Transurban, Australia's toll road giant, is in the process of overhauling its road fee system – and Melbourne's CityLink system is seeing some big changes. If you use Melbourne's toll roads and have an e-TAG as a constant little travel buddy, chances are you have a CityLink account — and things are looking a bit different for you. Your CityLink account is now called a Linkt account, and the website has an entirely new look – but, your login details will remain the same. The overhaul doesn't end with the name change and rebrand, however, so down to the important stuff: fee changes. For those with an e-TAG, the tag non-return fee (if the tag is lost or stolen) has been reduced from $55 to $15. For Everyday or Taxi accounts, there won't be a minimum yearly payment per tag of $27.50 anymore, saving you money if you're an occasional traveller. And, for Everyday and Access accounts, the 'vehicle matching fee' — which is charged each time you use a toll road — will be lowered from $0.75 per trip to $0.55. But there's also something else to consider in terms of the overhaul that isn't as good news for motorists: a new transaction fee that Transurban is introducing for those who pay with a Visa or Mastercard. Starting from September 1, this surcharge already applies to those who pay with AMEX or Diners Club. If you're not about this, perhaps sort out a direct debit – you can on the new website. The changes come amidst accusations that parent company Transurban has been making millions of dollars in profit by charging customers unnecessary and expensive fees. CityLink consists of three tolled roads across Melbourne: Southern Link, Monash Freeway between Southbank and Malvern; Western Link, Tullamarine Freeway between Port Melbourne and Strathmore; and Batman Avenue, between Flinders Street and Olympic Boulevard. They'll also be rolling out a new app which will let travellers pay fees on the spot on a trip-by-trip basis. And, be aware if you're needing to contact them – their contact details have changed, including their phone number. Full details on the changes here.
Today, one month after the unmitigated frenzy that was the iPhone 6, Apple have unveiled their latest tech offerings to the world. Without quite as much fanfare, they've gifted us with the new iMac, iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. Unlike the latest iPhone, there isn't a huge list of new features to jump up and down about. But there is this one thing — the screens of both the iPad Air and iMac are thinner than a freakin' pencil. Gone are the days of the bulky and obnoxiously colourful iMacs that we knew and loved from the mid-2000s. The screen on the latest iMac measures in at a mere 5mm and the iPad Air isn't much larger on 6.1mm. This is a size reduction of around 18 per cent from the last models (which was 20 per cent thinner than the ones before that). We know live in a time when technology has beaten the cliche of being "pencil thin". Aside from putting everything on a serious diet, Apple has given the new iPads faster processors and better cameras. The iPad Air now has all the latest updates we've seen in the iPhone 6 including an 8 megapixel camera. It will also have less glare with a new coating reportedly reducing reflections by 56 per cent, and the same TouchID fingerprint sensor that enables you to use the nifty (and only slightly scary) Apple Pay. Speaking of things which sound somewhat daunting, Apple has given the latest iMacs "5K retina display". While it sounds a lot like something to do with 5,000 lasers shooting into your eyeballs, it actually just means a really, really good image quality. Over 14 million pixels will now be shimmering around your desktop's 27-inch screen finally giving crystal-clear definition to all your Youtube cat videos. All in all, there's nothing to be too excited about unless you've been trying to jam your iPad into inconceivably small cases all year. People just love to kick up a fuss about Apple because they makes us feel like we're living in the future. If tiny, tiny technologies are really your thing, you can pre-oder these new gadgets from tomorrow. The new iPad Air will cost you between $619-1,019 depending on how tricked out you want it to be; the iPad Mini will be $499-899; and the iMac will fluctuate wildly between $2,999-5,279. Just wait and see how expensive it is once they perfect a design the same thickness as a piece of paper. And no, in case you wanted to keep your new iPad in your pocket, Apple aren't afraid of them bending. Via Wired and SMH.
Put on your thinking cap and start sleuthing through all of the internet. Converse are hosting a series of amazing A-list gigs in Melbourne, Sydney and New Zealand, and they're hiding tickets where you'll least expect them. So far we know that The Vines — who are all about the freebies lately — and Bloods are playing a free show somewhere in Melbourne on Wednesday, October 22; Remi and Collarbones are hitting up Sydney the following night; and a fresh lineup is heading over to New Zealand soon after. Oh, and we have your first clue. Converse sneakily posted an ad on Seek this morning for a casual "fist pumper". "This temporary, one night only, position is open for a front row fist pumper at a free gig," the ad read. "The successful applicant will show a willingness to party in the front row of the mosh pit ... [They also must] appreciate the epic sounds of bands, The Vines and Bloods". In case you haven't worked it out already, this is your ticket. If you're from Melbourne and maintain any of the above characteristics, we highly recommend applying for this job. They're currently taking "applications" for the position at hey@converse.com.au, but maybe trade in a full cover letter for a few photos of you in the mosh. This is possibly the only time making a resume link to your Facebook photos is a good thing. If you're hanging out for news about Sydney and New Zealand, we can't help you quite yet. When the campaign was launched last month in Europe and the UK there was a big focus placed on spontaneity, so you'll have to be pretty alert. Make your plans soft and let your friends think you're flaky; it'll be worth dropping everything when you're front and centre of a free show rubbing it in their faces.
The future is here and all our problems are solved. Or, more accurately, one specific problem that bugs us a bit. Three engineering students from the US have created a device that harnesses energy from your everyday activities to charge your phone on the go. No more crouching next to power points or annoyingly asking bartenders to pop your phone behind the bar. With this, you can genuinely re-charge your battery by dancing. This kind of technology has been around for a while now, but never in such a convenient form. Fitting in the palm of your hand, Ampy is a little power pack that can easily be strapped to your arm or popped in your pocket. Each of your movements are then used to power the lithium ion battery inside and that in turn is used to charge your phone when hooked up via a USB cord. Though you don't need to use the energy right away, a 30-minute run supposedly keeps your phone on for three hours. Understandably, people are already crazy excited for this thing. A Kickstarter campaign was launched to get production underway, and it reached its $100,000 target within three days. By the end of the 30 day funding period, it will have basically taken over the world. Of course, there are a number of reasons why this thing is great. Yes, it offers convenient power for when you're out and about, but it also encourages you to get off your butt and move. Prompting you to take the stairs instead of the elevator or ride your bike into the city, this tricky device may be the best health initiative we've ever seen. It also has the added benefit of using 100 per cent renewable energy. Forget coal mining and big electricity bills; pop on some Beyonce and dance yourself into some power. Either that, or cheat and clip it to your dog. Ampy won't be available in stores until June 2015, but you can grab yourself a discounted product from the first shipment by backing their Kickstarter now. A US$75 pledge (plus $15 delivery fee) will get you the device itself, or you can grab a full accessory pack as well for US$95. Via Buzzfeed and Forbes.
Get ready to meet Mr Grumbles, a rufus betton; Rocky, a tree kangaroo; Yolo, Zaney, Harvey and Swarf, all Tasmanian devils; bare-nosed wombats Bell and Bruce; and Clementine, Patricia, Kandy and Keisha the koalas. They're all residents at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, one of Brisbane's long-standing tourist attractions — and they're making the venue's new nocturnal precinct their home. Joining them are potoroos, pademelons, bandicoots, bettongs, southern hairy-nosed wombats and echidnas, giving visitors to the Fig Tree Pocket animal haven an array of cute critters to peer at by night. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary's latest addition was announced in October and opened to start November, so both Brissie locals and tourists alike have a new reason to drop by. Plenty of folks have explored the venue over the years, but not like this until now. Based around a one-kilometre stroll called The Wild Walk, which meanders through a eucalypt planation, the new nocturnal precinct heroes Australia's nocturnal wildlife and offer night-time experiences. It features seven exhibit spaces filled with ten species — half of which are new to the site especially for its latest expansion. "There's a whole world of activity that happens after dark that we aren't privileged to, but Nocturnal gives people that experience, with a tour guide, in a non-invasive way to celebrate Australis's animal superstars and educate people about the importance of sustaining their ecosystems," explains Frank Mikula, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary Curator. "It's an Australian native animal treasure hunt, with the prize being able to see these amazing creatures up close and personal." Nestled into a leafy pocket of the River City's western suburbs, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary already boasts the honour of being the world's first and largest koala sanctuary. It's a great place to cuddle a koala — including on Christmas Day if you're looking to for something other than the usual festive celebrations. See animals after dark is its latest attraction, with patrons able to get peering using portable thermal imaging cameras. The experience is designed around not disrupting the critters — so, no glaring beams are shone their way. Instead, you'll walk across the new elevated boardwalk, which has been custom-designed for the site. You'll also look through cameras that pick up heat signatures, and are around the size of a mobile phone. And, when an animal has been found, a non-intrusive red torch light will help you get a better glimpse. If you're keen, you can sign up for a tour that runs for 90 minutes three times a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Each group will welcome 20 visitors, and spans feeding opportunities and looking at burrow cams as well. Part of a $3.2-million project, the new additions further expand a venue where getting up close and personal with wildlife — not just by cuddling a koala, but also by holding an owl, touching snakes, and watching everything from kangaroos, wombats and echidnas to birds of prey, turtles and even Tasmanian devils — has been on offer for 97 years. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary's nocturnal precinct is now open at 708 Jesmond Road, Fig Tree Pocket, Brisbane. Head to the venue's website for more information and bookings.
Yarra Valley wine country is set to score a bold new addition, with Levantine Hill Estate unveiling plans for a $20-million onsite hotel designed by acclaimed architecture firm — and Mona designers — Fender Katsalidis. Having just scored council approval, the award-winning winery's 33-room boutique accommodation is slated for completion in early 2024. Conceptualised to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape, the new hotel will be set across two levels, decked out in natural materials and raw finishes to complement the property's existing spaces. That includes the cellar door, restaurant and winemaking facilities, which are also the work of Fender Katsalidis founder Karl Fender. Guest rooms are set to feature sprawling spa baths and fully stocked wine fridges, with the 2900-square-metre hotel boasting sheltered openair hallways, a lush collection of foliage and a solar farm atop the roof. Expect lots of polished concrete, rich leather and untreated silvertop ash used throughout. Catering to the wedding crowd, there'll also be a sumptuous bridal suite complete with its own cellar, bar and dressing room. And if you fancy arriving in style, the hotel will be located just a quick stroll from the estate's helicopter landing area. The luxe accommodation isn't the only grand thing in the works for Levantine Hill, either, with plans for an additional 47-room hotel currently being finalised. That project will also be brought to life by Fender Katsalidis. Levantine Hill's accommodation plans come six months after Cedar Mill Group announced it's set to open an outdoor concert venue and 300-room hotel, also on the Maroondah Highway, at some point in 2024. Levantine Hill Estate's new hotel is set to open in early 2024, at 882 Maroondah Hwy, Coldstream, Victoria. Images: Fender Katsalidis Architects.
Thought bingo was for your nan? Think again. It's also for you — or perhaps, if she's a groovy gran, for the both of you. Hijacking the traditional format of bingo with raves, conga lines and lip sync battles, Bingo Loco is 50 percent one of those strange dreams you get after eating too much cheese and 50 percent just a walloping good time. Comedian Andrew Stanley plays MC, while confetti showers and smoke cannons go off throughout the night (perhaps wear your glasses). Bingo ravers will compete for ultimate glory (and prizes) over the course of three rounds. In between the traditional bingo games, you'll be expected to groove to classic 90s rave bangers, partake in dance-offs, battle others for lip sync queen titles. Basically, be prepared for many high-octane, energetic activities — gone are the days of simply raising your hand when you've got a full sheet of numbers. Doing your stretches and vocal warm-ups first are advised. You'll vie for prizes, which in the past have included Coachella tickets, mobility scooters (nan, listen up), boats and lawnmowers (maybe for your dad), among other goldmines. Bingo Loco has been running across the globe for a few years and now will trumpet its way around Australia once more, with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation Australia. Bingo Loco will hit 170 Russell Street on Thursday, May 23 and then return to The Prince Bandroom in St Kilda on Sunday, June 2. Tickets cost $44 per person and can be purchased here.
Australia's largest photography biennale festival is back in Melbourne with PHOTO 2022 International Festival of Photography, this time with a new theme: Being Human. After the success of PHOTO 2021, the PHOTO festival returns to Melbourne and regional Victoria with various exhibits and events from Friday, April 29 to Sunday, May 22. The festival will encompass 90 exhibitions from 123 local and international artists, with 50 world premieres including 24 specially commissioned projects. The festival will feature work from a diverse group of local and international photographers — spanning from Vasantha Yogananthan's After Life, which depicts the millenia-old story of the Ramayana through contemporary bodies, to Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu's specially commissioned study of culture, identity and self love in her reinterpretation of contemporary African portraiture. Exhibitions featured in the festival will be focused in Five Festival precincts: Town Hall Precinct, Parliament Precinct, River Precinct, State Library Precinct, and Fitzroy/Collingwood as well as other galleries and venues around Victoria. Exhibitions will explore themes including mortality, self, history, society and nature. In addition to contemporary artists, two photography icons — Helmut Newton and Cindy Sherman — will be honoured with exhibitions across the duration of the festival. Helmut Newton: In Focus, presented by the Jewish Museum of Australia: Gandel Centre of Judaica and the Helmut Newton foundation, will focus on the life of the world-famous fashion photographer. A photograph by American photographer Cindy Sherman will be celebrated with the festival's largest individual work to date. Entry to the festival is free, with the exception of the Helmut Newton: In Focus exhibit which is $20 per adult. Tours are $10, and collector tours are $65. Photo: Helmut Newton, Elsa Peretti, New York, 1975, Copyright Helmut Newton Estate, Courtesy Helmut Newton Foundation. Banner Photo: Thandiwe Muriu, Camo 34, 2022. Commissioned by Photo Australia and MetroTunnel Creative Program for PHOTO 2022 International Festival of Photography. Courtesy of the artist and 193 Gallery.
Something delightful has been happening in cinemas across the country. After months spent empty, with projectors silent, theatres bare and the smell of popcorn fading, Australian picture palaces are back in business — spanning both big chains and smaller independent sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. During COVID-19 lockdowns, no one was short on things to watch, of course. In fact, you probably feel like you've streamed every movie ever made, including new releases, comedies, music documentaries, Studio Ghibli's animated fare and Nicolas Cage-starring flicks. But, even if you've spent all your time of late glued to your small screen, we're betting you just can't wait to sit in a darkened room and soak up the splendour of the bigger version. Thankfully, plenty of new films are hitting cinemas so that you can do just that — and we've rounded up, watched and reviewed everything on offer this week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jWZ6P1rWy4 FIRST COW Gone are the days when every image that flickered across the screen did so within an almost square-shaped frame. That time has long passed, in fact, with widescreen formats replacing the 1.375:1 Academy aspect ratio that once was standard in cinemas, and its 4:3 television counterpart. So, when a director today fits their visuals into a much tighter space than the now-expansive norm, it's an intentional choice. They're not just nodding to the past, even if their film takes place in times gone by. With First Cow, for instance, Kelly Reichardt unfurls a story set in 19th-century America, but she's also honing her audience's focus. The Meek's Cutoff, Night Moves and Certain Women filmmaker wants those guiding their eyeballs towards this exquisite movie to truly survey everything that it peers at. She wants them to see its central characters — chef Otis 'Cookie' Figowitz (John Magaro, Overlord) and Chinese entrepreneur King-Lu (Orion Lee, Zack Snyder's Justice League) — and to realise that neither are ever afforded such attention by the others in their fictional midst. Thoughtfully exploring the existence of figures on the margins has long been Reichardt's remit, as River of Grass, Old Joy and Wendy and Lucy have shown as well, but she forces First Cow's viewers to be more than just passive observers in this process. There's much to take in throughout this magnificently told tale, which heads to Oregon as most of Reichardt's movies have. In its own quiet, closely observed, deeply affectionate and warm-hearted fashion, First Cow is a heist movie, although the filmmaker's gentle and insightful spin on the usually slick and twist-filled genre bucks every convention there is. Initially, after watching an industrial barge power down a river, First Cow follows a woman (Alia Shawkat, Search Party) and her dog as they discover a couple of skeletons nearby. Then, jumping back two centuries and seeing another boat on the same waterway, it meets Cookie as he's searching for food. Whatever he finds, or doesn't, the fur-trapper team he works with never has a kind word to spare. But then Cookie stumbles across King-Lu one night, helps him evade the Russians on his tail, and the seeds of friendship are sown. When the duo next crosses paths, they spend an alcohol-addled night sharing their respective ideas for the future. Those ambitious visions get a helping hand after the Chief Factor (Toby Jones, Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom) ships in the region's highly coveted first cow, with Cookie and King-Lu secretly milking the animal in the dark of night, then using the stolen liquid to make highly sought-after — and highly profitable — oily cakes. Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcOP5kQrABk WRATH OF MAN With revenge thriller Wrath of Man, filmmaker Guy Ritchie (The Gentlemen) and actor Jason Statham (The Meg) reunite. The pair both came to fame with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, repeated the feat with Snatch, then unsuccessfully tried again with Revolver, but they've spend the past 16 years heading in their own directions. During that stretch, the former subjected the world to his terrible Sherlock Holmes films, fared better with left-field additions to his resume like The Man From UNCLE and Aladdin, but didn't quite know what to do with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. The latter has become an action go-to over the same time — with both forgettable and memorable flicks resulting, including three Fast and Furious movies and a stint scowling at Dwayne Johnson in the franchise's odd-couple spinoff Hobbs & Shaw. Thankfully, now that they're collaborating again, they're not just interested in rehashing their shared past glories. From Wrath of Man's first moments, with its tense, droning score, its high-strung mood and its filming of an armoured van robbery from inside the vehicle, a relentlessly grim tone is established. When Statham shows up shortly afterwards, he's firmly in stoic mode, too. He does spout a few quippy lines, and Ritchie once again unfurls his narrative by jumping between different people, events and time periods, but Lock, Stock Again or Snatch Harder this isn't. Instead, Wrath of Man is a remake of 2004 French film Le Convoyeur. While walking in someone else's shoes turned out horrendously for Ritchie with the Madonna-starring Swept Away, that isn't the case with this efficient, effective and engaging crime-fuelled effort, which finds its niche — and it's a new one for its central duo, at least together. Statham plays Patrick Hill, the newest employee at the Los Angeles-based cash truck company Fortico Securities. On his first day, his colleague Bullet (Holt McCallany, Mindhunter) dubs him H — "like the bomb, or Jesus H," he says — and the nickname quickly sticks. H joins the outfit a few months after the aforementioned holdup, with the memory of the two coworkers and civilian killed in the incident still fresh in everyone's minds. So, when gunmen interrupt his first post-training run with Bullet and Boy Sweat Dave (Josh Hartnett, Penny Dreadful), they're unsurprisingly jumpy; however, H deals with the situation with lethal efficiency. Cue glowing praise from Fortico's owner (Rob Delaney, Tom & Jerry), concern from his by-the-book manager (Eddie Marsan, Vice) and intrigue about his past from the rest of the team (such as Angel Has Fallen's Rocci Williams and Calm with Horses' Niamh Algar). Read our full review. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MGhAbSsKtQ LAND Pitting humanity against nature is one of cinema's favourite setups; however, when movies dwarf a lone soul in their expansive surroundings, then watch them try to survive, the medium endeavours to explore exactly what makes us tick. The mere sight of a single figure attempting to endure against the elements can send a potent message, reminding viewers of how small we each are compared to the planet we live on, how fleeting our existence ultimately proves in its lengthy history and how witnessing one day following the next is never a given for anyone in any situation. Like everything from Into the Wild and The Grey to All Is Lost and Arctic before it, Land conjures up these ideas and themes within its hauntingly beautiful frames. It also boasts the space and patience to ponder the impressions our traumas and tragedies leave, too. None of these notions are new or unique, and Jesse Chatham and Erin Dignam's (Submergence) screenplay doesn't ever pretend otherwise or treat them as such. Rather, this thoughtful drama knows that it's traversing well-worn and universal territory, and that films past and future will continue to walk similar paths — but director and star Robin Wright (Wonder Woman 1984) is also well aware that continually interrogating and reevaluating why we're here, where we fit into this world, what we choose to do with our lives, and how we change and evolve along the way is what makes us human. In her filmmaking debut after helming ten episodes of House of Cards over the years, Wright plays Edee, a woman who can only see one way to cope with the type of pain, loss and heartbreak that has forever upended life as she once knew it. With a trailer filled with tinned and dry food, she escapes to the Wyoming wilderness, where nothing but a rustic cabin, clear lakes, trees and mountains as far as the eye can see, and the occasional animal awaits. But when a bear destroys her food supplies and the region's frosty winters prove punishing beyond her expectations, Edee struggles to find the peace she seeks. Enter the kindly Miguel (Demián Bichir, Godzilla vs Kong), a kindred spirit with his own troubles to work through, and with his own draw to the land as well. When done badly, movies about finding solace and strength in the great outdoors threaten to turn the "nature is healing" trope into a movie, but Land isn't that feature. It doesn't unravel a romance against cinematographer Bobby Bukowski's (Irresistible) scenic imagery, either. Instead, it watches as Edee works through the minutiae of her chosen new existence, faces challenges, rediscovers the value of having even just one person to reach out to and slowly comes to terms with who she is after all she's been through. Wright's internalised performance is phenomenal, and although its final act moves too quickly, this is always a compassionate, poignant and affecting film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrpibk1CgUw CLIFF WALKERS 2016's Matt Damon-starring The Great Wall might've threatened to prove otherwise, but when Zhang Yimou makes a movie, it usually demands attention. The Chinese filmmaker's 1988 debut Red Sorghum won Berlinale's Golden Bear, 1991's Raise the Red Lantern remains stunning on multiple levels, and 2002's Hero, 2004's House of Flying Daggers and 2018's Shadow remain dazzling examples of the wuxia genre at its finest. With new release Cliff Walkers, the acclaimed director toys with an espionage narrative. Jumping into the spy realm is new for him, but when the film starts with sweeping shots of snowy Manchukuo — a Japanese-controlled state in China's northeast in the 30s and 40s, and the site of a death camp that's pivotal to the story — it's clear that he's behind the lens. Indeed, these frosty moments are so visually striking that, when the white landscape gives way to terse, tense altercations on trains and then within the city of Harbin, feeling disappointed is an instant side effect. Zhang has a meticulous eye for streets and interiors, too, however. And, for secret exchanges and fraught chases also. Benefiting from the filmmaker's regular director of photography Zhao Xiaoding as well, there isn't a single shot in Cliff Walkers that doesn't demand attention. Even the sight of fallen snow collecting in the brims of the hats worn by the feature's characters boasts its own beauty. Within its eye-catching frames and amidst its entrancing era-appropriate production design, Cliff Walkers tracks four Chinese operatives who've been tasked with rescuing a survivor of a massacre at the Manchukuo camp from the Japanese authorities — a job that's filled with peril from the outset. After parachuting into the snow in the feature's vivid and alluring opening, Zhang (Zhang Yi, The Eight Hundred) and Lan (Liu Haocun, A Little Red Flower) tackle one part of the mission, while their romantic partners Yu (Qin Hailu, The Best Is Yet to Come) and Chuliang (Zhu Yawen, The Captain) are paired up and saddled with the other. It's the 30s, and double-crossing, double agents and danger all follow, as does betrayal, heartbreak, tests of loyalty and hard choices. The film that unfurls doesn't overflow with surprises, plot-wise, but Zhang and first-time feature screenwriter Quan Yongxian focus on the details, making every coded interaction and suspenseful altercation as gripping as the movie's multi-layered cat-and-mouse games. After his previous picture, One Second, was pulled from the 2019 Berlinale at the last moment — officially due to "technical difficulties" — Cliff Walkers' patriotic leanings don't come as a shock; however, it doesn't dampen the film's visual splendour or involving narrative, either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24umxshK1f8 TWIST Forget watches, calendars and social media reminders that tell you what you were doing on this day years ago whether you like it or not — when it comes to conveying the passing of time, the entertainment industry has a surefire tactic. There's nothing quite like seeing the now-grown child of a famous face start appearing on-screen to make you realise how quickly the seconds, minutes, hours and more melt away. Twist is the latest film to have that effect, thanks to the first-time lead actor that plays the titular Charles Dickens-penned character. Rafferty Law looks exactly like his father, sounds like him and has the same stare that's worked so well for the latter for years, including in The Third Day and The Nest of late. He also appears here opposite Michael Caine, who Jude Law co-starred with in 2007's Sleuth; however, this isn't quite the start to his big-screen career that the younger Law would've hoped for. A modern version of Oliver Twist that reframes the famed orphan as a freerunner and graffiti artist who leaps between London's rooftops and tags the tallest of buildings, it's the update that no one could've asked for — including the teenage audience it's targeting. And, at a time when even Guy Ritchie is moving on from his usual bag of tricks with Wrath of Man, it enthusiastically follows in his decades-old footsteps. Presumably director Martin Owen (Killers Anonymous), screenwriters John Wrathall (The Liability) and Sally Collett (The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud), and the seven other folks given either idea or additional material credits just couldn't handle living in a world where Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Dickens hadn't crossed paths. There are no gruelling orphanage scenes in Twist, but there is a criminal mastermind called Fagin (Caine, Tenet), a gang of light-fingered pickpockets led by Dodge (Rita Ora, Fifty Shades Freed) and an abusive villain named Sikes (Lena Headey, Game of Thrones). When the eponymous teenager falls into their company, he's rightly apprehensive; however, he just wants to belong, even if that means becoming part of an art heist. If it wasn't for fellow building-leaping crew member Nancy (Sophie Simnett, Daybreak), Twist mightn't fall in as thickly with the thieves as he does. But Owen and his fellow creatives never let a cliche pass by. Similarly, as their hero and his new pals plot to pilfer paintings from gallery owner Losberne (David Walliams, Murder Mystery), the film doesn't miss an opportunity to spout hackneyed dialogue, fill its soundtrack with oh-so-literal choices and throw in more parkour whenever it seems that a few minutes might tick along without it. Caine should've left his Dickensian escapades to The Muppets Christmas Carol, while everyone else should've expended more than a couple of seconds thinking about this flimsy wannabe caper. And, while Rafferty Law's presence might remind the audience that time passes so quickly that multiple generations of families keep popping up on our screens (see also: Scott Eastwood in Wrath of Man, Lily-Rose Depp in Voyagers and John David Washington in Tenet, just to name a few), Twist makes its 88-minute running time feel like an eternity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN9RO5SnnCs THE DEVIL HAS A NAME In one of the many courtroom scenes in The Devil Has a Name's second half, Californian almond farmer Fred Stern (David Strathairn, Nomadland) takes the stand in the $2 billion lawsuit that he has brought against Shore Oil. He's demanding compensation for the poisoning of the land beneath his property for the past ten years, and the questioning and corresponding testimony turns to matters of intention and knowledge — with Stern pointing out that the energy behemoth mightn't have deliberately contaminated his farm initially, but it also didn't change its ways once it discovered the environmental effects of its actions. Instead, regional director Gigi Cutler (Kate Bosworth, Force of Nature) sent a flunky (Haley Joel Osment, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile) to try to buy Stern off. The latter's foreman Santiago (Edward James Olmos, Mayans MC) immediately questioned the motives behind the deal, but it took the sight of toxic water streaming out of his shower to inspire Stern to fight. As told in flashbacks by a whisky-swilling Cutler to Shore Oil's slimy CEO (Alfred Molina, Promising Young Woman), the resulting battle sees lawyers both crusading (Martin Sheen, Judas and the Black Messiah) and corporate (Katie Aselton, The Unholy) become involved, a villainous fellow company employee (Pablo Schreiber, First Man) endeavour to derail Cutler, Stern's property threatened and Santiago's undocumented status given a public airing. Olmos also directs The Devil Has a Name, working with a script by first-timer Robert McEveety. Just like the company at its centre, their film has an intention-versus-reality problem. Taking its cues from the very real water contamination wars in Central Valley, passion, anger and a worthy point pump through the feature. But The Devil Has a Name isn't merely the latest in a long line of sincere dramas about corporate exploitation of natural resources and the very real consequences for everyday folks, as seen with Dark Waters, Promised Land and Erin Brockovich. Thanks to its overboiled tone, Bosworth and Molina's scenery-chewing, Schreiber and Osment's utter cartoonishness, and its eager bluntness, it strives for the comic causticity that Thank You for Smoking applied to the tobacco industry and I Care a Lot to legal guardianship. Finding a sense of balance between earnest and darkly comedic isn't Olmos' strength, though, and nor is pairing social activism with exaggerated melodrama. It doesn't help that Reynaldo Villalobos' (Windows on the World) cinematography always appears to be moving, with little reason, or that Bosworth is only ever asked to be in femme fatale or hysterical mode. When any combination of Strathairn, Olmos and Sheen share the screen, however, it's easy to see how The Devil Has a Name would've worked without its soapy, over-the-top quirks — but that's not the movie that Olmos has made, sadly. If you're wondering what else is currently screening in cinemas — or has been lately — check out our rundown of new films released in Australia on January 1, January 7, January 14, January 21 and January 28; February 4, February 11, February 18 and February 25; March 4, March 11, March 18 and March 25; and April 1, April 8, April 15 and April 22. You can also read our full reviews of a heap of recent movies, such as Nomadland, Pieces of a Woman, The Dry, Promising Young Woman, Summerland, Ammonite, The Dig, The White Tiger, Only the Animals, Malcolm & Marie, News of the World, High Ground, Earwig and the Witch, The Nest, Assassins, Synchronic, Another Round, Minari, Firestarter — The Story of Bangarra, The Truffle Hunters, The Little Things, Chaos Walking, Raya and the Last Dragon, Max Richter's Sleep, Judas and the Black Messiah, Girls Can't Surf, French Exit, Saint Maud, Godzilla vs Kong, The Painter and the Thief, Nobody, The Father, Willy's Wonderland, Collective, Voyagers, Gunda, Supernova, The Dissident and The United States vs Billie Holiday.
As another summer begins, it'll be time for the NGV International to show off the latest edition of its annual Architecture Commission. Launching Monday, December 6 (until April 2022), this year's winning design is made up of two parts: a vibrant pink pond that's meant to nod to Victoria's inland salt lakes, and a body of Indigenous plants. The installation is called Pond[er], and hails from Melbourne-based architecture firm Taylor Knights in collaboration with artist James Carey. Their work will see patrons wander through a series of interconnected walkways and accessible platforms and, with one of Pond[er]'s main purposes being to provide somewhere for gallery visitors to cool off, you'll be able to step right in and wade through the water. The installation is also designed to reflect upon the environment in various ways. By filling the pond with pink-hued water, the piece is designed to get people thinking about its scarcity and importance. And by using Victorian wildflowers among its plants — which will bloom at different times throughout the installation — it also aims to inspire visitors to contemplate just how fleeting and precarious our natural environment can be. [caption id="attachment_840623" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tom Ross[/caption] Top Images: Derek Swalwell and Tom Ross
In news that everyone already knew, no one will be dancing in North Byron Parklands this winter, with Splendour in the Grass moving to November this year instead. Thanks to New South Wales' current COVID-19 outbreak, the lockdown to prevent its spread and the growing number of cases in other Australian states, no one will be making shapes in Sydney this July, either. That's when the fest was planning to host Splendour in the City, a nine-day Sydney pop-up slated for SITG's usual midwinter spot — but organisers have announced that the event has now been cancelled. In a statement on Monday, June 28, the festival's team pulled the plug on the mini fest, which was set to take place at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal from Saturday, July 10–Sunday, July 18. "With Greater Sydney currently in lockdown until 9 July and COVID-19 outbreaks now evolving in other states, it has become impossible to progress with plans to move artists and staff around the country, and also to build the event in Sydney," the Splendour crew noted. "Organisers also acknowledge the health and safety of staff, volunteers and ticketholders is the foremost consideration in line with the health advice from authorities." Splendour in the City has been completely cancelled, rather than rescheduled, too — a decision made due to "uncertainty around venue and artist availability in coming months, and IRL Splendour in the Grass scheduled for November." Ticketholders will start receiving refunds automatically via Moshtix from today, Tuesday, June 29. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Splendour in the Grass (@splendourinthegrass) Splendour's virtual festival Splendour XR will still run online across the weekend of Saturday, July 24–Sunday, July 25 — and, at this stage, Splendour in the Grass itself is slated for Friday, November 19–Sunday, November 21. It's been a rough year or so for the music and events industry, for festivals in New South Wales and for Splendour. 2020's SITG was postponed from July until October, then completely scrapped. Also, plans to proceed in July 2021 as usual were pushed back, leading to the current November date. Splendour in the City was planning to host an array of beloved Australian artists such as SITG mainstays like Violent Soho, Illy, Vera Blue, Dune Rats and Tash Sultana, as well as two stacked nights of stand-up comedy and a whole heap of extras — all aiming to recreate as much of the OG Splendour experience as possible. If the full-sized Byron Bay edition of SITG goes ahead in November, it's set to do so with headliners Tyler, The Creator, The Strokes and Gorillaz; however, that's obviously all reliant upon COVID-19 restrictions allowing the event to take place. Splendour in the City will no longer run from Saturday, July 10–Sunday, July 18 at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal. Ticketholders will start receiving refunds automatically via Moshtix from Tuesday, June 29.
We love wine and we know you do too, and the quality and variety of wine being produced locally in Australia has, arguably, never been at a higher level. Now there's a new way to get your hands on delicious, drinkable, interesting drops made in our myriad wine regions — and you'll be buying direct from the source. iHeartWine is a new first-of-its-kind marketplace that connects winemakers and grape growers directly with the wine-loving public, which means you can shop bottles from Australia's best independent and boutique wineries without the markup you pay from a retailer, while putting the lion share of every sale directly back into the producer. Win-win. This idea for iHeartWine, which exists as an app, was conceived by wine writer and aficionado, Marc Malouf, as a way to support winemakers amid the knock-on effects of COVID and the tourism industry essentially bottoming out. Marc explains: "Hard working wineries who would usually be thriving from tourism, are struggling. Less people are able to visit, taste and buy wines from family-run wine producers … 2021 is set to be an abundant year for grape production and smaller winemakers need a channel to get their wine out there." The curation of the producers and winemakers included in iHeartWine's shop is very much informed by quality stuff that you can't just pluck off the shelves of your local bottle-o. "Every winery on iHeartWine makes wines from a place of truth, passion and obsession," says Marc Malouf. "These are the wineries and winemakers we should be paying attention to and celebrating... but they often suffer from the same fundamental flaw — they are somewhat invisible to wine drinkers. Unless you stumble across a wine on a restaurant list, or take a wrong turn on a trip through a wine region, chances are you will never come across these hidden gems and I think it's time we changed this." And as you load up your cart, you can feel good knowing that most of what you spend is going straight back to the producers. All wine sold on iHeartWine comes directly from the wineries themselves, which means the winery earns 90% from every bottle. We'll drink to that. The iHeartWine app is available for download here.
Having a drink with friends is such a simple act, but it hasn't been easy for Australians this year. During the country's periods of lockdown — including two for Victorians — clinking glasses with your mates was mostly vanquished to the realm of fantasy. So now that life is slowly returning to normal, we're betting that you're more than a little keen to gather the gang, pick up your preferred beverage and make the most of it. This year hasn't been smooth sailing for the folks who make your favourite drinks either, of course. But when you're saying cheers with your nearest and dearest, you can also say cheers to local standouts like 6Ft6, Billson's and 3 Ravens in the process. They're responsible for three of Victoria's most-loved tipples, and they have the votes to prove it as part of the BWS Local Luvvas initiative. Over the last few months, the bottle shop retailer asked Aussies to pick their top local drinks, in which the winners receive an extra helping hand with getting their products stocked in more BWS stores. That's a big show of love in a year where everyone definitely needs it — and we've chatted to the talented teams behind the scenes at 6Ft6, Billson's and 3 Ravens to hear about their journeys. THE GEELONG WINERY ON AN EX-SHEEP FARM 6Ft6 prides itself on three things: its location, its varieties, and its talented viticulture and winemaking team. They're must-haves for every winery, but this Geelong vineyard boasts a particularly intriguing story behind the first two components on that list. Not only does it sprawl across an old run-down sheep farm in the Moorabool Valley, but it originally began with 90 acres of pinot noir — because when you know what you like to drink and where you'd like to drink it, you naturally go all in. That was back in 1982, when Austin's Wines was first established. It is now run by a second generation of family members, Scott and Belinda Austin, and counts 6Ft6 among its brands. Although many folks in the industry can make the same claim, Scott and Belinda are now living the dream. "We've always had a passion for drinking wine," Belinda explains, "and the love and learnings of growing and making wine has been a fascinating journey to be on". These days, Belinda isn't just passionate about sipping 6Ft6's tipples, but sharing them. "We love to spread a little cheer wherever we go, and this has been very relevant in 2020," she notes. That's an impressive attitude to have in this difficult year, especially one that has brought so many changes to the winery. "We have had to adapt in more ways than we could have imagined, from finding ways to make up for lost revenue for events and restaurant trade, to shifting to a digital focus in our marketing efforts," Belinda says. "The only thing that hasn't changed in 2020 is the grape-growing and winemaking process. We are glad something was predictable!" THE 155-YEAR-OLD BREWERY AND DISTILLERY USING ALPINE SPRING WATER Back in 1865, when English brewer George Billson founded the company that still bears his name, he couldn't have imagined what would follow. Established in Beechworth all those years ago purely to enable easy access to the town's alpine spring water — which it uses in its spirits, beers, cordials and sodas, as sourced from a 150-year-old red-brick well onsite — Billson's is now a must-visit regional destination. "Historically, our small business has relied almost solely on regional tourism," says director Nathan Cowan. That statement doesn't apply to 2020, though. "It's definitely been a challenging year for everyone," he notes. But local support has helped to keep Billson's afloat, and keep its team busy. "It's so awesome to see so many people supporting their local producers. We wouldn't be here without it," he says. "When people choose local, they are supporting far more than just the business. There are so many flow-on benefits to the entire community." When someone chooses Billson's spirits, they're choosing a tipple made by a company that's "completely captivated by the process of spirit-making," Cowan explains, describing the team's approach as "a mix between creative expression and science". Unsurprisingly, Billson's is committed to using local ingredients in that process, too. "We are passionate about showcasing our spectacular region," Cowan says. "Our talented team use as many fresh local ingredients as possible, and we are lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing growers." THE OLDEST INDEPENDENT BREWERY IN A BEER-LOVING CITY It might seem like a fool's errand, asking a Melburnian to pick their favourite local brew — and to select only one, too. When BWS did just that, however, the city showed its support for 3 Ravens. Founded in 2003, the Thornbury-based beer makers, bar and barrel room helped kickstart Australia's craft beer scene, and did the same in Melbourne as well. Sparked by "a love for more flavoursome European style ales at a time when Australian beer drinkers' options were a little lacklustre to say the least," as general manager Nathan Liascos explains, it's now the Victorian capital's oldest independent brewery. That isn't a status that the 3 Ravens team takes lightly. "Brewing good beer is relatively easy, but brewing excellent, award-winning beer requires a lot more attention to detail," he notes. "We're firm believers that even people who claim to not like beer can be won over by an excellent example of something that aligns with their tastes — and we feel like our job is done whenever we hear 'I don't usually like beer, but...'." When you love beer and you feel just as strongly about making it, singing your favourite brew's praises isn't a hard task. But 2020 has thrown more than a few challenges 3 Ravens' way, although Liascos is looking on the bright side. "There have been some positive outcomes that we've been able to celebrate this year so far, such as seeing increased public awareness and support of local and independent businesses, and an incredible level of ingenuity and adaptation to an increasingly challenging world," he says. "It's also been fun delivering to the locals and personally meeting the people that have been supporting us through these turbulent times." To find these or other Victorian drinks as part of the BWS Local Luvva's initiative, head to your nearest BWS store.
Perhaps nourished by the torrential rain Sydney has been experiencing, a Lego forest recently sprouted in Martin Place. Featuring big-kid versions of the tiny plastic trees and flower sets we played with as kids, the installation marks the first activity of this year's Lego Festival of Play. 15 of the large-scale tree and flower models dotted the concrete, creating bright splashes of color in our currently dreary grey city. Onlookers didn't let the weather get them down, grabbing umbrellas and rain boots to take a stroll through this whimsical forest. After all, you're never too old, and it's never too rainy, to get out there and play. The Lego forest will soon be on the move, to other to-be-disclosed locations throughout Australia.
No holiday to Southeast Asia is complete without trying the many delicious street foods hidden down back alleys, laneways and side streets. But from this Friday, October 20, you'll be able to taste one of the region's tastiest snacks right here in Footscray. Located opposite Footscray Station, IKA8 is a new Southeast Asian eatery showcasing one particular dish: whole deep-fried squid. Refined by head chef Eddie Huynh, the seafood-on-a-stick snack — easy to eat as you're running to, or from, a train — comes in a range of flavours, including Singaporean salted egg sauce, tom yum sauce, soy and ginger Japanese glaze and an extra spicy variety with Korean seasoning. While normally priced at a reasonable $10, from October 20–21 IKA8 will be offering two-for-one giant squid to celebrate its Footscray launch. If whole squid doesn't quite tickle your fancy, the eatery also boasts a range of tasty sides: squid bites ($7) and squid balls ($5), calamari rings ($6), thick-cut chips topped with bonito flakes ($6) and a IKA8 bento box meal ($12). Find IKA8 at 24 Irving Street, Footscray, from Friday, October 20. It's open daily 11am–9pm daily. Images: Griffin Simm
Part of what makes travel so special is making friends with people from all over the globe. Yet staying in contact after you eventually return to the 'real world' is surprisingly rare. Think about the travel pals you follow: how many do you stay in contact with? It doesn't have to be this way. By putting yourself out there and going the extra mile, you can make these short but sweet connections into lifelong friends. This way, when you say 'keep in touch' as you leave for your next destination, it actually happens. Forging friendships on an epic adventure is easy when good experiences are had. Together with Intrepid Travel, we've curated this guide to making lifelong friendships while gallivanting across the globe. Put Yourself Out There You can't always expect friendship to find you. Instead, put in the effort to meet your fellow travellers and introduce yourself to your trip guide and other travellers in your group. You'll bond over new experiences and become closer with your group mates at food markets as you sample new foods. In rousing destinations like Cambodia, you'll find yourself surrounded by travellers from every corner of the globe at landmarks like Angkor Wat. Strike up a conversation with a friendly face; you might just become lifelong friends. Book a Group Tour Sure, taking an international adventure where every decision is made moment-to-moment is exciting. But sometimes, it's nice just to hang back and let someone else figure out the guesswork for you. This is where the beauty of group multi-day tours comes in. Best of all, these experiences are ideal for making friends, as you'll spend hours together roaming the sights and commuting between them. So, pass the time by getting to know each other. Before you know it, your travel bud becomes a close pal. Embrace the Unknown When you're travelling the world soaking up new experiences, finding a way to get out of your shell is essential. Although it might seem daunting at the time, saying yes when you're invited on an adventure by other travellers is the ideal way to form a tight bond. Similarly, inviting others to tag along when embarking on a trip is another way to kick-start friendships with those you meet on the road. In a vibrant country like Morocco, embracing the unknown is the best way to stave off culture shock. Bond Over Local Experiences The people you meet on your travels make some of the most striking memories. Although there's a good chance some just become hazy recollections from late nights on the town, others are a little more meaningful, especially when you connect over incredible experiences. For many, this means delving into local customs. Rather than sticking to what you know, exploring diverse food, art, and traditions means you level up your worldliness together. If you take a colourful journey to Mexico, getting your cultural fix is never far away. Stay in Touch Found a kindred soul on a trip to Turkey? Even the strongest connection won't last unless you commit to staying in touch. Once you're back home and the adventure is over, it's easy for real life to get in the way of lasting friendships. Fortunately, it's never been easier to keep in contact with your new friends. Add them on socials, tag them in pics and reminisce about the good times you shared. By keeping the group chat active, new adventures are bound to appear on the horizon. Plan Your Next Trip Don't wait for the next adventure to come to you. When you're looking to turn travel companions into forever friends, taking the initiative to keep everyone informed about your upcoming trips is the perfect way to organise an overdue meetup. Whether you've planned out a journey to the Southern Balkans or you've worked together with your pals to create an unforgettable itinerary, inviting travel friends near and far to join your adventure strengthens your bond and makes them companions for life. Get out, explore, dive into adventure and find your WOW with Intrepid Travel. Find out more on the website.
In an unassuming shopfront on High St in Northcote, Melbourne, sits one of Australia's most low-key Indian restaurants. Owned and run by Michael Vass, who took over the family business in 2013 after opening its doors back in 1995, Curry Cafe is the type of place to lounge back over three or four dishes with a group of mates while swilling tap beer in a vain attempt to ward off the spice. Curry Cafe is unique in that the team roasts their own spices here, rather than buying them in bulk from wholesalers. They then grind them using a grinder imported from India and add them to their curries, which is fortunate — for a place named Curry House, it's probably best your curries are world class. And they certainly are. The range of curries feature crowd-pleasers such as butter chicken, lamb rogan josh and fish masala. For the more adventurous, there's the lamb pasanda (slow-cooked lamb in a creamy sauce of cloves, cardamom, cashews and raisins) and beef rogan, cooked overnight in a creamy cardamom and fennel-infused sauce. Vegetarians need not be afraid, nor vegans, as its menu caters to all. Try dal mushroom, eggplant curry and pumpkin masala with mustard seeds, curry leaves and coconut milk. And if it doesn't have what you're looking for, ask the chef. It's likely they'll be able to make what you'd like. You won't find this in many other restaurants in Melbourne. Wash it down with the house red or white or a local pet-nat. But for those who are in for the long haul, a pint of lager or three is perfect with their mild, medium and hot concoctions.
The connection between artfully plated brunch fare and vibrant flowers isn't too much of a stretch, especially if the food is as good looking as that at acclaimed cafe White Mojo. So it's fitting, then, that co-owner Jia Wang's latest venture is a charming florist and cafe in the heart of Carlton. Sitting pretty on Queensberry Street, Flovie is a collaborative effort between Wang and White Mojo's florist Valerie Wang. It's a haven of Instagrammable eats, top-notch coffee and unique floral arrangements. Inside, the lilac-fronted Victorian terrace is brimming with blooms, alive with a mix of hanging garlands, bouquets of rare varieties and swathes of dried foliage. Carefully chosen antique furniture pieces and a handful of industrial elements provide a striking backdrop for the kitchen's innovative Asian-fusion fare. On the menu, you'll find twists on classics, such as the eggs benedict with barbecued char sui and a orange mandarin hollandaise ($19); black forest soufflé hotcakes topped with cherry compote and a cherry chocolate ganache ($19.50); and a ginger soy soba crab salad with crispy tofu ($20). Meanwhile, the drinks offering heros Mojo coffee and embraces Flovie's floral theming, with concoctions like the rose tea latte ($7.50), crafted with roasted pistachio and coconut milk, and a series of perfumed mocktails ($8.5) named after classic Disney flicks. The booze-free sips are served with mini potion bottles filled with natural floral extracts and toppings of edible flowers (naturally).
Does your version of celebrating the festive season involve eating more of the things you love? Do pork belly, chicken schnitzels, chicken wings and German sausages fall into that category? If so, The Bavarian has an all-you-can-eat special that'll tempt your tastebuds — because a bottomless feast is on the menu. On Thursdays between November 18–December 23, the German-themed chain is serving up all-you-can-eat meat platters. They come stacked with all of the aforementioned meats — and yes, the pork belly includes crackling — plus mashed potato, sauerkraut and red cabbage as sides. And, once you've finished your board, you'll get a whole new serving. There's no time limit to your eating, so you can pace yourself — and it'll cost you $35 per person. There is a two-person minimum, however, so you'll need to take at least one meat-loving pal along with you. You'll find The Bavarian at Knox and Highpoint. And if you want to pair all that meat with German brews — which is understandable — you'll pay extra for the drinks.
Melburnians will get their first taste of South Yarra's $800 million Capitol Grand development (and its star-studded food precinct) when Omnia opens its doors this week. Launching on Friday, June 7, the pop-up restaurant will be a classic European bistro with an unmistakable Aussie edge. It'll also have a team helmed by award-winning chef Stephen Nairn (whose impressive resume boasts stints at Matilda 159, Vue de Monde and New York's three Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park) and World Class Global Bartender of the year Orlando Marzo (Lûmé). From the kitchen comes a lineup of European-inspired favourites reimagined with a focus on top local ingredients. Expect sophisticated plates like steak tartare teamed with a smoked egg yolk and gaufrette potatoes, oysters mignonette and a stuffed quail with pine mushroom and sauerkraut. Desserts come courtesy of pastry chef John Demetrios (Vue de Monde), with combinations like bitter chocolate mousse with pears and caramel, and a modern reworking of a classic Gascony-style apple pie. [caption id="attachment_716271" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Capitol Grand[/caption] A matching 150-strong wine list shines a spotlight on producers from all corners of the world. But it's perhaps Marzo's cocktail offering that steals this drinks show, with botanically focused creations nodding to the venue's light-filled Garden Bar. Settle in here for upscale snacks — such as gougères, oysters and shellfish — matched to drinks like the All Spice (a blend of banana, Champagne and citrus oil) or the aged tequila, pear and riesling-infused riff on an old fashioned. As well as being a restaurant in its own right, Omnia will also be a testing ground for the Capitol Ground's food precinct. The pop-up will be open to the public for dinner and cocktails at night from Tuesday to Saturday, while during the day the kitchen team will develop menus to be unveiled elsewhere in the precinct later in the year and in early 2020. Find Omnia at 25 Toorak Road, South Yarra, from Friday, June 7. It's open from 5.30pm Tuesday–Saturday. Images: Harvard Wang
Melbourne is home to one of the best places in the world to have a drink in 2023, and the Victorian capital's Byrdi is back among the top 100 watering holes around the globe. Each year, The World's 50 Best Bars does exactly what its name says, picking the standout 50 bars on the planet — and 2023's top 50 will be announced on Tuesday, October 17 in Singapore. But this ranking doesn't stop at 50, which is where its annual The World's 50 Best Bars extended 51–100 longlist comes in. It's announced first, throwing some love at the next 50 venues worth checking out, and Byrdi is Australia's sole entry. [caption id="attachment_921791" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jana Langhorst[/caption] There's a touch of déjà vu about this news, because this exact thing also happened in 2021. So, once again, the La Trobe Street bar has scored some worldwide recognition and become the only Aussie joint to make this year's extended list ahead of the top 50 reveal. In 2022, Byrdi didn't feature in either the longlist or the top 50, with Melbourne's Caretaker's Cottage and Sydney's Re featured in the former, and the Harbour City's Maybe Sammy and Cantina OK! in the latter. This year, Byrdi ranked 61st, down from its 56th placing in 2021. In 2020, it came in at 80th, after only opening in 2019. In its 2023 ranking, Luke Whearty's famed local cocktail haunt was applauded for being "seriously cool, coming complete with its own lab for creating bold new ingredients" and serving up "a damn good time". Its Jungle Byrd cocktail, which is made with Carolina Reaper chilli, bitters, lacto-fermented pineapple and Davidson plum, also earned a specific shoutout. [caption id="attachment_748361" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Shanasy[/caption] Byrdi was launched in 2019 by Whearty and co-founder Aki Nishikura, who were also behind Singapore's multi award-winning — and World's 50 Best Bars regular — Operation Dagger. You'll find the Melbourne favourite nestled within the CBD's Ella precinct, whipping up some truly exceptional, innovative drinks. It sits on 2023's The World's 50 Best Bars extended 51–100 longlist alongside watering holes from 33 other cities, including six from the US, plus five from both the UK and Singapore. Fourteen of this year's picks have made the list for the first time, such as the debut entries from Tulum, Guadalajara and Tirana. When the full list drops, here's hoping that Australia is well-represented. In addition to placing in the top 50 in 2022, Maybe Sammy took out 22nd place in 2021 and Cantina OK! came in at number 23. Melbourne's Above Board earned a spot at number 44 and the aforementioned Re placed, too. Watch this space — we'll run through the winners of the World's 50 Best Bars 2022 list when they're announced. [caption id="attachment_748365" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kate Shanasy[/caption] For the full 51–100 list of the World's 50 Best Bars for 2023 (and past years' lists), see the website. The top 50 rankings will be revealed at 5.20pm AEDT on Tuesday, October 17 via Facebook and YouTube. Top image: Byrdi, Haydn Cattach.
What happens when you take the Australian teen series of the 90s and update it to the 2020s, all while riding a huge wave of nostalgia for all things stemming from three decades back? Even thanks to just the first part of that equation, every fan of beloved 1994–99 hit Heartbreak High could've told you that the end result would be a smash. And, streaming on Netflix since September, that's exactly how the ace new Heartbreak High revival has turned out — so much so that there's going to be a second season. No one has been saying "rack off" to the Sydney-set show's latest run, or its new batch of Hartley High teens, or their fresh dose of teen chaos. Not Aussie audiences, with the series sitting in Netflix's top ten TV shows in the country for the five weeks since its release. Not global viewers either, with Heartbreak High 2.0 also reaching the top ten in more than 43 countries, including in the US and across Europe, Africa and Asia — and spending three weeks in the global top ten, too. The streaming platform also advises that its subscribers clocked up 42.6 million hours watching Heartbreak High in three weeks. That's not bad for the latest high school-focused revival, doing what Beverly Hills, 90210 did, plus Saved by the Bell and Gossip Girl as well, but with a firmly Aussie spin. Unsurprisingly, Netflix has greenlit Heartbreak High for a second season, although exactly when it'll drop hasn't been revealed. Still, if you're keen to spend more time with Amerie (Ayesha Madon, The Moth Effect), Harper (Asher Yasbincek, How to Please a Woman), Darren (screen first-timer James Majoos), Quinni (Chloe Hayden, Jeremy the Dud), Dusty (Josh Heuston, Thor: Love and Thunder), Ca$h (Will McDonald, Home and Away), Malakai (Thomas, Troppo), Spider (Bryn Chapman Parish, Mr Inbetween), Ant (debutant Brodie Townsend), Sasha (Gemma Chua-Tran, Mustangs FC) and Missy (fellow newcomer Sherry-Lee Watson), start getting excited now. Season one started with Amerie becoming a pariah at Hartley after a big revelation — an "incest map" plotting out who's hooked up with who throughout the school — and also struggling with a sudden rift in her friendship with bestie Harper. Attempting to repair her reputation, she calls on help from her new pals Quinni and Darren, all while working through her crush on Dusty and developing feelings for Malakai. And that's just the start of Heartbreak High's 2022-set story so far. It was back in 2020 that Netflix initially announced that it was bringing the series back — and yes, it sure is a 2020s-era take on the Aussie classic. Adolescent chaos is still the main focus, including everything from friendship fights, yelling about vaginas from the top of a building and throwing dildos at walls through to consent, crime, drugs and police brutality. The original Heartbreak High was a massive deal, and was filled with now-familiar faces, including Alex Dimitriades, a pre-Home and Away Ada Nicodemou, and Avengers: Endgame and Mystery Road's Callan Mulvey as Drazic. It painted a multicultural picture of Australia that was unlike anything else on TV at the time. And, for its six-year run across two Aussie networks, the Sydney-shot show was must-see television — not bad for a series that started as a spinoff to the Claudia Karvan and Alex Dimitriades-starring 1993 movie The Heartbreak Kid, too. Check out the trailer for the new Heartbreak High below: Heartbreak High season two doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. The show's first season is available to stream now via Netflix. Read our full review.
Just months after one Melbourne proposal claimed to be constructing the country's tallest building, another towering skyscraper has popped up to snatch its lofty crown. The latest super-tall contender is the $2 billion Green Spine, with UN Studio and Cox Architecture emerging victorious in the international competition to design the new addition to Southbank, all for developer Beulah International. Winning out over five other shortlisted proposals, the 356.2-metre-high Green Spine is actually two cantilevered towers that sport a noticeable twist — that is, the structures both physically twist in their geometric design. Terracing and glass also feature prominently, as does greenery. Indeed, as well as plant-filled public spaces along the ground and stepped lower levels, the building will include a 'future botanic garden' at its peak, which will basically be a garden in the sky that's accessible to everyone. Before you start looking up, however, The Age reports that a building application hasn't yet been submitted for the mixed-use development, which plans to feature apartments, offices, a hotel, retail spaces, an entertainment centre, restaurants, bars, a BMW showroom, a school and even a cinema. If it does come to fruition, Green Spine could possibly eclipse the previously announced Magic, also in Melbourne, which will span between 330 and 362 metres. The city's current tallest building is the 297.3-metre tall Eureka Tower, however the 319-metre Australia 108 residential tower at Southbank is in progress, and the 323-metre-tall One Queensbridge tower is also slated for the Crown precinct. Around the rest of the country, the Gold Coast's Q1 presently reaches 332.5 metres, with the new 328m Orion Towers in Surfers Paradise in development.
Flipping through a newspaper, feeling the flimsy paper in your hands and finding your fingerprints smudged with ink might by a dying ritual; however The Wall Street Journal is hoping that people still want to take the time to sit, peruse and consume the news at a leisurely pace. Instead of hanging out at a cafe rifling through physical pages, readers can now enter an architect-designed virtual New York apartment to get their news fix thanks to the publication's just-launched VR news app. WSJ VR is the newspaper's new virtual reality app for Google's Daydream platform, ushering news junkies into a different kind of reading experience. Now available to download via Google Play, it allows users to view a wall filled with a live feed of breaking news, watch interactive 360-degree videos and see a visualisation of real-time market data, all in swanky digs designed by architecture firm Michaelis Boyd. Interactive storytelling is the WSJ's main focus, particularly allowing "the Journal's reporters and editors to take readers and viewers of our journalism anywhere in the world," said Andy Regal, WSJ's Global Head of Video, in a statement. Whether that's something anyone actually wants is yet to be seen, but it's certainly quite different to scrolling through newsfeeds on a smartphone screen. Users can do more than read, watch and see the news while they're using the app; they can also engage with the space — which is based on a mix of the firm's real-life residential projects — on a 360-degree axis. Accordingly, even if you're not keen on staying up-to-date on global events and financial developments in the most immersive way possible, the app also offers views of the New York City skyline — and it's cheaper than a plane ticket. Via Dezeen.
With its golden beaches, lush rainforests and abundant green valleys, North Coast NSW has all the tools to recharge the weariest of souls — or those just in dire need of a holiday. It's also home to some of the state's most renowned producers, who are busily pumping out wine, beer and spirits — which you can sample at cellar doors aplenty — as well as award-winning eateries serving up excellent local produce in stunning locales. So you can make the most out of your next North Coast NSW trip, we've done the hard yards and planned out four adventure-packed holidays. And right now, you can score $100 off select North Coast NSW accommodation when you book through Trip.com. [caption id="attachment_856861" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Koala Hospital, Port Macquarie, Destination NSW[/caption] FLY INTO PORT MACQUARIE TO MEET WILDLIFE AND RIDE WAVES When you're in Port Macquarie, whichever direction you point your compass towards you'll find entrancing rainforests and beaches backing onto sprawling national parks. After touchdown at the city's conveniently located airport, secure a rental vehicle and scoot over to the coast to explore the rainforest canopy and sheltered coastline of Sea Acres National Park. You're bound to spot an ark of critters including goannas, diamond pythons, brush turkeys and even a koala or two. Then, take a free self-guided tour of the Koala Hospital for more cuddly sightings and greater insight into the lives of these beloved marsupials. Motor an hour up the coast to find a marine menagerie in Hat Head National Park. Korogoro Creek is a pristine snorkelling spot where you can spy hermit crabs, flat head, mullet and octopus below the water line, while whales and dolphins might occasionally surface through the waves, too. You'll find excellent surf breaks for experienced riders just south at Crescent Head. And if you're a beginner? Learn to tackle the region's famous tubes with On Point Surf School. After a day on the water, you'll likely need to refuel — venture inland to Bago Maze and Winery to enjoy a wine tasting paired with local cheese and charcuterie before meandering through the venue's carefully sculpted lilly pilly hedge maze. A stay on the Hastings River at Rydges Port Macquarie provides plush interiors with water views, as well as easy access to some of the city's best dining options. Tuck into fresh seafood at The Stunned Mullet or Bills Fishhouse and Bar, which both showcase seasonal local produce. Ensure you leave enough room for dessert, with the creamy artisan scoops at Blue Cow Gelato a tip-top option. [caption id="attachment_856161" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Opal Cove Resort Coffs Harbour, Destination NSW[/caption] FLY INTO COFFS HARBOUR TO EXPLORE ANCIENT RAINFORESTS AND REMOTE COASTLINES Alight the plane at Coffs Harbour Airport with your adventure shoes at the ready. In classic Aussie family holiday tradition, you'll need to kick things off with a choccy-covered banana and a quick round of laser tag at the Big Banana. Then, unwind in the spacious suites at Opal Cove Resort. This expansive seaside venue provides everything you need to relax and recharge, from a sauna and spa to a fully equipped gym and an arcade games room. Start your grand expedition into the great outdoors by ambling through national parks and nature reserves along the Solitary Islands coastal walk. Those tackling the full 60-kilometre trail will move from windswept headlands to undisturbed beaches and lush rainforest paths over three or four days of hiking and camping (depending on your pace). There are also plenty of day-trip opportunities, with spots for ocean fishing, swimming and picnicking. For even loftier views, head to Sealy Lookout (Niigi Niigi) and walk along the Forest Sky Pier which dramatically juts out over the canopy of Orara East State Forest. To put the stunning view into historical context, join a Giingan Gumbaynggirr Cultural Experience tour and learn about the cultural practices and stories of Traditional Owners, the Gumbaynggirr people. If that's still not enough nature for you, head an hour out of Coffs to the otherworldly Dorrigo National Park, where you can walk among 600-year-old trees in the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforest. The small township of Bellingen is a perfect pit stop on the scenic drive here along Waterfall Way. Savour a lunch of shared plates in the artfully restored church that houses Cedar Bar & Kitchen, or stop in at Black Bear Cafe for a quick coffee in the heart of town. [caption id="attachment_856170" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Angourie, Destination NSW[/caption] FLY INTO BALLINA FOR A SURFING AND PADDLING SAFARI Flights landing at Ballina Byron Gateway Airport are often packed with holidaymakers headed for Byron Bay's star-studded beaches. But if you're keen to take the road (slightly) less travelled — that offer equally glorious seaside adventures — head 90 minutes south to the relaxed township of Yamba. Along the route, stop in at Razorback Lookout in Evans Head for spectacular sightlines up the coast before exploring the varied landscapes of Bundjalung National Park. Pack a hiking lunch and walk the ten-kilometre Jerusalem Creek loop, or book a rejuvenating forest bathing tour, which involves Japanese-inspired mindfulness movements honouring different natural elements, with Iluka Nature and Soul at Woody Head campground. Make Yamba Sun Motel your base once you reach town. The comfortable rooms come in a number of configurations and can accommodate both couples and larger families. The Sun also places you in the heart of this close-knit community, with beaches, friendly cafes and local attractions all within walking distance. Start your day with an Allpress Espresso coffee from eclectic local fave Yum Yum Angourie Cafe and General Store, or tuck into a hearty Turkish-inspired breakfast at the charming Beachwood Cafe. Get active on the water with a Yamba Kayak tour, and paddle around the islands and mangrove mazes of the Clarence River. Or, wetsuit up and tackle the Angourie Point surf break. Even if you're not confident on a board, you'd be remiss not to catch the dramatic right-handers roll in at this renowned spot from the safety of the sand. [caption id="attachment_856169" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Fingal Head, David Kirkland[/caption] FLY INTO THE GOLD COAST AND HEAD SOUTH TO CHASE WATERFALLS AND LOCAL FEASTS After touchdown, find yourself some wheels and scoot over the border to explore the nearby NSW coastline. Head southward and you'll immediately hit the Tweed Shire. Here, you'll find fine-dining spots hidden among rolling green valleys, myriad beaches to suit towel-snoozers and wave-riders alike, picturesque cruises along the Tweed River and plenty of cultural experiences to fill up your holiday itinerary. Be sure not to miss the Tweed Regional Gallery and Minjungbal Aboriginal Cultural Centre, before visiting the seemingly never-ending sandy expanse of Dreamtime Beach. For liquid sustenance, head to the cellar door at Husk Distillers, home of the chameleon-like Ink Gin. Then enjoy the hearty fare served up at Potager — much of what you taste in your miso pumpkin and potato gnocchi with coconut ricotta and warrigal greens has been plucked directly from the onsite garden. Less than an hour on the road and you'll be in the heart of Byron Bay. Set yourself up at the glamorously renovated Byron Springs beach house, tucked away on a palm-lined cul-de-sac with easy access to sprawling Tallow Beach and Arakwal National Park. If you can tear yourself away from the hotel's sun-drenched therapy pool, book a tour with Trip.com to uncover natural gems and native refreshments. The Chasing Waterfalls tour will ferry you between glistening cascades, quiet bushlands and rarely visited swimming holes, while the Afternoon Brewery and Distillery session will introduce you to locally concocted craft beers and fragrant spirits. With $100 off select North Coast NSW accommodation via Trip.com until June 21, now is the ideal time to explore all that the region has to offer. Top images: Destination NSW
For close to three decades, Falls Festival's Victorian leg saw punters make the annual pilgrimage out to Lorne, to revel in live music at the event's original home on the Surf Coast. But bushfires cancelled Lorne's 2019 festival, and the pandemic squashed plans for both the 2020 and 2021 instalments, before organisers announced in November last year that the Victorian fest would be relocating permanently to Pennyroyal Plains in Murroon. Now, there's been a big ol' twist and the festival will instead be heading to the city for the first time, with the newly minted Falls Downtown set to descend on Sidney Myer Music Bowl from December 29–31. [caption id="attachment_752128" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Piknic Electronik, by Wade Malligan[/caption] The new digs will ensure the show goes on for local music-lovers, after previous relocation plans were faced with permit hiccups. Falls Downtown Melbourne 2022 will feature all of the artists already announced, and run alongside its sibling fests Falls Byron (December 31–January 2) and the new Falls Downtown Fremantle (January 7–8, 2023). Across two stages, the Melbourne event is set to ring in the new year with sounds from big-name acts like Arctic Monkeys, Lil Nas X, Chvrches, Peggy Gou and Jamie xx, as well as the OG Wiggles. Also making appearances: Genesis Owusu, Ocean Alley, Young Franco and Spacey Jane, plus DMA's, G Flip, Amyl and the Sniffers, King Stingray, Mall Grab and Ben Böhmer. And yes, that's just a tiny taster of the huge lineup. [caption id="attachment_650001" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Falls Festival Lorne[/caption] While the new site obviously doesn't allow for camping like its predecessor did, it will indeed be dishing up a suite of off-stage fun to keep you grooving through the three days, including stacks of pop-up bars, food trucks, lifestyle precinct Rancho Relaxo and the VIP sanctuary that is Club Falls. A fresh batch of tickets to Falls Downtown Melbourne will be on sale from 9am, Wednesday, September 14. Existing Falls Victoria 2022 ticket-holders can apply for a refund if they don't wish to transfer tickets to the new location. All camping passes will be automatically refunded, though if you're keen for a road trip, you've also got the option to exchange yours for camping passes to the fests' Byron leg. Falls Downtown Melbourne 2022 hits Sidney Myer Music Bowl from December 29–31. Grab tickets online from 9am, September 14. Top Image: Piknic Electronik at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, by Wade Malligan
Florentijn Hofman has transformed France's Loire River into a giant bathtub with his enormous rubber duck sculpture. The duck floats from city to city, nodding its cute yellow head at passersby. Before beginning its trek down the Loire, the duck has brought nostalgic smiles to the faces of witnesses worldwide; it may just be impossible not to smile at this strikingly out-of-place, yet adorable creation. Dutch artist Hofman is renowned for his tongue-in-cheek pieces, including a memorable party-hat-sporting frog perched on the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art in Kobe, Japan in 2011. The duck sculpture, constructed of rubber-coated PVC atop a pontoon with a generator, measures at 25 metres high, and 25 metres across. Here's to hoping on of our favourite childhood bath time companions will make a splash in Australasia soon.
Mother's Day is already coming at us — Sunday, May 12 this year. It's like we blinked in January, and suddenly, we're in April. It's now time to start thinking of breakfast-in-bed menus, cute gift ideas and afternoon tea outings. Because mums deserve all the love. And this year, Piccolina is gunning for you to gift your mumma some of its limited-edition gelato-stuffed bonbons. The pastry chefs over at one of Melbourne's best gelaterias have chosen some of their favourite Italian gelatos and hand-dipped them into different chocolate coatings for Mother's Day. They're like the team's famed gelato Easter eggs, but bite-sized. Five flavour combos are up for grabs up until Mother's Day — although there is a good chance they'll sell out well beforehand. Piccolina founder Sandra Foti named each one after an Italian mother she admires. Maria is the bonbon filled with both a peanut gelato and caramel ganache, surrounded by a peanut glaze and milk chocolate shell. Assunta is for the pistachio lovers out there. It's made up of pistachio gelato that's been layered with toasted pistachios, dark chocolate and a pistachio glaze. There's also the Enza, which has cinnamon gelato, apple compote, caramelised white chocolate and a toasted almond glaze. These bonbons are next level — something we've come to expect from all the limited-edition items made by the Piccolina crew. The bonbons are sold in a set of five, each in a specially designed box. The Festa della Mamma bonbons retail for $45 and can be pre-booked now from the Piccolina website. If you think your mum will love these — or potentially share them with you — be sure to pre-order a box or two as soon as possible. They're likely to sell out fast. You can pre-order a box of Piccolina's limited-edition Mother's Day bonbons now via the gelato store's website.
Thanks to the wonders of technology, overcoming the language barrier isn't as difficult as it used to be. Forget phrasebooks — if you've got a smartphone, these days you're usually covered. Not all translation apps are created equal, however. In fact, only one promises real-time translation of both words and voice in 90 different languages. The free piece of software destined to find a home on every traveller's device of choice is DoTalk, an Australian-made invention aiming to make the process of making friends overseas even easier. And asking for directions, ordering a drink, trying to work out the local public transport system, asking for directions again (we all get lost while venturing far and wide, admit it) — plus all of the other routine holiday situations that involve human interaction. Available now for both iOS and Android, DoTalk offers users two options: translating via text, which is great if you're emailing or trying to read a sign; and translating live voice conversations, which is ace in plenty of other scenarios. For a fee, it can also handle group chats with up to 10 participants, even in multiple languages. As for just where it'll come in handy, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, French and Indonesian currently rank among the app's most popular languages; however you'll also find everything from Albanian to Zulu on offer."Our goal with DoTalk was to create a free, fun and easy-to-use app which provides an open forum for people to easily connect and communicate, regardless of language barriers or location and without delay," says founder Reno Nicastro. For more information about DoTalk, visit their website.
Warehouse parties are great. Secret Mexican holiday-inspired, neon-drenched, immersive warehouse experiences are even better. Curated by a group of Mexican visionaries and artists, Day of the Dead 3.1. promises to be one heck of a Burning Man-channeling spectacle you'll want to lock down tickets for — on sale this Saturday, August 15 at 12.30pm. And with the demand already high, this event is expected to sell out within hours, so your crew had better be ready. For hundreds of years, El Dia de los Muertos has been one of the biggest parties in Mexico honouring the dead. The 4000 year-old tradition's history can be traced back to Mexico's indigenous beliefs of the afterlife — that death is only the beginning. Now it's Australia's turn to delve into the underworld, as The Day of the Dead finds its way to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane this spring, in secret locations within each city. Expect interactive art installations, light projections, extravagant costumes, murals created by renowned street artists and an exclusive lineup of local and international DJs and musicians — including one big ol' festival favourite headliner. The lineup will be released closer to the day, so stay tuned. Pop-ups by a handpicked bunch of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane's go-to local Mexican eateries, like Playa Takeria, have been selected to create Dia de los Muertos menus. Plus, there'll be Mexican cervezas and tequila/mezcal cocktails to provide you with enough sustenance to dance the night away. With instructions being sent to ticket holders just one week before the event, this is secret warehouse party business at it's best. Each city's locations are more closely guarded than an abuela's special mole sauce ingredient and will only be released one day before the party. Get ready to nab a ticket and start preparing your best Dia de los Muertos outfit. Day of the Dead will visit Sydney on October 24, then Melbourne on October 31 before ending in Brisbane on November 7. Tickets are $75 and go on sale here on Saturday 15 August at 12.30pm and are expected to sell out super fast. Don't stall on this one, it'll be the death of you.
Those who tuned into MasterChef last night, Tuesday, May 19, would've watched with bated breath as contestants attempted to construct a wildly difficult dessert. Those who didn't should maybe stop here — and go watch it — as there will be, yes, spoilers. You have been warned. The aforementioned dessert is called The Black Box and is a fixture on the menu at Peter Gunn's Collingwood restaurant Ides. While the restaurant is currently closed to dine-in customers — like the rest of Melbourne's hospitality businesses — it is offering takeaway and delivery. And on that to-go menu? The Black Box. https://twitter.com/masterchefau/status/1262678713004679169 It might look unassuming, but this small dessert is actually made from 11 different elements, which include a black box of tempered white chocolate, yoghurt pearls, gingerbread biscuits, chocolate soil, grilled mandarin custard, isomalt wafer, chocolate-dipped mandarin, honeycomb and sherbet. Unless you want to spend 45 minutes attempting to temper said chocolate — and have a dry ice guy handy — we don't suggest you try and make this one at home. Well, not from scratch, anyway. When you order the $25 dessert from Ides, you are warned that 'assembly is required' — hopefully not so much to induce a Sarah Tiong-like panic, but just enough to make you feel like the MasterChef champion you could be. If you'd like to get fancy, the restaurant also offers a paired cocktail with the dessert for $17, which is called Vines in the Orchard and is made with umeshu, calvados and topaque. Elsewhere on the to-go menu: oysters, mandarin cake, baby cos salad and a four-course set menu for $65, which changes weekly but currently includes The Black Box. All of the dishes need some level of preparation, including cooking, reheating and plating. With the recent announcement that Melbourne's restaurants, cafes and pubs are allowed to reopen their doors for up to 20 customers from June 1, Ides is planning to reopen from Thursday, June 4. You can make a reservation over here. To order takeaway from Ides, head over to the website. The restaurant is offering same-day delivery within 10 kilometres of Collingwood for orders placed before 12pm.
Brisbanites already know the joys of living in the River City, and now the rest of the world is catching up. In 2023, the Queensland capital keeps being named among the globe's top places, first thanks to TIME magazine, then scoring the only Australian place to stay on the first-ever World's Best's 50 Hotels list and now getting the tick of approval from Frommer's. The travel guide publisher has unveiled its 'Best Places to Go in 2024' rundown, which isn't ranked but does compile Frommer's top spots to put on your itinerary next year. "This year, Frommer's selections for the 'Best Places to Go' combine our growing hunger for fresh discovery, balanced with a rising need for affordability and accessibility. Frommer's authors, researchers and staffers around the globe have selected destinations that shine in our time and are expecting rising fortunes in 2024," the publisher advised. "Whether it's forging new inroads to previously isolated attractions, marking milestones in sustainability or cultural heritage, or basking in a previously denied spotlight, each destination on our Best Places to Go list could play a pivotal role in our shifting travel sensibilities in 2024." Why yes, #Brisbane DID make our list of the top places on the planet to visit in 2024. Here's why: https://t.co/WTtkE3e1I7 pic.twitter.com/ESX5PzzMjP — Frommer's (@Frommers) October 25, 2023 Fifteen places have received the nod, with Brisbane the only Australian location on the list. It's named second in a selection that the publisher notes is "in no particular order". The city earned some love partly for converting "the river into a world-class asset, devising new ways to go over, under and around the waterway — and show it off at new entertainment districts with dazzling views". Also mentioned: everything from the upcoming Queen's Wharf precinct to the existing Howard Smith Wharves, and also K'gari and Minjerribah. And yes, the fact that Brisbane is hosting the 2023 Olympic and Paralympic Games gets a shoutout as well. "Brisbane's reputation as a generic Aussie backwater is over. It belongs to the world now," Frommer's also states. Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has been quick to celebrate the latest global tick of approval for the River City. "Brisbane residents already know our city is the best place in the world to live and now the world knows it's Australia's best place to visit," said the Mayor. "People are flocking to Brisbane in record numbers to live so it's no surprise our city is being recognised as a world-class destination to visit too." "Brisbane's suburbs are great places to live and our city's incredible climate and world-class destinations like South Bank and Howard Smith Wharves are capturing hearts across the world. Our river city is on an incredible trajectory and this is just further recognition that Brisbane just keeps getting better." Brisbane's company among Frommer's 15 picks for 2024 includes The Cook Islands, Seville in Spain, Dresden and Chemnitz in Germany, Guanajuato in Mexico, Scotland's islands, Nepal, Prince Edward Island in Canada and Panama City, Panama. America is well represented thanks to the state of Kentucky, Santa Fe in New Mexico, the Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, Glendale in Arizona, Utqiagvik in Alaska and Maui in Hawaii. For the full Frommer's Best Places to Go in 2024 list, head to the publication's website.
Earlier this year, Grazeland Director John Forman teamed up with El Taco's Neven Hayek and Sandrow Yalda to create two huge new Mexican bars and restaurants. The first of the two venues Bar Mexico opened in Preston this June, and Yarraville's Hotel Mexico just launched on Thursday, October 10. The two venues are similar — as they are both Mexican-inspired — but Hotel Mexico has more of a pub vibe, plus a large sun-soaked rooftop deck and beer garden. We anticipate this will be a must-visit spot out west through summer, where you can spend a whole day sipping on margaritas while downing tacos. But don't worry if margaritas aren't your jam, for the Hotel Mexico crew is also slinging a bunch of other Mexican-inspired sips like its yuzu paloma, Oaxaca old fashioned with tequila and mezcal, and a tequila espresso martini. As with the team's Bar Mexico, you'll also find a stacked lineup of agave-based spirits — including tequila, mezcal and raicilla. The drinks lineup is rounded out by an extensive list of Aussie and international beers on tap, and plenty of canned and bottled Mexican brews, plus a few wines, mocktails and sodas. For food, you can expect snacks like loaded nachos, jalapeño poppers with chipotle mayo, beef and chicken flautas, elote (Mexican street-style corn), and papas fritas. These are fab, but it's really all about the tacos here — an unsurprising fact considering El Taco's Neven Hayek and Sandrow Yalda are running the kitchen. Seven varieties are on offer, including slow-cooked pulled pork, adobo-marinated chicken, tempura battered prawns and birria tacos — which are having a huge moment in Melbourne right now. There's even the option to grab a build-your-own taco kit to share with the table. Not in a taco mood? Opt for some quesadillas, a healthier burrito bowl or the Mexican parmigiana. It's proper crowd-pleasing comfort food that few people will find issues with. Beyond the food and bevs, the Hotel Mexico crew is also promising big party energy. Every Friday and Saturday, the team is hosting DJs until 2am, followed by a Sunday afternoon session. It's even got a dedicated games zone, fully equipped with air hockey tables, basketball hoops, old-school Daytona racing, and massive versions of Jenga and Connect 4. Hotel Mexico is tailor-made for group hangs and long drinking and eating sessions out in Melbourne's inner-west. You'll find Hotel Mexico at 238 Whitehall Street, Yarraville, open from Wednesday–Sunday. For more details, you can check out the venue's website.
When Sex and the City scored a sequel series back in 2021, it let fans of the HBO hit reunite with its beloved New York-based characters; however, not everyone was present and accounted for. Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon all returned, as did many of the men in their lives. But Kim Cattrall has been sitting out And Just Like That... — until season two arrives this winter. Variety reports that Samantha Jones is a part of the show's new batch of episodes, albeit just in a cameo. Cattrall (How I Met Your Father) will only be in one scene, chatting with Carrie (Parker, Hocus Pocus 2). And, it's believed that she shot her contribution solo, without interacting with her longterm co-stars. [caption id="attachment_791681" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sex and the City[/caption] As well as dropping that news, And Just Like That... has just released its full trailer for season two. Unsurprisingly, there's no sign of Cattrall. But the sneak peek does explain why John Corbett (To All the Boys: Always and Forever) is reprising his role as Aidan Shaw, adding to the series' parade of Sex and the City faces. Cosmos at the ready, obviously. Your next excuse to sip vodka, Cointreau, cranberry juice and lime juice will arrive from Thursday, June 22 on Binge in Australia and Friday, June 23 on Neon in New Zealand. If you've spent any part of the past two-and-a-half decades dreaming about being a fabulously dressed Big Apple writer who seems to do very little work but can still afford a fantasy wardrobe — or if you've just filled it drinking a lot of pink-coloured cocktails — then you'll already be excited. And, you'll know that when the first season of And Just Like That... arrived, it did so 17 years after Sex and the City wrapped up its HBO run. Two years later, the show will explore more of Carrie, Miranda (Nixon, The Gilded Age) and Charlotte's (Davis, Deadly Illusions) lives and friendships in their 50s, when things are even more complicated than they were two decades ago. Season two will also feature Sara Ramírez (Madam Secretary), Sarita Choudhury (Ramy), Nicole Ari Parker (Chicago PD), Karen Pittman (The Morning Show), Mario Cantone (Better Things), David Eigenberg (Chicago Fire), Evan Handler (Power), Christopher Jackson (Space Oddity), Niall Cunningham (Poker Face), Cathy Ang (My Best Friend's Exorcism) and Alexa Swinton (Old), all similarly returning from season one. A reminder: due to Kim Cattrall's absence so far, And Just Like That... has been badged as a "new chapter' in the Sex and the City story, rather than an additional season of the existing 1998–2004 program. Parker, Davis and Nixon are also executive producers on And Just Like That..., alongside Michael Patrick King, who worked as a writer, director and executive producer on the original (and on the two terrible 2008 and 2010 Sex and the City movies). Check out the full trailer for And Just Like That..., season two below: And Just Like That... season two will start streaming via Binge in Australia from Thursday, June 22 — and from Friday, June 23 on Neon in New Zealand. Images: HBO.
If there's one event in Sydney that's turned speed dating into a fun, no-pressure affair that doesn't even feel like dating, it's Dear Pluto. And, now, you lucky, lucky Melbournians, it's coming your way. So, if you're single, you'd best get ready to mingle. "The atmosphere is super-casual," said Emma Daniels, founder of Dear Pluto. "There's a real focus on having a fun night – having a few drinks and talking to a bunch of people you've never met before." One of Daniels' tricks is the use of unconventional venues – from Dear Pluto's Sydney headquarters, which is a former coach house, to warehouses, rooftops and old theatres. In Melbourne, the host will be One Thousand Pound Bend in Little Lonsdale Street, which Daniels describes as her "dream speed dating venue". "It's down a lane way, with a big painted frontage and huge industrial doors. There's a café, which opens into a warehouse space with skylights and a bar, and out the back is a little old chapel with a disco ball." There'll be two speed dating events there – the first, on Wednesday 5 October, will be for straight singles and the second, on Thursday 6 October, will be for LGBTQI. Dear Pluto's crowd is usually made up of young creatives, aged between 20 and 35. "There's a half-hour arrival window, then I explain how it all works, which doesn't take very long," Daniels said. "Then, everyone sits down and you have ten dates, each of four minutes." After that, you take a 15-minute break, which gives you a chance to hit the bar or get some fresh air, before going in for a second round of dating. "Afterwards, we encourage people to stick around and listen to the DJ. If we're in a venue where we can't stay, we move onto a nearby bar." Previous DJ guests of Dear Pluto include Future Classic, Shantan Wantan Ichiban and Ariane Halls. Dear Pluto has been around since 2008. Daniels started out with the hosting of monthly vintage sales in Sydney's Hibernian House and has since expanded to makers' markets, workshops, exhibitions and talks, in addition to speed dating. The aim is to "promote a slower way of living, making thoughtful purchases and ditching the swipe, whilst keeping everything we do accessible, novel and, most importantly, fun." Dear Pluto pops up in Melbourne from October 5. For more information, visit their website.
It's the news architecture and design fans — and just all-round creative folks in general — have been waiting for. MPavilion has revealed the highlights of its 2016/17 lineup and hooo boy, it's a long list. The program runs from October 5 to February 18, and includes over 400 free public events. Basically, prepare for your entertainment budget to drop significantly, C/O MPavilion. They're a part of the Melbourne Festival and Confluence: Festival of India, which also includes White Night and Melbourne Music Week. This year's highlights include a talk series dedicated to design and science, free yoga sessions courtesy of Happy Melon Mindful Yoga, and an exploration of the history of Bauhaus in Australia from the pros at Monash University and the University of Melbourne. You can also attend the launch of issue six of Assemble Papers, 'Future Local'; check out performances by the Australian Youth Orchestra, Australian National Academy of Music and Australian String Quartet; and head along to some amazing free music events as part of MMusic, including shows curated by Chapter Music, Bedroom Suck Records, Smooch Records, Conrad Standish, Sovereign Trax, Spike Fu*k and Miles Davis. Plus, this is literally just the tip of the iceberg. To see the full program and plan your schedule, head to their website. Images: John Gollings.
A faultless degustation-only restaurant in the middle of a 50-acre winery and sculpture park. A no-rules barbecue joint with neon-lit stairs in the CBD. A tiny 25-seater eatery in Yarraville that's already booked out months in advance. These are just three of the boundary-pushing restaurants that have opened their doors this year. Melbourne's restaurant scene has had an impressive year with both big-name chefs opening new outposts, and smaller, but equally talented, chefs opening their first eateries. And the restaurants that have opened are as diverse in their cuisines as they are in their decors — Korean, American, Malaysian and Australian; neon signs, leather banquettes, communal benches and former car parks. At Concrete Playground we encourage exploration and showcase innovation in our city every day, so we thought it fitting to reward those most talented whippersnappers pushing Melbourne to be a better, braver city. And so, these six new restaurants, opened in 2018, were nominated for Best New Restaurant in Concrete Playground's Best of 2018 Awards.
In Westworld's vision of the future, technologically advanced amusement parks let people pay to experience Wild West times, and to interact with androids that are indistinguishable from humans. That's how the hit HBO series started in 2016, before stepping outside of the titular attractions, into both sibling venues and the show's mid-21st-century version of the real world. But in our very existence and its actual future going forward, Westworld and its thrills will now no longer exist. HBO has announced that it has cancelled the series after four seasons, the last of which debuted in mid-2022 and wrapped up in August. Westworld will cease all motor functions, putting an end to a show that kept questing the nature of reality and humanity right up until the end, and proved unnerving from the get-go. That eeriness is all there in the basic premise, which actually first unfurled on-screen back in 1973 thanks to the Michael Crichton-directed movie of the same name. Here, in the eponymous android amusement park, humans pay to live out their fantasies while surrounded by supremely realistic-looking androids. What could go wrong? Everything, obviously — and yes, high-concept theme parks gone wrong was one of Crichton's fascinations, clearly. Across its second season in 2018, third batch of episodes in 2020 and fourth run in 2022, the TV version of Westworld has built upon this idea, twisting in wild, strange, violent and surreal directions. Once some of the robot theme park's electronic hosts started to break their programming, make their own decisions and question their creators, the show's chaos just kept expanding. Westworld has also boasted one of the best casts on TV during its four-season existence, including Evan Rachel Wood (Kajillionaire), Thandiwe Newton (All the Old Knives), Ed Harris (Top Gun: Maverick), Jeffrey Wright (The Batman), Tessa Thompson (Thor: Love and Thunder), Luke Hemsworth (Bosch & Rockit), James Marsden (Sonic the Hedgehog 2), Aaron Paul (Better Call Saul), Anthony Hopkins (Armageddon Time), Angela Sarafyan (Reminiscence) and 2022 West Side Story Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose. The show's creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are still pondering the future in new Prime Video series The Peripheral, if you need something to watch to fill that just-opened Westworld-shaped gap in your viewing. Check out the original trailer for Westworld's first season below: Westworld's four-season run is available to stream via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Via Variety. Images: HBO.
When it comes to renting, things are rarely positive. But, in some good news for renters — which may or may not make up for all the times your landlord has refused to fix your broken shower head — the Victorian Government has just passed a swathe of rental reforms. And they look like they could make renting a fairer playing field for Victorians. After initially announcing the reforms back in October last year and putting them before parliament this month, Premier Daniel Andrews has now — in the lead-up to the November state election, no less — passed more than 100 reforms through both houses of parliament that will aim to increase renters' rights and protect tenants in vulnerable positions. According to the government, it is the most substantial change to the Residential Tenancies Act since it was introduced over 20 years ago. The reforms will see updates to existing legislation to better reflect the current market and make it easier for people to enter into it — a problem that isn't just exclusive to first home buyers. Anyone who's recently had to fork out a small fortune to pay bond will be happy to know that, under the changes, bond amounts will be capped at four weeks' rent and landlords will be prevented from hiking up your rent more than once a year, too. The Andrews Government's reforms would also give you more freedom to make a house into a home — you'll be able to make small modifications such as nailing hooks into the wall. Though minor, perhaps nothing says "this feels like home" than finally being able to hang up that festival poster you've been hanging onto since 2011. And it's now way harder for landlords to ban pets, too — they'll have to get an order from VCAT, so you'll be able to add a fur baby to your fam if you so wish. And, on recommendation of the Royal Commission into Family Violence, tenants will be able to terminate rental agreements in a situation of domestic or family violence, with victims not being held liable for debts that aren't their own. According to the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2018, the new legislation will come until affect by July 1, 2020. We'll keep you updated if it looks to happen any sooner. Image: Donaldytong via Wikimedia Commons.
Do call it a comeback: in 2023, beloved TV shows dropped new seasons everywhere. Whether you're a fan of thoughtful dramedies about Indigenous American teenagers, savage family feuds or culinary chaos, this year delivered another serving — and of vampire sharehouse antics, British spies, and angels and demons palling around as well. Some of the above series not only waved hello again, but also goodbye forever after releasing their latest episodes. Others among the year's absolute best returning series have at least one more round in their future. Either way, 2023 hasn't been short of tried-and-tested gems that've kept proving why that's the case again. When the year reached its halfway point, we named and celebrated the top already-obsessed-over TV shows of the year so far. Now that 2023 is saying farewell itself, we've surveyed the entire past 12 months of small-screen efforts. Here's the results: the best 15 returning television shows of the year, and one helluva list of recommendations for finally seeing what everyone's been talking about or spending time with an old favourite. RESERVATION DOGS There's only one thing wrong with the third season of Reservation Dogs: now that it's over, the show has come to an end. There's a skill in knowing when something's time has come, but this teen-centric comedy about restless Indigenous North American adolescents is so rich in stories, perspectives and minutiae — and so resonant as well — that it feels like more and more could (and should) just keep following. Ending Reservation Dogs with this ten-episode run is also an example of the series taking its own message to heart, however. As co-created, executive produced and written by Sterlin Harjo (Mekko) and Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder) — the former as its guiding force — Reservation Dogs knows that little lasts. It hangs out with its characters as they learn about life's transience at every moment, whether they're chasing their dreams of leaving the reservation that they've always called home or they're grappling with loss. So, of course the series is moving on. In the process, its farewell season proved even more moving and thoughtful than ever, even after its debut year delivered one of the best new TV shows of 2021 and its second spin served up one of the best returning shows of 2022. The last time that viewers saw the Rez Dogs — the OG quartet of Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Beans), Elora (Devery Jacobs, Rutherford Falls), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Cheese (Lane Factor, The Fabelmans), plus Jackie (Elva Guerra, Dark Winds), the somewhat-reluctant newcomer to the group — they had finally made the trip to California that they'd been working towards their entire lives. Season three picks up with the crew still far away from home, and still journeying even when they do return. Elora considers both her past and her future. Bear goes wandering on his own, including through several revelatory encounters. Harjo still isn't afraid to veer away from his leads along the way, whether sliding into history to explore myths, traditions or horrors inflicted upon Indigenous children. Reservation Dogs finds a story, be it big or small, for everyone within its frames. Bear, Elora, Willie Jack and Cheese especially will be deeply missed, but Woon-A-Tai, Jacobs, Alexis and Factor shouldn't ever be far from screens after this exceptional breakthrough. Reservation Dogs streams via Binge. Read our full review. SUCCESSION Endings have always been a part of Succession. Since it premiered in 2018, the bulk of the HBO drama's feuding figures have been waiting for a big farewell. The reason is right there in the title, because for any of the Roy clan's adult children to scale the family company's greatest heights and remain there — be it initial heir apparent Kendall (Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time), his inappropriate photo-sending brother Roman (Kieran Culkin, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off), their political-fixer sister Siobhan (Sarah Snook, Pieces of a Woman), or eldest sibling and presidential candidate Connor (Alan Ruck, The Dropout) — their father Logan's (Brian Cox, Remember Me) tenure needed to wrap up. The latter was always stubborn. Proud, too, of what he'd achieved and the power it's brought. And whenever Logan seemed nearly ready to leave the business behind, he held on. If he's challenged or threatened, as happened again and again in the Emmy-winning series, he fixed his grasp even tighter. Succession was always been waiting for Logan's last stint at global media outfit Waystar RoyCo, but it had never been about finales quite the way it was in its stunning fourth season. This time, there was ticking clock not just for the show's characters, but for the stellar series itself, given that this is its last go-around — and didn't it make the most of it. Nothing can last forever, not even widely acclaimed hit shows that are a rarity in today's TV climate: genuine appointment-viewing. So, this went out at the height of its greatness, complete with unhappy birthday parties, big business deals, plenty of scheming and backstabbing, and both Shiv's husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen, Operation Mincemeat) and family cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun, Cat Person) in vintage form — plus an early shock, at least two of the best episodes of any show that've ever aired on television, one of the worst drinks, a phenomenal acting masterclass, a The Sopranos-level final shot and the reality that money really can't buy happiness. Succession streams via Binge. Read our full review. BARRY Since HBO first introduced the world to Barry Berkman, the contract killer played and co-created by Saturday Night Live great Bill Hader wanted to be something other than a gun for hire. An ex-military sniper, he was always skilled at his highly illicit post-service line of work; however, moving on from that past was a bubbling dream even before he found his way to a Los Angeles acting class while on a job. Barry laid bare its namesake's biggest wish in its 2018 premiere episode. Then, it kept unpacking his pursuit of a life less lethal across the show's Emmy-winning first and second seasons, plus its even-more-astounding third season in 2022. Season four, the series' final outing, was no anomaly, but it also realised that wanting to be someone different and genuinely overcoming your worst impulses aren't the same. Barry grappled with this fact since the beginning, of course, with the grim truth beating at the show's heart whether it's at its most darkly comedic, action-packed or dramatic — and, given that its namesake was surrounded by people who similarly yearn for an alternative to their current lot in life, yet also can't shake their most damaging behaviour, it did so beyond its antihero protagonist. Are Barry, his girlfriend Sally Reid (Sarah Goldberg, The Night House), acting teacher Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler, Black Adam), handler Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root, Succession) and Chechen gangster NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan, Bill & Ted Face the Music) all that different from who they were when Barry started? Have they processed their troubles? Have they stopped taking out their struggles not just on themselves, but on those around them? Hader and his fellow Barry co-creator Alec Berg (Silicon Valley, Curb Your Enthusiasm) kept asking those questions in season four to marvellous results, including after making a massive jump, and right up to the jaw-dropping yet pitch-perfect finale. Barry being Barry, posing such queries and seeing its central figures for who they are was an ambitious, thrilling and risk-taking ride. When season three ended, it was with Barry behind bars, which is where he was when the show's new go-around kicked off. He wasn't coping, unsurprisingly, hallucinating Sally running lines in the prison yard and rejecting a guard's attempt to tell him that he's not a bad person. With the latter, there's a moment of clarity about what he's done and who he is, but Barry's key players have rarely been that honest with themselves for long. Barry streams via Binge. Read our full review. THE BEAR The more time that anyone spends in the kitchen, the easier that whipping up their chosen dish gets. The Bear season two is that concept in TV form, even if the team at The Original Beef of Chicagoland don't always live it as they leap from running a beloved neighbourhood sandwich joint to opening a fine-diner, and fast. The hospitality crew that was first introduced in the best new show of 2022 isn't lacking in culinary skills or passion. But when bedlam surrounds you constantly, as bubbled and boiled through The Bear's Golden Globe-winning, Emmy-nominated season-one frames, not everything always goes to plan. That was only accurate on-screen for Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, Fingernails) and his colleagues — aka sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, Bottoms), baker-turned-pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce, Hap and Leonard), veteran line cooks Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas, In Treatment) and Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson, Fargo), resident Mr Fixit Neil Fak (IRL chef Matty Matheson), and family pal Richie aka Cousin (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, No Hard Feelings). For viewers, the series' debut run was as perfect a piece of television as anyone can hope for. Excellent news: season two is better. The Bear serves up another sublime course of comedy, drama and "yes chef!"-exclaiming antics across its sizzling second season. Actually make that ten more courses, one per episode, with each new instalment its own more-ish meal. A menu, a loan, desperately needed additional help, oh-so-much restaurant mayhem: that's how this second visit begins, as Carmy and Sydney endeavour to make their dreams for their own patch of Chicago's food scene come true. So far, so familiar, but The Bear isn't just plating up the same dishes this time around. At every moment, this new feast feels richer, deeper and more seasoned, including when it's as intense as ever, when it's filling the screen with tastebud-tempting food shots that relish culinary artistry, and also when it gets meditative. Episodes that send Marcus to a Noma-esque venue in Copenhagen under the tutelage of Luca (Will Poulter, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), get Richie spending a week learning the upscale ropes at one of Chicago's best restaurants and jump back to the past, demonstrating how chaos would've been in Carmy's blood regardless of if he became a chef, are particularly stunning. The Bear season two streams via Disney+. Read our full review. THE OTHER TWO Swapping Saturday Night Live for an entertainment-parodying sitcom worked swimmingly for Tina Fey. Since 2019, it also went hilariously for Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider. Not just former SNL writers but the veteran sketch comedy's ex-head writers, Kelly and Schneider gave the world their own 30 Rock with the sharp, smart and sidesplitting The Other Two. Their angle: focusing on the adult siblings of a Justin Bieber-style teen popstar who've always had their own showbiz aspirations — he's an actor, she was a ballerina — who then find themselves the overlooked children of a momager-turned-daytime television host as well. Cary (Drew Tarver, History of the World: Part II) and Brooke (Heléne York, Katy Keene) Dubek were happy for Chase (Case Walker, Monster High: The Movie). And when their mother Pat (Molly Shannon, I Love That for You) gets her own time in the spotlight, becoming Oprah-level famous, they were equally thrilled for her. But ChaseDreams, their little brother's stage name, was always a constant reminder that their own ambitions keep being outshone. In a first season that proved one of the best new shows of 2019, a second season in 2021 that was just as much of a delight and now a stellar third go-around, Cary and Brooke were never above getting petty and messy about being the titular pair. In season three, however, they didn't just hang around with stars in their eyes and resentment in their hearts. How did they cope? They spent the past few years constantly comparing themselves to Chase, then to Pat, but then they were successful on their own — and still in a shambles, and completely unable to change their engrained thinking. Forget the whole "the grass is always greener" adage. No matter if they were faking it or making it, nothing was ever perfectly verdant for this pair or anyone in their orbit. Still, as Brooke wondered whether her dream manager gig is trivial after living through a pandemic, she started contemplating if she should be doing more meaningful work like her fashion designer-turned-nurse boyfriend Lance (Josh Segarra, The Big Door Prize). And with Cary's big breaks never quite panning out as planned, he got envious of his fellow-actor BFF Curtis (Brandon Scott Jones, Ghosts). The Other Two streams via Binge. Read our full review. PARTY DOWN Sometimes, dreams do come true. More often than not, they don't. The bulk of life is what dwells in-between, as we all cope with the inescapable truth that we won't get everything that we've ever fantasised about, and we mightn't even score more than just a few things we want. This is the space that Party Down has always made its own, asking "are we having fun yet?" about life's disappointments while focusing on Los Angeles-based hopefuls played by Adam Scott (Severance), Ken Marino (The Other Two), Ryan Hansen (A Million Little Things), Martin Starr (Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities) and more. They'd all rather be doing something other than being cater waiters at an array of California functions, and most have stars in their eyes. In the cult comedy's first two seasons back in 2009–10, the majority of its characters had their sights set on show business, slinging hors d'oeuvres while trying to make acting, screenwriting or comedy happen. Bringing most of the original gang back together — including Jane Lynch (Only Murders in the Building) and Megan Mullally (Dicks: The Musical) — Party Down keeps its shindig-by-shindig setup in its 13-years-later third season. Across its first 20 instalments as well as its new six, each episode sends the titular crew to a different soirée. This time, setting the scene for what's still one of the all-time comedy greats in its latest go-around, the opening get-together is thrown by one of their own. Kyle Bradway (Hansen) has just scored the lead part in a massive superhero franchise, and he's celebrating. Ex-actor Henry Pollard (Scott) is among the attendees, as are now-heiress Constance Carmell (Lynch) and perennial stage mum Lydia Dunfree (Mullally). Hard sci-fi obsessive Roman DeBeers (Starr) and the eager-to-please Ron Donald (Marino) are present as well, in a catering capacity. By the time episode two hits, then the rest of the season, more of the above will be donning pastel pink bow ties, the series keeps unpacking what it means to dream but never succeed, and the cast — especially Scott and the ever-committed Marino — are in their element. Party Down streams via Stan. Read our full review of season three. YELLOWJACKETS For Shauna (Melanie Lynskey, The Last of Us), Natalie (Juliette Lewis, Welcome to Chippendales), Taissa (Tawny Cypress, Billions), Misty (Christina Ricci, Wednesday), Lottie (Simone Kessell, Muru) and Van (Lauren Ambrose, Servant), 1996 will always be the year that their plane plunged into the Canadian wilderness, stranding them for 19 tough months — as season one of 2021–2022 standout Yellowjackets grippingly established. As teenagers (as played by The Kid Detective's Sophie Nélisse, The Boogeyman's Sophie Thatcher, Scream VI's Jasmin Savoy, Shameless' Samantha Hanratty, Mad Max: Fury Road's Courtney Eaton and Santa Clarita Diet's Liv Hewson), they were members of the show's titular high-school soccer squad, travelling from their New Jersey home town to Seattle for a national tournament, when the worst eventuated. Cue Lost-meets-Lord of the Flies with an Alive twist, as that first season was understandably pegged. All isn't always what it seems as Shauna and company endeavour to endure in the elements. Also, tearing into each other occurs more than just metaphorically. Plus, literally sinking one's teeth in was teased and flirted with since episode one, too. But Yellowjackets will always be about what it means to face something so difficult that it forever colours and changes who you are — and constantly leaves a reminder of who you might've been. So, when Yellowjackets ended its first season, it was with as many questions as answers. Naturally, it tore into season two in the same way. In the present, mere days have elapsed — and Shauna and her husband Jeff (Warren Kole, Shades of Blue) are trying to avoid drawing any attention over the disappearance of Shauna's artist lover Adam (Peter Gadiot, Queen of the South). Tai has been elected as a state senator, but her nocturnal activities have seen her wife Simone (Rukiya Bernard, Van Helsing) move out with their son Sammy (Aiden Stoxx, Supergirl). Thanks to purple-wearing kidnappers, Nat has been spirited off, leaving Misty desperate to find her — even enlisting fellow citizen detective Walter (Elijah Wood, Come to Daddy) to help. And, in the past, winter is setting in, making searching for food and staying warm an immense feat. Yellowjackets streams via Paramount+. Read our full review, and our interview with Melanie Lynskey. I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE WITH TIM ROBINSON Eat-the-rich stories are delicious, and also everywhere; however, Succession, Triangle of Sadness and the like aren't the only on-screen sources of terrible but terribly entertaining people. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson has been filling streaming queues with assholes since 2019, as usually played by the eponymous Detroiters star, and long may it continue. In season three, the show takes its premise literally in the most ridiculous and unexpected way, so much so that no one could ever dream of predicting what happens. That's still the sketch comedy's not-so-secret power. Each of its skits is about someone being the worst in some manner, doubling down on being the worst and refusing to admit that they're the worst (or that they're wrong) — and while everyone around them might wish that they'd leave, they're never going to, and nothing ever ends smoothly. In a show that's previously worked in hot dog costumes and reality TV series about bodies dropping out of coffins to hilarious effect, anything can genuinely happen to its gallery of the insufferable. In fact, the more absurd and anarchic that I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson gets, the better. No description can do I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's sketches justice, and almost every one is a comedic marvel, as again delivered in six 15-minute episodes in the series' third run. The usual complaint applies: for a show about people overstaying their welcome, the program itself flies by too quickly, always leaving viewers wanting more. Everything from dog doors and designated drivers to HR training and street parking is in Robinson's sights this time, and people who won't stop talking about their kids, wedding photos and group-think party behaviour as well. Game shows get parodied again and again, an I Think You Should Leave staple, and gloriously. More often than in past seasons, Robinson lets his guest stars play the asshole, too, including the returning Will Forte (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), regular Sam Richardson (The Afterparty), and perennial pop-ups Fred Armisen (Barry) and Tim Meadows (Poker Face). And when Jason Schwartzman (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) drop in, they're also on the pitch-perfect wavelength. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson streams via Netflix. Read our full review. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Following in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's footsteps isn't easy, but someone had to do it when What We Do in the Shadows made the leap from the big screen to the small. New format, new location, new vampires, same setup: that's the formula behind this film-to-TV series, which has notched up five seasons so far. Thankfully for audiences, Matt Berry (Toast of London and Toast of Tinseltown), Natasia Demetriou (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) and Kayvan Novak (Cruella) were enlisted as the show's three key bloodsuckers in this US spinoff from the New Zealand mockumentary, all in roles that they each seem born for. The trio play three-century-old British aristocrat Laszlo, his 500-year-old creator and partner Nadja and early Ottoman Empire warrior Nandor, respectively, who share an abode and the afterlife in Staten Island. In cinemas, the film already proved that the concept works to sidesplitting effect. Vampire housemates, they're just like us — except when they're busting out their fangs, flying, avoiding daylight, sleeping in coffins, feuding with other supernatural creatures and leaving a body count, that is. On TV, What We Do in the Shadows illustrates that there's not only ample life left in palling around with the undead, but that there's no limit to the gloriously ridiculous hijinks that these no-longer-living creatures can get up to. It was true as a movie and it's still true as a television show: What We Do in the Shadows sparkles not just due to its premise, but when its characters and cast are both as right as a luminous full moon on a cloudless night. This lineup of actors couldn't be more perfect or comedically gifted, as season five constantly demonstrates via everything from mall trips, political campaigns, pride parades and speed dating to trying to discover why Nandor's long-suffering and ever-dutiful familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén, Werewolves Within) hasn't quite started chomping on necks despite being bitten himself. Berry's over-enunciation alone is the best in the business, as is his ability to play confident and cocky. His line readings are exquisite, and also piercingly funny. While that was all a given thanks to his Toast franchise, Year of the Rabbit, The IT Crowd, Snuff Box, The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace history, What We Do in the Shadows is a group effort. Demetriou and Novak keep finding new ways to twist Nadja and Nandor's eccentricities in fresh directions; their characters have felt lived-in since season one, but they're still capable of growth and change. What We Do in the Shadows streams via Binge. Read our full review. SLOW HORSES In gleaming news for streaming viewers, Mick Herron's Slough House novel series boasts 12 entries so far. In an also ace development, several more of the British author's books have links to the world of veteran espionage agent Jackson Lamb. That thankfully means that Slow Horses, the small-screen spy thriller based on Herron's work, has plenty more stories to draw upon in its future. It's now up to its third season as a TV series, and long may its forward path continue. Apple TV+ has clearly felt the same way since the program debuted in April 2022. In June the same year, the platform renewed Slow Horses for a third and fourth season before its second had even aired. That next chapter arrived that December and didn't disappoint. Neither does the latest batch of six episodes, this time taking its cues from Herron's Real Tigers — after season one used the novel Slow Horses as its basis, and season two did the same with Dead Lions — in charting the ins and outs of MI5's least-favourite department. Slough House is where the service rejects who can't be fired but aren't trusted to be proper operatives are sent, with Lamb (Gary Oldman, Oppenheimer) its happily cantankerous, slovenly, seedy and shambolic head honcho. Each season, Lamb and his team of losers, misfits and boozers — Mick Jagger's slinky ear worm of a theme tune's words — find themselves immersed in another messy case that everyone above them wishes they weren't. That said, Slow Horses isn't a formulaic procedural. Sharply written, directed and acted, and also immensely wryly funny, it's instead one of the best spy series to grace television, including in a new go-around that starts with two intelligence officers (Babylon's Katherine Waterston and Gangs of London's Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) in Istanbul. When the fallout from this season's opening events touches Lamb and his spooks, they're soon thrust into a game of cat-and-mouse that revolves around secret documents and sees one of their own, the forever-loyal Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves, Creation Stories), get abducted. The talented River Cartwright (Jack Lowden, The Gold) again endeavours to show why being banished to Slough House for a training mistake was MI5's error, while his boss' boss Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas, Rebecca) reliably has her own agenda. Slow Horses streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. I HATE SUZIE TOO Watching I Hate Suzie Too isn't easy. Watching I Hate Suzie, the show's first season, wasn't either back in 2020. A warts-and-all dance through the chaotic life, emotions and mind of a celebrity, both instalments of this compelling British series have spun as far away from the glitz and glamour of being famous as possible. Capturing carefully constructed social-media content to sell the fiction of stardom's perfection is part of the story, as it has to be three decades into the 21st century; however, consider this show from Succession writer Lucy Prebble and actor/singer/co-creator Billie Piper, and its blood pressure-raising tension and stress, the anti-Instagram. The unfiltered focus: teen pop sensation-turned-actor Suzie Pickles, as played with a canny sense of knowing by Piper given that the 'Honey to the Bee' and Penny Dreadful talent has charted the same course. That said, the show's IRL star hasn't been the subject of a traumatic phone hack that exposed sensitive photos from an extramarital affair to the public, turning her existence and career upside down, as Suzie was in season one. Forget The Idol — this is the best show about being a famous singer that you can watch right now. In I Hate Suzie Too, plenty has changed for the series' namesake over a six-month period. She's no longer with her professor husband Cob (Daniel Ings, Sex Education), and is battling for custody of their young son Frank (debutant Matthew Jordan-Caws), who is deaf — and her manager and lifelong friend Naomi (Leila Farzad, Avenue 5) is off the books, replaced by the no-nonsense Sian (Anastasia Hille, A Spy Among Friends). Also, in a new chance to win back fans, Suzie has returned to reality TV after it helped thrust her into the spotlight as a child star to begin with. Dance Crazee Xmas is exactly what it sounds like, and sees her compete against soccer heroes (Blake Harrison, The Inbetweeners), musicians (Douglas Hodge, The Great) and more. But when I Hate Suzie Too kicks off with a ferocious, clearly cathartic solo dance in sad-clown getup, the viewers aren't charmed. Well, Dance Crazee Xmas' audience, that is — because anyone watching I Hate Suzie Too is in for another stunner that's fearless, audacious, honest, dripping with anxiety, staggering in its intensity, absolutely heart-wrenching and always unflinching. I Hate Suzie Too streams via Stan. Read our full review. JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL The man knows how to rock a hat: Timothy Olyphant (Full Circle), that is. He knows how to play a determined lawman with a piercing stare and an unassailable sense of honour, too, and television has been all the better for it for nearing two decades. Pop culture's revival culture has benefited as well — first with HBO's 2004–06 western masterpiece Deadwood returning as 2019's Deadwood: The Movie, and now with 2010–15's US Marshal drama Justified making a comeback as miniseries Justified: City Primeval. Olyphant was perfect in both the first time around, and proves the same the second. Indeed, Deadwood: The Movie's only problem was that it was just a made-for-TV film, not a another season; Justified: City Primeval's sole issue is that it spans only eight episodes, and that a next date with the Stetson-wearing Raylan Givens hasn't yet been locked in. This continuation of Justified's initial six seasons arrives eight years after the show ended for viewers, but also finds Raylan with a 15-year-old daughter. And it's with Willa (Vivian Olyphant, Timothy Olyphant's real-life offspring) that he's hitting the road when a couple of criminals reroute their plans. Now based in Miami, Florida rather than Justified's Harlan, Kentucky, Raylan is meant to be taking Willa to camp, only to be forced to detour to Detroit, Michigan to testify. It isn't a brief stop, after the Deputy US Marshal makes the wrong impression on Judge Alvin Guy (Keith David, Nope), then is personally requested to investigate an assassination attempt against the same jurist — teaming up with local detectives who are adamant about Detroit's particular ways, including Maureen Downey (Marin Ireland, The Boogeyman), Norbert Beryl (Norbert Leo Butz, The Girl From Plainville) and Wendell Robinson (Victor Williams, The Righteous Gemstones). You can take Raylan out of rural America and into the Motor City, as Justified: City Primeval does, but even with silver hair atop his calm glare he's still Raylan. So, he'll always stride around like a lone gunslinger who has seen it all, will confront anything, and is perennially valiant and resolute — and silently exasperated about humanity's worst impulses, too — as Justified: City Primeval welcomes. New location, passing years, the responsibilities of fatherhood, more and more lowlife crooks (including Boyd Holbrook, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny): they haven't changed this character, and audiences wouldn't have wanted that to happen. Justified: City Primeval streams via Disney+. Read our full review. GOOD OMENS Since 2019, witnessing David Tennant utter the word "angel" has been one of the small screen's great delights. Playing the roguish demon Crowley in Good Omens, the Scottish Doctor Who and Broadchurch star sometimes says it as an insult, occasionally with weary apathy and even with exasperation. Usually simmering no matter his mood, however, is affection for the person that he's always talking about: book-loving and bookshop-owning heavenly messenger Aziraphale (Michael Sheen, Quiz). With just one term and two syllables, Tennant tells a story about the show's central odd-couple duo, who've each been assigned to oversee earth by their bosses — Crowley's from below, Aziraphale's from above — and also conveys their complicated camaraderie. So, also since 2019, watching Tennant and Sheen pair up on-screen has been supremely divine. Good Omens, which hails from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's award- and fan-winning 1990 novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, was always going to be about Aziraphale and Crowley. And yet, including in its second season, it's always been a better series because it's specifically about Sheen as the former and Tennant as the latter. In this long-awaited return, neither Aziraphale nor Crowley are beloved by their higher-ups or lower-downs thanks to their thwarting-the-apocalypse actions. Season one saw them face their biggest test yet after they started observing humans since biblical times — the always-foretold birth of the antichrist and, 11 years later, cosmic forces rolling towards snuffing out the planet's people to start again — and saving the world wasn't what their leaders wanted. One fussing over his store and remaining reluctant to sell any of its tomes, the other continuing to swagger around like Bill Nighy as a rule-breaking rockstar, Aziraphale nor Crowley have each carved out a comfortable new status quo, though, until a naked man walking through London with nothing but a cardboard box comes trundling along. He can't recall it, but that birthday suit-wearing interloper is the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm, Fargo). He knows he's there for a reason and that it isn't good, but possesses zero memory otherwise. And, in the worst news for Aziraphale and Crowley, he has both heaven and hell desperate to find him — which is just the beginning of season two's delightful journey. Good Omens streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING Corpses and killings don't normally herald joy on-screen, even in pop culture's current murder-mystery comedy wave, but Only Murders in the Building isn't just another amusing whodunnit. There's a particular warmth to this series. In each of its three seasons to-date, the New York-set show has unleashed amateur gumshoes upon a shock death, with its key trio sifting through clues and podcasting the details. Along the way, it has also kept telling a winning story about second chances and finding the folks who understand you. Only Murders in the Building's ten-episode third season relays that tale again, expanding its portraits of artist Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die), theatre director Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and veteran actor Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated) — and of their friendship. Once more, it embraces the power of chemistry, both within its narrative and for audiences. That isn't new; when the show debuted in 2021, it felt like the murder-mystery comedy genre's version of a cosy embrace because its three leads were so perfectly cast and their odd-throuple characters so full of sparks. While Mabel, Oliver and Charles wouldn't be a trio if it wasn't for a building evacuation, a murder and a love of true-crime podcasts, their connection isn't merely fuelled by chatting about the murders in their building, with crossing each other's paths changing their respective lives. There's a death in season three's initial episode — it first occurred in season two's dying moments, to be precise — and, of course, ample sleuthing and talking about it follows. The victim: Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), a silver-screen star best-known for playing a zoologist who fights crime by turning into a snake in the blockbuster CoBro franchise. (Yes, if those movies weren't just Only Murders in the Building's Ant-Man gag, existed IRL and starred Rudd, they'd be a hit.) But Only Murders in the Building's latest run also opens with Mabel, Oliver and Charles in places that they wouldn't be if they were solo. Largely, that applies emotionally: Mabel is more grounded and open, and now thinking about the future more than the past; Oliver has faced his career fears, resurrecting his showbiz bug with a new show; and Charles is less misanthropic and more willing to take new chances. They're also frequently in a different location physically thanks to Oliver's comeback production Death Rattle (which is where Meryl Streep fits in). No, the series isn't now called Only Murders in the Building and on Broadway. Only Murders in the Building streams via Star on Disney+. Read our full review. FARGO This is a true story: in 2014, Hollywood decided to take on a task that was destined to either go as smoothly as sliding on ice or prove as misguided as having a woodchipper sitting around. Revisiting Fargo was a bold move even in pop culture's remake-, reboot- and reimagining-worshipping times, because why say "you betcha" to trying to make crime-comedy perfection twice? The Coen brothers' 1996 film isn't just any movie. It's a two-time Oscar-winner, BAFTA and Cannes' Best Director pick of its year, and one of the most beloved and original examples of its genre in the last three decades. But in-between credits on Bones, The Unusuals and My Generation, then creating the comic book-inspired Legion, writer, director and producer Noah Hawley started a project he's now synonymous with, and that's still going strong five seasons in. What keeps springing is always a twisty tale set in America's midwest, as filled with everyday folks in knotty binds, complicated family ties, crooks both bumbling and determined trying to cash in, and intrepid cops investigating leads that others wouldn't. Hawley's stroke of genius: driving back into Fargo terrain by making an anthology series built upon similar pieces, but always finding new tales about greed, power, murder and snowy landscapes to tell. Hawley's Fargo adores the Coenverse overall, enthusiastically scouring it for riches like it's the TV-making embodiment of Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter's namesake. That film hailed from Damsel's David Zellner instead, and took cues from the urban legend surrounding the purported Fargo ties to the IRL death of Japanese office worker Takako Konishi; however, wanting the contents of the Coen brothers' brains to become your reality is clearly a common thread. Of course, for most of the fictional figures who've walked through the small-screen Fargo's frames, they'd like anything but caper chaos. Scandia, Minnesota housewife Dot Lyon (Juno Temple, Ted Lasso) is one of them in season five. North Dakota sheriff, preacher and rancher Roy Tillman (Jon Hamm, Good Omens) isn't as averse to a commotion if he's the one causing it. Minnesota deputy Indira Olmstead (Richa Moorjani, Never Have I Ever) and North Dakota state trooper Witt Farr (Lamorne Morris, Woke) just want to get to the bottom of the series' new stint of sometimes-madcap and sometimes-violent mayhem. Fargo streams via SBS On Demand. Read our full review. Looking for more viewing highlights? We also rounded up the 15 best new TV series of 2023, as well as 15 excellent new TV shows of 2023 that you might've missed — plus the 15 top films, another 15 exceptional flicks that hardly anyone saw in cinemas this year and the 15 best straight-to-streaming movies of the year as well. And, we've kept a running list of must-stream TV from across the year, complete with full reviews. Also, you can check out our regular rundown of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly.
From start to finish, Challengers plunges into a tennis match. Holding the racquets: Art Donaldson (Mike Faist, West Side Story) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor, La Chimera). The pair were childhood roommates and best friends, then doubles partners on the court. Meeting Tashi Duncan (Zendaya, Dune: Part Two), a ruthless tennis prodigy destined for big things, changed everything when they were teens — and now 13 years after first crossing her path, Art and Patrick are facing off at a competition that's basically a warm-up for the former, a multiple grand slam-winner is now married to Tashi and also coached by her, but represents Patrick's best route to a chance at big-time professional success. The bout that bounces back and forth throughout Challengers isn't the movie's only bit of tennis, of course. The latest film by Call Me By Your Name, Suspiria and Bones and All director Luca Guadagnino flits between moments in its main trio's life leading up to the pivotal bout, too, games included. So, as Art and Patrick compete in the movie's showcase showdown, years of complexity are batted back and forth alongside the ball — mentally and emotionally for the pair, and for Tashi as she watches on, seeing her husband and her ex-boyfriend do battle, and wishing that her career hadn't been ended by injury; plus literally for viewers quickly hung up on every serve and return. "I felt like we were just shooting this sequence for so long. And you're like 'dang, did we, what day is it? Wait, how is the character feeling at this point?'. Because you're still wearing the same outfits and it's supposed to be one game, but it's like the next week," explains Zendaya in Sydney, where she visited in late March on a promotional tour for Challengers accompanied by O'Connor and Faist. "I remember we had a storm, some weather issues, which ended up prolonging the process and all these kinds of things, but it was really special and cool. Sometimes I'd feel left out because I was sitting on the side watching them play and I was like 'hey guys'. But it was fun." Both in that match and whenever else Tashi, Art and Patrick are donning white and standing on green, tennis isn't just tennis in Challengers, though. "The tennis is the sex scene," notes O'Connor about a film that brings one word to mind over and over: sexy. This is a movie about three athletes in a complicated love triangle who are yearning to connect as much as they're lusting for tennis glory, as set to a propulsive and slinky electronic score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Oscar-winners for Soul). Saying that Guadagnino laces the feature with desire is an understatement — and as anyone who has seen his work, especially both Call Me By Your Name and Bones and All starring Zendaya's Dune and Dune: Part Two co-star Timothée Chalamet, will know, it's also one of his talents. [caption id="attachment_951455" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Caroline McCredie[/caption] The result: one of 2024's must-sees, no matter how you feel about tennis going in. It's also a flick with much to discuss, as Zendaya, O'Connor and Faist did when they made the trip Down Under to screen the film, and also get talking at a press conference. Similarly covered: Zendaya doing double duty as a producer on Challengers, the complexity of Tashi as a character, playing such competitive parts, the picture's love triangle and queer themes, its immersive cinematography by Call Me By Your Name and Suspiria's Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, if KC Undercover helped Zendaya prepare for her performance and making "codependency the movie", as she dubs it — and more. On Zendaya's Working Relationship with Luca Guadagnino as an Actor as Well as a Producer Zendaya: "It was really, really special. Producing is something that I'm definitely not new to, but for me it's always been a way to be creative in a different sense. I was always a shy kid, and so the more I do this, the more I love moving behind the camera. I love being able to learn from people and and grow from different directors, whether I'm a producer or not. I just like being on sets and learning and asking questions —and problem-solving and figuring out how things work. And then also I think it's being able to have — I learned quite early, I think, when I was younger, being able to have a real title allows you to be able to protect yourself in a lot of different spaces. It allows for you to be like 'actually, this is what's happening and I can be part of this conversation'. So it also allows me to protect my work and myself and people around me." On Tashi's Complexity and What Zendaya Was Most Looking Forward to Tackling in the Part Zendaya: "I guess the obvious thing to read — I mean, many things these characters do, but to read Tashi, you'd be like 'she's unlikable'. You judge her immediately. You're like 'she's too much'. It's messy. It's whatever. And so I think my job was trying to find her gooey centre, and trying to find her empathy, and why she makes the decisions and what pain it's coming from. And I think ultimately while she's ruthless, which I love, there is something to her that is — I think it's grief, I think it's grief over a career and a life that she never got to live. And I think her true love, her one true love, was always tennis. And she is trying whatever she can to be close to it, to touch it, to do it. And so she uses people to get that feeling, because she can't do it anymore on her own. And she's never really had a moment to just sit with it, and I think that she's never allowed herself a moment to feel bad for herself. She's just like 'moving on, what's next?'. [caption id="attachment_951462" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for Warner Bros[/caption] I think we're watching that become a very real thing for her once her tangibility or her closeness to tennis is threatened by the fact that her husband's ready to be done. And she's like 'what? What do you mean?'. So these people are lifelines for her. It's her holding herself up and keeping herself alive. So yeah, I think it was figuring out her nuance and not just make her just bitchy, because I don't think she is. I think there's a reason behind everything she does, I hope." On the Competitive Nature of the Film's Lead Trio Josh: "I think the competitiveness is also out of an obsession with each other. At the beginning of this film, in terms of the competitiveness, when they're younger that's there but — I don't want speak to their characters, but Art is is on the way of falling out of love with tennis. And I think Patrick is just desperate for connection. I think all three of them are desperate for connection, whether it's Art seeking to restore the the love in his marriage or Tashi to restore this three-way love affair. I think Patrick, likewise, the tennis to him is the the utmost connection. He's always searching for that with Art, and with Tashi, too. And so I think the competitiveness comes secondary to that. But then also there's…" Zendaya: "We're so competitive with each other." Josh: "We are very competitive, but when it comes to tennis, not that competitive because we can't compete. But we were competitive between takes in things like Rock, Paper, Scissors and mini tennis, which I'm actually…" Mike: "Very good." Josh: "…Phenomenal at. That was very competitive." [caption id="attachment_951456" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Caroline McCredie[/caption] On Whether This is a Film About Love, Tennis or the Love of Tennis Mike: "It's kind of this weird thing, because I think we naturally as humans bring whatever thing that we're trying to get out of our work — we fall in love with whatever we do, whether that's storytelling in what you guys do or storytelling in what we do. And we can't help but put a piece of ourselves into that, and we're trying to get something out of that as well at the same time. And so there is this kind of bleeding of lines of that. And so it's probably both, is the truth of the matter." Zendaya: "We say it's 'codependency the movie'. I think that's what it's about. I also think it's about a million things, and I think tennis is the metaphor in which they use, or we use, to express that. What I think is really enjoyable, I think people, I've watched it with family and people who are not tennis people or don't really understand how tennis work, and they still feel like they're like 'ohhhhh' inside the match. And there's something alive in them, they still like they can follow it and it makes sense to them. While hopefully people who do really care about tennis will not be distracted by any of our imperfect forms, and will also be able to enjoy it and feel connected in their own personal way. So I hope it's for everyone." [caption id="attachment_947834" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Euphoria, Eddy Chenn, HBO.[/caption] On Which of Their Previous Roles Helped the Cast Prepare for Challengers Zendaya: "KC Undercover. No, I'm kidding. No, listen, the Disney stuff really does — it's a good training ground." Josh: "I did one sports film a long time ago, very early in my career. I had like one scene with dialogue and then one scene cycling. It was called The Program. Stephen Frears [The Lost King] is the director, it was Ben Foster [Finestkind] playing Lance Armstrong. I did no training, and I was cycling up, I think it's called the 21 turns in the Alps. And I got two turns in, and I always remember Stephen Frears was in a golf buggy going past, and all the other actors had been training for months, like Jesse Plemons [Civil War] and all these guys, and they were way ahead of me. And I was like [gasps] dying, and I was supposed to be one of the best ones. So, that doesn't answer your question, because that didn't prepare me at all." Zendaya: "That trauma." Josh: "Exactly, the trauma, I guess it taught me that I do have to prepare if I'm playing a sports person." [caption id="attachment_951463" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Caroline McCredie[/caption] On Getting Into the Win-at-All-Costs Mindset Mike: "The thing is, that what drew me to the character of Art was this idea of falling out of love with your craft. It's kind of this thing, is this idea I think when you're in your twenties, at least for me, I can speak to myself, is that I'm I moved to New York to become an actor. And I'm just grinding. All you're doing is just working, working, working, working. You're hustling, hustling, hustling. And then you finally get to a place of somewhat success and you've kind of achieved what you thought was the thing, and then you're of left with that idea of 'well, now what?'. And it's that thing — you're damned if you do, damned if you don't. It's almost a curse, almost, that thing when you achieve that monumental moment of success. You start to wonder just for yourself 'well, where else can I actually go from here? What else is there in life? Is this all of who I am? What else does compile a life of a human?'. There's a lot of questions and existentialism that goes within that. And that's honestly what I just connected with, is the truth." [caption id="attachment_951457" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Warner Bros[/caption] On the Way That Guadagnino Portrays Romance and Desire On-Screen, Including Through Tennis Josh: "Luca's always had this eye for, or an instinct to push that desire, and how to tell desire in ways that are less than obvious — and intriguing. I feel like that's just the responsibility of cinema generally, is how do you show something that is going to resonate in a new way, in a way that we haven't seen before? And yet also, Luca displays really classic, inspired-from-classics ways of telling love as well. At the same time, he references other films a lot. And so, he's always pushing it that one step further, I think. It feels exciting. Yesterday we were asked in an interview about the sex scenes. And Z was like 'there aren't any'. It wasn't a stupid question. It was a reasonable question, because it feels so on the edge of that at all times — and actually the tennis is the sex scene. That's their intimacy, and when they're vulnerable." Zendaya: "I do want to chime in real quick and say for someone who had really no idea about tennis and how it worked — because I remember all of us sitting around, and Luca was like, 'wait, so what do the lines, where do they stand like, what is this?'. And we would write out little maps and be like 'okay, so it goes here, and the ball goes here, and what does that mean?'. So for someone who really started, he really, I think, very quickly understood how to capture the the game — really did it in a way that felt very emotional as well. We never are disconnected from any one of these characters throughout their match, and I think it was very exciting how he made us feel like we were sometimes the character. You know, sometimes the camera is the player, sometimes the camera is the ball, and you just feel immersed inside of this this game. You can feel the sweat and you can feel their heartbeat. I think that that was really, really special to watch him map out, really map out shot by shot — it was a long shot list — and figure out how to take an audience on a journey visually, but also emotionally, somehow too." On How the Film Tells Its Tale Visually Thanks to Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom Zendaya: "Sayombhu is amazing. He's such a lovely presence to be around. I think also he's got such a calmness to him, and you can watch him, he'll sit down in his chair and he just looks around, and he's checking the light. Then he'll get up and he'll test something. He'll look, he'll fix it. Then he'll just go sit back down. He's so calm, and and masterful at what he does. Obviously, his previous work, we can see that. I know this is stupid to say, but like I felt like very, I don't know, like I felt like the light kind also played so much into how our characters — it's not stupid to say, I take that back — it played into our characters. He somehow gave us some kind of youthful glow, somehow, and was able to like make us look younger through his lights, and make us feel like we were in a different part of our life with the way that. He illuminated our, I don't know, our skin or colour. I'm not sure the specific technique in which he did so, but I felt like I could see a difference in tonality with the way he chose to to light us when we're younger versus when we're older. And I never actually asked him if he did anything different, or if that was a choice by any means, but I felt it at least watching it. Something feels like when they're younger, the colours feel richer or something, like there's just like the exuberance, and then something he did, he gave us, he contributed, I think, a lot that emotional arc of where the characters go." Josh: "He's also really like such a gift for a cinematographer to allow space, so that when you — it sounds really obvious, but it's actually such a talent, to make you feel like there's not a camera there. He was really good at that creating that environment. So Sayombhu, we saw him a lot in rehearsals, and he was the sweetest, most gentle guy. And then during filming, you just see him run past and be like 'what's he doing? He's doing some magic.'. But really, apart from in the tennis match with the cameras in your face, it generally really felt like we were in our world and left to it, if that makes sense." On Exploring the Film's Love Triangle and Queer Angles Josh: "In some ways, those conversations were never needed to be had, because really it's very apparent from the beginning that love and attraction and lust they have for each other is just unanimous. The point is that the three of them are bound together from the start. The three of us were talking about the first, one of the early scenes when Zendaya comes — oh, Tashi comes — to the hotel room and the three of them are sat there on the floor, which is such a teenage feeling. I think that's captured so well. But it's really funny as well. And I think from that moment on, the three of them are bound. And so that scene where it's a sort of three-way kiss, and then Tashi's enjoying the observation of the two of them, of Art and Patrick, I just think that puts them in this this tornado together — which allows for them to be incredibly nasty to each other, and act badly and act brilliantly, and compete and push each other. And so the undertones of relationships between all three of them go up and down at all times. So it's sort of unspoken, but yeah, I can see that that's that's very much there." Zendaya: "I agree. Also, just Luca is brilliant, and he knows how to carve things out that he wants more of, and nuance. And so much is done in things that I think aren't even on the page. You know, there's the scene that's on the page, and then there's another one that the characters aren't speaking, but they're saying to us and we can all very clearly read what they're saying. I think that's where he's so masterful. I mean, he knows what he's doing. So there's such a trust in in his taste, and what his vision is, also, for the characters. And that was apparent when I had my first meeting with him. He really understood them and their connection and their love and their lust and their everything in a deeper way than was just purely on paper. So yeah, it's definitely there." On Playing Someone Who Exudes Power — and Whether Zendaya Relates Zendaya: "I guess in some ways. I think she enjoys power in a way that I don't think I would ever be comfortable with. I think to me, I have an uncomfortable relationship with that idea. But her, I think it's very clear, I think, from when we first meet her that she's completely unafraid of her power and wielding it over other people, and playing with it and and toying with it, which is what I appreciated about it. It didn't take her injury to turn into this ruthless power whatever. She was like that as a teenager. She was already going into the game like this. She was like 'I'm a winner and I know that, and I know how to control people, through whatever'. It's clear from the beginning, so I appreciated that we weren't trying to reason her personality or trying to apologise for how she is. She just is this way, and we just see her, like I said, we see that strong veneer fall apart. The the decision-making gets a little messier, because I think it's now — when she was younger, it was fun, and now it's for survival. Before she was just toying with them because it was fun. And now it's like, 'no, this is my life now'. So I think the stakes became different. I don't want to relate too much to her now. But I say don't judge them, because I find that upon first viewing, you'll have an opinion — and then you watch it again and I guarantee that opinion will change. And then you watch it again, and it might change again. I feel like every time I watch it, I'm like 'ooh, Tashi girl, what are you doing?'. And then the next thing I'm like 'actually, she didn't do anything wrong and it was Art all along'. And then I'm like 'actually, Patrick, should have never said that'. So every time I'm angry at a different character, or I feel more passionate about a different character. I feel heartbroken for — it constantly changes. So I say don't judge because I feel like your opinions will change every time you watch it. And that's the fun part about the film. You just never really have the answers you want, and that makes you question everything and question yourself. And like 'who do I feel like?' It's just one of those those pieces. That was not to promote or anything — I genuinely mean it, every time I've watched it." Josh: "But also go at least three times. But, seriously, go four times." Challengers opened in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Read our review. Challengers stills: Niko Tavernise / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you're a fan of twisty TV shows about wealth, privilege, power, influence, the vast chasm between the rich and everyday folks, and the societal problems that fester due to such rampant inequality, then 2021 has been a fantastic year. The White Lotus fit the bill, and proved such a hit that it's coming back for a second season. Squid Game, the high-stakes Korean horror-thriller absolutely everyone binged over the last month, ticks the box as well. And, so does Succession, with the much-acclaimed HBO drama finally returning for a third season. No series slings insults as savagely as this Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Writers Guild and Directors Guild Award-winner. No show channels feuding and backstabbing into such an insightful and gripping satire of the one percent, either. Succession isn't just whip-smart, darkly piercing and frequently laugh-out-loud funny about its chosen milieu; it's the best drama on TV, one of the best-written shows on television, and among the best series all-round in general as well. So, here's two pieces of good news: firstly, Succession's third season is as biting, scathing and entertaining as viewers have come to expect, and might just be its finest yet; and, secondly, HBO has just renewed the show for a fourth season. Neither of these revelations is particularly surprising, but they're still excellent. Announcing the renewal, HBO noted that in the US, the series' third-season premiere was its most-watched episode to-date. It did herald Succession's return after a two-year wait — a gap that left viewers with quite the cliffhanger, as well as a huge hankering for more of its witty words. Indeed, before the series first graced TV screens back in 2018, you mightn't have realised exactly how engaging it is to watch people squabbling. Not just everyday characters, either, but the constantly arguing — and ridiculously well-off and entitled — family of a global media baron. Those power plays and the verbal argy-bargy make Succession compulsively watchable, and so do the pitch-perfect performances that deliver every verbal blow. Of course, as created by Peep Show's Jesse Armstrong — someone who knows more than a thing or two about black comedy — the idea that depiction doesn't equal endorsement is as rich in Succession and its brand of satire as its always-disagreeing characters. [caption id="attachment_830169" align="alignnone" width="1920"] David Russell/HBO[/caption] In season three, all those Roy family antics and the bitter words they inspire are in full swing yet again. Succession has always riffed on a scenario that also sits at the heart of fellow hits Arrested Development and Game of Thrones — families clashing over their empire — but this version doesn't need dragons to be ruthless. That feeling only heightened at the end of season two, when Kendall (Jeremy Strong, The Trial of the Chicago 7), the son always seen as the natural successor to patriarch Logan (Brian Cox, Super Troopers 2), decided to publicly expose the family's dark business secrets. Now, the series is wading through the fallout, with Logan's other children — Connor (Alan Ruck, Gringo), Shiv (Sarah Snook, Pieces of a Woman) and Roman (Kieran Culkin, Infinity Baby) — caught in the middle agin. This brood's tenuous and tempestuous relationship only gets thornier the more the show goes on, and its examination of their privileged lives — and what that bubble has done to them emotionally, psychologically and ideologically — only deepens in season three. All four Roy children are still trying to position themselves as next in line at Logan's company, of course, with the future of the business in jeopardy not only due to his advancing years, or the takeover bids and government interest that've been a big part of its two seasons so far, but thanks to all the in-fighting. When they pop up in the third season, Alexander Skarsgård (Godzilla vs Kong) and Adrien Brody (The Grand Budapest Hotel) complicate the Roys' precarious situation even further. That's this show's bread and butter, and it's glorious — and it just keeps finding the ideal cast members. With season three only two episodes in at the time of writing, exactly when season four will hit screens hasn't been revealed. For now, you can check out the full Succession season three trailer below: The first two episodes of Succession's third season are available to view via Foxtel, Binge and Foxtel On Demand, with new episodes dropping weekly. Exactly when the series' fourth season will drop hasn't yet been revealed. Top image: Macall B Polay/HBO.
If it feels like back-to-back lockdowns have completely warped your sense of time, you're not alone. Suddenly, here we are, hurtling towards the end of the year — and towards a bunch of new venue openings that are absolute fire. One such venue is Chris Lucas' (Chin Chin, Hawker Hall, Kisume) new venture, Yakimono — a two-storey Japanese diner with a street food menu that's fuelled by fire. Opening its doors on November 5, the restaurant is the newest addition to the 80 Collins precinct and neighbour to fellow Lucas Group haunt Society. An ode to the late-night izakayas of Tokyo — where Lucas spent three years living and working — Yakimono is set to serve up a fresh riff on Japanese street eats, melding classic flavours with a touch of Melbourne flair. Heading up the kitchen is none other than Daniel Wilson, the OG mind behind Huxtaburger. He's plating up an offering of adventurous dishes here, with bites like spicy beef tartare, curried sweet potato gyoza with miso apple yoghurt, and skewers of wagyu beef intercostal in a smoky soy glaze. Barbecued pork cheek is finished with sesame and fermented chilli; a whole miso-glazed chook comes teamed with smoked chicken fat rice, charcoal salt and a spicy slaw; and a dish of smoked eel udon features shimeji mushrooms and an onsen egg. Oh, and a mochi waffle with hazelnut buttercream and salted macadamia praline beckons from the dessert list. Meanwhile, the bar will be pouring ten beers and four wines on tap, alongside a selection of bottled vino and sake that doesn't take itself too seriously. A range of Japanese-accented cocktails and bubble tea rounds out the liquid fun. The space itself is moody, yet colourful, with digital art and clever lighting lending a futuristic edge. Both the central open kitchen and the bar feature ringside seats for those wanting to be close to the action, while the Corner Room boasts private dining for up to 14 guests. Yakimono opens at 80 Collins Street, Melbourne from November 5. It'll open daily from 12pm–late, with dinner service only for the first week of operation. Venue Images: Tom Blachford. Food Images: Julian Lallo and Adrian Lander
No matter your feelings on the ideal timeline between Boxing Day shopping and Easter treats hitting the shelves, March has arrived and those babies are coming in hot like a certain glazed fruit bun. And this year, you've got a boozy new offering to add to your Easter shopping list — a Hot Cross Rum from family-run Margaret River distillery The Grove. The small-batch sip has been hand-crafted using The Grove's four-year barrel-aged dark rum, then housed in an American Oak former bourbon barrel. Raisins, oranges and a bunch of warm spices are left to steep, before the rum's given a final infusion of classic hot cross bun flavours including cinnamon, vanilla and cloves. [caption id="attachment_845050" align="alignnone" width="1920"] By Freedom Garvey-Warr[/caption] At the end, you've got a warm, rich, festive-tasting spirit, packed with notes of caramelised raisin, vanilla and cinnamon, with a lingering fruity finish. A 40-percent ABV hot cross bun in a glass, if you like. The Grove team recommends you sip their new creation neat; with a hot buttered Easter bun on the side for full effect, of course. Word is, it's also a solid match to a cheese board or dessert. Just 240 bottles of the Hot Cross Rum have been made, available now to pre-order with Australia-wide delivery happening this month, just in time for Easter. The Hot Cross Rum marks the first of The Grove's new Collector's Series of limited-edition spirits, so expect plenty more creative rum releases to follow. The Grove's Hot Cross Rum is available to pre-order via the website, at RRP $100 for a 500ml bottle.
Self-described as the 'food lovers market', Prahran Market is the oldest continuous running market in Australia and is your go-to place for gourmet delights and fresh, heritage fruit and vegetables, local fish and meat. While the marketplace is open during the week, the real bargains are on Saturday after 3pm when $1 bags of fruit and veg are up for grabs. The market also hosts regular demonstrations and food festivals, celebrating delicious edibles like cheese, chocolate, sausages and more. Market Lane Coffee via Flickr.
It's time to shake off those thick coats, unleash the pale winter skin from beneath layers of black and stop worrying that you don't have your umbrella every time you leave the house — because summer is here. Melbourne may be the city of three seasons in a day, but at the first sign of summer sun we flock to the beach, parks, pools and amazing rooftop bars to enjoy a nice refreshing beverage. With so many great drinking options around the city, here are a few top recommendations for a summer tipple to get you in the spirit. Mojito, Los Barbudos Bringing Melbourne one-step closer to the colours and flavours of the vibrant Caribbean country, Los Barbudos are known for their traditional Cuban classics with great daiquiris, the El Presidente and — our top pick — a mojito ($10). Nothing could be more of a classic summer drink. Los Barbudos' version is full of white rum, lime, sugar, sparkling water and mint. You will be shocked at how fast these tasty treats disappear but, with prices this low, why not treat yourself to another one? 95 Smith Street, Fitzroy, (03) 9416 0079, losbarbudos.com.au Hard Iced Tea, Loop Roof A brand new rooftop bar has opened up above the cities favourite video bar, Loop. Officially named Loop Roof it has quickly been affectionately dubbed Looptop (see what we did there?). Looptop's menu features a huge range of top-notch cocktails, though it’s the hard iced tea selection that really shouts summer. Our pick for the best hard iced tea is the awkwardly named, but delicious tasting, Sunset Sparkle ($19) – Wyborowa vodka, pomme verte, T2 lychee sunrise tea syrup, fresh lemon, grapefruit peel and edible gold. Though we had the drink at night and were unable to see any sparkle, we have been told that under sunlight the edible golden spray used over the drink is quite a sight. Each hand-crafted tea syrup is created in house using tea from T2 and features a different ice cube full of delicious ingredients that are designed to melt and release more flavour into your drink as you go. On a side note, make sure you try the alcoholic snow cones (yes, really) with Ketel One vodka, watermelon shrub and lime. It's childhood nostalgia with an adult twist. 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne, (03) 9654 0500, looponline.com.au Red or White sangria, The Night Market We all love the Queen Victoria Night Markets. Sure, it's always overcrowded, but if you're after some of the tastiest food from around the world and free live entertainment — not to mention the people watching opportunities — then this is an event that can't be missed. With so many different multicultural hawker-style street food options available, there is no way anyone could try everything in one night alone (challenge accepted). Luckily for our aching bellies the markets will be operating every Wednesday night over summer. Wash down all that amazing food with a tasty (and huge) glass of sangria ($8). Served out of giant steel drums this is sangria made for the masses. There are two options, red or white and both are delicious. Grab yourself a huge glass, find a comfortable people watching spot near the bands and settle in for a warm summers night. Queen Victoria Market, cnr Victoria & Elizabeth Streets, every Wednesday night 5-10pm, qvm.com.au Vida Fiasco, Loch and Key Hidden above bushranger themed bar and restaurant Captain Melville, Loch and Key may be new but it's quickly making a name for itself as a great late night lounge bar. The space has been fitted out with lots of nooks to hide away in with a cheeky beverage and some good company. If you feel like you need a bit of private space then duck into one of their confessional booths. Our pick for a warm night however is to make your way onto their huge balcony overlooking Franklin Street with a cocktail in hand. Try the smoky Vida Fiasco: Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, fresh passionfruit, agave nectar and lime ($18). Mezcal is such an underrated spirit and gives this drink a lovely smoky flavour, perfectly balanced with the sweet passionfruit and agave. Above Captain Melville, via rear laneway, Level 1, 34 Franklin Street, Melbourne, captainmelville.com.au Campari Spritz, Carlton Espresso Walking down the Italian side of Lygon Street on a warm summers day, it's hard not to see the hordes of cafe-goers staking out prime people watching spots in front of Carlton Espresso. Also known as D.O.C Espresso, this Carlton landmark cafe knows how to make a great coffee — but on warm days all you should think about ordering is a refreshingly chilled Campari Spritz ($10). Served in a deep wine glass you have the fantastically bitter orange liqueur mixed perfectly with sweet Italian sparkling prosecco, a dash of soda and thinly sliced orange. Bellissimo. 326 Lygon Street, Carlton, (03) 9347 8482, docgroup.net Communist Manifesto, Double Happiness If you are after something a little unusual why not head to one of the original hidden laneway bars, Double Happiness. Tucked away down a side street off Chinatown, Double Happiness likes to infuse all their cocktail creations with some Asian-inspired flavour. Imagine chilli, coriander, ginger or lychee mixed with exotic fruits or even added to bubble cup tea cocktails. For the perfect summer drink on a hot day, try their Asian twist on a margarita. The Communist Manifesto – Tromba blanco tequila, tamarind, mandarin, lime and Szechuan salt ($17) has a perfect balance of sweet and salty with a delicious citrus tang that will make it hard to stop at just one. 21 Liverpool Street, Melbourne, (03) 9650 4488, double-happiness.org Pimm's #1 Jug, Madame Brussels Sharing is caring and who can say no to just one more delicious drink? Why not grab a group of friends and make your way up the stairs to Madame Brussels’ revered rooftop garden. Described by the Madame herself (well, the publican at least) as 'a rather fancy terrace and public house', it's hard not to get into the vibe at Madame Brussels. Do yourself — and your friends a favour — and let the lovely bartenders bring you some cucumber sandwiches and a large jug of Pims #1 ($35) to share. Full to the brim with tasty dark-tea colored Pimms, lemonade and an entire green grocers shop of fruits — strawberry, apple, orange, lemons, mint and the all-important cucumber — you can happily sip on it in the sunshine all afternoon. Level 3, 59-63 Bourke St, Melbourne, (03) 9662 2775, madamebrussels.com Pina Colada, Eau de Vie As you would expect from one of the top cocktail bars in the country, this is not your standard pina colada. Literally meaning 'water of life' in French, Eau de Vie have gone all out in reinventing this classic summer cocktail for a more discerning audience. Thoroughly shaken, the delicious chargrilled pineapple-infused Gosling's rum with citrus is then energised with house made pineapple soda and coconut syrup — and the the entire concoction is placed in a great big tiki mug for you to enjoy ($19). Add the stunning atmosphere and some of the top bartenders in Melbourne and you know you’re in good hands. 1 Malthouse lane, Melbourne, 0412 825 441, eaudevie.com.au Top image courtesy of Stewart, Sangria image courtesy of Anita Dabrowski, Campari Spritz image courtesy of Simon Aughton, Pimm's Jug image courtesy of Jessie Owen.
The revamped District Docklands entertainment precinct continues to nab some good'uns, including a seven-storey artisan market and the first Melbourne instalment of Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq. Now, a sustainable craft brewery has been added into the mix. Urban Alley Brewery opened the doors to its massive new brewpub and production facility in September 2018, and it comes complete with onsite bio-waste and water treatment plants, gas emission offsets and biodegradable packaging to boot. The brewery's founder, financier-turned-home brewer Ze'ev Meltzer, started brewing back in 2016, when he launched Collins St Brewing Co. Meltzer is retiring that moniker with the launch of Urban Alley Brewery, but he's brought across one of its most-popular beers, Once Bitter. Now called Urban Ale, the flagship session ale is already available in Melbourne venues such as Naked for Satan, Garden State Hotel and Pawn & Co. And the brew is available in bottle shops, too — packaged in biodegradable E6PR six-pack rings, which are made from spent grain and can be eaten by marine life. This eco-focused attitude is at the forefront of Urban Alley Brewery, with sustainability practices around waste, energy consumption and gas emissions front-and-centre. Sure, you've heard of breweries going solar, but Urban Alley's facility takes environmental-consciousness to the next level. First up, Meltzer has installed an onsite bio-waste plant, which repurposes every bi-product of the brewing process (apart from spent grain) into fertiliser. The natural gas produced by the bio-waste plant is in turn used to power the brewery. Next, an onsite water treatment plant neutralises all water-waste. The result is water that is high in minerals, salts and proteins, which in the future will be transported and reused in farm irrigation. Meltzer has also has teamed up with a local distillery (which shall mysteriously remain nameless for now) to reduce the carbon footprint of both businesses. In general, the rapid heating-and-cooling process needed during brewing can require up to 3000 times more gas than an average Australian home. By creating a shared system that exchanges water usage, the two venues have reduced gas emissions to match residential consumption. It's easy to see the necessity for this type of system, especially considering the Urban Alley production facility aims to pump out two-million-litres of beer per year. This eco-warrior is also open to the public, offering up 24 rotating taps of the brewery's core — including a lager, an American pale ale and a dark brew — and seasonal ranges. The huge warehouse space holds room for 550 all up and the brewpub is constructed from recycled brick and wood, of course. It has a full kitchen too, slinging a menu of traditional pub grub like parmas, schnittys and burgers, plus a dedicated Kosher menu and beer-battering aplenty. A collab with the upcoming Archie Brothers is on the docket too, so keep an eye on this space. In general, it seems craft breweries have won their way onto a precinct must-have list across Australia — with Urban Alley's opening following Frenchies in Sydney's The Cannery, along with Felon's Brewery and Stone & Wood taking up space in Brisbane's Howard Smith Wharves development.
