There's nothing quite like the big top. Entering that hallowed striped tent always feels like a form of transportation. No longer concerned with your workaday life, you're in a place where anything's possible — it's a snug little haven that promises hot cinnamon donuts, escapism and wonder. While Circus Oz definitely delivered on the donuts and the wonder, its brand of escapism strangely enough depends on your personal politics. For those not familiar with Circus Oz, social justice plays a big role in their performance. As much as they're out to surprise and entertain you, they're also concerned with imbuing each act with a specific political resonance. As such, But Wait... There's More gathers its story lines through political fodder. In the two-and-a-half hour performance, they cover indigenous rights, consumerism, commercialism, feminism, and 'infobesity'. It's a noble pursuit that is executed with mixed success — while you do feel more fulfilled by the experience, at times you can't help but crave the light-hearted frivolity of the circus you remember from your childhood. Outside of ideology, all the elements of the conventional circus are intact. On unicycles, hoops, and the trapeze, each member of the Circuz Oz ensemble brings an incredibly diverse set of skills to the table. Technically impressive feats are pulled off with an exciting amount of showmanship, and even a reluctant audience member will find themselves clapping and cheering. Particularly memorable moments include a delicate acrobatic dance played out on the unicycle by April Dawson and Kyle Raferty; a vivacious performance from Lilikoi Kaos with what must be close to 50 hula hoops; and an endearingly meek clown from Olivia Porter. Thankfully Circus Oz is an animal-free circus so, while your childhood memories may be tinged with lions and elephants, you'll have to make do with a particularly knowing gag with a BMX and a whip. As with all circus acts, it's not just the performers that deliver the show, and significant praise should also be directed towards the design and sound crew. The jazzy on-stage band provided a diverse and lively soundtrack to the evening, and in one impressive act we saw a performer battle mesmerising smoke rings through the darkness. Of course, it's all wildly entertaining — it's the circus, how could it not be? But in the tug-of-war between performance and plot, sometimes the blunt truths of the show take centre stage. While this works at times, for instance in the beautifully earnest Welcome to Country, at others it feels a little at odds with the performance. After all, the circus is a place of excess. It's hard to give yourself over to the joy of a finale spectacular while it's insistent on drilling home its critique of commercialism — particularly with your donuts and $10 program in hand. Photo credit: Rob Blackburn.
UPDATE: JANUARY 24, 2019 — To help you avoid the brunt of Melbourne's scorching summer temperatures, Pixar Putt has launched new after-dark sessions, which take place every Thursday and Friday night. And they're only for adults. Running from 7–10pm, the post-work putt-putt hours are perfect for those date nights when you want to do more than just have dinner and see a movie. Oh, January. Christmas is behind us, summer is in full swing and the gifts are (mostly) forgotten. But that doesn't mean the part-tee is quite over. To keep the holiday feeling going, our favourite Pixar characters are popping up for one month at Federation Square at a new mini golf course inspired by some of our favourite Disney films. Designed to challenge both eight-year olds and adults, Pixar Putt features nine- and 18-hole courses that take you past childhood heroes like Buzz Lightyear, Sheriff Woody and Elastigirl. Hit a few balls with Darla and Marlin from Finding Nemo, and flick one past Princess Atta from A Bug's Life. No need for a trip to Disneyland. So, if you didn't beat your cousin at backyard cricket on Christmas Day, challenge them to a rematch at Federation Square in January. All you need is your hat and A-game (and no pressure if you remain defeated, there's always the nineteenth hole nearby). Pixar Putt is open from January 4 to February 3, 2019, with tee-off times every 15 minutes between 10am to 5.15pm, daily.
Gomez are on their way back to Australia. Their seventh studio album since they formed in 1997, Whatever’s On Your Mind, maintains the strongest aspects of Gomez’s sound. With gritty vocals that tear through carefully arranged background harmonies and electronic-dance sounds, the album has a spirit that is overwhelming and free-spirited but at the same time shows the maturity that the band have gained over their nearly two decade-long career. Chunky guitar and beautifully lush dynamics bring an ever-changing pace to the record, keeping it constantly fresh with a thrusting drive that has the listener on the edge. Gomez’s sound incorporates a wide range of musical elements, with flavours of blues, psychedelia and krautrock, and influence from the likes of Beck, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell and Marvin Gaye.
A group of local and international artists will examine the relationship between art and industry, at a three-week exhibition at the RMIT Design Hub. Presented as part of the citywide environmental arts festival Art + Climate = Change 2015, Perceptive Power will see contributing artists explore various issues including sustainability, art activism and economic consumption through the mediums of video, installation and performance. Artists featured in Perceptive Power include Paris-based art and design duo Helen Evans and Heiko Hansen aka HeHe, as well as Melburnians Ash Keating and Keith Deverell, and Sydneysiders Joyce Hinterding and David Haines. The exhibition has been curated by Jodi Newcombe of Carbon Arts, part of RMIT University’s Centre for Art, Society and Transformation. To find out more about Art + Climate = Change 2015, head over here. Image: Ash Keating.
The Taika Waititi school of acting gave Julian Dennison one of his first-ever roles in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and James Rolleston his debut in Boy. Seven years after the former and 13 since the latter, the two play brothers in another coming-of-age effort: Uproar. That cheerworthy casting is joined by Our Flag Means Death co-stars Rhys Darby and Minnie Driver in a film that's not only warmhearted, but always feels as if it's practising one of the messages that it's preaching. Set amid 1981's infamous Springbok tour of New Zealand — with South Africa's rugby union team playing games across the nation, and inspiring protests against both apartheid and Aotearoa's treatment of its Māori population as it went — this is a movie about a cultural awakening, and about finding and embracing community. Behind the lens, Uproar's directors have teamed up, too, with Hamish Bennett helming his second feature after 2019's also-heartfelt Bellbird and Paul Middleditch back in the chair for the first time since 2013's Rapture-Palooza. When it told of a father and son struggling to connect, and just struggling, after the loss of the family matriarch who bound them together, Bellbird traded in the same kind of poignancy that seeps through in this engaging charmer. With its sports-meets-politics narrative, there may be few doubts about where Uproar is headed; however, Bennett and Sonia Whiteman's (The Disposables) script — as based on a concept by Middleditch and first-timer Mark Turnbull, a screenplay by Keith Aberdein (The Last Tattoo) before that, and boasting additional writing by Mario Gaoa (We Are Still Here) and actor Rachel House (Heartbreak High) — knows that reality and movies alike can follow a familiar path and be no less affecting and resonant. In another memorable addition to his resume that shows his emotional depth, especially in a potent late monologue, Dennison plays Josh Waaka, 17-year-old son to British-born widow Shirley (Driver). He's dutifully in St Gilberts School for Men's 2nd XV when the 1981 tour comes to Dunedin, but largely because much about his existence is dutiful. His father was a local rugby star. His older brother Jamie (Rolleston) was a former Junior All Black before his career was cut short by injury. To make ends meet, Shirley cleans at the school — and imposing Principal Slaine (Mark Mitchinson, Evil Dead Rise) ensures that the Waakas feel grateful. In fact, when Slane requests that Jamie help coach the 1st XV, he's hardly asking. And when Shirley says that he will, she gets the reluctant Josh a spot on the higher team as part of the arrangement, telling him that it'll set him up for life. Staying out of the public debate about the Springboks is also expected of the St Gilberts' cohort, in a place that's against taking a stand against discrimination yet fine with Josh spending his lunch break alone in the library to avoid his openly racist classmates. But that isn't the community that he wants as his own even before he crosses paths with the marching Samantha (Erana James, Bad Behaviour) while delivering catalogues with his best friend Grace (debutant Jada Fa'atui), and gets a reminder that her Māori heritage is his as well. And, being surrounded by books and silence soon isn't his only option between lessons. English teacher Brother Madigan (Darby) spies a potential actor in Josh, who needs encouraging to join the drama group, then wows his way into auditioning for NIDA in Sydney becoming an option. Outrage frequently makes its presence known in Uproar's crisply lensed frames: in Samantha decrying the country putting sports above equality in any way that she can, in the engrained prejudice that festers against NZ's Indigenous inhabitants daily, in clashes on the street and even within activist meetings, where saying that you're an ally isn't the same as truly understanding having one's land taken. The film's name also comes into play another way, though, as Josh's existence erupts in chaos. As tales about teens becoming adults often do, Bennett and Middleditch's movie tells of change rippling through almost everything that its protagonist thought that he knew. New causes to champion, new connections to his culture, new dreams to chase, new friends, new futures, a new purpose in life that echoes among his nearest and dearest: compared to the pre-tour status quo, this is indeed an impassioned uproar against just getting by, settling and never speaking up. Since his time as Ricky Baker, Dennison has enjoyed big-budget stints in Deadpool 2 and Godzilla vs Kong — and in the festive The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two — but this is his best role since getting stranded in the wilderness for Waititi. The likeable pluck and wit that endeared him to audiences then is layered with searing determination and angst here, while never forgetting humour as well. As Jamie is pushed to rediscover more than just his room and his disappointment at fate, Rolleston is also stellar, as he similarly was in The Dead Lands, The Rehearsal and The Breaker Upperers. The subtlety of Darby's kind and caring performance doesn't go unnoticed, either, and nor does the quiet fortitude of Driver's turn. At the heart of Uproar's key characters, which includes Samantha and Grace, is that other recognisable high-school feeling: being an outsider. That isn't purely an adolescent experience, of course. It hasn't avoided the star player now unable to take to the field, the woman whose marriage wasn't embraced by two families in two countries or the teacher who doesn't fit in — and it certainly hasn't evaded an entire culture that's been made to feel like its home wasn't its own for centuries thanks to the ongoing impact of colonisation, or other First Nations people with similar stories. As it sees and unpacks each of these layers, Uproar sees why living up to its moniker is so important, and also how. It spies the many methods of pushing back and sparking a ruckus. It knows the power of fighting for what's right, just and decent communally. And it wouldn't be as moving without its cast, but that's what coming together means.
Not everyone is lucky enough to spend Christmas with their nearest and dearest, and sometimes you just find yourself riding solo. Thankfully, the spirit of Christmas is strong in the city, at our favourite little shipping container-turned-bar. On Christmas Day from midday, Section 8 is welcoming orphans from far and wide to their annual Xmas get-together. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not really isn't that relevant — all you need to know is that there will be a free barbecue, ice-cold beers and beats from Mr Pitiful right until 11pm that night.
Melburnians will have two outdoor electronica festivals to choose from come January 1, 2019. This year, joining Werribee Park's Let Them Eat Cake is Sidney Myer Music Bowl's The First — a multi-stage music festival dedicated to live electronic, hip hop, house and techno that'll take over the Kings Domain this New Year's Day. Run by Montreal-based festival host Piknic Électronik and Australia's electronic music guru Hardware Group, the festival is a hangover party you don't need to travel out of town for. Among the festival's stages is one dedicated to Piknic Électronic and it'll kick off the brand's fifth season of weekly-mini festivals in Melbourne (the dates of which have not yet been released). The headliners for the inaugural NYD festival include heavy-hitting rap queen M.I.A, Australian dance royalty The Presets and New York hip-hop artist Action Bronson, along with Banoffee, Bloody Mary, Bob Moses, KiNK, Krystal Klear, Max Cooper, Nastia and SG Lewis. The full lineup of local and international acts hasn't been announced just yet, so stay tuned for more. While you're there, visual art, food trucks and booze-a-plenty will be on the docket, too. The First will be held on January 1, 2019 at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Early access tickets will be available from Wednesday, September 12 and cost $99. To register for pre-sale, head over here. General tickets will then go on sale from Thursday, September 13, with VIP tickets priced at $150.
It's 27 years since The Cult's first album went platinum. Electric's impossibly high energy saw the Bedford-born rock band's career explode overnight. Perhaps it was something to do with the crazy circumstances in which it was recorded. "[Electric's] definitely a Polaroid of a certain period in my life," frontman Ian Astbury told Max TV recently. "New York City, 1986, when New York was kind of lawless ... We barely slept making that record ... We'd pretty much get up, go to the studio, work till midnight, maybe 1am, go out, come in at seven in the morning, and go do it again, every day." Now, as part of their Electric 13 World Tour, The Cult are going to play the entire album live for Australian audiences for the first time. It's a kind of sequel to their 2009 Love Live Tour, which Astbury described as "such an incredible experience". The show will include a second set, featuring tracks from the band's eight other studio albums. https://youtube.com/watch?v=k6PgftKbQnQ
All right ramblers, let's get ramblin'. After packing the place tighter than Minnie's Haberdashery last year, 24 Moons Bar's Tarantino Ball is back. For one night only, the Northcote watering hole will celebrate one of modern cinema's coolest, bloodiest auteurs with an evening of music, beverages and fancy dress inspired by the movies of QT. Kicking off at 8pm on Saturday May 20, and stretching well into the hours of the following morning (not quite dusk till dawn, but pretty damn close), the third annual Tarantino Ball will feature $5 Sailor Jerry shakes, a Jack Rabbit Slims twist contest, foot massages by the Foot Fucking Master, and all the best tunes from Tarantino's iconic soundtracks played by Melbourne's very own Quentin tribute band, The Tarantino's. There'll also be a costume competition with some pretty epic prizes. So make sure you put in some effort — no guys, just wearing a black suit with a black tie and sunglasses isn't going to cut it. Tickets to the Tarantino Ball go on sale Tuesday April 4.
If 2020 has given us anything, it's a renewed appreciation for bread. In particular, the humble sourdough and the fluffy white Japanese milk bread known as shokupan. The cult Melbourne bakery that also goes by the name of Shokupan even took things to the next level, fusing the two bread varieties to create its signature sourdough shokupan loaf. Now, another smart pairing sees Shokupan teaming up with innovative Japanese eatery Future Future for a one-off pop-up this Saturday, September 12. The duo's specialty collaboration menu of fruit sandos and Japanese-inspired sausage rolls will be available for pre-order to take away from the Richmond restaurant from 11am–3pm. Get ready to sink your teeth into a dreamy riff on the sausage roll ($12), featuring a Japanese pork snag from Meatsmit encased in miso-glazed shokupan and baked to golden perfection. It'll be accompanied by pickles, miso mustard and a fermented chilli tomato sauce. Meanwhile, dessert is sorted with a limited run of sweet shokupan sandos ($7), loaded with spring fruits and whipped mascarpone. While you're there, you'll be able to stock up on some full loaves of Shokupan's finest, along with batch brew coffee, genmaicha tea and tinnies of Japanese beer. Pre-orders are available via the Future Future website. Of course, under current stage four restrictions, you can only swing past the Richmond store if you live within five kilometres. If you don't, sorry — stay tuned for more pop-ups, hopefully a little closer to you. Images: Jana Langhorst
Some of the best young filmmakers in the country are headed down to the esplanade, for ten straight days of cinematic mayhem. Australia’s oldest and largest showcase of short form filmmaking is back for another year, with a brand new venue along with a prize pool of more than $50,000. With the Astor Theatre temporarily out of action, this year's festival will be hosted at St Kilda Town Hall. As per usual, the meat of the program lies in the Top 100 Australian Shorts section, stretched strategically across 14 separate sessions. You can get the complete package for a cool $100, or choose from a selection of genre streams including 'coming of age', documentary and LGBT. This year will also see St Kilda continue its partnership with the Palm Springs International Shortfest, with four sessions dedicated to some of the best shorts from overseas. Rounding out the program are specialised youth and family streams, along with audience favourite music video contest, SoundKILDA. For the full St Kilda Film Festival Program, visit their website.
2020 was especially quiet on the arts and live performance front, but this year's edition of the First Nations Yirramboi Festival is set to make up for lost time. Returning for its third citywide outing in May 2021, the multi-disciplinary festival will dish up a huge program of over 150 different events, celebrating Indigenous arts and culture in a very big way. The genre-tripping lineup of free and low-cost events is set to descend on venues across the city from Thursday, May 6–Sunday, May 16. And, while the full program won't be dropping for another few weeks, organisers have shared a few of the festival highlights that punters can look forward to. There's a political cabaret by the Northlands Collective Mob, with A Fight for Survival centred on the well-publicised fight to save Victoria's Northland Secondary College back in the 90s. It stars a diverse cast of talent, including folks who were involved with the school and the case. A further theatre fix comes in the form of Considerable Sexual Licence, a flirty production by Joel Bray (Wiradjuri) exploring the real history of sensuality in Australia — and in a touching celebration of belonging in Maryanne Sam's (Meriam Mer) Coconut Woman. There'll be laughs aplenty when a roll call of Blak comedic talent takes to the stage for the Deadly Funny Showcase as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and lots of sparkly thrills as the country's top First Nations drag entertainers battle it out in the Miss First Nation 2021 competition. Rapper Ziggy Ramo will play his debut album Black Thoughts live on the Melbourne Recital Centre stage, while Harley Mann (Wakka Wakka) will deliver a mind-blowing acrobatic performance with the Na Djinang Circus, titled Arterial. [caption id="attachment_803729" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Barring Yanabul 2019[/caption] Melburnians can also catch a huge, roving celebration of Blak culture when free, all-day fiesta Barring Yanabul (translating to 'we all walk the path' in Boonwurrung and Woiwurring language) takes over more than 40 pop-up locations throughout the CBD. Stay tuned for more events to be revealed as the full program is released in the coming weeks. Yirramboi Festival 2021 runs from May 6–16, at various locations and venues across the city. For more details and to check out the full program once it drops, head to the festival website. Top images: Miss First Nation; Arterial photographed by Cecil Martin; Kimberly Lovegrove photographed by Jim Lee.
We've lost another one; London Grammar have pulled out of the Splendour lineup due to illness. Frontwoman Hannah Reid is apparently dealing with pneumonia, a pretty fair reason not to jump on a plane and play back-to-back shows. London Grammar issued the following statement: It's with great sadness that we must announce the cancellation of our trip to Australia & Splendour in the Grass this week due to illness. This is an incredibly sad situation for us as our last visit was one of the most memorable of our careers, but we do not feel that we can currently deliver the level of performance that you all deserve from us. Our fans in Australia have been hugely supportive of our music since the very beginning, and it pains us to have to disappoint any of you. We are going to do everything we can to make sure we are back down under as soon as possible and will reschedule our Sydney & Melbourne shows and give you more details very shortly. The preternaturally talented UK trio were slated to play sideshows at Festival Hall and Hordern Pavilion, alongside a hugely anticipated slot at Splendour. They'll now play the shows in March next year. The announcement comes after last week's Foals-replacing-Two Door Cinema Club Splendour shakeup. The party's now in the super capable hands of Sydney's kings of dance shindiggery, The Presets, who have just been announced to play the Friday slot. Splendour co-producers Jessica Ducrou and Paul Piticco issued their own statement: We're sorry to report that Hannah from London Grammar has been taken ill, after cancelling T In The Park we hoped she would recover in time for Splendour but unfortunately has not. It's been quite a challenge finding a suitable replacement at such short notice but we are pleased to announce The Presets have come to the rescue and will play at Splendour this Friday. " Whilst beyond our control we are personally very disappointed with the last minute line-up changes but we are thankful for the support from Foals and The Presets stepping up in lightening speed. Here's to a great show! For those who purchased a single day ticket particularly to see London Grammar, refunds for Friday 25 July single day tickets only will be available from Moshtix until 5pm Wednesday 23 July. More info about refunds here. But all we can say (loudly) is "AHMHEREWITHALLOMAHPEOPLE...MERR.MERR.MERR." https://youtube.com/watch?v=0H40riQv5Jk
Fitzroy's Transformer has already carved out quite the reputation thanks to its plant-based menu; however the Rose Street restaurant isn't done tempting tastebuds yet. Ticking off two of the golden rules of eating — one, that everyone loves multiple courses; two, that culinary curiosity always wins out — they're hosting a Flavours of Korea vegetarian degustation dinner. Four courses of the kinds of pickled and fermented dishes you won't usually find on offer, coming up. On August 22, patrons can sit down to smoked tofu with cabbage, watermelon radish, chrysanthemum greens and sesame; and then follow it up with pine nuts, fragrant rice, shitake, smoked egg yolk, nashi pear and toasted yuba — and they'll only be halfway through their meal.Lotus gochujang with black rice cakes and grilled cucumber helps round out the menu, alongside pecan brioche pancakes with honey, persimmon, koji and black sesame, as well as sides ranging from kolhrabi water kimchi to truffled sweet potato noodles. Bookings will be taken for every half hour between 6pm and 8.30pm, with two price points available. Opt for the food-only feast for $75 per person, or add matched wines for $110. Whichever one you choose, your stomach wins.
It's such a simple thing, putting pencil to paper and finding yourself in another world. With a few flicks of the hand, a page can conjure up all of your wildest dreams, lay bare the deepest worries lurking in your subconscious, or even combine the two. Exploring that experience in a published novel and then a feature film isn't quite as simple, but in A Monster Calls, the end result remains every bit as insightful and cathartic. If you were to mash together the bedtime story from The Princess Bride, the stunning gothic images from Pan's Labyrinth, the oversized non-human pal from Pete's Dragon, and the quest to conquer childhood fears from Labyrinth, you'd almost end up with A Monster Calls – although the key word there, of course, is 'almost'. Adapted by director J.A. Bayona (The Impossible) from Patrick Ness' book, the film might ostensibly follow in the footsteps of plenty of other coming-of-age adventures and sensitive adolescent journeys. Yet its heartfelt awareness of the difficulties of tussling with life's complexities remain wholly its own. Here, things couldn't seem bleaker for British schoolboy Conor O'Malley (Lewis MacDougall). His beloved mother (Felicity Jones) is dying from cancer, his father (Toby Kebbell) has a new family in America, and he's far from fond of the strict grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) he's told he'll eventually have to live with. Trying to put on a brave face at home but mercifully bullied in class, sketching provides Conor much-needed coping mechanism, as well as a way of remaining close to his art-loving mum. Then his scribblings and his nightmares combine, with a monstrous tree (voiced by Liam Neeson) coming to life to tell him three tales, while also demanding to hear one in return. Further tying Conor's drawings and dreams together, Bayona brings the latter to the screen in a series of gorgeously animated sequences, with inky scrawled heroes and villains cavorting through vibrant watercolour backgrounds. If you're going to adapt a book about vivid imaginings in times of personal trouble, then your movie has to look the part, after all. Indeed, as a literal visual illustration of the power of creativity to help process life's woes, A Monster Calls excels. But it's not just the images that Bayona gets right — it's the emotions as well. Alongside Ness' winning work turning his own novel into a script, that largely comes down to the performances. Jones is raw yet subtle, while MacDougall's sorrow is positively palpable. And don't underestimate the impact of Neeson's gravelly tones. There's something so sincere and affecting about the way the Irish actor imparts the tough but true wisdom at the movie's core. While we might better know him these days for his hard-as-nails characters in films like Taken and The Grey, he's just as perfect as the beating dark heart of this tender and touching fable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPh9mr-ZGOY
The University of Melbourne's North Court is set to transform into a marketplace of fresh food this July for the event Think.Eat.Save, with visitors to the location receiving a free lunch of soups and toasties by chef Matt Wilkinson of Pope Joan. OzHarvest and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) are teaming up for the event with the aim of not only filling the hungry stomachs of chilly Sydneysiders, but also to raise awareness of the global problem of food waste. The chef will be on-hand from 11.30am till 2pm alongside sustainable chef Joost Bakker. With four million tonnes of food wasted in Australia each year, the path to change starts with the fridge of every Australian. A recent study revealed that Melburnians waste nearly a million tonnes of edible food every year, of which fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy are among the main foods tossed (and, arguably, the easiest to save). While you eat your free celebrity chef-cooked lunch — and taste a range of free food samples — you'll be able to pick up some of their tips for preventing food waste. You'll be making master stock with your veggie scraps in no time. Image: Cole Bennetts for OzHarvest.
Strangers on a Train meets Sliding Doors meets Brick meets True Romance. If that sounds like quite a lot to squeeze into one package, hold on, because writer-director Christopher Smith is just getting started. Detour is the kind of movie that openly nods and winks to its many influences, made by the type of filmmaker that wants audiences to know that he's shouting about his references on purpose. Smith even goes so far as to have one of his characters watch part of a1945 film noir with the same title as the movie they're in. When a filmmaker nods so eagerly at his or her sources of inspiration, one of two things tends to happen. Ideally, they shape those influences into an engaging new package that builds upon familiar parts. More often, they end up being overshadowed by the better filmmakers whose movies they keep reminding you you could be watching instead. Aiming for the former but delivering the latter, Detour proves a feature more concerned with showing viewers what it's doing than actually doing it well. Smith certainly knows and loves the films that he's homaging, but making that plain isn't the same as making an entertaining crime thriller in their image. That the movie's protagonist not only shares his name with a 1966 Paul Newman movie, but has a poster of the film on his bedroom wall, says plenty. So does the fact that audiences first meet Los Angeles law student Harper (Tye Sheridan) as he's listening to a lecture about the escape tactics of pursued criminals. Throw in a grudge against the stepfather (Stephen Moyer) he blames for his mother's comatose state, a chance bar meeting with local thug Johnny Ray (Emory Cohen), and a stripper with a heart of gold named Cherry (Bel Powley), and it all starts to feel rather derivative — even when the movie's big gimmick kicks into gear. Once Harper discovers what he hired Johnny Ray to do during their drunken evening together, Detour splits its narrative into two timelines. In one, the new acquaintances make the sunny drive to Las Vegas with murder on their minds; in the other, Harper stays home, although that still ends up being quite eventful. Smith flits from one story to the other, and frequently splashes them together using slick split-screen imagery. Sadly, the device doesn't help either section shake the been-there, done-that feeling – and neither does the film's predictable destination. Smith does, at least, take a trio of impressive actors along for the ride, even if none are quite at their best. Sheridan, Cohen and Powley have all given much, much better performances in Mud, Brooklyn and The Diary of a Teenage Girl respectively, but at least they try to make their stock-standard characters seem like something more. That's not exactly high praise, but it does sum up Detour's fortunes quite perfectly. A loving attempt to tackle a familiar genre, the film does everything it can to speed into new territory. Alas, it gets lost along the way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbzZGUJ4MzE
Spring mightn't be considered comfort food season, but that won't do anything to stop Melbourne's flour fiends flocking to Collingwood Town Hall for their doughy treat fix. Come Saturday, September 10, Flour Market is hosting their latest bake sale — yes, the baked goods bonanza is back for another instalment. No matter which type of sugary oven-baked goodness takes your fancy, you're likely to find it here. There'll be doughnuts from Cobb Lane and Doughboys, cakes from Bake & Co, pies from Blackberry Belle's, chocolate creations from Mork and bagels from 5 & Dime, plus the likes of The Pie Shop, Little Bertha, Au79, Bistro Morgan, Shortstop, Butter Mafia and Candied Bakery as well. In the past, the Flour Market has drawn huge crowds lining up halfway around the block to get their mitts on some cream-filled, jam-glazed, artisan patisserie, so we recommend getting there early. If you prefer your pastries guaranteed, you can buy an Early Riser entry ticket from September 6. Check their Facebook page for more details as they announce them.
Whenever Tom Cruise appears on screen, he's playing a part. But he's usually also playing Tom Cruise. Nearly four decades into his megawatt smile-flashing career, there's no mistaking the superstar's recognisable film persona, whether he's feeling the need for speed in Top Gun or living, dying and repeating in Edge of Tomorrow. It's a role he inhabits with charm and ease, as American Made is well aware. Though he's ostensibly taking on the guise of a pilot turned CIA operative turned narcotics smuggler, this based-on-a-true-tale drama is all about showcasing Cruise's well-known talents. That means aviator sunnies, flying high and oozing charisma all over anyone he can. It also means a cruisy (pun intended) vibe when he's stepping into criminal territory, skirting the law, transporting drugs and buddying up to Pablo Escobar's cronies. The '70s and '80s-set story may seem larger than life, but ultimately viewers know what they're getting, energetic central performance and all. If fighting the undead in The Mummy seemed like a bit of a departure for the A-lister, American Made is a beaming, smooth-talking return to familiar territory. Starting in 1978, Cruise plays Barry Seal. He's a run-of-the-mill commercial airline captain until his illegal cigar-ferrying antics catch the attention of CIA agent Monty Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson). Quicker than you can say "show me the way to avoid jail time", Seal agrees to quit his job, become a government consultant and take clandestine aerial surveillance photos in South America. While he's down there, he's also asked to deliver cash and trade arms by the agency — and bring back cocaine by the now-infamous Medellín cartel. It all goes well until it doesn't, as tends to be the case with these kinds of capers. And yet, even after he's caught by the Colombian authorities, forced to fill his wife (Sarah Wright) in about his new gig, and made to relocate his family to a small town in Arkansas, Seal keeps trying to work both sides to turn a profit. "Shit gets really crazy from here," Seal tells the camera at one point, as he recounts his life story down the barrel of an '80s camcorder. And he's right. Re-teaming with Cruise after the aforementioned Edge of Tomorrow, there's no shortage of wild antics for director Doug Liman to thrust onto the screen. In fact, there's almost too many, as the film morphs into an enjoyable but somewhat repetitive mix of Blow, Goodfellas and American Hustle. For what it's worth, that applies not only to the feature's jam-packed narrative, but also to its wavering tone. Call it the Cruise effect. Although Seal clearly isn't the greatest of guys, he's portrayed as a loveable rogue because that suits the movie's star. Call it the Hollywood effect as well, with flicks about affable law-breakers an eternal cinema staple — think War Dogs and The Wolf of Wall Street, just to name a few recent examples. American Made wants viewers to warm to its antihero and laugh at his endeavours, while also laying out the real and serious consequences of his actions. Unfortunately, it doesn't always get the balance right. Still, sunny cinematography, zippy pacing, an era-specific soundtrack and Cruise being Cruise all guarantee you'll be largely entertained regardless. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lolbJquVPWU
Stretch out your work stresses, or sip them away? It's an age-old problem, and one hardly helped by the fact that both make you feel great. Doing one and then the other is certainly a solution — but doing both at the same time is better. Behold: beer yoga. At midday and 1pm on August 30 and 31, Midtown Melbourne is getting in on the blissful boozing trend (or, finding a way to make drinking even more delightful, you could argue). Whether you're a yoga fanatic who also likes a tipple or vice versa, you won't find a better way to indulge your two loves, or clear your mind. Participation is free, includes a brew and is certain to brighten up your lunchtime. Reserving a spot in advance is recommended, partially because it's bound to be popular, and partially because your future self will thank you. Sure, you mightn't think you need this at the beginning of the week, but as it comes to a close, you know you will.
11 years after the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore is back and more powerful than we could have possibly imagined. Well, no actually. The content of An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power still packs a punch, and as far as composition goes it's a stunner. At the same time, we can't help but feel that after a decade of discussion surrounding climate change, the potency of Gore's central message has been somewhat diluted. Think of it this way: if An Inconvenient Truth was a diagnosis, An Inconvenient Sequel is a check-up. The outlook is still grim, as Gore illustrates with evidence from around the world – melting ice sheets in Greenland, devastating weather events across South-East Asia, flooding in the streets of Miami. But the effect isn't quite as shocking as in the original, although this may be a comment on society's apathy rather than the content of the documentary itself. Naturally, this follow-up has a decidedly political bent. Shot and edited in 2016, the film captures a snapshot of the international atmosphere in the lead up the US election, and there's an extra layer of tragedy that comes watching from the other side. While the original movie battled against the widespread ignorance of climate change, the antagonist in the sequel is the political machinations that prevent a real and widespread response to the threat. And the looming spectre of Donald Trump is the perfect embodiment of this theme. The most compelling part of the doco is the intimate glimpse it gives at the workings at the UNFCCC Paris Climate Change Conference. It was a tumultuous time politically, with a terrorist attack in the French capital having claimed the lives of more than 130 people just days before. But the most interesting element is the negotiations between signatories. Gore, it would seem, played an integral role in helping the united countries reach a voluntary agreement, and the behind-the-scenes look at the negotiations are fascinating – if rather heavily edited. Admittedly, the film does feel a bit heavy on Gore – there are some rambling asides about his political come-up and education programs that stretch a little too long. Viewers may also feel a little worn down by the grim subject matter, although at least the movie finishes on a somewhat positive note. The call to action in the dying minutes of An Inconvenient Sequel – to speak up, to protest, and to be heard to enable change – is a vitally important one. That's true now more than ever before. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huX1bmfdkyA
For a genre that's obsessed with killing people off, horror certainly likes to bring things back to life. That applies to dearly departed children and their favourite dolls, and also to series' and spinoffs that would perhaps have been better left alone. All of the above combines in Annabelle: Creation, a prequel to the first offshoot from The Conjuring films, and an exercise in formulaic franchise-building. Alas, a house full of orphaned girls aren't the only victims here. Jumping back to the beginning of the unsettling toy's tale, this instalment also introduces its flesh-and-blood namesake. Nicknamed Bee, the seven-year-old daughter (Samara Lee) of Esther and Samuel Mullins (Aussie actors Miranda Otto and Anthony LaPaglia) is rather fond of her inanimate best friend, a bond that seems to linger even after tragedy strikes. When a parentless group of youngsters — including the polio-stricken Janice (Talitha Bateman), her close pal Linda (Lulu Wilson) and young nun Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) — are taken in by the still-grieving couple 12 years later, they come to discover just what that means. Needless to say, it involves a certain possessed plaything. Arriving in 2014 in an eager bid to cash in on The Conjuring's success, the initial Annabelle film was a bland affair — and while this second effort improves on its predecessor, that's not saying much. Aware that the standard stalk-and-kill story didn't work the last time around, Lights Out director David F. Sandberg and returning writer Gary Dauberman instead decide that imitation is the best form of flattery and the best approach to the series as a whole, returning to the kids in a creepy home motif that made the main films in the franchise a hit. Had The Conjuring 2 not already been released, this could have stolen its title. Secret rooms taunt curious minds; things go bump in the night; and sinister happenings start spooking everyone in the house. The film's narrative is as routine as expected, and doesn't ever pretend otherwise — with more titles in the series already greenlit, Annabelle: Creation doesn't really need to do anything more than just exist. It's the episodic approach to movie-making that's largely designed to keep the franchise in viewers' minds until the next chapter rolls around. Think of it like TV: every hour of a show isn't going to be a winner, but the powers-that-be know that doesn't matter as long as audiences stay primed for the next one. As calculated and template-driven as Annabelle: Creation may be, the film does have one saving grace: Sandberg. Making his second Hollywood horror movie in two years, the director repeats his Lights Out fortunes, vastly improving a surprise-free plot through his mastery of mood and imagery. He knows how to make unnerving moments count through both patience and quick scares — and how to cultivate a convincing atmosphere of dread and unease with camera placement and lighting choices. Every obvious development, silly character choice and by-the-book performance works against him, but if Annabelle: Creation does one thing, it's make a case for Sandberg to be given much, much better material to work with. Let's just hope he leaves this particular franchise in his rear-view mirror. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPTogn2E3CI
It was true 20 years ago and it's still true today: if you're going to take a bright, bold and utterly outlandish trip into a futuristic vision of space, you really want to take it with Luc Besson. Two decades after the French filmmaker rode a multi-pass to sci-fi space opera infamy with The Fifth Element, he's back doing what he does best. And while Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets can't quite match its cult classic predecessor, it has a vivid, energetic and involving time trying to do so. This isn't just a case of same director, same tricks, however. While there's much that looks and feels familiar about this account of intergalactic cops on an interstellar adventure, Besson is adapting one of his strongest sources of inspiration rather than simply reliving past glories. That'd be '60s French-Belgian comic Valérian et Laureline, which the writer-director first discovered as a kid, and which clearly left an imprint on his aesthetic. It also reportedly influenced the original Star Wars, though George Lucas' flicks didn't feature Rihanna as an enslaved blue blob who shape-shifts while singing and pole-dancing. More's the pity. As great as a film about the scene-stealing pop star would be, she's not the main point of focus. Instead, the decidedly human Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and his partner-in-crime Laureline (Cara Delevingne) take centre stage. He's laid-back (but still law-abiding), while she's a feistily determined risk-taker. It's the 28th century, and they're enjoying a simulated stint at the beach while they hurtle towards their next mission. But Valerian's virtual sun and sand is interrupted by a vision of a similarly scenic planet in peril. When the duo is charged with recovering a highly coveted converter that can replicate any substance en masse, they discover the link between Valerian's dream, the task at hand, and the fact that colossal space station Alpha — a meeting place for all of the galaxy's inhabitants — is under threat from unknown enemies. With Clive Owen's megalomaniacal military chief, Ethan Hawke's slimy pimp, and a vast array of extra-terrestrial lifeforms all part of the action — to say nothing of inter-dimensional shopping, psychic jellyfish, genocide, government conspiracies and repeated marriage proposals — any description of Valerian's plot is going to sound over-the-top. And for the most part, that's how it plays out on screen. That said, just as this is a story about breaking the rules in the name of peace, love and understanding, Besson shows that he too is willing to break with convention behind the camera. "Style over substance" is the usual cry when a film pairs eye-popping visuals with a scant or silly plot. But Besson wears the label like a badge of honour, gleefully demonstrating that a barely convincing narrative and nearly two hours of sci-fi spectacle can still entertain. Of course, that's often the space opera's lot. Dune, John Carter, Jupiter Ascending — they've all been there and done that in engaging (albeit divisive) fashion. It's also a genre of film that's often more concerned with appearance and atmosphere than performance, though DeHaan does a great early '90s Keanu impression (whether knowingly or not), and Delevingne proves a beguiling presence, constantly rolling her eyes. Ultimately, they're like the people you meet on holiday. You won't mind spending time with them, but you're more interested in just taking in the sights. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wbN9fPU_u0
If there was ever any doubt that breakfast is the best meal of the day, just consider the foods on offer. Whether you're an eggs and bacon, smashed avo on toast, stack of pancakes or humble cereal fiend, these first-up meals all have one thing in common: you'd like to eat them morning, noon and night — and, you have. Over the weekend of August 11 to 13, you can devour definitely your favourite early morning nosh for lunch and dinner at The Food Truck Park. In fact, the Preston meals-on-wheels hub isn't serving anything else. For three days only — and for the first time, too — Melbourne's finest mobile eateries will only be whipping up breakfast and brunch fare. Yep, it's a Big Breakfast Festival all right. Given the menu, you'd best show up with a big appetite to match. There'll be from bacon sandwiches, falafel hot dogs and gooey, cheesy toasties, plus French toast, scrolls and pastries, and waffles. Or, grab some bircher muesli, an acai bowl and avo fries — or brekkie burgers, chilli beef gozleme and Punjabi paneer masala. With the fest open from 5pm to 10pm on Friday, 12pm to 10pm on Saturday and 12pm to 9pm on Sunday, going back more than once is understandable.
We all have someone we'd love to go back in time to thank for inventing something we love, and whoever came up with bottomless brunches has to be one of them. Given that Sunday mornings are made for eating, drinking and being merry, doing so with an endless supply of tipples is a treat worth celebrating. At Richmond's Fargo and Co, you can't show your appreciation for the clever person behind the original idea. But, you can do the next best thing, aka enjoy the concept in action. Every Sunday from 11am until 2pm, three things are on the menu: unlimited mimosas, just as free-flowing Prosecco and the chef's brunch selection. It's the kind of weekend session worth rolling out of bed early for, and it'll set you back a reasonable $50 per person. In fact, having a quiet Saturday night to prepare for this cruisy Sunday get-together is perfectly understandable. Updated: March 29, 2018.
As part of the 2017 Season of the Arts, Open House is popping up in Ballarat. Over the weekend of October 28 and 29, Ballarat will open the doors to some of its most significant structures so the public can have a little sticky beak. The list of buildings and events on the agenda has yet to be announced, but keep an ear out for an announcement in September. It's an exciting event for many reasons, the first and foremost being that the more Open House weekends we get, the better. Secondly, it's the first time Open House Melbourne has partnered regionally, so we're thinking there must be gold behind all those closed doors in Ballarat. While we don't have specifics yet, we do know they'll be opening most private contemporary homes and significant commercial and civic buildings, creating the blend of experiences that Open House Melbourne is renowned for. Images: Simon Shiff.
What's better than one annual showcase of French movies? Two, of course. Not content with giving Aussie audiences the best in Gallic cinema once a year for nearly three decades — and building the biggest festival of French films outside of France, too — the folks behind the Alliance Française French Film Festival began doubling their efforts. After launching the Alliance Française Classic Film Festival in 2015, it's back for another retro cinema showcase. In fantastic news for anyone who likes diving into the great flicks of times gone by, the fest will once again shine a light on a heap of old favourites. It's the third time the fest has done so, heading Melbourne's Astor Theatre from October 12 to 15 (and Sydney, Canberra and Perth from August through to October too) with a six-film tribute to French star Jean-Paul Belmondo. Alongside everyone from Emmanuelle Riva to Anna Karina to Gerard Depardieu — and under the direction of filmmakers such as Jean-Pierre Melville, Jean-Luc Godard and Alain Resnais — Belmondo will blaze up the big screen in globe-trotting treasure hunts (That Man From Rio), crime thrillers (Stavisky and Doulos: the Finger Man), romantic dramas (Pierrot le Fou) and more. Many screen in gloriously restored versions, including war drama Weekend at Dunkirk (no, not the Christopher Nolan one).
"Today is a good day to die," announced Kiefer Sutherland in Flatliners circa 1990. The film's opening line was moody and cheesy all at once, and set the scene for the blend of sci-fi and horror to follow. Before he was battling terrorists as Jack Bauer, a blonde-locked Sutherland played a medical student convinced that he could kill himself, find out what happens next, come back to life and get famous. Even with Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon among the cast, the final product was far from memorable. Both Sutherland and that line of dialogue pop up in the new remake, the latest Hollywood rehash no one was dying for. His involvement is amusing, though not intentionally so, while the repeated phrase feels as routine and obligatory as it inescapably is. If only the entire movie had fallen into the first category, rather than the second. With director Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and writer Ben Ripley (Source Code) taking an average-at-best flick from almost 30 years ago, ditching the '90s brooding, ramping up the backstory and exposition, and throwing in some raucous party scenes because, hey, it's 2017, it was never going to be a good day for this film. This time around, Ellen Page's Courtney takes centre stage. While she says her obsession with near-death experiences is all in the name of science, an introductory car crash makes her personal motivations clear. Stressed-out classmate Sophia (Kiersey Clemons) and ladies' man Jamie (James Norton) are initially tricked into helping, but prove eager to follow in her footsteps when she returns with a better memory, a desire to knock down walls, some nifty piano playing skills and a need to bake bread. Yes, really. Ray (Diego Luna) only stumbles across the heart-stopping scheme when things go wrong, and Marlo (Nina Dobrev) literally follows him into the hospital's basement. But soon they're caught up in things as well. It's a silly premise, with the group forced to face some very obvious consequences. Dying isn't all it's cracked up to be, especially when it's accompanied by haunting reminders about their various sins. Ripley's script cares not for surprises, and Oplev shows the same lack of concern for anything other than going through the motions. Even if you haven't seen the original Flatliners, if you've seen any other spooky flick that flirts with shuffling off this mortal coil, prepare yourself for a journey into been-there, done-that territory. While it's easy to decry the growing trend towards pointless remakes, Flatliners isn't terrible just because it needlessly revives a forgettable film from a bygone era. Likewise, it'd be easy to bemoan the fact that such a talented cast has been saddled with such crumby material, but wasting Page, Clemons and Luna in particular isn't the movie's main problem. None of that helps, but the killer jolt is the film's lack of energy. While its characters take a zap to the heart to step into the afterlife, Flatliners doesn't have a pulse to begin with. Flat and bland in style, plot and emotion, it's a work completely devoid of interest and scares as a result. The only thing that stands out in Luna's man-bun — and even it has nothing on Bacon's mullet in the original. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQB35rkRSM0
If you've ever been (or tried to be) vegan, you'll know there's a certain bliss that comes with having a whole smorgasbord of plant-based products at your disposal. So we expect squeals aplenty at the news that the Big Vegan Market is back, and will once again grace the sprawling interior of Carlton's Royal Exhibition Building on May 12 and 13. Kicking off at 10am on both days, the event pulls together a dizzying, all-vegan array of food, drinks, craft, beauty and fashion, with more than 200 vendors signing up to showcase their cruelty-free wares. Head in to snack on treats from the likes of Fitzroy dessert bar Girls & Boys and Vietnamese eatery The Pham Sisters, while indulging in some guilt-free retail therapy, spying sustainably-crafted threads from Velvety and animal-free wares from The Cruelty Free Shop. Given the stacks of businesses involved, they're really just a few of the goodies on offer. Jump on the Facebook page for the day's full lineup of vegan vendors. Image: Girls & Boys.
They say you should start your year as you wish to continue it. So, to be sure of a seriously tasty twelve-month forecast, why not make your first meal of 2018 a decadent feast at Proof is in the Pudding? On January 1, not only will the South Yarra bakery be open and slinging a standout array of seasonal sweet treats, but it's also hosting a special New Year's Day recovery brunch — in place of its usual monthly Bakers Bench degustation event. The same $42 per head brunch will also run on Sunday, December 31, with intimate sittings available at 2.30pm on NYE and 11.30am, 1pm and 3pm the next day. No matter how stressful your 2017 turned out to be, this three-course feed is sure to make it all better, featuring sweet and savoury dishes as imagined by head baker and owner Isabelle Bach. The menu is still under wraps for now, though previous degustations have starred such drool-worthy delights as bite-sized tacos, lasagna scrolls, a feather-light honey pistachio cheesecake and the utterly addictive 'crack pie'.
Sun, surf, sand, sex and the seaside Gold Coast suburbs in the '70s. What a combination. Swinging Safari is every bit as over-the-top and outrageous as it sounds, but if anyone was going to try and make the chaos work, it's writer-director Stephan Elliott. The man behind The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert knows how to make a splash, paying tribute to Australia and our eccentricities in a manner that's both affectionate and tongue-in-cheek. Accordingly, his latest effort is a knowing love letter to a specific era and the freewheeling way of life that came with it — one spent surrounded by rayon clothes and shag carpets, slathered in sunscreen, chowing down on buckets of KFC and guzzling cask wine. In a cul-de-sac not far from the Queensland hotspot's scenic shoreline, three families spend their days and nights hopping between backyard parties, beach picnics and any other shenanigans that come about. Over at the Hall household, encyclopaedia salesman Keith (Guy Pearce) and the booze-addled Kaye (Kylie Minogue) can't manage their marital malaise, let alone their rowdy brood of kids. Next door at the Joneses, Rick (Julian McMahon) and Jo (Radha Mitchell) think they're the leaders of the pack, with a sunken conversation pit in the middle of their lounge room to prove it. That leaves Bob and Gale Marsh (Jeremy Sims and Asher Keddie) somewhere in the middle, complete with a daughter, Bec (Chelsea Glaw), who's a hit with the local boys, and a son, Jeff (Atticus Robb), who constantly has a camera in his hands. With Elliot himself a child of the 1970s, there's no escaping Swinging Safari's partly autobiographical nature. In fact, it's an adult Jeff (voiced by Richard Roxburgh) that narrates the movie, with the aspiring filmmaker looking back on his teenage years. Unsurprisingly, his younger self sometimes struggles to cope with the mayhem around him. While making his own stunt-filled movies helps, he really has eyes for the shy Mellie Jones (Darcey Wilson). Unfortunately, their budding romance hits a snag when their parents' key-swapping antics incite a neighbourhood war. Plus there's the not-so-little matter of the 200-tonne dead whale rotting on the local beach. Elliott might be turning what he knows into a movie, but diving headfirst into nostalgic memories isn't quite the same as stringing together a great story. Swinging Safari places less focus on its narrative, and pays more attention to moments, mood, outfits and ramping up the fun. With that in mind, the adult cast members are clearly having a ball reliving their younger years (and, in the case of Pearce and Minogue, reuniting nearly 30 years after they left Ramsay Street). Their irreverence and enthusiasm is infectious, even when the jokes don't land. Of course, the film always seems more interested in pushing boundaries of comedy, taste and political correctness than it is in fleshing out its characters. If Swinging Safari teaches viewers one thing, it's that fickle entertainment and amusement were high on everyone's agenda in '70s Australia, while seriousness and subtlety most definitely were not. The result is a movie that can't stuff its frames with enough raucous one-liners, polyester jumpsuits or instances of a woman urinating on a jellyfish-stung child. When that doesn't work, the crew – many of whom date back to Priscilla – helps pick up the slack with their attention to bright, sunny period detail. Oscar-winning costume designer Lizzy Gardiner is one of them, and while it's usually not a good sign when the outfits steal the show, her outlandish creations hit the garish spot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB95v_pyQq8
Every year, when October rolls around, the Astor Theatre hosts an all-night movie-watching extravaganza. 'Tis the season for bumps, jumps, screams, creepy celluloid dreams and getting scared while sitting in a cinema, after all. But there are halloween marathons, and then there are Halloween halloween marathons. No, we didn't accidentally repeat a word in the last sentence. For the Chapel Street venue's 2018 spooktacular, it's dedicating an entire night to the frightening film series that John Carpenter started 40 years ago. Expect the writer/director/composer's famous piano-filled score to echo throughout the building as Michael Myers dons his mask, grabs a knife, bursts through wardrobes, stalks babysitters and terrifies his hometown of Haddonfield, all on the titular occasion. And, expect Jamie Lee Curtis to cement her credentials as the ultimate big-screen scream queen. From the iconic first film — one of the best horror flicks ever made — to the not-so-iconic late 90s and early 00s sequels, all eight original Halloween movies will screen from 7pm on Saturday, October 27. The Halloween onslaught couldn't be better timed, and not only due to the date, with the all-new ninth film in the franchise hitting cinemas everywhere just a week earlier.
In 2018, great Australian choreographer Graeme Murphy celebrates 50 years in the business. And, to mark the occasion, the Australian Ballet is opening the season with a tribute. Titled Murphy, the show is a dazzling compilation of the choreographer's boldest and most poetic moments. A major highlight is the return of Firebird. The ballet is based on a Russian folktale about a prince who captures a bird, but, in exchange for a magical feather, sets her free. Next, he finds himself in an enchanted garden, where he falls in love with the daughter of an evil magician called Koschei, whose soul is trapped inside an egg. Together, the prince and Firebird attempt to release it. The story first appeared as a ballet in 1910 in an interpretation by choreographer Michel Fokine, set to music by composer Igor Stravinsky for the Ballet Russe. Murphy's recreation in 2009, which sticks to the original, is set in a dystopian Garden of Eden, designed by Leon Krasenstein. Along with performing the whole masterpiece, dancers will revisit excerpts from The Silver Rose, Ellipse, Grand and Air and Other Invisible Forces, as well as the entirety of Sheherazade. "What better way to start the year than by honouring an Australian dancemaker of unparalleled talent whose virtuosic career began right here with the Australian Ballet 50 years ago," said David McAllister, artistic director of the Australian Ballet. Murphy created his very first work for the Ballet's Choreographic Workshop in 1971, before going on to become artistic director for Sydney Dance Company, a position he held for 31 years. Murphy runs March 16–26 at Arts Centre Melbourne. You can book tickets here. Image: Jeff Busby and Alex Makeyev
UPDATE, March 12, 2021: Slender Man is available to stream via Netflix, Google Play, YouTube Movies, iTunes and Amazon Video. Forget Slender Man's thin body, faceless head and eerie vibe. Sure, the character's unsettling appearance was designed to frighten people; however the scariest thing about the lingering internet meme is the fact that it still exists. It's been nine years since Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen came up with the macabre figure as part of a photoshop contest to create paranormal images, and not only is it still doing the digital rounds, it's making the leap onto the big screen as well. Longevity is one thing. Flogging a nearly decade-old creepypasta — the online equivalent of telling ghost stories around a campfire — is something else entirely. In the film that shares its name, Slender Man has a knack for timing, but Slender Man the movie definitely doesn't. In fact, this flimsy horror effort doesn't have a knack for much, other than sticking to the dullest of formulas. A group of teenage girls view an unnerving video, begin to notice weird occurrences and then start disappearing. If you'd like us to wake you up when it stops sounding generic, then you're in for quite a lengthy snooze. When Massachusetts pals Katie (Annalise Basso), Chloe (Jaz Sinclair), Hallie (Julia Goldani Telles) and Wren (Joey King) get bored at a slumber party, they decide to switch from watching porn to discovering what this Slender Man character is all about. A week later, Katie goes missing during a class trip to a cemetery, and her drunken dad blames her newfound obsession with the occult. That sparks the rest of the gang into action, taking advice from a mysterious online source and trying to offer Slender Man an exchange to get their missing friend back. To their surprise (but not to the audience's), that plan doesn't pan out well. Slender Man isn't someone to be bargained with, it seems. Given that Ringu and The Ring already exist (with several sequels to both), you might expect Slender Man to reach beyond an already well-worn premise. Given that The Craft exists as well, you might expect more than just a group of goth-leaning besties trifling with ominous forces, too. Sadly, we can keep playing this game, and the outcome remains the same. The film follows terrorised, victimised girls in the same US state that's infamous for the Salem witch trials, but it draws zero modern-day parallels. And, while it stems from the pen of screenwriter David Birke — the scribe behind the vastly superior Isabelle Huppert-led rape-revenge thriller Elle — Slender Man boasts no signs of complexity either. Along with by-the-numbers performances, bland shots of spooky forests and a paper-thin message about the corruptive power of going viral, among Slender Man's many missteps is the squandering of its eponymous villain. The elongated figure is literally yesterday's news now, but the film does little more than point out that it looks creepy and thrust it at the screen for a few jump-scares. That's the kind of laziness that usually plagues direct-to-video sequels, arrogantly believing that name recognition will do half of the work, and that occasionally pointing the camera at something sinister will do the rest. In that spirit, it should come as no surprise that director Sylvain White also has derivative threequel I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer on his resume. If there's one positive aspect to Slender Man, though, it's this: thankfully, it doesn't try to capitalise upon the real-life stabbing committed in the titular entity's name. Back in 2014, two 12-year-old girls attacked one of their friends in an effort to impress the internet's favourite boogeyman, adding an extra level of discomfort to the Slender Man saga. The case was covered in 2016 documentary Beware the Slenderman, which is straightforward but still vastly more intelligent and engaging than this fictional take on the meme. Still, watching Slender Man, viewers get the feeling that the film might've once cribbed a few cues from reality, then cut them from the final version — the movie is so drab and cobbled-together that it seems like the work of filmmakers trying to salvage a bad situation. Or, that could just be the kindest way to look at this scare-free, intrigue-free mess. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jc0ez0IZ4k
Pasta and parmesan are one of Italian cuisine's perfect pairings. Eat the former without the latter, and your tastebuds will know the difference. And while sprinkling your spaghetti with fine shavings of hard cheese is all well and good (and delicious), that's nothing compared to devouring a bowl of pasta that has been cooked in a parmesan wheel. If it sounds like all of your culinary dreams come true, that's because it is — and it's the dish in the spotlight at Cucinetta's Parmesan Wheel Week. After two successful events last year, the South Yarra restaurant is bringing it back in May, once again serving up the Italian traditional specialty pasta cacio e pepe straight out of a wheel of 18-month Grana Padano. Given that cacio e pepe is a spaghetti concoction made with parmesan and pepper — think fancier, tastier mac 'n' cheese — the results promise quite the cheesy meal. It will be available at Cucinetta for lunch from 12–3pm and dinner from 5pm between May 2 and 8. We'd tell you to arrive hungry, but we're sure you already are just thinking about it.
If the team behind the Insidious franchise could have their time again, we're betting they'd make a significant change. You don't need supernatural abilities to pick what they'd fix, with their decision to kill off Lin Shaye's parapsychologist Elise Rainier in the first movie something they clearly regret. In the second film, they brought her back via the spirit world, while the series' third and fourth instalments have gone down the prequel route. It's easy to understand why — as the plucky otherworldly expert tasked with helping ordinary folks battle literal demons, Shaye is the best thing the horror saga has going for it by far. Indeed, thanks to the veteran actress, the Insidious flicks deserve a little more credit than they generally get. After all, how many franchises can say they have a 74-year-old woman as their star? A genre veteran with everything from A Nightmare on Elm Street to Critters to the Ouija movies to her name, Shaye remains as committed to her role as Elise as ever, including this time around. That said, pushing a septuagenarian front and centre can't make up for the series' largely by-the-numbers construction, which grows increasingly apparent with each new chapter. It would take serious mystical abilities to breathe life into the formulaic effort that is Insidious: The Last Key, for example. Directed by Shaye's 2001 Maniacs co-star Adam Robitel, this derivative outing keeps its protagonist around by taking a tried-and-tested path: an origin story. Anchored in Elise's childhood, the movie could easily be subtitled "this time, it's personal". As an introductory segment explains, she was once a girl (Ava Kolker) with special abilities, living near a prison, with a stern executioner father (Josh Stewart) who didn't approve. In the modern-day storyline, Elise is called back to her former home by its current resident (Kirk Acevedo), who's having some paranormal troubles of his own. Set in New Mexico's Five Keys and featuring a ghoul by the name of KeyFace, Insidious: The Last Key is anything but subtle. The paranormal villain also has keys for fingers, and doors and locks are prominent throughout the film. Although he created the series and has penned every instalment to date, Australian actor and screenwriter Leigh Whannell appears to be going through the motions with the flimsy narrative, even when he tries to step into more thematically interesting territory. Part of the movie focuses on abuse and the cycles of violence it can create, but it's treated with the same clunkiness as the supposedly-comic romantic subplot that sees sidekick characters, played by Whannell and Angus Sampson, hitting on a couple of much younger women. Of course, depth isn't something the franchise has ever counted among its strengths. Nor, for that matter, is comedy. Other than Shaye's presence, it has always fared best as a genre exercise. When The Conjuring's James Wan was at the helm of the first two films, what the series lacked in smarts and story, it almost made up for with its well-executed bumps, jumps, shadowy images and unsettling atmosphere. Nodding affectionately to (and borrowing liberally from) iconic horror flicks has always been part of the package too, but Wan's handling of demonic spirits and haunted houses still struck a stylistic chord. Sadly, as this trying, generic effort demonstrates, Robitel doesn't have the same talents with aesthetics or with scares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV7tKm6JCCU
When the minds behind Melbourne Music Week select a venue as unique as St Paul's Cathedral as festival hub, you'd better believe they launch it with a bang. And indeed, the venue's MMW opening night is set to be quite the showstopper, pulling together a sparkling lineup of local and international acts on Friday, November 17. Heading the bill is Brooklyn-based songstress Julianna Barwick, whose ethereal vocals promise to make pure magic with those soaring cathedral ceilings. She'll be joined by US folk icon Kath Bloom, Melbourne producer Andras Fox, Wilson Tanner of Eleventeen Eston and neo-classical doom act Divide and Dissolve. Meanwhile, local producer Kirkis will debut his latest record with backing from the Melbourne Mass Gospel Choir, Two Steps On The Water will serve up a taste of their signature folk-punk sound and Krakatau's James Tom and Jack Doepel are set to deliver an unmissable performance featuring the cathedral's iconic T.C Lewis Pipe Organ. Now that you know what you'll be doing on opening night, make sure you've locked in some more gigs throughout the nine-days of music. We've given you a rundown of the full lineup here.
Revel, the crew behind such epicurean hits as Pinot Palooza, Game of Rhones and Mould, is back with another standout food and wine event, this time devoted to all things Greek. After a successful debut last year, Oinofilia: A Celebration of the Wines of Greece will return to North Melbourne's Meat Market this Sunday, June 24. As with previous Revel events, wine lovers are in for a serious treat here. Greece takes the cake as Europe's oldest wine-producing region and Oinofilia is out to do it justice, showcasing 80 different wines from every corner of the country. Visitors will have the chance to sample unique varietals like Assyrtiko, Xinomavro, Moschofilero and Agiorgitiko, and chat to producers flown in especially for the event. Being a Greek celebration, no one's about to go hungry either. The Melbourne edition will feature authentic fare from Camberwell's Elyros and sister restaurant Epocha, along with treats from Prahran Market's famed Sweet Greek. According to Revel founder and director Dan Sims, it's the chance for locals to get acquainted with a Greek offering that's often underrated here in Australia. "Oinofilia, from the Greek oîn, is by definition a love of wine," he says. "We all love Greek food, culture, and those islands, now it's time to celebrate Greek wine."
It's been three years since Australia's cinema scene welcomed the American Essentials Film Festival — and while a fest dedicated to US flicks might seem obvious, this event sets its sights much further than Hollywood's usual suspects. Given that mainstream, megaplex-friendly movies reach our shores every week, the Palace-run showcase instead curates a lineup of other American titles, delving into films from the US indie realm. Screening in Melbourne from May 10 to 20, the 2018 fest has a particular fondness for emerging practitioners, with artistic director Richard Sowada noting "the obvious talent from some of the filmmakers in the early stages of their feature film careers," as well as "the deep and obvious respect even some of these newer filmmakers have for the traditions of storytelling in American cinema." With that in mind, this year's event kicks off with The Boy Downstairs, a Zosia Mamet-starring effort from debut feature writer-director Sophie Brooks, which proved a hit at the 2017 TriBeCa Film Festival. The opening night pick also highlights one of the festival's other trends — thanks to its focus on American cinema, it boasts plenty of familiar faces on screen. Standouts include Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair battling a murderous rage in horror-comedy Mom and Dad, Helena Bonham Carter and Hilary Swank recreating a landmark '80s case for patients' rights in 55 Steps, and war effort The Yellow Birds, featuring Solo: A Star Wars Story's Alden Ehrenreich, Ready Player One's Tye Sheridan, plus Toni Collette and Jennifer Aniston. There's also two star-studded flicks about sons and their fathers: Humour Me, which pairs up Jemaine Clement and Elliott Gould in a deadpan comedy, and Kodachrome, which takes Jason Sudeikis and Ed Harris on a road trip to a photo processing laboratory. Other notable titles range from Stuck, which brings the train-set off-Broadway musical of the same name to the cinema; to Outside In, director Lynn Shelter's latest featuring Edie Falco as an ex-high school teacher; to mob drama Gotti, starring John Travolta as the mob boss and screening in Australia just hours after its Cannes Film Festival premiere. On the documentary front, How They Got Over takes a far-reaching documentary into African-American gospel quartets in the '30s and '40s, while RBG examines the life and career of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. For the fest's retrospective section, Los Angeles is in the spotlight courtesy of classics Chinatown, Heat and Shampoo, as well as '70s masterpieces Killer of Sheep and Wattstax.
At least once and likely much more than that, a certain line will be uttered at Hightail over the next six weeks. "Six us a song, you're the piano man" will be rather a fitting thing to say, admittedly — because the Melbourne hangout is hosting a pop-up piano bar between Tuesday, July 17 and Thursday, August 23. On Tuesday and Thursday nights across that period, Matt Ganim will tickle the ivories and play whatever you ask for — including the Billy Joel track you might now have stuck in your head, we're guessing. Go on, be more adventurous than that with your song selections. He really will play whatever you wish, even if it's an old piano classic or your favourite pop track. Singing along is both encouraged and expected. That's one of the joys of piano bars, after all. Plus, if you gather the gang, get organised and book a booth for four people in advance, you'll get something extra — a free beverage on arrival. Image: Hightail.
We all love a good Polish dumpling, but who knew the humble pierogi actually had a patron saint? His name is Saint Hyacinth and he even has a day of feasting dedicated to him, which falls on August 17. And to celebrate, your mates at Pierogi Pierogi are hosting a good ol' dumpling fundraiser. As it turns out, Saint Hyacinth was famed for feeding homemade pierogi to Krakow's poor, needy and destitute, and these locals are marking the occasion by doing something similar. At the Pierogi Pierogi stall at The Fitzroy Market on Saturday, August 18 — they're holding it a day later so it falls on the weekend — the team will donate all dumpling profits to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), in a nod to the Poles who were welcomed into Australia when they fled the communist regime in the 40s and 80s. What's more, if you donate on the day and fill out a raffle ticket, you'll go into the draw to win a huge Pierogi Pierogi feast for you and ten mates at your house.
The young foodies at the Youth Food Movement are hosting a crowdsourced community dinner, featuring fresh produce from all over town. Drawing on community gardens and small producer farms, the Urban Forage and Feast dinner will showcase the incredible range of food grown right here in our own backyard, and promises to be a night of "scrumptious food, home-grown stories and edible conversations". This outdoor feast will take place on the evening of Friday, December 2, at Siteworks on Saxon Street in Brunswick. Among the homegrown producers showcasing their wares will be Day's Walk Farm, That's Amore! Cheese, Maria of My Green Garden and many more. They even put out a call for locals to donate produce from their garden, from lemons to leeks. Tickets to the Urban Forage and Feast are available via Eventbrite. Naturally, the spread will be vegetarian.
The team at Metanoia Theatre have curated a series of special live art pieces as part of the Metanoia Live Works program at the Mechanics Institute in Brunswick. The live art showcase will feature six original productions, combining dance, theatre, visual art and a whole lot more. First up in the program is Speculative Subject, a dance work by Amanda Betlehem and Phebe Schmidt that will be performed in a number of unconventional spaces. Premiering at the same time will be Paula van Beek's Copy, Cut, Paste, described as a day-long workshop and public exhibition that explores female identity in the age of social media. Other works on the program include the performance installation Milk Bars, Lauren Simmonds' Unseen and a durational live performance inspired by Eugene Ionesco's absurdist play The Chairs. Its full title? The Spectre of Death Looms Large Despite the Variable Messages Being Inevitable (aka The Chairs). Find the full Metanoia Live Works program here. Top image: Lauren Simmonds, Unseen.
When 11-year-old Toni (Royalty Hightower) looks at the world, she does so from a specific perspective. That might sound obvious; however The Fits doesn't just follow her journey — it embraces everything that makes the shy pre-teen who she is. When the camera isn't peering from her point of view, it's showing how her body reacts to everything around her. And with movement Toni's main way of processing her thoughts and conveying her feelings, the movie's editing tries to mirror its protagonist's distinctive presence. Indeed, if most coming-of-age films champion the universal nature of growing up, then Anna Rose Holmer's feature filmmaking debut endeavours to celebrate Toni's individual experience. The first-time writer-director understands that everyone encounters similar issues and situations at a young age, including the awkward prospects of trying something different and making new friends. But with her co-scribes Saela Davis and Lisa Kjerulff, Holmer also acknowledges that it's the unique details, rather than the broader strokes, that make each story interesting. Accordingly, The Fits burrows deep into Toni's mindset as it explores her attempts to join local dance drill ensemble The Lionesses. When the film opens, she's a tomboy happily tagging along to her older brother's boxing training sessions at the local community centre — until the cheering and chatter emanating from another gymnasium in the complex attracts her attention. Soon, she's testing out their moves when no one is around, and working up the courage to audition. Alas, as Toni moves closer to the group, something strange happens: the rest of her teammates mysteriously start fainting and convulsing. Of course, it's not an accident that The Fits' title has multiple meanings. As Toni tries to fit in, her peers are literally having fits, which the jerkiness of their chosen style of dance unmistakably resembles. Such a sense of synergy is just one of the layered touches that makes the movie so simultaneously intimate and expressive. While the film brings a particular narrative to the screen, it's more concerned with the emotional voyage that eventuates, rather than the underlying plot points. As a result, even though a number of eye-catching dance numbers feature throughout its 72-minute running time, The Fits isn't a dance film in the usual sense. Instead, it's a tale that can only be told through movement and a heightened awareness of physicality, and through the stylistic and acting choices that emphasise the difference between stepping up and communicating a psychological state. Holmer displays rare confidence behind the camera, especially when it comes to the film's immersive soundtrack, symmetrical framing and rhythmic choreography. But it's the cast of non-professional actors that ensure the film hits home. Led by Hightower, they're the reason the movie doesn't just look striking, but feels like an authentic glimpse into the mind of a pre-teen girl.
When it comes to expressing emotion, don't underestimate the power of fancy footwork. Whether on the stage or on the screen, there's a reason that dance performances and musicals frequently build up to a frenzied display of moving and grooving: sometimes, words just won't do. As choreographers, Dancenorth's Stephanie Lake and Ross McCormack put that theory to the test on a daily basis — and now they're going to do so once more in their new combined show. Fresh from a premiere season at Brisbane's Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, IF______WAS______ investigates their chosen profession, their lives to date and their unique responses to their lived experiences in four performances at The Substation. Raw and stripped back to just the essentials, the end result is a sensory representation of Lake and McCormack's existence and knowledge thus far, and it's also the solution to a puzzle. Dancenorth artistic director Kyle Page only allowed them to work with one sound score, one costume pattern and one source of lighting each, and to a set duration — and in doing just that, the duo not only convey their inner thoughts and feelings, but their individuality.
Throw on your winter coat and head out into the night as the Glow Winter Arts Festival returns to Melbourne's southeast for another year. Hosted by the City of Stonnington over 11 chilly nights, this after-dark arts fest celebrates the best that local creatives have to offer, with everything from comedy acts to dazzling light projections to tempt you out into the cold. With more than 50 free and ticketed events stretching from Windsor to Malvern, figuring out an itinerary is no easy feat. The Glow Comedy Club will feature performances from Tom Gleeson, Geraldine Hickey and many more, while the Flicks 'n' Feasts outdoor cinema pairs classic movies with matching cuisine. Art lovers, meanwhile, will have plenty to discover, with street performers and performance artists on the prowl each and every night. Glow has even teamed up with the folks behind the Gertrude Street Projection Festival, for a night of breathtaking light and colour on Greville Street in Prahran. For the complete Glow Winter Arts Festival program, go here.
If you've ever turned up at a house party and been sorely disappointed by the lack of crocodiles and free flowing booze, this is the event for you. The Melbourne Sea Life Aquarium are throwing a series of aquarium parties throughout winter because why the heck not? The series kicks off with a party a month from July 29, through to October 28 and is the perfect opportunity to stare down a fish right in his slimy eye while sipping a cocktail. Tickets are a bit exxy at $78 a pop, but the price includes a cocktail on arrival and unlimited sparkling, red and white wine, beer, soft drink, juice and mineral water as well as canapés and grazing dishes served all night. Entry into the aquarium is obviously included as well which means you'll get to see the world's largest saltwater crocodile (probably the only time in your life you might be pleased to see a crocodile at a party).
Embrace the icy weather at Madame Brussels Lane, which, for the third year running, will transform itself into a bustling European-style night market. Inspired by the picturesque Christmas markets in places like Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the UK, the market will feature some of Melbourne's most decadent food vendors, serving tasty European goodies to warm your insides and satisfy your sweet tooth. Kicking off on July 22, there'll be Polish dumplings from The Eastern Bloc, cheese fondue from Frencheese, crepes from Les Crepes de Marion and — our personal fave — crème brûlée from The Brûlée Cart. That's in addition to the live music and entertainment, and, of course, many, many mugs of piping hot mulled wine. Short of actually taking a holiday to Europe, there aren't many places we'd rather be at the end of a busy working week.
In Denial, a man downplays the atrocities committed by Adolf Hitler during the Second World War. No, it doesn't tell the tale of the current White House Press Secretary — but it does sound unnervingly familiar, doesn't it? Filmed before the rise of Trump, no one could've guessed just how relevant this movie would feel when it finally hit screens here in Australia. Sadly, fake news, racism and idiots with microphones aren't particularly new. We have long lived in a world filled with people willing to champion inaccurate takes on past events as fact. That's the truth at the heart of Denial, which recounts Deborah Lipstadt's (Rachel Weisz) courtroom battle with David Irving (Timothy Spall). In 1996, she was an American professor who had published a book about the Holocaust denial movement. He was a British historian named and shamed as a denier in her pages – and despite eagerly sharing his views whenever he could, he wasn't happy about it. So Irving sued Lipstadt for libel, taking advantage of the UK legal system, which placed the onus on her to prove that he was falsifying history. Adapted from Lipstadt's book "History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier", Denial is an understandably serious and sombre affair. Restrained in its emotion, which is no easy feat considering the subject matter and its mid-movie trip to Auschwitz, the film lets the reality of the situation do the talking. Watching just how Lipstadt's defence team — including no-nonsense solicitor Anthony Julius (Andrew Scott) and dedicated barrister Richard Rampton (Tom Wilkinson) — tackles the task of exposing Irving's lies without giving him a platform to put the Holocaust on trial makes for fascinating viewing. Director Mick Jackson might be worlds away from his '90s hit The Bodyguard, but his film still sings with drama, albeit it in a completely different way. Screenwriter David Hare remains in more familiar territory given that the Oscar-nominated script for The Reader is also on his resume. Together, the two carefully but commandingly step through the weighty material, giving the story the clear-headed retelling it deserves. It takes immense strength and poise to play a woman forced to fight to ensure that history doesn't become a matter of opinion, but Weisz proves more than up to the challenge. It takes just the same, of course, to play a man with despicable beliefs without ever judging him; as a result, it's hard to tear your eyes away from Spall. Sadly, it's also hard to deny how scarily timely his portrayal feels, as indeed does the film as a whole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7k7Z6S39Zc
Looking for animal product-free cakes, ethically made jewellery and sustainable homewares? Look no further than Melbourne's new Compassionate Living Vegan Pop-Up Market. If it's kind to the planet — and to all creatures great and small — there's a very good chance you'll find it here. Taking over the Balla Balla Community Centre on July 1, the new browsing and buying get-together is a small, curated, boutique experience; however, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in impact. Supporting emerging vegan micro businesses, showcasing cruelty-free products and services, flying the environmentally friendly flag and just encouraging sustainability all round in the market's mission — and helping you do all of the above while stocking up on eats, apparel, accessories and more. Whole and raw foods, pre-loved clothing, vegan Vietnamese cuisine... yes, the list goes on, so don't expect to leave with either empty hands or an empty stomach. Entry is free but a gold coin donation is more than welcome, with proceeds going to Big Sky Sanctuary, Hear No Evil Australian Deaf Dog Sanctuary and Animal Liberation Victoria.
