Not all blasts from the past are welcome — and not all trips down memory lane turn out the way you might expect them to. That's a telling message for our nostalgia-soaked times, where everything old always seems to be new again. It's also one Australian actor, writer and producer Joel Edgerton is pushing in his first film in the director's chair. His filmmaking debut, The Gift, is so steeped in tension and wariness about previous deeds, figures and altercations that it crafts a psychological thriller out of it. The feature starts, as many moody mysteries do, with a married pair moving to a new home. Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are fleeing their recent baggage for a fresh beginning, the former starting a different job, the latter readying the house for trying to start a family. Out shopping one day, they meet Gordo (Edgerton, starring as well as helming), who recognises Simon from high school, though not vice versa. The three make polite, tentative plans to catch up; however, Gordo takes the pleasantries quite a bit more seriously than his reunited pals. Cue the beginnings of a stalker drama that wouldn't feel out of place as a late '80s or early '90s effort featuring Michael Douglas — and that's a compliment. Showing his skill behind as well as in front of the camera, Edgerton ramps up the creepiness in the film's mood, script and in his supporting turn. He's also made a movie that combines slick packaging and mature-skewed content; a glossy piece of entertainment for teens, this isn't. Indeed, again finding inspiration in familiar territory, The Gift isn't just concerned with the series of presents Gordo leaves Simon and Robyn, or his unwanted encroaching on their space, or the not-so-truthful tales he tells to get close to them, but with the chasm between how things appear and how they really are at all levels. There's a reason the audience is instantly aware that the seemingly happy couple aren't really, and that they always feel that Gordo seems both odd and somewhat sweet. Yes, appearances can be deceiving. As a screenwriter, Edgerton best explores the conflict that springs when ghosts from the past expose lies from the present through his characters — and as a filmmaker, through some stellar performances. The director himself straddles the fine line between strange and sympathetic, Hall brings depth to the role of the woman trapped in the middle, and it's always a pleasure to see Bateman flirt with playing the bad guy (the murkiness surrounding Simon and Gordo is The Gift's strong point). When the film devolves into one too many twists, and tries to offer a too-definitive ending — when it finally gets there — it loses steam. Remaining ambiguous and toying with the dynamic between the central trio is what keeps things intriguing. Accordingly, although The Gift may not always balance its generic elements with its ambitions, it revels in trying to present a well-produced piece of unnerving cinema. Here, it mostly succeeds too, because rare is the film that can balance overt jump scares with patient puzzling conveyed through dialogue, and follow a formula yet retain interest.
See your old DVDs and worn out VHS tapes immortalised as part of a temporary art installation in Fitzroy. Curated by Jessie Scott, a video artist, programmer, producer and the founder of the Channels Video Art Festival, Miraculous Ribbon is a month-long lending library and archive committed to the leftovers of 20th century video culture. Anyone can contribute to the work by donating chunks of their old collection — think of this as a good excuse to de-clutter your house. Besides, are you really ever going to watch those old tapes you picked up during the Blockbuster going-out-of-business sales? Does your old VHS player even work anymore? Miraculous Ribbon runs from Wednesday, September 2 to Saturday, September 26 at Grey Gardens, Fitzroy's newly opened screening room, gallery space and cafe. Loans will be returned to their owners once the exhibition concludes, or sold off in a giant ex-rental sale at the end of the month. Image: Dollar Photo Club.
Melbourne's best purveyors of authentic Asian street food are gathering under a single roof for the feast to end all feasts. Hanoi Hannah, Saigon Sally and Tokyo Tina will join Ba Noi and gelataria Pidapipo in taking over the premises at St Kilda's St Hotel. The result? A buzzing hawker-style marketplace complete with music, live performers and a six-course feed. The menu for the event — which begins at 5pm on Sunday, September 27 — is for the most part being kept under wraps, although they have teased that it will include Hannah's mini pho and Tina's salmon tartare with crispy skin, cucumber and nashi. What we know for sure is that for $45 you get six different dishes, and that the night's entertainment will include circus performers and a DJ. Night Tripping, as it's been named, wraps up at 9pm, although you can always kick on upstairs.
Everyone might dream of changing the world, but few people actually try to do it. Bob Hunter strove to fall into the latter category. Even if you don’t know his name, you know about the results of his efforts. And even if you do know his name, you might not know his full story. In the late 1960s, in the aftermath of the United States announcing plans to perform nuclear tests off of the Alaskan coast, Hunter was driven to do something. A journalist covering environmental issues in Vancouver, he delved into the city’s community of so-called tree huggers and draft dodgers haunted by the thought of a dying planet, and helped form a group to protest the forthcoming injustice. In their actions, a movement was born, as well as an organisation that still endures nearly half a century later. They wanted to make a real difference. They became Greenpeace. Progressing with polish and patience, How to Change the World tells their tale. To do so, the rousing film uses a remarkable amount of archival footage capturing eager early times, intercuts modern-day interviews with important figures reminiscing about their experiences, and employs Hunter’s own words — as voiced by actor Barry Pepper — as narration. The documentary that results offers a primer on the intense but messy background of an outfit now synonymous with environmental activism, including the cause of saving the whales that they would swiftly adopt. It also offers an insight one of the men crucial in shaping both an influential gathering of likeminded folks determined to bring attention to ecology, and a way of enacting awareness about atrocities committed against the natural world. As the film lists Hunter’s how-to rules — among them, planting a mind bomb (i.e. going viral, in today's terms) and putting your body where your mouth is — and then offers evidence of each from his history, where its sympathies fall is never in question; an expose, this is not. And yet, writer/director Jerry Rothwell isn’t annoyingly overt in his fondness for the idealism he charts, letting the results of Hunter and Greenpeace’s exploits do the talking. Vision of the sights that spurred them to act, especially involving animals, is both difficult to watch and difficult to not want to react to. That a strong push for audiences to do their part becomes clear isn’t surprising, particularly given the passion on display. That focus also shifts to the issues that plagued some of the founders is similarly expected; the film might chart the feats of a now well-known organisation, but it is about people first and foremost. People dream and attempt to achieve their desires — and they also clash with each other as they confront the task of saving the planet. Even attempting to change the world, and endeavouring to understand those who try to, can’t quite alter that.
Ever been gettin' loose out on the town and thought, “I could destroy a round of mini-golf right now.” Procure an Argyle-patterned vest and beige slacks immediately, because the good folk at Howler are bringing back their custom-made nighttime mini golf course to conquer. One heck of a drawcard launched in July, the triumphantly returning Howler Mini-Golf-O-Rama features nine holes each complete with a classic theme (think windmills, volcanos and jungles, classic mini-golf). It'll be back at Howler from Sunday December 27 to Wednesday, January 6, from 3pm on weekends and 6pm on weekdays. And it's FREE if you buy a bev. To use the course, all you have to do is turn up to Howler, buy yourself and/or your golfing buddies a drink and choose your putter. The course will be set up in what was once Howler’s bandroom, and to keep the good times flowing, guest DJs will pump up the jams (and hopefully play a non-stop dubstep remix of Lee Carvallo’s putting challenge. In fact, consider this an official request). Check out Elliphant and MØ carving up the course in July, to give you an idea. Now, let's all dig out our Happy Gilmore VHS and prepare to just taaaap it in. Find Howler Mini-Golf-O-Rama at 7-11 Dawson Street, Brunswick from Sunday December 27 to Wednesday, January 6, from 3pm on weekends and 6pm on weekdays. Golfing is free if you buy a drink from the bar. Image: Marcus Hansson
If you're interested in food, the future, and creating positive change, this one-day festival is for you. Festival21 explores how food and the way we eat can be the key to a healthy and sustainable future for both ourselves and the planet. The youth-focussed day program, F21y, will run from 12-5pm at The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The program is for 16 to 30-year-olds who are looking to make change, and will host a range of talks from entrepreneurs such as Who Gives A Crap and Shebeen owner, Simon Griffiths, leaders and team builders like AFL legend Kevin Sheedy, and a keynote presentation by Triple J’s loveable morning host, Alex Dyson. From 7-10pm the program becomes an evening celebration packed with music, comedy, short films and panel discussions. We’re pretty excited to watch the banter between barrister and human rights advocate, Julian Burnside and the ever-impressive Stephanie Alexander as they whip up a storm live onstage. For the artistically inclined, don’t forget to check out the live exhibition space as part of F21. The event is free but you will need to register. Head to their website to do so.
Take your mates Earl Grey and Jasmine and board the Darjeeling Express, alighting at MPavilion in the Queen Victoria Gardens. The pop-up architectural hub in the Southbank Arts Precinct is Melbourne's summer home of public art and culture, with meets, talks and performances practically every day of the week. This Thursday, the topic up for discussion is the humble tea leaf, as naturopath Catie Gett teaches you the tricks to brewing the perfect cuppa. Gett, who owns the wholefoods emporium The Staple Store, will brew up various different varieties of tea using home-grown roots and spices, while providing tips on how to create your own signature blend. She'll be joined by the proprietors of Brunswick ceramics shop Mr Kitly, who'll provide the hand-crafted cups to make your afternoon of tea appreciation complete.
One of Australia's most promising young theatre companies is on its way to Melbourne. Founded in a sharehouse in Sydney, Woodcourt Art Theatre caught the attention of audiences following a highly successful tour to Adelaide Fringe in 2014. Now they're heading to Carlton's La Mama Theatre with a pair of critically acclaimed plays, for a strictly limited season beginning Wednesday, February 24. The first work in the Woodcourt double bill puts a new spin on an old classic. In Carly and Troy do 'A Doll's House', a pair of theatremakers argue over the best way to adapt Henrik Ibsen's iconic play. Carly wants a surreal, postmodern take, whereas Troy envisions a show-stopping musical with music by Beyonce. Things get a little more serious on the other side of intermission with Encounter, a scaled back tale of anxiety and paranoia brought on by a supernatural visitation. For more details including ticketing information and dates for both shows visit woodcourtarttheatre.net.
There's a reason that Mavis! has an exclamation mark in its title. The film doesn't only chronicle the life and music of Mavis Staples, but celebrates everything that has made the rhythm-and-blues/gospel singer and civil rights activist a star. It can't hide its enthusiasm, nor does it try to, but that's okay. While they're watching, audiences probably won't be able to contain their adoration either. Set to an obvious soundtrack of songs such as "I'll Take You There", " Respect Yourself" and "Let's Do It Again", Mavis! is just that kind of biographical documentary: affectionate about a thoroughly deserving figure, and informative about her rich history. The latter informs the former, of course, with every chapter of her past — from her humble beginnings singing in family band The Staple Singers and their rise to the top of the charts, to the intertwining of the group's hits with the civil rights movement and their relationship with Martin Luther King — painting a portrait of an artist who has earned the right to be considered an icon. The movie also benefits from the considerable and eager involvement of Staples herself, aged 75 at the time of filming, who never proves anything less than a candid and engaging interviewee. She starts the documentary showing off her vocal prowess with her friends and colleagues before a gig, then offers a few pearls of wisdom about her longevity — the combination of her voice and views setting the template for the content to come. As she explains, "I'll stop singing when I have nothing left to say — and that ain't going to happen." Her talent is big; her passion is bigger. Both are on display not just in her many chats to camera, but in clips and performance footage — snippets of Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz among them — spanning the length of her 60-year career. Both also encourage many an entertaining discussion with a parade of famous faces, such as Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Chuck D and Sharon Jones. Their awe is infectious; indeed, if writer-director Jessica Edwards was searching for a high-profile posse to mirror her own evident fondness for Staples, she definitely found one. Movies that double as exercises in hero worship often outstay their welcome; however, at a brief but busy 80-minutes, such a fate doesn't befall Mavis! The adoring tone doesn't only cater to existing fans either, with the film working equally as well as a primer for newcomers as it does as a refresher for devotees. That's a rare achievement for a documentary love letter, but then again its subject is anything but typical. Among her many career highlights, Staples made two albums with Prince, after all. Inspiring and enlivening an emotionally vibrant doco is just the latest in her long line of achievements.
Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel wonder about days gone by, while Rachel Weisz and Jane Fonda deliver verbal tirades designed to awaken the ageing men from their apathy. All four spend their time in an expensive Swiss spa, and in a film as visually luxurious as their lush surroundings. So unravels Youth, its seasoned cast and opulent images its obvious selling points. Musings about life, love and legacy have rarely looked as exquisite, even if the movie's charms remain somewhat surface level. Youth is an inescapably familiar effort from writer-director Paolo Sorrentino, who covered similar territory — contrasting internal emptiness with external splendour — in his Oscar-winning last feature, The Great Beauty. Alas, the same magic doesn't strike twice, though in some ways that's rather apt. There's obvious symmetry in a filmmaking repeating the past by depicting characters stuck in theirs. Caine's Fred Ballinger is a retired composer, so renowned that he's asked to conduct his most famous creation for the queen, and so haunted by his troubles that he can't agree to participate in the performance. His discussions with Keitel's Mick Boyle, a filmmaker trying to finish a new script, largely focus on former glories, the ailments of being elderly, and their feuding children. Fred's daughter, Lena (Weisz), is married to Mick's son, Julian (Ed Stoppard), until Julian announces that he's leaving her for another woman. Others wander around the retreat, including an actor (Paul Dano) worried about being typecast and a fading screen siren (Fonda) Mick wants to re-team with for his next movie. In slivers and glimpses, Youth casts its net even wider, with a famous footballer, a beauty queen, and a motley crew of fellow guests also featuring. Together, they paint a universal picture of the ebbs and flows of existence, and of the contrast between the sublime and the grotesque. Sadly, most come across as diversions and distractions, directing attention away from the flimsiness of the film's supposedly wise dialogue. That's not to say that Youth doesn't have its pleasures — just that they're saddled with less successful elements, which is an appropriate outcome for a movie that tasks its characters with attempting to find the joy beyond their own sorrows. Watching Caine and Keitel chat and ponder is as enjoyable as it sounds — and while their conversations aren't as profound as they're clearly meant to be, the performances are moving nonetheless. Coupled with a strong score, Sorrentino's aesthetic flair ensures the feature offers a sight to behold and a soundscape to revel in, whether fashioning a music video for a pop star, taking a trip down memory lane or just staring at the folks reclining by the pool. It all makes for a suitable spectacle of mortality and melancholy; however the filmmaker's greatest feat is also his greatest undoing. He makes Youth feel exactly as it should, but always like an imitation. It's a decadent picture about watching the world go by, rather than really experiencing it.
This all-male seven-piece boylesque troupe hailing from Brisvegas (with the exception of one New Yorker) have been making a splash all over the world this year — and we're not just talking about their giant bird bath act. The glamorous Shivannah will be your host for the evening as you witness death defying acrobatics, drag artiste performances, and irreverent interludes that are cheeky, in more ways than one. In short, this show is head to toe sexy, funny, captivating, and non-stop party times. Briefs' latest show has sold out theatres far and wide — and considering they're only around for a three-week stay at the Athenaeum Theatre, you'd better get your act together sharpish so you don't miss out. If your imagination isn't already running wild with excitement, expect feathers, sequins, hula hoops, some pretty risqué yo-yo tricks and fierce attitude from beginning to end.
When he's not playing the hero — anti- or otherwise —, Vin Diesel is quite the fan of Dungeons & Dragons. It's worth keeping that tidbit in mind as The Last Witch Hunter unravels, because that's where the film finds its basis. Cory Goodman, one of the movie's three writers, reportedly bonded with Diesel over their shared fondness for the fantasy role-playing game, then wrote a script based upon the actor's witch hunter D&D character. Goodman's love letter to his leading man's favourite pastime has since been filtered through two other scribes (Dracula Untold's Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless), as well as Sahara and The Crazies director Breck Eisner. But that doesn't stop it from feeling like the indulgent exercise that it is. And while no one is decrying Diesel for wanting to do something on film other than driving fast cars furiously and exchanging lingering glances with The Rock, he's not asked to do much here other than look serious amid some supernatural special effects. As the movie's moniker gives away, Diesel's Kaulder is the final fighter of the bewitching folk who live among humanity, and has been for eight centuries. After he vanquished the Witch Queen in the 13th century, he was cursed with immortality, meaning years of trying to rid the world of the evil and enchanting. As his offsider (Michael Caine) prepares to retire and let a newcomer (Elijah Wood) take his place, a fresh source of wicked sorcery strikes. With his past the key to his present predicament, Kaulder must call upon bar-owning good witch Chloe (Rose Leslie) to help him plunge into his own memories and track down his new foe. That The Last Witch Hunter comes across as Batman-esque isn't just a byproduct of Caine playing a butler-like priest. When a moody, brooding warrior stalks the city streets slaying enemies, motivated by personal losses and a blistering sense of righteousness, it's not hard to find similarities between the two. Alas, the comparison doesn't bode well for the derivative film currently on screens, particularly when there's not much more of a plot to tie it to. Diesel tries his best to make his scowling charm cover up the lack of narrative excitement, but though his efforts are noted, they're not the magic fix the movie needs. Still, other than slick-enough visuals and a few fun touches (a ravenous monster for a prison and a tree bewitched to appear to grow gummy bears, for example), he remains the best element of the surprisingly action-sparse film. He might stand around more than you'd think he should, but you have to admire his dedication to the messiness that surrounds him. Audiences might not be engaged in the occult antics that pad out the film's running time, nor the plodding dialogue that does the same, but at least Diesel is committed — and considerably more so than his seemingly bored co-stars, as doesn't escape attention. Unfortunately, as the later two Riddick films proved, his enthusiasm isn't enough to brighten up the blandness he willingly and affectionately wades into when he's not behind the wheel of a high-octane franchise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsuG2JUgs_8
If Falls seems a little too large for your liking, but you’re still looking for a sweet escape from the city, then NYE on the Hill might be just what you need. Brought to you by the legends behind the equally awesome The Hills Are Alive festival, this boutique NYE experience is small on scale but big on good vibes. 48 hours of freedom never looked so blissful, with the likes of Jackie Onassis, The Smith Street Band, The Delta Riggs, Jakubi, City Calm Down, World's End Press and many more dropping in to help you welcome 2015.
With an already excellent summer season underway, The Gasometer is rearing to cement itself as one of the go-to music destinations of the inner-suburbs. Now, with a nod to its 'hood of choice, it's launching its first major set of shows since its big revamp in May last year. Kicking off on January 25 and running all through till late-Feb the Gaso will be bringing the noise with the Collingwood Open. With big-name shows on an open-air stage for around $20 a pop, where else would you rather be? After dropping their latest album Grids late last year and doing a huge string of shows including Meredith Music Festival and playing support for Adalita, Teeth & Tongue will round out a solid summer effort on January 25. Melbourne locals The Harpoons and Twin Beasts will follow that up on January 31 and February 6 respectively. Lanie Lane will be serenading you with tracks from her latest album Night Shade on February 19, then loveable folksters Sweet Jean will be hitting the stage on February 22. The unmistakable highlight though is bound to be Gareth Liddiard. The Drones frontman will be bringing his distinctive brand of Aussie twang and soulful storytelling to the Gaso on February 27 and 28. Much like his stint at Workers Club last year, a second show was added due to popular demand. Unlike Workers, this show will be your only chance to hang with this charming songwriter under the stars. Get in quick. Tickets won't last long.
Electro party in at Old Melbourne Gaol? Yes please! Organised by Montreal’s club brand Piknic Electronik and local Melbourne promoter outfit Stable Music have teamed up to bring us a range of house and techno artists from home and abroad. From humble beginnings in 2003 in Montreal, Piknic Electronik caught on with the crowds of Barcelona, and Melbourne will be the mini-festival's debut in the Southern Hemisphere. Last week, the festival opened with Oliver Schories for his first ever Australian show. In the weeks coming, Nico Stojan and Sasse will headline, with guest appearances from Phil K, Uone, Mike Buhl and Matt Radovich. Food trucks and drink stalls will sustain you until the sun goes down, and the boutique festival shuts up shop at a sensible hour so you don’t start off your working week on the wrong foot. Piknic Electronik Festival is on every Sunday from midday until 9pm until March 29. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for any changes.
It turns out that people were interested in sharing pictures of cats well before the internet. In this summer-long survey exhibition, ACCA are giving you the chance to stroll through the long and adorable history all kinds of animals in the art world. From December 13 until March 1, you can discover the duelling forest beasts of Mircea Cantor and the bizarre creatures that spill from the mind of Patricia Piccinini. This is an art nerd's version of a day at the zoo. "Culture has [always] looked to animals to understand, describe and represent aspects of the self," says Artistic Director Juliana Engberg. "From animals we learn strategies of survival, mutual existence and use animals to express empathy." In this epic overview, ACCA is presenting this idea through the work of 34 artists from home and abroad. Far from mere Polaroids of the artists' dogs, Menagerie will feature pieces from Joseph Beuys, David Noonan, Ricky Swallow, and Anastasia Klose just to name a few. As part of next year's Summersalt Outdoor Arts Festival, Klose will also be hosting an exciting extension to the exhibition as well. For the final two weeks of February, the ACCA forecourt will be completely transformed into an interactive dog park. See you there.
When a film bears the name American Sniper – and the memoir it adapts includes The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History in its title – certain things are unsurprising. To judge a movie by its moniker and a book by its cover, patriotism is expected, as are ample scenes seen through the crosshairs of a riflescope. Clint Eastwood’s latest feature delivers both. The true tale inspiring jingoistic fervour is that of Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), a Texan rodeo cowboy turned Navy SEAL. In four tours of Iraq post-9/11, he was credited with 160 confirmed kills. His fellow soldiers anointed him with the nickname 'Legend', continually proffering their thanks and idolatry. With each deployment, the worries of his wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), grew, as did the distance in their marriage. As the man who played Dirty Harry, Eastwood is no stranger to portrayals of men steeped in violence, or to positioning their deeds as those of necessity. Symbolism torn from many a western and war movie included, he takes to the story with passion and without subtlety. With his protagonist pledging allegiance to “God, country and family”, in that order, he paints Kyle as a hero, and shapes the feature as a tribute. Treading the fine line between condoning certain actions and representing reality is a tricky task, and one Eastwood’s feature does show signs of struggling with. Only slivers are glimpsed of a more complex and conflicted train of thought than the feature’s primary narrative. Shadows of martial discontent flicker over supporting characters, but the enemy is not within, in American Sniper's case, as an insurgent enemy sniper threatens the unit. It's a dramatic tension that's technically well-executed but thematically questionable. Similarly, Kyle’s difficulties on the home front are tinged with the weight his work bears on his conscience, explained as regret over the lives he couldn’t save, rather than any troubles with what he did and saw. And then there's the Iraqi problem. Whenever the viewpoint of the other side threatens to interject, such as with the plight of a local family forced to inform against a villain, empathy is absent. American Sniper presents one perspective only, so the occupied people of Iraq remain strangers. While Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers did the same, here there’s no Letters from Iwo Jima to offer balance. Performance-wise, the duty-bound feature isn’t helped by Cooper’s lead turn, even if an Academy Award nomination seems to indicate otherwise. He looks the part, complete with a hulking swagger and an aversion to his usual charm, but his rendering of Kyle is as one-note as the bulk of the storyline. Similarly, Miller plays the stereotypical neglected wife in a paint-by-numbers performance. Of course, countless films – war and otherwise – spin one-sided yarns of good-versus-evil and even do so well; however, American Sniper is never anything less than uneasy. The sand-swept action that clouds the frame, the unwavering conviction and the sentiment of the ending are predictably blatant and sometimes brutal – and so is the accompanying discomfort.
Not to be confused with the pioneering hip-hop DJ, Marlon Williams a.k.a. Marley Marl a.k.a. the "Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl" referenced by Notorious B.I.G. in his classic 1994 single 'Juicy', Kiwi troubadour Marlon Williams is embarking on an extensive national tour throughout November and December. The ambitious run of dates will take Williams all over our wide brown land, hitting most major cities as well as some slightly off-the-beaten-track regional centres. The prolific singer-songwriter will be unleashing his unique brand of critically acclaimed alt-country alongside his band, The Yarra Benders. Described by WOMADelaide as "the impossible lovechild of Elvis, Roy Orbison and Townes Van Zandt" and having recently starred in the ABC drama The Beautiful Lie, Williams' star continues to rise rapidly. If you want to be able to say that you saw him before he became a household name, get tickets pronto. You can also catch Marlon Williams playing in picturesque wineries across the nation as part of A Day on the Green.
It has been less than two years since Ridley Scott told the tale of Moses leading the Hebrews from Egypt using a cast of white actors. Controversy surrounded Exodus: Gods and Kings, yet that hasn't stopped the latest Hollywood effort to spin a mythical story set in the region from following in its footsteps. Gods of Egypt asks audiences to accept Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Olympus Has Fallen star Gerard Butler as a pair of Egyptian deities. Australians also feature, with ex-Home and Away star Brenton Thwaites as the human caught in the middle of their feud, and national treasure Geoffrey Rush also popping up, all under the guidance of local writer-director Alex Proyas. That a modicum of controversy has resulted from the casting could be a blessing in disguise, since the film offers little else to inspire much in the way of conversation. Aussie audiences might get a thrill out of spotting the likes of Bryan Brown and Tiriel Mora amidst the action, albeit only briefly. Video game fans might enjoy the movie's glossy, CGI-heavy visuals, which look as if they should be interacted with, rather than watched. Few will find much of interest in the overarching story, which sets Coster-Waldau's Horus against Butler's Set in a battle for the Egyptian throne. When the latter interrupts the former's coronation, he takes control of the nation, threatens his fellow gods into submission and enslaves his subjects. Enter Thwaites' Bek, a thief more interested in his girlfriend, Zaya (Courtney Eaton), than his divine overlords — but willing to help Horus regain his rightful place, initially simply to please the object of his affections. Gods of Egypt might sound like a sombre affair, but it soon proves anything but. Hammy performances and cheap looking special effects aren't the norm, though someone obviously forgot to tell that to the scenery-chewing Butler and whoever was responsible for the painfully unconvincing CGI flames. Elements like these are indicative of the film's cheesy, light-hearted tone. Trying to have fun with the material can't save or even significantly improve the film, but it does make it slightly easier to endure. If the feature isn't taking itself too seriously, audiences can follow suit. In fact, in making a pseudo swords-and-sandals adventure that's also an odd couple buddy comedy and a clichéd romance, perhaps Proyas isn't just fashioning a fantasy version of the past. Perhaps he's also dreaming of the future. After all, both The Crow and Dark City, the two features the filmmaker remains best known for, largely became cult hits through repeated home video viewing. Gods of Egypt is unlikely to join them, but years from now, viewers might be laughing, Flash Gordon-style, at the ungodly mess Proyas has made.
Looking for some healthy new recipes for summer? We may have found you the perfect thing. This Wednesday, local model and A Conscious Collection blogger Brooke Meredith is sharing her culinary expertise in a three-hour cooking class at The Urban Kitchen in South Melbourne. Participants will watch as Meredith conjures up various tasty, guilt-free treats, such as zucchini noodle rice paper rolls, low carb cauliflower pizza and chocolate macadamia brownies. How those last ones qualify as healthy we're not quite sure, but, to be honest, we're kind of happy to take her word for it. Once you've had the chance to see Meredith in action, it'll be time to put your newly acquired cooking skills to the test. Assuming no one has any major kitchen disasters, you'll wrap up the evening with a casual group dinner. You'll also receive a copy of Meredith's healthy chocoholics e-book, as well as a goodie bag full of edible surprises.
When it comes to annual traditions, the release of a new ensemble Christmas movie is among the most reliable. That doesn’t mean that it’s good — it just means that another festive feature seems to reach screens every year, overflowing with star power as well as predictability. This year's entry is Love the Coopers, and if you've seen a holiday flick before, you can probably already guess the storyline. On Christmas Eve, a dysfunctional family has to overcome their differences and learn to appreciate each other — and yes, the film really is that routine. That's not the only dash of formula director Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam) and writer Steven Rogers (P.S. I Love You) sprinkle throughout their big screen attempt to deck cinemas with some yuletide cheer. There's nothing like a last chance at happiness, aka a potentially final Christmas together as a group, to up the stakes. And, when following a big group getting into the spirit of the season, why not flit between individual stories before weaving them all together in the manner of Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve? Indeed, on the checklist of standard elements in occasion-oriented offerings, Love the Coopers ticks all the boxes. The characters continue the trend, including bickering, long-married parents Sam and Charlotte (John Goodman and Diane Keaton), and troubled adult children Hank and Eleanor (Ed Helms and Olivia Wilde). Sam and Charlotte are about to separate, but haven't told anyone yet. Hank has just divorced from Angie (Alex Borstein), struggles with sharing custody of his three kids and can't find a job, while Eleanor is sick of being judged for being single, so she convinces Joe (Jake Lacy), a soldier she meets in an airport bar, to pretend to be her boyfriend. Throw in a few other stragglers — Charlotte's jealous sister Emma (Marisa Tomei), who spends her day dispensing amateur counselling to a closeted cop (Anthony Mackie); Aunt Fishy (June Squibb), the requisite eccentric elderly person with a failing memory; and family patriarch Bucky (Alan Arkin), who's closer to the waitress (Amanda Seyfried) at his local diner than his family — and the scene is set for the usual festive hijinks. Arguing and hugging ensue, and then more of the same. Presents and food are often in the frame. It's all as predictable as eating too much at Christmas dinner, only not at all filling. Narration links what are essentially intertwined short films; however the feature falls victim not just to cheesy clichés, but to blandness. Wilde and Lacy's segment invests a little energy into proceedings, and Arkin and Seyfried share the sweetest story, but they're the highlights of an average-at-best lot. The performances meet the same fate, with the rest of the high-profile cast largely squandered. Wasted, too, is any sincerity and good cheer, as an overdose of sentiment and contrivance leaves the bulk of the movie veering in tone and feeling forced. Sweeping camerawork can't improve matters, nor can a schmaltzy soundtrack. The end result: Love the Coopers isn't a seasonal gift, but a holiday chore.
I scream, you scream, we've all been screaming for ice cream — and for once the gods have answered our prayers (and then some). The Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery is once again hosting their annual Ice Cream Festival from February 10-21. You may want to prepare the smelling salts because they’ll be trotting out 12 new flavours a day. For 12 days. That's 144 unique flavours all up. Cue Homer-esque drooling. For $15 you can try four flavours of your choice, indulge in an $18 tasting session that covers 12 flavours at once, or just rampage around the place like a deranged, hungry Pac-Man and try to taste 'em all. Compare the relative merits of flavours like tutti frutti, pineapple coconut, rhubarb ginger and bacon maple syrup — all while relaxing in the 16-hectare grounds in the picturesque Yarra Valley. The view may well be lost on you as you slide into a sugar-induced happiness coma, but that's okay. They aren't inventing all those flavours for you to not try them. Check out tasting session times on the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie website.
Sip tea-zy with Yeezy at Belleville this weekend, when two unlikely concepts come together in one place. Hosted by local DJ MzRizk, Hip Hop High Tea is more or less what it sounds like – although you'd be forgiven for thinking you misread the name. Hip Hop. High tea. How was no one thought of this before now? Well actually, they have. MzRizk actually hosted two sold out high teas back in 2013 before disappearing overseas. But now she's back, with a whole bunch of exotic new teas — and presumably some new tracks to go with them. Chefs Jarrod Moore and Slash Vala have collaborated on a menu that promises to put a spin on the traditional high tea. Scones with jam and C.R.E.A.M, anyone? They also promise to cater for vegetarians, vegans and people with food allergies, just as long as you let them know ahead of time.
Melbourne’s folk-pop darlings are coming home, and they're bringing some tasty remixes with them. Their critically acclaimed 2012 album Over The Sun led to international festivals and more recently Riverboats Music Festival and WOMADelaide in Australia. While there’s a lot to like about Over The Sun, Tinpan Orange have decided to take their songs one step further, by releasing a remix EP featuring songs from their latest album. Way of the Eagle, Laser Cat and Spender have all picked a different song and worked their magic to produce both dreamy and darker interpretations. To have a little listen, check out their Soundcloud. Even if you’re not really familiar with the band, you’ve undoubtedly heard lead singer Emily Lubitz’s voice before. You know those cute Metro ads, Dumb Ways To Die? Yep, that’s Lubitz singing along as colourful blob people die unusual deaths. Cute ads aside, Tinpan Orange are brimming with musical talent and are sure to be a treat at the Northcote Social Club this week.
Performprint is FoLA's finest offering of the traditional extreme strain of live art. In a ten-hour durational work Joel Gailer and Michael Meneghetti will do everything from give printmaking lectures to perform a live branding on the former's skin. Of course, with a work so long it's hard to make any hard and fast judgment calls but the artists claim their main focus will be on masculinity and reproduction. Joel Gailer is in fact a printmaker by trade and will explore the intricacies and issues of Andy Warhol's Brillo boxes with the help of a Harley Davidson, a skateboard, and two warring live bands. Turn up any time in the day and make of it what you will. This event was featured in our top ten things to see at the Festival of Live Art. See the full list here.
Billy Bragg has had 36 years in the music biz and he's showing no signs of slowing down. Bringing a full band along to perform his signature politically charged folk rock, Bragg is touring the entire country with his latest album, Tooth & Nail — his first in five years. Incredibly the album only took five days to make and has been met with great critical acclaim, highlighting the fact that this is a man and a musician fully revitalised. For those who are after the old stuff you can be assured that Bragg will be digging around in his war chest of songs to give the people what they want. Songs like ‘A New England’, ‘There is Power in a Union’, ’Take Down the Union Jack’ and ‘You Woke Up My Neighbourhood' are looking like distinct possibilities, so get excited.
After spending most of his career dancing the tango with Simon Pegg, the loveable Nick Frost gets the chance to take the lead. It's a shame that the tune he's moving to is so embarrassingly out of key. A bland, salsa-themed rom-com without a single surprising bone in its silk-and-sequin-clad body, Cuban Fury is a comedy of the most risk averse and unimaginative kind. The premise goes like this: Bruce Garrett (Frost) is a former child salsa dancer, now lonely, overweight engineer, who spends his days being belittled by his womanising colleague Drew (Chris O'Dowd). But Bruce's passions are reignited by the arrival of his new boss, a beautiful American woman named Julia (Rashida Jones). She's way out of his league, physically speaking, but it turns out Julia loves salsa, which puts Brucey in with a chance. All he has to do is get his groove back. Frost is an endearing screen presence and ensures Bruce is easy to root for. He's also not a bad dancer, as it turns out. Sadly, natural comic charm and fancy footwork can only do so much when the script is as woeful as this. Working from an 'original idea' by Frost, Jon Brown has produced a screenplay that is predictable, cliched and strangely scarce in actual jokes; what few there come usually at the expense of either Bruce's weight, or the campy mannerisms of Bejan (Kayvan Novak), a flamboyantly gay man in Bruce's dance class. Such a cringingly one-dimensional representation is typical of all the supporting characters, which is an even bigger shame considering the genuinely high calibre of the cast. O'Dowd lands a handful of funny lines, but ultimately can't do much with such a stock-standard slime ball. The great Ian McShane, meanwhile, is left to slum it in his role as Bruce's grizzled former dance instructor Ron. Still, the most thankless part belong to Jones, whose talents as comic performer go unforgivably unexploited. Introduced via full body panning shot, it's immediately clear that Julia will be nothing more than the love interest; a pretty face for Bruce and Drew to dance-battle over. There's an unpleasant, all-too-common double standard at play in Cuban Fury's body and gender politics. Bruce finds his mojo and gets the girl in spite of his weight, yet Julia is only seen as an object of desire because she's physically attractive. That being said, it's hard to be seriously offended by a movie as generic and forgettable as this one. The highest praise Cuban Fury deserves is that will rightfully fade from the public consciousness as soon as it disappears from theatres, doing little likely long-term harm to the careers of anyone involved. https://youtube.com/watch?v=tpiyFHf7GKU
The recent trend of cinemas screening 'live' showings of stage production is a strange sort of phenomenon. An imperfect marriage of mediums, these shows seem on the one hand like a rather counterintuitive concept, possessing neither the immediacy of theatre nor the aesthetic craftsmanship of film. On the other, it’s a testament to the power of great art that these screenings have proven so popular with audiences, with the quality of the productions transcending the shortcomings of the exhibition. There’s also something nicely democratic about the idea that viewers in Australia can sit down and enjoy a show from the Bolshoi Ballet or the New York Metropolitan Opera — and all for little more than the price of a ticket to an Adam Sandler movie. The latest live show to hit screens around the country is the UK Donmar Warehouse’s production of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus. It's one of the Bard’s longer, grimmer and generally less well known works, although perhaps that’s changed in the wake of the recent film adaptation directed by and starring Ralph Fiennes, the play tells the story of Caius Marcius Coriolanus, a fierce Roman General whose prowess as a military man is matched only by his woefulness as a politician. Perhaps in acknowledgement of the cross-over nature of her international viewing audience, Josie Rourke, both director of the play and artistic director of the trendily stripped-back warehouse theatre where it’s being staged, casts Tom Hiddleston (Thor) in the lead. It’s a little stunty, maybe, but he’s a great actor either way, bringing both gravitas and humanity to the play’s proud and prickly protagonist. Coriolanus has nothing but contempt for the common man, who the script portrays as a fickle, easily led mob. If the notion of a righteous patrician class is rather outdated, the 400-year-old text’s depiction of the two-faced politicians who connive behind Coriolanus’ back still feels right on the money. Hiddleston’s co-stars include a few recognisable TV figures, including Birgitte Sørensen (Borgen) as Coriolanus’ wife and Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) as his sole political ally. The entire supporting cast acquits themselves well, with one huge exception: Emma Freud as herself, the inanely bubbly presenter, whose fawning, superficial interview with Rourke between the end of intermission and the beginning of act two could not be a bigger or more nauseating distraction. Nothing like hearing about how Tom Hiddleston was recently voted MTV’s sexist man alive to put you back in the headspace for a violent Shakespearean tragedy. Perhaps the producers felt they had to spice up their broadcast with supplements. They shouldn’t have. The production is strong enough on its own. Coriolanus will be on screens for a strictly limited season. For a list participating cinemas and screening dates, visit www.ntlive.com.
Clare Bowditch is a pretty busy lady. She writes killer songs, acts in Offspring (haters be quiet, that show is incredible), runs Big Hearted Business (a company aiming to help creatives make money and vice versa), has two kids and boasts a knack for making you feel like you're the only person in the room when she performs. This is rather good news for you, because she's coming to The Corner Hotel. Bowditch is lacing up the tour boots this July for her Winter Secrets Tour, the perfect lure to get out and about in the middle of winter. We probably should have mentioned she has eight successful albums and a 15 year music career to pack on the tour. Why should you go? Because Bowditch describes the shows as an 'Interactive Co-Creative Transformative Absurd Joyful Experiences between Audience and Performer'. How can you say no to that? Ex-Magic Dirt frontwoman turned solo artist, Adalita, will be the opening act in each state with tunes from her latest album All Day Venus. She'll also be joining Bowditch onstage for a joint performance. Bowditch is continuing her Winter Secrets tour tradition. One local musician in each state is getting the chance to join Bowditch on stage to perform one of her songs and be in the running to win $1000. Hello music career. This year, the song to nail will be 'I Thought You Were God'. Winners will be announced closer to each date. https://youtube.com/watch?v=aqppMH8_uYQ
Howler is all about being cheap and cheerful this August, by hosting a slew of local talent in on Sunday nights for the whole month — and all it's going to cost you is a tenner. 'In For 10' nights at Howler are a great chance to check out some live and local artists in their top notch band room. Doors open at 6pm every Sunday and tickets are only available at the venue. You can check out the lineup on their Facebook page, so if there's someone you're especially keen to see, we'd recommend penciling a Sunday session into your diary. We're particularly geared up for the first Sunday, featuring Andras Fox with Oscar Key Sung. Last time we saw these two together was at Golden Plains 8, where they played a beautiful early afternoon set in matching Pharrell hats. Both acclaimed artists in their own right, when these two get together it's all about the blissful vocals. Also joining the pair for the evening is Sui et Sui and Elevator Alligators. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0ThKZfGjbqE
You could drive an Argo through the gaps in history, the discrepancies between opposing accounts, the complexities of narrative accuracy. This amnesia that exists between cause and effect is one that genuinely fascinates emerging Melbourne-based curator, Amelia Winata, in a brand new exhibition: What Follows Came Before. The recipient of the inaugural SEVENTH Gallery Emerging Curators’ Program, Winata has crafted her latest exhibition with artwork focused around diaspora — and how this term is often merged with cosmopolitanism in the age of globalisation. What Follows Came Before sees artists working in several different mediums, from painting and site-specific immersive projections to a large-scale installation. Artists featured in this exhibition include Mariana Jandova, Phuong Ngo, Nikos Pantazopoulos, Steaphan Paton and Julie Shiels. Capitalising on their respective styles, Winata's chosen artists invite viewers to reconstruct the personal narratives of others — and consider the gaps in the story.
Alright everyone, look busy; Sheezus is coming. Headlining Splendour in the Grass at the end of this month, Lily Allen will be performing just two sideshows during her stay — one in Sydney and one in Melbourne. Allen is known for putting on a furiously fun-filled live set, often featuring some pretty colourful costumes – and plenty of banter. Most recently the 29-year-old stepped in for Two Door Cinema Club at Latitude Festival, and even when put on the spot didn't disappoint. Allen's third album Sheezus was released earlier this year and while it was met with mixed reviews, it has certainly had chins wagging. Most notably the first single 'Hard Out Here' with that video clip assured fans that Allen would be as outspoken and tongue in cheek as ever. Having said that, Allen is also incredibly capable of displaying a pretty candid side in her music — it's that contrast between vulnerability and volatility that makes her such an intriguing artist. If it's straight-up entertainment and bragging rights you're after, don't miss this. https://youtube.com/watch?v=lDlofPAOZy0
This article is sponsored by our partners, Rekorderlig. Christmas in July first took hold in Australia back in 1980. An otherwise cheery group of Irish travellers hanging about in the Blue Mountains got teary when they saw snowflakes falling outside their window and, instead of moaning about it, decided to throw themselves a Christmas dinner six months early. Ever since, Australians, especially in mountainous regions, have turned July into an excuse to indulge in Yulefest feasts, knock back an eggnog or three and generally get festive. If there's one place where the celebration takes on an especially Northern Hemispher-ean flavour, it's Thredbo. Between July 20 and 26, the resort will be transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with overloaded Christmas trees, glittering tinsel, fairy lights, baubles, toasty log fires and gallons of mulled warm Winter cider from Rekorderlig. Various eateries will be hosting epic, multi-course feasts, serving up all the European goodies that our ridiculously hot December Christmases often make unpalatable. Think stuffed turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, mince pies, plum pudding and mulled wine. Plus, there'll be a steady stream of live entertainment and, of course, a visit or several from Santa Claus, who, according to rumour, has been waxing his skis in preparation.
The Thredbo Freestyle Series is one of the few comps on the planet that calls for skiers of all levels. Whether you carve it up like Lindsey Vonn or you’re still experiencing pride at your newly acquired snow ploughing skills, you can get in on the action. And let’s face it: the more variety there is, the more fun the spectators will have. Five events make up the series — Slopestyle, Ridercross, Big Air, Banzai off the Bluff and Rails — and they’ll be happening over the course of July and August. Winners will be announced in every event, and, at the end, an overall, out-of-control Freestyle champion will be crowned. To be a part of the first chapter of the affair — Rails — rock up at the Thredbo Tennis Courts on Thursday, July 17. At 3.30pm, you’ll be handed your bib; from 4pm, training will begin; and, at 5pm, skiers and boarders of all abilities, shapes and sizes will head to Friday Flat for the starting gun. Once darkness starts to fall, spotlights will take over, keeping visible the array of specially built course features and the athletes attempting to conquer them. Live DJs will be supplying the tunes. Don’t fancy competing? Just come along and watch — it's a visual spectacle worth dragging yourself out of the Rekorderlig Hot Pool for.
This legendary New York duo are hitting up The Corner this Wednesday to play a set of highly entertaining indie rock. They've brought with them a string of singles from their classic album With Love and Squalor, such as 'Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt' and 'It's A Hit', as well as tracks from their new album, TV en Francais. In addition to pumping out perfect indie tunes, these guys have a great sense of humour. Check out their clips for 'Nice Guys' and 'After Hours' for proof. Along with the standard tickets, there is also the option to upgrade to a deluxe ticket. This includes the opportunity to watch their soundcheck, meet the band and get a photo, attend an intimate performance of four songs, receive a limited edition four track CD and get some merch signed. Warming the stage for the duo are local legends, Cash For Gold and Flyying Colours. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Et9llKBJdEs
Contemporary art is so often buzzy and fast. Trends change, innovation is the only thing that's sacred, and the more glitz and excitement the better. For a group of people stereotyped as contemplative and morose, it's strange we don't see more artists delving into the past. This latest exhibition at MUMA takes issue with exactly that. Marking the centenary of the First World War, sixteen artists from Australia and abroad have been tasked with examining the fleeting nature of time. In these works they create a solemn and considered monument to impermanence. With varied focusses on the destruction or abandonment of various social and geological phenomena, the artworks featured in the collection examine the nature of both memory and construction. In Comparative Monument, Tom Nicholson catalogues Australian war monuments that feature the word 'Palestine'. In Un-resettling, James Taylor re-erects Indigenous settlement areas along the Australian countryside. It's an earnest collection of works that admittedly aren't going to provide a pick-me-up on a weekend afternoon, but they will give your mind a workout. With social and physical changes in constant motion around us, it's important to take a moment to reflect. What better place to do so than the sacred space of the art gallery?
In modern day Iran, filmmaking and censorship go hand in hand. Before a director can start work, their script must receive government approval, which means none of the material can be explicitly critical of the regime. In spite of this, Iranian filmmakers have been delivering a string of powerful works over the past few years, many of which rank among the best of what world cinema has to offer. Inspired by such success, Australia's Iranian Film Festival will this year emphasise the work of the country's young and emerging directors. The opening night film I'm Not Angry!, the sophomore effort from Reza Dormishian, chronicles a tumultuous love story set against the heated political protests of 2009. Other highlights include The Paternal House, a recently unbanned film that explores how an honour killing reverberates through the generations of a single family; and Fish & Cat, an existential horror movie shot in one unbroken take. Check out the full program at the Iranian Film Festival website.
We like our cities big, bustling and constantly changing. But it doesn't hurt to sit down every so often and have a think about what we're actually doing. What does this new skyscraper mean for life in the city? How can we improve on design and function? Thankfully, this is exactly what is happening this week. Inspired by the forthcoming construction of the MPavilion in the Queen Victoria Memorial Gardens, The Wheeler Centre are hosting two talks with local and international designers, architects and thinkers. Architecture and Cultural Identity on Monday, September 15 will see David Gianotten in conversation with Virginia Trioli. Gianotten is a world-renowned architect based out of Hong Kong who has in the past done research for the Venice Architecture Biennale. During the one-hour session he will be advocating a case for local design culture — he claims you must totally familiarise yourself with a city if you intend to design for it. On Thursday, September 18, Creating a City with Meaning will see a panel of local architects give their perspective on the state of Melbourne's skyline. Debating issues like modern design, the importance of heritage, and the problems of Melbourne's impending population growth, they'll explore the role of architecture in our everyday lives.
As The Delta Riggs return home for their national tour one wonders if these Brit rock look-a-likes from Melbourne, in their extra skinny jeans, Vince Noir haircuts and lyrics about winklepickers and marmalade shoes, will miss the Notting Hill scene they seem so at home in. The four-piece band, known for their gritty blend of blues, psychedelica and classic Brit rock are fresh off the plane from this year's CMJ Music Marathon — New York's five-day music mecca — keeping up the brutal momentum of an epic year in which they've hit over 20 European gigs and toured Australia with their long-time idols Kasabian. The new album Dipz Zebazios is described by lead singer Elliot Hammond as a "sonic shift" from their previous work, with singles 'The Record's Flawed' and 'Supersonic Casualties' dialling up the psychedelic guitars and keyboard to give an intoxicating, almost sinister sound. It's sure to be a high-energy, whisky-drenched tour as The Delta Riggs endeavour to perfect their unique Brit-rock-from-Fitzroy sound. https://youtube.com/watch?v=KEgB2ra5su8
Sibling rivalries and scandalous family secrets come bubbling to the surface following the death of a Moroccan business man, in this amusing and insightful (if mostly predictable) comic drama set at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea. Heavily indebted to the collected works of Jane Austen, the new film from writer-director Laila Marrakchi distinguishes itself via a purposeful sense of cultural specificity within a more broadly relatable story. Rock the Casbah offers some shrewd observations on a society caught between the Islamic world and the West, particularly in regards to the role of women. At the same, Marrakchi's portrayal of familial dysfunction feels so maddeningly familiar that you'd swear it all took place around your parents' dining room table. Born in Casablanca but educated abroad, one imagines that Marrakchi feels a certain connectedness with her protagonist Sofia (Morjana Alaoui), the youngest daughter of wealthy Tangier businessman who now works as an actress in Hollywood. She's the only member of her family to have left Morocco, and as such, finds herself feeling decidedly out of place when she returns home to attend her father's funeral. Amidst the gossip and judgements of her sisters Miriam (Nabine Labaki) and Kenza (Lubna Azabal) and the cold stoicism of her mother Aicha (Hiam Abbass), Sofia is forced to confront her strained relationship with her late father, as well as the demons surrounding the suicide of her other sister, Leila, under mysterious circumstances years before. The film's opening titles established the contradiction of Tangiers, as women in conservative religious garb relax on the beach alongside others in bikinis. Although still governed by long-standing patriarchal traditions, there's a sense that the country's value structures are becoming increasingly outdated. Marrakchi, an outspoken feminist, laces her mannered domestic comedy with no shortage of scathing social criticism, including a contemptuous portrait of a deadbeat uncle who stands to inherit the family fortune simply because he's a man. Nor does she show any qualms in calling out the exaggerated assumptions many westerners have about the Muslim world: one of the great recurring jokes of the film revolves around Sofia's inability to find an acting job playing anything other than a terrorist. The film is at its best when poking fun at cultural stereotypes such as these. Even as religious men prepare the deceased man's body for burial, his crotchety old mother-in-law chows down on a McDonald's value meal in the other room. We watch the sisters drink like fish, joking and giggling about sex. Likewise, we watch them argue, bitterly and without any sense of decorum. In other words, they're a family, probably a lot like your own. Loud. Judgmental. But mostly brutally, agonisingly honest. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Zud2_-im5aM
You know a show is a big deal when you have to Google whether the musician is still alive or not. Thankfully for us, the legendary tambourine man is still very much alive and kicking. And, to celebrate his 73rd birthday yesterday, Bob Dylan is embarking on a month-long run of Australian and New Zealand tour dates kicking off in August. Though this birthday would signify the age of retirement for many, this world-renowned singer-songwriter is showing no signs of slowing down. Having last toured the country with his 2012 album Tempest, Dylan has recently been leaking new content on his website. After releasing a cover of Frank Sinatra's 'Full Moon and Empty Arms', some have suggested the prolific musician's next album — number 36 — could be a compilation of covers. Either way, it'll be a treat to see this living legend perform live. But be sure to get in early! With an iconic sound that has spanned generations, these all ages shows are bound to sell out quick. https://youtube.com/watch?v=e7qQ6_RV4VQ
Next Wave Director, Emily Sexton, once described this artist's work as having an "eloquent politics", and this latest offering is no exception. From March 1 - 11, Phuong Ngo will be living in plain sight at No Vacancy Gallery with the same rations his parents had on their 10-day boat journey to Australia in 1981. In an act with obvious but important political implications, Ngo invites audience members to sit with him during the work and fold origami boats out of bank notes while listening to narrative recordings of other Vietnamese refugees. On the final night these boats will be burned in a huge, ritualistic fire. This event originally appeared as one of our top picks for the 2014 Next Wave Festival. See the full list here.
Few festivals in Australia have the energy and dynamism of Next Wave. Even though its just hit 30 years of age, the festival is still bouncing around in fluoro lycra, staying out in galleries all night, finding the best emerging artists from home and abroad. This year Next Wave boasts a lineup of 239 artists over a month-long program in locations all across the city. And, with a real life fight club and a yoga dance party, the work on show is unlikely to disappoint. Themed 'New Grand Narrative', festival director Emily Sexton defines this year's offering as "a rallying call". "Many institutions that operated throughout the 20th century are cracking," she says. "These institutions have deep, deep flaws, and in this time of transition – to what, we don’t know – we offer this festival and these artists, as a series of potent visions for a new world, and the relationships within it." Accordingly, much of the work on show is concerned with outsider stories. From the festival's keynote initiative Blak Wave to a puberty-themed games arcade made by transgender artist Jackson Fydim Stacy — Next Wave tackles the big issues with thoughtful detail and a little bit of a cheeky grin. For more information, check our top picks of the festival or see the Next Wave website.
Fans of smoked meats, solid harmonica solos and all things Americana will love this; Melbourne just landed its very own specialised twang-fuelled shindig. Dubbed 'a celebration of Americana music, great food and fine booze' at Seaworks, Williamstown, brand new event Out On the Weekend promises to be one laidback folky affair by the water. A shiny new project developed from Love Police founder Brian 'BT' Taranto's fond country music memories and unfaltering love for Neil Young, the all-day, family-friendly October event hinges around a penchant for the dark desert highways of the US. "Ever since my first concert at the Wandong Country Music Festival in the mid '70s, I have had a fascination with the country sounds, the roots of it all, let's just call it Americana music," says BT. "I've lately wondered at staging an event that celebrates these sounds. One that offers great food with alcoholic drops of liquid gold at a cool space. Not a huge festival, just somewhere to get into it for a day with friends and likeminded folks." Just a few months ago, BT found a space for the event on the Williamstown shore and named the whole thing after his number one guy, Neil Young (quietly nicking his Harvest cover for the event logo). "Hey, I'm a giant Neil Young fan, and I reckon the one thing that will connect everyone at this event will be that they have all heard Harvest in it's entirety, and probably own that 1972 classic from which we take the name of track one." A hearty combination of music, food and top notch booze, Out On the Weekend fronts up a solid lineup of country, folk and roots (all undeniably tainted b a love for 'Muuurica. Right at the top sits acclaimed American singer/songwriter Justin Townes Earle (son of the legendary Steve Earle), who's just announced his brand new album White Gardenias set for release in September. Melbourne's own Henry Wagons and Friends are a natural addition to the Americana-inspired lineup, with Wagons having spent the majority of his time of late touring across the desert-dwelling watering holes of the States. Californian-based Texan Ryan Bingham, Bon Iver-meets-Jackson Browne singer Robert Ellis, smoky-voiced alt-country Canadian Lindi Ortega, Wanda Jackson-like wunderkind Nikki Lane, dreamy, gravelly duo The Delines, formerly-known-as-Johnny-Corndawg funster Johnny Fritz, Sydney folk darling Emma Swift, SA-raised multi-instrumentalist Chris Altmann, Melbourne alt-country foursome Raised By Eagles and raucous six-piece bluegrass band The Morrisons are also set to take things porchside on the day. But we promised food. With Melbourne's love for American cuisine in no danger of faltering any time soon, OOTW's nom lineup is quite the star-spangled menu. Sydney's leading renegade chefs Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz of Porteño/Bodega fame will be setting up a pop-up version of their acclaimed establishment, serving up all the smoked meats and potato salads you can fit in y'gob. Melburnians won't be outdone by a sizzling Sydneysider though, with street food legends Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Truck and All Day Donuts driving on in to satisfy every last taste bud. Further nosh and bevvy announcements are yet to come for OOTW, stay tuned for more lip-smacking, exclamation point-inducing news. Out On the Weekend will take place Saturday, October 18 at Seaworks, Williamstown from 11:30am — 10:30pm. Free entry for kids under 12 years old. Very limited Cripple Creek Ferry Packages available for $199 (inc. all fees) including return ferry transfer from Dockland to the event with live entertainment aboard, entry to Out on the Weekend, 2 x meal vouchers (for main dishes), 4 x beverage vouchers, limited edition 'Cripple Creek Ferry Package' screen printed poster (distributed to you on the return ferry ride after the event). https://youtube.com/watch?v=UCElUItrLZc
Any self-respecting Melbournite knows the Docklands are a wasteland. It's always cold and windy, the bare concrete buildings act as a complex maze to which you can rarely escape, and the only people around tend to be depressed-looking businesspeople or gaudy drunks stumbling out of Crown. The Melbourne Star stands as watchman; a symbol of failure that hangs over the entire godforsaken place. This is the general impression at least. The City of Melbourne's newest art installation 5 Short Blasts is intent on changing minds. Asking audiences to "experience Melbourne as a waterfront city," 5 Short Blasts is an audio art installation enacted with the help of marine radios in electric floatillas that travel up the Yarra river from Collins Landing and Water Plaza, around the industrial shipping docks, under the Bolte Bridge, and back into the familiar Docklands. With five boats taking off at any one time, audiences embark on an intimate "choreographed listening journey" that incorporates the ethereal sound art of Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey as well as snippets of interviews conducted with people who have connections to the water you float on. From after-school rowing, to dock workers, to parables of seeking asylum; as you traverse this strange new space histories unfold in front of you. There is a calm upon the water that adds an importance to their words, and their stories become intensely relatable as you occupy a part of their world. For a steadfast land dweller like myself, the experience had a magical quality to it. Traversing this new world has an element of adventure, and in such an intimate setting (there's a maximum of five people per boat) that hour you spend on the boat feels intensely meditative. As for so many, the water becomes a zone of quiet contemplation. The river connects us to people, places and their histories. You finally understand what Tim Winton was getting at in Cloudstreet all those years ago. However, I could imagine finding the work quite condescending for someone who was already well-acquainted with the water. There's nothing exceptionally grabbing about many of the stories that are told, and if you're familiar with the Yarra itself the experience could come off as quite indulgent. Whenever my boat passed a set of construction or dock workers I became a little self-conscious. How strange we must look, floating by with these faces full of intrigue — a naive fascination with this ordinary aspect of our own city. Regardless, I enjoyed the adventure. With journeys commencing from 6am, the work does tend to cast a salty glow on the rest of your day. Everything becomes a little rose-tinted as you start to view the city as an assemblage of stories, and the title itself conveys this welcome sense of mystery. As they tell you upon boarding, "in maritime operations, communicating via a signal of five short blasts means 'I am unsure of your intentions — I am concerned we are going to collide.'" An ominous premise perhaps, but one with thought-provoking connotations nonetheless.
Paradise is looking likely to live up to it's name, with their new-kid-on-the-block coolness and stellar all-Australian line up. The aim of the festival is to take Melbourne’s thriving music scene and plant it in the scenic alpine location of Lake Mountain in Marysville. The BYO event will be hosted over two stages – one for principal acts, the other for electronic acts. It will feature 45 performers and six visual artists who have been brought along to make the experience both visually and aurally delightful. The bill includes a lot of emerging talent such as Glass Towers, Client Liaison, Elisabeth Rose, Naysayer and Gilsun, Millions and plenty of other outrageously talented folk. Start the first weekend of Summer on a high note and hit the road for a musical adventure.
Julian Assange. You might have heard of him? That Lucius Malfoy-haired, Peter Garrett-choreographed, Ecuadorian Embassy-ensconced hacker who almost certainly kisses and tells. Yeah, you know him? Of course you do, because thanks to years of media coverage, Robert Connolly's impressive biopic Underground (2012), Alex Gibney's excellent documentary We Steal Secrets (2013) and, of course, Mr Assange himself, the Wikileaks/Assange saga (now largely synonymous) is one of the most well-known, well-told stories of the decade. Accordingly, if you're going to make a new movie about that story, it had better offer up something new. Unfortunately, The Fifth Estate does not. Directed by Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn), The Fifth Estate sources much of its material from the two books Assange is least likely to ever recommend during cake corner, namely: Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World's Most Dangerous Website (2011), and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy (2011). Both were written by men who were about as close to Assange as one could get in the lead up to, and during, his infamous publication of hundreds of thousands of classified US military and government documents, and both detail how their initial infatuation with this quasi-messianic figure for openness and transparency gave way to horror at his apparent total disregard for consequence. In short, powerful stuff but nothing even remotely revelatory this far into the Wikileaks narrative. If there is a reason to see The Fifth Estate, then, it is unquestionably Benedict Cumberbatch. Few who are not Australian have ever mastered the accent, yet Cumberbatch wields both it and Assange's specific cadence and timbre with aplomb. So impressive is the feat, in fact, that it actually works against the movie. Assange's slow, measured and largely monotone articulation robs even the most dramatic moments of energy, both in real life and in this film, so much so that were it not for the consistently explosive content of his conversations, one suspects he'd be an unbearably boring man to meet in person. Stylistically, The Fifth Estate does what it can to make coding, reading and emailing something of a spectator sport; however, the only real drama occurs when the key figures engage in actual person-to-person (cf peer-to-peer) exchanges — most notably, the debates between Assange and his right-hand man, Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Daniel Brühl), who wrote Inside Wikileaks, over what to release, and when. Everything else feels largely pedestrian, and — remarkably — the contentious allegations of sexual misconduct for which Assange has been indicted by Sweden appear only as a footnote in the credits. Ultimately, The Fifth Estate is an example of the whole being somehow lesser than its parts; a film easily outperformed by its performers and the real life players who inspired it. https://youtube.com/watch?v=YQOiS_l_0Jk
Due to popular demand, Architecture In Helsinki are performing a second show at The Corner Hotel this December. AIH will be releasing their fifth album early next year, which includes their latest gem 'In the Future'. This is your chance to get a sneak peak at their new material, and we can assure you that they are nothing short of an absolute pleasure to see perform live. With their vibrant clothes, highly danceable tunes, and playful stage presence we can’t think of a better band to see on the first day of summer. Guest of the evening is the ever delightful Oscar Key Sung, making this an event of homegrown Melbourne heroes. AIH is pure pop perfection and their high-energy set is sure to have you flailing your limbs in uncontrollable excitement.
It's fifteen years since Elefant Traks started putting their weight behind independent Australian hip hop. In that time, the label has released scores of albums, organised a smorgasbord of gigs and taken home the Best Independent Label at the Independent Music Awards 2012. In October, Jimblah put out his first Elefant Traks album, Phoenix, to critical acclaim; Hermitude played New York City's CMJ Music Marathon; and both Urthboy and Horrorshow were nominated for ARIAs. To celebrate their 15th birthday, Elefant Traks will be hosting two massive, two-night parties in Sydney and Melbourne this month, featuring a selection of their favourite artists, including Horrorshow, Hermitude, The Herd, Jimblah and Sietta. In both cities, the second evening will be held in limited capacity venues (Melbourne's Northcote Social Club on 23 November and Sydney's Red Rattler on 30 November), so two-night tickets have already sold out. However, they're still on sale for the Corner Hotel (22 November) and the Metro (29 November).
What is better than Lily Blacks, great drinks, summer and a gin garden? Well, we can’t think of much else. For five days in November, Lily Blacks are turning their home ground into a Sipsmith Gin Garden. There will be specialty gin cocktails, games of chess and faux grass — we’re hoping for the last one anyway. To kick off the celebrations, Sam Galsworthy, a true Sipsmith will be joining the shenanigans on Monday, November 18 to talk all things gin. Meet you at the bar.
