First, back in April, the Victorian Government eased on capacity limits on some seated entertainment, cultural and sporting venues throughout the state. Next, once the end of May hits, a heap of smaller hospitality and entertainment spaces will be able to welcome in more people as well. As announced today, Friday, May 7, density quotas are lifting for small and medium-sized venues, including live music spot, restaurants, bars and nightclubs. There are still caveats, of course — but get read to spend more time eating, drinking and listening to tunes with more people. The changes will come into effect in three weeks, on Friday, May 28, and will apply to spaces smaller than 400 square metres. Venues that fit the bill will be able to ditch the one person per two-square-metres density cap, and instead welcome in up to 200 people per space — so in each dining room or band room, for instance. Places of worship will also be covered; however, regardless of the type of venue, COVID marshals will need to be onsite to ensure that the rules are adhered to. There's also a new requirement to use the Victorian Government QR Code Service through the Service Victoria app. From Friday, May 28, it'll become mandatory for all venues and businesses that are required to undertake electronic record keeping as well. The Victorian Government is also scrapping density quotas completely for outdoor venues without seating, if you have a trip to a pool or zoo in your future. This'll apply to recreation facilities, community sport, pools, tourism services and non-seated outdoor entertainment venues, with all other existing COVID-safe requirements still in effect — and using the Victorian Government QR Code Service will be mandated as well. https://twitter.com/VicGovDH/status/1390430071060566021 Of course, the usual hygiene and social distancing advice will remain in place throughout the state, as will the request to get tested if you exhibit even minor COVID-19 symptoms. Victoria currently has 17 active coronavirus cases as at midnight on Thursday, May 6. For more information about the COVID-19 rules moving forward, head to the Victorian Department of Health website. Top image: Tamura Sake Bar, Kate Shanasy.
With metropolitan Melbourne currently under a new lockdown order for a six-week period, home cooking and takeaway is back on the menu. Fancy the latter more than the former? Spent too much time baking during your first stint at home? Eager to order in? If you fall into any of the above categories, and you're keen to both support local eateries and keep an eye on your bank balance, Deliveroo has a handy special on offer. From Monday to Thursday for a limited time — at least until Thursday, July 23, with no end date yet announced — the delivery service is giving metro Melbourne residents 20-percent off meals from a hefty range of local restaurants. And we mean hefty, with the deal available across more than 5000 eateries in the metro Melbourne area. The aim: to encourage Melburnians to help local restaurants during this second stay-at-home period. To ensure that all of the eateries involved aren't missing out on revenue or left out of pocket, Deliveroo is footing the bill for the discounted amount, too. If you're suddenly hungry, you'll need to place an order via the Deliveroo app — and look out for the '20%' tag on restaurant listings. You'll also need to spend at least $30 on food, with delivery fees still applying as normal. https://www.facebook.com/DeliverooAU/videos/321376435553295/?__xts__[0]=68.ARCHtvONjsTrMylsf7Y8cToz5AJ2OYYa2gRwZls7wAiQoaYCqpf-7AFhYAVKXdxW-dXuKiFeqSrOImT-sEDmQ2dgIIpa9OC5ZZD-G-_mnQGmPIjU6OpibOVZUUCb_-gpjLg-nsgpOrVkqm_ajMrCkbK62Vomp3keneGDt7jzpGZTt6f6uAYDtwIinyWN5UrBxB44PPs9FD9QJ5g1fmL1T41OU19XxwkUYLbJYf5uhqJuXqlSziOar-AJbRdJ-meILNHeo_GKNHyEYyq-CVqBTQb3suPTZJM-VUdhKeyJYouqHVp534YqRajjKZalf_TIFTzkE7Tjd7MS5OyO1es7-r5JxEQ2vkYI_URYdA&__tn__=-R Deliveroo's 20-percent off deal is on offer from Monday–Thursday throughout metropolitan Melbourne — for all orders that total $30 or more. Look for the '20%' tag on restaurant listings via the Deliveroo app. Top image: Royal Stacks, Giulia Morlando.
It's been a month since the George Calombaris-led Made Establishment Group went into voluntary administration and announced the closure of twelve of its Melbourne restaurants and eateries. And while the future still looks uncertain for most of those venues, five have already been snapped up by new owners, including the Jimmy Grants in Fitzroy and the CBD, which have been purchased by the owners of 24-hour Greek institution Stalactites. As well as its legendary Lonsdale Street eatery, the hospo group also owns takeaway shop Hella Good, with the first store opened along Elizabeth Street in 2017, which it plans to replicate at these newly purchased sites. Hella Good has a simple menu, offering just four souvas, including marinated lamb and chicken sliced from the spit, plus veg and vegan options. The shop also has a Coeliac Australia accreditation (and is one of the only Greek restaurants in Australia that does) and all sandos can be made using gluten-free pita. Diners can also tuck into various snack packs and house-made dips, including the requisite tzatziki and hummus, plus tarama, babaganoush and spicy feta and chilli. With all souvlaki coming in under $15, snack packs sitting at $16 and desserts (baklava and rice pudding) both $5, Hella Good is a pretty affordable dinner option — and a good post-drinks option, too. The Elizabeth Street store is also open till 5am on Friday and Saturday and we're expecting the two new ones will also open equally late. The Emporium location of Hella Good is set to open in mid-2020, while the David Street digs are slated for a late-2020 launch. The new owners plan to rehire many of the existing staff from each store, too. At present, five other Jimmy Grants, as well as Made Establishment's Elektra Dining in the CBD and Hotel Argentina in Williamstown, remain unsold. But, the former Kew and Brighton Hellenic Republic outposts and the short-lived, vegetable-forward Crofter Dining in Brunswick East (previously the site of the OG Hellenic Republic) all have new owners. The latter is set to become the new home of The Que Club — a barbecue-focused eatery, cooking school and retail store currently located in Fitzroy North. The Made Establishment closures come after wage scandals shook many of its restaurants, with the group admitting to staff underpayments of up to $7.8 million. KordaMentha also highlighted the resulting huge dip in patronage, as well as a dive in consumer spending, rising food prices and competition with food delivery services as reasons for the group's financial woes. The two new Hella Good outposts are slated to open in mid and late 2020 at Emporium, 287 Lonsdale Street Melbourne and 113 David Street, Fitzroy. We'll keep you updated with these opening, as well as the news on The Que Club and the new Kew and Brighton venues. Top image: Hella Good
Victorians, if you've been feeling a little bit of déjà vu these past couple of weeks, that's perfectly understandable. The state's latest lockdown is set to end at 11.59pm tonight, Tuesday, July 27, however — and, when it does, a heap of new restrictions will apply across the state. One rule that isn't changing, though, is the requirement to mask up when you're not in your own home. As Premier Daniel Andrews announced today, face masks will remain compulsory both indoors and outdoors for at least the next two weeks, even when other restrictions ease at 11.59pm this evening. Mask rules have shifted back and forth quite a bit over the past couple of months thanks to the May-June lockdown and this latest stint of stay-at-home conditions; however, the Victorian Government isn't changing the status quo yet — or for the time being. "Results from a recent Burnet Institute study show that masks played a huge role in slowing the spread of the virus in 2020 — and they will be an important part of our defences against the virus for some time to come," said the Premier in a statement. Accordingly, whatever you're planning to do once you're permitted to leave your house for any reason you like from tonight, it'll need to involve masks. If you're making any trip beyond your home, you'll need to don a face covering, whether you're going to be indoors or outdoors. So, the only place where you won't need to pop a mask on is inside your own house — which is currently the case anyway. And, obviously, you'll need to always carry one with you. https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1419824237401960449 The news that the mask mandate will remain in place both outdoors and indoors comes as Victoria reported just ten new local cases identified in the 24 hours to midnight last night. If you're wondering where to grab a fitted mask, we've put together a rundown of local companies making and selling them. For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health and Human Services website.
The northern suburb of Preston is set to farewell four of its existing railway level crossings as part of the government's extended Level Crossing Removal Project. In their place, locals will score a giant green gift: an additional 60,000 square metres of public open space, equivalent to the same size of three MCGs. Removing the four crossings by creating an elevated train line over the roadways will make way for this new green space. The designs for the additional space were unveiled this week, featuring two new nature-based playgrounds, more than 700 trees, and an infusion of around 150,000 shrubs, grasses and groundcover plants. Locals can also expect a shared walking and cycling path linking the new Preston and Bell stations, and a new fitness zone with outdoor exercise equipment to be installed near Preston Oval. A range of other planned multipurpose facilities includes a barbecue area, casual seating and an amphitheatre located close to Bell Station. [caption id="attachment_825516" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Render of the new amphitheatre — artist impression only, subject to change, supplied by the Level Crossing Removal Project.[/caption] The designs were created in collaboration with the Preston Open Space Advisory panel, off the back of community feedback and consultation that was undertaken last year. Construction on the project is currently underway, though it'll be a while before residents can enjoy their suburb's new green addition. The removal of the boom gates and opening of the new stations are both slated for completion by the end of 2022, with the open space set to be ready for use sometime in 2023. The Level Crossing Removal Project has already seen similar green upgrades launched in other parts of metropolitan Melbourne. Find out more about the Preston Level Crossing Removal Project and the program as a whole at the website. Renders: Artist impression only, subject to change, supplied by the Level Crossing Removal Project.
When Melbourne's latest round of restrictions eased this week, allowing hospitality and retail to reopen, much of the city was focused on finally being able to 'get on the beers'. But it seems a stack of locals had another important task at the top of their post-lockdown to-do lists: a midnight shopping session at Kmart. In fact, both 'get on the beers' and 'Kmart' were trending on Twitter just moments after the announcement. The resulting crowds that swarmed the retail giant's late-night stores for their 11.59pm opening on Tuesday night were so hectic that Kmart has gone and launched a new booking system. Yep — you can now secure a timeslot to go shopping. https://twitter.com/RustyLoL/status/1320590087445385216 Scores of eager punters hit the town late Tuesday night keen to make the most of freshly lifted restrictions by heading for a feed, a drink, or a shop. And Kmart proved an especially popular choice, with Kmart Group Managing Director Ian Bailey telling 3AW that a whopping 10,000 people passed through the chain's five local late-night stores before 6am. Of course, not everyone was enamoured by the shopping frenzy, with Kmart Australia's Facebook page copping plenty of less-than-impressed responses. Some comments labelled the company 'socially irresponsible' for allowing such huge crowds to gather, while others questioned why so many people had been so desperate to go shopping at the crack of midnight. Now, Kmart's hoping to manage the masses of shopping fiends with a new booking system via SocialQ. Rolling out across the group's busiest metropolitan Melbourne stores, the new setup is designed to save customers from lengthy queues, while limiting the number of people in store at any one time. Shoppers can now head to the website, click on their chosen store and book a preferred timeslot to visit. A booking confirmation is sent via SMS, which you'll then have to flash when you arrive in-store. While it's not compulsory, Kmart is recommending people book ahead in order to avoid wait times, improve social distancing and ensure a speedy shopping experience. Kmart's new booking system is now operating for select metro Melbourne stores. Head here to see the list of participating outlets and book a timeslot.
Feeling a little chilly, Melburnians? And a little damp yesterday, too? There's a reason for that. Winter isn't here just yet, but cooler temperatures and rainy weather have been making the city shiver — in fact, Friday, May 10 was Melbourne's coldest and wettest day of the year so far. While the mercury is forecast to hit the 17-degree maximum mark today, with showers listed as possible as well, yesterday only made it to 14 degrees. The long-term average top May temperature is 16.7 degrees, so anyone feeling the cold hasn't just become too accustomed to summer. As everyone suddenly remembers when this time of year hits, falling a couple of degrees makes a difference. https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1126731589956751362 As for the rain, 14.8 millimetres fell over the city, with more than 10mm pouring down in some suburbs in just 15 minutes and flash flooding closing some roads. It's nowhere near as much as some regional areas, with Ballarat recording its wettest day since 1977 according to The Age, but it's still more than Melbourne has seen in a single day so far in 2019. Weatherzone reports that just 68.2mm of rain has fallen in the city this year, less than half of the total for the same period in 2018. If you're not too keen on the extra dash of chilliness, maximums of 18 and 19 degrees are forecast for the coming Sunday through till Friday. That said, rug up come evening — minimums will only hit between 9 and 11 degrees. Via SBS / The Age / Weatherzone.
Melbourne's week-long celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, NAIDOC Week, is concluding with a huge march currently making its way through the CBD. The march kicked off at 10.30am on Fitzroy's Nicholson Street, with the group making its way down Spring Street and stopping at Parliament House, then continuing onto Bourke and Swanson streets and ending at Federation Square. https://twitter.com/VicTraffic/status/1146951530492366854 As a result, commuters can expect closures on all four of the aforementioned streets and disruptions to CBD transport. Yarra Trams has announced that there will be service changes affecting trams on Swanston, La Trobe, Bourke, Collins and Flinders streets and it predicts delays and cancellations to continue until around 3pm. Passengers are being advised to walk between stops in the CBD and to use the City Loop train where possible. https://twitter.com/yarratrams/status/1146916611351285761 NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, achievements and diverse culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and runs from July 1–7 in Victoria. This year's festivities are centred around the theme of 'Voice. Treaty. Truth', coinciding with the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages. During the week, the city has been filled with fairs, art shows, parties and performances showcasing Indigenous Australian culture. To find out more about the celebration — and to find an event happening near you — head to the Victorian NAIDOC Week website. In the meantime, you can join in the march — or head to the free post-march concert at Federation Square. Head to the PTV website for live public transport updates and to the VicRoads website for live traffic delays and road closure information. Image: NAIDOC March 2017, VCOSS via Flickr.
This year's Melbourne Fringe Festival invites to swap your usual reality for something a little more lighthearted, with its 2018 theme 'Are You Game?' embracing the playtime in everyday life. Featured in this year's edition of the independent arts fiesta are a whopping 150 venues, as over 440 events and performances are brought to life across the city. Whether dipping your toe or diving deep, there's something in this diverse program for every kind of audience. Expect laughs aplenty with Selina Jenkins' dark comedy Thy Neighbour; hilarious, experimental theatre like you've never seen before for Sammy J – The 50 Year Show; and a truckload of chuckles at Highlander's free series of Fringe stand-up. Jude Perl embraces the art of angst in her work I Have a Face, Little Ones Theatre goes big with their ode to Whitney Houston Queen of The Night, and a boisterous serve of sound effects and impersonations are on the cards for Pablo Francisco's Australianator Tour. And, taking the concept of audience participation to a whole new level, Aphids and Field Theory will team up for ICON: an intensely participatory artwork that'll see one willing local selected randomly to become a legend. The randomly selected person will be trailed and studied carefully — Field Theory team members will sleep on your floor and, even, taste your breakfast — for 48 hours, and then celebrated with their very own festival in Fed Square. Head down to Fed Square between 12–4pm on August 18 or 19 to sign yourself up. If you want to get involved, but not that involved, you can head to a celebration of everything female, a comedic re-make of a Year 10 Formal — with, maybe, actual Passion Pop — karaoke, drag queen bingo, circus-themed wrestling (think clowns vs acrobats) and a glittering opening party. The Melbourne Fringe Festival 2018 runs from September 13-30. You can find the full program and buy tickets at melbournefringe.com.au. Image: ICON
ACCA is surely one of Melbourne’s best artistic centres if you're after new, challenging and contemporary work. This weekend, ACCA launches its annual commissions exhibition, NEW15, featuring the rising Australian contemporary artists you should get acquainted with. This year's NEW15 will be curated by Matt Hinkley, a renowned, meticulous, Melbourne-based sculptural artist. Whether you're intrigued by installation, photography, sculpture, or other forms or experimental artwork, this is your opportunity to see these emerging artists' latest pieces first. Artists featured in this year’s NEW15 include George Egerton-Warburton, Richard Frater, Jessie Bullivant, Kate Newby, Ash Kilmartin, Paul Bai, Alex Vivian and Adelle Mills.
Australians have a heap of weird traditions. We call footwear thongs despite the rest of the world telling us that's inappropriate, we think cricket is thrilling, and we have developed an inexplicable taste for the wad of black salty tar that is Vegemite. But the more damaging traditions are the those that lay under the surface. When American artists Amy Stein and Stacy Arezou Mehrfar discovered what 'tall poppy syndrome' was they were shocked. The very idea of it, the singling out and destroying of the talented and strong, goes against so much of what America and many other cultures teach from birth — if you work hard and try to succeed in life, nothing can hold you back. Setting off across NSW in 2010, the pair of photographers sought to explore the phenomenon from its source — the people themselves. Their resulting series of work on display at Edmund Pearce this month offers an incredibly striking and composed look at this troubling subject. From the young to the old, these stark photographs express a strange medley of repressed and refined emotion that gets across the complexity well. After all, tall poppy syndrome isn't just about singling out the strong, it's also about the trusted underdog.
Both Nicola Gunn and David Woods are impressive performers and creators in their own right: Gunn has carved out a well-established indie career in Melbourne under the moniker SANS HOTEL, while Woods has appeared to acclaim in productions for Australian companies like Back to Back Theatre’s Ganesh Vs The Third Reich and a string of smash hits with his own group, Ridiculusmus. For this Malthouse Theatre production, the two have come together to make A Social Service, a satire that sees Gunn as an artist developing a work within a housing commission. Woods takes on a range of characters, from the KeepCup-wielding impresario, making wispy declarations of his love for a Punchdrunk-style performance of Macbeth in a housing estate, to the bullish president of the residents’ committee. One of the play’s central conceits is fascinating: after a while you realise that the conversation between 'Nicola' and a young, community-engaged artist from the flats (with script in hand) is itself being framed as a rehearsal or performance; a very subtle 'play-within-a-play'. It’s through this exchange that A Social Service offers its most interesting moments, as the young artist (played in this performance by Shaan Juma) starts to gently probe the aversion of this “artist-in-residence” to anything “earnest”, which she says is “something of a dirty word in my circles”. Seeing A Social Service on the night after opening, the laughter in the audience is thin on the ground. It’s not as if the play’s language is couched solely in insider jokes that only artists can understand. Gunn’s well-meaning, idealistic but ultimately naïve character is a broad enough archetype for an audience to engage with. As she writes in the show’s program, A Social Service is “a critique of the model of commissioning works intended to activate public spaces”. While that’s certainly an interesting idea — one that operates at the sticky nexus between art, money and appearances — it doesn’t seem like it can sustain the narrative as the biggest focus of an hour-long satire. Image by Pia Johnson.
Marie Antoinette is a household name — her story is known by both history buffs and those who simply like Kirsten Dunst, or cake more than bread. What separates the depiction of the storming of the Bastille inside Versailles in Farewell My Queen is the way it is told. What we see in Benoît Jacquot’s depiction of the events is a representation that seems closer to the reality than previous renderings of those famous four days. To start, the casting of Diane Kruger as Antoinette is fitting — aged 34 (Dunst was roughly a decade younger) when the film was shot, she was the same age as Antoinette in her time of reign and while Kruger is German to Antoinette's Austrian, she speaks fluent French. Moreover, Kruger brilliantly executes the vulnerable, bubbly, overwhelmed and emotional nature for which Antoinette has come to be remembered. However, the stand out performance in the film is that of Léa Seydoux who plays Sidonie, the queen’s reader and the protagonist of the piece. We see the queen and Versailles through her eyes, rather than from the standpoint of the royals or the revolutionary people, as is often the case. From this unorthodox vantage point we see devotion, jealousy of Antoinette’s love for Gabrielle de Polignac and fear for her queen, with each emotion and reaction played out with an almost real time quality. While Sidonie embodies a charming innocence, she also has a sheer lack of respect for the typical order of things, that coupled with the close up use of the camera, instantly puts the viewer directly into her mind. For those who don’t know the story of Bastille Day and the last queen of France, the story might leave you wanting more, as the main events are left untouched. We don’t see the storming of the Bastille, nor death played out onscreen. We are left with an unfinished telling of history, but a somewhat richer experience of the events. Image courtesy of www.affrenchfilmfestival.org
This September, the NGV is showcasing two exhibitions from celebrated Australian photographers: Polixeni Papapetrou and Petrina Hicks. While the exhibitions will be separate — and give you ample time to appreciate and mull over both artists' bosy of work — they will both be on display at the Ian Potter Centre from September 26 until March 2020. Bleached Gothic is the first major survey of Hicks's work, and includes over 50 photographs and motion works from the past 15 years. Hicks explores the complexity of the female experience through enigmatic and surreal photographs. Her work poses question into the visual and cultural representation of women throughout social climates in a series of photographs relevant to the experiences of today. You'll probably recognise Shenae and Jade, which depicts a young girls with a budgie in her mouth. Papapetrou's exhibition — Olympia: Photographs by Polixeni Papapetrou — is the first major retrospective from the Australian photographer, and includes works prior to her death that have never been exhibited in Melbourne. The series showcases photographs of her daughter Olympia, from her birth until her mother's death last year, and explores the representation of children in their contemporary settings. The dual exhibitions are a great way to get a glimpse of never before seen displays, and some of the best works, from two of Australia's best female photographers. Both exhibitions are free to attend. Image: Petrina Hicks, Shewolf I (2016) from theThe California Works series, courtesy of the artist, Michael Reid, Sydney, and This Is No Fantasy, Melbourne.
Minimalist Aussie clothing designer Assembly Label is currently hosting a massive online charity sale so you can upgrade your WFH wardrobe with linen pants, baggy tees and a big cosy jumpers — and help Aussies doing it tough. With both men's and women's wear on offer, you'll find winter essentials such as denim, basic tops, jumpers and jackets, plus swimwear, dresses and shorts if you're already dreaming of hitting up the beach once the cold months pass. Best of all, you can nab it all at up to 70 percent off — and with free shipping across Australia, too. Because the label is known for its chic-yet-comfy casual staples, it'll now take you from going to grab your morning coffee, working in your living room and lounging around on weekends — really, you won't need much else while you're spending more time at home. If you've been shivering through the current cold snap, you'll probably want to snap up something like this super warm turtle neck ($90). As part of the sale, Assembly Label has a choose-what-you-pay initiative raising money for the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund. When you buy a sale item, you can choose to pay an extra $5, $10 or $15, with that amount then matched by Assembly Label and donated to The Red Cross. So, you can grab some new threads and feel good about it too.
The Lunar New Year rolls around this weekend, and Federation Square is hopping right into the Year of the Rabbit with a colourful day of performances, cultural workshops and more. The free festivities are set to take over the precinct from 9.30am on Sunday, January 22. First up, you can start your day rejuvenating body and mind with a guided tai chi class in the Main Square, learning martial arts moves designed to boost strength and improve mental clarity. From 11am, the gears switch up slightly for an ancient Chinese dancing class, where you'll be guided through moves that fuse elements of traditional and contemporary dance. Led by volunteers, the one-hour session kicks off with a warm-up and stretches, leaving you limber and ready to move. Then, from 12.30pm, you can cool down with a rewarding frosty treat — a pop-up stall will be slinging free scoops of lunar-inspired ice cream. And if you drop by from 1pm, you'll catch a vibrant dragon dance performance put on by the Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne. They'll weave all throughout the precinct, delivering good luck and fortune for the Lunar New Year.
You have to hand it to Peter Strickland, he doesn't make films like everyone else. The British-born, Hungarian-based writer/director makes features that are precise in both sound and vision, and use all aspects of both spectrums. If you didn't witness it in in his acclaimed second effort, Berberian Sound Studio, then you might not know quite what you're in for in his third and latest, The Duke of Burgundy. The movie's opening scene, featuring a woman ostensibly reporting for work at the stately home of her strict boss, gives a glimpse of what will follow. Strickland and his regular cinematographer Nicholas D. Knowland hone in on the details surrounding what looks to be a terse employment exchange, though apart from the meticulousness of the imagery, little is as it appears. It's soon revealed that the seemingly dutiful Evelyn (Chiara D'Anna) and the stern Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen) are actually in a relationship, and that this is the first step in their regular sensual role- and game-playing. They're trying to find fulfilment by indulging their fetishes and exploring the limits of submission and domination, though the ever-curious younger woman just might be looking for something beyond her caring homebody partner's comfort zone. If The Duke of Burgundy sounds like a puzzle waiting to be pieced together, that's because it is — as well as a study of the shifting boundaries of passion, and the way pursuing them can be both limiting and freeing. Crucial to mystery is Cynthia's real profession as an entomologist specialising in moths and butterflies, with Evelyn doubling as her student. Their shared field of interest offers much about the notion of transformation so central to the story. A puzzle similarly springs from Strickland's use of his influences, again steeping his work in the hallmarks of times gone by — and adhering to one of the filmmaker's repeated flourishes. Where his last offering both paid tribute to and appropriated the style of Italian giallo horror movies, this time around '70s European art cinema is in the spotlight. Think decadent surroundings and a seductive mood, plus ample prolonged shots at pivotal moments mixed with flourishes of frenetically edited butterfly wings. Think a sometimes-comedic tone as well. Yes, really. As it treads obsessively and feverishly through its tale, The Duke of Burgundy swiftly proves an accomplished and immersive work from someone who knows how to both achieve the unusual on screen and plunge viewers into a different world. It also proves a considerable showcase for the talents of his leading ladies, the former a veteran of Berberian Sound Studio, the latter perhaps best known for TV's Borgen. In lesser hands, their characters might've played as caricatures — and anyone who has watched Fifty Shades of Grey knows that that's an outcome no one wants to see. Thankfully, D'Anna, Knudsen and Strickland are as far from this year's other big screen account of erotic bondage as they can get. Once again, that's a good thing.
Our Flag Means Death might be no more, after the pirate rom-com was cancelled after two seasons, but getting giggling at Rhys Darby is still on the agenda. The New Zealand comedian has hardly been away from the screen for more than 15 years, ever since Flight of the Conchords became one of HBO's best-ever sitcoms, so he's been inspiring laughs for years. For the first time in nearly a decade, however, he's returning to the stand-up stage — and he's coming to Australia. Fans can expect gags about AI, robots, dads wearing tight jeans and more — and the mix of absurdity and insights that have always marked Darby's brand of comedy — when The Legend Returns tour plays Melbourne's Athenaeum Theatre from Tuesday, April 8–Sunday, April 13. [caption id="attachment_915747" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Our Flag Means Death, Nicola Dove[/caption] Between calling band meetings on Flight of the Conchords and finding love while swashbuckling on Our Flag Means Death, his career has spanned everything from The X-Files, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Wellington Paranormal to Sweet Tooth, SpongeBob SquarePants and Monsters at Work on the small screen. On the big screen, Darby has also been a frequent presence, thanks to The Boat That Rocked, What We Do in the Shadows, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Jumanji: The Next Level, Uproar, Next Goal Wins and plenty more. [caption id="attachment_980410" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gage Skidmore via Flickr[/caption]
UPDATE: July 6, 2020: Call Me By Your Name is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. With Call Me By Your Name, Italian director Luca Guadagnino spins a tale of first love in all of its stages. The initial sparks of attraction. The jittery excitement of making a connection. The all-consuming passion. With a script by veteran filmmaker James Ivory, as adapted from André Aciman's book of the same name, it's a picture about yearning and desire; a romance that knows the importance of every look and touch. Weaved from quiet, tender, everyday encounters that pepper every love story, it swells and surges, taking both its characters and its viewers on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Think of it as perhaps the greatest example of cinematic show and tell there is: to watch it is to experience the same heady, heated feelings as its central couple. "Call me by your name, and I'll call you by mine," grad student Oliver (Armie Hammer) whispers to 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) in the film's most intimate moment. It's this idea — of losing yourself in someone so completely that the lines between you fade away — that provides the movie with its fluttering pulse. The two young men meet during a sweltering Italian summer in 1983, their initial awkwardness slowly blossoming into affection. Oliver's assured swagger seems as foreign to the tentative Elio as the older American's fondness for saying "later", but the teenager is soon ignoring his somewhat girlfriend Marzia (Esther Garrel) to spend as much time with his new companion as possible. Beneath ravishing blue skies, soaked in streaming sunlight, the pair laze around by the pool, stroll through the orchard and cycle through their scenic surroundings. They accompany Elio's professor father (Michael Stuhlbarg, in an astonishingly sensitive and perceptive parental role) to look at archaeological finds, the real reason for Oliver's stay. During sultry nights, they party, drink and dance. It's a seemingly typical narrative, and yet the end result is anything but. Call Me By Your Name paints a detailed, nuanced portrait of Elio's sexual and emotional coming-of-age, and wholeheartedly conveys the uncertainties of a blooming gay romance played out in stolen moments. At the same time, the film speaks to anyone who has ever been overwhelmed by their feelings for someone else. It's a story that feels widely relatable while remaining deeply specific to queer relationships — drawing viewers into the intricacies of Oliver and Elio's dalliance while making everyone feel like, in some way, it's our own. Best known for the grief-tinged I Am Love and the chaotic interpersonal escapes of A Bigger Splash, Guadagnino crafts Call Me By Your Name as if he's sharing memories rather than relaying a fictional narrative. The stunning images lensed by cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Arabian Nights), with their precise, postcard-like composition and radiant warmth, seem as though they were etched into the filmmaker's mind long before the movie ever existed. The same also proves true of the moments between characters, with Guadagnino and his regular editor Walter Fasano giving every glance and spoken exchange the room to breathe and grow in a film where silence says more than even the most heartfelt of words. Still, for all its many charms, casting might be the feature's most crucial element. Call Me By Your Name is a triumph of acting, with Chalamet and Hammer both in sensational, career-best form. Indeed, as a precocious slip of a teen who finds his life forever changed, Chalamet delivers one of the best screen performances of recent years. Meanwhile, despite his lengthier resume, Hammer has never been more charismatic or vulnerable. It's their work, as much as anything around them, that helps immerse audiences in this seductive, sensual, personal and piercing account of romance's ebbs and flows. A film as infectious and intoxicating as the well-deployed strains of the Psychedelic Furs' 'Love My Way', Call Me By Your Name is the story that stories about first love will be judged against for many years to come. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0UgXrhCPHo
UPDATE, October 21: Rebecca is available to stream via Netflix. Primarily set in a sprawling British estate that'd make Downton Abbey's characters envious, starring one of that show's cast members and telling a tale taken from the pages of an iconic gothic novel, the latest version of Rebecca arrives with a splash. A visible one, too; every frame is not only elegant and atmospheric, but often overtly gorgeous. Each second of this Netflix-funded film drips with extravagance. A parade of striking visuals saunters before viewers' eyes, surveying not only the movie's main location, but the luxe furnishings within it, the scenic coastal patch of land it sits on and the finely tailored attire donned by those walking its halls. At every turn, it appears as though no expense has been spared in bringing Rebecca to the screen, and in striving to sweep audiences up in its lavish imagery and 1930s-era story. Alas, while the first part of that equation is easily, almost instantly achieved, the latter portion proves a bigger struggle. Like its source material, Rebecca starts with an evocative line: "last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again". It's uttered in voiceover by a young woman who is never known as anything but Mrs de Winter (Lily James), and who viewers first meet before she takes that moniker, when she's working as a lady's companion to acid-tongued socialite Mrs Van Hopper (The Handmaids' Tale's Ann Dowd) on a trip to the French Riviera. During the picturesque getaway, the unnamed heroine crosses paths with wealthy widower Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer). Tasked by her boss to pay their hotel's staff to seat him at their table (for Van Hopper's benefit, not her own), her unassuming nature soon draws his attention. Romance quickly blooms — much to the shock of the well-heeled masses similarly summering by the sea — setting Maxim and his blushing new bride en route to the family mansion he vocally treasures. Back at Manderley, however, the second Mrs de Winter can't escape the lingering presence of the movie's titular figure. Everywhere she looks, she sees Rebecca's monogrammed belongings. Every conversation in the house seems to revolve around her as well, especially her tragic passing. With housekeeper Mrs Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), all Manderley's newcomer feels is passive-aggressive and sometimes openly aggressive menace — and the fact that the stern employee was absolutely, utterly devoted to Rebecca. Maxim's mood changes drastically, too, and while those unacquainted with Rebecca's twists and turns should keep it that way going in, his second wife is increasingly troubled by the sensation that much is awry. In other words, the film's central young woman — the one that's still living and breathing, that is — is caught in the shadow of her new husband's late previous wife. In the pages of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel, on the big and small screens several times since, and in this new iteration, that's a scenario laden with ample psychological thrills. Here, director Ben Wheatley patiently teases out the details, but it's noticeable (and perhaps fitting) that he also subjects his viewers to the same kind of experience endured by his protagonist. From the moment it was announced, Wheatley's film was forever destined to be compared to Alfred Hitchcock's Oscar Best Picture-winning 1940 version of the beloved book. That's what happens when you follow in Hitch's footsteps and, now that Rebecca circa 2020 has reached viewers, that won't change. Wheatley is a stellar filmmaker, and has a resume filled with everything from Down Terrace, Kill List and Sightseers to High-Rise, Free Fire and Happy New Year, Colin Burstead to prove it. But, in his most mainstream, least boundary-pushing effort to date, he has crafted a brooding movie that engages enough, yet never surprises and rarely has a strong lasting impact. That's the case even when it deviates from the famed changes that Hitchcock's version of the story was forced to implement under Hollywood's strict production code at the time (which didn't allow content and plot developments considered morally indecent to reach the screen). This iteration of Rebecca doesn't do du Maurier's adored text or the gothic genre it hails from a disservice. It's perfectly watchable, generally handles the narrative capably and proves near-overwhelmingly handsome, in fact. And still, even for audiences coming to it anew, with zero attachment to an 80-year-old previous adaptation, everything about it proves so expected. It must be terrifying, unsettling, dispiriting and downright soul-crushing to feel as if you're haunted by your predecessor, to have someone doing their utmost to ensure that impression never dissipates and to barely exist to those around you (that James' character isn't given a first name isn't an accident). Rebecca is as moody as it is visually lush, but it can't quite nail that crucial sensation. It tries, though. While the overall movie frequently seems content to serve up a standard period-set melodrama rather than leaning too far into taunting and lurching emotional horrors, Scott Thomas' turn as Mrs Danvers is supremely, disquietingly chilling — to the point that, if casting her in the part was the sole reason this film was made, that's understandable. Too much around her isn't willing to commit as heartily, however. James and Hammer always hit their marks, but do little more, for instance. All those opulent sights catch the eye, too, but as the feature's heroine herself learns, sumptuous packaging alone is rarely ever truly and completely satisfying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFVhB54UqvQ Top image: Kerry Brown, Netflix.
In one of the best local comedies of the past decade, members of a Chinese Australian family go about their lives on the Sunshine Coast. In one of the most engaging Aussie game shows of the last few years, Indigenous comedians, actors, musicians and artists hang out in a gallery and test their knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. The first program comes courtesy of The Family Law, while the second arrives in the form of Faboriginal — and if you haven't seen either by now, it's time to rectify that. Both series are streaming as part of SBS On Demand's Australian Made collection, which is being showcased on the free platform in partnership with Sydney Festival — and was curated by the fest's artistic director Wesley Enoch, too. The full lineup includes ten television shows that explore the diversity of Australian culture. They're great to watch at any time of the year, but they're also an excellent way to reflect upon the nation on and around January 26. Other titles include documentary series Untold Australia, which steps through Aussie tales you don't normally hear about; First Australians, which tackles the country's history from a First Nations perspective; and Future Dreaming, where four young Aboriginal Australians ponder what their lives might hold. In addition to animated series Little J and Big Cuz, the full lineup also features two Ray Martin-fronted factual programs: Is Australia Racist?, which interrogates that very question; and First Contact, which takes six non-Indigenous people into Aboriginal Australia for the first time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXpwQw_QaNI
From Monday through until Saturday, each and every week, the aroma of freshly made coffee wafts from Bourke Street's Federal Coffee. But from 11am–12pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays between February 9–March 4, we expect that it'll smell a little stronger. On those days and at that time, the CBD cafe will be serving up free brews — so expect its baristas to be busy. The free coffee is in honour of Melbourne's return to work. Yes, it's now February, so the festive holidays finished long ago — but from February 8, Victorian workplaces will be able to welcome back 75-percent of their employees in-person. So, with more people heading to their desks, Federal Coffee is handing out free caffeine hits. Unsurprisingly, there is a caveat: you can only grab one free coffee per person per day. Still any free coffee is better than no free coffee, especially when it arrives mid-morning — just when your energy is starting to flag. You'll also be able to try out Federal Coffee's menu if you're feeling peckish, although that part isn't free.
When the pandemic first hit, binge-watching movies about contagions, outbreaks and infections became everyone's go-to pastime. Some were eerily prophetic (yes, we're talking about Contagion, obviously); however, even when flicks in the genre didn't resemble our reality, they still lured us in. There's a sense of comfort in watching these worst-case scenarios. We watch for the same reason that we watch horror movies, because seeing these things play out on-screen helps us confront our fears in a safe space. The dystopian genre looks a little different through our weary eyes now, of course, but we're still viewing away. The next thing to add to your streaming queue: Y: The Last Man, the long-awaited TV adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name. On the page between 2002–8, the comic book series stepped into a post-apocalyptic world where an eerie illness wipes out everyone with a Y chromosome, humans and other mammals alike. And yes, it does all sound a little like a reverse version of The Handmaid's Tale and Children of Men — with a few twists, clearly. In this fictional scenario, only Yorick Brown and his Capuchin monkey Ampersand manage to survive — alongside the planet's women, all of whom are now endeavouring to find a new status quo. So, that's what the Y: The Last Man TV series will chart, as teased in its trailer. Brian K Vaughan and Pia Guerra's graphic novel has actually been slated for the TV treatment for more than a decade — and before that, a film version was even floated but it didn't eventuate — and now the television series will start hitting Australian streaming service Binge from Tuesday, September 14. Ben Schnetzer (Pride, Warcraft, The Grizzlies) plays Yorick, and he's joined on-screen by Diane Lane (Let Him Go) as his mother — and the new US President — plus Olivia Thirlby (Goliath) as his sister. The cast also includes Amber Tamblyn (The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret), Ashley Romans (NOS4A2) and Elliot Fletcher (The Fosters), while The Killing and Animal Kingdom's Eliza Clark is on writing and showrunning duties. Check out the trailer below: Y: The Last Man starts streaming in Australia via Binge from Tuesday, September 14.
Shiny new entrants in the electronic music scene, Safia are proving themselves a force to be reckoned with. Hailing from our super dull capital city (just kidding guys, Canberra is way exciting) these guys have already supported for the likes of Lorde, have over two million listens on Soundcloud and are building up a sizeable fanbase. Made up of Ben Woolner, Michael Bell and Harry Sayers, the trio has been playing together since they were in primary school. Adorable. In addition to Lorde, they've also casually supported Disclosure and Rudimental, toured with Rüfüs and joined Peking Duk at Splendour in the Grass and Groovin' The Moo. Big spots for relative newbies. Safia's nine day tour celebrates the release of their new single, 'You Are the One'. The Canberrans' tunes are energetic and ever-so-catchy, so this Northcote Social Club gig promises to be one hell of a stage-shaking, generally jive-inducing gig. Get in early to be able to say you saw them before they became huge and expensive.
It is shocking to think that there is only one holiday a year that truly cries out for a French-themed party. Why don't we have Croissant Day? Or Baguette Day? Romance and Cheese Day could easily be a thing. Vino all round. Nahmean? Still, we do have Bastille Day, and that isn't going anywhere, despite Russell Crowe proving that he absolutely cannot sing. Bastille Day is important because it celebrates the beginning of the French Revolution — that bloodthirsty struggle for freedom, equality and fraternity. When "the people" stormed the Bastille and seized the military stores, an entire decade of idealism, savagery and carnage started. So why celebrate such a heady (and often headless) period? Because it's about seizing control and brandishing baguettes and bringing about the end of feudalism. Being independent and being proud and well, being French, basically. So march along to the Bastille Day Party at the Evening Star-South Melbourne Market. You'll be brimming with joie de vivre before you know it.
"Luke, I am your father" might just be one of the most famous line ever uttered in a movie — except, of course, that's not actually what Darth Vader said. If you're pedantic about the exact phrasing of iconic Star Wars dialogue, or just brimming with Jedi-focused tidbits, then here's your chance to put those skills to the test. Come Monday, May 4 (when else?), Isolation Trivia is hosting an evening of fun that no one can have a bad feeling about. The live-streamed quiz night is delving into the series that has not only spanned 11 films to date — including last year's The Rise of Skywalker — but also inspired a host of new instalments yet to come. If you have a Chewbacca costume in your wardrobe, you're destined to hop online and play along. Sure, your house isn't quite the Mos Eisley Cantina, but you can pretend — may the force be with you, and all that. The night gets underway from 6.25pm, which is when you can start arguing over whether Han shot first. And playing along won't cost you a cent.
Get a taste of Tokyo in the Melbourne CBD, when the Japanese Summer Festival hits Federation Square this Saturday. Now in its sixth year, this annual event showcases the best of traditional and contemporary Japanese culture, with food stalls, activities and a host of live entertainment. The event is a celebration of Japan’s annual Bon festival, a summer tradition of honouring one's ancestors. Visitors can learn the art of origami, paper fan making and calligraphy, while being entertained by dancers and musicians on the main stage. If you find yourself getting hungry, you can head down to the River Terrace, where food stalls operated by some of Melbourne’s most popular Japanese restaurants will be serving everything from soft shell crab salad to barbecue teriyaki. Of course, no festival experience could compare to actually visiting Japan yourself. Luckily, organisers have got you covered there as well, with the grand prize in this year's festival raffle including two business class plane tickets straight to Tokyo.
In 2006’s Night at the Museum, the exhibits and dioramas of New York City's Museum of Natural History sprang to life, surprising freshly hired evening security guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller). In 2009’s Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Larry returned to save enlivened treasures being shipped off to storage in Washington, D.C., stumbling upon a power battle between magically resurrected pharaohs in the process. The films, mixing an everyman protagonist with an exaggerated situation, established an easy formula of heroics and humour, history and fantasy, and quests and chaos, as suitable for all ages. Now, once more adhering to the blueprint but transporting the action to London, the trilogy crawls towards its conclusion with Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. Here, the perpetually bumbling Larry is thrust into trouble once more when an important event goes awry as a result of his animated mannequin friends. The tablet that endows the appearance of life into the museum’s trinkets is starting to corrode, courtesy of an Egyptian curse. Only specimens housed in Britain hold the answers to stopping the rot, reinstating the spell and rescuing the likenesses of famous figures from reverting to a permanent state of wax. Adding to the antics are Larry’s English counterpart, nightwatchwoman Tilly (Rebel Wilson), and an arrogant Sir Lancelot (Dan Stevens), both endeavouring to thwart the visitors’ efforts for their own reasons. Returning director Shawn Levy (This Is Where I Leave You) and new scribes David Guion and Michael Handelman (Dinner for Schmucks) aren’t concerned with offering any unexpected detours in the events that follow, repeating the beats of the earlier films with a heightened emphasis on outdated pop culture jokes. Indeed, that the feature’s biggest source of laughs — and its best surprise cameo – stems from an internet meme gives an indication of the level of comedy cultivated, as does the prominence of online cat videos to the plot. Even the usual reliance upon slapstick wavers, for worse, not for better. The odd-couple banter of Owen Wilson as an old west cowboy and Steve Coogan as a Roman soldier is similarly toned down. Elaborate staging aside (best manifested in Secret of the Tomb in an uncharacteristically excellent M.C. Escher-inspired sequence), the biggest lure of the Night of the Museum series has always been its extensive cast. Performers express enough energy to keep the movie bubbling along; however, for reasons inconsequential to the content itself, it is Robin Williams’ return as Teddy Roosevelt that stands out. His last on-screen appearance evokes both sweetness and sorrow that far exceeds the average franchise swansong he is saddled with.
Deerhoof's members are evidence that it pays to take risks. In a post-modern world, where it can sometimes feel as though everything that can be said has been said, they continue to come up with arrestingly original ideas. Every album reveals another sonic surprise. Their twelfth self-produced release, Breakup Song, is no exception. This time around, Cuban rhythms fuel the San Francisco noise group's unpredictable melodic adventures. According to drummer Greg Saunier, the album is about "just turning around a sort of bad mood and finding a way to turn it into a good mood." As much as a Deerhoof record can definitely beat back the blues in the comfort of your lounge room, it doesn't match up to the experience of seeing them live. Their edgy creativity takes on a whole new dimension in front of a crowd. https://youtube.com/watch?v=u7DpLne1abo
Bottomless brunch has most certainly been a thing this year in Melbourne. Swan Street cocktail bar Fargo and Co. was one of the first to offer this sweet morning ritual — and remains one of the best. It's Richmond's answer to the perennial hair-of-the dog dilemma, or perhaps just an excuse to start a Sunday session early. It seems Fargo and Co.'s resolution is to keep doing what it does best. After throwing a debaucherous New Year's Eve shindig — complete with DJs and four hours of bottomless drinks and roving snacks — it'll keep the party going with a recovery brunch the next morning. Roll back in at 11am on New Year's Day, hangover in tow, and conquer it with the help of many bloody marys. Yes, bottomless cocktails are on the go, including mimosas and spritzes, plus prosecco if you can stomach the bubbly. The meal of your choice is also included in your $55 ticket — think smashed avo and a poachy if you're feeling wholesome or southern fried chicken and waffle if you're not. There'll also be live entertainment, and if you're really in top shape, freshly shucked oysters for $2 each. The New Year's Day Recovery Brunch is available between 11am–2pm on Tuesday, January 1. To make a reservation, head to the Fargo and Co. website.
Hophaus Bavarian Bier Bar Grill is hosting its annual charity dachshund race once again this October — and, frankly, you shouldn't need any more information to understand why that's a thing you should care about. Returning to the Southbank German restaurant, the teckelrennen is an Oktoberfest tradition, and will see sausage dogs from far and wide pumping their stubby little legs for gold and glow. The first heat kicks off at 11am on Saturday, October 13, with the grand champion expected to be crowned later that afternoon. There'll also be a costume competition, because the only thing better than dachshunds is dachshunds in tiny adorable outfits. It isn't just all for the fun of it though — all money raised from entry fees paid by competitors will be donated to Dachshund Rescue Australia. Since the first race in 2015, the event has raised over $10,000. To get you even more excited for the event, here's a video of the inaugural event in 2015: https://player.vimeo.com/video/139814129
If you've ever wanted to know what Melbourne's best chefs do in the shadows, this is your chance. After a successful August debut, Ombra's ongoing monthly dinner series, Shadow Thieves, is back for a follow up feed — and this one looks like it's going to be even better than the last. For September, it's all about the understudies — that is, the young, up-and-coming sous chefs from the city's best restaurants. Josh Pelham of Estelle by Scott Pickett will be there, as will Peter Cooksley (The Town Mouse), Matt Hammond (Elyros), Andreas Becerra (MoVida) and McKay Wilday (Ombra). Taking on a course each, they've put together a five-course menu for the night, which you can take a peek at here. Needless to say, it's impressive. 'The Understudy' dinner will be held on Monday, October 5 at Ombra Salumi Bar on Bourke Street. A ticket will set you back $120 — but for forking out, you'll get five of Melbourne's best dishes matched with five stellar Victorian wines. The Shadow Thieves dinners are set to continue, with nights centred around cheese, crab and spirits all in the pipeline.
In the spirit of Grand Final footy fever, Saxe is celebrating the long weekend with an Aussie feast on the public holiday Friday (Friday, September 27) from 2–4pm. A free-flowing frenzy of Four Pillars cocktails will be available for the whole two hours, as will a sharing menu of reworked Australian classics from chef and owner Joe Grbac. For $75 per person, you and your mates can spend the afternoon sipping unlimited Four Pillars gin cocktails, and eating the Aussie-inspired menu. The latter includes pork Chiko Rolls with jalapeño sauce, crumpets with mushroom jam, beef tartare with macadamia and jerusalem artichoke, as well as a chicken, bacon and mushroom orecchiette. Cocktail-wise, the unlimited drinks will include the gin and juice (with Bloody Shiraz gin), a negroni spritz, the Melbourne Calling — with lemon, Four Pillars sherry cask gin and rosemary — and the Springtime, with lime, ginger, rare dry gin, soda and flower syrup. To ensure your spot at Saxe this Grand Final weekend, you'll need to head over to the website — or call 9089 6699 — to make a booking.
Think about how nervous you feel when you're on a first date. Now imagine that it's happening in front of a theatre full of people. In an era of online dating, when people are judged based solely on a handful of selfies, theatremaker Bron Batten transports the rituals of modern romance from your smartphone to the stage for Melbourne Fringe 2016. Onstage Dating is exactly what it sounds like: each night, a different volunteer gets put through the ringer, as Batten gleefully deconstructs the conventions of contemporary courtship. Will true love flourish, or will the night end in disaster? Either way, it sounds like fascinating viewing. Image: Theresa Harrison.
With The Big Short and Nightcrawler still fresh in moviegoer's memories, Money Monster isn't the first film to ponder the impact of the global financial crisis, or peer into the television business in times of trouble. Nor is the best, boldest or even most star-studded contemplation of either topic. Instead, it's a solid thriller that may repeat a few statements we've already heard, but does so with a stellar command of tension and tone. If the pressure-fuelled dramas of the '70s combined with the beat-the-clock action efforts of the '90s, something like Money Monster would be the end result. Lee Gates (George Clooney), the host of the financial TV program that gives the movie its name, certainly seems like a remnant from another decade. His show would've been huge in the late '00s, and his exaggerated on-screen persona, loud proclamations, cheesy costumes and skimpily clad back-up dancers along with it. But a week after one of Gates' hot stock tips crashes, Money Monster's live broadcast is hijacked by the gun-wielding Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell). The Queens delivery guy has lost all his savings, wants answers, and is willing to strap a bomb to Gates' chest to get them — while the world, and the show's director Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts), watch on. Screenwriters Jamie Linden, Alan DiFiore and Jim Kouf are content to litter their script with more than a few convenient, predictable developments: Gates knows the failing company's head honcho (Dominic West), Budwell has a pregnant girlfriend at home, and Fenn is about to jump ship for a job at a rival network. However director Jodie Foster (The Beaver) proves determined to let the unease of the situation, and the performances it inspires, drive the film. The result is a film that's stressed and enraged from beginning to end, content in the knowledge that its audience feels the same. Foster endeavours to capture the incredulous, furious reaction the bulk of the population had to recent economic circumstances, channeling it into one heightened scenario and bearing witness to the fiery results. Every technical choice, be it the grey sheen of the film's visuals, the swift speed of its editing or the terse beats of its score, is calculated to promote a very precise mood. Even when the formula behind the film is obvious – and even with Foster offering a few humorous moments to lighten things up – Money Monster still delivers an urgent, edge-of-your-seat experience. She's aided in her efforts by the top work of her cast. Playing charismatic and controlled, Clooney and Roberts demonstrate why they've stayed at the top of the acting game for so long, though it's O'Connell that commands attention. Against his high-profile co-stars, he proves a bundle of raw, restless energy perfectly suited to the film's tone.
The least surprising aspect of Tár is also its most essential: Cate Blanchett being as phenomenal as she's ever been, plus more. The Australian Nightmare Alley, Thor: Ragnarok and Carol actor — "our Cate", of course — best be making space next to her Oscars for The Aviator and Blue Jasmine as a result. Well-deserved accolades have been showered her way since this drama about a cancelled conductor premiered at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival (the prestigious event's Best Actress gong was the first of them) and, as the Golden Globes showed, they're not likely to stop till this awards season is over. Blanchett is that stunning in Tár, that much of a powerhouse, that adept at breathing life and complexity into a thorny figure, and that magnetic and mesmerising. Even when she hasn't been at her utmost on rare past occasions or something she's in hasn't been up to her standards — see: Don't Look Up for both — she's a force that a feature gravitates around. Tár is astonishing itself, too, but Blanchett at her finest is the movie's rock, core and reason for being. Blanchett is spectacular in Tár, and she also has to be spectacular in Tár — because Lydia Tár, the maestro she's playing, earns that term to start with in the film's on-screen world. At the feature's kickoff, the passionate and ferocious character is feted by a New Yorker Festival session led by staff writer Adam Gopnik as himself, with her achievements rattled off commandingly to an excited crowd; what a list it is. Inhabiting this part requires nothing less than utter perfection, then, aka what Tár demands herself, her latest assistant Francesca (Noémie Merlant, Jumbo), her wife Sharon (Nina Hoss, Shadowplay) and everyone else in her orbit constantly. Strong, seductive, severe, electrifying and downright exceptional, Blanchett nails it. That Lydia can't always do the same, no matter how hard, painstakingly and calculatingly she's worked to ensure that it appears otherwise, is one of the movie's main concerns. Directing a film for just the third time in 22 years — and the third at all, as well as the first since 2006's Little Children — writer/helmer Todd Field begins Tár with the woman, the myth and the legend. Since the feature's US release, viewers have been known to think that Lydia is an actual person, which has proven instantly memeable, yes, but more importantly is a testament to the detail and potency of the filmmaker's layered script. As Gopnik advises, Tár is a protégé of the one and only (and real) Leonard Bernstein, the first female chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic and an EGOT-winner. She has a book in the works, Tár on Tar, and she's soon to record her dream piece, Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5. She's not fond of having her successes ascribed to battling sexism, but she's proud, confident and authoritative talking about her career, field and leap to the top of classical music. Not mentioned in this early celebration, unsurprisingly: the behaviour that'll come back to stalk Lydia, involving her treatment of mentees and students, and cracking her hard-carved place in an elite realm. With two Academy Award nominations to his name for screenwriting, for both Little Children and his 2001 feature debut In the Bedroom, Field is in his element plotting Tár's intricate and tangled life that just keeps getting more and more knotted — and penning and directing a film that's equally as complicated. Tár is many things and never merely one thing, but it's a psychological character study above all else. As the feature charts its namesake's downfall from the heights that the picture opens with, and unpacks her arrogance and ambition, it unravels Lydia. As it examines her professional dealings and personal bonds, sees transactional connections wherever she goes and shows her scant regard for most folks other than herself (although she'll happily bully a schoolgirl for her young daughter Petra, played by first-timer Mila Bogojevic), the movie chips away at Lydia's carefully established personality and mystique. And, as her standing plummets amid a scandal, and her relationships with it, the film probes and ponders who she truly is anyway — and why. Is Tár a groomer, predator and liar? A talent who took her lust for triumph too far? A celebrity overly enamoured with her own fame and power? Is she a woman fracturing? Someone literally haunted? An egotist using and emotionally bruising, then getting what she deserves? Tár is too crafty — and well-crafted — a drama to quickly or easily tick most of those boxes for its protagonist, and finds much of its depths (and much of its fuel for Blanchett's performance) in provocatively giving all of the above attention. As Lydia belittles Juilliard kids in showy lectures about JS Bach, grinds first violin Sharon down to just one of her offsiders, capitalises upon Francesca's own conducting dreams, weathers a storm with her past favourite Krista (debutant Sylvia Flote) and throws her current approval towards new Russian cellist Olga (acting newcomer Sophie Kauer), Tár is also as precise at building the world that its titular character dwells in, where her genius and thrall draws in everyone, enables her, and lets Lydia herself believe that everything is excused and even worth it if it results in her art. Collaborating with cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister (Pachinko), editor Monika Willi (Happy End), costume designer Bina Daigeler (1899), production designer Marco Bittner Rosser (Only Lovers Left Alive) and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker), Field does indeed fashion Tár immaculately. A film of cool hues, firm lines and rich surfaces — Lydia's suits encapsulate the look perfectly — as well as a gripping, tension-dripping beat, it's a film where every choice seen and heard is revealing about its story, central figure and themes. Tár is also a movie of striking scenes revelling in such tightly constructed surroundings, all with Blanchett at their centre. Every choice she makes with her facial expressions and body language, whether Lydia is regaling fans, instructing pupils, pushing aside loved ones or luring in new points of interest, is a compelling, entrancing masterclass. When Tár picks up the baton, plays the piano, holds court, tries to navigate her own fall and perhaps even orchestrate her own second rise: these moments, whether loud and intense or quiet and contemplative, are hypnotic and loaded, too. But, across a 158-minute duration that never feels that long and shows zero signs of bloat, Field fills his frames with more than just one outstanding player. He could've simply let Blanchett's awards-worthy efforts be Tár's everything alone, and this'd still be captivating, bold and intelligent. Again, there wouldn't be a film this piercing without her, and it rises in tandem with her astounding work. In what's hopefully not his last picture for another decade and a half, however, Field sees what Lydia can't and won't. Casting German acting royalty Hoss and French Portrait of a Lady on Fire standout Merlant, both of whom bring texture, vulnerability and visible signs of pain to their pivotal characters, makes a statement: that no story is one person's only.
When Araliya announced they were opening a sister venue in St Kilda, it was a little surprising. Sri Lankan doesn't scream Fitzroy Street. Actually, it's not clear what Sri Lankan screams at all, but now southside has it's very own restaurant dedicated to the cuisine. It's Araliya number two, the second venue from Sam and Dee Wedande who, after a massive 30 years in Hawthorn, have taken this institution into new, unchartered territory. But this isn't just a clone of the Hawthorn outpost. And rightly so; that never would have worked. Araliya St Kilda, complete with new branding and steeze, now has a focus on small sharing plates, the bar and booze. Bartender Anton Turco Bertolotti has come on board to add cocktails into the mix — basil martini, anyone? — and to orchestrate more of a casual bar feel. Likewise, the fit out is sleek, modern and a world away from what you would have seen in Hawthorn. Aesthetically, it's somewhat reminiscent of Golden Fields (before it became Luxembourg) a few doors down. Sri Lankan food can be a bit of a mystery, so in order to demystify the process, here's the jist: sort of like a lovechild of Indian and African cuisine, the spices are heavy, thick and cockle-warming. In a way that's similar to African, the dishes are designed to be eaten with vegetables (ordered as sides) and lots of roti. Naturally, it's all made for sharing. If you're not sure how to go about ordering though, just ask the waitstaff. The highlight of our meal was, undoubtedly, the fennel curried duck leg ($18.50/$32). This is where Sam's lifetime of experience in the kitchen shines. If you order it — and the only reason you shouldn't is if you're morally disinclined to eat duck — expect the meat to fall right off the bone and, subsequently, melt in your mouth. It's best mopped up with roti (crisp, but still chewy — the best kind) or some thosai: pretty similar to dosa, they are Sri Lanka's own lentil (gluten free!) pancakes, served with green coconut chutney and herb salad ($8.50). While we found these dishes well priced, the same can't be said across the board. The Godhamba roti roll omelette with crab, goat's cheese, tomato and green chilli was holy by roti roll standards, but a bit too steep at $27 a pop. Particularly as you'll want another one. Similarly, the sides of veggies — shredded Brussels sprouts and coconut, lentils, pickled beetroot — were a necessary addition to the table, but an expensive one at $14 each. We'd suggest sacrificing your waistline for your wallet, though, and spending that dough on dessert. The roti cigars filled with fresh coconut, spiced, topped with treacle and served with an incredible cinnamon ice-cream ($15) are perfect, and manage to stay fresh without being too sweet. But that's what this place is: sweet. It's certainly St Kilda's sweetest Sri Lankan restaurant. In this weird place where your neighbours are both rowdy English backpackers and Andrew McConnell, the new and improved Araliya seems to have found a space to slot in.
UPDATE, March 18, 2022: Spencer is available to stream via Prime Video. With two-plus decades as an actor to her name, Kristen Stewart hasn't spent her career as a candle in the wind. Her flame has both blazed and flickered since her first uncredited big-screen role in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas but, by Elton John's definition, she's always known where to cling to. After jumping from child star to Twilight heroine and then one of the savviest talents of her generation, she's gleaned where to let her haunting gaze stare so piercingly that it lights up celluloid again and again, too. Spencer joins Stewart's resume after weighty parts in Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper, Certain Women and Seberg, and has her do something she's long done magnificently: let a world of pain and uncertainty seep quietly from her entire being. The new regal drama should do just that, of course, given its subject — but saying that director Pablo Larraín has cast his Diana well, pitch-perfect head tilt and all, is a royal understatement. Larraín also trusts himself well, making the kind of movie he's made three times now — not that Jackie, Ema and Spencer are carbon copies — and knowing that he does it phenomenally. Both essaying real-life figures and imagining fictional characters, the Chilean filmmaker keeps being drawn to tales about formidable women. His eponymous ladies could all be called strong female leads, but Larraín's features unpack what strength really means in various lights. Like her predecessors in the director's filmography, Diana faces searing traumas, plus ordinary and extraordinary struggles. She scorches away tradition, and values letting her own bulb shine bright over being stuck in others' shadows. Viewers know how this story will end, though, not that Spencer covers it, and Larraín is just as exceptional at showing how Diana's candle started to burn out. The year is 1991, the time is Christmas and the place is the Queen's (Stella Gonet, Breeders) Sandringham Estate, where the Windsors converge for the holidays (yes, Spencer is now prime seasonal viewing). As scripted by Peaky Blinders and Locked Down's Steven Knight, the choice of period puts Diana in one of the most precarious situations of her then decade-long married life, with her nuptials to Prince Charles (Jack Farthing, The Lost Daughter) turning into an "amicable separation" within 12 months. Spencer's focus is on three days, not all that defined the People's Princess' existence before or after, but she can't stop contemplating her past and future. The Sandringham grounds include the house where Diana was born, and those happier recollections — and time spent now with her children (debutants Jack Nielen and Freddie Spry) — give her a glow. Alas, all the monarchical scrutiny simmers her joy to ashes, unsurprisingly. Larraín is one of today's great detail-oriented filmmakers, a fact that glimmers in his approach to Spencer — and did in Jackie, too. Both character studies let snapshots speak volumes about broader lives and the bigger narratives around them, including when poised as "a fable from a true tragedy" as the title card notes here. 'Poised' is one word for this fictionalised imagining of real events, which builds its dramas in an immaculate chamber, lets heated emotions bounce around as it tears into privilege and power, and allows audiences to extrapolate from the meticulous minutiae. Specific tidbits are oh-so-telling, such as the demand that Sandringham's guests hit the scales upon arrival and leaving, their weight gains deemed a sign of how much they enjoyed themselves. Bolder flourishes are just as exacting, like the way the place is lensed to make the Princess of Wales resemble a doll being toyed with in a playhouse, as well as a Jack Torrance substitute trapped in her own Overlook Hotel The Shining-style. Often boldly and claustrophobically ominous in its vibe and visuals, and deliberately so — as equerry Major Alistair Gregory, overseer of every move made at the estate, Timothy Spall (The Last Bus) perfects the eerie mood — Spencer can be called a horror film and the label fits. Terror, distress, contempt and cruelty are all part of Diana's Sandringham experience, the first two emanating from the former Lady Spencer and the latter pair frequently flung her way. This is a slice-of-life biopic as well, obviously, and also a Princess of Wales time capsule thanks to its exquisite staging and costuming. Larraín does leap into lingering memories occasionally, which lets the movie survey an array of its central figure's famed outfits with a keen eye. The appearance of things, be it her crumbling marriage or herself, is the key tenet she's being told to uphold, after all — but the decreed version decided by others, not her own, down to dictating exactly what she's permitted to wear and when. Spencer's nightmare of not being able to be one's self, especially under an unyielding spotlight, sees Diana's inner turmoil manifest in multiple ways. Her bulimia and self-harming speak of tainting appearances, and forcefully; her hallucinations of fellow ill-fated royal Anne Boleyn and her general anxiety make her fragile emotional state plain. She's introduced getting lost en route, then earning ire for being late, rebellious and just someone the Windsors must deal with — and the anguish that Stewart wears like a second skin is given ample origins. Spencer's magnetic lead portrayal is smartly underplayed, though, even as the heft of Diana's evident woes, and fight for survival amid the ghosts of history, fame and expectation, fills rooms. In fact, Stewart is all the more powerful for her fine-tuned vulnerability and introspection than something bigger would've been, as past examples have shown. The Crown has done Diana well so far, but the less remembered about 2013's Naomi Watts-starring Diana, the better. Every technical choice on Larraín's part beams brightly, too — or, if dim, it's by design. Spencer looks the grey 90s British drama picture, with cinematographer Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) baking in grey tones even when the hue isn't visible. Continuing to do stellar things with tension-dripping film scores, Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood adds this in alongside The Power of the Dog to his recent standouts. Spencer does capture warm moments, including sympathetic rapports with some estate staff (with compelling turns from The Shape of Water's Sally Hawkins and The Green Knight's Sean Harris, both ever-reliable), but it also ensures that the rarity of such exchanges in Diana's life is heartbreakingly clear. The upbeat 80s single "All I Need Is a Miracle" might set a glorious closing note, but this is always an equally bold and sensitive — and enthralling — portrait of England's rose wilting not from the sunlight she craves, but from the royal inferno.
UPDATE, September 24, 2021: Minari is available to stream via Stan, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Films about the American dream aren't simply about chasing success. The circumstances and details change, but they're often movies about finding a place to call home as well. Such a quest isn't always as literal as it sounds, of course. While houses can signify achievement, feeling like you truly belong somewhere — and that you're comfortable enough to set your sights on lofty goals and ambitions that require considerable risks and sacrifices — transcends even the flashiest or cosiest combination of bricks and mortar. Partly drawn from writer/director Lee Isaac Chung's own childhood, Minari understands this. It knows that seeking a space to make one's own is crucial, and that it motivates many big moves to and within the US. So, following a Korean American couple who relocate to rural Arkansas in the 80s with hopes of securing a brighter future for their children, this delicately observed and deeply felt feature doesn't separate the Yi family's attempts to set up a farm from their efforts to feel like they're exactly where they should be. When Jacob Yi (Steven Yeun, Burning) introduces his wife Monica (Yeri Han, My Unfamiliar Family), pre-teen daughter Anne (first-timer Noel Cho) and seven-year-old son David (fellow newcomer Alan S Kim) to their new 50-acre plot, he's beaming with pride. He's bought them "the best dirt in America," he says. It might only span a trailer, a field and a creek, but he's certain that it will revolutionise their lives. Although both Jacob and Monica still spend their days in a chicken sexing factory to pay the bills, Jacob is confident his agrarian dream will reap rewards. The path he's chosen isn't a glossy fantasy, though. From trying to work out where best to build a well to provide water for his crops, to endeavouring to convince stores to buy his wares, Jacob weathers more than his fare share of struggles. Monica's worries about their isolation, and about money, also weigh heavily, as do Anne and David's attempts to fit in, the latter's heart murmur and the change that sweeps through the family when Monica's mother Soonja (Youn Yuh-jung, Sense8) joins them. "Grandma smells like Korea," the curious and precocious David complains about his newly arrived grandparent — and it's a telling line of dialogue. When Jacob and Monica talk about their promises when they first got married, remembering how they said they'd "move to America and save each other", their words are just as revealing. Minari doesn't spin a broad culture-clash narrative, but it does intricately and intimately explore what it means to be pulled in two directions. It's well aware that leaving one's homeland isn't the same as surrendering one's heritage, and that anyone who hasn't been through the same experience can't always spot the difference. Born in US, David and his sister don't have the same connection to Korea as their parents; however, they're reminded of how they stand out in American's heartland on a daily basis. Jacob and Monica have different visions of what their life should entail, and how to maintain ties to the past — he wants to grow Asian vegetables to sell to markets who cater to other immigrants, while she wants to live in a larger city as part of the Korean diaspora — but they're constantly navigating the same push and pull. Fellow recent American-made releases Crazy Rich Asians and The Farewell also traversed comparable thematic territory, but through US-based Chinese American women who made eye-opening trips abroad — to meet their partner's relatives or visit their ailing grandmother. By contrast, Minari devotes every second to the Yi family's American lives. Rather than being driven by a homecoming, the film focuses on turning that soil that Jacob gushes over into the Yis' home. The power that radiates from Chung's choice here can't be underestimated. Nor can his decision to frame much of the movie from David's perspective, and to eschew overt conflicts for everyday dramas. Through a pitch-perfect blend of all three, Minari sees Arkansas as both a challenge and a playground. Starting anew here isn't easy, even with everything from overgrown grass to dutiful church visits taking on a larger-than-life feel from David's wide-eyed viewpoint, but Minari, Jacob and his loved ones are all committed to taking the bad with the good. In the Yis' case, setbacks come their way, adjustments are necessary and tense moments abound, but their dedication to calling their farm home manages to survive tough reality checks. The film's overall story can be summarised neatly — a Korean American family moves to middle America — but Minari's charms and triumphs aren't ever simplistic. As movies influenced by personal real-life tales can be at their best, this is a gorgeously and thoughtfully detailed picture, with Chung realising that trading in specific minutiae is far more resonant, compelling and relatable than opting for sweeping generalisations. Lensed by cinematographer Lachlan Milne (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), the feature's visuals operate in the same fashion, offering exacting slices of life that also shimmer with a shared, nostalgic mood. Indeed, this precise and vivid film is told with such honest and tender emotion that it was always bound to feel equally unique and universal. Minari isn't Chung's first feature, thanks to 2007's Munyurangabo, 2010's Lucky Life and 2012's Abigail Harm, but it's the kind of heartfelt yet meticulous movie that instantly cements him as a filmmaker to watch. Young Kim does take his debut leap into cinemas, and makes just as strong an impact, stealing every scene he's in. Considering that the child actor stars opposite the always-magnetic Yeun, who turns in his latest excellent performance and may well receive an Oscar nomination for his efforts, that's no minor feat. Han, Youn and Cho are just as stellar, though, as is Will Patton (Halloween) as a devout but kindly Korean War veteran who virtually becomes another member of the family. The way that Minari's cast comes together so exceptionally couldn't be more apt, actually. They each find the space to explore hard-earned dreams, and feel like they're taking viewers home with the Yis in the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbE96sCJEjo
If someone asked you to name vodka's ingredients, you'd probably say grain or potatoes. Over at Vodka+, however, it whips up the spirit using Barossa Valley grapes, drawing upon Australia's strong wine history. The Melbourne-based outfit's top drop also features Bass Strait rainwater and lemon myrtle from Queensland, sharing the love around the country. The result: a tipple has a particularly rich and smooth taste, although it's not the only product in the company's range. If you can never decide what to pair vodka with, the brand has its own lineup of sugar-free premixes. Pick from flavours such as ginger, matcha frappe, lemon and lime, acai and berry, and pink grapefruit. Vodka+' range is available via its online store — whether you're after a bottle of vodka by itself, a few premixes, or a mix-and-match pack showcasing its entire line.
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Camera d'Or at Cannes, Beasts of the Southern Wild is the impressive debut feature film from young director Benh Zeitlin. The film, which opens in cinemas from September 13, sees six-year-old Hushpuppy battle a hot-tempered father, melting ice-caps and monstrous creatures called the aurochs as she searches for her mother. Featuring moving performances from Dwight Henry as Wink and Quvenzhané Wallis as Hushpuppy, Beasts of the Southern Wild is a truly one-off fantasy drama that is at once magical and powerfully grounded. Concrete Playground has 10 double passes to giveaway to see Beasts of the Southern Wild. For a chance to win, make sure you're subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
With September comes some much-needed spring and — to build on the beers in the sun you've no doubt been raring for — so too comes Oktoberfest. The famous German beer drinking festival runs for three weeks, kicking off before actual October, and it's a big deal in Munich, Bavaria. It's certainly not a small deal here, either, with Hofbräuhaus Melbourne, located right in the heart of Chinatown, leading the fray in the festivities in this part of the world. It's one of the oldest German restaurants in the country and has been celebrating Oktoberfest for more than fifty years — so, it knows how to throw a party. Starting on Saturday, September 21 and running for five weeks, the opening party will bring huge steins of bier, obviously, as well as live entertainment, stein carrying comps (it's even harder than it looks) and Bavarian feasting. The winner of the competitions can get themselves a whole year of free Hofbräuhaus bier, so it's worth doing a few arm days at the gym between now and then. The day will start at 12pm for the Oktoberfest Lunch session, with a traditional keg tapping in the restaurant at 3pm. Afterwards, the party will be kicking on in the 'bierhall'. If huge biers and German comfort food are your things, then it's time to crack out the lederhosen or dirndl and prepare yourself for the festivities. Plus, over the course of the five-week party, you can go into the running to win a trip for two to Bavaria, including flights, a private tour in a Bavarian brewery and a hot air balloon ride. All you have to do is spend a minimum of $65 per person between Saturday, September 21 and Friday, October 25. Table bookings are necessary — book here or over the phone.
Ever wondered who designed the iconic black and yellow Solo can? Les Mason was not only the original Solo man, but was Australia's Don Draper equivalent in the 1960s, revolutionising mundane graphic design, and making it into an art form worthy of critical praise and galleries. From the iconic product designs of melt-in-your-mouth-and-hand Cadbury to the ever-classy Epicurean magazine, find out what advertising was like pre-photoshop at Les Mason: Solo. This free exhibition at NGV Design Studio will feature over 200 designs and photographs from the maverick graphic artist — a captivating insight into Mason's prolific career. Praised for his critical eye and bold use for experimentation in design, Les Mason was the first to combine Dada and Surrealism into advertising. The exhibition showcases his rigorous and disciplined process that had the ability to influence consumer decision-making, from vibrant colour rainbow graphics to packaging, architectural graphics and more. Les Mason: Solo is showing now, and will run until February 21.
If you're the sort of person who likes to eat meat until you start shaking with the meat sweats and can (m)eat no more, then a festival very relevant to your interests is coming to town. Meatstock Festival, a two-day celebration of all things animal, is setting up its smoky self in the Melbourne Showgrounds on the weekend of March 23 and 25. Not just your regular food festival, bands on the Meatstock lineup include Bob Evans, Henry Wagons, The Sweet Jelly Rolls, Long Johns, Frank Sultana, Cigany Weaver, Mojo Juju, Adrian Eagle, The Little Quirks and Benny Walker. Sure, there'll be less music than there is at Woodstock, but there will be 200 percent more tasty meat-related foods. The food stars of the show are Burn City Smokers, Black Bear BBQ, Rangers Texas BBQ, Fancy Hank's and more. Try some of each, or make your way through all of the food stalls and then fall into a sweaty, cholesterol-heavy heap — don't say we didn't warn you. Finally, for a little old-fashioned rivalry, the festival will be running its Butcher Wars, which will basically be a bunch of hopefully unbloodied people running around competing and wielding various knives. There's also Barbecue Wars too, heating up the grill in more ways than one. What a weekend.
Samurai! Robots! Sword-fighting school girls! It can only be Japanese cinema. The Japanese Film Festival, which started on November 29 and will be screening at both ACMI and Hoyts Melbourne Central, is far from being a straight forward ninja fest. The program covers an eclectic range, from opening nighter Thermae Romae, about an Ancient Roman architect travelling forward in time in search of modern toilets, to A Terminal Trust, a pensive drama tackling the hard topic of euthanasia, to Helter Skelter, a thriller set in a beauty-obsessed world of celebrity and plastic surgery. ACMI is also running a free program of sixties classics from Yasuzo Masumura, one of the key figures in Japan’s answer to the New Wave. Now in its sixteenth year, the festival showcases the wonderful diversity of Japanese film, challenging audience expectations and defying cultural cliches. Although the sword-fighting school girls will be there too.
Remember the girl who supposedly left a heartbroken (and potentially drunken — but who's to say when Messina's involved) break-up voicemail on Gelato Messina's answering machine when she found they had closed early on New Year's Eve? Well, you can thank her, because this afternoon Messina is delivering tubs of a gelato created in her honour — for just $1. Yep, $1. In an attempt to win back upset ice cream lover Cecillia, Messina has made a bespoke creation from her favourite flavours. And from salted caramel gelato with baked cheesecake, candied macadamia nuts and hazelnut fudge, the Voicemail was born. Perhaps as an act of good faith, Messina is selling it in 500-gram tubs for just $1. You just have to order it through Deliveroo today — Tuesday, January 24 — between 3pm and 5pm. It's available for delivery in the Sydney CBD and inner east area and around Fitzroy and South Yarra in Melbourne. If you miss out on the delivery window, don't chuck a tantie (or ring Messina) — the Voicemail is going to be available on Deliveroo past 5pm (albeit at a regular price).
This year's Australian Open is a food lover's dream, showcasing a smorgasbord of cuisines from across the planet and catering to every palate. One of the hottest seats is Bar Atrium with its Yarra and city skyline views — the perfect backdrop to a three-course Lebanese-inspired brunch curated by Melbourne's own celebrated master of modern Middle Eastern cooking and food pop-up king, Tom Sarafian. As the sun sets, the venue transforms into an 'After Eight' experience, featuring bar snacks by Sarafian and cocktails from The Everleigh. Meanwhile, at John Cain Arena's Fusion Feast you'll find dishes from beloved chefs like Ross Magnaye of Serai and Jessi Singh of Daughter-In-Law. Enjoy tastes of Italia at Garden Square with Lygon Street Italian. Iconic Melbourne joints King & Godfree, D.O.C, and Brunetti Classico will serve up classic Italian dishes from pizza al taglio to delish porchetta rolls. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Seafood lovers can head to the AO Courtside Bar, where Bondi's Fish Shop is serving up bar bites, while Fishbowl makes another appearance at Grand Slam Oval, serving fresh and flavoursome items from its Street Food concept menu. For a taste of Spain, visit Abel Lusa's Cambio de Tercio for traditional and modern tapas. Not far away, the Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Bar offers a touch of fancy, a perfect spot for sipping champagne while watching the matches. For those looking for salvation amid the Aussie summer heat, don't miss the signature Peach Melbourne soft serve at AO Ballpark. Or head to the Peroni Bar for ice-cold respite. Canadian Club's Cabana Bar (to accompany the already-announced Racquet Club) and the Squealing Pig Wine Terrace are also on hand to provide tournament-goers with some quality watering hole options. If kicking back and relaxing with an Aperol Spritz while in the thick of the Aus Open atmosphere is more your thing, head to Terrazza Aperol. Rockpool Bar and Grill, Penfolds Restaurant and Stokehouse are also back for another Australian Open appearance, as are the much-loved Rod Laver Arena Superboxes by Shane Delia's Maha and Nick and Nora's. So, with all that being said, our tip for the Australian Open? Wear loose pants.
CHiPS is an extraordinarily annoying film. Annoying, because it's 85 per cent predictable, homophobic rubbish, but also 15 per cent genuinely funny. The quality of those few jokes that do land hence raises the question: was the writer, director and star Dax Shepard just lucky on those rare occasions? Or was he simply lazy on all others? Given the movie is merely the latest in a long line of old TV show reboots, laziness seems the more likely contender. This hypothesis gains further credibility when you consider the comedic chops of Shepard's cast, which includes Michael Peña, Kristen Bell and Maya Rudolph, among others. Hell, Shepard himself is no mug when it comes to making us laugh; how he, or anyone else, could possibly think this script was strong enough to move into production may forever remain a mystery. The plot of CHiPS is at once hideously convoluted and entirely predictable. Peña plays Frank "Ponch" Poncherello, an FBI agent going undercover into the California Highway Patrol in order to expose a gang of corrupt officers suspected of carrying out a series of armoured car robberies. He's partnered up with probationary officer Jon Baker (Shepard), a former X-Games motorcyclist whose body is now in a state of such ruin it's comparable to that of Lloyd Bridges' Admiral Benson in Hot Shots. Addicted to pain killers and determined to win back his adulterous trophy-wife Karen (played by Shepard's actual wife Kristen Bell), Baker is an Owen Wilson-esque modern age man forever discussing the closure of issues and expressing concern for Peña's presumed homophobia. Together, Ponch and Baker cycle around California, occasionally doing police work, but mostly just swearing, masturbating and blowing things up until the movie just sort of ends. The funny bits are funny – a moment involving a hit and run with paparazzi, for example, elicited actual applause from our audience. But successful gags are so few and far between that it makes the exercise of discovering them feel like too much for too little. Vincent D'Onofrio does a solid job imbuing his gang leader character with at least some degree of complexity when all other characters around him are merely caricatures. But it's not nearly enough to save this otherwise decidedly dull and frequently downright cringeworthy affair. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IfqqUTW-i4
