Known for the signature fluffy white Japanese milk bread after which it's named, Melbourne bakery Shokupan has been busy cementing its cult status during lockdown. And it's set to win even more avid fans, as it joins forces with the French chef behind Romu for a new weekend kitchen residency dedicated to thick katsu sandos. Taking over the kitchen at Alphington Farmers Market every Sunday from November 1, the katsu sando pop-up will be serving up a tight menu of Japanese-inspired eats, with a few creative twists thrown in for good measure. Flying out the takeaway window from 10am each week, you'll find three dreamy $16 sando varieties, along with a Japanese potato salad ($7) and a couple of desserts ($7). There's a riff on the classic chicken katsu featuring sake-marinated chook and a native Australian togarashi, while a seafood option stars Yarra Valley trout rillette and a miso-infused tartare. A third, vegetarian sando teams creamy stracciatella with the likes of hard-boiled egg, pickled beetroot and sesame pesto. Top it all off with some cake, in the form of a black sesame chiffon number with salted honey custard, or the natural pandan chiffon with coconut, and your Sunday is looking pretty sweet. All menu items will be available until sold out, though, if you want to avoid disappointment, pre-order now via the Romu website. Images: Declan Sands
This month, a lucky bunch of Sydneysiders were treated to the second event in a series of secret suppers hosted by Red Rock Deli. The exclusive supper series — running until September at secret locations across Sydney and Melbourne — sees some of Australia's most talented chefs whipping up mouth-watering, three-course feasts inspired by Red Rock Deli's new limited-edition range. And when we say exclusive, we mean it — only 20 lucky guests get to tuck into each lavish dinner. On Thursday, June 20, Duncan Welgemoed put up a firey three-course feast reminiscent of the smoky bites his popular Adelaide restaurant, Africola, is known for. After guests were picked up from North Sydney Station and whisked away to the Coal Loader. This space formerly functioned as an industrial coal bunkering site, and guests were given the rare opportunity to dine in one of the historic underground tunnels. There, Welgemoed dished up plates inspired by Red Rock Deli's flame-grilled steak and chimichurri flavour. In the first course, Welgemoed served slow-roasted and smoked peppers, thoum (garlic dip) and cucumbers with charred flatbreads, while his dessert was a delightful comination of tahini ice cream, baklava and mandarin oil. But it was the slow-roasted beef ribs with chimichurri, slow roasted cauliflower and tahini that was the real winner — to recreate it at home, check out the recipe here. Chris Yan, of Sydney's lauded dumpling den Lotus, is up next. The dinner will take place on Thursday, August 8 and will be inspired by Red Rock Deli's red chilli and creamy coconut chips. To nab tickets for Sydney's upcoming Red Rock Deli supper, enter the ballot here to be given the chance to purchase tickets. Images: Kitti Gould
Anything blessed by Steve Jobs' touch turned to gold, so it's no surprise his biography is expected to be a major sell-out. It also helps that Walter Isaacson, who has documented the lives of Albert Einstein and Walter Benjamin, is the author. Jobs allowed Isaacson a no-holds approach to his life and everyone who knew him, resulting in a revealing deconstruction of how the young hippie with a disregard to rules and washing himself became a billionaire who changed the way we listened to music, communicated and used computers. The interview Isaacson did with 60 Minutes in the US over the weekend is a great option if you don't want to read the book but are still interested in Jobs' life and what he was like to write about - the story behind the story, so to speak. In the interview, Isaacson describes Jobs as "petulant" and "brittle." He could be an extremely mean person to anyone that crossed his path and didn't have the same demand for perfection as he did, be it a waitress who served him or someone who worked tirelessly at Apple. Isaason also notes that Jobs is probably the only person in the world with his kind of wealth who lived in a unremarkable house, without a long, winding driveway or threatening security fences. However, he refused to put a number plate on his Mercedes sports coupe. The biography is available in Australia now. Part One Part Two https://youtube.com/watch?v=LjUYfQ6CUu0
If pastel wasn't already part of your gig-going wardrobe, it will be at Australia's newest music festival, with Client Liaison's Expo Liaison touring the country in August. Announced back in May, the seven-hour event will hit Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane across August 18–26, and the headlining duo will have quite the company. Alongside a roster of eight other acts, the duo's own set will also feature John Farnham. Alice Ivy, Ken Davis, Kon, Luke Million featuring KLP, No Zu, Rainbow Chan and Total Giovanni are all on the bill, plus John Howard doing a DJ set. Whether that's John Howard the former prime minister, John Howard the Aussie actor or just some other guy called John Howard, well, your guess is as good as ours — but Triple j are reporting that it's the former. As for the kind of vibe that's in store, the curated event has fest badged "a multimedia, multi-city, multiversal experience" in its promotional material, as well as a "once-in-a-lifetime event". They're the kind of descriptions that plenty of gigs and fests throw around, but Client Liaison have a track record of delivering more than just the usual shows — or fashion lines or music videos, for that matter. Tickets are currently on sale across all four cities, and if you're keen to hear the duo's own thoughts on the festival, check out the Expo Liaison trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgSsrdVHnh0&feature=youtu.be Expo Liaison heads to Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse on August 18, Sydney's Parramatta Park on August 25 and Brisbane's Victoria Park on August 26. Head to Client Liaison's website for further details and to buy tickets.
This is the X-Men movie for X-Men aficionados; a filmic Grange Hermitage, Stradivarius and Cohiba Behike rolled into one. That's not to say newcomers won't enjoy themselves, but X-Men: Days of Future Past is a considered, intricate and devoted film that rewards both the audience's fidelity to, and memory of, its predecessors. It's set (initially) in the future, where earth's mutants — good and bad — have all but been exterminated via an unstoppable army of adaptive, mutant-seeking robots named 'Sentinels'. With one last throw of the dice available, the survivors send their own indestructible spork, aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), back in time to 1974 to attempt to alter the course of history. Wolverine's principal task is to reunite a young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) with the man responsible for putting him in a wheelchair — the metal-manipulating champion of mutants known as Magneto (Michael Fassbender). Xavier, however, has become an addict of alcohol and painkillers whilst Magneto has been buried in a cement prison for participating in a tricky little incident in Dallas, 1963. Together, they must all reconcile their grievances and work collectively towards stopping an embittered Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from attacking the inventor of the Sentinels, Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage). Back in the director's chair is Bryan Singer, whose first two X-Men films were by far the strongest in the franchise. The key to their success was focusing on stories bolstered by special effects, rather than delivering 'special effects movies' for the sake of special effects. They were rip-roaringly fun and exciting pictures that also represented compelling parables on prejudice and discrimination. One or two space-time continuum hiccups notwithstanding, X-Men: Days of Future Past rediscovers that balance and the result is a complex and comprehensive film that ingeniously marries the old Singer cast with the younger, First Class one. It also introduces some fantastic new mutants, including a Portal-esque character named Blink and the lightning fast Quicksilver (Evan Peters), whose keynote slow-mo scene is the film's undisputed highlight. X-Men: Days of Future Past is a delightful reboot of a series that was in danger of losing its way. Full of subtle yet instructive allusions to future moments from past films (remember: time travel), it refreshingly keeps things relatively small-scale amid a growing compliment of contemporaries that now deem city-wide devastation par for the course. Dark, enthralling and undeniably exhilarating, it's an elegant and accomplished thrill-ride for both new fans and old. https://youtube.com/watch?v=pK2zYHWDZKo
The pointy end of this year's awards season is here. Every 12 months, and for months and months, the film industry celebrates the best and brightest movies that've graced cinemas — and now streaming as well — across a spate of accolades culminating in the Academy Awards. Exactly which movies the Oscars will shower love on is about to be revealed, with the gongs' 95th ceremony taking place on Monday, March 13, Australian and New Zealand time. Of course, sometimes the finest flicks, performances, directors and other talents truly do nab these coveted prizes, as seen with Parasite and Nomadland in recent years. Sometimes, movies initially considered surprises gather momentum, such as 2022's Best Picture win for CODA. And sometimes, the very best movie of the past year doesn't even get a look in — yes, Decision to Leave was criminally ignored among 2023's nominees, and no we'll never get over it. Whatever films you adored in 2022, some might end up with Hollywood's ultimate accolade — and plenty of deserving winners will be anointed. Will this be the year that Cate Blanchett earns a third Oscar? That the Academy shows how much it loves actors playing real-life people — again? That a Marvel movie wins an acting Oscar? That movies about donkeys steal the show? Could two categories, at least, make history? We've done some assessing and prognosticating; here are our predictions: BEST MOTION PICTURE The nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water The Banshees of Inisherin Elvis Everything Everywhere All At Once The Fabelmans Tár Top Gun: Maverick Triangle of Sadness Women Talking Should win: Everything Everywhere All At Once Could win: Top Gun: Maverick Will win: Everything Everywhere All At Once Every year delivers a heap of phenomenal movies — if you think otherwise, you're just not watching enough — and 2022 was no different. And, some of those films are competing in this very category, including the sublime and lingering The Banshees of Inisherin. Still, nothing else among the ten contenders boasts the energy that Everything Everywhere All At Once sports. Everyone remembers when they first saw Everything Everywhere All At Once. Not every film earns that feat, but this Michelle Yeoh-starring date with the multiverse is simply unforgettable. It should win. It will win. But, the Oscars do have a history of loving blockbusters such as Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King — and Top Gun: Maverick might ride its need for speed to the top spot. BEST DIRECTOR The nominees: Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans Todd Field, Tár Ruben Östlund, Triangle of Sadness Should win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once Could win: Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans Will win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All At Once After awarding its Best Director prize to Chloé Zhao and Jane Campion over the past two years, tripling the number of women who've earned the award — from a paltry one to a just-as-dismal three — in 94 years, the Academy once again went back to deciding that ladies weren't among the past year's top helmers. To say that's disappointing is an understatement: Sarah Polley's Women Talking and Charlotte Wells' Aftersun both earned nominations elsewhere, but apparently directed themselves. The Daniels, aka Kwan and Scheinert, made a stunner with Everything Everywhere All At Once, and should be rewarded as a result. Don't discount Steven Spielberg for his supremely personal The Fabelmans, though — which, yes, we also said last year when he was competing for West Side Story. This'd be his first in almost a quarter-century (since Saving Private Ryan), and the Oscars do love sharing the love with this gong, awarding something that doesn't win Best Picture or get much else. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE The nominees: Cate Blanchett, Tár Ana de Armas, Blonde Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once Should win: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once Could win: Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once Will win: Cate Blanchett, Tár Of course Cate Blanchett should 100-percent receive her third Oscar for Tár. Yes, she already has two, for The Aviator and Blue Jasmine. This isn't her last shot at adding another to her mantle, and she'll win more from here. But she genuinely is better than she's ever been playing this conductor drama's definitely not-real namesake. And, she likely will win. She deserves to. But in what'd be her first Academy Award — she's as the first nominee in the category who identifies as Asian, too — Michelle Yeoh also deserves the trophy for Everything Everywhere All At Once. It's a movie that knows how much of a star she is to the point that it even baked it into its concept, and a film that definitely wouldn't be what it is without her. Also, forget the controversy surrounding Andrea Riseborough's To Leslie nomination; she won't win, but she's earned her spot. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE The nominees: Austin Butler, Elvis Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin Brendan Fraser, The Whale Paul Mescal, Aftersun Bill Nighy, Living Should win: Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin Could win: Brendan Fraser, The Whale Will win: Austin Butler, Elvis Play a real person, go home clutching a statuette after Hollywood's night at nights: that's how things have turned out for Colin Firth, Daniel Day-Lewis, Matthew McConaughey, Eddie Redmayne, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gary Oldman, Rami Malek and Will Smith since 2010. And Austin Butler is that electrifying in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis as, of course, Elvis Presley. His onstage efforts in the concert scenes alone are goosebump-giving levels of spectacular. Colin Farrell's work in The Banshees of Inisherin is far less flashier, of course, but no less exceptional. In a movie filled with exquisite portrayals — three of his costars are nominated, too — he's never less than magnetic, especially at conveying pain and confusion. The Brenaissance may nab Brendan Fraser the accolade for The Whale, though, because Hollywood loves a comeback — even if Fraser hasn't ever been far from screens. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE The nominees: Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Hong Chau, The Whale Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All At Once Should win: Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin Could win: Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Will win: Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All At Once Give the cast of The Banshees of Inisherin all the awards. Better Call Saul star Kerry Condon is heartbreaking in the Irish dramedy — playing the kind but frustrated sister who can see both sides to its central feud, and whose own wants and needs are always ignored by the either chatting or fighting men around her. And, she might capitalise upon Everything Everywhere All At Once's Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu competing against each other. That said, give the cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once all the awards as well. Curtis has momentum fresh off a Screen Actors Guild win, in what's somehow the acting veteran's first-ever Oscar nomination, but Hsu would be just as worthy a winner. Golden Globe-recipient Angela Bassett may just make history for winning as the first-ever Marvel performance, however — she is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's powerhouse. PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE The nominees: Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once Should win: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once Could win: NA — because Ke Huy Quan will win. Will win: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once Last year, the Best Supporting Actress category was a lock for months. Ariana DeBose was always going to win for West Side Story, and she did. This year's equivalent is the Best Supporting Actor race, with Ke Huy Quan set to shine for one helluva return. As he's spoken about in plenty of speeches as he keeps collecting well-deserved trophies, the Everything Everywhere All At Once star went from childhood fame in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies to virtually nothing before The Daniels came along. Quan helps give Everything Everywhere All At Once its heart and soul, and he'll give the speech of the Oscars: mark our words now. If there is an upset, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan from The Banshees of Inisherin loom as the biggest threats, albeit vying against each other, and Brian Tyree Henry's nomination for Causeway should be the first of many. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY The nominees: The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh Everything Everywhere All At Once, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner Tár, Todd Field Triangle of Sadness, Ruben Östlund Should win: Tár, Todd Field Could win: Everything Everywhere All At Once, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert Will win: The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh Every year has them: the films that could earn a swag of Oscars, and would against different company, but only end up with a gong or two. In 2023, it looks as if Tár and The Banshees of Inisherin are those two movies. The latter should be rewarded for Martin McDonagh's layered original screenplay, and the former also deserves to be — Todd Field's Tár script is a masterclass in complexity. McDonagh has two screenwriting nominations before, for In Bruges and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Field has the same for In the Bedroom and Little Children. The Daniels might just pip them both for Everything Everywhere All At Once — or, if Spielberg doesn't win Best Director, maybe this is where The Fabelmans gets the icon some love. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Rian Johnson Living, Kazuo Ishiguro Top Gun: Maverick, screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks Women Talking, Sarah Polley Should win: Women Talking, Sarah Polley Could win: All Quiet on the Western Front, Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell Will win: Women Talking, Sarah Polley Women Talking might've directed itself to a Best Picture nomination in the Academy's eyes, but it didn't write itself. Adapting Miriam Toews' 2018 novel of the same name, which draws on events in a Bolivian Mennonite colony from 2005–9, actor-turned-filmmaker Sarah Polley should earn her first win from two screenwriting nominations — the first was for 2008's Away From Her — for her powerful efforts, which do indeed make women talking the most important thing imaginable. Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell's work scripting All Quiet on the Western Front — adapting it again from the 1929 anti-war novel — should put up a fight, though. And who doesn't want to live in a world where Rian Johnson picks up a gong for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery? It won't happen, as it didn't with his Knives Out nomination either, but a win here would be glorious. BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM The nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front Argentina, 1985 Close EO The Quiet Girl Should win: Close Could win: Argentina, 1985 Will win: All Quiet on the Western Front Sometimes, the Academy recognises that movies in languages other than English are regular movies, too, nominating them for Best Picture as well as the field currently called Best International Feature Film. Obviously, that should just be standard, but this is one such year. In fact, All Quiet on the Western Front has scored recognition all over the place, notching up nods in nine categories. It'd be an immense surprise if the German-language flick doesn't garner the international prize. Still, courtroom drama Argentina, 1985 picked up the Golden Globe, and could repeat the feat at the Oscars. From the five nominees, sensitive, tender and stunning Belgian effort — and Cannes award-winner — Close is hauntingly exquisite from start to finish, and a standout among impressive titles. Again, as already mentioned, Decision to Leave should be here (and everywhere). BEST ANIMATED FEATURE The nominees: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Marcel the Shell With Shoes On Puss in Boots: The Last Wish The Sea Beast Turning Red Should win: Marcel the Shell With Shoes On Could win: Turning Red Will win: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio There's never a lack of Pinocchio films on our screens, and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio was just one in 2022. What a version it is; a feat of gorgeous stop-motion, and a movie that inescapably belongs to its Nightmare Alley and The Shape of Water director. It's also a spin on Frankenstein in its own way, marvellously so. And, it's a wonder that'll make an ace Best Animated Film winner — but so would the sweet, adorable, thoughtful, intelligent and meta Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, which is even better as a feature film than as a viral smash. Pixar is a heavy-hitter in this category, of course, so Turning Red is definitely in with a shot. BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE The nominees: All That Breathes All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Fire of Love A House Made of Splinters Navalny Should win: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Could win: Fire of Love Will win: Navalny What a year it is for documentary filmmaking when All That Breathes and A House Made of Splinters look unlikely to nab the Best Documentary Feature Oscar — and when Moonage Daydream wasn't even nominated. This field comes down to Navalny, Fire of Love and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, each of which are astonishing in their own ways. The scope of All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, and the empathy within it, means that this Venice Golden Lion-winner about photographer Nan Goldin really should emerge victorious. But, telling French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft's tale using wonderful archival footage, Fire of Love was one of 2022's best films. Expect Navalny to win, with this portrait of Vladimir Putin opponent Alexei Navalny also a gripping thriller. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE The nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front, Volker Bertelmann Babylon, Justin Hurwitz The Banshees of Inisherin, Carter Burwell Everything Everywhere All At Once, Son Lux The Fabelmans, John Williams Should win: Babylon, Justin Hurwitz Could win: The Fabelmans, John Williams Will win: Babylon, Justin Hurwitz More often than you might expect, a year rolls around where neither John Williams or Hans Zimmer get Oscar nominations. One of the Newmans — cousins Thomas or Randy — tend to fill the gap, or Alexandre Desplat. This year is Williams' turn as a contender again, earning his whopping 53rd nod. He's won five times so far from that, and The Fabelmans might be his sixth. This is a jam-packed field with no weak links, but Justin Hurwitz should add to his two La La Land wins. His score for Babylon is propulsive, vibrant, energetic and largely responsible for the film's mood. Yes, it's jazzy, naturally — his latest collaboration with jazz-loving director Damien Chazelle is set in Jazz Age Hollywood, after all. BEST ORIGINAL SONG The nominees: 'Applause', Tell It Like a Woman (Diane Warren) 'Hold My Hand', Top Gun: Maverick (Lady Gaga and BloodPop) 'Lift Me Up', Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; lyrics by Tems and Ryan Coogler) 'Naatu Naatu', RRR (music by MM Keeravaani, lyrics by Chandrabose) 'This Is a Life', Everything Everywhere All At Once (music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski, lyrics by Ryan Lott and David Byrne) Should win: 'Naatu Naatu', RRR (music by MM Keeravaani, lyrics by Chandrabose) Could win: 'Lift Me Up', Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; lyrics by Tems and Ryan Coogler) Will win: 'Naatu Naatu', RRR (music by MM Keeravaani, lyrics by Chandrabose) Maybe you're the kind of Oscars watcher that uses the song performances to grab a bite. Forget your usual routine — don't miss this year's rendition of 'Naatu Naatu'. The infectious and joyous track from RRR will win, and should, for a movie that should've had a better showing in the nominations. Despite Bollywood's stature, an Indian film has never been nominated outside of Best International Feature Film before, so this'll be a history-making victory. Still, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's 'Lift Me Up' could sweep in; Rihanna's slot at the Super Bowl didn't hurt its fortunes. And Lady Gaga's 'Hold My Hand' from Top Gun: Maverick is also in with a good chance. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY The nominees: All Quiet on the Western Front, James Friend Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, Darius Khondji Elvis, Mandy Walker Empire of Light, Roger Deakins Tár, Florian Hoffmeister Should win: Empire of Light, Roger Deakins Could win: Empire of Light, Roger Deakins Will win: Elvis, Mandy Walker Another field where every entry is excellent, the Best Cinematography category could also make history. Horrifically, it wasn't until the 2018 ceremony that a female cinematographer — Mudbound's Rachel Morrison — was even nominated. Australia's own Ari Wegner received the award's second-ever nomination to go to a woman in 2022 for The Power of the Dog, but didn't win either. Fellow Aussie Mandy Walker should go one better for Elvis; however, she has stiff competition. Cinematography great Roger Deakins does stellar work with Empire of Light; a movie about the power of cinema set in a cinema, it has to look perfect, and it does. And James Friend could sneak in for All Quiet on the Western Front, especially if it doesn't capitalise upon all of its nominations in other fields. BEST FILM EDITING The nominees: The Banshees of Inisherin, Mikkel EG Nielsen Elvis, Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond Everything Everywhere All At Once, Paul Rogers Tár, Monika Willi Top Gun: Maverick, Eddie Hamilton Should win: Tár, Monika Willi Could win: Top Gun: Maverick, Eddie Hamilton Will win: Everything Everywhere All At Once, Paul Rogers Thanks to editing wins at the BAFTAs, Critics Choice, Film Independent Spirit and American Cinema Editors Awards, Best Film Editing is Everything Everywhere All At Once's category to lose — but there's one caveat around Paul Rogers' likely win. Also at the ACE Awards, Top Gun: Maverick 's Eddie Hamilton won, because that ceremony gives out gongs for dramas and comedies separately. So, if Top Gun: Maverick takes the Academy's breath away, don't be surprised. Elvis, The Banshees of Inisherin and Tár also benefit from exacting splicing — indeed, everything in this field except The Banshees of Inisherin delivers a masterclass in overt editing with style and purpose. Wondering where to watch this year's Oscar contenders? We've put together a rundown for both Australia and New Zealand.
Situated on the edge of the Great Dividing Range, Lexton is home to mind-boggling natural beauty. To experience the variety of landscapes in one place, a 30-minute drive to Mount Buangor State Park is your best bet. With its 15 kilometres of interconnected trails, this is the place to explore mountain peaks or delve deeper into the valley floor. If you're looking for a low-intensity hike, the Waterfalls Nature Walk trail should be at the top of your to-do list. Taking just 45 minutes to complete, this return journey sees hikers wander through blue gum forests on their way past three waterfalls, including the stunning Ferntree Falls and Cascade Falls. Image: Elliot Kramer
From Houseparty birthday bashes to Zoom weddings, celebrations have been looking a little different lately. But one thing is clear: not even a pandemic can stand between us and a good ol' party. And that includes marking World Whisky Day on May 16. We may not be able to head to a cosy bar and celebrate the legendary amber liquor in style, so Glenmorangie has partnered with Boozebud to bring the festivities to your living room via a virtual whisky masterclass. At 6pm on Boozebud's Facebook page, Glenmorangie's Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation and Whisky Stocks Dr Bill Lumsden will be guiding you through a tasting from the Scottish distillery's core range of single malts. You'll start with the classic Glenmorangie Original Aged 10 Years, then move through the Lasanta Sherry Cask Aged 12 Years, Quinta Ruban Port Cask Aged 12 Years and Nectar d'Or Sauternes Cask Aged 12 Years. The masterclass is free to stream but, to make the most of it, you'll want to snag one of the taster packs from Boozebud beforehand, which has the four smooth spirits in 100-millilitre measures — enough for you and a housemate to have a nip each. The pack costs $64.99 and first-time Boozebud customers will score 10-percent off and free shipping by using the code BESTBUD (terms and conditions apply). Purchase your Glenmorangie Scotch Whisky Taster Pack here, then head to Boozebud's Facebook page at 6pm on May 16 to take part in the virtual masterclass.
To promote season four of The Walking Dead, FOX Portugal came up with the simplest of concepts: if you want blood, folks, then you gotta give it. That's right, they opened a pop-up store in which blood serves as currency. It's the first of its kind in the world. All you have to do is walk in and bare your forearm. The attendant produces a needle, fills a vial and sends it to the Portugese National Blood Bank Institute. You walk away with brand new, uber-gory merch and someone, somewhere, gets a much-needed transfusion. The more blood you give, the more goods you score. The store attracted customers at the rate of a World War Z zombie swarm. Blood donations reportedly increased by 571 percent in comparison with last year, and 67 percent of those giving the needle the green light were first-time donors. At the same time, The Walking Dead enjoyed a 17 percent boost in ratings. Given such overwhelmingly successful statistics, additional incarnations of the store are now set to pop-up in nations all over the world, including The Netherlands, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and the United States. The Walking Dead Blood Store was created in conjunction with creative agency Torke + CC, whose motto reads "handcrafted ideas to rule the world." https://youtube.com/watch?v=Wf6ZXq71ujw Via PSFK.
Declan Greene’s I Am a Miracle is a searing assault on injustice throughout the ages. It’s a risky and at-times unwieldy combination of three separate strands of story: the impending execution of African-American inmate Marvin Lee Wilson, the 18th century Dutch colony of Suriname, and the claustrophobic world of a modern home. It’s a small ensemble cast, with actors Bert LaBonté and Melita Jurisic joined onstage by singer Hana Lee Crisp. Once Labonte addresses the death-row inmate Wilson only minutes before his death the focus quickly shifts towards Jurisic, who performs the story of a young Dutch soldier on a doomed expedition upriver to subdue rebel slaves. This long stretch of the play could easily stagnate in the hands of a lesser performer but Jurisic is in utter control as she navigates the extended, prosaic narrative. Director Matt Lutton’s program notes indicate that Jurisic’s character is “rehearsing” this story but any aspect of that intriguing metatheatrical interpretation is unsupported in performance, beyond the upturned chairs and tables on the set, which could resemble the broken furniture of an abandoned rehearsal room. One obvious question is why use this story – are Australian audiences so inured to the horrors of their own colonial history that they need to apprehend them fresh, through the exotic lens of the brutal occupation of Suriname? I don’t think so: the choice provokes us into seeing these acts of brutality as part of a systemic constellation, not as isolated incidents. Later in a surprising shift towards naturalism, the characters inhabit a time and place that could easily be modern Melbourne. Greene’s writing lets out measured revelations until the full horror of the couple’s situation becomes clear. This feels like the most compelling part of the play – it’s so gripping that it risks making the rest of the work feel like a less interesting carapace by contrast, even if it’s one that holds it in place. Jung wrote of the Roman Empire’s embrace of Christianity that “whenever some social or psychological monstrosity is created, a compensation comes along in defiance of all legislation and all expectation.” Where I Am a Miracle succeeds most is as an expression of enduring desire for the same kind of rebooted society, and in its interrogation of the cyclical, enduring nature of systemic oppression. It’s not the role of theatre to lay out blueprints and solutions; instead, plays like this give a voice to our need for enduring hope if those changes are going to succeed. Image by Pia Johnson.
It has been 64 years since Godzilla first rampaged across through Tokyo, and the super-sized creature isn't done wreaking havoc. Like comic book characters and Star Wars, the king of the monsters is a cinema mainstay — and it's asserting its place atop the kaiju food chain in the trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters. If you haven't kept track of the Japanese figure's many, many screen appearances, this is its 35th. It's also the sequel to the last American-made Godzilla film, which hit screens back in 2014. Featuring an all-star cast of Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance and O'Shea Jackson Jr, the movie explores humanity's efforts not only against Godzilla, but against the huge critter's own beastly enemies: Mothra, Rodan and the three-headed King Ghidorah. Godzilla: King of the Monsters is due in cinemas on May 30, 2019 — and it'll be followed by another monster mashup in 2020's Godzilla vs. Kong. If the title didn't make it obvious, the latter also acts as a sequel to 2017's Kong: Skull Island. Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler and Demián Bichir, and filming now, it's partly being shot in Queensland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LzbZMCJiLo&feature=youtu.be Image: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
Ever wanted to be a groupie, but felt you just didn't have the stamina for it? Are you on first name basis with the bouncer at every Melbourne band room, but you've never been in a band? Well, in the coming weeks, the NGV is finally helping you sneak backstage. From September 28, the Ian Potter Centre at Fed Square will be decked out as a fully-functioning recording studio. For the next month the space will be home to a specially formed group called Batman Park as they write, record, and produce an original EP — and you have a VIP ticket. The group will be comprised of members from some of Melbourne's best indie bands: Alex Badham (Aleks and the Ramps), Jess Cornelius (Teeth and Tongue), Evelyn Morris (Pikelet), Thomas Mendelovits (Milk Teddy), Lachlan Denton (Ocean Party) and Pascal Babare (Pascal Babare and Teeth). And to celebrate the project, NGV Studio is hosting a free gig on Thursday October 3 featuring live performances by Pascal Barbare and Teeth, Teeth and Tongue, and The Ocean Party. Alongside the studio space, an exhibition of treasures from the local music scene will be on display too. There will be photographic essays, projected documentary footage, and vinyl cover art for those interested in the history of it all, and there will be a karaoke stage ready for those just wanting to get amongst it. The Batman Park EP will be launched as part of Melbourne Now, and the exhibition will be finishing up on October 27. This conveniently leaves us just enough time to recuperate for Melbourne Music Week.
We've all been living through the sweats and the naps, the lying in front of the fan and the UberEats-ing ice cream. Summer isn't kind sometimes, and even the most motivated among us find it easy to come up with excuses to not exercise during the hottest months (e.g., it's a million degrees outside and you'll die = valid). What we've decided is that finding fairly active pursuits to spend your time on counts just as much; as long as your blood is pumping and you're schvitzing a bit, you've ticked the box and can sit down to a nice cold beer(s). Have a go at some of these this summer — your morning jogs are a thing of the past. ROWBOATING Rowboating is A+ for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, upper arm strength, teamwork, enjoying the water and re-enacting scenes from The Notebook or Bridget Jones Diary. It's also very accessible, with boats available to hire all over Melbourne and Sydney, and a nice alternative to land-based activities this summer. Take a picnic in with you and when your arms tire, hang up your oars and drift around eating cheese and sinking a few cold ones. Up north in Brisbane, the waters are more friendly for kayaking, which is also a perfect shenanigan for two — and everyone looks great in a yellow life jacket. Where? Lane Cove Boatshed in North Ryde, Sydney; Fairfield Park Boathouse in Melbourne; and Kayak Hire Brisbane, in Scarborough. DANCE CLASS The broadness of this one means you'll be able to tickle your fancy no matter what floats your dancing boat. Dancing is one of the most effective forms of fitness out there, mostly because you're often having so much fun you don't even realise that you're exercising your coordination, strength and flexibility, as well as hiking up your energy levels and mood. Take a salsa class with your significant other, a contemporary class to flail around to Sia like you've always wanted or get yourself into a street dance situation if it's Step Up feels you're after. There are studios around Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane which offer all these choices and more. They say "dance like nobody's watching" and even if there are people watching, it's chill — you're doing a noble thing by being active in the first place. Where? Sydney Dance Company in Walsh Bay, Sydney; The Space in Prahran, Melbourne; and Mad Dance House in Brisbane. CIRCUS FIT Circus Fit has been marketed as the new gym class for people who hate gym classes, and as such it's something a little bit different: it's a combo of both strength and flexibility training, with a healthy dose of aerial work thrown in there, too. Just head along and jump on your trapeze (low-hanging, luckily) and after a warm-up, you'll work through a variety of exercises that target core strength and stability — and, you'll have a whole bunch of fun doing it too. Try it at Fitness Playground in Sydney, but in Melbourne and Brisbane, you can head along to a short course in aerials at NICA or Flipside Circus, respectively. If you've ever had that urge in you to run away and join the circus, well, you probably can't because of life responsibilities and the fact that it's hard to touch your toes and all that, but you can feel like it isn't such a distant possibility for 60 minutes during class. Where? Fitness Playground in Marrickville, Newtown and Surry Hills, Sydney; NICA in Prahran, Melbourne; and Flipside Circus in Alderley, Brisbane. ROCK CLIMBING Rock climbing may not seem like the ideal hot weather sport at first — but you can easily avoid the elements by just heading to an (air-conditioned) indoor climbing centre where you can climb to your heart's content and not get overheated or intense sunburn. It's a win/win. Go on a date because rock climbing is the perfect duo activity: one person climbs while the other belays (holds the rope beneath them) so it's all romantic because your date's life is in your hands — nothing says 'second date' more than not letting someone fall off a really high rock wall, right? If you're flying solo or don't quite trust your entire life with that special someone, bouldering is an excellent alternative — no ropes necessary and no extreme heights either. Notoriously good for upper-body and arm strength, a climb up one of the numerous rock climbing centres around the country is definitely a valid option for those wanting to remain active this summer but who turn their noses up at high energy circuit training. Where? 9 Degrees in Alexandria, Sydney; Cliffhanger Climbing Gym in Altona North, Melbourne; and Urban Climb in West End, Milton and Newstead in Brisbane. ULTIMATE FRISBEE The thing about throwing a Frisbee around is that it's actually very difficult to catch (and often, throw smoothly). A game of Ultimate Frisbee could easily lull you into a false sense of security before you realise your calves are burning and you're sweating up a storm; miles have been run trotting around after that thing as it catches the wrong wind and ends up in someone else's picnic. Before you even notice, you've had a medium to hectic workout and it's time for a bit of a sit-down and a cold brew. Game-wise, the rules of Ultimate Frisbee are simply that you have to pass the Frisbee to a teammate at the opposite end zone of play and that — similarly to netball — you can't step while holding the disc. Pick a nice quiet beach and you can cool off in the water once you're done too (plus running on sand makes for an extra workout). Where? Collins Flat Beach in Manly, Sydney; Elwood Beach in Elwood, Melbourne; and Flinders Beach on North Stradbroke Island. Forgo the trip to the gym and get your exercise in a new way, then reward your workout success with a ice cold Hahn, because you deserve it.
If ever there was a time that Melbourne needed a nice, strong drink, it's now, as the city settles into its second stretch of lockdown and another big dose of social isolation looms ahead. Thankfully, bars and bottle shops across town are ensuring that thirsty locals are spoilt for choice in the booze department, offering a plethora of top-notch takeaway and delivery options. For beer lovers, that lineup just grew even bigger, with the launch of the brand-new Cellar Shop from craft beer haven Beer DeLuxe in Federation Square. For the first time, the venue is offering the public a taste of its long-nurtured cellar collection, which lives under lock and key deep beneath the bar's Flinders Street beer garden. This curation is a treasure trove of beery goodness, featuring stacks of rare, hard-to-find drops sourced from all across the globe. And it's now yours to raid — virtually — for your own drinking pleasure. Up on the newly hatched online shop, you'll find a selection of these boutique brews to browse and buy, with delivery available to a bunch of Melbourne metro suburbs from 3–5pm Thursday–Saturday. Or, you can pick up your purchase direct from the bar, between 1–6pm Thursday–Sunday. There's something a bit special here for just about every palate, from Mikkeller's Danish wild ale aged in wine barrels for 14 months, to a range of funky farmhouse creations by acclaimed Texan brewery Jester King. Expect to find saisons, sours, stouts infused with sea salt and chilli, and even a super rare three-brew blend from the USA's AleSmith, crafted for its 20th anniversary. Beer DeLuxe is also doing growler fills (500 millilitre, one litre and two litre), with a tap lineup that currently includes the likes of a witbier from Future Mountain and Hop Nation's 'Hazed & Confused' hazy IPA. And as always, there's a tidy selection of tinnies from familiar favourites like Stomping Ground, Fixation and Garage Project rounding out the fun. The Beer DeLuxe Fed Square Cellar Shop launches online from noon on Saturday, July 18. Deliveries run to select local suburbs from 3–5pm Thursday–Saturday. And from 1–6pm, Thursday–Sunday, you can pick up in-store from Beer DeLuxe Fed Square, The Atrium, Federation Square.
Danielle Walker is one of the rising stars of the Australian comedy scene — she won RAW Comedy at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival two years ago, before backing it up with a stellar set as part of The Comedy Zone 12 months later. Her delivery veers from adorable to vaguely maniacal — and yes, we mean that as a compliment. Bush Rat is her first big solo show and we can't wait to see what she comes up with.
Good news Melbourne: there are now twice as many places for you to gorge on hand-churned soft serve laden with ridiculous toppings. After putting down roots in Swanston Street, South Korean ice creamery Milkcow has opened a second location in the city's newest retail and dining precinct, St Collins Lane. And yes, we admit, it's not exactly ice cream weather right now. But you might want to make an exception for these guys. Located on the second level of the high-end shopping centre alongside other gastronomic offerings including The Burger Project and Sake Jr, Milkcow will serve signature soft serve made instore each day from locally-sourced organic milk. Topping combinations include doubled glazed caramel popcorn with caramel syrup, French macaroon with toasted coconut chips, jelly beans with fairy floss and fleur de sel, and oreo crumbs with chocolate rocks and apple. They also offer a number of similarly decadent milkshakes flavours, including Cherry Ripe, Oreo and burnt toffee caramel. Yes, it's all as good as it sounds. Ice cream is always better in pairs! Credits to @lipstemptations for sharing! A post shared by Milkcow Australia (@milkcowau) on Mar 30, 2017 at 5:02pm PDT Find the new Milkcow store at St Collins Lane, 260 Collins Street Melbourne. For more information check them out on Facebook and Instagram, or visit their website.
Art, wine and a sumptuous long lunch. It's a covetable trio — and one that's set to star at Mornington Peninsula winery Montalto plenty over the coming months, thanks to a new series of in-depth artist chats. The renowned winery has teamed up with the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (MPRG) to deliver the Contemplating Art lunchtime events, which each host a conversation with a different celebrated artist over a relaxed long lunch. They'll take place in Montalto's award-winning restaurant, fittingly overlooking the estate's Sculpture Trail. [caption id="attachment_845381" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Montalto[/caption] The series is set to dive right into the deep end, too, with acclaimed artist Patricia Piccinini as guest of honour at the first of these lunches, on Thursday, March 24. If that name feels particularly familiar right now, it's likely because of A Miracle Constantly Repeated, Piccinini's ongoing otherworldly exhibition in the Flinders Street Station Ballroom. Or perhaps you know her as the artist behind giant hot-air balloon sculptures Skywhalepapa and Skywhale, which are set to take to the skies above Melbourne this month as part of the MPavilion program. For the debut of Contemplating Art, Piccinini will appear in conversation with MPRG Gallery Director Danny Lacy, chatting about her background, inspiration, the techniques that drive her practice, and her existing and soon-to-be-completed works. All while you enjoy a two-course shared lunch feast courtesy of the Montalto kitchen. [caption id="attachment_845383" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Piccinini's 'No Fear of Depths' (2019), from exhibition 'A Miracle Constantly Repeated'[/caption] On Thursday, May 12, the second event in the series will shine a spotlight on interdisciplinary NSW-based artist Hiromi Tango and collaborator, neuroscientist Emma Burrows. The pair are behind newly launched Science Gallery Melbourne installation Wheel (for Mental: Head Inside) — an interactive 'hamster wheel' that explores the benefits of exercise on our brains and mental health. Contemplating Art marks a desire by Montalto to offer its guests more 'moments out of the ordinary', as the winery gears up to celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. Further events in the series are set to be announced soon — stay tuned via the Montalto newsletter and website. Contemplating Art kicks off on Thursday, March 24, with guest artist Patricia Piccinini, followed by a conversation with Hiromi Tango and Emma Burrows on Thursday, May 12. Events will take place at Montalto, 33 Shoreham Road, Red Hill South, Victoria. For more info and to grab tickets, see the website. Top Images: Patricia Piccinini with one of her works, captured by H.Walker. Montalto Estate.
Well, Melbourne, there's no more denying it — those temperatures are dropping and soup season is quickly barrelling towards us. Luckily, new CBD restaurant Wonder Bowl has landed on the scene just in time for the chilly season, and it's coming to the party with free noodle soup for 250 lucky punters. From May 14 to 18, the Little Lonsdale Street eatery is celebrating winter's arrival with a generous giveaway, offering the first 50 customers each night a bowl of its Chinese-style noodle soup, on the house. Wonder Bowl's already en route to becoming a firm CBD favourite, thanks to a menu of signature soups that combine thick rice noodles, rich seafood broth and Chinese rice wine. Current menu hits include a seafood combination noodle soup and a version featuring drunken chicken. Be quick off the mark next week and you can probably try them both for free. The restaurant opens at 6pm.
Eye. Aperture. Descender. Spine. A weird collection of words, but for a typographer (or a publication nerd like me) they make perfect sense together. Every letter of the alphabet can be split into components which can be moulded and shaped, cut and stretched to create unique typefaces. Having been exposed to so many for so long, we don't actually realise how much of an impact fonts have on our perception of the world around us. For those of us too busy to enrol in a graphic design course but still passionate about learning more there is Typography Insight. The iPad application allows you to get up close and personal, and thereby understand the amazing cratsmanship that goes into making ordinary letters into extraordinary fonts. The resource is encyclopedic in depth, You can be guided through font terminology, compare fonts, or just admire the intricacies that only a super close-up can offer. The designer Dong Yoon Park ask: "How can the cold and rigid design approach of many top-notch technologies be turned into warmer and friendlier interfaces?" https://youtube.com/watch?v=wkoX0pEwSCw [via Gizmodo]
When Respect first breaks out its titular track, it's the original Otis Redding version that echoes in the background. The song plays in the Franklin household as Aretha (Jennifer Hudson, Cats) and her family listen, and the scene bubbles with anticipation for the thing everyone watching knows will come. Shortly afterwards, the Queen of Soul tinkers at the piano in the deep of night, her excitement buoyant after hearing her first big hit 'I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)' on the radio. Her sisters Erma (Saycon Sengbloh, Scandal) and Carolyn (Hailey Kilgore, Amazing Stories) join in, and they're all soon rearranging Redding's tune into the single that cements Aretha's status as a music superstar. For the entire film up to this point, viewers have also heard the Franklins, including patriarch and preacher CL (Forest Whitaker, City of Lies), refer to Aretha using a nickname. "Ree" they call her again and again, and soon "ree, ree, ree" is exactly what Erma and Carolyn sing on backing vocals. It's a neat and also exuberant moment. Respect quickly segues to Aretha and her sisters crooning 'Respect' at Madison Square Garden to a rapturous crowd, but watching the track come together has already proven electric. Something can be orderly and expected and potent and rousing all at once, as this movie happily demonstrates regarding its namesake — but for most of its 2.5-hour running time, Respect is content to careen between inescapably formulaic and occasionally powerful. In other words, Respect is a standard music biopic. The genre will never stop expanding — films about Elvis, Madonna, Boy George, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse and Whitney Houston are currently in various stages of development — but flicks about famous musicians have peppered cinemas with frequency recently. Thankfully, Aretha's stint in the cinematic spotlight doesn't merely shuffle through a greatest hits album like Bohemian Rhapsody. All her well-known songs are accounted for, though, and it definitely doesn't strive to shake up the template as Rocketman managed so vividly. And with Judy and The United States vs Billie Holiday still fresh in filmgoing music-lovers' memories, Respect can't help feeling like it's striking the same beats. The faces and tunes change, but the overall journey remains undeniably similar. The fact that so many iconic female singers' stories navigate comparable paths is a horrible indictment of the way women have long been treated in the music industry; however, the fact that the movies telling their tales can't completely shake that air of familiarity can never quite do them justice. Respect begins with young Aretha (lively debutant Skye Dakota Turner) being roused from sleep by her father to sing at one of his well-attended house parties. It's 1952, and to an audience that includes Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, she breaks out a rendition of the latter's 'My Baby Likes to Be-Bop' — and "she's 10 but her voice is going on 30" is the shared reaction. This obviously isn't the last time that Aretha unleashes her astonishing voice in Respect, and that everyone in earshot reacts accordingly. When she's accosted by an unnamed man in her bedroom afterwards, it isn't the last time the film veers between highs and lows, either. First-time feature director Liesl Tommy and screenwriter Tracey Scott Wilson (Fosse/Verdon) repeat that pattern, embracing it as comfortably as their key figure croons any song she chooses. But where their subject transcends every ditty she trills, Respect can't be said to do the same. Even viewers unaware of the ups and downs of Aretha's life will still know where each second of the film is headed. The choice to end with 2016 footage of the real-life singer piping '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman' is a classic biopic touch, of course, but it's preceded by far more predictable choices again and again. Accordingly, as a child Aretha wrestles with her mother's (Audra McDonald, Beauty and the Beast) untimely death, and her own abuse, to evolve from singing in church for her father and family friend Martin Luther King (Gilbert Glenn Brown, Stargirl) to starting her career under her dad's ferocious guidance. From there, she struggles to turn her early Columbia Records releases into successes, yearns to make music that means something to her and defies her father by marrying small-time producer Ted White (Marlon Wayans, On the Rocks). The children she has as a teenager remain with her family as her path leads to Atlantic Records, veteran record producer Jerry Wexler (Marc Maron, Joker) and recording with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section in Alabama, which is where early hits like 'Respect' and 'Ain't No Way' come to life. But her marriage to Ted isn't happy, and coping with his violence takes its toll. So does touring, recording and working non-stop, including when she weds her tour manager Ken Cunningham (Albert Jones, Mindhunter), and later decides to make her best-selling gospel album Amazing Grace. It's never a smart idea to remind your audience that a better movie exists on the same topic, so the decision to recreate parts of Aretha's Amazing Grace performance — as also seen in the magnificent documentary of the same name that only reached cinemas in 2019 — is misjudged. This section of Respect does let Hudson shine, and Aretha's music do the same, though. Alongside the dazzling costuming, they're the film's biggest assets the whole way through. While the script sticks to well-worn territory, cramming its subject's story to fit the usual music biopic mould and giving the entire affair a handsome period sheen, Hudson injects power and presence into her portrayal. The Dreamgirls Oscar-winner has the talent to do Aretha's songs proud, too. But she also makes viewers wish that everything around her performance, the tunes she's singing and the clothes she's wearing didn't fall victim to the usual cliches. This film has ample respect for the woman at its centre, but it also approaches the act of bringing her life to the screen like it's simply taking care of business.
Are you a big shot professional with no time for trams and trains? Do you scoff at the mere mention of Myki or cringe whenever a commoner has the audacity to breathe on your Armani suit? Well, you're in luck. Melbourne's first business-class commuting service is here. No longer will you have to associate with our city's unwashed riff raff. Officially launched yesterday, SuitJet is a startup bus service for white-collar workers to commute to and from the city. Set to start operating next month, SuitJet offers its users a seat on a customised Mercedes-Benz coach and allows them more space and comfort in which to complete their Very Important Work en route to the office. "[It's] a club for people who wish to leverage modern transport and technology to upgrade and simplify their weekday travel," their website reads. Importantly, "Membership is open to all corporate dress city commuters." With a return ticket to the city setting you back $30, riding with SuitJet will cost significantly more than any Myki fare. However, with roughly an hour more time to work on board per day, they claim the long-term benefits will greatly outweigh the initial expense. "That's an hour of work you don't have to do after having dinner with the kids and a cup of tea with your wife," SuitJet co-founder Darren Heiberg told The Age. Many of the finer details are yet to be decided, with the pick up and drop off points to be dictated by consumer demand. However, registrations so far have elucidated something unexpected. Most members seeking entry to this exclusive club are not disgruntled suits seeking respite from the perils of the train lines from Brighton or Toorak, but those who have been overlooked by the public transport system entirely. Most registrations have reportedly come from suburbs without train stations at all. Despite outwardly naming it a 'business class' service, founders of the company reportedly deny the accusation that their service would create a class divide. Though Mr Heiberg is apparently considering changing the name to something that doesn't include the word 'suit'. Good idea. Via The Age.
In important news for cocktail connoisseurs and budding mixologists, the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards made its grand return to Melbourne Showgrounds' Victoria Pavilion on Wednesday, October 26, celebrating the country's best-distilled spirits, liqueurs, and aromatics. This year saw an especially tight competition, with more than 200 exhibitors entering a record-breaking 863 entries across 11 categories. Never Never Distilling Co took out the top spot as Champion Australian Distiller — the third consecutive win for the South Australian distillers, making them the first distillery team to do so. Earlier in the evening, Never Never also took home the Best New World/Contemporary Gin award for its Southern Strength Gin. It was also a big night for Victorian distilleries, taking out almost a third of the top gongs. Yack Creek claimed Champion Victorian Distiller for the second time, as well as gaining three gold medals for its amber rum, spiced rum, and wheat whisky. Champion Victorian Gin went to Naught Distilling's Sangiovese Gin — an off-court win for the distillery's founder, former professional basketballer Chris Cameron. Now he's swapped his sneakers for distilling tools he's been racking up the wins — last year he earned trophies for Champion Victorian Gin and New World/Contemporary Gin. Gongs were also handed out for exciting flavour combinations: Mornington Peninsula-based distillery Penni Ave won Best Vodka thanks to its wattle seed and burnt honey combination, while Best Liqueur went to Kilderkin Distillery in Mount Pleasant for its Larrikin Bramble and Apple Pie Liqueur. Melbourne Royal CEO Brad Jenkins said in a statement the awards recognise the "long tradition" of distilling in Australia, and "the emergence of the new generation of spirits". Head on over to the Melbourne Royal website to check out the full list of winners — and stock your bar cart accordingly. Top image: Adam Wilson
The sniffles have set in, you're 100% up-to-date with everything on Netflix (though that's not necessarily a terrible thing) and getting out of bed in the morning is pretty much impossible — sound like you? Well, it's time to get out of that winter funk. The chilly season isn't all bad; there are roasts in the oven, Game of Thrones is back and some of your favourite pubs now feature open fires so you can warm the cockles over a pint by the fire. To those naysayers who think that winter marks the end of fun activities in general, we're about to show you how wrong you are. We've joined up with Hahn to round up a bunch of places you can escape to in your city on the weekend or on a needed personal day. Plus, these escapes won't even involve long drives and heated arguments about the speed limit on the Hume Highway. So, grab your coat and gloves and trot off to some fun winter adventures in your own town. Escaping has never been so easy. THE BARBECUE ESCAPE There's nothing like a huge amount of hot, chargrilled meat to warm you up from the inside out. You can try to avoid any winter rain showers to get all the snags cooked at the same time on the barbecue, or even better, get someone else to do the barbecuing for you. Opting for the latter, you can sit down and relax with a frosty cold Hahn while someone else smokes, grills and barbecues some tasty meats for you. Also, like any good barbecue joint, the convivial atmosphere should warm the heart, too. Where? Dig into the good stuff at Surly's in Sydney, Fancy Hank's in Melbourne and The Smoke BBQ in Brisbane. [caption id="attachment_618412" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lucas Dawson.[/caption] THE SPORT ESCAPE Your morning run is a lot harder now that it doesn't get properly light until like midday, we know. But don't fret; there are still ways of keeping active that won't have you freezing your extremities off. The trick here is being inside. Think mini golf with a bar thrown in, so you can reward yourself with a few beers after a tough game against your Bumble date, or even rock climbing you can do safely in wet weather with mobile reception, too. You could also consider a proper competitive sport session like badminton or table tennis to get those endorphins up, and work out your frustrations over how loudly your colleague Tina chews. Where? Head to Holey Moley, a mini-golf bar located in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. You can have a game of badminton or table tennis at Sydney's Olympic Park Sports Halls, and climb away at Sydney's Nomad, Melbourne's Hardrock and Brisbane's Urban Climb. THE WATER ESCAPE Not much can beat a hot bath in winter. It's okay if you can't fit a bathtub in your apartment though, because sourcing a large, hot body of water in your city is actually pretty easy. Though a visit to some natural hot pools is the dream winter activity, don't underestimate the heated regular pools you can access during the colder months. Head to an indoor — or even some outdoor — heated pools for a cruisy, wonderfully warm dip, or maybe a few lazy laps. It's also a good time of year where treating yourself to a spa day is less of an indulgence and more necessity, so go for gold. Where? Take a dip at the outdoor, heated Fitzroy Swimming Pool in Melbourne, the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre in Sydney (which also has a sauna and steam room) and the super retro Spring Hill Baths in Brisbane. Spa-wise, head to the star-speckled Day Spa by Chuan at The Langham in Sydney, Japanese oasis Onsen Ma Spa in Melbourne or try a float session at Brisbane's Beyond Rest. THE HOTEL ESCAPE The classic indulgent getaway, of course, is shooting off to a hotel for a night — and the ultra-indulgent way of doing it is to chuck a sickie and go mid-week. Even if you live pretty close to the city, there's nothing wrong with a minor change in scenery for a night. A staycation is a completely valid life choice and there are plenty of luxe hotels from Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne that'll make you feel like you're living the high life — that beer-and-room-service-in-the-bath life. Another viable option is to pack your own slab of beer and check into an Airbnb instead. There's no room service, but you'll get the whole place to yourself. Where? Book into this super lush apartment at Potts Point in Sydney, The Olsen in Melbourne for a boutique, arty feel, and Spicers Balfour Hotel in Brisbane for an art deco-inspired space with a modern twist (and rooftop bar). THE ART ESCAPE Art galleries and cinemas were built for the type of people who like being inside when it's raining (which is quite possibly all of us), so they're the perfect option for a daytime escape. Art galleries set in gardens just outside the city limits, or cinemas showing foreign films not found anywhere else, are all excellent options for a bit of cultural development. See some art or cinema you normally wouldn't on your next day off — take in a bit of modern art or an obscure German film to really make you ponder your existence as a storm wails outside. Plus, most cinemas these days are licensed too, so for an extra good time you can even take a beer along with you. Where? See modern art, architecture and gardens at the Heide Museum of Modern Art in Bulleen in Melbourne, discover abstract art space Factory 49 in Marrickville in Sydney and check out Australian and international contemporary art at TWFINEART in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. For arthouse cinema, your best picks are Cinema Nova in Melbourne's Carlton, Golden Age in Sydney and the Regal Twin cinema in Graceville, Brisbane. Plan your winter escape, and make sure to grab a cheeky Hahn or two on the way.
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.
Over the past six months, Fleabag picked up six Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes, becoming the most-acclaimed TV comedy of the past year. Sadly, that isn't enough to inspire Phoebe Waller-Bridge to make more episodes of the hit show — but for everyone lamenting the Fleabag-sized hole in their lives, the multi-talented Brit has a new project landing soon. She has a couple, actually. Waller-Bridge helped write the script for upcoming Bond flick No Time to Die, which is no small feat. If you're keen to see her on-screen, however, then you'll want to add Run to your must-watch pile. Waller-Bridge executive produces and pops up among the cast, with Vicky Jones — the director of her Fleabag stage show, and a script editor on Fleabag's first TV season — writing and producing the series. Hitting HBO in the US in mid-April, with release dates Down Under yet to be revealed, Run spends time with ex-lovers Ruby Richardson (Unbelievable's Merritt Wever) and Billy Johnson (Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker's Domhnall Gleeson). They dated in college and, 17 years ago, they made a pact. First, one of them has to text the word 'run' whenever they feel like it. Next, the other has to respond the same way. After that, they both have to drop everything, step away from their everyday lives and meet at Grand Central Station, then travel across the America together. For Ruby, that means escaping her monotonous existence and leaving her husband (Mad Men's Rich Sommer) at home. As for what happens next, the just-released first trailer gives a sneak peek. Expect plenty of chatty train trips, as well as both tension and laughs — with HBO badging the series as a romantic-comedy thriller. And if you're wondering about Waller-Bridge, she plays Laurel, a woman who Ruby and Billy meet on their journey. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=_jwEiXdJGKM&feature=emb_logo Run starts screening in the US from Sunday, April 12, with air dates Down Under yet to be announced — we'll update you when local details come to hand. Image: Ken Woroner/HBO.
How many spider-men is the optimal amount of spider-men? Asking for the best Spider-franchise there is: the Spider-Verse series. Sure, 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home messed with multiverse madness, complete with Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland's versions of the titular character — but the stunning 2018 Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse not only got there first, but topped that first. Now, the animated flick's upcoming sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is going one better yet again. Initially set to release in 2022 — and even dropping a first trailer in 2021 — but now arriving in June 2023, Across the Spider-Verse is the first of two follow-ups to the Miles Morales (Shameik Moore, Wu-Tang: An American Saga)-focused franchise. And, it isn't holding pack on its spider-people. Where the initial film gave us a spider-woman, spider-robot and spider-pig, as well as Nicolas Cage as a 30s-era spider-vigilante, this one has another whole onslaught of Spideys heading Miles' way. This time around, the movie's Brooklyn-based friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is slightly older, and also faced with a spider-team, who are keen to protect the multiverse's existence. When there's that many Spideys, agreeing on how to handle things — including a new threat — isn't easy. That's how the clash between Miles and his fellow spider-folk comes about, as animated in the series' usual dazzling onslaught of colour and movement in the just-released sneak peek. Also included amid all the spider-alternatives in the trailer: Miles reuniting with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld, Hawkeye). And, there's Spider-Woman (Issa Rae, Insecure), the Spider-Verse version of The Vulture (Jorma Taccone, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) and the return of Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac, Moon Knight). (If you're wondering about Isaac's character, he first turned up in the post-credits section of Into the Spider-Verse, and he's an alternate version of Spidey from a specific Marvel Comics imprint.) The voice cast spans Daniel Kaluuya (Nope) as Spider-Punk and Jason Schwartzman (I Love That for You) as The Spot as well, and Jake Johnson (Minx) is also back as Peter B Parker — alongside Brian Tyree Henry (Bullet Train) as Miles' dad and Luna Lauren Velez (Power Book II: Ghost). Expect to see Miles head into other Spidey realms, too, in a franchise that made every single live-action Spidey film pale in comparison to its initial instalment. Once again produced by The Afterparty's Phil Lord and Christopher Miller — and this time co-written — Across the Spider-Verse will be followed by third film Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2024. There's also a female-focused spinoff in the works as well. Check out the new Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer below: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will release in cinemas Down Under on June 1, 2023.
Victoria by Farmer's Daughters is known for celebrating local producers, showcasing the whole state in its à la carte offerings and highlighting specific regions with a heap of different events and seasonal set menus. The most exciting one-off event that's coming up is the team's Grampians in a Glass cellar door evening. On Thursday, June 27, from 6pm, ticketholders will get to taste drops from 17 different western Victorian winemakers, sample paired food, enjoy some entertainment and take a bottle of wine home. It costs a hefty $149, but over 50 handcrafted wines will be yours to sample throughout the evening. There will be some familiar vinos, but we bet there will be plenty you've never tried before. The Grampians wine region is recognised for being an area where old meets new — where tradition runs deep, yet there's still plenty of room for playful experimentation. During the evening, you'll even get to participate in a tutored blind tasting hosted by a few Grampians winemakers — testing your knowledge of the region. Think of it as step one to becoming a sommelier.
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.
There's nothing overtly amusing about Daniel Day-Lewis' performance in Phantom Thread. As '50s-era London dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock, he's tenacious in his attitude but delicate in his approach, inhabiting the demanding, obsessive and fastidious figure to absolute perfection. And yet, there's a joke behind his character that says much about this meticulous, mesmerising melodrama. In trying to find a name for the protagonist in their second big screen collaboration, Day-Lewis and There Will Be Blood writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson were simply trying to make each other chuckle. Mission: accomplished. Similarly, Phantom Thread isn't a film that drips with laugh-out-loud humour, but the comic origins of Woodcock's moniker — and their contrast with the movie's tense and refined air — really couldn't be more appropriate. Far removed from his last wander through the ups and downs of romance in Punch-Drunk Love, here Anderson plunges into the depths of a dark, difficult and devious love story. That said, given the story concerns a volatile couple who turn power plays and tussles for control into an intense form of foreplay, it's only fitting that he imbues proceedings with a sly, mischievous streak. When Woodcock first encounters Alma (Vicky Krieps) in a countryside restaurant, it seems a simple case of sophisticated man meets shy young woman; of opposites attracting in familiar circumstances. While he usually only has room in his life for his work, his no-nonsense sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) and his dead but never forgotten mother, Woodcock is drawn to the clumsy waitress, as she is to him. But it soon becomes clear that his designs on their relationship aren't the same as hers. Though he's fond of having a live-in muse, dress model and sometime lover, despite appearances she's not the type to meekly bend to his moody whims. With Cyril ever-present, the House of Woodcock soon starts to unravel — something that'd never happen to one of the high-end frocks his ceaselessly fusses over, obviously. Every textile metaphor you can think of applies to Phantom Thread. It's a film that's carefully woven from the fabric of human urges, teeming with hidden layers and positively bursting at the seams with emotional detail. It's also one made by the finest possible craftspeople, with Anderson and his three stars fashioning the cinematic equivalent of haute couture. In a role he says will be his last, three-time Oscar-winner Day-Lewis shows just why that's such utterly devastating news for audiences and the acting profession alike. Matching him immaculately are Krieps and Manville. Think of the former as the intricate beading that attracts the eye on an already breathtaking gown, and the latter as the painstaking stitching attentively holding everything together. As for Anderson, the filmmaker behind Boogie Nights, Magnolia and The Master sews another unique patch into his filmography. Making a movie about a perfectionist dressmaker, he's as exacting as Reynolds — and possesses the same eye for exquisite beauty in a film he shot on 35mm himself. Marvel at the way he infuses the household's breakfast routine with palpable tension over something as routine as buttering toast, and try to tear your gaze away from his stunningly framed images and the exceptional frocks within them. Even the ornate wallpaper manages to captivate. Anderson again finds his musical match in Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, who provides the equally effective, darkly seductive score. Sensuous, evocative and completely entrancing, if the end result was a garment, you wouldn't want to take it off. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCYB28iknIM
Sometimes, the world handily delivers answers to questions you didn't even know you ever had. You might not have actively wondered to yourself "what'd happen if New Zealand treasures Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby played pirates?", for instance, but we're betting you're now keener than a buccaneer searching for a bottle of rum to discover how it turns out. Best add Our Flag Means Death to your 2022 must-watch list, then. Arriving sometime in March on Binge in Australia — with release details in NZ yet to be confirmed — the HBO Max sitcom sees Darby lead the show as Stede Bonnet, who was a real-life pirate who took to the seas in the early 18th century. The reason that his story is getting the streaming treatment? Bonnet was a 'gentleman pirate', as the just-dropped first teaser trailer for Our Flag Means Death dubs him. He left his life of privilege to rove the oceans, which this comedy is set to have plenty of fun with. As the initial sneak peek shows, Bonnet has some bold ideas about how life onboard should run — bold compared to the usual pirate stereotypes, that is. And, that's set to see him clash with a very famous name from pirate history: Blackbeard, which is who Waititi will be playing. The two immensely funny NZ talents are joined by a long list of co-stars that includes Ewen Bremner (First Cow), David Fane (Paper Champions), Nathan Foad (Bloods), Joel Fry (Cruella), Samson Kayo (Truth Seekers), Rory Kinnear (No Time to Die) and Leslie Jones (Death to 2020). And, while Our Flag Means Death is the brainchild of writer, showrunner and executive producer David Jenkins (People of Earth), Waititi directs the pilot — and executive produces, lending his name and support to another up-and-coming comedy after doing the same with Reservation Dogs last year. And yes, that means he's directing Darby yet again, as he's already done in everything from Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows to Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Check out the trailer for Our Flag Means Death below: Our Flag Means Death will start streaming in Australia via Binge in March — we'll update you when an exact date is revealed. We'll also update you when release details in New Zealand are announced. Top images: Aaron Epstein/HBO Max.
Your dreams of ditching the slow peak-hour crawl for a quick flight through the skies could very soon become a reality, with Uber today announcing Melbourne as its third — and first international — trial city for Uber aircrafts. Having already flagged the US's Dallas and Los Angeles as launch cities for its new flying service, dubbed the Uber Elevate project, and after some speculation last year, the ride share company has now confirmed it'll also start testing in Melbourne in 2020. If these trials are a success, we should see regular services start from 2023. The all-electric Uber Airs will operate a little like helicopters (but 32 times less noisy, supposedly) with the 'electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles' (eVTOLs) using helipad-style 'Skyports' located on high rooftops at key points around the city. As the company has just announced it'll be teaming up with the Scentre Group (owners of Westfield), expect a lot of these to be located atop shopping centres. And at Melbourne Airport, thankfully. Uber has announced it'll be continuing its partnership with the airport for the new venture — which will most likely launch before construction even begins on the long-awaited airport rail. At least there'll be one fast way to get to the airport. While a car ride from the CBD to the Melbourne can currently take anywhere from 25 minutes to an hour, Uber is promising that its Uber Air will only take about ten minutes. [caption id="attachment_725578" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Skyport[/caption] By taking travel to the air, the company is hoping to "open up urban air mobility and help alleviate transport congestion on the ground". Passengers will be able to tee up a flight in the same way they order a car, with a push of the button, and hopefully it'll be just as cheap. While the company has not announced how much it'll cost initially, it has said that an Uber Air will eventually be as cheap as taking an Uber X ride of the same distance. While this all sounds a bit too good to be true, we do hope we'll be Jetsons-ing around the city for pittance soon. Uber Elevate will start tests in Melbourne by 2020 with regular services kicking off in 2023. To read more about the program, head to the Uber website.
Stepping off the train at Footscray station can feel somewhat like wandering into the twilight zone — it smells different, it looks different and the locals have a distinctive, devilish look in their eyes that is a by product of 1) the ridiculously low cost of vegetables and rave cats in the local area, 2) a sugar high post rampant Olympic Donuts binge or 3) the many splendid delights of a visit to Savers. Despite the fact that the ‘Scray (not to be confused with Scary) is sandwiched somewhere between super posh pockets Kensington, Seddon and Yarraville, you ain’t gonna find no Pleasantville-esque faux grass or Mum’n’bub conventions around here. In short, you’re a long way from Kansas. What you will find is a vibrant, lively African migrant community that brings much literal and metaphorical colour to the neighbourhood. This Saturday the Emerge in the West festival, presented by Multicultural Arts Victoria as part of the larger Emerge Festival, will see the main drag come alive with a bustling street fiesta celebrating the contribution of the large African community to local life. Expect Somali, Sudanese, Ethiopian, Azmari, Burundian, West African and Cape Verdean music, cooking classes, coffee ceremonies, a walking tour and even an African/Aussie fashion parade — we’re picturing a dashiki styled with a cork hat. Plus, despite widely held popular misconceptions, it’s only 11 minutes from the city. Image via eco-friendly-africa-travel.com
If you're currently in wanderlust mode, currently waiting for a new travel deal to decide where you're going next, then we have some news for you — running off to Australia's iconic Red Centre has just gotten incredibly affordable, thanks to Qantas' latest flight sale. We think this part of Australia is always a worthy travel destination but it's just that much more appealing with cheap tickets. It's the perfect excuse to explore the extraordinary regions around or between Uluru and Alice Springs — full of quintessentially Aussie landscapes and wildlife. The sale launched this morning and runs until September 26 (or until sold out). During this time, Qantas is slinging tickets to the Red Centre for $199 each way. That's a saving of about $180 each way. But the discounted tickets are only available during specific dates in summer. Nab this deal for flights between November 1 and December 14, 2022, as well as between January 17 and March 30, 2023. This might be a quite specific period, but it's also one of the best times of year to visit. And are you wondering what to do once you get there? Uluru's incredible Field of Light installation is a permanent recommendation — and you can also check out our guide to visiting the Red Centre. Qantas' Red Centre sale runs until 11.59pm AEST on Monday, September 26 (or until sold out). Images: © Tourism NT
Pacha Mama Wines have two new offerings just in time for spring — a pinot gris and a riesling — and to celebrate, they are hosting an all-out street party. This laneway fiesta at Blender Studios will include Peruvian street food, a gypsy band, live street art performances and plenty of the new Pacha Mama wines to go around. But, if you’re looking for a little extra courage to test out your Latino dance moves, Gin Palace will be making cocktails inspired by the new wines throughout the evening. Finally, to cool down after a night of festivities and burning up the dance floor, Pidapipó have teamed up with Pacha Mama to create a special flavour gelato for the event. Ticket price includes all your food and drink for the evening, and at $45, it’s a lot of bang for your buck. Photo credit: tassie mark via photopin cc.
If the individual movies a director makes can be seen as chapters from an ongoing book, then consider Noah Baumbach the author of a sharp, sweeping coming-of-age chronicle. Whether dissecting mature malaise in Greenberg, the attempts of a twenty-something to find her place in life in Frances Ha or the clash of the two in While We're Young, he remains fascinated with the process of growing up at any stage. In Mistress America, Baumbach offers another instalment on his beloved topic, all while re-teaming with Greta Gerwig. Almost by design, their previous collaboration — both co-writing, him directing and her starring in Frances Ha, as remains the case here — looms large over their latest effort. Consider Frances Ha the fate that could've befallen Mistress America's teenager Tracy (Lola Kirke) after college if she hadn't crossed paths with her stepsister-to-be Brooke (Gerwig), or the past that might've delivered 30-year-old Brooke to her current predicament. The two are brought together by their parents' impending marriage, with Tracy seeing Brooke as the big sis — and guide to life, both in New York and in general — she's never had. They're opposites: Tracy is quiet, lonely and wants to be a writer; Brooke is confident, constantly talks about herself and has an endless array of future plans. As they spend more time together, the seeming differences between the two become less pronounced. That fact isn't lost on Tracy, who starts to imagine Brooke as 'Meadow', the deeply flawed character in her new short story. While finding commonality in Baumbach's films has become unavoidable, that doesn't make his work any less enjoyable or astute. There's a level of comfort to Mistress America's return to the filmmaker's well-traversed terrain, as well as his trademark intelligence and energy. Here, as in the rest of his efforts, he's fleshing out recognisable ideas and anxieties, but done so with slightly different parts. And while the overall message is starting to sound a little repetitive even as it remains accurate, the individual elements still have plenty of charms. The feature is at its best in its wonderful midsection, where it plunges into a superbly executed farce. When a series of circumstances sends the not-quite-siblings plus some of Tracy's friends (Matthew Shear and Jasmine Cephas Jones) on a road trip to Connecticut to visit Brooke's former boyfriend (Heather Lind) and BFF (Michael Chernus), Baumbach takes his favourite themes into shrewd, smart and incisively funny screwball territory. In some of the best sequences the director has committed to the screen, infectious laughter ensues, as does insight and urgency that the rest of the film can't quite match. Of course, that plays into Baumbach's usual oeuvre: what is a coming-of-age story, and his entire output, if not an examination of how to keep going after pivotal moments and turning points?
In July, four years after Beijing authorities confiscated his passport and banned him from leaving China, Ai Weiwei got back his right to travel. And this week he'll be using it, as he travels to Melbourne to speak at the opening of the National Gallery of Victoria's Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei exhibition. Yes, that’s right — Ai Weiwei will be appearing in the flesh. In Australia. You'll find him at the NGV on Monday, December 7 at 6.30pm, where he'll be having a mighty chat with the ABC's Virginia Trioli. Needless to say, Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei is the NGV's summer blockbuster. The gallery developed the exhibition in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh and, of course, Ai Weiwei himself. The show aims to explore the concepts that inspired both artists. Gear up for more than 300 works, including never-before-seen pieces by Warhol, brand new commissions from Ai Weiwei and installations that’ll devour you. Pretty much every medium you can think of comes into play – from painting and sculpture to film and photography to music and social media. Tickets for Ai Weiwei's talk will go on sale to the public at 10am on Wednesday, December 2. And we reckon they'll sell out at Tay Swift speed — so you're going to have to be quick on the uptake. If you're a lucky, lucky member of the NGV, you can get in early in their members pre-sale, from 10am the day before. Ai Weiwei in Conversation at The National Gallery of Victoria will take place on Monday, December 7 at 6.30pm at NGV International. You can buy tickets here.
Ever wanted an extra few minutes in bed on Monday morning? A new Sydney-based startup is offering you this opportunity with a new app that lets you customise, order and pay for your coffee and breakfast before you even arrive at the cafe door. Beat The Q, as the name suggests, allows customers to beat those dreary queues for your morning latte and vegemite toast. After you set up an account, Beat The Q searches for nearby cafes. Select a venue, and then you can order your coffee and food through a simple online menu. Follow the steps to finalise the order, and it will be ready for pick up without any of the awkward standing around in never-ending lines. With the ability to order while you're still in bed or riding on the bus, this is sure to shave a couple of minutes off your hectic morning schedule. Beat The Q is now being offered by over 30 cafes in Sydney, including Toby's Estate, Sonoma Baking Company, Pablo and Rusty's and Little Marionette cafes. The company's founder, Adam Theobald, states that the app was "born out of a love for coffee, and dislike of queues", something we are all too familiar with. Furthermore, it was created to address "current trends, including longer work hours and a shift towards a cashless society." Indeed, this is another way that technology is making our lives just a little cushier. Watch for more of your favourite cafes to be offering this quick and convenient method of ordering. With Beat The Q, it's certain that your coffee is going to taste just that little bit sweeter. You can grab the app from the iTunes store now.
Those Wachowski siblings certainly know what they like. Building intricate worlds, diving into stylised sci-fi, and exploring capitalism and control are at the top of their list, served up with dashes of action and a sense of humour. The Matrix trilogy, their Speed Racer manga-to-TV-to-film adaptation and the period-spanning Cloud Atlas all followed this pattern. Now, with their passion at its most dazzling, it’s Jupiter Ascending’s turn. Once more, Andy and Lana Wachowski write and direct a tale of an innocent learning that life isn’t quite what they think. Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) is a house cleaner unhappy with her lot yet unprepared for her destiny, particularly when a medical procedure for cash is interrupted by an attack by otherworldly creatures. Ex-military fighter and human-wolf hybrid Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) saves the day but also delivers strange news. It seems Jupiter is the key to a family feud over property and resources between wealthy, greedy, wannabe-immortal alien beings, courtesy of genetic reincarnation. That can’t be good. If the narrative sounds a bit messy, that’s because it is. Storytelling is far from Jupiter Ascending’s strong point, despite relying upon staple themes and familiar plot points. Though they remain masters of their own universe, the Wachowskis aren’t afraid to nod to other movies and classic tales, mashing up The Fifth Element, Star Wars, Dune, Brazil, Cinderella and more. It’s an awkward mix of imitation and originality, and it shows. The filmmakers certainly don’t take the most direct route in making everything plain, either, clearly relishing the chance to spend as much time in their brightly coloured realm as possible. In keeping with their back catalogue, they throw everything they can into Jupiter Ascending: bees that can detect royalty, an extended bureaucracy gag, an over-the-top wedding and an unrelated — but no less goofy — romance included. Narrative coherence be damned. Of course, part of the joy of watching a Wachowski-made movie comes from seeing them run with their particular brand of indulgent, existential fantasy on a grand scale, which they do here with aplomb. Marvelling at the scenery and the style is a given, and while spectacular special effects-driven sights, chaotic choreography and more than a few frenetic flights and fights can’t patch over the clumsiness of the story, they certainly help. Luckily, the cast knows exactly what kind of film they are in, and play their parts perfectly in tone, if not polish. Content to drift around a space soap opera, Eddie Redmayne is worlds away from Oscar nominations, but he’s clearly having fun as the pouting, sneering bad guy. Tatum does his usual beefy, brooding but slightly comic thing (sometimes without his shirt off), and though Kunis has to play it blank and straight in contrast, her transformation from doe-eyed to determined works. Even a stern-faced Sean Bean looks like he’s having a good time — and if you’ve seen how his film and TV appearances tend to turn out, you’ll know that’s rare. Perhaps, just like the audience should be, he’s just happy going with the Wachowskis' sometimes silly, always fascinating flow.
Fred again.. is currently in Australia, as everyone knows thanks to his Tuesday, February 27 announcement that he was playing Sydney Opera House that night. Missed out? As he mentioned on his Instagram, the British producer and DJ didn't make the trip Down Under just for one show. So, he's gone and announced a three-city tour for the rest of his Aussie stay. Melbourne will next welcome everyone's favourite chaotic electronic musician, for three gigs all at Rod Laver Arena. After that, he's heading to the Gold Coast — at a pop-up location TBC — for a single show. Then, it's back to Sydney, this time to Qudos Bank Arena for another trio of gigs. All seven shows are taking place in March, giving fans more notice this time after 145,000 people attempted to get tickets to Fred again..'s Sydney Opera House set. Also, you've been given more warning about tickets going on sale, too. They'll be available to purchase from Thursday, February 29, with times staggered depending on the city. The tour came out of nowhere, after a post to Fred again..'s Instagram showing him boarding a flight with his buddy and collaborator JOY (ANONYMOUS), teasing that they'd be performing wherever the plane landed. Next, he popped up on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, announcing that ultra last-minute performance at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Before now, Fred was last in town for Laneway 2023 alongside Haim, Joji and Phoebe Bridgers, at which time he created pandemonium by performing at a slate of pop-up DJ sets around Australia and New Zealand alongside his festival appearances. At this upcoming shows, he'll be bringing his catalogue of hits, of course. So, if you want to catch 'Delilah (pull me out of this)', 'Marea (we've lost dancing)' and 'Rumble' — and new single 'stayinit' with Lil Yachty and Overmono — this is your latest chance. JOY (ANONYMOUS) will be on supporting duties at all seven shows. Fred again.. Australia 2024 Tour: Monday, March 4–Wednesday, March 6 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Saturday, March 9 — pop-up location TBC on the Gold Coast Tuesday, March 12–Thursday, March 14 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Fred again.. is performing in Australia in March 2024, with tickets on sale on Thursday, February 29 — from 9am AEDT for Melbourne, 10am AEST for the Gold Coast and 1pm AEDT for Sydney. Hit up the tour website for more details. Live images: Maclay Heriot / Daniel Boud, Laneway 2023.
So by now it's pretty well-predicted that La La Land is going to dominate this year's Oscars, which, depending on who you ask, is either The Greatest Thing and totally deserved or The Worst Thing and proof of the Academy's irredeemable age/taste/whiteness. But there is one award it shouldn't win, and that's Best Original Score — if you ask us, it shouldn't even be nominated for it. That's because La La Land is a musical, and doesn't have a score in the usual cinematic definition of the word. Generally, a score is the music underpinning the action, not occurring within the scene as it does in La La Land. Ryan Gosling might look adorable while he's noodling on a piano for 'City of Stars', but the fact that he's most certainly in the scene means that the song is not part of the score in the usual sense. This distinction has been emphasised by the Academy itself in the past — from 1949 to 1969, Best Original Score was split into two separate categories: one for Original Score, and one for Musical Score. The score of a film is as important as any other aspect of it; it occupies more of a film's screentime than any actor, conveys more emotion than any speech, sets the mood more evocatively than any costume or lighting or scenery. The great film critic Roger Ebert liked to say that "movies are like a machine that generates empathy". If he's correct, the score is the engine driving that machine. Film is an inherently visual medium, yet a great score is as memorable as any image. Two drags of a cello's bow and you're going to need a bigger boat; I only have to hint at the famous 'dum dum dum dum DAdum dum DAdum' and you're reaching for your inhaler. Show me one big-budget action film since Inception that hasn't used Hans Zimmer's patented PWAAAAAAAARP at some moment of high drama. Think of The Pink Panther, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Psycho, Chariots of Fire or basically any Spielberg film, and it's the score that leaps into your mind instantly. You only have to look at the list of winners of Best Score to see how seriously film scores are taken. Significant classical composers like Erich Korngold (The Adventures of Robin Hood), Aaron Copland (Of Mice and Men, The Heiress), Leonard Bernstein (On the Waterfront), André Previn (Gigi), Miklós Rózsa (Ben-Hur), Ennio Morricone (The Mission, The Hateful Eight) and Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and even Shostakovich and Prokofiev have all written scores. Other composers like Elmer Bernstein, Malcolm Arnold, Bernard Herrmann and Nino Rota — whose careers were mostly spent writing for films — are now spoken of in the same breath as other more traditionally classical composers, while today the music of James Horner, John Williams, Howard Shore and Hans Zimmer is often performed by symphony orchestras in the world's most prestigious concert halls. Even Trent Reznor has an Oscar for The Social Network. With all this blurring of boundaries and genres, the sound palette of films is broader and more experimental than it has ever been. Philip Glass, a modern classical composer long derided as difficult and unlistenable, has achieved popular recognition thanks to his score for The Hours; similarly, Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson's work has spanned film, theatre and contemporary classical throughout his career (and would have been nominated for an Oscar for his score for Arrival but for a technicality). This year's nominees for Best Original Score cover a number of styles, from musical (La La Land) to minimalist (Lion), from shimmery strings and piano chords (Passengers) to tense, darting violins (Moonlight) and unsettling, lush-yet-uneasy chamber pieces (Jackie) – proving that the emotion you make an audience feel is far more important than the method by which you make them feel. Film scores, in all their diverse sounds and styles, are inseparable from the cinema experience. They can complement characterisation, drive plot, confirm suspicions for an audience or confound their expectations. One thing they absolutely should not do is break into song on a highway off-ramp.
Whether you're celebrating a promotion, another lap around the sun or just the fact that you can finally dine out again, an occasion often calls for a high-flying feed. Melbourne is the culinary capital of the country, after all — so there's no shortage of fine diners, top-notch bistros and chic Parisian-inspired bars for you to hit. But just because you're treating yourself, it doesn't mean you have to blow all your savings. In fact, if you change the game plan a little, you can have your cake and eat it too. In partnership with Great Southern Bank, we've uncovered some dining hacks that let you eat at Melbourne's top spots without having to fork out a fortune. And, if you're someone who tempts financial fate after a few glasses of wine, then Great Southern Bank's hidden savings account feature, The Vault, will help curb that temptation, so you don't dip into the funds that may just buy you a house one day. Result.
In the lead-up to International Women's Day on Sunday, March 8 — which celebrates the achievements of those who identify as female and how far we have come in the fight for gender equality for everyone — you can read books written by some of Australia's best female authors. For free. The catch? You just need to find them. Books on the Rail has teamed up with female-identifying Australian authors to drop signed copies of their novels on trains, buses, trams and ferries all over Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this week. Expect to find works written by Maxine Beneba Clarke, Clare Bowditch, Dr Anita Heiss, Jamila Rizvi, Carly Findlay, Kitty Flanagan, Gabbie Stroud and Holly Wainwright, among others. With a goal to get more people reading books by Australian women, the week-long initiative will see the famous authors hiding their own works. So, as well as picking up a new free read, you might get to meet one of your literary idols. For hints on what, where and when, keep an eye on the Books on the Rail Instagram Stories — it looks like a few copies of Jane in Love by Rachel Givney are already travelling around Sydney. Another one to look out for is Vivian Pham's The Coconut Children. https://www.instagram.com/p/B9D3hzEnJzN/ Launching in Melbourne back in 2016, Books on the Rail sees a diverse collection of books set loose on trains, trams, ferries and buses around Australia — kind of like a roving public transport library. You can also become book ninja yourself. Find out more in the Books on the Rail Facebook Group. Free novels will be dropped on buses, trains, trams and ferries around Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane until Sunday, March 8. For hints, keep an eye on the Books on the Rail Instagram Stories.
Most travellers heading to Japan don't factor cars into their plans. Tokyo-bound visitors can explore everything by foot or subway, and those journeying elsewhere can hop on a high-speed bullet train (or, if you're flush with cash, a luxe carriage). Still, there's nothing quite like roaming around a new place from behind the wheel, going wherever the expressway takes you — and to make this easier for tourists, the country has just launched an unlimited road trip pass. With Japanese highways operating on a toll system, the Japan Express Pass will allow holders of foreign passports to venture as far and wide as they'd like, all for one set price. Well, almost; they do come with a 10,000 kilometre limit. Available in seven- and 14-day packages for between AU$228 and $400, they're designed to encourage more folks to venture beyond the Japan's cities and soak up its rural sights. If that's on your itinerary any time soon, the passes will become available from 275 car rental stores across the country from October 13. You will still need a driver's licence that's valid for use in Japan — which means an International Driver's Permit and a current Australian state driver's licence. That's what you'll need if you're keen to try your hand at Tokyo's MariCar, a real-life recreation of Mario Kart that lets you race through the streets of the city, so you probably want to make sure you have it anyway. Via The Japan Times. Image: Atif Johari.
Since Australia started easing out of COVID-19 lockdown, the country's internal border restrictions have earned plenty of attention. With tactics to stop the spread of the coronavirus implemented at a state-by-state level, each Aussie state has navigated the situation in its own way when it comes to letting non-residents visit. In Tasmania, that has meant some strict quarantine requirements — which, for non-Tassie residents who weren't classified as essential travellers, entailed spending 14 days in government-designated accommodation. But, for most of the country, quarantine is no more. From Monday, October 26, travellers from Queensland, the ACT, SA, WA, the NT and New Zealand, which are deemed low-risk areas, are allowed to hop on a plane and head across the Strait. After you've filled out a Tas e-Travel form, of course. [caption id="attachment_784489" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Flaming Lips, Mona, Hobart, Mona Foma 2016. Photo Credit: MONA/Rémi Chauvin. Image Courtesy Mona, Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.[/caption] Some good new for Sydneysiders: this will be an option for you, too, come Friday, November 6. On this date, Tasmania is set open its borders and airports to NSW travellers, pending further public health advice. In other words, if there's an outbreak before then, it might reverse the decision — but if NSW continues its stretch of relatively low levels of community transmission (there have been just three new cases in the past four days) we'll be good to go. "What we want to see in a jurisdiction that we open up to is less than five cases of unknown transmission in the last 28 days," Premier Peter Gutwein said in a press conference. "New South Wales over the last 28 days has had six only in a population of nearly eight million people, so they are on top of this." If you're in Melbourne, sadly the changes won't apply to you just yet. Premier Gutwein noted that the state still hopes to open up to Victorians from December 1, but that they're pleased to "see them driving their numbers so low" and will "be responsive to the evolving situation there". Kiwis legally must complete at least 14 days of managed isolation or quarantine when returning to New Zealand. Travellers will also be tested for COVID-19 during the two-week stay. The New Zealand Government has raised its travel advice to "do not travel" — the highest level — regardless of destination. Keen to start planning an adventure south? Mona Foma has announced it'll return to Launceston and Hobart in January — and we've pulled together this list of exciting food and drink spots in the state's northeast. Visitors from low-risk areas (currently Queensland, the ACT, SA, WA, the NT and NZ) are allowed to visit Tasmania without quarantining. You must fill out a Tas e-Travel form a maximum of three days before you arrive. The state is set to open to NSW from Friday, November 6. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Tasmania and the state's corresponding restrictions, visit its online COVID-19 hub. Top image: Bay of Fires via Lia Kuilenburg for Tourism Tasmania.
Things are starting to get pretty frosty in Melbourne, so the team at Welcome To Thornbury are heating up a plan to help warm your weekend — a mini festival dedicated to mulled wine and hot cheese. The party's set to take over the High Street food truck park from noon, this Saturday, May 27, pulling together a selection of hot, gooey creations from some of the city's favourite cheese-slinging vendors. This is where all your cheesiest dreams come true, chowing down on lush cheese fondue from Frencheese, The Cheese Rebels' decadent haloumi sausages, a raclette burger from the folks at Mr Burger, and other treats from the likes of That Arancini Guy, Crepes for Change, and Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks. Of course, you won't find a better drink match to all that rich, melty dairy than some hot, spiced booze, so the bar will be rounding out its usual offerings with a special mulled wine, available all day long.
He wrote, directed, financed and starred in the best worst movie ever made, showed up as himself in the enormously funny making-of dramatisation of his biggest flick, and re-teamed with his best-known co-star for a two-part comedy-thriller based on their friendship — and now, like he was always destined to, Tommy Wiseau is saying "oh hi" to space. Once again working with The Room and Best F(r)iends' Greg Sestero, the distinctive Wiseau has loaned his voice to animated sci-fi series SpaceWorld, with the pair playing rival intergalactic bounty hunters. If you're naturally thinking the obvious, the company behind it has already made the blatant comparison, with Octopie calling the show "what happens when you merge The Room with Star Wars". In SpaceWorld's nearly six-minute pilot episode, Wiseau's TX battles it out with Sestero's Drogol, who — continuing a trend across their work together — happens to be his lifelong nemesis. Created by Brock LaBorde, the debut clip is suitably bizarre, even with its clear self-referential tone. As Wiseau's career just keeps proving, that's just what happens when he pops up. LaBorde is no stranger to Wiseau's orbit, having produced, co-written and starred in the 2011–12 series The Tommy Wi-Show — where Wiseau was abducted by aliens, shuttled off to a base on the mood and made to play video games. In addition to his better-known work, including his involvement with The Disaster Artist, Wiseau is no stranger to on-screen weirdness either. If you've ever come across his 2014–16 sitcom The Neighbours, which is set in an apartment building and combines the exact storylines you'd expect with his inimitable style, then you'll know exactly how odd his work can get. Whether SpaceWorld will progress beyond its pilot is yet to be seen, although it's definitely not the worst thing on Wiseau's resume. Check out the first episode below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAv4ceFJH3U SpaceWorld is distributed by Octopie, and is currently available via its YouTube channel.
They're sticky, cinnamon scrolls, drenched in glaze and famous all across the USA. And now, at last, they're available Down Under. Yep, Seattle-born chain Cinnabon has landed in Australia, with a Brisbane outpost now serving up delicious baked goods. The launch was first announced in January this year, when family-run Queensland company Bansal Foods scored the Aussie rights to Cinnabon. But, now, it's more than just news. Brisbanites eager to get their fix can head to Toombul Shopping Centre in the city's north, and grab a scroll seven days a week — well, once the opening queues die down. Cinnabon has been going strong in America since 1985, so it has already picked up plenty of Aussie fans along the way. But this is the first time that we're able to get our hands on those sticky, cinnamon-infused baked goods on home soil. The new Brisbane store slings 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. 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. Toombul Shopping Centre recently opened a new neon-lit upstairs dining precinct, but Cinnabon isn't a part of that. Instead, it's located on the ground floor near Coles. And if you're not in Brisbane, it probably won't be too long until Cinnabon makes its way down south. The Toombul store is set to be the first of many. A second Brisbane store in Mt Gravatt is due to open in January 2020 and, going off plans announced earlier in the year, Cinnabon is looking to launch in Sydney and beyond in 2021. Cinnabon is now open on the ground level of Toombul Shopping Centre, 1015 Sandgate Road, Toombul.
Finding a job you're passionate about isn't always easy, but turning to your hobbies and interests for study and career inspiration is a great start. There are many benefits to building a career you love. According to research by Yale professor Dr Amy Wrzesniewski, people who orient their work around a 'calling' rather than seeing their job as purely a transaction for money, tend to be more satisfied with their work and lives overall. Here are five ways to connect what you love to a study option that will steer you towards an enriching career. What's more, these options can all be studied online through Open Universities Australia, which partners with universities across Australia to bring you over 150 degrees and 1300 subjects. [caption id="attachment_660244" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Casey Fiesler.[/caption] YOU LOVE: LISTENING TO TRUE CRIME PODCASTS Consider Studying: Criminal Justice with University of South Australia or Criminology and Criminal Justice with Griffith University Serial, S-Town, Dirty John, My Favourite Murder — everyone loves a good true crime podcast. But if you like taking things that extra mile — analysing the cases from all angles on Reddit — you could consider pursuing this passion outside of conspiracy forums. Angered by wrongful convictions? Discover how the criminal justice system works with a Bachelor of Criminal Justice with University of South Australia. Or are you more curious about theories behind who commits crime and why? If the human side appeals to you more than the technical side of law, explore a Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice with Griffith University. YOU LOVE: BLOGGING ABOUT FOOD, FITNESS AND HEALTH Consider Studying: Food and Nutrition with La Trobe University Your friends may laugh at you photographing your every açaí bowl for Insta, but it turns out you may be onto something. Aussies spend $8.5 billion a year on gym memberships, sports equipment and fitness crazes, which means if you're thinking about a career in health and fitness, there is plenty of demand. It's difficult to turn a passion for food and fitness into a viable career without some sort of credentials. Stand out from the Fitspo crowd with a Bachelor of Food and Nutrition with La Trobe University — you'll learn how to separate spurious health claims of the weight-loss tea variety from evidence-based claims supported by actual research. [caption id="attachment_670821" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Atsuko Sato: Doge.[/caption] YOU LOVE: SCROLLING MEMES, REDDIT AND VIRAL INTERNET CONTENT Consider Studying: Internet Communications with Curtin University Believe it or not, being a lover of all things meme, subreddit and retweet related is a legitimate interest that you can turn into work. To go from your average Internet humour consumer to a better than average content producer, check out a Bachelor of Arts (Internet Communications) with Curtin University. You'll level up your skills in creating, maintaining and managing online communications. In today's increasingly digital world, these are useful abilities to have. YOU LOVE: SAVING THE PLANET Consider Studying: Sustainable Development with Murdoch University You were the first to bust out a KeepCup, and you spend your time at parties explaining to strangers why the huge plastic island forming in the Pacific Ocean is a huge deal. Because without the planet, nothing else matters right? To really make a difference, learn how to transform your personal passion for environmental issues into broader policy changes and strategies. A Bachelor of Arts with a major in Sustainable Development with Murdoch University will give you a deeper understanding of the issues and help you influence sustainable policies in government and the private sector. [caption id="attachment_636262" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Bec Taylor.[/caption] YOU LOVE: GOING TO CULTURAL EVENTS Consider Studying: Society and Culture with Macquarie University If you like spending as much of your spare time as possible visiting museums, art galleries and music festivals, there are a myriad of ways you can turn your penchant for all things culture into an actual job. Studying a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Society and Culture with Macquarie University is a good option. Learn how to critically analyse society and culture, expose yourself to different ideas, and empower yourself to work in an arena related to your interests. Explore all the degrees on offer from Open Universities Australia and turn your passions into an actual career.
Already a high-impact showstopper on screen, George Miller's award-winning Mad Max: Fury Road takes on a life of its own as it's launched into reality for an interactive spectacular of performance, music, film, striking visuals and special effects at this year's White Night Reimagined. Running hourly across all three nights of the festival, the world premiere of Mad Max: Fury Road features a 15-minute live show and exhibition, bringing the post-apocalyptic action flick to life. Prepare to be wowed by some of the movie's famed vehicles — from the Doof Wagon to the Razor Cola Interceptor — as they descend on the Melbourne Museum forecourt. Snippets of film footage and video will be splashed across the facade of the Royal Exhibition Building, too, matched to a soundtrack, dazzling special effects and larger-than-life performances. Mad Max: Fury Road starts every hour on the hour on Thursday–Friday 7–11pm and Saturday 7pm–1am.
