Excuse me. Excuse me. You need to get down to The Curtin on Friday night for a party celebrating everybody's favourite '90s MTV show. Or don't. Whatever. Hosted by feminist record label/booking agency Sad Grrrls Club, this Daria-centric shindig will feature local grunge and emo-punk bands Thrasher Jynx and The Football Club. They'll be joined by soul-rock outfit Jackie Brown Jr, and Sad Grrrls Club DJs playing hits from the late '90s and early '00s. Naturally, there'll also be a costume competition – so pull on your black combat boots and tap in to your inner Morgendorffer. Tickets are $12 in presale, or $15 on the door, which opens at 7pm.
The latest cookout at Melbourne's historic Prahran Market pays tribute to the humble snag. From 1pm on Sunday, January 29, some of the finest butchers and poulterers in town will offer up their very best wurst at the third annual Prahran Market Sausage Fest. Yeah, we're not sure we would have called it that either. Name aside, this post-Australia Day grill promises to be a tasty affair. In an epic sausage showdown, Melbourne's best butchers will put their best snags into the Harvest Hall arena to battle it out. Members of the public will taste and vote for their favourite. Last year's winners, J & L Butchers, won for their lamb, spinach and pine nut creation — and we're guessing they'll have some stiff competition this time 'round. As well as helping award the best sausage in Melbourne, you'll also be able to buy a half-dozen of your favourite snags for your next epic barbecue.
For the past five years, Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room and Bar) and Giovanni Paradiso (10 William Street) have won over Sydneysiders aplenty with a taste of all things Italian at their annual Italo Dining and Disco Club. Now, it's Melbourne's turn, as the legendary, disco-fuelled celebration takes over Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's House of Food & Wine hub on Friday, March 31. On the menu will be a modern twist on those classic Italian flavours so ingrained in On the menu will be a modern twist on those classic Italian flavours so ingrained in suburban Aussie culture, so expect to revel in expert iterations of tiramisu, backyard pizza, lasagna, calamari fritti, and much more. In true Italian style, it wouldn't be a party without some free-flowing drinks — here, in the form of Cynar, Rosso Antico, spritzes, and even some backyard-style drops from local winemaker Owen Latta. Rounding out the fun and sending you dancing through the evening, will be disco-heavy DJ sets from the likes of Andee Frost, András, Pjenné and Dreamcatcher.
If you've got a few things booked in for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, counteract all that vino with a spot of beer and cider appreciation. Gracing the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre's front lawn this Saturday and Sunday, the South Wharf Craft Beer Weekend will find you swapping your Shiraz and your Sav Blanc for a bunch of award-winning Aussie brews, as part of the festival's River Graze program. Kick back on the grass and launch your MFWF experience with the help of some expertly crafted sips, a lineup of live tunes, and a selection of gourmet fare.
If there's a great Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie aching to be made, it's the one that Elizabeth Banks thinks she's in. Playing the villainous Rita Repulsa in the latest big-screen instalment of the franchise, she can barely contain her glee as she struts around the small Californian town of Angel Grove caressing faces, ripping out teeth, croaking lines about her love of gold and even devouring the shiny substance. If only the rest of the film enjoyed the same sense of fun. The '90s series didn't take much seriously – and how could it, when it featured overdubbed action footage from Japan's Super Sentai? Alas, the bulk of this reboot seems to have forgotten that. Admittedly, given that one of this new movie's first scenes involves a teenager chatting about pleasuring a bull, it initially seems that director Dean Israelite (Project Almanac) and screenwriter John Gatins (Kong: Skull Island) haven't ditched the goofiness entirely. Appearances can be deceiving, though. Just as a group of diverse high schoolers can turn out to be colour-coded superheroes, so too can a film that features a wise-cracking robot (voiced by Bill Hader), Krispy Kreme as the source of life on earth, and monsters fighting robot dinosaurs prove a bland addition to an all-too-familiar genre. Gritty origin stories — we've been there and done that over and over again. Adolescent angst, outcasts bonding in detention and kids learning that everything's better when they're part of a team — yep, we've seen that before too. That's what happens when troubled but charismatic quarterback Jason (Dacre Montgomery), "on the spectrum" nerd Billy (RJ Cyler), ostracised cheerleader Kimberly (Naomi Scott), show-off Zack (Ludi Lin) and perennial new girl Trini (Becky G.) cross paths at an abandoned mine, find glowing coins and acquire new superpowers. Thankfully, the former Ranger turned talking wall that is Zordon (Bryan Cranston) is on hand to fill them in on their mission to save the world from Rita, who has just been fished out of the ocean after 65 million years. Most of the movie is happy to watch the diverse new quintet hang out, talk about their problems, test out their skills and bond — because, if there's one thing that Hollywood loves more that zero to hero stories, it's setting the scene for future flicks. Even if it hadn't just been revealed that the producers have a six-film story arc ready and raring to go go, those intentions are evident from the outset. One day, making sure each movie is engaging on its own, rather than acting as filler for more to come, might become a priority again. Unfortunately, that's not the case here. Indeed, by the time the fighting rolls around, you could be forgiven for feeling like it's too little, too late. The final battle against Rita and her giant metallic minion Goldar offers a welcome albeit messily-shot burst of energy, as well as a glimpse of the type of tone the powers-that-be might want to adopt if five more flicks do come down the production line. It's just a shame you have to watch Power Rangers morph from The Breakfast Club to Chronicle to Fantastic Four to Transformers in order to get there. Still, at least it's better than 1995's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, which is only worth revisiting if you want to see the Rangers roam through Sydney.
You'd expect plenty of shenanigans to occur in a brewery. When you're crafting tasty brews, something fun has to happen — right? Whatever beverage-sipping visions might pop into your head when you're pondering what would be most folks' dream workplace, circus probably isn't one of them. Let Hawkers Beer show you otherwise. After turning their Reservoir site into a Brewery Cinema for last year's Good Beer Week, they're taking inspiration from the big top for their 2017 event. A host of Melbourne circus artists will take over the space from 7pm on May 13, serving up a showcase of tumbling, flipping, flying and juggling antics. Yes, the latter will involve throwing beer into the air. As well as the once-off display by performers who have worked with Cirque Du Soleil, Circus Oz, Circa, NICA and NIDA, Hawkers will wander around sculptures, grab a bite to eat from an array of food trucks — and knock back brews, of course. Tickets cost $130 per person, but this really isn't the kind of thing that you see every day. A bit of advice: just don't have a few drinks and try to bust out some tricks of your own. Image: Fiona Brook.
The 25th annual Melbourne Food and Wine Festival draws to a close this weekend with Harveast, a one-day market and free event showcase celebrating the best produce, wine and talent in the Melbourne's east. Featuring some of Melbourne's biggest names in food, there's something for the casual foodstagrammer and industry professional alike. Eastland's Town Square will be transformed into a market brimming with produce and food from over 30 stalls. MoVida's Frank Camorra will be there cooking up a big vat of paella, George Calombaris will be putting together limited edition pork belly Jimmy Grants souvas, and Pope Joan's Matt Wilkinson will be tending to a whole-beast spit-roast in the Beer and Cider Garden. You'll also be able to taste drops from 20 boutique wineries and partake in a gin appreciation class by Healesville distillery, Four Pillars. On top of all that, Banjo Harris Plane, sommelier and wine importer from Fitzroy's Bar Liberty, is curating an outdoor cellar door, while Camorra will demonstrate how to create classic Spanish tapas, and Johnny Di Francesco of 400 Gradi will deliver a masterclass in Mediterranean cooking. With live entertainment kicking off in the afternoon, Harveast promises a festival vibe and straight-from-the-source quality in the eastern suburbs.
A film about a man experiencing time in reverse shouldn't be forgettable. When it comes to The Death and Life of Otto Bloom, however, maybe it's somewhat fitting. The eponymous Aussie isn't Benjamin Button — in this curious case he ages normally, but was born with all of his memories, progressively losing them with each passing day. That means that he can remember everything that will happen, but not what has previously occurred. Alas, for viewers, this is a case of life imitating art, with the final film failing to stick in your mind for very long once the theatre lights come up. It's not that the underlying idea behind writer-director Cris Jones' first feature doesn't stand out. One of the great things about temporal trickery and mind-bending sci-fi is that new concepts just keep coming — and Aussie filmmakers have been heartily trying their hand at them recently, as the ambitious Predestination and the excellent The Infinite Man have shown. Sadly, Otto Bloom just doesn't do much with its premise other than wrap it up in faux-documentary packaging and attempt to tell a contemplative tale of life, death, love and loss. A cult figure who dabbles in art and gathers a following as a motivational speaker, Otto Bloom is called plenty of things over the course of his life. Jones begins the film with a whirlwind of news headlines and talking heads, and indeed, it seems there is no shortage of folks willing to offer their two cents about Bloom's strange existence. The most interesting and important of these is Dr Ada Fitzgerald (played by Rachel Ward in the interview segments and her daughter Matilda Brown in flashbacks). She first met Bloom in the '80s, named his unique condition "retrochronology", and swiftly fell for his charms. But romancing a man who only remembers your future, not your past or present, proves more than a little bit tricky. Both Ward and Brown thoroughly steal the show in their shared role, so much so that you may find yourself wishing that the film was more about Ada instead of Otto. When neither actress is on screen, we're left with Spin Out and A Few Less Men star Xavier Samuel, continuing his spate of underwhelming roles in similarly underwhelming local films. We're told over and over that his protagonist is supposed to be enigmatic. Unfortunately, he just comes off as dull. But that's The Death and Life of Otto Bloom in a nutshell: intriguing on paper, underwhelming in execution. Much of the film's struggles stem from its approach and structure, with the movie never making a convincing argument for pretending it's a doco. Well, maybe it does — without the repetitive to-camera chatter from the likes of the cop that first came across Bloom, his eventual manager, a fascinated philosopher and an art critic, the movie would've been even more short and slight. Either way, it's still thoroughly disappointing.
They say truth is stranger than fiction. The story told in The Eagle Huntress feels like a surreal cocktail of both. The impressive directorial debut by newcomer Otto Bell, the doco was the darling of last year's festival circuit. And while Bell may be green, he did manage to nab Star Wars star Daisy Ridley as both narrator and executive producer, so already his film has credentials. The documentary follows Aisholpan Nurgaiv, a very impressive 13-year-old Kazakh girl living in the severe Altai mountains in Mongolia. Her family are nomadic, travelling across the mountains and living on the land. As we're gradually introduced to her school, her friends and her responsibilities, we gain fascinating insight into the thoughts and experiences of a teenage girl in Mongolia. This alone would have made a unique documentary. But when Aisholpan gets home from school, she gears up and rides a horse out into the mountains with her father, where she trains golden eagles. With wingspans of up to 2.3 meters, the magnificent birds are used to hunt hares, foxes and even wolves. Aisholpan is in training to compete in the Golden Eagle Festival, an annual festival in the town of Olgii. There are seven generations of eagle hunters in her family, and her father is a two-time champion at the festival. She's the first woman to compete, and has every intention of being the first woman to win as well. The main tension in the film comes from the stinky old men who claim women can't be eagle hunters because of deeply entrenched, culturally reinforced sexism (and probably something about eagles smelling menstruation. Aisholpan faces an uphill battle with this one). The Eagle Huntress feels like both a documentary and a feature film, with one foot firmly in each camp. The stunning cinematography heightens the sense of drama, while candid interviews and Aisholpan's capriciousness keeps things feeling real. Bell's narrative approach can at times be a little jolting. We're conditioned to expect a certain amount of reminiscing and recapping, as most docos deal with the past and not the present. Still, all will be forgiven as you're swept up in the drama, the scenery and the determination of the plucky young girl at the film's centre. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfi5JS6HTH0
The word 'immersive' gets thrown around a lot in dramatic circles these days. Still, in the case of the new show from critically acclaimed theatremaker Jessica Wilson, it really couldn't be more fitting. Created by Wilson in partnership with Ian Pidd and Nicola Gunn, Passenger takes place on a moving bus. Literally, a moving bus. Presented by Arts Centre Melbourne and the Footscray Community Arts Centre as part of this year's Women of the World Festival, Passenger takes audiences on a trip through Docklands — and again, we're not speaking in metaphors here. While on board, you'll eavesdrop on a private conversation as a mysterious woman entices a male passenger to turn on his corporate employer. "We wanted to create an experience of theatre that is moving and set in a real landscape," says Wilson. "Something that feels like being inside the drama rather than watching it from the outside."
Eat, shop, dance and be merry down by Merri Creek, at 2017's CERES Harvest Festival. Held each year at the beloved community centre and urban farm in Brunswick East, the Harvest Festival helps raise money for the centre, while bringing the neighbourhood together to celebrate the natural world. This year's festival will feature local music acts of a number of niche genres, including pirate folk and dance meditation. There'll also be a slew of market stalls selling things like macrame jewellery, vegan soap and kimchi, as well as a book launch, the annual cake baking competition and a battle of the giant vegetables. And, of course, there will be lots of food, including food from CERES's own Sri Lankan chefs, the team behind Tamil Feasts. The whole event runs from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, March 25.
Humanity's place in the natural world will be called into question at Carlton's LAB-14, as part of a brand new exhibition running from March 23 to April 12. On display at the Carlton Connect Initiative's exhibition space, Naturophilia combines the work of a pair of acclaimed Australian artists and examines the point where nature and technology intersect. Curated by the University of Melbourne's Dr Renee Beale, the free three-week show will feature painted, charcoal and sculptural works from Sydney's Peter Sharp, whose annual expeditions through the outback inform his ongoing exploration of our relationship with the land on which we live. Likewise, one of the country's leading print-makers, Melbourne's Martin King, will hit on similar themes, in what Beale describes as an exhibition that asks "whether we will use our tools, technology and imagination to reacquaint ourselves with the natural world".
Some of the sweetest food trucks in town are making their way north for a food truck dessert market. Hosted by Pacific Epping shopping centre, this two-day event will feature cooking demonstrations, wine and cheese tastings and live music as well as the main event: the jam-packed Dessert Market that looks like a dietician's worst nightmare. Among those tapped for the sugary souk are The Brûlée Cart, Sydney's Bearded Bakers (known for their knafeh), Dr Donut and Rue De Creperie, plus Epping's own cult burger favourite Laurie Dee's. Founder Lawrence Di Tomasso has created a limited edition dessert for the event, made with vanilla frozen custard, warm caramel fudge, toasted pecans, honeycomb and coconut flakes just for the occasion. The market is part of the complex's Festival of Foodies, which includes cooking demonstrations and free food tastings from local retailers. It all goes down this weekend on February 25 and 26 from 10am each day.
One of China's most critically acclaimed, in-demand dance companies is hitting the boards at Arts Centre Melbourne once more. After stunning audiences during last year's Supersense festival, Tao Ye's TAO Dance Theatre returns with a spectacular double bill, for a three-night-only engagement as part of Asia TOPA. On stage from Wednesday, February 22 until Friday, February 24, TAO Dance Theatre will present the fast-paced 6 along with its more sensuous accompaniment 8. Scored by Chinese indie-folk-rock composer Xiao He, the two works see Tao continue his exploration of the human form in motion, with the dancers maintaining precisely the same distance from one another as they repeat the same hypnotic motions again and again and again.
Out in the middle of the California desert lies the city of Palm Springs. A long-time hangout of film stars known for its lavish hotels and mid-century modern architecture, it's the kind of quintessentially American locale that wouldn't look out of place on a postcard. But as picturesque as Palm Springs may look by day, it's even more incredible by night. On display at Modern Times furniture store, Midnight Modern is an ongoing project by Melbourne-based photographer Tom Blachford, who has travelled to Palm Springs five times over the past two years to shoot the city as it shines in the moonlight. Capturing bungalows, palm trees and vintage Cadillacs, Blachford's work offers a uniquely cinematic look at a place that is both lavish and desolate – a manicured slice of comfort in the wild.
Melbourne’s favourite Korean food truck has found a permanent parking spot for the next three months. The crowdfunded Bibimbap truck has stopped rolling for the time being, and will operate at the quiet end of Punch Lane in the CBD for lunch until June. Aptly named Bibimbap Backyard, the menu sticks to serving its namesake: bibimbap. The truck's signature rice bowls are served hawker-style, straight out of their four-wheeled, neon yellow kitchen. Patrons can choose from three varieties: beef marinated in bulgogi sauce, teriyaki chicken or silky tofu. The Korean signature dishes are served with mixed, seasonal vegetables and topped with lashings of sauce including the traditional chilli sauce. Drinks are a simple affair, with nashi pear juice as a clear standout. Fitted out by local designers ZWEI Interiors & Architecture, Bibimbap Backyard’s design is reminiscent of a homely, Australian patio. Wheelbarrows filled with greenery, unpretentious parasols and summery deck chairs create a laid-back, cheerful space that’s set to fill up this autumn. The truck will be open from 11am till 3pm Monday to Friday until June. Get there on your lunch break.
Discover the cinema of Australia's closest Asian neighbour at the 11th annual Indonesian Film Festival. Returning once again to ACMI in Federation Square, this week-long event will showcase seven feature films, each of which is being screened in Melbourne for the very first time. From lighthearted rom-coms to tales of killer clowns, we guarantee you won't find anything on the program playing at your local Hoyts. The festival begins on Thursday, April 14 with Coffee Philosophy, a domestic box office hit about the quest the create the perfect cup of joe. Other standouts include surrealist fantasy Another Trip to the Moon, queer romantic drama The Sun, The Moon and The Hurricane, and an insane looking horror flick called The Clown. Best of all, every single session at the festival will be followed by a director and/or cast member Q&A. For the complete schedule, go here.
Liquor lovers, prepare yourselves for a spirited affair at Cumulus Up in Flinders Lane. Coming to the CBD bar at the end of April, the Australian Spirit Fair will celebrate some of the finest small batches in the business. If you're looking to whet your whistle, this is the perfect place to do so. Set to take place from 4pm on Saturday, April 30, the event will cater to drinkers of every persuasion. Fire Drum Vodka, Four Pillars Gin, Applewood Distillery and best whisky in the world winners Sullivans Cove are just a few of the producers who'll have a presence at the event — and yes, your ticket entitles you to a taste of everything on offer. You'll also get the chance to chat with many of the distillers about the best way to enjoy the boozy fruits of their labour. That's assuming you can string two words together, of course. Snacks will be available to purchase from the Cumulus Up kitchen to soak up some of the alcohol. They'll also be selling a selection of beers and G&Ts.
Want to experience a slice of Jamaica in Melbourne? There's a rum-inspired adventure happening in the city this April that you should lock into your diary. Fine purveyors and makers of rum for over 265 years, Appleton Estate are launching The Appleton Trail in Melbourne — three delicious pop-up stops brimming with rum-tasting, storytelling and celebration of Jamaica's long-loved spirit. The Appleton Trail will take over three Melbourne bars over three weekends from April 7, kicking off at Loop Roof in Melbourne's CBD from April 7-10, moving to Rochester Hotel on April 14 and 15, and concluding at Nieuw Amsterdam in the CBD on April 22 and 23. Expect a Jamaican-themed pop-up hideaway with specially-created rum cocktails, paired with bespoke Jamaican food menus, and hosted by a Jamaican dancer — all to make you feel like you're finally on that well-deserved island holiday. There'll even be a Jamaican music DJ accompanied by a steel drum player. You'll be able to try the Appleton Estate Signature Blend – the original Appleton Estate rum — alongside the Reserve Blend and Rare Blend 12 Year Old. Plus, Appleton have taken it upon themselves to create four signature cocktails for the event.
When Premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria's latest stage of eased COVID-19 restrictions, he gave cinephiles a particularly exciting piece of news. Movie theatres have been closed around the country since mid-March; however, as of Monday, June 22, projectors will be allowed to start whirring again in the Garden State. And, while that doesn't mean that it's popcorn-munching business as usual quite yet, local cinemas will gradually begin to reopen. Classic, Lido and Cameo cinemas are some of those reopening and they're celebrating with a week of $10 tickets. If you're a Movie Club member (or happy to sign up for $21 a year), you'll get tickets for even cheaper: $8. From Monday, June 22 to Sunday, June 28, you can treat your mum, bestie or date to a flick for just ten dollaroos. Some of the films you'll be able to catch during the week include flicks that hit the big screen just before lockdown — Sonic the Hedgehog, For Sama, Honeyland, Honey Boy, Jojo Rabbit, Portrait of a Lady on Fire and In My Blood it Runs — plus new movies that were originally slated to hit cinemas during their closure, such as Hugo Weaving-starring Hearts and Bones and Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan eating and bantering their way through The Trip to Greece. A couple of previews are on the lineup, too, including the Palme d'Or-nominated It Must be Heaven, NZ comedy Bellbird and travel documentary Romantic Road, as well as 1942 drama Casablanca as part of the cinemas' retro program. [caption id="attachment_756170" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Taika Waititi and Roman Griffin Davis in the film JOJO RABBIT. Photo by Kimberley French. © 2019 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved[/caption] To book your $10 tickets head to the Classic, Lido and Cameo cinema websites.
UPDATE: June 21, 2020: Like a Boss is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. Comedies about women kicking ass in the workplace — overcoming sexism, ageism and other barriers, and generally demonstrating their business savvy — comprise a tiny genre. Based on its most recent additions, you can be forgiven for wishing it was even smaller. Where the smart and amusing 9 to 5 once sent three tenacious ladies on a quest for revenge against their misogynist boss, its latest successors all serve up easy, lazy tales paired with muddled messages. Exhibit A: the beauty industry-set I Feel Pretty, which judged as much as championed the allegedly average-looking Amy Schumer. Exhibit B: Second Act, where Jennifer Lopez plays a working-class manager determined to show her worth beyond her modest background, but only after lying to land a lucrative makeup company job. Exhibit C: newcomer Like a Boss, where women running their own cosmetics businesses are too busy acting petty and irrational to make sensible or even just realistic decisions. If you've noticed a similarity between the last three films, yes, they're all set in makeup companies. That's another reason this current breed of ostensibly empowerment-driven movies belongs in the bin. Hollywood might think it's using a field known for focusing on appearances to celebrate the opposite idea — that it's what's inside that counts — but it's really just making vapid, superficial and unfunny films that insult women's intelligence. No one needs a thematically linked cinematic universe about ladies who work in cosmetics and learn their real inner worth. Cinema chains might want one so they can host 'chicks at the flicks' sessions, hand out makeup samples and charge more for tickets, but audiences can grasp the underlying message without the beauty-driven angle. And yet, these movies keep coming. Worse: they keep insisting that the packaging does actually count, arrogantly assuming that no one would glean their purported wisdom if it wasn't juxtaposed against the cosmetics world. As an opening montage of Mia (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel's (Rose Byrne) 22-year friendship shows, Like a Boss' protagonists have always dreamed of working in the beauty industry. With their own makeup store and top-selling cosmetics kit, they've made that childhood wish come true. The duo also party and live together, to the point that they brush their teeth simultaneously while swapping Barack Obama fantasies — but, with Mia creative and pushy and Mel meek and practical, their business is in financial trouble. Conveniently, in swoops mogul Claire Luna (Salma Hayek) with an offer to bail them out. Requiring a considerable stake in the company in return, she secretly wants to steal their business for herself. Cartoonish from the moment her carrot-hued hair sweeps into frame — "my head is not little; it's just that my breasts are humongous," she snaps — Hayek's villain says much about Like a Boss. She's the titular figure suddenly ordering Mia and Mel around and pitting them against each other, and she fits every inane stereotype there is about women breaking the glass ceiling. Ruthless, catty and erratic, she plots evil schemes while balancing on towering heels and wearing tight dresses, with the film making fun of her appearance, her ambition and — in a painfully prolonged scene — her accent. It's grating to watch, and it typifies how contemptuously Like a Boss treats its characters. Indeed, add squandering a great cast to the film's many missteps. Despite the visible efforts of Haddish and Byrne, their central pair remains just as paper-thin. The usually reliable comedic actors work hard, but choking energetically and hurling over-the-top insults aren't the same as depicting fleshed-out people — and, when their characters aren't being belittled by Claire, they're being criticised by their wider circle of friends (Ari Graynor, Jessica St Clair and Natasha Rothwell) about their life choices. As for other supporting players Jennifer Coolidge (American Pie), Billy Porter (an Emmy winner for Pose) and Karan Soni (Miracle Workers), they're only asked to serve one comic purpose each. The ditzy employee who blurts out inappropriate things, the sassy gay man who tells it like it is and the compliant minion — they're all accounted for. Given the movie's premise and script, none of its performers ever stood much of a chance. It's hard to understand what first-time feature writers Sam Pitman and Adam Cole-Kelly are trying to achieve — although their pitch was bought as a Bridesmaids-style vehicle for Haddish after Girls Trip became a hit, so perhaps everyone simply thought she'd carry the feature. It's hard to see what filmmaker Miguel Arteta saw in the project either, or brings to it for that matter. When he directed Hayek in 2017's Beatriz at Dinner, the result was a dark and scathing exploration of class differences in America's current political climate. With Like a Boss, however, he just serves up broad laughs about women working, competing and acting like clichés. Even when the film tries to evoke blunt guffaws about a very relatable idea — that even the most successful ladies don't always have it together — it still proves weak and unconvincing. In fact, those aspects of the story feel clumsily tacked-on. Like its recent predecessors, this mess of a supposed comedy only achieves one feat: contradicting itself. No matter how forcefully Like a Boss pushes the 'it's what's inside that matters' mantra, every element of this superficial movie sadly screams the exact opposite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW9TtXgLOew
Whether they're your go-to bite-sized first course or your jam-packed meat and vegetable-filled main meal, everyone loves dim sims and dumplings. And whether you prefer wontons or gyoza, pierogi or mandu, you'll find them at Welcome to Thornbury's returning Dimmy and Dumpling Festival. On Saturday, June 22, the Northcote favourite will welcome a lineup of D&D-serving eateries for two days. Join Woking Amazing, The Brunswick Mess Hall, Harry Hoo, Pierogi Pierogi, Dim Sim King, Flaming Dimmies and more from midday until 10pm. Yes, that means you can enjoy momo for lunch, jiaozi for dinner and pirozhki in between. Entry is free, and then it's a buy-what-you-plan-to-eat kind of deal. And while we don't recommend giving human food to dogs, your pet pupper is welcome to come along while you scoff down all of the dim sims and dumplings you can handle.
Storytelling is as old as time. It's how we share experiences, knowledge and memories. At its crux though, storytelling celebrates the diversity and universality of our experiences. Keeping the flame alive, non-profit organisation The Moth is dedicated to sharing personal stories and celebrating the art of telling them. The New York-based initiative hosts over 500 live open-mic events across the globe each year, with notable literary and cultural personalities getting up on stage to tell their stories. On Monday, June 17, Melbourne will be hearing some of the best stories of the city — from the most gripping to the ridiculous and the side-splitting — at The Moth GrandSLAM Championship. Ten champions, who have taken home the prize at open-mic storytelling competitions (StorySLAMS) around Melbourne, will tell tales of the point of no return. Brandishing their weapons of word and wit at community-focused StorySLAMs, the champs will compete for the top gong and share brand new stories at the National Theatre in St Kilda. You'll hear ten five-minute stories that are both tightly crafted and masterfully told. Come hear stories that inspire, provoke, sadden and enlighten, told by some of Melbourne's best. The Moth GrandSLAM Championship will take place at The National Theatre. Doors open at 7pm, with stories beginning at 8pm. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
Ever since Freddie Mercury teamed up with Brian May and company back in the 70s, Queen has never been out of fashion. Thanks to Bohemian Rhapsody, however, the band has been roaring up the charts again. You could call it a kind of magic. You could say that their songs must go on. Either way, if you're happy to let the British group keep rocking you — and you need something to fill the void until the remaining band members tour Australia next year — then head along to Welcome to Thornbury on Sunday, June 9. Been feeling a crazy little thing called love for Freddie and his bandmates? A little under pressure by your affection for the iconic band and its frontman? Then you'll be in the right spot. And if your approach to the group's music is "I want it all!", that's what you'll hear at the Freddie Mercury Festival. The day-long event will break free from midday, so join your fellow champions for an afternoon to remember. There'll be Queen-themed karaoke, a Freddie Mercury look-alike competition and themed cocktails — plus food from Chef Calamari, Sparrow's Philly Cheesesteaks, Connie's Pizza, The Gozleme Station, Mr Burger and Jamm'd.
Australian film festival season is in full swing, filling Melbourne's big screens with cinema from around the globe. After showcasing French and Spanish flicks so far this year, it's Germany's turn. From Thursday, May 23 to Sunday, June 9, the annual fest will head to the Astor Theatre, the Kino and Palace's Balwyn, Brighton Bay and Como sites to serve up the best new movies from the country that gave us Metropolis, Das Boot, Run Lola Run, and the one and only Werner Herzog. While none of the above are on the German Film Festival bill, there's a very good reason for that. Here, you'll discover new favourites rather than revisit old ones. It all begins with the thrilling true tale of two families on a daring flight from East to West Germany — and with a name like Balloon, you should take the 'flight' part literally. Also on the agenda: a documentary celebrating Walter Gropius' Bauhaus movement, award-winning World War II imposter tale The Captain, and a comedy about naming a baby Adolf. Or, you can see what happens when a couple of pals try to ditch all of their belongings in 100 Days. There is a blast from the past, thanks to closing night's 1931 film version of Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera. There's also a dramatised take on the efforts to bring the production to life on the stage back in 1928, aka Mack the Knife — Brecht's Threepenny Film. Fancy casting your eyes around the world, even at a German film festival? You can do just that with a few new picks from Austria and Switzerland as well.
The wonders of the animal kingdom are coming to Geelong's National Wool Museum courtesy of a huge exhibition of nature photography. Headed to the venue this season, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year showcase comes direct from London's Natural History Museum, which has run the prestigious competition since 1965. Since then, the event has grown into one of the most important photographic events in the world, giving photographers a global platform to share their outstanding work — and giving us regular folk a peek behind the curtain (or lens) of mother nature at work. Highlighting the astonishing sights that the natural world has to offer, this year's contest attracted nearly 50,000 entries from 92 countries. From that huge number, 100 winning pics were chosen for their creativity, originality and technical excellence, and then tour internationally. The works of several Australian photographers are included in the showcase — including Mud-Rolling Mud-Dauber by Georgina Steytler, which won in the 'Behaviour: Invertebrates' category. You can see the eye-popping, awe-inducing shots during its Geelong stop from Friday, March 22 through till Sunday, July 14. Prepare to rove your eyes over everything from up-close-and-personal shots of gorgeous creatures to astonishing visions of sweeping landscapes. It'll be open every day of the week during its season — from 9.30am–5pm, Monday through Friday and 10am–5pm on weekends. Images: Emmanuel Rondeau, Valter Bernadeschi, Georgina Steytler, Isak Pretorius, Skye Meaker, Arshdeep Singh and Adrian Bliss, courtesy of Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the Natural History Museum, London.
Some might say that things were bigger, better and bolder in the 90s. Come Queen's Birthday long weekend, you can find out whether that's true. That's when Richmond's National Hotel hosts a super-charged version of its popular Sunday brunch, dedicated to all things 90s. Venture back in time to an era of Tamagotchis, low-rise jeans and mix tapes for the ultimate throwback brunch feast on Sunday, June 9. Kicking off at noon, there'll be DJs spinning classic 90s jams in the beer garden, as well as free multiplayer Mario Kart to help work up that appetite. Eats and drinks will stick to the retro theme, too. For $70 per person, you'll get your choice of brunch dish from a special 90s-inspired menu, backed by bottomless 90s-themed cocktails right through until 4pm. And, to help you get into the spirit, costumes are most definitely encouraged. Channel the decade that just keeps giving and you could score the revered Best Dressed title. Bookings are highly recommended if you want to nab a table. Give The National a call on (03) 9429 8811 or RSVP via the Facebook event.
The Queen Victoria Market is about to become a haven for all things Portuguese when Taste of Portugal rolls into town on Sunday, June 9. Expect the country's food, craftsmanship, art and culture to come together in an all-day festival that features influence from several Portuguese-speaking communities, which includes not only Portugal, but Brazil and East Timor, too. To start, there will be heaps of Portuguese and Brazilian street food and drinks on offer, including those gooey custard tarts the former is known for. Chorizo making workshops will be on as well, and we're betting you'll be able to find some sardines and feijoada (a Brazilian stew) to top it all off. Apart from all the eats, visitors can purchase artisan goods, ceramics and homewares from local and international makers. Art exhibitions and maker demonstrations will run throughout the day, and Brazilian samba classes will accompany a full lineup of traditional music and dance. Entry is absolutely free and the festival will run from 10am–4pm, so there's plenty of time to get in on the action. Image: City Foodsters via Flickr.
Ascot Vale's permanent food truck park has played host to festivals dedicated to everything from espresso martinis to potato cakes and halal snack packs. Now, it's dedicating Saturday, May 18, to a legendary Aussie pub meal: the chicken parmigiana. Whether you're team parma or parmy (or, god forbid, parmi), you'll agree this dish has long deserved its own day of celebration. The chicken, breaded and fried to golden perfection, is topped with plenty of cheese and sauce (and maybe ham) and served with a decent handful of chips — it's a recipe that really can't be improved too much. If you agree, head along to the Ascot Lot this weekend and dig into the pub menu icon created by the likes of The Pickle & the Patty, Parma Bites, Jake's Kitchen, Just Like Nonna and more. If you're vegan, vego or GF, fear not — there'll be options for you here, too. Jugs of The Lot lager and cider will also be going for just $10 with every parma purchase, and there'll be five different espresso martinis available for a tenner. As always, the food truck park is dog-friendly, so bring along your four-legged pals, too. Image: Giulia Morlando.
When the Nazis seized Germany during the 1930s, the party cemented its presence in many ways, however two stand out in Never Look Away. Firstly, Hitler's underlings began ruthlessly eradicating anyone deemed undesirable. Secondly, the growing facist regime deployed propaganda to condemn so-called degeneracy, including via art showcases about socially unacceptable pieces. Witness to both was a boy, Kurt Barnert (Cai Cohrs). He attended an exhibition with his beloved aunt Elisabeth (Saskia Rosendahl), was encouraged by her to explore his own creative streak and think for himself, and then watched on as she was taken away due to her mental health. Kurt is a stand-in for real-life artist Gerhard Richter, in a cinematic dance between fiction and history. But Never Look Away's message is clear: that some of Germany's greatest art masterworks are a product of living through the country's worst days, grappling with them and committing that conflict to canvas. If only Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's film took this idea to its core, instead of merely depicting it. If only it too was a work of great conflict and texture, rather than a curiously straightforward fictionalised biopic. The filmmaker's return to Germany after winning an Oscar for 2006's The Lives of Others, then heading to Hollywood for dismal Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp vehicle The Tourist, Never Look Away is a handsome, engrossing picture. It tells a compelling tale with impressive performances to match, never drags across its lengthy 189-minute running time, and earned Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film and Best Cinematography for its efforts. That said, it's also as standard a version of the story as there is — and if our collective traumas have taught the world anything, it's that complexity remains even in the most clear-cut cases of good versus evil. As a young man forever shaped by childhood experiences both rewarding and tragic, Kurt (now played by Tom Schilling) emerges in post-World War II Germany as an aspiring artist. First, he paints signs. Then, he attends an East German art school, where he is taught to practise his chosen field with a communist mindset, and to specifically apply his skills to social-realist murals. Rallying against such strict confines, Kurt searches for creative freedom and challenges, which he finds in West Germany's Düsseldorf Art Academy under the tutelage of Joseph Beuys-surrogate Antonius Van Verten (Oliver Masucci). But he can't escape the past, not even in the arms of fellow student Elisabeth 'Ellie' Seeband (Paula Beer), whose gynaecology professor father Carl (Sebastian Koch) was responsible for sending Kurt's aunt to her death. Writer-director von Donnersmarck may have based his script on conversations with Richter, copious research and facts about the artist's father-in-law, and yet there's a prevailing feeling that colours Never Look Away's warm-hued frames. While its real-life details prove anything but, this is a neat movie. There are many ways to convey and explore the truth, with the German filmmaker choosing to easily join the dots. That his picture devotes so much time to showing how Kurt endeavours to interrogate the past, how that influences his work, and the thoughtful ways in which he brings his anguish and agony to his canvases, only shines a brighter light on Never Look Away's narrative and thematic tidiness. As Richter's pieces have screamed for decades across everything from photo-realistic images to abstract designs, there's little that's orderly about the way he's been sifting through his life via his art. Indeed, many of the film's best moments, focusing on Kurt in his art school studio as he struggles with making the paintings he's driven to create, show exactly how this is the case. As a result, Never Look Away does actually prove conflicted, albeit not in the way that a movie about an artist who sees the Nazis' horrors then falls in love with the daughter of an ex-SS officer should be. Rather, the film is conflicted about retaining its links to Richter and smoothing out his story for easy dramatic effect. It's also conflicted about sitting half-way between fact and fiction, not only filtering one man's tale through a simplified lens, but reflecting history through that same perspective as well. And viewers should feel conflicted watching it, too. Many of the picture's components are stellar, with the excellent Schilling, Rosendahl and Beer all turning in moving, nuanced performances, and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel giving the film a simultaneously classical yet probing look as well. Alas, as involving and visually striking as Never Look Away is, there's no mistaking that this is the glossy, not thorny, version of an inherently tricky slice of life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUrYfrTEYOU
If you've been making plans to revamp your style, but haven't been able to rustle up the coin, here's your chance. For five days, Hugo Boss will be hosting a mega sale at its outlet stores. You'll be able to score 50 percent off a massive range of premium clothing — from comfy t-shirts and soft sweaters to suave suits and women's dresses. Hello, EOFY cash splash. Whether you're after a suit for a special occasion or looking to prep your spring wardrobe early, Hugo Boss's mid-year outlet sale will have you sorted for a fraction of the fashion label's usual prices. You'll have to get in quick to score though, with the sale only running from Wednesday, June 26 to Sunday, June 30. In Melbourne, you can head to the BOSS Outlet in Preston and DFO Essendon to get these quality threads for such a steal. Opening hours at the Preston outlet are Wednesday–Friday, 10am–6pm; Saturday, 10am–5pm; and Sunday, 11am–5pm. At DFO Essendon, the Hugo Boss outlet is open from 10am–6pm daily. Hugo Boss mid-year outlet sale will run from Wednesday, June 26 to Sunday, June 30. To find your closest outlet, visit the website.
UPDATE, August 3, 2020: Downhill is available to stream via Google Play, YouTube and iTunes. "Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films." They're the wise words of cinema's current king, aka multi-Oscar-winning Parasite filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, who made the above comment to a room full of Hollywood heavyweights at this year's Golden Globes. It's just a statement of fact — and while you could say that the folks behind Downhill have taken his advice, they've really just followed a frustrating trend. Remaking Swedish movie Force Majeure, they've read the subtitles, then decided that the world desperately needs an English-language version of Ruben Ostlund's (The Square) exceptional 2014 Cannes award-winner. This isn't the first time a great movie in a language other than English has received the remake treatment. And, as the likes of 12 Monkeys, Insomnia, The Departed, Let Me In and Gloria Bell have demonstrated, such a path doesn't always end badly. But Downhill is such a broad and simplistic adaptation of a savage and stunningly complex film that it only seems to be motivated by three factors. The first: money, cashing in on Force Majeure's modest success. The second: teaming up Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell. The third: taking a great concept and dumbing it down for the widest possible audience. Who needs a sharp, smart exploration of festering marital troubles and engrained gender roles — in Swedish, no less — when you can plonk a fighting, holidaying couple in a cross-cultural comedy? That appears to be writer/directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash's (The Way, Way Back) favoured approach. The setup: on vacation in the Alps, the Stauntons have skiing and bonding firmly on their minds. Then, over what should be an uneventful lunch, a controlled avalanche completely changes their getaway's vibe. Snow rolls towards the chalet where Pete (Ferrell), Billie (Louis-Dreyfus) and their kids (Julian Grey and Ammon Jacob Ford) are discussing their soup options, and it doesn't seem to be stopping. Billie throws her arms around her sons, but Pete grabs his phone, jumps up and bolts. When the incident is over — leaving everyone shaken, frosty but unharmed — Pete's family can't quite look at him the same way, especially when he claims loudly and angrily that he didn't abandon his nearest and dearest in the face of a possible disaster. As the movie's title makes plain, things do go downhill. It was a risky move, giving this film that particular name, because the whole feature proves a definite slide from the original, too. Instead of subtlety and even ambiguity — and instead of cleverly and amusingly pondering humanity's inherent fight-or-flight response, today's multifaceted readings of masculinity and the passive aggression that lingers in all relationships — Downhill keeps everything as overt and obvious as possible. Cue ample bickering, absolutely no room for intricacy or doubt, and scene after scene devoid of either tension or laughs. When younger couple Zach (Zach Woods) and Rosie (Zoe Chao) arrive, for example — as secretly invited by Pete — they're supposed to reflect the audience's discomfort at watching a marriage potentially implode. Instead, the scene just plays like a bad sitcom outtake. As actors, Faxon (Ben and Kate, Married, Friends from College) and Rash (Community's Dean Pelton) have experience in the genre; however there's nothing funny about Downhill's stilted feel. In another altercation, when Billie and Pete report their experience to the resort's security team, a scene that's supposed to ripple with awkwardness and unease just seems pointless. Actually, it does have a purpose: giving a brief snippet of screen time to Game of Thrones favourite Kristofer Hivju, who actually had a sizeable role in Force Majeure and is clearly the only actor Downhill deems worthy of returning. The less said about Miranda Otto's stereotype-baiting, forcefully accented performance as an over-sexed hotel manager, the better. It's the type of character that should've disappeared from screens decades ago, although it does typify much about Downhill. At every turn, this remake strips out its source material's depth and richness in favour of the easiest, most cartoonish option — and for viewers who haven't seen Force Majeure, another superficial and formulaic flick about an unhappy marriage and Americans marvelling at cultural differences overseas is hardly high on anyone's must-watch list. You wouldn't guess that Succession and Peep Show creator Jesse Armstrong helped pen the script, or that Louis-Dreyfus is one of Downhill's producers. In the latter's defence, she does rank among the film's highlights. While Billie is tasked with navigating scenarios that manage to be both derivative and over-the-top — losing her cool before a helicopter ride and getting steamy with a hot Italian ski instructor — there's always weight to Louis-Dreyfus' performance. The same can't be said of Ferrell, who seems to be stuck in Daddy's Home mode, but Faxon and Rash have lucked upon the perfect distraction technique. By virtue of the movie's snowy, picturesque setting, whenever anything falls flat, they just relish the scenery. In a film that's constantly on a downward trajectory, that happens often. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY5SrKf_2ic
If you've been spending your sudden abundance of couch time binging your way through your streaming queue, you've probably become acquainted with Joe Exotic over the past couple of weeks. Clearly, that isn't the name that he was born with. But given the mullet-wearing zoo owner's over-sized personality, love of big cats and line of work — founding and running The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, which was home to hundreds of tigers, lions and other large felines, between 1999–2016 — he obviously decided that the moniker fit. That's the story that Netflix's Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness tells. Well, in a tale that spans lions, tigers, eccentricity, polygamy and killing-for-hire, that's really just the beginning. Joe Exotic's life has encompassed such a wild series of events that, thanks to the docuseries' success, a dramatised version is now in the works — but if you just can't get enough in the interim, you can also take part in Isolation Trivia's Tiger King-themed edition. For the online quiz night's next event, it's dedicating its focus to Joe Exotic, his rival Carole Baskin, and all the ups and downs that ensure their stories are so strange that they can only be true. Run by Man vs Bear and Not On Your Rider's Aimon Clark — who'll be donning a mullet wig for the occasion — it'll live stream from 6.30pm AEST on Saturday, April 11. To play along like the cool cats and kittens you are, head to the event's Facebook page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acTdxsoa428 Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is now streaming on Netflix. Images: Netflix
Having an after-work tipple at a physical bar is just one of many social happenings that have been paused as measures to contain COVID-19 ramp up. But one South Australian alcohol company is keeping the spirit alive — albeit virtually — with its newly launched Digital Happy Hour. The crew behind Applewood Distillery and Unico Zelo wines is here to turn your isolation frown upside down, with interactive tasting sessions live streamed nightly from 5.30pm AEDT. Available via the Unico Zelo Facebook page, Digital Happy Hour will see Founder Brendan Carter crack open and discuss a different bottle of wine each night, with viewers invited to join in with questions and comments of their own. Expect funny stories, banter aplenty, blind-guessing wine, "shit wine invention" reviews and lots of down-to-earth wine chat. Then at 6.30pm AEDT, head over to the Applewood Facebook page for a nightly spirits-focused live stream with Brand Ambassador Henry Hammersla. He'll be sharing some fun cocktail recipes for you to recreate at home — such as the much talked about Quarantini — as well as taking questions about all things booze. And as far as the actual drinking goes, Unico Zelo has you sorted with its Iso-Vino Care Package — a mixed dozen wines you can get delivered to your door, with free shipping. Or perhaps you'd prefer to stock up with Applewood's Isolation Gin Pack, featuring three of its signature gins for $199.99. Head over to Unico Zelo Facebook page at 5.30pm AEDT and Applewood Distillery's at 6.30pm nightly for Digital Happy Hour and Iso-Cocktails.
If you've been making plans to revamp your style, but haven't been able to rustle up the coin or are sick of online shopping, here's your chance. Hugo Boss is hosting a mega sale at its outlet stores. You'll be able to score a further 30 percent off menswear, womenswear, footwear and accessories. Whether you're after a suit for a special occasion later in the year or looking to level-up your WFH wardrobe stat, Hugo Boss's mid-season outlet sale will have you sorted for a fraction of the fashion label's usual prices. You'll have to get in quick to score though, with the sale running from Wednesday, May 27 until Sunday, June 28 (or until stocks last). In Melbourne, you can head to the BOSS Outlet in Preston and DFO Essendon to get these quality threads for such a steal. Current opening hours at all BOSS outlets are 11am–4pm. Hugo Boss mid-season outlet sale will run from Wednesday, May 27 till Sunday, June 28, or until stocks last (excludes new season stock). To find your closest outlet, visit the website.
Long before social distancing was on anyone's radar — especially when heading out to see a movie — drive-in theatres were ahead of the game. When you're watching a film in your car with only your friends and family in the same vehicle, you're instantly keeping away from other patrons. Accordingly, it's hardly surprising that the concept is attracting plenty of interest during the COVID-19 pandemic. Enter the Drive-In Movie Club, a pop-up that's setting up its big screen at a secret Melbourne location for four nights. From Thursday, July 23–Sunday, July 26, it'll play beloved retro films while attendees get cosy in their cars with their nearest and dearest. Showing one movie per night, it all kicks off with Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Then, the laughs keep going with Mean Girls — and, although it isn't screening on a Wednesday, you can obviously still wear pink. For Saturday night dates, Dirty Dancing will hit the screen. Finally, finishing off the short season is Back to the Future (so if you happen to have a DeLorean handy, prepare to exclaim "great Scott!" a whole heap). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvsgGtivCgs Tickets cost $35 per car, which covers up to five people. You can also spend an extra $20 per person and have snacks — a drink, popcorn and candy — brought to your vehicle. Top image: Thomas Hawk via Flickr.
The constant flow of COVID-19 news was interrupted, temporarily, earlier this month when a former Prime Minister's memoir launched. Well, was leaked. According to the book's publisher Hardie Grant, a pirated version of Malcolm Turnbull's A Bigger Picture was allegedly shared multiple times from an address "within the PMO [Prime Minister's Office]". And that's not the only reason the book made headlines. As well as calling out Kevin Rudd's potty mouth, Turnbull spills the tea on his relationship with now Prime Minister Scott Morrison and even calls him a "Machiavellian plotter". If this is the kind of inside gossip that get's you excited on a Monday, you'll be happy to know you can hear even more from the man himself at a one-off Sydney Writers' Festival event. At 7pm AEST on Monday, April 27, Turnbull will be chatting to writer and presenter Annabel Crabb about his memoir, his ex-colleagues and the 2018 leadership spill. The talk will be live streamed via the Sydney Writers' Festival YouTube channel, website and Facebook page. While the literary festival has been cancelled inline with the government's restrictions on public gatherings, it's hosting a series of online events and podcasts that'll reimagine its 2020 program. You can check out more of them over at Sydney Writers' Festival website. [caption id="attachment_660576" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Sydney Writers' Festival by Prudence Upton[/caption] Top image: Flickr/Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff
Getting into the bottomless brunch game, Munich Brauhaus is embracing all-you-can-eat mid-morning meals in the appropriate fashion: German-style. That means pretzels, schnitzel, sauerkraut and apple strudel — and as much as you can handle for two hours — at the Bavarian-themed beer hall's new Das Brunch. Also on the menu at the monthly event: meat and cheese platters, plenty of bread with a traditional cheese spread called obazda, roast pork belly with onion and sage stuffing, hash browns, sausages, bacon, plus Munich-style slaw and potato salad from the salad bar. Leave room for käsespätzle, which is a creamy mac 'n' cheese-style dish that's rightfully considered a favourite back in its homeland. Dessert-wise, gingerbread men, black forest cake and blueberry cheesecake are also on offer, with the unlimited food spread costing $65 per person. Or, because brunch and booze go hand in hand, pair it with sparkling, rosé, house beer, wine and spirits for $99. Das Brunch runs monthly, kicking off from 11am on Sunday, March 22. Each smorgasbord will also be themed, with the first one taking inspiration from autumn — complete with flower crowns and floral displays.
There's no doubt about it, it's cold. Sydney's winter weather has settled in — we've seen frosty mornings, snow on the mountains and rain aplenty. Luckily, Japanese casual apparel retailer UNIQLO has got some super snug clothing to keep you warm throughout the chilly season. What's more, it's giving away 10,000 free Heattech products to make sure you're cosy to the core. Essentially thermals, the Heattech innerwear comes in three levels of warmth — warm, extra warm and ultra warm — in the form of singlets, long-sleeve shirts, turtle necks, leggings, long johns and tights. So, whatever this winter holds in store, UNIQLO will help you stay nice and toasty. To nab yours, you'll need to complete an online version of 'hot and cold'. Available to play from 10am Wednesday, July 15 to 11.59pm Sunday, July 19, the virtual game will see you navigating three levels (aptly named warm, extra warm and ultra warm) looking for 'invisible' Heattech tops. If you find the tops and complete all three levels, you'll be sent a code to redeem a free men's or women's Heattech product — you can choose from any of those listed above, up to the value of $19.90 — at any Uniqlo store in Australia.
Melbourne's current lockdown has got lots of us seeking comfort in life's simple pleasures. Mountains of chocolate. Takeaway pizza. Maybe a healthy dose of chardonnay. Well, how do you feel about upping that mood with a huge, free haul of artisan cheese? Award-winning cheese producer That's Amore is celebrating its retail store's fifth birthday this month, with a week of gourmet giveaways valued at over $2000. Not only has it marked the anniversary by changing the Thomastown shop's name to The Cheesery, but it's set to dole out a swag of cheesy prizes from Monday, August 24, to Friday, August 28. Each day will feature a new giveaway, with details on how to win revealed over on Instagram. And there are some seriously tasty prizes among the bunch, including vouchers to spend at That's Amore's online cheese store, home-delivered hampers brimming with dairy delights, and a ticket to one of the producer's signature cheesemaking workshops. Oh, and one lucky winner will score an entire year's worth of cheese, receiving a gourmet cheese box sent to their door every month for the next 12 months. We reckon a prize like that would sure turn 2020's frown upside down.
Melbourne's lockdown is slowly easing, but travelling out of town isn't a reality just yet. It's spring, so we know the urge to soak in Victoria's wonders is bubbling — which is where the Yarra Valley Spring Garden Party comes in. Across Saturday, October 3–Sunday, October 4, this free virtual event will whisk you away to this scenic patch of the state — all while you're still in your own home. It'll also do you a huge favour in another way because, by now, you're probably sick of trying to work out what you're going to do during yet another weekend spent within your own four walls. First, kick off your Saturday with a yoga class streamed from Alowyn Gardens. Also on offer that day: a walk through Healesville Sanctuary with Elder Murrindindi, a succulent-focused garden workshop, a wander around Seville Estate with winemaker Dylan McMahon and landscape designer Phillip Johnson, and moseying through the blossoms at CherryHill Orchard. Still keen on making sourdough? There's a class for that. And, come 5pm, there's also a spring cocktail session with Four Pillars. Then, on Sunday, you'll start out with a coffee-making class with Silva Coffee. Next, get your blood pumping as Adam Horgan bikes the Aquaduct Trail and streams the results via GoPro. You'll then take a peek at a few secret — and beloved — gardens in the Dandenong Ranges, learn all about pasta and discover how to improve your wine-tasting skills. Plus, thanks to both the Tesselaar Tulip Festival and the Yarra Valley Opera Festival, you'll get treated to a heap of songs among the tulips. Watching along is free, but you can also bring a bit of the Yarra Valley to your door, too, via a garden party six-pack. It'll cost you $165 and includes six bottles of wine, recipe cards, sweet pea seeds and, in January, your own tulip bulbs to plant. The Yarra Valley Spring Garden Party takes place virtually from Saturday, October 3–Sunday, October 4.
If you've been to Eggslut in the States, you'll understand the hype. Lines snake around LA's Grand Central Market — and Las Vegas's Cosmopolitan — from the moment the stores start frying up eggy burgers and jars of 'slut' (coddled eggs with potato). Now, the hype is heading Down Under, with founder Alvin Cailan coming to Melbourne for a one-day burger pop-up. Cailan (who also hosts The Burger Show) is teaming up with Collingwood's own Easey's for a one-off collaboration, which will take over the Easey Street joint from 8–11am on Saturday, August 10. Collaborating with Truff Hot Sauce as well to celebrate the truffle-infused sauce's Australian launch, there'll be two delicious bites on the menu — and whichever one you choose, your tastebuds will thank you. Fancy some Eggslut action? That calls for The Beverly, complete with soft scrambled eggs, chives, a potato cake from Easey's, cheddar cheese, caramelised onions, the sauce in the spotlight sauce and mayo, all on an Eggslut-inspired bun. Prefer a burg? The Truff cheeseburger is here to help, layering an Easey's smashed patty, caramelised onions, egg, garlic and dill pickles, American cheese, Truff sauce and mayo on a potato bun. Tickets cost $50, which includes your choice of the above sandwich or burger, a bottle of Truff sauce and a bloody mary made with the spicy condiment — all while Cailan is on the Easey's premises. That's your Saturday breakfast sorted, but you will need to book in for a 20-minute timeslot in advance.
Every September and October, Germany erupts with brews, food and lederhosen-wearing revellers for its annual Oktoberfest celebrations. Come Saturday, October 19, Melbourne Showgrounds will serve up the same kind of beer and bratwurst-fuelled shenanigans. If you're a Melburnian with a hankering for doppelbock, schnitzel and dancing to polka, it's the next best thing to heading to Europe. This year's Oktoberfest in the Gardens will add an extra attraction, too — as well as serving a variety of pilsners, ciders, wine and non-alcoholic beverages, it'll construct the a huge beer hall to house the boozy merriment. Just how big it'll be hasn't been revealed, but given that the festival usually attracts quite a crowd, expect it to be sizeable. When you're not raising a stein — or several — at the day-long event, you can tuck into pretzels and other traditional snacks at up to 30 food stalls, or check out the hefty array of entertainment. Live music, roving performers, markets and wood-chopping are all on the agenda, as is a silent disco, dodgeball, rides and a sideshow alley. Early bird tickets go on sale at 7am on Thursday, August 1 for $54.90, with full-price entry costing $69.90.
UPDATE, November 26, 2020: Diego Maradona is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Football god? Addict, scoundrel and swindler? Diego Armando Maradona has been called all of the above. From champion to crook and superstar to scum, he's been labelled better and worse, with his status as a walking contradiction rarely lost on anyone in his orbit. The famed Argentinian soccer player himself recognises it. During his playing heyday in the 80s and 90s, he was known to tell people that he was Maradona on the field but Diego away from the spotlight. In Asif Kapadia's probing documentary about the sportsman, Maradona's career is further summarised by another juxtaposition: "a bit of cheating and a lot of genius". While that sentiment applies broadly, the line refers specifically to his "hand of god" moment in the 1986 World Cup. During a quarter-final against England, he scored a pivotal goal by illegally using said appendage. Argentina won the game and went on to claim the entire tournament, all with Maradona as team captain. He knew what he'd done, as he admitted years later and again explains in Diego Maradona. Anyone under the misapprehension that sports players always stick to the rules — and never do whatever they can, testing the limits to see what they're able to get away with — might well be shocked. But that's Maradona, especially when he was the world's most acclaimed and expensive player, an international headline staple, and a hero not only on home soil, but in Naples where he ruled the turf for seven seasons. He describes his chosen sport as "a game of deceit", after all. In setting his sights on the polarising footballer, Oscar-winner Kapadia does what he's always done so expertly in his other celebrity-centric documentaries. In Senna and Amy, the British filmmaker trawled through a treasure trove of archival material to tell his subject's stories, knowing that their own words — and their own actions at the height of their respective success — will say more than anything else can. The same overall approach applies to Diego Maradona, but three crucial differences distinguish the director's latest picture. Maradona is still alive, firstly. His voice, not just from then but now, features prominently in the film as a result. Lastly and most importantly, his isn't a gone-too-soon tale of tragedy. If they were still here today, Ayrton Senna and Amy Winehouse's own contrasts might've become more evident, however their deaths gave their lives a recognisable narrative. Still kicking, even if he's long, long past his prime goal-scoring days, Maradona can't follow the same distinct trajectory. Faced with this predicament, Diego Maradona leans into the inescapable truth. It doesn't seek to celebrate, condemn, lionise or lament, but to present Maradona as he's been perceived by the world — both as one of the greatest soccer players of all time (if not the greatest player of all time), and as a womaniser, drug abuser and crony of the Italian mafia. Although the film focuses primarily on the decade surrounding his SSC Napoli stint, he's also seen as a stocky kid who grew up in absolute poverty, then a multi-millionaire living the life of luxury. He's the breadwinner from his teenage years onwards, and a man quick to squander a fortune. Colleagues, coaches, trainers and other industry folk lavish praise on Maradona's immense speed, skill and football smarts, then call out his arrogance, selfishness and swagger. He adores his family, but happily turns his back when scandal wafts through the air. In both his personal and professional lives, the list goes on; in fact, the doco can't cover it all. If his story was fiction, the endless incongruities would seem like overkill. If it was a soccer match, a commentator would dub it a game of two halves. As Senna and Amy have so grippingly demonstrated, there's something equally fascinating and relatable about famous figures whose plights have ended sorrowfully — stars who've soared and then crashed in the most final way, all while chasing their dreams. The same applies to someone as contradictory as Maradona, who embodies humanity's competing, fighting urges in one incredibly well-known package. Whether you're a diehard soccer fan, you flinch at the thought of calling the world game 'football' or you couldn't care less about sport at all, it's this truth that holds viewers' attention in Diego Maradona. As the movie delves into the eponymous Argentinian's life for two hours, it lays bare Maradona's labyrinthian nature. And, while his highs and lows have reached far beyond the levels that most will ever experience, who doesn't feel like they're multiple things all at once? Mirroring the grainy footage at his disposal, Kapadia doesn't smooth out Maradona's edges. The footballer is never a sympathetic hero in this entertaining and insightful film, nor a clear-cut villain. If maintaining that balance sounds like a significant feat given all that's known about Maradona and all there is to his tale, it's one that the director handles with his usual storytelling and technical prowess. Corralling the same crew that worked on his past two docos (particularly editor Chris King and composer Antonio Pinto), he weaves his audio and visuals together with silkiness reminiscent of Maradona's own on-field best. With revealing interview snippets heard rather than seen, and the picture steadfastly maintaining its gaze on its main man through both media clips and home videos, Kapadia crafts a jam-packed yet nuanced and thoughtful portrait. Yes, that's a juxtaposition again. Even decades after his career triumphs and subsequent fall from god-like standing, Maradona will never shake them, as Diego Maradona unpacks with aplomb. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjfeSdHP2ZQ
If anyone knows how to celebrate World Tequila Day in style, it's the agave experts at Melbourne Mexican joints Mamasita and Hotel Jesus, and Sydney's legendary tequila bars Tio's Cerveceria and Cantina OK. And indeed, the four are joining forces to mark the occasion with a Tequila MiniFest this Sunday, July 21. The three-hour tasting session takes over Hotel Jesus's Smith Street restaurant from 2pm, showcasing over 30 different tequila creations, most of which aren't usually available on Aussie shores. You'll have the chance to chat with some of the country's top tequila suppliers, too. And, of course, the Hotel Jesus kitchen will be whipping up a menu of tacos and other Mexican snacks especially for the occasion. Entry to the event is $10 and includes two tacos. Tequila MiniFest runs from 2–5pm.
The tequila is always flowing at El Camino Cantina, with the new Mexican joint already well-known for its margaritas. But, as anyone who loves the agave spirit knows, there's never a bad reason to keep pouring more — and International Tequila Day couldn't be a more perfect excuse. Happening on Wednesday, July 24, the celebratory date will see everyone's favourite tequila cocktail flying off the bar. When $7.50 margaritas are on the menu, that's bound to happen. Choose from the slushie or liquid form depending on your preference, and from five flavours: mango, strawberry, tropical (with Red Bull), apple and cinnamon and the regular ol' variety. Because the occasion falls on a Wednesday, you'll also be able to tuck into ten-cent wings. Even better — this is an all-day affair, so if you have time for a few drinks over lunch, or can get away from work for a chilled afternoon, then you won't go thirsty.
UPDATE, April 27, 2021: Late Night is available to stream via Amazon Prime Video, Foxtel Now, Google Play, YouTube Movies and iTunes. Thank the powers that be that we live in a world where Mindy Kaling is making smart, funny, warmly subversive TV series and movies. Actually, thank American television network NBC. Over a decade ago, it gave the then-24-year-old a job in The Office's writers room as a diversity hire, which Kaling revealed while doing promotional duties for her new film, Late Night. She goes a step further in the picture itself. Playing a chemical plant quality control supervisor who dreams of joining the writing staff on an evening talk show, she puts the same idea into the movie (as well as starring, she penned the script). Molly Patel, her on-screen alter-ego, is hired because she's a woman, plain and simple. She's then saddled with being the token beacon for inclusiveness in an otherwise all-white, all-male, all-middling group of scribes, with her new colleagues all-too-happy to keep aiming for average rather than risk rocking the boat with their boss. Only Kaling, or someone who has been in her circumstances, could turn the above situation into a gag — not to mention an effective, perceptive and amusing one. More than that, she uses Late Night to point out the ridiculousness of complaints that almost everyone who isn't a white male has heard: that they've landed a gig for reasons other than their skills and talents. It's a go-to lament against the advancement of women and people of colour in many fields, and it's supremely petty. Late Night specifically calls it out in a pointedly cartoonish but undeniably scathing way. "I wish I was a woman of colour so I could get any job I wanted with zero qualifications," one of Molly's unhappy co-workers grumbles, sounding suitably inane. This is a comedy, so Late Night pokes fun at the entertainment industry status quo in the same way that Kaling's long-running, now-finished TV sitcom The Mindy Project toyed with rom-com tropes. Think light, bubbly yet also sharp. Molly doesn't have the same experience as her co-workers, but she's still great at her job, because that's a genuine possibility. She works harder, longer and puts more pressure on herself, because that's the reality. By not fitting the usual mould, Molly shines a glaring spotlight on the complacency that can come with avoiding change or challenge. Crucially, however, while she's highly motivated and determined (and usually considerably overdressed for work compared to her peers), she also sports plenty of flaws — whether she's offering unfettered criticism on her first day or bursting into tears whenever things hit even the tiniest rough patch. Late Night has another commentary-laden twist up its sleeve: the program's host of nearly three decades, Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson), clearly doesn't fit the usual mould either. It's a big deal in the movie, which recognises that she's a trailblazer. In real life, female-fronted talk shows like Katherine's aren't just rare — they're basically non-existent. So unfurls Late Night's twin dilemmas, sparked by the host's discovery that her position is under threat thanks to a new network executive (Amy Ryan). With rising frat boy-style standup Daniel Tennant (Ike Barinholtz) waiting in the wings, fierce perfectionist Katherine endeavours to elevate her flagging series, adapt to the times and retain the values she holds dear. Arriving just as this crisis hits, and overwhelmed by working for her idol, Molly tries to demonstrate her worth and also remain true to herself. There's an obvious, endearing element of fantasy at the core of Late Night. If only viewers could watch Thompson, or the kind of intelligent and hilarious woman she plays, on late-night TV on a daily basis. If only we could all get a shot at showing that we're made for our bucket-list jobs as well. But dreaming big, satirising reality and marrying genuine insights with laughs all frequently make great bedfellows, as proves the case here. Directed with charm, spark, and a zippy look and feel by Nisha Ganatra (Dear White People, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), this is a workplace comedy that has plenty to say about media and entertainment, sexism and ageism, the treatment of women, and the way that ladies are often stereotypically expected to compete against each other. It's also willing to get gleefully blunt in exploring these matters, especially in its dialogue. The film follows a predictable narrative path, lacking the absurdity and surprises of television's 30 Rock and The Larry Sanders Show, yet that doesn't make it any less enjoyable, incisive or on-target. We've said it before, but it bears repeating: watching Late Night and wishing that Thompson's formidable Katherine really had a regular place on our screens goes hand-in-hand. Playing a multiple-Emmy winner, the real-life dual-Oscar recipient leans into the character's savage British wit and ample imperfections, while seeming like she could walk straight out of the film and onto any late-night show she'd like. And, although love interests abound for both Thompson and Kaling, the two women's seemingly chalk-and-cheese pairing sits at the heart of the film. John Lithgow pops up as the former's ailing composer husband, Veep's Reid Scott is the latter's snarkiest colleague, and Hannibal's Hugh Dancy is the office's resident ladies' man, but Late Night is at its best when it's heeding Molly's advice for Katherine: speaking from a perspective that only its protagonists (and its creative force) can. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-OSUZp9pjw
In Stuber, Uber driver Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) is obsessed with his all-important rating. He's hardly living the dream — selling sporting goods by day and ferrying around fellow Los Angelenos in your spare time is no one's fantasy — but if his score drops below four, he'll lose his side hustle. Here's hoping that the folks telling his tale don't share the same fixation with numbers, or a similar need to meet a certain ranking. As much as this tired ride of a movie can't stop mentioning stars (in conversation, on Stu's license plate, in his pleas to his customers and in the feedback he pores over after each trip), it doesn't earn many itself. Even worse — the few flesh-and-blood stars that Stuber does have, it thoroughly wastes. There's obvious odd-couple appeal in teaming up Nanjiani with Dave Bautista, especially with the former in awkward nice-guy mode and the latter playing it gruff and gritty. And yet, even when they're leaning into their clear-cut character traits to an exaggerated extreme, the duo remain on autopilot. If director Michael Dowse (Goon) merely asked his actors to channel their respective vibes in The Big Sick and Guardians of the Galaxy, just in a less-convincing manner, that's what he's received. Unsurprisingly, pairing a watered-down version of Nanjiani and Bautista's best-known roles with a grating attempt to revive 80s and 90s action-comedies proves as pedestrian as it sounds. Bautista's determined detective Vic hops into Stu's Uber on an already-eventful day. Hours after undergoing laser eye surgery, the hardened cop receives a tip about the elusive drug dealer (Iko Uwais) who killed his partner (Karen Gillan) six months earlier. Vic can't see, let alone drive, which is where Stu comes in. Vic also hasn't used a ride-sharing app before, so as he tracks his lead from a warehouse to a male strip club, and then zigzags from an animal hospital to his daughter's (Natalie Morales) art show, he keeps the protesting Stu behind the wheel. Every time that the reluctant sidekick tries to flee, with his best friend and secret crush (Betty Gilpin) continually calling in a drunk and vulnerable state, Vic plays his trump card: the threat of giving Stu a bad rating. Although it might initially appear otherwise, this isn't a comic reimagining of Michael Mann's Collateral, swapping a hitman and a cabbie for a police officer and an Uber driver. And, while the scenario is rife with potential commentary about the plague of insecurity that has become normalised in today's gig economy, screenwriter Tripper Clancy doesn't take that path either. The fact that an ordinary guy is basically held hostage not just by a gun-toting symbol of law and order, but by the need to retain a near-exploitative second job that relies heavily upon keeping privileged customers happy, should serve up a potent, insightful and searing statement about modern-day life. But in Stuber, it's just an excuse for an onslaught of outdated Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour-style antics, plenty of routine violence, and an escalating body count. To be fair, Dowse and Clancy don't just play up the buddy-cop angle, although Bautista always seems seconds away from declaring that he's too old for this shit. Taking the clown car approach — aka trying to stuff in as many possible sources of humour as it can, even if they don't fit — Stuber also attempts to wring laughs out of physical comedy, and find affectionate chuckles in Stu and Vic's mismatched interpretations of masculinity. Alas, watching someone stumble around with a visual impairment, even a temporary one, isn't funny. Nor is seeing paper-thin archetypes realise that being a man requires the right balance of sensitivity and courage, particularly when the supposedly heartwarming situation is completely one-note. That the movie's best joke stems from a throwaway line about plural nouns, and its second best from calling Vic "Douche Lundgren", says a lot. Add Dowse's visuals to Stuber's pile of misguided choices, with the film careening and chaotic in both its look and feel. The only time that it boasts any real spark is when the under-utilised Uwais (The Raid) unleashes his martial arts skills. That said, the picture's dull, commercial-style appearance does underscore its blatant core as a virtual Uber ad. Showing just how outlandishly messy a drive with the ride-sharing service could be isn't likely to entice new car-owners or customers, but that's not the point. Instead, Stuber mentions the company's name more times than a jingle, explains how it operates and even references its other various services. It's product placement packaged as a movie, and only the first part of that equation — the wrong part — works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMCUWR5ODkY
In these music-mad movie times, the following scene has become a familiar big-screen sight. Loitering backstage, the camera spies a talented, charismatic star. It catches a quick glimpse of its chosen figure in an unguarded moment, then charts their footsteps as they burst out the door, into a cavernous room, auditorium or arena. They're greeted by an adoring, screaming, near-ecstatic crowd — and when the person in the spotlight is doing what they do best, they're simply magic, with everything else seeming unimportant. This has proven true whether the real-life Amy Winehouse or Whitney Houston have been behind the microphone in recent documentaries, or whether Rami Malek is strutting his stuff as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. In Mystify: Michael Hutchence's opening minutes, we see the same thing from the eponymous Aussie rocker and INXS frontman. Before he was dead at 37, Hutchence knew how to flash a cheeky smile when no one else was looking. With thousands of people staring back at him, he knew how to keep an audience hanging off of his every word. Alas, even when he was dripping raw charm in the middle of a gig, he knew how to hide a world of sorrow behind his grin as well. After Mystify's recognisable introduction, there's much in this passionate and intimate documentary that also feels familiar. Movies comprised of never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage about troubled famous faces often unravel in a similar fashion, and accounts of music superstars who've died before their times tend to take a comparable path, too. If the increasing prevalence of such films, mirroring the increasing body count, isn't reason enough for society to rethink our celebrity worship and eager celebration of a sex 'n' drugs 'n' rock 'n' roll lifestyle, then nothing ever will be. Of course, that's a much bigger concern. In these tragic true tales, the home video, media interview and live performance clips obviously vary. While the broad strokes remain the same, the intricate minutiae also remains unique. Falling somewhere between sincere tribute and warts-and-all snapshot, these gone-but-not-forgotten portraits tend to ape their subjects, which Mystify does to an impressive degree. It's tender, thoughtful, energetic and electrifying, even when it's breaking your heart. Indeed, just like Hutchence himself, Richard Lowenstein's film about the singer's rise and fall has its own distinctive spark. More than two decades after his death, which was ruled a suicide by hanging, the rockstar is alive again in the movie. Naturally, it helps that the Australian filmmaker knew Hutchence personally. Not only did Lowenstein direct more than 15 of INXS' music videos throughout the 80s and 90s, but he gave the vocalist his first acting role in Dogs In Space. It also helps that Hutchence's nearest and dearest lend their frank, unfettered recollections to the doco — all unfurling as emotional snippets of voiceover laid over the archival visuals, rather than through talking heads. Although they're never seen on screen, except in old footage, the interviewee list spans siblings, family members, childhood pals, INXS bandmates, lifelong friends, staff, celebs such as Bono, and girlfriends including Kylie Minogue and Helena Christensen. What truly shapes Mystify, however, is that so much of the movie involves peering intently at its main man, and seeing what he did and didn't want everyone to see. First he's a shy yet lively kid growing up in a difficult household. Then he's a teenager drawn into the band because that's what his mates were doing. Later he's one of the biggest rock gods on the planet. Finally, he's someone understandably struggling with the trappings of fame — and coping however he can, frequently with the help of illicit substances. His eyes genuinely are the window to his soul, and to the documentary's. That's the case when Hutchence is gleaming excitedly while surveying a mass of people at the 1983 US Festival in California, and exclaiming "fucking hell" with a distinctive Australian drawl. It still applies when he's in speedos with Kylie on a boat in the middle of Hong Kong harbour, or beaming excitedly while sitting next to her on a cross-continental European train trip. And it's the same when he's looking far too sorrowful in his later years in Britain, as the tabloid scrutiny over his relationship with Paula Yates, and its role in breaking up her marriage to Bob Geldolf, reaches fever pitch. The revelations come and go, sometimes emanating from the screen in Hutchence's silent gaze, sometimes echoing in shared tidbits from Mystify's long list of candid discussions. The expected soundtrack weaves in and out as well, with the film equally pulsating with many of INXS' huge tunes — 'Never Tear Us Apart', 'What You Need' and 'Bitter Tears' among them — and taking time to dwell on the man Hutchence was beyond the music. If performing on-stage is a dance, and if navigating stardom is one too, then the metaphorical jig continues in Lowenstein's documentary. With finessed editing, plus an evocative sense of pace and tone, this is a fluid and insightful piece of cinema that finds the most effective, involving and moving way to relay its well-known story. Hutchence's plight will never be overlooked in Australia, where his songs will always remain beloved hits (and will always be pumping on a classic rock radio station somewhere). What Mystify ensures is that not only will his highs and lows always be remembered, but also his innate, unshakable allure when he was just being himself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRIFR3hkIpo
Melbourne's street art scene is about to be outdone. Over three days this April, the township of Benalla in northeast Victoria will be hosting one of Australia's largest street art festivals. The annual Wall to Wall Festival, now in its fifth year, will bring together a lineup of local and international artists to create 70 new murals around the town. You'll be able to watch the famed artists at work, including Greek muralist Insane51, who's known for his 3D artworks — that look impressive with and without 3D glasses. Other highlights include a carwash takeover by local artist Callum Preston — who's work often involves recreating old-school Aussie milk bars — and a large-scale grain silo mural in the nearby town of Goorambat, by Melbourne's Dvate. Along with the live painting, there'll be an exciting program featuring workshops, guided street art tours, virtual reality painting, a cinema and after-dark projections. You'll also be able to unleash your inner Banksy by participating in the Paint by Numbers community mural, which entails the creation of a permanent, large-scale town mural with the help of one of the festival's artists.
