — indie producers who take part are catapulted into recognition with the three-year-old festival growing in popularity and weight each season. 35 theatremakers are part of this year's month-long event, taking place between November 8 and December 9. This year's gala kicks the festival off with Alexithymia, a performance by Citizen Theatre and A_tistic. It's made up of three shorter pieces that explore life as a woman with autism and tests the audience's emotional intelligence. Jean Tong's Romeo Is Not the Only Fruit is a tongue-in-cheek, politically satirical musical representation of what it means to be a queer woman of colour in today's world, and features a 'Dead Lesbian chorus' — you'll have to go along to find out what this entails. Hyperlocal performances are a highlight of this year's festival. BREAD CRUMBS sees Ruby Johnston and Benjamin Nichol bring the traditional fairytale narrative to a Dandenong setting where it explores the impact of domestic violence and gender roles in the form of a sinister black comedy. And set on Flinders Street, Lost: 5 showcases five short monologues exploring the persistent issue of homelessness in the CBD. Finally, there's Tandem, presented by Gravity Dolls. It's circus-meets-gameshow, as actors respond to the audience's decisions and actions to win each game. An example? Giant acrobatic Jenga, and Twister (but with performers acting as the mat). Poppy Seed takes place in four locations across Melbourne: Meat Market in North Melbourne, South Yarra's Irene Mitchell Studio, The Butterfly Club in the CBD and Chapel off Chapel in Prahran. Each show is $22–35, with bundles and gala tickets available through the website.
UPDATE, January 21, 2022: Synchronic is available to stream via Netflix, Binge, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead aren't currently household names. If they keep writing and directing mind-bending sci-fi like Synchronic, though, they will be. The pair actually appear destined to become better known via Marvel, as they're slated to helm one of the MCU's many upcoming Disney+ TV series, the Oscar Isaac-starring Moon Knight — but they've already worked their way up from the US$20,000 budget of their 2012 debut Resolution to making movies with Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan. Here, with Marvel's own Falcon and Fifty Shades of Grey's leading man, they play with time, relativity, fate and brain-altering substances. They ponder the shadows that the past leaves on the present, the way that progressing through life can feel far more like a stumble than following a clear path, and how confronting loss and death can reframe your perspective on living, too. Those temporal jumps and existential themes aren't new, of course, and neither is the film's steely look and feel, and its willingness to get dark. But that's the thing about Benson and Moorhead: few filmmakers can twist familiar parts into such a distinctive, smart and engaging package in the same way, and with each and every one of their movies. Synchronic shares its title with a designer drug. In the film's vision of New Orleans, the hallucinogen can be bought in stores — and plenty of people are doing just that. Shift after shift, paramedics Steve Denube (Mackie) and Dennis Dannelly (Dornan) find themselves cleaning up the aftermath, as users of the synthetic substance keep overdosing, dying in unusual ways and getting injured in strange mishaps. And, these aren't your usual drug-fuelled incidents. One, involving a snakebite, happens in a hotel without even the slightest sign of slithering reptiles on the loose. That's enough to arouse the world-wearied Steve and Dennis' interest, and to give them something to talk about other than the former's attachment-free life and the latter's marriage. Then Dennis' teenage daughter Brianna (Ally Ioannides, Into the Badlands) goes missing, and the two EMTs are instantly keen to investigate any links that the popular pill might have to her disappearance. In a film that initially drips with tension, dread and intensity, Benson and Moorhead don't take too long to reveal how synchronic works, but it's still something that's best discovered by watching. They don't ever simply tell the audience what's going on, though. As all good films that tinker with time should — and as some not-so-great ones, like Australian rom-com Long Story Short, try to yet flounder — Synchronic doesn't merely show the effects, either, but instead uses every tool at its disposal to take viewers on the same journey. Indeed, much of the movie hinges upon how Steve feels when he pops a pill. While the character could just explain that aloud, that'd be the least interesting option and the film's directors know it. So, whether peering up at the sky, toying with slow motion and perspective, tilting angles, completely flipping the picture or using long takes, the feature gets subjective with its cinematography, which is lensed by Moorhead. One dazzling and dramatic shot at a time, it plunges everyone watching into Steve's head as he first experiments with synchronic's capabilities, then endeavours to use them to bring Brianna home. There's more to Steve's story than possibly being a hero, and that's one of Synchronic's superpowers. Although surreal imagery, a trippy narrative and an off-kilter atmosphere all sit in the movie's toolkit, it's how Benson and Moorhead ground all of the above in genuine emotions that makes this a science fiction film with both brains and a pulse. Easy sentiment and schmaltz have no place here, but anchoring the film's musings on life certainly does. After all, there's little point in pondering 'what if?' scenarios, which is sci-fi's entire remit, if those trains of thought don't also interrogate and explore the human condition. Consequently, although it initially seems as if the script makes a few easy moves regarding Steve's background and current experience, there's insight in those choices. There's cold, hard truth, too, which Synchronic happily faces — because how we're each shaped by trauma is life's number one story. This isn't Benson and Moorhead's first dance with this subject, as anyone who has seen Resolution, 2014's horror-romance Spring and 2017's excellent cult thriller The Endless will spot. That said, even when the premise of their features explicitly calls for repetition — always cleverly and playfully — the pair doesn't just retread their previous footsteps. With each addition to their shared resume, the filmmaking duo demonstrates an uncanny knack for using genre confines and deploying recognisable tropes to excavate pain and tragedy. When viewed as a whole, their career to-date provides an impressive and perceptive snapshot of dealing with life's difficulties, in fact. Each of Benson and Moorhead's four films so far are strikingly shot and astutely written, and rank among the best horror and sci-fi efforts of the past decade, but they're also as thoughtful and resonant as they are intelligent and ambitious — and that's an irresistible combination. Synchronic does occasionally falter. Mackie gets the better part and has far more of an impact than Dornan, for instance. But the lived-in camaraderie between their characters — who've been partners so long that they speak in shorthand — always feels real, and Dornan is still worlds away from the woeful Wild Mountain Thyme, his previous big-screen role. The film's ending doesn't completely fall into place, too, but even that feels like a minor issue. When a movie takes you on the kind of ride that Synchronic does, in such a stunning, sharp and thrilling fashion, and with such depth at is core, its tiny imperfections fade from memory quickly. Or, as Benson and Moorhead might posit, they help make everything that's exceptional shine even brighter, stand out even more and cut even deeper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87RIVAc6MJU&feature=youtu.be
The Mexican chain that brought us drone-delivered burritos is back with a new food delivery deal. Guzman y Gomez is offering $9.90 burritos and burrito bowls delivered to your door for a whole seven days. Unfortunately, not delivered by drones, though Available from today, Wednesday, April 1 through till Tuesday, April 7, the cheap eats are available from over 100 stores across Australia, including a heap in Queensland, Victoria and NSW. To find your closest, head on over to Menulog and input your address. The burritos feature a flour tortilla stuffed with rice, beans, pico de gallo, cheese and your choice of meat or veggies, such as spiced pulled pork, barramundi and slow-cooked beef. And the bowls, unsurprisingly, are pretty much the same without the tortilla. The catch is you do need to pay for a $5 delivery fee, but that's for the total order — so you could split it with your housemate or double-up and get a burrito for both lunch and dinner. To order your $9.90 burrito or burrito bowl head on over to Menulog.
The Atlantic Group is known for setting up some of the best seafood restaurants in Melbourne — most notably The Atlantic. So, it was no surprise to see its takeaway sushi joint Sushi Baby do so damn well in Brighton immediately after opening in mid-2023. Riding this wave of success, the crew went ahead and set up a new dine-in restaurant in early 2024 with a bright pink and green dining room and a courtyard filled with greenery and pink blossom garlands. This fit-out is starkly different from most of Melbourne's sushi joints, which tend to keep the colour scheme muted and furnishings traditional. But Sushi Baby isn't your classic sushi shop, and the design reflects the kitchen's contemporary stylings and playful approach to Japanese cuisine. The nori tacos — filled with raw salmon, avocado, teriyaki sauce and furikake — are a brilliant representation of this. The classic flavours and ingredients are presented differently without being unusual just for the sake of it. The sushi purists out there shouldn't be scared off, as the Sushi Baby crew isn't messing around too much. Traditional nigiri, maki rolls and inari are all up for grabs, plus there's a daily changing sashimi platter for those wanting to really treat themselves. Katsu sandos and some larger sharing plates help the venue transition from day to night. Upgrading the space hasn't meant that it has totally abandoned its takeout sushi roots. Most of the dine-in goodies can be made to take away, plus the 62- and 85-piece sushi boxes are still as stunning as always, coming in a bright pink box with the brand's signature laughing baby face printed under the lid. Now that is indeed sushi, baby. Images: Jake Roden
The team at Everyday Coffee is getting into the pastry game, with the opening of a brand new bakery cafe on High Street in Northcote. The invitingly named All Are Welcome is a collaborative effort between Everyday's Mark Free and Aaron Maxwell, and Californian baker and pastry chef Boris Portnoy. Carbs and caffeine? Sounds damn good to us. Just don't expect anything half-arsed or run-of-the-mill. Portnoy has crafted a menu packed to the brim with lesser-known baked-goods, including medovnik (Czech honey cakes), ensaïmada (Spanish spiral pastries) and khachapuri (a savoury cheesy bread from the Republic of Georgia). This is in addition to a number of tarts and tartines, and sourdough, rye and heritage grain breads. Open for business. 🙏 A post shared by All Are Welcome (@allarewelcomebakery) on Apr 23, 2017 at 3:01pm PDT The pastries will be paired with Everday's menu of espresso and batch brewed coffees. "We're looking forward to presenting outstanding coffee and pastry together in a context where one or the other is so often an obligatory side note," said Free. They'll also be selling a wide range of roasted coffee and brewing accessories, along with cheeses, chutneys, pickles and house-made preserves straight from the All Are Welcome larder. Located directly opposite Northcote Town Hall, All Are Welcome is housed in what was once a Christian Science Reading room, which Portnoy says has influenced the décor. "I'd like to be playful with making the bakery 'cult-like' through recycling the altar and pews from the church, the lighting, and the graphic identity," he said. Find All Are Welcome at 190 High Street, Northcote. For more information follow them on Instagram or visit www.all-are-welcome.com. Image: Everyday Coffee.
Whether you're a dedicated vegan or just love a plant-based feed, The Vegan Market is the place to be this Sunday, June 1. Featuring a huge range of stalls dedicated to high-end vegan cuisine, drinks, fashion, beauty products and eco-friendly goods, spend the day indulging in nature-led bites and cruelty-free creations. Taking over Seaworks in Williamstown, this sprawling space will see the community come together to support sustainability and local businesses. Feast on Lord of the Fries, grab a Greek-style vegan doughnut from St. Gerry's or discover the deliciousness of Cha Chas Vegan Mexican — and that's just a few of the exhibitors setting up shop. Besides sweet and savoury bites, The Vegan Market will also feature a live cooking demonstration by renowned cook Betty Chetcuti, while Lord of the Fries co-founder Amanda Leigh Walker will host a Q&A with numerous exhibitors about their products. There's even Vegan Speed Connecting, where you might just meet your plant-based soulmate. Filled wall-to-wall with the latest in gourmet vegan food, clothes and more, you're invited to browse the must-see products inside the venue or step outside to order from some of Melbourne's best vegan food trucks. Plus, the nearby Pirates Tavern will be open throughout the day, so you can enjoy a drink overlooking the waterfront.
Imagine that you had become an international superstar playing Harry Potter, then spent more than a decade as the beloved character in one of the biggest movie franchises there is. Once your wizarding time was over, you'd probably want to take on a whole range of weird, wonderful and vastly different projects. Daniel Radcliffe, the only person who fits the above description, certainly seems to be following that path — and his latest action-comedy might just be the wildest entry on his post-Boy Who Lived resume so far. Since the HP films wrapped up back in 2011, Radcliffe has played a man who wakes up with horns protruding from his head in the aptly titled Horns, as well as Victor Frankenstein's apprentice Igor in the terrible movie that's conveniently named Victor Frankenstein. He also transforms into a corpse in Swiss Army Man — a corpse whose farts make it skim across the ocean like a jet ski. And, in the first season of great TV sitcom Miracle Workers, he's an angel trying to save the world from a slacker God (Steve Buscemi). Next, though, Radcliffe is stepping into the shoes of a snarky video game developer — one who is forced into a real-life fight-to-the-death game. His ordeal is also being live-streamed as part of an illegal death-match fight club channel called Skizm. Oh, and he has guns bolted to his hands. That's the premise of Guns Akimbo, which seems to combine elements of Battle Royale, Man of Tai Chi, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Nerve into one clearly, gleefully over-the-top package. As seen in the movie's just-dropped new trailer, Radcliffe's character, Miles, has to try to survive when he's thrust into the city-wide game — and navigate a world where brutal gladiator-style fights have become mass entertainment. The film also stars Ready or Not's Samara Weaving and Flight of the Conchords' Rhys Darby, with New Zealand filmmaker Jason Lei Howden (Deathgasm) behind the lens. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOFatKD0Vzo&feature=emb_logo Guns Akimbo will start screening around Australia on February 28 at special event screenings.
It was one of the most hyped makeovers and relaunches of 2018, but just over 12 months on from that grand reveal, legendary St Kilda pub The Espy has been snapped up by new owners. The beachside boozer is one of eight venues from Melbourne-based hospitality group Sand Hill Road that have this week been acquired by the Australian Venue Co (AVC). This new owner is no small fry, though, boasting a whopping 150 venues across six states and territories. Melburnians will already be familiar with some of its existing stable, including Fargo and Co, Newmarket Hotel, State of Grace, The Smith and Imperial Hotel Bourke Street. Now, AVC has gone and added Sand Hill Road's Garden State Hotel, Richmond Club, The Posty, Prahran Hotel, Holliava, The Bridge Hotel and The Terminus Hotel, as well as the aforementioned Hotel Esplanade, to its portfolio. There's no word on exactly how many dollars that all set them back, but The Age is reporting it's upwards of $100 million. While it's uncertain what changes — if any — the newly purchased venues are in for, AVC says it'll continue to work closely with the original owners and existing teams in an effort to keep the transition smooth. In a statement, Australian Venue Co CEO Paul Waterson confirmed the group would aim to maintain "the look and feel that customers know and love", while also adding value wherever possible. [caption id="attachment_677436" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Garden State Hotel by Brook James[/caption] Built back in 1878, the six-storey Espy Hotel was bought by the Sand Hill Road back in 2017. The group — co-owned by brothers Matt and Andy Mullins, and mates Doug Maskiell and Tom Birch — then oversaw its grand makeover, which included the opening of 12 bars, two restaurants and three live music stages. Of Sand Hill Group's recent sale, Andy Mullins says: "The boys and I are super proud of what we've achieved in Melbourne's pubs over the last 20 years... we wan to than each and every customer who's shared a beer and a laugh across our bars." The only Sand Hill Road venue not to have been snapped up in this sale is the CBD's Waterside Hotel, which is currently closed for renovations and slated to reopen later this year. We'll keep you posted on any changes happening across the former suite of Sand Hill Road pubs. Image: Alex Drewniak
Speedsters of Australia, it's time to don your best red cap, slide into a pair of overalls and jump behind the wheel. If you want to take part in Mushroom Racing, the outfit isn't optional — although, if that's not your style, you could pick a green hat or a dinosaur costume instead. Not content with zipping through the streets of Tokyo and causing quite a stir, a real-life version of Mario Kart is headed to Melbourne. On five Sundays in Melbourne, participants will dress up as their favourite character, get cosy in a go-kart, race till their heart's content and collect stars to win prizes. While Tokyo's MariCar lets racers zoom along the city's actual roadways (yes, really) that won't be what will happen here — while the location is still a secret, the organisers stress that it won't be on the street. We're certain that throwing shells or bananas at your opponents won't be happening either. Sure, that's all well and fun when you're mashing buttons and trying not to fall off the Rainbow Road while you're playing one of Nintendo's many console versions (or counting down the days until the first Mario Kart smartphone game is released), but it's definitely not cool in real life. Tickets are $85 and include your zooming, costume hire, a snack and transport to and from the CBD. It's all happening on Sunday afternoons in May, June and July, with sessions running at 2.30pm, 4.30pm, 9pm and 10.30pm, with an after party to follow. Do note that the pick-up time is 4.5 hours prior to race time, so it'll be a long day. Organisers are calling it "the rally of a lifetime", and while that's definitely overstating the significance of driving around pretending you're Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario or whichever other character you like, you know you're eager to give the novelty a go. And, let's face it, it's not quite as ridiculous as human bowling.
Go crazy and punch a higher floor, with one of the funkiest motion pictures ever made. Returning to the big screen at ACMI for a strictly limited season, more than thirty years after it first took the box office by storm, it doesn’t get much more '80s than Prince, Apollonia, Morris Day and The Time in Albert Magnoli’s cult rock musical Purple Rain. Screening just six times at the Fed Square cinema, this celluloid time capsule stars Prince in his feature film debut; playing a brooding but talented musician caught up in a bitter musical rivalry. Full of over-the-top costumes and ham-fisted dialogue, the film is redeemed by its Oscar and Grammy award-winning soundtrack, which includes the likes of 'When Doves Cry', 'Baby I’m A Star' and of course 'Purple Rain'. If you’re a fan of the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, this is one movie you need to see — and more importantly hear — in a cinema. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpWbH4qQ-J8
When it comes to eating out, the elements of surprise and mystery are very rare these days. In the time it takes you to say "Hey Siri", you'll have the restaurant menu, images of the dishes and reviews from countless strangers all at your fingertips. So much so, you probably have your order ready to go before you set foot in the joint. And where's the fun in that? To combat this age of omniscient dining, and bring a little mystery back into the dining scene, chip brand Red Rock Deli has teamed up with the chef from popular Windsor bar Lover for a very special Secret Supper series. On Thursday, September 19, chef Paul Turner will be dishing up three-course feasts in a secret Melbourne location for a limited number of guests. As you may have already guessed, the menu will stay true to the event's name and will remain under wraps until the night. What we do know is that it'll be feast inspired by foraging and the new Red Rock Deli Deluxe Crisps flavour, Parmesan & Truffle Oil. It immediately screams decadence to us. And given Turner's tradition of taking unassuming native and seasonal ingredients — think saltbush, wood sorrel and stinging nettle — and turning them into refined modern takes on old classics, we think it's safe to prepare for some bold flavours. So, in trying to crack the menu code, we thought we'd find out a little about the Melbourne spots that Turner likes to visit on the regular — and the dishes he orders— for inspiration. He name-dropped a few of his favourites, which may give us an idea of what to expect. "A common theme that I think that all of these places share, and something that I really try to focus on, is working closely with the seasons, respecting the produce at hand, and inventive, technically driven plating styles," Turner says. [caption id="attachment_552288" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Attica[/caption] Given this focus on respecting produce, it should come as no surprise that he mentions Attica first, which has "been at the forefront for a long time and helped inspire a generation of chefs". He also calls out Brae, Armadale's Zia Rina's Cucina and Doot Doot Doot on the Mornington Peninsula as fine examples of this approach — and recommends getting the five-course tasting menu with matched wines at the latter to sample the "best from the kitchen garden". In fact, this is a big theme for Paul Turner. "Most of the time, I'll jump on a tasting menu and let the chefs showcase the flavours and dishes they're feeling at the time... Some things have a really short season so trusting the chef is always a good bet," he tells us. Is that a not-so-subtle hidden message to the Secret Supper diners? [caption id="attachment_682589" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kristoffer Paulsen[/caption] Following this tasting menu trend, Turner also name-checks Yarraville's Navi as his favourite restaurant at the moment. Meanwhile, he mentions Lesa as a great option in Melbourne CBD, and specifically the pork jowl with white onion, radicchio and blood orange as a prime example of showcasing produce and technique. And of the aforementioned Zia Rina's Cucina, Turner says "the wattleseed cannoli with whipped ricotta and pistachio are alone worth a visit". So, what might we deduce about Turner's Red Rock Deli Secret Supper menu from his favourite Victorian gems? Expect lots of seasonal produce used in refreshing ways — and plenty of flavour. To register for tickets to Paul Turner's Secret Supper, head over here. And, while you wait for the big night to roll around, you can get cracking on this Turner-certified recommendation circuit. Top Image: Parker Blain.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. THE DUKE Back in 1962, in the first-ever Bond film Dr No, the suave, Scottish-accented, Sean Connery-starring version of 007 admires a painting in the eponymous evil villain's underwater lair. That picture: Francisco Goya's Portrait of the Duke of Wellington. The artwork itself is very much real, too, although the genuine article doesn't appear in the feature. Even if the filmmakers had wanted to use the actual piece, it was missing at the time. In fact, making a joke about that exact situation is why the portrait is even referenced in Dr No. That's quite the situation: the debut big-screen instalment in one of cinema's most famous and longest-running franchises, and a saga about super spies and formidable villains at that, including a gag about a real-life art heist. The truth behind the painting's disappearance is even more fantastical, however, as The Duke captures. The year prior to Bond's first martini, a mere 19 days after the early 19th-century Goya piece was put on display in the National Gallery in London, the portrait was stolen. Unsurprisingly, the pilfering earned plenty of attention — especially given that the government-owned institution had bought the picture for the hefty sum of £140,000, which'd likely be almost £3 million today. International master criminals were suspected. Years passed, two more 007 movies hit cinemas, and there was zero sign of the artwork or the culprit. And, that might've remained the case if eccentric Newcastle sexagenarian Kempton Bunton hadn't turned himself in in 1965, advising that he'd gotten light-fingered in protest at the obscene amount spent on Portrait of the Duke of Wellington using taxpayer funds — money that could've been better deployed to provide pensioners with TV licenses, a cause Bunton had openly campaigned for (and even been imprisoned over after refusing to pay his own television fee). First, the not-at-all-inconsequential detail that's incongruous with glueing your eyes to the small screen Down Under: the charge that many countries collect for watching the box. Australia and New Zealand both abolished it decades ago, but it remains compulsory in the UK to this day. As played by Jim Broadbent (Six Minutes to Midnight), Bunton is fiercely opposed to paying, much to the embarrassment of his wife Dorothy (Helen Mirren, Fast and Furious 9) whenever the license inspectors come calling. He's even in London with his son Jackie (Fionn Whitehead, Voyagers) to attempt to spread the word about his fight against the TV fee for pensioners when Goya's painting is taken — that, and to get the BBC to produce the television scripts he devotedly pens and sends in, but receives no interest back from the broadcaster. Even the Bond franchise couldn't have dreamed up these specifics. The Duke's true tale is far wilder than fiction, and also so strange that it can only spring from reality. Directed by Roger Michell (My Cousin Rachel, Blackbird) — marking the British filmmaker's last fictional feature before his 2021 passing — it delivers its story with some light tinkering here and there, but the whole episode still makes for charming viewing. Much of the minutiae is shared during Bunton's court case, which could've jumped out of a Frank Capra movie; that's the feel-good vibe the movie shoots for and easily hits. Such a move couldn't be more astute for a flick that surveys an incident from more than half a century ago, but reaches screens in a world where the chasm between the haves and the have-nots just keeps widening. Yes, it's basically a pensioner-and-painting version of Robin Hood. Read our full review. MORBIUS Every studio wants a Marvel Cinematic Universe to call its own, or an equivalent that similarly takes a big bite out of the box office — and that very quest explains why Morbius exists. On the page, the character also known as 'the Living Vampire' has been battling Spider-Man since 1971. On the screen, he's now the second of the web-slinger's foes after Venom to get his own feature. This long-delayed flick, which was originally due to release before Venom: Let There Be Carnage until the pandemic struck, is also the third film in what's been dubbed Sony's Spider-Man Universe. As that name makes plain, the company is spinning its own on-screen world around everyone's favourite friendly neighbourhood superhero, because that's what it owns the rights to, and has started out focusing on villainous folks. So far, the movie magic hasn't flowed. If that explanatory opening paragraph felt like something obligatory that you had to get through to set the scene, it's meant to. That's how Morbius feels as well. Actually, that's being kinder than this draining picture deserves given it only has one purpose: setting up more films to follow. Too many movies in too many comic book-inspired cinematic universes share the same fate, because this type of filmmaking has primarily become $20-per-ticket feature-length episodes on a big screen — but it's particularly blatant here. Before the MCU's success, the bulk of Morbius would've been a ten-minute introduction in a flick about supervillains, and its mid-credits teasers would've fuelled the first act. Now, flinging every bit of caped crusader-adjacent material into as large a number of cinematic outings as possible is the status quo, and this is one of the most bloodless examples yet. Jumping over to the SSU from the DCEU — that'd be the DC Extended Universe, the pictures based around Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad and the like (but not including Joker or The Batman) — Jared Leto plays Morbius' eponymous figure. A renowned scientist, Dr Michael Morbius has a keen interest in the red liquid pumping through humans' veins stemming from his own health issues. As seen in early scenes set during his childhood, young Michael (Charlie Shotwell, The Nest) was a sickly kid in a medical facility thanks to a rare disease that stops him from producing new blood. There, under the care of Dr Emil Nikols (Jared Harris, Foundation), he befriended another unwell boy (debutant Joseph Esson), showed his smarts and earned a prestigious scholarship. As an adult, he now refuses the Nobel Prize for creating artificial plasma, then tries to cure himself using genes from vampire bats. Morbius sports an awkward tone that filmmaker Daniel Espinosa (Life) can't overcome; its namesake may be a future big-screen baddie, but he's also meant to be this sympathetic flick's hero — and buying either is a stretch. In the overacting Leto's hands, he's too tedious to convince as a threat or someone to root for. He's too gleefully eccentric to resemble anything more than a skit at Leto's expense, too. Indeed, evoking any interest in Morbius' inner wrestling (because saving his own life with his experimental procedure comes at a bloodsucking cost) proves plodding. It does take a special set of skills to make such OTT displays so pedestrian at best, though, and that's a talent that Leto keeps showing to the misfortune of movie-goers. He offers more restraint here than in Suicide Squad (not to be confused with The Suicide Squad), The Little Things, House of Gucci or streaming series WeCrashed, but his post-Dallas Buyers Club Oscar-win resume remains dire — Blade Runner 2049 being the sole exception. Read our full review. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 It was true in the 90s, and it remains that way now: when Jim Carrey lets loose, thrusting the entire might of his OTT comedic powers onto the silver screen, it's an unparalleled sight to behold. It doesn't always work, and he's a spectacular actor when putting in a toned-down or even serious performance — see: The Truman Show, The Majestic, I Love You Phillip Morris and his best work ever, the sublime Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — but there's a reason that the Ace Venture flicks, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber were some of the biggest movies made three decades back. Carrey is now a rarity in cinemas, but one franchise has been reminding viewers what his full-throttle comic efforts look like. Sadly, he's also the best thing about the resulting films, even if they're hardly his finest work. That was accurate in 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog, and it's the same of sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — which once again focuses on the speedy video game character but couldn't feel like more of a drag. The first Sonic movie established its namesake's life on earth, as well as his reason for being here. Accordingly, the blue-hued planet-hopping hedgehog (voiced by The Afterparty's Ben Schwartz) already made friends with small-town sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden, The Stand). He already upended the Montana resident's life, too, including Tom's plans to move to San Francisco with his wife Maddie (Tika Sumpter, Mixed-ish). And, as well as eventually becoming a loveable member of the Wachowski family, Sonic also wreaked havoc with his rapid pace, and earned the wrath of the evil Dr Robotnik (Carrey, Kidding) in the process. More of the same occurs this time around, with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 taking a more-is-more approach. There's a wedding to ruin, magic gems to find and revenge on the part of Robotnik. He's teamed up with super-strong echidna Knuckles (voiced by The Harder They Fall's Idris Elba), in fact, while Sonic gets help from smart-but-shy fox Tails (voice-acting veteran Colleen O'Shaughnessey). Gone are the days when an animated critter's teeth caused internet mania. If that sentence makes sense to you, then you not only watched the first Sonic the Hedgehog — you also saw the chatter that erupted when its initial trailer dropped and the fast-running creature's humanised gnashers looked oh-so-disturbing. Cue a clean-up job that couldn't fix the abysmal movie itself, and an all-ages-friendly flick that still made such a ridiculous amount of money (almost $320 million worldwide) that this follow-up was inevitable. The fact that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 arrives a mere two years later does indeed smack of a rush job, and the end product feels that way from start to finish. That isn't the only task this swift second outing is keen to set up, with bringing in fellow Sega characters Knuckles and Tails the first step to making a Sonic Cinematic Universe. Yes, with Morbius reaching theatres on the exact same day as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, it's an ace time for sprawling start-up franchises sparked by a quest for cash rather than making great cinema — an ace time for the folks collecting the money, that is, but not for audiences. Both otherwise unrelated movies are flimsy, bland and woefully by-the-numbers, and seem to care little that they visibly look terrible thanks to unconvincing CGI. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 also falls victim to one of the worst traits seen in family-appropriate pictures: being happy to exist purely as a distraction. That means pointless needle drops that shoehorn in pop hits for no reason other than to give kids a recognisable soundtrack to grab their attention, and an exhausting need to whizz from scene to scene (and plot point to plot point) as if the film itself is suffering a sugar rush. Also covered: unnecessary pop-culture references, including inexplicably name-dropping Vin Diesel and The Rock, and also nodding to all things Indiana Jones. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on November 4, November 11, November 18 and November 25; December 2, December 9, December 16 and December 26; January 1, January 6, January 13, January 20 and January 27; February 3, February 10, February 17 and February 24; and March 3, March 10, March 17 and March 24. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Eternals, The Many Saints of Newark, Julia, No Time to Die, The Power of the Dog, Tick, Tick... Boom!, Zola, Last Night in Soho, Blue Bayou, The Rescue, Titane, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, Dune, Encanto, The Card Counter, The Lost Leonardo, The French Dispatch, Don't Look Up, Dear Evan Hansen, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter, The Scary of Sixty-First, West Side Story, Licorice Pizza, The Matrix Resurrections, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Worst Person in the World, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, House of Gucci, The King's Man, Red Rocket, Scream, The 355, Gold, King Richard, Limbo, Spencer, Nightmare Alley, Belle, Parallel Mothers, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Belfast, Here Out West, Jackass Forever, Benedetta, Drive My Car, Death on the Nile, C'mon C'mon, Flee, Uncharted, Quo Vadis, Aida?, Cyrano, Hive, Studio 666, The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special and RRR.
You'll have the chance to sample some of New York's best pizza, without forking out a cent for plane fares, when Brooklyn institution Di Fara Pizza pops up in Melbourne this month. Heading Down Under as part of Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's 'MEL&NYC' series — which coincides with the NGV's MoMa exhibition — the famed pizzeria has over 50 years under its belt. Still headed up by the original owner, Italian-born Domenico De Marco who opened the pizza joint back in 65, and his family. Daughter Maggie will be taking the reins for the one-off lunch on Sunday, July 29, recreating the Di Fara experience at West Footscray's own neighbourhood haunt, Harley & Rose. Local pizza chefs Josh Murphy and Rory Cowcher will join her in the kitchen to whip up an exclusive feast of snacks, salads, desserts, and of course, those perfectly blistered New York-style pizza slices. Tickets to the Di Fara Sunday lunch will set you back $73, with five sittings available. And, if you prefer a more casual sort of pizza feast, try your luck popping into Harley & Rose on Friday, July 27 from 4.30pm or on Saturday, July 28 from 11.30am — those iconic Di Fara slices will be available to go or to eat in.
Everyone loves a halal snack pack, especially after a big night — but none more than the team at The Ascot Lot, which is on a mission to find the best and most creative HSP in Melbourne. On Saturday, December 16 the Ascot Vale food truck park will host the Snack Pack Feast, an entire day dedicated to the sloppy snack. A selection of six food truck vendors, including Meat Me Here and C'est Chick, will serve their own take on the HSP. Don't just expect your classic mixed meat with garlic sauce and sweet chilli though — calamari, Cypriot, burger and doughnut snack packs will also be available on the day. After tasting their way through each of the packs, visitors will be able to vote for their favourite creation — a live poll will keep tabs on the votes until the winner is announced in the evening. In addition to snack packs there'll be instant bar prizes, a pop-up bar (run by Patient Wolf Gin Distillery) and $10 espresso martinis on tap.
Christmas is behind us, summer is in full swing and the gifts are (mostly) forgotten, but that doesn't mean the part-tee is quite over. To keep the holiday feeling going, our favourite Pixar characters are popping up in St Kilda at a new mini golf course inspired by some of our favourite Disney films. After setting up its (temporary) home in Fed Square for a month in January, the kidult-friendly course is now heading to the St Kilda Triangle from February 15 till March 31. Designed to challenge both eight-year olds and adults, Pixar Putt features nine- and 18-hole courses that take you past childhood heroes like Buzz Lightyear, Sheriff Woody and Elastigirl. Hit a few balls with Darla and Marlin from Finding Nemo, and flick one past Princess Atta from A Bug's Life. No need for a trip to Disneyland. So, if you didn't beat your cousin at backyard cricket over the holidays, challenge them to a rematch at Federation Square in February. All you need is your hat and A-game (and no pressure if you remain defeated, there's always the nineteenth hole nearby). Pixar Putt is also open for after-dark sessions every Friday and Saturday night — and they're only for adults. Running from 7–10pm, the post-work putt-putt hours are perfect for those date nights when you want to do more than just have dinner and see a movie. Pixar Putt is open from February 15 to March 31, 2019, with tee-off times every 15 minutes between midday–8pm, Monday–Thursday; midday–10pm, Friday; 10am–10pm, Saturday; and 10am–8pm, Sunday. From 7–10pm on Friday and Saturday nights, sessions are for adults only.
Urban design experts and Melburnians are gathering for the first-ever public session on the groundbreaking Greenline Project hosted by the City of Melbourne. The 2024 Melbourne Conversations series will feature talk From High Line to Greenline, which aims to shed light on this new venture for the north bank of the Yarra River/Birrarung. Panellists include Dr Erin O'Donnell, a water law expert and member of the Birrarung Council; Julian O'Shea, an award-winning designer; Kirsten Bauer, an ASPECT Studios landscape architect; and Lord Mayor Sally Capp. The program will explore the Greenline Project's master plan and compare it to well-known urban redevelopment initiatives like New York City's High Line. The discussion, led by Russel Howcroft, takes place ahead of planned changes at Birrarung Marr Precinct. Companies such as TCL and ASPECT Studios, along with a coalition of organisations, are involved in the initiative, which is expected to generate thousands of jobs and $1.2 billion in economic benefits. The Greenline Project intends to reshape Melbourne's landscape for years to come by combining parks, promenades, native plantings and cultural spaces along the river. Visitors can register for walking tours with the Greenline Project and peruse an on-site pop-up library on the day. Free tickets for From High Line to Greenline must be reserved through What's On Melbourne. Head to the City of Melbourne website for more information.
Racers at the ready! If an open water swim sounds like your perfect way to celebrate the island that we call home, then grab a wetsuit and get down to Brighton. The 1.4-kilometre open water swim is a clockwise course around the Middle Brighton Pier and breakwater from the pier to the finish gate on the beach. For those who like a bit more of a challenge, there is also a 5-kilometre swim option, and for those who want to get back to the Hottest 100 as quickly as possible, there’s an intermediate 650-metre swim. Registration closes January 24.
There's nothing like a free beachside music party to get you in the mood for summer, even if Melbourne's weather isn't quite playing ball itself just yet. So grab your dancing shoes and prepare for a big day of belters and brews, when Northeast Party House takes over St Kilda's Republica for a tune-filled shindig on Sunday, November 20 as part of the Smiles All Round Balter Tour. The legendary electro six-piece is headlining the nighttime portion of the festivities, set to hit the stage from 8pm for a couple of high-energy hours. They'll be joined on the bill by a live gig from Soltribe kicking things off from 2pm, and an early evening set by DJ Cliftonia from 5pm. [caption id="attachment_878083" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Northeast Party House[/caption] Of course, all that dance floor action sounds like thirsty work, but your fine co-hosts at Balter Brewing will have punters sorted with a solid range of beers, both on tap and in tins. You'll find options like the Hazy, the XPA and the Lager, as well as limited-edition Balter x Republica t-shirts to take home. Entry to the party is free, with limited table bookings available online.
If you think you've experienced immersive art before, perhaps think again. One of the multi-sensory works set to grace the program of Melbourne's inaugural Rising festival invites audiences to (literally) submerge themselves deeper than ever before. The brainchild of sound artists Sara Retallick and Amanda Roff, Flow State takes the form of a sonic bathing experience, set beneath the stars against the tranquil backdrop of Herring Island — that wedge of land in the middle of the Yarra near Como Park. As a guest, you'll be boated to the island, where you'll slip into a private heated tub for your sonic bath, letting the curation of soundwaves and vibrations transcend your body and mind. Because of this conduction process, the work's designed to be enjoyed nude, though you'll have the option of keeping those togs on if you're a little freaked at the thought of stripping down fully. Of the unique project's conception, Retallick explains: "I came to this idea of making a bathtub where a solo audience member could take part in a constructed listening experience outdoors while submerged in water and sound." She and Roff then spent a lot of time visiting Herring Island and researching its troubled colonial history, to inform their artwork's deep connection to place. Only a handful of lucky people will be able to partake in Flow State, with two-hour bathing sessions running throughout each night from May 26–30 and again from June 2–6. This select audience will be chosen via a raffle, which is being drawn on Monday, May 17. You can enter the ballot up to ten times, at $10 a pop — try your luck here.
Pretty much every week is great for the arts in Melbourne, but the next seven days are something special with the official launch of Melbourne Art Week. Running until Sunday August 5, the Melbourne Art Foundation has teamed up with 50 Victorian cultural organisations, arts institutions, galleries and art fairs to offer up an eclectic program of exhibitions, events, talks, performances and workshops. There are highlights all over town, but the Melbourne Art Fair (August 2–5) is the headline event. Adding two new Southbank venues for the first time, the event sees Australian and international artists from 40 galleries represented throughout the sprawling event.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING No one should need to cleanse their palates between Mad Max movies — well, maybe after Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, depending on your mileage with it — but if anyone does, George Miller shouldn't be one of them. The Australian auteur gifted the world the hit dystopian franchise, has helmed and penned each and every chapter, and made Mad Max: Fury Road an astonishing piece of cinema that's one of the very best in every filmic category that applies. Still, between that kinetic, frenetic, rightly Oscar-winning movie and upcoming prequel Furiosa, Miller has opted to swish around romantic fantasy Three Thousand Years of Longing. He does love heightened drama and also myths, including in the series he's synonymous with. He adores chronicling yearnings and hearts' desires, too, whether surveying vengeance and survival, the motivations behind farm animals gone a-wandering in Babe: Pig in the City, the dreams of dancing penguins in Happy Feet, or love, happiness and connection here. In other words, although adapted from AS Byatt's short story The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye, Three Thousand Years of Longing is unshakeably and inescapably a Miller movie — and it's as alive with his flair for the fantastical as most of his resume. It's a wonder for a range of reasons, one of which is simple: the last time that the writer/director made a movie that didn't connect to the Mad Max, Babe or Happy Feet franchises was three decades back. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that this tale about a narratologist (Tilda Swinton, Memoria) and the Djinn (Idris Elba, Beast) she uncorks from a bottle, and the chats they have about their histories as the latter tries to ensure the former makes her three wishes to truly set him free, is told with playfulness, inventiveness, flamboyance and a deep heart. Much of Miller's filmography is, but there's a sense with Three Thousand Years of Longing that he's been released, too — even if he loves his usual confines, as audiences do as well. "My story is true," Swinton's Alithea Binnie announces at the get-go. "You're more likely to believe me, however, if I tell it as a fairy tale." Cue another Miller trademark, unpacking real emotions and woes within scenarios that are anything but standard — two people talking about their lives in a hotel is hardly fanciful, though. The tales that the Djinn relays, with debts clearly owed to One Thousand and One Nights, also dwell in the everyday; some just happened millennia ago. The Djinn loved the Queen of Sheba (model Aamito Lagum), but lost her to the envious King Solomon (Nicolas Mouawad, Mako). He then languished in the the Ottoman court, after young concubine Gulten (Ece Yüksel, Family Secrets) wished for the heart of Suleiman the Magnificent's (Lachy Hulme, Preacher) son Mustafa (singer Matteo Bocelli). And, in the 19th century, the Djinn fell for Zefir (Burcu Gölgedar, Between Two Dawns), the brilliantly smart but stifled wife of a Turkish merchant. What spirits the Djinn's time-hopping memories beyond the ordinary and into the metaphysical, and Alithea's narrative as well, is the figure first seen billowing out of blue-and-white glass, then filling an entire suite, then slipping into white towelling. Something magical happens when you pop on a hotel bathrobe — that space and that cosy clothing are instantly transporting — and while Alithea resists the very idea of making wishes, she gets swept along by her new companion anyway. As a scholar of stories and the meanings they hold, she knows the warnings surrounding uttering hopes and having them granted. She also says she's content with her intellectual, independent and isolated-by-choice life, travelling the world to conferences like the one that's brought her to Turkey and then to the Istanbul bazaar where she spies the Djinn's misshapen home, even if her own backstory speaks of pain and self-protective mechanisms. And yet, "I want our solitudes to be together", she eventually declares, and with exactly the titular emotion. Read our full review. ORPHAN: FIRST KILL What's more believable — and plot twists follow: a pre-teen playing a 33-year-old woman pretending to be a nine-year-old orphan, with a hormone disorder explaining the character's eerily youthful appearance; or an adult playing a 31-year-old woman pretending to be a lost child returned at age nine, again with that medical condition making everyone else oblivious? For viewers of 2009's Orphan and its 13-years-later follow-up Orphan: First Kill, which is a prequel, neither are particularly credible to witness. But the first film delivered its age trickery as an off-kilter final-act reveal, as paired with a phenomenal performance by then 12-year-old Isabelle Fuhrman in the pivotal role. Audiences bought the big shift — or remembered it, at least — because Fuhrman was so creepy and so committed to the bit, and because it suited the OTT horror-thriller. This time, that wild revelation is old news, but that doesn't stop Orphan: First Kill from leaning on the same two key pillars: an out-there turn of events and fervent portrayals. Fuhrman (The Novice) returns as Esther, the Estonian adult who posed as a parentless Russian girl in the initial feature. In Orphan: First Kill, she's introduced as Leena Klammer, the most dangerous resident at the Saarne Institute mental hospital. The prequel's first sighted kill comes early, as a means of escape. The second follows swiftly, because the film needs to get its central figure to the US. Fans of the previous picture will recall that Esther already had a troubled history when she was adopted and started wreaking the movie's main havoc, involving the family that brought her to America — and her time with that brood, aka wealthy Connecticut-based artist Allen Albright (Rossif Sutherland, Possessor), his gala-hosting wife Tricia (Julia Stiles, Hustlers) and their teen son Gunnar (Matthew Finlan, My Fake Boyfriend), is this flick's focus. Like their counterparts in Orphan, the Albrights have suffered a loss and are struggling to move on. When Leena poses as their missing daughter Esther, Allen especially seems like his old self again. As also happened in Orphan, however, the pigtail- and ribbon-wearing new addition to their home doesn't settle in smoothly. Orphan: First Kill repeats the original movie's greatest hits, including the arty doting dad, the wary brother, taunts labelling Esther a freak and a thorny relationship with her mum. Also covered: suspicious external parties, bathroom tantrums, swearing to get attention and spying on her parents having sex. And yes, anyone who has seen Orphan knows how this all turns out, and that it leads to the above again in Orphan, too. Thankfully, that's only part of Orphan: First Kill's narrative. Twists can be curious narrative tools; sometimes they're inspired, sometimes they're a crutch propping up a flimsy screenplay, and sometimes they seesaw between both. Orphan: First Kill tumbles gleefully into the latter category, thanks to a revelation midway that's patently ridiculous — although no more ridiculous than Orphan earning a follow-up in the first place — and also among the best things about the movie. It's a big risk, making a film that's initially so laughably formulaic that it just seems lazy, then letting a sudden switch completely change the game, the tone and the audience's perception of what's transpired so far. That proved a charm for the thoroughly unrelated Malignant in 2021, and it's a gamble that filmmaker William Brent Bell (The Boy and Brahms: The Boy II) and screenwriter David Coggeshall (Scream: The TV Series) take. Working with a story by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) and Alex Mace (who earned the same credit on the original), it's one of their savviest choices. Read our full review. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23 and June 30; and July 7, July 14, July 21 and July 28; and August 4, August 11, August 18 and August 25. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero, Benediction, Lightyear, Men, Elvis, Lost Illusions, Nude Tuesday, Ali & Ava, Thor: Love and Thunder, Compartment No. 6, Sundown, The Gray Man, The Phantom of the Open, The Black Phone, Where the Crawdads Sing, Official Competition, The Forgiven, Full Time, Murder Party, Bullet Train, Nope, The Princess, 6 Festivals, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Crimes of the Future, Bosch & Rockit, Fire of Love, Beast, Blaze and Hit the Road.
This time back in 2020, no one even dreamed of the possibility of a new Borat movie. No one expected that they'd be watching it before the year was out, either. Also among the things that not a single soul could've guessed: that it'd be one of the most unflinching political movies of the year, that it'd win two Golden Globes (including Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy), and that it would score actor Maria Bakalova an Oscar nomination. Clearly, a lot has happened over the past year that zero folks among us anticipated. Here's something new for this year, too: a Borat special. Due to hit Amazon Prime Video on Tuesday, May 25, Borat Supplemental Reportings Retrieved From Floor of Stable Containing Editing Machine basically takes a heap of unused footage from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and turns it into a couple of a couple of different parts. It's the type of thing that might've once been relegated to DVD extras, and it's another chance to dive into Borat Sagdiyev's latest escapades. Once again, you'll find out what Sacha Baron Cohen's fictional Kazakh journalist makes of both COVID-19 and the 2020 US election, as last year's 14-years-later sequel to 2006 mockumentary Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan also covered. One part of the special, called Borat: VHS Cassette of Material Deemed "Sub-acceptable" By Kazakhstan Ministry of Censorship and Circumcision, will include unseen footage from Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, while the 40-minute Borat's American Lockdown will chart the character's five days spent living with conspiracy theorists. And then there's six Debunking Borat shorts, which get experts to dive into — and debunk, obviously — the ideas spouted by Borat's new roommates. If you haven't yet watched Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, it follows Borat as he travels to America again. Once more, he traverses the country, interviewing everyday people and exposing the abhorrent views that have become engrained in US society. Where its 2006 predecessor had everyone laughing along with it, though, there's also an uneasy and even angry undercurrent to this sequel that's reflective of these especially polarised times. Also a big part of the story: Borat's attempt to gift his 15-year-old daughter (instant scene-stealer Bakalova) to then-Vice President Mike Pence and ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani to help get Kazakhstan's own leader into then-President Donald Trump's good graces. Check out the trailer for Borat Supplemental Reportings below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctHMZ-MC4y4&feature=youtu.be Borat Supplemental Reportings Retrieved From Floor of Stable Containing Editing Machine will be available to stream via Amazon Prime Video from Tuesday, May 25.
Thumbing through designer clothing while scoffing down a buttery biscuit has never really been a socially acceptable thing to do. But Henne has decided to throw caution to the wind, teaming up with Baker D. Chirico to set up an Italian bakery within its own Greville Street boutique. From Friday–Sunday, up until Sunday, December 24, shoppers can wander into the La Panetteria Italiana pop-up in Prahran to find Henne's holiday edit sold alongside loaves of bread and some of Baker D. Chirico's famed panettone and panforte. The collaboration is a nod to Henne's and Baker D. Chirico's shared Italian heritage, aiming to bring a little fun and imagination to Christmas shopping this year. Note: we do recommend you save eating all of the baked goods until you've finished trying on clothes.
Because you're reading this, we know you're not someone who received a pet for Christmas, only to decide it wasn't for you. We know you're one of the good folks. You're probably wishing that you did receive a loveable animal as a gift, even if you already have one — or several — that you adore. We understand your yearning, and so does the RSPCA. And, to find permanent homes for pups, cats, bunnies, guinea pigs and even pigs surrendered into its care from all over the country, it's lowering the adoption fee to $29 this weekend. The weekend-long initiative is called Clear the Shelters and will run from Friday, February 22 until Sunday, February 24. Although you can't put a price on the happiness a new four-legged friend will bring, it's hoped that the low adoption fee will encourage people who have been thinking about adding a pet to their fam (and have considered it thoroughly) to make the commitment this week. Last year, the RSPCA found new homes for 2792 pets Australia-wide. [caption id="attachment_708671" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Heidi is available for adoption in Sydney, Animal ID 345082.[/caption] This year, Clear the Shelters will run across Australia in all states and territories except NT and Tasmania. The adoption fees — which usually range from $20–600 — help cover some of the costs of vaccines, training, desexing and microchipping for the animal. Whether you're in NSW, Victoria, WA or Queensland, there are hundreds of animals that need a new home full of love and pats. There's more to pet adoption than overdosing on cuteness, of course, with making the commitment to care for an animal is serious business. Top image: Han is available for adoption in Sydney, Animal ID 441478.
Tina Fey hasn't starred in, created or executive produced a bad sitcom yet — and when the first season of Girls5eva dropped back in May, it continued that trend. In its own way, it's another workplace comedy like 30 Rock and Great News. And, albeit in a completely different manner to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, it also follows a group of women trying to navigate new lives years after they were thrust together under extreme circumstances. The setup: more than two decades after they split up, the four remaining members of a late 90s girl group decide that it's time to get the bad back together. Now in their forties, they're all at different points in their lives, but rekindling their dreams is too enticing to ignore. Sara Bareilles (Broadway's Waitress), Busy Philipps (I Feel Pretty), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) and the great Paula Pell (AP Bio) play Girls5eva's reunited members, Fey pops up as a fantasy version of Dolly Parton, and the comedic takes on 90s pop tunes are all both 100-percent spot on and so ridiculously catchy that they'll get lodged in your head for weeks. Also pitch-perfect: everything about this immensely funny take on stardom, fame and the way that women beyond their twenties are treated. In great news for everyone who has already streamed their way through the show's eight-episode first season and instantly found themselves wanting more — and for anyone who is yet to go through that process, too — Girls5eva has just been renewed for a second season. So, expect more earworm songs and jokes about the entertainment industry, although exactly when the next season will drop hasn't yet been revealed. Like its first season, Girls5eva's next batch of episodes will stream in Australia via Stan whenever they do release. For now, you can check out the trailer for the show's first season below: Exactly when the second season of Girls5eva will drop hasn't been announced, but the show's first season is available to stream now via Stan.
In the glut of Melbourne's cafe scene, a small joint in Newport is trying something a little different. Rather than shoeing away the pram pushers and dog walkers, they welcome them. What results is a space that is both warm and inviting (dog or no dog) from every angle. After havoc wreaked by a storm, Leroy's reopened in July with a revamped menu, new fit-out and direction in what feels to be a complete makeover, while still retaining that local, neighbourhood feel. The interior is cosy and bright, with a garden, decking, an undercover area, booths and a playground for kids due to be completed out back. The menu has been spruced up and celebrates seasonal and local produce. Anyone with a sweet tooth and eyes larger than their stomach will be drawn to the towering stack of OMG Pancakes ($16.90) finished with whipped ricotta and coffee cream, piled high with popping candy, chocolate fairy floss and burnt fig ice cream (which surprisingly adds a much-needed balance). There are a few tweaked classics, such as their take on eggs Benedict, the Newport Hollen Daze with hash browns and your choice of bacon or smoked trout ($16.90), and Melbourne staple the soft shell crab burger ($17.50) post-noon. Plus, there's a healthy smattering of salads, smoothies and juices, and grub for the kids. Coffee hails from Campos in Carlton and tea is by Teadrop. In a time where more and more cafes tip towards the masses of Instagrammers and photo snappers, it's pleasing to see a cafe like Leroy's that chooses to embrace many of the Melbourne staples and traits that we now come to expect, but in a unique and soulful way. Melbourne cafe culture has its roots in this, after all.
Remember Wilson — the volleyball from Cast Away? Turns out, since it slipped off Chuck's raft, the poor ball has spent the last 25 years traversing the seas. But don't be too sorry; Wilson is about to make land at St Kilda Beach with something special to mark the end of its journey. At least that's the story Tourism Fiji has concocted for its latest campaign, featuring a sweet giveaway inspired by cinematic events. Kicking off at 6am on Thursday, July 24, you only have to find one of three Wilson volleyballs washed ashore to win a sweet getaway to the island paradise. If you snag one, each ball will invite a handful of lucky winners to claim a Fijian escape by scanning its QR code. Though Wilson's journey has been long and arduous, giving away a top-notch holiday surely makes up for it. But if you miss out, spend $250 online or in-store at Wilson's Sporting Goods to automatically go in the running for a free holiday. "Wilson's story is one that has stuck with so many for 25 years," says Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill. "So when we realised it had been a quarter century since he was last seen drifting out at sea, we thought what better time to give Wilson the ending he deserves?"
If you love movies and also like bargains, Mondays are usually a great day to visit Cinema Nova. That's when the Carlton cinema drops its prices, making seeing a film more affordable — but if you're particularly keen to watch a flick on the cheap, you'd best mark Monday, August 29 in your diary now. All day, no matter what you see and when, you'll only pay $5 to see a film at the beloved Lygon Street venue. If that sounds like something that cinephiles might've paid back in the early 90s, that's because it is, with the cinema rolling back its tickets to 1992 prices. Why? Because Cinema Nova is also celebrating its 30th birthday, and it's well and truly sharing the love. Plenty has changed over that time, with the picture palace starting out as a twin arthouse venue all those years ago, and now featuring 16 screens. Wondering what to watch? Almost anything is worth it at that low cost. Cinema Nova's current lineup includes everything from Elvis and Everything Everywhere All At Once through to Nope and Where the Crawdads Sing, and it'll also be screening a retro program filled with favourites from across its three decades — such as Parasite, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Donnie Darko, Muriel's Wedding and more. At $5 a ticket, you might even want to book yourself in for a double feature. Expect to have plenty of company, unsurprisingly.
Whether you're hankering for lunch at the start of the working week, in need of a sweet treat come hump day or hungry for a snack late on a Friday night, if you while away your time in the Melbourne CBD, you've probably been overcome by a familiar sensation. Feeling like you've eaten from everywhere there is to eat while simultaneously feeling like you're spoiled for choice is the kind of experience that there really should be a specific term to describe, but isn't. Between Monday, May 13 and Friday, May 17, Menulog is here to help. It's making the choice for you, all thanks to those two words that everyone loves: free food. Across the week, the company is setting up a green lounge room area at Flinders Street Station and delivering a heap of meals at set times. Unsurprisingly, it's a first in, first served kind of deal. Kicking off the week is a spread of poké bowl from Poked, which'll be on offer from 12–1pm on Monday, while Nosh's tacos will fill your stomach from 5–6pm on Tuesday. Wednesday brings baklava from Stalactites between 2.30–3.30pm, breakfast by Ba'get is on the menu on Thursday between 8–9am, and Hella Good's souvlakis will be on making their way to your stomach from 11pm–12am on Friday evening. [caption id="attachment_721239" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Nosh[/caption] In total, there'll be more than a thousand meals served up for free. Of course, that means more than a thousand Melburnians clamouring for freebies, probably. Find Menulog's Green Lounge Room at Flinders Street Station in the Melbourne CBD between Monday, May 13 and Friday, May 17. Top image: Hella Good.
These days, Melburnians are pretty much spoilt for choice when it comes to sipping beers straight from the source, as craft breweries pop up all over town. But you'll be hard-pressed to find beer much fresher than the stuff at the soon-to-open Burnley Brewing, which will be poured right from the brewery's Brite tanks within days of when it's crafted. Slated to open its doors this December in the space currently home to Romulus and Remus, this might just be the brewpub of your dreams (if you regularly dream about drinking from a tank of beer). Not only are owners Renton Carlyle-Taylor (Milton Wines, The Alps), Phil Gijsbers (Pedro Espresso, Small Print Pizza Bar) and Neil Mills (Small Print Pizza Bar, Pedro Espresso) promising what's likely Richmond's freshest beer, the bartenders serving it are all Cicerone certified, having completed industry-recognised specialist beer training. There'll be ten taps pouring a range of seasonal house beers, running from fruit-driven sours, to hoppy US-style ales, to gutsy, barrel-aged Russian imperial stouts. Meanwhile, the minds behind wine lists at Toorak Cellars and Milton Wine Bar have curated a selection of artisanal Aussie wines with a focus on natural drops, to sit alongside the food lineup. Some old favourites from the Romulus and Remus menu will be making a comeback (think, pulled pork and beef lasagne, and hand-rolled pasta dishes), rounding out a selection of American-inspired drinking snacks and late-night, vegan-friendly fare. Burnley Brewing will open at 648 Bridge Road, Burnley from December. For updates, check burnleybrewing.com.au.
There's still over a month of 2022 left to go, but already food lovers can start getting excited about what's on the menu when Melbourne Food & Wine Festival rolls around in 2023. The long-running culinary celebration has announced which special guests will be heading up its two headline events — the World's Longest Lunch and the World's Longest Brunch — when it returns for ten food-filled days from Friday, March 24–Sunday, April 2. Exactly 30 years on from its 1993 debut at the MCG, the huge communal feast known as the World's Longest Lunch is next set to take over Melbourne's Treasury Gardens on Friday, March 24. And this time around, it'll feature the culinary stylings of regional treasure Alla Wolf-Tasker — the renowned chef behind Daylesford's Lake House. [caption id="attachment_880486" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alla Wolf-Tasker, by Clint Peloso[/caption] She'll be bringing her standout skills to the city for a three-course lunch attended by around 2000 lucky diners, with the al fresco feed also matched to wines and entertainment. Tickets to this one will set you back $245. Building on another much-loved Melbourne pastime is the World's Longest Brunch, which'll bring its own packed communal table to the leafy grounds of Treasury Gardens on Saturday, March 25. In excellent news for sweet tooths and pastry fiends, it'll be helmed by the one and only Natalie Paull — founder of the late, great North Melbourne bakeshop Beatrix Bakes. The pastry queen will be treating to diners to her ultimate morning feed, which sounds about as dreamy as you can imagine — think, tomatoes and buffalo ricotta in a rye galette; and a riff on the ploughman's brekkie done with cured kingfish and a hashbrown. And of course, dessert's a given, set to feature Paull's signature cheesecake, topped with apple compote and cinnamon-infused granola streusel. [caption id="attachment_880487" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Nat Paull, by Clint Peloso[/caption] The brunch has capacity for 1400, with tickets coming in at $99. That'll get you your three-course feast, coffee, entertainment and a drink on arrival. Tickets to both the World's Longest Lunch and the World's Longest Brunch go on sale on Thursday, December 8, which is excellent timing if you've got any foodies on your Christmas present list. The full Melbourne Food & Wine Festival program will then drop some time in early February. The World's Longest Lunch will take place at Treasury Gardens on March 24, 2023, with the World's Longest Brunch hosted in the same place on March 25, 2023. Tickets to both are available online from Thursday, December 8 — with pre-sales for Melbourne Food & Wine Festival subscribers from Tuesday, December 6. The 2023 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival runs from Friday, March 24–Sunday, April 2 — check back here for the full program in early February.
The restaurant world is facing a bit of lockdown-induced chaos, but that sure hasn't stopped the 2020 truffle season. It has arrived with as big a bang as ever, inspiring a whole host of new, limited-edition dishes heroing this hot-ticket fungi. All across town, you can expect to find cheesy, truffle-infused toasties, handmade pasta dishes adorned with fresh truffle shavings and plenty of other indulgent truffle creations. We've helped narrow down the selection with a round-up of five truffle dishes you can sink your teeth into in Melbourne right now. Let the fun-gi begin. Under current COVID–19 restrictions in Victoria, residents of metro Melbourne and Mitchell Shire can only leave home for one of four reasons, which include getting food or other essentials. The Department of Health and Human Services has said that you must visit your closest cafe or bottle-o — no trekking across the city for a certain cup of joe — so if one of the below eateries is not in your immediate vicinity, check its delivery options. [caption id="attachment_774411" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kristoffer Paulsen[/caption] TRUFFLE TOASTIE, MAKER & MONGER Just like truffles and cheese are a match made in food heaven, so to are Prahran Market vendors Maker & Monger and Damian Pike the Mushroom Man. The pair has joined forces to create a limited-edition truffle toastie that takes the concept of hot cheese sandwich to dazzling new heights. Clocking in at $9.50 a pop, this little beauty heroes freshly shaved truffles from Manjimup in Western Australia, which are considered some of the best in the biz. These shavings of black gold are teamed with perfectly toasted Brasserie brioche, porcini mushrooms and a decadent ooze of Marcel Petite comté bechamel. Pick one up from Maker & Monger if you can — or order a range of other toasties for delivery within ten kilometres of Prahran Market. AGNOLOTTI DEL PLIN, TIPICO Over in Windsor, Italian restaurant Tipico has earned a solid reputation for its dreamy house-made pasta dishes. But for truffle fiends, there's one true star of the show and that's the signature agnolotti del plin. This menu staple features plump agnolotti pasta filled with a blend of creamy buffalo ricotta and Western Australian truffle. It's then finished with thyme and porcini mushrooms, coming in at $32 a serve, and is now available for takeaway and delivery. As an added bonus, you can get your fix all year round — the kitchen freezes a portion of its truffle haul each season to ensure this popular dish gets a run all 12 months of the year. Want to level-up your own chef game? Right now, Tipico's online store is also slinging 200-gram jars of house-made truffle butter for $15. SPINACH AND TRUFFLE ARANCINI, MISTER BIANCO Kew's Mister Bianco might have had to put its new truffle-focused cooking classes on hold, but the southern Italian restaurant is still dishing out some truffle goodness to see you through winter. It's celebrating the ingredient with a new menu addition — cheesy arancini stuffed with spinach and Buxton black truffles ($4 each). These Sicilian-style treats are available hot and ready to eat, courtesy of Mister Bianco's takeaway offering (Tuesday to Saturday). Or, you can grab a serve to heat and devour at home — either swing past and pick up from the restaurant, or order via The Italian Job delivery service to have them dropped to your door. TRUFFLE & CHEESE TOASTIE, RIPE CHEESE AT QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET For a truffle toastie that doesn't hold anything back, a visit to Ripe Cheese in the Queen Victoria Market's Dairy Hall is sure to impress. The specialty cheese store's three-cheese toastie has a cult following year-round, but now with truffle season in full swing, it's passed the spotlight on to an even more decadent sandwich sibling. The Truffle & Cheese Toastie stars buttered sourdough loaded with an oozy gruyère and fromage fondant from the folks at L'Artisan Cheese, alongside truffle-infused mascarpone and around ten grams of freshly shaved Victorian black truffle. Then, you'll find another five grams of truffle shavings piled right on top of this beauty after toasting. The$25 snack is available Friday through Sunday, though there's only 30 up for grabs each week. Nab yours by pre-ordering here. [caption id="attachment_776413" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pete Dillon[/caption] JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE SOUP WITH TRUFFLE CREAM, ESTELLE At his Northcote wine bar and restaurant Estelle, chef Scott Pickett is championing this season's black fungi in not one, but two tasty truffle creations. Alongside a cracking truffle toastie ($15), the kitchen's whipping up a rich jerusalem artichoke soup to warm your cockles ($18). It's elevated with pieces of saltbush, a sprinkling of Jerusalem artichoke crisps and a lush dollop of black truffle cream designed to melt through the dish and take things to a whole new level. Both limited-edition items are now available delivered to your door, ready to heat, via new meal delivery platform Providoor. Top image: Maker & Monger by Kristoffer Paulsen
From cafes banning disposable cups, to creatives making adorable ceramic keep cups, to the company recycling coffee waste into environmentally friendly cups, the push to minimise waste in Australia's coffee scene is growing. With National Recycling Week upon us from November 13 to 19, two Melbourne cafes are giving customers an extra incentive to ditch one-off takeaway containers for a permanent, reusable alternative. Two words: free coffee. All week, caffeine lovers can head into Lights in the Attic in Hawthorn and The Crux and Co. in South Melbourne, and as long as they have their own keep cup, they'll get a hot cuppa without spending a cent. Offered in partnership with reusable cup brand frank green, the deal does have a few conditions — it isn't valid at The Crux and Co.'s CBD spot, for example. But, if you're near the two cafes in question, you can get one complimentary takeaway 8oz regular coffee, hot chocolate or mocha per day per person (with regular milk and soy milk only, and without any additions or changes). Yes, you'll save some money and help save the environment at the same time, and get a warm beverage for your troubles. Kevin Li, director of Lights in the Attic and The Crux & Co., acknowledges that it's a small step, but it's one worth taking. "It's important small businesses continue to think about what they can do for the environment," he explains. Get a free cup of coffee from Lights in the Attic, 38 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East, and The Crux & Co., G01 35 Albert Road, Melbourne during their regular opening hours between November 13 and 19. Head to the websites for Lights in the Attic and The Crux and Co. for further details.
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 Sydney and 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'). And yes, if you're in Melbourne and you want to make a double with the Tony Award-winning version of A Christmas Carol (the latter without Muppets), you can. Check out the trailer for The Muppet Christmas Carol below: THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL IN CONCERT 2022 DATES: Saturday, December 10 — 4pm, Darling Harbour Theatre, ICC Sydney Friday, December 16 — 7pm, Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert will tour Australia this December — head to Ticketek for further details, and to buy tickets.
No one is fond of cooking every night of the week, even when you're spending more time at home than usual. So, we're guessing that you've relied upon food delivery services a little more than normal over the past 12 months — and that you've been thinking about doing the same now that Victoria is now under a snap lockdown until 11.59pm on Wednesday, February 17. Heading out to eat is well and truly off the cards; however, you can still get meals brought to your door. In fact, that's been a key coping tool during Melbourne's three lockdowns over the last year. You might not be able to physically go to your favourite eatery, but you can still tuck into its dishes. Until this current stay-at-home period ends, you'll also be able to get those bites to eat without paying for delivery. You'll need to order via Doordash, which is scrapping all of its delivery fees across Victoria — so, not only in Melbourne, but also in the likes of Ballarat, Bendigo, Melbourne, Albury-Wodonga, Mildura-Wentworth, Shepparton, Traralgon, Morwell and Warnambool. You'll still have to pay for your food, obviously, but you won't have to fork out a single cent to get it delivered. And, the deal applies to every Doordash-delivered order, so you'll have plenty of dishes to choose from. There's also no minimum spend required, and you don't need to enter a code to activate the special, either. [caption id="attachment_779334" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] Doordash's $0 delivery throughout Victoria runs until 11.59pm Wednesday, February 17.
Whether you started getting emails about it before Christmas even hit, you just know that February is almost here, or you've spotted pink and red hues — and roses and chocolates — at your local shops, yes, Valentine's Day is almost upon us again. And if your sweetheart has a sweet tooth and a love of Gelato Messina, the ice cream chain has whipped up some of its favourite non-gelato treats for this year's romance-fuelled occasion. Never one to miss an opportunity to experiment with new ways to inhale desserts, Messina has been cooking up novelty treats for Valentine's Day for a couple of years, and it's going with a twist on a tried-and-tested option for 2022. That'd be its bon bons, which it usually serves up for Mother's Day — but hey, fancy choccies are a go-to on plenty of occasions for good reason. An important note, though: while Messina's chocolate bon bons were filled with gelato to begin with, the chain has been doing all-chocolate versions for a couple of years now. And, that's what's on offer again this Valentine's Day. They come in three nutty varieties all in the same box, all in shades of red and pink — and, with Messina recently stepping up its in-house chocolate-making capabilities, you'll be tasting some of the gelato chain's new wares. Each box features with four versions of each of the three different flavours: peanut praline, which fill a milk-chocolate shell with milk chocolate, wafer and salted peanut praline; macadamia and coffee praline, which opt for a white-chocolate shell, plus roasted and caramelised macadamia and coffee praline; and hazelnut praline, again with the white chocolate exterior, but this this time with milk chocolate, roasted hazelnut and wafer praline inside. So, your special someone will have a variety to feast on. And hey, if they don't like one of the flavours, maybe they'll share it with you. Boxes cost $45 each for 12 bon bons and you'll need to place your order on Monday, January 31, with times varying depending on your state. You can then pick up the choccies between Sunday, February 13–Monday, February 14. Gelato Messina's Valentine's Day Bon Bons will be available to order on Monday, January 31, from 9am local time in Queensland and the ACT, 9.30am in Victoria and between 10am–11am in New South Wales.
A long-time local favourite, Sam Simmons took out the prestigious Barry Award at last year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival for his brilliant Spaghetti for Breakfast. Now he's back with a brand new show he's called Not A People Person. Anyone who's ever seen him perform before will probably agree it's a fairly appropriate title. Prickly at the best of times, Simmons' new act is described in the MICF 2016 program as "a brand spanking new hour of mind-blending internal self-hatred, paranoia and comedy." With a logline like that, you know it's gotta be funny.
2022 marks four years since the Queen Victoria Market's new Munro development was officially given the green light — and, in the coming months, you'll have a few delicious reasons to stop by. Like craft brews? Sushi? Coffee? Chocolate? Impressive places devoted to all of them have just been announced among the precinct's first batch of hospitality tenants. Beer lovers will want to make a date with Brick Lane Market, which'll hail from Brick Lane Brewing, unsurprisingly. The independent brewer will sprawl across a two-level space within the former Mercat Cross Hotel site, and serve up a menu that spans beer in a range of styles — of course — plus a locally focused, market-fresh food menu. Then, there's Moonfishh's latest venue, which is set to immerse more than just your tastebuds. The sushi on offer will also use fresh and seasonal market produce; 'tis the place for it, obviously. Caffeine fiends can get excited about Market Lane Coffee opening its third cafe — and also about St Ali and The Queen, a coffee and cocktail venue. By day, the latter will do breakfast and lunch. By night, it'll sling booze. And, clearly, specialty coffee roastery St Ali is behind it. Also on the list: Only Mine Chocolate, with the bespoke chocolatier setting up its first city location. And, all these newcomers to QVM's Munro development will join wine bar and bottle shop ReWine, which is already trading onsite. More tenants are still to be revealed, as are opening dates; however, whenever they swing open their doors — and whichever other spots do as well — the Munro development is a mighty big deal. Taking over the site that, up until 2017, housed The Mercat, the $500 million community hub will boast 1800 square metres of new retail and hospitality space, all on top of the Queen Victoria Market's existing setup. It'll also span 2500 square metres of new open space, and include a new three-level library with a rooftop terrace and a boutique hotel, as well as affordable housing and build-to-rent residential apartments. And, since July 2021, a new 500-space market car park has been open onsite, too. The Munro development makes up a significant part of the ongoing Queen Victoria Market renewal project, but that's not all that's been happening at QVM. Further upgrades to the Queen Victoria Market's historic sheds and food hall have also been announced, and a new two-year pop-up park for the precinct launched at the end of 2021. Located at Queen Victoria Market, Munro development's just-announced hospitality venues will start opening in the coming months. For more information about the precinct, head to the City of Melbourne and Queen Victoria Market websites.
The words “never did me any harm” are most often uttered by the old and cantankerous to justify some form of extreme child disciplining they’re itching to dole out. Appropriate then, that they’re used as the title for this exploration of modern parenting from director Kate Champion. Performed by members of Champion’s dance company Force Majeure and actors from the Sydney Theatre Company, the show is a blend of dance, physical performance and documentary theatre. Champion, working with Mr Cate Blanchett, STC’s Andrew Upton, used a wide array of actual interviews on the subject to create the script, making for a detailed and nuanced examination of the role parenthood plays in our lives. Having garnered plenty of acclaim at this year’s Sydney Festival, Never Did Me Any Harm now comes to Melbourne. It’s a show for parents, children and the child-free alike. Go see it (or go to your room…)
Arming oneself against a global pandemic and helping to protect your community are already pretty strong incentives to get a COVID-19 vaccination. But thanks to a new initiative by legendary Aussie label Nobody Denim, that jab could also now score you some free threads. The fashion brand has announced the launch of its Nobody Gives A Jab campaign, which will see a free personalised pair of jeans sent out to the first 100 people who share proof of their initial COVID-19 vaccination on Instagram. As the country struggles to contain the spread of the Delta variant — with Melbourne currently in the midst of its sixth lockdown and Sydney now almost two months into its latest outbreak — the campaign is just one of many encouraging locals to roll up their sleeve and get vaccinated as soon as possible. To be in with a shot at nabbing some free denim, you'll need to get your first dose of the vaccination, then post a photo of your freshly-jabbed arm, tagging both @nobodydenim and #NobodyGivesAJab on socials. If you're one of the first 100 people to do so, Nobody will be sliding into your DM's with details on how to collect your prize. Just note that you'll also need to be able to supply proof of your jab. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nobody Denim (@nobodydenim) As a family-owned business, Nobody says it wants to see the community come together and do their bit to help make Australia's vaccine rollout a success and limit future lockdowns. "We would like to continue to contribute to our Australian family and community far and wide in any way we can," explained the label's co-founder and chairman John Condilis. "We want to keep the fashion and retail industry alive, we want to keep our wholesalers stocked, we want to see them thrive. We want to see our neighbouring brands' doors open and trading." Last month, Melbourne's Prince Alfred Hotel put out a similar call-to-arms, offering free pints to punters who'd been vaccinated. And more recently, Sydney craft brewery Hawke's Brewing Co announced its new Jab & Slab program will offer free slabs of beer in return for proof of a jab. Follow Nobody Denim on Instagram for more details on the Nobody Gives A Jab program.
