Spraying reboots, remakes, sequels and prequels across cinema screens like a spirit supposedly sprays ectoplasm — gushing reimaginings, spinoffs and seemingly never-ending franchises, too — Hollywood ain't afraid of no ghosts. It loves them in horror movies, obviously, but it adores the spectre of popular intellectual property even more. These phantoms of hits gone by can be resurrected again and again, all to make a profit. They haunt both cinemas and box-office blockbuster lists, making film-goers and the industry itself constantly feel like they're being spooked by the past. With 14 of Australia's 15 top cash-earning flicks of 2021 all falling into the been-there-done-that category in one way or another, looking backwards in the name of apparently going forwards is now mainstream filmmaking 101, and the big end of town rarely likes bustin' a money-making formula. After more than a few pandemic delays, that's the world that Ghostbusters: Afterlife floats into — a world that's made worshipping previous glories one of the biggest cash-spinners show business could've ever dreamed up. The fourth feature to bear the Ghostbusters name, but a new legacy sequel to the original 1984 film, this reanimated franchise entry certainly sports a fitting subtitle; treating its source material like it's nirvana is firmly filmmaker Jason Reitman's approach. To him, it might've been. Although he established his career with indie comedies such as Thank You for Smoking and Juno, he's the son of director Ivan Reitman, who helmed the OG Ghostbusters and its 1989 follow-up Ghostbusters II. To plenty of fans, those two initial comedy-horror flicks were something special as well; however, acknowledging that fact — and trying to recreate the feeling of being a kid or teen watching the first Ghostbusters nearly four decades ago — isn't enough to fuel a new film. To be fair, the younger Reitman isn't particularly interested in making a new movie; Be Kind Rewind's "sweded" Ghostbusters clips are more original than Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Instead, he directs a homage that sprinkles in links to its predecessor so heartily that it's probably easier to name the scenes and details that don't scream "hey, this is Ghostbusters!" as loudly as possible. And, even when Reitman and co-screenwriter Gil Kenan (Poltergeist) appear to shake things up ever so slightly, it all still ties back to that kid-in-the-80s sensation. Sure, Ghostbusters: Afterlife's protagonists aren't adult New Yorkers, but they're small-town adolescents who might as well have ambled out of one of the era's other hot properties: Steven Spielberg-helmed or -produced coming-of-age adventure-comedies about life-changing, Americana-dripping, personality-shaping escapades. Phoebe (Mckenna Grace, Malignant) is one such child, and a new inhabitant of the cringingly titled Summerville, Oklahoma at that. With her mother Callie (Carrie Coon, The Nest) and brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard, The Goldfinch), she's made the move because the granddad she never knew just passed away, leaving a dilapidated rural property to his estranged family. The townsfolk speak his nickname, "dirt farmer", with mocking and intrigue, but his actual moniker — and all that equipment he's left behind — brings big changes Phoebe's way. While being Dr Egon Spengler's granddaughter doesn't initially mean too much to her, other than giving her love for science a genetic basis, she's soon segueing from testing out ghost traps with local teacher Mr Grooberson (Paul Rudd, The Shrink Next Door) to cracking Egon's secret efforts to stop a world-shattering supernatural event. Who ya gonna call? Reitman and Kenan's teen fantasies, presumably. The pair haven't taxed themselves with their screenplay, which reads like backyard cosplay. That said, when they're not getting characters to utter the obvious — including "who ya gonna call?", of course — or trotting out mini marshmallow men for no good narrative reason, Reitman and Kenan do expend ample energy differentiating Ghostbusters: Afterlife from 2016's Ghostbusters. Wrongly maligned by manchildren who claimed that women bustin' ghosts somehow ruined their childhoods despite the fact they're now ostensibly grown, the latter is a comic gem that's far nearer in tone to the 1984 flick than this new nostalgia dump. But the female-fronted film didn't linger on every Ghostbusters nod it could shoehorn in every 30 seconds or so, and definitely didn't regard all those winks as the sole reason it existed, so Ghostbusters: Afterlife is here to redress that (and, continuity-wise, to flat-out ignore that the last movie was ever made). It seems that Hollywood does want to blast away some spirits after all: the remnants of prior franchise entries that didn't thrill their diehard fans. There's no point asking if this is what blockbuster filmmaking is now, because we've all seen the proof countless times — but even Spider-Man: No Way Home's theme park-esque references to past web-slinging iterations still recognised the movies that weren't universally loved. The Matrix Resurrections plugged into its chequered history even deeper, defiantly making its two worst predecessors indispensable to the latest movie. But Ghostbusters: Afterlife doesn't dare challenge, surprise, or do anything other than pander to and try to evoke claps and cheers from viewers easily pleased by loving what they've always loved. Bringing back familiar faces, blatantly ripping off the original Ghostbusters' ending, tastelessly resurrecting (via CGI) the late Harold Ramis as Egon: there is no inspiration here, only bland, tedious, sentiment-coddling cinematic gruel. If only Reitman approached Ghostbusters: Afterlife less like inevitably inheriting the family business, and more like the smart, sharp and very funny comedies already on his resume. If only he'd brought over just a single proton-pack blast of Young Adult and Tully's disdain for idolising the past. If only he'd given the engaging Grace something more to do than act out his own path — learning to follow in her grandfather's footsteps, just as Reitman does with his dad. There's more where these laments came from, too. If only there really was something strange, unusual, wacky and silly in this movie's neighbourhood, other than Rudd never ageing. If only Ghostbusters: Afterlife wasn't just empty and easy fan service: the movie. If only it wasn't bloated, shot like a parody of an 80s all-ages adventure, far too influenced by Wolfhard's Stranger Things, wasteful of its cast, and determined to remind its audience over and over that better Ghostbusters films exist. This fourquel only has eyes for one movie, it ain't afraid to show it, and it isn't itself — and that's what it leaves you wishing you'd watched again instead.
You've gotta love a show that tells you what to exclaim whenever you're enjoying it, just received good news about it or simply can't stop thinking about it. For the past two years, The Great has been one such series — and "huzzah!" has been the word of choice. And, thankfully, it isn't time to stop bandying the term about just yet, with this satirical take on Russian history just getting renewed for a third season. Since it first premiered back in 2020, the concept has been all killer, no filler — following the rise and reign of Catherine the Great, including her marriage to and overthrowing of Emperor Peter III, with only the slightest regard for the actual facts. And while the series has always been supremely confident in its blend of handsome period staging, the loosest of historical realities and that savage sense of humour (it does spring from Oscar-nominated The Favourite screenwriter Tony McNamara, after all), it felt even more comfortable in its skin during its second season, which arrived late in 2021. Smoother, too, yet just as biting. In fact, The Great's ability to seesaw tonally is as sharp as a shot of vodka — or several — and you'll be able to enjoy it for ten more episodes whenever that third season hits. A release date hasn't been announced as yet, but you still now have more of Elle Fanning (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) as Catherine and Nicholas Hoult (Those Who Wish Me Dead) as Peter to look forward to. Given that the show's last batch of episodes saw Catherine waging war with Peter — via soldiers on the battlefield to begin with, and then in the royal court in the aftermath of her bloody coup — and also grappling with motherhood, The Great has spun quite the story already. Expect more devastatingly witty, entertaining and addictive dramas to follow, and for the series to keep living up to its name. Fanning and Hoult will be joined by returning co-stars Phoebe Fox (The Aeronauts), Adam Godley (Lodge 49), Gwilym Lee (Top End Wedding), Charity Wakefield (Bounty Hunters), Douglas Hodge (The Undoing), Sacha Dhawan (The Prince), Bayo Gbadamosi (War of the Worlds) and Belinda Bromilow (Doctor Doctor) when its third season hits, too, because this is a show with a phenomenally great cast. In case you haven't watched it yet, check out the trailer for The Great's second season below: The Great is available to stream in Australia via Stan and in New Zealand via Neon. The show's third season doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced.
Everything is looking bright at The Strand Melbourne, at least for the next month. Until Friday, March 6, the Elizabeth Street shopping centre is home to a dazzling new pop-up installation called DayDream — and multi-coloured flashing lights are a very big part of the 90-second experience. In total, the installation boasts more than 20,000 individual lights across its walls and ceiling, including a chandelier with 6000 miniature lightbulbs. To take in DayDream's vivid sights — and the ambient soundscape that goes with them — visitors walk through a dark archway, get cosy on a bean bag and wait for the door to close. Then, you simply sit and watch as the artwork does its thing for a minute and a half. The work of creative director Philip Bucknell and visual artist Jobe Williams, DayDream is designed to give shoppers a mindfulness break, all by digitally interpreting the known and unknown parts of the universe. Each week, it'll present a different theme — starting with 'End of the Rainbow', then heading 'Into the Wild', journeying into 'Deep Space' next and finally celebrating 'Summer Solstice'. Free to enter, DayDream is open from Tuesday–Saurday from 11am–3pm. Images: Tiny Disco.
The bayside suburb of Port Melbourne is diving right into the festive spirit with the return of its ever-popular Artisan Christmas Market on Bay Street. On Saturday, December 4, the buzzy shopping strip will be transformed into the ultimate Christmas gift-hunter's paradise (between Graham and Bridge streets), with a hefty array of stalls, plus food and entertainment options galore. Over 150 vendors will be showing off their wares, with handmade gifts, fashion, jewellery, homewares, art and more among the mix. Think: hemp-based craft spirits from Gippsland's Natural Distilling Co, Brentwood Collective's handmade soy candles, vibrant Making Trouble accessories and pooch-friendly goodies from the folks at Proud Pet Slave, to name a few. In between shopping your way through that Christmas list, you'll enjoy food and coffee from a bunch of local eateries, and a program of live tunes from local artists.
What will open with a Melbourne-set drama that won an Audience Award at Sundance for telling a Tehran-born, Australian-raised writer/director's autobiographical tale? What'll then pay tribute to Australian record executive and promoter Michael Gudinski in its centrepiece slot? And, what will feature everyone from Hugo Weaving to Michael Cera, a satire about a smartphone, and documentaries about vinyl cover art and the Australian Open, too? That'd be the 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival, with MIFF adding 20 more movies to its 2023 lineup. Cinephiles, get excited. MIFF announced opening night's Shayda as well as the world premiere of Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story back in May, but its program was only getting started. Given that the Victorian capital's annual cinema showcase spans almost a month including both its in-person and online runs — this year playing in cinemas in Melbourne from Thursday, August 3–Sunday, August 20; at regional Victorian locations from Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 13 and Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20; and also bringing back online platform MIFF Play from Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 27 — the number of flicks on its yearly bill runs into the hundreds. So, even the just-revealed new 20 movies on its list is still only the beginning. Weaving (Love Me) will pop up in The Rooster, a thriller about a hermit and a cop who form a bond during a crisis, starring opposite Phoenix Raei (The Night Agent). Shot in regional Victoria, it's the feature directing debut of actor-turned-writer/director Mark Leonard Winter (Elvis), and it's also one of the MIFF Premiere Fund titles on the festival's 2023 program — aka homegrown movies that the fest has financially supported. Also in that camp this year: the aforementioned Shayda; The Slam, a standout for tennis aficionados from director Ili Baré (The Leadership); cine-poem Memory Film: A Filmmaker's Diary; and This Is Going to Be Big, about Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School in Bullengarook staging a John Farnham-themed musical. After appearing in Barbie in July, Cera will grace MIFF's screens in August in The Adults. Yes, he'll be awkward — of course he will be — this time as a thirtysomething heading home. That film sits within the festival's international contingent, which is overflowing with impressive names and titles. Indeed, MIFF will also screen the latest feature by acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who won a Venice Special Jury Prize for No Bears. The Iranian great directs and stars, playing a fictionalised version of himself as he's fond of doing (see also: Tehran Taxi), and blending truth and fiction to examine how artists can too easily become scapegoats. After wowing audiences in Park City earlier this year, there's also Celine Song's debut feature Past Lives, telling a bittersweet romance about two childhood friends (Russian Doll's Greta Lee and Decision to Leave's Teo Yoo) who briefly reunite after decades apart. And, the lineup also includes Bad Behaviour, the feature directorial debut of actor-turned-filmmaker Alice Englert (You Won't Be Alone) starring Jennifer Connelly (Top Gun: Maverick); BlackBerry, which delves into the smartphone's rise and fall — and satirises it — with Jay Baruchel (FUBAR) and Glenn Howerton (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) among the cast; Passages, from Love Is Strange's Ira Sachs; environmentalist tale How to Blow Up a Pipeline; and the competitive hairdressing-focused Medusa Deluxe. Plus, fans of settling in for the long haul can also see four-and-a-half hour disappearance mind-bender Trenque Lauquen. MIFF will screen The Kingdom Exodus, Lars von Trier's latest followup to 1994's miniseries The Kingdom and its 1997 second season, too. Béla Tarr's 2000 drama Werckmeister Harmonies, a slow-cinema great, will also play the fest thanks to a new 4K restoration. Lovers of movies about music can add Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis), which hails from Control's Anton Corbijn and hones in on the titular photo-design company and its contribution to record cover art, to their MIFF schedule. Louder Than You Think is similarly part of the same program strand, with Gary Young from Pavement at its centre. Throw in documentaries The Disappearance of Shere Hite (about the 70s sexologist), The Echo (about rural Mexican life) and A Storm Foretold (about Roger Stone, adviser to Donald Trump), and MIFF 2023 is already off to a massive start for its 71st edition. As for what else is in store — including which movies will compete in the festival's Bright Horizons Competition, which launched in 2022 — that'll be unveiled on Tuesday, July 11. For now, MIFF Artistic Director Al Cossar is teasing "essential, incredible, unexpected cinema from the whole world before us, far beyond the streamers, far beyond the multiplex – hotly anticipated works by iconic filmmakers, alongside new and breakthrough voices waiting to be discovered". [caption id="attachment_904296" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Zan Wimberley[/caption] The 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival runs from Thursday, August 3–Sunday, August 20 at a variety of venues around Melbourne; from Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 13 and Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20 in regional Victoria; and online nationwide with MIFF Play from Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 27. For further details, including the full program from Tuesday, July 11, visit the MIFF website.
Forget the trashy mags conveniently placed just near supermarket checkouts, and forget whatever the real-life royals are up to, too. These days, if you're keen on regal intrigue, then you're hooked on Netflix drama The Crown. And, after two eventful seasons, you're definitely eagerly awaiting the show's third batch of episodes — following the same characters but with an all-new cast. Since 2016, The Crown has peered inside both Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street, unpacking the goings-on behind Britain's houses of power. Set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the series has charted her wedding to Prince Philip, her coronation and the birth of her children (aka Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward). As well as delving into the monarch's marital ups and downs, The Crown has also explored the romantic life of her sister, Princess Margaret, plus the major political events throughout the late 40s, entire 50s and early 60s. During all this, viewers have become accustomed to seeing Claire Foy as Elizabeth, Matt Smith as Philip and Vanessa Kirby as Margaret. In the third season, however, they've all been replaced to better reflect the passing of time. Fresh from winning an Oscar for The Favourite earlier this year, Olivia Colman steps into ol' Lizzie's shoes, while Tobias Menzies and Helena Bonham Carter do the same with Philip and Margaret. Also joining the show is Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles, Erin Doherty as Princess Anne and Marion Bailey as the Queen Mother. Given the change of cast, and the fact that The Crown's last episodes hit Netflix at the end of 2017, the show's third season has been eagerly anticipated. While neither last month's first teaser nor the just-dropped new sneak peek provide much at all in the way of detail, they both offer a glimpse at Colman as the Queen — with the latest teaser making fun of Her Majesty's transition from young woman to "old bat", in the words of the royal herself. Eventually, a full trailer is bound to drop, giving fans a broader look at the show's new stars. And, hopefully, touching upon the third season's storyline, which'll chart the years between 1964–1977, including Harold Wilson's (played by The Man Who Killed Don Quixote and The Children Act's Jason Watkins) two stints as prime minister. If you're waiting for the Margaret Thatcher era, and the arrival of Princess Diana, they're expected to be covered in The Crown's fourth season. For now, check out the third season's latest teaser below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_TE8yi58S8 The Crown's third season will hit Netflix on November 17. Image: Des Willie / Netflix.
Bangarra Dance Theatre's new work Dark Emu is an exploration of the relationship between Australia's Aboriginal people and the land — and their extraordinary knowledge of Australia's plants, animals, landforms and climate. It's also a portrait of the harrowing impact European settlement had on this bond. The show takes inspiration from Bruce Pascoe's nonfiction book of the same name, which covers the complexities of indigenous farming, fishing and landcare techniques. "Before colonisation, Aboriginal people were one with the land and respect for earth, sky and ocean was central to life," says director Stephen Page. "We want to make people aware of the strength and resilience of Aboriginal people and celebrate their profound knowledge of agriculture and aquiculture, which belongs at the epicentre of Australian history." Coming to Arts Centre Melbourne from September 6-15, Dark Emu is Page's 25th project for Bangarra. In putting together the 70-minute, four-part show, he worked closely with dancers and collaborators Yolande Brown and Daniel Riley, as well as the Bangarra troupe. Image: Daniel Boud.
For a long time, Lane's Edge had the location but not necessarily the polish. It was a fun, after-dark bar and restaurant with a sweet laneway position and a great little beer garden. But the food was underwhelming and there wasn't much to draw people from flashier neighbours like San Telmo, Cherry bar, Siglo and Punch Lane. However, after undergoing an extensive refurb and top-to-bottom refresh in 2021, Lane's Edge is back. And it's looking amazing! The decor is chic and modern, the lighting is killer, and there's an incredible jungle mural on the opposite laneway. The food has had a glow-up too, with chilli Tuscan olives, prawn spring rolls with chipotle mayo, and hefty pastrami subs pushing out the old unexciting pub grub menu. There's also an excellent wine list, focussing on regional varietals from Mornington, Margaret River and South Australia's Limestone Coast. The end result? Boozy, brash and straight-up fun. Lane's Edge is finally delivering on its potential.
Like all the good things in life, Melbourne Music Week (MMW) — which is renowned for throwing gigs in unusual Melbourne venues — has proven it only gets better with age. And you can bet this annual celebration of Melbourne's world-class music scene has big things up its sleeve for its tenth anniversary edition. Descending on the city from Friday, November 15, to Saturday, November 23, the festival of aural delights will this year pay tribute to some of the highlights of its first decade. The retrospective program that once again transforms unlikely spaces across the city into rollicking live music venues — like the Melbourne Star Observation Wheel cabins, St Paul's Cathedral and a secret space in Hamer Hall. The program features heaps of parties, talks, pop-ups and over 100 free gigs and performances, with lots of local and international talent. To help you make your way through the program, we've picked out six events to start you off. Lots of them are free (or pretty affordable) and all of them will be a fun time. Plus, make sure you schedule in a visit to the MMW hub which is a throwback to its immersive glowing pop-up venue from 2011, Kubik.
Once again, Melbourne's original shipping container bar Section 8 is celebrating Christmas with a proper knees-up, in the form of a free eight-day party. From December 19–26, the famed CBD beer garden will become celebration central, playing host to a huge lineup of more than 30 great musical acts. The bar will open at 12pm daily for 8 Days of Christmas, with those dance-friendly sets running until late. Entry is free across the whole week, and gets you you front row seats to a stack of local favourites like Agent 86, Naru, Afrodelica, Amin Payne, Taijae, Mrs Wallace, Mr Pitiful, Tom Showtime, Ghostnotes and more. [caption id="attachment_849269" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Leilani Bale[/caption] As well as tunes, there'll be live projections from Isaiah Morris and Lava Brain, hoop shootouts in the laneway, and a bumper lineup of brews and cocktails to keep you kicking on as long as the festivities do. And from 12pm on Sunday, December 25, you'll catch Section 8's annual Orphan's Xmas Party, complete with a free barbecue, ice-cold beers and beats spinning from 3pm.
Melbourne's current lockdown has got lots of us seeking comfort in life's simple pleasures. Mountains of chocolate. Takeaway pizza. Maybe a healthy dose of chardonnay. Well, how do you feel about upping that mood with a huge, free haul of artisan cheese? Award-winning cheese producer That's Amore is celebrating its retail store's fifth birthday this month, with a week of gourmet giveaways valued at over $2000. Not only has it marked the anniversary by changing the Thomastown shop's name to The Cheesery, but it's set to dole out a swag of cheesy prizes from Monday, August 24, to Friday, August 28. Each day will feature a new giveaway, with details on how to win revealed over on Instagram. And there are some seriously tasty prizes among the bunch, including vouchers to spend at That's Amore's online cheese store, home-delivered hampers brimming with dairy delights, and a ticket to one of the producer's signature cheesemaking workshops. Oh, and one lucky winner will score an entire year's worth of cheese, receiving a gourmet cheese box sent to their door every month for the next 12 months. We reckon a prize like that would sure turn 2020's frown upside down.
Get your fix of nonfiction filmmaking at the first ever Indievillage Doco Film Festival. Presented by local film distributors Indievillage, this fledgling festival will take over Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn and The Cameo in Belgrave for three straight days of scintillating cinema from all around the world. The festival begins on Friday, November 27 with Alexandria Bombach's Frame by Frame. Part of the official selection at Sundance, SXSW and Hot Docs in Toronto, the film follows four Afghan photojournalists who must forge a path for freedom of the press in a country shaped by oppression and war. A number of the films on the program have a decidedly green bent. Ecocide: Voices from Paradise explores the impact of the BP oil spill on the residents of Grand Isle off the coast of Louisiana, while closing night film The Transparentsea Voyage shadows a group of athletes, musicians, artists and activities as they attempt to draw attention to coastal environmental issues. Anyone looking for something a little more out-there can also check out Danish director Michael Madsen's documentary The Visit, which considers humankind's potential responses to contact with alien life. For the full Indievillage Doco Film Festival program, visit their website.
Victoria's arts scene had a pretty tough go in 2020, with events cancelled and galleries shut for a good chunk of the year. But the brand-new PHOTO 2021 International Festival of Photography hopes to fire things up again, delivering a jam-packed program of art and culture from Thursday, February 18–Sunday, March 7. After a missed launch last year, the festival now makes its debut, with a forward-thinking lineup of exhibitions and events to grace streets, spaces and galleries across both Melbourne and regional Victoria. You'll have the chance to catch inspiring works from a diverse lineup of international photography talent — from Eliza Hutchison's experimental political works gracing the outside of Parliament House, to a participatory portrait project that'll see Fed Square flooded with faces, which ponders questions of identity across the weekend of February 18–21. Also on the bill: a series of bold works commissioned as part of the Metro Tunnel Creative Program, from the likes of New Zealand's Ann Shelton and Japanese artist Kenta Cobayashi. And prominent spots like Prahran Square, the State Library, the Royal Botanic Gardens and AC/DC Lane will be transformed into outdoor galleries, each hosting installations for the duration of the festival. [caption id="attachment_796408" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Untitled from Photographic Universe. 2019. © Kenta Cobayashi[/caption] Top image: An Invitation to Dance, Ann Shelton / Federation Square, Charles Thomas.
As announced by the Victorian Government over the weekend, metropolitan Melbourne has headed into a six-week stint of stage four restrictions. And, this time, you've got to stick within five kilometres of home when venturing out for essentials, including groceries. Only one person from each household can go out to get essentials just once a day, too. Some exemptions apply, but for the most part we've got no choice but to really embrace the 'shop local' philosophy. If you want to avoid the crowds of the big-name supermarkets, it's time to send some big love to your local fresh food market. From stalls offering click-and-collect services for locals to other vendors doing home-delivery runs, here's how Melbourne's markets are looking after your essential grocery shopping needs this lockdown. PRESTON MARKET, PRESTON Preston Market's food vendors remain open for business Wednesday through Sunday (8am–3pm), serving up a diverse selection of fresh produce, meat, seafood, deli goods, health foods and grab-and-go eats. If you're keen to minimise your visit times, some stalls are offering call-and-collect options, while others can deliver straight to your door. Head here to check who's doing what. Meanwhile, market vendors Athina's Deli, Mario's Meats, MNM Fruit, Nicks Proud Chicks and O Psaras Fish have teamed up to offer their own joint delivery service, running every Friday with free delivery for orders over $80. Head online to order before 11pm each Thursday. When is it open? 8am–3pm Wednesday–Sunday. QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET, MELBOURNE If you live within range, consider the Queen Victoria Market your go-to for fresh produce, food essentials and takeaway eats during these next few weeks of lockdown. The site's food and drink vendors are open Tuesday through Sunday, for all those grocery shopping needs. Additionally, the market's pre-order and pickup service allows you to shop a selection of vendors online, for onsite collection without even leaving your car. Pickups are available every day the market is open, with order cut-offs at 5pm the previous day. See the full range and order here. Or, you can sit back, relax and let the market haul come to you. These traders and eateries offer online shopping for home delivery — get goodies like Market Lane Coffee, Brick Lane beers, The Epicurean deli products and boxed cheese platters from Bill's Farm, dropped to your door. When's it open? 6am–3pm Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; 6am–4pm Saturday, 9am–4pm Sunday. SOUTH MELBOURNE MARKET, SOUTH MELBOURNE The historic South Melbourne Market continues to serve up the goods, with its food stalls, cafes and restaurants all open for takeaway. You can swing past from 8am on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to shop a hefty array of local produce and ready-to-eat fare. Keep in mind that there are social distancing measures in place, including a 150-person cap on crowds in the Deli Aisle. A number of vendors are also offering goods through an order-and-collect service, with pick-ups from the York Street carpark each Thursday. Check out the list of participating operators here and order by noon each Wednesday. Want to steer clear altogether? Jump over here to see which stalls and eateries are offering delivery on request. When's it open? 8am–4pm Wednesday, 8am–5pm Friday, 8am–4pm Saturday and Sunday. PRAHRAN MARKET, PRAHRAN Prahran Market's wide assortment of food and drink vendors remain open to the public for takeaway every Tuesday, as well as Thursday through Sunday. Pop in to stock up on deli items, fresh produce, meat, seafood, coffee and grab-and-go eats from all of your favourites. Alternatively, those living within range can shop almost 1500 items from 41 market traders, without leaving home. The Food Lovers' Direct online store is open for business, delivering market goods to a whole bunch of Melbourne suburbs. There's a $50 minimum purchase and a flat-rate delivery fee of $15. And you just need to order before 4pm to score next trade day delivery. Think, baked goods from Noisette, Maker & Monger cheese and organic treats from Ripe, dropped straight to your door. When's it open? 7am–5pm Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; and 10am–3pm Sunday. NOT IN THE ZONE? Here are a few other top independent grocers who'll take care of your essential shopping needs while you're living in stage four. FREDERICK'S, RICHMOND Family-owned Richmond grocer Frederick's is doing home-delivery runs within five kilometres of the store, for orders over $15. Order via Instagram or email to shop a range of fresh produce, ready-meals, pantry staples and even face masks. THE STAPLE STORE, RIPPONLEA This plastic bag-free bulk wholefoods store is operating a minimal-contact service from its front window, Tuesday through Saturday. There's also a click-and-collect option, plus delivery to addresses within five kilometres. TERRA MADRE, NORTHCOTE Throughout August, this Northcote food store will be trialling new service options in partnership with Hippocrates Delivery. You can shop online for delivery to select suburbs, or try click-and-collect for contactless pickups. [caption id="attachment_778749" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Wild Things Food[/caption] WILD THINGS FOOD, FITZROY NORTH It remains open to the public, but this Fitzroy North grocer is also offering delivery to a range of nearby postcodes ($20), as well as a next-day order collection service ($10). Until the online store is properly up and running, place your order by emailing shop@wildthingsfood.com.au. PACHAMAMA WHOLEFOODS + KITCHEN, BRUNSWICK This ethical grocery store and cafe is now dropping organic produce and vegan goodies to surrounding postcodes for a $5 flat-rate fee. Deliveries run Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, or you can opt for in-store pickup. Order via the website.
They're sticky, cinnamon scrolls, drenched in glaze and famous all across the USA. And at the end of 2019, they finally became available Down Under when Seattle-born chain Cinnabon opened its first Australian store in Brisbane. The company has launched two more stores in Queensland in the year or so since, which has been great news for folks up north. But, if you're a Melburnian looking to get your fix, you've been left wanting — until now. Come March, Westfield Southland will be home to the Cinnabon's first Australian store outside of Queensland — and, obviously, its first ever in Melbourne. So, get ready to head to Cheltenham to pick up plenty of sticky baked goods. When it opens on Wednesday, March 3, Melburnians will be able to grab a scroll on level one, near Coles — but be prepared to queue. The Brisbane stores attracted lengthy crowds for quite some time, even months after opening. Expect the lines to be a little longer in this time of social distancing, too. Just like the chain's other Australian shops, this one will sling a trio of Cinnabon cult classics, including the classic cream cheese cinnamon roll, the popular chocolate-drizzled Chocobon and very extra Caramel Pecanbon. They're available in both mini and large sizes, along with packs featuring either four or nine 'minibons'. There's coffee and lots of sugary drinks to pair with your snacks, too, including a cinnamon bun frappe. [caption id="attachment_755764" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Cinnabon Toombul[/caption] If you're yet to get acquainted with the decadent dessert creations, prepare yourself for aromatic, cinnamon-spiked dough made to a long-held recipe, decked out with stacks of signature cream cheese frosting and loaded with extras. They're notoriously tough to replicate. The Australian launch was first announced in January 2019, when family-run Queensland company Bansal Foods scored the Aussie rights to Cinnabon. Cinnabon has been going strong in America since 1985, so it has already picked up plenty of Aussie fans along the way. But, for Melburnians, this'll be the first time that we're able to get our hands on those sticky, cinnamon-infused baked goods on home soil. If you're super keen right now — and your tastebuds are well and truly tempted — the chain is already taking online orders for pickup packs that you can collect once the Westfield Southland store officially opens. Cinnabon will open at 8.30am on Wednesday, March 3 on level one of Westfield Southland, 1239 Nepean Highway, Cheltenham.
Looking for a rainy day activity? Here are five. Five of the most electric and immersive exhibitions to hit Aussie shores, and they're all happening this winter. From 100 artworks by Picasso to a showcase of MoMa works — featuring Dalí, Andy Warhol and more — and a field of 3000 flowers to an electric ode to the radical artists of post-war Germany, it's all happening down under. The only catch is that they're spread across the country, so keep an eye on cheap flights or plan an epic road trip and hit them all up. It'll cost you much less than flights to Europe, but will still transport you to an alternative world — whether that's New York, post-war Germany, a fictional flower-filled land or Alice's Wonderland.
The year is 2028, and Detroit crime is out of control. At least, that's what we're told. The city, frankly, has never looked better. But trust us: lots of crime. Omnipresent corporation OmniCorp is trying to get its new robot cops approved for use in the US, but Washington won't allow machines to have control over life and death. Enter noted human Alex Murphy, An Honest Detroit Cop who, thanks to a pesky explosion, is now in desperate need of a robotic suit that will keep him alive and also help fight crime. The two were meant to be together! If you haven't seen the original 1987 RoboCop, then fix that right now. It combines the two best things about 1980s cinema: a dystopian science fiction setting and a cop taking out drug dealers and other corrupt cops. But it's remembered as a classic, however, because of how sharply it satirises American culture. It may look like a dumb action film, but it's clever as hell. This 2014 remake is, at least, clever enough to aim for the same target. It opens with a right-wing talk show pundit and a futuristic — but all too familiar — Middle East war on terror. Rather than simply imitating classic scenes from the original, this new film sets out to do its own thing, to update the references, and that attempt is admirable. The problem is that this satire — which we'll come back to — is hung upon a fairly piecemeal story. There's little that propels it forward, and we're never left wondering how things could possibly turn out for our heroes. The mysteries are barely concealed; the nefarious plots, basic; the villains, flagged in the opening scenes. Minutes after the film is over, you'll be left with a few key images, but no idea what actually happened. Joel Kinnaman plays Murphy/RoboCop, and does a decent job with it. Murphy's hardly the most compelling character, but the struggle to maintain his humanity is handled with more care than most films of this ilk would bother with. The rest of the cast is more recognisable, filling out supporting roles with the likes of Samuel L Jackson, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K Williams, Jennifer Ehle and Jay Baruchel. The satire, though welcome, ultimately fails. Samuel L Jackson's talk show host gives the feeling that they reverse-engineered a conservative pundit based on Stephen Colbert's famous parody, and his appearances consistently bring the film to a screeching halt. Not only could these scenes be lifted out without any noticeable change to the story, but the film would actually flow better without this particular social commentary. And maybe that's the most trenchant point of all. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xPLSpmAtc1Q
He was one of the youngest cast members in Saturday Night Live's history. During his eight-season run on the iconic US sketch-comedy series, he riffed on his own life aplenty, then did the same in The King of Staten Island on the big screen, plus in streaming series Bupkis. If you've caught Pete Davidson's comedy specials, you'll know that the same applies when he's onstage, too — which Melbourne audiences can witness live in September 2025. Davidson has locked in an Aussie leg on his latest stand-up tour, playing three cities: Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. The whirlwind trip will see him perform three gigs three nights in a row, with a date with Palais Theatre on Tuesday, September 30 smack-bang in the middle. Beyond SNL and otherwise fictionalising his own experiences in cinemas and on TV — and beyond his Pete Davidson: SMD, Pete Davidson: Alive From New York and Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli specials as well — Davidson has rarely been far from screens over the past decade. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Trainwreck, Big Time Adolescence, The Suicide Squad, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Fast X, Dumb Money: they're all on his resume. Davidson's 2025 Aussie dates come just after his latest film, heist comedy The Pickup co-starring Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F), drops on Prime Video in early August.
It's the most obvious Game of Thrones line to quote. It's also been uttered more times than anyone can count over the past 11 years. When it comes to the arrival of the show's keenly anticipated new prequel series House of the Dragon, it rings oh so true if you live Down Under, too. Yes, winter is coming, as it does every year. In 2022, however, before the frosty season ends in Australia and New Zealand, this House Targaryen-focused new series is coming as well. Fans already knew that House of the Dragon would hit HBO at some point this year, but now the US network has dropped an exact date: Sunday, August 21 in the US, which is Monday, August 22 Down Under. Obviously, the show will hit locally at the same time, on Foxtel and Binge in Australia and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand — it's one of the biggest series of the year, after all. When that date rolls around, expect to spend more time with flame-breathing scaly creatures and the family that adores them. If you thought the Targaryens were chaotic already, delving into their history — and their love of using dragons to wage wars and claim power — is certain to cement that idea. We all know what happened to the last surviving members of the family in GoT, including Daenerys and her boyfriend/nephew Jon Snow; however, House of the Dragon, like Fire & Blood — the George RR Martin book that it's based on — jumps back 300 years earlier. Cast- and character-wise, House of the Dragon stars Emma D'Arcy (Misbehaviour) as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, the first-born child of King Viserys; Matt Smith (His House) as Prince Daemon Targaryen, the King's brother; Rhys Ifans (Official Secrets) as Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King; Olivia Cooke (Pixie) as Alicent Hightower, Otto's daughter; and Steve Toussaint (It's a Sin) as Lord Corlys Velaryon, aka 'The Sea Snake', a nautical adventurer from a Valyrian bloodline as old as House Targaryen. These Westerosi folk will all grace a tale that harks back to Aegon I Targaryen's conquest of the Seven Kingdoms — which is what started the hefty 738-page first volume in Fire & Blood's planned two-book series — and then works through the family's history from there. Aegon I created the Iron Throne, hence the returning favourite's prominence. And you don't have to be the Three-Eyed Raven to know that this tale involves plenty of GoT's staples: fighting, battles for supremacy and bloodshed. Also set to pop up on-camera: Paddy Considine (The Third Day) as King Viserys, Eve Best (Nurse Jackie) as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon and Sonoya Mizuno (Devs) as Mysaria, Prince Daemon's paramour. Behind the scenes, Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal are acting as the series' showrunners. Sapochnik has a hefty GoT history, winning an Emmy and a Directors Guild Award for directing 'Battle of The Bastards', helming season eight's 'The Long Night', and doing the same on four other episodes. As for Condal, he co-created and oversaw recent sci-fi series Colony, and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2018 film Rampage. House of the Dragon's arrival has been a long time coming. Game of Thrones finished three years ago, and given how successful it proved for HBO — even after its eighth and final season caused plenty of uproar — the on-screen world inspired by Martin's books was never going to simply disappear. Indeed, before GoT even finished, there was chatter about what would come next. So, the network first announced that it was considering five different prequel ideas. It then green-lit one to pilot stage, scrapped it and later decided upon House of the Dragon. Next, it opted to give novella series Tales of Dunk and Egg the TV treatment, too, and to work on an animated GoT show. And, it's been reported that another three prequels are also under consideration. Now, after all that, House of the Dragon's ten-episode first season creeps closer and closer. Mark your diaries this instant — you've got a dance with dragons come August. Check out the first teaser trailer for House of the Dragon below: House of the Dragon will start airing on Monday, August 22 Down Under via Foxtel and Binge in Australia and SoHo, Sky Go and Neon in New Zealand. Images: Ollie Upton/HBO.
It happened — it really, finally happened. After being forced to move online in 2020 due to COVID-19, then having to push back its 2021 dates not once but twice for the same reason, the Sydney Film Festival returned to cinemas around the city this month for a 12-day big-screen run. If you're seeing a movie in Sydney, there's nothing quite like seeing it at the glorious State Theatre — or spending almost a fortnight camped out there doing nothing but watching films. SFF hasn't forsaken the online realm, however. The pandemic turned attending film festivals into a virtual pursuit as well as a physical one, and Sydney's annual celebration of cinema is still keen to stream its wares. Enter SFF On Demand, the fest's digital offshoot for 2021, which is showing 56 feature-length films and 13 shorts between Friday, November 12–Sunday, November 21. It's the SFF you can keep enjoying after the IRL festival has packed up its projectors for the year. It's also the SFF you can head to no matter where you're located in Australia, all without worrying about border restrictions and plane fares. The SFF On Demand lineup is jam-packed with must-sees, too, including our ten picks of the online program. Yes, first we watched, reviewed and recommended ten excellent films showing during SFF's physical run, and now we've done the same for its virtual lineup to help liven up your at-home viewing. You can even stream SFF's two big award-winners — and they're definitely on our list. CRYPTOZOO Throw a fantastical menagerie worth of mythical beasts into a kaleidoscope, plus copious amounts of hallucinogens. Then, sprinkle in some savvy cynicism about capitalism, corporations, the military-industrial complex and the 21st century's consumerism-driven ethos, as well as a savaging of xenophobic attitudes and a keen awareness of how humanity has been impacting the natural world. Next, shake vigorously. That's not how you make a movie, even one that splashes hand-drawn animation across the screen and is happy to look like it has been sketched and coloured in while under the influence, but it's easy to imagine that this is how Cryptozoo came together in all its mind-bending glory. A wild ride of a movie — and one aimed purely at adults — it's outlandish, ambitious, irreverent and entertaining all at once. It's also as smart as it is silly, and it's just as willing to make more than a few statements in more than a few ways. In comic book artist-turned-writer/director Dash Shaw's (My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea) psychedelic alternative version of our own universe, and of the 1960s, unicorns, pegasi, krakens, gorgons and other critters of legend all exist. The titular locale is home to many thanks to cryptozoologist Lauren Gray (Lake Bell, Medical Police) and her mentor Joan (Grace Zabriskie, Twin Peaks), but it also doubles as a theme park for humans to gawk at its rare inhabitants. Lauren is devoted to trying to protect the creatures, called cryptids; however, that's easier said than done when shadowy mercenaries are trying to capture the same beings. Some critters take humanoid forms and it's one, Phoebe (Angeliki Papoulia, The Lobster), who encourages Lauren to challenge everything that she believes — and both wondrous and astute chaos ensues. HIVE In Hive, to peer at Kosovo-born actor Yllka Gashi is to look deep into a battler's eyes. She plays Fahrije Hoti, a woman who has never been allowed to stop fighting, although the men in her patriarchal village would prefer that she'd simply attend to her duties as a wife and mother, do what's expected and keep quiet. That's just another roadblock she's forced to rally against with every word, thought and breath. With her husband missing for years due to the Kosovo War, and her father-in-law eager to maintain the status quo, she's been trying to make ends meet in a town — and a male-dominated culture — that's unsympathetic to her plight. Fahrije isn't alone, however, with many of the village's other women also widowed due to the conflict and expected to somehow survive. So, with the beehives she dutifully attends to unable to keep paying her bills, she decides to start a female-run co-operative to make and sell ajvar, a pepper relish. A picture of blistering resilience, unflappable fortitude and baked-in sorrow, Gashi is phenomenal as Fahrije — and first-time feature writer/director Blerta Basholli puts in just as magnificent an effort behind the lens. They're both playing with reality, drawing upon the real-life Hoti's moving and inspiring story, but Hive could never be mistaken for a standard biopic. Lived-in fury and resolve buzzes through every exactingly staged and observed scene, and each facet of Gashi's performance as well, all as Fahrije weathers even more derision — and worse — for even dreaming of attempting to support herself. At this year's Sundance Film Festival, Hive became the first movie in history to win its World Cinema Dramatic Competition Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award and Best Director gong, and deservedly so. THERE IS NO EVIL The death penalty casts a dark and inescapable shadow over There Is No Evil, which is just as writer/director Mohammad Rasoulof intends. The Iranian filmmaker has spent his career examining the reality of his homeland, as previously seen in 2013's Manuscripts Don't Burn and 2017's A Man of Integrity — so much so that he's actually been banned from his craft, not that that's stopping him. With There Is No Evil, Rasoulof doesn't simply continue the trend that's guided his cinematic resume thus far. Rather, he interrogates the most severe form of punishment that any society can enact, and doesn't shy away from horrors both obvious and unplanned. To call the result powerful is an understatement, and it's won him Berlinale's prestigious Golden Bear in 2020, and now the 2021 Sydney Film Festival Prize as well. An anthology film that unfurls across four segments, There Is No Evil explores capital punishment, its impact and the ripples that executions have upon Iranian society. Even the mere concept of state-sanctioned killing rolls through the feature like waves, changing and reshaping much in its wake. It touches a stressed husband and father (feature first-timer Ehsan Mirhosseini), a conscript (Kaveh Ahangar, Don't Be Embarrassed) who can't fathom ending someone's life, a soldier (Mohammad Valizadegan, Lady of the City) whose compliance causes personal issues and a physician (Mohammad Seddighimehr, The Sad Widows of the Warlord) unable to practise his trade. While some sections hit their mark more firmly and decisively than others — There Is No Evil's introduction sets a high bar — this meticulously crafted movie, both visually and thematically, has a lingering cumulative effect as it ruminates on the threats and freedoms that come with life under an oppressive regime. THE JUSTICE OF BUNNY KING Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie have each enjoyed a busy few years. Since they co-starred in True History of the Kelly Gang, Davis has added Babyteeth, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears and Nitram to her filmography, while McKenzie has appeared in Old, The Power of the Dog and Last Night in Soho just this year alone. A drama about a mother desperate to reclaim custody of her children, The Justice of Bunny King slots in nicely on both actors' ever-growing resumes. It's Davis' movie — she plays the titular New Zealand mum, and inhabits the part like a force of nature — but McKenzie still leaves an imprint as Bunny's niece Tonyah. Both characters yearn for a life that doesn't constantly push them aside and ignore their struggles, and longing, determination and resourcefulness shines through in Davis and McKenzie's performances alike. When asked, Bunny describes herself as a "homeless squidgy bandit". She washes car windscreens in traffic for change, and runs her sister's household in exchange for a couch to crash on. And, as social services reminds her every chance they get, she doesn't have the requisite fixed address they require in order to release her kids (Black Hands' Angus Stevens and debutant Amelie Baynes) from foster care. Simply finding a house and being a family again is all that Bunny spends her days working towards, but needing to extricate Tonyah from a horrific situation soon becomes just as crucial. Making a memorable and heartfelt feature debut that pairs its standout performances with naturalistic imagery and a pulsating air of authenticity, filmmaker Gaysorn Thavat gives Bunny and Tonyah the one thing that the world around them won't: the space to have their stories heard, and to fly the flag for other women in similar circumstances. APPLES Add Apples to the list of films that owe a significant debt to The Lobster and The Favourite's Yorgos Lanthimos. Any Greek Weird Wave movie does, after the Greek filmmaker's 2009 feature Dogtooth made such a splash and helped ignite the cinema movement — but it's actually on that very title that Apples' writer/director Christos Nikou earned his first feature filmmaking credit. His time spent there as a second assistant director and script supervisor has served him well. Indeed, his own full-length debut sports the same deadpan tone, but Nikou doesn't merely try to emulate Lanthimos' success. Working with an accidentally timely topic — a pandemic, something he couldn't have foreseen before Apples' premiere more than a year ago — he finds his own way to tap into the ridiculousness at the heart of existence. There's much to poke, probe, ponder and parody, after all, especially when it comes to the difference between the genuine and the performative in daily life. There are no coughs or fevers fuelling Apples' sweeping illness. Instead, a widespread bout of amnesia has obliterated memories at random. For those who can't recall their past life or anyone in it, being cared for by the state awaits — followed by a step-by-step experimental process to learn to live in the world again. That's the new reality for Aris (Aris Servetalis, Alps), who is encouraged to take Polaroid photos to show how he's working towards normality, and also finds himself warming to fellow amnesiac Anna (Sofia Georgovassili, Thread). Apples finds the midpoint between playing it straight and seeing the absurdity in its setup, and it's a perceptive balance. Nikou also uses the film's fastidiously shot frames to muse on happiness, connection, and the latter's role in the former. EL PLANETA A film can be shaggy and precise at the same time — and both warm and melancholy, too. El Planeta is all of these things as it follows a struggling but resourceful mother-daughter duo. Leo (director/writer/producer/star Amalia Ulman) and María (Ulman's real-life mum Ale) have fallen on hard times, yet are desperate to cling to their middle-class existence in the Spanish coastal city of Gijón. María still slinks around in a fur coat and oversized sunglasses, trying to look the glamours part; frequently, she's lining her jacket's pockets during her shoplifting sprees. Leo is initially seen trying to set up her first job as a sex professional (Colossal filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo plays her potential client), but usually works as a stylist. As a video call with a fashion editor about a prospective New York gig with Christina Aguilera demonstrates, though, exposure is her usual form of payment. There's a witty sense of humour coursing through El Planeta's gorgeous greyscale frames — this isn't a social-realist post-financial crisis slice-of-life — but multidisciplinary artist Ulman still steeps her feature in all-too-real income inequalities. While she's taken loose inspiration from actual mother-and-daughter scammers who tried to fake it till they made it as socialites, she peppers Leo and María's days with markers of a society that cares little for anyone who isn't comfortable at worst and wealthy at best. Indeed, this is a movie teeming with devilish and revelatory details, from the frozen curses that María thinks will save them to Leo's dancing dress-ups, and including a clever Martin Scorsese fixation as well. The use of screen wipes and the whimsical score by Chicken suits its characters perfectly, though; they're not above embellishing their lives however they can, and neither is Ulman's playful and thoughtful delight of a film. NOWHERE SPECIAL If the way that cinema depicts cancer was plotted out on a scale, Babyteeth and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl could easily demonstrate its extremes. One sees its protagonist as a person first and a patient last; the other uses terminal illness as a catalyst for other people's emotions (the "dying girl" part of its moniker is oh-so-telling about how it regards someone with cancer as an afterthought). Nowhere Special thankfully sits at the Babyteeth end of the spectrum. Its premise screams weepie, given that it follows a 35-year-old single father, John (James Norton, Little Women), who needs to find an adoptive family for his four-year-old son Michael (first-timer Daniel Lamont); however, writer/director Uberto Pasolini opts for understatement and realism over wringing tears. His last film, 2013's Still Life, was also just as beautifully measured and tender, all without mawkishness — and he hasn't lost his touch during his sizeable gap between movies. Nowhere Special is bittersweet, too; as it charts John's quest to secure Michael the best future he possibly can without himself in it, it soaks in the ups and downs of their life together. Visually, it dwells on small touches in passing moments, such as the type of mirrored behaviour that a young son adopts from his dad, the sight of them walking around in matching baseball caps, and the joy Michael gets from washing his toy truck — because John works as a window cleaner. There's an unfussy, unsentimental but always empathetic feel to every second of the Northern Ireland-set movie, including with prospective new parents both doting and disastrous, and in John's efforts to make the most of the time that he has left with Michael. Both Norton and Lamont are both exceptional as well, in a movie that's firmly something special. NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN In Never Gonna Snow Again's opening moments, Ukrainian masseur Zhenia (Alec Utgoff, Stranger Things) walks out of a forest and into a gated community in eastern Poland. His destination is lined with lavish identical houses — the kind that the song 'Little Boxes' has satirised for almost six decades now — but he's about to be its most extraordinary visitor. His hands can help knead away physical troubles, and they can soothe minds as well. Trundling his massage table from well-appointed home to well-appointed home, he quickly builds up a devoted client list of well-to-do residents desperate for his touch. He steps into their worlds, spying their outward gloss — the similar wreaths on each door, the doorbells chiming with snippets of classic music — and palpating away their inner pain. There's a surreal, seductive and otherworldly atmosphere to Never Gonna Snow Again, which filmmakers Malgorzata Szumowska (Mug) and Michal Englert (also the movie's cinematographer) let float through their frames like a lingering breeze. There's also a devastatingly savvy interrogation of the type of rich lives that pine for Zhenia's presence, including their complete obliviousness to him as anything more than a salve for their ennui. Much festers in the feature's McMansions. As it contemplates the everyday malaise that dulls wealth's superficial glow, as well as the vast chasm between gleaming exteriors and empty insides, much haunts Never Gonna Snow Again, in fact. Plenty dazzles, too, including Szumowska and Englert's confident handling — the film could've easily crumbled in other hands — as well as Utgoff's magnetic performance. GAIA A vivid eco-horror set in South Africa's Tsitsikamma National Park, Gaia doesn't sport a subtle title. Referencing the Greek goddess who personifies the earth, it doesn't see its namesake as the warm and welcoming genesis of all life, however. Here, Mother Nature has a bone to pick with humanity and its wanton destruction of the planet. To be specific, she has bodies to overpower with serpentine tendrils and infect with the multi-hued fungal blooms that give Jaco Bouwer's (Balbesit: 'n Studie in Stemme) film its most spectacular images. That's a fate that forest ranger Gabi (Monique Rockman, Number 37) hopes to avoid after being separated from her boss Winston (Anthony Oseyemi, The Red Sea Diving Resort), then injured in a trap set by wilderness-dwelling survivalist Barend (Carel Nel, The Last Days of American Crime) and his teenage son Stefan (Alex van Dyk, The Harvesters). The mushrooms here aren't magic — they're mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. Gaia isn't nuanced about its environmental messaging, including when the mud-covered Barend starts preaching about the modern world's ruinous ills from his heated manifesto, but understatement and rallying against the ravaging of the planet really shouldn't go hand in hand anyway. And, leaning into that fury, as well as embracing nature's revenge, is what makes the movie so gripping. Bouwer hooks viewers from his first overhead shots of sprawling trees, keeps them enchanted with his hallucinogenic fungi and ramps up the tension with pitch-perfect sound design, but his vengeful jungle is the feature's most important inclusion. Too often, locations are deemed extra characters in films; Gaia actually earns that description. I'M WANITA In Amy, Whitney: Can I Be Me, Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry and similar documentaries, audiences nabbed behind-the-scenes glimpses at music superstars. Via personal and candid footage not initially intended for mass consumption, viewers peeked behind the facade of celebrity — but I'm Wanita evokes the same feelings of intimacy and revelation by pointing its lens at a singer who isn't yet a household name. The self-described 'Australian queen of honky tonk', Wanita Bahtiyar hasn't given filmmaker Matthew Walker a treasure trove of archival materials to weave through his feature debut. Rather, the Tamworth local opens up her daily existence to his observational gaze. Following his 2015 short film about Wanita, Heart of the Queen, Walker spent five years capturing her life — and the resulting doco is as wily as its subject is unpredictable. I'm Wanita mightn't spring from a dream archive of existing footage, but it does dedicate its frames to a dream point of focus; its namesake is the type of subject documentarians surely pray they stumble across. Since becoming obsessed with Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn as a child, Wanita has chased music stardom. Her voice earned her ample attention from her teen years onwards, and her first album received rave reviews that she giddily quotes now; however, she's spent her adult life drinking, partying, and supplementing occasional gigs with sex work. Today, she's a legend in her own head, and also an erratic whirlwind. I'm Wanita charts her trip to Nashville to finally make the record she's always wanted, and yet it never paints her tale as a simplistic portrait of talent unrealised. A Star Is Born, this isn't either — even with a glorious closing number that could easily cap off a Hollywood melodrama. Read our full review. Looking for more SFF On Demand recommendations? We've already taken a look at Strong Female Lead and A Fire Inside, too. SFF On Demand's 2021 program is available to stream between Friday, November 12–Sunday, November 21. For further information, head to the festival website.
Buckle up, beach goers, because it's that time again — the sand delivery has arrived and Section 8 is transforming into tropical beach paradise. The outdoor CBD bar's annual Urban Oasis Beach Party series is back for four nights this January, and the lineup will get you pumped. Along with a few tonnes of sand and plenty of beach umbrellas, each night will be a unique selection of beats, curated by a rotating cast of party posses who are bringing all their own DJs with them. The Operatives take the helm on the Thursday night, before handing over to SK Simeon and friends on Friday. The party comes to a head on Saturday, when The Flamin' Gala are taking over, while Sunday it's Autosea's time in the spotlight. Brews-wise, prepare to sip on Plantation Rum, plus brews from Stone & Wood and Napoleone. The fun kicks off at 5pm on Thursday and Friday, 3pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday. Images: Duncographic.
Now, this is a story all about how a 90s sitcom favourite got flipped-turned upside down. And we'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, to tell you how the show that gave Will Smith his big acting break became a new gritty reboot called Bel-Air. Yes, just by reading that last paragraph, you now have the theme tune to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air stuck in your head. But let's be honest: if you've ever watched an episode of the 1990–96 series, even if it was decades back, you've had the ridiculously catchy song immersed in your brain ever since. Whether that track will pop up in Bel-Air is yet to be seen — but the show itself will drop on Monday, February 14. In Australia, Stan will be streaming the series, which turns Smith's earliest acting claim to fame into a drama, updates it to modern-day America, but otherwise sticks to the same basic premise. Once again, a West Philadelphia-born and -raised teenager by the name of Will Smith — this time played by first-timer Jabari Banks — will make the move to the titular Los Angeles neighbourhood. Lavish gated mansions and disparate worlds colliding awaits, as do the Banks family, with Adrian Holmes (Arrow) as Will's uncle Phillip, Cassandra Freeman (The Last OG) as his aunt Vivian, and Olly Sholotan (Run Hide Fight), Coco Jones (Vampires vs the Bronx) and Akira Akbar (Captain Marvel) as his cousins Carlton, Hilary and Ashley. Also featuring: Will's pal Jazz, this time played by Jordan L Jones (Rel). As that storyline and character list shows — and the just-dropped trailer for Bel-Air, too — there's plenty that's familiar about the series, which has been developed by the IRL Smith with filmmaker Morgan Cooper based on the latter's 2019 short fan film of the same name. But the tone firmly takes a swerve to the serious, so don't expect to be giggling along with the latest classic series to resurface after years (see also: Gossip Girl, Saved by the Bell, Sex and the City sequel series And Just Like That..., just to name a few). Check out the Bel-Air trailer below: Bel-Air will start streaming in Australia on Monday, February 14 via Stan.
Haunted house films tend to follow an obvious formula: things go bump in the night, people get scared, and an escalating array of supernatural hijinks ensue. If you've seen one, you probably feel like you've seen them all — and The Conjuring 2 isn't going to change that. Thankfully, it isn't going to make horror fans abandon building-based scares either. Given that the latest movie — based on the exploits of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren — is a sequel, a certain amount of predictability is to be expected. Still, knowing how the follow-up to 2013 surprise hit The Conjuring will play out doesn't render its creaking floors, slamming doors and ghostly visions any less effective. Both frights and fun can be found as an English family attempts to break free from a malicious force, with the former largely springing from sudden noises and ghastly faces, and the latter resulting from the screams they inspire. Six years after Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farming) helped the Perrons through the events of the first film — and a year after the Amityville case that still remains their biggest claim to fame — the Hodgsons of Enfield need their expertise. Trying to raise four children alone, single mother Peggy (Frances O'Connor) is already doing it tough before spooky occurrences start targeting her 12-year-old daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe). When the Warrens are called in, they're not just asked to assist; they're also tasked with determining whether the otherworldly infestation is real. Of course, relishing the chilling ordeal inflicted upon the bewildered Hodgson clan is the film's primary focus, rather than exploring the hoax side of the story or even spending too much time with the evangelical exorcist and psychic assessing the situation. And as easily foreseeable as the jumps and jolts that follow prove, they're also teeming with tension thanks to the film's other significant presence: director James Wan. After kicking off the Saw and Insidious franchises, Wan did the same for The Conjuring, investing what could've been a routine horror movie with the right amount of vintage thrills and visual flair. Returning to the series after an action-packed stint at the helm of Fast and Furious 7, he does the same again, even if lightning doesn't exactly strike twice. Whether you've heard of the Enfield poltergeist before or you've simply seen The Exorcist, there's no escaping the been-there, seen-that status of The Conjuring 2. Thankfully, Wan's fondness for letting the camera prowl around the house in question, and his precise sense of timing when it comes to both the unexpected and the lingering, ensures that familiarity doesn't breed contempt. Instead, it's the length of the film, and the raft of repetitive scenes that help pad it out to 133 minutes, that may end up stretching your patience. Accordingly, the Hodgsons aren't the only ones fated to think that everything goes on too long — and the last thing horror viewers want is to feel bored and anxious at the same time. Luckily, when the movie works, it really works, a versatile performance by Wolfe at the centre of the sinister proceedings included.
When you've just made the best new TV show of 2022 so far, how do you respond? If you're Apple TV+ and you've had the streaming world obsessing over Severance for the past two months, you double down, thankfully. In waffle party-worthy news, the instantly addictive Adam Scott-starring thriller has just been renewed for a second season. No one needs to be listening to defiant jazz today, clearly. If you've missed the series so far, there's no better time to catch up — it drops its ninth and final season one episode this week, on Friday, April 8, and it's as phenomenal as everything in the show so far. The setup: a hellish office that'll feel familiar to anyone whose spent the nine-to-five grind sat at a desk, and yet is even more unnerving than your worst nightmare. And if you're wondering why the latter is the case, that's because Lumon Industries, the company as the series' centre, uses the futuristic technology that gives the program its title. #Severance has been renewed for Season 2. https://t.co/SbEtvE1yj1 — Apple TV (@AppleTV) April 6, 2022 What is severance? It's a drastic work-life balance solution — the kind that Black Mirror might've dreamed up, or could've been used if Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was about punching the clock instead of romance. To be specific, it's a brain implant that separates parts of your mind, leaving one section to solely focus on work and the other to live the rest of your life free from knowing what you get up to in business hours. That's the situation that Macrodata Refinement division employee Mark S (Scott, Big Little Lies) has willingly signed up for, all to help process his grief over the death of his wife. And he's happy with the scenario until his work BFF Petey (Yul Vazquez, The Outsider) leaves suddenly without saying goodbye, and new staff member Helly (Britt Lower, Future Man) comes in to replace him — and instantly starts questioning the insidious setup, the rules and restrictions needed to keep it in place, and why on earth her "outie" (as the outside versions of Lumon employees are known) agreed to this in the first place. Taking cues from the likes of Devs, The Truman Show, The Matrix, The Office and Office Space — and serving up a surreal workplace that often feels like the green-hued employment-focused version of Twin Peaks' red room — Severance has constantly delivered both intrigue and surprises throughout its first season so far. That remains the case in its final season episode as well. And, while this largely Ben Stiller-directed show has been diving deep into a mind-warping mystery that sounds like heaven but quickly proves anything but, it has also been smartly and savagely probing what it means to be a slave to the wage in 2022 — and what employers expect in return for a paycheque. Exactly when Severance will return for season two hasn't yet been revealed, but the fact that it is coming back is worth celebrating with a music/dance experience. Apple TV+ usually brings its hits back quickly, though — Ted Lasso backed up its first season the following year, for instance — so fingers crossed that Severance will be the best show of 2023 as well. Check out the trailer for Severance below: The first eight episodes of Severance's first season are available to stream via Apple TV+, with the ninth dropping on Friday, April 8. Season two doesn't yet have a release date, but we'll update you when it does. While you're waiting, you can also read our full review of Severance season one.
UPDATE, March 15, 2021: Skate Kitchen is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Skate Kitchen begins with a board, a banged-up pelvis and blood gushing down a leg. But stacking it once isn't going to keep Camille (Rachelle Vinberg) from shredding, grinding and nosesliding. Nor are stitches in her nether regions, or her mother's (Elizabeth Rodriguez) insistence that she give up her hobby. Instead, the film takes Camille gliding from the parks and pavements of Long Island to the streets of Manhattan, where a gang of girls skate like the city is their playground. They're the Skate Kitchen of Skate Kitchen. An all-female collective, they air, ollie and amble around town. They hang out, smoke joints, and shoot the breeze about anything and everything. They snap and record their tricks and kickflips, immortalising their antics on Instagram. And when they welcome Camille into the fold, it changes everything for the reserved, quiet 18-year-old. Early in what proves a laidback but layered movie, filmmaker Crystal Moselle captures Skate Kitchen's leisurely vibe and the effect it has on her picture's teenage protagonist. The irrepressibly catchy beats of Junior Senior's 'Move Your Feet' take over the soundtrack as the girls walk, dance and skate their way through New York City, and Camille couldn't look happier. As well as sending the film's frames freewheeling along with the group, cinematographer Shabier Kirchner cloaks his images in a warm glow — the kind that exists in your mind when you're simply content, regardless of what your eyes actually see. It's an ethereal sequence, and yet it's also grounded in naturalism. Sunny, carefree, comforting, vibrant: that's just how being part of Skate Kitchen feels. That's how watching Skate Kitchen feels as well, although Moselle's isn't a rosy coming-of-age portrait devoid of drama. Narrative-wise, the movie charts the push-and-pull that characterises Camille's life — first between the freedom of skating and the scolding of her overprotective mum, then between friends and family, and later between her new buddies and the wannabe photographer Devon (a flame-haired Jaden Smith) who they try to warn her away from. And, while the film marks Moselle's first fictional movie, Skate Kitchen itself is real. The endlessly fascinating Vinberg is one of its crew members. So is the scene-stealing Nina Moran, who plays the joker of the gang, as well as the affectionate Ardelia Lovelace, who becomes Camille's closest friend. Here, art both imitates life and does its utmost best to represent it accurately — even when sometimes packaged with a visual sheen that'd do Sofia Coppola proud. It's unmistakably rare to see a film featuring such authentic and candid conversations between teen girls. Such a diverse yet nuanced female group, spanning different races, sexualities and personalities, is hardly regular screen fodder either. And that's before noting the obvious: that depicting young women as skateboarders, letting them carve out a place in a male-dominated domain, and spending time with them just kicking around is so uncommon that it's almost revolutionary. Indeed, that's exactly why the movie's dreamy aesthetic is such a fitting choice. Until now, a film set in this world — that's intent on fighting back against gendered expectations, and that seems so achingly real — was basically a dream. Moselle knows a thing or two about stepping into an overlooked or undiscovered realm and revealing it to the masses. In 2015, her documentary The Wolfpack was a festival circuit hit, centring on seven home-schooled New York siblings — six boys and their sister — who were virtually forbidden to leave the house by their strict father. To experience the outside world, the factual flick's subjects escaped into movies, which they not only devoured on DVD but re-enacted and re-staged in an elaborate fashion. Skate Kitchen is The Wolfpack's fictionalised female-focused counterpart in many ways, and it also sees Moselle take her doco's core idea to the next level. There, cinema helped a sheltered family feel like they existed. Here, skateboarding does just that for a lonely soul, while the overall film will provide the same sensation for anyone who has ever been a teenage girl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VTFLvLtdYw
Stay tuned. More info is on its way.
The most popular piece of video art ever created is coming to Melbourne, and making time to see it is recommended. Of course, when you're staring at The Clock, all you'll have is time. You won't be able to avoid it. First premiering in 2010 at London's White Cube Gallery, Christian Marclay's mammoth installation is comprised of images of clocks and watches, plus other mentions of and references to the seconds, minutes and hours passing. In total, more than 12,000 clips are featured, cobbled together from an enormous range of films and television shows. The piece is both a meditation on time, humanity's fascination with it and its relationship to our mortality, and an epic trip through eight decades of cinema history. With The Clock's temporal collage unravelling in real time, that means one thing — yes, every second of the day and night is represented. The full version runs for an entire 24 hours, operating as the most intriguing timepiece you're ever likely to come across. As a result, when Marclay's masterpiece comes to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) between Wednesday, January 23 and Sunday, March 10, 2019, it will screen in two formats. You can drop by daily during ACMI's opening hours to see time pass, or you can settle in for the long haul once a week across the seven weeks. Yes, from 10am each Thursday between January 24–March 7, The Clock will screen its whole 24-hour run, which you can get cosy and watch. Taking place in ACMI's Gallery 1, entry is free, with The Clock marking both a return and a finale for the Federation Square spot. Back in 2008, the first solo exhibition held in the gallery was all about Marclay — and this will mark its last before ACMI closes for its huge revamp. Images: Christian Marclay, The Clock, 2010. Photos: Ben Westoby, courtesy of the White Cube, London.
I scream, you scream, we've all been screaming for ice cream — and, for once, the gods have answered our prayers (and then some). The annual Ice Cream Festival is back, from February 13–24, and this year it's taking place at three chocolateries and ice creameries across the Yarra Valley, the Great Ocean Road and the Mornington Peninsula. You may want to prepare the smelling salts because they'll be trotting out 12 new flavours a day. For 12 days. That's 144 unique flavours all up. Cue Homer-esque drooling. For $20 you can indulge in a tasting session that covers 12 flavours at once, or just rampage around the place like a deranged, hungry Pac-Man and try to taste 'em all at $4.80 a pop. Compare the relative merits of flavours like aloe and cucumber, Champagne, Fruit Tingles and Oreo cheesecake — all while relaxing in the grounds in either Yarra Glen, Bellbrae or Flinders (or at all three). You can also go beyond ice cream, if you so please, and taste ice cream-topped pizzas, waffle ice cream sandwiches and OTT sundaes. The view may well be lost on you as you slide into a sugar-induced happiness coma, but that's okay. They aren't inventing all those flavours for you to not try them. You will need to book tasting sessions at the venues — check out times for the Yarra Valley, the Great Ocean Road and the Mornington Peninsula.
In just the past year, Fred Armisen has popped up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, returned briefly to Saturday Night Live, played multiple characters on Documentary Now! and launched new Spanish-language horror-comedy Los Espookys. He has also co-starred with Maya Rudolph in existential dramedy Forever, voiced a hormone monster on Big Mouth and said goodbye to Portlandia. It's safe to say that he's had a busy 12 months or so. Next up for the hardworking actor and comedian is his first Australian tour, with Armisen bringing his latest show to our shores this August and September. No, he won't be donning wigs and different outfits, and pretending to be various residents from everyone's favourite Oregon hipster city. Sketch comedy does feature in this new show, however — and, this time, musicians are his target. Combining gags, songs and impressions, Comedy for Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome finds plenty of humour in the music industry, and, as Portlandia fans will know, Armisen is no stranger to combining tunes and laughs. While he's now best known for all of the aforementioned series, others like 30 Rock, Broad City and Parks & Recreation, plus as films as varied as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Battle of the Sexes and The Dictator, Armisen actually started out in Chicago punk band Trenchmouth. He also played drums for the Blue Man Group and, since it launched in 2014, he's been the bandleader and a frequent drummer for Late Night with Seth Meyers. As a result, Comedy for Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome isn't a case of a comedian poking fun at a different industry — Armisen knows what he's joking about. Heading to Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney, Comedy for Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome follows on from Armisen's Netflix special Fred Armisen: Standup for Drummers, which nabbed him a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album. If you need some amusement until Armisen hits the country, check out the Standup for Drummers trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAhvJMcLShU Fred Armisen's Comedy for Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome will play at Melbourne's Athenaeum Theatre on Thursday, August 29; Perth's Astor Theatre on Sunday, September 1; The Tivoli in Brisbane on Tuesday, September 3; and Sydney's Enmore Theatre on Wednesday, September 4. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Monday, July 15 — for further details, visit the promoter's website.
Victorian distilleries have made quite the splash at the 2021 Australian Distilled Spirits Awards, claiming half of the trophies handed out at this year's award ceremony, held overnight at the Melbourne Showgrounds' Victoria Pavilion. An impressive nine trophies were awarded to local makers at the prestigious ceremony on December 1, while McLaren Vale's Never Never Distilling Co took out the top gong, awarded Champion Australian Distiller. It's been a rough couple of years, but testament to the industry's fighting 'spirit', this year's awards saw a hefty 765 entries from 191 distilleries, with 90 gold medals handed out and hundreds more silver and bronze. Among the Victorians to claim victory was Eltham's Naught Distilling, whose Australian Dry Gin scored both the Champion New World/Contemporary Gin and Champion Victorian Gin trophies. The Mornington Peninsula's Jimmy Rum was named Champion Victorian Distillery, while its Jimmy Rum Silver nabbed the brand-new award for Champion Cane Spirit. North Melbourne's Cap & Bells earned gongs for its Marionette bitter orange curacao and dry cassis, and an exciting cask collaboration from Chief's Son and Mornington Peninsula Brewery was awarded Champion Australian Small Batch Spirit. Never Never — whose name you might recognise from the recent oyster shell gin collaboration with Lucas Group restaurant Society — also took out the trophies for Champion Navy Gin (the Juniper Freak) and Champion London Dry Gin (Triple Juniper Export Strength Gin). [caption id="attachment_761553" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Archie Rose's Rye Malt Whisky[/caption] Unsurprisingly, the New South Wales spirits scene also represented, with big wins for Archie Rose's Rye Malt Whisky, Regal Rogue's Lively White vermouth, and Mobius Distilling Co's Apple Pie Liqueur and 38 Special Vodka. Meanwhile, fresh trophies for Bundaberg and South Australia's Ginny Pig Distillery now offer a few extra incentives for that boozy interstate trip you've been plotting. Running since 2015, the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards is the country's largest national spirits competition. They're hosted by not-for-profit organisation Melbourne Royal, and judged by some of Australia's top distillers, booze retailers and spirits writers. For the full list of 2021 Australian Distilled Spirits Awards winners, check out the website. Top Image: Jimmy Rum, by Chris McConville
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas in some parts of the country. After numerous periods spent empty during the pandemic, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, picture palaces in many Australian regions are back in business — including both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. LIGHTYEAR In the realm of franchise filmmaking, "to infinity and beyond" isn't just a catchphrase exclaimed by an animated plaything — it's how far and long Hollywood hopes every hit big-screen saga will extend. With that in mind, has a Pixar movie ever felt as inevitable as Lightyear? Given the main Toy Story plot wrapped up in 2019's Toy Story 4, and did so charmingly, keeping this series going by jumping backwards was always bound to happen. So it is that space ranger figurine Buzz Lightyear gets an origin story. That said, the trinket's history is covered immediately and quickly in this film's opening splash of text on-screen. Back in the OG Toy Story, Andy was excited to receive a new Buzz Lightyear action figure because — as this feature tells us — he'd just seen and loved a sci-fi movie featuring fictional character Buzz Lightyear. In this franchise's world, Lightyear is that picture. It's hard not to see Lightyear as a new cash cow — the Toy Story series' cash calf, perhaps. It's also difficult not to notice that the Disney-owned Pixar has made a movie that renders a famed character a piece of film-promoting merchandise, all while also releasing a new range of Lightyear-promoting merch so that IRL kids can have their own Buzz Lightyear toy again, too. In 2049, will audiences be watching a flick about someone who saw this as a child, nagged their parents for a Buzz and developed their own love of animation, space, franchises or all of the above? It wouldn't be surprising. Of course, there's form for making Buzz a movie tie-in toy; the overarching series' other main figure, pull-string cowboy Woody, stemmed from a fictional western TV show called Woody's Roundup. Maybe that's what Pixar will now make next. Or, perhaps it'll release a film or show based on one of Lightyear's new characters, feline robot companion SOX. Yes, you can now buy toy versions of it in reality as well, because of course you can. Buzz Lightyear and a cute cat that talks? The head of Disney merchandising must've seen potential piles of cash stacked to infinity and beyond purely at the thought of it, and director Angus MacLane (Finding Dory) along with him. Thankfully, as calculated as Lightyear's existence clearly is — and it's as blatantly engineered by bean counters as any movie can be — it's still likeable enough. It only slightly feels like a flick that might've actually come out around 1995, though, even if Apollo 13 sat second at the global box office that year (behind Toy Story, fittingly). And, after sending the wonderful Soul and Turning Red straight to streaming during the pandemic, plus Luca, it's also a standard pick for Pixar's return to the big screen. Buzz the live-action film hero — flesh and blood to in-franchise viewers like Andy, that is, but animated to us — also goes on an all-too-familiar journey in Lightyear. Voiced by Chris Evans (Knives Out) to distinguish the movie Buzz from toy Buzz (where he's voiced by Last Man Standing's Tim Allen), the Star Command space ranger is so convinced that he's the biggest hero there is, and him alone, that teamwork isn't anywhere near his strength. Then, as happens to the figurine version in Toy Story, that illusion gets a reality check. To survive being marooned on T'Kani Prime, a planet 4.2 million light-years from earth filled with attacking vines and giant flying insects, the egotistical and stubborn Buzz needs to learn to play nice with others. For someone who hates rookies, as well as using autopilot, realising he can only succeed with help takes time. Read our full review. MEN Since popping up over the last decade, the term 'elevated horror' has always been unnecessary. Used to describe The Babadook, It Follows, The Witch, Get Out, Hereditary, Us, Midsommar and more, it pointlessly claims that such unsettling flicks have risen above their genre. Each of these movies is excellent. They all boast weight and depth, trade in metaphors with smarts and savvy, and have style to go with their creeps and thrills. But thinking that's new in horror — that pairing unease with topical woes or societal fears is as well — is as misguided as dubbing Michael Myers a hero. With a name that makes its #MeToo-era point plain, Men has been badged 'elevated', too, yet it also does what horror has at its best and worst cases for decades. That the world can be a nightmare for women at the hands of men isn't a fresh observation, and it's long been a scary movie go-to. Still, Men stresses that fact in an inescapably blunt but also unforgettable manner. The film's setting is an English manor, where Harper Marlowe (Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter) hopes for a solo stint of rest, relaxation and recuperation. Processing a tragedy, shattering memories of which haunt the movie as much as its protagonist, she's seeking an escape and a way to start anew. The initial hint that she won't find bliss comes swiftly and obviously, and with a sledgehammer's subtlety. Arriving at an idyllic-looking British countryside estate, Harper is greeted by an apple tree. She plucks one from the abundant branches, then takes a bite. Soon, she's told by her host Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear, Our Flag Means Death) that it's forbidden fruit. He also says he's joking — but in this garden, a woman will again shoulder a society's blame and burdens. As overt and blatant as this early exchange is, there's an intensely unnerving look and feel to Men from the outset. Returning to the big screen after excellent sci-fi TV series Devs, writer/director Alex Garland isn't a stranger to visually stunning, deeply disquieting films that ponder big ideas; see: the complex, eerie and sublime Ex Machina, plus the similarly intricate and intriguing Annihilation. Oscar Isaac doesn't turn up this time, let alone dance. Buckley and Kinnear do turn in mesmerising and magnificent powerhouse performances amid the perturbing mood and spectacular imagery. Gender expectations also get probed and challenged, as do genres. And, things get strange and insidious after Harper tries to lap up her bucolic surroundings. Those blood-red walls sported by Harper's atmospheric centuries-old home-away-from-home? That's another glaring warning. Also discomforting: the jump-scare glitch when she video chats with her best friend Riley (Gayle Rankin, GLOW), after being told by Geoffrey — who is polite but never direct, perfectly satirising both stiff-upper-lip Britishness and the fine line between being courteous and patronising — that reception isn't the best. And, when Harper ventures out of the house, she discovers scenic treasures alongside hardly hospitable locals. She's a woman plagued by troubles that don't begin as her own, and she's forced to devote everything she has to moving past them and surviving. That Harper is played with such instinctive and physical feeling with Buckley, who just keeps going from strength to strength thanks to Beast, Wild Rose, Chernobyl, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Fargo and her Oscar-nominated efforts in The Lost Daughter, is one of Men's biggest assets. Read our full review. THE KITCHEN BRIGADE When a chef sticks to a tried-and-tested recipe, it can be for two reasons: ease and excellence. Whipping up an already-proven dish means cooking up something that you already know works — something sublime, perhaps — and giving yourself the opportunity to better it. That process isn't solely the domain of culinary maestros, though, as French filmmaker Louis-Julien Petit makes plain in his latest feature The Kitchen Brigade. The writer/director behind 2018's Invisibles returns to what he knows and does well, and to a formula that keeps enticing audiences on the big screen, too. With the former, he whisks together another socially conscious mix of drama and comedy centring on faces and folks that are often overlooked. With the latter, he bakes a feel-good affair about finding yourself, seizing opportunities and making a difference through food. Returning from Invisibles as well, Audrey Lamy (Little Nicholas' Treasure) plays Cathy, a 40-year-old sous chef with big dreams and just as sizeable struggles. Instead of running her own restaurant, she's stuck in the shadow of TV-famous culinary celebrity Lyna Deletto (Chloé Astor, Delicious) — a boss hungry for not just fame but glory, including by dismissing Cathy's kitchen instincts or claiming her dishes as her own. Reaching boiling point early in the film, Cathy decides to finally go it alone, but cash makes that a problem. So, to make ends meet, she takes the only job she can find: overseeing the food in a shelter for migrants, where manager Lorenzo (François Cluzet, We'll End Up Together) and his assistant Sabine (Chantal Neuwirth, Patrick Melrose) have been understandably too busy with the day-to-day business of helping their residents to worry about putting on a fancy spread. From the moment that Cathy arrives at the hostel, thinking she's interviewing for a restaurant gig rather than auditioning to cook for young men happy with ravioli, The Kitchen Brigade sets up a simple culture-clash scenario — in the realm of cuisine, contrasting its protagonist's gourmet expectations with the shelter's reality. When she cottons on to what's in store, she's gruff, wary and unimpressed, and learning to open up while making bonds with the hostel's inhabitants, all of whom yearn for new lives as well, comes as expectedly as pairing a baguette with cheese. Following familiar steps and still hitting the spot is a cooking staple, however, and it works with Petit's feature. He doesn't reach the pinnacle of charming culinary movies, or of underdog stories, but the end result goes down smoothly and is never less than palatable. Unsurprisingly, The Kitchen Brigade is at its best when it's fleshing out its characters amid the recognisable narrative beats, with Petit scripting with producer Liza Benguigui-Duquesne and screenwriter Sophie Bensadoun based on Bensadoun's idea — and, when it's doing what the floral industry-set The Rose Maker did, which used a comparable setup to dive into the layers and prejudices engrained in French society. Like that thematically similar, also-sincere and perceptive movie, The Kitchen Brigade benefits from fine central performances, adding depth and texture that mightn't have bubbled to the fore otherwise. Lamy, the ever-reliable Cluzet, Fatoumata Kaba (Validé) as Cathy's self-starter best friend, first-timer Yannick Kalombo as aspiring chef GusGus and Mamadou Koita (Dernier maquis) as soccer hopeful Djibril: they all leave an imprint, seasoning the cinematic meal. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in Australian cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24 and March 31; April 7, April 14, April 21 and April 28; and May 5, May 12, May 19 and May 26; and June 2 and June 9. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as The Batman, Blind Ambition, Bergman Island, Wash My Soul in the River's Flow, The Souvenir: Part II, Dog, Anonymous Club, X, River, Nowhere Special, RRR, Morbius, The Duke, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore, Ambulance, Memoria, The Lost City, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Happening, The Good Boss, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Northman, Ithaka, After Yang, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Petite Maman, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Firestarter, Operation Mincemeat, To Chiara, This Much I Know to Be True, The Innocents, Top Gun: Maverick, The Bob's Burgers Movie, Ablaze, Hatching, Mothering Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, A Hero and Benediction.
From global behemoth Netflix to the arthouse, indie and documentary-focused Kanopy, picking a streaming platform can take as much time as actually picking something to watch on a streaming platform. The latest to enter the market has quite the point of difference, however — and not just because it's free. If viewing the likes of Bronson, Drive, Only God Forgives and The Neon Demon has you on the same wavelength as filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, then you're in luck — the Danish writer/director is launching his own streaming service. Called byNWR.com, it's currently in beta testing before opening to the public at a later date this month, with the site dubbing itself "an unadulterated expressway for the arts". A venture in conjunction with existing platform Mubi as well as the Harvard Film Archive, byNWR.com will highlight a restored cult classic each month that's picked by a guest editor, The Guardian reports. Each film will be supported by content themed around the chosen flick, such as essays, videos, photos and music. And if you're wondering just what titles will be on offer, Refn detailed the first four, as well as his reasons for highlighting them. They're not the type of movies that you're likely to have watched and rewatched endlessly, or even seen on a big or small screen recently, including 1961 thriller Night Tide starring Dennis Hopper, 1965 horror effort The Nest of the Cuckoo Birds, 1974's The Burning Hell and 1967's Hot Thrills and Warm Chills. "I hope my site will inspire people to see the world a different way," the filmmaker outlined in his piece for The Guardian, while also writing about something fans of Refn's own work will be more than familiar with — pushing people out of their comfort zones. If Refn's choices sound like the kind of thing you would like to see in a cinema, Little White Lies also reports that the streaming site will be accompanied by special screenings around the globe. Via The Guardian.
Knowledge is fun. And so is watching the dude on the tellie, who’s standing behind the antique in question. We can’t promise you could be that guy, but we can guarantee some fascinating history and valuations. Thunder Road will be keeping you thirst-free, so dust off those old beer bottles and brewing memorabilia you've been hoarding and get yourself a free assessment. This event is part of Good Beer Week's 2015 program, running from May 16-24. For more festival picks, click here.
When 2023 arrived, it marked two decades since composer Stephen Schwartz and playwright Winnie Holzman took a book inspired by The Wizard of Oz, put it to music and turned it into one of Broadway's biggest hits of the 21st century. Now that 2024 is, it's giving Melbourne musical theatre fans their latest chance to see that very show right here at home — because Wicked is flying into the Victorian capital from Saturday, March 2. Even if you haven't seen the blockbuster show before, including on its past Aussie run from 2008–11, then you've likely heard of it. Following the Land of Oz's witches — telling their untold true tale is the musical's whole angle, in fact — Wicked has notched up more awards than you can fit in a hefty cauldron over the years. That includes three Tonys from ten nominations, a Grammy, an Olivier Award and six Drama Desk Awards. Also huge: its worldwide footprint, playing in 16 countries around the globe since its 2003 debut. And, when it makes its way to the Regent Theatre for its second stop on its current Aussie run, following its present Sydney season, it'll do so after enchanting itself into fourth place in the list of longest-running Broadway shows ever — even surpassing Cats. Story-wise, Wicked starts before The Wizard of Oz and continues its narrative after Dorothy Gale lands, adapting Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The text itself has sold 5.5 million copies, including five million since the musical first opened. Here, before Dorothy blows in, two other women meet in the Land of Oz: Elphaba and Galinda. One will later be known as the Wicked Witch of the West, while the other will become Glinda the Good Witch. Exactly why that happens, and how, and the pair's relationship from rivals to unlikely friends to grappling with their new labels, fuels the show's tale. Popping on your ruby slippers, clicking your heels three times and defying gravity at the Melbourne stage show means seeing Courtney Monsma in her debut lead role as Galinda/GLinda, Sheridan Adams as Elphaba, Robyn Nevin as Madame Morrible and Todd McKenney as the Wizard — plus Liam Head as Fiyero, Adam Murphy isasDr Dillamond, Shewit Belay as Nessarose and Kurtis Papadinis as Boq. Wicked has been brought back to Australia by John Frost for Crossroads Live Australia, Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B Platt and David Stone — and is taking to the stage again before the in-the-works two-part film adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo (Pinocchio) as Elphaba and Ariana Grande (Don't Look Up) as Galinda, and directed by Jon M Chu (In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians), is due to start reaching cinemas in 2024. Images: Jeff Busby.
Arriving six years after his stunning animated war documentary Waltz with Bashir, the most recent film from Ari Folman is a mind-melting journey into a future of sensorial addiction. Loosely inspired by Stanislaw Lem's 1971 science-fiction novel The Futurological Congress, this new work blends live-action and animation in much the same way that it blends reality and fiction, all the while throwing satiric barbs at everything from celebrity obsession to pharmaceutical dependency, rampant consumerism and the depths of corporate greed. The Congress is without question one of the boldest films of the year, both aesthetically and in terms of its thematic ambition. Sadly, it's under the weight of that incredible ambition that the movie eventually stumbles. The film begins in the very near future, with actress Robin Wright playing a fictionalised version of herself. Washed-up after years of bad career choices, Wright finds herself contemplating a bizarre offer from the monolithic Miramount Studios, who want to scan her likeness into a computer to create the world's first digital actress. The deal includes a stipulation that the real Wright never act again, but would guarantee her the money she needs to support her young son Aaron (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who suffers from a rare medical disorder that is slowly turning him blind. So with a heavy heart, Wright signs on the dotted line. Folman then skips a further 20 years into the future, to a special Miramount convention held at a luxurious hotel in the restricted "animated zone". A grotesque, kaleidoscopic, drug-induced cartoon land reminiscent not of the lifelike, rotoscoped animation of Waltz with Bashir, but of the more outlandish look of old favourites like Betty Boop and Yellow Submarine, it's in this world that Wright discovers the next phase of the Miramount scheme: the distribution and sale of her chemical essence directly to her ravenous fans. You certainly can't fault The Congress for a lack of good ideas. The problem, rather, is the haphazard way in which they're presented. You get the distinct impression that Folman has bitten off more than he can chew, his scattershot social criticism often coming at the expense of narrative economy — or vice versa. As a result, the film feels bloated and uneven, with the first act in particular running far, far too long. So too does the movie grow increasingly bewildering in its final third. A second jump forward in time kills what little momentum the film had managed to accumulate, and while Folman's vision of the distant future is visually astounding, from a plot perspective it's also pretty disengaging. There's far too much interesting material in The Congress to dismiss it outright. But by that same token, it's the promise of brilliance that ultimately makes it so disappointing. With more disciplined writing and editing, Folman's cartoon menagerie could have resembled a masterpiece. As it stands, it's an admirable and thought-provoking failure.
Melbourne's Chapel Street PROVOCARÉ Festival of the Arts is back for its second year, and it's bound to be as alluring, if not more so, than its first edition. With a new lineup of dramatic performances and artwork, as well as Spencer Tunick's distinctive nude installation, the winter art festival is set to be something completely unafraid and honest. From July 5–15, PROVOCARÉ offers a plethora of opportunities for you to immerse yourself in a world of pure creativity. With live performances, an art walk, blindfolded dinner, video art and much more, the festival will meet your art cravings and make you question reality. It's also a great excuse for you to explore the eateries and retail businesses in the area. At I Want to Know What Love Is, connect with the emotions attached to all things romance and heartbreak, while enjoying the stage performance centred around true confessions and tales of "love's gritty collision course". Get your shine on as Reuben Kaye makes you laugh and dance around with Glitter. From July 7–15 at Chapel Off Chapel, the show will transport you to a world of colour with all the filthy language, dazzling sequences and hopefully ridiculous sets (like a gin bathtub). And with only five shows during the festival, the Empty Bodies circus should be a priority on your list. Witness the dramatic display of life and identity, as elite graduates from the National Institute of Circus Arts perform the reflection of "chaos in conflict with order". If you're keen for an event that encompasses all the things PROVOCARÉ stands for, then join the club — literally. Starting at 8.15pm, Club PROVOCARÉ is serving serious seduction every night of the festival. With burlesque, drag shows and other tempting entertainment led by cabaret queen Bernie Dieter, you won't want to miss a minute of the fun. Lastly, EcoCaddy is providing free transportation all festival long to get you from one arty event to another without the worry of a ridiculous ride fee. For tickets and more event information, head to the PROVOCARÉ website.
Nine months after Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu's passing, the Indigenous musician has posthumously achieved a historic feat with his final album. Released this week, Djarimirri (Child of the Rainbow) now sits at the top of the Australian charts, becoming the first record in an Indigenous language to do so. A project that took over four years to come to fruition — and was completed only weeks before Yunupingu's death — Djarimirri presents 12 traditional Yolngu songs and harmonised chants with orchestral arrangements, with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra providing the latter. "This album is a testament to this great Australian and his family, all Yolngu and the greater Aboriginal population," said Skinnyfish Music's Michael Hohnen, Yunupingu's friend, collaborator and producer. "The history he has made taking a true Australian language and heritage to number one proves the strength of the underlying cultural identity of this nation." Born blind on Elcho Island off the coast of Arnhem Land, Yunupingu was already Australia's highest-selling Indigenous artist before Djarimirri's release. His three previous studio albums — 2008's Gurrumul, 2011's Rrakala and 2015's The Gospel Album — all peaked at third position on the ARIA album charts, with Gurrumul earning triple-platinum status and Rrakala also going platinum. A documentary about Yunupingu's life, which premiered at last year's Melbourne International Film Festival and also screened at this year's Berlinale, opens in Australian cinemas on April 25. Image: 6 Seasons Productions.
Sports movies tend to follow a fairly formulaic structure. We meet the competitors; we begin to see their strengths, weaknesses and that potential Achilles heel; we are introduced to their primary competitors; and then, after a couple of well-timed training montages, we watch, bated breath, as our hero manages to defy the odds and win miraculously/lose heroically. If you've seen Rocky, The Fighter, Remember the Titans or a hundred other sports films, then you already know the narrative arc of Ping Pong. Yet despite its predictability, this heartwarming documentary from little-known British director Hugh Hartford manages to sidestep the usual pitfalls of the genre, basically through the sheer strength of the characters. Ping Pong tells the story of the World Over 80s Table Tennis Championships in Inner Mongolia almost entirely through the perspective of the players themselves. There is 81-year-old Terry, who, prior to the tournament, was given a week to live; former bodybuilder Les, who, at 89, still uses weightlifting to prepare for the tournament; the trash-talkin', gun-toting Texan Lisa, whose 85 years have done nothing to diminish her wily competitive streak; and the championship's elder stateswoman, the 100-year-old Aussie Dot. Hartford does what many great documentarians have done before him, retreating from the role of writer. He is happy to simply leave the camera rolling and have the characters tell their own stories — their history, their motivations and what it means to be an athlete in the final chapters of their lives. Yet this picture is far more than simply a series of talking heads. Hartford takes great pains to capture the richness of these characters and their lives. The film takes us into their homes and training venues and watches as they cook strudel, show off old photo collections and, in one of the film's most touching scenes, guide us around the dementia ward that ping pong became a respite from. This level of detail gives the film an immersive quality. Even in a screening filled with cynical critics and hardened media-folk, a championship win from one of the octogenarians had the cinema quietly cheering. Despite the film's fixation on death and mortality, Ping Pong is a surprisingly hopeful and uplifting film. In one scene, Terry boasts that while bowel cancer could take away his penis, it couldn't take away his sex life. We come to see that while these characters may have accepted their impending death, that doesn't mean they're willing to go quietly into that cold night. Add to all this the fact that this may be the first film to show an 89-year-old doing a peck dance. That one was worth the price of admission on its own. https://youtube.com/watch?v=nwFVc2NAt94
If you're someone who loves indulging in a few G&Ts on a summer evening but doesn't love waking up to dehydrated, hungover skin, Four Pillars Gin and Go-To Skincare have you covered. The beloved Aussie brands are bringing back their extremely limited-edition Go-To Gin — a spirit that sent fans of Go-To founder ZFB (that's Zoë Foster-Blake for the uninitiated) into a frenzy upon its initial release in 2021, and again in 2022. When we say frenzy we mean it. The first two batches of My New Go-To Gin sold out in mere hours. So, it's time to start preparing your gin-buying fingers for 2023, with the second release dropping on Wednesday, November 22. Ready for cocktail mixing and shaking, the flavours in this coveted drop include quandong, aka native Aussie peach, plus yuzu, lime, coriander seeds and lemon myrtle. We hope you like particularly peachy sips, because this year's gin goes heavier on the quandong. And yes, the familiar peach-pink Go-To label means that you could probably add a bottle to your bathroom counter's lineup and nobody would notice anything out of the ordinary. Four Pillars co-founder and distiller Cam Mackenzie said in a statement he was aware gin and skin are an "unlikely duo". "But we knew we were onto a good thing with Go-To when we sold out faster than Taylor Swift tickets (almost). This year we've amped up quandong, freshness and a bit of peachiness to to add an extra layer of complexity," Mackenzie continued. To celebrate the launch, the skincare brand is also expanding where My New Go-To Gin will be available. For folks in Melbourne, you can hit up the Four Pillars pop-up store inside the Bourke Street Myer, and also to Lotte Duty-Free at Melbourne Airport for the first time. For everyone else, you're still headed to the Four Pillars' Sydney Laboratory and Healesville Distillery, and online. If you pick up some My New Go-To Gin from Bourke Street or Melbourne Airport, then sip a few too many drinks the night before another event (hello, festive season) you're in luck: every bottle from those two locations comes with a Go-To 'Transformazing' sheet mask to soak your skin in much-needed moisture. If last year is anything to go by, we imagine this gin is going to sell out pretty quickly, so signing up for the 2023 waitlist is highly recommended. While you're there, you'll also find a few cocktail recipes. And if you miss out, or peach isn't really your gin infusion of choice, you've got options however you choose to imbibe — Four Pillars has brought back its annual cult-favourites Bloody Shiraz Gin and Christmas gin for your festive cocktail needs. The 2023 Four Pillars Go-To Gin will go on sale online and in-store on Wednesday, November 22. Head to the Four Pillars website to sign up to the waitlist.
When John Wick burst its way into cinemas in 2014 with a flurry of bullets, it was the action flick no one knew they needed. Keanu Reeves was at his blank-faced best as an unstoppable assassin, shooting first and never asking questions — because he didn't have to. Watching the mayhem that resulted: that was an audiences' joy through and through. Can such a formidable force hit the target twice, though? The answer is obvious: John Wick never misses. Chronicling Wick's efforts to once again stride back into seclusion — a plan foiled by Italian mobsters with a case of sibling rivalry — the reunited team of stuntman turned director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad stay true to their winning premise and up the stakes. John Wick still gets to show off his lethal skills, but he's not just seeking vengeance. He's repaying the debt that helped him get out of the assassin business in the first place, and then trying to survive the deadly fallout. Oh, and he's got a new dog. As familiar as that might sound, John Wick: Chapter 2 turns sticking with what works into an action opera that knows when to dazzle with a symphony of shoot-outs, but also knows when enjoying Keanu's menacing presence is enough. The film's impeccably choreographed action scenes in Roman catacombs and New York City streets prove exhilarating, but so too do the steely glares directed by Keanu at his myriad foes – including Common and Australia's own Ruby Rose. The fact that the end result may be a little predictable isn't a problem when it's executed with such precision and flair. When Stahelski does sprinkle a few fresh inclusions into the mix, he goes big. Suave Italian icon Franco Nero — aka the original Django — pops up as the Roman counterpart to Ian McShane's returning hotelier, while Laurence Fishburne gives movie nerds the reunion they've been waiting for. Smartly, though, neither overpowers the main attraction. Cinema-goers want to see Keanu being the legendary bad guy that even bad guys fear, dispensing with his enemies with a pencil and just generally blazing his way through the criminal underworld. On that front, you'd better believe that John Wick: Chapter 2 delivers. Indeed, Keanu and his former Matrix stunt double are the movie's not-so-secret weapons. Stahelski ramps up the action to dizzying heights, while his leading man lets his physicality and stoic charisma do the talking. More than a quarter of a century since he first showed off his action hero skills in Point Break, Keanu's still got it. The genre wouldn't be the same without him – and if we can make a request for the inevitable John Wick: Chapter 3, it's for more of the same with some of Johnny Utah's surfing thrown in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdkhQsy9fU4
The first half of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby is every bit its director, and is to be endured rather than enjoyed. Set during America's economic boom of the 1920s, the action is cartoonish, the dialogue is almost devoid of nuance and the lavish parties appear dull despite all the sparkles in the world — a regrettable triumph of impeccable style over substance. Apologists may argue this merely reflects Gatsby's time and theme: a shallow, superficial facade to reflect its characters and their unapologetic opulance, but that is too convenient. Simple regard to Luhrmann's history reminds us that exaggerated spectacle is every bit his custom, not a carefully chosen device, and his fondness for juxtaposing period drama with modern music (the soundtrack was produced by Jay-Z) proves more distracting than entertaining. Matters improve immeasurably, however, in the second half when Luhrmann begins to explore his favourite theme of forbidden love twixt star-crossed lovers. Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom and Romeo & Juliet all hit their highest notes when the pagentry gave way to the intimate, and Gatsby is no exception. The stolen moments between its protagonist Jay (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Daisy (Carey Mulligan) are appropriately tender but ominous, presided over with a mix of fascination and regret by the film's narrator Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire). To borrow from Fitzgerald, these few quiet moments are — compared to the 'rotten crowd' of the first hour — worth more than the lot of them put together. From a performance standpoint, the women definitely come out on top. Mulligan is utterly charming as Daisy, consistently allowing her character's fragility to worm its way to the surface before masking it with a disarming smile, and Isla Fisher is unrecognisable as the mistress of Daisy's husband Tom (played by Joel Edgerton in yet another impressive turn). Most captivating of all, however, is the statuesque Elizabeth Debicki, who commands the eye in every frame of film she occupies. In terms of the men, Maguire's doe-eyed exuberance is endearing enough, though at times it strays almost to the point of clowning, and Jason Clarke provides a nice cameo as Fisher's dim-witted husband. In the role of Gatsby, DiCaprio looks every bit the man whose smile "was one of those rare [ones] with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you come across four or five times in life", yet his performance feels largely wooden and unnatural. It's as if the words and accent are not his own, particularly in the first half where they seem so apart from his body as to invoke uncomfortable memories of Tom Hardy's Bane. Ultimately, it's far from the disaster indicated by some of its early reviews, particularly those that labelled it a 'two-hour music video', and there's no denying Luhrmann has a flair for engaging the senses with his extraordinary vision. That said, The Great Gatsby largely departs from the memory almost as quickly as it arrives, an impermanent and largely uncritical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's beloved take on the infirmity of the American Dream. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ozkOhXmijtk
UPDATE, December 23, 2021: Encanto is currently screening in Australian cinemas, and will be available to stream via Disney+ from December 25. Five years after Lin-Manuel Miranda and Disney first teamed up on an animated musical with the catchiest of tunes, aka Moana, they're back at it again with Encanto. To viewers eager for another colourful, thoughtful and engaging film — and another that embraces a particular culture with the heartiest of hugs, and is all the better for it — what can the past decade's most influential composer and biggest entertainment behemoth say except you're welcome? Both the Hamilton mastermind and the Mouse House do what they do best here. The songs are infectious, as well as diverse in style; the storyline follows a spirited heroine challenging the status quo; and the imagery sparkles. Miranda and Disney are both in comfortable territory, in fact — formulaic, sometimes — but Encanto never feels like they're monotonously beating the same old drum. Instruments are struck, shaken and otherwise played in the film's soundtrack, of course, which resounds with energetic earworms; the salsa beats of 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' are especially irresistible, and the Miranda-penned hip hop wordplay that peppers the movie's tunes is impossible to mentally let go. Spanning pop, ballads and more, all those songs help tell the tale of the Madrigals, a close-knit Colombian family who've turned generational trauma into magic. This is still an all-ages-friendly Disney flick, so there are limits to how dark it's willing to get; however, that Encanto fills its frames with a joyous celebration of Latin America and simultaneously recognises its setting's history of conflict is hugely significant. It also marks Walt Disney Animation Studios' 60th feature — dating back to 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — but its cultural specificity (depictions of Indigenous, Afro Latino and Colombian characters of other ethnicities included) is its bigger achievement. The focal point of their jungle-surrounded village, the Madrigals are the local version of superheroes. They live in an enchanted home, complete with a magical candle that's burned for three generations, and they each receive special powers when they come of age. The latter wasn't the case for Encanto's heroine Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), though, and that absence of exceptional abilities has left the bespectacled teen feeling like an outcast. Plus, with her young cousin Antonio (Ravi Cabot-Conyers, #BlackAF) now going through the ceremony, Mirabel's perceived failings linger afresh in everyone's minds. But then la casita, as their supernatural home is known, starts cracking — the flame begins to flicker as well, as everyone's powers waver with it — and it looks like only its most ordinary inhabitant can save the day. Encanto doesn't refer to the Madrigals by any term you'd hear in a Marvel movie, but the imprint of Disney's hit franchise remains evident. Thankfully, director Byron Howard (Tangled), and co-writers/co-helmers Charise Castro Smith (Sweetbitter) and Jared Bush (Zootopia) have sprinkled in a few fun abilities — because mixing up a template sits high among the feature's powers, even when those generic underlying pieces can still be gleaned. Accordingly, one of Mirabel's sisters, Luisa (Jessica Darrow, Feast of the Seven Fishes), is super strong, but the other, Isabela (Diane Guerrero, Doom Patrol), makes flowers blossom with her loveliness. Similarly, while their aunt Pepa (Carolina Gaitán, The Greatest Showman) controls the weather, their mother Julieta (Angie Cepeda, Jane the Virgin) heals through cooking. In one of the most surprising moves ever made by all-ages film, Encanto also nods to Gabriel García Márquez and his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude (superheroes, Disney not-quite-princesses and Colombian magical realism, together at last!). It works because Encanto meaningfully ponders inherited woes and the weight of family expectations, and grounds them in past struggles and the cycles they kickstart. That's the Madrigals' story, as tied to Abuela Alma (María Cecilia Botero, Nurses). And, while delivered in bright and bouncy packaging, it includes noting how the pressure to excel and enchant has caused fissures. Indeed, due to her uncle Bruno (John Leguizamo, Playing with Fire) — who no one is supposed to discuss, as the aforementioned track trills — Mirabel isn't the only Madrigal wrongly deemed to have let the family down. Vibrant, rich, tender, sincere and lively (the songs, pace and lush computer-generated animation just keep earning the term): add in familiar, still, and that's Encanto. Perhaps it's an apt combination, considering that finding beauty in the seemingly standard is one of the movie's key messages. Or, maybe it's just what was always going to happen when the Mouse House mashed up such recognisable parts — there's plenty about Mirabel's tale that's pure Disney 101, too, and we've all enjoyed the childhood viewing to prove it — into a gorgeous and heartfelt love letter to Colombian culture. Either way, the movie remains a modest charmer and, with Beatriz's yearning yet resilient vocal performance worlds away from Rosa Diaz's growl, and her co-stars helping to make the picture melodic several times over, it's winningly cast as well. Encanto is also the fourth feature bearing Miranda's fingerprints in 2021, after In the Heights, fellow animated effort Vivo and his filmmaking directorial debut Tick, Tick… Boom!. Thanks to both his and Disney's involvement, it'll likely take the reverse route traversed by two of those titles and, The Lion King and Mary Poppins-style, end up on a stage sometime in the future. Such a production would inherently lack the creative cinematography that assists in making Encanto such a visual treat — especially in the imaginative journey that Mirabel takes in the movie's second half — but it'd dazzle as a live-action show anyway. One of the film's other joys is the fact that it's poised, fashioned, animated and sung like it's treading the boards already, and that why that's the case — why it exudes big musical energy, even when it feels like its threatening to overdo it at first — is cannily baked into its narrative.
Goodbye daylight, hello Melbourne's cinemas: the Melbourne International Film Festival is back for 2023. And, it's asking a question with one of its must-see movies: why just have Tilda Swinton star in a film as one character when she can play two, and a mother and daughter at that? The film in question is The Eternal Daughter, Swinton's latest collaboration with filmmaker Joanna Hogg after the sublime The Souvenir and The Souvenir: Part II, and it's one of MIFF's big 2023 highlights. Yes, there's more — much, much more. This year's fest will screen 267 films to Melbourne and Victorian movie buffs, in fact, plus a selection of picks virtually and nationally via the returning MIFF Play. 2023's festival footprint mimics the setup that worked so well for the film feast in 2022, which was its first proper year back after the pandemic began. So, it's gracing cinemas in Melbourne from Thursday, August 3–Sunday, August 20; hitting the big screen in regional Victorian locations from Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 13 and Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 20; and also going digital from Friday, August 18–Sunday, August 27. Shayda, a Melbourne-set drama that won an Audience Award at Sundance, will open MIFF 2023. The world premiere of Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story, paying tribute to the Australian record executive and promoter with help from Kylie Minogue, Dave Grohl, Sting, Ed Sheeran, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and Jimmy Barnes, gets fest's centrepiece slot. And Theatre Camp is taking over closing night, giving the fest the Aussie debut of a crowd-pleasing comedy about loving the stage, as starring and co-written and co-directed by Booksmart and The Bear's Molly Gordon. Other standouts include Anatomy of a Fall, a drama about an author (Sandra Hüller, Toni Erdmann) accused of her husband's murder, which won French director Justine Triet (Sibyl) the French festival's top prize back in May; May December, which hails from Carol director Todd Haynes, is led by Natalie Portman (Thor: Love and Thunder) and Julianne Moore (Sharper), and dives into a scandal; Certain Women's Kelly Reichardt reteaming with Michelle Williams again with Showing Up; and Biosphere, about the last two men on earth, with star and co-writer Mark Duplass (The Morning Show) coming to Melbourne in-person with the film. Or, there's the Josh O'Connor (Mothering Sunday)-led La Chimera from Happy as Lazzaro's Alice Rohrwacher, Catherine Breillat's (Abuse of Weakness) return with Last Summer, Paul Schrader's (The Card Counter) Master Gardener starring Joel Edgerton (The Stranger), and Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster — the prolific helmer's latest on a lengthy resume that also includes Shoplifters and Broker. Keen to settle in for the long haul? Still on big-name filmmakers, Nuri Bilge Ceylan's (The Wild Pear Tree) latest About Dry Grasses clocks in at 197 minutes. In 2022, MIFF launched Bright Horizons, its official competition — and the titles vying for glory in 2023, all from either first- or second-time filmmakers, are impressive for the second year running. Among 11 films, Shayda fits the bill, as does Cannes Un Certain Regard Prize-winner How to Have Sex, about three British teen girls on a boozy getaway; Earth Mama, an A24 release by Grammy-nominated music video veteran Savanah Leaf; and Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, which follows a musical journey across the Vietnamese countryside. Also, the star-cross'd lovers-focused Banel & Adama plays direct from Cannes, Disco Boy stars German talent Franz Rogowski (Great Freedom) and Animalia explores an alien invasion in Morocco. Elsewhere, Cobweb stars Parasite's Song Kang-ho and is helmed by I Saw the Devil director Kim Jee-woon, the prolific Hong Sang-soo (The Novelist's Film) returns with Walk Up, and four-time British Independent Film Award-winner Blue Jean focuses on a lesbian teacher in Thatcher's England. Oscar-winning Amy and Senna filmmaker Asif Kapadia takes cues from Woyzeck and Frankenstein with the expressionistic dance-filled Creature; 2023 Sydney Film Prize-winner The Mother of All Lies heads south; You Can Call Me Bill pays tribute to the inimitable William Shatner; and Soda Jerk's first film since Terror Nullius, Hello Dankness, offers a chaotic yet cutting survey of US politics from 2016 onwards. MIFF 2023 will also feature eerie fare in the form of Sleep, by Bong Joon-ho protégé Jason Yu; birth/rebirth, which also riffs on Frankenstein; Perpetrator with Clueless favourite Alicia Silverstone; and Australia's own Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism. And, no strangers to showcasing giallo, including running a retrospective on Italian horror before, the fest is going all in on Suspiria, Tenebrae and Deep Red director Dario Argento.
To celebrate its 11th birthday, Sydney-founded restaurant chain Ribs & Burgers has added a premium birthday slider to the menu. The star of the burger is a wagyu beef patty accompanied by pink sauce, red onion, pickles, American cheese, barbecue sauce and mustard. The burger is available for a limited time and can be picked up for $8.90 on its own, with chips for $13.90 or with a serving of pork ribs for $19.90. On Tuesday, November 8, Ribs & Burgers is taking the celebrations up a notch offering the sliders for $5 each —for one day only. To get your wagyu fix for just $5, head into your local store or order online on November 8. Ribs & Burgers has outposts across Australia, including The Rocks, Chatswood and Bella Vista in Sydney, Craigieburn and Hawthorn in Victoria, and Fortitude Vallery and Woolloongabba in Queensland. You can find your local store at the Ribs & Burgers website. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ribs & Burgers (@ribsandburgers) FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
Prepare to cancel all your Wednesday night plans (i.e. laundry and Netflix) because we've got something much, much better. The Queen Victoria Market is bringing back its Summer Night Market for a 19th season of balmy tomfoolery. This means that after a day of toiling in the diamond mines or hosiery department (whatever your poison) you can cool off with a free evening of international street food, vintage fashion and handcrafted homewares. As if that wasn't exciting enough, this year they are theming the nights so that each week offers up something a little different. They'll kick off the 2016-17 season on November 16 with a 'disco funk' theme. That means free tunes from the tropical jungle-inspired Tek Tek Ensemble, funk and soul band The Gold Street Band as well as The Everymen and James Kenyon, who tells Australian stories through his music. And don't even think about eating at home because they've got food vendors to suit every whim, including pizza pockets from 400 Gradi team, gooey cheese breads from Toasta, Greek doughnuts from Taki's Balls and Moroccan food from MJR TOM. And if a face full of pizza isn't enough to take the edge off, there'll be a Pimm's Garden for, well, Pimm's jugs and, come December 7, as well as a frozen cider bar by Cheeky Rascal and a frosé bar too. The Summer Night Market will run every Wednesday night from November 16 to March 8 (excluding December 28) from 5-10pm. UPDATE, 3 MARCH 2017: Due to huge attendance numbers, the Summer Night Market has been extended for three more weeks. It will now finish up on March 29.
In 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a controversial change to the Oscars: creating an award for most popular film. The backlash was strong and swift, with the category quickly put on hold — and the fresh slate of Oscar nominees show why the new gong really isn't needed. From the Lady Gaga-starring fourth take on A Star Is Born, to Black Panther's comic book antics, to Bohemian Rhapsody's love letter to Queen, plenty of last year's huge box office hits are now multiple nominees for the 91st annual Academy Awards, which will be held on Monday, February 25 Australian time. They're joined by a heap of critical and audience favourites from 2018, including Alfonso Cuarón's highly personal drama Roma, deliciously dark historical effort The Favourite and Dick Cheney biopic Vice, plus two very different films about race relations: BlacKkKlansman and Green Book. By the numbers, Roma and The Favourite lead the charge with ten nods apiece, while A Star Is Born and Vice each scored eight, Black Panther received seven, BlacKkKlansman nabbed six, and Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book took five each. Of course, the figures only tell part of the story — some of the biggest highlights from the list of nominees are hidden behind the numbers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp_i7cnOgbQ For only the sixth time in 91 years, a black filmmaker has been recognised in the best director category, with Spike Lee picking up his first-ever nomination across his lengthy career. Plus, for the first time since 1977's ceremony, two of the five best director contenders are for flicks in languages other than English — with Cuarón the favourite for Roma and Cold War's Pawel Pawlikowski a deserving but unexpected inclusion. Among the best picture field, Black Panther became the first Marvel movie to ever score a nod for the coveted award. And a movie star was born in Lady Gaga, who made history by becoming the first person to nab noms for best actress and for best original song in the same year (the latter of which, for A Star Is Born's heart-swelling banger 'Shallow', she's a shoo-in to win). On the surprise front, among Roma's huge haul, sit nods for two of its main on-screen talents, with Yalitza Aparicio in the best actress category and Marina de Tavira in the best supporting actress field. The Netflix title wasn't the streaming platform's only big contender, with the Coen Brothers-directed western anthology The Ballad of Buster Scruggs also picking up three nods. Of course, there are always gaps. After Greta Gerwig became just the fifth woman to be nominated for best director last year, the category went with an all-male lineup this time around — and among the exclusions, Can You Ever Forgive Me?'s Marielle Heller directed stars Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant to acting nominations, but didn't make the Oscar cut herself. And the list is light for Australian talents, with The Favourite landing the country's only contenders in the form of screenwriter Tony McNamara and production designer Fiona Crombie. The 91st Academy Awards will take place on Monday, February 25, Australian time. Here's the full list of nominations. OSCAR NOMINEES 2019 BEST MOTION PICTURE Black Panther BlacKkKlansman Bohemian Rhapsody The Favourite Green Book Roma A Star Is Born Vice BEST DIRECTOR Alfonso Cuarón, Roma Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman Adam McKay, Vice Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE Yalitza Aparicio, Roma Glenn Close, The Wife Olivia Colman, The Favourite Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me? PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Christian Bale, Vice Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born Willem Dafoe, At Eternity's Gate Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody Viggo Mortensen, Green Book PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Amy Adams, Vice Marina de Tavira, Roma Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk Emma Stone, The Favourite Rachel Weisz, The Favourite PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Mahershala Ali, Green Book Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me? Sam Rockwell, Vice BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY The Favourite First Reformed Green Book Roma Vice BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Ballad of Buster Scruggs BlacKkKlansman Can You Ever Forgive Me? If Beale Street Could Talk A Star Is Born BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Black Panther BlacKkKlansman If Beale Street Could Talk Isle of Dogs Mary Poppins Returns BEST ORIGINAL SONG 'All the Stars', Black Panther 'I'll Fight', RBG 'The Place Where Lost Things Go', Mary Poppins Returns 'Shallow', A Star Is Born 'When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings', The Ballad of Buster Scruggs BEST FILM EDITING BlacKkKlansman Bohemian Rhapsody The Favourite Green Book Vice BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM Capernaum (Lebanon) Cold War (Poland) Never Look Away (Germany) Roma (Mexico) Shoplifters (Japan) BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Incredibles 2 Isle of Dogs Mirai Ralph Breaks the Internet Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Free Solo Hale County This Morning, This Evening Minding the Gap Of Fathers and Sons RBG BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Cold War The Favourite Never Look Away Roma A Star Is Born BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Black Panther The Favourite First Man Mary Poppins Returns Roma BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Avengers: Infinity War Christopher Robin First Man Ready Player One Solo: A Star Wars Story BEST COSTUME DESIGN The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Black Panther The Favourite Mary Poppins Returns Mary Queen of Scots BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING Border Mary Queen of Scots Vice BEST SOUND MIXING Black Panther Bohemian Rhapsody First Man Roma A Star Is Born BEST SOUND EDITING Black Panther Bohemian Rhapsody First Man A Quiet Place Roma BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT Black Sheep End Game Lifeboat A Night at the Garden Period. End of Sentence BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM Animal Behavior Bao Late Afternoon One Small Step Weekends BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM Detainment Fauve Marguerite Mother Skin
It's said that in Greece the appearance of a boy's first bum fluff is greeted with a festival. In Australia's metropolitan centres, we've lately been showing a similar appreciate for the art of beard. From long swamp rock ones to neat 'I have an app in development' ones, our appreciation for fuzzy facial adornment is surely reaching an apex. So it's smart that this year Off the Kerb gallery is using beardy men to raise funds for charity. It will be celebrating its sixth birthday with an exhibition of art commemorating men with beards. The event will raise money for the homeless and all funds will be donated to the Melbourne Citymission. "A man with a beard can represent wisdom, individuality, virility, masculinity and strength," write Off the Kerb on their website. "Throughout history the beard has carried much symbolism in cultures around the world." Show your support for this sentiment (or just the good cause they're supporting) on April 4-18, when you can come admire, celebrate and buy the bearded works of art on display. Opening night on April 5 will also feature live performance.
For the past five years, gin lovers across the country have tripped over themselves to get their spirit-loving fingers on a bottle of Four Pillars' Bloody Shiraz Gin — and that's before they've even had a sip of alcohol. The limited edition shiraz-infused concoction really is that good, so we thought you'd like to know that the next batch goes on sale on Saturday, July 4. If you haven't come across the gin before, it's basically what it says on the label: gin infused with shiraz grapes. This gives the spirit a brilliant deep cerise colour and some sweet undertones (without a higher sugar content). That, along with its higher alcoholic content — 37.8 percent, compared to an average 25 percent in regular sloe gin — makes the Bloody Shiraz Gin a near-perfect specimen. It can be used to make a G&T or in cocktails where you'd usually use your regular gin, but, if you're feeling craft, the Four Pillars team suggests making a Bloody & Lemon (pour 45 millilitres of shiraz gin and 100 of lemon bitter or lemon tonic over ice and garnish with a wedge of ruby grapefruit) or a Bloody Spritz (pour 30 millilitres of shiraz gin and 30 of ruby grapefruit juice into a champagne flute and top with sparkling wine). Four Pillars created the game-changing gin back in 2015 when it came into a 250-kilogram load of shiraz grapes from the Yarra Valley. Experimenting, the Victorian distillers then steeped the grapes in their high-proof dry gin for eight weeks before pressing the fruit and blending it with the gin, and hoping like hell it would turn out well. It did. This year — after selling 50 percent of the company to beer behemoth Lion last March — Four Pillars has acquired more grapes from other Victorian wine regions to make more of the gin than ever before. The gin will go on sale on Saturday, July 4 at selected bottle shops, in the Four Pillars online store, at its Yarra Valley distillery and at the new Four Pillars Laboratory in Sydney (where the bar will also be serving it in cocktails). If you're lucky, you'll also be able to find it served at bars around the country. Godspeed. The 2020 Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin will go on sale around the country for on Saturday, July 4. Head to the Four Pillars website to buy a bottle.
Gone are the days when every image that flickered across the screen did so within an almost square-shaped frame. That time has long passed, in fact, with widescreen formats replacing the 1.375:1 Academy aspect ratio that once was standard in cinemas, and its 4:3 television counterpart. So, when a director today fits their visuals into a much tighter space than the now-expansive norm, it's an intentional choice. They're not just nodding to the past, even if their film takes place in times gone by. With First Cow, for instance, Kelly Reichardt unfurls a story set in 19th-century America, but she's also honing her audience's focus. The Meek's Cutoff, Night Moves and Certain Women filmmaker wants those guiding their eyeballs towards this exquisite movie to truly survey everything that it peers at. She wants them to see its central characters — chef Otis 'Cookie' Figowitz (John Magaro, Overlord) and Chinese entrepreneur King-Lu (Orion Lee, Zack Snyder's Justice League) — and to realise that neither are ever afforded such attention by the others in their fictional midst. Thoughtfully exploring the existence of figures on the margins has long been Reichardt's remit, as River of Grass, Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy have shown as well, but she forces First Cow's viewers to be more than just passive observers in this process. There's much to take in throughout this magnificently told tale, which heads to Oregon as most of Reichardt's movies have. There's plenty to glean from its patient static shots of the river and scrubby landscape circa 1820, and from the way that the director's three-time cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt shoots its leafy setting as a place of light and shadow. Most telling, though, is how First Cow constantly views Cookie and King-Lu within their surroundings. Sometimes, the outcast pair actively tries to blend in, but the film makes it clear that they're already consistently overlooked in the local fur-trapper community. Equally pivotal is the frequent use of frames within the feature's already-restricted imagery — sometimes via windows and doorways, as Certain Women did as well, or by peeking through the gaps in slats in the makeshift shack the pair decide to call home. Again and again, First Cow stresses that genuinely seeing these men, their lives, and their hopes, desires and attempts to chase the American dream, is an act of bearing witness to the smallest of details, delights, exchanges, glances and moments. Initially, after watching an industrial barge power down a river, First Cow follows a woman (Alia Shawkat, Search Party) and her dog as they discover a couple of skeletons nearby. Then, jumping back two centuries and seeing another boat on the same waterway, it meets Cookie as he's searching for food. Whatever he finds, or doesn't, the fur-trapper team he works with never has a kind word to spare. But then Cookie stumbles across King-Lu one night, helps him evade the Russians on his tail, and the seeds of friendship are sown. When the duo next crosses paths, they spend an alcohol-addled night sharing their respective ideas for the future. Those ambitious visions get a helping hand after the Chief Factor (Toby Jones, Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom) ships in the region's highly coveted first cow, with Cookie and King-Lu secretly milking the animal in the dark of night, then using the stolen liquid to make highly sought-after — and highly profitable — oily cakes. In its own quiet, closely observed, deeply affectionate and warm-hearted fashion, First Cow is a heist film. Reichardt's gentle and insightful spin on the usually slick and twist-filled genre bucks every convention there is, however. Tension is a regular part of Cookie and King-Lu's lives; they're introduced being denigrated and chased, after all. So, while the pair tests their luck during their surreptitious moonlight rendezvous with the titular bovine, the film's sense of strain only increases slightly. Here, the act of pilfering isn't the main attraction. Those midnight scenes are gorgeous — Cookie chats tenderly to the cow as he squeezes her udders, offering his condolences about the mate and calf that didn't survive the journey — but they're also brief. Reichardt is far more interested in the change that Cookie and King-Lu bring out in each other, their connection as kindred spirits in an inhospitable locale and their small-scale quest to subvert the status quo. With sensitivity and compassion, but also with an unflinching awareness of how the world regards those on its fringes, First Cow examines the home and hope that one person can find in another, too, and interrogates the ways in which America's embrace of capitalism can inspire, lift and crush as well. Bold plans, delicate subterfuge, big successes, fraught chases and sublime snatches of tranquility — all five play out in Reichardt's richly detailed and hauntingly soulful movie. Indeed, only she could've made this film sing as stirringly and bittersweetly as it does, and feel as transporting and resonant as it proves at every turn. Reichardt adapts Jonathan Raymond's novel The Half Life, co-scripting with the writer himself in their fifth collaboration. She's gifted with mesmerisingly soulful performances from Magaro and Lee, who play their parts so vividly and intricately that ten pictures about Cookie and King-Lu wouldn't be enough. But the empathy that seeps into each second is firmly one of the filmmakers's enduring and welcome hallmarks, as is the unwavering commitment to trading in the everyday and the intimate while excavating the perennial myth about the US being the land of opportunity. Reichardt's approach isn't unparalleled, though. Fellow directors Chloé Zhao and Debra Granik have splashed many of the same traits throughout their work, and have also helmed masterpieces as a result; see: Nomadland and The Rider in the former's case, and Leave No Trace and Winter's Bone in the latter's. The three share not just a willingness but an eagerness to chronicle narratives that would otherwise be overlooked, traverse more than the usual patches of land, champion oft-ignored perspectives, and challenge America's values and self-image — and they each make their films feel like their own. With First Cow, Reichardt is leisurely and loving, and also candid and devastating. She ensures that everyone watching her boxed-in frames rides those ebbs and flows, and that they're moved by every moment. Whenever she steps behind the camera, something astonishing always happens, as her filmography just keeps demonstrating — but First Cow is pure cinematic perfection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jWZ6P1rWy4
Prepare to step inside the mind of a cinematic genius. It's a big call, sure, but when it comes to David Lynch, it's true. No one makes movies or TV shows quite like the man who brought us Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and a little series called Twin Peaks, and we mean no one. Don't just take our word for it — experience his movie marvels for yourself as part of The Astor's two-month-long season of all of his films. As Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art did back in 2015, the Chapel Street cinema is diving deep into his distinctive audiovisual catalogue, screening every feature he has ever made on Monday nights between April 2 and June 4. That means you can watch the sci-fi flick he took his name off of, Dune; his Palme d'Or winner, Wild at Heart; and his old-man-on-a-lawnmower tale, The Straight Story. At A Place Both Wonderful and Strange: The Films of David Lynch, that's only the beginning of a very eclectic bunch of movies. Also on the agenda is Lynch's moving and thoughtful The Elephant Man, the twisty thrills (and ace '90s soundtrack) of Lost Highway, and Inland Empire, aka the flick the director famously wanted Laura Dern to win an Oscar for so badly that he campaigned on Hollywood Boulevard with a live cow. And then there's the thing we've all been waiting for: no, not Twin Peaks the series, but the show's exceptional horror sequel/prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me on the big screen. BYO damn fine cup of coffee.
